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  <row Id="1" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:35:50.450" Score="27" ViewCount="133176" Body="&lt;p&gt;Which side of a house will get the most sunlight?  Articles on the internet seem to have conflicting answers. Is this because it is dependent on location?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-25T05:14:51.753" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T14:16:20.200" Title="Which side of a house will get the most sunlight?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="64" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:37:12.493" Score="28" ViewCount="2341" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I try to grow &quot;upside-down&quot; tomatoes, they always curve back up towards the sun and eventually break, causing massive damage.  Could I be doing something wrong, or is there a way to avoid this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-06T19:04:30.607" LastActivityDate="2013-05-21T13:11:22.700" Title="Why do my upside-down tomato plants curve up and break?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:37:45.593" Score="35" ViewCount="4211" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got what I think is a cedar tree in my backyard that is missing most of its bark on one side from the ground to about 4' up. (Thanks to my puppy who is a shredding machine.) The branches next to the bare area of the trunk are slowly turning brown and dying. Is there any way to revive the tree and minimize the damage? Should I prune off branches that appear to be mostly dead?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, on the topic of preventative action: Are there products that successfully keep animals (dogs in my case) away from trees and shrubs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-17T14:35:42.393" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T20:02:23.973" Title="How can I revive a tree that's been stripped of bark?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:37:53.583" Score="31" ViewCount="356" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a big, lovely rhubarb plant in my yard which I'd hoped to be able to harvest a few different times over the course of a summer. How should I harvest my rhubarb to encourage it to regrow quickly? Should I cut it off near the base, pull it up from the root, or something else? Should I harvest it all at once, or should I leave some of the stalks in place?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-19T00:47:35.537" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T07:50:30.103" Title="What's the most effective way to harvest rhubarb?" Tags="&lt;rhubarb&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:38:53.847" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This question depends on context.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I could say the north side but for all I know the north side of your house has no windows.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It also depends on geographic location.  Where does the sun rise/set.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do you have any trees/objects near your house that would obstruct light?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are varying factors here to say the least.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="31" LastEditorUserId="31" LastEditDate="2011-06-08T19:09:41.273" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:09:41.273" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:39:09.920" Score="29" ViewCount="4342" Body="&lt;p&gt;My town recently took down a large 80 year old maple tree that sat on the south side of my house.  Unfortunately that tree provided much-needed shade and now I have already noticed very high temperatures in my  house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to plant a replacement tree - but of course it will take a while to grow.  I have been contemplating a tulip tree, but perhaps there is a better, fast growing tree.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I spoke with the town arborist - he said they would replace it - but likely with a tree that would grow no more than 12 feet high.  He scoffed at my mention of a Tulip tree - but his priorities are not the same as mine - he is concerned for the road asphalt and the power lines - whereas I want my cooling effect.  (I would not plant this on the town right-of-way where the other tree was removed - it would be further on my property away form power and the road)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07419.html&quot;&gt;find this&lt;/a&gt; but am not sure what they mean by &quot;fast&quot;.  I do have a tulip tree in another part of my property that grows fast, but nothing to compare it to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.english-gardening.com/Plants/fast_growing_tree.htm&quot;&gt;site seems to be good&lt;/a&gt; - I might go with a pecan because it has value other than shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastEditorUserId="23" LastEditDate="2011-06-08T18:58:27.547" LastActivityDate="2015-12-16T00:01:12.070" Title="What is a fast-growing deciduous tree for shading house in summer? (Long Island, NY)" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="296" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:39:33.863" Score="19" ViewCount="382" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read in &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1580170269&quot;&gt;Tips for the Lazy Gardener&lt;/a&gt; that gardens in drier parts of Africa can be triple dug (as opposed to double dug, or as I prefer, barely dug) which will somehow absorb more water during the rainy season and store it for the remainder of the growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What conditions would prompt a person, not living in a desert or savannah, to triple dig their garden? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="10" LastEditDate="2011-07-25T19:21:13.780" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T19:21:13.780" Title="Is triple digging worth the backache in temperate biomes?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:39:39.290" Score="28" ViewCount="1555" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a flat (apartment) with no garden, but would love to grow root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots. Is it possible to grow these in a pot, container or grow-bag, or do they need too much depth for this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is possible, what containers would be recommended? I assume deep pots - but would those get enough drainage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="24" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-03T04:36:40.910" LastActivityDate="2020-11-21T02:30:27.067" Title="How do I grow root vegetables in pots/grow-bags?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:39:49.137" Score="29" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general, it depends on your location. In the northern hemisphere, the south side gets the bulk of the sun, because the sun is in that half of the sky. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But if you are on a hill, or have a hill to the east or west, it can significantly shorten your solar 'day'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, if you are in an area that tends to get morning fog, east-facing will get less effective sun than west-facing, because by afternoon the sun will have burned off the fog.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, elevation matters. Higher floors will get more sun because they &quot;see&quot; more of the sky.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So in general, the south-west of the house will get the most sun, with upper floors receiving more than lower floors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="32" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T18:39:49.137" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:40:18.730" Score="23" ViewCount="6827" Body="&lt;p&gt;How often should I fertilize my lawn? Should I follow a certain schedule? I have heard of people fertilizing on around holidays [US: Easter (sometime in April), Memorial day (last week of May), fourth of July, Labor day (first week of September)].  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="30" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-03T04:34:46.607" LastActivityDate="2011-09-03T04:34:46.607" Title="How often should I fertilize my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:40:29.263" Score="23" Body="&lt;p&gt;I usually just &quot;snap&quot; off the stalks - a sharp yank on a shaft straight down is usually enough to free it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I typically only harvest the stalks that are above a certain size.  Though some folks just take all at once.  Rhubarb is pretty hardy - it will likely suffer through much punishment.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T18:40:29.263" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="12" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:40:29.577" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe that in the northern hemisphere, it's always the south-facing side, and north-facing in the southern hemisphere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia's article on Seasons has a few nice images showing this.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T18:40:29.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:41:21.690" Score="41" ViewCount="23858" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to repair some patches in my lawn with grass seeds, but I can't seem to get the seeds to germinate. Is there anything that can be done to encourage germination?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, the weather has been really changeable of late, so it's wet and cold for a few days and then hot and dry for others. Is there anything I can do to give the grass some consistent warmth and moisture? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-03T04:18:28.937" LastActivityDate="2019-03-27T12:20:00.817" Title="How do I encourage lawn seeds to germinate successfully?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:41:37.073" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes are very phototropic: the stalks will always grow towards light, so instead of pointing downwards, they try to curve upwards.  Also, the stalks themselves aren't very strong, so as they grow, the weight of new growth pulls the stalks over, causing the twisting and breaking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T18:41:37.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="39" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:42:43.833" Score="31" ViewCount="10678" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been told that debris/pollution from the road will find its way into my plants, but I don't know how much to be concerned about this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a nice porch which could be used as a vegetable garden, but it is near a side street. It is, however, elevated from the street by a good 10-15'. Should I be concerned about toxins in my food?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What about a planter that is much closer? My neighbors have a vegetable garden that is set back about 20' from a major road (45 mph), at ground level. Should they be concerned?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="32" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-06T19:03:45.460" LastActivityDate="2020-04-16T15:38:04.857" Title="Is it safe to grow food plants near the road?" Tags="&lt;poisons&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:47:21.383" Score="14" ViewCount="1670" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a small rose bush on Mother's Day this year and planted it in my flower garden. The area probably has too much shade for a full sun plant, but I don't think that is the issue here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shortly after planting, its leaves began to develop black splotches and fall off. The leaves are mostly gone at this point. What happened, and is there anything I can do to help it recover?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt; I noticed last night that all of the leaves had fallen off and some new ones were starting to show up. What can I do to prevent these leaves from developing the same mold? Is now the time to apply manure tea or should I wait?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-25T05:30:44.463" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T22:05:18.570" Title="What can cause the leaves of a rose bush to turn black and fall off?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:47:29.950" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you would be safe from runoff being elevated that much above the street, but depending on the traffic level, you could still be getting fumes and such from passing cars.  I would personally plant there, but if you're leery of it, I would get your soil tested beforehand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T18:47:29.950" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:47:38.767" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1580170269&quot;&gt;Tips for the lazy gardener&lt;/a&gt; has some info on growing vegetables in burlap sacks.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.technologyforthepoor.com/UrbanAgriculture/Garden.htm&quot;&gt;Urban Agriculture&lt;/a&gt; has another way of doing things using wading pools.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both obviously require drainage. But if you get creative, you could get two wading pools and move your sacks between them when it becomes too wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T18:47:38.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:48:10.917" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can grow these in a container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growbetterveggies.com/growbetterveggies/2009/01/planting-potatoes-in-pots.html&quot;&gt;Here is one technique&lt;/a&gt; for growing potatoes in a limited area; you just plant the new crop over the old once you've harvested it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general the concerns are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;enough soil depth (for potatoes, a foot, for home-grown carrots, you may be able to get away with 8&quot;), and&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;decent drainage, to avoid root rot/fungus.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sufficient light and watering.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Containers even give you the advantage of containing a blight or fungus infestation if one erupts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="32" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T18:48:10.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:48:25.767" Score="52" ViewCount="4935" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Arizona, and I can never tell if I am watering my plants too little or too much. Plants are very touchy here - and you have to be able to read the signs correctly. I can't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What signs are there for each?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="22" LastActivityDate="2013-05-28T01:10:31.013" Title="How do you know if you are watering a plant too much vs. too little?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:49:10.887" Score="26" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some tips that have worked for me:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Loosen up the soil before scattering the seeds so that the seeds aren't trying to penetrate firm soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mix the seeds with some compost or sand so that they're not all lying exposed on top of the soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Press the compost/seed mixture lightly into the existing soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water twice a day until the new grass is established.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for maintaining consistent moisture, you can reduce or eliminate the water on wet days and water it only on the dry ones. I wouldn't worry too much about the temperature variation as long as you're keeping the soil moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-03T04:19:28.673" LastActivityDate="2011-09-03T04:19:28.673" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:52:32.497" Score="50" ViewCount="20411" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I spray some grass with a poison like Round-up or Kills All, how long before that spray is not dangerous to plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So for example, if after spraying, I walk through the sprayed area and then onto my lawn, how long until I am not going to be leaving &quot;foot prints of death&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="43" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-25T11:51:39.343" LastActivityDate="2020-12-20T10:53:02.343" Title="How long before poisons like Round-up become inert?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:52:54.550" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on how its root structure is doing, you may be out of luck. It is late in the season to be pruning trees back. For now, protect the tree (tie a bit of carpet around it at the heights the dog can get to) and keep it well watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for keeping the dog away, you might ask on the pet website, but for a dog you own, you will need to do on-the-spot training. Let him go for the tree, then explain that it is YOUR property and he is not allowed near it. Do this a few dozen times...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="32" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T18:52:54.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:55:03.910" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may want to go with a two-phase approach:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Very fast-growing things like bamboo. You can buy these at some height already from the nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the same time, plant something slower-growing. Prune the bamboo so the tree (maple would probably work) outcompetes the bamboo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also get some mileage out of a shrub rather than a tree--I'm not sure how tall you need, but things like rhododendrons can get quite tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;edit&lt;/strong&gt;: more fast-growing trees for NY:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Willow&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Poplar&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/EmpressTree.htm&quot;&gt;Royal Empress&lt;/a&gt; - but seems to be an invasive species&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sycamore&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="32" LastEditorUserId="32" LastEditDate="2011-06-08T20:06:08.163" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T20:06:08.163" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:56:01.177" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;A good (and kind of fun) way to answer this is with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/earth/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Google Earth&lt;/a&gt;. If you look up your address, then click the Sun icon, it will allow you to see the sun light based on season and time of day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="35" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T18:56:01.177" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:57:32.977" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This sounds like it could be Blackspot fungus which is brought on by overly damp or humid conditions.  You may be watering too often, especially since it is already in a shady situation.  Fertilizing twice a year with manure tea helps to resist fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="42" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T18:57:32.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4696" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:58:29.060" Score="24" ViewCount="3598" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to grow chili plants in my dorm room. So far I'm just starting, so I have just four small pots (until they grow larger and I have to give them a bigger home). I'm usually away for only a few days, but especially in summer my absence could be even a few weeks. The biggest problem so far is keeping the plants hydrated during the time that I'm absent from my university city.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the solutions that was suggested to me was &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.blumat.at/automatic-watering-system.php&quot;&gt;Tropf Blumat&lt;/a&gt; system. Are there other ways of keeping them hydrated?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="45" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-07T14:05:53.520" LastActivityDate="2012-07-02T17:28:27.853" Title="How do I keep an indoor plant hydrated while I'm away?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:58:57.390" Score="19" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Are there products that successfully keep animals (dogs in my case) away from trees and shrubs?&lt;/em&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.treeprotectionsupply.com/?gclid=CJCZsPz9pqkCFYEUKgodcHbVxg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tree tubes&lt;/a&gt; can protect trees. They're mostly aimed at protecting young saplings from deer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Protective schemes to protect &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.noble.org/ag/wildlife/beaver/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;more mature trees&lt;/a&gt; from beavers can be more extreme. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="47" LastEditorUserId="47" LastEditDate="2016-04-25T01:02:15.217" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T01:02:15.217" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="48" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:59:10.390" Score="21" ViewCount="27224" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a hill beside my house with an approximate 25% grade.  What steps can I take to get a new lawn planted on this hillside, without it being washed away with erosion?  Would I need to put some kind of straw-like covering over it and secure that to the ground with stakes, or should just planting the seeds, fertilizing and watering be enough?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="48" LastActivityDate="2018-12-30T13:23:18.753" Title="How to plant a new lawn on a hillside?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20" CreationDate="2011-06-08T18:59:15.010" Score="32" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are various ceramic tools you can use, but I've never tried them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are signs, tomatoes for instance, will have more fuzz on the sides to collect any water available&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But most gardening books just say stick your thumb into the dirt, if it feels dry then it is time to water, don't wait till the plant turns brown. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said, make sure you don't water too much and have some system of making sure your water gets down to the roots (a little berm perhaps).  That'll prevent your plant from keeping its roots up near the top of the soil where it dries out quicker. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T18:59:15.010" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="187" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:00:47.077" Score="20" ViewCount="461" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing a few varieties of chili pepper (incl. Scotch Bonnets) in my garden since April (Spring). Due to trees, other houses, etc., they only get about 6 hours of direct sunlight a day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this amount of sunlight sufficient? Is there anything I can do to help them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T19:43:58.253" LastActivityDate="2012-06-15T17:44:12.000" Title="How do I grow chilis in limited light?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;habaneros&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="600" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:01:44.223" Score="17" ViewCount="227" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some Florence fennel in my garden that tends to grow very fast in height and to make flowers, but the base stays relatively thin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do to encourage the growth of a &quot;fat&quot; bulb in order to have a better harvest? Does it help to cut it from time to time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-25T05:58:37.160" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T05:58:37.160" Title="How do I encourage my Florence fennel to produce fat bulbs?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;bolting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:01:59.387" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you plant them in a small plant-pot, you could just take them with you when you move. It'd be a lot cheaper than an automated watering system and your chilli will appreciate the extra care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:01:59.387" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2058" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:02:01.433" Score="12" ViewCount="778" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two Kalanchoes on my south-facing kitchen windowsill (about 3' / 1m wide), both cuttings from the same parent plant (which succumbed to mealy bugs).  Both are in the same size pot (no more than 1.5' apart), were planted at the same time using the same potting compost (Miracle-Gro brand, if it's significant) and both get watered and fed on the same schedule. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, one stays low and bushy and is covered with flowers in the springtime.  The other is tall and straggly (if I pinch out a growing tip, a single side-shoot will take over), drops all its leaves along the stalks and has never flowered. The neighbor had a large tree in her yard that shaded it during summer, but she took it out early last year. The flowering one gets shaded by her house slightly earlier in the afternoon. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves on the troubled plant fade to yellow, then dry out and turn brown (at which point I pick them off). But I see the same pattern with older leaves on the other plant, just on the troublesome plant a leaf's lifespan seems much shorter, so that I only have a small clump of leaves at the top of a stalk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a picture of my kitchen windowsill.  From left to right, Hippeastrum, &quot;bad&quot; Kalanchoe (longest stalk is about 3'; it's starting to pull itself out of its pot!), Abutilon, cut rose, &quot;good&quot; Kalanchoe (and even it's starting to get straggly in its old age), Hippeastrum. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rdqPV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Kitchen windowsill&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've checked for pests on them, but haven't found any.  What is causing the different growth habit, and how do I fix it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-19T02:44:22.950" LastActivityDate="2012-02-19T02:44:22.950" Title="Why do two kalanchoes on one windowsill exhibit different growth habits?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="678" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:02:33.660" Score="16" ViewCount="376" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have six particular 40-day-old white pumpkin plants. I need to multiply these particular plants as rapidly as possible -- It's at least another month or two before I can extract viable seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I better off utilizing the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bigpumpkins.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=31&amp;amp;gid=2&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;bury-the-vine&lt;/a&gt; method? I am a bit concerned about what stage (how large) a pumpkin plant should be at before burying portions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is also the method that involves cutting the plant, dipping in root hormone, and placing in a greenhouse environment to supposedly promote new root development. I believe this method could multiple faster if it worked, but I'm hesitant to waste the effort on this if the bury-the-vine method is more suitable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZDqwf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="49" LastEditorUserId="49" LastEditDate="2011-06-10T03:16:10.123" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T00:31:50.320" Title="What is a good method for rapidly cloning White Pumpkin plants?" Tags="&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1805" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:03:50.010" Score="25" ViewCount="4412" Body="&lt;p&gt;After three years of pulling, hoeing, and tilling, one corner of my garden is still infested with this vile weed. I live in Southeast Colorado, and the brutally-hot summer days seem to keep it under control except for this one, shaded corner...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to discourage its growth (short of paving this section of my garden over)? Or am I doomed to spend my days pulling these quick-growing little beasts...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="44" LastActivityDate="2020-07-22T05:42:14.407" Title="How can I discourage ragweed from growing?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="38" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="44" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:04:27.437" Score="20" ViewCount="3509" Body="&lt;p&gt;How does putting my plants in a greenhouse help them grow? Is it purely to shield them from cold weather, or are there other benefits?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="68" LastEditDate="2011-06-08T19:18:56.357" LastActivityDate="2019-07-16T02:47:37.280" Title="What is the point of a greenhouse?" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="39" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:06:32.630" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;The primary concern has historically been lead poisoning, but leaded gas started getting phased out in the US in 1973 and was finally banned in 1995. If your garden is in an older city neighborhood, then it is possible that you've got significant lead levels already. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;We have a nice porch which could be used as a vegetable garden, but it is near a side street. It is, however, elevated from the street by a good 10-15'. Should I be concerned about toxins in my food?&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The elevation makes me feel that it is safe enough for food production. Actual street-side would be something for flowers in my opinion. I've got neighbors who plant next to neighborhood roads with significant traffic (just on the other side of the sidewalk from the street), and they've been doing it for 20+ years. They've felt no concerns about pollution or toxins when I've asked them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="47" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:06:32.630" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="40" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:08:12.003" Score="18" ViewCount="1424" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never been totally successful in waiting till the exact opportune moment to till my garden and I don't suppose that I ever will be.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually till my garden once or twice and when I'm ready to plant I am greeted with tremendous dirt clods (more than my 2 year old son has the tenacity to smash with a hammer).   I could till it again, but generally part of the garden is OK, so I plant a few rows and then find that I've got really bad conditions in the rest of the garden. So I get out the mantis and do what I can. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do after I've screwed up everything besides find a new part of my lawn to decimate? What I'd like would be some sort of soil amendment that can magically unclod my dirt as easily as I could do with a pitchfork or hammer after a good rain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-21T15:26:32.953" LastActivityDate="2011-08-21T15:29:27.067" Title="Can I fix a garden tilled too early?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;tilling&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="41" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="38" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:08:42.020" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Primarily, greenhouses trap heat and moisture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most plants prefer things warm and damp, so it's an ideal environment for growing fruit and germinating seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:08:42.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="42" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:10:16.560" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends how much rain/water flow the slope gets. Most places straw is sufficient. However in places of increased water flow it may be necessary to also add plastic netting (tied down of course with stakes). A more expensive option is to spray a (biodegradable) foam grass-seed solution that hardens and replaces both the straw and the netting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:10:16.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="43" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1470" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:10:24.313" Score="30" ViewCount="1222" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried to prune a rose bush and it stopped growing from all the branches I pruned, and instead shot one big green stem up from the root again.  What is the proper technique?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="63" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T20:11:51.380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T02:16:11.150" Title="How do you prune a rose bush?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="44" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="38" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:11:07.653" Score="29" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are several benefits of a greenhouse:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;accumulation of heat from the sun&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;possibility to regulate temperature and humidity&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Protection from wind and excessive rain&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;protection from unwelcome pollens&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;limited protection from pests especially birds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Typically you put in a greenhouse plants that prefer a warmer climate than the local one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-21T15:33:12.443" LastActivityDate="2011-08-21T15:33:12.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="45" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="38" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:11:24.020" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Green houses can extend your growing season, and even allow you to grow throughout the year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:11:24.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="47" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:11:43.190" Score="21" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have heard that an easy way to do an automatic watering system is to take a soda bottle and put a pin hole in the top. You can make the hole just small enough to have a drop of water come out at a time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Place the bottle cap down into your pot. This will provide a constant drip of water into your plant. Try it with a small bottle and test the hole to make sure only a very small drip is coming out. This would suffice for short trip.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:11:43.190" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="48" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:11:43.900" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;One thing you can do is dig a series of swales. They can be nearly invisible -- you dig a shallow ditch on contour, and then fill it in with compost so that you can't really even see it. This helps slow runoff and avoid erosion. (You probably won't get away with &quot;invisible&quot; on a 25% slope.) Additionally, the swale holds water and allows it to seep slowly into the lawn below. This gives the lawn a more even source of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In revising this answer, I realize that I should have recommended planting trees at intervals on this slope. If possible, you want something that will root deeply and hold the soil well. A major rain event could cause a landslide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's an &lt;a href=&quot;http://permaculture.org.au/2010/05/20/water-harvesting-and-storage/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;illustration from The Permaculture Research Institute&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BoJqy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;swale profile illustration&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That same page has an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/v/UFeylOa_S4c&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;informative video&lt;/a&gt; on how it is supposed to work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't do this (and I have gotten away with not doing it, though not as steep as 25%), you can possibly get by with straw covering and keeping it moist. The risk here is that a thunderstorm which drops a bunch of rain all at once can wipe your planting out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hydroseeding would be another possibility. You'd have to rent a machine or get someone to come in and do this for you. I've seen (but haven't done myself) some very steep slopes successfully planted with a hydroseeder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have really good luck with composted horse manure, though we don't generally care about all the weeds (mostly clover) that comes along with it. About a 2&quot; thick layer of this on top of the soil does a great job. The compost absorbs a &lt;strong&gt;ton&lt;/strong&gt; of moisture, I've never seen it erode. It's kind of like hydroseeding, but with shovels instead of a machine, and a &quot;ready made&quot; seed &amp;amp; fertilizer mixture... ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2018-12-30T13:23:18.753" LastActivityDate="2018-12-30T13:23:18.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="49" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:11:53.033" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've grown jalapeños on an east-facing, sky-obstructed apartment porch before. The problem is simply that the less sun you have, the smaller yield you're going to get. In my case, I only managed about 4 tiny peppers: enough for a batch of scrambled eggs. Generally with chili plants, the more sun the better!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So depending on your varieties and how many plants you grow, you might be able to get a large enough yield to be worth it, even if they aren't as big as peppers you might buy in store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="28" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:11:53.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="50" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="57" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:13:13.923" Score="19" ViewCount="6783" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing some seedlings in a tray that has a plastic lid. The sun causes moisture to condense on the lid. I was wondering: is this counter-productive, as the condensation then blocks the sun? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hp2tl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Seedling tray&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="68" LastEditDate="2011-06-08T19:23:08.120" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T20:36:26.260" Title="Is condensation on my seed tray an issue?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="51" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="40" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:15:22.710" Score="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds like you may be tilling when it is too wet. Next time, wait until it dries out some more. Give your soil the &lt;a href=&quot;http://naturehills.com/gardening/blogs/helpful_gardening_tips/archive/2008/03/09/to-wet-to-till.aspx&quot;&gt;squeeze test&lt;/a&gt; before tilling:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This test should be with soil from a 2 1/2 - 3' depth. 1. Pick up a handful of soil. 2. Squeeze it into a small ball. 3. Upon applying pressure to the ball the ball should crumble. If your fingers' pressure causes it to compress more, it is still still too wet to till.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This time, assuming it is dry enough now, you should be able to just run the tiller through it again to break up the clods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might also want to check if you have high enough organic matter in the soil. I find that adding gobs of compost over time makes it so I don't get big dirt clumps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-21T15:29:27.067" LastActivityDate="2011-08-21T15:29:27.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="52" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="56" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:16:53.907" Score="44" ViewCount="2201" Body="&lt;p&gt;Researching growing jalapeños, I've seen people mention how water-starving your jalapeño plants can lead to spicier peppers. How true is this? If there's any truth to it, what tips can you provide about watering amounts? How much is too little? Does this vary by the growth stage of the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What other factors affect the spiciness of peppers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="28" LastEditorUserId="23" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T13:50:35.863" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T13:50:35.863" Title="What factors affect the spiciness of jalapeños?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;jalapenos&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="53" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:18:24.763" Score="16" ViewCount="5568" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few ferns with long pointed leaves, and their tips have turned brown. The plant is otherwise healthy, and is actively growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is causing that? Should I worry about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="67" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-25T11:55:01.850" LastActivityDate="2012-05-24T22:23:26.967" Title="Some of my ferns have brown spots on the tips of their leaves. What causes that?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="54" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:18:35.017" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it's a shaded part of the garden, you could grow something that likes part shade and grows pretty big, like turnips, kohlrabi, kale, brussels sprouts, cauliflower or broccoli and mulch the pants off of that section.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:18:35.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="55" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="67" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:18:43.857" Score="18" ViewCount="1963" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lot of trees in my yard...and squirrels.  I'm not 100% sure the squirrels are the critters doing the damage, but it seems the most likely.  My neighbor says he's seen a possum in his yard before...and I'm not ruling out rats or mice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, this is the third time this has happened. I hate to start killing squirrels to prevent it;  it's kind of fun looking at them scamper up and down my trees.  Plus, they might not be the offender anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what the damage looks like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iie51.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:28:44.210" Title="How do I prevent critters from chewing my sprinkler system?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="56" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="52" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:19:31.017" Score="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;Planting capsicum varieties that are hotter than jalapenos with other flowering plants on either side can aid in cross breeding. Similarly, this is also how one contrives a heat-less jalapeno.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:19:31.017" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="57" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="50" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:19:37.403" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, those covers are a bad idea. They create a breeding ground for fungi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the idea is that they keep the soil moist while the seeds are germinating. I can see through your cover that you have plants up. I have had good luck with uncovered trays and simply keeping the soil moist during germination. (I have had fungus problems in the past when I've tried to keep them covered.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At any rate, it's unlikely that the condensation is blocking enough sun to drop the temperature inside very far, and not below your optimum range for germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:19:37.403" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="58" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:20:35.840" Score="17" ViewCount="6782" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been wanting to plant a mango seed; though I live in Phoenix, Arizona.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Firstly, would a mango seed actually grow in my area? Secondly, I'm pretty new to any kind of plant life. So, does anyone have any information on germinating and planting a mango seed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="65" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-23T18:21:34.860" LastActivityDate="2018-01-02T20:23:01.270" Title="Is it possible to grow a mango plant in the Phoenix climate?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="59" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="50" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:21:30.067" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Normally, you want to see condensation on your seed tray. It indicates there's a moist atmosphere inside, which is just what the seeds need to germinate. It doesn't block the light in any meaningful way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can see that you've got nice green seedlings there, so you're doing great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:21:30.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="60" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="52" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:21:51.817" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pepper plants can survive short periods with very little water at all, but I find their fruit lose their structure and become soft. In other words it doesn't sound like a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in North Texas the locals tell me you need good hot weather for hot, spicy peppers. So that is something worth trying, although I find the fruits tend not to set during the hottest months of summer. (I usually grow sweet or mildly spicey varieties)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-08T19:39:20.630" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:39:20.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="61" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:22:55.947" Score="10" ViewCount="325" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several african violets in special clay pots. The pots kind of resemble a double boiler, and the lower pot is filled with water, then the upper section, containing the plant, is unglazed on its bottom half. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I add fertilizer to the water in the lower pot, will it diffuse through the clay to the soil? Or do I need to apply it directly to the soil or directly water the violet every now and then?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="67" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-08-23T17:35:04.787" LastActivityDate="2011-08-23T17:35:04.787" Title="Will african violet fertilizer diffuse through clay pots?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;african-violets&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="62" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:24:58.457" Score="17" ViewCount="431" Body="&lt;p&gt;When talking about soil and fertilizers, what are the primary nutrients in addition to NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) that play a major role in plant development?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastActivityDate="2021-03-31T17:11:10.767" Title="What are the primary nutrients utilized by plants beyond NPK?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="63" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="50" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:25:17.793" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The covers help as they not only trap the water, but they also trap the heat inside which allows for better control of soil temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each species of seed has an optimal soil temperature at which the highest percentage of seeds sown will germinate in the shortest amount of time. Most seed distributors will print this temperature in the seed catalog or on the seed package.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="70" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:25:17.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="64" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:27:25.093" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;There was just an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2011/june/home-garden/topsy-turvy/overview/index.htm&quot;&gt;article on upside-down planting&lt;/a&gt; in the June 2011 edition of Consumer Reports on this topic.  They tested out topsy-turvy tomato planters to see how tomatos grown in these containers compare to traditionally planted tomatoes.  Their answer to your question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Tomato shoots are geotropic: They try&#xA;  to turn up in response to gravity. But&#xA;  Topsy Turvy plants slump as they grow,&#xA;  often twisting their stems, which can&#xA;  cause splitting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may be interesting to experiment with growing &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tomatofest.com/tomato-questions.html&quot;&gt;indeterminate vs. determinate&lt;/a&gt; tomato plants in your upside-down planter.  Determinate plants are bushy and more rigid, indeterminate are viney.  I would think the flexible/bendable nature of indeterminate tomatoes may make them less likely to break in an up-side-down planter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="60" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:27:25.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="65" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="62" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:28:25.050" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Primary macronutrients are NPK as you mention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncagr.gov/cyber/kidswrld/plant/nutrient.htm&quot;&gt;this article on plant nutrients&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The secondary [macro]nutrients are calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Micronutrients are those elements essential for plant growth which are needed in only very small (micro) quantities. The micronutrients are boron (B), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), chloride (Cl), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo) and zinc (Zn).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-08T19:39:48.967" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:39:48.967" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="66" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:28:27.293" Score="19" ViewCount="911" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone recommend a style of small-sized grow lamp that I can use inside my apartment to give my plants some extra light in the evening that won't cost a lot of money to run.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-03-31T06:15:09.323" LastActivityDate="2019-02-06T16:46:07.627" Title="What kind of a grow lamp can I use in my apartment?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="67" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="55" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:28:44.210" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Weaponize some chili pepper oil by putting it in an atomizer or other spray bottle; proceed to spray the equipment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:28:44.210" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="68" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:29:55.687" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another thing to be wary of would be salt if you are in a northern climate where the roads are gritted/salted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes there might be toxins to be wary of - but you breathe those in when you're driving a car anyway.  I.e. the risk would be small compared to other risks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T13:48:15.947" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T13:48:15.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="69" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="297" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:31:52.073" Score="19" ViewCount="1941" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've already germinated giant sequoia (&lt;em&gt;Sequoiadendron giganteum&lt;/em&gt;) seeds for 6 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the ideal soil conditions for planting the saplings?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="74" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-22T20:08:46.503" LastActivityDate="2020-09-28T21:55:19.667" Title="What are the ideal soil conditions for planting giant sequoia saplings?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="70" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="78" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:31:52.613" Score="28" ViewCount="7333" Body="&lt;p&gt;When building a raised bed for a vegetable garden, what do I need to do to properly prepare the soil? It is going to be mixed with different types of vegetables and herbs that I will rotate out all year long. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I buy the more expensive garden soil? Or use essentially use top soil and add the necessary fertilizers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="71" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-06T02:31:51.913" LastActivityDate="2013-12-28T03:02:54.167" Title="How should I properly prepare a raised bed vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="72" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5325" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:33:58.977" Score="18" ViewCount="415" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow several types of dahlias every year, and dig up the tubers in late Fall to keep them for next year.  I cover them in potting compost and put them in the back corner of my basement which is dark, cool and dry.  I use fresh compost every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I often find that I'll lose some of the tubers (one year I lost them all!) by the following Spring: they'll be crumbly and dried out and fall to pieces as I take them out of the compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to prevent this from happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T14:55:30.083" LastActivityDate="2012-10-09T21:20:18.163" Title="How are  dahlia tubers overwintered?" Tags="&lt;dahlias&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="73" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:34:07.517" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In upstate NY here - I usually fertilize mine once in Spring (late in May) once in the summer (around mid-July) and once in the Fall (around mid-Sept) and it seems to do the trick just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="77" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:34:07.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="74" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="89" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:34:28.350" Score="28" ViewCount="295" Body="&lt;p&gt;A &quot;Three Sisters&quot; garden is a garden grown consisting of three different crops which help each other grow in some fashion. Such as Corn, Squash and Beans.  I read about it in &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0761110569&quot;&gt;Roots Shoots Buckets and Boots&lt;/a&gt;, an awesome book for making gardens with kids. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the criteria for picking out the three sisters and how does one help the other? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="34" LastEditDate="2011-06-10T22:35:44.510" LastActivityDate="2011-09-20T18:09:00.683" Title="What are the criteria for picking out vegetables to grow together in &quot;Three Sisters&quot; garden?" Tags="&lt;companion-planting&gt;&lt;three-sisters&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="75" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="83" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:34:54.530" Score="17" ViewCount="1352" Body="&lt;p&gt;The tree In my garden as lots of red cocoons on its leaves, I assume these are insects, do I need to be concerned or are they harmless?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ptAeI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T14:57:18.427" LastActivityDate="2012-02-17T14:57:18.427" Title="What are these red cocoons in my trees leaves?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="76" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="85" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:35:38.120" Score="37" ViewCount="7722" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a vegetable garden that bugs just love. Since my family is going to eat these vegetables (and I'd prefer that the bugs do not), what organic pesticide is most effective? The main culprits are aphids and cabbage loopers (or inch worms) though any pesticide that targets critters that eat leafy vegetables would be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="79" LastActivityDate="2019-08-09T12:44:28.023" Title="What is an effective organic pesticide to use against aphids or cabbage loopers?" Tags="&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="10" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="78" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="70" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:37:04.267" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know about &quot;properly&quot;, but what we have done on three beds (and it seems to work) is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Start with roughly 50/50 mix of cheap topsoil bags (tend to be very sandy) and the more expensive garden soil/compost. This will settle to perhaps 50–60% of the alleged contents of the bags. So keep topping up over the next few years when the beds are empty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although I might occasionally add the cheap topsoil bags to a young bed that requires a lot of topping-up, I usually top up with &quot;Shrub compost&quot; (Lowes sell it in big bags intended for trees and shrubs, but it seems to work very well for peppers and tomatoes); our home-made compost; and &quot;used&quot; potting compost (i.e. from pots which have had plants in them).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="219" LastEditDate="2013-12-28T03:02:54.167" LastActivityDate="2013-12-28T03:02:54.167" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="79" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="58" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:37:43.790" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;As to germinating, the information that I can find says to plant with the rounded end up. Wrap it in a damp paper towel in a baggie and keep it someplace warm for a week to a month. Check it to make sure it doesn't mold. If it starts to mold, take it out and plant it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But that has little to do with where you live. I could get Mango to &lt;em&gt;germinate&lt;/em&gt; here in zone 5.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mango is hardy to zone 10-11. Phoenix is zone 9. You may have trouble with winter kill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be able to make it work if you have a site (or can create a microclimate) that stays warmer. Or if you can find a variety of mango (if such a thing exists, I don't know) that is hardier than the zone 10-11 that I found listed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:37:43.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="80" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="70" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:39:04.953" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you live in the desert your best bet is to use top soils/composts from elsewhere. Just create the raised bed using wood or rock, then fill in the area with a mix of sand and soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you live in a place where vegetables have a better chance with the native soil, try just adding compost. You'll still need to transfer soil from one part of your yard to another if you want to use a raised bed (which, admittedly, can help with drainage) but it'll be a bit cheaper to start than all of the bags of soil you'd have to purchase from your local nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="79" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:39:04.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="81" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="154" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:40:31.630" Score="73" ViewCount="20816" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are the best conditions for basil to grow? I live in the UK and it never seems to last that long. Recently I've been putting the plants in the shade and drenching them in water, which seems to be working so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="924" LastEditDate="2012-02-23T22:27:59.800" LastActivityDate="2021-01-28T12:42:54.260" Title="What are the best conditions for basil?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="22" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="82" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="70" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:40:36.870" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;I too have no expert advice, but I just built wooden boxes (3'x12') and scooped the topsoil from the paths into the beds.  I then laid down sticks, grass, wood chips, etc to fill the lowered walkways.  Over the years the walkways composted beautifully. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can move the raised beds, till the whole thing and put the frames in another orientation if you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I added a layer of compost in the fall and spring to the tops of the beds.  (before planting and after harvest)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastEditorUserId="23" LastEditDate="2011-06-08T20:16:10.610" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T20:16:10.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="83" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="75" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:42:29.430" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/leaf-galls-maple&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's some Insect advice from Penn State.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In summary, it sounds like you have a mite problem for your tree (take note of the other trees, that looks like a maple leaf to which this insect is characteristic); they are &quot;commonly referred to as eriophyid mites&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;these galls are not harmful to the health of a tree. ... Feeding by eriophyid mites appears to stimulate the formation of galls on the upper and lower surface of the leaves... If many leaves on a tree are heavily infested, there may be some reduction in growth.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;In general, leaf galls do not seriously affect the normal growth of a tree. Thus, chemical control is seldom suggested. If indicated, the best time to treat an infested tree ... is mid-April, before buds swell&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/maple_gall_mite.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Note that these mites are predated by ladybugs green lacewings&lt;/a&gt;, so if you have an infestation of either of those these might be contributing in some way to that.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WvFxK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Gall Mites nymphing it up on a maple leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastEditorUserId="40" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T15:30:34.877" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T15:30:34.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="84" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:49:02.563" Score="45" ViewCount="73016" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an avocado plant that has grown indoors since it was a pit. It grew first in a badly insulated, north-facing, wet and cool house, where it grew splendidly. After I moved it to a well insulated house with central heating and lots of light, the avocado began to act sick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The symptoms were drying of leaves from the tip to the stalk with wavy patterns on the edge (the remaining green area, gradually reduced, would thus look like a oak leaf).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I first suspected that the drying of leaves meant I had drowned the roots, so I gave it less water. Then I read somewhere the symptoms could be a fungus, the only cure for which would be some &lt;em&gt;bouillie Bordelaise&lt;/em&gt;, which I prepared and sprayed on the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next year the avocado grew new leaves, but by the end of summer, they got brown again. By then I thought the problem may have been the atmosphere at home, too dry perhaps. So I sprayed the avocado several times daily to keep it cool and humid. It didn't help either however. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I pruned the tree and it grew new sprouts which dried out in turn. It didn't even get the chance to grow them. The dehydratation this year looks different however, it is not brownish, it is dark green and dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm really confused, I've tried many different things and don't really know what to do now. What has caused this change? I can only think of the climate change, but funnily an avocado is a semi-tropical plant from meso-america, it should love sun and heat right? I really am attached to this tree and would like to do my best to help it grow. If you could help, I would really be happy for it. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; &#xA;Here is a picture of a smaller plant which has similar symptoms (the larger one has lost all its leaves):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8HgXq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dried avocado leaf&quot;&gt;&#xA;There is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/avocado-tree-1-year-old.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;another picture&lt;/a&gt; I found on line too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit July 21st, 2011:&lt;/strong&gt; I have transplanted the large plant into a new light humus soil. I can't get a clay pot for now, so I used the same plastic pot and made 4 x 5 cm diameter holes at the bottom. Water runs through now. Hopefully that will help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NxDc5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Avocado in large pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following picture's blurry, but the tip of the young leaves are drying and curling at the tip:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dOqFt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fresh young leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update July 30th, 2011:&lt;/strong&gt; &#xA;I have not watered the plant a second time since changing the soil, which is still humid today.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant's young leaves are drying out further as you can see from this picture (compare with above).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iWjPe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dried young leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a number or new sprouts however, but I'm afraid they'll suffer the same fate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iJd1J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further help would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="80" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-26T03:08:11.340" LastActivityDate="2015-11-26T03:08:11.340" Title="How to prevent avocado from drying out indoors?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="85" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="76" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:49:40.390" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm having good results with Bt (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis&quot;&gt;Bacillus thuringiensis&lt;/a&gt;), but I don't think aphids are listed on the label as being controlled by it. The main problem I'm solving with Bt is cabbage loopers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wikipedia says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Cry toxins have specific activities against insect species of the orders Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), Diptera (flies and mosquitoes), Coleoptera (beetles), hymenoptera (wasps, bees, ants and sawflies) and nematodes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aphids are order Hemiptera, so it doesn't look like Bt will work on them. I have heard of using tomato leaf or garlic oil spray to control aphids, but haven't had to try either. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.carbon-footprint-defined.com/homemade-pesticide-recipe.html&quot;&gt;this page for recipes&lt;/a&gt;, or google around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:49:40.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="86" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="81" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:50:43.327" Score="20" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am attempting to grow Basil for the first time also, but mine seem to be doing pretty well. From what I found basically they needed a to be planted in soil that will drain well. In a quick google search I found &lt;a href=&quot;http://usagardener.com/how_to_grow_herbs/how_to_grow_basil.php&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; site that added a few other things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;will not survive indoors&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;susceptible to cold and frost, and to drastic temperature change&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="71" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T19:50:43.327" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="87" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="128" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:56:43.640" Score="17" ViewCount="891" Body="&lt;p&gt;Virtually all cultivated peppers are C.annuum, and I've had a lot of success growing these from seed.  (I also usually buy 3-4 plants locally each year but selection is usually very limited)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I soak my seeds using a salt petre solution before sowing. This is recommended particularly for those that are harder to germinate (eg. chiltepins). Here in North Texas I usually get a small crop before the height of summer, and then the main crop September-November. All are grown outside, full afternoon sun. I used to use containers a lot, but I'm finding raised beds produce much bigger plants - probably due to water and root space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, this is the second year that I have tried to grow C.frutescens varieties. Last year I tried Tabasco and Twilight. This year just Tabasco. Both years I've had poor germination rates (5 out 50 seeds this year). Plants never grew very big last year. This year they are definitely a lot smaller than the Anchos and Gypsies which were sown on the same day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I improve their growth (with a view to more fruit in Autumn), and how can I improve the germination rate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T14:36:02.297" Title="How do I grow better Tabasco-type (C.frutescens) peppers?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="88" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="841" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:57:48.913" Score="11" ViewCount="218" Body="&lt;p&gt;Has anyone ever used row covers (floating or built on a &quot;structure&quot;, such as a PVC cage) to help prevent/discourage insects? How effective are they?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="79" LastActivityDate="2016-10-16T14:20:44.940" Title="How effective are row covers in preventing insects?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;row-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="89" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="74" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:58:49.360" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Referring to the criteria for why Corn, Squash, Beans particularly work as a &quot;Three Sisters&quot; combination, the natural explanation is as follows:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the corn acts as a trellis for the beans&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the beans fix nitrogen in the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;and &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.registerguard.com/web/specialhomegarden/26018546-41/corn-beans-pumpkin-sisters-garden.html.csp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Squash, utterly magnanimous, provides a natural mulch for both corn and beans by providing a thick mat of leaves to prevent soil from drying out&lt;/a&gt;&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In other words, symbiotically you have one contributing to the structure of the growing environment &lt;strong&gt;above&lt;/strong&gt; the soil, one affecting the richness and suitability for growth &lt;strong&gt;within&lt;/strong&gt; the soil, and one protecting the &lt;strong&gt;surface&lt;/strong&gt; of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/complant.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here is a link to a Companion Planting Primur from the National Center for Appropriate Technology&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Per the chart, in short you can pair:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Corn with - Irish Potato, Beans, English Pea, Pumpkin, Cucumber, Squash&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Squash with - Nasturtium, Corn, Marigold&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beans with - Irish Potato, Cucumber, Corn, Strawberry, Celery, Summer Savory&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastEditorUserId="40" LastEditDate="2011-09-20T14:58:08.990" LastActivityDate="2011-09-20T14:58:08.990" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="90" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="118" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:59:27.213" Score="28" ViewCount="692" Body="&lt;p&gt;What techniques can be used to discourage cilantro from bolting too quickly? I plant them and it seems that they almost immediately go to seed after they've reached maturity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="79" LastEditorUserId="54" LastEditDate="2011-07-25T11:12:18.363" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T11:12:18.363" Title="How do you discourage cilantro/coriander from bolting too quickly?" Tags="&lt;bolting&gt;&lt;cilantro&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="91" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="96" CreationDate="2011-06-08T19:59:37.087" Score="14" ViewCount="5215" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got some old tools (shovels and pitchforks) that were my grandparents. The metal parts look like they were painted (a lot has worn off), I want to sharpen them and fix them up following the advice in &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1594869170&quot;&gt;Rodales Garden Encyclopedia&lt;/a&gt; - sand and reseal the handles and all (they're already in OK shape, but I want to keep them for my kids).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, I'm just wondering if it's a good idea to repaint the bare metal because I think it would make them dull (not to mention leech into the soil). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How could I make them look good either way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="10" LastEditDate="2011-06-10T15:29:28.753" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T05:11:41.763" Title="Should I paint old garden tools?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="93" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="99" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:01:33.547" Score="42" ViewCount="14176" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have a compost heap, how often should you turn it? Does it make a difference if it's a simple heap (a mound on the ground) or in a tumbler?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternately, is it even necessary to turn the heap?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="79" LastEditorUserId="79" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T03:54:34.027" LastActivityDate="2020-02-08T17:07:47.927" Title="How often do you need to turn the compost heap?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="94" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2597" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:02:37.070" Score="15" ViewCount="6712" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's my situation: I have a lawn that I've refused to use chemicals on because I have a dog who likes to graze. The lawn is now a mess of weeds and very thin grass. I've tried organic fertilizers with no luck. So I've investigated, and many chemical fertilizers claim to be safe for pets and children after a specific period of time. I'm assuming that means that after 2 days (or whatever is on the bag) the product will not topically transfer onto bare feet and/or paws.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, as I said, my dog grazes like a cow. Once the fertilizer soaks into the ground, does the grass then soak it up through the roots, so that the grass itself becomes poisonous to eat?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="82" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-10T19:26:52.780" LastActivityDate="2013-09-12T12:29:04.040" Title="How long does chemically fertilized grass remain poisonous?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="95" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="81" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:03:27.943" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the past it has grown almost like a weed in our pots on our deck here in North Texas. Admittedly we deliberately help it to re-seed itself: we grow it as an annual and winter frosts kill it. The location is hot (often 100F+) and full sun in the afternoon, but they do take quite a bit of water. So perhaps shade is the wrong thing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T20:03:27.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="96" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="91" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:04:10.530" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is that painting the metal would not hold up well. Shovels and Pitchforks in use basically will run up against things which cause the paint to chip off fairly quickly. I would just try to clean the rust off. A wire brush or a wire brush wheel would probably work well to clean them up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as the handles, you may want to consider just replacing the handles. Most of the shovels and pitchforks I have seen laying around my grandparents house had a bolt that was used to hold the handle to the metal. I can remember helping my grandpa replace these handles pretty regularly as we broke them over the years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="71" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T20:04:10.530" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="97" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="93" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:07:12.437" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should turn it to get air in, and to mix stuff up (rather than a lump of grass cuttings, a lump of veg peelings, etc). We have a tumbler and don't turn it anywhere enough out of simple laziness. combined with too many fluids this can result in a smelly anoxic black mess. I think the tumbler was meant to be turned daily, but I usually try to do it every time I put something in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mounds require a lot more work to turn so I think people usually do them once or twice a year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T20:07:12.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="99" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="93" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:09:19.723" Score="21" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't need to turn it at all.  But, the typical wisdom is that the more frequently you turn it the faster it will turn into the black stuff you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't waste your money on a tumbler.  Just make a big pile - then eventually you can also have dividers for different maturity piles.  (Discarded pallets work great for that)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've grown potatoes and pumpkins on/in a pile that was never turned during the growing season.  Morning glories also sprouted...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-02-08T17:07:47.927" LastActivityDate="2020-02-08T17:07:47.927" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="100" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="66" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:09:58.353" Score="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;I went to the local big box store and bought a few 48 inch flourescent light fixtures (the kind with a cord, not direct-wired) for about US$10 each. They have a pair of hooks and chains that you are supposed to use for hanging from the ceiling. I attach the hooks to the bottom side of a shelf and suspend the fixtures on these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For each fixture, get one &quot;cool&quot; bulb and one &quot;hot&quot; bulb. This offers the plants more of the spectrum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The same big box store sells plastic shelving units that work well for setting this up. In a 4'x2' floor space you can have 4 or 5 shelves, about two flats per shelf, which works out to a ton of seedlings. (Or when I prick out and pot up seedlings I fit 10 pots per flat or 20 per shelf.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also handy to have is a timer so that you can have the lights come on and off at a specific time. Plug a power strip into the timer, and then your fixtures into the power strip. Then they all go on and off at the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hooked up my kill-a-watt to see how much juice the fixture draws, pulled out my electric bill, did a little math, and decided it costs maybe a dollar a month per fixture (probably less).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T20:09:58.353" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="101" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="93" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:13:18.787" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you've got a lot of air going through your compost, then you don't need to turn it as much.  One good way to do this is to raise the heap off the ground by putting pine branches underneath it inside some sort of cage.  (Source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1580170269&quot;&gt;Tips for the Lazy Gardner&lt;/a&gt;) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're not going to turn it, make sure you cover your greens in dirt every so often (reminds it what it is doing). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T20:13:18.787" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="103" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="309" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:19:44.097" Score="12" ViewCount="276" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have heard that a galvanized container such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tractorsupply.com/livestock/livestock-equipment/stock-tanks-accessories/stock-tanks/oval-galvinized-stock-tank-2-ft-w-x-6-ft-l-x-2-ft-h-169-gal-capacity-2177227&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt; for a raised bed will leach zinc and &quot;trim&quot; the roots. What do they mean by this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would the increased zinc be bad for raising food plants? I was planning on growing bamboo in them but having a couple more for  food plots would be awful convenient.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-03T05:41:58.167" LastActivityDate="2011-09-03T05:41:58.167" Title="Will a galvanized container leach Zinc and &quot;Trim&quot; the roots? Are there other effects?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="104" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4191" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:21:28.400" Score="18" ViewCount="3679" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to be moving into my first house soon in Westchester County, NY. I've done a lot of container and patio/balcony gardening and am looking forward to having a real backyard garden.  I want to start composting with worms but am not sure if they are self-sustainable.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm ok with having to buy worms every season (I see that the red wiggler is the worm to get) but am curious about the experience of other vermicomposters in NY and the Northeast.  I've read that an active compost pile can have a temp of 125 degrees Fahrenheit. I assume that worms will move out of my compost material when it gets that hot but what happens in the winter when it gets near zero?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13" LastEditorUserId="976" LastEditDate="2012-05-16T06:47:15.447" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T21:41:39.967" Title="How do I keep red wiggler worms alive overwinter in the Northeastern USA?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="76" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:21:37.393" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use pyretheum. Is it organic enough for your needs? Depends. Back in the UK &quot;pyretheum&quot; is the 'natural' variant made from chrysanthenums (and the one I used to go for); and &quot;pyrethins&quot; are the synthetic equivalent. But here in the US there does not appear to be any distinction and everything is labeled &quot;pyrethin&quot; plus various claims to being a natural pesticide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pyretheums are particularly good for delicate plants (I've used them on carnivorous plants - don't laugh!, but hear they're also good for orchids) and veg/fruit. Even though they break down quickly, you would still wash the fruit of course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My wife (an ecology Univ.Prof.) usually swears by soap solution for aphids, although I haven't seen her use it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T20:21:37.393" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="106" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="93" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:22:18.277" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always have several compost piles going. (We have two horses and a bunch of chickens, so between that and the garden there's lots of feedstock for the piles!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't need to turn the piles at all if you don't want to. They'll take longer to compost, and the decomposition won't be as complete. For example, the stuff on the outside won't be broken down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A well constructed pile will heat up pretty quickly -- mine go right up to 120-130°F when I get the recipe right. (Lawn clippings and horse manure with bedding are a good combo.) I'm a compost junkie, so I went and got a thermometer with an 18&quot; or so long probe. When I'm trying to keep a hot pile, I go out daily and poke the thermometer in. If the pile temperature is dropping, it's time to turn it. This can happen after a few days (it depends on what your ingredients are). When I turn it, I often water it (the stable bedding we use absorbs a huge amount of water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I don't often have the time and energy to keep the piles constantly hot. So I turn them every couple weeks, or months (whenever time and energy strike at the same time). Sometimes the piles get big, so I just push them up with the tractor -- not a perfect mixing, but it gets some air in there and they heat back up (enough to be steamy for a couple of cool fall mornings).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never used a tumbler, but it seems like you should be able to turn it 2-3 times a week to keep it well aerated. Again, checking the temp will tell you when it needs a good mixing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T20:22:18.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="107" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1174" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:23:27.020" Score="39" ViewCount="2923" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a section of my lawn which seems prone to standing water, grass that doesn't grow very quickly, and seems very hard-packed. I think it's probably in desperate need of aeration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the proper way to know when and how much to aerate? Also, since I have a small lawn, is there such a thing as a small lawn aerator and will it get the job done?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As it turns out, there &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; a small aerator, like this one:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xuhPq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Green hand aerator&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I purchased one recently and it works rather well. Obviously not a good choice for a sizable lawn, but for my small lawn this worked extremely well. I'm seeing some improvement already in the grass gradually becoming more green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="88" LastEditorUserId="88" LastEditDate="2011-08-12T17:15:36.680" LastActivityDate="2011-08-12T17:15:36.680" Title="How do I know when and how much to aerate my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="108" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="259" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:29:21.273" Score="19" ViewCount="403" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a new home with a moderate size (90x40 ft) back yard. Unlike the front lawn, the back has never been planted and is pretty much home to weeds, aside from a small maple tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year I paid to have the entire lawn sprayed to keep down the weeds. This year I'll likely be doing the same. However, next year I want to spend the time and money to finish the lawn properly, complete with paved patio area, planters and trees. I've had a landscape artist draw up some preliminary plans, so I know what kind of layout I want. I know I want to invest in a sprinkler system and will do some of the labor myself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before I get started, I'm puzzled by a couple of things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil seems rocky, with clay, sand and gravel in places. I am unsure whether to bring in some new top soil and till everything together, or remove the existing soil first before bringing in new top soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What major steps do I need to take to truly transform a weed-infested zone into a beautiful back yard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="88" LastEditorUserId="88" LastEditDate="2011-06-08T21:55:55.947" LastActivityDate="2021-04-17T22:54:17.250" Title="Steps to renovating a lawn completely?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;planning&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="109" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="91" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:30:56.220" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't paint, it will scrape off quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Standard advice on preventing rust that I've heard is to take a 5 gallon bucket, fill it with sand, and put a quart of oil in it. When you're done with a tool, shove it in the bucket to give it a coating and it won't rust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't like the idea of petroleum on my food-garden tools, so I'd substitute some kind of veg oil, even at the risk of it becoming rancid over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T20:30:56.220" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="110" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="413" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:32:50.243" Score="18" ViewCount="4969" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few trees on my property which are at least five years old (sorry I don't know the kinds yet). Compared to other trees in neighboring lots, planted at the same age at the same time, they are notably stunted, short, and devoid of many branches. They are alive and well, with new growth and green leaves, but are not growing taller and branching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect a soil problem, but it could also be due to a history of underwatering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What steps can I take to turn these trees around, and help them grow properly? (Or is the damage done and it's too late?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="88" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-20T01:12:39.843" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T01:12:39.843" Title="Best help for a tree with stunted growth?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;branches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="104" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:33:02.707" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This might be an off topic answer since it doesn't involve wintering directly in your heap, but you can keep worms in a large rubbermade container in your (new) garage, feed them some of the stuff you'd put in your compost pile (cantaloupes perhaps). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T20:33:02.707" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="113" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:44:52.803" Score="19" ViewCount="1927" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large packet of a large assortment of seeds growing in a prepared bed.  Probably 20 different varieties of flower for a &quot;Butterfly Garden&quot; which I have scattered in the plot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't mind weeding it, although I would like to know that I am pulling out weeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For instance, it has some sort of clover in the bag, and I have clover growing all over my lawn, but not usually in the garden, should I pull out half the clover in the garden?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The packet also says to make sure the plot is weed free, but how can I tell if a plot is going to be weed free before the weeds grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far the only thing I know to pull is grass...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-15T12:25:34.843" LastActivityDate="2018-03-24T11:59:21.357" Title="How are weeds controlled in a butterfly garden?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;butterflies&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="114" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="76" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:50:16.180" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've used neem tree oil mixed with organic dish soap on edible container grown fruits and veggies and have always had good luck.  Neem oil is edible but you'd probably want to wash your fruits/vegetables before eating because the oil is quite bitter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T20:50:16.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="115" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="107" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:54:20.093" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can aerate your lawn with a sturdy pitchfork (as well as weed it). But I'd imagine you'd have a hard time doing it when things get too dry or cold. I don't know if there is a bad time to do it while it is possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also spread compost around your lawn, adding nutrients might fix some of the problems you have with hardpacked soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T20:54:20.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="116" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="91" CreationDate="2011-06-08T20:56:01.753" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming you want to keep using these tools, and not just clean them up for display.  I'd avoid painting them, at least with anything you'd pick up at the local Home Depot.  There are, of course, ways of applying paint to metal that are more durable (think of they guys who are painting and repainting cars using professional spray gear), but that's probably not worth the effort here.  The best way I've found is just to make sure you clean them up and store them in a place that allows them to dry out and stay dry.  I know people who use the oil and sand technique for over-wintering, but I've never had the nerve or space to have a large bucket of sand in my shed.  I do sometimes use a little mineral oil and a rag, which probably works almost as well when you're storing tools for a few wet, winter months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T20:56:01.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="117" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="113" CreationDate="2011-06-08T21:08:53.413" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;First of all, the only way you'll ever be able to make sure a plot is &quot;weed free&quot; is if you pave it over, and the weeds will usually find a way in that case as well.  I wouldn't worry too much about &quot;weed free&quot;.  The most important part is making sure that it's an area that's suitable for germination and growth for those seeds.  That means good soil (good organics, not too rocky, not too much clay), enough light, enough water, and not too much competition from other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And that last point is really what the &quot;weed free&quot; is referring to.  You don't want something else germinating and growing faster than the seeds in your mix.  Unfortunately, there's no simple answer to give on that, you'll have to keep an eye on it and try and figure out if some other plant is starting to take over your patch before the seed mix starts to grow.  Pluck out things that don't belong there, or, at least, maybe thin out the things coming out so you have an even distribution (and the weeds will get lost in all the flowers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One last thing I'd recommend is, as you're managing your patch of flowers, find the ones you like and/or the ones that grow well in your yard and save the seeds once their done flowering.  Save the seeds for the next year.  I find that far more fun than buying a new pack each year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T21:08:53.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="90" CreationDate="2011-06-08T21:14:28.663" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've found cilantro to be a tough one for avoiding bolting (at least in the Seattle area).  I've never seen any different varieties that claim to have more or less bolting tendencies.  The only thing I've every really been able to do is to work around the bolting by continuous planting, so you have plants that are at different points in their growth.  You could also see if it helps to move to an area with less sun, though that will also slow their growth in general.  You could try starting them indoors, getting a fair amount of growth, then moving them outside to a slightly cooler, shadier spot in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T21:14:28.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="120" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="61" CreationDate="2011-06-08T21:25:20.693" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;That depends largely on the fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most &quot;liquid fertilizers&quot; are made up of  soluble salts that &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt; pass through the porous clay wall. But if the fertilizer contains an organic component, some of the ingredients will not be in solution, but only suspended in the fertilizer. That suspended material will likely be filtered out by the clay surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try dissolving some of the fertilizer in a clear glass with some water and let it sit. If you do not see material settling on the bottom of the glass, it will almost certainly permeate the clay pot. If you see a lot of particulate matter settling on the bottom, it probably will not be able to penetrate the clay surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T21:25:20.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="121" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1152" CreationDate="2011-06-08T21:32:25.107" Score="21" ViewCount="3207" Body="&lt;p&gt;Delighted to observe that the rat poison we put down was disappearing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Less delighted to find some weeks later that they had moved it all to a larder in the compost. The poison is &lt;strong&gt;Slaymore&lt;/strong&gt; (as far as I understand it is a standard household rat poison). It comes in the form of blue pellets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this render the compost dangerous to use on a kitchen garden (ie. with all kinds of vegetables)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-12-01T09:25:45.553" LastActivityDate="2011-12-01T09:25:45.553" Title="Rats have transferred poison into my compost. Is the compost usable on vegetables?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;rodents&gt;&lt;safety&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="122" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="173" CreationDate="2011-06-08T21:35:06.947" Score="26" ViewCount="6719" Body="&lt;p&gt;After starting our tomato plants from seed this year, we have many more small plants in the ground than in the past years. We are looking to make our own inexpensive and durable cages that we could use year after year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are starting materials that we can use? Are there materials to avoid? It seems that the openings in chicken wire and hardware cloth are too narrow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="101" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T02:15:25.713" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T02:15:25.713" Title="What are inexpensive materials for homemade tomato cages?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;support&gt;" AnswerCount="9" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="123" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1355" CreationDate="2011-06-08T21:36:23.423" Score="18" ViewCount="8152" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's said that we shouldn't use manure when preparing ground intended for carrots. Is it that carrots don't thrive on manure, or is it that they fork and splinter too much?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What about other roots? Radishes, beetroots etc?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-20T17:00:23.607" LastActivityDate="2016-08-13T12:58:50.173" Title="Why are we instructed not to use manure before planting carrots?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;manure&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="124" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="172" CreationDate="2011-06-08T21:37:09.850" Score="16" ViewCount="6447" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought some tree fertilizer spikes to feed my potted dwarf kumquat and lime trees.  After I got them home, I read the following warning on the side of the box:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;NOTE: Never apply within 30&quot; of the trunk.&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously, my pot's radius is less than 30 inches so I would need to go against the instructions if I were to use the spikes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the 30 inch warning there to protect the tree's roots from being spiked (in which case I can be careful and take the risk) or because the fertilizer itself will damage the tree being in high concentration (in which case I should return the spikes)?  Or is there some other reason for the warning?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; One suggestion below is to break the spike in half to reduce the concentration of fertilizer.  Is that a good idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Final update:&lt;/strong&gt; The die is cast and I've put half a spike in each pot.  Depending on how the trees respond, I'll post any further updates as answers to the question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastEditorUserId="95" LastEditDate="2011-06-14T17:49:52.367" LastActivityDate="2011-10-18T22:57:13.513" Title="Will it kill my potted tree if I use tree fertilizer spikes?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="125" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T21:38:24.383" Score="45" ViewCount="119271" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our neighbor's cat keeps pooping in our mulch and around our yard. Is there a safe and effective way to stop neighborhood pets from doing so? Has anyone used a method that works well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="77" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-10T15:01:09.617" LastActivityDate="2017-12-16T11:51:16.700" Title="How do you safely and effectively stop a cat from pooping in your yard?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;domestic-animals&gt;" AnswerCount="11" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="126" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="122" CreationDate="2011-06-08T21:41:18.543" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can make a tomatoe teepee from three pieces of trim and some jute twine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Allow me to demonstrate:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;   /|\&#xA;  / | \&#xA; /  |  \&#xA;/  TOM  \&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;   /|\&#xA;  / | \&#xA; / TOM \&#xA;/   T   \&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;   /|\&#xA;  TOMAT&#xA; / TOM \&#xA;/   T   \&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt; TOMATOES &#xA;  TOMAT&#xA; / TOM \&#xA;/   T   \&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T21:41:18.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="123" CreationDate="2011-06-08T21:41:45.163" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fresh manure can cause carrots to fork. If you use any fertilizer, make sure it's well-rotted manure instead. (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.yankeemagazine.com/home/garden/garden-ideas/beginner-garden/carrots&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read that the same goes for beets as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-13T12:58:50.173" LastActivityDate="2016-08-13T12:58:50.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="128" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="87" CreationDate="2011-06-08T21:42:43.920" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;To improve germination, you might try an indoor start for the sake of control. Although I'm guessing North Texas is a pretty ideal place to grow peppers, hot housing the seeds and metering the light and water can aid you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rainfall may play a part in your problem (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_rain#Definition&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;probably not unless you're near a soot mill&lt;/a&gt;), as would many tap waters. However it is remarkable how big an assistance &lt;em&gt;distilling your water beforehand&lt;/em&gt; can have on sprouting and the quality of the plant (i.e. bottle water in jugs at your house from the tap; let sit a few days then use to water plants).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further: To improve pollination, add some more flowery plants, ground cover, or vines around them. Basically get better seeds capable of germination by recruiting bees and birds with better looking flora. Containers will produce smaller plants and fruits and harvests. Also you can add coffee grounds at the plant's foot to increase acidity (which supposedly improves the heartiness of the plant an fruits). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-23T14:36:02.297" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T14:36:02.297" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="129" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="135" CreationDate="2011-06-08T21:46:55.177" Score="26" ViewCount="1040" Body="&lt;p&gt;I currently live in a condo with a limited sized balcony.  Which vegetables work out best for a small garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="74" LastEditorUserId="7510" LastEditDate="2014-12-04T02:12:00.893" LastActivityDate="2014-12-04T02:12:00.893" Title="What vegetables can be grown effectively in a small, urban garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="4" CommunityOwnedDate="2012-01-14T04:11:12.510" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="131" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="125" CreationDate="2011-06-08T21:58:22.793" Score="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;The usual advice (eg. on UK's &quot;Gardener's Question Time&quot;) is to get some lion or tiger manure or urine, and to put that along your boundary line. At one time you had to wait until the circus was in town, but I think I heard somewhere that it was possible to buy big cat urine extract for this purpose. (It isn't a problem we have - we have a dog instead.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just did a quick Google and came up with a few including &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cat-repellant.info/html/silent-roar.htm&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; which is pellet form so probably not as smelly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are so many potential puns here, let's just assume I said them all...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-27T15:52:06.900" LastActivityDate="2011-08-27T15:52:06.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="132" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="208" CreationDate="2011-06-08T22:01:03.047" Score="16" ViewCount="987" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an orchid that I bought about a month ago.  I'm following the watering directions that came with it (which means it's only been watered once so far) and I believe that it has the appropriate amount of light.  But one of its leaves suddenly became yellow all over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What might have caused that and what can I try to fix the problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Further information&lt;/strong&gt;: The tag that was attached suggests that it is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalaenopsis&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Phalaenopsis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; orchid and the medium it is planted in is mossy and moist to the touch.  It has two stems and the flowers on the side with the yellowing leaf have fallen off, but the flowers on the other stem are still in place.  There is a much larger leaf above the yellowing leaf that is still green and healthy as are the two leaves on the other side.  Does this help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Final update&lt;/strong&gt;: I took courage and poked around in the pot.  It seems the medium is entirely moss and that Phalaenopsis prefer bark.  Therefore, my plan is to repot the orchid in bark and see how it goes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastEditorUserId="95" LastEditDate="2011-06-14T17:37:17.450" LastActivityDate="2011-06-14T17:37:17.450" Title="My orchid has one yellowing leaf. What's gone wrong?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="133" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T22:04:46.587" Score="17" ViewCount="701" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some attractive &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;sweet potato vines&lt;/a&gt; in a 6 inch deep pot -- about 1.5 ft in diameter. I didn't expect them to grow extensively. However, with watering regularly, they certainly are growing like crazy. I'm wondering if I should take the time to try to harvest sweet potatoes from them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it feasible to harvest an appreciable amount of sweet potato from the pot? Or would it only be feasible to grow sweet potatoes in a more traditional vegetable garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="97" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-03-25T13:40:33.543" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T13:40:33.543" Title="How do I grow sweet potatoes in a pot?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;sweet-potato&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="134" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="125" CreationDate="2011-06-08T22:09:22.810" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Holly leaves or other sharp thorny plants are a good deterrent, but obviously only work in areas where you are happy for such plants to exist!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="106" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-11T02:03:55.480" LastActivityDate="2011-10-11T02:03:55.480" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="135" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="129" CreationDate="2011-06-08T22:13:11.893" Score="20" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaf lettuce is always a good choice. It is easy to grow and does not require a lot of sun (if you have a shaded space) and actually bolts quickly if it gets too hot. Also, leaf lettuce can be grown easily in a smaller pot. It is cheap to grow and expensive to buy at the supermarket.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, a vine-type plant can be good if you don't mind losing some of your balcony railings. This would include cucumbers and some varieties of peas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have lots of sun, most pepper varieties should work because they grow mostly up and not out. Peppers like company and as long as the soil is warm and the temperature is up, you can fit a lot in a smaller space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="55" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T22:13:11.893" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-04T01:48:51.273" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="136" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="129" CreationDate="2011-06-08T22:13:56.380" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pretty much any of the dwarf varieties of vegetables will grow in pots - Thumbelina Carrots, those little round beetroot, etc... Salad leaves are a great starter in any windowbox, and strawberries and tomatoes grow well in hanging baskets. Your local garden centre will be able to advise, or get a seed catalogue and be amazed at the choice!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*Disclaimer: I work for a garden centre&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="106" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T22:13:56.380" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-04T01:48:51.273" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="137" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="255" CreationDate="2011-06-08T22:14:17.460" Score="18" ViewCount="1443" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every summer despite my best attempts to be careful, I end up developing a nasty rash due to an unfortunate encounter with poison ivy while doing routine yard work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I best identify poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the best methods for eradicating these from my yard without killing the existing trees and shrubs they seem to grow around?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any specific chemicals that are better than others?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What special considerations are there if there are young children or pets in the area? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="105" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-16T17:51:30.183" LastActivityDate="2015-07-19T14:35:10.653" Title="How can I identify and eradicate poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac from my yard?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;identification&gt;&lt;poison-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="138" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="121" CreationDate="2011-06-08T22:14:42.047" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;As always, you should always read the label on the rat poison. For my money, if you think poison is around, the things it touches are not food-safe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="55" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T22:14:42.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="125" CreationDate="2011-06-08T22:22:12.553" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cats tend to steer clear of very strong-smelling plants like mint and citrus, so you can plant these as deterrents in the areas they like to frequent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T22:22:12.553" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="140" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="194" CreationDate="2011-06-08T22:25:01.380" Score="20" ViewCount="42696" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have rabbits that routinely build nests in my yard. How can I get rid of the rabbits legally? I don't want some officer from the DNR knocking on my door because I improperly hunted or poisoned them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rabbits cause several problems:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Our dog goes absolutely nuts barking at them through the window, chases them when she can in the back yard, and gently removes the young from their nest to play with (or tend to as a mother) when she finds a nest.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The nests are basically a hole in the ground about the size of a softball. They're easily big enough to cause a twisted ankle when stepped in while walking in the yard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'd like to start planting tomatoes and other vegetables, but I'm fearful the rabbits will have their way with my crops.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've recently started using &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.liquidfence.com/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Liquid Fence&lt;/a&gt;, but it's hard to say if that's had much of an effect. I've certainly still had some rabbits, but maybe not as often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the best course of action for me?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="105" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-17T19:33:52.780" LastActivityDate="2018-08-21T19:34:44.337" Title="How can I get rid of rabbits in my yard?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;rabbits&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="141" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="149" CreationDate="2011-06-08T22:35:31.747" Score="25" ViewCount="6965" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that you shouldn't use raw manure on plants because it's bad for them, but I don't understand &lt;em&gt;why&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know you should stack manure before using it (i.e. literally stack it into a big cone), and wait until it no longer smells. How long would this process normally take? Is it different depending on the type of manure, e.g. chicken vs. cow vs. bat etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the mechanism in play that makes raw (or not well rotted) manure a bad thing for plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="107" LastEditorUserId="68" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T02:02:22.820" LastActivityDate="2013-04-13T14:53:57.337" Title="What actually occurs for manure to become considered &quot;well-rotted&quot;?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="142" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="207" CreationDate="2011-06-08T22:35:44.460" Score="21" ViewCount="12928" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't been able to identify this weed which is prolific on the gravel (and garden beds) on the rooftop of my 10-storey condo building in downtown Vancouver, BC.  Can anyone identify it and let me know what I should do about it?  It has shallow roots, hairy red stems, red/green leaves, and little white flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dFnDN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dFnDNm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unidentified Weed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oXr8t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oXr8tm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unidentified Weed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="66" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-10-27T22:49:16.620" LastActivityDate="2020-07-13T00:01:07.380" Title="What is the name of this weed with red/green leaves and little white flowers?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="143" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T22:38:50.520" Score="34" ViewCount="2689" Body="&lt;p&gt;My yard was installed when the prior owners built our house a dozen years ago. They did a decent job with the landscaping and yard. The problem is that some areas of the yard have settled and I'd like to &quot;fill&quot; those areas in without redoing too much of the yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most obvious place where this has happened is where the water main comes into the house. If you look closely, you can see that the yard has a small &quot;dip&quot; in it the entire run from the house to the street where that pipe runs. The dip is small enough that it seems like a speed bump when pushing a lawn mower over it and never looks just right when mowed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to fill in this dip or trench without needing to reseed the whole area, because the grass is fine on top; it's just not level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I just add topsoil slowly so the existing grass will continue to grow? Or do I need to dig up the existing grass like sod and add new dirt underneath the existing root structure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything else I can do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="105" LastActivityDate="2012-09-13T16:50:52.687" Title="Making a yard that's settled more level?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="81" CreationDate="2011-06-08T22:44:03.273" Score="35" Body="&lt;p&gt;Additional to the other answers, basil famously doesn't like to be damp overnight. Water mornings, not evenings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T22:44:03.273" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="145" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="125" CreationDate="2011-06-08T22:51:08.640" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had good success with coffee grounds. I ask Starbucks for a bag of it every now and then and spread it evenly over the entire garden area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cat seemed to appear much less frequently after I started using it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="79" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T22:51:08.640" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="146" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="324" CreationDate="2011-06-08T22:59:09.827" Score="29" ViewCount="40549" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our back fence (an iron bar fence) borders a golf course, and between us and the fairway is about 50 feet of &quot;native&quot; landscaping.  This mostly means long, native grass (some type of crab grass?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, next to one section of my backyard, a large patch of thistle grew up very tall a few years ago.  While thistle can turn out very pretty...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/REH1Z.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;sup&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Milk_thistle_flowerhead.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;image source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;... it's also terrible when even small growth appears in my lawn. Given how spiky it is, bare feet is &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I ended up spraying weed-killer on this patch and got it mostly knocked down.  However, the bits that had already spread to my lawn have come back year after year.  They don't go away when I  spray with lawn-safe weed killer, and I even had Tru-Green service for a while and nothing they did was successful either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried pulling them out by hand, but our lawn, unique soil (solid clay), and the toughness of the root system makes most of them simply break off at the soil, leaving them to come back in just a few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I haven't tried?  Or should I just keep trying to dig them out by hand?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Note: since I've been more attentive to the patch on the other side of my fence, and it hasn't gone to seed in a couple years, the weeds have stayed confined to about 200 sq. feet of my lawn.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lawn type:&lt;/strong&gt; Kentucky Bluegrass&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;Climate:&lt;/strong&gt; Semi-arid (grass growing season is about March/April to October/November)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="81" LastEditorUserId="81" LastEditDate="2011-06-21T23:20:56.260" LastActivityDate="2013-06-14T04:40:54.693" Title="How can I control thistle in a lawn?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="147" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="316" CreationDate="2011-06-08T23:02:43.333" Score="18" ViewCount="2384" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 6 ft tall 'Bloodgood' &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_palmatum&quot;&gt;Japanese Maple&lt;/a&gt; in my yard. It gets a lot of afternoon Californian sun, but the leaves are a nice color and are healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wanted to collect some seeds this fall (to try to grow some unique seedlings and the such) and was pleased earlier this year that there were multiple bundles of maple seeds growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Come this month, they've all dried up—died immature—and fallen off the tree. Is there any way that next year I can save some seeds and prevent them from falling off prematurely? Or should I just wait for the tree to get older, as it's not very old yet?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="111" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-05T04:44:29.927" LastActivityDate="2011-09-05T04:44:29.927" Title="How do I prevent the seeds on my Japanese Maple from falling off?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="148" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="155" CreationDate="2011-06-08T23:02:51.160" Score="25" ViewCount="10270" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopher_(animal)&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gophers&lt;/a&gt; or ground squirrels are common pests in North America, that can destroy the fruits of your hard labour. They create extensive underground tunnels and are mostly active at night. A typical gopher infested yard looks like this with mounds of mud and dirt piled up at the entrances to the tunnels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z7bFo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would be a good way to get rid of the gophers in a non-lethal way? I know that there are professionals who do come out, lay traps and kill them or you could buy some rodent poison at the local Home Depot/any gardening store. I'd like to know if there are alternatives to these because a) the first option can be expensive and b) I don't want to end up with a bunch of dead animals in my yard when I have no clue how/where to dispose them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-06T00:16:45.860" LastActivityDate="2017-02-17T09:37:15.067" Title="How can I get rid of gophers in a non-lethal way?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;rodents&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="149" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="141" CreationDate="2011-06-08T23:07:21.233" Score="20" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are multiple reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you use raw manure next to leafy plants or on root crops, you risk bacteria moving from the manure onto your food. E. coli isn't something you want on your food.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chicken and bat manures are high in nitrogen. It's intense enough to burn your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It can stink. If you dump a bunch of raw cow manure into a flower garden under your front window, your living room or front porch aren't going to be pleasant places to hang out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The rotting/composting process allows a variety of little organisms to convert the nutrients in the manure into forms that are usable by the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not really a blanket prohibition against using raw manures on &lt;em&gt;any&lt;/em&gt; plants. I mix regular garden and kitchen wastes into my horse manure piles, and the cucumber and pumpkin volunteers from the kitchen waste thrive in the not-very-well-rotted manure. So I'm guessing that dumping a little semi-raw horse manure on those plants won't hurt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for length of time, it depends on several things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the animal (different animal manures have different carbon-to-nitrogen ratios)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bedding (which alters the C:N ratio)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;size of pile&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;whether the pile is aerated regularly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;whether the pile is wet or dry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's basically a composting process, so these are the same considerations you'd have for a compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I turn my horse manure piles regularly (I'm a compulsive composter) and they're pretty well cured within about 6 months. Unturned it can take a year or more. If we used different stall bedding it might take more or less time. If I wasn't mixing in chicken manure it would probably take longer (chicken manure adds more nitrogen and speeds things up). But if it was just a big pile of chicken manure, the chemistry works against you: too much nitrogen. Adding some carbon (leaves, wood chips, etc) would balance it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-14T12:41:00.773" LastActivityDate="2011-09-14T12:41:00.773" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="150" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-08T23:09:57.827" Score="22" ViewCount="9619" Body="&lt;p&gt;The open area behind our back fence is home to hundreds of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vole&quot;&gt;voles&lt;/a&gt;. The hills look like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z6utE.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During the summer, I can successfully restrict their intrusion into my yard by putting poison into the holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, nearly every winter we get significant snowfall that ends up sticking around for months.  By the time it melts, much of the lawn has been torn up with vole runways, which do grow back eventually but often leave the lawn significantly lumpier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any way I can prevent the voles from running around under the snow cover undetected, eating my lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="81" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-12-01T09:23:06.217" LastActivityDate="2017-01-23T21:53:40.810" Title="Is there any way to prevent vole lawn-destruction during snow-cover?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;rodents&gt;&lt;snow&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="151" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8" CreationDate="2011-06-08T23:15:56.230" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've not tried growing potatoes in grow bags but I was reading &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-trash-bag/index.html&quot;&gt;this article that claims it's doable&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's the gist of the article:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Step 1: Prepare the Seed Potatoes&#xA;About a week before planting, place seed potatoes in a warm spot. When the sprouts that form are about 1/4&quot; to 1/2&quot; long, the potatoes are almost ready to plant. Cut large seed potatoes into chunks about 2&quot; wide. Each piece should have at least two sprouts. After cutting the seed potatoes, let them sit at room temperature for two or three days. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Step 2: Prepare the Bag&#xA;Use a pair of scissors to cut several drainage holes in the bottom of a 30-gallon black plastic trash bag. Roll down the sides of the bag and fill about one-third of the way up with potting soil. Place the bag in an area of the garden that receives full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Step 3: Plant the Potatoes&#xA;Dust the seed potatoes with agricultural sulfur to protect against fungal diseases. Plant the seed potatoes by burying them, eyes pointed up, about 2&quot; deep in the soil. Water well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Step 4: Add More Soil&#xA;When the potato plants get about 6&quot; to 8&quot; tall, it is time to add more soil and straw to the bag. Add enough soil so that just the top few leaves poke through the dirt. As the potato plants grow, continue to unroll the bag and add more soil. Keep the potatoes well watered but not soggy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Step 5: Harvest the Potatoes&#xA;One clue that the potatoes are almost ready to harvest is that the leaves will yellow and the foliage will die back. At this point stop watering and leave the potatoes alone for two or three weeks so that their skins toughen up. To harvest, slit open the side of the bag to release the potatoes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13" LastEditorUserId="13" LastEditDate="2011-06-14T19:57:34.683" LastActivityDate="2011-06-14T19:57:34.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="129" CreationDate="2011-06-08T23:17:05.183" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grow what you like to eat.  Given your limitations though maybe start with herbs - like basil and rosemary.  They can be added to anything and trimmed/clipped any time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T23:17:05.183" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-04T01:48:51.273" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="153" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6" CreationDate="2011-06-08T23:18:34.730" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might consider a row of &lt;a href=&quot;http://landscaping.about.com/od/landscapedesignprivacy/p/lombardy_poplar.htm&quot;&gt;lombardy poplar&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Lombardy poplars are fast-growing trees, growing as much as 6 feet per year! This makes them a popular choice when people want &quot;living wall&quot; privacy screens or windbreaks in a hurry. To serve this function, Lombardy poplars are planted in a row, and spaced about 8' apart. However, Lombardy poplars should be considered only as a stop-gap measure for privacy screens and windbreaks, as they are short-lived, being susceptible to a number of pests and diseases (see below). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are short lived, so you'll want the two-pronged approach that Alex Feinman mentions. Plant them in such a way that you can cut them down in 10 years or so without damaging the permanent shade tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T23:18:34.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="154" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="81" CreationDate="2011-06-08T23:29:39.490" Score="67" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is one magic tip to prolonging the life of a basil plant: &lt;strong&gt;Pinch the flowers as soon as they appear!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants such as basil basically just grow till they flower and then stop. As far as the plant is concerned, it has crossed the finish line and there's nothing left for it to do. So when you keep taking away leaves for your culinary needs, you're weakening the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, by pinching the flowers, what you're doing is effectively pushing the finish line forward, so the plant still runs towards it. So you'll get new growth every time you pinch them off and your plants will be lush and last longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a nice illustration &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2008/05/pinch_back_basil_to_boost_the.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;from this site&lt;/a&gt; that shows where to trim the flowers to encourage growth. The article is a good read too!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tvqgd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T19:24:43.810" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T19:24:43.810" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="148" CreationDate="2011-06-08T23:50:57.060" Score="20" Body="&lt;p&gt;I originally &lt;a href=&quot;https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/4905/how-to-get-rid-of-gophers-in-the-back-yard-without-poison/4914#4914&quot;&gt;posted this&lt;/a&gt; as an answer to &lt;a href=&quot;https://diy.stackexchange.com/q/4905/22&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; on &lt;a href=&quot;http://diy.stackexchange.com&quot;&gt;Home Improvement&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I have a friend who swears by &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_lathyris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Euphorbia Lathyrus&lt;/a&gt; (he calls it Mole Purge).  It has naturalized itself in his back yard and in flowerbeds at the front of his house, and the only places I've seen molehills are at the extreme edges of the front of his lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also never seen any dead gophers or moles in his yard, so I believe it's acting as a repellent instead of poisoning them, and as I noted in the comments there, he hasn't had problems with his dogs chewing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:22:11.787" LastActivityDate="2011-06-08T23:50:57.060" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="143" CreationDate="2011-06-08T23:52:42.253" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would just use lawn sand or sandy soil. If the hollow is very deep then you could do it with successive treatments, but it sounds like you might be able to get away with one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sand is relatively fine and not lumpy so the grass easily grows through it. It is also easier to level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We recently moved excess top soil to fill in a large (wide &amp;amp; shallow) hollow, but this had quite a bit of lump clay and turf clumps. Helped with a hoe, it has flattened out and the grass is now growing over it, but it is definitely far from a professional job! I'm hoping it will settle and even out over the next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T02:15:17.343" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T02:15:17.343" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="157" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-09T00:03:43.340" Score="16" ViewCount="2155" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most of my strawberry plants have leaves that first turned red, then brown and brittle. Leaves often snap off when harvesting what berries remain after the critters get them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to balance watering - I've been holding off a bit more on the watering since the berries are sitting on the ground and were rotting before ripening. The leaves began turning before I cut back on the watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's my first time growing strawberries so I'm not sure what to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="112" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-10-29T06:25:07.163" LastActivityDate="2011-10-29T06:25:07.163" Title="Strawberry plants brown &amp; brittle - is it disease, climate conditions, or bugs?" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="158" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="200" CreationDate="2011-06-09T00:11:20.293" Score="77" ViewCount="108639" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty new to gardening and landscaping. Having recently bought a house, one of the things I'd like to be able to do is identify the trees and smaller plants that are on the property so I can learn how to take proper care of them. Rather than post a bunch of pictures here, how do you go about identifying unknown plants and trees? Are there resources (online and free are a bonus!) that you go to?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="28" LastEditorUserId="23" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T03:19:44.397" LastActivityDate="2018-07-17T15:26:25.853" Title="How do you identify a plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="8" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="32" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="160" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-09T00:30:02.047" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Composting is normally thought of putting a pile of organic matter in a pile to allow it to break down with either bacteria, or fungi often taking a year or more, but sometimes taking as few as 3 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bacterial dominated composting:&#xA;the most common method of composting performed by adding bacteria to rotting organic matter&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fungal composting:&#xA;the second most common method for composting adding different types of fungi to a compost pile in order for it to break down while feeding your other plants in the garden with Endomycorrhizal fungi, and Ectomycorrhizal fungi when adding it to the soil in a symbiotic relationship. In order to keep a healthy ammount of these two types of fungi you need to ensure the fungi has enough soil to eat and add more as needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Insect composting:&#xA;to have food is done by taking your compost, and dumping it somewhere random in your field for the insects to go after as they prefer decaying material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The composting process can be accelerated by monitoring and managing the feedstock, the size and temperature of the pile, air and water infiltration into the pile, and various other factors. The temperature of the pile is primarily driven by the carbon to nitrogen ratio of the constituents. Other methods include sheet and trench composting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finished compost is useful as a fertilizer, soil amendment, and for erosion control. You can add finishing compost directly to the soil any time along the way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="47" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2018-07-05T02:24:32.053" LastActivityDate="2018-07-05T02:24:32.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="161" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-09T00:30:02.047" Score="0" Body="Compost is organic material which has undergone decomposition by microorganisms and is used as a soil amendment." OwnerUserId="47" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-14T23:43:55.793" LastActivityDate="2017-01-14T23:43:55.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="162" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="166" CreationDate="2011-06-09T00:36:11.687" Score="27" ViewCount="71359" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Las Vegas, where year-round rainfall is very low, and summer temperatures can be very high. The humidity is very low, the sky is nearly always sunny, and spring and fall temperatures can remain warm. Wind is frequent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have an interest in growing a kitchen garden with some raised beds as a source of fresh vegetables, and would like to know what plants do well in this environment. I understand that there are regions/zones with codes for their climate type, but I don't know how to cross reference them with plant types or if there are guides for growing/planting considerations for each climate or even each plant type, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What plants (vegetables/fruits) will grow well in this climate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="113" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-15T00:18:55.190" LastActivityDate="2017-09-18T20:29:27.067" Title="What food crops grow well in a hot/dry desert climate?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="10" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="163" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="358" CreationDate="2011-06-09T00:40:48.613" Score="18" ViewCount="317" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm currently looking for a new home, and one of my goals will be to use permaculture for my yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Living in a dry climate (Denver, CO gets about 15 inches of rain per year) that gets freezing winters, what plants would make for a reasonable amount of fruit and nuts per year? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="47" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-15T00:17:43.913" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T00:17:43.913" Title="How can I do permaculture in a city garden?" Tags="&lt;permaculture&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="164" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="258" CreationDate="2011-06-09T00:47:13.090" Score="21" ViewCount="10844" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted 15 small (6&quot; tall) blackberry plants from pots (9 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.starkbros.com/products/berries/blackberry-plants/triple-crown-thornless-blackberry&quot;&gt;Triple Crown Thornless&lt;/a&gt; and 6 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.starkbros.com/products/berries/blackberry-plants/prime-jim-blackberry&quot;&gt;Prime-Jim&lt;/a&gt;) in late April in southwestern Pennsylvania (USDA zone 5).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the plants look very healthy in &lt;em&gt;color&lt;/em&gt; and shape, but after 6 weeks the Triple Crown hasn't moved more than an inch, and the Prime-Jim has grown at most 2 or 3 inches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The native soil does have a lot of clay, but we added a bunch of compost and topsoil. There is definitely enough rainfall (maybe too much?). And while it's not full sun, it's not far from full sun, and there are healthy tall weeds growing nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read that the Triple Crown won't fruit during the first year, and growth should be moderate, but at this rate they don't look like they'll be much taller than a foot by the end of the season. What should my expectations for blackberry growth be during the first year? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't done a pH test yet, it's a new property. But I did apply this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.starkbros.com/products/tools-and-gear/tools-and-supplies/stark-bros-blackberry-and-bramble-fertilizer&quot;&gt;blackberry fertilizer.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="35" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-16T17:57:13.187" LastActivityDate="2021-02-26T13:55:29.653" Title="How much should blackberries grow in their first year?" Tags="&lt;blackberry&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="165" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="162" CreationDate="2011-06-09T00:47:13.637" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you are going to have trouble without irrigation. In North Texas (more humid and probably slightly more temperate, but 100+ temps are common in summer and frosts in winter), we have mixed results with root vegetables. Their main problem is that they need a lot of water and you need to crop early. Corn and beans have grown okay although I found corn was very sensitive to being picked at the right time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We find peppers and tomatoes do well although the height of summer does affect their fruit. They need water too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to do something unusual, my general recommendation for a desert garden would be a xeriscaping approach. We've just built such a bed at the front. Unfortunately most of the good xeriscaping plants are spikey and not very edible. However, opuntia (prickly pears) CAN be eaten. Many Central American countries use the pads as a starch (burn the hairs and spikes off, chop up and fry); and the fruits are sweet (beetroot red and with the texture of ripe pear). As I say a little unusual, but it might be worth a try in your harsh environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T00:47:13.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="166" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="162" CreationDate="2011-06-09T00:48:43.433" Score="25" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Vegas and have grown lettuce, spinach, and carrots and am now working on growing cucumbers and zucchini. (I'll let you know in about 6 more weeks how that turned out.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use a &quot;raised&quot; bed (actually, I dug about a foot down [boy, was that caliche fun] then used top soil and compost from Star Nursery instead of the horrible soil we have here) and created furrows, then planted seeds as per the packages. I kept the soil moist until I saw sprouts, then just made sure to water every couple of days after that. I got two good harvests of lettuce and spinach before the bugs &lt;strong&gt;devoured&lt;/strong&gt; everything. The carrots turned out good since nothing seemed to be nibbling them underground. This time around I'm using a floating row cover over a PVC structure (sort of looks like a mini-quonset) to see if that helps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for what else grows here, pretty much anything, depending upon the time of year. There's a pamphlet called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/ho/2001/sp0115.pdf&quot;&gt;&quot;Becoming a Desert Gardener&quot;&lt;/a&gt; from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension that lists all of the types of vegetables and when to plant, as well as touches on subjects related to our soil. It's been very helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="79" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T00:48:43.433" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="167" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-09T01:01:17.533" Score="33" ViewCount="27972" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does using greywater on your fruit and vegetable garden affect your health in a negative way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Greywater is the run-off or cast off water that lolls about when you do normal washing around the home. The sink water when you're doing the dishes, the ejected liquid that comes from the laundry, etc. Most of it involves the suds and afterwash of soapy conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will eating the fruits of plants fed greywater do anything to a human that normal watering from the heavens above (rain) or from the tap (without rinsing through soap beforehand) won't?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-10T19:19:43.677" LastActivityDate="2018-10-21T09:12:58.157" Title="Does eating fruits and vegetables watered with greywater affect your health?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;greywater&gt;" AnswerCount="10" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="168" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1183" CreationDate="2011-06-09T01:02:22.077" Score="13" ViewCount="9078" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two Lupin plants next to each other in my front yard:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/83Hxj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of Lupins; please ignore the patchy lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are both Russell hybrids, both grown from seed and planted there at the same time in Spring 2009.  The one on the left is healthy, but recent growth on the one on the right is stunted and deformed.  The leaves are smaller, with narrower leaflets, and there are large gaps between individual flowers on the spikes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xnHXe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up of damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't see any sign of insects on the affected plant (or on nearby plants, which include roses, lavender, Lithodora and Dianthus).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's any clue, I had several other Lupins near that spot that didn't grow this year, but that may be because it's been a colder than usual Spring here (Pacific NW, USA).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this curable?  If not, should I dig out the affected plant?  Can I replace it -- and the ones that didn't grow this year -- with more Lupins, or should I plant something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-12T15:57:05.993" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T13:51:22.360" Title="What's attacking one Lupin but not its neighbor?" Tags="&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;lupines&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20" CreationDate="2011-06-09T01:24:27.783" Score="28" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a moisture meter with a 6&quot; or so long probe. It's great for checking soil moisture below the surface, and it's not very expensive. I'm afraid to stick my finger in deeply and disturb the roots for some plants. Also, I've seen the top inch of soil be dusty dry, but there's a surprising amount of moisture 3-4&quot; down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you get in the habit of using it, you'll get a better feel for how much moisture is really in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is much easier and more reliable than looking for signs of stress in your plants. And if your plants are showing signs of stress, they're already damaged -- better to avoid that in the first place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tips:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water less frequently, but with a higher quantity. Make sure the water gets down deep to the roots. (Make exceptions for thirsty plants with naturally shallow root systems, but I wouldn't be planting these in the desert!)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mulch!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This keeps the soil from heating up and evaporating away the moisture.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Depending on what you use, it can physically soak up and hold extra moisture.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When you do get rain, it allows the rain to slow down and penetrate instead of just running off.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Increase your soil organic matter content. (Mulching can do this too.) Organic matter in the soil will hold more moisture for longer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T01:24:27.783" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="140" CreationDate="2011-06-09T01:40:50.497" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard of dried blood working well as a repellent for rabbits as well as deer.  If you were to plant a vegetable garden you could sprinkle some of this around the plants as a sort of combination fertilizer/pest deterrent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="118" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T01:40:50.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="129" CreationDate="2011-06-09T01:44:21.480" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some things that can work on a small area situation includes a variety of containers that can be used in different ways. A way that has been succesful is the upside down hanging tomato planter. If you can hang it five or six feet off the ground you will have good results. Large containers such as 5 gallon paint cans can grow just about any vegetable or herb. Earth Boxes are a good choice, and decreases maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T01:44:21.480" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-04T01:48:51.273" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="172" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="124" CreationDate="2011-06-09T01:49:18.920" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can only speak to how I feed my potted citrus.  I typically use an amount of Osmocote Plus (orange bottle) extended release fertilizer.  It's a slow-feeding ~6 month fertilizer that seems to work pretty well with my citrus (no burn).  I use this along with a periodic application of  Miracle Gro Miracid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe you're right: fertilizer spikes could burn in that small of an environment.  If you're interested in using them, then perhaps you could break them up and spread out the application of one over a few months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm no expert but that's what I'd do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="118" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T01:49:18.920" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="173" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="122" CreationDate="2011-06-09T01:51:06.283" Score="20" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bamboo is one of the best materials. It is durable and lasts year in and out. If you have access to bamboo take advantage of the natural resources available. You can use as a pole and tie up the tomatoes or make it into a teepee style. Many garden shops will carry this material in bundles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T01:51:06.283" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="175" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="167" CreationDate="2011-06-09T02:03:11.283" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adding soap to water allows the water to dissolve oils. However pure water, as we all know, doesn't mix with oils. Since plants contain many vital oils and lipids crucial to their life, and rely on how these oils interact with plain water they absorb, soapy water would alter the fundamental chemistry at work and could only be toxic the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it really depends how gray your gray water is. Pure water is always best, but you might be able to get away with some very unsoapy gray water. I recommended testing on a plant you don't really care for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="97" LastEditorUserId="97" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T02:25:04.440" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T02:25:04.440" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="176" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="680" CreationDate="2011-06-09T02:24:13.303" Score="18" ViewCount="439" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have mature Japanese maple trees in my yard that are extremely fertile. I find dozens, if not hundreds of saplings all over the yard. Some have even grown several feet tall. Is there a way I can properly cultivate these saplings so that I can give them away and maybe even sell them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="120" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-19T02:47:32.210" LastActivityDate="2012-02-19T02:47:32.210" Title="How are Japanese Maple Trees cultivated?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="167" CreationDate="2011-06-09T02:30:35.017" Score="26" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is not recommended to use greywater on vegetables that you will eat directly. E.g. salads or roots. They say greywater from bathing and laundry can contain bacteria like E. coli that can get on the food and make you sick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Greywater designs that I've seen in books and on the web typically send the water through some kind of natural filtration system (e.g. a pond / marsh) that cleans up the water before you send it to the rest of your landscape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you don't have this. I'd play it safe and use the greywater for ornamental plants -- and then as Doug T. mentions in his answer, test it on something you aren't in love with first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a wide variety in recommendations for greywater use -- including a failure to standardize on the definition of greywater. (Some classify dish washing water as greywater, others classify it as blackwater.) See, for example, these sheets from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/fact_sheets/plant_culture/gray_water_for_gardens.html&quot;&gt;U Mass&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_m/m-106.html&quot;&gt;New Mexico State U&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-20T17:46:23.027" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T17:46:23.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="178" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="158" CreationDate="2011-06-09T02:35:04.953" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;The main problem with searching via picture or description is the amount of time that you'll spend examining each result trying to locate your plant. There's no &quot;Google for plants&quot; (yet), so the amount of time it'll take you to find what you're looking for is probably going to be tremendous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your local nursery (or possibly a university) is going to be your best resource. You can take a picture or even a sample of a plant with you and someone who's familiar with your local foliage should be able to recognize what you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="79" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T02:35:04.953" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="179" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-09T02:42:09.720" Score="12" ViewCount="791" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Connecticut, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-ne1.html&quot;&gt;hardiness zone 6a&lt;/a&gt;. Last Summer, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/TOOLS/TURF/TURFSPECIES/tallfesc.html&quot;&gt;fescue grass&lt;/a&gt; took over a large swath of the sunniest part of my rye grass lawn when it was very dry. Most of it died over the Winter and we reseeded very successfully in Spring. However, some of seems to be sneaking back in where the new rye grass didn't take so well. What should I do to keep the fescue from taking over again this year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="120" LastActivityDate="2011-06-21T14:11:26.947" Title="How to keep fescue grass from taking over my rye grass?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;fescue&gt;&lt;rye&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="180" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="81" CreationDate="2011-06-09T02:43:45.993" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basil, and herbs in general, do not need to be fertilized. Consider that basil grew well in Mediterranean geographies in the crags of rocks. So don't overwater, fertilize, or put it anywhere but in full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, @yoda is 100% right, you have to keep on top of pinching the flowers off. But as a rule of thumb, if it has been a while, never remove more than 1/3 of the foilage at any one time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="55" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T02:43:45.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="70" CreationDate="2011-06-09T02:54:14.350" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;You shouldn't necessarily be worried about the nutrient content as much as the loam of the soil. You don't want a soil that is too sandy, clay-y, or full of too much organic matter. The rule of thumb is to have around 15-20% organic matter and a soil that drains well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="55" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T02:54:14.350" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="182" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="142" CreationDate="2011-06-09T02:59:08.870" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks kind of like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erodium_cicutarium&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;red-stemmed filaree Geranium&lt;/a&gt;, also known as Stork's Bill. Is there a bit of pink in the flower?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may find some good information in this article, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.topcropmanager.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;amp;task=view&amp;amp;id=2867&amp;amp;Itemid=182&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stork's-bill increasing across western Canada&lt;/a&gt;. You can kill it with Roundup or just pull it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="120" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T02:59:08.870" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="183" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="206" CreationDate="2011-06-09T03:03:53.080" Score="39" ViewCount="15516" Body="&lt;p&gt;The clay content in my garden soil is rather high. Tilling it is a royal pain,&#xA;especially if there is even the slightest hint of moisture in the soil. It just&#xA;turns into big sticky clumps instead of nice fine dirt. Needless to say, this&#xA;is less than ideal for planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to the soil to improve this situation? Any treatments&#xA;or substances I should be tilling into it to make it easier to work with and more&#xA;accommodating to my plants? Any special equipment that would make tilling easier?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="122" LastEditorUserId="34" LastEditDate="2011-06-10T22:35:15.417" LastActivityDate="2019-10-24T18:12:47.203" Title="How do I work with soil that has a high clay content?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;tilling&gt;&lt;clay&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="185" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="253" CreationDate="2011-06-09T03:20:04.320" Score="17" ViewCount="516" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have heard some conflicting info on this, but mostly &quot;about 3 inches deep&quot; is what I remember. Are there some veggies that need more than others?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="55" LastEditorUserId="142" LastEditDate="2011-06-13T13:39:37.627" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T13:39:37.627" Title="How much mulch should I put in my vegetable gardens?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="186" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="148" CreationDate="2011-06-09T03:30:53.753" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think that reason (a) has to be expensive. I picked up a pack of two gopher traps at the local hardware store for less than $10 and they are pretty simple to set and are more effective than poisons and bombs (since you absolutely know if you got one or not).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said (b) is a real concern, but if you have a larger plot of land like me, they can be disposed of far from your home and are usually taken care of by other critters within a day or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="55" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T03:30:53.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="187" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32" CreationDate="2011-06-09T03:35:59.803" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Light is the most important factor along with water, but peppers need higher soil temperatures for larger yields. If there is anything that you can do to make sure that the plants keep their soil temps up (like a good hardwood or rubber mulch), that should help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="55" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T03:35:59.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="188" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="284" CreationDate="2011-06-09T03:46:40.447" Score="20" ViewCount="1726" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some crabgrass in various patches in my lawn that I would like to remove.  At the same time, I would like to fill in some patches (and the crabgrass locations) with new grass seed.  I can buy some fertilizer with crabgrass preventer, but I assume that this will make it so the good grass seed does not grow.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any way to kill crabgrass and grow good grass in its place? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="123" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-19T02:48:24.567" LastActivityDate="2012-02-19T02:48:24.567" Title="How is  crabgrass removed from lawns?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;crabgrass&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="189" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="90" CreationDate="2011-06-09T03:46:46.540" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another way to get around this is to do successive plantings if you have the space. Start with a few plants in the Spring and when they start to bolt, you can pick up a few more at the garden center to replant or start some from seed indoors. Doing this, you can still have cilantro in the Fall when you usually have said goodbye to it several months ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is really frustrating if you are gardening for salsa. By the time your peppers, tomatoes, and onions are ready, your cilantro is long gone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="55" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T03:46:46.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="190" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="193" CreationDate="2011-06-09T03:50:32.767" Score="12" ViewCount="2202" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to plant a nice weeping Japanese Maple in my yard, but the nice ones at the nursery are quite expensive.  Some friends have exactly the type of Japanese Maple that I would like in my yard.  How would I go about grafting a branch into a tree that I could plant in my yard? What is the process and how long does it usually take?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="123" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T14:55:04.187" LastActivityDate="2012-12-27T19:34:12.170" Title="How would I go about grafting Japanese Maples?" Tags="&lt;japanese-maple&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="192" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="183" CreationDate="2011-06-09T04:42:35.737" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is a good &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/improving-clay-soils.aspx&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; about improving clay soil. I found this part interesting:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Compost plays a key role&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Composts are integral to my clay soil&#xA;  management plan. Because of the&#xA;  humified nature of compost and its low&#xA;  concentrations of oxidizable carbon&#xA;  and available nitrogen, compost is&#xA;  relatively resistant to further&#xA;  decomposition, and additions of&#xA;  compost to the soil over time can&#xA;  increase the soil's organic carbon and&#xA;  humic matter content. I add compost&#xA;  not so much to provide nutrients as to&#xA;  provide stabilized organic matter that&#xA;  will improve the physical properties&#xA;  of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="102" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T04:42:35.737" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="193" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="190" CreationDate="2011-06-09T04:50:16.797" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;eHow has a good article on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_4746374_graft-japanese-maple.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;how to graft a japanese maple&lt;/a&gt; that you may find useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Timing is key when you are grafting a Japanese maple. Cut dormant&#xA;  scions (wood) in late winter or in mid&#xA;  to late summer, make sure the wood is&#xA;  firm and ideally about the thickness&#xA;  of a pencil (smaller scions can be&#xA;  used as well). Take cuttings from the&#xA;  desired Japanese Maple cultivar&#xA;  (Bloodgood, Red Dragon etc..) Make the&#xA;  cuttings about four to six inches and&#xA;  be sure they have at least two to&#xA;  three buds. Place the cuttings in a&#xA;  moistened paper towel, put in a&#xA;  plastic bag and label the bag. Keep&#xA;  refrigerated until you are ready to&#xA;  graft. (Scion wood can last about 2&#xA;  months in refrigeration). If you can&#xA;  use scion wood on the same day it will&#xA;  increase your success rate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You may graft a Japanese Maple as early as late July continuing through&#xA;  March. Select a healthy Japanese maple&#xA;  to be used as your understock. Ideally&#xA;  it should be about the thickness of a&#xA;  pencil but you may use a smaller or&#xA;  larger understock. Find a long smooth,&#xA;  straight section on your understock&#xA;  where you will make your first cut.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make a 15 degree slanting one inch cut on the understock of the Japanese&#xA;  Maple. The cut should be a smooth&#xA;  single stroke. Now cut the scion wood&#xA;  on both sides at 45 degree angles to&#xA;  match the understock cut. Insert the&#xA;  scion under the flap on the understock&#xA;  and align the scion at the edge so&#xA;  that the cambium layers match. The&#xA;  cambium Layer is the thin green layer&#xA;  located just below the bark.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Use the grafting rubbers or grafting tape. Grafting rubbers are&#xA;  preferred. Begin wrapping at the base&#xA;  of the Japanese Maple graft to secure&#xA;  the end of the grafting rubber by&#xA;  overlapping the first 2 wraps. Slowly&#xA;  work your way up the graft union&#xA;  overlapping as you go while keeping&#xA;  tension on the grafting rubber. This&#xA;  secures the scion in position. As you&#xA;  complete the last wrap, secure rubber&#xA;  with a loop end of rubber under itself&#xA;  to secure.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Take plastic bag and moisten the inside with fungicidal water and place&#xA;  over the scion to just below graft and&#xA;  secure with a tie or staples. This&#xA;  creates high humidity until the graft&#xA;  has joined. The graft should take in&#xA;  three to five weeks after joining the&#xA;  graft.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove the top of the rootstock just above the graft once it has&#xA;  taken. Cut off any stems below your&#xA;  graft union as they may overtake your&#xA;  graft.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="102" LastEditorUserId="102" LastEditDate="2011-06-10T16:31:20.370" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T16:31:20.370" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="194" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="140" CreationDate="2011-06-09T05:01:31.820" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Deer and rabbits both have a very keen sense of smell. I use a mixture of garlic powder, chili powder and water to keep the deer out of the garden. I am pretty sure that would work for rabbits as well. Spray it around where they are nesting and see if they move. If they do make up a large batch and spray the whole yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I spray once a week on average. If it rains I spray again as soon as it's dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="102" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T05:01:31.820" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="195" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-09T05:36:50.030" Score="23" ViewCount="36996" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes the leaves of the tomato seedlings we grow in pots gain a purplish shade on the bottom; the plants themselves (don't know if this is a coincidence) also seem to turn out stockier, shorter, and thicker in the end, and curl a bit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does the purple color mean anything? Is it a problem, and if so, are there cures?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="111" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-04T05:22:54.377" LastActivityDate="2019-04-07T23:55:35.173" Title="What do purple tomato leaves mean?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="196" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="252" CreationDate="2011-06-09T05:50:42.833" Score="25" ViewCount="2245" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do fruits need to be thinned on the tree? For example, I have a young &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomelo&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pomelo&lt;/a&gt; tree that's producing fruit for the first time. In order to get bigger, nicer fruit, should I be thinning the fruit? How is it done?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a good example cluster from my Pomegranate tree:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ibv7w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pomegranate cluster&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="126" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-10-18T02:20:02.883" LastActivityDate="2011-10-20T05:00:46.157" Title="Does fruit on fruit trees need to be thinned?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;thinning&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="197" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="223" CreationDate="2011-06-09T06:05:18.767" Score="11" ViewCount="226" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am removing ferns and brambles from a steep, damp and shaded hillside. Proper planting will come later but first I want to have some ground cover that will help keep the weeds from re-establishing and help lock the slope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in mid-Wales (United Kingdom) so summer temperatures are 15-20C (59-68F) and winters can easily hit -5C (23F)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have considered Phacelia, which is quite a good green manure, but wasn't too sure if it would thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="125" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T14:54:23.050" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T13:57:14.080" Title="What can be planted on a shady, damp slope to help remove weeds?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="198" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="204" CreationDate="2011-06-09T06:07:01.300" Score="17" ViewCount="12824" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an infestation of aphids on my citrus and pomegranate trees. The bugs are being &quot;farmed&quot; by ants. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid#Ant_mutualism&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;I read&lt;/a&gt; they might actually be bringing the aphids to the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this at all a problem? Can my trees still produce good fruit while they're infested?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If not, how can the problem be controlled? What safe insecticides suitable for fruit trees can be used?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DWE4I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree with aphids&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="126" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-19T02:49:22.333" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T04:51:14.493" Title="How do I get rid of insects on fruit trees?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6" CreationDate="2011-06-09T06:21:06.480" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our California Bay Area neighborhood had all of our tulip trees cut down due to some strange infestation of aphids (and juice falling off etc. etc.); as a result everyone's replanted their trees with other varieties which I think could help answer your question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'Autumn Purple' Ash&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;'Autumn Blaze' Maple&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Others are planting Fraxinus&#xA;Americana 'Autumn Purple' and 'Autumn&#xA;Blaze' Maple, which both turn out to&#xA;be huge trees with brilliant fall&#xA;colors: they're fast growing. We have&#xA;a sapling autumn purple and it's&#xA;doing about 3 feet a year.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chinese Pistache:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For something not too tall (30' ft at most?), most&#xA;people in the neighborhood have been&#xA;going with the Chinese Pistache&#xA;&lt;em&gt;Pistacia chinensis&lt;/em&gt;: it's a solid tree, although male varieties &gt;&#xA;female varieties since they don't&#xA;have fruit. It grows about as fast as&#xA;your average street tree maple,&#xA;perhaps a bit slower. Wider than it's&#xA;tall though, I think.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our city arborists (without any power-line trouble or anything, of course) also mentioned &lt;strong&gt;flowering pear&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Zelkova&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;River Birch&lt;/strong&gt; (Betula nigra), &lt;strong&gt;Western Catalpa&lt;/strong&gt;,  &lt;strong&gt;Sycamore&lt;/strong&gt; (which I think are ugly), a couple varieties of &lt;strong&gt;elm&lt;/strong&gt; (&lt;strong&gt;Accolade, Frontier, Emerald Sunshine&lt;/strong&gt;, don't know about dutch elm disease), and &lt;strong&gt;red oak&lt;/strong&gt;. They may be worth a look as all are unique and different from each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I daresay the weather's different, don't know how much difference that would make.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="111" LastEditorUserId="111" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T07:11:52.653" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T07:11:52.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="158" CreationDate="2011-06-09T06:31:21.120" Score="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few plant identifier webpages where you can get answers (by color of the flower, shape of the leaves, etc.) and the page shows list of the matching plants. Sometimes it's not easy to identify. A few examples of those web pages:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botanicalkeys.co.uk/flora/content/SEARCH.ASP&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Botanical Society of Britain &amp;amp; Ireland&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.colby.edu/info.tech/BI211/PlantFamilyID.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Colby College. World Wide Flowering Plant Family Identification.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://saximontana.lakeheadu.ca&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dr. Lada Malek&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/identify&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Shoot Gardening&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="75" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2018-07-17T15:26:25.853" LastActivityDate="2018-07-17T15:26:25.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="201" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="263" CreationDate="2011-06-09T06:41:27.153" Score="35" ViewCount="2260" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't like mowing my lawn. Is there a grass replacement plant which:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;looks like grass,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;one can step on it,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;does not need mowing?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="75" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T02:19:54.363" LastActivityDate="2019-09-09T14:19:00.567" Title="What is a good grass replacement plant?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="143" CreationDate="2011-06-09T08:12:36.223" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had limited success with peeling back the turf and adding topsoil underneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut three sides of a rectangle with a spade and rolled back the turf. It can be awkward if there are weeds with roots that go deeper than the grass's. It does leave a scar in the lawn, which will take a little while to recover. I suppose you could put seed down on the scar, I've not tried that so I can't comment on the success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="132" LastEditorUserId="132" LastEditDate="2012-09-13T16:50:52.687" LastActivityDate="2012-09-13T16:50:52.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="201" CreationDate="2011-06-09T08:21:03.090" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted &quot;shorty mix&quot; from DirtWorks (company no longer in business):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;40% Discovery Hard Fescue&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;30% Blazer IV Perennial Ryegrass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;30% Moonshadow Kentucky Bluegrass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does not grow very tall or very quickly and does not need frequent mowing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also knew some people who planted a low-growing clover on their lawn that they almost never mowed. It got a little high in midsummer (maybe 8&quot;) but still looked decent, and was always green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2018-02-08T11:47:02.637" LastActivityDate="2018-02-08T11:47:02.637" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="198" CreationDate="2011-06-09T08:37:45.683" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a similar problem on a newly-planted apple tree.  It wasn't fruiting, but the aphid infestation was severely stunting new growth.  Although aphids don't infest fruiting plant parts, aphid attacks will weaken the plant as a whole, so a severe infestation will most likely lessen fruit production in some way.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most affective, 'organic' mode of control for the aphids and the ants (at least for me) was to use a combination of ladybugs (larvae or adult) to attack the aphids in combination with a sticky barrier (like fruit tree grease or a glue band) around the trunk of the tree to stop the ants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, I found that the glue band works far better than the gloopy gel-type barriers that are available. Glue bands are a product specially made for wrapping around fruit trees to keep climbing pests off. They're a strip of plastic(?) with a very sticky adhesive on one side. You wrap this around the tree, adhesive side out, and tie it on with twine to keep critters from sneaking under it. Here's what it looks like: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e50SC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your tree is not too large, you could also spray the aphids with safe insecticidal soap or even just a strong jet of water to knock them off.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-16T18:00:00.873" LastActivityDate="2011-08-16T18:00:00.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="158" CreationDate="2011-06-09T08:52:44.553" Score="25" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://leafsnap.com/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Leafsnap&lt;/a&gt; is an iPhone and iPad app which will identify trees based on photographs of their leaves, bark or flowers. Obviously this won't help with the other plants you need to identify, but it should help with the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the moment they only have the trees found in a few states in the US in the database, but they are hoping to extend it soon. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/leafsnap-uk/id877397884?mt=8&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Leafsnap UK iPhone app&lt;/a&gt; includes trees from the United Kingdom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/APh8Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VByH6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="24" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2014-07-18T21:45:25.063" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T21:45:25.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="183" CreationDate="2011-06-09T09:06:14.623" Score="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently moved into a house on heavy clay (Gloucestershire, UK) and have been working the soil for just over a year now.  We decided to turn the central lawn area into several raised beds (ideal for clay-y soils with poor drainage) for a kitchen garden and leave the established shrubby borders.  The first thing I did that was enormously helpful for cultivating the vegetable area was stripping the sod and then, using a garden fork to loosen the soil, turning the sod into a fork's depth of soil.  I did this in the fall and left large clods of clay to be broken down by the winter weather and frosts.  By the next spring, I found that the clods were breaking down nicely and the worms had been at work eating the grassy material that had been incorporated. I added some bought top soil and compost or manure to the raised beds which is slowly starting to help as it breaks down. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you live in a frost-free zone, or aren't digging in your lawn, in general, the best way to start 'lightening' your clay is to add organic matter; well-rotted manure or rich, home-made compost are best for this.  While peat will also help to lighten your soil, I suggest NOT using it since the destruction of peatlands has severe ecological implications.  Other tips:  never cultivate your clay soil after rain / when it's wet; avoid regularly walking on areas in which you intend to dig or plant as this contributes to compacting the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T09:06:14.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="142" CreationDate="2011-06-09T09:23:58.907" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like herb robert to me (geranium family).  I remember it taking over parts of my parents' garden in NE USA and that it was a bit of a nuisance.  What to do about it depends on how you want to control it.  It's an annual/biennial, so individual plants shouldn't last more than two years, but it spreads like crazy via seed.  If you don't want to use chemicals, I suggest just keep pulling out plants (which have shallow root systems and are easy to pull), making sure you get any adults before they produce and disperse seed. Could take a few years doing it this way as there's probably a considerable seed bank.  Alternatively, look into safe herbicides for a faster result.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T09:23:58.907" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="132" CreationDate="2011-06-09T09:40:37.273" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;What type of orchid is it and what type of potting medium it planted in?  If its roots are in bark, I suggest it needs more frequent watering.  I water my bark-potted orchids at least once per week, twice if it's hot and dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to your additional information: Phalaenopsis orchids in their natural habitats typically grow in trees or on rocks and don't like their roots constantly exposed to wet (more than moist) conditions.  For that reason, domesticated Phalaenopsis are usually potted into a medium of free-draining bark chips that's kept moist by watering once a week or so, as needed.  Try digging around in the moss to see how wet it feels under the surface and if there's much air space in there for water to drain through freely.  If it feels like the water really sits in there, it could be that your orchid's roots are too damp.  If that's so, I suggest re-potting into orchid bark. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastEditorUserId="133" LastEditDate="2011-06-11T13:07:27.173" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T13:07:27.173" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="209" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="212" CreationDate="2011-06-09T10:40:18.910" Score="97" ViewCount="10896" Body="&lt;p&gt;I usually discard weeds but it occurred to me that they would probably be good for compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any steps I can take to use them in compost without having them grow again when I use the compost? Do different types of weeds need different treatment prior to composting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main weeds I have are dandelions and &quot;farmers friend&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="134" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-22T14:27:59.107" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T02:45:11.813" Title="Can weeds be put into compost, or will they grow again when the compost is used?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="210" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="196" CreationDate="2011-06-09T10:45:06.643" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sure the answer depends on the fruit type and the particular tree. In the case of peaches, I've heard it suggested that you should thin every other fruit so that the remaining fruit grow large. Total weight produced is unaffected, but the peaches are more of a practical size to eat. The reason I know this is because I have a small peach tree. We had two blossoms (!) for the first time, so hopefully next year we'll have more blossoms, some fruit, and I can try the advice!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T10:45:06.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="211" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32" CreationDate="2011-06-09T10:53:23.990" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;As others have said, light is important. The only complete failures I've seen are people trying to grow them inside without enough light.  6hrs sounds great - but by default my growing area gets more (south and west facing, north Texas).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Habeneros are a type I have not tried, primarily because we wouldn't be able to find a use for the fruit. They are cultivars of a different species of pepper to most other types. Most are &lt;em&gt;Capsicum Annuum&lt;/em&gt; cultivars. If memory serves me correctly, Habeneros are &lt;em&gt;C.chinensis&lt;/em&gt;, so their growing requirements might be a little bit different (eg. see my other question about &lt;em&gt;C.frutescens&lt;/em&gt; cultivars).  Basically what I'm getting to, is to try and find a good seed supplier (I can recommend the one I use but I'm not sure if the forum should include such commercial references) and try some different varieties. There are pepper types that have been bred for cool weather, high heat, low heat, etc. Some of the northern ones might do well with less sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-10T16:59:02.473" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T16:59:02.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="212" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="209" CreationDate="2011-06-09T11:01:07.283" Score="67" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the weeds have gone to seed, any seeds in the compost mix will likely germinate when you come to use the compost. These, you have to dispose of differently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put the pulled weeds into a light-blocking sack for a week to make sure they don't have any energy to grow in the compost. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut them up into small pieces to break their roots and leaves and encourage faster composting. A chipper is great for this if you have one, but I just use secateurs.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put the shredded weeds into a covered composter. You can bury them if the compost material if you don't have a cover.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After this kind of treatment, even the hardiest of dandelions should give up and compost properly. Provided you break up the roots, they shouldn't give you any problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T11:01:07.283" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="213" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-09T11:14:52.553" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The word &quot;pepper&quot; refers to a range of unrelated plants, including &lt;em&gt;Piper&lt;/em&gt; (black pepper) and &lt;em&gt;pimenta&lt;/em&gt;, but usually used to refer to &lt;em&gt;Capsicum&lt;/em&gt; of the &lt;em&gt;Solanaceae&lt;/em&gt; family. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Solanacaea&lt;/em&gt; also include tomatoes, potatoes, and nightshades. Note the similarity of their leaves, fruit, and/or flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Capsicum&lt;/em&gt; include approximately 5-6 wild species, most of which have cultivars that are grown for their fruit. However, most chili pepper cultivars are &lt;em&gt;C.Annuum&lt;/em&gt; cultivars - this includes most of the sweet peppers and a lot of the spicy varieties such as jalapeno and serrano.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T19:09:22.853" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T19:09:22.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="214" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-09T11:14:52.553" Score="0" Body="Peppers cover a number of different plants including black pepper (Piper) and *pimenta*, but is usually used to refer to the New World *Capiscum* plants of the *Solanaceae* (nightshade) family." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T19:09:27.050" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T19:09:27.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="215" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="235" CreationDate="2011-06-09T11:21:30.507" Score="15" ViewCount="181" Body="&lt;p&gt;Typically in August/September I get vigourous courgette plants but if I don't catch and harvest the fruits quickly I end up with enormous useless marrows. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the same time my pumpkins are doing the opposite, that is growing to size of large oranges then stopping and sulking. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want small courgettes and large pumpkins but I get the opposite. It's perverse! They're basically the same thing aren't they? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any way to encourage courgettes to slow down? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More importantly - how to boost pumpkins? &lt;strong&gt;The pumpkins are being grown in tons of horse manure so they're not hungry&lt;/strong&gt;. I'm wondering whether I'm putting them in too late, and they're running out of daylight by August/September.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:58:04.973" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T02:58:04.973" Title="Why are my courgettes enormous, and my pumpkins puny?" Tags="&lt;pumpkins&gt;&lt;squash&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="158" CreationDate="2011-06-09T11:25:27.730" Score="29" Body="&lt;p&gt;Botanic gardens usually have a free plant identification service.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant nurseries are usually helpful, but remember they are businesses, so if you want to continue getting advice long term it's a good idea to buy something from them occasionally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are some neighbors who have a nice garden or similar plants, strike up a conversation. People are usually quite happy to talk about their garden, so you find out what's growing in yours and get to know your new neighbors :o)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com.au/imghp&quot;&gt;Google image search&lt;/a&gt; lets you drag and drop an image into the search box. After you drop the image, Google shows you a handful of similar images, then lets you enter a description to weed out irrelevant matches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iewf.org/weedid/iewf_front_id.html&quot;&gt;Web Weed Lookup&lt;/a&gt; is handy for identifying weeds. You still have to compare the plant to the photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Australia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you suspect something is a weed you can take it in to the council and they will send it off for identification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Department of Primary Industries (e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/4790_8331.htm&quot;&gt;Qld DPI&lt;/a&gt;) have information about pest weeds, but it isn't always easy to find.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weeds.gov.au/index.html&quot;&gt;Weeds in Australia&lt;/a&gt; has a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weeds.gov.au/cgi-bin/weedidtool.pl&quot;&gt;weed identification tool&lt;/a&gt; where you enter the weed type, flower colour, and state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="134" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-09-27T14:10:22.187" LastActivityDate="2012-09-27T14:10:22.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="218" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-09T12:12:24.440" Score="12" ViewCount="3414" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several cacti growing in my yard and one (t. pachanoi, if it matters) has developed a white layer across the top of the plant.  It is very fine and looks almost sandy, like perhaps a mould or fungus.  It does brush off fairly easily though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this white stuff?  Is it dangerous to the plant or its neighbours?  How can I treat it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;: Now with picture.  I've brushed most of it off but you can see the white dots across the top.  Before my attempt to clear it it was covering the entire surface&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b7nCy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of white growth&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="114" LastEditorUserId="114" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T23:50:25.913" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T23:50:25.913" Title="What is this white growth on my cactus?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="219" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="522" CreationDate="2011-06-09T12:21:08.470" Score="14" ViewCount="1173" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just potted a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumeria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;frangipani&lt;/a&gt; (plumeria) cutting given to me by a friend and since it's not in its natural climate, I'm wondering what conditions it will thrive in?  If it matters, I live in a temperate zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I water it?  How much sun does it need?  Fertiliser?  Does it need to be changed with the seasons?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="114" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-13T19:53:06.187" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T19:53:06.187" Title="How should I treat a frangipani?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="220" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="232" CreationDate="2011-06-09T12:27:49.503" Score="27" ViewCount="47949" Body="&lt;p&gt;Forget rabbits, I have a fence around the garden, my real pest problem is chipmunks.  I've got a fence, with some below ground barriers, to keep larger pests out and to keep them from digging but the chipmunks still get in.  Chicken wire doesn't keep them out and they end up digging holes in the garden, and eating roots of some of the plants...I lost a bunch of tulips last year due to their incessent root eating.  I do have a live trap but that only gets them if they get in, I want to keep them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does Coyote Urine work?  What about the fox pheromones?  The dried blood and chili powder spray, good for rabbits and such, is not working.  I tried the fox stuff when they had been in the house but that didn't work as well as the live trap by their door, that got set with seeds and I eventually got them all out.  Is there a good method that I can use?  Rather than make my garden a small greenhouse I'd like to keep them out if I can with something sort of organic, if only there was an herb or something that would keep them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="135" LastEditorUserId="34" LastEditDate="2011-06-10T22:34:47.850" LastActivityDate="2018-02-20T21:55:48.693" Title="How to keep chipmunks out of my garden?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="9" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="221" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="524" CreationDate="2011-06-09T12:29:05.727" Score="16" ViewCount="508" Body="&lt;p&gt;I plant onion sets every spring and, with the exception of &lt;em&gt;Red Baron&lt;/em&gt;, they all flourish. The &lt;em&gt;Red Baron&lt;/em&gt; variety invariably bolt in early summer, although they are planted and fed in exactly the same way as the other varieties I'm successfully growing like &lt;em&gt;Sutton&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Sturon&lt;/em&gt;. Can anyone explain why this is happening and offer advice?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-10-30T00:38:28.783" LastActivityDate="2011-10-30T00:38:28.783" Title="Why does one of my onion varieties (Red Baron) invariably bolt?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;bolting&gt;&lt;onions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="222" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="140" CreationDate="2011-06-09T12:45:53.137" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;After just reading the title, I was going to suggest get a dog.  Our dog has killed a couple rabbits already this year.  Perhaps you could simply leave your dog in the yard more often, letting him/her out when she's barking at them through the window.  I guess this depends if your dog is fast enough to catch them.  You could consider getting another dog, perhaps a bigger, faster one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another note: when putting in vegetables, make sure you have a sure method of keeping your dog out of them.  Our dog ate quite a few of our green beans last year (didn't bother the tomatoes, though), so we had to put up a higher fence this year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="138" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-08T05:27:29.263" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T05:27:29.263" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="197" CreationDate="2011-06-09T12:47:29.393" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suggest you try ivy; it will take some time to become established, but thrives in the most adverse conditions and forms excellent ground cover. I have used it beneath some mature Leylandii trees, where the soil is extremely dry and nothing else will grow, and it is still spreading..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T12:47:29.393" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="224" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-09T12:50:44.027" Score="36" ViewCount="46892" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glechoma_hederacea&quot;&gt;ground ivy&lt;/a&gt; (creeping charlie) that is trying to take over our back yard.  We are against using pesticides, as we have a young son.  Are there natural/organic ways of beating it (other than just painstakingly pulling it all out)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="138" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T21:49:48.853" LastActivityDate="2018-06-06T12:29:50.683" Title="What are some natural ways of killing ground ivy (creeping charlie)?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="9" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="225" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1703" CreationDate="2011-06-09T12:59:27.753" Score="11" ViewCount="1459" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gardening guides, when discussing rhubarb, will always illustrate their advice with a picture of some fancy forcing jars, or else reclaimed old-fashioned chimney pots, which look great and add decoration to the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sifpl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rhubarb forcing jars&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But man, are those things expensive. Does anyone have any tips for cheaper alternatives? Doesn't matter if it's an eyesore. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dustbins are sometimes mentioned but they're too large surely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2013-01-18T01:51:25.560" Title="Forcing rhubarb - alternatives to fancy forcing jars?" Tags="&lt;rhubarb&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="226" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="218" CreationDate="2011-06-09T13:08:11.870" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;We really need a picture, but it could be the cochineal scale insect that is responsible? This is very common on wild opuntia (prickly pear) here in Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The insect hides in a white growth that does look like a fungus. Get a pen knife and find one of the insects and crush it. A strong red dye will be produced. This was a major product from the New World, and even today is still used as a food coloring (usually under an anonymous euphemism: people usually don't like to know that their candy/sweets are coloured using crushed bugs!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T13:08:11.870" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="227" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="229" CreationDate="2011-06-09T13:09:40.763" Score="13" ViewCount="1599" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/225/138&quot;&gt;Forcing rhubarb - alternatives to fancy forcing jars?&lt;/a&gt;, the poster is asking how to &quot;force rhubarb&quot;.  What does that mean?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The house we bought has a rhubarb plant in the yard, but I don't know anything about caring for it.  Is rhubarb forcing something I should be doing?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="138" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-09-05T04:59:52.930" Title="&quot;Forcing rhubarb&quot; - what does that mean?" Tags="&lt;rhubarb&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="228" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="220" CreationDate="2011-06-09T13:11:09.483" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a somewhat different tactic, but getting a dog is an often-effective way to keep small birds and mammals away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="138" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T13:11:09.483" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="229" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="227" CreationDate="2011-06-09T13:20:45.253" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;Forcing rhubarb means covering it/excluding light very early on in the year to speed up growth and encourage longer, rosier stalks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's the overview from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/rhubarb-force/&quot;&gt;BBC Gardener's World site&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Forcing rhubarb by covering the crowns&#xA;  will encourage the plants to make&#xA;  early growth. These forced stalks can&#xA;  be harvested for use in cooking when&#xA;  they are 20cm - 30cm long and make a&#xA;  useful substitute for fruit when there&#xA;  is little else in store from the&#xA;  garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not &lt;em&gt;essential&lt;/em&gt;, and in fact, it's not all that good for the plant. We've enjoyed rhubarb for many years without forcing it, but our crop is less good-looking (greener, stubbier) and possibly a bit more bitter, than a forced crop would be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your particular case, where you've inherited the rhubarb, that's the same as us. It takes practically no looking after. Even if you try and damage it, it's pretty good at recovering. In my ignorant first winter I thought the roots were some kind of tree root and I hacked away at most of my crop. Came back superbly the next Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T19:05:21.790" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T19:05:21.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="230" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20" CreationDate="2011-06-09T13:31:05.190" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you say your plant is very sensitive to over-watering, I assume it is a kind of plant that doesn't like a lot of water.  The key is to know how much water your plant needs. Try googling for more info regarding your plant. The season also matters; in the summer you should water your plants more often, while in the winter you should reduce your watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My advice is to stick your fingers into the soil. If it is completely dry, you &lt;strong&gt;may&lt;/strong&gt; want to water it. However, if the weather is not hot and the plant hates water, you can wait and see for a couple of days. Otherwise, you can water it when the soil is dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you water the plant, you have to pour the water gently and keep watering until the water comes out of the pot. This makes sure the water gets to the root and not just the top layer of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-03T04:16:35.890" LastActivityDate="2011-09-03T04:16:35.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="231" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="248" CreationDate="2011-06-09T13:32:38.437" Score="24" ViewCount="4769" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I grew a little stand (4x4) of short-season corn.  I hand-pollinated it and everything was growing great.  But I waited a little too long, I guess, and when I picked it, my corn tasted horribly starchy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to know when to pick it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="63" LastActivityDate="2012-02-17T20:35:25.827" Title="How does one determine when to pick corn?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;corn&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="232" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="220" CreationDate="2011-06-09T13:40:56.020" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get a statue of an owl and put it in your garden. It should keep most things that owls eat away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T13:40:56.020" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="233" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="246" CreationDate="2011-06-09T13:47:15.010" Score="9" ViewCount="410" Body="&lt;p&gt;Holy cats, that was a nice storm last night. 100 MPH gusts have flattened my 12in tall tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This morning I straightened them out by propping them up with a little dirt or straw.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to straighten these plants?  Will they straighten themselves? should I just toss the ones that can't fix themselves?  Have I just re-decimated my entire crop?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T14:52:34.160" LastActivityDate="2012-02-17T14:52:34.160" Title="How are wind flattened plants realigned?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;wind-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="233" CreationDate="2011-06-09T13:51:55.750" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have any experience with the others, but I would use stakes (canes) for the tomatoes. We find we need to stake tomatoes and peppers when they reach the 1-2ft range, anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T13:51:55.750" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="235" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="215" CreationDate="2011-06-09T13:58:48.707" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, you can't stop zucchini(courgettes) from growing and they're prolific growers.  But they keep pretty well, just pick them small which will encourage them to grow more, so maybe you can afford to give a few away (not just the huge ones).  You could always plant fewer and space them out more so you can spot 'em easier before they get humungous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for pumpkins, you might be growing too many pumpkins on your vine. Try picking the flowers off and only grow one on a vine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T13:58:48.707" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="236" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-09T14:00:17.560" Score="20" ViewCount="17435" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live on the 18th floor of a building in Hong Kong. In summer, all of my neighbors turn on their air conditioners, which generate a huge amount of heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a little balcony like gardening area out of my window (see below).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uCnAI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/voiIM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is the heat -- the heat killed most of my plants last year. This summer is coming. Is there any way to avoid the heat killing my plants? I do not want to install a fan to blow off the heat, because construction is troublesome. I want an eco-friendly method, if there is any.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, my ultimate strategy is to plant some heat-resistant plants (ideally herbs, fruits, other things that can be eaten and aloe vera). In general, summers in Hong Kong are hot and rainy. The location is sheltered with half sun (it faces east, gets good sun in the morning and the afternoon is normal). The plants are typically grown in pots and should preferably be less than 1m in height. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of plants will survive in this condition in addition to the heat from the air conditioner? The temperature is about 31-32 degree C&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-01T23:46:04.160" LastActivityDate="2016-11-01T23:46:04.160" Title="What kind of plants will survive the heat from an air conditioner?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;heat&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="237" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="261" CreationDate="2011-06-09T14:04:12.990" Score="9" ViewCount="431" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to lay several patio pavers for a new patio.  The pavers are 12&quot; square.  The size I want to do is rectangular, and the base is flat with a slight slope away from the house.  Should I start laying the pavers in the middle, or up by the edge of the house, or some other way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="48" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T14:53:19.790" LastActivityDate="2012-12-11T06:27:56.280" Title="What is a good strategy for laying patio pavers?" Tags="&lt;pavers&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="224" CreationDate="2011-06-09T14:08:46.343" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could kill it by suffocating it from light and heating it naturally.  Put a dark tarp over it, and anchor it so it doesn't blow away.  The heat from the sun and lack of light will burn that and anything else growing under there in several days to a couple of weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="48" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T14:08:46.343" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="239" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="183" CreationDate="2011-06-09T14:10:41.907" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in much the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/40/can-i-fix-a-garden-tilled-too-early&quot;&gt;same boat&lt;/a&gt; I usually ruin half the garden.  I've tried just not tilling it and that certainly works, in subsequent years you may be able to just use compost you turn into the soil with a pitch fork and double digging. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you tilled it when you absolutely knew everything was dry it would be too late to plant cool season crops.  So... Maybe plant tomatoes and cukes and zucchini on the side of the garden you want to till in the dry season and get that soil good and worked up.  Then repeat on the opposite side next year.  By the third year you may have a garden that requires much less tilling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T14:10:41.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="241" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="247" CreationDate="2011-06-09T14:16:25.593" Score="11" ViewCount="4400" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help me identify a insect with the following features:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;black and yellow&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;long feelers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;body is tapered toward the back&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;zebra like pattern on the shell&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;about 1.5 inches long &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;found in central Texas&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what it looks like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GaD0e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Black and yellow insect&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="142" LastEditorUserId="91" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T15:01:44.090" LastActivityDate="2018-12-24T07:08:10.390" Title="What kind of black and yellow insect has a zebra like pattern?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="242" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="201" CreationDate="2011-06-09T14:23:51.250" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you've got a shady spot that grass has a tough time growing in, you might be able to let moss cover your lawn.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Through sheer neglect I have adopted this strategy with good results.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Walk on it with bare feet though, it feels good!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T14:23:51.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="236" CreationDate="2011-06-09T14:29:53.220" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would try a cactus or other fleshy plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="126" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T14:29:53.220" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="244" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="245" CreationDate="2011-06-09T14:29:56.810" Score="14" ViewCount="5517" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my tomato plants (Better Boys if that matters) has a few leaves that have started yellowing on the lower branches. Not sure if they aren't getting enough water, or if they are diseased or what. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is causing this? If it's a disease how can I prevent it from spreading to the rest of my plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-05T04:53:51.393" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T07:52:53.417" Title="Why have my tomato leaves started yellowing at the base?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="245" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="244" CreationDate="2011-06-09T14:34:50.863" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;You probably can pinch the lower branches off, and actually help the growth of the plant.  Your plant can grow pretty big (4 feet) so to encourage tall growth (and keep the leaves away from the dirt, which probably caused the yellowing) pull them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it goes on, pull the plant out (don't compost it) and be thankful it is early in the year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's probably not the water,  unless you're watering directly on top of the plant and causing them to get muddy.  Try watering at the base and making a little dirt moat around the plant so that the water goes into the ground and the roots have to grow down to get it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T14:34:50.863" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="246" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="233" CreationDate="2011-06-09T14:34:52.907" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants are more hardy than we give them credit for. Try giving them a little support and see if they catch on in a week. Usually for tomatoes, a cage like this is necessary to provide support for the plant when growing and also when it bears fruit. All of mine have one similar to this and they really like it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ivgY8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similarly for cauliflowers/broccoli, giving some form of support should bring them back to life. Also, it is important that you provide support as soon as possible, before the plant starts drying out at the broken places. There is a higher chance of it surviving the lesser you wait.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, as a disclaimer: I have never experienced a storm, so I don't know the scale of destruction you're talking about :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T14:34:52.907" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="247" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="241" CreationDate="2011-06-09T14:44:10.647" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottonwood_borer&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cottonwood Borer&lt;/a&gt;.  I am from Ontario, Canada and here Asian Long Horned Beetles are a concern. I do not know if this will help, but &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Forests/2ColumnSubPage/STEL02_166979.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; is more information on the Ontario situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="62" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-05T04:57:00.580" LastActivityDate="2011-09-05T04:57:00.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="248" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="231" CreationDate="2011-06-09T14:48:47.630" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;One way of telling if your corn is ready is by looking at the little tuft of fine silky corn hair that hangs out from the husk. If it is nice and dark till the tip of the husk, it is ready to be harvested. If it is still pale and light in color, then you ought to wait a little longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also peel back the layers at the very top just a little and see if the corn kernels there are ready. If they are, then the rest of the corn is ready too. You can also tell if they are nice and juicy by feeling them or pricking them. This is perhaps the best stage to harvest them. If you wait longer, as you say, it will taste starchy and chewy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T14:48:47.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="249" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-09T15:02:43.277" Score="19" ViewCount="480" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large terrace in New York City, and am looking to fill it with some greenery without spending a fortune.  In the past I have had good luck with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_glory&quot;&gt;morning glories&lt;/a&gt; in containers - they grow quickly, are very cheap of course, and have nice flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However I'd like a little variety and also flowers that didn't only bloom in the morning would be nice.  I've tried &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea&quot;&gt;moon flowers&lt;/a&gt; but could never get them to bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also tried &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora&quot;&gt;passion flowers&lt;/a&gt; but they did not grow that quickly, and the vines did not branch out much so there was not much volume to them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So can anyone recommend some others?  I guess I'd prefer to plant seeds, but I'm not too picky about that.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="143" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-05T05:05:02.033" LastActivityDate="2012-05-04T16:40:58.270" Title="What are some fast-growing, voluminous vines that are suitable to be grown in containers?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="250" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-09T15:07:35.003" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;When asking an identification question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make a good title:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Include the type of thing (weed, bug, plant, etc.) that you want to identify.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Include distinctive features. (&quot;Red fuzzy vines&quot;.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Include where it was found -- both where in the world, and where in a &quot;micro&quot; sense (&quot;eating the lower leaves of my plant&quot;, &quot;under a rock&quot;, &quot;fungus growing on my tree trunk&quot;, etc).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ask only &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/826/for-identification-please-only-post-one-plant-per-question-and-be-specific-whe&quot;&gt;one plant identification request per question&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. If you'd like more than one plant identified, feel free to ask additional questions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Include at least one photo&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Repeat the descriptive features in your question.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Include how it relates to gardening.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you get a satisfactory answer, consider adding a further tag so that your question is cataloged with other similar questions. If an answer makes the question relevant to another category (e.g. a vine later identified as Morning Glory), then it should be tagged as such. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-03-15T00:01:23.230" LastActivityDate="2018-03-15T00:01:23.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="251" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-09T15:07:35.003" Score="0" Body="Use this tag for questions that ask &quot;what is this thing?&quot; Pictures, geographic location, and descriptive titles are important. Ask only one identification request per question. When you get an answer, consider adding a further tag (for the flower, tree, beetle etc. that has been identified) so your question is cataloged correctly. If the question is about determining the cause of a plant problem (e.g. disease), the diagnosis tag is more appropriate." OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-03-15T00:01:23.230" LastActivityDate="2018-03-15T00:01:23.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="196" CreationDate="2011-06-09T15:07:51.243" Score="16" Body="&lt;h3&gt;What is &amp;quot;thinning&amp;quot;&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thinning simply refers to the process of removing fruit from the tree when it is still small (or not fully ripened). Some fruit trees require more thinning than others. For e.g., it is common to talk about thinning peaches/apples/apricots, but not cherries. While &amp;quot;how much to thin&amp;quot; might depend on the type of fruit tree, the reasons for thinning and the benefits are general.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Why should you thin?&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruit trees usually produce way more fruit than they can handle. Depending on how the pruning was done, the exact amount can vary, but in general, they do. Just as with everything else in nature, fruits on a tree compete with each other for essential nutrients and space. This can become a problem with young trees that are&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;not strong enough to support the weight of the fruits and&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;not big enough to provide nutrition to all the fruits.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While these are the primary reasons for thinning, there are other benefits to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Benefits of thinning&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Once you thin the fruits, the remaining fruits have more space to grow, so you get bigger fruits.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;More space leads to more air circulation and sunlight, which in turn leads to better fruit flavor and color.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A common reason for fruit rot on the tree is because the fruits are touching each other closely. The decay occurs where they touch, because the skin couldn't breathe. Thinning reduces the chances of this occurring.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Less chance of damage to the tree (My &amp;lt;1 yr old peach tree almost broke in two because it was burdened with 7 enormous peaches and I did not know about thinning back then. Also I did not expect a tree this young to bear fruit! Luckily the gophers did it for me.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Since the tree can now support the smaller number of fruits, it is not overburdened with supplying nutrition to the fruits.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T15:07:51.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="185" CreationDate="2011-06-09T15:09:40.477" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, one thing to remember is that you can have a garden with no mulch and you can have a garden with a few feet of mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure your mulch doesn't just take the place of weeds, it shouldn't compete for light and inhibit nutrients from entering your plants.  It should be safe and in the right quantity to till in (or at the very least leach in) to your soil.  If you mulch with certain things like pine needles or leaves, you'll add acidity to your soil, which you'll need to neutralize.  If you mulch with paper or plastic you don't need 3 inches, but you do need to make sure it doesn't fly way or harm your plants. If you're using yard waste to mulch, try to do it in a way that doesn't put tons of weeds in your garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3 inches may be used as a minimum to inhibit weed growth and a maximum to allow water to flow through (especially if you're using leaves). It's not so much that some veggies need more mulch, its more that some veggies are smaller than others and don't thrive in the same depth of mulch.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-10T23:05:52.427" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T23:05:52.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="254" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="249" CreationDate="2011-06-09T15:12:08.897" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;For variety, try a packet of goblins egg gourds, they're very prolific and don't require all that much soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm growing a gourd within a gourd right now (sort of a recursive programmer/gardening joke)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T15:12:08.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="255" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="137" CreationDate="2011-06-09T15:15:48.007" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd stay away from chemicals. &lt;strong&gt;Why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Herbicides are generally useless when dealing with those poison plants, the dead curled up remains of those &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatological&quot;&gt;dermatologically&lt;/a&gt; dangerous plants can still give you a nasty rash. All parts of those plants - roots, leaves, stalk and stems, dead or alive, contain the oil &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urushiol&quot;&gt;Urushiol&lt;/a&gt;&quot; that triggers the reaction...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have to pull them out, below is a highly recommended and effective method of removing poison ivy:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Collect as many thick plastic shopping bags as you can.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A large dustbin (trashcan) or large &quot;heavy gauge&quot; rubbish (trash) bags.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Somebody to help you, get someone you don't mind who sees you naked (reason being is explained later).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don't do this without a helper.&lt;/strong&gt; The helper is your &quot;non poison ivy&quot; hands while you're handling the poison ivy with your &quot;thick plastic bag covered&quot; hands.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Protect your hands, face, and other exposed areas with &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ivyblock.com/&quot;&gt;Ivy Block&lt;/a&gt;&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Go out when the ground is soaking wet or drench it yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put a thick plastic bag over each of your hands.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Locate where each vine enters the soil and pull (very) slowly with one of your bagged hands, the whole vine, root and all should come out easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the vine does not come out easily, get your helper to soak the soil around the base of the vine with a garden hose.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don't you, the puller, touch anything.&lt;/strong&gt; Keep you hands inside the bags and don't touch anything with those bags except the vines you're trying to remove.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now that the ground around the vine has been soaked even more, try pulling the vine again. Finger-crossed it should come out this time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fold the bag that's been covering your other hand over the pulled vine, and drop the poison ivy and both bags into the dustbin (trashcan).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Never re-use any of your &quot;hand bags&quot;, always start with a fresh, clean set every time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the vine breaks leaving the root in the soil, get your helper to put a marker in that location, then come back the following day with the strongest vinegar you can find to kill the root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Obviously if you use vinegar to kill the root, care needs to be taken that you don't kill any wanted plants within the surrounding area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you've finished pulling all the vines, get your helper to open all the doors for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Go straight to your washing machine, put all your clothes in and get your helper to run them through a cold water cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Or if they're old cloths and you can afford to throw them away, do so. Bag them up immediately and put that bag with the poison ivy you've pulled.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get in the shower, have your helper turn it on, then wash yourself well with cool water. No soap or washcloth. Water alone will remove the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urushiol&quot;&gt;Urushiol oil&lt;/a&gt;, soap and cloth can spread it to other parts, more sensitive areas...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Credit, the above procedure comes via, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=562&quot;&gt;Poison Ivy Problems? Pulling is the way to go - dangerous chemical herbicides are NOT!&lt;/a&gt;&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Some additional reading, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=562&quot;&gt;Polish Off Your Poison Ivy Without Personal Peril - With These Seven Secrets of Successful PI Pullers!&lt;/a&gt;&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are all very easy to identify - a local book store or the internet is your friend for identifying them. eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_ivy&quot;&gt;Poison ivy&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_oak&quot;&gt;Poison oak&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_sumac&quot;&gt;Poison sumac&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Poison%20Ivy.html&quot;&gt;Poison Ivy and its Relatives&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.poison-ivy.org/&quot;&gt;What Poison Ivy looks like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.poisonivy.us/&quot;&gt;Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac Information Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.poison-sumac.org/&quot;&gt;Poison sumac&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; Poison Ivy's most recognizable 3-leafed plant is not the only form - it also takes the form of a vine or bush. The most commonly seen (for me) is the plant form though the vine is common around where I live as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-16T19:32:07.680" LastActivityDate="2011-08-16T19:32:07.680" CommentCount="6" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-09-06T03:12:37.500" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="236" CreationDate="2011-06-09T15:32:27.707" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to grow kitchen herbs look for varieties that are hearty in warm climates. Basil is a good one, I'm not sure of others. Make sure that plants that want to be watered are watered well and others that do not like as much water are kept to appropriate moisture levels. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rosemary, sage and thyme grow really well in heat if you have good soil and keep them well watered. (I live in Arizona, think 105-110 for most of the summer). Rosemary likes to dry out a little between waterings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try to find herbs/plants that are native to your climate and region, they will be better adapted to the heat and light you have available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-29T15:58:10.813" LastActivityDate="2011-08-29T15:58:10.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="257" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="249" CreationDate="2011-06-09T15:35:09.627" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;How about Jasmine? Not exactly a vine, but there are many species that might be suitable for you. They bloom at night and their perfume is incredible (there are varieties that don't have any scent, though).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="126" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T15:35:09.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="164" CreationDate="2011-06-09T15:39:07.557" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;@keith - @bstpierre's pH test is a good suggestion. Since you already amended the soil and it seems to be raining enough.  Sounds like you're getting enough sun.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other thing worth looking at is your ratio of compost to the original clay soil.  Clay tends to be very compact...which means that it doesn't drain well.  It can prevent nutrients from getting to your roots as easily when you fertilize.  Also, it can make it hard for the roots to expand.  You need to make sure you allow enough buffer for the roots to grow below and around the original root ball.  I usually try to allow a minimum of 6-8 inches;  12-16 would be better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2011-12-23T02:39:14.150" LastActivityDate="2011-12-23T02:39:14.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="259" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="108" CreationDate="2011-06-09T15:52:45.147" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have your soil tested by your local extension office. Its not very expensive and will give you a good idea of your soil contents, composition etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My opinion is that depending on what you want to do you will be better of working with what you have than bringing in new top soil. Do some work on your soil, add organic material if necessary etc. However, find plants and develop strategies that work with your soil type and climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you want perfect, and your soil doesn't measure up, then you may be better off replacing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T15:52:45.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="261" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="237" CreationDate="2011-06-09T15:58:31.263" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you start by laying them by the house, you can line them up much easier with the edge of the house. This will eliminate the need to trim the pavers at the house (you'll probably have to cut/trim the pavers at the other end of the patio) and make that edge look much neater.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="47" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T15:58:31.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="262" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="249" CreationDate="2011-06-09T16:01:24.037" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're willing to grow veggies, &lt;strong&gt;snap peas&lt;/strong&gt; are great!  They don't need much tending, they're one of the first things to pop out of the soil in the spring, long before the last frost.  And they are one of the best things to snack on straight off the vine.  They can be planted densely, will climb any trellis you give them without much direction.  And they will fix nitrogen into your soil, lowering your need for fertilizers (which can be important for containers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Minor downside, the varieties I'm familiar with don't do well with the hot summer sun, and they will die out before then.  Major upside, you can easily get several successive harvests in both the spring and the fall.  I like to let a small percentage of mine dry out on the vine in the fall, and then I collect them and plant them next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="144" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T16:01:24.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="263" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="201" CreationDate="2011-06-09T16:01:36.673" Score="31" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like the best thing for you is a clover lawn, although of course it will only &quot;look like grass&quot; from a distance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently, after noticing that many homes in my neighborhood have large patches of clover in their lawn, and knowing how difficult it has been to battle in my own lawn, I did a search on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead of finding many resources on how to get rid of it, I found it is actually considered/promoted by many as a lawn alternative, or combination for a healthier lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This article from &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/irish-shamrocks-and-4-leaf-clovers-2130966&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Spruce&lt;/a&gt; lists the following qualities of clover lawns:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;It stays a luscious green all summer, without being irrigated profusely (i.e., it's drought-tolerant).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;It is free of weeds, obviating the need to apply herbicides. Your carpet competes so well for growing space that the competition is choked out.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;It doesn't need to be fertilized.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;It is also relatively pest-free, so that you don't have to bother spraying pesticides on it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;It aerates the soil on its own, so that you don't have to worry about counteracting soil compaction.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;It is soft to walk on.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;It attracts beneficial insects, including honeybees.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;It rarely has to be mowed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;It doesn't suffer the discoloration from dog urine known as &quot;dog spots.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;And if, despite all these benefits, you should ever want to replace it with a different kind of green carpet, it helps you to do so by improving the soil on its watch. Its ability to aerate the soil and pump nitrogen into it means that succeeding generations of plants using that soil will be better off. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other resources on this topic:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cloverlawn.org/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cloverlawn&lt;/a&gt; &amp;mdash; Benefits and how-to&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://eartheasy.com/grow_lawn_alternatives.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Earth Easy&lt;/a&gt; &amp;mdash; Attributes, benefits, and prices of clover and other lawn alternatives&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="81" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-08T04:51:56.517" LastActivityDate="2018-02-08T04:51:56.517" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="264" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="209" CreationDate="2011-06-09T16:03:48.657" Score="36" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally, they just need to be buried in the compost heap. If the heap gets hot enough, it will kill off pretty much every seed imaginable (except for tomatoes - I remember visiting sewage treatment plants and tomatoes still managed to germinate even after everything else was processed/sterilized).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="47" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T16:03:48.657" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="91" CreationDate="2011-06-09T16:15:43.303" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure, if you want. Hit them with some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=398&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;rust primer&lt;/a&gt; every so often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="32" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T16:15:43.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="266" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-09T16:36:28.510" Score="19" ViewCount="2339" Body="&lt;p&gt;My house is in an area where the native earth is basically solid clay.  This means that wet or dry, you can't dig with a shovel and get crumbling dirt &amp;mdash; it &lt;em&gt;always&lt;/em&gt; clumps together, unless you break it apart with a shovel or until the weight breaks it apart, which usually results in clumps of at least 5&quot; in diameter.  It also weighs a ton because of the water it can hold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of our yard is now covered, with the exception of a 4' border around the back of our house.  We brought in topsoil for these beds, but the topsoil was never really evened out or tilled into the clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Through various weed seasons, settling, and dirt transplanting much of the clay is now at the surface again.  I'd finally like to get these garden beds sorted out instead of just killing the weeds throughout the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any good way to manually till this kind of clay in with topsoil, or is a machine my only option?  I am worried that the narrowness of the garden bed will make using a machine very difficult anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="81" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2011-12-21T02:14:23.437" LastActivityDate="2015-01-28T05:52:30.723" Title="How should I till topsoil into thick clay in small garden beds?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;tilling&gt;&lt;clay&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="266" CreationDate="2011-06-09T16:42:19.620" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some tillers aren't as large as you think they are.&#xA;I recently had a similiar issue and I ended up purchasing a garden mantis tiller.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mantis.com/mantis-4-cycle-tiller.asp&quot;&gt;http://mantis.com/mantis-4-cycle-tiller.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know how much you are looking to spend but this one costs 450 bucks..but it is worth every penny. I also got the dethatcher and aerator combo that can be put on this.  It's sort of a like a transformer :) and can transform to various different machines.  Mantis makes good products and their warranties are awesome.  Customer service has been fantastic and no I was not paid to review them :).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aside from tilling it the only thing you can do is break it up using a shovel, but this is a LOT of work!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T16:42:19.620" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="268" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="270" CreationDate="2011-06-09T16:48:06.677" Score="33" ViewCount="690" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm from a very rural area and love to garden, however, for work I just moved into an apartment in the city. I miss being able to grow vegetables and so I attempted to start some leaf lettuce indoors, however, almost every plant died quickly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm just curious, does anyone have experience growing vegetables indoors? What are the best ones for this? What sort of planter do you use? Do they need to be directly next to a window? How often should they be watered? I'm not used to not having Mother Nature help me out with my plants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any tips that can be provided would be much appreciated, thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-19T02:52:34.310" LastActivityDate="2012-02-19T02:52:34.310" Title="How do I grow a usable vegetable garden indoors?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="269" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="273" CreationDate="2011-06-09T16:53:55.250" Score="42" ViewCount="1311" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a compost bin to which I've been adding kitchen scraps (and some garden waste) over several years. I have never used the resulting compost (mainly because I have a ready supply of horse manure which is easier to work with). Why we still add to it, I don't know. Just habit maybe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bin never fills right up because the base material just keeps compressing and rotting down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this compost now &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;better than ever&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; or is the stuff at the bottom now too far gone (is &quot;too far gone&quot; even possible with compost?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-09-08T15:50:13.597" Title="Does unused compost keep on getting better and better?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="270" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="268" CreationDate="2011-06-09T16:54:47.153" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Indoor gardening is a bit more difficult then the regular outdoor gardening, there are several factors but in most cases it boils down to: &lt;strong&gt;Temperature, Humidity, Light, The air in your apartment.&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You didn't mention exactly where your dying plants are being placed.  Do you have a fan within the apartment?  Plants need air whether it is natural or even if it is coming from a fan.  What type of lighting is inside the apartment?  Are you only using natural light?  These are important factors to aide the growth of the plant as well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How is the temperature within the apartment? If you notice a lot of temp ups / downs in the area you are gardening than it is probably worth moving the garden or choosing another spot.  With apartments that becomes all the more difficult.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant also probably came from some nice greenhouse, an english gardens, a ray weigands, etc etc...They have plenty of light, they also have plenty of means of water and the temperature well most of this is all outside, so they have the advantage of using mother nature.  Your plant needs to adjust to these conditions.  You should try to begin to place your plants in a very lit area with as much natural wind / fan as possible, these plants need to breath.  If your plants are not conditioned for this type of environment you run the risk that they give up and die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When potting the plant ensure the actual pot is cleaned up to remove any unnecessary plant diseases from prior plants.  Look on the bottom of the actual pot, are you getting drainage?  If not drill a hole in the bottom of the pot if you can, if not toss that pot out and get you a pot that has a good amount of drainage.  Overwatering plants will destroy them, and without nature (wind, temperature, etc) the water sitting there takes all the longer to dry out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When it comes to veggies Tomatoes need a ton of sunlight and humidity is great for them as well.  Herbs are probably the simpliest to get going but I'm not sure if this is what you are after.  Cucumbers and squash don't need as much sunlight as tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastEditorUserId="146" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T17:05:25.657" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T17:05:25.657" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="266" CreationDate="2011-06-09T16:55:41.337" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are looking for a manual method try using a hoe. Dig a trench with your shovel and then use the hoe to chop a side of the trench. I live in an area with a lot of clay in the soil and was able to get a usable garden area with this method last year. It took me the better part of a day to get a 10x10 area done, but I was able to successfully plant my garden and did will with tomatoes and peppers and got a couple of usable zuchinni.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I borrowed a powered tiller and it was much easier, but I have a lot of space. You might try a hoe and shovel in concert to get it done. In limited space you should be able to be pretty effective. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T17:03:24.893" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T17:03:24.893" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="272" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="268" CreationDate="2011-06-09T17:05:25.653" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Herbs are generally going to be your best bet, and a windowsill of fresh herbs for cooking is a great thing, but I'm not sure if this is going to fit your need for vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vegetables would be easier if you have a little extra space to work with, such as a deck or maybe a window planter that you could attach to the outside of your sill.  After that, it's a standard question of appropriate light and temperature.  I've seen people grow bush tomatoes in a 1 foot by 1 foot container on a sunny apartment sill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lettuce or other simple leafy greens should be a pretty good plant to grow, though you may have to harvest them when they are small.  Perhaps yours got too hot or dried out in the window you had them in?  Were they getting at least a few hours of direct, or even indirect light each day?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T17:05:25.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="273" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="269" CreationDate="2011-06-09T17:07:03.987" Score="26" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think &quot;too far gone&quot; is possible. If it gets too anoxic then spreading it out on your beds and giving it a day or so to aerate will fix that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Eventually all the carbon will reduce (=&gt;peat/lignite) in low oxygen conditions;  or oxidize (=&gt;carbon dioxide) in high oxygen conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T17:21:22.987" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T17:21:22.987" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="274" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="275" CreationDate="2011-06-09T17:19:47.700" Score="30" ViewCount="2146" Body="&lt;p&gt;The potting soil in question is in medium to large sized pots that had/have tomatoes or small fruit trees in them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="111" LastActivityDate="2014-07-03T01:24:44.043" Title="Is it wise to reuse potting soil?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="275" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="274" CreationDate="2011-06-09T17:26:47.853" Score="21" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only two problems I can think of would be disease and nutrients. There are some diseases (eg. fungi and nematodes) which will linger in soil, so you really need to treat the soil or discard it to somewhere where the disease is not a problem (ie. a different kind of plant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for nutrients, these could be topped up with liquid feed or top dressing. I find potting compost settles / compacts quite a bit so there's usually space for top dressing each year. I also re-use potting compost by putting it on raised beds or filling small hollows in the lawn. It isn't the best medium for the latter, but every little bit helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T17:26:47.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="276" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="281" CreationDate="2011-06-09T17:27:07.890" Score="12" ViewCount="3736" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lemon and a satsuma tree in my yard that I planted roughly 2 years ago. So they are still fairly young. I planted them in a bad location and realized that in a few years they are going to end up taking over the area. So I would like to move them, but a few people warned me that it is a bad idea to do so and that the trees would die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While I know that is a risk, are there any steps I can take while moving them to put the odds back in my favor? What time of the year would it be best to move them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="71" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-21T20:55:31.150" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T22:38:09.987" Title="Moving lemon and satsuma trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="277" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="225" CreationDate="2011-06-09T17:29:28.900" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why not just purchase some flower pots. Either terra cotta or even plastic. Place a piece of carboard or plastic over the holes and then if you have trouble with them blowing away you could just put a rock or something over them. Dustbins would work fine as from my understanding all you are looking for with forcing is darkness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thought that occurred to me was an oatmeal container (water might be an issue as they are generally made from paper or cardboard), I'm not sure from the picture how tall the forcing pots are, but if you have something that size hanging around why not just use that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T17:29:28.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="278" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="266" CreationDate="2011-06-09T17:33:08.927" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Add sand, leaves, and compost and mix it around with a pitchfork.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't want to mention adding sand because it might draw the ire of other gardeners.  If you add straw then you're pretty much just making bricks.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-or-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just till it and hire a 2 year old to smash all your dirt clods with a hammer!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Farmers risk this all the time, I'm sure they don't let it get them down. You may also want to go to a no-till&lt;sup&gt;*&lt;/sup&gt; garden, which is what the &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1594869170&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rodale's Encyclopedia&lt;/a&gt; strongly advocates. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Organic gardening advocates suggest that tilling causes damage to soil structure in a way that just digging, double digging &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/7/10&quot;&gt;and triple digging&lt;/a&gt; doesn't.  For one thing, you can't really avoid compacting the soil when tilling.  For another thing, you might have root structures which are naturally working on aerating the soil and finally the worms and toads buried in your soil may not appreciate it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I till my soil because it is pretty clayey and I want to get a good start on the weeds.  But, the best tomatoes I've grown I've done with a double dug row.  You start by digging a trench, break up the dirt clods with a pitch fork, then work up the soil under the trench with a pitchfork.  Move to the next row and do the same until you've either died of exhaustion or came to the end. Dump the extra top soil on the compost (&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1580170269&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Technique from Tips for the Lazy Gardener&lt;/a&gt;).  Why this is in Tips for the Lazy Gardener is because you barely need to water a double dug garden.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;* No-till is sort of a misnomer, no till farming means you don't mess with the ground until you plant. No till gardening means you don't use a machine on the garden. I'm not sure if &quot;No-till&quot; gardening is even a thing.&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-09-05T04:51:08.483" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="274" CreationDate="2011-06-09T17:33:49.680" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;It all depends on what was initially potted inside of the soil, to add onto @winwaed you can actually boil some water and pour it into the soil to kill any bacteria or disease.  The other thing you can do is use some fungicide to get rid of anything harmful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although top soil is fairly inexpensive its a major profit margin for these garden retailers like home depot, lowes, randazzo's, etc.  They want people to toss the stuff out and buy new soil each and every year.  To me this is a total waste of money and another way to make a dollar off of you.  To you a bag of decent top soil is a mere 3-4 bucks...but multiply that by thousands of people buying that stuff and this could be just for one store!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can always mix it up with some new soil if you still insist on buying new top soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T17:33:49.680" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="280" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="294" CreationDate="2011-06-09T17:39:00.100" Score="10" ViewCount="832" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect the answer is yes, because they are the most diverse group of cacti.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason I ask is that we actually have four varieties/species and I'm having a lot of trouble identifying them! The better cacti books that I can find typically only list the dozen or so of most common/notorious species and finding matches has been difficult.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of the four we have, two are almost certainly cultivars:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A spineless large-pad example sold as simply &quot;opuntia spp&quot; from a local nursery (I bought it because it was spineless)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A &quot;cinnamon bunny ears&quot;. No spines but red hairs. Smaller pads. Looks very pretty but those hairs are worse the fibre glass! This was a case of pad-napping in rural Central Texas. shh&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The two wild ones are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A Mexican large pad-variety. Only limited frost tolerance. I grew it from seed though.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A local &quot;weed&quot; rescued from a tree planting event. This is the most identifiable as it will be a wild variety local to North Texas. The books are helpful here.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I guess at the end of the day it is idle curiosity. All can tolerate our frosts except for the Mexican variety which can only handle the milder winters. The local one has had flowers. The cinnamon grows very well and is decorative.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At Shane's request here are a couple of pictures from back in April. We had a small cactus bed which was greatly expanded at the end of March into quite a big xeriscape bed - these pictures are only a few weeks later, so things still look a bit bare. I've since thinned out some of the cinnamon opuntia and the &quot;hummingbird plant&quot; (sorry can't remember the name, the Misses bought it - it went very bushy this year, has red long, small flowers. liked by insects and hummingbirds, likes droughts). I added three agaves at the weekend, and a low,creeping sedum to replace one of the phloxes that died (2 out of a dozen dieing isn't bad).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The red yucca produced a flower bud, one week after it was planted! It is still flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vixzB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The right end of the xeriscape bed, this is centered around the old cactus bed.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the right end of the xeriscape bed, this is centered around the old cactus bed. The red yucca is on the left. Mexican sage at the back. The bulk of the cacti are the &quot;cinnamon bunny ears&quot;. These grow very well. Pads are quite small, no spines, but lots of hairs - old pads are also furry. In the middle of that, flowering with the yellow flower, is the local opuntia (saved as a 'weed' from a tree planting event). This has had a few flowers, so I'm hoping for tunas later in the year - perhaps gifts when I return to the UK if I can get them through customs :-) First time I've had an opuntia flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Mexican opuntia was down to one plant after this winter and was broken into individual pads. One is in the lower left (and has since died). There's a strong one hidden from view, and another single pad on the right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also on the right (with two pads) is the spineless opuntia from the nursery. This was recently purchased and has just put its first new pad out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a close up of the middle:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0bMFO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cinnamon Bunny Ears and local opuntia&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The opuntia in the middle with the yellow flower is the local 'weed' opuntia. It is surrounded by cinnamon opuntia which are 1-2 years old. The plant at the back and the cinnamon opuntia have since been thinned, giving the local opuntia some more space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't show up on the top photo, but there's also a mammary cactus hiding in the lower right. This also had flowers only a few weeks after planting, but they were a dull straw color. Unlike opuntia, it was a little pricey so we're hoping it survives!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T13:20:26.470" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T13:20:26.470" Title="Do opuntia (prickly pear) cacti readily form hybrids in the wild?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;hybrids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="281" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="276" CreationDate="2011-06-09T17:43:26.760" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You didn't mention where you are from. I am assuming Florida / the south / the west. &#xA;The best time is when it is not flowering.  One thing to make sure is if whether the soil it is currently growing in is the same type of soil you are moving it to.  The tree is a living thing, so if anything such as: temperature, soil, moisture, humidity, light, etc changes then the tree will be in shock.  It means the planned move should not hinder the tree based on these conditions.  If it does you are risking the lifetime of the tree, it may / may not be dead if the move greatly impacts the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The good thing about all of this is 2 years is not that long for a tree. If it were 1 it would even be a lot simpler, but 2 is still doable.  Because of the short timing the roots aren't deep at all, you may be able to dig a cone / circle around the thing and expect the entire ball to come out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-13T11:41:58.610" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T11:41:58.610" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="282" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="274" CreationDate="2011-06-09T17:51:21.760" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read (I think in Rodale's Organic Encyclopedia) that you don't want to till potting soil into your garden, but certainly can use it to help your compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bhg.com/gardening/container/basics/make-your-own-potting-mixes/&quot;&gt;make your own&lt;/a&gt; potting soil (even using &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_5771349_microwave-potting-soil.html&quot;&gt;dirt in the microwave&lt;/a&gt;).  Which is a good way to save money.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T17:51:21.760" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="283" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="285" CreationDate="2011-06-09T17:58:03.170" Score="15" ViewCount="1635" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do they maintain very short grass like at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/14294068@N08/3442753022/&quot;&gt;Legoland&lt;/a&gt;? Is there a variation of grass that only grows this short? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried maintaining a portion of grass myself in my garden that is part of a rockery. The grass grows very quickly. A lawnmower or strimmer isn't an option because of the size of my patch of grass (&gt;1m^2) and it takes a long time to cut with ordinary scissors. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="147" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T14:58:57.830" LastActivityDate="2019-02-18T11:25:04.107" Title="How is short grass like those at miniature parks maintained?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="188" CreationDate="2011-06-09T18:32:41.593" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Theres a product called Seed Starter Fertilizer + Crabgrass Preventer 11-23-10.  It is by greenview and can be found here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greenviewfertilizer.com/store/Seed-Starter-Fertilizer-Crabgrass-Preventer-P44C12.aspx?UserID=7835774&amp;amp;SessionID=gohk6QYKA9s8imKw4jl0&quot;&gt;http://www.greenviewfertilizer.com/store/Seed-Starter-Fertilizer-Crabgrass-Preventer-P44C12.aspx?UserID=7835774&amp;amp;SessionID=gohk6QYKA9s8imKw4jl0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This prevents the crabgrass and at the same time promotes grass seed germination.  The issue with this is it can only be used to &lt;b&gt;PREVENT&lt;/b&gt; crab grass.  It sounds like you have a good amount of it already established.  In most cases any fertilizer that contains a weed killer also prohibits seeds from germinating to create new grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There really is no answer to do this all at the same time.  The best thing to do is to first get rid of all the current crab grass.  Whether it be with a Scotts product or actually just yanking that stuff out.  Once you've got all of it (and it is hard work), apply a crab grass preventer (Scotts or Greenview).  You shouldn't reseed until about 4 mowings (in weeks time that is equivalent to 6-8 weeks).  So we are looking at close to a month and a half before you can really being to think about seeding again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is ONE other option I can think of.  But please note I have never tried this.  There is a product called &lt;b&gt;Tupersan Crabgrass Preventer&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://hubpages.com/hub/Tupersan&quot;&gt;http://hubpages.com/hub/Tupersan&lt;/a&gt; that is the &lt;em&gt;only&lt;/em&gt; product that can prevent crabgrass that will allow you to seed your lawn at the same time. Tupersan is very effective against crabgrass and will not harm grass seeds.  But I think tupersan is very expensive it can get upto 80 bucks a bag.  Here is a bag I found for close to 70: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.turftrust.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&amp;amp;flypage=flypage.tpl&amp;amp;product_id=27&amp;amp;category_id=3&amp;amp;vmcchk=1&amp;amp;option=com_virtuemart&amp;amp;Itemid=1&quot;&gt;http://www.turftrust.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&amp;amp;flypage=flypage.tpl&amp;amp;product_id=27&amp;amp;category_id=3&amp;amp;vmcchk=1&amp;amp;option=com_virtuemart&amp;amp;Itemid=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastEditorUserId="146" LastEditDate="2011-06-09T18:44:17.940" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T18:44:17.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="283" CreationDate="2011-06-09T18:51:56.380" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many golf courses use &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantideas.com/lawn/lawn4.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bent Grass&lt;/a&gt; for their putting greens. It can be maintained as short as 1/2&quot; inch high, but you'll have to cut it every 3-4 days.  It can be mowed to a very short length without damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as cutting tools go, you could try something like the &lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B00280M7L0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Skil Isio Shrub and Grass Shear&lt;/a&gt;. I've got one and it works great for maintaining small shrubs. It even works on my holly bushes as long as I trim them regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HC9Da.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HC9Da.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516SHiI6dPL._AA300_.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;images-amazon.com&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sub&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never used the grass shear attachment since I've got a 1/2 acre lawn, but if it works as well as the shrub attachment, I'd give it a try. (Note: I picked this up on sale for $30. Not sure if I'd pay the $70-100 it's going for online.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't want to spend the money for a power tool, there's always &lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B000EM2SSG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;manual grass shears&lt;/a&gt; for around $15, but I don't know how much faster they'd be than regular scissors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-02-18T11:25:04.107" LastActivityDate="2019-02-18T11:25:04.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="286" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="315" CreationDate="2011-06-09T18:53:19.827" Score="39" ViewCount="72784" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard that I should be piling dirt onto my potato plants as they grow so that I end up with little mounds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My potato plants have started to poke through the surface.  Should I totally cover them?  By how much?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the purpose of this, anyway?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="66" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-14T17:58:49.653" LastActivityDate="2019-07-16T21:30:13.650" Title="When should I pile more dirt onto a growing potato plant?" Tags="&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="286" CreationDate="2011-06-09T19:00:17.243" Score="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;Growing potatoes in mounds is a great way to grow them because it saves you from having to dig into the soil to pull up your potatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potatoes never grow any lower than where you planted your original seed potato, but you can grow them as high as the growing season will allow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are methods for growing potatoes up columns of tires which you might want to investigate.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Someone else will have to answer definitively how high to mound them, you should be able to cover most of the plant without hurting it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-01-17T14:48:45.703" LastActivityDate="2012-01-17T14:48:45.703" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="288" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-09T19:15:55.613" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basil is a culinary herb (species &lt;em&gt;Ocium basilicum&lt;/em&gt;) from the mint family commonly used in pesto and many other culinary dishes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basil grows well in hot, dry conditions and dies at the slightest hint of frost. It can also be grown indoors as long as there is adequate sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/basil&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;basil&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;basil&lt;/a&gt; tag along with &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/herbs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;herbs&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;herbs&lt;/a&gt;. In addition, if the question is on:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the health of the basil plant, use &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/plant-health&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;plant-health&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;plant-health&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;diseases, use &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/diseases&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;diseases&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;diseases&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;identifying the cause of particular symptoms (such as wilting, yellowing, etc.), use &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/diagnosis&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;diagnosis&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;diagnosis&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;identifying insects, bugs etc., attacking the plant, use &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/bugs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;bugs&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;bugs&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/insects&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;insects&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;insects&lt;/a&gt; along with &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/identification&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;identification&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;identification&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bolting (flowering), use &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/bolting&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;bolting&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;bolting&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't forget to read existing questions to see if your question has already been answered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j98BUm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;Source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Basil3800ppx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikimedia commons&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T20:19:57.877" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T20:19:57.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="289" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-09T19:15:55.613" Score="0" Body="Basil is a culinary herb (Ocimum basilicum) from the mint family. Use this tag for all varieties of basil (sweet basil, holy basil, etc.)" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-22T16:01:48.740" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T16:01:48.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="290" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-09T19:57:20.120" Score="16" ViewCount="398" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00062ZNXQ&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;one of these&lt;/a&gt; snazzy paper pot makers and made a ton of pots to grow all sorts of stuff. It's pretty cool because, unlike a bedpost, you can press the newspaper you use to make the pot into a little form and it stays that way, just like a real pot. I put a little bit of masking tape on them just to keep it together until I filled them with dirt.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should you do with the pot when you plant it to make sure the seedling had the optimum chance of growing and the roots take... root in the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T02:15:58.867" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T02:15:58.867" Title="What should I do to a homemade paper pot before planting it?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="291" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="290" CreationDate="2011-06-09T20:26:43.080" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it is just a paper pot, I would suggest that you plant it along with the paper. Paper disintegrates very easily and within a couple of watering cycles, most of it will have become mushy and the roots won't have any trouble in growing right through it. Also, by not disturbing the contents, it is less of a &quot;shock&quot; for the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T20:26:43.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="292" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="311" CreationDate="2011-06-09T20:42:38.467" Score="15" ViewCount="3120" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently acquired a Montmorency Cherry tree that is a couple of years old.  I want to make sure it grows in a healthy, maintainable way, but my only experience of pruning fruit trees is with apples.   Should I treat this tree the same way as an apple, and prune at the same time, or should I approach this differently?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T04:00:57.663" Title="How and When to prune a Montmorency Cherry Tree?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="76" CreationDate="2011-06-09T21:07:55.523" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have found that a soap solution works really well - and it is safe! If used promptly, it is also effective in ridding broad beans of blackfly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T21:07:55.523" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="294" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="280" CreationDate="2011-06-09T22:27:51.553" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You sparked my curiosity, so I looked it up.  Here's what the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;wikipedia article on opuntia&lt;/a&gt; says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Opuntia hybridizes readily between species. This can make classification difficult.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It cites the following abstract as research on the topic:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amjbot.org/content/91/11/1915.full&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;The origins of an important cactus crop, Opuntia ficus-indica (Cactaceae): new molecular evidence&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T22:27:51.553" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="295" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="335" CreationDate="2011-06-09T22:39:03.227" Score="45" ViewCount="1956" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every guide to growing vegetables will have an early section on rotating roots, brassicas and legumes. There might even be a little diagram with neat evenly spaced and sized areas marked out for each group.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It always sounds so simple in theory. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the guides are frustratingly silent on practical questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What if you don't tend to grow the three groups in even quantities (say you grow very few brassicas)?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What if your vegetable plot isn't uniform in its distribution of warmth, light and soil quality? For example I always want to start off early salads, radishes and carrots up the warm end of my little rectangle in Feb/Mar. But that's crop rotation immediately messed up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Where do salads fit in?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-01T13:26:24.167" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T16:13:27.270" Title="Crop rotation theory v. practice" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;crop-rotation&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;&lt;legumes&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7" CreationDate="2011-06-09T22:53:27.483" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think anyone with loose sand or hard clay soil could probably benefit from triple digging.  I've never personally gone to this extent though.  However, my native soil is compact clay and I've found that the soil I've spent more time working additional organic material into tend to produce happier plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T22:53:27.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="69" CreationDate="2011-06-09T23:19:13.753" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.giant-sequoia.com/faqs/giant-sequoia-landscape-questions/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Giant Sequoia Landscape Questions&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Sequoias require moist, rich, balanced ph, and well-drained soil. Permanently swampy or muddy soil will not work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on this, you should make sure your soil is neither sandy nor hard clay... you'll want a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loam&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;loam&lt;/a&gt; type of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-25T06:33:56.350" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T06:33:56.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="295" CreationDate="2011-06-09T23:20:58.913" Score="27" Body="&lt;p&gt;(thinks back to my UK high school &quot;Agricultural Revolution&quot; classes) One of the many advancements in agriculture was the change from a three course rotation (crop,crop,fallow) to a &quot;Norfolk Four Course&quot; (three crops, and a legume). The idea of the legume is that it is a nitrogen fixer - basically growing the legume crop also adds nitrogen to the soil. Free fertilizer! So choose a legume that suits your growing conditions and what you would like to eat. I've only really tried it with black beans - but they're something I could eat as much as I could grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I think it can be a lot more flexible than what you are thinking. It doesn't have to be a strict rotation, but alternate your crops so that each plot grows legumes at some point every 3-4 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other reason I can think of, where rotation could be useful is to try and keep pest levels down. E.g. diseases could theoretically build up in the soil if you plant the same crop every year. A little bit might not be a problem one year, but the next year the pest might thrive as it has its ideal food in the same spot. Rotating the crops helps to confuse them. Also growing crops together in alternate rows can help (eg. the English trick of growing onions and carrots together: the onion scent confuses the carrot fly).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T23:20:58.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="295" CreationDate="2011-06-09T23:40:00.453" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another reason for crop rotation, I believe, is that nutritional needs and intake vary slightly from one vegetable group to another; therefore, growing the same group on the same plot year after year may deplete the soil of a particular nutrient and lead to unhealthy crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-09T23:40:00.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="300" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="328" CreationDate="2011-06-09T23:58:01.443" Score="20" ViewCount="9606" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my neighbors complained that another neighbor killed a tree in front of her home by dumping paint in the soil. (Never mind that his trees are fine and there seems no way the paint could be transported from in front of his house to the soil under her tree. She's one of &lt;em&gt;those&lt;/em&gt; neighbors.)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At any rate, I've &quot;dumped&quot; leftover paint (from cleaning water-based paint off of brushes and such) near trees from time to time and this got me wondering what sort of damage I might be doing to my trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; I know it's probably a bad idea, but will it kill my trees over time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; Normally I send the runoff down the drain. My solvents and oil-based waste go directly to the recycling center.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-29T14:54:22.963" LastActivityDate="2020-11-20T00:17:17.480" Title="Will dumping paint destroy a nearby tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="301" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="231" CreationDate="2011-06-10T00:08:37.033" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;A further way of making sure it is ripe is by pulling back part of the sheath and squeezing a grain or two between fingernail and thumbnail; if the liquid that squirts out is watery, the cob is unripe; if it is light and creamy, the cob is ready. If the liquid is thick, you have waited too long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T00:08:37.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="302" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="494" CreationDate="2011-06-10T00:09:17.750" Score="17" ViewCount="248" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in need of a good strategy to extract the earliest-possible batch of seeds from an upcoming batch of white pumpkins (I may have a few available within a month). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My main uncertainty is at what size a pumpkin needs to be before extracting seeds of any sort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Beyond that, my plan is to do the following&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Extract seeds from pumpkin&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dry seeds for 1 day (2 of it is humid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place seeds in freezer for 2 to 3 days&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thaw seeds, begin germination process in a 85f, enclosed, lit greenhouse container&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is there anything noteworthy that I can do to encourage my pumpkins to provide viable seeds sooner than later?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="49" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-14T16:10:30.517" LastActivityDate="2011-07-15T13:26:53.530" Title="What is a good method for  extracting the earliest-viable seeds from young pumpkins?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="300" CreationDate="2011-06-10T01:02:40.600" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trees might survive it, but unless you are sure what is in the paint (solvent, pigment, fixative, etc) then dumping paint on top soil is generally a bad thing to do. Even relatively simple solvents which you think would break down or evaporate in a matter of days/weeks/months, can contaminate the water table for years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T01:02:40.600" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="305" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-10T01:17:02.597" Score="12" ViewCount="3521" Body="&lt;p&gt;A previous owner left me with a garden full of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houttuynia_cordata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Houttuynia cordata&lt;/a&gt; (also called hearleaf/lizard tail/chameleon plant), an invasive weed that I've been trying to eradicate.  I can't believe it is sold in garden stores; it's far too aggressive.  It sends these little whitish lateral shoots about 12 inches deep in all directions and thereby spreads under fences and into all the other flowers in the bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I get rid of it completely?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Houttuynia_cordata_Chameleon.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IEng0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Source: Wikimedia commons&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="63" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-05T04:39:01.590" LastActivityDate="2011-09-05T04:39:01.590" Title="How do I get rid of houttuynia (heartleaf/lizard tail)?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="306" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-10T01:57:24.377" Score="28" ViewCount="868" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have read that you can get a tumbler type of composter and collect the &quot;juices&quot; from the composter. This is referred to as &quot;compost tea&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what the real usage of this is? Some perusal of the Internet would suggest that holds some sort of magical qualities. How is it different from other organic fertilizers? Has anyone noticed significant differences when using it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="55" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-15T11:15:29.913" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T15:46:54.090" Title="What is &quot;Compost Tea&quot; good for?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;compost-tea&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="307" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="195" CreationDate="2011-06-10T02:01:28.290" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard of phosphorous deficiency or cooler temperatures, and cooler temperatures causing the phosphorous deficiency. It happens to my seedlings every year, and shortly after planting them in the ground it goes away, never has been a problem for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="112" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-10-07T07:37:33.520" LastActivityDate="2011-10-07T07:37:33.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="308" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="195" CreationDate="2011-06-10T02:03:35.043" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;My first guess would be that you maybe overwatering. There are some insect/fungus reasons that they may be like this, but purplish leaves may be as simple as it still too cold and you need to back up on the watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="55" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T02:03:35.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="309" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="103" CreationDate="2011-06-10T02:07:54.667" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Zinc should not be a problem it may raise zinc levels by a minimal to negligible amount. Some galvanized containers may contain cadmium, although not so much a risk in plant uptake, but you will want to make sure you wash your hands and crops well before consuming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="112" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T02:07:54.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="310" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="148" CreationDate="2011-06-10T03:42:38.823" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to the answers above, my local gardening center had the following suggestions which are really simple solutions&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gophers aren't fond of strong smells. So dumping some coffee grounds in their tunnels should drive them away. Also, the dryer sheets (fabric softeners, I think) which are strongly scented should do the trick.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This is useful for people with indoor cats as pets. The suggestion is to put &lt;em&gt;used&lt;/em&gt; cat litter in their tunnels and fresh mounds. Gophers, being rodents are natural prey for cats and the scent of a cat in the litter is enough to scare them away. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both of these should serve as good alternatives to using traps/poison, but as Randy points out, traps are pretty cheap (I had just assumed they might not be)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T03:42:38.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="292" CreationDate="2011-06-10T04:00:57.663" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, a disclaimer: I haven't pruned a cherry tree (yet); this year will be the first :) But I did do some research when I bought them and here are the important things to keep in mind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep strong, firm lateral branches that stick out from the central trunk and prune the smaller ones. Cherry trees need sunlight and good air circulation around them and so some pruning techniques like &quot;pyramid&quot; etc which work on apples are not really useful here.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The natural tendency for the lateral branches is to grow vertically and hence they need to be &quot;forced&quot; to grow outwards by weighing them down.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prune cherries in late winter for the best growth in spring/summer. Pruning them too early might result in infections. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Summer prune them &lt;em&gt;only&lt;/em&gt; if you want to control their growth.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, you might want to look up and see if there are additional requirements for your cherry tree type. Mine is a hybrid low chill requirement cherry tree (because where I am, there isn't really a winter season), that still needs to be pruned with the &quot;seasons&quot;. Also, because I'm constrained for space, I'll be pruning them in summer to check their growth. In any pruning, this is important to bear in mind: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Winter pruning -&gt; Encourages growth &amp;amp; fruit bearing in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Summer pruning -&gt; Discrourages growth for the rest of the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T04:00:57.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="295" CreationDate="2011-06-10T06:16:10.070" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/295/crop-rotation-theory-v-practice/298#298&quot; title=&quot;winwaed&quot;&gt;winwaed&lt;/a&gt; that it doesn't have to be a strict rotation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other thing you could consider is the various &quot;Green manure&quot; crops. If you are having trouble working out what comes next on a bed, or don't really want legumes - then green manure is normally cheap (at least in bulk), improves the soil and will help keep weeds down in an otherwise quiet time on your plots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also use Green Manure as part of the rotation (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_manure&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;green manure&quot;&lt;/a&gt; is a term used for crops that grow well, can crowd out weeds and decompose easily). This appears to be a contentious subject though. Using as suggested here is fine... but you might be better growing something &quot;real&quot; - even if only to give the produce away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="125" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T09:47:18.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="313" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-10T06:24:35.683" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Weed control is a varied topic as the definition of a weed is dependent upon the gardener. A weed is merely a plant, normally prolific, that you don't want where it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tag covers questions about keeping weeds in check.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="125" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-23T16:50:07.683" LastActivityDate="2011-08-23T16:50:07.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="314" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-10T06:24:35.683" Score="0" Body="For questions about controlling weed growth with minimal effort." OwnerUserId="125" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-08T23:07:52.303" LastActivityDate="2012-03-08T23:07:52.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="315" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="286" CreationDate="2011-06-10T08:36:23.373" Score="36" Body="&lt;p&gt;The whole point of 'earthing up' potatoes is to promote as much growth of potatoes along the stem while also protecting the potatoes from being exposed to light.  If the growing potatoes are exposed to sunlight, they will produce the toxin solanine and become inedible.  You know that spuds have been exposed to light because they also turn green due to the production of chlorophyll.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I start earthing up my potatoes when the leafy bits are just under 12 inches tall, making sure I leave some of the leaves exposed to the sun so they can carry on photosynthesizing - so not completely covered. I then do it once again a week or two later (depending on how fast they're growing) essentially until I run out of soil.  The potato mounds in my garden are about a foot high or so. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another way to ensure your young potatoes aren't exposed to light is to use black plastic to cover the soil, although this method requires you actively water your plants as the rain can't get through.  A benefit of using plastic is that you have to do very little digging to get to your potatoes.  This year I used a combination of earthing up and putting a thin layer of newspaper and grass clippings over the soil.  We'll see how that goes...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastEditorUserId="133" LastEditDate="2011-06-11T12:47:32.463" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T12:47:32.463" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="147" CreationDate="2011-06-10T09:17:49.390" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many reasons plants might not successfully reproduce in a season, and there's really no way of preventing seeds from prematurely aborting unless you find out exactly why it happened, and even then it could still be out of your control (i.e. if it's down to the tree's ability to breed successfully).  Has it produced viable-looking seed in the past?    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T09:17:49.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="317" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="521" CreationDate="2011-06-10T10:14:43.010" Score="12" ViewCount="2216" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to create (using grafting) a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syringa&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)&lt;/a&gt; which has different colors? One branch with white flowers, the other with lilac? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="75" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-05T23:34:12.217" LastActivityDate="2011-09-05T23:34:12.217" Title="Is it possible to create lilacs with different colored flowers on different branches?" Tags="&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;lilac&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="318" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="356" CreationDate="2011-06-10T12:51:30.280" Score="17" ViewCount="305" Body="&lt;p&gt;I put squash seeds in with my compost at the end of last year, and apparently it didn't get heated up enough to kill everything. I now have Delicata plants with dinner-plate sized leaves growing out of it.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the plants has nice, healthy, 4 and 6 inch squash hanging off of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another of the plants has produced a 10-foot runner with a little squash every foot or so, but every one of those squash has shriveled up after the flower closed up. I had always thought they only did that when they didn't get pollinated, so I went as far as going out there with a small paintbrush and transferring pollen from the male flowers to the female flowers, and the squash still did that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could it still be a pollination issue, or would a nutrient imbalance cause the squash to shrivel up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-06-10T16:14:02.317" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T02:14:21.993" Title="Why are my squash shrivelling?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="319" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="323" CreationDate="2011-06-10T12:58:59.860" Score="45" ViewCount="7391" Body="&lt;p&gt;I went to stir my compost pile the other day, and to my surprise, when I dug into the center of the pile, I found that it was hot. As in, &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; hot. Once I removed the top layer steam was literally rising off of it. I didn't have a thermometer handy, but I'm estimating that the temperature was at least 50 C (120 F) based on how hot it was to the touch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this normal? Is it good/bad? How much hotter could my compost heap get?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Note: I have a &lt;em&gt;big&lt;/em&gt; compost heap, due to having a big yard that creates a lot of yard waste.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20" LastActivityDate="2012-05-09T14:11:34.517" Title="How hot can my compost get?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="320" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1697" CreationDate="2011-06-10T13:13:58.250" Score="19" ViewCount="2893" Body="&lt;p&gt;As the title would suggest, I may or may not have given my kids e. coli by steeping a bag of what I thought was mushroom compost in a 35 gallon drum and watering my garden with it. (I know it was mushroom compost, I don't know how much manure was in it)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't believe I ever watered directly on the lettuce or kale leaves, but that's more than likely where they got it from.  I wouldn't water directly on the leaves regardless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I did was take a burlap rice bag, filled it full of mushroom compost and steeped it (or rather just left it) attached to the lid of the drum and used that water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next year I tried making vegetarian compost tea using thistles, nobody got sick but that somehow left my drum even dirtier than using manure and would clog up the faucet on the drum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I'm just wondering what the proper setup is for manure tea (aka compost tea), should it be done in the shade? how fast should you use it? do you need to clean the barrel after using it?  What is a good store-brand manure to use?  How can you be absolutely sure the manure is fermented before using it?   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-19T02:53:31.653" LastActivityDate="2012-07-06T11:30:34.187" Title="How is manure tea made without E. coli?" Tags="&lt;compost-tea&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="321" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="306" CreationDate="2011-06-10T13:26:09.673" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't used it myself so I can't speak as to it's effectiveness, however I did find &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/recycle/tea/tea1.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;By using compost tea to replace&#xA;  chemical-based fertilizers,&#xA;  pesticides, and fungicides, you can&#xA;  garden safer and be more protective of&#xA;  the environment. Compost tea:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Increases plant growth&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  Provides nutrients to plants and soil&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  Provides beneficial organisms&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  Helps to supress diseases&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  Replaces toxic garden chemicals&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Evidently you spray it on?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Hope that helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T13:26:09.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="322" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-10T13:38:03.993" Score="12" ViewCount="867" Body="&lt;p&gt;My apricot tree is secreting what seems to me as copious amounts of sap. Is this a normal amount of sap after pruning about a year ago, or is my tree sick?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aJBSR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="126" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-10T14:15:44.813" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T17:19:49.977" Title="Is this a normal amount of sap from an apricot tree after pruning?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;apricots&gt;&lt;sap&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="323" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="319" CreationDate="2011-06-10T13:39:43.563" Score="32" Body="&lt;p&gt;In sum of the below; you will want to hang around 140 - 160° F; that way you will be above the minimum range of thermophobic parasites and below the temperature that affects thermophilic bacteria (who are doing all the work). How hot it can get depends on your set up and climate and other variables, but managing it is a pretty active and important aspect of the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/fundamentals/needs_temperature.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;From some information from Washington State University-&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not sure if you are &lt;em&gt;worried&lt;/em&gt; about the temperature, however in terms of safety bear in mind the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Eggs of parasites, cysts and flies have survived in compost stacks for days when the temperature in the interior of the stack is around 135° F. Since a higher temperature can be readily maintained during a large part of the active composting period, all the material should be subjected to a temperature of at least 150° F for safety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of the temperature dynamics of the compost:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Experience shows that turning to release the heat of compost piles, which have become so hot (170°-180° F.) that bacterial activity is inhibited, is not very effective. When the material is actively decomposing, the temperature, which falls slightly during turning, will return to the previous level in two or three hours. Also, it is impossible to bring about any significant drop in temperature by watering the material without water logging the mass... Variations in moisture content between 30% and 75% have little effect on the maximum temperature in the interior of the pile. The initial temperature rises a little more rapidly when the moisture content is 30% to 50% than when it is 70%... Deeper piles caused higher temperatures and better temperature distribution, and subject more material to a high temperature at any one time. Hence, &lt;a href=&quot;http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/fundamentals/needs_carbon_nitrogen.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;the actual mass of the material evolving heat is important in providing adequately high temperatures*&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[*See the link for an explanation for C:N Ratio (Carbon:Nitrogen) and it's impact on temperature]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T00:00:02.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="324" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="146" CreationDate="2011-06-10T14:13:53.317" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/outdoor/how-to-get-rid-of-thistle/&quot;&gt;This link&lt;/a&gt; covers various ways to attack thistle infestations.  I do believe your approach is probably the best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would continue to control the spread of the plants on the other side of the fence and try to pull them out as long it does not create unbearable labour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can also offer a few suggestions for thistle:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If possible, loosen the ground around the base without breaking the roots before you pull it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The best place to grab the weed is just below ground level when you pull them up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I do not like chemicals and would consider them a last resort.  Do everything necessary to get the ENTIRE root!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Prevent the spread of seeds, get the root&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="62" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-08-12T16:30:24.257" LastActivityDate="2011-08-12T16:30:24.257" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="325" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="327" CreationDate="2011-06-10T14:30:42.633" Score="23" ViewCount="527" Body="&lt;p&gt;I understand that compost heaps have an ideal temperature for the bacteria to decompose the material into compost. Living in the changeable Great Britain, the weather can be windy, rainy, sunny and dry within a single day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given this changeability, should I be trying to insulate the heap against changes in temperature and humidity? It's currently a wood construction with gaps for ventilation. What materials could I use to insulate it without suffocating the heap?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2013-02-18T21:17:48.390" LastActivityDate="2013-02-18T21:17:48.390" Title="Should I insulate my compost heap?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="326" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="146" CreationDate="2011-06-10T14:42:35.000" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got the same problem, where there are fields of dandelions just beyond the borders of my gardens. I've also had the same problem, where chemicals would kill the weed off, but couldn't prevent it from returning. Plus, with keeping pets, I don't like to put down biocides where they might ingest them (stupid cats and their grass-eating).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead, I get better results pulling the weeds from my lawn physically. I use &lt;a href=&quot;http://eng-uk.fiskars.com/Misc/Love-Your-Lawn-with-the-Fiskars-Weed-Puller&quot;&gt;this weed pulling tool&lt;/a&gt; to improve my chances of getting the root instead of just the leaves. I don't have any affiliation with the company - I'm just happy to find a tool that has made getting rid of weeds less of a chore (and actually kinda fun now). You won't get the root every time, but I've pulled out some monster weeds with it (12&quot; long roots). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've got regular problems with weeds in your lawn, it's probably a good idea to invest in a similar tool, just to make the job easier. If it's anything like my garden, you'll have to do it regularly to keep on top of the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17" LastEditorUserId="17" LastEditDate="2011-06-10T14:57:13.557" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T14:57:13.557" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="327" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="325" CreationDate="2011-06-10T14:47:14.390" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;Insulating may not be necessary. You can be proactive and increase the output of your compost pile if you (a) take note of what you are composting and refer to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/fundamentals/needs_carbon_nitrogen.htm&quot;&gt;C:N Ratio (Carbon:Nitrogen)&lt;/a&gt; (b) address lower temperatures by adding things like leaves, sawdust, or ash and other nitrogen-heavy components. That should take care of both heating up your pile and increasing its yield.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastEditorUserId="40" LastEditDate="2012-10-23T12:49:18.817" LastActivityDate="2012-10-23T12:49:18.817" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="328" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="300" CreationDate="2011-06-10T14:52:01.190" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd say it depends on how much paint and what type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water-based paint such as latex shouldn't hurt anything if it's sufficiently diluted and in small quantities. I've repainted every room in my house since moving in last year, and I washed out all my brushes, paint trays, etc. in the same spot in my backyard. The grass there hasn't shown any ill effects, and the tree that's about 15' away is completely healthy and unaffected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you're dumping a half-gallon or so of left-over paint, I'd advise against it. Why not keep the paint in case you have to touch-up your project in the future? Even if you're moving, I'm sure the next owners of your house would appreciate having the matching paint for any touch-ups they may need to make.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T14:52:01.190" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="329" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="295" CreationDate="2011-06-10T15:15:50.457" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some crops actually prefer to be planted in the same place every year. (i.e. Nightshade family [tomatoes, potatoes etc..]).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Three rotations is a bit much for me, and probably most other Wisconsin gardeners.  I can usually do radishes and then zucchini; spinach and then kale (not a good rotation, but a practical one); peas and then cucumbers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But companion planting seems much more suitable, fun, functional, verdant and beautiful. You can get the full benefit of crop rotation, without the wait and uncertainty. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No garden is uniform (except my grandpa's, who grew his on an old dump full of leaves, slag and manufacturers glass) and there's something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://soils.usda.gov/education/facts/formation.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;20,000 different types of soil&lt;/a&gt; which would mean that it might not even be efficient or wise to rotate your crops if they do better in different parts of your garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-23T16:13:27.270" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T16:13:27.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="325" CreationDate="2011-06-10T15:19:21.593" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;My parents are in the Leeds area and they don't insulate. They've used different constructions but these have included wood slats like you describe. I think they now have solid wood sides but with a design allowing easy turning over. In the past they've used large-hole wire mesh - but that can be difficult to manage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, as mfg says: C:N mix is important. But so is size. All of my parents heaps have been large and get quite warm on their own.&#xA;(contrast to our smaller barrel here in Texas, but that receives a lot of solar heat to get things cooking)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T15:19:21.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="331" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="336" CreationDate="2011-06-10T15:30:49.593" Score="31" ViewCount="1959" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been growing my tomatoes up a 6ft trellis of nylon netting for the last couple of years, with good results.  But they tend to grow out of control, eventually toppling over the trellis and breaking their branches, and parts of the branches will die out.  I've never really bothered with pruning them unless a vine looks diseased or like it's dying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read that I really ought to be pruning the tomatoes to the &quot;main vine&quot;, which will result in higher fruit yields.  But I'm not sure how to tell which vine is the &quot;main&quot; vine (or if it really matters), and which vines are just branches.  After a week, both vines look rather strong.  And when both vines have flowers, I'm anxious about cutting away potential produce!  Will pruning it really result in higher yields?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What rules of thumb do you use for pruning your trellised tomato vines?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="144" LastEditorUserId="450" LastEditDate="2011-07-10T18:11:35.187" LastActivityDate="2013-08-03T14:51:15.760" Title="How should I prune my vine tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="332" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3090" CreationDate="2011-06-10T15:55:20.173" Score="10" ViewCount="223" Body="&lt;p&gt;I transplanted a 10 or so gourds seedlings growing around my garden (which somehow survived my compost [mainly because I composted them intact and smashed them with a brick later])  around a teepee that I want them to grow up so my kids can play inside (Idea from  &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0761110569&quot;&gt;Roots Shoots Buckets and Boots&lt;/a&gt;, although it doesn't say anything about transplanting).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got a feeling some of them are going to betray me and start growing where I would prefer they not grow, when do you know that they're going to send their first shoots out in the right direction? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you apply the same principle to cukes (a similarly seditious vegetable)? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-19T02:54:28.050" LastActivityDate="2012-02-19T02:54:28.050" Title="How do I tell which direction a gourd is going to grow?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="333" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="334" CreationDate="2011-06-10T15:57:27.207" Score="17" ViewCount="347" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had the biggest problems with Asian &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_marmorated_stink_bug&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stink Bugs&lt;/a&gt; (an invasive species that is terrorizing the Midatlantic USA region) and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus_beetle&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Asparagus Beetles&lt;/a&gt;.  Oddly enough the asparagus beetles (right pic) are mostly found on my radishes, turnips and brassica, and only occasionally on my (young) asparagus.  The stink bugs (left pic) are the worst, since the birds won't even eat them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Brown_marmorated_stink_bug_adult.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t5eYzm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Crioceris_asparagi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j1T3Ym.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;Source: Wikimedia commons&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been hand picking and squishing them all, and I've occasionally used neem.  But I'd prefer to scare them away or confuse them with some flowers or herbs so fewer of them will show up in the first place.  Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="144" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-12T14:27:06.217" LastActivityDate="2018-05-27T17:09:23.780" Title="What are some good companion veggies/flowers/herbs to scare off beetles?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;companion-planting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="334" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="333" CreationDate="2011-06-10T16:16:18.680" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basil, Calendula, Nasturtium, Parsley, Petunia, Tansy, Tomato, and marigolds are all good at preventing bugs and especially the asparagus beetle.  Companion planting of flowers and herbs with your veggies will make a big difference! Good luck! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="157" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T16:16:18.680" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="335" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="295" CreationDate="2011-06-10T16:20:09.987" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been trending towards lots of heavily interspersed companion gardening (e.g. rather than 10ft of onions and 10 ft of carrots, I'll have 1ft of onions, and 1ft of carrots, ten times).  And I like to completely change up my garden layout from one year to the next.  So the chance of any particular crop being grown in the same place two years in a row is slim, even if I don't put any mental energy into planning the rotation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Likewise, I try to make sure that new compost gets laid down at least once a year.  And definitely think about fall/winter cover crops that might nourish the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I take the roots/brassica/legume as one guideline among many.  Another guideline I've read is squash =&gt; nightshades =&gt; grains (corn) =&gt; beans.  Or nightshades/potatoes =&gt; brassica =&gt; carrots =&gt; alliums.  Or three years of anything and then legumes.  These are good guidelines, but as a home gardener don't stress yourself out over them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since salads tend to be spring/fall crops, I'll either rotate them with turnips/radishes, or I'll rotate which parts of the garden are used for spring or summer crops.  I have one area of my garden that gets great light in the early spring, but only about 5-6hrs of direct sun during the late spring through fall.  So I tend to rotate quick spring veggies (e.g. lettuce), root veggies, alliums, and herbs through there, because that's what will grow there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The point is that there are different crop rotation recommendations, but you can relax them a bit if you put down fresh compost every fall and spring, keep things moving around so the soil doesn't get too stressed, and make sure those nitrogen fixers get a chance at every spot in your garden every so often.  It's all about the health of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="144" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T16:20:09.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="331" CreationDate="2011-06-10T16:21:28.467" Score="28" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check out this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eak7yj0tEvM&quot;&gt;video&lt;/a&gt;. I use these techniques with my tomato plants with good results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Summary:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leave two leaders (main stems).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prune all other suckers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Start when suckers 3&quot; length.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prune every week to 10 days.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't prune determinate types (&quot;bush&quot; tomatoes).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't prune when wet to avoid spreading disease.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;30 days before frost, prune tips of leaders to force energy into fruiting.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The video shows techniques used at Johnny's Selected Seeds farm in Maine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="102" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-22T20:52:37.280" LastActivityDate="2011-06-22T20:52:37.280" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="333" CreationDate="2011-06-10T16:22:08.883" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Marigolds are the standard repellent for both of these insects.  I plant marigolds all over my garden, particularly around my tomatoes and asparagus.  You can also try catnip or mint, although you need to be careful because mint has a pretty aggressive root system and can take over anything you plant it in.  I put mint in a medium sized pot near my raised beds so I can contain it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good resource for learning about companion planting is this website:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.companionplanting.net/&quot;&gt;http://www.companionplanting.net/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T16:22:08.883" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="338" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="450" CreationDate="2011-06-10T16:27:52.850" Score="9" ViewCount="5213" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an olive tree that was a mail order gift about four years ago. Unusually for mail-order florist &quot;living plant&quot; deliveries, this one has survived more than a few months! It came with two olives on it to prove that it was an olive tree, but I haven't seen any signs of flowers or olives since!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: North Texas. We do get winter frosts, so it is in a pot which comes in for winter. The rest of the year it is on the deck and gets a lot of sun from mid-morning to early evening. It is also quite thirsty. Thirst is partly due to the summer heat, but when it dries out it does drop its leaves. This has only happened a couple of times and the leaves come back again, but I wouldn't be surprised if this prohibits flower buds for the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When it comes in for winter, it will get some morning sun, but not a huge amount. The house windows are not very good for plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It gets a liquid fertilizer perhaps once a year. I gave it some about a month ago, whilst doing the young pepper plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what can I do to encourage flower growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T14:37:38.773" Title="How I can persuade an olive tree to flower?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;olive&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="339" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="353" CreationDate="2011-06-10T16:36:03.227" Score="21" ViewCount="202" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never bought seedlings out of seed catalogs, but am sometimes tempted to (especially by the flashy free $20, no obligation seed catalogs).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm just wondering what the considerations are when ordering seedlings by mail.  I worked in a postal distribution center once and I don't think we would have taken too special precaution not to disturb the roots of any box (although we tried to be very careful when someone sends baby chicks).  Not to mention the unnatural darkness of the mail truck and the time it takes to get from place to place, the possible pressure changes caused by driving through mountains or air mail, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, are mail order plants OK or should any be specifically avoided?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-23T00:13:58.630" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T00:13:58.630" Title="How healthy are seedlings sent by mail?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="340" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="72" CreationDate="2011-06-10T16:43:48.020" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did a similar thing with tiger lilies that were taking over my garden, although this is more accidental an anecdotal than it is scientific. I was digging up the tiger lilies and I threw them all into a black trash bag.  I kept the trash bag in my tool shed, where it would certainly get very cold in the winter, and the next year I discovered them, so I replanted them in some corners of my yard.  Most of them took the next year and are flowering this year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, I'd imagine you could apply a thick mulch (i.e. full unopened bags of leaves) to your dahlias, then divide them in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T16:43:48.020" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="157" CreationDate="2011-06-10T17:39:58.357" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, you probably accepted that they're toast this year so don't bother with chemical treatments.  Just pick bad looking ones out and let the runners grow for next year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fruits should probably not be on the bare earth regardless of the condition of the plant.  Maybe you need some mulch, that would kill two (or three) birds with one stone: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the ground would retain moisture (the roots are really shallow for strawberries); &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;weeds would be contained; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the fruits would not touch the ground.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T17:39:58.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="342" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="339" CreationDate="2011-06-10T18:06:27.743" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had both success and failure at ordering seedlings. The best advice I can give is to look up reviews online for the catalog you're buying from. If they're mostly positive reviews I'd try it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also go for a quicker shipping time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="74" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T18:06:27.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="343" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="339" CreationDate="2011-06-10T19:22:00.210" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Experienced companies will take care to pack the roots very well. Do plan on higher mortality than you would when buying from a nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might check state laws, which control interstate agriculture. California, where I live, is pretty strict, as far as I can tell. For example sometimes live plants can't be shipped into particular states, but seeds can. I have had very good luck with tree seedlings, such that I now have many ~6' cypress trees, where I had only expected a couple to survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="101" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T19:22:00.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="344" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="351" CreationDate="2011-06-10T19:31:11.153" Score="16" ViewCount="1981" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was adding miracle-gro seed starting soil to paper pots with my daughter a few months ago and was a little leery about letting her touch the stuff (let alone breathe it in).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's in it that is dangerous? Do you need rubber gloves or just gardening gloves? Should children be kept away from it?  Are there natural alternatives? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T22:38:05.497" Title="What is in seed starting soil that justifies wearing gloves while handling?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="345" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="344" CreationDate="2011-06-10T19:40:18.307" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like it has some fertilizer mixed into it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Fertilizer Analysis&#xA;&#xA;.05 - .01 - .05&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp?proId=prod70340&amp;amp;itemId=cat50154&amp;amp;tabs=usage&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; (I have no idea what this actually means). However being a miracle grow product I assume its typical miracle grow fertilizer that we use in our gardens. Wouldn't hurt to request the MSDS on it just to know what the safety procedures should be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T19:40:18.307" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="346" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="352" CreationDate="2011-06-10T19:54:19.220" Score="18" ViewCount="3631" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally seed packets have some kind of expiry date on them. I've got &quot;sow by&quot; dates on my packets of Suttons seeds and &quot;best before&quot; on Unwins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it worth sowing seeds which have passed their expiry dates? And would the answer vary from plant to plant (e.g. can I be more relaxed about expiry dates for plants that are &quot;easy&quot; to grow, like salads and radishes)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if I persist with out-of-date seeds, will the results consist of:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;a) fewer successful germinations &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;or&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;b) weaker, less productive adult plants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;or both?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any evidence seed companies apply these expiry dates cynically, in order to generate extra sales of newer seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-01T13:35:26.287" LastActivityDate="2012-02-09T22:58:29.470" Title="Heeding &quot;use by&quot; dates on seed packets?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="347" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="350" CreationDate="2011-06-10T20:05:26.743" Score="18" ViewCount="46258" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.waldeneffect.org/blog/Using_urine_as_fertilizer_in_the_garden/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;tip to Pete Turner&quot;&gt;We know that urine&lt;/a&gt; can &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.green-talk.com/urine-does-a-plant-good/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;hattip to Tim from the comments&quot;&gt;do a plant good&lt;/a&gt;. Certain plants (like citrus trees) will absolutely do well if you add urine to their intake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But urine is very high in nitrogen and could potentially &amp;quot;burn&amp;quot; the plant. What are some common plants/trees that can flourish with urine as a fertilizer? Is there some way to tell which ones to avoid, lest they shrivel up and choke on the nitrogen?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="35518" LastEditDate="2021-05-03T11:37:44.420" LastActivityDate="2021-05-03T11:37:44.420" Title="Which plants/trees will benefit from using urine as a fertilizer?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="348" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="346" CreationDate="2011-06-10T20:12:10.300" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Less germinations would be my experience. Once the seedlings get a good start, then age of the seed is almost certainly irrelevant compared to growing conditions (nutrients, water, sun, etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it worth it? I would say yes as you don't lose anything. However, if you are short of space, you may want to use more productive seed instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few months ago I planted some old red yucca seed which I found in the shed. I don't have anything to compare against, but as we'd forgotten where they came from, they are &quot;old&quot;. Planted them on the off chance and some are coming up. So in a few years I'll have lots of yuccas and not know what to do with them!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T20:12:10.300" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="349" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="346" CreationDate="2011-06-10T20:15:36.917" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sprouting your seeds is a good way to tell whether they're going to germinate.  Here's how I did it this year:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get some 1 quart sandwich bags, your old seeds, a magic marker and paper towel.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fold a paper towel so it'll fit inside the quart bag. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Unfold the paper towel and draw four lines on it.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dampen the paper towel a little bit.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put 10 seeds in on the line you drew and fold the paper towel back over the seeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;put the paper towel in the quart bag (keep flat)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put the quart bag carefully on a hottish spot (like on top of your hot water heater)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the seeds sprout, you'll have a good notion of the ratio of sprouting vs non sprouting.  (this probably won't work for leeks and other things that take forever to germinate)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I read this somewhere, I'll post a source if I can remember)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the efficacy of the seeds, some say they're less disease resistant.  But that's all I can say about it.  It's probably like the difference in heavy metals when eating 2 month old talapia vs eating 26 year old walleye. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T20:15:36.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="350" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="347" CreationDate="2011-06-10T21:24:29.107" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Urine is very high in nitrogen. One can observe how plants handle the quantities humans would produce by observing the yards of people with large dogs. Plants usually get &quot;burned&quot; from the quantity of nitrogen deposited by the dogs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your compost heap has a lot of straw/cellulose, then it probably needs more nitrogen. &#xA;If you want to use your own stuff to fertilize plants, mix it about 50% with water in a bucket (or watering can) then apply it to plants. Fill the bucket/watering can indoors, and wash it out afterwards. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="47" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-17T22:03:29.823" LastActivityDate="2011-09-17T22:03:29.823" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="351" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="344" CreationDate="2011-06-10T22:38:05.497" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/msds/451666.pdf&quot;&gt;the MSDS&lt;/a&gt;. Notice that it says it does not require gloves, but does recommend eye protection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp;jsessionid=5784358FB610165FCA5F40F23894DE66?proId=prod70340&amp;amp;itemId=cat50154&amp;amp;tabs=general&quot;&gt;the label&lt;/a&gt; and I don't see where it calls for gloves -- though it's possible this product is slightly different from what you've got.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The product label tells you what's in it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This product is formulated from 80-90% horticultural-grade sphagnum&#xA;  peat, perlite, fertilizer and a wetting agent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since it is a fertilizer product, they are required by many (most?) jurisdictions to list the N-P-K content:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Seed Starting Potting Mix, 0.05-0.01-0.05&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Guaranteed Analysis&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Total nitrogen (N)  . . 0.05%&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;0.005% ammoniacal nitrogen&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;0.035% nitrate nitrogen&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;0.010% urea nitrogen&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Available phosphate (P2O5) . . 0.01%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Soluble potash (K2O) . . 0.05%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Derived from: urea, ammonium phosphate, and potassium nitrate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only mystery ingredient in there to me is the &quot;wetting agent&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The peat and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.perlite.net/apc/oremsds.pdf&quot;&gt;perlite&lt;/a&gt; are pretty harmless (just don't inhale). I'm no safety expert, but the fertilizer is at such a low concentration that it doesn't seem like it could do much harm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I mix my own potting / seed-starting soil with higher fertilizer content, sometimes with peat and/or perlite as ingredients, and I've never had any problems handling it with bare hands. The only reason I sometimes shy away from letting the kids dive in bare handed is because their hands often end up in their mouths, and that just doesn't seem like a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T22:38:05.497" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="346" CreationDate="2011-06-10T23:24:02.310" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1882424581&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;Seed to Seed&quot;&lt;/a&gt; by Suzanne Ashworth, p29:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Always realize that seed vigor can be lost during storage well before the seeds die completely. For example, if a seed sample germinates at only 20%, that doesn't mean those seeds which sprouted would have grown normally. That sample's seed vigor has diminished to the point that 80% of the seeds aren't even strong enough to sprout, and the remaining 20% will have so little strength that they probably will grow weakly and may not even reach maturity. Constantly keep in mind that your seeds are living entities and will only grow strongly during subsequent seasons if you do everything possible to see that they are stored in truly excellent conditions. Strong plants in the garden are partially a reflection of good seed storage techniques.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to the second part of your question, yes, you can get reduced germination rates and weaker adult plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But if the seeds have been stored well (in a cool place with stable temperature, away from light, and very dry) they may still be strong. If you have enough seed to spare for a test, it's worth doing a germination rate test as described in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/346/heeding-use-by-dates-on-seed-packets/349#349&quot;&gt;Peter Turner's answer&lt;/a&gt; so that you can get an idea of whether it's worth the effort and space in your garden. Some seed is so cheap (or you need so little) that it's better to toss the old seed and buy fresh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Re: does it vary from plant to plant? Yes, but it's not based on how &quot;easy&quot; the plants are to grow. See the longevity table &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07221.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;in this article&lt;/a&gt;. For example, onion seeds do not store well: germination drops off a lot after 1 year. But endive or cucumber can store for 5 years. And if you keep your seeds very dry and cool you can store them for even longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Re: &quot;apply these expiry dates cynically, in order to generate extra sales&quot;, I don't know of any evidence. But I'm guessing many casual gardeners aren't storing their seeds in ideal conditions, so the &quot;sow by&quot; date you see is probably legitimate. Good seed companies will mark the date and percentage of the last germination test on the packet. Use a chart like the one linked above to decide for yourself (or perform your own germination test) if the seeds are still good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2012-02-09T22:58:29.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="353" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="339" CreationDate="2011-06-10T23:30:46.487" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a few fruit trees, a grapevine, and eight blueberry bushes from Fedco Trees last spring, and all survived. I know people who have bought hundreds of bareroot Christmas trees through the mail, with good survival rates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, the plants are very young (so don't have huge root systems) and the roots are packed in wet shredded newspaper (which retains moisture well) and the whole thing is sealed in a plastic bag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can make a &quot;test purchase&quot; of just a couple of items to see how well they package the plants and what condition they arrive in. This will give you a good idea of whether you want to trust that company to package a larger order properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-10T23:30:46.487" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="354" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="320" CreationDate="2011-06-11T00:39:35.673" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rittenhouse.ca/hortmag/Bruce/ManureTea.asp&quot;&gt;This page&lt;/a&gt; provides a good summary of technique and the following warning:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;They also recommend that manures and manure teas not be applied to vegetables and fruit within 60 days of harvest and 120 days to harvest on root crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally wouldn't use store bought manure. I'd either get it from a source where I knew it was well composted, or do it myself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've done some more research on this (important!) question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Presence of Pathogens&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7510/is_201007/ai_n55488577/&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; (which is pretty technical) discusses compost production techniques. There are some references in there that mention certain techniques that will &lt;em&gt;increase&lt;/em&gt; the likelihood of getting pathogens in your tea; it makes sense to avoid these. (It mainly sounds like you want to avoid adding &quot;enhancements&quot; to the tea, but you'd need to read the referenced articles for details.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Compost (incl. Manure) Quality&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/compostfs2.pdf&quot;&gt;This fact sheet&lt;/a&gt; from Cornell talks about compost production standards. Executive summary: unless you're dealing with human sewage (sludge) or using compost that is specifically regulated by the National Organic Program, it's essentially unregulated. (That fact sheet covers NY state; I suspect but am not sure that other states have similar situations.) Why it matters to you: you have no idea what was done to produce the stuff in the bags you buy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7510/is_201007/ai_n55488579/?tag=content;col1&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; gives you a feel for how much effort you can put into determining whether the end product of a composting process is useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Starting with a product that already has a high pathogen load seems like a recipe for disaster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Tea Production Technique&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I've seen in scanning the literature, there are various techniques in use for producing compost tea. I've seen people ranting (not hard science) that one technique is vastly better than another technique. I'm not bothering to link to any since I think I've seen arguments in both directions and it's impossible to tell who is right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the studies I've referred to elsewhere here talk about maintaining different temperatures. (They're all held at controlled temperatures, of course -- most home gardeners wouldn't bother.) It wasn't clear to me whether one temperature is better than another; there could be differences depending on what you're trying to do with the tea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the major differences in production is the use of aeration. This basically involves putting a pond pump or something similar to get air into the tea. There are descriptions of systems you can set up with an aquarium pump for small scale production.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Benefits of Compost Tea&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; some scientific evidence that teas are effective at reducing disease pressure. &lt;a href=&quot;http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7510/is_200904/ai_n32332568/&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; refers to some other scientific publications (that I haven't located yet) about tea effectiveness at fighting disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But there are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20chalker-scott/horticultural%20myths_files/Myths/Compost%20tea%20again.pdf&quot;&gt;scientists cautioning&lt;/a&gt; the use of manure teas. It's not a miracle cure. As you discovered the hard way, there are risks too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For home production in an uncontrolled setting, it may not be worth the risk. Personally, I like the idea that I could make manure tea and possibly reduce the chance of getting blight on my tomatoes. But I'm not sure that I can produce tea in a way that will really give me the outcome I'm looking for, and mitigate the risks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Bottom Line&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately I haven't really answered your direct questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Anyway, I'm just wondering what the proper setup is for manure tea, should it be done in the shade? how fast should you use it? do you need to clean the barrel after using it? What is a good store-brand manure to use? How can you be absolutely sure the manure is fermented before using it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There are different setups possible for tea, and it isn't clear that there is any one &quot;proper&quot; setup. The literature doesn't seem to have converged on a best way to do it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I didn't see any mention of shelf-life...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Being scientific studies testing for pathogens etc, the studies I saw were sterilizing the barrel. It isn't clear that you need to go to this length.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;See &quot;quality&quot; above regarding the difficulty in choosing a brand and knowing its quality.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-19T02:09:21.433" LastActivityDate="2011-06-19T02:09:21.433" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="355" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="397" CreationDate="2011-06-11T01:48:38.997" Score="37" ViewCount="7136" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to lay mulch down around my already established plants to help retain moisture and discourage weeds.  Is there a recommended material for this?  Or at least some materials I should know to avoid?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&#xA;The choices I'm looking at right now are hardwood, cedar, and cypress (all available from my local Lowes/Home Depot/etc and are pretty cheap.  Also, my city has a program that gathers wood that people are throwing away and shreds them into mulch.  It's free to take some and they'll fill up the back of your truck for you as many times as you want.  You end up with a random collection of wood...not sure if this really matters though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastEditorUserId="5" LastEditDate="2011-06-11T16:16:41.443" LastActivityDate="2018-10-05T23:52:47.233" Title="What's the best mulch material for a vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="9" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="318" CreationDate="2011-06-11T02:14:21.993" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you were intentionally saving seed, you would have wanted 1/2 mile isolation distance (or bagging and hand-pollination) for the parent plants to be sure that you had seed that wasn't crossed with some other type of squash. If you grew a different variety of squash (C. pepo) last year, or if anyone in your neighborhood was growing any variety of C. pepo at the same time last year, your volunteers could be crossed with another variety -- possibly in strange ways.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if you have a volunteer that looks and fruits like the parent, that one must not have been crossed. Consider yourself lucky and enjoy the squash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possible that the unproductive volunteer is crossed in a way that makes it unable to produce fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If both the healthy and unhealthy plant are growing in the same soil, a nutrient imbalance seems unlikely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T02:14:21.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="357" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="339" CreationDate="2011-06-11T02:22:06.740" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've bought plenty of samples domestically in Australia with a fairly high (&gt;90%) success rate.  I find that people who care enough to grow &amp;amp; sell plants generally care enough to pack &amp;amp; ship them correctly.  If you're buying from somewhere like eBay where the seller's reputation is at stake, the results are usually great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be wary of long distance haulage though, where plants may be stored in cold storage areas for potentially long periods of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="114" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T02:22:06.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="163" CreationDate="2011-06-11T03:06:12.110" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Denver is in USDA Zone 5, you want to look for plants that are hardy to Zone 5 or colder -- no mangos, but there's still quite a list you can plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also need to look for plants that can handle a dry climate, though with a very thorough approach to permaculture you can capture the little rainfall you do get so that the plants get enough water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a list of pretty common plants from a quick walk through &quot;Gaia's Garden&quot; (p217++) -- which is worth the money to help you with planning your site. I used &quot;The Backyard Homestead&quot; for some of the yield information below, this is another decent reference for mapping out how to fit everything into a small yard. And some googling for other info. (Yields will probably vary widely from place to place, take it with a grain of salt.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should definitely look at some of these books for ideas beyond the few listed below. You'll want to figure out which will work well together as you build your guilds. And you'll need to keep mind precipitation amounts, timing, and the amount of water you can store in the landscape in mind as you're planning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Trees&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(You'll want (semi-)dwarf varieties where applicable unless you have a large lot.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pear; mature dwarf pears might yield 1 bushel (50 pounds) per year&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apple; A mature dwarf apple tree will generally produce 3 to 6 bushels of fruit. One bushel is equal to 42 pounds (&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6021&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Filbert/Hazelnut; 20-30 pounds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Peach; Expect 30 to 60 pounds of fruit from a mature, well-pruned dwarf and 60 to 100 pounds from a standard sized tree. (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/reallypeaches.htm&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Shrubs&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Serviceberry; ?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Russian Olive; 20 pounds per plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Vines&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hardy kiwifruit; 50-200 pounds per plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grapes (look for extra hardy varieties); 10-30 pounds per vine&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Ground cover&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clover (N-fixer) -- for biomass and N-fixing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lingonberry; 5-10 pounds per 100 sq ft&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Root layer&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Jerusalem artichoke&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ramps&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A well-planned 1/4 acre lot, when everything is mature, could produce hundreds of pounds of fruit per year. I'm not sure about dwarf-size nut trees, but maybe you'll have room for something full size. Combine this with annual vegetables, some chickens if you can get through Denver's crazy permitting process, and you can produce quite a bit of food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, watch out for zoning and HOA rules as you choose your new house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T03:06:12.110" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="359" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="269" CreationDate="2011-06-11T03:18:50.823" Score="23" Body="&lt;p&gt;It may not be &quot;too far gone&quot;, but both nitrogen and phosphate are rather easily leached out. A compost pile that you've allowed to sit for years is probably rich in humus (think forest floor) but potentially lacking in certain macronutrients. &quot;Better than ever&quot; is unlikely if the pile has been rained on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you let your horse manure rot for a year or so before you use it? What are you using for bedding?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may not need or want to build a separate pile for your kitchen scraps and garden waste. My experience with horse manure is that the combination of bedding and manure actually has a rather low nitrogen to carbon ratio. When our kitchen scraps don't get fed to the chickens, I dump them into onto the manure pile -- either before the day's deposit, or inserted into a hole a couple of feet deep into the pile and then re-covered. The kitchen scraps break down &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; fast in that environment, and the extra N from the kitchen helps speed up the manure breakdown too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-08T15:50:13.597" LastActivityDate="2011-09-08T15:50:13.597" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="360" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-11T06:45:39.543" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The word &amp;quot;pepper&amp;quot; refers to a range of unrelated plants, including &lt;em&gt;Piper&lt;/em&gt; (black pepper) and &lt;em&gt;pimenta&lt;/em&gt;, but it is usually used to refer to &lt;em&gt;Capsicum&lt;/em&gt; of the &lt;em&gt;Solanaceae&lt;/em&gt; family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Solanacaea&lt;/em&gt; also include &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tomatoes&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tomatoes&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tomatoes&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/potatoes&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;potatoes&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;potatoes&lt;/a&gt;, and nightshades. Note the similarity of their &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/leaves&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;leaves&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;leaves&lt;/a&gt;, fruit(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt;), and/or &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flowers&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;flowers&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flowers&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Capsicum&lt;/em&gt; include approximately 5-6 wild species, most of which have &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cultivars&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cultivars&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cultivars&lt;/a&gt; that are grown for their fruit. However, most &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/chili&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;chili&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;chili&lt;/a&gt; pepper cultivars are &lt;em&gt;C.Annuum&lt;/em&gt; cultivars - this includes most of the sweet peppers and a lot of the spicy varieties such as jalapeno and serrano.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is an example plant with many fruit: (&lt;em&gt;C.Annuum&lt;/em&gt; cultivar 'Gypsy' - a heat tolerant small yellow bell pepper)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lE8JU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;C.Annuum cultivar 'Gypsy'&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="68" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T14:11:28.570" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T14:11:28.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="361" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-11T06:45:39.543" Score="0" Body="Usually refers to New World Capiscum plants of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family, but can also refer to plants such as black pepper (Piper) and pimenta." OwnerUserId="68" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-07T15:17:55.680" LastActivityDate="2021-01-07T15:17:55.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="362" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-11T10:27:38.413" Score="16" ViewCount="586" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last fall our household of two people invested in a small, 3-tiered, commercially-available wormery that came with all components (bedding, lime, worms). All seemed to be going well until we brought it inside to protect it from sub-zero (C) winter temperatures.  It was at this point that a colony of what looked like white spider mites (the same size as, though far less active than, the red ones) exploded in the wormery and inhabited the inner lid and surface of the kitchen scraps.  The mites appear to like warm damp conditions so we did our best to control them by keeping the wormery aerated and by physically removing the mites regularly, although these efforts had little effect. The worms still seemed to be 'healthy', but when draining the reservoir, I often found several dead worms in the liquid. Once outdoor temperatures turned mild enough, the wormery went back outside.  At this point, the mite population decreased, but this was accompanied by a mass worm die-off resulting in failure of the wormery. We followed advice that came with the kit (not adding onion or too many acidic scraps; added newspaper to absorb water; added eggshells to keep the pH balanced; drained the reservoir regularly; kept temperature as stable as possible). Searching through wormery-related online forums resulted in no helpful advice.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anybody had a similar experience and knows why this might have happened?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone had a similar infestation of mites and knows for sure what they are? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastEditorUserId="133" LastEditDate="2011-06-12T15:32:49.863" LastActivityDate="2011-07-14T23:03:10.223" Title="Wormery failure in mass worm die-off ... any advice?" Tags="&lt;vermicomposting&gt;&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="363" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-11T10:46:41.407" Score="11" ViewCount="3175" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an oriental poppy 'Patty's Plum' growing in new potting compost in a pot with good drainage.  It sits in full sun, and I water it as needed in the recent dry weather.  I purchased it from a nursery in May so this is the first season I've had it.  Its lower leaves look healthy and for the past couple of weeks, the first two flowering stems have been growing and have felt quite sturdy.  Yesterday, I noticed that the younger of the flowering stems has developed a weak spot that is dark brown in color, and the stem is now bent at 90 degrees (see photo).  The leaves on the flowering stems also look slightly blackened at the edges (see photo).  My location is the south-west UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could this weakening be due to water sitting on the stem overnight and causing some tissue rot, or is there another likely another cause (can wind cause this)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tSww3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tSww3.jpg&quot; height=&quot;310&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nsH3B.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nsH3B.jpg&quot; height=&quot;310&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-25T21:39:35.663" LastActivityDate="2011-11-25T21:39:35.663" Title="Why did the stem suddenly weaken in my oriental poppy?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;poppy&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="364" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="511" CreationDate="2011-06-11T12:03:10.510" Score="13" ViewCount="5059" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a mature Snowball tree (Viburnum opulus) that is stripped of its leaves and severely weakened several times a year by the viburnum beetle. The Royal Horticultural Society recommend several pesticides but, unfortunately, they are all in spray form, and my tree is too tall for me to spray. Can anyone suggest a suitable systemic pesticide that I could apply to the soil around the base of the tree? Many thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;: Apart from a sprinkling of skeletonized leaves, the tree has escaped the ravages of the dreaded beetle so far (just when I was about to go to war!); I put this down to the prolonged winter freeze-up which must have wiped most of them out - Fingers crossed! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-28T15:00:20.150" LastActivityDate="2018-06-30T18:53:32.497" Title="How can I control Viburnum Beetle on my Snowball tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="365" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="366" CreationDate="2011-06-11T13:28:27.233" Score="25" ViewCount="443" Body="&lt;p&gt;You see &lt;strong&gt;onion seeds&lt;/strong&gt; for sale but the literature, TV and advice from fellow gardeners always talks about &lt;strong&gt;onion sets&lt;/strong&gt; and it feels as if sets is all anyone ever bothers with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So who are the seeds for? Are they especially hard to grow from seed? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why is it that competent gardeners who wouldn't dream of buying anything else (salads, cabbages, beans etc) &quot;already started&quot;, when they can easily grown their own from scratch, but when it comes to onions they &lt;em&gt;do&lt;/em&gt; buy the &quot;already started&quot; sets?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T14:13:18.237" Title="Onion seeds v. onion sets" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;onions&gt;&lt;onion-sets&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="365" CreationDate="2011-06-11T14:13:18.237" Score="25" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you plant onions, you have a choice between seeds, sets, or plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Onion &lt;strong&gt;seeds&lt;/strong&gt; are true seeds. They need to be started indoors several weeks before the time when they would be planted out. Onion seed is perishable so you should only use fresh seed when planting onions this way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The advantages of starting from seed is that there's often more variety to choose from, and you're working with first-year plants which mitigates the risk of bolting. The disadvantage is that it is much less convenient than sets: you have to start seeds indoors in pots, care for the seedlings until they're ready to plant out, and then transplant them. Seeds are also cheaper than sets, assuming you don't assign cost to your time and your potting mix, and you already have the equipment you need to start and care for seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Onion &lt;strong&gt;sets&lt;/strong&gt; are the bulbs from onions that were planted the year before. They were planted very thickly and didn't mature into full bulbs. Onions are a biennial (i.e. they flower and set seed in the second year), so the sets are the second year of the onion. When you put the sets into the ground, they sprout leaves and the bulb fills out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The major advantage of sets is that they are very easy to plant and usually give a good harvest. The disadvantages are that there is a somewhat smaller selection of onion types, and they have a higher risk of bolting since they're already second-year plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Onion &lt;strong&gt;plants&lt;/strong&gt; are simply seeds that someone else has started for you -- like buying tomatoes at the garden center. You take them home from store and plant them into the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The advantages of buying plants is that you don't have to start and care for seedlings,  you get to start with already started vigorous (hopefully) plants, and they don't have the risk of bolting that sets do. The disadvantages are that they are more expensive than either sets or seeds, they're a bit more work to plant than sets, and there's usually less variety to choose from than either sets or plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've personally grown onions from all three methods, and I generally prefer seeds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have more control over the end product.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have more choices for variety.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I just plain like having something to plant and watch grow when there's still two (or three, or four) feet of snow on the ground in mid-February.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Though there is something to be said of the ease of just buying a handful of sets at the local garden center and dropping them into the garden when you get home...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T14:13:18.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="367" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="411" CreationDate="2011-06-11T14:38:58.990" Score="27" ViewCount="4262" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any plant recommendations that could deter mosquitoes? The location is North Texas, and I am looking for something that could be used on or around the deck. This might make the deck more comfortable in summer, but it may also deter them coming in the back door when it is open for the dog (we don't have a dog flap and it is a glass door).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So pots might be the most convenient, but there's a bed below the longest length of the deck, and there's additional space for new (small) beds if need be. It should not smell bad to humans, and ideally be decorative (edible works too!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;None of the botanical solutions seem to work. Citronella never seems to work, and those candles have a low melting point - ie. They can get messy if left out in the Texas summer heat. I've heard of aromatic wood chips being used, but it seems we'd need a lot and they'd require regular replenishment - ie. expensive over the long term. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-12T14:34:00.403" LastActivityDate="2015-02-20T21:05:30.877" Title="What plants will deter mosquitoes?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;mosquito&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="368" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="402" CreationDate="2011-06-11T14:44:19.213" Score="16" ViewCount="6328" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 6 rows of green beans that have now grown to about 12&quot; in height and I want to give them something to climb. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is the best method of trellising them?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking about grabbing some more bamboo stakes (Already use them for tomatoes) and putting one at each end of the row with a string strung across and letting them climb up that. Will this work and if not is there a better way to do it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:21:44.940" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T03:04:57.180" Title="What is the best method for trellising green beans?" Tags="&lt;support&gt;&lt;green-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="369" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="455" CreationDate="2011-06-11T15:24:47.033" Score="20" ViewCount="1122" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I grow radishes, I find that some of them don't swell up to form the globe I expect; instead the root stays thin.  These are planted in the same bed and at the same time as radishes that &lt;strong&gt;do&lt;/strong&gt; swell.  I believe I'm doing everything right: cultivating the soil before planting, thinning the seedlings, keeping them well watered (when Mother Nature doesn't do it for me) and rotating crops from year to year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to make &lt;strong&gt;all&lt;/strong&gt; of my radishes plump and juicy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-14T05:26:53.937" LastActivityDate="2011-10-14T05:26:53.937" Title="Why don't my radishes swell up?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;radishes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="367" CreationDate="2011-06-11T15:52:07.640" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have tried Citronella plant, Lemon Thyme, Lemon Balm, and Catnip.   About the only thing that actually worked was rubbing Catnip leaves on my exposed skin, and that didn't deter them for particularly long.   They all smell nice, though, and the cats enjoy having fresh catnip.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm investing in screening my porch in this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T15:52:07.640" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="371" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="363" CreationDate="2011-06-11T16:29:51.850" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to the National Gardening Association, they may need staking to keep them upright:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Oriental poppies perform poorly in regions with hot summers, and the flowers may need staking to keep from flopping over when in full bloom. The plants go dormant after blooming.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&amp;amp;id=2052&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&amp;amp;id=2052&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://overplanted.com/profiles/oriental-poppies.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;One author&lt;/a&gt; recommends getting compact varieties so that they don't need staking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the droopiness is partly why it tends to go in and out of fashion in England:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;THE fortunes of plants soar and plunge in a way that would make a yo-yo dizzy. Take Oriental poppies. Ten years ago, they were scarcely to be found outside old cottage gardens, or those belonging to the horticulturally adventurous.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Gardeners were underwhelmed by their exuberant but short-lived flowers, the way they lay face-down in the mud after rain, and the tendency for the stems to swan-neck if they were not staked.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/3290322/In-focus-oriental-poppy.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/3290322/In-focus-oriental-poppy.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="47" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T16:29:51.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="372" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="355" CreationDate="2011-06-11T16:59:58.837" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;For water retention and weed suppression, a thicker layer of mulch is generally better (3&quot; is the rule of thumb I have been using). Since you have access to free recycled mulch, take advantage of that for a thick base layer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to improve the appearance, lay a thin layer of bark on top -- saves money and look good too. I have used hardwood, cedar, and cypress without any noticeable deleterious effects. Since you say you have a truck, it might be cheaper to buy this mulch in bulk at a nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="101" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T16:59:58.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="369" CreationDate="2011-06-11T17:08:37.320" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're certainly doing everything right if most of your radishes end up being plump and delicious!  But you're always going to get a few thin ones mixed in with the normally-shaped roots due to the nature of plant reproduction and genetics.  There's nothing you can do to make those radishes plump up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T17:08:37.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="374" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="421" CreationDate="2011-06-11T17:22:17.757" Score="9" ViewCount="1211" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since the pre-sprouted plant season is in full bloom, what is a good indicator of the time to transfer a pre-sprouted plant? For instance I have a mexi-bell pepper in a plastic pod and two basil sprouts. The pepper is about 8&quot; and seems primed to be transplanted now to a pot. The basil is 5&quot; and seems constricted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is height the best indicator; should I also balance that against leaf and stalk health? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will certain considerations wither once transplanted? If so, what are the sure signs a plant is constricted and getting worse because it's not in the ground or a pot?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastEditorUserId="40" LastEditDate="2011-06-12T14:12:26.963" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T19:33:19.597" Title="When should I transfer from pod to pot or ground?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="378" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-11T19:14:20.023" Score="27" ViewCount="11257" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to try growing vegetables. What is an easy veggie to start with? I live in a climate with hot, dry summers and cool rainy winters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="126" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-02-05T16:52:35.547" LastActivityDate="2014-07-24T21:40:48.430" Title="What is an easy vegetable to grow in a hot, dry summer / cool, wet winter climate?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="11" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-06-24T20:07:46.060" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="378" CreationDate="2011-06-11T19:44:30.473" Score="24" Body="&lt;p&gt;Provided that you can provide enough water, tomatoes are not difficult to grow in summer. Just go to your local garden center and buy some varieties that look like you would want to eat them.  If your weather is above 85 degrees, most tomatoes will flower but not set fruit.  Find a variety that sets fruit in hot weather — perhaps something like HEATWAVE.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xlBCu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Several other questions address &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/122/what-are-inexpensive-materials-for-homemade-tomato-cages&quot;&gt;how to make inexpensive cages&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/331/how-should-i-prune-my-vine-tomatos&quot;&gt;pruning&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2/why-do-my-upside-down-tomato-plants-curve-up-and-break&quot;&gt;upside down potting&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="101" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-05-19T17:50:19.477" CommentCount="4" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-06-24T20:07:46.060" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="380" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="378" CreationDate="2011-06-11T20:07:59.223" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Carrots are pretty easy. We planted some here (in Las Vegas) in February, then harvested them in mid-May. They like a steady amount of water and you have to watch out for aphids (soap spray works for those). I fed them every two weeks with an organic fertilizer and added coffee grounds and extra compost on occasion. They turned out great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="79" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T20:07:59.223" CommentCount="2" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-06-24T20:07:46.060" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="244" CreationDate="2011-06-11T20:18:23.340" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;This could also simply be a Nitrogen deficiency.   The plant will transfer Nitrogen from the lower, older leaves up to the upper, newer ones if it doesn't have enough available Nitrogen in the soil.   Feeding with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_emulsion&quot;&gt;fish emulsion&lt;/a&gt; (There are a few brands, and what your local store has will probably depend on what region you're in: My local Home Depot carries it). would give it an immediate boost, or you could use something else with a medium to high N number on the fertilizer bag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastEditorUserId="137" LastEditDate="2011-06-11T20:27:18.800" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T20:27:18.800" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="378" CreationDate="2011-06-11T20:26:35.227" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your cool, rainy winters would be good for planting spinach and lettuce. Those vegetables like the cool weather, and if you have a lot of rain you won't need to worry about keeping them watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you plant a small amount of lettuce and/or spinach every week or two, you can have a continuous harvest of salad greens for as long as the weather stays cool. Cut the leaves with scissors when they're the size of the &quot;baby salad greens&quot; mixes that you see in the store. If you leave an inch or two above the ground, it will regrow and you can get two harvests from them. (More than two harvests and they start to get bitter.) If you're planning to harvest baby greens, you can plant much closer than the instructions on the seed packet -- 2-4&quot; apart instead of the 8-12&quot; they may recommend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's &quot;easy&quot; will depend to some extent on what you have for pests in your area -- I've never had a problem with lettuce, but my spinach gets attacked by bugs a little bit, and the cabbage loopers will destroy my cole crops if I don't spray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T20:26:35.227" CommentCount="1" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-06-24T20:07:46.060" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="383" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="378" CreationDate="2011-06-11T20:34:16.367" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bell peppers are pretty hard to get wrong, as are chilli peppers.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am trying sugar snap peas for the first time this year, and I could have gone away for a couple of months for all the attention they've needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck with the growing.  Keep us informed how it goes using the community wiki.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="159" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T20:34:16.367" CommentCount="3" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-06-24T20:07:46.060" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="384" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="393" CreationDate="2011-06-11T20:46:14.900" Score="16" ViewCount="382" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in growing strawberries using &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroponics&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;hydroponics&lt;/a&gt;. I have read up and understand that there are several types of hydroponic systems, like deep water cultivation, ebb and flow, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroponics&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;aeroponic&lt;/a&gt;, and drip feed, etc. What qualities or features should I look for when buying a hydroponic system? I'm a beginner and would like to keep the cost low. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="159" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-05T17:26:59.760" LastActivityDate="2016-12-21T14:18:38.577" Title="What are the features that you should look for when buying a hydroponic system?" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="378" CreationDate="2011-06-11T21:00:33.853" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;peppers and tomatoes do well in warm weather as already suggested.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For cool, wet winters, you might have some success with potatoes if you do not get a frost. I've grown them in a Texas spring but it is a race to grow and water them before it gets too hot!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beans and corn could also be worth trying. Corn is thirsty, but black beans don't seem to do too badly. I could never find the right time to pick corn (like eating pears, the window is very short!), but black beans seemed to be much more forgiving. I could also get two crops in a Texas summer by keeping half the first crop's beans and then planting them in August.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T21:29:53.673" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T21:29:53.673" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-06-24T20:07:46.060" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="386" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-11T21:11:15.800" Score="15" ViewCount="5049" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have Japanese knotweed growing into my garden from an adjoining neighbour's garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone please have any advice of how to get rid of this awful plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="anon" LastEditorUserId="170" LastEditDate="2012-01-04T13:47:30.767" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T13:37:07.547" Title="How to get rid of Japanese knotweed (hogweed?)" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="387" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="378" CreationDate="2011-06-11T21:14:24.773" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're new to gardening in general, you might start off trying to grow your own herbs.   Basil, mint, thyme, rosemary, and sage are all really easy to grow and handle neglect reasonably well.   Most of the perennial herbs will handle a wide range of climates, and the annuals will generally self-sow quite happily (that may or may not be a good thing, depending on how you feel about them growing everywhere).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's nothing like cooking with fresh herbs that you picked right before they went into the dish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T21:14:24.773" CommentCount="2" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-06-24T20:07:46.060" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="388" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="386" CreationDate="2011-06-11T21:31:31.207" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is what I know of as hogweed in the UK: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogweed&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hogweed (Wikipedia)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When people complained of knotweed I assumed they meant something else (but I could be wrong).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some hogweeds are native, but the Giant one was imported as an ornamental and escaped. From what I remember, it has shallow roots and pulls out fairly easy? I do remember my primary school back in the 80s getting paranoid about it and telling us not to touch it! in reality the problem is only the sap. Some people are allergic to the sap, and it can also result in skin burns/reaction in the sun. So if this is the stuff, be sure to use gloves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-06-30T13:37:07.547" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T13:37:07.547" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="389" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="378" CreationDate="2011-06-11T21:33:03.157" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have found the easiest to be spinach beet (perpetual spinach&amp;nbsp;— it needs to be protected from slugs and well watered), followed by broad beans and sweet corn. Carrots can be difficult, as they are susceptible to a host of pests and diseases, including carrot fly and black rot. Onion sets are easy enough to grow, provided you avoid the red varieties, such as Red Baron, which have a tendency to bolt (go to seed) before they have fully swelled and, as a result, they don't store well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="219" LastEditDate="2013-12-24T14:28:29.983" LastActivityDate="2013-12-24T14:28:29.983" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-06-24T20:07:46.060" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="390" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="441" CreationDate="2011-06-11T21:39:35.020" Score="16" ViewCount="12329" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Zone 7 in Northwest Texas.  It's pretty dry here and the soil is mostly hard clay.  I'm very interested in growing fruit bearing pistachio trees, but haven't been able to find any local nurseries that know anything about them (maybe that's a bad sign).  Lots of people grow Chinese Pistachios, but that's not the same tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, according to my reading, (Aggie Horticulture Extension, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistachio&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pistachio.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;California Rare Fruit Growers&lt;/a&gt;, and others), the pistachio will do well in arid climates and is hardy up to USDA Zone 8a.  So, it's in the zone, however, I'm more concerned about my soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The California Rare Fruit Growers website describes the soil requirements like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The trees do best on soils that are deep, friable and well drained but moisture retaining. It can, however, survive in poor, stony, calcareous, highly alkaline or slightly acid, or even saline soils. The root is deeply penetrating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wikipedia has this to say:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Pistachio is a desert plant, and is highly tolerant of saline soil. It has been reported to grow well when irrigated with water having 3,000–4,000 ppm of soluble salts. They need a sunny position and well-drained soil. Pistachio trees do poorly in conditions of high humidity, and are susceptible to root rot in winter if they get too much water and the soil is not sufficiently free draining.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anyway I can succeed with this venture?  What's the best way to go about it?  Should I amend my soil to make it more sandy or loamy?  If so, how deep and large of an area around each tree would be best?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any other advice before I attempt this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-04-06T02:25:51.897" LastActivityDate="2018-08-15T19:23:17.497" Title="Can I grow a fruit bearing pistachio tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="391" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1207" CreationDate="2011-06-11T21:57:39.410" Score="18" ViewCount="2322" Body="&lt;p&gt;What difference does rooting hormone make when propagating plants from cuttings?  I have have been successful with and without it, but I would like to know for example, if it affects the speed or health of the growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-11T22:07:32.420" LastActivityDate="2011-07-12T02:31:30.993" Title="What difference does rooting hormone make when propagating plants from cuttings?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;rooting-hormone&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="391" CreationDate="2011-06-11T22:07:04.337" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is meant to stimulate root growth - in particular to stimulate the creation of roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've only tried it on peach cuttings so far, and haven't don't a comparison with/without. These had mixed results but for other reasons - first time it was the wrong time of year, and the second time most of the cuttings were too immature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T22:07:04.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="393" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="384" CreationDate="2011-06-11T22:35:25.010" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are a beginner and are looking for the cheapest setup I would just say do it yourself.  Build something from scratch from an online tutorial.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Hydroponics/&quot;&gt;Instructables&lt;/a&gt; has numerous tutorials on different setups and the costs associated to them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found that the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.instructables.com/id/Hydroponics---at-Home-and-for-Beginners/&quot;&gt;Hydroponics at Home and for Beginners&lt;/a&gt; article may be right down your alley.  Also the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.instructables.com/id/Hydroponic-Food-Factory/&quot;&gt;Hydroponic Food Factory&lt;/a&gt; has been used to grow strawberries (based on images posted).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If price is a greater factor than the actual process maybe you would like a new home project.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="62" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T22:35:25.010" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="368" CreationDate="2011-06-11T22:38:29.123" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a lot of ways to do this, and I'm not sure there's a wrong way.  The green beans will climb whatever you put up.  You just need to make sure that once they get bigger that the bamboo stakes will be able to support the combined weight of all the bean plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it were me, I would give each plant something vertical to climb.  If the only support your plants have in the middle is a horizontal string it will be a little more difficult to get them to go up on their own (depending on how close together your horizontal strings are).  So, I would run some vertical strings too...going from the top to the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, if it were me, I would probably build a lightweight wood frame and run horizontal and vertical strings across it every 5-6 inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said, people sometimes tell me that I tend to go a little &quot;over-board&quot; when it comes to garden utility structures, so you're bamboo stakes may fine as you described.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastActivityDate="2011-06-11T22:38:29.123" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="355" CreationDate="2011-06-11T22:54:59.617" Score="15" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If I was going to pay to buy mulch for a vegetable garden, I wouldn't buy a wood-based product. It's going to be extra work to scrape off the mulch at the end of the season, and I wouldn't want to till 3&quot; of wood into my garden beds. That much wood will take a long time to break down, and while it is decomposing it will steal a lot of nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other problem I've sometimes had with hardwood-based mulches is that they can sprout &quot;interesting&quot; fungus. I have no idea if they're harmful, but I've seen hardwood mulches throw up nasty-looking yellow or blue fungi.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stay away from the grab-bag mulch. Certain wood types contain chemicals that will be harmful for your vegetables. (E.g. black walnut gives off juglone which can kill your plants.) &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I like pine bark for perennial beds, but not as much for annuals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If straw bales are cheap where you are, that would be a much better bet. Lay down 3&quot; of straw and at the end of the season you can either rototill/chop it into the soil to decompose over winter or you can strip it off and possibly reuse it for a second season. Straw is easier to strip off than wood.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;This doesn't help you much with plants that you already have growing, but I've used plastic mulch at the beginning of the season with good results. (I've used both heavy black plastic and the red plastic that is supposed to be good for tomatoes.) First lay out a soaker hose in the beds that are going to have plastic mulch, and then put down the plastic. As a bonus, black plastic absorbs sunlight and helps to warm cool spring soil. Cut slits in the plastic as you put in your transplants. The disadvantages to plastic mulch are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You've got to get rid of it when the season is done (unless you're careful and then maybe you can get two seasons out of it).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Weeds still pop up in the slits that you cut for the plants. You can't really pull these since they're right next to the plant, cutting them with scissors was what I had to resort to.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Since the plastic will shed rainwater, you've got to be careful about irrigation -- as mentioned above, make sure you get the soaker hose under the mulch when you're preparing the beds. (I found it annoying that I had to water even when we had plenty of rain.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't use plastic now -- except for some leftover very heavy duty sheets that I use to smother weeds out of beds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Another alternative is &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3264/51&quot;&gt;cardboard&lt;/a&gt;. I experimented this past summer by laying down overlapping sheets in the path between two beds in my vegetable garden and weighted it with rocks. It gave very good weed suppression. The only weed problem I had was that some creeping weeds would &quot;hide&quot; under the edges and sneak out the sides; it was harder to hoe these out since the cardboard was in the way. Don't do this if you care about appearance, it's a bit ugly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I also tried wet shredded newspaper in the path between two beds. I'd guess it was about 1-2&quot; thick. Didn't work very well -- either I didn't put it down thickly enough, the weeds were too strong, or it's just not effective weed control. It also breaks down much faster than cardboard. It was mostly invisible by the end of the summer (especially since I had to attack weeds which were coming up through it). Good for water retention (which probably partly explains why the weeds were so happy!).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other thoughts: autumn leaves, lawn clippings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the flip side: the answers to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3264/51&quot;&gt;this question about cereal boxes as mulch&lt;/a&gt; suggest that printed/glossy paperboard should be avoided.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-01-25T13:50:58.617" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="396" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="386" CreationDate="2011-06-11T23:21:52.790" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) and hogweed (Heracleum spp.) are two completely different things. Knotweed kind of looks like bamboo, it has a hollow stem and takes over like crazy. Hogweed is an Apiaceae and has flowers that look a bit like Queen Anne's Lace.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've got knotweed, it's awful stuff to get rid of. This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nh.gov/dot/org/projectdevelopment/environment/units/technicalservices/documents/FactSheet2-Knotweed.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fact sheet from the NH DOT&lt;/a&gt; describes some of the practices they're supposed to be using to avoid spreading it around. (Too bad they still mow it and spread it around...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://landscaping.about.com/cs/weedsdiseases/a/knotweed_2.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This page&lt;/a&gt; describes a technique using tarps to smother it. If you try this, let us know how it works -- I live in fear of the japanese knotweed around us invading our yard...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you can't smother it, you can try one of two other approaches. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/faja1.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this page by the Alien Plant Working Group of the U.S. National Park Service&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Grubbing is effective for small initial populations or environmentally sensitive areas where herbicides cannot be used. Using a pulaski or similar digging tool, remove the entire plant including all roots and runners. Juvenile plants can be hand pulled depending on soil conditions and root development. Any portions of the root system not removed will potentially resprout. All plant parts (including mature fruit) should be bagged and disposed of in a trash dumpster to prevent reestablishment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; let any part of the plant get away from you! Bag it and toss it in the dumpster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I generally try to avoid resorting to chemical warfare. For Japanese knotweed I might make an exception. If you want to go this route, make sure you read the label and follow directions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Cut the stem about 2 inches above ground level.  Immediately apply a 25% solution of glyphosate (e.g., Roundup®, or use Rodeo® if applying in or near wetland areas) or triclopyr (e.g., Garlon) and water to the cross-section of the stem. A subsequent foliar application of glyphosate may be require to control new seedlings and resprouts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should talk to your neighbor to see if you can work together to get rid of it. If you don't, it will probably migrate back into your yard later anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-14T02:01:24.000" LastActivityDate="2011-06-14T02:01:24.000" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="355" CreationDate="2011-06-12T05:24:00.757" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that I &lt;em&gt;should&lt;/em&gt; be mulching some of my veggies.  But in practice I never have.  Here are some alternatives to mulching that have (mostly) worked well for me:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant the crops much closer than you normally would.  Their own leaves will shade the ground (protecting moisture) and they'll crowd out weeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Companion plant a ground cover crop with a taller crop.  Two examples: I grow oregano around the base of my peppers, and &quot;three sisters&quot; uses squash as &quot;mulch&quot; for the beans and corn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also use a plain old black trash bag or a tarp or a burlap bag.  Some of these materials are water permeable, but some are not.  Either way you need to be &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; diligent about getting water into the soil, because rain will behave differently on these than on bare soil or straw or wood mulch.  The upside is that it a black covering will also warm the soil (for the plants that like that sort of thing).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="144" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T05:24:00.757" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="398" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="403" CreationDate="2011-06-12T05:24:58.680" Score="18" ViewCount="43395" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently grew some lettuce and carrots from seed, but within three nights they were completely eaten.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I then used a seed growing tray and then transplanted about 40 out into the garden bed. But these have been gradually dissappearing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When transplanting the seedlings I covered the bed with transparent plastic and had chicken wire at each end to let air get in. I think it would be impossible for a snail to get in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This only happens at night time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T16:31:36.247" Title="What is eating my vegetable seedlings?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="399" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="427" CreationDate="2011-06-12T05:27:16.990" Score="15" ViewCount="2050" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it safe to use snail pellets in a vegetable garden bed or will these slowly leach into the soil? Is there a safer alternative that will keep snails out, but won't be absorbed by the vegetables?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-12T14:14:09.390" LastActivityDate="2011-09-14T04:52:25.310" Title="Can snail pellets be safely used in a vegetable garden? If not, any safer alternatives?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;&lt;snails&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="400" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="378" CreationDate="2011-06-12T06:13:06.810" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your cool wet winter will probably be a good time for the quick growing &quot;spring&quot; crops.  The rain will make your watering job easier, and nothing is better for a beginner than quick gratification.  For the hot, dry summers you are going to need to be diligent about irrigation, or else pick hardy plants.  Most veggies really prefer consistent water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roughly in order of easier to harder:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oregano&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Thyme&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Rosemary&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Curry&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Cilantro&lt;/strong&gt;, etc: many herbs can actually &lt;em&gt;thrive&lt;/em&gt; on the stress of hot and dry summers.  Pests almost always stay away from their strong smells, so they are good to plant near your &lt;em&gt;other&lt;/em&gt; plants that might have pest problems.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Radishes&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Beets&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Turnips&lt;/strong&gt;: For a beginners garden, almost nothing can beat the nearly instant gratification of radishes.  From seed to harvest in under four weeks is awesome.  Beets and turnips take just a little bit longer.  These root veggies are generally pest free (their leaves might get nipped at, but the roots are fine), and make great spring/fall crops (they won't like your hot summer at all).  Don't let them go too long before pulling them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Basil&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Sage&lt;/strong&gt;, etc: herbs in general are easy and very forgiving.  But some will require a little bit more water to keep from wilting during the summer than others.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leaf lettuce&lt;/strong&gt;: Most varieties should love your cool wet winters, and you can easily plant enough for your salads all spring long, with very little maintenance beyond harvesting.  The main pest is slugs, and they usually don't eat enough to ruin your day.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sugar snap peas&lt;/strong&gt;: while your weather is still cool and wet, these should grow quickly and produce yummy treats for you to eat right off the vine.  As a nitrogen-fixer, they are more forgiving of bad soil than other plants.  You just need to make sure they have a trellis to climb.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Swiss chard&lt;/strong&gt;: Grows like a charm for me, and hardier varieties will make it through the summer (so long as you keep them watered).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Onions&lt;/strong&gt; (from sets), &lt;strong&gt;garlic&lt;/strong&gt;: are very easy to grow, and have fewer pest problems than many more popular veggies.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tomatoes&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Eggplant&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Peppers&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Squash&lt;/strong&gt;: These will take a bit more care to keep properly irrigated and protected from pests or disease than the others listed above.  But a good hardy variety can make this easier, and there are few gardening joys greater than biting into a juicy fresh garden tomato.  And unless something goes awry, your squash will spoil you with abundance.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Collard Greens, Kale, Cabbage, Broccoli&lt;/strong&gt;: depending on the details of your climate, it's likely that these will thrive over your fall/winter/spring.  Just watch out for pests like the cabbage worm. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Please note&lt;/em&gt;: my summers are hot and &lt;em&gt;humid&lt;/em&gt; with occasional rain, so make sure to double check with local advice.  Whatever you do, try to pick varieties that work well for your region.  You should also take care to note the soil you will use (or amend) and the amount of sunlight your plants will get on most days.  If you are buying your plants from a local gardening store, they should be able to give you detailed recommendations on which varieties will thrive with minimum fuss and when and where to plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="144" LastEditorUserId="144" LastEditDate="2011-06-12T06:33:14.023" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T06:33:14.023" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-06-24T20:07:46.060" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="398" CreationDate="2011-06-12T08:05:30.523" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think slugs and/or snails. You say it would be impossible for one to get in but I think it would be impossible to exclude them, really. In fact the plastic covering would be providing exactly the kind of environment they love, with all that trapped moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05515.html&quot;&gt;Night time&lt;/a&gt; is their favourite feeding time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try some slug pellets (assuming you don't object in principle). That would soon confirm (or otherwise) if it's slugs: you would quickly be seeing dead slugs, if I am right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-06-12T14:45:18.950" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T14:45:18.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="402" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="368" CreationDate="2011-06-12T08:20:04.640" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The classic method for supporting beans is a line of A-Frames with horizontal poles across the top. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HmsoG.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make the structure somewhat stronger than you think is going to be needed. Consider providing more canes/poles than you have bean plants for extra strength. The full mature bean plants are going to be surprisingly heavy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the past, due to shortage of canes, I haven't sometimes built it as strong as I should have. Then found it buckles under the weight of the mature plant, and/or that a strong wind has torn some of it down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T08:20:04.640" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="398" CreationDate="2011-06-12T08:40:56.373" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Tea Drinker.  You could (and probably do) have a large population of small slugs hiding in your soil as well as larger snails and slugs hiding in the leafy parts of your garden during the day.  To combat them without pesticides, you can use a combination of approaches: 1. go out into the garden after dark and collect the little critters, making sure you look in the areas surrounding your veg and flower patches, and discard them (chuck them over your garden fence or dispatch them in a glass of cheap lager); and 2. if available in your area, you can buy nematodes that will infect and kill your slug (but not snail) population (this is the brand available in the UK:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nemaslug.org.uk/&quot;&gt;http://www.nemaslug.org.uk/&lt;/a&gt;) There are other non-toxic methods (there are organic slug and snail pellets available), but I've found these two approaches to be the most effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also found that coarse sand can also act as a barrier to snails and slugs, particularly in the greenhouse or other moderately-protected areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, I grow all my lettuces in planters and ring the planters with copper tape which, in my experience, is great at keeping snails off tender plants (e.g &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiccatalogue.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1756&quot;&gt;http://www.organiccatalogue.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1756&lt;/a&gt; .)  This time last year, my potted hostas were nearly decimated by slugs, but this year there's not a hole in sight!  By the way, I've found that snails and slugs climb right over the copper rings that sit directly on the soil and they ignore sunken beer traps, but maybe I have fussy slugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-06-12T14:27:16.507" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T14:27:16.507" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="404" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-12T10:00:02.357" Score="12" ViewCount="1984" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought a spider plant from a store recently. The plant is so aggregated that I can see many stems in a 8cm diameter pot ( 10+ ). I wondered if I can separate them. I tried to separate them from the soil, then I see their roots are so fat like a mini-radish, this is a pic from the internet:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XGVxL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is this special root called?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is one of my plant bought from a store:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mafAQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dGExY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see there are so many plants inside a single pot. &lt;strong&gt;Can I separate them without hurting them?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-28T12:44:52.707" LastActivityDate="2021-01-28T12:44:52.707" Title="Can I separate this spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="405" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="378" CreationDate="2011-06-12T12:08:39.163" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pumpkins are pretty easy to grow from seed. They need a couple of square metres and apart from weeding around the plants and watering you just need to control their growth. Satisfying harvest almost guaranteed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="161" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T12:08:39.163" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-06-24T20:07:46.060" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="398" CreationDate="2011-06-12T14:14:28.893" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Tea Drinker - your seedlings are almost certainly providing a feast for slugs and/or snails. Apparently, slugs can eat up to forty times their weight daily! As an alternative to taking the steps already mentioned, you could protect your seedlings with a netting grow tunnel (which would also protect them against bird damage and the heat of the sun) - see photo - provided you ensure beforehand that the soil over which you are going to place the tunnel is slug-free. I grow both lettuce and seedlings under one, and it works a treat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bdnNv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Grow Tunnel&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-04T16:40:45.130" LastActivityDate="2011-08-04T16:40:45.130" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="407" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="431" CreationDate="2011-06-12T14:18:11.943" Score="21" ViewCount="1344" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lemon tree that is 8 years old. I didn't water it enough during its first years, and as a result it's only 2 meters (6 feet) high. How and when should I prune my lemon tree to stimulate its growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="126" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:50:39.827" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T02:50:39.827" Title="How should I prune lemon trees?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="408" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-12T14:24:13.923" Score="12" ViewCount="927" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pomegranate tree that is 6 years old. It didn't get enough water for several years, and was growing under a canopy of other trees, so it only grew about 1 meter (~4 feet) high. How and when should I prune it to stimulate growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="126" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-07T02:50:08.040" LastActivityDate="2012-02-07T02:50:08.040" Title="How should I prune my pomegranate trees?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pomegranate&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="409" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-12T14:41:52.247" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;For questions about a plant that's failing to thrive, and where the cause is unknown (it could be disease, pest, or environmental). Ideally, the fullest possible description of the symptoms and growing conditions should be included, as well as &lt;strong&gt;close-up pictures&lt;/strong&gt; of the affected part &lt;strong&gt;and&lt;/strong&gt; other parts of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Model Questions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These questions are good examples of how to ask an effective diagnosis question. Note the photos and descriptions as well as the descriptive title.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/852/why-does-my-grass-have-bright-green-patches&quot;&gt;Why does my grass have bright green patches?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/830/what-gave-my-carrots-legs&quot;&gt;Why did my carrots split in a way that looks like legs?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1337/japanese-box-hedge-failing-to-thrive-what-to-do&quot;&gt;Japanese box hedge failing to thrive. What to do?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-20T15:52:14.777" LastActivityDate="2016-11-20T15:52:14.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="410" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-12T14:41:52.247" Score="0" Body="Gathering of information and facts to determine the root cause of a plant that is failing to thrive." OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-21T18:47:56.853" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T18:47:56.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="367" CreationDate="2011-06-12T14:42:50.803" Score="20" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't really have plant based solution, but if you just want a potential organic solution to keep mosquitoes in your general area in check, then you could build a couple of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Outdoor-Activities/Garden-for-Wildlife/Gardening-Tips/Build-a-Bat-House.aspx?CFID=21126979&amp;amp;CFTOKEN=31226b6ae09a9939-844BD2E8-5056-A84B-C3F9BF540B1E0DF0&quot;&gt;bat houses&lt;/a&gt;.  Mosquitoes are some of bats favorite food and if you can successfully attract bats to live in the houses you provide, they'll cause the mosquito population in your area to drop pretty significantly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="124" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T14:42:50.803" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="412" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="429" CreationDate="2011-06-12T15:08:33.640" Score="28" ViewCount="8548" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a yard this year for the first time and I'm attempting various methods of building beds.  For my first bed, I used double digging.  But that was an insane amount of work and I'm not all that happy with the bed that resulted.  I've been reading a lot of permaculture literature and they all suggest gradual bed construction through sheet mulching.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I don't have that much organic matter readily available to me.  About the only organic matter I have is a giant brush pile from a serious shrub trimming.  The pile includes an entire box shrub, as well as trimmings of box shrub and yew.  It also includes a large quantity of soft needle pine and tulip popular branches that came down in a storm.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know pretty much all parts of a yew tree are toxic.  Will that prevent it from working well in a hugelkultur?  Will the toxin degrade or will it keep the yew from rotting and/or poison my soil microbes?  Are there any woods that shouldn't be used for hugelkultur?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="124" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-01-09T16:11:01.680" LastActivityDate="2012-01-09T16:11:01.680" Title="What woods shouldn't be used for hugelkultur?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;permaculture&gt;&lt;hugelkultur&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="110" CreationDate="2011-06-12T15:29:07.030" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you think it's a soil issue, then one possibility is to begin an aggressive campaign of mulching the soil around the trunks to build it.  Get a bunch of organic matter, hay from your local hardware or garden store works fine, and spread it around underneath the tree about a foot deep.  On top of that spread some composted manure and cover the whole thing with wood mulch (not the treated kind, the kind that is meant to rot).  Do that a few years in a row and you'll have much healthier soil and probably a healthier tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also try companion plantings around the base of the trees.  The local community orchard I volunteer at has comfrey and garlic planted in the mulch around each of the fruit trees.  The comfrey is a dynamic accumulator, it reaches deep into the soil and pulls nutrients up to the top soil.  It grows very aggressively and you can chop it down almost to stubs several times a season and spread the leaves on the ground beneath the tree to add to the mulch.  It will add a lot of nutrients to the soil.  I've never tried this, this is just what the folks at the orchard tell me.  The garlic is just to ward off various pests.  It's a deterrent to rabbits and various insects, I believe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look up sheet mulching. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildwillowdesign.com/2011/06/three-ways-to-sheet-mulch/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is a good article. There are a whole bunch of techniques for composting in place to build the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="124" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-20T01:12:05.450" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T01:12:05.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="414" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="416" CreationDate="2011-06-12T16:48:25.543" Score="12" ViewCount="130" Body="&lt;p&gt;We planted a whole bunch of plants and trees when we first moved in, without any consideration for the soil condition. Now that a year has passed, I see some plants are taking off really well and some have stunted growth. This has to do with the soil mostly, because it is highly inconsistent in the yard and it is more clay-like &amp;amp; prone to quick drying/cracking in the parts where the plants aren't growing so well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way that I can improve the soil conditions around the plant without having to uproot them, till &amp;amp; replant them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T17:29:58.913" Title="How do I improve the soil around a plant after it has grown considerably?" Tags="&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="367" CreationDate="2011-06-12T16:48:30.193" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, mosquitoes are pretty persistent, and most plants just seem like a very temporary roadblock.  The most important thing to do for mosquitoes is to deal with the standing water nearby.  But if you live near a bog or swamp, this might be simply impossible.  If not, just making sure your gutters (and your neighbors' gutters) are cleaned out twice a year could make a significant difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similar to Daniel's advice about bats, toads and frogs might be another potential organic solution.  Ironically, you'll need to add a permanent water fixture to your garden in order to keep frogs, and that would seem like the ideal mosquito breeding ground.  But supposedly tadpoles and frogs are more than able to earn their keep, eating all of the nymphs in your water and plenty of adult insects as well.  And a small pond or hiding places for toads can be nice decorative elements for your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm considering doing this myself next year (and as such, I don't have any direct experience with it... yet).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="144" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T16:48:30.193" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="416" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="414" CreationDate="2011-06-12T17:29:58.913" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sheet mulching and surface composting.  This will not only improve the soil, it will deter weeds, attract friendly soil creatures and fungi and it will hold water and help keep the soil from drying out.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The way you do it is to get a bunch of mulch and spread it as thickly as you can on the ground around your plants with out burying them.  That's the basic.  You can work with different materials in different layers to achieve different effects and add different nutrients.  And it also just depends on what you have to work with.  I like to lay down a layer of news paper, several sheets deep, and cover this with wood mulch when I can. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My neighbors use cardboard covered with hay/compost.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a deeper layer for faster improvement, get some bales of hay.  Lay down the hay about as deep as you can, leaving an inch or two on top of it.  Cover the hay with newspaper (to prevent any sneaking seeds in the hay from getting anywhere) and cover the newspaper with untreated wood mulch.  Water the hay and the newspaper as you lay it down.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a couple of articles that talk about different ways to do it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agroforestry.net/pubs/Sheet_Mulching.html&quot;&gt;http://www.agroforestry.net/pubs/Sheet_Mulching.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://garden2table.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-to-sheet-mulch.html&quot;&gt;http://garden2table.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-to-sheet-mulch.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But they basically boil down to just composting organic matter in place on top of the soil -- simulating the debris rot that happens naturally in the litter layer of a forest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="124" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T17:29:58.913" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="417" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="422" CreationDate="2011-06-12T18:34:06.933" Score="19" ViewCount="6667" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've a small compost heap (1.2m x 1.2m x 0.8m), which is mostly formed of grass clippings. Thanks to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/325/should-i-insulate-my-compost-heap/327#327&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; to another composting question, I now understand the C:N ratio.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, there isn't a good source of carbon in my mostly-lawn garden. What is the best thing I can do to increase the carbon content in my compost? The cheaper the better!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-12-14T17:23:43.350" Title="What's the best way to increase the carbon content of compost heap in a grassy garden?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;carbon-nitrogen-ratio&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="418" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="390" CreationDate="2011-06-12T18:41:55.023" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just looked in &quot;Neil Sperry's Complete Guide to Texas Gardening&quot; (2nd edition), which seems to have good descriptions/advice with tree types and varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It only lists Chinese Pistachio. Although this does not mean it is impossible, from this I think we can infer that (at best) it is very unusual to grow pistachio in Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[edit] Put Sperry back on the shelf and on a whim looked in &quot;Dallas Planting Manual&quot;. This mentions &quot;&lt;em&gt;Pistache&lt;/em&gt; (Pistachio)&quot;. It doesn't distinguish between the two types but does mention &lt;em&gt;Pistache texana&lt;/em&gt; and implies this it is very similar to &lt;em&gt;P.chinensis&lt;/em&gt; but &quot;smaller, multitrunked tree - feathery texture&quot;. I don't think this is what you're after, but I'm mentioning it incase it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-12T18:48:55.303" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T18:48:55.303" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="419" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="417" CreationDate="2011-06-12T18:43:32.090" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wood chips if you have them. Vegetable kitchen waste will also help to balance C:N. (meat is usually advised against because it can attract rodents)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[edit] Wood chips can be quite small - eg. from prunings from shrubs. Also if you really are short of prunings and veg kitchen waste, you could always buy a bag of deciduous wood chip mulch from a garden center. The stuff I'm thinking of comes in big relatively lightweight bags. So it should go a long way, especially as you mix it into the grass clippings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-12T19:03:00.980" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T19:03:00.980" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="420" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="458" CreationDate="2011-06-12T19:03:55.127" Score="17" ViewCount="495" Body="&lt;p&gt;We inherited blackcurrants, gooseberries, raspberries and strawberries when we moved into our current property ten years ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The blackcurrants and gooseberries still seem to be giving a healthy yield and it looks like they'll go on for nearly for ever. The strawberries and raspberries started to fade about 5 years ago and we have removed them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the recommended lifespan for strawberries and raspberries? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-22T20:12:12.067" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T20:12:12.067" Title="How often should soft fruit plants be replaced?" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;&lt;soft-fruit&gt;&lt;lifespan&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="421" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="374" CreationDate="2011-06-12T19:33:19.597" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most peppers, tomatoes, and herbs are ready to be transplanted into your garden when they have formed 4-6 new leaves and are around 4&quot; tall.  When your plant is outgrowing its pot it will start to fall over (top heavy) and wilt easily (roots fighting to survive).  As long as your weather is not freezing, get those babies outside! Remember to harden off any indoor plants for a few days before transferring them outdoors. I also crunch up egg shells in the bottom of my hole when transplanting peppers and tomatoes to fight off blossom end rot ( a calcium deficiency)!  Good luck! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="157" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T19:33:19.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="417" CreationDate="2011-06-12T19:55:49.640" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're using mostly grass clippings you are nitrogen heavy and need to add more &lt;strong&gt;carbon&lt;/strong&gt;. Lawn clippings are an excellent source of nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cheap/free sources of carbon:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;autumn leaves -- mixing these with grass clippings makes great compost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;newspapers (sticking with black &amp;amp; white newsprint is safest)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;corrugated cardboard (uncoated/unprinted is safest) -- shredding will compost better&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;straw (if you can get it cheap/free locally)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wood chips (&quot;arborist chips&quot;, which are available free from some municipalities)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sawdust (cheap/free as a waste product from a nearby sawmill)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just don't add too much wood -- it will eat quite a bit of nitrogen as it breaks down. IMO, leaves are the best: they're natural, abundant, renewable, bulky, and free.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, you could &lt;em&gt;grow your own&lt;/em&gt; carbon. If you can afford to convert an area of the lawn into a garden bed, you could grow:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;oats, which are easy to grow and produce seed (for next year's crop) and straw (which is high carbon). (Other straw-producing crops like wheat or barley would also be possible; I have had good experience with oats.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sunflowers, which are nice to look at and have woody stalks that contain a lot of carbon (chop them up before adding to the pile  so they break down in less then a decade!)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;timothy or other &quot;hay&quot; crop (perennial); cut after it's 2' high or so during dry weather before seed heads form and allow to dry for a couple of days. If you add the undried cuttings to your compost pile, you'll just be adding a bunch of nitrogen.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bamboo, be sure to select a variety you can keep under control&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-12-14T17:23:43.350" LastActivityDate="2011-12-14T17:23:43.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="424" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="84" CreationDate="2011-06-12T20:09:30.210" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;There could be many reasons. I think that this plant needs a lot of things that you cannot give it inside in the conditions described. You do not say where you live. The thing that this plant needs most to thrive and survive is sufficient light, adequate water and good drainage. The best place to be is outside in a somewhat warm temperature. Inside in a window is not very natural for this plant. The leaves may be burned by sunlight magnified through the window glass. Also it must be in a container that will give plenty of room for root growth. Once it gets pot bound it will not be getting enough water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T20:09:30.210" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="425" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-12T20:16:16.183" Score="14" ViewCount="21571" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very early this year (starting in mid-May) my peonies' foliage was covered in whitish-gray powdery mold.  What is it and what if anything should I do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="63" LastActivityDate="2015-08-30T20:02:21.247" Title="What do I do about the whitish powdery mold on my peonies?" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;peonies&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="426" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="446" CreationDate="2011-06-12T20:24:05.603" Score="18" ViewCount="2173" Body="&lt;p&gt;I plant maincrop potatoes every year. Last year, I planted 50 Desiree in mid-April, in the usual way (15&quot; apart, in rows 2' apart, in light, sandy soil that had been conditioned and fertilised several weeks earlier), and I harvested them in August. The yield was higher than usual and they all looked very healthy; however, their texture, when cooked (steamed), was very disappointing: extremely dry and crumbly - so dry that they were only fit to eat mashed with butter. Has anyone had a similar experience and, if so, do you know why this happens? We had a prolonged dry spell when the tubers were forming, and I am wondering if I failed to water them sufficiently..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2011-06-13T14:05:25.773" LastActivityDate="2011-08-04T09:32:26.430" Title="Why would healthy potatoes come out tasting dry and crumbly?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="427" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="399" CreationDate="2011-06-12T20:31:26.113" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have tried many different things succesfully. Try putting a container dug into the soil. Fill this with beer and the snails will go to the beer and they will drown. This also works for slugs. Another way is to sprinkle ashes from the fireplace or campfire around your plants. The ashes will kill the snail. Salt is another way to kill them. Sprinkle on the outside of the garden and it will do the same thing as the ashes. Where we garden in Jamaica the snails will go up into the trees at night so we cover the ground around the tree with ashes and soon we did not see any snails in the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T20:31:26.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="428" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="445" CreationDate="2011-06-12T21:24:58.647" Score="23" ViewCount="3674" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had my soil tested last fall. As part of the submission I checked the box that said I use manure as a soil amendment / fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the results from the lab, they included a note that said that manure is a good source of many necessary nutrients, but it is not a good idea to rely on it as the sole source of nutrients over the long term.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately they didn't say &lt;em&gt;why&lt;/em&gt;. What's wrong with adding a bit of manure to my garden every year? (I have vast amounts of horse manure at my disposal.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-09-02T23:09:19.297" Title="Why is it a problem to use manure as a fertilizing amendment over the long term?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;manure&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="429" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="412" CreationDate="2011-06-12T22:41:23.087" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are some notes on hugelkultur that mention woods you may want to avoid:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/&quot;&gt;at richsoil.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.appropedia.org/Hugelkultur#Woods_containing_natural_toxins&quot;&gt;at appropedia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Woods to avoid or at least be aware of, see above for details:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cedar&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;camphor wood&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;black locust&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;black cherry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;black walnut&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pine&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fir&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is some question about whether the toxins in the wood will break down and if so how long it takes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't seen yew specifically mentioned, but &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/edible-gardening/195961-yew-tree-toxicity-question.html&quot;&gt;this thread&lt;/a&gt; raises similar concerns to yours. The bottom answer addresses this problem credibly, discussing the primary toxin taxane, and that it's unlikely to cause problems for plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might experiment with your yew trimmings and see how it goes. I'd love to see an update here in a year's time...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-12T22:41:23.087" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="430" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="510" CreationDate="2011-06-12T23:32:13.060" Score="13" ViewCount="6100" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I planted 3 flowering pear trees. For those who have never heard of the tree (or do not grow these trees) they look like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XPJtw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For 2 out of the 3 trees it was very simple to plant the tree as the soil was very good and to this day both are living very well and growing very well.  The third one I planted was very difficult to plant; not only was there a LOT of clay but there was a TON of poured cement / crushed concrete.  It appears (since this was a newly built house) that the builder just dumped either crushed concrete or concrete itself in this one area and covered it up with some dirt / clay / soil.  I tried as best I could to dig a hole and was so tired in doing so I finally got enough dug to place the tree in the hole.  This tree was always much weaker then the other two trees and eventually this year died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So because of the design of these three trees this is the first one in a row that has died.  So just taking it out and growing grass would look really odd as I am missing the first out of three trees.  So I have to replant one...so I dug this one out and have been using a huge pick to pick as much concrete out of this hole but it appears I am surronded by this crushed concrete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I guess my question is how far deep or along the sides do I need to keep digging in order to plant this tree correctly? I do not want to end up with the same mistake the first time of my tree dying again.  Is there some sort of limit in depth or width I need to go before I can say stop then plant the tree and surround it with good dirt?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With this in mind besides top soil should I add some peat moss / wood chips to enrich the health and promote growth on this tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastEditorUserId="146" LastEditDate="2011-12-06T19:44:49.403" LastActivityDate="2016-11-22T18:50:35.840" Title="How deep to dig for a new flowering pear tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="431" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="407" CreationDate="2011-06-12T23:43:03.153" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on your location you will want to prune any time from January to March (or June to August in the southern hemisphere).  If you are in Florida a good time to prune is generally end of January or beginning of February.&#xA;Look for any dead branches and get rid of these first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will then want to trim branches that are towards the middle of the tree, that way you allow for more sunlight and the flow of air, this all promotes healthy growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not prune branches that are healthy, there is no reason to do that.  You will want to prune only if the branch is dead, it takes away sunlight from the lemon tree, or it forces the tree to grow in an awkward position.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvqHnthlwMY&quot;&gt;youtube video on it&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-30T12:08:01.223" LastActivityDate="2011-07-30T12:08:01.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="432" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="408" CreationDate="2011-06-13T01:36:28.423" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending where you Are from you can prune in early spring before any new leaves or flowers come out.  If you are in a very warm climate you can also prune after all of the fruit is taken in late fall.  Prune or cut at an angle to avoid damaging the tree and prune any dead branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T01:36:28.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="433" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="428" CreationDate="2011-06-13T01:50:38.313" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe the lab folks mean to say that you shouldn't only depend on manure, there are other alternatives.  I do not believe they meant it as being harmful to your garden.  In fact, it is very normal to use as an a fertilizing agent to a garden, there are tons of nutrients that garden plants benefit from manure.  I would say as long as it isn't a meat eating animals manure you have nothing to worry about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T01:50:38.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="425" CreationDate="2011-06-13T02:51:58.577" Score="4" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sclerotinia sclerotiorum&lt;/em&gt; can cause stem rot on peony as well as on many different herbaceous plants found in the garden. The entire plant or portion of the plant may wilt. The infected part of the stem turns a light tan color and may become dry and stringy. Fluffy white mycelium often appears under humid conditions, thus the name, white mold. Slice the stem lengthwise to help you diagnose this disease. Various sizes of irregularly shaped, hard black sclerotia may be found inside the tan area of the stem. Sclerotia are the overwintering structures for this fungus and they can survive for many years in the soil. Remove and dispose of any infected plant parts being careful to not drop the sclerotia. Sclerotinia is a soil-inhabiting fungus that is nearly impossible to remove. Replant infested areas with nonsusceptible plants. Wider spacing to improve air circulation will minimize infection by this fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the article: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG1153.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;University of Minnesota - &quot;Diseases of Peony&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compare how your plants look to pictures of the disease, and you can judge if you believe that is what your plants are infected with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="62" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-15T02:27:02.230" LastActivityDate="2014-08-15T02:27:02.230" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="407" CreationDate="2011-06-13T04:05:29.750" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would prune the tree in early-ish spring, whenever that is in your time zone, since that gives new shoots (which you want) time to ripen in preparation for winter or hot weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As JonH said, just prune for shape and structure and health: maybe have a couple sturdy branches to establish the frame, etc. etc, have an open center, get rid of diseased branches or misplaced branches... You wouldn't want to prune too much though, as citrus doesn't respond well to too much branch loss (15-20% max).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing you could do is remove the flowers/young-fruit to encourage growth in other areas of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="111" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T04:05:29.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="436" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="404" CreationDate="2011-06-13T04:20:10.140" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The roots in the picture seem to be simply fleshy, thick, tuberous roots.&#xA;The special horizontal root a spider plant also has is called a &lt;strong&gt;rhizome&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can separate them without hurting them. Ideally such division would be done after growth stops (during dormancy) or after flowering. You want to just water well, then lift and pry the root ball apart into separate plants and trim any damaged/dead roots from the divisions, and repot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="111" LastEditorUserId="111" LastEditDate="2011-06-15T17:12:22.700" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T17:12:22.700" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="437" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="430" CreationDate="2011-06-13T04:22:21.397" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;That tree isn't going to be able to break through the concrete itself. (Maybe some trees can, but your flowering pear's probably not going to thrive.) So I'd say you need to at least give it enough room to get into some real soil. You also want to make sure it has good drainage. It sounds like what you may have had before was a concrete bowl? It's possible you were drowning the roots a bit every time it rained.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that (roughly speaking) the tree's roots are like a mirror image of the branches. So you want to know that it can spread its roots approximately how the branches are going to form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like the spot where you're trying to plant is where the concrete trucks washed out after pouring your foundation. Depending on how big your foundation is, it's possible that you've got a bit to dig through. You may also encounter other construction debris -- I've heard of builders dumping/burying some of their scrap onsite to avoid having to haul it away and pay the landfill fee.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T04:22:21.397" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="378" CreationDate="2011-06-13T04:23:33.680" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;In California, my brother threw some &lt;strong&gt;cucumber&lt;/strong&gt; seeds in the ground in April and we had nearly a cucumber every two days starting in July. They seem to grow extremely easily once established. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than cucumbers, like others, I would say tomatoes and Swiss Chard, which do decent in hot weather. I find other greens hard to grow since they bolt quickly in warm springtimes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="111" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T04:23:33.680" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-06-24T20:07:46.060" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="439" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="367" CreationDate="2011-06-13T08:57:24.017" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nothing stops mosquitoes. I tried many plants including carnivorous plants, but carnivorous plants actually attract bugs and eat them, and they need a humid environment to grow, which gives a good place for mosquitoes (more food indeed).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The first thing you can do is to check your surroundings for standing water and eliminate them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The next thing you should do is to use a mosquito net to prevent mosquitoes biting you when you are sleep.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Finally, buy an electrical mosquito swatter and have fun!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S0BIOm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-12T14:30:57.710" LastActivityDate="2011-09-12T14:30:57.710" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="440" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="384" CreationDate="2011-06-13T11:44:14.170" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check out the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Backyard Aquaponics Forum&lt;/a&gt; - it's not exactly hydroponics but it is a great resource and a lot of the principles carry over. The DIY section is awesome there and the community is great too!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-09-09T09:12:22.223" LastActivityDate="2011-09-09T09:12:22.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="441" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="390" CreationDate="2011-06-13T14:01:19.503" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Inspired by @winwaed to dig in a little more, I found an article on &lt;a href=&quot;http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;The University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Yavapai County website&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/chinesepistache.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Chinese Pistache Tree - April 14, 2004&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The article specifically compares the Chinese Pistachio with the Pistachio Nut Tree in one small section:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Chinese pistache is a close relative of the pistachio nut tree (Pistacia vera), but is much hardier. The wood is very hard and rot resistant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bit about being more rot resistant had me a little worried, but I read on:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Young Chinese pistache trees should be planted in spring or fall. They must have full sun and do best in well-drained soil. However, they tolerate a wide range of soils, some alkalinity, and can live a very long time (several centuries).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil should be allowed to dry on the surface between irrigations and never be soggy. Waterlogged soils are not suitable for Chinese pistache trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The description of the soil requirements (both like well drained soil and cannot tolerate waterlogged soil) and the fact that there are many healthy Chinese Pistachio trees in my area leads me to believe that the Pistachio Nut Tree will probably be fine in my back yard.  The trees are not readily available in my area, but I'm planning on ordering several to plant next spring.  I'll try to remember to come back and update this post in a couple of years!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Edit:&lt;/em&gt; I found more information that leads me to believe I can be successful with this.  I found a &lt;a href=&quot;http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/manuscripts/TX303/0/Lubbock.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;USDA soil survey of Lubbock County (PDF)&lt;/a&gt; where I live.  It describes the soil where I live as follows:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This soil is well drained. Surface runoff is slow, Permeability is moderate, and available water capadty is high. The soil has good tUth and can be worked throughout a wide range of moisture content. The root zone is deep and is easily penetrated by plant roots. The hazards of water erosion and soil blowing are slight&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The surface layer is friable, mildly alkaline, reddish brown fine sandy loam about 14 inches thick. From 14 to 46 inches is fria- ble, reddish brown sandy clay loam that is mildly alkaline in the upper 10 inches and moderately alkaline in the lower 22 inches. From 46 to 60 inches is friable, moderately alkaline, pink sandy clay loam that is about 30&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What this means is that I was working with a mistaken assumption that the soil was clay based on the level of compaction that I encountered when digging past the surface layer.  The soil is actually more sandy, which should be ideal for the Pistachio Nut Tree!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T16:34:24.653" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="442" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="444" CreationDate="2011-06-13T14:08:36.813" Score="10" ViewCount="2043" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple 3 foot tall ficus trees which have some thin aerial roots descending from the branches.  I keep both indoors, and they do not get a lot of sunlight.  However, when I purchased them 2 months ago, they already had these aerial roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would trimming the aerial roots have any major impact on the health of the tree?  If so, are there things I can do to offset these effects?  I have seen some trees that never seem to grow these types of roots, is this species dependent or environmentally determined?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T14:51:45.690" LastActivityDate="2012-02-17T14:51:45.690" Title="Should the aerial roots be trimmed on my ficus tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="443" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="428" CreationDate="2011-06-13T14:15:38.920" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;In looking around to respond to comments, I found that some manure sources have &lt;a href=&quot;http://ag.arizona.edu/animalwaste/farmasyst/awfact8.html#salt&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;harmful levels of salt&lt;/a&gt;. Since mine is homegrown vs from a CAFO, it's well-rotted, and I've got good water penetration, I don't think it's an issue. But for people buying bagged manure that may originate at CAFOs, it's worth keeping in mind and following guidelines from the article above:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Use well-aged manures rather than fresh manures taken directly from feedlots;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Apply up to 5 tons per acre of dry matter per year or 10 tons per acre every other year;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Use supplemental nitrogen fertilizers only as required based on tissue tests, plant performance and previous experience;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Plow or rototill manure into the soil, irrigate and wait at least 30 days before planting;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Do not apply manure where water penetration is poor; and&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Monitor soil salinity and sodium levels by periodic soil tests. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(5 tons per acre works out to about 200 pounds per 1000 square feet.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;: I just saw &lt;a href=&quot;http://agebb.missouri.edu/mac/links/linkview3.asp?catnum=602&amp;amp;linknum=4389&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article about manure applications on pastures&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;However, if manure is applied to the same pastures over many years, phosphorus can build up. Excessive phosphorus levels in soils and the threat of phosphorus-saturated soils leaching soluble phosphorus are serious concerns in some parts of the country.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-09-02T23:09:19.297" LastActivityDate="2012-09-02T23:09:19.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="444" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="442" CreationDate="2011-06-13T15:02:01.783" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its very normal to have these aerial roots and trimming them should &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; affect the tree in any way.  There are hundreds of different types of ficus trees this could be one of the reasons why you have not seen these types of roots in the past.  It all depends on the type of ficus tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way those are some nice trees congrats!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also found a HowTo on maintaining ficus trees: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_5457069_clean-ficus-tree.html&quot;&gt;http://www.ehow.com/how_5457069_clean-ficus-tree.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The article mentions that you can remove unwanted aerial roots or dead branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T15:02:01.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="445" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="428" CreationDate="2011-06-13T15:34:05.587" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are misinterpreting what the lab was telling you.  They are not telling you that it is bad or harmful to use manure over a long period of time.  They are telling you that it is bad to use manure as the &lt;em&gt;only&lt;/em&gt; thing you add to your garden.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Think of soil building as composting (because that's what it is).  You want to maintain the same sort of C:N ratio as you do when composting.  When you rely on manure as your only additive, you're unbalancing your soil.  You're adding way too much nitrogen.  It will have a similar effect to spraying a ton of NPK fertilizer.  It will burn out the soil life and eventually make your soil less fertile.  You can add manure to your garden every year, but you need to be adding carbon as well to off set all that nitrogen you're adding.  You should be adding lots of mulch (hay, wood chips) and compost in addition to the manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, manure is a good source of &lt;em&gt;many&lt;/em&gt; nutrients.  But it is by no means the source of all the nutrients your garden needs.  Soil needs a hell of a lot more than just NPK and Mg/Ca to be healthy.  In fact, we don't fully understand all the chemical reactions going on down there, let alone have the ability to optimize them.  Your best bet is to -- as previously mentioned -- add manure and then add carbon.  Compost any extra green matter on your land and add it back in.  Plant nutrient accumulators and then use them for mulch.  Also you can add other soil additives (like green sand, or kelp) to add various trace elements and nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Summary: There is nothing wrong with adding manure every year.  But you should be mulching/composting on top of the manure to add carbon. You should also add other soil amendments to add what manure lacks.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="124" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-15T13:44:21.150" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T13:44:21.150" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="426" CreationDate="2011-06-13T15:49:04.493" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the texture is as you have described, crumbly, this generally points to the amount of water given to these plants.  It means there was definitely a lack of water, potatoes tend to really hate dry spells, so you must water them well during droughts!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-13T16:40:48.257" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T16:40:48.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="447" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="183" CreationDate="2011-06-13T16:32:02.667" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best type of manure for lightening clayey soils is &lt;strong&gt;stable&lt;/strong&gt; (not farmyard) manure. Make sure you stack it under cover for several month before using it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T16:32:02.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="448" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="322" CreationDate="2011-06-13T17:19:49.977" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;it really looks like that tree is sufferring from too much water.&#xA;I'm not sure where you are from but did you get a lot of rainfall this year?&#xA;If so this can definately be the cause of all this sap, that much is definately not normal.&#xA;Ensure that you are not providing additional water and that there is adequate drainage for this tree other wise you will notice the branches begin to die out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also depends on where the sap is coming from, I cant really tell from the picture, it looks like you cut out a huge branch?  Do you have holes in the actual tree from say woodpeckers?&#xA;More details would help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T17:19:49.977" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="449" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="420" CreationDate="2011-06-13T17:25:00.633" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There isn't a set timeframe, but for strawberries and raspberries, you can usually get a good 3 seasons out of these fruits before it is time to replace.  So I usually stick with 3-4 years, and you will definately notice it as the yield of fruit decreases as time goes on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T17:25:00.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="450" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="338" CreationDate="2011-06-13T17:33:34.733" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would stay away from fertilizing, olive trees usually should be left alone, they especially do not need any nitrogen.  One thing I would try is olive trees usually need a kick in the butt, what I mean by that is allow the olive tree to actually sit in a cool type of weather.  Usually let it sit out around 50s all the way upto 60s.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are probably getting nice green leaves with no flowers whatsoever.  That is generally the case if you are putting it out in temperatures higher then 65.  Try it out you will notice it flower due to these conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T17:33:34.733" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="451" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="454" CreationDate="2011-06-13T17:42:10.620" Score="16" ViewCount="49789" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been growing pepper and chili plants in a greenhouse on my balcony since March and they have been growing strong. However, I started a new job last week and have not had the time to tend to them. Now the leaves have curled lengthwise, some have turned yellow and some have grown a green moss on the soil. The soil near the plants is quite dry. Only the lower leaves are turning yellow on one plant. I have pruned some stems and found no discolouration within the stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since starting the new job, I haven't watered or fed them, but the greenhouse has a fairly damp environment, with the walls and roof covered in drops of water. I've watered them with a little liquid food and left them out of the greenhouse in sun and light wind for 12 hours now and most of the leaves are starting to perk up. The yellow leaves on one plant have fallen but the upper leaves on the same plant have perked up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas what might have happened to them?  Could it just have been lack of food and water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="163" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-15T00:11:03.100" LastActivityDate="2021-05-19T22:15:32.370" Title="Why did my pepper plants suddenly shrivel?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="451" CreationDate="2011-06-13T17:54:14.763" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be Verticillium dahliae note below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Verticillium dahliae can infect pepper&#xA;  plants at any growth stage. Symptoms&#xA;  include yellowing and drooping of&#xA;  leaves on a few branches or on the&#xA;  entire plant. The edges of the leaves&#xA;  roll inward on infected plants, and&#xA;  foliar wilting ensues. The foliage of&#xA;  severely infected plants turns brown&#xA;  and dry. Growth of pepper plants&#xA;  inoculated with aggressive strains of&#xA;  V. dahliae in greenhouse or of pepper&#xA;  plants infected early in the season&#xA;  under field conditions is severely&#xA;  stunted with small leaves that turn&#xA;  yellow-green. Subsequently, the dried&#xA;  leaves and shriveled fruits remain&#xA;  attached to plants that die. Brown&#xA;  discoloration of the vascular tissue&#xA;  is visible when the roots and lower&#xA;  stem of a wilted plant are cut&#xA;  longitudinally. Another important&#xA;  soilborne disease of pepper in&#xA;  California, Phytophthora root rot,&#xA;  causes similar foliar symptoms;&#xA;  however, Phytophthora root rot causes&#xA;  extensive browning and rotting of the&#xA;  root cortex, while the roots of V.&#xA;  dahliae-infected pepper plants show no&#xA;  external discoloration or decay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read more: &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_causes_green_pepper_plant_leaves_to_shrivel_or_curl_up#ixzz1PBCHVkbL&quot;&gt;http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_causes_green_pepper_plant_leaves_to_shrivel_or_curl_up#ixzz1PBCHVkbL&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other thing you can check is if there are any type of whiteflies near your plants.  These flies damage leaves causing them to shrivel and eventually fall out.  To get back some color you could try applying nitrogen fertilizer, that should restore the plants green color and stimulate growth.  You can also use a garden fertilizer, but that is to be used when you initially garden the plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get in the habit of making time to care for these plants, as they are living creatures as well.  Clean up the dead leaves, give them a fertilizer, make sure they have a good temperature and water them consistently to see better results.  You cannot just abandon these plants and wonder why this is happening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-13T18:44:47.700" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T18:44:47.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="453" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="456" CreationDate="2011-06-13T17:58:46.140" Score="28" ViewCount="1025" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the last couple of years, I've been nursing along a sort of kitchen window herb garden consisting of cilantro, parsley, basil and chives.  What I've done is bought live herb plants at our local grocery store and re-potted them in individual pots to make it easier to move around and so on.  The window is west-facing and gets very good light in the afternoon and our kitchen is obviously warm and relatively humid.  It seemed to me an ideal location for herbs, but except for the chives have not really prospered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But recently, aphids attacked my basil, which I moved to the front porch on the east side of the house.  After that, the aphids attacked the parsley and the cilantro, which tells me that: a) the source of the aphids is somewhere close to the kitchen window, and b) aphids prefer basil over cilantro and parsley.  The chives are growing like champions and seem to resist the aphid onslaught.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More importantly, the herbs I moved outside look better and healthier than they have in months.  In particular, the basil has suddenly burst forth in leaf and I could imagine myself harvesting some without stripping it bare.  It's a bit of a mystery to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that I'd rather have herbs growing in the kitchen where they might get used than on the porch, what could I do to improve the growing conditions inside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; Based on winwead's &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/453/how-do-i-help-my-kitchen-window-herb-garden-thrive/456#456&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt;, I observed the approximate time that direct sun ended in the kitchen and yesterday it was sometime before 6pm.  Since full sun could not start before 1pm, that window has less than 5 hours of direct sun.  (It's counter-intuitive since the kitchen seems so bright all day long.  Most of that light, however, is indirect and reflected from the light stucco on the building across the alley.)  Sun starts on the porch around 8am and gets good direct light until at least 1pm, if not longer.  So that's a solid 5+ hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lesson for me: it's better to measure than to guess.  Also, I need to search for herbs and plants that thrive in less direct sun for my kitchen window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-01-07T15:16:49.477" Title="How do I help my kitchen window herb garden thrive?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="451" CreationDate="2011-06-13T18:01:33.360" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Too much moisture is not a problem I have and I've never seen moss growing around my peppers. I have the opposite problem!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I looked in &quot;The Edible Pepper Garden&quot; by Rosalind Creasy, which is the better of the two pepper books I have. As well as appendices of problems, it has a reasonable cooking section and a thorough overview of varieties (including unusual species cultivars).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, there are a number of damp related pathogens she describes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Verticillium Wilt&lt;/strong&gt; Seems to be the most likely. Two fungi species infect peppers. Cool, moist weather during growing season. Sudden wilting of one part or all of the plant. Leaves dropping. Eventual death. Tomatoes and eggplants also affected. A cut stem will show vascular discoloring. No cure. No resistant varieties. Soil solarization may help (plastic mulch that uses heat to kill pests). Or grow in soil that has not seen &lt;em&gt;Solanacaea&lt;/em&gt; before, or sterile soil. Discard plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Phytophthora Blight&lt;/strong&gt; Also known as chili wilt. Can cause fruit rot, root rot, leaf blight. Loves high humidity and excessively wet soil. All or part of the plant suddenly dies. No cure for root rot. Solution: good soil drainage and do not overwater. Remove and destroy infected plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fusarium Wilt&lt;/strong&gt; Soil born fungus. More prevalent in warmer parts of the US.Poorly drained soil. Overall wilting, leaves turn yellow from the base of the plant upwards. Remove plants and destroy. Do not replant peppers in the same soil for many years or try soil solarization.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Damping Off&lt;/strong&gt; Affects seedlings. Fungus on seeds just as they come out (okay I have seen this)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few others which don't seem to match (eg. bacterial wilt - warm areas only). Nutritional deficiencies seem to be limited to pod drop/wilt. Similarly Tobacco Mosaic (TMV) doesn't match your described symptoms.&#xA;She lists a lot of insect types that can cause problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-13T18:20:46.867" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T18:20:46.867" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="369" CreationDate="2011-06-13T18:02:37.180" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had it be that case that all of my radishes failed to plump and that was because I failed to properly cultivate my soil and left them to grow between craggy, rocky, ugly soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So... As Shanna says, perhaps there's nothing you can do to make them all plump up.  But there is plenty you can do to screw them all up so be vigilant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T18:02:37.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="456" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="453" CreationDate="2011-06-13T18:19:13.217" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are probably getting more light outside. That Sun does wonders! Is it possible to arrange them so they get more sun in the window, or a different window?  If they grow better in the porch than the kitchen, then I think I would put them in the porch. It could be worse: You don't need to put your wellies on to go and pick some herbs!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the aphids, they were probably on the other herbs when you moved the basil, and they weren't noticed. Once one plant has them inside, they seem to spread quickly. So I would treat the plants. Some recommend soap solutions. I use pyretheum which is effective and is meant to be safe for food and delicate plants (made from chrysanthenum extract). You still want to wash the herbs before use, of course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T18:19:13.217" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="457" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="460" CreationDate="2011-06-13T18:23:34.760" Score="11" ViewCount="2454" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 4 small chili plants (sorry not sure what variety they are), they have 3 sets of leaves. I re-potted them from a seed tray about 2 weeks ago. I'm a bit concerned the plant pot is too big? When growing from seeds how many times should I re-pot and into what sizes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0sLWk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;small chili plants growing in a pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:01:08.807" LastActivityDate="2016-02-06T12:24:52.460" Title="What size of plant pot should I be using for young chili plants?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="458" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="420" CreationDate="2011-06-13T18:25:42.890" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Raspberries can grow productively longer, to around 10 years, as long as you rejuvenate/prune the fruiting canes properly. Strawberries, like JonH said, get around 3 productive years of fruit-bearing before they succumb to disease and age, giving it a lifespan of 4 years or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="111" LastEditorUserId="111" LastEditDate="2015-01-15T19:09:21.497" LastActivityDate="2015-01-15T19:09:21.497" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="459" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-13T18:38:43.807" Score="11" ViewCount="719" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this neglected rose bush in my garden. It seems too long and spindly? How and when should I prune it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X16QF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T18:52:31.160" Title="How to prune roses with tall branches?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="460" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="457" CreationDate="2011-06-13T18:46:49.177" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;That would be the smallest pot I would use for those plants. I only re-pot once (from the seed tray). Of course re-potting disturbs them and sets them back a bit. Also the roots can get tangled (hence the disturbance).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over the last 2-3 years, I've come to the realization that peppers do much better in raised beds or normal beds, rather than pots. I have had reasonable size adult plants in pots that size or larger (pepperocini come to mind, although this year's are slow growing), but they tend to be the exception.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ornamental peppers seem to do fine in pots as well, but ornamentals are generally smaller plants to start with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course pots might be the only option, in which case I think you have to live with smaller plants and less fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T18:46:49.177" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="461" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="459" CreationDate="2011-06-13T18:52:31.160" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pruning for this rose bush should be done in early spring or late fall.  Roses seem to respond well to pruning so either would work.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prune at an angle and follow each rose down to the base of the long stem. Cut about 1/4 inch away from the main trunk. Be mindful of any new budding stems, if the stem looks like it is budding its best to skip that stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T18:52:31.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="462" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="488" CreationDate="2011-06-13T21:22:43.997" Score="9" ViewCount="6013" Body="&lt;p&gt;I still have lots of empty patches in my garden/backyard that will eventually be covered by plants. But in the meantime, to keep weeds under control, I'm planning on mulching the entire yard. I also don't have a drip system (yes, I water all my plants/trees manually) yet and have plans to get one in a few months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: should I wait to install the drip system and pipings first before mulching or is it possible to do it afterwards too?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-08T05:17:12.790" LastActivityDate="2017-09-14T01:41:38.730" Title="Is it better to lay out a drip system before mulching the yard?" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="463" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-13T22:26:26.303" Score="13" ViewCount="1553" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbors have a great tall Ailanthus (Tree of Heaven).  Apparently, before I moved into my house, so did our yard.  We now have an enormous stump and a bazillion new shoots that come up from hidden roots all over the back portion of our yard.  I call it my &quot;weed tree&quot;, because no matter how often I try to pull out new branches, next week I'll find six new three foot high trees popped up.  I don't think I can remove the stump without machinery, and I'm not even sure what machinery to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Making matters worse, it's on a hill-side which is steep enough to make my working on it a pain in the neck, and potentially dangerous.  Eventually I plan to terrace and cultivate this hill, but that won't be possible as long as the Ailanthus is still there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I just give up and hire a landscaper to rip up the stump and the entire portion of the yard that's apparently a dense network of Ailanthus roots?  Presumably that would make the terrace work easier for me as well.  Or is there some (cheaper) way to prevent it from growing?  Although my garden and yard care is entirely organic, I might be open to a chemical warfare approach &lt;em&gt;only if&lt;/em&gt; it could be targeted to just the weed tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="144" LastEditorUserId="144" LastEditDate="2011-06-13T22:31:28.267" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T17:52:21.867" Title="How to deal with invasive Ailanthus (Tree of Heaven)" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="463" CreationDate="2011-06-13T23:48:17.013" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would suggest sheet mulching, but it sounds like this tree is too aggressive for it.  The wiki article says the roots can damage sewer and drainage pipes.  Yikes!  It does say that it doesn't tolerate shade well. So one thing you could try is a very thick sheet mulch -- like several layers of thick over lapping cardboard -- on top of which you could plant a temporary layer of fast, densely growing plants that will produce heavy shade over the top of the mulch.  Assuming you can get a hold of that much cardboard/hay/organic matter and that it doesn't all just slide away down the hill it might work.  But it's probably a long shot and that's a fair bit of work.  Upshot, no chemicals and improved soil as a bonus ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="124" LastActivityDate="2011-06-13T23:48:17.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="465" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-13T23:49:09.947" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Common name for &lt;em&gt;Capsicum&lt;/em&gt; plants of the &lt;em&gt;Solanaceae&lt;/em&gt; (nightshade) family, grown for their fruit. As with tomatoes (also &lt;em&gt;Solanaceae&lt;/em&gt;) the fruit pods are usually classed and cooked as &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vegetables&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;vegetables&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vegetables&lt;/a&gt;, although they are technically &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chilies are noted for their capsaicin content (an oil which gives the sensation of burning although it does not produce a chemical burn), and many gardeners and cooks use chili peppers solely for their capsaicin. However, this is a diverse group with well over a hundred &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cultivar&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cultivar&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cultivar&lt;/a&gt;s producing a range of flavors that also include sweet (no capsaicin) peppers such as bell peppers, and mild/moderate chili peppers (e.g. Anaheims).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T12:43:17.573" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T12:43:17.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="466" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-13T23:49:09.947" Score="0" Body="Common name for Capsicum plants of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family, grown for their often hot fruit. Use this tag with questions about caring, propagating and identifying chili varieties. " OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T12:43:29.797" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T12:43:29.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="467" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-13T23:54:28.493" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Vegetables are &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/edible&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;edible&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;edible&lt;/a&gt; plants. Technically they exclude actual &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt;, although many so-called vegetables (e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/chili&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;chili&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;chili&lt;/a&gt; peppers, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tomatoes&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tomatoes&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tomatoes&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pumpkins&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pumpkins&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pumpkins&lt;/a&gt;) are the fruit of the plant in question. Questions about anything typically grown in a vegetable garden are on-topic for this tag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For questions about a particular vegetable, use &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vegetables&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;vegetables&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vegetables&lt;/a&gt; in combination with a tag for the specific vegetable you're asking about (e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/corn&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;corn&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;corn&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tomato&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tomato&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tomato&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're having a problem with a vegetable (leaves turning yellow, plants die, etc), use &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/diagnosis&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;diagnosis&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;diagnosis&lt;/a&gt; in addition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tag can also be used for general questions about vegetable gardening (getting started, mulching, fertilizing, watering, etc), so please add the appropriate tags for these questions too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T14:46:44.830" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T14:46:44.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="468" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-13T23:54:28.493" Score="0" Body="Any edible plant or part of a plant. For questions if an unknown plant is edible use the [edible] tag." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T14:46:41.833" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T14:46:41.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="469" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-13T23:57:36.183" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Houseplants are plants which are growing indoors in pots. They can help to make a room more pleasant, as well as freshen the air by producing oxygen and even to some extent help &amp;quot;clean&amp;quot; the air. Although these effects have been confirmed only in laboratory environment: &amp;quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/11/houseplants-dont-purify-indoor-air/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Which houseplants should you buy to purify air? None of them&lt;/a&gt;&amp;quot;&lt;sup&gt;&lt;strong&gt;[&lt;strong&gt;1&lt;/strong&gt;]&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;. As well as growing them for decoration, &amp;quot;house plants&amp;quot; could include &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/herbs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;herbs&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;herbs&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt; (e.g. dwarf citrus), and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vegetables&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;vegetables&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vegetables&lt;/a&gt; which are also grown for consumption.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Indoor environments are often very different to outdoor environments in most parts of the world, so the range of practical houseplants are often very different to typical regional outdoor plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;[&lt;strong&gt;1&lt;/strong&gt;]&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nationalgeographic.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;www.nationalgeographic.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T14:46:54.267" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T14:46:54.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="470" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-13T23:57:36.183" Score="0" Body="Plants grown indoors. Use this tag with questions about houseplants in general. Please narrow down the scope of the question by using the appropriate genus or common name tags when asking about specific plants." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-02T18:38:30.017" LastActivityDate="2021-02-02T18:38:30.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="471" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-13T23:59:01.473" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tag for questions asking how to look after trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-14T01:15:33.070" LastActivityDate="2011-06-14T01:15:33.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="472" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-13T23:59:01.473" Score="0" Body="Tag for questions asking how to look after trees.&#xD;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-14T01:15:35.333" LastActivityDate="2011-06-14T01:15:35.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="473" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="530" CreationDate="2011-06-14T00:19:45.133" Score="13" ViewCount="14740" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have mature hedging all round my garden, the hedging consisting of dozens of different plant species, but mostly blackthorn, holly, laurel (I think) and box (?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Annually the foot of the hedge gets into a royal mess of nettles and brambles and some other tedious weeds. In previous years I've tried hand weeding but it's not all that successful. In the densest parts of the hedge the weeds can at best be decapitated (can't reach the roots), which is next to useless. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to tackle the weeds more aggressively. I'd like to blitz the foot of the hedge with weedkiller but obviously I don't want to harm the hedge. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If recommending actual brands, UK brands please. I have in mind something like the broad-leaf herbicide which I currently use on pasture. Kills docks, nettles etc and leaves grass alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T20:26:16.583" Title="Is there a weedkiller I can use at the foot of hedges?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="474" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="475" CreationDate="2011-06-14T01:34:37.940" Score="22" ViewCount="3534" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tend to have a lot of corrugated cardboard boxes laying around, due to getting various things shipped to my house.  I have heard of using cardboard for a mulching material, but I'm not sure exactly how to do it (maybe I'm overthinking things).   Ignoring the option of shredding and composting it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I shred it and treat it like I would straw mulch?&#xA;Should I rip it into sheets and just lay it down flat on the ground between rows?&#xA;Should it be covered with anything, or can it just sit out?&#xA;Is there some other method that I haven't thought of?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-06T19:05:18.017" LastActivityDate="2016-10-07T18:02:28.290" Title="How should I use corrugated cardboard for mulch?" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="475" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="474" CreationDate="2011-06-14T01:46:27.190" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are trying to simply keep the weeds down, then I think some people do just lay it down flat. You will need stakes (eg. Bent metal pins) to keep them down and stop them blowing around. You could also cover the sheets with something more pleasing - wood chip mulch. The card would act as a barrier against weeds, and the whole lot will eventually break down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shredding would aid break down and composting. This is what I would do if I was putting the card in a compost bin/barrel (I put a lot of shredded paper in our barrel). it could also go in the bottom of a trench or pit, to aid water retention (actually this is what I'd do - early spring, till my raised beds and put the card in as low down as I can).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When composting paper and card, be sure to remove all the tape and any attached bits of plastic. Shouldn't be a problem with card boxes, but be wary of glossy inks - these can contain oils and metal-based dyes which might be problem (this problem is diminishing as more and more glossy papers and magazines switch to soya based inks).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-01-17T20:36:05.927" LastActivityDate="2012-01-17T20:36:05.927" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="476" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="645" CreationDate="2011-06-14T01:49:57.330" Score="22" ViewCount="5565" Body="&lt;p&gt;The soil sample I took last fall from my vegetable garden came back from the lab with this result:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&#xA;                                                Optimum Range&#xA;Calcium, Mehlich 3 (Ca)     2063     (ppm)  H   800 - 1200   &#xA;Magnesium, Mehlich 3 (Mg)   416      (ppm)  H   60 - 120     &#xA;Potassium, Mehlich 3 (K)    573      (ppm)  VH  170 - 280    &#xA;Phosphorus, Mehlich 3 (P)   248      (ppm)  VH  30 - 50      &#xA;&#xA;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where &quot;VH&quot; means &quot;very high&quot; and H means &quot;high&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fortunately the pH is 6.5, which is about where I want it. However, all the lime and manure I've added over the past few years has kind of thrown things out of whack...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/quickref/fertilizer/nutri_def.html&quot;&gt;According to this handy chart&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Too much potassium &quot;Causes N[itrogen] deficiency in plant and may affect the uptake of other positive ions such as Mg and Ca&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Excess phosphorus &quot;shows up as micronutrient deficiency of Zn, Fe, or Co&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously, I don't need to add fertilizer except for nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this something I should try to balance out? How?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-11-22T06:11:47.227" LastActivityDate="2014-02-23T03:53:58.713" Title="How can I correct a nutrient excess in soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="477" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="479" CreationDate="2011-06-14T01:59:20.803" Score="25" ViewCount="1004" Body="&lt;p&gt;During summer my compost bin dries out considerably and slows down. We have hot dry summers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do to keep the compost moist? Should I add water or will this rinse nutrients away?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2020-04-25T13:51:41.457" Title="How can I keep my compost wet?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="478" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="487" CreationDate="2011-06-14T02:06:16.853" Score="12" ViewCount="1650" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard it mentioned before that Japanese people use chicken manure in their bonsai soil mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a good idea? If so, what quantities should I be mixing in to the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="62" LastEditDate="2011-06-14T19:38:42.007" LastActivityDate="2011-10-14T16:19:57.543" Title="Should I mix chicken manure in with my bonsai soil mix?" Tags="&lt;manure&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="479" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="477" CreationDate="2011-06-14T02:16:56.303" Score="20" Body="&lt;p&gt;To retain moisture, you can cover your compost bin with a tarp, an old carpet, or something similar. This will keep the moisture from getting baked out by the sun. If you get a lot of wind, a (partially) enclosed bin can help keep the wind from sucking moisture out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can safely add quite a bit of water to dry compost before any nutrients will rinse away. A handful of compost should be about the consistency of a damp sponge. What I do is add water when I turn the pile: I turn the hose on a little bit, set it in the spot where the pile is going to be, and start shoveling material onto it. After a couple of inches of depth, I raise the hose, so the water trickles into the center of the pile. Then shovel some more, repeatedly lifting the hose every couple inches of depth. This way, the whole height of the pile gets some moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it has been hot, and we haven't had any rain, I'll also dump waste water onto the pile. (E.g. soiled water from animal buckets.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or you can just wait. If your pile is slow and you're not in a hurry, it's not going to hurt anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-14T02:16:56.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="481" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-14T03:21:04.560" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habanero_chili&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Habaneros&lt;/a&gt; are the hottest chili peppers that are readily available from grocers and garden centers, although there are hotter peppers available from specialist nurseries (e.g. the Indian 'naga' types).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are cultivars of &lt;em&gt;Capsicum chinensis&lt;/em&gt; - different to most chili peppers which are &lt;em&gt;C. annuum&lt;/em&gt;. They also have a distinctive rounded pod shape. Although the term is often used for all cultivars of &lt;em&gt;C. chinensis&lt;/em&gt; many authors distinguish between Habaneros and Scotch Bonnet due to their different shapes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use the tag &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/habaneros&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;habaneros&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;habaneros&lt;/a&gt; for questions specific to this plant, along with &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/chili&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;chili&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;chili&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/peppers&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;peppers&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;peppers&lt;/a&gt;. Use &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/diagnosis&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;diagnosis&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;diagnosis&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/plant-health&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;plant-health&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;plant-health&lt;/a&gt; for questions on diseases and causes of symptoms which affect the health of the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Habanero_chile_-_flower_with_fruit_(aka).jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m45Lrm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;Source: Wikimedia Commons&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-14T19:19:03.033" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T19:19:03.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="482" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-14T03:21:04.560" Score="0" Body="Common name for cultivars of Capsicum chinensis, a very hot chili pepper, family Solanaceae." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T03:01:31.813" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T03:01:31.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="483" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="496" CreationDate="2011-06-14T08:46:06.373" Score="33" ViewCount="35742" Body="&lt;p&gt;I came across a very beautiful aloe in a shop a few days ago, which I would like to plant in my office next to my computer. However, there is no natural light (sunlight) and only fluorescent light, which hangs 2 m (6 ft) above the table, is available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can aloe grow healthily in such conditions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The aloe is a small one, with an 8 cm diameter (~4 inches) pot &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-03T17:41:38.750" LastActivityDate="2018-02-03T17:41:38.750" Title="Can aloe be grown indoors, in an office with artificial light only?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="484" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="425" CreationDate="2011-06-14T09:13:37.883" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without a visual, I think it sounds like powdery mildew, which is a fungus that is encouraged by dry, perhaps shaded, conditions and lack of air movement.  Depending on the host plant, leaving the infection untreated can lead to leaf loss and weakening of the plant.  To control it organically, prune out infected tissue, being sure not to shake it around as this can spread the fungal spores, and dispose of the prunings by burning them or putting them out with the rubbish rather than adding them to your compost.  If you want to treat it with fungicide, check with your local garden centre to see what's available, or investigate online.  To prevent it in the future, ensure that your peonies are well-watered and mulched, and improve air circulation around them, if necessary.  Perhaps they need dividing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-14T09:13:37.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="485" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="714" CreationDate="2011-06-14T11:46:34.053" Score="16" ViewCount="1175" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a section of my garden three-sisters style this year: corn, squash/pumpkin, and pole beans (for dry harvest).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also have a 25' row of &quot;Mammoth Gray Stripe&quot; sunflowers (9-12 footers) in the back of the garden where I've planted beans among the sunflowers. I had to &lt;em&gt;saw&lt;/em&gt; down a similar variety of sunflower last fall, so I'm pretty sure these are going to be sturdy enough to carry a heavy load.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I started the corn and sunflowers first, thinking that they'd get a head start before the beans start to climb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;What's the right ratio of beans to corn/sunflower? I.e. how many vines is each plant capable of supporting?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-09T08:51:35.920" LastActivityDate="2018-03-09T08:51:35.920" Title="How many bean plants will corn / sunflower support?" Tags="&lt;beans&gt;&lt;support&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;&lt;corn&gt;&lt;three-sisters&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="486" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="483" CreationDate="2011-06-14T13:50:27.843" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are dealing with a very sensitive plant.  Aloe's require a lot of sun and love hot weather.  Unless you are working outdoors in the sun you will not see this plant flourish.  I have never tried growing one indoors but what you can try is to use some cactus soil mix with very good drainage.  If you are planting a new one do not bury it too deep, the plant likes to be on the surface of a pot.  You must water very well in the beginning until it drains out of the bottom of the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But again without any sunshine it is hard to say what will happen to this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-14T13:50:27.843" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="487" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="478" CreationDate="2011-06-14T14:22:04.423" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chicken manure is an excellent resource because it contains the highest N-P-K rating amongst all other organic matter, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.  The japanese people do know what they are doing when it comes to mixing this type of manure with bonsai.  I would say only a handful of organic matter is needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-14T14:22:04.423" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="488" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="462" CreationDate="2011-06-14T14:26:53.400" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's definitely possible to do it afterwards.  Since mulch is typically pretty light-weight you can just plan on raking it to the side when you get ready to lay down your drip system.  You would only need to move the mulch in the lines where you're laying down the drip line, then rake the mulch back over it and you're in business!  I did this exact same thing in my backyard last year so I wouldn't have to keep battling the weeds between then and when I finally have time to put in irrigation and plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-08T05:18:39.217" LastActivityDate="2011-09-08T05:18:39.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="489" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="483" CreationDate="2011-06-14T14:45:45.640" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of the guys at my office have potted aloe plants. They do reasonably well and are hard to kill. They are under flourescent lighting, just like every other office building in the US (our lights are flush with the ceiling tiles, which puts them about 6f/2m above the desks). The plants get watered weekly. Office temperature is in the 70s like every other office in the US.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="47" LastEditorUserId="47" LastEditDate="2011-06-14T16:36:34.490" LastActivityDate="2011-06-14T16:36:34.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="490" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-14T15:15:52.267" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fruit trees cover a wide range of different types of &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt;, eg. &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/apples&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;apples&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;apples&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pear&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pear&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pear&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cherry&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cherry&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cherry&lt;/a&gt;, peach, and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/citrus&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;citrus&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;citrus&lt;/a&gt; trees. This variety means they can be grown over a range of different &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/climate&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;climate&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;climate&lt;/a&gt;s - e.g. apple is popular in the UK; peach is popular in Texas; and citrus trees are popular in &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/frost&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;frost&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;frost&lt;/a&gt;-free areas (e.g. Florida and the Mediterranean).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruit trees tend to be of a moderate size and have a lot of blossom, so they can be grown for ornamental purposes (&amp;quot;flowering&amp;quot; non-fruiting varieties are common); however, they are usually grown for their fruit. Hence they often need special care as regards pruning and thinning in order to maximize the quantity and size of the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T15:34:43.880" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T15:34:43.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="491" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-14T15:15:52.267" Score="0" Body="For questions about trees that are grown for their fruit." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-08T23:01:16.447" LastActivityDate="2012-03-08T23:01:16.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="492" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="493" CreationDate="2011-06-14T15:24:24.170" Score="17" ViewCount="2290" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a major difference in effectiveness of delivery of water/nutrients through the use of above ground (sprinkler, flooding, etc) versus below ground (buried drip pipes) irrigation systems?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="164" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-08T05:13:26.103" LastActivityDate="2011-09-08T05:13:26.103" Title="What are the differences between above and below ground irrigation?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="493" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="492" CreationDate="2011-06-14T15:39:34.463" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the major differences is moisture retention, this can be either a good thing or a bad thing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you install a below ground system you are watering the plants roots directly. If you are watering above ground the water must penetrate the ground and then permeate to the roots. Because of this you will lose some of the water to drying. Below ground the water is not as susceptible to drying from the sun and sticks around longer so you have to water less. The mulch or dirt insulates the moisture so it cannot be evaporated as quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your soil drains well then a below ground watering system will likely be good. However, if your soil does not drain well I'd expect that if used improperly a below ground watering system could lead to roots rotting as the water pools and does not drain away and it can't evaporate quickly because of the insulation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically it really depends on your drainage situation and now diligent you are willing to be about over watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2011-06-14T15:39:34.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="494" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="302" CreationDate="2011-06-14T16:16:18.890" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;In &quot;Seed to Seed&quot; (Suzanne Ashworth), p116:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Winter squash or pumpkins used for seed saving must be grown until fully mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Squash [or pumpkins] have a greater number of viable seeds when cut from the vine and left to sit for three weeks or longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For your contest, I think you will need to focus on getting your 1st generation plants to produce a higher yield. (Possibly by encouraging the plant to set more, smaller fruit, but I don't know how you'd do that.) Or through rooting cuttings like you ask in your other question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-14T16:16:18.890" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="495" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="198" CreationDate="2011-06-14T17:15:55.640" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used a Pyrethrum-based spray with success. Pyrethrum is a natural and effective insecticide made from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysanthemum#Insecticidal_uses&quot;&gt;Chrysanthemum flower&lt;/a&gt;. Its lethal dosage for insects is so low that its toxicity is negligible for mammals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some links with more information:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pestech.com.au/uses.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.pestech.com.au/uses.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.livingwithbugs.com/permethrin_pyrethrum.html&quot;&gt;http://www.livingwithbugs.com/permethrin_pyrethrum.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pyrethrum.com/&quot;&gt;http://www.pyrethrum.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="126" LastActivityDate="2011-06-14T17:15:55.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="496" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="483" CreationDate="2011-06-14T17:26:47.387" Score="27" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aloes, like most succulents, are very hardy and will withstand considerable neglect . I have had two Lace Aloes (A.aristata) in a low-lit, sunless room for several years, and they are thriving. The winter temperature in this room is sometimes as low as 7 degrees celsius (44.6F) and they are quite happy. Aloes like a marked difference between day and night temperatures. Make sure your potting compost is light and well-draining, and water thoroughly in summer, but very infrequently in winter. Aloes - at least the Lace variety - can manage perfectly well without sunshine and, provided there is some daylight in your office, the one you have in mind should adjust well enough to the conditions you describe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-14T17:26:47.387" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="497" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="517" CreationDate="2011-06-14T18:24:38.423" Score="14" ViewCount="335" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a result of a previous &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/132/my-orchid-has-one-yellowing-leaf-whats-gone-wrong&quot;&gt;question&lt;/a&gt;, I've decided to repot my Phalaenopsis orchid in bark once the blooms fall off.  I understand that tree bark makes a better medium than the moss it's currently growing on.  In addition, I have no way of knowing how long it's been since the plant has been repotted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to buy a specialty bark medium designed for orchids or can I use bark from the cedar trees in front of my house?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I'm not opposed to spending a bit of cash on this plant, but I do like the idea of reusing materials that are at hand if possible.  Seems like a waste to get a bag of tree bark when I have more than I can use already.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-03-15T20:47:12.343" Title="Do I need to buy a specialty bark medium to repot my orchid?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="107" CreationDate="2011-06-14T19:44:10.510" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought the &lt;a href=&quot;http://mantis.com/viewItem.asp?idProduct=907&quot;&gt;mantis tiller cultivator&lt;/a&gt; but to go along with it I bought the aerator and dethatcher combo.  It is simply an awesome machine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want to aerate / dethatch twice yearly.  Once in the beginning of spring and once in fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-06T19:22:04.367" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T19:22:04.367" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="500" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-14T23:07:38.383" Score="12" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm talking here about a quickfire weeding session (probably with a hoe) where you haven't time to do anything much about carting away the weed debris.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming mid-morning in full sun is optimum, because there's time for the heat to kill the weed debris and prevent it reestablishing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or are there other considerations? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-10T14:23:45.750" LastActivityDate="2011-09-10T14:23:45.750" Title="Is there an optimal time of day and/or weather conditions for weeding?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weather&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="501" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="500" CreationDate="2011-06-15T03:21:17.780" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because my garden is underneath a street light, I like to weed at night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_n8_v142/ai_12514744/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Farmers take advantage&lt;/a&gt; of messing with their dirt at night because the weeds in their soil that are turned over are less likely to germinate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some other advantages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Less mosquitoes than at dusk.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can meet the toads who roam your garden at night.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No sunburn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You have an excuse for mistaking your radishes for weeds.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T03:21:17.780" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="502" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="529" CreationDate="2011-06-15T03:29:00.423" Score="18" ViewCount="1200" Body="&lt;p&gt;For whatever reason my lettuce (except for the mustard) in my mesclun mix didn't take this year.  I'm about ready to rotate in something else, but I'd really like a decent crop of lettuce. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be able to plant lettuce and pick it while it's still really tiny right?  I thought the reason you shouldn't plant it in hot weather was because it bolts quick.  Does it just not taste good? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-08-23T00:08:11.753" Title="What happens if you plant lettuce in hot weather?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="503" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-15T03:31:45.223" Score="18" ViewCount="872" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was told two years ago that it is a good idea to knock over the top of an onion plant to encourage it to grow bigger in the middle.  That worked good two years ago, but it didn't work at all last year so I'm thinking it was just coincidence.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I need to be doing to the stem of an onion to encourage them to bulk up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-10T14:21:41.073" LastActivityDate="2011-09-10T14:21:41.073" Title="Should I knock over the tops of onions when they get to a certain height?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;onions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="504" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="732" CreationDate="2011-06-15T07:12:38.787" Score="17" ViewCount="7103" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a Aloe Vera in a shop a year ago and I just use the pot that came with it, so obviously I don't know what is in the soil and their components.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yesterday I felt that I should transplant the aloe because the plastic pot is broken and the soil should be aerated. So I took out the aloe and quickly found that the soil are mostly clay, stone and soil. The clay are so dry that they look like stone. This kind of soil is bad and I want to completely change the soil, however, the aloe has its roots holding on the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can we remove all of the soil from the root? If I remove the soil, the root cannot hold on the new soil immediately because the contact of the root with the new soil is no better than the case that the root hold on the soil by itself like a web.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have experience of such transplant and come with no harm to the plant? If the root cannot hold on the soil, the plant will topple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-23T14:58:03.553" LastActivityDate="2011-07-23T14:58:03.553" Title="Can we take out the whole root of Aloe Vera and replant it during transplant?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="505" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="985" CreationDate="2011-06-15T10:29:09.163" Score="11" ViewCount="2151" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a path with flagstone, with the gap between the stones being around an inch or so.  I've had creeping thyme growing between the stones, but it's been a huge battle keeping other plants, specifically clover (which I think may have already been living in the thyme plants when I brought them home from the nursery).  I've spent quite a bit of time pulling up the invaders and as much of their roots as possible, but it's been a very time-consuming process.  I'm worried that the clover might crowd out the thyme, which hasn't always been as hardy as I'd like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone have any pointers on maintaining healthy, mostly weed free ground covers, especially gap-filling plants?  Any hints on blocking or retarding the growth of invaders?  Or should I give up on this plant and try to find something that's going to grow more aggressively in this space (clover seems to like this location)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I'd prefer to stick to an organic solution and not use any harsh chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastActivityDate="2018-04-07T01:08:05.907" Title="Keeping creeping thyme, or other ground cover, weed free (aka thyme vs. clover)" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="502" CreationDate="2011-06-15T11:44:46.880" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lettuce likes cool weather and lots of moisture, but there is no reason why you shouldn't sow or plant it out when the weather is hot. Provided you give it the proper, weed-free spacing  and keep it well-watered, it is unlikely to bolt, even when the temperature is high. That said, if you are planting out seedlings, it is probably better to do so in cool, preferably cloudy weather, or in the evening, to prevent wilting; it helps if you can give them some sort of makeshift shade for a few days. I grow mine in light, dappled shade, and find that they taste best when grown as fast as possible - they therefore need plenty of food and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-06-15T11:56:56.780" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T11:56:56.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="502" CreationDate="2011-06-15T11:48:49.033" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lettuce gets bitter when it bolts. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/502/what-happens-if-you-plant-lettuce-in-hot-weather/529#529&quot;&gt;Robert Cartaino's answer &lt;/a&gt; for why this happens. If you're going to pick baby greens you'll probably be able to harvest while it is still tasty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Give your lettuce a little shade in hot weather to avoid wilting, and make sure it gets enough water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're not bent on lettuce and just looking for some greens, consider chard or New Zealand spinach. Chard does well for me in hot weather; picked at baby size it is a fine replacement for lettuce. I haven't done NZ spinach, but references I have read recommend it as a green for hot summers.     &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T11:56:27.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="508" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="502" CreationDate="2011-06-15T12:31:16.090" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Various sources will say that cool weather is favoured for a sweet, tender lettuce crop (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.essentialgardenguide.com/garden-vegetables-planting/10/Lettuce/&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;'s an example), and you will read that germination is poor in hot weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However I've never had a problem with germination or flavour in my lettuces sown all through June and July. Even in a greenhouse I always get good germination with radicchio at the height of summer. Though that is naturally a mediterranean plant of course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T12:31:16.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="509" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="527" CreationDate="2011-06-15T12:43:57.180" Score="20" ViewCount="7462" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_fig&quot;&gt;fig&lt;/a&gt; tree that is 5-10 years old. Currently I just remove the dead branches. What is the proper technique for fig pruning?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="75" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-06-15T14:25:01.780" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T17:45:44.397" Title="What is the proper way to prune a Fig Tree?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="510" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="430" CreationDate="2011-06-15T13:12:00.423" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I ended up digging about 2 1/2 ft deep and 2 1/2 ft around (width wise).&#xA;Filled it with very good top soil, a little organic matter (cow manure), and a little peat moss.&#xA;The mix looked really good (from a landscaping perspective :) ).  After this I went to the local Joe Randazoo nursery and purchased a flowering pear tree, fairly large for only 29 bucks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I placed it on top of the good soil and then covered it with more good soil mixture and fertilized it and added a tree spike to it.  It looks great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;UPDATE - 5 years later&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is still growing strong...I think it worked out for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastEditorUserId="146" LastEditDate="2016-11-22T18:50:35.840" LastActivityDate="2016-11-22T18:50:35.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="511" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="364" CreationDate="2011-06-15T13:26:27.240" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;*&lt;strong&gt;NORTH AMERICAN (Check to ensure predatory insects can be introduced in the UK)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a pretty good research article from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.cornell.edu/vlb/manage.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cornell University&lt;/a&gt;. It does not specifically list pesticides that you could place around the base, however, there may be a few other options that you will find suitable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Such as inducing a predator insect to attack the beetle:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Encourage beneficial insects. Several generalist predators feed on viburnum leaf beetle larvae including lady beetle adults and larvae, lacewing larvae and spined soldier bugs nymphs. The lady beetle adults and spined soldier bug adults also eat adult viburnum leaf beetles. Encourage these and other beneficial insects by avoiding broad-spectrum insecticides and maintaining diverse species of plants for beneficial insect habitat near viburnums. Initial investigations by Cornell researchers on these biological control options also indicate that augmenting natural populations of these predators may dramatically limit viburnum leaf beetle damage. Researcher continues in this area, check back later for more information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prevent the larvae from maturing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Foil larvae. Researchers recently learned that the larvae don't drop from the leaves to the soil to pupate. Instead, they crawl down the tree. While it hasn't yet been tested, it is likely that putting a sticky barrier such as Tanglefoot tree pest barrier around the base of the shrub could keep larvae from reaching the soil to pupate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given your situation the other options listed on the site may not be easy to accomplish.  These solutions may take time, but in the long run should protect your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Information directly from link posted above)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="62" LastEditorUserId="62" LastEditDate="2011-06-15T13:46:57.610" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T13:46:57.610" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="512" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="502" CreationDate="2011-06-15T13:30:57.143" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many plants produce bitter (or otherwise nasty) chemicals in defense of being &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uvm.edu/~biology/Classes/269/Zagro.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;eaten by insects&lt;/a&gt;. Much of the reason for planting lettuce in cooler months is to give them a chance to reach maturity (for human consumption) before they've produced chemical weapons to shoo off the bugs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="47" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2011-06-15T18:22:23.043" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T18:22:23.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="513" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="364" CreationDate="2011-06-15T13:45:07.330" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This won't treat your soil, but introducing Ladybirds(we call them ladybugs here) may help per &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/364/how-can-i-control-viburnum-beetle-on-my-snowball-tree/511#511&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt;. They are available in the UK as larvae through &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ladybird-larvae-pack-of-50/dp/B000VPKN0Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=outdoors&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1308144712&amp;amp;sr=1-1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Amazon&lt;/a&gt; in more controlled quantities than they are in the states (where you can buy about 1500 fully grown live ones for that price). However you may be able to find a garden center or local agricultural society that can provide them in better quantities. You can also do things to attract them by planting attractive plants (tulip and Lilly according to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greenthumbarticles.com/article/How-to-attract-ladybugs-to-your-garden-a128.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;) or putting out &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wildlife-World-Ladybird-Attractant-LFA/dp/B0001URNG8/ref=sr_1_4?s=outdoors&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1308145432&amp;amp;sr=1-4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ladybug lures&lt;/a&gt; though the reviews for these are not entirely positive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T13:45:07.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="514" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-15T13:48:56.533" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;In horticulture, agriculture, and culinary usage, the term &quot;root vegetable&quot; refers to any plant with an edible part below ground. However, botany distinguishes between true roots (tuberous roots and taproots) and non-roots (tubers, rhizomes, corms, bulbs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some examples of this classification:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;True root vegetables:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Taproot&lt;/strong&gt;  Carrot, parsnip, radish&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tuberous Root&lt;/strong&gt;  Sweet potato, cassava&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Non-roots eaten as vegetables:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Corm&lt;/strong&gt; Chinese water chestnut&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rhizome&lt;/strong&gt;  Turmeric, root ginger&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tuber&lt;/strong&gt; Potato, yams&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bulb&lt;/strong&gt; Onion, garlic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Corms, Rhizomes, and Tubers are considered &quot;modified stems&quot; rather than true roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T03:52:27.930" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T03:52:27.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="515" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-15T13:48:56.533" Score="0" Body="Use this tag for questions on plants with an underground edible part that is used as a vegetable. Examples: Carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, ginger, etc." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T03:52:28.053" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T03:52:28.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="478" CreationDate="2011-06-15T14:25:42.927" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just wing it with our chicken poop.  WE clean out the coop/house that has bedding in it and mix it with the other compost pile.  WE let that work its way into compost/mulch/whatever for &quot;a while&quot;.  No time period specifically - it just has to look right.  (decomposed/etc)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T14:25:42.927" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="517" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="497" CreationDate="2011-06-15T14:42:14.467" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can buy small bags of orchid bark at most garden centers.  I'm not sure it would like the cedar (due to the chemistry of cedar) unless the bark is well-weathered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T14:42:14.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="518" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="526" CreationDate="2011-06-15T14:42:15.843" Score="8" ViewCount="489" Body="&lt;p&gt;In previous answers, I've mentioned our general lack of success growing root vegetables in North Texas. Carrots and beetroots do not do well at all - roots are few and small. Onions and potatoes do better but watering seems to be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently we are 8a/7b on the USDA hardiness zones. That looks about right (8a, lows of 10-15F sounds normal, but this winter was more like 7b, lows 5-10F). Summer temperatures have highs in the 90s / low 100s. Last year (an extreme summer) had over four weeks of highs over 100F - usually it is just a few days or a week at a time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rain tends to be in the form of heavy storms during spring and autumn. Nice persistent English rain only comes if we are lucky enough to get a tropical cyclone large enough to survive 300 miles inshore. Unfortunately such events are large enough to make the international news.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, potatoes seem to work best if they are well watered and planted early (e.g. ones that started growing in the cupboard that get planted on a whim in Autumn). Onions seem to be a war of attrition with most sets eventually dieing but a few survive and become large enough to eat.&#xA;In both cases, these are veg that don't mind being in the ground for winter - so I think I am giving them sufficient growing season before the dry hot summer strikes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I improve my success with onions, potatoes, and traditional root vegetables (eg. carrots and beetroot)?  It seems a plant-early winter crop approach might be best, in order to maximise the growing season?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:48:19.583" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T02:48:19.583" Title="How are root vegetables grown in hot climates?" Tags="&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;beetroot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="519" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-15T15:10:21.147" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Beetroot has many common names including table beet, garden beet, and red beet. In the US it is often known as simply &quot;beet&quot;, although this can lead to confusion with other beet cultivars (eg. sugar beet). In the Western World, it is the most common cultivar of &lt;em&gt;Beta vulgaris&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beetroot is a true root vegetable which is usually a deep red/maroon colour, although other coloured varieties (eg. yellow, and variegated) are available. The colour is from a chemical known as betanin which is a common food dye for everything from pasta sauce to breakfast cereal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beetroot is often cooked as a side vegetable, used in soup, with salad, or pickled in vinegar. Both the leaves and roots can be eaten.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Beets_produce-1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Beets in a supermarket, by user Quadell at Wikimedia Commons&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:35.890" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T02:36:01.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="520" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-15T15:10:21.147" Score="0" Body="Common red cultivar of beet Beta vulgaris." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-08T12:41:08.883" LastActivityDate="2021-01-08T12:41:08.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="317" CreationDate="2011-06-15T15:19:47.337" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would appear you can:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/info_8568761_can-graft-lilac-tree.html&quot;&gt;http://www.ehow.com/info_8568761_can-graft-lilac-tree.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This page is specific for lilac trees and includes some grafting advice. In particular, quote:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Functions of Grafting&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Grafting brings new cultivars to an existing tree to introduce another&#xA;  variety while a cutting can be grafted&#xA;  to a new seedling to bring strength to&#xA;  the new planting. Planting a grafted&#xA;  lilac branch can lead to a new bush&#xA;  altogether.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The list of expert answers has a number of references to lilacs reverting to their rooting stock colour:  (ie. multiple colours are possible on the same plant via grafting)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/hortiscope/shrub/lilac.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/hortiscope/shrub/lilac.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T15:19:47.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="219" CreationDate="2011-06-15T15:35:36.260" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Frangipani (&lt;em&gt;Plumeria&lt;/em&gt;) are tropical plants from the Americas, but have been naturalised to other parts of the world - especially Asia and the Pacific.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it looks like they need warm weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a tree / shrub, it sounds like outside would be ideal. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningtipsnideas.com/2007/02/how_to_grow_a_frangipani_plant.html&quot;&gt;GardeningTipsAndIdeas&lt;/a&gt; suggest they should be okay in the lower third of the US. So they must have some frost tolerance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;References are Australian but the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sacredgardenfrangipanis.com/frangipani_growing_advice.php&quot;&gt;SacredGardenFrangipanis.com website&lt;/a&gt; has much more useful information, including this snippet:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;How to care for your new Frangipani&#xA;  Plants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Upon receiving your plants, they&#xA;  should be potted up and kept in semi&#xA;  shade or full sun in mornings and&#xA;  shade from midday and afternoon until&#xA;  roots can be seen coming out of bottom&#xA;  of pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The ideal potting mix, is 40%&#xA;  commercial potting mix and 60%&#xA;  inorganic material such as course sand&#xA;  or perlite or gravel. Commercial&#xA;  potting mixes are generally full of&#xA;  fungus and bacteria which can be&#xA;  harmful to plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Always water plants/potting mix with a&#xA;  systemic fungicide and bactericide&#xA;  when potting up your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T15:35:36.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="221" CreationDate="2011-06-15T16:43:07.477" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just done a bit of a search, and quickly confirmed @TeaDrinker's observation that red onions are much more prone to bolting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stress is one problem (as with most plants where you want to avoid bolting) - so stable watering is going to be important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found one suggestion that seeds are less likely to bolt than sets. Not sure about that but it is worth a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another common comment was that it is a measure of set quality. Ie. low quality sets from dollar stores, Wilko's, Walmart, etc  are much more likely to bolt because they have not been treated properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In particular, there is meant to be a heat treatment which greatly reduces the chances of bolting (eg. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=20538.0&quot;&gt;this thread&lt;/a&gt; ).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it is probably worth trying to find some sets from a quality nursery who has heat-treated them?  If we knew what the heat treatment involved exactly, it could be something that the gardener could do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T16:43:07.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="525" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="150" CreationDate="2011-06-15T17:05:23.730" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Voles are tiny, so I'm sure they're coming through any fence you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you tried a fine wire mesh instead? The kind of thing I'm thinking of is available at Lowes/HomeDepot/etc and is a finer mesh than normal chicken wire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could then lay that along the base of the fence, and bury it. I don't know how far they dig down, but 6in or a foot might be deep enough?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never really thought of voles or shrews as being pests but it looks like they are in the more temperate parts of the US. YouTube has a number of vole-hunting videos! One popular technique uses those &quot;bulldog clip&quot; mouse traps that grocers have and baiting them with peanut butter, but that would only work in summer and you would still have your &quot;reservoir&quot; of never-ending-voles out back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T17:05:23.730" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="526" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="518" CreationDate="2011-06-15T17:20:47.333" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't offer too much advise, all I know is I've been in Dallas twice, once in november (still had great weather 70s) and another time in June (must of been close to 100 the week I was there).  All in all I love the weather in Dallas, Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I can suggest is for potatoes have you tried digging a trench about 8-10 inches deep?  You should try doing this and then plant the potatoes at the bottom.  Cover them with about 1-2 inches of very loose soil.  As the potatoes grow, continue adding more loose soil to them until you've added the same number of inches that you used when you originally dug that trench (8-10 inches).  Only add additional as you see the potatoes growing (coming up).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering is very important, but you have to make sure you don't drench potatoes, onions, etc.  Too much water is not a good thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry I am just not that familiar with the weather in texas to know enough about how to garden, I have my own troubles here in michigan where one week we have sun, the next week we have rain, and the week after that we have snow.  As confused as I can get the plants have to be all the more confused :).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastEditorUserId="146" LastEditDate="2011-06-15T17:27:46.880" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T17:27:46.880" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="527" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="509" CreationDate="2011-06-15T17:45:44.397" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fig trees unlike a lot of other trees out there do not mind being pruned a LOT.  What I mean by that is you should not be afraid to prune this type of tree.  If they have a really good root system they can withstand a harsh pruning (harsh in a good way :)).  Within the first year, provided that your fig tree has established itself is a prime time to prune.  You will want to select a few branches to keep as your fruit that can be picked for the time being, the rest can be pruned away.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Time&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best time to prune the tree is in the winter season or late fall when the tree is not growing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pruning&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have the right idea, get rid of the dead branches first as those do not serve any purpose at all, they may actually hinder the tree if they have any type of disease on the wood.  If you see any &lt;a href=&quot;http://meyerlemontree.com/pruninglemontree.html&quot;&gt;suckers&lt;/a&gt; remove those from the tree as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After you've gotten rid of the dead branches and the suckers you will want to remove any branches that are very close to the main branch, these branches do not yield fruit or yield very little.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For larger fruit and better growth make sure you prune the rest of the branches about 1/4.  This is especially important for the upcoming season and will help yield more fruit for you.  It's probably one of the most simpliest trees to prune, because it can actually take a lot of pruning without any affects (as opposed to prunining rose bushes / trees).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T17:45:44.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="503" CreationDate="2011-06-15T18:12:00.417" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think that was pure coincidence.  Have you tried using a low level of nitrogen (N) and a high phosphorus (P) number?  The only other thing of is the use of good soil with good water drainage.&#xA;Do you use any type of manure (chicken, etc) when planting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T18:12:00.417" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="529" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="502" CreationDate="2011-06-15T19:08:37.937" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;It was generally believed &quot;bolting&quot; was caused by higher temperatures, but studies have shown that temperature is not the only factor. Bolting is also influenced by light exposure, water stress, and genetics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When conditions are right, a lettuce plant will &quot;bolt&quot; to create rosette leaves and a flower stalk in order to reproduce. This heading growth causes the lettuce to become bitter by producing compounds like acetic acid (vinegar) and worse to provide protection against insects. That's not what you want in a lettuce plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can certainly pick the lettuce before it has reached full size (&lt;em&gt;before&lt;/em&gt; the premature bolting), but you can also avoid the factors that cause the bolting in the first place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's not much you can do about the total day length or the temperature (besides planting earlier in the season), but Florida farmers around here have had encouraging results from growing lettuce under screening, which seems to (1) reduce the temperature and (2) fool the internal clock mechanism that causes lettuce to determine that it is receiving a lot of sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try reducing the number of light hours by planting earlier in the season (or possibly by screening to see if that works). Be sure to minimize moisture stress, particularly during the hotter months. You might try some slow-bolting varieties. You might have to try different varieties in your own garden to see how each resists bolting under &lt;em&gt;your&lt;/em&gt; specific growing conditions; Results will vary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2011-08-23T00:08:11.753" LastActivityDate="2011-08-23T00:08:11.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="530" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="473" CreationDate="2011-06-15T19:17:00.893" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think your only option is physical removal or very careful spot treatment. Trees, brambles, and nettles are all going to be susceptible to the same kinds of weedkillers; although the trees are probably (but not necessarily) more resistant. A tree is typically larger so X amount of poison, proportion wise, is less damaging. Of course that is a big generalisation and some trees are going to be more sensitive than others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get the nettles before they flower or seed. They have big leaves, so I would think spot treatment of individual plants or patches should be fairly easy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bramble will be more difficult. If you are lucky, then spot treatment on the leaves will affect the whole plant. If not, you may have to cut it at ground level and paint a &quot;brush-b-gon&quot; type herbicide on the 'stump' (yes I know, a US brand, but it is a woody plant herbicide - eg. trees and shrubs)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a similar problem with ivy. Despite spot treatment on the ivy, I managed to kill a small elm tree/sapling. Strangely, the cacti in the area survived just fine!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-15T20:26:16.583" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T20:26:16.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="531" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-15T19:30:37.727" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tabasco is a hot chili pepper, and the most well known cultivar of &lt;em&gt;Capsicum frutescens&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruits are smaller, but hotter than the better-known jalapeno (cultivar &lt;em&gt;C.annuum&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-16T19:15:34.073" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T19:15:34.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="532" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-15T19:30:37.727" Score="0" Body="Hot chili pepper, most popular cultivar of Capsicum frutescens" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-16T19:15:39.707" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T19:15:39.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="533" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-15T19:37:46.103" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Jalapenos are the most popular hot chili pepper, both for horticulture and cooking. Although restaurants treat them as &quot;hot peppers&quot;, in reality they are more moderate - hotter than an Anaheim/Hatch type, but sweeter than serrano, tabasco, habanero, naga, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a popular type of chili pepper, there are many varieties catering for different growing conditions, capsaicin content (heat), colour, and shape. For example, the 'Fresno' variety is at the hotter end of the scale, and is a large triangular red shape when ripe. This contrasts with the classic smaller, green pepper found on pizzas and in pickles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Jalapenos typically have a fruity flavour underneath the capsaicin heat - this becomes apparent when they are dried or roasted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-16T19:14:56.603" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T19:14:56.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="534" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-15T19:37:46.103" Score="0" Body="Popular hot chili pepper, cultivar of Capsicum annuum." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-16T19:15:02.140" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T19:15:02.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="535" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="541" CreationDate="2011-06-15T19:39:43.857" Score="12" ViewCount="929" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn seems to have more wild strawberries than grass (especially in the shady areas), which means it needs some work.  But if it can support strawberries, there must be some great fruits/vegetables/flowers that will grow great in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What does this indicate chemically about my soil?  What else will thrive?  (Zone 5B)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="168" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:20:52.997" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:20:52.997" Title="My lawn is full of wild strawberries. What else can thrive in my soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="536" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="539" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:01:08.427" Score="28" ViewCount="15105" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apparently I didn't find all my garlic bulbs last fall and they grew to 4 feet tall this spring.  They have a large, white flower head.  I want to try cooking with it, but don't want to risk my family's health.Does anyone know if the different parts of the plant are edible?  Also, would the bulbs be good for food?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="168" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-10T14:07:46.040" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T16:30:03.983" Title="My second year garlic has flowers. Is it safe to eat?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="537" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:01:56.070" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most often when people say &quot;manure&quot; they mean animal feces, possibly mixed with bedding -- straw, hay, or wood shavings - from where the animal is housed. Different animals produce manures with different nutrient contents, but most are a good source of nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Green manure&quot; is plant material used specifically for soil improvement. Certain crops, such as legumes (clover, beans, etc.) can fix nitrogen from the air, so planting these adds nitrogen to the soil. Other crops, such as winter rye, will scavenge nitrogen left over from a previous crop; this protects this critical nutrient from being lost through leaching. When the green manure crops are tilled in, the nutrients contained in the green manure benefit the following crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/compost&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'compost'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;compost&lt;/a&gt; is simply decomposed organic material -- including both of the above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T20:18:07.287" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T20:18:07.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="538" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:01:56.070" Score="0" Body="Manure is organic material that is used as a fertilizer. Manure can be from animals, plants (&quot;green manure&quot;), or compost." OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-16T19:15:18.177" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T19:15:18.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="539" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="536" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:03:38.923" Score="26" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I gather garlic flowers are safe to eat. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pots2plots.com/growing%20Edible%20Flowers.htm&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alliums&lt;/strong&gt; (leeks, chives, garlic, garlic chives):  All parts of these plants are edible. The flowers tend to be stronger flavoured than the leaves. Suitable for salads, in egg dishes such as omelettes and in soups.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also see the wikipedia entry on &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic&quot;&gt;garlic&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Other parts of the garlic plant are&#xA;  also edible. The leaves and flowers&#xA;  (bulbils) on the head (spathe) are&#xA;  sometimes eaten. They are milder in&#xA;  flavor than ...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's also &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/allium/msg0620170428338.html&quot;&gt;a post by someone on gardenweb&lt;/a&gt; who was answering the question of what is edible in garlic:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;... the entire thing is edible.&#xA;  That includes the scape itself, the&#xA;  spathe, and the bubils inside the&#xA;  spathe. However, if you let them go&#xA;  too long they toughen up and turn&#xA;  woody; and are generally inedible that&#xA;  way. Try and break them off no later&#xA;  than when they first curl. If they've&#xA;  straighened out, then still break them&#xA;  off, for the sake of bulb development.&#xA;  But don't bother trying to eat them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-10T14:11:41.993" LastActivityDate="2011-09-10T14:11:41.993" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="540" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="563" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:05:25.977" Score="16" ViewCount="2765" Body="&lt;p&gt;To prevent root disturbance when planting out, I usually sow my sweet corn in &lt;strong&gt;peat&lt;/strong&gt; pots which I then put in the propagator. As soon as the seed germinates, I grow the seedlings on for two to three weeks and, once they are reasonably robust and have hardened off, I plant them out in the pots. This year, I ran out of peat pots and used plastic ones (same size) instead, and the seedlings seemed bigger and stronger than usual. They are now in the open ground and thriving, despite the slight root disturbance they suffered when I removed them from their pots. Is this year's improvement in the seedlings' growth attributable to the quality of the seed (I used a new brand), or do peat pots, perhaps, slow down their development; and are the problems associated with root disturbance a bit of a myth? I would be interested to know if anyone else has had a similar experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:19:43.547" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:19:43.547" Title="Do peat pots slow down the development of seedlings?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;peat&gt;&lt;pots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="541" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="535" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:06:40.543" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://yourorganicgardeningblog.com/weeds-ph-and-other-soil-indicators/&quot;&gt;This page&lt;/a&gt; suggests that you have acid soil (there are other pages that make the same suggestion, but this was the first hit):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Weeds for Acid Soil: Dandelions, Weeds, common mullein, wild strawberries. Instead of them, you can grow azaleas, blueberries, hydrangeas, rhododendrons, endive, potatoes, shallots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For what it's worth, I also have tons of wild strawberries in a new garden patch that was tested last fall to have a pH of 5.0. (And blackberries, oh the blackberries!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So plant potatoes and shallots for the main course, and some blueberries for dessert. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-15T20:30:51.000" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T20:30:51.000" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="542" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="556" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:21:16.613" Score="10" ViewCount="758" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've noticed &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_ant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fire ants&lt;/a&gt; crawling on my okra plants, particularly where new okra are starting to grow. However, the okra does not seem to be harmed. Is this something I should be concerned about?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="142" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2015-09-11T06:48:05.180" LastActivityDate="2015-09-11T06:48:05.180" Title="Are fire ants on okra plants a concern?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;ants&gt;&lt;okra&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="543" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="150" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:24:06.947" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure where you're located, but the lawn company that I use here in Wisconsin says they have a spray that they put on the lawn in the late fall that protects the lawn from the voles during the winter. We have terrible trouble with this as well every winter. We haven't tried this treatment yet, but will this winter. The other treatments for ticks, etc that we have tried have worked great. We use BioLawn out of Hudson, WI (http://properorganics.com/Home.aspx). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="180" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T20:24:06.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="544" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="553" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:26:51.667" Score="32" ViewCount="16124" Body="&lt;p&gt;While weeding my garden I found a bunch of ant nests (red ants and small black ants).  My first inclination was to destroy the nest and send them packing, but I didn't know if they might aerate the soil, or keep worse pests at bay. Are they of any benefit to the garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="168" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-10T13:57:52.687" LastActivityDate="2019-05-25T07:56:53.553" Title="Ants in my garden: good or bad?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;ants&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="545" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="547" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:28:05.917" Score="57" ViewCount="33407" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it bad to water plants after the sun has gone down or near dusk?  If so, why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="178" LastActivityDate="2018-09-24T20:50:19.123" Title="Is it bad to water plants in the evening?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="546" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="560" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:32:26.940" Score="11" ViewCount="2590" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my square foot garden, I have a trellis beside one edge.  Am I being too ambitious to try to put a square for pumpkins, then an empty square, then a square for watermelon along the edge?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="168" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-15T22:20:53.413" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T22:20:53.413" Title="How many squares should I use for small pumpkins and watermelon?" Tags="&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="547" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="545" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:37:05.367" Score="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;An advantage is that you can conserve water because of less evaporation -- there's no sunshine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A major disadvantage is the flip side: the sunshine can't help dry out plant leaves that get wet. Some plants don't like cold and wet foliage. These conditions can foster blight on tomatoes for example. See also &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/81/best-conditions-for-basil/144#144&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; that mentions being careful not to leave basil damp overnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if you're watering in the evening, don't spray the foliage. Use a soaker hose or other irrigation technique that targets the roots instead of the foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Early morning is a good time to water. You can give the soil a good soaking and everything has a chance to penetrate before being burned off by the sun. Anything that gets on the foliage will dry up with the sun and you're less prone to disease and fungi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T02:27:05.307" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="545" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:37:20.420" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here in the American South, in the summer, it's actually better to water plants in the evening, so that the water has a chance to soak in before it evaporates.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T20:37:20.420" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="549" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="545" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:39:14.100" Score="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;If anything, the opposite is true. There are two reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First is evaporation. During the day it is hot and the water evaporates quickly - i.e. it is effectively wasted. This is why cities and water authorities have recommendations, regulations, and by-laws controlling when you can use landscape irrigation systems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondly, water on plants in the sun can cause scorching - regardless of your latitude. This is because the water droplets act like small lenses, concentrating the sun. So you really want the water to be off the plants when the sun is out. This usually makes the evening at sunset (or after) more favorable to early morning watering. Of course drip irrigation is another way of avoiding this problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T20:39:14.100" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="550" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="546" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:39:45.090" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't underestimate how much watermelons and the like spread. I've tried growing small pumpkins and mini watermelons before, and they can vine out easily many feet. I've never tried growing them &lt;em&gt;up&lt;/em&gt; anything like a trellis, but my sense is that even small pumpkins might be too heavy for much upward growth without potential breakage of the vines. I had a wire fence around the edge of my garden, and I don't remember them growing very far up it, so I would expect them to grow more outward than upward.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In short, give them a wide berth (honestly, probably at least 2-3 empty squares between them) or be prepared to chop away at them to keep them from tangling up with each other and overtaking any other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="122" LastEditorUserId="122" LastEditDate="2011-06-15T20:55:07.507" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T20:55:07.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="551" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="554" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:48:46.920" Score="17" ViewCount="6464" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been given a few peppers plants a few weeks ago, which I'm now trying to grow inside, on my sunnier window ledges. While trying to find out how to care for them, most advice I've found seems to indicate that I should &quot;pinch out&quot; the top when the plant is ~30 to 40cm tall (the tallest is current;y about 30cm now, so I'll need to do something with them soon).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand &lt;em&gt;why&lt;/em&gt; we do this, and think I know &lt;em&gt;approximately&lt;/em&gt; what I should be doing, but I'm a complete novice and have never tried to do this before, and would rather not accidentally kill them early on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, exactly how do I pinch out a pepper plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-09-16T03:06:43.323" LastActivityDate="2011-09-18T23:39:54.540" Title="How do I actually &quot;pinch out&quot; a pepper plant?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;pinching-out&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="552" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="545" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:54:49.467" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is true that watering when the sun is out can cause scorching; on the other hand, although evening watering reduces evaporation, it leaves plants and the surrounding soil wet, or at least damp, at nightfall; besides providing fertile ground for diseases, &lt;strong&gt;this attracts more pests, particularly *&lt;em&gt;slugs&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;* &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T20:54:49.467" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="553" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="544" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:56:01.520" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my areas of knowledge (Seattle and London), the ants don't make a real difference one way or the other.  They won't damage your plants, nor will they give them much help.  Of course, I can only speak to the small black ants, but as far as I know even the larger, more aggressive ants are more of a threat to the gardener to the garden.  My sister lives in North Carolina and has to deal with fire ants, but she has to attack them because of the danger they pose from biting humans, so they're dealt with long before they could do anything to her garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I generally would take a live and let live approach.  As long as they're not overrunning your garden or biting you when you're gardening, they aren't going to be a serious issue, and there will likely be much more damaging bugs to focus your time an energy upon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T20:56:01.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="551" CreationDate="2011-06-15T20:58:37.687" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I assume this is to stop it getting too big? I've grown a lot of peppers and I've never pinched them out, but I grow mine outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I find a healthy pepper plant with a good root system will readily put out new shoots from lower down as it gets bigger or is under attack - e.g. broken branch; defoliation by horn worm; falling over and gravity is suddenly in the wrong direction; etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I think you should be fine with whatever you do. 30-40cm sounds a reasonable size and it should be mature enough to do put out new growth quite quickly. Two days ago I staked up some ancho plants about that size that had fallen over, and they were already putting out new shoots after less than a week in that condition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T20:58:37.687" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="555" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="562" CreationDate="2011-06-15T21:00:50.683" Score="19" ViewCount="2367" Body="&lt;p&gt;My grandparents used to spread the ash from the fireplace on the vegetable plot. This was in reasonably large quantities (I mean, not just a thin trail of ash to deter slugs), and was done to &quot;add&quot; to the soil. Visually, it was an eyesore, but they didn't worry about that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am sure I've read elsewhere that this practice is without value, and in fact I dump our fireplace ash out for the bin men. But every time I do it I wonder whether I should be using it in the garden. And it's free, and I have to cart it straight past the veg anyway, to get to the dustbins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, is it useful to add ashes as a kind of fertilizer? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt; We are mostly burning firewood, sometimes with a small amount of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/coal-makes.html&quot;&gt;Taybrite&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-06-15T21:16:37.700" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T11:41:02.913" Title="Is it worth spreading ash on the vegetable plot?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="542" CreationDate="2011-06-15T21:03:23.590" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;As I said in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/544/9&quot;&gt;my answer to another question&lt;/a&gt;, there's likely more of a risk to a human being bit, especially someone who disturbs the nest, than any risk to the plant.  Fire ants are omnivorous and eat plants as well as other insects (which could be either a positive or a negative, depending on if they're attacking insects that are beneficial or damaging to your plants), but they're probably always going to be less of a risk to your plant than other insect/fungal/viral threats, and it's definitely going to be more of a risk to the gardener than the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/pdf/FSA-7052.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's more on fire ants.&lt;/a&gt; (warning: PDF)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-09-10T14:00:44.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="557" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="555" CreationDate="2011-06-15T21:07:36.657" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think there's a big &quot;depends&quot;. There can be useful minerals in ash, and fly-ash (i.e. commercial coal burning) is sometimes used in agriculture and landscaping. Coal definitely has lots of non-combustable minerals, but it can also contain some nasties - so I'm not sure what the agriculture people do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would NOT use charcoal briquette ash (e.g. as used on grills). These definitely contain some nasty things in them - as do the unburnt briquettes, and the whole briquette manufacturing process is notorious for dioxins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So in comparison, wood ash is quite benign but I can't think of any minerals that would be present and survive burning. I have seen wood ash being dug into a heavy clay soil to break it up. That was quite effective, but that was for texture rather than fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T21:07:36.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="558" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="564" CreationDate="2011-06-15T21:07:45.057" Score="15" ViewCount="510" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some hosta plants that are getting quite large and are crowded where they are located right now. What do I need to worry about when moving/splitting hostas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="195" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-15T21:10:49.887" LastActivityDate="2011-06-21T14:16:13.450" Title="How do I split hostas?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;hosta&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="559" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10" CreationDate="2011-06-15T21:14:28.573" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;My decades ago hort 101 class said fertilizer is not really necessary if you use a mulching mower.  If you bag the clippings or if you want thicker greener lawn you can apply fertilizer up to 3 times per year.  The applications should be timed to catch the grass growing but not the weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in central Iowa with bluegrass/ryegrass/fescue lawns the grasses go brown/dormant during the hot part of the summer (July, August) and grow most vigorously in the cooler spring and fall.  The weeds go nuts in the spring (April, May, June) - we do not want to encourage that!  So the fertilization schedule works out to once in the first 1-2 weeks in September, again 2-3 weeks after that and (very optionally!) once in the early spring just after the ground thaws (first 1-2 weeks in April).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="193" LastEditorUserId="193" LastEditDate="2011-06-16T17:05:03.020" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T17:05:03.020" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="560" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="546" CreationDate="2011-06-15T21:14:51.603" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Melons and squash are &lt;em&gt;vigorous&lt;/em&gt; growers.  You are trying to use your vertical space and try to try to trellis them upwards.  &lt;em&gt;Yes&lt;/em&gt;, this is ambitious.  ;)  It's a little bit harder than it sounds, since they have a little bit of a mind of their own about where they want to grow.  If you are gentle and patient, you should be able to coax them into growing up the trellis and then gently bind them to the trellis.  Even with this approach, their leaves will probably spread out so much that they'll take &lt;em&gt;at least&lt;/em&gt; two square feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be better if you gave them &lt;em&gt;two&lt;/em&gt; square feet from each other, but with only a single empty square they'll just compete with each other for sunlight in the middle.  Try to spread them a bit further apart on the trellis and make sure they aren't shading out the plants in front of them too badly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some other options that would work in your square foot garden:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Give them (almost) all the space they want.  Although they will easily be able to take over a 4x4 foot area, you should be able to guide and prune them into a 3x3 area.  The space isn't necessarily lost to the squash though; you can companion plant them with anything else that grows higher and faster than they do.  For example, corn and sunflowers will both grow high above squash, and the squash will keep the ground &quot;mulched&quot; for their companion.  &quot;Three sisters&quot; is a famous companion planting technique that combines corn, beans, and squash.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Think outside the box... literally.  Root them on the very corner of your raised bed, and coax them to climb over the edge and down into your yard.  If they don't take to the trellis for whatever reason, this is a good runner-up option.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="144" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T21:14:51.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="561" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="555" CreationDate="2011-06-15T21:21:15.447" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My grandpa raised his garden for 40 years on an old slag dump (he called it &quot;Manufaturer's Glass&quot;) the soil is still very productive, very loose for our area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might want to add it to your compost rather than directly to your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T21:21:15.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="562" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="555" CreationDate="2011-06-15T21:23:33.173" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wood ash from hardwoods is a useful garden soil amendment, &lt;strong&gt;in reasonable quantities&lt;/strong&gt;. Don't use coal ash or other sources. Be aware of what was burned: I wouldn't want ash that has anything left over from burned plastics or stuff like that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ash has a very high pH, and can be useful for helping to raise the pH of acid soil. I use all the ash from my wood boiler both on my lawn and in my garden. (We have very acid native soil.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also has (varying depending on the woods that were burned) &lt;a href=&quot;http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~blpprt/bestwoodash.html#table1&quot;&gt;quite a few nutrients&lt;/a&gt; -- which makes sense, since it comes from a plant that consumed lots of nutrients while it was growing. In particular, it is a good source of Calcium and Potassium as well as several micronutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just don't overdo it, you can raise your pH too far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T21:23:33.173" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="540" CreationDate="2011-06-15T21:28:11.023" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Three important things about peat pots (and paper pots) to prevent them from hurting your seedlings:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If the roots aren't burgeoning through the bottom, tear it off&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tear a line down the side of the pot to let the soil expand in the pot when you water it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bury the sides of the peat pot or tear them off, exposed sides will absorb water out of the soil and rob it from your plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I read this somewhere this year, I'll give credit if I can find the source)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nothing will grow very tall with a root ball all clumped and it might have taken longer for your seedlings to burst forth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T21:28:11.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="564" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="558" CreationDate="2011-06-15T21:28:14.690" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't know if this is the best technique but here is what I did and it worked :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Go all around the clump pushing in a shovel as far as it will go.  You should now be able to pry/lift the plant out of the hole with the root/dirt ball intact.  Work the shovel down between the plant stems to slice/pry them apart trying to keep as many of the roots attached to their stems as possible.  I divided the root ball into quarters leaving a generous clump (5-10) of stems with lots of roots still attached for planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="193" LastEditorUserId="193" LastEditDate="2011-06-21T14:16:13.450" LastActivityDate="2011-06-21T14:16:13.450" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="565" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="544" CreationDate="2011-06-15T21:35:36.873" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I put in artichokes, the little black ants decided to 'farm' aphids on them, which really did a number on the young plants.  If they aren't doing that, then maybe you don't have to worry about them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="201" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-10T13:54:59.993" LastActivityDate="2011-09-10T13:54:59.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="566" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="122" CreationDate="2011-06-15T21:36:08.603" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;A concrete contractor friend of mine gives me the end-of-roll of this 6&quot; square grid rebar (bit over 1/8&quot; wire) stuff that he does not want to mess with.  I have seen similar stuff sold as rebar and as fencing (thinner wire) in home improvement stores for $10-$15 a roll.  One roll would do a dozen or more cages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="193" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T21:36:08.603" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="567" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="122" CreationDate="2011-06-15T22:07:16.853" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;We use  the same type of   square grid sturdy rebar type fencing and lean two  5' to 6' pieces against each other down the length of the bed. We  place plants  about 18&quot; apart on either side.  Down the center, between the fencing,  we cover the ground with black plastic, cardboard or other mulching materials to prevent weeds, and conserve moisture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="207" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T22:07:16.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="568" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="587" CreationDate="2011-06-15T22:21:54.700" Score="19" ViewCount="5603" Body="&lt;p&gt;I currently grow Rosemary on my windowsill. What are some other herbs and spices that are easy to grow (and useful)? I live in South Carolina, USA. Plants are indoors = 65-75F all year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-14T22:06:39.663" LastActivityDate="2011-08-14T22:06:39.663" Title="What are some herbs and spices that are easy to grow indoors?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="569" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="568" CreationDate="2011-06-15T22:50:59.923" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two of my favorites are mint and basil. I currently grow several varieties including chocolate mint and lemon basil. They grow like weeds, so make sure you plant them in an area that you don't mind if they go wild. (A planter box should work just as well)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="210" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2011-06-16T00:35:52.303" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T00:35:52.303" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="570" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-15T22:56:06.787" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally, plants produce seeds to ensure a next generation of the plant. Plants have various strategies to ensure that the seeds are in the right place in order to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germination&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;germinate&lt;/a&gt; (also called &quot;sprouting&quot;) and grow.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many seeds have simple needs, and just need the right temperature and moisture conditions to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Others are more picky in what they need to break out of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8704.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;dormancy&lt;/a&gt; that they are in when they are ripe. The seeds of many perennials have peculiar needs in order to break out of their dormancy period and start growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some seeds require part of the shell to be physically abraded in order for the seed to be able to detect the right growing conditions. An example of this is a desert plant called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fouquieria_splendens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ocotillo&lt;/a&gt;: rainfall in the deserts this plant is native to will result in flash floods. The seeds get vigorously rubbed against rocks and sand in the flash floods, like sandpaper, and only then will the seeds germinate.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some seeds need to pass through an animal's digestive tract, so they will need a weak acid to scarify the seed coat. Examples of this include &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_dactylifera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Date Palms&lt;/a&gt;. Planting the seeds directly will not germinate, however when they pass through a desert animal's digestive tract, they will germinate. One can replicate the chemical process by sucking on the seed for 45-60 minutes (there is probably a better mechanism, but this is how I've got mine to germinate). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some, like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-127.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ginseng&lt;/a&gt;, need repeated warm/cool/moist cycles in order to decide that it is the right time to grow. The natural habitat for ginseng plants is in deciduous forests. As a result, they need to be stratified in a way that simulates the seeds being buried under leaves for 2 years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="47" LastEditorUserId="47" LastEditDate="2011-06-20T14:28:16.650" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T14:28:16.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="571" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-15T22:56:06.787" Score="0" Body="Germination is the name of the process by which a plant starts growing from a seed." OwnerUserId="47" LastEditorUserId="47" LastEditDate="2011-06-16T19:15:50.393" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T19:15:50.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="572" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="568" CreationDate="2011-06-15T22:56:31.833" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/453/how-do-i-help-my-kitchen-window-herb-garden-thrive&quot;&gt;kitchen window&lt;/a&gt; once held basil, parsley, cilantro, and chives.  All but the chives apparently need more light than that window permits, but even so were easy to care for and survived some neglect.  The chives have been incredibly easy to grow and quite useful in cooking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also have an aloe vera plant that happily exists with no particular work on my part beyond a bit of water now and then.  The gel from a broken-off piece of the plant can be used to soothe wounds or burns.  (I don't know what, if any, healing properties it might have, however.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I picked these plants because I already found them to be useful in cooking and wondered if they would be easy to grow.  My experience suggests that herbs in general are simple to care for and there's no reason not to take a risk on something that sounds interesting to you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, I recommend using small pots to make it easier to move your plants in case the windowsill turns out to be a sub-optimal location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T23:01:33.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="122" CreationDate="2011-06-15T23:01:15.787" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of my neighbors use chicken-wire in columns to hold up the plants. They don't close the tube/column of chicken-wire, that way one can reach in easily to harvest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="47" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T23:01:15.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="574" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="540" CreationDate="2011-06-15T23:04:17.050" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the tops of the peat pots stick out above ground level, they have a tendency to wick water up and out of the soil. This will hurt the plants by drying them out, especially where the roots are breaking through the pots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="47" LastActivityDate="2011-06-15T23:04:17.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="575" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="585" CreationDate="2011-06-15T23:07:05.193" Score="11" ViewCount="1520" Body="&lt;p&gt;I inherited several air plants (bromeliads probably in the genus &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tillandsia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) from a friend. I know they are tropical in origin and lived in a greenhouse previously, but I live in a very arid climate. The plants seem to be drying out. How can I take care of them in this environment? Can I build a small greenhouse?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="101" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-03-01T15:33:19.957" LastActivityDate="2016-03-01T15:33:19.957" Title="How can I grow air plants in an arid climate?" Tags="&lt;desert&gt;&lt;tillandsia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="576" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="589" CreationDate="2011-06-15T23:10:17.987" Score="16" ViewCount="7197" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Ficus plant that I bought some time ago. After a while, all of its leaves fell off (I think this might have been due to too much fertilizer). Now it seems to be recovering, however, instead of leaves growing on the higher existing branches which are leafless, it started growing new green branches with leaves near the root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to stimulate it to grow leaves on the old branches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="205" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-08-29T08:39:54.437" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T17:22:19.643" Title="How to prevent my Ficus plant from growing new branches low?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="577" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="590" CreationDate="2011-06-15T23:16:07.050" Score="17" ViewCount="1842" Body="&lt;p&gt;The last few years I've had success growing romaine and other leaf lettuces. I usually try to harvest only as much as we need for a day (or couple days). That often means just a few leaves at a time Is it best to cut the leaves as close to the ground as possible and, if you do, is there any chance that those leaves will regrow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if I'm only taking a few leaves from a bigger plant is it best to take them evenly from the perimeter and slowly work inwards? Or better to do one section inwards so you get a mix of inner and outer leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In short, what's the best way to harvest lettuce to insure maximum yield and the best taste?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="213" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T03:46:47.653" Title="What's the best way to cut leaf lettuces?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="578" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="122" CreationDate="2011-06-15T23:27:09.360" Score="21" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used fence pickets and hog wire to make a tomato trellis:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click image to enlarge...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hd3CJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hd3CJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like the trellis better than a cage for two reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Easier access to tomatoes as they grow&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;More stable than a cage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-21T20:05:08.797" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T20:05:08.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="579" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-15T23:47:14.317" Score="12" ViewCount="1321" Body="&lt;p&gt;We planted a small pomegranate tree (about 1 foot tall) a couple of years ago. The tree has been growing nicely, now standing about 3-4 feet tall. Last year we had a bunch of flowers but no fruit. This spring I pruned it fairly aggressively and we now have a lot of new growth. The new branches seem to be bending under their own weight, some have now bent all the way down to the ground. I am wondering, is this normal or should I give the tree some support?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="215" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-09-14T20:30:01.277" LastActivityDate="2011-09-14T20:30:01.277" Title="Does a pomegranate tree need propping up?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;support&gt;&lt;pomegranate&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="580" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="596" CreationDate="2011-06-15T23:55:06.610" Score="24" ViewCount="2130" Body="&lt;p&gt;What plants/grasses can I plant to entice the ladybugs in my garden to stay? They are great for controlling aphids, but seem to move on pretty quickly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="101" LastActivityDate="2016-10-21T18:43:27.083" Title="What plants will keep ladybugs happy?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="581" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="584" CreationDate="2011-06-16T01:06:10.910" Score="24" ViewCount="160389" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a flower bed with some ground cover, daffodils, tulips and a few shrubs. Lately grass has been growing pretty much everywhere, including through the ground cover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried an herbicide called &quot;Over the Top&quot; which is supposed to kill grass without harming other plants, but its effects were pretty negligible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than or in addition to pulling it meticulously, what's the best strategy to remove grass from my flower bed and then keep it from coming back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="88" LastEditorUserId="10" LastEditDate="2011-06-16T01:48:50.803" LastActivityDate="2018-05-15T16:59:24.007" Title="How can I control/remove unwanted grass in flower beds?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="9" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="582" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="544" CreationDate="2011-06-16T01:26:53.453" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The ants will feed aphids! When you see aphids it would be too late to save your plants, especially herbs. My suggestion is to use ant bait to kill them. Just place the toxic bait in their daily path.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few years ago, my home had ants appearing from time to time and they were so annoying. I used an ant bait, mixed with bread and sugar, to attract them. After a few months, they just disappeared.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-10T13:56:14.657" LastActivityDate="2011-09-10T13:56:14.657" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="576" CreationDate="2011-06-16T01:27:20.817" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The rule with trees and bushes is to trim low to make it grow up, trim high to make it grow out. I suspect pruning the bottom of your ficus would encourage it to grow up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T01:27:20.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="584" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="581" CreationDate="2011-06-16T01:48:05.987" Score="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, the only effective means I've found of removing it without damaging nearby plants is pulling it up by hand.  If it's so overgrown that the roots are intertwined this can be almost impossible.  You didn't specify what kind of grass, but from my experience, Bermuda grass is very invasive and will spread like crazy...especially if you have some well tilled flower beds with good soil for it to spread into.  Bermuda grass is hard to kill even with Roundup.  If you are able to get it out, the best control method is prevention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-16T01:53:15.103" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T01:53:15.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="585" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="575" CreationDate="2011-06-16T01:49:00.040" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow tillandsia in my house too. I just put the air plants into a driftwood. I didn't give them a greenhouse, but I think it is a good idea to keep the moisture. Also, please remember to install a pair of fans at the two sides of the tank. Air plant likes moisture but also good air flow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some growing tips from &amp;quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://houseplants.about.com/od/bromeliad1/p/Tillandsia.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tillandsia - Growing air plants&lt;/a&gt;&amp;quot;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing Conditions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Light: Bright light, but not direct sunlight. A south, east or west window is perfect. They can also be grown under fluorescent tubes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water: Water 2 to 4 times a week with a mister. If your environment is dry, mist daily. Water until the plant is saturated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Temperature: Some varieties can withstand near freezing temperatures, but most will thrive between 70ºF and 85ºF. High humidity is a bonus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Support: Glue tillandsias to cork, coral, stone, or driftwood. Only a few varieties can adapt to soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer:Use a low-copper liquid fertilizer, diluted to 1/4 strength. Feed monthly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T18:03:59.553" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="581" CreationDate="2011-06-16T01:52:32.080" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, one good way to kill your lawn is to mow it extraordinarily low.  The same principle can be applied in a garden to grass or any other weed with garden shears.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you pester it enough, it may decide to stop growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other option is more mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T01:52:32.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="587" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="568" CreationDate="2011-06-16T01:58:13.837" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Herbs are generally very easy to grow, as long as you don't forget to water them regularly and provide a well drained environment with sunlight at least 8 hours of the day. What you should grow largely depends on your culinary tastes (and what's expensive in your area). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I must stress one point though: &lt;strong&gt;only plant herbs that you will use regularly&lt;/strong&gt;. The reason is that the flavorful herbs as we know it are the young leaves of the plant. At this stage in the plant's life, its sole purpose is to grow and as such, the leaves are wider, lush, tender and rich in the aromatic stuff that we love. Once plants reach maturity, it's focus is to reproduce and die. So the new sets of leaves it produces are a lot thinner and in general, less aromatic (sometimes gets bitter). No other herb illustrates this better than cilantro. If you've grown cilantro and let it take its own course, you'll know what I'm talking about. This also happened to me with dill and thyme. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if you use these regularly, you'll be automatically trimming the plant, keeping it forever young. If you must plant something that you don't use often (or if you find that your plant produces more than you need), you must trim them often (give the excess to a friend) and not let them flower (pinch the flowers). Speaking of pinching flowers, one herb for which this is very important is basil. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/81/best-conditions-for-basil/154#154&quot;&gt;This was addressed&lt;/a&gt; in a different question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/81/best-conditions-for-basil&quot;&gt;on the best conditions for growing basil&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Personal experience from growing several herbs (cilantro, basil, mint, dill, marjoram, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme). I also found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8110.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this very helpful website&lt;/a&gt; where they list the requirements (light/spacing), how to grow them (from seed/plants/cuttings) and general tips. Do give it a read if you're interested in the requirements for a particular plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T01:58:13.837" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="588" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="684" CreationDate="2011-06-16T03:16:01.180" Score="8" ViewCount="2565" Body="&lt;p&gt;My gardenias seem to be happy all year around, but when they bloom, they turn half yellow. Is there a way to keep them green through the bloom phase?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="169" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-14T23:28:02.853" LastActivityDate="2011-09-14T23:28:02.853" Title="Why do my gardenias turn yellow before they bloom?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;gardenias&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="589" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="576" CreationDate="2011-06-16T03:16:13.583" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;On a ficus plant, leaves and new branches can grow out of the side of virtually any live wood surface; even from older, &quot;hardened&quot; wood. New growth from the bottom is normal, particularly after any kind of shock which will cause all sorts of new growth. But if that top part is alive, you should be seeing new growth coming from the top, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check the tips of the top branches. You should see small, green, needle-like buds that are the growing tips of those branches. If they look brown or are absent, those top branches may be dead. You can check by cutting a branch or scraping with your fingernail the outer layer of a small branch to see if you can detect any green. If there's no green, it's dead. If it's dead, it will become brittle soon enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming the top branches are still alive, there's nothing you can really do to favor new growth up there. Just maintain favorable growing conditions to promote good general growth overall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If those branches &lt;em&gt;have&lt;/em&gt; died, you basically now have a ficus &lt;em&gt;bush.&lt;/em&gt; Don't panic. It will probably do fine. It will just have a different growth habit (In Southern Florida, it's actually quite common to see thick, lush Ficus hedges). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to encourage a more &quot;tree-like&quot; growth from what you have left, pick a few of the strongest, most upright branches coming from the bottom of the tree and cut off the rest. Given enough time and growth, you'll eventually end up with an attractive, now-multi-trunk tree again. As those multi-trunks become thicker and thicker, they'll actually start merging together, which is actually a rather attractive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Just as a side note,&lt;/strong&gt; ficus trees will drop leaves for a bazillion apparently-innocuous reasons. The leaves of a ficus tree are non-phototropic, meaning they can't turn towards the light. So, if you move or turn the plant, it has to drop leaves and regrow them to adjust. If the temperature changes, they'll drop leaves. If watering conditions change, they'll drop leaves. Draft? Drop leaves. Kick the side of the pot, they'll drop leaves. It's nothing to worry about; This is completely normal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't panic and water more when leaves start dropping. That's the opposite of what you want. Always water thoroughly but only after the surface has completely dried out. Light on the fertilizer and only when leaves are actively growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2016-03-28T17:22:19.643" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T17:22:19.643" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="590" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="577" CreationDate="2011-06-16T03:46:47.653" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you only want a few leaves, it's easiest to harvest the outer leaves. There's no botanical advantage one way or the other; It's just easier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But old growth starts to get tough and bitter. It's better to keep harvesting (and re-harvesting) while the leaves are still small and tender.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's why &lt;strong&gt;it is actually best to just grab the top of whatever portion you want to eat and lop it off like you're cutting the grass.&lt;/strong&gt; Leave at least an inch or so above the growing crown near the roots and it will keep growing back. That way you are always getting new growth rather than the oldest leaves you were picking one at a time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Repeat that process until your lettuce starts to get bitter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T03:46:47.653" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="591" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="604" CreationDate="2011-06-16T05:00:26.303" Score="9" ViewCount="1305" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew fava beans this year for the first time and really liked them. The issue I had is that about half my seeds didn't come up, so I have a fairly small crop. If I started more seeds in July would they do well over the summer and produce a fall crop for me? I'm in New Jersey and my growing zone is 7A.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 10/12:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;As mentioned in the comments below I started a fall crop this year. The seeds were planted on July 25th after soaking for 2 or 3 days. They came up and started flowering near the end of August and still are. Despite all the flowers I haven't seen a single bean on any of the plants. I had other bean varieties that were flowering at the same time which I was getting quite a lot of beans from so this couldn't be due to a lack of pollinators in the area could it? In general I haven't had the best of luck with fava beans, mostly due to extremely low germination rates, but I at least got some beans off those plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2012-10-12T04:22:57.803" LastActivityDate="2012-10-12T04:22:57.803" Title="Can I grow fava beans as a fall crop in New Jersey (USDA Zone 7A)?" Tags="&lt;beans&gt;&lt;sowing&gt;&lt;fava-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="592" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="545" CreationDate="2011-06-16T07:28:56.960" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/vegetable/water-plants-vegetable-garden.htm&quot;&gt;This link&lt;/a&gt; favours watering in the morning and, if that's not possible, then late afternoon (with enough time for the plant to dry out a little). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The dangers associated with scorching (daytime watering), are far outweighed by the problems associated with damp sulky plants (nighttime watering).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T07:28:56.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="593" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-16T08:44:19.773" Score="11" ViewCount="193" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife is disabled with Cerebral Palsy and therefore can’t walk on ice or snow, so we must be able to use lots of de-icing salt on our front path.  We would like to replace the paving with something that looks nicer. What are our options?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="231" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2011-11-03T01:31:08.823" LastActivityDate="2011-11-03T01:31:08.823" Title="What are some paving options that will not get damaged by de-icing salt?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="594" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-16T08:49:45.680" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Made popular by Mel Bartholomew, Square Foot Gardening is a method of gardening in which the garden bed is divided into square foot sections where each square is home to a single crop, but multiple crops may be grown in a single bed.  The bed is commonly raised in a planter and filled with rich, moisture-retentive soil which can sustain a more plants in less space.  To enable easy reach to any point in the garden, the beds are usually no more than 4 feet wide at any point.  Vining plants like melons and cucumbers can be grown in fewer squares by growing upward on a trellis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.squarefootgardening.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;SquareFootGardening.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="168" LastEditorUserId="168" LastEditDate="2011-06-16T19:15:25.090" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T19:15:25.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="595" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-16T08:49:45.680" Score="0" Body="Garden beds divided into 1-ft x 1-ft sections by a grid.  Each square may contain a different crop." OwnerUserId="168" LastEditorUserId="168" LastEditDate="2011-06-16T19:15:29.567" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T19:15:29.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="596" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="580" CreationDate="2011-06-16T09:02:27.007" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's going to be difficult to keep them in your garden over the breeding season if there isn't a constant food source.  However, if you find out what species of ladybug you would be likely to find in your area, you should be able to learn if it has a preferred habitat type or host plant.  For example, the UK ladybird survey has posted this useful information: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ladybird-survey.org/habitat.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Seasonal habitat preference (adapted from Majerus and Kearns, 1989).&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If ladybugs overwinter in your climate, you can encourage them to stay in your garden by providing shelter over the cold season.  Last winter I left small piles of sticks, bark, rocks and leaves at a few sheltered areas in my back garden and found many ladybugs emerging in the warm spring sun.  I've found that they especially like hunkering down in dried, hollow stems of dill and fennel, so if you grow them, or have some hollow bamboo canes, add them to your ladybug winter shelter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-10-21T18:43:27.083" LastActivityDate="2016-10-21T18:43:27.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="597" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="201" CreationDate="2011-06-16T09:12:48.133" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know it sounds crazy, but part of my backyard is filled with wild strawberries.  They don't grow to be very tall.  I only have to mow it when the other weeds get tall.  It's kind of fun to walk on in the spring because of the red berries sprinkled in the salad!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure where you would get enough seed for a lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="168" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-08T04:52:55.117" LastActivityDate="2018-02-08T04:52:55.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="581" CreationDate="2011-06-16T09:18:26.050" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulch&quot;&gt;Mulch&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many different ways to mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would put down several layers of newspaper. You will have to rip up the newspaper as required to get it to fit around the existing plants. Cover over any undesired plants. Then give the newspaper a good soaking to keep it in place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then cover over with a thick layer of compost. As this breaks down it will enrich the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then cover with straw, pineneedles, wood chips or whatever else looks good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="232" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T09:18:26.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="599" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-16T09:19:13.833" Score="12" ViewCount="172" Body="&lt;p&gt;I inherited an established garden in which a very sad-looking peony was struggling to grow right next to (practically from under) a rose.  In the two growing seasons I've been at this house, the peony's few leaves were a yellow-green and it never sent up a flowering shoot.  In May this year I moved the rose that was next to it (due to a color scheme I didn't agree with), and at the same time, I removed the peony. It looks as if the peony managed to grow from a bit of root was left after the previous owner tried to remove it and replace it with some roses, but perhaps it was too deep in the soil, or constantly cut back, or too malnourished to grow successfully. I potted up the bits of root, some with leaf still attached, hoping that I could get at least one plant. I've been keeping the potting compost moist but not water-logged and keeping the pots out of direct sunlight.  Is this the right thing to do to save the peony, or is there a better method? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T15:00:41.490" Title="Can I save an old, weak peony?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;peonies&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="600" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33" CreationDate="2011-06-16T09:31:45.863" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Florence fennel is very fussy and prone to bolting when temperatures are variable, so it could be bolting if you're sowing/planting it new each year. In this case, I suggest trying to protect it from temperature extremes. If you've been growing fennel in the same position year upon year, it could be that the soil needs enriching. Also, it's a biennial, so it's unlikely to produce sufficiently inflated stems after its first year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T09:31:45.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="601" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="602" CreationDate="2011-06-16T09:33:31.790" Score="12" ViewCount="740" Body="&lt;p&gt;I find that grass clippings tend not to compost well on their own, however we have lots of grass clippings to compost – so what do we do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="231" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-16T11:50:43.883" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T11:50:43.883" Title="How do I compost lots of grass clippings?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="601" CreationDate="2011-06-16T10:21:49.827" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Add carbon.  Do you have dry fall leaves, extra non-printed cardboard or black&amp;amp;white newspaper to mix in?  Shredding these works best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/417/whats-the-best-way-to-increase-the-carbon-content-of-compost-heap-in-a-grassy-ga&quot;&gt;A post that might help.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="168" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T10:21:49.827" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="603" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="622" CreationDate="2011-06-16T10:46:49.837" Score="12" ViewCount="1759" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in India. I have quite some space in the terrace. The roofing is of concrete slab with some weather-proofing done and red oxide tiles laid above. The climate is tropical ( Chennai ). I would like to know:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How to go about setting up a garden in the terrace ?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there any threat to the building structure in the form of water seepages, algae formation etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there any specific watering needs as the terrace can get quite hot during the day time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I use just earthen pots or is it better to construct tray-like concrete structures ? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Any other precautions to be followed while setting up roof gardening?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="234" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-01-25T15:39:32.910" LastActivityDate="2014-03-10T13:30:11.680" Title="How do I set up a roof top garden in a tropical climate?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="604" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="591" CreationDate="2011-06-16T11:49:35.397" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In &quot;Seed to Seed&quot; (Suzanne Ashworth), p 138 it says that favas are hardy annuals, tolerating frost but not hard freezes. The advice I've typically seen is to start them in early spring to harvest before it gets too hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll want to check the time to maturity on your particular variety, and your first frost date for wherever you are in NJ.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The couple of varieties I see are 85-90 days to maturity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First frost for Trenton, NJ is mid to late October. So if you start them July 1st you might be able to get a crop by October 1st before you have frost, much less hard freeze.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The difficulty I see is that fava beans do not like growing in the heat, so you may have a hard time getting them through a hot July and August. If you don't get hard freezes before Nov 1, you might try seeding them in early August for a late October / early November harvest. If you're willing to give them some protection you could maybe even try for a little later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're willing to experiment you could try some on July 1st, some on August 1st, and some on September 1st, and see which works best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T11:49:35.397" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="605" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="615" CreationDate="2011-06-16T12:30:56.747" Score="30" ViewCount="26418" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a raised bed garden that does well for the most part.  For aesthetic purposes, my wife will not let me put a fence around the garden.  Most of the veggies and herbs do well and do not get eaten by the various critters.  But sometimes they do, especially the peppers and cucumbers.  I have seen deer eating the garden, but there could be others as well i suppose.  We live along the edge of deep woods in the country (NE Ohio).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are some good techniques to keep them away?  I do not care too much about being earthy, so pesticides are an option if there are no other alternatives. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Things in there this year are: basil, oregano, chives, peppers (bell, jalapeno, banana), broccoli, eggplant, cucumbers, and tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mYzPn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="235" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-02-12T18:53:58.377" LastActivityDate="2019-02-25T15:53:06.077" Title="What is the best way to prevent animals from eating my garden without a fence?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="10" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="606" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1459" CreationDate="2011-06-16T12:33:06.463" Score="14" ViewCount="3107" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/op5qJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Looking up at my poison ivy tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't rubbed it all over me yet, but can this 8 foot tree be poison ivy?  It's growing through my fence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If so, any suggestions for dealing with it?  I have a dog and small kids!  Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="168" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T21:21:19.150" Title="8 ft tall Poison Ivy?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;poison-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="150" CreationDate="2011-06-16T12:35:03.513" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like my yard too!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One technique I have heard (maybe this is for moles and does not apply for voles?) is to kill the grubs in the yard.  Friends have has success putting down grubex and then they go away to another yard.  So essentially you are killing the food supply thus forcing them to move on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I might try this next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="235" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T12:35:03.513" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="608" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="613" CreationDate="2011-06-16T12:41:35.987" Score="19" ViewCount="33476" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a lot of oak trees on our property. Is there anything we can do with the oak leaves?  They never really seem to break down, and because of that, I am afraid to try and add them to a compost.  Are they useful in composting at all, or should I keep them out of any mix I make?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I rake them, I have been chopping them with a leaf blower that breaks them up so I can fit more into a bag. I am not sure if that makes them more useful. I'd like to use them if I can, but if it's not wise, then I'll not try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="135" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-23T05:07:22.287" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T17:17:14.043" Title="What can you do with oak leaves within a garden? Are they compostable?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="10" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="605" CreationDate="2011-06-16T13:17:30.320" Score="20" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know this may not be the answer you're looking for but your best hope might be to try and persuade your wife. What I mean is, a rustic fence can be an attractive addition to a kitchen garden and aesthetically quite beautiful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Certainly I can see that you both might not want a perimeter fence around the entire property but a low fence around the vegetable portion only, would work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When we were in the Tirol in Austria last year we went to an outdoor museum showing the traditional barn-style housing people used to live in over there. The kitchen garden plots had small picket fences round them (presumably to keep the family pigs and hens from entering). They were attractive and my wife was very pro (normally she wouldn't have wanted a fence in the garden). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took a photo at the time, because we thought we might copy the look:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jq9B0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-06-16T18:58:17.537" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T18:58:17.537" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="610" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="606" CreationDate="2011-06-16T13:17:45.423" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It certainly looks like the vine form of Poison Ivy. The following information, taken from the About.com site, should help you confirm its identity and deal with it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These two plants always appears nondescript, making victims wonder what exactly gave them the itchy rash a day or two later. With either species, there is one reliable truism: &amp;quot;Leaflets Three, Let It Be.&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Poison Oak and Ivy ALWAYS grow their leaves in groups of three. It doesn’t matter if the leaves look like ivy leaves, oak leaves or have a simple oval shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look for the pattern of three leaflets branching from a single, independent stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You’ll find two leaves attached directly to the stalk, opposite each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The third leaf will jut from between them on a short stem, forming a distinct T pattern. In dry weather the leaves may droop, making the pattern hard to identify.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://0.tqn.com/d/walking/1/S/x/g/T_Leaf_Diagram.gif&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is a link to a leaf diagram that will help you identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And another on how to remove it: &lt;a href=&quot;http://landscaping.about.com/cs/weedsdiseases/a/poison_ivy_3.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Poison Ivy, Poison Sumac, and Poison Oak Identification&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T21:21:19.150" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="611" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="605" CreationDate="2011-06-16T13:21:51.020" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;My garden is positioned between a makeshift greyhound track and a semi busy county road.  I've never had a problem with anything eating my plants. My garden is also underneath a streetlight, which might help as well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Eggplant, peppers, chives, oregano and tomatoes probably aren't going to be eaten by rabbits, I don't know about deer.  Broccoli and Cucumbers might.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are traditional methods like planting a border of marigolds or hanging shiny pie plates, but I'd say the best way to scare animals away is to place your garden in a more public place, hopefully your wife doesn't mind! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T13:21:51.020" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="612" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13" CreationDate="2011-06-16T13:24:28.460" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the UK:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ground temperature must be over about 8C&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seeds must be kept damp (but not washed away)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seed must not be eaten by birds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seed must be able to get its roots into the ground&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don’t try in winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you are not going to water, then avoid the summer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover the seeds with a fine layer of compost/sand/soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Loosen up the soil and remove any dead grass.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I know that some parts of the US have a different type of grass.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="231" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-06-15T19:38:55.750" LastActivityDate="2012-06-15T19:38:55.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="608" CreationDate="2011-06-16T13:26:30.127" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Everything is compostable, even you! You're right, you ought to chop them up before trying to compost them, you also need to add some dirt and maybe grass clippings to your compost in order to convert the leaves into compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure dried oak leaves do not offer a lot of nutrients to your compost, but another thing you could do after chopping them up is till them into your soil or use them for mulch, if they never break down, that's actually a good thing! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="142" LastEditDate="2011-06-16T14:01:05.013" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T14:01:05.013" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="614" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="332" CreationDate="2011-06-16T13:51:10.083" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some plants do have a direction (clockwise or anti-clockwise), is this what the question is getting at? If not, then they probably grow towards the sun (which I've seen with ivy grown as a pot plant) or effectively random. For the latter, there's no answer to your question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the clockwise &amp;amp; anti-clockwise, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.justsomelyrics.com/1653566/Flanders-And-Swann-Misalliance-Lyrics&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Flanders &amp;amp; Swann wrote a song on the subjec&lt;/a&gt;t but it was about ivy and honeysuckle.  Then there's also the question of whether they turn the opposite direction in the southern hemisphere (joke).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T13:51:10.083" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="615" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="605" CreationDate="2011-06-16T13:53:13.110" Score="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.veggiegardener.com/make-your-garden-deer-resistant/&quot;&gt;This web page&lt;/a&gt; lists techniques for making your garden &quot;deer resistant&quot;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plants they don't like&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Deer repellent&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Deer fence [your wife won't like these, they have to be &lt;strong&gt;8 feet&lt;/strong&gt; tall to keep deer out]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Motion activated sprinklers, lights, noise makers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pie pan noise makers [the aesthetics of this may be questionable to your wife too]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dog&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You mention other critters, but don't say what kind -- rabbits, woodchucks, voles? The control method will vary greatly:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For rabbits and woodchucks:&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a low fence might work, but you'll have to bury part of it since they can dig&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;more smelly sprays&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;traps -- live or dead&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For voles, good luck... maybe an outdoor cat or two?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some of the motion activated noise/light devices may work well on other animals depending on what is invading your garden.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Raccoons can be deterred with a couple of low strands of electric fencing around the garden. I don't know if this will count against your fence ban -- it's a temporary fence that could be taken down after the growing season.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fences are the most common advice I've seen (and what I use) and from what I can tell the most effective. If you can't do this, you may want to try some of the sprays/repellents. E.g. fox or cat urine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on the animal, some people use a live trap and then transport the animal far enough away to make it someone else's problem. Just make sure you can deal with a live trap in a timely manner -- leaving an animal die slowly baking in the sun all day is much worse than just using an &quot;instant-kill&quot; trap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again depending on the animal, you can cage the plants, e.g. small cubes of wire fencing around your spinach, lettuce, etc to keep small animals off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T13:53:13.110" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="605" CreationDate="2011-06-16T13:55:49.053" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A mesh fence can be hidden behind bushes and hedging (effectively what a lot of our garden is).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For larger animals, spikey stuff can do wonders - that would keep deer, cattle, and hominids out but not rabbits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree with Peter about peppers and tomatoes - the things that eat ours are usually insects (typically horn worms but we've had aphids this year), and birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T13:55:49.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="617" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="606" CreationDate="2011-06-16T13:56:48.007" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it is in fact poison ivy (I'm not sure, from that picture), Roundup or a similar herbicide is usually very effective for killing it. Be careful if you spray something on it, though - Roundup is very toxic to desirable plants as well. Spray on a relatively windless day, and I'd suggest wearing long sleeves, pants, and gloves to minimize skin contact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be sure that the remains of the plants are &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; burned! That can disperse the oils from the plants in the air, and can result in nearby people getting a rash in their nose, throat, and even lungs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="142" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T13:56:48.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="618" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="608" CreationDate="2011-06-16T14:01:45.853" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've made a special pile for leaves. It's helpful to contain it, at least at first, to prevent them from blowing away and making a mess. I just took a length of wire fence and turned it on itself to make a circular &quot;pen&quot; for the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It takes them much longer to break down than regular compost (at least a year, probably two), but the end result is &lt;a href=&quot;http://organicgardening.about.com/od/compost/a/LeafMold.htm&quot;&gt;leaf mold&lt;/a&gt;, which is a low-fertility soil improver. You can mix this into your garden beds to improve the soil structure and add organic matter without adding a lot of nutrients. Earthworms love leaf piles; when I turned a big pile (1/2 sq yd or so) into my garden this spring I imported tons of worms along with it. The chopping that you're doing will help the process along.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T14:01:45.853" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="619" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="478" CreationDate="2011-06-16T14:14:25.230" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a product, Jobe's organic fertilizer, that contains nutrients that are from, among other sources, poultry manure. It is low enough in analysis to not be a worry as to burning a bonsai tree. I have just sprinkled the &quot;all purpose&quot; mix, I believe it is called on the top of the soil of my bonsais. The bag gives amounts to use depending on size of pot. Even this considers all potted plants it seems reasonable for bonsais. The reviews on this product which I ran across by accident were excellent so I hope to see some  interesting results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="238" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-16T17:50:53.777" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T17:50:53.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="620" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-16T15:10:50.343" Score="17" ViewCount="269" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a pack of beetroot seeds today, but there are a lot more than I thought (250). Seems like farm sort of quantities far more than my window sill can hold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I had the idea to grow them all as micro beetroots. Can I pull them out at any time?  What sort of size am I looking for?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="240" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-17T22:54:27.357" LastActivityDate="2011-09-17T22:54:27.357" Title="Can I harvest beetroot early as &quot;micro beetroots&quot;?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;beetroot&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="621" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="593" CreationDate="2011-06-16T15:13:23.767" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recycled rubber pavers might be a good option, they are soft, reasonably priced and are supposed to last a long time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also come in shapes and sized that closely resemble concrete or brick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iECfD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rubber pavers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T15:13:23.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="622" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="603" CreationDate="2011-06-16T15:49:36.470" Score="10" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I think setting up a terrace garden is a great idea! &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I agree with @winwaed, the risk from water seepage is probably minimal considering the amount of rain you get already.  You might consider putting some mats down to walk on in case it gets slippery up there though.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The watering needs would depend on multiple factors, including the type of plants you are going to grow.  I would make sure and only plant stuff that can handle full sun though.  You can reduce your watering needs some by putting a layer of mulch on top of your soil.  This will help the soil retain moisture.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;My preference between those two choices would be the earthen pots, just because I think they'd be easier to move around if you wanted to re-arrange.  You also need to be careful that you don't build something that weighs more than the roof can handle.  It sounds like it's pretty sturdy, but you definitely don't want your roof caving in on you!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you don't own the building, make sure it's OK with the owner first though.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastEditorUserId="924" LastEditDate="2012-02-21T21:00:00.253" LastActivityDate="2012-02-21T21:00:00.253" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="623" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="620" CreationDate="2011-06-16T17:16:30.323" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, I'll send out an answer since I've been thinning my beets pretty regularly and eating the greens.  I planted a 10 foot row of beets about an inch or two apart and thinned down to 3 inches between beet plants.  The plants are about 8 inches tall right now.  I think those would be what you'd consider 'micro beetroots' and they're nice and tender and tasty and you can eat 'em in a salad, but I wouldn't much bother with the root, it's just a sliver.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing about beets (and turnips etc..) is that you can harvest the greens like you would with salad without dramatically hurting your crop of beets.  That way you get the best of both worlds.  Now, if you really hate beets, but love the greens (like me) then I'd plant a windowbox about an inch apart, cover with 1/4 inch of soil and that'd be a pretty nice looking edible windowbox...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T17:16:30.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="624" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="179" CreationDate="2011-06-16T17:27:55.817" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let it take over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in Iowa (hardiness zone 5a) most lawns are mixes of bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue and creeping (aka red or chewings) fescue.  If you get the correct varieties of the fescues you have to get down on your hands and knees and study each blade of grass to see the differences between these four turfgrass species.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most commercial prepackaged grass seeds are not purely one species/variety.  They are a mix of species and varieties (hopefully) suitable for your area.  The advantage of this is that each species will predominate where it is best suited for the microclimate in that exact spot.  In your case the tall fescues will probably predominate in the dryer, sunnier and higher traffic locations, and the ryegrasses will predominate in the shadier, wetter areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendation to you would be to reseed or overseed with a high quality mixed species grass seed mix.  That will establish a better looking tall fescue variety than your wild/weed variety.  Then, if needed, hand pull any ugly looking grass that snuck in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="193" LastEditorUserId="193" LastEditDate="2011-06-21T14:11:26.947" LastActivityDate="2011-06-21T14:11:26.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="625" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="143" CreationDate="2011-06-16T17:39:32.103" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had deep ruts in our lawn from when we had a tree service remove a dead/dying mature mulberry tree.  I aerated the lawn every spring (+fall if we had a lot of rain).  Then I rolled the law with a lawn roller after every heavy rain.  Over a couple of years the ruts steadily became smaller and eventually disappeared.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="193" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T17:39:32.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="626" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="629" CreationDate="2011-06-16T19:03:54.237" Score="23" ViewCount="39760" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that they come from different sources, but is there a reason to prefer one over the other?  Are they appropriate for different tasks?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="539" LastActivityDate="2020-02-20T02:44:13.480" Title="What is the functional difference between cow manure and sheep manure?" Tags="&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="627" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="640" CreationDate="2011-06-16T19:11:16.310" Score="18" ViewCount="3190" Body="&lt;p&gt;Now that I've lived in my very nicely landscaped first home for over 10 years, I have several &quot;overgrown&quot; trees, hedges, and shrubs (mostly, but not all evergreens) in my landscaping, and at this point I'm pretty sure it's impossible to do anything but have them dug out and replaced with new smaller ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For several years, I had tried to save money by not having landscapers do the annual evergreen trimming.  I can only assume that this is the source of my problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To start, I'm not a big fan of the &quot;manicured&quot; evergreen look.  With that in mind, is it possible with proper trimming and/or pruning to limit the growth of trees, shrubs, and hedges, or is it just an accepted reality of landscaping that eventually they'll need to be replaced?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="58" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-20T19:16:41.133" LastActivityDate="2011-11-20T19:16:41.133" Title="Is it possible to indefinitely limit the growth of trees, hedges, and shrubs?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="626" CreationDate="2011-06-16T19:18:59.913" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;The values of manure and organic fertilizers in general, are often based on the relative amount of nitrogen (N), phosphoric acid (P) and potash (K) they contain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some common types of manure compare as follows (in N/P/K terms):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chicken: 1.1/.80/.50&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Dairy Cow: .25/.15/.25&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Horse: .70/.30/.60&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Steer: .70/.30/.40&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Rabbit: 2.4/1.4/.60&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Sheep: .70/.30/.90&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Sources: Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, An Illustrated Guide to&#xA;Organic Gardening, by Sunset Publishing, and the Rodale Guide to Composting. via &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantea.com/manure.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.plantea.com/manure.htm&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Horse and cow manure are also humus-rich while sheep manure is easier to handle (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/2427/using-manure-to-fertilize-your-garden&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/2427/using-manure-to-fertilize-your-garden&lt;/a&gt;). Dairy cow manure is often favored over other types of fertilizer, as it is low in nutrients and can be applied in endless quantities with no detrimental side effects (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lawncare.net/stay-green-with-manure-fertilizer/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.lawncare.net/stay-green-with-manure-fertilizer/&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also have to take acidity into account. Acidic manures are great for fertilizing tomatoes, but not what you want for carrots or something else, for example.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="255" LastEditorUserId="2000" LastEditDate="2016-04-02T22:58:31.887" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T22:58:31.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="630" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="699" CreationDate="2011-06-16T19:19:30.880" Score="12" ViewCount="1283" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll start by saying I'm by no means a gardener and I usually kill anything that's green and lives in a pot, however I'd like to say this one is doing well, judging by its height. It no doubt needs to be repotted very soon, I can see blotches appearing on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My girlfriend and I are debating the identity of this plant. We bought it a while back and subsequently lost the label with the name on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We seem to have some lingering memory that it might be some kind of Poppy, but we are unsure - and Googling Poppies turns up plants that look &lt;em&gt;nothing&lt;/em&gt; like this one here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also seems to be bearing fruit that look a little like small peppers or chillies to me, but again, I'm not a botanist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, what kind of plant is this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures (click on each for a larger image)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QUMnm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QUMnmm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unidentified Plant 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JYJ1X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JYJ1Xm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unidentified Plant 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GEHSO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GEHSOm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unidentified Plant 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers eventually came through, and they look exactly like the plant Shanna mentioned in her answer. I always thought poppies were red :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ms8gv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ms8gvm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Poppy!&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="246" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-17T22:45:16.633" LastActivityDate="2011-09-17T22:45:59.300" Title="Is this plant some kind of Poppy?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;identification&gt;&lt;poppy&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="631" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="698" CreationDate="2011-06-16T19:34:18.260" Score="13" ViewCount="8063" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted three bulbs in a small vase, around 20 cm diameter, without a drainage hole. I planted them in November, outside under a roof, facing East, and watered them when the soil was dry. I'm in Amsterdam and the weather was cold, but not as cold as it usually is. Blooming was on time in the fields.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the season was particularly rainy this didn't happen often (even though the vase was under a roof). I got the tulip plants to grow up to 15 cm, with three green sprouts that seemed to be in perfect health, as the blooming period approached. Then, in just 10 days, some yellowing appeared on the borders and the tips, and it spread to the whole plants. This is the final, sad result that puts my efforts to grow something in the dust. Poor things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1D9wo.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1D9wom.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of wilted tulips&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What did I do wrong? It is the first time I tried to grow something. Also, do you think these bulbs can still be reused next year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="256" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-17T22:32:20.427" LastActivityDate="2020-04-27T13:22:47.483" Title="Why did my tulips die?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;tulips&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="632" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="635" CreationDate="2011-06-16T19:46:17.037" Score="24" ViewCount="762" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received seeds from various produces as a gift. They are in sealed paper bags, but they occupy a lot of space and I was thinking about opening the bags and putting the seeds into small transparent plastic containers. Is this a good way to store and not compromise them? If not, what is the preferred alternative? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="256" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-17T22:30:43.423" LastActivityDate="2018-09-15T08:03:05.180" Title="What is a proper container to preserve seeds?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="626" CreationDate="2011-06-16T19:57:53.133" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although high in nutrients, because sheep manure is deposited in the fields, it is not mixed with straw or hay like horse or cow manure, and is therefore not as good a soil conditioner. It is also rather dry and takes longer to break down and release its nutrients. However, it has a much lower odour than either cattle or chicken manure and, as pointed out, is easier to handle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My own soil is very light and free-draining - too light, in fact, because it dries out very quickly, requiring a lot of watering and fertilizing, and it loses nutrients much faster than a heavier soil. Having tried horse, chicken and cattle manure, I have found that the best manure for this type of soil is cattle manure, as it bulks it up and gives it more substance.&#xA;Horse and chicken manure - and, probably, sheep manure - are more suitable for lightening heavy, clayey soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T19:57:53.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="634" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="630" CreationDate="2011-06-16T20:09:12.573" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like some sort of poppy-like thing to me.   If I am correct, those are not fruit, they are flower buds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T20:09:12.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="635" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="632" CreationDate="2011-06-16T20:29:15.683" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Things that are bad for seeds in storage are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;heat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;moisture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plastic containers are airtight and you are going to store them in a cool, dark, dry place, then it should be ok.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;em&gt;best&lt;/em&gt; thing to do would be to ensure that they are thoroughly dry first -- you can use a desiccant like silica gel in the container. But if you plan to use the seeds soon, and they were properly dried before they were given to you, and the bags they are in haven't gotten damp/humid, then you may be ok.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T20:29:15.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="636" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="648" CreationDate="2011-06-16T20:31:19.063" Score="12" ViewCount="1032" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got chives that are growing like crazy.  Recently, I noticed they are flowering, which I and my wife appreciate for the beauty.  But we also appreciate chives for their taste and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/568/easy-to-grow-herbs-and-spices/587#587&quot;&gt;answers&lt;/a&gt; to other questions indicate that pinching the flowers is advised for herbs to prevent them from maturing.  Is this true of chives as well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, I noticed in my research that the flowers of chives are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8110.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;edible&lt;/a&gt;.  So when I get home, at least one flower will get pinched off!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T06:12:52.100" Title="Should I pinch off flowers that form on chives?" Tags="&lt;pinching-out&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="637" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="636" CreationDate="2011-06-16T20:40:05.260" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Growing like crazy is a good way to put it.  When you pinch off the plant concentrates more of its magical growing potential into the roots, and hence you have a lot more chives next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said, it certainly won't be the only reason they take over your entire garden.  I don't think chives will last very long after flowering regardless of whether you pinch them off or not though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My son and I like to eat them too, they leave you with the raunchiest possible breath!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T20:40:05.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="638" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="630" CreationDate="2011-06-16T20:59:23.427" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks pretty much like a poppy. Once those flower buds open (which looks like will be happening soon), you can get a definite answer. The flower is usually much more definitive than the vegetative growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Illustration_Papaver_somniferum0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LX26Fm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;Source: Wikimedia commons&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="260" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-17T22:45:59.300" LastActivityDate="2011-09-17T22:45:59.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="639" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="631" CreationDate="2011-06-16T22:11:12.103" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stefano you did not mention where you are from or what the climate was.  Remember tulips don't last too long, they come out usually in April-May and sometimes in early June.  But once they bloom they only last about 2 weeks (it is very unfortunate but generally this is the case).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may be able to reuse the bulbs for next year, they contain a lot of nutrients which could be used next year to regrow.  I would say plant them early and expect them to take root and grow during April / May.  In most cases you can leave the bulbs in that same pot, just get rid of the dead leaves and you will have to wait till next year to try this again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will definitely want to get a pot that has a hole at the bottom of it, it will allow for good drainage which tulips need.  In most cases tulips do not need a lot of watering and although they are perennials, they are somewhat sensitive perennials.  So sometimes they will not come back forcing you to purchase new bulbs.  Plant the bulbs in the Fall that way they are ready come Spring time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to why they died I don't have an exact answer, but it could very well be that you did not have any drainage for them or that you over watered them.  Remember tulips do not need a lot of water, and in most cases nature waters them enough, even when the soil looks dry.  To avoid this do as stated above and purchase a pot that has drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck next year!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-19T21:13:46.070" LastActivityDate="2011-06-19T21:13:46.070" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="627" CreationDate="2011-06-16T22:18:12.100" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only way to &quot;limit&quot; the growth of a tree / shrub is to prune / trim / hedge the plant.&#xA;There is also another possibility but it &lt;strong&gt;may&lt;/strong&gt; have the consequences of actually killing off the plant.  That is to dig a hole maybe 1-2 ft around and depth wise for the plant.  Put in some good soil but around this soil fill with clay / rock.  This prohibits the roots from escaping and so the roots stay in place.  But again this has the possibility of killing the plant as the roots get to a point where either water gathers too much / there is no water at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best advice I can give you is to trim / hedge / prune as often as possible, I just trimmed up everything today (mid june).  This way you get the growth of spring (april, may) so all your landscaping plants are ready for a haircut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By doing this in june you give the plants only about 2-3 months worth of growing (depending on your region, July - August - September).  If you prune / trim too early (end of april, early may) then you will have to do this same task again come august.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T22:18:12.100" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="641" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="605" CreationDate="2011-06-16T22:20:25.767" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;This actually seems to keep the bunnies away.  Have someone in the family get a haircut and keep all the hair in a bag.  Than spread that hair across your garden.  This tends to keep the bunnies away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-16T22:20:25.767" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="643" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="659" CreationDate="2011-06-17T01:39:07.847" Score="16" ViewCount="13499" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves on my tomato plants are curling up and I'm wondering if they are getting enough water. The leaves are still green and there are tomatoes on the plant, but I didn't know if that was a sign that they were not healthy. I usually give them a good soaking every 2-3 days, but it has been really hot here in Georgia. We got a good rain last night and they were still curled today.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got three varieties and the Black Plum is not curling, but the Cherokee Purple and the Sweet Tangerine are. The Black Plum is planted a short distance from the other two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="192" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-17T22:48:14.963" LastActivityDate="2011-09-17T22:48:14.963" Title="What does it mean if my tomato leaves are curling?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="133" CreationDate="2011-06-17T01:45:13.410" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;The growth that you are seeing is normal for sweet potatoes. But what you want is sweet potatoes, not vines. The container that you are using is too small for any significant growth of roots. You may get a couple tiny potatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course growing in the ground will work much better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However you can certainly grow them in a container. Try a five gallon (minimum) plastic bucket, like the ones that hold paint with the handle. This will give the plants room to develop some sweet potatoes. &lt;strong&gt;The bigger the container the more root growth&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Go to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningdirections.com/&quot;&gt;Gardening Directions&lt;/a&gt; and follow the directions for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningdirections.com/learn/vegetable-gardening/106-growing-container-tomatoes-in-your-vegetable-garden&quot;&gt;planting tomatoes in a five gallon bucket&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-25T14:45:59.650" LastActivityDate="2011-10-25T14:45:59.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="645" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="476" CreationDate="2011-06-17T02:37:27.360" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is an interesting question. I have studied the chart you mention and, besides all the deficiency/ toxicity symptoms that it states may result from an excess of these nutrients, I would add that in the long term (1) excess calcium can increase the pore space in the soil to as much as 50%, as a result of which the soil dries out too quickly, water uptake is severely reduced and this leads to disease and/or low yields, and (2) excess potassium can contribute to the proliferation of pathogenic organisms and bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your soil is rich enough in humus, you can avoid adding any more manure or standard fertilizer, and it should slowly normalize. For nitrogen, I would use a product such as blood meal (12% nitrogen, but only 1% phosphorus and 0.6% potassium). This is ideal for nitrogen-hungry greens, although perhaps not for cabbages, as it produces a mildly acidic soil reaction; nor, of course, for beans and peas, which have root nodules which fix atmospheric nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, in soils like yours, where the phosphorus level is between 150 to 350 ppm, it can take from 3 to 5 years for the phosphorus balance to return to normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T02:37:27.360" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="646" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-17T03:53:31.027" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is for questions about maize, a plant called corn in English speaking countries. This is a grass that forms a staple food for many cultures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-15T00:25:12.213" LastActivityDate="2012-03-15T00:25:12.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="647" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-17T03:53:31.027" Score="0" Body="Maize, a plant called corn in English speaking countries. " OwnerUserId="47" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-15T00:25:12.323" LastActivityDate="2012-03-15T00:25:12.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="648" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="636" CreationDate="2011-06-17T06:12:52.100" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always leave my chives to flower and only dead-head later - the flowers are very popular with bees!  I've never noticed any change in flavour or growth. Chives should last - and spread - for many years after planting unless they really dislike where they're planted or you have extremely severe winter freezing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T06:12:52.100" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="649" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="653" CreationDate="2011-06-17T04:05:54.160" Score="19" ViewCount="285" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a house, and would like to keep my lawn looking as nice as everyone else's in my neighborhood. Right now I water every zone 5-8 minutes, every other day. This is just something I made up, and is not based on anything. However, as the picture shows, my lawn is starting to die. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume I should water more in the zones that get full sun, but I'd like to make sure before I start a new schedule.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, for how long should I water each zone? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The white is sun, and the gray is shaded by my tree. I live in Fort Worth, TX and have bermuda grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6eL8c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="272" OwnerDisplayName="gtaylor85" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-09-16T14:10:56.477" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T15:08:50.850" Title="What is the right watering schedule for the different areas of my front lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="650" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="660" CreationDate="2011-06-17T10:08:19.050" Score="17" ViewCount="2657" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some good answers on this question: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/555/99&quot;&gt;Is it worth spreading ash on the vegetable plot?&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But one answer says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I can't think of any minerals that would be present&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and the other upvoted answer says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It has (varying depending on the woods that were burned) quite a few nutrients&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to work out which answer is correct, or whether they can both be right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From a gardener's perspective, when we talk about nutrients, do we mean minerals? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2017-03-23T11:11:15.100" Title="Are &quot;minerals&quot; and &quot;nutrients&quot; the same thing?" Tags="&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="651" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="555" CreationDate="2011-06-17T11:41:02.913" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is an excellent article on the composition and use of wood ash in the garden &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/woodash.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T11:41:02.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="652" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="650" CreationDate="2011-06-17T11:53:54.877" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;When talking about plants / gardens in general minerals are just a composition of nutrients that plants get from the soil they are placed into.  So yes in this case they are the same thing.  In a different context they may mean something different but in this case they represent the same thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T11:53:54.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="649" CreationDate="2011-06-17T12:00:01.070" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's normal that wherever the sun hits most the grass is usually going to die a lot faster.&#xA;And unless you are ready for some pretty hefty water bills there is not much you can do about it besides water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aeration / dethatching may also help as it breaks up the ground and gets rid of all the dead grass beneath the good grass.  Aeration will put in those holes or spikes into the grass allowing more water / fertilizer to enter the grass and help air it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are not concerned about your water bill and you want to keep up with the jones' :) then set the zones of the dying grass area to 12-15 minutes.  It may / may not help..the sun is a very strong animal.  The only other thing you can do as mentioned is to aerate or dethatch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T12:00:01.070" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="650" CreationDate="2011-06-17T12:10:27.213" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some minerals are nutrients.  Nutrients are not necessarily minerals.   There are amino acids that are also nutrients (think vitamins and minerals in your diet).   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I have seen, minerals more typically fall under the &quot;micronutrient&quot; group of nutrients (Zinc, Copper, Manganese, &lt;i&gt;etc&lt;/i&gt;.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T12:10:27.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="655" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="605" CreationDate="2011-06-17T12:23:00.973" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I constructed a couple of cages out of chickenwire and 2x2s that's about 18 inches tall, with a chickenwire roof, as well (construction is described in &quot;Square Foot Gardening&quot; by Mel Bartholomew). I keep my spring salad mix covered with one, and also use one to cover my tomatoes and peppers until they're large enough to handle some minor mammal munching.   Once everything is big enough to handle some grazing, I remove the cages.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose that they're &quot;unsightly&quot; for the month or two that they're out on the garden, but they keep anything larger than a mouse out of my garden quite effectively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T12:23:00.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="659" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="643" CreationDate="2011-06-17T13:15:37.020" Score="15" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Tomato leaves curl naturally if it's too dry, too hot, too humid or too windy. In other words, the leaves will tend to curl if growing conditions are not optimum for the plant.&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_causes_leaf_curl_on_tomato_plants&quot;&gt;(Answers.com)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mind you, leaves will also curl for other reasons too, such as disease.  From the sounds of it your environment has just been unstable recently.  I would not be too worried yet.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would suggest to wait it out a little longer and watch how they change / react to the weather.  Refer to the link if you would like a little further reading.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="62" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T13:15:37.020" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="660" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="650" CreationDate="2011-06-17T13:24:42.840" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;@Baka is along the right lines but @Jonh is right to note different contexts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I come from a geological background, so to me a mineral is basically the different crystalline components of a rock. Rocks are made of multiple minerals. if you break a mineral down, you end up with atoms. Eg. Quartz is a mineral, it can be found in granite (a rock), but if you break it down further you get silicon and oxygen atoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience when gardeners talk about minerals, they are talking about the ions produced by the breakdown of minerals. So for example, feldspar (another common granite mineral) will eventually break down (via various clay minerals) to release Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium, Calcium, and Aluminium (not all of these are present in all feldspars). This list of elements in ion form, are what the gardeners are talking about as minerals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps a proper chemical definition might be &quot;ionic nutrients&quot;? This would include the above cations (essentially metal ions), mineral-derived anions (eg. some phosphate), and the soil/manure derived anions (eg. phosphates from guano; nitrates from nitrogen fixing and manures).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Ions are charged atoms that result when a salt dissolves. eg. Potassium Nitrate would give you Potassium ions and nitrate ions) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-17T13:31:38.767" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T13:31:38.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="661" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-17T13:26:44.057" Score="13" ViewCount="2038" Body="&lt;p&gt;I lost a beloved diseased dogwood tree that had made a wonderful space in my yard by growing long stretching horizontal branches that made a canopy of sorts.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About a year or two I replaced it with another dogwood, and I would like to try to replicate the growth pattern of the old tree.  I was wondering if it's possible to prune or train the new dogwood in this manner.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want to train it to the extent that it looks unnatural like I've seen in Japanese gardens.  (See pictures in @yoda's answer for the looks I am trying to avoid.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I'm looking for is specific pruning or training techniques to encourage natural looking horizontal growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="58" LastEditorUserId="58" LastEditDate="2011-06-21T14:03:06.690" LastActivityDate="2014-04-12T11:57:03.257" Title="Is there a way to prune or train my tree to grow more horizontally?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="665" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="661" CreationDate="2011-06-17T13:45:51.880" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;While growing bonsai trees, trunks and branches are physically manipulated to grow a certain way.  I am assuming the same techniques could be used for normal sized tree as long as it is not too old or large.  If you are growing the tree from a sapling I do not see why this could not be implemented.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="62" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T13:45:51.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="666" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="697" CreationDate="2011-06-17T13:53:47.027" Score="10" ViewCount="553" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm using an organic liquid fish fertilizer (3-3-0). The instructions say to dilute 1 Tablespoon in a gallon of water, every two weeks for vegetables. But it isn't clear how many plants this will feed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will depend on how much my plants really need, but I'm looking for a ballpark -- wondering if I'm spreading it too thinly. Is a 1 gallon feeding good for:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2 cabbages, or&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;20 cabbages, or&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;50 cabbages?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not that I have 50 cabbages... just want a benchmark application rate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(For anyone reading my other question about nutrient imbalance, this application is to a newer garden with very different soil analysis.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-18T02:12:06.177" Title="How far does a gallon of fish fertilizer go?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="667" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="669" CreationDate="2011-06-17T14:13:01.183" Score="16" ViewCount="4529" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got several plants that are probably overdue to be repotted.  One of them is a cactus with lots of new growth and sharp spines.  And the other is a jade where many more of the cuttings survived than I expected.  With each of these, I can't simply grab the trunk to support it, and particularly with the jade, I worry that the weight of the soil will cause a lot of damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the cactus, I've seen suggestions to wrap it in newspaper.  And with the jade, I may be able to get a knife in there to separate the soil from the side of the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any other tips and tricks that can be used to minimize damage?  Note, the pots are nice, so I don't want to damage them either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: For those unfamiliar with Jade, it looks like this with leaves that easily separate which can be stuck in the ground and they'll grow a new plant.  I did this with a dozen or so leaves from a dying plant, expecting 3-4 to survive, and almost every one of them survived so I've got a crowding issue:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IJ4KD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cactus looks a lot like this (web site from the pic calls it a Mammillaria gracilis Preiff) and with all the new growth around the sides, I don't think I'll be able to get a knife in there:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sCgJL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="270" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:26:07.393" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:26:07.393" Title="How should I repot these overgrown and delicate plants?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="668" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="649" CreationDate="2011-06-17T14:19:05.217" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just to echo something @JonH has touched on: I live in nearby Irving and I just let it go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our lawns are a bit of a mix, but the bermudagrass is actually one of the better looking bits when it yellows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As well as huge water savings, here are some other advantages:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't look &lt;em&gt;that&lt;/em&gt; untidy - in fact yellow bermuda looks a &lt;strong&gt;lot&lt;/strong&gt; tidier than the &quot;haven't had time for two weeks to mow it&quot; look&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't need cutting on a weekly basis. In the Texas Summer Heat? No thanks! I cut ours for the last time this week - next time will probably be September.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keeping up with the Jones'? They're simply not worth it. If you have a dictatorial housing association, then you need to educate them about xeriscaping.  (it is no accident that our new succulent/cacti bed takes a large chunk out of our front lawn)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T14:19:05.217" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="669" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="667" CreationDate="2011-06-17T14:37:24.030" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know which cacti they are, but I just use gardening gloves. Yes sticking-out spines will go through them. The spines on a small barrel cactus or mammary cactus where they are wrapped around more, are less likely to go through gloves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually I'm working with opuntia (&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/280/do-opuntia-prickly-pear-cacti-readily-form-hybrids-in-the-wild&quot;&gt;see this question for photos&lt;/a&gt;), where the spines stick out more, but there are usually gaps between the spines where a pad can be held without being spiked. Opuntia are also pretty hardy when it comes to this kind of thing. They get a bit of a  rough treatment if I'm cutting pads off for cuttings (depending on your cactus type, this might be something to consider?). Also the &quot;cinnamon bunny ears&quot; opuntia requires sacrificial garden gloves. It doesn't have spines but has nasty hairs that stick in the gloves. Often it is best to just throw the gloves out after use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Newspaper does sound a good idea - especially if it is like a barrel or mammary cactus with the spines wrapped around. The paper should deflect them - the opuntia spines may still go straight through the paper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So yes, I would try to loosen the soil and carefully pull the cactus out (wrapped in newspaper). Do the whole thing over newspaper to catch the soil and debris.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit after seeing photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes the cactus looks like one where the newspaper trick would work. It is more of an upright mammary cactus to what I have (or see growing locally),  but it has that wrapped-around &quot;bird nest&quot; pattern with the spines.&#xA;I see there's some finger space around the base, so I think you should be able to turn it upside down and tap the root ball out of the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may be able to split the side growths off once it is out of the pot. A knife would help make a cleaner cut. (my opuntia don't seem to mind but as I say, they're pretty tolerant of a lot!)&#xA;I looked in &quot;Cactus&quot; by Elisabeth Manke, Barron's. This says &lt;em&gt;M. gracilis&lt;/em&gt; grows to about 4 inches. No specific propagation instructions, but says &lt;em&gt;Mammillaria&lt;/em&gt; can be propagated by seed, grafting, or cuttings. I'm not a fan of cactus grafting - visually it never looks right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the jade cuttings took so well (sounds very much like opuntia in this respect), then I wouldn't be afraid of bits breaking off. If they do, you have more cuttings. Soon you'll be giving them away to your friends. Perhaps put fewer in each pot next time. Perhaps 3-4?&#xA;(The optuntia pads are obviously a lot larger, but I plant those one pad per pot and get &gt;90% success rate. )&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T15:17:58.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="670" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="581" CreationDate="2011-06-17T14:56:57.713" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw an episode of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/tv/ask-toh&quot;&gt;Ask This Old House&lt;/a&gt; where they were trying to remove long grasses that had grown into juniper shrubs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Their solution was to use glyphosate (Roundup) to kill the grass, and then to add a steel edging barrier to prevent the grasses from spreading back to where they had removed them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Glyphosate will kill any vegetation it comes in contact with, so they had the novel idea to use a paint brush to actually paint all the stalks they wanted to remove so as to not coat the existing juniper shrubs. They'd mentioned it may take a couple applications to kill all the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be sure not to do this on a windy day or some of the glyphosate may still come in contact with plants you'd like to keep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="105" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T14:56:57.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="673" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="650" CreationDate="2011-06-17T15:51:45.820" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From wiktionary, a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mineral#Noun&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mineral&lt;/a&gt; (#3) is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Any inorganic element that is essential to nutrition; a dietary mineral.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By that definition, all &quot;minerals&quot; are nutrients; that's probably the most relevant for a gardening context. By a broader definition (look at their #1), a mineral is any natural inorganic material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nutrient#Noun&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;nutrient&lt;/a&gt; is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A source of nourishment, such as food, that can be metabolized by an organism to give energy and build tissue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clearly there are nutrients that are organic, thus disqualifying them as minerals. So when I want to talk about all the stuff that plants need to consume, I usually say &quot;nutrients&quot;. I would only say &quot;minerals&quot; when I am talking about a specific mineral plant requirement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T15:51:45.820" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="674" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="738" CreationDate="2011-06-17T15:54:35.580" Score="9" ViewCount="199" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Fescue Grass does fine here in my shady South Carolina yard. However, it needs to be re-seeded every year or it gets bare patches. Are there any alternatives that do not involve buying more seed every year (besides chopping down my trees and planting a sunny grass or naturalizing the area)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:32:51.583" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T02:32:51.583" Title="How can I maintain a permanent shade lawn?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;fescue&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="661" CreationDate="2011-06-17T16:14:32.840" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can train trees however you want (except perhaps make them grow underground!) if you start at a very young age. The trees will need to be trained constantly (i.e., if you miss for a couple of weeks to a month, you'll find that it's harder to bend them the way you want) till they reach the desired shape and after that, you can maintain the shape by pruning appropriately. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The hardest part is not in training them, but rather in knowing when to stop. However, there's not much that we can do about it here because we don't know what you have in mind and even if you showed us pictures, it would be hard for us to tell you exactly. But to answer your question, yes you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some examples (Click on the image for a link to the source page):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://fruitforum.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/how-should-i-train-my-apple-trees/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ihwji.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mollybee.org/china/chpics37.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zUJAp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/soopawman/4205038125/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DH7kG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T16:14:32.840" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="676" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-17T16:37:45.907" Score="11" ViewCount="862" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very resilient cactus that can be left alone for a month without consequences.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, I want to leave it alone during two months and leave it some water system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen little earthen jars that can be put into the pot and filled with water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this work? How big should they be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there another system that works?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="274" LastEditorUserId="2485" LastEditDate="2014-07-17T15:02:34.830" LastActivityDate="2014-07-17T15:02:34.830" Title="What's a good water system for my cactus plant during holidays?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="677" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="88" CreationDate="2011-06-17T17:04:28.073" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No direct experience, but the following article talks about floating row covers being used to protect against frost and larger animals, and primarily insects:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/floating-row-covers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Floating Row Covers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The comments talk particularly about success with maggot and leaf miner prevention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-10-16T14:20:44.940" LastActivityDate="2016-10-16T14:20:44.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="678" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36" CreationDate="2011-06-17T17:11:03.033" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's one description online: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bigpumpkins.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=31&amp;amp;gid=2&quot;&gt;How to Clone Pumpkins off the Main Vine&lt;/a&gt;, that might help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;TECHNIQUES AND METHODS: Successful cloning off the main vines is as&#xA;  simple as burying the vine in some soil, then waiting 7-10 days to cut&#xA;  the new plant from the main plant. Many growers bury vines during the&#xA;  season to give their plant an added root system which anchors and&#xA;  feeds the main plant. To make pumpkin clones indoors {or out}, the&#xA;  same basic principal is applied. Once the original pumpkin begins&#xA;  growing over the container and has a vine long enough which can be&#xA;  placed in another pot, all the grower must do is provide that vine a&#xA;  rooting medium for the plant to do what is natural for it; sprout&#xA;  roots. Bury the entire vine 1/2 inch below the soils surface in the&#xA;  new pot. This is soon to be a new plant, of the same origin as the&#xA;  original plant. Place a heating pad below the pot the clone is in, and&#xA;  keep head on low or medium. The clone pot should be well watered, but&#xA;  not overly saturated. It is helpful to use vitamin B-1, Superthrive&#xA;  plant hormones, and Shultz 2-7-7{with micronutrients} Cactus Plus.&#xA;  Using similar fertilizers will work as well. Both the host pot and&#xA;  clone pot should then be put underneath a shop light which is kept on&#xA;  24 hours a day. Check the clone plant after a couple days, and keep&#xA;  the soil moist in that pot. The host pot needs little to no water&#xA;  during this period. By stressing the host plant this way, the clone&#xA;  becomes less dependent on the roots at the base of the host plant, and&#xA;  is encouraged to sprout it's own roots. After 7-10 days if you have&#xA;  given the new vine what it need to grow, the host plat can be cut&#xA;  away. Cut the old vine away from the clone as close to the soil as&#xA;  possible. Larger leaves which were buried earlier should be cut at&#xA;  this time. This will allow the new plant to not have to care for so&#xA;  many leaves initially, and allow the plant to root without stressing.&#xA;  You now have a cloned pumpkin plant which has the same genetic makeup&#xA;  as the host plant it was cut from! This process can be done again and&#xA;  again and again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pumpkinnook.com/howto/clone.htm&quot;&gt;Cloning Pumpkins&lt;/a&gt; for how-to steps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-07T00:31:50.320" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T00:31:50.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="679" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="667" CreationDate="2011-06-17T17:44:37.950" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rather than the newspaper, I would suggest a regular bath towel.  It's gentler on the plant, and you can double it over a number of times to avoid the spines.  I've used this trick, it works well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="239" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T17:44:37.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="680" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="176" CreationDate="2011-06-17T18:06:28.863" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The following page has some information on Japanese Maple seedlings and saplings, although it is mainly about seed,grafting, and cuttings:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soonerplantfarm.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/specials.specDetail/recID/16&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.soonerplantfarm.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/specials.specDetail/recID/16&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a similar problem with elms. Although I've left a volunteer to grow, I usually let the lawn mower get the rest, and physically pull them out of plant pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T18:06:28.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="681" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="682" CreationDate="2011-06-17T18:19:14.410" Score="8" ViewCount="149" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have peppers plants growing on my sunniest window sills, they're not massively sunny at the moment as the weathers been a bit weak recently. But the plants' leaves are quite heavily twisted towards the windows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Should&lt;/em&gt; I be worried that the plants are quite one-sided?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If so, how would I fix this... just by rotating them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-08-23T23:53:43.237" LastActivityDate="2011-08-23T23:53:43.237" Title="Should I be concerned that my pepper plants all &quot;face&quot; the window?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="682" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="681" CreationDate="2011-06-17T18:28:24.773" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know if it will cause serious harm to the plant, but it will make it an uneven shape. perhaps enough for it to topple over (my outdoor peppers will topple if they're not staked). Outdoors, the fruit can get sunburn scorching with too much direct sun. I'm not sure if the glass will block enough light. If not, then this might become a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes the simple solution is to rotate them regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had this problem with an ivy houseplant as a student. I could remember to water it - that was about it. Became quite the talking point amongst the botanists on the staircase!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T18:28:24.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="683" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-05-29T04:18:26.693" Score="9" ViewCount="5757" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've always heard not to water your lawn during the day and that the fine water droplets will evaporate before it is absorbed by the lawn (either in the air or while sitting above ground).  But how bad is it?  Is there a direct correlation to the temperature outside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="TurqMage" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-25T04:58:48.723" LastActivityDate="2017-04-28T21:37:25.963" Title="How much water is lost in watering your lawn during the day?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="684" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="588" CreationDate="2011-06-17T21:46:15.177" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like it is quite a common problem, with nutritional deficiencies being the leading cause. one of the better descriptions can be found here :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Why_Are_the_Leaves_on_My_Gardenia_Turning_Yellow&quot;&gt;http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Why_Are_the_Leaves_on_My_Gardenia_Turning_Yellow&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that there are different kinds of yellow leaf deficiencies. You might be deficient of manganese, magnesium, or iron. An acidic fertilizer is recommended.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other causes listed include poor drainage and temperature. I don't think drainage would be responsible for the symptoms only appearing when in bloom - that sounds more like borderline nutritional deficiencies (blooming can take quite a few resources in many plants).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T21:46:15.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="685" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="676" CreationDate="2011-06-17T21:46:48.750" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You do not say where you live. Since it is a cactus, here is what I would do. I would not place it in a situation where it stands in water. That would kill it because the roots do not like siting in water. If it is not going to be cold I would put it outside in a shady area. The natural moisture (morning dew or rain) would be sufficient to keep it alive and happy for two months or longer. I have mine in full sun to shade and rarely water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T21:46:48.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="683" CreationDate="2011-06-17T21:49:12.050" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can answer the evaporation portion of the question.  The most important &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporation#Factors_influencing_the_rate_of_evaporation&quot;&gt;factors&lt;/a&gt; to consider are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) the relative humidity of the air about your lawn&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) and the temperature of the water itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All the other factors will be constant for your lawn or are not correlated with day or night in general.  (For instance, wind will hasten evaporation, but it can be windy in the day or at night in most locations.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At night, air temperature is lower than during the day (usually!), which means the temperature of the water is likely to be lower, which means evaporation is slower.  Additionally, lower air temperature means lower water vapor pressure in the air, which means higher relative humidity, which means slower evaporation.  So all things considered, water on a lawn evaporates more slowly at night than during the day.  (And that matches common sense.  Whew!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;em&gt;gardening&lt;/em&gt; question is will the slower evaporation of watering during the night make watering at night better for your lawn relative to the amount of water used.  I don't know for sure, but I believe that is correct with one exception.  Too much water in the soil can cause plants to be unable to absorb nutrients and can cause root rot.  If you flood your lawn at night, it might cause problems.  But if you water at night, you should be able to use less water to get the same results than if you water during the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T21:49:12.050" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="599" CreationDate="2011-06-17T21:51:40.603" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peonies are often shipped by nurseries as root stock, and they can be propagated from toot cuttings (which you've found!), so there are quite a few nursery websites with pages about caring/planting peony root stock. Peonies are apparently also noted for their longevity, so I think you've got a good chance to keeping it going.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thegardenhelper.com/peony.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; provides a more complete text on peony care and propagation (but written in a horrible script font - you may want to change your browser font settings).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-06T14:58:32.300" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T14:58:32.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="688" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="305" CreationDate="2011-06-17T21:59:54.147" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you are going to have a lot of hard work ahead of you! This is true of quite a few invasives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a general website on invasives that lists quite a few including &lt;em&gt;Houttuynia&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/wayward.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/wayward.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For this general type of spreading, it recommends physical removal and the use of systemic herbicide to kill all root parts. It notes that the rhizomes for &lt;em&gt;Houttuynia&lt;/em&gt; are notorious for getting embedded within other root systems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if it flowers, but also decapitate flower heads before they seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T21:59:54.147" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="689" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="683" CreationDate="2011-06-17T22:03:46.390" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer to the question is do not water your lawn during the heat of midday. Watering at night will eventually lead to Fungus on your lawn. The best time to water your lawn is in the early morning between 4 and 8 am. It has time to soak in to the soil and do the lawn good. Watering in midday is wasting water. It evaporates quickly. Twice a week should be enough. Make sure that you can put a half inch of water on your lawn each time you water. Put out a rain meter to measure amount of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T22:03:46.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="690" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="676" CreationDate="2011-06-17T22:23:29.660" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The porous clay watering systems that I've seen include an attachment that you use for a drinking bottle to automatically fill, so I'm not positive these are the same that you're referring to.  However, this will release quite a bit of water for a cactus and wouldn't last for 2 months (mine is usually empty after a week, so my fast drinking plant can last about 2 weeks without me).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A simple DIY solution is to place one container of water above the plant and leave a piece of string or fabric running from the container down to the cactus.  The string will slowly wick the water down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also electronic systems that may give you more control, though they are expensive (e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000U5YFR4&quot;&gt;this one over on Amazon&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No matter which solution you use, test it long before you leave so you can be sure there are no leaks, and should it over waters things, you're around to stop it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="270" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T22:23:29.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="691" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="632" CreationDate="2011-06-17T22:50:03.333" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Keeping them in the paper bags lets you be able to write the name/variety of them on the bag. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Long term storage of most vegetable and grains seeds would be to put them into a cool and dry environment. And longer storage happens when oxygen is removed from the container. This is why &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN-371.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;grains for long term storage&lt;/a&gt; will have air replaced with pure nitrogen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="47" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-09-13T21:48:56.020" LastActivityDate="2018-09-13T21:48:56.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="692" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="579" CreationDate="2011-06-17T23:12:17.680" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;possibly even more pruning for the first three years? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Purdue have some information on propagation, pruning, when to pick ,etc. But it does sound a lot of pruning early on to create a strong frame, and then irrigation when fruit start to form:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Rooted cuttings or seedlings are set out in pre-fertilized pits 2 ft (60 cm) deep and wide and are spaced 12 to 18 ft (3.5-5.5 m) apart, depending on the fertility of the soil. Initially, the plants are cut back to 24 to 30 in (60-75 cm) in height and after they branch out the lower branches are pruned to provide a clear main stem. Inasmuch as fruits are borne only at the tips of new growth, it is recommended that, for the first 3 years, the branches be judiciously shortened annually to encourage the maximum number of new shoots on all sides, prevent straggly development, and achieve a strong, well-framed plant. After the 3rd year, only suckers and dead branches are removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/pomegranate.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/pomegranate.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-17T23:12:17.680" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="693" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-17T23:30:12.313" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Arguably the most successful group of animals to have existed, and they will significantly out number all other groups of animal in your garden. Most insects are benign, although some (eg. aphids, and hornworm larvae) can be pests. Similarly, many are encouraged as predators to eat those that are considered pests (e.g. Ladybugs and lacewings).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Insects typically have six legs, although larvae are an obvious exception. Similarly, most are capable of flight although not necessarily in all stages of growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about insects in the garden or landscape. For an unknown insect, also add the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/identification&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'identification'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;identification&lt;/a&gt; tag and &lt;strong&gt;include a photo&lt;/strong&gt;. For questions about controlling insects, add the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pest-control&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'pest-control'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pest-control&lt;/a&gt; tag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T04:12:45.953" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T04:12:45.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="694" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-17T23:30:12.313" Score="0" Body="Six-legged arthropods" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-20T17:48:10.823" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T17:48:10.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="695" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-17T23:38:44.763" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Clay usually refers to mineral/rock grains in a soil that are very small (finer than mud and  silt). Large proportions of clay will make a soil heavy, difficult to dig, and difficult for roots to grow in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clays are produced by natural erosion, deposited as river deposits (e.g. on a flood plain), ancient glacial deposits (i.e. boulder clay), or even from a soft bed rock (e.g. the Cretaceous clays of Texas and SE England).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In geology, clay has a second meaning and refers to a large class of sheet silicate minerals (kaolin is probably the best known example).  These invariably form fine grained particles that are often clay sized - hence the duplicate meanings of the word: A lump of clay is probably made of clay sized particles of clay minerals!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tag should be used for questions about clay soils. Typically these will concern soil improvement and the kinds of plants that can be grown in clay soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-12T13:53:41.733" LastActivityDate="2012-03-12T13:53:41.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="696" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-17T23:38:44.763" Score="0" Body="Fine grained mineral component of soil. Lots of clay can cause a soil to be heavy and sticky." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-20T17:48:23.680" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T17:48:23.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="697" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="666" CreationDate="2011-06-18T02:12:06.177" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;After asking the question I was thinking about it more. It seems obvious now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fertilizer is 3% nitrogen, 3% phosphorus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It calls for &lt;strong&gt;a tablespoon&lt;/strong&gt; in a gallon of water. That's about 0.004 gallons of fertilizer. Assuming for simplicity that the fish fertilizer has the same density as water, 8.35 lb/gal, that's 0.033 pounds of fertilizer, or 0.001 pounds of nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If my soil test called for 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1000 sq ft (for the season), that's 0.002 lbs per sq ft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I apply every two weeks as marked on the package over my growing season that's about 7 applications. So over the course of the season that feeds about 3.5 sq ft of garden, give or take.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it looks like the answer is that a gallon of diluted fertilizer is about enough to feed 1-2 cabbages for two weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-18T02:12:06.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="698" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="631" CreationDate="2011-06-18T08:46:12.813" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first thing to do is dig out your tulip bulbs and have a look at them. If they appear slimy, feel soft, or smell bad, they rotted in the pot.  This would most likely be a result of poor drainage due to the soil you used and/or no drainage hole in the pot.  If the bulbs feel firm, they are probably okay and I would guess there wasn't enough soil or nutrients or moisture in the soil which may have caused them to weaken and go dormant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your bulbs seem to be fine, store them in a cool, dry, dark place until next autumn and try again (or buy new bulbs to avoid disappointment). Buy a slightly larger pot with drainage holes, and put a layer of gravel or broken clay pot at the bottom to keep the drainage holes from becoming blocked with soil. Make sure the soil you use is free-draining. Plant the bulbs growing tip up, and 2 to 3 times as deep as the bulbs are tall, spacing them about two bulb-widths apart. Make sure the soil stays moist, but not water-logged (water only when the top of the soil is dry). Protect the pot from frost in the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't give up!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-18T08:46:12.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="630" CreationDate="2011-06-18T11:01:34.703" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy, and as the others answered, those are flower buds. Your plants look very lush!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-18T11:01:34.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="700" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="704" CreationDate="2011-06-18T13:19:53.763" Score="38" ViewCount="71895" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it better to water your plants with rain water collected in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainwater_tank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;water butts&lt;/a&gt;? I mean is that better than water straight from the tap?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And is it just a matter of temperature (presumably plants don't like to be soaked with very cold water (as mains tap water is)? Or are there other factors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in the effects on plants, rather than the separate issue of the cost to the planet of using mains tap water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See also &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1339/does-water-temperature-affect-vegetable-plant-growth&quot;&gt;Does water temperature affect plant growth?&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-09-06T06:18:24.333" Title="Is rain water better than tap water for plants?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;rain-barrel&gt;" AnswerCount="9" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="701" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-18T13:31:19.623" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about watering: when, where, how, and techniques for watering. Use this tag along with a specific plant tag, if your question is on how much to &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/water&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;water&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;water&lt;/a&gt; that particular plant or for a watering schedule.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your question is about over/under watering your plant, leading to yellowing or other symptoms, use the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/diagnosis&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;diagnosis&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;diagnosis&lt;/a&gt; tag along with this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the question is on &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/lawn&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;lawn&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;lawn&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/equipment&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;equipment&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;equipment&lt;/a&gt;, use this tag along with the appropriate equipment tag such as &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/sprinkler-system&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;sprinkler-system&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;sprinkler-system&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/drip-system&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;drip-system&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;drip-system&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/hoses&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;hoses&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;hoses&lt;/a&gt;, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-14T12:54:31.687" LastActivityDate="2021-02-14T12:54:31.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="702" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-18T13:31:19.623" Score="0" Body="Questions about when, where and how much to water plants, about techniques for watering and about the equipment gardeners use to deliver water to their plants." OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-25T15:57:37.120" LastActivityDate="2011-09-25T15:57:37.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="700" CreationDate="2011-06-18T13:34:00.913" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rain water is always the better choice. City water can contain elements that could eventually harm the plant. When the rainwater is unavailable the tap water will be just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-06-18T13:34:00.913" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="704" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="700" CreationDate="2011-06-18T14:01:16.557" Score="25" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your tap water will have particular properties depending on where you live, the source of your water, and whether you have some sort of water softener or filtering system. My tap water, for example, is from the public system and is considered 'hard' because it has a high mineral (calcium and/or magnesium) content.  If I use tap water consistently on certain plants, I can see white rings of calcium deposits sitting on the soil surface; this can change the chemical properties - such as the pH - of the soil which can affect plant growth. Softened water has higher levels of salt than plants prefer, and these salts can build up in the soil. I've never seen the chlorine in public water causing any ill effects on my plants, but if you have sensitive house-plants you can let chlorine-treated water sit out for 24 hours to let the chlorine evaporate. As long as you live in an area that isn't subject to extremely acidic rain, rainwater is preferable because it's missing things like excessive minerals or disinfectant chemicals.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-18T14:01:16.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="705" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="720" CreationDate="2011-06-18T14:23:10.190" Score="14" ViewCount="286" Body="&lt;p&gt;A year ago, we redid our yard and put in a nice vegetable garden. It's got two raised beds about 3 x 8 and a bunch of pots. I bought my wife a drip irrigation system so that watering would be easier and so that the garden can live through our frequent summer vacations. We're totally overwhelmed by the drip system though, and it's been in the box for a year now. We're getting tired of asking the neighbors to water the veggies (as are they, I'm sure), so it's time to get this thing in!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The biggest issue we're running in to is not knowing how to design for different water flow. We've got all sorts of attachments so that different plants can get different amounts of water at different heights, etc. I don't understand which types are best for what kind of plants. And even then, we plant different plants all year long and then rotate the plants from year to year. How do you design this so that the irrigation system isn't out of date as soon as the season changes or the next one year rolls around?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="283" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-08T05:15:27.817" LastActivityDate="2011-09-08T05:15:27.817" Title="How do I manage different water flows with a drip irrigation system in my vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="700" CreationDate="2011-06-18T15:10:00.983" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your plant is not special plant such as carnivorous plant, any water from the tap is okay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fact is tap water may contain different things such as chlorine, and a lot of different minerals. My plant is drinking water with chlorine day to day, but they are thriving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the end, rain water maybe good, but who knows what is inside the water because the contamination from human activities such as car driving and industrial plant releasing exhaust fume from the chimney. Check this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/latest-questions/question/1565/&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rain-barrel.net/drinking-rainwater.html&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; too. You may want to have your own judgement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think rain water and tap water are both okay in some extent, on the other hand, distilled water is not really that good because most of the minerals are lost. I prefer tap water ,it is cleaner because chlorine kills bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="140" LastEditDate="2011-06-18T16:29:03.990" LastActivityDate="2011-06-18T16:29:03.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="707" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="783" CreationDate="2011-06-18T16:11:53.650" Score="14" ViewCount="4945" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have torn a part of this plant twice at my hometown, brought it to where I live now and then planted it. On both occasions, the plant started growing fine at first, but at some point, it started extending its stem and growing in order to reach the sun as much as possible (the top level entirely left the pot). What happened next in both occasions is that the old leaves at the stem started falling off and eventually the stem rotted, dividing the healthy top of the plant from the root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried replanting the leftover in the first case, but it eventually died off. Currently, I have the leftover of the 2nd plant which I tried replanting, but don't know what will happen yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm keeping it inside my office. It's facing east. During the morning it's very sunny, but in the afternoon it's not. I water it once per week, or once per 2 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question:&lt;/strong&gt; What do I do with this plant once it starts growing in length rather than in width and how can I prevent that? Is the problem that I have it inside the apartment instead of outside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to get it to grow and look like the picture on the left, but mine looks like the one on the right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8EayZ.jpg&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8EayZ.jpg&quot; height=&quot;260&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/133zYm.jpg&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/133zYm.jpg&quot; height=&quot;260&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="205" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-29T19:05:01.747" LastActivityDate="2014-02-24T00:21:04.950" Title="How to prevent Sempervivum tectorum (Common Houseleek)  from growing in length and not width?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="504" CreationDate="2011-06-18T16:56:31.487" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience, roots of any plant rarely hang on to the entire soil bundle during transplanting. If it does, the plant is usually root-bound, so I try to break up the edges a bit, to encourage the roots to grow out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then when you put the plant in the new hole, then yes the roots are going to get bent in on themselves and damaged. If the roots had a poor hold on the soil, then the soil will drop away, and the root damage and bending will be even more extreme. So what I am getting at, is that transplanting will almost always result in some root damage - sometimes quite a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lightly compacting the soil (.eg. with hands) after transplanting followed by a good water helps to get the new soil to be in-contact with the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When we've transplanted aloe, they seem to be pretty tolerant of this kind of thing. Our biggest problem is as the leaves grow out and cover any soil space between the plant and the pot. This makes it virtually impossible to top-up the pot as the soil/compost settles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-18T16:56:31.487" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="709" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="712" CreationDate="2011-06-18T17:06:12.527" Score="14" ViewCount="40102" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I cut flowers (typically daylilies) from my garden and bring them inside, I often find I am treated to a barrage of flies over the next few days.  I'm going to guess that there are maggot larvae within the flowers, which matures inside my home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also like to bring in my peonies, but they are covered in ants.  If a different technique is applicable for them, I'd like to know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I love the idea of bringing my garden inside, but not at the expense of harboring an indoor insect colony.  Is there a way to kill the insects/larvae (with or preferably without chemicals?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="58" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-20T19:14:05.507" LastActivityDate="2021-05-15T18:33:55.317" Title="How can I kill or remove insects from cut flowers that I bring inside?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="710" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="711" CreationDate="2011-06-18T17:08:00.300" Score="11" ViewCount="1471" Body="&lt;p&gt;My peonies quickly drooped over and became quite unattractive.  Is there a way to keep them upright?  I'm not thrilled about the idea of putting in stakes for each plant if that's my only option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="58" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-18T18:27:42.367" LastActivityDate="2011-06-18T18:27:42.367" Title="Is it possible to keep peonies standing upright?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;peonies&gt;&lt;support&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="711" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="710" CreationDate="2011-06-18T18:23:13.320" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In future, you could use a tomato cage to support your flowers.  Place the cage before your peony starts putting out new growth in the spring and as the stems elongate, pull the leaves and flower stems through the gaps to make it look natural. You can also buy peony 'cones' (google it) which look a lot like tomato cages and plant support 'hoops'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-18T18:23:13.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="709" CreationDate="2011-06-18T18:31:26.970" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;Inspect your flowers before bringing them inside; if you see insects on them, give them a gentle shake or dislodge the critters by hand with something like a small, soft paintbrush. Another option is to cut the flowers in the early morning and let them sit in a bucket of water outside in the shade for a few hours before bringing them inside; the insects will often leave on their own. I've been bringing cut flowers in for years and find this usually works just fine. I wouldn't go to the effort of killing insects that are there naturally. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-18T18:31:26.970" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="713" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="627" CreationDate="2011-06-18T18:41:24.270" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're buying all new shrubs and trees, look into varieties that grow very slowly or dwarf varieties of which there are many; these usually need very little pruning and allow your garden to keep a more natural look.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-18T18:41:24.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="714" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="485" CreationDate="2011-06-18T19:05:47.590" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yummm...black turtle beans. I'd suggest only 1 to 2 bean plants per sunflower so they don't block out too much sun, and since sweetcorn plants have shallow roots, only 1 bean plant per corn, particularly if you get windy weather in the summer.  I remember my parents' sweetcorn crop in SE Pennsylvania - with no beans adding weight to the corn - suffering damage from windy summer storms on an annual basis. You also don't want to hamper the pollination of your corn crop too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-18T19:05:47.590" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="715" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1161" CreationDate="2011-06-18T19:24:27.840" Score="13" ViewCount="1090" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a tree heather (Erica arborea) in my rockery (acid soil) which I grew from a seedling about twenty years ago. Until it was severely damaged by a prolonged freeze-up last winter, it was about seven feet tall, flowering regularly and thriving. Unfortunately, the weather was so harsh that it is now barely alive. I have cut back the deadwood, and all that is left are two branches, both of which are in leaf and stemming from the same limb (see photos; click to enlarge).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you think it may be possible to save it and, if so, what sort of first aid would you recommend? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1e3MP.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1e3MPm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/86nXE.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/86nXEm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q1ZsB.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q1ZsBm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-11T06:42:18.787" LastActivityDate="2011-09-11T06:42:18.787" Title="Damaged Tree Heather: can it survive?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="716" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="717" CreationDate="2011-06-18T22:10:25.417" Score="17" ViewCount="3495" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a small assortment of pepper plants a month ago, and I have a couple of small jalapeño and anaheim peppers hanging off of their respective plants. I'm wondering if I should go ahead and pick these early peppers before they mature, so that the plants are encouraged to do more vegetative growth, or if I should just let them sit on the plants and ripen and pick them later.  Will it even make a difference to the plants whether I pick them or not?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-11T06:38:25.330" LastActivityDate="2020-12-09T05:56:22.360" Title="Should I pick my peppers early or wait till they mature (ripen) on the plant?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="716" CreationDate="2011-06-18T22:36:43.577" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;I let them ripen (I've already had quite a crop already from my banana peppers and anaheims - probably my best pre-summer crop ever).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is true that leaving peppers on the plant might slow further fruit development - so it is often a good idea to start picking the largest fruit when you have a lot forming on the plant. I haven't heard of (or observed) fruit slowing plant growth. It is possible, but I don't think it can be significant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually pick them when they are large and ripe to the point I want them, or if they are in danger of damage. Risk of damage might be due to sun scorching, frost (in early December for me), or the beginnings of grub damage. For the latter it is best to remove the pepper from the plant to be discarded or eaten (chopping the damaged end off can result in an edible pepper - depends on the amount of damage and size of pepper).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year, for the first time, I've had anaheims growing into the ground. This is because the fruit have grown well, and the plants are still relatively small (i.e. similar to your description). In this case, I've picked them quite young because I've found the buried tips start to rot quite quickly (probably due to damp conditions). I've left a couple of peppers that are safely further up the plant, hoping they'll grow/ripen further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-18T22:36:43.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="718" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="719" CreationDate="2011-06-18T23:24:06.303" Score="11" ViewCount="15306" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the past three years (since I started gardening) I've tried with no luck to grow peppers. Two years ago I was able to grow a few pepper plants (out of many) but the peppers did not get very big. I've tried almost every variety of both seed and the pre-grown variety you get from the nursery. I've tried every spot in my garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seedlings always get about 3 inches tall and then die and the pre-grown plants always die. I think they are getting plenty of water. All my other plants (squash, tomatoes etc) do just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could I be doing wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="210" LastEditorUserId="290" LastEditDate="2011-06-20T14:27:47.040" LastActivityDate="2015-03-31T05:34:38.183" Title="Why won't my pepper grow?" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="719" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="718" CreationDate="2011-06-18T23:45:48.580" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is difficult to come up with something that has a strong effect on peppers and not tomatoes. Don't expect your fruit to be as big as store-bought bell peppers. As with most fruit &amp;amp; veg, most varieties simply do not get that big. (Other types like anaheims, jalapenos, etc. are more like the store varieties in size).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peppers love the sun. Yes they need water but don't water log them. I give them lots of water but it is &gt;100F outside as I type this (they dry out quickly). As for nutrients they want a well balanced fertilizer - comparable to tomatoes. I've just looked in Rosalind Creasy's &quot;Edible Pepper Garden&quot; and she says &quot;well balanced&quot; is the key. They particularly need calcium and phosphorus, but too much nitrogen will result in lots of foliage and premature pod drop (i.e. don't go overboard with the nitrogen).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any particular symptoms such as yellow patterns on the leaves? That could be a symptom of Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV); or a particular kind of wilt/insect. The best solution for TMV is to keep all smokers away from your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most ailments that Creasy lists (eg. the various wilts and fungi) also affect tomatoes. Could you have a nematode problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you think you do have a fungal or nematode problem (other than TMV), you could try growing them in a large pot. Peppers in pots generally don't do as well but you should get fruit, but make sure you fill it with store-bought compost and nothing from your garden. That should isolate them from anything that might be in your soil. You could sterilize the compost for good measure if you think you're being sold dodgy merchandise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On average I find the plants generally do better than seeds, although there's less variety available. They have a head start and you don't have the random chance of germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where are you getting your seed? My supplier must have well over a hundred different pepper varieties so &quot;&lt;em&gt;I've tried almost every variety of seed&lt;/em&gt;&quot; is an exaggeration :-)  Could it be a bad supplier? Less likely with a specialist nursery, but more than likely with a grocers, and possible with the Lowes/Home Depot type place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One final thought: Seedlings dieing within an inch or two could be &quot;damping off&quot;, although usually it occurs before the first proper leaves come out. This is caused by fungi and oomycetes in the soil which thrive in dark, humid conditions. The solution is to use sterilized starting soil; start the seeds in a bright, well-ventilated place; and allow the soil surface to dry between waterings. Also delay fertilizing (actually I usually only fertilize once, after they've been transplanted).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2011-06-19T21:14:40.347" LastActivityDate="2011-06-19T21:14:40.347" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="720" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="705" CreationDate="2011-06-19T02:13:15.550" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is one of those things you learn by trial and error.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What emitters to use, how to route the different lines, etc is going to depend on a lot of different variables - how much sunlight the boxes get, the type of drainage, what type of plants, water pressure available, etc, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd start with something basic, ensuring that water gets to each group of plants, using whatever attachments you have at hand.  If you know that certain plants need to have the leaves hydrated, then do that, but for the most part as long as the root system is getting enough moisture, you should be OK.  Over time, check the growth and soil conditions for each plant or area, and make adjustments as needed.   If the water is running out of the bottom of the pot 1/2 the way through a cycle, you can put in a smaller emitters, and it the soil appears too dry in some areas increase the flow or add additional emitters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't forget to make sure that you have a backflow preventer to make sure none of that water from the garden makes it back into the supply - not such a big deal if it's a rain barrel, but you probably don't want to contaminate your drinking water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="243" LastActivityDate="2011-06-19T02:13:15.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="721" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-19T02:36:53.193" Score="12" ViewCount="3967" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in making my own container soil for some potted citrus and figs as well as something that'll work for other house plants.  I've heard of &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0114393114038.html&quot;&gt;Al's Gritty Mix&lt;/a&gt;.  Does anyone have a mix that's worked well for them over a several year period?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="118" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:24:05.793" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T14:27:39.377" Title="What is a recipe for a long-lasting, fast draining container soil mix with good aeration?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="722" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1117" CreationDate="2011-06-19T04:21:36.793" Score="14" ViewCount="168" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of grapevines that were planted 3 years ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first year, they didn't do much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second year, there was lots of growth, but only a couple of grapes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year, I pruned it back quite a bit (I have 3 vines in an 8' garden) but each of the vines has 3-6 shoots coming right out of the ground.  Should I trim these off now, or wait until fall?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="243" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-19T13:10:56.923" LastActivityDate="2011-07-05T01:57:28.100" Title="Should I trim the shoots coming off the root of my grapevines?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="723" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="722" CreationDate="2011-06-19T05:50:47.957" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should wait till winter, and prune around mid to late Feb. Whatever growth you have now, you should let be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally, this is a good resource: &lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1428.html&quot;&gt;http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1428.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="215" LastActivityDate="2011-06-19T05:50:47.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="724" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-19T06:27:54.813" Score="9" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/502/what-happens-if-you-plant-lettuce-in-hot-weather&quot;&gt;This question&lt;/a&gt; reminds us that lettuces don't like too much hot weather. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To look after my lettuce crop and guard against bolting, might it be worth covering the lettuce with, say, layers of damp newspaper for short spells during very hot weather?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-05-27T18:53:01.260" Title="What about covering lettuces during hot periods?" Tags="&lt;lettuce&gt;&lt;bolting&gt;&lt;hot-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="725" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="724" CreationDate="2011-06-19T11:31:53.487" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some sort of makeshift shade would be a good idea; however, layers of damp newspaper could get blown away by a gust of wind, if they dry out and you forget to dampen them again.&#xA;I use a 3m grow tunnel (high-density, fine mesh polythene netting), which provides the necessary shade and also protects them from birds and slugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-19T11:31:53.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="726" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1613" CreationDate="2011-06-19T11:38:22.797" Score="9" ViewCount="563" Body="&lt;p&gt;It apparently doesn't grow longer than on the photos, can support all types of weather, doesn't invade other parts of the garden and it seems to prevent &quot;bad&quot; plants from setting up there (bramble, etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what is the name of this grass? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zfcjp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;grass around tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xBkxo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;grass in more open clearing&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user287" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:08:07.690" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:08:07.690" Title="What is this grass that supports all weather types, doesn't invade and prevents bad plants from sprouting?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="727" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="729" CreationDate="2011-06-19T12:03:34.143" Score="11" ViewCount="4768" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lot of what I think is Clover in my garden. Should I be concerned?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0NSNc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w2Qor.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:22:14.127" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:22:14.127" Title="Do clovers cause any problems?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;identification&gt;&lt;clover&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="728" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="727" CreationDate="2011-06-19T13:03:24.700" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;They do no harm to your garden. Their root is quite shallow, you can pull them out easily. Pull them out if they grow near your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastActivityDate="2011-06-19T13:03:24.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="729" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="727" CreationDate="2011-06-19T13:22:20.217" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;The picture on the left looks like clover - or most of it does. Perhaps wait until it has more leaves if you are unsure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The picture on the right is very difficult to say. Most seedlings put out a very generic dicot pair of leaves - this is what the picture shows. True leaves will be next and will help with identification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To me, clover is one of the benign weeds. Yes I pull it out of pots and beds, but usually let it be when it is in the lawn. It isn't spikey, tends not to drown things out (too much), and it is a legume - so its presence will add nitrogen to your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in North Texas it can grow into big &quot;balls&quot; on lawns. Then, yes, it does look untidy. If it is tall enough, the best approach is a lawn mower, but you have to get it when it is tall enough that the mower decapitates all the leaves. That will keep it in check for at least another year. Often clover will stay low below that level.  I also find it responds to a broad leaf lawn weedkiller - it doesn't need much, so a light spot treatment is fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-10T13:10:53.647" LastActivityDate="2011-10-10T13:10:53.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="730" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="986" CreationDate="2011-06-19T14:44:16.043" Score="15" ViewCount="1889" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukon_Gold_potato&quot;&gt;yukon gold potatoes&lt;/a&gt;. They've been growing like gangbusters, but this week I noticed some leaf yellowing and wilt on at least 3 plants out of 9. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why are they yellowing? Is it anything to be concerned about?  I check the soil daily, and it's damp down to at least 4 inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in zone 6a, if that helps any.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i7h13.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;potato wilt&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="98" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-11T05:59:28.857" LastActivityDate="2011-09-11T05:59:28.857" Title="What's causing my potatoes to wilt?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="731" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="734" CreationDate="2011-06-19T15:13:12.627" Score="30" ViewCount="46669" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was using old clear (transparent) plastic meat packaging to grow plants in. Is that a good idea? Are there any side effects of roots possibly being exposed to the sun?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tIv3cm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-11T05:53:15.687" LastActivityDate="2018-08-19T19:35:27.577" Title="Is it OK to grow plants in clear (transparent) pots?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="8" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="732" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="504" CreationDate="2011-06-19T15:15:37.010" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experiences with all varieties of aloe the one thing that they all have in common is there resilience. In the past couple of months I had been moving all of my plants to another location. One of the pots with aloe had broke and the plant was laying on the ground bare rooted. I have so many plants that I just left it where it was on the ground. Two months later I came across it still in the same spot and it is just as alive as when it was in the pot. My advice to you is to just repot in any soil medium and do not even worry, because it will survive.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UeeAu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-06-19T15:15:37.010" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="733" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="731" CreationDate="2011-06-19T15:29:30.507" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plastic is not a good medium. It traps heat, melts in high temperatures and contains plasticizers (especially in soft plastic like yours) which may dissolve into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, your container is too shallow for most plants. It can only be used as container for plant germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-11T05:55:15.683" LastActivityDate="2011-09-11T05:55:15.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="734" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="731" CreationDate="2011-06-19T15:35:16.260" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Roots exposed to the sun might think they have reached the surface and start to put shoots out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those particular containers don't look very strong - don't underestimate the weight of wet soil. Ideally you should have some more rigid that does not collapse under the soil's weight or when you move them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do these containers have holes in them? Holes in the bottom are required for drainage, but holes in the side could wet (and degrade) black paper/card as recommend by @shanna.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plastic pots can be okay, but you need something stronger and opaque. All plastic pots will eventually degrade with the UV from the sun. Perhaps not a significant problem at high latitudes, but here in Texas, they definitely have a limited life (as does plastic garden furniture!) and some are better than others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@gunbuster mentions plasticizers. I suspect in this application they are less of a problem than in food containers, but this is another good argument for containers that are sold as plant containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-05T13:20:26.707" LastActivityDate="2011-10-05T13:20:26.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="735" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-19T16:45:13.320" Score="10" ViewCount="345" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been growing pumpkins in home made growbags (old cat litter bags filled with well rotted horse manure).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously I have to remember to put plenty of holes in the base of the bags.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One pumpkin has been yellowing badly over the last week. Today I checked the base of the bag and it's very wet and when I pierced the base a little dark liquid seeped out and there's quite a pong. So I'm figuring it's an insufficient drainage problem. Either there are insufficient holes or we (this was a project with my kids, and if you've ever gardened with kids you'll know it can get a bit chaotic) completely overlooked piercing the base of this one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've added fifty or so holes with a screwdriver. Is their a good chance the roots will recover and the pumpkin will revive? As I say, it's gone rather yellow, but it has barely wilted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit, 1 month on:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Appreciate the suggestions on repotting and I am sure they are valid. However due to limited time in the garden, and a few days of OK sunshine I thought I would leave the plant to try carrying on in the same container (but with the newly punched drainage). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I figured that cucurbits at this time of year are pretty vigorous growers and it might very well make it without much further help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it has proved, with a pretty strong recovery. However it has a way to go if it is to catch up with the other pumpkins alongside it. And how well it will fruit remains to be seen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:44:10.660" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:44:10.660" Title="If I fix some drainage for my waterlogged pumpkin, will they revive?" Tags="&lt;pumpkins&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="736" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="709" CreationDate="2011-06-19T17:30:42.930" Score="7" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;chemically, you may use a spray containing malathion @ 1% with a sticker-spreader. it is a relatively safe pesticide.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;organically, neem (azadiracta ) emulsion @ 2% you may use with a sticker-spreader. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;both are safe on flowers. spray during a mild weather when the plant is not under any stress. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="289" LastActivityDate="2011-06-19T17:30:42.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="737" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="726" CreationDate="2011-06-19T18:41:44.717" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is almost certainly Sedge (Cyperaceae family), which is very similar to grass. There is a good photo of it &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aboutornamentalgrasses.com/sedge_grass.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and detailed information &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.offwell.free-online.co.uk/grass_id/intro2.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. If you can post a close-up, we may be able to identify the variety - or you may recognize the variety yourself &lt;a href=&quot;http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&amp;amp;biw=1280&amp;amp;bih=832&amp;amp;site=images&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=1&amp;amp;q=sedge&amp;amp;btnG=Search&amp;amp;oq=sedge&amp;amp;aq=f&amp;amp;aqi=g6g-s1g3&amp;amp;aql=&amp;amp;gs_sm=s&amp;amp;gs_upl=4056l5874l0l6l6l1l0l0l0l269l1133l0.1.4l5&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-06-19T20:16:36.563" LastActivityDate="2011-06-19T20:16:36.563" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="674" CreationDate="2011-06-19T20:40:47.750" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a type of fescue called RTF (Rhizomatous Tall Fescue) which I think works better than most common types of fescue.  It has the ability to send out runners underground that will fill in bare patches over time.  I've had it for a couple of years in my front yard and have been very happy with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastActivityDate="2011-06-19T20:40:47.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="739" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="742" CreationDate="2011-06-19T22:22:03.167" Score="30" ViewCount="1211" Body="&lt;p&gt;I find ourselves buying one or two &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=avocado&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;ved=0CEIQFjAA&amp;amp;url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado&amp;amp;ei=VlFET8-pGqby0gGVmdGXBA&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEfm6IZz3El0O63kbBPm_mNiiuLiQ&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Avocados&lt;/a&gt; twice a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's one of these things that I've been wanting to do for a long time: grow an avacado plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the ideal climate or exposure to sunlight that an avocado plant needs? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Also what is the best way to germinate an avocado plant? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Or how would you start growing an avocado plant? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other related thread i found was about an already growing avocado plant:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/84/how-to-prevent-avocado-from-drying-out-indoors&quot;&gt;How to prevent avocado from drying out indoors?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plant started growing but wanted to let people know that it doesn't do very well in the cold weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="290" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2018-05-11T20:33:52.413" Title="How is an Avocado plant started?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="740" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="741" CreationDate="2011-06-19T22:28:27.237" Score="17" ViewCount="1053" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are some herbs that are perennials, i.e. they return and grow the next season? I'd like to keep a garden of herbs around for cooking. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="290" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-11T05:50:27.547" LastActivityDate="2016-01-07T22:13:32.627" Title="Which herbs can be grown as perennials?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="741" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="740" CreationDate="2011-06-19T22:55:50.157" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lots of herbs are perennial, including these basic favourites:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chives&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mint&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oregano&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rosemary&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tarragon&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thyme&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Parsley will be around for a year and a bit but will start to bolt in its second spring/summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's a very full list of perennial herbs &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/herbs/msg082153349760.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; or else &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensablaze.com/Perennials/PerennialHerbs.htm&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-06-19T22:55:50.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="742" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="739" CreationDate="2011-06-19T23:27:31.050" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a number of &lt;a href=&quot;https://web.archive.org/web/20120210051534/http://www.ghorganics.com/Germinating%20and%20Growing%20Avocados.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;different methods in the link.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sticks and water method seems complicated. When I did it, I used a variation of Method 3 (in moist potting compost), but I started the seeds in a seal-able plastic bag of moist compost. This ensure the compost did not dry out. Transplant into a pot when the seed sprouts. I found I had much better germination rates than the various web sites suggested - perhaps I had good avocados! My un-doing is my climate - we get frosts, so they never survive the first winter outside, and I don't think they make good houseplants beyond a &quot;one year novelty&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="16132" LastEditDate="2016-10-25T22:49:12.717" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T22:49:12.717" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="740" CreationDate="2011-06-19T23:29:28.883" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fennel, in addition to the ones already listed by Tea Drinker, is also a perennial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2016-01-07T19:40:38.420" LastActivityDate="2016-01-07T19:40:38.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="744" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="755" CreationDate="2011-06-20T00:17:11.003" Score="40" ViewCount="5154" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have created a monster of a compost heap on my property (3 meters, by 2 meters, by almost 2 meters tall) next to an old granite rock wall. Anyway, I mostly put all my grass clippings (primary offended of volume of material) as well as leaves and other material. I just started doing this because I didn't think it would be good to have the local rubbish company haul this off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As of late, the pile has started getting a bit bigger than I want it to, and it exudes a sickly sweet smell.  What can I do to speed up the decomposition of all this vegetation?  I don't mind the smell that much, since it's pretty far from the house.  However, will any process I initiate cause any other odours to come from it that may be more noticeable than the current smell?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not after dirt, just trying to lessen my impact a bit (and stop that smell).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will some of those organic disintegration agents work (like a stump dissolver)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="291" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:43:34.887" LastActivityDate="2015-08-10T00:06:03.263" Title="How should I speed up the decomposition of sickly sweet smelling giant compost heap?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="9" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="745" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="747" CreationDate="2011-06-20T01:05:48.407" Score="18" ViewCount="1365" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does it generate a new head?  Or is it then done for the year?  What can I do to encourage larger heads?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="124" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T02:37:03.653" Title="What happens to a broccoli plant after it has been decapitated?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="746" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="744" CreationDate="2011-06-20T02:28:48.733" Score="25" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bad smelling compost is usually a sign of too much nitrogen material in your compost.  If you have too much nitrogen in your compost it will start to generate ammonia.  You need a balance of 1 part nitrogen to 30 parts carbon based material to have a good compost pile.  Your grass clippings are a source of nitrogen and are probably the main problem.  It's not a big deal if you can balance it with enough carbon based material.  Dried leaves, wood chips, straw, and shredded newspaper are a good source of carbon.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T02:28:48.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="745" CreationDate="2011-06-20T02:37:03.653" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you cut off the head (central spear) when the flower shoots are well developed, but before the tiny flower buds have opened, the plant will not grow another one, but will produce side shoots which you can pick regularly for five or six weeks; however, if you let any of them flower, the plant will stop producing them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you choose a sunny site, work enough manure or compost into the soil in autumn and, if necessary, lime (the ideal pH for broccoli is 7.0 - neutral) - better to manure and/or fertilize first, and then wait at least a couple of months before applying the lime - you should get some good-sized heads. &lt;em&gt;Corvet&lt;/em&gt; is a very good variety: it produces a large head and, once decapitated, a succession of secondary shoots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T02:37:03.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="748" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="744" CreationDate="2011-06-20T02:44:26.920" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been composting for the past few years. In my research, there are a few two main causes (besides the excess nitrogen pointed out by shane): too much moisture and adding things that are not compostable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should not add things like dairy products and meat scraps, they might a part of your problem. The solution for moisture is the same for to much nitrogen. Adding dried leaves, wood chips, newspaper can help soak up some of that excess moisture. Also, turn the compost regularly. I turn mine about once a month. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With that said, you can considerably cut back on the material you are adding by using a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hrclean.org/Mulchmow.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;mulching lawnmower.&lt;/a&gt; Some people say that using a mulching mower is one of the best things you can do for your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="210" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2012-10-22T13:40:39.240" LastActivityDate="2012-10-22T13:40:39.240" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="749" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="754" CreationDate="2011-06-20T03:51:52.627" Score="10" ViewCount="7656" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there free (or low cost) sources for nursery pots? Presumably nurseries reuse them. I'd like to get a few dozen in varying sizes for starting vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="101" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T02:16:25.757" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T02:16:48.583" Title="What is a good source for free or inexpensive nursery pots?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="750" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="58" CreationDate="2011-06-20T04:11:21.287" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't find the link, but I remember reading that the best eating mangoes are clones from well-established, known-to-be-tasty mango trees. Branches are grafted on to rootstock and allowed to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm still waiting to find out in my 3 year old mango tree's fruit will be good (I didn't know about the clone thing when I planted it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="101" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T04:11:21.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="749" CreationDate="2011-06-20T07:00:21.573" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've always had the opposite problem.  After a few years of trips to the nursery, combined with the fact that the pots are not recyclable (at least they haven't been in the past -- not sure if this has or will change soon), I've had more of those things than I can ever reuse.  There are enough gardeners in my neighborhood that we started an informal exchange.  I would give my extras to a neighbor who gave them to a friend who needed a few.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I would start by keeping what you get from the nursery and talking to your neighbors to see if they have extras that would otherwise wind up in the trash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also recommend you look into (non-petroleum) alternatives.  I've tended to use peat pots more often than the plastics, and they have the advantage that you can just plant the whole thing in the ground where it degrades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing I have read about quite often, but haven't tried is using newspaper.  Again, it is something that will biodegrade around the plant.  Here are a few links on how to do this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://smallmeadowfarm.blogspot.com/2007/01/newspaper-pots.html&quot;&gt;http://smallmeadowfarm.blogspot.com/2007/01/newspaper-pots.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-organic-planting-pots-using-old-newspa/&quot;&gt;http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-organic-planting-pots-using-old-newspa/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have to admit that I've always kept a number of gallon pots for plants that I have to keep indoors until later in the spring (such as tomatoes), plants that would be too big for either peat pots or newspaper pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check with your local nursery too.  I've heard of some nurseries that take back pots for reuse and to keep people from just throwing them away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T07:00:21.573" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="752" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="749" CreationDate="2011-06-20T08:21:31.820" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ask friends&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like rsgoheen I have too many. So I would suggest that the average gardener is in the same boat as us two. If you have any gardening friends or friends of friends then just ask them. It's likely they'll be all too pleased to get rid of some of their build up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;or ask a Nursery&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wanted a few free polystyrene trays at the start of spring, so I asked my local nursery if I could have some of their old ones. It helped that I was buying some stuff there too. They let me have half a dozen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T08:21:31.820" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="727" CreationDate="2011-06-20T12:01:00.360" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The photo on the left does look like clover, but it could also be wood sorrel (oxalis).  You'll know for sure once it flowers.  Neither one should concern you, really.  Although some people consider them to be unsightly in their lawns, clovers provide nectar for various insect species (especially bees) and some can be quite pretty. Some wood sorrels are considered ornamental so you may want to keep it if it turns out to be oxalis. It looks like it's in a location where it can easily be removed by hand so if you don't want the plant there just dig it up.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As winwaed writes, the seedlings in the right-hand photo could be almost anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T12:01:00.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="754" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="749" CreationDate="2011-06-20T12:01:50.390" Score="8" Body="&lt;h1&gt;Be Creative&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be creative -- my two favorite free pots for transplanting up (i.e. repotting tomato/pepper/broccoli/etc seedlings into a larger container) are milk cartons and yogurt tubs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Half gallon cardboard milk cartons are the perfect size for tomatoes. I rinse them well, cut off the top, leaving 4-5&quot; on the bottom. Drill a few holes in the bottom for drainage and you're ready to go. The only problem I have is that they don't &quot;nest&quot; -- storing a bunch of these takes up a fair amount of space. These are very durable; you must take the plant out of the box when transplanting, and the box can be reused for at least a couple of years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2 lb yogurt tubs are about the same size. These just need drainage holes drilled in the bottom. These are easier to store: they nest, so you store a lot in a small space. These are durable as well; the only problem I've had is with cracking. When they crack or break, you can recycle them (assuming your local place takes #5).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.simplyforties.com/2009/02/making-toilet-paper-roll-seed-starter.html&quot;&gt;Toilet paper rolls&lt;/a&gt; are an interesting idea; I haven't tried this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen several slightly different sets of instructions on making &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-organic-planting-pots-using-old-newspa/&quot;&gt;newspaper pots&lt;/a&gt;. As another answer notes, make sure your ink is soy based -- some inks are toxic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Not as Good&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The smaller single serving milk or yogurt containers are ok, but a bit small for transplants. Don't try to use metal cans (e.g. soup cans) -- these are ok containers for growing, but it's impossible to get a plant out when it's time to transplant. Egg cartons seem like a good idea, but they are just too shallow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Ask&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As other answers noted, ask at the nursery, ask your friends. Ask at the local deli, they may have tubs that they discard when empty. Keep your eyes open for containers that would be good for growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The downside to this approach (see below) is that you end up with a varied collection of containers and your plants are harder to manage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Up Front Investment&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can have a never-ending supply of pots by simply not needing pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't mind a one-time expense, check out &lt;strong&gt;soil block makers&lt;/strong&gt;. These are a little hand-powered device that you use to compress potting soil into a cube. The cubes hold their shape surprisingly well and are a nice way to start plants. You can get small, medium, and large block makers, along with an indent attachment so that the small blocks fit into the next size up. This way you can &quot;pot up&quot; your tiny seedlings as they grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've used the 2&quot; block maker (makes 4 at a time) with good results. A friend borrowed my block maker this spring for use in his new greenhouse and started several hundred vegetable and flower plants successfully on his first attempt using this strategy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also used the 3/4&quot; block maker (makes 20 at a time) with good results. You can fit about 300 blocks on a cookie sheet -- that's a lot of spinach! Then, by changing out the insert on the 2&quot; block maker, you can make 2&quot; blocks that you can drop the 3/4&quot; blocks directly into for another couple of weeks of growth before transplanting out to the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Trays&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another way to go is to sidestep the individual pot and &lt;strong&gt;use trays (flats)&lt;/strong&gt;. Again this requires a bit of an up-front investment in time and/or money. You may have or be able to find scrap wood that is the right dimension to use for this project; just be careful to avoid wood that has been treated/preserved (pallets are sometimes chemically treated so they last longer).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In &quot;How to Grow More Vegetables&quot;, John Jeavons describes how to use flats that you can build yourself. Make shallow trays for starting seeds and deeper trays for pricking out when the plants are ready to be potted up. I should confess that I haven't built the trays as described, but they don't seem to require much building skill. I instead used some containers (old window boxes) that I had around the house that matched the depth specifications from the flats in the book. I followed the recommended spacing from the book for plants in flats, and everything transplanted into the garden easily. Also take note of his cautions and consider building the smaller size flats: an 11x22x6&quot; box full of moist soil will be deceptively heavy!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The big advantage of trays over something like milk cartons or a collection of individual containers that you've scavenged is uniformity. They're:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;easier to move in/out of the house when hardening off&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;easier/faster to water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;faster to set up -- fill and plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;more flexible -- tomatoes need more room than basil, you don't need to &quot;waste&quot; a 4&quot; milk carton and all that space/soil on a single basil plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;easier to plan around -- you can set up your shelves and lighting based on the size of the trays (e.g. four trays to a shelf/light) &lt;em&gt;or&lt;/em&gt; if you're building trays and already have shelves, you can adjust the size of the trays to what you have for shelves so that you can fit an even number into a shelf with no wasted space&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only disadvantage that I've found is that if you're starting multiple varieties (e.g. I don't want 50 of the same kind of tomato, I want 30 paste, 6 of two different kinds of cherry, and 14 beefsteaks) it's challenging to keep the varieties separate within a single tray -- you should definitely have a separate planting container!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-22T14:36:49.397" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T14:36:49.397" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="744" CreationDate="2011-06-20T12:32:05.573" Score="35" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your pile has a sickly sweet smell (not ammonia) it is probably not from a huge overdose of nitrogen. You say that you've added leaves and other material -- so there is some carbon in your pile. My guess is that the composting process has gone anaerobic. In other words, you've got the wrong batch of bacteria working on breaking down the pile. Anaerobic breakdown will be very slow and give off this kind of smell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can get the right batch of bacteria (aerobic) working on breaking down the pile by allowing air to penetrate the pile. Right now your pile is so big that the center is not getting any air and these bacteria can't go to work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some bits of advice:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep your piles to about 1.0-1.5m cubed; this is an ideal size for a compost pile. It is easier to work with, but large enough to get the aerobic bacteria working. Alternatively, you can make a windrow of about that size but as long as you want. When you're composting this way, the pile with shrink a lot as it breaks down -- you don't have to worry about a mile long row of compost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;To introduce air and make your piles more manageable, you can: Take your existing pile and break it into about a half dozen piles, thoroughly mixing it as you go. Or try poking a long pole (as thick as you can find and are able to insert) into the pile to introduce air into the center. Your pile is big enough that the latter solution may not work well.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you break your existing pile into separate piles, and you have some carbon-containing materials that you can add, it might be a good idea. Carbon is hard to come by this time of year (no leaves, etc but you may be able to get hold of some spoiled hay that you can mix in) so if you don't have anything just adding air might work.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As you're adding material, if you can make a layer of hay or straw every 10-20cm or so, you'll allow air to naturally move into the pile. If you don't mind keeping a bale or two of straw handy, I would just add a layer of 2-3 flakes of straw, and then dump the clippings on top of that. This will prevent it from getting too wet and matted down, and at the same time help to balance your carbon to nitrogen ratio.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you can't or won't keep hay/straw on hand, you can add carbon to the compost pile by keeping a pile (or barrel, or bags) of wood chips or sawdust near the compost pile. Add the chips/sawdust as described above for hay -- about a 0.5-1.0&quot; layer of wood to a 4-6&quot; layer of grass (experiment to find out what works best with your materials).&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoid charcoal briquettes because they take a long time to break down (you need more surface area) and they can have additives that will make your compost toxic to plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoid wood ash because it will raise the pH of the pile too much and put the wrong microbes in control.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can make a big pile of autumn leaves this year right next to your grass compost pile. If you can keep it dry they will be easier to use next summer, but even wet, matted leaves will do the job. This is another good carbon source you can use as described above to balance the ratio.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have topsoil or mature compost &lt;em&gt;that have not been sterilized&lt;/em&gt; you can add to the pile as you build it, this will inoculate the pile with all sorts of bacteria and other organisms that will help it break down faster. A thin sprinkling (0.25&quot;) of soil on top of every 6-12&quot; layer should do the trick.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You probably should not add any &quot;compost accelerator&quot; products. These contain bacterial and fungal ingredients as described above for soil/mature compost. They also usually contain nitrogen, which is the last thing you need to add to your pile -- you've got a nitrogen overdose.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pile should heat up and break down faster when you introduce air and balance the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have no interest in managing your pile:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you don't mind the current smell, you can let it sit the way it is indefinitely. It will rot over time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Check out your &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bow-nh.com/Trash-AZRecycling.htm&quot;&gt;town's recycling guide&lt;/a&gt; under &quot;Compost Materials&quot;. It includes the number of a local landscaping company who will presumably take your compostables.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If we were just a little closer (I'm about an hour away from you) I'd offer to come and take it off your hands. 10+ cu meters of raw compost sounds like a dream but I'd be trucking back and forth all day :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-21T11:59:37.163" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T11:59:37.163" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="756" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="727" CreationDate="2011-06-20T12:48:36.793" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The photo on the left looks like clover. The photo on the right is hard to tell; but if the soil came from the same place it seems likely that they are also clover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other answers have said that clover is mostly benign, but this depends: (a) on where you have them and (b) on what species of clover it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, white clover makes a fine lawn (parts of my lawn are almost entirely white clover).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the vegetable or flower garden, they can be a real nuisance. I used a batch of composted horse manure that was &lt;em&gt;loaded&lt;/em&gt; with clover seed. Seedlings like what your right picture shows were growing in such thick clumps that it would have choked out anything I tried to direct-seed. Some types have deep roots (e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cgi-bin/ccrop.EXE/show_crop_16&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;crimson clover&lt;/a&gt; has a taproot that goes 30cm). &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cgi-bin/ccrop.EXE/show_crop_13&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Some species&lt;/a&gt; have stolons or rhizomes. In my experience, pulling out mature clover with established roots next to seedlings or tender plants can damage the neighboring plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T12:48:36.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="757" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="306" CreationDate="2011-06-20T12:54:38.503" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's less about any sort of &quot;specialness&quot; of the tea (which I've more often generated from a worm bin, such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000PXU9BW&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt; from Amazon, that are designed to produce more liquid than solid compost), and more about the fact that you're taking kitchen and garden waste and producing something that can aid in the growth of your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd expect that there would be quite a bit variation in the compost teas you would produce based on the differences in material that might be in your composter or worm bin from load to load.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a couple of things that are nice about the compost teas you produce on your own.  The first is you know what's gone into it.  There aren't always standards as to what exactly is an &quot;organic&quot; fertilizer and what can or can't go into the box.  I've certainly heard certain brands being accused of using chemicals that are more questionable than what the labeling would lead you to believe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second this is that it's more convenient to use than the solids.  Whenever I've produced it, quite a bit of it tends to end up on my indoor plants (my partner won't let me bring a shovel full of compost into the house, oddly enough).  There's always places in my garden and yard where it's easier to pour some (diluted) tea than try to spread the solids.  I've also read that application of the tea to the leaves gives some additional benefit to the plants, but I don't think I've noticed any effect or read anything scientifically verifying this claim.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I should also point out that, when you have a composter that sits directly on the ground, it's good to place this somewhere that the tea that leaches into the ground might be able to help any nearby plants.  I've often tried to have a compost bin near the garden that I move from season to season in an attempt to build up soil nutrients in different places.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bottom line is that it's not going to do any special magic.  Its benefit comes from the fact that it's a wonderful byproduct of the composting process (something that every gardener should be doing as much as possible anyway) that's worth capturing if you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T12:54:38.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="758" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="735" CreationDate="2011-06-20T13:13:27.007" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without a very bright sunshine, the soil will remain wet for many days because the soil is already very wet and the hole is too small that they might be blocked by the wet soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My suggestion would be to dig up the plant and place it in a suitable container with dry soil with good drainage capability. Remember to add support if the plant cannot stand straight after the movement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T13:13:27.007" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="759" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="167" CreationDate="2011-06-20T13:46:31.990" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Greywater is safe to use on fruit and vegetables as long as the fruit and vet are rinsed before they consumption. Exactly as you do with store bought goods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The definition of greywater is not universal. Typically greywater is defined as water from baths, showers, hand basins, and laundry machines, however, on occasion dish-washing water is incorrectly grouped as greywater too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soapy content of greywater is known to serve as a fertilizer to any plants that are watered with it. It is typically advised that a phosphate free laundry detergent be used as laundry detergents can be high in Phosphates. Cleaning detergents that contain bleaches or other strong chemicals should also be avoided.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Greywater does contain bacteria but so to does cow's milk, (Many of us still drink milk) and let us not even start the mention the millions of bacteria that are found in healthy soil/dirt. Bacteria in greywater is very light sensitive and what this means is that when greywater is exposed to sunlight the bacteria die off, leaving behind nutrition for the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="298" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T13:46:31.990" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="760" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="744" CreationDate="2011-06-20T15:21:59.270" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;The other answers are very correct, but they left out one important aspect, which is to add some dirt to your heap between adding more organic matter.  You've got a lot of surface area to cover, but that grass'll break down to nothing if you keep up on it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you probably should break it into more manageable piles by putting partitions in between your huge piles of dead grass.  It would be good to not put new stuff right on top of last years stuff so you can actually get at it if it ever finally breaks down. 3 partitions is probably ideal.  One you add to, one you use and one that is is currently decomposing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T15:21:59.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="761" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="766" CreationDate="2011-06-20T16:35:06.790" Score="29" ViewCount="59902" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently noticed that my basil and other herb plants are infested by tiny white flies. They spread out like snow-flakes when I spray the plants with water, and there are scary looking number of what appear to be the eggs of those flies on the underside of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would be the best way to grid rid of (and prevent) those flies? I want to stay away with any chemicals or insecticide if I can. I wonder how professional organic growers deal with those nasty flies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="152" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-11T16:13:41.613" LastActivityDate="2018-03-27T13:52:42.580" Title="How do I get rid of white flies on my basil?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="762" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-20T17:36:50.907" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A tree is a perennial woody plant with a single trunk that supports secondary branches clear of the ground. The definition also includes a minimum height although this varies among authors. 3-6 meters (10-20 feet) for an adult plant is typical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Woody perennials that are smaller than this and/or having multiple stems are technically &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/shrubs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;shrubs&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;shrubs&lt;/a&gt;. Note that what would normally be termed a tree, may have multiple stems (e.g. as a response to extensive injury).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees are a diverse classification that include a number of botanical groups such as angiosperms (flowering plants) and gymnosperms (incl. conifers and cycads). The world's earliest forests (Carboniferous era) consisted of tree ferns, horsetails and lycophytes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although smaller species typically have shorter lives of about 10-15 years, many varieties can live a lot longer (e.g. 1000 years for English Oak). Individual specimens of English Yew, Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, and Sequoia have been recorded with ages between 2500 and 4500 years old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees are grown for a wide range of reasons, including:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Visual &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/landscaping&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;landscaping&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;landscaping&lt;/a&gt; (tree shape and/or blossom)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt;, nuts and sap for food&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wind breaks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Livestock control (i.e. as a hedge)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Construction material&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fuel for various human activity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;To attract animals, especially mammals and birds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T14:46:51.000" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T14:46:51.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="763" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-20T17:36:50.907" Score="0" Body="For questions about trees: selection, planting, care, diagnosis, pruning, identification, etc. Use this tag along other mentiond topic tags [tree-care], [identification], [pruning], [diagnosis]." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T14:46:47.587" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T14:46:47.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="764" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-20T17:45:49.253" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Low durable plants of consistent height that are grown to fill an area aesthetically, to be walked on, or as a base for sports and recreation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lawns are usually made of one or more &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/grass&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;grass&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;grass&lt;/a&gt;es which are cut (with a lawn mower) periodically to maintain the consistent height. Grass varieties should be chosen according to the climate (e.g. drought or frost hardiness may be required), and requirements (e.g. light walking, heavy walking, sports). Specialist purposes (e.g. sports) also require special &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/soil&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;soil&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;soil&lt;/a&gt; preparation in order to maintain durability and a flat playing surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Non-grass lawns are generally not as durable as grass, so they are typically grown for aesthetic purposes only.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lawn problems can include weed(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/weeds&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;weeds&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;weeds&lt;/a&gt;) growth, insect(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/insects&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;insects&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;insects&lt;/a&gt;) &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pests&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pests&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pests&lt;/a&gt;, mammal pests (e.g. moles), and subsidence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-14T12:54:00.000" LastActivityDate="2021-02-14T12:54:00.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="765" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-20T17:45:49.253" Score="0" Body="Low durable plants of consistent height that are grown to fill an area aesthetically, to be walked on, or as a base for sports and recreation. " OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-21T01:11:45.260" LastActivityDate="2011-06-21T01:11:45.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="761" CreationDate="2011-06-20T18:13:01.913" Score="20" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe those are aphids and I had the same &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/453/how-do-i-help-my-kitchen-window-herb-garden-thrive&quot;&gt;issue&lt;/a&gt;.  My solution was to take the pot of basil and put it outside where native predators (tiny green grasshopper-type insects) had a feast.  They also attacked my parsley and cilantro, but vanished once the plants were moved to the great outdoors.  I assume the same predators took care of the problem as organically as possible.  ;-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My understanding is that ladybugs are a good predator of aphids and they can usually be purchased at a garden center.  You might also check out the answers to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/580/what-plants-will-keep-ladybugs-happy&quot;&gt;&quot;What plants will keep ladybugs happy?&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another place to try would be the answers to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/76/what-is-an-effective-organic-pesticide-to-use-against-aphids-or-cabbage-loopers&quot;&gt;&quot;What is an effective organic pesticide...?&quot;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T18:13:01.913" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="767" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="774" CreationDate="2011-06-20T18:16:47.940" Score="24" ViewCount="2559" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/632/proper-container-to-preserve-seeds&quot;&gt;This discussion of seed storage&lt;/a&gt; got me wondering if it is feasible to harvest seeds from vegetables (I'm partial to tomatoes) as I cut them up for consumption. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally, I buy seeds each year. But if I have a steady supply, and it's not ill-advised, could I not save seeds for the next year? If so, what steps should I take? Is there a reason &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; to save vegetable seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="101" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-04-18T13:03:55.750" Title="Can I harvest vegetable seeds and store for the next year?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="768" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="785" CreationDate="2011-06-20T18:17:29.927" Score="12" ViewCount="2054" Body="&lt;p&gt;These plants are located alongside a fence in my backyard. What are they?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sg7bN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sg7bNm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ivy near fence&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q2Dgp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q2Dgpm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Other ivy-like plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My biggest concern is that they might be poison ivy. However, the plant in the first picture closely resembles a vine that is growing in our front yard and has several single-leaf offshoots. That suggests it is not poison ivy, as I've read that poison ivy always has its leaves in groups of 3.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first picture looks similar to the second, but I can't tell what it is -- perhaps a juvenile plant of the same species as #2, or perhaps poison ivy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have an idea of what it is? I get a severe reaction if I touch poison ivy, so I'd prefer to err on the side of caution. But the previous owner of this house was a botanist, so we have lots of unusual plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="300" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-18T05:03:30.420" LastActivityDate="2011-09-18T05:03:30.420" Title="What are these viny plants? Are they poisonous?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-02-23T16:19:19.853" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="769" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="831" CreationDate="2011-06-20T18:34:27.330" Score="16" ViewCount="2656" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started using fertilizer spikes on my dwarfed citrus trees in small pots.  (Details may be found in this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/124/will-it-kill-my-potted-tree-if-i-use-tree-fertilizer-spikes&quot;&gt;question&lt;/a&gt;.)  As suggested, I used half a spike for each pot and I put the spike as far from any roots as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My understanding is that the risk I'm taking is that the fertilizer will burn the roots of these trees.  But I don't know what to look for.  Should I check the color of the leaves?  What color would I expect from fertilizer burn?  How long might it take to see symptoms?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-09-27T15:05:28.107" Title="How do I know if a fertilizer treatment is burning my trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="770" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="767" CreationDate="2011-06-20T18:34:54.873" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes you can!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't tried storing tomato seeds myself, but I have tried to store pepper seeds (and they are closely related). This hasn't worked for me, but I suspect in most cases, the seed was immature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do, however get &quot;volunteer&quot; (i.e. accidental) tomatoes and peppers. These are typically fruit which have come off and left on the bed (or lightly buried) or they've survived in the compost heap. Tomato seems to do better from the compost heap, whilst I've found peppers seem to do better just being left or lightly buried. This year I've had over half a dozen paprika peppers grow like this - I assume that is the variety, I haven't got any fruit yet. If they are paprikas, they are second generation from a volunteer paprika pepper grown last year!  I've also had store bought Fresno peppers grown in the compost. Not sure why those particularly - a lot of pepper seed goes in the compost, both store bought and home grown. (store-bought pumpkins also produce seeds which survive the compost heap)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The one vegetable where I've had a lot of success with storage, are black beans. I just put the end of the crop in a paper envelope (as beans without husks), and hang them on the noticeboard. They dry out naturally. One year I mistakenly put them in a sealable plastic bag and they just went moldy. Unlike peppers and tomatoes, I usually get very good germination rates with stored black beans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T18:34:54.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="771" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="776" CreationDate="2011-06-20T19:00:31.173" Score="16" ViewCount="291" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have to grow my plants indoors because it does get cold enough in Dallas sometimes that frost may occur or even snow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, we have a small household cat. She has bit our bamboo plant leaves in the past.  We really can't just place them in the window where it would be ideal for the plant.&#xA;The cat loves to sit by the window. We could hang it up higher but it's not practical to water them. Also, it would provide her another fun &quot;toy&quot; to jump and swat with her paws.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any recommendations on keeping her from biting our plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="290" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:42:04.327" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:42:04.327" Title="What are some tips on growing plants indoors with cats?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;domestic-animals&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="772" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="768" CreationDate="2011-06-20T19:35:37.717" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves have a different texture than poison ivy.  They are also more serrated than poison ivy is.  I don't think it is poison ivy.  I can't say what it is though.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="124" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T19:35:37.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="773" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="767" CreationDate="2011-06-20T19:38:57.433" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;In theory yes.  In practice, often no.  A lot of annual vegetable seed that you get are hybrids, which means that they are not genetically stable.  Next years plants will not be as productive as this years, if they are productive at all.  This is especially true of conventional seed, which the seed companies intentionally breed to under perform in future years so you have to keep buying seed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is less true of heirloom plants.  So if you have heirlooms you're more likely to have success with seed saving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="124" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T19:38:57.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="774" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="767" CreationDate="2011-06-20T20:20:06.333" Score="20" Body="&lt;p&gt;Saving seeds for many vegetables is not hard. You need to start with open pollinated varieties and not hybrid varieties. &quot;Heirloom&quot; varieties are a good way to start. I've done ok with beans, peas, and oats as well as different kinds of flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doing it well so that you can have a never-ending supply of your own seeds is harder. The main issue is purity -- keeping your desired varieties from crossing with other varieties (except where you want to breed your own, but that's a whole separate discussion).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different plants are pollinated in different ways (wind, insects, etc) and have different tendencies to cross-pollinate with other plants. Some vegetables need hardly any isolation -- as @winwaed says in his answer, beans can often be kept pure without making any attempt at isolating them from another variety (as long as you don't grow two varieties side by side).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, corn and tomatoes (for example) are very likely to cross. If you wanted to save seed from these, and wanted to maintain a pure variety (without random crossing), you'd need to isolate the plants (or at least the blossoms) so they aren't crossed by an insect. Some people will put bags on corn, for example, and manually pollinate the corn then keep the bag on to keep it from getting wind pollinated by another plant. I've intended to use the bagging technique in the past for both tomatoes and squash but end up getting caught up in the madness of harvesting and weeding and forgetting to do it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some vegetables are difficult to save seed from, especially if you live in a cold climate. Biennials don't set seed until their second year of growth, and most vegetables will winter-kill if left in the garden over a cold winter. Carrots, for example, are a biennial, and will usually rot (at least here in Zone 5b) before they can regrow and send up a seed stalk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For some vegetables, there are special techniques to harvesting seed. With tomatoes, for example, you &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.about.com/od/totallytomatoes/ss/TomatoSeeds.htm&quot;&gt;have to put them in a cup and let them ferment for a bit&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The go-to guide for collecting vegetable seed is &quot;Seed to Seed&quot; by Suzanne Ashworth. It has some general / introductory seed saving info in the beginning, and then a species-by-species reference that makes up the bulk of the book. It has considerations for the minimum population size needed to ensure genetic diversity (ie avoiding too much inbreeding), isolation distances, growing, and cleaning techniques for almost any vegetable you might find in a U.S. garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An additional book of interest is &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/086571553X&quot;&gt;&quot;Gardening When It Counts&quot; by Steve Solomon&lt;/a&gt;. It is a general gardening book, but includes a section near the back of the book with information on a limited number of common garden vegetables and some practical advice on saving seed from each of them. He also debunks the pair of ideas that you can't start seed-saving with hybrid varieties and that &quot;heirloom&quot; varieties are a good choice for the novice seed-saver. (He's the original founder of Territorial Seed Company, so I'm willing to listen to his advice on this topic.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-17T02:59:48.583" LastActivityDate="2011-07-17T02:59:48.583" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="775" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="768" CreationDate="2011-06-20T21:06:14.350" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like Virgin's Bower, aka &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clematis_virginiana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Clematis Virginiana&lt;/a&gt;, to me.  It is commonly mistaken for poison ivy.  The &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_radicans&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wikipedia article on poison ivy&lt;/a&gt; has a list of plants that are commonly mistaken for poison ivy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-22T01:09:23.233" LastActivityDate="2011-06-22T01:09:23.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="776" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="771" CreationDate="2011-06-20T21:34:21.077" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;She's probably looking for some fiber in her diet. There are special grasses you can get that are good for cats: maybe just grow a little pot of one of those and she'll ignore the other plants. We did that for our cat when she was an indoors cat, and that worked fine. Now, she only knocks down plants when she's being clumsy :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="302" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T21:34:21.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="777" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="771" CreationDate="2011-06-20T23:59:07.877" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I feel bad coming back to this answer again but a solution of water and a bit of hot pepper oil sprayed when watering should do the trick.  Make it taste bad, in addition to making sure they get enough fiber&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonus tip; put foil at the base of the plant to keep cats from digging in dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T23:59:07.877" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="778" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="761" CreationDate="2011-06-21T00:42:29.810" Score="23" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a similar problem with these tiny white flies. It considerably weakened some Shrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla) seedlings I was growing in pots in the garden and is still feeding on them. Although you haven't posted a photo, given your description, I'm still confident that the insect that attacked your basil is the same as the one I have been doing battle with, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trialeurodes_vaporariorum&quot;&gt;whitefly&lt;/a&gt; (almost certainly the Greenhouse Whitefly variety, &lt;em&gt;Trialeurodes vaporariorum&lt;/em&gt;), particularly as basil, together with tomatoes and cucurbits, is one of its favorite foods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wmkZe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Greenhouse Whitefly&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whiteflies are difficult to control, both chemically and biologically. I have tried spraying with a soap solution, which is fairly effective, but only for a day or so, after which they return and the plants have to be sprayed again. There is an excellent article about them &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitefly&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, and a very useful organic pesticide chart &lt;a href=&quot;http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:R6wYGuTmWfUJ:www.ghorganics.com/Page44.html%20whitefly%20organic%20pesticide&amp;amp;cd=3&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;ct=clnk&amp;amp;gl=uk&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;source=www.google.co.uk&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've done some research in an attempt to find out whether there is a more effective method of controlling this pest; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Characteristics&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The flies [1-2mm in length] can be found on the leaves of plants - both on the upper and lower surfaces, but mainly on the latter. &#xA;  These are the adults, which feed on growing shoots and lay eggs that hatch into tiny white scales [larvae] that remain attached to the underside of leaves. Like aphids (greenfly, blackfly), whitefly are sap-sucking insect pests. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This sap sucking weakens the plant and may introduce plant viruses that further weaken the plant, and may even kill it.&#xA;  Unfortunately, whitefly don't go round in ones or two - they go round in hordes of hundreds and a severe attack can severely weaken a plant. You will often see a 'cloud' of whitefly flying away from a plant whose leaves have been disturbed.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenforumhorticulture.co.uk/pestwatch/whitefly.htm&quot;&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Source: Garden Forum - Pest Watch&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You say the flies “spread out like snow-flakes” when you spray your plants, and this is exactly what happens when I spray or disturb mine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Control&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is what I suggest. You could take only one or two or, preferably, all of these measures, depending on how bad the infestation is and how much time and money you're prepared to spend:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Buy some &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000I6K3JY&quot;&gt;Yellow Sticky Aphid Whitefly traps&lt;/a&gt;, or &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G7275&quot;&gt;make your own&lt;/a&gt;, plunge your plants in a bucket of water for a minute or so, drain them and then place the traps around them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vacuum the plants with a small hand-held vacuum cleaner, preferably in the early morning when it is still cool and the flies are sluggish.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place your plants in a &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0009J3EX2&quot;&gt;mini-greenhouse&lt;/a&gt;, and then introduce a parasitic wasp called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encarsia_formosa&quot;&gt;Encarsia formosa&lt;/a&gt; (it doesn’t sting) which, it seems, is highly effective in controlling whitefly in a confined space, and is used by commercial growers. Live Encarsia formosa eggs are available &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0050QK5HM&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. I have just bought a mini-greenhouse and this is a method I intend to try myself. Although my plants are outdoors, native predators have failed to control the whitefly and, as their numbers have increased, spraying with a soap solution has proved less and less effective.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2013-05-13T14:02:45.177" LastActivityDate="2013-05-13T14:02:45.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="779" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-21T01:30:33.177" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Garden pests can include &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/insects&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;insects&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;insects&lt;/a&gt;, other invertebrates, mammals, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/birds&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;birds&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;birds&lt;/a&gt;, and domesticated creatures. Although &amp;quot;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pest&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pest&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pest&lt;/a&gt;&amp;quot; indicates that they actively destroy plants and crops, this tag can also be used for &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/domestic-animals&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;domestic-animals&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;domestic-animals&lt;/a&gt; (cats/&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/dog&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;dog&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;dog&lt;/a&gt;s) that merely cause inconveniences (see &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/125/how-do-you-safely-and-effectively-stop-a-cat-from-pooping-in-your-yard&quot;&gt;example question&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A range of control methods are available including synthetic &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/chemicals&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;chemicals&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;chemicals&lt;/a&gt;, organic &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pesticide&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pesticide&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pesticide&lt;/a&gt;s, traps, and deterrents. Clearly not all methods are appropriate for all pests or situations, and many methods are illegal for specific pests and jurisdictions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T12:44:00.400" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T12:44:00.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="780" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-21T01:30:33.177" Score="0" Body="For questions about controlling garden pests. Use this tag with questions about how to keep identified pests at bay. For unidentified pests use the [pest] and [identification] tags. For questions about pesticides use the [pesticide] tag." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T12:43:48.370" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T12:43:48.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="781" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-21T01:39:25.013" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This will include a large overlap with &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/houseplants&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'houseplants'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;houseplants&lt;/a&gt;. As well as decorative house plants, some &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/herbs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'herbs'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;herbs&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vegetables&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'vegetables'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vegetables&lt;/a&gt; can also be grown indoors. Use this tag for all plants that are grown inside the house, along with the specific tag for the plant (or type of plant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-06T20:10:40.067" LastActivityDate="2012-03-06T20:10:40.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="782" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-21T01:39:25.013" Score="0" Body="Use this tag for questions on growing plants indoors." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-25T15:47:40.407" LastActivityDate="2011-09-25T15:47:40.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="783" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="707" CreationDate="2011-06-21T02:00:40.617" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Disclaimer: I've never planted a Sempervivum. This is just my guess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the information about Sempervivum on this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greenzonelife.com/alpine-and-rock-garden/sempervivum.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;page&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The hens will die after flowering, but&#xA;  by that time they will have produced&#xA;  numerous chicks or chickens to take&#xA;  their place. Reproduction is normally&#xA;  vegetative by cutting the numerous&#xA;  stolons growing near the main&#xA;  rosettes. To propagate, simply split&#xA;  off the chickens from the parent plant&#xA;  and transplant them. Providing contact&#xA;  with the soil should be sufficient for&#xA;  transplanting, since sempervivum root&#xA;  readily. The powdery seeds are used to&#xA;  produce particular hybrids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From your 2nd picture, I can see it is flowering. Flowering may weaken the plant, as it consumes a lot of nutrients (this is true of most flowering plants). You may want to make sure that you don't water it too much, as this will only make it weaker. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Sempervivum can be grown in a place&#xA;  with full sun to partial shade and in&#xA;  well-drained soil, so is the perfect&#xA;  plant for hot, dry, sunny locations.&#xA;  Though they can adapt to a variety of&#xA;  soil types, they will do best in&#xA;  gritty soil. No particular care is&#xA;  required, but the plant will grow too&#xA;  much, making it weak and subject to&#xA;  rotting, if there is excessive&#xA;  watering or use of fertiliser. They&#xA;  suffer in hot summer weather,&#xA;  especially if there is much humidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you search Google images for &quot;Sempervivum flowering&quot;, you will a lot of pictures similar to yours, but their flower stalk is upright. However, yours is creeping, and I might consider this is an indicator of bad health. May be it's not getting enough sunshine. Can you move it outside? Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-29T18:57:00.277" LastActivityDate="2011-11-29T18:57:00.277" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="768" CreationDate="2011-06-21T13:03:27.947" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are two different plants.  The one in the second (lower) photo is astilbe, a common ornamental, perennial garden plant; it is not poisonous.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With a number of plants imitating poison ivy in form of leaf, it's difficult to determine what the plant is in the first photo. There is considerable variation in the leaf shape (toothed vs lobed) and surface (glossy vs dull) of poison ivy, so you need to look at other characteristics as well. The leaves of poison ivy occur alternately along the main stem so try and check for that without touching the plant. Also, the central leaflet is usually attached by a short leaf stalk while the side leaflets attach directly (or on much shorter stalks) to the leaf stem. From this side of the computer, it looks a lot like poison ivy to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastEditorUserId="133" LastEditDate="2011-06-22T09:33:38.000" LastActivityDate="2011-06-22T09:33:38.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="786" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-21T14:01:56.427" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Naturally forming soils are created under a huge range of conditions, and the study of soils constitutes its own science, &amp;quot;soil science&amp;quot;, that overlaps with geology, hydrology, and ecology.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soils are primarily derived from rock ('lithic') fragments of various sizes. These may be derived from the local bedrock, or they may have been transported some distance by the action of &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/water&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;water&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;water&lt;/a&gt; (e.g. river silt), wind (aeolian sediments such as loess), ice (e.g. boulder clays), or humans. &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/climate&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;climate&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;climate&lt;/a&gt; and biological factors can break lithic fragments down into other minerals - e.g. clay minerals, and dissolved salts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In horticulture and ecology, the lithic components are usually classified according to their size: clay (&amp;lt;2micron), silt (2-60micron), and sand (60micron-2mm). In turn, soils are then classified according to their relative proportions. For example, &amp;quot;clay soil&amp;quot; typically has 50% or more clay particles, whilst &amp;quot;medium loam&amp;quot; has 5-25% clay, 20-50% silt, and 30-60% sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soils also contain organic material in the forum of living organisms (e.g. bacteria and arthropods), and humus (partially decomposed dead organic material). Humus is important for horticulture and agriculture as it helps to absorb water and acts as a reserve for nitrogen, phosphorus, and other plant &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/nutrients&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;nutrients&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;nutrients&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For horticultural purposes, plants prefer soils with specific &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/drainage&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;drainage&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;drainage&lt;/a&gt;, nutrient, and pH characteristics. Adding sand can improve drainage. Adding humus and/or mineral salts can affect the nutrient and pH characteristics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about soil - especially diagnosing soil problems, and improving soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T01:00:37.597" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T01:00:37.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="787" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-21T14:01:56.427" Score="0" Body="The growing medium for plants, primarily consisting of rock fragments, organic material, water, and organisms." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-21T15:28:43.080" LastActivityDate="2011-06-21T15:28:43.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="789" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="790" CreationDate="2011-06-21T15:13:13.847" Score="10" ViewCount="1272" Body="&lt;p&gt;A firm believer in 3-year crop rotation, I sow my runner beans in a different plot every year. After they crop, I dig their stems and roots into the soil, to replenish it with their captured nitrogen; I then dismantle the bamboo support frame and reconstruct it elsewhere. To avoid this hassle, several of my gardener friends dig in plenty of manure and use the same plot year after year - and their plants thrive and crop well (sometimes better than mine!). If their long-term failure to ‘sow by the rules’ has depleted the soil of certain nutrients, it certainly isn’t apparent. Is it really necessary to rotate runner beans?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:41:23.083" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T02:08:39.997" Title="Is it really necessary to rotate runner beans?" Tags="&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;beans&gt;&lt;crop-rotation&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="790" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="789" CreationDate="2011-06-21T15:19:00.977" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The manure is going to include other nutrients as well nitrogen - there's probably a sufficient spread of nutrient types that depletion is slow or non-existent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One advantage of your rotation is that your beans are adding nitrogen to the soil in different parts of the garden. You should also be less prone to pests - which it sounds like isn't currently a problem for you and your friends in your area at the moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-21T15:19:00.977" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="791" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-21T16:44:30.670" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer is any material supplement that is added to &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/soil&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;soil&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;soil&lt;/a&gt; to supply one or more plant nutrients that are essential to plant &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/growth&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;growth&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;growth&lt;/a&gt;. These can be organic (i.e. derived from animals, plants, fungi) or inorganic (i.e. minerals), and they can be natural (e.g. compost) or artificial (e.g. ammonium nitrate fertilizers), and they can be liquid or slow-release (e.g. worm compost).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water (as with atmospheric carbon dioxide and oxygen) is classed separately and is not considered a fertilizer. Similarly, non-nutritional soil improvers (e.g. sand for drainage,  and lime for pH) are also not considered fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizers typically provide:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Macro-nutrients: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sulphur&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Micro-nutrients: Boron, Chlorine, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Zinc&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And are typically provided in ionic form - e.g. nitrate and chloride.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Commercial (and especially artificial) fertilizers are often labelled with their NPK content. These are three numbers giving the composition (by weight) of nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O), and Potassium Oxide (K&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O). Note the discrepancy: Nitrogen is atomic weight (it is typically in NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; ions) but Phosphor and Potassium are listed by molecular weight. This can lead to confusion, especially as Potassium is often provided in other forms (e.g. Potash / KCl).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Specific plants may like (or react differently to) stronger or weaker concentrations of these nutrients, but good general advice is for a &amp;quot;balanced fertilizer&amp;quot; that provides all &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/nutrients&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;nutrients&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;nutrients&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-15T21:12:22.013" LastActivityDate="2021-02-15T21:12:22.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="792" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-21T16:44:30.670" Score="0" Body="Nutritional supplements for soil. Use this tag with questions about how to use or how to choose fertilizers for specific plants." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-15T00:36:57.203" LastActivityDate="2021-01-15T00:36:57.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="793" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="800" CreationDate="2011-06-21T17:54:46.173" Score="10" ViewCount="189" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning to try my hand at asparagus next spring, although I'm told that it isn't the easiest of vegetables to grow. Are there any particular problems associated with it? Any tips that might smooth my path would be much appreciated (I live in the UK).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-21T19:01:38.413" LastActivityDate="2011-06-22T06:48:09.050" Title="Asparagus Growing: Any Tips?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="794" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-21T19:07:23.807" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;Pruning&amp;quot; is the act of cutting a plant's branch (typically of a &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tree&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tree&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tree&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/shrubs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;shrubs&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;shrubs&lt;/a&gt;),&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vines&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;vines&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vines&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/stems&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;stems&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;stems&lt;/a&gt; (of a &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/houseplant&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;houseplant&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;houseplant&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/herbs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;herbs&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;herbs&lt;/a&gt;, etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning is performed primarily to produce a better shaped plant, or to promote new growth of branches or &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flowers&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;flowers&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flowers&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In many cases, prunings (i.e. the discarded branches) can be used as &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cuttings&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cuttings&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cuttings&lt;/a&gt; to create new plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In rare situation even roots could be pruned to remove rotten parts, or to be able to remove a plant from an outgrown pot, etc. For questions like these use the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/root-pruning&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;root-pruning&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;root-pruning&lt;/a&gt; tag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T01:00:32.580" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T01:00:32.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="795" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-21T19:07:23.807" Score="0" Body="Questions about how to best cut plant branches, vines or stems. For questions about root pruning please use the [root-pruning] tag." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-02T18:38:36.750" LastActivityDate="2021-02-02T18:38:36.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="796" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="789" CreationDate="2011-06-21T19:30:44.660" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you work new soil into your beds every year I don't see any point in crop rotation.  Composting your stems and roots, along with some manure, kitchen scraps (coffee grounds, etc), and leaves during the summer and then working that into your soil prior to planting your new crop next spring is a great way to keep your soil nutrient level fresh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastActivityDate="2011-06-21T19:30:44.660" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="797" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="793" CreationDate="2011-06-21T19:41:20.220" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing asparagus this year for the first time, so I wouldn't classify myself as an expert on this...yet. ;)  However, I do have a stand of apparently healthy asparagus in progress at this moment!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My asparagus was planted &quot;bare root&quot;.  I'm not sure if you can get it other ways or not.  It took several weeks to start coming up.  We're watering it almost every day, but I don't think this is typically needed.  I live in North Texas and we're in the middle of one of the longest dry spells we've seen in a while, plus temperatures are hitting above 100 on a regular basis.  Asparagus doesn't like it's roots to be kept too wet and can have problems with root rot if kept too wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You probably already know this part, but asparagus can take several years to grow enough to actually yield a crop.  It's a big plant too, so allow 1 1/2 to 2 feet between each plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastActivityDate="2011-06-21T19:41:20.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="798" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="793" CreationDate="2011-06-21T20:36:05.980" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since it is a perennial, you can't fix the soil as easily as annuals once you've planted it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So now is the time to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get your pH right by adding lime or sulfur as needed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add organic matter so it has time to break down in the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get any perennial weeds in the area to be planted under control&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-21T20:36:05.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="799" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="839" CreationDate="2011-06-21T21:02:35.630" Score="11" ViewCount="418" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a boysenberry plant and a black-raspberry plant that are growing vigorously on a trellis. However, there are a couple of shoots (about a meter long now) that are growing away from the trellis and there isn't enough space on it for me to wait till they're long and bend it back there. Should I just prune these shoots so that they don't suck nutrients from the rest of the plant or, like trees, will summer pruning be detrimental to their growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in socal where it's just early summer right now. The plants haven't flowered yet (this is also their first year, so I don't know if they're on a grow one year, bloom next year cycle)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:40:28.320" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:40:28.320" Title="Should raspberries &amp; boysenberries be pruned in early summer?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;&lt;boysenberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="793" CreationDate="2011-06-21T21:48:38.380" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant seeds or dormant roots (roots are much faster) early in the spring and in the southern United States, try fall planting. For roots, spread over mounds in wide trenches and planted 4 to 6 inches deep. Plants should be 2 feet apart and in 4 foot rows. Treat seeds the same way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As with most other garden veggies asparagus loves a highly organic soil with plenty of food during the growing season. Add manure, compost and other organics to soil at planting time and repeat after the growing season.  Sufficient moisture is critical at this early stage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not be too hasty to harvest too much of your first couple of crops. If you cut too many spears they will not have a chance to develop.  Growing the size of the bed by the plants spreading is what you are striving for in the beginning. Those uncut spears will mature into stems and foliage. Harvest begins in the second year. Only cut spears for a 3 week period and let the rest grow. Just think of this as adding value and equity to your Asparagus account. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the 3rd year you can harvest for an 8 week period. A general rule is to stop harvesting this vegetable when the spears become the diameter of a pencil. Spears should be cut at ground level when they reach 6-8 inches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the first frost the plants will turn brown and in milder climates you should cut down  the stems to ground level. Don't cut the stems in the north. Add a thick layer of mulch for winter protection and too add nutrients to soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is one in your garden that will grow tall and bushy. It has an attractive feathery foliage that looks great along fences or borders. Most of the open-pollinated varieties from the past were female such as Martha Washington and Mary Washington, but lately many of the new hybrids are males. They have been found to be more productive because they channel the energy available to them in spear growth rather than into seeding. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some popular male hybrids are; Jersey Knight, Jersey General and Jersey Giant. Must be something special in the New Jersey soil,&quot;if ya know what I mean.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-06-22T06:48:09.050" LastActivityDate="2011-06-22T06:48:09.050" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="801" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="803" CreationDate="2011-06-22T00:40:16.760" Score="67" ViewCount="113027" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read that spent coffee grounds work well as a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sustainableenterprises.com/Business/coffeefert.htm&quot;&gt;fertilizer&lt;/a&gt;.  But the methods of application are all over the map.  Some indicate using it in compost, others suggest spreading it and broken eggshells as an insect deterrent,  and others recommend making a &quot;tea&quot; (heh!) out of it to water plants.  Personally I've just taken my coffee filter outside to clean it and hoped for the best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any particular reason to pick one application method over the rest or should I just do what's easiest?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-27T16:19:47.420" LastActivityDate="2016-10-01T23:05:08.350" Title="How do I apply spent coffee grounds as a fertilizer?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;coffee-grounds&gt;" AnswerCount="11" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="802" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="801" CreationDate="2011-06-22T02:46:30.943" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dumping any food in your garden sounds like a good idea at first, but the pitfall is that we must process the food before using it as a fertilizer. For the food is not decomposted into the simplest form, thus various bugs such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springtail&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Springtail&lt;/a&gt; which eat decaying matter. This is the reason why we need composting instead of dumping the food right in your field.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastActivityDate="2011-06-22T02:46:30.943" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="801" CreationDate="2011-06-22T04:13:18.653" Score="40" Body="&lt;h3&gt;EDIT:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707171641.htm&quot;&gt;nice article&lt;/a&gt; from sciencedaily.com that talks about the benefits of adding coffee grounds to your compost pile. Some excerpts:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the general benifit of coffee grounds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Coffee grounds can be an excellent addition to a compost pile. The grounds are relatively rich in nitrogen, providing bacteria the energy they need to turn organic matter into compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;On adding them directly to the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Mix grounds into soil as an amendment. Make sure to keep them damp. Add some nitrogen fertilizer if you do this, as coffee grounds encourage the growth of microbes in the soil, which use up nitrogen. While microbes are breaking down the grounds, the nitrogen will provide a source of nutrients for your plants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;On composting it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Add grounds to your compost pile, layering one part leaves to one part fresh grass clippings to one part coffee grounds, by volume. Turn once a week. This will be ready in three to six months.&#xA;  Or, put them in an existing unturned pile. Just make sure to add a high carbon source, such as leaves to balance it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It also advises against adding uncomposted grounds near plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;... uncomposted coffee grounds are NOT a nitrogen fertilizer... Germination tests in Eugene showed that uncomposted coffee grounds, added to soil as about one-fourth the volume, showed poor germination and stunted growth in lettuce seed. Therefore, they need to be composted before using near plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The method you choose depends on how much coffee you drink (i.e., how much coffee grounds you generate) and how much time &amp;amp; patience you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Composted coffee grounds are probably the best, as they provide a good source of nitrogen and mildly acidic soil. However, if you don't want to get involved in composting, I think you'll be fine putting coffee grounds directly in the soil and mixing it slightly. It probably might take a little longer to break down on its own, but it'll be ok. Coffee &quot;tea&quot; is also one way of doing it, but I think it's more of a diluted one-time fertilizer drink for the plant. You don't get the same benefit as having the coffee grounds in the soil, which dissolve a little bit of nutrients each day and encourage growth of microbes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Coffee grounds are great for plants that like slightly acidic soil like tomatoes and blueberries. They're also good for azaleas, if you grow them (I found this out just today, when I read the contents of an azalea special fertilizer mix). I don't drink coffee myself, but I go to the local starbucks and get a bagful of used coffee grounds which I then use as fertilizer for the above plants in my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-06-22T16:54:07.143" LastActivityDate="2011-06-22T16:54:07.143" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="804" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-22T04:41:28.163" Score="7" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two flowering crab apples planted 2 yrs ago beside each other (20 ft apart). When they went in they were identical. However for two years the one has flourished and the other is anemic, such that one has a 2.5 inch dia trunk and the other one has a 2.25 inch trunk. The most striking difference is the leaf size: the healthy one has many leaves 2 inches long and the anemic one has only a half the number of leaves about 1 inch long. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a serious problem?  Should I just wait for the weak tree to pull out of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions for the weak tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="311" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:39:36.893" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:39:36.893" Title="Why is my flowering crab stunted?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="801" CreationDate="2011-06-22T07:10:51.537" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've known a person or two who swears by mixing (relatively small amounts) of coffee grounds directly into the soil around azaleas. All I can say is, at least, it doesn't seem to cause any problems.  Coffee grounds, as far as waste food goes, is already pretty far broken down (a roasted bean, ground up and boiled).  As others have already pointed out, you could risk attracting unwanted pests, but taking small amounts and mixing it well with the soils should minimize that risk (I can confirm this in Seattle and London -- your mileage may vary).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I'd vote for placing it the compost bin.  It makes for a great addition to the compost bin because of the small, easy to digest particles.  If you use a paper filter, you can drop the whole thing in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also make a pitch to go to your local coffee shop and see what they do with their used grounds.  Many Starbucks and independent shops package up the grounds to be picked up by people wanting it for compost, and others I have visited will gladly package it up for you if you ask.  They have someone haul away their waste, and you get a great addition for your compost bin.  That's a win-win.  The only problem I've ever had is that most of the coffee shops in my neighborhood were usually stripped clean by other gardeners by the time I got there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastActivityDate="2011-06-22T07:10:51.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="806" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="801" CreationDate="2011-06-22T07:56:17.713" Score="27" Body="&lt;p&gt;Following up rsghoheen's answer, I checked what Starbucks themselves say. They have a full blown scheme called &amp;quot;Grounds to Gardeners&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;OK, so you don't need Starbucks because you've got your own grounds, but check out what they say...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The instructions they print on the side of their packaged used grounds are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Coffee grounds are a nutritional additive for your soil. During the brewing &#xA;process most of the acidity is removed, leaving used groudns with an &#xA;average ph of 6.9 and a carbon-nitrogen ratio of 20-1&#xA;&#xA;Directions:&#xA;&#xA;Add grounds directly to your garden&#xA;-----------------------------------&#xA;Apply this “green” material as a side dressing to nitrogen loving&#xA;plants, including most perennials and allium plants.&#xA;Balance the nutrition of your soil with “brown” materials such as leaves&#xA;or dried grass.&#xA;&#xA;Or to your compost&#xA;------------------&#xA;Combine with “brown” materials in your compost pile.&#xA;Use grounds within 2-3 weeks of brewing to capture the most&#xA;nutritional value.&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pinoyecofarmer.com/2010/05/07/used-coffee-grounds-for-your-garden/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tc-soft.com/wordpress/?p=14&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zkaeC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-06-22T07:56:17.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="605" CreationDate="2011-06-22T11:45:20.340" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;These answers are great.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another idea a family member has was to sprinkle lime in the garden to keep animals away.   Don't know if this is harmful, but just another suggestion I wanted to post.  I suspect it would eventually wash away with rain, but probably no different from the sprays mentioned above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="235" LastActivityDate="2011-06-22T11:45:20.340" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="808" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-22T12:46:11.323" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many indoor and outdoor plants are grown in pots. These are containers with at least one large opening at the top for the plant foliage, and with one or more holes at the bottom for drainage. Pots are then filled with a suitable growing medium (typically soil, compost, or a mixture).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tag should be used for questions about growing plants in pots (eg. which medium works best, when/how to water) and when to re-pot a plant due to growth.  Plants can often out-grow a pot. This results in it becoming root-bound which further restricts grown. Root-bound plants typically form a root ball which runs up against the pot sides - removing the plant from the pot takes all the soil/compost with it, to reveal a pot-shaped shape of roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Due to the restricted volume of growing medium, pot plants also tend to require fertilizer supplements more frequently that outdoors plants. Whilst outdoors plants can often survive just on natural rain, pot plants will also require watering at regular intervals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-26T19:57:22.733" LastActivityDate="2011-06-26T19:57:22.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="809" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-22T12:46:11.323" Score="0" Body="For questions about plant pots. eg. soil types, when to re-pot." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-25T10:49:35.900" LastActivityDate="2011-06-25T10:49:35.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="810" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-22T13:00:15.213" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Flowers are the reproductive organs of &lt;em&gt;angiosperms&lt;/em&gt; (flowering plants) which make up most of the plants grown in gardens. As well as the usual landscape and food uses, flowers specifically, are grown for:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;visual appearance (whole plant, and beauty of individual flowers)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;scent&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;food  (e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/broccoli&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;broccoli&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;broccoli&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;attract &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/insects&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;insects&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;insects&lt;/a&gt; (incl. honey bees) and birds (e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/hummingbirds&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;hummingbirds&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;hummingbirds&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although flowering plants (angiosperms) are the most visible and arguably dominant type of terrestrial plant today, they only became widespread around 100 Ma (million years) ago (first terrestrial plants: ~476 Ma; first angiosperms: ~140Ma).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most plants are hermaphrodites with male and female parts in the same flower structure. However, many plants can have male and female flowers in order to reduce the chances of self-fertilization. Some plants will have only have one flower type on a plant, resulting in &amp;quot;male plants&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;female plants&amp;quot; (e.g. papaya and holly) - sometimes these plants also exhibit sexual dimorphism (e.g. papaya which has a smaller male tree, and a larger female tree with larger leaves).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T15:34:28.980" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T15:34:28.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="811" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-22T13:00:15.213" Score="0" Body="The reproductive organs of most garden plants." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T03:14:03.623" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T03:14:03.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="812" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="801" CreationDate="2011-06-22T14:48:52.070" Score="20" Body="&lt;p&gt;One thing to avoid is using coffee grounds inside where there is a risk of mold growth (as there would be if you left the grounds in your pot for a week)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Likewise, I would avoid using coffee&#xA;  grounds with potted houseplants, not&#xA;  only because of the potential for&#xA;  fungal growth but also potential&#xA;  buildup of soluble salts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-B. Rosie Lerner (Extension Consumer Horticulturist Purdue University)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/groundsforgardening.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Grounds for Gardening&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-09-30T17:22:43.560" LastActivityDate="2016-09-30T17:22:43.560" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="771" CreationDate="2011-06-22T15:42:30.513" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd avoid hot pepper oil as a deterrent in case your kitty gets it in her eyes or mouth - ouch! A safe alternative is something called 'bitter apple' spray which is often available from vets or pet supply shops and will not harm your plants. Vets often suggest it as a deterrent for pets that are chewing or licking inappropriately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does your cat have enough 'toys'? It won't completely stop her from nibbling your plants, but if there's something fun to keep her preoccupied, she might bother the plants less often. Bored cats like to make mischief which I know from experience. After my two were given outdoor access, they caused a lot less havoc indoors and leave the house-plants alone. And as Suresh mentioned, it often helps to grow 'cat' grass (you can buy it as seed and it's easy to grow) or even a catnip plant to which your cat can have free access. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-22T15:42:30.513" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="814" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="731" CreationDate="2011-06-22T15:54:10.270" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're stuck for containers and this is your only option (or you want to be environmentally friendly and re-use those pesky non-recyclable food trays), you could glue something like black paper or cardboard to the outside to keep the light from getting through.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-22T15:54:10.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="815" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="804" CreationDate="2011-06-22T18:00:22.550" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of variables in this equation. The best thing to do in my mind would be to start eliminating some of the variability and see if you can nail down a possible source of the problem. Here are a few suggestions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Take a soil sample from somewhere near each of the trees and get it analyzed. I don't know where you live so I can't recommend anywhere, but if you are in the US then your local extension office will be the most likely place to go. They may even be able to speak to your specific situation&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Investigate any moisture imbalance between the two trees. Is the soil around one wetter than the other? Does the soil drain better around one than it does around the other?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a commenter mentioned is there a solar imbalance between the two locations? Does the tree that's thriving have access to more sun than the other one?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Look for signs that pests are attacking the more anemic looking tree. It doesn't sound like they are going after the leaves, but they can attack in other ways either at the roots or inside of the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are just the starting points. I don't have any ideas about your specific situation, but these would be the places I would start looking for a cause. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2011-06-22T18:00:22.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="816" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-22T18:16:59.770" Score="10" ViewCount="855" Body="&lt;p&gt;About five years ago, I bought a fully grown and blooming &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalaenopsis&quot;&gt;Phalaenopsis&lt;/a&gt; orchid. After a month or so, the blooms fell off as expected. I continued to care for it as directed, but it never flowered again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead, it produced four &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiki&quot;&gt;keiki&lt;/a&gt;, which I carefully transplanted into their own bowls with moss. None of them ever grew leaves larger than about 3.5 inches. Four of the keiki and the mother plant eventually died after about three years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have just one of the keiki left, and although it seems healthy, it has not grown much. It has three healthy, green leaves, none larger than 3.5 inches. I fertilize it about once a month, change its moss when the moss gets green, and keep it in a constant temperature with some sunlight throughout the day. I've starting watering it with ice cubes to see if that makes a difference, but it hasn't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I get this last survivor to thrive? After five years, shouldn't it have at least grown to a full size?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="314" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-15T00:04:42.123" LastActivityDate="2011-09-15T00:04:42.123" Title="Why is my phalaenopsis' keiki (orchid) not thriving?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="817" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-22T19:15:59.663" Score="6" ViewCount="597" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've made my own self-watering containers. Fun, but a bit time-consuming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most self-watering containers that are for sale are a bit pricey for me... I'd really want at least a half a dozen, and at $30 or so each, this is a strain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So... anything that you can buy in the $12 and under range that will serve the purpose? I think ideally it would NOT be marketed as a SWC, but rather something that can be easily adapted for the purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, just to be clear ... not looking for the DIY solutions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="315" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:38:35.430" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:38:35.430" Title="What are some good cheap self-watering containers?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="816" CreationDate="2011-06-22T19:16:43.547" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;What happened to the orchids when they died? Did they yellow or turn black? Did the leaves die one by one? Did the roots rot? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a first response, I would suggest they don't like the moss they're potted in or they're being over-watered. Is the drainage good, or does the moss stay constantly soggy? When you say the moss is turning green, do you mean it's putting out green growth or algae is growing on it?  If it's algae, that's surely a sign it's too wet. How often are you watering it and do you make sure the pot isn't standing in water?  Generally, Phalaenopsis growing in free-draining potting medium like to be watered once a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-22T19:16:43.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="819" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="835" CreationDate="2011-06-22T19:39:40.730" Score="17" ViewCount="8613" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our recently purchased home has a lot of old fruit and vegetable plantings that were mostly left alone for the past few years. Among these is a set of three grape vines on a group of metal trellises. We've cleared out the weeds that were growing around the vines, as well as some competing climbing plants that had gotten up onto the trellis and intertwined themselves with the grape pretty badly and took over a big portion of the trellis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So right now the grape trellises are pretty clean and the vines appear to be healthy, although they're very unevenly distributed over the structure. What should we do now to encourage future growth and get the vines to spread out? Are there any companion plants or other fertilization techniques we should look into. We'd like to avoid chemical fertilizers if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:37:33.493" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:37:33.493" Title="How should a long neglected grape-vine be pruned?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="817" CreationDate="2011-06-22T19:57:41.253" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you do not mind plastic self watering containers I have two suggestions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have used &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-5.2-Self-Watering-Planter/16630836&quot;&gt;these&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-18-Self-Watering-Window-Box/16630838&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; with a great deal of success. The first one comes in a variety of sizes and they are relatively inexpensive, especially the smaller ones. However, because I don't remember how much they are and because Walmart isn't everywhere yet (they are only sold in store not online). I have also located &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B001GXW3V4&quot;&gt;these&lt;/a&gt; on Amazon. They look to be pretty much the same design.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have used the ones sold at Walmart for herbs and I currently have tomato and pepper seedlings growing in the window box one. They are pretty good although the round pots I have are a bit small for my purposes. However, that is just because I am a cheapskate and haven't bought the proper sized pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2011-06-22T19:57:41.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="821" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="823" CreationDate="2011-06-22T20:39:45.897" Score="16" ViewCount="1524" Body="&lt;p&gt;Even if I remove all weeds around my strawberries a month's growth has them smothered in grasses, clover and other weeds. Is there anything I can put down that will help, or do I just need to manually weed all the time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I want to eat the strawberries, so don't want to use weedkillers) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:36:31.130" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:36:31.130" Title="How can I effectively grow strawberries in my borders without weeds suffocating them?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="822" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="829" CreationDate="2011-06-22T21:22:40.000" Score="10" ViewCount="208" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I used row covers on PVC frames to effectively keep cabbage worms off my broccoli and cabbage. I put the covers on in spring as soon as I put the seedlings in the ground, and then took them off when the plants were larger. There were some worms in the broccoli when I harvested, but they don't do much damage and come out of the heads with a good soaking when brought inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I didn't put the covers on early like I should have, and I'm wondering: is worth my time to put covers over more mature plants that already have cabbage worms? Will I just be &quot;locking the bad bugs in&quot;? What if I first spray with Bt, which seems to have been effective at controlling them so far, and then cover?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T01:21:03.417" Title="Is it too late for row cover to help with insects?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;row-cover&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;&lt;cabbage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="821" CreationDate="2011-06-22T21:24:40.790" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;This might be an application for &quot;landscape fabric&quot;? Also known as &quot;weed fabric&quot;, the big box sellers in the US have it. When preparing your bed, you put this fabric down, and perhaps cover it with mulch to make it look better. Then cut a hole in the fabric for each strawberry plant. The weeds are blocked by the fabric, and the strawberries grow through their holes - or that is the idea. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-22T21:24:40.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="824" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="840" CreationDate="2011-06-22T21:33:43.593" Score="14" ViewCount="409" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in central Scotland, which is a bit damp, and the soil in my garden, despite years of aerating, adding sand etc is still quite a thick clay soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When it is sunny I get sun all day long, so plants that take root seem to grow well, but I find it very hit or miss as to which ones work. (Hebes, Hostas, Cotoneasters, Willows all work well, as do some climbers, but Roses, Firs have trouble. As you'll see from my previous post, grasses, clover, daisies etc love it:-(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any guidance as to which ones might thrive in this environment, or perhaps some early care recommendations. Ideally plants favourable to bees, birds such as finches and tits and wildlife in general.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-23T00:36:48.877" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T11:38:21.633" Title="What plants take easily to clay soils?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;clay&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="825" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="827" CreationDate="2011-06-22T21:38:56.803" Score="13" ViewCount="2591" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lovely &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_plant&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;jade plant&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Crassula Ovata&lt;/em&gt;) growing in the bathroom, but it keeps outgrowing pots and needing to be repotted. I have tried moving it further from the sun and watering it less to try and slow its growth, as I read somewhere that works, but it doesn't take too well to that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it just something I need to live with, or are there ways to slow the growth of succulents?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-17T23:09:58.070" LastActivityDate="2011-09-17T23:09:58.070" Title="How can I keep a jade plant (Crassula ovata) from growing, and keep it healthy?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;jade&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="826" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="849" CreationDate="2011-06-22T23:46:47.173" Score="12" ViewCount="17019" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a big peach tree in front of my house, the first 2 years I was here it bore fruit but the last couple summers it hasn't.  Is there something I need to do to get it to bear fruit again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree hasn't produced in 2 years, I live in west Michigan and the last few years have been rather odd in that we get 1 week of summer (80-90 degrees) followed by a week or so of spring again (40-60 degrees)  I have noticed flowering generally at the top of the tree during the 1 week, which don't come to anything over the &quot;real&quot; summer.  The rest of the tree is bare, no leaves, no flowering nothing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know how long the tree has been there, it may have been planted when the house was built (1994) which would make it an old tree but I'm not sure about that.  It is about as tall as the house (1.5 story above ground) I don't know if that is &quot;big&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="316" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:36:01.547" LastActivityDate="2014-07-12T17:15:48.160" Title="Why has my peach tree stopped producing fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="827" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="825" CreationDate="2011-06-22T23:53:00.273" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;What kind of succulent?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's like most succulents, you can absolutely just trim the ends off the plant and it will be fine (and, if you wanted, you could plant those and make new plants to keep or give &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thegardenpages.com/planting.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;away&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, many plants will cooperate well with root pruning, like what bonsai &lt;a href=&quot;http://home.hiwaay.net/~fjw/rootpruning_repotting.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;growers do&lt;/a&gt;. This typically involves taking the plant out of the pot, removing all the soil from the roots so that you can see what you are doing, and removing the largest root or two. The most effective roots are actually the smallest ones, for reasons of surface area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, this is only a general answer, and to be sure that the answer is a good one for your situation, I would absolutely need to know the specific kind of plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-06-23T13:36:11.233" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T13:36:11.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="821" CreationDate="2011-06-22T23:58:23.967" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I find that putting down some sort of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard/mulching.html&quot;&gt;mulch&lt;/a&gt; will help with keeping weeds down and water in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can certainly buy mulch, but if you happen to have leaves or grasses you recently trimmed (really, anything that is not going to try to grow on you! So no roots, and no succulents), you can put them down around your strawberries. This tends to be easier, in my experience, with recently cut leaves and grasses, simply because they are still pliable. If, however, you have dried out stuff, you can just be sure to layer it more carefully. The only real problem with using this kind of mulch is that it will biodegrade more quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you have runners, you can always move aside your mulch to allow the runners to root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-06-23T13:30:59.897" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T13:30:59.897" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="829" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="822" CreationDate="2011-06-23T00:04:42.730" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would personally use BT, and then use row covers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will note that I have not yet grown anything in that family yet, but from what I found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vegedge.umn.edu/vegpest/colecrop/cabbworm.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;online&lt;/a&gt;, these critters have 3-5 overlapping generations (I had a suspicion that this was going to be the case). So BT should kill off the current larva, and covering should prevent additional ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-06-23T13:56:52.947" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T13:56:52.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="830" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="834" CreationDate="2011-06-23T00:14:33.233" Score="34" ViewCount="2728" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the first year I've grown carrots. What gave them legs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AuE9K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;What gave my carrots legs.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a theory that the seedlings merged together. I don't know if that is just silly or if carrots just naturally grow like this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="210" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-26T21:06:01.363" LastActivityDate="2018-08-07T18:24:38.017" Title="Why did my carrots split in a way that looks like legs?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="831" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="769" CreationDate="2011-06-23T00:18:27.570" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I am aware, fertilizer burn is a result of too much fertilizer causing the water in the plant to be drawn out. This makes leaves look, well, burned. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/growing-essentials/fertilizing-citrus-trees.html&quot;&gt;specific search&lt;/a&gt; on citrus trees, it sounds like &quot;Dark green, lush leaves with burned tips indicate excessive fertilizing&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest watching to see if the leaves start showing any signs of burned tips, while keeping in mind that this is likely how the leaves would also look if they are under-watered (for the same reason, basically).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fact that it's half a spike should mean you're fine, I would think.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-06-23T14:45:36.490" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T14:45:36.490" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="832" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="735" CreationDate="2011-06-23T00:40:06.367" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the plant has been yellowing for a week, I strongly suggest that you remove it from its current location and take a good look at the roots after cleaning the soil off with running water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are roots that are black and mushy, those are almost certainly rotten. If you have any which remain firm and pliable, regardless of their color, you may have enough healthy root to save the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will want to remove the rotten roots with clean scissors or some other cutting object, as they will only spread the rot to the healthy ones. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another site's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/problems/treating-root-rot-gardening-tips-for-housplants.htm&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; includes a suggestion to wash the healthy roots in fungicide, as fungus is what causes root rot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will want to either completely clean and bleach the container it was in, or use a different container, and will &lt;em&gt;definitely&lt;/em&gt; want to use new soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not fertilize the plant until it has had a chance to recover, as that will only stress the existing roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do hope that you have enough healthy roots left! And, if not, you at least have a valuable new lesson to teach your kids. Both the problems of root rot, and what to do about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-06-23T13:31:34.043" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T13:31:34.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="833" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="830" CreationDate="2011-06-23T01:06:35.093" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anything that impedes the downward growth of the root will do this: stony soil, heavy soil (carrots prefer lighter soils), even damage from pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T01:06:35.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="834" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="830" CreationDate="2011-06-23T01:07:21.363" Score="28" Body="&lt;p&gt;Carrots often develop forked roots when:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;the soil is stony&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;manure is added to the plot shortly before sowing&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;the bed is too firm&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;the soil is very heavy and has not been dug sufficiently - carrots like light,     well-drained fertile soil&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your soil is stony - and this is what usually causes the problem -, you should have better luck with &lt;strong&gt;a short-rooted variety&lt;/strong&gt; such as Amsterdam.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T01:07:21.363" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="835" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="819" CreationDate="2011-06-23T01:17:32.713" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;So you know, I do not have personal experience with this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did, however, find an excellent &lt;a href=&quot;http://web3.canr.msu.edu/vanburen/e-1935.htm&quot;&gt;website&lt;/a&gt; which I suspect you'd really prefer to have me summarize. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's year-old growth which produces flowers and then grapes. Two years or older wood does not produce fruit, and will have loose, shedding bark that the younger canes will not have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grape vines should be pruned while dormant. In general, pruning in late winter or early spring (before budding starts) allows the plant to handle winter stresses and losses better. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant will fail to ripen the grapes if you allow it to keep all of the 200-300 buds on the year-old canes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In order to select which to keep, it's helpful to know that, within a given cultivar, darker colored canes indicate good light exposure during the previous growing season and greater bud fruitfulness. Buds from these canes will also be more winter hardy.  Small diameter -less than 1/4 inch - canes should not be kept because of their inferior productivity and bud hardiness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect that you will need to do pruning in order to get the vines to spread, based on the above guidelines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as companion plants, according to &lt;a href=&quot;https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/List_of_companion_plants&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;, grape vines like hyssop for stimulating growth, and geraniums attract pests away from them. More about grape companion planting is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/facts_6100919_companion-planting-grapes.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like grape vines don't need much for fertilizer once established, especially if the pruned leaves and shoots are left to decompose. More information is available &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.articlealley.com/article_596721_27.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully this is a good starting place for you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-06-23T14:45:49.813" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T14:45:49.813" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="731" CreationDate="2011-06-23T01:25:18.930" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;What do you mean when you say that you are using clear plastic containers to grow plants? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Starting from seed, as seedlings, indoor plants that don't want direct light and whose roots aren't totally root bound? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect all of the above would be fine, although the indoor plants may have problem with not enough soil depending upon the plant. Similarly, there may be some seedlings which need deeper soil level than that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other replies are all applicable, but I can think of situations where it would not be a problem, and there are probably others. What is your goal, and what are the specifics?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;curious&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-06-23T13:31:44.200" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T13:31:44.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="837" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="605" CreationDate="2011-06-23T01:32:34.900" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some more &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_7357742_diy-critter-repellent.html&quot;&gt;recommendations&lt;/a&gt; that I did not see above:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;Use hot sauce to keep critters from eating plants. Cover the plants with a solution of 1 tbsp. liquid detergent and half a bottle of hot sauce, mixed into a watering can filled with water. The detergent helps the hot sauce to adhere to the plants. Hot sauce repels deer, rabbits and most other critters.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;Use elderberry cuttings, garlic powder and chili powder to repel moles and other burrowing critters. Place these in any tunnels that you find and repeat weekly.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;Hang deodorant soap from trees. Deer dislike the scent and will stay away. Be sure to hang it, though, as groundhogs enjoy a bar of soap.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;Use essential oils. Many of these, such as sage and thyme, are known to have repellent effects. Sprinkling these in an area will safely repel some types of animals.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;Play on an animal's natural instincts. Critters are generally prey to other animals and will stay away from an area that is scattered with the scent of their enemies. Dung, hair, blood and other scents spread in a particular area will naturally repel critters.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastEditorUserId="317" LastEditDate="2011-06-25T00:13:33.883" LastActivityDate="2011-06-25T00:13:33.883" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="838" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="824" CreationDate="2011-06-23T01:41:44.050" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The soil in my area is light and sandy (easy to dig, but less able to retain water and nutrients - quite a challenge during dry spells!), so, unfortunately, I can't speak from experience. However, you may find the following articles helpful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Gardening/Top-10/Challenges-of-Gardens/Top-10-Plants-for-Clay-Soil&quot;&gt;Top Ten Plants for Clay Soil&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/29/plants-for-clay-soil&quot;&gt;Plants for Clay Soil&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.findmeplants.co.uk/plants-heavy-clay.aspx&quot;&gt;Top Ten Plants for Heavy Clay&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T01:41:44.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="839" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="799" CreationDate="2011-06-23T01:54:38.627" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;For &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_4524002_prune-boysenberries.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;boysenberry&lt;/a&gt;, it sounds like summer is the correct time to prune. However, the link I gave specifically says to not prune the first year after it's planted in order to let it have the most growth. I suspect that if there is no way to train them to behave for reasons of space, it's better to prune now than not, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For black raspberry, it sounds like it's the two-year-old growth that will bear fruit. Since you just planted them, there's no way that they will flower no matter what you do or do not do. As such, I think you're likely fine with pruning the bits which are causing problems. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, black raspberry is apparently very enthusiastic a grower, and it sounds like you may want to prune far more than you might otherwise expect, once it starts bearing fruit. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_5517195_prune-black-raspberry-bushes.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This&lt;/a&gt; talks about autumn pruning, and this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7lgcCuX034&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;video&lt;/a&gt; shows you how to prune in late winter/early spring. &lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1421.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This&lt;/a&gt; talks more in depth about growth and pruning and such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-06-23T13:31:56.667" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T13:31:56.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="840" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="824" CreationDate="2011-06-23T02:43:25.790" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;My experiences with clay:  My area (Fairfax, VA) is completely fine clay from the surface to deeper than you can dig and gets 44 inches of rain a year, but is probably a lot warmer than your climate in the summer.  I would describe my area as lush, except for short cut yards in the heat of the summer, with high undergrowth in the forests and vines on everything.  &lt;strong&gt;Clay can be very nutritious&lt;/strong&gt;, so perhaps you can control certain properties to get it to work better for you.  I have had success with lilacs, ceders, maple, azaleas, boxwoods, dogwood, ivy, hastas, ornamental apples, roses, a healthy nutall oak, and various perennial bulbs.  First, get pH and fertility testers and alter pH with lime if needed to target the preferred alkalinity of each plant.  My roses take the most work.  I have been replacing clay around them slowly with 1/2 compost.  You probably have more rain and drainage problems than I do.  One tree-planting trick that is used around here when planting a root ball is to not just dig a hole, but to &lt;strong&gt;dig a hole and a trench for drainage&lt;/strong&gt;, which in extreme cases is turned into a french drain but more typically filled with something more porous like some rocks and then top soil.  Once a transplant has put out roots it is fine from then on.  Also, when in doubt people &lt;strong&gt;add organics and pearlite&lt;/strong&gt; to the soil to improve drainage as well.  Clay can bind around sand pretty tightly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="318" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T02:43:25.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="841" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="88" CreationDate="2011-06-23T11:42:25.290" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had mixed experience with row covers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two years ago (no row covers) I lost my entire cabbage crop to cabbage worms. The heads were completely chewed through like swiss cheese.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year, I used row cover supported by a PVC frame over a bed of cabbages and a bed of broccoli. I put on the row cover the same day I transplanted. It was held down on the sides by scrap boards and rocks, and on the ends with some rocks. This worked well: the leaves did not get eaten and I was able to harvest. I had uncovered brussels sprouts growing in a bed adjacent to the others, and these got munched to pieces. In midsummer I had to take the cover off the broccoli because the plants were too tall. At this point the plants were hardy enough that the bugs didn't hurt them too much. I did not spray at all and had a decent crop of both cabbage and broccoli.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I tried the same thing but I wasn't as diligent about getting the covers on immediately. I covered one bed of cabbage a few days after transplanting but had to remove the cover after a couple of weeks because the leaves were getting eaten. When I removed the cover I noticed it had a couple of small holes (I reused the covers from last year -- they looked like they were in good condition). I don't know if the holes or the delay was the problem with the bugs. I'm just spraying them all with Bt now and that is keeping the damage to a minimum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T11:42:25.290" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="122" CreationDate="2011-06-23T11:46:43.227" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watch the video in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/331/how-should-i-prune-my-vine-tomatos/336#336&quot;&gt;this answer to a question about pruning&lt;/a&gt;. They demonstrate a strategy for staking that uses twine woven between the plants to support them as they grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have some tomatoes in cages but also have a bunch that I'm going to support using the weave shown in that video.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T11:46:43.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="843" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-23T13:29:32.440" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fescue (genus &lt;em&gt;Festuca&lt;/em&gt;, family &lt;em&gt;Poaceae&lt;/em&gt; ) is a genus of about 500 species of perennial tufted grasses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although fescue grasses have a wide distribution, they naturally prefer cool temperate climates. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fine-leaved varieties of fescue are particular popular in temperate lawns, bowling greens, and golf course 'rough'. Fescue also has applications in soil erosion control programs, and cultivar 'Kentucky 31' was famously used during the 1930s US Dust Bowl.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have a high nutritional value, so they are often used for pasture, hay, and as stock feed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-25T10:49:28.380" LastActivityDate="2011-06-25T10:49:28.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="844" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-23T13:29:32.440" Score="0" Body="A variety of grass popular in lawns." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-23T15:37:50.423" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T15:37:50.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="846" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="859" CreationDate="2011-06-23T13:53:13.920" Score="12" ViewCount="3978" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a strawberry patch in our back yard.  There seems to be a lot of mold growing there, which is getting to the berries before we can.  What can I do to prevent this from happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cool, and especially damp this spring.  I live in the St Paul, MN, so it is fairly cool most of the time (compared to summers elsewhere at least).  They have raised sides around them, and are pretty packed in there.  Looking at the bed, you can't see any of the ground through the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="138" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:35:07.737" LastActivityDate="2015-06-06T05:01:58.940" Title="Why do all my strawberries become moldy?" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="847" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-23T13:55:28.690" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tomato plants are cultivars of &lt;em&gt;Solanum lycopersicum&lt;/em&gt; (a member of the &lt;em&gt;Solanaceae&lt;/em&gt; or nightshades) that are grown for their edible red fruits (also known as 'tomatoes').&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomato fruit are savory, can be eaten raw or cooked, and are used in a wide range of dishes, sauces, and even drinks. Confusingly, the fruit is considered a vegetable for culinary purposes and by the US Supreme Court (Nix v. Hedden 1893).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Native to South America, tomatoes were spread around the world after Spanish colonization and are now extremely popular around the world.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruit are typically bright red and round, but the wide range of cultivars include yellow, green, fuzzy-skinned, striped, cherry (small), beefsteak (very large), plum (large solid content - deal for sauces), and pear-shaped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomato plants are perennials in their native habitat but are usually grown as annuals in a warm temperate climate. Tomatoes can be grown in cooler climates using greenhouses or suitable shelter. As they are closely related to chili peppers, they tend to prefer similar conditions and suffer from the same pests, eg. hornworms, aphids, whiteflies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes contain a range of vitamins and lycopene (a natural antioxidant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, in common with most &lt;em&gt;Solanaceae&lt;/em&gt;, the leaves and stems contain tropane alkaloids that are toxic. The literature contains records of both humans (via &quot;tomato leaf tea&quot;) and dogs being poisoned from tomato leaves. Unripe fruit can also contain some alkaloids although these are generally too small to be dangerous to humans (dogs may still be poisoned). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-23T15:03:04.293" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T15:03:04.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="848" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-23T13:55:28.690" Score="0" Body="Edible red fruit, cultivar of *Solanum lycopersicum*" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-23T14:48:23.587" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T14:48:23.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="849" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="826" CreationDate="2011-06-23T14:30:40.577" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/info_8479480_do-trees-stop-producing-fruit.html&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; eHow:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the tree is &quot;big&quot; it may be old and nearing the end of it's growing cycle / life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Generally, peach trees live from 10 to 20 years. According to a team of Texas A&amp;amp;M University horticulturalists, peach trees begin producing fruit in their third season and continue producing a viable commercial crop for nine to 12 seasons, or until the trees reach age 12 to 15. Peach trees do not suddenly stop producing fruit once they reach old age, but produce gradually reduced harvests over a few years before production stops altogether and the trees die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;OR&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your tree is under attack.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Peach trees face various problems that may stop fruit production. A number of insects, including peach tree borers, Japanese beetles, stink bugs, oriental fruit moths, plum curculio, tarnished plant bug, green June beetle and European red mite affect peach trees. Severe infestations impede fruit production and, in extreme cases, kill trees. Diseases such as peach leaf curl, brown rot and scab, bacterial spot and powdery mildew do the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="62" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T14:30:40.577" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="851" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="122" CreationDate="2011-06-23T14:38:37.687" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I perfer using a trellis as others have mentioned.  See the pic in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/605/what-is-the-best-way-to-prevent-animals-from-eating-my-garden-without-a-fence&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; as an example.  I bought nylon trellis netting off amazon for $10, 4 8' electrical conduit pipes, and 6 conduit straight connectors for less than $10 as well at Home Depot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="235" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T14:38:37.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="852" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="853" CreationDate="2011-06-23T14:49:08.027" Score="21" ViewCount="99686" Body="&lt;p&gt;My yard is about 6 years old (new house).  When we put the yard in, the seed was equal parts Fescue, Rye, and Kentucky Bluegrass.  We live in NE Ohio.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About 2-3 years ago, we started getting these bright green (almost neon in color) patches all over the yard.  We don't do too much for fertilizer, put down Scott's Winterguard in the fall and the Scott's Spring (yellow bag) in the late spring.  But that's about all we do. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what this is and how to go about getting rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xIjey.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0k0BL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/strong&gt; Close up pictures to help determine the kind of grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RckH0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UAZYB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="235" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:34:03.870" LastActivityDate="2019-07-18T12:55:48.407" Title="Why does my grass have bright green patches?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="853" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="852" CreationDate="2011-06-23T16:09:36.980" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is difficult to be sure, without the help of a close-up, but if the patches look like &lt;a href=&quot;http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:fv-wsZqLdQgJ:apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=514%20removing%20poa%20annua%20patche%20from%20lawn&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;ct=clnk&amp;amp;gl=uk&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;source=www.google.co.uk&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://buckeyeturf.osu.edu/index.php?option=com_content&amp;amp;view=article&amp;amp;id=1192&amp;amp;catid=1:latest-news&amp;amp;Itemid=170&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;, the problem is likely to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poa_trivialis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Poa Trivialis&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Poa trivialis is a perennial grass that spreads by stolons forming light green patches in the turf. It is best adapted to shady, moist, or overwatered sites, and because of this, it often appears in mixtures with Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass recommended for shady areas. Two theories persist about how Poa trivialis is introduced to a turf stand. Some believe that Poa trivialis grows naturally over most of the world and Poa trivialis seeds or stolons can germinate after lying dormant for many years, thus contaminating a turf stand. Others believe that it is introduced as a contaminant in turf seed and seed producers growers have since self-imposed Poa trivialis growing and shipping restrictions to help prevent this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Control&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no selective control of Poa trivialis today, though scientists are trying to&#xA;develop one. Nonselective control with glyphosate or glufosinate followed by&#xA;reseeding may offer the best chance of control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/pubs/agry-98-02.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Article by Purdue University&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently, its growth can be discouraged by deep but infrequent watering, good drainage, mowing 3&amp;quot; or above and heavy traffic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:33:18.773" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="855" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="870" CreationDate="2011-06-23T16:48:36.907" Score="18" ViewCount="16695" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a plant I bought that was started from Home Depot. Unfortunately it hasn't grown any fruit, even after a whole year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Around May this year (my second year), it produced two small flowers and it grew another runner and a child plant but still no fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are some things that I can do to have it start growing fruit? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Where is it planted?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sits on our balcony outside where it gets a lot of indirect light from the hot north Texas sun. It's in a 12 or 14 inch round plastic pot. It's about 10&quot; deep. Since it's really hot during the summer we've had to water the plant two times a day to avoid drying out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="290" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:30:44.437" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T19:50:20.387" Title="Why hasn't my strawberry plant produced any fruit?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="857" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="855" CreationDate="2011-06-23T17:33:08.070" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It may depend on the variety, but strawberries lose productivity year to year.  However, they do grow quite a bit.  Much more than one runner should be expected.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might not be growing because it's not planted. If you don't have a garden, you might want to get a big clay pot and fill it with potting mix.  Let the runners be next years plants and once they are established, remove this year's plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you use a big clay pot you'll probably have to water less too.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T17:33:08.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="858" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="855" CreationDate="2011-06-23T17:46:21.280" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was going to suggest that you may not be getting cold enough in the winter. (some plants require a cold / dormant period to flower &amp;amp; set fruit).  But your plant is blooming. That is not the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have people around you growing strawberries?  If not, you may have a pollination issue.  Some plants will not self pollinate.  Try getting a second plant of the same variety (to match blooming times).  Grow that second plant in the same pot, or a pot nearby.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="193" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T17:46:21.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="846" CreationDate="2011-06-23T17:53:20.700" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Strawberry beds need to be &quot;rejuvenated&quot; every few years.  This means killing or removing  all the plants in one part of the strawberry bed.  The remaining plants will fill in the cleared area by runners.  The usual reason that this is done is because the older plants are &lt;em&gt;much&lt;/em&gt; less productive than new runners / plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your case this will also reduce the plant packing and get some air flow through the strawberry bed.  This will help dry out the moisture on the plants and soil.  (Mold likes moist conditions)  If you must water be sure to do in the early morning so that it can all dry out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is any consolation I am also having some minor mold problems in my central Iowa (200miles/320km south of OP) strawberry bed.  &lt;em&gt;Sigh&lt;/em&gt; It has been an very cold and wet spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="193" LastEditorUserId="193" LastEditDate="2011-06-27T18:21:42.743" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T18:21:42.743" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="860" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="819" CreationDate="2011-06-23T18:06:05.950" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since you've already accepted a nicely sourced answer, I'll contribute some unsubstatiated tradition (i.e. what I was paid 5 cents an hour to do as a kid). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Prune near the end of the cold season, not in the summer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Prune so that you leave 4 buds from the old trunk.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;-My Grandpa John Montgomery&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T18:06:05.950" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="861" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-23T18:25:39.063" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most gardens are backyard gardens, other types would include front gardens (front of the house, generally more presentable and less crops); business-owned gardens; parks; arboretums/etc; and allotments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-24T00:53:12.347" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T00:53:12.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="862" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-23T18:25:39.063" Score="0" Body="Backyard gardens are the most common type of home garden." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-28T19:24:37.343" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T19:24:37.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="863" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-23T18:27:53.913" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Landscape questions tend to be &quot;big picture&quot; planning questions and might include (but are not limited to):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Garden planning - where to put beds, lawns, bog gardens, etc&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Choosing and positioning trees&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Design of terraces, walls, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-26T19:57:17.757" LastActivityDate="2011-06-26T19:57:17.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="864" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-23T18:27:53.913" Score="0" Body="For larger scale 'landscape' questions." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-25T10:49:20.813" LastActivityDate="2011-06-25T10:49:20.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="865" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-23T18:31:12.790" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tag is typically used for situations where dryness is a problem - for example, what can be grown in a dry spot. Although it will usually refer to dry &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/soil&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;soil&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;soil&lt;/a&gt; conditions (and by extension low rainfall), it could also refer to low &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/humidity&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;humidity&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;humidity&lt;/a&gt; conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-15T12:27:29.703" LastActivityDate="2021-02-15T12:27:29.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="866" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-23T18:31:12.790" Score="0" Body="For questions about dry growing conditions." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-15T12:28:18.427" LastActivityDate="2021-02-15T12:28:18.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="620" CreationDate="2011-06-23T19:03:15.610" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;No need to plant them all at once, or fill your whole box. Sow in succession, a few plants at a time, every fortnight or so, and by the time the first ones are ready, you can pull them up and plant some more!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The closer you sow, the smaller the plants will be, and you can absolutely harvest them whenever you like. Harvest early for smaller roots, and fresher tasting shoots, and later for larger roots. There will be differences in taste, but that will be part of the fun. I wouldn't plant them all at once, whaatever course you take!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="106" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T19:03:15.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="868" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="76" CreationDate="2011-06-23T19:16:18.363" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;My housemate suggests using black tea (cooled!) and spraying it on the leaves that have aphids on. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot find a cite for this! However, I did find an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_2308689_make-aphid-repellent-tea.html&quot;&gt;Aphid repellent tea&lt;/a&gt; which looks interesting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, there's some interesting information on companion plants that will help against aphids, &lt;A href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/426-tomato-problems.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T19:16:18.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="869" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="580" CreationDate="2011-06-23T19:19:09.453" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/info_8553221_ladybug-plants.html&quot;&gt;Plants ladybirds like&lt;/a&gt; looks promising:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to this site, ladybugs have trouble obtaining nectar from many plants because they have small mouths. It mentions that the flowers on the herbs dill, angelica, cilantro, fennel, celery, caraway and tansy are all easily accessible to them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are willing to avoid killing your weeds, the site also mentions that wild carrot, dandelion, lambsquaters and clover have flowers that ladybugs can obtain nectar from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For vegetables, the site mentions parsnips, beans, peas, and cabbage, and notes that some ladybugs will even eat these plants if food is scarce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, &quot;spirea, buckwheat, cosmos, coreopsis, scented geraniums and yarrow are other types of flowering plants that ladybugs are drawn to.&quot; It also mentioned that white cosmos is especially attractive to them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastEditorUserId="317" LastEditDate="2011-06-25T00:07:10.410" LastActivityDate="2011-06-25T00:07:10.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="870" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="855" CreationDate="2011-06-23T19:44:37.123" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;You won't get any strawberries if the flowers aren't pollinated, and I would say this is the most likely cause of your lack of fruit. With its small flowers, a lone strawberry plant on a balcony isn't going to draw the attention of bees and hoverflies which are a strawberry's main pollinating friends. Strawberries are self-compatible (able to use their own pollen) but they require insects to move the pollen from the male parts to the female parts of the flowers in order for fertilization to happen. To get around this, you can hand-pollinate the flowers or else build up a great flowery collection of plants to draw bees to your balcony. To do the duty of bees, I suggest you use a small paintbrush to move some of the pollen from the male parts (anthers) which form a ring between the central part of the flower and the petals, and brush the pollen against the female parts (pistils) in the center. Do a thorough job, though: the more pistils get pollinated, the larger your strawberries will be!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T19:44:37.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="846" CreationDate="2011-06-23T19:58:55.333" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Strawberries are especially susceptible to the fungus Botrytis which is probably the cause of the moldy-looking growth you're seeing. Botrytis likes wet and humid conditions. The only way to control its spread is to make sure to remove infected material as soon as you see it; improve air circulation in your patch (make sure plants aren't crowded and thin out old, dead leaves); keep plants in light soil that doesn't stay too damp; and water only in the morning (and only if needed) in such a way that the fruits don't get wet. Some people suggest raising your fruits off the ground with straw, but I keep finding infected fruits on my straw bed because we've had so much wet weather lately.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="133" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T19:58:55.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="872" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-23T20:17:28.767" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;em&gt;Orchidaceae&lt;/em&gt; (&quot;Orchid Family&quot;) are a very diverse and widespread group of monocot plants (order &lt;em&gt;Asparagales&lt;/em&gt;). They are currently believed to be the largest family of flowering plants with between 21,000 and 26,000 accepted species in 880 genera. By comparison, this is about double the number of recognized bird species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Due to the ornate and elegant flowers of many orchid species, they have proved very popular with horticulturists since the 19th century, and over 100,000 hybrids and cultivars have been produced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Orchid markets have developed to rival those of tulips and new varieties can sell for hundreds of dollars at auction. Being such a very diverse group of plants, orchids have a number of other applications beyond beauty:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The &lt;em&gt;Vanilla&lt;/em&gt; genus is commercially grown as a flavor&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Food stuff (eg. ground tubers of &lt;em&gt;Orchis mascula&lt;/em&gt; used in Turkish ice cream)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dried leaves of &lt;em&gt;Jumellea fragrans&lt;/em&gt; flavors Reunion Island rum&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Perfume scent&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most orchids are perennial epiphytes which typically grow anchored in trees or shrubs in tropical and sub-tropical climates. Temperate climate orchids are usually terrestrial. A few orchids are lithophytes growing on rock or very rocky soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some orchids have little or no chlorophyll and are unable to photosynthesize. They receive their energy and nutrients through a parasitic or symbiotic relationship with soil fungi. Examples include &lt;em&gt;Neottia&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Corallorhiza&lt;/em&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;Hexalectris&lt;/em&gt; - of which the latter has never been cultivated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-24T00:54:15.870" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T00:54:15.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="873" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-23T20:17:28.767" Score="0" Body="Members of the Orchidaceae noted for their elegant flowers." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-24T00:53:22.560" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T00:53:22.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="874" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1019" CreationDate="2011-06-23T20:32:36.990" Score="11" ViewCount="1526" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to plant a plum tree (or two, if I need to have two varieties for pollination).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The goal would be to have some fruit for fresh eating, but there's only so many plums you can eat when they're in season. So I'd like to dry them so I can have some home-grown fruit out of season. I've read that there are varieties that are better for prunes (higher sugar content?) but nobody ever gives specific variety recommendations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It gets cold here (Zone 5b, -10°F winters with lots of snow are typical), so it has to be hardy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are good plum varieties for making prunes that are also hardy to -10°F?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Where can I find a reputable supplier?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will my &quot;prune tree&quot; need a buddy for pollination?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-06-29T12:13:47.513" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T21:51:43.797" Title="What's a hardy plum tree for prunes?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="855" CreationDate="2011-06-23T20:43:49.290" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a comprehensive site dedicated to strawberries at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.strawberryplants.org/&quot;&gt;strawberryplants.org&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have a page dealing with this problem here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://strawberryplants.org/2010/08/strawberry-plants-producing-runners-but-no-strawberries/&quot;&gt;10 Reasons Strawberry Plants Don’t Produce Strawberries&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Excerpt&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Strawberry plants are too young&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Your plant is in its first year, and&#xA;  still prioritising root system growth&#xA;  over fruiting&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Your strawberry plants have diseases or parasites or both&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If&#xA;  infected, it could be too sick to&#xA;  produce strawberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Your strawberries are thirsty&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Strawberries' shallow root systems&#xA;  make watering tricky - make sure&#xA;  there's enough&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. Your strawberries are drowning&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Strawberries' shallow root systems&#xA;  make watering tricky - make sure&#xA;  you're not watering too much&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. Your strawberry plants are starving&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Strawberries can survive on minimal&#xA;  nutrients, but won't fruit&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6. Your strawberry plants are high on NPK&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Too much fertilizer will encourage&#xA;  vigorous plant growth, but no fruit&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;7. Your climate is wrong for strawberries&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Warm days (but not&#xA;  scorching) and cool nights are optimal&#xA;  for fruiting&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;8. Your strawberry plant variety is wrong for your climate&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Strawberry&#xA;  breeding programs have resulted in&#xA;  varieties suitable for different&#xA;  climates, check your variety&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9. Your strawberry plants don’t like their home&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If you're growing in&#xA;  containers, take extra care with soil&#xA;  and watering&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;10. You’ve been duped, lied to, or are misinformed&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Have you been sold a&#xA;  June-bearing variety when you wanted&#xA;  an everbearing variety?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-06-24T08:42:07.790" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T08:42:07.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="876" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="913" CreationDate="2011-06-23T21:06:51.090" Score="12" ViewCount="1734" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got some seeds in a tomato-growing kit and I have no information about what variety they will be.  I don't even know if they are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Determinate_cultivar&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;determinate&lt;/a&gt;, indeterminate or &quot;semi-determinate&quot;.  One of the seedlings has started growing quite well and I've planted it in an upside-down container where it seems to be thriving.  I gather that one type of tomato should be &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/331/how-should-i-prune-my-vine-tomatos&quot;&gt;pruned&lt;/a&gt; and the other shouldn't.  It's also been suggested that one type might work better in an &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2/why-do-my-upside-down-tomato-plants-curve-up-and-break&quot;&gt;upside-down container&lt;/a&gt; than the other.  But since I don't know which type I have, I can't act on any of this information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So is there some way to determine what type of tomato I have before it fruits?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T19:06:20.523" Title="Is there any way to tell if a tomato is determinate or indeterminate before it starts to bear fruit?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="877" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="390" CreationDate="2011-06-23T21:09:47.907" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Dallas TX and have been thinking of growing pistachios too. Seems like our weather is good for this tree as it is hot here like in a desert. However, you will need a male and female tree to yield fruits and if your yard is not big enough, I am afraid it will break your foundation, which is not good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you also need to alter the soil pH to make it alkaline and keep it well drained.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="329" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-08-15T19:23:17.497" LastActivityDate="2018-08-15T19:23:17.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="878" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="884" CreationDate="2011-06-23T22:01:36.303" Score="32" ViewCount="37769" Body="&lt;p&gt;This Spring, I pruned all my shrubs and pulled out a few pine stumps. My first thought was just to pile them all up on their own. I have never had good luck trying to compost such material with the rest of my compost. But I'm concerned that these heavy materials will take years to compost all by themselves. What can I do to speed up the decomposition of such materials?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="210" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2011-06-24T00:53:37.957" LastActivityDate="2019-03-29T06:56:21.997" Title="How do I compost a large pile of branches and heavy shrub clippings?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="879" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-23T22:56:13.877" Score="11" ViewCount="220" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of pepper plants that I've recently procured.  Since I do not want these to go the way every other plant that has been gifted to me (i.e. death), I transplanted them into some large planters and used &quot;moisture-control&quot; potting soil, and applied a 3&quot; layer of mulch to the surface. Being that I live on the surface of the sun (Phoenix, AZ), I've had to rescue my poor peppers from the sun a couple of times, despite advice that peppers love the sun.  The planters were getting too hot, the moisture seemed fine, and the planters were in shade most of the time, but I could see visible signs of stress on the plants. I had to water them to cool the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what I'm asking is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I remove some of the mulch to allow the soil to dry (recommended by people for peppers)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I put them in an even more shaded area?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I be concerned about plant diseases germinating in such a hot and humid environment?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="191" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T02:35:18.977" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T02:35:18.977" Title="How are peppers and mulch used in a desert environment?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;desert&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="880" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="899" CreationDate="2011-06-23T22:57:50.507" Score="8" ViewCount="618" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a house 2 years ago in San Francisco where the yard had been allowed to do whatever it pleased.  Now I have an amazing mix of clover, weeds and grass throughout the entire yard.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a good selective herbicide I can use or is my only option ripping out the lawn and re-sodding/seeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We plan on doing a major renovation on our house in a few years, so I am looking for relatively inexpensive options to improve the lawn without feeling guilty later when the renovation hurts/destroys it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="330" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:46:25.013" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T02:46:25.013" Title="What's a good selective herbicide?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="881" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="880" CreationDate="2011-06-23T23:21:26.460" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your big box garden centers are going to have a broad-leaf &quot;lawn&quot; spray weedkiller plus a &quot;weed and feed&quot; granular mix. The spray seems to work better. It is a herbicide so you're going to have to be careful with kids and pets - exact instructions will be on the container (safe after a major rain I think is typical). In my experience, these weedkillers work better on certain plants (eg. dandelions) than other plants. Overall I would &quot;roll with it&quot; and only use the herbicide for the worst plants and patches (eg. thistles).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's another question on this site about clover specifically: It generally isn't that bad of a problem (and it is a legume so it adds nitrogen to your soil) - but I've found clover very sensitive to these kinds of herbicides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In most applications re-sodding is a waste of money (and seriously oversold by guess who: those selling turf!) - especially if you are going to have &quot;damage&quot; in two years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T23:21:26.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="819" CreationDate="2011-06-23T23:22:34.737" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let me add what I would do, since I have a couple of vines at home:&#xA;At first, just choose some strong &quot;main&quot; branches of the grape vine that are healthy, and prune everything else down to 2 or three buds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These should then regrow a lot (if the plant is healthy) the following year, and if you want the plant to spread then keep the strongest, most vigorous ones to build a structure of strong grape vine trunks, if you know what I mean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anything that isn't part of the main structure (the base branches) can and should be cut back every year to promote year-old wood and thus fruit, I think.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a lot of work though. If you want them to be ornamental none of this is necessary. :D&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="111" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T23:22:34.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="883" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="879" CreationDate="2011-06-23T23:30:17.433" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peppers do like the sun - but that is relative! Even here in North Texas, fruit will get sun scorching if unshaded, although the plant foliage does like the sun with water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you talk about &quot;visible signs of stress&quot;: Do you mean the leaves go all floppy and almost 'thin' like cling-film but remain green? Then when you water them in the evening, the leaves perk up? If so, this is a normal heat/low-water response. This time of year mine do that almost every day (highs of 95-105F). Although I have fruit at the moment, my main aim during summer is to keep the plants healthy. Care more about growth and leaves rather than fruit. Then when September comes, the flowers will survive, the fruit will set, and I'll have a bumper crop through to the first frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your mulch sounds a good idea for the water - also water them below the mulch line and not on top, as it will quickly evaporate off the mulch before it soaks in. (it sounds like you are probably doing this). The moisture control potting soil is probably a good idea - you also buy the crystals as an additive. A cheaper alternative is to put newspaper in the base of the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try a more shaded area, or erect some shade cloth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A swings-and-roundabouts suggestion: If you planted them out in the garden (assuming you have one), then the soil will not get as hot. But you then lose the freedom to move them!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you're okay for diseases. The damp molds and wilts mentioned in my books imply they're more of a cool problem - not a hot problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T23:30:17.433" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="884" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="878" CreationDate="2011-06-23T23:38:37.740" Score="26" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is very woody material. Wood takes time to compost - probably years for your stuff. You need to do two things: break it into small pieces, and mix it with other material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The shrubbery cuttings might be choppable by hand - but it could take time. That isn't practical for a tree. You really do need to rent a chipper. And if this is a regular occurrence, then you'll want to eventually buy one (rent one first so you don't over-buy or under-buy).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for mixing stuff: I would mix with grass clippings (and start collecting them if you currently use a mulching mower) and kitchen waste (vegetable peelings, coffee, etc). You want to get a good mix. For a large heap, most people do this by layering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An alternative would be &lt;strong&gt;hugelkultur&lt;/strong&gt;. I'd never heard of it until it &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/412/what-woods-shouldnt-be-used-for-hugelkultur&quot;&gt;came up in a question on this site last week&lt;/a&gt;. This is a form of slow in-situ composting. Basically you put the wood in the base of your beds and it decomposes over years, slowly releasing nutrients. Never tried it but if renting a chipper really isn't an option, then this is probably the only alternative (other than giving it to your local city's trash/tip services).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T15:18:22.480" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="885" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="886" CreationDate="2011-06-23T23:39:55.773" Score="16" ViewCount="512" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the early Spring, I planted a bunch of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/onions/onion-granex-yellow-prod001138.html?catId=2030&amp;amp;trail=&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;these seeds&lt;/a&gt;. I just threw them out there and they grew very close together. I picked them last night after most of the bulbs were exposed &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was just going to go ahead and replant them, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/365/onion-seeds-v-onion-sets&quot;&gt;but in the answer to this question&lt;/a&gt;, it is stated that &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Onion sets are the bulbs from onions that were planted the year before&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So should I wait until next Spring to plant them? If so, how should I keep them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KhfqZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my onions&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="210" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T02:49:56.730" Title="Should I replant same year onion sets?" Tags="&lt;onions&gt;&lt;onion-sets&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="886" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="885" CreationDate="2011-06-24T00:50:23.770" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to try planting them next spring, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/vegetable/how-to-store-onion-sets-storing-onions-for-planting.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this article describes storing onion sets&lt;/a&gt;. I presume that storage of onion sets requires around the same parameters as storing mature onions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't wash them before storing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Store at 32-40°F&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Store in a dark place&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Store in a dry place; 65-75% relative humidity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure there's good ventilation&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Check them occasionally and remove any that are starting to go bad&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't store with apples or anything else that gives off ethylene gas&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But if you've got enough time for the onions to mature before the end of the growing season, you might be just as well to transplant them and let them get bigger for this year's harvest -- you're more likely to get harvestable onions with less risk of the sets spoiling in storage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T00:50:23.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="887" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="888" CreationDate="2011-06-24T02:38:24.220" Score="13" ViewCount="4353" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some habanero seeds a week ago. Most of the websites said it need 2 weeks to 3 weeks to germinate. What is the best condition for its germination?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in Hong Kong and having a 29 degree Celsius temperature on average. How much water does it need? Water once a day or twice a day?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:00:31.807" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:00:31.807" Title="How can I speed up germination of habanero chili pepper?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;habaneros&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="888" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="887" CreationDate="2011-06-24T02:58:53.213" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two weeks is typical for most cultivars of &lt;em&gt;Capsicum&lt;/em&gt; (chili pepper) and this is what I see with other species cultivars (I've never tried Habanero or any other &lt;em&gt;C. chinensis&lt;/em&gt; cultivar). This year my germination rates were more like 3 weeks but I had an accidental dry spell during the first week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For difficult-to-germinate varieties, many recommend soaking with Potassium Nitrate (Salt Petre) solution (1 tsp per quart is about typical, eg. &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pepper/msg1123222410445.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; ) for a few hours before planting. It is debated as to whether it makes much of a difference, but I do it as a matter of course for all varieties that I grow from seed. Salt Petre is a component of gunpowder and many jurisdictions control larger quantities, but you only need a teaspoon. Use the left-over solution as a potassium fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following from other chili pepper varieties, you will want to keep you compost/soil damp, but not saturated or soaked. Too saturated and your seeds might get wilt / fungi. You don't want them dry either. I try to give them sunlight - even before the seedlings come out. They will benefit from the gentle warmth and the seedlings will respond well to sunlight as soon as they start to emerge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Initially you will get two small pointed leaves. These are followed by proper 'adult leaves'. I wait until the plants are about 3-4in high (and at least two pairs of the adult leaves have appeared) before I pot them out into bigger pots or beds. I only pot them out once.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[Edit with answer to no. seeds]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The more seeds you plant, the more likely you will get some that will do well. But you also want to keep within the limits of your space and requirements (I've never grown habanero because we wouldn't be able to use all of the fruit - I much prefer sweet or moderate varieties)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My seed supplier sells 25 seeds/$2 so I usually buy two packets (50 seeds) of each variety (and about 5-6 varieties - but I grow a lot of peppers!). For &lt;em&gt;C.annum&lt;/em&gt; varieties (most chile peppers) this covers me in the event of poor germination, but if they do well then I have surplus plants to give away. In contrast, this year I planted 50 Tabasco (&lt;em&gt;C.frutescens&lt;/em&gt;) seeds and only four germinated (well maybe 5-6 but only four made it to be transplanted).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-24T16:01:10.407" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T16:01:10.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="879" CreationDate="2011-06-24T04:02:23.400" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some suggestions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;plant it under shade such as tree or big leave vines. You've done this.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;place it big tank with water next to your planter, water can absorb a lot of heat, maybe it would help.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't use plastic pot/planter. Use terracotta pottery if it's available to you. Choose a pot without varnish or shiny coating. Pottery with cracks will help release the heat. In Chinese we call it 陶盆. This is a sample picture:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xalbk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Terracotta pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot is light brown in colour and its surface is dull.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Try to put some pebbles in the base of your pot, then submerge your pot with some water in your saucer. Of course not too much water. I am trying an experiment with French Lavender with this setting. The temperature of the environment vary from 29 degree Celsius to 36 or above. They are surviving, not very good, but good.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my poor illustration :p &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TwRr9.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;5&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Install a fan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;splash the floor with water. It is better to have a fan together to blow the hot water vapour away.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2012-01-20T02:45:50.807" LastActivityDate="2012-01-20T02:45:50.807" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="890" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="894" CreationDate="2011-06-24T08:26:38.017" Score="9" ViewCount="412" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know about creeper &quot;Money plant&quot;. Any other beautiful plants/creepers other than this which satisfy my conditions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="332" LastEditorUserId="332" LastEditDate="2011-06-24T13:06:16.967" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T13:06:16.967" Title="Any leafy plant which can be grown &quot;inside&quot; the house and doesn't need much moving around for sunlight?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="891" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="887" CreationDate="2011-06-24T10:06:49.373" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most important things the seeds need are &lt;strong&gt;warmth&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;moisture&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I normally do is put the seeds in-between a few sheets of wet toilet paper on a plate, and then wrap the plate in a plastic bag and tie a knot in it so that the water cant escape via evaporation. The put the plate somewhere warm, like an airing cupboard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seed usually then start to sprout in a week. After that pick all the the seeds have have sprouted and plant them in soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have a look at this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thechilliking.com/growing/growing-chilli-peppers-guide/&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="54" LastEditDate="2011-06-25T13:42:54.550" LastActivityDate="2011-06-25T13:42:54.550" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="892" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-24T11:23:53.710" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are winter squash in the species &lt;em&gt;Cucurbita maxima&lt;/em&gt; grown for food and/or decorative purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T20:27:15.310" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T20:27:15.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="893" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-24T11:23:53.710" Score="0" Body="Are winter squash in the species Cucurbita maxima grown for food and/or decorative purposes." OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-04T21:14:51.927" LastActivityDate="2021-01-04T21:14:51.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="890" CreationDate="2011-06-24T11:43:46.790" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The following house plants all do well in varying degrees of shade:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Light shade&lt;/strong&gt; (bright but no direct sunlight)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cyclamen (C.persicum)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kaffir Lily&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cineraria&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spider Plant (Chlorophytum) - very hardy - will withstand considerable neglect.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dracaena (but only D.marginata and D.fragrans varieties).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ficus (other than the tree types).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Semi-shade&lt;/strong&gt; (moderately-lit area)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema modestum). Very shade-tolerant. This all-green type will thrive in poorly-lit conditions, but the varieties with whitish leaves need a well-lit situation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Asparagus&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dieffenbacchia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sweetheart Plant (Philodendron scandens)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ivy Tree (Fatshedera)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Deep Shade&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aspidistra (I've had one in my hall, which is pretty dark, for many years and it is thriving).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-06-24T11:52:49.527" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T11:52:49.527" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="895" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="896" CreationDate="2011-06-24T12:46:07.853" Score="9" ViewCount="310" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a potted (Roma) tomato plant which is coming along nicely. People told us to get a tomato cage, so I did and set it up. Do I then need to manage how the plant grows into and around the cage? Or do I just let it grow on its own once the cage is in place?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="335" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:47:18.670" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T02:47:18.670" Title="Do I need to manage my tomato cage?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="896" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="895" CreationDate="2011-06-24T12:52:19.850" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watch the plant and train it if necessary. If the plant starts climbing the supports on its own you won't need to do anything. However, if your plant is stubborn you have a couple of options. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If your cage is one with horizontal supports thread the branches through them so that they learn to climb up them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If your cage only has vertical supports (a stake or a tepee type support) you may need to attach your plant to the support. To do this you can use twine (there are some biodegradable twines out there), twisty ties(you can buy a bag of green ones for not much money), or small pieces of Velcro (this is what I use for my tomato stakes, I like it a lot, one roll has lasted me into the second year, I bought it at Home Depot last year). &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically you just need to see what your plant is doing. If you have horizontal supports on your cage(which it sounds like you probably do) then your plant may just behave and you may not have to do anything. However if your plant does not want to behave just gently train it to do what you want it to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T12:52:19.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="897" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="901" CreationDate="2011-06-24T13:37:44.130" Score="8" ViewCount="751" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stinging nettles are known to be a common annoyance. Are there any examples of nettles being used to deter intruders in combination with other methods of physical security (perimeter fences)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also are they practical considering the speed at which they grow? &#xA;How do nettles compare with thorny bushes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="147" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-06-24T14:48:37.147" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T12:55:53.567" Title="Are stinging nettles commonly used for security?" Tags="&lt;plant-uses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="898" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="932" CreationDate="2011-06-24T13:47:34.420" Score="12" ViewCount="2805" Body="&lt;p&gt;I never had indoor plants before. Are there disadvantages to having indoor plants in a dusty environment?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plant is a creeper, is there a way that I can clean its leaves? Probably by spraying water on the whole plant, but that might spoil the walls! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whenever we have to put water in the flowerpots are we supposed to take it out of house every time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="332" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-22T14:14:38.777" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T14:14:38.777" Title="What are the disadvantages of having creepers or normal plants indoors?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="899" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="880" CreationDate="2011-06-24T14:25:33.093" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If clover is taking over your yard, it is usually a sign that you are mowing too low.  Around here (Pennsylvania), clover stays pretty low to the ground.  If you keep your grass 3&quot; or taller, it will naturally crowd out the clover (give it time).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The two best selective herbicides for clover are Dicamba and MCPP.  Most general lawn weed sprays contain Dicamba.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp?proId=prod70146&amp;amp;itemId=cat50064&amp;amp;tabs=usage&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ortho Weed-B-Gone in the ready-to-use jug&lt;/a&gt; contains both, so it is more effective for clover.  (Only the ready-to-use &quot;jug&quot; version contains both.  The concentrate and hose attachment versions only contain Dicamba.  No idea why.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="336" LastEditorUserId="336" LastEditDate="2011-06-24T19:19:30.580" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T19:19:30.580" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="900" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="146" CreationDate="2011-06-24T14:36:24.163" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My yard when I bought the house a had a thistle problem.  Started as a few at the corner of the lot, and eventually started to sprout up in a line down the yard (like a tank column).  Some were &gt;1ft in diameter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I eventually killed them off with a lawn weed spray (Ortho Weed-Be-Gon or Spectracide, whatever was cheaper at the time).  For the bigger ones, it took weeks for them to die.  I also had to re-spray a few times.  Make sure you spray the center of the plant to kill the root!  Eventually, they shriveled up and vanished.  I was left with some bare spots in the yard I had to re-seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was 2 summers before I really had them under control.  I occasionally find 1 or 2 small ones in my yard while mowing.  I make it a point to spray them as soon as I find them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="336" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T14:36:24.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="897" CreationDate="2011-06-24T14:40:13.643" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have nettles growing as weeds on the perimeter of my property and it has never occurred to me to regard them as any kind of security. Even though they are fast growing. Their defects would include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they die down in the winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;flimsy physical barrier&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sting cannot penetrate strong clothing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are various types of hedge and shrubbery which are hardier in the winter, which can throw up a pretty impenetrable barrier, and whose thorns can do serious damage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blackthorn (which is seriously thorny and dense) and holly come to mind. &lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=606&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This RHS page&lt;/a&gt; has a longer list.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Side note: my father, as a farmer, used to pull up nettles with his bare hands. It's not a heavily armed plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-06-30T12:55:53.567" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T12:55:53.567" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="902" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1415" CreationDate="2011-06-24T14:43:40.650" Score="23" ViewCount="17771" Body="&lt;p&gt;I understand that a lawn may need to be dethatched periodically so the roots of the grass can reach into the soil (instead of into the thatch layer).  &lt;strong&gt;How do I tell&lt;/strong&gt; if my thatch layer is getting too thick?  (Preferably before the lawn starts to look bad.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="336" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-01-25T02:27:28.833" LastActivityDate="2012-01-25T02:27:28.833" Title="How can I tell if my lawn needs to be dethatched?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="903" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="897" CreationDate="2011-06-24T14:45:28.530" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No.  I bought a house this year with existing raised bed gardens.  I found out later that the beds are full of Stinging Nettle seed.  I also have a problem keeping my wife's cat out of my garden.  In an attempt to turn two bad situation into a good situation, I allowed the nettle to grow in all areas not taken up by vegetables in order to keep the cat out.  The nettle does work to keep the cat out but any human sized intruders will just walk right through it with a mildly irritating sting for the rest of the day.  If the intruder happened to have arthritis, they may actually feel better after walking through the nettle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="42" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T14:45:28.530" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="904" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-24T15:04:20.093" Score="17" ViewCount="21830" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two Bradford Pear Trees at the front of my yard.  They were planted ~1997.  (The HOA requires all lots in the development to have them.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Little sprouts that keep popping up from the ground around the trees.  Both trees do it, but one tree does it much more than the other one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They appear to be sprouting from the roots of the tree itself.  They have leaves that do not match the tree at all.  Almost looks like a different plant, but they are absolutely growing from the tree itself (I dig into the soil to check).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I heave read online that these sprouts are called &quot;suckers&quot;, and are a common problem with Bradford Pear trees, due to the shallow root system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If left unchecked, the suckers will grow a few feet high and turn into bushes unto themselves.  So, I have been periodicaly cutting them down.  Currently they are low enough that the lawn mower keeps them in check.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is simply cutting off the suckers the best way to deal with them?  Is there a good way to keep them from sprouting in the first place?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="336" LastEditorUserId="336" LastEditDate="2011-06-24T19:37:47.890" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T18:40:51.490" Title="How to deal with suckers on a Bradford Pear Tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="905" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="906" CreationDate="2011-06-24T15:58:14.900" Score="7" ViewCount="4865" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was spraying some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/products/catalog?ds=pr&amp;amp;pq=ortho+weed+b+gon&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;authuser=0&amp;amp;cp=18&amp;amp;gs_id=9&amp;amp;xhr=t&amp;amp;q=ortho+weed+b+gone+max&amp;amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&amp;amp;biw=965&amp;amp;bih=581&amp;amp;um=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;amp;tbm=shop&amp;amp;cid=8713941852388440186&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=D7EETq-tMo23twfPmfHLDQ&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0CGYQ8wIwAQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ortho Weed-B-Gon Max &lt;/a&gt; on my lawn, and some of the mist/over-spray got in and around my flower bed (on flowers).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are my flowers doomed, or is there still hope that they will live on? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="337" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-24T17:34:01.630" LastActivityDate="2012-04-14T17:53:20.587" Title="Will over spray from Ortho Weed-B-Gon Max kill my flowers?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="906" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="905" CreationDate="2011-06-24T16:17:17.177" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of factors - species, amount of exposure, etc. There's a good chance some will survive. Whilst killing ivy with this, I managed to kill the ivy and a small elm tree (the tree should not have had over spray, but perhaps surface roots did) - but cacti and some lawn weeds in the area survived just fine!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is a concern then I would try to wash the overspray off the leaves and stems as soon as possible. If it was a few hours ago, it might be too late - I've seen clover respond to the Ortho weedkillers in a matter of hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T16:17:17.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="907" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-24T16:28:16.827" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;In horticulture, the word &quot;pests&quot; is usually used for macroscopic animals, although smaller organisms (e.g. bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes) could be considered pests, as well as invasive plants (e.g. vines and parasitic plants).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Macroscopic animal pests are dominated by insects and mammals, although other arthropods, reptiles, and birds could all be pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of these groups primarily contain beneficial or neutral organisms, so generally control methods should be limited and in the form of deterrents rather than chemical poisons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T20:24:42.067" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T20:24:42.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="908" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-24T16:28:16.827" Score="0" Body="For questions about garden pests such as insects, birds and mammals." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-09-05T13:39:32.847" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T13:39:32.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="909" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="922" CreationDate="2011-06-24T18:03:02.410" Score="8" ViewCount="602" Body="&lt;p&gt;This may seem like a non-problem to some, but I very often find myself with a handful of seeds and I totally forget what the seed spacing, row spacing and seed depth is supposed to be for any particular variety. I usually keep my seeds in a separate container and throw away the packet after planting one or two rows, then they get mixed up with others of the same type (hopefully). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Example:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I go out and I plant two rows and beets, two rows of turnips, two rows of radishes and two rows of carrots.  I know from repetition that beets and turnips should be 3 inches apart and half an inch down, carrots sort of just rest on top of the soil and scattered in a line and radishes are like 2 inches apart and 1/4 inch apart.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, that's not always what it says on the seed packet, so I'm forced to re-calibrate.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is an effective method for recollecting all the info on all the varieties of plants you're going to plant on any given day? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T22:46:24.940" Title="How to remember planting depth and spacing in the vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="910" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1013" CreationDate="2011-06-24T18:07:23.313" Score="9" ViewCount="375" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was going to ask this as an aside in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/909/how-to-remember-planting-depth-and-spacing-in-the-vegetable-garden&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; question, but I remembered that there are no asides in StackExchange.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Say I've done this again: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I go out and I plant two rows of beets, two rows of turnips, two rows of radishes and two rows of carrots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given beets, carrots and radishes like 18 inches between rows and turnips like 24 inches between rows. How close do I plant the first row of turnips to the last row of beets and how close do I plant the last row of turnips to the first row of radishes? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-11-17T01:32:01.737" Title="How should I calculate row spacing with different varieties of vegetables?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="910" CreationDate="2011-06-24T18:16:28.847" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No experience here, just some simple thinking and math. I would halve the two distances and add them then use that number. Think about the plant needing half of the row spacing on each side. So if it needs 12&quot; of space then it needs 6&quot; on each side. If another plant needs 18&quot; of space then it needs 9&quot; on each side. Thus if you plant the 12&quot; and the 18&quot; in neighboring rows I would use at least 15&quot; of space between them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T18:16:28.847" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="912" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="902" CreationDate="2011-06-24T18:57:11.807" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I dethatch my lawn when the layer is about 3/4&quot; thick . A thick layer of thatch can also:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;prevent proper aeration.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;impede the flow of water to the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;prevent the normal thickening of the turf in autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;encourage disease&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would avoid dethatching (or'scarifying') in spring, when the grass has not yet produced side shoots -  if the lawn is opened up, it will become more vulnerable to weeds. The best time to scarify is probably early autumn, when removal of the thatch will stimulate the grass to produce runners and side shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If your lawn has a bouncy feel to it when you walk on it, thatch is probably building up. As a general rule, plan to dethatch your lawn when the thickness of the thatch is more than 1/2&quot; deep. To determine the thickness, remove a small square of your lawn to a depth of about 3&quot; and measure the brown layer between the grass blades and the soil surface. Note the spongy layer of material above the mineral soil. If this layer is more than 3/4&quot; — 1&quot; thick when you compress it, you should consider having your lawn dethatched or beginning a management program which will encourage thatch decomposition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ttlandscaping.net/services/dethatching/item/dethatching-lawns.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dethatching Lawns&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See also my answer to Lawn Dethatching Tools &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1351/lawn-thatching-tools/1352#1352&quot;&gt; here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-07-22T15:45:30.860" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="876" CreationDate="2011-06-24T19:06:20.523" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's really tough to tell, what @bstpierre commented is correct, but also &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halting_problem&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;difficult to compute&lt;/a&gt;.  So I went out and tried to find popular seeds that are often planted in containers.  Hopefully they're one of the following. You can maybe cut out the cherry's and yellow's assuming that's not what the box looks like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dwarf/Container&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These tomatoes are popular for use in containers, hanging baskets and garden or patio locations where space is limited. Because more people now live where traditional vegetable gardening is not possible, container and patio gardens have become more popular. Their ornamental value is an added benefit and their fruit quality has recently been improved as well. They have fruit in red and some other colors and are not suitable for pruning (except the new Husky hybrids).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tiny Tim (45 days to harvest; 1 inch; very dwarf, red cherry fruit; determinate)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strike&gt;Cherry Gold (45 days; 1 inch; golden version of Tiny Tim; determinate)&lt;/strike&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Red Robin (55 days; 1 inch; super-dwarf plant, 6 inches tall; mild taste; determinate)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strike&gt;Yellow Canary (55 days; 1 inch; similar to Red Robin, but yellow fruit; determinate)&lt;/strike&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pixie Hybrid II (52 days; 2 ounces; compact dwarf plants; determinate)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Patio Hybrid (65 days; 3 ounces; strong dwarf plants, relatively large fruit, ideal container plant; determinate)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Small Fry (72 days; 1 inch; red, good in hanging baskets; determinate)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Husky Red Hybrid (68 days; 6 ounces; dwarf plant, large fruit; extended harvest; indeterminate; resistant to VF)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strike&gt;&lt;em&gt;Husky Gold Hybrid (70 days; 6 ounces; AAS winner; same plant types as Red and Pink; gold fruit; indeterminate; resistant to VF)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strike&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strike&gt;&lt;em&gt;Husky Pink Hybrid (72 days; 6 ounces; smooth pink fruit on same husky-type plant; indeterminate; resistant to VF)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strike&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Source &lt;a href=&quot;http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/tomato.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/tomato.cfm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if you have some recollection of what the seed looks like, and it looks like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H1w83.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Husky Hybrid Seeds&quot; /&gt;&#xA;Husky Hybrid Seeds&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;then you've probably got an indeterminate tomato.  Otherwise, it's determinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T19:06:20.523" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="914" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="915" CreationDate="2011-06-24T19:13:38.987" Score="12" ViewCount="5940" Body="&lt;p&gt;My peppers plants are doing well (I hope...), but while looking closely at them today (I was looking at the flowers (or fruit?) poking through at the base of the leaf stems), and I've now really noticed that near the base of each of the plants are two really small leaves, branching out like a centimetre above the soil line. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally they seem healthy, so I've been ignoring them, but they're obviously tiny in comparison to the rest of the plant, and I've now noticed that these still have little buds forming at the base of their stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Should I remove these tiny leaves? Ignore them? Or what?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because it will be &lt;em&gt;much&lt;/em&gt; more effective than any explanation I can form, here's a photo of one of the plants, with the leaves at the base highlighted:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vALwE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cropped photo of full pepper plant, in pot, on window sill&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here are the leaves up close:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L6n3l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cropped photo of pepper plant base, showing only the smallest leaves near base&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T19:36:18.607" Title="Should I remove the small leaves growing out of the bottom of my pepper plants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="915" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="914" CreationDate="2011-06-24T19:36:18.607" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The very first leaves a pepper seedling puts out are thin and pointy. They're about an inch long and don't last long. Technical term is a dicot cotlydon. These &quot;bootstrap&quot; the seedling whilst the first proper leaves grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By this definition, those look like adult leaves, although yours are smaller than the top leaves (which look very big to me).  The intermediate level leaves are an intermediate size. So I think they're just older leaves.   What kind of chile pepper is this? (the top leaves look a little different to what I usually see - could be the variety or the growing conditions)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With a mature plant, there usually is growth from the bottom. If you look where those leaves join the main stem there are a couple of tiny buds - these will grow into new stems. I just let them go ahead and put out new branches. You'll then have more flowers and fruit later on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T19:36:18.607" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="916" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="918" CreationDate="2011-06-24T20:19:31.380" Score="16" ViewCount="372" Body="&lt;p&gt;In previous years, I've noticed my tomatoes have root-like buds towards the base of the stem, but haven't wanted to experiment in case I wreck them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anybody had any experience of this? Is it worth it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="341" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-11-22T23:26:20.763" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T01:30:27.427" Title="Is it okay to pile compost on to the base of a tomato plant?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="917" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="924" CreationDate="2011-06-24T21:09:57.363" Score="12" ViewCount="1100" Body="&lt;p&gt;At the base of our old garage where the concrete foundation meets an asphalt slope down to the alley behind, we've had small elm tree saplings grow as weeds over the past three years. I've never managed to pull one out when they are very small, and instead had to clip them down at their bases.  Each year they regrow from the same little stumps, more and thicker new shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since I cannot dig them out without tearing up the asphalt, how can I permanently kill the roots left there after I've lopped off all the shoots and cut the little stumps down as near to the concrete as possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A salesperson at the home center suggested concentrated ground clear, but I wonder if there's something less drastic I can use to target only the sapling stumps. The area is not in proximity of any other plants, lawn, or where children might play.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="342" LastActivityDate="2014-11-10T07:18:40.110" Title="How to prevent regrowth of elm saplings from concrete foundation?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="918" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="916" CreationDate="2011-06-24T21:12:48.807" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;The hairs on tomato stems will turn into roots, given the right conditions (this makes taking cuttings of tomatoes extremely easy).   If you let them grow along the ground, they'll root in various places where the vine touches dirt and stays reasonably moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As long as your compost is well aged, and won't burn the plants, there shouldn't be anything wrong with piling it up near the bases of the tomatoes.   If it's not well aged, the microbes may cause some rotting, though.   I generally prefer to top dress in rings around my plants, rather than pushing it up next to the stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-24T22:31:47.637" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T22:31:47.637" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="919" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="921" CreationDate="2011-06-24T22:08:41.593" Score="13" ViewCount="645" Body="&lt;p&gt;When thinning seedlings (salads, beetroots, spinach etc) I will normally pull out the entire plant (root included) of the discarded seedlings. Like it's a weed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where my seedlings are densely packed this is nearly impossible to do without disturbing and possibly damaging the remaining &quot;good&quot; seedling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So is it sufficient to just pinch out the discarded seedlings and leave the root system in there? That way I've given the remaining seedlings the space they need above ground. But presumably they also need the room underground too? Will the left over roots make way and/or die off fast enough?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So is decapitation a valid thinning strategy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T00:32:16.963" Title="What's the best way to thin delicate seedlings?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;thinning&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="920" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="902" CreationDate="2011-06-24T22:23:56.073" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd go by the way it looks - if it looks like there's quite a bit of yellowing, dry, and dead grass then I'd scarify. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, if you don't want to wait until it begins to look bad then periodically just scarify a small patch to see how much thatch is lifted. If there's a lot, the lawn will probably benefit from a good scarification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This video shows what I mean: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFScQJKisoY&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lawn Care &amp;amp; Landscaping : How to De-Thatch a Lawn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A useful side-effect of scarifying by hand is that's also very good exercise! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="341" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T22:23:56.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="919" CreationDate="2011-06-24T22:30:27.903" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I thin my carrots with kitchen scissors. It avoids the problems you describe with disturbing neighboring roots, and the small plants quickly die -- the leftover root systems aren't big enough to cause a problem. It's also an accurate way to do the thinning without having to get my big clumsy hands in amongst the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I should also add that this is a useful strategy for weeding around the same batch of delicate seedlings. It's tedious, but you only need to snip right near the seedlings, and usually only early in the season -- I do it when I'm thinning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-27T00:32:16.963" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T00:32:16.963" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="922" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="909" CreationDate="2011-06-24T22:46:24.940" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The spacing given on the seed packet is just a guideline. If you read different books you will see differing opinions (sometimes widely) on spacing. With some experience you figure out how big the plants will get and how close you want them. I plant two different varieties of cabbage, one short variety and one long season. The quick one doesn't get as big, so I plant them closer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you follow the seed packet directions for chard, you'll put them 12&quot; apart (depending on whose seed you bought). But if you know you're growing them for baby cuttings, you'd be wasting a ton of space -- 3-4&quot; would be better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At any rate, on days when I &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; want to remember how close to plant, I check one of my favorite reference books (&lt;em&gt;Garden Primer&lt;/em&gt;, Damrosch or &lt;em&gt;How to Grow More Vegetables&lt;/em&gt;, Jeavons) and write myself a note: &lt;code&gt;peas, 4&quot;&lt;/code&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as remembering depth, a rough rule of thumb is to plant the seed the depth of about double the size of the seed itself. For example, a pumpkin seed is about 1/2&quot;, so you want to plant it about 1&quot; deep. Carrot seeds are tiny, so they only need to go about 1/8&quot; deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T22:46:24.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="919" CreationDate="2011-06-24T22:52:43.717" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Everywhere that I've seen this discussed has said to cut the seedlings (presumably with some sort of clean scissors) you don't want to keep as close to the soil level as you can. Otherwise you may uproot or at least disturb the seedlings you want to keep. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd never considered the problem of the left-over root system. However, I've noticed that with the seedlings that I have pulled and separated by hand, the root system isn't very large yet at the point of the first thinning. I would expect that this would therefore not be a significant problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T22:52:43.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="924" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="917" CreationDate="2011-06-24T23:45:54.360" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have personal experience with this. However, when referring to stumps from maples, I have had it suggested to paint roundup onto the stumps. This may require repeated doses. I presume it would work with elms, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you don't have anything else around, you also don't have to worry about the roundup being in the soil for a while to prevent other plants from growing. This would be why I don't have personal experience, in fact, as there are many plants around the maple saplings in question. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That would be what I would try, were I in your situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And because I like references, &lt;A href=&quot;http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/natres/weeds/manage/chemical.html&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; looks useful about halfway down the page.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastActivityDate="2011-06-24T23:45:54.360" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="925" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1003" CreationDate="2011-06-25T04:20:43.643" Score="12" ViewCount="1874" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing some lemongrass (in a pot) and it's doing very well so far: over the past month, it went from a stump, to about 20-30cm high, with long thin leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: what the best way to encourage its growth in such a way that it produces the strong stalks that are typically used in cooking (afaik, the soft part of the leaves aren't good for that use). And how/when should I go at pruning/harvesting them without stunting further growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;PS: probably not relevant but just in case: my local weather is about sub-tropical levels of hot and humid (Japanese Summer).&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="345" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-08-10T00:43:37.290" LastActivityDate="2011-08-10T00:43:37.290" Title="How do I encourage lemongrass to produce a strong stalk for culinary use?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="926" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-25T01:25:51.233" Score="17" ViewCount="520" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a vine-type plant that is growing on areas of my Jacaranda tree (me + the tree live in Australia). It has little leaves. The roots of the vine grow on the outer-layer of bark on the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what it is and if it will cause any probs over time or hurt the tree in any way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yugO1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;roots and leaves coming out jacaranda tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Alex" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:44:33.233" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T18:42:38.610" Title="What is this Vine-type plant growing on my Jacaranda tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="927" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-25T09:27:54.667" Score="9" ViewCount="2324" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's growing everywhere in my garden and it pops up faster than I can pick it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm told it could be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercurialis_perennis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;dog's mercury&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicweeds/weed_information/weed.php?id=40&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;gallant soldier&lt;/a&gt;. I'm not sure it looks the same as those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What species could it be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ko6kA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-10T03:27:49.577" LastActivityDate="2016-03-10T03:27:49.577" Title="What is this weed, found in UK, with serrated leaves and small green flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="928" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-25T09:52:56.770" Score="38" ViewCount="9913" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most of the seedlings I have planted out this year have been eaten by slugs within a day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have my final two runner bean plants that need to go out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I prevent these from being the next feast for the slugs? I don't want to use chemicals so it has to be organic. I am fine with killing them (they have driven me to it!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="232" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-25T17:28:55.457" LastActivityDate="2018-09-21T11:18:09.333" Title="What is the best organic way to defeat slugs?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;slugs&gt;" AnswerCount="17" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="930" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="926" CreationDate="2011-06-25T13:33:17.127" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant is a type of orchid. Orchids like to establish themselves on the bark of a tree because they are an epiphytic plant. They like the shade that a tree provides. This plant will in no way harm that huge tree. Most plant lovers would be thrilled to have such a lovely plant given to them for free by nature. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck with plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YsUKq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastEditorUserId="9703" LastEditDate="2016-03-10T08:08:41.957" LastActivityDate="2016-03-10T08:08:41.957" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="931" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="928" CreationDate="2011-06-25T13:40:03.413" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Slugs love the yeast in beer. Bury a container in the ground where slugs can climb in. Fill it halfway with beer and the slugs will climb in and the alcohol will kill them.&#xA;Another way to control slugs and snails in your garden is to spread ashes from the fireplace around the perimeter of the garden. This will deter the pesky critters. Salt spread around the perimeter will also do the job.. I hope that this helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastEditorUserId="44" LastEditDate="2011-06-28T01:54:54.783" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T01:54:54.783" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="932" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="898" CreationDate="2011-06-25T14:08:48.007" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only disadvantages that occur to me are: (1) they require regular attention (feeding and watering), (2) need someone to take care of them when you are away on holiday, (3) outgrow their pots, become root-bound and need to be potted on, and (4) sometimes flourish so well that they eventually require a pot that is too large for the situation in which they are placed (eg a narrow window shelf).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Certainly, the leaves of some species, such as aspidistras and rubber plants, need to be cleaned occasionally, because they are fairly broad and accumulate dust, and this is easily done by wiping them gently with a damp cloth. Spraying before removing the dust is not a good idea, as the dust won't all be removed and, over time, is likely to form a 'skin' on the leaf surface, which will reduce the amount of light it receives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's important to water pot plants thoroughly (until water drains out of the bottom of the pot), otherwise they will be encouraged to surface-root in search of water and become stressed. You can stand your pots in the sink to drain them after watering and then place them on trays or, if small pots, on saucers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I started keeping house plants, I found the following guide invaluable; I would strongly recommend it - if it isn't available where you are, you could probably order it online: &quot;The New House Plant Expert&quot;, by Dr.D.G.Hessayon (pbi Publications). The one I have was published in 1996, but there is likely to be a more up-to-date edition. Good luck with your indoor gardening!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-06-25T14:26:31.063" LastActivityDate="2011-06-25T14:26:31.063" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="933" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="928" CreationDate="2011-06-25T15:24:51.780" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been using &quot;Slug Stop&quot; non-toxic granules for some years now, and they do the job  - and withstand heavy rain! They are extremely absorbent and work by extracting moisture from slugs and snails as these contact them. They aren't cheap, but they are the only organic deterrent I have found - and there aren't many I haven't tried! - that gives effective protection against slugs. I don't know if they are available in the US...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-25T15:24:51.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="934" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-25T15:32:14.550" Score="11" ViewCount="126" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my favorite books in the entire world is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/vista/html_pubs/WEEDS/list.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;Weeds of the North Central States&quot;&lt;/a&gt;. I have an exceptionally long commute and 65 mph weed identification is something more than a pastime. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the most it says about the use of the plants is, &quot;not good for forage&quot;. And I'm not particularly interested in forage, nor is it within the scope of this website.  What I'd like is a good complete resource for the identification of beneficial 'weeds'. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have to restrict this question to the Midwest, but if there was a twenty volume tome which had a little section on the Midwest, that'd be great too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-23T00:10:49.460" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T00:10:49.460" Title="What is a good resource for identification of useful weeds that grow in North Central USA?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;resources&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="935" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="963" CreationDate="2011-06-25T18:10:32.800" Score="17" ViewCount="2537" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently I noticed the following cracks and small holes on the bottom side of my better boy tomoato plants.  I am in Maryland and we have not had a lot of rain the past month however I regularly try to ensure they get about 1&quot; water a week from a soaker hose setup.  What could be causing this?  Is it due to a fluctuation in water levels somehow?  Note that I'm growing four other types of tomato (brandy boy, porterhouse, grape, and an early season hybrid) and this is the only one that is having the issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L5JWu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="347" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:45:45.123" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T02:45:45.123" Title="What are these cracks on the bottom sides of my tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="928" CreationDate="2011-06-25T18:18:28.943" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have tried some of the non-toxic / organic spread and granules from Lowes and Home Depot.  Nothing has matched the success of the beer buried in a cup in the ground.  In my region of the northeast this is probably the only method I would suggest and is easily available. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="347" LastActivityDate="2011-06-25T18:18:28.943" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="919" CreationDate="2011-06-25T18:20:55.073" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had bad luck thinning by uprooting, specifically with salad greens.  I use an old pair of manicuring scissors while kneeling down at ground level with great success.  It's a bit tedious but seems to get the job done well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="347" LastActivityDate="2011-06-25T18:20:55.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="938" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="898" CreationDate="2011-06-25T19:12:55.047" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Creepers could be a problem if you are trying to grow one without support and not in a hanging basket, as they would get untidy/cover the item they are sitting on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, just saw your question about watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think that people typically move plants outside to water them. Myself, I have a drain tray (cannot remember the precise term) below all of my indoor plants. This allows me to water so as to allow some water to exit the bottom without immediately soaking the surface it's on. Other people I know will bring their plants - usually the large tree-type ones - into the bath to water them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You just want to make sure that your plants are not sitting in the water that drained out of them. There are exceptions to this, as there are plants that prefer to be quite wet, but it's generally a good to to keep an eye on. You will otherwise risk &lt;a href=&quot;https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Root_rot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;root rot&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastActivityDate="2011-06-25T19:12:55.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="939" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="965" CreationDate="2011-06-25T19:24:49.083" Score="20" ViewCount="117463" Body="&lt;p&gt;Earlier this year, I bought a hydrangea (from Ikea of all places!) and planted it out in the garden. It flowered nicely for a while, but the flowers have pretty much finished now and nearly all of the original leaves have withered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;New leaves are sprouting from the old leaf joints, but should I be removing the old flower heads above them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stems seem pretty sturdy, which makes me think I'd be doing it no favours if I took the tops off. For what it's worth, I'm in Northumberland in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="139" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-06-25T19:37:52.157" LastActivityDate="2015-08-09T14:06:44.720" Title="Should I remove the dead flower heads from my hydrangea?" Tags="&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="940" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="934" CreationDate="2011-06-25T19:32:06.023" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do not have personal experience with any of these books, for which I apologize.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.healthunlimitedplus.com/wild_edibles.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This pdf&lt;/a&gt; describes edible plants of the midwest, as well as giving three suggestions for books to find. I suspect that 'edible' doesn't cover your entire question, but it seems like it'd be better than nothing. I'll keep looking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/039592622X&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Edible Wild Plants, Peterson Field Guide Series&lt;/a&gt;, by Lee Allen Peterson, Houghton Mifflin Company. Great Identification book. Color pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/0808125109&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wild Edibles of Missouri, by Jan Phillips&lt;/a&gt;, The Missouri Department of Conservation. Well written reference material. Black and white sketches of plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/0911104771&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wild Foods Field Guide and Cookbook, by Billy Joe Tatum&lt;/a&gt;, Workman Publishing Company. Contains plant descriptions and 350 recipes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may or may not help to be aware of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/body.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Wildman&amp;quot; Steve Brill&lt;/a&gt;. He's from New York, so may only know about eastern plants. There is also an &lt;a href=&quot;http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wild-edibles-full/id431504588?mt=8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;iphone app&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/0923568379&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Great Lakes Region&lt;/a&gt; may be what you are looking for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-06-25T19:46:55.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="941" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="928" CreationDate="2011-06-25T19:38:40.797" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Slugs don't like crawling (sliming? oozing?) over copper.  I've seen &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.planetnatural.com/site/snail-slug-copper-tape&quot;&gt;ribbons of copper&lt;/a&gt; and other types of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growsonyou.com/shop/product/11776&quot;&gt;copper bariers&lt;/a&gt; sold in gardening stores, but I usually just go to my local hardware store and buy a few feet of thin, non insulated copper wire (8 gauge wire, I think, is what I usually bought). I then bend them into loops and place the loops around the veggies I want to protect. This has worked pretty well for me, and is has definitely been a good way to protect small, young plants from slugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beer traps are also very effective, and I usually use a few of those too, but they tend to catch lots of other crawling bugs. Also, one of the most disgusting gardening tasks I've ever done was empty out a trap full of week old beer and dead slugs. Of course, I did dump it into my compost bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other thing I've read about beer traps is that the non-alcoholic beer is better for baiting than the real stuff. I've never been able to tell that much of a difference, but I can usually find the non-alcoholic stuff on special.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastEditorUserId="93" LastEditDate="2011-06-26T06:54:19.990" LastActivityDate="2011-06-26T06:54:19.990" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="942" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="935" CreationDate="2011-06-25T19:58:44.660" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having read something about this problem before, I did a bit of hunting. I do not (yet) have personal experience with this, but considering the weather can certainly believe that I will!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In looking at your photo, it's unclear if it's insect holes, black leathery patches that are characteristic of &lt;a href=&quot;http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/tomato/2000082444023571.html&quot;&gt;blossom end rot&lt;/a&gt;, or a hole that is a result of a cave-in from blossom end rot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm leaning toward blossom end rot, which is a problem with insufficient calcium for the rapidly developing fruit. As I understand, it could be a result of &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg061944041742.html&quot;&gt;unstable soil moisture levels&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastActivityDate="2011-06-25T19:58:44.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="943" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="944" CreationDate="2011-06-25T20:12:42.950" Score="13" ViewCount="2128" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in Massachusetts, and recently moved into a new house. We have a vine in the yard which I have been having trouble identifying so far, and I was hoping someone here might know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has not yet flowered, so I am unable to give any information on the flower. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I pull the roots, they are long runners, and smell sweet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It likes climbing things, as may be obvious from the photos, and I first noticed it because it was coming up in the lawn. It appears to like to be in similar places to a sweet pea vine and a (probably) bittersweet nightshade vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3084/5861141876_8ea448af90_b.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/5861141982_4a0a89ae01_b.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3120/5861142102_25c9422a4d_b.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, I'm not sure if it's something we want to be keeping, or trying to completely eradicate. (I don't actually think I &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; completely eradicate it unless I destroy the yard, mind you)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="317" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-11T21:27:00.887" LastActivityDate="2017-09-11T21:27:00.887" Title="What is this long-rooted vine in my yard?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;morning-glory&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="944" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="943" CreationDate="2011-06-25T20:29:52.503" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the photos, and your description it sounds like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_glory&quot;&gt;Morning Glory&lt;/a&gt;.  They can be cultivated as a flower, but they're most usually known as a troublesome weed that's very hard to eradicate.  They will grow back from the smallest segment of root, so pulling them up means taking a lot of care not to leave little pieces behind.  They can also smother other more desirable plants -- as I think you're finding out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2011-06-25T20:29:52.503" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="945" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="928" CreationDate="2011-06-26T04:43:25.377" Score="21" Body="&lt;p&gt;Save the beer and make your own traps is my suggestion. It works just as well and is a lot cheaper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mix the following and let it sit in a warm place, stirring occasionally until you get a yeasty smell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1 cup of water&lt;br&gt;&#xA;1 teaspoon of sugar&lt;br&gt;&#xA;1 teaspoon of flour&lt;br&gt;&#xA;1/2 teaspoon of dry yeast&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Place it in marjarine containers, pop bottles etc, every 15 feet or so in your garden. It's worked quite well for me. Good luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="350" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2011-06-26T21:09:17.807" LastActivityDate="2011-06-26T21:09:17.807" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="946" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="605" CreationDate="2011-06-26T04:49:01.180" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try the plant &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruta_graveolens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;rue&lt;/a&gt; as a border plant. It is a deterrent against deer and rabbits. From what I know, you'd need a lot of it growing around, so I'd say a solid line or two around your garden would be best. It doesn't grow very tall or wide though so it doesn't take up that much space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="350" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2019-02-25T15:53:06.077" LastActivityDate="2019-02-25T15:53:06.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="878" CreationDate="2011-06-26T04:54:36.247" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd second the hugelkultur idea. I made a couple of raised beds using nothing but branches and a few logs, buried with about 6 inches of soil...The peppers and eggplants that grew out of that bed were possibly the best I've ever had.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="350" LastActivityDate="2011-06-26T04:54:36.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="948" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-26T08:58:47.450" Score="7" ViewCount="7665" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anyone know the usage of french lavender, aka &lt;em&gt;Lavandula dentata&lt;/em&gt;, the fringed one?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whenever I googled this name, most of the information is generally about the growing condition and the basic information, but not the usage. Is it edible? I've heard that people usually use English lavender for ice-cream, but not French one. Any idea? Especially the foliage, because it has abundant foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:51:15.250" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T06:04:02.113" Title="What is the usage of French Lavender ( lavandula dentata )?" Tags="&lt;plant-uses&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="949" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="821" CreationDate="2011-06-26T12:33:54.893" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I put an ok kids swimming pool around my strawberries this year. It had the twofold purpose of keeping stawberries in and keeping weeds out. The pool has it's bottom cut out so its just a big 12inch border for the berries. The plants grew so tall so quick that I have barely had to pull any weeds.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I do have a lot of weird misshapen fruit and if a berry starts to mold it turns a putrid fuzzy grey. (the first one I found I thought was a dead mouse. I'd imagine this has a lot to do with the pool trapping moisture and not letting air get to the soil much. Probably cloud have corrected the situation with straw mulch when the flowers started to appear, but I still got plenty of berries for the space it takes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-06-26T12:33:54.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="950" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="948" CreationDate="2011-06-26T12:38:29.813" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apparently, French lavender is also used to make ice-cream, although many people prefer ice-cream made with French lavender honey. The following article describes its many other uses, mainly as an oil:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Lavender is legendary among herbs as a healer, and &lt;strong&gt;many of its historic uses&lt;/strong&gt; have proven to be legitimate.&#xA;  French lavender essential oil can be used as an antimicrobial, antiviral and also a fungicide. It was used in wartime for antiseptic purposes, because when the oil was rubbed into a wound, the infection rate plummeted. Many people have used it over the centuries as a headache remedy, and it is also popular in aromatherapy as a tension reliever. This property makes it useful in muscle ointments, which is why it is so popular in massage therapy'&#xA;  Over the years, mothers have made pillows for their babies that were stuffed with the blossoms because the essential oil they contained helped put the babies to sleep and wake up refreshed. Lavender bushes were planted beneath nursery windows so that on a sunny day, the fragrance would naturally waft into the child’s room. Even today, a popular item is the neck pillow stuffed with lavender that is meant to relieve tension.&#xA;  &lt;strong&gt;Lavender Fragrance&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;  The ‘lave’ in the word lavender is from the French, where ‘laver’ means ‘to wash.’ Lavender grows well in France, and most homes had an area devoted to growing the fragrant bushes. On wash day, maids would lay the linens over the bushes. As the sheets dried, the heat of the sun infused the aroma into the fabric, and the scent could be enjoyed for days. Lavender essential oil is still used to give a pleasant smell to many products today, including many toiletry items like perfumes, lotions and powders. Many household products also use lavender, such as laundry soap, dryer sheets and dishwashing liquid.&#xA;  &lt;strong&gt;Lavender In Food&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;  One of the very first uses for this versatile herb was for flavoring in food. It is pleasant in desserts and also in savory dishes. It lends a delightful contrast to fruits that are sour. It is not recommended to use the pure distilled essential oil in food dishes, but flower buds can be used to give the right amount of diluted essence to the dish. Lavender tea is quickly becoming a favorite beverage. Adding a few blossoms to shortcake lends a pleasant and refreshing essence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.suite101.com/content/popular-uses-for-french-lavender-essential-oil-a142798&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Green and Simple Living&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-06-26T13:54:12.137" LastActivityDate="2011-06-26T13:54:12.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="951" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="878" CreationDate="2011-06-26T13:51:22.357" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;I also agree with the Hugelkulture beds mentioned above. You can just place all the branches and logs in a pile or several piles and put everything that you want to compost over top of them and then cover with either soil or invertred sod and mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you cover with soil you can plant in it right away. I have made several hugel beds in my gardens and they have all done wonderfully. As the wood rots it feeds the soil and holds moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These can be done as raised beds, or dug into the soil&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="352" LastActivityDate="2011-06-26T13:51:22.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="953" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="955" CreationDate="2011-06-26T14:02:00.727" Score="9" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there any flowering annuals I can still sow in the second half of June? I've just transplanted out some marigolds that I threw into seed compost in the Spring and basically neglected in a corner of the greenhouse ever since. They were getting a bit sad in their seed tray. But after two days out in a comfy bed they're looking brilliant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had forgotten how easy they are to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any flowers/bedding plants I can sow at this stage and repeat this trick for some late summer colour in a few weeks time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in the south of the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2012-01-09T23:58:59.053" Title="Are there any annuals I can sow this late in the year (end of June)?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;sowing&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="954" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-26T15:01:56.300" Score="11" ViewCount="470" Body="&lt;p&gt;This yellow flower was growing in my yard in St Petersburg, Florida. It did not survive my xeriscaping.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eB7t9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;yellow flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-11T13:49:50.923" LastActivityDate="2011-12-27T19:18:10.193" Title="What is this yellow flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="955" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="953" CreationDate="2011-06-26T15:24:30.213" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had good luck planting cosmos late. According to what I see for numbers, you can expect &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=cosmos+bloom+%22days+after+germination%22&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bloom 55-90 days after germination&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/knoxilla/1413697342/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;Late cosmos in bloom by knoxilla, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm2.static.flickr.com/1091/1413697342_72f8226a8c.jpg&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; height=&quot;375&quot; alt=&quot;Late cosmos in bloom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:36.040" LastActivityDate="2011-06-26T15:24:30.213" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="958" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-26T18:15:32.947" Score="18" ViewCount="2910" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbor must be advising her home painters to dump their leftover paint, for several days now, on a tree stump that she just last week said might need a pick axe to remove.  This stump is along our property line, 3 feet from my newly planted arborvitae, and 5 feet from the raspberry patch my granddaughter likes to help herself to.  I don't know what kind of paint this neighbor is using for the outside of her home, but, first day I noticed the paint, it was covering the stump that had a hole dug around it about 2' x 2' -- at that point I didn't know what this green goo was, but yesterday I actually saw the painter dumping in the hole! Will this kill my arborvitae, or the raspberry patch 5 feet away?  Will it be safe to eat these raspberries? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="355" LastActivityDate="2011-06-29T05:41:55.063" Title="Paint dumping to kill tree stump, will it affect my nearby arborvitae or raspberries?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="959" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="961" CreationDate="2011-06-26T21:31:41.423" Score="17" ViewCount="2027" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a hydroponic garden in a greenhouse in my yard.  Everything was going just great until today when I noticed that one of the 7 or so tomato plants (the biggest one in fact) was looking rather wilted.  Upon further examination I noticed some brown ooze coming from the inside!  I cut off the top branches where I saw this and continued to notice more and more until I finally removed the entire plant (out of concern for the others).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what could cause this?  I want to make sure my other plants are not in danger.  I've uploaded some pictures to help diagnose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My first cut into the plant, notice the browning edges:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://a.yfrog.com/img620/5868/2enplp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;My first cut into the plant, notice the browning edges http://a.yfrog.com/img620/5868/2enplp.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These yellow and brown leaves were from the bottom so maybe not a big deal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://a.yfrog.com/img614/5237/dqiyp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;yellow and brown leaves were from the bottom http://a.yfrog.com/img614/5237/dqiyp.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The inside of the plant close to the base.  ugghhh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://a.yfrog.com/img614/3923/u47xo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;The inside of the plant close to the base. http://a.yfrog.com/img614/3923/u47xo.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="357" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-27T00:26:42.430" LastActivityDate="2011-09-06T05:38:08.293" Title="tomato plant rotting from the inside -- what's going on?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="960" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="927" CreationDate="2011-06-26T22:09:09.920" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't come across this one before and, without a specimen, it isn't easy to identify it. However, I've looked it up in the &quot;Concise British Flora&quot; (Keeble Martin), and it would certainly seem to be a variety of Mercury.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it has (1) a round, hairy, unbranched stem, with (2) opposite leaves which smell faintly unpleasant when rubbed, and (3) long-stemmed flowers, it is most probably Dog's Mercury (Mercurialis perennis - see illustration). If, on the other hand (1) its stem is quadrangular, branched from the base, and only slightly hairy and (2) it has up to ten leaves, growing in spiky clusters, it is likely to be Annual Mercury (Mercurialis annua - see illustration 2). The first flowers in March-April, and the second, from July to September.&#xA;There are some good images of Dog's Mercury &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=dog%27s%20mercury&amp;amp;ie=utf-8&amp;amp;oe=utf-8&amp;amp;aq=t&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6yQeO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dog's Mercury&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EFqZ8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Annual Mercury&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-26T22:09:09.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="961" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="959" CreationDate="2011-06-26T23:41:31.960" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds like Verticillium wilt.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Verticillium wilt is a soil-borne fungal disease that results in the yellowing, and eventual browning and death of foliage, particularly in branches closest to the soil. The wilt starts as yellow, V-shaped areas that narrow at the leaf margins. These yellow areas grow over time, turn brown, and then the leaf dies. Often, entire branches are infected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="347" LastActivityDate="2011-06-26T23:41:31.960" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="962" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="981" CreationDate="2011-06-26T23:42:47.777" Score="10" ViewCount="2075" Body="&lt;p&gt;My geraniums loved being outside the front window of my house. They've been thriving there for over two months now and I thought I'd finally found a winner (it's too hot for pansies and other daintier plants).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now they're getting eaten alive. I've heard of leaf-eaters, obviously, but I've never seen flowers bored into and devoured from the inside. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click to enlarge&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8ATAb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8ATAbm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Notice the hole in the flower bud on the left&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hHIxJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hHIxJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hole in the petal on top and empty flower bud on the bottom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What in the world is eating them? More importantly, what can I do to make things right with my poor friend the geranium by killing what ails her? (If geographic specificity helps, I'm in southern Nevada.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="79" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-18T05:13:29.783" LastActivityDate="2011-09-18T05:13:29.783" Title="What insect eats petals and what can I do to kill it?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;geraniums&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="963" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="935" CreationDate="2011-06-27T00:54:32.610" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like catfacing. See images on this &lt;a href=&quot;http://images.google.com/search?tbm=isch&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;source=hp&amp;amp;biw=1024&amp;amp;bih=402&amp;amp;q=tomato+catfacing&amp;amp;gbv=2&amp;amp;oq=tomato+catf&amp;amp;aq=1&amp;amp;aqi=g2&amp;amp;aql=undefined&amp;amp;gs_sm=e&amp;amp;gs_upl=13416l16059l0l11l9l0l0l0l0l286l1836l0.4.5l9&quot;&gt;google search for &quot;catfacing&quot;&lt;/a&gt; -- they look a lot like yours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardener.shoutwiki.com/wiki/Catfacing&quot;&gt;this web page&lt;/a&gt; there is no cure; the problem is related to planting out and can only be prevented. They mention that large-fruit varieties are most susceptible, so your Brandy Boy and Porterhouse may be at risk if they were planted the same way. Your grapes might be safer. They also say:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;...disturbances in flower production such as low temperature, injury 3-weeks before flowers are mature, especially in early plantings, but also with injury from growth regulators such as 2,4-d. Pruning and high nitrogen can also aggravate the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some useful references are included at the bottom of that page; the [second reference to a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.avrdc.org/pdf/tomato/catfacing.pdf&quot;&gt;World Vegetable Center article on catfacing&lt;/a&gt; gives explicit control instructions to help prevent it next season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/02949.html&quot;&gt;Colorado State Extension tomato problems fact sheet&lt;/a&gt; shows pictures of catfacing next to blossom end rot. If you compare the two photos there, yours looks much more like catfacing than BER.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Catfacing (Figure 10) is a term that describes tomato fruit that is misshapen, with scars and holes in the blossom end. The cause is thought to be cold weather during blossoming and perhaps high levels of nitrogen. To manage it, avoid setting out transplants too early in the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They don't come out and say it, but again there's no cure, only prevention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T00:54:32.610" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="964" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="967" CreationDate="2011-06-27T00:59:56.333" Score="13" ViewCount="2670" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupin&quot;&gt;lupines&lt;/a&gt; (also called lupin in the UK) were done flowering for the year and were harboring an aphid infestation, so I mowed them. Are the &quot;stumps&quot; likely to regrow next year or do the plants rely on gathering a lot of energy through the foliage to survive the winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(They were originally weeds scavenged from a roadside that we multiplied here over a couple of years, so it's not a major loss if they won't regrow.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T21:07:27.217" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T21:07:27.217" Title="Will my lupines grow back next year if I cut them to the ground?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;lupines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="939" CreationDate="2011-06-27T01:19:11.357" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, in general, you should remove the dead flowers. However, there are exceptions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Why you should remove:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember that a plant's &amp;quot;mission&amp;quot; is to reproduce before it dies, to ensure the survival of its species (producing flowers is the first step). If you let the flowers stay till they drop off on their own, the plant, satisfied that it has successfully produced a flower, might decide to stop producing them (end of the flowering season).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, when you remove the dead flowers you're sort of &amp;quot;tricking&amp;quot; the plant into thinking that its previous mission has failed (i.e., it hasn't produced a flower to ensure its survival). This in turn encourages the plant to produce even more flowers, resulting in larger, more frequent blooms. This is also a commonly used technique to extend the flowering season of annuals and perennials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;When you should stop removing:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/extensioninfonet/article.asp?id=1355&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; has a very good reason to stop removing dead flowers before the onset of winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With a plant such as a continuous blooming rose, you should stop cutting spent flowers in September, allowing them to wither and dry on the bush. This signals the plant that its mission is indeed complete, and that it should ready itself for the coming winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In other words, if you keep removing the flowers beyond late fall, sure you'll have more bloom, but your plant will not be prepared for the winter (i.e., stockpiling energy, reducing energy consumption, and shedding leaves) and might wither and die in the cold. This was something I didn't know, having not lived in a place with a winter season&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T01:19:11.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="966" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="948" CreationDate="2011-06-27T01:39:32.923" Score="5" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I've heard that people usually use English lavender for ice-cream, but not French one. Any idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is also what I've heard and read, and I'm not entirely sure if the article quoted in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/948/usage-of-french-lavender-lavandula-dentata/950#950&quot;&gt;other answer&lt;/a&gt; is specific to French lavender as it looks like a general article on both &lt;em&gt;L. angustifolia&lt;/em&gt; (English) and &lt;em&gt;L. dentata&lt;/em&gt; (French).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/lavdentata.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; mentions that &lt;em&gt;L. dentata&lt;/em&gt; is not usually used in cooking, although people have been known to use it nevertheless. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantoftheweek.org/week496.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This source&lt;/a&gt; also confirms this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavandula_dentata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wikipedia article&lt;/a&gt; on &lt;em&gt;L. dentata&lt;/em&gt; says that it is commonly grown as an ornamental plant and its essential oil is used in perfumes. It is also used in Murcia (Spain) as a herbal remedy for stomach ache.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a nice &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/87432-english-vs-french-lavender.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;comparison between the English and French varieties&lt;/a&gt;. From the article (text in brackets and emphasis are mine),&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;While the other two [Spanish &amp;amp; French] aren't poisonous, &lt;strong&gt;it is the English variety of lavender that is most often used for culinary purposes&lt;/strong&gt;, such as flavoring oils, butters and sugar, and in dishes, though some cooks like a little French lavender for a change of pace, such as in herbs de provence. French lavender can substitute for rosemary in breads and other recipes. English lavender is also most coveted for its scent in soaps, potpourris, essential oil, etc. &lt;strong&gt;The other varieties show up more often in dried flower arrangements&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T01:47:20.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="967" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="964" CreationDate="2011-06-27T01:54:56.287" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to tell off-hand if they'll regrow or not, as it depends on a lot of factors such as how low did you mow it, how much damage have the aphids caused, how well developed is the root system, how bad is the winter, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually, plants need to &quot;prepare&quot; for the winter by shutting down their flower/fruit production and stockpiling energy, and taking steps to reduce their energy consumption. Given that the plant has not had much chance to do any of this, I wouldn't necessarily bet my money on it. However, since there is some more time till winter, perhaps it might work out too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T01:54:56.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="968" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="976" CreationDate="2011-06-27T02:04:37.313" Score="13" ViewCount="869" Body="&lt;p&gt;Has anyone had experience with creating their own permanent metal plant labels/tags?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My grandfather has an old &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.graphotype.net/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Graphotype&lt;/a&gt; machine that he uses to label his metal plant tags, but they're rather expensive and his is very manual in operation.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a machine and/or technique that will quickly create metal labels for my plants without setting me back too severely in the process (&amp;lt;$200).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="118" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-01-26T20:56:01.547" LastActivityDate="2012-01-26T20:56:01.547" Title="What can I use to quickly and inexpensively create metal plant labels?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;plant-labels&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="969" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="968" CreationDate="2011-06-27T02:27:50.590" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are not very serious on crafting the words by machine, maybe you can try using a correction pen on the metal pieces. That's really cheap plus you can reuse the metal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-11T06:27:54.677" LastActivityDate="2011-09-11T06:27:54.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="970" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="973" CreationDate="2011-06-27T04:04:00.230" Score="29" ViewCount="1156" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently tried growing potatoes using a method I saw on TV. This is just cutting up potatoes into reasonable sized sections and placing them several inches down. The results have been fantastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While doing some research on how to grow potatoes I have read that I should be using seed potatoes, not cuttings from store bought potatoes. The main reason given is disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How high is the risk in using cuttings from store bought potatoes? Are there any other reasons that I should use expensive seed potatoes (considering a bag of potatoes is inexpensive and one potato cut up can produce 4 plants)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.yates.com.au/vegetables/grow/potatoes/&quot;&gt;Yates&lt;/a&gt; suggests that it is not entirely necessary:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It’s best to buy the certified&#xA;  disease-free seed potatoes that are&#xA;  available at this time of year, but&#xA;  you can choose healthy potatoes from&#xA;  your vegie drawer&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2016-10-08T04:45:55.173" Title="Is it necessary to purchase seed potatoes?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="970" CreationDate="2011-06-27T05:20:08.347" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No need. If you place the potato in a damp(not very damp) place, you will see it grows a bud out of it because potato is a kind of tuber. Tuber play a main role in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetative_propagation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Vegetative reproduction&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T05:20:08.347" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="973" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="970" CreationDate="2011-06-27T07:28:59.503" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;One would expect that the producers of the seed potatoes are going to be better about keeping their product disease free than your average supermarket, but there are no guarantees in life.  As to your chances of getting a bad, disease carrying potato from your supermarket, I'd say that depends on how well you trust that supermarket (though I'd guess it's really very low in any case).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendation for buying potatoes for growing is to go to a local farmers market and pick a variety from there.  You are likely to find potatoes that are already grown in your region, and you might be able to directly ask the farmer about disease for that variety, and whether or not it was grown organically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T07:28:59.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="974" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="958" CreationDate="2011-06-27T10:17:28.843" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;A tree has roots that may be going 20 or 30 feet or more under the ground. If the paint is enough to kill the tree then it's probably enough to affect everything in that 20 foot radius. If not then the paint probably will not kill the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition the paint will pollute the ground water and kill all the insects, worms and other things that your garden needs to grow. Clearly your neighbour is an unpleasant, inconsiderate person. Report him to the local council's environmental department and most house to somewhere with more amenable neighbours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Digging out the tree root may require more than just a pick axe. Depending on the type of tree and size, you may need a small JCB to remove the root stump.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="361" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T10:17:28.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="975" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="821" CreationDate="2011-06-27T10:25:05.327" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use a plastic cover over my strawberries with the plants growing through small openings in the plastic. You can put some mulch over the top of the plastic to hid it from view. Traditionally, straw in used to mulch around strawberries and the straw itself prevents many of the weeds. All that said, in summer, weeding is a weekly activity not monthly. A small time spent often is better than a long time spent occasionally. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="361" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T10:25:05.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="968" CreationDate="2011-06-27T11:34:20.230" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not necessarily quick, but a cheap alternative would be to get a small punch and a stencil. Write the words onto the metal using the stencil and a (temporary) magic marker. Punch the words into the metal with the punch and a hammer using the marker as a guide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;http://shortorderproducts.com/Embossing_pages/emb_ab_hand_emboss/emb-ab_hand_Emboss.htm&quot;&gt;hand operated stamp&lt;/a&gt; can run around US$300, and the metal isn't cheap either. Unfortunately &quot;inexpensive&quot; and &quot;automatic&quot; stamping are mutually exclusive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut strips of discarded &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinyl_siding&quot;&gt;vinyl siding&lt;/a&gt; and write on the smooth back side with pencil. The pencil doesn't come off unless you rub it while it's wet, the siding will last forever (or at least as long as you do), it's free, and it reclaims a resource.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-06-27T12:44:45.073" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T12:44:45.073" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="970" CreationDate="2011-06-27T12:05:09.603" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although myself, I buy seed potatoes from a garden centre, I know a lot of seasoned gardeners who buy them from the local food store and, after chitting them, if they are larger than a hen's egg, cut them in half. I would think that the chances of their being diseased or of rotting are minimal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to play it safe, you could let the cut ends dry for a day or two, and then dust them lightly with flowers of sulphur (a fungicide), before planting. I know quite a few old-school gardeners who swear by this method and have excellent crops. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T12:05:09.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="978" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="970" CreationDate="2011-06-27T13:13:52.210" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is another option, although it is not widely practiced.  Instead of using &quot;seed potatoes&quot; use &quot;potato seed&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.curzio.com/N/Potato_starting_from_seed.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Growing potato starting with true seed &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I've had success planting organic potatoes bought at the grocery store that I would have otherwise eaten, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're having a really hard time finding seed potatoes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-10-08T00:21:34.730" LastActivityDate="2016-10-08T00:21:34.730" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="979" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="970" CreationDate="2011-06-27T14:52:30.017" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had an entire potato crop get hit by late blight (which didn't come in via the seed potatoes) a couple of years ago. Fortunately I was able to dig the potatoes and dispose of the plants before the tubers were affected -- they were fine to eat -- but I certainly didn't save any of those for planting the following year since they would be blight hosts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How will you know if the ones you're buying aren't hosts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The supermarket has no idea -- nor would they care -- whether the potatoes are carrying blight. As long as the tubers themselves aren't rotten, the market will carry them on the shelves. As a consumer you have no way of knowing if the potatoes were harvested early from a field showing signs of blight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're just gardening for fun and a little fresh food, the risk of losing the whole crop is minimal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're dependent on harvesting potatoes for food or income, you should seriously consider getting certified disease-free seed potatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T14:52:30.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="981" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="962" CreationDate="2011-06-27T15:59:49.440" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is caused by the Geranium Budworm (aka Tobacco Budworm). Click &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_7488421_kill-budworms-geraniums.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An excerpt, from the link:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Spray some BT, or bacillus&#xA;  thuriengensis, over the affected areas&#xA;  of the plant. This natural insecticide&#xA;  will only harm caterpillars, including&#xA;  budworms. You will probably need&#xA;  several applications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="79" LastEditDate="2011-06-27T16:46:42.510" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T16:46:42.510" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="968" CreationDate="2011-06-27T16:54:04.267" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually, cheap and quick don't go together. However, with a minimal effort, you can create really nice looking tags for your plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, you'll need to get a &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000NPUKY8&quot;&gt;letter and number stamp&lt;/a&gt; punch set. These punches are made of hardened chrome vanadium steel and are quite strong and can also be used to punch metals. You'll also need a hammer, but I'll leave that out as it's something that you most likely have at home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next, get a set of blank dog tags like those used by the military. &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B001FTXL7E&quot;&gt;Here's 50 of them for $20&lt;/a&gt;. That's pretty much all you need. Get punchin!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd say for a 1 time investment of $20 (punch set) and $20 (possibly recurring) for the dog tags, you've got yourself a really nice plant name tags that cost less than $1 each (less than 50¢ each for additional tags). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't like these and/or if you want to make it even cheaper, you can cut up beer cans into little rectangular pieces and use the punch on them. In this case, make sure that you have a firm wooden backing for the pieces when you use the punch, as the thin aluminium pieces need something to resist the blow, yet yield a little so that an impression is made.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T16:54:04.267" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="983" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="991" CreationDate="2011-06-27T17:00:51.463" Score="12" ViewCount="11746" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted strawberries a couple of years ago in a small patch of my back yard (in Sacramento, CA) and this year they are finally producing lots of strawberries. However, something is eating &quot;divots&quot; into them, as if something scooped out maybe a quarter to a third of the strawberry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have netting to keep out squirrels and other larger critters. However, many of the strawberries have divots eaten into them and I found one or two of these with what looked like a small black worm in them. The worm was maybe 3/8&quot; long and less than 1/16&quot; wide and its body looked smooth and featureless to my unaided eye. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have an idea of whether these are the creatures that are eating my strawberries? If they are, what can I do to stop them? If something else is eating them, what could it be and what can I do about it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="363" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-01-11T10:48:05.770" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T16:49:03.370" Title="How to stop small black worms from eating my strawberries?" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="984" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13" CreationDate="2011-06-27T20:35:09.993" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Covering seeds with a thin layer of compost or peat moss helps create a moist layer to prevent the seeds from drying out. Also will hopefully keep birds from eating the seeds. And of course, you must keep it damp (water twice a day during warm weather) for proper germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="213" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T20:35:09.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="505" CreationDate="2011-06-27T21:02:16.143" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're aiming for uniformity, and you don't mind the look of the clover, I'd say just let the clover take over. My experiences with white clover are that it is capable of choking out pretty much everything else. It would provide a nice, low, green appearance to your path.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T21:02:16.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="730" CreationDate="2011-06-27T21:07:08.213" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The tops of those plants look really healthy. You should be mounding up the soil around them as they grow -- these are taller than I've ever seen, so I have no idea what leaves should look like that low on the plant. By mounding up the soil you encourage the plant to grow more tubers higher up. Every 6-8&quot; of growth, mound up the soil around them. Leave 3&quot; or so of leaves poking out -- they'll keep making more top growth. This is why you hear about &quot;potato condos&quot; or growing in tall bags or trash barrels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T21:07:08.213" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="987" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="992" CreationDate="2011-06-27T21:56:59.393" Score="19" ViewCount="3790" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been using &quot;Tomato Maker&quot; (4-2-6) fertilizer, which supposedly has enough calcium to prevent blossom end rot, but I'm still getting blossom end rot on my super marzano tomatoes (no BER problems on any other varieties I'm growing this year). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there other things that can cause blossom end rot besides calcium deficiency? Is the super marzano variety (or plum tomatoes in general) particularly susceptible? Could my plants still be suffering from calcium deficiency even with the Tomato Maker fertilizer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In case it would be helpful to know, I live in the California Central Valley, which has hot, dry summers, but spring this year was unusually cool and rainy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd be interested in any advice on what, if anything, I can do now to reduce blossom end rot on this year's crop and also what I can do in the future to prevent BER from turning up at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="363" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-28T00:57:07.593" LastActivityDate="2019-01-24T17:55:41.993" Title="What else besides calcium deficiency could be causing tomato blossom end rot?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;blossom-end-rot&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="988" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="983" CreationDate="2011-06-27T22:00:16.430" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;My strawberries were damaged in the same way as yours, last year. The culprits proved to be &lt;strong&gt;Strawberry Seed Beetles&lt;/strong&gt; (black, about 1cm long), which were living among some weeds nearby. They remove seeds from the outside of the fruit and also eat into it. I had netted the bed to protect it from birds, but had failed to weed around it - and these beetles are also attracted to weed seeds!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A slug killer would see them off, but it is not advisable to use chemicals near harvest time (and perhaps, like me, you are an organic gardener). I suggest you (1) make sure that nearby weeds are kept down,(2) clear away any dead leaves and garden rubbish,and (3) sink some jam jars into the soil around the bed - a lot of the beetles will fall into them, which will reduce their numbers. It may also be worth finding out if there is an organic slug repellent that would be effective against them, which I intend to do myself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-06-27T22:20:04.970" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T22:20:04.970" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="989" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3035" CreationDate="2011-06-27T22:16:16.677" Score="12" ViewCount="12101" Body="&lt;p&gt;I realise I've put runner beans close to an overhanging damson tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The beans closest to the damson have scaled my supports and have bridged the gap between support and tree and started to climb on into the branches of the damson.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaving aside unsuitability of growing vegetables close to trees (loss of light and nutrients), is there a problem with the beans climbing on and on into the tree? (apart from the obvious one of it being hard to harvest the crop of course).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I mean is, will the plants put excessive effort into climbing and set fewer flowers/beans?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If so, should I just pinch out the tops?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="233" LastEditDate="2011-06-28T11:18:03.307" LastActivityDate="2011-12-11T07:09:56.197" Title="Should I stop runner beans climbing too high?" Tags="&lt;support&gt;&lt;runner-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="987" CreationDate="2011-06-27T23:29:41.990" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._G._Hessayon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dr Hessayon&lt;/a&gt; says of Blossom End Rot that it is a &quot;frequent problem where growing bags are used&quot; and, in fact, makes no mention of calcium deficiency. For prevention he advises:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Never let the soil or compost dry out, especially when the fruit is swelling&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T23:29:41.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="991" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="983" CreationDate="2011-06-27T23:56:39.503" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://sinnerparadiseworld.blogspot.com/2008/11/black-worm-in-strawberries.html&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; describes (with copious pictures) the problem you are having.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A possible solution from the site:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Andrea from LifestyleBlock suggested I try using a solution of apple cider vinegar and spray the strawberries several times a day. Since I only had white vinegar I used that instead. The mix I did was 1 tablespoon vinegar to a litre of water. For 5 days now I have been diligently spraying the partially ripe strawberries and it seems to be working.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="239" LastActivityDate="2011-06-27T23:56:39.503" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="992" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="987" CreationDate="2011-06-28T00:11:32.027" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to notes by the Alabama  A&amp;amp;M and Auburn Universities:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;BER is caused by calcium deficiency, &lt;strong&gt;usually induced by fluctuations in the plant's water supply&lt;/strong&gt;. Because calcium is not a highly mobile element in the plant, even brief fluctuations in the water supply can cause BER. Also, if plants are growing in highly acidic soil or are getting too much water from either heavy rain, over-irrigation or high relative humidity, they can develop calcium deficiency and BER.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This is a very full paper, which goes on to suggest steps that can be taken to control BER, and points out that some varieties tend to be more susceptible to the conditions that cause BER.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1059/ANR-1059.pdf&quot;&gt;Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes: Causes and Prevention&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T00:11:32.027" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="993" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="987" CreationDate="2011-06-28T01:18:13.050" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blossom End Rot is caused by calcium deficiency -- you need to figure out the mechanism that caused the deficiency. It's a physiological problem resulting from the plant's inability to move calcium where it is needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Have you done a soil test?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does your soil have enough calcium?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do you have too much potassium? (&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/476/how-can-i-correct-a-nutrient-imbalance&quot;&gt;K interferes with Ca uptake&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is your pH in the right range?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does your soil have enough organic matter? (So it can hold moisture.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mulch! (To conserve moisture.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do you irrigate to ensure that the plants get steady, even water? Various sources say to provide 1-1.5&quot; of water a week during fruiting. (But don't overwater, that's not good either.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yes, &lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.illinois.edu/diseases/series900/rpd906/index.html#cycles&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;some varieties are more susceptible&lt;/a&gt; -- though yours isn't listed in that table.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cull fruits that show signs of BER to avoid letting diseases and fungus in.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As an immediate short-term solution, &lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.illinois.edu/diseases/series900/rpd906/index.html#control&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;you can use a foliar spray of calcium nitrate&lt;/a&gt; (see #8).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T11:46:20.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="994" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="997" CreationDate="2011-06-28T03:09:05.963" Score="7" ViewCount="927" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this recipe that I found from my Granddad's place for making potting soil, for which I need 120 gallons (or for a 16 cubic foot raised box). The recipe calls for the following ingredients:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;5 parts compost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;4 parts lava sand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;3 parts peat moss&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2 parts cedar flakes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1 part soft rock phosphate&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1/2 part something&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1/4 part something 2 &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could someone please help me with how much each of these ingredients are to make 120 gallons or 16 ft cubed? Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="369" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-06-28T11:34:21.183" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T11:38:17.627" Title="What is &quot;parts&quot; in this potting soil recipe?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="995" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="994" CreationDate="2011-06-28T06:30:14.883" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's just a set of proportions. If you take any measure, say a scoop, then the recipe says to use 5 scoops of compost, 4 scoops of lava sand etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your case to make just over 120 gallons use &lt;strong&gt;1 part = 8 gallons&lt;/strong&gt;, resulting in:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;40 gallons compost &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;32 gallons lava sand&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;etc ...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;2 gallons something 2&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-06-28T11:33:58.970" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T11:33:58.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="996" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="989" CreationDate="2011-06-28T10:07:41.517" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every time my runner beans grow beyond or above where I want them to I pinch them off and they seem to cope just fine, they don't seem to suffer any adverse effects and flower as you would expect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Admittedly, I restrict their height on purely cosmetic grounds, so I haven't seen how they perform if left to overgrow branches above them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T10:07:41.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="997" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="994" CreationDate="2011-06-28T11:38:17.627" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;As Tea Drinker said, a &quot;part&quot; is some arbitrary unit based on whatever you're using to measure: a bucket, scoop, etc. (I used a 5 gal pail as my &quot;part&quot; when I'm mixing potting soil.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To figure out how to make X amount of total soil:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;First add up the parts: 5+4+3+2+1+0.5+0.25 = 15.75 then round to make it even (makes the rest of the math easy). Your recipe has 16 parts. (Potting soil recipes don't really call for exacting precision.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Take the total amount you need, and divide by the number of parts. In your case, this is trivial: you need 16 cubic feet, so each part should be 1 cubic foot (or about 7.5 gallons).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you need to go out and buy raw materials, you'll need to multiply the parts by the measure you determined to know how much to buy. For example, you need 5 parts of compost at 1 cu ft/part, so you need to get 5 cu ft of compost (or get 5 x 7.5 = 37.5 gallons, about 8 5gal pails).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're filling a raised box, I'd make more than you think you need -- the soil will settle pretty quickly over time, and when you're watering, with rain, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an aside, Google is helpful at converting units. If you search for &quot;1 cu ft in gal&quot;, it will give you the answer: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=1%20cu%20ft%20in%20gal&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;1 (cu foot) = 7.48051948 US gallons&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T11:38:17.627" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="999" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="925" CreationDate="2011-06-28T13:36:16.947" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you have an ideal climate. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.easytogrowherbs.com/Growing-Lemon-Grass.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; suggests you don't want to let the roots get too long, but the leaves do indeed grow long:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The root system may take weeks to&#xA;  develop properly. Do not become&#xA;  impatient. The grass may start to grow&#xA;  long before the roots are ready. This&#xA;  is normal. Wait until the roots are at&#xA;  least 2.5 centimetres or two inches&#xA;  long. They are now suitable for&#xA;  planting. Do not let the roots get&#xA;  much longer than this. They can become&#xA;  brittle and may break off easily.&#xA;  Handle them with a lot of care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T13:36:16.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1000" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-28T13:54:37.630" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A seed is a capsule containing an embryonic plant with enough initial food for germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most common form of plant &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/propagation&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'propagation'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;propagation&lt;/a&gt; is by growth from a seed, ahead of other kinds of propagation, such as cloning from suckers or cuttings. Seeds are the result of sexual reproduction which involves fertilization of a &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flower&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'flower'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flower&lt;/a&gt; by pollen from the same or a closely related species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about identifying, obtaining, storing and germinating seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2012-03-30T02:30:42.287" LastActivityDate="2012-03-30T02:30:42.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1001" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-28T13:54:37.630" Score="0" Body="Small embryonic plant usually with stored food for germination" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-29T12:13:51.947" LastActivityDate="2011-06-29T12:13:51.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1002" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1016" CreationDate="2011-06-28T14:21:01.607" Score="10" ViewCount="13745" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just planted a new cherry tree, and I would like to keep it short enough to be able to harvest the fruit with nothing more than a step ladder.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeing as I've just planted it, I feel that I should leave it alone this summer, but will probably need to prune it in the fall or winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I go about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="539" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-28T16:40:37.990" LastActivityDate="2015-03-08T06:27:04.660" Title="How do I prune a cherry tree to keep it short?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1003" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="925" CreationDate="2011-06-28T14:39:33.383" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;As per winwaed said, you got a pretty good climate for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lemongrass love sun, love water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Give them sun. Give them plenty of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They would like a sandy soil which have good drainage and yet good ability to retain water. If you soil retain water pretty good, then you can add some sand in it for better drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a BIG pot which is wider than 1 feet. My recommendation is 1.5-2 feet wide pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut their leave once a month or longer to encourage growth. If you don't cut, it would be weak. Cut the whole leave, don't cut in a halfway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="140" LastEditDate="2011-06-28T15:07:28.197" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T15:07:28.197" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1004" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-28T14:54:32.303" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grasses are the most well known form of monocot. They are typically grown for &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/lawns&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;lawns&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;lawns&lt;/a&gt; and as cereals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By some definitions, grasses are amongst the successful plants alive today due to their coverage of large natural areas (e.g. prairies); plus their large-scale symbiotic relationships with humans (i.e. requiring human intervention to populate huge fields, plus &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/lawns&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;lawns&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;lawns&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions relating to different plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-14T12:54:11.587" LastActivityDate="2021-02-14T12:54:11.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1005" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-28T14:54:32.303" Score="0" Body="Grasses (graminoids) are plants with narrow leaves growing from the base." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-14T12:54:39.557" LastActivityDate="2021-02-14T12:54:39.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1006" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-28T15:12:23.443" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about desert plants, or questions about growing in desert conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that although deserts are usually associated with hot areas, deserts can be any temperature. The Earth has temperate and polar deserts - the largest desert is actually located in Antarctica.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T20:41:11.323" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T20:41:11.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1007" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-28T15:12:23.443" Score="0" Body="Area of very low precipitation - typically less than 10in/year." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-28T21:25:39.190" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T21:25:39.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1008" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1009" CreationDate="2011-06-28T15:21:46.280" Score="14" ViewCount="29241" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of rose bushes in my new house and the thorns in the bush (there are a lot of them!) go right through my current gardening gloves, and they hurt. what kind of gloves are available that will prevent rose bushes from stabbing my hands?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="373" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-10-19T23:43:47.193" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T21:48:29.210" Title="What kinds of gloves are best for handling thorny rose bushes?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;&lt;gloves&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1008" CreationDate="2011-06-28T15:31:39.120" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have much experience with roses (just planted my first bush this year), but it seems to me that you have two options when dealing with thorns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B001G0MS2Q&quot;&gt;Good leather gloves&lt;/a&gt;, or consider a specialized product like &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000RH5C3G&quot;&gt;garden armor&lt;/a&gt;. Leather gloves are harder to penetrate.I have not used garden armor, but they appear specifically designed to do exactly what you &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.safegrasp.com/products.html&quot;&gt;want them to&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T15:31:39.120" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1010" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1008" CreationDate="2011-06-28T15:38:08.137" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is going to be a trade off between comfort and thorn resistance. At the thin end (which you are probably using) are the thinner gloves. These would include fashion gloves (&quot;ladies gardening gloves&quot;), and the cheap barely-a-whole-hand glove which are great for lifting timber, bags of gravel, etc. but give little protection for spines, nails, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next up there are heavy duty gardening gloves which are made of a thicker suede-like/leather material. Usually these are longer and give some wrist protection. They cost more - perhaps as much as 5x the price of the cheap ones. These might be sufficient - I find they're good enough for the better behaved cacti. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The full solution (which I haven't tried) would be to go for proper welding gloves. These are thick leather affairs. They're not going to be as comfortable - possibly oppressively so in a hot, humid climate; but they'll protect against a lot. Their thickness is really for thermal protection but it is a thick dense material rather than oven glove &quot;fluff&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although I've never handled a pair, I understand falconry gloves are similar to welding gloves - clearly here the protection is against spikey things (talons and beaks) rather than heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T15:38:08.137" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1002" CreationDate="2011-06-28T15:47:03.077" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cherry trees grow with a single upward leader, all other branches come out sideways from this. When the tree gets to the desired height, simply prune off the growing tip of the central leader. The tree with no longer gain height but will instead put its efforts into sideways branching, flowers and fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cherry trees are susceptible to diseases if pruned too early in the year. Leave the tree until winter before pruning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="361" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T15:47:03.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1012" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1008" CreationDate="2011-06-28T16:39:49.583" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;For a different idea...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hate buying gloves and having them fall apart all the time. (I'm rough on gloves. Even the expensive ones split apart quickly when you're moving wood, rocks, or doing a lot of digging.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Call me a cheapskate, but I buy the cheapest gloves I can find (e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=work+gloves&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;client=ubuntu&amp;amp;hs=Nlw&amp;amp;channel=fs&amp;amp;prmd=ivns&amp;amp;biw=1440&amp;amp;bih=678&amp;amp;um=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;amp;tbm=shop&amp;amp;cid=9378878430518977221&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=hQEKTpG5FMqugQep6Oz7AQ&amp;amp;ved=0CKcBEPICMAg&quot;&gt;these US$2 work gloves&lt;/a&gt;). Then I wrap a layer or two of duct tape (heavy duty -- the good stuff) around the fingers, and a layer or two around the palms. Don't wrap too tight or they'll be uncomfortable (it's best to have a helper wrap your gloves while you're wearing them).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're durable, easy to repair, and provide good protection against thorns. As winwaed says in his answer, there is a tradeoff between comfort and protection. I have a pair with only finger reinforcement that I use for shoveling or moving wood or rocks. If I'm going to pull out a bunch of blackberries, I'll use something with palm reinforcement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might use an extra layer of tape if you find the thorns penetrating a single layer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Three cheers for duct tape!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-28T17:02:13.933" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T17:02:13.933" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1013" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="910" CreationDate="2011-06-28T16:49:44.677" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;How to Grow More Vegetables&quot; by John Jeavons, deals with exactly this question. Page 160, &quot;Companion Planting; In Space&quot; -- he's talking about companion planting corn and beets intermingled in a bed, but the same logic applies to your question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;... One way to determine the spacing for different plants grown together is to add their spacing together and divide by 2. If you grow corn and beets together, add 15 inches and 4 inches for a total of 9 inches. Divide by 2 and you get a per-plant spacing of 9 1/2 inches. The beets, then, would be 9 1/2 inches from each corn plant and vice versa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is followed by a diagram showing how each corn plant gets the necessary 15&quot; diameter growing space, and each beet gets its necessary 4&quot; diameter space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T16:49:44.677" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1014" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-28T19:08:35.873" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Strawberries are a short-lived perennial plant. Fruit production declines after the first couple of years, so most commercial strawberry growers plow the crop under at the end of the growing season and plant new strawberries at the beginning of the following season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Strawberry_closeup.jpg/800px-Strawberry_closeup.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of ripe and unripe strawberries, by user Enoch Lau at Wikimedia&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Woodland strawberries were first cultivated in the early 17th century, but for commercial production these were replaced by a cross of &lt;em&gt;Fragaria Virginiana&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Fragaria chiloensis&lt;/em&gt; in the late 18th century.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In botanical terms, the strawberry is an aggregate accessory fruit because the fruit is derived from the 'receptical' which holds the ovaries. Hence the seeds are held together by the central fruit. What appear to be seeds are actually flower ovaries - each of which contains a seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:36.057" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T21:25:33.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1015" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-28T19:08:35.873" Score="0" Body="Strawberries are a hybrid species (Fragaria × ananassa) in the rose family that are grown for their red, edible fruit." OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-28T19:25:16.860" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T19:25:16.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1016" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1002" CreationDate="2011-06-29T01:45:29.053" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.davewilson.com/homegrown/BOC_explained.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Backyard orchard culture&lt;/a&gt; has some thoughts on keeping fruit trees at a desirable height (the height of the grower).  Essentially you make a cherry &quot;bush&quot; more than a tree through:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pruning the tree for low initial&#xA;branching (started by topping the&#xA;tree at 2ft or less). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pruning during&#xA;the growing season in addition to&#xA;the normal dormant pruning to keep&#xA;the tree at the desired level&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've watched &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xflTYwWvmos&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;a good video&lt;/a&gt; that discusses this method, though I haven't tried it myself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="118" LastActivityDate="2011-06-29T01:45:29.053" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1017" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1008" CreationDate="2011-06-29T01:52:48.150" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend something like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B003DZ02RU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;puncture resistent glove&lt;/a&gt; that's much stronger than leather (the page says 4 times). This is also ergonomically designed, so you won't have much discomfort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are most often bought by people who cut their fingers on the kitchen slicers. So while it's not really a &quot;gardening glove&quot;, I see no reason to not use it as one. Also, it's pretty inexpensive at $14. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VwbZe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-06-29T01:52:48.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="904" CreationDate="2011-06-29T01:57:40.270" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;We also have these Bradford pears (or some other such flowering pear) in our neighborhood that do this (some more than others).  Some trees/rootstocks are just notorious for suckering from the base/roots.  You aren't doing anything to hurt the tree by cutting off the suckers and this is the only (and best) way I know of controlling them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="118" LastActivityDate="2011-06-29T01:57:40.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1019" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="874" CreationDate="2011-06-29T02:11:24.590" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most plum trees, whether European, American or Japanese varieties, require another tree for cross-pollination within the same regional group. However, Stanley and Damson plums from Europe are self-fruitful and don't require a partner. This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/fruit_veg_mini_project_march_2a_plum_pollinate.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;website&lt;/a&gt; gives a list of pollinator matches.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All plums are susceptible to frost as plums flower early in the year. I had a large plum tree in my parents garden in Scotland for the last 25 years or so. It was grown tied against the south facing wall of our house. It practically covers the entire south side of the building. The wall acts as a reflector of heat, ensuring the tree never gets too cold, while the south facing prospect ensures that the tree has plenty sun. Plums like to be in the sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd suggest a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pots2plots.com/fruit/growing%20damsons.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Damson plum&lt;/a&gt; for your use. They are self-fertile and make good prunes. They are also noted for making good jams and preserves - another way to keep the fruit longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="361" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-26T21:02:46.637" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T21:02:46.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1021" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="989" CreationDate="2011-06-29T05:32:06.203" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience its best to just let the bean climb. As far as I know, the larger the plant gets, the more beans you'll get, since the plant has a bigger platform and more nodes to produce bean pods. Might be a different story depending on the variety of bean though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="350" LastActivityDate="2011-06-29T05:32:06.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="958" CreationDate="2011-06-29T05:41:55.063" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;generally, fruit is the safest part of a plant to eat when considering bio-accumulation of toxins present in soil. This is because it is the last and furthest destination for toxins. The roots tend to be most toxic, then stems, then leaves, then fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it safe enough? I would eat the berries but its a judgement call. I'd rather eat those than pesticide laced berries from the grocery store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your berry patch is significantly upslope from the paint area, its roots may not even come into contact with the paint&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure if it'll kill the tree. I don't know enough about the pollution tolerance of that type&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="350" LastActivityDate="2011-06-29T05:41:55.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1023" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="953" CreationDate="2011-06-29T05:47:15.233" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Calendula, sunflowers (they'll be short), dill &amp;amp; nasturtiums. Not sure if you'll get flowers in a few weeks, maybe 5-7 weeks depedning on your growing zone. Oh, and all those flowers are edible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="350" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-01-09T23:58:59.053" LastActivityDate="2012-01-09T23:58:59.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1024" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="954" CreationDate="2011-06-29T05:54:33.283" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a buttercup flower. Hard to tell without a picture of the rest of the plant though.  Was the plant tall and skinny, with leaves such as the ones on this &lt;a href=&quot;http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=buttercup%2bplant&amp;amp;ei=utf-8&amp;amp;y=Search&amp;amp;w=670&amp;amp;h=495&amp;amp;imgurl=www.plantillustration.com/images/Buttercup-Ranunculus-illustration.jpg&amp;amp;rurl=http://www.plantillustration.com/portfolio58-Buttercup-Ranunculus.html&amp;amp;size=62KB&amp;amp;name=Buttercup%20illust...&amp;amp;p=buttercup%20plant&amp;amp;oid=334b4dbeabe9937e9d8a32b7c790d03d&amp;amp;fr2=&amp;amp;no=4&amp;amp;tt=16900&amp;amp;sigr=126thdetv&amp;amp;sigi=126b9k85k&amp;amp;sigb=12g59c6p5&amp;amp;.crumb=vtpYZm/lpik&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="350" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-29T12:12:39.527" LastActivityDate="2011-06-29T12:12:39.527" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1025" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1026" CreationDate="2011-06-29T07:52:10.103" Score="16" ViewCount="7089" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schefflera_arboricola&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Schefflera arboricola&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (also known as &lt;em&gt;Strahlenaralie&lt;/em&gt; in German). I've placed it in my office so that it receives some sunshine, but not directly - I've put it behind a plastic plant (on the right on the photo). The blinds are often closed in the office, particularly in the morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been watering it with half a glass of water every week, or every two weeks. Currently the ground is a little bit moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant has been doing OK for around half a year now (I bought it and brought it to the office in the winter). Recently, I've noticed that its leaves have been falling off and it's a little sparser than it used to be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this due to the location? Should I put the Schefflera somewhere else? Or should I water it more often or less often?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KbTWWl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="205" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-21T18:03:07.503" LastActivityDate="2018-01-21T18:03:07.503" Title="Is my Schefflera arboricola getting the right amount of light and water?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1025" CreationDate="2011-06-29T11:24:28.553" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the leaves - particularly the lower ones - are turning yellow before falling (rather than black, which is usually a a sign of over-watering), the problem is almost certainly caused by &lt;strong&gt;insufficient light&lt;/strong&gt;. Although Schefflera can adapt to a wide range of light levels, it prefers fairly bright light, away from sunshine, especially the variegated variety. The position it is in, behind your plastic plant, probably doesn't receive enough light to meet its needs, particularly as the blinds are often closed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Half a glass of water every week or fortnight doesn't sound enough and, although Schefflera is fairly drought-tolerant, and the leaves are not turning brown and wrinkling, &lt;strong&gt;dryness&lt;/strong&gt; is probably a factor in the leaf fall. I would water the pot more thoroughly (until water drains out of the bottom or, if the compost has shrunk away from the sides and the water is running straight through, you could stand it in a small bucket for ten or fifteen minutes), but drain the pot well and make sure it is not sitting in any water. Water liberally in spring and summer, as soon as the soil becomes almost dry, and sparingly in winter. Schefflera prefers moist - but not wet! - soil.&#xA;Thorough watering is also important to prevent the plant from surface-rooting in search of water and becoming stressed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-06-29T12:35:22.883" LastActivityDate="2011-06-29T12:35:22.883" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1027" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1034" CreationDate="2011-06-29T12:26:21.920" Score="49" ViewCount="134688" Body="&lt;p&gt;During the warm months when my grass is growing, is there a mowing schedule I can use to encourage the lawn to be green and healthy? Mine often seems &quot;unhappy&quot; when it's been cut (goes pale, some browning), which makes me want to mow it less-often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can check to know when it's best to cut the grass?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17" LastEditorUserId="17" LastEditDate="2011-06-29T15:12:29.797" LastActivityDate="2018-05-16T04:30:12.397" Title="How often should you mow a growing lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;mowing&gt;" AnswerCount="12" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1028" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-29T13:14:09.120" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are large numbers of books about various aspects of gardening, ranging from general books through to books specific to locations, climates, and plants. These can include excellent books and some very poor quality ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag to ask for book recommendations. Try to make your query specific to a particular subject - eg. plant type, garden type, or climate/location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-30T11:22:43.690" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T11:22:43.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1029" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-29T13:14:09.120" Score="0" Body="For book recommendations" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-30T11:22:37.917" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T11:22:37.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1030" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-29T13:20:43.270" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A chemical used to kill plants. These can vary from &quot;kill everything&quot; types through to selective types (e.g. broadleaf lawn weedkillers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Herbicides are usually applied with water soluble sprays, but they can also be granular salts (eg. lawn &quot;weed &amp;amp; feed&quot; mixes; and copper sulphate) or solid (native copper can be an effective tree-killer).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-29T15:03:16.900" LastActivityDate="2011-06-29T15:03:16.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1031" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-29T13:20:43.270" Score="0" Body="Herbicides are chemicals used to kill plants. Use this tag with questions about how to choose and use herbicides on different plants." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-04T12:42:52.780" LastActivityDate="2021-02-04T12:42:52.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1032" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-29T13:23:18.280" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lawns can have various problems, including (but not limited to):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bald patches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hollows &amp;amp; bumps&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Insect and other arthropods&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mammals (burrows and 'burn' markings)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fungi&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Frost damage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about repairing these and other lawn problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-29T15:03:50.660" LastActivityDate="2011-06-29T15:03:50.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1033" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-29T13:23:18.280" Score="0" Body="For lawn-fixing and repair questions" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T04:13:15.017" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T04:13:15.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1034" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1027" CreationDate="2011-06-29T14:12:59.333" Score="36" Body="&lt;p&gt;It doesn't matter so much how &lt;em&gt;often&lt;/em&gt; you mow, as much as &lt;em&gt;how long&lt;/em&gt; the grass is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your lawn looks yellow and dried out after you've mowed it, you probably have the blade on your mower set too low. Some people like a super-short lawn like a putting green, but doing this requires both a specific variety of grass and lots of extra care spent on fertilizing and other upkeep. Since you're probably not one of those people, your grass will be healthiest if you let it grow a little longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first time I mow my lawn in the spring, I mow it on the longest setting. Subsequently I'll mow about every 1-2 weeks, depending on how much rain we've gotten (I don't ever water the lawn--we get plenty of rain where I live), moving the blade a little lower until it's on about the middle setting. Recently I've noticed that my lawn is looking a little yellow in patches, so I'm going to let it grow a little longer, then move the blade back up. If your lawn is in a similar state, you'd probably benefit from doing the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Conveniently, somewhat longer grass is also more comfortable to walk on barefoot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20" LastActivityDate="2011-06-29T14:12:59.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1035" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1027" CreationDate="2011-06-29T15:53:17.637" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;JSBangs is right on about not over-cutting.  Some other important considerations are&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep your blades sharp to prevent any tearing whatsoever. Put away the string trimmer when your lawn is having problems.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get a testing kit to check the fertility and pH of your lawn area and correct if needed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep the grass long enough to shade the roots in hot months.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Encourage deep roots by watering deep and less often if you do need to irrigate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prevent stressors such as weed competition and grubs.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="318" LastActivityDate="2011-06-29T15:53:17.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1036" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1027" CreationDate="2011-06-29T17:17:06.957" Score="24" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are several things that suggest the answer to your question is &lt;strong&gt;&quot;the more often the better&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; and that your reaction to mow less frequently because of the yellowing you see after is the &lt;em&gt;opposite&lt;/em&gt; to what you want for a green lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;First of all&lt;/strong&gt;, we all know that for a lawn to be green it must be growing.  Grass pales and turns yellow over time unless it is growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Second&lt;/strong&gt;, the key factor to keeping a growing lawn healthy is mowing it according to its growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore, if you get it growing quickly (fertilizer, lots of rain, etc.) then you simply need to be mowing more often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The faster the growing, the more mowing is needed, but the greener the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1027/how-often-should-you-mow-a-growing-lawn#comment976_1027&quot;&gt;MichaelF pointed out in the comments&lt;/a&gt;, most advice for a healthy lawn says to follow the &lt;strong&gt;one-third rule&lt;/strong&gt;: Never cut more than one-third of the height:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If your grass is growing, you’ll be mowing. Each grass type looks best and stays healthiest at a certain height. Use your mower to maintain that height as closely as possible. Cutting your lawn too short can be just as damaging as letting it grow too tall. &lt;strong&gt;The basic rule of mowing is to never cut more than one-third of the leaf blade. Generally, this means mowing about once a week.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;(Source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenideas.com/lawns/lawn_perfect.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenideas.com/lawns/lawn_perfect.html&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In other words, it's true that mowing can be unhealthy for the lawn, especially if the lawn was cut too short within too short of a time period. In other words, you want to be &lt;strong&gt;consistent&lt;/strong&gt; about mowing, and if you get it too long, you should only cut off 1/3 the next mowing and then &lt;em&gt;gradually&lt;/em&gt; reduce the height (as &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1027/how-often-should-you-mow-a-growing-lawn/1034#1034&quot;&gt;JSBangs posted&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another factor in this equation is the optimal height for your type of lawn. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/mowing-your-lawn-the-right-way.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mowing for Dummies&lt;/a&gt; has a good table for this (and also echoes the one-third rule).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, when you decide to mow less frequently because of the yellowing you see, you are actually perpetuating the problem. Grass is greenest at the top of the blade, and when you let that grow longer than it should, you cut off the healthiest part.  In other words, it's not the act of mowing that hurts it, it's cutting too much of the blades.  Mowing the next day shouldn't hurt at all -- as long as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.different-kinds-of-plants.com/sharpenmowerblade.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the blade is sharp&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few other reasons that mowing as often as possible is the healthiest for your lawn:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ever seen a golf course's lawn?  They do use different types of grass than most residences, but the mowers are usually out every day.  They cut a tiny bit at a time, and the grass always stays healthy. (Of course they are growing it quickly with lots of fertilizer and watering.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lawncare.net/the-benefits-of-using-a-mulching-lawn-mower/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mulching&lt;/a&gt; is well known as a means to help improve the health of your lawn.  The point of mulching is to turn what you clip into tiny shreds that simply fall back into the lawn.  Many lawn mowers can do basic mulching if you remove the bag and apply a mulching blade. Cutting more often gives you a higher chance of returning small pieces to your lawn, instead of long pieces which may not be good for your lawn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm still looking for the reference, but I once read that &quot;the secret&quot; to a healthy lawn is &quot;mowing twice a week&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Another piece of advice I received from a lawn care center was &quot;Mulch twice, bag once&quot;.  You won't want to be mulching long grass (as above) so you'll need to be mowing often to follow that schedule.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="81" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2013-08-29T20:39:53.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1037" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1038" CreationDate="2011-06-29T19:25:18.027" Score="18" ViewCount="534" Body="&lt;p&gt;I understand that it's important to water sufficiently and not just dampen the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But does it actually do damage to water very briefly, or is it better than nothing? I'm thinking about a situation where you might be rushing to work in the morning and your time is very limited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2014-11-04T01:31:21.877" Title="Is a little watering still better than no watering, when plants are thirsty?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1038" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1037" CreationDate="2011-06-29T22:46:54.397" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;This would probably depend on the nature of your soil, the type of plants involved, the stage in their development, their drought tolerance and whether it is long- or short-term watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the case of seedlings, for instance, in very warm weather, &lt;em&gt;short-term&lt;/em&gt; superficial watering cannot do any damage by causing surface rooting, since their roots haven't yet grown down very far, so a brief watering must be far better than none which would compromise their survival.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, if, for example, we take a reasonably drought-resistant and well-established variety of sweet corn, growing in a humus-rich, water-retentive soil before 'cobbing', it might be better to withhold water for a few days, until you can water it thoroughly - unless, of course, we're talking about a 'one-off' or short-term watering. In fact, withholding water for a short time might even encourage the plants to root more deeply and extensively in search of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-29T22:46:54.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1039" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1041" CreationDate="2011-06-29T23:13:46.450" Score="29" ViewCount="42819" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found lots of mosquito larvae in my fountain. How can I get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A local store has the doughnut thingies but they are expensive. I'd prefer a homemade solution if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried vegetable oil. It worked but looks ugly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any other suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="384" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-30T21:20:14.110" LastActivityDate="2016-08-04T23:10:54.377" Title="How do I keep mosquitos out of my fountain?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;mosquito&gt;&lt;fountain&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1039" CreationDate="2011-06-30T01:26:13.793" Score="30" Body="&lt;p&gt;Vegetable oil does not work well because it beads up on top of the water and does not spread across the surface. It also goes rancid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mosquito larva breathe air through a little tube while they float on the surface, so &quot;oil&quot; remedies are designed to cut off their air supply. You can try a &lt;strong&gt;horticultural spray oil&lt;/strong&gt;. It only takes a few drops to form a microscopically thin sheen across the water. This is recommended for bird baths so it's pretty safe for the innocent bystanders in your yard. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also try &lt;strong&gt;mineral oil&lt;/strong&gt;. It's completely non-toxic. There are also &lt;strong&gt;non-chemical larvicides&lt;/strong&gt; (that are mostly mineral oil) which are made specifically for this situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pestproducts.com/mosquito_dunks.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;pet-safe mosquito dunks&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; contain Bacillus thuringiensis (&lt;strong&gt;Bti bacteria&lt;/strong&gt;) which mosquito larva eat and die but it is completely harmless to everything else: pets, birds, wildlife, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your pond water is otherwise healthy, you can always try raising some fish. Goldfish, koi or, yes, even the aptly-named &quot;&lt;strong&gt;mosquitofish&lt;/strong&gt;&quot; love the stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2016-08-04T23:10:54.377" LastActivityDate="2016-08-04T23:10:54.377" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1039" CreationDate="2011-06-30T02:03:34.240" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you drain the fountain? If yes, then drain the fountain and pour antiseptic on the fountain. I cannot think of other method. I won't put a fish into fountain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T02:03:34.240" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1043" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-30T02:24:22.607" Score="13" ViewCount="2197" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an abundance of mint that I'd like to use to make mint syrup.  The plants are mildly infested with aphids, but that hasn't stopped them from thriving.  If I harvest the mint, what can I do to wash off the aphids so I can boil it down to make delicious syrup, and subsequently, delicious mint juleps?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="66" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T19:03:15.523" Title="Can I still use mint if it has aphids?" Tags="&lt;mint&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1044" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1043" CreationDate="2011-06-30T03:12:09.263" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just wash them off with a jet of water. They will come off easily. If you have already cut the mint shake them off and rinse off in the sink. Before using the mint check thoroughly. They should be gone and the boiling will make sure that nothing survives. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="387" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T03:12:09.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1045" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1046" CreationDate="2011-06-30T08:26:34.800" Score="20" ViewCount="10965" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a bottle of pickled jalapeno today, and I see there are seeds inside them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is hard for my local area to acquire jalapeno seeds, so I am wondering if it is possible to grow jalapenos from these seeds in the pickled jalapenos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The juice is made with water, salt and acidity regulator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-17T04:36:08.560" LastActivityDate="2019-02-17T13:50:09.037" Title="Can  jalapeños be grown from pickled jalapeño seeds?" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;jalapenos&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1046" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1045" CreationDate="2011-06-30T11:22:10.210" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most likely no.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pickling process typically boils the bottles to a point that kills any organisms in order to prevent spoilage -- this includes the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I say &quot;most likely&quot; because some pickling processes are done cold and use a more natural sort of fermentation. But unless you got your pickled peppers at a very traditional sort of shop or from an old-school farmer at a farmers' market, they've been boiled and the seeds will not grow.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beyond the processing issue, even if the seeds were viable, if your peppers happen to be a hybrid variety, you won't get plants that produce the same fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Considering that you can get 100 viable jalapeno seeds for under US$2, it's really not worth bothering trying to salvage the debris off the bottom of the pickle jar...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-06-30T15:55:31.970" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T15:55:31.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1047" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1045" CreationDate="2011-06-30T11:46:25.693" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with @bstpierre: almost certainly no. Even if they were produced using a process that didn't heat treat them, and they survived the brine, then there's still a very low chance. I am basing this on my observation that most seeds from fresh store-bought peppers do not grow - even though they haven't been heat treated and they are young. Which is another factor: how long have your peppers sat in that jar?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Edit) It sounds like your underlying problem is that you are trying to obtain jalapeno seeds. Big box sellers and grocers often have them. So might the big box garden stores - although healthy plants might be the better choice (which it sounds like they don't have). There are a number of specialist mail order pepper suppliers. You don't say where you are, but for the US, I've used &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.peppergal.com/&quot;&gt;Pepper Gal&lt;/a&gt; for the past 5+ years now. No complaints - just a happy customer. They have lots of seed varieties (I haven't counted but must be over a hundred peppers), so not only can you choose &quot;jalapeno&quot; but you can also choose the 'heat', colour and climate to match your requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-30T14:04:13.920" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T14:04:13.920" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1048" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-30T12:39:04.130" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants can be infected by a number of diseases. These can be caused by micro-organisms (e.g. bacteria, fungi, viruses; and multi-cellular creatures such as nematodes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Macroscopic creatures (e.g. mites and aphids) and water/nutrient problems (too little or too much) can also cause symptoms that can be confused with diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions related to diseases - especially diagnosis, management, and cures. Please include pictures of the affected parts of the plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-06-15T23:34:12.370" LastActivityDate="2016-06-15T23:34:12.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1049" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-30T12:39:04.130" Score="0" Body="For questions related to plant diseases." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-06-15T23:34:04.713" LastActivityDate="2016-06-15T23:34:04.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1039" CreationDate="2011-06-30T12:44:04.053" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't have fish living in it do you?  If not, I would drop some pool chlorine in there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="336" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T12:44:04.053" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1051" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1055" CreationDate="2011-06-30T12:49:57.013" Score="13" ViewCount="5242" Body="&lt;p&gt;I really want to add a tree to my garden, but logistics and budget demand that I plant a sapling and nurture it into a healthy tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really like cherry blossom, so a cherry tree would be ideal. It's not necessary that the tree bear fruit, though that'd be a nice bonus for the local birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the fastest-growing variety of cherry tree that will give me lovely cherry blossoms? What can I do to encourage growth and keep the tree healthy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-30T13:51:27.850" LastActivityDate="2020-06-24T03:04:52.547" Title="What's the fastest-growing variety of cherry tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1052" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1008" CreationDate="2011-06-30T12:53:33.177" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I kept bees a long time ago and I often wish I'd kept the kit because I miss those long gloves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beekeepers need protection while also needing a glove which allows careful and precise hand movements. Typically their gloves go right up the arm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wb7wt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beware, though, beekeeping kit isn't cheap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T12:53:33.177" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1053" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1027" CreationDate="2011-06-30T13:20:19.373" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found a few university studies that showed the healthiest height for most types of grass is about 3 inches.  Depending on where you live, though, this may not be practical.  Some towns and HOAs have a grass height restriction that is somewhat lower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing I've found from multiple sources is that you don't want to remove more that 1/3 of the height of your grass in a single cutting.  If you chop off too much at once, it stresses the grass.  &lt;em&gt;(This may be your problem.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your lawn is really tall, and you need to get it down to the desired height, you may need to do multiple mowings, removing 1/3 of the grass each time.  (Wait a few days between each mowing.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if you are targeting a 3 inch grass height, you should mow whenever your lawn reaches 4.5 inches.  As to &lt;strong&gt;how often&lt;/strong&gt; you should mow to achieve that, it will depend on how fast your lawn grows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;One other thing to consider:&lt;/strong&gt;  If you have a huge riding mower, the tires will also be rough on the lawn.  So, if you have to mow very often (once a week or more), you may end up harming the lawn.  In that case, you may need to deviate from the above guidelines a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="336" LastEditorUserId="336" LastEditDate="2011-07-01T17:58:45.540" LastActivityDate="2011-07-01T17:58:45.540" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1054" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1395" CreationDate="2011-06-30T15:32:52.653" Score="8" ViewCount="3509" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in south-central Pennsylvania and I've heard of hardy varieties of pomegranates that will grow in zone 6b/7a.  What are some of the hardiest varieties that folks have successfully grown and fruited in a similar climate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="118" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:49:14.567" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:49:14.567" Title="What is a good variety of pomegranate to grow in Pennsylvania (US Hardiness Zone 6b/7a)?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pomegranate&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1055" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1051" CreationDate="2011-06-30T15:36:34.413" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the fastest growing cherry trees is the Kanzan cherry (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_serrulata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Prunus serrulata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) which is native to Japan, Korea and neighbouring areas. It is primarily grown as an ornamental tree all over the world for its flowers and rarely bears fruit (this is &lt;em&gt;exactly&lt;/em&gt; what you want!). If you've ever seen a stock picture of a cherry blossom and thought &quot;WoW!&quot;, then most likely, that tree was a Kanzan cherry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3lNGi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is also commonly spelled (or misspelled) as &quot;Kwanzan&quot;, so if you're searching, you might also want to include that term. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/Kwanzan.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this website&lt;/a&gt; that sells trees, Kanzan cherry trees are&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Hardiest of all cherry trees &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Rapidly grows to a mature height of 30-40 ft.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also says this about the blossoms:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The Kwanzan Flowering Cherry Tree is&#xA;  easily the showiest of all Cherry&#xA;  Trees. Its flowers aren’t just pink…&#xA;  but “Double Pink,” meaning you get&#xA;  twice as many blooms as found on other&#xA;  trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although you haven't mentioned what climate you live in, it doesn't seem like it will be a problem, as the tree&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Thrives in almost any soil and climate. Easily grown in zones 5-9.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T15:36:34.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1056" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1059" CreationDate="2011-06-30T16:41:52.947" Score="11" ViewCount="265" Body="&lt;p&gt;Several questions here refer to (hardiness) zone 6a, 7, 5-8, and others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is a hardiness zone exactly? Is it determined only by the temperature (maximum, minimum) or are there other factors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="75" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-12T21:12:04.643" LastActivityDate="2017-02-12T21:12:04.643" Title="What does &quot;hardiness zone&quot; mean?" Tags="&lt;terminology&gt;&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1058" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1056" CreationDate="2011-06-30T17:01:31.243" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;, hardiness zones are only determined by &quot;average annual minimum temperatures.&quot; This means that hardiness zones only take into account average winter weather. They do not account for maximum or extreme minimum temperatures, rainfall, humidity or any other factor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above linked page lists several additional factors that should be kept in mind &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Stress Factors.  We became aware of&#xA;  additional stresses to plants during&#xA;  the 1970's.  Acid rain, gaseous and&#xA;  particulate pollution, security&#xA;  lighting, and toxic wastes, among many&#xA;  other stress factors, have&#xA;  significantly increased the potential&#xA;  for unsatisfactory performance of&#xA;  landscape plants.  We need to document&#xA;  the tolerances of plants to these&#xA;  factors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;New Plant Management Systems.   New&#xA;  techniques of planting, transplanting,&#xA;  watering, fertilizing, and providing&#xA;  pest control measures have done much&#xA;  to increase the vigor of landscape&#xA;  plants.  But used unwisely, these same&#xA;  measures can reduce plant hardiness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Artificial Environments.    We have&#xA;  pushed the use of plants into totally&#xA;  artificial environments such as&#xA;  expressways, malls, elevated decks,&#xA;  and buildings where plant roots are&#xA;  totally removed from the ground and&#xA;  its warming influence.  The assortment&#xA;  of plants that can adapt to such&#xA;  environments is proving to be very&#xA;  restricted.  Hardiness ratings alone&#xA;  are inadequate to guide landscapers in&#xA;  selecting the most successful plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-06-30T17:25:24.050" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T17:25:24.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1059" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1056" CreationDate="2011-06-30T17:57:06.373" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I posted &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1/are-area-specific-questions-ok/26#26&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; to a related question on meta. Quoting the relevant portion here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;USDA Hardiness Zones are based on the average minimum annual temperature. I live in &quot;Zone 5&quot; which means I can expect temps of -10F during the winter. You can look up the temps associated with the various zones in about a million places on the web, including (of course): wikipedia, which also has references to hardiness zones in a number of places around the world.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;While annual minimum temperature is sometimes a useful bit of information, it is often useless:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;A question about the best time to plant cabbages in the spring doesn't care about how cold it's going to be in January. This will be localized, requiring fairly specific information about when the really hard frosts have tapered off. (We get frosts a fair bit later than people who live just 25 miles down the road.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;A question about caring for plants in a warm area may care about how hot it gets in the summer time. Maybe it's ok to start lettuce in July in Fort Kent, ME, but you certainly wouldn't want to do it if you live in Dallas, TX.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;And rainfall: Phoenix and Tampa are both zone 9. But Tampa gets 45 inches of rain a year while Phoenix gets 8. Answers to the question about fast growing shade trees will be radically different -- who cares how cold it's going to get!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;And length of growing season. We have a short growing season (defined as time between frosts): roughly June 12 - Sep 7 (115 days). Last year we had snow on Mothers Day and again in mid-September! I put out my basil a week ago because it looked like it would stay warm and then we got a 38F night. There are annual vegetables that we can't grow outdoors because they won't mature in time. Topeka, Kansas is also in Zone 5, and they have a 175 day growing season -- that's an extra 60 days to ripen watermelon!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;And soil type (clay, loam, sandy) and pH (acid, neutral, alkaline), urban vs suburban vs rural, pests (e.g. we have deer but not pocket gophers) and countless other considerations.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The Zones are useful for figuring out if perennials are likely to survive the winter where you live. Otherwise I'm not sure it has that much value.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you live outside the US, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the maps on this wikipedia page&lt;/a&gt; may be useful, though I don't see specific mention of Hungary on that page.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-16T15:48:38.217" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T21:19:12.830" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1060" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1066" CreationDate="2011-06-30T18:06:07.287" Score="13" ViewCount="2068" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/474/how-should-i-use-corrugated-cardboard-for-mulch&quot;&gt;This question&lt;/a&gt; asks about using corrugated cardboard for mulch. In the comments and the answer there are some questions about glues and inks possibly having &quot;bad stuff&quot; that you might not want in the vegetable garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering about cereal boxes (this type of cardboard in general). They're printed with glossy inks, which from what I read probably have heavy metals? Does anyone know of literature about what's in these boxes/inks and whether it would be safe for mulching around vegetables?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T02:38:21.820" Title="Can cereal boxes be used for mulch?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1061" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1060" CreationDate="2011-06-30T18:37:13.453" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I take it you are referring to using cereal boxes as a weed barrier, instead of using some kind of landscape fabric, that you will then cover with some sort of mulch material, e.g. a 50mm/2 inch covering of compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If yes to the above (in fact regardless of your answer to the above), I personally wouldn't recommend using any kind of colour/treated cardboard or glossy paper or colour printed paper as a weed barrier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why? As such materials are broken down the chemicals used in the original process will leach back into the surrounding soil. Therefore without scientific research and time to see the &lt;em&gt;possible&lt;/em&gt; long term effects, why run the risk of any &lt;em&gt;potential&lt;/em&gt; problems in the first place...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally accepted non landscape fabric web barriers are plain (black &amp;amp; white) newspaper (2 or 3 layer thick) and plain, untreated brown cardboard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a lot! of mulching information, take a look at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensalive.com/article_mcgrath.asp?ai=4#M&quot;&gt;Gardens Alive answers beginning with &quot;M&quot;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-06-30T22:21:07.637" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T22:21:07.637" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1062" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="721" CreationDate="2011-06-30T18:56:18.937" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below is a good general purpose container soil mix formula I've heard mentioned on a few different gardening podcasts that I listen to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&amp;#8531; sharp sand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&amp;#8531; screened high quality top soil/loam&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&amp;#8531; high quality compost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T18:56:18.937" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1063" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1043" CreationDate="2011-06-30T19:03:15.523" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you eat &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/Sanitation/ucm056174.htm&quot;&gt;frozen broccoli&lt;/a&gt;, you've probably already eaten aphids. (That document lists the presence of aphids as &quot;Aesthetic&quot;, so the presence of a few doesn't sound too harmful anyway.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just rinse well and give it an inspection. You're going to boil the daylights out of it and then use bourbon as a &quot;sterilizing agent&quot; anyway :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T19:03:15.523" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1064" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-06-30T19:11:35.303" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most plants can be readily moved from one location to another through the process of &lt;em&gt;transplanting&lt;/em&gt;. The basic principle is to dig the plant up, and then re-locate it in a hole in the ground or a new pot. Care must be taken to minimize root damage, and usually to avoid branch &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/damage&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;damage&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;damage&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants may be transplanted because you prefer the new location, an old &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pot&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pot&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pot&lt;/a&gt; is getting root bound, or to improve the soil quality.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T20:33:31.377" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T20:33:31.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1065" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-06-30T19:11:35.303" Score="0" Body="For questions about moving plants between pots or beds." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-06-30T21:13:03.040" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T21:13:03.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1066" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1060" CreationDate="2011-06-30T20:43:30.473" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cereal boxes have been in the news recently, in Europe. According to the latest research, they may leak harmful mineral oils into the foods they contain - oils which originate mainly from the ink in the recycled newspapers that are used to make them and, to a lesser extent, from the printing ink on the box, and may be carcinogenic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As yet, there is no hard evidence that these mineral oil hydrocarbons that migrate into our foodstuffs are a health hazard ; and even if they are, those that are present in the cardboard might well be converted into harmless substances on contact with the soil, over time. However, given the potential risk, I would definitely avoid introducing them into the food chain by using cereal boxes either as a mulch or a composting material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a very full article about the issue by the UK National Health Service &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nhs.uk/news/2011/03March/Pages/mineral-oil-recycled-cereal-boxes.aspx&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-06-30T20:43:30.473" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1067" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1072" CreationDate="2011-06-30T22:33:24.363" Score="11" ViewCount="2826" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pumpkin vines tend to drop roots at each major leaf along the vine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need to transplant several pumpkin vines that have dropped established roots in 5-6 spots each.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the vine below, the black box is where I will be cutting the vine. However, there are established roots further out on the vine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I better off severing the outside roots, thus keeping only the main root system in the black box?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I attempt to take each root-bunch to the destination? (May not be possible without damaging the vine in transit -- several heavy soil-heavy clumps)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/prRj0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="49" LastActivityDate="2011-07-01T12:51:48.883" Title="Is there a good technique for transplanting medium-maturity pumpkin vines?" Tags="&lt;pumpkins&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13" CreationDate="2011-07-01T02:05:01.987" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is your lawn a &lt;em&gt;warm season&lt;/em&gt; lawn or a &lt;em&gt;cool season&lt;/em&gt; lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's a warm season lawn, I believe the best time of year to establish (or repair) is mid spring to very early summer. For a cool season lawn, the best time of year to establish (or repair) is from August 15th to September 15th (exact date will vary slightly depending on the growing zone you're in).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13/how-do-i-encourage-lawn-seeds-to-germinate-successfully/21#21&quot;&gt;Niall C.'s answer&lt;/a&gt; is a good one, but if you require more detailed information regarding the establishment of a cool season lawn, you may wish to take a look at the following University of Missouri Extension document - &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/g6700&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cool-Season Grasses: Lawn Establishment and Renovation&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some info that is relevant to your question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/g6700#Watering&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Watering&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Newly seeded or sodded lawns require special irrigation. A newly seeded lawn requires daily watering and &lt;strong&gt;may need as many as four light waterings in a single day&lt;/strong&gt; if conditions are dry and windy. &lt;strong&gt;Keep the seedbed moist, but not saturated&lt;/strong&gt;, to a depth of 1 to 2 inches until germination occurs (green cast to lawn and seedlings 1/4 to 1/2 inch tall). At this stage, &lt;strong&gt;it is crucial that seedlings not be stressed to the point of wilt.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also since you're repairing your lawn, this part might be relevant to you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/g6700#tips&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Renovating tips&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Prepare surface for seeding&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;One of the most important steps in renovation is placing the seed in contact with soil.&lt;/strong&gt; This sounds simple, but most lawns have thatch - an intermingled layer of both dead and living plants - over the soil surface. This brown, decomposing layer may be up to 1 1/2 inches thick. Lawns with more than 1/2 inch of thatch should be dethatched.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Seed placed on or in the thatch layer may germinate, but the eventual stand of grass that develops will be poor.&lt;/strong&gt; To ensure good seed-to-soil contact, use power equipment to prepare the surface for seeding. Power rakes, verticutters, slit seeders and core aerators are effective machines for properly preparing the surface for seeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-06-15T19:40:36.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1069" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1039" CreationDate="2011-07-01T06:00:06.347" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably the only way that you'll combat the larvae without adding anything to the water (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mosquitoes.org/FISHPAGE.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mosquito eating fish&lt;/a&gt;, those &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mosquitoes101.com/mosquito-dunks.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;donuts&lt;/a&gt;) is by draining and refilling the fountain on a regular basis.  Unfortunately, most of the recommendations I've heard speak of daily changing (can't find any references at the moment).  The aquatic life cycle of mosquitoes is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;5-14&lt;/a&gt; days, so you might be able to get away with changing the water every few days.  I've also heard &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=253&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;recommendations&lt;/a&gt; of aerators, waterfalls, or anything else that keeps the water moving (I'm assuming your fountain has some kind of feature like that already?), but I'd guess it would need to be fairly aggressive in the amount of water it churns to minimize mosquitoes and their larvae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing it's going to take you a bit of trial and error to figure out what minimizes the both mosquitoes and the inconvenience of having to battle them.  You may even want to just let it sit dry during the worst times of the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And make sure you and your neighbors minimize any other sources of standing water around your yards! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastActivityDate="2011-07-01T06:00:06.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1070" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1071" CreationDate="2011-07-01T08:37:32.237" Score="13" ViewCount="6986" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves on my pumpkin plants have what looks like a white mold growing on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is harmful, how do I treat it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="232" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-01T11:45:18.250" LastActivityDate="2019-08-28T18:02:08.687" Title="How do I get rid of this white stuff on my pumpkin leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1071" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1070" CreationDate="2011-07-01T11:25:51.900" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is almost certainly &lt;strong&gt;Powdery Mildew&lt;/strong&gt; (see photo), a fungal disease that prefers high  humidity and occurs most often during a spell of cool days and humid nights. A severe attack will destroy plants' leaves and reduce their yield. You can control it chemically with a copper or sulfur-based fungicide, or organically, using the following recipe, which I haven't tried myself but I gather is very effective. It is based on research done by Cornell University:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1 tablespoon each of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and either a light horticultural oil or regular vegetable oil, to 1 gallon of water. Shake well before and during application.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g6Uxz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Powdery Mildew on Pumpkin Leaves&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-01T16:10:33.090" LastActivityDate="2011-07-01T16:10:33.090" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1067" CreationDate="2011-07-01T12:51:48.883" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is just a suggestion - but time, I believe is of the essence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you may have a problem with soil compaction around the place where those vines are taking root so I'm not sure how you're going to get it out of there.  What you could do is cover the vine with soil where the topsoil where it is taking root.  Wait a week so while keeping the soil pretty moist (dig a little trench around the secondary root).  Then when you feel that the baby is ready to have it's umbilical cord snipped, do it.  Dig deep and plop it in an empty pot for transporting to your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, this is just a suggestion. But, I really doubt that the secondary root will survive being cut as is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pumpkinnook.com/howto/vines.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.pumpkinnook.com/howto/vines.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-07-01T12:51:48.883" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1073" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-05-25T15:51:08.650" Score="16" ViewCount="177" Body="&lt;p&gt;When planting large plants, like trees or large shrubs, I've always dug a hole larger than the root ball, filled it with water, and then suspended the root ball in the water and used my hand to separate the roots as much as I could. I always thought that this encouraged the roots to push into the surrounding soil and get a good hold rather than the roots circling round and round the ball formed when the plant was in the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there other tips on how to ensure the survival of plants when they are being planted or transplanted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="allindal" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:54:06.740" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T02:54:06.740" Title="What are some tips on planting large plants?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1074" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1073" CreationDate="2011-05-25T20:18:04.667" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;The suggestions I've seen include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make the hole twice as wide as the root ball, but perhaps an inch shallower.  You need space on the sides for the roots to grow into, but you don't want the plan to sink and collect water around the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Tease&quot; the roots in smaller pots, particularly if they aren't root bound.  But for larger containers or where there is a lot of roots wrapping around, physically cut several (maybe 8, spaced equally around the root ball) vertical lines with a utility knife.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Add compost around the hole for the roots to grow into.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mulch around the plant to minimize water loss and weed encroachment.  Leave a small ring of mulch near where the root ball ends that is a bit higher to collect water, but make sure water and mulch are not in direct contact with the trunk/stem of the plant (this avoids rot).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water well, and once the plant appears to be past any transplant shock, gradually change to deep waterings where you give a lot of water, but infrequently, to encourage the roots to grow down and the plant to be more drought tolerant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="270" OwnerDisplayName="B Mitch" LastActivityDate="2011-05-25T20:18:04.667" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1075" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1077" CreationDate="2011-07-01T17:22:50.500" Score="15" ViewCount="1334" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been trying to find out about feeding my peppers plants. So far the information I've found is very inconsistent, so I'd like something as definitive as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When should I start feeding my pepper plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And from then, how frequently should I feed them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T21:28:21.243" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T21:29:12.613" Title="What sort of feeding schedule should I use for pepper plants?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1076" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="852" CreationDate="2011-07-01T17:28:49.527" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's possible you might have dropped some fertilizer when you were spreading it. This can cause certain grasses to thrive and others to die off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Comments added to the question after this answer makes it appear this isn't the case. This is a common reason for patches to look different, however, so I'll leave the answer here in case some future person comes along with a similar problem.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="32" LastEditorUserId="32" LastEditDate="2013-05-16T15:56:25.023" LastActivityDate="2013-05-16T15:56:25.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1077" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1075" CreationDate="2011-07-01T17:53:46.437" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Technically you only need to feed them when the soil is deficient of one or more nutrients. This is probably why you see such a range of advice - people grow them in a range of conditions, composts, etc. For example a pot or re-used compost is more likely to become deficient of nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I usually only feed them once - usually a few weeks after the seedlings (or store bought plants) have been potted on to their final location. This gives them time to get established. I use a general purpose liquid fertilizer feed. My conditions are: raised beds built up with soil and compost (and annually fortified with new compost),  plus pots with mixed store-bought compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other time I've used a feed was a few years ago when I had some trouble with seedlings getting started. Thinking it was an extreme nutrient deficiency essential at germination, I used the feed as soon as the seedlings appeared. With hindsight I suspect I was seeing damping-off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T21:29:12.613" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T21:29:12.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1078" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-07-01T17:55:14.210" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gardeners grow a range of plants for eating. Different plants have different requirements - e.g. they might die when harvested, or harvesting might promote more fruit/veg growth. Use this tag for questions about when to harvest, how best to harvest, and how frequently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should use this tag in conjunction with the relevant tag(s) for the crops that you are inquiring about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-08T23:29:03.387" LastActivityDate="2012-03-08T23:29:03.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1079" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-07-01T17:55:14.210" Score="0" Body="Questions about when and how to harvest crops." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-01T17:59:11.907" LastActivityDate="2011-07-01T17:59:11.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1080" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-07-01T18:28:23.537" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many creeping and/or weak-trunked plants require supports to stop them falling over. In nature, creeping plants will grow up tree trunks and cliffs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gardeners often use supports to make more efficient use of vertical growing space -- growing cucumbers or tomatoes on a support instead of allowing the vines to sprawl around the ground uses fewer square feet of garden space per plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Supports may be houses, trellises, netting, canes, posts, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about providing support to plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-06T13:35:56.430" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T13:35:56.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1081" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-07-01T18:28:23.537" Score="0" Body="For questions about supporting plants, from caging tomatoes to trellising a grapevine to staking trees." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-06T13:36:05.150" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T13:36:05.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1082" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="904" CreationDate="2011-07-01T18:39:46.613" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut the suckers at the lowest point to can get near the roots to control the growth of each sucker. Otherwise you are merely trimming them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you are getting a different plant from the roots because your Bradford Pears likely were grafted from a branch on a mature flowering tree to rootstock from a related but different type of tree with roots that are more viable than your typical Bradford Pear tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="340" LastActivityDate="2011-07-01T18:39:46.613" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1083" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1110" CreationDate="2011-07-01T19:46:51.207" Score="9" ViewCount="5768" Body="&lt;p&gt;I went to mow the yard today and found 1-2 inch plugs of grass pulled out of the ground all over the place. It looks more like the result of digging than a deliberate pulling out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could be doing this, and what can I do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="112" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-10T05:52:57.217" LastActivityDate="2019-12-25T05:50:14.477" Title="What is pulling up tufts of grass all over my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1084" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1166" CreationDate="2011-07-01T23:29:44.220" Score="12" ViewCount="4172" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought these basil plants from the store. They looked a little droopy and wilting. They came with several bunches and they were half off and discounted because they've been there in the store so long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The instructions on the bag indicated to put in a cup of water a little past the root. We did that and they seemed near their death after doing so. Are there any remedies to revive them? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant currently sits indoors in one of my very large beer mug. By my kitchen sink away from the cat. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="290" LastEditorUserId="705" LastEditDate="2012-02-19T04:52:20.313" LastActivityDate="2012-02-19T04:52:20.313" Title="How can I revive wilted water basil plants?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1085" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1460" CreationDate="2011-07-02T13:48:19.243" Score="10" ViewCount="2960" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted an &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/47582/i-Prunus-domestica-i-Oullins-Gage-(C-D)/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ouillins Gage&lt;/a&gt; plum tree some years ago and it died after an attack of bacterial canker, although two nearby apple trees, planted at the same time, were unaffected and are still thriving. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm planning to plant another plum or greengage tree in the autumn, and am hoping for better luck this time. I would prefer a late-flowering variety that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;produces fruit that is very good for eating fresh when fully ripe,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is hardy, &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;disease-resistant, &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a reliable and heavy cropper, and&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;self-fertile (space is limited).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My soil is light and free-draining. I live in &lt;a href=&quot;http://manchester.world-guides.com/manchester_weather.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Manchester, United Kingdom&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a variety of plum tree that meets these criteria?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-22T16:54:55.443" LastActivityDate="2016-10-22T16:54:55.443" Title="What is a good Plum tree that is self-fertile, disease-resistant and a heavy cropper?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1086" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1091" CreationDate="2011-07-03T01:39:01.913" Score="16" ViewCount="37122" Body="&lt;p&gt;The wikipedia article on &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahlia&quot;&gt;dahlia&lt;/a&gt; says that they are perennial plants. However, the dahlia section at my local garden center claims (in their little info booklets) that they are annuals. Upon further research, I &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thegardenhelper.com/dahlia.html&quot;&gt;found that&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Generally, seed grown varieties of Dahlias are started as bedding plants and then treated as annual plants. They will produce tubers during their first year of growth which can be dug and replanted in the same way as larger Dahlias, but because of the ease of growing them from seed, most gardeners prefer to discard the old plants and start fresh the following year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, they're only &lt;em&gt;treated as annuals&lt;/em&gt; and are not really annuals. This coincides with some other articles on the web that suggest removing dahlia tubers and storing them over the winter and replanting them in the spring (i.e., if you choose not to discard them) if you live in a cold place. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: Will dahlias grow as perennials and not die if I just leave them in the ground? I live in SoCal and we don't have winters here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-26T02:29:27.103" LastActivityDate="2017-10-14T19:24:03.977" Title="Can dahlias be grown as perennials?" Tags="&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;dahlias&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1086" CreationDate="2011-07-03T02:34:19.887" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;To confirm (check) your growing zone, plug your details in here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.arborday.org/treeinfo/zonelookup.cfm&quot;&gt;What is my arborday.org hardiness zone?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then read some top quality information from the Missouri Botanical Gardens: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=A445&quot;&gt;Dahlia (group)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With both of those bits of information you should then be in a good position to make a well informed decision.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-07-03T02:34:19.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1088" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1090" CreationDate="2011-07-03T12:34:35.403" Score="21" ViewCount="52773" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 1m x 1m x 0.6m compost heap. I was turning the heap yesterday and was surprised to find that most of the heap hadn't really decomposed, and was in fact quite dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I be regularly adding water to the heap to encourage composting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-24T21:16:45.460" LastActivityDate="2019-03-14T18:17:48.083" Title="Should I add water to my compost heap?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1089" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1096" CreationDate="2011-07-03T12:37:39.683" Score="24" ViewCount="1138" Body="&lt;p&gt;After noticing that some garden hoses carry a warning, &quot;Not to be used for drinking water&quot;, I recently switched to one labelled &quot;non-toxic&quot;. Does this only mean that the hose is lead-free, or also that it is free of the other chemicals in PVC that are thought to cause cancer? Those of us who grow our crops organically, believe that they are (relatively) uncontaminated. Are we unwittingly introducing harmful chemicals into the food chain, every time we water our fruit and vegetables?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know if there has been any research into this, and how safe our hoses are?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-12-01T09:27:46.657" LastActivityDate="2011-12-01T09:27:46.657" Title="Garden Hoses: how safe are they?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1090" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1088" CreationDate="2011-07-03T13:31:52.400" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perhaps not regularly, but certainly whenever the heap begins to look a little dry - successful composting depends on moisture. There is a very good article on composting &lt;strong&gt;and moisture level&lt;/strong&gt;, together with a host of useful links, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.compostinstructions.com/compost-bin-moisture-level/&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, and an excellent one on home composting, by the Royal Horticultural Society, &lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=444&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-03T16:20:32.350" LastActivityDate="2011-07-03T16:20:32.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1091" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1086" CreationDate="2011-07-03T17:30:36.237" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Absolutely.  If you can protect them from freezing (probably not too much of a problem in Southern California) and rotting from too much moisture (again, probably not a problem for you), they should be just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Portland, Oregon and have had some dahlias in the ground for -- I think -- 5 years now.  They're underneath the overhang from my porch, so don't get the full brunt of the winter rains here.  I also get a natural mulch from a nearby deciduous magnolia which protects against freezing.  I have &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dahlias.com/hulinscarnival-item237.aspx&quot;&gt;Hulins Carnival&lt;/a&gt; and a pink dinner-plate variety (can't remember what it's called) planted there, both of which grow 4' to 5' tall, so the tubers are planted deep; this also helps against freezing.  I lift the smaller dahlias (e.g. Figaro and Diablo) that I grow every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2011-07-03T17:30:36.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1092" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1094" CreationDate="2011-07-03T18:29:45.563" Score="16" ViewCount="416" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a chicken in the pot and some (young) celery plants in the garden. Will it damage the plant if I go out and cut a couple of the (small) outer stalks to add a little extra flavor?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-03T21:36:57.383" Title="Can I harvest celery a stalk at a time?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1093" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1088" CreationDate="2011-07-03T19:17:56.240" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below are a few more sites that contain a lot of good composting information that you may find helpful/useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.compost.org/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Composting Council of Canada&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.compost.org/English/backyard.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;At Home With Compost&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Clues on Composting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The composter contents should be moist like a wrung-out sponge. If the contents are too dry, it will take overly long to compost; and if too wet, the contents may begin to smell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Troubleshooting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the pile does not decrease in size or generate heat, composting may need a boost. If the pile is dry, add water - mixing thoroughly. If the pile is wet and muddy, spread it in the sun and add dry material. Remember to save &amp;quot;old&amp;quot; compost to mix with incoming material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/rrr/composting/by_compost.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Create Your Own Compost Pile&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having the right amount of greens, browns, and water is important for compost development. Ideally, your compost pile should have an equal amount of browns to greens and alternate layers of organic materials of different-size particles. The brown materials provide carbon for your compost and the green materials provide nitrogen, while the water provides moisture to help breakdown the organic matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Backyard Composting Approach One&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1 - Select a dry, shady spot near a water source for your compost pile or bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3 - Moisten dry materials as they are added.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;5 - Optional: Cover top of compost with a tarp to keep it moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Backyard Composting Approach Two&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;6 - Top with a 3-inch layer of brown materials, adding water until moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;7 - Turn your compost pile every week or two with a pitchfork to distribute air and moisture. Move the dry materials from the edges into the middle of the pile. Continue this practice until the pile does not re-heat much after turning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6956&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Making and Using Compost&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Location&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because the compost pile may need to be kept moist during dry weather, a convenient source of water should be available. But don’t locate the pile where water may stand. Excess moisture in the bottom of the pile can cause the process to stop or lead to odor problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Layering&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lightly water each layer as it is added. The entire pile should be as wet as a well-wrung sponge. Achieving this result is easier if you water each layer of dry material while building the pile rather than trying to wet the entire pile after it is built.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Care of the pile&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Decomposition will occur even if a compost pile is ignored after it has been built, but it will occur at a slower rate. Adding water to maintain moist conditions and turning the pile to improve aeration will speed the process. To check the moisture content of the pile, squeeze a handful of compost. If a few drops of water can be squeezed out, moisture is about right. If no drops fall, the pile is too dry. If water trickles out, the pile is too wet. Cover the pile with plastic or other materials during wet weather to avoid excessive moisture buildup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Piles may be turned by slicing through them with a spade and turning over each slice. The main objectives of turning are to aerate the pile and to shift materials from the outside closer to the center, where they may also be heated and decomposed. Moisten dry spots in the pile by spraying with water during turning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://compostingcouncil.org/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;US Composting Council&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-07-03T20:33:59.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1092" CreationDate="2011-07-03T19:43:25.317" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, in my experience, harvesting one or two of the small outer stalks won't harm a young plant - it should continue to grow quite happily. Bon appétit!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-03T21:36:57.383" LastActivityDate="2011-07-03T21:36:57.383" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1095" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1088" CreationDate="2011-07-03T22:25:04.473" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/477/how-can-i-keep-my-compost-wet/479#479&quot;&gt;this related question&lt;/a&gt;, I answered:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A handful of compost should be about the consistency of a damp sponge. What I do is add water when I turn the pile: I turn the hose on a little bit, set it in the spot where the pile is going to be, and start shoveling material onto it. After a couple of inches of depth, I raise the hose, so the water trickles into the center of the pile. Then shovel some more, repeatedly lifting the hose every couple inches of depth. This way, the whole height of the pile gets some moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it has been hot, and we haven't had any rain, I'll also dump waste water onto the pile. (E.g. soiled water from animal buckets.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-07-03T22:25:04.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1096" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1089" CreationDate="2011-07-04T03:56:55.913" Score="23" Body="&lt;p&gt;As Rincewind42 posted in a comment above, one of the reasons for not drinking directly from the hose is that they contain lead. Lead is used as a stabilizer for the PVC in the hose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.independent.com/news/2008/mar/27/garden-hoses-safety/&quot;&gt;This helpful article&lt;/a&gt; from the Santa Barbara Independent has a lot of information on hose safety. Another interesting point in that article is that brass hose fittings may contribute to lead contamination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The advice there -- and that I've seen elsewhere -- is to let water run through the hose for a minute before using it in situations where you &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; don't want lead contamination, like a children's wading pool or your dog's dish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the first flush of water coming out of the hose has 100x the &lt;a href=&quot;http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/index.cfm#lead1&quot;&gt;US EPA maximum contaminant level&lt;/a&gt; of 0.015 mg/L, then you'd add 1.5 mg/L of lead to your garden if that's where you first spray the hose. So if the first two liters of water are enough to flush out the hose, you'd add 3mg of lead to the garden every time you turn on the hose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't find a definitive reference to maximum soil contamination levels, but several hits on the US EPA website reference a level of 400 ppm as an action level, and I found some mentions of 1000 ppm as a danger level -- don't grow edibles at this level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it would seem that &lt;em&gt;if&lt;/em&gt; you're:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;using a hose that has contamination at the high end (100x) of the ones tested by the Independent,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;always dumping the first bit of water from the hose on the same spot of ground,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;never add new material (compost, soil, etc) to dilute the old, and&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;growing lettuce (which has a high lead uptake) right on that spot, then&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you might have contaminated food.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An easy way to know if you've got lead in your soil is to get a soil test. My results came back with a level of 3 ppm, which is below the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG2543.html&quot;&gt;natural background soil lead level of 7-20 ppm&lt;/a&gt; for some midwestern US states.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I guess I'll continue using a &quot;leaded&quot; hose on the garden, though I may spray the first bit of water onto the lawn instead of the lettuce (see &quot;Lead in Garden Soils and Plants&quot; in the U Minn link above), and I'll use the kitchen sink instead of the hose to rinse off produce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-04T03:56:55.913" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1097" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1099" CreationDate="2011-07-04T07:05:45.623" Score="17" ViewCount="3732" Body="&lt;p&gt;Doesn't this plant have root rotting property? I tried to grow this in my home which had the tubelight burning only for 6 hours at night. And at the rest of the time it is a shady place.&#xA;We used to change the water after 3-4 days, still its leaves started turning yellow. How do I preserve this plant? I want to see it growing big!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When purchased from the shop, it looks exactly as shown below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EnwAB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="332" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-08-10T16:52:15.830" LastActivityDate="2019-09-09T17:05:12.987" Title="How do I grow bamboo plants indoors?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1098" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1105" CreationDate="2011-07-04T08:42:25.150" Score="12" ViewCount="500" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an issue with my lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bjJC3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;issue&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a huge patch of dead grass just below a covered area. The area gets plenty of sun, but I guess it just does not get enough water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is a good strategy to fix this ugliness now that &lt;strong&gt;winter&lt;/strong&gt; just started? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I bother fertilizing the dead area? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I buy a few more rolls of grass? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I add top soil? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I invest in a sprinkler system for the dead area, if so what?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What about de-thatching?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="408" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-04T18:01:50.347" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T22:35:52.643" Title="What is a good strategy to fix up a lawn in winter?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1099" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1097" CreationDate="2011-07-04T09:14:22.463" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can refer to this &lt;a href=&quot;http://houseplants.about.com/od/typesofhouseplants/a/LuckyBamboo.htm&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt;, I think it is okay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, you changed the water too frequently. You should only change the water if the water is dirty or bad. When you change the water, you should never throw away all the old water, but retain 1/2 of the old water because lucky bamboo plants are sensitive to water quality change. The ultimate solution is - do not throw away the old water, but let it evaporate until you think the water is insufficient, then add some new water to it. It is better to use distilled water with this approach. Add fresh water every 3 to 4 weeks. Patience is a virtue! (You can also use chlorinated tap water, which is sterile, but remember to let it stand for 1 night before use.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you should have washed away any dirt in the roots right after you bought it from the store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And although this is not referenced, most of my local people suggest putting 1 or 2 iron nails into the water. Trust it or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check out what type of light tube it is - if it is hot, it will lead to yellowing of the leaves. Bamboo plants like indirect light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-04T13:58:12.113" LastActivityDate="2011-07-04T13:58:12.113" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1101" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1097" CreationDate="2011-07-04T11:57:46.710" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although I have no experience of this particular variety,  I suspect that the main reason why its leaves are yellowing is that it is receiving &lt;strong&gt;too much direct light&lt;/strong&gt;. These plants prefer indirect light. They are fairly tolerant of low-light conditions and the room in which it lives looks light enough for its needs; the light tube is probably doing more harm than good. I would:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;switch off the light and move the plant nearer to the window. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;change the water less frequently, retaining some of the existing water, as already suggested, but using only bottled water.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;feed it every month or so.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;try growing it in a suitable potting compost (kept moist, but not wet), if, after allowing time for fresh, healthy foliage to grow, there is no improvement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-04T12:37:20.187" LastActivityDate="2011-07-04T12:37:20.187" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1086" CreationDate="2011-07-04T14:06:57.250" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have dahlias in the ground here in ground in Chapel Hill, NC. They have been there for several years.  If the ground does not freeze and if you have decent drainage (mine are in raised beds) they seem to be very reliable returners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2011-07-04T14:06:57.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1103" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="801" CreationDate="2011-07-04T14:11:15.653" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I make French Press coffee every morning.  I have gardens just outside of the back door near the kitchen.   I rinse the grounds directly into the gardens. The grounds gradually decay.  There is no unpleasant odor or problem.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2011-07-04T14:11:15.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1104" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1112" CreationDate="2011-07-04T14:22:11.350" Score="16" ViewCount="718" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in North Carolina and the soil here has an extremely high clay content. I have used soil conditioner that consists of composted pine fines to amend the soil. It does an excellent job of breaking the clay here and things now grow like mad in it.  I also spread compost and dig it in as well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What other things are people doing to make heavy clay soils productive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:45:08.283" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:45:08.283" Title="How should I improve my extremely clayey soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;clay&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1098" CreationDate="2011-07-04T14:27:34.947" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;However drought-resistant the variety of grass, it will need &lt;em&gt;some&lt;/em&gt; water, and clearly this patch below the covered area has received virtually none, hence the problem; so, unless you are prepared for the backache involved in watering it manually, you will have to buy a sprinkler. As I don't have one myself, I can't recommend one, but there are plenty of inexpensive sprinklers for sale on eBay, Australia, &lt;a href=&quot;http://shop.ebay.com.au/?_from=R40&amp;amp;_trksid=p3907.m570.l1311&amp;amp;_nkw=garden%20sprinkler&amp;amp;_sacat=See-All-Categories&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, which should fit the bill. Re-seeding is not an option in winter, because the soil isn't warm enough, so I suggest you: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Square off the area around the patch;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the thatch and the grass around it;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Break up the soil to a depth of about 12- 15&quot;;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add a little topsoil;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apply a good fertilizer (such as Growmore  - 2 oz per sq yard);&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;About a week later, lay the same variety of turf. Fill the cracks between the pieces of turf with some soil to which you have added a little sand, and keep the repair well-watered.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2011-07-04T17:03:03.070" LastActivityDate="2011-07-04T17:03:03.070" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1106" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1104" CreationDate="2011-07-04T17:11:50.957" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the St Louis area so my soil is also very clayey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I make 5 gallons of compost tea each week (from late Spring to earlier Autumn &quot;Fall&quot;) and apply the 5 gallon batch to the front garden one week, then the following week apply a new fresh 5 gallon batch to the back garden. I repeat that cycle for the period given previously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been doing this for 2 years now, and without question I have noticed a massive increase in worm activity eg lots of worm castings on the surface of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The more worms &amp;amp; &lt;em&gt;good&lt;/em&gt; micro organisms you have in your soil, the better your soil will become (at least that is my belief).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-04T22:19:53.320" LastActivityDate="2011-07-04T22:19:53.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="599" CreationDate="2011-07-04T17:20:17.340" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the fall dig the peony and the rose out.  Amend the soil and replant them at a reasonable distance.   You can prune the rose back at that time.  They will recover over the winter and re-establish. Bear in mind that peonies love to be fed.  Don't skimp on that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-07-06T15:00:41.490" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T15:00:41.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1109" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1104" CreationDate="2011-07-04T17:28:12.367" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Compost sounds like the main thing you want. This will primarily add nutritional value to the soil (to be fair clay minerals can hold all sorts of mineral ions - but no humus or water holding ability) but also improve drainage, digging, and it will be easier for roots to penetrate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over time the compost will break down so you will probably always adding it, just at a &lt;strong&gt;much&lt;/strong&gt; lower rate in future years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also add some sandy soil for the first few years - this will do a good job of improving the drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@Mike Perry's advice sounds excellent: The worms will improve the soil fertility, but also do most of the mixing. They'll do a better job than you ever can and help save some hard work!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-22T15:05:52.007" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T15:05:52.007" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1083" CreationDate="2011-07-04T17:59:57.527" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this happen many times over the years.  In my case, it was flocks of crows tearing up the lawn looking for grubs.  It's almost comical how they rip out a piece of sod and toss it over their shoulder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Almost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, the grubs can't be good either.  You might want to try some grub killer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="411" LastActivityDate="2011-07-04T17:59:57.527" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1111" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1554" CreationDate="2011-07-04T19:46:53.297" Score="18" ViewCount="3797" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 6 tomato plants of different varieties grown in planters outdoors. I have heard that there is a recommended limit to the number of trusses (bunches of fruit or number of branches bearing fruit) on a plant after which you should crop the top of the plant. I believe this is to focus growth on the remaining fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this correct? What is the number of bunches/branches I should limit my plants to?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="412" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-08-02T12:06:51.657" LastActivityDate="2011-08-02T12:33:00.747" Title="What is the maximum number of trusses for a tomato plant?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1104" CreationDate="2011-07-04T22:45:00.963" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just to round off the sterling advice already given: if it is available, I would definitely add plenty of well-rotted &lt;strong&gt;horse manure&lt;/strong&gt; (not farmyard or cattle manure, which is more suitable for amending light soils). Over time, horse or stable manure - preferably one that contains plenty of straw, rather than wood shavings - will open up the soil structure, and improve aeration and drainage&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-04T22:59:09.590" LastActivityDate="2011-07-04T22:59:09.590" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1113" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1120" CreationDate="2011-07-05T00:38:59.217" Score="15" ViewCount="3257" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a containerized Chocolate Silk (a.k.a. Summer Chocolate) tree that is two years old (i.e. it was planted in its present container from a branchless and rootless stalk two years ago).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has grown robustly each year, but the foliage seems unbalanced in the sense that there aren't many leaves or branches near the trunk and it keeps growing out but not adding interior growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wXQBq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is there a traditional look or style for Chocolate silk trees&lt;/strong&gt;, and if so how should I prune to achieve it? (My Google image searches mostly resulted in close-up pictures of the leaves; most of the tree-scale pictures were of obviously &lt;a href=&quot;http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2005/07/11/Kachinagirl/972860.jpg&quot;&gt;un-pruned plants&lt;/a&gt; or copies of a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thompson-morgan.com/medias/sys_tandm/8797026320414.jpg&quot;&gt;single picture showing tight foliage&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is there a certain time of year when I should prune&lt;/strong&gt; (i.e. it's early July, is it too late)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More generally, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/prun001.htm&quot;&gt;do overall guidelines for pruning trees&lt;/a&gt; (such as prune when dormant) apply to this varietal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="413" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-05T12:42:14.270" LastActivityDate="2012-09-23T19:41:53.807" Title="Is there a traditional method/style for pruning a Chocolate Silk tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1114" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="722" CreationDate="2011-07-05T01:12:33.500" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;My father-in-law (who has been growing grapes for decades) came over on the weekend and cut off all the shoots.  When I asked him about it, he said that none of them would produce any grapes this year, and they'd end up getting pruned next spring, so there was no harm in pulling them off now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="243" LastActivityDate="2011-07-05T01:12:33.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1115" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1118" CreationDate="2011-07-05T01:35:13.400" Score="22" ViewCount="1897" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our backyard is in a Mediterranean climate (Adelaide plains, South Australia) and we've been gifted a young grafted apple tree which has its root ball still wrapped in plastic. It's about 1.3m (4ft) high now. It's a Pink Lady cultivar grafted onto some unknown rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remembering it's midwinter right now here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How long can I put off planting the apple tree?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much sunlight would it need? Would it be wise to put it up against the eastern fence so it doesn't get the nastiest amount of sun in midsummer?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Any tips to help it survive? Mulch? Fertiliser? How much watering early on?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One last bit of info is that the soil in an area like ours is not great. It is geologically ancient so there's not really much organic matter in it except what you add. It is mostly red, clay-type soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-09-16T03:55:45.573" LastActivityDate="2021-05-13T11:32:36.980" Title="How and when to plant young grafted fruit tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1116" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1119" CreationDate="2011-07-05T01:48:30.310" Score="21" ViewCount="13843" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the images of my citrus below, you can see the leaves are paling towards the edges. What is the deficiency and how can I fix it? The soil is clay-dominated with some sand and coloured red, geologically ancient (Adelaide Plains, South Australia), and was probably under seawater or a marine swamp 1000+ years ago, so not very rich in organic material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure if it's a lime or lemon tree since I haven't seen the mature fruit yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Lt675.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf paling towards edges&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/ZwuiR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;closeup - leaves paling towards edges&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-05T02:03:56.000" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T16:00:13.147" Title="What is my citrus deficiency, based on leaf appearance? And how to treat?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1117" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="722" CreationDate="2011-07-05T01:57:28.100" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a good idea to prune them now before the normal pruning time. They are not going to be useful for the future of the vine or fruit in the short term so they are a waste of energy that would go to other parts of the vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2011-07-05T01:57:28.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1115" CreationDate="2011-07-05T02:16:47.577" Score="16" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The sooner you get it in the ground the better (unless your ground is currently frozen or soon will be).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The more sun it gets the better (IMHO). At the moment you have a small tree, but when selecting an appropriate place to plant the tree take into account its final full grown size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Measure from the bottom of the plastic wrap to the top of the soil. That is how deep you want to dig your planting hole. Planting trees too deep will lead to major problems down the road. The trunk flare should be just visible once the tree is planted. Dig the hole twice as wide as the root ball that is currently wrapped in the plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When putting the root ball into the hole, remove all wrapping material, tease out any roots that are circling the root ball.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Seeing as you said your soil isn't that good, I would mix the existing soil from the hole with the same amount of good quality compost, then use that mixture to back fill the hole. When back filling the hole, make sure you heel it in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the leftover soil make a watering doughnut (approx 100mm high and 1000mm diameter) around the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill the doughnut with 50 to 75mm of mulch (personally I would use good quality compost), start approx 100mm to 150mm away from the trunk* of the tree and work out to the watering doughnut. Using compost as a mulch in this situation has the added benefit of feeding the tree naturally and slowly. Then add a fresh 25mm to 50mm layer when needed (usually once a year).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then fill the doughnut with water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the first year you will want to water at least once a week (you don't want to over water, but then again you don't want the soil drying out).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the tree is planted in a windy location, you might have to stake (brace) it for the first 2 to 3 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*You never want anything covering the trunk flare. The trunk flare needs to &amp;quot;breathe&amp;quot;. A sure way to make a healthy tree, unhealthy (eventually killing it, if the problem is not rectified) is to do something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=volcano%20mulch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;volcano mulch&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Addition:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today (2011-07-18) I was made aware of an excellent, but simple watering guide for trees, posting links to it here (see below), as I believe it's useful &amp;amp; relevant to this question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1574/Don-Gardners-WATERING-GUIDELINES&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Watering Guidelines by Arborist Don Gardner&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cityoflakeway.com/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1574&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Watering Guidelines by Arborist Don Gardner (direct link to PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today (2011-08-07) I stumbled across the below article, posting the link to it here, as I believe it's useful &amp;amp; relevant guide:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orangepippinshop.com/articles/fruit-tree-planting-instructions&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to plant fruit trees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="32852" LastEditDate="2021-05-13T11:32:36.980" LastActivityDate="2021-05-13T11:32:36.980" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1116" CreationDate="2011-07-05T03:19:12.053" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although I haven't come across this problem myself, I have done some research and would say, judging from the first (smaller) photo, that this is probably a magnesium deficiency, to which citrus trees are fairly prone:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Mg -- Always on the oldest leaves first. Bottom center of the leaf is green, and the end and sides are yellow or orange, making an inverted &quot;v&quot; or &quot;Christmas tree&quot; shape to the green part, as it zigzags with the veins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Magnesium deficiency produces a very distinct yellowing towards the apex of the older leaves, with a triangular area remaining green at the leaf base. Affected leaves fall prematurely in late summer and autumn. The defoliation can be heavy when a large crop is being carried. If the deficiency is not corrected it weakens trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://members.fortunecity.com/pjsauber/Citrus%20deficiencies.htm&quot;&gt;Magnesium deficiency in citrus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently, it can be treated with a solution of Epsom Salt (magnesium sulphate, 2 teaspoons dissolved in a litre of water) applied round the base of the tree or, for a quicker result, as a foliar spray:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/factsheets/Gardening-Tips-Books-Techniques-and-Tools/Magnesium-Deficient-Plants/2301&quot;&gt;Magnesium Deficient Plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is some useful information about magnesium and Epsom Salt &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pqcorp.com/literature/citrustrees.pdf&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-07-05T03:19:12.053" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1120" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1113" CreationDate="2011-07-05T12:41:46.487" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looked very familiar as either a &quot;mimosa tree&quot; or a guanacaste, so I looked it up. Yes &quot;silk tree&quot; is another name for &quot;mimosa tree&quot; (guanacaste, the national tree of Costa Rica is tropical and unrelated but looks similar).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree is one of the &lt;em&gt;Albizia&lt;/em&gt; species (there are 150!) of the &lt;em&gt;Mimosoidae&lt;/em&gt; sub-family, so they are distant relatives to the low lying mimosa plants that include &quot;Sensitive Plants&quot;. This also explains their similarity in general shape of compound leaf and fuzzy pink flowers (or mine has pink ones!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yours looks about right and more typical of the ones I see in Texas, than the pictures I could find online(!). This is the best I could find:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9SPes.jpg&quot; alt=&quot; Albizia Julbrissin By George (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This might not be the exact same species but the branches look similar. I think the fact we're seeing a stand with multiple trunks complicates things.  As I say yours looks much like how I see them. The branches are quite springy and grow up and at an angle and level out. A full set of leaves will weigh them down so they'll often arc downwards (yours aren't that long yet), and the general look is of horizontal leaf &quot;canopies&quot;. Might be tempting as leaf shade but it makes a poor shade tree - the leaf cover is thin and as the whole tree is springy it blows easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are non-native to North America and considered invasive in some parts. I actually managed to grow my tree from seedlings that start on their own in back-fill when the city were working on out street, so with less of a winter, I can see how they could become a pest.  (I'll try to get a picture but it might take some time).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mimosa Trees / Silk Trees look nice but they are vulnerable to physical damage. Limbs break easily. I read somewhere that a typical lifespan is about 15-20 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Robust growth sounds right. As is the non-lower-trunk growth. The leaves grow on the branches. My tree is older and it does have a little bit of growth further down - but they are like that &quot;twig&quot; you have (plus one example of mower damage that led to a low level branch sprouting - not recommended!). Let that grow, it will be a new branch. I think you're doing fine. I do note you have more growth on the right - probably due to the sun. I have the same problem with mine growing to one side but this is because an elm is impinging (a long story, but suffice to say the elm will be a decent size when the mimosa dies and I would prefer the large long-lived elm - so I'm letting everything be for now).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning: I've never worried about the time although I tend to prune in spring so by default that is when it gets clipped. I only prune it to stop it getting in the way (eg. growing across our back alley). After a quick look at the URL you posted, yes I cut the branches in that manner. I find it also results in a neater looking branch/trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yours is about the size mine first put flowers out. It was even in a pot at the time - which is apparently unusual. General advice is to plant it out for flowers. Seeds should be viable. My Mum took some of ours and they germinated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I find it can survive short drought conditions and at its worse will drop its leaves but with a good soaking will quickly put out new ones. If you are starting to see large numbers of leaves going yellow and dropping then it is probably too dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt; Here's my Mimosa Tree:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZDrS2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mimosa Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry for the poor quality - it was taken with a phone not long after midday! You can see the general shape though. And the flat canopy-like areas from groups of compound leaves. Some of the more central branches go closer to vertical, but others curve outwards to horizontal. The lower part has three &quot;trunks&quot;: The first (main) trunk has a Y shape with a branch about 1ft up: This was due to squirrel damage on the growing tip when the seedling was about 1yr old. The third branch is smaller and from further down. This is from strimmer/weedwacker damage - I think there's a good argument to remove it, but it does add some depth to the foliage above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lower left branch is bowing down a bit. There's probably an argument to trim it, but I probably won't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also see the elm encroaching on the right. This is from a stump that started growing. The original was a grand tree that gave us a lot of shade. I didn't need much persuading to let it grow back again, even if it comes back as more of a coppice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-05T18:44:26.990" LastActivityDate="2011-07-05T18:44:26.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1121" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1133" CreationDate="2011-07-05T14:17:54.967" Score="14" ViewCount="485" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started my garden this year with 8 tomato plants. Between disease, over watering and a misadventure with a plastic softball I have lost about half of them. My wife wants enough tomatoes to can some salsa and probably some spaghetti sauce and I don't want to disappoint her. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it too late to grab some more tomato seedlings and try to add some more? Is there a late summer/fall variety I should look for that will produce a good number of yummy tomatoes? Our falls are fairly warm and we don't get much frost until October or sometimes even November. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-07-05T19:23:00.560" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T12:53:00.303" Title="Is July  too late to replant tomatoes in North Georgia, USA?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1121" CreationDate="2011-07-05T14:51:37.847" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can find some seedlings, you should still be able to get some fruit. Sounds like you've got about 90 days until frost, which is enough time for tomatoes to ripen -- at least according to the seed packets I've got handy. Just check the time to maturity on the plants you buy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-05T14:51:37.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1123" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1037" CreationDate="2011-07-05T15:05:51.173" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mancuniensis' gave a good answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd add that you won't do any harm if it's right before harvest -- especially if you know the plants really need the water. (E.g. lettuce you're going to pick soon that needs a little watering.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also watch out for plants that are sensitive to changes in watering: tomatoes during fruiting (blossom end rot and/or cracking), cabbages with mature heads (splitting), etc. If you do a &quot;little&quot; watering on a regular basis (weekdays before you head to work), then flood them with water (a weekend soaking) you may injure the crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I invested in a hose timer and some soaker hoses so I can (a) give a good soaking and (b) provide a &lt;em&gt;consistent&lt;/em&gt; amount of water to plants that are sensitive to regular water levels. (Tomato, cabbage, celery.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-05T15:05:51.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1124" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1128" CreationDate="2011-07-05T15:24:25.253" Score="17" ViewCount="7086" Body="&lt;p&gt;Due to an unfortunate incident with a batting tee and a softball, I now have a cutting of a tomato plant growing in pot on my porch. As a pure experiment I started it in a 4&quot; pot and it quickly became root bound. I have moved it into a much larger 14&quot; pot and am wondering if there is anything I need to do to promote fruiting in the plant. It seems to be thriving rather nicely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blossoms appear to be beginning to form, but I am wondering if there is anything special I need to do to encourage fruit or have I done everything I need to do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2015-10-16T11:08:38.240" Title="Is there anything special I can do to promote fruiting in a tomato cutting?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1125" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1129" CreationDate="2011-07-05T15:43:27.607" Score="10" ViewCount="2928" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have four young (2-3 yrs) Honey Locust trees which seem to be doing very well this year. By that, I mean they've shown lots of growth and the leaves are very green and healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trunks of these young trees all have many new shoots of green leaves, and I wonder whether I should prune these off, or if it will be damaging to the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want them to grow tall, but also to provide ample shade. If I cut off the new lower branches, will it cause adverse effects?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found this information:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In order to encourage your tree to branch out on top (to create a mushroom or umbrella style) you can remove the basal limbs. This will keep the base open and bare. You can also remove the top straggly limbs to encourage wide growth on top. (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orchardsedge.com/qanda/deciduous_trees#a36&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I think I should remove these lower new branches. If so, when would be the best time? If not, why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="88" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:40:11.507" LastActivityDate="2017-02-26T16:03:56.253" Title="How should young honey locust trees be pruned?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;honey-locust&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1126" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1127" CreationDate="2011-07-05T15:48:05.810" Score="11" ViewCount="252" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased a home in Utah with an existing Xeriscaped landscaping area, and discovered later that some of the &quot;native&quot; plants were, in fact, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_myrsinites&quot;&gt;Myrtle Spurge&lt;/a&gt;, a ground cover that's considered a noxious weed in at least Colorado and Oregon, but other states are quickly becoming wary of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It tends to grow quickly and spread, and I find that I am removing the new plants each year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking of eradicating all of it, but it does have some aesthetic qualities. I don't mind replacing it with another succulent plant, but I wonder if the noxious weed status is fully warranted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I remove all trace of this plant from my xeriscape?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="88" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-05T15:55:53.963" LastActivityDate="2018-06-04T18:10:16.743" Title="Xeriscaping and noxious weeds" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1126" CreationDate="2011-07-05T15:55:32.747" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks pleasant enough,  &lt;strong&gt;But&lt;/strong&gt; I see you are in Utah - so if OR and CO have such a take-no-prisoners attitude to it, I think eradication is probably the only option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The link you posted even said that cultivation is banned in CO - an unusual status even for an invasive plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, the OR list (linked from the Wikipedia article) lists Mesquite on the OR noxious/invasive list. Here in Texas there's definitely a love/hate relationship with Mesquite but I wouldn't call it noxious and definitely not invasive. So what I'm trying to say is that climate matters. Does your climate resemble the Colorado and Oregon areas that have a problem with this weed? If so, eradicate with extreme prejudice!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-07-05T15:55:32.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1128" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1124" CreationDate="2011-07-05T16:00:42.810" Score="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are a few things you can do to promote fruiting in your tomato plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;1. Remove the suckers&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Suckers are the small offshoots that rise from between the central stem and a leaf node (see image). Suckers need to be removed periodically (aas soon as you see them), as they only suck essential nutrients from the plant, which could otherwise have been used to produce a bigger fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can easily remove these suckers by pinching with your fingers and shaking them loose. You don't need a blade or pruning shears to remove it (and it is recommended that you don't cut the sucker flat, close to the base as that wound takes longer to heal than a wound at the node).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll find that the suckers closer to the top are tiny and easier to pinch off than the ones in the bottom. If, by chance, you haven't tended to them by now and if your suckers are &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; strong, there is a technique called &lt;em&gt;Missouri pruning&lt;/em&gt;, in which you only pinch off the tips of the suckers. The drawback is that you'll have to keep tending to suckers that shoot off from these. You can read more about pruning tomatoes &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/pruning-tomatoes.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. The image is also from that website, however I couldn't find a direct link to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wf4vu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;2. Remove leaves close to the ground &amp;amp; ones in the shade.&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The primary purpose of a leaf is photosynthesis. It needs to produce energy for the rest of the plant. If your leaves are in the shade, there is net energy loss (i.e., they consume more than they produce). It is a good idea to remove these leaves so that the energy is directed upward towards the fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As shown in the picture, some people advocate pruning the plant below the first fruiting cluster, so as to promote airflow and provide it space to grow. I have never done this and my plants have been doing fine. However, I do plan on trying this out with my plants this summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;3. Provide adequate support.&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot emphasize this enough. Tomato plants are easily damaged either by winds knocking down unrestrained plants or snapping due to the weight of the fruits. As such, you'll need to provide good support for them either by enclosing them in a cage (see related questions: [&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/895/do-i-need-to-manage-my-tomato-cage&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/122/what-are-inexpensive-materials-for-homemade-tomato-cages&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;]) or by using a stake. The article linked above also has some good tips on securing tomato plants (the following figure is also from the same page). In brief, you tie the plants to 1) train them and 2) to secure them. In training, you need to tie the leader to the support loosely so as to guide it upwards. Once you have a fruiting cluster, you need to support it by looping the tie around the fruiting vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8l0wk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-07-05T16:00:42.810" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1129" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1125" CreationDate="2011-07-05T17:03:53.070" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking it is best to prune trees when they are dormant. That said you should always remove damaged or diseased limbs immediately (as soon as possible).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A very good rule of thumb is never to remove more than a &amp;#8531; of the plant, shrub, tree bio-mass in one pruning season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would contact your local Extension office and ask them (different areas of the country will have slightly different advice, recommendations to follow, due to local/regional growing conditions).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or one of these fine local institutions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://utahbotanicalcenter.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Utah Botanical Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theutahhouse.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Utah House&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-26T16:03:56.253" LastActivityDate="2017-02-26T16:03:56.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1130" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-07-05T18:51:16.953" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Member of the &lt;em&gt;Albizia&lt;/em&gt; genus, the &quot;Mimosa Tree&quot; or &quot;Silk Tree&quot; is usually grown as an ornamental in North America. It is non-native to North America and in some areas it is considered an invasive species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flowers are pink and &quot;fluffy&quot; and the tree has large compound &quot;feathery&quot; leaves. The general effect has some similarity to the low lying mimosa annuals (incl. &lt;em&gt;Mimosa pudicea&lt;/em&gt; - the Sensitive Plant) to which it is distantly related (sub-family &lt;em&gt;Mimisoidae&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees are physically delicate and generally short lived (15-20 years is typical).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about Silk Trees and Mimosa Trees. Use the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/mimosa&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;mimosa&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;mimosa&lt;/a&gt; tag for the low lying annuals such as &lt;em&gt;Mimosa pudicea&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vHTAC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mimosa Tree ~7 years old&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-07T13:20:41.100" LastActivityDate="2011-10-07T13:20:41.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1131" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-07-05T18:51:16.953" Score="0" Body="Member of the Albizia genus; also known as a Silk Tree; grown as an ornamental tree." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-05T18:59:05.663" LastActivityDate="2011-07-05T18:59:05.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1132" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1146" CreationDate="2011-07-05T18:53:19.587" Score="13" ViewCount="906" Body="&lt;p&gt;My apricot tree is infested with black and white beetles on the branches. They are 2-3 cm / 1 inch long. I can't find an identification on the web. There is no visible damage to the tree. Is this beetle a pest? Should I be removing them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My location is the Mediterranean / Middle East.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8SP3A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OYrBS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="126" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:39:04.990" LastActivityDate="2016-09-18T16:33:09.127" Title="Is this beetle on my apricot tree a pest?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;apricots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1121" CreationDate="2011-07-05T19:49:14.610" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say do it now. Get some seedlings and get them started and you should get a good crop in 90 days. I live in Florida and last year I started tomatoes in November and got a huge crop in the winter. What I did was anytime that the weather got below 40 degrees I covered the tomatoes and they made it through any cold weather just fine. We had many days last December where there was frost and temps in the low thirties and suffered no damage. We harvested steadily for over a month starting in early February. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sasGR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;These are some of last winters tomatoes in containers.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-07-06T12:53:00.303" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T12:53:00.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1134" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-07-05T20:09:47.430" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Gleditsia triacanthos&lt;/em&gt;, or &quot;Honey Locust Tree&quot; is a deciduous tree that is native to eastern areas of North America. Its natural range runs from SE South Dakota to Central Texas in the west, to Massachusetts in the east. It prefers moist soils found in river valleys.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-05T20:11:34.090" LastActivityDate="2011-07-05T20:11:34.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1135" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-07-05T20:09:47.430" Score="0" Body="Deciduous tree, Gleditsia triacanthos." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T03:01:38.510" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T03:01:38.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1136" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-07-05T20:17:24.867" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The term &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/mulch&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'mulch'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;mulch&lt;/a&gt; refers to a ground cover artificially applied to mimic natural leaf cover. Mulches are usually applied to provide nutrients, retain moisture, reduce erosion, for visual appearance, and/or suppress weed growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A range of different materials can be used for mulching, including wood chips, pine needles, leaves, cardboard, manure, compost, grass clippings, and gravel. Note that most of these are organic in origin and will eventually break down. Some will provide nutrients (e.g. compost) whilst others will change the soil chemistry and deter the growth of particular plants (e.g. pine needles).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use these tags for all questions about applying mulches. Questions about specific mediums (e.g. &quot;how to create compost&quot;) should use the appropriate tag instead. Use the mulch tag for questions about applying these mediums.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T20:01:50.023" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T20:01:50.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1137" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-07-05T20:17:24.867" Score="0" Body="Mulches are gardener-applied ground covers." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T20:01:50.553" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T20:01:50.553" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1138" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1139" CreationDate="2011-07-05T20:36:02.913" Score="10" ViewCount="1387" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a rectangular pot on the deck full of ornamental peppers ('Poinsettia' and Chile Pequin &quot;bird peppers&quot;). As is typical of ornamental peppers, they're about a foot high and covered with small fruit. At the moment most are green and few seemed to be ripening to the bright red that they are supposed to be. Yesterday I saw the culprit in action: a mockingbird.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen them go after pepper flowers in the past - not usually a concern at this time of year because it is too hot for them to form fruit. However, this time I have fruit (I think the ornamentals like the heat). And the mockingbirds are eating the actual fruit - probably because they are so small. Even a small pepperoncini is going to be pretty big for a mockingbird, but a chiltepin is just the right size to eat whole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year we do have a lot of mockingbird chicks around. What can I do to keep them away from the pot? A net would not look good. Wires would merely add more perches (mockingbirds are acrobatic and maneuverable birds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although I often take a more pragmatic approach to killing pests, a lethal solution is not appropriate in this situation. Nor is the use of mist nets to catch and relocate them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:36:13.897" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T02:36:13.897" Title="How can I keep mockingbirds off potted plants (ornamental peppers)?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1138" CreationDate="2011-07-05T20:52:35.350" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some kind of physical barrier would probably be the most effective, though as you quite rightly point out, they don't &lt;em&gt;(normally)&lt;/em&gt; look very good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few other possible suggestions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bird Scare Flash Tape &lt;em&gt;- Looks a little funky, but is said to work very! well &amp;amp; I have used similar stuff in the past with good effect.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A fake owl (or other bird of prey) &lt;em&gt;- Tends to look a little cheesy if you ask me.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A fake rubber snake &lt;em&gt;- Tends to look a little cheesy if you ask me.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you're ok! with feeding birds in your garden, you could put out (away from your Pepper plants) some appropriate food for the Mockingbirds and encourage them to eat that instead of your Pepper plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-06T01:31:37.853" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T01:31:37.853" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1140" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="367" CreationDate="2011-07-06T01:11:55.920" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mosquito shoo geraniums were biogenetically engineered with pockets of citronella that rupture and let out the citronella into the air which irritates the mosquitoes feet as the plant grows. They are winter hardy only in tropical regions so they are normally used as potted houseplants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T01:11:55.920" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1141" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="822" CreationDate="2011-07-06T01:21:03.417" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wood ashes sprinkled over the plants causes present worms to shrivel and die and prevents future worms. It also is high in phosphorous and can be used in place of lime. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T01:21:03.417" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="355" CreationDate="2011-07-06T02:13:47.100" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Personally I don't think you can use anything better than good quality compost. It's now the only thing I use as a mulch layer in my garden (not quite 100% true, see below).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost will feed the soil and plants slowly (&amp;amp; naturally) over time...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the end of the growing season the remainder of the compost can easily be dug into the soil without worrying (too much) what's being adding too the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Or if you practice the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/node/67&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;No Dig Growing&quot;&lt;/a&gt; method of vegetable growing you won't be digging the remainder into the soil, instead you will simply add a fresh layer of compost on top.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other mulch material I use in my garden is finely shredded fall leaves. Not quite as good as compost, but if you're having to part with your hard earned cash, finely shredded fall leaves are at least half the cost of compost per cubic yard (metre).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Listed below are a few excellent &quot;mulch&quot; resources (at least I think they are):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://store.extension.iastate.edu/ItemDetail.aspx?ProductID=6198&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Using Mulches in Managed Landscapes -- Sustainable Urban Landscapes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/SUL12.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Using Mulches in Managed Landscapes -- Sustainable Urban Landscapes&lt;/a&gt; (direct link to PDF)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plantpath.osu.edu/people-and-programs/faculty-directory/emeritus/hoitink-harry-a-j/index_html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dr Harry Hoitink at Ohio State University&lt;/a&gt; (page contains a number of relevant  articles, publications)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-01-19T21:56:17.463" LastActivityDate="2012-01-19T21:56:17.463" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1143" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1144" CreationDate="2011-07-06T11:40:55.293" Score="7" ViewCount="11361" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing pepper plants on my window sills, and yesterday had a minor incident.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While reaching over one of the plants in the bathroom, to close the window above it, my foot slipped and I caught myself by grabbing the window frame, while doing so I crushed a leaf between my arm and the frame, and tore it almost all the way down the middle, lengthways.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I remove this leaf it? Leave it alone? Something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture of the damaged leaf:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KLGXP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;photograph of pepper plant leaf showing full-length lengthways tear in leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-08-23T23:56:31.423" LastActivityDate="2011-08-23T23:56:31.423" Title="What should I do with a leaf that was almost torn in half?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1143" CreationDate="2011-07-06T12:10:34.380" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like you have plenty of other foliage, you can either leave the leaf alone or just pull if off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaving the leaf on may slightly increase your plant's infection risk as the exposed surface is fairly large, but honestly plants are pretty good at preventing that when its only a minor injury. The benefit of this, as mentioned in a comment is that the leaf may still be capable of productive photosynthesis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plucking the leaf will leave you with a minimal opening for infection (just the location where the plant is attached to the stem) so that may be the better option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Honestly I don't think you will do much harm to your plant whether you leave it on or off. Plants lose leaves all the time for a variety of reasons, they also take damage to their leaves for a variety of reasons (bugs, birds, humans, even hail). They are pretty well prepared to deal with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I would do is leave it alone for a few days, but if the leaf shows signs of getting infected or wilting, then I would pull it off and move on with my life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-07-06T12:41:42.030" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T12:41:42.030" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1146" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1132" CreationDate="2011-07-06T14:43:54.203" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agroatlas.ru/en/content/pests/Capnodis_tenebrionis/&quot;&gt;Capnodis tenebrionis (L.). - Peach Flatheaded Rootborer&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They seem to be fairly problematic, and HIGHLY UNWANTED.  They are very destructive to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Larvae and adults damage saplings and young stone-fruit cultures. Adults devour cortex, leafstalks, and fruit buds. Orchard bushes lose their leaves after C. tenebrionis mass abundance. Economic significance is greater in southern arid regions, especially in Eastern Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Irrigation of orchards during oviposition period is one of the pest control measures because it destroys most eggs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="62" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T14:43:54.203" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1147" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-06T15:54:06.000" Score="23" ViewCount="14193" Body="&lt;p&gt;Credit where credit is due, this idea is pinched from over here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://diy.stackexchange.com/q/53/3138&quot;&gt;Tools that every Do-it-Yourselfer must own&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What tools should every gardener own, have at their disposal (preferably essential tools)? As this is a community wiki there is no one right answer to this particular question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructions:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;One tool (item) per answer please (so they can be voted on by the community)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clear formatting like this:&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;[TOOL (ITEM) NAME]&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;[Reason why tool is essential/useful/good]&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;[Photo if it makes your submission easier to understand]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you believe this tool to be one of the first tools a beginning gardener should own and master,  please mark it as such and give a justification, such as &quot;this highly advanced hoe takes the place of a rake and a shovel and a cultivator&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:22:11.787" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T03:27:47.167" Title="What are the (essential) Tools that every gardener should own?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="20" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="10" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-06T16:35:03.840" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1148" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2011-07-06T16:09:21.803" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gardening Trowel&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It must be the tool I use the most - whether it is for planting small/medium plants out; filling plant pots with compost; or even re-arranging the gravel ground cover on a 'desert' pot or the xeriscape bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't buy one that is going to break in half - but don't dig in soil with a trowel that is likely to break your trowel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0rnOf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A Trowel&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A trowel is a must have for beginning gardeners because it takes the place of:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A shovel, if your garden is small.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A transplanter, although it is more cumbersome&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A weeder (for getting rid of dandelions)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="10" LastEditDate="2011-07-07T18:36:14.880" LastActivityDate="2011-07-07T18:36:14.880" CommentCount="2" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-06T16:35:03.840" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1149" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2011-07-06T16:16:10.113" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spade&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Indispensable for turning over the soil on my allotment - I would be lost without it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ajZcB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="1871" LastEditDate="2013-02-23T20:57:57.637" LastActivityDate="2013-02-23T20:57:57.637" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-06T16:35:03.840" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1150" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2011-07-06T17:57:26.393" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hoe&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Valuable to help cut through weeds and move / cultivate soil.  Comes in many types (ex. hula hoe, stirrup, flat, etc.) and most all work well to help cut weeds just under the surface easier.  Used any time you need to chop, push, or pull amounts of soil or crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jGZpP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hoe in action&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A hoe is a must have for a new gardener, it can make up for the absence of the following tools:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tamper&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Row maker (these are usually makeshift anyway)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Weeder&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cultivator &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="347" LastEditorUserId="10" LastEditDate="2011-07-07T18:23:46.293" LastActivityDate="2011-07-07T18:23:46.293" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-06T17:57:26.393" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1151" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2011-07-06T17:57:38.387" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Scuffle Hoe&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Makes weeding 100x faster than pulling each one by hand. Just pull it back and forth through the soil to cut off weeds at the surface. A quick pass once a week keeps beds weed-free. Keep it sharp!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000H5XTEC&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;scuffle hoe http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/310oqLOWCDL._SL500_AA300_.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T17:57:38.387" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-06T17:57:38.387" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="121" CreationDate="2011-07-06T18:28:08.097" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Slaymore contains &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.inchem.org/documents/pds/pds/pest88_e.htm&quot;&gt;bromadiolone&lt;/a&gt;, an anticoagulant that is toxic to rodents and other mammals, as well as poultry and fish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A data sheet on bromadiolone claims that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.inchem.org/documents/pds/pds/pest88_e.htm#3.8&quot;&gt;it will not be taken up by plants&lt;/a&gt; in case of spillage. It also &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.inchem.org/documents/pds/pds/pest88_e.htm#4.3&quot;&gt;talks briefly about cleaning up spills&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even with this information, I'd be hesitant to apply that compost to anything I'm going to feed my family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For future use, you may want to investigate bait stations that prevent the rat from removing the bait.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T18:28:08.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1153" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2011-07-06T20:11:17.260" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Garden Scissors&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Useful for trimming back aggressive vines, over-grown squash, cleaning up monkey grass, or harvesting lettuce!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZJFeu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T20:11:17.260" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-06T20:11:17.260" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1154" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2011-07-06T20:48:13.780" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ames 7 in 1 tool &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's a tamper &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's a ruler&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's a trowel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's a twine cutter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's a weeder&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's a sod cutter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's a gall'dern bag opener&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pbuGL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T20:48:13.780" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-06T20:48:13.780" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2011-07-06T21:24:24.997" Score="13" Body="&lt;h2&gt;Rake&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Useful to lightly till/loosen soil, remove weeds that aren't too stubborn, level the soil and collect fallen leaves and cut grass. Rakes come in two basic shapes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The sturdily built &lt;strong&gt;soil rake&lt;/strong&gt; and&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A more flexible and fanned out &lt;strong&gt;grass rake&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can afford only one rake, get the soil rake as you &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; use it to collect leaves (maybe not grass all that well), but you certainly can't use the grass rake to work on soil. Images below from wikimedia commons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Soil rake&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9VNq2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Grass rake&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LyoYd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-07-06T21:24:24.997" CommentCount="1" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-06T21:24:24.997" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22" CreationDate="2011-07-06T21:37:53.783" Score="29" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although the label might say it's ok to plant again after 2-3 days, do note that different products have different time frames and you should read the label for &lt;em&gt;your&lt;/em&gt; product carefully.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even then, you shouldn't trust manufacturer's claims. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/Roundup-Glyphosate-Factsheet-Cox.htm&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; cites a 1993 EPA study showing that glyphosate (Roundup) half-life can persist in agricultural soil for over four months. (Scroll down to figure 6 and the section titled &quot;Persistence and Movement in Soil&quot;.) And that's just the &lt;strong&gt;half-life&lt;/strong&gt;! Glyphosate does not break down quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that Monsanto has been in trouble in both &lt;a href=&quot;http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/fraud.pdf&quot;&gt;New York&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8308903.stm&quot;&gt;France&lt;/a&gt; for false advertising regarding Roundup biodegrading in soil and exaggerated safety claims.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-25T17:47:59.853" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T17:47:59.853" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1158" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2011-07-06T22:52:35.233" Score="14" Body="&lt;h2&gt;Hose&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Helps get water from point A to point B.  Usually, point A is a pressurized water faucet and point B is a plant.  It's the only tool I use on a regular basis.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A soaker hose is useful for getting water from point A to everywhere between point A and point B, slowly and evenly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See also: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1147/essential-tools-that-every-gardener-should-own/1159#1159&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;bucket&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;watering can&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Garden_hose.jpg/800px-Garden_hose.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-08-14T05:34:12.373" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-06T22:52:35.233" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2011-07-06T23:59:17.533" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bucket&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GmJje.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;there&amp;#39;s a hole in my bucket&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A very handy multipurpose tool.  I prefer deep plastic buckets from wine kits.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Great for:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Weeding, put weeds in the bucket and then take it to the compost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Load it up with dirt / mulch / rocks to transport to a place a wheel barrow won't reach.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Turn it over and sit on it (thx Peter)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Watering, if you don't have a watering can, or if you want to know the exact amount you are watering. (thx Jon) (see also: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1147/essential-tools-that-every-gardener-should-own/1158#1158&quot;&gt;hose&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="422" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T11:54:40.160" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-06T23:59:17.533" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1160" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1085" CreationDate="2011-07-07T00:35:48.357" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No personal experience as I haven't grown plums, but the panel of gardening experts on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/gqt&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardeners' Question Time&lt;/a&gt; podcast always mention Victoria Plum as a relatively easy &amp;amp; good variety to grow in the UK, when asked questions about growing plums in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few more varieties to take a look at:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=1533&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Czar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.orangepippin.com/plums/rivers-early-prolific&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Early Rivers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greengage&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Greengages&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Addition:&lt;/strong&gt; You may want to listen to, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/gqt&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardeners' Question Time, 22 Jul 11: RHS Show Tatton Park, Cheshire&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/gqt/gqt_20110722-1600a.mp3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;direct link to MP3&lt;/a&gt;, @ 21mins:40secs in. Recommends a couple of types of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.chewvalleytrees.co.uk/products/detail/old-greengage/3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Greengages&lt;/a&gt; to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-22T16:50:41.680" LastActivityDate="2016-10-22T16:50:41.680" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1161" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="715" CreationDate="2011-07-07T00:54:44.940" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it were me (having grown it from seed and looked after it for 20 odd years), I'd most definitely give it a further year in the ground, before making a final decision on removing it (fingers-crossed it won't come to that).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the meantime I would:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spread a 50mm layer of good quality compost all the way around it (about 1 to 1.5m diameter). This will feed the shrub naturally and slowly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep a regular eye on it &amp;amp; check for any sign of pest damage/infection.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In warm, dry spells, make sure it gets a good drink (water slowly &amp;amp; deeply).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Propagate, take a cutting or two and try to grow new stock on (therefore if worst case scenario strikes and you lose the original, you will have a new shrub from the parent stock).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If the shrub was still in the ground when winter arrives and appears to be making a recovery, I would come up with something to protect it through the worst of the winter weather.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-07T15:42:50.290" LastActivityDate="2011-07-07T15:42:50.290" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1162" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="236" CreationDate="2011-07-07T01:31:11.820" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very few plants will tolerate hot air blowing on their leaves. An echo-friendly method of solving the problem doesn't spring to mind - unless you can find some way of deflecting the hot air (perhaps with screens) - and installing a fan would seem to be the only way forward. However, you could try the following plants, which adjust well to hot, dry conditions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chinese Evergreen&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gollum Jade &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Curry Leaves (Murraya Koneigii - not to be confused with Curry Plant, Helichrysum italicum)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;as well as the herbs mentioned by @Bill in 'Comments':&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rosemary&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sage&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thyme&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;N.B.&lt;/strong&gt; Given your edit, stating that the heat generated is about 31-32 degrees C, I think that the plants I have suggested would be unlikely to survive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-07T09:07:20.290" LastActivityDate="2011-07-07T09:07:20.290" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1163" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2011-07-07T02:05:40.400" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use a &lt;strong&gt;D-Handled Spade&lt;/strong&gt;. I worked as a professional gardener for more than a decade, and while I first went with a long straight-handled spade, I changed over to the short and perfected my digging technique after a few years. I think it saved my back, and I know nothing else does the deed as well if you're double digging. Also you should sharpen the bottom edge with a file for best performance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="424" LastActivityDate="2011-07-07T02:05:40.400" CommentCount="1" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-07T02:05:40.400" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="331" CreationDate="2011-07-07T02:16:26.680" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pinch for sure. Another trick is to let the plants grow in pots and when you transplant, bury them four inches deeper. This promotes more root growth. Stay on it. Pinch frequently until they are producing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="424" LastActivityDate="2011-07-07T02:16:26.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1165" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="219" CreationDate="2011-07-07T02:19:37.130" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are succulent, and I've seen them thrive in very hot, dry weather (Kona, Hawai`i). If they don't get enough sun or if they get too much water, the plant will be lanky. Use lots of nitrogen rich fertilizer to get them to produce plentiful blooms. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="424" LastActivityDate="2011-07-07T02:19:37.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1166" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1084" CreationDate="2011-07-07T08:21:30.960" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It may be past the possibility of resuscitation, but I would recommend sunlight. Assuming you're in Texas perhaps not direct sun right now, but more than it would be getting inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also could try pulling off leaves which are already so wilted they're not going to stay or little ones that don't have a large enough surface area to catch much light. This means you're maximising the energy from sunlight that's going to the remainder of the plant, and not letting any go to waste on the lost-cause leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2011-07-07T08:21:30.960" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1167" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1190" CreationDate="2011-07-07T10:06:40.253" Score="9" ViewCount="742" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that Oleander ( Nerium oleander ) is poisonous. Almost every book and webpage about this plant warns the readers. But how poisonous is this plant? I can touch the leaves without any skin irritation. I can prune it without using gloves. What happens if somebody ( a small child, a dog ) starts chewing a leaf?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="75" LastActivityDate="2011-07-08T17:26:30.550" Title="How poisonous is Oleander?" Tags="&lt;poisons&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1168" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="53" CreationDate="2011-07-07T10:41:54.453" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to those already given (insufficient humidity and very high ambient temperature), one of the most common causes of leaf-tip/ edge browning is an over-dry compost, resulting from:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;insufficient watering;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;ineffective watering*&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*Where a peat-based potting compost has dried out completely, and has very often shrunk away from the sides of the pot; the water just runs through the gap and exits the pot without really wetting the compost. Many potting composts - particularly peat-based ones - are very difficult to wet, if they are allowed to dry out; surface watering is ineffective, and the best way to ensure that the compost is thoroughly wet, is to stand the pot in a bucket of water (to just below the rim) for an hour or so, and then drain it for a time to ensure that the plant is not sitting in water afterwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-07T10:59:07.667" LastActivityDate="2011-07-07T10:59:07.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1167" CreationDate="2011-07-07T11:31:55.157" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wiki describes it as 'one of the most poisonous plants in the world', &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerium_oleander&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, and children are known to have died from chewing its leaves, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uk.gardenweb.com/forums/load/medi/msg0910564120092.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. Although it only seems to be dangerous if ingested, I would give it a wide berth, particularly if there are children or pets around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-07-07T11:31:55.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2011-07-07T12:58:06.643" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fork&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have two types of spade listed, so we should really have the fork. An excellent complement to the short-handled spade, the fork is useful when there's a lot of humus, roots or vegetation in the ground that is being dug. Eg. nothing else can really be used to empty a compost bin with its hidden half-composted twigs&amp;roots; or areas where there are lots of roots (eg. from neighbouring trees and shrubs). They are also useful for areas with lots of surface 'thatch' and for turning single-dug gardens into double-dug gardens or double-dug gardens into triple dug gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8AHKI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fork is a must have for the beginning gardener.  It can make up for not having:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A cultivator (the kind you stick into the soil and twist)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;An aerator &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A small child with a hammer (for breaking up dirt clods)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A shovel, when digging certain types of soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-27T15:32:59.630" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T15:32:59.630" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-07T12:58:06.643" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1171" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-07T14:59:37.417" Score="19" ViewCount="45611" Body="&lt;p&gt;Will cauliflower do anything after you pick the main flower &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/745/what-happens-to-a-broccoli-plant-after-it-has-been-decapitated&quot;&gt;like broccoli&lt;/a&gt; or should I just pull the whole plant out when I'm harvesting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2021-03-12T03:10:07.750" Title="Does cauliflower produce secondary growth after the main harvest?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;cauliflower&gt;" AnswerCount="9" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1172" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2011-07-07T15:16:25.627" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;5 Tined Garden Cultivator&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never figured out how to use one of those twirly cultivators without getting it all gummed up.  Fortunately a co-worker was getting rid of all his inherited gardening tools and I got one of these.  It beats a hoe for getting rid of annoying weeds.   But it is pretty much useless against grass. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to cultivate your garden deeply for a rotating crop without using a gas powered mantis tiller, I'd find one of these puppies. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1D5AI.gif&quot; alt=&quot;Deals weeds a most glorious death&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="10" LastEditDate="2011-07-07T16:58:52.653" LastActivityDate="2011-07-07T16:58:52.653" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-07T15:16:25.627" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1173" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1171" CreationDate="2011-07-07T15:19:48.057" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cauliflower does not usually develop side shoots, therefore most people will dig up the whole plant after harvesting the heads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put the dug up plants in your compost pile, but if there is any sign of disease on the plants dispose of them via other means ie Not via your compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-07-07T15:19:48.057" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="107" CreationDate="2011-07-07T15:54:12.413" Score="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How&lt;/strong&gt; to aerate is covered by the other answers, but as for how to know if you need areation:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can easily sink a spade into your soil down to the handle, it doesn't need to be aerated.  If you have to force the spade into the ground and/or pound it with a hammer, your soil needs to be aerated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other sign that aeration is needed is if water isn't draining into the soil properly (which it sounds like you have).  If you have lots of puddles after a rainstorm, you probably need the soil aerated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="336" LastActivityDate="2011-07-07T15:54:12.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1175" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1181" CreationDate="2011-07-07T16:01:12.563" Score="12" ViewCount="3403" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1171/does-cauliflower-produce-secondary-growth-after-the-main-harvest/1173#1173&quot;&gt;read&lt;/a&gt; that putting the roots of brassicas in the compost is a bad idea because of the risk of disease.  I've also &lt;a href=&quot;http://polystyrenegardenjunkie.blogspot.com/2010/08/brassicas-and-composting.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;read&lt;/a&gt; that you shouldn't even plant them in the same spot for three years! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can you do to mitigate the danger and how dangerous is the danger? I got my first successful crop of broccoli and cauliflower this year and would like to keep it going.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-07-13T07:42:30.473" Title="How dangerous are the roots of brassicas (cabbage, broccoli etc)?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;crop-rotation&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1176" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-07T16:36:34.680" Score="11" ViewCount="3920" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a fairly large and productive fig tree, but we never get to enjoy the fruit because the birds always get to it first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can we do to take advantage of this tree before my wife makes me cut it down for more yard space?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="41" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T02:42:52.517" LastActivityDate="2018-12-27T01:59:20.303" Title="How can we protect a fig tree's fruit from birds?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1178" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1175" CreationDate="2011-07-07T17:22:48.913" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The advice not to plant brassicas on the same plot more than once every three years is not unusual; crop rotation is recommended for all vegetables, as nutritional needs and intake vary slightly from one vegetable group to another; therefore, growing the same group on the same plot year after year may deplete the soil of a particular nutrient and lead to unhealthy crops or, at the very least, a lower yield. In addition, it is likely to result in a build-up of the particularly wide range of pests and diseases that are specific to brassicas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason why we are often advised not to compost their roots is, again, because they are susceptible to so many pests and diseases, and there may be a risk of contamination. My own plot, for instance, is contaminated with Club Root; I have overcome the problem by potting on my cabbage seedlings several times, so that they are very robust when I plant them out and can withstand the disease; I also line the planting holes with potting compost, and thanks to this approach, I've been able to keep the disease at bay, although it is still present in the soil. However, unless there are signs that your crop is diseased or has been attacked by pests, I see no reason why you shouldn't add discarded leaves and roots to your compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-13T07:28:28.067" LastActivityDate="2011-07-13T07:28:28.067" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1175" CreationDate="2011-07-07T17:54:59.713" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The advice to avoid putting brassica &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetable/brassicas/Plasmodiophora-brassicae-club-root.php&quot;&gt;roots&lt;/a&gt; into &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardenofeaden.blogspot.com/2011/01/clubroot-in-brassicas.html&quot;&gt;compost&lt;/a&gt; is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.veggieharvest.com/Vegetable-Growing-Information/broccoli-growing-and-harvest-information/&quot;&gt;widespread&lt;/a&gt;, but not &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetable/cabbages/index.php&quot;&gt;absolute&lt;/a&gt;. If you don't have a club root infection, you can compost the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3059.2006.01399.x/full&quot;&gt;This scientific study&lt;/a&gt; found that &lt;em&gt;Plasmodiophora brassicae&lt;/em&gt; (the club root pathogen) was destroyed when composted in windrows at 54-73°C for 6-7 days with adequate moisture content. My compost &lt;em&gt;sometimes&lt;/em&gt; gets that hot, when all the stars align, but I can't guarantee it's going to happen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since &lt;em&gt;P. brassicae&lt;/em&gt; can survive in soil for a long time, you don't want to be spreading it around in your compost. I suppose that if your brassicas don't show any signs of disease, it may be safe to compost them. But if you do have club root, good hygiene dictates that you should dispose of the debris in a way that won't spread it around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-07T17:54:59.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1182" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1176" CreationDate="2011-07-07T18:00:12.423" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A commercial orchard (apples, peaches, plums) near us uses noisemakers. I haven't seen what specific product they use, but I suspect it is something along the lines of the &quot;Screech Owl&quot; or &quot;Critter Gitter&quot; seen on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.margosupplies.com/public/american1/scare/sight_motion.htm&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also use &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10052&amp;amp;storeId=10001&amp;amp;productId=461452&amp;amp;langId=-1&amp;amp;division=FarmTek&amp;amp;pageId=ItemDetail&amp;amp;isDoc=N&quot;&gt;hanging balls&lt;/a&gt; and other similar devices.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-07T18:00:12.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1183" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="168" CreationDate="2011-07-07T19:24:38.980" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lupins are notoriously susceptible to slugs and snails, which never go further than they have to from their retreat.  My guess would be that somewhere near the lupin that is being eaten a snail lurks beneath a flowerpot or a brick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="433" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-05-29T19:28:03.527" LastActivityDate="2012-05-29T19:28:03.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1184" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1185" CreationDate="2011-07-07T23:27:43.327" Score="16" ViewCount="9503" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large (70L?) moulded plastic pot which is filled with topsoil, and has a freshly planted lilac bush in it. I had noticed this pot did not have drainage holes at the bottom, but had thought that the large volume would allow for a fair amount of water to be locked away in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've quickly noticed that I am getting a fair amount of standing water on top of the soil, even after fairly modest watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I drill drainage holes in the bottom of this pot, or is there another suggestion on how to deal with this situation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="437" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T08:41:31.903" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T08:41:31.903" Title="What should I do about standing water in potted plant?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1184" CreationDate="2011-07-07T23:45:10.657" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it was me, I would most definitely drill some drainage holes in the bottom of that pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Standing water will greatly increase the chance of disease developing within the soil...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Standing water also greatly increases the possibility of plant root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sure there is the odd occasion where one might not need drainage holes in a pot, but I have personally never encountered such a circumstance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-07T23:59:34.890" LastActivityDate="2011-07-07T23:59:34.890" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1186" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2011-07-08T01:24:24.397" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thermometer.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To know exactly how hot or cold our garden or balcony is, for the reference in the future, and to record the growth of plants in whatever temperature. It is also used by serious compost people.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-14T05:35:21.560" LastActivityDate="2011-08-14T05:35:21.560" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-08T01:24:24.397" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1187" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1188" CreationDate="2011-07-08T02:01:40.527" Score="27" ViewCount="21707" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something has been eating my tomatoes just as they begin to ripen. Each day I've been finding one or more tomatoes half-eaten but still attached to the vine. On a couple of days I've also found bits of tomato skin scattered around a wooden chair a few feet away from the tomato plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't seen the critter(s) in the act. I'm guessing it's a squirrel, as we have lots of them in the neighborhood, but it could be some other small mammal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've grown tomatoes in the Sacramento region for years and this is the first time I've had this problem. Does anyone have any ideas on whether it's likely to be a squirrel or some other animal? More importantly, is there anything I can do to keep the critters away?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: I've selected a &quot;best&quot; answer, but please feel free to add your suggestions if you have a better idea. I'd love to find a way to deter the tomato-eating critters without going to the trouble of enclosing my tomato garden in a net.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="363" LastEditorUserId="363" LastEditDate="2011-07-10T09:04:21.547" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T11:06:21.087" Title="How can I prevent squirrels (or other small mammals) from eating my tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="9" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1187" CreationDate="2011-07-08T02:41:38.390" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a situation where a net might be the best option. Put it on stakes to hold it over the plants, and arrange it so it can be easily lifted or pulled aside for harvesting. make sure the net touches the ground so squirrels can't get underneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This spring I made little teepees of chicken wire to keep them off my yucca seedlings. You will want something lighter (and in larger sheets). For squirrels the netting has to go over the plants, they'll easily climb over or jump into a fenced off area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-08T02:58:05.617" LastActivityDate="2011-07-08T02:58:05.617" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1189" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1187" CreationDate="2011-07-08T05:02:16.993" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think I would go with &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1187/how-can-i-prevent-squirrels-or-other-small-mammals-from-eating-my-tomatoes/1188#1188&quot;&gt;winwaed's answer&lt;/a&gt;, but if you find out the culprit is a slightly bigger creature, I might then be tempted to look into getting a &quot;Scarecrow Motion-Activated Sprinkler&quot; system (&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000071NUS&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;like this one&lt;/a&gt;) to &lt;em&gt;humanely&lt;/em&gt; scare away the hungry creatures... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-07-08T16:34:52.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1167" CreationDate="2011-07-08T11:59:47.993" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.inchem.org/documents/pims/plant/pim366.htm#EndDivisionTitle:7.2.1.1%20%20Adults&quot;&gt;INCHEM&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A single leaf may be lethal to a child (Shaw &amp;amp; Pearn, 1979).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just below that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;One leaf of N. oleander may be sufficient to kill a sheep (Shaw &amp;amp; Pearn, 1979).  The lethal dose of N. oleander leaves reported for several animal species is about 0.5 mg/kg.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-08T11:59:47.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1084" CreationDate="2011-07-08T12:54:21.783" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd try an organic supplement spray like Sea Magic.  I've had great success with vegetable, fruit, herb, and houseplants that start to look wilted to get them to perk up again.  It is used to help encourage stronger growth and more production and also helps prohibit leaf decay while stimulating foliage production too.  Sea Kelp or Fish Fertilizer would probably be an option worth trying to perhaps more readily available in garden centers.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="347" LastActivityDate="2011-07-08T12:54:21.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1192" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1167" CreationDate="2011-07-08T17:26:30.550" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know of someone that used oleander branches in their barbecue.  It put those that ate the food into the hospital for quite some time. To be fair, someone else cut the branches, the cook didn't know what the wood was.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="239" LastActivityDate="2011-07-08T17:26:30.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1193" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2011-07-08T17:29:20.347" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hori Hori&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are only a couple of tools that I have hooked onto my belt so they're always by my side.  One that I usually have is a pair of good, sharp hand clippers (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=hand%20clippers&amp;amp;oe=utf-8&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;um=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;amp;tbm=shop&amp;amp;cid=8684928799062230217&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=szsXTvuBNo2isQPtv5HfDQ&amp;amp;ved=0CD8Q8wIwAw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Corona 1&quot; clipers&lt;/a&gt; are my weapon of choice), but the one that I always have is a Hori Hori knife.  It's a great tool to always have right at hand for any number of jobs, such as attacking weeds (both in the dirt and from cracks and crevices in pavement), digging up small plants (bulbs, roots, potatoes), cutting through roots, turning soil, making small holes for plantings, and so on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's nearly indestructible, has a good edge, just sharp enough for coarse gardening work, and a serrated side. Having it always by my side means fewer trips back to the shed to get a bigger tool (spade, hoe, or whatever).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZpCTP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hori Hori&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastEditorUserId="93" LastEditDate="2011-07-08T18:04:44.477" LastActivityDate="2011-07-08T18:04:44.477" CommentCount="1" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-08T17:29:20.347" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1194" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1195" CreationDate="2011-07-08T17:41:27.107" Score="7" ViewCount="4006" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are the odds of getting a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shea_tree&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Shea Tree&lt;/a&gt; to grow in South Carolina, USA? Temperatures here in SC range from mid 30s (occasionally around 40) Centigrade in the summer to -10 at the coldest days of the winter. There is usually consistent rain so that oaks, peaches, and apples grow easily. The soil is mostly mildly acidic clay and sand. There is a eucalyptus tree in our yard which grows fine but not terrifically. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-06T00:13:38.843" LastActivityDate="2019-10-28T16:19:24.423" Title="What are the odds of getting a shea tree to grow in South Carolina, USA?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1195" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1194" CreationDate="2011-07-08T18:00:12.473" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In gardening (nearly) everything is worth a try (IMHO). If you're successful you will learn a lot! and enjoy great satisfaction. Even if you're unsuccessful you will still end up learning a lot! from the experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, the tree you wish to grow is of good (final) size, won't be able to bring it inside during your cold winter months, and will take many years before producing nuts that can he harvested (if that is your ultimate goal). Also your growing conditions are going to be very! different from its native habitat &quot;West Africa&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before making a final decision on whether you wish to invest the time into such a project, I would seek some expert advice from horticulturists that are located in your specific area of the country. Since moving to the USA I have found local (cooperative) extension offices to be an excellent place to start:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/about_us/contact_us.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Contact - South Carolina Cooperative Extension&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a (other) reason why you might want to contact your county (local) and/or state government or local Cooperative Extension Office and seek their advice:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've heard on more than one gardening podcast I listen to regularly, that some county and/or state governments have actually made it unlawful to introduce certain plants, tress, etc, into the environment they govern, especially those they deem non-natives.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not for one minute saying your particular situation, or county and/or state government falls under the above. I'm just making you aware of something I heard one more than one occasion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-13T17:44:30.250" LastActivityDate="2011-07-13T17:44:30.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1196" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2568" CreationDate="2011-07-08T18:27:22.833" Score="14" ViewCount="1191" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like the way it looks and might want to get one but I need to know what it is. The location is Minnesota.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RRYWw.png&quot; alt=&quot;Unidentified Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="195" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-10-14T19:07:49.533" LastActivityDate="2012-10-14T19:07:49.533" Title="What is this large leafed plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1197" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-07-08T18:32:56.547" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/herb&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;herb&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;herb&lt;/a&gt; is a plant that is used for its flavor, scent, and/or medicinal qualities. As such, herbs are usually considered as edible (those used for medicinal or spiritual purposes can sometimes be poisonous when consumed in even low quantities).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Culinary herbs are distinguished from other edible plants (i.e. vegetables) by their use. Vegetables and fruit are consumed for food and nutrition. Herbs are added for flavor or scent, and add little nutritional content to the food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Culinary herbs are a popular kind of plant for gardeners - especially those with limited space as they don't usually require much space and fresh herbs have a superior taste to dried grocery-bought herbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Medicinal herbs are consumed in culinary 'spicing' levels for real or alleged medicinal properties. Many of these are toxic when consumed in larger quantities (e.g. St. John's Wort and kava). Modern pharmaceutical medicine has its origins in herbal medicine (e.g. aspirin/salicylic acid from willow), but many medicinal herbs continue to be untested. Many are undoubtedly helpful, but most are probably ineffective and a few toxic examples probably remain to be identified. Therefore caution should be used when taking herbs for medicinal purposes - especially obscure herbs or if you are taking them in larger quantities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T00:39:48.630" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T00:39:48.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1198" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-07-08T18:32:56.547" Score="0" Body="For questions about herbs - plants typically used for flavor. For questions about specific herbs use this tag along with the appropriate herb tag like [basil], [mint], [rosemary] and more." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T00:40:01.240" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T00:40:01.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1196" CreationDate="2011-07-08T18:37:36.170" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canna_%28plant%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Canna (lily)&lt;/a&gt; to me (sorry don't know which particular family/variety).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may find the following videos from the University of Illinois Extension of some interest:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/podcasts/gc/201107_851.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Use Cannas for Extra Drama in the Garden&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/podcasts/gc/201010_720.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Overwintering Cannas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-26T19:53:01.747" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T19:53:01.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1200" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1201" CreationDate="2011-07-08T20:24:45.043" Score="34" ViewCount="62463" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a batch of &quot;zesty blend&quot; lettuce seeds. They seem to be doing fine, but suddenly they started flowering:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cHfXw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flowing lettuce&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have they bolted? They look healthy otherwise. Still edible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="98" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-08T21:10:31.060" LastActivityDate="2014-08-04T18:50:56.640" Title="My lettuce is flowering - does that mean it has bolted?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;bolting&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="8" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1201" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1200" CreationDate="2011-07-08T20:38:31.517" Score="28" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, bolting means &quot;flowering and ready to set seed&quot;. When it sends up that long flower stalk, it's all done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for &quot;is it edible&quot;: it will probably be bitter enough that you won't &lt;em&gt;want&lt;/em&gt; to eat it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lettuce in summer is tricky -- long days and heat makes it want to bolt. Now that you've seen it happen once, you know what it looks like and you can keep an eye on it next time around and harvest it once it starts to show signs. Giving it some shade can also help it last a little longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you still have seed, I'd go ahead and start another batch -- starting a few new plants every couple of weeks will keep you in lettuce from now until the ground freezes solid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-08T20:38:31.517" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1200" CreationDate="2011-07-08T20:39:25.060" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Simple answer is yes, flower shoots on lettuce is a sure sign of bolting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lettuce is a cool season crop, meaning it prefers to be grown in mid to late Spring and (early) Autumn (Fall).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your lettuce was planted in full sun and temperatures have constantly been over 75&amp;#176;F (24&amp;#176;C) during the day time, that is the cause of the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-08T20:44:49.813" LastActivityDate="2011-07-08T20:44:49.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1200" CreationDate="2011-07-08T20:41:04.620" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears as though it has likely started to bolt.  You can attempt to eat it but be warned as it may be slightly tougher and bitter than you are accustomed to.  The longer you wait the worse of it will potentially taste but it is still edible.  If it's not to your liking, simply pull it up and put it in your compost pile (if the seeds are not yet mature) and attempt to grow some more as the season allows you to. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="347" LastActivityDate="2011-07-08T20:41:04.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1200" CreationDate="2011-07-08T21:09:22.277" Score="21" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lettuce often runs to seed prematurely when it is stressed. Apart from the reasons already mentioned, &lt;strong&gt;drought&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;overcrowding&lt;/strong&gt; can cause it to bolt. As pointed out, you can eat it after it has bolted, but it will have a bitter flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mine do better when under a thick-mesh netting &lt;strong&gt;grow tunnel&lt;/strong&gt; (see photo) which provides them with some much-needed shade and also protects them against bird and slug damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SrwQT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Grow Tunnel&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-08T21:14:24.300" LastActivityDate="2011-07-08T21:14:24.300" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="767" CreationDate="2011-07-09T06:50:14.343" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I consider seed collecting to be a part of the whole experience of gardening.  Experiment a bit.  If something works, keep collecting those seeds, if another one doesn't, go on and try harvesting from a different plant. I think it's just more rewarding when you get a plant from seeds you harvested and sowed yourself, the same way it's more rewarding to pick that first tomato plant from the vine rather than from the produce aisle.  Also, it give you something to do as your garden is winding down for the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastActivityDate="2011-07-09T06:50:14.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1200" CreationDate="2011-07-09T06:59:34.023" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nothing about going to seed means you can't eat them, but as others have pointed out, you may not want to at that point due to a tenancy for the greens to get tougher and a bit more bitter the further into the seeding stage the plant has gone.  That said, I'd still consider giving the greens a taste even after they've flowered.  I've found different varieties hold up for a bit longer than others.  Greens that are tougher or a bit bitter to begin with (rocket/arugula and mustard greens) still taste pretty good even though there might be a flower or two, whereas softer lettuces (buttercrunch) might as well go straight to the compost bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did meet someone who said that bolted lettuce was good for making &lt;a href=&quot;http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/590074&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;lettuce soup&lt;/a&gt;, which would certainly deal with the fact that the leaves get tough after bolting, though I suspect that a bitter lettuce will make a bitter soup.  I can't say that I've ever tried this, though I've always been curious.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're going to keep re-sowing your greens as the year gets warmer and lettuce is more likely to bolt sooner, you should start harvesting the plants earlier.  As long as they have a few well developed leaves, a young lettuce salad is very nice.  Pull the whole small plant, cut off the root, clean and eat. (As bstpierre pointed out you can snip the plant rather than yank the whole thing, see his comment below this post for more information).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And, of course, once you've reached the end of the season, it's never a bad idea to let a plant go all the way to seed, so you can harvest the seed for sowing in subsequent seasons (see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/767/can-i-harvest-vegetable-seeds-and-store-for-the-next-year/&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/632/proper-container-to-preserve-seeds&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for some Q&amp;amp;A on saving seeds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-07-10T10:18:01.170" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="391" CreationDate="2011-07-09T12:20:58.737" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a very full description of the various types of hormone rooting compound &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oakleafgardening.com/glossary-terms/hormone-rooting-compound/&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As already pointed out, it is supposed to stimulate root formation; I have tried using it on  cuttings a couple of times, but haven't fond it effective; in fact, if anything, some of the cuttings would probably have done better without it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to the New Encyclopedia of Gardening Techniques (Royal Horticultural Society):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;. . . . If the stem cutting is propagated from a&#xA;  healthy plant and at the correct season, then the use of such hormones&#xA;  is usually of no advantage whatsoever. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The concentration of hormone applied  to induce root formation is not the best concentration to cause root development.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;By applying the hormone the roots are induced to form, but if they&#xA;  emerge and come into contact with the hormone.... this&#xA;  may cause the roots to die off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-12T02:31:30.993" LastActivityDate="2011-07-12T02:31:30.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1208" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-09T13:30:17.550" Score="15" ViewCount="384" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soil in the city I live in is quite often &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ecologyaction.ca/files/images/file/Community%20Garden%20Heavy%20Metal%20Contamination%20Study.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;contaminated&lt;/a&gt; with nasty things like arsenic and lead.  Levels are sometimes twice or more what's considered acceptable.  For this reason, people usually garden in imported soil in raised beds rather than directly in their own backyards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering how risky it would be to use leaves (most commonly maple) from untested soil as mulch or as bedding for vermicomposting worms.  Would different varieties of trees be more/less likely to deposit contaminants in their leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="92" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:35:16.570" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T02:35:16.570" Title="What is the risk of soil contamination via leaf mulch/compost?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1209" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1208" CreationDate="2011-07-09T16:27:51.630" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653599005019&quot;&gt;This study's summary&lt;/a&gt; suggests that arsenic in fruit trees ends up mainly in the heartwood. (I don't have access to full text, so I don't know if there are any caveats.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The book &lt;a href=&quot;http://books.google.com/books?id=VfKlnAhI9JEC&amp;amp;pg=PA120&amp;amp;lpg=PA120&amp;amp;dq=tree+leaves+lead+arsenic&amp;amp;source=bl&amp;amp;ots=eurVXty5P5&amp;amp;sig=7JrlUvf5tNSieACM5MQ5JNaeC2I&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;ei=IH0YTqfRF-nc0QHP37CXBQ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;oi=book_result&amp;amp;ct=result&amp;amp;resnum=4&amp;amp;ved=0CC4Q6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&amp;amp;q&amp;amp;f=false&quot;&gt;Arsenic, By Assembly of Life Sciences (U.S.). Committee on Medical and Biologic Effects of Environmental Pollutants&lt;/a&gt; looks like it &lt;em&gt;may&lt;/em&gt; contain the answer to your question, but I can't find it at the moment. A quick reading of a few dozen pages suggests that (a) trees that take up certain forms of arsenic will show signs of toxicity but (b) sometimes you might not be able to tell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But a general answer may not be what you really want anyway. What I would do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you're getting leaf compost from an external source (e.g. municipal compost), ask them if they test for heavy metals.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If they don't test, or if you're making your own, give your local cooperative extension service a call to see if they will test compost/leaf mulch for heavy metals, and how they recommend taking a sample to send in for testing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-09T16:27:51.630" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1210" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1212" CreationDate="2011-07-09T18:38:58.630" Score="15" ViewCount="1468" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that tomatoes should be transplanted deeper than they were in the previous pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I'm potting up broccoli and cabbage, are they the same way? Can I bury part of the stem when I go from a 6-pack to a pot, or from a pot to the garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I'm especially interested because my current batch of broccoli got a little leggy when I started them under the lights.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-09T20:57:43.007" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T15:35:25.437" Title="Do brassicas like to be transplanted deeper than the previous pot?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1211" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="954" CreationDate="2011-07-09T19:48:10.817" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never seen the species before, but a stab in the dark: Winter Cassia? (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?100056&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Senna bicapsularis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; aka &lt;em&gt;Cassia bicapsularis&lt;/em&gt;). The curved anthers in that group are pretty distinctive, but I'm not at all certain that it is bicapsularis, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MwXL6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Photo by: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/epingchris/4589263144/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;石川 Shihchuan&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-27T19:18:10.193" LastActivityDate="2011-12-27T19:18:10.193" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1212" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1210" CreationDate="2011-07-09T20:37:57.003" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I pot on (transfer to a larger pot) brassica seedlings, I always bury part of the stem, so that their lowest leaves are just above the surface of the soil. This encourages more root formation and gives them greater stability, particularly if they are leggy. So far, this method of transplanting has worked well for me, although I don't use it for the cucurbits (courgettes/ zucchini, squash etc), as these are fairly prone to stem rot. Of course, it's important to avoid over-watering and ensure that the compost/ soil is free-draining.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-07-09T20:37:57.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1213" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1200" CreationDate="2011-07-09T20:57:11.873" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, if your lettuces are putting up a long tall central stalk and/or flowering then they have bolted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might want to check out the question &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/5222/culinary-uses-for-bolted-lettuce&quot;&gt;Culinary uses for bolted lettuce?&lt;/a&gt;&quot; on the cooking Stack Exchange (asked by, ahem, your correspondent some months ago).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:33:29.830" LastActivityDate="2011-07-20T10:49:26.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1214" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1215" CreationDate="2011-07-09T21:08:04.297" Score="11" ViewCount="610" Body="&lt;p&gt;(Asiatic Garden Beetles are a new pest in the mid-atlantic and northeast US.  They look like a smaller, cinnamon-colored European Chafer, the size and shape of a coffee bean.  The grubs do the usual grub thing.  The adults are nocturnal and feast on vegetable and flower foliage.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're in NH, and are going to lose our basil plants if I don't come up with a way to control these things (adults) within a few days - they are defoliating the plants.  I'm thinking to put row cover over the plants, but I want to be sure I'm going to be keeping the beetles out - not in!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-07-09T21:50:45.647" LastActivityDate="2011-10-20T02:11:10.753" Title="Where do Asiatic Garden Beetles spend their days?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1215" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1214" CreationDate="2011-07-09T21:30:12.750" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, as I live in the UK, where this beetle isn't a problem, I can't offer you any advice based on personal experience.  However, I have just done a quick search and hope the following links help. Apparently, the adult beetles spend their days just below the surface of the soil - close to their favorite meal! - before emerging at night. There is a very full article about their lifestyle, by Virginia Tech, &lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/444/444-108/444-108.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is another very informative paper on their life cycle and steps that can be taken to control them, by the University of New Hampshire, &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.unh.edu/resources/representation/Resource000542_Rep564.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-09T22:52:22.447" LastActivityDate="2011-07-09T22:52:22.447" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="108" CreationDate="2011-07-09T22:12:58.870" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many builders will fill a lot with &quot;fill&quot; which sounds like what you're describing.  This is not a suitable planting medium, so you will need to add topsoil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're working with a landscaping company, they should be able to tell you whether or not you need to add topsoil.  The only reason for removing the existing before adding new topsoil would be to maintain the current grade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="243" LastActivityDate="2011-07-09T22:12:58.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1218" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1263" CreationDate="2011-07-09T22:40:14.827" Score="10" ViewCount="135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a small plot to buckwheat as a green manure / cover crop this spring. Today I chopped it down, put the cuttings in the compost, and tilled the stubble under.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to make another planting of buckwheat (it's only 40d to flower), but I'm wondering if I should wait before I replant or would it be ok to spread some seed tomorrow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T22:33:22.927" Title="Tilled under buckwheat, how long to wait before replanting?" Tags="&lt;cover-crop&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1219" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1220" CreationDate="2011-07-10T00:08:07.617" Score="16" ViewCount="191" Body="&lt;p&gt;We buy scallions from the market and consume everything but the bottom parts of the plant (I guess it's like white bulb part?). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a chance that it will still grow even after refrigeration? The scallions have small roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="290" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-23T18:28:53.990" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T22:51:48.063" Title="Will scallions grow after using them?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1220" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1219" CreationDate="2011-07-10T01:08:41.857" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh yes, they will. I always do this and one or two bunches from the store is enough to produce green onions for an average household for a few months. While the scallions are refrigerated in the store, I try to chop off the bulbs as soon as I get home and plant them. However, a day or two's delay shouldn't matter. Onions are generally very easy to grow (probably harder to get the perfect onion).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I normally plant them in 2 groups. The first is in bunches of 6, so that the bulbs are really crammed below and don't grow much. This makes the leaves stay young and tender for longer (I don't have anything to back this claim... just what I've observed), and I regularly harvest them for my salads/soups/noodles, etc. Harvesting the leaves regularly also means that they never go to flower (bolt). However, the yield decreases after a few months and at this point, I just grow another set of bulbs from the store and once they're ready, throw these out. Repeat cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second group is in bunches of 4 like in the picture below (I parted the soil a little to show the bulbs). This way, they have enough room to grow into little shallot sized onions (these are not exactly shallots, although I use them as substitutes) yet not enough to become full sized onions. However, the leaves in this case (because I don't harvest them) are longer, stiffer and more mature than the first case and not exactly suited for recipes where you just sprinkle chopped green onions in the end (effectively being raw). In dishes where it is cooked, it tastes perfectly fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XIkmL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-07-10T01:08:41.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1221" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1228" CreationDate="2011-07-10T02:44:56.767" Score="16" ViewCount="247" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a cherry tree that is about 2 years old. Strangely, the width of its trunk above the grafting joint is much thicker than that of the rootstock (mazzard) below and I have not seen such a variation in any of my other young trees. Should I be concerned that this might be a weak spot as the tree grows bigger? Will this even out eventually or is there something I can do to &quot;correct&quot; it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9LH9J.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9LH9Jm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="anon" LastEditorDisplayName="anon" LastEditDate="2011-09-24T23:38:23.460" LastActivityDate="2011-09-24T23:38:23.460" Title="How to &quot;correct&quot; uneven trunk widths in a cherry tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1222" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1224" CreationDate="2011-07-10T12:41:42.927" Score="12" ViewCount="150" Body="&lt;p&gt;We transplanted an assortment of pretty flowers for our windowsill some weeks ago (albeit rather crudely) and they were growing bright and healthy. Over the last week, however they've been plagued! I live in Scotland and suspect the pest is the midge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The predominant flower is &lt;em&gt;Phlox drummondii&lt;/em&gt; and this is the flower that is preferentially being eaten by the larvae, starting at the root and lower stem, reducing them to withered hairs (circled); then when the plant collapses the buggers eat the leaves!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried bug spray but this has had little or no effect in trammelling their advance. Many have now become adults. Any advice appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JLm28.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="451" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-10T12:49:04.777" LastActivityDate="2011-07-10T13:36:09.400" Title="How do I identify and eradicate the pest that is destroying the plants in my flowerbox?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1223" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1226" CreationDate="2011-07-10T13:16:35.523" Score="24" ViewCount="13857" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have spotted that one - and only one - of my peppers plants has a number of small black flies of some type hanging around the soil. And while writing this I've &lt;em&gt;just&lt;/em&gt; spotted that one (and only one!) of the leaves has what I guess might be aphids on the back of it. So I'm now even more concerned than I was.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I first spotted the bugs 2 or 3 days ago, and it's definitely the case that the black flies are living on, or around, the plant given their behaviour and location. They are most often walking around the soil or pot, occasionally sat on the lowest leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant &lt;em&gt;seems&lt;/em&gt; healthy at the moment (as much as my negligible experience can tell) and doesn't look like it's being eaten or anything, but I guess this might not last long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that there is another pepper plant about 30cm away, which is showing no signs of similar pests or anything on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What should I do?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Having started doing research on the web, can I just say that the plants are &lt;strong&gt;indoor potted plants&lt;/strong&gt; and I have no external garden whatsoever; introducing another insect that will eat these is not possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some images to hopefully help:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the bugs sat on the pot by the soil line:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fw8V7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;One of the bugs sat on the pot by the soil line&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the back of one concerning leaf:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qpgN2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The back of the single leaf that might have eggs on it?&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-08-23T23:55:54.233" LastActivityDate="2011-08-23T23:55:54.233" Title="Insect infestation on my pepper plant, what do I do?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1222" CreationDate="2011-07-10T13:20:48.180" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Given the time of year, the insect's appearance in the close-up and the fact that you live in Scotland, the damage is almost certainly being caused by the infamous Scottish midge - which has spoiled so many of my holidays in the Highlands!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have never experienced this problem myself, but I have done a quick online search and the following advice, which will involve transplanting your seedlings into sterilized potting soil, seems very sound. It will apply to flower as well as vegetable seedlings:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/80033-rid-gnats-vegetable-seedlings.html&quot;&gt;How to get rid of gnats on vegetable seedlings&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-10T13:36:09.400" LastActivityDate="2011-07-10T13:36:09.400" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1225" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-10T14:30:06.687" Score="6" ViewCount="1028" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought some gooseberries and planted them in some self-watering containers. They did well for a few weeks but now one has lost all of its leaves and the other is losing some leaves, while other leaves are turning yellow and brown. In short, they are not thriving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've moved the containers a few times to adjust the levels of sunlight -- one thing I tried was to put them next to currants, which are doing well -- but this hasn't helped. More recently, I added some additional compost, heavy on eggshells, with the idea that this would provide missing nutrients. Still no dice. Any ideas? If it is relevant, I live in Massachusetts, near Boston.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="315" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:00:07.380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:00:07.380" Title="Why aren't my gooseberries thriving?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;soft-fruit&gt;&lt;gooseberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1226" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1223" CreationDate="2011-07-10T14:35:52.850" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you take the plant outside? And do you have access to an outside hose?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your answer is a &quot;yes&quot; to both of the above questions, a hose nozzle that delivers a sharp stream of water offers a very! effective method. When using this method, make sure you take your time and blast the whole plant (eg underside of the leaves).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After doing that, I would then submerge the potted plant in water for an hour or two (this will drown any pests within the soil (or at least wash them out).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you've completed the above tasks, I would then put the potted plant in a sink or bath tub for a day or so ie Quarantine the plant for a day or two, so you can ensure you have got ride of the unwanted house guests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-10T18:48:14.873" LastActivityDate="2011-07-10T18:48:14.873" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1227" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1225" CreationDate="2011-07-10T14:46:24.340" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I can remember from my childhood (we grew gooseberries in our back garden), gooseberries are a pretty large, rambling bush, therefore they need space (this definitely includes plenty of room beneath the ground so their root system can spread out...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So unless your containers are very! large, I would hazard a guess the gooseberries are pot-bound ie The roots haven't enough room and are choking themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-07-10T14:46:24.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1228" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1221" CreationDate="2011-07-10T15:07:24.010" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not an expert, but this suggests to me that the twig/ bud that was used for the graft (the scion) was taken from a far more vigorous variety than the rootstock, and therefore their growth rates are incompatible or, perhaps, that the graft was not well done (see photo).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I doubt that you can do anything to &quot;correct&quot; it. If the tree crops heavily, it would be advisable to give it some support, to compensate for the increased strain on the union which is almost certainly weak.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z7iwz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plum Cherry Graft&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grafting&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Grafting - Wiki&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-07-10T15:07:24.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1229" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1223" CreationDate="2011-07-10T15:11:42.847" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The things on the leaves don't look like them but small black insects on the soil sound like springtails - which should not be a problem for the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you decide to get rid of them (and whatever the insects on the leaves are), then I would use pyretheum. This is derived from an extract of chrysanthemum and as insecticides go, is on the safe side. It is often sold for food plants and delicate plants such as orchids. You will still want to wash any fruit after picking, and to try avoid spraying any fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A soap spray would be an organic alternative but I don't know how effective it is against all insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-07-10T15:11:42.847" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1230" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1225" CreationDate="2011-07-10T16:02:03.673" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is no doubt that gooseberries, while preferring the open ground, can be grown successfully in containers, provided that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;you plant no more than one per container;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;the container is large enough - ideally, at least 2 feet deep by 2 feet wide;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;the compost is free-draining;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;they are watered and fertilized regularly;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;they are not over-watered (the soil should be slightly damp, never wet);&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;you keep an eye out for pests.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If several leaves are turning yellow (rather than brown which would suggest under-watering) and falling at the same time, I think this may be caused by over-watering; it is worth checking whether your container is delivering the right amount of water..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a very full article on growing gooseberries in pots &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.container-gardening-tips.com/container-fruit-gardening/growing-gooseberries-in-containers.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-07-10T16:02:03.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1231" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1235" CreationDate="2011-07-10T18:11:06.060" Score="10" ViewCount="2582" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've got a large potato bush that we would like to move from one part of our yard to another.  Are there any special steps that we should take to ensure a successful moving?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bush is 8-10 feet tall at this point and just doesn't work where it is any more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="452" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T11:14:45.633" Title="Any special steps which should be taken when transplanting a potato bush?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1232" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-10T18:29:12.267" Score="7" ViewCount="1327" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got a plant pot in my room, growing some coriander.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I noticed some dusty stuff at the foot of the stalks, and upon closer inspection they are tightly clustered tiny little bugs!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are all over a lot of my plants, tiny little green dots!  Are they going to kill my plants?  They have spread to my chilli plants :(  They sort of make the stalk look textured and weird.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="240" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:57:09.750" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:57:09.750" Title="What are these little green bugs on the roots of indoor plants?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1233" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1238" CreationDate="2011-07-10T18:36:35.990" Score="11" ViewCount="2235" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have bought a garden in Austria (Central Europe) which has some grape vines (I don't know the exact kind). The previous owner told me they harvested 20 kilograms of grapes last summer. Currently (early July) the vines are bearing a good handful of grapes -- still developing of course, less than 0,8cm each -- but a friend told me that the grapes would not be good unless I remove some of the fruit, so that the remaining fruit will be better (sweeter, juicier). I found &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/819/pruning-a-long-neglected-grape-vine&quot;&gt;this similar question&lt;/a&gt; which says to prune in early spring. Since I didn't prune then, my question is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Can I thin the fruits in July? If so, how? If not, will the grapes be any good this year?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Considerations of how the vine would grow next year aren't relevant because I will be building a house here next year and the vine will have to be sacrificed. This year, I'd rather have few but enjoyable grapes than buckets full of bad ones, so I would not mind pruning ruthlessly, to get &lt;em&gt;any&lt;/em&gt; good ones this year. I'm just hoping it's not too late for that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CBC26.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;There is apparently only one vine growing; another one or two seem dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="453" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T05:44:01.160" Title="Can I thin grapes/vines in July?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;&lt;thinning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1232" CreationDate="2011-07-10T19:14:46.513" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are these aphids? They do cluster - especially around buds, where they can cause damage. An indoors infestation can quickly spread to other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The organic method is a soap spray (never used it) - I use pyrethrum which is considered less harmful for food plants and delicate plants. You will still need to wash leaves/etc before eating, and be careful where you spray it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For identification, the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid&quot;&gt;Wikipedia article has some photos&lt;/a&gt;. There are lots of different kinds of aphids, including ones which are 'farmed' by ants - you won't have those, but it gives you an idea of the diversity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-07-10T19:14:46.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1235" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1231" CreationDate="2011-07-10T19:21:19.993" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Transplanting any plant (shrub) during the summer months isn't the best thing you can do for your plant, unless you really have no other choice as to the time of year you can move it. The stress of the move &amp;amp; the heat of the summer makes for a powerful combination that can very easily result in failure (death of the plant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would personally wait until early to mid Autumn (Fall) before transplanting. If you can wait until that time, I would start preparing the new spot, IE Dig the soil, add in any appropriate medium to get the new planting area ready.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you do move the plant, dig all the way around it and as far out from the plant as you can, you want to limit the damage as much as possible to the root system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have to move the plant a reasonable distance, it would be safer, easier (for you) and better for the plant (considering it's of good size) to work a tarp under and around the root-ball (added benefit of keeping the root-ball encased in soil during the lifting and moving processes). Then when moving the plant, pick it up (manhandle it) via the tarp.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dig the new hole only as deep as you have to, IE When you put the plant in the new hole it shouldn't seat deeper in the soil than it did previously. Also dig the new hole twice as wide as the root-ball you managed to remove from the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Back fill the hole with the material you dug out, making sure you heel it in well as you go.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then give it a long, slow drink, you really want to water it in well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-07-11T11:14:45.633" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T11:14:45.633" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1236" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1223" CreationDate="2011-07-11T00:06:32.730" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;These small, black insects which cluster together look like the blackfly that sometimes infest my broad beans. If they reappear after the water-blast treatment, I would spray them thoroughly with a solution of soapy water; it saves using chemicals, costs virtually nothing and works a treat. To my mind, always better to take the organic route if possible, particularly when dealing with indoor plants or foodstuffs..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T00:06:32.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1237" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1233" CreationDate="2011-07-11T01:44:29.230" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In Florida my grapes are in their third year and have finally developed some fruit worth keeping. I am not sure where you live, but unless you are living in a very warm climate I would say that you should probably not worry about pruning. It is probably too late to start new fruit. Just nurture the ones that you have and maybe you can have a good last harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T01:44:29.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1233" CreationDate="2011-07-11T03:18:32.030" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don't prune unless the vine is dormant.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What your friend was probably meaning was to snap off some of the grape clusters (fruit)  so that the remaining grapes will be sweeter. This only works if the grape plant produces more fruit than it can supply with adequate sugar. Also, (common sense) removing fruit after it is well developed will have little impact on the sweetness of other fruit since the sugar has already been invested. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are only a few hand-fulls of grapes on the vine, I would probably leave the plant entirely alone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if there are more than one (significant) cluster on a shoot and the clusters aren't developed very well, I might remove all except one (or two, if the shoot is large and/or the clusters are small) clusters of grapes from that shoot. (assuming they aren't significantly developed already)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastEditorUserId="59" LastEditDate="2011-09-16T05:44:01.160" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T05:44:01.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1239" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1240" CreationDate="2011-07-11T04:39:40.197" Score="32" ViewCount="6571" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not an expert on plants, but would like to add some plant life to my apartment. I'm looking for good choices that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;don't require direct sunlight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;require minimal watering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;survive for at least a few months at a time&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;have low risk of attracting pests&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonus points for &quot;interesting to look at&quot;. Cacti seem low maintenance and resilient, yes? What other choices are there that I might consider?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="447" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-11T21:21:37.970" LastActivityDate="2020-12-23T19:44:13.003" Title="What are some low maintenance plant choices for apartment (indoor) living?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="12" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1240" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1239" CreationDate="2011-07-11T06:16:14.263" Score="25" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many houseplants can withstand low light intensity. You can google &quot;houseplant&quot;. Some of them can clean the air too, according to a research done by NASA. I have a copy of that research in google doc &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&amp;amp;pid=explorer&amp;amp;chrome=true&amp;amp;srcid=0B52Q1aRDuWTOMWYwY2IzNjgtNjk0Mi00NzIwLTgwZWItY2EyYzlkMGUyOGVi&amp;amp;hl=en_US&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a shortlist of houseplants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hedera helix   English ivy&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chlorophytum comosum   spider plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Epipiremnum aureum   golden pothos&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spathiphyllum `Mauna Loa'    peace lily&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aglaonema modestum   Chinese evergreen&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chamaedorea sefritzii   bamboo or reed palm&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sansevieria trifasciata    snake plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Philodendron scandens `oxycardium'   heartleaf philodendron&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Philodendron selloum   selloum philodendron&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Philodendron domesticum    elephant ear philodendron&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dracaena marginata   red-edged dracaena&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dracaena fragrans `Massangeana'   cornstalk dracaena&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dracaena deremensis `Janet Craig'   Janet Craig dracaena&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dracaena deremensis `Warneckii'   Warneck dracaena&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ficus benjamina  weeping fig &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4hJUB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Snake Plant&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iAKVD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Golden Pothos&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u39EG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Spider Plant&lt;/a&gt; myself. Golden Pothos is very hard to kill because they are pretty good at different environment. You can also plant Golden Pothos in water within a glass container which is beautiful. Among all of them, snake plant require minimum attention. You can water once a month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, cacti require good sunlight and prefer hot, dry environment. In low light environment they don't look very good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-04T15:15:13.190" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T15:15:13.190" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1241" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1242" CreationDate="2011-07-11T10:57:30.120" Score="30" ViewCount="27089" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a smallish black plastic compost bin in my garden and I recently noticed that an ant colony has taken up residence. This has happened a couple of times in the past, but they tend to move on when I turn the compost (not surprising, given I'm ruining their home).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, is their presence actually good for the compost? Do they speed up the composting process by aerating it and dining on the 'food' therein? And if so, should I leave them be for a while?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ants themselves don't bother me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="139" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-12T02:39:50.537" LastActivityDate="2019-02-20T11:15:14.050" Title="Ant colony in my compost bin: are they beneficial?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1242" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1241" CreationDate="2011-07-11T11:26:57.527" Score="24" Body="&lt;p&gt;The composting process depends on a complex chain of organisms -- which can include ants -- to consume and thus break down the food in your compost pile. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost/science.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this page&lt;/a&gt; from the University of Illinois extension service, which comments on ants in compost:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ants - Ants feed on a variety of materials including fungi, seeds, sweets and other insects. They help the composting process by bringing fungi and other organisms into their nests. Ants can make compost richer in phosphorus and potassium by moving minerals around as they work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the ants don't bother you, letting them work on your compost a bit would have some benefit -- you're enhancing the food web by allowing them to stay. The downside is that, by not turning the bin when the internal temperature drops, you may not achieve high enough temps for long enough to kill off weeds and harmful bacteria. But if your mix wasn't going to achieve this anyway, then it's not an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See also the following diagram of the compost food web, taken from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fao.org/docrep/field/003/ab467e/AB467E05.htm#ch3.2.4.4&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this chapter on composting&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bvKAd.gif&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bvKAd.gif&quot; alt=&quot;Compost food web diagram. NRC (National Research Council), 1981a Food, fuel and fertilizer from organic wastes. National Academy Press, Washington, DC., 132 p.&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fao.org/docrep/field/003/ab467e/AB467E40.gif&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;fao.org&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2019-02-20T11:15:14.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1243" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1244" CreationDate="2011-07-11T12:07:50.620" Score="14" ViewCount="5538" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 3 tomato plants in pots right now. One of them is in a large pot and I recently planted some basil in the pot, partly for some extra basil, and partly because I have heard that basil and tomatoes go together nicely (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/98587-benefits-planting-basil-tomato-plants.html&quot;&gt;I think I heard it enhanced the flavor of the tomato, but I don't remember exactly&lt;/a&gt;). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other two tomato plants are currently in smaller pots and I am going to transplant them fairly soon to larger pots the same size as the other tomato plant. I want to put some herbs in that pot too, but I'm not sure if I can handle a ton more basil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What other herbs will go well with tomatoes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:56:14.730" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:56:14.730" Title="What are some good herbs to grow (pair) with tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;companion-planting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1243" CreationDate="2011-07-11T12:19:39.680" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not an herb, but &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hightunnels.org/PDF/Jett%20et%20al%20Intercropping%20Systems%20for%20Tomatoes%20within%20a%20Hig%E2%80%A6.pdf&quot;&gt;lettuce intercrops well with tomato&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have parsley growing amongst my tomatoes right now -- it doesn't seem to harm the tomato any and the parsley is doing well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants&quot;&gt;wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;sup&gt;*&lt;/sup&gt;, and considering the time of year and how much growing you might have left, onion is supposed to help tomato. From the same list, don't plant dill as it is said to attract tomato hornworm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;*&lt;/sup&gt;(I tend to take these lists with a big dose of salt -- some of the information on companion planting is based on bogus science and some of it is based on traditional wisdom. Some of the traditional wisdom has been confirmed by proper experiments and some of it has been proven wrong. E.g. the traditional lists don't pair tomato and lettuce, but the study referenced above shows that it works.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-11T14:58:27.220" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T14:58:27.220" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1245" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1243" CreationDate="2011-07-11T12:42:21.207" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chives, Oregano, Cilantro, Mint, Basil, and Parsley all grow well as a companion to tomatoes.  Some such as the Basil and Chives are said to enhance the flavor of the actual fruits as well but most all of these help deter harmful pests (such as aphids, certain beetles, etc.) while also helping attract beneficial bugs.  Oregano in particular when it spreads out helps provide ground cover resulting in increased soil warmth too.  Mostly it will depend on your preference for what herbs you prefer or will use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="347" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T12:42:21.207" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1246" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1241" CreationDate="2011-07-11T12:58:20.283" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agreeing with @bstpierre but as I find they are usually a pest (bites,etc) I put ant powder on them. There's always a tinge of regret and I try to use a minimal amount of powder because that stuff also kills all the other bugs and insects that live in compost. I need a more selective alternative but I suspect there isn't one.   luckily we haven't had ants in our barrel for a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T12:58:20.283" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1247" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1243" CreationDate="2011-07-11T14:21:36.330" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;From a culinary perspective:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you're planning spaghetti sauce, then plant basil, oregano and parsley. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you're planning salsa, plant cilantro.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That probably didn't need to even be said, but it seems to be the answer,  I don't think you should plant them in the same pot as your tomatoes though. If you had them outside in the ground, I'd say go for it (on the sunnier end of your tomatoes), but your tomatoes are going to wind up towering over your herbs regardless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-12T00:53:53.027" LastActivityDate="2011-07-12T00:53:53.027" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1248" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-07-11T14:50:22.503" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A poison is a chemical that can cause harm and possibly death to an organism. This tag should be used for horticultural questions about poisons of all kinds, including both plant and animal poisons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A poison might be deliberately used to control a particular pest, but care should be taken so that they do not poison other desirable plants and animals (including humans). Similarly, some plants produce their own poisons (e.g. nightshades) and these would be on-topic for this tag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, most poisons are relatively benign in very small quantities; but a few are actually considered essential nutrients. For example, copper is an essential, if minor, plant nutrient; but it is often employed as an effective tree poison.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-11T14:53:09.877" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T14:53:09.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1249" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-07-11T14:50:22.503" Score="0" Body="For questions about poisons - both animal and plant." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-11T14:53:08.330" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T14:53:08.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1250" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-07-11T15:21:53.520" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Light is essential for photosynthesis. With the exception of houseplants under artificial lighting, all plants receive this in the form of solar radiation (aka 'sun').&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants vary greatly with regard to the amount of light they require or tolerate. Use this tag for questions about how much sunlight a plant should receive or can tolerate. Sunlight can vary by length of time and intensity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-11T15:22:19.713" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T15:22:19.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1251" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-07-11T15:21:53.520" Score="0" Body="For questions about quantity of sunlight." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-11T15:22:22.430" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T15:22:22.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1252" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-11T15:31:13.877" Score="15" ViewCount="290" Body="&lt;p&gt;I love fresh cauliflower, but it's so terribly temperature / light sensitive that I might as well just pick it all and freeze it if I actually want to eat it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to ensure Cauliflower stays good in the garden for at least two or three weeks - or is it necessary that I just pick it all at once when it looks delicious, even if the heads aren't as big as I'd like?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-11T19:35:33.970" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T19:35:33.970" Title="How to prolong Cauliflower growing season, harvest?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;cauliflower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1252" CreationDate="2011-07-11T15:40:29.477" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This doesn't help you now, and I don't grow cauliflower so I'm not sure if there are problems with &lt;strong&gt;succession planting&lt;/strong&gt; cauliflower, but next year instead of planting it out all at once, stagger your plantings so that you can expect to have as many heads as you want per week maturing instead of all of them maturing at once.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do this with lettuce, cabbage, and carrots with good results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I stagger the &lt;strong&gt;seeding&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, with cabbage (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fedcoseeds.com/seeds/search.php?item=3358&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Gonzales&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a short-season, 66 day variety that holds well), I start a batch inside in early spring, let them grow under the lights about 6 weeks, then plant out. Then about a week or two later I direct-seed some more in the garden. The heads hold long enough -- and I start harvesting one or two small heads early -- that we have cabbage for a few weeks, then a gap, and then more cabbage. In July (I've got tiny seedlings behind me right now) I'll start a batch indoors for fall harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It occurs to me now that I should also mention &lt;em&gt;holding&lt;/em&gt; as something to look for in your variety selection. I don't grow cauliflower so I don't know if this is a consideration, but lettuce and cabbage varities (and other vegs too) will be described in catalogs as &quot;holds well&quot; or &quot;stores well&quot;. These will keep in the field or the fridge, respectively, without spoiling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A combination of variety selection and succession planting may help you extend your harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-11T16:54:48.570" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T16:54:48.570" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1254" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-07-11T15:45:17.697" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about chemical controls for &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pests&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pests&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pests&lt;/a&gt;. These will typically be insecticides and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/herbicide&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;herbicide&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;herbicide&lt;/a&gt;s, although pesticides for mammals would also be on topic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pesticides can be synthetic or organic such as Neem oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The use of pesticides on &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/birds&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;birds&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;birds&lt;/a&gt; is tightly controlled in most jurisdictions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similarly, other pesticides have their dangers. Mammal pesticides (e.g. rat bait) can poison pets and children; herbicides can poison desirable garden plants; and insecticides will kill many beneficial insects. Most are poisonous to humans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By definition, pesticides are poisons. Depending on the question, the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/poisons&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;poisons&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;poisons&lt;/a&gt; tag may be suitable in addition to or instead of the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pesticide&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pesticide&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pesticide&lt;/a&gt; tag..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T12:46:59.577" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T12:46:59.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1255" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-07-11T15:45:17.697" Score="0" Body="Chemicals used to control pests. Use this tag with questions about how to choose and use pesticides with different plants." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-03T19:51:33.553" LastActivityDate="2021-02-03T19:51:33.553" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1256" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1598" CreationDate="2011-07-11T15:54:58.513" Score="13" ViewCount="906" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen advice in books and online that I can deal with my striped cucumber beetle infestation by &lt;strong&gt;vacuuming&lt;/strong&gt;. Unfortunately they don't get into details. I'm ready to drag the shop vac into the garden, but I'm wondering if there are any gotchas... and I'm a little worried about too much power ripping the leaves right off the plants instead of just the bugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anybody here done this successfully? Anything I should watch out for? Any tips to ensure success?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(If this works, it would be great -- I try to avoid spraying as much as possible, and I don't want to kill bees/beneficial pollinators with pyrethrin.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-05T23:06:07.610" Title="How does vacuuming beetles work?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1257" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1196" CreationDate="2011-07-11T16:12:15.057" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;At first I thought that it was canna. Then I went outside and took a picture of a small red-variegated banana growing outside. It looks very much like your picture. It could live quite easily in Minnesota in the summertime. Would die as soon as it got anywhere the low 40s.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gsuj0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T16:12:15.057" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1258" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-11T17:12:06.303" Score="9" ViewCount="1470" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/76/what-is-an-effective-organic-pesticide-to-use-against-aphids-or-cabbage-loopers&quot;&gt;What is an effective organic pesticide to use against aphids or cabbage loopers?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So these little green caterpillars have been eating most of my kale plants. What can I do to prevent this from happening without chemical pesticides?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="276" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T17:28:14.797" Title="How can I organically prevent green caterpillars from eating up my kale plants?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ClosedDate="2011-07-11T19:45:43.207" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1259" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1258" CreationDate="2011-07-11T17:28:14.797" Score="4" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Look into and read up on BTK (Bacillus Thuringiensis Kurstaki) insecticide.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also attracting caterpillar predators (animals, birds, etc that naturally feed on them) into your garden can make a considerable difference in their control.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T17:28:14.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1260" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1261" CreationDate="2011-07-11T17:59:52.787" Score="32" ViewCount="16832" Body="&lt;p&gt;A question I often wonder about when watering outdoor pots in the dead heat of summer. Should I just make sure the soil in the bed/pot is watered sufficiently, or is it necessary/advisable to also water the leaves and stem? My naivete makes me think that hitting the above ground plant will keep the plant cooler and reflects more of what happens when it rains, but I may be wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="97" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-12T21:09:06.010" LastActivityDate="2014-02-23T15:37:36.680" Title="Any benefit to watering whole plant (leaves and all) instead of just the soil/roots?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1261" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1260" CreationDate="2011-07-11T18:03:39.900" Score="27" Body="&lt;p&gt;This depends. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your humidity level inside is too low (often a problem is you run the Heat or AC) then plants do benefit from a misting of water around the plant to try to raise the humidity in that area of the room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, mostly you just want to water the soil beneath the plant rather than the whole thing. This is because water sitting on leaves of plants, or excess humidity around them (especially things like tomatoes) can actually lead to disease. It also provides little actual benefit to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most places outdoor plants will have plenty of moisture in the air to be just fine. However, if you are in a desert or other very dry climate you may have to mist around your plant so that the humidity around the plant stays at the proper levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-07-12T14:57:22.613" LastActivityDate="2011-07-12T14:57:22.613" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1262" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1260" CreationDate="2011-07-11T18:16:01.663" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although some doubt was cast on it in an earlier question, there is the concept of &quot;scorching&quot;. If this occurs (and isn't a myth) then the water droplets on the leaves act as small lenses refracting solar heat and scorching plants. Some plants are effectively immune, but if this does occur, other plants and growing buds might be particularly sensitive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another point against foliage watering on outdoor plants, is that the water on the leaves will evaporate more quickly than if it falls on the ground (this is where @wax eagle's humidity comes from). It is therefore wasted. At times of drought you want to get all the water where it needs to be to minimize water usage (and your water bill!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T18:16:01.663" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1263" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1218" CreationDate="2011-07-11T22:33:22.927" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just spoke with the owner of our local feed mill (he also farms a few acres locally), he said they is no reason (he knows of) why you can't sow more buckwheat immediately after what you've done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-07-11T22:33:22.927" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1264" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1265" CreationDate="2011-07-11T22:33:58.943" Score="11" ViewCount="6432" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a set of four bell pepper plants that I am growing in 12&quot; containers in my backyard. They've been growing alright until the fruits on the plants have started to develop what appears to be a rot on their skin. What could be causing this? I water them well every two days and they get 6-7+ hours of sunlight a day. This is my first time ever growing vegetables by the way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures since this is probably impossible to diagnose without:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o5kjq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pepper rot picture 1&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JvfC4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pepper rot picture 2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/67yzR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bell pepper plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="172" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-13T22:33:41.193" LastActivityDate="2011-07-13T22:33:41.193" Title="What could be causing rot to appear on the skin of my bell peppers?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1264" CreationDate="2011-07-12T02:01:02.923" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is almost certainly blossom end rot (BER), a disorder that is usually caused by &lt;strong&gt;fluctuations in the plant's water supply&lt;/strong&gt;, leading to a calcium deficiency. It affects a number of plants, including tomatoes, squash and eggplant. On peppers, the lesion is usually a tan color in the early stages, later turning brown or black, and can affect the side of the fruit, as in your first photo, as well as the blossom end.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're right to water your plants thoroughly (superficial watering could cause them to surface-root, and become stressed), but once every two days may be over-frequent, unless, of course, the ambient temperature is very high, and the soil/compost is drying out very quickly; it should be slightly damp most of the time, not wet. &lt;strong&gt;Over-watering&lt;/strong&gt; washes calcium out of the soil and is another cause of BER.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will find detailed information/links about BER and steps you can take to control it, in my answer to a similar question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/987/what-else-besides-calcium-deficiency-could-be-causing-tomato-blossom-end-rot/992#992&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. There is also a good overview of the problem &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.veggiegardener.com/diseases/blossom-end-rot/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-07-12T02:16:47.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1266" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1260" CreationDate="2011-07-12T12:28:46.890" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with the advice already given as regards outdoor plants. However, as pointed out by wax eagle, apart from cacti and succulents, most &lt;strong&gt;indoor plants&lt;/strong&gt;, dislike the dry air produced by central heating in winter (unless you have a humidifier, of course, or they live in the bathroom or the kitchen) and they will suffer - many may not survive - unless you give them the humidity they need. You can create a moist microclimate around them by:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;misting the whole plant by spraying it with tepid water - but not in bright sunlight, for the reason given by winwaed, or&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;placing the pot or, better still, a group of pots, on a layer of pebbles at the bottom of a shallow tray, into which you have poured a little water, just enough to almost cover the pebbles but not to enter the bottom of the pot, or&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;double-potting - putting one pot inside a larger pot or container, and filling the gap between them with moss which will need to be kept continually damp.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the leaf tips of your indoor plants turn brown and shrivel, or the leaves wilt, although the plants are being watered sufficiently, this is usually a sign that the plants need more humidity in the air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-13T09:29:01.630" LastActivityDate="2011-07-13T09:29:01.630" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1267" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1268" CreationDate="2011-07-12T17:46:40.200" Score="10" ViewCount="2916" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've noticed that a small number of the leaves on my pepper plants are showing several tiny holes through their surface. These are focused towards the stem of the leaf, and not so much towards the tips, and it seems to be effecting the top-most leaves, with only one or two leaves on each plant showing this issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that these leaves are &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; the ones I was &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1223/&quot;&gt;seeing insects on&lt;/a&gt; the other day, in fact the plant that had the bugs on is the least effected, so I've a feeling these incidents are unrelated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a sign of a problem that I need to address?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Images (not the same leaf):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HFVGl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;underside of leaf showing multiple small holes&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ouIgH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;top of leaf showing multiple small holes&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-07-24T17:09:42.153" Title="A few leaves on my peppers are showing multiple small holes, should I be worried?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1267" CreationDate="2011-07-12T18:04:24.093" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The holes definitely look like they are caused by some sort of insect (especially when taking into account &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1223/394&quot;&gt;your other pepper plant related question&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the moment the problem doesn't look that bad, therefore if you wish to take an organic approach, you could just keep an eye on it, before treating (if the problem gets worse).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you inspected the plant thoroughly (including soil line &amp;amp; just below) in an attempt to see if you can find, see the culprit? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or if you're a little more concerned and wish to take action immediately, I would go with one the suggested methods (recommend trying &quot;insecticidal soap&quot; first) given in your other pepper plant related question: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1223/394&quot;&gt;Insect infestation on my pepper plant, what do I do?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-07-12T19:22:23.683" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1269" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1270" CreationDate="2011-07-12T18:17:57.987" Score="11" ViewCount="358" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have tried twice now to start Rosemary from seed and failed both times. Last year I planted them in a self watering window box with a number of other herbs. It never really came up well and never thrived, then we went on vacation and it died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I tried again in a different pot and it still came up slowly or not at all (most seeds did not germinate it seems). Then I knocked the pot over and that was the end of that attempt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am ready to try again. I am going to use a 6&quot; self watering container and potting mix and a new pack of seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the pitfalls and hangups starting rosemary from seed? What can I do to improve my chances or even ensure success?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My weather: Hot during the summer (mid 90s during the day mid 70s at night). Some rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="924" LastEditDate="2012-02-23T22:29:31.127" LastActivityDate="2018-01-02T21:45:36.200" Title="What are the proper conditions and watering habits for rosemary?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;sowing&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1270" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1269" CreationDate="2011-07-12T18:29:12.683" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think one issue with some herbs is that they don't want to be too wet; I'm not sure you want the self-watering container. I let mine dry out a bit before watering it. And they germinate and grow very slowly. I think I soaked mine overnight before putting seed in soil. The germination rate is &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; low.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some info taken from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cookingvegetarian.com/herbs/herbs-rosemary.htm&quot;&gt;this page&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Darkness will aid germination.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Cover seeds lightly after sowing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Optimum soil temperature for germination is 60&#xA;  degrees.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Germination time 14-21 days.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Sow heavily because the seeds have a poor germination rate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Some seeds can germinate up to 3 months after sowing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Water in between dry downs; do not use enclosed planters...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may find it easier to buy a small plant and then propagate from cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-12T18:29:12.683" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1239" CreationDate="2011-07-12T18:41:50.350" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Regarding low maintenance, one of the things to bear in mind is &lt;strong&gt;choice of compost&lt;/strong&gt;: in my experience, a peat-based compost dries out much more quickly than a soil-based one (however much moisture-retaining additive the first contains); this involves more frequent watering which, if you have a number of indoor plants, can be fairly time-consuming. Sooner or later, if you have a busy schedule and fail to water your plants often enough, the tip of their leaves will turn brown and curl up or wilt; instead of contributing to the amenity of your apartment, they will detract from it; so, if you buy quite a few plants, and are very busy, a &lt;strong&gt;soil-based compost&lt;/strong&gt; would be a better choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of the plants already suggested, the one that will withstand the most neglect - a real ironclad - is almost certainly the &lt;strong&gt;Spider Plant&lt;/strong&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Chlorophytum comosum&lt;/em&gt;). I've had one for over twenty years and I can vouch for its tolerant nature!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hierbabuena_0611_Revised.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DTQAHm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chlorophytum_comosum_04.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K9UoBm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;Source: Wikimedia Commons&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you opt for a palm (another ironclad that I've had for many years), given that you live in an apartment, height will be an important consideration. Indoor palms do well in low and filtered light. There is some useful information on the different varieties &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/list_6524356_indoor-palm-tree-types.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-27T19:12:49.787" LastActivityDate="2011-12-27T19:12:49.787" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1272" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1267" CreationDate="2011-07-12T19:14:09.937" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, I probably wouldn't be too worried - or not yet. I grow my peppers outside and this sort of damage is pretty typical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I do get leaf-eating problems are with horn worms - a horn worm can fully defoliate a pepper plant on a day. Unfortunately this is when they usually get noticed because they are usually very camouflaged. The plant will grow back but of course that sets it back a few weeks. Tiny horn worms look like green inch worm caterpillars, and they grow to about 3 inches long and green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-07-12T19:14:09.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1273" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1054" CreationDate="2011-07-12T21:35:09.157" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let me first state, I do not have any varieties I can recommend for your particular requirements. Sorry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But please allow me to try and point you in a (local) direction where I believe you can acquire the exact information you're after:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/counties&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Find Your County Office - Penn State Cooperative Extension&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Penn State Cooperative Extension&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://agsci.psu.edu/contact&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Contact - Penn State Cooperative Extension&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also &quot;Penn State Cooperative Extension&quot; (via their web site) say they are &lt;em&gt;very active on:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;twitter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/agsciences&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;@agsciences&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;facebook: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.facebook.com/agsciences&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;College of Agricultural Sciences, Penn State University&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore if you use either of those services you might try reaching out to them via one of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also want to read, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/sep01/pome0901.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pomegranate - A Backyard Favorite&lt;/a&gt;&quot; from Agricultural Research magazine (Last Modified: 02/18/2005) as it contains some contact information you might be able to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry I couldn't have been more helpful (given you a variety or two to look into), but I do hope the above does prove at least somewhat useful in enabling you to get the information you require.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Addition:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ok! so I asked Penn State Cooperative Extension &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/agsciences&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;@agsciences&lt;/a&gt;&quot; on twitter, &lt;em&gt;&quot;Are there any pomegranate varieties you can recommend for the state of PA (Hardiness Zone 6b-7a)?&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;@agsciences reply:&lt;/strong&gt; Horticultural expert says, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;PA&lt;/a&gt; winters are too cold for pomegranate. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_%28U.S._state%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;GA&lt;/a&gt; and south if you wish to see success. &lt;strong&gt;More info:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/pomegranate.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pomegranate &lt;em&gt;(Punica granatum L.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My follow up question to the above reply, &lt;em&gt;&quot;I'm guessing if you grew in (large) pots &amp;amp; brought in for the winter you &lt;strong&gt;might&lt;/strong&gt; be lucky, have some success?&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;@agsciences reply:&lt;/strong&gt; *&lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt;* sounds right. Pomegranate can grow to 18ft (5.5m). Even with root trimming fruit production could be low. Let us know! if you try this and what kind of success or not you achieve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-09T15:33:22.673" LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T15:33:22.673" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1274" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1260" CreationDate="2011-07-12T23:43:05.520" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;As mentioned in other answers already, watering the foliage is mostly a waste of water due to evaporation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One exception is if you are &quot;fertigating&quot; (fertilizing + irrigating) aka &quot;foliar feeding&quot;. This is where you spray a dilute fertilizer mixture on the leaves so that the plant takes up nutrients from the leaves instead of through the soil. But this isn't really &lt;em&gt;watering&lt;/em&gt; as much as feeding -- the plant isn't getting all that much water as compared to nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-12T23:43:05.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1275" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1279" CreationDate="2011-07-13T00:01:50.917" Score="14" ViewCount="16208" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is spent cat litter an appropriate source of nitrogen for compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The cat litter used is made of recycled paper pellets so is rich in carbon.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It doesn't contain the cat faeces because that is fished out once or twice daily with a net to make the litter last longer, so should not contain any significant source of pathogens.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It has quite a ripe ammonia smell to it (hinting it's rich in nitrogen, thanks to cat urine) by the time it's replaced in the litter tray, making me wonder if it could be added to the compost to hasten the breakdown.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If not good for compost, could it be useful anywhere else in the garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-22T18:07:54.527" LastActivityDate="2019-05-06T11:59:18.147" Title="Is spent cat litter an appropriate source of nitrogen for compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;carbon-nitrogen-ratio&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;" AnswerCount="8" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1276" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1275" CreationDate="2011-07-13T00:19:16.580" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The usual recommendation I see for faeces and urine is not to put it on the compost due to the possibility of disease. Urine might also be a bit concentrated. From a disease point of view you should be okay if it gets hot enough. For the question of concentration, then you can use small quantities and dilute.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You say your litter is based on recycled paper (which should rot), but a lot of other cat litters use zeolites for their 'structure'. These should make a good base for soil/compost, although you may have to watch for any chemical treatments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-07-13T00:19:16.580" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1277" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1275" CreationDate="2011-07-13T02:19:15.417" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do not have any experience with putting used cat litter in a compost pile, but from your very! specific stated details I would say it would be safe (at least I would do it) and a good thing  to put on your compost pile (plenty of nitrogen to help the cooking process).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will want to balance out all that nitrogen with plenty of brown matter in your post pile. For brown matter there is nothing better than shredded, fallen Autumn (Fall) leaves, IMHO.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also make sure the compost pile is kept moist enough by adding water as needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why do I say the above is safe?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With our second son we used compostable diapers. Pee-pee ones went straight on the compost pile. Poo-poo ones were emptied &amp;amp; flushed down the toilet (you never want to deliberately add fecal matter to a compost pile).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gdiapers.com/happy-planet/why-flushing-is-good&quot;&gt;A little bit of information on compostable diapers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For what it is worth, Bob Flowerdew from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/gqt&quot;&gt;BBC Gardeners’ Question Time&lt;/a&gt; podcast is constantly encouraging people (especially males) to pee in their compost pile, maybe not directly, but his point is, pee is wasted if it doesn't end up on the compost pile. Personally I haven't gone down that route...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now the flip-side, below are (just) a few places that advise against putting cat litter in a compost pile:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.compostthis.co.uk/item/cat-waste-and-litter&quot;&gt;Cat waste and litter?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.compost.org/English/backyard.html&quot;&gt;DO NOT include... Pet waste&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/rrr/composting/by_compost.htm&quot;&gt;What Not to Compost – The OUT List: Pet wastes (e.g., dog or cat feces, soiled cat litter) . Might contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens, and viruses harmful to humans&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that I may very well have gotten you even more confused on what to do for the best, I'd say it really is your choice to make one-way or the other...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-13T03:41:40.300" LastActivityDate="2011-07-13T03:41:40.300" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1278" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1269" CreationDate="2011-07-13T02:33:13.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I was handling seed propagation at a commercial greenhouse, the seeds were handed to me from the freezer.  I'm sure they would go for 2-4 days.&#xA;A whack of seeds in a 6&quot; container may work and I would try a backup bunch in as small a cell as you could keep wet with daily misting. Transfer to bigger and bigger pots up to 6&quot; then to the garden or well drained window box. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="154" LastActivityDate="2011-07-13T02:33:13.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1275" CreationDate="2011-07-13T03:22:41.407" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't use the compost anywhere I was going to grow food or walk barefoot, or where children might play.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The primary dangers of cat feces would be:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Toxoplasma gondii&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fecal Coliforms&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&amp;amp;S=0&amp;amp;C=0&amp;amp;A=498&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Roundworm&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Toxocara cati&lt;/em&gt; or related species), which can cause &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001657/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;visceral larva migrans&lt;/a&gt; aka &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxocariasis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Toxocariasis&lt;/a&gt;, the symptoms of which sound unpleasant. Even though you say you're scooping the feces, it's possible for eggs to be remain in the litter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I was going to use kitty litter in my compost, I would probably build use it in the lower layer of a sheet mulch garden bed and then grow cover crops on that bed -- maybe buckwheat, winter rye, or a perennial like clover, depending on the time of year I started the bed. Note that roundworm eggs can survive for &lt;a href=&quot;http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Toxocara_canis.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;years in soil in some climates&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a side note, by the time you smell ammonia, you are losing significant amounts of nitrogen into the air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2014-10-10T18:19:22.410" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T18:19:22.410" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1280" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1281" CreationDate="2011-07-13T03:43:59.407" Score="10" ViewCount="2156" Body="&lt;p&gt;Was wondering what a typical duration of production for a conventional bush bean is.  I know a lot of factors such as how well the plants are cared for and heat can play into it.  Here in the Northeast US I've had a solid three weeks of beans out of a few different varieties and they all have pretty much stopped flowering at this point.  They are well cared for and get between 1&quot;-2&quot; of water weekly however I think it may be time to pull them up and plant again.  Is three weeks of beans good or is it advised to stick it out and let them remain although they've greatly slowed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="347" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-13T11:58:07.880" LastActivityDate="2011-07-13T21:04:27.070" Title="Duration of harvest season from Bush Bean plants?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1281" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1280" CreationDate="2011-07-13T04:22:01.230" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Once flowering has ceased, the plant is pretty much finished.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To prolong the (plants) harvest period, pick the pods when they are firm and crisp, but before the seed within them has developed (matured). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you allow the seeds to mature within the pods, that really is the beginning of the end of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have the room (and wish to maximize your harvest season), it is recommended to plant several crops, 2 to 3 weeks apart, up until 8 weeks before your first average frost date.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm no bush bean expert, but I would say 3 to 4 weeks is a pretty good harvest period for those plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-07-13T04:22:01.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1282" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1239" CreationDate="2011-07-13T08:16:40.120" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;As well as cacti, I'd look more generally at &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succulent_plant&quot;&gt;succulents&lt;/a&gt;. When I was a kid, I loved growing &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithops&quot;&gt;lithops&lt;/a&gt; (living stones) just because they were so visually interesting. And, they positively reward neglect, as over-watering will cause too many leaves to form, which spoils their camouflage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also had a number of different forms of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassula&quot;&gt;crassula&lt;/a&gt;, whose geometrical leaf patterns I loved (I always found a certain beauty in nature's expression of math!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, if the spines on cacti might make them unsuitable in places, how about something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_obesa&quot;&gt;euphorbia obesa&lt;/a&gt;? Suitably bizarre to look at and, again, nicely drought tolerant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="139" LastActivityDate="2011-07-13T08:16:40.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1283" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-13T09:26:02.727" Score="30" ViewCount="1150" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&amp;amp;pid=explorer&amp;amp;chrome=true&amp;amp;srcid=0B52Q1aRDuWTOMWYwY2IzNjgtNjk0Mi00NzIwLTgwZWItY2EyYzlkMGUyOGVi&amp;amp;hl=en_US&quot;&gt;research&lt;/a&gt; done by NASA on indoor plants which can clean/reduce certain pollutants in the air. I am very interested in planting such houseplants in my house, as it is sometimes filled with cigarette smoke.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to the above research, certain plants will filter 3 kinds of pollutants: Benzene, Trichloroethylene and Formaldehyde. However, the smoke produced by tobacco contains more than these elements. So, I'd like some suggestions for indoor plants that are small enough to fit in the house, and have the ability to rid the air of &lt;em&gt;cigarette smoke&lt;/em&gt; (references will be nice).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-22T20:09:48.003" LastActivityDate="2020-12-23T13:43:39.167" Title="What are some houseplants that can clean the air, especially chemicals from cigarettes?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1275" CreationDate="2011-07-13T11:07:09.910" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd say it depends a bit on what will be grown later. If you are putting the compost onto vegetable plots, especially vegetables that you are going to eat raw, then you need more care to avoid pathogens and such bugs. However, if it's going on a flower bed then I might worry less. Where I live - China - people open up cesspits and use human waste to fertilise plots, so cat poop has less to worry about than that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The one thing that would worry me is the litter itself. It may be made of recycled paper but how many preservatives and other chemicals are in that paper? You might find that it doesn't readily decompose at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="361" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2011-07-13T12:06:28.217" LastActivityDate="2011-07-13T12:06:28.217" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1283" CreationDate="2011-07-13T11:23:10.087" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is an interesting and very useful question. I have done a quick online search and, besides those you mention, tobacco smoke apparently contains, among others, two  substances that are thought to cause cancer, &lt;strong&gt;xylene and toluene&lt;/strong&gt;, and these are absorbed by the plants below (those marked with an asterisk are small ones, suitable for use in apartments, the rest, apart from the Warneck, will grow up to 10 ft indoors):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ivy (Hedera helix)*&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Warneck dracaena (Dracaena deremensis Warneckii) [up to 4 ft, but slow-growing]&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kimberley Queen Fern (Nephrolepis obliterata)*&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dwarf date palm (Phoenix roebelenii)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Areca palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dendrobium orchid (Dendrobium sp.)*&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dumb cane (Camilla) (Dieffenbachia)*&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dumb cane exotica (Dieffenbachia*&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;King of hearts (Homalomena walisii)*&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Moth orchid (Phalenopsis sp.)*&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The research carried out by NASA suggests that a minimum of one plant per 100 square feet is required to clean indoor air effectively. Of course, there are other potentially harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke that have yet to be tested on plants; nevertheless, plant lovers who are regularly exposed to tobacco smoke, will find these results very valuable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/4DMG/Plants/clean.htm&quot;&gt;Plants clean air inside our homes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_air-filtering_plants&quot;&gt;Air-filtering plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-14T11:59:49.033" LastActivityDate="2011-07-14T11:59:49.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1286" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1287" CreationDate="2011-07-13T11:28:54.133" Score="9" ViewCount="25783" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had a glorious display of foxgloves in my garden this year, but now pretty much all of the flowers have wilted and fallen. I don't particularly want to collect seed from the plants, but what should I do with the remaining flower spikes / plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I cut the spike off the plant near its base? And if I do, will the plant recover to produce another spike next year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or should I just get rid of the plant entirely and sow seeds now for next year's display?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="139" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-07-13T12:14:18.120" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T00:05:56.413" Title="What to do with the spent flower spike of foxgloves (digitalis)?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1286" CreationDate="2011-07-13T11:36:58.813" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Foxgloves are (in Seattle and England) very hardy perennials.  You can easily trim the stalk back to the base and the plant will come back fine next year.  The only thing I've ever had to be cautious about is the fact that foxgloves produce a large quantity of seed, and they have been pretty good about sowing themselves around my garden.  There are times when I've simply pulled up the whole plant when it starts to look a bit ratty, because I know that there is going to be a new crop of foxgloves popping up around the garden next year.  And that means that it's also easy to save up the seeds if you want more for next year or have found a particular variety or color that you'd like to propagate further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2011-07-13T23:45:54.273" LastActivityDate="2011-07-13T23:45:54.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1288" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1290" CreationDate="2011-07-13T13:15:07.263" Score="10" ViewCount="6040" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've noticed quite a few slugs around my garden recently, and I realized that I don't know if that's a good thing or not.  I know some bugs are bad and some are good, and I don't know what category slugs fall into.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="138" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-13T13:37:27.643" LastActivityDate="2017-02-19T09:08:40.273" Title="Are slugs beneficial or detrimental?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;slugs&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1288" CreationDate="2011-07-13T13:37:13.027" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Slugs are considered a pest. I don't know of any benefits they provide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See answers to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/928/what-is-the-best-organic-way-to-defeat-slugs&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; for ways to deal with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-07-13T13:37:13.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1288" CreationDate="2011-07-13T15:00:06.153" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Slugs are one the most common garden pests. If not eliminated they can do much damage. They do most of their damage at night when you are not watching. If you see one then surely there are many that you don't see. &#xA;There are many products on the market for slug control. These are mostly baits. The easiest ways are available around the house. The first is beer. Slugs love the yeast in beer. Bury a container in the ground where slugs can climb in. Fill it halfway with beer and the slugs will climb in and the alcohol will kill them.&#xA;Ashes and salt also can be effective. Ashes from the fireplace can be sprinkled around the garden perimeter. Same can be done with salt. These practices discourage slugs and snails. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-07-13T15:00:06.153" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1291" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1283" CreationDate="2011-07-13T16:58:21.490" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;To go with &quot;Mancuniensis&quot; &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1283/any-more-research-about-plants-that-clean-the-air/1285#1285&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt;, I've listed below a few more resources you may wish to &lt;em&gt;leaf through&lt;/em&gt; at your leisure:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/clarion/programs/master-gardener/news/2011/indoor-plants-for-clean-air&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Indoor Plants for Clean Air&lt;/a&gt; via Penn State Cooperative Extension.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epa.gov/iaq/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Indoor Air Home - US Environmental Protection Agency&lt;/a&gt; has a tonne of information on indoor air quality.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ted.com/talks/kamal_meattle_on_how_to_grow_your_own_fresh_air.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kamal Meattle on how to grow fresh air&lt;/a&gt; via &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ted.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;TED&lt;/a&gt;. Will worth the 4m:07s of your time to watch this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ted.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;TED&lt;/a&gt; presentation (IMHO).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The report/study mentioned by Kamal Meattle in the above referenced TED talk, can be found here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pbcnet.com/why-pbc/CPCB-report.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Central Pollution Control Board Report&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;or via&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pbcnet.com/docs/why-pbc/Central-Pollution-Control-Board-Report.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Direct link to PDF - Central Pollution Control Board Report&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Listed below are the 3 plants mentioned in Kamal Meattle's TED talk:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The Living Room Plant - Areca Palm &lt;em&gt;(Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The Bedroom Plant - Mother-in-law's Tongue (Snake Plant) &lt;em&gt;(Sansevieria trifasciata)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The Specialist Plant - Money Plant (Golden Pothos) &lt;em&gt;(Epipremnum aureum)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T20:11:22.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1292" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1293" CreationDate="2011-07-13T17:37:43.440" Score="9" ViewCount="4133" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pest situation on my apricot tree caused by the beetle Capnodis tenebrionis (see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1132/126&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;). I am averse to using chemical pesticides, and I read that nematodes can be used to control C. tenebrionis:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://nematodeinformation.com/tag/capnodis-tenebrionis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://nematodeinformation.com/tag/capnodis-tenebrionis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mendeley.com/research/efficacy-entomopathogenic-nematodes-against-neonate-larvae-capnodis-tenebrionis-l-coleoptera-buprestidae-laboratory-trials/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.mendeley.com/research/efficacy-entomopathogenic-nematodes-against-neonate-larvae-capnodis-tenebrionis-l-coleoptera-buprestidae-laboratory-trials/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm considering using this method. My question is can the nematodes themselves become a problem? There are many &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=nematode%20disease%20fruit%20tree&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;plant diseases caused by nematodes&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="126" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-12-19T15:07:46.397" Title="Are there any bad effects in using nematodes in pest control?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;nematodes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1292" CreationDate="2011-07-13T17:56:45.153" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are &quot;good&quot; &amp;amp; &quot;bad&quot; nematodes, therefore it's vital you get the correct &quot;good&quot; ones for your particular situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://wikipedia.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; there are 2 kinds of nematodes from a horticulture perspective:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Good&quot; nematodes = &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nematode#Agriculture_and_horticulture&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Predatory&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Bad&quot; nematodes = &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nematode#Parasitic_species&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pests&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind the &quot;good&quot; nematodes will not kill the actual beetles (get rid of the problem this year). The &quot;good&quot; nematodes will feed on the beetle lava, thus reducing the possibility of experiencing the same beetle problem the following year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As long as I have been listening to (nearly 4 years now), &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.whyy.org/91FM/ybyg/about.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mike McGrath from You Bet Your Garden&lt;/a&gt;, I can honestly say I've never heard him once warn against the use of &quot;good&quot; nematodes ie possible side effects. Yes, I have heard him warn against &quot;bad&quot; nematodes, that is why I believe it's vital you do your research and get the &quot;good&quot; guys.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For total peace of mind, I would do plenty of research... before deciding on the exact type of &quot;good&quot; nematodes you buy and release into your landscape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have a horticultural service in Israel you can contact directly and seek their specific &lt;em&gt;local&lt;/em&gt; advice, expertise?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can wait a few days (probably until sometime next week), I can call and speak with a local (Missouri) registered organic farmer and seek his advise. I know for a fact he grows, apples, apricots, peaches &amp;amp; pears on his property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Here is what I have been able to find out during the past few days:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Speaking with a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_gardener_program&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Master Gardener&lt;/a&gt;, first they clearly stated they weren't a nematode expert (very! much like myself), but they did say they have &lt;strong&gt;never&lt;/strong&gt; heard of or read anything about beneficial (good) nematodes causing &quot;bad&quot; side effects. Depending on the nematode in question, they do a very! specific job, they do not mutate (change) and start doing something else (be it &quot;good&quot; or &quot;bad&quot;).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above has been my limited experience (I've only used &quot;good&quot; nematodes once), is my understanding from reading up on the subject from an organic gardening approach to controlling unwanted pests, and listening to other people talk on the subject...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spoke with a garden pest control expert (via the Missouri Botanical Gardens), they basically confirmed what the Master Gardener had told me. They also added that beneficial (good) nematodes isn't a &quot;magic bullet&quot; to pest control, will normally take more than one application, which can become expensive depending on the individual situation, and can take 2 or 3 years before seeing real results.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Garden pest control expert (via the Missouri Botanical Gardens) also referred me to this, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/IPM.asp?code=214&amp;amp;group=13&amp;amp;level=c&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Beetles - Grubs&lt;/a&gt;&quot; &quot;general&quot; article on MOBOT.org&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Speaking with my local (Missouri) registered organic farmer, he has never used beneficial (good) nematodes as a pest control method. Why? On his size orchard it would be far too expensive to use such a pest control strategy. Instead he uses a product called &quot;Surround&amp;#8482; WP Crop Protectant&quot;, which works by protecting the actual fruit on the trees. Since moving to this method of pest control on his fruit tress he has gone from losing up to 70% (really bad years) of his crop to only losing about 20% (per year).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're interested in reading a little bit about &quot;Surround&amp;#8482; WP Crop Protectant&quot; the below link contains a small amount of information:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.7springsfarm.com/catalog.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;Surround&amp;#8482; WP Crop Protectant&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The link goes to the company he buys from (via mail-order).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you might also find this, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.590klbj.com/podcast/Episodes.aspx?PID=1634&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardening Naturally with John Dromgoole - Saturday July 23 2011 hr 2&lt;/a&gt;, of some interest. Start listening @ 10min:55sec in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;I hope the above proves somewhat helpful and useful to you.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-24T23:06:42.483" LastActivityDate="2011-07-24T23:06:42.483" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1294" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1770" CreationDate="2011-07-13T20:57:52.290" Score="25" ViewCount="140859" Body="&lt;p&gt;Large trees often have roots protruding out of the ground around the base of the trunk (such as the ones that can push up sidewalks next to the tree). When is it safe to cut those roots (that might be a hazard to people running in the area near the tree), and when should you be worried about that causing damage to the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="436" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-10-31T07:11:39.130" LastActivityDate="2020-04-20T07:48:02.577" Title="Can I cut off exposed tree roots without harming the tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1295" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1280" CreationDate="2011-07-13T21:04:27.070" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bush beans were bred to make mechanical harvesting easier, so they have a shorter harvest period than pole beans. 2-3 weeks is typical, so your 3 weeks sounds good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As Mike Perry mentioned, you can plant successive crops a couple of weeks apart -- this avoids the problem (if you consider it a problem) of having a huge amount of beans arrive at once.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if you're looking for a longer harvest, have space, and don't mind building some supports, most pole bean varieties will produce over a longer season. (And in my opinion they taste better.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-13T21:04:27.070" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1294" CreationDate="2011-07-13T21:28:11.507" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Removing large or major roots from a tree is going to have a detrimental effect on the health of the tree i.e.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Weaken it from a structural point of view.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put it into shock, stress.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The wound(s) caused by the removal of such roots can allow disease to enter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any of those could easily lead to the tree dying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Removing &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_shoot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sucker&lt;/a&gt;&quot; roots, if done properly, should have no long term negative effects on the health of a tree, assuming they weren't sent up as a sign of stress (see below), even then they can be removed as the tree has much greater problems that need addressing (if possible, feasible to-do-so)...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some trees by their very nature are prone to send up &quot;sucker&quot; roots eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anything in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ficus genus&lt;/a&gt; via &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1294/cutting-large-tree-roots/1296#comment-3029&quot;&gt;below comment&lt;/a&gt; from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/397/lisa&quot;&gt;Lisa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Locust&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Black Locust&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Poplar&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;White Poplar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other times &quot;sucker&quot; roots can be a sign a tree is in stress, and those roots have been sent up (above ground) as a survival mechanism eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Underground roots have been damaged&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Overlay compacted soil&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drought (lack of moisture in the soil)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To remove &quot;sucker&quot; roots, use an appropriate sized pair of hand pruners or a pruning saw, make sure the pruning tool is shape and the cutting area is clean (use something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubbing_alcohol&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;rubbing alcohol&lt;/a&gt; or a mixture of one part household bleach to 10 parts water). It's good practice to clean your pruning tool after working on each tree (plant, shrub, etc), as doing so helps prevent the spread of diseases if present. If you're really concerned about diseases being spread, you can of course clean your pruning tool after each cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remove the &quot;sucker&quot; roots via a clean cut, either at:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The soil line (or as close as possible to the soil line)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just below the soil line, accomplished after careful removal of the surrounding soil to allow such a cut to be made. The soil can be returned to the area once the cut has been made.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do keep in mind, just because you remove &quot;sucker&quot; roots once does not mean the tree will not send up more, in fact you might find the tree sends up even more...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T23:57:15.647" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="113" CreationDate="2011-07-14T00:18:40.350" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Making a patch of ground &quot;weed free&quot; is standard boilerplate -- and useless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically what you want to do is start the seeds in an area that has been cleared of sod and isn't full of aggressively growing weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully the stuff in your packet grows aggressively and outcompetes whatever weeds are going to invade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a sort-of butterfly garden. A minimal amount of effort goes into making it &quot;weed free&quot; -- especially since most of the &quot;flowers&quot; would be considered weeds by a lot of people. Many were pulled out of roadside ditches and transplanted here because they look nice. Everything grows vigorously, so it all outcompetes &quot;weeds&quot; for the most part. And all of them are perennials or self-seeders so they come back every year. Maintenance is really just a matter of pulling out the grass and hacking back whatever flower/weed (depends on your perspective!) is getting a little too aggressive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-14T00:18:40.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="113" CreationDate="2011-07-14T01:27:47.650" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;While I'm not disagreeing with any of the information already give here, and I whole heartily agree that weed free is (near on) impossible, you may wish to read up on &lt;em&gt;soil solarization&lt;/em&gt; for future reference, or at least be aware of this technique:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_solarization&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Soil solarization&lt;/a&gt; via &lt;a href=&quot;http://wikipedia.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;An article on soil solarization: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardensalive.com/product/can-you-solarize-garden-woes-away&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Can You Solarize Garden Woes Away?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-24T11:59:21.357" LastActivityDate="2018-03-24T11:59:21.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1299" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-14T11:26:55.277" Score="9" ViewCount="1912" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been having problems where whenever I prune one of my rose bushes, often one of the branches is burrowed into by a nasty cane borer, meaning I have to cut back the rose even further. I'm trying to control the problem by applying PVA to the exposed canes just after they're cut, but I'm worried this is bad for the rose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to prevent these insects from attacking the plants? It has affected multiple bushes and killed off a gooseberry by now. I don't have photos of the damaged plants, as I've cut off the affected canes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-29T05:19:35.450" LastActivityDate="2011-08-29T05:19:35.450" Title="How can I stop cane borers in my rose bush?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1300" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1299" CreationDate="2011-07-14T12:50:33.403" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't experienced this problem myself - thank goodness! - but I gather it's caused by the larvae of sawflies, carpenter bees and some wasps (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rose-roses.com/problems/badinsects.html#Caneborers&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;see here&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to limiting the damage, by sealing the open ends of the canes with glue/PVA, which is what you are already doing, you could try some natural insect control by :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;planting some good insect repellents like, Tansy, Feverfew, Garlic, Pennyroyal and Rue among your roses (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rose-gardening-made-easy.com/cane-borers-on-roses.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;see here&lt;/a&gt;), or&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;spraying your roses with an insecticide or, if you prefer to take the organic route, with a solution of soap and water which is fairly effective.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand your concern that the glue/PVA might be harmful, but as household glue (a synthetic resin glue, such as UHU, that is non-toxic to humans but might be toxic to plants) is widely recommended, it is likely to be safe, and it might be better to use this rather than the PVA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-29T05:16:45.827" LastActivityDate="2011-08-29T05:16:45.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1301" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-14T14:33:02.817" Score="15" ViewCount="18798" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's the best way to get warned if there's going to be a frost? Is there website or online service which will email me?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My priority would be a service which emails only in the event of frost warnings but I guess a year round daily email with min/max forecasted temperatures for my postcode would be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in the UK. I did sign up with one UK frost alert service before last winter (sorry, can't remember which one) but never received any emails. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-31T18:36:28.750" LastActivityDate="2021-01-28T15:04:32.817" Title="How can I best get an alert if overnight frost is predicted?  " Tags="&lt;weather&gt;&lt;resources&gt;&lt;frost&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="5" ClosedDate="2021-01-28T21:33:13.547" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1302" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1308" CreationDate="2011-07-14T16:56:53.420" Score="12" ViewCount="515" Body="&lt;p&gt;What kind of pepper is this and when will it be &quot;ripe&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The peppers are a bit larger than a cherry tomato (maybe apricot size).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E09eh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pepper plant with small peppers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE&lt;/strong&gt;: The peppers turn red after they ripen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="471" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-04T16:22:27.060" LastActivityDate="2011-09-04T16:22:27.060" Title="What kind of pepper is this and when will it be &quot;ripe&quot;?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;&lt;habaneros&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1303" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1301" CreationDate="2011-07-14T16:58:46.160" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wunderground.com have email alerts, but they might be limited to US servere weather warnings.&#xA;I use Wundergound for my weather - good for stats junkies such as myself, or those what want a meaningful discussion of hurricane forecasts rather than the usual TV gloss. However, I use their website (no advertising for $5/yr). They also have some broader international weather forecasts/data.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-07-14T16:58:46.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1301" CreationDate="2011-07-14T16:59:28.520" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can try &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wunderground.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Weather Underground&lt;/a&gt;. This is one of the best sites for weather information and I always rely on this to plan my road trips. I've found the information very comprehensive and the layout &amp;amp; navigation thoroughly satisfying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you sign up as a paid member ($10/yr, although there are free memberships with lesser features), you'll have access to email forcasts &amp;amp; updates. From their sign-up page:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Our new email forecast and alert service is included with every membership. As a member, you select cities where you want weather updates, and we'll send you alerts immediately after they are issued by the National Weather Service. Forecasts are reformatted for text, or html devices, and can be sent whenever you choose as a paid member.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure if the information for other countries will be as comprehensive as that for the US, mainly because different weather stations report information selectively. But it might be worth a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-07-14T16:59:28.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1305" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1302" CreationDate="2011-07-14T17:05:43.010" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peppers easily hybridize so it is possible you may never know, or it might be an obscure variety (My supplier lists 100 or so).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like it is almost certainly a cultivar of &lt;em&gt;Capiscum annuum&lt;/em&gt; (as are most cultivated chile peppers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The closest match to anything I've grown would be &lt;strong&gt;Gypsy&lt;/strong&gt;. This is a small yellow bell pepper that likes warm climates. Size and colour are a good match although they are not as spherical and nobly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to when it is ripe? Watch the colours - let a pepper ripen without picking and see where it ends up. You can eat it at any time - remember that green bell peppers and jalapeños are simply unripe peppers! As it ripens, peppers will tend to become sweeter. With yellow peppers, they tend to turn from a green/yellow to a purer yellow. The gypsies turn into more of a lemon yellow shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-07-14T17:05:43.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1307" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1309" CreationDate="2011-07-14T18:04:52.853" Score="14" ViewCount="29410" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm getting plenty of flowers, and about half of them produce a tiny little pumpkin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, after only a couple of days, the pumpkins begin to turn black and shrivel up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is 104-degrees during the day with medium humidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been providing water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although my sample size may be a tad small, it seems that those in the shade are slightly more likely to survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I cover the young pumpkins to give them a chance?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have 8 larger pumpkins in the patch, but I haven't had any new ones take hold a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hYT5q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/zLWNW#zsYIp&quot;&gt;More Images Here (imgur.com)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="49" LastEditorUserId="49" LastEditDate="2011-07-15T19:28:41.637" LastActivityDate="2019-07-22T17:31:48.447" Title="Why are my pumpkins dying? Is it the heat?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1308" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1302" CreationDate="2011-07-14T18:31:37.317" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think they might be scotch bonnet habaneros.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eXfHo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;scotch bonnet pepper from flickr sassyradish&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Tried one. Super hot. Definitely habanero.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="471" LastEditorUserId="471" LastEditDate="2011-07-16T23:02:04.337" LastActivityDate="2011-07-16T23:02:04.337" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1309" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1307" CreationDate="2011-07-14T18:41:44.007" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;With 104&amp;#176;F temperatures and especially if your pumpkins are in full sun, that is the most likely cause of what you're seeing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also did you allow the patch to dry out during that extremely hot period?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If yes, that would also have had an affect on what you are now seeing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pumpkins, especially early on when fruit is being set, benefit greatly from some protection from the full midday sun (especially when taking into account the kind of temperature you gave) ie Think shade covers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pumpkins are heavy feeds, plenty of organic matter and fertiliser (if you can't get enough good quality organic matter).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pumpkins do better with a good constant water supply. You don't want to be drowning them, but keeping the soil constantly moist below the surface, greatly helps keep them happy. It's better to water at soil level, instead of from above. Drought, drying out of the soil can really stress your pumpkin patch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pumpkins like and need a lot of space, and also like their patch weed-free as much as possible. Careful, regular, hoeing of your pumpkin patch is a worthwhile job, your pumpkins will thank you for it. Added benefit of keeping your patch as clean as possible = Greatly reduces the risk of pests/disease taking hold.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you might find the first 10 minutes or so of the below podcast worth a listen:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.whyy.org/91FM/ybyg/201107.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;You Bet Your Garden, July 16, 2011&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.whyy.org/podcast/garden/garden20110716.mp3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Direct link to: You Bet Your Garden, July 16, 2011&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-21T05:59:28.323" LastActivityDate="2011-07-21T05:59:28.323" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1310" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-14T19:13:58.107" Score="7" ViewCount="317" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, a yet another windstorm came through this week and dropped a branch tree on my clothesline, ripped it right off the house!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was planning repurposing the line on using to support my peas next year, but they're doing just fine on the front lines with just jute twine.  So I thought I'd ask what veggies could benefit the most from being propped up with the steel reinforced clothesline wire? I've got about 300 feet of it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-07-15T12:03:48.293" Title="Using clothesline in the garden - what needs the most support?" Tags="&lt;support&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1310" CreationDate="2011-07-14T19:29:57.567" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Personal experience:&lt;/strong&gt; Tomatoes do great when grown on a trellis structure made of wires.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are a few more candidates that would do well on such a trellis structure:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Snap or Snow peas&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cucumbers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pole beans&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Melons&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Winter squash&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Disclaimer:&lt;/strong&gt; The above list comes from a web site I helped transfer over to WordPress. See here, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://greengardeningstl.com/2010/02/01/growing-more-with-less-space/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Growing More with Less Space&lt;/a&gt;&quot; for the actual post containing the above listed &lt;em&gt;&quot;candidates&quot;&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-07-14T19:29:57.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="302" CreationDate="2011-07-14T19:59:07.527" Score="9" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Q. Is there anything noteworthy that I can do to encourage my pumpkins to provide viable seeds sooner than later?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A. Having read this, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pumpkinnook.com/howto/seeds.htm&quot;&gt;Pumpkin Seeds - Buying, Selection and Saving&lt;/a&gt;&quot; and then talking with my local feed mill owner (I've just got off the phone with him), he grows over 30 types of squashes and gourds each year, we both believe you would be wasting your time trying to harvest pumpkin seeds to earlier (before the pumpkins are mature). Though we also both agree that, &quot;nothing ventured, nothing gained&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following doesn't answer your question (at least directly), but I am putting in a direct link to it anyway, as I believe it's useful information:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pumpkinnook.com/howto/seeds.htm#save&quot;&gt;Saving Pumpkin Seeds*&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*I contacted by phone the owner of the above linked to website to seek their permission to re-produce their content here, &quot;Bob Matthews&quot; kindly declined my request (hence &lt;em&gt;only&lt;/em&gt; the above link). &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pumpkinnook.com/aboutus.htm&quot;&gt;Contact details for Bob Matthews&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-07-15T13:26:53.530" LastActivityDate="2011-07-15T13:26:53.530" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1313" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1321" CreationDate="2011-07-14T20:18:17.057" Score="18" ViewCount="9101" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my first attempt to grow something and it hasn't started off well. During the last winter, my Persian lime tree wasn't protected well enough from a cold front. All the leaves fell off, and the bark became brittle. I assumed it had died and was planning to uproot it in the spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When spring came around, I noticed at the very base, almost even with the soil, new leaves began to sprout. Today, even though there are 5-6 new branches forming,they are only at the base, and there is no sign of life on the rest of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I take care of it, will it eventually recover? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will it ever bear fruit again (Someone told me no).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I cut away all the dead parts?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Would I'd be better off replacing it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the tree was young to start with, only 4ft tall or so, but did bare a few limes before winter. Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit for clarity:&lt;/strong&gt; My main question and concern is, if I choose to nurse the tree back to health, is there any possibility the tree will never bear fruit again? I had a person tell me that could happen, but I can't find any evidence to back that claim. If there is a possibility, then with the plant being so young, I might be better off starting over. Heh, I guess I feel bad for killing it and would like to see it recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the U.S in southern Louisiana. Winters don't usually get below 20F here. I'd say average winter temp is around 50F.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pictures&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8mARC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of entire lime tree&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9DqcF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of the base of the lime tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="475" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-22T16:32:41.197" LastActivityDate="2016-01-28T22:39:52.317" Title="Will my lime tree recover from cold shock?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;weather&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1314" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-14T20:21:59.177" Score="13" ViewCount="3374" Body="&lt;p&gt;I came across an article the other day on wikipedia about &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_preta&quot;&gt;Terra preta&lt;/a&gt;.  Has anyone used charcoal like this to enhance sandy soil, like we have in Florida?  Does this really work, and what is the best method for applying it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="476" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T04:05:42.213" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T04:05:42.213" Title="Is charcoal good for use as a soil amendment?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1315" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1319" CreationDate="2011-07-14T20:54:17.600" Score="16" ViewCount="1049" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there an ideal or preferred shape for a trellis or cage for cucumbers?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plant is taking over my garden and I would like to get things a bit more organized.  I've seen a cone type trellis where it's narrow at the base and expands toward the top.  I'm just not sure if that type of trellis is ideal for cucumbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="178" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-29T09:34:55.080" LastActivityDate="2017-11-30T09:18:09.977" Title="What's the ideal shape for a cucumber trellis/cage?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;&lt;support&gt;&lt;trellis&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1314" CreationDate="2011-07-14T21:08:18.967" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I have not personally used charcoal as a soil amendment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where and in what form would you be getting the charcoal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Charcoal is highly alkaline, therefore unless a soil test report states you need to raise the alkalinity of your soil (and by what recommended amount), I would not add in such a highly alkaline amendment, doing so could very well have a huge detrimental effect on your landscape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking the best way to improve sandy soil is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add in plenty of organic matter eg Compost, Autumn (Fall) shredded leaves, well-rotted farmyard manure.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The more organic matter you can incorporate into your sandy the soil, the better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additional after thoughts &amp;amp; having re-read the linked to, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_preta&quot;&gt;Terra preta&lt;/a&gt;&quot; article&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the average homeowner (gardener), is it possible and feasible to get enough suitable carbon material into the ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Up to &lt;strong&gt;9% black carbon&lt;/strong&gt; has been measured in some Terra preta (against 0.5% in surrounding soils).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It took approximately 1400 years to produce &quot;Terra preta&quot; that is today being observed, studied.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Terra preta soils are of pre-Columbian nature and were created by humans &lt;strong&gt;between 450 BC and AD 950.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Terra preta&quot; also has nutrients such as:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Those above nutrients can easily be added to the soil by the gardener. Before doing so, I would get a full soil test done by a Local Extension Office (or other local organization, company offering that service).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Terra preta&quot; also needs plenty of other stuff, carbon alone isn't the answer, it's just part of the answer (up to 9% of the answer).&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The processes responsible for the formation of Terra preta soils are:&#xA;  &lt;ol&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Incorporation of wood charcoal&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Incorporation of organic matter and of nutrients&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Role of micro-organisms and animals in the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My thoughts on the above 3 points:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Refer to the first bullet point I made above (under &quot;Additional after thoughts...&quot;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can definitely be done by the homeowner (gardener), but is going to take a good few years to see results, if only limited amounts of those components can be added each year. Of course you can get almost instant results on this item, if you have the time and/or money to excavate and dispose of huge amounts to existing soil, then bring in bulk loads of the necessary material to help form soil approaching &quot;Terra preta&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Again, can definitely be done by the homeowner (gardener). Number 2 will by proxy take care of quite a bit of this requirement ie Healthy soil attracts &quot;micro-organisms and animals&quot;. As a believe in compost tea, I would also say a program of compost tea applied to the soil will do wonders in adding and attracting &quot;micro-organisms and animals&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-15T01:39:41.090" LastActivityDate="2011-07-15T01:39:41.090" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1313" CreationDate="2011-07-14T21:38:18.783" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't answer all 4 of your questions, but please allow me to answer the ones I can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I honestly believe, no one can really tell you that for certain without actually seeing the tree in question (or at least a few photos).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pass.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yes, without question. Any dead parts on a tree should be removed immediately (ASAP). Failure to-do-so greatly increases the chance of pests and diseases moving in and infecting the tree. When removing dead parts, make clean cuts (using appropriate pruning tool for the job at hand), leaving a small part of the branch collar visible at the intersection of the trunk. Never cut (hack) into the trunk of a tree, unless you have to remove dead, infected parts of the trunk itself, then if it's that bad I would recommend calling in a specialist ie An arborist.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Without actually seeing it, or least some photos of it, it's a little hard to say.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Appropriate pruning tools for trees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pruning shears, up to 1inch (25mm) diameter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lopping (long handled) shears, up to 2inch (50mm) diameter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Variety of hand saws, from 1inch (25mm) up to 4inch (100mm) diameter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chainsaws, from 2inch (50mm) up to felling giant Redwoods, Sequoias. Best left to the pro's when using this dangerous power-tool.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For an excellent resource on how to prune trees, take a look at the following document from the US Forest Service:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/prun001.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;How to Prune Trees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-15T02:07:01.143" LastActivityDate="2011-07-15T02:07:01.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1318" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="362" CreationDate="2011-07-14T23:03:10.223" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got one of those this spring and nearly lost it in a similar experience.  I think I was just over feeding and over watering them, and this caused anaerobic bacteria to take over.  They release amonia and hydrogen sulfide, which make it stink and kill off the worms.  I stopped feeding and watering for a week and now I'm careful about how much food I add, and use very little watter and they seem to have recovered and are doing much better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every few days I check the reservoir and pull out two or three worms that have fallen down there and toss them back into the top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="476" LastActivityDate="2011-07-14T23:03:10.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1319" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1315" CreationDate="2011-07-15T02:03:54.843" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen two styles:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first style is an A-frame, with support legs in the back and mesh on the front. (Don't use chicken wire for the mesh -- I did this once and cukes would grow through the wire and then fatten up and get pinched!) I have used this style in the past with decent results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second style is vertical, with two tall posts and a crossbeam from which mesh is suspended.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-15T02:03:54.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1320" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1314" CreationDate="2011-07-15T02:33:41.760" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are &lt;a href=&quot;http://ccsbiochar.wordpress.com/&quot;&gt;people&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://onestrawrob.com/?p=1985&quot;&gt;experimenting&lt;/a&gt; with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochar&quot;&gt;biochar&lt;/a&gt;. Not the same as terra preta, but also a way to sequester carbon in the soil, and you can potentially capture and use the syngas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't use biochar, but I'm interested in its uses and have been doing some research for some time. It does appear to have beneficial effects on plants grown in soil amended with biochar, but it's not a silver bullet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Biochar is very low in nutrients, and if you apply it to the soil it can potentially draw nutrients away from plants. It is better to combine it with compost, manure, or some other source of nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.biochar-international.org/sites/default/files/IBI%20Biochar%20Application%20Guidelines_web.pdf&quot;&gt;This paper&lt;/a&gt; from the International Biochar Initiative describes some best practices for soil application, including discussion of:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Safety (storage, handling, transport)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Loss to wind&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Loss to water erosion&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Optimum particle size&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Application rate, frequency, and method&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Uses in various situations (agriculture, horticulture, pastures, orchards, etc)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Terra preta appears to be a bit of a mystery still, but there is a ton of literature on biochar available. (Do some googling, look at the references in the paper linked above, or check out the references in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochar&quot;&gt;wikipedia article on biochar&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-15T02:33:41.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1321" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1313" CreationDate="2011-07-15T04:03:36.317" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't bother; really. You likely have a bigger problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Persian limes are are sterile triploids, hence no seeds. What that means is the tree itself is a hybrid which was grafted onto the rootstock of a completely different citrus variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What that means to you is that there is a &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; strong chance the shoots are coming from original tree stock and &lt;strong&gt;you will &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; end up with a Persian lime tree.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's no telling what you will end up with, even if it &lt;em&gt;does&lt;/em&gt; manage to bear fruit. I had an orange tree that &quot;suckered&quot; from the wild  rootstock&amp;hellip; and the oranges it produced were closer to the essence of turpentine than anything resembling an edible orange.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do yourself a favor: Get out your loppers, close your eyes, and give the remains a proper burial (but don't really close your eyes as that would be very dangerous). If you're essentially starting from scratch anyway, at least start out with a healthy, new tree. You may even consider looking into a variety that is just a bit more cold tolerant for your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2016-01-28T22:39:52.317" LastActivityDate="2016-01-28T22:39:52.317" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1322" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-15T05:49:47.160" Score="12" ViewCount="781" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is a good generic bonsai soil mix?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What ratio of organic / inorganic material should be included?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2013-08-28T19:17:17.827" Title="Good soil mix for bonsai?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1323" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-15T05:51:14.057" Score="10" ViewCount="255" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a need to fertilise my bonsai or should I just stick with replacing the soil once every 18 months to 2 years?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2011-07-15T15:00:09.870" Title="How regularly should I fertilise my bonsai plants?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1324" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1310" CreationDate="2011-07-15T12:03:48.293" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Steel reinforced clothesline wire would be a good choice for supporting raspberries and other cane fruit, as well as grape vines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-15T12:03:48.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1325" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-15T12:21:30.860" Score="10" ViewCount="1179" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some rain barrels in my yard. After a certain amount of tinkering, they collect rain water well. However, I notice that a day or two after the rain, most of the water is gone. I've checked for leaks in the barrels and their hoses without finding any. I also moved the rain barrels out of direct sunlight as much as possible. Is it normal to lose so much water this way? Is it evaporation, or something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The barrels are entirely covered, except for a small hole where the water gets in. They are in my back yard, so I doubt that anyone else is using them. And the cats wouldn't be able to get at them for a (several gallon) hearty drink.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Besides the rain barrels, I have some buckets to do rain catching. These do not seem to lose water at the same rate. What gives?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="315" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-10T06:00:49.640" LastActivityDate="2012-01-10T06:00:49.640" Title="Why does the water in my rain barrel evaporate quickly?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;rain-barrel&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1326" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1323" CreationDate="2011-07-15T12:24:18.257" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although I'm no expert in bonsai, I have had two of the more hardy trees indoors, a Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia) and a Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina) for over ten years now, and both are very healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I replace the soil every couple of years and, during the growing season, fertilize them every fortnight with a standard feed for houseplants (Nitrogen 10.6%, Phosphorus 1.9%, Potassium 1.4%) at half strength (after replacing the soil, I normally wait about six weeks before fertilizing, since there are enough nutrients for their needs in the fresh soil).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many people who are new to bonsai mistakenly believe that it's necessary to withhold fertilizer to prevent their trees from growing too big, whereas, in fact, growth restriction is achieved through root and foliage pruning, &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; by denying them the fertilizer they need to remain healthy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-15T15:00:09.870" LastActivityDate="2011-07-15T15:00:09.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1327" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1322" CreationDate="2011-07-15T14:14:51.017" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As I said in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1323/how-regularly-should-i-fertilise-my-bonsai-plants&quot;&gt;my answer&lt;/a&gt; to your earlier question about fertilizer, I'm not an expert in bonsai, but I have had a Chinese Elm and a Weeping Fig for many years; both are very healthy and, for most of that time, they have been growing in the following soil mix:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;30% grit, 70% humus&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clearly, soil needs vary a good deal from one species to another (conifers, for instance, require considerably more grit, as much as 70% for some species), and also depend on whether the tree is deciduous or evergreen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is some useful information about bonsai care and soil mixes, by the Royal Horticultural Society, &lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=586&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-07-15T14:14:51.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1328" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1325" CreationDate="2011-07-15T15:00:08.220" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the problem is that some leaks are hard to find. If they are covered, it seems impossible for evaporation to be the problem. (I'm assuming that you have 30-50 gallon barrels and they are half full or so after a rain.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I would recommend if the barrels are empty right now, and assuming they drain down to be nearly empty:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Raise the barrels on blocks if you can do so safely.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fill with just a couple gallons of water from a hose.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put some sheets of newspaper or cardboard (something that will show drips) under the barrel, and see if you can see a leak. Or use a cookie sheet dusted with flour.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like they don't lose &lt;em&gt;all&lt;/em&gt; of the water. If they're only going down to a certain point, it's possible that you have a slow leak on the side of the barrel. To find this sort of leak:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wait until the barrels are full. (Or at least above the water level they reach when they've leaked.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dry the outside of the barrel thoroughly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dust the outside of the barrel with flour. Watch for spots that become damp.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you find the leak, see if you can repair it -- the method will vary depending on the material your barrels are made out of. If you bought them new from a big box store and haven't had them too long, you can probably just return them and get a replacement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-10T05:59:25.227" LastActivityDate="2012-01-10T05:59:25.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1329" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1330" CreationDate="2011-07-15T19:34:50.477" Score="10" ViewCount="159" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is a good and, hopefully, frugal solution for providing shade to long vines?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my case, I'm dealing with pumpkin vines on the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I imagine a combination of sheets and chicken wire might do it, but I imagine chicken wire doesn't qualify as frugal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Here's my layout&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DAb9o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="49" LastActivityDate="2011-07-15T21:15:20.627" Title="What is a good frugal method for providing shade to fruit-bearing vines?" Tags="&lt;pumpkins&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1329" CreationDate="2011-07-15T21:15:20.627" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you have sheets to spare, so a temporary &quot;clothesline&quot; could to the trick. Drive in a few tall-ish stakes, get yourself some clothesline and clothespins from the hardware store (or some suitable rope if you have it laying around), and hang up sheets so they cast a shadow on your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just make sure you don't &lt;em&gt;completely&lt;/em&gt; shade the plants -- they do need to get some light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-15T21:15:20.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1331" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1332" CreationDate="2011-07-15T23:27:25.190" Score="10" ViewCount="814" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got some weeds growing up between the flagstones in our backyard -- is there something natural and okay environmentally that I can use to kill the weeds? Obviously, I don't want anything growing at all there, so it doesn't matter if it kills everything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An internet search has turned up varied suggestions (vinegar, salt, boiling water) but nothing that seems definitive. Anyone have more concrete advice?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="477" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-15T23:55:05.133" LastActivityDate="2016-08-21T22:24:14.973" Title="Natural herbicide to kill weeds in a hard landscape environment?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;&lt;hard-landscape&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1331" CreationDate="2011-07-16T00:10:20.067" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below are comments (that have now been removed from underneath the original question) I believe contain helpful and useful information that relate directly to the question asked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;@wax eagle comment from above:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;For sure don't use salt. Too much salt will make it so nothing grows. But it also dissolves in water and can therefore travel into areas where you do want plants to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Salt also isn't a good answer in your case ie hard landscape, due to erosive effect it can have on concrete, stone, etc. For a drastic image, think about the damage salt (especially &lt;em&gt;old school&lt;/em&gt; salt) has on roads, bridges, etc each winter when it's putdown to clear ice &amp;amp; snow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;@Mike Perry comment from above:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Stay away from vinegar based herbicides where concrete, stone, etc will come into contact with it. Why? The acidity in those types of herbicides will eat into the concrete, stone, therefore having a negative affect on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Below are 3 organic options that will not have a negative effect on your hard landscape:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Herbicidal soap sprays (a quick internet search will turn up homemade recipes &amp;amp; off the shelf products).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hand-pulling, cheap (basically free, apart from your time), effective, and very easy to pull them up after a good downpour.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A small propane-powered flame weeder.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to go with a herbicidal soap and would like some more information, report back, and I'll (and I am sure others can/will) add in more information on that option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Home made Herbicidal soap recipe (for use in a hard landscape):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Warm water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(Eco-Friendly) Liquid dish detergent, from 0 to 20% (do &lt;strong&gt;NOT&lt;/strong&gt; use dishwasher or hand soap)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeing as you are not too concerned about what you kill within the joints of your flagstone, I would start out with a 5 to 10% concentrated mixture, and see if that works (it should do). If it doesn't, you can always mix up a higher concentration and try again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would apply the mixture with a spray bottle, so that you can specifically target the weeds you want to get ride of. I personally wouldn't go about just spraying &quot;anyway &amp;amp; everywhere&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spray the weeds, then 3 or 4 days later go out again and spray them, then again 3 or 4 days after that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bear in mind, you will mostly likely have to apply a few application of your mixture before you start seeing any results (hence the above statement).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might then find, at least for the first year, you will have to go out they and spray your mixture once every 2 or 3 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But eventually, so long as you keep on top of it, you will most definitely start winning the weed battle. You could end up only having to spray your mixture 2 or 3 times a year (your actual mileage will vary depending on the weeds you have to deal with).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck, and please keep us posted on how it works out for you.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-16T05:45:31.037" LastActivityDate="2011-07-16T05:45:31.037" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1333" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1331" CreationDate="2011-07-16T01:28:53.573" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might try corn gluten meal. It's a natural corn by-product. But there are some caveats:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It won't work against &lt;strong&gt;established weeds&lt;/strong&gt;. It only prevents germination. And in fact it will act as fertilizer for them -- so you'll first need to remove the weeds that are there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It won't work against &lt;strong&gt;perennial weeds&lt;/strong&gt;. So no help on the dandelions, though it will prevent any seeds that blow in from germinating.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-21T22:24:14.973" LastActivityDate="2016-08-21T22:24:14.973" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1334" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1307" CreationDate="2011-07-16T02:02:58.887" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Judging from the latest photos you have posted, which show that the &lt;em&gt;entire&lt;/em&gt; plant has yellowed, and the leaves have wilted, I suspect that the problem could be caused by  the fungus Fusarium Crown Rot, which has not yet spread to your other pumpkins, as outbreaks tend to be localized; the symptoms develop as follows: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Initially, the leaves and stem turn yellow&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the next 2-3 weeks, the entire plant wilts, collapses and decays.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently, damage to the fruit varies widely,depending on the particular pathogen involved. It is worth examining the stems carefully, since a black and rotting area, at or just below the soil line, is characteristic of this disease, and together with the above symptoms, would definitely suggest FCR. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this tentative diagnosis prove wrong, as its spores can survive in the soil for 2-3 years and, unfortunately, there is no way of controlling it other than by a four-year rotation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will find most of this information about FCR, together with details of similar diseases, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/BP-17/BP-17.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://kentagextension.blogspot.com/2008/06/fusarium-crown-rot-root-rot-and-wilt-of.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-07-16T02:02:58.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1335" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1338" CreationDate="2011-07-16T02:57:25.873" Score="17" ViewCount="6008" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a strip of dwarf mondo grass down the middle of my driveway.  Pennywort has started to grow in amongst it, and is gradually spreading and taking over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried manually weeding it out (was spending 10 or 15 minutes each day), however it's coming back as fast as I can remove it.  Because of the mondo grass roots, it's very difficult to get all the pennywort roots out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mondo grass is growing quite well in areas the pennywort hasn't reached yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do?  Can I change the conditions to suit the mondo grass more than the pennywort and give it a better chance?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't mind using a herbicide if required.  I'm not much of a gardener so any help is appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GRUJD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pennywort in mondo grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="460" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-23T20:02:38.023" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T03:27:14.903" Title="How can I get rid of the pennywort that is taking over my dwarf mondo grass?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1301" CreationDate="2011-07-16T03:46:46.013" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below are some weather services you may wish to look into further (if you've not already):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Weather reports for the UK:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/services/public/paid/wxcall&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Weathercall by phone, fax and web&lt;/a&gt; - Paid service from the Met Office&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/radar/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;British Isles: Rainfall radar&lt;/a&gt; - Free online service from the Met Office. If you click on a region, you will get more detailed information, including &quot;Weather warnings overview&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/guide/warnings.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The new National Severe Weather Warning Service&lt;/a&gt; - Free email service from the Met Office&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;BBC Weather Service&lt;/a&gt; - Doesn't offer email service, but does offer free, Mobile access and RSS feeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Weather reports for the USA:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://registration.weather.com/ursa/alerts/step1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Weather Alerts &amp;amp; Inbox Weather&lt;/a&gt; - Free email service from The Weather Channel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weather.com/services/mobile-downloads.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mobile &amp;amp; Downloads&lt;/a&gt; - Free apps from The Weather Channel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://weather.weatherbug.com/mobile.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;WeatherBug Mobile&lt;/a&gt; - Free and paid Mobile apps from WeatherBug&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://weather.weatherbug.com/desktop-weather.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Desktop Weather Products&lt;/a&gt; - Free Desktop apps from WeatherBug&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weather.gov/emailupdates/index.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Email Alerts &amp;amp; Updates&lt;/a&gt; - Free email service from National Weather Service&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.accuweather.com/alerts/index.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Daily forecast &amp;amp; severe weather watches &amp;amp; warnings&lt;/a&gt; - Free email service from AccuWeather&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Worldwide weather reports:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weathertrends360.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;WeatherTrends360&lt;/a&gt; - Offers free email service, but requires free membership&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weather.com/services/mobile-downloads.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mobile &amp;amp; Downloads&lt;/a&gt; - Free apps from The Weather Channel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://weather.weatherbug.com/mobile.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;WeatherBug Mobile&lt;/a&gt; - Free and paid Mobile apps from WeatherBug&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://weather.weatherbug.com/desktop-weather.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Desktop Weather Products&lt;/a&gt; - Free Desktop apps from WeatherBug&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;BBC Weather Service&lt;/a&gt; - Doesn't offer email service, but does offer free, Mobile access and RSS feeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://maps.google.com/maps?lci=weather&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Google maps &quot;Weather&quot;&lt;/a&gt; - Free overlay to Google maps, powered by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weather.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Weather.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/rain-or-shine-see-weather-in-google.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Rain or shine, see the weather in Google Maps&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Weather services I personally use (living in the USA):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weather.com/mobile/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Weather Channel Mobile App&lt;/a&gt; - Hourly, Daily, 36 Hour &amp;amp; 10 Day weather, plus Alerts&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://weather.weatherbug.com/mobile.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;WeatherBug Mobile App&lt;/a&gt; - Hourly, Daily &amp;amp; Weekly weather, plus Alerts&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/mobotnews&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Missouri Botanical Garden on Twitter&lt;/a&gt; - Freeze warnings&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr/&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above weather services come from:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Asking a few gardening experts and weather companies/services on twitter for their recommendations.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;An internet search.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Personal experience with some of those services.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-18T18:36:48.913" LastActivityDate="2011-08-18T18:36:48.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1337" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1552" CreationDate="2011-07-16T05:49:15.503" Score="17" ViewCount="19106" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Japanese box hedge which is not exactly dying, but is definitely failing to thrive.  When I moved in (5 years ago) it was looking much better.  So it's not about the location, but that the previous owner knows something I do not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is on the north side of the house and receives plenty of sun.  I have used sugar-cane mulch to keep weeds to a minimum.  Nearby roses are fertilized with chook manure and commercial rose food.  The roses are growing well as is nearby murraya hedge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over the last 6 months I have tried a few different things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fertilizing with blood and bone, &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fertilizing with cow manure,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spraying with a fortnightly mixture of Seasol and Powerfeed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There have been periods of steady rainfall for weeks which have not seemed to help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to test the soil?  Treat for pests?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took a couple of pictures so you can see what I mean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some observations:-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;on the shady side, there is a green tinge to the bark&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leaves appear to be yellowing from the tips first and then going brown&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some unhealthy looking leaves have small brown dots along the edge of the leaf, more prominent on the top of the leaf than the bottom&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cross-section the root does not appear to have a blue tinge (my mobile phone camera is not too good a close-ups)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the soil looks good (noticed few worms when I dug this up).  Soil is clayey&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2azjz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Japanese box hedge&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RlSf6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Japanese box hedge&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/huDL2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Japenese box hedge extracted&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MLbXv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Japenese box hedge root cross-section&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="460" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-24T20:51:45.433" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T23:58:59.077" Title="Japanese box hedge failing to thrive. What to do?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1338" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1335" CreationDate="2011-07-16T14:59:28.787" Score="9" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Q. Can I change the conditions to suit the mondo grass more than the pennywort and give it a better chance?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; Mondo grass (is an Ornamental grass, this is important for the herbicide part of the answer), prefers a moist soil. Pennywort thrives in wet soils. Therefore if you can reduce the moisture level in your soil you will (to some extent) hit negatively the Pennywort and improve the conditions for the Mondo grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Improve drainage by amending the soil appropriately. Example, usually that involves adding organic matter to your soil - stuff like compost, finely shredded Autumn &quot;Fall&quot; leaves, well rotted farmyard manure, etc. If your soil is more like clay, adding some coarse sand and fine crushed rock can be worthwhile (along with the organic matter)..&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water less (obviously you can't turn off the rain).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Q. I don't mind using a herbicide if required. I'm not much of a gardener so any help is appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; From what I have read (links below), an &quot;imazaquin&quot; based selective herbicide can be used around some Ornamental grasses to help control/fight Pennywort. Of course before using such a selective herbicide you would need to read the label (or contact the manufacturer directly) to see if it's safe to use around Mondo grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://msucares.com/lawn/lawn/turf/09/0706.html&quot;&gt;Pennywort (Dollarweed) Control&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/weeds/Pennywort.aspx&quot;&gt;Dollarweed (Pennywort)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-16T21:46:35.223" LastActivityDate="2011-07-16T21:46:35.223" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1339" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1359" CreationDate="2011-07-16T16:00:18.157" Score="25" ViewCount="4933" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking, when watering a vegetable garden, are there any benefits to using cold water vs warm or vice versa? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Wisconsin, so 90+°F is about as hot as it gets around here. Typically the temps are in the 80s during summer months. I'm mainly comparing water that has been sitting in a brown rain barrel in the sun (warm) vs water from a hose (generally cold).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="178" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-02T20:08:16.260" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T22:48:35.070" Title="Does water temperature affect vegetable plant growth?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1340" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1339" CreationDate="2011-07-16T17:53:14.773" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing a wide range of vegetables for many years, and have never deliberately used warm water (although the water in the hose is sometimes warm after lying in the sun for a time); I very much doubt that there are any benefits at all in using warm rather than cold water, or vice versa, except with tender seedlings, before they are hardened off, when I always use tepid water. Soil and air temperature, of course, are critical to growth rate and success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-16T19:25:15.580" LastActivityDate="2011-07-16T19:25:15.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1341" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-17T00:41:23.910" Score="17" ViewCount="6931" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a capsicum/pepper plant about 5 months back and it's been growing well and producing a few fruits. &#xA;I live in Melbourne, Australia and it's now Winter, and the plant now has lots of fruit, but looks like it's on its last legs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was hoping to keep it going through winter till next year.  Is there anything I can do to save it or am I too late?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zU9Yp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of the pepper plant&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h3Qxa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another picture of the pepper plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="480" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-24T17:06:13.190" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T20:40:31.680" Title="Why is my pepper plant dying?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1342" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-17T00:46:43.967" Score="12" ViewCount="4568" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm on my 2nd lemon tree.  I live in Melbourne, Australia and lemon trees are the norm around here.   I suspect my first one died as it outgrew its pot, which was half the size of this one.  I'm currently renting, so need to keep it in a pot until I buy then I'll plant it in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bearing in mind it is Winter here, I spotted that the leaves are beginning to wilt and also have spots of white which then end up being holes.  They look a little like burn marks, but I have not been watering in the sun nor has it been too sunny recently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas on how to save this tree before its too late?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HSHeO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lemon tree and pot&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tjIOn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of leaves showing damage&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qKMu9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another close up of the leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="480" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-17T14:10:17.677" LastActivityDate="2011-07-21T06:03:40.957" Title="Is my lemon tree dying?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1343" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1808" CreationDate="2011-07-17T01:30:59.173" Score="12" ViewCount="143" Body="&lt;p&gt;I usually sow carrots in early June for lifting in September. This year, I am planning to sow a short-rooted variety in August, for harvesting in November-December, and will use a fleece grow tunnel to protect them from frost&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any particular problems associated with &lt;strong&gt;late&lt;/strong&gt; sowing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-08-25T17:57:14.627" Title="Late-sown Carrots: any particular problems?" Tags="&lt;carrots&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;sowing&gt;&lt;late-sowing&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1344" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-17T03:10:28.443" Score="21" ViewCount="1109" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to start composting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in a house of 2, and a fairly large garden, in Australia, and I am renting (therefore do not want to spend a lot of money on something that I can't take with me).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was googling at the various approaches to DIY compost bins and was not sure on a clear winner. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best approach to begin composting in my situation?  Should I pop down garden center and buy something or is it fairly easy/cheap to build something myself?  I would like some experienced suggestions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="480" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T02:17:14.100" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T02:17:14.100" Title="Composting Bins - DIY vs Bought" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1345" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1361" CreationDate="2011-07-17T03:19:43.117" Score="19" ViewCount="9084" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have just moved into a home with a peach tree that appears healthy, but overgrown; it has clearly not been pruned in many years (although I have cut out some of the branches that made it impossible to walk under the tree).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I help this tree reach its peach-producing potential?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is on the south side of the house; photo looks northwest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4ANb5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of peach tree and house&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="450" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2011-07-17T04:59:46.173" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T23:38:21.290" Title="How should I prune an overgrown peach tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1346" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1344" CreationDate="2011-07-17T03:49:03.470" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have never purchased a ready-made compost bin, but I have made many cubic yards of compost by one of three approaches:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make a big pile (very roughly: 4-5' high by 5-6' diameter). (Yes, it's that simple.) This is obviously the cheapest and simplest approach, though if you need to keep a very tidy appearance it may not be an option. The other problem is that I've occasionally had skunks dig into the pile to get at kitchen scraps. Not sure what critters you get in Australia, but this could be a problem for you too. I use this approach now.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Construct a &quot;bin&quot;. I used purchased lumber and chicken wire to enclose a bin on 3 sides. I found this difficult to turn, though it did keep everything contained. I gave up on this design after we moved from the house where I built this.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use a piece of welded-wire fence, connecting the ends to each other to create what looks like a pen. Dump your materials into it. This keeps everything contained. You have to take the fence apart (not hard) to turn the pile. It may help to pound in some stakes to keep the fence in place (I didn't do this). I used this for a big leaf pile and let the leaves compost in place, unturned, for a couple of years with beautiful results at the end. (And huge amounts of worms.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose a fourth &quot;bin&quot; that I've used is to simply dig garden waste into the soil and let it rot in place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-17T03:49:03.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1347" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1349" CreationDate="2011-07-17T09:18:22.263" Score="10" ViewCount="10334" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mum has a plant (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglaonema&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Aglaonema modestum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) which she doesn't quite take care of, and it is messy with dead leaves and half yellow, half green leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I find them very ugly and want to trim them off. The question is, should I trim off the half yellow, half green leaves from plants in general?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-19T15:18:31.323" LastActivityDate="2011-11-19T15:18:31.323" Title="Should you trim off half yellowed leaves on an indoor plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1348" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1341" CreationDate="2011-07-17T13:45:04.083" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would pick the ripe fruits - this might give your plant a little bit more strength. however, these plants look like mine when I've grown them in pots and brought them in for winter. Most people grow them as annuals (and this is what I do with my raised bed plants, just letting the frost kill them).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had some mixed success over-wintering them in pots, although it is patchy and some years none survive. They seem prone to disease. Leaves fall off (as per yours), but as long as some green stem survives into spring, then you should be able to grow the plant again and get lots of fruit from it. I don't know if it makes a difference, but when I've done this, I've always planted the plant into a bed outside for the new year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-07-17T13:45:04.083" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1349" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1347" CreationDate="2011-07-17T13:51:24.807" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer depends on the size of the leaf in question. For e.g., if you have large leaves, then the stalk is going to be wider and so the cut (where you trim the leaf) is going to take longer to heal and &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; possibly get infected. On the other hand, for plants with moderate to small leaves (e.g., roses), there is no harm in trimming off a half yellowed leaf. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually give such leaves a slight tug and see if it snaps off itself. If it does, well and good and if it doesn't, I wait for a couple of days and try it again. If it looks really ugly, I take the scissors to it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-07-17T13:51:24.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1350" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1341" CreationDate="2011-07-17T14:22:45.017" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant is already very tall and all you've got is trimmed branches, I think it is hard for the leaves to grow again from the trimmed branches. So the short answer is no.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know trimming is all you can do for a weak plant. It is dying. Your might want to save the chili fruit and sow and the seed after winter. A new plant in Spring will be much stronger than a plant that survived winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastActivityDate="2011-07-17T14:22:45.017" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1351" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1364" CreationDate="2011-07-17T21:20:50.143" Score="14" ViewCount="8843" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn is full of so much thatch that I can bend down and pull up handfuls. I used a steel rake to pull up some today but it is still full of thatch. I feel like I could continue raking for days and never get it all.  Will a rake meant specifically for dethatching be any easier to use, and more importantly will it pull up more thatch than a standard steel rake?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="42" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-08-24T18:22:41.763" LastActivityDate="2017-08-24T18:22:41.763" Title="Is a dethatching rake significantly better for removing thatch than a regular rake?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1351" CreationDate="2011-07-17T21:57:08.630" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A standard garden rake doesn't remove thatch well at all. Either of the following tools would do the job much better:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A hand lawn rake/scarifier&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;An electric lawn rake/scarifier (Very effective - I use one myself)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see them &lt;a href=&quot;http://shop.ebay.co.uk/items/__scarifier+rake_W0QQ_dmdZ2?rvr_id=248207623422&amp;amp;clk_rvr_id=248207623422&amp;amp;crlp=6041543557_228459_228459&amp;amp;UA=WXF?&amp;amp;GUID=de9465d11240a0e20410fd40fe62aefd&amp;amp;agid=1851448477&amp;amp;tm_kw=scarifier%20rake&amp;amp;siteid=3&amp;amp;MT_ID=10&amp;amp;tt_encode=raw&amp;amp;keyword=scarifier%20rake&amp;amp;geo_id=21&amp;amp;ff4=228459_228459&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&amp;amp;field-keywords=lawn%20rake%20scarifier&amp;amp;x=13&amp;amp;y=22&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA; - &#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-17T22:08:16.177" LastActivityDate="2011-07-17T22:08:16.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1353" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30" CreationDate="2011-07-17T23:32:20.910" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's my personal experience with seeding an approx 30&amp;#176; slope in our back-garden (back in 2008). We had to seed an area of approx 50 feet (15m) x 12 feet (3.5m) on a 30&amp;#176; slope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;August 2007, we started with this:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RVto2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RVto2m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Back garden overgrown slope&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Beginning of April 2008, we cleared the slope back to a stone wall (we had no idea it was there when we started clearing), then began preparing the slope for seeding:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PwI3K.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PwI3Km.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Back garden slope cleared for grass seeding&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;End of April 2008, after seeding, putting down some biodegradable grass seed cover, a little spot patching of compost and some straw covering, we end up with this:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FZcNm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FZcNmm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Back garden slope after grass seeding&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By mid May 2008, we had ended up with this:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cVinb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cVinbm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Back garden slope after grass seeding&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a couple of things I learnt from doing the above:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seeding a cool season lawn (a tall Fescue in our case) is not the right thing to do in Spring time. We got lucky.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Having never used a biodegradable grass seed cover before, we (the wife) decided to only try it on the very top of the slope area we were seeding. We (the wife) didn't want to waste money on such a system if it didn't work. It worked very well, meaning if we ever had to seed such a slope again we would most likely buy enough of it to completely cover the slope area we were seeding. It done a great job in keeping the grass seeds in place while they germinated, as we experienced a few &lt;em&gt;&quot;typical&quot;&lt;/em&gt; mid-west Spring time downpours (2 to 3inches/50 to 75mm of rainfall at a time).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a few things I would do if I had to do something similar again:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seed a cool season lawn in late Summer, early Autumn (Fall). For the area I live in (Missouri), that would be sometime between mid August to mid September. At that time of year, the soil is nice and warm (but starting to cool down a little), this will help speed up (increase) a little the germination time. Also by sowing a cool season lawn at that time of year, you greatly increase the success rate of the grass establishing itself ie It has almost a year to generate a good deep root system before the heat of Summer arrives and does it very best to kill a young, unestablished lawn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;After putting down the seed on the well prepared soil, I would cover the complete area with &amp;#189; to 1inch (12.5 to 25mm) of STA-certified compost (reduces the risk of bringing unwanted seeds into your landscape).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover over everything with biodegradable grass seed cover. Though I might only do this, if there was a mid to high risk of heavy rains while the seed goes through its germination stage (normally 2 to 4 weeks).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On days of no rain, I would go out and lightly water each (non-rain) day. If there had been a day of heavy rain, I wouldn't go out and water until the soil had dried out a bit, you don't want the soil so wet that seeds are swimming in water (floating away).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 2011, are back-garden slope looks like this:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OfU5Q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OfU5Qm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Back garden grassed slope&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see from the above photo, I am now in the process of establishing a Missouri native garden on the 30&amp;#176; slope area (approx 50 feet (15m) x 30 feet (9m)) behind the stone wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Q. Why am I doing this?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We (I) wanted to do something with this area to make it look reasonable.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We didn't want to spend a small fortune on major landscape work (for a number of reason, but main reason being, we hope to move home sometime within the next 2 to 3 years).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I wanted to learn about native Missouri plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I wanted something that once established, would be (basically) maintenance free. Gardening of any kind on such a slope isn't much fun. Basically that translates to, I hate cutting the grass we already have on the slope as it is.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-30T15:59:07.520" LastActivityDate="2011-09-30T15:59:07.520" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1354" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1344" CreationDate="2011-07-18T00:16:37.220" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Totally agree with &quot;bstpierre&quot; &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1344/composting-bins-diy-vs-bought/1346#1346&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I wouldn't waste your or my money on a ready made compost bin (tumbler).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Here is what I did:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Picked a location in the garden.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vs4Ee.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Location for compost pile in a garden&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cleared that area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bought 4 (cheap) light-duty steel fence posts.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bought a small roll of Garden/Fence hardware cloth eg &amp;#189;inch (12.5mm) spaced galvanized wire.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Had some spare cable ties laying around and decided to use them to attach the hardware cloth to the fence posts.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Assembled a simple three sided structure (see below photo) using the above mentioned materials.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZVEUF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Assembled, a simple three sided hardware cloth compost pen&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Installed the simple three sided structure in the location picked out previously.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qsaLq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Installed, a simple three sided hardware cloth compost pen&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;And here is the same compost pile 3 years later (photo taken today).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dL7N2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A simple three sided hardware cloth compost pen&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-07-18T00:22:31.180" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1355" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="123" CreationDate="2011-07-18T12:07:03.217" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;The root cause (no pun intended) is that excess nitrogen will make the roots fork. I've heard two different theories as to why:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Hot&quot; fertilizer like fresh manure burns off the fresh roots and makes them fork.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A lot of nitrogen in shallow soil fails to encourage the plant to scavenge deep in the soil for nutrients, and they send out roots sideways instead.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or it could be combination of the two -- but the latter came from a more reliable source and fits more with my experience. (One of my books versus something seen on the internet -- sorry I can't remember exact sources.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even in soil where I haven't added extra nitrogen but was very fertile with other nutrients, I have seen carrots develop not so much forked roots as fat sideways roots instead of the usual fine &quot;hairs&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-18T12:07:03.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1356" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1368" CreationDate="2011-07-18T12:29:39.860" Score="24" ViewCount="4141" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's common knowledge that legumes (clover, beans, etc) can (with the help of Rhizobium bacteria) fix nitrogen from the air and hold it in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Much is made of this fact -- advice that we should plant clover in our lawn to give the grass a boost, &quot;three sisters&quot; plantings of beans with corn so the beans can provide the corn with nitrogen, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I've seen a couple of mentions that the nitrogen that legumes fix from the air is &quot;locked up&quot; on the roots of the plant until it dies. Thus they don't help their companions while they're alive -- so while clovers in a lawn have other benefits, they do not provide any nitrogen to the grasses. According to this contrary advice, the only nitrogen benefit these plants provide is to a following crop -- e.g. a soybean crop or clover cover crop will provide nitrogen to whatever follows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which advice is correct? Does it depend on the legume type? (I.e. are there some legume types that fix extra nitrogen that would become available for companions?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-18T13:38:08.550" LastActivityDate="2011-10-18T20:38:04.830" Title="Do legumes provide nitrogen to their companions?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;companion-planting&gt;&lt;legumes&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1357" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1356" CreationDate="2011-07-18T13:19:51.103" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Wikipedia &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_fixation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;page on Nitrogen Fixation&lt;/a&gt; says the nitrogen is released after the plant dies. Under legumes, quote:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae – with taxa such as clovers, soybeans, alfalfa, lupines, peanuts, pistachios and rooibos. They contain symbiotic bacteria called Rhizobia within nodules in their root systems, producing nitrogen compounds that help the plant to grow and compete with other plants. When the plant dies, the fixed nitrogen is released, making it available to other plants and this helps to fertilize the soil(1)(5) The great majority of legumes have this association, but a few genera (e.g., Styphnolobium) do not. In many traditional and organic farming practices, fields are rotated through various types of crops, which usually includes one consisting mainly or entirely of clover or buckwheat (family Polygonaceae), which are often referred to as &quot;green manure.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wikipedia may not be the most reliable of sources with these kinds of questions, but I think the references for the statement in question look reliable and could be investigated. They are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Postgate, J (1998). Nitrogen Fixation, 3rd Edition. Cambridge&#xA;University Press, Cambridge UK.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Smil, V (2000). Cycles of Life. Scientific American Library.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The CUP looks like a university text, and the Scientific American text is going to be a synthesis but they do a good job of such things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although most of the nitrogen may well be locked up, it is also going to be a leaky system - eg. roots might died, nodules become dislodged and break down, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(also interesting from that page: the list of other non-legume nitrogen fixers, such as cyanobacteria)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-18T20:38:04.830" LastActivityDate="2011-10-18T20:38:04.830" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1358" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1363" CreationDate="2011-07-18T13:24:17.023" Score="9" ViewCount="171" Body="&lt;p&gt;Three months ago, my bay roof was re-felted. While the roofers were sealing the felt, they spilled hot pitch onto the leaves of my Bay Laurel which is in a tub, on the ground below (see photos). I’ve  gradually removed most of the damaged leaves, and there has been some fresh leaf growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are the undamaged leaves now safe to use for flavoring food and, if not, how long is it likely to take for the laurel to eliminate the toxins it has absorbed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VkRou.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Md0kX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-18T13:35:27.070" LastActivityDate="2011-07-20T19:53:20.727" Title="Damaged Bay Laurel: are the leaves safe to use?" Tags="&lt;poisons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1359" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1339" CreationDate="2011-07-18T16:21:42.837" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends -- but it probably doesn't matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Steve Solomon discusses correlations between watering and temperature in &quot;Gardening When It Counts&quot; (p123), though he doesn't exactly cover your question. Watering &lt;em&gt;lowers the soil temperature&lt;/em&gt; because evaporation is a cooling process. I'm not sure whether hot or cold water will cause more temperature loss (seems like that's a question for Physics.SE). I suspect (but the physics people would know better) that there's not much real difference at the end of the day &lt;em&gt;if you're watering the soil and not the foliage&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you think about it, you're going to put down say 1&quot; of water and expect it to soak into the top 12&quot; or so of soil, then you're mixing each unit volume of hot water with 12x the volume of soil. The temperature delta between the soil and the water isn't &lt;em&gt;that&lt;/em&gt; big, so you're really not going to modify the soil temperature in a significant way. (And then you'll lose some temperature to evaporation anyway.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're wetting the foliage, water above a certain temperature is going to cause leaf damage. I don't know what that point is, and I suspect it would be different for different plants. So I'd recommend &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; using the hot water for foliar feeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-18T16:21:42.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1356" CreationDate="2011-07-18T17:45:21.903" Score="3" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Much is made of this fact -- advice that we should plant clover in our lawn to give the grass a boost...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have a read of the following &amp;quot;lawn care&amp;quot; article as it dispels that misconception:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.richsoil.com/lawn-care.jsp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Organic Lawn Care For the Cheap and Lazy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you believe the information given in the article, which I do -- Clover taking over a lawn is a sure sign that the soil is nitrogen deficient and the clover isn't going to help the grass. Period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Please bear in mind, the article doesn't directly answer your question, but I believe it does give some relevant information pertaining to your question to make it a worthwhile read.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have a listen of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qp2f&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gardeners' Question Time&lt;/a&gt; podcast, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0151xsr&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Colne&lt;/a&gt; and starting listening at 33mins:38secs in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chris Beardshaw debunks a longstanding myth about nitrogen-fixing pea shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is my poor effort at transcribing what is said:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Peter Gibbs:&lt;/strong&gt; How many of you leave your pea &amp;amp; beans roots in the ground to get the benefit of the nitrogen that they've fixed through the Winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Peter Gibbs:&lt;/strong&gt; A few hands going up there, so do I, but Chris is going to tell us we're doing it all wrong&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chris Beardshaw:&lt;/strong&gt; Well, not necessarily doing it wrong, the principal is true and it has in fact been going on for ages hasn't it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My grandfather taught me that all the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legume&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;legumes&lt;/a&gt;, the pea and bean family are nitrogen fixing plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's to say they absorb nitrogen or in fact there is a bacteria that absorbs nitrogen on their behalf and in return the bacteria plugs into the root and gets simple sugars out of the plant, so it's a kind of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_symbiotic_relationships&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;symbiotic relationship&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant gets the nitrogen and that's why we've left our peas and beans roots in the garden thinking we're going to improve the nitrogen status of our soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is until some research was recently carried out which has proved that the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_nodule&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;nodules&lt;/a&gt; that are formed, are present in very high quantities and that about 40% of the plants total nitrogen reserve is at the root in those nodules prior to flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However as soon as the plant flowers the majority of that nitrogen then moves not into the stems and leaves, it moves away from the root into the flower, and into the pods, and of course the seeds, the peas, the beans themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So much so that after harvest the nodules and the roots contain less than 3% of the original nitrogen, so if you're leaving your pea and bean roots in after harvest, actually there's very little point other than just improving the general soil structure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Peter Gibbs:&lt;/strong&gt; So we're not wrong, just misguided?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chris Beardshaw:&lt;/strong&gt; Yeah, one of the things if you're using green manures, very often we use peas and beans or things like winters beans as a green manure. But if you think about how we use them, we dig them in before they flower, that's where you get the benefit of all that fixed nitrogen. Plus all of the nitrogen which is in the plant, the upper part of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't bother leaving them in ground expecting to get a high nitrogen flush after they've fruited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm currently in conversation with Chris Beardshaw, Peter Gibbs and Gardeners' Question Time, trying to get further information about the aforementioned study (hopefully a link to the actual document). If I'm successful, I will update this answer...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far I've got back:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Peter Gibbs:&lt;/strong&gt; Chris quoted a study which found legumes only fix nitrogen up to the flowering stage, so leaving roots over winter is pointless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chris Beardshaw:&lt;/strong&gt; The important element was the huge reduction of available N in the nodules after onset of flowering, against popular beliefs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-10-16T02:03:22.487" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1361" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1345" CreationDate="2011-07-18T19:28:58.190" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;: after the information from David that the tree produced heavily this year, renovation may be a practical course of action.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strike&gt;&#xA;You may get a better answer from someone else, but I'd suggest that you should &lt;strong&gt;cut it down and plant a new tree&lt;/strong&gt;. Peach trees are not long-lived -- a 20-25 year old tree is ready for retirement. Production typically drops off at that point. You &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be able to prune this over a couple of years and have it produce some fruit, but I find it unlikely that you'll be paid back for your time and effort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if you could renovate the old tree and get a few more years of crops from it, a new tree will begin producing within a year or two, will have a longer productive life, and you would expect larger crops than the old tree within just a few years.&#xA;&lt;/strike&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;http://eap.mcgill.ca/MagRack/COG/COG_H_93_03.htm&quot;&gt;this article on fruit tree pruning&lt;/a&gt;, especially:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;You will seldom have to resort to serious renovation pruning on peaches, nectarines, sweet cherries and Japanese plums. These and most apricots seldom live long enough to need renovation. A peach at 25 is old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A major renovation will take a couple of years -- you don't want to remove too much at once. Start by removing dead/diseased branches and then stop. If that doesn't remove much material, remove branches that are crossing, growing the wrong direction, etc. But stop before you remove too much. Then take a look at what happens next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that fruit forms on this year's wood. So if you want fruit next year, make sure you leave some of this year's growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have the tools, and you can do the job safely, and you want to reduce the height (for ease of picking and/or more pleasing shape): in the second year, you may consider removing some of the upper branches. But it would really be worth calling a local arborist with experience handling fruit trees to do this kind of work -- both you and the tree may end up healthier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normally you'd prune while the tree is dormant (in winter), but you may want to think about a summer pruning since heavy pruning during winter dormancy can stimulate vigorous growth at the expense of fruit production. And vigorous new growth isn't what you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if you do figure out how to keep the squirrels away, make sure you thin the fruit to avoid breaking branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-19T03:07:11.843" LastActivityDate="2011-07-19T03:07:11.843" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1362" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1345" CreationDate="2011-07-18T22:52:49.967" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm definitely not going to contradict &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1345/how-should-i-prune-an-overgrown-peach-tree/1361#1361&quot;&gt;bstpierre's answer&lt;/a&gt;, as I'm far from a tree expert, but if you do decide to give the tree another chance, you will find the below tree pruning document/guide helpful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/htprune-rev-2012-screen.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Prune Trees&lt;/a&gt; by US Forest Service&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/treecareinfo.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tree Care Information&lt;/a&gt;&quot; from Trees Our Good contains some useful information on taking care of trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T23:38:21.290" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1363" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1358" CreationDate="2011-07-19T02:29:50.797" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;With no disrespect to the members of this community (as I fully include myself in that statement), your question seems risky at best to ask here, after all you are asking for advice (thumbs up, go ahead use it, eat it) on whether an edible plant is now safe to eat/use after coming into contact with a toxic (poisonous) substance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Black roofing tar is toxic.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Personally I am unable to answer you're specific question, I'm simply not qualified to-do-so.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It would be a very brave and foolish person (unless of course they were appropriately qualified to-do-so) who told you for 100% those leaves were safe to eat/use (or when they would be).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The possible risks of giving unscientific advice on such a subject could prove (very) costly to those that eat the infected leaves/plant (if indeed they are unsafe to eat).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My personal recommendation is to contact your local &lt;strong&gt;Food &amp;amp; Health Safety Office&lt;/strong&gt; and seek their professional advice on such a potentially serious matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ok! as I am genuinely interested in trying to find out a &quot;definitive&quot; answer to this question (type of question), I decided to call the Missouri Botanical Gardens Horticultural Gardening Answer Service this morning (about 3 hours ago) and seek their advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is what they told me:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If any plant (or soil) comes into contact with a toxic (poisonous) substance, no one can (or should) tell you if it's safe to eat, without first getting the plant (soil) professional tested and the results evaluated by an &lt;strong&gt;expert&lt;/strong&gt; in the area of &quot;Food &amp;amp; Health&quot; or &quot;Poison Control&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant (and soil) material that has visibly come into contact with the toxic (poisonous) substance, should be removed immediately (or as soon as possible) in a &lt;strong&gt;safe manner&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Removed material should be discarded of in a &lt;strong&gt;proper manner.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The plant (soil) should then be &lt;strong&gt;thoroughly&lt;/strong&gt; cleaned with fresh cold water. Purpose being, you want to try your very best to wash away as much of the &lt;strong&gt;non-visible&lt;/strong&gt; toxic (poisonous) substance as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After doing &lt;strong&gt;all&lt;/strong&gt; of the above, any new fresh growth &lt;strong&gt;might&lt;/strong&gt; then be ok! to eat. &lt;strong&gt;Note,&lt;/strong&gt; they did not say, &lt;strong&gt;&quot;It is definitely, should be, safe to eat&quot;.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For total piece of mind, and for your own safety, they &lt;strong&gt;strongly recommend&lt;/strong&gt; you don't eat it or use it in any culinary way. Instead, remove the whole plant and as much surrounding soil as you can, then start again with a new plant and fresh, clean soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Of course the above goes out of the window if you do get the plant (soil) professional tested and an &lt;strong&gt;expert&lt;/strong&gt; gives you the all clear after evaluating the results...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hope the above helps and helps you make the right decision as to what to do for the best.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-20T19:53:20.727" LastActivityDate="2011-07-20T19:53:20.727" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1364" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1351" CreationDate="2011-07-19T03:10:17.250" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where in California (according to your SE profile) are you?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am asking, as from my limited research (knowledge) on grass types used in California, I discovered:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Northern California tends to favour cool season lawns.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Southern California tends to favour warm season lawns.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do have a warm season lawn (grass type), for the overall health of your lawn you should only dethatch in Spring, once the grass has woken from dormancy &amp;amp; is actively growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dethatching at any other time of year greatly increases the chance of causing real damage to a warm season lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, if you have a cool season lawn (grass type), without a shadow of a doubt the best time of year to treat, perform maintenance, on your lawn is late Summer, early Autumn (Fall). Around &quot;Labor Day&quot; in the USA is generally considered about ideal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now adding onto &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1351/lawn-thatching-tools/1352#1352&quot;&gt;&quot;Mancuniensis&quot; answer&lt;/a&gt;, I recommend paying a visit to your local tool hire shop (store) and rent yourself a mechanically powered Dethatcher (a machine you walk behind, just like a lawnmower) for a &amp;#189; or full day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, as you paint a picture of a bad thatch problem, I would also be very tempted to get hold of a mechanically powered Aerator and aerate your lawn after dethatching. Doing so will open up the soil, get some much needed air in there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then after doing that, I would give your lawn a &quot;natural&quot; feed with a allover covering of &amp;#189; to 1inch (12.5 to 25mm) thick layer of screened compost (preferably STA-certified or similar).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-07-19T03:32:44.933" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1365" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1351" CreationDate="2011-07-19T03:27:45.463" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000H5Y7SO&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this thatching blade&lt;/a&gt; attached to my push-mower once every year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastActivityDate="2011-07-19T03:27:45.463" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="158" CreationDate="2011-07-19T04:47:00.670" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was trying to identify a common shady non-native trees in the Adelaide parklands for ages, but found help at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oplin.org/tree/leaf/byleaf.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;What Tree Is It&lt;/a&gt; where you can drill-down to more and more specific groupings by leaf or by fruit, using the pictures and descriptions provided at each fork. Unfortunately the database isn't exhaustive and they didn't have my tree there (super common &lt;em&gt;Ulmus glabra&lt;/em&gt;) but should be helpful in North America, where its targeted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="7499" LastEditDate="2016-10-05T16:07:50.903" LastActivityDate="2016-10-05T16:07:50.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1367" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1369" CreationDate="2011-07-19T13:31:50.930" Score="12" ViewCount="2317" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a mature maple tree in my yard. Every year it drops seeds which start growing in the most inconvenient of places, like my gutters. Next season I would like to actively cultivate these seeds and plant some new maple trees where I want them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What will I need to plan for to make this project successful?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is growing trees from seeds as simple as growing anything else from seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="486" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-19T16:20:43.240" LastActivityDate="2011-07-19T16:20:43.240" Title="How can I grow maple trees from seeds?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1368" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1356" CreationDate="2011-07-19T13:55:10.410" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, legumes do provide nitrogen to associated plants, through multiple mechanisms. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nitrogen is transfered from nitrogen fixing plants to the soil solution, where it is then available to other organisms (e.g. plants and microbes). This nitrogen transfer is in the form of root exudates, the sloughing off of root cells, and through the turnover (growth and death) of roots within the growing season. Notably, root turnover increases with root nitrogen content, and nitrogen fixers have particularly high root turnover rates. Previous studies have quantified this transfer, for example &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.springerlink.com/content/367267326x2501g4/&quot;&gt;Laidlaw et al. (1996)&lt;/a&gt; found that the N-fixing legume clover transfers 8 mg N / m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; / d to the soil whereas non-N-fixing grass transfers &amp;lt; 1 mg N / m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; / d to the soil. Furthermore, about 50 kg N ha-1 (similar to typical agricultural fertilization rates after accounting for the inefficiency of fertilization) was transferred from clover to grass in a mixed field experiment &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.springerlink.com/content/q032564817717845/&quot;&gt;(Boller and Nosberger, 1987)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to the transfer of nitrogen from nitrogen fixers to the soil, the direct transfer from a nitrogen fixer to a non-nitrogen fixer by mycorrhizal fungi (known as  'common mycorrhizal networks' &lt;a href=&quot;http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:67757&quot;&gt;(He et al 2003)&lt;/a&gt;) has been observed. For example, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bashanfoundation.org/gabor/gaborzonessoybean.pdf&quot;&gt;Bethelfalvay et al (1991)&lt;/a&gt; demonstrated:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Maize, when associated with the N-fertilized soybean, increased 19% in&#xA;  biomass, 67% in N content and 77% in leaf N concentration relative to&#xA;  the maize plants of the N-deficient association.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bashanfoundation.org/gabor/gaborzonessoybean.pdf&quot;&gt;Bethelfalvay et al (1991) Nutrient transfer between the root zones of soybean and maize plants connected by a common mycorrhizal mycelium. Physiologia Plantarum 82:423-432&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.springerlink.com/content/q032564817717845/&quot;&gt;Boller, BC and J Nosberger, 1987: Symbiotically fixed nitrogen from field grown white and red clover mixed with ryegrass at low levels of N fertilization. Plant Soil 104, 219—226.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:67757&quot;&gt;He, XH, Critchley, C and Bledsoe, C (2003) Nitrogen transfer within and between plants through common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs). Critical Reviews In Plant Sciences, 22 6: 531-567.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.springerlink.com/content/367267326x2501g4/&quot;&gt;Laidlaw et al 1996. Effect of white clover cultivar on apparent transfer of nitrogen from clover to grass and estimation of relative turnover rates of nitrogen in roots. Plant and Soil 179(2): 243-253, DOI: 10.1007/BF00009334&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="450" LastEditorUserId="450" LastEditDate="2011-07-19T14:39:45.880" LastActivityDate="2011-07-19T14:39:45.880" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1369" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1367" CreationDate="2011-07-19T14:01:35.460" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Start by making sure your seed are &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/seed/msg0520414323484.html?28&quot;&gt;stratified&lt;/a&gt;&quot; (put through a cold period to simulate winter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An example of stratification: usually started mid-February.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Essentially, you break the wings off the seeds, put them in a jar of&#xA;  warm water, and let them soak for a day, then you put them in some&#xA;  damp peat moss, sand, soil, etc in a plastic bag (with a few holes&#xA;  poked in it) and store the bag in your refrigerator for 90 days or&#xA;  until the seeds begin to sprout.&#xA;  - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=212625&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then around mid-May (or sooner if they sprout in the fridge) plant them in a pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The temperature and duration of Stratification depends on the climate your seeds like. See the link &quot;Stratified&quot; for more information on various trees' stratification requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastEditorUserId="59" LastEditDate="2011-07-19T14:12:19.900" LastActivityDate="2011-07-19T14:12:19.900" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1370" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-07-19T15:28:11.230" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wood composts very slowly and ties up a lot of nitrogen while it is decomposing. Hugelkultur is a method where the wood is buried under a garden bed, where it will hold water, give off a little heat as it rots, and start giving off nutrients after a certain amount of decay occurs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about composting wood (brush, prunings, branches, logs, chips, etc.) in this way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-19T15:28:11.230" LastActivityDate="2011-07-19T15:28:11.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1371" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-07-19T15:28:11.230" Score="0" Body="Hugelkultur is the practice of composting woody material by burying it under a garden bed." OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-19T15:28:11.230" LastActivityDate="2011-07-19T15:28:11.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1372" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1622" CreationDate="2011-07-19T16:40:05.120" Score="23" ViewCount="61744" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my pepper plants has started to flower, and the petals are falling off to reveal a pepper growing from that stem - well, at least the first two have, and the other flowers seem to be bulging somewhat in the middle and I assume will therefore produce fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A second of my pepper plants is also flowering, but when its flowers drop off they &lt;em&gt;drop off entirely&lt;/em&gt;, stem and all. So far three of its flowers have done this, and there's a few more flowers that don't appear to bulging like my more successful plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I be concerned about the second plant? And if so is there something I should be doing about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-08-23T23:56:10.613" LastActivityDate="2019-01-23T16:50:12.103" Title="Why is an indoor pepper plant flowering but not producing fruit?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1372" CreationDate="2011-07-19T16:47:39.017" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peppers are self-pollinating, so in general if you see flowers, they should produce peppers. That said, if there is insufficient air flow around the plant or if it is in an enclosure, etc., it might not be releasing enough pollen into the surrounding air to fall on the stigma. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can try &lt;em&gt;gently&lt;/em&gt; tapping the stalk of the flower or the branch that has the flower, so as to release a pollen cloud around the plant. That should be sufficient to pollinate the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-07-19T16:47:39.017" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1374" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1372" CreationDate="2011-07-19T17:18:10.550" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would also add heat as a possible reason - I see this behavior in the height of summer. Perhaps there is less disturbance (cf. Yoda's answer) but this year I am still seeing new peppers forming on &lt;em&gt;Gypsy&lt;/em&gt; in late July. Perhaps they pollinate more easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-07-19T17:18:10.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1375" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1387" CreationDate="2011-07-19T17:29:40.377" Score="18" ViewCount="59788" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you know what is the best soil for an avocado plant? Would it vary depending on the breed? What would be a good recipe for this soil (for growing indoors)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="80" LastEditorUserId="924" LastEditDate="2012-02-23T22:30:41.187" LastActivityDate="2015-06-13T18:44:42.657" Title="What is the best type of soil for growing an indoor avocado plant?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1375" CreationDate="2011-07-19T17:55:57.963" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a long time avocado grower and fan of guacamole I was going to tell you that you can grow it in most soils. As with any plant proper watering and food will make a big difference. Since you are growing indoors I would suggest a quality potting soil that will have what the plant needs in the indoor environment. I would give it as much light as possible, preferably sunlight. Water only when the soil is dry and then water thoroughly. Feed during the growing season and do not fertilize over the winter. Can't guarantee any fruit, but you should have a nice plant to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-07-19T17:55:57.963" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1377" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1372" CreationDate="2011-07-19T22:37:11.457" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use my finger to pollinate the flowers, just gently rub each flower once they are open and pretty soon I have peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="489" LastActivityDate="2011-07-19T22:37:11.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1378" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1379" CreationDate="2011-07-20T03:57:27.343" Score="12" ViewCount="34989" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have spindly jade plants. They don't much look like the tightly packed, overgrown one in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/667/advice-on-repotting-an-overgrown-and-delicate-plant&quot;&gt;this related question&lt;/a&gt;, but they &lt;em&gt;are&lt;/em&gt; delicate, spreading out almost like vines. This is a problem any time I need to move things on the windowsill, as pieces break easily and I'm running out of places to start new jade trees!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was taught to reduce the number of new buds and get the plant to &quot;focus&quot; on a few branches and stem by pinching off some or all of the new pairs of buds, but either I haven't been diligent or that isn't working. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wikipedia suggests &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_plant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pruning jade plants in spring&lt;/a&gt; but I'm not sure I should cut whole branches now that it's summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Short of learning the patience necessary for bonsai, is there any way I can help my jade plants grow a stronger trunk and be less prone to breakage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="381" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-08-08T01:42:23.127" Title="How can I encourage a jade tree to grow a strong trunk?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1378" CreationDate="2011-07-20T06:26:12.373" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a variety of different jade trees; this includes some with naturally thicker trunks and others which grow thin like vines. So you may be battling against the way the plant grows naturally. Essentially, you may the wrong variety of jade tree for what you are aiming to achieve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is the case, I suggest you begin by looking around and purchasing a variety that has a thick trunk. This will likely solve half your battle. With shaping plants for bonsai you can't force an azalea to look like a pine tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most well watered jade trees are extremely hardy and you can literally hack one to pieces and all the pieces will grow into new trees. The only thing about pruning in spring is that you will get some growth back by the end of the growing season, whereas if you prune in winter you will be left with an ugly plant until summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you do need to do if you want to concentrate the growth towards the center is trim the ends of new growth. If the branch has grown quite long, don't be afraid to cut back aggressively, (depending on the size you are wanting to achieve and the leaf size) maybe an inch back from where you want the leaves to appear. Once you have one branch growing to the right length then just remove any new growth in coming years. The plant will use this saved energy on growing the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually to make a nice looking miniature plant with a thick trunk also consider only having a few branches coming out from the trunk. This will make it look less like the first plant in the question you linked and will have the benefit of more energy going into trunk and branch development.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also be aware that thick trunked trees don't grow overnight, you need to ensure your plant is well watered, fertilised and has a decent enough sized pot. You don't grow thick trees in small pots, this is a myth. Most bonsai fanatics grow their trees in the ground for 2  - 5 years before potting them. They dig them up and replant them annually or just buy them that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't worry about collecting every leaf to start a new tree, but if you find friends who like the look of your plant then consider giving some away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2011-07-20T06:26:12.373" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1380" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-07-20T13:28:33.687" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A container is a more general word for a plant &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pot&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pot&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pot&lt;/a&gt;. Whilst pots are traditionally round, containers can be a variety of shapes including rectangular or specialist shapes for specific plant types (e.g. herbs and strawberries)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about container planting: E.g. type of container, types of &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/soil&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;soil&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;soil&lt;/a&gt; (or other growing medium), &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/sunlight&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;sunlight&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;sunlight&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/water&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;water&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;water&lt;/a&gt;ing, etc. for particular plants and locations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T20:33:36.713" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T20:33:36.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1381" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-07-20T13:28:33.687" Score="0" Body="Plant pots and boxes that hold soil and growing plants. Use this tag with questions about different aspects of containers or problems about plants potted into a specific type of container. Most common types are: ceramic, plastic, concrete, clay or terracotta." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-12T21:26:30.917" LastActivityDate="2021-01-12T21:26:30.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1382" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-20T14:29:32.740" Score="15" ViewCount="36363" Body="&lt;p&gt;My backyard is being overtaken with crabgrass again.  It started later this year than last. In the early spring, I rented a de-thatcher/powerrake and cleaned up the year of a lot of dead material (to promote growth of &quot;regular grass&quot;).  I also applied &quot;Dimension&quot; twice&amp;nbsp;— once in early March and again in mid April (following a local landscaping suppliers recommendation).  I did not powerseed last fall or this spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Southern New Jersey (United States).  2010 Spring/Summer were brutally hot/dry.  This (2011) spring/summer have been much more &quot;average&quot; in temperature/precip.  I just treated with the Summer Scotts fertilizer mixture (early July).  The backyard is on a small slope, but definitely not dramatic&amp;nbsp;— perhaps an elevation change of ~6–8 feet over ~90 feet.  The yard has little in the way of shade (mostly full sun from about 10am–6pm).  The lawn is otherwise healthy.  In fact, up until about 3 weeks ago, it was covered in what appeared to be a green/healthy grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question&lt;/strong&gt;: Is there any way to rapidly remove the crabgrass (organic or not), and do this in a way that will not harm any of the &quot;good&quot; grass that currently exists at this point in the season.  For example, a chemical/product/etc that I can apply that will only kill off the crab grass, such that I don't have to manually dig up all the crab grass roots (and rip out &quot;good&quot; grass roots at the same time)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/188/removing-crabgrass&quot;&gt;this other question&lt;/a&gt; on how to prevent crabgrass from growing, but I'm mainly interested in removing existing crabgrass from my lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, any tips/advice/product for preventing crab grass emergence next season are appreciated and/or any details on why this year's pre-emergent (Dimension) application may not have worked would be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: Here is a picture I snapped of the &quot;infestation&quot;.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m8ynU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="490" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2020-08-12T14:22:06.100" Title="How do I quickly remove crabgrass without too much manual labour?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;crabgrass&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1383" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-20T14:37:52.050" Score="17" ViewCount="30710" Body="&lt;p&gt;My cilantro (planted outside, full sun from about 11am to 6pm) doesn't have the broad leaves that I see when I buy it in the store.  I planted it in May.  When should I expect it ready for harvesting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My parsley (same planting timeframe and location), hasn't grown more than about 1-2 inches.  When should I expect it to be ready?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I be placing these in the sun?  Are they better off in a more shaded location?  Are they getting too much sun?  Not enough/too much water (I water pretty regularly - like once every 2 days)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've added some pictures of each below. The parsley is on the left and the cilantro is on the right (click to enlarge).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ecxcu.jpg&quot;&gt;&#xA;      &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ecxcu.jpg&quot; width=&quot;325&quot; alt=&quot;Parsley is not very tall&quot;/&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/a&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/El1a0.jpg&quot;&gt;&#xA;      &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/El1a0.jpg&quot; width=&quot;325&quot; alt=&quot;Cilantro has very thin leaves. The bottoms have started to turn a brownish color within the last 1 week or so.&quot;/&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="490" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-13T02:23:23.747" LastActivityDate="2014-01-30T19:38:13.427" Title="Why does my cilantro have thin leaves? Why is my parsley not growing? When will they be ready for harvest?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;cilantro&gt;&lt;parsley&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1384" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="84" CreationDate="2011-07-20T14:55:33.770" Score="25" Body="&lt;p&gt;Benjamin, here are my recommendations based on your answers to my questions in the above comments:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get yourself some suitably sized clay pots, they should be big enough so the plants have room to grow in, have good drainage holes in the bottom (remember you can always easily drill your own or add more, if need be) &amp;amp; transfer the plants into them. Pots made of plastic are about the worst materiel used for pots, when taking into account the affect pot materials can have on the overall health of a plant. There are used by growers, nurseries, etc for a number of reasons, the main one being they are so cheap...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking (unless you are blessed with &lt;strong&gt;amazing&lt;/strong&gt; outdoor soil), using soil directly from the garden isn't suitable for pots, containers, hanging-baskets, etc. It's too &quot;heavy&quot;, doesn't contain enough air, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Instead get yourself a bag of &quot;high quality&quot; container soil mix, or create your own. Something like this, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/721/recipe-for-a-long-lasting-fast-draining-container-soil-mix-with-good-aeration/1062#1062&quot;&gt;A good general purpose container soil mix formula&lt;/a&gt;&quot; would be a lot better for your containers (&amp;amp; plants contained within) than your garden soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind, no water coming out the bottom of the pot (via its drainage holes) &lt;strong&gt;could also be a sign&lt;/strong&gt; you're not giving the pot (plant) enough water when you are watering.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When watering, add water slowly until it starts coming out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot, then stop. Then wait until the water stops coming out of the drainage holes, when that happens, start again adding water slowly until you once again see water coming out of the drainage holes. The soil is now saturated and you container plant has been watered thoroughly and properly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do not water again until the soil is dry, but not completely dried out. Your indoor conditions are very much going to determine how long this takes to happen. An easy and simple method of checking if it's time to water is (without the use of a moisture gauge):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Stick your index finger fully into the soil, when you pull it out, the very tip of that finger should feel slightly moist and have a little bit of soil stuck to it. It that occurs, you do not &lt;strong&gt;yet&lt;/strong&gt; need to water that pot (plant).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On the other hand, if that is not the case ie You pull out a dry and clean finger tip, it's time to water, using the method given above.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you decide to go with the above suggestions, before doing so I would take the time to carefully remove all damaged parts from the plant(s). Without seeing some clearer photos of your plant(s) it's a little difficult for me to suggest exactly what you should and shouldn't remove.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck and I hope the above is somewhat helpful to you.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T02:42:57.603" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="84" CreationDate="2011-07-20T15:51:43.577" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Given that your avocado was doing well before you moved it into a warm, centrally-heated environment, the problem is likely to be caused by:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a constantly &lt;strong&gt;dry atmosphere&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to give it more humidity, is to stand it on a 'pebble tray' - fill a shallow plastic tray (one which is two or three times as wide as the base of your pot)  with pebbles or grit to about 2cms below the rim, and pour water into it so that the water is just below the level of the pebbles; if you then stand your pot on the tray, and keep the tray 'topped up' with water, it will provide your avocado with a constantly humid micro-climate, which is far more effective than spraying and less trouble.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;an &lt;strong&gt;over-high night temperature&lt;/strong&gt; - avocados are happier in a lower temperature at night. If your room temperature is more or less the same at night as during the day, I would turn down the central heating or move the plant to a cooler room.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Unsuitable soil&lt;/strong&gt; could also be a factor. Avocados will tolerate most types of soil, but prefer a light/ sandy potting compost (soil mix specially formulated for indoor plants) that is &lt;em&gt;free-draining.&lt;/em&gt; Garden soil is definitely unsuitable for indoor plants, as it may not be sufficiently free-draining or balanced in nutrients, and also contains organisms that may thrive indoors and cause disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, &lt;strong&gt;watering:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Thorough&lt;/em&gt;  watering is critical to the health of your avocado; superficial watering may cause it to surface-root and become stressed, and also fail to wash out the harmful salts that may accumulate in the pot and cause disease (see Mike Perry's advice on thorough watering). Avoid over-watering at all costs; a moisture gauge is not necessary; allow the soil to dry out a sufficiently between waterings, so that it is slightly damp to the touch but &lt;em&gt;not wet&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-07-20T15:51:43.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1383" CreationDate="2011-07-20T16:54:08.133" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;To some extent, days to maturity depends on the variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to a packet of &quot;Slow Bolt&quot; Cilantro I have, days to maturity is 45-70. If you planted May 1, and all went well, you &lt;em&gt;should&lt;/em&gt; have something to harvest by now. In fact, I'm surprised yours haven't all bolted by now; Cilantro is infamous for this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I transplanted &quot;Extra Curly Dwarf&quot; Parsley in mid-May from seeds that were started inside sometime in April. My plants are about 6-8&quot; high. I took the first harvest a few weeks ago, and I need to go out and cut some more now. These are planted in the ground, in direct sun from ~8am-7pm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you've got them in pots, some possibilities:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The soil is getting too hot. Try putting the pots where they'll get morning sun and afternoon shade.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Depending on the potting medium and how &quot;baked&quot; the soil gets, it may not be able to retain enough water. Are the plants wilting? Yellowing? Is the soil pulling back from the edge of the pot?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Contrary to the previous point, it's possible that watering every other day is too much. Do the pots have good drainage? Are the stems or roots showing signs of rot? Are the leaves yellowing from the bottom up? Is the soil moldy / green?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a look at this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4dmg/Plants/guidline.htm#Signs%20of%20dehydration%20and%20overwatering&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;list of some signs of over- and under-watering&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-20T16:54:08.133" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1387" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1375" CreationDate="2011-07-20T17:01:09.313" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soil needs do vary a little between the three basic types, the Guatemalan, the Mexican and the West Indian; however, all three will tolerate most types of soil, but not wet feet; they prefer a light/ sandy potting compost (specially formulated for indoor plants) that is &lt;strong&gt;free-draining&lt;/strong&gt; and will not take too long to dry a little between waterings (when it should be slightly damp to the touch but &lt;em&gt;never&lt;/em&gt; wet). Garden soil, of course, is unsuitable for indoor plants, as it may not be sufficiently free-draining or balanced in nutrients, and also contains organisms that could thrive indoors and cause disease. A standard multipurpose potting soil, available from your local garden center should meet your avocado's needs, but I would try to avoid a peat-based one, as it loses moisture very quickly and, if allowed to dry out, is quite difficult to wet again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-07-20T17:01:09.313" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1388" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1382" CreationDate="2011-07-20T17:35:47.950" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I was going to post a similar question, as I would also love to be made aware of a &lt;strong&gt;magic bullet&lt;/strong&gt; for dealing with crabgrass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing, I have fairly similar (weather) conditions as yourself, but even hotter &amp;amp; humid summers = Mid-West (St Louis Missouri).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now let me get this &quot;bad&quot; piece out of the way, and I mean no offence by it, it's just my personal opinion, approach to lawn care:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Short of digging up all the crabgrass, are there any &lt;strong&gt;options for safe removal&lt;/strong&gt; at this point in the season (where average daytime highs are now in the 90s)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Dimension&quot; I'd not heard of that, so looked it up on line. It is not an organic product from what I can tell (please correct me if I'm wrong on this), therefore I wouldn't call it a &lt;strong&gt;safe&lt;/strong&gt; option. One of the active ingredients in &quot;Dimension&quot; is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dithiopyr&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dithiopyr&lt;/a&gt; (used as an preemergent herbicide used to prevent crabgrass seeds from sprouting in the spring).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Summer Scotts fertilizer mixture&quot;, again I'd not heard of that specific product, but knowing what I do at this precise time (not a lot), very! few Scotts products available to the &quot;general public&quot; are organic, therefore I wouldn't call it a &lt;strong&gt;safe&lt;/strong&gt; option, unless I'm corrected on this and told it is an organic product.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that the &quot;bad&quot; piece is out the way (again I hope I didn't cause offence with my above mini-rant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Here is what I do in my organic lawn, crabgrass battle:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;What's an organic way to discourage crabgrass from a large “lawn”?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;While I fully realise the above does not give you a &lt;strong&gt;&quot;magic bullet&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; for dealing with crabgrass, I hope it does proves somewhat helpful.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck, and please let me know if you find that &lt;strong&gt;&quot;magic bullet.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-07-20T22:33:59.150" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1389" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1383" CreationDate="2011-07-20T18:42:52.090" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;As I mention in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/568/easy-to-grow-herbs-and-spices/587#587&quot;&gt;my answer&lt;/a&gt; on a question on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/568/easy-to-grow-herbs-and-spices&quot;&gt;easy to grow herbs and spices&lt;/a&gt;, you must harvest your herbs regularly. Herbs are not exactly like tomatoes/peppers where you plant it, wait for it to grow, for fruits to be produced, ripen and harvest a big crop all at once. Once you have a bunch of young leaves (or when the plant is 6&quot; high), you can start harvesting it &lt;em&gt;a few stalks at a time&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;strong&gt;Do not&lt;/strong&gt; chop off the entire bunch, as the plant needs its leaves to photosynthesize and grow. My rule of thumb is that no more than 1/6th of the plant should be harvested at a time. When newer shoots start forming, harvest the next 1/6th and keep doing this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your culinary needs require larger amounts of cilantro, don't chop off a 1/3rd. Instead have two plants and take off a 1/6th from each. You can scale this up as per your needs. If you notice any flowers growing, pinch them off. These steps will keep the plant &quot;young&quot; for longer and you can extend your harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll echo bstpierre in saying that cilantro is notorious for bolting. Thinner leaves and stiffer stalks are a clear indication that it's bolting/starting to bolt and there isn't much you can do at this point. One work around is to have several plants at different stages of growth, so that you harvest the younger ones and when the older ones start to bolt, simply pull it out and replace it with a fresh one from the store, as explained in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/90/how-do-you-discourage-cilantro-from-bolting-too-quickly/118#118&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt;. Repeat cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that even if you use a few leaves only when you need it, you must harvest the older leaves. If you're not using it, share it with your friends or store them in the refrigerator. Replace cilantro with parsley in the above, and everything still holds (except that parsley bolts slower than cilantro).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Herbs require at least 8 hours of full sun, so you're not giving them enough (11am-6pm is only 7). We can't predict exactly when you can expect it to grow enough to be able to harvest, without knowing your weather conditions (even then, what you do/don't do the plants matters!) and bstpierre has a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1383/cilantro-parsley-harvesting/1386#1386&quot;&gt;good answer&lt;/a&gt; covering what you can do/check to improve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-07-20T18:49:11.137" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1390" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1391" CreationDate="2011-07-20T21:11:03.183" Score="45" ViewCount="25543" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large area that's infested with crabgrass. I'd like to use organic methods to encourage the grass mix over the crabgrass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fact that it's a large area means I can't afford to apply (nor do I want to) herbicides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil is acidic and thin in spots -- there are ledge outcroppings visible. It gets an annual lime treatment (according to soil tests).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What sort of maintenance should I do (on a budget) to discourage the crabgrass? I'm not in a hurry, nor do I require perfection. I'd just like to lower the percentage of crabgrass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Full disclosure: this &quot;lawn&quot; is actually a small horse pasture. But for what I'm looking for in terms of advice, just think of it as a big lawn that needs organic methods.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2019-02-19T14:24:57.667" Title="What's an organic way to discourage crabgrass from a large &quot;lawn&quot;?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;crabgrass&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="17" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1391" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1390" CreationDate="2011-07-20T22:28:29.840" Score="45" Body="&lt;p&gt;Identifying crabgrass:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Video: &lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/podcasts/gc/201107_849.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Will the REAL Crabgrass Please Stand Up?&lt;/a&gt; from University of Illinois Extension&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I pretty much follow all the advice given in this brilliant article:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.richsoil.com/lawn-care.jsp&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Organic Lawn Care For the Cheap and Lazy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far, the advice given in that article &lt;strong&gt;hasn't&lt;/strong&gt; totally prevented my crabgrass problem. I'm still battling crabgrass, especially when summer heat really kicks in here (St Louis Missouri), constant mid 90's&amp;#176;F (30's&amp;#176;C) to tomorrows forecasted high of 115&amp;#176;F (46&amp;#176;C).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From everything I've read, been told, and from 4 years personal experience with doing battle with this annual weed, I have come to the conclusion it's a slow battle that takes years to get under control (win), &lt;strong&gt;especially if going with an organic approach.&lt;/strong&gt; Each year I have definitely seen an improvement, meaning less crabgrass, and yes I'm getting a little tired of this battle, but because I've decided to go into battle with an organic approach, I keep telling myself, &quot;Perseverance and time is the answer in winning this battle&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Here is what I basically do each year, keep in mind I have a cool-season grass, a &quot;Tall Fescue&quot; lawn:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have one lawnmower and two blades for it. I get both sharpened at the end of the cutting season (sometime in November for me). I install a sharp blade immediately before the first cut of the cutting season (sometime in April for me). I then swap out that blade with the other sharpened one about halfway through the cutting season (end of July, beginning of August for me).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When installing the sharp blade on the lawnmower for the first cut, I also:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fill it up with fresh fuel (petrol, gas), the fuel has been treated with a suitable fuel stabilizer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fill it up with new oil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put a new spark-plug and new air-filter in.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mow high and when doing so only remove approximately &amp;#8531; of the grass blade height. In my case, 3inch (75mm) is my final cut height, that is as high as my current lawnmower will cut. My next lawnmower will be able to cut to at least 4inch (100mm).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Seeing as my lawnmower is a mulching mowing, I leave all the grass clippings on the lawn (free, natural fertilizer), except with first cut and last cut of the season. I collect up those cuttings and dispose of them via a community yard waste pile.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize the lawn with corn gluten meal  (by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bradfieldorganics.com/corngluten900.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bradfield&lt;/a&gt; because I can get it easily locally) in very early Spring, when I see the Forsythia shrub in flower in my area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the first time this year I also decided to fertilize the lawn with corn gluten meal in mid June. Why? See &quot;Table 4&quot; here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6749&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cool-season grasses: Application schedule for organic fertilizers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Corn gluten meal &lt;strong&gt;isn't a &quot;magic bullet&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; for controlling unwanted weeds (plants). I've read and been told that it can take at least 2 to 3 years (following recommended application rates on yearly bases) before seeing any results with this method.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once or twice a week, I walk the lawn and pull out by hand all the weeds (unwanted plants) I can see, roots and all. The first year I did this (4 years ago), I would be out there for at least an hour doing that (wife would continually tell me it was more like two). This year, I'm out there 5 minutes (10 minutes at the very most).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I make 5 gallons of compost tea each week (from late Spring to earlier Autumn &quot;Fall&quot;) and apply the 5 gallon batch to the front garden one week, then the following week apply a new fresh 5 gallon batch to the back garden. I repeat that cycle for the period given previously. I have been doing this for 2 years now, and without question I have noticed a massive increase in worm activity e.g. lots of worm castings on the surface of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I spread the 5 gallons of Compost Tea via a watering-can over approx 1800ft&amp;#178; (170m&amp;#178;). Lawn area is about the same front &amp;amp; back for me. So one week the front lawn gets treated, then the following week the back lawn gets treated, repeat, repeat...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2010-05-11, 5 gallons of Compost Tea brewing away nicely.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iO3by.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iO3bym.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Compost Tea&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;During dry, hot spells (generally July &amp;amp; August here in Missouri), I water the lawn approximately once a week. I water deeply, at least 1inch (25mm) of water. I don't have an in-ground watering system, instead I use a sprinkler connected to a hose on the front lawn and the same again on the back lawn. I move the sprinklers once the areas currently being watered have received its 1inch (25mm) of water. I do this by timing, as I've worked out how long it takes my sprinklers to deliver that amount of water to an area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;During dry, hot spells (generally July &amp;amp; August here in Missouri), when temperatures are constantly over 90&amp;#176;F (32&amp;#176;C) I &lt;strong&gt;never&lt;/strong&gt; go out and cut the lawn. A cool-season lawn hardly puts on any new growth in those kind of temperatures (will start to enter dormancy). Once the temperatures have dropped back into the 80's&amp;#176;F (mid to high 20's&amp;#176;C) for a few days, I will go out and cut the lawn, but only if it needs a cut. If it doesn't, I just wait until it does and temperatures are right for cool-season lawn cutting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2011-08-10, Front garden (North facing) after 4 weeks of continuous +95&amp;#176;F (35&amp;#176;C) heat, almost zero rain, watered once a week (per above) and not mowed during that time.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sedMx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sedMxm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cool-season lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2011-08-11, Back garden (South facing) after 4 weeks of continuous +95&amp;#176;F (35&amp;#176;C) heat, almost zero rain, watered once a week (per above) and not mowed during that time.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wVePb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wVePbm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cool-season lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2011-08-11, Front garden (North facing) after being mowed for the first time in 4 weeks (due to excessive heat).&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PO6pg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PO6pgm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cool-season lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2011-08-11, Back garden (South facing) after being mowed for the first time in 4 weeks (due to excessive heat).&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OGEoK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OGEoKm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cool-season lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Around &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Labor Day&lt;/a&gt;&quot; (beginning of September, early Autumn &quot;Fall&quot;) here in the US, I prepare any bare spots for reseeding. Reseed using an appropriate seed for my lawn type. Cover the whole lawn with &amp;#189; to 1 inch (12.5 to 25mm) thick layer of STA-certified compost (bought in bulk locally). Water as needed, ie Amount needed for good germination to take place.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2010-09-26, Front garden after working through the above Autumn (Fall) lawn maintenance program.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V4hR5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V4hR5m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cool-season lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2010-09-26, Back garden after working through the above Autumn (Fall) lawn maintenance program.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dl5KK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dl5KKm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cool-season lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize the lawn with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.doitbest.com/Lawn+fertilizer+and+rose+and+garden+fertilizer-Woodstream+Corp-model-9325-doitbest-sku-734217.dib&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ringer Lawn Restore (by Woodstream Corp)&lt;/a&gt; at the end of September, early October.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After the last cut of the cutting season (sometime in November for me), I service my lawnmower for the winter:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Run the lawnmower to empty the tank of fuel (petrol/gas).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the spark-plug and dispose of it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the blade, gather up my other blade, and go get both of them sharpened, so they are ready for the following cutting season.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the air-filter and dispose of it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drain the oil and dispose of it in an environmentally safe way.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Give the lawnmower an overall clean and wash down, especially making sure I give the underside cutting deck a thorough clean.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oil all the moving parts.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Give it a pat and a kiss for the winter.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;While I fully realise the above does not give you a &lt;strong&gt;&quot;magic bullet&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; for dealing with crabgrass, I hope it does proves somewhat helpful.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck, and please let me know if you find that &lt;strong&gt;&quot;magic bullet.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've now been maintaining a cool-season lawn for 5 cutting seasons, prior to that I had no &quot;real&quot; experience with that lawn type. Therefore I've made mistakes, learnt a lot and still have a lot to learn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mistakes I've made:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;1st cutting season - Was cutting far too low, 1 to 1&amp;#189;inch (25 to 37.5mm) finished cut height.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;1st cutting season - Was collecting the clippings (via mower bag) every cut.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;1st cutting season - Did not water at all.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;1st cutting season - Did not collect up &lt;strong&gt;all&lt;/strong&gt; the fallen leaves in Autumn (Fall).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;1st &amp;amp; 2nd cutting season - Did not apply any kind of fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;2nd cutting season - Reseeded bear spots in Spring (late April, early May).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Things I've changed, learnt:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut high, I would say 2&amp;#189; inch (62.5mm) is the absolute minimum for a &quot;healthy&quot; cool-season lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have a mulching type mower, leave the clippings on the lawn (free natural fertilizer).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Apply some kind of fertilizer, even if you only apply once a year (do so in the Autumn &quot;Fall&quot;).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;During hot, dry spells, water deeply (approx 1inch/25mm) once every week or two.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think we can all agree, pulling weeds from wet ground is a &lt;strong&gt;lot&lt;/strong&gt; easier and more effective, seeing as we get the whole weed (plant), root an all out of the ground. But today (2011-07-22) I finally noticed that if I look at my lawn immediately after watering (or a good rain), I can very easily see any young (small) crabgrass that's within my lawn. How? &lt;strong&gt;The young (small) crabgrass has a very different green colour from my lawn grass, I believe the water on the lawn helps magnify that difference in colour. In my lawn it looks luminous ie Light, bright green. Where as my lawn grass is a dark green.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Reseed in early Autumn (Fall) ie Performing major cool-season lawn maintenance at this time of year, will give you the best results (reap the rewards the following cutting season).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pick up &lt;strong&gt;all&lt;/strong&gt; the fallen Autumn (Fall) leaves, be careful with Black Walnut leaves &amp;amp; diseased leaves, for the &quot;average&quot; gardener it is &quot;generally&quot; considered best practice to dispose of them separately (don't put them in your compost pile). Shred them up if you can, put them into bags, store the bags in a shed or garage for the Winter, then at the very beginning of Spring empty those bags into your compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Organic lawn care (organic anything) is a long, slow process, not a &quot;miracle&quot; instant fix. Each year you build on the previous year, some years you will move forward more than others, but you should see at least some forward movement each year (unless you're really unlucky).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;An organically maintained lawn isn't going to be totally weed (unwanted plants) free. Period. You can't control outside conditions eg Birds dropping seeds into your landscape. Weed (unwanted plants) seeds being blown into your landscape by the wind.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nothing to do with crabgrass control, but hopefully you will indulge me if you've gotten down this far (if it proves &quot;unwanted&quot; I will happily remove this section), as a &quot;bonus&quot; (for myself) for taking an organic approach to lawn maintenance, I planted some Spring bulbs in the front lawn last year (November 2010):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;50 Crocus &quot;Lawn Mix&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;12 Scilla &quot;Siberica&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am so glad I did, the wife loved them, a few of the neighbours made some nice comments...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fingers-crossed, I'm hoping to see more of them next year, as they should hopefully start naturalizing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are a few photos of those Spring bulbs, taken April 2011  &lt;em&gt;(click images to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3EApI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3EApIm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Crocus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bl4vc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bl4vcm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Crocus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zt9jp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zt9jpm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Crocus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1KGae.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1KGaem.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Scilla &amp;quot;Siberica&amp;quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZtHXv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZtHXvm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Scilla &amp;quot;Siberica&amp;quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="705" LastEditDate="2012-01-29T08:09:09.067" LastActivityDate="2012-01-29T08:09:09.067" CommentCount="2" CommunityOwnedDate="2012-01-29T08:09:09.067" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1027" CreationDate="2011-07-21T00:33:48.663" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It really depends on a number of factors, such as:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Grass type eg Warm-season lawn or Cool-season lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Growing conditions ie Are the conditions favourable to a healthy growing lawn:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Weather eg Temperature, rainfall...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do you fertilizer your lawn? If yes, how? Naturally (organically) or with Chemicals?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are a couple of quotes from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; I posted here on SE. Hopefully you find them of some benefit:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Mow high and when doing so only remove approximately &amp;#8531; of the grass blade height. In my case, 3inch (75mm) is my final cut height, that is as high as my current lawnmower will cut. My next lawnmower will be able to cut to at least 4inch (100mm).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Seeing as my lawnmower is a mulching mowing, I leave all the grass clippings on the lawn (free, natural fertilizer), except with first cut and last cut of the season. I collect up those cuttings and dispose of them via a community yard waste pile.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also find the actual answer I pointed to above of some help:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;What's an organic way to discourage crabgrass from a large “lawn”?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-07-21T00:33:48.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1393" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1098" CreationDate="2011-07-21T00:53:39.420" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seeing as you have a warm-season grass, &amp;quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://sirwalter.com.au/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sir Walter Buffalo Lawn&lt;/a&gt;&amp;quot;, you may find the below answer here on SE of some interest:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2012/can-my-lawn-be-saved-or-is-it-time-to-dig-it-up-and-re-sod/2021#2021&quot;&gt;Can my lawn be saved or is it time to dig it up and re-sod?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following example is one quote from that answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below I'm going to offer you both options, &lt;strong&gt;starting anew&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;repair&lt;/strong&gt;, you can then decide which way you want to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Regardless which option you go with:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The vast majority of the work should be carried out mid Spring to very! early Summer (the closer to mid Spring the better IMHO).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also the below article may prove helpful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/extensioninfonet/article.asp?id=1053&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Establishing a Warm Season Lawn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally you may find &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; somewhat useful, though it deals with cool-season lawns, the &amp;quot;general&amp;quot; fundamentals hold true...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following example is one quote from that answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Around &amp;quot;Labor Day&amp;quot; here in the US, I prepare any bare spots for reseeding. Reseed using an appropriate seed for my lawn type. Cover the whole lawn with ½ to 1 inch (12.5 to 25mm) thick layer of STA-certified compost (bought in bulk locally). Water as needed, ie Amount needed for good germination to take place.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The below couple of &amp;quot;lawn dethatch&amp;quot; questions here on SE might prove helpful/useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1351/394&quot;&gt;Lawn Dethatching tools&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/902/394&quot;&gt;How to tell if my lawn needs to be dethatched?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T22:35:52.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10" CreationDate="2011-07-21T01:07:13.750" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below are a few quotes from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; I posted here on SE. Hopefully you find them of some benefit:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Seeing as my lawnmower is a mulching mowing, I leave all the grass clippings on the lawn (free, natural fertilizer), except with first cut and last cut of the season. I collect up those cuttings and dispose of them via a community yard waste pile.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Fertilize the lawn with corn gluten meal (by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bradfieldorganics.com/corngluten900.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bradfield&lt;/a&gt; because I can get it easily locally) in very early Spring, when I see the Forsythia shrub in flower in my area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;For the first time this year I also decided to fertilize the lawn with corn gluten meal in mid June. Why? See &quot;Table 4&quot; here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6749&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cool-season grasses: Application schedule for organic fertilizers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Corn gluten meal &lt;strong&gt;isn't a &quot;magic bullet&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; for controlling unwanted weeds (plants). I've read and been told that it can take at least 2 to 3 years (following recommended application rates on yearly bases) before seeing any results with this method.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;I make 5 gallons of compost tea each week (from late Spring to earlier Autumn &quot;Fall&quot;) and apply the 5 gallon batch to the front garden one week, then the following week apply a new fresh 5 gallon batch to the back garden. I repeat that cycle for the period given previously. I have been doing this for 2 years now, and without question I have noticed a massive increase in worm activity eg lots of worm castings on the surface of the soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;I spread the 5 gallons of Compost Tea via a watering-can over approx 1800ft&amp;#178; (170m&amp;#178;). Lawn area is about the same front &amp;amp; back for me. So one week the front lawn gets treated, then the following week the back lawn gets treated, repeat, repeat...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Around &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Labor Day&lt;/a&gt;&quot; (beginning of September, early Autumn &quot;Fall&quot;) here in the US, I prepare any bare spots for reseeding. Reseed using an appropriate seed for my lawn type. Cover the whole lawn with &amp;#189; to 1 inch (12.5 to 25mm) thick layer of STA-certified compost (bought in bulk locally). Water as needed, ie Amount needed for good germination to take place.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Fertilize the lawn with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.doitbest.com/Lawn+fertilizer+and+rose+and+garden+fertilizer-Woodstream+Corp-model-9325-doitbest-sku-734217.dib&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ringer Lawn Restore (by Woodstream Corp)&lt;/a&gt; at the end of September, early October.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also find the actual answer I pointed to above of some help:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;What's an organic way to discourage crabgrass from a large “lawn”?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-08-02T03:21:08.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1054" CreationDate="2011-07-21T02:06:11.570" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://treesofjoy.com/blog/?p=3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this blog post&lt;/a&gt;, Salavatski is one of the most cold-hardy.  I've visited the &quot;Trees of Joy&quot; nursery and have seen the pomegranate growing.  The owner stated that the lowest temp had been -8f.  The tree is located against a wall so I'm sure that helps protect it somewhat in the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A list of cold-hardy varieties that I found through web searches are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Salavatski&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kazakhe (also referred to as Kazake)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Entekhabi Saveh (reported the most cold-hardy)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reference: &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fruit/msg111232167767.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Zone 6 pomegranates post&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="118" LastActivityDate="2011-07-21T02:06:11.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1396" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1432" CreationDate="2011-07-21T04:04:52.730" Score="19" ViewCount="4093" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where I live (Adelaide plains, South Australia) it's very hot and dry in summertime and so I think a lawn is a waste of water if you don't get to enjoy it, such as where the yard is exposed to the street.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is a good ground cover to put in the front yard plot to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prevent weeds;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;look &quot;nice&quot; for the neighbourhood (there isn't a specific law, but strong expectation);&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;survive pretty much by itself, perhaps with a little extra watering midsummer, but must be hardy; and that&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;will only need trimming four or less times a year.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonus for something that is easy to either trim with clippers or possible to mow with very high setting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plot I need to cover with something is approximately 2x5m, has standard roses at the front edge already, and is backed by a huge bougainvillea at the side. The soil is not great, so I'll probably turn in 0.5-1 cubic metres of compost before planting ground cover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Must be able to survive in summer. Means can handle four-day heatwave reaching to 45 degrees (113 F) mid afternoon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T04:00:24.833" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T04:00:24.833" Title="What is a good ground cover for street frontage instead of lawn?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1396" CreationDate="2011-07-21T04:24:57.337" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I reccomend &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_grass&quot;&gt;Monkey Grass&lt;/a&gt;&quot; because it is like a slow growing weed that reproduces slowly and looks nice! I almost doubt you can kill it without chemicals or digging it up. It has survived several weeks without rain in my yard during 38 (Centigrade) degree weather. Don't worry about the soil either - unless it needs to fill in quickly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every Winter its leaves become shabby and then are replaced in the spring. Some people cut off the old leaves before the new shoots come out. Others just leave the annual eye-sore to run its course, which usually takes about 3 months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastActivityDate="2011-07-21T04:24:57.337" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1398" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1342" CreationDate="2011-07-21T05:30:44.670" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in Adelaide so a similar zone. My citrus gets similar holes in the leaves and I don't know what's causing it -- looks like something is eating it, but whatever it is it's not actually causing the tree a problem in my case. Sorry this isn't definitive, but just saying it might not be the main problem the tree is facing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two other things that could be the problem, based on your picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pot not big enough: When I bought a lime tree for a friend the recommendation was it go in a half wine barrel or similar-sized container so that pot looks tiny. It's possible it's become root bound and/or not getting enough nutrients (eg. nitrogen) purely due to not having access to a larger amount of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lack of sunlight: It's winter so is it getting enough? Is that wall it's next to casting a shadow towards the south? If so can you move it to a better position.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other thing. It looks like you have a little sucker growing out below the graft in the first picture (not sure). That is basically useless for bearing lemons (and taking energy that would otherwise go to other branches) so I'd rip it off. No point cutting it nicely or it might try and grow back. Just rip it off to damage the sprouting point so it never comes back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: The holes appear to match pictures of snail-eaten holes. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/elaren/505383444&quot;&gt;http://www.flickr.com/photos/elaren/505383444&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://cinnamonvision.blogspot.com/2011/03/common-citrus-pests.html&quot;&gt;http://cinnamonvision.blogspot.com/2011/03/common-citrus-pests.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-07-21T06:03:40.957" LastActivityDate="2011-07-21T06:03:40.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1399" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1396" CreationDate="2011-07-21T05:34:48.413" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will recommend two excellent (at least I think they are) low level ground covers, that I have personal experience with (have both of them in my garden), they:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Love sun.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the heat of summer (MO, USA: 90&amp;#176;F to 115&amp;#176;F / 32&amp;#176;C to 46&amp;#176;C) they do best if given a good drink of water once a week.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Neither of them need to be trimmed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I can workout about Australian hardiness (growing) zones, the couple of plants I'm recommending might be border line for Adelaide's Zone 4 (Plant Hardiness Zones for Australia):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=E190&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mazus &lt;em&gt;(Mazus reptans)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=C655&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stonecrop &lt;em&gt;(Sedum rupestre 'Angelina')&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plants are suitable for your Australian hardiness (growing) zone, the Mazus may be a better option for your particular needs, as they will take &quot;light&quot; foot track and the odd mowing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mazus (2 plants), have been in the ground over 3 years (Photo taken 2011-04-30):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p07B4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mazus groundcover&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mazus (6 plants total), 3 have been in the ground 1 year, other 3 were put in this year (Photo taken 2011-05-31):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pNwn5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mazus groundcover&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Same 6 Mazus plants (Photo taken 2011-07-13):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y3TGR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mazus groundcover&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stonecrop (4 plants), only one visible in photo, have them in the front of a small rock garden (Photo taken 2011-06-16):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wZYBI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stonecrop groundcover&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is another plant that might do well in your conditions, situation (was made aware of it today, 2011-07-26):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/160834/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Chrysocephalum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-26T21:05:47.110" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T21:05:47.110" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1400" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1383" CreationDate="2011-07-21T12:08:24.617" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your cilantro has definitely bolted. You can now do one of two things. You can either scrap the pot and start with new seeds or wait for the flower to mature and collect the seeds and use them a coriander (a different spice), or to plant more cilantro.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your parsley looks pretty good except for a little bit of yellowing. I would pull off the yellow leaves and wait for more leaves to appear. Not sure right off hand what is causing the yellowing, it may just be old leaves or it could be one of the reasons mentioned in one of the other answers here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-07-21T12:21:12.157" LastActivityDate="2011-07-21T12:21:12.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1401" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1413" CreationDate="2011-07-21T18:38:42.347" Score="18" ViewCount="40013" Body="&lt;p&gt;An oak has self seeded in our garden. Has got to about a metre tall and seems happy. We don't have anywhere near enough space for an oak but seems a shame to kill it. Can we move it to a pot to keep it dwarf?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="494" LastEditorUserId="160" LastEditDate="2011-07-22T00:12:49.467" LastActivityDate="2015-10-28T01:06:01.820" Title="Can I move a self-seeded oak tree into a pot to keep it small?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1402" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1404" CreationDate="2011-07-21T19:34:11.703" Score="17" ViewCount="19941" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've tried a few times to grow potted herbs in my apartment with varying success, and I suspect it is related to the potting soil. I have basil and rosemary that are thriving in pots filled with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp?proId=prod70332&amp;amp;itemId=cat50154&quot;&gt;MiracleGro Potting Mix&lt;/a&gt;, but I planted chocolate mint, spearmint, ginger mint, thyme, and tarragon in pots with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp?proId=prod70262&amp;amp;itemId=cat50154&quot;&gt;MiracleGro Moisture Control&lt;/a&gt; potting mix, and those all died extremely quickly (within a week - one of the mints turned completely brown and shriveled within two days).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I followed the directions from the tags the seedlings came with (regarding sun exposure and watering), and I was careful not to damage the root bundles when I potted them, so the only thing I can guess is that the Moisture Control potting soil did not get along with these plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know why that is? Is there something about the pH level or nutrient levels in this particular soil that make it ill-suited for herbs? Are there certain things I should look for on the labels when purchasing potting soil in the future? (I live in a city and have a very limited selection of potting soil types and brands in my local hardware stores/target.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="492" LastActivityDate="2018-10-16T20:48:19.017" Title="What type of potting soil is most suitable for indoor herbs?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="325" CreationDate="2011-07-21T20:43:48.597" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The key is a big pile - minimum 1 cubic yard of materials. If you do not have a cubic yard you are doomed anyway. Heat from a compost pile comes from the microbial breakdown of the materials and is stored within the pile. More the mass, more the breakdown. Here is &lt;a href=&quot;http://codywitt.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/3-pile-composting-system/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;some info&lt;/a&gt; from my blog and a good way to &lt;a href=&quot;http://codywitt.wordpress.com/2011/03/06/5-step-backyard-composting-101-pt-1/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;backyard compost&lt;/a&gt; (see both part 1 &amp;amp; &lt;a href=&quot;http://codywitt.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/5-step-backyard-composting-101-pt-2/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="496" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-25T14:47:44.493" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T14:47:44.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1404" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1402" CreationDate="2011-07-21T20:50:14.943" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't used the MiracleGro Moisture Control potting mix myself, but some indoor gardeners seem to think that it's too moisture-retentive and compacts, causing drainage problems: see comments by gardengal48 &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg031506165583.html?10&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. I think this is likely to be the reason why the second group of herbs you planted, failed. Very few plants can survive if their feet are constantly wet&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although herbs' nutritional and moisture needs vary a little from one type to another (see Growing Herbs at Home, with a useful table describing their growth characteristics &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.savvygardener.com/Features/herbs.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;), most of them can be expected to do well in a good quality multipurpose potting mix. If possible, I would avoid a peat-based one, as it loses moisture very quickly and, if allowed to dry out, can be quite hard to wet again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-21T21:44:22.080" LastActivityDate="2011-07-21T21:44:22.080" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1405" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-21T21:24:54.700" Score="16" ViewCount="2722" Body="&lt;p&gt;What sorts of plants are good at holding the edge of a cliff?  I'd prefer to avoid planting tall things in order to still be able to see off of the cliff.  The site is in hardiness zone 5 and is high above a large salt-water bay.  It sees an average to high amount of precipitation, with at most a few weeks between rainfalls in the summer.  The land coming up to the cliff is pretty flat.  Soil pH is probably pretty low, acid or possibly very acid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="497" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:56:32.770" LastActivityDate="2014-07-30T21:24:02.470" Title="What are some good plants to hold the edge of a cliff?" Tags="&lt;erosion-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1401" CreationDate="2011-07-21T21:35:40.760" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm no bonsai expert, as basically that is what you are talking about, when artificially keeping a tree small (via various pruning methods).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I'm aware, nearly all tress can be used in the practice of bonsai. That's not to say, it's a good idea. Certain types, even particular variates within the same family of trees, adapt, respond much better than others, and quite simply look a lot better when subjected to the art/craft of bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I might be stating the obvious here, but simply putting such a tree (oak in your case) into a pot and watering it, doesn't mean you've finished and therefore get to sit back and enjoy your potted tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes you can put an oak tree in a pot, when doing so it would probably be best to remove it's tap root. Will it survive? That will greatly depend on how well you look after it, once its been potted up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a few things to consider:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is it the right thing to do? &lt;em&gt;Only you can answer that.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is it (really) the right type of tree to put into a pot? &lt;em&gt;Personally, I don't think it is.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It will need a lot of careful and skillful attention, especially as you train the tree to remain artificially small eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Roots trimmed regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Branches trimmed regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Branches trimmed, shaped, so you end up with a perfectly scaled down version of a full size tree, or as near as you can possibly get.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please note, I am not trying to put you off doing it, giving it a go, like they say, &quot;Nothing ventured, nothing gained&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I am trying to do, is make you aware of some of the work you would have ahead of you if you did decide to give it a go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-23T20:34:58.757" LastActivityDate="2011-07-23T20:34:58.757" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1407" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1410" CreationDate="2011-07-21T21:40:51.393" Score="16" ViewCount="18013" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've tried growing courgettes (zucchini) for the first time this year and the plants have been delightfully easy to grow. (For reference, I'm in NE England, UK, btw.) However, many of the fruits rarely get thicker than my index finger before starting to rot from their tip. What am I doing wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I be putting straw or something else dry underneath them to stop them touching the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="139" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-02T14:06:18.310" LastActivityDate="2016-06-06T09:35:44.440" Title="How to stop my courgettes (zucchini) rotting?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;&lt;blossom-end-rot&gt;&lt;cucurbits&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1408" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1402" CreationDate="2011-07-21T21:53:16.117" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adding onto &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1402/what-type-of-potting-soil-is-most-suitable-for-indoor-herbs/1404#1404&quot;&gt;&quot;Mancuniensis&quot; answer&lt;/a&gt;, herbs generally prefer a &quot;loose&quot; free draining type of soil. Think of where those plants grow natively, they don't like having their &quot;feet&quot; wet (as given in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1402/what-type-of-potting-soil-is-most-suitable-for-indoor-herbs/1404#1404&quot;&gt;&quot;Mancuniensis&quot; answer&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have good drainage holes in your pots, containers? Just another factor to take into account.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the &quot;MiracleGro Potting Mix&quot; has worked well for you, I would stick with that, or if you wanted to mix your own, you could try &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/721/recipe-for-a-long-lasting-fast-draining-container-soil-mix-with-good-aeration/1062#1062&quot;&gt;here for a good general purpose potting mix formula&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-07-21T21:53:16.117" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1409" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="236" CreationDate="2011-07-21T22:04:32.427" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would try to make the area more hospitable to plants through a variety of means:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;place some sort of barrier between your plants and the nearest air conditioning unit that will deflect the hot air up or outwards&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;mulch your plants deeply (2-4&quot; deep) to keep soil temperatures cool, especially on sunny days&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;make sure that they are getting enough water.. water will evaporate more quickly in higher temperatures, and plants will transpire more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;if you have enough space to work with, you can create a living barrier of heat-resistant plants (see others' answers for specific plants) that may work as well as or better than something constructed.  You could also use both approaches in combination.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A more electricity-intensive strategy would involve placing a fan at the edge of your gardening area and using it to redirect some or all of the hot air from the A/C unit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="92" LastEditorUserId="92" LastEditDate="2011-07-21T22:22:41.363" LastActivityDate="2011-07-21T22:22:41.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1410" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1407" CreationDate="2011-07-21T22:28:15.647" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;This could be Blossom End Rot (BER) to which most of the cucurbit family are susceptible. It is caused by a calcium deficiency - see my answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/987/what-else-besides-calcium-deficiency-could-be-causing-tomato-blossom-end-rot/992#992&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, given that some of your courgettes are growing normally, and those that are rotting are very small, I think the problem is almost certainly caused by inadequate pollination:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;No fruit, or fruit rotting when very small: This is a physiological problem, caused by the growing conditions, not a pest or disease. It is a problem when the weather in early summer is cool and this causes inadequate pollination. &#xA;  Remedy: This is usually a temporary problem, and once the weather starts to improve, so will pollination. You can try to hand-pollinate plants yourself by removing a male flower (male flowers don’t have a swelling at their base) and brushing the central parts against the centre of a female flower (female flowers have a swelling at the base – this is the beginning of the fruit). But this is a bit of a hassle, and normally the plant will correct this problem itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:5zO7hBiBJAgJ:www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/Veg-A-to-Z/Marrow,-courgette,-squash-and-pumpkin-%281%29%20courgettes%20rhs&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;ct=clnk&amp;amp;gl=uk&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;source=www.google.co.uk&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Courgettes /RHS Gardening&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-07-21T22:59:38.533" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1405" CreationDate="2011-07-21T22:37:06.377" Score="9" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hooker Willow &lt;em&gt;(Salix hookeriana)&lt;/em&gt; - Salt spray tolerant - Hardiness Zone 6 to 10.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Snowberry &lt;em&gt;(Symphoricarpos albus)&lt;/em&gt; - Tolerates high winds and often grows on vegetated slopes overlooking salt water - Hardiness Zone 3 to 7.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Salal &lt;em&gt;(Gaultheria shallon)&lt;/em&gt; - Tolerates salt spray - Hardiness Zone 6 to 10.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kinnickinick &lt;em&gt;(Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi)&lt;/em&gt; - Tolerates salt spray - Hardiness Zone 3 to 7.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Evergreen Huckleberry &lt;em&gt;(Vaccinium ovatum)&lt;/em&gt; - Tolerates salt spray - Hardiness Zone 4 to 8.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nootka Rose &lt;em&gt;(Rosa nutkana)&lt;/em&gt; - Tolerates salt spray - Hardiness Zone 3 to 8.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wax Myrtle &lt;em&gt;(Myrica californica)&lt;/em&gt; - Tolerates salt spray - Hardiness Zone 7 to 10.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above list of &amp;quot;suitable&amp;quot; plants came from, &amp;quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/pubs/93-30/table3.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Slope Stabilization &amp;gt; Plant Selection Guide&lt;/a&gt;&amp;quot; by Department of Ecology State of Washington.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following table will help you select the best plants for your erosion control or slope stabilization project.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might also want to read through their thorough, &amp;quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/pubs/93-30/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Slope Stabilization and Erosion Control&lt;/a&gt;&amp;quot; guide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is another plant (shrub) that might be worth a loot at:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=F180&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fragrant Sumac &lt;em&gt;(Rhus aromatica 'Gro-Low')&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; - Hardiness Zone 3 to 9.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted 6 of them on a 30° slope in my back garden earlier this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are a couple of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/ratings3.asp?code=F180&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;review comments for the Fragrant Sumac&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is our go-to plant on our campus when we need a drought tolerant, &lt;strong&gt;salt tolerant&lt;/strong&gt;, shade tolerant, and truck tire tolerant plant!  &lt;em&gt;Derek K.&lt;/em&gt;  &lt;strong&gt;State College, PA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I bought this plant it was a neglected, small, unassuming variety of low-growing member of the Rhus family that I had never seen before. I took it home to settle in my new &lt;strong&gt;rock garden&lt;/strong&gt;. The tag description stated its eventual height as .8M and width as 2M. It fulfilled its height description, but is now easily 4-5M wide and growing! It's taking over my whole rock garden knoll. What to do; I love this crazy plant.  &lt;em&gt;Sharon&lt;/em&gt;  &lt;strong&gt;West Quebec; Canada&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I'm a big fan of Switchgrasses &lt;em&gt;(Panicum)&lt;/em&gt;, have 15 Switchgrass &lt;em&gt;(Panicum Virgatum - Northwind)&lt;/em&gt; in my back garden. The below Switchgass is salt tolerant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=B772&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bitter Switchgrass &lt;em&gt;(Panicum amarum 'Dewey Blue')&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; - Hardiness Zone 2 to 9.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-07-23T02:42:28.877" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1412" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="236" CreationDate="2011-07-21T23:06:13.243" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosta&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hosta's&lt;/a&gt; might be a good choice in your situation, if they weren't exposed to the midday sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted a Hosta garden this year on one side of our house, air conditioning compressor unit is in the middle of this garden. They only get late afternoon sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hosta's do incredibly well here in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis_County,_Missouri#Climate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;St Louis, MO&lt;/a&gt; when they're not planted out in full sun (or exposed to the midday sun).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cold winters, will drop below 0&amp;#176;F (-18&amp;#176;C).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hot, humid summers, today was 101&amp;#176;F (38&amp;#176;C), but felt like 113&amp;#176;F (45&amp;#176;C).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2011-06-16, Hosta has been in front of air conditioning compressor unit for over 2 years now (10 additional Hostas where planted this year to turn this &quot;dead&quot; area into a Hosta garden)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yq3tn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hosta&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During my daily walk, I've noticed a lot of people screen (hide) their air conditioning compressor units behind:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canna_%28plant%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Canna lily&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_ear&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Elephant ear&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornamental_grass&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ornamental grass&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know you can get specific varieties of the above plants that are suitable, will do well in containers (pots). Of course around here, Canna lily and Elephant ear do not provide screening during the Winter months...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Listening to podcast, &quot;Sunday August 28 2011 hour 2&quot; from &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.newsradioklbj.com/podcast/Episodes.aspx?PID=1634&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gardening Naturally with John Dromgoole&lt;/a&gt;&quot;, starting at 20mins:23secs John recommends a few plants to &quot;hide&quot; an air conditioning compressor unit, he highly recommend:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sage#Plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sage&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today (2011-09-02), while waiting at the school bus-stop (for Alpha son) I noticed the nearby apartments screened their bank of conditioning compressor units behind:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euonymus_alatus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Burning bushes &lt;em&gt;(Euonymus alatus)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can get &quot;Dwarf&quot; varieties, I have one in my front garden, screening an above ground utility cover:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Height: 2 to 2&amp;#189;ft (600 to 750mm)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spread: 2&amp;#189; to 3ft (750 to 900mm)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2010-11-10, Dwarf Burning Bush&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HPFHV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dwarf Burning Bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2011-04-30, Dwarf Burning Bush&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NZdUy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dwarf Burning Bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that it's their flowering season (late Summer, early Autumn/Fall), I'm really noticing a lot of &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stonecrops&lt;/a&gt;&quot; around here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=C915&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hylotelephium&lt;/em&gt; 'Lajos' Autumn Charm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=F560&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hylotelephium&lt;/em&gt; 'Herbstfreude' Autumn Joy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=Q180&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sedum erythrostictum&lt;/em&gt; 'Mediovariegatum'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=C394&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hylotelephium telephium&lt;/em&gt; 'Samuel Oliphant'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I like the look of the flowers, plus the ones listed above (and others, like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=C395&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hylotelephium telephium&lt;/em&gt; 'Blackjack'&lt;/a&gt;) have good looking foliage, at least I think their foliage is attractive. I'm thinking I might put one in garden...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;After thought:&lt;/strong&gt; From what I can remember and know of Hong Kong weather, isn't high levels of salt in the air another factor that needs to be taken into account when choosing suitable plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-07T23:30:03.437" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T23:30:03.437" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1401" CreationDate="2011-07-22T00:11:45.443" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oak trees are well suited to bonsai, but that is not your biggest problem here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have two main problems: getting that thing out of the ground with its root system in tact and secondly getting it to survive once it comes out of the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Getting the tree out of the ground, even though it appears small isn't an easy task. I can't find a reliable source right now, but you will need to dig a circle with a diameter the same size as the height of the tree and you will likely need to dig at least the same length deep. Young trees usually have one long main root and if you damage that your chances of the tree surviving are slim.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Professional bonsai growers who grow their own trees in the ground usually wait for a rainy day to dig out the plant so the ground is soft and the clinging soil doesn't pull so hard at the roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are not purchasing nursery stock to &quot;bonsai&quot; then you need to acclimatize the plant to living outside of the ground for 1 - 2 years before putting it in a small pot where it will be restricted in terms of moisture and the size of its root system. So initially you will need to put it in quite a large pot with plenty of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you keep the soil well watered at least for the first 3 - 6 months. As the soil in the ground is kept moist and protected from the sun, but inside your pot it can dry out easily and the plant doesn't have the breadth and depth of a root system of trees in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly I'd like to say that this is not an easy task, it actually requires practice and has a low success rate as small trees are not hardy. Our neighbours have a sweetgum (&lt;em&gt;Liquidambar styraciflua&lt;/em&gt;) that provides us with around 30 small trees a year, but only about one a year ever survives past 6 months and that's keeping it in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried this several times myself, but in the end, I can with much less effort buy a year old, acclimatized bonsai starter for $3 from my local bonsai nursery. It's not worth the sweat and strain just to see your treasure drop its leaves after 2 weeks and die. The same thing is likely to happen in the ground anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="450" LastEditDate="2011-07-22T16:22:39.783" LastActivityDate="2011-07-22T16:22:39.783" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1414" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-22T12:34:10.127" Score="7" ViewCount="1935" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/935/cracks-on-bottom-side-of-tomato&quot;&gt;Cracks on Bottom Side of Tomato&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This may be related to my prior question about &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/935/cracks-on-bottom-side-of-tomato&quot;&gt;cracks on the bottom side of tomatoes&lt;/a&gt;.  A few plants I'm growing have appeared with holes on the bottom side as they've started to ripen.  Is this potentially related to &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardener.shoutwiki.com/wiki/Catfacing&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;catfacing&lt;/a&gt; the plant experienced earlier in the season or could it possibly be related to a bug or pest?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nxWAT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="347" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-07-22T19:58:22.810" Title="Holes on bottom side of tomato" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2011-07-24T19:33:30.870" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="902" CreationDate="2011-07-22T16:27:20.407" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/336/msemack&quot;&gt;your profile&lt;/a&gt;, your location is &lt;strong&gt;Bellefonte, PA,&lt;/strong&gt; therefore unless you correct me, I am going to assume you have a cool-season lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6708&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thatch: Enemy of Lawns&lt;/a&gt; from University of Missouri Extension:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you follow the above link you will see a photo that clearly shows what thatch build up in a lawn looks like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6708#Removing&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Removing thatch&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Examine the lawn closely regardless of how healthy it appears. Cut several plugs 2 or 3 inches deep. Lift and examine the profile. If thatch is present, it will appear as a distinct horizontal layer of brown spongy or feltlike material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When about 1/2 inch of thatch develops in bluegrass, remove it before the grass is damaged. Thatch is best removed by power raking, verticutting or coring with a machine that may be hired or rented. Coring causes less lawn stress than dethatching with a power rake or vertical mower and provides the additional benefit of reducing soil compaction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lawns should be dethatched only when conditions favor rapid turf recovery. For cool-season lawns, early fall dethatching is most desirable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6705&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cool-Season Grasses: Lawn Maintenance Calendar&lt;/a&gt; from University of Missouri Extension:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6705#April&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;April&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove excessive and heavily diseased clippings. Watch for leaf spot and mildew diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aerate if thatch is heavy or soil is compacted.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/#September&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;September&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aerate where needed.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rake. Dethatch. Kill weed patches. Overseed thin spots. Resume top-dressing if needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p#Mowing&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mowing&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clippings need not always be removed. When they are short enough to filter down to the soil surface, they decay and recycle nutrients back to the soil. &lt;strong&gt;Remove clippings when they remain on the surface or when excessive thatch is already causing a problem.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p5#Thatch&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thatch control&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thatch is a layer of undecayed plant parts accumulating at the turf base. It forms a barrier to water and air movement in the same manner as compaction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thatch is primarily a problem of intensely fertilized and watered lawns. Even though clippings are removed regularly, thatch still can form because old plants and basal leaves are more resistant to decay than are the clippings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thatch removal should be initiated whenever accumulation exceeds 1/2 inch. Early fall is the preferred time for dethatching lawns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For more information on thatch, see &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6708&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;MU Extension publication G6708, Thatch - Enemy of Lawns&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also find the information found in the below links well worth you time:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Video: &lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/podcasts/gc/200909_514.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Identifying Thatch&lt;/a&gt; from University of Illinois Extension&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6700&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cool-Season Grasses: Lawn Establishment and Renovation&lt;/a&gt; from University of Missouri Extension.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6749&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Natural Lawn Care&lt;/a&gt; from University of Missouri Extension.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1351/394&quot;&gt;Lawn Dethatching tools&lt;/a&gt; here on SE.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1390/394&quot;&gt;What's an organic way to discourage crabgrass from a large “lawn”?&lt;/a&gt; here on SE.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you decide you need to dethatch, I would recommend you aerate at the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T22:26:08.973" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1416" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="150" CreationDate="2011-07-22T19:20:58.247" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Generally&quot; speaking, voles, moles, etc move into an area (setup home) due to two main reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Abundance of food = makes them happy and keeps their &quot;bellies&quot; full.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lack of natural predators = makes them happy and feel (very) safe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to the answers already given, I think attracting natural predators, especially birds of prey might offer you a solution worth investigating a little more eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Attract hawks and owls into their area, by putting up a roost in the middle of that area. A simple cross beam &quot;T&quot; six or more feet off the ground will give those birds of prey a convenient platform to hunt from.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some additional resources worth a read (IMHO):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G9445&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Controlling Voles in Horticulture Plantings and Orchards in Missouri&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G4448&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Controlling Vole Damage in No-Till Corn and Soybeans&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've used a castor oil based product to deal with moles once, but I can't say for sure if it worked or was just a factor in getting the moles to move on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-23T21:53:40.810" LastActivityDate="2017-01-23T21:53:40.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1417" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1414" CreationDate="2011-07-22T19:58:22.810" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This can be caused due to sudden vegetable / fruit growth in a short period of time.  It can be actually caused by several factors:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-fertilizing too much or too late in the season&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-weather plays a huge role, has it been very dry where you are from with sudden rain?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-or has the temperature dropped during the night so much that there is a big change from the day temp to the night temp&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2011-07-22T19:58:22.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1418" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1574" CreationDate="2011-07-22T20:18:26.350" Score="13" ViewCount="6875" Body="&lt;p&gt;I currently have a tomato plant planted in a pot on my porch. It is doing quite nicely and is tied to a 6' bamboo cane. Unfortunately my cane has started to lean a bit and I am afraid that as the plant continues to grow and eventually starts bearing fruit that the cane will not be able to do its job, or that the pot may fall over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am wondering what the best way to support the cane that is supporting the tomato plant? Or am I better off choosing a different support method for my potted tomato plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2011-08-04T02:35:09.027" Title="What is the best way to support a stake in a potted tomato plant?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;support&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1419" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1418" CreationDate="2011-07-22T20:35:57.053" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nothing fancy, last year (sorry I don't have a photo to share) I did this with my two tomato plants, each in their own pot:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;4ft or 5ft (1200mm or 1500mm) long garden canes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sunk the canes into the soil around the perimeter of the pot at about 4inch (100mm) centres.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both plants seemed to like working themselves around the canes. I didn't have to tie them to the canes. And with that number of canes, the plants seemed to have more than enough support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-07-22T20:35:57.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1420" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1418" CreationDate="2011-07-22T22:51:14.677" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;For tomato plants, a conical cage that looks like this is the best way to go. This way, you provide support at each stage of the plant's growth and there are multiple points (on each circle) for you to tie the fruits to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jGQxG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, this requires that you plan in advance and set up the cage before the plant gets too big. There is no way you're going to be able to fit that onto a full grown plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Supporting your cane&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now coming to supporting your 6' cane, here's one cheap way using some twine and some turnbuckles. You'll need:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some mason's line or strong twine (costs around $3-4 for a 100-feet roll. You'll need a lot less!)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;3 small &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnbuckle&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;turnbuckles&lt;/a&gt; (costs around $1.50 each for the small ones)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;3 6&amp;quot; nails (costs around 10¢ each)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I'm not at home and don't have a picture of how it looks like, but here's a hand drawn drawing that shouldn't be too hard to follow (also not too clear because of the scanner, but it's readable).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JKhTj.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drive in the three nails at the points marked X. Make sure that you drive it in at an angle so that the head is tilting outward as in the second figure.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tie some twine from the cane (probably around less than half way down from the top) to the loop of the turnbuckle.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Next tie a smaller piece of twine from the nail head and through the hook of the turnbuckle. Pull it till it is tight and then make a knot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure that the turnbuckle is screwed out most of the way so that later if and when you need to adjust tension, you can (last figure).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Repeat for all three nails and adjust tension till the cane is as vertical as you'd like it to be.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Check periodically (every week?) to see if it is leaning and increase tension in the string(s) opposite to the direction in which it is leaning.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a neat way to keep it vertical without having to build additional supports/structures and is my preferred method of training young trees to grow vertically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-07-22T22:51:14.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1421" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-07-23T02:41:16.617" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mold (or mould in non-American English) is a common name for a kind of fungus that typically appears in damp conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mold on plants is usually indicative of over-damp conditions, and will typically result in a sick or dead plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about identifying, avoiding, and curing mold on plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-23T02:49:13.847" LastActivityDate="2011-07-23T02:49:13.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1422" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-07-23T02:41:16.617" Score="0" Body="Questions about mold and fungus growth" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-23T02:49:19.540" LastActivityDate="2011-07-23T02:49:19.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1423" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-07-23T02:54:34.483" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nitrogen is essential for all life on Earth. Although molecular nitrogen makes up most of the atmosphere, virtually all organisms are incapable of using it in this form. Most plants can only absorb nitrogen in the form of ammonium or nitrate ions. Specialist organisms (eg. some cyanobacteria, and legume root nodules) are capable of &quot;fixing&quot; atmospheric nitrogen into a form that can be used by other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Much of the green revolution came about due to the widespread use of artificial nitrogen fertilizers. The nitrogen content of an artificial &quot;NPK&quot; fertilizer is given by the first value.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about the nitrogen content of soils and the relevant behavior of legumes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nitrogen input and content are important aspects of compost heap management, but this is usually relative to carbon. Consider using the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/carbon-nitrogen-ratio&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'carbon-nitrogen-ratio'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;carbon-nitrogen-ratio&lt;/a&gt; tag for these questions, instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-23T10:08:05.520" LastActivityDate="2011-07-23T10:08:05.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1424" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-07-23T02:54:34.483" Score="0" Body="An essential element required by all life" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-23T10:07:54.600" LastActivityDate="2011-07-23T10:07:54.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1425" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1428" CreationDate="2011-07-23T13:41:16.490" Score="9" ViewCount="2704" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of the &quot;natural&quot; insect repellents I use (the kind you put on your skin) have soybean oil listed as one of the active ingredients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also seen ~6% soybean oil listed as an active ingredient in some of the &quot;natural&quot; garden insecticide sprays at the garden center.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything different about this soybean oil than the jug of vegetable oil (100% soybean) in my kitchen cupboard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is the same, what would I dilute it with, and what concentrations would be useful? If I can mix my own, cooking oil would be &lt;em&gt;much&lt;/em&gt; cheaper than the &quot;insecticide&quot; from the garden center.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2019-06-07T04:26:31.573" Title="Soybean oil as insect repellent?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1426" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-23T20:14:05.787" Score="8" ViewCount="1430" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a patch of dirt on a hill covered with this plant (shown below). I'd like to pull them all out and make room for flowers and such. The second photo shows that the roots of this sucker go way down there. I'd like to pull them out completely rather than cutting, but on some of these I've yanked as hard as I can and they still won't budge. Any advice other than go to the gym?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click to enlarge&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/En9xq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/En9xqm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mystery plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fKZdE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fKZdEm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;deep roots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="500" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-19T22:52:12.967" LastActivityDate="2011-09-19T22:52:12.967" Title="What is this plant and how can I remove it from the ground?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1427" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1426" CreationDate="2011-07-23T21:02:25.017" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the shape of the leaves and the smooth, glossy texture of the leaves, I would say it's some kind of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Holly&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or it could be something like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oregon grape &lt;em&gt;(Mahonia aquifolium)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;False holly &lt;em&gt;(Osmanthus heterophyllus)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The secret of pulling any weed (plant) out of the ground (root and all) is to soak (via a garden hose) the ground really well beforehand, or go out there immediately after a really good down-pouring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then grab the weed (plant) firmly and as close to the soil line as possible, then pull slowly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you've pulled a few inches of the weed (plant) out of the ground, move your hands back down the weed (plant), so you're once again grabbing it firmly and close to the soil line, then pull slowly. Repeat, repeat...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-25T21:56:16.257" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T21:56:16.257" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1428" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1425" CreationDate="2011-07-23T21:59:51.760" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I can tell from reading a number of sources on the web, Soybean oil, Canola oil, etc that are used in &quot;organic&quot; based pesticides are &lt;strong&gt;food grade&lt;/strong&gt; forms of those oils. If that is correct, then those types of oil sold for cooking should be ok! for use in &quot;homemade&quot; pesticides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water seems to be the main ingredient used in &quot;organic&quot; oil based pesticides eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pharmsolutions.gardencenternews.net/labelPDFs/Boutique%20Oil%20Pharm%20RTU%201liter%20Summer%20Flowers%202-08.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Oil Pharm - Download RTU Label&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Active Ingredients:&lt;/strong&gt; Certified Organic Soybean Oil 1.5%&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;  Pure Rosemary Oil 0.1%&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;  &lt;strong&gt;Inert Ingredients:&lt;/strong&gt; Food Grade Oleic Acid, Carbonic Acid Monopotassium Salt, Non GMO Canola Oil, Broccoli Juice: 10%, Water 88.4%&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://repository.tamu.edu/handle/1969.1/86885&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Using Oils As Pesticides (download/read pdf_1192.pdf on that page)&lt;/a&gt; from Texas A&amp;amp;M University&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Oil formulations are generally designed to be mixed with water at concentrations of 0.5-2.0 percent (volume/volume). When applying oils, it is best to agitate hand pump sprayers frequently and keep tank spray agitators running. This reduces the risk of oil separation that could result in sprayer clogging, uneven plant coverage and possible plant injury.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?245703-Brood-builder-by-Dadant&amp;amp;p=571457#post571457&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;A little bit of Soybean information to be aware of, if in fact it's true:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In the Aug 2010 issue of ABJ, Zachary Huang discusses bee nutrition. He points out that about 40% of the sugars in soybeans are toxic to bees. He goes on to say that Brood Builder&amp;#174; and Bee Pro&amp;#174; are soy based. He doesn’t specifically state that they aren’t OK but doesn’t include them in any of his analysis. Take it for what it’s worth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then this is worth reading and watching, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naturalnews.com/032853_canola_oil_pesticides.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Are you eating pesticides? Canola oil, soybean oil used as key ingredients in pesticide products&lt;/a&gt;&quot;, but &lt;strong&gt;only&lt;/strong&gt; because of the amount of &quot;basic&quot; information it leaves out, thus supporting &lt;em&gt;&quot;their argument&quot;.&lt;/em&gt; Personally I might go as far as saying, &lt;em&gt;&quot;their argument&quot;&lt;/em&gt; borders on scaremonger...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-07-23T21:59:51.760" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1429" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1426" CreationDate="2011-07-23T23:43:17.610" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pulling a plant with a very big tap root can be very difficult if not impossible. Water can help (I find it helps a lot with shallow weeds and grass), but you may well have to cut it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutting the tap root as far down as possible with a sharp spade may be sufficient.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For good measure you could brush some &quot;bush-b-gon&quot; (woody plant) type weedkiller on the cut stem or root. This is usually sufficient to stop most things coming back and is extremely localized (ie. You won't kill anything else - unlike a spray).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-07-23T23:43:17.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1430" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1449" CreationDate="2011-07-24T06:56:29.337" Score="18" ViewCount="4214" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pair of large (roughly 30' tall I guess) cherry trees. They're mossy. They don't produce well (at least not for the 2 seasons we've had them for). What they do produce is so high that I can't net or harvest the fruit safely. The branches are a mess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know the age (we've only owned the home for a year and a bit), and I get the impression from our neighbors and the overall state of the yard that the former owners weren't all that concerned with upkeep. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The birds get most of the fruit now, but the few cherries that are low enough to harvest are delicious.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can I aggressively prune them? When, how, and how much? Am I hoping for too much to want to get the trees down to about 15-20 feet tall?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is the moss a problem? Should I just pull it off, or do I need to treat it with something?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="501" LastActivityDate="2018-12-15T13:48:58.730" Title="What should I do with my Cherry trees?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1431" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1438" CreationDate="2011-07-24T09:45:11.220" Score="12" ViewCount="2705" Body="&lt;p&gt;In our backyard there is a bush growing up the side of a wall, using a drain pipe to crawl up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its trunk has grown to be relatively thick (~ 10 cm) and it is now causing the concrete to split on the floor. I'd like to remove it altogether. What's the best way to 'kill' it and prevent any more growth from the roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="502" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:53:07.020" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T02:53:07.020" Title="How can I remove a bush whose roots are breaking concrete?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1432" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1396" CreationDate="2011-07-24T11:00:59.347" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found it difficult to mark just one answer as correct because all are. I am providing my own answer for this question, but it's only more correct than earlier answers in that it's the best groundcover for my specific situation and location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I eventually went with (on professional advice) was creeping boobialla (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myoporum_parvifolium&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Myoporum parvifolium&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;) for its outstanding suitability for the climate, soil type and hardiness zone in which it will be planted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sDJCQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Myoporum parvifolium&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2011-07-24T11:00:59.347" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1433" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1446" CreationDate="2011-07-24T12:22:49.623" Score="21" ViewCount="19892" Body="&lt;p&gt;Consider a project like the &lt;a href=&quot;http://earthship.com&quot;&gt;Earthship&lt;/a&gt;. Supposing one would like to grow food (organic polyculture) indoors in such a habitat (i.e. in a green house). How many m² would be required to feed one person yearly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="80" LastEditorUserId="450" LastEditDate="2011-07-24T19:16:53.710" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T09:08:09.500" Title="How large a cultivation area to feed one person?" Tags="&lt;organic&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1433" CreationDate="2011-07-24T14:03:46.377" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen from multiple sources that about 4000 sq ft per adult is about what is required, assuming a vegetarian diet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://books.google.com/books?id=01xFyEdpX-MC&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;How to Grow More Vegetables&lt;/a&gt;, by John Jeavons&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://books.google.com/books?id=lbohaJCxFnAC&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardening When it Counts&lt;/a&gt;, by Steve Solomon&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Jeavons' book goes into some detail about how to plan your garden &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; your diet. Around p25 there are charts and explanation about choosing crops that are &quot;Area- and Weight-Efficient&quot;. E.g. potatoes, leeks, garlic, parsnips. According to the plan in the book, 60% of the planted area will be high-carbon producing and calorie-producing (grains, sunflowers, nuts, grapes), 30% will be hi-cal, area-efficient (potatoes), and 10% will be &quot;vegetables&quot; (broccoli, lettuce, etc). Under this plan, a large portion of your calories are coming from food like potatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reading the few pages from Jeavons' book points out how intertwined the planning of both your &lt;em&gt;diet&lt;/em&gt; and your &lt;em&gt;crops&lt;/em&gt; must be. If you plant 4000 sq ft of corn, beans, and carrots but neglect to provide enough calories through potatoes, you may not have enough to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also critically important, but not covered much in either book, is the importance of being able to &lt;em&gt;store&lt;/em&gt; your harvest past the growing season. Again, even if you do grow a year's worth of potatoes, you'll end up starving if everything is spoiled by the time January rolls around...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;: a table in &quot;The Permaculture Handbook&quot; (Peter Bane) on p109 provides a breakdown for ~2700 calories per person per day (~1 million calories per person per year). It's not a vegan diet: the list includes milk, cheese, meat, eggs, and fish. It's based on the premise of a closed-loop fertility system so that manure, compost, etc is created on-farm instead of being imported. Bane's land figure comes to 14,500 sq ft (1/3 acre, 1350 m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An issue that Bane mentions is also worth considering: what are your labor and energy inputs? You can get more output from a given area of land by putting more labor into it. You can decrease labor by using energy, but if you're supposing a closed-loop system then you need more land to grow energy crops. Importing energy into your system doesn't eliminate the need for land to produce energy, it merely moves it. (And if your energy is from petroleum, you still haven't removed the need for land, you've only moved it back in time a couple of million years.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-06-25T15:48:21.237" LastActivityDate="2012-06-25T15:48:21.237" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1436" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1447" CreationDate="2011-07-24T15:24:12.553" Score="12" ViewCount="2622" Body="&lt;p&gt;My garden (first ever!) has been doing great. Yesterday I harvested my potatoes, which left half the garden open and bare. Some critter seemed to view this now-open landscape as an invitation to come and dine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever it was, it ate all my strawberries and sampled many of my tomatoes. Left lots of tomato halves, both green and nearly ripe ones lying on the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not a deer, because we had that problem earlier in the season, and I built a 6' fence which seems to be working. I'd recognize deer prints if I saw them. This creature left no prints that I could see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what it could be, and what I could do to discourage its dining? I've seen a rabbit flee the area once or twice in the evening, but he seemed to be on the outside of the fence. If it's a rabbit, I could in theory secure the fence (it's a Polypropylene mesh) to the ground a little better. But if it's a squirrel, I imagine they'd be able to scale any kind of fence I put in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="98" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-11T09:50:04.367" LastActivityDate="2011-11-11T09:50:04.367" Title="What animal is eating my cherry tomatoes and strawberries?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1431" CreationDate="2011-07-24T15:34:40.817" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not an arborist but my approach would be to cut it back as far as a possible, then to saw the trunk close to the ground. Paint a brush-b-gon (woody plant) type weed killer on the freshly cut surface. If the weed killer does not work and it starts sprouting, I have successfully killed tree stumps by drilling holes in the top and then pouring a copper sulfate/sulphate (CuSO4) solution in. CuSO4 is sold here in the US as a root killer (pour crystals in your drain, and it keeps tree roots in check without killing the tree); in the UK we used it in High School a lot as it was a very visible (bright blue) and relatively benign salt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once dead, the roots will slowly decompose on their own. A tree stumper could be hired, but a 10cm trunk seems a bit small for such an investment and getting under the concrete would be impossible without lifting the concrete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-24T17:04:32.930" LastActivityDate="2011-07-24T17:04:32.930" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1439" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1448" CreationDate="2011-07-24T17:16:54.323" Score="10" ViewCount="2243" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any ideas what this plant is and how to control it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZOx2E.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kVlxf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:59:43.117" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:59:43.117" Title="What is this plant found in the UK with green and white leaves with purple flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1440" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1443" CreationDate="2011-07-24T17:22:04.767" Score="6" ViewCount="196" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/90/how-do-you-discourage-cilantro-from-bolting-too-quickly&quot;&gt;How do you discourage cilantro from bolting too quickly?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a Coriander plant that I think is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolting_%28horticulture%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bolting&lt;/a&gt;. It started flowering and got quite tall.Most of the standard coriander leaves have gone, and have been replaced by Fennel-like leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume I can't cook with these? Is there anything I can do to make it produce the standard type leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-07-24T17:49:25.100" Title="Controlling Coriander/Cilantro " Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;bolting&gt;&lt;cilantro&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2011-07-24T19:37:50.847" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1441" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1444" CreationDate="2011-07-24T17:25:59.953" Score="12" ViewCount="305" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm worried I might have planted my chilis too late. This is what they look like now, and there are 5-6 weeks left of summer here. Will they have enough time to produce chilies?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zHtCt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Chili peppers in a pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2011-07-24T17:50:03.260" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T16:32:14.120" Title="Will these Chili plants have enough time to flower and produce chilis?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1442" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-24T17:30:19.600" Score="10" ViewCount="4202" Body="&lt;p&gt;My flat leaf parsley is not looking very healthy; the growth seems stunted, and the leaves are starting to turn a pale red. What should I do to revive it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8lshV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Parsley in a pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-24T20:11:34.017" LastActivityDate="2015-02-27T11:33:53.430" Title="My flat leaf parsley has stunted growth and pale red leaves. What could be wrong?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;parsley&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1443" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1440" CreationDate="2011-07-24T17:31:04.763" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've had a lot of problems with cilantro bolting. I understand the leaves lose their flavor, as well as looking a bit odd. We've let it go to seed, and let it seed itself (with Texas weather that means the late spring/summer seed becomes the autumn crop).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also collect coriander seed - this is a herb/spice as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cilantro/coriander bolting is a response to heat. It is a defense against dying - much better to produce new seed and to pass the genes on to the next generation. So you choices are to let it go to seed and accept there's a limited growing season;  or to find a cooler place for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-07-24T17:31:04.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1444" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1441" CreationDate="2011-07-24T17:35:21.510" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where are you and when is your first frost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Somewhere like here in Texas has summer through to early September. But that is when the peppers start to get productive, and I get my main harvest from September through to the first frost (they start to get a bit slow as the temperatures fall into the 30's&amp;#176;F to 50's&amp;#176;F / single digit &amp;#176;C).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The smallest plants in the rear pot (the seedlings) are too small. Your other plants look established with good healthy (deep green) growth. If you're not seeing flower buds yet then you will do soon (look in the crown area of the two largest plants). I think you're going to get some fruit - and depending on your weather, possible quite a few.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I find they do much better putting them in beds but it is probably a bit late for that to be particularly worthwhile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-26T16:32:14.120" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T16:32:14.120" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1445" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1442" CreationDate="2011-07-24T17:35:38.983" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Parsley forms a tap root; it looks like the soil in your pot isn't very deep, so the root might not be developing properly.  You might be able to &lt;strong&gt;carefully&lt;/strong&gt; lift the plant with root ball intact, put some more soil underneath it, then replace the plant.  This would give it the root some more space to develop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another possibility -- since parsley is a relative of the carrot -- is that it's being attacked by &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot_fly&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Carrot fly&lt;/a&gt;.  Prevention is your best defense here, see the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot_fly#Control&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Control&lt;/a&gt; section of the Wikipedia page.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2011-07-24T17:35:38.983" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1433" CreationDate="2011-07-24T19:10:02.127" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;update&lt;/em&gt; Answer has been edited after considering comments by bstpierre.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a great question, and I hope to learn more from some of the other answers and comments. I was unable to find good information that can be used to answer this question, but based on a few informed estimates, all assuming a vegetarian diet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;0.04 ha / 0.1 acre&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;John Jeavons (see answer by bstpierre): &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;0.01 ha / 0.025 acre&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://books.google.com/books?id=rz0AAAAACAAJ&amp;amp;dq=the%20new%20organic%20grower&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;src=bmrr&amp;amp;ei=DmssToGqH6qIsgLb77CRCw&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;oi=book_result&amp;amp;ct=result&amp;amp;resnum=1&amp;amp;ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA&quot;&gt;Eliot Coleman&lt;/a&gt; Perhaps a minimum estimate, also see comments&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Elliot Coleman's book &lt;a href=&quot;http://books.google.com/books?id=rz0AAAAACAAJ&amp;amp;dq=the%20new%20organic%20grower&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;src=bmrr&amp;amp;ei=DmssToGqH6qIsgLb77CRCw&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;oi=book_result&amp;amp;ct=result&amp;amp;resnum=1&amp;amp;ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;The New Organic Grower&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, the author claims that he can grow enough food for 100 people on 2.5 acres, equivalent to 0.025 acres / person, 1100 ft2 or 100 m2. Elsewhere, he claims to feed his household of two adults with a 40'x40' plot of land plus a 20'x40' greenhouse (1200 ft2).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is interesting that the author has 25 years of experience (at time of publication, 1995) cultivating 5 acres of land in Maine intensively using an eight year-rotation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;0.07 ha / 0.17 acre&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iisc.ernet.in/currsci/feb25/articles16.htm&quot;&gt;Meyers, N. 1999 The Next Green Revolution: Its Environmental Underpinnings. Current Science 76: 507-513&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The minimum amount of arable land required to sustainably support one&#xA;  person is 0.07 of a hectare. This assumes a largely vegetarian diet,&#xA;  no farmland degradation or water shortages, virtually no post- harvest&#xA;  waste, and farmers who know precisely when and how to plant,&#xA;  fertilize, irrigate, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;0.02 ha / 0.05 acre&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273117702006610&quot;&gt;Silverstone et al. 2003. Development and research program for a soil-based bioregenerative agriculture system to feed a four person crew at a Mars base. Advances in space research. 31 (1)&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A minimum estimate of the amount of land required to feed a crew on mars, but the only estimate here that is 100% indoors. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These estimates are minimum requirements, assume a vegetarian diet, and depend on highly skilled farming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="450" LastEditorUserId="450" LastEditDate="2011-07-25T13:30:24.427" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T13:30:24.427" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1447" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1436" CreationDate="2011-07-24T19:11:51.563" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Indeed, it's squirrels- my wife just caught three of them in action. I guess they just discovered the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="98" LastEditorUserId="98" LastEditDate="2011-07-24T20:17:17.787" LastActivityDate="2011-07-24T20:17:17.787" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1448" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1439" CreationDate="2011-07-24T19:15:35.397" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like a variety of the attractive but invasive ground-cover Deadnettle, (Lamium &lt;em&gt;maculatum&lt;/em&gt;), - see photo &lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=1109&quot;&gt;RHS - Lamium maculatum&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.7wells.co.uk/dead-nettle---variegated-372-p.asp&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Deadnettle can be difficult to control. Roundup is fairly effective, but you will need to persevere - and also do a bit of hand-weeding - as the plant is tenacious and tends to reappear. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-07-24T19:15:35.397" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1449" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1430" CreationDate="2011-07-24T20:33:28.787" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;The type of pruning you're looking for is called &lt;code&gt;crown reduction&lt;/code&gt;. The main purpose of this is to reduce the height of the tree by cutting down its crown, as explained &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/approaches.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you say your tree is 30+ feet high, it is advisable to get professional help instead of venturing out to do this on your own. Note that the pruning cuts that will be made are quite large and &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; lead to diseases in the tree. This can be mitigated by sealing the wound quickly with tar. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crown reduction is inherently aggressive and &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; send the tree into a temporary shock. I would suggest that you reduce the crown and &lt;em&gt;minimally&lt;/em&gt; prune the smallest of the messy branches the first year. The second year, you can remove more of the smaller branches (as you would in a normal pruning). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will have to be patient with the tree and give it a year or two to recover and start producing a bountiful crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6fOY9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Image source: See link above&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the moss (probably &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;lichen&lt;/a&gt;) on the trunks, it shouldn't be a problem  as the thick bark provides protection for the tree. There might be cause for concern if it spreads to the leaves, as it could be symptomatic of something else and prevent respiration/photosynthesis, but until then, it should be fine. I personally think trees with a bit of green moss growing on them look pretty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-24T20:38:48.590" LastActivityDate="2011-07-24T20:38:48.590" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1450" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-25T02:22:44.963" Score="12" ViewCount="631" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard that the inks used on newsprint are generally soy-based and thus suitable for use in vermicomposting bedding.  Presumably the ink used to mark corrugated cardboard boxes is also safe, since this is another commonly recommended bedding substance.  The inks used on glossy newspaper inserts, on the other hand, are said to be metallic and thus hazardous.  What about other inks, for example permanent markers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="92" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:58:28.057" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:58:28.057" Title="Which inks which can safely be added to vermicompost bins?" Tags="&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1451" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1275" CreationDate="2011-07-25T04:34:35.273" Score="6" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If not good for compost, could it be useful anywhere else in the garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't go the composting route ... it can be used to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dailypuppy.com/articles/cat-litter-as-a-groundhog-deterrent/a739fdae-58eb-9419-183d-e2caa044b5ec&quot;&gt;deal with groundhogs&lt;/a&gt;.  It might work as a replacement for predator urine in keeping away other animals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="505" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T04:34:35.273" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1073" CreationDate="2011-07-25T05:38:33.893" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may additionally find the information given in this answer, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1115/how-and-when-to-plant-young-grafted-apple-tree/1118#1118&quot;&gt;How and when to plant young grafted apple tree?&lt;/a&gt;&quot;, to be of some help, eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Measure from the bottom of the plastic wrap to the top of the soil. That is how deep you want to dig your planting hole. Planting trees too deep will lead to major problems down the road. The trunk flare should be just visible once the tree is planted. Dig the hole twice as wide as the root ball that is currently wrapped in the plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T05:38:33.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1453" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1457" CreationDate="2011-07-25T09:17:51.417" Score="10" ViewCount="563" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I water my potted peppers, they all get pretty much the same amount of water, as I have a small jug that I've discovered provides just enough water to soak through the soil and just start seeping out the bottom of the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well, at least this is the case for 3 of my 4 plants. One of them seems to hold less water than its peers, because when I give it the same quantity of water, it ends up with much more water in the dish under the pot. I get the same result even if I wait longer between watering sessions, and there's no &quot;flooding&quot; on top of the soil, so I don't think it is a case of that pot being over-saturated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the plant itself seems healthy and has started flowering in the last few days (it's the third of the four to start) and is of comparable size (in height and leafiness) to its peers, so it seems to be keeping up, it just seems rather strange that it takes less water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-25T14:40:28.820" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T14:40:28.820" Title="One of my indoor pepper plants seems to drink less water than its peers. Should I be concerned?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1454" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1456" CreationDate="2011-07-25T09:52:39.333" Score="8" ViewCount="682" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a panda plant in my office facing west. I thought it was receiving adequate sunlight. However, my panda plant didn't grow very well and most of its leaves very thin and not fleshy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does the glass absorb a great amount of sunshine? What can I do to ensure my panda plant has enough light indoors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-22T20:21:07.873" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T20:21:07.873" Title="How can I ensure my panda plant has enough light indoors?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1453" CreationDate="2011-07-25T09:57:05.180" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant have a soil with good drainage ability, that is the reason why the water come out of the pot so quickly. Actually this is good because too much water retained in the soil is bad for the plant most of the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The drainage ability of the soil depends on the ingredients of your soil. Soil made of sand, peat, stone, vermiculite, etc has good drainage ability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't worry about the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-25T11:23:35.853" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T11:23:35.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1456" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1454" CreationDate="2011-07-25T11:46:26.947" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The amount of light lost through a piece of glass depends on several factors:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://faculty.caes.uga.edu/pthomas/hort4050.web/Hort4050/op/op4/angle.html&quot;&gt;Angle of incidence&lt;/a&gt; of the glass to the sunlight. This controls whether the light is reflected or passed through.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Which component of sunlight you're interested in. UVA can penetrate glass, but UVB does not significantly penetrate most glass (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/cancer/sunsense/UV_Radiation.htm&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;). The component of sunlight that plants generally use for photosynthesis can generally pass through glass at a maximum of about 90%.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If the glass is dirty, it will not pass as much light.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If the glass is tinted or coated, it will not pass as much light.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thickness and general composition and type of glass.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're facing west, so you're only receiving half a day's light already. Assuming the windows are vertical, your minimum loss to reflection will be right at sunset when the light strikes the window at closest to 90°. Prior to sunset, every moment closer to noon you lose more to reflection because the light is striking at a greater angle. If you're in a city office building with reflective-coated windows that only get washed a few times a year, then they're almost always going to be dirty and losing light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you &lt;em&gt;are&lt;/em&gt; in an office building (i.e. can't control the windows), and the windows are causing a lot of light loss, you don't have much choice but to relocate the plant to an environment where it can get more light (or get a different plant that is more tolerant to low-light environments). If you are located adjacent to a window, you can try placing the plant in the direct sunlight through the window to see if it gets better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are in a setting where you can control the window (e.g. home office):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure it stays clean.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have window screens and you generally leave the window closed, consider removing the screens -- these reduce light transmission.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As noted above, move the plant closer to the window, possibly placing it in direct sunlight.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Consider moving the plant where it can be in a south-facing window so that it gets sunlight for a longer period during the day.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-25T14:19:49.550" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T14:19:49.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1457" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1453" CreationDate="2011-07-25T12:28:10.250" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with gunbuster: as all four plants seem to be flourishing, I don't think there is anything to worry about. However, if you used the same potting mix for all of them and, in the one pot you describe, the water is running straight through the soil, without thoroughly rehydrating it, the plant may be pot-bound (i.e.its roots are filling the container and it needs to be moved into a larger one to remain healthy); if the soil has shrunk away slightly from the sides of the pot, leaving a narrow gap, this is definitely the case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your potting mix is peat-based (and you have good drainage), I would pour &lt;em&gt;several&lt;/em&gt; jugs of water over the soil each time, to ensure that it is thoroughly wet, as peat dries out very quickly and is hard to wet again.The soil, between waterings, should be slightly damp to the touch, but never wet&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T12:28:10.250" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1458" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1450" CreationDate="2011-07-25T12:58:48.120" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would definitely avoid introducing these inks into the food chain; I think my answer to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1060/cereal-boxes-for-mulch/1066#1066&quot;&gt;Cereal boxes for mulch?&lt;/a&gt; is relevant here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Cereal boxes have been in the news recently, in Europe. According to the latest research, they may leak harmful mineral oils into the foods they contain - oils which originate mainly from the ink in the recycled newspapers that are used to make them and, to a lesser extent, from the printing ink on the box, and may be carcinogenic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;As yet, there is no hard evidence that these mineral oil hydrocarbons that migrate into our foodstuffs are a health hazard ; and even if they are, those that are present in the cardboard might well be converted into harmless substances on contact with the soil, over time. However, given the potential risk, I would definitely avoid introducing them into the food chain by using cereal boxes either as a mulch or a composting material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;There is a very full article about the issue by the UK National Health Service &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nhs.uk/news/2011/03March/Pages/mineral-oil-recycled-cereal-boxes.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T12:58:48.120" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="606" CreationDate="2011-07-25T13:44:37.807" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;yes, that is poison ivy, although it is difficult to see the distinctive compound leaf from your photo, you can tell by the distinctive twigs, especially the pronounced bud-scars (where the leaves attach)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gEcE7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and berries:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vw8Sm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The picture in tho OP may have been confusing to some because there is also another plant with a compound leaf on the right, perhaps (winged, smooth, or staghorn but not poison) sumac:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A1Zkd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="450" LastEditorUserId="450" LastEditDate="2011-07-26T02:35:53.190" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T02:35:53.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1460" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1085" CreationDate="2011-07-25T13:50:04.953" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Eureka! I have finally tracked down two varieties that satisfy 98% of the above criteria:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marjorie's Seedling&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Denniston's Superb&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Details &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orangepippin.com/plums/m&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T13:50:04.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1461" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-25T15:59:58.267" Score="12" ViewCount="218" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been purchasing most of my lawn equipment from a home improvement store and most of the equipment (rakes, shovels, etc) I have bought from them over the last 2 years has broken during what I believe to be &quot;normal use&quot;.  They have been pretty good about allowing me to return/exchange my stuff.  However, it's sort of frustrating to start out my day with a broken tool and have to make un unexpected trip to replace it (find the receipt, etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What things should I look for when I purchase tools (such as rakes, shovels, etc) if I want them to last a long time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="490" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-06T00:35:21.330" LastActivityDate="2011-09-06T01:15:59.080" Title="What qualities should I look for in gardening tools so that they're long lasting?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1462" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-25T16:07:35.330" Score="10" ViewCount="13736" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know all the recommendations are to NOT bag the lawn (assuming a mulching mower), however, given a crabgrass-infested lawn (approx 50% surface coverage is crab grass), is it better to bag the clippings and dispose of them rather than let them cover the ground? Our community has a weekly grass pickup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Iq0r5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="490" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2020-03-25T01:56:07.040" Title="Should I bag lawn clippings from a crabgrass-infested lawn?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;crabgrass&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1463" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1462" CreationDate="2011-07-25T16:21:39.367" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I've read it propagates by seed rather than suckers/creeping, so you probably want to bag it if there are seed heads present. If there aren't, you are probably going to be okay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T16:21:39.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1462" CreationDate="2011-07-25T17:52:45.970" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adding on to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1462/bagging-crab-grass-infested-lawn/1463#1463&quot;&gt;&quot;winwaed's&quot; answer&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Crabgrass is an annual weed (dies at first frost) and lives year-by-year by self seeding itself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Therefore if you cut your lawn &quot;regularly&quot; enough so that the crabgrass doesn't grow large enough to form seeds-heads, you can:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leave the grass clippings on your lawn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The problem with the above is, crabgrass thrives in the heat, and you really don't want to be out there cutting your lawn (for the overall health of your lawn) when temperatures are above 90&amp;#176;F (32&amp;#176;C).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Video: &lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/podcasts/gc/201107_849.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Will the REAL Crabgrass Please Stand Up?&lt;/a&gt; from University of Illinois Extension&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You way also wish to take a look at this, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1390/394&quot;&gt;What's an organic way to discourage crabgrass from a large “lawn”?&lt;/a&gt;&quot; question here on SE.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T19:25:37.920" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1390" CreationDate="2011-07-25T20:09:57.073" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mike McGrath on &quot;You bet your garden&quot; always recommends corn gluten for organic crabgrass control. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.whyy.org/91FM/ybyg/lawncare.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plan NOW for a Weed-Free Lawn: Naturally!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="506" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-01T03:40:47.480" LastActivityDate="2011-08-01T03:40:47.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1466" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="107" CreationDate="2011-07-25T21:48:44.170" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/88/jyelton&quot;&gt;your profile&lt;/a&gt;, your location is &lt;strong&gt;Utah,&lt;/strong&gt; that means you could have either a cool-season lawn or warm-season lawn, therefore unless you tell me which one you have, I'm going to base my answer on a cool-season lawn (mainly because I know more about this type of lawn).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6705&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cool-Season Grasses: Lawn Maintenance Calendar&lt;/a&gt; from University of Missouri Extension:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6705#April&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;April&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aerate if thatch is heavy or soil is compacted.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6705#September&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;September&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aerate where needed.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6705#Aeration&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aeration&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On clay- or silt-type soils, or any turf receiving constant traffic, soil sealing and compacting can seriously impair turf growth. Grass roots are injured because air, water and fertilizers cannot reach them in sufficient quantities. Mechanical aeration to break through this barrier is essential for continued turf health. Fertilizer applications following aerification most efficiently provide nutrients to the turf roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aeration is best done by power equipment that pulls out small cores of soil, or by cutting vertical grooves to provide openings every 3 to 4 inches. Power equipment is usually available at rental stores. Lawn-care companies may also provide this service to their customers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For small areas, suitable hand-equipment is available, but using it is hard work. Even an ordinary spading fork plunged into the soil at 3-inch intervals when the soil is lightly moist — not wet — is far better than nothing at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aeration should be done at least once a year where compaction is a problem. Early fall is the best time for bluegrass lawns, but aeration will be highly beneficial anytime the grass is actively growing, except possibly during midsummer heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also find the information found in the below links well worth you time:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/extensioninfonet/article.asp?id=1060&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aerating Your Lawn&lt;/a&gt; from University of Missouri Extension.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6700&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cool-Season Grasses: Lawn Establishment and Renovation&lt;/a&gt; from University of Missouri Extension.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6749&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Natural Lawn Care&lt;/a&gt; from University of Missouri Extension.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1351/394&quot;&gt;Lawn Dethatching tools&lt;/a&gt; here on SE.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1390/394&quot;&gt;What's an organic way to discourage crabgrass from a large “lawn”?&lt;/a&gt; here on SE.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T21:48:44.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1467" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-25T21:58:41.037" Score="11" ViewCount="8713" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any idea what this is? It looks too substantial to be a weed&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KpcYS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Large veiny leafed plant with purple stalks&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OmTsj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up of large veiny leafed plant with purple stalks&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ML0Wp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up of underside of large veiny leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-09T01:19:26.400" LastActivityDate="2017-11-25T19:20:23.663" Title="What is this large furry leafed plant with purple stalks, found in the UK?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1468" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16" CreationDate="2011-07-25T22:05:18.570" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Following on from Paul's diagnosis, I would add that a potash deficiency often predisposes roses to Blackspot, so I would give them a feed with a high potash content, and spray them with Dithane - see &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000YHI7T0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; - every fortnight. They need to be treated promptly, as several successive outbreaks could cause stem die-back and kill them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-07-25T22:05:18.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1469" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1433" CreationDate="2011-07-25T23:17:22.473" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not a precise answer to your question, but &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1615190120&quot;&gt;Lolo Houbein in 'One Magic Square'&lt;/a&gt; claims that 1 sq metre (9 sq ft) can provide 1 salad meal per day for two adults (or smaller side salad for three) all year round, through the application of companion planting techniques.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you extrapolate this idea (and eating only salad three times a day) 3-4 sq metres would be enough to completely supply the diet of two adults. Of course, stuff like pumpkin and watermelon cover huge areas so if you had only this small a space certain things would be excluded from your diet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, even though it's not a precise answer I hope it could be helpful for others reading the question, who are trying to grow all their salad/vegetable needs in one backyard, not necessarily grow enough to cover their entire diet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-26T01:55:43.263" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T01:55:43.263" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1470" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="43" CreationDate="2011-07-26T02:26:31.807" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;We only have one rose and it was already planted when we moved in, so practical experience is limited and initial shape left something to be desired. However, I followed the advice in &lt;strong&gt;Neil Sperry's Complete Guide to Texas Gardening&lt;/strong&gt; and this seems to work. It is a bit of a traditional gardening book, and a bit proscriptional (&quot;there is only one way and it is this&quot;), but his pruning advice for peaches also seems successful (so far!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, he notes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they only bloom on new growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;late winter is best, especially for the bush types. This maximizes new growth in time for spring&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prune climbers after their first spring blooms. The exception are the always blooming types  which should be pruned lightly in winter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bush roses should be pruned back 50% and no more&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove all weak non-productive canes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prune strong canes by 50%, cut just above the buds that face away from the centers of the plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;seal cut ends with shellac or white glue (NOT black pruning sealant)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking at all that advice I might have half followed it. We've had more die back - perhaps I pruned too much (more than 50% some years): it sounds like you may have made the same mistake. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also we've had more flowers when I haven't pruned - pruning every other year seems to be working well for us. I think this is because there's more new growth when I haven't pruned, because pruning will always remove new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never sealed the ends (and can you even get shellac any more?) - disease might also account for die-back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following articles may also prove helpful &amp;amp; worth your while having a reading through:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6601&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Roses: Care After Planting&lt;/a&gt; from University of Missouri Extension Office&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6601#Pruning&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pruning&lt;/a&gt; from University of Missouri Extension Office&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Video: &lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/podcasts/gc/201105_812.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Well-managed Shrub Roses&lt;/a&gt; from University of Illinois Extension&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Video: &lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/podcasts/gc/200909_515.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;How to Prune Roses&lt;/a&gt; from University of Illinois Extension&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-07T02:16:11.150" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T02:16:11.150" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1471" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1479" CreationDate="2011-07-26T11:29:23.447" Score="16" ViewCount="4118" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a fig tree which has been pruned with a chainsaw down low and with normal secateurs up high. Down the bottom on the left you can see the nodule where a limb about 13cm (5 inches) in diameter has been severed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The idea here is to encourage this fig into a canopy which can provide shade in summer and not be all prickly with when you venture under the tree. The shape of the tree is more important to us than abundance of fruit&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What should I do to the sites of the severed limbs to discourage any resprouting from them. Are there any tricks to this or should I just leave it alone?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The other thing is, given the explicit aim here, should I cut off the far left and far right limbs that are still on it to emphasise upward growth rather than bushiness?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RwpAH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ficus carica&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NB: Acknowledging preexisting question about pruning a fig that doesn't cover my question here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/509/what-is-the-proper-way-to-prune-a-fig-tree&quot;&gt;What is the proper way to prune a Fig Tree?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: I don't know if this is the right way to describe it, but do I need to &quot;cauterise&quot; the large cut sites by painting something on them to protect against infections and &quot;seal the wound&quot;. (I really don't know what I'm talking about, feel free to edit this!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-07-29T05:35:55.420" Title="Encouraging fig or similar into canopy: what to do with site of severed limbs?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1472" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-07-26T12:08:55.240" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tree shaping is the practice of training living trees and other woody plants into artistic shapes and useful structures. The art is also known as tree training, arborsculpture, Pooktre and several other names. It is a form of living sculpture, sharing a common heritage with other artistic horticultural and agricultural practices, such as bonsai, espalier, and topiary, and employing some similar techniques. See: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_shaping&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;'Tree shaping' on Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-07-26T12:13:14.003" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T12:13:14.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1473" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-07-26T12:08:55.240" Score="0" Body="shaping or training of living trees and other woody plants" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-07-26T12:13:16.047" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T12:13:16.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1474" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-07-26T12:13:39.527" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Drought tolerance refers to the degree to which a plant is adapted to arid or drought conditions. &lt;em&gt;Desiccation tolerance&lt;/em&gt; is an extreme degree of drought tolerance. Plants naturally adapted to dry conditions are called xerophytes. See: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drought_tolerance&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;'Drought tolerance' on Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-07-26T12:14:25.140" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T12:14:25.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1475" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-07-26T12:13:39.527" Score="0" Body="adaptation of a plant to arid climate/conditions" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-07-26T12:14:29.290" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T12:14:29.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1476" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1471" CreationDate="2011-07-26T12:36:45.123" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ficas carica&lt;/em&gt; (Common Fig) grows to a height of 7-10m, so unless you are trying for a bonsai approach (and &lt;em&gt;Ficus&lt;/em&gt; does not strike me as an appropriate tree for bonsai!), then you are probably best letting it grow its own canopy when it wants to do it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a &quot;dwarf&quot; tree, then some fruit trees (e.g. apples) can be grafted onto &quot;dwarf&quot; stock. The root stock limits the size of the tree, and the grafted plant defines the main tree - type of fruit, etc. Of course that would require the removal of your existing tree - which I doubt is an acceptable solution, but it is something worth investigating if you wish to plant future trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T12:36:45.123" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1477" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1478" CreationDate="2011-07-26T15:08:37.457" Score="9" ViewCount="700" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some plants that have many flowers but not very many vegetables being produced; sometimes it seems as if I'm growing the plants for the pretty flowers and not for the vegetables that may eventually appear. The flowers look healthy, though sometimes it appears that they open up in the morning, look beautiful until about 2:00, then slowly die by the end of the evening. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect lack of pollination is an issue. What types of things can I do to encourage pollination to occur? Is it possible that there are simply not enough bees/other pollinators in the area?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: In this particular case I'm referring to cucumber and zucchini plants, but I'd like to see if I can get information that will be helpful when I plant other types of flowering plants, like chilies, strawberries, or tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="79" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2012-07-03T06:35:37.930" LastActivityDate="2012-07-03T06:35:37.930" Title="What steps can I use to encourage pollination?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1478" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1477" CreationDate="2011-07-26T15:45:08.447" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This does sound like a pollination problem. There is a detailed article explaining how to hand-pollinate zucchini and cucumber plants &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.veggiegardener.com/how-to-hand-pollinate-your-cucumbers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Briefly, to hand-pollinate your flowers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Identify the female flowers (unlike the male ones, they have a small fruit behind them);&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gently remove a male flower from the vine, without touching the anthers (see diagram), and snip off some of the petals;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pieDP.gif&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brush the anthers over the middle of the female flower.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although the bee population is in decline worldwide, there should still be enough of them to pollinate your crops. If you have the space, I think the best way forward is to plant flowers and shrubs that attract bees. Bee and butterfly favorites include, among many others, foxglove, poppy, lavender, viper's buglosss, comfrey, goldenrod, black-eyed susan, sweet william, larkspur, greater knapweed, evening primrose, fennel, salvia, sage and thyme. There are a number of very good suggestions &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensablaze.com/BackyardHabitat/BackyardBees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/organic_bees1.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-27T01:57:11.760" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T01:57:11.760" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1479" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1471" CreationDate="2011-07-26T16:13:00.180" Score="5" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Q1. What should I do to the sites of the severed limbs to discourage any resprouting from them. Are there any tricks to this or should I just leave it alone?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leave alone &amp;amp; just shape the tree with &quot;proper&quot; pruning practices eg:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Never prune off more than &amp;#8531; in a pruning season (per year).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep the tree balanced ie Don't prune one side &quot;heavily&quot; &amp;amp; the other &quot;lightly&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Only prune at the correct time of year (for your tree).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Exception to above point:&lt;/strong&gt; Remove damaged limbs immediately.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove limbs that cross (rub against each other) ie Remove one of the limbs, so that two limbs aren't rubbing against each other.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nowadays it is not considered necessary to treat the cuts with any kind of sealant. This is especially true if the cuts are made correctly, the tree should be able to heal itself naturally.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Q2. The other thing is, given the explicit aim here, should I cut off the far left and far right limbs that are still on it to emphasise upward growth rather than bushiness?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That really is your call to make, after all, you have a picture in your mind as to what you want to finally achieve/see...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, I wouldn't take them off this pruning season if you have already removed &amp;#8531; of the tree mass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, you may find the following video from the University of Illinois Extension of some interest:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/podcasts/gc/201009_712.html&quot;&gt;Pruning Low Limbs on a Tree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-26T20:11:28.320" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T20:11:28.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1480" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-07-26T18:25:38.660" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The tag should be used for questions about organic gardening or when organic solutions are requested for a specific problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The word &quot;organic&quot; has multiple overlapping meanings and this has led to much confusion. This is not helped by the adoption of the word in 'new age' marketing slogans for quack remedies and the like. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are three legitimate meanings for the word &quot;organic&quot;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Organic Horticulture and Agriculture&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;This is the primary meaning for this tag on this site. Organic horticultural methods attempt to use natural only methods and treatments. Natural fertilizers (e.g. compost and manure) are used instead of artificial fertilizers; and pests are controlled using selective plants, &quot;benign&quot; chemicals (e.g. soap sprays), and encouraging natural predators.&#xA;These methods aim to reduce the impact on the larger ecosystem and reduce the potential for toxic chemicals in the food chain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many of the divisions as to what is or is not organic are extremely gray, and most gardeners will have to make their own decisions as to what is or is not acceptable. For example, &quot;pyretheum&quot; is an insecticide made from chrysanthemums but is often avoided by organic gardeners - however it is arguably more &quot;natural&quot; than the soap sprays which are usually preferred. The deliberate introduction of predators poses similar dilemmas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Organic Matter&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;This refers to organisms, dead or live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Organic Chemicals / Chemistry&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Organic chemistry refers to all chemistry relating to the carbon atom. This is a very complex and rich subject area. All life is based on organic chemistry - as are virtually all pharmaceuticals and artificial pesticides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-27T13:18:42.630" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T13:18:42.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1481" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-07-26T18:25:38.660" Score="0" Body="For questions about organic gardening or when an organic solution is required." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-07-26T18:25:38.660" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T18:25:38.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1482" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1511" CreationDate="2011-07-26T18:42:03.937" Score="30" ViewCount="2723" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just finished writing the tag wiki for &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/organic&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'organic'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;organic&lt;/a&gt; and was thinking about wider issues of sustainability. Perhaps the best area where I could improve things personally, would be to use an alternative medium for seed trays. At the moment I use peat-based potting soils -the kinds that are sold for germinating seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I currently use a mixture for larger plant types, and I could easily avoid the peat based composts and use more of the coarser wood-based composts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But what could I use for starting new seeds with? It would have to be nutritionally rich, and also fine grained. Seeds are primarily peppers, but I do start other things from seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I've heard of people using coir (derived from coconut husk hair), but I think I heard it was too fissile? Does anyone have any experience or have any other alternatives I could try in spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't recall seeing anything in the big box garden suppliers here in Texas - so I would probably have to go to a nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="1916" LastEditDate="2013-06-07T13:15:26.210" LastActivityDate="2021-04-18T12:18:29.683" Title="What are some sustainable alternatives to peat for potting compost?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;peat&gt;&lt;sustainability&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1483" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1482" CreationDate="2011-07-26T20:41:16.970" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;In &lt;em&gt;The New Organic Grower&lt;/em&gt;, Eliot Coleman addresses the issue of peat on p118:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I do not share the anti-peat moss sentiment I occasionally hear expressed. The [...] movement began in Europe  where [...] they are at the point where finding substitutes for peat makes sense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;[...]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Of the peat lands in North America, only 0.02 percent are being used for peat harvesting. On this continent peat is forming some five to ten times faster than the rate at which we are using it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the same page, he talks about potential for using kenaf fiber as a planting medium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I refer to this only because I don't think it's urgent to find a peat replacement. I do think it's a great idea to experiment with ways to move away from peat; locally sourced materials are a better long term sustainable solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For my growing, I use peat only as part of a mix for making soil blocks -- following either the recipe in &lt;em&gt;New Organic Grower&lt;/em&gt; or something similar from web (they're all about the same).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My (peat-free) recipe for potting soil is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;5 gal sifted garden soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;5 gal sifted mature horse manure compost (we use a wood-based bedding product, and the compost has some of the desirable properties of peat)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;5 gal coarse sand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;sprinkling&quot; of equal parts lime, greensand, and rock phosphate -- strength depending on what I'm potting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on what I'm planting and how much I have, sometimes I substitute sifted garden compost for all or part of the horse manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I arrived at this recipe because the major components are free, it uses what I have on hand (it's basically impossible to run out of anything but fertilizer), and it has been very successful for getting seedlings off to a strong start.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on what you have available &lt;em&gt;locally&lt;/em&gt; (this is the essence of sustainability), experiment starting with my recipe or something similar and develop your own potting recipe. Nothing that comes from a Big Box is really all that sustainable. Y'all got horses in Texas? :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T20:41:16.970" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1484" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-26T21:21:13.127" Score="12" ViewCount="10278" Body="&lt;p&gt;This may be totally off the wall, but the sunflowers growing around my garden are bigger the nearer they are to the street light.  I've seen documentaries with marijuana labs in California where they grow their plants all day and all night under the lights.  But do street lights have any similar effect?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-07-27T10:02:36.170" LastActivityDate="2016-10-03T15:32:32.067" Title="What is the effect of streetlights on plants?" Tags="&lt;light&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1485" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1484" CreationDate="2011-07-26T21:55:27.897" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I'm aware, most plants need a &quot;dark&quot; period for their overall health &amp;amp; well being.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Examples:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/dunklin/hort/news/050522.shtml&quot;&gt;Why tomatoes don't set fruit:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It has also been found that tomatoes under continuous light do not set fruit well. The key here is to avoid garden sites that are under lights that remain on all night, such as security lights or street lights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ppp.missouri.edu/newsletters/meg/archives/v12n10/meg1.htm&quot;&gt;Re-blooming Holiday Cacti&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Interior lights in the home, street lights or even car lights can disrupt the required dark period and cause disappointing flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/dunklin/hort/news/2009_0927.html&quot;&gt;‘MUMS’ the Word&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If you plant mums underneath street lights you may find that they do not bloom as expected as the light will interfere with the required ‘dark’ period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/dunklin/hort/news/2009_1220.html&quot;&gt;Holiday Plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;New buds will set as the nights lengthen during fall.  This is due to the photoperiodic nature of poinsettia and allows them to bloom naturally around November or December.  However, any stray light, such as outside street lights or household lamps, will delay or halt the re-flowering process.  The plants must be kept in complete darkness for 14 continuous hours each night starting October 1 or 2 months before you would like the plant to flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://urbanext.illinois.edu/news/news.cfm?NewsID=4493&quot;&gt;Autumn Changes in Deciduous Trees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The effect of day length can be observed in tree leaves that grow close to street lights. These leaves stay green longer and are shed later than other leaves on the same tree, providing the tree species is sensitive to day length&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-26T23:28:10.940" LastActivityDate="2011-07-26T23:28:10.940" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1486" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2011-07-27T00:10:12.153" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Secateurs / Pruners&lt;/strong&gt;  (different names in different countries)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For: Pruning almost anything&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9pJKx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Secateurs&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have bought tools one by one in the past 6 months for our new backyard and this was one of the first that was necessary (after trowel, hose, spade and fork).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of cheap secateurs on the market these days - especially from the big box stores. It is worth investing in a quality pair with a good sharp blade, good sturdy pivot (fulcrum), a safety catch that is easy to apply, and that feels comfortable in your hands. A quality pair will last you many, many years. A cheap pair might last a year and be dangerous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-08-22T22:13:09.050" LastActivityDate="2011-08-22T22:13:09.050" CommentCount="1" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-07-27T00:10:12.153" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1487" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1490" CreationDate="2011-07-27T12:33:50.687" Score="12" ViewCount="684" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew two types of broccoli this year. One was &lt;strong&gt;monaco&lt;/strong&gt; I think, and the other one I'm not sure about (maybe &lt;strong&gt;calabrese&lt;/strong&gt;?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We started harvesting the monaco more than a month ago and per &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/745/what-happens-to-a-broccoli-plant-after-it-has-been-decapitated&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; we have been getting a good crop of secondary heads ever since.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the other one has given us nothing at all in terms of secondary heads (nothing wrong with its maincrop). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In neither case did they get anywhere close to flowering. Is the difference down to variety? Or is it something to do with how and when we harvested?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T14:29:14.567" Title="Which types of broccoli are cut-and-come-again?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1488" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-27T12:46:37.213" Score="13" ViewCount="2173" Body="&lt;p&gt;French beans (or &quot;green beans&quot;) are widely sold in both &lt;em&gt;dwarf&lt;/em&gt; (&lt;em&gt;bush&lt;/em&gt;) and &lt;em&gt;climbing&lt;/em&gt; (&lt;em&gt;pole&lt;/em&gt;) varieties. If anything, my experience is that the climbing varieties are harder to find in seed outlets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apart from the obvious the difference - dwarf plants take up less space and you don't need to support them - are there are any other differences?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, flavour, heavy cropping, choice of varieties, length of cropping, environmental tolerances?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming the dwarf varieties have been manufactured more recently (but I have no idea whether that's true). So is it possible that the gain in convenience has been at the expense of something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-07-27T21:43:15.893" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T17:26:43.777" Title="French beans (Green beans): Dwarf v. Climbing" Tags="&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;green-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1489" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1488" CreationDate="2011-07-27T14:01:13.670" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;[Translating, I think &lt;em&gt;french beans&lt;/em&gt; are what we in the U.S. call &lt;em&gt;green beans&lt;/em&gt;; &lt;em&gt;dwarf&lt;/em&gt; is what we call &lt;em&gt;bush&lt;/em&gt;; and &lt;em&gt;climbing&lt;/em&gt; is what we call &lt;em&gt;pole&lt;/em&gt;.]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You're right that bush beans are a recent development: they make it so that mechanical harvesting is easier.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In my opinion, pole beans taste better.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pole beans crop more heavily, or at least over a longer season. Bush beans typically only crop for a couple of weeks.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Being the older kind, I would suspect that there are many more varieties of pole beans, but I can't back this hunch up with any evidence.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As always, when we breed for a particular trait (size), we tend to lose other traits (flavor).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T14:01:13.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1490" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1487" CreationDate="2011-07-27T14:29:14.567" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience, it is definitely down to variety rather than harvesting; given exactly the same growing and harvesting conditions, some varieties produce a really good crop of secondary heads, others very few or none at all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have  found &lt;em&gt;Corvet&lt;/em&gt; to be a very dependable 'cut-and-come-again' variety - I've been growing it for three years now, and it hasn't disappointed me. Another good one in this respect is &lt;em&gt;Chevalier&lt;/em&gt;; I haven't tried it myself, but having seen it on my allotment neighbour's plot, I would say it is every bit as good as &lt;em&gt;Corvet&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two other good 'cut-and-come-again' varieties, I'm told, are &lt;em&gt;Green Magic&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Crown Sceptre&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T14:29:14.567" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1491" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-27T15:51:39.567" Score="11" ViewCount="2282" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been reading that spent coffee grounds can be used for fertilizer and/or composting and also came across &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/801/how-do-i-apply-spent-coffee-grounds-as-a-fertilizer&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; on this site.  I have a compost pile in the yard that holds roughly two 33 gallon trashbags full of uncomposted leaves (i.e. freshly raked leaves from the yard).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I take my spent/wet coffee grounds out &lt;strong&gt;each morning&lt;/strong&gt; and add it into the compost pile (I drink about 2-3 cups/day)?  How much coffee grounds should I add so that there is a balance between other stuff in the compost pile? If adding it daily is too much, should I limit my composting of the spent coffee grounds to less frequent intervals (once a week, once every two weeks, etc)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="490" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T20:16:03.840" Title="How much coffee grounds should I add to my compost (and how frequently)?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;coffee-grounds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1492" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-27T16:33:51.777" Score="11" ViewCount="832" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this stuff growing throughout my yard.  I live in Southern NJ, USA.  It seems to only appear Mid/Late July - August.  It grows in patches and if I don't pull, can spread pretty rapidly across the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can be sort of &quot;sticky&quot; when I manually pull it from the yard. How do I control/remove it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ARz6r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="490" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-27T16:45:13.747" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T19:15:48.717" Title="What is this weed in my lawn and how do I control it?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1493" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-27T16:42:55.327" Score="8" ViewCount="627" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have what appears to be, two types of crabgrass growing.  One with thicker, longer, higher blades. Another with skinnier, shorter blades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen the &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/podcasts/gc/201107_849.html&quot;&gt;real crabgrass video&lt;/a&gt;&quot;, but still not able to determine if this is truly crabgrass or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hc7se.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="490" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-27T16:47:45.603" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T17:13:42.470" Title="Are both of these patches crabgrass?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;crabgrass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1494" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1492" CreationDate="2011-07-27T16:55:49.170" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've battled this same weed for years.  It can be pretty aggressive, especially if you're watering often and it's getting a lot of sun.  I've had some success with a selective herbicide in the mid to late summer and using pre-emergents in the spring to minimize it's effect, but I've never been able to eliminate it completely.  The good news is that it's a relatively easy weed to pull.  I hope this helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-07-27T18:18:37.690" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T18:18:37.690" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1495" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1492" CreationDate="2011-07-27T17:00:18.153" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a variety of Spurge, mostly likely Spotted Spurge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use to have some of it in my cool-season lawn. Two cutting seasons of hand pulling it, has eliminated it from my lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is best to pull it out (roots and all) while it's still small, otherwise it will form a decent size mat &amp;amp; smother (kill) the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some additional information from University of Missouri Extension:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ppp.missouri.edu/newsletters/meg/archives/v5n3/meg6.htm&quot;&gt;Summer Broadleaf Weeds Can Be Controlled in May&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/IPM1007-127#Spurge&quot;&gt;Spurge, spotted (Chamaesyce maculata)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Direct link to PDF: &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/explorepdf/agguides/pests/ipm1009.pdf&quot;&gt;Turfgrass &amp;amp; Weeds - University of Missouri Extension&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-27T19:15:48.717" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T19:15:48.717" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1496" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1493" CreationDate="2011-07-27T17:13:42.470" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The below PDF (direct link) should greatly help you identify what weed(s) you're seeing in your lawn:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/explorepdf/agguides/pests/ipm1009.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Turfgrass &amp;amp; Weeds - University of Missouri Extension&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T17:13:42.470" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1497" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1467" CreationDate="2011-07-27T19:13:37.983" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;From &amp;quot;gardening experts&amp;quot; on twitter I've currently got a two-way tie on what your plant could be:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Member of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamiaceae&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lamiaceae&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; family, most likely &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_sclarea&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Clary sage &lt;em&gt;(Salvia sclarea)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=C530&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Foxglove &lt;em&gt;(Digitalis purpurea).&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Warning,&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=C530#lbl_culture&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Foxglove - Noteworthy Characteristics:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant leaves are a source of the drug digitalis and are highly poisonous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If it's Clary sage, the leaves should smell aromatic when crushed &amp;amp; the face of them should feel hairy (furry) to the touch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If it's Foxglove the leaves will feel soft to the touch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &amp;quot;gardening experts&amp;quot; on twitter all agree with, if you let it flower it will make identification 100%.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T19:13:37.983" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1498" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-27T19:45:58.163" Score="11" ViewCount="241" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a website that has planting calendars for various regions?  Is this sort of information more typically acquired through books, or just by word of mouth?  I'd like to have a list of crops, sorted by safe first sowing date, also by transplanting date, and perhaps also by last sowing date.  Obviously this is quite dependent on local climates, and even micro-climates, but perhaps there is a resource out there that could serve as a rough guide.  I'm located in Maritime Canada, but am hoping that this can be a good general question for people in a variety of regions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="92" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T04:08:18.917" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T04:08:18.917" Title="What are some resources for region-dependent planting schedule/calender?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;sowing&gt;&lt;resources&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1499" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1503" CreationDate="2010-07-22T12:17:38.187" Score="58" ViewCount="1697" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lawn that is growing more and more weeds as the days go by. What is the best method of tackling this problem and returning my lawn to its former lush and green self?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="368" OwnerDisplayName="kzh" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-27T20:44:42.420" LastActivityDate="2018-03-24T11:19:51.857" Title="Tips on lawn maintenance and weed control" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="17" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1500" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1499" CreationDate="2010-07-22T17:22:16.930" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many weeds like acidic soil, so it's likely a sign that your yard is probably getting acidic (probably from the rain). Run a pH test on the dirt to confirm. If it is try adding lime (often a lot of it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="554" OwnerDisplayName="acrosman" LastActivityDate="2010-07-22T17:22:16.930" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 2.5" />
  <row Id="1503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1499" CreationDate="2011-05-12T18:03:38.067" Score="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since a lot of lawn care questions are popping up, here is my attempt to condense all of the basic lawn care advice I have come across.  (I'm trying to update this as I think of things or learn more.)  This is a general guideline only.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Weeds can grow almost any type of soil, but grass is much more picky.  Start by making your soil favorable for grass.  Do this stuff at the start of the season (early Spring), or at the end of the season (Fall):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.allaboutlawns.com/lawn-maintenance-care/aerating-and-thatch/how-do-i-dethatch.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dethatch&lt;/a&gt; when necessary.  You might be able to use a dethatching rake, but for a decent-sized lawn you will probably need to rent a dethatching machine, or hire a lawn guy to do it.  Get rid of the thatch you pull up (don't just leave it in the yard).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.allaboutlawns.com/lawn-maintenance-care/aerating-and-thatch/what-is-aerating.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aerate&lt;/a&gt; your soil if it is compacted.  If water won't sink into your soil, or you can't easily push a spade into the ground, it is probably too compacted.  There are multiple types of aerators, but the best one is usually to use a powered core/plug aerator (rent one or hire someone).  Aerating will also help to break up your thatch layer, resolving minor thatch problems.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Test your &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_pH&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;soil's pH&lt;/a&gt; and adjust it to the proper range.  Be sure to test multiple spots in your yard (pH can be high in one spot, but low in another spot).  You can buy soil test kits for under $20 at the home improvement stores.  You can also send your soil to a lab (check your local university), which can do more extensive testing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add topsoil or compost to make sure you have lots of healthy microbes.  You may need to get a truckload or two of topsoil delivered and use a rake/hoe to spread it around the yard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The items listed above (usually) don't need to be done every single year.  Some lawns can go several years without being dethatched, and still be quite healthy.  You may want to rotate through this list each year (dethatch one year, aerate the next, etc).  Depends on your specific lawn though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Keep the grass healthy so weeds don't have an opportunity to take over:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lawn-care-academy.com/overseeding-lawns.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Overseed&lt;/a&gt; your lawn to fill in the thin/bare spots.  Do this in the late spring and/or early fall (mid-summer is too hot for seedlings).  Use the right kind of grass for your climate.  If there is no rain in the weather forecast, you may have to water regularly so the seedlings do not dry out.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilize the lawn 1-3 times during the season, and don't overdo it (read the instructions on the bag).  You may want to consider a &quot;Weed and Feed&quot; product, which is fertilizer mixed with weed treatment (see below).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mow your lawn often enough that you only need to &lt;a href=&quot;http://homerepair.about.com/od/yardandgarden/ss/sbs_org_mowing_5.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;remove 1/3 of the grass height&lt;/a&gt; with each mowing.  Chopping off too much of the grass at once will stress it.  If your lawn is really tall, you may need to mow multiple times, spaced a few days apart, removing 1/3 of the height each time, until you get it down to the desired level.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep your mower blade sharp.  You want to cut the grass cleanly instead of shredding it.  You should sharpen the blade &lt;em&gt;at least&lt;/em&gt; once a season, more frequently if you have lots of rocks.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep the mower deck low when the lawn is growing quickly (spring and fall).  However, you generally don't want to cut the lawn shorter than 3in.  If you mow too short, patches of clover will start to take over and crowd out the grass.  Just make sure that 3in is within the rules of your HOA and/or local city/township. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep the mower deck high when the lawn is growing slowly (summer).  In the summer heat, your lawn is under a lot of stress, and mowing too low will make things worse.  Just make sure your lawn does not exceed your HOA/city/township rules.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use a mulching mower to return the nutrients back to the soil.  Mulch made from your own (healthy) grass is pretty much the perfect fertilizer.  So, if you use a mulching mower, you will need to fertilize less often.  However, if your lawn is really tall/thick, your mower may struggle to mulch.  You shouldn't have clumps of clippings left over.  If so, your lawn is too tall (raise the deck, or mow more often) or your mower blade is dull (sharpen it).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Weed Control:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apply a Weed Preventer (Weed and Feed, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.preen.com/products/preen-garden-weed-preventer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Preen&lt;/a&gt;, etc) to stop new weeds from appearing, but only if you haven't seeded recently.  Weed Preventer also stops new grass from growing.  The instructions usually have information about when the product can be applied to recently-seeded lawns.  You may need to apply 2-3 times during the season.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.spectracide.com/Products/Weed-And-Grass-Killers.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Weed Spray&lt;/a&gt; a few times a year to kill the existing weeds.  Be careful about spraying if the lawn was seeded recently (read the label).  Also make sure you use a spray that doesn't kill the grass too (don't use Roundup or GroundClear). (&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2493/what-is-this-vine-like-weed-and-how-do-i-kill-it/2498#2498&quot;&gt;See my other answer over here for some tips.&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Weed Sprays are usually a mix of a few different herbicides.  The mix of herbicide varies from brand to brand (Ortho vs Spectracide) and even among the packaging (hose attachment may have a different formulation than the spray bottle).  Some types of weeds are particularly vulnerable to one herbicide, but not others.  It helps to identify the offending weed, what kills it, and compare to the list of active ingredients on the weed sprays.  Pick the one that will work best for your weeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Try to stop weeds when they are small.  Bigger weeds are more resistant to sprays, so you may have to treat them multiple times, or even have to remove them manually.  Killing/removing big weeds will leave holes in the yard that have to be seeded with grass.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Final Tips:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Read the instructions for any product you apply to the lawn (grass seed, fertilizer, weed killer, etc).  Most products work as advertised &lt;em&gt;if you follow the instructions&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It helps to know what the active ingredients are in the product(s) you , and understand how the ingredients work.  The active ingredients should be printed on the front of the package.  If not, look up the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Material_safety_data_sheet&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;material safety data sheet (MSDS)&lt;/a&gt; for the product (should be available online).  Understanding how the active ingredients work will help you apply the product effectively.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Understand the difference between PRE-emergent and POST-emergent weed treatment (Weed Preventer vs Weed Killer).  Many Weed and Feed products are pre-emergent only, so they do nothing for weeds that have already sprouted.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Be patient.  It can be 1-2 years before your lawn improves.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If your lawn is still not improving after that time, there may be something else wrong that goes beyond basic lawn care.  You may want to call in a pro at that point.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="336" OwnerDisplayName="msemack" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-24T11:19:51.857" LastActivityDate="2018-03-24T11:19:51.857" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1504" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1499" CreationDate="2011-06-20T16:51:05.847" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;One thing that can help is to keep the grass relatively tall. Lots of people mow their grass way too short. The taller the grass, the less watering it needs and the less sun is getting to the seeds of the weeds. The other advantage is that weeds then tend to have to grow straight and tall, making it a lot easier to grab to pull out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" OwnerDisplayName="DA01" LastActivityDate="2011-06-20T16:51:05.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1505" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1491" CreationDate="2011-07-27T20:16:03.840" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;See especially the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/801/how-do-i-apply-spent-coffee-grounds-as-a-fertilizer/803#803&quot;&gt;third bullet of yoda's answer on the linked question&lt;/a&gt;. Adding coffee grounds (high nitrogen) will help balance out your mixture (i.e. leaves which are high carbon).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your situation, you might consider &quot;holding&quot; the autumn leaves in a dry area (bin, bags, etc. -- esp. if you can shred them first), and when you add grounds to the pile cover with a thin layer of leaves and sprinkle soil or mature compost. Coffee helps the leaves break down faster, and the leaves provide carbon to balance the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, if you aren't impatient, don't worry about turning the pile -- it will rot eventually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T20:16:03.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1498" CreationDate="2011-07-27T20:18:45.340" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use the below resources to help jog my memory and get me thinking what I need to do next:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/calendarmenu.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;St. Louis Monthly Gardening Calendar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/cooper/mg/calendar/index.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Garden Calendar for Zone 5&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you tried your &quot;local&quot; Botanical Gardens or University Extension Office (or similar in Canada) websites for similar resources?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T20:18:45.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1507" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-27T16:18:12.427" Score="12" ViewCount="16768" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a depression on the side of my lawn where rain and sprinkler water collects. There used to be a plastic lined pond and a lot of rock (for the last 5-8 years) that I suspect blocked the water from draining properly on that side. I'm going to replace that pond with a decomposed granite (DG) patio with a concrete curb separating it from the lawn. Once I compress the patio, I worried that it will cause the same blockage, or it will affect the patio in some way. So my plan is to install a drain under the new patio, with the inlet and dry well under the depression. The only problem is that the depression is almost as low as the side of my yard where the water needs to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think my options are: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;build the depression up a little bit so there's a slope &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dig the side of the yard down a bit and fill with rocks so it can percolate up or &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;drain to the other side of the lawn (70 ft) where it appears to be lower. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And are my assumptions about the patio blocking the drainage or being damaged by it correct?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HC1Ne.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the string represents the proposed drain pipe&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The string represents the &lt;strong&gt;proposed&lt;/strong&gt; drain pipe (there's no existing drains or they're hidden very well and clogged). When it is taut, there is no slope. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Clarification&lt;/strong&gt;: A level DG patio will take up the majority of the dirt area in the photo. That used to be a pond. The orange paint is the path of a proposed concrete curb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wider (older) shot of back yard&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gum4z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="510" OwnerDisplayName="webXL" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:51:14.507" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T02:51:14.507" Title="How can I drain lawn with very little slope?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;hard-landscape&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1509" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1498" CreationDate="2011-07-27T20:49:37.197" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do not know of any websites that provide customized regional calendars. (And it would need to be customized for just about for every town -- if not every person. Our spring temps can be quite different than people who live just 15 miles away.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if they did have a &quot;canned&quot; calendar that was appropriate for your region, different varieties of plants can have special needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I typically do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get a plain-old blank calendar.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mark my last frost date. (If you don't know this for your area, there are websites that have this data; see for example &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.almanac.com/content/frost-chart-united-states&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this page that has charts and a calculator&lt;/a&gt;. Or talk to other local gardeners and see when they plant.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;With my favorite gardening book(s) and/or seed packets in hand, for each thing I'm planting:&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Look up the number of weeks that is recommended before or after last frost to transplant. Mark that date on my calendar, e.g. &quot;transplant tomatoes&quot; or &quot;start corn&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For transplants, back up a week from that and mark, e.g. &quot;harden-off tomatoes&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For transplants, look up the number of weeks that the plants should grow inside before transplanting. (&quot;How to Grow More Vegetables&quot; by John Jeavons has a convenient set of charts with this exact information near the middle of the book.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For vegetables that should go in &quot;as soon as the ground can be worked&quot;, I pretty much know when that day will arrive, but I also look in my journal for the past couple of years to remind myself of the dates. Mark that tentative date on the calendar. E.g. I expect that around April 1st the snow will be melted and I &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be able to plant peas and an oat cover crop.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Now back up a few weeks prior to the first thing that needs to be planted, and mark &lt;em&gt;order supplies and seeds&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Now back up another week and mark &lt;em&gt;take inventory&lt;/em&gt; -- so you know what you need to order for seeds, tools, and supplies and they'll have time to arrive well before you need them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Then, zoom &lt;strong&gt;forward&lt;/strong&gt;, and use the &quot;time to maturity&quot; dates on your seed packets or from the seed catalog to mark expected harvest dates on the calendar. So if you plant corn on June 1 and it matures in 75 days, then you're going to write &quot;harvest corn&quot; on August 15 (it would be a tentative date, but a helpful reminder).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Then, if you're obsessive like me, you can flip forward to your &lt;em&gt;expected first frost&lt;/em&gt; (in the fall) date and plan when you should start your fall crops -- using a procedure similar to the one above. (Or you can use this to know when to &lt;em&gt;stop&lt;/em&gt; making succession plantings of frost-sensitive plants.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's actually a good idea to wait to mark your harvest dates in case weather causes you to miss (or move up) your planned planting date. (It often does!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you use a greenhouse, cold frames, or other season extenders, your experience will tell you how much you can move up the spring planting dates (and move back the fall planting dates).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-27T20:49:37.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1510" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1498" CreationDate="2011-07-27T21:02:13.980" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a  monthly planting schedule for Maritime Canada and New England, together with some interesting links, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/What-To-Plant-Now/Maritime-Canada-And-New-England-Gardening-Region.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. It doesn't meet all your criteria but should prove useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-07-28T01:51:26.223" LastActivityDate="2011-07-28T01:51:26.223" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1511" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1482" CreationDate="2011-07-28T00:40:23.930" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below seeding, potting (container) mix comes from, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/gwtj&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;BBC Leeds, Gardening with Tim and Joe&lt;/a&gt;, &quot;Super Bumper Mega Edition 25 Jul 11&quot; or via direct link to MP3 - &lt;a href=&quot;http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/leeds/gwtj/gwtj_20110725-1115a.mp3&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Super Bumper Mega Edition 25 Jul 11&lt;/a&gt;, start listening at 9mins:20secs into podcast:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;8 parts &quot;good&quot; quality (screened) compost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1 part Perlite&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A little more information about using Perlite as a plant growing medium:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6560#materials&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rooting materials&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Perlite is another excellent propagation material. It is lightweight and provides good aeration for rooting. Perlite makes one of the best rooting materials when mixed with an equal volume of peat moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.perlite.info/hbk/0032705.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Using Perlite in Potted Plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ol&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Perlite is one of nature's best media for growing plants. It does not appear to make any difference which grade is used except with certain plants like orchids.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;It is possible to grow most plants in perlite alone, although usually the finer grades and medium grades will work better and require less water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Seeds can be started in any grade of perlite, but with smaller seeds, finer grades of perlite would be recommended.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Perlite is good for greenhouse benches. And as an added benefit, insects and snails do not like perlite!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Perlite (especially the fine grade) is excellent for drying flowers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Perlite is ideal for outdoor containers. They can be moved around easily because perlite in the mix lightens it, besides improving drainage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With reference to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/garden-attractions-A-Z/compost-heap.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Compost Heap&lt;/a&gt; via &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kew.org/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kew Royal Botanic Gardens&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kew.org/visit-wakehurst/garden-attractions-A-Z/Compost-Corner.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Compost Corner&lt;/a&gt; via &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kew.org/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kew Royal Botanic Gardens&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today (2011-08-05) I heard back from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kew.org/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kew&lt;/a&gt;, regarding what they meant by &quot;peat substitute&quot;. Below is the article they directed me to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kew.org/news/kew-blogs/tropical-nursery/potting-with-coir.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Potting with coir&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;We use coir as the basis for our potting mix in the nursery, named &quot;Kew Mix 3&quot;. It was developed in the late nineties and consists of:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Coir (45%)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Silvafibre (commercially available well rotted leaf-mould) (45%)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Loam (equal parts sand, silt and clay)(10%)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Kieserite (Trace) and a slow release fertiliser (15.9.11)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yesterday (2011-07-31) I attend a &quot;Potting Mix&quot; class put on by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gatewaygreening.org/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gateway Greening&lt;/a&gt;, was an excellent class, well worth my time. Below are some of my notes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A good &quot;Potting Mix&quot; is made up of 3 basic parts:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water retaining material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drainage material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant food (fertilizer) material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water retaining material is traditionally Peat Moss, in the US it's mostly &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphagnum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sphagnum Moss&lt;/a&gt; imported from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.peatmoss.com/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Canada.&lt;/a&gt; One thing to be aware of is, nearly all Peat Moss has a low &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;pH&lt;/a&gt; (usually somewhere in the range of 4.0 to 5.0), therefore this needs to be taken into account when mixing your own potting mixes. Generally speaking the &quot;sweet spot&quot; for nearly all potting mixes is a pH of 6.5&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;One alternative water retaining material is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coir&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Coir&lt;/a&gt;. Can be bought in a &quot;brick&quot; format, excessive salt can be an issue depending on the process used. If the label of the &quot;brick&quot; shows excessive salt content, the coir should be washed &quot;thoroughly&quot; before use.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drainage material is traditionally coarse sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some alternative drainage materials are, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perlite&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Perlite&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermiculite&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Vermiculite&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_hulls&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rice Hulls&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant food (fertilizer) material is traditionally compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;One alternative plant food (fertilizer) material is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worm_castings#Vermicompost&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Worm Castings&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is a &quot;general&quot; potting mix that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gatewaygreening.org/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gateway Greening&lt;/a&gt; have settled on (at least for the time being, as they also continually carryout experiments with different formulas):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;5ft&amp;#179; (0.142m&amp;#179;) of Peat Moss (sieved) - Water retaining material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;5ft&amp;#179; (0.142m&amp;#179;) of Perlite - Drainage material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;5ft&amp;#179; (0.142m&amp;#179;) of Worm Castings (sieved) - Plant food (fertilizer) material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;1 quart (1.1 Litre) of (finely crushed) Lime Stone - Added to increase the pH level, remember, Peat Moss has a low pH (usually somewhere in the range of 4.0 to 5.0).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;1 quart (1.1 Litre) of Bone Meal - Added to increase the amount of Phosphorus available to the newly germinated plants eg Help with root growth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above mixture is then thoroughly dry mixed together. Once that is completed, water is added to the dry mixture via a fine mist. This is a two person job, as one person drops the dry mixture through the air, the other person adds the water to the falling mixture. The potting mixture should end up moist (like a damp sponge), but not so wet that when you squeeze it water runs out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above potting mixture quantities make enough potting mix for at least 50 seedling trays, and works out at about 38&amp;#162; per tray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two weeks after the seeds have been sown in the potting mix, they receive a &quot;weak&quot; Fish based fertilizer feed. This is done to ensure the newly germinated plants have enough nutrients (food) in the soil to help them grow properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;We were also (given) pointed toward an excellent potting mix reference, it basically contains all of the above, plus a lot! more information:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/viewhtml.php?id=47&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Potting Mixes for Certified Organic Production&lt;/a&gt; from &lt;a href=&quot;https://attra.ncat.org/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Project&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below a few photos I took during the class &lt;em&gt;(click images to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rmCag.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rmCagm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Homemade Potting Mix&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;^All of the above potting mix materials &quot;dry&quot; mixed together.^&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qCtKt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qCtKtm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Seedling Tray&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;^One seedling tray.^&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JSbSB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JSbSBm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;^Seedling trays inside a Polytunnel.^&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-30T16:05:32.220" LastActivityDate="2011-09-30T16:05:32.220" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1512" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1513" CreationDate="2011-07-28T01:52:24.750" Score="18" ViewCount="1774" Body="&lt;p&gt;My tomato plants are covered with tiny, pill-like growths on their stems, pictured below. They're about 1mm wide and 3-4mm long, and they're widespread on both stems and branches. I'm also getting an early rot that turns my tomatoes brown, which may be related.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sjmrh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Infections on tomato stems&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this, and how can I get rid of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-29T03:23:45.690" LastActivityDate="2011-07-29T03:23:45.690" Title="What's growing on my tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1513" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1512" CreationDate="2011-07-28T02:22:46.290" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are the tiny hairs on the stems trying to turn into roots, above ground; they are called &lt;strong&gt;stem primordia&lt;/strong&gt;, and this is usually caused by high humidity, over-watering or prolonged rain - see &lt;a href=&quot;http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:6kpHtxrO9iIJ:www.veggiegardener.com/tomato-quirks-bumpy-stems/%20tomato%20stems%20covered%20in&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;ct=clnk&amp;amp;gl=uk&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;source=www.google.co.uk&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking, this is nothing to worry about, and is best ignored; however, it can be triggered by root problems or disease, and given that some of your tomatoes are rotting, it could be a bad sign and worth looking into - see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/987/what-else-besides-calcium-deficiency-could-be-causing-tomato-blossom-end-rot/992#992&quot;&gt;Blossom End Rot - here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2011-07-28T02:35:58.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1514" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1584" CreationDate="2011-07-28T15:36:51.953" Score="15" ViewCount="33494" Body="&lt;p&gt;I picked a bunch of basil last week so we could put up some pesto.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I brought the leaves inside, washed them, and set them on the counter in the kitchen while gathering other ingredients for pesto (grating cheese, etc). Many of the leaves started to turn black -- especially at the tips and in the veins. It didn't seem to affect the quality of the end product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm planning to dry the next harvest batch, and I'd like to make sure it doesn't turn black during drying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What makes basil leaves turn black?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What should I do post-harvest to prevent this?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2020-07-30T23:52:39.577" Title="Why did my basil leaves turn black?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;post-harvest&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1515" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1507" CreationDate="2011-07-28T16:32:06.343" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Taking into account (nearly) &lt;strong&gt;all&lt;/strong&gt; the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1507/394&quot;&gt;comments from below the question&lt;/a&gt;, I personally would do the following before putting in some substantial drainage system to help drain what happens to be a relatively small area in your lawn:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carefully take up the lawn in the &quot;puddling&quot; (low) area and put it to one-side (stack it properly for reuse). Make sure you remove approximately 2inches (50mm) of soil with the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dig out the soil in that area to a minimum depth of 12inches (300mm), maximum depth of 24inches (600mm).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you don't encounter, see any problems, I would:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Back fill the hole with the same material that was excavated from that hole. Back fill in 4inch (100mm) thick layers and &quot;lightly&quot; tamp down each layer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bring in enough 50-50 mix of &quot;good&quot; quality screened top soil &amp;amp; &quot;good&quot; quality screened compost to level the excavated area into the surrounding lawn area. Finished level should be approximately 1inch (25mm) below new finished lawn level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay back the properly stacked lawn (sod), it should be sitting approximately 1inch (25mm) higher than required new finished lawn level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay a scaffold-board over the top of the reinstalled lawn (sod). Shuffle along the board a few times, this will ensure you get good contact between the lawn (sod) and the soil underneath. Move the board over the width of the board, repeat &quot;shuffle&quot; process. Repeat, repeat... until you've tamped down the complete reinstalled lawn (sod) area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water the reinstalled lawn area so it's moist. Repeat this watering daily for a week or so. After that, if there is no rain, water entire lawn as you would normally.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you do encounter, see any problems, I would:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Evaluate exactly what it is that you encounter/see, then form a plan of attack based on that.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you really want to go with some kind of drainage system to take care of the relatively small &quot;puddling&quot; area in your lawn, I would tackle it something like the below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following is based on:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Limited knowledge of your landscape, based on a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1507/394&quot;&gt;couple of photos&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1507/394&quot;&gt;Comments from below the question&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Comments from below this answer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Your installing a new decomposed granite (DG) patio (slightly lower than the existing concrete patio) with a new concrete edge curb which lines in with the top of the existing concrete patio.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Install a French Drain on the lawn side (ie Not under the new DG patio) that follows the line of the new concrete edge curb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q. Why?&lt;/strong&gt; Just in case the new hard-scape causes water to start puddling where it meets the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Install a French Drain that &quot;T's&quot; into the above French Drain at the &quot;puddling&quot; area, and run this drain into the middle of your lawn (discharge point).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q. Why?&lt;/strong&gt; Unless there is a better discharge point, somewhere that isn't visible on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1507/394&quot;&gt;2 photos you've posted above&lt;/a&gt;, I would keep the excess water within your landscape and use it to water the lawn at a deep level from below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The discharge point will be in the form of a underground &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_well&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dry Well&lt;/a&gt; (or what we call a Soakaway in the UK). The minimum size of this underground water storage zone needs to be based on at least the amount of water you receive in your area from a really! good days rain fall and the amount of &quot;puddling&quot; water you want to remove from your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;French Drains should be installed a minimum of 18inches (450mm) below the surface to be most effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you decide to backfill the French Drain trenches with crushed stone (best option, but adds additional cost), you will want to put a minimum 6inch (150mm) thick layer of high quality screened top soil on top, so that your lawn has something suitable to sit on (grow into). Anything less than that and your lawn in those area will suffer badly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck, and please post back here once you decide which way your going to tackle this &quot;puddling&quot; problem, so that we can learn from your experience.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-07-30T02:50:35.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1514" CreationDate="2011-07-28T18:26:14.970" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;From your comments above, the heat drop seems like a very likely reason. Basil plants like the heat outside and a sudden drop in temperature from outdoors to indoors is sufficient to turn it dark. I don't know the chemical reaction, but it could very well be oxidation as in the link from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1514/why-did-my-basil-leaves-turn-black#comment-1900&quot;&gt;Mike's comment&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/herbs/msg0609421026196.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This page&lt;/a&gt; also mentions that leaves turning dark could be an indication of recent rooting and suggests that you repot it with with some good potting mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;B[l]ack usually indicates that its under stress due to recent rooting. If you cut off leaves and chop them, they also turn very dark. A soilless mixture may be a bit too 'clean' for it too, as compared to a potting soil. Suggest that it gets repotted again, and try to remove some of the soilless mix, and replace it with regular potting mix. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although in your case, they turned black only when you brought it inside, watch out for leaves starting to turn black on the plant, in which case you can try following the advice above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-07-29T03:16:03.140" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1517" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1531" CreationDate="2011-07-28T20:47:12.213" Score="12" ViewCount="2788" Body="&lt;p&gt;We built our house last fall, and I've already found one wasp next in a corner of the eaves.  I know that one of our neighbors has a &lt;strong&gt;huge&lt;/strong&gt; problem with wasps, and has a large amount of exterior exposed wood (multiple decks, wood trim, a large backyard fence) which tend to encourage wasp nests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for ideas to prevent wasps from migrating to our house.  I'm still very early in landscaping, and can plan for yard structures to be different materials.  I am also very happy to add plants with repellant properties, or at least minimize plants which wasps like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully there's a good, organic solution.  I'm fine with pollinators, and the occasional wasp or two visiting.  I just want to avoid being the new home for multiple large colonies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit to respond to questions:&lt;/strong&gt;  I've no idea what kind of wasps, and am not even sure how to identify wasps.  They look black and yellow, and sting.  The nest looks similar to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File%3aWasp_colony.jpg&quot;&gt;this paper wasp colony&lt;/a&gt; picture from Wikipedia, but I'm just using this pic for descriptive purposes, not fact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="53" LastEditorUserId="53" LastEditDate="2011-07-29T18:54:14.540" LastActivityDate="2018-04-03T11:07:09.687" Title="How can I discourage wasps?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1518" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1541" CreationDate="2011-07-29T04:04:07.590" Score="12" ViewCount="3957" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to have a small &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salix_matsudana&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;cork-screw' willow&lt;/a&gt; in my front yard. I don't want it as a bush, but with a strong middle trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It currently is about 1.5 feet tall. It has three fairly equally tall trunks. One is very bent. The other two are fairly straight. They are beginning to grow multiple branches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When should I trim these? &#xA;How do I choose which to trim and which not to?&#xA;How else can I direct its growth? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click images to enlarge...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ju1Ij.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;    &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ju1Ij.jpg&quot; width=&quot;325&quot;/&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6lrf0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;    &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6lrf0.jpg&quot; width=&quot;325&quot;/&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3J16r.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;    &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3J16r.jpg&quot; width=&quot;325&quot;/&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eUyog.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;    &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eUyog.jpg&quot; width=&quot;325&quot;/&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="399" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-04T05:51:49.860" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T01:48:29.577" Title="How do I prune a cork-screw willow?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1519" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1549" CreationDate="2011-07-29T04:12:18.770" Score="15" ViewCount="91281" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that many of you will find this unbelievable -- but my morning glories did not bloom this year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For those of you that live where morning glories are a perenial that borders on &quot;weed&quot; this might sound amazing -- but I live in a colder environment where they are an annual.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my first summer in a new house and we planted morning glories along the fence line. They shot up and have covered the fence with green -- but the buds never came. The cutting in the glass on the window sill did-- but the plants in the earth never did. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now the bottom leaves are begining to brown like it is the end of the season -- and I am wondering: What did I do wrong? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They get good early morning sun. Are protected from the mid day sun, and then get evening sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My mother in Law for whom morning glories were the bane of her gardening-soul in Tennessee thinks the gods shown warmly on me so that I didn't have to have them blooming their dirty flowers in my yard -- but I really wanted to see their sunny faces in the morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is wrong? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additional Information&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No idea what variety. Sorry. I will have to do a better job on that next year! &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I am in the heartland where we have had a heat wave with intolerable humidity. The flowers should have started and bloomed long before the heat hit.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I started the seeds directly in the ground after rubbing them on a little file and soaking them overnight. They do get mid day shade, the sun they receiving is morning (until 11ish) and afternoon (after 3ish). We water regularly. During the heat we watered twice a day, in the morning before the sun got too hot, and in the evening when it started getting less hot. The location is very well drained. We added no fertilizer to the soil prior to planing. The soil was a new mix of top soil and manure. A wood chip mulch was added to the top to keep in moisture. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pictures below: &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jPqxX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/26oCb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="399" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-06T16:26:17.753" LastActivityDate="2018-11-07T23:28:28.650" Title="How do I encourage morning glories to bloom?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;morning-glory&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1462" CreationDate="2011-07-29T15:30:01.793" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is what the crabgrass seed head looks like (photo from wikipedia, Forest &amp;amp; Kim Starr):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitaria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Starr_050404-5432_Digitaria_ciliaris.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that &quot;crabgrass&quot; describes a variety of different species, so what you see may be somewhat different, especially depending on where you live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before you mow, patrol your lawn. Do you see crabgrass seed heads?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If yes&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pull out each one and dispose of the seed heads, &lt;strong&gt;or&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mow with the bagger.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If no&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mow with the mulcher.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2020-03-25T01:56:07.040" LastActivityDate="2020-03-25T01:56:07.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1521" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1586" CreationDate="2011-07-29T20:14:01.060" Score="9" ViewCount="983" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm considering building a pond in the metro Atlanta Georgia area. I've owned a pond before that had an under gravel filter when we moved into the house. The filter was essentially a network of white plastic pipes with holes drilled into them that were hooked to a pump that fed an external veggie filter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read that under gravel filters are not the best solution. Are there other alternatives? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="301" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-07-21T13:05:17.557" LastActivityDate="2012-07-21T13:05:17.557" Title="What are some alternatives to under gravel filters for a 3000 gallon pond?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;pond&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1488" CreationDate="2011-07-30T09:43:11.580" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I grew both bush and pole beans and the pole varieties out produced the bush varieties by a very large amount. The bush beans only gave about a 3-4 week harvest and were fairly light while the pole beans went from mid-July though to our first frost in late September early October.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I'm only growing pole beans and doubt I'll do bush again due to not being nearly as productive. I’ve got 3 varieties on a 16 foot long trellis and this is more than enough for fresh eating all summer as well as freezing for use all winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The varieties I’m growing are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/beans/snap/bean-asparagus-yardlong-prod000575.html?catId=cat30004&amp;amp;trail=&quot;&gt;Yard Long&lt;/a&gt; (came from Seeds of Change and are very easy to save seed from since they don't cross pollenate with pole beans), &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/beans/snap/bean-purple-king-prod000595.html?catId=cat30004&amp;amp;trail=&quot;&gt;Purple King&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/beans/snap/bean-fortex-prod000583.html?catId=cat30004&quot;&gt;Fortex&lt;/a&gt; (both came from Burpee). Last week I picked 5+ pounds between all 3 and based on last year’s numbers this should continue every week and a half or so until our first frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only issue I’ve had with these is the Asian stink bugs LOVE attacking these. If I don’t keep up with removing them the beans and leaves will start to shrivel and fall off the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2011-07-30T09:43:11.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1523" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1524" CreationDate="2011-07-30T10:53:35.337" Score="12" ViewCount="2876" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you please help identifying this brown shell-like thing growing on the stalk of my avocado plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IfjxG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unidentified&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are several of these. It looks like a little shell (with the appearance of a woodlouse's back, but it's not that obviously) and it can be scratched off easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it a parasite or disease? What's its effect? What should be done about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="80" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-07-30T16:44:49.617" LastActivityDate="2012-10-02T00:10:29.413" Title="What is this brown, shell-like thing growing on the stalk of my avocado plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1523" CreationDate="2011-07-30T12:40:47.993" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are almost certainly parasites called &lt;strong&gt;Scale&lt;/strong&gt; insects which suck the juices out of the stem and leaves and cause the plant to lose vigor. In this case it is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccus_%28genus%29&quot;&gt;Coccus&lt;/a&gt;. Fortunately, you have spotted them early, before your avocado has become infested with them, and they can easily be removed in one of the following ways:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Scrape them off with a cotton swab that you have dipped in rubbing alcohol;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spray them with a home-made or insecticidal soap solution once every two or three weeks (see &lt;a href=&quot;http://houseplants.about.com/od/pests/a/Using-Insecticidal-Soap.htm&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;); you will need to do this at least three times to prevent them from returning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a useful article about these bugs and how to control them, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.co.uk/info_8395899_brown-bugs-house-plant-stems.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, and another, very detailed one, by the Utah State University Extension, &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/soft-scale07.pdf&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="80" LastEditDate="2011-07-30T14:24:21.050" LastActivityDate="2011-07-30T14:24:21.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1526" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1528" CreationDate="2011-07-30T12:57:53.953" Score="13" ViewCount="194" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not sure how exactly to tackle this question. Our lawn (and the neighbors on either side) have sad &amp;amp; anemic front lawns. Both neighbors have tried numerous approaches, from sod to chemical baths - with the same muddy result every time. We share some obstacles to lawn growth, here are the ones I've been able to identify:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clay: the area is more clay than soil, only crabgrass and moss seem to survive&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Trees: lots of shade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;North-facing: not sure how this fits in, my thumb is nowhere near green&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;aggressive mowing: the neighborhood service rolls the riding mowers through whether the grass is dying or not, so anything we do will need to be hardy&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything else I should factor in? I know I need to do a ton of research, but I hate it when I don't know what I need to know... Or is this a lost cause and I'm better off looking into &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1396/what-is-a-good-ground-cover-for-street-frontage-instead-of-lawn&quot;&gt;alternative ground cover&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="517" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-07-31T04:34:41.533" Title="What are the factors for lawn health?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1527" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1517" CreationDate="2011-07-30T14:20:48.773" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some years ago, my porch was plagued with wasps, until I finally located their nest and smoked them out. Fortunately, they haven't returned, but I know how irritating this can be and sympathise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;planting some hardy carniverous plants; apparently, Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia Tiger - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jerseyplantsdirect.com/pitcher-plant-sarracenia-tiger-1-13cm-pot?source=afw&amp;amp;utm_source=awin&amp;amp;utm_medium=Affiliate&amp;amp;utm_campaign=58592&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;) are good at attracting wasps. Of course, you would have to plant a fair number of them to make any impact on a wasp colony, but they are attractive plants and would enhance your backyard;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;the 'Fatal Funnel' wasp and hornet trap, which a quick online search has revealed (see video &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fatal-funnel.com/wasp-traps/effective&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;) - it certainly looks effective, but you would need several of them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-07-30T14:41:14.067" LastActivityDate="2011-07-30T14:41:14.067" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1526" CreationDate="2011-07-30T15:10:29.297" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two more factors to consider:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil pH.&lt;/strong&gt; Given that you have so much moss, your soil is probably acidic.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Species selection.&lt;/strong&gt; Different lawn species have different levels of shade tolerance. Don't plant &quot;full sun&quot; species in your mostly shaded lawn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A strategy for having a healthy lawn:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Start with a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.msue.msu.edu/portal/default.cfm?pageset_id=27232&amp;amp;page_id=282235&amp;amp;msue_portal_id=25643&quot;&gt;soil test&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. (MSU extension; $12 as of Jan 2011. See that page for sampling instructions.)&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When the test results come back they will tell you what you need in terms of fertilizer and lime.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get the mowing under control.&lt;/strong&gt; If your neighbors can't get their lawns to grow well either, you should be able to get together and convince your HOA to apply some sanity to their mowing. (Possibly by getting the HOA to switch to a landscaping service that actually knows what they're doing, or getting permission to opt out of the service and do your own mowing.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Improve your soil.&lt;/strong&gt; This is probably the hardest part, because if you're working with heavy clay, you may need to amend it heavily to get grass to grow well.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is bringing in topsoil an option? If your yard isn't too large, and you have the budget for it, several inches of good topsoil could do wonders for your lawn. (Obviously, if you decide to go this route, don't bother with a soil test on your existing clay!)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Otherwise you can aerate, amend with compost, and fertilize regularly as needed. It will take time but you can gradually improve your soil this way.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Seed mix.&lt;/strong&gt; When you seed your lawn, look for a shade-tolerant mix.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A completely different strategy: &lt;strong&gt;Don't grow a lawn.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know someone who has a situation similar to what you describe -- shady, moss grows well, poor soil (they're too sandy instead of clay). They have a decent size yard, but a &lt;em&gt;tiny&lt;/em&gt; lawn. They have perennial beds instead: small trees, shrubs, flowers, ground cover. Mulch with shredded bark. It can look beautiful (better than lawn) and it can be lower maintenance too. It doesn't need to be done all at once -- you can convert your lawn to gardens over time, a new area each year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-30T15:10:29.297" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1529" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1535" CreationDate="2011-07-30T18:28:13.957" Score="19" ViewCount="44429" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an array of several different types of mushrooms popping up in my fescue.  There are not enormous areas covered, the largest collection is about an 8-10 inch circle.  The rest are small groups scattered about the yard, or solo. Is this anything to be concerned about?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;(Click for a larger image)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jb4m6.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jb4m6m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c7qx7.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c7qx7m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gaXjD.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gaXjDm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k7ZWZ.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k7ZWZm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-15T19:50:38.810" LastActivityDate="2018-09-14T00:19:19.557" Title="Should I be concerned about mushrooms in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fescue&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1530" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1536" CreationDate="2011-07-30T18:42:53.633" Score="24" ViewCount="3332" Body="&lt;p&gt;Back in the spring we cut down a fruitless mulberry and hired someone to come grind the stump.  When they were leaving they informed me that they poured a chemical into the hole where the remaining roots were to keep it finish killing the tree and keep it from trying to come back.  They said the chemical would dissipate in a few weeks and wouldn't cause us any problems.  We waited a little over a month and then worked a bunch of compost into the soil where the tree was and planted flowers.  We've planted two rounds of marigolds now, but everything we plant where the tree used to be dies within a week or two.  I wish I knew what they poured down there.  What should I do about this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yLj73.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-08-28T15:22:27.723" LastActivityDate="2011-08-28T15:22:27.723" Title="Nothing will grow where tree was" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;&lt;stump-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1531" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1517" CreationDate="2011-07-30T20:17:37.617" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you haven't already, I would first try speaking (tactfully) with your neighbour about their &quot;large colony(ies)&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the wasps are a &quot;dangerous&quot; variety (not all of them are), I believe under Health &amp;amp; Safety you will find you have certain rights, even if the nest isn't on your property. Something to look into, maybe before speaking with your neighbour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you live within a Residents Association community (or similar), you may be able to get them involved in helping you deal with your neighbour (if your neighbour proves to be uncooperative).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To help you identify what kind of wasp(s) you're dealing with, give the following a try:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pollinator.com/identify/whatsbuzzin.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;What's Buzzin' in My Garden?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Characteristics_of_common_wasps_and_bees&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Characteristics of common wasps and bees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally you should be able to contact a local bee keeping association near you &amp;amp; ask them to come out &amp;amp; evaluate, or at least ask them to point you in the right direction, to someone locally who can advise, help you. I have done this once, when dealing with a &quot;small&quot; nest of yellow jacket wasps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you find out they're a &quot;dangerous&quot; variety, I wouldn't advise tackling them yourself, instead call in a &quot;professional&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you find out they're not a &quot;dangerous&quot; variety, and would like to try tackling them yourself, this article, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pests.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-wasps.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Get Rid of Wasps&lt;/a&gt;&quot; contains a &quot;Natural Wasp Control&quot; method you could try.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-07-31T00:41:09.340" LastActivityDate="2011-07-31T00:41:09.340" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1532" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1526" CreationDate="2011-07-30T20:58:10.727" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You will find &lt;strong&gt;nearly all&lt;/strong&gt; the information you need to help you grow a healthy (organic) cool-season lawn (from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/517/kara-marfia&quot;&gt;your profile&lt;/a&gt; I see your in &quot;Michigan&quot;, so I'm pretty certain you will have a cool-season lawn) in the following answer here on SE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;What's an organic way to discourage crabgrass from a large “lawn”?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Clay: the area is more clay than soil, only crabgrass and moss seem to survive&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;See here&lt;/a&gt;, on how you can improve the soil, either via a &quot;quick&quot;, but expensive method or a slow (much less expensive) method. Both methods are &quot;organic&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Trees: lots of shade&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lawn type grasses doesn't grow well under trees, &quot;shady&quot; areas. Period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not enough sun.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not enough moisture in the ground, the trees are constantly sucking the ground dry, the grass simply can't compete with the tree roots.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tree roots totally out compete the grass (and their roots).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;North-facing: not sure how this fits in, my thumb is nowhere near green&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Less sun, makes growing most things that more difficult. Lawn type grasses need the sun (and enough water) to grow properly &amp;amp; remain healthy.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Aggressive mowing: the neighborhood service rolls the riding mowers through whether the grass is dying or not, so anything we do will need to be hardy&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's a surefire way to make any cool-season lawn unhappy, especially if they are cutting anything less than 2&amp;#189;inches (62.5mm) as the finished mowed height.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;See here&lt;/a&gt;, for &quot;recommended&quot; (generally considered best) cool-season lawn mowing practices.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Or is this a lost cause and I'm better off looking into &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1396/what-is-a-good-ground-cover-for-street-frontage-instead-of-lawn&quot;&gt;alternative ground cover&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Without seeing at least a few photos of your landscape, it's a little difficult to say for sure, but I would most definitely recommend you spend some time looking into &quot;alternative&quot; lawn options for tree/shady areas. I think you will discover, find, there are some excellent ground cover alternatives for areas that aren't best served by lawn type grasses.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-07-31T04:34:41.533" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1533" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1529" CreationDate="2011-07-30T21:23:48.920" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;There appears to be wooden pieces within your lawn, is there a reason for that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does your lawn drain well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you recently had a lot of rain fall?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dead, rotting wood is an ideal material for mushrooms (fungus) to grow on/in, especially if that area also happens to be moist (damp).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additionally,&lt;/strong&gt; I believe your mushrooms in the lawn are directly related to this, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1530/394&quot;&gt;Nothing will grow where tree was&lt;/a&gt;, or at least a byproduct...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;From comments below:&lt;/strong&gt; I think the wood pieces may be remnants from the mulch in the flowerbed nearby...or possibly from when they ground the stump in the tree that is also nearby. There's not a lot of it in the lawn though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you follow the link given above, you will see that the tree stump and roots were left in the ground, therefore there's &quot;plenty&quot; of dead, rotting wood under the lawn. As a general rule of thumb, a tree's root system spreads out as far as the very edge of the tree's canopy.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;From comments below:&lt;/strong&gt; There hasn't been much rain since Oct 2010, in fact we're in a drought. However, I water twice a day to keep my fescue from drying up and blowing away, so the ground is moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Watering a (Fescue) lawn twice a day isn't necessary or recommended, and will in fact have a negative impact on the overall health of your lawn eg The grass will have a shallow root system (as the moisture is constantly at the surface of the soil), constant moisture is also a breeding ground for things like diseases and fungi...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cool-season lawns require 1inch (25mm) of water a week to remain healthy &amp;amp; should be given in either one deep watering a week or two &amp;#189;inch (12.5mm) waterings. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1390/394&quot;&gt;More details can be found here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I believe you're seeing mushrooms in your lawn due to:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Removal of the tree (stump &amp;amp; roots were left in the ground), as I stated previously (refer to above &quot;Additionally&quot; comment).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your twice daily lawn watering practices.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those two conditions combined make an almost perfect mushroom growing environment (IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-09-15T17:42:29.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1534" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1530" CreationDate="2011-07-30T22:17:11.273" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did you ask them to pour chemicals (poison) into your landscape?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If yes, lesson learnt.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If no, they should be called back and instructed to clean up the area properly, at no cost to yourselves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stump grinding is ok! but growing anything it that area is going to be difficult until the remaining stump and roots breakdown (decompose) naturally. Depending on the size of the tree, that process could take years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pouring chemicals (poison) on the stump is going to speed up the breakdown (decompose) process, but it's still going to take at least a year or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the stump isn't that big, it's much better to get it pulled or to simply dig it out (that normally results in a good weekend workout).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What can you do now?&lt;/strong&gt; Seeing as you don't know what chemical (poison) was used, I would do something like the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dig out as much soil as possible (is practical to-do-so).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dispose of that (contaminated) soil in a responsible manner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove, cut away, as much stump, root material as possible. The more you can remove the better.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Saturate that area as best you can, the more water you can flush through, the better. The water will help wash the chemical (poison) deeper into the surrounding soil and dilute it down.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bring in enough 50/50 mix of top quality screened top soil and high quality compost to fill the excavated area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Back-fill the excavated area with the above 50/50 mix in 4inch (100mm) thick layers. Each layer should be &quot;lightly&quot; tamped down.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The area should now be ok! to plant, but I would be very tempted to only plant shallow rooted plants in that area, at least for the next 2 or 3 years. Of course the &quot;2 or 3 years&quot; doesn't apply if you manage to remove all of the stump and roots (or least the vast majority).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="104" LastEditDate="2011-08-27T05:52:50.490" LastActivityDate="2011-08-27T05:52:50.490" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1535" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1529" CreationDate="2011-07-30T22:30:17.353" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mushrooms, or toadstools, are usually caused by decaying organic debris, such as pieces of wood and dead tree roots, just below the surface of the lawn; they can also be caused by a thick layer of thatch (the layer of grass clippings, dead roots etc that accumulate on the surface, just below the grass line - see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/902/how-to-tell-if-my-lawn-needs-to-be-dethatched/912#912&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;), and they thrive in damp conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that there aren't many of them, and they don't seem to be the type that forms rings that grow wider and wider every year, I don't think you should be too worried; you may find them a bit unsightly, but they are not likely to cause much damage. If you're concerned about the 8-10&quot; circle, you could lift that small piece of turf, remove whatever decaying matter is underneath, and replace it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I'm aware, there is no reliable water-on technique for ridding a lawn of toadstools; you could try iron sulphate (1/2oz in a gallon of water per square yard), but it doesn't always work and, when it does, sooner or later, the mushrooms often return. A thorough dethatching (or'scarifying'), on the other hand, might well do the trick - see Thatch Control &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/902/how-to-tell-if-my-lawn-needs-to-be-dethatched/1415#1415&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a good article about toadstools/ mushrooms in lawns &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenseeker.com/lawns/toadstools_in_lawns.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-07-30T22:30:17.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1536" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1530" CreationDate="2011-07-30T22:57:58.683" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, call the stump grinders and ask them what they used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then you can make a more informed decision:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Option 1: Wait. Depending on what they used, the potency will dissipate over time and you'll eventually be able to plant something in the area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Option 2: Build up the soil above that area -- make a raised bed. &lt;strong&gt;Don't mix&lt;/strong&gt; the new soil you add on top with the contaminated soil below.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Option 3: Remove 12-24&quot; of soil from that area and dispose of it. Replace with fresh soil and plant. Again, don't mix the new soil with the existing subsoil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Option 4: Cover that area with stone mulch and pretend you didn't want to grow anything there anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-07-30T22:57:58.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1537" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-07-31T17:45:37.213" Score="3" ViewCount="109" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/158/how-do-you-identify-a-plant&quot;&gt;How do you identify a plant?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just moved to a new place but do not know what all plants are there in my small backyard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I identify them all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="518" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-08-01T01:05:16.543" Title="How do I go about identifying all the plants in my backyard?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;resources&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ClosedDate="2011-08-01T04:28:37.070" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1538" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="158" CreationDate="2011-07-31T18:32:15.697" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perhaps the easiest way to identify them is to take samples of the leaves/fruits/flowers to your local gardening center. They should be able to identify it for you. If not, you can go to your town botanist (if there's one). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also post a question on this site (&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/identification&quot;&gt;see these questions&lt;/a&gt; for examples on how to post such questions) and tag it &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/identification&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;identification&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;identification&lt;/a&gt;. At minimum, it should have a clear title that describes the plant, a good picture of the leaves, flowers/fruits and perhaps the entire plant and most importantly, it should also indicate where you are located as that greatly aids in identification. Sometimes, a picture of the root may be necessary and you'll be asked for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Identifying over the internet may not be as precise as contacting an experienced person (especially because one cannot smell the plant). However, the number of correct identifications on this site has been pretty high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-08-01T13:53:22.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1539" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1543" CreationDate="2011-08-01T00:02:11.493" Score="8" ViewCount="7996" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year, we built a home and got a Lilac as part of our landscaping package.  The landscaping was planted in August, so it's almost made it a full year now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In June, we started to see dead spots appearing in the bush, where the leaves shrivel up and fall off.  We've been cutting the dead spots out, but soon, I'm expecting to have no bush if this keeps up!  The dead spots do have green under the bark when we cut them out, so perhaps the parts are not really dead?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas on what could be the cause, and how I can identify the problem, and treat it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BLnFz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lilac&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0ocFd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close Up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="216" LastActivityDate="2016-07-31T18:02:44.883" Title="What is the cause of the dead spots in my lilac bush?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;lilac&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1540" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="158" CreationDate="2011-08-01T01:05:16.543" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below are a few things I done in the past, and continue to do (generally with good results):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Talk to your neighbours, especially those that appear to like gardening. I'm constantly amazed (in a very good way) how knowledgeable and happy to help &quot;gardening&quot; neighbours can be.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get to know the people working at local places like, gardening nurseries, feed mills, etc, you can normally bring them samples or photos for identification &amp;amp; guidance. I have found it's best to also buy stuff from them, not necessarily every visit, but you don't want to became that person who only visits when they need information.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most areas have local gardening clubs, associations, get to know them and the events they put on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you live in the USA make good use of your &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative_State_Research,_Education,_and_Extension_Service&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Local Extension Office&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your nearest &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botanical_Gardens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Botanical Gardens&lt;/a&gt; is also a great resource. Some offer &quot;Horticultural Gardening Answer Service&quot; (by phone) and/or walk in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Online services, but I've personally found for plant identification they can be a bit &quot;hit or miss&quot;, mainly due to those services being unable to physically see the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To try to provide a more specific answer to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/158/394&quot;&gt;original question&lt;/a&gt;, I contacted the &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dbg.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ&lt;/a&gt;&quot; directly (according to &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/28/javadocmd&quot;&gt;JavadocMD&lt;/a&gt;&quot; profile they're in &quot;Phoenix, AZ&quot;) and asked them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do you have something on your site, or a resource you &quot;generally&quot; point people to, who wish to identify plants in AZ?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/dbgtweet&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;@dbgtweet&lt;/a&gt; reply -&lt;/strong&gt; Yes we do: &lt;a href=&quot;http://dbg.org/gardening-horticulture/gardening-resources&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Desert Landscape Gardening Help&lt;/a&gt; has information and links to other useful websites. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;My follow up question to above response - Do you also have a browseable database (with photos) of plants for AZ that the public can access/use?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/dbgtweet&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;@dbgtweet&lt;/a&gt; reply -&lt;/strong&gt; Not at this time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hope the above helps a little...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2011-08-11T21:02:34.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1541" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1518" CreationDate="2011-08-01T02:14:14.440" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Willows are very resilient, and will normally recover quickly (seeing as they grow so fast) if you make a mistake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore they are great trees to work with from a gardener's point of view, but do keep in mind, the root system on a willow is shallow (stays very close to the surface) and can be extensive, especially if the roots have to go looking for water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing you have an image in your mind, that clearly shows exactly how you would like this willow to look. If that's correct, you will have to make (most) pruning decisions based on that image you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I would be tempted to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove the &quot;very bent&quot; one, unless you like the visual look (appearance) of it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leave the other two, until they grow a few branches, this will allow you to see the shape the tree wants to take naturally.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The below document should prove helpful/useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bluestem.ca/willows-pruning.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pruning Willows for Ornamental Effect&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-07T01:48:29.577" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T01:48:29.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1542" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1519" CreationDate="2011-08-01T04:13:53.393" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did you sow the seed directly in the ground, or start them indoors then transfer them outside, or buy some small starter plants and plant them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a little difficult to tell from the photos you've posted, but it looks like the Morning Glory gets some reasonable shade. If that is in fact the case, that could be one factor causing the lack of flowers. As far as I'm aware, Morning Glory loves the the sun and really needs full-sun to be totally happy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before the heat hit and in fact while you've been experiencing the heat, was the Morning Glory getting enough water? Again as far as I' aware, Morning Glory prefers constant moisture, but good drainage is also important (they don't like sitting in water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the first photo (close up of the leaves), the leaves look like they haven't received either enough sunlight or water or a combination of both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did you add any fertilizer (especially one containing &quot;Phosphorus&quot;) to the soil when you planted them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If no, and combined with lack of sun and/or water, that could be another factor contributing to lack of flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;From below comment:&lt;/strong&gt; They do get mid day shade, the sun they receiving is morning (until 11ish) and afternoon (after 3ish).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That means they are missing out on 4 hours of full-sun a day, that's a lot of sun to be missing out on, especially for a plant that likes (needs) full-sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;From below comment:&lt;/strong&gt; During the heat we watered twice a day, in the morning before the sun got too hot, and in the evening when it started getting less hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;IMHO you are watering too often (which doesn't necessarily translate to enough water). Nearly all plants planted in the ground (plants in containers are a completely different kettle of fish), do much better with one or maybe two (in the heat of summer) really good, &quot;deep&quot; waterings a week. Even plants that prefer moist conditions do better if they go through a &quot;slight&quot; drying out phase between waterings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;From below comment:&lt;/strong&gt; We added no fertilizer to the soil prior to planing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you try again next year, I would add something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_meal&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bone meal&lt;/a&gt; to the soil at time of planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Earlier this year when I planted my Missouri native garden, I put in 20 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=E390&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Missouri evening primrose &lt;em&gt;(Oenothera macrocarpa)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; plug (very small) plants. After a couple of weeks in the ground they were starting to look a bit sorry for themselves, thought I was going to definitely lose 6 or 7 of them. I decided to work a small amount of bone meal into the soil around all of them, all but 1 of them are now doing great (good size and flowering).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-01T20:27:32.600" LastActivityDate="2011-08-01T20:27:32.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1543" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1539" CreationDate="2011-08-01T15:57:54.200" Score="4" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;From above comment:&lt;/strong&gt; Definitely full sun. Top 6 inches of the soil is topsoil that the landscaping company provided, it's pretty good for drainage. Under that is clay. We water if it doesn't rain probably every other day. Can't recall the mulch. Leaves turn more like gray/green instead of yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I think it could be either:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The clay layer under the top 6 inches (150 mm) of top soil is holding too much water, thus the Lilac's roots are constantly sitting in water, which isn't a good thing for nearly all plants/shrubs/trees...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your watering too frequently, but not giving the Lilac enough water.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What can you do (assuming I have the above correct)?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dig a hole 12 inches (300 mm) deep &quot;near&quot; the Lilac and examine how wet the soil is at that depth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If it appears to be &quot;too wet&quot; you will need to improve the drainage of the soil under and around the Lilac. How?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wait until early Autumn (Fall), beginning of September is normally a perfect time for doing something like this.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carefully dig around the Lilac (you want to limit root damage as best as you can), then carefully get under the root ball, lift gently out of the ground and put to one-side.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the excavated root ball contains a lot of clay, very carefully remove as much of it as you can (without damaging the root system). Also remove all the &quot;dead&quot; leaves and prune out any &quot;dead&quot; branches (otherwise I wouldn't prune at this time of year). Basically just tidy up the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now widen the hole as much as is practical (the wider the better) and dig down to a minimum of 12 inchs (30 0mm), 18 to 24 inches (450 to 60 0mm) would be better (IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill the hole with enough 50/50 mix of top quality (sieved) top soil and high quality (sieved) compost, so that when you put the Lilac back in the hole the top of the root ball sits level with the surrounding soil ie don't plant low in the hole. If you have to put more than a 4 inch (100 mm) thick layer of 50/50 mix in the hole to get back up to planting level, &quot;lightly&quot; tamp down each layer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once the hole is back filled to planting level, carefully lift the Lilac and gently place it in the hole. Check from multiple angles that the plant is sitting level in the hole. Level the plant as necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Back fill around the root ball with more of the 50/50 mix, &quot;lightly&quot; tamping down each 4 inch (100 mm) thick layer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put down a 2 inch (50 mm) thick layer of mulch. Personally, I mulch with homemade (sieved) compost or shredded Autumn (Fall) leaves. The mulch should not touch the plant itself, start about 4 inches (100 mm) away and work out from there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water slowly &amp;amp; deeply. Water should be delivered at soil level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If there is no rain, water slowly &amp;amp; deeply once a week (twice a week at the most in the heat of summer).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If it doesn't appear to be &quot;too wet&quot;, changing your watering habit's is probably the only thing you need to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When there is no rain, water slowly &amp;amp; deeply once a week (twice a week at the most in the heat of summer).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Additionally remove all the &quot;dead&quot; leaves and prune out any &quot;dead&quot; branches (otherwise I wouldn't prune at this time of year). Basically just tidy up the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;From above comment:&lt;/strong&gt; Leaves turn more like &lt;strong&gt;gray/green&lt;/strong&gt; instead of yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another possibility could be a form of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powdery_mildew&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;powdery mildew&lt;/a&gt;, refer to the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.illinois.edu/podcasts/greensideup/201107_853.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Powdery Mildew&lt;/a&gt; from University of Illinois Extension&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just catching up on some &quot;gardening&quot; reading, and one of the articles talks about &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verticillium_wilt&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Verticillium Wilt&lt;/a&gt;&quot;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Hot, dry weather causes stress to plants as well as people. Wilting is a normal plant response to a lack of water, but severe wilting, partial-plant wilting, and flagging are all symptoms of Verticillium wilt. This disease is common and recurring in Illinois. The causal fungi are found throughout the state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just another possibility to look into, especially given that Lilac is susceptible to this disease (refer to University of Minnesota Extension link below):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=312&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Got Wilt?&lt;/a&gt; from University of Illinois Extension&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG1164.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Verticillium Wilt of Trees and Shrubs&lt;/a&gt; from University of Minnesota Extension&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-31T18:02:44.883" LastActivityDate="2016-07-31T18:02:44.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1544" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1547" CreationDate="2010-07-31T12:41:57.083" Score="17" ViewCount="35515" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a tree taken down and the stump ground up.  I cleared a majority of the tree mulch and laid top soil, seeded, and put some hay on top.  It's been a couple of weeks and the grass is growing in really patchy.  It looks pretty bad.  It's been extremely hot lately, so I'm thinking it's probably not getting enough water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: should I rake up the hay, dig up what's currently there, and start from scratch?  Or should I seed on top of the existing patchy grass?  (I'll be sure to water more often this time around.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="596" OwnerDisplayName="Rob Sobers" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-08-09T09:53:39.907" LastActivityDate="2011-08-30T11:16:43.110" Title="I reseeded my lawn but the results are patchy. Do I apply further seed, or start again?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1545" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1544" CreationDate="2010-07-31T13:09:16.263" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it's just starting to grow and coming in patchy, just give it time.  It will probably fill in. If after two months it's still offensively patchy, sprinkle more grass seed on the patchy bits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Rod Fitzsimmons Frey" LastActivityDate="2010-07-31T13:09:16.263" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 2.5" />
  <row Id="1546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1544" CreationDate="2010-07-31T15:19:03.527" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you only seeded your lawn, it could also be that the local wildlife (aka birds) have come in and swiped some of your seeds, despite the hay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option you could try, along with the seeding, is to take small &quot;plugs&quot; from other parts of the yard and plant them in the spot you're trying to grow. This has the benefit of taking established grass with roots and putting it in a new spot. The spot where you took the plug from will regrow from the neighbouring lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Hugo" LastActivityDate="2010-07-31T15:19:03.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 2.5" />
  <row Id="1547" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1544" CreationDate="2010-07-31T15:25:18.103" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would continue to water it, but not do anything else until you get cooler weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then, in the fall or spring...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rake it a bit to loosen the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put down more seed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover with straw, but not too thick&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="521" OwnerDisplayName="aphoria" LastActivityDate="2010-07-31T15:25:18.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 2.5" />
  <row Id="1548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1544" CreationDate="2010-08-04T08:23:47.413" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may also want to add compost and some grass starter fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also during the first few weeks grass is very sensitive so you need to water a little very often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During hot days that may be 10 - 15 minutes up to 5 times a day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An added bonus of compost is that it holds water better than regular topsoil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Sruly" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-30T11:16:43.110" LastActivityDate="2011-08-30T11:16:43.110" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1549" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1519" CreationDate="2011-08-02T00:50:15.750" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;More often than not, Morning Glories will only produce buds and flowers on &lt;strong&gt;poor&lt;/strong&gt; soil (i.e. if they feel their survival is threatened); if the soil is high in nitrogen and very fertile, they grow away, producing a lot of lush foliage and stubbornly refuse to flower. You did well not to add any fertilizer to the soil before planting, but I suspect that the manure you incorporated is the main culprit here; it has probably made your soil too rich.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Morning Glories also prefer sunshine throughout the day, and &lt;em&gt;dry&lt;/em&gt; to moist soil. The fact that they are only receiving morning sun (the late-afternoon sun will be of little benefit) and, during the heat, have been watered twice a day, are almost certainly contributory factors. Morning Glories are deep-rooting, and over-frequent (particularly superficial) watering will simply encourage them to surface-root and stress them; it can also make them vulnerable to disease by depriving them of essential elements which are washed down into the sub-soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The distinctive yellowing between the veins of the lower leaves in your photos leads me to think that this may, in fact, have happened, and that the plants may be suffering from an iron deficiency; this can easily be remedied with a foliar feed - see article by the University of Arizona Extension &lt;a href=&quot;http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/az1415.pdf&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; - which you could give them next Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this helps. I am struggling hard to eradicate Morning Glories from my vegetable plot, and you are bent on growing them...one man's Morning Glory is another man's weed ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-02T00:55:34.340" LastActivityDate="2011-08-02T00:55:34.340" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1550" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1337" CreationDate="2011-08-02T02:38:58.153" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I took the plant I dug up into a gardening shop.  They examined it and believe that there is damage around the top of the roots/bottom of the stem due to too much mulch too close to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've removed the mulch from the base of the plants and will see if they improve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="460" LastActivityDate="2011-08-02T02:38:58.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1551" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22323" CreationDate="2011-08-02T06:42:04.097" Score="17" ViewCount="13275" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in South Carolina (37 C or 100 F everyday in July), but I love Rhubarb. I planted 4 rhubarb plants in the shade on the north side of my house. 3/4 have died and the last is struggling. They get lots of water. Is there anything else I can do to stimulate growth? Would potting them and bringing them indoors help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shortly after asking this question (3 wks ago), I build a Dirt wall around the rhubarb plants (2-3 inches tall, and 14 inches in diameter), which I have filled with around 3-4 gallons per plant everyday. The sandy clay takes some patients to wait for the water to soak in (before adding the rest of the water in small increments) and the soil is still moist the next day. With this extra attention the rhubarb has begun doing noticeably better--one has added 2 new leaves/stalks (it only had 3 before) and the other is still recovering. Thanks Mike Perry for the &quot;ideas link&quot; in your comment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My sun-room doesn't get enough sunlight for rhubarb. I went to a local nursery that sells rhubarb and the plants were thriving outside in 90F heat. The only difference: they had a very porous soil vs. the clay I had tried growing mine in. I am now successfully growing rhubarb outside in 80-90 degree F heat. The soil MUST be porous. (+ daily watering)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastEditorUserId="59" LastEditDate="2018-07-14T23:14:21.190" LastActivityDate="2021-05-11T16:04:16.597" Title="How do I grow rhubarb in hot weather" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;rhubarb&gt;&lt;hot-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="9" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1552" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1337" CreationDate="2011-08-02T10:42:55.707" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is exactly what I suspected when I asked you to examine a cross-section of the roots, given that you have had a prolonged period of rainfall. In addition to giving the shrubs collar rot, when there is heavy rain the mulch is probably causing the soil to become waterlogged, particularly if your soil is clayey and not very free-draining.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;General yellowing of foliage may be symptomatic of waterlogging, especially on heavy clay soils. Roots subjected to waterlogging are usually a blue-black colour in cross section and fall apart when teased out. Damaged roots should be removed, top growth trimmed back and the box replanted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=88&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Box/ Royal Horticultural Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Judging from your photo, I don't think the roots of your box shrubs have reached this stage yet; however, I would remove the mulch &lt;em&gt;completely&lt;/em&gt; and, once the plants begin to recover, next spring, apply a good general fertilizer such as Grow More (2oz per square yard), as suggested in the RHS article. I would definitely avoid using cow manure, as it tends to make clay soils heavier still and even less free-draining; well-rotted horse manure, on the other hand, is very good at opening up the pore structure of heavy soils, which improves drainage and aeration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-02T10:58:07.317" LastActivityDate="2011-08-02T10:58:07.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1553" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1551" CreationDate="2011-08-02T12:27:01.313" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;For North Texas (similarly hot, but less humid) it is recommended that rhubarb is grown as an annual.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried it once but it was a dismal failure - one (of two roots) sprouted but didn't get past about 6in. I chose a shady spot, but the root stock (from a big box garden place) was probably poor quality. I think there's a good reason much of the local population don't know what it is (I've had check-out people at the grocers not know what it is) - and that is, it doesn't grow well at all in the hotter climates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-08-02T12:27:01.313" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1111" CreationDate="2011-08-02T12:33:00.747" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &quot;recommended limit&quot; depends on who you talk to. I think it comes down to how obsessed you want to be with managing your tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/331/how-should-i-prune-my-vine-tomatos&quot;&gt;How should I prune my vine tomatos?&lt;/a&gt;&quot;, there's a video in which they suggest you should limit growth to the main branch and one sucker.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In one of Eliot Coleman's books, he talks about growing a single vine up to the roof supports in his greenhouse (8' high).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my Garden Way book on tomatoes, the author is skeptical of any pruning at all. (Too much work for not enough additional yield.) Instead he is in favor of &quot;topping&quot; if the plants get too &quot;dense and green&quot;. This involves snipping out some vines with shears or slashing some off with a sickle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My personal experience is that pruning helps. Also, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.foogod.com/~torquill/barefoot/weave.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;staking + weaving&lt;/a&gt; works better than caging. I'm a pruner (not obsessively -- sometimes I get behind), and I've found that it's easier to prune staked tomatoes than caged tomatoes. Sometimes they get out of control, and I still get a crop. The year that I had an 8' high wall of tomato plants was probably my lowest yielding year -- I did almost no pruning and the vines were out of control, all veg/no fruit. This year I aggressively pruned my staked cherry tomatoes and it looks like we're going to have an excellent crop. Lastly, the combination of wider spacing between plants and regular pruning helps with air circulation and keeps down disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-08-02T12:33:00.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1555" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1556" CreationDate="2011-08-02T12:42:17.430" Score="19" ViewCount="126243" Body="&lt;p&gt;I a looking to plot out my new garden site for next year and am wondering how far I need to be away from some nearby trees. The trees are a few different types (apple, oak, pine etc.) and anywhere from 20-40 feet tall. I am trying to see if there is a way to tell/guess how far the roots will reach before I start digging and find out the hard way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="276" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-18T04:24:52.700" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T20:55:22.690" Title="How far (on average) do tree roots extend out from the base of the tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1555" CreationDate="2011-08-02T13:53:30.303" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;The roots of most trees are shallow (i.e., not more than 1' to 1.5' deep), but spread out very wide (see the picture below from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/avoiding_construction.aspx&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;)&#xA;. Given the height of your trees, they're not very young and you can be sure that the roots spread at least as far out as the tree is tall. Add a factor of half to that for every 10 years of the tree's life. Note that this is only a rough approximation and if you need a better estimate, you'll have to contact an arborist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WG1TG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, your trouble is going to be finding out &lt;em&gt;where&lt;/em&gt; the roots are. I'm afraid you'll have to find that out only the hard way. In some cases, you can get an indication of which direction the primary roots radiate by looking at the base of the trunk, but not any more. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never found a need to leave &lt;em&gt;that&lt;/em&gt; much space around a tree. As long as you don't dig too close to the tree, you'll be pretty fine planting stuff like 4-5 feet away from it (if you hit a root, then just dig a little to the side of it). Also, the further out you go, the lesser you'll have to worry about damage to the tree from digging. Trees can easily take a hit in few of their tertiary roots and not even be aware of it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;bstpierre makes a very good point that Oak has a tap root which grows deep downward instead of out (think carrots). In this case, the foot print will be a lot smaller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, another common rule of thumb is that the roots spread out 2-3x times the crown width. This is very true in the fig family and the like, where the trees grow moderately in height, but have a wide canopy like crown. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.iastate.edu/pages/tree/roots.html&quot;&gt;this page&lt;/a&gt; at Iowa State University Extension for more details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-02T15:13:48.097" LastActivityDate="2011-08-02T15:13:48.097" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1557" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1558" CreationDate="2011-08-02T14:21:34.630" Score="20" ViewCount="40285" Body="&lt;p&gt;With reference to this question: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1223/insect-infestation-on-my-pepper-plant-what-do-i-do&quot;&gt;Insect infestation on my pepper plant, what do I do?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have these insects in my indoor &quot;kitchen window sill&quot; basil and they do seem to be chewing it fast enough to slow new growth, which is annoying. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first suggested solution to getting rid of the insects is to spray them off the plant outside and then submerge the plant for long enough to drown any remaining. If I did this to my basil, wouldn't it drown the basil too? As I understand it, basil doesn't like wet feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best solution to getting rid of such insects and still being able to use the leaves in food without hassle? Maybe the water spraying and drowning as suggested in related question is still the best?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ADDITION: The insects I'm dealing with are definitely not white fly, which is why I posted a separate question from this: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/761/white-flies-on-basil&quot;&gt;How do I get rid of white flies on my basil?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE (9/Aug): I tried the detergent spray twice (per GardeningDirections user) without any apparent effect by the next morning. I then tried drowning the bastards last night (per Mikey) and hopefully it has been more effective, but I still saw two which I squashed this morning. I'll whether I can just kill off the remaining ones by hand. Any other suggestions at this point before I try to figure out what to do to close the question?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE (24/Aug): I have taken the whole planter container outside and picked off the individual larvae from the underside of the leaves in bright sunlight so none would be missed. Now I am hoping the insects' natural predators will keep them down for long enough for the basil to recover and then I'll bring the plant back inside. I still haven't ruled out trying pyrethrum spray but that's a last resort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE (15/Sep): I have used a pyrethrum-based spray to kill perhaps 90% of the bugs while the planter box was outside but it also knocked the basil plants themselves so I did not respray. Now I notice there are still one or two insects left which have laid new larvae all over the undersides of the leaves... and I've also put these creatures through an evolutionary bottleneck so no doubt they'll be tougher to kill than ever! &lt;em&gt;So I officially give up.&lt;/em&gt; These basil plants will be transferred to the garden outside, to survive or not. I will get new plants for my indoor planter box.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE (19/Oct): Transplanted outdoors a month ago the basil is still surviving, even thriving and the insects formerly dominating them are clearly being eaten by proper predators, which hints to me that the best possible way to control the insects would perhaps be to introduce a few friendly predators into the kitchen!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T00:57:46.347" Title="How to get rid of insects on basil while leaving the leaves safe to eat?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1558" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1557" CreationDate="2011-08-02T15:49:20.277" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;IMHO &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1223/insect-infestation-on-my-pepper-plant-what-do-i-do/1226#1226&quot;&gt;that answer&lt;/a&gt; should work fine in your situation. It's a pretty &quot;standard&quot; procedure for dealing with such pests on potted plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Submerging the pot in water for &lt;strong&gt;an hour or two&lt;/strong&gt;, then allowing it to &lt;strong&gt;dry out&lt;/strong&gt; will &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; have any adverse effects on your Basil plant (or any other &quot;common&quot; potted plant I can think of). It's not like you're keeping the roots submerged for days &amp;amp; days...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-08-02T15:49:20.277" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1559" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-02T22:48:09.760" Score="17" ViewCount="15588" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there any safety concerns in eating fruit and veggies from plants that have been growing where dead pets have been buried?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not a full blown pet cemetery, but a small and intimate location in the backyard where the beloved family dog or cat has gone for a dirt nap. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does the rotting flesh of the animal corpse affect the ground water or soil in a way that the produce from plants in the immediate area should not be ingested?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They didn't cark it from rabies or other such ailments. Just dead of other causes not diseased. They were buried 6 months ago in a rather shallow grave, about 30 centimetres (a foot) deep and the plants (carrots, baby tomatoes and a few chillis) are in a 1 metre (roughly 3 feet) radius of such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-10T15:03:59.350" LastActivityDate="2020-04-30T16:32:28.863" Title="Is it safe to eat fruits and vegetables planted in a pet cemetery?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1560" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1561" CreationDate="2011-08-03T00:26:16.820" Score="12" ViewCount="2956" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some winter rye last fall to hold a patch of soil over the winter. Planned to mow it, but spring came, summer came, and I still haven't cut it down. It's got beautiful fat seed heads on it now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I know when these are ready to harvest (as viable seed) so I can use them for future cover crops?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-03T01:37:19.660" LastActivityDate="2011-08-03T01:37:19.660" Title="How do I know when winter rye seed is ready to harvest?" Tags="&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;cover-crop&gt;&lt;rye&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1561" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1560" CreationDate="2011-08-03T01:12:42.407" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The seed-heads will turn a tan colour, this is an indication the seeds themselves are ready for harvesting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mature seeds within, will be tan or brown (depending on the exact variety).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mature seeds will come away easily from the seed-heads when you &quot;gently&quot; grasp just below the seed-head and pull upwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-08-03T01:12:42.407" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1562" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1565" CreationDate="2011-08-03T12:44:15.710" Score="16" ViewCount="78874" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have my very first plant in my cube and it seems to be doing just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, there is an orange mold-like substance growing on the top of the soil, and I can see a few tiny white bugs crawling around in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did I do something wrong?  Should I be worried?  Is there anything I can do to fix my potential issue?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is some additional info, unfortunately I do not have answers to most of your questions as this plant was just given to my by a friend with no details provided.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I do not know the type of plant. (See pic)  It will not bloom, and sometimes grows extentions of itself which can be cut off and replanted elsewhere. (That's how I got mine.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The pot is just the cheapest plastic pot I could find at the local store.  I's essentially a glorified tupperware container with holes in the bottom.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's planted in potting soil that my roommate had sitting in the apartment. It seems like simple black dirt with those little white balls in it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some photos of the mold and the plant. The white bugs are too small to photograph with my camera.  They are only about 2mm long and .5mm wide.  They look like tiny white larva of some sort perhaps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Click all photos for full-size)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1BTQu.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1BTQu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of plant and mold&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rF0zI.jpg&quot;&gt;Photo of mold&lt;/a&gt; (Inlined to make post shorter) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KEphr.jpg&quot;&gt;Another photo of mold&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/olTX6.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/olTX6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of plant and mold&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LYv1k.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LYv1k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of plant and mold&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to apologize for my ignorance.  Please help me provide you with more info if needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="176" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-03T18:53:50.480" LastActivityDate="2021-02-03T06:58:59.487" Title="My indoor plant has an orange mold-like substance growing on it and has tiny white bugs. How can I remove it?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1562" CreationDate="2011-08-03T13:16:00.643" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of good non-chemical home remedies for plants and insects at: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.firstrays.com/remedies.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.firstrays.com/remedies.htm&lt;/a&gt;.  He likes the use of cinnamon and citrus sprays, which might go over well with your cube neighbors in an office.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="523" LastActivityDate="2011-08-03T13:16:00.643" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1564" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1559" CreationDate="2011-08-03T14:53:50.550" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some wisdom from the Lion King:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mufasa:   Everything you see exists together, in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance, and respect all the creatures-- from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Simba:    But, Dad, don't we eat the antelope?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mufasa:   Yes, Simba, but let me explain. When we die, our bodies become the grass. And the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lionking.org/scripts/Script.html#discipline&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lots of good reasons to plant over their dead animals, heck we plant our baby's placentas under trees as a celebration of their birth!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The thing to worry about with a shallow grave is having grave robbers (dogs, wolves, etc..) coming and digging up what you've put there.  That's what you really want to avoid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having the entire circle of life in your backyard is not advisable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The real point is whatever you put in the ground.  Make sure it stays in the ground. You mentioned you used a relatively shallow grave.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given the gasses built up in your pets body I'd say it could be about half the depth you buried it at from the surface. If you shift the soil from underneath the ground you could wind up with cracks in the dirt exposing the roots if your plants to the atmosphere.  I'm not sure how you're going to plant a tree directly over this, but I wouldn't plant a tree next to something likely to be dug up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: this is not meant as a complete answer medical and I wouldn't expect it to be accepted since I don't have any expertise and I abhor googling for the sake of answering a question you already know the answer to, do it yourself if you want to.  As a person who has buried fish and placentas in his garden and lawn I thought I'd give an experiential answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-08-03T15:35:26.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1565" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1562" CreationDate="2011-08-03T16:10:50.073" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;The appearance of the soil surface in your photos leads me to think that &lt;em&gt;over-watering&lt;/em&gt; may be the cause of the mold/fungus; a constantly wet growing medium provides ideal conditions for mold to develop. The soil needs to dry out a little between waterings, so that it is only slightly damp to the touch, and never wet. The slight browning of the stems where they meet the soil also suggests that, unless they get drier conditions, they could develop collar rot. While some plants prefer moister conditions than others, very few will survive long if their feet are constantly wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, I can't identify either the plant or the pest from the photos you have posted, but I would suggest that you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;carefully remove the top 2 inches of soil and replace it with fresh potting compost (preferably a peat-based one, as this will dry out better between waterings);&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;try to ensure that the plant gets a few hours of bright natural light every day, to encourage it to bloom if it proves to be a flowering house plant;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;water thoroughly (until water comes out of the drainage holes - superficial watering leads to surface rooting, stress and disease), but only when the soil is dryish; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;spray the soil surface and the whole plant once a week with a solution of soapy water, if the insects persist / reappear; if this doesn't do the trick, try to identify the pest using the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/m1183.html&quot;&gt;link Mike Perry has suggested&lt;/a&gt; and spray the plant and soil surface with a suitable insecticide;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;apply a liquid fertilizer - see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=garden&amp;amp;field-keywords=liquid%20plant%20fertilizer&amp;amp;x=13&amp;amp;y=18&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; - every two or three weeks, but only during the growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Provided your soil is free-draining, the mold/fungus should disappear without the use of a fungicide, once you have replaced the topsoil and created drier growing conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-03T17:18:37.027" LastActivityDate="2011-08-03T17:18:37.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1566" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-03T16:31:15.007" Score="24" ViewCount="66575" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had an Aloe plant that had grown to about 10&quot; tall, in the shape of a miniature Christmas tree. It was potted in a small 8&quot; pot with two other succulents. Last night our cats broke the plant from the pot, leaving the roots in the pot and a small part of the stem. The plant is full and green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any chance of saving the plant or the roots or both?    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="525" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-10-22T02:07:02.157" LastActivityDate="2015-12-01T05:12:32.007" Title="Can I save my damaged Aloe vera plant?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1567" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1566" CreationDate="2011-08-03T17:19:37.703" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't despair, fortunately aloes, like most succulents, root very readily. The best way forward is to (A) take a leaf cutting and (B) plant up the broken stem, as follows:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove a healthy leaf from the stem (with a sharp knife) and leave it to dry out for two or three days, until a thin 'skin' forms over the open edge;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Insert it firmly in some moist potting soil, to a depth about one third of its length;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place the pot in a bright but sunless place;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water sparingly - keep the soil moist but &lt;em&gt;not wet&lt;/em&gt;;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;B. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Repeat the last three steps using the broken stem, inserting it to a depth of 3-4&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Provided you don't over-water, your cuttings should take root by mid-September, and you will have two 'new' plants by next Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-03T17:27:28.510" LastActivityDate="2011-08-03T17:27:28.510" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1568" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1570" CreationDate="2011-08-03T18:09:40.757" Score="12" ViewCount="16979" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to harvest the seeds from a Coriander/Cilantro plant. I would like to pick them now, but investigation on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensablaze.com/HerbCoriander.htm&quot;&gt;internet&lt;/a&gt; suggests that I should let them dry on the plant. Why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant has bolted so I would like to cut it back to encourage new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1E0D6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-03T18:47:06.553" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T14:41:28.713" Title="Why should I leave my coriander seeds on the plant to dry before harvesting?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;cilantro&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1569" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1568" CreationDate="2011-08-03T18:31:52.000" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The longer you can leave the seed-heads on the plant the better (IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q. Why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You want the seeds inside to fully develop, become mature before harvesting ie Gain maximum flavour, and this can only be achieved by leaving the seeds on the (living) plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Immature seeds will taste bitter ie Not what most people want from their Coriander seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The seeds are fully mature, ready for harvest, when the seed-heads start to turn brown. As soon as you see this happen (it's best to keep a daily eye on this to occur, as you don't want the seeds falling from the seed-heads under their own steam), either harvest the whole plant or just cut the seed-heads off.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you allow the seed-heads to ripen too much&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After harvesting you will need to dry the seeds, please let us know if you require information on that part of the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-03T18:40:15.650" LastActivityDate="2011-08-03T18:40:15.650" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1570" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1568" CreationDate="2011-08-03T18:35:44.920" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chances are picking the seeds once it's gone to seed isn't going to actually encourage new growth.  If you're not interested in the coriander spice then you might as well try picking off the seeds and flowers to see what happens. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seeds dry on the plant and you pick them when the plant is dried, you can either leave them in your garden to pick them or hang'em upside down and dry them.  I don't think the seeds in your picture will dry out properly if picked though, they usually turn brown on the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-08-03T18:35:44.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1571" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1559" CreationDate="2011-08-03T20:36:26.870" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, some interesting reading (at least I think so):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/agconnection/newsletters/is-2010-08.htm#composting&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Animal Composting or Natural Rendering&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=WQ351&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Composting Dead Swine&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1559/394&quot;&gt;From above comments:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; It's now been six months since the ceremony&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing here a little (call it a &amp;quot;slightly&amp;quot; educated guess if you will), but I very much doubt if the pet has yet been fully turned into dust, worm castings, soil, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Buried below the surface of the ground, in uncontrolled conditions isn't the most effective way of returning the once living into &amp;quot;life&amp;quot; giving material. Also you're not going to get the &amp;quot;cooking&amp;quot; temperatures of something like, &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=WQ351&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Composting Dead Swine&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; What about diseases, flies and pathogens?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; Temperatures above 140°F (60°C) normally occur at some time in the composting pile. This is sufficient to destroy pathogens and prevent fly incubation. Good coverage of the composting pile with sawdust eliminates the fly breeding and incubation environment. No disease outbreaks have been associated with composting to date. Spreading finished compost in fields or pastures helps assure that disease organisms do not find their way back to the production area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also a good look around the web, &amp;quot;generally&amp;quot; recommends a buried depth of 2 to 3ft (600 to 900mm) for larger pets eg Cats, dogs, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's deep enough to keep scavengers away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's also deep enough not be a concern in nearly all gardening practices.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1559/394&quot;&gt;From above comments:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; From memory, not directly above, but close enough to spook. Carrots, baby tomatoes and a few chillis are planted there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I honestly think you will be ok! especially with the crops you harvest from above ground, &lt;strong&gt;but please do remember I'm no expert on such things.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, I might be a little hesitant with the Carrots or any other deep rooted crop for the first year or two, seeing as the pet was buried &amp;quot;shallow&amp;quot;. I would feel totally different about this, if the pet had been buried the &amp;quot;generally&amp;quot; recommended 2 to 3ft (600 to 900mm) below the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally if you practice &amp;quot;safe&amp;quot; harvesting techniques eg.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wash, clean and store properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Discard any crops that look like they may be &amp;quot;damaged&amp;quot; somehow, or at least the part (area) that looks &amp;quot;damaged&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe you will further reduce any possible risk there might be that much more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hope the above helps a little, and sorry I couldn't give you a definitive answer.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-08-03T20:36:26.870" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1572" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1573" CreationDate="2011-08-03T21:40:34.460" Score="10" ViewCount="597" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The long, winding backstory:&lt;/strong&gt;  We have a rubber tree which has been in the same pot for ages.  It has been moved twice, and in our new home we're still trying to find it a spot it likes.  Recently, when we went to water it, we noticed standing water on top of the soil.  It's been very droopy lately with leaves falling off.  Thinking it's getting over-watered, we move it to get a bit more indirect sun and hold off watering for a while.  Not much changes (maybe a bit more drooping).  I start worrying about mildew and root rot, and as we're discussing what to do about it we realize it's been in the same pot/soil for probably over a decade.  So I re-pot it in fresh soil and clean out it's pot.  It's been about a week; and the rubber tree is starting (very slowly) to improve.  Some wilted leaves are still falling off, but a few fresh green ones are starting to open.  Now I'm worried about how to keep it happy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that I have fresh soil in a nice large pot, I have the issue of keeping the water fresh.  My past experience of plants is either in proper ground, or pots which can drain excess water.  I understand I've just shocked this poor rubbery tree quite a bit, and I don't want to add more stress.  But I feel there's a fine line between under-watering and over-watering when one leads to drought and the other to rot.  We thought maybe a watering spike would help keep things even (as the water would be released about root level), then thought maybe that was a bad idea when the entire bottle emptied in about 18 hours.  Now we figure there's a lake in the bottom of the pot, and we might be headed back where we started.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rubber trees are very, very slow growing; and I'm not sure how quickly they take up water.  Then again, maybe they like a bit of stagnant water in their pots.  I've heard they very much like pots, at any rate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My questions:&lt;/strong&gt;  In a sealed pot, how can I measure the water needs of my plant, and how can I make adjustments?  Is there something I can do to protect the roots, or prevent water trapped in the bottom of the pot from causing health problems?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="53" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-03T21:59:16.580" LastActivityDate="2012-06-29T17:09:50.173" Title="How do I protect the roots and adjust watering levels in a non-draining indoor pot?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1572" CreationDate="2011-08-03T22:07:36.963" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fact that your rubber plant has survived so long in a &lt;em&gt;non-draining pot&lt;/em&gt; is a credit to your watering skills; in my experience, very few indoor plants will tolerate a non-draining environment very long, however careful one is to avoid over-watering. In addition to causing root-rot as you pointed out, standing water at the bottom of the pot will sooner or later lead to a build-up of harmful salts which will poison the plant. Even if your watering is so finely judged that there is rarely any standing water in the pot, the plant will still suffer from the build-up of toxins in its root- ball, which would normally be washed away whenever the plant is watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless there is a compelling reason to keep the plant in a sealed pot, I would move it into a pot with drainage holes as soon as possible and hand-water. If you have to keep it in its present pot, I would use a peat-based compost which will absorb any excess water better than a soil-based one and also dry out more quickly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are bent on keeping the sealed pot (perhaps for aesthetic reasons), you might be able to transfer the plant to a slightly smaller pot with good drainage, as Mike Perry has suggested, and place it inside the sealed one which would then serve as a pot-holder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-04T00:44:28.093" LastActivityDate="2011-08-04T00:44:28.093" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1574" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1418" CreationDate="2011-08-04T02:30:08.220" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Add another cane =) (or stick) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding a cane inside the pot should reinforce the first one and prevent mechanical failure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This doesn't address the issue of the pot becoming top heavy and unstable. If it looks like it might fall over, add another cane (or two) so that the cane(s) rest on the ground outside the pot and counteract the instability. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastActivityDate="2011-08-04T02:30:08.220" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1575" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1418" CreationDate="2011-08-04T02:35:09.027" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;While on a plant forum I stumbled across a method of using string to support tomato plants. I have not used it but it sounded promising: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/united-kingdom/196424-what-best-way-support-tomatoes.html&quot;&gt;Link to String Discussion&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found the following quote at the above link:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If you are using string in a greenhouse then the best way is to tie&#xA;  the string in a loose loop around the base of the tomato plant, then&#xA;  wind it anti clockwise round the tomato and take the string to the&#xA;  wire and tie it with a loop, if you leave plenty of string at the top&#xA;  then as the plant gets close to the wire you can undo it and lower&#xA;  the plant down a couple of feet so that the bottom which has cropped is&#xA;  on the ground and the plant has more room to grow up. Well that's how&#xA;  we used to do it in the old days, I must have strung many thousands of&#xA;  tomatoes in my time. David&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastActivityDate="2011-08-04T02:35:09.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1576" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-04T03:36:49.893" Score="16" ViewCount="868" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/928/what-is-the-best-organic-way-to-defeat-slugs&quot;&gt;thread&lt;/a&gt; on an organic way to repel slugs. However, usually I only see snails in my area. Will the techniques in the answer there work on snails too? Also, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, I've never seen a slug in my life here in Hong Kong. Are slugs/snails location specific?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-08-05T00:27:10.690" Title="Do techniques to repel slugs also work on snails?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;slugs&gt;&lt;snails&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1577" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1576" CreationDate="2011-08-04T05:30:20.630" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, the same methods &quot;should&quot; work on both of them, slugs and snails belong to the same &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_%28taxonomy%29&quot;&gt;taxonomic class&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastropod&quot;&gt;Gastropods&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;Gastropoda&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;gastropods&lt;/strong&gt;, more commonly known as &lt;strong&gt;snails and slugs.&lt;/strong&gt; are a large taxonomic class within the Mollusca. The class Gastropoda includes snails and slugs of all kinds and all sizes from microscopic to quite large. There are huge numbers of sea snails and sea slugs, as well as freshwater snails and freshwater limpets, and land snails and land slugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snail&quot;&gt;Snail&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Snail is a common name for almost all members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in a general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. Otherwise snail-like creatures that lack a shell (or have only a very small one) are called slugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slug&quot;&gt;Slug&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusk that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell. This is in contrast to the common name snail, which is applied to gastropods that have coiled shells that are big enough to retract into.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snail#Slugs&quot;&gt;Snail -&gt; Slug&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Gastropod species which lack a conspicuous shell are commonly called slugs rather than snails, although, other than having a reduced shell or no shell at all, there are really no appreciable differences between a slug and a snail except in habitat and behavior.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm currently using the &lt;strong&gt;&quot;beer trap&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; method in my (newish) &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosta&quot;&gt;Hosta&lt;/a&gt; garden, but so far with no desirable results. I must admit I'm starting to think it might not be slugs/snails, even though they are &quot;generally&quot; considered the number 1 pest problem where Hostas are concerned. Instead I'm now thinking the unwanted diner might be bigger and covered in fur...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A friend highly recommended I try &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth&quot;&gt;&quot;Diatomaceous Earth&quot;&lt;/a&gt; as a way to protect plants from slugs/snails. So far I haven't tried it, but if I switch back to thinking it's slugs/snails eating my Hostas I may very well give it a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other &quot;organic&quot; slug/snail control options I &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; try:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Coffee grounds&lt;/strong&gt; spread around the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crushed egg shells&lt;/strong&gt; spread around the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Natural predators&lt;/strong&gt;, either by attracting them into the garden or by physically bringing them in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Iron phosphate&lt;/strong&gt; baits, but I've heard &quot;good&quot; &amp;amp; &quot;bad&quot; things about those traps (even though they're marketed as an &quot;organic&quot; option), therefore I would need to research further before deciding if I would use them in my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, I think this article, &lt;a href=&quot;http://ppp.missouri.edu/newsletters/meg/archives/v12n6/meg8.htm&quot;&gt;&quot;Slugs and Snails&quot;&lt;/a&gt; from University of Missouri Extension is worth a read.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Is slug/snail location specific?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I honestly don't know for certain, but I thought both slugs and snails were found pretty much all over the world.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-04T11:51:30.880" LastActivityDate="2011-08-04T11:51:30.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1578" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1582" CreationDate="2011-08-04T07:37:01.473" Score="12" ViewCount="3009" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently got a Brussels Boxwood Bonsai, 3 years old.&#xA;And I have it placed indoors near an optimally sunlit area and apartment temperature is around&#xA;70 F.There seems to be a little bit of wilting/decay on the top canopy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Boxwood is supposed to be an outdoor bonsai.&lt;br&gt;&#xA; &lt;strong&gt;What exactly does the term outdoor mean?&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I just the place the bowl outside or have it replanted on ground outside?  If it must be outside anyhow, is that absolutely mandatory? Are there no alternatives to placing it outside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="526" LastEditorUserId="526" LastEditDate="2011-08-04T16:12:02.567" LastActivityDate="2012-07-15T15:16:35.940" Title="What exactly is an outdoor bonsai?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1579" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="426" CreationDate="2011-08-04T09:32:26.430" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This year a standpipe was installed close to the plot where I grow my potatoes, &lt;em&gt;so I was able to water them in depth&lt;/em&gt; throughout the dry spell. I grew the same variety as last year, and prepared the soil in exactly the same way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I lifted some yesterday and steamed them; they are all very healthy, cook well and have a fine waxy texture - quite different from last year's which were so dry and crumbly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;JohnH was right: last year's crop simply needed more water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-08-04T09:32:26.430" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1580" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1576" CreationDate="2011-08-04T10:11:45.537" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to the organic slug-repellents already mentioned, I would strongly recommend &lt;strong&gt;a grow tunnel&lt;/strong&gt; (either thick-mesh or micro-mesh) which, if carefully placed, provides a barrier that is &lt;em&gt;almost 100% effective&lt;/em&gt;. See answer and comments &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/398/what-is-eating-my-vegetable-seedlings/406#406&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h0Ibv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Micro-mesh Grow Tunnel&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/21EgF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Thick-mesh Grow Tunnel&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-08-05T00:27:10.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1581" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1585" CreationDate="2011-08-04T15:12:54.643" Score="11" ViewCount="840" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an apartment in Brooklyn with a south-east facing deck.  In the summer it gets a lot of light.   Indoors, I also have lots of windows facing that direction.  I'd like to get a nectarine tree and have it indoors in the winter, and outdoors in the summer (I can use a dolly to move the pot).  Are there dwarf varieties of this type that would do well in this situation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="471" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-04T15:53:21.440" LastActivityDate="2016-04-22T20:39:54.973" Title="Is there a dwarf nectarine tree that would be suitable for indoor/outdoor life?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;nectarines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1582" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1578" CreationDate="2011-08-04T16:48:02.423" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;To me if you were told that it should be an outside bonsai then I would try it outside. If you plant this in the ground it will no longer be a bonsai in the classical interpretation. A boxwood is an outside plant. You could keep it outside during the day or when you are not at home. Bring it inside when you are home so you can enjoy it. If there is a spot in the house that is most like outside then try it there. This could be a porch or a very sunny spot in the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-08-04T16:48:02.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1557" CreationDate="2011-08-04T17:02:08.480" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since they are in your kitchen, why not just treat it with something that is handy. This is liquid dish detergent. Put a few drops in a spray bottle with water and give the plants a good shower on the tops and underneath the leaves. If the soap does not work sufficiently then add a bit of hot pepper and see if the bugs don't just disappear. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-08-04T17:02:08.480" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1584" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1514" CreationDate="2011-08-04T17:40:41.473" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cheftalk.com/forum/thread/33605/why-does-my-fresh-basil-turn-black#post_184980&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;an article linked in a comment by Mike Perry&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Your basil is turning black because it is oxidiizing [sic] ... the exposed new surfaces will go black becasue [sic] they are exposed to the air around them&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Be very gentle with it, it bruises so easy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My experience [not] following this advice&lt;/strong&gt; leads me to believe bruising was the cause:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I picked a couple leaves yesterday for a salad, handled them gently, no blackness.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I picked a couple of leaves for salad today, but I stacked some cucumbers on top of them in the picking basket and they had some black spots where they had been bruised when I went to slice them onto the salad.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In my original question, I had packed a bunch of leaves into the picking basket (which was overflowing, so they were &lt;em&gt;packed&lt;/em&gt;). It must have been this packing that caused some bruising and led to the blackening that prompted my original question.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-04T17:40:41.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1585" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1581" CreationDate="2011-08-04T17:51:41.323" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have first hand experience, but I do know with appropriate tree stock selection, the right conditions, care, you can most definitely make it work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarfing#Plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dwarfing Plants:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;As with animals, plants can be dwarfed through &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_engineering#Agriculture&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;genetic engineering&lt;/a&gt; and selective breeding&lt;/strong&gt;, but can also undergo natural, morphological changes to acclimatize to environmental stresses such as soil quality, light, drought, flood, cold, infection, and herbivory resulting in a dwarfed stature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1986-03-01/Dwarf-Trees-Fruit-Nuts.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Growing Dwarf Fruit Trees and Nut Trees&lt;/a&gt;, appears to be a pretty good, useful article on the subject of &quot;Dwarf Fruiting Trees&quot;. Below are a few bullet points I've picked out of that article &amp;amp; stuff I've picked up over the years:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For your situation, I believe you will be best served with a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_engineering#Agriculture&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;genetic dwarf nectarine tree&lt;/a&gt;. These trees have been available to home gardeners since the mid to late 1960's.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dwarf peach and nectarine trees should be readily available in a large selection of cultivars. Look for ones that claim to be &quot;disease resistant&quot;, this &quot;should&quot; make maintenance that bit easier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dwarf peach and nectarine trees are short, shrubby trees, grow to about 6 to 10ft (1800 to 3000mm) tall and wide.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dwarf fruit trees fruit earlier than their &quot;standard&quot; family members.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dwarf fruit trees have a high density of bloom, which results in a large fruit crop (for the size of the tree).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Due to the high density of bloom, pruning is &lt;strong&gt;not as&lt;/strong&gt; important to stimulate flower and fruit production. Note, appropriate pruning should still be undertaken for the overall health of the fruit tree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Easy maintenance due to their small size eg No need for ladders.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Peach and nectarine trees need plenty of sunshine and warmth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant the dwarf fruit tree in a &quot;suitably&quot; sized container (with good drainage), basically the bigger the better.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant the dwarf fruit tree in &quot;good quality&quot; growing medium, either purchase a &quot;high quality&quot; container (soil) mix or mix your own.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mulch with compost, this will help feed the &quot;container&quot; (bound) tree slowly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the first year, remove &lt;strong&gt;all&lt;/strong&gt; fruits, this will allow the roots and the tree itself to get better established.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the second year, remove &amp;#190; of the fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first year or two is all about building strong foundations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;From the third year onward, you will want to remove (thin) 50% of the fruit, doing so will greatly help your tree remain healthy, prolong its life and result in much better quality fruit (the ones that remain on the tree to ripen).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;As is the case with &quot;most&quot; plants, the more (appropriate) care you give, the more years of enjoyment you can expect back from your dwarf fruit tree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-22T20:39:54.973" LastActivityDate="2016-04-22T20:39:54.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1521" CreationDate="2011-08-04T18:25:28.423" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many different applications for a pond that size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first is a skimmer. Installed outside the pond, keeps pump and plumbing hidden for better appearance, easy cleaning, catches floating debris in basket and fine debris with fiber filter mat &#xA;Submersible pump sits inside the skimmer or external pump can be used to pull water from skimmer.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Flow range of 1000 gph to 3500 gph.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another is the Gravity type System which may be used with a waterfall or stream application. In  the Gravity type filter, water is pumped in and exits by gravity back into pond &#xA;Mechanical and biological filtration using foam pad which can be easily cleaned without having to remove from filter &#xA;Thermometer and sensor to let you know when to clean are options in some systems. &#xA;Maximum flow 2300 gph &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other types of systems available including systems that can be buried. If there are any pond builders or stores in the area just visit to see what is available. If you like to be creative there are many systems available that can be put together on a budget. I have found many pumps submersible and not and filter systems with pumps included from pools and hot tubs etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A stream and waterfall can also aid in filtration. You can build a stream using pond liner. Rocks and vegetation can be added for natural filtration. There are so many variations. One stream even had a bog built in to naturally filter the water. Ponds and the systems involved are many and varied. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gRR9k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The picture is from a pond I built. It consisted of a one large (1000) gal and a smaller pond (150) gal that were connected with a 25 foot stream with waterfalls, bog plants and fish. The small pond was built higher up and the water was pumped up from the big pond. No filters, just the pumps. Lasted for years and was completely natural.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-08-04T18:25:28.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1587" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="398" CreationDate="2011-08-05T00:04:43.533" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could it be &lt;strong&gt;armyworms&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;cutworms&lt;/strong&gt; (small caterpillars)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The below arrived in my inbox today (2011-08-04) and I thought I would share it here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gateway Greening Tip of the Week: Fall Seedling Pests&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For those of you starting seedlings indoors for the fall, or outside in your garden, and are finding half-eaten leaves or seedlings nibbled to the stem, check for &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_worm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;armyworms&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutworms&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cutworms&lt;/a&gt;. These tiny caterpillars will chew up the young leaves and damage tender plants, limiting their chances of successful growth. They often eat at night and spend the day just beneath the soil near the stem. Check in this area in the morning if you notice plant damage. Some also feed during the day, hiding just beneath the leaves. Pick these off diligently. Another solution is BTK &lt;em&gt;(Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki)&lt;/em&gt;, common biological spray used for all caterpillars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is what Wikipedia has to say about those two pests:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_worm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Armyworms&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is regarded as a pest and can wreak havoc with crops if left to multiply. Its name is derived from its feeding habits. &lt;strong&gt;Army worms will eat everything in an area and once the food supply is exhausted the entire &amp;quot;army&amp;quot; will move to the next available food source.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_worm#Feeding_habits&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Feeding habits:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; The armyworm's diet consists mainly of grasses and small grain crops. An infestation is hard to detect as the caterpillars migrate to new feeding areas in the cool of the night. &lt;strong&gt;When the caterpillars near maturity, they can lay waste to an entire crop in a few days.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutworms&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cutworms:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutworms are not worms, biologically speaking, but caterpillars; they are moth larvae that &lt;strong&gt;hide under litter or soil during the day, coming out in the dark to feed on plants. A larva typically attacks the first part of the plant it encounters, namely the stem, often of a seedling, and consequently cuts it down; hence the name cutworm.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutworms#Feeding_and_hiding&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Feeding and hiding:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Cutworm larvae vary in their feeding behaviour; some remain with the plant they cut down and feed on it, while others often move on after eating a small amount from a felled seedling; such a wasteful mode of feeding results in disproportionate damage to crops.&lt;/strong&gt; Cutworms accordingly are serious pests to gardeners in general, but to vegetable and grain farmers in particular.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutworms#Species_and_habits&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Species and habits:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; Cutworms are notorious agricultural and garden pests. &lt;strong&gt;They are voracious leaf, bud, and stem feeders and can destroy entire plants. They get their name from their habit of &amp;quot;cutting&amp;quot; off a seedling at ground level by chewing through the stem.&lt;/strong&gt; Some species are subterranean and eat roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some additional reading:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/PC_92857.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cutworms : pests of crops and pastures&lt;/a&gt; from Department of Agriculture and Food (Western Australia)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-08-05T16:19:35.637" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1589" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-05T11:59:57.637" Score="11" ViewCount="3940" Body="&lt;p&gt;My cabbages have been growing strongly, but until recently mostly big loose leaves, not hearts. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now they're beginning to heart up, but some way up the stalk and off the ground (about 12-15cm up the stalk, possibly more [photo probably shows the most extreme example]). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bd6Ak.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They look like decent hearts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But is this a problem? In a lettuce (which I am more used to growing) this would look like a plant that had started to bolt. And also, archetypal illustrations of healthy cabbages always show tight balls close to the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Further thought: Could it be connected to overcrowding and/or being shaded by nearby beans and broccoli? Are these guys reaching up for more light?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-08-08T17:11:22.200" LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T17:11:22.200" Title="Does it matter if my cabbage forms its heart some way off the ground?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;&lt;cabbage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1590" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1176" CreationDate="2011-08-05T18:15:11.200" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Shiny aluminum pie plates did the trick for me. The wind keeps them moving and the sunlight reflecting off them should keep the birds away.  All you need to do is punch a hole in the plate and hang it from a branch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="529" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-14T04:09:46.023" LastActivityDate="2012-01-14T04:09:46.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1591" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-05T18:20:25.830" Score="14" ViewCount="246" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking at buying a gas-powered lawn mower from a friend, but I'm concerned because the mower was purchased new almost 13 years ago. How can I evaluate its condition and know if it will last me several years without any major overhauls? Of course certain parts like the blade are designed to wear out and be replaced eventually, and I'm fine with that. I just want to make sure I can keep this thing running for a good long time. I'm also worried about the continued availability of replacement parts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="28" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-24T23:38:24.840" LastActivityDate="2015-10-07T23:17:49.250" Title="How do I evaluate the condition of a used lawn mower?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1592" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1589" CreationDate="2011-08-05T21:33:16.863" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I've never seen or heard of such a thing happen to cabbages before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A photo or two on the cabbages would be helpful (IMHO), so we can see exactly what you are talking about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I've just returned home from my local feed mill, while there I asked them about your particular situation, below is a summary of what they had to say:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Never seen or heard of such a thing before.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the cabbages had bolted, you would have seen flowers, then seed heads ie The cabbages would have gone to seed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sounds almost like some kind of &quot;mutation&quot; has occurred.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leave at least one cabbage in the ground to see what happens.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is what a few gardening &quot;experts&quot; on twitter have had to say, after asking them to take a look at &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1589/394&quot;&gt;the question&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/simiansuter&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;@simiansuter&lt;/a&gt; - I've found what's described can happen where conditions are not &quot;A1&quot;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not enough light or water.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lack of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, etc. The mutation is &quot;normal&quot; when grown organically.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I've always grown organically and have often had &quot;tall&quot; cabbages. Generally they taste just fine, which is the important thing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/Rhizowen&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;@Rhizowen&lt;/a&gt; - If they were transplanted before getting into head mode, this could have put them into shock, the result being the &quot;mutation&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Earthing them up is probably worthwhile, might get adventitious roots developing for enhanced feeding and stability against wind-rock.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/MarkDoc&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;@MarkDoc&lt;/a&gt; - Mutant veg should be encouraged! If it tastes great, who cares.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/timandjoe&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;@timandjoe&lt;/a&gt; - No we've not seen anything like that, but it makes harvesting them a whole lot easier :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T15:11:39.163" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1593" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1596" CreationDate="2011-08-05T19:14:57.793" Score="18" ViewCount="53030" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Dallas, Texas and we've been having some pretty crazy heat this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I try to water my lawn 3 to 4 times a week so my grass doesn't all die.  My lawn is doing pretty well considering how dry it's been here, but I have been noticing these really large cracks in different places that are due to the dryness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My friend said that his lawn does that pretty much every year and they will eventually fill in once it starts raining again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if there is anything I can do to either prevent or lessen the cracking in my lawn.  Also, could these cracks potentially cause a foundation issue?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="538" OwnerDisplayName="Robert Greiner" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-05T22:22:11.627" LastActivityDate="2020-05-14T11:56:38.003" Title="How do I get rid of the large cracks in my lawn due to the lack of rain?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1593" CreationDate="2011-08-05T19:52:46.423" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used to live in Texas and I know just what you mean. :)  Keeping the ground moist is all you can do to try to prevent it.  As far as your foundation goes yes it can cause some serious problems.  the only thing that you can do to prevent it is to water around your foundation.  Make sure that you are not starting to develop cracks in the ground around your foundation because it could cause the foundation to crack and sink into the whole from the graound.  I am sure you have been in many homes out there where you can see cracks in people's sheetrock and cieling.  That is what causes that.  It can also be very expensive to repair.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would make sure that you water around you foundation at least once a day durring your killer dry spell.  If Dallas county puts a watering band into effect (which they will do i am sure)  Screw the grass and water around that foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="lazoDev" LastActivityDate="2011-08-05T19:52:46.423" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1595" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1593" CreationDate="2011-08-05T21:13:56.163" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;All you can do is keep the ground as watered as possible. I'm in Bedford, so I'm having the same problems. The major thing to keep track of is that the soil around the foundation of your house doesn't start to pull away; that can cause thousands of dollars in damage as the foundation loses its footing. Other than that, the cracks will fill in when the rains return. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a normal cycle; it's a strong La Nina year, the opposite to El Nino. The Pacific Ocean is cooler than normal off the California coast, so there's less moisture in the prevailing west winds south of the Jet Stream (and those winds are weaker), so we get very low humidity meaning even the Gulf moisture from the south just gets sucked into the air mass around us. By contrast, the northern latitudes get drenched because the overall cooler temperatures above the jet stream can hold less of the water from the warming Arctic regions. In an El Nino year it's almost completely reversed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This may sound terrible, but pray for a few hurricanes to hit the Texas coast between Corpus and Houston. If they hit there, they should take a sharp right and head north as they hit land and the lower eddies of the Jet Stream, dumping loads of rain on the Metroplex (and if it hits closer to Corpus, it'll drench Austin too, where my parents live). Only trouble is that the best path a hurricane can take to dump the kind of rain we need is the one Rita took; right through Galveston and Houston, then up 45.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1104" OwnerDisplayName="KeithS" LastActivityDate="2011-08-05T21:45:44.450" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1596" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1593" CreationDate="2011-08-05T22:10:54.040" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may also wish to take the time to have a browse through the below site, as it directly relates to lawns in your local area:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-turf.tamu.edu/aggieturf2/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Turf website for Texas A&amp;amp;M University&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I highly recommend you listen to, &quot;You Bet Your Garden&quot; podcast -- &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.whyy.org/podcast/garden/garden20110827.mp3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Not So Perfect Produce, 27&lt;sup&gt;the&lt;/sup&gt; August 2011 (Direct link to MP3)&lt;/a&gt; and start listening at 13mins:27secs in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;How to water your lawn perfectly with Guy Fipps, PhD, P.E., Director of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://itc.tamu.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Irrigation Technology Center&lt;/a&gt; at Texas A&amp;amp;M University.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; What type of lawn do you have, warm-season or cool-season?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would guess you have a warm-season lawn, seeing as you're in Texas, but if you could please confirm one-way or the other, and also the type of grass that makes up your lawn, that would be useful to know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I have Bermuda grass...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ok! you have a warm-season lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; How high do you mow your lawn ie How tall is the grass after you've finished mowing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on your grass type and the answer given to the above question, you &quot;might&quot; be better served mowing at a higher height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You haven't yet said how high you mow your lawn, but we do now know you have a warm-season lawn, therefore my recommendations are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early in the growing season (early to mid Spring) as the grass is coming out of Winter dormancy, cut your lawn at 1&amp;#189; to 2inches (37.5 to 50mm), then from late Spring onward move the cutting height on your lawnmower up, 2inches (50mm) minimum, 2&amp;#189;inches (62.5mm) would be better.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; How much water do you give your lawn during each watering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're not sure, do something like the following to measure the amount of water:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put a empty, shallow (tuna) can in the middle on the watering zone and measure the depth of the contents after your sprinkling system has turned itself off after 20 minutes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I give the lawn about 1/3&quot; 3 times a week. I think I'm going to the twice a week at 1/2&quot; you were suggesting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a lawn to remain alive (instead of allowing it to go into dormancy) during extreme heat and drought, it needs at least 1inch (25mm) of water per week. The 1inch (25mm) of water is best delivered via either:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;One deep watering a week that delivers a minimum of 1inch (25mm).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Or two waterings a week, each one delivering a minimum of &amp;#189;inch (12.5mm).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering a lawn more than twice a week (even during extreme heat &amp;amp; drought) has a negative effect on the lawn ie&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It encourages the grass to develop a shallow root system, where as what you really want to do, especially in a situation like yours, is encourage the grass to develop a deep root system, make it go deeper to look for water below the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Frequent watering also increases the possibility of diseases developing in your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I'm also going to look into adding compost to the lawn this fall. My dad was also saying that I could buy some gardening sand to fill the cracks in. Would you recommend this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I wouldn't add sand in your particular situation. &lt;strong&gt;Why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, sand is an excellent drainage material and will aid water getting down deep into your soil, but I believe you want to try and close up those cracks and prevent them from returning, therefore I think you would be better served by making the top 12 to 18inches (300 to 450mm) of soil as fertile as possible, thus allowing that soil zone to hold as much water as it can. That said, I would fill those cracks with finely sieved (&amp;#188;inch/6.25mm) compost (maybe with some gardening sand mixed in) &amp;amp; compost tea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would seriously look into improving your soil below your lawn. &lt;strong&gt;How?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are a couple of things I've done (and continue to do for the most part):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spread 1inch (25mm) of compost all over the surface of the lawn twice a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once in the Spring - did that for 3 years, stopped doing it this year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;And once in the Autumn (Fall) - have done that the past 3 years and will continue to do it, as part of my Autumn (Fall) lawn care maintenance programme.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make 5 gallons of compost tea each week (from late Spring to earlier Autumn &quot;Fall&quot;) and apply the 5 gallon batch to the front garden one week, then the following week apply a new fresh 5 gallon batch to the back garden. I repeat that cycle for the period given previously. I have been doing this for 2 years now, and without question I have noticed a massive increase in worm activity eg lots of worm castings on the surface of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The transformation from what I started with, to what I have now, is (almost) unbelievable...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can read more about my lawn care practices &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;here on SE Gardening&lt;/a&gt;. I've now added a few photos to that post, especially take not of the 4 photos labelled &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&quot;... after 4 weeks of continuous +95°F (35°C) heat, almost zero rain, watered once a week (per above) and not mowed during that time&quot;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; Maybe last year, but most definitely 2 years ago I would have lost about a &amp;#8531; of the grass in my back garden and would have had cracks in the soil that I could've stuck my fingers down into after going through such an excessive heat period. I'm not saying my lawn and/or soil are now perfect, but without a shadow of a doubt they're improving, getting better each year...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Hopefully with your help my lawn will be the envy of the neighborhood in no time!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't expect instant miracles, if you do, I'm afraid you will be somewhat disappointed and may get a little frustrated due to lack of (instant) progress. In reality it's going to take at least a year or two before you see any noticeable improvement, but I guarantee if you do stick with it, you will end up reaping huge! rewards and personal satisfaction from seeing the transformation...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Also, could these cracks potentially cause a foundation issue?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cracks in the soil won't directly cause any issues with the foundation of your house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are a few things that factor into &lt;strong&gt;potential&lt;/strong&gt; foundation problems when dealing with excessive drying out of the soil:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Depth to underside of foundations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What type of soil the foundations bear on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How wide the foundations are ie The bearing area onto the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Excessive drying out of the soil causes the soil to &quot;contract&quot; (shrink), if this occurs to a large enough extent (along with factoring in the above 3 points, plus some I'm sure I've missed) it can &lt;strong&gt;possibly&lt;/strong&gt; cause the foundations to settle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If after an excessive drying out period, the soil suddenly becomes &quot;super saturated&quot;, thus causing the soil to &quot;suddenly&quot; expand, this (along with factoring in the above 3 points, plus some I'm sure I've missed) can &lt;strong&gt;possibly&lt;/strong&gt; result in ground heave that exerts enough upward force to push the foundations up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" OwnerDisplayName="Mike Perry" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-09-03T04:38:12.467" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1597" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1589" CreationDate="2011-08-05T22:28:42.263" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;My cabbages, for whatever reason, seem to all do what you're describing. (A picture of yours would confirm if they're the same as what I have.) They end up with a stem a few inches long (10-15cm) and then a good head (heart). Nothing to worry about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-05T22:28:42.263" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1256" CreationDate="2011-08-05T23:06:07.610" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just stumbled across the following article:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/viewhtml.php?id=128&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bug Vacuums for Organic Crop Protection&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/download.php?id=128&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bug Vacuums for Organic Crop Protection&lt;/a&gt; &amp;lt;- Direct download to PDF&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below I have extracted what I believe to be the most relevant points related to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1256/394&quot;&gt;question asked&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Abstract&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Field vacuuming is a novel concept for pest management in organic cropping systems. Though heavily promoted, it has not been widely adopted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/viewhtml.php?id=128#fieldvac&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Field Vacuums for Insect Pest Management&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Among the tools that have drawn interest are field vacuums, which suck pests from the growing crop and &amp;quot;batter&amp;quot; them to death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growers and researchers have experimented with suction devices on a number of horticultural crops, including lettuce, strawberries, artichokes, grapes, potatoes, celery, and cole crops. The most successful application of insect vacuums appears to be control of lygus bugs in strawberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes, the vacuums simply weren’t adequate for the job. When they tried them for aphid control on lettuce, California growers found that the pest hid mostly in the lower parts of the plant and escaped - a particularly serious problem because the aphids vector several serious diseases&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/viewhtml.php?id=128#insectvac&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sources for Insect Vacuums&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The California supplier &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bioquip.com/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;BioQuip Products&lt;/a&gt; has several small vacuums that are mostly intended for insect monitoring and collecting, rather than control. One of the vacuums is a backpack unit, however, which might be useful for pest control in biointensive systems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For very small-scale applications, the &amp;quot;Bug Vacuum&amp;quot; - a battery-operated, hand-held unit may work. However, it appears designed primarily for removing individual insects like errant wasps, bees, and flies from the home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/viewhtml.php?id=128#sum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Summary&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Field vacuums are an interesting non-chemical approach to insect pest management. While promising, the concept has not received wide use because of a number of problems, including cost and efficacy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;If I've &amp;quot;quoted&amp;quot; too much, please feel free to edit appropriately.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-08-05T23:06:07.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1591" CreationDate="2011-08-05T23:49:36.297" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming that you trust your friend and he'll give honest answers when you ask the following questions. In general if you're buying it from someone you don't necessarily trust, you'll probably want to inspect it and let your eyes tell you if they agree with the answers. (See below.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Was the oil changed annually?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spark plug?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Was gas drained from the tank at the end of the season? (It should be drained before storage -- or run until it is out of gas.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Was it stored indoors?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &quot;no&quot; to any of the above takes some life off the engine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Give the machine a visual inspection:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are all the parts present? (Whichever are applicable: grass catcher / bag, deflectors, guards, flaps.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Where there are bolts holding pieces of the machine (e.g. the push handle), are they tight? Are any missing? (My mower is missing a couple of the original plastic knobs here -- you'll know when you inspect it.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is anything held on with duct tape? (Don't laugh -- I speak from experience!)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there any rust? Severe rust on the frame/chassis would be a deal breaker for me. A little rust on the muffler isn't the end of the world.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Check the dipstick -- does it have enough oil? If it doesn't, you might question (a) has it been well maintained (i.e. does your friend often run it low on oil) and/or (b) does it burn oil? For (b) ask your friend if he has to refill the oil regularly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is the blade sharp? If the blade is in rough shape -- dull and/or with big dings, you may suspect that the machine in general hasn't been well maintained.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Look overall for wear and good running:&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wheels; are they heavily worn? This would point to a lot of use.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;chassis / frame -- are there dings, scratches, etc. This would point to a lot of &lt;em&gt;rough&lt;/em&gt; use.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;starter -- is the rope and handle intact, does the rope pull freely, does it start on the first pull? An engine that won't start right up has problems that you may not want to get involved with.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;engine -- does it smoke when it first starts or during running? Again, this could point to problems.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My experience with an old machine -- a 1970s-era rototiller -- is that replacement parts have been easy, but I've only replaced belts, spark plugs, and the pull start rope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-06T18:45:57.473" LastActivityDate="2011-08-06T18:45:57.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1600" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1593" CreationDate="2011-08-06T09:16:16.960" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The cracking is from the clay.  Texas soil has a lot of it, which is why we can't have basements, why it's so hard to dig, etc.  It grows and shrinks, depending on water content, much more than soil that has higher organic matter or sand content.  Your only two options are either to water it or to sprinkle top soil/compost/whatever on it... anything to get the clay content down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As Mike Perry says, keep your grass long (2-4&quot;.)  Cutting it short (i.e. &amp;lt;2&quot;) is a bad idea in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="532" LastActivityDate="2011-08-06T09:16:16.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1601" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-06T12:40:41.193" Score="9" ViewCount="747" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our garden in the North of England was full of these when we moved in. It grows a lot vertically, never seems to flower, is deciduous, and has leathery green leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Been trying to work out what it is for a while with no luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nvmIb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;wide angle shot of plant&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uAqpb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="87" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T04:03:33.393" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T04:03:33.393" Title="Is this deciduous shrub with leathery green leaves in Northern England, some sort of cotoneaster?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1578" CreationDate="2011-08-06T21:20:38.470" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bonsai is a miniature living tree so you should provide an environment which is suitable for your boxwood. As fas as I know this tree prefers USDA hardiness zone 6-9. If you live somewhere where the outside temperature is adequate than I suggest outdoor cultivation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just place the bowl (and the plant) outside. Usually outdoor bonsais are not directly planted in the ground. For a beginner (like myself) it's much easier to use a bowl. If you plant it outside and stop pruning the branches and the roots it will grow like any boxwood, and it won't be a bonsai anymore.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because of the small size, your bonsai boxwood will be more sensitive than a &quot;normal&quot; boxwood at the same area. You should take care of the watering, and during winter you have to avoid freezing of the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the outdoor temperature is too low, or you have no garden, you may try to grow it indoor. Several successful attempts show that it's possible. Usually it's not too difficult during summer, but you need to find a cooler windowsill before winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="75" LastActivityDate="2011-08-06T21:20:38.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1604" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1606" CreationDate="2011-08-07T03:02:57.047" Score="11" ViewCount="4509" Body="&lt;p&gt;The last (and only) time I tried growing parsnips (&quot;Harris Model&quot;) a couple of years ago, they ended up much &quot;fatter&quot; than the parsnips I've typically seen in the store and in pictures. Instead of being just a bit bigger than carrots, these were about 3-4&quot; diameter at the top, and had a tough woody core. The core was inedible and removing it made cooking them a hassle. I regarded the crop as a &quot;loss&quot;; nobody wanted to cook or eat it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I followed directions seen in various places: direct seed in spring (late April) and harvest after some frosts (around Thanksgiving -- mid-November). Some research I did afterward indicated that I may have given them too long of a growing season and should have harvested them earlier. (I.e. maybe they were overmature?) The tops were at least 3' high, which is more than I've seen elsewhere. Was it too much fertility (i.e. an overdose of horse manure)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What caused this problem and how can I prevent it when I try again next spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T04:59:49.247" Title="Why were my parsnips fat with a woody core?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1605" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1607" CreationDate="2011-08-07T10:39:24.297" Score="16" ViewCount="42906" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got an apple tree in the garden which has produced a good crop, but most of the apples are covered in black spots:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wJWhV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wJWhV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this? It seems to be some sort of fungus, but what's the best way to treat / prevent this and are these apples now inedible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="535" LastEditorDisplayName="user11992" LastEditDate="2015-08-25T10:27:31.773" LastActivityDate="2015-08-25T10:27:31.773" Title="What causes black spots on my apples?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1606" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1604" CreationDate="2011-08-07T13:08:58.763" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The tough woody core would almost certainly have been caused by:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;insufficient moisture&lt;/em&gt; - &lt;em&gt;the soil should never be allowed to dry out&lt;/em&gt; - although, of course, some varieties of parsnip have a good deal more core than others; it is worth looking through the seed catalogs for a variety with very little core (the one I use is Tender and True, but I don't know if it's available in the US);&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;leaving them in the ground too long,&lt;/em&gt; as you suggest. Although the standard advice is to leave them in the ground until after the first frosts, I've found that when I do this, they become woody, like yours, and are tunneled by carrot fly. I've now started lifting both carrots and parsnips in mid-Autumn and, although the parsnips are not quite as sweet, they are not at all woody, and carrot-fly damage is minimal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Their over-large size is probably down to the horse manure, resulting in an &lt;em&gt;over-fertile soil&lt;/em&gt; coupled with their prolonged stay in the ground. When sowing carrots and parsnips, I've found it  better not to add any manure at all, and  to sow on a plot that I've manured the previous year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-08-07T13:08:58.763" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1605" CreationDate="2011-08-07T14:18:42.280" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not a disease, but a disorder called &lt;strong&gt;Bitter Pit&lt;/strong&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/ShowDisease.aspx?RecordID=38&quot;&gt;see photo here&lt;/a&gt;) which, like blossom end rot in cucurbits (pumpkins, zucchini etc), is caused by a calcium deficiency:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Bitter pit is caused by low levels of calcium in the fruit and poor distribution of calcium within the tree during fruit development. However, it is rarely due to a deficiency of calcium in the soil and can even occur in trees growing on chalk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Bitter pit is more usually connected with an irregular supply of water, which prevents calcium being taken up and circulated around the tree. Problems are generally worse in seasons when there are wide fluctuations in rainfall and temperature and a shortage of water to trees at critical times during fruit development.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It is also worth noting that excessive use of nitrogen, potassium and magnesium fertilisers can cause or exacerbate the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=607&quot;&gt;Royal Horticultural Society/ Bitter Pit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the pits are only skin-deep:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;you can peel and eat the apples, although they may taste a little bitter;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;cook or freeze them as soon as possible after harvesting, to prevent the disorder from progressing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You should be able to control the disorder by:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;watering regularly during dry spells so as to minimize fluctuations in the water supply;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;mulching around the tree to retain moisture in the soil in summer;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;applying a general-purpose &lt;em&gt;balanced&lt;/em&gt; fertilizer in early spring (such as Grow More) and &lt;em&gt;avoiding over-feeding.&lt;/em&gt;;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;pruning lightly in summer to reduce the leaf area and redirect calcium to the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-08-07T14:18:42.280" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1608" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1604" CreationDate="2011-08-07T19:04:55.727" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Fresh or aged (well rotted) horse manure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;bstpierre&quot; &lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; Well rotted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Is the soil well cultivated ie Is the horse manure dug at least a spades depth into the ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;bstpierre&quot; &lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; That bed was fairly well mixed to about 18&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Do they get enough water, especially early on &amp;amp; during hot, dry spells in the summer months?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;bstpierre&quot; &lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; They got plenty of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Also during the hot summer months do you mulch them with something like a couple of inches of compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;bstpierre&quot; &lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; No mulch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Have you tried sowing at 2 week intervals from later April to end of May, just to see if the later sowing works better in your environment (growing conditions)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;bstpierre&quot; &lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; I only tried growing them once, but the 2 week interval suggestion would be an interesting experiment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then the only couple of things I can think of suggesting at the moment are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mulch during the hot summer months, as I've learnt since living here in the US, the heat in the UK doesn't come close to what is experienced over here, therefore mulching tends to be very important, especially during the summer months&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Go with the 2 week interval sowing experiment. I think you might discover the shorter growing season works better for your growing environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;And to answer the original questions:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Why were my parsnips fat?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; I believe it's most likely a combination of too much fertiliser (soil might be too fertile), too much water (causing some swelling to occur) and being left in the ground too long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much water (during the summer months) = More than, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/parsnip.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Water thoroughly once a week in periods of extended dry weather to keep growth from slowing in summer&lt;/a&gt;&quot;, via University of Illinois Extension. Sorry, could find similar information on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.unh.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;University of New Hamsphire Cooperative Extension&lt;/a&gt; site or neighbouring state Extension Office sites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Why do my parsnips have a woody core?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; I believe it's most likely caused by them being left in the ground too long, try shortening your growing season by sowing later or experiment by sowing at 2 week intervals to see what works best for your growing environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-08T04:59:49.247" LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T04:59:49.247" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1609" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1654" CreationDate="2011-08-07T18:18:53.753" Score="10" ViewCount="8383" Body="&lt;p&gt;I watched &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25dw4_X-_nA&quot;&gt;this video&lt;/a&gt; where&#xA;a man grows barley grass, then makes a juice from it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to grow my own barley grass indoors in pots, so temperature is probably an important factor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What else should I consider eg Variety, Soil, Watering, Timing, etc so that I can achieve maximum nutritional results from the indoor growing process?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="541" OwnerDisplayName="xralf" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-10T14:58:04.270" LastActivityDate="2015-12-16T21:52:44.690" Title="How can I grow barley grass indoors?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="726" CreationDate="2011-08-08T09:00:48.847" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;After having asked a few professionals, the plant appears to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiopogon_japonicus&quot;&gt;ophiopogon japonicus&lt;/a&gt; or (细叶)麦冬 = (xi ye) maidong in Chinese&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to Lisa for giving more popular names: &quot;mondo grass&quot; or &quot;monkey grass&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user287" LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T09:00:48.847" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1614" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-08T10:29:04.740" Score="12" ViewCount="152" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is said that if you let your runner/french beans reach full maturity, the plant stops producing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I harvest my beans (even if only to throw/give them away) regularly to prolong cropping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How thorough do I need to be? Is it sufficient to regularly pick most of the beans that are ready or do I have to ensure I catch every single bean pod?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-08T12:39:53.227" LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T03:53:55.017" Title="Harvesting beans to prolong cropping - but how thorough do I need to be?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;green-beans&gt;&lt;runner-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1615" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1578" CreationDate="2011-08-08T10:53:52.650" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anything that a bonsai expert would work on is an outdoor bonsai. Some people train succulents to be bonsai like, but these just don't cut it in terms of style and quality. If you had an indoor succulent type bonsai and referred to it as such to a Japanese or Chinese person they would likely suggest you are using the wrong word to describe your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many nursery retailers keep succulents and other such things close to their bonsai displays, that they grow in a similar fashion to bonsai and because most succulents will thrive in a tiny pot if given the occasional watering, they are damn hardy and nurseries want to keep their customers happy, so they sell these plants as bonsai (e.g. jade tree in tiny pot). It has the added benefit of being cheap to cultivate and unlike proper bonsai, they don't die after a week because the buyer doesn't have the experience to care for a real bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For anything that is a real bonsai, which is a real tree which is growing in a place where its roots are restricted, it has to be treated just like a real tree. It needs optimal water (not too much or too little), it needs enough sunlight and it needs fresh air, it also needs enough nutrients in the soil. If any of the above are lacking it will shed its leaves and then die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bottom line, you can't keep a bonsai inside your house for more than 2 days a week if you want to keep it growing healthy. I usually only bring one or two selected plants into the house when visitors are coming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You do not need to plant it into the ground, just have it somewhere were it will catch the  breeze and can get some sunlight (without drying out).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-08T16:41:28.927" LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T16:41:28.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1572" CreationDate="2011-08-08T11:00:14.740" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you like the pot that it's in, then the optimal solution is to drill a decent sized hole or two in the bottom of the pot and place it on a secondary tray to collect the excess water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did you notice any rot when you transferred it into new soil? It is suggested that you cut out any diseased or rotting roots before replanting, as the rotting could continue even in the new soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could also be possible that the plant is root bound due to an excess of roots. During a time when the plant is dormant you can trim excess roots so that new roots and feeder roots have space to grow. Hardened roots will absorb less water and nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My last suggestion is to fill about 1/8 of the bottom of the container with smashed pieces of tile or pottery so that any excess water can fill that space and the plants root system won't be sitting in excess water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-08T16:36:52.753" LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T16:36:52.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1617" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1618" CreationDate="2011-08-08T11:11:01.917" Score="18" ViewCount="1396" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I have just purchased a bonsai, what is a good watering routine that I should start with and how should I adjust this routine regularly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T11:28:23.793" Title="What is a good watering routine for a bonsai?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1618" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1617" CreationDate="2011-08-08T11:28:23.793" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;Learning how to water bonsai can be notoriously difficult and it is the main art you will need to master before you even consider pruning or wiring your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is likely before you master watering bonsai you will likely loose several plants due to over / under watering. Hopefully the tips below will help minimise your losses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking after a bonsai requires daily maintenance; regardless of summer or winter you will need to check the water level of your plant every day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best indicater of how much water your plant has is the surface of the soil. You want to aim to keep the soil dark, but not damp. I was told to use the back of your hand on the surface of the soil and if it feels damp that is good, but if it is wet then it has been overwatered. If it is damp then no need to add any more water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is dry then you need to water the plant. Soil in your plant should drain reasonably well so that your plant can absorb water easily through the soil, but shouldn't be too loose that water goes straight through it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When watering you should be able to keep pouring until water comes to the base of the tree and the soil is completely saturated then leave the plant to slowly drain. If the top of the soil is dry because there is not much soil in the pot it is likely all of the soil is dry so don't just put a couple of slurps in, make sure you give it a good soaking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In summer you may need to do this twice a day, in winter approximately once every three days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you find that your plant is very dry and the leaves are wilting you can soak the entire pot in a sink or tub to the same level as the top of the pot. Warning: don't do this immediately in the middle of a hot day. If the plant is wilting in hot sun, move it into the shade and give it a soaking once it has cooled down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure when watering that the trunk of the tree and any exposed roots aren't left soaking in water for an extended period of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last two tricks I have for keeping an eye on water level in my bonsai:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a layer of moss on any of your plants this is helpful in keeping an eye on your plants. Moss likes to be slightly damp, have some sunlight and may grow mouldy if it is too wet. It also sits at the surface of your por so can be used as a good indicator of how damp the soil is. Keep your moss happy then your plant should stay happy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My second tip is to keep a plant next to your bonsai that is made up of mostly water like an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impatiens&quot;&gt;impatiens&lt;/a&gt;. If you keep it in a smallish container it will react quickly to a lack of water, but will perk up quickly once it has been watered. Don't water it regulary, just let it tell you when it needs to be watered and this will also be a good time to give your bonsai a good watering. Impatiens are pretty hardy so won't die from the experience. In summer they will like a daily watering in winter they will need a watering about once every two or three days, the same as your bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T11:28:23.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1619" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1614" CreationDate="2011-08-08T13:22:17.817" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a good question. I have to admit that, so far, I haven't been brave enough to allow any pods to reach &lt;em&gt;full&lt;/em&gt; maturity. In my experience, however, it isn't necessary to harvest every single bean pod before it &lt;em&gt;begins&lt;/em&gt; to ripen. I usually harvest mine every few days, for about six weeks, before the beans inside have begun to swell, and I've found that if I miss the odd one that is less visible, and it &lt;em&gt;begins&lt;/em&gt; to ripen before I spot it, this doesn't switch off flowering; however, I only ever miss two or three at the most (not all on the same plant), and I imagine that if more were allowed to start ripening or reach full maturity, the plants would stop producing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T13:22:17.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1620" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="295" CreationDate="2011-08-08T13:31:15.390" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In &quot;The New Organic Grower&quot;, Eliot Coleman describes a real-world approach to crop rotation.&lt;/strong&gt; (There's a full chapter on it.) He works through an example of a theoretical 10-year rotation, and discusses the real-world 8-year rotation he's been using for a couple of decades. You could scale it back to 3 or 4 year if you wanted to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, divide up your crops into groups along two or three different axes: botanical family, cultural requirements, space required, etc. Note that you will have crops that land in different groups -- turnips+carrots will be together in a &quot;root veg&quot; group, but turnips+broccoli will be together in the &quot;brassica&quot; group.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then decide how many rotations you're going to have and get that many index cards (or scraps of paper).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Create your rotation groups by putting together the vegetables you're going to grow together. Use some of the groupings you created above to guide you regarding which to put together since they share cultural requirements (planting in spring in the warm end; but see below too). Using the example from your question, you'd put salads, radishes and carrots on one card. Since you grow very few brassicas, you may put brassicas on a card with your herbs and onions. (I'm just making up a -- possibly poor -- example, assuming this will fill up the space allocated to a rotation.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shuffle your cards around until you have a good set of preceding crops. E.g. perhaps you want your peas before your brassicas because you've seen that peas help brassicas and onions. Or (using an example from the book) you put potatoes, then squash, then roots -- because the culture applied to potatoes and squash reduces weed pressure, and root vegetables don't handle weed pressure well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Be willing to experiment.&lt;/strong&gt; In my garden I've used a 5-year rotation, but I'm going to adopt a 7-year rotation starting next spring. I also want to shuffle around some of the sequences I have -- for example, I've learned that it is rather inconvenient to have cucumbers located next to tomatoes. Two space-hogs sharing space makes harvesting a hassle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The uneven distribution of light is a hard thing to fix. Maybe you can't fix it. And maybe it doesn't matter -- experimenting a bit will help you find out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Consider green manures and fallow periods.&lt;/strong&gt; Coleman also discusses this in a chapter of the book. As part of my 7-year rotation, I'm planning on leaving about 1/4 to 1/3 of the space to a green manure for a year at a time. (I'm starting red clover late this summer that will grow in that spot all next summer and get turned under next fall.) This is an excellent path to soil building. (He also discusses -- and I'm considering -- pasturing chickens and/or sheep on the area to add fertility, but that's out of scope for most people on this site.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as an uneven distribution of warmth and soil quality goes, part of the point of the rotation is to give you a chance to even these out. Use the rotation to improve the soil quality in year 1 for the crop that will grow there in year 2. E.g. plant peas to add nitrogen for the following crop of brassicas, and be sure to capture the nitrogen using a cover crop of winter rye that you sow immediately after removing the peas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can help the soil warm up in spring by doing certain things in the fall. Forage radish, for example, will winter-kill, leaving holes in the soil. These are supposed to dry out and warm up earlier in the spring. If you normally spread a heavy mulch, or plant a thick winter cover crop, don't do that before the &quot;plant in early spring&quot; part of the rotation -- it delays soil warming. If you normally plant &quot;on the flat&quot;, then in the fall mound up some beds for planting into in the spring -- these will warm up faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T13:31:15.390" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1621" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1623" CreationDate="2011-08-08T14:23:35.733" Score="16" ViewCount="848" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a raspberry cane this spring, and it appears to be doing well, having put out a new cane that is now 5 ft tall (and curving under its own weight.)  There is also old growth at the bottom that bore fruit this year.  What do I do to this plant to promote new canes and to maximize fruit production.  I would also like to keep it somewhat under control, as I have seen raspberries take over a garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I stake it or trellis it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How should I prune it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How should it be fertilized? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="539" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-08-08T16:21:00.673" LastActivityDate="2011-08-18T22:58:05.943" Title="How do I maintain a Raspberry plant?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;support&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1622" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1372" CreationDate="2011-08-08T14:56:16.437" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;After the suggestions here regarding pollination hadn't helped I continued to research, and apparently it seems that &lt;strong&gt;over fertilisation can cause an excess of foliage growth and delay fruit production&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I originally ignored this as a possibility - I wasn't feeding the plants - but then the plant in question (and the one next to it) continued to grow much, much, taller than the flowering plant. After a little investigation it turns out we'd had a minor miscommunication at home and the plants had been given more feed when it wasn't necessary, so this looks to be a potential cause.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T14:56:16.437" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1623" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1621" CreationDate="2011-08-08T16:07:06.197" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the advice given by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=148&quot;&gt;Royal Horticultural Society&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Training&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Single fence&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This system is ideal for summer-fruiting raspberries in a small garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Drive 2.5m (8ft) long and 75mm (3in) diameter posts into the ground to a depth of 75cm (30in) at 5m (15ft) intervals.&#xA;      Stretch 12 gauge (3.5mm) galvanized wire between the posts at 60cm (2ft) vertical intervals.&#xA;      Plant the summer-fruiting raspberries and tie in the canes along one side of the wires.&#xA;      Keep fruiting canes on one side and young new canes to the other side of the wires as the season progresses. In autumn, the fruited canes can easily be pruned out and the young canes will be separate along the other side of the wire. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pruning&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Regular annual pruning will result in healthier plants, and better quality crops.&#xA;  Summer-fruiting raspberries:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Cut back fruited canes &lt;em&gt;to ground level&lt;/em&gt; after harvesting; do not leave old stubs. &#xA;      Select the strongest young canes, around six to eight per plant, and tie them in 8 –10cm (3–4in) apart along the wire supports.&#xA;      Remove the remaining young stems to ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I fertilize mine with poultry manure pellets in early spring (about 3ox per sq yard - you could use a general fertilizer such as Grow More, instead), and then mulch them and, with regular watering during long dry spells, I find that this keeps them healthy and helps them to crop well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-08T16:18:33.797" LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T16:18:33.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1624" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1621" CreationDate="2011-08-08T16:20:18.203" Score="7" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Should I stake it or trellis it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, we (in my childhood family garden) never did and I've never seen or heard of people doing so. That's not to say that some people don't stake or trellis them (maybe in an attempt to try and control their rambling nature). Raspberries definitely do not need to be staked or trellised, just think how they grow naturally in the wild...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; How should I prune it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depends on the type you have, there are 2 basic types:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Summer bearers&quot;, these produce one crop a season, on the previous year's canes. New canes appear in the Spring, grow thought the Summer, do nothing during the Winter, then produce their crop the following Summer. Once those canes have produced they can be removed ie Cut down to the ground. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following year's crop will come from the new canes formed during the previous year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Autumn (Fall) bearers&quot;, these produce two crops a year. Green shoots appear throughout the patch in Spring, these grow into long canes, which then bear berries at the tips of those canes during the end of that first season (generally in early Autumn &quot;Fall&quot;).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over the Winter, those canes will turn brown and look dead, but the following Spring, green shoots will appear and produce berries early in the Summer. When that crop run is over, the canes die for real and can be pruned out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; How should it be fertilized?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on how fertile your soil is, I would put down a 2 to 3inch (50 to 75mm) layer of compost, either once a year or twice:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once a year, put the compost layer down in the Autumn (Fall).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Twice a year, put one compost layer down in the Spring, then the second layer in the Autumn (Fall).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Side note, it's important that raspberries have good drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additional information:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Start listening to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/gwtj&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardening with Tim and Joe&lt;/a&gt; podcast, &quot;Bring out your dead 16 Aug 11&quot;, at 0min:35sec in:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Direct link to MP3 - &lt;a href=&quot;http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/leeds/gwtj/gwtj_20110816-1053a.mp3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bring out your dead 16 Aug 11&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-18T22:58:05.943" LastActivityDate="2011-08-18T22:58:05.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1625" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1874" CreationDate="2011-08-08T18:03:15.297" Score="18" ViewCount="4600" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some garlic this spring and I am now wondering when I should harvest it. (I planted them between 60 and 90 days ago -- not quite sure when I put them in.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I pulled up one the other day and it didn't seem to have a head on it at all, just a stem and a very small collection of roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What does the top of the plant typically look like when it is ready to be harvested?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-09T04:02:28.250" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T20:09:24.853" Title="How do I know when garlic is ready to be harvested?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1626" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1625" CreationDate="2011-08-08T18:41:45.833" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I know about garlic, which isn't a great deal, is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Garlic should not be planted in the Spring, it should be planted in the early part of Autumn (Fall).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is then &amp;quot;normally&amp;quot; ready for harvesting in mid to late Spring the following year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is &amp;quot;normally&amp;quot; ready to be harvested when the bottom third of a plant turns brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/36/wax-eagle&quot;&gt;your profile&lt;/a&gt; you're in GA, therefore the below article from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.caes.uga.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgi&lt;/a&gt;a should prove helpful/useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.caes.uga.edu/publications/pubDetail.cfm?pk_id=6972&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Garlic Production for the Gardener&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.caes.uga.edu/publications/pubDetail.cfm?pk_id=6972#Harvest&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Harvest:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on the area of Georgia, garlic will be ready to harvest from late May to mid July. When garlic is mature, leaf tops will begin to dry, discolor and bend towards the ground. Harvest the garlic when ⅓ to ½ of the leaves have died back in this manner. Use a fork to loosen the soil and facilitate lifting the bulbs, thus avoiding stem injury. This is especially important if you plan to braid the tops. If harvesting is delayed too long after the tops have died back, the bulbs may rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T18:50:22.080" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1627" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1629" CreationDate="2011-08-08T19:44:54.960" Score="12" ViewCount="5731" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm getting ready to till about 1,000 square feet, but the problem is I have no experience buying &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_tiller&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;tillers&lt;/a&gt;. However, I don't know much about buying them. What should one look for in a garden tiller that's appropriate for the size of my garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="542" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-08-10T10:29:27.180" LastActivityDate="2018-06-04T15:15:26.070" Title="How do I choose a good tiller (cultivator) for a 1000 sq. ft. garden?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;tilling&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1628" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1627" CreationDate="2011-08-08T19:58:53.850" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some things to consider and questions to ask yourself before spending your money on such a piece of motorised gardening equipment:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How often will you really use this motorised tiller?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do you really need a motorised tiller for such a small area, 1,000ft&amp;#178; (93m&amp;#178;)?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you do need a motorised tiller, it &lt;strong&gt;might&lt;/strong&gt; be easier and cheaper just to hire from a local tool hire shop when needed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Comment by Robert:&lt;/strong&gt; I've thought about renting, but I wasn't for certain if it was worth it if I decided to expand (I've got a lot more land). For a trial run, I'm seriously considering renting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Renting might be worthwhile (make a little more sense) for the first time or two, just to see how you get on, especially for such a small (experiment) area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But if you have &lt;em&gt;&quot;a lot of land&quot;&lt;/em&gt; and discover you have a real need for a motorised tiller, then buying one is probably the right way to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-09T15:35:33.730" LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T15:35:33.730" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1627" CreationDate="2011-08-08T20:41:14.343" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on how you plan to use it. Are you going to till every spring? fall? Are you going to use it for cultivation (weed control) of paths? What's your soil like? Are you going to use it to incorporate soil amendments? green manures?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I'm coming from:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I use a ~35 year old (hand-me-down) tiller to maintain about 3000 sqft of vegetable garden, and a handful of smaller flower gardens.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A couple of years ago I borrowed a brand-new tiller to work one of the flower gardens (to compare performance to my old clunker).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I primarily use the tiller for breaking in new beds -- it hardly sees any use in mature planting areas.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In mature gardens, I manually work in amendments in the spring with a fork -- it takes less time and effort than using a tiller would.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We have &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; rocky soil (it would be more accurate to describe it as &quot;gravel with a little dirt&quot;).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given this, my perspective on what to look for:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rear tines (mine is front, and it's much harder to control, much more effort)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;self-propelled (mine is not, and again it's hard work to shove it around the planting area)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a reverser (without this, when rocks get stuck in the tines, you have to shut off the machine and bang them out with a hammer; you may not care if you don't have rocks)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;4-cycle engine (more power and IMO easier to maintain)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;get a heavy machine (I haven't used the little 2-cycle machines, but I can't see how they can possibly break up heavy soil to any depth. When prepping new beds in my garden they'd just bounce around on the rocks.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you just want a tiller for cultivation / weed control, you might look at some of the inexpensive little 2-cycle machines that puree the top inch or two of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, the reason I'm using such an old beast of a machine is that I can't justify the expense of a new one. As Mike Perry mentioned in his answer, definitely consider renting. In a normal year I use mine maybe 10 hours; most of that work would be done in a day or weekend. At around $1000 new, over the next decade I'd be better off renting a machine for $100 each spring (and not having to bother with storage and maintenance). Of course, your other alternative is to look for a used machine -- especially if you are handy with maintenance, you may be able to find a good deal on something that just needs belts and a spark plug.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T20:41:14.343" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1631" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1614" CreationDate="2011-08-09T03:53:55.017" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the opposite situation from Mancuniensis: I only harvest dry beans, so I never pick them before they are mature. I haven't studied them to find the exact moment when they stop flowering, but in my experience, flowering seems to slow down when the beans start to bulge inside the pods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T03:53:55.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1632" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1625" CreationDate="2011-08-09T04:23:56.040" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will confess that my previous attempts at garlic have been less than stellar, and I have not planted spring garlic, but from what I know:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Conventional &quot;rules&quot; for harvesting are that the flower wilts and the leaves start to turn yellow.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fall planting is usually recommended, with late spring harvest. (In cold areas, harvest can be as late as August.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spring planting is supposedly possible, but there's little information available about doing it, and it sounds like garlic pros claim poor performance.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Given that October-July is about a 9 month growing season (with some time off for winter dormancy), and you planted just 2-3 months ago, I'd give it more time before expecting to harvest real bulbs.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You could have other issues at play that will prevent you from getting a decent harvest.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Garlic is day length sensitive. Hardneck is more suitable for long days; softneck is more suitable for neutral days.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T04:23:56.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1557" CreationDate="2011-08-09T08:28:56.627" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the detergent and drowning solutions don't work, then there is still a pyrethrum spray. Pyrethrum is made from chrysanthemums and is considered relatively benign - eg. It is used for orchids, carnivorous plants, and recommended for food plants. One treatment should be sufficient. Breaks down quickly but probably still best to wait a day or two before harvesting, and wash food before cooking/eating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T08:28:56.627" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1634" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-08-09T12:03:00.437" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;For questions about gardening and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/landscaping&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;landscaping&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;landscaping&lt;/a&gt; tools and equipment that are handheld: maintenance, usage, techniques, evaluating, and storage. This applies to everything from trowels to walk-behind power tillers. Questions about the &amp;quot;best brand&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;where to buy&amp;quot; are off-topic and will be closed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For larger machines and equipment use the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/equipment&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;equipment&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;equipment&lt;/a&gt; tag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-03-09T12:26:15.837" LastActivityDate="2021-03-09T12:26:15.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1635" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-08-09T12:03:00.437" Score="0" Body="For questions about the maintenance, usage, techniques, evaluating, and storage of gardening handheld tools.&#xD;&#xA;For questions about larger equipment or machines use the [equipment] tag." OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-03-09T12:26:36.097" LastActivityDate="2021-03-09T12:26:36.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1636" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1797" CreationDate="2011-08-09T13:49:16.390" Score="10" ViewCount="857" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Minnesota, I have bulbs I dug up last fall. This spring was so wet and I was so busy, I couldn't get them in the ground. I realize it is really too late to plant them now. But what should I do with them? Some of the sprouted in the bags I was storing them in. Would they be okay for next spring? Should I plant them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did miss a couple last fall and they sprouted beautifully several weeks ago. Should I just plant them so they can grow next spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="195" LastActivityDate="2011-08-24T19:57:55.277" Title="What should I do with the flowering bulbs I didn't plant this spring?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1637" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1627" CreationDate="2011-08-09T14:15:54.450" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My in-laws got me &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lowes.com/pd_175332-70-GC818_0__?productId=1043823&amp;amp;Ntt=tiller&amp;amp;pl=1&amp;amp;currentURL=/pl__0__s?Ntt=tiller&amp;amp;page=2&amp;amp;facetInfo=&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; little battery powered roto tiller and I have been pleased with it, but I only have about 400 sq ft and sandy, easily broken up soil.  Given that environment though, it easily works in my compost, and doesn't ever need oil cleaned off or changed, spark plugs changed, and a constant supply of fresh gas, not to mention the noise.  You can probably get away with it for a 1000 sq ft garden if you have loose soil, but any more space or harder soils and you might want a gas powered unit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="476" LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T14:15:54.450" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1638" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1627" CreationDate="2011-08-09T15:53:55.440" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another thing to consider is the fact that your garden might eventually contain strawberries, horseradish, garlic, kale, onions, asparagus etc... some things you might want to keep from year to year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will reduce the tillable area in your garden by quite a bit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, in the spring, you might wind up with parts of your garden that are too wet to till and parts of your garden that don't even need all that much tilling. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For all this and more, a gas powered &lt;a href=&quot;http://mantis.com/&quot;&gt;mantis sort of gizmo&lt;/a&gt; is the best option in my opinion. Even if you get a big tiller down the road, you'll still be able to use the mantis to work up the bed after your spring crops.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your smallish garden, you're probably not going to leave enough room between rows to run a big tiller, so you'll at most get one use out of a big expensive thing in your garage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T15:53:55.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1639" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1641" CreationDate="2011-08-09T16:42:09.067" Score="12" ViewCount="221" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am starting to think and plan out my fall/winter garden. I am looking at trying to plant some crops that will be overwintered and some crops that I can harvest before spring. What special steps should I take to prepare my beds for fall and winter crops that are different than what I do for spring crops? This year I pretty much just tilled up my soil and did not worry about soil amendment or anything. Can I do this for fall and winter crops as well or do I need to take more care with these plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not totally certain what I am going to plant yet and I know some of this will depend on that, but I know I will try onions and garlic, and probably some carrots, radishes and maybe some leafy greens (maybe spinach and lettuce). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T20:54:09.333" Title="What special steps should I take to prepare my garden for fall planting?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1639" CreationDate="2011-08-09T17:32:08.383" Score="7" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you haven't had your soil professionally tested (not just a pH test) in a few years, that could well prove worthwhile. The results you get back will give you a very! clear idea what you can do best to improve your soil and anything &quot;special&quot; you might need to add for the crops you choose to plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Generally&quot; speaking you can't really go wrong with turning over the soil, helps break up any clumps/lumps that have formed in the soil, and allows air to get back &quot;deep&quot; into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Generally&quot; speaking you can't go wrong with adding in more organic matter after you've turned over the soil. Then dig in, turnover the organic matter with the freshly turned over soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you end up with areas of bare soil after you've planted the crops you selected, consider sowing some ground cover &quot;green manure&quot; in those bare areas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get your seeds, seedlings, etc together as soon as you can, is practical to-do-so. You don't want to be rushing around at the last minute trying to get this stuff together.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get together any crop coverings you might need for winter protection ie Be prepared.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-09T18:10:28.930" LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T18:10:28.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1641" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1639" CreationDate="2011-08-09T20:54:09.333" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Preparatory steps for a fall garden that are different from planting a spring garden:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Choose varieties that are cold hardy, if it gets cold where you live.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Choose varieties that mature quickly, if you will need to harvest before winter arrives in full force.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Set up season extenders -- row cover, hoops, etc. as needed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you're overwintering and plan to use mulch for protection, gather your mulch material (straw, leaves, etc).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you decide to mulch for protection, keep in mind that this provides cover for rodents. If mice or voles are a problem for you, reconsider your decision to mulch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remember that the angle of the sun changes (in higher latitudes, at least), so shading patterns may be different -- adjust plantings accordingly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There's less daylight in winter, so strictly speaking you may be &lt;em&gt;harvesting&lt;/em&gt; instead of &lt;em&gt;growing&lt;/em&gt;. Some plants will need a head start in late summer so that they can grow during the fall and you can harvest during the winter while they're basically dormant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you use a cold frame, make sure you have a rock-solid strategy for ventilating on warm days. A 35F sunny day in January can cook plants in a closed cold frame.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Organic matter decomposes more slowly in cold weather. If you add manure in the fall, the soil organisms won't have as much chance to convert it to food for the plants right away. (I like to manure in the fall as prep for &lt;em&gt;spring&lt;/em&gt; plantings.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When you harvest crops in late fall, there's not much chance for cover crops to get established. Consider mulching following fall harvests -- or perhaps incorporating shredded leaves if this is appropriate for whatever will be planted in the bed in spring &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; if it's practical (i.e. the ground is still workable).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional considerations, if you're going to be gardening year-round instead of just summer gardening:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cropping two seasons will remove more nutrients from the soil than just cropping one season. Keep this in mind as you evaluate your fertilizer/amendment needs.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Overwintered crops will be &quot;in the way&quot; in the spring. Have a plan for harvesting / removing debris in advance of spring crops.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Similarly, plan your crop rotation around winter/summer plantings. For example, don't plan to plant an early spring crop of peas where you have overwintered spinach.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Three reliable overwintered crops in my garden (-10F to -20F lows), without protection except the insulation from 4' of snow in midwinter:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spinach&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mâche&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;kale&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Though my success with kale is less than that of spinach and mâche. I also had chard &quot;accidentally&quot; overwintered that started to resprout one spring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Three reliable fall crops (harvested before the ground freezes and/or snow cover):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;carrots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;chard&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lettuce&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm growing more cole crops this fall (cabbage, broccoli, turnip, kale) and beets, we'll see how those turn out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;YMMV!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T20:54:09.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1642" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1644" CreationDate="2011-08-09T21:16:00.203" Score="20" ViewCount="47545" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother and I purchased some pepper plants from Costco. The info card they came with (which identifies them as &lt;em&gt;Capsicum annuum&lt;/em&gt; bell peppers&lt;sup&gt;†&lt;/sup&gt;) depicts vibrant red bell peppers. However, they've started to sprout their fruit, and we're noticing they're distinctly green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mom hears tale that peppers turn red if you don't pick them from the plant. Is this fact, will the pepper change color when left on the plant past its full growth? Is this only for particular breeds of pepper? If it does change color, is there a specific length of time I should wait, or perhaps some way to tell when the color change is complete?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;sup&gt;†&lt;/sup&gt;The card doesn't clarify much past that. Just says &quot;pepper&quot; matures in &quot;60-100 days&quot;, and talks about both mild peppers and hot peppers.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="520" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-09T21:24:41.597" LastActivityDate="2011-08-10T07:10:30.903" Title="Do peppers change color when left on the plant?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1643" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1642" CreationDate="2011-08-09T21:24:12.000" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Green peppers are &quot;unripe&quot; (even though we often eat them that way). They get their final color -- red, orange, etc. -- as they ripen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So your mother is right: if you leave them on the plant to ripen, they will turn the red color shown on the card. It sounds like the card was generic for all capsicum annuum, 60-100 days is a pretty wide range... if you knew the named variety of pepper, you could get a better idea of when to expect it to fully ripen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And as they ripen, they develop their full flavor. (I.e. red sweet peppers are sweeter than green, and red hot peppers are hotter.) If you keep picking the green peppers, the plant will produce more fruit. If you allow the fruits to ripen to red, the plant thinks it has fulfilled its mission in life by creating seeds for another generation, and stops setting more fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="44" LastEditDate="2011-08-09T21:42:22.330" LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T21:42:22.330" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1642" CreationDate="2011-08-09T21:32:38.310" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;When the peppers come to fruit, they're going to start out green. Doesn't matter really what type you've bought, that's their first stage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long you leave them to ripen will determine what colour, and subsequently the flavour packed into it, when you pick them off. The ones you time to hang on the branch for longer will give you more bang for your tastebuds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;All baby peppers start out some shade of green and change color as they mature. Some peppers stay green until they mature to yellow or red; others may turn white, lilac or purple before maturing to red or yellow. You can eat peppers at whatever stage you prefer, but the color change in ripening peppers is caused by the breakdown of chlorophyll, which coincides with the maturation of the seeds. Sugars and other flavor compounds also accumulate during the final stages of ripening, and vitamin C content often doubles. So, fully ripe peppers taste better and are more nutritious.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/ask-our-experts/peppers-start-out-green-zb0z08zblon.aspx&quot;&gt;Do All Peppers Start Out Green?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/pepper/2002072024032752.html&quot;&gt;&quot;days to maturity&quot;&lt;/a&gt; on the packet is a guide to the best time to pick your harvest. But if you like the look of what's already there and can't wait, pluck, wash and serve to your needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind for next time as you continue your pepper harvest what stage of colours from the crop taste best to you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T21:32:38.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1645" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1646" CreationDate="2011-08-09T21:33:22.583" Score="24" ViewCount="54864" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I grew jalapeños. The fruits were tiny, but I was able to harvest a few handfuls. I noticed that many of them started to turn black on the plant. They were still edible, and they weren't rotten. The skin of the fruit developed black patches, shiny like the rest of the skin. It looked as though they were ripening to black (instead of red like other peppers would). The plants looked perfectly healthy otherwise, and continued making fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this normal? If not, what causes it / how can I prevent it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Sorry, no photos available, I didn't think to take pictures at the time.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2020-10-31T03:48:13.597" Title="Why did my jalapeños turn black?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;jalapenos&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1646" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1645" CreationDate="2011-08-09T22:06:05.303" Score="23" Body="&lt;p&gt;A lot of peppers naturally turn black as they make the transition from green to orange/red/yellow during the ripening process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This can be understood by looking at how different coloured pigments mix. Mixing of pigments is subtractive (unlike light, which is additive), and when you mix green pigment with orange (can try with paint at home), you get a shade somewhere between muddy to deep brown (depending on how deep the orange and green are). So when the fruit makes the transition from raw (green) to ripe (orange), there's some sort of mixing of the pigments, which appears as if the fruit is blackening. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had this happen to my jalapeños and bell peppers and there is nothing to worry about. On the left is my bell pepper that's starting to ripen and on the right is how a ripened fruit should look like (my previous fruit).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XdLQo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XdLQom.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;blackened bell pepper&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8n1sj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8n1sjm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, if it turns black and remains black (or orange/red with purplish-black patches), it is due to the specific cultivar of pepper, although this is somewhat uncommon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-24T23:34:32.967" LastActivityDate="2011-09-24T23:34:32.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1647" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1648" CreationDate="2011-08-09T23:13:00.107" Score="14" ViewCount="1059" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have 9 mature plum (&lt;em&gt;victoria&lt;/em&gt; I think) and a couple of damson trees in quite a small cottage garden. Our plums are very heavy croppers and really it's a frustrating fruit to have in such quantities. It stores poorly (unless you preserve it - which I'll come to) and bruises easily in transport, which makes it hard to give away to visitors. Yes, we eat (and even cook with) a few of them but the dent we make in the crop is negligible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its season is very short and intense. In fact it's the definition of an unwanted glut. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fruit lie in great carpets across the lawn interfering with lawn-care/mowing and attracting wasps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We don't want to grub out any of the trees since they add shade and character to the garden and we enjoy them for 11 months of the year. We don't have the facilities or storage space to pot/preserve/can this vast crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning them back aggressively did help a few years back. But are there any other tricks to discourage this unwanted crop?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2017-02-13T21:07:10.920" Title="Is there a way to discourage plum trees from fruiting so heavily?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1648" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1647" CreationDate="2011-08-09T23:46:39.343" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is extremely hard to control the rate of fruit production precisely in a &lt;em&gt;healthy manner&lt;/em&gt;. Pruning (good pruning cuts) in general encourage fruiting and over-pruning the tree or bad cuts can cause the tree to go into shock and not produce any fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would suggest &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/196/do-fruit-trees-need-to-be-thinned/252#252&quot;&gt;thinning&lt;/a&gt; as an alternative. Thinning is when you selectively remove a few fruits to encourage the rest in a bunch to grow bigger and sweeter. You needn't wait for the fruit to form either, as you can thin early by removing buds just before spring sets in (or when they start to bloom). This might actually be easier as you won't have the leaves coming in your way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With this, you only remove the flowers (and hence the fruits) and leave the leaves intact, thereby providing you with the same shade that it does now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/394/mike-perry&quot;&gt;Mike Perry&lt;/a&gt; has made a couple of suggestions that build on the above:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prune once every 2 to 3 years immediately after flowering has finished:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Open up the centre of the tree, get some air movement in there. Doing so will help prevent diseases getting hold.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Reduce its height, this will make future tree/fruit maintenance and fruit picking a little bit easier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When thinning, it's generally recommended to remove 50% of the fruit (very early in the fruit growing season, probably best to do around the same time as pruning or shortly afterward). Yes it's labour intensive and may seem like a lot to remove, but the benefits of doing so greatly outweigh not doing so.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;An additional thought about pruning. It might make the job a little more manageable seeing as we're dealing with 11 fruit trees in total:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Year 1:&lt;/strong&gt; Prune 3 or 4 tress.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Year 2:&lt;/strong&gt; Prune a different 3 or 4 tress.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Year 3:&lt;/strong&gt; Prune the remaining 3 or 4 tress.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then repeat that cycle ie Each tree is on a 3 year pruning cycle. Unfortunately there is no way round the annual thinning of all the trees...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you considered contacting local food banks, churches, charitable organisations, nursing homes, plum wine makers, etc to see if they will come and take this fruity glut off your hands?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also if you have the time and means, drying plums are a great way of storing them...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-08-10T20:51:27.060" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1649" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1650" CreationDate="2011-08-10T00:24:56.457" Score="19" ViewCount="16956" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I foolishly tried to help my basil plant grow by composting in the pot it was growing in.  Needless to say this made the plant sick and yellowish and the leaves that have turned yellow have a bad smell to them.  I have since removed the plant from the pot and it is now sitting in a pot of water with the remaining non-contaminated soil around it's roots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than letting it sit in the clean pot (which doesn't have very much soil in it and has quite a bit of water) for a week or so and then replanting it in clean soil, is there anything I can do to get the plant back to looking and smelling normal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are pictures of the plant and some of the yellowed leaves that have fallen off (click to enlarge):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/enOK0.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/enOK0m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Basil plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NYs35.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NYs35m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Basil leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In case it isn't clear that leaves should be closer to the color of the grass in the background (as that is what color they were before).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="544" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T22:28:38.703" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T22:28:38.703" Title="Saving basil plant after it has been sitting in trash?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1650" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1649" CreationDate="2011-08-10T01:36:50.923" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;First off, your basil has &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolting_(horticulture)&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;bolted&lt;/a&gt;, which means that it has sent out a long stalk with flowers on it and the plant is on its way to dying. This is part of the plant's life cycle and there's nothing you can really do about it. In future, remember that you can prolong a basil's life by &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/81/best-conditions-for-basil/154#154&quot;&gt;pinching the flowers&lt;/a&gt; as soon as they appear. As to why this works, I gave an explanation in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/939/should-i-remove-the-dead-flower-heads-from-my-hydrangea/965#965&quot;&gt;another answer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember that a plant's &amp;quot;mission&amp;quot; is to reproduce before it dies, to ensure the survival of its species (producing flowers is the first step). If you let the flowers stay till they drop off on their own, the plant, satisfied that it has successfully produced a flower, might decide to stop producing them (end of the flowering season).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, when you remove the dead flowers you're sort of &amp;quot;tricking&amp;quot; the plant into thinking that its previous mission has failed (i.e., it hasn't produced a flower to ensure its survival).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;Tricking&amp;quot; the plant encourages it to produce more growth (and flowers too, which you should keep pinching/deheading).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now coming to the yellowing part, that could be due to many reasons. The simplest explanation, given the advanced stage of bolting, is that the plant is in its last days. The other equally simple explanation is that you have over-watered the plant. Both these produce yellow leaves exactly like in your picture (the fact that the leaves are yellower closer to the base makes me think it is due to over-watering). Other not so simple explanations are fungal diseases or nutrient deficiencies, which are rather hard to diagnose for basil, because the reaction is the same (yellow leaves).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My suggestion would be to let this one run its course and be more careful with a new plant and don't let it bolt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-08-10T01:36:50.923" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1651" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1627" CreationDate="2011-08-10T01:57:24.863" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I own a pretty large tiller.  The next step up would be a garden tractor with an attachment.  Until my wife started farming on large property we really didn't use it that much.  One thing to consider in the equation is the maintenance costs.  If you hardly use it it might not be cost effective.  A neglected machine is a maintenance issue. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Renting is a good idea until you discover that you are going to use it more than once or twice per year.  Or better yet, become friends with someone you can borrow from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For your size plot you will want one of the big rigs.  Forget the little ones - you definitely need self-propelled with rear tines.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastActivityDate="2011-08-10T01:57:24.863" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1652" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1642" CreationDate="2011-08-10T07:10:30.903" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The above answers are correct, and ripening on-the-stem is always preferable, but it is possible to ripen them after picking. As @yoda points out, they do tend to shrivel and dry, but this might be desirable (eg. In a dry environment, you could do this as a precursor to making chili powder). However, the ripening process can be speeded up by putting the picked peppers with some ripening bananas. Both use an ethane ripening mechanism. So a ripening banana will give off ethane which promotes ripening in the peppers. It is the same mechanism that causes multiple bananas to ripen quickly when they are in a plastic bag. I haven't tried putting peppers and bananas in a plastic bag together but that would be the next logical experiment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-08-10T07:10:30.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1647" CreationDate="2011-08-10T12:14:37.700" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another potential strategy (possibly in combination with the thinning and/or pruning mentioned in the discussion under yoda's answer) would be to set up nets (or other catchment -- old bed sheets?) under the trees during fruiting. Then give the tree a shake every day so that the ripe fruits fall down and you can gather them up easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mike Perry's comment about asking a local food shelf or church to come in and gather fruits may be useful in combination with this -- pick or shake out enough fruit for yourself to eat fresh and put up, then call in reinforcements to finish most of the picking and the rest of the work you have to do will be reduced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-10T12:14:37.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1609" CreationDate="2011-08-10T13:21:21.983" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Barley grass&quot; is just barley harvested for the tender young growth instead of letting it mature to grains. I haven't grown barley grass for juicing, but I have grown and started a lot of plants in pots using the technique below with excellent results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you want to grow indoors, start with a sturdy tray at least 3&quot; deep. Make sure the tray has drainage holes so there will be no standing water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get your seeds -- you'll have to decide what variety to use based on whatever you're trying to achieve. I would look for varieties specifically promoted for use in growing barley grass; some barley cultivars have specific cultural requirements that would seem to make them poor choices for your application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Create a soil mixture using:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;.5 gallon peat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1/4 cup pulverized lime&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;mix thoroughly&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;.5 gallon perlite or vermiculite&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;.5 gallon finely sieved high-quality compost (1/4&quot; mesh sieve)&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;mix thoroughly&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reserve a small amount of the perlite to use for top dressing after planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Adjust the quantities if you need more or less, but maintain the ratio.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Add this mix to your pot to a depth of 2&quot;. Water thoroughly -- &lt;em&gt;slowly&lt;/em&gt; pour water evenly over the entire surface until water comes out the drain holes in your tray. Wait a while (maybe an hour or two) and then repeat this process. You want the potting mixture to be thoroughly wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(See note regarding chitting at the bottom of this post.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Broadcast your seed across the surface of the soil. As you saw in the video, it should be planted rather thickly, but you don't want it so thick that there's a layer of seeds on the surface -- the plants need a little bit of space to breathe. Your experimentation and experience will be the best teacher here. (Or see the reference at the bottom of this post.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sprinkle the top with about 1/4&quot; of the reserved perlite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Set the tray in a cool, dark place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people would tell you to cover the tray with plastic wrap at this point -- I don't like to do this because it creates the potential for problems with mold/fungus. It does have the advantage of holding moisture in, which the germinating seeds need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During germination keep the soil moist -- mist lightly with water 1-2x daily. &lt;em&gt;Don't let it dry out during germination!&lt;/em&gt; You should see sprouts within 1-3 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As soon as you see sprouts, move the tray to the light. Most of the time &quot;a sunny window&quot; is not sufficient. I would use fluorescent lights -- position the lamp 1&quot; above the surface of the soil, and raise the light as the plants grow so that they stay 1-2&quot; from the lamp. If you have a sheltered spot outside that gets &lt;em&gt;all day&lt;/em&gt; sunlight, you can grow outside. (This will dry out the soil faster, adjust your watering accordingly.) It's harder to get sunshine all day indoors, but if you think you can provide it, give it a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not over water, but don't let the soil get dried out either. How often you will need to water depends somewhat on the environment you provide. (See notes above regarding outdoor sunshine vs indoors vs lights.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Within a couple of weeks it should be ready to harvest at 6&quot; or higher. You may be able to get a couple of cuttings if you maintain the light and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I got to the end of writing/researching this post, I stumbled across &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sproutpeople.com/seed/print/barleygrass.html&quot;&gt;this reference on growing barley grass&lt;/a&gt;, which confirms for the most part the advice I've given above. They have different recommendations regarding growing medium -- try both approaches and see which works better for you. They also have recommendations for amount of seed to use in terms of density. And they claim chitting (pre-sprouting) is &lt;em&gt;required&lt;/em&gt;, but I'm skeptical about the need -- try it both ways to see whether one way is more work or provides more yield.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend taking a look around their website -- especially &lt;a href=&quot;http://sproutpeople.org/seeds/grass.html&quot;&gt;this note on barley grass&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Many folks have been seduced by advertising, into thinking that Barley is the way to go. As we say - research we've seen does not indicate that - and frankly, the juice of Barley Grass is horrid! We will mix Barley with Wheat (4:1 wheat) as they grow at the same rate, but we have found no other way we can even tolerate Barley Grass juice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In doing research for this post, I'd have to agree with their skepticism on the outcome you can expect from barley grass juice. The research does not seem to have confirmed much in terms of benefits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-10T13:21:21.983" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1655" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1657" CreationDate="2011-08-10T15:18:40.763" Score="8" ViewCount="60118" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had a bamboo for several years in this tiny glass pot. It has grown very much, but its time to move her to a bigger home. But how? the pot she was brought home in was large at the bottom and narrow at the top. How do I remove her without ripping her roots to shreds? I would prefer not to break the glass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, what else should I be aware of when transferring a water based plant. This is unfamiliar territory. How should general care differ from soil based plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This picture should illustrate the trouble I am having removing the bamboo from its original pot. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LQopI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="546" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-10T21:09:36.493" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T17:10:07.540" Title="How to replant bamboo/water based plants" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1656" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-10T15:36:41.790" Score="16" ViewCount="712" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a rock area around the back of my house that is getting overrun by weeds.  The reason the weeds are able to grow there is because the weed barrier has shifted some so there are gaps between some of the sheets, there are holes in it, and some soil has settled on top of the barrier and underneath the rocks.  I'm thinking that I'd like to replace the weed barrier to ultimately keep this under control, but I'd like to kill off any weeds that are there first before moving the rock and laying the barrier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried using Round-Up, but the weeds will usually come back within a few weeks.  I've also tried to pull them to keep them under control, but that's getting tiring.  I was thinking, since nothing is supposed to be growing there anyways, what if I just bake them out?  How would I go about doing this and what supplies should I pick up for this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="547" LastActivityDate="2013-04-22T16:15:09.827" Title="How do I bake weeds out of my landscaping?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1657" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1655" CreationDate="2011-08-10T16:27:03.427" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, you must be doing pretty much everything right if you have been growing this plant for &quot;several years&quot; :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, I'm guessing that what you have is &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_bamboo&quot;&gt;Lucky Bamboo&lt;/a&gt;&quot;, if I have that correct, try the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before transplanting into a larger pot, I would take a cutting or two from the plant (if it's viable, I can't tell from the photo as it doesn't show the top/whole of the plant) and propagate those cuttings, just in case something goes wrong during the transplant process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Here is a video on &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNvRq4cd_U8&quot;&gt;How To Propagate Your Lucky Bamboo&lt;/a&gt;&quot; that may prove helpful/useful.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To remove the plant from its current pot, I would get something like the narrowest, thinnest and most flexible decorators/painters/cake-makers knife I could, then:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gently slide the knife down the inside of the glass pot.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once the knife is gently inserted as far as it will go, carefully draw the knife around the perimeter of the glass pot.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once you have gone around the perimeter once, you may find you can gently push the knife a little further down. If you find you were able to do that, afterwards carefully draw the knife around the perimeter of the glass pot once again.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Repeat the above as many times as you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once you have finished the above process, empty the water from the glass pot.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wrap the glass pot in a tea-towel or something similar. I suggest doing this just in case the glass pot breaks on you during the next stage, you don't want to cut your hand with any broken glass.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the tea-towel wrapped around the glass pot, hold the pot firmly in one hand (but try not to squeeze too hard, you don't want to crush the glass), then with the other hand gently, but firmly grasp the plant as close to the glass pot as you can and pull the plant out (if you can provide a slight twist as your pulling, you may find that helps with the removal).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fingers-crossed the plant will come out in one smooth operation of pulling. If it doesn't, move your hand back down as close to the glass pot as possible and repeat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you notice some of the plant still &quot;stuck&quot; to the inside of the glass pot after pulling, get you knife and try to &quot;unstick&quot; that part before pulling again.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming the above has gone well, you should be ready to transplant your plant to its new (bigger) home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-10T17:03:40.200" LastActivityDate="2011-08-10T17:03:40.200" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1658" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1662" CreationDate="2011-08-11T05:18:36.193" Score="27" ViewCount="4091" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our backyard receives limited sunlight due to three massive trees in a small area. There is only about 2 hours of direct sunlight per day to my vegetable patch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could I get some suggestions for vegetables that can be grown with limited sunlight?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had success with carrots, potatoes, lettuce and Asian greens but would like some variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:05:48.073" LastActivityDate="2017-01-21T11:08:14.867" Title="What vegetables will grow well in limited sunlight?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1659" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1658" CreationDate="2011-08-11T06:15:12.270" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_leaf_vegetables&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;leafy vegetables&lt;/a&gt; are the most shade tolerant eg:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cabbage&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kale&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lettuce (which you already mentioned in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1658/394&quot;&gt;your question&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spinach&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But if you've also had success with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_root_vegetables&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;root vegetables&lt;/a&gt; (carrots &amp;amp; potatoes), you could try some other &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_root_vegetables&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;root vegetables&lt;/a&gt; eg:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beetroot&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Onion (not a true &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_root_vegetables&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;root vegetable&lt;/a&gt;, but a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_root_vegetables#Bulb&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bulb vegetable&lt;/a&gt; that should do ok in your situation)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Parsnip&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Radish&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sweet Potato&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Turnip&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below, I've gathered together some relevant reading that I believe you will find helpful/useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/shade-tolerant-vegetables-zm0z11zsto.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Best Shade-Tolerant Vegetables&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/vegetables-to-grow-in-shade-zm0z11zsto.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Best Vegetables to Grow in the Shade&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4dmg/VegFruit/vegshady.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Vegetables for the Shady Garden&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6911&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gardening in the Shade&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2017-01-20T19:05:58.497" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1661" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1601" CreationDate="2011-08-11T10:05:18.673" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks to be some kind of fruit tree that's been 'let go'!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are somewhat plum like and the trunk appears to be a bit cherry-ish - is the bark at all shiny?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There being lots of them in the garden, plus your lovely wall, would tie in with them possibly being part of an orchard, or maybe they've self seeded.&#xA;As to the lack of flower/fruit, I would imagine it's been grown from a grafted root stock, very common in modern fruit growing. The root stock has died, leaving the infertile suckers to take over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="106" LastActivityDate="2011-08-11T10:05:18.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1662" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1658" CreationDate="2011-08-11T12:36:30.233" Score="18" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend experimenting with other crops that supposedly require &quot;full sunlight&quot;. Your yields will be lower than if you had full sun, but you may still be able to get a crop.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to the crops in Mike Perry's answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cole crops do ok with limited sunlight: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower (limiting sun can even help protect the heads), kale, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Also related are mustards, which can give your salads extra flavor.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The chicory family is another leafy crop that would give you variety: radicchio, endive, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant garlic in the fall, harvest in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are the trees deciduous? If so, that means you get more sun in late fall / early spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant peas in early spring.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant spinach in fall, overwinter, and harvest in spring.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant spring onions.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Consider &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/grow-berries-in-your-low-light-urban-space/&quot;&gt;berries&lt;/a&gt;, especially if you're open to perennials in this space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Strawberries.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Blackberries thrive in shade.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shrubs: huckleberries (native to North America), if you can get them in Australia. And currants, gooseberries, elderberries.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Groundcovers like cranberry and low shrubs like lingonberry.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beyond just different &lt;em&gt;crops&lt;/em&gt;, you can mix it up by planting different &lt;em&gt;varieties&lt;/em&gt; of crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Different types of carrot have different shades of flavor (and sizes and colors).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beets come in different colors and sizes. Plant some for greens and some for roots. (Similar for turnip.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chard makes a rainbow.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If peas are successful, you can select different varieties for shelling or eating whole, and the tips/shoots are supposed to be good in stir fry (though I have yet to try this).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, not a crop recommendation, but you can get a lot of variety by mixing up your preparation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The lowly cabbage, for example, starts with a choice of green or red. From there, you can shred it with carrot for coleslaw (with any number of mix-ins and dressings), stuff it, make sauerkraut, stew, soup, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't even get me started on the endless possibilities provided by potatoes, especially when mixed with some of the other vegetables that do well in limited light.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-11T12:44:40.520" LastActivityDate="2011-08-11T12:44:40.520" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1663" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1665" CreationDate="2011-08-12T01:22:54.687" Score="11" ViewCount="18288" Body="&lt;p&gt;As hot as it's been I've been worried that the tree was not getting enough water, and it seems with increasing the water amount the leaves have turned even more yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I tell if I am over- or under-watering the tree and what else can cause the leaves to yellow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The tree was planted last year, but was already 2-3 years old.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="88" LastEditorUserId="88" LastEditDate="2011-08-12T15:22:57.610" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T00:08:38.183" Title="Why are my honey-locust tree leaves turning yellow in mid-summer?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;honey-locust&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1664" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-12T11:51:37.250" Score="11" ViewCount="870" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's been another question asked about &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/6/what-is-a-fast-growing-deciduous-tree-for-shading-house-in-summer-long-island&quot;&gt;trees for shading a house&lt;/a&gt;, but I have some different criteria (plus a different climate).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm planning on landscaping an area that's next to my house that's currently a cement patio.  This patio, which is on the west side of the house, results in the house warming up quite a bit in late summer when the afternoon sun hits. So, my primary goal in landscaping is to add a few features that will minimize the heat in the summer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking to plant one to three smaller trees, and am looking for suggestions.  Here's the criteria I'd like to match:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Deciduous tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Height between 10 and 30 feet maximum&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spread between 10 and 20 feet in diameter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Provides at least some shade (e.g. not like that ginkgo tree I have in front)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Roots aren't too aggressive (won't rob nearby plants of water or attack pipes)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does well in US pacific NW climate&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T03:04:49.417" Title="What are some good tree suggestions for providing some shade for the house (Seattle, WA)?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1665" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1663" CreationDate="2011-08-12T12:37:03.963" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don' say whether your tree was planted recently or is a well-established one, but it sounds as though the problem is caused by over-watering, as you suspect. A mature Honey Locust is an extremely tough, drought-resistant tree, well fitted to survive long dry spells, but sensitive to over-watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you planted your tree fairly recently. the following watering advice taken from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.draper.ut.us/vertical/Sites/%7B9B0E25D7-5E8F-45BF-AFAB-8658E160BEA4%7D/uploads/%7B2183C012-3952-4E1D-8F3B-D49A1B6ACA6F%7D.PDF&quot;&gt;Draper City Street Tree Guide&lt;/a&gt; should help:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;• &lt;strong&gt;When To Water&lt;/strong&gt;: Water frequently enough so the soil several inches below the surface is moist without being continually sodden. Soil with adequate moisture for root growth will form a ball when squeezed but will fall apart when bounced on your hand. Crumbling soil is&#xA;  too dry; sodden soil is too wet. Soil moisture can be assessed by poking a rod into the soil. Rod penetration indicates extent of moist soil.&#xA;  Resistance indicates overly dry soil… or a rock. &lt;em&gt;A rod coated with mud indicates over watering.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;• &lt;strong&gt;Watering Frequency&lt;/strong&gt;: Water every 2 to 4 days if you have planted during the summer in extremely sandy soil. Water less frequently if&#xA;  you have more clay in your soil, and it is poorly drained, or if you have planted during the early spring or late fall. You must not water so&#xA;  often that the tree’s roots become waterlogged. Over watering will kill a tree as surely as no water at all. Late fall and early winter water is&#xA;  essential for trees planted less than two years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To preserve moisture, it would be a good idea to spread a 3  or 4 inch layer of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulch&quot;&gt;mulch&lt;/a&gt; on the soil around your tree, but make sure that it doesn't come into contact with the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As yellowing leaves are the only symptom you mention, it's very unlikely that the tree is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/about_5234579_honey-locust-tree-diseases.html&quot;&gt;diseased&lt;/a&gt; or suffering from an in insect infestation; however, if its condition doesn't improve, it might be caused by a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/info_8114261_locust-tree-turning-yellow.html&quot;&gt;nutritional deficiency&lt;/a&gt;, and this could easily be corrected on the basis of a soil test.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-12T14:35:16.233" LastActivityDate="2011-08-12T14:35:16.233" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1666" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-08-12T13:08:25.233" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bonsai (盆栽 Japanese) is a Japanese art form&lt;/a&gt; and tradition dating back over a thousand years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PI5Om.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bonsai of cotoneaster by OpenEye&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A miniature version of a &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tree&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tree&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tree&lt;/a&gt; or bush is grown in a small &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pot&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pot&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pot&lt;/a&gt; or container, frequent trimming of the roots and branches shapes the plant's &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/growth&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;growth&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;growth&lt;/a&gt; in a way as to grow no larger than the container(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/containers&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;containers&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;containers&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other cultures have similar practices such as penjing and hòn non bộ from China (where the art originated) and Vietnam respectively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In English, &amp;quot;bonsai&amp;quot; is a catch-all term for all miniature trees in containers or pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/openeye/5428831/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;licensed under cc-wiki 3.0&quot;&gt;Cotoneaster bonsai photo from OpenEye&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-15T21:12:32.113" LastActivityDate="2021-02-15T21:12:32.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1667" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-08-12T13:08:25.233" Score="0" Body="Miniature version of a tree curated in a small container by trimming its roots and branches. Each Specimen of bonsai trees needs different requirements such as soil type, amount of sun, watering schedule, NPK fertalizer levels and much more." OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="19615" LastEditDate="2017-08-23T11:28:09.567" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T11:28:09.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1668" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1708" CreationDate="2011-08-12T14:52:51.233" Score="12" ViewCount="1126" Body="&lt;p&gt;In front of my house there is a sidewalk and about 2-3 feet of pavement behind a fence which I'm assuming was formerly dirt that was paved over. I've done my best to work with what I've got and make it look nice, but I'd love to find a solution to the weeds that keep popping up in the cracks in the pavement and sidewalk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The front of my house gets a lot of sun but has poor drainage. Most days the area is dry and dusty. The cracks gather a lot of dusty dirt over time and I've pulled out weeds with pretty large root balls. Is there any particular type of groundcover or seed I can sow in the sidewalk cracks or in my single garden square that will outgrow the weeds, survive, and maybe even look good? This is in the Northeast US in zone 6.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: The cracks are 1&quot;-2&quot; wide and always filled with 1&quot;-2&quot; of dirt. Dirt often builds up over the cracks to about 4&quot;+ sizes. I usually try to pull the weeds and sweep it into my sidewalk plot, but it would be much easier/more satisfying to throw some seeds in the sidewalk dirt &quot;chunks&quot; and cracks. I don't have a picture at the moment but I will post one as soon as I can!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="550" LastEditorUserId="550" LastEditDate="2011-08-12T16:33:18.573" LastActivityDate="2014-07-30T12:40:06.167" Title="Are there any drought tolerant plants that will force out weeds in pavement and sidewalk cracks?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1669" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1668" CreationDate="2011-08-12T15:43:58.263" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't really know what's the width of the &quot;cracks&quot; you're talking about, but if it's really the narrow cracks I'm assuming it is, where the two pieces of concrete are pretty much still abutting each other, you're going to have difficulty cultivating anything there.  The seeds of weeds may blow into small holes and grass shoots may find their way up, but it's not going to be easy for any gardener to try and &quot;plant&quot; anything in that space.  You might be able to find a particularly aggressive plant that would be able to grow roots beneath the pavement and come up through the cracks, but I'd worry that anything that would be able to do that might be too aggressive for the rest of your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to stop fighting the weeds, I'd advise tackling the pavement itself.  Either fill in the cracks, or widen them out so that you can really grow something there (like growing ground cover between paving stones). Filling in the cracks isn't that difficult (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrxDVu-8OV4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; is a pretty good instructional video I found on YouTube after a quick googling) and should hold up pretty well for a few seasons.  Widening out the cracks would take a bit more mechanical work&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, I've dealt with weeds and grass coming up in pavement cracks with an electric weed whacker and a hori-hori knife.  I've also used a wire brush on a handle like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.brushexpert.com/news/article.asp?MagArticleID=735&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;, but it does take a bit of elbow grease to wipe out weeds.  You can also use a propane torch, and of course, there's always herbicides, but I tend to stay away from those as much as I can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt; (based on comments): my answer does show the hole in my knowledge, that I don't know what plant might make a good choice for your particular climate. I'm sure there are several that will work in this climate and can grow in those gaps.  I'm particular to &lt;a href=&quot;http://wilsonbrosnursery.com/Plants/Plant-Files/Groundcover-Plants/Mondo-Grass/Dwarf-Mondo-Grass.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;dwarf mondo grasses&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.humeseeds.com/efcthym.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;creeping thyme&lt;/a&gt; varieties, both of which can grow into narrow spaces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, I doubt that you'll find anything that will completely crowd out the weeds, and something that's very aggressive might bring on other issues.  I've fought &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/505/keeping-creeping-thyme-or-other-ground-cover-weed-free-aka-thyme-vs-clover&quot;&gt;my own battles&lt;/a&gt; with unwanted plants coming up in the middle of ground covers, and have found that nothing is going to completely replace some tending to pull out weeds or other invaders.  They will help keep out some of the weeds, and will certainly look better than what you have now, but don't toss out that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardentoolcompany.com/products/Patio-Crack-Weeder-by-DeWit-Garden-Tools.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;patio crack weeder&lt;/a&gt; yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-08-13T14:54:09.363" CommentCount="2" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-08-13T14:54:09.363" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1670" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1671" CreationDate="2011-08-12T15:46:46.980" Score="29" ViewCount="6135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I frequently see small trees staked with some support twine or rope, presumably to aid against strong winds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I've heard or read somewhere that staking small trees can actually be harmful, preventing them from building a natural resistance to the wind (in trunk strength, root development, etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many guides that explain &quot;proper&quot; tree staking. Here are a few examples:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningblog.net/2009/05/20/how-to-stake-a-tree/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Stake a Tree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.daytonnursery.com/tips/Tree_Staking.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Staking Trees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems, from aggregating information in such guides, that staking is sometimes necessary, but that people often do it wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question then, is how do you determine when to stake a tree (if at all)? Are there lots of oddly bent or fallen trees somewhere from &lt;em&gt;lack&lt;/em&gt; of staking? I've never seen one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="88" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-17T11:50:46.660" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T22:02:13.370" Title="Is staking young trees helpful or harmful?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;staking&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1671" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1670" CreationDate="2011-08-12T16:36:58.750" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below are a few things I've picked up over the years:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's generally recommended to stake trees planted on slopes and/or windy locations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If a tree is planted in a well protected area (and on flat ground) staking shouldn't be necessary and is in fact discouraged ie Let the tree develop naturally.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Staking should not hold a tree so rigid that it can't &quot;sway&quot; a little bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Swaying encourages a thicker trunk and a stronger root system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Which ever method is used to stake a tree, it should not cut into the trunk. Any sign of such behaviour should be immediately corrected.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Staking is not needed or should be removed once a tree trunk is approximately 3inches (75mm) in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-08-12T16:36:58.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1672" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-08-12T18:44:46.853" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Crabgrass (also written as 'crab grass') is the common name for &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitaria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Digitaria&lt;/a&gt;, a genus of about 300 species of &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/grass&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;grass&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;grass&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The two main problem species are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-crabgrass.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Digitaria sanguinalis&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Digitaria ischaemum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Both of which have high growing branching &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/stems&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;stems&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;stems&lt;/a&gt; but can adapt to grow close to the earth in mats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where allowed to flourish, crab grass will choke out the surrounding grass and leave depressions in the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/lawn&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;lawn&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;lawn&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MF5cs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Digitaria sanguinalis&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/plant_diversity/3874833634/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;licensed under cc-wiki&quot;&gt;Digitaria sanguinalis by Matt Lavin&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-18T12:28:01.513" LastActivityDate="2021-02-18T12:28:01.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1673" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-08-12T18:44:46.853" Score="0" Body="Common name for Digitaria, a creeping grass that can become a problem weed." OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-08T14:24:18.360" LastActivityDate="2021-01-08T14:24:18.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1674" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1670" CreationDate="2011-08-12T21:02:29.957" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless the site is sheltered from the wind, I always stake my trees for the first two years - sometimes longer, depending on how well they have developed, and how exposed the site is - to give the trunk extra support while the roots are becoming established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The are many different views as to the best type of support, but the one I prefer and would recommend is the &lt;em&gt;angled&lt;/em&gt; one - see sketch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UsGBd.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stake is angled at 45 degrees, meets the trunk about a third of the way up, points into the prevailing wind and is secured with a tree tie. &lt;em&gt;Because the stake is set low&lt;/em&gt;, it allows the trunk to flex in the wind and grow strong. If necessary, this approach also allows you to stake the tree &lt;em&gt;after&lt;/em&gt; it has been planted, without causing any real damage to the root system - although this is not advisable and, whenever possible, staking should be done at the time of planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-12T22:19:39.737" LastActivityDate="2011-08-12T22:19:39.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1664" CreationDate="2011-08-12T23:33:54.153" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below are some small trees that meet your specific criteria:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maackia_amurensis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Amur Maackia &lt;em&gt;(Maackia amurensis)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_buergerianum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Trident Maple &lt;em&gt;(Acer buergerianum)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_circinatum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Vine Maple &lt;em&gt;(Acer circinatum)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_ginnala&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Flame Amur Maple &lt;em&gt;(Acer ginnala 'Flame&quot;)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_griseum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Paperbark Maple &lt;em&gt;(Acer griseum)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_palmatum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese Maple &lt;em&gt;(Acer palmatum)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_triflorum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Three-Flower Maple &lt;em&gt;(Acer triflorum)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimina_triloba&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Paw Paw &lt;em&gt;(Asimina triloba)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpinus_japonica&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese Hornbeam &lt;em&gt;(Carpinus japonica)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercis_canadensis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Eastern Redbud &lt;em&gt;(Cercis canadensis)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercis_siliquastrum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Judas Tree &lt;em&gt;(Cercis siliquastrum)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_alternifolia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pagoda Dogwood &lt;em&gt;(Cornus alternifolia)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_kousa&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kousa Dogwood &lt;em&gt;(Cornus kousa 'Chinensis')&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotinus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;American Smoke Tree &lt;em&gt;(Cotinus obovatus)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagerstroemia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tuscarora Hybrid Crape Myrtle &lt;em&gt;(Lagerstroemia 'tuscarora')&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Elizabeth Magnolia &lt;em&gt;(Magnolia 'Elizabeth')&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Galaxy Magnolia &lt;em&gt;(Magnolia 'Galaxy')&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Loebner Magnolia &lt;em&gt;(Magnolia x loebneri)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parrotia_persica&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Persian Parrotia &lt;em&gt;(Parrotia persica)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mt. St. Helens Plum &lt;em&gt;(Prunus 'Frankthrees')&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Newport Plum &lt;em&gt;(Prunus 'Newport')&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Snow Goose Cherry &lt;em&gt;(Prunus 'Snowgoose')&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_plum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thundercloud Plum &lt;em&gt;(Prunus cerasifera 'Thundercloud')&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_x_yedoensis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Akebono Flowering Cherry &lt;em&gt;(Prunus x yedoensis 'Akebono')&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewartia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Orange Bark Stewartia &lt;em&gt;(Stewartia monodelpha)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewartia_pseudocamellia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese Stewartia &lt;em&gt;(Stewartia psuedocamellia)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styrax_obassia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fragrant Styrax &lt;em&gt;(Styrax obassia)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above list of small trees comes from, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/treeplanting.htm#recommend&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Recommended - Small Tree List&lt;/a&gt;, via Seattle Department of Transportation - Street Tree Planting Procedures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Direct link to PDF: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/docs/uf/Small_Street_Tree_List.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Small Tree List&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also wish to try the below options for further small tree recommendations that meet your specific criteria and some useful tree related information to aid you make the right decisions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greatplantpicks.org/search?searchterm=small%20tree&amp;amp;searchtype=category&amp;amp;title=%27Small%20Trees%27&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Small Trees - Great Plant Picks&lt;/a&gt; (is an educational plant awards program of outstanding plants for the maritime Pacific Northwest)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://green.kingcounty.gov/gonative/Plant.aspx?Act=search&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Native Plant Guide - Information and Services for King County, Washington&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://selectree.calpoly.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;SelecTree from Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://depts.washington.edu/uwbg/gardens/wpa.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Washington Park Arboretum - UW Botanic Gardens&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cahnrsdb.wsu.edu/directory/individualDisplay.aspx?personID=1882&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Linda K Chalker-Scott from Washington State University Extension.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; I have sent Linda an email, asking her for small tree recommendations that meet your specific criteria, if I receive a reply I will update this post appropriately.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6900&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tree Placement on Home Grounds&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-13T04:09:37.673" LastActivityDate="2011-08-13T04:09:37.673" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1676" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1677" CreationDate="2011-08-13T00:07:18.263" Score="9" ViewCount="4399" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started growing moss indoors and I now see a strange discoloration with a few tiny translucent worms on it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The moss is in an open jar and I mist it twice a day and keep it moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I eliminate the worms? Is there a risk of the worms moving to other plants in the house, or moss in other parts of the house?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="552" LastEditorUserId="91" LastEditDate="2011-08-13T01:25:06.480" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T16:28:09.003" Title="Translucent worms are growing on my moss, will they move onto other plants?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;worms&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1677" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1676" CreationDate="2011-08-13T01:22:31.227" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;These translucent worms are almost certainly the larvae of &lt;strong&gt;Fungus Gnats&lt;/strong&gt; and, if you look closely, you may see the adults running across the soil. They are attracted by damp conditions and their presence suggests that you have been keeping your moss too moist. They also thrive on potting soil that is high in organic matter - and on peat moss!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have done a quick online search and, apparently, they rarely harm healthy houseplants but, given the right conditions, will breed and spread to your other plants, and even to the rest of your house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can control them by:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ensuring that your plants are not over-watered; allow the potting compost to dry out a little between waterings, so that it is &lt;em&gt;slightly&lt;/em&gt; damp to the touch, but &lt;em&gt;never wet&lt;/em&gt;;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spraying the soil with neem oil or an insecticide of pyrethrins.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following articles/video should prove helpful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/info_8793627_little-translucent-worms-plant-pot.html&quot;&gt;Little Transparent Worms&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungus_gnat&quot;&gt;Fungus Gnat&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/video_4774744_control-fungus-gnats-indoor-plants.html&quot;&gt;How to Control fungus Gnats&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/flies015.shtml&quot;&gt;Flies in the Home&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="104" LastEditDate="2011-08-14T03:47:04.533" LastActivityDate="2011-08-14T03:47:04.533" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1678" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1679" CreationDate="2011-08-13T03:41:39.940" Score="14" ViewCount="3014" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've always thought that the right way to transfer a plant/tree to the ground is to dig a hole twice as big as the root-ball, free the roots that have been growing in a limited space, and set it level with the ground. This way, the roots are free to branch out and establish themselves in the surrounding soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I recently saw landscape workers just directly transferring a tree with its root-ball still looking like the shape of the container†. Wouldn't this slow down the growth of the roots and make the tree more susceptible to uprooting in strong winds? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there tangible advantages to freeing the roots, or have I been doing it wrong (or unnecessarily) all this while? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;† It is entirely possible that the workers were lazy and didn't do it knowing fully well that they were going to get paid anyway. The question still remains though.&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T01:44:55.603" LastActivityDate="2020-03-03T21:28:34.947" Title="Should a root-ball always be loosened when transferring a potted plant/tree into the ground?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1679" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1678" CreationDate="2011-08-13T04:40:36.730" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sadly, I think your point marked &quot;†&quot; is almost certainly 100% spot on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe your &quot;I've always thought...&quot; statement is 100% correct and if you've been doing that, you've been doing the right thing all along, in my opinion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Teasing root-bound plants out of a pot, container, burlap, etc. greatly helps the plant get off to its best possible start, assuming you've done all the other planting things right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It encourages the roots to work themselves out into their new environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It greatly prevents the chance of the roots circling themselves. If that does occur it can very easily lead to the roots girdling themselves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Best case scenario, the plant will grow slowly and poorly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Worst case scenario, the plant dies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6850&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Plant a Tree&lt;/a&gt; is a good source that reinforces your &quot;I've always thought...&quot; statement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sure there is a recommendation somewhere about why you shouldn't tease the roots out when planting, (assuming the plant is root-bound), but I've never seen or heard it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rightly or wrongly, regardless if the plant is root-bound or not, out of habit, being told what to do, watching what others do, etc., I always tease the roots out a little bit when planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T01:17:42.177" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T01:17:42.177" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1680" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1875" CreationDate="2011-08-13T21:42:43.513" Score="16" ViewCount="10490" Body="&lt;p&gt;We put in four young apple trees a few years ago, two cookers and two eaters, four different varieties. Now that those puny trees have grown up and started to produce a substantial crop, we're wondering which varieties they are. The labels have been lost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Supposedly there are &lt;a href=&quot;http://britishfood.about.com/od/diningdrinkingtradition/a/apples.htm&quot;&gt;1200 apple varieties native to England&lt;/a&gt;. How can we go about identifying our apple varieties? Is it even possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some photos of one of our cookers, in case anyone can identify this variety from photos alone. That would might start us off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click to enlarge&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9RPbw.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9RPbwm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/synvH.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/synvHm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1whVO.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1whVOm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zosn9.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zosn9m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-18T04:25:32.603" LastActivityDate="2011-09-18T05:16:00.497" Title="How can I identify an apple variety?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1681" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1682" CreationDate="2011-08-13T21:56:31.770" Score="19" ViewCount="1731" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning to serve homemade tomato soup for a large dinner party on Sept 24, 2011 (42 days from this posting). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This dinner is really important to me; so important, that I decided to plant my own tomato garden (those gas treated supermarket tomatoes just don't compare to the real thing, ya know?). This will be my very first gardening experience, so I'm looking for any useful information at this point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, to continue the story, this weekend I found a source for 4 large Big Boy tomato plants. The season is almost over and the people at the nursery looked at me like I was crazy as I walked off the lot with $130 worth of tomato plants, soil, pots, and feed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some picks of one of the plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7qwva.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tomatoes&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants stand about 3 feet tall and look reasonably healthy. They're planted in 14in ceramic pots (around 4 gal).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now here's the real question: Based on these images, &lt;strong&gt;will my tomatoes be ready in time for my all-important dinner party?&lt;/strong&gt; Is there anything besides a healthy dose of sunlight, regular watering/feeding that I can do to speed things along. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a pic of the tomatoes a day before the dinner party. The plants are still going strong (thanks to you all, no doubt) and I foresee many more tomatoes in the next few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RucZS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="553" LastEditorUserId="553" LastEditDate="2011-09-27T21:07:18.953" LastActivityDate="2011-09-27T21:07:18.953" Title="When will my tomatoes be ready to harvest?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1682" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1681" CreationDate="2011-08-13T23:10:17.090" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the look of the pictures I think that the plants will be ready on time for the dinner. In the meantime I would recommend the following care for them. I water once a day at least. Never let them stress for water. Nine out of ten days they are watered with a half solution of Peters or some other water soluble fertilizer rated for tomatoes and vegetable gardens. On the tenth day water them very thoroughly with plain water. Stop all fertilization a week to ten days before harvest. This helps to leach out any salts or nitrates that can build up in the soil and harm the plants. By being observant you should be able to minimize any damage. When you need to get rid of pests always try the method that will do the least harm to the environment and helpful garden critters. Start with mild soaps and work your way up if you must. I hope that this helps. Keep them in a sunny spot. Good luck  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-08-13T23:10:17.090" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1683" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1687" CreationDate="2011-08-14T05:42:52.163" Score="10" ViewCount="3843" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been trying to find out what weed this is (see photo), but I can't seem to find a definitive answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The weed mainly grows in the hedges of the garden, and appears to be choking it. It twists up the stems of the hedges like a vine. One hedge has already died completely because of this weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been cutting it off at the stem, but the weed is very deeply rooted and is very hard to get rid off. Does anyone know of any (ecological) ways of removing this weed permanently?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BvJhz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RRTtN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="556" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-14T06:02:14.693" LastActivityDate="2018-05-13T14:27:43.507" Title="Vine-like, deep-rooted very aggressive weed - what is it and how do I get rid of it?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1684" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-14T05:58:31.843" Score="7" ViewCount="88" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/320/how-to-make-manure-tea-without-e-coli&quot;&gt;How to make manure tea without e. coli&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/306/what-is-compost-tea-good-for&quot;&gt;this post&lt;/a&gt;, the benefits of compost tea were discussed. In short, it promotes growth, nourishes the plant and the soil, and helps keep diseases off. So how does one go about making compost tea at home? Does it require one to already have a compost heap/composting plan setup?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-08-15T11:15:44.923" Title="How does one make compost tea?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;compost-tea&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ClosedDate="2011-08-15T14:22:26.353" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1685" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1688" CreationDate="2011-08-14T12:20:05.750" Score="11" ViewCount="311" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are chili plants an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annual_plant&quot;&gt;annual plant&lt;/a&gt;? I have &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thechileman.org/guide_overwinter.php&quot;&gt;read&lt;/a&gt; on the web that they are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perennial_plant&quot;&gt;perennials&lt;/a&gt;. But mine have never lasted more than a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-08-14T19:18:18.300" LastActivityDate="2011-08-19T16:04:45.840" Title="Are chilis an annual plant?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1683" CreationDate="2011-08-14T13:05:11.257" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not even knowing what the weed is I would recommend one course of action. What I would do is first find the weed where it comes out of the ground. Then cut it off about a foot or so above the ground. If there any leaves left spray or paint them with Round Up or other applicable herbicide. If there are no leaves just wait for some leaves to appear and then treat them. I would remove all the dead vines from the plant to help prevent seeds from falling. After you have done all that keep an eye out for any new seedlings getting started. Those should easily pull out by hand. That should take care of it. Good luck. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-08-14T13:05:11.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1683" CreationDate="2011-08-14T13:09:09.327" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks very much like a &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aphotoflora.com/d_humulus_lupulus_hop.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hop plant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;  (&lt;em&gt;Humulus&lt;/em&gt;), a vigorous twining climber with  coarsely serrated (toothed) leaves that have three to five lobes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hops are difficult to eradicate, even with a weedkiller; a neighbor of mine has several on his vegetable plot and has unsuccessfully been trying to remove them, without resorting to chemicals, for several years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless you're willing to take the chemical route - you could spray their leaves with Roundup before they flower - the only options are probably hand-pulling and continually cutting the stems down to ground level to weaken their root system, or turning the hops to good account by using them for home-brewing ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-14T15:48:41.720" LastActivityDate="2011-08-14T15:48:41.720" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1688" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1685" CreationDate="2011-08-14T17:52:00.310" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Technically, they are perennials, but they tend not to do well over winter. I have managed to over winter them. But I have to grow them in pots and bring them in (to avoid frosts), and then they grow slowly and seem prone to disease, lack of sun, etc. Hence most people (including myself now) grow them as annuals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="140" LastEditDate="2011-08-15T04:07:45.323" LastActivityDate="2011-08-15T04:07:45.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1689" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1706" CreationDate="2011-08-14T18:37:41.573" Score="16" ViewCount="2602" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in zone 8/9 in northern FL and I have the following fruit/nut trees:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2 Pecans&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2 Meyor Lemons&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2 Peach trees (uncertain of variety)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1 Black Mission fig&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of the trees have been planted for between 2 to 4 years, and they are all about that young.  None of these trees have ever significantly flowered.  The peach trees kind of flower, but the flowers fall after about 2 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trees themselves have all grown and flourished, and what's more is that all of them (except the pecans) were blooming when I bought them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What time of year should these trees flower? I thought the pecans (which are about 4 years old) should start flowering right now so you get a winter harvest.  Are all these trees too young?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Talking to my dad last night, he thought it notworthy that the pecan trees grew their stamens every March/April... He said that those grape cluster looking clumps should have turned into pecans throughout the summer... On my trees though, they both just fall off after a few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="485" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:03:30.577" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T22:55:49.867" Title="Why aren't my fruit/nut trees flowering?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;figs&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1691" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-14T22:16:20.057" Score="11" ViewCount="282" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want that very welcome leek crop in mid-winter, you have to start thinking about them early on in the spring growing season. They're such a long time in the ground. Well, I got mine in on time but I've been neglecting them ever since. Next door's chickens paid a visit and damaged some patches of leek seedlings so I threw in some optimistic late sowings to fill in the gaps. Later some thinning was required but I left it rather late.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The result is a row of leeks which range from OK to severely undersized (some less than 0.5cm, many less than 1cm). Is it too late (mid-August) now for these feeble looking plants to swell up in time for a winter crop? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And when exactly do leeks slow down and stop swelling? At what point later on this year should I stop looking for progress and just be happy what I've got?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-08-14T23:47:17.953" Title="Is it too late for my under-sized leeks to fatten up?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1692" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1691" CreationDate="2011-08-14T23:47:17.953" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had a similar problem with my leeks this year. I sowed them on time but, soon after they germinated, went away on holiday for three weeks and on my return found that they were smothered in weeds. I hand-weeded the plot promptly and later transplanted all 120 (backbreaking!), but they are still very puny - about the same size as yours. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leeks require about 90 days from thinning/ transplanting to maturity, so if we have a mild autumn and you enriched your soil before planting, your leeks (and mine) should have ample time to swell up before they're lifted. If I'm not mistaken, you live in the &lt;em&gt;south&lt;/em&gt; of England, where it's warmer, so yours will probably catch up better than mine ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-08-14T23:47:17.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1693" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1689" CreationDate="2011-08-15T01:36:55.723" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chilling requirements for figs are about 100 hours under 45°F. Pecans, about 500 hours under 45. Peaches range from 300 to 1000 hours. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.garden.bsewall.com/topics/hardiness/chill.htm&quot;&gt;Here's a chart of Florida with approximate chilling hours per year&lt;/a&gt;. It has counties in faint gray, so you should be able to pick out where you live. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might like to look at the newer hardiness charts. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.arborday.org/media/zones.cfm&quot;&gt;The new chart&lt;/a&gt; was supposed to be released in 2006, but was suppressed for political reasons. Almost every part of the US moved one zone warmer between the time the previous chart was released by the Arbor Day Foundation (who have been making the hardiness zones that the USDA publishes for more than a half century) in 1990 and the newest one which was to be released in 2006. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="47" LastActivityDate="2011-08-15T01:36:55.723" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1694" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-15T04:05:56.030" Score="10" ViewCount="9982" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen many people in one of my local forums say that their purple basil turned green a while after planting. There were no proper conclusions to this problem, so could someone please explain?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my own experience, I planted a purple basil from seed. It started with purple leaves until it was medium sized, and then its leaves started to turn green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2011-08-15T04:13:30.697" LastActivityDate="2019-08-10T12:58:32.370" Title="Why does purple basil turn green?" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1695" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1700" CreationDate="2011-08-15T04:12:22.227" Score="8" ViewCount="2458" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it 100% safe to handle the soil by bare hands? Would any toxic insect hide inside the soils? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-19T15:20:55.207" LastActivityDate="2017-06-18T18:46:24.973" Title="Is it safe to handle soil with our bare hands?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;safety&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1696" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-15T04:13:51.290" Score="17" ViewCount="388" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few days ago, I found a tiny (1cm in length) earthworm inside my pot. In general, earthworms &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthworm#Benefits&quot;&gt;are beneficial in improving soil fertility&lt;/a&gt;. Are all kinds of earthworms good for the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-15T05:14:50.420" LastActivityDate="2011-08-15T12:16:16.460" Title="Are all kinds of earthworms good for the soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1697" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="320" CreationDate="2011-08-15T07:24:50.757" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, let me say I'm no expert when it comes to compost tea ie I don't know the (full) scientific in's and out's of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, I've only been making compost tea for 2 years now. It's easy, it's fun (my oldest son and kids in our street think I'm some kind of mad scientist, while my youngest son just wants to drink it), and I've personally noticed benefits in my garden from using it on a regular bases. The below quote comes from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; here on SE.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I make 5 gallons of compost tea each week (from late Spring to earlier Autumn &quot;Fall&quot;) and apply the 5 gallon batch to the front garden one week, then the following week apply a new fresh 5 gallon batch to the back garden. I repeat that cycle for the period given previously. I have been doing this for 2 years now, and without question I have noticed a massive increase in worm activity eg lots of worm castings on the surface of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;I spread the 5 gallons of Compost Tea via a watering-can over approx 1800ft² (170m²). Lawn area is about the same front &amp;amp; back for me. So one week the front lawn gets treated, then the following week the back lawn gets treated, repeat, repeat...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rightly or wrongly, below is the method I've used for the past 2 years (with success) and will continue to use, or at least until I'm told I am doing it wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stuff you need:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;5 gallon (19 Litre) bucket - bought new and is used for nothing else.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stirring stick (used for nothing else) - basically a clean, thin but sturdy piece of wood, about 2 to 3 feet (600 to 900mm) long.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Molasses &quot;Unsulfured&quot; - personally I spend a little bit more and go with an organic product.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Compost (I use my own homemade compost) - can be homemade or bought, the important thing is, it's &quot;good&quot; quality, aged compost.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earthworm Castings (I buy locally) or a product like, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.drearth.com/products/organic-soils/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dr. Earth Organic Planting Mix&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;del&gt;Old stockings or tights, or buy the cheapest ones you can find.&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Watering can - do not use one that you put any kind of chemicals in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Funnel (used for nothing else) - large enough to allow easy transfer of the (finished) compost tea from the 5 gallon bucket to the watering can.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Materials bought from aquarium shop/outlet:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Aquarium pump - powerful enough to run the system you decide to set-up. I think the smallest pump my local aquarium shop sold was rated at &quot;20 or 30 gallons&quot; (76 or 114 Litre), but for only $2 to $3 more I decided to go with a slightly more powerful &quot;40 gallon (151 Litre) pump&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gang valve - 3 way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 Bubblers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;10 feet (3000mm) of tubing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A reusable (fine) netted bag - after going through a few pairs of cheap stockings/tights, seeing as they're only good for one brewing process, I figured there must be a better way. I spoke with my local aquarium shop about my &quot;peculiar&quot; requirements, in fact they were fascinated by what I was doing, they suggested and got hold of a &quot;reusable (fine) netted bag&quot;. I've now been using that bag for the past 18 months.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Below: 40 gallon aquarium pump, gang valve - 3 way, bubblers (4 pack) and tubing.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Ih60.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Ih60m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Aquarium pump, 3-way gang valve, bubblers &amp;amp; tubing&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Below: Organic Molasses &quot;Unsulfured&quot;.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BYDOq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BYDOqm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Organic Molasses &amp;quot;Unsulfured&amp;quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How I make compost tea (for use on my lawn, but I will occasionally give a plant a small amount, if it looks like it could do with a little pick me up):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I've set-up a small area in my garage where I make (brew) my compost tea. It's out of direct sunlight and protected from other outdoor elements eg Rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keeping the brewing process out of direct sunlight will prevent it from heating up too much. Too much heat can cause the (beneficial) organisms that you're trying to stimulate (wake up, make perform their magic) to slow down.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keeping the brewing process protected from other outdoor elements greatly decreases the possibility of &quot;foreign&quot; bodies, elements, etc from entering the compost brew.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Of course the brewing process can easily be performed outdoors if located in a shady area and some kind of enclosed brewing system is set-up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Connect up the aquarium pump, 3-way gang valve, 3 bubblers and tubing (see photo below). When doing this, ensure each bubbler is connected to tubing that is long enough to reach the bottom of the 5 gallon (19 Litre) bucket - 2ft (600mm) of tubing should be long enough.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;On a Wednesday morning fill the 5 gallon (19 Litre) bucket with 4 to 4&amp;#189; gallons (15 to 17 Litre) of cold water.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place the 3 bubblers into the water so that they sit at the bottom of the bucket, then turn on the pump. I let this run for 24 hours. &lt;strong&gt;Why?&lt;/strong&gt; The air circulating through the water will remove (blow off) the chlorine, and you want that to occur so there's no chlorine left in the water to possibly effect (harm, kill) the beneficial organisms you add later.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;On a Thursday morning mix together &amp;#189; gallon (2 Litre) of sieved compost and &amp;#189; gallon (2 Litre) of sieved earthworm castings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place that mixture into the reusable (fine) netted bag ie Basically make a giant tea-bag.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then add the bag to the (chlorine free) water in the bucket.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Measure out 1fl oz (30ml) of Molasses &quot;Unsulfured&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pour that into the (chlorine free) water in the bucket.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the stirring stick, give the mixture a good stir.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Then for the next 2 to 3 days go out there 3 or 4 times a day and give it a &quot;quick&quot; stir.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Saturday, after 2 days of brewing (minimum) or Sunday, after 3 days of brewing (considered the perfect brewing period for the recipe I use) go out there and turn off the pump.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove the 3-way gang valve, bubblers, bag from the bucket, so you're just left with the bucket and its freshly brewed contents ie Compost tea.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Immediately transfer the compost tea to the watering can with the help of the funnel. The below point explains why it's best to use the compost tea immediately or within 1 hour to ensure maximum benefits are reaped from the brewing process.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Compost tea doesn't store well, mainly because without air being constantly feed through it, it will become &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;anaerobic&lt;/a&gt; and eventually start to smell. Also the (beneficial) organisms will become inactive due to lack of food after 3 days of brewing, they've pretty much used up the 1fl oz (30ml) of Molasses &quot;Unsulfured&quot; originally added for their benefit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the watering can in hand, I slowly walk my lawn while allowing a small amount of compost tea to flow onto the grass as I walk in a pattern that ensures I cover my lawn the best I can.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once all the compost tea has been poured onto my lawn (1 week the front garden, the following week the back garden, then repeat the cycle), I get the bag with the compost and earthworm castings mixture and place that mixture around any plants in my garden that look like they could do with a little pick me up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finally, clean up everything with clean cold water.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then the following Wednesday (after 2 or 3 days rest) I start the whole process allover again.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Below: Aerating water in a 5 gallon (19 Litre) bucket to remove chlorine, via 3-way gang valve, 3 bubblers and tubing connected to a aquarium pump.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EUSmi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EUSmim.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Aerating water in a bucket&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Below: Immediately after the reusable (fine) netted bag (containing the compost &amp;amp; earthworm castings mixture) and Molasses &quot;Unsulfured&quot; have been added to the aerated water in the bucket.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NvrLm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NvrLmm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Brewing Compost Tea&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Below: After 2 to 3 days of brewing (&amp;amp; the occasional stir) the compost tea is ready for the garden.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ernEI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ernEIm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Brewing Compost Tea&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Notes:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Good&quot; quality compost doesn't really smell, apart from having a very slight earthy smell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Earthworm castings also don't really smell, apart from having a very slight earthy smell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Compost tea doesn't (shouldn't) really smell, apart from a having very slight, sweet, earthy smell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If anyone one of the above had a strong smell, I would be concerned there is something not quite right and wouldn't proceed with using them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before I started making my own compost tea, I read up a lot about it (there are many ways to make compost tea), watched it being made and used on a number of TV gardening shows, etc In the end the advice I followed (rightly or wrongly), mainly because it made sense to me and &quot;generally&quot; reflected what I'd read, seen and heard, was:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/brewing-compost-tea.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Brewing Compost Tea&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/recycle/Tea/tea1.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Compost Tea, as easy as 1, 2, 3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hope the above helps, please let me know if I've missed anything or need to explain anything further. Good luck and happy brewing.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-09-30T16:02:54.673" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1698" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="306" CreationDate="2011-08-15T07:30:31.307" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The below quote comes from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; here on SE.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I make 5 gallons of compost tea each week (from late Spring to earlier Autumn &quot;Fall&quot;) and apply the 5 gallon batch to the front garden one week, then the following week apply a new fresh 5 gallon batch to the back garden. I repeat that cycle for the period given previously. I have been doing this for 2 years now, and without question I have noticed a massive increase in worm activity eg lots of worm castings on the surface of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;I spread the 5 gallons of Compost Tea via a watering-can over approx 1800ft² (170m²). Lawn area is about the same front &amp;amp; back for me. So one week the front lawn gets treated, then the following week the back lawn gets treated, repeat, repeat...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally you may find &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/320/how-to-make-manure-tea-without-e-coli/1697#1697&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt;, to this question, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/320/394&quot;&gt;How to make manure tea without e. coli&lt;/a&gt;, here on SE of some interest...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-08-15T16:10:21.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1695" CreationDate="2011-08-15T07:46:40.377" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Insects are rarely a problem. The only one I can think of that might bite in soil, would be ants.  Also avoid the blatantly obvious like digging into wasp/hornet/etc nests!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you are probably thinking of bacteria and other microbes. Generally you will be fine, no problems; but beware of animal (and human) urine and faces contaminating the soil. Also use gloves if you have cuts - this is how tetanus (a virus) spreads. Or just have your tetanus vaccination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-08-15T07:46:40.377" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1700" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1695" CreationDate="2011-08-15T08:14:45.010" Score="21" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Is it 100% safe to handle the soil by bare hands?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No, nothing is 100% safe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, I've always done gardening (from the earliest age), also when working indoors or outdoors, with bare-hands. I don't like wearing gloves, just a personal preference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Though the above statement is not quite true, as I have worn gloves (and other safety equipment) when:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Working down manholes, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pulling thorny plants from a area to clear that space.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But &quot;generally&quot; speaking I do not wear gloves when gardening, I find they get in the way, I like to feel what I'm doing...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While out in the garden I will rinse my dirty-hands with cold water from the hose, as and when I feel they need a slight clean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As soon as I go inside (to have a drink, something to eat, etc), I will wash my hands with warm, soapy water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Would any toxic insect hide inside the soils?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some ants can be very toxic and can cause a lot of pain if they bite a human.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yellow Jacket wasps live under ground, and believe me you wouldn't want to go sticking your hand down into their nest. I did once (didn't know what Yellow Jacket wasps were back then), and 3 very! painful stings later I was running like a mad-man back into the house.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of more concern in the garden would be things like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bacteria.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Microbes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Animal urine and feces.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally in my own garden or a well maintained garden, I really wouldn't worry about such things, as long as common sense and good judgment prevails.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-08-15T08:14:45.010" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1701" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1695" CreationDate="2011-08-15T11:58:26.397" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on where you live. Toxic (poisonous / venomous) insects are more prevalent in some places than others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I garden there's only one kind (that I can identify) of biting ant, ground wasps are not common, and there aren't any poisonous spiders or snakes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In places like the southern US, fire ants are more common. Though I'm not sure how much protection gloves would provide against these or wasps -- the ants will climb right up your arm (or inside the glove) and bite you, and the wasps will fly up and get you where they can (or bite you through your clothes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Is it 100% safe to handle the soil by bare hands?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No. But it's not 100% safe to walk out your front door in the morning either: there could be a rabid dog in your driveway. Neither is it 100% safe to stay in the house: a large meteorite could fall from the sky, crash through the roof, and crush you as you lounge on the couch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I garden with bare hands, except when I know I'm going to be doing enough digging to give myself blisters, or when I have to pull out thorny blackberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-15T11:58:26.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1702" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1696" CreationDate="2011-08-15T12:16:16.460" Score="14" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Are all kinds of earthworms good for the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The answer depends on a number of factors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In general for gardening and agricultural purposes&lt;/em&gt;, worms benefit the soil by providing aeration and decomposition and improving soil structure.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some people find earthworms to be a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&amp;amp;T/lawn/note125/note125.html&quot;&gt;pest in lawns&lt;/a&gt; because they deposit too many castings on the surface which is ugly and can make a lumpy surface texture. Also, some moles feed on earthworms, and moles can be a major lawn problem, so too many earthworms could be encouraging a mole problem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;From the Wikipedia &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthworm#Benefits&quot;&gt;earthworm article&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;When worms decompose that leaf layer, the ecology may shift making the habitat unsurvivable for certain species of trees, ferns and wildflowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a web site at the University of Minnesota that discusses the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nrri.umn.edu/worms/forest/index.html&quot;&gt;adverse impact that earthworms have on forest soils&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A bit further down in the Wikipedia article, there's a note about the New Zealand flatworm that is invasive to the U.K., is predatory upon native earthworms and has no natural predator. This would be a net loss for soil health.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, &quot;earthworm&quot; is an imprecise term. If you want to know if the specific worm (or population) in your pot (or garden) is beneficial, you'd have to identify it and see if that species (or group, if you can't make an exact identification) provides benefits &lt;em&gt;in your circumstance&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-15T12:16:16.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="225" CreationDate="2011-08-15T13:50:03.283" Score="9" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'd probably use 5 gallon pails, we have a bunch of these hanging around.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(I think you have horses) How about a feed bucket or one of the larger watering buckets for the horses? (Especially if you have such a bucket that's been kicked/dropped/cracked -- since you said an eyesore is ok, a little duct tape will cover up the crack and exclude light.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As far as dustbins go, a smaller office-size recycle bin doesn't seem like it would be too tall and they're inexpensive at your local office-supply store.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;None of those are as heavy as the pottery will be, so put a rock on top to keep them from blowing around your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-15T13:50:03.283" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1704" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1712" CreationDate="2011-08-15T17:04:17.773" Score="13" ViewCount="4209" Body="&lt;p&gt;Raspberries are plants that require good exposure to sun. However, my black-raspberry plant has been getting scorched of late. Typical signs of sun-scorching are when the older leaves start drying out (see photo), turning brown and papery (crumbles if you press). The new leaves are unaffected though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in San Diego, and the weather here over the past two months has been between 65 and 75 F (and will remain the same until December). The plants get about 8-10 hours of sun everyday. In short, it's heaven for humans, but not for my raspberry plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Firstly, am I even right in diagnosing this as sun-scorching? If so, how can I prevent it? The obvious option would be to move it to a place with more shade. However, I'd rather wait till Jan-Feb when it'll be dormant, to move the plant. An alternate would be to cover it with a black netting that cuts the sunlight, yet allows it to breathe. However, I don't have much experience with these. What are my options given the constraints?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/etMmy.jpg&quot; width=&quot;325&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FkSXw.jpg&quot; width=&quot;325&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="anon" LastEditorDisplayName="anon" LastEditDate="2011-09-24T23:44:22.800" LastActivityDate="2011-09-24T23:44:22.800" Title="How do I prevent my berry leaves from getting scorched in the sun?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1705" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1707" CreationDate="2011-08-15T17:37:31.640" Score="11" ViewCount="260" Body="&lt;p&gt;First time broccoli planter. A couple of my plants have just started to form heads, is there anything special I need to do? How do I know when its ready? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, what is the proper way to harvest broccoli when it is ready? Finally I have read here about side shoots what do those look like?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-15T17:53:16.230" LastActivityDate="2011-08-15T18:05:04.387" Title="My broccoli has started to head up. Anything I should know?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1689" CreationDate="2011-08-15T17:46:54.790" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I'm no expert on fruit or nut trees...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, the below information comes from what I've been told by people who know (or at least, I believed they knew what they were talking about), what I know and from doing some research on the internet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Listed below are when you should expect to start seeing those trees start producing:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pecan - takes a minimum of 5 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Meyer Lemon - takes a minimum of 3 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Peach - takes a minimum of 3 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fig - takes a minimum of 4 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Listed below are when you should expect to see those trees flower:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pecan - mid to late Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Meyer Lemon - pretty much all year, except in the dead of Winter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Peach - early Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fig - late Winter to early Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rikon:&lt;/strong&gt; The trees themselves have all grown and flourished, and what's more is that all of them (except the pecans) were blooming when I bought them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question by Mike Perry in comments (now deleted):&lt;/strong&gt; Are you fertilizing those trees? If yes, with what &amp;amp; how regularly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rikon:&lt;/strong&gt; I use the Miracle Gro fruit spikes once in early spring and once about now (late august): &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp?proId=prod70144&amp;amp;itemId=cat80008&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Miracle-Gro&amp;#174; Fruit &amp;amp; Citrus Tree Fertilizer Spikes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might be over fertilizing them with those &quot;chemical&quot; spikes. Lots of growth and foliage, but lack of flowers (fruit, nuts) can be a sign of over fertilizing or an imbalance in the fertilizer being used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I would:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mulch the trees with a 2 to 3inch (50 to 75mm) thick layer of &quot;good&quot; quality compost, doing so will feed the trees slowly and naturally. Mulching of trees is &quot;generally&quot; considered good practice (especially in warmer climates like yours), if done correctly, e.g. Mulch should &lt;strong&gt;never&lt;/strong&gt; touch the trunk of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Move away from using &quot;chemical&quot; spikes, instead get a well balanced, organic fertilizer, something like 5-5-5, but nothing more than 10-10-10, that can be mixed-in with the compost (mulch) layer and allowed to work slowly down into the soil and root system of the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lack of fruit, nuts, can also be a sign of poor pollination, there can be numerous reasons why trees suffer poor pollination. In your situation, you would need to determine if in fact that was the case. If it was, then depending on the cause, you would need to make changes in an effort to prevent that from happening again in the future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With all that said, I think your trees might be just a little bit too young to expect them to be producing this year. If they, or at least all of them except the 2 Pecan trees weren't starting to produce next year, I would be more concerned something is going wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are some of the references I used while researching this question, you may find them helpful/useful to read at your leisure:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/h-622.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Flowering Habits of Pecan Trees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs229&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Pecan Tree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://nassau.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/fruit/lemon.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Meyer Lemon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs132&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Citrus Culture In The Home Landscape&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st513&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Prunus persica:&lt;/em&gt; Peach&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs365&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Training and Pruning Florida Peaches, Nectarines, and Plums&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg214&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Fig&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-06T22:55:49.867" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T22:55:49.867" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1707" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1705" CreationDate="2011-08-15T18:05:04.387" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's ready when the heads are full sized and the buds are still tight. You can harvest early if you want, but don't let them go too long (i.e. the buds loosen and flowers start to open). (What &quot;full sized&quot; means depends somewhat on your variety; check the seed packet.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To harvest, just make a clean cut with a sharp knife 5&quot; or so below the head. If the variety you've planted makes side heads, don't cut too far down and don't remove too many leaves -- you want to keep most of the plant intact so it has energy to keep producing. If you have a variety that only produces a single head, you can pull the whole plant after you harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I give a little top dressing of compost/manure after harvesting the main head, or a shot of liquid fish fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Side heads look the same as the main heads but are smaller, and they are on side branches of the plant instead of the main head. I don't have experience with many varieties, but the side heads are only a couple of inches -- don't wait to harvest in expectation of them getting big! Not a meal, but good for adding to salads and stir fries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last crop of broccoli I had only had tiny main heads, but it made tons of side heads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-15T18:05:04.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1668" CreationDate="2011-08-15T18:49:48.407" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below are a few plants I researched for your particular requirements:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/126552/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Double Bird's Foot Trefoil &lt;em&gt;(Lotus corniculatus 'Plenus')&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57384/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rupturewort &lt;em&gt;(Herniaria glabra)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1892/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Blue Star Creeper &lt;em&gt;(Pratia pedunculata)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thymus_serpyllum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wild Thyme or Creeping Thyme &lt;em&gt;(Thymus serpyllum)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stonecrops &lt;em&gt;(Sedum)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I personally have experience with, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=C655&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sedum rupestre&lt;/em&gt; 'Angelina'&lt;/a&gt;. I have them in the front of a small rock garden, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1396/what-is-a-good-ground-cover-for-street-frontage-instead-of-lawn/1399#1399&quot;&gt;see here&lt;/a&gt; on SE.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moss&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Moss&lt;/a&gt; appeals to you, take a look at the following (free) downloadable book:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/bbs/Resources/Downloads.htm#mgh&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Moss Grower's Handbook&lt;/a&gt; and download the PDF, or use the direct link below:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Direct link to PDF - &lt;a href=&quot;http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/bbs/Resources/Fletcher.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Moss Grower's Handbook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I must admit, before reading that book, I hadn't really thought of Moss as being a good choice for dry, sunny locations, but the book states that certain varieties will only reach their full potential when grown in such conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found the following resource to be useful when checking if Moss varieties given in the above referenced book are valid options for North America:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://fna.huh.harvard.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Flora of North America&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-08-18T02:49:34.993" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1709" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1694" CreationDate="2011-08-15T19:46:14.760" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do not have personal experience with this, but based on some discussion &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/herbs/msg0605485711283.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; it looks like the hybrids that generate purple basil can at times be unstable and revert to the traditional green basil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The plant's hybrid parentage may cause its genetic instability when grown from seed; leaf color often varies from plant to plant and large numbers of pure green plants maybe be produced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another possibility mentioned on that page is that they will sometimes revert if they do not get enough sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.basilbasics.com/basil-plants.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; there is at least one type of basil that starts out purple and turns green as it matures: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.basilbasics.com/african-blue-basil.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;African Blue Basil&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-19T15:14:16.283" LastActivityDate="2011-11-19T15:14:16.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1710" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-08-15T19:57:03.497" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Avocado may refer to either the tree or the large drupe that grows on said tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also known as an alligator pear, the avocado fruit has a thick, green skin and contains a large seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;avocado tree is native to Central Mexico&lt;/a&gt; and classified under the &lt;em&gt;Lauraceae&lt;/em&gt; plant family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GYq72.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;avocados in tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/emdot/39454927/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;licensed under creative commons 2.0 attribution&quot;&gt;&quot;bounty&quot; by emdot&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-12T13:54:13.467" LastActivityDate="2012-03-12T13:54:13.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1711" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-08-15T19:57:03.497" Score="0" Body="Large, green-skinned and pear-shaped drupe fruit grown on the tree of the same name" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="91" LastEditDate="2011-08-15T19:59:45.097" LastActivityDate="2011-08-15T19:59:45.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1704" CreationDate="2011-08-15T20:17:16.150" Score="7" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Firstly, am I even right in diagnosing this as sun-scorching?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Browning of the leaves can be a reaction to too much sun. Raspberries don't mind some shade during the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Browning of the leaves can also be a sign of something more serious. If the browning is caused by something more serious than too much sun, the following resources can be used to help you identify:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/berrytool/raspberry/raspparts.htm&quot;&gt;Raspberries Diagnostic Tool&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://urbanext.illinois.edu/raspberries/insects.cfm&quot;&gt;Insects &amp;amp; Diseases of Raspberries&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/dg1152.html&quot;&gt;Raspberry Diseases&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additionally:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are the raspberries planted in soil that drains well?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do they get enough water?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; If so, how can I prevent it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shade cloth (fabric) is without a doubt the best thing home gardeners can use in situations like yours (IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shade cloth comes in variety of shade densities, something that offers 30 to 40% protection from the sun would probably be best in your particular situation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shade cloth, if looked after will last for years, therefore making it a worthwhile investment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.illinois.edu/podcasts/gc/201107_842.html&quot;&gt;Creating a Unique Shade Garden&lt;/a&gt;, offers a nice approach that I think you could easily adapt to your needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-15T20:48:35.240" LastActivityDate="2011-08-15T20:48:35.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1713" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="306" CreationDate="2011-08-15T20:50:27.793" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;The liquid that comes out of the bottom of your composter is more properly called &quot;compost leachate&quot;. It may be nutrient rich, but may also be loaded with whatever pathogens were present in the feedstock. Use with care (probably &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; on edibles).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Compost tea&quot; is the product created by soaking finished compost in water for a period of time. There are various levels of sophistication that you can apply to achieve various levels of quality and benefits from your tea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Teas contain nutrients, microbes, and fungi. The benefit of nutrient content is that it provides a liquid plant food with quickly soluble nutrients. The benefit of the microbes and fungi is that they may suppress some plant diseases when applied as a foliar feed (i.e. sprayed on the leaves).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately &quot;microbes&quot; includes both beneficials and pathogens (like &lt;em&gt;E. Coli&lt;/em&gt;). There is some controversy in the organic growing community about whether compost tea should be regulated like manure tea (which is regulated in the U.S. under the NOP). The science here is young and still trying to catch up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The method and recipe used to brew the tea determine what it has in terms of nutrients microbes and fungi (aerated vs nonaerated, which &quot;foods&quot; were added to the brew -- sugars, seaweed, acids, salts, etc). Adding sugars will feed the microbes. Other ingredients will encourage fungi. Aeration will encourage certain microbes and fungi. Length of brew has an impact. Nonaerated compost that is brewed for a longer period will contain mostly anaerobic microbes since the aerobic microbes and fungi will have used up all the air in the liquid during the early part of the brew cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The feedstock you use will have a &lt;strong&gt;huge&lt;/strong&gt; impact on the effectiveness. If you start with weak compost you'll end up with weak tea. There's a lot of junk on the internet (especially where people are trying to sell you a system) that claims that compost tea has some kind of &quot;magical&quot; properties. But you basically get out what you put in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're doing further research on compost tea, be careful which sources you choose to read. Most people selling &quot;compost tea systems&quot; seem to overstate the benefits (as expected). The scientific journals can be a little heavy to read. The University Extension services are pretty good sources, though they tend to oversimplify too often for my liking. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mofga.org/Publications/MaineOrganicFarmerGardener/Spring2004/CompostTea/tabid/1357/Default.aspx&quot;&gt;This article at MOFGA&lt;/a&gt; is good, but is starting to be a bit dated. &lt;a href=&quot;https://attra.ncat.org/&quot;&gt;ATTRA&lt;/a&gt; tends to have accessible but comprehensive coverage of topics like compost tea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-15T20:50:27.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1714" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-08-16T03:28:08.823" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cilantro&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cilantro&lt;/a&gt; is the North American name for the herb(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/herbs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;herbs&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;herbs&lt;/a&gt;) (and specifically the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/edible&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;edible&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;edible&lt;/a&gt; leaves) of the coriander plant. Synonyms include coriander &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/leaves&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;leaves&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;leaves&lt;/a&gt;, Chinese &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/parsley&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;parsley&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;parsley&lt;/a&gt; and fresh coriander.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The coriander plant is an annual herb of the &lt;em&gt;Apiaceae&lt;/em&gt; family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zE9a2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of cilantro leaves&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;Garden fresh cilantro&amp;quot; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/dasqfamily/2648343226/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;licensed under creative commons 2.0&quot;&gt;by Qfamily&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-17T13:06:57.750" LastActivityDate="2021-02-17T13:06:57.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1715" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-08-16T03:28:08.823" Score="0" Body="Popular herb, also known as coriander" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T12:50:16.510" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T12:50:16.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1716" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1718" CreationDate="2011-08-16T14:20:40.553" Score="16" ViewCount="1497" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have seen several questions recently about compost tea. We have also seen questions about manure tea and at least one question that referred to compost leachate as &quot;compost tea.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the differences between these products/concoctions and how are they used? Are there any dangers associated with any of these products? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good answer should define and give uses for at least one of the following items &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;compost tea&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;herbal tea&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;manure tea&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;compost leachate&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-16T14:48:50.497" LastActivityDate="2011-08-16T15:06:20.297" Title="What is the difference between compost tea, manure tea, compost leachate and herbal tea?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;compost-tea&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1716" CreationDate="2011-08-16T14:44:21.207" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I saw referred to as Compost Tea as answers in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/320/how-to-make-manure-tea-without-e-coli&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; was more similar to what I read was called &quot;Vegetarian Manure Tea&quot; (or maybe green manure tea) in &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1580170269&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tips for the Lazy Gardener&lt;/a&gt;.  One of the keys to making manure tea is to make sure you use Composted Manure!  Hence the confusion.  If you don't want to get sick, it's best to call nothing at all manure tea and avoid the temptation to liquefy poop and spread it on your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's certainly good to make a distinction between Compost Leachate and Compost Tea.  I'd think that anything called &quot;Tea&quot; should be something steeped like herbal tea is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although maybe in British English it should be called an &quot;Infusion&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-08-16T14:44:21.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1718" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1716" CreationDate="2011-08-16T15:06:20.297" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Starting from scratch:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Manure&quot; refers to organic material used as fertilizer. This includes animal manure, compost, and green manure.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Compost&quot; is decomposed organic matter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Tea&quot; in this context is the liquid resulting from steeping compost (or manure) in water for a period of time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Leachate&quot; is liquid that leaches out of something.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given the definitions above, compost is manure, and broken-down animal manure is compost. Most people I know who say &quot;manure&quot; mean animal manure -- any other use is qualified, e.g. &quot;green manure&quot;. &quot;Organic&quot; regulations in some places may make a technical distinction between &quot;manure&quot; and &quot;compost&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below when I say &quot;manure&quot; I mean &quot;animal manure&quot;, and &quot;compost&quot; means compost produced without any animal feces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Compost tea&quot; is the liquid product created by steeping compost in water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Manure tea&quot; is the liquid product created by steeping manure in water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Compost leachate&quot; is the liquid that seeps from the bottom of your pile or tumbler.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Herbal tea&quot; is something I'd make in the kitchen to drink... I'm not sure about this usage in a gardening context except to assume that it involves steeping herbs in water to use as a spray for plants...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leachate may have high concentrations of pathogens if they are present in your pile. I wouldn't spray it on my vegetable garden. I'd just let it leach into the soil around the pile and enrich the soil there -- it is likely to contain nutrients that leach out of the compost pile. Covering your pile can reduce the amount of leachate produced and thus the amount of nutrients lost from the end product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd only make manure tea with well-rotted (composted) manure to avoid contamination with pathogens -- or use it only on non-edibles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost tea is useful as a fertilizer. Research indicates it may help fight certain plant diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, just like compost has many &quot;recipes&quot; and techniques, and widely varying quality levels, there are many recipes and techniques for creating teas, each with widely varying quality levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-16T15:06:20.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1719" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="164" CreationDate="2011-08-17T02:22:40.863" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Once they have become established in their new home, blackberry plants (particularly the varieties with thorns) usually grow quickly and aggressively - mine are so invasive that I have to be very vigilant to keep them under control! However, I see that your question dates back to 9 June, and you planted yours towards the end of April, which means that they had only had about six weeks in the ground when you posted, and that time would normally have been spent settling in. You were probably expecting too much of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By now, they should be growing vigorously, in preparation for fruiting next year (they don't normally fruit during their first year). Blackberries are not too fussy about soil quality, &lt;em&gt;provided it is free-draining&lt;/em&gt;, and yours appear to be getting enough sunshine and water. However, if they have still not grown much, I would suggest, in addition to the sound advice already given:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;adding plenty of &lt;em&gt;well-rotted&lt;/em&gt; horse manure to the plot where they are planted; this will open up the pore structure of your clayey soil and improve drainage and aeration, making it easier for your plants' roots to spread and absorb nutrients. Keep the manure away from the stems, to prevent collar rot, and avoid using cattle manure, which is more suitable for light soils and would have the opposite effect: it would make your soil even heavier and less porous.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following articles should prove useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningchannel.com/growing-berries-in-the-kitchen-garden/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growing Berries&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.food-skills-for-self-sufficiency.com/growing-blackberries.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growing Blackberries&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope you enjoy a good crop next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-05-26T19:34:35.773" LastActivityDate="2018-05-26T19:34:35.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1720" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1721" CreationDate="2011-08-17T12:38:30.947" Score="18" ViewCount="6530" Body="&lt;p&gt;A week ago I harvested an orange Bell pepper from my garden. It was still halfway green, so I put it on our kitchen counter to ripen. When I finally cut it open for a salad after a week of ripening, it had a horrible ammonia smell, unlike anything I've ever experienced from a vegetable. Visually, there was nothing wrong with it, but the smell was a clear sign that something was rotten.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can cause an ammonia smell from a pepper?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="98" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-11T09:53:51.133" LastActivityDate="2011-12-12T11:47:59.127" Title="Why did my orange bell pepper smell of ammonia?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;post-harvest&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1721" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1720" CreationDate="2011-08-17T14:29:33.610" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't frequently have peppers from the garden sit around more than 3-4 days. The time sitting on the counter may have been sufficient for that particular pepper to go bad. Unless the plant appears to be producing rotted produce, I would chalk this one up to a statistical anomaly / too much time on the counter. That said, ammonia is an odd smell to get from a rotting pepper; though not uncommon with other foods (e.g. mushrooms). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if too much nitrogen might be to blame for the ammonia smell (i.e. there is nitrogen in ammonia, thus ammonia smell is from too much nitrogen; but that's an inversion of a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fallacyfiles.org/afthecon.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;logical fallacy&lt;/a&gt;). Still, it seems to be the likeliest first step in a more detailed diagnosis if the plant continues to produce fruit that smell like ammonia when they ripen. Are you sure ripenening color was appropriate to the cultivar of the pepper? If you picked it too young the resultant bitterness, then ripening could have forced some odd, under-ripe flavors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Were you having any sinus issues when this occurred? Do you suffer from post nasal drip, acid reflux? Or, did you have independent confirmation of the ammonia smell? Sorry for the health questions, but I'm curious and trying to approach this from a different angle. If you have independent confirmation, nevermind; but if you suffer from these things occasionally, there may have been something that caused a flare up and resulted in these things stimulating an ammonia-y experience. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastEditorUserId="40" LastEditDate="2011-08-17T19:26:32.053" LastActivityDate="2011-08-17T19:26:32.053" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1722" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1720" CreationDate="2011-08-17T15:05:55.753" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd agree with mfg that ammonia smell is highly uncommon (sure, the smell of rotting stuff is puke-worthy, but not close to ammonia) for a bell pepper plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The primary way in which ammonia is released into the atmosphere naturally is by putrefaction of living matter. Anything that contains proteins or amino acids (contains an -NH&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; bond), when broken down, releases ammonia (NH&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;). Although wikipedia lists proteins as being &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_pepper&quot;&gt;0.86% by weight&lt;/a&gt; of a bell pepper, it is possible that your variety (or this particular one) had an excess. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, combined with other coincidental factors such as infection of the plant, lack of proper air circulation once outside the plant, anaerobic microbes, etc., it is &lt;em&gt;possible&lt;/em&gt; that ammonia was actually produced, although the chances are slim. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-17T17:41:09.667" LastActivityDate="2011-08-17T17:41:09.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1723" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1753" CreationDate="2011-08-17T18:51:07.407" Score="10" ViewCount="1414" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a threesome of tomato plants planted in on my porch. All three have some leaves that seem to be a bit white and powdery. One of the leaves has even started to turn a bit brown. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think this is blight, I'm pretty sure I know what that looks like and it doesn't seem to be a watering deficiency/too much water as they are in self watering containers and I really only ever water from the bottom. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My biggest of the 3 plants seems fairly unaffected although a couple of its lower leaves seem to have some of this discoloration. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However the other two (on either side of the first) seem to have the discoloration on the leaves. Its mostly the lower leaves. Is this something to be worried about or is it normal? (pics to come if needed)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lnz3v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OTaHF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-20T11:45:17.410" LastActivityDate="2011-08-20T11:45:17.410" Title="Why do my tomato leaves look powdery?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1724" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1725" CreationDate="2011-08-17T18:52:28.800" Score="9" ViewCount="516" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you've seen the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozvrp_uTH98&quot;&gt;youtube video&lt;/a&gt; Will Allen's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growingpower.org/&quot;&gt;Growing Power&lt;/a&gt; organization, then you probably wish you had something like this in your backyard, whereby you could make the most use of vertical space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My goal would be to make a garden in a greenhouse using plywood planters, about 3-4 stories.  I would grow anything that could grow in 6-8 inches of soil that would tolerate cold winters and humid summers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not concerned about the following things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aquaponics, but if it's necessary, then it's necessary.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Vermicomposting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Collection of compostable material from restaurants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="10" LastEditDate="2011-08-17T20:11:20.060" LastActivityDate="2011-12-02T22:27:43.983" Title="How do I set up a vertical garden in my backyard?" Tags="&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1725" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1724" CreationDate="2011-08-17T19:21:17.140" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Obviously the sort of system pictured is not feasible for the average gardener, however, the use of vertical space is possible if you construct it properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trick would be to construct a series of wooden planters that are offset so that the back edge of each planter gets sun while the sun is at a fairly low angle and then the next planter is constructed partially overhanging the lower one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The key here would be to support each level well and probably to construct only a limited number of them across the sun's path in kind of a pyramid shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other consideration would be to plant shaded or limited sun crops in the lower bins and full sun crops in the higher bins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This may be too much of an eyesore for some neighborhoods, but if you live in an area with wide house spacing, or can do it on a rooftop then this seems like a setup that would work well provided it was constructed properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a crude drawing of what I'm thinking of&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/njRRX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;. What I would do is use concrete in the yellow part in the middle then use cinder blocks or maybe even molded concrete blocks for the front end supports on each layer. This way I would not feel unsafe climbing up to the top of the beds (filled they should be heavy enough not to slide). I am unsure if I would build the top layer in my drawing or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2011-08-17T23:06:30.443" LastActivityDate="2011-08-17T23:06:30.443" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1726" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2773" CreationDate="2011-08-17T19:37:41.973" Score="14" ViewCount="3567" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have started to grow moss indoors and am looking for more advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I saw some information &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_5027378_grow-indoor-moss-garden.html&quot;&gt;online&lt;/a&gt;, but I am hoping to clarify some points here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If I keep the moss in a closed jar then how do I avoid molding?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to put soil in the jar?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What do to in winter?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, are there health concerns with growing moss indoors? Can the spores be contained if grown in a closed glass container?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="552" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-17T22:34:36.600" LastActivityDate="2011-11-12T05:43:07.517" Title="How do I grow moss indoors?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1727" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-08-17T19:59:46.803" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoli&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Broccoli&lt;/a&gt; is part of the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cabbage&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cabbage&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cabbage&lt;/a&gt; family and evolved from a wild &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cabbage&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cabbage&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cabbage&lt;/a&gt; variant in Europe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;High in vitamin C and dietary fibre, the vegetable(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vegetables&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;vegetables&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vegetables&lt;/a&gt;) portion comes from the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flowering&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;flowering&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flowering&lt;/a&gt; head which grows in a &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tree&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tree&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tree&lt;/a&gt;-like fashion atop a thick and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/edible&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;edible&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;edible&lt;/a&gt; stalk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k8EXL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;broccoli by Linda N.&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Broccoli closely resembles &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cauliflower&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cauliflower&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cauliflower&lt;/a&gt;, and they can be crossed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/22748341@N00/2638500179/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;licensed under creative commons 2.0 attribution&quot;&gt;Photo by Linda N.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T15:34:33.230" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T15:34:33.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1728" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-08-17T19:59:46.803" Score="0" Body="Vegetable taken from the large flower head of a plant in the cabbage family" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="91" LastEditDate="2011-08-17T20:24:02.677" LastActivityDate="2011-08-17T20:24:02.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1729" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1726" CreationDate="2011-08-17T20:35:48.397" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Go here, &lt;a href=&quot;http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/bbs/Resources/Downloads.htm#mgh&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Moss Grower's Handbook&lt;/a&gt; and download the PDF, or use the direct link below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Direct link to PDF - &lt;a href=&quot;http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/bbs/Resources/Fletcher.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Moss Grower's Handbook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then flip to page 8 of 87, &lt;strong&gt;&quot;2. Bags, jars, and sandwich boxes&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In fact I would recommend reading the complete book if you have a real interest in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moss&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Moss&lt;/a&gt; and growing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-08-17T20:35:48.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1731" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1724" CreationDate="2011-08-17T21:38:25.563" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;At this moment in time I'm not exactly sure what it is you're after achieving. Sorry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But below are a few thoughts, which I will expand on, as and when it becomes clearly to me, what it is you wish to achieve and how you wish to go about achieving your goals:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_house&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Greenhouse&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poly_tunnel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Polytunnel&lt;/a&gt;, even the smaller sized ones can be productive nearly all year round.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind, it's considered good practice to &quot;clean&quot; them out at least once a year. Doing so helps in the battle to keep the &quot;enclosed&quot; environment &quot;disease/pest free&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If planting directly into the ground that the Greenhouse or Polytunnel sits on, you will probably be best served by rotating crop types to help reduce the build up of soil based &quot;diseases/pests&quot;, or physically move the Greenhouse or Polytunnel to a new location every 3 to 4 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Successful growing within a Greenhouse or Polytunnel takes planning and a small amount of almost daily work to look after, care of crops within. Some of the workload can be &quot;automated&quot; eg.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Installation of some kind of self-regulating temperature/ventilation system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Installation of some kind of self-watering system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_frame&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cold frames&lt;/a&gt; may offer another possible solution, or used in combination with the above.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Depending on your location and local growing environment, there are probably at least a few crops that can be planted outside with no protection, or minimal protection (eg Mulch layer or a simple hooped covered system) for Winter harvest, or early Spring harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1310/394&quot;&gt;Using clothesline in the garden - what needs the most support?&lt;/a&gt;, have included as it references crops that do well on some sort of trellising system ie Grow vertically, thus allowing other crops to be planted below (maximise the space being used).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today (2011-09-01), reading this, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/aug/26/pretty-edible-gardens-guide&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pretty edible gardens - a guide&lt;/a&gt;, I thought you might find &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_gardening&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Forest gardening&lt;/a&gt;&quot; an interesting concept worth further investigation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Forest gardening is a food production and land management system based on woodland ecosystems, but substituting trees (such as fruit or nut trees), bushes, shrubs, herbs and vegetables which have yields directly useful to humans. Making use of companion planting, these can be intermixed to grow on multiple levels in the same area, as do the plants in a forest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dave.selfsufficientish.com/blogs/2010/04/a-tour-of-martin-crawfords-forest-garden/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;A tour of Martin Crawford’s Forest Garden&lt;/a&gt; (referenced in above &quot;Pretty edible gardens - a guide&quot; article).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nofa.org/tnf/sp02/supplement/edible.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Edible Forest Gardens: an Invitation to Adventure&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Direct link to PDF version - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nofa.org/tnf/sp02/supplement/edible.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Edible Forest Gardens: an Invitation to Adventure&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2007-08-01/Plant-Edible-Forest-Garden-Permaculture.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plant an Edible Forest Garden&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-09-01T22:58:24.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1732" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1724" CreationDate="2011-08-18T00:00:05.650" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants need light. In that video they have shelves in the greenhouse at a height of about 6' with plants in trays. They also have plants in baskets hanging from those shelves. Underneath the shelf is the &quot;second story&quot;, but that's where they're growing &lt;em&gt;fish&lt;/em&gt;, not plants. I've never seen any greenhouses that &lt;em&gt;grow&lt;/em&gt; plants in multiple &quot;stories&quot;. (Sometimes you'll see a nursery where they have plants for &lt;em&gt;display&lt;/em&gt; and immediate sale that are stacked, but this isn't a good growing environment.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you want to make more efficient use of space and seasons in your small backyard garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some strategies to maximize the use of the seasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use a cold frame or low tunnel to extend the harvest season of hardy plants like greens (spinach, lettuce, kale) and root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, turnips).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use a hot bed to kick start your late winter / early spring planting.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The cold frame and low tunnel are removable so that you can use that space in the summer without baking your plants. And they're inexpensive versus a greenhouse which is fixed in place and requires a bit more care.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The season extenders can also be rotated from bed to bed so you don't get a buildup of pests and/or disease like you can with a greenhouse.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some strategies to maximize the use of space:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Trellis everything you can possibly trellis:&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tomatoes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cucumbers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Melons&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Winter squash&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Peas&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beans&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant bush varieties of space hogs like zucchini...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;...or don't plant the space hogs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant fast-maturing cultivars and relay plant so you can harvest multiple crops from the same bed. As an example: start spring peas early in the hot bed, harvest in May/June, pull them out on July 1, plant 65-day carrots that you harvest in early September, and then transplant three-week-old spinach that you can harvest all fall/winter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-18T00:00:05.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1733" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1734" CreationDate="2011-08-18T07:36:30.763" Score="12" ViewCount="6191" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently we relocated a cactus into a new flowerpot. When it was planted the soil would evenly occupy the flowerpot and adjoin the flowerpot side walls. The soil isn't cactus soil, but just regular soil that we bought from a local shop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now the soil shrank, formed a stiff cylinder and that cylinder no longer adjoins the flowerpot side walls - there's about 10 millimeters of air on one side of the soil cylinder and the other side seems to have slanted onto the pot side wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cactus looks just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that a problem? How do I address it? Do I loosen the soil or should I just leave it untouched?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-06T18:24:56.650" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T18:24:56.650" Title="What should I do if the soil shrinks and separates from the flowerpot walls?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;pots&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1734" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1733" CreationDate="2011-08-18T12:02:38.167" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen this happen with soil mixes containing peat that dry out. It may happen with other potting media too. The problem is that when you want to water, most/all of the water is going to just run down the side and not be absorbed by the soil. The preventive measure is to never let peat dry out -- which is possibly more water than your cactus wants. Backing up a step, it would probably be better to use a more appropriate soil mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know nothing about cacti, so I'm not sure if this will be good for the plant, but re-wetting soil that has dried out that much can be hard. Assuming the pot has drainage holes in the bottom, you can place it in a shallow tray of water until the soil has reabsorbed enough moisture to expand back to normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If possible, you may want to repot into a potting medium that's more appropriate for cacti -- i.e. soil that can get dried out without contracting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-18T12:02:38.167" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1735" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-08-18T13:47:52.777" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrots&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Carrots&lt;/a&gt; are a long pointed root vegetable(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vegetables&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;vegetables&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vegetables&lt;/a&gt;). When fresh, it has a crisp texture and is usually orange in color. Carrots also grow in white, yellow and purple varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The taproot is the most commonly eaten part of the vegetable, though the greens are also &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/edible&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;edible&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;edible&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those grown in home gardens are usually of the domesticated form of the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/wild&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;wild&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;wild&lt;/a&gt; carrot (&lt;em&gt;Daucus carota&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4YNRx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;carrots by color line&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunrise/35819369/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;licensed under creative commons 2.0 attribution&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;carrots&amp;quot; by color line&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T14:11:35.390" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T14:11:35.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1736" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-08-18T13:47:52.777" Score="0" Body="Root vegetable, usually orange, sometimes also purple or cream, where the taproot is the most commonly eaten portion" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2019-12-25T12:08:29.167" LastActivityDate="2019-12-25T12:08:29.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1737" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1733" CreationDate="2011-08-18T16:25:20.487" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Expanding on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1733/what-to-do-if-soil-shrinks-and-separates-from-the-flowerpot-walls/1734#1734&quot;&gt;&quot;bstpierre's&quot; answer&lt;/a&gt; &amp;amp; &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/69/winwaed&quot;&gt;winwaed's&lt;/a&gt;&quot; excellent comment (below that answer), I would go with their recommendations of repotting in a potting-medium that's suitable for cacti/succulents eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;50% horticultural grade sand and grit.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;50% finely sieved compost or worm castings.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;OR&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;50% pumice (volcanic rock) or perlite.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;50% finely sieved compost or worm castings.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;OR&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1482/394&quot;&gt;Sustainable alternatives to peat for potting compost&lt;/a&gt;, contains some other potting-mixes that would also work.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the above information comes via the following references:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.arizona.edu/content/how-transplant-cactus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How To Transplant a Cactus&lt;/a&gt; from University of Arizona Cooperative Extension&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Direct link to PDF - &lt;a href=&quot;http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/az1376.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How To Transplant a Cactus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/cactus/growingcactus/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growing Cactus&lt;/a&gt; from Texas AgriLife Extension Service&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.succulent-plant.com/cultivation.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Cultivation Page about growing cacti &amp;amp; other succulent plants&lt;/a&gt;, this one is most definitely worth a read, as it also contains other useful information like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pots &amp;amp; containers&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Repotting a prickly customer&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Watering&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-08-18T16:25:20.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1738" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1741" CreationDate="2011-08-19T01:04:16.970" Score="11" ViewCount="436" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it OK to leave out peat moss in a soil recipe? I have this gardenbox and I'm looking for recipes for a mix to buy in bulk and ALL of them have peat moss, but from what I've read it's no good. Here's an example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1/2 bushel of peat moss &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1/2 bushel of vermiculite &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1/2 cup of ground limestone &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="542" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T03:02:54.650" LastActivityDate="2015-05-03T13:07:33.720" Title="Is it okay to leave peat moss out from a soil-less mix recipe?" Tags="&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;peat&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1739" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1740" CreationDate="2011-08-19T01:36:27.060" Score="13" ViewCount="1824" Body="&lt;p&gt;How should I prepare home-grown white or yellow onions for long-term storage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/885/replanting-onion-bulbs&quot;&gt;This answer&lt;/a&gt; says the ideal conditions for storing onion sets for re-planting and storing mature onions is the same, but it doesn't mention some important details I have questions about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I cut the tops off so they look like they do in the store, or leave them on?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I remove any of the papery outside layers, for example if they are damaged or covered in dirt I can't easily remove?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I live in a hot climate so there are no cool locations below room temperature except the refrigerator or freezer. Is a fridge well ventilated enough and does it have low enough humidity for long-term storage? Can I store onions in the freezer?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do they need to be somehow cured or prepared after harvesting but before storing?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there anything better than a mesh bag? For example, I've read that some people wrap them in foil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given ideal storage, how long can I expect my onions to last, and is there a way to tell if they're about to go bad so I can use or dehydrate them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="413" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-24T22:19:13.470" LastActivityDate="2017-12-24T22:19:13.470" Title="How and for how long can home-grown onions be stored?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;onions&gt;&lt;storage&gt;&lt;onion-sets&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1740" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1739" CreationDate="2011-08-19T02:42:11.520" Score="11" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Should I cut the tops off so they look like they do in the store or leave them on?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can braid them, which requires leaving the tops on. If you are going to cut the tops off, don't cut more than an inch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Should I remove any of the papery outside layers, for example if they are damaged or covered it dirt I can't easily remove?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't remove any layers. Don't wash them. Gently brush off dirt when they are fully dried if you must. You want the onion intact for storage. Any that are damaged should be used right away -- these won't store well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any that are thick-necked, spotted or soft will rot if stored normally; they need to be either eaten within a few days of lifting or frozen. [From a comment on this post by Mancuniensis.]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;I live in a hot climate so there are no cool locations below room temperature except the refrigerator or freezer. Is a fridge well ventilated enough and does it have low enough humidity for long-term storage?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fridge humidity is too variable. Your produce drawers may be around 80%, but if the fridge is left unopened for a period of time it can become very dry. Bottom line is that they are likely to spoil more quickly -- and they will make everything in your fridge smell like onions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Do they need to be somehow cured or prepared after harvesting but before storing?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Onions should be cured for a couple of weeks. Dry them on a rack or other place with good circulation out of direct sunlight. Turn them a couple of times so that they dry evenly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Is there anything better than a mesh bag? For example, wrapping them in foil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had never heard of wrapping them in foil. If you store them in a mesh bag (really, with any storage in general), be sure to check frequently for spoilage -- if one of your onions spoils in storage, it will cause rapid spoilage of all of the other onions nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Given ideal storage, how long can I expect my onions to last, and is there a way to tell if they're about to go bad so I can use or dehydrate them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mine&lt;/em&gt; never last this long (I don't have ideal storage), but according to books like &quot;Root Cellaring&quot; by Mike and Nancy Bubel, onions stored under ideal conditions can last from a late summer harvest until the following spring (6-8 months).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you don't have a good place to store them long term, I'd recommend using them or dehydrating them now. (You don't want to dehydrate onions that are about to spoil -- it will not make a good product.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.garden.org/foodguide/browse/veggie/onions_harvesting/502&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;This page&lt;/a&gt; describes freezing as an alternative storage method:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;you can salvage them by peeling and pureeing them in a blender. Pour the puree into ice trays, cover them with plastic (so the odor won't affect other foods) and freeze them. After the onion cubes have frozen, transfer them to a plastic bag in your freezer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and for whole onions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Peel and wash the onions and blanch them in scalding water until the centers are heated (three minutes for small onions, seven minutes for medium to large ones). Cool, drain and put the onions on cookie sheets, and place the sheets in the freezer. After they're frozen, put the onions in a plastic bag for convenient storage&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;with this caveat:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;For the best flavor, use frozen onions within a month or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also pickle them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-19T19:50:29.413" LastActivityDate="2011-08-19T19:50:29.413" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1741" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1738" CreationDate="2011-08-19T02:54:00.027" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't just leave it out, you have to substitute it with something. Coir, for example. (I use well-composted horse manure + bedding.) If you leave it out, the soil won't hold enough water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1482/sustainable-alternatives-to-peat-for-potting-compost/1511#1511&quot;&gt;Mike Perry's answer to this question&lt;/a&gt; says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A good &quot;Potting Mix&quot; is made up of 3 basic parts:&#xA;    * Water retaining material.&#xA;    * Drainage material.&#xA;    * Plant food (fertilizer) material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your example recipe, the peat moss is for water retention, the vermiculite is for drainage, and you don't have any plant food. (You might leave out fertilizer from a seed-starting mix if you are going to quickly prick out the germinated seedlings into another potting container that has some food.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could substitute coir for the peat moss in that recipe, or if you wanted to add plant food to the mix and you had a compost with good water retention you could try using it for double duty (food &amp;amp; water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1482/sustainable-alternatives-to-peat-for-potting-compost/1483#1483&quot;&gt;my answer&lt;/a&gt; to the same question for the peat-less recipe that I use (which &lt;em&gt;does&lt;/em&gt; have soil, so may not suit your application).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-08-19T02:54:00.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1742" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-08-19T02:57:41.270" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about storing your harvest, for example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Preparing vegetables and other crops for storage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ideal storage conditions.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Length of time you can expect to store various items.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-12T15:59:57.803" LastActivityDate="2012-03-12T15:59:57.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1743" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-08-19T02:57:41.270" Score="0" Body="For questions about storing your harvest." OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-19T02:57:41.270" LastActivityDate="2011-08-19T02:57:41.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1744" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1745" CreationDate="2011-08-19T04:02:39.267" Score="12" ViewCount="6005" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, I've heard that people sometimes mix a bit of lemon juice in when they water blue hydrangeas, they say it keeps them blue if the soil is lacking in acid. I was wondering, I have a pink indoor hydrangea plant; would it be possible to alter the color by putting the lemon juice in? Would it possibly make it blue in time, or purple? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="568" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-19T04:39:54.217" LastActivityDate="2021-03-28T09:31:28.567" Title="How do I change the color of my hydrangea flowers?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1745" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1744" CreationDate="2011-08-19T04:22:02.640" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It really depends on the specific species of hydrangea that you have. It's mostly &lt;em&gt;Hydrangea macrophylla&lt;/em&gt;, also called &amp;quot;big leaf&amp;quot; hydrangea (that's the Latin name literally!) that changes colour depending on the pH level of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In acidic soils (pH less than 7), the flowers are blue in colour (see pic 1), in neutral soils (pH = 7), it is very pale pinkish to nearly whitish (or light cream) and in alkaline soils (pH greater than 7), it is a bright pink or sometimes purple in colour (although, I've never managed to get it to turn purple). &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrangea#Colors_and_acidity&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; gives the following as the reason for the change in colour:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[The change in color with acidity] is caused by a color change of the flower pigments in the presence of aluminium ions which can be taken up into hyperaccumulating plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually, people throw their coffee grounds in the soil next to a hydrangea plant to increase the acidity and get it to turn blue. However, I've never heard of anyone using lemon juice to achieve this effect. Note that lemon juice has a higher acidity than coffee grounds (and I guess stronger than what hydrangeas would prefer) and I'm afraid you might actually damage the roots. If you &lt;em&gt;must&lt;/em&gt; use lemon juice, then you might have to dilute it before feeding it to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you'd like to play it safe, most gardening centers sell mixes to turn hydrangeas either blue or pink and you could get one of those and feed your plant. It really is worth trying it and a garden with multiple hydrangea plants, each a different shade is very beautiful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;1. Blue flowers (acidic soil)&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kUg6S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;2. Bright pink flowers (alkaline soil)&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BTFSA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Images courtesy Wikimedia commons&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-08-19T04:38:42.783" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1746" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1744" CreationDate="2011-08-19T12:35:39.610" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would definitely not use lemon juice for the reasons already mentioned, but provided you don't have one of the varieties that have been bred to be a specific color, you could use &lt;strong&gt;aluminum sulfate&lt;/strong&gt; to acidify your soil &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&amp;amp;field-keywords=pH%20tester%20kit&amp;amp;x=16&amp;amp;y=21#/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&amp;amp;field-keywords=pH%20soil%20tester%20&amp;amp;rh=i%3aaps,k%3apH%20soil%20tester%20&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;after testing its pH&lt;/a&gt;. I have used it myself and it is very effective, but it has to be applied carefully, as an overdose can be toxic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the advice given by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/yglnews/yglnews-may1506.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;University of Minnesota Extension&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;After planting:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;1) Periodically retest your soil pH. Do not add any acidifying amendments if your soil pH is 5.0 or less.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;2) To maintain good vegetative growth and acid soil conditions, use ammonium sulfate as the nitrogen source at the rate of 1 lb (or 2 cups) per 100 square feet (or &lt;em&gt;a little less than a ¼ cup per 10 square feet&lt;/em&gt;). Ammonium sulfate is the best nitrogen source to help maintain soil acidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;3) If your soil pH is greater than 5.5, use aluminum sulfate to help lower your pH and supply available aluminum at the same time. Note that aluminum sulfate is generally not recommended for lowering soil pH because high rates can injure most plants. Hydrangeas are the exception. Mix about 1 lb (2 cups) of aluminum sulfate per 5 gallons of water and then apply the solution around the drip line of the plant. Apply enough of the solution per plant to just saturate the soil. Repeat the application on a monthly basis as long as your soil pH is greater than 5.0. Caution - over application of aluminum sulfate can be toxic even to hydrangea. Monitor your soil pH periodically and only apply aluminum sulfate if your pH is greater than 5.0.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-19T13:25:01.420" LastActivityDate="2011-08-19T13:25:01.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1747" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-08-19T14:00:24.190" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cherries&lt;/a&gt; are fleshy stone &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt; that grow on the plants of the genus &lt;em&gt;Prunus.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;Cherry&amp;quot; can be used as a catch-all term that encompasses other fruits from genus &lt;em&gt;Prunus&lt;/em&gt; where the fruits have other common names such as &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/plums&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;plums&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;plums&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/peaches&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;peaches&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;peaches&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/apricots&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;apricots&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;apricots&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cherry trees are smaller trees, grown for their fruit or &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flowers&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;flowers&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flowers&lt;/a&gt; (blossom). Most &amp;quot;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flowering&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;flowering&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flowering&lt;/a&gt; cherries&amp;quot; produce no fruit or inedible fruit (e.g. large stone, little flesh).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The small red or black fruit (as seen in the below photo) is often known as a cherry blossom, cultivated from &lt;em&gt;Prunus avium&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bhmJH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cherries by D H Wright&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/dhwright/5874234034/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;licensed under creative commons 2.0 attribution&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;cherries&amp;quot; by D H Wright&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T15:34:47.813" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T15:34:47.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1748" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-08-19T14:00:24.190" Score="0" Body="Fleshy stone fruit from plants in the Prunus genus" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="91" LastEditDate="2011-08-19T14:01:04.630" LastActivityDate="2011-08-19T14:01:04.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1749" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1685" CreationDate="2011-08-19T16:04:45.840" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;They don't tolerate frost at all. But I have several indoor plants 3 years and older, which do very well in spring when light conditions improve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of my balcony peppers which I store on the attic stairs during winter usually about half survive it, being very ill tended in that time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="569" LastActivityDate="2011-08-19T16:04:45.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1750" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1751" CreationDate="2011-08-19T21:06:07.927" Score="18" ViewCount="15179" Body="&lt;p&gt;After cursing all the slugs in my yard and removing the few that I could catch, I was quite shocked yesterday to discover 100+ young plants all chewed to the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was going out at 9 - 10pm to find the slugs but was only seeing one or two per night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last night I went out at 12:30am and noticed just under 10 millipedes having a feast in what was left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So how can I do battle with millipedes? I know they stay just under the surface during the day. My patch is heavily utilized so I don't want to remove everything to deal with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-30T08:18:02.143" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T18:23:21.130" Title="How do I deal with millipedes eating my vegetable seedlings?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;millipedes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1750" CreationDate="2011-08-19T22:29:16.190" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fortunately, I have never had to do battle with millipedes, so I can't suggest a remedy based on personal experience. However, a quick online search has come up with &lt;a href=&quot;http://organicgardensite.com/bugs-harmful/centipedes-millipedes/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; which suggests the following control measures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove as much garden debris as possible, since this is an ideal breeding ground for them&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drench the soil where they are with an insecticidal soap&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wherever possible, dry out damp areas&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hand-pick them off your plants and soil&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-22T16:47:34.417" LastActivityDate="2016-11-22T16:47:34.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1752" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1750" CreationDate="2011-08-19T22:38:21.633" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Are you 100% sure it's millipedes causing the &quot;real&quot; damage? Could it instead be something like &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/398/what-is-eating-my-vegetable-seedlings/1587#1587&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;cutworms&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; causing the &quot;real&quot; damage and the millipedes are just feasting on the remains?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To check if you're dealing with millepedes (which tend to be dark in colour), squash one, if there is a strong &quot;stinky&quot; smell after doing so, then you have millipedes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Are the plant-beds mulched? If yes, with what?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I'm aware &lt;strong&gt;all&lt;/strong&gt; the organic control options given &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1576/do-techniques-to-repel-slugs-also-work-on-snails/1577#1577&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;here&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; on SE should also work on millipedes. That said, I think of the 6 options given, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Diatomaceous Earth&lt;/a&gt;&quot; might be the best option in your particular case. Since being reminded, told about &quot;Diatomaceous Earth&quot; I keep hearing, reading about how effective it can be as an organic pest control option when placed around plants...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vacuuming might be another organic control method worth looking into (at least until you have the problem under control):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1256/394&quot;&gt;How does vacuuming beetles work?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some additional reading from the Department of Agriculture and Food (Western Australia):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/PC_94330.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Weather brings out Portuguese millipedes&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Direct link to PDF - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/objtwr/imported_assets/content/pw/ins/gn2003_002.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Portuguese millipedes &lt;em&gt;(Ommatoiulus moreletii)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last two links above are broken. Maybe updated versions are presently at: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/news/media-releases/combine-control-measures-remove-portuguese-millipedes&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/pest-insects/portuguese-millipedes&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-05-15T18:23:21.130" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T18:23:21.130" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1723" CreationDate="2011-08-20T01:34:14.907" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is almost certainly &lt;strong&gt;Powdery Mildew&lt;/strong&gt; (see Figure 3, &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp109&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;), and a severe attack can weaken a plant considerably. Tomato powdery mildew is apparently caused by two different fungi, &lt;em&gt;Leveillula taurica&lt;/em&gt; (Oidiopsis sicula) and by &lt;em&gt;Erysiphe&lt;/em&gt; (Oidium lycopersicum), and tomato leaves that are affected by the second variety don't develop any yellow spots; given that yours have not shown this symptom, it's reasonable to assume that they are affected by the &lt;em&gt;Erysiphe&lt;/em&gt; type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Control Measures&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Removing old leaves from the bottom of plants reduces disease from both fungi, often to the extent that no other control measure is needed. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If symptoms develop early, multiple, early applications of wettable sulfur or dusting sulfur will prevent new infections. Sulfur should be used with caution on young foliage at temperatures above 90°F; read and follow label directions. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Applications of other contacts such as potassium bicarbonate products and oil sprays will kill the existing mycelium and spores on the leaf surface and are most effective when disease is in early stages. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ag.arizona.edu/plp/plpext/diseases/vegetables/tomato/pm.htm&quot;&gt;University of Arizona: Powdery Mildew&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;This article includes some very useful links.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-20T01:55:08.133" LastActivityDate="2011-08-20T01:55:08.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1754" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1755" CreationDate="2011-08-20T21:46:18.393" Score="9" ViewCount="1328" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a few chickens. They produce a small but steady supply of manure. As I understand it chicken manure is an excellent fertiliser. What's the optimum way to utilise it in the garden? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it best to add the chicken manure to our general compost or is there a particular part of the garden where its application is especially valuable in concentrated form?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-08-22T19:11:36.647" Title="What's the best way to utilise chicken manure?" Tags="&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1754" CreationDate="2011-08-20T22:39:55.663" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chicken manure is a &quot;hot&quot;, high nitrogen fertilizer. Applied directly to plants it can burn them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I find that a mix of chicken manure, horse manure, and bedding, allowed to rot for a year or so makes a great garden amendment. (Or if you turn it a few times it is ready in about six months.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another good way to use chicken manure is to add it to the general garden compost -- especially in the fall when the compost pile has a lot of &quot;browns&quot; (leaves, woody garden waste, etc). If you build a pile in the fall when you do your garden cleanup, make layers of browns, then chicken manure, a sprinkling of garden soil, soak well, then repeat. (You can alternate garden greens with the manure if you have extra greens and/or not enough manure.) The manure adds the nitrogen the pile needs to cook down quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the spring you might be able to get away with less-well-rotted chicken manure if you work it in a couple of weeks prior to planting, but I basically use the two methods above and capture the nitrogen from the chickens in my compost piles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-20T22:39:55.663" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1756" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1187" CreationDate="2011-08-21T16:54:24.357" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;I sprinkle cayenne pepper on the fruits and around the base of the plant, and this seems to keep the squirrels away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cayenne is also available as a &quot;hot pepper wax spray&quot; which may also work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="450" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2013-07-19T13:20:04.073" LastActivityDate="2013-07-19T13:20:04.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1757" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1758" CreationDate="2011-08-21T18:15:49.463" Score="18" ViewCount="8082" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few of my peppers are, it seems, suffering blossom end rot - first identified a week or two ago - this is based on the descriptions on the condition elsewhere on the site, but here's a few pics to help confirm:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SoAAC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pepper suffering blossom end rot&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dbo5v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pepper suffering blossom end rot&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tWSO6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pepper suffering blossom end rot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I read on here, and in other locations on the web, the afflicted fruits can't be &quot;cured&quot; of this state; any damage done is permanent. So:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is an afflicted fruit ever salvageable (for the purposes of being eaten)?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should I be removing afflicted fruit from the plant as soon as the condition is noticed?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Or should I wait for a certain level of severity before acting?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Or maybe there is some obscure benefit to leaving the fruit on the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-22T12:28:14.113" LastActivityDate="2011-08-22T18:57:57.713" Title="Should I remove fruits afflicted with blossom end rot?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;blossom-end-rot&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1758" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1757" CreationDate="2011-08-21T19:04:51.513" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, this is blossom end rot. The fruit is salvageable since BER is a disorder and not a disease, but there is no particular benefit in leaving it on the plant, in fact it is better to remove it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;By giving sufficient water to the plants, BER can be&#xA;  reduced or eliminated. Pick off any affected fruits&#xA;  because they will not recover and will only drain&#xA;  moisture and calcium needed by healthy fruit. It is safe&#xA;  to eat the undamaged parts of fruits with Blossom End&#xA;  Rot. Merely cut away the blackened part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/download-free.asp?strPubID=FS011&quot;&gt;Rutgers Co-operative Research Extension&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a very full article on BER by the Royal Horticultural Society &lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=395&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, which you should find helpful in preventing the disorder in future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-21T23:15:07.930" LastActivityDate="2011-08-21T23:15:07.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1759" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1766" CreationDate="2011-08-22T01:22:06.087" Score="11" ViewCount="4763" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have low spots in my yard that I would like to slowly fill in.  This isn't anything big enough to constitute a truck load of dirt or anything. What can I use (either dirt or manure) to fix these spots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="485" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-22T03:30:45.393" LastActivityDate="2013-10-03T11:38:24.720" Title="What do I use to fill in low spots in my yard?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1760" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="457" CreationDate="2011-08-22T02:38:03.110" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;To me that pot looks about big enough for 1 plant. And only with daily watering care if it is hot. Even if that many plants &quot;work&quot;, you won't get more peppers from them than from 1 big healthy plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually repot once directly to my main growing locations. I may put left overs into medium sized joghurt cups to give away or repot again eventually, but there seems to be no difference in which plants do better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="569" LastActivityDate="2011-08-22T02:38:03.110" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1761" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1763" CreationDate="2011-08-22T04:32:56.323" Score="31" ViewCount="118921" Body="&lt;p&gt;A little more then an year ago I got six palm trees (two vases). It was the Californian equivalent of an Areca palm (the guy in the nursery suggested this one after I asked for an Areca for its air cleaning prowess but now I can't recall the exact name).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Phsbg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My forgot-the-species-palm-tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After some six months it started to develop some white dots. My research showed up &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;mealybugs&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. But they do &lt;strong&gt;not look like&lt;/strong&gt; any infestation of mealybugs I could find! It does not have the silk-like thing anywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mJNkE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white dots on palm tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Used to clean them  off the plants after I gave up on one of the plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wxH5o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white dots on palm tree&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x3qKe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white dots on palm tree stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some zoom in 10x the real width of the leaf is 2cm or 3/4 of an inch. They NEVER move like mealybug does. (The horizontal lightning on this photo highlights the dust too)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PSy6S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;zoom in on white dots on palm tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Week after week I'd spend hours cleaning the white dots. They are very easily removed by a damp cloth or paper towel. I tried spraying everything: vinegar, lemon juice, cleaning products. Nothing took care of it without wiping. I even put a net on the roots and trapped a ladybug that everyone says is the hellhound of mealybugs. It did not show any interest at all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also noteworthy, the plants are in a small apartment that has 3 EPA air filters on 24/7.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;What is this thing?&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More zoom, 10x of the magnifier + 6x camera's optical&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PsbEd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;more zoom&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tip usually dries, but I'm not sure it's related to the disease. I'm a bad plant-parent that usually forgets to water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VGYT3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The tip, which usually starts to dry&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="574" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-06-03T11:50:02.320" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T11:50:02.320" Title="What are these hard white/brown spots growing on my houseplant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;palm&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1759" CreationDate="2011-08-22T12:12:32.407" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The benefit of &quot;dirt&quot; is that it won't settle as much as manure, so you won't need to keep adding to it. But, depending on what &quot;dirt&quot; you use, it may be lacking in organic matter and nutrients. If you're buying commercial bagged soil, check the label to see what it has in terms of organic matter and fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The benefit of cow manure is that it will provide those areas with lots of organic matter and nutrients. Horse manure has the same benefit, but comes with the problem that it can contain a lot of weed seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on where you live, soil and/or manure might be free for the hauling. If you have the choice of poor quality soil and manure, take a little of both and mix them. In my case, I have lots of free manure and not much soil, so I tend to fill low spots with manure. When they settle I add a little more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-22T12:12:32.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1763" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1761" CreationDate="2011-08-22T13:18:35.123" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mealybugs are only one of over a thousand  different varieties of &lt;strong&gt;Scale Insects&lt;/strong&gt; which vary tremendously in appearance, and it is almost certainly one of these that is attacking your palms -see &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://greenmethods.com/pests/scale-mealybugs/&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Scale insects, apart from mealybugs, are mostly sedentary creatures (apparently, the females are usually immobile), and they are difficult to control because most types are equipped with a waxy covering which protects them against spraying. However, &lt;em&gt;they can be suffocated&lt;/em&gt; with a vegetable or horticultural oil, and a quick online search has come up with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sgaonline.org.au/?p=686&quot;&gt;the following recipe for a non-toxic spray&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;2 teaspoons (10ml) vegetable oil&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;1/8 teaspoon (0.6ml) washing up liquid&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;230ml warm tap water&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Shake vigorously in a spray bottle and spray the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a very useful article on scale insects by the Royal Horticultural Society &lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?PID=224&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-14T17:33:30.653" LastActivityDate="2012-05-14T17:33:30.653" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1764" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1757" CreationDate="2011-08-22T13:26:10.150" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;As Mancuniensis' answer says, pick them as soon as you see damage and cut away the bad parts. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other reason for picking them immediately is that you don't want to leave spoiled/damaged fruit on the plant. This will let bugs get in -- they'll spoil the fruit completely (and could eventually cause harm otherwise healthy parts of the plant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-22T13:26:10.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1765" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-22T15:15:15.143" Score="23" ViewCount="70639" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1759/what-do-i-use-to-fill-in-low-spots-in-my-yard&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; and it made me think of what I need to do this weekend. But I have these questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If I've got a few holes - maybe a place where a bush was dug out and the ground eventually settled and every time I mow over it I scalp the lawn - how do I go about spreading the fill over the lawn?  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to reseed the grass, or will the grass underneath poke through eventually?  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If it will just kill the grass beneath, should I work up the existing soil with a pitchfork or something? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Could I rip the sod out, tuck some dirt underneath and return the sod to it's newly elevated location?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-04-18T22:36:48.457" Title="How to fill low spots over existing grass in my yard?" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1759" CreationDate="2011-08-22T16:51:36.173" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dirt can mean pretty much anything, from good to poor quality soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Manure &quot;generally&quot; refers to a natural fertiliser and is good for working into soil, adds organic matter, helps open up the soil... It's not the best material for filling in low spots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I would use a 50-50 mix of &quot;high quality&quot; screened (&amp;#188;inch/6.25mm sieved) top soil &amp;amp; compost for filling in low spots in a garden, or lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;High quality&quot; = Make your own from compost and soil (materials) you control, or buy from a local independently owned garden nursery, or if you're lucky enough to have access to a local (free) community composting facility that is known to output good quality material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Basically you want to reduce the risk as much as possible of bringing in lots! of weed seeds into your environment.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If filling in low spots on a lawn, I would fill to a depth of no more than 1inch (25mm) at a time and would fill in no more than twice a year, once in early to mid Spring and once in early Autumn (Fall).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-22T17:29:03.677" LastActivityDate="2011-08-22T17:29:03.677" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1767" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1765" CreationDate="2011-08-22T17:26:37.753" Score="21" Body="&lt;p&gt;When filling in low spots on a lawn, fill to a depth of no more than 1inch (25mm) at a time and fill in no more than twice a year, once in early to mid Spring and once in early Autumn (Fall).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As long as you fill in no more than 1inch (25mm) at a time, the grass will happily work its way through and fully establish itself at the slightly new higher elevation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a few inches (75mm or more) to fill in, you can most definitely remove the sod, fill underneath, then lay back the sod:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carefully remove the sod.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove in sections, something like 12inch (300mm) x 12inch (300mm) x 4 to 6inch (100 to 150mm) deep.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Add your fill material (see below for recommendation).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If adding more than 4inch (100mm) depth of material, add in 4inch (100mm) layers, each layer should be &quot;lightly&quot; tamped down (do not over compact).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carefully lay back your sod, the sod should sit approximately 1 inch (25mm) above your finished required level ie The relaid sod should be sitting high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lay a scaffold board (or similar) over the relaid sod, shuffle up and down the board a few times. This will ensure good contact is made between the fill material and the sod, and the sod will lower (settle) to it's new final required level.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sprinkle a thin layer (&amp;#188; to &amp;#189;inch / 6.25 to 12.5mm) of compost over the area you've finished bringing up to grade.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water once a day for the next 7 days, so the area remains moist (but not saturated).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;After that time, water your entire lawn as you would normally.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fill material:&lt;/strong&gt; Personally I would use a 50-50 mix of &quot;high quality&quot; screened (&amp;#188;inch/6.25mm sieved) top soil &amp;amp; compost for filling in low spots in a lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;High quality&quot; = Make your own from compost and soil (materials) you control, or buy from a local independently owned garden nursery, or if you're lucky enough to have access to a local (free) community composting facility that is known to output good quality material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Basically you want to reduce the risk as much as possible of bringing in lots! of weed seeds into your environment.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-22T22:14:11.043" LastActivityDate="2011-08-22T22:14:11.043" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1768" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1757" CreationDate="2011-08-22T18:57:57.713" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes you can eat them - just cut away the rot. Remove them for all the reasons already given. Also the rot will only grow - so you might as well salvage the pepper whilst you can. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another reason is that too many fruit on a plant can restrict future fruit formation - so you might as well remove the &quot;zombie&quot; fruit to give space for new, hopefully better fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-08-22T18:57:57.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1769" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1754" CreationDate="2011-08-22T19:11:36.647" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our chickens roam the yard so the yard gets some poop.  The more concentrated stuff (from the nest box and house/coop area) drops onto straw bedding.  We collect the bedding and put it in a compost pile.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally then we spread that compost once or twice a year in our garden beds.  (Spring before planting and then after harvest)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastActivityDate="2011-08-22T19:11:36.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1770" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1294" CreationDate="2011-08-22T22:49:39.260" Score="26" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is some guidance &lt;a href=&quot;http://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/yard/2003/071203.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It is difficult to say how much of a tree's root system can be removed. I prefer to talk about how close to the tree you can cut roots. I teach a concept called &quot;Critical Root Radius (CRR)&quot; which recommends not cutting roots inside the CRR. This Critical Root Radius (radius, not diameter, in feet) is calculated by measuring the diameter (not radius or circumference) of the trunk (in inches, not feet) at four and one-half feet from the ground and multiplying by 1.5. A tree with a five-inch diameter trunk (at the four and one-half foot level) will have a CRR of 7.5 feet. The CRR provides a general guideline.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mortonarb.org/?option=com_content&amp;amp;view=article&amp;amp;id=698&amp;amp;Itemid=6&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Balance between the tree’s crown (top) and root system is important for maintaining healthy trees. When roots are lost for any reason, the imbalance creates stress. A tree usually has 4 to 7 major roots. Cutting just one of them within a few feet of the trunk can remove up to 25 percent of the root system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="104" LastActivityDate="2011-08-22T22:49:39.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1771" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-08-23T00:16:08.613" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vegetables&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;vegetables&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vegetables&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/herbs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;herbs&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;herbs&lt;/a&gt; are grown for their &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/leaves&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;leaves&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;leaves&lt;/a&gt; or bulbs. Often they will die shortly after producing a &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flower&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;flower&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flower&lt;/a&gt; head and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/seeds&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;seeds&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;seeds&lt;/a&gt;. The process of putting out this final flower head is known as &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/bolting&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;bolting&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;bolting&lt;/a&gt;. Ideally these plants should be grown for as long as possible before this happens. Example plants that can bolt include &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/basil&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;basil&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;basil&lt;/a&gt; and onions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/bolting&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;bolting&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;bolting&lt;/a&gt; is caused by poor growing conditions (eg. too dry or too hot). The plant senses that it is going to die, and in one &amp;quot;last gasp&amp;quot; produces a flower so that its genes will survive to the next generation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about how to avoid &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/bolting&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;bolting&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;bolting&lt;/a&gt; in specific plants. &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/bolting&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;bolting&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;bolting&lt;/a&gt; is a common problem with specific plants, so the chances are your question has already been asked: Be sure to search the site first before asking a potentially duplicate question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-16T18:53:27.457" LastActivityDate="2021-02-16T18:53:27.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1772" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-08-23T00:16:08.613" Score="0" Body="When a plant produces an unwanted flower head immediately before dieing." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-08-23T00:16:08.613" LastActivityDate="2011-08-23T00:16:08.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1773" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1681" CreationDate="2011-08-23T00:59:16.530" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Like Gardening Directions, I think your tomatoes will be ready in time for the dinner, if you follow the advice given, but it is worth stressing the importance of &lt;em&gt;correct watering&lt;/em&gt; which is absolutely critical, if they are to remain healthy and develop normally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you allow the compost to dry out, or over-water, the fruit could develop Blossom End Rot, a disorder caused by a calcium deficiency - see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1264/what-co&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1059/ANR-1059.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes: Causes and Prevention&lt;/a&gt;. If the ambient temperature is very high, and your plants are in a peat-based compost which dries out very quickly, it may be necessary to water them every day; on the other hand, water thoroughly - see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/20/how-do-you-know-if-you-are-watering-a-plant-too-much-vs-too-little/169#169&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; -  but try to avoid watering over-frequently - keep the compost &lt;em&gt;slightly damp&lt;/em&gt; to the touch between waterings, never wet.  If there are no major fluctuations in moisture level, your tomatoes are unlikely to develop BER and should do well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2011-08-23T03:05:02.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1774" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1761" CreationDate="2011-08-23T12:23:59.707" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your photos definitely look like a scale. Some information gleaned from &quot;The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control&quot; (Rodale), Bradley et al, eds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Armored Scales are part of the family &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaspididae&quot;&gt;Diaspididae&lt;/a&gt;. As Mancuniensis says, there are a lot of different species here -- over 2650 according to wikipedia.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In warm areas (I would presume this applies to your case too -- indoors), they can produce up to 6 generations per year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The insects' process of building up the armor can take a month or more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adults are difficult to kill once protected by the armor. You will need to repeat the oil spray application described by Mancuniensis every 7 to 10 days for good control. The idea is to kill the eggs and nymphs because the armored adults are harder to kill.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-23T12:23:59.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1775" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1780" CreationDate="2011-08-23T13:07:24.367" Score="11" ViewCount="1172" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have Red Russian Kale and Collards that I want to grow for a late-season crop, but I keep procrastinating.  Is late August/Early September too late to put them out in order to get enough greens to have a mess or two to eat?   I live in USDA zone 6 (on the line between 6a and 6b) and we get our first frost usually sometime from the middle of October to the middle of November.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-23T17:45:42.747" LastActivityDate="2016-10-23T17:45:42.747" Title="Is September too late to plant winter greens in USDA zone 6?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;&lt;late-sowing&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1776" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1777" CreationDate="2011-08-23T13:35:37.487" Score="18" ViewCount="32124" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are millipedes considered good or bad for plants? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millipede&quot;&gt;wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Millipedes are detritivores and slow moving. Most millipedes eat&#xA;  decaying leaves and other dead plant matter, moisturising the food&#xA;  with secretions and then scraping it in with its jaws. However, they&#xA;  can also be a minor garden pest, especially in greenhouses where they&#xA;  can cause severe damage to emergent seedlings. Signs of millipede&#xA;  damage include the stripping of the outer layers of a young plant stem&#xA;  and irregular damage to leaves and plant apices, the very top of a&#xA;  plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="573" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-30T08:19:41.300" LastActivityDate="2019-09-14T11:52:00.917" Title="Are millipedes  good or bad for the garden?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;millipedes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1777" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1776" CreationDate="2011-08-23T15:23:37.307" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although millipedes can be  quite beneficial in the compost pile, in that they help to break down the contents, they also feed on vegetables and can destroy seedlings, as you point out; the few, small benefits they confer are far outweighed by the the harm they can cause, particularly when their numbers are high - see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1750/136&quot;&gt;Millipedes eating my vegetable seedlings &lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-08-23T19:43:49.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1778" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="147" CreationDate="2011-08-23T16:25:51.640" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plantpropagation.com is a commercially sponsored site, but &lt;a href=&quot;http://plantpropagation.com/japanesemaplefromseed.htm&quot;&gt;they have this information&lt;/a&gt; for Japanese Maple:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Most Japanese Maple seeds ripen in the fall. Watch the tree and wait&#xA;  for the seeds to turn brown. The seeds are ready to be harvested when&#xA;  they are brown and can be easily removed from the tree. The seeds are&#xA;  attached to a wing, it's best to break the wing off before storing or&#xA;  planting the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Japanese Maple seeds have a very hard outer coating as do many&#xA;  ornamental plants. Under natural conditions the seeds would have to be&#xA;  on the ground for almost two years before they would germinate. All&#xA;  that happens the first winter is the moisture softens the hard outer&#xA;  shell, and the second winter germination is beginning to take place.&#xA;  In order for all of this to happen in the proper sequence so the&#xA;  seedlings actually sprout at a time of the year when freezing&#xA;  temperatures or hot summer sun doesn't kill them, takes a tremendous&#xA;  amount of luck. You can improve the odds by controlling some of these&#xA;  conditions, and shorten the cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Once you have picked the seeds and removed the wing just place them in&#xA;  a paper bag and store them in a cool dry place until you are ready for&#xA;  them. You don't want to plant your seeds out in the spring until the&#xA;  danger of frost has past, here in the north May 15th is a safe bet. If&#xA;  May 15th is your target date you should count backwards on the&#xA;  calendar 100 days. That will take you to about February 5th if my math&#xA;  is correct.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;On or about the 100th day prior to your target planting date, take the&#xA;  seeds and place them in a Styrofoam cup or other container that will&#xA;  withstand some hot water. Draw warm to hot water from your kitchen&#xA;  faucet and pour it over the seeds. Most of the seeds will float, just&#xA;  leave them in the water overnight as the water cools down. 24 hours&#xA;  later most of the seeds will have settled to the bottom of the cup,&#xA;  drain off the water. Place the seeds in a plastic bag with a mixture&#xA;  of sand and peat or other suitable mix. Even light potting soil will&#xA;  work. The peat or soil should be moist, but not soaking wet. Poke some&#xA;  holes in the bag so there is some air circulation, and place the bag&#xA;  in your refrigerator for a period of 100 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-08-23T16:25:51.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1775" CreationDate="2011-08-23T16:27:10.763" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Both &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collard_greens&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Collard&lt;/a&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kale&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kale&lt;/a&gt; are cool-season crops, and can tolerate frost, in fact it's &amp;quot;generally&amp;quot; said that both of those taste better after being exposed to a frost or two...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If growing from seed:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Collard - 1st July to 1st September - Days to first harvest 65 to 75&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kale - 1st July to 1st September - Days to first harvest 55 to 65&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If growing from seedlings (transplants), you could most likely get away with planting through the month of September (IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Above dates come via:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Direct link to PDF - &lt;a href=&quot;https://utextension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/PB901.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growing Vegetables in Home Gardens&lt;/a&gt; from &lt;a href=&quot;https://utextension.tennessee.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;University of Tennessee Extension&lt;/a&gt; (the state you live in, according to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/137/baka&quot;&gt;your SE profile&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above document also contains a lot of helpful/useful information (at least I think it does).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also this document, &lt;a href=&quot;https://utextension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/SP291-G.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fall Vegetable Gardens&lt;/a&gt; (Direct link to PDF) from &lt;a href=&quot;https://utextension.tennessee.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;University of Tennessee Extension&lt;/a&gt; may also prove helpful/useful in your planning for Autumn (Fall) vegetable planting eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kale, collards and cool-season vegetables will withstand considerable frost and their harvest may sometimes continue several weeks after the first frost. Determine the last possible planting date for all fall vegetables as follows:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Begin with average date of the first frost in your area. Table 2 lists the average date of the first 32F fall temperature  for many Tennessee communities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-08-23T16:35:39.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1775" CreationDate="2011-08-23T16:32:02.893" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;USDA planting zone has less to do with it than latitude (which determines day length) and the time you have between now and hard freezes. (Planting zone actually has nothing to do with it -- unless you're planning on harvesting in January / February when you'll likely experience the lows that go along with living in zone 6.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Red russian kale (at least the packet I can see) matures in about 50 days, and kale is frost hardy. So even if you expect some frosts between now (Aug 23) and harvest time (Oct 12), you can expect to harvest full-size leaves. You could even get away with later planting if you harvest baby leaves (25 days).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Collards mature in 50-60 days depending on variety, and are also frost hardy. So you should be able to get a crop of these as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting now is probably ideal, since both are supposed to taste better after a couple of frosts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that day length gets short quickly in higher latitudes, and shorter days means slower growth. So if you plant too late, even though these vegetables won't &lt;em&gt;die&lt;/em&gt; from frost, they may grow too slowly for you to get a large crop. In other words: the later you plant, the longer you should expect those &quot;days to harvest&quot; numbers to get.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-23T16:32:02.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1781" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="58" CreationDate="2011-08-23T17:39:28.103" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The mango is a tropical plant. So not only do you need the heat and lack of frost, but you will also need water and humidity - something Phoenix does not naturally have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you had a big enough greenhouse (!) it should be possible but note Kevin's comment about clones. This applies to pretty much all the fruit trees I can think of. Yes you might be able to grow a mango stone in a similar way that an grocer's avocado can be grown but it is unlikely to be like the original fruit. Cuttings &amp;amp; rooting stock is the way to go if you want a reproducible fruit and tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also as a good general guide, beware of a certain amount of wishful thinking on the part of the stores when they advertise their &quot;non-local&quot; trees. I was buying agaves from the local gardening center at the weekend - most of the ones they had would be killed by even a mild local winter. Luckily they had some hardier ones which should survive okay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-23T18:25:56.770" LastActivityDate="2011-08-23T18:25:56.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1782" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1785" CreationDate="2011-08-23T18:35:23.253" Score="23" ViewCount="624" Body="&lt;p&gt;We love having our garden filled with birds, thus we have put up a variety of bird feeders. We also make lots of water available for the birds. The result is a 2&amp;#189; year old that can identify about 8 birds in the backyard. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We recently had a guest that politely lectured us on how &quot;un-cool&quot; we were for creating an dependency for the birds on our seed; how the commercially available seed as like &quot;junk food&quot; -- and that when winter comes (we're in Minnesota) the birds might be less inclined to migrate in their search for food. I felt well chastised.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there ways to attract birds into our garden naturally (e.g. certain plants/landscaping), and at the same time, also provide a source of food for them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="399" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-23T22:47:05.003" LastActivityDate="2016-02-13T08:09:49.583" Title="How can I naturally encourage birds into my garden?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;birds&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1783" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1784" CreationDate="2011-08-23T20:38:19.237" Score="12" ViewCount="23436" Body="&lt;p&gt;I put my jade tree out to get some sun yesterday, and apparently the sun was a little too blazingly direct. Instead of the healthy red edges I was expecting to see, several of the leaves are now collapsed-looking and have a greyish-brown color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These photos make the brown spots look more red than they are. (&lt;em&gt;Phone camera pics, sorry for the quality.&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most dead-looking leaf:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TmH5Gm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The most dead-looking leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A cluster of really sunken-looking leaves:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XGQqjm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cluster of bad leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I should do? This is quite a healthy plant otherwise, and it's an eighth or less of its leaves that are affected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I keep the plant inside for a few days to recuperate? The sun outside today (and probably tomorrow) is just as strong as yesterday, and I don't have any good windows that get much sun at all. Should I cut off all the affected leaves? Leave them and see if they drop off themselves? Smear some aloe vera on there and make it a nice cool glass of lemonade? What about the leaves that are only partly bad-looking (one big, juicy leaf just has a collapsed edge, for example)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="581" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-06-12T02:52:00.683" LastActivityDate="2012-06-12T02:52:00.683" Title="How can I help a sunburned jade tree recover?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1784" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1783" CreationDate="2011-08-23T22:08:21.133" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would leave the leaves on the plant, as doing so won't have a detrimental effect on the health of the plant (as far as I'm aware), the plant just won't look that good:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Best case -&lt;/strong&gt; The leaves might recover.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Worst case -&lt;/strong&gt; The leaves don't recover, curl up (die) and fall-off, or can be picked off easily.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Obviously, I wouldn't again expose the plant to that kind of direct/intense sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In future (once it has recovered from its sunburn), give it some early morning sun and/or later afternoon sun.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you do leave it out in the midday sun again, only do so if it has adequate protection (shade). Refer to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1783/what-to-do-about-sunburned-jade-tree#comment-2373&quot;&gt;&quot;yoda's&quot; comment below the question&lt;/a&gt; for some examples...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to nurse the plant back to health:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep it in a light but shaded area until it has had a chance to recover, at least a week, might be more like two or three.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Give it a good deep watering, make sure the root-ball is nice and wet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get a mild &quot;natural&quot; fertilizer, something like a seaweed based one, and feed the plant with that (as directed on the product container).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then water as needed, don't over water (something Jade plants don't like), but also don't let it dry out ie Strike a happy balance that best serves the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once the plant is looking healthy again, carefully start reintroducing it back to direct sunlight (early morning sun and/or later afternoon sun).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-08-23T22:52:35.713" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1782" CreationDate="2011-08-23T22:53:55.833" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;Look into native plants that are attractive to wildlife such as birds, butterflies, bees, etc. You can find more information at the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mnnps.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Minnesota Native Plant Society&lt;/a&gt; website.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;http://blog.lib.umn.edu/mgweb/renville/August%202011.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Garden Gatherings&lt;/a&gt; (PDF) from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;University of Minnesota Extension&lt;/a&gt;, there is some information on page 6 that relates to your location:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;h2&gt;Attracting Birds to Your Yard&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;by Jane Aalderks, Renville County Master Gardener&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you’d like to attract birds to your yard, plant some easy to grow, inexpensive annuals!&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;  Remember to plant the annuals densely, because &#xA;  birds feel more at home in thick growth.  Just scratch &#xA;  the soil surface, scatter the seeds, and crumble &#xA;  handfuls of soil over them.  Keep the seedbed moist &#xA;  until the seedlings are established and remember to &#xA;  mulch your annuals before they start to flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also has a list of annuals/berries/perennials that you can plant to attract birds. Some suggestions from the article are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Annuals: Bachelor's Button, Garden Balsam, Cosmos, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flowers (hummingbirds): Bee Balm, Butterfly Weed, Cardinal Flower, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Berries: American Cranberry Bush, Arrowwood, Barberries, Black Currant, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Perennials: Coral Bells, Coneflowers, Coreopsis, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Vines: Sweet Autumn Clematis, American Bittersweet (plant a male and female plant for fruit set), Grapes, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Trees: Cornelian Cherry, White Fringe Tree, Hawthorn, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, the trees provide all kinds of food for birds, from acorns to seed pods to berries, plus countless insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While researching another question, I came across the below articles that I believe contain some helpful/useful information on attracting birds into your landscape and what to feed them (if you wish to-do-so):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/586&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to make your garden more bird-friendly&lt;/a&gt; via Oregon State University Extension Service&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.illinois.edu/cfiv/homeowners/021123.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Make Bird Feeding Safe for the Birds&lt;/a&gt; via University of Illinois Extension&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/93&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Feed wild birds responsibly this winter&lt;/a&gt; via Oregon State University Extension Service&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/420/420-006/420-006.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Feeding Wild Birds&lt;/a&gt; via Virginia Cooperative Extension Service&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I don't use annuals in my garden. &lt;strong&gt;Why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm cheap when it comes to plants (my wife is just as cheap).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm lazy i.e. planting every year, looking after every year, tidying-up every year is too much of a hassle.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I &lt;strong&gt;only&lt;/strong&gt; use perennials in my garden and generally try to stick with &lt;a href=&quot;http://grownative.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Missouri natives&lt;/a&gt;, or plants that are known to do well in Missouri.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perennials (especially native plants) once established basically look after themselves, and generally speaking can be divided every few years i.e. free plants for your garden and friends.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Earlier this year, I put in a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30/how-to-plant-a-new-lawn-on-a-hillside/1353#1353&quot;&gt;Missouri native garden&lt;/a&gt;, and without a doubt it's bringing in wildlife. For example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Goldfinch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;American Goldfinches&lt;/a&gt; (which I never saw in our garden the 4 previous years) visit daily to feed on the seeds of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinacea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Coneflowers&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummingbird&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hummingbirds&lt;/a&gt; come in regularly and feed on the 3 different varieties of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliopsis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Heliopsis&lt;/a&gt;, which I don't quite understand, seeing as the flowers (shape) aren't really suitable for them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1782/how-can-i-naturally-encourage-birds-into-my-garden/1786#1786&quot;&gt;bstpierre's answer&lt;/a&gt;, he makes an excellent point about not using, or at least limiting the use of chemicals in your landscape. Taking a more organic approach will definitely make your garden a more natural, alive environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I take the organic approach because I don't like using chemicals; plus I have two young children and I want them to enjoy the garden without worrying about them coming into contact with toxic substances. So yes, my garden isn't a perfectly &quot;sterile&quot; environment, it's alive will all kinds of things, both &quot;good&quot; and &quot;bad&quot;. I just try to strike a happy balance and let things take care of themselves, and only step in if I really have to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I notice the above referenced PDF &quot;Garden Gatherings&quot; doesn't recommend native and/or ornamental grasses. Personally, I think that is a major oversight and I'm a huge fan of such plants, because:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Once established they pretty much look after themselves.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They generally don't suffer from insect or disease problems.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can be divided every few years, yielding free plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add great Winter time interest into the garden.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seed-heads can be a food source for birds during the Autumn (Fall) and Winter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are native/ornamental grasses I have in my garden:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=F680&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Prairie dropseed &lt;em&gt;(Sporobolus heterolepis)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=Z240&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Switch grass &lt;em&gt;(Panicum virgatum 'Northwind')&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=R390&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Palm sedge &lt;em&gt;(Carex muskingumensis)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=F510&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Little bluestem &lt;em&gt;(Schizachyrium scoparium)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a shady area in your garden, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostas&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hostas&lt;/a&gt; are a great plant for such areas, and when they flower, hummingbirds are attracted to those flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you've already noted, having a constant source of water is beneficial and helps attract birds (and other wildlife) in. I'm not sure if &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mosquitoes&lt;/a&gt; are a problem where you are, but if they are, you will want to keep an eye on any standing water as such areas can become breeding grounds for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I noticed in my native garden, which is at least a couple of years from fully establishing itself (i.e. plenty of bare spots on the ground), that the birds seemed to enjoy coming in and giving themselves a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_bath&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;dust bath&lt;/a&gt; in the heat of summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are a couple of photos I took at the weekend:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Common Buckeye Butterfly resting on a Purple Coneflower&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JCfEC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JCfECm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Common Buckeye Butterfly&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monarch resting on a Purple Coneflower&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EMIKl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EMIKlm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Monarch Butterfly&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While I realise the following is UK based, I believe it contains good &quot;general&quot; information that anyone can incorporate into their garden, if they wish to encourage wildlife in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Listen to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qp2f&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gardeners’ Question Time&lt;/a&gt; podcast &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b013r2h8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;2 Sep 11: Suffolk&lt;/a&gt;&quot;, start at 16mins:10secs in. Dawn Isaacs (garden writer and blogger) visits a new &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSPB&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;RSPB&lt;/a&gt; garden to discuss how to create a bird-friendly garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Direct link to MP3 - &lt;a href=&quot;http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/gqt/gqt_20110902-1600a.mp3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;2 Sep 11: Suffolk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/f/flatford/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Flatford Wildlife Garden&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-14505842&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;RSPB opens Flatford garden to encourage wildlife&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is a list of (native) plants and lawn ideas mentioned in the &quot;2 Sep 11: Suffolk&quot; podcast, that are used in the &quot;Flatford Wildlife Garden&quot;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shrubs&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Holly &lt;em&gt;(Ilex)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Hazel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hazel &lt;em&gt;(Corylus avellana)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guelder_Rose&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Guelder Rose &lt;em&gt;(Viburnum opulus)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Perennials&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asters&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aster&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Bluebell&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bluebells &lt;em&gt;(Hyacinthoides non-scripta)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxgloves&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Foxgloves &lt;em&gt;(Digitalis)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geranium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Geranium&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primula_vulgaris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Primroses &lt;em&gt;(Primula vulgaris)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Salvia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lawn&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Allow grass to grow a little taller.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant Springtime bulbs in the lawn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Side note:&lt;/strong&gt; IMHO putting out one or two strategically placed bird-feeders isn't the worst crime you can commit against nature, especially if they are &lt;strong&gt;only&lt;/strong&gt; put out during the Winter months, when food is scarce for your non-migrating native birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, keep in mind there are sometimes when natural food shortages occur, Spring and Summer feeding is now thought to be a good idea, provided foods that could choke the chicks (loose whole peanuts and fat, for instance) are withheld -- refer to the following from the RSPB:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/feeding/whentofeed.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;When to feed wild birds&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Credit goes to &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/136/mancuniensis&quot;&gt;Mancuniensis&lt;/a&gt;&quot; for the additional &quot;Side note&quot; info above.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-02-13T05:41:08.503" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1786" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1782" CreationDate="2011-08-24T02:22:58.850" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mike Perry's answer covers much of the food and water aspect. There's also the perspective of shelter. Depending on what kind of birds you want to attract, planting trees and landscaping in a way that provides small birds with protection from predators encourages them to stick around when they've discovered that your yard is a good source of food. A retaining wall behind our house is built out of loosely stacked boulders (i.e. lots of cracks). The wrens (my best guess at identification) seem to really like this for nesting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do your gardening and landscaping with a minimum of chemicals and a consideration for the ecology of your yard. You want to reduce the possibility of causing a negative impact on the bird population, and some chemical applications have unintended consequences. E.g. some grub killers kill earthworms. Some birds eat worms (and grubs) -- if you kill off their food source, they're not going to come around anymore. Similarly some garden poisons may have &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similarly, if you want a variety of birds, you need to provide a variety of food sources and shelters. Just as you might have different kinds of bird feeder and seed mixes to accommodate different species, you should consider different habitat choices and preferred foods for the birds you are trying to attract.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a larger property with lots of trees, you don't necessarily want to cut down dead or dying trees. These &quot;snags&quot; are habitat for woodpeckers and make good perches for predatory birds to scan the landscape. We had a massive turkey vulture perched on a snag behind the house earlier this summer. It was an incredible thing to watch it land and take off again. I've seen hawks come and go too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again if you have a larger yard, and live in an area where it wouldn't be politically incorrect to &quot;let it go&quot;, you can plant (or let go) a section of your yard to &quot;meadow&quot;. Part of our front lawn is heavily &quot;infested&quot; with daisies as weeds (purely volunteers, we didn't plant any seed there). Earlier this summer we decided to simply stop mowing since the daisies were coming up so thickly (along with some red clover). The birds seemed to like it some -- especially our guineas -- but I think we mowed it too soon after the flowers died back, and I'm not sure daisies really produce enough seed to be attractive to birds. If you wanted to try something similar, you could look for plant species that your local birds would like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In that same vein, we've got a flower garden that was started with weeds pulled out of roadside ditches. These native weeds look nice (we didn't pick the ugly ones), are known to be hardy to the area, are familiar to the birds in the area, and have grown enough in three or four years that we can hack them back with a spade to keep them in check.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since we harvest our own firewood, we often have piles of trimmed branches (that won't be burned) hanging around until we chip them. Lately we've had a little flock of small birds (wrens? I'm not great at identification) that loves to hid in amongst the branches. I think it helps to keep them safe from our cats -- it probably helps that the pile is out in the open so there's not much place for a cat to lurk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, if you really want to attract birds, plant some berries or fruit trees for yourself. In my experience, once you do this it's impossible to keep the birds away!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-12T13:53:21.107" LastActivityDate="2011-09-12T13:53:21.107" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1787" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1788" CreationDate="2011-08-24T02:34:37.447" Score="12" ViewCount="13035" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing sunflowers and they grow quite high, sometimes toppling over. What kind of support can I give to them in this case?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-06T00:11:32.810" LastActivityDate="2011-09-06T00:11:32.810" Title="How do I provide support to a growing sunflower?" Tags="&lt;support&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1788" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1787" CreationDate="2011-08-24T03:06:38.933" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I currently have a wobbly sunflower tied with twine to one of the tepees for pole-beans I built from some saplings I cut. We had 60mph+ winds during a storm this past weekend and that sunflower is still standing. The ends of the stakes are just pushed 6&quot; or so into the loose soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just tied on a bit of twine that I had laying around in the garden. The bug ugly knot in the back is where the tepee is lashed together. It's not terribly secure, but I'm not going to cry if we get hurricane-force winds this weekend and the worst that happens is my 7' tall sunflower falls down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eJpLh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tied-up sunflower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-25T12:20:46.993" LastActivityDate="2011-08-25T12:20:46.993" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1789" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-24T08:07:27.337" Score="12" ViewCount="1251" Body="&lt;p&gt;My experience of cucurbits is mostly courgettes and cucumbers which a) don't matter too much about an even colour and b) don't sit so heavily on the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But with a pumpkin it's all about how it looks. So I'm looking at my best and biggest pumpkin and worrying that it's not an even colour. The underside (which is nestled in grass) is very pale green and the part which gets the air and sun is a strong dark green. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will it turn a nice even orange all over?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I lift or attempt to turn the growing pumpkin fruit so it gets a nice even suntan? I'm not sure this would even be possible without damage. I did try this with an earlier fruit but in spite of my careful handling it came away from the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-11-21T00:08:41.810" Title="Will an unevenly coloured (green) pumpkin ripen to a nice even orange?" Tags="&lt;pumpkins&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;&lt;cucurbits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1790" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1791" CreationDate="2011-08-24T09:51:00.213" Score="16" ViewCount="3739" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the past 2 months, I tried to germinate some pepper seeds, but all of them failed. I used some tiny pots to contain the soil (don't know more about it; just black soil in general) and the planted the seed about 1 cm below the surface. I have placed nothing on the pot as cover and I water them with a watering pot once a day. The room temperature is about 29&amp;#176;C (84&amp;#176;F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What else should I do in order to encourage the seeds to germinate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-19T15:09:19.517" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T09:24:20.103" Title="How do I encourage pepper seeds to germinate?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1791" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1790" CreationDate="2011-08-24T12:31:10.493" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Possibilities:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is watering once a day enough? Is the soil drying out between waterings? You want to provide evenly damp soil. You may need to lightly water morning and evening to keep the soil damp.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are you using fresh seed? If your seed is old and hasn't been stored in ideal conditions, the seeds may be dead.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are they purchased seed or seed you saved yourself? If it is seed you saved, and you didn't collect or store it properly, it may be dead.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a large enough batch of seed, you can do a germination test to see if the seed is viable:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Take a sample of the seeds. 10 is enough, but if you have a larger batch, 20 will be a better sample size.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get a damp paper towel (not sopping wet, just damp) and a ziplock bag.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place the seeds in a row in the center of the towel. Fold over the towel so the seeds are covered. Place the towel and seeds in the bag. Seal the bag.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place the bag in a warm place.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Check after a week. Count the number of seeds that have sprouted and multiply by 10, this gives you your germination percentage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If fewer than 50% germinate, then your seed is weak -- even the ones that germinate are unlikely to be strong plants. In this case, buy new seed from a good supplier and store it properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-24T12:31:10.493" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1792" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="551" CreationDate="2011-08-24T12:39:51.417" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never pinched out peppers, but when I pinch out small tomato suckers or the tips of basil (especially if I'm removing a flower), I literally use my fingertips to pinch the stem and it comes away from the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if I'm pruning a thicker stem that I know isn't going to just pinch away from the plant, I will use scissors. This avoids a ragged/torn stem that is going to damage the plant and may invite disease and/or pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can try pinching your peppers with fingertips. If you don't get a clean cut this way, go get scissors and snip just below where you pinched so you have a clean cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As with so many things, this is one of those activities that's easier when you keep up on it. Pinching suckers with your fingertips is quicker and easier than pruning stems with scissors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-24T12:39:51.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1793" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1636" CreationDate="2011-08-24T12:44:56.773" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without knowing what bulbs you have, I can only give general advice:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove and discard any that have sprouted.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Store the bag in a cool, dry, dark place over the winter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Check regularly and remove any bulbs that have sprouted or are rotting.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; have some that are viable next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-24T12:44:56.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1790" CreationDate="2011-08-24T13:12:12.973" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Water (as covered by bstpierre) is my first thought, and his comments about seed quality are good - this could easily explain very poor germination rates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which kind of pepper seeds? Some species cultivars are harder to germinate. Most varieties such as bell peppers, jalapeños, etc are in the easy category.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soaking the seeds for a few hours in salt petre (Potassium Nitrate) is recommended for the harder to germinate varieties. I do this as a matter of course but should probably do a comparative test - I'm not convinced it has a great affect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, I plant at a much shallower depth, sprinking the potting compost over the seeds to cover them up. Due to vagaries of my technique and that I push exposed seeds in with a finger, some definitely end up 1+cm down and still germinate (I don't know what percentage germinate at this depth).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are any kids reading all this, the above could make a good junior science fair project!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-08-24T13:12:12.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1795" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1789" CreationDate="2011-08-24T15:09:19.197" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having pumpkins nested on grass, weeds, any kind of foreign vegetation is not ideal. &lt;strong&gt;Why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Moisture retention at the surface can lead to rotting of the developing pumpkins.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Any kind of foreign vegetation under the pumpkin patch adds to the possibility of disease, pest damage occurring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A &quot;healthy&quot; pumpkin patch should be kept clear of foreign vegetation as much as possible, with regular and (very) careful hoeing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is why many commercial growers will grow their pumpkin patches on top of (breathable, permeable) landscape fabric, it helps keep the weeds down and gives the pumpkins a &quot;better&quot; surface to sit on.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the pumpkins themselves are growing, it's &quot;generally&quot; not recommended to move, interfere with them and the vines. &lt;strong&gt;Why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Damage eg bruising of the pumpkin, slitting of the vine, etc can be (easily) inflicted during any handling operation, if that occurs it can open up a path for diseases and pests to enter (more easily).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You shouldn't have to &quot;turn&quot; the pumpkins to ripen them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The below operation would be a lot easier and safer to perform with two people:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Very carefully, raising the pumpkins off the ground is a worthwhile thing to do, especially the ones nestled in the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Very gently lift them and slide under a piece of landscape fabric or an off-cut piece of wood (do not use any timber that has been treated).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the overall health of the patch, I would:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ensure it has, gets enough water.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Feed with compost, or your (aged) &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1754/394&quot;&gt;chicken manure&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-08-24T15:09:19.197" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1796" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1790" CreationDate="2011-08-24T15:55:09.043" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since you don't know what your soil contains and since didn't use a potting mix, that could easily factor into unsuccessful germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a good discussion on potting mixes take a look at the below question here on SE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1482/394&quot;&gt;Sustainable alternatives to peat for potting compost&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, your room temperature of about 29&amp;#176;C (84&amp;#176;F) is a little too high for ideal germination temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ideal germination temperature:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;65 to 75&amp;#176;F (18 to 24&amp;#176;C).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some cool-season vegetables prefer a slightly lower temperature, 55 to 65&amp;#176;F (13 to 18&amp;#176;C).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6570#Growing&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growing seedlings&lt;/a&gt; from University of Missouri Extension&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Temperature&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;  Most annual plants and vegetables prefer night temperatures between 60 and 65&amp;#176;F (16 and 18&amp;#176;C) (&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6570#date&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tables 1 and 2&lt;/a&gt;). Day temperatures may run about 10&amp;#176;F (5&amp;#176;C) higher. If temperatures are warmer than this, plants become leggy. Cool-season vegetable crops and a few flowers prefer night temperatures no higher than 55&amp;#176;F (13&amp;#176;C) and day temperatures near 65&amp;#176;F (18&amp;#176;C). An unused bedroom, basement or sun porch is often a good location for these plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6570&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Starting Plants Indoors From Seeds&lt;/a&gt; from University of Missouri Extension&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8703.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Starting Plants from Seeds&lt;/a&gt; from North Carolina State University&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germination&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Germination&lt;/a&gt; from Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above links offer good &quot;growing plants from seeds&quot; information (IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://urbanext.illinois.edu/news/news.cfm?NewsID=13151&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sowing Seeds Indoors&lt;/a&gt; from University of Illinois Extension&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Soil temperature is crucial for seed germination. Ideal temperature is 75&amp;#176;F (24&amp;#176;C). However, the air temperature for seeding should be 65&amp;#176;F (18&amp;#176;C).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=9821&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors&lt;/a&gt; from University of Illinois Extension&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;Do not place covered containers in direct sunlight. Place the containers in a warm location with optimum temperature range of 65 to 75&amp;#176;F (18 to 24&amp;#176;C) for most vegetables. Some cool-season vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and peas tend to do well when started at temperatures of about 55&amp;#176;F (13&amp;#176;). After germination, remove the plastic film or glass cover and move the cool-loving plants to a cooler location.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, long with adequate moisture, ideal temperature, suitable potting medium, &lt;strong&gt;are the seedlings getting enough good quality light?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-11-19T15:12:05.117" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1797" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1636" CreationDate="2011-08-24T19:57:55.277" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't found myself in this situation, so I can's speak from experience, but following on from bstpierre's advice, rather than discard those that have sprouted, I would try storing them as suggested below, and then plant them as soon as the ground is workable in the spring:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Store bulbs in a dry place&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If the bulbs are in a plastic bag, the first thing to do is remove the sprouting bulbs from the bag and either put them in a cardboard box wrapped in newspaper or a paper bag. Be careful that you do not break the bulb sprout off as this will kill the bulb. The bulb sprout is very susceptible to rot and the paper will help to keep the bulb sprout from rotting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Store bulbs in a cold place&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Keep sprouted bulbs in a cold location. &lt;em&gt;Not simply cool. It needs to be cold (but not below freezing).&lt;/em&gt; In the back of a refrigerator or a cold garage (one that is attached to the house so it will not completely freeze) is ideal. Sprouting bulbs are coming out of dormancy, but a drop in temperatures will help return the bulbs to their dormant state. The green bulb sprout will not grow any further once the bulb goes back into dormancy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plant sprouting bulbs as soon as possible&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In the spring, as soon as the ground is workable, plant your bulbs in the desired location outdoors. They will grow and bloom this year, but be aware that their bloom will be less impressive than it might have been due to the fact that they will not be well established. With these bulbs, it is extremely important that you do not cut back the foliage after the blooms are spent. They will desperately need to restore their energy reserves as they will not have had a good root system to help support them through blooming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/flower/how-to-store-bulbs-that-have-sprouted.htm&quot;&gt;How to Store Bulbs that Have Sprouted&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fingers crossed!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-08-24T19:57:55.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1798" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1799" CreationDate="2011-08-24T21:19:56.137" Score="10" ViewCount="3410" Body="&lt;p&gt;A &quot;certified arborist&quot; looked at the tree (&gt;20ft high) and determined that this was the cause.  Some of the fronds in the tree seem frozen in place, while most have actually drooped down completely (but not fallen). The arborist said that it was a lost cause, but I wanted to get other opinions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, what are the odds that this pathogen will spread to other nearby palm trees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="586" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-26T00:41:07.033" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T15:47:43.010" Title="Is there any cure or treatment for a queen palm tree diagnosed with fusarium decline?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1799" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1798" CreationDate="2011-08-24T21:53:38.250" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, there is no known cure or treatment for a tree infected with this pathogen, which appears to be a strain of the fungus &lt;em&gt;Fungus oxysporum&lt;/em&gt;. It is thought to spread to other palms on the wind and on pruning tools:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;• Infected palms die quickly, often within a few months of the initial symptoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;• There is no cure once a palm is infected, and no preventive fungicide treatments are&#xA;  recommended.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;• The disease is probably spread by wind into new sites. Once established, it could also be spread by pruning tools. Pruning tools should be sterilized after each palm is trimmed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;• Palms, especially queen palms and Mexican fan palms, should not be replanted into a site where a palm with this disease was removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;• The disease is tentatively called Fusarium decline of palms. The fungus Fusarium&#xA;  oxysporum appears to be the pathogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/palm_prod/pdfs/New-Disease-Queen-Palms-Mexican-Fan-Palms-July.pdf&quot;&gt;Fusarium Decline of Queen Palms and Mexican Fan Palms in Florida&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prompt felling would seem to be the only way forward if you are to minimize the risk of the infection spreading to nearby trees. The above article includes detailed advice for sterilizing pruning equipment, and there is additional information about the disease here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/list_6593490_palm-tree-diseases-treatments.html&quot;&gt;Palm Tree Diseases and Treatments&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://branchmanagementtreecare.com/fusa.htm&quot;&gt;Fusarium Decline of Queen Palms&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-24T22:03:18.407" LastActivityDate="2011-08-24T22:03:18.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1800" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1813" CreationDate="2011-08-25T06:06:37.010" Score="12" ViewCount="1405" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few of these chili plants growing and they produce a longish (approx 4&quot;, sometimes curled chili that turns brown and begins to shrivel (slightly) when it ripens. It does not transition to a different, more standard colour (red/orange) and I know that this is the right colour, because the seeds packet that I bought had a picture of a brownish chili that was shriveled on the outside. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I did not bother saving the packet and I do not recall what type of chili it was. I couldn't find new packets in the store to check either (perhaps I could just take a fruit in and they could identify, but that's what this site is for!). Does anyone know what type of chilli this might be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it helps, these chilies are by far the mildest I've ever seen. I can eat them straight off the plant raw/ripe without wincing and they don't burn the tongue one tiny bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7LrNm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="anon" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-25T13:29:46.493" LastActivityDate="2011-08-26T06:22:58.320" Title="What kind of chili turns brown and shrivels when ripening on the plant?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;identification&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1801" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1802" CreationDate="2011-08-25T11:49:38.903" Score="11" ViewCount="1475" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a tomato plant that is now 6ish feet tall and still seems to be growing up and up. Is there a way to discourage this upward growth and keep it to a height that I won't need a ladder to harvest?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-25T13:30:00.407" LastActivityDate="2011-08-25T13:30:00.407" Title="Is there a way to discourage a tomato plant from growing too tall?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1802" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1801" CreationDate="2011-08-25T12:04:59.100" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless perhaps it's a specialist variety then if it's 6ft then it has already put out more than four trusses - I presume. So you should have already pinched out the top to retard upward growth and force the plant to focus its energies on its fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I work on the 4 trusses principle. However I didn't try to answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1111/what-is-the-maximum-number-of-trusses-for-a-tomato-plant&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; because I hoped for a more expert gardener than me to chip in and confirm it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-08-25T12:04:59.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1801" CreationDate="2011-08-25T12:09:55.123" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Simply &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/331/51&quot;&gt;pinch out (prune)&lt;/a&gt; the growing tips. This will also help the plant put more energy into ripening fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-08-25T12:09:55.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1804" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1467" CreationDate="2011-08-25T12:43:05.760" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant in your photos has leaves which seem identical to those of Green Alkanet (&lt;em&gt;Pentaglossis sempervirens&lt;/em&gt;) which has &lt;em&gt;hairy&lt;/em&gt; (furry) basal &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/weedlf.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;leaves&lt;/a&gt; with purplish stalks:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perennial, member of the Boraginaceae Family. Native to south-west France, and the Iberian Peninsula, but is now naturalised throughout the British Isles. Prefers shaded, damp areas. It was brought here for the red dye which can be extracted from the roots, but escaped from cultivation. The leaves are rough and covered with hairs. The lower leaves in the basal rosette have no stalks, but the upper ones on the stems have stalks. The stems can reach up to 75 cm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bright blue, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/pictures/showphoto.php/photo/175&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;forget-me-not-like flowers&lt;/a&gt; appear from April to July and arise from the upper leaf axils in clusters with two small leaves behind them. They are edible and are sometimes used to decorate salads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/alkanet.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Green Alkanet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are quite a few of these plants growing under hedgerows, by the roadside and in neglected gardens in Manchester, where I live (see photos), and they have just finished flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As Green Alkanet has basal leaves that are almost indistinguishable from those of the Foxglove, we shan't know which of the two (if either) your plant is, until it produces flowers; if it hasn't already done so, it is likely to be a foxglove, since this is a biennial. If it has now flowered, perhaps you could post a photo, so that we can confirm its identity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/66kBe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Green Alkanet - one or two still flowering in background&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fe5ZK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Green Alkanet&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-08-25T14:35:53.530" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37" CreationDate="2011-08-25T13:09:03.233" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do not let them go to seed!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/GWC-14.pdf&quot;&gt;Info from Purdue University&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Common ragweed&#xA;  plants allowed to grow for the entire growing season can produce 32,000&#xA;  to 62,000 seeds per plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But if you don't have time for all that hoeing, consider that you may want to be lazy &lt;em&gt;later in the season&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Plants that emerge mid-April through May can produce up to three times the seeds and&#xA;  biomass as plants that germinate in mid- to late June.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And it might actually be helpful to &lt;em&gt;stop tilling&lt;/em&gt;. Ragweed seeds can survive a long time in the soil (one source said 80 years (sorry, I forget where I read this), others say 20-30, even up to 40 years). According to the Purdue sheet above, the deeper seeds won't germinate without tillage bringing them to the surface. Unfortunately that reference doesn't help you with control strategies in your home garden much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are hard to kill, too. You can break off the stem and it will regenerate. This means mowing won't kill it, unless you're mowing frequently enough to starve the roots. If you're hoeing, make sure you chop it at or below soil level; even here it seems like there's a chance that an established plant can regrow. Pulling them up by the roots seems effective, especially if you keep up on it and get them while they're small. And if your garden soil is fairly loose, it's not too hard to yank them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeds can be dispersed by wind spreading them along the soil surface. This means that if you have uncontrolled ragweed in another part of your yard, have neighbors with uncontrolled ragweed, nearby fields, or if your town doesn't keep the roadside ditches mowed, then you'll end up with more seed in your garden year after year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The strategy I would recommend is to reduce the ragweed seed bank&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't let any go to seed. This is critical. Every plant that goes to seed makes your job next year that much harder.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Be vigilant. Go out every week and pull out all the ragweed seedlings in your garden you can find.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cultivate (shallow hoeing) weekly. This will chop off small seedlings before they can establish a good root system.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep down any ragweed plants that are within your zone of control -- keep your yard mowed (which won't necessarily keep the ragweed from growing, but you can at least reduce the amount of seed) and pull plants where you can.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't till deeply if you don't have to. This will bring more seeds from deep in the ground to the surface where they can germinate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Be aware of where your soil amendments are coming from. E.g. if you bring in some local horse manure where hay was used for bedding, or if spoiled hay is mixed in with the manure, you may be importing ragweed (and tons of other weed) seeds. If you buy compost, beware that it could be contaminated with seeds. Above all, don't use hay for mulch!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately this strategy can take a few years to really pay off, and if you let it get out of control for one year, you have to go back to stage 0. On the bright side, this is a good general weed-control strategy, so you will reduce the pressure from other weeds at the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-25T13:09:03.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1806" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1787" CreationDate="2011-08-25T16:39:31.167" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I find that little bamboo stakes do nothing. You need a serious stake:  1/2&quot; to 1&quot; diameter and anywhere from 5' to 7' tall.  Tie the sunflower at several points along the stem. to reduce point stress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All this will do nothing if you have squirrels around who think nothing of hanging off the seed head.  Damage from gale force winds cannot be prevented either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another approach is to trim the plant during the growing season of the side shoots which can add considerable weight to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting a smaller cultivar is also quite successful&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-08-25T16:39:31.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1761" CreationDate="2011-08-25T16:44:08.413" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like Boisduvals scale to me.  You can read more &lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.illinois.edu/greenhouse/insects/armored_scales/index.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;   On plants with hard leaves you can take a scrubby to them and physically remove them.  However they tend to shelter deep within the root axils and I have never been able to eradicate them with soap and water.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;As I try to reduce the maintenance I have to do on indoor plants I usually get rid of infected plants with problems that cannot be controlled in the long term with soap and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-08-25T16:44:08.413" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1343" CreationDate="2011-08-25T17:57:14.627" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;As noted in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1343/late-sown-carrots-any-particular-problems#comment-1456&quot;&gt;my comment above&lt;/a&gt;, my experience is that fall carrots do better than summer carrots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8001.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this page on fall growing&lt;/a&gt; cautions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It is not uncommon for insects and diseases to be more abundant in the fall. Most problems from insects and diseases result from a buildup in their populations during the spring and summer. There is hope of keeping these pests at tolerable levels, however, if a few strategies are followed. Strive to keep fall vegetables healthy and actively growing; healthy plants are less susceptible to insects and diseases. Check the plants frequently for insect and disease damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also beware that the shorter day length in the fall will extend the time to maturity. So your 60 day carrots may take more like 70 days or more to reach full size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/best005/best005.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This page mentions cultivar choice for overwintering&lt;/a&gt;, though it sounds like you're not planning on overwintering:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Red Core Chantinay overwinters without splits or loss of flavor better than some of the more tender cultivars such as Nautes. Plant carrots by mid-July for fall and winter harvest. Grow under floating row covers if carrot rustfly has been a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-08-25T17:57:14.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1810" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="125" CreationDate="2011-08-25T23:24:04.907" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below are a few other options you may wish to look into:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1187/how-can-i-prevent-squirrels-or-other-small-mammals-from-eating-my-tomatoes/1189#1189&quot;&gt;&quot;Scarecrow Motion-Activated Sprinkler&quot; system.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=ultrasonic%20motion%20activated%20cat&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;Ultrasonic Motion-Activated&quot; system.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Liquid &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ammonia&lt;/a&gt; poured into a few small dishes (I use screw-top jam lids) and placed in areas you wish to discourage cats from frequenting is effective. I only use this method in areas away from the house due to the smell...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The herb &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rue&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rue&lt;/a&gt; is said to effective.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;As too is the &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=scaredy%20cat%20plant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Scaredy cat plant&lt;/a&gt;&quot; (now as the &quot;Pee-off plant&quot; in Europe).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sprinkle &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayenne_pepper&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cayenne pepper&lt;/a&gt; onto areas you wish to discourage cats from frequenting is also said to work well. &lt;strong&gt;Caution/Warning:&lt;/strong&gt; Going this route will cause the felines some temporary discomfort/pain (burning, irritation of the paws)...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2011-08-25T23:24:04.907" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1811" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="605" CreationDate="2011-08-26T05:30:07.047" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Personally, I like the ideas that enclose, protect the veggie areas...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is some information that I hope proves somewhat helpful/useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wirelessdeerfence.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wireless Deer Fence&lt;/a&gt; (please note, I have no affiliation with that site).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The Wireless Deer Fence is a deer repellent system that creates an effective psychological barrier for deer around your yard and garden.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1187/how-can-i-prevent-squirrels-or-other-small-mammals-from-eating-my-tomatoes/1189#1189&quot;&gt;&quot;Scarecrow Motion-Activated Sprinkler&quot; system&lt;/a&gt; here on SE.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Humanely scare away the hungry creatures.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/deerdef/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cornell gardening resources Deer defenses&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Strategies, plants and products to reduce damage in your gardens and landscape.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The following is a list of landscape plants rated according to their resistance to deer damage. The list was compiled with input from nursery and landscape professionals, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension personnel, and Master Gardeners in Northern N.J.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1138/keeping-mockingbirds-off-potted-plants-ornamental-peppers/1139#1139&quot;&gt;Keeping mockingbirds off potted plants (ornamental peppers)&lt;/a&gt; here on SE.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-08-26T05:30:07.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1812" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="148" CreationDate="2011-08-26T06:02:42.907" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below are a couple more suggestions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Attract natural predators, especially birds of prey might be another option worth investigating a little more:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Attract hawks and owls into their area, by putting up a perch (roost) in the middle of the area. A simple cross beam &quot;T&quot; six or more feet off the ground will give those birds of prey a convenient platform to hunt from.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;To prevent gophers (and other burrowing, tunneling pests) entering an area, a &quot;low&quot; level fence that is sunk (buried) into the ground 2ft (600mm) makes a very effective barrier:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If using a metal mesh type fence, spacing between wires should be no bigger than &amp;#189;inch (12.5mm).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-08-26T06:02:42.907" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1800" CreationDate="2011-08-26T06:22:58.320" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found out what variety these are! They're called Pasilla bajio, a variety of &lt;em&gt;Capsicum annum&lt;/em&gt; and is a Mexican heirloom chile pepper plant. Here is what Mike Perry's handy &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.g6csy.net/chile/database.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;chile varieties database&lt;/a&gt; link had to say:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Pasilla means 'little raisin' in Spanish, referring to the wrinkled, deep brown dried pods and raisin-like aroma of this flavourful chile no good cook should be without. The elongated, cylindrical pods measure 6 to 8 inches long and an inch wide. Delicious either fresh or dried, at the immature stage the beautiful fruits are a remarkable, glossy, deep forest-green colour that matures to dark chocolate brown. The TMV resistant plants grow 2 to 3 feet tall, with branches beginning 5 to 6 inches from the low stem so pods don't touch the ground. The dried pods of this delicious pepper form the basis for the rich complex flavour of Mole sauces where no heat is required. Heat level is 0.5 (Capsicum annuum)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cherrygal.com/pepperspicypasillabajioheirloomseeds2010-p-12302.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; also confirms my &quot;sweet pepper&quot; experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;PASILLA (&quot;Little Raisin&quot;) BAJIO PEPPER is the sweetest chile you will find - practically no serious heat (though depending on the weather it may surprise you - sustained hot weather turns the burner up on hot peppers), but a most intriguing and uniquely herbal/floral taste that will lend complexity to any dish! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-08-26T06:22:58.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1814" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="428" CreationDate="2011-08-26T12:41:37.073" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This question has been answered very fully. I entirely agree with most of the comments  and there is little to add; however, there is one important aspect of long-term/ over-manuring that has not been mentioned: &lt;em&gt;soil pH&lt;/em&gt;. Regular use of manure, whether the cow or horse variety, will slightly lower the pH, and over-use will over-acidify your soil, just as too much fertilizer would, although to a lesser extent. &lt;em&gt;Hence the need for regular soil testing.&lt;/em&gt; The increased soil acidity can, of course, be corrected by liming. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lowered pH&lt;/strong&gt;. Regular manure application lowers soil pH. The acidifying effect of manure is less than that of inorganic fertilizers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/cropsystems/components/7401_02.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Soil Scientist: What is Manure? - University of Minnesota Extension&lt;/a&gt; - a very full and interesting article.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-26T19:26:40.880" LastActivityDate="2011-08-26T19:26:40.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1815" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1816" CreationDate="2011-08-26T14:55:06.320" Score="32" ViewCount="48792" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a skeptic, I am generally wary of any claims that say something that is generally hard is made easy by a product.  I was wondering if anyone could offer some advice if they have experience with various stump removing chemicals on the market (not looking for product specific advice).  Assuming that one follows the directions on the product, what is its efficacy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="291" LastEditorUserId="291" LastEditDate="2011-08-26T15:38:53.587" LastActivityDate="2020-03-25T19:43:31.863" Title="How efficient are stump removal chemicals?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;stump-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1816" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1815" CreationDate="2011-08-26T15:23:20.883" Score="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;Take a look at this question, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1530/394&quot;&gt;Nothing will grow where tree was&lt;/a&gt;, here on SE.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1530/nothing-will-grow-where-tree-was/1534#1534&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Quote:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Pouring chemicals (poison) on the stump is going to speed up the breakdown (decompose) process, but it's still going to take at least a year or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If the stump isn't that big, it's much better to get it pulled or to simply dig it out (that normally results in a good weekend workout).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the stump is of a reasonable size, have you considered &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stump_grinder&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;stumping grinding&lt;/a&gt; as an option?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you go the stump grinding route, make sure you specify a minimum &quot;grind&quot; depth. Bear in mind, the deeper you want the stump grinded the more it may cost you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A &quot;bad&quot; stump grinding service will grind to just below the surface, then cover it over with some soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A &quot;good&quot; stump grinding service with grind to a depth of 12 to 18inches (300 to 450mm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is my understanding 18 to 24inches (450 to 600mm) is about the maximum depth that most stump grinders will grind to, without considerable extra work... Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this piece of information.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you want to grind it yourself, you should be able to hire a stump grinder from a local tool hire shop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The machine is easy enough to use (just takes a little bit of getting use to), results in a few hours of fairly hard-work for yourself (even though the machine is doing the real work).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-08-26T15:37:08.990" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1817" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1815" CreationDate="2011-08-26T15:47:05.337" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;As Mike Perry pointed out, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1530/394&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; question on this site is a good first hand account of what happens when you use stump removal chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All that most chemicals provide is a very high amount of nitrogen. They're just glorified, over priced fertilizers and I'll bet that most products have potassium nitrate as their main ingredient. Typically several deep holes are drilled into the stump and the chemical is poured down them. Given that tree stumps will definitely rot in a high nitrogen + moisture environment, there is no question of whether these products will work or not. They will, although the process might take from anywhere from one to four years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the question that needs to be asked is what is their effect on the surrounding soil. Depending on the type, trees have roots that go very deep into the ground or cover a large area at a relatively shallow depth (see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1555/how-far-on-average-do-tree-roots-extend-out-from-the-base-of-the-tree/1556#1556&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; for some info). Since these chemicals get transported to the very tips of the roots, you'll find that over time, a large portion of your garden is unfit for growing anything due to the extremely high levels of nitrogen in the soil (will &quot;burn&quot; everything). The levels are high enough (and the effect extends deep enough) that normal gardening techniques like adding carbon/manure, etc to alter the ratios will not work. That ground is dead for a few years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-08-26T15:47:05.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1656" CreationDate="2011-08-27T00:42:57.313" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It all depends on the kind of weeds.  Annual weeds like dandelions can be baked out as Mike Perry describes.  Crown vetch seems to be far harder to remove and horsetails or equisetum are impossible to remove.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;For annual weeds and perennial weeds of some types I recommend pool liner.    Whatever thickness you can get, just lay it down on the surface and cover with a mulch.  Leave for a few years and some of your problems are gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-08-27T00:42:57.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1819" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1823" CreationDate="2011-08-27T07:20:00.863" Score="12" ViewCount="2468" Body="&lt;p&gt;In mid-winter, I pruned my standard roses back harshly.  Black-spot can be a problem on these roses.  The pruning is such that they have hardly any leaves.  The remaining leaves do not have any black-spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I spray now to remove any remaining fungus on the plants?  Will this keep black-spot from the new foilage that will grow as spring starts?  Or will the fungus spread through the air to the new foilage in any case?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="460" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-27T13:03:56.837" LastActivityDate="2011-08-27T13:03:56.837" Title="Can I eradicate blackspot on roses with a winter pruning?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1820" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1849" CreationDate="2011-08-27T07:26:55.547" Score="18" ViewCount="5510" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there any reason to avoid putting flowers purchased from the florist in compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers were gifts but are now wilting.  Would florists or growers use anything on the flowers to preserve them that might be bad for compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="460" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-08T15:24:35.877" LastActivityDate="2014-01-06T12:53:03.493" Title="Is there any reason not to add commercially produced flowers to compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1821" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1824" CreationDate="2011-08-27T11:39:05.147" Score="12" ViewCount="57873" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many books &amp;amp; websites which will tell me the optimal time of year to lay turf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, laying turf requires all kinds of preparation, plus you've got to coordinate obtaining the stuff and using it promptly. It's not an item that can sit around. So you can't do half the job one weekend and finish off the following weekend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you need to set aside a big old chunk of time. In my case that might be a time of the year when it's not optimal but &lt;em&gt;still viable&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my question is which months of the year are &lt;strong&gt;optimal&lt;/strong&gt;, which are &lt;strong&gt;viable&lt;/strong&gt;, and which are &lt;strong&gt;forget it&lt;/strong&gt;. I'm in the south of England.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2021-03-15T17:33:31.203" LastActivityDate="2021-03-15T17:33:31.203" Title="When to lay turf in the UK?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;sod&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1822" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1820" CreationDate="2011-08-27T12:43:14.983" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;We regularly put such flowers on the compost. Take care to remove any ribbon, wire, oasis, etc. None of that stuff will compost down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also a lot of cut flowers (eg. Roses) will dry to woody long material. They will break down much quicker if you cut them into 3-4 pieces first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-08-27T12:43:14.983" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1819" CreationDate="2011-08-27T12:47:57.210" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blackspot is a difficult disease to control, as I know from bitter experience. I see that you are in Australia, where it will soon be spring, so here is what I suggest:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove &lt;em&gt;all&lt;/em&gt; dead leaves from around your rose bushes, as the disease spores overwinter on them and, in spring, as soon as it rains, are splashed or blown up up onto the new foliage. Dispose of the dead leaves in a sealed bag.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rake the area and put down a 3 or 4&quot; mulch, but keep it away from the stems, to avoid giving them collar rot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spray the new leaves with &lt;em&gt;both&lt;/em&gt; a contact and a systemic fungicide as soon as they begin to emerge, and ring the changes on the type of fungicides you use, to prevent the fungus from developing immunity - see *Richmond Rose Society advice below.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whenever you water, try to avoid wetting the leaves and stems, as blackspot spores are water-borne, and this will minimize the spread of infection&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Promptly remove any infected leaves and prune any stems with lesions&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Feed regularly with a good rose fertilizer. Roses are heavy feeders and fertilizing at regular intervals will help yours to recover from the severe pruning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, although you should be able to bring the disease under control, you're unlikely to eliminate it completely, as spores will be blown in from elsewhere on wind-borne rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;*Use a systemic fungicide: These are compounds that prevent the germinating black spot spore from taking hold on the leaf. While systemics do not kill the spores, they do stop the fungus dead in its tracks by interfering with its metabolism. The fungus can’t digest its food and soon dies. Popular systemic fungicides include Banner Max and Compass. Mixing a contact and systemic fungicide in the same sprayer works well. By killing off spores and preventing the growth of any existing fungus, black spot is quickly eradicated. Although &lt;em&gt;using both a systemic and a contact fungicide is the key to controlling black spot&lt;/em&gt;, don’t make the mistake of using the same systemic and contact fungicide each time you spray. Just as bacteria have become increasingly immune to antibiotics, the black spot fungus is becoming resistant to some of the compounds used to control it. To ensure that an immunity does not develop in your garden, switch the fungicides you use each week. Here is a list of some of the more common systemic and contact fungicides that control black spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.richmondrosesociety.com/&quot;&gt;Richmond Rose Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-27T13:01:53.267" LastActivityDate="2011-08-27T13:01:53.267" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1824" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1821" CreationDate="2011-08-27T15:01:45.563" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have only ever laid turf once, so I'm no expert, but this is how I interpret the advice from Dr. Hessayon (&quot;The Lawn Expert&quot;) which seems pretty sound:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Optimal months in the UK are (in this order) early or mid-September, when the soil is still warm but there is little chance of a water shortage, October and November&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Viable months are December to February, provided the ground is neither waterlogged nor frozen; also March and April, but this may involve regular watering when the weather is dry&#xA;to prevent the turves from shrinking and the roots from dying&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;'Forget-it' months are May to August - newly-laid turf would require frequent watering in the summer heat and would struggle to establish itself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-08-27T15:01:45.563" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1825" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1951" CreationDate="2011-08-27T22:03:35.410" Score="11" ViewCount="1148" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm located in northern Utah, USA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a weed which is proving difficult to control, which I haven't been able to identify.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tSid9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tall Ground Runner Weed&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is usually fairly easy to pull, but you only get a small bit of root because these things spread via an underground runner. Usually there will be dozens all along one run, yet removing them all is almost impossible because of surrounding plants that I want to keep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The one pictured is in the seeding stage, I usually try not to let them get this far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it, and is there some type of control that is especially effective on it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am adding two additional photos as well as links to larger resolution versions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iHE2J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Base of weed.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.redtailed.com/se/weed_base.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;(Click for high-res of base)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/THTyq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Top of weed.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.redtailed.com/se/weed_top.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;(Click for high-res of top)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="88" LastEditorUserId="88" LastEditDate="2011-09-10T20:53:21.507" LastActivityDate="2011-09-10T20:53:21.507" Title="What is this weed and how do I get rid of it?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1826" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1821" CreationDate="2011-08-28T15:40:25.747" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know we're told to never question a doctor, but I'm going to disagree a little bit with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._G._Hessayon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dr. D. G. Hessayon&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1821/when-to-lay-turf/1824#1824&quot;&gt;advice&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm definitely no doctor, nor do I consider myself a &quot;Lawn Expert&quot;, as I'm learning new things about lawns all the time, but with that said, the below is based on my personal experience of lawns in the UK and my personal experience with lawns in general...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Best time to lay turf (sod) in the UK is:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The month of September (the earlier in September the better IMHO) and during the first 2 weeks of October.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ground is fairly easy to work with at this time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ground is still warm enough to encourage good root growth and give the roots enough time to establish themselves before the colder months arrive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should be enough rain at this time to keep the newly laid turf moist enough without the need to get the hose/sprinkler (too much).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The 2nd best time to lay turf (sod) in the UK is:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;From mid March to the end of April.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ground is starting to warm up and is workable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should give the roots enough time to establish themselves before the heat (and dryness) of Summer arrives. Yes, I know the UK had the driest April on record this year (2011), but I think it's &quot;generally&quot; accepted that was an extraordinarily freaky, strange April in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should be enough rain at this time to keep the newly laid turf moist enough without the need to get the hose/sprinkler (too much).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The 3rd best time to lay turf (sod) in the UK is:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I don't believe there is such a time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;From mid October through to the end of November the ground is really starting to cool down... the roots won't have enough time to establish themselves before the Winter months arrive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;From December through to mid March the ground is too cold and working the ground during Winter isn't easy, nor is it &quot;generally&quot; advisable to-do-so.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The month of May through to mid June doesn't give the grass long enough to establish itself before the heat (and dryness) of Summer arrives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;From mid June through to the end of August is too warm and dry for the roots (grass) to establish themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is some information on UK lawns that may prove helpful/useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/gardening_guides/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;BBC Gardening Guides&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/lawns_layingturf1.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Laying a new lawn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/calendar/tips/category/lawn&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lawn Calender tips&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/lawns_improvingyourlawn1.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Improve your lawn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/lawns_autumnlawncare1.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Autumn lawn care&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/lawns_sowlawn1.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sowing a lawn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rhs.org.uk/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Royal Horticultural Society&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Help-advice/Videos/Laying-a-lawn-from-seed-and-turf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Laying a lawn from seed and turf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?PID=410&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lawns from turf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-08-28T16:36:13.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1827" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1825" CreationDate="2011-08-28T16:30:51.933" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to stick with my initial thought (as soon as I saw the photo):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/weedguides/files/uploads/Asteraceae.pdf#page=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Common Yarrow&lt;/a&gt; (Direct link to PDF) from &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Utah State University Cooperative Extension&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Though without seeing all of the weed (at ground level) I'm not 100% on the above. &lt;del&gt;Another possibility:&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;del&gt;* &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/weedguides/files/uploads/brassicaceae.pdf#page=5&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hoary Cress&lt;/a&gt; (Direct link to PDF) from &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Utah State University Cooperative Extension&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both the above PDF's contain &lt;strong&gt;Control&lt;/strong&gt; information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Listed below is further weed related information, resources from &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Utah State University Cooperative Extension&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/weedguides/htm/common-weeds-of-the-yard-and-garden&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Common Weeds of the Yard and Garden&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://extension.usu.edu/weedguides/htm/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Weed Guides&lt;/a&gt; (contains 2 excellent &lt;strong&gt;free&lt;/strong&gt; PDF downloadable &quot;Weed Guides&quot;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Direct link to PDF - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.utahweed.org/PDF/FieldGuide_Ed4.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Noxious Weeds Field Guide For Utah&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Direct link to PDF - &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/Horticulture_Weeds_2011-01pr.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Common Weeds Of The Yard And Garden A Guidebook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/weedweb/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Weed Web&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/weedweb/ww/steps.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Steps for successful weed control&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The 288 page, &lt;strong&gt;free&lt;/strong&gt; PDF &quot;Weed Management Handbook&quot; from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.msuextension.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Montana&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Utah&lt;/a&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uwyo.edu/ces/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wyoming&lt;/a&gt; Cooperative Extension Services is available from:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.co.tooele.ut.us/weeds.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tooele County Weed Control&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Direct link to PDF - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.co.tooele.ut.us/PDF/Weeds/weed%20management%20handbook.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Weed Management Handbook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Missouri University Extension Office recommended I try this service:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/main/aae.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ask an Expert&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I did, here is the result:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.org/ask/6d4b9df28a117d3582c3d8fe1bdd72a7&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ask an Expert - Question&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Your Question&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Could you please identify this plant (additional images viewable via URL): &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1825/394&quot;&gt;What is this weed and how do I get rid of it?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;My location is... but the plant is located in Northern Utah.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Responses&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I am wondering if it could be a knapweed; possibly diffuse knapweed (Centaurea diffusa). See &lt;a href=&quot;http://forestry.usu.edu/files/uploads/NR_FF/NRFF012.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://forestry.usu.edu/files/uploads/NR_FF/NRFF012.pdf&lt;/a&gt;. However, I am a tree expert and non-woody weeds are a little beyond my expertise. Knapweeds are common out here in Utah.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-09-09T02:39:51.583" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1828" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1831" CreationDate="2011-08-28T17:39:40.723" Score="15" ViewCount="11878" Body="&lt;p&gt;During summer, the leaves on my peach tree turn an orange-green shade. Is this normal? Is this a response to heat stress, drought, or something else (e.g. mineral deficiency during high heat conditions).&#xA;The color change is almost as if it was Autumn/Fall, but the leaves change color far too early and they do not drop. I was looking last night (whilst watering it) and noticed new leaves that are just emerging are a nice fresh,healthy green color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is NOT orange leaf curl, which is a fungi that deforms leaves and eventually kills the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tree age: approx 4 years old. About 7-8 ft high. No fruit yet, although it had its first two blossoms this spring.&#xA;Variety: Unknown (gift that was little more than a &quot;stick in a bucket of clay&quot;). So it might even be a nectarine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: North Texas. 100+F daily highs have been normal this summer, and not unusual most summers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-28T18:29:36.780" LastActivityDate="2011-09-09T18:32:19.677" Title="Why are my peach leaves turning orange?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1829" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1830" CreationDate="2011-08-28T17:43:01.780" Score="10" ViewCount="1477" Body="&lt;p&gt;When is the best time to plant out a peach sapling?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been trying my hand at growing cuttings from peach tree prunings, and eventually(*) have one that is almost big enough to plant out. I'll wait until after the coming winter, but when is the ideal time? Presumably spring?  Should I plant it out before the leaves come out, or after?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(*) Two attempts. First mistake was the wrong time of the year. Also I've tended to use branches that are too thin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-08-28T18:28:04.783" Title="When should I plant out a peach sapling?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1830" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1829" CreationDate="2011-08-28T18:28:04.783" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You shouldn't plant the sapling when the ground is frozen or if it is too cold outside. The conditions would be too harsh for it to survive on its own. The ideal time would be after the ground has cleared of ice, when spring just sets in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't talk from winter/ice experience, but I planted my peach sapling (about 1.5 ft tall; no leaves, only buds) out last year in late December in San Diego, when the temperature was around 10-15 C (50-60 F), no frost/ice/snow. By mid February, the plant sprouted leaves and by mid March, it had at least 6 peaches growing (which, I did &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; expect from a tree this young!). Now, it's about 3 feet tall and fully covered with leaves. The pic below is from mid March.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bdtKq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it's more about how harsh/unwelcoming the conditions are outside than if the leaves have come out/not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-08-28T18:28:04.783" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1831" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1828" CreationDate="2011-08-28T19:53:01.167" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think &quot;yoda's&quot; above comment should be put into an answer, seeing as he has firsthand experience (IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know for a fact, via listening to &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.newsradioklbj.com/podcast/Episodes.aspx?PID=1634&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardening Naturally with John Dromgoole&lt;/a&gt;&quot; weekly podcast, that Texas has had an exceptionally brutal summer this year:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Summer heat started really early in the year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Virtually zero rain fall (except for the odd very lucky area).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Record number of days (not continuously) over 100&amp;#176;F (38&amp;#176;C).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those above factors have put a lot! of stress on tress, even affecting fully grown mature ones...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the reason why Arborist Don Gardner put together and released his &quot;Watering Guidelines&quot; for tress this year:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cityoflakeway.com/index.aspx?NID=325&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Do-It-Yourself Tree Care Information&lt;/a&gt; from City of Lakeway, TX&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Direct link to PDF - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cityoflakeway.com/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1574&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Water Guidelines&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe what you're seeing (and have heard Don Gardner say the exact same thing only a couple of weeks ago), &lt;em&gt;&quot;leaves on my peach tree turn an orange-green shade&quot;&lt;/em&gt; is in direct response to the weather conditions you've been experiencing in Texas, and is a natural survival mode that the tree has gone into ie&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tree starting to lose its leaves early than normal, so it can concentrate all its energy on surviving.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just in the past week here in Missouri I've started to notice tree leaves (even on mature tress) browning, changing colour and falling off. Missouri has experienced a very! hot and dry July and August, more so than normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the tree isn't mulched, I would:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put down a 2inch (50mm) layer of compost, starting about 4inches (100mm) away from the trunk and work outward as far as you can (is practical to-do-so).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Follow Don Gardner's &quot;Watering Guidelines&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I highly recommend you listen to, &quot;You Bet Your Garden&quot; podcast -- &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.whyy.org/podcast/garden/garden20110827.mp3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Not So Perfect Produce, 27&lt;sup&gt;the&lt;/sup&gt; August 2011 (Direct link to MP3)&lt;/a&gt; and start listening at 13mins:27secs in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;How to water your lawn perfectly with Guy Fipps, PhD, P.E., Director of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://itc.tamu.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Irrigation Technology Center&lt;/a&gt; at Texas A&amp;amp;M University.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ignore the above &quot;How to water your lawn perfectly&quot;, the watering information given by Guy Fipps, PhD, P.E. is first class (IMHO) and the link to &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://itc.tamu.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Irrigation Technology Center&lt;/a&gt;&quot; is worth its weight in water for anyone living in Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additionally&lt;/strong&gt; you may wish to take the time (7 minutes) to listen to this podcast:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/podcasts/greensideup/201108_860.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Effects of Drought and Drowning on Plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Direct link to MP3 - &lt;a href=&quot;https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/podcasts/greensideup/media/greensideup%5F2011%2D08%2D11%5FGSU8%2D11.mp3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Effects of Drought and Drowning on Plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Richard Hentschel, Horticulture Educator and Retired Extension Plant Pathologist Jim Schuster discuss drought and drowning symptoms and the long term problems with annuals, perennials and woody plants. Also discuss are methods for proper watering and indicators of drought and drowining&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-09T18:32:19.677" LastActivityDate="2011-09-09T18:32:19.677" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1832" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-28T20:42:24.487" Score="12" ViewCount="769" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like my onion crop is done (end of August). The green part has died right back and I've got just the bulb sat a little way into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have a good rodent-proof cool dry dark outdoor storage place to put the onions. If I lift them they'll have to live like any old shop-bought onions in storage in my kitchen. I can keep them dark and dryish but not especially cool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm new to full size onions. I've left spring onions in the ground throughout autumn and into the winter before and it hasn't done them any harm. Can I do the same with full size onions? Any reason not to?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-09-11T19:21:54.887" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T19:27:10.267" Title="Should I lift my onion crop?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;onions&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;storage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1833" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1845" CreationDate="2011-08-29T01:51:21.577" Score="11" ViewCount="217" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to plant a small size &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinningia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sinningia&lt;/a&gt; in my office. I read about the plant and found that it requires high air humidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I maintain a high air humidity in my office with a simple setup?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-23T08:52:02.163" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T08:52:02.163" Title="How can we keep high air humidity with a simple setup?" Tags="&lt;office-gardening&gt;&lt;humidity&gt;&lt;sinningia&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1834" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1833" CreationDate="2011-08-29T02:48:17.297" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know about where you are (pretty sure its hot though), or if your work will let you use one, but a cool mist humidifier is not very expensive and would work for your purpose. If you live in a colder clime you can get a normal humidifier that produces warm humidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many brands of humidifiers are available and are often sold as health products to help people with colds breath better. Get one and keep it running all the time. Note that if mold is an issue for you or your coworkers or is common in your work place adding humidity may be a really bad idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2011-08-29T02:48:17.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1835" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1832" CreationDate="2011-08-29T04:40:34.577" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Full sized onions should be removed from the ground, with as much of their wrappers left intact as possible, as soon as they're ready to be harvested. Then either:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Allowed to dry in a dry shady area for a day, then used immediately.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hung to air dry (cured) for 2 to 3 weeks in a dry shady area with good air circulation until they dry out. To maximise their &quot;shelf-life&quot;, they should then be stored in a dry place with good air circulation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Have a listen to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/gwtj&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardening with Tim and Joe&lt;/a&gt; podcast, &lt;a href=&quot;http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/leeds/gwtj/gwtj_20110919-1110a.mp3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dry them off 19 Sep 11 (direct link to MP3)&lt;/a&gt;, and start listening at 10mins:03secs in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Full sized onions left in the ground after they're ready for harvesting run the risk of rotting, especially if Autumn (Fall) rain arrives (constantly moist soil) along with the cooling of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Do you have a garage you could store them in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Onions can be frozen (for at least 6 months), but then they are only really good for cooking with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To-do-so:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Clean and peel them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut them into the sizes and shapes you want.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay them out on a flat surface (tray) covered with a sheet of wax paper, then place them in the freezer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once they have frozen, take them out and transfer them into freezer bags - &quot;portion&quot; sizes, makes using them later on that much easier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then put them back into the freezer until you need them...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another way of freezing onions is to first &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puree&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;purée&lt;/a&gt; them, then transfer them into &quot;portion&quot; size containers for freezing. Onion purée can be used in things like, soups, curries...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are another couple of ways to store (preserve) onions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salsa_%28sauce%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Salsa&lt;/a&gt; and have the other ingredients necessary to make it...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickling&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pickle&lt;/a&gt; them, either by themselves or mixed with other vegetables eg Cucumbers &amp;amp; Onions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-21T19:27:10.267" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T19:27:10.267" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1837" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1838" CreationDate="2011-08-29T13:54:08.910" Score="16" ViewCount="14979" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an eggplant that has thus far produced several flowers, but no fruit yet. I have read that hand pollination is often necessary for eggplant to produce fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I go about hand pollinating the plant? Do I need any special equipment?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-30T10:57:26.243" LastActivityDate="2016-10-14T03:29:21.187" Title="What is the proper technique to hand pollinate an eggplant?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1838" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1837" CreationDate="2011-08-29T15:27:04.407" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggplant#Cultivation&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Eggplant&lt;/a&gt; flowers are &amp;quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_flower#Individual_reproductive_unit_.28a_flower_in_angiosperms.29&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;perfect&lt;/a&gt;&amp;quot;, meaning a single flower contains both female and male reproductive structures, therefore hand pollinating is even easier...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://vegetablematter.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-to-hand-pollinate-your-vegetables.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Hand-Pollinate Your Vegetables&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For these flowers, I use a make-up brush. I've read that others use a small paint brush or Q-tip...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whichever implement you choose, just take the brush and gently rub the pollen from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamen&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;stamen&lt;/a&gt; (these are the pollen-covered filaments that surround the center) onto the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistil&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;pistil&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistil&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;pistil&lt;/a&gt; is the female center of the flower -- the tip is called the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stigma_%28botany%29&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;stigma&lt;/a&gt; -- and this is what you must pollinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers on these plants can stay open for several days, so it's not a bad idea to repeat the process every day or so. You will know the process has worked if the flower closes but doesn't fall off the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-08-29T15:27:04.407" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1839" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1841" CreationDate="2011-08-29T16:18:33.327" Score="10" ViewCount="271" Body="&lt;p&gt;How about 45 to 49 degree Celsius? In the morning, usually the temperature is quite high, and sometimes it goes up to 40+. I help to lower the temperature in the morning just once before I go to work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other plants like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocimum_tenuiflorum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;holy basil&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patchouli&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;patchouli&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloysia_citrodora&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lemon verbena&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavandula_dentata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;French lavender&lt;/a&gt; are all alive in such condition. All of them are in earthen pots, which helps to reduce the core temperature of the soil because it releases heat from the soil faster. I gave the lavenders some water in their pottery tray and they are fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I wonder is how well can the chili pepper do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-06T18:13:38.450" LastActivityDate="2011-10-15T19:55:35.313" Title="How much heat can a cherry chili pepper withstand?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1840" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-29T16:49:38.563" Score="12" ViewCount="996" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the best practice to prevent &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid&quot;&gt;aphids&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_mite&quot;&gt;spider mites&lt;/a&gt;? I group them in one question because they make similar damage to plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to know the level of humidity for aphids and spider mites to grow, then I can do the reverse approach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-30T15:10:45.707" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T19:39:24.540" Title="Best practice to prevent aphids and spider mites?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;&lt;spider-mites&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1841" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1839" CreationDate="2011-08-29T16:58:27.723" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like this is &lt;em&gt;Cherry Bomb&lt;/em&gt; or if not, then a similar cultivar of &lt;em&gt;C.Annuum&lt;/em&gt; with a rounded cherry/tomato shaped fruit (about an inch in size) and a fair heat - roughly comparable to a jalapeno?  (hotter than an anaheim but sweeter than a serrano or habanero).&#xA;'Sweet' cherry peppers are also available without any of the heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As such I think it will survive the heat as well as any other &lt;em&gt;C.Annuum&lt;/em&gt; (ie. most pepper cultivars - bell peppers, jalapenos, etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This summer we've had sustained highs in the 40-45 range for a few months, and my peppers have survived fine. I water them every other evening. Most of them are in beds, but a few (pepperocinis and ornamentals) are in pots. Give them a lot of water.  For your higher temperatures, I would probably water them every evening. A mulch to keep the water in is probably worth investigating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves will go limp due to drought stress - this is a natural response. Limp like polythene, but should perk up with good watering. In more extreme cases, when they perk up they'll have some dead curling of the leaf edges (I've noticed this on a couple of mine but they are at the edge of a raised bed - so it probably drains/dries more quickly).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note for your pottery pot: It might cool quicker, but if it is in the sun, it will still heat up quickly - you may need some shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If direct sun is a problem, you may also need to shade any fruit - especially if the plants have only moderate foliage. Pepper fruit will scorch in strong direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They say heat is required for decent 'hot' peppers. I've managed to make some good chilli powder from &lt;em&gt;Cherry Bomb&lt;/em&gt; (just be careful to wear gloves when cutting them - the capsaicin managed to heat-sensitise my hands for a few days afterwards!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-08-29T16:58:27.723" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1840" CreationDate="2011-08-29T19:22:26.607" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best defence against pests (and diseases) is to grow healthy &amp;amp; vigorous plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A weak plant is an easy target. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A healthy &amp;amp; vigorous plant is a lot better prepared to defend itself from damage, infection.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Provide optimal growing conditions for the plants you are growing eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Light, water and fertiliser requirements to encourage healthy &amp;amp; vigorous plants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plants aren't overcrowded, good air circulation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Use appropriate mulching material -- for me that means, compost or shredded leaves. Do not use wood chip mulches.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep the gardening area clean -- clear weeds...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Inspect your plants regularly, the sooner you identify a &quot;possible&quot; problem, the sooner you can react appropriately.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know about &quot;humidity levels&quot; being a control for &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphids&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Aphids&lt;/a&gt; and/or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_mites&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Spider Mites&lt;/a&gt;, that's not to say it isn't, I'm just not aware if it is...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Aphids prefer hot and dry conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spider mites prefer hot, dry and dusty conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/pests.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Missouri Botanical Gardens Integrated Pest Management&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/IPM.asp?code=6&amp;amp;group=5&amp;amp;level=s&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Aphids - Outdoors&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/insects/mites/spider-mites-outdoors.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Spider Mites - Outdoors&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-03-29T17:41:06.933" LastActivityDate="2013-03-29T17:41:06.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1843" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1844" CreationDate="2011-08-29T20:31:19.387" Score="18" ViewCount="1046" Body="&lt;p&gt;My tomato plant is about 6 months old and about a foot and a half tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How often should you prune your tomato plant during this stage? Is it possible to over prune  the plant? I usually use the pinch method of removing stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About my tomato plant. This plant is potted and it lives in the hot sunny weather in north Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="290" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-08-30T00:37:04.240" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T01:31:30.547" Title="How frequently should I prune a tomato plant?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1844" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1843" CreationDate="2011-08-29T20:54:06.477" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a general rule, you can prune tomatoes every 7-10 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, it is possible to over prune the plant. If you remove too many stems, you will reduce production. And you don't need to prune a determinate tomato -- they will stop growing at a certain height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't prune yours. At 6 months old, I'd expect it to be much larger than 18&quot;. Is it fruiting? (Mine are about 3 months old and 4-5' tall.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-29T20:54:06.477" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1845" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1833" CreationDate="2011-08-29T22:25:09.853" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Really simple is a terrarium.  A small aquarium, 5 gallon or less, with a layer of drainage at the bottom  (stones for example), a soil separator (landscape fabric or new ladies nylons), and a tropical potting mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The key to success is a glass top for the terrarium which retains the humidity in the air. In fact with bright indirect sunlight your problem is more likely to be that fungal agents will ruin the flowers.   Simply take the top off to lower the humidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-08-29T22:25:09.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1847" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-08-30T04:08:58.747" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Eggplant is a nightshade plant in the family Solanaceae of the genus Solanum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fruit of an eggplant is classed as a berry. Its bitter taste comes from the soft edible seeds which contain nicotinoid alkaloids. Despite being a perennial by nature, it has been &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/solanum-melongena/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;Growing Solanum melongena&quot;&gt;cultivated as an annual&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Binomial name&lt;/strong&gt;: Solanum melongena&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Also known as:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggplant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;more on eggplants at Wikipedia&quot;&gt;aubergine&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;melongene&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;brinjal &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;guinea squash&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9NvZg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;eggplant by hardworkinghippy&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/hardworkinghippy/192845803/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;licensed under creative commons 2.0 share alike&quot;&gt;&quot;We've a great crop of aubergines this year so far.&quot; by hardworkinghippy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="91" LastEditDate="2011-08-30T04:16:43.310" LastActivityDate="2011-08-30T04:16:43.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1848" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-08-30T04:08:58.747" Score="0" Body="Perennial plant of the family Solanaceae, Solanum genus. Its fruit shares the same name and is closely related to the tomato and potato." OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="91" LastEditDate="2011-08-30T04:16:52.767" LastActivityDate="2011-08-30T04:16:52.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1849" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1820" CreationDate="2011-08-30T11:08:24.463" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only reason &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; to that I can think of is that commercially produced flowers can have a lot of pesticide residue. Some of these chemicals may break down during composting. And unless you're adding a large amount of flowers to your compost pile (in terms of the ratio to other material) it will be diluted greatly by the rest of your compost feedstock. So it seems unlikely to me that it would cause a problem with the end product, but if you want to be absolutely safe, add the flowers to a compost pile that you won't use on edibles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-30T11:08:24.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1850" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-08-30T14:27:48.993" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scallions&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;read more at Wikipedia&quot;&gt;Scallions&lt;/a&gt; are onion-like plants that are typically long and thin. The white base is a small under-developed bulb while the stalks are hollow green leaves. Both parts of the plant are edible and can be eaten either raw or cooked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Species&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Allium&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Pronunciation&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/scallion/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;Food Network encyclopaedia entry&quot;&gt;&quot;SKAL-yuhn&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Also known as&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;green onions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spring onions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;salad onions &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;green shallots &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;onion sticks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;syboes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yk9fN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;upclose shot of scallions&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/mapper-montag/1290015195/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;licensed under creative commons 2.0 attribution&quot;&gt;&quot;Scallions&quot; by mapper-montag&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="91" LastEditDate="2011-08-30T14:35:20.540" LastActivityDate="2011-08-30T14:35:20.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1851" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-08-30T14:27:48.993" Score="0" Body="Long thin edible plant of the Allium species, its white base not fully developing into a bulb. Also known as green onions." OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="91" LastEditDate="2011-08-30T14:35:17.093" LastActivityDate="2011-08-30T14:35:17.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1852" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1837" CreationDate="2011-08-30T16:31:47.790" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The reference I have says that eggplant flowers are usually self-pollinating. (&quot;Seed to Seed&quot;, Suzanne Ashworth.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another potential cause of your eggplant failing to produce fruit is stress from lack of water. Has it been very hot and dry there? Are you watering adequately? Also, if it is very humid the pollen may stick and avoid falling down onto the pistil to pollinate the flower. (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/vegetable/what-to-do-for-eggplant-blossoms-drying-out-and-falling-off.htm&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few websites I've seen that tell you to pull off a flower and rub it against another flower on a different plant. While that's great for cross-pollination, keep in mind that every &quot;perfect&quot; flower is female, so it can produce fruit. Every flower you pull off for pollinating is a fruit you can't harvest. (Which may not be a problem if you're getting plenty of flowers. It's also not a problem on squash, which produce separate male and female flowers.) The paintbrush technique works without removing any potential fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-30T16:31:47.790" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1853" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-30T16:37:13.287" Score="17" ViewCount="6639" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a few giant sunflowers that are hanging pretty low.  I peeled off a few seeds around the outside just to see what they looked like and they look pretty big.  They're fairly light though, not dark like the seeds I planted or the seeds you buy in the store, and the seed inside the shell was really flat and almost gooey. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much longer do I have to go and when will I know they're ready to pick.  I'd like to roast them. Also, should I knock off the petals on the flower (does this help them not rot)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-14T21:34:04.230" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T02:20:48.140" Title="When should sunflower seeds be harvested?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1854" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1853" CreationDate="2011-08-30T17:04:16.570" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Again with my go-to reference on all things seed-related, &quot;Seed to Seed&quot; by Suzanne Ashworth, p 87. You can harvest sunflower seeds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When the head is completely filled out and the petals have fallen off,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut it off and dry in an area &lt;em&gt;protected from birds&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the seeds when no longer soft or damp.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Using thumbs and index fingers, bend a shelled seed.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If it snaps in two, it's dry enough for storage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Most will need additional drying.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dry in a 1&quot; layer in a basket in a warm area out of direct sunlight. (And safe from those pesky birds, and possibly mice!)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't knock off the petals -- they serve as an indicator it is ready as noted above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-30T17:04:16.570" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1855" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1853" CreationDate="2011-08-30T17:06:47.813" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G4290#storage&quot;&gt;Harvesting and storage&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Sunflower is ready to harvest when the back portion of the head turns brown. The seeds actually mature somewhat earlier, but the head will be too wet for efficient harvest until the brown color appears. Timely harvest is important to minimize losses due to birds and late season diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also wish to read the complete document that the above quote comes from:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G4290&quot;&gt;Sunflower: An American Native&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I wouldn't spend the time removing the petals, as I don't believe it will have any effect on the developing seeds ie It will not speed up the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-08-30T17:06:47.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1856" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1214" CreationDate="2011-08-30T17:58:15.460" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I made bags to go over the plants out of window screening, using carpet thread for the seams.  It worked well.  I tucked the mouth of the bags an inch or so into the dirt.  After three weeks or so, I removed them.  The beetles didn't return.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think a very lightweight row cover - the kind that's purely for insect control - would have worked fine if used the same way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-10-20T02:11:10.753" LastActivityDate="2011-10-20T02:11:10.753" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1857" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1864" CreationDate="2011-08-30T20:22:22.703" Score="14" ViewCount="551" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read in several places that a pineapple plant can be grown from the top of a store-bought pineapple, provided it has a crown/leaves intact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only problem is that I'm finding many contradictions in the exact method to do so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningtipsnideas.com/2006/11/how_to_grow_a_pineapple_from_its_top.html&quot;&gt;method&lt;/a&gt; instructs to remove all fruit from the plant and&#xA;waiting for the crown to root sideways in soil, before planting it upright.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rickswoodshopcreations.com/Pineapple/pineapple.htm&quot;&gt;method&lt;/a&gt; recommends removing all fruit and rooting in a glass&#xA;of water.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-pineapples.html&quot;&gt;method&lt;/a&gt; says to remove all fruit, but &lt;strong&gt;don't&lt;/strong&gt; put the&#xA;crown in water. Just plant it vertically in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantea.com/pineapple-houseplant.htm&quot;&gt;method&lt;/a&gt; recommends keeping the top inch or so of fruit&#xA;attached to the crown.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any first-hand experience using any of these methods? I'd prefer one of the last two, since they seem easiest, but I don't want to take any shortcuts if they will end up not working at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastActivityDate="2019-07-22T12:58:11.573" Title="How can I grow a pineapple plant from a store-bought pineapple?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1858" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1187" CreationDate="2011-08-30T20:57:33.083" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could always remove the animal from the equation, as long as it isn't a protected species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A large &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00004RAMW&quot;&gt;rat trap&lt;/a&gt; baited with peanut butter can permanently solve the solution for squirrels/mice/rats. I remember catching a squirrel that had taken up residence in my parent's attic using this method.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you want to catch the animal alive and relocate it, you could always use a &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000BQQMJQ&quot;&gt;live trap&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you like to hunt, I'd recommend a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.midwesthuntersoutlet.com/item.aspx?PID=56979&amp;amp;w=PQ%2bJDyOLrQE=&quot;&gt;.17 HMR&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ruger.com/products/1022/index.html&quot;&gt;.22 rifle&lt;/a&gt; if you're out in the country where it's legal to shoot it. Just be aware of your surroundings and what's behind your target. The best time for catching the critters in the act would be either in the early morning or in the evening. Also remember to check your state laws to determine if you need a hunting license and if so when the season is.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you're in the suburbs, you should be able to use a quiet &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0020GZ1QA&quot;&gt;.177 pellet rifle&lt;/a&gt;. I would advise against using a BB gun unless the offending animal is a mouse, and you're sure that you can hit it in the head. I killed a mouse in my apartment a few years ago this way by using a &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0018LD6Q0&quot;&gt;BB gun&lt;/a&gt; from about 15'. But then again I've been plinking with it since I was 8 years old, so I've had lots of target practice.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastEditorUserId="6" LastEditDate="2011-09-01T22:14:33.847" LastActivityDate="2011-09-01T22:14:33.847" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1843" CreationDate="2011-08-30T21:27:37.030" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What&lt;/strong&gt; to prune is a lot more important than &lt;strong&gt;how often&lt;/strong&gt;.  If you know what to prune, you can't prune too frequently.  Then you're better off pruning when sucker growth (and whatever else you want to prune) is small, so you reduce the amount of wasted growth.  So it really depends on how fast the plants are growing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In July, if the weather is good, and they're really taking off, I try to hit them a couple times a week.  (I'm in New Hampshire.)  Once a week would be fine, except I sometimes overlook suckers, and then I hate to prune them when they're a foot or more long, which they would be after two weeks.  Once fruit growth has taken off in August, the plants slow down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For bigger suckers, use pruning shears, not your fingers, to avoid pulling off a long strip of &quot;skin&quot; off the remaining stem.  Which brings me to...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fungus.  If you get unexplained, sudden, yellowing and die-off, it's probably a fungus disease.  If you can afford to pull the plant, do so immediately.  If not, be careful when pruning nearby plants - try to minimize the chances that you'll introduce fungus spores into the wound.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-08-31T01:31:30.547" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T01:31:30.547" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1860" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1863" CreationDate="2011-08-30T23:43:27.210" Score="16" ViewCount="3180" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_plant&quot;&gt;Jade plants ( Crassula ovata )&lt;/a&gt; that I have grown from leaf pieces over the course of the last 10 years or so.   This year, for the first time, they appear to have been attacked by squirrels or something.  Hunks of bark have been removed and some of the inner structure of the branches is visible.  The damage has caused the branches to droop, due to some structural damage.  It's been really dry here, so I assumed that it was to get at the water inside them, so I set some water out for the animals to drink a bit more easily.   Is there anything I can do to help keep the Jades from getting sick while they heal?   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7T52q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole plants in 12 inch pots&quot;&gt;&#xA;Here they both are.  Those are 12 inch pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cB9gK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closer view of damage&quot;&gt;&#xA;Closer view of the damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastEditorUserId="140" LastEditDate="2011-08-31T02:45:45.027" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T02:45:45.027" Title="How to help a Jade plant heal?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1861" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1825" CreationDate="2011-08-31T00:33:57.270" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that it's Silver-Rod (Solidago Bicolor) - even though I don't think it's supposed to grow that far west.  We have a lot around here in New Hampshire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's definitely not yarrow - the foliage is all wrong.  The leaves look wrong for hoary cress, too - too small and narrow - though I'm less confident on that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should go to seed soon - maybe that will help identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update Sept 5 '11&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The new picture of the top shows white petals and yellow stamens, consistent with s. bicolor.   Seeing an open flower would be helpful - the pictures are either buds or flowers gone by.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?hl=&amp;amp;q=solidago%20bicolor&amp;amp;sourceid=navclient-ff&amp;amp;rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS217US218&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;amp;biw=1260&amp;amp;bih=817&amp;amp;tbm=ischhttp://www.google.com/search?hl=&amp;amp;q=solidago%20bicolor&amp;amp;sourceid=navclient-ff&amp;amp;rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS217US218&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;amp;biw=1260&amp;amp;bih=817&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Google images for solidago bicolor&lt;/a&gt;, and also see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nttlphoto.com/botany/asters-goldenrods/Goldenrods/Solidago/Bicolor/s_bicolor.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this guide&lt;/a&gt;.  Plants get around, and guides get out of date - it wouldn't be at all surprising if it hitchhiked into the state one way or another.  You might want to have a chat with your &lt;a href=&quot;https://extension.usu.edu/htm/counties&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;county agricultural extension office&lt;/a&gt;, but they vary a lot from state to state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-09-05T14:52:58.093" LastActivityDate="2011-09-05T14:52:58.093" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="386" CreationDate="2011-08-31T00:46:22.197" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will keep coming in as long as your neighbor has it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Patience and persistence will win, or at least get you to a standoff in the bad-neighbor case.  Roundup and digging work.  For full-grown plants, the root bole can be quite hard to get out - use a D-handle gardening fork, or even a pickax.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't cut the plant first, Roundup often just stunts the plant, making it produce a lot of small foliage.  Dig it out then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if you don't have the wherewithal to dig it all out, just keeping it cut down will slow it down a lot - don't just let it go because you don't have time to get rid of all of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-10-18T19:30:49.477" LastActivityDate="2011-10-18T19:30:49.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1863" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1860" CreationDate="2011-08-31T01:25:43.550" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If they were my Jade plants I would do something like the following...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Based on bottom photo:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove the lower right limb (bottom centre of photo, going towards the right) -- it looks like it has lost (had stripped away) quite a lot of bark and one of the end spurs (forks) is almost broken clean-through.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove any branches, twigs that have been snapped through.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not touch the (big) wound on the underside of the main right hand-side forking branch (top centre of photo). If the plant is able to heal itself, it will, if it can't there really isn't anything you can do to heal a wound like that (IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;That said, while the plant tries to heal that particular wound, I might rig something up to just take the weight of that branch (past the wound, but as close to it as possible).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you require any pruning advice (best practices), &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/prun001.htm&quot;&gt;How to Prune Tress&lt;/a&gt;&quot; from USDA Forest Service is an excellent resource (IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep a very! close eye on insects entering via the wounded areas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep a very! close eye on diseases developing via the wounded areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If either of the above (insects/diseases) took hold, I would reevaluate based on exactly what was taking hold.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Based on the top photo (and bottom one):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;While the plants (try to) heal themselves, keep larger critters (and birds) away by enclosing them in some kind of protective enclosure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'd go with something like wire mesh with hole spacing no greater than 1inch (25mm).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get a mild &quot;natural&quot; fertilizer, something like a seaweed based one, and feed the plants with that (as directed on the product container).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Propagate, take a cutting or two and try to grow new stock on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Therefore if worst case scenario strikes and you lose the original(s), you will have a new Jade plant or two from the parent stock.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T01:25:43.550" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1864" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1857" CreationDate="2011-08-31T12:48:44.837" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in the UK and, some years ago, grew a pineapple plant &lt;em&gt;indoors&lt;/em&gt; (as a &quot;novelty&quot; - it never fruited). I used the third method you mention, based on the advice given in &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1906251444&quot;&gt;The Pip Book&lt;/a&gt; by Keith Mossman:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make up or buy some really free-draining compost (I used a soil-less seed and cutting compost to which I added a little coarse sand)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut off the top of the pineapple with a disc of flesh about half an inch thick&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leave the crown for about 48 hours with the cut surface uppermost to dry out&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Choose a pot with a diameter that will leave a couple of inches to spare all round the crown to facilitate watering; it doesn't have to be very deep, but good drainage is vital, so I would place a layer of crocks or pebbles at the bottom&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant the crown so that it is just covered but not buried deeply, making sure that the tuft of leaves is well clear of the compost&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water gently (always use tepid water) and place the pot either in a clear polythene bag and stand it in a warm, light place (perhaps close to a storage heater), or in a heated propagator, if you have one. &lt;em&gt;Consistent warmth&lt;/em&gt;  (ideally bottom heat, 70 to 80 degrees F/ 21 to 27C) is essential to get the crown to root.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep the compost slightly damp to the touch &lt;em&gt;but not wet&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When new leaves show that it is rooting, keep it in its warm, light spot until there is enough growth to indicate that it is established, and then move it to a permanent home in the warmest and lightest spot you can find; it prefers a winter temperature of about 65F/ 18C and a summer one rising to 90F/ 32C.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-31T14:26:07.100" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T14:26:07.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1865" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-31T13:55:49.950" Score="12" ViewCount="9070" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Southern NJ, USA (Mid Atlantic/Northeast region).  I recently contracted with a (well known, national) lawn care company to perform some maintenance on my lawn (aeration, fertilizers, pesticides, etc).  They came two weeks ago to apply some fertilizer, pest control, and some broad leaf weed treatment (the nutsedge is almost all gone!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They just came back today (August 31, 2011) to perform the core aeration.  I sent them back for a few reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;My lawn is saturated from recent rains, don't want heavy equipment&#xA;to damage it. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I feel like I read somewhere that the best time for a fall season aeration was mid-late September. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They were supposed to be giving me a seeding with this service and I feel like it's still a bit early to do a fall seeding.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is my thinking here correct?  Should this core aeration and seeding be postponed for a few more weeks (into mid/late September)?  When are the &quot;best&quot; and &quot;acceptable&quot; times for these fall services?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="490" LastEditorUserId="705" LastEditDate="2012-02-19T14:21:49.223" LastActivityDate="2012-02-19T14:21:49.223" Title="When is the best/acceptable time to perform a fall core aeration and seeding on a lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1866" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-31T15:18:45.617" Score="16" ViewCount="1157" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried my hand at making my own soil for my citrus tree re potting. See below for the long story reasoning. I mixed EKO store bought (I live in an apartment) organic compost with coco coir and perlite. Its about equal parts of each, maybe a little less perlite. I tested the coir and it had a very neutral pH almost exactly 7 before mixing. After mixing and potting I watered and tested again, the pH was 6.5. Then the next morning I re-tested it again and this time the meter was around 5.4-5.8. It kept bouncing around allot. I am thinking that something in the soil parts must have taken time to dissolve into the water, hence why the measurement changed over night. Do I need to adjust the pH up a bit? Is this going to continue to change over the first few days? Assuming I am going to get something to be prepared to change the pH, if needed, what should I get? By the way its a 1 year old miniature naval orange tree and I live in Colorado if that matters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reasons for re-potting:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After 2 bad batches of store bought potting soil. First one did not drain well, second one (miracle grow) drained well at first and then I guess it broke down and did not drain so well. Literally I would water and 1 week later, in full sun, it would still be mucky an inch below the soil surface. Yes the pot has holes and I removed the drip pan because its located outside so who cares if the water runs off. This mg soil must have also had fungus gnat larva in it because it almost immediately got a bad infestation of them, with the little worms just under the surface. Hence I re-potted it in a pot that is full of many large holes, the kind with holes in the edge. Like what plants come in when you buy at the nursery. I then put that pot into a slightly larger pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="597" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-08-31T15:34:46.123" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T15:48:45.697" Title="Do I need to correct the pH of my newly re-potted citrus tree?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1866" CreationDate="2011-08-31T15:48:45.697" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Citrus trees want about 6.0-7.0 pH. You can raise the pH of the potting medium with (pulverized) lime, but it's best to mix in the lime thoroughly when making the potting mix. I'm not sure that top dressing your pot with lime will help the pH much, though it may correct it gradually over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When making a soil mix, take into account the natural pH of the ingredients. Coir, for example, has a natural pH of about 5-6. (Peat moss can be 3.5-7 depending on the type you get, but it is typically quite acidic.) If the plant you're potting wants neutral-to-slightly-acidic soil (e.g. citrus), you should add lime to the mix. It doesn't take much, I use about a cup when mixing about a bushel of peat-based seed starting soil for vegetables. This amount is based on various recipes I've seen published. (The plants grow well, but I haven't pH tested the resulting mix.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T15:48:45.697" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1868" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="463" CreationDate="2011-08-31T15:58:18.843" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;How long have you been fighting it?  If it hasn't been two years, just keep at it.  If more, and it hasn't slowed down, consider either/or: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't cut the new shoots, just use Roundup on the leaves.  I think the Roundup will get back into the stump - I'm not sure, though.  If you are careful with overspray, etc., the Roundup won't affect much else.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bore 1&quot; holes in the top of the stump and pour stump remover, aka saltpeter, aka potassium nitrate, in to kill the stump.  Caution: this will over-fertilize the nearby soil, burning other plants.  Try to minimize the amount that gets out of the stump.  This has the advantage that it will accelerate rotting of the stump.  This usually takes a year or more to work, but I think it will be relatively fast with Ailanthus because the wood's so punky.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T15:58:18.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1869" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1870" CreationDate="2011-08-31T15:59:58.423" Score="16" ViewCount="6891" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a young apple tree (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spartan_(apple)&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Spartan&lt;/a&gt;) with a small number of nice sized apples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I tell if they are ready to harvest?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="599" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-24T21:06:44.757" LastActivityDate="2017-01-24T21:06:44.757" Title="How can I tell if my apples are ready to harvest?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1870" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1869" CreationDate="2011-08-31T16:24:16.233" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am currently harvesting some of mine. I support the apple in the palm of my hand and give it a slight twist; if the apple is ready to harvest, it will separate easily from the spur.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those that are not quite ready for harvesting often ripen very quickly, so it is a good idea to check the ground below the tree every couple of days, to collect up any windfalls before they start to rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-08-31T16:40:42.303" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T16:40:42.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1865" CreationDate="2011-08-31T16:33:04.717" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;From your previous lawn related questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;How do I quickly remove crabgrass without too much manual labour?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1493/394&quot;&gt;Are both of these patches crabgrass?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1492/394&quot;&gt;What is this weed in my lawn and how do I control it?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1462/394&quot;&gt;Should I bag lawn clippings from a crabgrass infested lawn?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless you correct me, I'm going to assume you have a cool-season lawn, therefore I believe you will find the following helpful/useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;What's an organic way to discourage crabgrass from a large &quot;lawn&quot;?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Around &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Labor Day&lt;/a&gt;&quot; (beginning of September, early Autumn &quot;Fall&quot;) here in the US, I prepare any bare spots for reseeding. Reseed using an appropriate seed for my lawn type. Cover the whole lawn with ½ to 1 inch (12.5 to 25mm) thick layer of STA-certified compost (bought in bulk locally). Water as needed, ie Amount needed for good germination to take place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Reseed in early Autumn (Fall) ie Performing major cool-season lawn maintenance at this time of year, will give you the best results (reap the rewards the following cutting season).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/107/how-do-i-know-when-and-how-much-to-aerate-my-lawn/1466#1466&quot;&gt;How do I know when and how much to aerate my lawn?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6705#September&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;September&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aerate where needed.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6705#Aeration&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aeration&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;On clay- or silt-type soils, or any turf receiving constant traffic, soil sealing and compacting can seriously impair turf growth. Grass roots are injured because air, water and fertilizers cannot reach them in sufficient quantities. Mechanical aeration to break through this barrier is essential for continued turf health. Fertilizer applications following aerification most efficiently provide nutrients to the turf roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Aeration is best done by power equipment that pulls out small cores of soil, or by cutting vertical grooves to provide openings every 3 to 4 inches. Power equipment is usually available at rental stores. Lawn-care companies may also provide this service to their customers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Aeration should be done at least once a year where compaction is a problem. Early fall is the best time for bluegrass lawns, but aeration will be highly beneficial anytime the grass is actively growing, except possibly during midsummer heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/902/how-to-tell-if-my-lawn-needs-to-be-dethatched/1415#1415&quot;&gt;How to tell if my lawn needs to be dethatched?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1351/lawn-dethatching-tools/1364#1364&quot;&gt;Lawn Dethatching tools&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today (2011-09-02), this &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ppp.missouri.edu/newsletters/megindex.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;News for Missouri's Gardens, Yards, and Resources -- Volume 17, No. 9 -- September 2011&lt;/a&gt;&quot; landed in my inbox, of interest to yourself (assuming you do in fact have a cool-season lawn) is the PDF:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Direct link to PDF - &lt;a href=&quot;http://ppp.missouri.edu/newsletters/meg/archives/v17n9/a1.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fall Recovery of Cool-Season Lawns&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Core Aeration&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Core aeration is a practice of pulling soil plugs to open the soil surface for better air exchange and nutrient and water movement. It is a practice that also helps to reduce compaction and thatch by spreading soil plugs on the surface. Soil plugs are crumbled and fall freely into aeration holes as well as spreading some soil into the thatch layer where soil microbes can feed on thatch debris. Aeration is a practice that can be done in both spring and fall but is the very best way to begin fall seeding and fertilization. Applications of fertilizer after aeration will move nutrients immediately into the root zone of your lawn. This practice has shown excellent results in the density and color of cool-season turfgrasses on their way to recovery from summer stresses. Spreading grass seed after aeration is also an excellent practice in lawns that have thinned considerably from summer pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q. Is my thinking here correct?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; Your thinking is ok! and makes sense (at least to me). In the US, the optimum time for cool-season lawn care is said to between 15&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; August and 15&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; September. Exact date is dependent on your location, &quot;generally&quot; speaking the further North you are the earlier you want to tackle cool-season lawn care...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was planning to do &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;my cool-season lawn care maintenance program&lt;/a&gt; this coming &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Labor Day&lt;/a&gt;&quot; weekend, but with temperatures of +100&amp;#176;F (+38&amp;#176;C) forecast for today and the following two days, there is no way I am going to further stress my lawn this coming weekend. I &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; do it the following weekend (10&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; - 11&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Sept), but looking at the long range weather forecast, I'm thinking the weekend after that (17&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; - 18&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Sept) would be better. As long as I can get out there and get it taken care of before the end of September I'm not too worried when I get it done...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q. Should this core aeration and seeding be postponed for a few more weeks (into mid/late September)?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; I would wait until the lawn has had a chance to dry out a little bit. Also if the temperature doesn't suddenly drop too much, anytime through September should be ok! Do keep in mind, the earlier you can get it taken care of in September the better (IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q. When are the &quot;best&quot; and &quot;acceptable&quot; times for these fall services?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; See above, and also follow the links I've posted above, as you will find a lot! of relevant and useful lawn care information by following them (IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Below information comes from &lt;a href=&quot;http://njaes.rutgers.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cumberland.njaes.rutgers.edu/ag/whats-growing/default.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;What's Growing On...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Direct link to PDF - &lt;a href=&quot;http://cumberland.njaes.rutgers.edu/ag/whats-growing/wg-2010-4.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fall 2010&lt;/a&gt; (refer to page 9 of 16)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;What to do? Dead lawns need to have the soil re-covered. Now is the best time to reseed a &#xA;  lawn. The cooler air, warm soils, and more frequent rain of August and September present ideal &#xA;  conditions to seed lawns and ensure establishment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Tall fescue is a very good choice if you can seed before September 15th while perennial ryegrass, fine fescues, Kentucky bluegrass can continue to be used later in the fall when the soil cools.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Aerating and dethatching the lawn before seeding is very beneficial. Seed falling into the &#xA;  openings created by aeration and dethatching is more likely to establish because the seed and soil contact is improved. You can also spread a light layer of compost over the lawn after aerating and seeding. Compost acts like a mulch, retaining moisture for the seed. Compost also adds nutrients and organic matter to the soil, both of which are beneficial to the survival of your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=fs108&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Renovating Your Lawn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Direct link to PDF - &lt;a href=&quot;http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/download-free.asp?strPubID=FS108&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fact Sheet 108 Renovating Your Lawn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If it turns out, you do in fact have a warm-season lawn, the below information should prove useful to know:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/extensioninfonet/article.asp?id=1060&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aerating Your Lawn&lt;/a&gt; from University of Missouri Extension&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Core aerifying can be done anytime the grass is actively growing. For cool season grasses such as bluegrass, fescues, and ryegrass, the best times are March, April, and September. Aerifying should be done before fertilizing, seeding or applying crabgrass preventers. &lt;strong&gt;Warm-season grasses such as Bermuda grass, buffalo grass, and zoysia grass, can be aerified from late May through July.&lt;/strong&gt; It is important to allow at least four weeks of good growing weather for the plants to recover and fill the open aerator holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-09-02T16:44:06.307" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1872" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1869" CreationDate="2011-08-31T16:33:11.160" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you had a large number and were more used to the tree, I'd suggest simply tasting the apples to see if they were ready to your liking (some like an apple that's more tart). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you have a small number, you might consider a few options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Find a ripening chart for your area.  Here in south central PA there are a couple large nurseries that have charts that estimate ripening times for an average year.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Go by the color in posted photos: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/spartan&quot;&gt;Spartan Apple&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Try picking to determine if the apple easily separates from the spur (credit to Mancuniensis for posting this before me)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/tree004/tree004.htm&quot;&gt;This link&lt;/a&gt; provides a guide for most common fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the apples are close to ripe when you pick them but not quite, they will still ripen a bit off the tree.  So all is not lost if you pick an apple that's not quite ripe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've actually heard that Pink Lady apples (a very late variety) are often picked early and allowed to ripen in storage in cooler climates.  I'd imagine that a tree-ripened fruit would win out in taste tests though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="118" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T16:33:11.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1873" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1488" CreationDate="2011-08-31T17:26:43.777" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Reviewing my crop this week, now that it has peaked:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Haven't detected a difference in flavour&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Both types flourished&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Climbing&lt;/em&gt; varieties have cropped much more heavily (by a factor of 3 or 4 times, possibly more)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;However&lt;/strong&gt; I am finding the beans of the &lt;em&gt;dwarf&lt;/em&gt; varieties stayed at optimum size and tenderness for very much longer and have resisted overswelling and becoming stringy. Whereas the &lt;em&gt;climbing&lt;/em&gt; varieties have rushed to produce outsized unusable beans&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We use the beans whole as a tasty vegetable, so this last point is crucial for us. So my opinion of dwarf varieties has been revised upwards this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T17:26:43.777" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1874" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1625" CreationDate="2011-08-31T19:12:42.353" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been growing garlic for the last 2 years. You can plant them year round. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You leave them until the stem wilts, falls over and turns yellow and generally looks dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Harvest them, plait the stems into a nice rope of garlic and leave them somewhere cool and dry to dry out a bit. You should then be able to brush the soil off the bulbs and hang them in the kitchen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="599" LastEditorUserId="599" LastEditDate="2011-08-31T20:09:24.853" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T20:09:24.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1680" CreationDate="2011-08-31T19:31:14.680" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Take a visit to the garden centre where you bought the trees and see what varieties they stock. Most places only carry a handful of varieties and stock the same ones each year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="599" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T19:31:14.680" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1876" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-08-31T21:34:17.803" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about reducing mosquitoes - e.g. aquatic plants to discourage mosquito larvae, or plants to encourage mosquito predators.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mosquitoes are a group of insects with an aquatic larval stage, whose females bite mammals to acquire blood proteins to create new eggs. As such they are major vectors for a range of diseases including relatively benign temperate diseases (that may cause skin irritation and nothing more), through to serious life-threatening tropical diseases. Mosquitoes are most commonly associated with malaria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-14T22:11:04.393" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T22:11:04.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1877" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-08-31T21:34:17.803" Score="0" Body="for questions about controlling mosquitoes" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-08-31T21:34:17.803" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T21:34:17.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1878" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1882" CreationDate="2011-08-31T23:19:21.967" Score="17" ViewCount="63998" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a victoria plum which I planted almost 3 years ago and hasn't produced any fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year (1st summer) it produced a small amount of blossom. This year it produced a lot of blossom but no fruit but it has gone into a growth spurt. I haven't lost any blossoms due to winter freezes and I didn't &quot;dead head&quot; it. I'm in Manchester and we did have a dry spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I gave it some garden compost last winter and I've fed it every 2 weeks with a general fruit &amp;amp; vegetable feed (I do not remember the brand/contents). I watered the garden every other day with a hose pipe. I watered the ground around the tree for 20-30 seconds until surface water started forming and then moved on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I could do to encourage it to produce fruit next year? It is supposed to be self fertile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="599" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-07T22:19:53.817" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T20:35:11.933" Title="How do I encourage my plum tree to produce fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1879" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1857" CreationDate="2011-08-31T23:42:36.347" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew a pineapple indoors, leaving about an inch or two of fruit, and simply placing that on potting soil in a pot, right after cutting.  I watered by pouring water on the top of the plant in the middle.  The plant appeared to thrive, getting very big and wide.  After several years, I did get a baby pinapple, which smelled wonderful but was rather tart when I ate it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you live where it can freeze and have it outdoors in the summer, be very careful to bring it in before even the first mildest frost.  They don't like that at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="600" LastActivityDate="2011-08-31T23:42:36.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1880" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1885" CreationDate="2011-09-01T03:25:28.147" Score="12" ViewCount="9611" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually when you buy plants from the store, the soil type might not be suitable to them. Is it safe to change the soil completely? I mean to remove all the soil around most of the roots, then put it into a pot with new soil. I can think of 2 disadvantages: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The roots cannot hold on to new soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The roots wouldn't have adapted to new environment.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would it help if I only changed the soil away from the roots? Are there certain plants more tolerant to such changes and others that aren't?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-09-02T11:41:07.137" LastActivityDate="2011-09-02T11:41:07.137" Title="Is it safe to change the entire soil surrounding the roots?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1881" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1883" CreationDate="2011-09-01T07:11:22.990" Score="17" ViewCount="15569" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large hillside area in Pennsylvania, where usually weeds are out of control. For the next year, I am thinking about using some kind of ground-cover plants such as English Ivy to cover the area. I would like to know if I need to lay landscape fabric before doing so. Can it prevent weeds from coming back next year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="575" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-18T14:10:40.757" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T14:10:40.757" Title="Do I need to lay landscape fabric under ground-cover plants to prevent weeds growing?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;landscape-fabric&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1878" CreationDate="2011-09-01T12:07:30.030" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Victoria Plum &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/product.aspx?id=VICTOR&quot;&gt;self-fertile&lt;/a&gt; and, although cropping can be improved by a compatible &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/searchpolpartner.aspx?id=VICTOR&quot;&gt;pollination partner&lt;/a&gt;, it should fruit satisfactorily without one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a number of possible reasons why your tree is not producing any fruit:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It may be too young; plum trees usually start cropping when they are 4 or 5 years old, depending on the rootstock that has been used.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You may be overfeeding it - once every fortnight seems excessive and is likely to promote lush leaf growth at the expense of fruit, which the growth spurt you mention suggests may have happened; one good feed (perhaps 4 oz/140g of Growmore per square yard) in early Spring, followed by a compost mulch in mid-Spring, should be enough to keep it healthy and encourage fruiting. Overfeeding will also make it more susceptible to disease. I don't have a plum tree, but I have two apple trees, and prefer to take the organic route; I feed them only once a year in Spring, with compost and chicken manure pellets (at the rate mentioned above) which I also use on my vegetable plot, and although the soil in which they are growing isn't the best, they always fruit really well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The blossom it produced may have been scorched by a late frost, although I gather from your comment that this is unlikely.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-09-01T17:51:43.217" LastActivityDate="2011-09-01T17:51:43.217" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1883" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1881" CreationDate="2011-09-01T12:29:49.647" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Think twice, no three times before planting English Ivy. It is considered an invasive species in the US, and on the &quot;noxious species&quot; list of 46 States. Basically, plant that stuff and you risk it becoming a much bigger problem than any weed problem you have at the moment! Garden centers should be shot for stocking that stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry, had to say that!  Ground cover is the best long term way of keeping weeds down. And it looks good too. Just choose something native.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Landscape fabric is all the rage at the moment and on another question I suggested it for strawberries, and I have used it under edging stones. However, I am not inclined to use it over large areas. First it does not rot down (or not quickly enough - our city used it under a retaining wall at the front here and it hasn't rotted after almost 10 years). Next, you have to poke holes in it for the roots. This might be fine for shrubs, but it would not work for ground cover that spreads (which is what you really want). So I would be inclined not to use it unless you can find a type that rots in, say, 3 years to give short term protection only.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can you use instead? Aggressively weed first, including all roots that you can get. Weedkillers &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be an option (I know a rainforest restoration project that starts with a treatment of Round-Up!). Plant your ground cover plants, and then mulch. Be aggressive with weed removal when you see them (invest in a hoe if necessary) - this is what I have done with my pepper beds and currently do with my xeriscape bed (we have an aggressive grass problem but one year of aggressive weeding complete with root removal and the second year is much easier).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-01T12:29:49.647" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1884" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1880" CreationDate="2011-09-01T12:42:52.810" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Remember that &quot;changing the soil&quot;, or even a simple transplant is going to damage the roots. You will want to minimize root damage as much as possible, so you need to balance &quot;changing the soil&quot; with damage. I would suggest that in most cases, you probably only want to break away the edges of the soil and not the &quot;central core&quot;. The latter could cause a lot of damage and probably won't change things too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that if the store has used the wrong kind of soil then it probably isn't too incorrect - so it won't be too critical if a lot of the remaining soil remains in the middle. If it is really wrong (eg. carnivorous plants in a very sandy soil, or cacti in a water-logged peat moss) then you should find a new store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-01T12:42:52.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1885" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1880" CreationDate="2011-09-01T13:44:22.317" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking, plants bought from a store or nursery are grown in compost (potting soil) that suits their needs, otherwise they wouldn't grow well and wouldn't sell. Unless the plant is unhealthy or pot-bound (the pot is so full of roots that a mass of them encircles the soil-ball), there is no need to disturb it, in fact changing the compost &lt;em&gt;is likely to do more harm than good&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plant is pot-bound (if so, you can often see roots growing through the drainage holes, or water runs straight through the compost, without really wetting it), it will have to be moved into a slightly larger pot. Water the plant very thoroughly, place the base of the plant between your fingers, turn the pot upside down or on its side and give it a sharp tap. Gently remove the plant and tease apart the roots that are encircling the root-ball, but &lt;em&gt;without disturbing its overall structure&lt;/em&gt;; the aim is to keep the root-ball intact. You can then transfer the plant to its new pot, using a compost that contains some of the ingredients in the old one, e.g. if the original compost is peat-based, and the new one you are using is soil-based, add a little peat, so as to ease the transition and encourage the plant to grow into the new medium. Just place enough of the compost at the bottom of the new pot and fill the gap around root-ball, again without disturbing  it, and then water thoroughly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-09-01T13:44:22.317" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1886" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-01T14:48:16.007" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many garden plants are available with a range of different varieties (cultivars). Different varieties may produce different tasting fruit, different color flowers, different shape trees, etc. Different varieties may also suit different environments (e.g. frost tolerance, sun, shade, water). Use this tag when trying to choose a suitable variety for your needs and location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T04:06:06.633" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T04:06:06.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1887" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-01T14:48:16.007" Score="0" Body="For questions about choosing a variety or cultivar" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-01T14:48:16.007" LastActivityDate="2011-09-01T14:48:16.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1888" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-01T19:27:35.927" Score="11" ViewCount="372" Body="&lt;p&gt;I obtained an orange tree a few months ago and it always seems to have a lot of problems. Curling leaves, yellow leaves and dying leaves. I am not looking for suggestions as to why I have problems here, but when talking to a person at a hardware store I was told that the tree was probably an indoor tree only and the heat was probably causing it stress. Other people have told me there is no such thing...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It said indoor/miniature Washington navel orange on the tag but also said that it could be outdoors. The sales person said that it's not really indoors but just miniature and that it needed lots of sun. Several other nurseries have also said there is no such thing as an indoor citrus tree that would not do well outside. So question is does such an a/c needing orange tree even exist? Could my tree be one of those?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="597" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-09-02T18:07:51.117" LastActivityDate="2011-09-02T18:07:51.117" Title="Is there such a thing as a specifically indoor only orange/citrus tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1889" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1891" CreationDate="2011-09-01T19:34:12.393" Score="10" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible that an instance of a plant could just be a dud. As in even with great care it is never healthy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="597" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-09-03T12:30:50.373" LastActivityDate="2011-09-03T12:30:50.373" Title="Is it possible to get a plant that is just a genetic dud?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1890" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1881" CreationDate="2011-09-01T19:38:14.887" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agree with &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1881/do-i-need-to-put-landscape-fabric-under-ground-cover-plant-to-prevent-weed/1883#1883&quot;&gt;&quot;winwaed&quot; answer&lt;/a&gt;, especially the part about &quot;English Ivy&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I had to recommend one plant for your situation (ground-cover plant to cover a hillside area) from the plants I used (see below), it would be:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=F180&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fragrant sumac &lt;em&gt;(Rhus aromatica 'Gro-Low')&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once established it will spread more like 10 to 12ft (3 to 3.6m), but it can easily be trimmed back to suit specific requirements...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Late last year (November 2010) when I started working on our (Missouri) native garden -- approx 50 feet (15m) x 30 feet (9m) on a an approx 30° slope -- I decided not to use a landscape fabric or put down a layer of mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A little bit of information relating to my native garden that I've already posted here on SE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30/how-to-plant-a-new-lawn-on-a-hillside/1353#1353&quot;&gt;How to plant a new lawn on a hillside?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1782/how-can-i-naturally-encourage-birds-into-my-garden/1785#1785&quot;&gt;How can I naturally encourage birds into my garden?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/113/weed-control-in-a-butterfly-garden/1298#1298&quot;&gt;Weed control in a butterfly garden&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q. Why didn't I put down a landscape fabric?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Save money.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A native landscape in nature doesn't have a landscape fabric layer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I did think about getting a bio-degradable landscape fabric, something that would break down within 2 years at the most, and would help with any soil erosion while the (&amp;#8776;170) plants established themselves, but I decided it wasn't worth the expense or time to put down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;To date I've lost 2 plants (which have been replaced) due to soil erosion when we experienced almost unbelievable rainfalls (+3inches / +75mm in 24 hour periods) during May, first week of June.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now the plants have been in the ground more than 3 months, I'll be surprised if I lose anymore due to &quot;soil erosion&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q. Why didn't I put down a mulch layer?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Getting enough mulch material onto the slope area didn't seem to be worth the amount of work involved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Especially when I factored in, mulch shouldn't touch the plants (for plant health reasons).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Below is a summary of what I did (right or wrong):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beginning of November 2010 we had a large &quot;dead&quot; (unsafe) Willow tree taken down, removed professionally.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After the tree was removed, by hand I cleared the area down to the ground and sowed a Winter cover crop of Annual Rye grass.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read a lot! about Missouri native plants and spoke with a handful of Missouri &quot;expert&quot; gardeners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://grownative.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Grow Native!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.shawnature.org/nativeland/NativeLandscapingManual/NativeLandscapingManual.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Native Landscaping Manual: A Guide to Native Landscaping in Missouri&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/pspindex.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;MBG Kemper Center ProblemSolver Plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantsofmerit.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plants of Merit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put together &quot;Plant type list&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drew the garden in AutoCAD and played with different plant layouts. Choose the layout we liked most and from that extracted a complete &quot;Plant type/number list&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ordered all the plants from, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mowildflowers.net/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Missouri Wildflowers Nursery&lt;/a&gt; (no affiliation, just a very! happy customer).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;To save some money, we bought &quot;plug&quot; plants ie Very young and small plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After a lot! of soul-searching and speaking with those same Missouri &quot;expert&quot; gardeners, I decided I would use (basic/original) &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundup_%28herbicide%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Roundup&lt;/a&gt; (Active ingredient: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glyphosate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Glyphosate&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm still not happy I went this routine, nor do I think I'll ever be...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I considered going the &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/113/weed-control-in-a-butterfly-garden/1298#1298&quot;&gt;Soil solarization&lt;/a&gt;&quot; route, but I wasn't prepared to wait until April 2012 before I could start planting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beginning of April 2011, I again by hand cleared the area down to the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Afterward I selectively applied &quot;Roundup&quot; to unwanted plants, vines, that I'd cut down to the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two weeks later (mid April), I again by hand cleared the area down to the ground, then selectively applied &quot;Roundup&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two weeks after that (end of April), I again by hand cleared the area down to the ground, then selectively applied &quot;Roundup&quot; &lt;strong&gt;for the last time&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;End of April 2011, I collected all the &quot;plug&quot; plants I'd ordered.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Due to the weather (unbelievable rainfall) I wasn't able to get out into the garden and plant until 22&lt;sup&gt;nd&lt;/sup&gt; May 2011.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Before doing so, I once again by hand cleared the area down to the ground.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finished planting on 24&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; May 2011.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every Sunday morning I go out into our native garden for an hour with a hoe in hand and clear any unwanted plants that have popped their heads up above the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The past 3 or 4 weeks I've definitely noticed a lot! less unwanted plants popping up. I'm now out there hoeing for 30 minutes at the most -- and bare in mind I'm an annal retentive freak (so says my wife).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;During July and August (unbelievably hot, we had 21 continuous days of +100&amp;#176; / +38&amp;#176;C temperatures with zero rainfall) I've had to water the native garden every 2 to 3 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I've lost 5 plants (which have been replaced) due to excessive heat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Next year I expect to water our native garden once a week at the most during excessive heat periods -- the plants should well be on their way to being established by then.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you wish to go the native plant routine, I gathered together a few resources for you:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pawildflower.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pennsylvania Native Plant Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantnative.org/nd_patova.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Native Plant Nurseries - Pennsylvania&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/private-forests/tools-resources/webinars/previous/wildlife-damage-series/native-plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Native Plants&lt;/a&gt; from &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Penn State Cooperative Extension&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Direct link to PDF - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/LandscapingBrochure.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Landscaping with Native Plants in Pennsylvania&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Below are a few photos from my Native Garden project:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(click images to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2010-11-01, Before Willow tree and area was cleared&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xi2x2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xi2x2m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Willow tree and overgrown garden area&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2010-11-05, After Willow tree and area has been cleared&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WUL6O.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WUL6Om.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cleared garden area&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2011-04-30, &quot;plug&quot; plants waiting for planting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QPdxT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QPdxTm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&amp;quot;Plug&amp;quot; plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2011-05-07, Annual Rye grass still growing well, even after being cut down to the ground 3 times during April and Roundup having been selectively applied to unwanted plants&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PTFOV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PTFOVm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Garden area covered in Annual Rye grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2011-05-22, Area after once again being cleared to the ground, immediately before planting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oQAYN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oQAYNm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cleared garden area&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2011-05-24, Area immediately after planting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1OAOj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1OAOjm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Planted garden area&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2011-08-28, Native garden 14 weeks after being planted&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yASIX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yASIXm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Planted garden area&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2011-09-30T16:08:51.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1891" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1889" CreationDate="2011-09-01T19:49:47.410" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Through natural propagation (ie. seeds) sure - most mutations will be relatively benign (e.g. different color or different weather tolerances), but some are going to result in plants with low viability. Similarly, some are going to result in plants which are much better suited to their local environment. The bad ones die, the better ones do better. A cornerstone of evolution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Propagation by cuttings (i.e. cloning) is a different matter as the clone is going to be genetically identical to the parent plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-01T19:49:47.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1892" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1889" CreationDate="2011-09-01T19:50:36.380" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience, yes. Though it's hard to say if it is genetics or something just went awry when the plant got started. I've started batches of, say, broccoli where all of the plants started from the same batch of seed, grew in the same media, under the same lights, in the same temperature, with identical watering. And they all do great -- except one that just doesn't do what it's supposed to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is why, if you're saving vegetable seed, you need to carefully &quot;rogue out&quot; the off-types. Because there will be mutations or cross pollination and you don't want your seed stock to get polluted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similarly if you're propagating plants vegetatively. If some mutation occurs and you end up with an individual that isn't thriving (or otherwise does not have the properties you're looking for -- perhaps even just the wrong coloring), you wouldn't choose that one to propagate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-01T19:50:36.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1888" CreationDate="2011-09-01T19:53:04.237" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, a citrus tree is not going to do well in a temperate climate. Eg. I've seen miniature kumquats and the like, do well indoors in the UK, but you'd never grow any citrus tree outdoors in the UK. In other words the indoor and outdoor climates can be so very different (incl. in Colorado) that &quot;no such thing as an indoor citrus tree that would not do well outside&quot; seems to be assuming a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see you are in Denver, Colorado. That isn't the kind of climate I would associate with citrus trees of any type! Regardless of the summer climate, you're going to have problems as soon as the first frost arrives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-01T20:17:22.780" LastActivityDate="2011-09-01T20:17:22.780" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1894" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-01T22:23:26.300" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Potting soil mixes are intended for use in pots. As such they are typically mixed for particular application - unlike an outside bed which is typically topsoil or modified topsoil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about potting soil mixtures, which to use, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-01T22:23:26.300" LastActivityDate="2011-09-01T22:23:26.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1895" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-01T22:23:26.300" Score="0" Body="Soil used for pot plants" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-01T22:23:26.300" LastActivityDate="2011-09-01T22:23:26.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1896" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1888" CreationDate="2011-09-01T23:25:28.790" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;We're in the dry and hot part of Washington state, and our miniature citrus trees are moved outside in the late spring, brought inside in the early fall.  They get regular (daily) water and direct sunlight, but they also get a chance to acclimatize before it gets too hot.  They are much happier outside and always lose leaves when they are brought in.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Besides the regular water, make sure they get regular fertilizer.  Ours often get leaves that are too light of green during the summer (the water washes out all the nutrients), and that adds to the stress when they are brought inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you just bought it, go ahead and leave it in for now, and then put it out next spring, after danger of frost.  We half bury the pot ouside (so the wind doesn't blow it over) in an area where the sprinklers hit it.  With it outside, it can be pollinated by bees too.  If it's inside all the time, you'll have to hand pollinate it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="600" LastActivityDate="2011-09-01T23:25:28.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1897" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1880" CreationDate="2011-09-01T23:31:29.247" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the soils types are completely different, even though washing out all the soil may damage the roots, sometimes that is necessary.  We have soil that is almost sand, and if the plants are left in the original rich mulch and planted in that soil, the sand sucks all the moisture out of the mulch and leaves the plant stuck in a hard, dry medium.  If the mulch isn't washed off the roots, many plants can't survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So while usually it's much better to leave the plants in the soil they came from, in a few cases that is not the best option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When we do change out the soil, we dig a big hole, and keep the plants in water and mud while rinsing.  There is a LOT of water used in the process, so the roots are gently rinsed and never get dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="600" LastActivityDate="2011-09-01T23:31:29.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1898" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-02T01:57:55.343" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Roses are woody perennials, family &lt;em&gt;Rosaceae&lt;/em&gt;, genus &lt;em&gt;Rosa&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;em&gt;Rosa&lt;/em&gt; contains over 100 species. Plants are typically erect shrubs, or climbing or trailing plants. Stems usually have sharp thorns. Flowers are usually large and showy, often with notable perfumes. Roses hybridize easily,  combined with their popularity, this has resulted in large numbers of cultivars being produced for their colors, scent, and plant-shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As well as being grown for their visually striking flowers and perfume, rose fruit (&quot;rose hips&quot;) are generally edible and contain a number of vitamins including vitamin C. Rose hips are typically consumed in preserves, tea, or syrup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing roses and diagnosing problems with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-02T01:57:55.343" LastActivityDate="2011-09-02T01:57:55.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1899" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-02T01:57:55.343" Score="0" Body="Woody perennial, genus Rosa, grown for attractive flowers." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-07T15:18:00.280" LastActivityDate="2021-01-07T15:18:00.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1900" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1901" CreationDate="2011-09-02T04:00:43.027" Score="18" ViewCount="1270" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can kitchen wastes (like potato peels, onion skins, orange rinds, egg shells, tea inside tea bags etc) be used as manure? If so, how to use them? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Right now, I'm just dumping them in soil, which I feel is a wrong way to do this. Apart from looking like garbage, it takes a long time to degrade. I wonder whether they degrade at all, or just get buried in mud while watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will it cause any damage to the plants? Is dumping them on soil considered okay? Or should they be treated in some way before dumping them on soil? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="573" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-09-02T10:30:00.120" LastActivityDate="2015-03-28T01:47:37.470" Title="Can kitchen waste be used as manure?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1900" CreationDate="2011-09-02T07:47:47.867" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should compost them before dumping them in soil. The food waste is not degraded and bacteria/bugs in soil will try to degraded some while releasing bad smell. Also it doesn't look good and require a long time to degrade too. I should warn you, there will be plenty of bugs if you just dump the food to the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Learn how to compost, you can search up this site about composting. I believe there are plenty of question about composting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-03T00:05:20.020" LastActivityDate="2011-09-03T00:05:20.020" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1902" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1187" CreationDate="2011-09-02T13:31:37.943" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;One option to consider, and I am trying this next year because we had the same issue as you, is I am moving the tomato plants to an upside down hanger.  I have a metal hook hanger that should keep the tomato plants off the ground and out of reach.  Since its smooth metal it should keep the critters from climbing, but if not I have a blocker I can attach to the pole to keep them from climbing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="135" LastActivityDate="2011-09-02T13:31:37.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1903" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1339" CreationDate="2011-09-02T18:42:08.457" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;First off, without getting into the real science (most of which is beyond my knowledge), it's &quot;generally&quot; considered bad practice (for the health of the water within) to keep a rain water barrel in full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Coming to the question, your temperature is definitely hot enough to considerably warm up the water inside a rain barrel exposed to full (summer) sun. Personally I wouldn't use warm water (if cooler water was an available option) on vegetable, shrubs or other plants in the garden. But if I had no other choice, then of course I would use it (via watering at soil level, not directly on the foliage).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was always told to use cold water when watering plants etc. I never really questioned &quot;Why?&quot;. I have read about using (and have used) &quot;tepid&quot; water (as per &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1339/does-water-temperature-affect-vegetable-plant-growth/1340#1340&quot;&gt;Mancuniensis' answer&lt;/a&gt; to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1339/&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;). During the heat of the summer here in Missouri (think ridiculously hot) I always discharge the hot water that has built up in my outdoor hose before watering the garden (with cool water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you cannot move your rain barrel into the shade, I would suggest something like filling watering cans, buckets, etc. from the rain barrel, then putting them in a shady area for a day or two before using that (cooler) water in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-09-02T20:17:01.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1904" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1970" CreationDate="2011-09-02T22:19:18.230" Score="23" ViewCount="1473" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are several great questions and helpful guides on &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/lawns&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;lawns&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;lawns&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/lawn-repair&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;lawn-repair&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;lawn-repair&lt;/a&gt; on this site. Since it's the lawn laying season now, I've started thinking about laying a sprinkler network prior to sodding because it's easier to do so now than after the lawn's established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a generic drawing of a front yard and the green dotted area is where I want the lawn to be. How do I go about planning a sprinkler network for my lawn and what factors should I keep in mind? I'd like to be such that no water (or as little as possible) falls on the kerb/curb or the driveway or into the neighbour's property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gof2c.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In order to keep it general, I haven't listed any dimensions. &lt;strong&gt;Do not&lt;/strong&gt; worry about calculating the exact locations or worry about the curves in the pathway. Also, do not worry about having to cut through the pathway to get the pipes to the other side. I'm looking for qualitative answers that explain how to approach the problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The answer I'm expecting is something that addresses these questions (see figure below) or any others I haven't thought of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I need to use different kinds of sprinklers in the corners so that they're constrained to not cross into the kerb or the neighbour's yard? If so, can such sprinklers be adjusted to move between different angles as desired?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I choose a sprinkler with the biggest radius for the center? Can the radius be adjusted or is it fixed for a sprinkler?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If there are small patches that aren't covered by the sweep of any sprinkler, should I spend the money on getting another one to cover it or should I just water it manually? (see the small radius sprinklers in the left and the right parts)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How deep should I lay my pipes? Would it be helpful to have additional outlets at certain distances along the layout?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The most cost efficient way would be to lay the pipes along the shortest distance from a central point to each sprinkler (see right). However, if I want to have a flowerbed along the edges in the future which might need a drip system, should I plan for a layout like in the left?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there sprinklers that will let you tap out water optionally?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tuug9.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2016-12-24T20:15:56.480" Title="How do I go about planning the layout of a sprinkler network for my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1905" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1900" CreationDate="2011-09-03T00:03:52.720" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; use kitchen wastes in a similar way to what you're doing. It's called &lt;a href=&quot;http://organicgardening.about.com/od/compost/a/trenchcompost.htm&quot;&gt;trench composting&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dig a hole about a foot deep.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add your kitchen scraps.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bury with the soil from the hole.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt; break down over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now with that said, there are ways you can improve the process. Kitchen scraps are typically mostly nitrogen, and if you can balance it out with some carbon (leaves, straw, wood chips, sawdust, dried out garden wastes, etc) then the composting process will proceed more quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The major risk with any process like this is if you have animals around that will try to get into the kitchen scraps. (And this is true for any composting process that isn't fully enclosed; I've had skunks dig up scraps from under 2-3' of horse manure.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-03T00:03:52.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1906" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1907" CreationDate="2011-09-03T13:12:03.897" Score="27" ViewCount="56163" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew my mint plant in a pot to contain the roots, and that has worked well for 3-4 months. However, the plant is not really producing fresh leaves now. Is there anything I can do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ORp38.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-03T16:32:48.050" LastActivityDate="2019-07-27T08:55:11.880" Title="Why has my mint plant gone all woody/sparse/stringy?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;mint&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1906" CreationDate="2011-09-03T14:23:19.573" Score="25" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are two reasons I can think of: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Your plant has &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolting_(horticulture)&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;bolted&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your mint plant has been producing flowers (usually a cone shaped inflorescence), then it has started bolting. While mints are perennials and I haven't known them to die off quickly after bolting, it sure is a process that makes the plant focus its resources elsewhere (flowers). You should take them out as soon as they appear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have known my basil, cilantro and parsley plants to start growing woody stems when they're in an advanced stage of bolting and I'm quite sure that it is also the case for mint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha_spicata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/757Qv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;Source: Wikimedia commons&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Your plant is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/rootball.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;root bound&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A plant is said to be root bound when it is grown in a container too small for it. The roots fill up the volume of the container and when it cannot grow any more, the plant stops growing too. A root bound plant &lt;strong&gt;will not&lt;/strong&gt; grow even if the conditions are favourable and you have a perfect watering/feeding/fertilizing schedule. Here's how the roots will look like inside the container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-701/426-701.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P0MXvl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Source: Virginia cooperative extension&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The article linked above puts it quite well:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;At what point do plants stop growing in a pot? It's a bit involved, but the simple answer is that new growth stops or slows when they become rootbound. So what's rootbound? Rootbound is when there is no effective space for new roots to occupy. Roots effectively occupy the entire volume of space between the soil particles. One of the first symptoms of being rootbound is, in fact, that plant growth slows despite favorable environmental conditions (light, water, fertilizer, etc). The second symptom is that rootbound plants begin having difficulty taking up fertilizer. This is undoubtedly related to the inability to form new root tissue. You see this as a chlorosis despite the fact that they have been properly fertilized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that you grew it in a pot specifically to contain the roots, I'm quite certain that this is the problem. You could try transplanting it to a bigger container to provide more space for the roots. Don't forget to untangle the bound roots before you transplant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-03T14:53:16.077" LastActivityDate="2011-09-03T14:53:16.077" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1908" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-03T19:08:32.687" Score="12" ViewCount="2374" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a Kadota (I think) fig tree in our yard - the fruit is massive, slightly squishy, and the holes at the bottom of the figs are starting to open and they're starting to pale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I tell if they are ripe or not?  They're only drooping around a centimeter and are growing bigger daily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="111" LastActivityDate="2011-09-06T04:45:57.583" Title="How do I tell if a Green Fig is ripe?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1909" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1933" CreationDate="2011-09-04T03:20:20.153" Score="16" ViewCount="17584" Body="&lt;p&gt;My backyard is completely (seriously, &lt;em&gt;completely&lt;/em&gt;) infested with weeds -- &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirsium_vulgare&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bull thistles&lt;/a&gt; (or spear thistles) and dandelions (the common yellow-flower weed), to be specific.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Cirsium_vulgare_flower.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zOHEY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;Bull Thistle (source: Wikimedia commons)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/exOcr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/exOcr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;Dandelion&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I get rid of these things without the back-breaking effort of uprooting them all (there are probably too many), or the expense of paying a professional service for it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard vinegar works well (albeit it kills grass too), but I'd like to hear if there's another natural, inexpensive way to get rid of these nasty weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-21T12:30:24.483" LastActivityDate="2021-01-21T12:30:24.483" Title="How do I remove dandelions and bull thistle from my lawn?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;dandelions&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1909" CreationDate="2011-09-04T14:59:56.367" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whilst I share your preference for the non-chemical route, I think your best course, given that this is a serious infestation, is to spray the leaves with a &lt;em&gt;systemic&lt;/em&gt; weedkiller, such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_7?url=search-alias=garden&amp;amp;field-keywords=roundup%20weed%20killer&amp;amp;sprefix=roundup&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Roundup&lt;/a&gt;, which will spread into the roots and kill them. Make sure that the dandelions are growing actively - mid to late-spring is probably the best time - and that there is enough leaf area to spray the weeds fully. You will probably need to spray them at least twice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Short of hand-weeding, an alternative natural strategy (although less effective than the chemical one) would be to spread corn gluten meal over the whole area, cover it with black plastic sheets and weight them down. This will deprive the weeds of water, and of light which will prevent photosynthesis, and will eventually kill most of them - but it will take some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hadn't realized that the weeds were &lt;em&gt;in your lawn&lt;/em&gt;, and I can understand why you wish to avoid using chemicals, given that you have young children. In the circumstances, hand-weeding would seem to be the only way forward; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0030MIHAU&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this tool&lt;/a&gt; has received excellent reviews and would take most of the backache out of the operation.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-09-07T09:29:07.450" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T09:29:07.450" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1909" CreationDate="2011-09-04T15:27:57.007" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The weed&amp;amp;feed weedkillers are going to be insufficient for thistles, but should work on the dandelions. I think the thistle should be the priority though - it is spiky and looks bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your options are physical removal or weedkiller: no free lunch, here!  I would use a systemic &quot;kill everything&quot; weedkiller. You can use it as a spot treatment and if you get the thistles when they are still small, it is easy to apply to the crown without catching anything else nearby. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes this can pose a problem with kids, but you only need to ban them from the lawn for a week or so (read the instructions on the weedkiller). This should not be a problem if they are already refusing to walk on the lawn due to the spines. You could also try fencing off sections as you treat it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remove the dead thistles with a spade as the spines will still hurt. They should compost okay, but remove all seed heads and trash them (do this before the weedkiller as the seeds will only spread).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-07T13:57:16.530" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T13:57:16.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1912" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-04T17:59:04.657" Score="17" ViewCount="848" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in an apartment building, and my landlord has neglected to mow the back yard for quite a while now. In this time period this unknown plant that I've never seen before has grown to a height of about 38iches (965mm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Central Missouri, this is the first year I've seen this plant, either here or anywhere else in Missouri. In the first photo you should see the central part of the plant, which is the tallest, and it looks like it has a good root system going because the other leaves look like they're coming from the same system, but I'm not 100% sure because I don't know a lot about plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Photos:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Click to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aqVDl.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aqVDlm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OP1o3.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OP1o3m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="607" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2011-10-30T01:33:04.377" LastActivityDate="2011-11-25T03:57:40.207" Title="What is this large flat leafed plant with yellow flowers (central Missouri)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1912" CreationDate="2011-09-04T19:01:46.740" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like some kind of corn (maize). This was my first thought - a grass related to corn, but I wasn't sure so I've just checked with MrsWinwaed (ecology professor) and she says &quot;definitely a grass, probably a seed corn&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Comparing to the corn I have grown in the past, it looks like you only have one flower type? (my corn had male and female flowers) and the flower heads appear with small plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have a bird feeder near by? It could be seed from that which has grown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit: Addenda:&lt;/strong&gt; MrsWinwaed adds that may also be a type of sorghum (ie. another monocot/grass). Bird seed would still be the most likely source. Note that the seed could be from last year, or it could have been carried in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for removal, you are probably limited to physical removal. Even a very selective weedkiller is going to kill all grasses/monocots - not much good in a lawn, unless you can live with yellow spots of grass around each treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-05T00:57:18.967" LastActivityDate="2011-09-05T00:57:18.967" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1914" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1959" CreationDate="2011-09-05T00:48:33.347" Score="14" ViewCount="9328" Body="&lt;p&gt;The bugs are exceptionally small. I've included a video &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lB-dMCXv4Y&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may be related to the stretched and disfigured appearance of my tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9UKj5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="471" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-05T01:22:39.290" LastActivityDate="2015-10-14T03:16:09.877" Title="What are the teeny tiny white bugs on my tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1915" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1921" CreationDate="2011-09-05T04:56:41.220" Score="10" ViewCount="887" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I've got a large front yard and I want to use a hedge to divide it and provide some privacy. I live in Western Australia so the soil is very sandy and the area receives full sun, sometimes getting to 40 °C (104 °F) in summer. Also I'm looking for something that will grow like a weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are some plant types that will make a good hedge and survive in the harsh Australian sun?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-18T10:25:51.637" LastActivityDate="2011-11-18T13:47:23.607" Title="What's a fast growing hedge suitable for Western Australia?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1916" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1915" CreationDate="2011-09-05T10:15:13.460" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in the UK where the climate is quite different from the Australian one, so I can't recommend a plant from personal experience. However, a quick online search has come up with the following plant,  which is suitable for Southern (and presumably Western) Australia  and seems to meet all your criteria; it is fast-growing and drought tolerant, requires very little maintenance and would provide the privacy you want:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070627041717AAsKjYU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Clumping Bamboo (&lt;em&gt;Bambusa)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently there are quite a few varieties, so you could choose one that suits your particular situation; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bambooworld.com.au/pages/general_hedge.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bambusa oldhamii&lt;/a&gt;, for instance, is an evergreen variety that grows up to 20 ft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clumping bamboo, unlike running bamboo, has a non-invasive root structure, so there is no need to create a physical barrier or prune its roots to prevent them from spreading into your neighbor's garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are two very useful articles about bamboo care and maintenance &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.shweeashbamboo.com/Bamboo%20Care%20and%20Maintenance.htm#clumping%20bamboo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.shweeashbamboo.com/clumping%20bamboo%20overview.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-09-05T19:21:13.423" LastActivityDate="2011-09-05T19:21:13.423" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1917" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-05T14:50:05.913" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions asking about species or plant groups that meet a particular need - e.g. fill a particular space, be a wind-break, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Include as much information in your question as possible about:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what type of plants you're looking for: perennials vs. annuals, herbaceous or not, deciduous vs. evergreen, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the overall climate where you live.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the environment where the plants will be situated: indoors vs. outdoors, sun vs. shade, space available for the plants to grow, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;See also&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/variety-selection&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;variety-selection&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;variety-selection&lt;/a&gt; tag for questions where the plant is already known, but the query is for particular varieties or cultivars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-11T20:15:16.393" LastActivityDate="2015-05-11T20:15:16.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1918" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-05T14:50:05.913" Score="0" Body="For questions asking for particular plants that meet a specific need; be sure to describe the type of plant you're looking for, overall climate in your area, where the plants will be situated, and any other information that a respondent will need to know." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-11T20:15:16.393" LastActivityDate="2015-05-11T20:15:16.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1919" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-05T21:25:30.333" Score="6" ViewCount="159" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicates:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/148/how-can-i-get-rid-of-gophers-in-a-non-lethal-way&quot;&gt;How can I get rid of gophers in a non-lethal way?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/140/&quot;&gt; How can I get rid of rabbits in my yard&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/150/is-there-any-way-to-prevent-vole-lawn-destruction-during-snow-cover&quot;&gt;Is there any way to prevent vole lawn destruction during snow cover?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a problem with moles, and possibly mice, burrowing tunnels in my yard and garden and creating piles of dirt. I would like to get rid of them, but I don't like the idea of killing them or using poisonous chemicals. Is there a natural, humane method for getting rid of these rodents from my yard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="609" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-09-08T04:13:15.563" Title="How do I get rid of moles and mice humanely?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;rodents&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2011-09-08T04:11:41.430" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1920" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1461" CreationDate="2011-09-06T01:15:59.080" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on how you use tools, what kind of soil, what kind of gardening&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spades and shovels&lt;/strong&gt;  do you use these to pry rocks and flatten boulders?  If so you need the strongest shaft and head you can get.  American white ash is excellent for shafts.  Heads should be made from one piece of steel.&#xA;If you are a gentle user you will find heavy steel heads are tiresome. Fiberglass or resin coated steel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good wide step is ergonomic and makes digging easier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tempered stainless steel is strong and helpful if you work with clay soils that hang on and add weight to every shovel you take&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rakes&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Hard rakes benefit from the same materials as spades and shovels.  Leaf rakes come in many different designs and I find that extra expense of these is not warranted unless you have special ergonomic requirements&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any pins, nails or screws that hold together different parts are the most likely points of failure. Fastenings should be robust. The less number of parts for a hand tool the better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, sizing is critical for success. If the height is not suited to you back injuries can happen or you can break the tool.  A spade should come up between elbow and chest height. Rakes should be around shoulder height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-09-06T01:15:59.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1915" CreationDate="2011-09-06T03:23:30.197" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in Newcastle, Australia, and have a very happy Murraya growing in my front yard.  It receives full sun in a Northernly aspect.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It grows like mad in summer and requires trimming once a week.  Top temperatures here are usually 30-35C, but 40C is possible.  It is fertilized with cow manure.  I rarely need to water it but the topsoil here is not sandy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="460" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-18T13:47:23.607" LastActivityDate="2011-11-18T13:47:23.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1922" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1908" CreationDate="2011-09-06T04:45:57.583" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a green fig tree too (as of 9 months or so) and was unsure how to pick a ripe one too, but I've had plenty of practice now. Just wait until they give slightly under pressure from a gentle squeeze, similar in texture to brown figs but usually without any signs of browning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my case the green figs were ripe at the same size range as with brown figs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do see one that's got some hint of brown it's probably overripe and may be starting to rot on the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After picking the first one and testing the sweetness, you may prefer to let them hang until they're a bit more &quot;squishy to the touch&quot;, but that's up to your taste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2011-09-06T04:45:57.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1915" CreationDate="2011-09-06T05:00:26.963" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am going to make my suggestion anyway, even if it might be a bit too low for your liking at only 1.5 metres maximum height. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grevillea_lavandulacea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Grevillea lavandulacea&lt;/a&gt; is a attractive shrub native to SA and Victoria which is used by councils for borders and the like so perhaps it is what you're looking for. It has reddish flowers from late winter through to late spring or early summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Credit goes to my mum who sent me a link to &lt;a href=&quot;http://savingourtrees.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/grevillea-lavandulacea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a great article on the species&lt;/a&gt; recently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/0ES2P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;Hosted by imgur.com&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Max height 1.5m not 0.5m (stupid typo)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-09-06T09:37:02.657" LastActivityDate="2011-09-06T09:37:02.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1925" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1926" CreationDate="2011-09-06T08:00:50.453" Score="11" ViewCount="9512" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got these citrus trees in my back yard but they're surrounded by weeds (5 foot high). The garden bed is elevated and hard to mow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also have this old carpet just waiting to be thrown away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking about weed whacking the weeds and then laying the carpet over them to stop them coming back, then covering it with pine bark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Long term, is this a good way to deal with weeds? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2011-09-06T12:07:25.590" Title="Using carpet to stop weeds" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1926" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1925" CreationDate="2011-09-06T12:07:25.590" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be a good way to deal with weeds, depending on what plant you're dealing with, and what the carpet is made of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dealing with the carpet first:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If the carpet is natural fiber, then it can do well as the bottom layer of a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agroforestry.net/pubs/Sheet_Mulching.html&quot;&gt;sheet mulch&lt;/a&gt;, which is basically what you're proposing (you're talking about two layers instead of 4). In this case, make sure you cut the weeds as low as possible -- you don't want them to try to regrow once you've covered them. Since the carpet fibers are natural, they will break down over time. The pine bark will also slowly decompose. You will want to renew the upper layer regularly to keep weeds controlled.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If the carpet is petroleum based (e.g. plastic backing), think twice before putting it on your soil. It will take a long time to break down, and may contaminate your soil with chemicals that are hard to get rid of later on.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And then thinking about plant type:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If the weeds in question are &quot;simple&quot; annual or perennial weeds (e.g. dandelion, crabgrass) that spread by seed (i.e. they don't have spreading roots / &quot;creepers&quot;), then this control strategy should work well.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;But if they spread via the roots (e.g. creeping charlie, leafy spurge) then they will probably just spread underneath your barrier until they poke out one of the boundaries of the carpet. In this case, you will have &lt;em&gt;moved&lt;/em&gt; the problem, which may be all you need -- to keep it away from your trees -- but it could cause other problems, depending on where the weeds migrate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So before you go to all the effort of laying down the carpet and spreading bark mulch, you should identify what kind of weeds you are dealing with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-06T12:07:25.590" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1927" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-06T13:24:06.870" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Brassicas are a genus in the &lt;em&gt;Brassicaceae&lt;/em&gt; (mustard) family of plants. They are sometimes collectively known as &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cabbage&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cabbage&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cabbage&lt;/a&gt;s or mustards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Brassica family contain more important agricultural crops than any other genus, including: cabbage, kale, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cauliflower&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cauliflower&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cauliflower&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/broccoli&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;broccoli&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;broccoli&lt;/a&gt;, rutabaga, turnips, kohlrabi, mustard, and oil seed rape (canola).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions which involve or may involve multiple members of the family. Use specific plant tags for questions specific to a particular plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-16T18:53:17.323" LastActivityDate="2021-02-16T18:53:17.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="1928" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-06T13:24:06.870" Score="0" Body="Plants in the 'cabbage' family, a genus of mustard." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-06T13:24:06.870" LastActivityDate="2011-09-06T13:24:06.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1929" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1914" CreationDate="2011-09-06T14:44:05.563" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Best guess based on the video is that you have some sort of aphid. Is it soft bodied? A close-up, in-focus photo of the insect would be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are aphids, you can knock them off with a spray of water, or spray with a dilute solution of soap (about 1 tablespoon of dish soap to a gallon of water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-06T14:44:05.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1930" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1958" CreationDate="2011-09-06T16:03:10.317" Score="12" ViewCount="530" Body="&lt;p&gt;I harvest firewood from a small woodlot behind my house. I almost exclusively cut &quot;culls&quot; -- dead, dying, or diseased trees that aren't going to yield much additional wood in the future anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My current strategy for figuring out which trees to cull is to walk around during the summer when the trees are in full leaf and flag those that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;have portions of the crown with no leaves (i.e. bare, dead branches),&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;have obvious beech bark disease (scale and then fungus; obviously only useful on beeches),&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;have obvious damage (e.g. lightning or small birches that have bent from wind/ice storms).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My primary goal is firewood. Main species are beech, birch, fir (or hemlock, I might be mis-identifying the fir), with some maple, ash, cherry, and spruce. These are 60-90 foot tall trees, perhaps 50-80 years old on the high side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there alternative methods I could or should be using to identify which trees to cull? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm especially interested in strategies that would be useful in fall/winter when the leaves are gone. Last year I was too busy during the summer and missed my chance to check the crowns and flag while leaves were out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-08T03:26:29.547" Title="How should I choose which trees to cull?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1931" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1966" CreationDate="2011-09-06T19:43:14.553" Score="12" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in an apartment that has a small outdoor patio and I'm looking to create a little container garden this autumn/winter. I'm located in the US (hardiness zone is 7) and I'm looking for ideas (plants) that might work well in this environment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The containers are of an undetermined size at this point. The deck patio area we have to work with is about 4 x 3 (ft.) and is facing west. We are looking to plant in late autumn and have the garden through the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="612" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-08T15:24:36.223" LastActivityDate="2011-09-08T15:50:31.173" Title="What are good plants to use in a container-based winter garden?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;&lt;fall-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1932" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2772" CreationDate="2011-09-06T19:45:30.020" Score="7" ViewCount="8813" Body="&lt;p&gt;The moss is kept in a closed, humid environment, and white mold is taking over in some parts. Any advise on how to prevent the mold from competing and overtaking the moss?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I look for answers on the web I usually find information on how to get rid of both the mold and the moss together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I previously posted a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1726/&quot;&gt;general question&lt;/a&gt;, but I am still trying to find an answer to this more specific question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="552" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-11-12T05:38:57.630" Title="How to prevent mold growth on moss ( kept in a closed jar )?" Tags="&lt;mold&gt;&lt;moss&gt;&lt;humidity&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1933" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1909" CreationDate="2011-09-06T22:14:06.443" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Now that &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1909/394&quot;&gt;the question has been updated&lt;/a&gt; to include &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thistles&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;Thistles&quot;&lt;/a&gt; I've revised my below answer a little...&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Credit for the &quot;dandelion&quot; part of this answer goes to my mum.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandelion&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dandelions:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When we (wife and I) moved into our current home 4 years ago, the front and back lawns were covered in &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/IPM1007-40#Dandelion&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;dandelions&lt;/a&gt; (and other broadleaf weeds). I didn't want to go the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbicide&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;herbicide&lt;/a&gt; route, and after speaking with my mum, she said the &lt;strong&gt;only&lt;/strong&gt; way to truly get rid of (control) dandelions is to hand remove them (&lt;strong&gt;important:&lt;/strong&gt; you need to remove root n' all) and recommended using a small hand garden trowel for doing so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't have a &quot;small hand garden trowel&quot;, instead I bought a small (and cheapish) builders trowel and used that for 3 years:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b4PKV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dandelion remover - small builders trowel&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then last year on clearance (paid $1) I picked up a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www2.fiskars.com/Products/Yard-and-Garden/Weeders/Softouch-R-Weeder&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fiskars Softouch Weeder&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ca72t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dandelion remover - Fiskars Softouch Weeder&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both of the above hand-tools have worked well in removing dandelions (roots included).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first three lawn cutting seasons I pulled a lot! of dandelions, at least once a week I would walk the lawns and hand remove all the unwanted plants I saw (all of them went into a plastic bag for offsite disposal).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;During last year's lawn cutting season I noticed a big drop-off in the number of unwanted plants I was removing, except for crabgrass (but that's a whole other story).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;This years lawn cutting season I've only had to remove a handful of &quot;small&quot; (young) dandelions, this is to be expected as I can't control dandelion seed heads blowing into my garden (though I wish I could).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yes, getting any unwanted plant under control via an &quot;organic&quot; approach is going to take patience and time, but if you stick with it, you will see (excellent) results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;And bare in mind, even if you go a &quot;non-organic&quot; route, you're pretty much &quot;forced&quot; to continually use the chosen method if you don't want to see the unwanted plant(s) return.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wish to read more about how I approach &quot;organic&quot; lawn care, go here on SE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;What's an organic way to discourage crabgrass from a large &quot;lawn&quot;?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thistles&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thistles:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I haven't had to deal with thistles in my lawn, that said I do occasionally have to deal with that unwanted plant (weed), along with dandelions and &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/IPM1007-127#Spurge&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;spurge&lt;/a&gt; in our street's common ground (flowering) areas that I maintain (I don't mow the grass, a lawn care company takes care of the mowing):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://greenjade63026.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/panicum-switchgrasses-common-ground-areas/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Panicum Switchgrasses – Common Ground Areas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://greenjade63026.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/plants-bloom-common-ground-areas/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plants in Bloom – Common Ground Areas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://greenjade63026.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/gazebo-plants-bloom/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gazebo Planting in Bloom&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://greenjade63026.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/bottom-gazebo-repaired-and-new-plants/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bottom Gazebo Repaired and New Plants Planted&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://greenjade63026.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/spring-blooms/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;2011: Common Ground Areas in Spring Bloom&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I remove &quot;smaller&quot; thistles using the above tools, basically I treat its removal the same as dandelions ie Remove the unwanted plant, root n' all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For &quot;large&quot; thistles I use a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spade&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;spade&lt;/a&gt; to dig them out (root n' all). After digging them out I back fill the holes with some suitable material and make good the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T15:30:00.460" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1934" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="249" CreationDate="2011-09-07T00:04:59.547" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not vines, but how about some &quot;Deciduous shrubs&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two that standout for me are (would need to check your &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hardiness Zone&lt;/a&gt; to see if they would be suitable):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagerstroemia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Crape myrtle &lt;em&gt;(Lagerstroemia)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_syriacus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Rose of Sharon &lt;em&gt;(Hibiscus syriacus)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Initial outlay &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be a little more than you're thinking, but once you've bought them, there really is no recurring cost each year...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, this time of year (later Summer, early Fall/Autumn) is &quot;normally&quot; a great time of year to pick up plant bargains, plus it's not too late in the year to get them planted, established before Winter time arrives...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-07T19:04:02.280" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T19:04:02.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1935" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1932" CreationDate="2011-09-07T00:48:57.593" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I find that I can grow moss in diffuse or strong interior sunlight as long as it is continuously moist.   A closed jar is not an easy place to grow moss as you have found.  Could you just open up the top for a few hours every day?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T00:48:57.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1936" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1937" CreationDate="2011-09-07T01:19:42.900" Score="16" ViewCount="2328" Body="&lt;p&gt;I went to pick up some liquid fertilizer for the plant I keep at work and I saw several varieties :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Liquid Growth Indoor Plant 4-12-9 Food;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;All Purpose Liquid Concentrate Plant Food 12-4-8 with micronutrients;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;All Purpose Liquid Houseplant Food 8-7-6.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do the numbers have any significance? If so, what do they mean?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="613" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-07T03:38:09.897" LastActivityDate="2016-03-23T14:48:27.320" Title="What do the numbers in the names of indoor liquid fertilizers mean?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1936" CreationDate="2011-09-07T02:02:19.113" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;The three numbers should represent &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NPK_rating&quot;&gt;N-P-K&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;N for Nitrogen - helps produce more chlorophyll – makes the leaves/lawn look greener&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;P for Phosphorus - promotes root development&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;K for Potassium - helps with winterizing, and drought resistance.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have fun gardening!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="615" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-14T04:01:50.137" LastActivityDate="2012-01-14T04:01:50.137" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1938" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1953" CreationDate="2011-09-07T02:19:22.787" Score="14" ViewCount="24793" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an elevated garden bed with some citrus trees. The problem is that the whole area is full of weeds (mostly a mix of crabgrass and dandelions) that are nearly as high as the fruit trees. Because it's elevated it's hard to mow. I've tried pulling them out, but they just grow back. I don't want to use herbicide near my fruit trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How should I get rid of these weeds?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How should I stop them coming back?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've thought about laying carpet over them but apparently that can contaminate the soil. I'm interested in planting something to prevent regrowth, but I don't want to have to mow it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-23T22:48:29.777" LastActivityDate="2019-03-09T02:46:15.117" Title="Managing weeds around fruit trees" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1939" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1942" CreationDate="2011-09-07T02:55:38.767" Score="11" ViewCount="1445" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleus&quot;&gt;red coleus&lt;/a&gt; plant at work that's still growing despite my best efforts. I'm trying to choose the right fertilizer for it, but I'm not sure what I'm looking at when it comes to that sort of thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I keep the plant inside and it gets more fluorescent light than natural. I water it pretty regularly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm interested not just in choosing the right fertilizer for my specific situation but also in learning about picking the right kind in general. So, how should I go about it? When looking at different fertilizers, how do I determine which one is the best for me?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://trialgardens.hrt.msu.edu/assets/PlantImages/2009-winners/_resampled/largephoto-Coleus-Red-Head-1.JPG&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LusWwm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://trialgardens.hrt.msu.edu&quot;&gt;Michigan State University&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="613" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-07T04:09:55.300" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T04:09:55.300" Title="How should I choose the correct N-P-K fertilizer values for my plant?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1940" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1936" CreationDate="2011-09-07T03:37:09.493" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Summary&lt;/strong&gt; (or, &quot;But I didn't sign up for the organic chemistry lecture!&quot;):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The numbers are the amounts of major plant nutrients.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get a &quot;balanced&quot; (numbers that are close to each other) fertilizer, preferably &quot;with micronutrients&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Read the label.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mix and apply as directed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Liquid Growth Indoor Plant 4-12-9 Food;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;All Purpose Liquid Concentrate Plant Food 12-4-8 with micronutrients;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;All Purpose Liquid Houseplant Food 8-7-6.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Do the numbers have any significance? If so, what do they mean?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The numbers represent the percentages by weight in the fertilizer of the major plant macronutrients. In short form we call them &quot;N-P-K&quot; which are the chemical symbols for Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium, respectively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The amounts of the latter two don't represent the pure element, but instead P&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;5&lt;/sub&gt; and K&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O (or &quot;the amount of oxide in the form of P&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;5&lt;/sub&gt; and K&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O that would be present in the fertilizer if all the elemental phosphorus and potassium were oxidized into these forms&quot; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NPK_rating&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;)). It's confusing, but this doesn't mean that the P and K present in the fertilizer is actually in the form of P&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;5&lt;/sub&gt; and K&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the first fertilizer (4-12-9) is 4% Nitrogen by weight, 5% Phosphorus by weight (0.436 * 12%), and 7% Potassium by weight (.83 * 9%). For purposes of feeding a houseplant, you don't really care about this. But if you're gardening outside and get a soil test back from the lab, this is a similar formula to how they calculate the recommended fertilizer analysis for your needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few critical things to be aware of when selecting a fertilizer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not all of the N-P-K that is present based on those numbers is &quot;available&quot; to the plant. There is usually a note on the back of the package that tells you what percentage is in a form that the plant can use. (If you have high analysis fertilizer, it is often beneficial to have a smaller portion that is available to the plant immediately -- the effect is &quot;slow release&quot; so that more of the fertilizer becomes available to the plant over time.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;These three nutrients aren't the whole story when it comes to plant nutrition. The fertilizer that says &quot;with micronutrients&quot; will contain several other elements that are required in smaller amounts but are still essential to plant health. (E.g. calcium, magnesium, sulfur, etc.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Larger numbers (high analysis fertilizer) aren't necessarily better. Too much nitrogen can &quot;burn&quot; plants -- possibly killing them. Too much of other nutrients can cause imbalances. For example, too much potassium can make it so that the plant can't take up nitrogen, magnesium, and/or manganese.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without knowing exactly what it is you're feeding, my generic advice for a generic office plant would be to get the &quot;with micronutrients&quot; fertilizer and apply according to the directions on the label.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-06T00:39:50.407" LastActivityDate="2011-11-06T00:39:50.407" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1941" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1945" CreationDate="2011-09-07T03:57:08.037" Score="30" ViewCount="120861" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn is infested with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum&quot;&gt;dandelions&lt;/a&gt;. Although they're benign, the flowers are fun to play with and the plant has &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum#Properties&quot;&gt;several useful properties&lt;/a&gt;, it sure is an eyesore and I'd like to get rid of it. How can I eradicate this weed without damaging my lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Eightyfivedandelion.JPG&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/08NnIm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Source: Wikimedia commons&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-07T04:09:59.403" LastActivityDate="2016-02-16T07:36:51.060" Title="How do I remove dandelions without damaging my lawn?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;dandelions&gt;" AnswerCount="9" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1942" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1939" CreationDate="2011-09-07T04:07:57.720" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants need more than just N-P-K. There are &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/62/what-are-the-primary-nutrients-utilized-by-plants-beyond-npk/65#65&quot;&gt;other nutrients&lt;/a&gt; required for plant growth: calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S). So-called micronutrients are needed in only very small (micro) quantities, boron (B), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), chlorine (Cl), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo) and zinc (Zn).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For outdoor gardening (i.e. in the ground) the micronutrients are usually present in sufficient quantities. Adding decent quality compost or manure will provide them if they are missing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Indoors, you are controlling all of the variables: the soil, nutrients, light, etc. There's no external ecosystem (worms, rain, etc) delivering nutrients to your potted plant. So you have to add these through fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the absence of a specific problem with your plant -- assuming you just want a proactive feeding program -- I'd recommend a &quot;balanced&quot; organic fertilizer. By &quot;balanced&quot; I mean that it has roughly similar numbers for N-P-K (like 10-10-10 or 8-12-9) -- this ensures that you're adding all of the major nutrients. Organic fertilizers will often contain secondary macronutrients and micronutrients as well, but you will need to read the label. (Word of warning: some organic fertilizers &lt;em&gt;stink&lt;/em&gt;. Don't use fish emulsion in the office! Your cube mates will throw you out.) If you don't pick an organic fertilizer, at least look for &quot;complete&quot; or something that advertises micronutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your plant has a problem, you'll first need to diagnose the problem before you can choose a remedy. Sometimes what appears to be a nutrient deficiency has a different root cause. (E.g. Frequent watering can wash away water soluble nutrients, leaving nothing for the plant to consume. If the soil drains too quickly so that over-watering is necessary, then the root cause is drainage and the soil should be changed to something that retains water better. &lt;em&gt;Or&lt;/em&gt;: a plant that has slowed its growth may be root bound. Fertilizing won't help in this case -- it needs a larger pot.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, some plants have specific requirements in order to achieve good results. For these, you'll want to buy a formulation for those specific plants. (Orchids? Succulents? I must admit that I'm more often brute force than finesse, so I tend to shy away from indoor plants and just throw tremendous amounts of horse and poultry manure and compost at my outdoor vegetables until the soil tests tell me I can stop.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T04:07:57.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1944" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-07T06:36:56.963" Score="11" ViewCount="20049" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mum told me that there are female and male bananas (the fruit, not the tree), and only female bananas contain seed. Is it true?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;She said the little black things commonly seen inside banana are not seeds, and the seeds are very hard to chew and few bananas will contain them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you know something about this? Have you ever opened up a banana and found obvious seeds inside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can the black dots or any obvious seeds be grown?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-07T13:39:12.970" LastActivityDate="2019-12-03T11:51:49.153" Title="Are bananas male/female and which ones will contain seed?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1945" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1941" CreationDate="2011-09-07T10:08:28.853" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are several ways of removing these dandelions from your lawn:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.american-lawns.com/grasses/cool_season_grasses.html&quot;&gt;cool-season lawn&lt;/a&gt; and are happy to take the chemical route, you could use a selective weedkiller containing 2,4-D or MCPP, such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0026KTT4U&quot;&gt;Trimec&lt;/a&gt;, Speedzone or Momentum, which are best applied in mid-spring or early fall&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You could hand-weed using &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0030MIHAU&quot;&gt;this tool&lt;/a&gt; which has received excellent reviews, and would make your task much easier; however, bear in mind that if you leave even a small fragment of dandelion root in the soil, it will produce a new plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good lawn maintenance is also essential to keep your lawn weed-free:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Since dandelions thrive on thin weak turf, a good preventative measure is proper lawn maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Mow high and mow often. Mowing high means keeping your grass on the longer side of its optimal height. This keeps the soil cooler and provides shade that restricts the growth of annual weeds. Weed seeds on the soil surface need the heat of the sun to flourish. Scalping your lawn is an open invitation for weeds. Second, once weeds have already invaded your lawn, frequent mowing will keep them in check. A weed can't form seedheads when its topmost growth keeps getting lopped off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Fertilize at the correct times. The goal is to feed your lawn, not your weeds. Cool season grasses should be fertilized in early spring and late fall. Fertilizing cool season grasses in the heat of the summer will only promote more weeds. Warm season grasses should be fertilized at the height of their growth period in the summer. Avoid feeding in the cooler spring or summer when the weeds are likely to emerge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Water deeply and infrequently. There are weed seeds hiding out in your lawn just waiting for the right conditions to emerge. Those seeds grow best when kept damp with light frequent watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Reseed in the Fall. The fall is the best time to reseed for several reasons. Grass has nine months to get its roots deep and to get more established before facing the summer heat. It has a better chance surviving than grass planted in the spring. In the North, crabgrass and other weeds complete their life cycles in the fall and die out. So they aren't there to compete with the new seedlings for space, water, and soil nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.the-lawn-advisor.com/What-Will-Kill-Dandelions.html&quot;&gt;What Will Kill Dandelions?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T10:08:28.853" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1946" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1944" CreationDate="2011-09-07T13:38:07.230" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;The yellow 'Cavendish' bananas found in grocers around the world are triploid cultivars. They are parthenocarpic (fruit without any fertilization) and sterile. Propagation is by cuttings (cloning). This makes them susceptible to disease (no genetic variation and no breeding is possible), and slowly the world's banana plantations are dieing out. The 'Cavendish' will probably be a thing of the past &lt;em&gt;within my lifetime&lt;/em&gt;. This has already happened to the previous mass-produced cultivar (Gros Michel) which is not extinct but is rarely grown due to fungus problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes wild bananas and plantains with viable seed have large seeds. The black bits in mass-produced cultivars are the remains of the seeds but are completely sterile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stores and markets in tropical regions typically have a wider range of banana varietes and you may find ones which are not sterile. As well as the seed making them harder to eat, &quot;wild&quot; varieties tend to have a lot more flavor but do not travel very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The development of new banana cultivars that are disease resistant but still suitable for long distance transport is an area of active research. It is an application where a case can be made for modern genetic engineering over traditional propagation techniques.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T13:38:07.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1941" CreationDate="2011-09-07T13:43:30.577" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;@Mancuniensis has a good answer. I would add that dandelions can be controlled by de-heading all flowers and flower buds before they go to seed. This goes a long way to reducing their numbers in future years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also find they are very responsive to the broad leaf weedkillers and the weed&amp;amp;feed treatments. Ie. not much is required, and stronger &quot;kill everything&quot; weedkillers are not required. These days I use the de-heading combined with limited spot treatment with a broad leaf weedkiller once or twice a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T13:43:30.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1941" CreationDate="2011-09-07T14:48:22.977" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to avoid being to much of a &quot;me too&quot; answerer here, but I wanted to emphasize the parts of the existing answers that are my preference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I highly recommend the tool that @Mancuniesis linked to, and also second his advice to keep the lawn itself healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a bit more of the organic type, so I tend to avoid herbicides as much as possible.  I can say that it is possible to get good dandelion control sans herbicides if you're willing to keep up with the manual work.  It's a small amount of work, but you can't let it wait, because, as @winwaed pointed out, it's very important to pull them before they go to seed.  If you spend a few minutes each week early in the season attacking the weeds as they start to appear though the lawn, you can get the upper hand on them.  I had a lawn that was pretty well infested, and after a couple of seasons of pulling them up with that Fiskars tool, the number of new weeds that came up each declined greatly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the Fiskars puller is an easy tool to use.  I would sometimes leave it in an easy to reach place so I could yank a weed whenever I saw it, even if I was still in my office clothing.  It will, of course, always leave a bit of root behind, but with a little persistance and a healthy lawn, the remaining roots will eventually be beaten back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="93" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T14:48:22.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1949" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1941" CreationDate="2011-09-07T14:57:13.727" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Credit for this answer goes to my mum.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When we (wife and I) moved into our current home 4 years ago, the front and back lawns were covered in &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/IPM1007-40#Dandelion&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;dandelions&lt;/a&gt; (and other broadleaf weeds). I didn't want to go the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbicide&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;herbicide&lt;/a&gt; route, and after speaking with my mum, she said the &lt;strong&gt;only&lt;/strong&gt; way to truly get rid of (control) dandelions is to hand remove them (&lt;strong&gt;important:&lt;/strong&gt; you need to remove root n' all) and recommended using a small hand garden trowel for doing so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't have a &quot;small hand garden trowel&quot;, instead I bought a small (and cheapish) builders trowel and used that for 3 years:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b4PKV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dandelion remover - small builders trowel&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then last year on clearance (paid $1) I picked up a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www2.fiskars.com/Products/Yard-and-Garden/Weeders/Softouch-R-Weeder&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fiskars Softouch Weeder&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ca72t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dandelion remover - Fiskars Softouch Weeder&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both of the above hand-tools have worked well in removing dandelions (roots included).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first three lawn cutting seasons I pulled a lot! of dandelions, at least once a week I would walk the lawns and hand remove all the unwanted plants I saw (all of them went into a plastic bag for offsite disposal).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;During last year's lawn cutting season I noticed a big drop-off in the number of unwanted plants I was removing, except for crabgrass (but that's a whole other story).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;This years lawn cutting season I've only had to remove a handful of &quot;small&quot; (young) dandelions, this is to be expected as I can't control dandelion seed heads blowing into my garden (though I wish I could).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yes, getting any unwanted plant under control via an &quot;organic&quot; approach is going to take patience and time, but if you stick with it, you will see (excellent) results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;And bare in mind, even if you go a &quot;non-organic&quot; route, you're pretty much &quot;forced&quot; to continually use the chosen method if you don't want to see the unwanted plant(s) return.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wish to read more about how I approach &quot;organic&quot; lawn care, go here on SE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;What's an organic way to discourage crabgrass from a large &quot;lawn&quot;?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T14:57:13.727" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1950" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1955" CreationDate="2011-09-07T15:15:29.000" Score="8" ViewCount="7067" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, it's nearly cleanup time in Wisconsin and I finally got around to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/91/should-i-paint-old-garden-tools&quot;&gt;refinishing my tools&lt;/a&gt;. I bought a can of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/productDetails.aspx?SKU=11337&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;boiled linseed oil&lt;/a&gt; and coated the tools with it (helps prevent rust).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, everything is covered in boiled linseed oil.  What on earth am I supposed to do with these tools now that they're all goopey? Do I just have to leave them hanging till I want to use them again?  Would I need to recoat them if I go and use them?  And do some tools need multiple coats of oil? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-12-31T03:39:49.077" Title="How do I use linseed oil to maintain my tools?" Tags="&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1951" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1825" CreationDate="2011-09-07T15:22:38.993" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a type of fleabane.  I'd say hairy fleabane, yet it is an annual and you mention it spreading by rhizomes.  I suggest you check with Utah Pests &lt;a href=&quot;http://utahpests.usu.edu/uppdl/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://utahpests.usu.edu/uppdl/&lt;/a&gt;.  For only $7, they can ID it for you and tell you how to control it.  Deal!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="616" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T15:22:38.993" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1952" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1938" CreationDate="2011-09-07T16:01:42.597" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have recently acquired a weed torch, which allows me to kill weeds without chemicals. It is essentially a blow torch run by propane. I would recommend the same model I am using &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00004Z2FP&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.amazon.com/Red-Dragon-VT-2-23-000-BTU/dp/B00004Z2FP/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1315411041&amp;amp;sr=8-2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have to be careful around the fruit trees, but the cone of heat is much smaller than you would think and it is pretty easy to clear the majority of the weeds this way. Just a few seconds and the weed shrivels and will die completely. It is really easy (and more than a little fun). I was worried about fire danger, but it has been incredibly easy to control so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will not prevent them from growing back, but it would allow you to clear them easily and free of chemicals. You can then choose ground covers depending on the location and situation. There are a lot of live ground covers that don't require mowing, but the level of shade and moisture in the location will affect your choice.  You can also use dead ground covers like redwood mulch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="617" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T16:01:42.597" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1953" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1938" CreationDate="2011-09-07T16:16:02.163" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Start with some work with a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1147/essential-tools-that-every-gardener-should-own/1151#1151&quot;&gt;scuffle hoe&lt;/a&gt; or similar hoe to remove the roots at the top. Rake off the cut material. You do not want to cut too deep and damage tree roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then lay down superior grade landscape fabric. One or more layers depending on the weeds as bstpierre notes. In some parts of the country this will be called a woven &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geotextile&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;geo-textile&lt;/a&gt; but result is the same.  Water and air penetrate through the fabric but weeds will find it challenging to come up through it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Top up with a mulch of your choice.  Preferably not sawdust or other woody type material that will decompose quickly and use up nitrogen which your trees need.  I like pea stone gravel, you may prefer to use locally available materials which do not degrade quickly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weeds will poke through wherever there are cuts or at the base of the trees but this is still much less work&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T17:11:33.790" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1954" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1950" CreationDate="2011-09-07T16:16:30.103" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should wipe the tools with a clean cloth to remove excess oil. The excess oil will accumulate dust and other particles that you don't want to leave on your tools. When I want it to soak into the handles, I let it soak for an hour or so and then I wipe away all excess oil from all surfaces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have covered the tools well, you should be able to wipe them clean and then store them for months without worry. You aren't trying to scrub them totally clean, you are just wiping away the excess.  As long as you coated them well, they should last 3-6 months. If you are storing them in a really humid location, or have any other environmental conditions that might make it more extreme for the tools, you can re-apply more regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="617" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T16:16:30.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1955" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1950" CreationDate="2011-09-07T16:23:06.800" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've done my fair share of woodworking and carpentry that I've used oils to both treat/finish wood and to maintain tools and am familiar with the hazards of not disposing it off properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for using boiled linseed oil which dries &lt;em&gt;quickly&lt;/em&gt; (actual linseed oil can take ages) to maintain your tools, just dip a rag (cotton wool or a cloth) in them and coat a &lt;em&gt;thin layer&lt;/em&gt; of oil on the metallic parts. Make sure to cover evenly and leave no spot untouched. This will provide a layer of protection against rust formation. The principle behind this is very simple - by coating with a thin layer of oil, you're cutting off oxygen supply, hence preventing the iron from oxidizing and rusting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, &lt;strong&gt;do not&lt;/strong&gt; be tempted to add multiple coats or a thick layer of oil. Thicker layers take longer to dry and often, do not dry to form a hard surface (i.e., it requires exposure to air to dry and thick coats will remain &lt;em&gt;soft&lt;/em&gt; underneath the surface). This can be quite deceptive, meaning it gives an appearance of having dried, but really it hasn't. Multiple layers of thin coats are also not a good idea, because they become prone to being removed when scratched i.e., the layers will peel off more easily when thick than when thin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may start using the tool once it has dried (you can try gently running your fingers on it. If your fingers don't have an oily smudge or very little of it, it has dried). You do not have to coat it after every use. It would be better for the tool if you had a maintenance schedule. However, if your use is very sporadic (i.e., use today then 3 months later), then it would be worth your while to coat it each time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rags you use should &lt;strong&gt;never&lt;/strong&gt; be disposed as is. The are combustible and could result in fire damage. Treat this as a general advice for any rags containing mineral oils/paint thinners/acetone/etc and for wood dust/wood shavings from previously finished wood. Piling them on will cause an exothermic reaction (heat releasing) and eventually result in spontaneous combustion. You can wash them under running water several times until it's &quot;free&quot; of it, while at the same time collecting the water + oil mix in a bucket. Later, take the &quot;hazardous waste&quot; to your local collection center. If they charge you by volume, then instead of running water, you can wash it in still water (however, I'm not a big fan of this, as it only leads to more messiness).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T16:23:06.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1956" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1963" CreationDate="2011-09-07T16:38:40.380" Score="20" ViewCount="2952" Body="&lt;p&gt;The garden area in my yard has soil that even the weeds don't particularly love to grow in during the summer. They will make a half hearted attempt in the winter, but it definitely isn't as lush as the rest of my yard. I think decades of gardening by the little old lady who lived there before me, without taking care of the soil, has depleted it.  I have had some success gardening in it, but only with silly amounts of fertilizer. So I want to improve the situation this winter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a horse ranch near me that gives away free manure that has been reasonably composted already. I was thinking of acquiring enough for a few inches of coverage through the whole garden. I was planning to do this basically as soon as I till my summer garden into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was then thinking of growing a cover crop like peas and beans to till into the soil in early spring. I live in the CA Bay Area, so growing winter plants shouldn't be overly difficult. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there other techniques I should be thinking of? The garden is already even with the rest of the yard, so I don't want to bring in enough dirt/compost to end up with a raised bed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="617" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-07T17:06:16.420" LastActivityDate="2012-03-12T12:15:14.540" Title="My garden soil is devoid of nutrients, how should I improve it this winter?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1957" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1956" CreationDate="2011-09-07T18:07:28.693" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Digging in the composted manure is a good start - especially as it is free. The legumes (peas and beans) will help a bit too. I would also start to compost if you are not doing so already, and you can then dig that in in future years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost (especially the make-yourself kind) is mainly organic matter which will break down over time. Therefore it won't raise the level much and it will settle over time as the organic matter breaks down. Also when you dig it, much of the apparent raising of the level will be due to air - it will settle very quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If &quot;weeds don't particularly love to grow&quot; then I wonder if it is a combination of factors? Perhaps nutritional combined with something else like light or drainage? (gets too dry, possibly?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T18:07:28.693" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1958" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1930" CreationDate="2011-09-07T18:57:42.930" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below are a few things I can think of looking out for:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Broken branches hanging in the canopy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cracks or splits along the length of the trunk or where branches are attached.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Large dead branches.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cavities or rotten wood along the length of the trunk or on major branches.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Large sections of bark missing along the length of the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is the trunk noticeably leaning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are a lot of major branches coming out from a single point on the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Woodpecker holes, this is &quot;normally&quot; a sign of dead wood.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presences of mushrooms is &quot;normally&quot; a sign of rotting (damp) wood.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Excessive insect activity on the tree, this is &quot;normally&quot; a sign of a tree in decline.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the above points, plus others can be found here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/hazards.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Recognizing Tree Hazards&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-08T03:26:29.547" LastActivityDate="2011-09-08T03:26:29.547" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1914" CreationDate="2011-09-07T20:03:12.890" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking at the video, it looks like a pretty typical whitefly. They aren't uncommon on tomatoes (or in your garden in general), and they typically do the most damage by transmitting disease. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UC Davis has a good summary page:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r783301211.html&quot;&gt;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r783301211.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From my own personal experience, there are three things that can help. The first is your friendly ladybugs. You can buy thousands of lady bugs from your local garden center, or even online at Amazon.  Release them at dusk, with moisture on the ground. They are far more likely to stick around if it is dark and cool, and they have something to drink.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yellow sticky fly traps attract them a lot, and can help control the population. Put them really close to your plants. Whiteflies love the yellow traps, and you can quickly fill the trap all the way up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also &quot;trap&quot; plants like Mint. I grow a small pot of mint a few yards away from my tomatoes, and the whiteflies just love it. They prefer it so much, they basically leave my tomatoes completely alone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="617" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T20:03:12.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1960" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1878" CreationDate="2011-09-07T20:07:17.093" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seeing as a late frost didn't kill your blossoms, I'm inclined to think the excessive feeding is the most likely cause of no fruit. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1878/how-do-i-encourage-my-plum-tree-to-produce-fruit/1882#1882&quot;&gt;&quot;Mancuniensis&quot; answer&lt;/a&gt; covers that...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as watering goes, I think you weren't watering the tree enough during that exceptionally dry spell (at least for the UK). Watering as you did, doesn't get the water down to the roots where it's needed and can be best used by the tree (plant). It is &quot;generally&quot; accepted that for the overall health of plants (your garden), it's much better to water deeply once or twice a week...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering trees (correctly) is slightly different, therefore I recommend you &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1828/why-are-my-peach-leaves-turning-orange/1831#1831&quot;&gt;go here&lt;/a&gt; and get &quot;Arborist Don Gardner - Watering Guidelines&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plum tree is old enough to fruit, I'm now thinking you might not have got any plums this year due to a combination of overfeeding (my second thought once we had ruled out a late freeze killing the blossoms) and drought stress early in the growing season -- the tree shed its flowers as a &quot;survival&quot; mechanism, transferred its energy from setting (growing) fruit to &quot;surviving&quot;...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally you may wish to take a look at here on SE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1647/394&quot;&gt;Is there a way to discourage plum trees from fruiting so heavily?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1689/394&quot;&gt;None of my fruit/nut trees are flowering&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/874/394&quot;&gt;What's a hardy plum tree for prunes?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T22:33:10.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1961" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="825" CreationDate="2011-09-07T21:06:26.370" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Prune it hard.  Crassula Ovata can make a very attractive bonsai.  If you keep cutting back the leaves it will put growth into the roots and stem.  If you search for crassula ovata bonsai on google image search you will seem stunning bonsais with massive trunks like this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/anafont/3409308362/&quot;&gt;http://www.flickr.com/photos/anafont/3409308362/&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One bit advice though - move it to somewhere drier than a bathroom (assuming you have it in a bathroom with a shower) for a while after pruning because the cuts need to callus over in dry conditions to avoid the risk of rot or fungal infections. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water mine thoroughly once a week during the summer and lightly once a month in the winter and try and give them as much sun as possible.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be careful moving from low light to lots of light - do it gradually or you can burn the leaves (they shrivel and turn black)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="618" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T21:06:26.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1962" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="707" CreationDate="2011-09-07T21:12:11.103" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's flowering.  Sempervivums are monocarpic so when they flower they die.  However they usually form so many offests that the exponential population growth makes up for it.  Weak looking rossettes are almost always the result of a lack of sunshine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't fertilize them and make sure they have gritty high drainage potting compost and that pots have holes and are not sitting in saucers &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="618" LastActivityDate="2011-09-07T21:12:11.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1963" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1956" CreationDate="2011-09-08T02:30:39.807" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;My first step in your situation would be a soil test. The UC Extension service doesn't perform soil testing, but &lt;a href=&quot;http://ucanr.org/sites/gardenweb/files/82228.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this pdf&lt;/a&gt; has a list of labs in northern and central California. The results of this test will tell you in what ways your soil is deficient.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't specifically mention what you're growing, but it sounds like vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing that makes it hard for many vegetables to be able to take up nutrients is acidic soil. If your pH is much below 6, a number of vegetables will have a hard time. You can add lime in the amount recommended by the soil test to bring your pH closer to 6.5-7. Soil that is too alkaline will also be a problem, but I'm less familiar with the symptoms there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding composted horse manure is a good idea. The biggest variable with horse manure is the bedding: does the stable use straw, sawdust, or something else? From one perspective, straw is better because it breaks down faster. From another perspective, sawdust (or any wood product in general) once well rotted, holds an outrageous amount of moisture. Then again, having woody remains in the garden if you get a lot of moisture can lead to mushrooms/toadstools. If wood-based bedding is not well rotted, the decomposing woody material will steal nitrogen from your plants so that it can decompose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Standard advice is to add about 0.5-1&quot; of compost to poor soil, though I've on occasion added much more than this. (I wrote a calculator to figure out the &lt;a href=&quot;http://howtogrowahealthygarden.com/garden-calculators/how-much-compost/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;volume you need to add a given depth of manure&lt;/a&gt; to your garden; you may find it helpful.) Work it deeply into the soil -- 6-12&quot; depth is a good goal. You don't want to focus nutrients in the top layer, this encourages plants to develop shallow roots. You also want to put moisture-holding humus into the lower layers of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another problem you might have is soil compaction. In this case, if the space isn't too large, you're in good shape, and you have the time (several hours per 100 square feet), you might consider double digging:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Loosen the area with a garden fork.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove weeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spread your compost/manure over the area to be double-dug.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add lime as recommended by soil test.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dig a trench as wide as your spade across the width of the bed, to the depth of your spade. Put the soil in a wheelbarrow or buckets -- you'll use it at the end of the process.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Using the garden fork, loosen the soil at the bottom of the trench to the depth of the fork. While you're working, avoid mixing the soil layers -- you don't want to mix subsoil into your topsoil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Move back, dig another trench adjacent to the first one. Put the soil from the second trench into the first trench. Loosen the soil at the bottom of this new trench with the fork.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Repeat until you come to the end of the bed. Use the soil from the first trench to fill the last trench.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As you're working (and in the future), &lt;strong&gt;don't walk on the garden bed&lt;/strong&gt;. This compacts the soil. Standard advice is to place a board across the bed to stand on while you're double digging, but I don't see the point -- you're already probably dealing with compacted soil, and you're in the process of fixing the problem anyway. Just don't walk on the areas that have been double dug or you'll undo your work!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;How to Grow More Vegetables&quot; by John Jeavons has a whole chapter devoted to soil prep and double digging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You said you don't want to build it up to a raised bed, but this process loosens the soil and adds so much air that you will (at least temporarily) raise the garden soil somewhat. You don't need to create formal borders or anything, and the soil will settle over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A cover crop that you till into the soil next spring is a great idea. Peas and beans aren't bad, but if you want to generate a lot of biomass (and I think you should want to), I'm a fan of &quot;PVO Mix&quot; -- that's Peas, Vetch, and Oats. I think your winters are fairly mild, so this should do well for you. The main challenge is chopping it all up when it's time to till it under (vetch and peas can get pretty tangled up in the tiller tines). The vetch and peas both play host to nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and the oats grow tall to provide support for them as well as producing biomass. Fedco is my favorite source for seed, they have &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fedcoseeds.com/ogs/search.php?item=8251&amp;amp;search=pvo&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;PVO&lt;/a&gt;, and I think they're still shipping cover crop seed this time of year. But you can probably find a supplier that's more local to you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the idea of having to chop up a lot of tangle-prone biomass is daunting, you could also consider planting winter rye. It doesn't &lt;em&gt;add&lt;/em&gt; nitrogen like the vetch or peas, but it does &lt;em&gt;trap&lt;/em&gt; the nitrogen you'll be adding in the manure, preventing it from being lost. Rye can take a couple of passes with the tiller to kill completely, but if you hit it before it puts on too much growth, it doesn't get tangled. Beware that rye must be killed at least two weeks before planting seeds in the soil, because it gives off chemicals that prevent seed germination -- transplants aren't affected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, are you composting every bit that you can? Everything that leaves your garden takes some nutrients with it. Vegetable waste from your kitchen (rinds, peels, the forgotten lettuce that rotted in the back of the fridge, etc), along with garden debris (vines, leaves, etc) should be composted and returned to your soil so you don't have to purchase so many outside amendments. Don't put autumn leaves in bags on the curb -- this is valuable carbon you can mix with kitchen scraps in the compost pile and return to the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-03-12T12:15:14.540" LastActivityDate="2012-03-12T12:15:14.540" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1964" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1971" CreationDate="2011-09-08T14:43:22.830" Score="11" ViewCount="227" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted raspberry canes last autumn which have grown well and produced a good crop this year. Some of the canes have grown to 7 or 8 feet and are dangling over the fence into a neighbour's garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can these be safely cut back at this time of year?  (early autumn, UK)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="599" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-08T19:36:30.510" LastActivityDate="2011-12-26T19:11:05.967" Title="Is it harmful to prune summer bearing raspberries in early autumn?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1782" CreationDate="2011-09-08T14:47:22.917" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Provide somewhere for them to nest.  So far nesting boxes have not worked for me but a dense evergreen tree or two would provide a good habitat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also look at discouraging cats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="599" LastActivityDate="2011-09-08T14:47:22.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1966" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1931" CreationDate="2011-09-08T15:50:31.173" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I would recommend you plant anytime from now until mid Autumn (Fall). &lt;strong&gt;Why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will give the plants a little more time to establish themselves in the containers before Winter arrives.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, below is some &quot;general&quot; container information that I believe might prove helpful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/721/394&quot;&gt;Recipe for a long-lasting, fast draining container soil mix with good aeration&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1482/394&quot;&gt;Sustainable alternatives to peat for potting compost&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1184/394&quot;&gt;What should I do about standing water in potted plant?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now to answer your question, below are few plants that I believe would work well given your requirements:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Part shade to full shade&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=D100&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hellebore &lt;em&gt;Helleborus orientalis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=Y990&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hellebore &lt;em&gt;Helleborus&lt;/em&gt; 'Winter Joy Bouquet'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=D652&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Christmas rose &lt;em&gt;Helleborus&lt;/em&gt; 'Walhelivor' Ivory Prince&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=A710&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Christmas fern &lt;em&gt;Polystichum acrostichoides&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Full sun to part shade&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=D584&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tussock sedge &lt;em&gt;Carex stricta&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=J630&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Leatherleaf sedge &lt;em&gt;Carex buchananii&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=C274&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Winter heath &lt;em&gt;Erica carnea&lt;/em&gt; 'Springwood Pink'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=B770&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese boxwood &lt;em&gt;Buxus microphylla var. japonica&lt;/em&gt; 'Morris Midget'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=V890&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese holly &lt;em&gt;Ilex crenata&lt;/em&gt; 'Sky Pencil'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! And enjoy your Winter garden.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-09-08T15:50:31.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1967" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1968" CreationDate="2011-09-08T17:30:49.263" Score="12" ViewCount="122" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I have a garden plant, say for example, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_Rupturewort&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Herniaria glabra&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, and I want to identify its native plant community, i.e. the dominant species, associated species, soil, climate etc., how do I go about researching this information? What references/resources are available to accomplish that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best I have been able to do on-line for the example cited is find a region of China and an altitude range.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-08T17:40:23.070" LastActivityDate="2011-09-12T14:48:19.847" Title="How do I link a specific garden plant to its native plant community?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;resources&gt;&lt;native-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1968" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1967" CreationDate="2011-09-08T18:48:36.797" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?310830&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;GRIN&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=HEGL8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;PLANTS&lt;/a&gt; to be useful databases (those links both go to &lt;em&gt;H. glabra&lt;/em&gt;). Both databases provide links to other databases, and in the case of GRIN, references to dead-tree publications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By starting there and following links, I end up at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&amp;amp;taxon_id=220006279&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;efloras&lt;/a&gt; (another useful database that links out to yet more). Here, I see:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Roadsides, dry or rocky, sandy places; 0-1200 m&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both efloras and PLANTS have maps showing the US distribution, and both mention worldwide distribution. One link to a &lt;a href=&quot;http://193.62.154.38/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&amp;amp;GENUS_XREF=Herniaria&amp;amp;SPECIES_XREF=glabra&amp;amp;TAXON_NAME_XREF=&amp;amp;RANK=&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;European database&lt;/a&gt; yields a page that says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Distribution: Al Au Be Br Bu Co Cz Da Ge Gr He Ho Hs Hu It Ju Lu Po Rm Rs(B,C,W,K,E) ?Sa Si Su Tu [Fe No Rs(N)]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Most of Europe except the extreme north&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on this information, you can at least make a guess about the climate and soil. Some of the primary sources cited in these databases may give you some of the community information you are looking for. You will probably need to go to a university library to find some of those publications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beware that garden plants may be so completely bred and domesticated that finding a &quot;native community&quot; doesn't make sense. You might instead have to look at wild ancestors of a given plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just added a note to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1989/51&quot;&gt;this question about scientific research on companion planting&lt;/a&gt; and it occurs to me that it may be relevant here as well. You may be able to glean information about native plant communities by researching permaculture &quot;guilds&quot;, which are groups of plants assembled by permaculture practitioners that work well together. Guilds aren't necessarily copied from natural plant communities, but they are often inspired by plants that work well together in nature. This would be an alternate starting point on your paper chase, providing a different viewpoint on how things fit together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-09-12T14:48:19.847" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1969" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1782" CreationDate="2011-09-08T21:45:08.037" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is really a matter of food and shelter.&#xA;Fill your landscape with plants native to your area, provide bird houses or avoid destroying natural bird habitat, make sure that water is available, and avoid over-using pesticides. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="340" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-22T21:58:09.333" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T21:58:09.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1970" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1904" CreationDate="2011-09-08T22:26:43.790" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I have no personal experience with in-ground sprinkler systems i.e. I've not designed or installed such a system, nor have I ever lived in a home that had such a system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I do know comes from reading about such systems, watching them being installed on various (gardening, DIY) TV shows, talking with people who have such systems and a friend who installed his own system last year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of what follows comes via the friend who installed his own system:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Measure the area(s) you want to irrigate, then draw out a scaled drawing of the area(s). Add important information to the drawing eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Flowerbeds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Raised Beds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hard landscape areas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Areas where you can easily connect into your &quot;domestic&quot; cold water and electrical systems.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Measure your water pressure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pretty much regardless of the above reading, installing a &quot;Pressure Regulator&quot; is highly recommended.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Divide areas into zones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Generally&quot; speaking the more zones the better.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;More zones give greater control e.g. Certain zones might need to be watered more than others.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Install a master &quot;Irrigation Control Valve&quot; box ie Gather all &quot;Control Valves&quot; into a single area, this allows for easier maintenance...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's worth making this master box bigger than you initially need and throw in a couple of spare &quot;Control Valves&quot;, this will make any further upgrades, expansion of the irrigation system that much easier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Install a &quot;Emergency Shut-off Valve&quot; that shuts off water to the whole irrigation system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Buy all your major parts online, saves a lot of money (compared to DIY stores).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't try to save money on the irrigation piping, get the very best you can afford.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A properly designed system will mostly likely use different size piping within the irrigation network ie 1inch (25mm), &amp;#190;inch (19mm) &amp;amp; &amp;#189;inch (12.5mm) diameter pipes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Before you starting digging, check local and state laws/requirements eg&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in Missouri it's against the law to begin excavating before you request utilities are marked on site:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mo1call.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Missouri One Call System: Call 1-800-DIG-RITE Before You Dig&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Missouri law requires that a locate request be placed before beginning any excavation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Placing a locate request is free and easy! Call &lt;strong&gt;1-800-DIG-RITE (800-344-7483)&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;811&lt;/strong&gt; or place your request online using &lt;strong&gt;Internet Ticketing&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The utilities should respond to your request within 3 working days by:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marking the approximate location of their facilities or&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Notifying you that they have no facilities in your dig site area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;After confirming utility response, you can then proceed with your excavation avoiding damages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even in areas that experience freezing conditions it's not &quot;standard practice&quot; to bury the pipes deep enough so they're unaffected by those conditions, instead it's &quot;standard practice&quot; to drain (blow out via an air-compressor) the system before freezing weather conditions arrive in the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You don't want to bury the pipes too deep, that leads to more digging. Also you don't want to put the pipes too shallow, that could easily lead to a garden tool (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_fork&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;fork&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spade&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;spade&lt;/a&gt;, etc) piercing the pipe while you go about your normal gardening work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Burying pipes somewhere in the 10 to 18inch (250 to 450mm) depth range is considered &quot;safe&quot; (a good depth).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't connect your irrigation system to an outside tap (though this can be done, it's considered &quot;poor practice&quot;), instead properly plumb it into your &quot;domestic&quot; cold water system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A little more work, but well worth taking the time and cost to-do.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When connecting into your &quot;domestic&quot; cold water system, install a &quot;Backflow Device&quot;, this prevents water from your irrigation system entering your &quot;domestic&quot; cold water system. Such a device is &quot;generally&quot; required by local building codes and/or your local water company.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't go with a battery powered &quot;Timer&quot; (Control Panel), instead go with one that you can wire into your &quot;domestic&quot; electrical system. Again, a little more work, but well worth the effort and cost...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get &quot;Sprinkler Heads&quot; that have (replaceable) filters, this allows you to easily clean them or replace them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A well designed system will overlap each sprinkler water zone by about 20%, this ensures good water coverage and minimises dry areas between the sprinkler water zones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Also allows for things like windy days when the wind will effect the distribution of the water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;Sprinkler Heads&quot; should deliver water droplets, not water spray (mist).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water spray (mist) results in inefficient watering, a lot of water will be lost to evaporation (and/or wind).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My friend has a friend who designs, installs irrigation systems for a living, therefore he was able to get his friend to design, layout the system and work up a complete parts list. That saved a lot of confusion, time and headache. In general, it would be wise to &lt;strong&gt;plan everything in advance&lt;/strong&gt; on paper before getting hands on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to get my friend to read over the above and will correct and/or add anything that I've got wrong, missed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are some resources that I believe should prove helpful/useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Irrigation Tutorials&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/#sprinkler&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Designing a New Irrigation System&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Direct PDF link - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dripirrigation.com/downloads/DSL20-L.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;FREE drip irrigation installation manual and planning guide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/education/index.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rain Bird Irrigation Learning Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,641780,00.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Install In-Ground Sprinklers&lt;/a&gt; from This Old House&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For people living in the US, they should search for, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=center+irrigation+technology&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Center Irrigation Technology&lt;/a&gt;, and if they find they're lucky to live in a state which has such a center (resource), the water based information they provide can be indispensable...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;I hope the above information helps a little.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-24T20:15:56.480" LastActivityDate="2016-12-24T20:15:56.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1964" CreationDate="2011-09-08T22:29:00.587" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Manchester, your neck of the woods, and have summer-bearing raspberry canes. I usually prune out the &lt;em&gt;fruited&lt;/em&gt; canes to ground level in late summer/ early autumn, and the new canes always produce a good crop the following year; in fact, autumn pruning is recommended by the Royal Horticultural Society - see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1621/136&quot;&gt;How do I maintain a Raspberry plant?&lt;/a&gt; Pruning out those long fruited canes now is not likely to cause the plants any harm at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-09-08T22:42:21.470" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1972" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1973" CreationDate="2011-09-08T23:55:16.297" Score="12" ViewCount="285" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a tough dry spot in the garden (USDA zone 4) about 2' x 5' where a goldenrod cultivar would go nicely. The &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidago_canadensis&quot;&gt;native species&lt;/a&gt;, although attractive, has a tendency to seed freely and be almost impossible to remove.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are the cultivars more manageable, or do they seed freely and propagate by rhizomatous roots like the native species?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-09T19:47:35.717" LastActivityDate="2011-09-09T19:48:30.113" Title="Are goldenrod cultivars manageable or troublesome?" Tags="&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1973" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1972" CreationDate="2011-09-09T02:18:52.943" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It really depends on the exact variety you choose, some are &quot;clump forming&quot;, while others are more like the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidago_canadensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;native species you mentioned&lt;/a&gt; -- will naturalise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Varieties that naturalise can be controlled (somewhat) by dividing the plant every 2 or 3 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some &quot;clump forming&quot; varieties:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=Y370&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Blue stem goldenrod - &lt;em&gt;Solidago caesia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=A281&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Goldenrod - &lt;em&gt;Solidago&lt;/em&gt; 'Early Bird'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=F600&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Goldenrod - &lt;em&gt;Solidago&lt;/em&gt; 'Goldkind' Golden Baby&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=K500&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Goldenrod - &lt;em&gt;Solidago hispida&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=B848&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Goldenrod - &lt;em&gt;Solidago&lt;/em&gt; 'Leraft'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some &quot;will naturalise&quot; varieties:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=P970&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Goldenrod - &lt;em&gt;Solidago&lt;/em&gt; 'Crown of Rays'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=W560&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Goldenrod - &lt;em&gt;Solidago&lt;/em&gt; 'Gold Spangles'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=F610&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Goldenrod - &lt;em&gt;Solidago rigida&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=G690&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Goldenrod - &lt;em&gt;Solidago speciosa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=F620&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Goldenrod - &lt;em&gt;Solidago sphacelata&lt;/em&gt; 'Golden Fleece'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the above plants are approved for &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone#USDA_Hardiness_Zones&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;UDSA hardiness zone 4&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-09T19:48:30.113" LastActivityDate="2011-09-09T19:48:30.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1974" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-09T02:38:29.000" Score="10" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a large garden (&amp;lt;2 acres) that we are growing for the Post Falls, ID. food bank.  The farmer is supplying the water.  We have 5 zones across the garden and move the sprinklers three times to water the entire area.  We are continually watering each zone for 12 hours, and then moving the sprinklers to the next section, water it for 12 hours, moving it to the next section and water it for 12 hours.  We do not stop watering during the entire growing season.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems that the garden is not ripening as fast as gardens in the city. Can a garden's average temperature get lowered due to the watering, possibly delaying the harvest time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="621" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-09T19:40:45.133" LastActivityDate="2011-09-09T19:40:45.133" Title="What is the effect of  watering on the temperature of the garden?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1975" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1985" CreationDate="2011-09-09T02:55:57.220" Score="12" ViewCount="1506" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought some holy basil seeds on the internet and grew them. However, I think the shape of the leaves on my plants are more ruffled than those in the pictures I saw online. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some photos of my plant (click on the image for a larger picture). Is this indeed holy basil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DbkxU.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DbkxUm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VABqu.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VABqum.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wf1mK.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wf1mKm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/imr35.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/imr35m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kKk0l.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kKk0lm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-09T18:50:18.320" LastActivityDate="2013-08-05T03:03:33.423" Title="Is this plant really holy basil?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1974" CreationDate="2011-09-09T02:59:07.823" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watering could cool temperatures - because the water is cool, and (more importantly) through evaporation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I think it is more likely you are simply watering too much, making the soil too wet. How often do other places water? Here in Texas (hotter and drier in summer), 30 mins or 60 mins watering in the evening is more common, and I typically water much less (balancing water conservation into the mix).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would look into what other food growers in the area do, and try that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over-watering can also cause mineral / nutrient leaching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're probably already doing this, but are you making and applying compost? just checking - that could make a huge difference if you are not doing this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-09T03:38:29.380" LastActivityDate="2011-09-09T03:38:29.380" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1974" CreationDate="2011-09-09T04:10:14.273" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with winwaed - you may be watering too much.  Once plants are well-established, don't water until the soil is dry down to around an inch deep, or you see signs of water stress (typically, drooping leaves at first).  Then water thoroughly enough that water's getting down the full root depth, and then some.  This will vary with soil, etc.  If it's hard to get that right all the time, or water cost is an issue, or summer heat stress is a problem even with plenty of water, consider using mulch to slow down soil evaporation and lower soil temperature.  For the rest of this season, you may need to water somewhat more frequently because the plants are addicted - the root systems are probably very shallow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want to sound too diagnostic - without knowing your soil, climate, sprinkler, etc., it's impossible to tell for sure.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much watering will:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cause shallow root systems that do poorly in hot weather or missed waterings &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cause fungal diseases&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;waste water &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leach nutrients&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different plants like different conditions, but in general, cool roots and warm leaves is a good thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If fungal diseases become a problem, avoid watering late in the day - in cooler climates, you want the sun to evaporate standing water from the leaves before sunset.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-09-09T13:58:12.410" LastActivityDate="2011-09-09T13:58:12.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1978" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1974" CreationDate="2011-09-09T12:17:44.490" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In &quot;Gardening When It Counts&quot;, Steve Solomon addresses your question directly:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Watering lowers the soil temperature. If the water is cold, it can take quite a few hours before the sun warms the earth back up. Water evaporating from the soil's surface also lowers its temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the other answers have pointed out, you're over-watering. Solomon's book also has an entire chapter that discusses watering in great detail. I'd highly recommend getting a copy as it covers aspects of watering like requirements for different soil types, how to conserve soil moisture, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another resource that would be good for your situation (which goes beyond home/backyard gardening) is Eliot Coleman's book &quot;The New Organic Grower&quot;. Even if you're not &quot;Organic&quot;, it has a lot of excellent advice that is targeted to the scale at which you are growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-09T12:17:44.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1979" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1987" CreationDate="2011-09-09T12:41:36.120" Score="10" ViewCount="2364" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some tomato plants indoors. Recently a number of very small (1 mm or so) moths dwell on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are these? Are they harmful? What can I do about them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="80" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-09T18:25:48.133" LastActivityDate="2011-09-09T20:32:06.563" Title="What are the mini-white moths on my tomato plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1980" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1986" CreationDate="2011-09-09T14:33:23.020" Score="11" ViewCount="22099" Body="&lt;p&gt;My good friend's dad helped me plant a cherry tree sapling (about a handspan high) the other day (I don't know what kind). He brought over the rooted pot, dug the requisite 18-24cm depth, and transferred it (soil and all) into the hole. We then made a torus/donut barrier with topsoil, and mulched it lightly. (If I missed anything important that I should have done, let me know.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question now is &lt;strong&gt;how much do I water this thing?&lt;/strong&gt; Initially, we flooded it (literally, caused a pool of water in the barrier) as per instructions. I know that cherry trees don't like &quot;wet feet&quot; (or too much water, hence the topsoil barricade), but how much do I need to water it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I generally spray it with the hose (non-hard setting) for about a minute per day before the sun comes up. Sometimes I spray the topsoil/mulch barrier too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-30T15:37:57.163" LastActivityDate="2016-09-14T14:44:59.960" Title="How much should I water my cherry tree sapling?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1981" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1984" CreationDate="2011-09-09T14:37:18.723" Score="17" ViewCount="1265" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just planted a cherry tree, and it has a light amount of mulching (mostly fragments of dried-up mulch). I'm not sure if I've mulched enough, or if I can (or should) mulch it more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there some rule of thumb on how much to mulch a tree? For example, if I barricade around it with topsoil, should I put the mulch only on the outer part of the topsoil and on top?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-13T03:16:37.073" LastActivityDate="2011-09-13T17:07:05.820" Title="How much should I mulch my cherry tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1980" CreationDate="2011-09-09T14:51:56.280" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;For a &quot;half-foot-high (6inches/150mm) sapling&quot; I would most definitely deliver water at ground level, as you want to encourage root development, growth as much as possible in these early stages of the trees life...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To begin with I would try watering for 5 minutes every 3 to 4 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Setup your hose so water is coming out of it as slowly as you can manage, then lay the hose near the sapling and let it soak into the surrounding soil for 5 minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The following day, go out and check the soil moisture 2 to 3inches (50 to 75mm) below the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the soil at that depth is moist, enough water has &lt;em&gt;probably&lt;/em&gt; been delivered.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the soil at that depth is saturated, too much water has been delivered. Allow the soil to &quot;dry out&quot; before applying anymore water, then try watering for 3 minutes instead of the 5.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the soil at that depth is dry, not enough water has been delivered. Immediately water again, but this time just for 3 minutes (remember you've already delivered 5 minutes of water the previous day).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Go out the following day and check the soil moisture again. Depending on what you find, will determine if enough water or not has now been delivered.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you've determined how much water needs to be delivered for the soil to be moist at 2 to 3inches (50 to 75mm) below the surface 24 hours after watering, wait 3 to 4 days, then go out and check the soil at that depth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If it's dry, water for the length of time you have calculated.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If it's still moist, don't water, come back the next day and check...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once again you're trying to determine a time period (this time, days between watering) that suits your soil (growing environment).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please keep in mind, with the above I'm just trying to get you to a starting point, watering isn't an exact science, it's more trial and error (IMHO), especially when dealing with outdoor watering -- there's too many changing variables eg daily temperature, rainfall, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I believe it's important that the sapling (nearly any young tree, plant) is allowed to &quot;dry out&quot; somewhat between waterings. For sure it's a fine balancing act, as you don't want to overstress the young tree (or plant), but you do want to encourage it to develop its root system, this can only be achieved (at least I believe so) if the young tree (or plant) has to go looking for water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering too often (this doesn't necessarily equate to enough water) doesn't encourage &quot;good&quot; root growth, in fact it will more than likely lead to things like disease and pest problems...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the moment I'm going to leave the below information, with the understanding it applies to young and older trees. If it proves confusing or unwanted it can be removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The mulch layer should not touch the trunk of the tree, it should start about 4 inches (100mm) away from the trunk. For &quot;general&quot; tree planting (and watering) information refer to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1115/how-and-when-to-plant-young-grafted-apple-tree/1118#1118&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;To water trees correctly I recommend you read &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1828/why-are-my-peach-leaves-turning-orange/1831#1831&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; and get &quot;Arborist Don Gardner - Watering Guidelines&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don recommends that you &lt;strong&gt;start&lt;/strong&gt; at an hour of watering, evaluate your soil the next day, then go from there...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additionally&lt;/strong&gt; you may wish to take the time (7 minutes) to listen to this podcast:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/podcasts/greensideup/201108_860.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Effects of Drought and Drowning on Plants&lt;/a&gt; (direct link to &lt;a href=&quot;https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/podcasts/greensideup/media/greensideup%5F2011%2D08%2D11%5FGSU8%2D11.mp3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;MP3&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Richard Hentschel, Horticulture Educator and Retired Extension Plant Pathologist Jim Schuster discuss drought and drowning symptoms and the long term problems with annuals, perennials and woody plants. Also discuss are methods for proper watering and indicators of drought and drowining&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and enjoy your plumb tree.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-09-10T04:25:39.697" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1984" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1981" CreationDate="2011-09-09T14:57:02.747" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;For &quot;general&quot; tree planting (care) information refer to this answer here on SE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1115/how-and-when-to-plant-young-grafted-apple-tree/1118#1118&quot;&gt;How and when to plant young grafted apple tree?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the leftover soil make a watering doughnut (approx 100mm high and 1000mm diameter) around the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fill the doughnut with 50 to 75mm of mulch (personally I would use good quality compost), start approx 100mm to 150mm away from the trunk* of the tree and work out to the watering doughnut. Using compost as a mulch in this situation has the added benefit of feeding the tree naturally and slowly. Then add a fresh 25mm to 50mm layer when needed (usually once a year).&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;*You never want anything covering the trunk flare. The trunk flare needs to &quot;breathe&quot;. A sure way to make a healthy tree, unhealthy (eventually killing it, if the problem is not rectified) is to do something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=volcano%20mulch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;volcano mulch&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and enjoy your plumb tree.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-09-13T17:07:05.820" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1975" CreationDate="2011-09-09T17:06:03.937" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sure looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocimum_tenuiflorum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ocimum tenuiflorum&lt;/a&gt;, I don't have a particular reason to doubt it from those photos. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see this photo (click to enlarge) from the wikipedia page showing the leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9LiWa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9LiWam.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Holy Basil - Ocimum tenuiflorum&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Starr_080117-1577_Ocimum_tenuiflorum.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikimedia commons&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaf structure seems identical. Based on your photos and the photos from Wikipedia, I would definitely be inclined to think it is indeed what it is supposed to be. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="617" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-09T18:52:20.813" LastActivityDate="2011-09-09T18:52:20.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1980" CreationDate="2011-09-09T18:38:11.367" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The standard advice for newly planted nursery stock, &lt;em&gt;water deeply once a week or, if it is hot, twice a week&lt;/em&gt;, is good for large ball and burlap trees, bare-root stock planted in the spring, and partially established plants (second year after planting). Container-grown trees and shrubs, which constitute an overwhelming majority of nursery stock sold, need to be treated a bit differently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Contain-grown plants can be easily identified when you remove them from their pots:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The growing medium will be coarse textured, either a mixture of perlite or pumice and peat or a mix of bark mulch and coarse sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There will be plenty of happy white roots to hold the root ball together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, if the growing medium looks like ordinary garden soil or there are relatively few roots holding the root ball together, the plant is probably &lt;em&gt;containerized&lt;/em&gt;, that is, bare-root stock potted up early in the spring. Newly planted &lt;em&gt;containerized&lt;/em&gt; stock can be watered the standard way, deeply once a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the retail garden center and at the grower before that, container-grown nursery stock is watered thoroughly every day during sunny, warm periods, twice a day when it is hot. A gardener's job is to transition the plant from container-grown to ground-grown. This usually translates into a thorough watering every other day for the first week or two, half as often in cloudy weather. After the first couple weeks, look to make the waterings less frequent paying attention to the plant for clues to how happy it is. Check to see if it is drooping in the afternoons. Yellowing or purpling leaves are also a common sign of stress. By the end of the first month, you should have transitioned the plant to once a week waterings. Still, check it regularly to make sure it is happy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, lets talk about these vague adjectives, &lt;em&gt;deeply&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;thoroughly&lt;/em&gt;. You want to wet the soil to the full depth of the root ball. As a rule of thumb, one inch of water, a volume of water inch deep over a given area, will typically penetrate to a depth of 4 to 6 inches, two inches will penetrate 6 to 10 inches, etc. Judge accordingly. Usually, this means filling your watering basin two to three times, or letting the hose trickle for at least five minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-09-09T18:48:08.747" LastActivityDate="2011-09-09T18:48:08.747" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1987" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1979" CreationDate="2011-09-09T20:32:06.563" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chances are very good this insect is commonly called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitefly&quot;&gt;whitefly&lt;/a&gt;. As a tomato plant is considered an annual and we are are getting close to end of season where I live you could ignore the problem as they do not damage the fruit.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are keeping the plant indoors then you should act quickly or the whitefly can spread to a wide variety of plants.&#xA;Check the link for recommendations:&#xA;What has worked for me is: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hose off the underside of the leafs first to physically remove the&#xA;adults   &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;place yellow sticky strips close by to attract newly hatched &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a dilute solution of soap and water applied every few days for seven to&#xA;ten days should catch all new issues.  The hairy leaves of tomato&#xA;plants present some problems in getting good coverage with soap.  You&#xA;may need to apply soap and rinse afterwards with water to prevent a&#xA;buildup&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-09-09T20:32:06.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1988" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-09T21:01:25.287" Score="17" ViewCount="13183" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a taste problem this year with my greenhouse tomatoes. I've grown a mix of varieties (&lt;em&gt;moneymaker&lt;/em&gt; plus a couple of others) indoors and they've all come out nothing like as tasty as in previous years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now my cherry tomatoes grown outdoors taste superb. Tasting the cherries with their &quot;burst&quot; of flavour, then the indoor ones is a reminder of how poorly the latter have done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't get me wrong, they don't taste of &quot;nothing&quot; like supermarket tomatoes. They're slightly better than that. They just taste a bit &lt;strong&gt;dry&lt;/strong&gt;, a bit &lt;strong&gt;mealy/floury&lt;/strong&gt;. Certainly they're not very juicy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're OK to look at (click for larger photo)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QsUDm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QsUDmm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could I have done wrong? The following all apply:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I haven't watered them as reliably and consistently as the perfect gardener might&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I haven't fed them at all (but they do sit in bags of fat juicy horse manure)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They're possibly a bit crowded&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They're not blemish free (but they look OK), and there's the odd hole&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But before you jump all over those &quot;errors&quot; all of the above have applied in previous years and yet I've had superb tasting crops nevertheless up till now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing slightly worse than normal this year, is I've noticed a greater than normal amount of leaf curl but &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/643/what-does-it-mean-if-my-tomato-leaves-are-curling&quot;&gt;this question &amp;amp; answer&lt;/a&gt; seem to say that this isn't a great concern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-01-15T23:38:37.137" Title="Why are my tomatoes tasteless?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1989" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-09T21:30:44.960" Score="12" ViewCount="275" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you do a search for &quot;companion planting&quot;, you get millions of hits. However, it's hard to separate out the real legitimate information from the muck. There's a lot of misinformation based on pseudoscientific methods of divining which plants &quot;like&quot; each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The academic community seems to prefer the term &quot;intercropping&quot; to distinguish the real science from the hocus-pocus. Unfortunately, most of the legitimate research I've stumbled across seems geared toward &lt;em&gt;disproving&lt;/em&gt; what doesn't work rather than finding what does work. So there's far less information available from academia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know of some credible sources that are actively researching this field?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="295" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-09T21:54:55.747" LastActivityDate="2011-09-12T14:41:41.807" Title="Where can I find credible information about companion planting/intercropping" Tags="&lt;companion-planting&gt;&lt;resources&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1990" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2003" CreationDate="2011-09-09T23:05:34.040" Score="13" ViewCount="1946" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently planted a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1980/how-much-should-i-water-my-cherry-tree&quot;&gt;cherry tree sapling&lt;/a&gt; about two weeks ago. It's about a handspan high, and has four leaves. I noticed that it had orange spots on one of the leaves when I planted it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W7Nym.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W7Nymm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The entire seedling&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NAZ0b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NAZ0bm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up of a butchered leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;Click on the images for larger size&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today, I noticed tons more orange spots on the same leaf, and spreading on a couple other leaves. The tip of one of the leaves is turning brown and looks wilty and it looks like part of another leaf is missing (presumably eaten by insects).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the two weeks that I've had it, I've watered it three times daily for one minute each (I know, my bad) and once today for about ten to fifteen minutes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What, if anything, is wrong with the sapling? Is it underwatered? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-09-27T17:38:27.063" Title="Cherry sapling has orange dots on its leaves and the tips are wilting. What could be wrong?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1991" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1992" CreationDate="2011-09-10T11:41:39.177" Score="11" ViewCount="19009" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn is wet at the moment (well, a bit dewey, not soaking as in just rained), and it clogs my mower, causing it to work harder and fail to collect anything in the basket.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a solution besides waiting until dried? Walk faster/slower? Speed up or down my blades?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="625" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-24T23:38:56.960" LastActivityDate="2011-11-24T23:38:56.960" Title="How can I mow a moist lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;mowing&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1992" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1991" CreationDate="2011-09-10T12:11:53.683" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the recommendation is to wait until it is dry. As well as clogging problems, you can damage the grass - although this latter issue isn't a problem for a heterogeneous low quality &quot;lawn&quot; such as mine!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Raising the blades will reduce the amount of cuttings produced - so this will reduce clogging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, have you considered leaving it on the lawn as mulch, rather than bagging? This should help but it will still have some clogging problems - the grass can build up between the blades and cover to eventually stall the motor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-10T12:11:53.683" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1993" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="1995" CreationDate="2011-09-10T16:41:25.983" Score="8" ViewCount="2187" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this plant from a home repair store 3 days back, but I don't know what it is. Now it seems that its decaying. What is this plant and what do I need to do to take care of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eASx0.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eASx0m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="518" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-09-10T20:00:21.110" LastActivityDate="2014-06-21T01:18:01.500" Title="What is this house plant with bright pink flowers and dark green leaves? How should I take care of it?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1991" CreationDate="2011-09-10T18:20:18.793" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've learnt to &lt;strong&gt;never&lt;/strong&gt; cut my lawn when it's:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Damp, wet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;During dry, hot spells (generally July &amp;amp; August here in Missouri), when temperatures are constantly over 90&amp;#176;F (32&amp;#176;C).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, my grass does on occasion get somewhat long, but never long enough for it to become an eyesore -- at least I don't believe so (and I'm not living in denial here, honest), nor have I had anyone complain to me directly or indirectly about it...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you've discovered, cutting grass when it's damp (wet) is difficult, plus:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You won't get a good cut. Period.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The grass will mat-down, smother itself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You increase the possibility of fungal diseases taking hold in your lawn -- cut, wet blades are a lot more susceptible to allowing those kind of diseases to enter... &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You (greatly) increase the possibility of thatch buildup in your lawn, which it turn can lead to fungal diseases taking hold...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you must mow your lawn when it's damp, wet, it is highly recommended you collect up the clippings as you go (via a bag attached to your mower). &lt;strong&gt;Why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even a mulching type mower will not breakdown the clippings so they &quot;disappear&quot; into your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The wet clippings will instead somewhat help mat-down your lawn and will most definitely add material to your lawns thatch layer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wish to read about my &quot;organic&quot; approach to lawn care, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;go here&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; on SE.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-09-10T18:20:18.793" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1995" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1993" CreationDate="2011-09-10T18:26:44.910" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begonia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;begonia&lt;/a&gt;, probably a &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/55110/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Rieger begonia&lt;/a&gt;. Check &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.begoniacare.net/rieger_begonia/rieger_begonia.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this begonia care site&lt;/a&gt; for details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Begonias commonly get gray mold (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botrytis_cinerea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Botrytis&lt;/a&gt;). Since this fungus moves from dead tissue into living, pick off any dead flowers or leaves as soon as you can. Try to keep the foliage and flowers dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-21T01:18:01.500" LastActivityDate="2014-06-21T01:18:01.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1996" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1989" CreationDate="2011-09-10T21:28:54.710" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I take it you're looking for credible information about companion planting that is relevant to the needs of home/ amateur gardeners, like ourselves, as well as to those of the farming community. As you point out, there are many theories, but it's hard to find one that is scientifically proven. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One 'legitimate' instance of intercropping (interesting and based on sound research, but unfortunately not one that will prove useful to most members of this forum) is a habitat-management strategy devised by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rothamsted.bbsrc.ac.uk/Research/Centres/PressReleases.php?PRID=114&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rothamsted Research Centre, UK&lt;/a&gt;, to protect maize and sorghum plants from stemborers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The approach relies on a carefully selected combination of companion crops planted around and among maize or sorghum plants. Both domestic and wild grasses can help to protect the crops by attracting and trapping the stemborers. The grasses are planted in the border around the maize and sorghum fields where invading adult moths become attracted to chemicals emitted by the grasses themselves instead of landing on the maize or sorghum plants. These grasses provide the &quot;pull&quot; in the &quot;push-pull&quot; strategy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;They also serve as a refuge for the borers' natural enemies. Good trap crops include well-known grasses such as Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) and Sudan grass (Sorghum vulgare sudanense). Napier grass has a particularly clever way of defending itself against the pest onslaught: once attacked by a borer larva, it secrets sticky substance that physically traps the pest and effectively limits its damage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The &quot;push&quot; in the intercropping scheme is provided by the plants that emit chemicals which repel stemborer moths and drive them away from the main crop (maize or sorghum). The best candidates discovered so far with the repellent properties are members of leguminous genus Desmodium spp. which is planted in between the rows of maize or sorghum. Being low-growing plant it does not interfere with the crops' growth and furthermore has the advantage of maintaining soil stability and improving soil fertility through nitrogen-fixation. It also serves as a highly nutritious animal feed and effectively suppresses Striga. Another plant showing good repellent properties is molasses grass (Melinis minutiflora), a nutritious animal feed with tick-repelling and stemborer larval parasitoid attractive properties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rothamsted.bbsrc.ac.uk/bch/CEGroup/ChemEcolGroupArea6.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Push-pull Habitat Manipulation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-09-10T22:09:32.267" LastActivityDate="2011-09-10T22:09:32.267" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1997" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1990" CreationDate="2011-09-11T02:29:20.137" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is possible that the orange spots are a rust like cedar apple rust.  The alternate host is cedars or junipers.&#xA;However as a new sapling it should not have had time to come into contact with unless where you got it from had an existing source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=536&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; was informative about dealing with it but I can't be sure if it is rust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that there is a picture I can say that this is not a rust and Eric's answer is correct.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2011-09-12T16:14:36.620" LastActivityDate="2011-09-12T16:14:36.620" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1998" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1989" CreationDate="2011-09-11T11:13:47.697" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can filter out a lot of the chaff by restricting your search to the .edu domain, e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3A.edu+intercropping&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;intercropping site:.edu&quot;&lt;/a&gt; gives:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A publication on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.iastate.edu/publications/pm1763.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;strip intercropping&lt;/a&gt; from Iowa State.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A fact sheet on &lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/agf-fact/0504.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;modified relay intercropping&lt;/a&gt; from Ohio State.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;and others -- but you still have to separate some fluff from the real research&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both of these papers provide references to dead-tree publications. Access to some of these may require a visit to a university or other large library.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, neither paper is really aimed at home gardeners -- most are geared towards large scale agriculture. And, given that this is where research dollars come from, I suspect that much of the research is going to be targeted to this area. You might, however, be able to find research on vegetable intercropping for large market growers that transfers well to the home garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another possible source of information, and a synonym to search on, is plant &quot;guilds&quot;. This is a related, but somewhat deeper and richer concept than interplanting. Permaculture uses the concept of plant guilds to build &quot;stacks&quot; of plants that work well together, from the root zone to the tree canopy. You are likely to find more practical experience than scientific research. Some of it will be very localized -- since the specific plant communities that work well together will be different on different sites. In my experience, this research has less junk science than the biodynamic nonsense that's out there. However, since it is less formal and not coming from a rigorous scientific community, there are fewer references so you can't quickly build a long bibliography of articles to read. A good starting point with lots of tables and plant lists is &quot;Gaia's Garden&quot; by Toby Hemenway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-12T14:41:41.807" LastActivityDate="2011-09-12T14:41:41.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="1999" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2005" CreationDate="2011-09-11T16:10:54.353" Score="16" ViewCount="1287" Body="&lt;p&gt;Should I let the chili mature on the plant, cut it open and take the seeds, dry them and store in a cold, dark and dry place? Or is there more to it than that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-09-11T19:20:53.030" LastActivityDate="2012-10-03T20:20:36.170" Title="How should I store my chili seeds for planting next year?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;storage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2000" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2001" CreationDate="2011-09-11T19:30:10.083" Score="10" ViewCount="651" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am experimenting this autumn with more autumn/winter vegetables than I am used to. I have cabbages and leeks near maturity which will be the main events, but I've also put in some August sown purple sprouting broccoli. Not sure if it'll work, but I'm hoping for a crop early next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At this stage (September) the seedlings are still quite small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At this time of year, high winds can be a problem. Do broccoli (and similar) plants, which are hardy enough to survive winter, need protection from winds? If so, what's the best approach? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm figuring it's too early to put them under glass or polythene, there can still be a lot of heat in the sun during the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2020-10-02T00:15:34.753" Title="How to protect broccoli seedlings from high winds?" Tags="&lt;brassicas&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;&lt;fall-gardening&gt;&lt;wind-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2001" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2000" CreationDate="2011-09-11T20:22:06.160" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I currently have unprotected broccoli, and we just came through two major wind events: first was a thunderstorm (~50-60mph) and second was Tropical Storm Irene (~30-40 mph). One of my seedlings (about a foot tall at the time) was flattened by the thunderstorm and another by Irene. Both bounced back and seem to have made a full recovery, about 2-3 weeks later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the past, I've used row cover supported by 1&quot; PVC &quot;tent frames&quot; to protect spring broccoli. I shove the PVC into the ground a couple of inches to secure it, drape the row cover over the top, and weight down the edges with rocks. It's dual purpose: keeps off the cabbage worms and protects it from wind. (It also provides a couple degrees of frost protection, but that doesn't seem like an issue in your case.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-11T20:22:06.160" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2002" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2004" CreationDate="2011-09-12T01:43:40.493" Score="11" ViewCount="475" Body="&lt;p&gt;A particular site in our garden (USDA zone 4) has dry, sandy soil over heavy clay and gets full sun. There is excellent drainage due to the retaining wall on one side that has a drainage pipe situated below two feet below grade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are some good, small shrubs with the following characteristics that will grow well under the above conditions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;preferably native to North America  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tolerates dry full sun conditions  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;height of two to six feet, width of three feet  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;flowers can occur in spring or summer  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;berries or some fruit that hang on, red colour preferred  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;excellent fall colour&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;should not sucker, tolerate pruning if over 4 feet&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I've looked at so far is &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Aronia melanocarpa&lt;/em&gt; &quot;Brilliantissima&quot;: However, I understand it suckers and can grow eight to ten feet wide. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Euonomyus elatus compacta&lt;/em&gt;: In our area, good fall colour is not guaranteed with this cultivar.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ribes aureum&lt;/em&gt;: There is a dwarf white pine very closeby and as the Ribes is susceptible to white pine blister rust, this doesn't seem promising.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any other suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-12T02:17:06.053" LastActivityDate="2011-09-12T23:40:04.860" Title="What are some small deciduous shrubs that can grow in USDA zone 4?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2003" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1990" CreationDate="2011-09-12T04:17:29.053" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on the information you have given, the most likely cause of the leaf problems is transplant shock compounded by overwatering. A photo and some information about where the seedling came from would be helpful for refining this assessment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When a plant is transplanted, it loses a portion of its root system. Similarly, overwatering also damages the roots. In either case, the plant is trying to support itself on a much reduced root system. This accounts for the wilting. Note that this wilting &lt;em&gt;does not&lt;/em&gt; indicate that the plant is dry, but, instead that the root's ability to take up moisture is inadequate. Providing a little temporary shade might help the roots catch up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stress induced by transplanting often causes plants to give up some of its leaves, usually the older ones. Leaves will yellow or exhibit typical autumn coloring, and then fall off. Often such leaves are affected by an opportunistic leaf spot disease. Identifying which fungus or bacteria is causing spots on an already dying leaf is probably not useful. Helping the plant overcome the shock of transplanting will be however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my suggestions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water accurately. Do not use the plant's general demeanor as a guide for watering. Use your finger instead. Poke it into the soil to the depth of the plant's root zone. If it is dry, water. Otherwise, don't. Check often, watering only when needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize lightly. Use a soluble fertilizer at half strength in one of your waterings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Provide some protection from heat, sun, and wind. Cherries like full sun, but, until it has adjusted, you may need to provide some temporary light shade. An occasional light misting during the heat of the day may be helpful. If it is exposed to a lot of wind, you may need to build something nearby to protect it as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit based on the newly provided photo:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the positive side, the seedling has not yet given up on any of its leaves. The yellowing is from leaf spot disease. If it is a bacterial leaf spot, there is no treatment. If fungal, there may be. (&lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/pdf/HYG_3021_08.pdf&quot;&gt;I'm guessing bacterial.&lt;/a&gt;) In either case, keep the foliage dry, so ignore my previous misting suggestion, and try to increase air circulation. Otherwise, follow my water and fertilization suggestions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The holes are caused by small caterpillars or maggots which are undoubtedly on the plant now. Look for them. When you find them, feed them to your local spider.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overall, relax — autumn is coming soon. If the seedling has been growing happily in a pot for several weeks and only now after transplanting the leaf spots are starting win, it will likely be fine next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-09-12T21:47:32.740" LastActivityDate="2011-09-12T21:47:32.740" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2002" CreationDate="2011-09-12T12:43:14.667" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;A quick trip through the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fedcoseeds.com/trees.htm&quot;&gt;Fedco trees catalog&lt;/a&gt; suggests the following small-ish shrubs. None of them meet all of your criteria, but I suspect you're going to have to prioritize your criteria or pick and choose to find a shrub that meets the best balance of desirable attributes. I've listed larger or suckering shrubs where they have good fruit, flowers, and/or good fall color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;V. corymbosum&lt;/em&gt; (Highbush blueberry). The fall color and summer flowers aren't spectacular, and the fruit doesn't &quot;hang on&quot;, but it is delicious.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Prunus japonica x P. jacquemontii&lt;/em&gt; (Joel Bush Cherry). Z3. 4x4'. Pink spring blossoms. Fruit ripens in September. Don't know about foliage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;P. tomentosa&lt;/em&gt; (Nanking Cherry). Z2. 6-10'. Pink buds, fragrant white flowers. Scarlet 1/2&quot; fruit.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Itea virginica&lt;/em&gt; (‘Henry’s Garnet’ Virginia Sweetspire). &quot;Z5 or maybe Z4&quot;. 5-6'. &quot;Fragrant white flowers on upright racemes up to 6&quot; long in early summer. Bright green foliage, brilliant reddish-purple fall color&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Kolkwitzia amabilis&lt;/em&gt; (Beautybush). Z4. 6-8'. Pink flowers. Yellow and red fall color.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Philadelphus lewisii&lt;/em&gt; (Blizzard Mockorange). Z4. 3'. White flowers. Native to Asia.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Salix integra&lt;/em&gt; (‘Hakuro Nishiki’ Dappled Willow). 3-5'. Z4. &quot;Leaves turn yellow in fall and drop late [...] Color best in full sun and colder districts.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-12T12:43:14.667" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2005" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1999" CreationDate="2011-09-12T12:56:44.257" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've pretty much got the idea; some details to add:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeds are ready when the fruit is mature. Make sure they're ripe and fully colored. Dry away from sunlight -- and make sure they're fully dry. Test dryness by bending a seed: if it snaps in half, it's ready. If it bends, it's not dry enough. Store in a cool, dark, dry place. Use within 2-3 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cross-pollination is an issue: isolate from other varieties by 500' or cage plants to ensure pure strains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For long-term success (i.e. good results over multiple generations), you'll want to save seed from at least 20 plants. If you don't do this, the gene pool doesn't have enough variety and you'll end up with poor plants after several generations. If you only want to save seed for a generation or two, this probably won't be so much of an issue. (If you save seed from a couple of chilis in generation 1, you will probably have enough seeds for 2-3 years at which point you can buy professionally grown seed again to refresh the gene pool.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Source for details above: &quot;Seed to Seed&quot; by Suzanne Ashworth.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-15T16:02:34.377" LastActivityDate="2011-09-15T16:02:34.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2006" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1990" CreationDate="2011-09-12T14:40:45.807" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm no tree, plant disease expert, but that to me looks like some kind of disease, not something brought on by over or under watering, especially as you say the spots were there before planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It came from a neighbour; the spots were there when I first planted it&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To determine if the sapling is diseased or not, you could try speaking with a local gardening expert at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rbg.ca/Page.aspx?pid=352&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gardening Information Service&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; via &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rbg.ca/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Royal Botanical Gardens Canada&lt;/a&gt; and/or send a sample for testing at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub811/15appendixi.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Diagnostic Services&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; via &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it was me, I would:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Clear away (remove from your landscape) those wood-chips, they are breeding ground for all kinds of problems...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Follow &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1990/cherry-sapling-has-orange-dots-on-its-leaves-and-the-tips-are-wilting-what-could/2003#2003&quot;&gt;&quot;Eric Nitardy&quot; fertiliser and watering advice&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plus look at the watering advice already given in your, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1980/394&quot;&gt;How much should I water my cherry tree?&lt;/a&gt;&quot; question.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Honestly to begin with, I would have planted such a (small) sapling in a (decent sized) pot, got it established, allowed it to develop a good root system, before planting it out in bare ground...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-09-27T17:38:27.063" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2007" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2002" CreationDate="2011-09-12T16:53:59.973" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below are some additional deciduous shrubs that should meet most of your requirements (though all of them are non North American natives):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_barberry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese barberry &lt;em&gt;(Berberis thunbergii)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotoneaster&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cotoneaster &lt;em&gt;(Cotoneaster apiculatus)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiraea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Spirea &lt;em&gt;(Spiraea)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; - doesn't produce fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weigela&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Weigela &lt;em&gt;(Weigela florida)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; - doesn't produce fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never heard of (Dwarf) Burning Bush needing a particular location for Autumn (Fall) colour. Granted I have mine (which I'm very happy with) in my front garden (North facing), &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/236/what-kind-of-plants-will-survive-the-heat-from-an-air-conditioner/1412#1412&quot;&gt;see here on SE for a couple of photos&lt;/a&gt;, but I planted it there for a purpose (to screen something), not because it specifically required that location. Additionally  I see Burning Bushes all over the place here where I live (Missouri) and all of them (at least the ones I see) put on that striking Autumn (Fall) colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are some Ottawa (and North America) native plant resources you may additionally wish to browse through, contact for local expert native plant knowledge, recommendations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ottawahort.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ottawa Horticultural Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ottawahort.org/yearbook1981-3.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ottawa Horticultural Society - Naturalizing Our Native Plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/water/waterwise/outdoors/lgt/native_plants_en.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;City of Ottawa - Native Plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rcgardens.ca/factsheets/factsheets/wildflowerfacts.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wildflowers - Native Plants and Wildflowers for Every Garden&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ottawagarden.ca/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ottawa Botanical Garden Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nanps.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;North American Native Plant Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.connaughtnursery.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Connaught Nursery - Ottawa Valley Native Plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-09-12T18:11:32.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2008" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2010" CreationDate="2011-09-12T17:18:07.340" Score="16" ViewCount="3760" Body="&lt;p&gt;I set up a 7 cu ft rolling composter in my garden about 3 weeks ago and filled it about halfway with 1/3 food scraps and 2/3 cardboard/leaves/finished compost.  My kids added more food scraps, so it's probably 50-50 now. I've kept it wet and turned it, but upon opening it yesterday, it had a sour stench and a lot of bugs squirming in it.  I added more finished compost, hoping it just had too much food scraps, but I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do. Is it just 'not done' yet?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="629" LastActivityDate="2011-09-12T20:45:30.187" Title="My composter has developed a sour smell and a lot of bugs. What am I doing wrong?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="417" CreationDate="2011-09-12T17:23:00.753" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never read this anywhere, but my experience is that if you leave grass clippings spread out to dry in the sun for a couple of days, they aren't nearly as &quot;hot&quot; (nitrogenous) if you then add them to the pile.  I'd guess this is true for anything else, too.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I'm coming at this from the opposite direction - I never have enough nitrogen.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[&lt;em&gt;six months later&lt;/em&gt;]  In hindsight... I should have begged the question.  If the pile doesn't show signs of too much nitrogen, don't fix what ain't broke.  A pile with an good mix will get hot inside, maybe even steam, and smell like a dairy barn - a smell similar to urine.  You may see a lot of it inside turn white.  This is all great for the pile.  If hot enough, it will even kill weed seeds in the pile.  If it's situated where the smell is a problem, though, you may want to add carbon, as you thought, just to reduce the smell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If a pile made mostly of grass has too much nitrogen, it will do one or more of:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;smell bad, especially inside, like spinach or lettuce that's been in the refrigerator too long &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;turn black inside&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;turn gooey/slimy inside&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-12-14T16:22:55.693" LastActivityDate="2011-12-14T16:22:55.693" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2010" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2008" CreationDate="2011-09-12T17:47:22.893" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it has a sour smell, you've probably got:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Too much nitrogen, not enough carbon -- add more cardboard &amp;amp; leaves. Avoid adding food scraps, lawn clippings, etc until the problem is fixed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not enough air -- turn it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Too much water -- don't add any more water. (This also contributes to &quot;not enough air&quot; -- when it's too wet, the bacteria can't breathe.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you use just shredded cardboard (which has a very high carbon percentage), I'd add about 10% the volume of the bin to get it to equilibrium. If you use leaves instead of cardboard (high carbon, but not as much), I'd triple that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a rough, off the cuff guesstimate. You'll have to add the cardboard, turn it, let it sit for a couple of days and observe. The cardboard will also soak up some of the excess moisture. If the smell goes away and the pile starts to heat up, then you've got the ratio about right. If it still stinks, add more carbon (leaves or cardboard), turn, and wait another couple of days. If the smell goes away but it doesn't heat up, you may have gone too far with the carbon. This is easier to fix than too much nitrogen: start adding kitchen scraps gradually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a readily available carbon feedstock (aka &quot;browns&quot;: newspaper, cardboard, dry leaves, sawdust, etc), tell your kids that they need to add some whenever they add kitchen scraps. The &quot;browns&quot; belong on top of the scraps. Use more leaves, less sawdust -- the chart &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.composting101.com/c-n-ratio.html&quot;&gt;on this page&lt;/a&gt; will give you an idea of how much carbon is in various ingredients. (But your own experience will be the best teacher.) A thin sprinkling of garden soil over the top of the browns helps inoculate the compost with good bacteria and trap nitrogen from escaping into the environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(As a side note, &quot;bugs&quot; are expected in your compost -- they're part of what will break it down. But it's possible that you've got more than you should. They will probably go away when you get the mix right, especially if you bury the scraps under browns as described above.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-12T20:45:30.187" LastActivityDate="2011-09-12T20:45:30.187" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1782" CreationDate="2011-09-12T18:14:18.620" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lots of good answers about food and shelter (and also add water in drought conditions), but I should also add that you can try to keep predators out (another kind of shelter). In urban and suburban locations this typically means cats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/index.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;RSPB&lt;/a&gt; put the annual bird kill from domestic cats in the UK at 'several million'. Which IMHO is more significant than leaving food out at migration time!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keeping cats out will reduce the number of deaths, but there will be a greater effect by the lack of deterrent. Cats will deter birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-12T18:14:18.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2012" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2021" CreationDate="2011-09-12T18:21:40.953" Score="32" ViewCount="22074" Body="&lt;p&gt;The majority of the grass in my backyard has turned brown and/or died after what we believe was a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blissus_leucopterus&quot;&gt;chinch bug&lt;/a&gt; onslaught that went untreated for way too long.  It is St. Augustine grass in South Florida.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I finally treated the whole backyard with Spectracide, so hopefully that takes care of the bugs.  Now the problem is repairing the damage.  If at all possible, I'd like to avoid re-sodding due to the labor and costs involved, but if there's no alternative, then I'd at least like to make sure I do things properly to ensure the newly planted lawn thrives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have maybe &lt;strike&gt;100-150&lt;/strike&gt; 300-350 sq ft of surviving grass back there... is there any chance that the surviving grass will spread to fill the backyard (relatively quickly?) or that the brown/dead grass will regrow?  Is there anything I can do to accelerate the process?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If not, is it time to just dig everything up and lay down new sod?  What would be the proper way to do so in order to ensure I'll have a thriving, attractive looking lawn for my efforts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Images below of what happened / what's left in case it helps (click to enlarge):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zyrz9.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zyrz9m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Backyard grass 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E01dU.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E01dUm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Backyard grass 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="631" LastEditorUserId="631" LastEditDate="2011-09-13T16:28:00.303" LastActivityDate="2012-02-05T11:24:52.693" Title="Can my lawn be saved or is it time to dig it up and re-sod?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2013" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2016" CreationDate="2011-09-12T22:29:59.203" Score="13" ViewCount="605" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently been made responsible for watering and taking care of many small potted plants around our office, and I have little to no gardening experience. There are many different types of plants, and I don't have the time to research the details of each one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a simple rule of thumb for how much/often to water plants like these, in general (and how to tell whether they're being over or under watered)? What about other maintenance (e.g. cutting or removing dead leaves)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="436" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T13:21:59.637" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T13:21:59.637" Title="Is there a simple rule of thumb for caring for potted plants in an office?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2014" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3057" CreationDate="2011-09-12T23:11:59.963" Score="12" ViewCount="3081" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planting Mammoth &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifolium_pratense&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Red Clover&lt;/a&gt; as a cover crop -- it will grow all next year in a couple of my garden beds, and I'll plow it under the following spring (~18 months from now). I'd like to get it started this fall, but I'm wondering: how much time does clover need to establish before really cold weather hits?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in NH, USDA zone 5, frosts start in September, ground freezes hard by December.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I'd rather lose 8 months of growing time than lose all/most of the seed to winter kill.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-15T12:31:35.063" LastActivityDate="2012-06-08T17:52:22.640" Title="How much time does clover need to establish before winter?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;cover-crop&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;clover&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2015" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2002" CreationDate="2011-09-12T23:28:04.337" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;All of the following are dependably hardy in zone 4, have good fall color, are six feet or under, do not sucker much, and have long lasting fruit. They should also do well in a sandy soil where summers are relatively moist and cool (Ottawa). Spread may occasionally be an issue as most shrubs are at least as wide as they are tall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Berberis thunbergii&lt;/em&gt; (Japanese Barberry). Size varies by cultivar, green varieties give best fall color. Red fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Berberis&lt;/em&gt; 'Tara' (Korean-type Barberry). 4-5' high, 4-5' wide. Excellent fall color. Red fruit. Drought tolerant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Malus sargentii&lt;/em&gt; 'Tina'(Dwarf Crabapple). 3-5' high, 4-5' wide, a really small crabapple, good fall color. Red fruit. Drought tolerant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rosa&lt;/em&gt; (Shrub Rose) There are lots of options here, but putting a rose on a dry sandy soil is asking for powdery mildew. Rugosa rose is an exception though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rosa rugosa&lt;/em&gt; (Rugosa Rose). 4-6' high, 4-5' wide. For best fruiting, choose single flowered varieties. &lt;em&gt;R. rugosa&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;R. rugosa alba&lt;/em&gt; have excellent fall color. Red fruit. Drought tolerant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Viburnum&lt;/em&gt; 'Emerald Triumph'. 4-6' high, 6 ' wide. Purple fall color. Red to black fruit. Drought tolerant. Half native.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Viburnum dentatum&lt;/em&gt; 'Christom' (Blue Muffin Arrowwood). 5-7' high, 4-6' wide. Yellow fall color, blue-black fruit. Drought tolerant. Native.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Viburnum dentatum&lt;/em&gt; 'Rastzam' (Raspberry Tart Arrowwood). 4-5' high, 4-5' wide. Red Fall color, blue-black fruit. Drought tolerant.  Native.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Viburnum trilobium&lt;/em&gt; 'Compact' ('Alfredo', 'Bailey Compact', 'Spring Green Compact') (Compact American Cranberry). 4-6' high, 4-6' wide. Fall color varies by cultivar, but is typically very good. Red Fruit. Drought Tolerant. Native.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Vaccinium&lt;/em&gt; (Low-bush, Half-high Blueberry). 2-5' high 3-6' wide. As bstpierre noted the blueberry fruits do not last long (since the birds eat them), but these often have excellent fall color, which varies by cultivar. Drought tolerant. Native.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-09-12T23:40:04.860" LastActivityDate="2011-09-12T23:40:04.860" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2016" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2013" CreationDate="2011-09-13T01:20:54.070" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;If a house plant is in reasonable light then when it is watered it should receive enough so that water comes out the bottom of the pot.  If a plant has really dried out then you may need to let it sit in a small amount of water so capillary action can re wet the entire root ball. Normally though you should not let a plant sit in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although it varies from species to species as a general rule of thumb if the leaves are turning yellow and falling off while plump with water then you are over watering.  Under watering can produce yellow leaves but they tend to be dry and papery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The primary cause of death of houseplants is over watering, with inadequate light a close second. (I base this on my 10 years as an interior landscaper but articles &lt;a href=&quot;http://coopext.colostate.edu/4DMG/Plants/guidline.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/%24department/deptdocs.nsf/all/webdoc1377&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; seem to confirm this.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Smaller pots dry out faster and the more sun the more water a plant can use. It is difficult to give a one size fits all rule.  Put your finger in the soil or use a moisture meter, if it's dry water adequately.  If it's wet, leave it be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yellow leaves should be removed at the base of the stem by hand.  Be careful not to damage the main stem. I have found that by cutting only the leaf leaves a bit of the stem that has to be removed later anyway. So if you are going to trim a leaf, it all has to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-02-26T00:48:26.423" LastActivityDate="2012-02-26T00:48:26.423" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2017" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2019" CreationDate="2011-09-13T02:58:41.120" Score="12" ViewCount="651" Body="&lt;p&gt;Inspired by the various &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/brassicas&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;brassicas&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;brassicas&lt;/a&gt; questions, I was thinking of trying to grow some. Choosing something that I would eat, I'm thinking of either broccoli and/or cauliflower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I have been able to read about growing them in a N.Texas climate, I can grow them as a fall crop (plant a few weeks ago and race against the first frost) or as a spring crop (plant after the last frost and race against the summer heat).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2000/how-to-protect-broccoli-seedlings-from-high-winds&quot;&gt;this recent question about wind tolerance&lt;/a&gt; implies that broccoli has some frost tolerance? Is this true? Could I plant seed in February (say) or even November and over-winter them outside, giving them a head-start when spring comes? Or would I be better off starting seed indoors in seed trays (in February?) and planting them out in mid-March after the last frost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to buy broccoli/cauliflower &quot;starts&quot; that could be planted in March? Pepper plants purchased in March always have a head start over seedlings during the spring / early summer months, so it seems like this might be a good idea for brassicas as well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-09-13T17:29:15.893" Title="What is the best time and method for planting cauliflowers / broccoli in a southern US climate with frosts?" Tags="&lt;brassicas&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;&lt;cauliflower&gt;&lt;frost&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2017" CreationDate="2011-09-13T13:05:30.040" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/vegetables/coldtoler.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this TAMU Q&amp;amp;A&lt;/a&gt; for info on cold tolerance in broccoli among others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The packet of broccoli I have here says 55-70 days to maturity. If you planted Sep 13 (today) and harvested 60 days later, that would be Nov 12. A quick lookup shows that Dallas expects frosts around the beginning of November. Broccoli will tolerate some light frost, and if you're willing to keep an eye on the forecast and set out row covers for early freezes, you can probably get a harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best practice would probably be, as you say, to transplant in late August. This would give you a better chance to harvest before freezes arrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the spring, you don't need to wait until after last frost. It's safe to set out &lt;em&gt;hardened off&lt;/em&gt; starts 2-3 weeks prior to last frost. I usually start mine indoors 6 weeks prior to last frost, then harden for a week after 3 weeks, then transplant outside at 2 weeks prior to last frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding buying starts: I've never seen broccoli seedlings at the big box stores, and I start all my own under lights, so I haven't shopped for them. But I have heard from a couple of people that if you shop at a good local nursery you can probably find them. (I'd guess that this depends on local demand -- if nobody in north Texas buys broccoli starts, then you'll be hard pressed to find some for sale.) They're easy to start -- if you do your own pepper starts, broccoli isn't any harder. You could also try direct seeding, I've had ok luck with cabbage this way, though I prefer starting inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-13T15:38:58.943" LastActivityDate="2011-09-13T15:38:58.943" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2019" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2017" CreationDate="2011-09-13T17:29:15.893" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below summarised information comes via &lt;a href=&quot;http://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/&quot;&gt;Texas AgriLife Extension Service&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/vegetables/broccoli.html&quot;&gt;Broccoli&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Early Spring, or early Autumn (Fall) are the ideal times to plant broccoli in Texas areas that receive freezing temperatures, especially areas that get below 25&amp;#176;F (-4&amp;#176;C). Broccoli will take some &quot;light&quot; freezing, but when temperatures drop below those given previously the risk of damage or death are &lt;strong&gt;very&lt;/strong&gt; likely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Broccoli grows best when temperatures remain in the 40&amp;#176;F (4&amp;#176;C) to 70&amp;#176;F (21&amp;#176;C) range during its growing period, therefore in Texas it's best to plant in early Autumn (Fall) so it can mature during cool periods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Broccoli will flower (bolt) if it's matures at temperatures much above 80&amp;#176;F (27&amp;#176;C).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/guides/vegetable-crops/broccoli.html&quot;&gt;Broccoli&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are some recommended varieties for Texas:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bonanza&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Early Dividend&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Green Comet&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Green Magic&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Packman&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Premium Crop&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Southern Comet&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/guides/vegetable-crops/broccoli.html&quot;&gt;That page&lt;/a&gt; also contains information about: Soil Preferences; Optimum Growing Conditions; Establishment Methods; Fertility/Fertilization; Water/Irrigation; Pest Management; Harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/vegetables/cauliflo.html&quot;&gt;Cauliflower&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The temperature ranges and requirements for cauliflower are almost identical to broccoli (see above).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get the best possible cauliflower you will need to protect the heads from sunlight, referred to as &quot;Blanching&quot;. Unblanched heads will be yellowish green, whereas blanched heads are pure white. To blanch pull the outer leaves over the head as it begins to enlarge and tie them with a rubber band or soft twine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/guides/vegetable-crops/cauliflower.html&quot;&gt;Cauliflower&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are some recommended varieties for Texas:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Averda (green)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brocoverde&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cheddar (orange)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Graffiti (purple)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Imperial&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Majestic&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Panther (green)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Snow Crown&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Snowball Y Improved&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Violet Queen (purple)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/guides/vegetable-crops/cauliflower.html&quot;&gt;That page&lt;/a&gt; also contains information about: Soil Preferences; Optimum Growing Conditions; Establishment Methods; Fertility/Fertilization; Water/Irrigation; Pest Management; Harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know about Texas, but here in Missouri you can pick up &quot;starts&quot; for most vegetables at places like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Local farms and Farmers Markets.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Local Feed Mills.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Or through organisations like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gatewaygreening.org/&quot;&gt;Gateway Greening&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-09-13T17:29:15.893" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2020" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-13T18:23:47.893" Score="16" ViewCount="5043" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm starting a small orchard of stone fruit trees -- just a few hundred square feet. I will be putting in plums next spring, and I'm thinking about what to plant between/around them. In the lingo of permaculture, I'm building a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.self-willed-land.org.uk/permaculture/plant_guilds.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;guild&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in New Hampshire -- USDA zone 5 with a short growing season, heavy annual snowfall, and fairly reliable year-round precipitation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil in this orchard-to-be isn't in great shape: rocky, shallow (about 4' to bedrock), acidic, and lacking nutrients. I know it needs improvement and I plan to add (have already started) manure, compost, and lime to correct the nutrient gap, organic matter, and pH. It's a well drained, silty loam.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both white pine and sugar maples are growing natively, along with a lot of beech and black cherry. Understory includes blackberry and ferns I have yet to identify. It's downhill from the house, garden, and part of the lawn, so there's a potential to capture (if I want to) quite a bit of moisture. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/620/eric-nitardy&quot;&gt;Eric Nitardy&lt;/a&gt; identified this environment in a comment below as &quot;a Northern Dry-Mesic Forest. Dry, where the Pines do well, and mesic, where the sugar maple and beech do well.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The site is on an east-facing gentle slope with full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Specifically, I'm looking for suggestions for compatible plants in the following growth zones:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ground cover -- probably a perennial nitrogen-fixer that will tolerate shade from the trees; I'd consider mixes.  Does it make sense to plant something like strips of oats or barley in the cross-paths (for straw mulch and seed for the following year's cover crop)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;understory&quot; -- the plums won't be very big, so anything in the space between the plums and the ground cover can't be too tall or spreading. Future trees will be bigger. Small fruiting shrubs or something low like comfrey or rhubarb.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;canopy&quot; -- 3-4 larger trees to be planted north and east of the orchard; primarily to provide protection from harsh winds. These will also help as a wind break for the house and summer vegetable garden. I'm thinking about a combination of a fast growing native like white pine, some kind of nut, and perhaps a cluster of birch or a sugar maple.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Attributes I'm trying to capture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dual-purpose plants -- pick two or more of nitrogen-fixing, soil-improving, attracts pollinators, has visual appeal, produces mulch, is edible, scares away deer and woodchucks to a distance of 500', etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Perennials (ideally) or annuals that produce lots of easily harvestable seed (e.g. oats, sunflower).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plants that do not spread aggressively. I don't want to have to be constantly keeping &quot;bullies&quot; under control out there.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Roots that do not wander too far -- the leach field for my septic system is about 30' away from the north edge. Willows are not a good choice for the canopy...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Side note: I realize this is asking for a lot, and I'm planning on doing a bunch of my own research, but I will upvote answers that provide a couple of plants that would work well together in this guild.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-10-24T12:35:25.353" Title="What are some good plants to put in a guild built around plums/stone fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;companion-planting&gt;&lt;permaculture&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="10" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2021" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2012" CreationDate="2011-09-13T20:34:12.643" Score="30" Body="&lt;p&gt;To keep things simple (mainly for my benefit), lets go with:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Total lawn area, 1500ft&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Healthy lawn area, 300ft&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dead lawn area, 1200ft&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore you have an area of 20% &quot;healthy&quot; lawn remaining.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on what you read and from where it comes, it's &quot;generally&quot; said it is worth the time and effort to repair a lawn that has 50% to 66.6% healthy lawn area remaining, anything less than 50% is better served by removing everything and starting anew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I don't buy into that 100%, I think other factors come into the decision making process eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cost (your budget - how much money do you have to put in or are willing to put in to the project).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Time (labour - your time; do you want instant results or are willing to wait).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below I'm going to offer you both options, &lt;strong&gt;starting anew&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;repair&lt;/strong&gt;, you can then decide which way you want to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Regardless which option you go with:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The vast majority of the work should be carried out mid Spring to &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; early Summer (the closer to mid Spring the better IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get a &lt;a href=&quot;http://soilslab.ifas.ufl.edu/ESTL%20Home.asp&quot;&gt;&quot;professional&quot; soil test&lt;/a&gt; done, this will tell you if your soil requires any kind of amendment(s) for growing a healthy lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Starting anew (via creating a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stale_seed_bed&quot;&gt;stale seedbed&lt;/a&gt;):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the beginning of Spring use a cultivar/tiller to till the top 4 to 6 inches (100 to 150mm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then with a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rake_%28tool%29&quot;&gt;heavy-duty metal garden rake&lt;/a&gt;, work the tilled area to remove any large stones, vegetation (including roots, wood, etc) and foreign objects.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Afterward, the worked area should be as close to final grade as you can get it, the flatter you can get it the better (try your best to avoid bumps and dips).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spread an inch (25mm) or two (50mm) thick layer of high quality compost over the complete area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the cultivar/tiller, till the complete area again to work the compost layer into the top 4 to 6 inches (100 to 150mm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then again with a heavy-duty metal garden rake, work the tilled area to remove any large stones, vegetation (including roots, wood, etc) and foreign objects.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Afterward, the worked area should be as close to final grade as you can get it, the flatter you can get it the better (try your best to avoid bumps and dips).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If there is no rain forecast, lightly wet down the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A week later go out there with a (sharp) &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoe_%28tool%29&quot;&gt;hoe&lt;/a&gt; and remove any weeds (vegetation) you see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Repeat this weekly hoeing for the following 3 to 4 weeks.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You now have a stale seedbed, and are ready for your new lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay down a 1inch (25mm) thick layer of high quality compost over the complete area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;With a heavy-duty metal garden rake level this compost layer to your final grade.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay your St Augustine sod (instant lawn), when doing so, stagger the joints as if you were building a brick wall, also take the time to ensure you get nice tight joints.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay a scaffold-board over the top of the sod. Shuffle along the board a few times, this will ensure you get good contact between the sod and the soil underneath. Move the board over the width of the board, repeat &quot;shuffle&quot; process. Repeat, repeat... until you've tamped down the complete area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lightly water your newly laid lawn, you will want to do this daily for the first couple of weeks (assuming you have no rain). After that, water lightly every 2 to 3 days. Basically you don't want the sod drying out (contracting and gaps appearing along the sod joint lines).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A month after installing your sod, you can revert to you &quot;normal&quot; watering schedule (or follow the recommended watering requirements for St Augustine).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you wish to save some money and can wait some time before having a fully established lawn you can install plugs (normally about 2inch/50mm diameter) of St Augustine at 12inch (300mm) centres. Plugs should be planted in a staggered pattern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you go the &quot;plug&quot; route, I recommend also getting enough &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryegrass&quot;&gt;Annual Ryegrass&lt;/a&gt; seed to seed the complete area. Doing so will fill in the bare areas between the plugs, give you a green looking lawn while the plugs establish themselves (begin to spread and fill in), and help prevent weeds growing in those bare areas...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lightly water your newly laid lawn (plugs &amp;amp; seed), you will want to do this daily for the first couple of weeks (assuming you have no rain). After that, water lightly every 2 to 3 days. Basically you don't want the ground drying out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A month after installing your newly laid lawn, you can revert to you &quot;normal&quot; watering schedule (or follow the recommended watering requirements for St Augustine).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Repair (or starting anew without tilling)&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mid Spring, with a light-duty metal rake, rake the complete area to gather up &lt;strong&gt;all&lt;/strong&gt; the &quot;dead&quot; material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;With a (sharp) &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spade&quot;&gt;spade&lt;/a&gt; or an edging tool, give the healthy grass areas nice clean straight edges (especially important if you are going to lay sod).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If going the sod laying route, do the extra step below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;With a (sharp) spade, &quot;feather&quot; a 3 to 4ft (900 to 1200mm) wide strip around the the perimeter of the healthy grass areas to remove a &quot;thin&quot; wedge shape. This will allow the new installed sod to gently grade into the existing grass area (thus ensuring you don't end up with a small &quot;step&quot; where new meets existing).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;With a core aerator (preferably one that pulls plugs out of the ground), aerate the complete area. When aerating it's best to work in one direction (up and down your garden), then cover the area again, but the second time working perpendicular (left to right across your garden) to the first. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay down a 1inch (25mm) thick layer of high quality compost over the complete area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;With a heavy-duty metal garden rake level this compost layer to your final grade.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay your St Augustine sod (instant lawn), when doing so, stagger the joints as if you were building a brick wall, also take the time to ensure you get nice tight joints.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay a scaffold-board over the top of the sod. Shuffle along the board a few times, this will ensure you get good contact between the sod and the soil underneath. Move the board over the width of the board, repeat the &quot;shuffle&quot; process. Repeat, repeat... until you've tamped down the complete area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lightly water your newly laid lawn, you will want to do this daily for the first couple of weeks (assuming you have no rain). After that, water lightly every 2 to 3 days. Basically you don't want the sod drying out (contracting and gaps appearing along the sod joint lines).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A month after installing your sod, you can revert to you &quot;normal&quot; watering schedule (or follow the recommended watering requirements for St Augustine).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you wish to save some money and can wait some time before having a fully established lawn you can install plugs (normally about 2inch/50mm diameter) of St Augustine at 12inch (300mm) centres. Plugs should be planted in a staggered pattern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you go the &quot;plug&quot; route, I recommend also getting enough Annual Ryegrass seed to seed the complete area. Doing so will fill in the bare areas between the plugs, give you a green looking lawn while the plugs establish themselves (begin to spread and fill in), and help prevent weeds growing in those bare areas...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lightly water your newly laid lawn (plugs &amp;amp; seed), you will want to do this daily for the first couple of weeks (assuming you have no rain). After that, water lightly every 2 to 3 days. Basically you don't want the ground drying out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A month after installing your newly laid lawn, you can revert to you &quot;normal&quot; watering schedule (or follow the recommended watering requirements for St Augustine).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you wish to have a green looking lawn now and through the Winter, I recommend throwing down some Annual Ryegrass just to give you the look:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When daytime temperatures have dropped into the low 70&amp;#176;F (20&amp;#176;C) or into the 60&amp;#176;F (high teens &amp;#176;C) go out into the area with a light-duty metal rake and rake the complete area. Gather up as much &quot;dead&quot; material as possible, but keep in mind it doesn't have to be perfect (save perfection until you do the real work in Springtime).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Afterward, with a heavy-duty metal rake, scratch-up the surface of soil ie Break up the surface of the soil a little.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spread (broadcast, sow) enough Annual Ryegrass seed to seed the complete area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spread &amp;#189;inch (12.5mm) thick layer of high quality compost over the complete area ie Bury the seed under this thin layer of organic material. Doing so will help:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Germination greatly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prevent the seeds from drying out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prevent the seeds from being eaten by birds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lightly water the complete area, you will want to do this daily for the first couple of weeks (assuming you have no rain). After that, water lightly every 2 to 3 days. Basically you don't want the ground drying out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once the grass is 4inches (100mm) high or higher, it is ready for its first mowing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Personally, I would mow to a final cut height of 3inches (75mm) or higher. The higher the better IMHO. You don't want to mow Annual Ryegrass too short, especially in your part of the country (warm and humid)...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't do any major lawn care work at this time of year (late Summer, early Autumn/Fall) on a warm-season lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I totally understand why you don't want to move away from having a St Augustine lawn, but I am going to leave below a few references:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://okaloosa.ifas.ufl.edu/choosing_lawn.shtml&quot;&gt;Choosing Lawn Grass - Okaloosa County Extension Office&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/LH/LH01100.pdf&quot;&gt;Zoysiagrass for Florida Lawns - University of Florida&lt;/a&gt; (link opens a PDF)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://polkhort.ifas.ufl.edu/documents/publications/featured/The%20Quest%20for%20the%20Ideal%20Turfgrass.pdf&quot;&gt;Turf Grasses : The Quest for the Ideal Lawn Continues - University of Florida&lt;/a&gt; (link opens a PDF)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/lh010&quot;&gt;St. Augustinegrass for Florida Lawns - University of Florida&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and I hope the above helps a little.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="705" LastEditDate="2012-02-05T11:24:52.693" LastActivityDate="2012-02-05T11:24:52.693" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2020" CreationDate="2011-09-14T01:49:49.337" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;White dutch clover attracts pollinators,fixes nitrogen, is a perennial and will grow in shade. It is best to mow it every couple of weeks to keep it flowering for weeks. Asparagus could be planted in the understory because they thrive in poor soil. They do not need attention. Shagbark hickories could be planted in the canopy because they have huge deep taproots and so they could be planted around without running into surface roots. They also produce high quality nuts and wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-09-14T01:49:49.337" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2023" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2014" CreationDate="2011-09-14T01:52:21.237" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant them in late August to early September. This advice holds for most of the continental United States&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-15T01:50:58.507" LastActivityDate="2011-09-15T01:50:58.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2024" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2026" CreationDate="2011-09-14T03:46:03.907" Score="10" ViewCount="728" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to grow some habanero chili and jalapeño chili, but it is already September in Hong Kong. Although people said that chilis can't stand winter, I suspect the recent winter of Hong Kong is relatively warm (due to global warming) that the chili can withstand it. Should I sow it now or even in early October?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's the weather information for Hong Kong in 2010.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because chili tends to love warm temperature for germination, I can use a raptile warm pad to heat it up. But can a young seedling or adult plant withstand the temperature in winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vZFc5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="140" LastEditDate="2011-09-14T04:24:53.797" LastActivityDate="2011-09-14T12:47:37.753" Title="Is September a good time to sow chili pepper seeds in Hong Kong?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;sowing&gt;&lt;late-sowing&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2024" CreationDate="2011-09-14T12:47:37.753" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you are going to be fine. Most people grow peppers as annuals because they have winter frosts, or cool dark winters. From the point of view of peppers (and tomatoes which are very similar) most of those months are ideal. They will probably grow a little slower in the coolest months but with good sunlight and the right amount of water they'll be fine - your coolest months are warmer than what I plant my pepper seed in, here in Texas. Also your hottest temperatures aren't as extreme as what we get.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these in pots? Remember to use a tray due to your high rainfall in some months (probably teaching a grandmother to suck eggs!); and add water in the dry months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The closest climate where I've seen peppers growing, is in Costa Rica (maritime tropical with a nominal 'rainy season' although it rains all year). They did fine outside and were being grown with tomatoes,etc. to feed a small hotel kitchen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-14T12:47:37.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2027" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2020" CreationDate="2011-09-14T14:40:21.337" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not really an answer to your question, but may be a step towards an answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a plant guild adapted to your area that contains &lt;em&gt;Prunus&lt;/em&gt; species, you may want to look at your local forest to understand how it is put together and where &lt;em&gt;Prunus&lt;/em&gt; species fit into it. In &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://uwpress.wisc.edu/books/0467.htm&quot;&gt;Vegetation of Wisconsin&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, John T. Curtis measured the prevailance of plant species in the major plant communities in the state of Wisconsin. Your local forest is an eastern extension of a forest the Curtis called the &lt;em&gt;northern dry-mesic forest&lt;/em&gt;. The forest in your area will likely contain all the species of its Wisconsin counterpart plus a few additional, in particular, a greater variety of ferns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;em&gt;northern dry-mesic forest&lt;/em&gt; in Wisconsin would have as dominant canopy species: &lt;em&gt;Pinus strobus&lt;/em&gt; (White Pine), &lt;em&gt;Acer rubrum&lt;/em&gt; (Red Maple), &lt;em&gt;Quercus rubra&lt;/em&gt; (Northern Red Oak), &lt;em&gt;Betula papyrifera&lt;/em&gt; (Paper Birch), and &lt;em&gt;Acer saccharum&lt;/em&gt; (Sugar Maple). Unlike New Hampshire, &lt;em&gt;Fagus grandifolia&lt;/em&gt; (Beech) is well down the list since it has hardiness issues in many areas of Wisconsin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The two Prunus in the forest, &lt;em&gt;P. serotina&lt;/em&gt; (Black Cherry) and &lt;em&gt;P. pennsylvanica&lt;/em&gt; (Pin Cherry), are not very shade tolerant. So they also not major dominants. Pin Cherry is primarily a forest edge species since it is small. While &lt;em&gt;P. serotina&lt;/em&gt; also appears at the edge and in openings, it also scatters large numbers of seedlings across the shady forest floor to wait for a large tree to die. If so blessed, one of the cherry seedlings will take the dead tree's place. So &lt;em&gt;P. serotina&lt;/em&gt; regularly appears as a canopy tree. The similarly handicapped bitternut hickory (&lt;em&gt;Carya cordiformis&lt;/em&gt;) uses the same stealthily approach to finding a place in this forest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following is a list of the major ground-layer species ranked according to their frequency of appearance:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Genus         Species        Common Name               Frequency &#xA;&#xA;  TREES &amp;amp; SHRUBS&#xA;Diervilla     lonicera       Northern Bush Honeysuckle 11.2  Weigelia relative&#xA;Rubus         allegheniensis Allegheny Blackberry       8.3  Forest edge shrub&#xA;Vaccinium     angustifolium  Low-bush Blueberry         8.2  Forest edge shrub&#xA;Rubus         pubescens      Dwarf Red Raspberry        5.6  Forest edge shrub&#xA;Viburnum      acerifolium    Maple-leaf Viburnum        5.4  Understory shrub&#xA;Rubus         strigosus      American Red Raspberry     4.5  Forest edge shrub&#xA;Cornus        alternifolia   Pagoda Dogwood             1.4  Understory, forest edge tree&#xA;Ostrya        virginiana     Ironwood                   1.2  Forest edge, understory tree&#xA;Ribes         cynosbati      Eastern Prickly Gooseberry 1.0  Forest edge shrub. Tasty&#xA;Lonicera      oblongifolia   Swamp Fly Honeysuckle       .9  Understory, forest edge shrub&#xA;Amelanchier                  Serviceberry                .2  Forest edge tree&#xA;Carpinus      caroliniana    American Hornbeam           .1  Understory tree&#xA;Hamamelis     virginiana     Common Witchhazel           .0  Understory shrub&#xA;Viburnum      rafinesquianum Downy Arrowwood             .0  Understory shrub&#xA;&#xA;  SHADE GROUP&#xA;Maianthemum   canadense      Canada Mayflower          50.1  Dominant understory plant !&#xA;Eurybia       macrophyllus   Large Leaf Aster          35.7  Formerly Aster macrophyllus&#xA;Anemone       quinquefolia   Wood Anemone              18.1   &#xA;Mitchella     repens         Partridgeberry            15.2  Replacement for Vinca minor&#xA;Clintonia     borealis       Blue-bead Lily            12.5  Similar to Erythronium&#xA;Polygonatum   pubescens      Hairy Solomon's Seal      12.3   &#xA;Galium        triflorum      Fragrant Bedstraw         11.7  Similar to G. odoratum&#xA;Lycopodium    obscurum       Ground-Pine, Clubmoss      9.3  Cool soil&#xA;Trillium      grandiflorum   Large-flowered Trillium    8.0  &#xA;Cornus        canadensis     Bunchberry                 5.6  Cool Soil&#xA;Osmorhiza     claytonii      Downy Sweet Cicily         5.0  Scent of licorice&#xA;Dryopteris    carthusiana    Spinulose Wood Fern        3.4  Fern&#xA;Prenanthes    alba           White Rattlesnake Root     1.7  &#xA;Chimaphila    umbellata      Pipsissewa                 1.4  Hard to Grow&#xA;Actaea        pachypoda      White Baneberry            1.0 &#xA;&#xA;  SUN &amp;amp; PARTIAL SHADE GROUP&#xA;Pteridium     aquilinum      Common Bracken Fern       28.4  Fern&#xA;Aralia        nudicaulis     Wild Sarsaparilla         26.1  The root beer plant&#xA;Oryzopsis     asperifolia    Canada Rice Grass         22.6  Grass&#xA;Trientalis    borealis       Starflower                21.4  &#xA;Uvularia      sessilifolia   Sessile Bellwort          14.3  &#xA;Carex         pennsylvanica  Pennsylvania Sedge         9.5  Sedge &#xA;Maianthemum   racemosum      False Solomon's Seal       8.7  &#xA;Gaultheria    procumbens     Wintergreen                6.6  &#xA;Fragaria      virginiana     Virginia Strawberry        6.0   &#xA;Polygala      paucifolia     Gaywings                   5.8  &#xA;Pyrola        elliptica      Waxflower Shinleaf         5.1 &#xA;Viola         cucullata      Marsh Blue Violet          4.5  &#xA;Orthilia      secunda        Sidebells Wintergreen      4.0  &#xA;Viola         pubescens      Downy Yellow Violet        3.3&#xA;Toxicodendron radicans       Poison Ivy                 3.2   &#xA;Sanicula      odorata        Clustered Black Snakeroot  2.7  &#xA;Aquilegia     canadensis     Eastern Red Columbine      1.8  &#xA;Apocynum      androsaemifolium Dog Bane                 1.7  Milkweed relative&#xA;Pyrola        americana      Round-leaved Pyrola        1.7  &#xA;Brachyetrum   erectum        Long-Awned Wood Grass      1.5  Grass&#xA;Waldstienia   fragarioides   Barren Strawberry           .3&#xA;Clematis      occidentalis   Purple Clematis             .0  &#xA;Medeola       virginiana     Indian Cucumber-root        .0  Edible root&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Interestingly, there does not appear to be any nitrogen fixing plants in either the canopy or ground layer. Alder (&lt;em&gt;Alnus viridis&lt;/em&gt;) does fix nitrogen, and, though it was observed in the somewhat drier and pine dominated &lt;em&gt;northern dry forest&lt;/em&gt;, even there, it was rare (seen in one of thirty-eight stands).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next step in developing your plant guild would, I suppose, be to figure out the ecological purpose of some of the plants present so that you can decide whether to include those plants or something similar in your guild.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit. Corrected some plant names above and added some observations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I notice that among the top five or six ground-layer species there is a large variation in bloom time, running from early spring to early autumn. I am guessing this is due to competition for pollinators. I see this issue in my herb garden. Normally, thyme and chive flowers are quite attractive to bees. However, when the fennel is in bloom, they couldn't be bothered. Hence, you may want to take care that the bloom time of plants whose fruit you want does not overlap with others. At the same time, it may be wise to see that there is always something in bloom so that pollinators will choose to take up residence in nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ground-layer species in this forest, mostly, are not good ground covers. They either intertwine a couple-three species to cover the ground or they depend on leaf mulch. If you based your guild on this forest, you will likely need to need to add a layer of mulch each fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, there are a few species that do behave like traditional vigorous, tight ground covers: &lt;em&gt;Diervilla&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Mitchella&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Gaultheria&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Waldstienia&lt;/em&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;Clematis&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, it is curious how many of fruits in the understory tree and shrub layer seem so delicious. With only two exceptions, all the fruits are shrub layer fruit are very attractive to wildlife. I imagine that &lt;em&gt;all&lt;/em&gt; of these plants are opportunists the way black cherry and butternut hickory are, spreading their seed far and wide in hopes that there will be an opening for them somewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-09-21T02:28:00.993" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T02:28:00.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2028" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2029" CreationDate="2011-09-14T16:09:15.193" Score="12" ViewCount="5560" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've noticed the following on two of my oldest bell-peppers, also called capsicum (the third pepper of that &quot;batch&quot; had almost finished going red and ripening instead):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YZeLF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;first pepper, close up showing skin blemishes&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kZV6g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;second pepper, close up showing skin blemishes&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not &quot;on&quot; the surface - I can't scrape it off - but it can be felt on the surface. The worst bits (on the first image above) look like maybe the skin is starting to split?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's happening to these peppers?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Do I need to take any action?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Are they going to be OK to eat?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-14T18:14:15.317" LastActivityDate="2011-09-14T18:34:58.887" Title="What are these blemishes on the skin of my bell peppers?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2029" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2028" CreationDate="2011-09-14T18:19:07.883" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;These &quot;stretch marks&quot; are the pepper equivalent of human stretch marks which form when the muscles &amp;amp; tissues expand at a different rate from the skin covering them (e.g., pregnancy marks or from excessive gym + protein supplements, etc). In this case, the flesh of the pepper fruit expands faster than the outer epidermal layer and the brown spots are from &quot;healing&quot; (the equivalent of our scabs). They are perfectly normal and there is nothing you need to do about it (or can do about it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read from more than one source (and experienced it myself), that peppers with stretch marks tend to be hotter than those without (i.e., smooth skinned ones). &lt;a href=&quot;http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?/topic/43220-kitchen-tip-how-to-check-for-the-hotness-of-jalapenos/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; also says the same:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Ever take home a jalapeño chile pepper from the grocery store and have it either be so lacking in heat it may just as well be a bell pepper, or so hot a speck will create a raging inferno in your mouth? Here's a quick tip for choosing jalapeños that can help you decide which ones to pick. Jalapeño chilies start out mild and progressively get hotter the older they get, eventually turning bright red (and quite hot). As they age, they develop white lines and flecks, like stretch marks running in the direction of the length of the pepper. The smoother the pepper, the younger, and milder it is. The more white lines, the older and hotter. Red jalapeños are the most hot, because they've been maturing the longest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I understand, this is knowledge derived from empirical observations (as with most of gardening tips), and you will certainly find peppers that are hot and not have marks (e.g., I've never seen stretch marks on habaneros). This might serve as a very rough guideline to pick one that has a higher probability of being spicy from a given set of peppers of the same kind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-14T18:34:58.887" LastActivityDate="2011-09-14T18:34:58.887" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2030" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2032" CreationDate="2011-09-14T19:13:25.783" Score="10" ViewCount="12500" Body="&lt;p&gt;We harvested all of the remaining carrots in our garden, and to our surprise a large number of them are white or bright yellow in the center, rather than being orange all the way through. The white carrots taste fine (very sweet and crunchy), but they don't look like any other carrots that I've seen before... more like a carrot that swallowed a parsnip. What causes this? Is it a problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-14T20:49:28.947" LastActivityDate="2018-11-07T01:11:14.863" Title="Why are my carrots white in the center?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2032" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2030" CreationDate="2011-09-15T02:29:25.303" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's perfectly normal. All carrots have a core, sometimes they are different color than the outside of the carrot. (I planted red carrots with an orange core last year.) The size of the core depends on the carrot variety (e.g. &lt;em&gt;Nantes coreless&lt;/em&gt; has -- surprise -- a minimal core). Varieties with wide shoulders will have a bigger core. You can also end up with a bigger, tougher core if they remain in the ground for too long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the appearance of the white core bothers you, try planting one of the &quot;coreless&quot; varieties next year, and be sure to harvest before they get overmature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-15T02:29:25.303" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2033" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2020" CreationDate="2011-09-15T03:58:56.147" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let me first say, (Forest) &quot;Guild&quot; is a fascinating subject, at least I think it is now that I've done some research, reading on the subject...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, I have no experience with putting together, managing such a horticulture project, so the below could very well be far from perfect...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe the below resource could be helpful/useful as you put together your &quot;Guild&quot; plan:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.forestguild.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Forest Guild&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.forestguild.org/Northeast.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Forest Guild Northeast Region Program&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ground cover, part shade to full shade:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=C446&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bristle-leaved sedge - &lt;em&gt;Carex eburnea&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=C250&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lily of the valley - &lt;em&gt;Convallaria majalis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=B345&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Partridge berry - &lt;em&gt;Mitchella repens&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=E580&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wild sweet William - &lt;em&gt;Phlox divaricata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=B718&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wintergreen - &lt;em&gt;Gaultheria procumbens&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Deciduous shrubs, part shade:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=E987&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Honeyberry - &lt;em&gt;Lonicera caerulea&lt;/em&gt; 'Kiev #8' BLUE VELVET&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Deciduous shrubs, full sun to part shade:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=B343&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Arrowwood viburnum - &lt;em&gt;Viburnum dentatum&lt;/em&gt; 'Christom' BLUE MUFFIN&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=J420&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Black chokeberry - &lt;em&gt;Aronia melanocarpa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=F180&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Fragrant sumac - &lt;em&gt;Rhus aromatica&lt;/em&gt; 'Gro-Low'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=G820&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;New Jersey tea - &lt;em&gt;Ceanothus americanus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=M460&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Snowberry - &lt;em&gt;Symphoricarpos x chenaultii&lt;/em&gt; 'Hancock'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Companion plants that might work well in a &quot;Forest Guild&quot;:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfalfa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Alfalfa - &lt;em&gt;Medicago sativa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepeta&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Catnip - &lt;em&gt;Nepeta&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chives&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Chives - &lt;em&gt;Allium schoenoprasum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfrey&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Comfrey - &lt;em&gt;Symphytum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dill&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dill - &lt;em&gt;Anethum graveolens&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Garlic - &lt;em&gt;Allium sativum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldenrod&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Goldenrod - &lt;em&gt;Solidago&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseradish&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Horseradish - &lt;em&gt;Armoracia rusticana&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lavender - &lt;em&gt;Lavandula&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_officinalis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lemon balm - &lt;em&gt;Melissa officinalis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milkweed&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Milkweed - &lt;em&gt;Asclepias&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Have you considered, thought about growing edible &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungi&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fungi&lt;/a&gt; in your &quot;Guild&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; If yes, below are a few &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungi&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fungi&lt;/a&gt; that should work within your &quot;Guild&quot; (environment).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_stropharia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;King stropharia - &lt;em&gt;Stropharia rugosoannulata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reishi&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Reishi - &lt;em&gt;Ganoderma&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaggy_Mane&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Shaggy mane - &lt;em&gt;Coprinus comatus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiitake&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Shiitake - &lt;em&gt;Lentinula edodes&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Deer &quot;resistant&quot; plants and resources:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/deerdef/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cornell gardening resources Deer defenses&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Strategies, plants and products to reduce damage in your gardens and landscape.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The following is a list of landscape plants rated according to their resistance to deer damage. The list was compiled with input from nursery and landscape professionals, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension personnel, and Master Gardeners in Northern N.J.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Though &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b014641y&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Fylde Coast&lt;/a&gt; - Gardeners’ Question Time is UK based I think you will find it interesting and worth your time to listen. Beginning at 31mins:04secs Martin Crawford and Anne Swithinbank discuss &quot;forest garden&quot;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b014641y&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Direct link to episode/player - Fylde Coast - Gardeners’ Question Time&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and I hope the above proves somewhat helpful.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-16T15:26:03.223" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T15:26:03.223" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2034" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1337" CreationDate="2011-09-15T12:02:48.613" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Give the plants a good dose of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_dihydrogen_phosphate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;monoammonium phosphate&lt;/a&gt; (or MAP), around a handful per plant (spread across the row - not piled!). It's easily found in hardware or farm supply stores.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will provide Nitrogen for the leaves and a shot of Phosphorus to develop new roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="639" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T23:58:59.077" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T23:58:59.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2035" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2020" CreationDate="2011-09-15T12:24:53.093" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;As promised in a comment under the question, I'll update this answer with selections from my own research as well as those plants from other answers that I plan to use in the guild.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a work in progress...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Canopy&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are some possibilities. I need to narrow it down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Prunus serotina&lt;/em&gt; (Black cherry). I'm planning to retain one or two existing &quot;volunteers&quot; on the northeast edge. Part of the wind break. Provides edible fruit (for cooking). Interesting flowers. [The primary drawback on this site is that leaves are poisonous, but this is far enough away from livestock pasture that it will be safe.]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PRSE2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;USDA PLANTS Profile&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=A914&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Description at the Kemper Center for Home Gardening&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Carya ovata&lt;/em&gt; (Shagbark hickory). Seriously considering a pair of hickories as very large trees on the east/northeastern, slightly downhill side of the site. Part of the wind break. Provides edible nuts. Mature trees will produce a lot of biomass (this could be drawback too). [The primary drawback is that this is a very large tree and good nut production is better with a cross pollinator -- meaning &lt;em&gt;two&lt;/em&gt; very large trees to fit in the space. Another drawback is that it can produce a lot of litter -- leaves, twigs, and nuts; for me this is &quot;biomass&quot; to be used appropriately.]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CAOV2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;USDA PLANTS Profile&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=A854&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Description at the Kemper Center for Home Gardening&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Gleditsia triacanthos&lt;/em&gt; (Honeylocust). Another possibility for the wind break. A nitrogen fixer. Spring flowers. Pods can be fed to pigs or cattle (not that we have either (yet?)); good fodder for chickens (maybe better ground up?). Not as weedy as black locust, and not poisonous to horses like black locust.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pinus strobus&lt;/em&gt; (Eastern white pine). Tons of these growing natively. Fast growing evergreen. Good for wind break. They're not really multipurpose, but they grow fast, they are free, and they provide winter protection (deciduous trees lose some wind break effectiveness in winter). These may work better planted east of the site -- protecting the guild but not really part of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=E710&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Description at the Kemper Center for Home Gardening&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Understory&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The smaller trees -- and the core of the guild -- are plums.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Prunus&lt;/em&gt; hybrids and &lt;em&gt;Prunus domestica&lt;/em&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;'Superior' (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;'Kaga' (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;'Mount Royal' (&lt;em&gt;P. domestica&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;'&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=N300&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Stanley&lt;/a&gt;' (&lt;em&gt;P. domestica&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Shrub Layer&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Aronia melanocarpa&lt;/em&gt; (Black Chokeberry). Hardy, spreads by root sprouts. Spring flowers and fall color provide visual appeal. Berries are inedible fresh but make good jam.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=J420&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Description at the Kemper Center for Home Gardening&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Ground Cover&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mitchella repens&lt;/em&gt; (Partridge berry). Under consideration. Hardy, spreading, shade tolerant, low growing evergreen with edible (but tasteless?) fruit.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=MIRE&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;USDA PLANTS Profile&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=B345&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Description at the Kemper Center for Home Gardening&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Symphytum officinale&lt;/em&gt; (Comfrey). Hardy, spreading, shade tolerant. I'm not interested in medicinal uses. Dynamic accumulator. Leaves are a good addition to compost pile. Downside: invasive.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=B472&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Description at the Kemper Center for Home Gardening&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Unidentified &lt;em&gt;Lupinus&lt;/em&gt; (Lupine). Propagated on-site for years, originally from roadside weeds. Attractive early flowers. Nitrogen fixer. Hardy, easy to propagate. Will probably be part of a border.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Trifolium repens&lt;/em&gt; (White clover). Hardy, low growing, shade tolerant, nitrogen fixer. This is probably what we'll grow in the paths, possibly mixed with a grass. Tolerates foot traffic (it even bounces back after light tractor traffic). Grows really well elsewhere on the property. Basically free if we put down a 2&quot; layer of horse manure and keep it watered... we'd probably seed it to help it along and provide a desirable grass companion. Technically edible, though we aren't likely to eat it. Good for grazing sheep (not that we have sheep (yet)). Clippings from mowing are excellent addition to compost pile. Flowers attractive to bees, makes good honey (for a future adventure with beekeeping).&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=T750&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Description at the Kemper Center for Home Gardening&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Unidentified fern. The ferns are already in this area, they don't seem to mind the rocks. For a while at least (i.e. a year or three), rather than improve the soil in the entire area I'll just leave an area for the ferns to do their thing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-10-24T12:35:25.353" LastActivityDate="2011-10-24T12:35:25.353" CommentCount="3" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-09-15T12:24:53.093" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2036" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1529" CreationDate="2011-09-15T17:22:59.480" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're watering in the evening, try switching to early morning (much easier with a programmable sprinkler system).  Watering in the evening can leave your soil too moist for too long, which encourages fungus growth.  With morning watering, the daytime heat will help to evaporate some of the moisture, and discourage toadstools and various other fungi that can actually harm your lawn.  HTH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="640" LastActivityDate="2011-09-15T17:22:59.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2037" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-15T17:33:46.827" Score="18" ViewCount="1897" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a ground cover / border for my flower beds that's:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fast-propagating&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Will tolerate zone 6 (although zone 5 might be more appropriate given the way the past few winters have been).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Morning sun.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mostly wet. Soils here tend to be pretty high in clay content.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hoping for at least 6&quot; (15cm).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Inexpensive is a big plus!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriope_%28genus%29&quot;&gt;Liriope&lt;/a&gt; is my choice if nothing else comes, but I wonder if you experts out there have a more interesting, better-looking, or faster-propagating recommendation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="640" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-15T21:18:11.723" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T17:47:27.517" Title="Fast-propagating, inexpensive ground cover / border" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2038" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2037" CreationDate="2011-09-15T17:49:59.727" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=A294&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thymus serpyllum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (creeping thyme) is an easy to grow, low height, low maintenance, creeping, perennial that's hardy to USDA zone 4. Pink flowers in early summer might be more interesting / better looking than the &lt;em&gt;Liriope&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-15T17:49:59.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2039" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1529" CreationDate="2011-09-15T18:40:58.853" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I get this question all the time at the garden center that I work at. &lt;p&gt;There is nothing to be concerned about with mushrooms growing in your lawn. The only reason they are there is to decompose some form of organic matter. When they have done their job, they will go away.&lt;/p&gt; &#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trying to get rid of them usually proves futile. They always come back. As long as they are not poisonous, you should be ok. Even if they are poisonous, you have very little to worry about unless you or a pet eats them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="641" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-15T19:47:56.240" LastActivityDate="2011-09-15T19:47:56.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2040" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2037" CreationDate="2011-09-15T20:56:10.700" Score="10" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.perennials.com/seeplant.html?item=1.031.050&quot;&gt;alchemilla mollis&lt;/a&gt; Ladys mantle  8&quot; - 12&quot; works well under trees or in some shade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.perennials.com/seeplant.html?item=1.223.050&quot;&gt;Gallium odoratum&lt;/a&gt; Sweet woodruff  ~ 6-8&quot;  troublefree, hides bulb foliage nicely,slow grower&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.perennials.com/seeplant.html?item=1.400.020&quot;&gt;Oenothera speciosa&lt;/a&gt; Evening primrose and it's cultivars, good for hotter and dryer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;as bstpierre mentions thyme is an excellent choice, inexpensive, widely available, tough&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-09-15T20:56:10.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2037" CreationDate="2011-09-15T22:19:07.460" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below plants are hardy down to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone#USDA_Hardiness_Zones&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;USDA Hardiness Zone&lt;/a&gt; 3, prefer dry to medium moist soils, and full sun to part shade:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=B858&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wild cranesbill - &lt;em&gt;Geranium macrorrhizum&lt;/em&gt; 'Variegatum'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=F550&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;orange stonecrop - &lt;em&gt;Sedum kamtschaticum var. ellacombeanum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below plants are hardy down to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone#USDA_Hardiness_Zones&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;USDA Hardiness Zone&lt;/a&gt; 3 and 4 (respectively), prefer medium moist soils, and part shade:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=A210&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Siberian bugloss - &lt;em&gt;Brunnera macrophylla&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=C964&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mukdenia - &lt;em&gt;Mukdenia rossii&lt;/em&gt; 'Karasuba' CRIMSON FANS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today (2011-09-16), I was made aware of this groundcover plant (hardy down to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone#USDA_Hardiness_Zones&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;USDA Hardiness Zone&lt;/a&gt; 5, prefers medium moist soils, and full sun to part shade):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=B960&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plumbago - &lt;em&gt;Ceratostigma plumbaginoides&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally you may wish to take a look at the following question here on SE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1396/394&quot;&gt;What is a good ground cover for street frontage instead of lawn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This time of new, later Summer, early Autumn (Fall) is normally an excellent time of pick up some real plant bargains at garden centers, nurseries, big box stores, etc and it's also a perfect time of year to get those plants in the ground and established before Wintertime arrives...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, most groundcover plants by their very nature spread, fill-in... therefore make excellent candidates for division (taking small sections and establishing them elsewhere). With that in mind, do you have neighbours, gardening friends, etc that have such plants and would be happy to let you take a few small plugs for establishment in your garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T17:47:27.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2037" CreationDate="2011-09-16T01:39:13.630" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.perennials.com/seeplant.html?item=7.655.050&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Vinca Minor&lt;/a&gt; is one of my favorites, though it does not meet your 6-inch requirement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T01:39:13.630" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2043" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2054" CreationDate="2011-09-16T01:42:18.407" Score="13" ViewCount="439" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have always used pre-grown sweet potato slips, but since the source of sweet potatoes I have been using is unreliable, I am looking for how to grow my own in fairly large quantities.  How should I do this if I am using a cold frame?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-02-14T17:51:48.770" LastActivityDate="2012-02-14T17:51:48.770" Title="How can I grow my own sweet potato starts?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;&lt;sweet-potato&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2044" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2037" CreationDate="2011-09-16T01:52:18.750" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are some good ground covers that will grow in those conditions.  Also they are very inexpensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;english ivy &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;periwinkle&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ajuga&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;snow on the mountain&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T01:52:18.750" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2037" CreationDate="2011-09-16T02:32:26.780" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Germander (&lt;em&gt;Teucrium chamamedry&lt;/em&gt;) and lamb's ears (&lt;em&gt;Stachys byzantina&lt;/em&gt;), both of which grow to 6 inches, are traditional garden edgers. Gardener's garters (&lt;em&gt;Phalaris arundinacea&lt;/em&gt; 'Picta') is also commonly used as an edger, but I think it is better as a ground cover. It is in the 12-15 inch range, but mowable. Since you can buy just a few plants and divide them mid-spring and early-fall, you can cover a good sized area very cheaply provided that you are patient. Mint can be treated the same way — orange mint (&lt;em&gt;Mentha x citrata&lt;/em&gt;) and penny-royal (&lt;em&gt;M. pugegium&lt;/em&gt;) are under a foot — but, again, better as a ground cover. My favorite cheap edger, though, is chives which comes nicely from seed and also can be divided to cover more ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-09-16T02:46:18.963" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T02:46:18.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2046" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-16T02:35:02.203" Score="7" ViewCount="951" Body="&lt;p&gt;We recently redesigned the walkway through our garden to our back door. This involved lots of scaping of the land -- especially to change the waterflow away from the house. The new walkway ends with a small brick landing. The contractor just laid them down and glued them in place. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I asked when they would finish it with mortar or sand or something. they said they they were set tight enough and didn't need it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Except when I step on it they move. And I live in Minnesota -- wont snow and ice get in there? &#xA;Am I missing or something or will this landscaping element not hold up?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="399" LastActivityDate="2011-09-17T14:40:39.357" Title="Does my garden brickwork need mortar?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2047" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2048" CreationDate="2011-09-16T02:46:26.187" Score="13" ViewCount="750" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is probably a simple question but I just want to know any common advice for collecting seeds from mustard greens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;4-5 self-seeded mustards (Brassica juncea) popped up in the autumn and I just let them go to be green manure, but I've neglected to hoe them back into the soil so far. Now the seed pods are getting quite large and so I may as well collect those before turning the plants into green manure. Any advice on how I can collect as much mustard seed as possible from them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I remove the stalks (that contain the pods) from the plant now (they're not yet brown)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I assume I'm then supposed to hang up the stalks some place safe where they won't be disturbed until completely dried.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I need to put bags or containers under the stalks in case the seeds start dropping out by themselves?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-04T13:56:02.220" LastActivityDate="2012-04-04T13:56:02.220" Title="How should mustard seeds be collected?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2048" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2047" CreationDate="2011-09-16T03:03:02.063" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have never collected mustard seed, but I can tell you my standard approach to seed collecting. Wait until that pods just start opening or are turning brown. Then cut the stalks off and dump them head first in a paper bag. &lt;em&gt;Label the bag.&lt;/em&gt; Let the seed heads dry out in the bag for a few weeks. Collect the seed from the bags, and put them in a sealed dry container in the frig. &lt;em&gt;Label the container.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T03:03:02.063" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2049" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="551" CreationDate="2011-09-16T03:40:26.140" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As noted, pinching is for small tender stems.  Use your thumbnail to cut the stem, pressing the stem into your index finger - using your finger as a &quot;cutting board&quot;.  It's a very natural action - it's not like using chopsticks or something!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-09-18T23:39:54.540" LastActivityDate="2011-09-18T23:39:54.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2050" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2067" CreationDate="2011-09-16T04:09:33.503" Score="18" ViewCount="7270" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I was digging out* a patch to grow veggies earlier in the spring I found big roots in the soil unconnected to anything in our garden. It looks like they're coming from some kind of palm trees planted right at the edge of our neighbour's yard. They were so thick I couldn't break them with the spade so they're just lying there underneath the patch for now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now this spot where the neighbouring roots are is the spot that's best suited (with regard to sunlight and airflow) to growing veggies and herbs. Can I just claim the soil for our plants and chop away the neighbouring roots or would that be bad form? What would you do and why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, if the neighbour's tree was something nice like a lemon tree I wouldn't even think of doing this, which suggests that the answer is not straightforward at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; We have not met this particular neighbour because their yard backs on to ours rather than being beside ours. Obviously part of the answer might be to talk to that neighbour, but I am looking for a gardening-informed answer rather than the political one!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(*) Our soil is very poor in every way, so this is a process I go through, square metre by square metre, adding compost, mulch and a little organic fertiliser - in order to grow anything at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/strong&gt; Adding pictures (click to enlarge) so you can see how precariously close not just the vege patch but a nectarine tree I planted at the end of winter and a few years old citrus are to the neighbouring palms (which by the way are towering at approx 5m+ high).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Palm is close to nectarine tree and vege patch:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pdFU9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pdFU9m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Palm is close to nectarine tree and vege patch&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Close-up of unearthed roots:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JC9zx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JC9zxm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up of unearthed roots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Palm is also close to citrus tree in foreground:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ddxnl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ddxnlm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Palm is also close to citrus tree in foreground&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-14T13:10:11.653" LastActivityDate="2017-12-14T16:23:14.613" Title="Should I remove the tree roots coming from the neighbouring garden?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2051" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2127" CreationDate="2011-09-16T05:16:06.033" Score="12" ViewCount="2049" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an herb garden that stays quite dry. Although this garden is in the notoriously wet Pacific Northwest (USDA zone 8a), it is against a two story south-facing brick wall, under a large overhang, and in a sandy soil. Combining that with our rainless summers and a hard-nosed gardener who refuses to provide supplemental water after a plant's second year, it is surprising anything survives. And yet, all the standard dry soil herbs, thyme, chives, fennel, tarragon, sage, and rosemary, are all doing well in this little piece of Provence in Washington State.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am looking for a plant (perennial) for a spot behind a rugosa rose against the wall. It must be narrow so it does not crowd the rose, but tall, 4 to 6 feet, so it stands up above the rose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the trouble: the typical tall, narrow dry-soil perennials — mulleins (&lt;em&gt;Verbascum&lt;/em&gt;), yucca, or fox-tail lilies (&lt;em&gt;Eremurus&lt;/em&gt;) — may have flowers that will go up above the rose, but that important part of the plant, the foliage, will be shaded by the rose. As the rose gets bigger, the problem will get worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A lily might be a acceptable plant choice, but lilies and dry soils do not get along well. My research tells me the madonna lily (&lt;em&gt;Lilium candidum&lt;/em&gt;) is from the dry eastern Mediterranean, but I am skeptical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Have you grown madonna lilies (or other lilies) on a dry soil and succeeded?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can you think you any better choices?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-16T06:26:56.630" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T19:30:49.237" Title="What are some tall, narrow perennials suited for dry soils, sun &amp; shade?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2052" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2053" CreationDate="2011-09-16T05:28:15.837" Score="11" ViewCount="520" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found an &lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/site/freesodas/oakleafanomoly&quot;&gt;interesting lesion on an oak leaf&lt;/a&gt; in my back yard (Upstate South Carolina). What is it? I am asking about the marble like structure since I am fairly certain that the larva (shown at link) belong to an acorn weevil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9aiS8.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9aiS8m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ld7TP.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ld7TPm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastEditorUserId="59" LastEditDate="2011-09-16T05:49:45.023" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T06:18:25.607" Title="What is this anomalous growth on my oak leaf?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2053" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2052" CreationDate="2011-09-16T06:05:07.227" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a oak apple gall, a leaf gall commonly caused by the larva of a wasp (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/oak_apple_gall_wasp.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Amphibolips confluent&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; and others). The larva lives inside, both causing the gall and feeding off it. Eventually, it tunnels its way out. When the gall matures, it turns reddish (apple-like) and then brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;em&gt;Insects That Feed on Tree and Shrubs&lt;/em&gt; by Warren Johnson and Howard Lyon (1988), many other insects in addition to the gall maker, the wasp, feed on the gall. Apparently, it is tasty. So who knows what you may have found inside. They also mention that the oak apple gall &quot;does no measurable harm to its oak host.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-09-16T06:18:25.607" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T06:18:25.607" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2043" CreationDate="2011-09-16T06:16:34.387" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sweet potato slips are very easy to grow at home. First, if you're picky about the taste, you might want to try a few out till you hit the right one(s). You'll need only the ends (a 1/3rd on each end) to grow the slips, so you can probably cook the middle 1/3rd and try it out for taste. Once you've settled on a sweet potato, follow these steps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Take the 1/3rd pieces from each end and stick the base (i.e., the cut, exposed part) into a jar of water. The common method to support the piece is to stick toothpicks in its sides and let them rest on the rim of the jar. Some people use the entire potato (see second picture below)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place this setup in a warm place with lots of sunlight. Now what's going to happen is that the cut bottom part will serve to transport water to the rest of it, while the starch in the potato serves as food for growth. Little shoots will start forming from each &quot;eye&quot; of the potato and little roots will form from the base. Some folks use the entire potato to grow slips (see second image below), but I've grown only from halves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.compostguy.com/fun-projects/growing-sweet-potato-slips/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YqmhAm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cornucop/msg0515540018297.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jdiEGm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(Click on the image for the source)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Next, when the sprouts are about 3-4&quot; tall, remove them from the eye and put them in a shallow dish with water, with the bottom end in water. The goal is to get them to sprout roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ty6q7m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(Click on the image for the source)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When the roots are about 2&quot; long and not looking flimsy, they're ready for planting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should be able to get quite a lot of slips (20-30?) from a single sweet potato and you can extrapolate that to how much ever &quot;fairly large&quot; means. You might also want to try out with just one, for starters, and then once you're satisfied with the process and fine tuned things, you can proceed growing them in larger quantities. I also found some good advice on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-plant-and-grow-sweet-potatoes/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; website re: preparing the soil for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding using cold frames, I apologize, but I have not used cold frames and hence can't comment on them. As long as you can guarantee a warm, well lit environment for the sprouts, anything will do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T06:16:34.387" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2055" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="649" CreationDate="2011-09-16T14:01:21.770" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The heat alone shouldn't be enough to kill your lawn; my bet is that your soil is too compacted and can't retain the moisture.  If you dig into your soil 9-12 inches, you should notice it's much cooler, and therefore, less susceptible to evaporation.  I agree with the recommendations for aerating the lawn; however, you should also change your watering schedule.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your watering schedule should probably be twice a week, and a long cycle (30 minutes or more) on the sunny parts.  You want to encourage the roots of the plant to grow deeper to look for water.  Watering light every other day will encourage a shallow root system, which will exacerbate the yellowing problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="640" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T14:01:21.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2056" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="649" CreationDate="2011-09-16T14:23:59.107" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem that I see is that instead of worrying how many minutes your sprinkler is on you should be worrying about how much water you are getting. What you are doing now is stressing your lawn in the sunny area. Infrequent thorough watering will make your lawn stronger and make it grow a longer root system to withstand lack of water. Put out rain gauges throughout your lawn and see how long it takes to reach a half inch. That is how long to set your timer. Water your lawn like this twice a week in the early morning. I am basing this on experience and recommendations by many Florida agencies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T14:23:59.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="649" CreationDate="2011-09-16T15:08:50.850" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you might find some of the information found in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1593/how-do-i-get-rid-of-the-large-cracks-in-my-lawn-due-to-the-lack-of-rain/1596#1596&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; helpful/useful, as the information given directly relates to lawns in Texas eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also wish to take the time to have a browse through the below site, as it directly relates to lawns in your local area:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-turf.tamu.edu/aggieturf2/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Turf website for Texas A&amp;amp;M University&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I highly recommend you listen to, &amp;quot;You Bet Your Garden&amp;quot; podcast -- &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.whyy.org/podcast/garden/garden20110827.mp3&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Not So Perfect Produce, 27&lt;sup&gt;the&lt;/sup&gt; August 2011 (Direct link to MP3)&lt;/a&gt; and start listening at 13mins:27secs in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How to water your lawn perfectly with Guy Fipps, PhD, P.E., Director of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://itc.tamu.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Irrigation Technology Center&lt;/a&gt; at Texas A&amp;amp;M University.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; How high do you mow your lawn ie How tall is the grass after you've finished mowing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early in the growing season (early to mid Spring) as the grass is coming out of Winter dormancy, cut your lawn at 1½ to 2inches (37.5 to 50mm), then from late Spring onward move the cutting height on your lawnmower up, 2inches (50mm) minimum, 2½inches (62.5mm) would be better.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; How much water do you give your lawn during each watering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're not sure, do something like the following to measure the amount of water:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put a empty, shallow (tuna) can in the middle on the watering zone and measure the depth of the contents after your sprinkling system has turned itself off after 20 minutes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a lawn to remain alive (instead of allowing it to go into dormancy) during extreme heat and drought, it needs at least 1inch (25mm) of water per week. The 1inch (25mm) of water is best delivered via either:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;One deep watering a week that delivers a minimum of 1inch (25mm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Or two waterings a week, each one delivering a minimum of ½inch (12.5mm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering a lawn more than twice a week (even during extreme heat &amp;amp; drought) has a negative effect on the lawn ie&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It encourages the grass to develop a shallow root system, where as what you really want to do, especially in a situation like yours, is encourage the grass to develop a deep root system, make it go deeper to look for water below the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Frequent watering also increases the possibility of diseases developing in your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T15:08:50.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2058" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35" CreationDate="2011-09-16T15:16:02.430" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This strange growing behavior might be an example of &lt;em&gt;topophysis&lt;/em&gt;, which describes the situation when cuttings from different parts of the plant have different growth characteristics. According to &lt;em&gt;The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation&lt;/em&gt; (1987), by Michael Dirr and Charles Hauser, &quot;... cuttings taken from lateral branches of &lt;em&gt;Taxus cuspidata&lt;/em&gt; var. &lt;em&gt;capitata&lt;/em&gt;, upright Japanese yew, produced spreading plants, while vertical cuttings yielded an upright version similar in habit to the parent.&quot; Perhaps, kalanchoe behaves similarly. Cuttings taken from the top of the plant produce upright tall plants. Whereas, cuttings taken from the side produce spreading bushy plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Elisabeth C. Miller horticultural library has a bit more information in &lt;a href=&quot;http://depts.washington.edu/hortlib/resources/ganrecord.php?palid=867&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;a knowledge base article on topophytic plants&lt;/a&gt;. Still, no specifics on kalanchoe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-09-17T15:12:12.027" LastActivityDate="2011-09-17T15:12:12.027" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2059" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2051" CreationDate="2011-09-16T15:51:22.043" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not a perennial, but an ornamental grass, I can't recommend the below Switchgrass enough (I have 15 of them in my garden and planted 8 of them last year in one of our streets common ground areas):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=Z240&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Switchgrass - &lt;em&gt;Panicum virgatum&lt;/em&gt; 'Northwind'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also another striking Switchgrass that might work (I planted 2 of them last year in one of our streets common ground areas):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=S250&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Switchgrass - &lt;em&gt;Panicum virgatum&lt;/em&gt; 'Prairie Sky'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A perennial that might work, though it may not be quite tall enough for your particular needs (I have one in my Missouri native garden):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=G660&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Royal catchfly - &lt;em&gt;Silene regia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T15:51:22.043" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2061" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2063" CreationDate="2011-09-16T17:08:00.680" Score="16" ViewCount="21549" Body="&lt;p&gt;I laid out a soaker hose system for my garden this year. Unfortunately a few weeks ago I went to turn it on and noticed a loud spraying sound coming from one area, when I removed some mulch the water shot approximately 10 feet up in the air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It shouldn't be too hard to find the hole, but what is the best way to fix it? Its a soaker hose, so the repair does not need to be water tight, but it should be enough that it maintains the pressure in the rest of the hose and will stay put so the hole doesn't reopen or get larger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-16T17:14:18.383" LastActivityDate="2015-12-04T22:48:28.687" Title="How do I repair a soaker hose?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;repair&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2062" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2061" CreationDate="2011-09-16T17:27:03.743" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recommend paying a visit to your local hardware shop, large DIY store... and pick up a &quot;hose repair kit&quot; (or a &quot;splice connector&quot; might also work for your needs), it should cost no more than a few $'s and will enable you to fix the hose properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another alternative, if the hole isn't that large, repair the hose with a bicycle tire repair kit...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T17:27:03.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2063" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2061" CreationDate="2011-09-16T17:30:19.353" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could get one of these self-fusing silicone tapes that are used to fix minor plumbing and hose leaks. You should be able to find it at any hardware store and they cost about 5$.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bn4VO.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now coming to using them, it's a double sided adhesive tape which can be a bit tricky at first and you'll need to do it carefully, else it won't sit tight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;First, locate the hole in the hose. This should be very easy -- turn the water on (maybe not full blast) and pull up the hose from under the mulch. You can use little tape bits or whatever to temporarily mark the spots and then turn off the water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dry the outside of the hose thoroughly and if you can unhook it from the mains, do so and blow the water out. The surface should be completely dry, without moisture.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Now comes the hard part - wrapping it around the hose. Peel a little bit (3&quot;) and hold it firmly against the hose, about 2-3&quot; away from the hole (or one end if it is a longish crack and not a hole). Now start wrapping it around the hose and moving to the other end till you're 2-3&quot; away from the hole or the other end of the crack and keep peeling the clear tape as required.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You should maintain &lt;strong&gt;at least 50% overlap&lt;/strong&gt; each time you wind around the hose. Note that these things stretch quite a bit, so make sure that you pull it really well as you wind it. This is very important because the &quot;self-fusing&quot; nature or the reason why it sticks is because the double sided adhesive prevents it from slipping when it tries to unwind itself due to the tension from the stretching. The friction helps keep it tightly bound. If it were loose, it'll simply separate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be careful to not peel off more than you can wind at once. Otherwise, you'll soon realize that it gets all twisted and sticks to itself in ways that you can't get it undone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-16T19:54:21.460" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T19:54:21.460" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2064" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2050" CreationDate="2011-09-16T19:11:54.463" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know I've recently listened to a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qp2f&quot;&gt;Gardeners’ Question Time podcast&lt;/a&gt; where someone had a very! similar question to yours. I've tried to find the episode, but have failed miserably. Sorry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is a mixture of what I can remember from that show and my own advice (for what that's worth):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anything on your property, be it above or below ground, is technically yours to do with as you please (unless of course Australian law is different to UK law in that regard).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I &lt;strong&gt;wouldn't&lt;/strong&gt; consider it &quot;bad form&quot; to remove above ground vegetation that strays into your property if it causes any kind of problem, issue...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I also &lt;strong&gt;wouldn't&lt;/strong&gt; consider it &quot;bad form&quot; to remove any invasive below ground growth that causes or has the possibility to cause problems, issues eg Here I'm thinking of things like Bamboo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I &lt;strong&gt;would&lt;/strong&gt; consider it &quot;bad form&quot; to cut out a &lt;em&gt;major&lt;/em&gt; section of tree roots, unless of course those roots were directly affecting something like the foundations of your home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Regardless, &quot;bad form&quot; or not, I think the best thing you can do initially is engage your neighbour in conversation about their tree and the problem, issue the roots are causing on your property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Best case scenario, your neighbour is understanding and willing to work with you to fix the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Worst case scenario, your neighbour isn't understanding and basically ignores your concerns.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Depending on how that discussion goes, will determine how you move forward, your best course of action.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the tree is in &lt;em&gt;bad&lt;/em&gt; shape or approaching the end of its expected life span, it might make good sense just to remove the tree completely (of course this relies on your neighbour agreeing to that, seeing as the tree is on their property).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I &lt;strong&gt;wouldn't&lt;/strong&gt; go about hacking out large sections of a tree's root system, doing so could have dramatic consequences eg The tree falls over (next time a strong wind comes through the area).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Seeing as you say, &quot;Our soil is very poor in every way...&quot; I think your better option would be to take the time to build some raised beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I recommend building 12inch (300mm) high (minimum) raised beds. 18 to 24inches (450 to 600mm) in your situation would be much better IMHO.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The higher the raised beds the better in your particular situation, as the tree roots will most definitely do their best to muscle their way into your healthy soil environment and suck it dry...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When putting raised beds in, keep the following information in mind:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;As stated above, build them has high as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beds should be no wider than 4ft (1200mm), allows you to easily work the beds without stepping into them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beds can be a long as is practical.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove the top 4 to 6inches (100 to 150mm) of material from inside the beds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In your case, it might be worth putting down a landscape fabric or a thick layer of cardboard.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Depending on how you construct the walls of the beds (material used), you &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; want to added some drainage holes just above the outside ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If beds are going to be next to each other, leave enough space between them so you can work easily in each bed, 2ft (600mm) minimum gap. Mulch the space between the beds with wood-chips, they are cheap and make an ok! surface to work from.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill the beds with a 50/50 mixture of finely sieved top soil and high quality &quot;organic&quot; material (compost, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf_mold&quot;&gt;leaf mold&lt;/a&gt;, etc). Add the material in 6inch (150mm) layers, &quot;lightly&quot; tamping down each layer as you go.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr/&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hope the above helps and good luck talking with your neighbour :)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T19:11:54.463" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2065" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2074" CreationDate="2011-09-16T20:25:24.850" Score="18" ViewCount="868" Body="&lt;p&gt;Growing up in a house with a yard, we had a pretty decent sized garden with fruits, vegetables, and herbs galore. Since moving to &quot;the city&quot;, I haven't had a yard, and I miss being able to grow things&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The situation:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only space I have for a garden is on my balcony. It doesn't receive a lot of sunlight - the building walls enclose it on two sides, the main opening is west-facing, and the railing has thick wooden slats that block over half of the light except when the sun is at  the right angle to shine directly from overhead. I would be able to add pots, but not planters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The question:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What plants would you recommend for a balcony garden, to grow in pots, with limited sunlight? I'm open to herbs, greens, veggies, or anything that comes highly recommended by community members.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="644" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-16T20:35:20.707" LastActivityDate="2014-10-21T19:05:43.013" Title="What herbs/vegetables/greens can be grown in a balcony garden with limited sunlight?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2066" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2065" CreationDate="2011-09-16T20:54:04.977" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plants that I am going to suggest are those that will require limited sunlight, but sufficient enough to promote vegetative growth. Since these all will be in pots I suggest getting pots the largest size possible for best results. For instance in a large 5 gallon or bigger container you could plant a number of herbs that would do well in the situation. Spinach, lettuce and any number of greens could do well as long as the weather is warm enough. Once that you have given those that are likely to grow a chance to start, then you could start experimenting with veggies such as tomatoes. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-09-16T20:54:04.977" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2067" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2050" CreationDate="2011-09-16T20:54:47.143" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;While I'm a big fan of raised beds in general, I don't think they're any kind of a solution here - the roots will just come up into the beds.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I've read, landscape fabric and cardboard don't stop tree roots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have Norway Maples &quot;near&quot; (40 feet from) our raised beds, and I have to dig a line around the outside of the beds down six inches with a pickax (and pruning saw) every year or two to keep them from taking over.  And they do take over.  Nothing grows well when they're in the garden.  Norway Maples are pretty notorious for this - palms may be not as bad - or worse, for all I know.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just saw the pictures.  I'd check the neighbor's yard, if possible, to make sure that it isn't something like a sea of concrete with islands of soil for the palms.  Make sure the palms are likely to have lots of other area for roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's nothing in the picture for scale, but it looks like the roots are well less than an inch.  If so, I'd have no worries whatever about cutting them - especially if you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut them when you're likely to have rain for the next few months&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut them over multiple seasons if there are a really large number coming from one tree.  Limit how much you cut to something like 4 to 6 square inches of root cross-section per tree.  (That's &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; scientific - I'm just trying to communicate my musings.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Caveat&lt;/strong&gt;.  I've never gardened in your climate, your soil, or with palms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might want to call &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growthtech.com.au/CONTENT/ROOT_CONTROL_and_WEED_PREVENTION.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;these folks&lt;/a&gt; and see if they have anything useful to say or sell.  In the U.S., I'd suggest that you contact your county agricultural extension service - I don't know if there's something equivalent in Australia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-09-19T15:16:44.540" LastActivityDate="2011-09-19T15:16:44.540" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2051" CreationDate="2011-09-17T01:32:17.417" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This answer does not quite fit the specs but it works well with tough rugosa roses.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;A species clematis like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.perennials.com/seeplant.html?item=1.157.500&quot;&gt;clematis tangutica&lt;/a&gt; will climb up and around a rose and coexist with it.  I have grown several in various locations.  Tough, needs full sun, not fussy as to soil and decorative seed heads that are attractive in winter. Sadly, I see that is now considered an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/Downloads/FS-YellowClematis.pdf&quot;&gt;invasive plant&lt;/a&gt; in Bow Valley, Alberta but I have not found it be a problem where I garden in Ontario.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-09-17T01:32:17.417" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2069" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2046" CreationDate="2011-09-17T01:44:47.013" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a climate similar to Minnesota and have never seen commercial landscapers gluing hard pavers down.&lt;br&gt;&#xA; - you say &quot;brick&quot;, most brick will flake and spall after a few seasons because it is only hardened to the elements on one side.&lt;br&gt;&#xA; - Even interlock, which is cement, does not perform well in the long run when it is constantly moist.  These are the conditions that are found when you have a non porous bed of cement with bricks on top that allow water through the cracks.&lt;br&gt;&#xA; - The only places that I use adhesive on natural stone or on interlock is for cap stones on walls and treads for steps.  In each case you must supply adequate drainage through the use of permeable materials behind the wall or under the base of the step such as a bed of 3/8&quot; gravel.&lt;br&gt;&#xA; - If there are gaps in the bricks I recommend you add &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.groundtradesxchange.com/pavers/polymeric_sand.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;polymeric sand&lt;/a&gt;.  In the past I would never pay $25 for a bag of sand but this material is superb for filling joints, stays permeable and does not wash out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2011-09-17T14:40:39.357" LastActivityDate="2011-09-17T14:40:39.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2070" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-17T14:52:13.747" Score="8" ViewCount="1105" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in surrounding my UK front garden with a evergreen hedge border.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The garden is small, enough for 2 small family cars.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;So is it possible to grow a &quot;slim&quot; evergreen hedge which is at least 6ft high?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="646" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-17T16:27:19.437" LastActivityDate="2011-09-17T17:14:24.043" Title="Slim 6ft high evergreen hedge for a UK garden?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2071" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-17T16:18:07.147" Score="20" ViewCount="11879" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a home that has an apple tree in the backyard. I don't know much about apples (or gardening in general for that matter) and I need help with a couple of things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'd like some help identifying the type of apple if possible (see pictures below; click to enlarge). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;About half of the apples are rotting out while still on the branches. Is this some type of infestation? There are plenty of other apples that show no brown spots - will those be OK for consumption?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in south-east Wyoming at 7200 feet in altitude - it's a rather cool and dry climate here. We have already had several nights this month that have gotten down to the high 30s.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some photos of both intact and dissected apples. One taken from tree and two taken from ground. I'm not seeing any evidence that suggests the presence of any pests (at least to my untrained eye).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/muFPu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/muFPum.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YuY5j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YuY5jm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GIirt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GIirtm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9tXDV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9tXDVm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="647" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-02-03T06:47:38.987" LastActivityDate="2012-02-03T06:47:38.987" Title="Why are my apples rotting on the tree?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2070" CreationDate="2011-09-17T17:14:24.043" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/Yew-English-Taxus-baccata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Yews should do the job&lt;/a&gt; as they can be trimmed easily and sprout new growth on old wood.  They are slow growing unless you pamper them with water and fertilizer the first few years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even easier, and thinner, is a wood/aluminium/steel fence with vines growing on it. You can get privacy, flower and fruit with less than three feet of width.  Some vines that would work are roses, clematis, wisteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-09-17T17:14:24.043" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2073" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2094" CreationDate="2011-09-17T19:17:50.337" Score="11" ViewCount="2205" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pea&quot;&gt;pea plant (&lt;em&gt;Pisum sativum&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; was grown in an ebb &amp;amp; flow hydroponics system until it failed; now it's in a deep water culture unit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I noticed that the leaves were turning brown/grey. I thought this may be a disease so I sprayed Daconcil when needed, but it didn't seem to help. Thinking it might be fertilizer burn, I flushed the system, but now I noticed the leaves are drying up. To rule out the possibility of burning from too much light, I moved the light 2 inches back sideways. However, it's still progressing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why is this happening? Here are some details on the setup and environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pea Little marvel (Pisum sativum)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pH as of now: 6.5 - 6.2 pH&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Indoors.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Light is 100w 6500K (daylight) fluorescent.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Light period controlled by timer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Light period was changed from 14 hrs to 16 hrs after light was moved.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;next to air vent. (always cold)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilizer is miracle-gro 20-10-10.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water has hydrogen peroxide in it to keep it oxygenated.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hydrogen peroxide ratio:  1/4 cup of peroxide per quart of water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Air pump keeps water bubbling/moving to keep it oxygenated (no air stone, just a diy nozzle).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click on the photo for a larger image&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kUlLS.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kUlLSm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gqkTB.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gqkTBm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KqFQm.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KqFQmm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3KAnu.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3KAnum.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's few more of the same setup: &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t9Lzm.jpg&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sO9J8.jpg&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2OiL2.jpg&quot;&gt;3&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="648" LastEditorUserId="648" LastEditDate="2011-09-19T01:24:23.007" LastActivityDate="2011-09-19T20:09:09.207" Title="Why are the leaves of my pea plant (little marvel) drying up and turning brown?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;peas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2074" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2065" CreationDate="2011-09-18T01:34:44.707" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are some things I have had experience with in this situation. They all will grow with proper care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;thyme&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leaf lettuce&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;radishes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spinach&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pepper &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;determinate tomatoes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;baby style carrots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tophat blueberries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;poly variegated cat grass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;oregano&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;strawberries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;catmint&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;potatoes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sweet potatoes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-21T19:05:43.013" LastActivityDate="2014-10-21T19:05:43.013" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2075" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2076" CreationDate="2011-09-18T01:53:41.143" Score="11" ViewCount="1750" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some garden soil that has decaying spruce needles mixed through it. What should I do to the soil in order to grow vegetables in it normally?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-20T18:48:19.123" LastActivityDate="2011-09-20T19:15:57.933" Title="How can I clean up soil mixed with spruce needles?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2076" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2075" CreationDate="2011-09-18T03:43:36.737" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Suspect over-acidity... check the pH and add lime if needed.  Is the soil good otherwise?  Spruces (at least around here in New Hampshire) are often in pretty sterile soil that needs amending with other, sweeter organic material, like composted manure or other compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When there's too much uncomposted &quot;brown stuff&quot; (leaves, etc.) in the soil, it will rob nitrogen in order to digest all the carbon.  So consider adding nitrogen one way or another.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the dog has also been urinating in the area a lot, it can mess up the soil.  Apply gypsum for that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does the soil drain well?  Is there hard pan underneath it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-09-19T15:29:34.530" LastActivityDate="2011-09-19T15:29:34.530" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2077" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="627" CreationDate="2011-09-18T03:58:09.597" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless we're talking the art of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bonsai&lt;/a&gt; or dwarf tree varieties, I personally think trees should be left to grow to their correct size, that's not to say they shouldn't be pruned to help maintain their health...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning hedges and shrubs makes a lot more sense from a gardening perspective (IMHO), in fact most hedges and shrubs benefit from &quot;regular&quot; pruning (once every year or two)...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/627/is-it-possible-to-indefinitely-limit-growth-of-trees-hedges-and-shrubs/640#comment-686&quot;&gt;&quot;bstpierre&quot; notes in his comment&lt;/a&gt;, pruning at the correct time of year for the specific plant and pruning that plant correctly are vital for the plants wellbeing...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-09-18T03:58:09.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1680" CreationDate="2011-09-18T05:16:00.497" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seeing as there are so many apple varieties it can prove almost impossible (even to expertly trained eyes) to correctly identify a specific variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The below couple of articles explain why it's so difficult and offers suggestions on how you can narrow down your search:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/apple55.html&quot;&gt;Identifying English Apples&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.applesearch.org/unknown.html&quot;&gt;How to Identify Unknown Apples&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The below online apple variety search tool may prove somewhat useful in helping to narrow down your search for a particular variety, or it could be used to eliminate (certain) varieties:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orangepippin.com/varietyindex.aspx&quot;&gt;Search for apple varieties&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note, when using the above online tool, if you drill down to a specific apple a lot more information is presented about that particular apple eg The below variety may or may not be the correct variety, but a lot of information about that apple is available via the tabs under the apples name &quot;Annie Elizabeth apple&quot;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/annie-elizabeth&quot;&gt;Annie Elizabeth&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-09-18T05:16:00.497" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-09-18T05:16:00.497" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2080" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-18T23:32:09.993" Score="23" ViewCount="63819" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does it matter where on the stalk you cut or remove the fruit off the plant so that you don't suck away its future earning potential?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let's take the photo here, of a Cayenne pepper (&lt;em&gt;Capsicum annuum&lt;/em&gt;), where the chilli is now ripe and ready to burn up the dinner plate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GyYnt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tight shot of a cayenne pepper on the stalk&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually from the store, this type of chilli comes with some of the stem at the end of the red.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In order to make sure the plant keeps on keeping on, can you just pluck out the red part and leave the nub? Or do you have to cut it off the plant somewhere along the lines where the sun doth shine?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-18T23:58:58.607" LastActivityDate="2017-05-08T12:01:45.593" Title="What is the right way to pick peppers so the plant keeps producing?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;pinching-out&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2081" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2080" CreationDate="2011-09-19T00:02:16.333" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;You'll find that in most plants, it is very easy to pluck the fruit by removing the stalk from the node (marked in blue) on the stem. If you do remove it from there, the wound is very minimal and the plant heals very quickly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uCfmbm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now it might not be that much of a problem (in terms of being prone to diseases) if you snip them off mid-stalk with scissors/pruners. However, the plant will slow down the fruit production until the rest of the stalk has dried fully and fallen off the stem. So in a sense, you're aiding the plant by removing it at the node on the first go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the same advice given for flowering plants: &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/dead-head&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;dead-head&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;dead-head&lt;/a&gt; the flowers to encourage new flowers. Fruits are merely pregnant flowers. So more flowers -&gt; more fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-09-19T00:02:16.333" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2082" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2080" CreationDate="2011-09-19T00:15:21.887" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;@yoda's answer makes sense, but to be honest I just pull them off - usually they break at the node as that is the weak point. If they come off at the 'cap' then I do remove the rest of the stem - but that is the only time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't noticed any problems or reducing fruit. You do want to remove the peppers when ripe (or when they are ripe enough for you - most green peppers are technically not ripe!), so that the plant produces more fruit. Keeping ripe fruit on the plant discourages new fruit forming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-19T00:15:21.887" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2083" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2085" CreationDate="2011-09-19T01:42:18.803" Score="9" ViewCount="2973" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an old hollow black cherry tree and sandhills hornets moved in this year. The hole is about one foot from the ground. How can I get rid of the nest without a professional?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-19T02:20:25.310" LastActivityDate="2019-08-08T01:46:46.973" Title="How can I get rid of a large hornet nest in my hollow tree?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2083" CreationDate="2011-09-19T02:52:17.683" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't try it yourself. Although you can flood the nest and kill most of the hornets, there should be some other hornet flying outside, which can attack you right away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't hesitate to contact your local bureau for environmental protection or pest control group. Just a phone call to them, and they should eliminate the hornet for free ( That's their job! ) . When they arrive, remember to keep your windows closed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastActivityDate="2011-09-19T02:52:17.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2085" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2083" CreationDate="2011-09-19T03:40:30.973" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're not averse to using insecticides, then you'll find several in any of the home repair big-box stores, that specifically target hornets and wasps. Just make sure you cover yourself well from head to toe, eye protection, etc. the full deal (with as many layers as you can... you really don't want to get stung). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of these sprays work from afar (about 5-10 feet away), so you won't have to get too close to the nest. However, do remember to spray it only at night time, as that's when the hornets are mostly inactive (a.k.a taking a few winks).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly and most importantly, &lt;strong&gt;don't forget to read the directions on the can&lt;/strong&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-19T15:06:33.437" LastActivityDate="2011-09-19T15:06:33.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2086" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2087" CreationDate="2011-09-19T17:48:11.803" Score="10" ViewCount="407" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm just getting started on my first vegetable garden so forgive the noobie questions. I live in Southern Oregon and having a hard time finding a list of fruits and vegetables, and the correct time to begin planting. Is there a schedule out there? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, a lot of sites I'm finding are showing the harvest times, for example, August to November. Does this mean plant in August and harvest in November, or does it mean, plant at some point and they'll be ready for harvest sometime from August to November?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="656" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-19T18:07:17.893" LastActivityDate="2012-06-20T14:38:54.063" Title="Where can I find a fruits and vegetables planting schedule for Southern Oregon?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;resources&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2086" CreationDate="2011-09-19T18:00:59.410" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Local newspapers and master gardener groups are a place to look - they may have websites of pamphlets/booklets. Here's one for Eugene (see note below):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.eugeneweekly.com/springplantingguide/index.html&quot;&gt;http://www.eugeneweekly.com/springplantingguide/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also your local agricultural university (not sure if that will be U.Oregon, or if you have an &quot;A&amp;amp;M&quot; as it were) will usually have very extensive local crop guides. As well as viability, cropping, harvest times, they will also cover common regional issues such as pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: I don't know Oregon that well having only visited for about 1hr, but there is probably more of an east-west variation in climate than north-south. You have the coast, the Cascades (altitude) and then probably a rain shadow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, that harvesting range is just that - plant earlier, and that is when you would typically harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-19T18:00:59.410" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2088" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2086" CreationDate="2011-09-19T18:32:42.780" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/community/gardening&quot;&gt;Oregon's Agricultural Extension Service&lt;/a&gt; has the best Extension Service web site I've ever seen!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you look in seed catalogs, you'll see they give a number of days from planting to harvest for each variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-09-19T19:03:12.067" LastActivityDate="2011-09-19T19:03:12.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2089" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-19T19:25:35.653" Score="11" ViewCount="5280" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhubarb&quot;&gt;rhubarb&lt;/a&gt; plant and one of the stems has gotten some rust on it. What should I do? (there are only 3 small stems on the plant)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PGgLe.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PGgLem.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AK5yf.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AK5yfm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-19T19:42:44.747" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T18:22:40.407" Title="How do I treat rhubarb rust?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;rhubarb&gt;&lt;rust&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2090" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-19T19:43:12.957" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tomato plants are &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cultivar&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cultivar&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cultivar&lt;/a&gt;s of &lt;em&gt;Solanum lycopersicum&lt;/em&gt; (a member of the &lt;em&gt;Solanaceae&lt;/em&gt; or nightshades) that are grown for their &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/edible&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;edible&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;edible&lt;/a&gt; red &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt; (also known as 'tomatoes').&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomato fruit are savory, can be eaten raw or cooked, and are used in a wide range of dishes, sauces, and even drinks. Confusingly, the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt; are considered &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vegetables&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;vegetables&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vegetables&lt;/a&gt; for culinary purposes and by the US Supreme Court (Nix v. Hedden 1893).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Native to South America, tomatoes were spread around the world after Spanish colonization and are now extremely popular around the world.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruit are typically bright red and round, but the wide range of cultivars include yellow, green, fuzzy-skinned, striped, cherry (small), beefsteak (very large), plum (large solid content - ideal for sauces), and pear-shaped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomato plants are perennials in their native habitat but are usually grown as annuals in a warm temperate &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/climate&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;climate&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;climate&lt;/a&gt;. Tomatoes can be grown in cooler climates using &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/greenhouse&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;greenhouse&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;greenhouse&lt;/a&gt;s or suitable shelter. As they are closely related to &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/chili&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;chili&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;chili&lt;/a&gt; peppers, they tend to prefer similar conditions and suffer from the same &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pests&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pests&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pests&lt;/a&gt;, e.g. hornworms, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/aphids&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;aphids&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;aphids&lt;/a&gt;, whiteflies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes contain a range of vitamins and lycopene (a natural antioxidant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, in common with most &lt;em&gt;Solanaceae&lt;/em&gt;, the leaves and stems contain tropane alkaloids that are toxic. The literature contains records of both humans (via &amp;quot;tomato leaf tea&amp;quot;) and dogs being poisoned from tomato leaves. Unripe fruit can also contain some alkaloids although these are generally too small to be dangerous to humans (dogs may still be poisoned).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T12:43:47.860" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T12:43:47.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2091" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-19T19:43:12.957" Score="0" Body="Edible red fruit, cultivar of Solanum lycopersicum. Use this tag with questions about caring, propagating and identifying tomato varieties. " OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T12:43:54.803" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T12:43:54.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2092" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-19T19:48:18.703" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;em&gt;Orchidaceae&lt;/em&gt; (&quot;Orchid Family&quot;) are a very diverse and widespread group of monocot plants (order &lt;em&gt;Asparagales&lt;/em&gt;). They are currently believed to be the largest family of flowering plants with between 21,000 and 26,000 accepted species in 880 genera. By comparison, this is about double the number of recognized bird species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Due to the ornate and elegant flowers of many orchid species, they have proved very popular with horticulturists since the 19th century, and over 100,000 hybrids and cultivars have been produced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Orchid markets have developed to rival those of tulips and new varieties can sell for hundreds of dollars at auction. As a very diverse group of plants, orchids have a number of other applications beyond beauty:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The &lt;em&gt;Vanilla&lt;/em&gt; genus is commercially grown as a flavor&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Food stuff (e.g. ground tubers of &lt;em&gt;Orchis mascula&lt;/em&gt; used in Turkish ice cream)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dried leaves of &lt;em&gt;Jumellea fragrans&lt;/em&gt; flavors Reunion Island rum&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Perfume scent&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most orchids are perennial epiphytes which typically grow anchored in trees or shrubs in tropical and sub-tropical climates. Temperate climate orchids are usually terrestrial. A few orchids are lithophytes growing on rock or very rocky soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some orchids have little or no chlorophyll and are unable to photosynthesize. They receive their energy and nutrients through a parasitic or symbiotic relationship with soil fungi. Examples include &lt;em&gt;Neottia&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Corallorhiza&lt;/em&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;Hexalectris&lt;/em&gt; - of which the latter has never been cultivated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T13:03:57.397" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T13:03:57.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2093" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-19T19:48:18.703" Score="0" Body="Members of the Orchidaceae noted for their elegant flowers." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-04T21:14:55.810" LastActivityDate="2021-01-04T21:14:55.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2073" CreationDate="2011-09-19T20:09:09.207" Score="5" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;next to air vent. (always cold)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer is miracle-gro 20-10-10&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thinking out loud, I wonder if the constant cold air movement could be the problem (or part of the problem)...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That to me seems too strong a fertilizer, unless it's the recommend strength for growing a pea plant in an ebb &amp;amp; flow hydroponics system, is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No, but that's all I have. I have stopped using it for a week but saw no improvement&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would take (much) longer than a week before seeing any improvement, if in fact the plant could fully recover from over fertilizing (IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the recommend &amp;quot;general&amp;quot; fertilizer for an ebb &amp;amp; flow hydroponics system?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From my limited knowledge on the subject, it should be well balanced and contain essential micro-nutrients (seeing as there is no soil present).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What about the constant cold air movement, could that have contributed (to the problem)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The air shouldn't cause a problem because the plant thrives in cool weather, but I think the problem may be the fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;Cool weather&amp;quot; &amp;amp; &amp;quot;constant cold air movement&amp;quot; (basically a draft) are two very different things (IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless of that particular argument, my gut feeling is the imbalanced (and strong) fertilizer is the cause of the problem (for what that's worth).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend looking into specific ebb &amp;amp; flow hydroponics system fertilizers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;They're designed specifically for use in such systems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;They will contain everything a plant needs to survive, thrive in such a system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;They will probably cost more than &amp;quot;regular&amp;quot; fertilizer, but the additional cost should pay for itself in the returns you get from having health plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-09-19T20:09:09.207" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2095" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2086" CreationDate="2011-09-19T20:48:38.760" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The following (plus a lot more) is available via &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Oregon State University Extension Service&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/calendar&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Monthly Garden Calendars&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/handle/1957/21092&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Growing your own&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Direct link to PDF - &lt;a href=&quot;http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/21092/em9027complete.pdf?sequence=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Growing your own (full publication)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Direct link to PDF &lt;strong&gt;preview&lt;/strong&gt; - &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/em/em8742.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sustainable Gardening Handbook&lt;/a&gt; - could well be worth the $30 cover price for this 531 publication&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/tips&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardening Tips&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/results.php?cat=Gardening&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;How-Tos and Publications&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/subscribe&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Northwest Gardening eNews&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even though I don't live in your area of the country, I'm going to subscribe to some of the (video) podcasts they produce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and enjoy your garden&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-09-19T20:48:38.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2096" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2089" CreationDate="2011-09-19T21:47:37.340" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Is there a reason your rhubarb is standing in water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rhubarb prefers even moisture during the growing season (but does require well-drained soil), it most definitely does not like standing in water...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it has been standing in water for a while, I would hazard a guess you're seeing a form of fungi (disease) brought on by crown rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Rhubarb isn't supposed to grow in the hot weather here in South Carolina. The soil is hard clay which takes forever to absorb water. Therefore I built a 2 inch high wall around it, which I fill with water everyday. The water takes about 5-10 minutes to be absorbed, which is why I can't just water it normally. Even with these measures it is sooooo hot here that if I miss a single day the plant wilts. Perhaps I should get some better soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless you create a better growing environment for your rhubarb I believe you will be forever fighting a losing battle...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Can you grow them an area that gets some shade, preferably somewhere that gets morning &amp;amp; early afternoon full sun, then shade for the remainder of the day?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or set something up to provide that kind of environment eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1704/how-do-i-prevent-my-berry-leaves-from-getting-scorched-in-the-sun/1712#1712&quot;&gt;What is a good frugal method for providing shade to fruit-bearing vines?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also rhubarb prefers soil with good organic content, which by its very definition means the soil will have good drainage...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even in your climate rhubarb should only need approximately 2inches (50mm) of water a week, assuming you take care of the other requirements...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you really want to grow rhubarb I think you might be best building yourself a raised bed:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You get to control the exact soil make-up, a major plus from what you've described about your native soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-09-20T02:03:22.870" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2086" CreationDate="2011-09-19T23:48:50.183" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The links in the other answers are great starting points, but experience will be your best teacher. The best advice I've read is to keep a gardening notebook. At a minimum, write down when you plant, the problems you encounter, and when you harvest. (You can also write down how much you harvest, which is helpful for figuring out how much you should plant next year.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When planning the season, look back at past notes to figure out (a) how much to plant, (b) when to plant, (c) when to expect to harvest, (d) how to prevent problems that you've encountered in the past.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1498/resources-for-region-dependent-planting-schedule-calendar/1509#1509&quot;&gt;this answer to a related question&lt;/a&gt;, I listed a strategy for figuring out your own planting schedule. Using this and your notebook, you'll be able to figure out a schedule perfectly customized to your own backyard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-09-19T23:48:50.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2098" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2050" CreationDate="2011-09-20T01:25:43.953" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a fellow Aussie I know you have an easy answer to your legal rights: just call your local council and confirm with them that you have permission to cut roots from neighbours trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are by-laws in councils to prevent you from harming trees. I know in our area it is any tree that is over 3 metres is basically a protected species. Not suggesting that you cutting these small roots would harm the tree, but the council's answer might be 'yes you can, provided the tree does not die'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing to consider; from memory and my recollection of AUS law, there is an area either side of fence which is common property, so if the roots are close to the fence you may also not be able to do anything about them even though they are technically on your side of the fence. Again, this is something to check with your local council.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you know where you stand with the council and have an understanding of where you are legally, then follow the advice in the other answers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2011-09-20T01:25:43.953" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2099" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2100" CreationDate="2011-09-20T01:55:18.620" Score="13" ViewCount="7220" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large area covered in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persicaria_perfoliata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mile-a-minute&lt;/a&gt; plants. They have been spreading fast and killing out the other plants. How can I kill them permanently without hurting other plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2011-09-27T00:35:36.117" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T05:07:11.393" Title="How do I kill mile-a-minute weed?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2100" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2099" CreationDate="2011-09-20T03:15:00.380" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/pepe1.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt; indicates you have a major problem that will require large amounts of effort no matter what method you choose.&#xA;You can hand pull while you are wearing gloves and try to get the root. This could take years if you have open soil and moist conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this was my weed I would write off the plants around it.  Cut everything down, remove and lay down a thick &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geotextile&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;geotextile&lt;/a&gt; or landscape fabric and cover with 2 to 3 inches of mulch.  Leave on for several years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I remembered something I read here from a wise gardener whose name escapes me.  You can kill some weed seeds with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weekendgardener.net/organic-weed-killer/solarization-100710.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;solarization&lt;/a&gt;.  By removing all growth and covering with plastic during the hottest part of the year you could get rid of some of the weed seeds.  Further work is likely as you will not get all the seeds in one go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2011-09-20T22:06:39.280" LastActivityDate="2011-09-20T22:06:39.280" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2101" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3431" CreationDate="2011-09-20T05:46:13.703" Score="10" ViewCount="1679" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a medium sized deciduous shade tree to plant in Phoenix, Arizona to shade part of my house. It needs to be deciduous so that it will let the sun through in the winter and provide shade in the summer. The tree does not need to be indigenous but will obviously need to be able to withstand harsh summers. Also, preferable would be something that grew fast so as to provide maximum benefit as soon as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" OwnerDisplayName="Guy" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-19T01:39:46.807" LastActivityDate="2014-10-19T01:39:46.807" Title="What are the best deciduous shade trees for Phoenix, Arizona?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2102" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2126" CreationDate="2011-09-20T09:48:25.903" Score="9" ViewCount="275" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click below images to enlarge...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QWME5.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QWME5m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sinningia&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pCO2l.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pCO2lm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sinningia&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is probably Sinningia Ozark Coral Freckles. I put it in a aquarium with artificial light on from 8:00am to 0:00am. The distance to light is about 20cm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The young leaves were fine until they grew bigger and I found yellow spots within their leaves. I also spotted 2 tiny red dot things ( tiny, like dust ) on the leaves. I touched one of the red dots with a tool and it didn't move; I picked it out. I don't think they are red mites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any clues as to what is causing the yellowing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-20T13:50:38.317" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T05:09:58.653" Title="Why does my sinningia have yellow spots?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;sinningia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2103" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2104" CreationDate="2011-09-20T16:40:00.493" Score="11" ViewCount="5886" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a miniature rose plant growing in a large (about 2 foot cubed) container outside, where it has been doing very well. The bush is about 3 feet tall now, and I've had it since February (started it indoors, then moved it outside once the weather warmed up). I live in an area with fairly intense winters (northern Massachusetts), and I have two questions: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should my rose bush be producing rosehips (it hasn't so far)? Or do only &quot;standard&quot;/non-miniature roses produce hips? I've read that this helps the plant prepare for winter. We've already had several nights at or below 40°F here.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should I winter the plant outdoors, or take it inside? I've heard that this kind of rose can stand up to Massachusetts winters outside, but since it's in an above-ground container I'm guessing it's not as protected as a planted rose bush would be. Either way, is there any special treatment I should give it throughout the winter? So far all I do is water it regularly, since this Spring I repotted it using a long-feeding potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="655" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-22T16:15:29.317" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T00:50:32.710" Title="Miniature Rose Wintering" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2103" CreationDate="2011-09-20T17:45:09.997" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;In 2008 my wife was given a miniature rose for Mother's Day (by her mum). I've no idea what type of miniature rose it is, as it came in a &quot;pretty&quot; pot and no label...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The wife kept it indoors for a few months (May 2008 to September 2008).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In September 2008 I planted it our front garden (USDA Hardiness zone 6a).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was told not to prune the rose until it was 2 years old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2009-09-24 Miniature Rose after 1 year in the ground&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cs6F1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cs6F1m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Miniature Rose&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2010-04-17 Miniature Rose after its first pruning&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aY7Ib.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aY7Ibm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm no rose expert, all I can tell you is our miniature rose has never produced rose hips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose#Rose_hips&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rose hips&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The rose hip, the fruit of some species,&lt;/strong&gt; is used as a minor source of Vitamin C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the rose plant is hardy for your USDA Hardiness zone -- &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-massachusetts-usda-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Massachusetts Interactive USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map&lt;/a&gt; -- I recommended performing one of the following options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Find a temporary area in your garden, dig a hole big enough to put the pot in, then place the pot (containing the rose) in that hole. Soil level in the pot should line up with the outside soil level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Find a permanent area in your garden, dig a hole big enough for the rose plant, transfer the rose from its pot into its new (outdoor) home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I've never mulched (protected) our miniature rose during the Wintertime, but if you're concerned about Wintertime in your area doing damage to the plant you could mulch the crown area of the rose with a layer of finely shredded leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://coopext.colostate.edu/4dmg/Flowers/Roses/wintrose.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Winter Protection for Your Roses&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uvm.edu/pss/ppp/articles/roseswin.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Preparing Roses for Winter&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;del&gt;* Bring the pot (containing the rose) inside for the Wintertime and care for it appropriately in an indoor environment...&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After speaking to an &quot;expert&quot;, roses need to go through a dormancy period (Wintertime), therefore unless you have a place inside that gets cold (40&amp;#176;F/4&amp;#176;C and below), you should keep them outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the pot is of large size, contains a good amount of potting material, which will insulate the root-ball somewhat from Wintertime conditions, and the rose is planted in the middle of the container it should be fine left outside. &lt;em&gt;This is exactly the situation the &quot;expert&quot; I spoke with has.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you're at all concerned about the pot being too small, not enough potting material to offer the root-ball some protection from Wintertime conditions, insulate the outside of the pot eg Wrap the pot with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;polystyrene&lt;/a&gt;, or fill a large bag with fallen tree leaves, then wrap that bag around the pot, etc...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;del&gt;Whatever you do, don't leave the pot (containing the rose) outside, above ground, during Wintertime. The cold weather (sub-freezing) will kill the roots of the plant, thereby killing the plant.&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2011-08-28 Miniature Rose still doing ok! in the ground&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Click image to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HJnyk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HJnykm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Miniature Rose&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and hope the above helps a little...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-21T18:40:36.377" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T18:40:36.377" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="74" CreationDate="2011-09-20T18:09:00.683" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;An additional aspect of the Three Sisters combination not mentioned in the other answer is that eating the combination of beans, corn, and squash provides a complete protein and a good balance of nutrients. I'm not certain, but I think your combination of sunflowers, peas, and squash might also provide this balance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could combine something tall like okra with a &quot;bushy&quot; cover like cabbage and a vining climber like peas. This would give you the cultural requirements: peas provide nitrogen to the okra, okra provides a support for the peas, and cabbage helps to choke out weeds. But while you'd get a decent shot of vitamins from eating the combination, you may not end up with a complete protein.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-20T18:09:00.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2106" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2108" CreationDate="2011-09-20T19:06:34.467" Score="9" ViewCount="145" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw a very small tomato plant (I think less than 10cm) in a tiny pot, and it was producing tomatoes. What varieties of tomato grow like this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="90" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-21T03:48:53.260" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T03:48:53.260" Title="What variety of tomato grows no taller than about 10 cm?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2075" CreationDate="2011-09-20T19:15:57.933" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two potential problems:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spruce (and other conifer) needles are acidic, and having them mixed into the garden will make your soil acidic. If your soil pH is too low (acidic), vegetables will have a hard time taking up the nutrients they need. This can cause the yellowing you mentioned in a comment. You can get a pH test kit at your local garden center.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;At a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.urbangardencenter.com/composting-guide/composting-guide.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;48:1 C:N ratio&lt;/a&gt;, spruce needles are somewhat high carbon, and they're small, so they have a relatively large surface area. If you have a large amount in your soil, the microbes that will break down the needles will &quot;steal&quot; nitrogen to do their job. If your vegetables aren't getting enough nitrogen, they will turn yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To fix these problems:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Following a pH test, add lime in the recommended amount to bring the pH up to about 6.0-6.5 (this is good for many common vegetables).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add nitrogen.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Short term: dried blood or poultry manure are fast acting, organic sources of nitrogen. If you're buying bagged products, read the label and follow directions for how much to apply. If you've got a ton of needles in the soil, use the &quot;heavy feeding&quot; directions, and if it's not that much use the &quot;light feeding directions&quot;. If in doubt, follow the light feeding directions, wait two weeks and reapply if needed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Longer term: if you build up the organic matter content of your soil, you'll have a reserve of nitrogen so that you don't need to rely so much on short term additions. To do this, add about 1&quot; of compost or well rotted manure and dig it into the top 4-8&quot; of soil (the deeper the better). In subsequent years, when you've built up the organic matter and vegetables are growing well, you can back this off to ½&quot; or so.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You didn't mention whether this is an existing garden that's had vegetables growing in it successfully prior to being sabotaged by the neighbors dog. If it is new, I'd recommend getting a professional soil test done (nutrient, pH, and organic matter %). It should cost around $15; if you're in the US your county extension office will be able to tell you how to take a sample and where to send it. The test results will tell you how much lime you need as well as how much and what kind of fertilizer to add.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-20T19:15:57.933" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2108" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2106" CreationDate="2011-09-20T19:39:11.650" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seeing as you mean something like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/vegetables/micro_tom_tomato.htm&quot;&gt;Micro Tom Tomato&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You really have two options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Buy a plant (or plants).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Maybe you can buy &quot;starts&quot;, I honestly don't know.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Buy some seeds and grow you own eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tomatogrowers.com/small.htm&quot;&gt;Micro-Tom #6536 (30 seeds) $3.50&lt;/a&gt; -- no affiliation, just a random site found via a web search.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way, there should be &quot;growing&quot;, &quot;plant requirement&quot;, etc information that comes with your purchase, regardless which option you decide to go with...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and please post back a photo or two if you do grow a miniature tomato plant...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-09-20T19:39:11.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2109" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2110" CreationDate="2011-09-21T01:44:52.510" Score="8" ViewCount="3968" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a blue giant &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosta&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hosta&lt;/a&gt;. It is in fertile soil and gets plenty of water. I had been dividing it every few years but lately it has started to shrink. I don't want to lose it. How can I get it back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; The plant is smaller than it's ever been before. See pic. The hosta used to cover the entire tank, except for the cap.  It is now about 30 years old. Does that have anything to do with it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DTy2Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-10T23:21:27.860" LastActivityDate="2016-03-13T05:06:08.270" Title="Why is my hosta shrinking?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;hosta&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2109" CreationDate="2011-09-21T12:24:21.720" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some hostas myself, growing in partial shade; I water them whenever there is a long, dry spell and also feed them (they are in a light, sandy soil which is very free-draining and soon loses nutrients). Every so often, I divide the clumps in spring and, apart from some slug damage, they are all thriving, so, unfortunately, the advice below is not based on personal experience; however, judging from what I have read, I think the problem is likely to be caused by one of more of the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Planting/ re-planting &lt;em&gt;too low in the soil&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lack of essential nutrients in the soil; you say that it is fertile, but does it contain enough humus, and do you fertilize it from time to time?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ineffective/superficial watering: hostas are moisture-loving plants;  sometimes even a soaker hose will fail to supply them with enough &lt;em&gt;in-depth&lt;/em&gt; water, and overhead watering is far more effective.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Insufficient light: although hostas prefer partial shade, clearly they need enough light to thrive; perhaps the area has become over-shaded...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is some useful advice on hosta cultivation by the Royal Horticultural Society &lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=610&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further to your comment below, the conditions you describe seem ideal for a hosta; and as it is not showing any signs of disease, the problem could be that your soil has become too acid, which often happens when soil is fertilized and manured for many years. It is worth doing a &lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?PID=239&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pH test&lt;/a&gt; using a &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0000DI848&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pH meter&lt;/a&gt; (the ideal pH for hostas is 6.8-7.3) and, if your soil does prove too acid, you could &lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?PID=144&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lime&lt;/a&gt; it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="136" LastEditDate="2011-09-22T02:34:23.943" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T02:34:23.943" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="744" CreationDate="2011-09-21T13:12:04.963" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's almost time for the leaf-peepers.  Perfect timing - mix in the fall leaves with clippings, roughly 50-50, until you run out of leaves.  If the clippings are already somewhat composted, use less leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you get the pile balanced, keep all your extra fall leaves (mower-shredded, if convenient) in one pile.  Then the next year, whenever you add clippings, stack them in another pile, spreading them an inch or two thick, and cover with the same amount of packed leaves - more if loose.  Repeat, layering this up to around 3 feet, then start another pile. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't have enough leaves, you may have neighbors who'd be happy to be rid of theirs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After one of these piles has been brewing for several months, it will be time to turn it, to get more oxygen into it.  Being lazy, I don't really do that.  When building a pile of leaves and clippings, I also layer in partly-made compost from an adjacent pile that's been going for a while.  That way I don't have to turn the other pile, and the new pile gets a lot of good composting critters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bottom of the adjacent pile may be ready to use long before the top.  You'll want to pull this out to make room.  If you've nothing else to do with it, September is a good time to top-dress the lawn with compost - up to a half-inch.  It will look like heck for a couple of weeks, then be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the question of whether it's has much nitrogen, or has gone anaerobic - probably both are true.  Clippings that have gone anaerobic will often turn dark green, almost black, and get slimy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As noted earlier, splitting up the pile will make things easier, and work better.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Re &lt;strong&gt;smell&lt;/strong&gt;: yes.  When you make a pile with fresh clippings, and mix in the right amount of carbon (leaves), and have the right amount of moisture, the pile will get hot, turning to compost rapidly, and killing any weed seeds in the process.  It may put off a smell like a cow barn, and if you stick a fork into the pile, you'll see steam come out with a strong ammonia smell.  I don't know whether this will be more pervasive than the smell now.  To me, it's a lot more pleasant smell, but it's a matter of er... taste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;strong&gt;gardening fork&lt;/strong&gt; is a must-have tool for compost - much easier to use than a shovel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a vegetable garden, and don't apply herbicides or pesticides to your lawn, consider using some clippings for mulch, instead of composting them.  They work very well, but will bring in a few weed seeds.  Don't use more than an inch or so of fresh clippings - they'll burn your plants, just like a pile of clippings in the yard will turn the grass underneath yellow.  Because of the weed-seed problem, I wouldn't use clippings in a flower bed, simply because I'm not willing to spend the extra time weeding there.  Your mileage may differ.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-09-21T16:33:10.610" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T16:33:10.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2099" CreationDate="2011-09-21T13:31:53.543" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The other answer talks about how to kill the existing weeds and seeds (which is what you asked), but you also need to consider preventing future problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Where did the weeds come from?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your population came from an infestation in a nearby roadside ditch or riverbank, it will continue to throw seeds into your area. Controlling your immediate problem will certainly help by reducing the seed bank. But also consider prevention of future problems by looking around to see what could be contributing to your problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I mentioned this in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/37/how-can-i-discourage-ragweed-from-growing/1805#1805&quot;&gt;another answer&lt;/a&gt; specifically about ragweed, but most of which really applies to weed control in general:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Seeds can be dispersed by wind spreading them along the soil surface. This means that if you have uncontrolled ragweed in another part of your yard, have neighbors with uncontrolled ragweed, nearby fields, or if your town doesn't keep the roadside ditches mowed, then you'll end up with more seed in your garden year after year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With mile-a-minute, birds are another vector that you can't control. You'll have to be constantly vigilant and attack any future weeds that pop up before they have to a chance to spread out of control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T13:31:53.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2113" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2119" CreationDate="2011-09-21T16:46:07.523" Score="12" ViewCount="5862" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, I'm sitting here on my computer and get the life scared out of me by a horrible cracking, rustling, thudding sound. I turn to find one of my peppers plants has broken - apparently one of the upper sections has just ripped off under it's own weight and dropped on to the toy box.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant was quite top-heavy anyway (all the fruit was high up) and the section that's broken off was supporting three peppers. As far as I can tell the plant is healthy, at least there's nothing obviously wrong, so I assume it has just suffered under the weight of its own fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The break isn't very clean, as it has torn down the stem of the plant, as you can see in the images (apologies for the uneven quality):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gNpA1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cropped photo of plant, showing damage on stem&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gmvi0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cropped photo of broken stem, showing long &amp;quot;tear&amp;quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ignoring the fact the plant's effectively been pruned of a chunk of foliage, what should I do about this? Is there potentially something wrong with the plant? Anything else to bear in mind?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-09-21T20:49:01.823" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T12:51:17.887" Title="What should I do after a pepper plant has partly broken under its own weight?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2114" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2113" CreationDate="2011-09-21T17:10:43.497" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would be a good idea to make a clean cut just below that break.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have more peppers on the plant that could cause more breakage, you might consider adding supports -- sticks or sturdy wire pushed into the soil that you can either directly use to bear some of the weight, or tie string to the supports that will take weight off the branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T17:10:43.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2115" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-21T17:11:15.023" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Scheme of &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/companion-planting&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'companion-planting'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;companion-planting&lt;/a&gt; that utilizes beans, squash, and corn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gardeners and historic farmers have found combinations of plants which grow well together. Typically one or more of these plants are crops. This concept is known as &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/companion-planting&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'companion-planting'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;companion-planting&lt;/a&gt;. One well known combination is &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/three-sisters&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'three-sisters'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;three-sisters&lt;/a&gt; and was reputedly used by a number of Native American groups. This used utilized beans, squash, and corn. Not only did they grow well (beans being legumes), but they make a good nutritious combination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="32" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T14:06:34.620" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T14:06:34.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2116" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-21T17:11:15.023" Score="0" Body="Companion planting scheme with crops of beans, squash, and corn." OwnerUserId="32" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T14:06:34.667" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T14:06:34.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2117" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2118" CreationDate="2011-09-21T17:12:39.327" Score="12" ViewCount="299" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have successfully grown a nice crop of green beans this year, but in contrast to store-bought beans the skin is quite tough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a trick to cultivating more tender beans? Or is it a matter of which breed we use?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="32" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-21T17:27:03.357" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T18:35:26.273" Title="How do I get tender green beans?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;beans&gt;&lt;green-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2117" CreationDate="2011-09-21T17:20:07.137" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Beans will be tough if you let them go too long. Pick them while they're small and you'll get more tender pods. If the actual bean (the inside part) is starting to bulge, you've let them go too long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And yes, some varieties are better suited for letting the beans mature and then drying them for soup or chili. What variety did you plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T17:20:07.137" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2113" CreationDate="2011-09-21T17:55:48.577" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes larger pepper plants will need support, although I usually find they tip over rather than split! As long as the roots survive the tipping, then then simply put out new growth from the bottom in the new vertical direction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The old branch is not going to root and grow, so take the fruit off it and eat them. Throw those that are too small or unripe to be usable in the compost with the branch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A clean cut is ideal and this would be the best choice for the above pictures. The only time you might not want to do this is if the leaves/stems that would be removed by such a cut make up over about half the healthy foliage. in such a case it is probably best to keep them so the plant has a chance of decent growth in the short term.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-23T12:51:17.887" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T12:51:17.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2120" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2089" CreationDate="2011-09-21T18:22:40.407" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you have just spots, or do some of those spots have holes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are holes, then according to &quot;The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control&quot;, another possibility is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.simplykitchengarden.com/vegetablepests/46.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;rhubarb curculios&lt;/a&gt;: yellowish gray, powder covered, 1/2-3/4 inch snout beetles. They eat into the stalks to lay eggs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To control:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Handpick adults.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Eliminate dock plants from weedy areas; curculios feed on it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are no holes, then Mike Perry's diagnosis of fungus is probably correct -- you need to correct the culture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T18:22:40.407" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2121" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2117" CreationDate="2011-09-21T18:35:26.273" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bstpierre's answer is a good one. I would just add that if you pick the pods several times a week to prevent any from maturing, not only will they be tender, &lt;em&gt;but the plants will continue to crop for six or seven weeks&lt;/em&gt;. When harvesting, you can make sure you don't loosen the plants, either by holding the stems as you pull away the pods, or by using a pair of scissors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T18:35:26.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2122" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-21T18:44:08.967" Score="20" ViewCount="11767" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a cedar tree that divided into two smaller trees, and the previous owners tried to keep the twin trunks together by tying a rope around them.  The rope eventually strangled one of the trunks, and now it's dead; at least, all the needles are brown and it doesn't look good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I think the thing to do is to cut down the dead trunk, but this will leave half the tree bare.  The question is, will the remaining trunk eventually grow branches in the newly cleared space, or will it just keep growing up and out on the side where it already has branches, and never fill in the open space?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="658" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-21T18:50:26.490" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T22:31:31.303" Title="Will a cedar tree grow new limbs?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2123" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-21T19:23:44.597" Score="6" ViewCount="1189" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/474/how-should-i-use-corrugated-cardboard-for-mulch&quot;&gt;How should I use corrugated cardboard for mulch?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1060/cereal-boxes-for-mulch&quot;&gt;Cereal boxes for mulch?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1450/inks-which-can-safely-be-added-to-vermicompost-bins&quot;&gt;Which inks which can safely be added to vermicompost bins?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been shredding and composting my junk mail, to get rid of the damn stuff and also get carbon into the compost.  But recently it occurred to me that the inks could have toxic stuff in them and that this could get into food in the garden.  Does anyone know anything about this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="658" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T16:18:33.477" Title="Is it safe to compost junk mail?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;safety&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2011-09-22T16:18:06.330" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2124" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1514" CreationDate="2011-09-21T19:29:42.767" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had that happen when I put the basil into a sink of water to wash instead of washing the cuttings under running water. The newest growth turned black and even older growth did at the &quot;crotches&quot;. &#xA;I maintain indoor plants for a living, this is exactly the same reaction as over-watering does to a plant. My understanding in that event is that it is caused by root rot. In the case of my basil, I think the high growth areas soaked up so much water from the sink and had no way to drain it again, as there is an incomplete circulation system once cut.  The effect was the same as bruising, or early rot. &#xA; I hesitated to use them in pesto, but they dried just fine. &#xA;No recurrence since I have stopped washing them in a sink of water, just running water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="659" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T19:29:42.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="122" CreationDate="2011-09-21T19:48:52.607" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;We also trellis, rather than cage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're still using the supports we bought 25 years ago - generic metal fence/sign supports from Home Depot, or whatever was around back then.  We just pound one in every 6-8 feet, and string nylon trellis netting between them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This gives you a trellis about 6 feet high.  It works best with indeterminate tomatoes.  If memory serves, we got the idea from &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1591862027&quot;&gt;Square Foot Gardening&lt;/a&gt; (the old edition).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2011-09-21T19:48:52.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2126" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2102" CreationDate="2011-09-22T05:09:58.653" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I consulted some friends in internet. They said those are watermark caused by too much humidity. I think it is quite reasonable. Maybe I will move it out of the aquarium later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T05:09:58.653" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2051" CreationDate="2011-09-22T05:46:33.900" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My skepticism about growing lilies in dry situations was overcome when I stumbled across a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantanswers.com/arcadia_pages/lilum%20formosanum.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;PlantAnswers article on growing lilies (&lt;em&gt;Lilium&lt;/em&gt;) in Texas&lt;/a&gt;. They only list four lilies that grow in Texas, three of which might be useful in the the herb garden. Madonna lily (&lt;em&gt;Lilium candidum&lt;/em&gt;) is the one especially well adapted to the drier part of the state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Madonna lily (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.the-genus-lilium.com/candidum.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lilium candidum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It is most adapted to the alkaline areas of Texas including North and&#xA;  Central Texas. The Madonna lily can occasionally be found surviving in&#xA;  Central Texas cemeteries, primarily those of German heritage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tiger Lily (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.the-genus-lilium.com/lancifolium.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lilium lancifolium&lt;/em&gt; syn. &lt;em&gt;L. tigrinum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The tiger lily is a common inhabitant of many older gardens throughout&#xA;  Texas and the South ... It seems to thrive best in the acid sandy&#xA;  soils of East Texas and the southeastern states. Its bright orange&#xA;  flowers speckled with dark spots are its easily recognized feature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Philippine Lily (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.the-genus-lilium.com/formosanum.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lilium formosanum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The relatively obscure Philippine lily is perhaps the most adapted of&#xA;  all. It is native to Taiwan and the Philippines. It is a very tall&#xA;  growing lily (3-5 feet) that produces it's cluster of drooping,&#xA;  fragrant, white trumpets during the late summer ...  It is adapted to&#xA;  all areas of the state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Madonna lily and Philippine lily might work very well behind the rose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Inspired by Mike's suggestion of royal catchfly, I also looked for possible alternative plants from among the natives of the (dry-mesic) tall grass prairie since they will be used to have their bases shaded by the surrounding grasses. I found a couple options that were tall and narrow enough:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Common Milkweed (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ASSY&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Asclepias syriaca&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), 3-4'+, 1-2' wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rough Gayfeather (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LIAS&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Liatris aspera&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), 3-5' high, 1-3' wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prairie Blazing Star (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LIPY&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Liatris pycnostachya&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), 3-5' high, 2-3' wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stiff Goldenrod (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=OLRIR&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Oligoneuron rigidum rigidum&lt;/em&gt; syn. &lt;em&gt;Solidago rigida&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), 3-6' high, 1-3' wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rough-stemmed Goldenrod (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SORU2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Solidago rugosa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), 3-6' high, 1-3' wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-09-22T19:30:49.237" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T19:30:49.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2128" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2130" CreationDate="2011-09-22T15:31:56.877" Score="12" ViewCount="22020" Body="&lt;p&gt;What kind of bugs are these? Are they good or bad for plants? Do they bite?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QApfZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Small red bugs&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="662" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-22T15:35:17.527" LastActivityDate="2019-09-10T20:43:26.070" Title="Can anybody identify these small, red insects?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2129" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2134" CreationDate="2011-09-22T17:06:28.953" Score="12" ViewCount="2555" Body="&lt;p&gt;My main gardening space is a paved area in front of my house surrounded by a white picket fence. I planted a few vegetable and herb seeds in containers there this summer, and from seeing the failing-yet-still-pretty pumpkin vines creeping along the fence, I think next year I'd like to try planting some climbing flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My front garden area is in a sunny location, facing southwest, in a zone 6 region. I was thinking about trying to grow some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clematis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;clematis&lt;/a&gt; in a container but I don't know if it would be cool enough at the roots, since there's a lot of heat from the pavement in the summer. I'm also not sure when I'd want to start planting it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also I think my goals may be unreasonable- ideally I'd like to have some nice flowers by the end of next season, as I may be moving in a year and a half. Is this realistic? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically I would love some info on&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What I could plant in this situation&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When to start on it (can I start now?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Would it be possible to get some flowers within a year?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Any advice on doing this or alternatives if my goals are unrealistic!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="550" LastEditorUserId="924" LastEditDate="2012-02-07T20:31:37.807" LastActivityDate="2012-02-07T20:31:37.807" Title="What are some quick growing, flowering, climbing/vine plants that  can be grown from a container garden (USDA zone 6)? What is a good time to start?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;&lt;fall-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2130" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2128" CreationDate="2011-09-22T18:03:57.937" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe they are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.austinbug.com/coreidae.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;newly hatched Leptoglossus nymphs&lt;/a&gt; -- scroll down &amp;#8532; of that page to see images (reproduced below seeing as I'm unable to find any kind of Copyright notice on that site)...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t0jtb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qpv62.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptoglossus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;genus Leptoglossus&lt;/a&gt; contains the classic leaf-footed bugs. The hind tibiae have large flared processes that resemble the shape of leaves. When these insects fly, their back legs hang down and they are easily mistaken for wasps, which also drag their hind legs in flight. They also buzz like wasps. In fact, this genus seems to have several tricks for discouraging predators. &lt;strong&gt;The nymphs are orange and black, a universal warning signal indicating bad taste or toxins in the insect world. They frequently feed in groups, which enhances the visual effect of the colors.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They feed on plants... therefore are not considered beneficial. They should be removed via:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;An appropriate insecticide.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;By hand picking -- personally I think I would got with that option or I might be tempted to get the vacuum out and suck them up...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also check the plant for any eggs (unhatched) and remove them...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T18:03:57.937" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2131" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2129" CreationDate="2011-09-22T18:51:41.853" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;For what it is worth, I think a suitably selected &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clematis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Clematis&lt;/a&gt; would make a very good choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are a few other vines that should work well for your requirements:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=B839&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Honeysuckle - &lt;em&gt;Lonicera x heckrottii&lt;/em&gt; 'Gold Flame'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=D990&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Trumpet honeysuckle - &lt;em&gt;Lonicera sempervirens&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=Q280&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wild passion flower - &lt;em&gt;Passiflora incarnata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This time of year, later Summer, early Autumn (Fall) is an excellent time of year to plant new plants and get them established before Wintertime arrives. Also at this time of year, at places like garden nurseries, centers, you can pick up some real plant bargains, as they clear space for new &quot;seasonal&quot; stock...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you plant now (later Summer, early Autumn/Fall) I can't see any reason where you wouldn't get some flowers next year...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Might be stating the obvious here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you plant in a container big enough for the selected plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The container itself has good drainage (holes in the bottom).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You use a suitable growing medium in the container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plus, mulch the surface to help conserve moisture...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water appropriately, especially during warm and/or dry spells.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-22T19:21:54.050" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T19:21:54.050" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2132" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-22T19:55:57.260" Score="21" ViewCount="85719" Body="&lt;p&gt;My house is surrounded by rocks (wraps all the way around the house and in places is 10 feet wide) that my father-in-law put in 20+ years ago, way before my wife and I bought his house.  Those rocks grow lots and lots of weeds and the reason they grow lots and lots of weeds is because there is a lot of dirt in the rocks.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is black plastic underneath the rocks, but I'd imagine that either, much of it is damaged, or enough organic material decomposed on top of the rocks to give everything a nice layer of sediment in which to grow weeds (and there are lots of bushes that were ripped out without ever repairing the plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, this isn't really back breaking labor since it's impossible to shovel these rocks in any meaningful way, it just takes me a million years to sit and sift out the dirt and replace the plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the easiest way to repair (remove the dirt and weeds) rock garden landscaping so it's good for another 10-15 years or so?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-22T21:34:11.073" LastActivityDate="2020-08-02T00:15:09.697" Title="How to get the dirt out of the rocks in rock landscaping?" Tags="&lt;rock-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2132" CreationDate="2011-09-22T20:15:29.327" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;One option is to get a powerful jet washer and just blast water through the gaps to loosen the dirt. You can easily get these for rental at your local rental store. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might have to do a little bit of rearranging prior to hosing them (to make the gaps wider) and provide a path for the water+dirt mix to flow out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you get the dirt out of the way, you can get some fine gravel and pour it through the gaps, spreading it with a small stick (poke through the gaps) under the rocks, so that it will help suppress weed growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It'll be easier to refine this advice when I see a pic of the rock garden. However, do note that there is no easy way out. You will have to undertake some manual labour to get it done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Please take caution:&lt;/strong&gt; The water pressure is extremely high and could injure humans if directed at them at close range. You've also got to be careful that you don't spray on any plants that you do want to keep, as the pressure could blow them to bits. If you do take care of these, I think it really is a good option, as it certainly does leave your rocks looking spankin' new.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-22T20:36:20.517" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T20:36:20.517" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2134" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2129" CreationDate="2011-09-22T20:25:04.633" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want a good flower show next year, I would stay away from the woody vines. Although you may get some flowering next year, it is unlikely to be very exciting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would look at annual and herbaceous perennial vines. My favorites include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Annual Vines&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Firecracker Vine (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/vines/mina_lobata.html&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ipomoea lobata&lt;/em&gt; syn. &lt;em&gt;Mina lobata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hyacinth Bean (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/vines/dolichos_lablab.html&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Dolichos lablab&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Black-eyed Susan Vine (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/vines/thunnbergia_alata.html&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thunbergia alata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Beware of morning glory and moonflower since they can be invasive in some places.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Herbaceous Perennial Vines&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Silverlace Vine (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=E760&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fallopia baldschuanica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perennial Sweet Pea (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=D661&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lathyrus latifolius&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These all would be best planted next spring. The annual vines should wait until after last frost before being planted out, though you could start seeds indoors a bit earlier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-09-22T20:31:20.213" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T20:31:20.213" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2135" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-22T21:54:14.457" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about keeping seed from one season to the next. This will generally be from plants, but might also include left-over purchased seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-22T21:54:14.457" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T21:54:14.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2136" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-22T21:54:14.457" Score="0" Body="Keeping and re-using seed" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-22T21:54:14.457" LastActivityDate="2011-09-22T21:54:14.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2137" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-23T00:20:49.693" Score="12" ViewCount="271" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is a &quot;cool climate&quot; one that doesn't freeze? Is it one that doesn't freeze until such-and-such a month? Or is it one where the temperature almost always stays above freezing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Related to this, would &quot;cool climate&quot; plants have a resistance to occasional night-time frosts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I ask because I'm wondering what chance cool climate vegetables would have in my backyard garden, where it can be consistently frosty starting anywhere from the end of November until mid-January. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="663" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-23T01:21:14.650" LastActivityDate="2011-09-24T04:01:01.900" Title="What is considered a &quot;cool climate&quot; for cool climate plants? Can these plants better survive temporary frost?" Tags="&lt;frost&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2138" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2137" CreationDate="2011-09-23T01:19:14.607" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;How long is a piece of string?&quot;  :-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in North Texas we get frosts in winter but most people would not call it a cool climate - we had highs over 100F for most of 3 months this summer (yes August was the hottest average month for any US State ever recorded).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you are thinking of as &quot;cool&quot; is probably what I usually describe as &quot;temperate&quot; - typically 40-60 degrees north - places like Washington State, Maine, the UK, France, etc. They get frosts but don't get hot.  However &quot;cool&quot; is definitely a relative term: in Costa Rica we'd use the term for areas at altitude which are cooler than the Central Valley.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it depends on your reference point, but yes I'd expect a cool climate plant to have a good frost tolerance - but if you were buying a plant labeled as &quot;cool climate&quot; in Hong Kong, or Central America (say), then it probably wouldn't...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see you're in Newfoundland/Labrador: So I'd definitely call that a cool climate. I would expect your vegetable growing season is from spring through to autumn. Similar to what we'd get in the UK, although if your last frosts are in January you may be able to plant stuff earlier (eg. February).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T01:19:14.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2137" CreationDate="2011-09-23T01:23:23.053" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cool climate plants are plants that grow best during the cool, damp time of year starting near the last frost in spring, and sometimes in the wet period of fall.  The plants that grow best during this time are naturally tolerant to some frost. Read the seed packet instructions for the information needed to properly grow these plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-23T01:27:06.730" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T01:27:06.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2140" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2148" CreationDate="2011-09-23T01:31:05.570" Score="14" ViewCount="49955" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a kind of perennial evergreen grass that I would like to spread around the yard. How can I save seeds from the plants efficiently ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2021-05-18T21:49:11.680" Title="How can I harvest my own grass seed?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2141" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2140" CreationDate="2011-09-23T01:43:36.970" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's probably easier to buy it than get the seeds from the grass. To harvest the grass seed you need to stop mowing it and let it &quot;go to seed&quot;, or let seeds form when the grass gets tall. After they've dried out and turned brown (depending on the grass), you can shake the tops of the grass stalks and the seeds will fall off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="662" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T01:43:36.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2122" CreationDate="2011-09-23T01:44:24.697" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should definitely cut down the dead trunk. the stump should be cut as close to live wood as possible. If the rope is still on the tree it should be removed. The trunk itself will not sprout new branches, but the growing tips of the branches will grow into the area and eventually cover it. That could take some time though. If you thin out the branches and remove the broken, dead, and crossing branches, the tree will grow a little faster and look nicer while it heals. It might take a while, but it will be worth it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-12T00:23:11.547" LastActivityDate="2014-09-12T00:23:11.547" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2143" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2145" CreationDate="2011-09-23T02:14:30.383" Score="10" ViewCount="3078" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a colleague who is a beginner at gardening. He is trying to plant something. He bought a pre-packed plant with soil inside a can. He just put the seeds in the soil and borrowed my sprayer to spray the soil everyday (a small sprayer which I use to spray off any soil attached to my &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria_trifasciata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;mother-in-law's tongue's&lt;/a&gt; base).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I am thinking that the water molecules created by the spray are too small and less dense than the water in a water container such as cup. I wonder if any of the water reaches to the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My thinking is the spray could wet the soil at the top and the seeds can germinate. However, when the plant grows and its root are going deeper in the soil the sprayer might not be suitable anymore. What do you think?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-23T04:32:57.090" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T13:49:18.887" Title="Can we use sprayers to water plants?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2137" CreationDate="2011-09-23T02:22:45.783" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Vegetables are either:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sunset.com/garden/garden-basics/cool-season-crops-00400000042441/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cool season crops&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cool-season veggies grow best at temperatures averaging 15°F cooler than those needed by warm season types.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sunset.com/garden/garden-basics/warm-season-crops-00400000042440/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Warm season crops&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Warm-season veggies require both warm soil and high temperatures (with a little cooling at night) to grow steadily and produce crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/121.html#climate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Classification by Climatic Requirements&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cool season&lt;/strong&gt; plants thrive in cool temperatures (40°F to 70°F daytime temperatures) and are somewhat tolerant of light frosts...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Warm season&lt;/strong&gt; plants thrive in warm temperatures (65°F to 90°F daytime temperatures) and are intolerant of cool temperatures...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some vegetables can take Wintertime, cold (freezing) weather much better than others, in fact some only reach their full potential (flavour) if they go through a few &amp;quot;light&amp;quot; freezes or a complete Winter (can be over Wintered in the ground) eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1775/394&quot;&gt;Is September too late to plant winter greens in USDA zone 6?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1625/394&quot;&gt;How do I know when garlic is ready to be harvested?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Knowing the answers to the below questions, plus others, will enable you to work out the correct times of year to plant (sow) and harvest...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; What vegetables are you considering growing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; What &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hardiness zone&lt;/a&gt; are you growing in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; What are the average first and last frost dates for where you are?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/663/peach&quot;&gt;your SE profile&lt;/a&gt; I see you are located in &amp;quot;Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada&amp;quot;, therefore you might find the below article from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mun.ca/botgarden/home.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Newfoundland Botanical Garden&lt;/a&gt; of some interest:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mun.ca/botgarden/gardening/vegetable_raised_bed.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gardening in Raised Beds&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The use of &amp;quot;cool climate&amp;quot; in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/2137/394&quot;&gt;question&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2137/what-is-considered-a-cool-climate-for-cool-climate-plants-can-these-plants-bet/2138#2138&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;winwaed&amp;quot; opening comment&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;em&gt;&amp;quot;How long is a piece of string?&amp;quot; :-)&lt;/em&gt; had me wondering if there was a definitive definition of &amp;quot;cool climate&amp;quot; used in horticultural...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I couldn't find one online (that's not to say there isn't one).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I asked some &amp;quot;experts&amp;quot; on twitter, no one could point me to a definitive definition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm currently left thinking &amp;quot;cool climate&amp;quot; isn't a good term to be used in horticulture, it's too open ended...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are a few responses I got on twitter when I asked, &amp;quot;Help, looking for a definitive definition of &amp;quot;cool climate&amp;quot; used in horticultural...&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well that is pretty subjective (used a lot in the US, where there is such a huge difference across the country).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;quot;Cool Temperate&amp;quot;&lt;/strong&gt; is the ecological term for the vegetation zone that most of the UK lies in. It is the area of deciduous forest that runs across Europe. To the south is the &amp;quot;Warm Temperate&amp;quot; or Mediterranean zone, and to the north is the &amp;quot;Boreal&amp;quot; or coniferous forest zone. /via &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cooltemperate.co.uk/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cool Temperate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;Cool season&amp;quot; crops that do best with daytime highs, max out around 60-70°F, with nighttime lows in the 40s-50s°F and can tolerate light frost. /courtesy of University of Illinois Extension Horticultural Educator, Jennifer Schultz Nelson, Ph.D.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While there's no &amp;quot;definitive&amp;quot; standard, our rough definition ranges from just above the frost threshold up to the mid-70s°F /via Missouri Botanical Garden&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Köppen classification system&lt;/a&gt; probably best to use. UK is Cfb = maritime temperate with average temp &amp;gt; 10°C in summer etc&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-09-24T04:01:01.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2145" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2143" CreationDate="2011-09-23T02:48:55.070" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on what kind of spray it is. For example, if it is a hosepipe attachment then it is probably delivering almost the same amount of water as a hosepipe. However, a small hand spray is not going to deliver much water at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are talking about water molecules, which implies an atomizer. These are really fine water sprays - the water will blow like a cloud. The closest I've seen for horticultural use are in tropical greenhouses where they are used to provide a very high humidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some things to bear in mind when considering how to deliver water:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is the correct amount of water being applied? The plant should not be waterlogged, nor should it be too dry.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is the water getting to where it needs to be? A spray will tend to hit foliage which might be damaging. A single stream of water is easier to direct to the soil below the plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoid soil erosion. A single stream in one place, or a high pressure spray (some sprays increase the pressure because the nozzles are smaller) can lead to erosion if you are not careful.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After saying all that, for seeds, I would carefully pour water in for delicate seedtrays, or use a soaking spray that soaks to the level that contains the seeds: not much for peppers which are very shallow, but Texas red yuccas are deeper, so more water - I also used much deeper pots, so there's no danger of them getting water logged. Note I do not water log the entire pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T02:48:55.070" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2146" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-23T04:24:57.770" Score="9" ViewCount="1249" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to grow some bulbs in my office. I have windows facing east, west, and north-east. The office is air conditioned, but not humid. What flowering bulbs can I plant, that will grow well under these conditions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm specifically interested in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zephyranthes&quot;&gt;rain lilies&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyacinth_%28plant%29&quot;&gt;hyacinths&lt;/a&gt;. Will these grow well indoors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T13:41:14.640" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T13:41:14.640" Title="What flowering bulbs grow well in an air conditioned office environment?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2147" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2143" CreationDate="2011-09-23T13:08:06.660" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to winwaed's answer...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good technique for seedlings  (not seeds) and potted plants, when you're not sure about how much to water, is to bottom-water.  Assuming the pot has drain-holes in the bottom, place the pot in a pan of water an inch or so deep (less for small pots) for 5 or 10 minutes, or until the top of the soil is damp.  Be sure the water can get in - that both surfaces aren't flush.  The soil will wick up the water, and there's little chance of over-watering.  You want the water height to be such that it will get into the pot and wick up, but the height of soil in the pot that's below water level is small relative to the size of the pot.  The only case this will cause over-watering is when an extremely heavy, humus-heavy potting soil is used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With seeds and seedlings, if you over-water the surface you risk getting &quot;damping off&quot; and other problems caused by mildew and mold.  You need damp soil, but drier air above it.  It's tempting to cover the pot with clear plastic or something to keep it from drying out - don't do it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-09-23T13:49:18.887" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T13:49:18.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2148" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2140" CreationDate="2011-09-23T13:31:44.153" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's a worthwhile experiment, but there are a few issues with trying to collect seed from your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As mentioned in xpda's answer, stop mowing, let the grass grow tall and make seed. Collect them when they're fully dry. Depending on the type of grass you have, it may get tall before it sets seed. Some types actually form seed while they're still fairly low.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;To collect, I would probably walk around with a big paper bag and clip the seed heads (tops of the grass) into the bag. When it's all collected, close up the bag, shake well to separate the seed, and pour it through a screen to separate the debris. Store in a cool, dark, dry place until you're ready to plant it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;While your desirable grass is going to seed, weeds may have a chance to go to seed. If your lawn is not a pure stand of the desirable grass, the seed you collect may be contaminated with weed seed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Depending on the type of grass you have, and the types of grasses that are growing nearby, you run the risk of cross pollination. If cross pollination occurs, the seed you collect will not be a pure strain of the desirable grass. (It could be &quot;better&quot; or &quot;worse&quot; depending on what traits come in via random cross pollination with nearby weeds.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some types of perennial grass will spread vegetatively (not via seed). If you have this type, you may be able to take plugs from your existing lawn instead of collecting seed. As long as your lawn is a pure stand and you're not taking weeds up with the plugs, this will ensure that you're propagating a true genetic copy instead of risking cross-pollination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T13:31:44.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2149" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2153" CreationDate="2011-09-23T16:21:32.170" Score="10" ViewCount="343" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the past year I've had a venus flytrap and two sundews that each arrived healthy, flourished (and ate!) for a month or two, and then died (after which I tried again and bought a new one!). They all lived indoors in a sunny window. The care guide I received with them said to give them distilled water only, which I did. The plants were planted in small pots, with new sphagnum moss. I made sure the moss was kept moist to slightly wet at all times. I'd like to try again, as the sundews were super effective at controlling little gnats and fruit flies, but I'm worried about just killing it again. What am I doing wrong, and what should I be doing instead?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="550" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T14:09:52.917" LastActivityDate="2012-12-06T03:05:07.727" Title="What could be the cause of death for my carnivorous plants?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2150" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-23T16:32:07.327" Score="14" ViewCount="708" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for tips and recommendations because I do not want to use any pesticides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am in Jamaica where insects are a big problem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am using a combination of dish soap and hot pepper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Any suggestions as what to mix with the soap? I have a backpack sprayer and want to spray safely and effectively.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I hand pick insects daily.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any favorite methods?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T14:29:08.163" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T14:29:08.163" Title="What is the best way to grow vegetables without using chemical insecticide?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2151" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2132" CreationDate="2011-09-23T16:35:13.490" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Alternatively you might try throwing buckwheat seeds into the dirt areas between the rocks. The buckwheat grows quickly and is easy to pull out. This might loosen up the soil between the rocks a bit. I had some success with this when removing deep sediments from cracked concrete. This might be a good idea if you want to keep the dirt to turn it into a planned rock garden, instead of removing the dirt from the rocks completely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="550" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T16:35:13.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2150" CreationDate="2011-09-23T16:43:26.160" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soap spray is the usual recommendation given for &quot;organic&quot; insecticide. Organic is a relative term of course, but it will generally breakdown quicker than most other insecticides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hot pepper (I assume this is a capsaicin spray or powder?) is not going to work with insects (or birds), but should be effective against mammals. Wild pepper plants evolved their high capsaicin content to discourage mammals from eating their fruit. However it was okay for birds to eat the fruit as they did a better job of moving the seed (and I think the seeds are more likely to survive the bird's digestive system - but I could be mis-remembering that).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there specific insects that are posing a problem? You could try to encourage natural predators for these insects (ie. larger insectivorous insects, and birds). I've seen things like veg being grown in tropical conditions (Costa Rica) and I don't recall insects being a problem. However, there were so many insects, birds, and bats that were would be plenty of insectivores to keep them in check. Of course with such bio-diversity, it also means you really want to be very restrained when using the more deadly insecticides and herbicides! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T16:43:26.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2153" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2149" CreationDate="2011-09-23T16:59:54.777" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Of course it is difficult to know for sure, but it sounds like your general care is &quot;the right type of thing&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes only use distilled water. Don't use &quot;any old bottled water&quot;, mineral water, well water, or tap water. Rain water is generally considered acceptable but you might to avoid it if you have a lot of pollution in your area. Pollution generally translates into acid rain =&gt; increased acidity which is generally not a problem for carnivorous plants (CPs) as they prefer things a little acidic (alkali water and dissolved salts tend to be the problem). Serious CP growers invest in a reverse osmosis unit to create suitable water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do NOT let the plants dry out - they generally like things soaking - they are bog plants after all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do NOT feed the plants - let them do their own catching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would strongly recommend against buying them from a florists, or even the big box Home Depot/Lowes type stores. These places do not necessarily keep them in the best of conditions. Instead, go to a specialist, reputable carnivorous plant supplier. &quot;Specialist&quot; because they will know how to look after the plants. &quot;Reputable&quot; because you do NOT want plants from the wild, or imported against CITES (this is general advice - I assume you're in the US, so Venus Fly Traps are 'locals'!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would recommend the book I have from the days when I grew these:  &lt;strong&gt;&quot;Carnivorous Plants&quot; by Adrian Slack&lt;/strong&gt;, published by AlphaBooks in the UK. In the 90s it was the definitive guide - there may be other books available now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I managed to grow &lt;em&gt;Drosera&lt;/em&gt; (sundew), &lt;em&gt;Dionaea&lt;/em&gt; (Venus Fly Trap), and &lt;em&gt;Sarracenia&lt;/em&gt; (trumpet pitcher plant) from seed. These are probably the three easiest groups to grow. My main problem was laziness/forgetfulness to water. One of the &lt;em&gt;Sarracenia&lt;/em&gt; (a hybrid variety) lasted about ten years and flowered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of the &lt;em&gt;Drosera&lt;/em&gt;, I would recommend &lt;em&gt;Drosera capensis&lt;/em&gt;. This is the most tolerant and it is a reasonable size (bigger than any &lt;em&gt;Drosera&lt;/em&gt; that I've seen in the wild). It becomes a weed for the serious growers - readily spreading its seed into neighbouring pots!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-23T17:12:00.683" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T17:12:00.683" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2154" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-23T17:05:27.030" Score="15" ViewCount="5080" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large aloe plant that is probably 5 years old and has bloomed twice. Stem is very tall and leaves are approximately 2&amp;#189; to 3ft (750 to 900mm) long and still very green except at the stem where they appear to be rotting. Also brown circular spots on some of the leaves. Very robust at the top however heavy and leaning over cannot support itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; How do I save this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="665" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-09T13:43:54.907" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T12:37:52.540" Title="How do you save an aloe plant whose stem is weak and appears to be rotting?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2150" CreationDate="2011-09-23T17:49:06.850" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generic, non-chemical pest controls that you can try:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Physical barriers like &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/88/51&quot;&gt;row covers&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Traps -- some traps use pheromones to lure the insects in and then trap them with glue or sticky tape.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1256/51&quot;&gt;Vacuuming&lt;/a&gt; is effective on some insects.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Trap crops will sometimes work -- you plant a species that the pests like even more than the crop you want to harvest. The pests go and eat your &quot;trap crop&quot; and leave your desirable crop alone. E.g. in Massachusetts, it was found that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/PerimeterTC.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cabbage can be protected from imported cabbage worm by planting a border of collards&lt;/a&gt; around the field.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Encourage predators and parasites: create a friendly environment for predatory and parasitic insects, toads, birds, bats.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Import predators and parasites: you can purchase and release predatory insects like ladybugs, or parasitic wasps. This isn't a great solution, because it tends to only work in the short term. (E.g. the released ladybugs quickly decimate your aphid population and then move on because they don't have any further food supply.) It is also only applicable as a control against certain pest populations (e.g. ladybugs for aphids).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you can find them, plant cultivars that are not susceptible to insect damage. You may be able to find cultivars (either advertised or through your own experience) that are somehow not as attractive to pests as others. It doesn't have to be absolute protection, but in combination with other techniques here it may give you some advantage. Or even plant crops that are not preferred. (E.g. I forget which are preferred so this example may be backwards, but I remember reading that squash beetles prefer, say, winter squash to zucchini. So instead of planning to harvest winter squash, plant more zucchini and use the winter squash as a trap crop.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Maintain plant health! Healthy plants are less susceptible to damage. Insects will attack weak plants. Sometimes you will notice that one plant in a population is weak and infested with insects, but the others are not infested. When you see this, pull out the weak plant (along with the insects), and destroy it!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Longer term, take steps to reduce their population in your garden from year to year. This doesn't work with all insects. It also won't work as well if you're close to neighbors with infestations that will spread to your garden. But some insects leave eggs in crop debris that will hatch the following season. By cleaning up crop debris from the garden and composting properly (so the pile heats up and destroys the eggs), or disposing of the debris, you can reduce the population that will be around the following season.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you remember that you're trying to &lt;em&gt;control&lt;/em&gt; the insect population instead of &lt;em&gt;eradicate&lt;/em&gt; it, you can decide what is an acceptable population level and then take action when it reaches that level. E.g. when cucumber beetles reach a certain level in your zucchini trap crop, you can go out and vacuum the pests out of the zucchini to reduce their population and thereby reduce the risk of them spreading to your cucumbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some insects will have specific, more effective controls that you can apply in addition to the generic strategies above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T17:49:06.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2150" CreationDate="2011-09-23T20:15:40.323" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;SE Gardening&quot; contains quite a bit of information on this subject, below I've tried to gather up some of that information and post it here in one place for easy reference. All links are to &quot;SE Gardening&quot; posts unless noted otherwise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Improve your soil, keep your soil in good health&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a huge! believer in the benefits (almost magical properties) of compost...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1344/394&quot;&gt;Composting Bins - DIY vs Bought&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since starting to make my own compost tea in 2010 and using it in my garden, I've been converted to its benefits...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/320/394&quot;&gt;How to make manure tea without e. coli&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/306/394&quot;&gt;What is “Compost Tea” good for?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1716/394&quot;&gt;What is the difference between compost tea, manure tea, compost leachate and herbal tea?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Add organic matter to loosen up the soil, get air in there, help improve drainage...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/141/394&quot;&gt;What actually occurs for manure to become considered “well-rotted”?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some other things you can do to help keep your soil healthy and plants happy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/295/394&quot;&gt;Crop rotation theory v. practice&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Good watering practices eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1260/394&quot;&gt;Any benefit to watering whole plant (leaves and all) instead of just the soil/roots?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hand pulling weeds can be very! effective, especially if done regularly, you keep on top of it, remove the weeds (while they are small) before they establish themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Or via mechanical means, personally I like to use a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoe_%28tool%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hoe&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://lubbock.tamu.edu/horticulture/docs/vegrote.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Vegetable Rotations, Successions and Intercropping&lt;/a&gt; via Texas Agricultural Extension Service&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/355/394&quot;&gt;What's the best mulch material for a vegetable garden?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pest control&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beneficial_insects&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Beneficial insects&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beneficial_organism&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Beneficial organism&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1840/394&quot;&gt;Best practice to prevent aphids and spider mites?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biocontrol&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Biological pest control&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Diatomaceous earth&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1256/394&quot;&gt;How does vacuuming beetles work?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/88/394&quot;&gt;How effective are row covers in preventing insects?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Pest_Management&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Integrated pest management&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1292/394&quot;&gt;Pest control using nematodes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/76/394&quot;&gt;What is an effective organic pesticide to use against aphids or cabbage loopers?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/928/394&quot;&gt;What is the best organic way to defeat slugs?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pest control of larger animals, birds...&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/148/394&quot;&gt;How can I get rid of gophers in a non-lethal way?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1138/394&quot;&gt;Keeping mockingbirds off potted plants (ornamental peppers)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/605/394&quot;&gt;what is the best way to prevent animals from eating my garden without a fence?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companion_planting&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Companion planting&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1243/394&quot;&gt;Herbs to grow (pair) with tomatoes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1724/394&quot;&gt;How do I set up a vertical garden in my backyard?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;List of companion plants&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/333/394&quot;&gt;What are some good companion veggies/flowers/herbs to scare off beetles?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/74/394&quot;&gt;What are the criteria for picking out vegetables to grow together in “Three Sisters” garden?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gathered below are some additional articles, resources that should prove helpful/useful:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biocontrol&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Biological pest control&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://attra.ncat.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) Sustainable Agriculture Project&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Organic farming&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_gardening&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Organic horticulture&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6220&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Organic Vegetable Gardening Techniques&lt;/a&gt; via University of Missouri Extension&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=25912&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Some Facts About Organic Gardening&lt;/a&gt; via University of Illinois Extension&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_gardening&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sustainable gardening&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_garden&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wildlife garden&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and please forgive me if I've repeated suggestions made by others.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T20:30:50.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2157" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2161" CreationDate="2011-09-23T20:22:50.450" Score="18" ViewCount="22353" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few plum, nectarine, and peach pits from locally grown fruit and I'd like to try growing them, mostly indoors in pots. I'd also like to try one or two outside. What's the best way to go about doing this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I looked around online and found some conflicting advice- some instructions said just put the stone in the ground outside, some insisted that stratification (in the refrigerator) was essential, some said it was optional but would just improve chances of germination. Some sources suggested that I break open the stone and plant the seed only, some said to plant the whole thing. What methods will bring me the most success for both indoor and outdoor locations? I'm not doing this to get delicious fruit- I know that's unlikely- this is more for fun and experimentation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="550" LastActivityDate="2015-10-14T21:45:34.053" Title="How can I effectively grow plants from peach, nectarine or plum pits?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2158" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2157" CreationDate="2011-09-23T22:19:52.563" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have never tried sowing plum, nectarine or peach pits/stones myself (although a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1857/how-can-i-grow-a-pineapple-plant-from-a-store-bought-pineapple/1864#1864&quot;&gt;pineapple crown&lt;/a&gt; I planted indoors some years ago grew into a fine specimen), so the advice below, on indoor planting, is not my own, but is drawn from &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1906251444&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Pip Book&lt;/a&gt; by Keith Mossman. It doesn't include nectarines, but I imagine they can be treated in much the same way as peach stones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Peach stones do not need to be wintered outdoors, but plum stones germinate better after wintering.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Only use stones from fruits that are absolutely ripe, and soak them in tepid water for 48 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the stones are still hard, crack them - just enough to allow moisture in the compost to penetrate, but very carefully, so as to avoid damaging the seed inside; squeeze the shell gently with a pair of nutcrackers, until it begins to fracture.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant one inch deep in individual peat pots filled with a good quality seed compost (peach trees are very intolerant of root disturbance, and the peat pots containing the seedlings can simply be transferred into larger containers, when the seedlings need to be moved).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water gently (always use tepid water), place the pots either in clear polythene bags and stand them in a warm, light place (ordinary room temperature is high enough for germination) or, if you have one, in an unheated propagator, where they will require less watering.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep the compost slightly damp but &lt;em&gt;not wet&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-09-24T00:08:19.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2122" CreationDate="2011-09-24T00:31:54.750" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some trees can create &lt;em&gt;adventitious&lt;/em&gt; buds in places where there were no buds or branches before. More often, trees have dormant buds near where they may have once had branches. In either case, exposure to light or a major loss of wood higher up in the tree may cause these buds to sprout and grow into new branches. However, this re-sprouting on old wood becomes less likely as the tree gets older and is less likely in evergreens than in deciduous trees. I have no specific knowledge of cedar trees in this regard, but my guess would be that cedars and arborvitae might be a bit more likely to re-sprout on old wood than a typical evergreen. Nonetheless, I would not expect much if this is an older tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is not to say that this tree will never look decent. As jmusser notes in his/her answer, existing branches may, in time, be able to grow into the empty section. Thoughtful pruning as well as watering and fertilizing can help the tree accomplish that, and it may also help the tree the wall-off and grow around the serious wound it has. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You do need to remove the rope from the healthy side of the tree. If the tree has already enclosed the rope in bark, you may need the advice of an arborist on how to deal with the rope without further damaging the tree. Indeed, if this is a large tree, that is if it would require two people to remove the dead section, I would encourage you to get a arborist to evaluate its long-term health and safety. It is too bad the previous owner did not do that. If the tree had been properly bolted or braced, you might not have this problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-09-24T01:18:07.643" LastActivityDate="2011-09-24T01:18:07.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2160" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-24T01:46:06.433" Score="19" ViewCount="26159" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have begun to grow basil for the first time. Basically all I did was open a packet of seeds and throw them into a flower pot that’s about 20cm wide/round. The seeds have germinated and have started to grow into about 1cm high little stems. So now when I look into the flower pot all I see is green (which is the large amount of stems with little leaves growing off them).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: can I just leave it how it is and continue to grow it in this pot or am I supposed to separate the stems and grow each one separately? I’m afraid that if I separate them they will all die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="669" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-24T02:27:08.350" LastActivityDate="2011-09-24T03:40:21.800" Title="Should I separate and transplant basil seedlings?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;thinning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2161" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2157" CreationDate="2011-09-24T02:19:05.250" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe there appears to be conflicting advice concerning &quot;stratification&quot; (eg place in a refrigerator or not) and if to plant the &quot;pits&quot; or the &quot;seeds&quot; (within), mainly because it really depends on the exact method of seed germination you choose to pursue...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://horticulture.psu.edu/files/hort/extension/growing_tree_fruit.pdf&quot;&gt;GROWING NEW FRUIT TREE PLANTS FROM SEED&lt;/a&gt; (direct link to PDF) via Penn State University Department of Horticulture&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The seeds of all common tree fruits (apple, pear, peach, and cherry) require a chilling &#xA;  period before they will germinate and form new plants. The chilling period occurs after the fruit portion is ripe. This period is known as either dormancy or afterripening. During this period the embryo develops until it is mature. This is accomplished by subjecting the seeds to a cold treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;There are two systems whereby the necessary after ripening could be accomplished:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant the pits (or seeds) directly outdoors after the first frost of the year (normally sometime in the Autumn/Fall). The cold Wintertime temperatures put the seeds though their &quot;stratification&quot; period.&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;When planting outside in areas that go through freeze, thaw cycles you can get away with planting the pits, as mother nature will take care of breaking them open via seasonal changes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before planting the seeds (or pits) indoors, the seeds need to be put through their &quot;stratification&quot; period, this is where placing them in a refrigerator comes in.&#xA;&lt;br /&gt; &#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;To help increase the germination rate of indoor planting it's advisable to remove the seeds from the pits, when and how you do this is really up to you, personally I think it makes more sense to extract them from the pits just prior to planting ie After they've gone through their &quot;stratification&quot; period.&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Extract seeds and/or pits from the fruit of which you wish to reproduce new plants. Remove all adhering fruit portions and allow seeds to air dry. Then, place them in a glass jar or other suitable container to which a loosely fitted lid or cover may be added. Set the seeds aside in a cool place until mid-January.&#xA;  &lt;br /&gt;&#xA;  &lt;br /&gt;&#xA;  ... in mid-January mix the seeds with either moist (not wet) peat moss, sand or shredded paper towels. Return mixture to the container and replace lid. &lt;strong&gt;Place container and seeds in the refrigerator until after the last severe spring frosts. The seeds should remain in the refrigerator for at least 60 days.&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course you can accomplish the required &quot;stratification&quot; period via either &quot;outdoor&quot; or &quot;indoor&quot; (refrigeration) methods, then transplant the saplings or seeds to where you want them (outside or inside).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! I hope the above is somewhat helpful, makes sense and does not make things even more confusing - if I've muddied the waters further please let me know so I can try to clear things up.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Also let me know if you're interested in further reading material, I can post some links to articles, resources that I believe are helpful/useful.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-09-24T02:19:05.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2162" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2160" CreationDate="2011-09-24T03:32:32.933" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you leave them as-is, they will starve each other. You need to separate them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted about 100 basil plants this spring in a way similar to what you did. I spaced them out a bit initially in the planting flat, but I still had to thin them. (The thinning is easier when they start about 1&quot; apart instead of just being randomly sprinkled throughout the pot.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you need to do is called &quot;pricking out&quot;. The first two leaves that come out are called the cotyledon -- they're leaves from the seed. Wait until most of the plants have their first pair of &quot;true leaves&quot;, and then you should prick them out (transplant them). Get a small trowel -- I like to use an artist's palette knife. One by one, gently separate the seedlings from their neighbors, trying to preserve as much of the roots as you can. Grab them by the leaf! Not the stem, never handle them by the stem. Use the knife to gently tease apart the roots. I use the handle of the knife to poke a small hole in the new pot and gently drop the roots into the hole, then gently tamp around the hole (not too hard). After you're done pricking out, water thoroughly. In addition to helping the plant recover from the root shock, it also helps to settle the soil in the planting holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This spring I started about 100 basil seeds in an 11x22&quot; flat, then pricked out after about 3 weeks to wider spacing in more flats, then transplanted outside (using the same method described above) after another 3 weeks or so. We ended up with so much basil by midsummer that it nearly became a household crisis! ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The whole process is a little intimidating the first time -- you think you're going to kill them all, but it works out ok. &lt;a href=&quot;http://youtu.be/KGIlUBiqQ5s&quot;&gt;This video&lt;/a&gt; is a good look at pricking out basil. He works pretty fast, but you can replay the middle part to get a look at what he does.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you decide that you don't want to prick out, you must at least thin the plants you have. To thin, you can just selectively cut the unwanted plants off with scissors, leaving the ones you want. Leave at least 6-8&quot; final spacing between plants. It might be wise to do a couple of rounds of thinning -- the first thinning would go to 1-2&quot; spacing, and then to 3-4&quot; and then to the final 6-8&quot; spacing. This gives you a chance to select the strongest plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-24T03:40:21.800" LastActivityDate="2011-09-24T03:40:21.800" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2163" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2164" CreationDate="2011-09-23T20:11:25.257" Score="11" ViewCount="7919" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am getting small amounts of water in my basement after large quantities of rain.  I think the issue is related to a slight negative slope around part of the foundation where water is seeping in.  I want to try to build the slope up around this area that has a mulch bed about 25'x5'.  Should I dig out the old mulch before trying to regrade with a few yards of soil? I'd estimate a few inches of mulch in the area at question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="347" OwnerDisplayName="Jakkwylde" LastActivityDate="2011-09-27T16:43:08.457" Title="Resloping Around Foundation With Mulch Bed" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2163" CreationDate="2011-09-23T22:10:43.707" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you should, because the mulch is going to let water pass right through it.  It will be better if you remove the mulch, regrade the soil so that you have at least a 1/4&quot; per foot drop moving away from the house and pack the soil to encourage the water to deflect away from the house.  Then the mulch can go back on top and water passing through will be slowed down by the mulch (preventing erosion) and run off the soil away from the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="671" OwnerDisplayName="The Evil Greebo" LastActivityDate="2011-09-23T22:10:43.707" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2165" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2163" CreationDate="2011-09-24T16:43:20.017" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;How is the water getting in the basement?  Through a window well, for example?  If that is the case then regrading alone would do the job.  Your friend in this matter is 4 inch diameter drain pipe with sleeve buried 3 to 8 &quot; deep parallel the the side of the house experiencing the issue.  Then proper grading with soil or even flagstone will cause the water to run off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As other posters suggest mulch is not what you want against the foundation unless it is impermeable like pea stone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However if you have a small crack in your foundation then more serious work is in order before the landscaping.  Foundation issues must be addressed first, good grading is the final touch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: the original poster asks about how to diagnose severity in foundation cracks. A standard construction technique is a poured concrete foundation with a skim coat of concrete at the ground level called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parge_coat&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;parging&lt;/a&gt;.  A crack in the parging is not going to cause a leak in a poured foundation.  However, other foundations are built of concrete block which is inherently porous at the joints.  Parging can assist here in preventing water from coming in contact with the joins in the blocks that are at ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More to the point, can you see a crack in your foundation on the inside?  If you can then you need to fix it first.  Grading and mulch come after this is fixed.&#xA;If you believe that an exterior crack is just in the parging then this can be fixed with some patch or grout mortar and a trowel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also note that waterproofing and foundation issues are not my area of expertise and my comments above are based on my experience as a homeowner.  Consult a professional if your water issues are causing property damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2011-09-27T16:43:08.457" LastActivityDate="2011-09-27T16:43:08.457" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2166" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2284" CreationDate="2011-09-25T01:29:48.580" Score="7" ViewCount="2782" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am having trouble controlling &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynodon_dactylon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bermuda grass&lt;/a&gt; through my cool-season lawn (grass type Fescue).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Lancaster, PA &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone#USDA_Hardiness_Zones&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;USDA Zone 6&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there an effective method of removing it without effecting the good grass?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-30T04:49:55.390" LastActivityDate="2015-11-15T02:20:54.130" Title="How do I remove Bermuda grass without destroying my cool-season lawn?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2167" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2146" CreationDate="2011-09-25T01:38:55.200" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You will not be able to grow a long term plant that way, but you could probably force something. Trying different things would be a good way to to find what does best in your conditions. Hyacinths or narcissus seem like good choices to try out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-09-25T01:38:55.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2168" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2192" CreationDate="2011-09-25T01:49:31.550" Score="7" ViewCount="4415" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglans_regia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;English walnut&lt;/a&gt; sapling that grows vigorously all summer, but at the beginning of Fall the leaves dry up and fall. It has been two years now. Is that a problem with the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-25T01:56:32.493" LastActivityDate="2011-09-27T14:25:43.497" Title="Why does my English walnut lose its leaves early?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;walnut&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2168" CreationDate="2011-09-25T02:02:25.687" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Walnut is deciduous, i.e. it is meant to lose its leaves in Autumn (Fall).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know where you are located but if the climate and seasons are slightly different from its native habitat (originally Balkans-Himalayas) then it may lose it's leaves slightly earlier or later than in its native habitat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-25T15:06:41.270" LastActivityDate="2011-09-25T15:06:41.270" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2146" CreationDate="2011-09-25T05:10:57.643" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe you will find &quot;tender bulbs&quot; are easier (less work) to grow indoors than &quot;hardy bulbs&quot;, though both types can be grown indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore given the choice between &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zephyranthes&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Rain Lily&lt;/a&gt; (tender bulb) and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyacinth_%28plant%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hyacinth&lt;/a&gt; (hardy bulb) I would go with the Rain Lily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippeastrum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hippeastrum&lt;/a&gt; is another tender bulb you may want to look at, it's a &quot;popular&quot; indoor flowering (bulb) plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you've selected the exact flowering (bulb) plant you want to grow indoors, read up on the plants specific requirements eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pot size and preferred growing medium.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Amount of light.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Watering.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Does it prefer being kept away from drafts (indoor ventilation systems).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After flower care, needs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr &gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and please report back here, letting us know what you choose and how you get on with growing it indoors.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-09-25T05:10:57.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2146" CreationDate="2011-09-25T13:49:51.767" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should not have any difficulty growing hyacinths under the conditions you describe, although, as J. Musser points out, you will not be able to make permanent residents of them. When I was a child, my mother successfully &amp;quot;forced&amp;quot; bowls of hyacinths (fooled them into thinking that winter was over and it was Spring and time to bloom) every year, so that they always flowered over Christmas. After planting the bulbs in bowls of damp potting compost, she placed them in a cool, dark cupboard for about three months and, as soon as green shoots appeared, she gradually reintroduced them to the light:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although our winters are considered mild by northern standards, it does get dreary and wet in January and February. Forcing spring bulbs indoors will provide you a cheery pot of flowers when everything else outside is bare and brown. Now is the time to begin preparation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The easiest bulbs to force are crocuses, hyacinths, and daffodils&lt;/em&gt;. Tulips can be forced, but they are more finicky than the others and require a much longer chilling period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Buy large firm bulbs at a nursery and use 6&amp;quot; pots. A 6&amp;quot; pot will hold 3 hyacinths, 6 daffodils, 6 tulips, or 12 crocuses. Put 3&amp;quot; of a peat-based compost at the bottom of the pot and set the bulbs on it. The bulbs should be placed close together, but they should not touch each other, nor should they touch the sides of the container. Do not force the bulbs down into the compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fill the pot with more compost, pressing it firmly but not too tightly around the bulbs. When you have finished, the tips of the bulbs should be just above the surface, and, there should be about ¼&amp;quot; between the top of the compost and the top of the container. Water so that the growing medium is damp, but not soggy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bulbs need a cold, frost-free period in the dark. A temperature of 40F is ideal. The refrigerator is an ideal place to chill the bulbs. The proper chill time varies with the type of bulb that is being forced. Crocuses are chilled for six weeks, daffodils and hyacinths need 12-14 weeks, and tulips require 16 weeks. Check occasionally to make sure that the growing medium is still moist and that growth has not started.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the shoots are one to two inches tall, it is time to move the container into a cool room indoors. 50F is ideal, but temperatures between 60 and 65 F will be sufficiently cool. Place in a shady spot for a couple of days and then move near a sunny window for a few days. The leaves will begin to develop, and in seven to ten days, flower buds will begin to form. When the buds begin to color, move the container to the chosen site for flowering. This should be a bright, sunny place that is free from drafts and away from radiators or heating ducts. Keep the growing medium moist at all times, turn the container occasionally to promote even growth, and enjoy your spring flowers in the midst of winter's gloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://easttexasgardening.tamu.edu/tips/house/indoorbulbs.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Andie Rathbone, Smith County Master Gardener&#xA;Texas AgriLife Extension Service &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_papyraceus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Paperwhite Narcissus&lt;/a&gt; is another plant that is fairly easy to grow indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is further information on forcing hyacinths, with detailed illustrations &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenhive.com/flowers/hyacinths/grow/bowls/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as Rain Lilies are concerned, I can't speak from experience, but a quick online search &lt;a href=&quot;http://magazine.angieslist.com/landscaping/articles/tips-for-planting-the-hardy-rain-lily-in-southwest.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; suggests that they can be grown indoors, but will not flower as well as they would outdoors, due to lower light levels and lack of rain; however, if the light from your office windows is good, it is worth giving them a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further to your comment below: After the blooms have died down, the usual practice, in the case of hyacinths (and also daffodils, crocus and tulips), is to lift the bulbs and plant them in the garden, in the hope that they will bloom outdoors next Spring; however, some plants such as &lt;em&gt;Amaryllis&lt;/em&gt;, if given the right care, will go on flowering every year indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can't plant your bulbs outdoors after flowering, and don't want to discard them, you could leave them to dry out, then store them in a cool, dry place and, in the Autumn, start the process again, although there is a risk they may not bloom the second time round.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-12-10T23:46:19.630" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2172" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-25T14:31:11.017" Score="16" ViewCount="3359" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing an avocado plant from the pit (started with the toothpicks and glass method). Unfortunately I was out of town when it hit its growth spurt and therefore was not there to pinch back the first set of leaves when it was 6 to 12 inches tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of a sudden it's close to 3ft tall and I'm not sure what to do. I intend the plant to stay potted, so shorter and bushier would be preferred. Is it too late to pinch (or clip) back my avocado plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tIK0z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tIK0zm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="279" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-25T14:41:02.393" LastActivityDate="2011-09-26T00:25:55.137" Title="Is it too late to pinch back my avocado plant?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;pinching-out&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2173" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2200" CreationDate="2011-09-25T15:03:31.330" Score="7" ViewCount="3132" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've posted earlier about &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1990/cherry-sapling-has-orange-dots-on-its-leaves-and-the-tips-are-wilting-what-could&quot;&gt;my diseased cherry seedling&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since then, all the leaves have wilted and curled to some amount and the trunk of the seedling itself looks like a dried stick. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PYVJC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PYVJCm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The dried-up looking seedling&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dYJC5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dYJC5m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Wilted leaves. They look much browner now than in this picture yesterday.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this tree living its final days out? And if it is, is there anything I can do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My location is Ontario in Canada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T12:08:36.437" Title="Cherry sapling has wilted leaves, dried trunk; is it dying?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2174" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2175" CreationDate="2011-09-25T15:56:45.017" Score="10" ViewCount="10457" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the name of this plant?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GAl3L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The image was from a China tour website, although it doesn't seem to be on that page anymore. I am not sure if it is also popular in America.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="349" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-28T22:11:37.657" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T22:11:37.657" Title="What is the name of this plant with 5-petaled pink flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2175" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2174" CreationDate="2011-09-25T18:28:51.113" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to be Madagascar Periwinkle (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharanthus_roseus&quot;&gt;Catharanthus roseus&lt;/a&gt;). It is an annual (tender perennial actually) commonly grown in parts of the United States where the summers are hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-09-25T18:34:10.220" LastActivityDate="2011-09-25T18:34:10.220" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2176" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2172" CreationDate="2011-09-26T00:25:55.137" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have grown &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado&quot;&gt;avocado&lt;/a&gt; from seed a number of times and found that it will respond to being cut back.  Even the severe pruning you will have to give it will cause a new tip to start. &#xA;The avocado is a tree and exhibits &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apical_dominance&quot;&gt;apical dominance&lt;/a&gt;.  Cutting it back will not necessarily cause it to branch out.&#xA;Other environmental factors such as the amount of sunlight, size of the root ball and timing your pruning are just as important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For your plant, if you can provide direct sun for 8 to 12 hours a day and a consistent watering regime I would cut it back.  In lower light conditions you will be waiting a long time for a new bud to start.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-09-26T00:25:55.137" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2177" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2179" CreationDate="2011-09-26T02:00:33.940" Score="14" ViewCount="28814" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have just planted some grass seed to replace some grass lost after the dry summer. I have been watering it daily for 3-4 days. How long should I keep this up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="662" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-27T13:51:19.187" LastActivityDate="2011-09-27T14:09:55.997" Title="How long do you water after planting grass?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2178" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-26T02:50:43.100" Score="6" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wandered onto &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/garden_diary/garden_mini_project_september_2.asp&quot;&gt;this page&lt;/a&gt; about how to plant bulbs indoors. It mentioned that we need to place the bulb in the soil and put it in a cool, dark place for the root system to develop, which takes about 6 weeks. This is different from what we do here. I don't know what temperature range they're referring to when they say &quot;cool&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in Hong Kong the weather is quite warm even in Winter (15+ degree Celsius , so what we do is place the bulb without soil in the fridge for 6 weeks. After that, we put them in the soil and let them grow. Are both ways correct? How do you define &quot;cool&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-26T03:00:40.420" LastActivityDate="2011-09-26T03:59:09.720" Title="What is the traditional approach to planting bulbs?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2179" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2177" CreationDate="2011-09-26T02:54:28.717" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below quoted information comes from this answer, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2012/can-my-lawn-be-saved-or-is-it-time-to-dig-it-up-and-re-sod/2021#2021&quot;&gt;Can my lawn be saved or is it time to dig it up and re-sod?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lightly water the complete area, you will want to do this daily for the first couple of weeks (assuming you have no rain). After that, water lightly every 2 to 3 days. Basically you don't want the ground drying out.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm quoting the below couple of pieces of information as I believe they're useful to know (assuming you're not already aware)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the grass is 4inches (100mm) high or higher, it is ready for its first mowing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Personally, I would mow to a final cut height of 3inches (75mm) or higher. The higher the better IMHO. You don't want to mow Annual Ryegrass too short, especially in your part of the country (warm and humid)...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After its first mowing you can stop watering (unless you receive no rain). If there's no rain, you will want to water deeply as you would for any cool-season lawn ie&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Once a week deliver at least 1inch (25mm) of water. Either deliver that water via one deep watering or split it in half and deliver that amount via two waterings.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spread ½inch (12.5mm) thick layer of high quality compost over the complete area ie Bury the seed under this thin layer of organic material. Doing so will help:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Germination greatly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prevent the seeds from drying out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prevent the seeds from being eaten by birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All of the above information holds true for any type of cool-season lawn (cool-season grass seed), I can think of.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-09-27T04:16:18.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2180" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2178" CreationDate="2011-09-26T03:20:52.887" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;em&gt;cooling period&lt;/em&gt; depends on if we're talking &quot;hardy&quot; bulbs or &quot;tender&quot; bulbs (or &quot;semi-tender&quot; bulbs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hardy bulbs&lt;/strong&gt; require a cooling period of 40&amp;#176;F (4&amp;#176;C) or below. Most can withstand weeks of sub-freezing temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocuses&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Crocuses&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daffodils&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Daffodils&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scilla&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Scilla&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulips&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tulips&lt;/a&gt;, etc can all be left in the ground here (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone#USDA_Hardiness_Zones&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;USDA Hardiness Zone 6a&lt;/a&gt;) and we get below 0&amp;#176;F (-18&amp;#176;C) every year for at least a few days (if not 2 to 3 weeks).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tender bulbs&lt;/strong&gt; require a cooling period of 50 to 60&amp;#176;F (10 to 16&amp;#176;C).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Semi-tender bulbs&lt;/strong&gt; require a cooling period that falls somewhere inbetween, though they can take &quot;light&quot; freezing temperatures, but not for prolonged periods of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Exactly how the bulb gets it required cooling period really doesn't mater (as far as I'm aware), the important thing is, it gets that cooling period...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-26T03:59:09.720" LastActivityDate="2011-09-26T03:59:09.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2181" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2183" CreationDate="2011-09-26T06:08:33.087" Score="10" ViewCount="138" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got some special hollow (rope/wire/string/tube - I don't know how to call it) - it is green and made of latex about 4 or 5 mm in diameter and used to tie young trees to prevent wind damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone tell me what this is called and maybe where I can buy some more of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or alternatively what other good materials can be used for this purpose?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="672" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-09-26T09:59:38.430" LastActivityDate="2011-09-26T11:37:12.187" Title="What to call this latex material used to tie trees?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2182" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-26T09:46:18.720" Score="9" ViewCount="1898" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my peppers is showing some strange discolouration of its skin. You cannot feel that it's there, so presumably this is underneath the outermost membrane of the fruit. As far as I can tell there is only one fruit effected so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are two images of the affected fruit from different angles, so you can see what I mean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5bJnW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cropped photo of effected pepper, showing discolouration of skin&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TJIWI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cropped photo of effected pepper, showing discolouration of skin&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's wrong with this fruit?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Do I need to &quot;fix&quot; it, and how can I?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Do I need to worry about the other fruit on this plant?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Will this be safe to eat or should I cut it off and dispose of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="705" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T08:16:30.413" LastActivityDate="2012-02-17T14:48:59.860" Title="What is this discolouration of the skin of my pepper?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2183" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2181" CreationDate="2011-09-26T11:37:12.187" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pghorticulture.co.uk/level2/tytube.html&quot;&gt;This looks&lt;/a&gt; like what you're talking about. If that's the right stuff, it is called &quot;tying tube&quot;, &quot;tree tying tube&quot; or &quot;binding tube&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-26T11:37:12.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2184" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2187" CreationDate="2011-09-26T15:32:18.413" Score="9" ViewCount="5718" Body="&lt;p&gt;Previously, I had issues with the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1704/how-do-i-prevent-my-berry-leaves-from-getting-scorched-in-the-sun&quot;&gt;sun scorching the leaves of my berry plants&lt;/a&gt;. Now that the heat has cooled down, those leaves are back to normal. However, a lot of the leaves on my boysenberry plant have reddish spots on them, and I'm beginning to worry about them. The plants look perfectly healthy in all other aspects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is something I observed even when the sun was harsh (and a little prior to that). At first, I brushed it away, because if you observe closely, the red spots are around the edges or in between two leaf veins (the leaf membrane slightly curves up there) and it didn't seem unreasonable that the sun damage would strike there first (just like how sun damage in a plastic container first appears at the sharp corners and edges). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was interesting to note that these leaves (the ones that have red spots) didn't quite dry up and shrivel like those in my other question linked above. Could these be due to a disease rather than sun scorching? Should I be concerned and is there something I can/should do about it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GhExB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;      &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GhExB.jpg&quot; height=&quot;310&quot; /&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/a&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UxJ4x.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;      &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UxJ4x.jpg&quot; height=&quot;310&quot; /&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-09-27T03:56:35.490" Title="What are these red spots on the leaves of my boysenberry plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;boysenberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2185" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2186" CreationDate="2011-09-26T18:29:49.503" Score="6" ViewCount="898" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mytinyplot.co.uk/vintage-seed-catalogues/babington-kitchen-garden/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;MyTinyPlot.co.uk blog post photo&lt;/a&gt; showing some enviably healthy looking autumn lettuces under protection got me down the garden centre today looking at protection options for my autumn/winter veg.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P7GA2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lettuces&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see they're using some kind of super fine fleece.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But what is the difference between plain old clear &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;polythene (AKA polyethylene)&lt;/a&gt; / mesh / fleece? For cold weather protection. When do you opt for one or the other? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-26T21:06:29.153" LastActivityDate="2011-09-26T21:06:29.153" Title="Cold weather protection - fleece, mesh, polythene?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;protection&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2186" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2185" CreationDate="2011-09-26T19:02:59.697" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless polythene is vented somehow, the plants enclosed can &quot;cook&quot; and additionally the closed internal environment can become a breeding ground for diseases...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both Mesh and Fleece naturally allow air movement through the enclosed system (which is a very good thing).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mesh provides &quot;minimum&quot; protection from cold weather, where as Fleece offers greater protection from the cold. I believe you can get Fleece in different &quot;thicknesses&quot;, thus providing more protection from cold weather depending on your specific growing environment...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All 3 of them can do the job (to some extent), some of their effectiveness will be determined by the amount of work you put into setting them...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given the choice, for cold weather protection I would go with Fleece.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-26T19:45:39.860" LastActivityDate="2011-09-26T19:45:39.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2187" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2184" CreationDate="2011-09-26T19:39:27.843" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hat-tip to &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/Rhizowen&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;@Rhizowen&lt;/a&gt; for the below &lt;em&gt;scientific&lt;/em&gt; answer, which helps explain the change in colour on the leaves from green to red (assuming some kind of disease isn't the cause):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Red &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthocyanin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;anthocyanin&lt;/a&gt; pigments protect &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophyll&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;chlorophyll&lt;/a&gt; from breaking down, maximising the leaf's ability to produce and transport sugars -- so a stressed plant realising it's in trouble, tries to get its leaves to produce as much sugar as possible before they die...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apart from those few leaves (about 5 to 10 in total), the rest of the plant appears to look healthy to me, from the little I can see from those couple of photos. Please correct me if I'm wrong on that observation, statement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below quote comes from &lt;a href=&quot;http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/cepublications/eb1640/eb1640.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growing Small Fruits for the Home Garden&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Watering&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lack of supplemental watering from June to August severely limits successful production of blueberries in the Pacific Northwest. Shallow-rooted plants require close attention to maintain a uniformly moist environment around their base. They require 1, or possibly 2 inches of water each week, in the absence of any rainfall. Be sure the entire root zone is wet after an irrigation. &lt;strong&gt;Drought symptoms include reddened foliage, weak, thin shoots, and reduced fruit set.&lt;/strong&gt; Maintain a 2-inch mulch layer to preserve soil moisture. A drip system, set on a timer, works especially well in keeping soil moist on a daily basis. Keep watering the plants through August to ensure good fruit bud development for the following season's crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I realise the above refers to Blueberries &amp;amp; not Blackberries, but the symptoms(s) look the same to me...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a listen of this, &lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/podcasts/greensideup/201108_860.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Effects of Drought and Drowning on Plants&lt;/a&gt;, then let us know what you think... I'm currently thinking it's water related, either not enough or too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also try this tool, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/berrytool/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Berry Diagnostic Tool&lt;/a&gt;, and see what you can come up with. Personally I couldn't find anything that resembles the symptoms shown in your couple of photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The gardening &amp;quot;experts&amp;quot; on twitter don't believe it's a disease, most are thinking drought related and the plant should be fine if well looked after this Autumn eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put down a 2inch (50mm) thick layer of compost on top of the soil, will provide a slow natural feed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ensure the plant gets the correct amount of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and please let us know how the plant gets on.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-09-27T03:56:35.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2185" CreationDate="2011-09-26T20:12:55.920" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The tradeoff is: the heavier the fleece (and thus more protection), the less light you'll be allowing through. Depending on your latitude, day length can become an issue in late autumn -- you'll want those plants to get as much light as possible. Though, if you're mostly focused on &lt;em&gt;harvesting&lt;/em&gt; during cold weather and your lettuces are already mature enough so that &lt;em&gt;growth&lt;/em&gt; isn't as much an issue, you don't need to worry as much about this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're willing to do extra work, heavy black plastic provides good protection in my experience, and can usually be acquired cheaper than specialty gardening fabrics. The catch is that you have to remove it every morning so the plants can (a) get light and (b) don't cook.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I generally take the super-lazy route: switch from eating lettuce to eating hardier plants: spinach, chard, kale, and beet greens. These don't need protection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-26T20:12:55.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2189" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2185" CreationDate="2011-09-26T20:45:45.480" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best solution is perhaps to choose &lt;em&gt;both&lt;/em&gt; row covers and plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kingbird Farm, a small herb grower in New York state, &lt;a href=&quot;http://kingbirdfarm.com/Herbfinalreport.pdf&quot;&gt;describes its efforts to winter some USDA zone 7 and zone 6 herbs (rosemary and sage) in zone 5&lt;/a&gt;. They found covering rows of crops with row covers inside a small plastic hoop house to be the most effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(They used &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.environmentalgreenproducts.com/store/agribon-ag-19-pr-16355.html&quot;&gt;Agribon AG-19 row covers&lt;/a&gt; made of spun bonded polypropylene fabric.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-09-26T20:50:47.583" LastActivityDate="2011-09-26T20:50:47.583" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2173" CreationDate="2011-09-27T03:54:30.907" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I still stand by my initial statement given &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1990/cherry-sapling-has-orange-dots-on-its-leaves-and-the-tips-are-wilting-what-could/2006#2006&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm no tree, plant disease expert, but that to me looks like some kind of disease, not something brought on by over or under watering, especially as you say the spots were there before planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It came from a neighbour; the spots were there when I first planted it&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Have you tried contacting someone at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rbg.ca/Page.aspx?pid=352&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gardening Information Service&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; via &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rbg.ca/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Royal Botanical Gardens Canada&lt;/a&gt; and/or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub811/15appendixi.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Diagnostic Services&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; via &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today (2011-10-01) I heard back from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rbg.ca/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Royal Botanical Gardens Canada&lt;/a&gt;, if you wish to bring in or send in a plant sample for diagnosis you can do so via:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please call us at: 905.527.1158 and ask for Natalie at ext: 238. She should be able to get you answers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If no, it may well be worth your time to-do-so...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeing as it's such a young sapling and I believe infected with some kind of disease, I'd strongly be inclined to remove it from my landscape (bag it up and put it in the rubbish bin).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I would get myself a new sapling (start again), doing my best to ensure it was &amp;quot;healthy&amp;quot; ie It looked good, had no visible &amp;quot;unwanted&amp;quot; markings, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then instead of planting it directly in the ground, I would plant it in a decent sized pot filled with appropriate growing medium -- get it established, allow it to develop a good root system, before transplanting it out in bare ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Basically I would care for the sapling in a pot for at least a year before planting it directly in the ground.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-10-01T20:03:00.587" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2177" CreationDate="2011-09-27T14:09:55.997" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The reason you want to water so frequently is to keep the soil and seeds moist during and immediately after germination. If the seeds dry out while germinating, they will die.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When we've planted lawn in the past, we water at least daily -- sometimes twice if it is really hot and sunny, or windy (which also dries up the soil). If it is cool and overcast you can water once daily. If it rains, you don't need to water. You don't need to water heavily, basically so that it stays moist and the soil and seeds don't dry out. (You can check the soil in the area -- if it is moist, you don't need to water.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once most of the seed has germinated (i.e. the grass is growing), you can gradually decrease the frequency and increase the amount. Watering deeply will encourage the plants to send roots down deeper into the soil which will allow them to better survive dry periods. You just need to give them a chance to develop these roots initially.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-27T14:09:55.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2192" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2168" CreationDate="2011-09-27T14:25:43.497" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/BlackWalnut.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;couple&lt;/a&gt; of &lt;a href=&quot;http://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/black_walnut_emjuglans_nigra_em&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;different&lt;/a&gt; sources, walnut trees are among the first to lose their leaves. (And among the last to leaf out in spring.) Those pages are discussing &lt;em&gt;Juglans nigra&lt;/em&gt; (Black walnut), but as far as I can tell &lt;em&gt;Juglans regia&lt;/em&gt; (English walnut) behaves the same way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a fungus, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/fidls/walnut_anthr/wal_anthr.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;walnut anthracnose&lt;/a&gt;, that can cause early leaf drop. You didn't mention symptoms of this, and you'd have seen leaves drop back in August. Also, English walnut is less susceptible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what you are seeing is normal unless you have the spots on the leaves and fruit as seen in the photos in the link above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-27T14:25:43.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2193" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2166" CreationDate="2011-09-27T14:51:02.143" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;To paraphrase a common saying, &quot;One man's weed is another man's lawn&quot;. Bermuda grass is low maintenance and drought resistant. If sown with other thin bladed grasses that are more cold resistant it can result in a lawn that stays green all year long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said, if you are determined to eradicate it from your lawn here are some steps you can take:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Overseed - Bermuda grass is dormant in the winter so when the temperature starts dipping below 60F cut it short and overseed with a variety that has a lower dormancy temperature. Then again in the spring before the temperature climbs above 60F.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pre-emergent herbicide - This type of herbicide doesn't kill plants. It simply prevents seeds from germinating. Timing is key. Pre-emergent herbicides are indiscriminate so you'll want to give your overseeded variety a chance to sprout. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Let your desired variety grow 1/2 - 1 inch taller during the winter months. Bermuda grass is a short variety and is shade intolerant so letting your grass grow taller will allow it to overtake the Bermuda grass while it is at a disadvantage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you live in a very warm climate like Central or South Florida or Southern California you'll have a tougher time because its the ideal climate for Bermuda grass throughout most of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="295" LastActivityDate="2011-09-27T14:51:02.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2194" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="928" CreationDate="2011-09-27T17:13:31.603" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Slugs are great workers in a compost pile. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leave a hearty amount of vegetable left-overs (eg: potato and orange peels) outside during the night and come back early in the morning. It'll be full of snails that you can either get rid of, or throw into the compost bin. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can then proceed to add a wall of egg shells to make sure they stay in the compost bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="676" LastActivityDate="2011-09-27T17:13:31.603" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2195" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2296" CreationDate="2011-09-27T17:39:53.317" Score="16" ViewCount="2913" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have successfully germinated an avocado seed and am now willing to bring it outside and plant it in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live on the coast in Northern Portugal, so we never get negative temperatures. Minimum would be 4&amp;#176;C (40&amp;#176;F), on an extremely cold night. Also, abundant rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Can I expect it to give fruits in a non-tropical, moderate climate such as the one found in Northern Portugal? (It should, as apparently &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ghorganics.com/Germinating%20and%20Growing%20Avocados.html&quot;&gt;we gave the avocado to the world&lt;/a&gt; :P )&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; And if so, is there any special care I should have for the tree to thrive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="676" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-09-27T18:31:56.633" LastActivityDate="2015-11-22T22:16:35.683" Title="Will my avocado tree produce fruits in my non-tropical climate region?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;native-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2196" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2195" CreationDate="2011-09-27T18:26:34.863" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well if it is a native plant to your area &amp;amp; climate, you shouldn't have any major problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in Texas they're only considered a marginal crop down on the Mexican border. We're in the North Texas area (further south than you, but more continental) and our frosts kill them every winter. A shame: As you've found they're easier to germinate than many of the online guides suggest - it would something different to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-27T18:26:34.863" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2173" CreationDate="2011-09-27T19:09:52.757" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fruit trees in general are notorious for not growing well from a seed. They often take long to establish, require longer to start fruiting and are easily prone to diseases/wilting before they can establish themselves. For these reasons (and others), almost always, they're propagated by grafting a scion from an established tree with desired qualities onto a hardier rootstock, which eventually fuses with the rest of the tree. The rootstock is chosen from trees that are very hardy to the local conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I fully agree with Mike Perry and bstpierre in bagging it up and getting a 2 yr old tree from the nursery. But if you're determined to give it a shot, for starters, you could try a regular watering schedule and cut back on the amount of water (if you're over watering it). Perhaps, removing the worst affected leaves might help (don't leave it bare though... from the picture, removing the two worst ones should be a good start).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another alternative is to transplant it to a pot (or start a new sapling in a pot, as Mike suggested). This is very critical for young saplings, especially in parts of the world like yours, where the winters can easily snuff the life out of it. There is no way that little scrawny thing is going to survive an Ontario winter. If you had these in pots, you could move it inside your garage or in the house and place it next to a window, where it would get adequate sunlight and protection from the cold. Once it establishes itself, you can move it back to the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cherrys do fine in pots and here in Southern California, quite a lot of folks have cherry trees in pots. The reason is that it never gets cold enough for the tree to produce fruit, so people load them up in trucks and drive an hour north to the mountain regions and drop it off at a friend's place for the winter. Come spring, they bring it back for a beautiful blossom display and plenty of fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-09-27T19:09:52.757" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2198" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2195" CreationDate="2011-09-27T19:22:54.180" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Avocado&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The avocado (Persea americana) is a tree native to Central Mexico...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you should be ok! growing it outside, seeing as you don't experience freezing temperatures -- you do come close though and wind might be an issue as you live on the coast...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The below couple of free documents from &lt;a href=&quot;http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Catalog&lt;/a&gt; should prove helpful/useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=8048&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Fruit Trees: Planting and Care of Young Trees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=8100&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Frost Protection for Citrus and Other Subtropicals&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before planting in open ground outside, I think I would be tempted to bring it outside in a pot (of appropriate size and filled with suitable growing medium):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Allow it to get hardened off.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Can always bring it temporarily back inside if need be during that time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Allow the root-ball to develop.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Allow the trunk to develop.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and please report back on how you get on...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-22T22:16:35.683" LastActivityDate="2015-11-22T22:16:35.683" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2199" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2235" CreationDate="2011-09-27T23:08:50.683" Score="15" ViewCount="990" Body="&lt;p&gt;My back yard &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1658/vegetables-to-grow-with-limited-sunlight&quot;&gt;lacks a bit of sunshine&lt;/a&gt; so things don't grow as fast, but they do grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've recently planted radishes for the first time and they have already started pushing out of the ground, however they are not very large, maybe half the diameter of shop bought radishes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are still growing healthily, but the tops of the radishes are getting nibbled at by something so I need to make a decision.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pull them up and eat them at the size they are?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover them with a bit more dirt and give them some time to grow larger?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover them with mulch to stop them being eaten?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm an impatient gardener and worry that they will get spoiled by being eaten by whatever has been taste testing them if I leave them the way they are, or they will rot if I leave them in the ground too long. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T20:41:19.857" Title="Should I earth up my radishes to prevent them from being eaten or should I pull them out?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;radishes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2173" CreationDate="2011-09-28T00:38:41.947" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is no cause to throw this plant away. None.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you noted in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1990/cherry-sapling-has-orange-dots-on-its-leaves-and-the-tips-are-wilting-what-could&quot;&gt;a previous question&lt;/a&gt;, it came into your garden with a leaf-spot problem which got much worse in the weeks following transplanting. Given that you transplanted at the end of the growing season, this is not unusual nor is it particularly worrisome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cherries grown from seed often have tap roots and so was likely a bit unhappy in a pot. Being transplanted late in the season, added to the plant's stress. Leaf spot diseases (both fungal and bacterial) are opportunistic. They primarily affect the older leaves of plants under stress. Given the date, all the leaves on your cherry qualify as older leaves. Hence the seriousness of this infection is not surprising. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the defoliation the leaf spot is causing is happening only a couple weeks before normal autumn leaf drop, it is doing the plant no harm. Really. Serious leaf spot infections are a big deal when they occur earlier in the season. They can affect the new growth, they can ruin the fruit, and, most importantly, if they defoliate the tree, the tree will be forced to push out a new set of leaves. This can seriously deplete the tree stored food supply. However, a leaf spot problem this late is just encouraging early dormancy — not a serious cause for concern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cherry's stem appears healthy. The bud at the tip looks fat and healthy. So I see no reason the plant will not do fine next spring. Leaf spot diseases generally do not winter over in the plant. Therefore, if you remove the leaves and dispose of them, the leaf spot problems may not reappear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a serious leaf spot problem next year, then, maybe, you will have a good reason to get rid of the the plant. Even then, I would look first at cultural issues that may make the plant more susceptible to problems. Is it in too much shade? Does the soil drain well? Does the air circulate well where it is growing? If this area is a bad place to grow a cherry seedling, it will not be much better for growing second year cherry stock from a nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T00:38:41.947" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2201" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T02:11:16.023" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for general questions about plant health: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is my plant healthy? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How can I keep it healthy? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What am I doing wrong?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where appropriate, include symptom specific tags to identify not only your intent but any specific problems you may be having, or that you intend to avoid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="40" LastEditDate="2012-04-09T18:16:39.580" LastActivityDate="2012-04-09T18:16:39.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2202" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T02:11:16.023" Score="0" Body="For questions about how to maintain or assess a plant's health." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="40" LastEditDate="2012-04-09T18:16:45.323" LastActivityDate="2012-04-09T18:16:45.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2203" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T02:15:23.567" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about when to sow seeds or when to plant plants. The answer will be very dependent on the plant type and your climate. Please provide as much information as you can (eg. location, first/last frost, high temps,etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T02:15:23.567" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T02:15:23.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2204" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T02:15:23.567" Score="0" Body="For questions when to plant plants or sow seeds" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T02:15:23.567" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T02:15:23.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2205" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T07:16:45.547" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apples are widely cultivated edible fruits in the genus &lt;em&gt;Malus&lt;/em&gt;. Apple trees are short and deciduous, and blossom in the spring. Autumn (Fall) is typically when the fruit matures, and is traditionally the &quot;apple picking&quot; season. There are several cultivars of apples, with the fruits ranging in color from deep red to green and golden yellow to pinkish red, all with varying tastes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions on both the fruit and the plant. If it's about the fruit, also tag it with &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt; and if it's about the tree, use &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruit-tree&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruit-tree&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruit-tree&lt;/a&gt;. In addition,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If your question is on the health of the plant, also use &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/plant-health&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;plant-health&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;plant-health&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tree-care&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tree-care&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tree-care&lt;/a&gt; (if applicable). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If it's about proper care for the plant, use &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tree-care&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tree-care&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tree-care&lt;/a&gt;, along with the specific care, such as &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pruning&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pruning&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pruning&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/watering&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;watering&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;watering&lt;/a&gt;, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Identifying diseases and causes of symptoms should be tagged &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/diagnosis&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;diagnosis&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;diagnosis&lt;/a&gt;. In this case, please include a picture or two of the plant and provide adequate details and description.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;To identify the type of apple, use &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/identification&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;identification&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;identification&lt;/a&gt;. However, be warned that it is not easy to identify apple varieties. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1680/how-can-i-identify-an-apple-variety&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; for an idea and see if the resources there help. If they don't, you're welcome to try your luck. As always, photos and location where the fruit was grown will help greatly in making a positive identification.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sampion_cultivar.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tz4t1m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pommes_vertes.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t5RzTm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;Source: Wikimedia Commons&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-12T13:55:19.110" LastActivityDate="2012-03-12T13:55:19.110" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2206" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T07:16:45.547" Score="0" Body="Apples are widely cultivated edible fruits in the genus Malus. Use this tag for questions on both the fruit and the tree." OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T07:16:45.547" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T07:16:45.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2208" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T13:59:08.647" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about leaves: e.g. possible diseases/symptoms, types of leaves, when they come out/fall, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves are the primary location for photosynthesis in almost all plants. They are usually flat and thin to maximize their surface area that is exposed to sunlight. Photosynthesis uses solar light radiation plus water (typically acquired via roots and carried by osmosis) and carbon dioxide (absorbed from the air), to produce sugars. This is used for energy but a plant also uses it to create starch and cellulose through polymerization (both are polymers of glucose).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves have veins, which are the vascular tissue of the leaf: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Xylem being water and minerals from the roots via osmosis&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Phloem move sap which carries dissolved sucrose out of the leaf&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf shapes can vary widely according to the plant's environment. For example, low-light conditions will tend to favor large leaves which try to catch as much light as possible. However, dry bright conditions will favor small leaves to minimize water loss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some leaves are edible by humans (e.g. the salads), although high cellulose content most other leaves (eg. grasses) mean special adaptations are often required in order to extract their full nutritional value (e.g. the multiple stomachs in an ungulate).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Specific terminology&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) have flattened leaf-like structures but these are not considered true leaves by botanists because they are non-vascular (but still named &lt;em&gt;leaves&lt;/em&gt;, or &lt;em&gt;thallus&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;scale&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ferns: the leaves are usually named &lt;strong&gt;frond&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On some plants, the leaves can be &lt;strong&gt;scales-like&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;needle-like&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plants have no leaves. Some of such plants have leaf-like stems, named &lt;strong&gt;cladodes&lt;/strong&gt; (on this site we consider them as leaves), like in &lt;em&gt;Ruscus aculeatus&lt;/em&gt; (butcher's-broom) or on asparagus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: Many cacti have segments (so stems) and no foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T09:59:22.837" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T09:59:22.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2209" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T13:59:08.647" Score="0" Body="For all questions about leaves" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T09:59:22.837" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T09:59:22.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2210" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T14:00:15.727" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about plant growth. E/g. How big will it grow? How fast will it grow? Is this growth habit normal? How do I encourage growth on one side to balance lopsided growth? This plant appears to have stopped growing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T04:05:41.080" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T04:05:41.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2211" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T14:00:15.727" Score="0" Body="For all questions about plant growth" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T14:00:15.727" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T14:00:15.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2212" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T14:01:54.430" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pests (typically mammals and insects) can cause various kinds of damage. Use this tag for all questions about such damage. Such questions might be about how to avoid it, how to help a plant recover, and whether a crop is still usable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T14:01:54.430" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T14:01:54.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2213" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T14:01:54.430" Score="0" Body="For questions about damage from animals" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T14:01:54.430" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T14:01:54.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2214" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T14:04:42.363" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Coffee grounds are a common household waste.  They compost well and help to add some drainage texture to the soil. They can be added directly as a soil amendment to help acidify the soil, add nutritional value, and possibly as an organic pest deterrent (some creatures might not like the granular texture, although this is debatable).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about how to dispose of coffee grounds and how to use them for compost / soil amendment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T14:04:42.363" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T14:04:42.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2215" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T14:04:42.363" Score="0" Body="For questions about using coffee grounds as a soil amendment/compost." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T14:04:42.363" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T14:04:42.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2216" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T14:27:38.177" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about using the correct terminology: eg. What is the correct name or phrase that describes a particular type of plant, part of plant, process, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T14:27:38.177" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T14:27:38.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2217" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T14:27:38.177" Score="0" Body="For questions about using the correct terminology" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T14:27:38.177" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T14:27:38.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2218" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T14:30:10.310" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gardeners will often start plants by sowing seeds. Although many will fail to germinate, they are still much cheaper than buying plants, and there is the satisfaction of growing a large plant or tree from a tiny seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about sowing seeds. Include the type of plant/seed as their requirements can vary greatly. Climate and time of year may also be important. As well as timing, questions may cover subjects such as the type of soil/compost, depth of seed, heat, and watering requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T14:30:10.310" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T14:30:10.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2219" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T14:30:10.310" Score="0" Body="For questions about sowing seeds." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T14:30:10.310" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T14:30:10.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2220" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="928" CreationDate="2011-09-28T16:11:11.100" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's an idea that makes a lot of short term work but has paid off for me in the long run.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Add a water feature with some shallow  (1&quot; to 2&quot; deep) areas.  You will attract birds, frogs and toads who will assist in keeping the slug population low.  This does not eliminate all slugs, just some of them.&#xA;And, it takes time for the word to get out that your garden is a good place to live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T16:11:11.100" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2221" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2230" CreationDate="2011-09-28T17:00:48.497" Score="11" ViewCount="6207" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my pepper plants has so far suffered from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1223/&quot;&gt;pests&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1757/&quot;&gt;blossom end rot&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/2028/&quot;&gt;odd skin blemishes&lt;/a&gt; and unfortunately the plant is now taking a turn for the worse and looking rather unhealthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are drying out and curling along some edges, and they aren't very green (yellowing?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;The unhealthy plant:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see the largest dry patch in the first image - the front of a leaf, while the second is the back of a leaf to demonstrate the loss of colour - compare it to the shots below.&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KVKMF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unhealthy plant: front of leaf showing dry curling edge&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ctKtq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unhealthy plant: back of leaf showing curling edge and weak colour&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Another healthier plant (for comparison):&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant sat next to the unhealthy one, about a foot away on the same window sill, so conditions should be very similar. Images are again front then back of two leaves.&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JwtBc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Health plant: front of leaf. For comparison&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sIXwC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Health plant: back of leaf. For comparison&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few other points that may be relevant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This is an indoor potted plant, it hasn't been moved in months.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fruit has been produced and harvested (although the first few with blossom end rot, as mentioned).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's watered with the same regularity as its peers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water isn't being absorbed as much as with its peers - more ends up in the tray underneath, forcing me to give it less water to avoid overflowing.&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;This is unrelated to the issue raised in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1453/&quot;&gt;another&lt;/a&gt; question of mine - that was a different plant.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could be wrong with the unhealthy plant?&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;What can I do to help it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-10-04T01:29:34.927" Title="Why does my pepper plant have yellowing, drying and curling leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2222" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T17:14:28.483" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The term &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vines&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'vines'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vines&lt;/a&gt; is a general term that could refer to any climbing or trailing plant, e.g. an ivy, clematis, or honeysuckle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vines are often planted to visually improve a steep ground surface, wall, or fence. Vines tend to be fast growing and difficult to remove: Care should be taken when choosing a vine. Ideally you should choose a native plant, and always avoid plants which are considered invasive in your local area and climate. Examples of problematic invasive vines in the US are English Ivy, and Kudzu.  Invasive creepers can damage structures and cables due to their weight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about such plants, but many of these plants will have their own tags. Questions about grape vines should use the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/grape-vine&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'grape-vine'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;grape-vine&lt;/a&gt; tag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T14:33:42.310" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T14:33:42.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2223" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T17:14:28.483" Score="0" Body="Climbing and trailing plants" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T17:14:28.483" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T17:14:28.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2224" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T18:06:40.263" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Onion (also known as bulb onion, common onion, or garden onion) is an edible bulb, species &lt;em&gt;Allium cepa&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;em&gt;Allium cepa&lt;/em&gt; is only known in cultivation but related species can be found in Central Asia. &lt;em&gt;Allium&lt;/em&gt; contains a number of other &quot;onions&quot; such as Japanese bunching onion, and Egyptian onion, but &lt;em&gt;Allium cepa&lt;/em&gt; is by far the most common &lt;em&gt;Allium&lt;/em&gt; in cultivation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Onions are grown for eating, and can be found in a very wide range of foods. Typically the bulb is eaten, but the lower, younger end of the leaf shoots can also be eaten. They are available in yellow, red, and white colors. Onion sizes also vary widely, with the smallest (an inch or less) typically being used for pickling. Young, small onion bulbs are often eaten as &quot;scallions&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Onions are often grown from seed or &quot;set&quot; (small bulbs germinated the previous year). Growers should be careful to avoid &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/bolting&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;bolting&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;bolting&lt;/a&gt; which occurs when the onion puts out a flower head before dying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing onions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="3317" LastEditDate="2015-05-24T22:03:41.783" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T22:03:41.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2225" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T18:06:40.263" Score="0" Body="Edible bulb, Allium cepa." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T13:17:48.933" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T13:17:48.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2226" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T18:12:01.767" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about areas or plants which are in the shade. For example, a tree or building may shade an area of your garden from the sun. This tag can be used for questions about the best plants for a shade area, or how to grow particular plants in a shade area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T18:12:01.767" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T18:12:01.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2227" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T18:12:01.767" Score="0" Body="Areas which get little or no sun" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T18:12:01.767" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T18:12:01.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2228" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T18:17:21.840" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soil amendments are any additives which are added to a soil to change its characteristics. Amendments can include (but are not limited to):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilizers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Compost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lime&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rock chips&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bark chips&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Biochar&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Vermiculite&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Amendments can change the acidity (pH), water-holding ability, drainage, nutritional content, and inoculate against some diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions where a general soil amendment tag is appropriate. Questions about specific amendments should use the specific tag for the amendment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-03T15:39:44.427" LastActivityDate="2016-02-03T15:39:44.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2229" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T18:17:21.840" Score="0" Body="About modifying a soil's content." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T18:17:21.840" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T18:17:21.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2230" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2221" CreationDate="2011-09-28T19:08:10.760" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like your plant is pot bound (also known as root bound). The solution here is to purchase a bigger pot or transplant it into the garden. Based on the time of year and the fact that its an indoor pot I'd say that a larger pot would probably be the best solution. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/394/mike-perry&quot;&gt;Mike&lt;/a&gt; posted some &lt;a href=&quot;http://urbanext.illinois.edu/houseplants/caring_repot.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;links&lt;/a&gt; to &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6510#Repotting&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;repotting&lt;/a&gt; that you can use to guide your repotting process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T19:08:10.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2231" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T19:34:34.947" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fungi (singular: fungus) constitute a complete biological kingdom (ie. the same level of classification as &amp;quot;animals&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;plants&amp;quot;). Fungi are divided into &lt;em&gt;Eumycota&lt;/em&gt; (true fungi), &lt;em&gt;myxomycetes&lt;/em&gt; (slime molds), and &lt;em&gt;oomycetes&lt;/em&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/water&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;water&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;water&lt;/a&gt; molds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mycology (the study of fungi) is often considered a branch of botany, although in reality fungi are more closely related to animals than plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fungi are rarely visible as they feed on &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/soil&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;soil&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;soil&lt;/a&gt; and dead matter. They often only become visible when they produce a fruiting body such as a mushroom or mold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many kinds of mushroom are &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/edible&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;edible&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;edible&lt;/a&gt;, and a gardener can grow mushrooms for eating. Questions about growing mushrooms should use the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/mushrooms&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;mushrooms&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;mushrooms&lt;/a&gt; tag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fungi can also pose problems for gardeners in the form of various plant &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/diseases&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;diseases&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;diseases&lt;/a&gt; and molds, and will often look like a viral or bacterial infection. Use this tag for all questions about dealing with &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fungus&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fungus&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fungus&lt;/a&gt; infections.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-15T12:28:10.603" LastActivityDate="2021-02-15T12:28:10.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2232" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T19:34:34.947" Score="0" Body="For questions about growing fungi or curing fungal diseases." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T19:34:34.947" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T19:34:34.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2233" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T20:32:29.297" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The label &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/citrus&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;citrus&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;citrus&lt;/a&gt; refers to the common name and the genus &lt;em&gt;Citrus&lt;/em&gt; in the &lt;em&gt;Rutaceae&lt;/em&gt; (rue family of flowering plants). Citrus plants are believed to have originated in an area bordered by NE India, Myanmar/Burma, and Yunnan (China); but are currently cultivated around the world in generally warm weather &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/climate&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;climate&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;climate&lt;/a&gt;s without &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/frost&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;frost&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;frost&lt;/a&gt;s.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Citrus trees include oranges, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/lemons&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;lemons&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;lemons&lt;/a&gt;, grapefruits, and limes. Research suggests that &lt;em&gt;Fortunella&lt;/em&gt; (kumquats), &lt;em&gt;Poncirus&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Microcitrus&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Eremocitrus&lt;/em&gt; should also be included in &lt;em&gt;Citrus&lt;/em&gt;. Plants from the &lt;em&gt;Clymenia&lt;/em&gt; will also hybridize with kumquats and limes, suggesting these are also closely related.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Citrus plants are typically grown as large shrubs or small trees with spiny shoots and evergreen &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/leaves&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;leaves&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;leaves&lt;/a&gt;. Citrus &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt; are &amp;quot;hesperidium&amp;quot; = a specialized kind of berry with a leathery rind and segments of pulp (liquid-filled) vesicles. Fruit is usually eaten fresh or pressed for juice. Citrus fruit and juice are good sources of vitamin C, flavonoids, and citric acid (ascorbic acid). The citric acid gives citrus fruit a characteristic sharp flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For cultivation, citrus trees hybridize easily, and are often propagated with grafts to preserve a variety's characteristics. Most require non-freezing temperatures, although some oranges (especially mandarin oranges and the related Trifoliate Orange) have some frost tolerance. Frosts tend to result in particularly sour fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-13T21:02:39.403" LastActivityDate="2021-02-13T21:02:39.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2234" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T20:32:29.297" Score="0" Body="For questions about citrus trees, about how to care, propagate or identify them." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-13T21:02:47.393" LastActivityDate="2021-02-13T21:02:47.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2235" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2199" CreationDate="2011-09-28T20:41:19.857" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does the &quot;nibbling&quot; look like little worm tunnels? I often get this on my spring radishes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only way I know to deal with it is to harvest them a bit small (3/4-1&quot;) before they all get nibbled. I've seen it on the bottoms of the radishes, so I don't think earthing up will help you at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it has been the 25-30 days (or whatever it says for time to maturity on your seed packet), you definitely want to harvest. If you let them go too long, the texture gets bad and they don't taste very good. (And the worms or whatever is causing the holes will spoil the roots.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T20:41:19.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2236" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="928" CreationDate="2011-09-28T21:16:16.857" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should try &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/biopesticides/ingredients/factsheets/factsheet_034903.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;iron phosphate&lt;/a&gt; pellets. They disrupt snail and slug digestive system causing them to stop eating as soon as they ingest it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="295" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T21:16:16.857" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32" CreationDate="2011-09-28T21:47:40.237" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Habaneros do remarkably less well than other Chili kinds in little sun, moderately cold environments. I've found Lemon Drop, Bell Pepper, and especially Rocotto types to be much more resilient. Some Rocotto types are as hot as Habaneros too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you plant in a garden, as opposed to pots like I do, you can try to mulch and/or bury some dead wood around your plants to keep soil temperature high, and plant wide apart so they at least don't have to fight among themselves for sun. On the other hand, I can bring my potted chilis indoors for the final harvest before winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="569" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-06-15T17:44:12.000" LastActivityDate="2012-06-15T17:44:12.000" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2239" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T22:00:38.187" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Companion planting is the concept of planting different crops in proximity, in an attempt to improve nutrient intake (eg. planting legumes with non-legumes), pest control (some plants can deter pests attracted to other plants), and pollination (plants attract pollinators which help other plants; or different varieties can be planted as non-producing pollinators for productive plants).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Companion planting has been practiced since ancient times, and by indigenous peoples. A well known example is the &quot;Three Sisters&quot; technique practiced by Native American peoples. This mixes squash, corn, and beans. The beans use the corn as a climbing trellis, and provide nitrogen fixing for the corn and squash. Nutritionally, these three crops also complement each other very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pest control companion planting can work by deterring pests, or by introducing non-producing &quot;decoy&quot; plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Companion planting has traditionally been based a lot on folklore. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-03-17T21:17:41.513" LastActivityDate="2018-03-17T21:17:41.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2240" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T22:00:38.187" Score="0" Body="The concept of planting different crops in proximity." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T22:00:38.187" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T22:00:38.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2241" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T22:17:17.410" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A plant is &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flowering&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'flowering'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flowering&lt;/a&gt; when it produces &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flowers&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'flowers'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flowers&lt;/a&gt;. Use this tag for all questions about the flowering process - e.g. getting a plant to flower; what to do when it flowers; and how to keep it flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T04:05:08.240" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T04:05:08.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2242" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T22:17:17.410" Score="0" Body="When a plant produces flowers" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T04:05:08.350" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T04:05:08.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2243" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T22:19:48.607" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about caring for plants after harvesting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the case of annuals, plants will usually be left to die or be removed. For other plants (eg. root vegetables), the act of harvesting removes the plant; and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/post-harvest&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'post-harvest'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;post-harvest&lt;/a&gt; questions will refer to soil conditioning and preparation for the next season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T22:19:48.607" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T22:19:48.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2244" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T22:19:48.607" Score="0" Body="Caring for plants after harvesting" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T22:19:48.607" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T22:19:48.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2245" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T22:30:12.133" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about the nutrients required by plants. A lack of certain nutrients can cause problems which often appear like disease. An over-abundance of certain nutrients can also cause problems and may even act like poisons (e.g. copper).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most significant nutrients in terms of volume, are atmospheric (carbon &amp;amp; oxygen, absorbed from the air) and water (typically absorbed by roots from the soil). The remaining nutrients are all mineral nutrients and are typically absorbed from the growing medium:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Primary Macro-nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Secondary Macro-nutrients (Calcium, Sulphur, Magnesium)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Silicon&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Micro-nutrients (trace-minerals): Boron, Chlorine, Manganese, Iron, Zinc, Copper, Molybdenum, Nickel, Selenium, Sodium.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that most of these are listed by their elemental names. Most are poisonous in this form and can only be absorbed in their ionic form. E.g. Chloride ions rather than chlorine gas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-12T14:13:14.097" LastActivityDate="2012-03-12T14:13:14.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2246" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T22:30:12.133" Score="0" Body="Plant nutrient requirements" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-12T14:13:14.550" LastActivityDate="2012-03-12T14:13:14.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2247" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-28T22:37:20.717" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions that ask for information resources. E.g. you may be asking for a good book on a particular plant type, or growing method. Use it with tags that further specify the request for example &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruit-trees&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'fruit-trees'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruit-trees&lt;/a&gt; for requests of resources about fruit trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T14:47:25.413" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T14:47:25.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2248" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-28T22:37:20.717" Score="0" Body="Requests for information resources" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-28T22:37:20.717" LastActivityDate="2011-09-28T22:37:20.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2249" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2281" CreationDate="2011-09-28T23:13:59.690" Score="18" ViewCount="43950" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 2 basil plants that are in 8 inch diam. pots.  They were outside but were doing poorly so around the middle of the summer I moved them inside.  They are now thriving! I generally harvest a few leaves at a time while cooking and I cut back any branches that get too tall. The lower stems are starting to turn woody but the plants are still growing well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long can I continue to do this?  Will a be able to harvest a consistent small amount of basil forever or should I take all the leaves and make pesto at some point (like I would have done if they were planted outside)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="679" LastActivityDate="2018-12-30T18:11:41.567" Title="How long will my basil plants live inside?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2250" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-29T00:30:18.587" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Planting&quot; refers to the putting of plants into a pot or bed. It could be used for questions about how to put a plant into a bed or pot, or choosing which plants to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/planting&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'planting'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;planting&lt;/a&gt; is a bit of a generic term, and more specific tags should be chosen if at all possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T20:22:07.953" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T20:22:07.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2251" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-29T00:30:18.587" Score="0" Body="Putting plants into the ground" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T00:30:18.587" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T00:30:18.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2252" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-29T00:35:16.943" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Technically, a &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/seedling&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;seedling&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;seedling&lt;/a&gt; is a young plant sporophyte that has developed from a plant embryo (which is contained in a seed).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A seedling will have an embryonic root, embryonic shoot and seed leaves. The seed leaves are different than adult leaves, and are usually a lot smaller and often a different shape. Plants are often classified by the number of seed leaves. Angiosperms (flowering plants) have one or two seed leaves.  Monocots have only one pointed leaf, and include the grasses. Dicots have two (usually rounded) seed leaves.&#xA;Gymnosperms can have more variation, for example pine seedlings have 8 seed leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about caring for seedlings and any problems encountered. Seedlings are typically very delicate. They are susceptible to damping-off which is fungal mould problem that kills seedlings before any adult leaves can form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-03-23T20:41:04.980" LastActivityDate="2018-03-23T20:41:04.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2253" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-29T00:35:16.943" Score="0" Body="Small juvenile plants which have just germinated." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T00:35:16.943" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T00:35:16.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2254" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-29T01:05:49.217" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about how to plant, germinate, and start seeds.&#xA;Typical questions will be about specific problems, or inquiring the best way to start seeds for particular plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T01:05:49.217" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T01:05:49.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2255" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-29T01:05:49.217" Score="0" Body="For questions about germinating and starting seedlings" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T01:05:49.217" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T01:05:49.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2256" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-29T01:07:50.803" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pets are common inhabitants of gardens. Questions involving pets may be asking about plants and pesticide solutions which are pet safe. alternatively, they may ask about pet-proof solutions - eg. how to keep them out of particular beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T01:07:50.803" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T01:07:50.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2257" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-29T01:07:50.803" Score="0" Body="For questions where pets might be an issue." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T01:07:50.803" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T01:07:50.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2258" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3385" CreationDate="2011-09-29T01:32:36.733" Score="8" ViewCount="357" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lot of sassafras growing, and they drop a lot of branches. I have been piling them up and burning them, and using the ashes in the garden. Is there a way to use the branches like propagation or flavoring with them instead of burning them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-02-07T18:48:23.357" Title="How do I use sassafras?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;plant-uses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2259" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2260" CreationDate="2011-09-29T01:44:07.873" Score="8" ViewCount="157" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PIAB&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Norway spruce&lt;/a&gt; that is about sixty feet tall and is beginning a second trunk. I like them to have only one top, but this particular tree is not climbable. How do I control this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T14:55:43.237" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T14:55:43.237" Title="How can I limit my Norway Spruce to one top (trunk)?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2259" CreationDate="2011-09-29T01:59:37.447" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't want to seem to be against the &quot;do-it-yourself&quot; crowd, but at 60' tall the only safe answer is to hire an arborist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consider paying a professional to do the job of cutting off the second trunk versus the alternatives:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;possible personal injury while climbing the tree  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;possible damage to your property, or someone else's property, from what falls from the tree  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;not getting a clean cut and possibly adding an avenue of insect or fungal attack.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="91" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T04:14:47.373" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T04:14:47.373" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2261" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2262" CreationDate="2011-09-29T08:25:34.750" Score="12" ViewCount="174" Body="&lt;p&gt;When is the best time to start germinating my chili seeds (various varieties) in order to make the most of next years growing season?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I started too late this year and my crop has suffered. I live in London,UK and the last frost according to this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/main/weather1-result.asp&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;website&lt;/a&gt; is in late april. When can I sensibly start growing the chilies indoors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="54" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T15:28:57.753" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T15:32:33.473" Title="When to plant chili seeds in the UK?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2262" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2261" CreationDate="2011-09-29T12:02:34.647" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably &quot;whenever you want&quot; as long as you have the light and your location does not get too cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also if you are growing them a long time inside, you will want to plant the seedlings into pots so they have room to grow whilst they're inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm lucky here in Texas in that our last frosts are in March so I can get away with sowing them outside, but sometimes I'll start them a few weeks earlier inside and then plant them directly outside. Allow two weeks for germinating, and with another 2-3 weeks they'll be ready for taking out of seed trays and putting into pots. Keep them in the pots until May.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I soak the seeds in a salt petre (potassium nitrate) solution before sowing - this is meant to help with the harder to germinate varieties, but I have not done any side-by-side tests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="54" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T15:32:33.473" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T15:32:33.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2263" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-29T12:31:31.993" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for asking about the best technique for particular jobs - for example, &quot;What is the best way to weed around spikey bushes?&quot; or &quot;What is the best way to pick crop X?&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a very general tag, so preference should be given to more specific tags that describe the plants and the process being queried.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T12:31:31.993" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T12:31:31.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2264" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-29T12:31:31.993" Score="0" Body="Using the best techniques" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T12:31:31.993" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T12:31:31.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2265" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-29T12:33:07.450" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;All plants are at the mercy of the weather, although they are usually adapted to the local climate so that only extremes pose a problem. Use this tag for all weather related questions - eg. rain, snow, hail damage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consider using a more specific tag such as &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/frost&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'frost'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;frost&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/wind-damage&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'wind-damage'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;wind-damage&lt;/a&gt; as appropriate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T12:33:07.450" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T12:33:07.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2266" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-29T12:33:07.450" Score="0" Body="Weather related questions" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T12:33:07.450" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T12:33:07.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2267" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-29T12:40:44.567" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;When planting seeds, they are typically planted very close together when compared to their ideal adult plant spacing. This is because many will not grow, some seeds are very fine (like dust), and the space required would be prohibitive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the seeds germinate, seedlings will often be too close together. This restricts the growth of the seedlings as they compete for resources. The process of thinning is the removal of these seedlings so that the surviving seedlings have more space and can grow unheeded. Thinned seedlings are discarded.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although thinning is usually performed to seedlings, it can be performed with more 'adolescent' plants. By this point, plants can often be safely moved - increasing space for all the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T12:40:44.567" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T12:40:44.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2268" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-29T12:40:44.567" Score="0" Body="Promoting the growth of seedlings by removing extraneous seedlings." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T12:40:44.567" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T12:40:44.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2269" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-29T12:42:32.427" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about keeping your gardening tools in their best condition. Good tools are worth looking after so that they will give you many years, if not decades of service.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maintenance questions could include anti-rust and wood preservation for spades &amp;amp; forks; sharpening for pruners, lawn mowers, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T12:42:32.427" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T12:42:32.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2270" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-29T12:42:32.427" Score="0" Body="Keeping your gardening tools in their best condition" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T12:42:32.427" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T12:42:32.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2271" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2272" CreationDate="2011-09-29T12:57:45.050" Score="18" ViewCount="2499" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not quite time yet&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;, but I'm wondering if it will be worthwhile keeping my indoor peppers plants alive over the winter. What I've stumbled across so far seems to indicate they will probably just stop producing fruit when conditions are not good enough (lack of sun and/or low temperature). Is this accurate or can I expect further problems?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They won't be exposed to frost, but will probably be exposed to &quot;cold&quot; temperatures overnight and they will obviously get less sunlight (I won't be specifically heating/lighting the plants and I don't heat my home overnight).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I keep them alive over the winter will they just start to produce fruit again in the spring?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Will next year's fruit be of similar quality, size and quantity?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Will having fully grown plants already mean they start producing fruit earlier?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Will having fully grown plants expose me to other problems (eg, them becoming pot bound sooner)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;1. My side-motive here is to find out if I should re-pot my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2221/why-does-my-pepper-plant-have-yellowing-drying-and-curling-leaves&quot;&gt;pot bound&lt;/a&gt; plant now to save it ready for next year, or if doing so will ultimately be a waste of time.  But I'd like to know what I should do with these plants &lt;em&gt;generally&lt;/em&gt; as I've another three to work out at some point, so may as well get them covered now!&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T19:56:15.883" Title="Is it worth keeping indoor pepper plants alive over the winter?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2272" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2271" CreationDate="2011-09-29T13:10:35.580" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like these are outdoors with reasonable sunlight? If so, I would try it - the effort of re-potting one pepper plant is pretty small and there's a good chance it will work. Actually I would try all three as an experiment and use your findings for future years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is based on my experiences: Here in Texas, low temperatures will make the plants outside go &quot;dormant&quot;. They're still alive and I think they'll probably still put leaves out, but no fruit will form. A mild frost will knock them back but not kill them - it can damage the fruit though. The last fruit will be late November (Thanksgiving time) and the plants will survive until the first hard frost (typically by Christmas). If it wasn't for the hard frosts, I think they would survive to the new year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have brought them indoors and I have managed to over-winter them like this. BUT there is an attrition. They lose their leaves and seem more susceptible to disease. I think the primary problem here is lack of sunlight. Also being indoors, once I get some aphids/whatever, they'll spread quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once over-wintered, I always plant them out, they quickly grow back their leaves, and you find you have a good adult plant by mid/late spring! So yes you get your fruit earlier - or more fruit earlier because you have an adult plant at an earlier stage. When I've done this, the fruit have been of the same size and quality.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As well as becoming pot-bound, watch for adding more supports. Pepper plants can get larger than their stems can support - especially when laden with fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T13:10:35.580" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2273" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-29T20:46:23.943" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Shrubs are bushes. Unlike &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tree&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tree&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tree&lt;/a&gt;s, shrubs have multiple &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/stems&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;stems&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;stems&lt;/a&gt; and are shorter - usually under 5-6 m tall. A large number of plants can be grown as shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Horticulturally, shrubs are usually broad-leaved plants, although smaller conifers (e.g. Common Juniper) can be grown with a shrub shape and structure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Botany and ecology have stricter definitions, and ecology uses these along with &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/foliage&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;foliage&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;foliage&lt;/a&gt; cover to define different kinds of landscape (e.g. &amp;quot;open-scrub&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;low shrubland&amp;quot;);&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for general questions about shrubs, shrubberies, and choosing shrubs for a particular location. Species/variety specific questions should use the specific plant tags instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T01:00:41.063" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T01:00:41.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2274" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-29T20:46:23.943" Score="0" Body="Another name for a bush - shorter than a tree and with multiple stems. Use this tag with questions about caring, propagating and indentifying shrubs." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T01:00:43.973" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T01:00:43.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2275" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-29T21:06:48.013" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Ground cover&quot; are plants that have been planted in an attempt to cover an area of ground. This can be for:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Erosion reduction&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Reduce evaporation in drought conditions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Improve aesthetics &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In ecology &quot;ground cover&quot; usually refers to the vegetation layer below the shrub layer. In horticulture it can refer to pretty much anything that is not a turf (lawn) grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Popular ground cover plants include vines, low spreading shrubs, larger mosses, and ornamental grasses. Although it might be desirable to plant a fast growing ground cover plant, be aware that fast growing usually means it can be difficult to control once it has reached the intended boundaries. Non-native plants are particularly prone to this. Check any intended plant purchase against your local invasive plant listings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions which ask about the best kind of ground cover for a particular situation. Questions about existing ground cover plants should use tags specific to those plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-04-23T19:21:38.640" LastActivityDate="2015-04-23T19:21:38.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2276" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-29T21:06:48.013" Score="0" Body="Plants intended to cover an area of ground." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-04-23T19:21:47.157" LastActivityDate="2015-04-23T19:21:47.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2277" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-29T21:44:09.920" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hedges and hedgerows are lines of closely spaced shrubs and/or trees which have been planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark a boundary. Strictly speaking, a hedgerow is a hedge which is of sufficient age that it also incorporates larger trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hedges can be ancient. The earliest evidence of hedges dates back to the Neolithic (4000-6000 years ago), and even today many hedges in the British Isles have survived Enclosure and modern mechanized farming and are thought to date back at least 700 years. Older hedges such as these provide important ecological corridors that harbor diverse wildlife.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In horticulture, hedges are used as landscape features or to mark boundaries in an attractive manner. A number of characteristics can be chosen. As well as climate suitability; speed of growth, thorns (to deter livestock), attractive flowers, and fruit may all be desirable features.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about hedges, such as choosing a good hedging plant, and caring for a hedge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-12T14:03:06.700" LastActivityDate="2012-03-12T14:03:06.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2278" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-29T21:44:09.920" Score="0" Body="Closely spaced shrubs and/or trees intended to form a barrier." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T21:44:09.920" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T21:44:09.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2279" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-29T21:52:23.213" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although gardeners treat bulbs as edible roots and seeds (for propagation), they are actually short stems with fleshy leaves or leaf bases. The combined 'package' acts as a food storage organ during a period of dormancy (eg. winter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other food storage organs that work underground include corms, rhizomes, and tubers - but these are not bulbs. As entire group, all of these plants are known as &lt;strong&gt;geophytes&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Virtually all bulbs are monocots (one seedling leaf). The exception is the genus &lt;strong&gt;Oxalis&lt;/strong&gt; (wood-sorrel), which is a dicot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gardeners typically grow bulbs for food or for their attractive flowers. Example bulbs include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Onion, garlic  (&lt;em&gt;Alliaceae&lt;/em&gt;) - edible&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lily, tulip  (&lt;em&gt;Liliaceae&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Amaryllis, Hippeastrum, Narcissus  (&lt;em&gt;Amaryllidaceae&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Iris (&lt;em&gt;Iridaceae&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Hermodactyloides&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/bulbs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'bulbs'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;bulbs&lt;/a&gt; tag for general bulb questions. For example questions that refer to a few types, choosing the right bulb, general care, etc. Questions about specific species/varieties should use those tags instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T04:14:02.567" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T04:14:02.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2280" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-29T21:52:23.213" Score="0" Body="Short stem with fleshy leaves that acts as food storage during a plant's dormant period." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-29T21:52:23.213" LastActivityDate="2011-09-29T21:52:23.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2281" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2249" CreationDate="2011-09-30T00:46:35.607" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;One cannot give an exact time frame for a plant's survival. If you live in a cold place, the plant will die when temperatures start dropping, otherwise, it can live year round. The most important thing is to not let it bolt. A bolted plant looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1649/saving-basil-plant-after-it-has-been-sitting-in-trash&quot;&gt;in this question&lt;/a&gt;. You can read through the advice given in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/81/best-conditions-for-basil&quot;&gt;Best conditions for basil&lt;/a&gt; and try to follow that to keep it alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that regardless of where you are located, a basil kept indoors should stay alive assuming it does not exposed to the cold or the very hot and it gets all the other general requirements (sun, water, etc). Bolting (flowering) is caused by adverse conditions (the plant thinks it is going to die soon) - remove those conditions (e.g. winter) and it should live for many years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once it has gone to flower and to seed, one option is to wait for the seed to form and dry. Then brush the seed off with your hand and let it fall so that it seeds itself. We've kept basil growing outdoors for quite a few years like this (any plants still alive are killed by the winter frosts, but the seed germinates in spring)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-09-30T12:35:27.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2282" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2285" CreationDate="2011-09-30T02:22:12.220" Score="7" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;So there are tomatoes in my backyard, and for some reason, nothing seems to eat them even though lots of birds visit the backyard, which surprises me. Do birds and rodents (mice and squirrels) have a preference for certain fruits? Like high calorie ones over low calorie ones?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="684" LastEditorUserId="684" LastEditDate="2011-09-30T08:45:27.237" LastActivityDate="2011-10-01T03:26:08.537" Title="What types of fruit are most likely to be eaten by vertebrate pests?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;rodents&gt;&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2283" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-09-30T02:38:04.487" Score="5" ViewCount="424" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/148/how-can-i-get-rid-of-gophers-in-a-non-lethal-way&quot;&gt;How can I get rid of gophers in a non-lethal way?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1138/keeping-mockingbirds-off-potted-plants-ornamental-peppers&quot;&gt;Keeping mockingbirds off potted plants (ornamental peppers)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1187/how-can-i-prevent-squirrels-or-other-small-mammals-from-eating-my-tomatoes&quot;&gt;How can I prevent squirrels (or other small mammals) from eating my tomatoes?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/140/how-can-i-get-rid-of-rabbits-in-my-yard&quot;&gt;How can I get rid of rabbits in my yard?&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/150/is-there-any-way-to-prevent-vole-lawn-destruction-during-snow-cover&quot;&gt;Is there any way to prevent vole lawn-destruction during snow-cover?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can fake hawks be used to control mice,squirrels, and other rodents in a garden or backyard? Would an electronic hawk that made hawk-like noises fare any better?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If these &quot;fake hawks&quot; do not work, are there any humane alternatives which act as simple deterrents?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="684" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-09-30T15:35:57.623" Title="Can fake hawks be used to control mice, squirrels, and other rodents in a garden or backyard? " Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;rodents&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2011-09-30T15:14:59.820" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2166" CreationDate="2011-09-30T04:44:42.140" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, let me say I've no experience doing battle with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynodon_dactylon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bermuda grass&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, I've spent the past 24 hours reading up on removing Bermuda grass from a cool-season lawn, for the moment lets just say there's no easy answer, solution... Eradicating Bermuda grass from a landscape takes a lot! of work and time, there really doesn't appear to be a quick fix...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What makes Bermuda grass so difficult to remove are a number of factors:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Being a warm-season grass it thrives in the heat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's considerably drought tolerant (for a grass).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Has an extensive and deep root system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spreads by &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolons&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;stolons&lt;/a&gt; (above ground) and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhizomes&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;rhizomes&lt;/a&gt; (below ground), therefore making itself very good at repairing itself ie Filling in (large) spaces. It's not a clump forming grass like Fescue which is very slow at filling in bare spots and limited to small areas (approximately 4inch/100mm diameter maximum).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Small areas of Bermuda grass can be tackled via:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A proper and thorough cool-season lawn care program eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;What's an organic way to discourage crabgrass from a large “lawn”?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove by hand (digging out).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Target infected areas by &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/113/weed-control-in-a-butterfly-garden/1298#1298&quot;&gt;Solarization&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Target infected areas by burying under thick layer of mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Selective post-emergence herbicides eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fusilade II, active ingredient fluazifop.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Non selective post-emergence herbicides eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Roundup, active ingredient glyphosate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Large areas of Bermuda grass can be tackled via:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Target infected areas by &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/113/weed-control-in-a-butterfly-garden/1298#1298&quot;&gt;Solarization&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Target infected areas by burying under thick layer of mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Selective post-emergence herbicides eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fusilade II, active ingredient fluazifop.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Non selective post-emergence herbicides eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Roundup, active ingredient glyphosate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the infected area is really large ie 60% or greater of total lawn area is (unwanted) Bermuda grass, it could possibly make more sense to start over again, remove everything...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For successful removal of the unwanted Bermuda grass all of the above methods require careful planning, correct timing, thorough execution of the chosen method, cut any corners and the success rate will dive toward zero...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you would like me to document (expand on) any of the above methods, please let me know which method you're interested in...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are some of the articles, documents I read while researching this topic:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7453.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bermudagrass - How to Manage Pests in Gardens and Landscapes&lt;/a&gt; via University of California&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/IPM1009&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Turfgrass and Weeds&lt;/a&gt; (free PDF download) via University of Missouri Extension&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sunset.com/garden/earth-friendly/how-to-remove-bermuda-grass-00400000052080/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to lose your Bermuda grass&lt;/a&gt; via Sunset.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/pub__3194323.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Losing Battle Against Bermuda Grass&lt;/a&gt; via Utah State University Cooperative Extension&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uky.edu/Ag/ukturf/Athletic%20Field%20Pubs/bercontrol.PDF&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bermudagrass Control/Suppression In Cool-season Lawns and Landscapes&lt;/a&gt; (direct link to PDF) via University of Kentucky&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/pub__2413393.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bermudagrass, is it here to stay?&lt;/a&gt; (direct link to PDF) via Utah State University Cooperative Extension&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6700&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cool-Season Grasses: Lawn Establishment and Renovation&lt;/a&gt; via University of Missouri Extension&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-09-30T04:44:42.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2282" CreationDate="2011-09-30T14:26:26.703" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I'm aware (which means very little), birds &quot;generally&quot; aren't interested in things like tomatoes, peppers, apples, pears...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When birds go after those types of crops (especially prior to ripening stage) it normally points to one of two things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;They are extremely thirsty and after the moisture inside the fruit, vegetable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;They are extremely hungry, their preferred food is so scarce, non-existent they are forced to scavenge.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, fruit berries are a highly desirable food source for most birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also as fruit matures (nears ripening stage) on tress (Peaches are a great example here), or is allowed to over ripen, it becomes highly attractive to birds. &lt;strong&gt;Why?&lt;/strong&gt; I'm not 100% sure, but I would guess it has to do with:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Certain species of birds simply favour eating fruit eg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bluebirds&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mockingbirds&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Orioles&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Robins&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Built in instinct (survival mechanism to feed heavily while the going is good).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Smell given off during ripening period.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some further reading from &lt;a href=&quot;http://agsci.psu.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://agsci.psu.edu/fphg/wildlife-damage/birds-1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Birds - Controlling Wildlife Damage - Fruit Production for the Home Gardener&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;On many farms or orchards, bird damage is minimal and growers choose to ignore the problem or just take the loss from birds into account as a management cost. For others, problems from birds can be substantial, resulting in the consumption of or damage to large portions of the fruit crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-01T03:26:08.537" LastActivityDate="2011-10-01T03:26:08.537" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2286" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-30T17:33:37.740" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about &quot;over wintering&quot; plants. Ie. what should be done to a plant so that it survives winter in the best condition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plants might be covered for winter, whilst others (e.g. some tubers and bulbs) may be dug up, stored in a cool place, and then planted out again in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T20:21:27.890" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T20:21:27.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2287" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-30T17:33:37.740" Score="0" Body="Ensuring plants survive winter" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-30T17:33:37.740" LastActivityDate="2011-09-30T17:33:37.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2288" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-30T17:46:07.237" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;,Rodents (&lt;em&gt;rodentia&lt;/em&gt;) are an order of mammals defined by their continuously growing incisors. Approximately 40% of all mammal species are rodents and they are native to all continents except for Antarctica. Example rodents include mice, rats, squirrels, porcupines, beavers, voles, and capybara.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Their continuously growing incisors are usually very sharp, and are used to gnaw wood, break into food, and to bite predators. Most eat seeds or plants. As such, many have become pests, eating garden plants (especially shoots and fruit), gnawing structural wood, and spreading diseases (e.g. most famously Bubonic Plague in  medieval Europe).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Common rodent garden pests in the northern hemisphere include fox (&quot;American grey&quot;) squirrels, rats, mice, and voles (northern US).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that many of the smaller mammals are confused with rodents although they are actually from different mammal orders. Such mammals include rabbits &amp;amp; hares (&lt;em&gt;Lagomorpha&lt;/em&gt;), opossums ( &lt;em&gt;Didelphimorphia&lt;/em&gt;, an order of marsupials), and moles (&lt;em&gt;Soricomorpha&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all garden questions about rodents - especially when the rodent in question is unknown, or the question/expected answers are generic to a range of rodents. Specific tags should be used for questions about specific rodents (e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/squirrels&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'squirrels'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;squirrels&lt;/a&gt; for squirrels).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T12:53:45.930" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T12:53:45.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2289" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-30T17:46:07.237" Score="0" Body="Defined as an order of mammals with continuous growing incisors. Usually garden pests." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-30T17:46:07.237" LastActivityDate="2011-09-30T17:46:07.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2290" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-09-30T17:50:04.657" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;As anywhere, there are safety issues in the gardening and when gardening. Use this tag for all safety questions. Some examples of safety issues in gardening are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Poisonous plants, and plants that can sting / have spines&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Handling of chemical pesticides&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use of saws, especially chainsaws&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-30T17:50:04.657" LastActivityDate="2011-09-30T17:50:04.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2291" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-09-30T17:50:04.657" Score="0" Body="For safety questions in gardens." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-09-30T17:50:04.657" LastActivityDate="2011-09-30T17:50:04.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2292" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1482" CreationDate="2011-10-01T01:15:46.703" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I find that equal parts soil, compost, and worm castings works well, and I don't have to buy the materials, sustainable or otherwise.  Don't forget that perlite/vermiculite have to be mined and shipped, which burns fossil fuels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="476" LastActivityDate="2011-10-01T01:15:46.703" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2294" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-01T09:27:25.937" Score="11" ViewCount="2420" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sure I saw a site on the Internet that showcased using excavated tree roots as a landscaping feature. I was inspired by the idea of &quot;recycling&quot; a tree stump and its rootball&#xA;into a rockery garden by dumping a lot of soil onto it which forms pockets of soil between the roots where plants are able to grow. But I can't find anything about this method.&#xA;Did I dream about this or does anyone know what I am talking about? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm having a tree root extracted from my driveway and would like to try this idea, but would like to research more about how to best go about it.       &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="687" LastEditorUserId="219" LastEditDate="2013-12-28T03:00:00.857" LastActivityDate="2013-12-28T03:00:00.857" Title="How do I use tree roots as a landscaping feature?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;rock-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2295" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2294" CreationDate="2011-10-01T12:13:54.840" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure you can do this.  But...dead wood that is damp and in contact with the ground is also the perfect home for carpenter ants.  Should you do this just make sure the wood is far, far away from your house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you still like the idea:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cedar is more resistant to rot than other types of wood  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;to get an aesthetic &quot;natural&quot; look up to two thirds of the stump should be buried depending on how much of the stump comes out, or you can bury it upside down.  Most trees have their roots within a foot of the surface so you will get a nice web of roots suitable for pocket planting.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;from an ecological point of view a dead tree is worth more to the forest than a live one. Good for you for considering providing a home to, potentially, thousands of organisms.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-10-02T00:53:34.260" LastActivityDate="2011-10-02T00:53:34.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2195" CreationDate="2011-10-01T16:28:47.203" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it will.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have spoken with a woman that lives South of my place, but who still shares a very similar climate. She has a big orchard, where amongst other species she has avocado trees. And those trees produce fruit!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am very excited to grow my own avocados. I'll get some more seeds for the cross-pollination to occur.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, she mentioned some pruning was needed, but nothing too fancy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to this Portuguese article, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.infopedia.pt/%24abacateiro&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;abacateiro&lt;/a&gt; (English version via Google translation for those that don't read Portuguese: &lt;a href=&quot;http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.infopedia.pt%2F%24abacateiro&amp;amp;sl=pt&amp;amp;tl=en&amp;amp;hl=&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Avocado&lt;/a&gt;) avocado trees will only produce fruits when in the presence of other trees, for pollination reasons. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, they take 4-5 years to fructify.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have just moved the germinated kernel to a vase rich in compost, and placed it outside. It is still warm in this time of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks everyone, happy fruit farming!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="676" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-03T16:09:17.983" LastActivityDate="2011-10-03T16:09:17.983" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2294" CreationDate="2011-10-01T16:41:45.050" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;No you didn't dream it, and I'm guessing you might have actually seen the idea on a TV gardening show, that is where I was first made aware of this &amp;quot;Victorian&amp;quot; gardening style...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stumpery&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stumpery&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;strong&gt;stumpery&lt;/strong&gt; is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_feature&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;garden feature&lt;/a&gt; similar to a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockery&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;rockery&lt;/a&gt; but made from parts of dead trees. This can take the form of whole stumps, logs, pieces of bark or even worked timber such as railway sleepers or floorboards. The pieces are arranged artistically and plants, typically &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ferns&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moss&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mosses&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;lichens&lt;/a&gt; are encouraged to grow around or on them. They provide a feature for the garden and a habitat for several types of wildlife. The first stumpery was built in 1856 at &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biddulph_Grange&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Biddulph Grange&lt;/a&gt; and they remained popular in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_Britain&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Victorian Britain&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click to enlarge image...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j4Vy0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j4Vy0m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stumpery&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/walhalla/962192563/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Image credit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Listed below are links to helpful and useful articles on the subject of &amp;quot;Stumperies&amp;quot;:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardenprojects/3315728/Turn-your-eyesore-into-an-asset.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Turn your eyesore into an asset&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gives information on, Materials, Preparation and Planting ideas.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardenerstips.co.uk/blog/articles/create-a-stumpery-from-tree-roots-and-stumps/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Create a Stumpery from Tree Roots and Stumps&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gives information on, Materials and Planting ideas.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00bldrv&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Creating a stumpery&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you live in the UK you can watch a video, if not, the page does list Ferns and Woodland Companion plants that can be used in creating a stumpery.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/jun/01/stumpery-makes-good-use-of-storm-debris/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stumpery makes good use of storm debris&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2006/dec/16/gardens1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Anatomy of a garden - Highgrove stumpery&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2004431631_pacificplife25.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;In this island woodland, stumped is not a bad thing&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Who would have thought stumperies would be the next new, new thing in gardening? Stumperies hail from the 19th-century British Romantic Movement, which rejected the classical forms of the past while exaggerating the glories of nature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2012474509_pacificpnwl08.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;A Vashon Island stumpery is both magical and modern&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Drawing on their love of ferns and the history of traditional stumperies, Pat and Walt Riehl of Vashon Island have created a modern version of this woodland garden. Among the many attractions are a tunnel entry and grottos full of tree stumps with their gnarly roots reaching for the sky.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.valeaston.com/2009/08/public-stumpery-debut.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Public Stumpery Debut&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stumperies may be an acquired taste, as much historic and fantastical as they are visual. Yet they're the next new, new thing in gardening, pulled back from their Victorian roots and revived by Prince Charles, who in 1980 installed a garden of sweet chestnut stumps, ferns, and woodland plants at Highgrove, his country estate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rhodygarden.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rhododendron Species Foundation &amp;amp; Botanical Garden&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hardyferns.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Hardy Fern Foundation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hardyferns.org/events-in-the-garden.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stumpery Garden Built&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ag.sfasu.edu/UserFiles/File/ArbNewsletters/2003%20Fall.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fern Garden Stumpery -- on page 2 of 2&lt;/a&gt; (direct link to PDF)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Contains a Plant list.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.uvic.ca/extr/gardens/newsletters/July2010.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Finnerty’s New Stumpery -- on page 6 of 8&lt;/a&gt; (direct link to PDF)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Contains information on some suitable Plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and please report back here (post photos, etc) if you do decide to put together your own stumpery...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-10-02T02:57:48.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2298" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2596" CreationDate="2011-10-01T22:02:23.200" Score="12" ViewCount="2527" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I bought my house (in southern Minnesota), one of the things I loved about it was a flower bed along the side of the garage that requires very very little maintenance. At the end of the summer, I pull the dried stems of the flowers that it put up in August; and early in the spring I transplant the few expansions to the area that sprout up in the neighboring lawn area to the end where I'm encouraging it to spread. Other than occasional watering in the heat of summer, that's pretty much it. The greenery of the tons of bulbs seems to do a great job of keeping the weeds at bay, and then in the fall it becomes its own straw/mulch cover. Year after year those bulbs have been just the perfect low maintenance garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been trying to encourage the same kind of bulb garden in a couple other parts of the yard, but no matter what I do, the bulbs keep getting overrun with various weeds. How do I get these new beds to the point that they're self maintaining like the established one?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The two areas have pretty much the same soil and water. The newer area might have slightly better soil in so far as it has been turned over more recently and had some potting soil that came with the bulbs worked into it as part of planting the new bulbs. The new area also gets a little more direct sunlight in the morning, and more shade in the afternoon. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know the particular variety of bulbs in the existing bed, but I'm pretty sure I have photos of them, I'll dig some up tomorrow. In the new bed I planted a variety of tulips and crocus. The bags the bulbs came in claim they need 4-6 hours of direct sunlight which is about what they were getting all summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="587" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-19T17:26:46.590" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T17:27:29.843" Title="How to start a bulb bed so that it doesn't need weeding?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2299" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13596" CreationDate="2011-10-02T01:23:15.277" Score="9" ViewCount="16443" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lot of nice sized oak trees. I have pin, black, and chestnut. Every once in a while one of them puts out sprouts all over the trunk and starts looking like a green pillar. How do  I keep that from happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-29T21:57:38.380" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T20:11:23.873" Title="How do I keep oak trees from sprouting?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2300" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2299" CreationDate="2011-10-02T03:25:03.963" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to &lt;em&gt;prevent&lt;/em&gt; them from growing sprouts. Oak trees occasionally propagate in the wild through root sprouts and that's what these are (discounting when it's a fallen acorn that has sprouted). Since these sprouts are connected to the main tree through the roots, using any form of chemical to &quot;burn&quot; them will easily kill the tree. You could however, keep them in check by trimming them often or digging them out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantanswers.com/live_oak_root_sprouts.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This page&lt;/a&gt; has some good info on oak sprouts:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;One of the basic, and most successful, methods of mother nature’s propagation of the live oak are these root sprouts. In their native environment single live oak trees are seldom found. Rather they are congregated in groups of trees called copses. Perhaps a squirrel planted the original acorn from which this copse emerged and the ensuing tree sent up many oak sprouts. Of that many some succumbed to the browsing of domestic and wild animals such as cattle and deer which find them very tasty, and some didn’t make it for other reasons. Those that survived became the copse, all connected to a common root system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being interconnected through roots also has its disadvantages because diseases can propagate through the entire group easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also recommend planting &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachelospermum_jasminoides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;jasmine&lt;/a&gt; and trimming the sprouts when they outgrow the jasmine. Another suggestion is to plant grass such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Augustine_Grass&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;St. Augustine&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoysia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Zoysia&lt;/a&gt; and mow the sprouts along with the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;So really the answer is that we just have to learn to live with them. How you do this is a personal preference. Some plant Asian Jasmine in the same area because of its similar leaf appearance and periodically cut off the oak sprouts as they grow taller than the ground cover. Some thin out the canopy of the trees, allowing more sunlight to filter down to the ground enabling St. Augustine or Zoysia grass to grow. Then the offending oak sprouts growing in the grass are frequently mowed off. I have also seen them used as a ground cover just by keeping them mowed&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-06T04:13:34.833" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T04:13:34.833" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2301" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2304" CreationDate="2011-10-02T04:04:25.663" Score="17" ViewCount="20278" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pear tree, which is very zealous. Whatever it decides to do, it does in excess. First in the spring it sends out all sorts of new branches--all of them vertical. I snipped them off after they grew a few feet, but they merely resumed their skyward climb for 10 feet! Then the pear tree flowered and produced tremendous amounts of fruit. All the branches bent over more than a bow and arrow bends. Some of the branches literally snapped under the weight. What can I do to help this poor tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uQZBS.jpg&quot;&gt;&#xA;    &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uQZBS.jpg&quot; height=&quot;315&quot;/&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/a&gt;&#xA; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8F2Nf.jpg&quot;&gt;&#xA;    &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8F2Nf.jpg&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; title=&quot;The branches initially grew vertically.&quot;/&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastEditorUserId="59" LastEditDate="2011-10-02T08:22:01.760" LastActivityDate="2014-11-22T07:35:40.663" Title="How should I prune this overgrown pear tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2302" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2298" CreationDate="2011-10-02T07:29:08.887" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bulbs generally need a lot of sunlight. Perhaps the afternoon shade is preventing them from out-competing the weeds. It might be worth looking into some less sun-loving plants that thrive in your area of Minnesota. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-19T17:27:29.843" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T17:27:29.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2303" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2301" CreationDate="2011-10-02T15:28:40.897" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;To go along with the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2301/how-should-i-prune-this-overgrown-pear-tree#comment-3300&quot;&gt;information already given by &quot;yoda&quot;&lt;/a&gt;, the below University Extension Office articles should fill in any missing gaps (eg Vertical shoots, branches that develop each each year):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1150.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pruning Mature Apples and Pears&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/vegetables/tree_fruits_nuts/hgic1351.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pruning &amp;amp; Training Apple &amp;amp; Pear Trees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/ag29.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Training &amp;amp; Pruning Fruit Trees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/FruitNutTreesintheHomeGarden/8058.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fruit Trees: Pruning Overgrown Deciduous Trees&lt;/a&gt; (free PDF download)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/FruitNutTreesintheHomeGarden/8047.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fruit Trees: Thinning Young Fruit&lt;/a&gt; (free PDF download)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/H-327.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pruning the Home Orchard&lt;/a&gt; (direct link to PDF)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If after reading those articles you still have any questions unanswered please let us know so we can try our best to address them...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Advice, observations from looking at those 2 photos you've posted:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove limbs that cross (rub against each other) ie Remove one of the limbs, so that two limbs aren't rubbing against each other.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Relieve the weight on some of those &quot;downward&quot; branches by shortening them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove (cut-out) some of those &quot;downward&quot; branches.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Reduce the height so it's in scale with the overall shape of the tree (this will need to be done over the course of a few years).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thinning the fruit each year will greatly help reduce the overall stress on the branches ie Will prevent the branches from sagging too much under the weight of the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before wintertime arrives, cleanup the &quot;orchard floor&quot; ie Rake up all the leaves and pick up all the fruit from the ground underneath the tree(s), doing so will help prevent diseases from overwintering in the ground under the tree(s).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It looks like you have a good size &quot;tree ring&quot; (cleared area) around the base of the tree(s), once you've finished clearing that area (and the surrounding area) prior to Winter, lay down a 2inch (50mm) thick layer of mulch. Personally I would use good quality compost, start approx 4 to 6 inches (100 to 150mm) away from the trunk of the tree(s) and work out to the edge of the &quot;tree ring&quot;. Using compost as a mulch in this situation has the added benefit of feeding the tree(s) naturally and slowly. Then add a fresh 1inch (25mm) layer every year after you've cleared the &quot;orchard floor&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some &quot;general&quot; tree pruning advice:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;First, decide on the height and shape you wish to finally achieve, keep in mind this may take 3 or 4 years to achieve on mature, overgrown trees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Never prune off more than &amp;#8531; in a pruning season (per year).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep the tree balanced ie Don't prune one side &quot;heavily&quot; &amp;amp; the other &quot;lightly&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Only prune at the correct time of year (for your tree).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Exception to above point:&lt;/strong&gt; Remove damaged limbs immediately.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove limbs that cross (rub against each other) ie Remove one of the limbs, so that two limbs aren't rubbing against each other.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nowadays it is not considered necessary to treat the cuts with any kind of sealant. This is especially true if the cuts are made correctly, the tree should be able to heal itself naturally.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Appropriate pruning tools for trees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pruning shears, up to 1inch (25mm) diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lopping (long handled) shears, up to 2inch (50mm) diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Variety of hand saws, from 1inch (25mm) up to 4inch (100mm) diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chainsaws, from 2inch (50mm) up to felling giant Redwoods, Sequoias. Best left to the pro's when using this dangerous power-tool.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For an excellent resource on how to prune trees, take a look at the following document from the US Forest Service:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/prun001.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Prune Trees&lt;/a&gt; (free PDF version available at bottom of that page)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-10-03T15:51:26.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2301" CreationDate="2011-10-03T16:21:54.173" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are fertilizing this tree, I'd recommend that you stop, it doesn't seem to need any more!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I can tell from the photos, it looks like this tree doesn't get full sun -- it looks like there are other trees that might be slightly shading it. This could cause some of the vigorous vertical growth that you see -- it's trying to get up into the sun. (I say this more for understanding than for anything you can do about it, short of cutting down some of the competition...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your circumstance, you want to do a summer pruning rather than a winter (dormant season) pruning. The dormant season pruning will stimulate more vigorous growth, when your goal should be instead to open the tree up to let more light in. Just don't prune too late in the season -- since any pruning will stimulate growth, you don't want fresh green growth to be exposed to winter chill. It's best to do it in early/mid summer so that the new growth has a chance to harden off before winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your goal should be to establish &quot;scaffold&quot; branches (these are the main, roughly horizontal branches). There should be about 4-6 distributed evenly around the tree, about 4' in height vertically from one scaffold to the next. (Imagine that you have four scaffold branches at a height of 6' pointing north-south-east-west, and then another four main branches at a height of 10'. I just picked 6' and 10' out of the air -- use what works for your tree.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are trying to control the height, you can cut back the central leader to just above the top scaffold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you do have to remove lateral branches, cut them back to the trunk. (Using the scaffold example mentioned above, imagine that there's an extra lateral branch pointing northeast at 6' high, and it's 5' long. Don't just cut it back to 3' long, cut it back where it comes out of the trunk. If you don't prune it all off, it will just keep growing with several extra small branches pointed in that direction, and they'll interfere with the scaffold branch. It looks like you have a few lateral branches that have done exactly this.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The general pruning advice given in Mike Perry's answer is good, though I'd recommend removing any downward-facing branches. These don't help anything, and they're more likely to break when loaded with fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An addition to the tools he lists there, you might also consider a pole pruner. This is a long, telescoping handled (12-16' or so) pruner to reach tall branches. It has a pruning saw attached to the end. It also has loppers on the end with a rope that you pull to close the shears. Just don't stand under the branch that you're cutting!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, don't worry about it too much! I've seen apple and pear trees that have been rather neglected that still look good and produce more fruit than a family (or two or three) can possibly use. And in my experience they're resilient in the face of pruning mistakes...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-10-03T16:21:54.173" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2305" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2306" CreationDate="2011-10-03T16:30:42.613" Score="8" ViewCount="1547" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2301/how-should-i-prune-this-overgrown-pear-tree/2303#2303&quot;&gt;This answer&lt;/a&gt; recommends putting down a layer of compost mulch in the fall in order to slowly feed the tree. (In addition to the unmentioned weed control and moisture regulation.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It makes sense to me -- I was ready to go out and spread compost around my apple, peach, and maple trees a couple of weeks ago until I did some reading that suggested I should wait until April.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The advice in books and elsewhere said that we should feed/mulch trees in &lt;em&gt;spring&lt;/em&gt; in order to prevent stimulating new growth just before cold weather (to avoid winter kill). In addition, they caution against mulching heading into winter to avoid providing a home for mice or voles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which is correct? Is a late fall feeding really going to stimulate any growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-10-06T19:35:27.367" Title="What time of year to mulch/feed trees?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2306" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2305" CreationDate="2011-10-03T17:42:34.710" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;I'm no scientist or horticultural expert, the below is just my take on how compost works when used as a mulch layer. &quot;My take&quot; comes from experience (for what that's worth), listening to people I respect and admire, reading -- both information that aligns with my beliefs on the subject and with information that I don't necessarily agree with.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost slowly feeds a tree (plant, shrub, etc) overtime, it does not provide an instant, &quot;artificial&quot; boost like some chemical fertilizers can eg high &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N-P-K&quot;&gt;N-P-K&lt;/a&gt; numbers or totally unbalanced numbers. The benefits of using natural products like compost build up overtime, they are not instant fixes...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore putting down a compost &quot;mulch&quot; layer late in the season (just prior to Winter) isn't going to stimulate new growth. &lt;strong&gt;Why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;By the time the compost starts to work its way down into the soil (penetrate down into the root zone), the tree (plant, shrub, etc) has entered dormancy and isn't going to be stimulated into &quot;life&quot; by such a natural product. Natural products by their very nature don't have &lt;strong&gt;crazy&lt;/strong&gt; high N-P-K values, etc...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When the tree (plant, shrub, etc) begins to wake from dormancy, late Winter, early Spring, the elements and micro-nutrients from the compost are there, ready for the tree to start using immediately.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, if you put down a compost &quot;mulch&quot; layer in the Spring, it's going to take a few weeks before the tree (plant, shrub, etc) is able to start making use of the elements and micro-nutrients found within.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm not saying that's a bad thing, as I believe feeding plants &lt;strong&gt;naturally&lt;/strong&gt; at anytime of the year isn't the worse thing one can do. Yes, there are certain times of the year (Springtime &quot;generally&quot; being a &lt;strong&gt;good&lt;/strong&gt; time) that are better for feeding than others, but when feeding naturally the &lt;strong&gt;dangers&lt;/strong&gt; from &quot;wrong&quot; time of year feeding are a &lt;strong&gt;lot&lt;/strong&gt; less...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Someone can correct me if I'm wrong on this, but mice, voles, etc don't set-up homes in &quot;compost&quot; mulch layers, whereas wood-chip mulches and shredded fall leaves used as a mulch layer can be a different story. &lt;strong&gt;Why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is my understanding that mulches made from wood-chips and shredded fall leaves greatly resemble the coverings used by mice, voles, etc in nature, hence those types of mulches being more attractive to those creatures. Whereas compost &quot;mulch&quot; is just like an additional thin layer of &quot;soil&quot; on the surface.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-06T16:37:57.333" LastActivityDate="2011-10-06T16:37:57.333" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2307" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-03T19:24:21.960" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Beans are large plant seeds from several genera of the family &lt;em&gt;Fabaceae&lt;/em&gt; (also known as &lt;em&gt;Leguminosae&lt;/em&gt;). They are a diverse group with over 4000 cultivars registered in the US alone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Historically beans have been an important source of protein, and are thought to be one of the oldest cultivated plants. Beans continue to be an important source of vegetable protein for much of the world's population. Beans also contain significant amounts of fiber, and are high in complex carbohydrates and iron.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beans are also important in agriculture. As legumes, they have a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen fixing bacteria, and are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen into nitrates - which can be used by other plants as a nutrient. This makes them an important part of many companion planting schemes (.eg. &quot;Three Sisters&quot;) and crop rotation schemes (eg. &quot;Norfolk Four Course&quot;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some beans can be toxic when raw. This especially applies to red and kidney beans. Some areas of Africa also reduce bean toxicity through a fermentation process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about beans. Some specific bean types may have their own tags - use these as appropriate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T20:50:11.470" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T20:50:11.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2308" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-03T19:24:21.960" Score="0" Body="Large plant seeds from Fabaceae (also known as Leguminosae)." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-04T16:12:40.463" LastActivityDate="2021-01-04T16:12:40.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2309" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-03T19:34:25.440" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peach trees (&lt;em&gt;Prunus persica&lt;/em&gt;) is a species of &lt;em&gt;Prunus&lt;/em&gt;  (subfamily &lt;em&gt;Prunoideae&lt;/em&gt;, Family &lt;em&gt;Rosaceae&lt;/em&gt;), originally native to China. Peach trees are grown for their large edible juicy fruit with a large 'stone' seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peach trees are deciduous and grow about 4-10m tall. Fruit have a number of variations including &quot;free stone&quot; (fruit easily detaches from the stone), &quot;cling stone&quot;, white (sweeter), and yellow (with an acid tang).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peaches tend to be quite restrictive in their climate requirements. They are a warm weather tree, but have a chilling requirement. They can survive to -26C (-15F) but temperatures this low will kill the flower buds. Ideally the chilling phase should not drop below -4C (25F) and the summers should be warm (means of 20-30C / 68-86F) for good fruit ripening. Despite these difficult requirements, peaches are a popular crop in many parts of the world including the southern US States (especially Georgia and Texas).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nectarines are a peach cultivar based on a &quot;smooth skin&quot; recessive gene in the peach genome. Because of this, a tree grown from a peach stone has a small chance of producing nectarine fruit. Nectarine bud sports from peach trees have also been recorded.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing peaches and nectarines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-03T19:34:25.440" LastActivityDate="2011-10-03T19:34:25.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2310" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-03T19:34:25.440" Score="0" Body="Prunus persica tree grown for its large edible juicy fruit." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-03T19:34:25.440" LastActivityDate="2011-10-03T19:34:25.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2311" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2315" CreationDate="2011-10-03T19:38:27.180" Score="13" ViewCount="6933" Body="&lt;p&gt;If all goes according to plan, I will be moving this winter to another location.  I currently have two blueberry bushes I planted last spring, purchased from Gurney's.  I'm wondering what the procedure might be to transplant a plant like this given that it was only planted a few months ago.  Is it better to leave the young plants and get new ones next season?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My only concern is whether the plant has a good chance of surviving the transplanting.  I've considered moving them into pots now before the freezes come in southeastern PA.  Is that recommended with it so close to frost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="643" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-03T20:38:20.520" LastActivityDate="2018-10-18T13:00:30.450" Title="How can I safely transplant blueberry bushes planted in the spring before the winter hits?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2312" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2317" CreationDate="2011-10-03T22:21:46.010" Score="11" ViewCount="43192" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an area in my front yard where I have a row of dwarf &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buxus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Buxus&lt;/a&gt; surround by a strip of decorative pebbles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I layed down a sheet of lining to prevent the grass from growing through the pebbles, but this hasn't stopped it. Within six months the grass has taken over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The grass can't be easily pulled up by hand. I've tried this, but it is futile. Say the area is about the equivalent of 1m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;, it takes about a week to pull up a third of the grass and that still doesn't get the roots. This type of grass grows like a vine, not in clumps. A section easily breaks if you pull it and the roots and other sections are left in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I kill the grass without poisoning the plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T01:37:31.873" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T01:38:48.300" Title="How to stop grass growing through landscape pebbles?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2313" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2330" CreationDate="2011-10-03T22:40:36.953" Score="17" ViewCount="19697" Body="&lt;p&gt;My fiancee is moving in with me, and would like to bring her &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gooseberry&quot;&gt;gooseberry&lt;/a&gt; bush along, since it makes excellent jam, and the melomel (mead) that we made with the gooseberries appears to be promising as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My thought is that we should wait until it has gone dormant for the winter, cut the branches back somewhat, and then dig it up, hoping that we've got a decent root mass to above-ground mass ratio.   I'm not totally comfortable with that, but the only other established plants that I have successfully transplanted (from the ground) are bulbs and groundcover, and I assume this will work somewhat differently.   Also, gooseberry bushes are somewhat thorny, so we'll have to contend with that somehow, as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In full foliage, the bush takes up probably 6 or 8 square feet of area in the yard.   It has been in that spot for 5-7 years.   My expectation is to get it back into the ground in its new location within a day of digging it up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-05T15:19:19.487" LastActivityDate="2020-08-01T09:00:51.183" Title="What is a good method for transplanting an established gooseberry bush?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;gooseberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2314" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2311" CreationDate="2011-10-03T23:50:25.863" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not an expert on the topic, but if it were me, I'd just leave them be and plant new ones next spring in your new location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My reasoning:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You're going to shock them and set them back when potting them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You're going to shock them again and set them back when planting in your new location.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There's a chance they won't survive either the potting or transplanting.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There's a chance the potted plants won't survive the move.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Moving large potted plants sucks. [I hate moving.]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For ~$15 each, you can buy new plants. With all of the setbacks your current plants will already have, a new plant may catch up to your potted transplants within the first year. For my time, it would be worthwhile to avoid the digging, potting, and transport.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your mileage may vary...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-10-03T23:50:25.863" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2315" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2311" CreationDate="2011-10-04T01:42:06.670" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few things to keep in mind when transplanting blueberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Blueberries like slightly acidic soil. So if it's growing well now, it sure does like the soil. When you transplant it to a pot and later to your new place, you should ensure that the pH levels are about the same so that the plant doesn't suffer a shock over and above that from regular transplanting.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Blueberries don't have very deep roots. They have a crazy mess of shallow fibrous roots which can easily get damaged when the frost hits especially if it's not established.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, if you can ensure that the plant gets the same pH at your new place and if you dig enough around the plant to not really disturb the roots all that much, I think you have a shot at transplanting the plant. Also, since blueberry season is generally in July-August, the plant should be able to shake off the shocks (if you keep it to a minimum by being careful) and establish itself by then. Blueberries typically bear fruit year after year till it grows very old. Hence if properly done, transplanting shouldn't affect fruit production (maybe slightly decreased the first year). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Transplanting is a bigger problem with berries that produce fruit only on year old canes, as the shock can reset the plant's internal clock. When I transplanted my established year old blackberry plant a little over a year ago, it went into severe shock and lost all the canes it had produced and shriveled back to just a little stub and stayed that way till spring. This year should've been its second (fruit producing), but instead it started putting out new canes vigorously (now I understand why it's a weed in some places...). So although the clock was reset, the plant is still very healthy and will (hopefully) fruit next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All this said, I second bstpierre's pragmatic answer. Sometimes the trouble of waiting and going through the hassle twice (once to the pot and then to the ground) might just not be worth it. But if I were you, I would get a new one &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; transplant the old one, just to experiment with it and see if it works or not; that sure is a good way to learn and you'll have first hand experience at transplanting and also first hand knowledge of what happens to doubly transplanted blueberry bushes!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-04T01:47:26.147" LastActivityDate="2011-10-04T01:47:26.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="195" CreationDate="2011-10-04T05:10:27.057" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got to pay attention to any insects in the area and how moist the soil is to work out which of two possible reasons for the purple rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Phosphorus deficiency&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've got this if the leaf veins are purple and overall sport a purplish tint. &lt;a href=&quot;https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/recognizing-tomato-problems-2-949/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Recognizing Tomato Problems - Colorado State University&amp;quot;&lt;/a&gt;. Most likely if there are no insects around, it's early in the season and you're bathing the plant in cool temperatures or the soil itself is too wet. The bedding may also be passing its own phosphorous deficiency to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This can usually be fixed by putting the plant in a warmer area and letting that soil dry out a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to give it a boost, throw some bone meal around for that extra kick and help with the phosphorous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Curly top virus (CTV)&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stunting, leaflets rolled upward with a purplish colour, especially along the veins and yellow looking leaves may indicate a diseased plant. This is also known as beet curly top virus (BCTV). If you notice some insects hanging around, and the plant isn't producing as much as it could be, that's another sign.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Infected leaves of some hosts, particularly tomatoes and peppers, become thickened and crisp or stiff, and roll upward as the petioles curve downward. The leaves turn yellow with purplish veins. [...] The occurrence of this disease in home gardens may be due, in part, to the presence of alternate hosts that leafhoppers prefer to feed on, as well as an increased likelihood of infected source plants in the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/h-106.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;Keeping beets at bay&quot;&gt;Curly Top Virus - New Mexico State University&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can't spray this problem away and is slightly inverse to the conditions of phosphorus deficiency. You've got to keep this affected plant in the shade and away from the hot sun, where the insects love to spread their ills. Cage it from invading insects if you can until it's mature enough to stand on its own. Or, just get rid of the infected plants and start anew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2019-04-07T23:55:35.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2312" CreationDate="2011-10-04T12:41:37.890" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple of suggestions based on the info you've provided.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, you can try flame weeding. (If your liner is very shallow (sounds like it is), you may want to skip this -- or at least test a small area to see if it is going to melt the liner.) Read the directions! The objective is simply to scorch the leaves of the weeds so that it dries up and dies. You aren't trying to &lt;em&gt;burn&lt;/em&gt; the weeds. It may take several passes over the course of a few weeks to completely kill it -- whenever you see new grass popping up, give it another scorch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that doesn't work, or you can't/won't try it, I'd suggest reworking the entire area. If you're only working with 1m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;, it shouldn't be too bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the pebbles, save them in a bucket.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the liner, discard. (it probably has a lot of holes.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dig out the soil under the area to a depth of 10cm. Save it to use somewhere else -- mix it into your compost pile if nothing else.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you get to 10cm and still find roots from the grass, keep digging!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is the grass is creeping in through the edges? (I.e. does this grass live in your yard, and is invading the bed?) If so, you'll need to add some heavy-duty edging along the side of the area you dug out to prevent it from creeping back in. Find some that's the depth of the area you dug out.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Replace the soil with a 5cm layer of coarse sand, followed by a 5cm layer of 7-12mm pea stone.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tamp down the sand a bit (stomp on it with your feet, or use a shovel) so it is compacted.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For an area this small, you could consider putting an extra layer of liner between the sand and the pea stone.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put the liner above the pea stone.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Replace the decorative pebbles you saved in a previous step.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will freely admit -- this is overkill, and would probably be too much work for a large area, but for a small area with such an aggressive weed, it should do the trick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T01:38:48.300" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T01:38:48.300" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2319" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2301" CreationDate="2011-10-05T01:27:28.680" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I did on a apple tree in this type of trouble was cut off the thinner branches, leaving the vigorous sturdy shoots. Then I topped them off at the third main lateral. This slows the tree down and increases the height. Also try to keep the branching thin and airy, and keep the branches that slant down trimmed off to improve the structure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-10-05T01:27:28.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2320" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1518" CreationDate="2011-10-05T01:43:55.863" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut all the branches but one and try to grow it straight until it is about seven feet tall, subduing the branches to about one foot. Then train the branches at the level or higher to a gently ascending pattern and trim off the lower branches slowly so you do not encourage unnatural growth habits. I have some experience with these things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-10-05T01:43:55.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2321" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2365" CreationDate="2011-10-05T01:56:54.693" Score="10" ViewCount="1160" Body="&lt;p&gt;My sweet potato plant has a severely widened and flattened stem and grows like a band, with dense leaves and stunted growth. What is wrong with it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YS7ZV.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/chYY2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6eXnw.jpg&quot; width=&quot;404&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2011-10-07T01:16:25.163" LastActivityDate="2011-10-07T14:20:15.327" Title="Why does my sweet potato have stunted growth with wide, flattened stems and dense leaves?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;sweet-potato&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2322" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-05T11:48:22.487" Score="8" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;Brassicas are notoriously hard to protect and we have all seen cabbage and broccoli leaves stripped down to a sort of skeleton as a result of pests. But netting goes a long way to solving the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have some fundamentally healthy looking broccoli (under netting) but most of the plants have a few minor holes (ranging from 0.5mm to 3mm) in the leaves. Is this a problem? Are these even pests, or just some kind of wear and tear in the leaf structure? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2011-10-06T01:33:19.573" Title="When should I start worrying about holes and leaf damage in my brassicas?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2323" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2324" CreationDate="2011-10-05T13:10:52.830" Score="24" ViewCount="21951" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two blueberry bushes which I planted at the end of the summer. Although I had read online that they prefer acidic soil, I didn't have the time to check the pH of our soil, and go out to buy something to make it more acidic. My bushes seem reasonably healthy (although perhaps suffering from a lack of water), but I wanted to know how important it is to give them acidic soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few parts to my question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this something to bother with, or just something to do if you are a really serious gardener?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does the soil acidity affect the growth and health of the plant, the fruiting (quantity and quality), both, or neither?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you would recommend adding something to the soil to lower the pH, what?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="688" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-05T13:49:50.097" LastActivityDate="2019-08-24T19:48:08.783" Title="Is it really important to give blueberry plants acidic soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2324" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2323" CreationDate="2011-10-05T14:11:49.733" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blueberries certainly like acidic soil (about 4-5 pH) and is quite necessary for a healthy plant with good fruit production. This is not just for &quot;serious gardeners&quot;, but is something that blueberries need. While the plant might grow in neutral soils, the fruit production might be low and the leaves generally sparse. I can tell you from experience that my blueberry bush did not do well before I  decreased the pH of the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can increase the soil acidity in a few ways:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mulch the plants with pine needles, if that's easy to acquire in your area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;work peat into the soil around your plant and in the top couple of inches (take care not to damage the roots, they're shallow) and then cover with mulch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use a soil amendment mix that's commonly sold for Azalea/Gardenia. These are two other plants that require acidic soil and it's common to find mixes for these. These work very well for blueberries too and is in fact, what I use since I can't find either of the two above all that easily.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If your soil is already moderately acidic, you needn't do any of the above, but &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/801/how-do-i-apply-spent-coffee-grounds-as-a-fertilizer&quot;&gt;use composted coffee grounds&lt;/a&gt; every few months to maintain the acidity.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, blueberries also need well drained soils. As I've mentioned above, they have very shallow fibrous roots and if your water doesn't drain away, it will cause root rots. So never plant blueberries in the low points of your garden, where water is more likely to collect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you'll need to water regularly too, because shallow roots can't reach deep down for water. Use a thick layer of mulch to conserve moisture and water it often enough such that the soil is always moist and never let it dry out for too long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-10-06T14:27:32.937" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2325" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2362" CreationDate="2011-10-05T14:20:51.333" Score="16" ViewCount="6848" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of those &quot;I really must get around to...&quot; questions, but what is the best way to sharpen a lawn mower?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My own lawn mower is a fan blade (i.e. flat blade on a vertical axis), but for maximum usefulness an answer should also include the cylindrical blade types (i.e. traditional transverse axis cutter with helix segment blades wrapped in a cylinder) and any other common types as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-23T22:57:24.343" LastActivityDate="2016-12-21T16:50:03.597" Title="What is the best way to sharpen a lawn mower blade?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2326" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2327" CreationDate="2011-10-05T14:26:14.227" Score="10" ViewCount="7253" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nectarines are actually peaches with an active recessive gene (e.g. similar genetics to red hair in humans). Commercial nectarines are cultivars with this gene. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although it is relatively rare, in the case of peaches this means a peach stone can produce a nectarine tree, and peach trees can produce nectarine sports (I assume this is from a graft but I don't know the details).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to identify a nectarine tree (or branch sport) before it produces fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-11-07T18:46:11.197" LastActivityDate="2021-04-23T21:41:24.213" Title="How to tell a nectarine tree from a peach tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;&lt;nectarines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2327" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2326" CreationDate="2011-10-05T15:35:18.477" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mike is correct here. From whatever I've been able to find on the subject, the two are different only in the texture of the skin of the fruit (and nutritional values). Nectarines might be slightly more susceptible to brown rot disease, but that's not something you can identify a plant with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.michiganpeach.org/facts/nectar.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A peach and a nectarine are very similar.  Genetically, there is not much difference between the two.  The main difference is that a peach has fuzz on its skin while a nectarine does not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nectarines are a bit more likely to be affected by diseases such as brown rot and bacterial spot.  Many nectarine varieties have a spicy &amp;quot;zing&amp;quot; to their taste. The nectarine is thought to have originated as a mutant of the peach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/#!/ReadsNursery/status/121631072151814144&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mike's twitter efforts&lt;/a&gt;, here's an expert opinion from &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/ReadsNursery&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;@ReadsNursery&lt;/a&gt;, which confirms the info from other articles:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No chance , the only technical bits to go on are the glands at the base of the leaves which can be specific to certain cv's [cultivars]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-10-05T17:37:03.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2328" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-05T16:12:05.657" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The size of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-gooseberry.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;What is a Gooseberry?&quot;&gt;gooseberry fruit is comparable to&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/blueberries&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;blueberries&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;blueberries&lt;/a&gt;. The &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/shrubs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;shrubs&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;shrubs&lt;/a&gt; themselves grow to an average size of 3-5 feet (0.91-1.52 metres).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Harvest&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/berries&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;berries&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;berries&lt;/a&gt; are best picked when they are hard with a rich sheen. For gooseberries with less tartness, go toward those that are pinkish or purplish in color. Green indicates they are not yet ripe, but are still suitable for pies and jams.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Storage&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gooseberries will &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/gooseberries.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;Fruit of the Month: Gooseberries&quot;&gt;store well in the refrigerator for about two weeks&lt;/a&gt;. In storage they may turn pinker and softer. When the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt; turns purple, it will be suitable for purees for another week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AIbAD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;gooseberries&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/foxypar4/704162819/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;licensed under creative commons&quot;&gt;Gooseberries by foxypar4, Flickr&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T12:37:41.560" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T12:37:41.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2329" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-05T16:12:05.657" Score="0" Body="Small round fruit that grows on the deciduous shrub of the same name. Genus Ribes." OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T03:01:26.673" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T03:01:26.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2313" CreationDate="2011-10-05T19:42:33.433" Score="7" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My thought is that we should wait until it has gone dormant for the winter, cut the branches back somewhat, and then dig it up, hoping that we've got a decent root mass to above-ground mass ratio.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe you are on the right track, thought process. Below is how I would go about moving/transplanting a mature gooseberry bush...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;First, if you can wait until late Winter or very early Spring to dig it up and move it, that would be ideal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Second, before digging it up, spend sometime choosing an appropriate location in your landscape and preparing that location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is from your states University Extension Office, &lt;a href=&quot;https://utextension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/SP307-J.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fruits &amp;amp; Nuts: Landscaping with Fruit and Nut Crops&lt;/a&gt; (direct link to PDF)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gooseberries grow normally in cooler climates, so heavy mulching of the base of these plants is desirable to keep roots cool. Some shade is permissible, but heavy shade is detrimental to growth and fruiting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Seeing as your Summer's can be pretty (brutally) hot, I would be inclined to find a location that gets full morning sun, then offers some shade from 2 or 3 o'clock onwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the soil in your chosen location isn't organically rich and/or has poor moisture retention, take the time to dig-in plenty of organic matter (eg compost, manure, shredded fall leaves). Taking the time to do this, if needed, will pay huge dividends once you come to transplant time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Me, being me, I would use compost as the mulch layer. Using compost as a mulch has the added benefit of feeding plants naturally and slowly. Also if your soil is &amp;quot;poor&amp;quot; using a compost mulch layer will help improve the soil over time (as you add a &amp;quot;fresh&amp;quot; layer, once to twice a year).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you don't have access to homemade compost, locate a local resource and ensure you can have some on hand (enough for a 2 to 3inch / 50 to 75mm thick mulch layer) on the day you transplant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below come via &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/mfruit/gooseberries.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gooseberries and Currants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Site Selection and Soil Preparation&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unlike most other fruit crops, currants and gooseberries tolerate partial shade and prefer a cool, moist growing area. Northern slopes with protection from direct sun are ideal. Planting along the side of a building or shady arbor is suitable as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Avoid sites with poor air circulation, which increases the incidence of powdery mildew. Sloping ground alleviates this condition. Also avoid light-textured, sandy soils. Rich, well drained soils that have a high moisture holding capacity are best. Incorporate organic matter (compost, peat, or manure) to improve the soil, particularly if it is somewhat sandy. The ideal soil pH is about 6.5.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Transplant day&lt;/strong&gt; (assuming later Winter or very early Spring)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;First, prune the gooseberry bush. Personally I would prune as heavily as I dare, make the physical size of the bush as small as possible, thus making manhandling of the bush as easy as possible...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6000#gooseberries&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pruning gooseberries&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gooseberries produce fruit on 2-year-old canes, 3-year-old canes and older canes. New canes originate from the underground crown each season on vigorous plants. The younger canes are more productive, so it is desirable to remove the older, weaker canes by cutting them out at the soil line. This leaves a preponderance of the younger, more vigorous canes and encourages a continuous replacement of new canes. Young plants, therefore, require little pruning for the first three or four years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/dg1122.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pruning - Currants and Gooseberries in the Home Garden&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should prune established currant and gooseberry shrubs to encourage vigor and fruit production, improve sun penetration into the bush, and maintain good air circulation to minimize disease. During the first three years of growth, allow four or five canes to develop per year, removing only weak or damaged wood. Beginning in the fourth year, prune out the oldest wood annually in early spring before growth begins. In addition, remove any weak new growth. A mature bush should have 9 to 12 canes once pruning is completed. Fruit is produced on one-, two-, and three-year-old wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After you've finished pruning, if the ground isn't wet, soak the soil around the bush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then dig all the way around the bush, dig as far out from the it as you can, you want to limit the damage as much as possible to the root system (which is shallow).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Work a tarp under and around the root-ball, this will help keep the root-ball encased in soil during the lifting and moving processes. Then when moving the bush, pick it up (manhandle it) via the tarp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you haven't got a tarp, pick one up beforehand and have it ready to go.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dig the new hole only as deep as you have to ie When you put the bush in its new location it shouldn't seat deeper in the soil than it did previously. Also dig the new hole twice as wide as the root-ball you managed to remove from the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Back fill the hole with the material you dug out (the well prepared soil you had prepared months, weeks beforehand), making sure you heel it in well as you go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once the bush is in its new home in the ground, give it a long, slow drink, you really want to water it in well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After that, put down your (compost) mulch layer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Some of the above points come from this answer, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1231/any-special-steps-which-should-be-taken-when-transplanting-a-potato-bush/1235#1235&quot;&gt;Any special steps which should be taken when transplanting a potato bush?&lt;/a&gt; here on SE.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are some resources I used for this answer, plus additional information that I believe should prove helpful/useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07005.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Currants, Gooseberries and Jostaberries&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/mfruit/gooseberries.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gooseberries and Currants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/dg1122.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Currants and Gooseberries in the Home Garden&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/cepublications/eb1640/eb1640.html#currants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Currants and Gooseberries&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6000&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pruning Raspberries, Blackberries and Gooseberries&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and I hope the above helps somewhat...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-10-06T16:42:15.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="220" CreationDate="2011-10-06T01:09:36.670" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try taping foil pie-pans to garden stakes throughout the garden to make some noise. I haven't tried it, but Shake-Away powder Makes the chipmunks think a fox is around. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-10-06T01:09:36.670" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2333" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="224" CreationDate="2011-10-06T01:16:50.217" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I severely disabled some ground ivy by letting it grow a foot tall and mowing it off at one inch. The grass really jumped and thickened, though it was a shock at first. The grass thickening crowded out the ivy and the ivy has been stunted all year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-10-06T01:16:50.217" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2334" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2322" CreationDate="2011-10-06T01:33:19.573" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you've got slugs. Put out a beer trap and check it every morning. That should solve it. A few holes in it won't hurt the plant. You could try putting copper rings around the bases of the plants. Slugs can't stand copper. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-10-06T01:33:19.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2335" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2325" CreationDate="2011-10-06T03:13:46.217" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the absence of a better answer, here's what I do on my walk-behind 24&quot; &quot;flat blade&quot; / vertical-axis mower:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Before doing anything else, &lt;strong&gt;remove the wire from the spark plug.&lt;/strong&gt; You don't want it to start accidentally.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wear heavy gloves.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Turn the machine on its side. Gas tank up, so it doesn't leak. (Ideally, the tank is empty when I do this.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wedge a board against the blade so it doesn't turn. Remove the nut holding the blade onto the motor.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Handle carefully, the blade may be sharp enough to cut your hands even before you sharpen it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clamp the blade, top side up, onto a sturdy surface (work bench) so one side is hanging off the bench.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I use a 4.5&quot; angle grinder with a general-purpose metal grinding wheel (it works for me, but there may be a more appropriate wheel selection).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Maintain a consistent angle so you get a regular edge. I work from the center to the outer edge, though I don't know that it matters.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(My lawn is a little rough, and we use the machine like a bush hog, so it's got tons of dings from rocks, stumps, and sticks. You can get aggressive with the grinding to smooth out the dings, but at some point you've got to call it good enough.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't overwork it in any one spot. The edge should be even.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You should be able to follow the existing angle, maintaining what's there.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Unclamp, turn 180 degrees so the other side is hanging off the bench, reclamp, sharpen the top side as above.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In sharpening the top, you've created a burr along the bottom edge. You want to remove it. Unclamp, flip upside down. Holding the grinder horizontally, make a quick pass from center to edge, just to remove the burr. Unclamp, flip 180 degrees, repeat on the other side.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Securely&lt;/strong&gt; bolt it back onto the mower. You don't want the blade flying off while you're mowing!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Replace the spark plug wire.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Test for sharpness by making a pass over part of your lawn. Examine the grass blades -- they should be &lt;em&gt;cut&lt;/em&gt;, not &lt;em&gt;torn&lt;/em&gt;. The quality of the cut should be even across the entire width of the mower.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some thoughts:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've heard it can be done with a belt sander. As jmusser mentions in a comment, it could be done with a bench grinder. I've never used either method. (Separate answers on this question for either technique would be great.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have a riding mower with multiple blades, you'll want to repeat the sharpening on the secondary blade.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have a riding mower, you can't just flip it on its side to remove the blades! Carefully jack up the machine, and &lt;strong&gt;support it with proper blocks&lt;/strong&gt; when working underneath.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mulching blades have contours designed to recut the grass so it ends up in tiny pieces. My technique probably leaves something to be desired with respect to the mulching blade, but it makes a better cut after I sharpen, so I go with it. Suggestions for improvement are certainly welcome!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;While you've got it flipped/jacked, and your hands are already dirty, inspect the underside of the machine. Belts worn? Parts missing/broken? Oh, and hey, check the oil. Was the spark plug fouled when you pulled off the wire? Should you clean the air filter? Y'know... maintenance!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-10-06T03:13:46.217" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2323" CreationDate="2011-10-06T12:29:29.533" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;A pH of about 4.5 is required for blueberries to do well. (Some sources say as low as 4.3, some as high as 5.0; most sources say they do well between 4.0-5.5, which is a fairly large range.) At higher pH, the bushes will have an iron deficiency; see the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/hort/news/allontario/ao0403a3.htm&quot;&gt;photo and discussion on this page&lt;/a&gt; for iron deficiency caused by high pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to adjust the pH depends on your soil type and the starting pH. Blueberry plants live a very long time, so it's worth the up front effort to prep the soil so they can thrive. Once they're planted, it's more challenging to alter the pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, get your pH tested. In my opinion, the best thing you can do is to get a professional soil test -- contact your county extension service in the US. When I get my soil tested, the form has a checkbox for blueberries, and the results will come back with recommendations for fertilizer and pH adjustment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For a temporary effect you can water the plants weekly with a vinegar solution (2 tablespoons per gallon of water). This won't alter the soil pH though, you need a long term solution.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can work in peat moss to make the soil more acidic. On an established planting, you can't work in the peat without damaging the roots. Top dressing with peat will have some effect.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can apply sulfur to lower the pH.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use a high acid fertilizer when you apply fertilizer. You can find appropriate fertilizer at your garden center. Look for &quot;acid loving plants&quot; on the label; it will usually list blueberries on the back but sometimes the front will just say for azaleas/rhododendrons.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Top dress with coffee grounds. This will also add some nitrogen.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mulch with pine needles, pine shavings, or other acidic mulches.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you get the pH to the proper range, you will need to maintain the level. If the area where you live has naturally alkaline soil, it will revert back to high pH over time. Continue to fertilize with acidic fertilizer and use acidic mulches and top dressings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Certain soil types resist changes in pH more than others. (If you want to get technical, look up &quot;CEC&quot;, Cation Exchange Capacity.) Basically, sandy soils are easier to modify. Clay soils are harder. Soils with high organic matter are even harder. As the pH gets lower, it's easier to modify. So if you have sandy soil with a pH of 5.5, you will have to do much less work than if you have loamy clay soil with pH of 6.5. (And this is why I recommend a professional soil test from a local lab -- they can give the best recommendations that are most suitable for the soils in your area.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-10-06T12:29:29.533" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2313" CreationDate="2011-10-06T15:56:26.730" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mike's answer is very helpful in that it walks you though the transplanting process. Remember to get help because the root system is likely bigger than and the soil ball heavier than you expect. Remember also to wrap the root ball tightly while transporting the shrub. You do not want the root ball to fall apart on the way. Also keep the stems covered and moist during transit. You do not want them drying out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moving an established woody plant is hard to do by hand. You need to be prepared for the likely possibility that much or all of the root ball will fall apart. Unlike bulbs and perennials, woody plants stop growing completely when the top goes dormant — the roots do not continue to grow. After you move the shrub, you are, in effect, storing it in its new location until it begins to grow again in the spring. So if you lose the root ball or if only end up with a relatively small root ball, you need be concerned with protecting the canes during this &lt;em&gt;storage&lt;/em&gt; period. You will need to prune differently also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wait until the plant has gone dormant. Then before you begin to dig it up, you will want to prune it back. The second and third year canes on a gooseberry produce the most fruit because they store the most food. They are the stems you want to save. Remove all the old canes (year four or more) at ground level. Remove all the new and twiggy growth and shorten the stems that remain. This will make the plant easier to handle, and, if you get a good root ball, it is all the pruning you need to do. If you lose much of the root ball, get it planted in its new location and then remove another 50% of the stems at ground level and perhaps further shorten the remaining.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For many shrubs, if the root system has been badly damaged, the stems may dry out and die over the winter. This is particularly true of suckering shrubs like gooseberry. The protection you provide the stems will vary depending on how successful the transplanting was. Occasionally misting the stems on sunny fall days followed in late fall by a small pile of oak leaves or marsh hay over the crown may be all you need to do. If much of the root system is lost, however, you may need to very regularly mist the stems through the fall and, then, mound soil over the crown, and put down a layer of oak leaves or marsh hay before winter hits. You must remove the mound before the buds expand in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastActivityDate="2011-10-06T15:56:26.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2338" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2305" CreationDate="2011-10-06T19:35:27.367" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mike is correct. In general, a slow release fertilizer applied in the fall in moderate amounts will not produce a late flush of growth. This is particularly true of compost since the rate that it releases nutrients into the soil is controlled by temperature. As it get colder, it releases less.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let me note two things about fertilizing trees most people are not aware of:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most established trees have a root systems that extend two to three times their spread, and their most vigorous, effective feeder roots lie outside the drip line.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most established trees have very little need for phosphorus or potassium. Mostly, they need nitrogen since it easily leaches out of the soil when it rains. (Tree and shrub fertilizers mixes are usually tuned for young and newly planted trees, which benefit from more phosphorus and potassium.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consequently, a good lawn fertilizing program is also a good fertilizing program for the established trees in the landscape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastActivityDate="2011-10-06T19:35:27.367" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2339" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-06T21:43:25.843" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Raised beds are a popular forming of gardening - especially for vegetables and other food annuals. A raised bed is a raised area typically between 6in and waist height above the surrounding soil. Various materials are used to keep the bed in place, although timber is probably the most popular. The soil usually contains a large proportion of compost - especially as a bed has to be filled with external material (this makes it easy to mix large amounts of compost in with little additional effort).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Raised beds are an excellent solution to poor top soil, they also avoid compaction due to walking on the soil. If planted correctly, they can also reduce weeds and help control moisture loss (although excessive drainage may require more watering) if designed properly. The raised nature of the beds can also make them ideal if bending over is a problem: Waist-high beds are particularly popular with the elderly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Raised bed gardening is often combined with the square foot gardening and companion planting concepts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions specific to raised bedding: Eg. how to build a raised bed, how to water, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-06T21:43:25.843" LastActivityDate="2011-10-06T21:43:25.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2340" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-06T21:43:25.843" Score="0" Body="Gardening based around plant beds which are raised above the surrounding soil." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-06T21:43:25.843" LastActivityDate="2011-10-06T21:43:25.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2341" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-06T21:52:17.357" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Raspberry plants are all in the genus &lt;em&gt;Rubus&lt;/em&gt;, and most are subgenus &lt;em&gt;Idaeobatus&lt;/em&gt;. They are perennials grown for their &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/edible&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;edible&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;edible&lt;/a&gt; fruit(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fruit are made of around 100 drupelets - each of which is a central seed surrounded by a juicy pulp. When removed from the plant, the fruit core is left on the plant - unlike &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/blackberries&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;blackberries&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;blackberries&lt;/a&gt; which are removed and eaten with their core intact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a number of species of raspberries, but in cultivation they are generally classed as red (&lt;em&gt;Rubus idaeus&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;Rubus strigosus&lt;/em&gt;) or black (&lt;em&gt;Rubus occidentalis&lt;/em&gt;). These can be crossed to produce 'purple' raspberries. Other crosses with other members of &lt;em&gt;Rubus&lt;/em&gt; produce hybrids such as &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/boysenberry&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;boysenberry&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;boysenberry&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/loganberry&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;loganberry&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;loganberry&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruit are typically eaten fresh or pureed for their juice. They contain significant antioxidants (including Vitamin C), dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and even salicylic acid (aspirin).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Raspberries are popular commercial crops in most temperate parts of the world.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T12:36:58.657" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T12:36:58.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2342" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-06T21:52:17.357" Score="0" Body="Perennial of genus Rubus grown for its edible fruit." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-06T12:48:45.653" LastActivityDate="2021-01-06T12:48:45.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2343" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-06T22:02:46.747" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rhubarb is a herbaceous perennial, species &lt;em&gt;Rheum rhabarbarum&lt;/em&gt; in the family &lt;em&gt;Polygonaceae&lt;/em&gt;.  They grow from short, thick rhizomes and have large triangular leaves with fleshy petioles (&quot;leaf stalks&quot;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The domesticated form &lt;em&gt;Rheum x hybridum&lt;/em&gt;  is grown for its fleshy leaf stalks. These are cooked and provide an acidic (tart) but fruity flavour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Technically rhubarb stalks are a vegetables (they are a non-reproductive part of the plant) but they are usually treated as if they are fruits for culinary purposes. Many legal jurisdictions, including the US, class rhubarb as a fruit for regulatory purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rhubarb prefers cool, wet conditions, such as the northern US and Northern England.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rhubarb can be a strong laxative and has been used as such in China for at least 5000 years. It also appears in some European and Arabic medieval prescriptions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many parts of the rhubarb plant are toxic. Do not eat the leaves, which contain high levels of oxalic acid. The stalks contain a small amount of oxalic acid and some malic acid - these produce the tart flavor but are not present at toxic levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T12:58:52.960" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T12:58:52.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2344" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-06T22:02:46.747" Score="0" Body="Herbaceous perennials, Rheum x hybridum grown for their fruity but acidic leaf stalks." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T21:25:43.610" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T21:25:43.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2345" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-06T22:10:33.160" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Pot&quot; is a more colloquial name for a plant container but tends to be used for circular plant containers. The origins are because plant containers used to be ceramic - typically terracotta. Ceramics are still often used for plant pots, although plastics are now more common.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions specific to pots and smaller plant containers. For example, choosing the correct pot, problems with watering / drying out, pot-bound plants, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-06T22:10:33.160" LastActivityDate="2011-10-06T22:10:33.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2346" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-06T22:10:33.160" Score="0" Body="Plant containers that are typically round" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-06T22:10:33.160" LastActivityDate="2011-10-06T22:10:33.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2347" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-06T22:13:31.503" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/propagation&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;propagation&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;propagation&lt;/a&gt; refers to the process of producing more plants. The most common methods are by germinating seeds, and by creating &amp;amp; growing cuttings, but other methods include grafting, runners, division, and bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions that refer to propagation in general - what is the best way to propagate plant X? Questions about specific methods (eg. cuttings) should use the appropriate tag for that method: &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cutting&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cutting&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cutting&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/seed-starting&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;seed-starting&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;seed-starting&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/germination&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;germination&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;germination&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cloning&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cloning&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cloning&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tissue-culture&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tissue-culture&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tissue-culture&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/grafting&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;grafting&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;grafting&lt;/a&gt;, etc..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When cuttings are used the type of growing mediums are also referred as a propagation method. For example water, soil, coco coir, sphagnum moss, LECA (Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate) aka clay balls propagation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-08T00:57:43.627" LastActivityDate="2021-02-08T00:57:43.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2348" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-06T22:13:31.503" Score="0" Body="The process of producing more plants by seeds, cuttings, root division, etc. If possible use tags to further specify the propagation method used: [cutting], [seed-starting] or [germination], [cloning], [tissue-culture], [grafting]." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-08T00:57:53.707" LastActivityDate="2021-02-08T00:57:53.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2349" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-07T00:01:04.713" Score="10" ViewCount="985" Body="&lt;p&gt;I asked a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/876/is-there-any-way-to-tell-if-a-tomato-is-determinate-or-indeterminate-before-it-st&quot;&gt;question&lt;/a&gt; about this plant earlier.  It appears to be either indeterminate or semi-determinate as I've already harvested three tomatoes (on August 31) and the plant is flowering again.  I live in Southern California, so frost probably won't be an issue.  I hope I get another two or three fruit this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In reference to Peter Turner's &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/876/is-there-any-way-to-tell-if-a-tomato-is-determinate-or-indeterminate-before-it-st/913#913&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt;, the seeds didn't look like the Husky Hybrid seeds in the picture, though I don't know exactly what distinguishing features I ought to be looking for.  Fortunately, my wife took pictures of the fruit:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Eeh1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;whole tomato&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The scale is hard to gauge from this shot, but the fruit are a touch smaller than a billiard ball.  I'm not really sure what caused the cracks in the skin, but only two of the fruit had them.  More intriguing to me is the cross-section: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UGwVY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tomato cross-section&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see (blurrily), the tomato had two layers of seeds separated by a layer of flesh.  I believe all three tomatoes had double-layers of seeds.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not a tomato fan, but the taste I tried was especially sweet and didn't have as much of the &quot;tomato taste&quot; that I dislike in commercial tomatoes.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I keep forgetting to take a photo of the plant itself and I don't really know what to say about the appearance except that it's a tomato plant.  Is this enough to go by?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-08-16T19:06:25.383" Title="What sort of tomato has two layers of seeds?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2350" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-07T00:29:31.697" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Also known as &amp;quot;Irish Potato&amp;quot; (although originating from Peru), the potato is a significant staple for much of the world's population (on average, every human consumes 33 kg of potatoes per year). It is cultivated from &lt;em&gt;Solanum tuberosum&lt;/em&gt; of the &lt;em&gt;Solanaceae&lt;/em&gt; family. As such, it is related to nightshades, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tomatoes&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tomatoes&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tomatoes&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/chili&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;chili&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;chili&lt;/a&gt; peppers. The root system forms tubers which are principally starch - these form the potato crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some varieties of potato can form small green fruit that resemble green cherry tomatoes but with large numbers of seeds. These &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt; are toxic due to their high alkaloid content. Potato &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/leaves&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;leaves&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;leaves&lt;/a&gt; and green tubers should also not be eaten due to their high alkaloids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As befits such a widely used crop, there are over 4000 different varieties of potato. They are available in white, yellow, red, and purple colors. For culinary purposes they are also classed according to their starch content which influences their texture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about savoury 'Irish' potatoes. Use the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/sweet-potatoes&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;sweet-potatoes&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;sweet-potatoes&lt;/a&gt; tag for questions about the similar-looking, but unrelated sweet potato.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T14:11:26.003" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T14:11:26.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2351" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-07T00:29:31.697" Score="0" Body="Starchy tuber crop, member of the perennial Solanaceae" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-07T00:29:31.697" LastActivityDate="2011-10-07T00:29:31.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2352" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-07T00:33:57.993" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Jade, &lt;em&gt;Crassula ovata&lt;/em&gt;, is a common succulent house plant which is native to South Africa. It is named after the leaves which are a rich jade green color, although some varieties may show a red tinge. Leaves grow in opposing pairs on each branch. Stems start out the same color but turn brown and woody over time. Flowers are small and star-like, typically in white or pink colors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As with most houseplants, common pests include aphids and mealy bugs. Plants are notably susceptible to insecticides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: the 'dwarf jade plant' is actually the unrelated &lt;em&gt;Portulacaria afra&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about jade plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T14:59:02.857" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T14:59:02.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2353" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-07T00:33:57.993" Score="0" Body="Succulent house plant. Crassula ovata. Also known as: friendship tree, lucky plant, or money plant." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-04T12:42:52.360" LastActivityDate="2021-01-04T12:42:52.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2354" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-07T00:40:24.223" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Invasive plants are non-native plants which are well suited to their new environment. They grow particularly well and become &quot;invasive&quot;, invading places where they are not welcome, becoming a pest, and strangling other plant and animal life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As well as being non-native, invasive plants are usually fast growing (eg. fast growing shrubs planted to form hedges, or creeping plants), and lack local predators/consumers. They are often generalists that prosper in a wide range of conditions, although they may be more specialist and happen to suit the local conditions very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most States have lists of invasive and 'obnoxious' plants. All responsible gardeners should refrain from planting these plants. Unfortunately many nurseries and big-box stores will continue to sell known invasive problem plants - so always do your own independent research.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Animals can also be invasive although introductions are more likely to be accidental. Notable exceptions are European House Sparrows and Starlings which were deliberately introduced into the US by a 'lover of Shakespeare'. Most of the introduced bird species died out, but these two generalist species have adapted and are now pests across much of North and Central America.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tag will be used primarily for invasive plants, but can also be used for invasive animals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-07T00:40:24.223" LastActivityDate="2011-10-07T00:40:24.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2355" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-07T00:40:24.223" Score="0" Body="Invasive non-native problem plants" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-07T00:40:24.223" LastActivityDate="2011-10-07T00:40:24.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2356" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-07T00:46:13.073" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lettuce, &lt;em&gt;Lactuca sativa&lt;/em&gt; is a member of the &lt;em&gt;Asteraceae&lt;/em&gt; 'daisy' family. It is a temperate annual or biennial that is usually grown as a leaf vegetable, e.g. for salads. It is typically eaten raw, although Chinese cuisine often cooks the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lettuces prefer light, sandy, fertile soils that can hold water in summer. They typically do better in more temperate environments with day time highs below 75F and night time temperatures above 40F.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are hundreds of cultivars but these are typically grouped into six groups according to leaf shape and color:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Butterhead&lt;/strong&gt;. Buttery texture.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chinese Lettuce&lt;/strong&gt;. Long sword-shaped leaves. Bitter. Used in stir-fries and stews&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crisphead / Iceberg&lt;/strong&gt;. Tight dense head similar to cabbage. Mild flavor&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Looseleaf&lt;/strong&gt;. Tender, delicate, mild. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Romaine / Cos&lt;/strong&gt;. Long head of sturdy leaves with a firm rib.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Summer Crisp / Batavia&lt;/strong&gt;. Moderately dense heads with crunch texture.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing lettuces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T15:07:04.190" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T15:07:04.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2357" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-07T00:46:13.073" Score="0" Body="Temperate annual or biennial crop grown for salad leaves." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-07T00:46:13.073" LastActivityDate="2011-10-07T00:46:13.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2358" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2360" CreationDate="2011-10-07T01:44:59.123" Score="6" ViewCount="145" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Thanksgiving Cactus that is getting covered in flower buds but it is getting near the frost date. This plant was outdoors most of the year this year and it has grown like crazy. How do I keep it from dropping its flower buds in the transition from an outside shade location with a 45-75F temperature range, to an indoor location with fluorescent lighting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: It already has the flowers. My problem is the transition from outside to indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2011-10-10T01:17:40.597" LastActivityDate="2011-10-10T01:17:40.597" Title="How should I transition my Thanksgiving Cactus to artificial indoor light?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;holiday-cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2359" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2361" CreationDate="2011-10-07T01:55:09.610" Score="8" ViewCount="472" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O07bv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;This lily is odd because of its hosta-like evergreen leaves. It is tolerant of shallow planting, weekly mowing, poor soils, and dense shade. The flower is like an Easter lily. What is the variety name?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-07T02:03:09.550" LastActivityDate="2011-10-07T17:32:15.860" Title="What kind of lily is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2358" CreationDate="2011-10-07T02:05:48.547" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/thanksgiving-cactus.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; gives the following temperature information when flowers are setting:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Temperature: To set flower buds, the plant needs cool 60-65°F/16-18°C&#xA;  days and 45-55°F/7-13°C nights. Once buds set, 70-75°F/21-24°C days&#xA;  and 60-70°F/16-21°C nights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-10-07T02:05:48.547" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2361" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2359" CreationDate="2011-10-07T02:36:19.723" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Given that it grows on poor soils, is shallowly planted, is evergreen (since it stays green this time of year), and has a white easter lily like bloom. I would guess it is Madonna Lily (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.the-genus-lilium.com/candidum.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lilium candidum&lt;/a&gt;) (USDA zone 4-5).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7PIl7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lilium candidum&quot;&gt;&#xA;Photo of Lilium candidum at VanDusen Botanical Garden, taken July 2005 by &lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Stan_Shebs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stan Shebs&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/189407/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;A photo of madonna lily's evergreen basal growth&lt;/a&gt;, resembling your photo, can be found at Dave's Garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plant in question is growing in USDA zone 8-9, there may other options.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-07T17:32:15.860" LastActivityDate="2011-10-07T17:32:15.860" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2362" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2325" CreationDate="2011-10-07T02:44:16.517" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;First let me say, I'm no expert when it comes to sharpening lawnmower blades, I've done it on the odd occasion -- only on &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawn_mower#Rotary_mowers_2&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;rotary mower&lt;/a&gt; blades, never on &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawn_mower#Cylinder_or_Reel_mowers&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;cylinder or reel mower&lt;/a&gt; blades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do sharpen my own hand-tools, things like wood chisels, plane blades, etc and use sharpening stones to do those, but when it comes to lawnmower blades I've personally found it's more cost effect to pay a &amp;quot;professional&amp;quot; to do it...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cylinder or Reel mowers&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G1rB6.png&quot; alt=&quot;Reel mower&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5x3X5.png&quot; alt=&quot;NaturCut Classic mower&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For cylinder or reel mower blades it's my understanding (and experience) it makes the most sense to take them in and get them sharpened by a &amp;quot;professional&amp;quot; who specialises in lawn tools.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I mainly say the above because even my dad who was a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundry&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;foundryman&lt;/a&gt; by trade and done everything himself around the home, would spend his money to get his cylinder lawnmower blades sharpened once a year. Then through the course of the lawn cutting season he would regularly &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honing_%28metalworking%29&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;hone&lt;/a&gt; the blades himself via a combination of fine &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_%28tool%29&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;metalwork files&lt;/a&gt; and sandpaper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Via a web search I see you can buy reel mower sharpening kits, I honestly have no experience with them (nor do I know anyone who has used such a kit), therefore I can't comment on how good or bad they might be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no affiliation with the below links, am just posting them as examples of what I found on the web:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reelmowers.info/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Reel Mowers Sharpening&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B00004R9UM&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;American Lawn Mower SK-1 Reel Mower Sharpening Kit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rotary mowers&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dcy7J.png&quot; alt=&quot;Craftsman lawnmower&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/diAZa.png&quot; alt=&quot;Troy-Bilt lawnmower&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For rotary mower blades you have a number of ways (tools) you can choose to sharpen those blades. Which method you use pretty much comes down to personal choice, each method has pluses and negatives associated with them...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fine &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_%28tool%29&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;metalwork files&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandpaper&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;sandpaper&lt;/a&gt; (old school).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Personally I think this method is best used for regular honing ie Keeping the blade edge sharp through the lawn cutting season.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Handheld &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpening_stone&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;sharpening stones&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Again probably best used for regular honing...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Handheld &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angle_grinder&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;angle grinder&lt;/a&gt; and a fine metalwork file (for removing &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr_%28metal%29&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;burrs&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Takes a steady hand and more experience (skill, a light touch) than other methods to achieve good results -- mainly because it's very easy to remove too much material quickly...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Personally I think this method is best reserved for blades that have (large) nicks in them, use the grinder to remove those nicks, then finish the job, hone the blade edge, with a fine metalwork file (or handheld sharpening stone) and sandpaper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also keep in mind, the heat generated by the action of the grinding disc can have a negative effect on the blade itself...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bench_grinder&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bench-top grinder&lt;/a&gt; and a fine metalwork file (for removing &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr_%28metal%29&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;burrs&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Very similar to the above handheld angle grinder method in its pros and cons. That said, I believe it's the chosen method used by most &amp;quot;professionals&amp;quot; that offer lawn blade sharpening services.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Specialist lawnmower blade sharpening attachments, available for a variety of different power-tools eg (I have no affiliation with the below links...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lowes.com/pd_37237-442-490-850-0006_0__?productId=3168807&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;PreciseFit Blade Balancer and Sharpener Kit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B00008Z9ZR&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dremel 675 Lawn Mower and Garden Tool Sharpener Attachment&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;These specialist sharpening attachments probably offer the best (easiest) method for the &amp;quot;average&amp;quot; person who wishes to sharpen their own lawnmower blade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After using such a specialist sharpening attachment I'd still recommend getting a fine metalworking file out and use it to remove any burrs that might be present, even if it only takes a couple of strokes with the file to-do-so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recommended (safety) equipment if doing it yourself&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sharpening tools from from one of the above methods (or from a method I haven't listed above).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A scrap piece of 2&amp;quot;x4&amp;quot; (50x100) timber, used for wedging the blade in place when removing it from the lawnmower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Suitably sized &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_wrench&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;socket rachet&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrench&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;spanner&lt;/a&gt; ie Correct size to remove bolt(s) holding the blade on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Optional -- correct size spark-plug socket.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bench-top &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vise&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;vise&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Or a suitable &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clamp_%28tool%29&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;clamp&lt;/a&gt; (eg &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-clamp&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;G-clamp&lt;/a&gt;) you can use to clamp the blade to a flat work surface.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Blade balancer (basically a small &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cone&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;cone&lt;/a&gt;) or a large nail/screw driven ⅔ (fixed securely) into a wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Heavy-duty work gloves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Safety glasses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Handheld (stiff) &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_brush&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;wire brush&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some sort of cleaning cloth/rag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Can of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicone#Lubricants&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;silicon based spray&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;General lawnmower blade sharpening procedure&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove the wire from the spark-plug. Some recommend then removing the spark-plug, personally I don't think it's required to-do-so, but if you want to play it extra safe, remove the spark-plug as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now the lawnmower needs to be &amp;quot;laid on its side&amp;quot; so the blade can be removed. The trick I use (prevents petrol/gas from leaking out of the tank), is to tilt the lawnmower backwards and place a heavy toolbox on the handle to prevent the lawnmower from coming back down. See below image &lt;em&gt;(click to enlarge)...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VzimR.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VzimRm.png&quot; alt=&quot;Lawnmower titled backwards&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put on the heavy-duty work gloves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the lawnmower &amp;quot;laid on its side&amp;quot; or tilted back, wedge the scrap piece of timber in between the blade and the cutting deck so the blade is unable to spin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove the bolt(s) holding the blade on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put on the safety glasses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the handheld (stiff) wire brush clean off as much bits and pieces (gunk) as you can. Then take the cleaning cloth and wipe off the blade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Securely clamp the blade in the bench-top vise or clamp it down to a flat work surface using an appropriate clamp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Obviously the above step isn't required if using the bench-top grinder method of sharpening.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sharpen the blade using your chosen sharpening method. Take your time, remove as little material as possible, do your very best to sharpen the blade to the manufactured angle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Take the fine metalwork file and remove any burrs that might be present on the backside of the blade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you've finished sharpening the blade (both ends), remove from the vise (or clamp).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before putting the blade back on the lawnmower you need to &amp;quot;balance&amp;quot; it. If the blade isn't balanced:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You will get an uneven cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vibration of the blade will put excessive wear and tear on your lawnmower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also a blade that is vibrating is a serious accident waiting to happen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;To &amp;quot;balance&amp;quot; the blade, ether place it on the blade balancer or hang it on the large nail/screw, via the bolt hole in the middle of the blade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the blade is balanced it will not tip one-way or the other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the blade isn't balanced it will tip down on one side (the heavy side), that side of the blade needs to have a little bit of material removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Back to your chosen sharpening method to remove a little bit of material from the heavy side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Recheck the blade to see if it's balanced...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once the blade is balanced, lightly spray the whole blade with the silicon based spray, then wipe off any excess with the cleaning cloth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bolt the blade back in place, making sure you put the blade back the correct way up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't forget to reconnect the spark-plug (or put it back in if you took it out).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The below video may prove helpful/useful:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXLygHF6El4&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Sharpen a Lawn Mower Blade&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wish to read about my &amp;quot;annual&amp;quot; lawnmower maintenance ritual, you can do so here on SE: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;What's an organic way to discourage crabgrass from a large “lawn”?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and I hope the above proves somewhat helpful/useful...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-12-19T00:04:08.577" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2363" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-07T02:54:57.123" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The name &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/holiday-cactus&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;holiday-cactus&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;holiday-cactus&lt;/a&gt; is used for a number of tropical epiphyte cacti. Most are closely related species of &lt;em&gt;Schlumbergera&lt;/em&gt;, but the name is also used for &lt;em&gt;Rhipsalis gaertneri&lt;/em&gt; (&quot;Easter Cactus&quot;). Most modern cultivated holiday cacti are hybrids between &lt;em&gt;S. truncata&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;S. russelliana&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants have distinctive stems made of leaf-like segments. Propagation by cuttings is relatively simple by breaking off a segment and planting it in sandy soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flowering is triggered by cooler temperatures and short days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all of the holiday cacti.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schlumbergera_truncata_(1).jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ivwyVm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;Source: Wikimedia Commons&lt;br&gt;Author: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/people/62528187@N00&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dwight Sipler&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-07T04:33:24.630" LastActivityDate="2011-10-07T04:33:24.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2364" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-07T02:54:57.123" Score="0" Body="The common holiday cacti are Thanksgiving Cactus, Christmas Cactus, and Easter Cactus. Closely related species from genera Schlumbergera, and also Rhipsalis." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-07T04:33:24.647" LastActivityDate="2011-10-07T04:33:24.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2365" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2321" CreationDate="2011-10-07T11:46:30.063" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your sweet potato is very special. It has a disorder of unknown cause called &lt;em&gt;fasciation&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cipotato.org/publications/pdf/002435.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sweetpotato: Major Pests, Diseases, and Nutritional Disorders&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (1997) by&#xA;T. Ames, N.E.J.M. Smit, A.R. Braun, J.N. O’Sullivan, and L.G. Skoglund, page 112:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Fasciation&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cause unknown&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Symptoms.&lt;/strong&gt; Vines become very broad and flattened—fasciated. This&#xA;symptom becomes more pronounced toward the shoot tip.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Biology.&lt;/strong&gt; Plants have been known to exhibit spontaneous remission&#xA;of symptoms. It has been suggested that this is a physiological&#xA;disorder or that it is caused by a bacterium of the &lt;em&gt;Rhodococcus&lt;/em&gt; genus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Distribution and importance.&lt;/strong&gt; Fasciation is found throughout the&#xA;world wherever sweetpotato is grown. It is not known whether yields&#xA;are affected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Control.&lt;/strong&gt; No control is known.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/fascinatingfasciation.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article on fasciation&lt;/a&gt; from the Purdue University horticultural extension. Apparently, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/annuals/celosia_crista.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;the cockscomb form of &lt;em&gt;Celosia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a common bedding plant, is an example of fasciation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I guess your sweet potato is not so special after all. According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://quod.lib.umich.edu/n/nal/17038117.0099.001/109?view=image&amp;amp;size=100&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;A Monographic Study of Sweet-Potato Diseases and Their Control&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (1929) by  L. L. Harter and J. L. Weimer,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fasciation in sweet potatoes is so general that it is sometimes&#xA;difficult to find a plant in which it is not present in one form or&#xA;another.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-10-07T14:20:15.327" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2366" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2373" CreationDate="2011-10-08T13:45:33.043" Score="8" ViewCount="3882" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm installing a sprinkler system, and have to install a backflow preventer and pressure regulator at the start of the line.  What I don't like about this is having random bits of plumbing sticking out of my yard where they'll get hit by things, and look unsightly.  There is already a stub for irrigation water inside the house (in the basement) with a shutoff valve and a pipe going back outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there an indoor or underground option for backflow preventers?  Or do they have to stick out of the ground somewhere?  Do they have to be higher than any point in the line past them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="53" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-08T14:52:13.430" LastActivityDate="2012-01-17T17:38:34.397" Title="What options do I have for placing/installing a backflow preventer?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2367" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-08T20:12:44.707" Score="12" ViewCount="15477" Body="&lt;p&gt;When patching a section of an existing lawn, should the turf be laid &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;a) &lt;em&gt;very slightly&lt;/em&gt; above existing ground level (to allow for settling)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;b) &lt;em&gt;very slightly&lt;/em&gt; below existing ground level (to give it more protection from drying out)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;c) completely flush with the existing ground level&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YhrSO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2021-03-14T13:39:49.700" LastActivityDate="2021-03-14T13:39:49.700" Title="Should turf be laid above, below or flush with existing ground level?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;sod&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2368" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2369" CreationDate="2011-10-08T23:52:26.387" Score="10" ViewCount="4900" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought and planted an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_rubrum&quot;&gt;October Glory maple&lt;/a&gt; sapling with a trunk about 1.5&quot; in diameter. I did everything the nursery worker told me to while transplanting it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I dug a hole twice as wide as the plastic tub it came in.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I removed it from the plastic tub and sliced the edges of the attached roots/soil with a box cutter every 90°.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I used a mix of 50% soil from digging out the hole, 30% good topsoil, and 20% mulch to fill in around the roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Before planting, I tilled a circle of about 10' in diameter around where I planted the tree.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I mulched the tilled area, and made sure not to pile up mulch around the trunk of the tree.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've been watering the surrounding area well once a week for two weeks now.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree had plenty of green leaves and looked very healthy when I planted it. However, the leaves turned brown, shriveled up and fell off this week. They didn't turn the bright red that they're supposed to. Other trees in the area are just barely starting to lose leaves - most of them are still in the process of changing color. Should I be worried that my tree is dying, or am I just paranoid?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-09T00:12:56.703" LastActivityDate="2011-10-09T01:52:04.933" Title="Why didn't my maple leaves change color in the fall after transplanting?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2369" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2368" CreationDate="2011-10-09T00:37:01.550" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is just classic 'transplant shock'. While undesirable, it is also unavoidable when transplanting plants/trees from a nursery to your home. From what you've described, you've taken the right steps to reduce shock. However, there are external factors beyond your control, such as the humidity and environment in the area where the sapling was grown (if it has a 1.5&quot; thick trunk, it's at least 1-2 years old), its feeding and watering schedule there, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For now, I would suggest that you water more regularly. While it's true that trees (established) require deep watering once a week, younger trees and saplings require a slightly more frequent schedule. I'd recommend at least twice a week at your current watering level, or thrice a week if you can reduce the amount of water (Perhaps someone who has grown maples can chime in on this and suggest something more appropriate if this isn't).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After you've taken steps to minimize the shock, the only other thing that you can do now is to wait. Have patience; sometimes trees take a lot longer to recover and you just have to wait it out. The critical thing right now is to realize that your sapling might not produce any more fresh leaves, but this doesn't necessarily mean it is dead. It just had a very abrupt and short Fall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since it's already into Fall now, do not try to fertilize it or try to boost new growth or prune it. For all you know, it could've just dropped its leaves early and started hibernating. If you prod it to produce fresh growth, it won't be ready for the winter, which is much worse than transplant shock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-09T01:52:04.933" LastActivityDate="2011-10-09T01:52:04.933" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2367" CreationDate="2011-10-09T01:32:48.123" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lay it on top of the prepared soil, and around the edges move some of the soil out in order to leave it flush with the adjacent ground. This will work in most situations. If you live in an extremely dry area you would want to leave it slightly below the surrounding ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-10-09T01:32:48.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2371" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2376" CreationDate="2011-10-09T01:56:10.670" Score="10" ViewCount="871" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small evergreen shrub that gets frost burn in winter. I had been told to use tar paper on it over winter, but I was concerned that since it is a broad-leaved evergreen it might need light in winter. Is there a good way to cover it that doesn't set it back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-09T02:03:18.043" LastActivityDate="2016-03-17T22:35:44.480" Title="Can I cover an evergreen shrub in winter?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;broad-leaved-evergreens&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2372" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-09T15:34:26.423" Score="7" ViewCount="272" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw it my friend's album. What is this flower?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;(Click to enlarge)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xE652.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xE652m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-09T15:56:48.890" LastActivityDate="2019-09-01T20:19:23.020" Title="What is this pink or blue colored flower with a white ring in the center?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2366" CreationDate="2011-10-09T16:14:10.023" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, my (very) limited in-ground sprinkler system knowledge is pretty much documented here on SE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1904/how-do-i-go-about-planning-the-layout-of-a-sprinkler-network-for-my-lawn/1970#1970&quot;&gt;How do I go about planning the layout of a sprinkler network for my lawn?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, as far as I'm aware there are certain types of &quot;backflow preventers&quot; that can be installed indoors or underground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are able to use one of those devices (or are required to use some other kind of &quot;backflow device&quot;) in your irrigation system, will &quot;normally&quot; come down to local building codes and/or local water company requirements. Therefore before installing any kind of &quot;backflow device&quot; it is recommend (required) that you check with those two local requirements before proceeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The below &quot;backflow device&quot; resources should prove helpful/useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/backflow-preventers.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Irrigation Backflow Preventers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/Irrigation-Backflow-Devices-s/21.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Irrigation Backflow Devices for lawn sprinkler and irrigation systems&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/crops/04714.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Home Sprinkler Systems: Backflow Prevention Devices&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and please report back here with what kind of &quot;backflow device&quot; you end up having to use/install...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T17:51:22.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2374" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2367" CreationDate="2011-10-09T16:27:49.690" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;When placing turf/sod patches into an existing lawn I will initially install them approximately 1inch (25mm) higher than the existing lawn, then using a combination of a scaffold board and my weight I will &amp;quot;settle&amp;quot; the newly installed patches so they are level or very! slightly above the existing lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1507/how-to-drain-lawn-with-very-little-slope/1515#1515&quot;&gt;How to drain lawn with very little slope?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bring in enough 50-50 mix of &amp;quot;good&amp;quot; quality screened top soil &amp;amp; &amp;quot;good&amp;quot; quality screened compost to level the excavated area into the surrounding lawn area. Finished level should be approximately 1inch (25mm) below new finished lawn level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay back the properly stacked lawn (sod), it should be sitting approximately 1inch (25mm) higher than required new finished lawn level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay a scaffold-board over the top of the reinstalled lawn (sod). Shuffle along the board a few times, this will ensure you get good contact between the lawn (sod) and the soil underneath. Move the board over the width of the board, repeat &amp;quot;shuffle&amp;quot; process. Repeat, repeat... until you've tamped down the complete reinstalled lawn (sod) area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water the reinstalled lawn area so it's moist. Repeat this watering daily for a week or so. After that, if there is no rain, water entire lawn as you would normally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1765/how-to-fill-low-spots-over-existing-grass-in-my-yard/1767#1767&quot;&gt;How to fill low spots over existing grass in my yard?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Add your fill material (see below for recommendation).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If adding more than 4inch (100mm) depth of material, add in 4inch (100mm) layers, each layer should be &amp;quot;lightly&amp;quot; tamped down (do not over compact).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carefully lay back your sod, the sod should sit approximately 1 inch (25mm) above your finished required level ie The relaid sod should be sitting high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lay a scaffold board (or similar) over the relaid sod, shuffle up and down the board a few times. This will ensure good contact is made between the fill material and the sod, and the sod will lower (settle) to it's new final required level.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sprinkle a thin layer (¼ to ½inch / 6.25 to 12.5mm) of compost over the area you've finished bringing up to grade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water once a day for the next 7 days, so the area remains moist (but not saturated).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;After that time, water your entire lawn as you would normally.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-10-09T16:27:49.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2375" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-09T17:18:10.547" Score="6" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1529/should-i-be-concerned-about-mushrooms-in-my-lawn&quot;&gt;Should I be concerned about mushrooms in my lawn?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every time I mow my lawn, I find a few of these bulbs of fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y0fT9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes they are brown like in the picture I took and sometimes they are more white and smooth looking.  I usually just scoop them up and throw them away.  When I manipulate them they generally throw a bunch of &quot;dust&quot; around which I assume are spoors that are spreading them potentially.  They are always on one side of the house which I'm guessing has some decaying matter in it due to a neighbor's pear tree.  Other than getting rid of the pears when I see them, is there anything I can do to stop these things from growing?  Are they particularly dangerous to the lawn?  Are they going to keep spreading?  And what the heck are they anyways?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="691" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-10-09T17:18:10.547" Title="What to do about fungus in lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2011-10-09T18:05:19.263" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2371" CreationDate="2011-10-09T17:53:47.007" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Personally I would wrap the shrub, but leave the top open to the elements -- unless heavy snow load, damage, is a problem in your area, or the shrub you're protecting is susceptible to snow damage...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bang into the ground a number of suitably sized timber stakes around the shrub:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Suitably sized timber stakes = 1inch x 1inch (25mm x 25mm) to 2inch x 2inch (50mm x 50mm), with a point cut in one end -- this will make driving them into the ground that much easier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut the timber stakes to the height of the shrub you're protecting + 12inchs (300mm) minimum --  this will allow at least 12inchs (300mm) of the stakes to be embedded into the ground, thus giving your &quot;protection system&quot; adequate strength.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For maximum Wintertime protection:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Install the stakes about 6 to 8inches (150 to 200mm) away from the shrub you're protecting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wrap the stakes with something like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Burlap.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A horticultural thermal/fleece blanket.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chicken wire.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plastic mesh.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill the enclosure with something like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Non-diseased Autumn fall leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Straw.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For minimum to moderate Wintertime protection:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Install the stakes as close as you can to the shrub you're protecting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wrap the stakes with something like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Burlap.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A horticultural thermal/fleece blanket.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The below articles, documents may also prove helpful/useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/protecting-from-winter-damage/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Protecting Trees and Shrubs Against Winter Damage&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://osufacts.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-1121/HLA-6404web.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Winter Protection for Landscape Plants&lt;/a&gt; (direct link to PDF)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/ho/other/fs8874.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Preventing Winter Injury to Landscape Plants&lt;/a&gt; (direct link to PDF)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/weather_coldweather.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cold weather - BBC Gardening Guides&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-17T22:35:44.480" LastActivityDate="2016-03-17T22:35:44.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2377" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2372" CreationDate="2011-10-09T19:04:43.163" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pericallis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pericallis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And as certain as I can (dare) be:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=B563&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Florist's cineraria &lt;em&gt;(Pericallis x hybrida)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54084/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Florist's cineraria &lt;em&gt;(Pericallis cruenta)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-10-09T19:04:43.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2378" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2450" CreationDate="2011-10-10T01:55:28.817" Score="16" ViewCount="30895" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an area that is being taken over by wild blackberry thickets. this area had been growing wild flowers and is on a dry southwest slope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I get rid of them, preferably via organic means, and prevent them from taking over again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once I've cleared the area of them, I will probably scatter wildflower seeds or something similar...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T18:09:48.757" LastActivityDate="2019-05-06T20:18:59.010" Title="How do I get rid of wild blackberry?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2379" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-10T04:20:00.543" Score="7" ViewCount="5261" Body="&lt;p&gt;Everywhere I've lived, the dog urine just kills the grass. I've found nothing on the internet and the garden person at the local hardware said it's impossible. Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="692" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-10T14:59:50.540" LastActivityDate="2019-03-05T17:17:10.500" Title="How do I stop dog urine from killing grass?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;domestic-animals&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2380" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2381" CreationDate="2011-10-10T12:11:40.560" Score="9" ViewCount="4409" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a trail about 10' wide going down a hill in the woods behind my house. This particular section has a ~10-15% grade. It receives regular foot, tractor, and log skidding (i.e. behind the tractor) traffic, so there's not much that grows in the pathway (and planting some kind of turf grass won't work). The soil is gravelly under the duff layer. The area receives minimal light since this is going through the woods. The edge of the trail is a mix of brush, saplings, and large trees -- more the latter than the former.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When we get heavy rain, parts of the trail wash out. It can be repaired, but I prefer prevention over cure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are my options for preventing erosion on this trail?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-10-10T12:57:43.603" Title="How can I control erosion on a steep trail?" Tags="&lt;erosion-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2380" CreationDate="2011-10-10T12:57:43.603" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Suggestion gleaned from &lt;a href=&quot;http://blueandwhitecrew.org/overseerinfo/erosion.php&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might try some water bars. This is a small trench at an angle (30-40 degrees) to the trail at intervals filled with rocks or a log. These will catch water and shunt it to the sides of the trail so that it will not flow down your path. They also suggest digging drainage ditches along the sides of the trail to catch the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Id suggest (partly because they are effective and partly because they are really pretty) forsythia planted along the sides of the ditches to prevent erosion of the sides of the ditches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something like mulch or landscape fabric might also be worth considering, but so far it looks like water bars may be your best bet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2011-10-10T12:57:43.603" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2379" CreationDate="2011-10-10T13:07:34.353" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think some lateral thinking is required. I'm going to assume the dog is yours. If not, then you need to look at fencing, calling your city's animal services, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the options that come to mind:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Train your dog. Despite the proverb, even adult dogs can be trained.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When you choose a new dog, try to go for a male. It is a myth that bitches have hormones which kill the grass. Yes they have different hormones in their urine, but the quantities are far too low to have vegetative effects. Male dogs mark their territory - spreading their urine around. The dead patches are just fertilizer burn - basically the bitch does it all on one spot.  (our male dog has only produced a dead spot when he has pee-ed in the same place for weeks on end)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As it is just fertilizer burn, watering down with a hose afterwards may be effective.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Walk your dog regularly (and clean up after them). They will then mainly pee elsewhere. First thing in the morning, and perhaps again in the evening. Also a way of getting some exercise.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-10T20:33:09.413" LastActivityDate="2011-10-10T20:33:09.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2383" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2384" CreationDate="2011-10-10T13:28:13.023" Score="8" ViewCount="16361" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a indoor basil potted plant in an office environment and over the weekend holes appeared on the surface of the soil, as if something dug them. The pots are next to a window, but it's closed at the weekends. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few times I've I noticed cockroaches in the bathroom, but it's 10-20 feet away and the office is locked and the door is well sealed. It's an old building, I can see some holes in the ceiling, where the pipes are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do cockroaches like to dig holes in potted planets, or could it be something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click below images to enlarge...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WW21p.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WW21pm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Holes dug in indoor pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YH454.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YH454m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Holes dug in indoor pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GWhva.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GWhvam.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Holes dug in indoor pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="693" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-10T13:09:34.330" LastActivityDate="2018-02-10T13:09:34.330" Title="What's digging holes in my indoor potted plants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2384" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2383" CreationDate="2011-10-10T14:44:46.450" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having looked at the photos you kindly uploaded, I honest don't think cockroaches are the pest digging holes in your indoor pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I had to guess (and at best it's an &quot;educated guess&quot;), I would say the digging pest in your indoor environment is a mouse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&quot;Educated guess&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; = If you're aware of a cockroach &lt;em&gt;problem&lt;/em&gt; in the building, then without much doubt the building would also have a mouse &lt;em&gt;problem&lt;/em&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; And how do i get rid of it / them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest speaking with the boss and make them aware of the cockroach (and most likely mouse) &lt;em&gt;problem&lt;/em&gt;. Under &quot;Health &amp;amp; Safety&quot; I don't believe it's something they can ignore ie They will have to get in a pest control &quot;professional&quot; to deal with the &lt;em&gt;problems&lt;/em&gt; (cockroaches, mice, etc). It isn't a &lt;em&gt;problem&lt;/em&gt; you or your co-workers should have to tackle, or an environment you should have to work in (IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-10T15:04:24.577" LastActivityDate="2011-10-10T15:04:24.577" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2385" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-10T17:03:50.170" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gardens are often shared/maintained with domestic animals - typically pets such as cats, and dogs as well as maintenance animals such as goats, chickens, and rabbits. Use this tag for all gardening questions that involve domestic animals. On-topic questions would include: plant toxicity to domestic animals;  keeping domestic animals out of areas of the garden; limiting/controlling garden damage cause by domestic animals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-06-16T22:19:48.673" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T22:19:48.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2386" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-10T17:03:50.170" Score="0" Body="For questions about domestic animals (e.g. cats &amp; dogs &amp; chickens) in the garden. For questions related to dogs, use the [dog] tag. Also checkout other animal related tags such as [deer], [rabbits], [squirrel]." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-05T12:41:28.020" LastActivityDate="2021-02-05T12:41:28.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2387" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2378" CreationDate="2011-10-10T17:27:53.567" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is a whacky/crazy idea that you can try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clear as much of the thicket as you can by cutting it down. It doesn't have to be a very neat/professional job; just enough to help you get to parts you can't otherwise access.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/IQ0cI.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kill it with fire&lt;/a&gt;! Get a flame weeder or a blow-torch attached to a propane tank and burn them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The point of flame weeding is not really to incinerate the plant, but to raise temperatures to very uncomfortable levels so that the plant tissues cook/breakdown, effectively shutting off its production and food transport, thereby killing it. In this case, I would suggest going a little beyond just raising the temperatures, but not far enough to burn it (requires judgement on your part). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you can get your hands (no no, not your hands!) on some liquid nitrogen, you can clear out some of the soil surrounding the remaining root stubs and pour liquid N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; on it. This should instantly freeze the roots and all living tissue so badly that nothing can grow from it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wait for a little while and then water a small area surrounding the roots deeply. Drive a few thin &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B001SLEOQG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;tree watering stakes&lt;/a&gt; close to the roots and then pour some more liquid N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; in it. The point here is to saturate the soil with water and freeze all the remaining underground root system.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The advantage of using a combination of flame weeder + liquid N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; is that there is absolutely no damage to the soil. You're not adding any chemicals/pesticides/weedicides etc to the soil. There is no risk of over nitrification either, as the form of nitrogen is not one that plants can intake. Besides, it'll quickly vaporize and escape into the atmosphere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Disclaimer:&lt;/strong&gt; I have not done any of this, and it might be a lot of work. But it certainly is a fun thing to try (for science!) and I probably would if I had something that I badly wanted to nuke out of my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CAUTION&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Be careful with flame weeders/propane tanks. Have a buddy behind, just in case things go wrong and you need help. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do not apply flame on dried wood.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Liquid N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; is dangerous. It can instantly freeze your skin/tissue irreparably.  Use appropriate containers to store it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do not&lt;/strong&gt; seal liquid N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; in anything! Especially, do not cover the top of the tree stake with the cap that's usually provided. The gas expansion is pretty rapid and could pop-off with great force, possibly injuring someone.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-10-10T17:27:53.567" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2389" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2391" CreationDate="2011-10-10T19:11:12.667" Score="16" ViewCount="2746" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cannot compost, no room, no permission. My kitchen produces a steady output of used coffee grounds, which is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sunset.com/garden/earth-friendly/starbucks-coffee-compost-test-00400000016986/&quot;&gt;good slow release nitrogen source (2.3 .06 .6)&lt;/a&gt;, should not attract pests or transmit diseases, and used in moderate amounts should not cause problems for plants.  So I figure I should be able to spread used coffee grounds over the garden without composting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any other typical household waste products that I can use on the garden without composting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T16:57:11.230" Title="What household wastes can you use to fertilize without composting?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;coffee-grounds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2390" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2595" CreationDate="2011-10-10T19:24:00.633" Score="8" ViewCount="197" Body="&lt;p&gt;Old-fashioned &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peony&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;peonies&lt;/a&gt; are among my favorite perennials, easy to grow, spectacular in flower and awesomely fragrant. The old fully double varieties, however, have a serious weakness: a single rain storm while they are in bloom will completely trash them. The flowers will fill with water until they weigh a couple pounds each and crash to the ground. No amount of staking or support helps much. (Some examples from around the web: &lt;a href=&quot;http://atoiletale.blogspot.com/2011/05/peonies-with-pow.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Georgia&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://perennialpassion.blogspot.com/2010/06/peonies-were-trashed-before-i-even-saw.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Michigan&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynndy/2567651649/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Illinois&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The newer &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/madaise/3556945977/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;single&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/stella12/5801321227/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;semi-double&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/stella12/5801317697/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;anemone-flowered&lt;/a&gt; peonies are better in this regard. The less congested petals of these types let the rain water drain out, so these flop much less. Unfortunately, in experience, they are also either completely scentless or only very lightly scented.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wonder if anyone can suggest the most fragrant varieties from among the single, semi-double, and anemone-flowered forms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-10T19:33:13.927" LastActivityDate="2011-10-25T15:34:30.243" Title="What are the most fragrant non-double peonies?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;peonies&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2391" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2389" CreationDate="2011-10-10T23:26:56.547" Score="14" Body="&lt;h2&gt;Eggshells&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Eggshells can be used uncomposted and relatively mess-free. These provide calcium to plants. As you use eggs, keep the shells in a gallon ziplock bag in your freezer (so they don't stink). Crush the shells as you go along so you can store more in the bag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the bag is really full, spread the shells on a cookie sheet and bake on low heat (160F or so -- the lowest setting in your oven) until they're fully dry. I think I left them in for about 40 minutes last time I did this. This might make your kitchen smell a little funky, but it isn't nearly as bad as when someone microwaves leftover fish in the office break room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When they're dry, put them in a food processor and puree into a powder. This can give off some dust. I do it outside to keep the kitchen clean. You could probably crush them up small enough manually in the kitchen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spread the powder around your plants to provide extra calcium. You can scrape back the mulch and spread it under the mulch if you don't want it to show in your beds. (I put a little scoop of powder in the transplant hole when I set out tomatoes, peppers, and other &quot;hungry&quot; plants, but this won't apply to your perennial garden.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could spread larger chunks of shells, but it would get ugly pretty fast. Eggshells don't really break down in any reasonable amount of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Wood Ash&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a fireplace or wood stove, you can use of wood ash as a fertilizer in your lawn and garden. (Don't use the ash if you burn anything besides firewood; other materials may add contaminants.) Ash will raise your pH, so don't use it if you have alkaline soil already -- and ease up on the lime if you have acid soil that normally requires liming. Ash has varying amounts of nutrients, but 0-1-3 (N-P-K) would be a reasonable guess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also been mentioned in a couple of &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/slugs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'slugs'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;slugs&lt;/a&gt; questions here that you can surround your plants with a thin line of ash to keep slugs off -- apparently they don't like to crawl over it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Newspaper and Corrugated Cardboard&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Black and white (not colored or glossy) newspaper and corrugated cardboard (uncolored and uncoated) can be used as the bottom layers of a sheet mulch for preparing new garden beds. These make decent weed barriers. Be sure to use several sheets of newspaper so that it is thick enough. Be sure to overlap the edges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-10-14T11:33:42.553" LastActivityDate="2011-10-14T11:33:42.553" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="125" CreationDate="2011-10-11T02:26:14.470" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Place clear plastic water bottles in your garden, half fill them with water so it can be seen there is water inside. Cats and dogs mostly will not poop there as it by instinct not to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you can try putting sticks in your gardens, poking up! If there is no clear place to rest you bottom, then you will find another place where you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="695" LastActivityDate="2011-10-11T02:26:14.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2393" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2394" CreationDate="2011-10-11T02:34:43.497" Score="10" ViewCount="3808" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a weed in my lawn which is prolific where the grass is of low height.  It is a very small clover with yellow flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the Sydney, Australia region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a photo with a ruler to scale:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5qPlt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5qPltl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1 inch = 2.54 centimeters&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="695" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-11T03:48:35.383" LastActivityDate="2011-10-13T01:47:50.253" Title="What type of miniature clover is growing with yellow flowers in my short Australian lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;identification&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2393" CreationDate="2011-10-11T03:41:03.090" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe what you have there is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis_stricta&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yellow Woodsorrel &lt;em&gt;(Oxalis stricta)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it isn't, I'm 90 to 95% certain it's in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Oxalis&lt;/a&gt; genus, which Yellow Woodsorrel belongs to...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.herbiguide.com.au/Descriptions/hg_Yellow_Wood_Sorrel.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yellow Wood Sorrel&lt;/a&gt; via HerbiGuide (Australia)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.turf.uiuc.edu/weed_web/descriptions/oxalis.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yellow woodsorrel&lt;/a&gt; via Midwest Sod Council&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/oxast.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yellow Woodsorrel&lt;/a&gt; via Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kudos to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/397/lisa&quot;&gt;Lisa&lt;/a&gt; for the local &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_Under&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Down Under&lt;/a&gt; information:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Where I come from (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Australia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;SA&lt;/a&gt;) it's called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/weeds_herbs_perennial_soursob&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;Soursob&quot;&lt;/a&gt; and as far as I know its binomial name is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis_pes-caprae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Oxalis pes-caprae&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It is an extremely well known weed throughout the agricultural regions of Australia and some studies identify it as a health risk for grazing livestock. You can use it as a herb apparently, though most people spend countless hours of their lives trying to kill it!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/02/15/2819886.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;891's Talkback Gardening with Jon Lamb and Ashley Walsh&lt;/a&gt; podcast, listen to the below show as the Aussie gardening superstars talk about dealing with soursobs (and hopefully similar species in Oxalis genus). Listen at 22:30 and 32:23.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/local/adelaide/201108/r819626_7412696.mp3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tallback Gardening 270811&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-10-13T01:47:50.253" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2395" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2396" CreationDate="2011-10-11T17:09:36.243" Score="9" ViewCount="324" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been told to follow up an infestation of apple scab by composting any leaf litter on the orchard floor to destroy spores. I plan to haul away most of the leaves to my garden composter but a 5% urea solution is indicated for the orchard floor. How much should I need per mature tree (10 ft diameter drip line) and are there any safety concerns with preparing the solution in a sprayer tank?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I figure 5% urea solution is about 2 lbs (pounds) urea in 5 gallons. It comes from my coop in 50 lb bags of prills. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="697" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-11T18:04:51.573" LastActivityDate="2011-10-11T18:36:49.627" Title="How to prepare urea for orchard composting?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;safety&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2396" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2395" CreationDate="2011-10-11T18:36:49.627" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.umass.edu/fruitadvisor/factsheets/f134.html&quot;&gt;UMass&lt;/a&gt;, you should spray 100 gallons per acre, or .00229568 gallons per square foot. A 10' diameter circle is 78.5 square feet, thus requiring .18 gallons. If you make one gallon of solution, you can treat 5 mature trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have the trees planted in rows in an orchard, the orchard will cover more space than just adding up the trees. (E.g. 10 trees in two rows of five with a uniform 10' spacing will use more than 785 square feet of space.) This is because of the gaps between the circles -- and you'll want to treat those gaps as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A 50 lb bag of urea will make about 125 gallons of solution, or enough to treat 1.25 acres of orchard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that the article linked above suggests the use of feed grade urea as it dissolves better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not qualified to comment on the safety aspect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-10-11T18:36:49.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2397" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-11T21:10:56.520" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/grafting&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'grafting'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;grafting&lt;/a&gt; is a propagation technique where the tissues of one plant are inserted into those of another, so that the vascular tissue joins, creating one living plant. The two plants are typically of different cultivars or even different related species. This technique is typically used to propagate difficult-to-grow plants (e.g. some cacti), or to combine plant properties (e.g. fruit tree grafting where dwarf rooting stock is combined with a larger variety to force it to grow as a smaller tree).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about grafting - including how to do it, and problems and complications (e.g. sports) which may result later on after the plant has established itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T16:05:22.430" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T16:05:22.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2398" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-11T21:10:56.520" Score="0" Body="Propagation technique where the tissues of one plant are inserted into those of another." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-11T21:10:56.520" LastActivityDate="2011-10-11T21:10:56.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2399" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-11T21:19:47.067" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A plant that lives for more than two years - i.e. not an &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/annual&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'annual'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;annual&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/biennial&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'biennial'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;biennial&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In horticulture, the term is often used to refer to only herbaceous perennials (those that die back in Autumn and then grow again from the root stock in spring), although technically woody plants such as &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/trees&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'trees'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;trees&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/shrubs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'shrubs'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;shrubs&lt;/a&gt; are also perennials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about perennials in general. Questions about specific plant families or species should use the appropriate tag for the family or species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-11T21:19:47.067" LastActivityDate="2011-10-11T21:19:47.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2400" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-11T21:19:47.067" Score="0" Body="A plant that lives for two or more years." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-11T21:19:47.067" LastActivityDate="2011-10-11T21:19:47.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2401" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-11T21:30:01.793" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plums (also known as gages) are stone fruits, genus &lt;em&gt;Prunus&lt;/em&gt;, sub-genus &lt;em&gt;Prunus&lt;/em&gt;. They can be distinguished from other &lt;em&gt;Prunus&lt;/em&gt; (.eg. cherries and peaches) by a terminal bud and solitary side buds. The flowers are in groups of 1-5 on short stems. The stone is smooth and the fruit has a single groove down one side. Mature fruit also have a dusty coating which is easily rubbed off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sub-genus contains a number of species. These are divided into &lt;strong&gt;Old World Plums&lt;/strong&gt;; &lt;strong&gt;New World Plums&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/apricots&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;apricots&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;apricots&lt;/a&gt;. Apricot fruit have a velvet coating, and some authors consider them a separate sub-genus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about plums and gages. Use &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/apricots&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;apricots&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;apricots&lt;/a&gt; for questions about apricots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2018-08-15T16:41:47.160" LastActivityDate="2018-08-15T16:41:47.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2402" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-11T21:30:01.793" Score="0" Body="Stone fruit, genus Prunus." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T18:26:02.380" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T18:26:02.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2403" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-11T22:23:22.877" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ripening&lt;/strong&gt; refers to the process where a fruit matures. A part of this is that the edible part of the fruit become more palatable and typically sweeter. This makes it more attractive to animals which eat the fruit and help to propagate the plant. Gardeners and farmers harvest the fruit at a point where it is ripe enough to eat, or for fruit that can ripen off the plant, with enough lead time that the fruit is ripe when it is about to be consumed (e.g. bananas).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ripening usually includes increasing levels of sugar and flavor, but also it is often accompanied with an increase in acidity. This is balanced by the increase in sugars so that it does not taste tart. Ripening is usually accompanied by a change in fruit color and an increase in softness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about ripening, eg. when is a particular fruit ripe enough to pick, how can particular fruit be force ripened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-11T22:23:22.877" LastActivityDate="2011-10-11T22:23:22.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2404" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-11T22:23:22.877" Score="0" Body="The process where a fruit matures and becomes more edible." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-11T22:23:22.877" LastActivityDate="2011-10-11T22:23:22.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2405" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-11T22:28:12.510" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Common name for &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/ficus&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;ficus&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;ficus&lt;/a&gt; a genus of over 800 species of  woody &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tree&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tree&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tree&lt;/a&gt;s, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/shrubs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;shrubs&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;shrubs&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vines&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;vines&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vines&lt;/a&gt;, epiphytes, and hemiepiphytes. Also known as 'fig trees', these are mainly tropical plants although some species are native to semi-warm temperate zones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Common Fig (&lt;em&gt;Ficus carica&lt;/em&gt;) is a temperate species native to the Mediterranean and SW Asia, and has been cultivated since ancient times for its fruit (aka &amp;quot;figs&amp;quot;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Common figs should not be confused with the common name &amp;quot;Ficus Tree&amp;quot; which is &lt;em&gt;Ficus benjamina&lt;/em&gt; which is a common house plant grown for its &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/foliage&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;foliage&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;foliage&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;em&gt;F.benjamina&lt;/em&gt; fruit are small and popular with doves and pigeons, rather than humans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about &lt;em&gt;Ficus carica&lt;/em&gt; and other figs. Use the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/ficus&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;ficus&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;ficus&lt;/a&gt; tag for questions about other species of &lt;em&gt;Ficus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-15T21:11:56.040" LastActivityDate="2021-02-15T21:11:56.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2406" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-11T22:28:12.510" Score="0" Body="Common name for Ficus a genus of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphytes." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-08T17:03:59.223" LastActivityDate="2021-01-08T17:03:59.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2407" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-11T22:32:20.897" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Compost tea is a liquid extract or dissolved solution made from compost. It is not a suspension of compost - instead, it is made by steeping (suspending a bad of compost in water - rather like making tea from a tea bag). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The process and treatment was discovered in Germany and found application in disease control - especially fungi, by encouraging bacterial competition. It can also be used as a fertilizer but tests have shown it to be a very weak fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Application is typically by spraying on to non-edible plant parts or by drenching the soil (e.g. as a &quot;root dip&quot; or surface spray). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about making, using, and effectiveness of compost tea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T20:47:22.813" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T20:47:22.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2408" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-11T22:32:20.897" Score="0" Body="Liquid extract or dissolved solution made from steeped compost." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-11T22:32:20.897" LastActivityDate="2011-10-11T22:32:20.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2409" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-11T22:36:48.597" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Green Beans (also known as French Beans) are a common English language name for unripe beans. These are typically eaten with their pods - hence a common name of 'string bean'. Snap Bean is another common synonym.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most common type of green bean is the Common Bean (&lt;em&gt;Phaseolus vulgaris&lt;/em&gt;) but other beans that are commonly eaten like this include the Yardlong Bean, Hyacinth Bean, and the Winged Bean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Varieties bred specifically for use as green beans have been bred for fleshy sweet pods. They are available in two main plant habits: &quot;bush beans&quot; or &quot;pole beans&quot;. Pole bean plants require support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing the various green bean varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T20:11:31.143" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T20:11:31.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2410" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-11T22:36:48.597" Score="0" Body="Common name for unripe beans, especially Phaseolus vulgaris." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-08T12:41:36.977" LastActivityDate="2021-01-08T12:41:36.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2411" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-11T22:47:50.793" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Pinching out&quot; is the process of removing the top growing point of a plant. This is done by literally pinching the bud between finger and thumb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is performed to encourage the plant to bush out more, and not to grow vertically up. It also encourages many plants to produce more flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about pinching-out - should a plant be pinched out, when to do it, which buds to pinch out, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-11T22:47:50.793" LastActivityDate="2011-10-11T22:47:50.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2412" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-11T22:47:50.793" Score="0" Body="The process of removing the top growing point of a plant." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-11T22:47:50.793" LastActivityDate="2011-10-11T22:47:50.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2378" CreationDate="2011-10-11T23:08:35.970" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since I mentioned it in other comments, RoundUp (Glyphosate) probably would work, if you have it available where you live -- you spray it on actively growing plants, and it kills including the roots, leaving no dangerous residue.  The bigger and healthier the plants, the better it works.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've used it on something called tackweed: watering the area to make it grow, spraying all the plants with roundup, ripping out the dead stuff and throwing it away, then repeating over and over, until all the seeds were germinated and killed.  A local farmer uses it when time to rotate his hay crops from alfalfa -- spraying it right before cutting (because it leaves no residue in the plant), which allows him to cut and then the cut plants die.  (I'm guessing that is a standard practice.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not spray on a windy day -- it will damage or kill any greenery it touches.  Read and heed the warnings on the labels, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="600" LastActivityDate="2011-10-11T23:08:35.970" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2414" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T00:12:22.870" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Birds are popular warm blooded flying creatures that have wings, are feathered, bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying and vertebrate. Classed as family &lt;em&gt;Aves&lt;/em&gt;, they are closely related to dinosaurs and some authors class birds as &quot;living dinosaurs&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Birds are important with regards to plants because plants often utilize them to spread their seeds using mechanisms such as &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruit&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'fruit'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruit&lt;/a&gt;. Plants provide habitat for most birds - e.g. roosts and shelter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about birds that are specific to gardens and gardening. These are questions such as how to encourage birds into your garden, and how to deter birds eating fruit. Questions such as &quot;What is this bird I saw on my tree?&quot; are off topic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T20:51:26.770" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T20:51:26.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2415" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T00:12:22.870" Score="0" Body="Winged warm-blooded creatures, family Aves." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-08T12:41:19.300" LastActivityDate="2021-01-08T12:41:19.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2416" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T00:15:01.150" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/food-crops&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'food-crops'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;food-crops&lt;/a&gt; are simply crops which are grown for food. Although most crops are, indeed, grown for food; some are not. For example cotton is grown for textile fibers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions specific to growing food crops - e.g. choosing a food crop for a particular situation, or for finding good combinations. Questions about specific crops should use the specific tag for the crop in question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-14T22:11:53.207" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T22:11:53.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2417" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T00:15:01.150" Score="0" Body="Crops which are grown for food." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T00:15:01.150" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T00:15:01.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2418" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2472" CreationDate="2011-10-12T01:51:43.170" Score="7" ViewCount="16026" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradescantia_zebrina&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wandering Jew &lt;em&gt;(Tradescantia zebrina)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; plant for several years, but it has never flowered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is in a hanging basket outside during the warm season, and indoors during winter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The temperature gets down to 45&amp;#176;F (7&amp;#176;C) in Miracle Grow potting mix.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It gets lots of water from the rain, but during the dry period I water it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I make &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compost_tea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;worm (compost) tea&lt;/a&gt; from my &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermicompost&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;vermicomposter&lt;/a&gt; and use that as a liquid fertilizer feed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; What should be done to get it to flower?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-13T14:41:15.250" LastActivityDate="2020-04-03T17:48:40.767" Title="How can I get my Wandering Jew to flower?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2419" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2447" CreationDate="2011-10-12T04:41:50.117" Score="9" ViewCount="8592" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently planted a few &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_papyraceus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;paperwhite&lt;/a&gt; bulbs in river rock with water. They've started to root and sprout, but I noticed one of them is developing mold. What's the best way to fix this problem?  Should I scrape the mold off of the bulb and hope it doesn't come back?  I would need to move the bulb to do so, and I'm afraid I could damage the delicate roots in the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other notes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I had been trying to keep the water level covering the bottom 1/4&quot; to 1/2&quot; of the bulbs, but now that they're putting down roots, I'm aiming for just up to the bottom of the bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The bulbs are in a fairly sunny spot on our dining room table. The room has two walls of windows (South and West facing) that we usually keep the blinds open on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The temperature in the house has been between 70°-75°F for the most part. Possible a bit lower at night, since we really haven't started running the heat here yet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click below images to enlarge...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hoird.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hoirdm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;paperwhite bulbs growing in water&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UY29t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UY29tm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;paperwhite bulbs growing in water&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B1Db1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B1Db1m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;paperwhite bulbs growing in water&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T16:43:42.453" LastActivityDate="2020-01-05T03:32:54.870" Title="How can I stop paperwhite bulbs from developing mold when forcing them inside?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2420" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T14:05:52.243" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Aloe&lt;/em&gt; is a genus of over 400 species of &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flowering&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;flowering&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flowering&lt;/a&gt; succulent(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/succulents&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;succulents&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;succulents&lt;/a&gt;) plants. The most well known is &lt;em&gt;Aloe vera&lt;/em&gt;, or &amp;quot;True Aloe&amp;quot;. Aloes are known to hybridize easily, resulting in the large number of species and available &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cultivar&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cultivar&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cultivar&lt;/a&gt;s.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Aloe&lt;/em&gt; is native to Africa - especially South Africa, neighboring areas, and Arabia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most aloes have a 'rosette' of thick fleshy &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/leaves&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;leaves&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;leaves&lt;/a&gt;. These are typically pointed, resembling lances with spiny margins. Some have &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/stems&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;stems&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;stems&lt;/a&gt;, but many do not appear to have a stem with the rosette growing at ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aloes are often grown as ornamental plants. A gel extracted from &lt;em&gt;Aloe vera&lt;/em&gt; leaves can be made into a skin cream that has therapeutic properties - e.g. helping to heal and soothe sunburn and eczema. Aloe extracts can also have laxative effects and have historically been used as purgatives, but this use has now been banned from over-the-counter products by the US's Food and Drug Administration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing the various &lt;em&gt;Aloe&lt;/em&gt; plants, including &lt;em&gt;Aloe vera&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-16T14:29:16.780" LastActivityDate="2021-02-16T14:29:16.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2421" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T14:05:52.243" Score="0" Body="Genus of flowering succulent plants. Use it with questions about caring, propagating and identifying Aloes." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-02T18:38:33.673" LastActivityDate="2021-02-02T18:38:33.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2422" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T14:25:48.310" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Permaculture is the concept of designing an agricultural (or horticultural) system based on ecological relationships found in nature, rather than modern agriculture which tends to be based primarily on strict biological requirements. Permaculture aims to create a stable system that is virtually self-sustaining. Contrast this with modern agriculture which often results in erosion, soil degradation, and can depend on significant fertilizer and pesticide treatments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The field of permaculture has significant overlap with concepts such as organic farming, sustainable development, and applied ecology.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about permaculture - how to practice it, and how to make your approach more &quot;permacultural&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T14:25:48.310" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T14:25:48.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2423" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T14:25:48.310" Score="0" Body="Horticultural/Agricultural systems modeled on ecological relationships." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T14:25:48.310" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T14:25:48.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2424" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T14:35:02.193" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions specific to gardening during Autumn / Fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These questions might include crop harvesting, planting winter crops, preparing plants for winter, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T14:35:02.193" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T14:35:02.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2425" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T14:35:02.193" Score="0" Body="Gardening during Autumn/Fall" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T14:35:02.193" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T14:35:02.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2426" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T14:39:38.553" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Creating a &lt;strong&gt;plant cutting&lt;/strong&gt;, is a technique for propagating (&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/propagation&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;propagation&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;propagation&lt;/a&gt;) plants asexually. It is also known as &lt;strong&gt;striking&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;cloning&lt;/strong&gt;. The latter is appropriate as the new plant is genetically identical to the original plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A cutting is created by cutting a &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/bud&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;bud&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;bud&lt;/a&gt;, rowing &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/stems&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;stems&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;stems&lt;/a&gt;, or branch from an adult plant. This &amp;quot;cutting&amp;quot; must include at least one stem cell, and is placed in a suitable growing medium (e.g. moist soil is commonly used). The chances of success can be improved with the use of rooting hormone to stimulate the growth of &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/roots&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;roots&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;roots&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about cuttings and propagation via cuttings. An example would be how to create the cutting - different plants have different requirements as regards to where to cut and when to cut for maximum success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T18:47:41.007" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T18:47:41.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2427" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T14:39:38.553" Score="0" Body="Plant propagation technique. Use this tag with questions about how to use cuttings when propagating a plant. How take the cutting, what medium to use for propagation, etc." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T18:47:43.747" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T18:47:43.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2428" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2366" CreationDate="2011-10-12T14:45:15.677" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Currently, the recognized national standards and national model codes acknowledge irrigation sprinkler systems as a high hazard and require, as a minimum level of protection&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduced_pressure_zone_device&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Reduced Pressure Principle backflow prevention assembly&lt;/a&gt; or&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure_vacuum_breaker&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pressure Vacuum Breaker&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_vacuum_breaker&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Atmospheric Vacuum Breaker&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="699" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-17T17:38:34.397" LastActivityDate="2012-01-17T17:38:34.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2429" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T14:58:21.207" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/crop-rotation&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'crop-rotation'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;crop-rotation&lt;/a&gt; is the process of planting different crops in the same location during successive seasons. Typically the same crops are used in a three or four year cycle - ie. a rotation through each growing area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crop rotation can be used to maintain soil fertility with the use of a legume or green manure in crop sequence to replenish nitrogen levels. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By alternating deep and shallow routed crops, crop rotation also improve the soil's structure and humus content.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crop rotation can also be effective in helping to control pests and pathogens, by choosing greatly different crops in successive years. A pest or pathogen may attack one one year and be retained in the soil, but it cannot effectively attack the next year's crop because it is a different type of crop. Therefore the infection rate of the pest or pathogen does not rise, but instead it will usually drop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a number of different crop rotation systems depending on the climate and desired crops. A major component of the Agricultural Revolution in Western Europe (circa 1700s) was the move from a Three Course Rotation (two crops, one fallow) to the Norfolk Four Course Rotation (three crops, one legume).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about crop rotation in a horticultural setting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T20:39:52.777" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T20:39:52.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2430" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T14:58:21.207" Score="0" Body="Growing different crops in the same place during successive seasons." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T14:58:21.207" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T14:58:21.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2431" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T15:04:53.177" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/creepers&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'creepers'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;creepers&lt;/a&gt; is a general term, typically used to refer to vines and vine-like plants that creep along the ground. The term is often associated with the genus &lt;em&gt;Parthenocissus&lt;/em&gt;. They can be used for ground cover to make a bare area attractive and to discourage weed growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all general questions about creepers and creeping plant. &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vines&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'vines'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vines&lt;/a&gt; may be more appropriate - especially for plants which climb. Use a more specific tag if you know the species type already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T20:47:47.493" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T20:47:47.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2432" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T15:04:53.177" Score="0" Body="Types of vines, typically ones that grow along the ground." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T15:04:53.177" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T15:04:53.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2433" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T15:21:57.627" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/drip-system&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'drip-system'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;drip-system&lt;/a&gt; is an irrigation system which drips water where it is required (i.e. at each plant's roots), and typically runs continuously. This system is also known as trickle irrigation, micro-irrigation, drip irrigation, or localized irrigation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The advantages of drip irrigation is that it saves a lot of water because the water is only applied where it is needed. Also, evaporation is reduced because there is less pooling of surface water, and water is not sprayed up high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Drip irrigation systems can also be used to apply fertilizer with the irrigation water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about drip irrigation systems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T20:33:54.827" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T20:33:54.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2434" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T15:21:57.627" Score="0" Body="Slow continuous irrigation, also known as drip irrigation or trickle irrigation." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T15:21:57.627" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T15:21:57.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2435" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T15:25:52.627" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Frost is formed when water vapour freezes and forms an ice covering over the ground and/or plants. Typically frost forms when the air temperature drops below freezing (0C, 32F) - this is an &lt;strong&gt;air frost&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moisture evaporation can cause localized drops in air temperature close to the ground. This results in a &lt;strong&gt;ground frost&lt;/strong&gt; where frost is formed even though the air temperature a few feet above the ground remains just above freezing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Frosts can damage plants, crops, and fruit. Use this tag for questions about hardiness against frosts, and how to protect sensitive plants against frosts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T15:25:52.627" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T15:25:52.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2436" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T15:25:52.627" Score="0" Body="Covering of ice caused by locally sub-freezing temperatures." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T15:25:52.627" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T15:25:52.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2437" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T15:36:53.250" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Zucchinis (also known as courgettes in the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand) are a type of cultivated summer squash. In common with a number of other &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/squash&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;squash&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;squash&lt;/a&gt;es, they are a &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cultivar&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cultivar&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cultivar&lt;/a&gt; of &lt;em&gt;Cucurbita pepo&lt;/em&gt;. They are typically a green color and usually have a similar shape to a &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cucumber&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cucumber&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cucumber&lt;/a&gt;. They can grow up to a metre in length, but they are usually harvested at about the 0.5 m length.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In common with other squashes, the zucchini is botanically an immature fruit(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt;) but is considered a vegetable(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vegetables&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;vegetables&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vegetables&lt;/a&gt;) for culinary purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nutritionally, Zucchinis are low in calories but have high levels of foliates, Vitamin A, and Manganese.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Zucchinis are considered an easy crop to grow in temperate &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/climate&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;climate&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;climate&lt;/a&gt;s. This can result in over-abundance at harvest time - some people control this by harvesting the flowers which can be eaten as an expensive delicacy due to their short shelf life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing zucchinis and courgettes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T14:11:31.497" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T14:11:31.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2438" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T15:36:53.250" Score="0" Body="Cultivated summer squash, also known as a courgette." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T15:36:53.250" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T15:36:53.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2439" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T16:15:21.283" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cover crops are crops that are planted primarily to manage soil fertility, quality, water, weeds,pests, biodiversity, and diseases; rather than to grow produce. They are often used in sustainable agriculture as a more natural method of maintaining the quality of the growing area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Example cover crops include clover (fixes nitrogen) and sorghums &amp;amp; mustards (both suppress weeds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions cover crops - especially whether they should be used, and which should be used for your particular situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T16:15:21.283" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T16:15:21.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2440" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T16:15:21.283" Score="0" Body="Planted primarily to manage soil quality." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T16:15:21.283" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T16:15:21.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2441" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T16:20:56.937" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The term &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/grape-vine&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'grape-vine'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;grape-vine&lt;/a&gt; is usually used to refer to the 60 or so species of vine plants of genus &lt;em&gt;Vitus&lt;/em&gt;. They are typically grown for their fruit (grapes) which are consumed or fermented to create wine. The study and cultivation of grapevines is known as &lt;strong&gt;viticulture&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wild &lt;em&gt;Vitus&lt;/em&gt; usually grows in temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere, although a few examples can be found in some tropical areas. Grapes have been cultivated since ancient times, and in the past century, cultivation has covered a much wider area - most notably the Southern Hemisphere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most commercial grapes are cultivars of &lt;em&gt;Vitus vinifera&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about grape vines and &lt;em&gt;Vitus&lt;/em&gt; plants. Use the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vines&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'vines'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vines&lt;/a&gt; tag for questions about other vine plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T20:44:48.590" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T20:44:48.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2442" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T16:20:56.937" Score="0" Body="Vine plants of genus Vitus, usually grown for grapes." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-07T15:18:07.040" LastActivityDate="2021-01-07T15:18:07.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2443" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T17:13:49.313" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bell peppers are probably the most common group of &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cultivar&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cultivar&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cultivar&lt;/a&gt;s of &lt;em&gt;Capsicum annuum&lt;/em&gt;, and definitely the most common sweet (ie. lacking in capsaicin) variety. As well as lacking the 'heat' of most other &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/chili&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;chili&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;chili&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/peppers&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;peppers&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;peppers&lt;/a&gt;, bell peppers are a blocky shape and have a relatively thick wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bell peppers are typically green when unripe and then ripen to a red color. Green unripe peppers are commonly eaten but they are not as sweet as the red ripe &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt;. A wide range of cultivars have been produced, resulting in a wide variety of colors (including yellow, orange, purple, 'chocolate', black, white), sizes, and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/climate&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;climate&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;climate&lt;/a&gt; preferences.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Popular varieties for garden use include &lt;em&gt;California Wonder&lt;/em&gt; (Tobacco Mosaic Virus resistant), and &lt;em&gt;Gypsy&lt;/em&gt; (relatively small, yellow, but hot weather tolerant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions specific to bell peppers. Use the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/peppers&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;peppers&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;peppers&lt;/a&gt; tag for more general pepper growing questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-16T18:53:20.210" LastActivityDate="2021-02-16T18:53:20.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2444" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T17:13:49.313" Score="0" Body="Blocky, sweet cultivars of Capsicum annuum." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-06T12:48:48.720" LastActivityDate="2021-01-06T12:48:48.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2445" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T17:31:39.270" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cauliflowers are brassicas, cultivars of &lt;em&gt;Brassica oleracea&lt;/em&gt;. They are grown from seed as an annual &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vegetable&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;vegetable&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vegetable&lt;/a&gt; crop. Cauliflowers for a white head of aborted floral meristems, which is eaten as a vegetable. The stalks and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/leaves&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;leaves&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;leaves&lt;/a&gt; are typically discarded, but they can also be used in vegetable broth. They are very similar to &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/broccoli&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;broccoli&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;broccoli&lt;/a&gt; but with white meristems instead of green flower(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flowers&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;flowers&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flowers&lt;/a&gt;) &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/bud&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;bud&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;bud&lt;/a&gt;s.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The earliest records of cauliflowers date to the 16th Century when they were introduced from Genoa to France.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;White cauliflowers are by far the most common, but orange, green, and purple &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cultivar&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cultivar&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cultivar&lt;/a&gt;s do exist. The green variety is actually a hybrid with &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/broccoli&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;broccoli&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;broccoli&lt;/a&gt;, also known as a broccoflower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing cauliflowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-17T13:07:01.207" LastActivityDate="2021-02-17T13:07:01.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2446" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T17:31:39.270" Score="0" Body="Cultivar of Brassica oleracea grown for a white head. Use this tag with questions about how to grow and care for cauliflowers." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-17T13:06:40.677" LastActivityDate="2021-02-17T13:06:40.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2447" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2419" CreationDate="2011-10-12T17:49:07.573" Score="4" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;I had been trying to keep the water level covering the bottom 1/4&quot; to 1/2&quot; of the bulbs, but now that they're putting down roots, I'm aiming for just up to the bottom of the bulbs.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having the bulbs themselves constantly sitting in the water, even such a small amount is the most likely cause of the mold (IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it was me, I would:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Very! carefully remove the bulbs, then clean the mold off of them, again very! carefully.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use an toothbrush or small nail brush and clean water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Allow the bulbs to dry naturally for a few days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use glasses (or some plastic containers) that are large enough for the bulbs to sit on top of and allows their roots to dangle down into them. Fill the glasses with enough water so the roots sit in the water but the bulbs themselves don't touch the water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;While the bulbs are drying, empty the water from the glass vase and take out the stones.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then clean the glass vase and stones with a mild bleach solution (5% maximum). Rinse thoroughly with clean water afterwards. Dry with paper-towels, then allow to air dry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once the bulbs have been allowed to dry for a few days (while their roots sit in water), put the stones back into the glass vase. Carefully put the bulbs back on top of the stones, ensuring their roots go as deep as possible into the stones, then fill the vase with clean water -- making sure finished water level does not touch any part of the bulbs, keep the water level about &amp;#188; to &amp;#189;inch (6.25 to 12.5mm) below the underside of the bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Check the bulbs are sitting firmly in place once you've got everything set-up, back in place...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The bulbs are in a fairly sunny spot on our dining room table. The room has two walls of windows (South and West facing) that we usually keep the blinds open on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The temperature in the house has been between 70°-75°F for the most part. Possible a bit lower at night, since we really haven't started running the heat here yet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those conditions sound pretty good to me, though the temperature is getting a little bit on the warm side but should be ok! (60 to 70&amp;#176;F would be ideal).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T17:49:07.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2448" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T19:20:41.417" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aphids are members of the superfamily &lt;em&gt;aphidoidea&lt;/em&gt; of insects. They are commonly known as greenflies, plant lice, blackflies, and whiteflies; but should not be confused with &amp;quot;jumping plant lice&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;true whiteflies&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aphids have a reputation as one of the most destructive plant &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pests&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pests&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pests&lt;/a&gt;, although zoologically they could be considered a very successful group of insects. Of the roughly 4400 species known, about 250 are considered serious pests in agriculture, forestry, and horticulture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many aphids have complex reproductive cycles, including some which can be asexual under certain (resource boom) conditions. These adaptions can result in fast population growth under the right conditions, making an aphid infestation particularly destructive in a short period of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aphids typically feed on a plant's sap although their damage can extend to growing buds. Typical plant damage include decreased growth rates, yellowing, stunted growth, curled &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/leaves&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;leaves&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;leaves&lt;/a&gt;, wilt, and death. Aphids can also transmit viruses between plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Natural enemies include predatory ladybirds (&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/ladybugs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;ladybugs&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;ladybugs&lt;/a&gt;), hoverfly larvae, parasitic &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/wasps&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;wasps&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;wasps&lt;/a&gt;, and lacewings. Many sustainable farming methods attempt to encourage these predators.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about aphids - typically these will be identification and eradication questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T18:47:31.220" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T18:47:31.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2449" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T19:20:41.417" Score="0" Body="Destructive insect pest, super-family aphioidea." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-07T12:47:06.453" LastActivityDate="2021-01-07T12:47:06.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2450" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2378" CreationDate="2011-10-12T19:32:01.897" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I don't believe there's a quick fix, solution, to successful removal of wild blackberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest starting any of the below methods in mid Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you're dealing with a small area (3 or 4 bushes at the most):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut everything down to about 12inches (300mm) above ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Let the area regrow for 3 to 4 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Repeat the above couple of steps as many times as you can, three times being the absolute minimum.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Immediately after you've cut down for the last time, dig the bushes out, doing your very best to dig out as much of the root system as you can.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then mechanically till the area. Remove any roots you see.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After that, go out once a week with a &quot;sharp&quot; hoe and remove any vegetation that has popped its head above the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 weeks after tilling, mechanically till the area again. Remove any roots you see.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Again, go out once a week with a &quot;sharp&quot; hoe and remove any vegetation that has popped its head above the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 weeks after the previous tilling, mechanically till the area one final time. Remove any roots you see.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finally, go out once a week for the next 2 to 3 weeks with a &quot;sharp&quot; hoe and remove any vegetation that has popped its head above the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The area should now be ready for wildflower seeds...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you're dealing with an area larger than &quot;small area&quot; (via &quot;organic&quot; herbicide):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut everything down to about 12inches (300mm) above ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Let the area regrow for 3 to 4 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Repeat the above couple of steps as many times as you can, three times being the absolute minimum.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Immediately after you've cut down for the last time, spray the vegetation with -- be sure to read and follow all the (safety) instructions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;High strength (20%) horticultural vinegar weed killer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Or a product like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=Poison+Ivy+Defoliant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Poison Ivy Defoliant&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Repeat the above spraying procedure once every 2 to 3 weeks for two further applications (minimum).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A couple of weeks after the final &quot;spray&quot; application, go out there and clear away everything you can see.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After that, go out once a week for the next month or so with a &quot;sharp&quot; hoe and remove any vegetation that has popped its head above the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The area should now be ready for wildflower seeds, but before doing so, get a soil test done, this will inform you if you need to change the soil pH -- the herbicide, especially such strong vinegar based ones will more than likely have made the soil very acidic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you're dealing with an area larger than &quot;small area&quot; (via non-herbicide means):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut everything down to about 12inches (300mm) above ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Let the area regrow for 3 to 4 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Repeat the above couple of steps as many times as you can, three times being the absolute minimum.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Immediately after you've cut down for the last time, dig the bushes out, doing your very best to dig out as much of the root system as you can.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then mechanically till the area. Remove any roots you see.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After that, target the area via either:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/113/weed-control-in-a-butterfly-garden/1298#1298&quot;&gt;Solarization&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Covering the ground with old carpet or thick brown cardboard or heavy-duty black plastic or... then bury that under a thick layer of mulch (6inches/150mm minimum).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leave in place until the following Spring.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When using Solarization or Mulching as a method, extend the area 2 to 3 feet (600 to 900mm) all the way around past the last visible sign of the blackberry bushes, doing so will help prevent any underground roots that are left from working themselves out into the open, thus allowing the plant a means of survival.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After using either of those methods (Solarization or Mulching), the area should now be ready for wildflower seeds...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and please report back the method you end up using and how successful or not it was...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T20:26:20.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2451" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T20:14:55.797" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wilting is the loss of rigidity in the non-woody above-ground parts of a plant. For example, a plant might wilt in drought conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The term &quot;wilt&quot; is also used to describe a wide range of plant diseases. These typically affect the plant's vascular system causing non-woody parts of the plant to droop and die. Some wilts start from the roots up, others start at the extremities and work back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The term describes the symptom and not the disease, so a range of different pathogens can be responsible and the proper course of treatment will be dependent on the pathogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions wilting as a disease - especially if the disease is unknown. Include the plant type, and other symptoms (eg. do the leave change color). Also anything unusual such as climate variations in recent weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T20:14:55.797" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T20:14:55.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2452" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T20:14:55.797" Score="0" Body="The loss of rigidity in a plant / one of a range of plant diseases" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T20:14:55.797" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T20:14:55.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2453" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T20:24:15.577" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most gardens are dormant during the winter season as deciduous trees are without their leaves, and evergreens slow down. Frosts also hamper gardening activities due to potential plant damage and frozen ground. This limits winter gardening activities to maintenance type activities, and preparing for spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about gardening during the winter months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T12:55:09.233" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T12:55:09.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2454" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T20:24:15.577" Score="0" Body="For gardening during the winter season" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T20:24:15.577" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T20:24:15.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2455" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T20:31:44.203" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A slug is a gastropod mollusc (class &lt;em&gt;Gastropoda&lt;/em&gt;), similar to &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/snails&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'snails'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;snails&lt;/a&gt; but lacking an external shell. Most (but not all) slugs have an internal vestigal shell which is only visible with dissection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Slugs are common in wet temperate zones (eg. the Pacific North-West and the UK). With wet, slimy bodies, they are prone to drying out (dessication) and will retreat to damp hiding places during dry weather. As with snails, slugs travel on a mucus layer. A night of active slugs can be readily seen in the garden by the muscus trails that have been left behind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Slugs eat green vegetation and can be a large problem in areas where they are common.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control techniques include applying a substrate (eg. eggshells or diatomaceous earth), bait (&quot;slug pellets&quot;), beer traps, salt (leads to dessication through osmosis), and encouraging predators (eg. toads).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Slug muscus can be used to treat a number of skin conditions including dermatitis, inflammation, and acne. An old Italian treatment for stomach ulcers, was to swallow a slug whole. Now that peptic ulcers are better understood, it is thought that this treatment is unlikely to work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T20:31:44.203" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T20:31:44.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2456" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T20:31:44.203" Score="0" Body="Gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T20:31:44.203" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T20:31:44.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2457" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T20:34:48.323" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Turf is the grass (typically lawn grass) and the top few inches of soil that are held together by the grass roots. &quot;Turf&quot; is used to refer to lawn grass, whilst &quot;sod&quot; is a more general agricultural term.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Turf can be purchased and used as a &quot;lawn transplant&quot;. This can be a useful  short cut to producing a mature lawn, but it requires a lot of maintenance work to make it worthwhile compared to the much cheaper process of sowing grass seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about turf maintenance, and turf application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T20:34:48.323" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T20:34:48.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2458" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T20:34:48.323" Score="0" Body="Grass and the soil held by the roots. Also known as 'sod'." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T20:34:48.323" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T20:34:48.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2459" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T20:36:41.660" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sprinkler systems are used to irrigate a garden. There are wide range of different types, including permanent &quot;pop-up&quot; sprinklers, and temporary &quot;move it around&quot; sprinklers. They can be switched on or off manually, or on a timer. A proper permanent system should also have weather sensors to avoid sprinkling during the rain or during freezing temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sprinklers can be low level drip-systems, or longer distance high volume spray systems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sprinkler systems can also be used to apply fertilizer with the irrigation water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all question about sprinkler type irrigation systems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-13T17:10:47.843" LastActivityDate="2011-10-13T17:10:47.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2460" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T20:36:41.660" Score="0" Body="Used to water the garden" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T20:36:41.660" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T20:36:41.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2461" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T20:40:00.020" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tilling covers a range of different techniques to prepare soil for planting, by using mechanical agitation. Human / horticultural techniques include shoveling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Primary tilling will tend to turn a large amount of soil over. For example a gardener might &quot;dig deep&quot; to dig compost into the soil, or a farmer might plough old stubble in, to increase the humus content.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondary tilling (eg. with a hoe) produces a smoother, loose soil bed, ideal for sowing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;use this tag for all questions about tilling: which method should be used, alternatives, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T20:40:00.020" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T20:40:00.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2462" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T20:40:00.020" Score="0" Body="Preparation of soil by mechanical agitation." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T20:40:00.020" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T20:40:00.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2463" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-12T20:42:32.230" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Vermicomposting uses worms to produce compost, typically from vegetable food waste, bedding materials, and worm casts (vermicast).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vermicompost is considered an excellent nutrient-rich fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vermicomposting typically uses red wigglers, white worms, or common earthworms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Small scale vermicomposting units are available for home/kitchen use. These are generally much smaller than a home outdoors compost bin, but they work quickly and usually produce a higher quality product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about vermicomposting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T20:42:32.230" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T20:42:32.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2464" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-12T20:42:32.230" Score="0" Body="Using worms to produce compost" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-12T20:42:32.230" LastActivityDate="2011-10-12T20:42:32.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2465" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-13T01:27:26.013" Score="9" ViewCount="2729" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have standard roses.  As the weather warms, and after feeding with commerically purchased rotted chicken manure they are growing very, very fast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way I can get them to produce more flowers rather than growing long stems like the one that goes out of frame in the top right of the picture below?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I trim the longer stems off to bring it back to shape will that stop it flowering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The roses pictured has been there longer than I've owned this house - so I guess it is at least eight years old.  I pruned the head of all the roses at the end of winter down to a few sticks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ifmw2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Example rose&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="460" LastEditorUserId="460" LastEditDate="2011-10-21T05:39:54.287" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T18:05:29.573" Title="Can I encourage my roses to produce more flowers and fewer long stems?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2466" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2530" CreationDate="2011-10-13T01:29:34.673" Score="9" ViewCount="2379" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received a foot long rooted cutting of a fig tree that is hardy in zones 7-11. I have it in a clay base soil in the ground. It currently has two small leaves. I am completely ignorant of how to care for it and would like some advice. I am in USDA hardiness &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USDA_Hardiness_Zone#USDA_Hardiness_Zones&quot;&gt;zone 6&lt;/a&gt;. Has anyone got an idea of how to grow these?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-13T02:08:21.873" LastActivityDate="2011-10-17T18:16:46.483" Title="How do I care for a young fig tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;figs&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2467" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2465" CreationDate="2011-10-13T01:38:22.320" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chicken manure has a high level of nitrogen, Which encourages stem and leaf formation. If you are more interested in the flowers, add more potassium and less nitrogen. Wait until the temperature stays mostly below 45°F (7°C) and then prune it back, and thin the bush. It will naturally grow some long canes and that is fine, as long as it is properly pruned and fertilized and it gets a good amount of direct sunlight. Severe pruning will result in rapid growth and less flowers. It will try to regrow. Give it a lighter pruning to promote flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2011-10-13T01:59:28.253" LastActivityDate="2011-10-13T01:59:28.253" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2468" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2471" CreationDate="2011-10-13T01:51:46.313" Score="8" ViewCount="1069" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a five year old Annabelle Hydrangea that is getting bushy. I have lightly pruned it in the past, but I don't know really know how I am supposed to do it. It is about 4' high and 6' wide. How do I prune it to optimize the flowering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-13T02:21:13.663" LastActivityDate="2011-10-13T03:25:46.520" Title="How do I prune my mop-head hydrangea?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2469" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-13T02:27:36.630" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Also known as &lt;em&gt;Hortensia&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Hydrangea&lt;/em&gt; is a genus of flowering plants, of family &lt;em&gt;Hydrangeaceae&lt;/em&gt;. There are about 70 species in the genus, and they are native to South and East Asia, plus North and South American. They can be deciduous or evergreen, although the cultivated temperate species are generally deciduous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most &lt;em&gt;Hydrangea&lt;/em&gt; species have white flowers, although some (notably &lt;em&gt;H.macrophylla&lt;/em&gt; which is also the most common in cultivation) can be blue or pink according to the pH of the soil (colors as per litmus paper). This effect is due to &quot;hyper-accumulating&quot; of the acidity in the petals by the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hydrangea&lt;/em&gt; are generally grown as ornamental plants due to their large flowerheads. &lt;em&gt;Hydrangea&lt;/em&gt; are moderately toxic, although the Japanese ama-cha tea is made from &lt;em&gt;Hydrangea&lt;/em&gt; leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about &lt;em&gt;Hydrangea&lt;/em&gt; plants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-13T02:27:36.630" LastActivityDate="2011-10-13T02:27:36.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2470" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-13T02:27:36.630" Score="0" Body="Genus of flowering plants, also known as Hortensia." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-13T02:27:36.630" LastActivityDate="2011-10-13T02:27:36.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2468" CreationDate="2011-10-13T03:25:46.520" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=S940&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hydrangea arborescens&lt;/em&gt; 'Annabelle'&lt;/a&gt; flower on new wood, therefore you can safely prune off as much material as you wish in late Winter...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This species blooms on new wood, and may be pruned back close to the ground in late winter each year to revitalize and to encourage vigorous stem growth and best form. Plants may die to the ground in harsh winters. If not pruned back, any weakened and/or damaged stems should be removed in early spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ca.uky.edu/HLA/Dunwell/hydprun.html&quot;&gt;Pruning Hydrangeas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The most straightforward hydrangeas to prune are the mostly white flowered, extremely tough and hardy &lt;em&gt;Hydrangea paniculata&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Hydrangea arborescens&lt;/em&gt; cultivars. &lt;em&gt;H. paniculata&lt;/em&gt; cultivars, among others, include 'Brussels Lace,' 'Kyushu,' 'Pee Gee,' 'Pee Wee,' 'Pink Diamond,' 'Unique' and 'White Moth.' &lt;em&gt;H. arborescens&lt;/em&gt; cultivars include &lt;strong&gt;'Annabelle'&lt;/strong&gt; and 'Hills of Snow.' &lt;strong&gt;All selections of these two species flower on new wood.&lt;/strong&gt; Therefore, they can be cut back immediately after flowering and may rebloom (for &lt;em&gt;H. arborescens&lt;/em&gt; in long growing seasons) or &lt;strong&gt;they can be cut back in the winter and still be expected to flower the following year. How far you cut them back is strictly personal preference.&lt;/strong&gt; Unless you live in a restricted community with pruning covenants, there are no pruning police. You do not HAVE to prune &lt;em&gt;H. arborescens&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;H. paniculata&lt;/em&gt; at all but it makes for a neater plant and, if you want long stems for fresh or dried flowers, pruning back hard encourages long stems on older plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-10-13T03:25:46.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2472" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2418" CreationDate="2011-10-13T04:39:12.580" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having read up a little on &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradescantia_zebrina&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tradescantia zebrina&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In cooler (non native) climates, flowers are a rare sight.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; What can you do to increase the chance of flowering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant requires plenty of light, but does best if kept out of direct sun (especially during the heat of Summer).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Subjecting the plant to temperatures below 50&amp;#176;F (10&amp;#176;C) isn't recommended.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Constant moisture during the growing season (Spring and Summer) is recommended.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Reduce watering in the Autumn (Fall) and Winter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Potting medium should offer good drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Potting medium should be replaced once a year, early Spring is the best time of year to perform this operation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once ever 3 to 4 weeks during the growing season apply a &quot;mild&quot; liquid fertilizer feed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-13T14:44:29.183" LastActivityDate="2011-10-13T14:44:29.183" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2473" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2474" CreationDate="2011-06-24T16:42:37.113" Score="7" ViewCount="1255" Body="&lt;p&gt;I ordered a drip irrigation kit and the head assembly includes a backflow preventer, inline filter, pressure regulator, and hose adapter. I also purchased a timer. The problem is my hose adapter is only about 12 inches off the ground and I don't think everything will fit. Can someone tell me if this is a problem or if I'll be able to get some kind of short extension hose to make this work and just lay out the head assembly on the ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="323" OwnerDisplayName="user323" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-13T15:55:30.733" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T09:22:30.733" Title="How do I setup my drip irrigation head assembly if my hose bibb is too low to the ground?" Tags="&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2474" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2473" CreationDate="2011-06-24T17:57:13.123" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might want to get a Y splitter like this...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rsk5z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then mount all your equipment on a pole or board attached to the house or in the ground, and use a short length of hose to connect from the Y to the equipment.  This would allow you to hook up all the equipment, while not losing the use of the hose bib.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would probably avoid just setting the stuff on the ground, it would look much neater (and likely last longer) mounted in some way off the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="337" OwnerDisplayName="Tester101" LastActivityDate="2011-10-13T15:48:02.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2475" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2476" CreationDate="2011-04-27T13:13:01.357" Score="10" ViewCount="1682" Body="&lt;p&gt;I moved into my house a couple of years ago - part of the backyard is sloped (roughly 75' x 10' / 23m x 3m) and the developers planted what I believe to be Blue Pacific &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniper&quot;&gt;juniper&lt;/a&gt; along the hill to prevent erosion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in completely getting rid of the juniper and having a landscape architect rework the backyard perhaps creating a few tiers on the hill rather than having a consistent slope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the interest of doing some of the work myself, I'm curious about the best way to go about removing the juniper: is there a proper way to kill it? Should I plan to completely up root it by hand?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any and all suggestions appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Tom" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-13T16:10:22.420" LastActivityDate="2011-10-13T16:10:22.420" Title="What's the best way to remove Junipers?" Tags="&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2476" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2475" CreationDate="2011-04-27T18:07:27.327" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;With an area that large, you'd have a huge amount of work to dig out all the roots by hand.  I'd think about using power tools to do it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, your landscaper would probably use power tools to regrade your yard, so what I would do is cut off all the branches and cut the trunks back to a few inches above the ground.  When you're getting quotes for the job, ask them to include the cost of digging up the root balls as a separate line item.  It might turn out cheaper than renting a digger yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" OwnerDisplayName="Niall C." LastActivityDate="2011-04-27T18:07:27.327" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2477" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-05-23T20:36:18.490" Score="14" ViewCount="23996" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to mow a 3/4 acre lawn and some minor landscape on a weekly basis (getting someone else to do it is going to be a major cost)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having never done this, I have started to do some research on tools I need and have found the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lawn mower tractor&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Edge Trimmer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leaf blower&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the characteristics of a tractor lawn mower that I should seek?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="770" OwnerDisplayName="Raj More" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-23T22:58:12.143" LastActivityDate="2020-10-03T17:25:06.700" Title="What kind of mower should I get for a ¾-acre lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2478" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2477" CreationDate="2011-05-24T12:15:56.203" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any standard gasoline lawnmower will do, but it's nice if it's self-propelled and collects the clippings. You don't really need a tractor for 3/4 acre, but if you do decide to invest in one, look for one with a small turn radius.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="268" OwnerDisplayName="Vebjorn Ljosa" LastActivityDate="2011-05-24T12:15:56.203" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2479" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2477" CreationDate="2011-05-24T18:54:21.097" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;For that size (3000 m²) definitely get a tractor mower that collects the clippings if you do not plan to spend the whole day doing it. Look for cutting width about 1 m or wider. The rest depends on the shape (is it uniform area or are there numerous obstacles?) and required result (type of mower). In most cases a Hydrostatic CVT is advisable. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not collecting the clippings will cause the lawn to look ugly. You do not need to dispose of the clippings in trash, better start a compost and later you can use the decomposed material as fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Lukas" LastActivityDate="2011-05-24T18:54:21.097" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2480" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2477" CreationDate="2011-05-24T19:04:27.700" Score="20" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few things in random order to think about...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Everyone has a different tolerance for how much mowing is too much, but it is good exercise. A reel type push mower is great for small areas. Well oiled, with sharp blades, it is a pleasure to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;IMHO, yards with many small trees can be the least fun to mow. I'd go for a zero turn mower if I had such a yard again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you DO collect the clippings from a mower, just use them to start a compost pile in back. Don't throw them away! That pile will by next year be black gold, great to add to gardens, mix into the soil for new plantings. Just mix it up every month or so with a pitchfork. Add any plant based kitchen waste to the pile, even shredded paper is fine. (I've even added as large as a 10 pound dead carp at times. Its gone in a few months - worm food.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any mower deck is best if maintained. Avoid mowing when the grass is wet, as the wet grass will rust out the mower deck. If I must mow then, I'll scrape off the wet grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beware of the mowers that give you a hose fitting to clean out the mower deck. This tends to get water into the bearings from everything I have heard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sharpen the blades when needed. Sharp blades are important. This will be depend on the soil type in your area. Sandy soil will dull them quickly. The blade type also matters. High lift blades are good, as they suck up the grass and mulch it well, but high lift blades also dull much more quickly from my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a 3/4 acre lawn, a small tractor or a self propelled mower can both work, but consider if you will do other things with a tractor. I use mine to mow, plow the driveway, move dirt, stone, rock, mulch, gravel, do road/driveway repair, move wood, etc. And we have less than a 3/4 acre lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that if you DO use a tractor to mow, this can cause compaction of your lawn. (Heavy tractor = more compaction.) In turn you may need to periodically aerate that lawn to help it to grow properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't cut the grass too short. Mowing more often, but leaving the grass a bit longer is good, as that leaves the grass with more ability to tolerate some drought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A mulching mower is good in the fall too - just mulch the leaves down - why pick the leaves up to throw them away? Alternatively, if your mower has a bag, mow the leaves up, and add them to the aforementioned compost pile. Black gold!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user923" LastActivityDate="2011-05-24T19:04:27.700" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2481" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2477" CreationDate="2011-06-06T04:23:22.310" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let me give you the benefit of my recent experience with my Cub Cadet riding mower. Pay attention to the material and gauge of the cutting deck. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will seem like the lowest and middle grade mowers are identical on features and you will scratch your head as to why one costs almost twice as much. The deck construction is a major factor. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In many cases the manufacturers don't sell the cutting decks as a single assembly on the lower end models and you will be stuck buying a couple of dozen parts trying to build it from scratch when it invariably wears out on the cheaper models.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also agree with another answer that you shouldn't get too excited about the self-cleaning decks with the hose attachment. They might as well put a button on the mower labeled &quot;self destruct&quot;. Nothing wrong with a mower that has this, just don't use it, or use that feature as a differentiator when making a decision.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, understand that you will be working on any riding mower frequently. I suggest paying close attention to how easy it is to replace the cutting drive belt and how easy it is to remove the entire cutting deck. It will save you a lot of profanity later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="531" OwnerDisplayName="JohnFx" LastActivityDate="2011-06-06T04:23:22.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2473" CreationDate="2011-10-13T16:20:30.500" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don't&lt;/strong&gt; connect to your &amp;quot;hose adapter&amp;quot;. Instead take the time to properly plumb your irrigation system into your &amp;quot;domestic&amp;quot; cold water system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My (very) limited in-ground sprinkler system knowledge is pretty much documented here on SE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1904/how-do-i-go-about-planning-the-layout-of-a-sprinkler-network-for-my-lawn/1970#1970&quot;&gt;How do I go about planning the layout of a sprinkler network for my lawn?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No 8. Don't connect your irrigation system to an outside tap (though this can be done, it's considered &amp;quot;poor practice&amp;quot;), instead properly plumb it into your &amp;quot;domestic&amp;quot; cold water system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A little more work, but well worth taking the time and cost to-do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When connecting into your &amp;quot;domestic&amp;quot; cold water system, install a &amp;quot;Backflow Device&amp;quot;, this prevents water from your irrigation system entering your &amp;quot;domestic&amp;quot; cold water system. Such a device is &amp;quot;generally&amp;quot; required by local building codes and/or your local water company.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-10-13T16:37:52.313" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2483" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-13T20:37:55.160" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Evergreens are plants that retain their leaves during the winter season. Examples include holly and spruce. Evergreen plants tend to have leaves which are waxy or have a thicker protective layer, so that they survive the cold winter conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This contrasts with deciduous plants which lose their leaves in autumn, and grow new leaves in spring. Examples include most oaks, elm, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about evergreen plants in general - for example, choosing evergreen plants to meet a specific need. Questions about specific evergreen plants should use the appropriate tag for the plant in question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-15T20:25:19.257" LastActivityDate="2012-03-15T20:25:19.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2484" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-13T20:37:55.160" Score="0" Body="Plant which retains its leaves during winter." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-13T20:37:55.160" LastActivityDate="2011-10-13T20:37:55.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2485" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-13T20:53:39.393" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lemon is a citrus &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cultivar&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cultivar&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cultivar&lt;/a&gt;, thought to be a hybrid of sour orange and citron. It is usually referred to as species &lt;em&gt;Citrus x limon&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lemons are one of the most popular citrus fruit and have both culinary and non-culinary applications. The juice has a high level (typically 5-6%) citric acid, which gives it a notable sour taste, but also contains a range of other vitamins and minerals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a number of common lemon varieties in cultivation today. These include year-round fruiting, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/frost&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;frost&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;frost&lt;/a&gt; tolerance, variegated &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/leaves&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;leaves&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;leaves&lt;/a&gt;, thick skinned varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is/has been used as an antiseptic, for aromatherapy (although alleged aroma effects on the immune system have been dis-proven), a source of citric acid, wood polish, as a deodorizer, as a source of d-limonene insecticide, and as a 'safe' acid for science education.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing lemon trees. Use the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/citrus&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;citrus&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;citrus&lt;/a&gt; tag for questions about citrus trees in general.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-13T21:02:44.053" LastActivityDate="2021-02-13T21:02:44.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2486" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-13T20:53:39.393" Score="0" Body="Small evergreen citrus tree with yellow fruit. Use this tag with questions focusing on the fruit." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-13T21:02:35.473" LastActivityDate="2021-02-13T21:02:35.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2487" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1322" CreationDate="2011-10-13T23:51:16.213" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soil mixes for bonsai are specific to the species of tree being considered as well as the location in which it will be grown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I actually make a different mixture for each of my trees (well over 100) tho almost all of them are 100% inorganic. Usually I use 60% Akadama 40% crushed red lava with varying amounts depending on the tree. Some conifers get a little a small addition of composted Fir bark as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on your area and your access to specialized soil components like akadama you may want to try using a different option like &quot;oil-dri&quot; or some other form of Diatomatious earth. There are even people using unscented kitty litter as an option. Basicly any hard clay particle will do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A commonly quoted mixture in the US is by Boon Manakitivipart.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Ingredients:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1 part lava rock&lt;br&gt;&#xA;1 part pumice (which is lighter and holds less water than lava)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;1 part akadama  (which will break down in about 2 years)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;1/2 cup horticultural charcoal (per 5 gallon mix)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;1/2 cup decomposed granite (per 5 gallon mix)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="706" LastActivityDate="2011-10-13T23:51:16.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2488" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2518" CreationDate="2011-10-14T01:31:15.130" Score="8" ViewCount="9674" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a four year old &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock-orange&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mock-orange&lt;/a&gt; that is eight feet (2.4m) tall and six feet (1.8m) wide, and I'm getting impatient for some flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's planted in partial shade in a valley.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I prune it in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I do not fertilize it because the soil is already so fertile, the bush is growing three feet (900mm) a year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; How long do they normally take to to begin blooming?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt; It has been almost three more years, and I didn't yet get one flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-06T02:20:19.373" LastActivityDate="2014-06-06T02:20:19.373" Title="How long does it take a mock-orange bush to flower?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2489" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2543" CreationDate="2011-10-14T01:44:15.613" Score="9" ViewCount="294" Body="&lt;p&gt;This year some of my Gurney's Whopper strawberries, a June-bearing variety, produced a few berries in the fall. That might weaken the plants for next years crop. Will culling them for this be effective or do they do this randomly ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-14T05:18:07.597" LastActivityDate="2011-10-18T02:53:19.870" Title="Should I cull June-bearing strawberries for fall bearing?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2490" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2492" CreationDate="2011-10-14T01:51:51.500" Score="5" ViewCount="2253" Body="&lt;p&gt;Normally my &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscari&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;grape hyacinth&lt;/a&gt; only puts out leaves in the spring, but this year they all are vigorously growing leaves in the fall. Why do they do that? Is it diagnostic of a problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-14T05:03:33.817" LastActivityDate="2011-10-14T05:03:33.817" Title="Why did my grape hyacinths put out leaves in the fall?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;grape-hyacinth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2491" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2502" CreationDate="2011-10-14T04:09:09.300" Score="11" ViewCount="3157" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I want to plant 2 different species of chili pepper, should I be careful to prevent cross pollination? I heard that chili are self-pollinating, but I don't understand this. Wouldn't any plant become self-pollinated if we use their anther to brush their stigma?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, I wonder whether different genus plant can be hybridized, because I want to plant sweet basil, together with holy basil and wonder if it'll cross-pollinate with the chilis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-12T02:03:33.050" LastActivityDate="2012-06-12T06:16:21.937" Title="Can I cross pollinate basil and chili peppers?" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2492" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2490" CreationDate="2011-10-14T04:28:18.183" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves of Armenian grape hyacinth (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/bulbs-perennial/Muscaar.htm&quot;&gt;Muscari armeniacum&lt;/a&gt;) normally emerge in the fall. This species includes many of the modern named varieties. Common grape hyacinth (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/bulbs-perennial/Muscabo.htm&quot;&gt;Muscari botryoides&lt;/a&gt;) consistantly sends up leaves in the fall in Washington State, but does this less often in other areas, like Minnesota. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once grape hyacinths go dormant in the late spring or summer, they require a cold period before they will bloom again. However, for these two species, it appears that the foliage is not so encumbered. If the weather in late summer or fall is sufficiently mild and moist, and the plant is well established, the bulb will send up a tuft of foliage, which will attempt to last through the winter. If the leaves get killed off, it is of no great concern. The plant will send up more with the flowers in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-10-14T04:34:23.607" LastActivityDate="2011-10-14T04:34:23.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2493" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2497" CreationDate="2011-05-10T01:14:52.503" Score="25" ViewCount="9227" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a viney weed growing in my yard. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lowes.com/pd_297284-303-489119_?PL=1&amp;amp;productId=3308074&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Weed and Feed&lt;/a&gt; doesn't seem to affect it. It's slowly spreading to more and more of my yard every year. What is it, and how do I kill it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T7hmi.png&quot; alt=&quot;viney weed&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="38" OwnerDisplayName="antony.trupe" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-14T18:10:02.907" LastActivityDate="2017-06-16T17:31:22.263" Title="What is this vine-like weed and how do I kill it?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2494" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2493" CreationDate="2011-05-10T02:09:59.800" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect most weed and feed products will be pre-emergents, meaning you need to get it in your lawn before the weed seeds have a chance to germinate, which is a limited window.  Once something like this is already growing, you're usually left with the round-up type of products, which kill everything they touch, or hand pulling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a long day in the office, sitting outside on a nice day, pulling weeds, can be therapeutic.  Just make sure you get as many of the roots as possible.  And with viney or runner spreading weeds, try to get the entire runner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="270" OwnerDisplayName="BMitch" LastActivityDate="2011-05-10T02:09:59.800" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2495" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2493" CreationDate="2011-05-10T02:15:04.340" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had some pretty good success with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp?proId=prod70146&amp;amp;itemId=cat50064&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ortho Weed-B-Gon Max&lt;/a&gt;.  I have used it on crabgrass, clover, and wild onion and it does a pretty good job.  Pretty much I have used it for spot treatment in small areas but you can also use it with a sprayer to spray a larger area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MA66l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="233" OwnerDisplayName="Jeff Widmer" LastActivityDate="2011-05-10T02:15:04.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2496" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2493" CreationDate="2011-05-10T04:34:19.803" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Round up! Careful with it though - it kills anything it touches. You can put it on with a foam brush to be more selective than spraying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="BrianK" LastActivityDate="2011-05-10T04:34:19.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2497" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2493" CreationDate="2011-05-10T20:27:48.670" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.images.google.com/images?q=ground+ivy&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ground Ivy&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.images.google.com/images?q=creeping+charlie&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Creeping Charlie&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.turf.msu.edu/ground-ivy-control-for-home-lawns&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Control requires persistence&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; via Michigan State University Turfgrass Science&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click below images to enlarge...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/myv9v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/myv9vm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mound of weeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i88mz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i88mzm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;growing over a rock&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pMz12.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pMz12m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;purple flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Wayfaring Stranger" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-14T16:01:51.990" LastActivityDate="2011-10-14T16:01:51.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2498" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2493" CreationDate="2011-05-12T11:17:59.773" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;For killing weeds in an established lawn, a Weed Spray is usually the easiest way.  A weed spray kills weeds without harming grass (provided the grass is healthy).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had good luck with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.spectracide.com/Products-and-Solutions/Weed-Stop/Spectracide-Weed-Stop-for-Lawns-plus-Crabgrass-Killer-RTU.aspx&quot;&gt;Spectracide&lt;/a&gt;, but the Ortho product mentioned in here works well too.  The Spectracide label says it kills Ground Ivy, so it should work on your weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some tips:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Note that a targeted weed spray is a&#xA;different than a general pourpose&#xA;herbicide like RoundUp.  Don't get&#xA;them confused, or you will have a&#xA;dead lawn.  Read the label!  If you&#xA;are really cautious, look up the&#xA;active ingredients and see what they&#xA;do (Google them).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have a lot of spraying to do,&#xA;consider buying a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100637818/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&amp;amp;storeId=10051&amp;amp;catalogId=10053&quot;&gt;Pump Sprayer&lt;/a&gt;. &#xA;The squeeze trigger bottles will&#xA;cramp your hand if you have a lot of&#xA;spraying to do.  You can also re-use&#xA;the pump sprayer for other things&#xA;like bug spray and deck cleaner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Big established weeds will take a long time to die.  It will probably also require multiple applications of the spray (spaced several weeks apart, read the label).  Try plucking/cutting the Ivy so the spray doesn't have as much work to do.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you get &quot;holes&quot; in the weeds (e.g. by ripping pieces off), you get an entry point for the spray into the plant's &quot;bloodstream&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After the weeds are dead, you may have bare spots in your yard where they were growing (or just big chunks of dead ivy.)  You may need to re-seed those spots, but wait a while.  The weed spray can interfere with new grass.  It's also best to plant grass in the fall anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weed and Feed products and weed preventers like Preen are usually pre-emergent, meaning they don't kill stuff that is already growing (check the label).  That's why you usually only apply them early in the year, before the weeds can germinate.  The Sprectracide spray I suggeseted also contains a pre-emergent weed preventer (not sure about Ortho).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To make life easier in the future, try to stop the weeds before they get too big.  Use a weed preventer, and spray/pluck them early.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="336" OwnerDisplayName="msemack" LastActivityDate="2011-05-31T10:38:08.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2499" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2507" CreationDate="2011-10-14T09:00:24.550" Score="13" ViewCount="1101" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems like every plant that I come across has a different (and seemingly random) best time to prune. Is there some sort of generally rule that I could apply to any plant and have a pretty good idea when to prune. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really don't want to have to identify and google every time I come across a new plant. Also, what are the consequences of pruning a plant at the wrong time? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="696" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-14T13:54:00.537" LastActivityDate="2011-10-17T19:21:16.143" Title="What is a general rule of thumb for when to prune plants and trees?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2500" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-14T09:07:06.757" Score="16" ViewCount="435" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a flatshare, in a room on the ground floor (first floor for North Americans). To prevent people from looking into our rooms all the time (there's a parking lot in front), we have outdoor blinds/screens (about 5ft/1.5m high and 15ft/4.5m wide) made out of bamboo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to cover those outdoor blinds/screens with some green. I've been thinking of Ivy because it grows so fast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Are there any other plants that can quickly cover the outdoor blinds/screens that I would be able to get seedlings for and start right now?&lt;/strong&gt; Or is this a completely idiotic idea because Winter is the wrong time of year to start &lt;em&gt;any&lt;/em&gt; outdoor plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in southern Germany in a climate that Wikipedia calls &quot;temperate seasonal&quot;; there is some chance of snow, although usually only a few days a year; the low end of winter temperature is about -2°C (28°F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional information:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Outdoors underneath a balcony.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Facing North-ish, it doesn't get a lot of sunlight.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ideally, I would plant them in containers but planting them in the ground is also an option.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flowers would be nice, but an evergreen covering is also acceptable.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-14T18:03:39.857" LastActivityDate="2011-10-17T18:18:16.027" Title="Is there a fast-growing, inexpensive privacy plant that can be started in winter?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;&lt;privacy-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2501" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2491" CreationDate="2011-10-14T11:29:54.103" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Self-pollinating&quot; refers to the process by which a given plant's flower transfers pollen from anther to stigma without outside assistance. For example, pea flowers are &quot;perfect&quot; (have both stigma and anther) and &quot;self pollinating&quot; (the pollen transfers without the help of an external pollinator).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a general rule, two different species are unlikely to cross pollinate. For example, pumpkins may belong to &lt;em&gt;C. pepo&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;C. maxima&lt;/em&gt;. Two varieties of pumpkin within the same species may cross, but they will not cross with a pumpkin variety of a different species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It &lt;em&gt;may&lt;/em&gt; be possible to cross some plants of different species within the same genus, but the likelihood of crossing becomes less the more different the two contributors become. (Think about animals -- you can cross a donkey with a horse to make a mule, but you can't cross a monkey with an eagle, thankfully. And even in the former situation, the mule is sterile, so it's not a stable cross.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that basil and chilies are in different plant orders (&lt;em&gt;Lamiales&lt;/em&gt; vs. &lt;em&gt;Solanales&lt;/em&gt;), it seems highly unlikely to me that they would hybridize, even if you were manually pollinating one plant from the other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-10-14T11:29:54.103" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2502" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2491" CreationDate="2011-10-14T12:52:34.110" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;My understanding is that some plants will reject pollen that is like their own. Also some plants (eg. holly and papaya) have male and female plants. One plant has male flowers, the other has female flowers. So they can't self-pollinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the case of peppers, they do cross-pollinate with other varieties, as long as they are cultivars of the same species (most peppers are &lt;em&gt;C.annuum&lt;/em&gt;). For example two years ago I grew some sweet paprika and one of the plants produced some fruit which were hotter - they had cross pollinated with some anaheims in the next bed. So the cross-pollination influences the fruit that is produced as well as the plant produced by the seed (the paprika actually seeded itself and the plant that came up was a moderately hot paprika).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually grow about half a dozen varieties each year, and do not take any precautions against cross-pollinating other than keeping each variety together - and this is mainly for my own memory. I wouldn't describe it as a big problem - just don't be surprised when you get the odd cherry-shaped bell pepper, a cherry red &quot;chocolate&quot; pepper, hot paprikas, etc.!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;re. @bstpierre's comments, I would only note that natural hybrids are much more common with plants than animals. Yes they usually have to be between species in the same genus, but plants like &lt;em&gt;Sarracenia&lt;/em&gt; (trumpet pitchers), and &lt;em&gt;Opuntia&lt;/em&gt; (prickly pear) form natural viable hybrids (within their own genus) in the wild. The only larger animal I'm aware of that naturally produces viable hybrids would be ducks - which are quite randy creatures anyway!  (mules are domestic, but they're also sterile).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-14T13:06:50.250" LastActivityDate="2011-10-14T13:06:50.250" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2499" CreationDate="2011-10-14T12:58:12.197" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is one of those confusing things for a beginner - and you don't want to kill the plant. However, in most cases I don't think it is too critical. You might want to time pruning to induce flowers (eg. roses), or to avoid the chances of disease (eg. trees heal better at particular times of the year) - those would require particular timings but aren't critical to-the-week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also if you want to use the prunings for something. I've pruned our young peach three times now - it doesn't seem to care when I do it, but cuttings from the prunings do much better if they are cut in spring just before the leaf buds come out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-10-14T12:58:12.197" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2504" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-14T13:15:53.570" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/grape-hyacinth&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'grape-hyacinth'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;grape-hyacinth&lt;/a&gt; is the common name for genus &lt;em&gt;Muscari&lt;/em&gt;. These are Eurasian perennials that have characteristic spikes of dense flowers. The flowers have been described as &quot;urn shaped&quot;. They are commonly blue, so they also look like grapes - hence the name.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are approximately 40 species, divided into 4 sub-genera:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Botryanthus&lt;/em&gt;: &quot;True Grape Hyacinths&quot;. also known as Baby's Breath.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pseudomuscari&lt;/em&gt;: small plants with bell shaped flowers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Leopoldia&lt;/em&gt;: Taller plants with more widely spread flowers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Muscarimia&lt;/em&gt;: Large bulbs with fleshy roots. Short stems with elongated flowers. Often yellow or white flowers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about all types of &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/grape-hyacinth&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'grape-hyacinth'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;grape-hyacinth&lt;/a&gt;. If possible, your question should also include the sub-genera or species  that your question refers to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-14T13:15:53.570" LastActivityDate="2011-10-14T13:15:53.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2505" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-14T13:15:53.570" Score="0" Body="Genus Muscari, Eurasian perennials with dense spikes of urn-shaped flowers." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T03:01:28.933" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T03:01:28.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="478" CreationDate="2011-10-14T16:19:57.543" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;While Chicken/and Bat droppings are indeed high in N-P-K I will advise you &lt;strong&gt;NOT&lt;/strong&gt; to add this  your soil mix. My wife did this many many years ago and killed a large selection of our early bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would actually advise you not to use such a high strength organic fertilizer at all on bonsai. What keep bonsai at their healthiest and happiest is when they have a steady flow of fertilizer in low strengths. Since bonsai are usually watered every day they receive a continue slow addition of fertilizer, since the soils drain freely and don't hold much nutrients this is necessary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a selection of excellent fertilizers specifically intended for growing bonsai.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dallasbonsai.com/store/fertilizers.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bonsai Fertilizers&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to make your own fertilizer cakes (as many people do) here is a great link to an article by the Columbus Bonsai Society on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.columbusbonsai.org/content/articles?q=node/18&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Making Fertilizer Balls&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We do sometimes water with MiracleGrow just like you would fruits or vegetables but remember that the salts will wash out of the pots after a few waterings (assuming you have proper bonsai soil) so it is mostly for foliar feeding. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="706" LastActivityDate="2011-10-14T16:19:57.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2499" CreationDate="2011-10-14T16:32:31.473" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It really comes down to the type of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;tree&lt;/a&gt; eg &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit_tree&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fruit&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deciduous&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Deciduous&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evergreen&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Evergreen&lt;/a&gt;, etc then the specific species as to when is (considered) the best time of year to prune...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The same is true for plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a &lt;strong&gt;very&lt;/strong&gt; general rule of thumb, prune in:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dead of Winter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Or Spring (exact time during Spring will depend on what it is you're pruning) through to early Summer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best to avoid mid to late Summer pruning, though there are exceptions to that case...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Never&lt;/strong&gt; prune in the Autumn (Fall) or early Winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Exception to above point:&lt;/strong&gt; Remove damaged or diseased limbs immediately (as soon as possible).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-17T19:21:16.143" LastActivityDate="2011-10-17T19:21:16.143" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2508" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-14T20:17:09.833" Score="16" ViewCount="18101" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, I'm attempting to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1853/when-should-sunflower-seeds-be-harvested&quot;&gt;harvest sunflower seeds&lt;/a&gt; from some giant sunflowers I planted an age ago.  Unfortunately, there's nothing inside the seed pods!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe the sunflower was a 'giant', it may have been a mammoth though (actually it may have been both as I just used some old seeds my mom gave me a year or two ago and threw away the packs). Also searching for this info on the Internet is hard since 'giant'  is also a brand of sunflower seeds (apparently not coming from giant sunflowers)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should there be anything inside the seed pods to begin with? i.e., whether or not certain sunflower varieties are purely ornamental.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T14:25:11.623" Title="Are the seed pods of giant sunflowers normally empty?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2509" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2508" CreationDate="2011-10-14T21:55:57.527" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you mean the flower has died back (all brown and dead looking), but when you break the head apart, there aren't any seeds? These are typically black or stripey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are missing, then the florets did not pollinate - I've often seen this where only a part of the flower pollinates, and perhaps the edges don't. Also, don't discount animals. Birds and squirrels will be quick to feed on a sunflower head. A squirrel will usually destroy the whole thing, but birds can be more adept at picking the seeds out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last time I grew sunflowers, they were &quot;Mammoth&quot;. 8ft high perhaps, although this varied (some as low as 4ft), single flower per plant. The stems were notable woody. A wooden tube with what resembled foam on the inside. The foam rots quickly leaving a wooden tube. I sawed mine up and threw them in the compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-10-14T21:55:57.527" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2510" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2499" CreationDate="2011-10-14T22:55:36.837" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rule of thumb: prune heavily in winter/spring &lt;em&gt;before&lt;/em&gt; growth starts.&#xA;If you prune lightly in late summer/autumn, only remove green (not wooden) parts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So much for rule of thumb. There's a lot of variation depending on the actual plants,&#xA;location, potting, and climate. I prune my indoor chilis whenever they get too big&#xA;and I can do so without cutting off the harvest, and they seem to do well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="569" LastActivityDate="2011-10-14T22:55:36.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2511" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="76" CreationDate="2011-10-15T00:53:08.530" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In Indonesia we use the product &quot;Samro biocide&quot;, which is a multipurpose, organic pesticide for nematodes, fungi, bacteria and insects, with special funcion as growth recovery. This product is basically made from a herb extract and is modified from herbal medicine with growth recovery, because it contains antibacterial and antimicrobial substances including antibiotics and immunomodulators. The materials are more than 20 original secret Java herbs extracts (from nimbi, java turmeric, small gooseberry, ginger, black turmeric, bitter grape etc.) obtained by taking liquid secondary metabolites of certain parts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="707" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-15T15:32:52.290" LastActivityDate="2011-10-15T15:32:52.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2512" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2500" CreationDate="2011-10-15T16:20:23.770" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would try these fast growing annual vines&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_glory&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Morning glory&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;or it's more refined relative&#xA;Moonflower &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ipomoea alba&lt;/a&gt; or Calonyction aculeatum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These vines are easy from seed and can be started indoors 3 to 6 weeks before the last spring frosts.  If you can find the seed for Ipomoea alba you need to nick or abrade the seed before planting and allow extra germination time.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;They do not take up a lot of space in the yard and are effective in covering large areas.&#xA;They flower daily but the flowers face the sun so you will not see anything on the shady side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have bought seed from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thompson-morgan.com/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this European supplier&lt;/a&gt; who is very reputable and has those species as seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-10-15T16:20:23.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2513" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2491" CreationDate="2011-10-15T19:34:07.280" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basil and Chilis won't interbreed. That's like crossing a dog and a dolphin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chilis of different types can quite easily cross polinate, just some wind could do it. Unless you want pure seeds off of them that's not a problem though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="569" LastActivityDate="2011-10-15T19:34:07.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2514" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1839" CreationDate="2011-10-15T19:55:35.313" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Place a pottery pot in a large shallow tray of water. Fill the bottom layer of the pot with expanded clay, sand, or stones high enough your soil wont rot. The pottery will soak up water and evaporate it all day, thus adding some cooling. Fruits still may need shading for protection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some chilis need to adapt to direct sunlight when placed outdoors for the first time. Keep them shaded for a week or take them indoors after an hour. Don't be alarmed if they shed&#xA;leaves grown indoors with scorch marks. Usually they will regrow another set of much hardier leaves soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot(s) and plant(s) will use up a lot of water. My trays stay filled per a valve connected to a medium sized rain water supply, and it is less hot here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="569" LastActivityDate="2011-10-15T19:55:35.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2515" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="76" CreationDate="2011-10-16T01:21:09.980" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;While not the pesticide you asked for, you might consider a pest management plan that entices ladybugs to settle in and combat your aphids. Even &quot;organic&quot; pesticides can be high profile pesticides and kill many beneficial organisms. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="697" LastActivityDate="2011-10-16T01:21:09.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2500" CreationDate="2011-10-16T01:35:06.473" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_quinquefolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Virginia creeper&lt;/a&gt; is not an evergreen, but they literally will grow anywhere you plant them. In some areas they are considered invasive, so be careful not to plant it under large trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It will do well under a balcony&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It will grow in full sun to full shade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It would grow in a container if it was large enough&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It does not have spectacular flowers or evergreen foliage, But it becomes brilliantly red and orange in fall and grows clusters of blue berries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It grows faster than ivy, at up to twenty feet the first year. They can be kept much smaller if you want&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-16T03:52:24.953" LastActivityDate="2011-10-16T03:52:24.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2517" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2508" CreationDate="2011-10-16T01:56:09.707" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had that happen to me before, and I found a very small worm, the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochylis_hospes&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sunflower moth larvae&lt;/a&gt;, resembling a miniature corn ear worm. They were boring very small holes in the shells and eating the insides out. They can be controlled the same way as corn ear worms. They can do real damage to a crop of sunflowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-03T00:56:53.873" LastActivityDate="2014-08-03T00:56:53.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2518" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2488" CreationDate="2011-10-16T04:42:23.087" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I honestly don't know how long it takes a mock-orange shrub to establish and start flowering, but that said, I would expect (educated guess) a healthy one to starting flowering by year 3 to 4...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are some reasons why you might not have seen flowers by now:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mock-oranges prefer full sun, therefore the location it's in could be a little too shady, thus slowing/hindering flower production.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Is the valley and the shrub's location within, adding too the shade? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A lot of foliage growth and no flowers is generally a sign of element(s), nutrient(s), imbalance in the soil eg High &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncagr.gov/cyber/kidswrld/plant/nutrient.htm#Nitrogen&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Nitrogen&lt;/a&gt;, low &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncagr.gov/cyber/kidswrld/plant/nutrient.htm#Phosphorus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Phosphorus&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'd recommend mixing some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_meal&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bone Meal&lt;/a&gt; into the soil around the base of the shrub.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fluctuating moisture in the soil ie Prolong wetness or dryness (drought) or constantly going between the two is stressful for the shrub and can result in lack of blooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mock-oranges prefer constant moisture in a well drained soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Flowers appear on previous year's (one year old) growth, therefore it's best to prune immediately after flowering in the Spring, early Summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;By pruning in the Winter you may have inadvertently removed growth that was going to flower in the Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't prune this Winter, instead leave alone and see if you get flowers next Spring. Then if you do get flowers, prune immediately after flowering, removing the stems the flowers were on and any obvious old or dead material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mock-oranges can take a pretty heavy pruning, seeing as they grow fairly quickly. A yearly pruning after flowering will help keep the shrub healthy and vigorous.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One final thing to keep in mind, depending on the exact variety you have, some Mock-oranges only flower for 2 to 3 weeks maximum, therefore if the shrub isn't in an area you see regularly, you may have missed the blooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-16T14:37:40.157" LastActivityDate="2011-10-16T14:37:40.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2519" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2522" CreationDate="2011-10-16T15:14:52.620" Score="8" ViewCount="491" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a plant that fits these characteristics?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is edible&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is hardy (grows with little maintenance)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can be mowed to 6 inches (like grass) .&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Makes an attractive ground cover.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason I ask is that I would like to have a ground cover that resembles a lawn from a distance, but is edible.  This is for a home I have in a rural area of North Carolina.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="709" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-16T15:54:40.927" LastActivityDate="2011-10-17T18:08:11.350" Title="Is there an edible plant that is hardy and can be mowed?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2519" CreationDate="2011-10-16T15:40:02.947" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_%28plant%29&quot;&gt;Violets &lt;em&gt;(Viola)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; instantly come to mind, they meet your definition of &quot;hearty&quot; and prefer some shade, though they also prefer constant moisture...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellis_perennis&quot;&gt;English daisy &lt;em&gt;(Bellis perennis)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matricaria_chamomilla&quot;&gt;Chamomile &lt;em&gt;(Matricaria recutita)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; are another couple of possibilities, but they prefer a location that is more toward full-sun, therefore they may struggle somewhat in &lt;em&gt;&quot;mostly partial shade&quot;&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragaria_vesca&quot;&gt;Wild Strawberry &lt;em&gt;(Fragaria vesca)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; is another option that will tolerate some shade, not sure how edible the leaves are, but they are used in (herbal) teas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Does the chosen ground cover need to be able to stand up to foot traffic?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Location in the landscape: Full-sun, partial-shade or full-shade?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Your actual location (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_zone&quot;&gt;climate&lt;/a&gt;), &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone&quot;&gt;hardiness (growing) zone&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Water requirements: Able to survive via rainfall only or will irrigation be provided during warm, dry spells?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-16T16:20:29.203" LastActivityDate="2011-10-16T16:20:29.203" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2519" CreationDate="2011-10-16T21:32:53.370" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could try the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis_enneaphylla&quot;&gt;Scurvy Grass Sorrell (Oxalis enneaphylla)&lt;/a&gt; - not related to the common scurvy grass in the northern hemisphere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It tastes really nice, and is very hardy (growing successfully all across the Falkland Islands). It looks nice as ground cover too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastActivityDate="2011-10-16T21:32:53.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2519" CreationDate="2011-10-16T21:33:07.113" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think your best bet would be to use a mix of various edible &quot;weeds&quot;. The great thing about using weeds is that they're typically easy to come by and hard to kill!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you aren't prejudiced against dandelions, they fit all of your criteria.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clover&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Barley, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1609/how-can-i-grow-barley-grass-indoors&quot;&gt;if you're interested in the juice&lt;/a&gt;. (Wheat and other grains may work too.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Stinging nettles, if you don't need to walk barefoot. They'll tolerate &lt;em&gt;some&lt;/em&gt; mowing, but continuous close mowing will eventually kill them. (If you let it go to 6&quot; they'd probably be ok.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lamb's quarter (goosefoot), though I usually see this more in my garden than in my lawn -- I'm not sure how well they'd do in lawn or how well they'd tolerate mowing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plantain&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Purslane&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I was going to do this, I'd probably plant a base of clover -- it will maintain the green appearance of lawn the best. Then add the rest to the lawn. Dandelion, plantain, lamb's quarter, and nettle seeds will probably be easy to find. These are all either perennial or easily self-seeding. Barley would be kind of a hassle since it's an annual you'd have to replant every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I might also add a lawn border -- it would be easy to add many edibles that are also attractive. Nasturtium and calendula are nice looking edible flowers. Lettuce adds some greenery and looks interesting when it bolts. Amaranth has edible greens and seeds. There are tons of possibilities here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-10-16T21:33:07.113" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2523" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3721" CreationDate="2011-10-17T02:33:25.950" Score="10" ViewCount="1728" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mom thinks it's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabelle_plum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mirabelle plum tree&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Prunus domestica&lt;/em&gt;), but those appear to produce orange plums. It's in southeastern Idaho, gets full sun from about 9 AM until sunset.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do you think?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;(Click to enlarge pics)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xjFyb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;    &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xjFyb.jpg&quot; height=&quot;330&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gxqnq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;    &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gxqnq.jpg&quot; height=&quot;330&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="713" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-17T16:59:28.453" LastActivityDate="2013-06-01T00:37:10.893" Title="What varieties of plum tree produce small green plums?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="196" CreationDate="2011-10-17T07:48:23.473" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;In a word, yes, thinning is good. It will happen naturally as fruits fall victim to insects, wind, or animals, but you can do it early to raise the quality on average.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In apples (the other pom fruit) you get a &quot;king blossom&quot; in the center of a cluster which is first to open and likely first to be pollinated. You can tell because it drops its stamens first (which your photo seems to show.) To be really sure of pollination, wait til the fruit ovary (behind the blossom) swells to marble size. You can thin the others in the cluster by pinching the stems or twisting the ovaries off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have never seen a pomegranate tree (zone 4/5 is home) but I read they have similar clusters of 1-7 blossoms. You will need to find out how many fruit is a fair number for your size tree, or what spacing is appropriate, and thin to that amount. In a young tree, removing all the fruit may be rational if you prefer more rapid growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On an apple tree it is acceptable to thin to one fruit per cluster. I didn't take this seriously enough when my total fruit set was poor this year, and I kept two hopeful fruits per cluster. In the end I got more small and medium fruits.  Smaller fruits (especially with insect damage) are harder to use unless you have a grinder and juice press.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read one study that found slightly higher total mass from thinned crops. Logically, the outcome is limited by leaf area so I think they must have meant higher economic yield, or else were not counting windfalls.  For sure, thinning increases the percentage of quality, saleable fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Commercially, thinning is done with carbaryl spray which is a vasoconstrictor, but you probably don't want to do that (though you can easily buy Sevin) and it has different potency against each variety. Chemical thinning is done when the king ovary passes marble size because its stem is thick enough to withstand constriction. But Honeycrisp for example can lose 100% of its stems and must be thinned manually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Number of fruit this year also influences how many fruit buds are set for the following season. So if you have a pom fruit that bears heavily, you can get into a cycle of on year, off year. It's better for the tree's growth to have steady production.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you'd like technical explanations of these things, one bulletin online is &lt;a href=&quot;http://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/5147/1/FLS-116.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;CHEMICAL FRUIT THINNING OF APPLES&quot;&lt;/a&gt; from the Geneva station. Much of it is applicable to manual thinning too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, my experience is with apples, not pomegranates or peaches, so I'll be eager to learn how each varies. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="697" LastEditorUserId="697" LastEditDate="2011-10-20T05:00:46.157" LastActivityDate="2011-10-20T05:00:46.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2525" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2122" CreationDate="2011-10-17T16:31:12.957" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;First I would ask if you are talking about a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedrus&quot;&gt;Cedrus&lt;/a&gt; or a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja&quot;&gt;Thuja&lt;/a&gt;. Most likely its probably a Thuja.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thuja will sometimes sprout from the crotches of branches but it has been my experience with restoring many of them that this is not something that can be guaranteed. Thuja almost never sprouts from bare wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cedrus on the other hand does experience a fair amount of adventitious budding. There is an &lt;a href=&quot;http://treephys.oxfordjournals.org/content/25/4/477.abstract&quot;&gt;Oxford Journal&lt;/a&gt; that goes into more detail about the subject specific to Cedrus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;... will the remaining trunk eventually grow branches in the newly cleared space, or will it just keep growing up and out on the side where it already has branches, and never fill in the open space?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a chance that it might fill in. However your chances are best at creating a good looking tree through pruning. Invest in having a true landscape ornamental tree pruner have a look at the tree. Proper pruning for design and health will, over time give you a wonderful looking healthy tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="706" LastActivityDate="2011-10-17T16:31:12.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2526" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-17T16:49:02.717" Score="16" ViewCount="566" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this plant invading an unirrigated school yard lawn in Everett, Washington (USDA zone 8a):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ArxMk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ArxMkm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6voAk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6voAkm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is very effectively competing with the grass and might make a good lawn replacement. The foliage is feathery similar to many plants in the Asteraceae family.  It spreads on rooting stolons as seen below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NETwr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NETwrm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what it is? Since it has been regularly mowed, I do not know its mature height or anything about its flower. My best guess at the moment is some sort of yarrow (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achillea&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Achillea&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is on my way to and from work. So if you need me to verify any identifying features, I can do that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additional Observations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The foliage of this plant is not especially aromatic. If I smash up a bunch of leaves and stuff them in my nose (and close my eyes and think of Kentucky), they smell slightly grassy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-10-18T13:02:58.213" LastActivityDate="2019-05-21T10:26:12.097" Title="What is this potential lawn replacement plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2527" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-17T17:10:10.023" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The sunflower is an annual native to the Americas that is noted for its very large flowering head. It gets its names from these flowers which resemble a 'sun' image with a central disk and 'fiery' yellow petals. The common name is properly used to refer to &lt;em&gt;Helianthus annuus&lt;/em&gt; although it has also been used for a number of other members of &lt;em&gt;Helianthus&lt;/em&gt; genus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although the flowering head is usually referred to as a 'sunflower' or 'flower', it actually consists of over 1000 individual flowers sharing a common receptacle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A well known property of sunflowers is that the flowers will track the sun during the day. This is not quite true: immature leaves and flower buds will track the sun from east to west during the day; but a mature flower head will not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sunflowers are used for decoration, food, bird food, and as a common source of cooking oil. Fibers from the stems can also be used in paper production. They were first domesticated in Mexico before 2600BC and later domesticated (or introduced from Mexico) in the Mississippi Valley.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sunflowers are also used in soil cleanup applications, due to their ability to absorb heavy metals (including many problematic radio-isotopes) from the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about all of the &lt;em&gt;Helianthus&lt;/em&gt; species that are commonly known as 'sunflowers'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-17T17:10:10.023" LastActivityDate="2011-10-17T17:10:10.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2528" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-17T17:10:10.023" Score="0" Body="Helianthus annuus. New World annual noted for its large flowering head." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-10T12:50:58.230" LastActivityDate="2021-01-10T12:50:58.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2529" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2519" CreationDate="2011-10-17T18:08:11.350" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are likely many edible plants that are mowable to six inches and hardy in your zone. Here are a few with edible foliage:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mints of all kinds (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mentha&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rampion (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campanula_rapunculus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Campanula rampunculus&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ground Ivy (&lt;a href=&quot;http://Glechoma%20hederacea&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Glechoma hederacea&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chameleon Plant (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houttuynia_cordata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Houttuynia cordata&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This has edible fruit:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bearberry (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctostaphylos_uva-ursi&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Arctostaphylos uva-ursi&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastActivityDate="2011-10-17T18:08:11.350" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2530" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2466" CreationDate="2011-10-17T18:16:46.483" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seeing as you don't know the exact fig tree variety you have, just it's hardy in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone#USDA_Hardiness_Zones&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;USDA Hardiness zones&lt;/a&gt; 7 to 11 and you're in zone 6, I would be inclined to grow it in a &lt;strong&gt;large&lt;/strong&gt; pot/container. &lt;strong&gt;Why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fig tress aren't particular cold hardy (though some varieties are more hardy than others).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Growing it in a &lt;strong&gt;large&lt;/strong&gt; pot/container will enable you to move it to a suitable Wintertime location...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Will make keeping it to a manageable size a lot! easier (via confining the root system within an enclosed volume and via appropriate pruning).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you really must have it planted outside permanently (fully knowing you might lose it to Winter damage), I would:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant it in a &lt;strong&gt;large&lt;/strong&gt; pot/container for at least a year, allow it to get somewhat established before subjecting to full outdoor life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For its first Winter or two, bring it indoors (somewhere that doesn't get below 32&amp;#176;F/0&amp;#176;C).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;From Spring through to mid (to late) Autumn/Fall place in a sheltered area (protected from the wind) in full-sun.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep the soil constantly moist through the growing season, especially important during the heat of summer, you don't want the soil to dry-out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once every 4 weeks through the growing season apply a &quot;mild&quot; liquid fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the beginning of Spring 2013 select a suitable permanent outdoor location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sheltered from the wind.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Full-sun (morning sun it important), late afternoon shade isn't a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Soil should provide good drainage, overly fertile soils are best avoided.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Room to grow into a mature tree: &quot;generally&quot; 20 to 30ft (6 to 9m) high and canopy width of 20ft (6m) minimum.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Though you will probably want to prune the tree each year to keep it to a manageable size, seeing as you will need to protect it during the Winter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wintertime protection can be adapted from information given &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2371/can-i-cover-an-evergreen-shrub-in-winter/2376#2376&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;here&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; on SE, though you will also want to cover the top...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A fully dormant fig tree is hardy down to 15&amp;#176;F (-10&amp;#176;C).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A good 2 to 3inch (50 to 75mm) thick mulch layer will help keep the soil moist during the heat of summer. Personally I would use compost as the mulch layer, remembering that a mulch layer should &lt;strong&gt;never&lt;/strong&gt; touch the tree trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A compost mulch layer will feed the fig tree slowly and naturally, something fig trees prefer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are a few resources you should find helpful/useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/fig.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fig Fruit Facts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/homefruit/fig/fig.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hone Fruit Production - Figs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/vegetables/tree_fruits_nuts/hgic1353.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fig&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and I hope the above helps somewhat...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-10-17T18:16:46.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2531" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2500" CreationDate="2011-10-17T18:18:16.027" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have used Black-eyed Susan Vine (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/vines/thunnbergia_alata.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Thunbergia alata&lt;/a&gt;), an annual vine, to cover a fence with a northern exposure. In such a semi-shaded location, the flowering was reduced, but the vine still covered well. Of course, like the morning glory, you will need to plant it each spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastActivityDate="2011-10-17T18:18:16.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2532" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-17T19:19:21.393" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a poorly defined tag - choose a more specific set of tags if possible. &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/repair&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'repair'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;repair&lt;/a&gt; might refer to the repair of garden tools; irrigation systems (extensive repairs might be plumbing and hence off topic); or the repair of damaged plants, bushes, trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-17T19:19:21.393" LastActivityDate="2011-10-17T19:19:21.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2533" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-17T19:19:21.393" Score="0" Body="A general tag for fixing problems" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-17T19:19:21.393" LastActivityDate="2011-10-17T19:19:21.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2534" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-17T19:25:33.423" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many (probably most) garden plants are not grown in their natural location and habitat. Plants can be grown in different places, because they are either tolerant of a wider range of conditions, or similar conditions can be reproduced in a different place (e.g. planting peppers and tomatoes in Europe).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about a plant's original native conditions. What does a plant expect? Can I reproduce it in my location?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-14T19:07:39.740" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T19:07:39.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2535" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-17T19:25:33.423" Score="0" Body="Conditions a plant would experience in its native habitat." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-17T19:25:33.423" LastActivityDate="2011-10-17T19:25:33.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2536" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2540" CreationDate="2011-10-17T20:43:55.643" Score="12" ViewCount="31910" Body="&lt;p&gt;My goal is to create a landscape plan/map for my yard. So, basically, the first step is to create a scale drawing of my lot. I recently attended a couple of local workshops on &quot;site planning&quot;. In the workshops, the idea is to make measurements to identify the house &quot;footprint&quot; on the lot using graph paper. From there, one creates &quot;bubble diagrams&quot; with ideas for various plant material and hardscapes like in the following pictures (click to enlarge)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.marshfear.com/Portfolio/projects/full_site_plan.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Left&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.planterspalette.com/index.php/landscape-design-installation-maintenance/landscape-design/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Right&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FOBWE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;    &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FOBWE.jpg&quot; height=&quot;270&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kmAkv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;    &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kmAkv.jpg&quot; height=&quot;270&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for some software options to help me along with this. So far, I am exploring &lt;a href=&quot;http://sketchup.google.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Google SketchUp&lt;/a&gt; and also &lt;a href=&quot;http://inkscape.org/index.php?lang=en&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Inkscape&lt;/a&gt;. What are other options for creating such layout maps? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cross-platform solutions would be nice, but if not, please indicate which OS it supports. Free and commercial software are both welcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Note: I am personally using a MacBookPro and an Ubuntu machine. Windows options are certainly welcome as well.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="260" LastEditorUserId="260" LastEditDate="2011-10-18T21:37:24.393" LastActivityDate="2014-08-03T12:53:05.600" Title="What are some good landscape design planning softwares?" Tags="&lt;resources&gt;&lt;layout-planning&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-07-10T16:32:21.463" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2537" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2526" CreationDate="2011-10-18T01:18:56.093" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achillea_millefolium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yarrow, &lt;em&gt;Achillea millefolium&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. I have some identical to it that. It has a strong, pungent scent something like a carrot. It will grow as a very good lawn substitute, taking moderate to heavy foot traffic in full sun to shade. It does well mowed every two weeks during the active growing season. It prefers a well drained location (no sitting water). I think this is a viable option for a low maintenance lawn in a dry location, but it is not resistant to most lawn-weed selective herbicides, so you will have to weed it by hand. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s0TxD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VHOuv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-28T02:16:31.750" LastActivityDate="2014-06-28T02:16:31.750" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2538" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28946" CreationDate="2011-10-18T01:40:42.760" Score="17" ViewCount="2395" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got two tiny grapefruit seedlings for free and I don't know how to care for them. They are in very small pots and all the care they are getting is watering. They are 2&quot; tall. I don't live in the right zone for these, and I don't have any idea how to care for them. How do I grow these indoors under artificial light? &#xA;Edit: I need an answer fast. Two of three trees are now dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T17:32:11.317" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T17:32:11.317" Title="How do I care for grapefruit seedlings?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;grapefruit&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2539" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7162" CreationDate="2011-10-18T01:47:44.250" Score="13" ViewCount="1450" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a spruce tree that has a problem. Every year, some branches suddenly drop all of their green needles and die. I would like to prevent this, but I don't know what the cause is. What causes this and how do I prevent it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="924" LastEditDate="2012-02-09T21:12:23.010" LastActivityDate="2013-05-23T14:06:30.840" Title="What causes spruce branches to drop their needles?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2540" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2536" CreationDate="2011-10-18T01:50:16.573" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Exactly which design software package for landscape planning is best for your needs will come down to a number of factors, some of which are listed below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Freeware.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Commercial.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Which Operating System platform you run.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How much time you're planning, willing to invest in learning the software - some of these packages are extremely powerful (and complex once you get below the surface of them).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do you require an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/API&quot;&gt;API&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are you interested in a strong user community (eg User help/support).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Whatever package you decide to use, I can't recommend strongly enough that it be vector based.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My first recommendations are &quot;simple&quot; (and free) CAD/Drawing packages, that's not to say they're not powerful, just can be viewed as somewhat limited by (some) &quot;professionals&quot; in the design community:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.123dapp.com/&quot;&gt;Autodesk 123D&lt;/a&gt; - Windows only.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homestyler.com/&quot;&gt;Autodesk Homestyler&lt;/a&gt; - Web based.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.3ds.com/products/draftsight/free-cad-software/&quot;&gt;DraftSight - Dassault Systèmes&lt;/a&gt; - Windows, Mac and Linux.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://sketchup.google.com/training/videos/new_to_gsu.html&quot;&gt;Google SketchUp - New to&lt;/a&gt; - Windows and Mac.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://inkscape.org/&quot;&gt;Inkscape&lt;/a&gt; - Windows, Mac and Linux.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.serif.com/free-graphic-design-software/&quot;&gt;Serif - DrawPlus Starter Edition&lt;/a&gt; - Windows only.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/products/velocity/solidedge/free2d/index.shtml&quot;&gt;Solid Edge 2D Drafting&lt;/a&gt; - Windows only.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Personally I would go with Google SketchUp, as it's:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Simple to use.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Large user community (eg Lots of freely available content, tutorials, support, etc).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;2D &amp;amp; 3D.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Allows for an easy upgrade path to &lt;a href=&quot;http://sketchup.google.com/product/gsup.html&quot;&gt;Google SketchUp Pro&lt;/a&gt; if required further down the road.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My second recommendations are &quot;powerful&quot; (commercial) CAD/Drawing packages, bias to &lt;a href=&quot;http://autodesk.com/&quot;&gt;Autodesk&lt;/a&gt; products, as that is where my somewhat expertise lays:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.autodesk.com/autocadlt&quot;&gt;AutoCAD LT&lt;/a&gt; - Windows and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.autodesk.com/autocadltformac&quot;&gt;Mac&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.autodesk.com/autocad&quot;&gt;AutoCAD&lt;/a&gt; - Windows and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.autodesk.com/autocadformac&quot;&gt;Mac&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.autodesk.com/map3d&quot;&gt;AutoCAD Map 3D&lt;/a&gt; - Windows only.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.autodesk.com/infrastructuremodeler&quot;&gt;Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler&lt;/a&gt; - Windows only.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.autodesk.com/revit&quot;&gt;Autodesk Revit Architecture&lt;/a&gt; - Windows only.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;It's a difficult one to recommend, but for landscape planning I would probably have to go with AutoCAD Map 3D.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My third recommendations are &quot;powerful&quot; (commercial) non-Autodesk CAD/Drawing packages, though to be honest I can't really recommended any of them as I don't have any &quot;real&quot; experience with them, I'm aware of them, have very! limited experience with a couple of them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.graphisoft.com/products/archicad/&quot;&gt;ArchiCAD&lt;/a&gt; Windows and Mac.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bricscad.com&quot;&gt;Bricscad&lt;/a&gt; - Windows and Linux.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.landfx.com/&quot;&gt;Land F/X&lt;/a&gt; - works with AutoCAD, Bricscad &amp;amp; SketchUp.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.microgds.co.uk/&quot;&gt;MicroGDS&lt;/a&gt; - Windows only.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bentley.com/mixrostation&quot;&gt;MicroStation&lt;/a&gt; - Windows only.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For the &quot;average&quot; homeowner that wishes to do some, get into, landscape design, I would have to recommend starting with Google SktechUp.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I would use Autodesk products, but that's because I have 15 years experience with them...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-10-18T01:50:16.573" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2541" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2623" CreationDate="2011-10-18T01:52:42.603" Score="7" ViewCount="546" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a strawberry bed that the strawberry plants like to grow in, but &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex_obtusifolius&quot;&gt;broad-leaved dock&lt;/a&gt; (also known as Bitter Dock, Bluntleaf Dock, Dock Leaf or Butter Dock) seems to like it better. They are trying to take over and I don't know what to do. How do I get rid of it without damaging the strawberries?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-18T02:11:35.063" LastActivityDate="2016-08-28T01:26:28.670" Title="How do I get rid of broad-leaved dock in my strawberry bed?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2542" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2536" CreationDate="2011-10-18T01:54:51.010" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think for all amateur-level landscape design Google &lt;a href=&quot;http://sketchup.google.com/intl/en/download/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sketchup&lt;/a&gt; free version (Windows XP/Vista/7 and Mac OS 10.5+ platforms) is a pretty decent. I used it to design our backyard (only a fraction of which has come to fruition in reality so far) and it was fine. We passed the Sketchup model file on to a professional landscaper who used in as a base for dimensions in creating a professional-quality 2D plan. He also updated the 3D sketchup model with any details he'd modified or added and sent it back to us.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The advantages of Sketchup:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's free for everyone involved (so you can use it to collaborate easily), or you can pay for the pro version (which no one I know has bothered to do).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It has extensive tutorials for you to figure out how to use it quickly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It supports import of third party models. For instance, I imported a very simple tree model to demonstrate where our screening trees would be placed. You can also import complex models but more than 20-30kb worth of 3D points and it crashes Sketchup.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Disadvantages:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I found it difficult to include detailed organic shapes in the model, so just kept it simple. Sketchup's not particularly focused towards displaying the overlapping nature of shrubs, trees, etc., like a landscaping program would.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There are more features in landscaping-focused softare (Sketchup is all-purpose). Some listed &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landscape_design_software&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;on Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-18T02:14:36.027" LastActivityDate="2011-10-18T02:14:36.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2543" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2489" CreationDate="2011-10-18T02:53:19.870" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am attempting to answer this because someone better qualified has not...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have much experience of the north hemisphere growing season but I do know that in the Adelaide Hills near where I live (roughly Meditteranean but cooler at this higher altitude) huge crops of strawberries are produced from now until the end of April which corresponds to mid-spring to mid-autumn (mid-fall). This is on an industrial scale though, so industrial scale watering and nutrients are going into them. Still, I don't know that late strawberries would necessarily weaken your plant. I'd say it just means you get more strawberries than everybody else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something I found that might help is &lt;a href=&quot;http://urbanext.illinois.edu/strawberries/growing.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;advice from an Illinois university information page on strawberries&lt;/a&gt;. It suggests that removing all flowers in the first growing season will encourage the roots and runners to develop and thus give you a better crop thereafter. This implies that removing flowers at a time when they are taking the lion's share of resources will strengthen other aspects of the plant, which makes sense. It goes on to specifically say that you should let the fall/autumn flowers remain:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;For everbearing and day-neutral strawberries, remove the flowers until the end of June and then after that date allow the flowers to remain to set fruit for a summer/fall harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My feeling (merely opinion of course) is that removing late fruit (which presumably is just a smattering), wouldn't help that much because plenty of resources are still getting through to the rest of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2011-10-18T02:53:19.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2544" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-18T03:16:18.477" Score="8" ViewCount="9556" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fescue grass in my yard is not doing well. I suspect that I may be cutting it too short--especially in the summer heat. I have cut it to a length of three inches for several years now. How tall should fescue grass be before and after cutting? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-18T03:46:03.327" LastActivityDate="2011-10-18T03:57:28.173" Title="How high should I cut fescue grass?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;fescue&gt;&lt;mowing&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2545" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2544" CreationDate="2011-10-18T03:57:28.173" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Taking into account the below couple of questions you've asked here on SE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/674/394&quot;&gt;Perennial Shade Grass&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/2301/394&quot;&gt;How should I prune this overgrown pear tree?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Is a cool-season lawn &amp;quot;Fescue&amp;quot; the right type of lawn for your location?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;See here:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/lawns/hgic1214.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Selecting a Lawn Grass&lt;/a&gt; via South Carolina - Clemson University Cooperative Extension&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing grass in a shady location, especially one shaded by tress, is going to be difficult. Period. &lt;strong&gt;Why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Grass doesn't grow well in shady areas, even varieties developed for such areas require a lot! more work than grass grown in sunny locations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The root system of the grass simply can't compete with the trees root systems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;See here:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/lawns/hgic1202.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growing Grass in Shade&lt;/a&gt; via South Carolina - Clemson University Cooperative Extension&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below quoted information comes via, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;What's an organic way to discourage crabgrass from a large “lawn”?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mow high and when doing so only remove approximately ⅓ of the grass blade height. In my case, 3inch (75mm) is my final cut height, that is as high as my current lawnmower will cut. My next lawnmower will be able to cut to at least 4inch (100mm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Seeing as my lawnmower is a mulching mowing, I leave all the grass clippings on the lawn (free, natural fertilizer), except with first cut and last cut of the season. I collect up those cuttings and dispose of them via a community yard waste pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;During dry, hot spells (generally July &amp;amp; August here in Missouri), when temperatures are constantly over 90°F (32°C) I &lt;strong&gt;never&lt;/strong&gt; go out and cut the lawn. A cool-season lawn hardly puts on any new growth in those kind of temperatures (will start to enter dormancy). Once the temperatures have dropped back into the 80's°F (mid to high 20's°C) for a few days, I will go out and cut the lawn, but only if it needs a cut. If it doesn't, I just wait until it does and temperatures are right for cool-season lawn cutting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;You may want to take the time to read the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;complete answer&lt;/a&gt;, as all the information within is based on a &amp;quot;Tall Fescue&amp;quot; lawn.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If cutting to a final cut height of 3inches (75mm) hasn't been working for you, try raising the final cut height to 3½ to 4inches (87.5 to 100mm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also wish to have a browse through the following information from, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;South Carolina - Clemson University Cooperative Extension&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/lawns/hgic1210.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tall Fescue&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/lawns/hgic1219.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tall Fescue Maintenance Calendar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/lawns/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lawns&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-10-18T03:57:28.173" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2546" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2548" CreationDate="2011-10-18T18:36:06.227" Score="15" ViewCount="4482" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just removed my old front stoop: it was a wall of field stone, filled with a layer of pea stone and 2x8x8 cubic feet of sand, and finally covered by slate. I want to level my very uneven lawn with this sand. My lawn is terrible and I plan to sod or bring in top soil and reseed next spring (I should have done it in the fall but I couldn't get it done in time). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lawn is less than a quarter acre.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will putting thick layers (up to 5 inches in some places) of sand throughout the yard hurt future lawns? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I plan on putting a layer of top soil on top of everything, is it ok if I don't mix the sand with top soil (some answers to other similar questions suggest 50/50 mixes)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I plan on growing a lawn on top of this sand, do I need to weed before I pour the sand on top?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the Boston area and the lawn is in partial-to-full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on these questions: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/13/601&quot;&gt;How do I encourage lawn seeds to germinate successfully?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/143/601&quot;&gt;Making a yard that&amp;#39;s settled more level?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1765/601&quot;&gt;How to fill low spots over existing grass in my yard?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would guess that the answers to my questions are (1) yes I can fill in my lawn, (2) mixing 50/50 is probably better, but not necessary if I plan on putting a layer of soil on top (I don't know how much is needed for it to be ok?), and (3) I should probably weed before I cover things with sand, because the weeds are likely to push through. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any clarification/correction to my own answers are greatly appreciated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="601" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-10-25T01:12:28.217" Title="Will leveling uneven lawns with extra sand kill future lawns?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2547" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1555" CreationDate="2011-10-18T18:38:03.073" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;We grow vegetables in an area about 16' square, in raised beds.  Several years after we started, the garden became a disaster - we just couldn't get anything to grow well in most of the garden.  Eventually, I figured out that some nearby Norway maples had taken over most of the soil - coming up from the bottom of the beds.  For several years I kept digging the roots out of the beds, but they just kept coming back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Eventually, I got the idea to try to keep them out altogether.  I now dig around the garden with a pickax every 2-3 years on the bad-tree sides.  I get down 9-12 inches.  I've been amazed at the size of the roots - some as much as an inch-and-a-half - given how far the trees are.  I cut finger-sized roots with pruning shears, and use a pruning saw for the really big ones.  Trying to break good-sized roots with a pickax is a great way to hurt your back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The worst offenders are some mature Norway maples that are about 35 feet away from the edge of the garden.  They are downhill from the garden - I wonder if the roots can &quot;smell&quot; the nutrient stream from the garden and go there preferentially.  Norway Maples are notorious for aggressive roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're concerned, you might try trenching with a pickax around the perimeter &lt;em&gt;before&lt;/em&gt; you dig the garden.  You might just sample a few areas that you're most concerned about.  Because the pickax has such a thin blade, it's not too hard - unless you find roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I considered trenching and installing some landscape fabric (vertically) that's supposed to deter roots.  It's impregnated with copper.  I'm concerned about ingesting the copper via the vegetables, so I opted not to use it.  Your mileage may differ.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-10-20T19:28:16.023" LastActivityDate="2011-10-20T19:28:16.023" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2546" CreationDate="2011-10-18T20:11:09.537" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;del&gt;If you have a warm-season lawn, mid-Spring is the ideal time to renovate:&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;del&gt;* &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2012/can-my-lawn-be-saved-or-is-it-time-to-dig-it-up-and-re-sod/2021#2021&quot;&gt;Can my lawn be saved or is it time to dig it up and re-sod?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeing as you live in the Boston area, I'm 95% certain you would have a cool-season lawn, therefore late-Summer to early-Autumn (Fall) is the ideal time to renovate:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;What's an organic way to discourage crabgrass from a large “lawn”?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're laying a cool-season lawn via sod (not via sowing seed), then you will get away with doing so in early to mid Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, if you plan to establish a cool-season lawn via sowing seed, I can't recommend strongly enough that this should be carried out in late-Summer to early-Autumn (Fall). Doing so will greatly increase the success rate of establishing a strong, healthy lawn. Sowing cool-season lawn seed in Spring really is a lottery if it will survive or not, especially if the Summer is hot and dry...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no way I would dump up to a 5inch (125mm) thick layer of sand onto my lawn or anyone else's lawn for that matter, even with the knowledge that the sand layer will then be covered with top soil afterward... &lt;strong&gt;Why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sand is a (very) good drainage material, too good for most plants (including grasses used for home lawns) ie It doesn't hold moisture long enough for the plants to use effectively.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sand is a poor growing medium for most plants (including grasses used for home lawns) ie Roots struggle to establish themselves, moisture isn't retained long enough for the plants to make effective use of.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;During hot, dry Summers you would be for every watering your lawn just to try to keep it alive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/2578/394&quot;&gt;that's the sand in photo &quot;1) sand pile&quot;&lt;/a&gt;, there's no way I would spread any of it over a lawn. I agree with:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2578/how-to-dispose-of-sand-concrete-rubble-and-field-stones/2586#2586&quot;&gt;bstpierre&lt;/a&gt;&quot; -- It would be generous to call that &quot;sand&quot; -- definitely don't spread it on your lawn. Looks more like fine gravel to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2578/how-to-dispose-of-sand-concrete-rubble-and-field-stones/2580#2580&quot;&gt;winwaed&lt;/a&gt;&quot; -- The right kind of sand might not be too bad for lawns, but I would agree that that stuff would not be too good (from both horticultural and geological perspectives, I probably wouldn't even call it sand).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to use up some of that sand, here is what I would do (rightly or wrongly), &lt;strong&gt;assuming sod is going to be laid&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Now, Autumn/Fall 2011:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove as many of the weeds as I could via hand-pulling.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill the low spots with no more than a 2inch (50mm) thick layer of sand.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bring in enough fill material (see below for recommendation) to level out the lawn area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;By volume mix 10% to 20% (maximum) of the sand into the fill material.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spread this fill material over the lawn, getting the lawn area as level as I can (doesn't have to be perfect at this stage).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Walk away and let the fill material overwinter on the lawn area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Early to mid Spring 2012:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;With a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rake_%28tool%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;heavy-duty metal garden rake&lt;/a&gt; work the fill material layer to level it out and break up the surface a little. Remove any large stones, vegetation (including roots, wood, etc) and foreign objects I come across.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A (sharp) &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoe_%28tool%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hoe&lt;/a&gt; would be handy to have, will make short work of removing any weeds (vegetation) that have popped their heads above the surface.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bring in enough fill material (see below for recommendation) to put down a final 2inch (50mm) thick (sod-bed) layer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;By volume mix 10% to 20% (maximum) of the sand into the fill material.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spread this fill material over the complete lawn area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;With a heavy-duty metal garden rake level this fill material layer to final grade.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay the sod (instant lawn), when doing so, staggering the joints as if I were building a brick wall, also taking my time to ensure I get nice tight joints.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay a scaffold-board over the top of the sod. Shuffle along the board a few times, this will ensure good contact between the sod and the soil underneath is achieved. Move the board over the width of the board, repeat &quot;shuffle&quot; process. Repeat, repeat... until the complete area has been tamped down.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bring in enough &quot;high quality&quot; compost to put down a &amp;#189;inch (12.5mm) thick layer over the newly installed sod.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;By volume mix 10% to 20% (maximum) of the sand into the compost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spread this compost/sand mixture over the complete lawn area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lightly water the newly laid lawn, do this daily for the first couple of weeks (assuming no rain). After that, water lightly every 2 to 3 days. Basically you don't want the sod drying out (contracting and gaps appearing along the sod joint lines).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A month after installing the sod, revert to your &quot;normal&quot; watering schedule (or follow the recommended watering requirements for the chosen grass type).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fill material:&lt;/strong&gt; Personally I would use a 50-50 mix of &quot;high quality&quot; screened (&amp;#188;inch/6.25mm sieved) top soil &amp;amp; compost for filling in low spots in a lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;High quality&quot; = Make your own from compost and soil (materials) you control, or buy from a local independently owned garden nursery, or if you're lucky enough to have access to a local (free) community composting facility that is known to output good quality material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Basically you want to reduce the risk as much as possible of bringing in lots! of weed seeds into your environment.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and I hope the above is somewhat helpful/useful...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-10-25T01:12:28.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2549" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="124" CreationDate="2011-10-18T22:57:13.513" Score="6" Body="&lt;h2&gt;Not necessarily&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My trees are on their second spike each and both have plenty of good, green leaves and fruit.  Breaking the spikes in half might have helped and will reduce my overall costs.  I'd say this is a dead simple solution and I'm quite pleased to have landed on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(For reference, the spikes in question are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gemplers.com/product/160239/Jobes-Organic-Tree-Fertilizer-Spikes&quot;&gt;Jobe's Organic Tree Fertilizer Spikes&lt;/a&gt;.  I have no reason to assume these are better or worse than any other product.  I just found them in a local hardware store.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastActivityDate="2011-10-18T22:57:13.513" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2550" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-18T23:41:53.333" Score="17" ViewCount="19280" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumquat&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;kumquat&lt;/a&gt; and a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_lime&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mexican (or Key) lime&lt;/a&gt; tree in pots right next to each other.  The kumquat has been flowing and fruiting like a champ nearly as long as I've owned it.  The lime hasn't yet produced a mature fruit.  It has flowered many times and produced little fruit the size of a lime seed.  But every time each fruit falls off the branches a few days later.  Both trees are on the same watering and feeding schedule, get nearly the same sun, and are subject to the same weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some (possibly crackpot) theories:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Recent weather changes in Southern California are spooking the lime.  (We've had hot days followed shortly by cold days.  I never know if I should take a light jacket to work or not.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The lime just isn't happy with the climate.  I gather they like lots of heat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The flowers aren't getting pollinated or are pollinated from a &quot;bad&quot; tree.  I've seen bees working over the flowers, but I don't know if my neighbors have limes.  To be safe, I self-pollinated the tree once, but no joy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I ought to increase the watering schedule when the fruit starts to grow.  Both trees are one a strict once-a-week schedule.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm over fertilizing the lime, which is quite a bit smaller (as it's younger) than the kumquat at this point.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Critters and birds are vandalizing my lime.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I just got a bum lime tree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are any of these theories likely to be the source of my problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(This question is about &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/124/will-it-kill-my-potted-tree-if-i-use-tree-fertilizer-spikes&quot;&gt;these&lt;/a&gt; trees for what it's worth.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't had a chance to take photos, so here are the other requested details:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The kumquat is 2+ years old and I bought the lime 1/2 a year ago.  I haven't pruned either tree.  Both are roughly 2 feet tall, but the kumquat is sprawling out several feet on two sides while the lime looks like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree.  The dimensions of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50118846/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the pot&lt;/a&gt; are: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Outside diameter: 15&quot;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  Max. diameter inner pot: 12 ½&quot;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  Height: 12 ½&quot;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  Inside diameter: 13 ¾&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I don't at all know what &quot;Max. diameter inner pot&quot; means.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-10-11T16:31:13.510" Title="Why does my lime tree drop its fruit early?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2551" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2564" CreationDate="2011-10-19T00:11:15.573" Score="9" ViewCount="461" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this screening tree/hedge growing in the Adelaide plains, South Australia? Any family or clade suggestions will help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to propagate it next to the fences in our own backyard because it looks hardy and demonstrates excellent foliage density for screening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;(Click on images to enlarge)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jOuEM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jOuEMm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Screener side view&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1UMyH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1UMyHm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Screener leaf view&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/QVEQc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/QVEQcm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Screener leaf closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-11-07T00:43:33.650" LastActivityDate="2011-11-07T00:43:33.650" Title="What is this screening tree, growing in South Australia?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2552" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2563" CreationDate="2011-10-19T01:35:11.133" Score="17" ViewCount="4011" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have about 2/3 of a pallet of bricks left over from building our house (I didn't build it!), and I'd love to use them to build a raised vegetable garden. I have never laid bricks before, but am keen to learn! I'd like to do it properly so that it's level, subsidence doesn't crack it, and it lasts for many years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, what do I need to do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A little more background:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without measuring the bricks at this point, I'd say they are the classic size used for building houses - if necessary, I can go and measure them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When it comes to the height of the raised bed, I'd like it to be roughly knee height; this should be about 5-6 bricks high at a guess. I'm not sure at this point what sort of shape I might like for the bed, but an oval, circle or square are definite possibilities. It would have a diameter/length of roughly 2-3 metres. I do realise that I won't be able to easily reach to the centre at that size, but I'm happy with that - I'll probably just plant herbs there as companion plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: The climate is mostly dry, sunny and reasonably mild (generally within -5 to 30 deg C) - we get probably 10-20 frosts each winter, but the ground itself doesn't freeze, and it doesn't snow as it's too near to the coast. When it rains, it really rains lots as we're surrounded by hills so drainage is important, however the soil is fairly free draining.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We don't want to get extra bricks, so will design based on what we have. The purpose is definitely partially decorative as the bricks will match the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="715" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-10-19T13:25:08.947" LastActivityDate="2011-10-20T07:53:06.837" Title="Which techniques and tools should I use to build a raised vegetable garden from bricks?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2553" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-19T05:42:06.483" Score="7" ViewCount="1066" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had a panda plant indoors in my office, by a west-facing window for about 6 months or so. Yesterday I found that there are red/brown ants around my plant and it is obvious that their target is actually my plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only possible reason I can think of, is that the ants are attracted by the organic fertilizer I added to the surface of the soil a few weeks ago. The fertilizer is black, and has a cylinder shape, about 1cm long each. The instruction from the fertilizer bottom said that they can be added to the surface or mixed into the soil. So, to keep it simple, I just added it to the surface. Yesterday I saw that there's white mold on the top of the fertilizer granules, so I removed them, hoping that they will disappear the next day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However,some of the ants still remained in the dish used to hold the excess water, and I had to kill them manually. I would like to take it back home and spray some pesticide on it. I hope they are not building a nest inside (the pot is small though, about 10 cm long).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could be the reason for the appearance of ants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-10T16:28:11.180" LastActivityDate="2018-02-10T16:28:11.180" Title="Why do ants appear around my panda plant?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;&lt;ants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2553" CreationDate="2011-10-19T14:16:01.350" Score="5" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;What could be the reason for the appearance of ants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I'm aware (which means very little) most species of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;ants&lt;/a&gt; don't feed on living plants... Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ants coming indoors is &quot;generally&quot; a sign their food sources are in short supply outside, thus they move inside looking for food, or they have been attracted by a smell they associate with food...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore I'm thinking possible reasons for seeing ants around your indoor &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panda_%28plant%29&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Panda plant&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The plant has an infection of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aphids&lt;/a&gt; and the ants are harvesting them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant#Relationships_with_other_organisms&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Relationships with other organisms&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid#Ant_mutualism&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ant mutualism&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The fertilizer you recently added could be attracting them via its smell/odor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G7392#Biology&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Biology and habits&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; via &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G7392&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ants&lt;/a&gt; article on University of Missouri Extension website:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Ants are omnivores and search for a variety of foods. The search for food is the primary reason ants enter buildings and become pests. The search for food typically involves individual ants meandering away from the nest. When an ant discovers food, she takes a straight route back to the nest and lays a scent trail as she returns. Other workers follow her scent trail to the discovered food and recruit large numbers of their nestmates to quickly exploit it. When the food source is liquid, workers consume it and store excess in their bodies to regurgitate and share with the rest of the colony. When the food is solid, the ants transport it back to the nest, where larvae convert it to liquid and then feed it back to workers. &lt;strong&gt;The most common natural food source for ants is honeydew. Honeydew is a liquid excretion made by insects such as aphids, mealybugs and scales. Often ants guard these insects as they feed on plant leaves, stems or roots in order to have unlimited access to the honeydew they produce.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-10-19T14:16:01.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2555" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2553" CreationDate="2011-10-19T15:17:06.943" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Inspect the plant for other critters that ants like.  They're small - easy to overlook.  Aphids and mealybugs are pretty obvious once you look closely.  If you don't see them, google-image for pictures of plant scale, then check for that.  If you didn't know it's a bug, you'd think it's just some kind of minor plant defect.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2011-10-19T15:17:06.943" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2556" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-19T16:28:29.510" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A 'fruit' is the structure of the plant that contains the seeds, and develops from the flower's ovaries. This botanical definition would include bean pods, corn kernels, wheat grains,etc but exclude juniper berries (which are female conifer cones). In non-technical and culinary usage, a fruit is a fleshy seed-associated structure that is sweet in its raw state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruit can come in various forms. The most common divisions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Simple Fruit&lt;/strong&gt;. Forms from an ovary in one flower with only one pistil (eg. bean, most nuts, red current, peach, etc)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aggregate Fruit&lt;/strong&gt;. Multiple carpels, not joined together producing a group of fruitlets. (eg. raspberry, blackberry)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Multiple Fruit&lt;/strong&gt;. Formed from a cluster of flowers which mature as a single mass. (e.g. pineapple, mulberry)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for more general questions about fruit. In most cases, a more specific tag referring to the plant in question, is more appropriate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T20:21:03.150" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T20:21:03.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2557" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-19T16:28:29.510" Score="0" Body="For general questions about plant fruits." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T20:21:03.197" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T20:21:03.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2558" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-10-19T16:37:58.947" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ants are social &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/insects&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;insects&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;insects&lt;/a&gt; of the family &lt;em&gt;Formicidae&lt;/em&gt;. They are related to             &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/wasps&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;wasps&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;wasps&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/bees&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;bees&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;bees&lt;/a&gt; - all are members of the order &lt;em&gt;Hymenoptera&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ant colonies range in size from a few dozen predatory individuals to highly organized colonies with specialized wingless females arranged in castes (&amp;quot;workers&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;soldiers&amp;quot; etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ants are highly successful and have colonized all land masses on Earth excluding Antarctica and a few remote islands. They are also remarkably diverse - especially in tropical regions where they have adapted a range of co-evolutionary relationships with other species. E.O.Wilson (ant specialist and acclaimed author) has estimated the number of ant individuals alive at any one moment as being between one and ten quadrillion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ants are easily introduced into an area accidentally, so they include a number of problematic invasive species (e.g. fire ants in the US).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most ant questions on this site will be pest control questions. How do I remove ants? Should I remove ants? How can I do it without harming kids, pets, and 'beneficial' insects. Ants can pose problems by eating plants (e.g. leaf cutter ants) but are usually a problem due to their stings and their innate ability to find food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Despite these problems, it should be born in mind that ants can also be beneficial to humans and even gardeners. They suppress more problematic &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pest&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pest&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pest&lt;/a&gt; populations, help to aerate(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/aeration&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;aeration&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;aeration&lt;/a&gt;) the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/soil&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;soil&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;soil&lt;/a&gt;, can act as predators, used to harvest rooibos (South African seeds used to make a herbal tea), and as food. They also have a number of medicinal uses, e.g. army ant mandibles can be used as medical sutures, and some ant venoms have medical uses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-16T14:29:09.953" LastActivityDate="2021-02-16T14:29:09.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2559" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-10-19T16:37:58.947" Score="0" Body="Insects of the family Formicidae." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-08T07:19:17.587" LastActivityDate="2021-01-08T07:19:17.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2560" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1008" CreationDate="2011-10-19T17:40:32.300" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The gloves I use don't really protect from thorns all that well, but I find that if you handle roses by grabbing them right near the flower itself, you don't encounter many thorns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="717" LastActivityDate="2011-10-19T17:40:32.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2561" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2552" CreationDate="2011-10-19T17:53:53.097" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't speak about masonry, but I'm going to suggest an alternate shape that might be a good use for your bricks. You can lay them in an irregular spiral to form a Spiral Herb Garden which you fill with dirt. Normally you see these done with fieldstone, but I think bricks would work. The center is the highest point and you construct a ramp that spirals outward until it comes flush with the ground. Think of a sandcastle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The advantage of the spiral are that you can devise zones of different soil and drainage qualities to suit different plants. The center will more rapidly drain and can be filled with different soil (more sand for instance.) The outer spiral can be populated with plants that need more water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't have to mortar them, depending on how you arrange the bricks, so less skill is required. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've observed my wooden raised box and noted the rosemary and rhubarb are fairly drowning; these would be candidates for moving to higher ground in a spiral bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can find many beautiful examples by googling for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=spiral+herb+garden&quot;&gt;Spiral Herb Garden&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="697" LastEditorUserId="697" LastEditDate="2011-10-20T07:53:06.837" LastActivityDate="2011-10-20T07:53:06.837" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2562" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2552" CreationDate="2011-10-19T18:04:38.537" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a novice bricklayer, I'd recommend sticking with a rectangle. I think a circular shape will be more challenging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following is based on my limited experience with laying larger cement blocks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plan first&lt;/strong&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Determine the location of your bed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Determine the dimensions you want. You mentioned &quot;knee height&quot; -- maybe 40-50cm?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Figure out how many courses of bricks (height), and the length and width and number of bricks in each of those dimensions. Don't forget to account for the mortar joint between the bricks.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Verify that you have enough bricks to finish the job. If you don't, then either make the bed smaller or get more bricks.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get your tools.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wheelbarrow for mixing mortar.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Short-handled hoe for mixing mortar.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Trowel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Scrap board -- about a 30x30cm piece of plywood to use as a sort of palette. (Optional.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Long level (4').&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Stakes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;String&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rubber mallet&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Stone chisel for splitting bricks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Jointer for smoothing the mortar in the joints&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gloves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prepare the area for the bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove weeds/sod/turf in the area to receive the bed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Level the area. Use your long level to ensure that the area is perfectly level. If you start on uneven ground it will be very challenging to get the courses of bricks to come out evenly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drive stakes &lt;em&gt;beyond&lt;/em&gt; the four corners, and connect them with strings. The strings should cross at the corners -- you don't want the stakes in the way of your bricks. Use &lt;a href=&quot;http://woodworking.about.com/od/gettingstarted/qt/345Rule.htm&quot;&gt;3-4-5&lt;/a&gt; to ensure that your corners are square. Then double check for square by measuring diagonally from corner to corner -- both diagonals should be precisely equal.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prepare a foundation for the bricks. In the area where the bricks are to be laid, excavate the soil to a depth of 12&quot;. Backfill with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggregate_base&quot;&gt;road sub-base material (crushed rock)&lt;/a&gt; and compact it thoroughly as you fill. Use the long level to verify that the base layer is perfectly level. Do not completely fill -- leave 2&quot; below grade. The foundation should be centered along the string lines so that the outside of the bricks will be in line with the string.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mix the mortar. Follow directions on the bag. Mix it in the wheelbarrow with the hoe. &lt;em&gt;Add small amounts of water at a time!&lt;/em&gt; It is very easy to overdo it with water. It's easy to add a little more if the mortar is too dry, it's impossible to take water away. You want it about the consistency of peanut butter. Don't mix too much at a time -- it will be wasted if it sets up before you can use it. (And it's hard to clean up!) A cool, overcast day is ideal -- you don't have to worry about the mortar setting as quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay your first course of bricks. Since you left 2&quot; below grade, the first course will be embedded by that much. Start at a corner. Set the bricks into the center of the foundation you created, making sure that the outside edge of each brick is in line with the string. Tap then into the base with the mallet. Before you set each brick, use the trowel to put a bit of mortar on the end of the brick to &quot;glue&quot; it to the previous brick. (There's a knack to this that I think you can only get with experience.) You can use the mallet to tap the bricks together (but I'm not sure this will be needed with bricks; my experience is with larger concrete blocks). Keep the gaps even. Use your level to check that your bricks are level along both axes (i.e. each brick is an even height and the wall itself isn't tipping inward or outward). At the corners, use a large carpenter's square to make sure you are making a perfect 90° angle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay the subsequent courses. Start at a corner. Offset the bricks from the previous course, so that the joints don't overlap. This is essentially the same as the previous step with the addition of a layer of mortar on the bottom of each brick. &lt;em&gt;If you didn't get the previous course perfectly level, you'll pay for it now!&lt;/em&gt; Use the level frequently to make sure everything is plumb and even. Keep the offsets consistent -- both height and width. (If your heights are inconsistent, the course will not be level. If your widths are inconsistent, your course will be too short or too long and the corners will be messed up.) Adjust your string height as you go so that the string is the height of the bricks -- it makes a better guide this way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;(As you go along.) When the mortar has set up a bit -- just enough so that a fingerprint shows -- use the jointer to smooth out the joints and remove excess.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Clean up promptly!&lt;/strong&gt; Wash out the wheelbarrow, clean off the hoe and jointer with a garden hose. Mortar is pretty easy to clean up when it's still wet. Once it dries, it's nearly impossible.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Backfill. Add 2&quot; of coarse sand in the foundation trench to bring it up to grade.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill the bed with appropriate growing media, plant, and enjoy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;I don't have tons of experience, so if anyone who knows better wants to correct me on some point or add something I've missed, please do so.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-10-20T02:27:24.787" LastActivityDate="2011-10-20T02:27:24.787" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2552" CreationDate="2011-10-19T18:20:52.277" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not trying to put you off from doing it yourself, in fact I would encourage you to give it ago, but do keep in mind, laying bricks (properly) is a lot! harder than it looks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep the shape of the raised-bed simple ie Rectangle or Square.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Take you time to install a good, strong and level foundation to build off.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Consider placing some kind of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coping_%28architecture%29&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;coping stone&lt;/a&gt; on top of the brickwork, doing so will give you a nice looking finish, but more importantly it will greatly help extend the life of the brickwork.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To mainly make things easier for myself, I'm going to work with the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick#Optimal_dimensions.2C_characteristics.2C_and_strength&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;standard&quot; UK brick size&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;215mm x 102.5mm x 65mm (8&amp;#189;inch x 4inch x 2&amp;#189;inch)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To fully get the visual beauty of the brickwork, I would personally lay 5 courses of brickwork minimum (with the understanding 1 of those courses will be below ground level) ie&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Minimum raised-bed wall height: 5 x 75mm (10mm mortar joint) = 375mm (14&amp;#190;inches) = 300mm (12inches) viewable above ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Again to keep things simple, lay the bricks in &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stretcher_bond#Stretcher_bond&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stretcher bond&lt;/a&gt;&quot; pattern.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Raised-bed wall thickness = 102.5mm (4inches) or what is known as &quot;half brick&quot; thickness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Using the above information means we can work on the bases of 60 bricks per m&amp;#178; (50 bricks per yd&amp;#178;).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Therefore you have enough bricks to build: 350 / 60 = 5.8m&amp;#178; or 350 / 50 = 7yd&amp;#178;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Which translates into enough bricks to build: 5.8 / 0.375 = &lt;strong&gt;15.4 linear metres of raised-beds @ a height of 375mm&lt;/strong&gt; OR &lt;strong&gt;17 linear yards of raised-beds @ a height of 14&amp;#190;inches.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Again to keep things simple and &quot;standard&quot;, a raised-bed should be 1.2m (4ft) wide -- this allows you to easily work the bed without stepping into it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A raised-bed can be a long as is practical.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Therefore you have enough bricks to build a &lt;strong&gt;1.2m wide x 6.5m long raised-bed @ a height of 375mm&lt;/strong&gt; OR &lt;strong&gt;4ft wide x 21&amp;#189;ft long raised-bed @ a height of 14&amp;#190;inches.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Even though the brickwork is only 5 courses high, I'd be inclined to shorten the long sides down to 6m (19&amp;#189;ft), then with the spare bricks build a 1 brick thick (215mm/8&amp;#189;inch), 4 courses high (so you don't have to mess around with &lt;em&gt;special&lt;/em&gt; coping stones and ruin the straight line of the bed), support piers halfway along the length of of those sides -- doing so will stiffen up those walls and give the raised-bed that much more strength.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Or maybe a better option would be 2 raised-beds: &lt;strong&gt;1.2m wide x 2.65m long&lt;/strong&gt; OR &lt;strong&gt;4ft wide x 8&amp;#190;ft long.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Will prevent you from having to build &quot;support piers&quot; (see above).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you go with 2 raised-beds, leave enough space between them so you can work easily in each bed, 600mm (2ft) minimum gap.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hopefully I've got my above maths correct, especially where I've given/used imperial units. Please feel free to pull-up any mistakes I might have made.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tools you will need:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Builders &quot;layout&quot; spray-paint.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spade to dig the strip-footing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Builders tarp.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;String-line.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonry_trowel&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bricklayers &quot;Masonry&quot; trowel&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bricklayers &quot;Pointing&quot; trowel (optional).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bricklayers pointing iron or an off-cut piece of hose works well -- either of those tools is the easiest way to point the brickwork (the mortar joints).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Soft brush-head, used to clean-up the brickwork after pointing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lump_hammer&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Club hammer&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chisel#Masonry&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bricklayers &quot;Masonry&quot; bolster&lt;/a&gt; for splitting (cutting) bricks in two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have one, an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angle_grinder&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;angle grinder&lt;/a&gt; works just as well -- and will make cutting mitre angles (45&amp;#176;) on the coping stones easy and clean.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A 600 to 1200mm (2 to 4ft) long Bricklayers &quot;Masonry&quot; &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_level&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;spirit level&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Below advice mainly comes from helping others (skilled bricklayers) and doing it myself on the odd occasion:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Determine the size (plan area) of the bed, based on a height of 375mm (14&amp;#190;inches).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;One &quot;long&quot; raised-bed: &lt;strong&gt;1.2m wide x 6m long&lt;/strong&gt; OR &lt;strong&gt;4ft wide x 19&amp;#189;ft long, with &quot;support piers&quot; (see above).&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two raised-beds (recommended option): &lt;strong&gt;1.2m wide x 2.65m long&lt;/strong&gt; OR &lt;strong&gt;4ft wide x 8&amp;#190;ft long.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Layout the plan shape of the raised-bed(s) on the ground using the builders &quot;layout&quot; spray-paint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Then layout the same shape 100mm (4inches) offset to the outside of the above shape -- this will give you the outside face of the strip-footing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If constructing on a lawn, carefully take up the grass and store it properly for reuse.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Layout the builders tarp need by, so you can easily put the excavated soil from the footing onto it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dig a strip-footing, 300mm (12inches) wide x 450 to 600mm (18 to 24 inches) deep.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill the excavated strip-footing with concrete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Concrete should finish 75mm (3inches) below ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Take your time and get the finished concrete as level as possible -- doing so will greatly help when you come to start laying bricks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Let the concrete set-up (cure) for at least 24 hours before starting to lay bricks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Either use ready-mix bags of brickwork mortar or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortar_%28masonry%29&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;mix your own&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If mixing your own, measure out the materials by volume (use a bucket), doing so will ensure you achieve a consistent &quot;finished&quot; mortar colour.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mix strength by volume of materials, 4:1 or 5:1 ie&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 or 5 parts soft building sand.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;1 part &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_cement&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Portland cement&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thoroughly &quot;dry&quot; mix together the two materials.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Add a suitable &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=mortar+plasticiser&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mortar Plasticiser&lt;/a&gt; to a bucket of clean water -- this will make the mortar more workable, easier to use.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Add the water (with plasticiser) slowly to the dry mixture, mixing together as you go -- you want to end up with a thick (but workable), lump free mixture &lt;em&gt;(see below image, click to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yGzAI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yGzAIm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cement mortar&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mortar_mixed_inside_bucket.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;First&lt;/strong&gt;, build the corners of the raised-bed(s), take your time...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the first course of brickwork is level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the corners are square (90&amp;#176;) and plumb (upright, not leaning inward or outward).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you cut corners on the above couple of points, you will be &quot;fighting&quot; to correct the brickwork as you progress further.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once you've built the corners (up to their final height), use the bricklayers pointing iron or off-cut piece of hose to point the brickwork (the mortar joints).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Then take the soft brush-head and clean (wipe-off) the brickwork.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;With the corners built,&lt;/strong&gt; take the string-line, line it up with the top outside edge of the first course of brickwork, and run it between one corner and another corner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;If building one &quot;long&quot; raised-bed and working on one of the long sides, you will want to build the &quot;support pier&quot; (see above) before moving onto the next point.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then complete this course of brickwork using the string-line as a guide for the bricks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Move the string-line up one course of bricks, then complete that course of brickwork... Repeat until you've finished that one face of the raised-bed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once you've built that face of the raised-bed (up to its final height), take the bricklayers pointing iron or off-cut piece of hose and point the brickwork (the mortar joints).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Then take the soft brush-head and clean (wipe-off) the brickwork.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Repeat the above steps to fill-in the other three faces of the raised-bed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;On the second course of brickwork (first course viewable above ground level), remove (omit) the vertical mortar joint between the bricks, do so near the corners, then every 3rd joint along the length of the walls -- this will provide some drainage from the raised-bed.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Optional, but highly recommended -- to help prolong the life of the brickwork, lay a coping stone around the perimeter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before filling the raised-beds with suitable material, get some outdoor screen mesh fabric (small off-cuts) and place those on the inside face of the brickwork over the vertical joints you omitted -- this will help those drainage &quot;holes&quot; stay clear of debris and functional.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the soil you excavated for the strip-footing is ok! (dark, crumbly, etc) I would take that and mix it with high quality &quot;organic&quot; material (compost, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf_mold&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;leaf mold&lt;/a&gt;, etc).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, if the excavated material isn't ok! (clay, clumpy, etc) I wouldn't use it in the bed, instead I would bring in a 50/50 mixture of finely sieved top soil and high quality &quot;organic&quot; material (compost, leaf mold, etc).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Add the material in 6inch (150mm) layers, &quot;lightly&quot; tamping down each layer as you go.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make good around the perimeter of the raised-bed at ground level -- if you built on a lawn, take some of the grass you stored (properly) for reuse and lay that back down.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and I hope the above makes some kind of sense. Any questions, please ask...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-19T22:07:25.470" LastActivityDate="2011-10-19T22:07:25.470" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2564" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2551" CreationDate="2011-10-19T22:30:03.777" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it a pittosporum - possibly &lt;em&gt;Pittosporum Screenmaster&lt;/em&gt;? I looked on the web and found a number of pictures of trees looking very much like these trees eg check out &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.primeplants.com.au/plants/Hedging-and-Screening-Plants/Pittosporum%20Screenmaster/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this link&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="718" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-10-19T22:48:21.757" LastActivityDate="2011-10-19T22:48:21.757" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2565" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2349" CreationDate="2011-10-19T23:09:19.207" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I saw the pictures here I wondered if it was a form of siamese twinning where one is basically growing inside the other. As with human siamese twins the most common ones we think of are those joined at the hip, but the less obvious ones are just a bit of alien tooth or heart cells within one child.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A genetically distinct plant which has experienced a mutation from regular tomatoes, which massively increases the likelihood of siamese twinning in the fruit could display this kind of arrangement. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that may sound bizarre. I certainly thought so myself, so I tested the theory by consulting Lord Google... and it does appear that it's not too uncommon according to &lt;a href=&quot;http://accidentalgreenthumb.wordpress.com/2011/08/07/what-the-siamese-tomatoes/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this post on Accidental Green Thumb&lt;/a&gt;. See also &lt;a href=&quot;http://herbangardener.com/2009/10/26/siamese-twin-tomatoes/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this post by Herbgardener&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the siamese twin theory seems too far fetched it's still possible it's some other mutation. And since you say the fruit is delicious and it's still clearly attractive, you could cultivate this one over many generations and make a packet by mass marketing it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-10-20T00:12:49.087" LastActivityDate="2011-10-20T00:12:49.087" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2566" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2574" CreationDate="2011-10-20T01:26:40.297" Score="7" ViewCount="673" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0n8EI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0n8EIm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;Click to enlarge&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a hardy perennial that grows up to 5' tall. It has a spreading root system and purple, crinkled petunia-like flowers. What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-20T04:01:39.103" LastActivityDate="2011-10-21T21:25:09.237" Title="What is this plant, which has a spreading root system and purple, crinkled petunia-like flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2567" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3697" CreationDate="2011-10-20T01:40:23.960" Score="13" ViewCount="1323" Body="&lt;p&gt;This grass is a very good lawn grass, showed mowed and unmowed, and I would like to buy seeds for it. Of course, I can't do that unless I know what it is. It does not spread, it doesn't turn brown during winter or during droughts, and it is exceptionally shade tolerant. What kind of grass is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click below images to enlarge...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NbVnI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NbVnIm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown grass type&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oNdnO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oNdnOm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown grass type&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-20T03:59:57.267" LastActivityDate="2017-09-06T19:18:50.897" Title="What kind of lawn grass doesn't spread and is exceptionally shade tolerant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2568" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1196" CreationDate="2011-10-20T01:56:45.530" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a canna. the variety name is Red King Humbert. It is the same as what I grow. To overwinter, I wait until the top gets frosted off, then cut them off and dig up the rhizomes and store them in baskets in the basement. In spring, after the frost is gone, I plant the pieces 3' apart in moist soil. They are very tolerant to poor drainage and will grow in standing water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-10-20T01:56:45.530" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2569" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="826" CreationDate="2011-10-20T06:49:12.193" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peaches bear fruit on last year's growth. So pruning is essential. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Worse, no leaves = no food for new growth. The erratic spring in the past two years might prevent pollination, but not leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try  pruning up to 1/3 of the tree in April. You can take out dead wood immediately.   Unless you see some sprouts next year, it's dead. On the plus side, when you cut it down you can find out for certain how old it is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like other stone fruits, an open vase pattern of pruning and training is commmonly used.  But you can also prune a peach to a central leader (Christmas Tree) system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd look for a University Extension bulletin about growing peaches in your area. For a start, check out &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.michiganpeach.org/growbackyard.html&quot;&gt;Michigan Peach.org&lt;/a&gt;. Some pictures of the open vase pruning guide can be seen in this &lt;a href=&quot;http://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/A3639.PDF&quot;&gt;Guide to growing stone fruits in Wisconsin&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="697" LastActivityDate="2011-10-20T06:49:12.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2570" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3256" CreationDate="2011-10-20T21:06:21.417" Score="8" ViewCount="1240" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacaranda&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;jacaranda tree&lt;/a&gt; in my front yard (perhaps 30-50 yrs old). I recently pruned a few branches that were about 2&quot; thick. You can see one fresh cut in the picture below and there are a few more in different places. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now all of these are within an arm's reach and I was wondering if it would be possible to graft a scion from a fruit tree or another flowering tree onto each of these new stubs. Normally, grafting is done between &quot;similar&quot; plants. The wikipedia article on &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rootstock&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;rootstock&lt;/a&gt; says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The rootstock can be a different species from the scion, but must be closely related.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But how &quot;close&quot; is close enough? Same genus/family/order? It might be easy to find similar flowering trees to jacaranda, but is it possible at all to graft any fruit trees onto this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't set my mind on any particular fruit/flowering tree and this is more of an experiment rather than wanting to actually grow something for consumption (if it works, well and good!). If it matters, I'm in Southern California, so there really isn't any winter to speak of and temperatures hardly go below 8-10 ºC (46-50º F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/PvEbt.jpg&quot; &gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="anon" LastActivityDate="2012-01-17T20:18:52.057" Title="Is it possible to graft fruit/flowering trees onto a well established jacaranda tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2571" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1517" CreationDate="2011-10-21T00:37:29.313" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.newscientist.com/blog/lastword/2005/03/does-anything-eat-wasps.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;New Scientist&lt;/a&gt; had a blog entry titled 'Does anything eat wasps?' in which readers described seeing the following wasp predators: frogs, crabs, hornets, badgers, fish, larger moths, pitcher plants, spiders large and tiny, praying mantis, dragonfly, dogs, motorcycle riders, and Chuck Norris.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/17/asian-hornet-bee-killer-invasion&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Guardian reported&lt;/a&gt; ('Danger! The bee-killing Asian hornet is set to invade Britain') on a UK warning (October 2011) on the progress of Asian Hornet toward reaching England from France via Spain. Beekeepers are concerned because it is a threat to hives. Another reason to report yellow and black stinging pests to local beekeepers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my case, I created a wasp paradise by composting vast quantities of apple waste behind my house. Now the suckers have built large nests. I'm trying to bury the apple waste, or compost it in 5 gallon pails, to cut off the supply. You might want to discover what (if anything) attracts so many to your neighbor's property, and don't throw your apple cores on the heap!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="697" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-03T11:07:09.687" LastActivityDate="2018-04-03T11:07:09.687" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2572" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29370" CreationDate="2011-10-21T01:11:37.990" Score="10" ViewCount="5276" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morus_(plant)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mulberry&lt;/a&gt; tree was leaking sap earlier and it left ugly black stains down the trunk. The tree has deeply furrowed bark. Can I remove this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s5Abi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-10T19:46:10.133" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T19:46:10.133" Title="Can I get rid of sap stains on my mulberry tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;sap&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2573" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2589" CreationDate="2011-10-21T15:34:50.980" Score="20" ViewCount="17952" Body="&lt;p&gt;On a whim, this spring, I planted several apple seeds in a large pot just to see if they would grow. Two seedlings have come up and are very healthy looking, despite being munched by deer, and the hot, dry summer we had. They are about a foot tall with several branches and very leafy for their size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am very interested in keeping them going. Should I keep them inside in the winter, since they're in a pot? Should I transplant them now, before the ground freezes? I do want them to go through their winter cycle. I'm more concerned with the roots freezing than them drying out too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;USDA Hardiness Zone 6 - Middle Tennessee.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Winters are fairly mild, but we do get one or two hard frosts and a couple of good snows. Occasionally we even get an ice storm.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The pot is a good 24inches (600mm) or so across at the top rim.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both trees are in the same pot. &lt;em&gt;The other seedling is an avocado tree.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xth3w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Apple seedlings in a pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="454" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-24T21:29:31.400" LastActivityDate="2019-10-25T01:03:19.140" Title="How do I care for potted apple seedlings over the winter?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2574" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2566" CreationDate="2011-10-21T21:14:40.620" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That could be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruellia_angustifolia&quot;&gt;Mexican Petunia&lt;/a&gt;. The flowers are usually purple or pink but also exist in shades of blue and white. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="720" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-21T21:25:09.237" LastActivityDate="2011-10-21T21:25:09.237" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2575" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2587" CreationDate="2011-10-23T01:29:18.510" Score="8" ViewCount="18427" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;portulaca&lt;/a&gt; is growing a clump of short stems at the base of the plant like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sedum&lt;/a&gt;. The sedums use this to grow the next years growth. Could I dig my portulaca up and overwinter it indoors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant did overwinter and grew well the entire next season. However, It didn't produce seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-27T03:06:03.233" LastActivityDate="2020-09-25T17:35:02.837" Title="Can portulacas be overwintered indoors?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2576" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2583" CreationDate="2011-10-23T01:35:59.380" Score="8" ViewCount="654" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam%27s_Needle&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Adam's needle yucca&lt;/a&gt; flowered for the first time this year. It does not look like it is going to grow in that area anymore, but the leaves are still green. Should I cut it back at all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-23T04:04:42.533" LastActivityDate="2011-10-24T04:52:19.467" Title="Should I cut back my yucca after flowering?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2577" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2603" CreationDate="2011-10-23T01:42:01.180" Score="7" ViewCount="175" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew some &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54647/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sedum spectabile 'Neon'&lt;/a&gt; and it flowered very well, but the flowers do not last very long. I would like to extend the flowering period. I noticed a scattering of rebloom, but it was not very good. Could I force a consistent rebloom on these?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="394" LastEditDate="2011-10-26T02:25:59.607" LastActivityDate="2011-10-26T05:31:45.943" Title="Can I force Sedum spectabile 'Neon' to rebloom?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;sedum&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2578" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2586" CreationDate="2011-10-23T14:52:36.687" Score="10" ViewCount="39989" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have three piles of rubble from an old stoop I just demolished. Here are some pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) sand pile:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BVuGw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sand&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) concrete rubble pile:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xhhLz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;concrete&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) and field stone pile:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zcNd1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;field stone&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a few questions about how to dispose of this debris. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, in a related question, I found it was unwise to disperse the sand across my lawn, even if I was planning on replacing it with sod next fall: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/2546/601&quot;&gt;Will leveling uneven lawns with extra sand kill future lawns?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will landscaping companies want these materials if I offer them free of charge?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If not, is posting an ad (eg in craigslist) an effective method?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there cheaper methods than renting a dumpster?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice related to disposing of these materials is much appreciated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="601" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2021-02-01T18:56:38.573" Title="How to dispose of sand, concrete rubble and field stones?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;disposal&gt;&lt;concrete&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2579" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2584" CreationDate="2011-10-23T15:31:34.150" Score="9" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read a random article about the effects of a certain fertilizer on tomatoes and how it happened to increase the protein content of the tomatoes relative to other fertilizers (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2009-09/fertilizer-future-might-be-closer-we-think&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf9018917&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;) and it piqued my interest.  I've also read that wheat grown at certain parts of the year have more protein content as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aside from choosing to grow lentils or some other high-protein plant, what are the methods of increasing the protein content of your garden edibles?  If they vary by plant family group, then what are the methods that work for different family groups?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="711" LastActivityDate="2011-10-24T16:01:29.653" Title="What are methods of increasing the protein content of garden vegetables?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2580" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2578" CreationDate="2011-10-23T15:44:49.520" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not sure if anyone would be interested in taking it? You may not have enough. All of that can be crushed and used as aggregate for making concrete (that is what the Texas DOT did with the Texas Stadium here in Irving), but the question is, do you have enough to make it worth their while to come and get it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The right kind of sand might not be too bad for lawns, but I would agree that that stuff would not be too good (from both horticultural and geological perspectives, I probably wouldn't even call it sand).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you 'make lemonade' and use it as a base for a rockery or xeriscape garden? You would probably want to bring in decent sand for the upper layers and attractive gravel and rocks for the more visible bits...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-10-23T15:44:49.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2581" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2575" CreationDate="2011-10-23T19:14:31.083" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't heard of people overwintering portulacas, although I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to. The main reason for this is that portulacas are &lt;em&gt;extremely&lt;/em&gt; easy to grow from seed and grow very well in the northern US, where you are. So I really wouldn't worry about overwintering it and would simply leave it in the ground and start afresh in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-10-23T19:14:31.083" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2582" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1196" CreationDate="2011-10-24T04:40:41.950" Score="5" Body="&lt;h3&gt;Why that plant is not a Canna-Lily&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although the pictured plant has large, reddish leaves, in habit, it looks nothing like a canna.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Canna leaves usually alternate back and forth on opposite sides of the stem, botanists call this characteristic &lt;em&gt;distichous&lt;/em&gt;. Banana leaves, in contrast, are arranged spirally around the stem. So  the leaves of bananas can go in any direction, but canna leaves on a single stem tend go in two directly opposite directions, giving it a habit vaguely similar to corn (maize), which also has distichous foliage. As one can see in the photo,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/joifY.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;the leaves of our plant run in every direction, so the plant does not have distichous foliage. Michael G. Simpson in &lt;em&gt;Plant Systematics&lt;/em&gt; uses the foliage arrangement as a primary means of distinguishing cannas, bananas, and related families (like gingers). He notes, however, that on rare occasions, canna foliage can be spiral. Nonetheless, the leaf arrangement of the plant in the photo is not very canna-like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant exhibits a number of un-canna-like features. First, let us use &lt;a href=&quot;http://duckduckgo.com/?q=!bimages%20canna%20plant&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bing's&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://duckduckgo.com/?q=!i%20canna%20plant&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Google's&lt;/a&gt; images of cannas to remind ourselves what they look like. Cannas are stiffly upright plants, our plant has a very relaxed habit almost spreading. Canna leaves point mostly upwards. Our plant's leaves point mostly out. Canna leaves are bent around the stem, which helps give them their stiffly upright look. With the exception of the youngest leaf, our plant's leaves bend away from the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NPRU9.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Canna's stems are very straight and tall, like corn (maize). Our plant scarcely seems to have a stem. A canna plant as large as our plant would have started to flower, yet, our plant is still unfurling leaves. As mentioned earlier, our plant looks nothing like a canna.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;So what is it?&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In all of these ways that our plant differs from cannas, it resembles bananas. In fact, it very closely resembles a red sport of Abyssinian banana (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bananas.org/wiki/Ensete_ventricosum_%27Maurelii%27&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii'&lt;/a&gt;) (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/81463841@N00/2640035488/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Another photo of the plant&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.buyplantsonline.com/red-banana-plant-ornamental-five-gallon.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;a source for red Abyssinian banana&lt;/a&gt;, but I am sure there are others. The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bananas.org/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;International Banana Society&lt;/a&gt; is a good source for cultural information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-10-24T04:40:41.950" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2576" CreationDate="2011-10-24T04:52:19.467" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need only prune out the spent flower stalks. Aside from removing old leaves and flower stalks, yuccas do not require any pruning. If you need to prune to control height, prune in the spring before new growth begins. If the plant is well established, you can cut it off at any height (including ground level), and it will begin two to four new stems from right below your cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastActivityDate="2011-10-24T04:52:19.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2584" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2579" CreationDate="2011-10-24T16:01:29.653" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aside from some sort of hormone type application, I would think you just need to make sure they have enough Nitrogen.  It is the Nitrogen that forms Amino Acids, which then build protein.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="476" LastActivityDate="2011-10-24T16:01:29.653" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2585" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2550" CreationDate="2011-10-24T19:16:25.167" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to Peggy A. Mauk, Ph.D. and Tom Shea:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This is frequently referred to as “June drop”. Young fruit (smaller than 1 inch in diameter) may drop in May, June and/or July. Some fruit drop is natural. Excessive drop may be due to drought stress, sudden high temperatures, low humidity, or nitrogen deficiency. Heavy pruning, thrips, mites, or spray injury can also cause fruit to drop. Keep trees in good health and well irrigated to minimize fruit drop. Fruit drop is a self-regulating mechanism in citrus trees.&amp;mdash;&quot;Questions and Answers to Citrus Management&quot; [&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/files/140618.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;PDF&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The factors I noticed in the question that contributed to the problem were likely:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;drought stress&quot; (I manage my tree's water supply and was likely too stingy during the weeks leading up to and following fruiting.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;sudden high temperatures&quot;, and&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;low humidity&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year, we've had a milder summer and I've tried to water more often during the warmer, dried periods.  As a result, I have a small batch of limes that are growing and maturing.  Citrus trees &lt;a href=&quot;http://ucanr.edu/sites/mgfresno/?story=281&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;need moist soil&lt;/a&gt; for a good harvest.  When the top few inches dry out, I add another bucket of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also possible there was a lack of nitrogen while the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/124/will-it-kill-my-potted-tree-if-i-use-tree-fertilizer-spikes?lq=1&quot;&gt;fertilizer spikes&lt;/a&gt; I use dissolved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="95" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-07-24T18:05:31.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2578" CreationDate="2011-10-24T20:05:23.163" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would be generous to call that &quot;sand&quot; -- definitely don't spread it on your lawn. Looks more like fine gravel to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you just want to get rid of it all:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Craigslist and/or freecycle ads might get rid of the field stone and the concrete blocks. (I know people who have disposed of strange things via freecycle -- really fast.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you keep your eyes open as you drive around, you might see a sign up where someone is looking for fill. Talk to them and see if they will haul it away (any combination of the sand, stone, and concrete). You could also try posting to craigslist/freecycle advertising &quot;Free Fill&quot; and mentioning the composition. I you have the means to load someone's truck (e.g. a tractor with a loader, or if you're willing to help them shovel it), definitely mention this in the ad. If you're willing to pay to haul it away (or have the means to haul it yourself), you will almost certainly find someone willing to take it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Depending on how much traffic goes by on the road, a &quot;FREE STONE&quot; sign in that pile of stone might do the job. You could probably get rid of the blocks that way too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to reuse any of this stuff:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You've got enough stone there for a small, rough stone wall like the ones you see while you're driving around New England (I think you said you live in the Boston area). You can plant a small garden bed with annuals or perennial flowers by the wall for an interest point in your yard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Those concrete blocks have about a million uses. I use them all the time and have seen them used for doorstops, ballast, ad hoc bookshelves, seats, garden terraces/raised beds, blocks to hold up the truck in your front yard, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you sift the sand, you could maybe use it as a kid's sandpile. Or a litter box for about 80 cats.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Unsifted, you could keep the gravel in barrels to use for grit on your icy driveway/walkway in the winter. Or if you don't want to wait and already have a gravel driveway, spread it on the driveway now.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-10-24T20:05:23.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2587" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2575" CreationDate="2011-10-24T20:16:57.607" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.floridata.com/ref/p/port_gra.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Portulaca grandiflora&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (assuming this is what you're talking about) is an annual, so it seems unlikely that overwintering indoors will work. They reproduce via seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may be able to extend the season long enough for it to flower and set seed while you have it potted indoors. Then you could collect seed and replant outside next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would note that the seed is fairly cheap (I see 5000 seeds online for $8; you can probably find end-of-season packets in the discount rack right now for $0.99 or less), so it may be best to just buy seed and replant in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-10-24T20:16:57.607" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2465" CreationDate="2011-10-24T20:35:57.683" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Taking into account:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1819/394&quot;&gt;Can I eradicate blackspot on roses with a winter pruning?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1819/can-i-eradicate-blackspot-on-roses-with-a-winter-pruning#comment-2433&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Comment from WW01:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Well, it is never literally freezing around here. It was probably about 15C (60F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2465/can-i-encourage-my-roses-to-produce-more-flowers-and-fewer-long-stems/2467#2467&quot;&gt;jmusser's answer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Chicken manure has a high level of nitrogen...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeing as you don't experience freezing weather (frosts, 32&amp;#176;F/0&amp;#176;C):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I believe a late Winter (or very early Spring) pruning is &quot;generally&quot; recommended for roses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For those living in areas that experience freezing weather it's &quot;generally&quot; recommended to prune roses after the &quot;average&quot; last Spring frost date of the year eg For myself, living in St Louis MO area that means 10&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; April, but to play it &quot;extra safe&quot; the 14&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; May is used (if my memory serves me correctly).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/news/DisplayStory.aspx?N=372&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Eager gardeners should be wary of last spring frost&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;To help encourage blooms (and to &quot;generally&quot; look after your roses) I recommend:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Removing the &quot;rotted chicken manure&quot; -- doing so will remove the high &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncagr.gov/cyber/kidswrld/plant/nutrient.htm#Nitrogen&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Nitrogen&lt;/a&gt; source, which is the &quot;main&quot; cause of lots! of green growth (foliage) and very little flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mixing some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_meal&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bone Meal&lt;/a&gt; (a slow release &quot;organic&quot; fertilizer, primarily used as a source of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncagr.gov/cyber/kidswrld/plant/nutrient.htm#Phosphorus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Phosphorus&lt;/a&gt;) into the soil around the base of the roses, doing so will encourage flower (bloom) development. &lt;em&gt;Follow the recommended applications rates on the bag.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1819/can-i-eradicate-blackspot-on-roses-with-a-winter-pruning#comment-2441&quot;&gt;Mulch with an inch (25mm) of compost &amp;amp; top up that compost layer every month or two.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Using compost as a mulch in this situation has the added benefit of feeding the roses naturally and slowly. Also doing so will help build-up good soil structure overtime.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Listed below is some &quot;general&quot; rose (care/pruning) information I believe you will find helpful/useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6601&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Roses: Care After Planting&lt;/a&gt; via University of Missouri Extension&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://urbanext.illinois.edu/roses/prune.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pruning - Our Rose Garden&lt;/a&gt; via University of Illinois Extension&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bexrose.org.uk/Pruning.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pruning Roses for Garden Display&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/pdfs/ACA-19-6-09/rose-pruning.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pruning Basics (direct link to PDF)&lt;/a&gt; via Burke's Backyard Australia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;YouTube: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLHf1DXAYdI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the guru standard rose winter prune, a quick look.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T18:05:29.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2589" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2573" CreationDate="2011-10-24T22:22:19.383" Score="7" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Both trees are in the same pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would immediately get them into their own pots, unless you're going to separate them &lt;strong&gt;now&lt;/strong&gt; and plant them out in bare ground (not something I would recommend doing as this stage).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is what I would do (rightly or wrongly):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get another pot of the same size -- 24inches/600mm across the top is of good size, also taking into account the depth looks about the same ie 24inches/600mm deep.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Very carefully remove the 2 saplings from the &quot;existing&quot; pot -- you may find their roots interwoven somewhat already, if that's the case, just do your best to separate them while causing as little root damage as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill the pots with suitable growing medium eg 20% finely sieved &quot;high quality&quot; top soil &amp;amp; 80% &quot;high quality&quot; (garden) compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When filling the pots, fill to within an inch (25mm) or two (50mm) of the top of them. Lightly tamp the pots so the fill material settles, but do not compact.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant one sapling in each pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Saplings should be planted at the same depth as it was previously.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Saplings should be planted in the middle of the pots, thus offering maximum volume for root development/growth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water well eg Water slowly until water comes out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pots. Wait 30 to 60 minutes. Then again water slowly until water comes out the drainage holes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place pots outdoors in good light (but not direct sun light), until the threat of frost arrives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;At this time of year (Autumn/Fall) on nights when a frost is forecast, bring the pots indoors, place in a cool, dry place -- basically somewhere that doesn't get below 35&amp;#176;F (2&amp;#176;C), preferably somewhere between 40 to 50&amp;#176;F (4 to 10&amp;#176;C).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then during the day move them back outdoors into their chosen location.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;This Winter (2011), bring them indoors -- somewhere that doesn't get below 35°F (2°C), but also doesn't get above 45°F (7°C), and will give them light during the daytime.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;From Spring (2012) through to mid Autumn/Fall place in a sheltered area (protected from the wind) in good light, but not direct sun light.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep the soil constantly moist through the growing season, especially important during the heat of summer, you don't want the soil to dry-out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once every 4 weeks through the growing season apply a &quot;mild&quot; liquid fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Evaluate the saplings in mid Autumn/Fall (2012), if they are of good size, well established, healthy looking, etc I would select a couple of suitable outdoor locations and plant them &quot;permanently&quot; in bare ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;See here on SE for planting recommendations, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1115/how-and-when-to-plant-young-grafted-fruit-tree/1118#1118&quot;&gt;How and when to plant young grafted fruit tree?&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If after evaluating you feel the saplings aren't quite ready for outdoor life, repeat the Winter, Spring, Summer and early Autumn/Fall care (given above).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Then in mid Autumn/Fall 2013 plant them &quot;permanently&quot; outdoors in bare ground.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally you may find the below articles somewhat helpful/useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/vegetables/tree_fruits_nuts/hgic1351.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pruning &amp;amp; Training Apple &amp;amp; Pear Trees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/ag28.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Producing Tree Fruit for Home Use&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/homefruit/apple/apple.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Home Fruit Production - Apples&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple#Apple_production&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;and do keep in mind Apple trees grown from seeds can be a very hit or miss affair&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-10-25T15:11:36.553" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2590" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2567" CreationDate="2011-10-25T00:49:05.317" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like fescue to me.  Fescue does not spread (with the exception of some rhizomous varieties) and is very shade tolerant.  It's down side is that it will need a lot of water in hot/dry climates if it is not in the shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-06T19:18:50.897" LastActivityDate="2017-09-06T19:18:50.897" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2591" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2593" CreationDate="2011-10-25T07:20:33.737" Score="10" ViewCount="1894" Body="&lt;p&gt;An aloe plant I have on my table now has leaves with yellowish ends and I'd like to somehow address it. I Googled for a while and found that in case of aloe this may be a sign of either underwatering or overwatering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is about 120 millimeters tall with diameter about 250 millimeters, the pot is about 120 millimeters tall with diameter about 100 millimeters filled with ground almost to the edges. I water it once a week pouring about maybe 20-40 milliliters of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I know if I water aloe right? How do I know if I'm underwatering or overwatering it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastActivityDate="2011-10-25T14:05:57.893" Title="How much watering does aloe require?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2591" CreationDate="2011-10-25T13:49:48.837" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Water only when it's dry.  But don't wait beyond then.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How dry is dry?  The soil should be dry to the touch.  Depending on the soil, it will usually be a lighter color than when it's moist.  If you poke into the soil, say 5-10 mm, you won't find moist or darker soil just underneath the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water thoroughly.  If the pot doesn't have drainage, err on the side of too little.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect you're watering too little, too frequently.  Watering just a little at frequent intervals creates a deficient, shallow root system.  The bottom of the pot never gets wet, so roots don't go there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-10-25T13:57:08.937" LastActivityDate="2011-10-25T13:57:08.937" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2591" CreationDate="2011-10-25T14:05:57.893" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aloes are drought tolerant (a much larger one did very well in our Texas summers outside without much water) but 20-40ml does sound very low. Does the pot have drainage holes and free-draining soil? If so, I'd give it more, but don't water log the soil. If it doesn't, then consider changing the pot and the soil - it will make it easier to water correctly and suit the plant a bit better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, is it pot-bound? It seems like it might be a small pot for the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-10-25T14:05:57.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2595" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2390" CreationDate="2011-10-25T15:34:30.243" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, let me say I don't have first hand experience with the below suggestions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, the suggestions come via (extensive) research, then talking with people who have first hand experience with Peonies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peony suggestions meeting your requirements:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=A252&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Peony - &lt;em&gt;Paeonia japonica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=D739&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Peony - &lt;em&gt;Paeonia&lt;/em&gt; 'Scarlett O'Hara'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-10-25T15:34:30.243" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2596" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2298" CreationDate="2011-10-25T16:17:15.290" Score="4" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The two areas have pretty much the same soil and water. The newer area might have slightly better soil in so far as it has been &lt;strong&gt;turned over more recently&lt;/strong&gt; and had some potting soil that came with the bulbs worked into it as part of planting the new bulbs. The new area also gets a little more direct sunlight in the morning, and more shade in the afternoon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently working the soil is the most likely major contributing reason for lots of weeds in those new flowerbed areas. &lt;strong&gt;Why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Turning (working) the soil will bring (weed) seeds to the surface or near the surface of the soil, thus giving them perfect conditions to germinate and start their lives...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in the mind the following suggestion will take at least a year to see real results, after that minimal maintenance should be enough to keep things under control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hand pull all the weeds (unwanted plants) you see in the new flowerbeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hand pulling is a lot easier when the soil is saturated (IMHO).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;With a sharp bladed &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoe_%28tool%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hoe&lt;/a&gt; very carefully remove all the remaining weeds, doing your best to go no deeper that an inch (25mm) into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once a week go out and repeat the above couple of points. After 8 weeks of doing so, you should notice dramatic results ie Very! few weeds (unwanted plants) to remove. Don't stop thinking you've got it under control, keeping going out there once a week and removing everything you don't want there...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Late Winter (2012) spread a 2inch (50mm) thick layer of mulch over the (new) flowerbeds. For what it's worth, I only use compost or finely shredded Autumn/Fall leaves as mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above &lt;em&gt;should&lt;/em&gt; get your (new) flowerbeds under control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After that (except for the below point), minimal hand pulling and hoeing should be all you need to do to keep your (new) flowerbeds in good order.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Once a year, late Winter or early Spring you will need to put down some fresh mulch material (assuming you've used a mulch material that breaks down overtime) to build-up the layer to its 2inch (50mm) thickness.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;If you would like some additional ideas, suggestions, let us know -- it will require a little bit more work on your part, but the results are worth it (IMHO).&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-10-25T16:17:15.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2597" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="94" CreationDate="2011-10-25T20:34:51.163" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/82/emmys&quot;&gt;your profile&lt;/a&gt; you live in Illinois, therefore I'm 95% you will have a cool-season lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;IMHO the single most important thing you can do for the health of your lawn is mow high - 2&amp;#189;inches (62.5mm) being the absolute minimum final cut height, with 3 to 4inches (75 to 100mm) being even better...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wish to read about my &quot;organic&quot; lawn care here on SE, go here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;What's an organic way to discourage crabgrass from a large “lawn”?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; What &quot;organic&quot; lawn fertilizers have you tried?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I have used:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bradfieldorganics.com/corngluten900.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bradfield Organics - Luscious Lawn Corn Gluten 9-0-0 Organic Fertilizer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/320/how-to-make-manure-tea-without-e-coli/1697#1697&quot;&gt;Homemade Compost Tea&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Homemade Compost and STA-certified (bought in bulk locally)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.doitbest.com/Lawn+fertilizer+and+rose+and+garden+fertilizer-Woodstream+Corp-model-9325-doitbest-sku-734217.dib&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ringer Lawn Restore (by Woodstream Corp)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milorganite&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Milorganite 5-2-0 Organic Nitrogen Fertilizer with 4% Iron&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Seeing as my lawnmower is a mulching mowing, I leave all the grass clippings on the lawn (free, natural fertilizer)...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have settled on using a combination of all of the above except &quot;Milorganite&quot;. Please note, I'm not saying &quot;Milorganite&quot; is a bad product, or there aren't other good &quot;organic&quot; lawn fertilizers on the market for homeowners to buy, it's just that I've settled on those four products for my lawn fertilizer needs/requirements...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is based on personal experience (I'm not a dog owner), a friends experience (dog owner), and I don't have any real science to back-up my thoughts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;My friend uses a non-organic (chemical) fertilizer on this lawn, it's the only thing we really disagree on when it comes to lawn care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;He applies the fertilizer (with some kind of added &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbicides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;herbicide&lt;/a&gt;) per the instructions on the bag.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;He then keeps his dog locked indoors for 3 days after applying the fertilizer, not &quot;normal&quot; for him to-do-so seeing as his dog is generally outside most of the day. The perimeter of his garden is installed with a buried electrical fence and the dog has a special attachment fixed to his collar that works with the electrical fence ie The dog stays within the confines of the garden without the need of a physical barrier (fenced in garden).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After 3 days, the dog is allowed to do as he pleases ie He's back outside enjoying the outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I apply the &quot;organic&quot; Bradfield and Ringer fertilizers per the instructions on the bags.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I tell my neighbours I've done so and suggest they may wish to keep their children and pets of my lawn for a day (24 hours).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I don't let my two boys on the lawn for a day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After a day I really don't care who or what is on my lawn -- not quite true &quot;Get off my lawn&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;One thing we both agree on (when it comes to lawn fertilizers), there's no way on earth we would let one of those &lt;em&gt;well known&lt;/em&gt; national (or local) lawn care companies apply anything to our lawns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Allowing them to &lt;strong&gt;only&lt;/strong&gt; apply fertilizer carries low to medium risk, even the &quot;super&quot; strength chemical fertilizers (not available over the counter to the average homeowner) they are licensed to use/apply.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The trouble is, they &quot;normally&quot; don't want to &lt;strong&gt;only&lt;/strong&gt; apply fertilizer, instead they &quot;usually&quot; want to apply a fertilizer with some kind of added &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticide&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pesticide&lt;/a&gt;. Now the risk is high to off the charts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;As far as I'm aware, most local authorities require such lawn care companies to &quot;flag&quot; gardens (place small flags in the ground) they have treated ie Warn people the garden has been treated with some kind of chemical lawn treatment. Without being an alarmist or conspiracy type person, I honestly don't think that can be a good thing -- think about, they are required to warn the passing public they have put down some kind of chemical lawn treatment...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I take my daily evening walk, I can tell the lawn care companies have been out before I see any &quot;flags&quot;. &lt;strong&gt;How?&lt;/strong&gt; By the (unbelievably) strong &quot;chemical&quot; smell in the air.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;My friend with the dog is the same, plus he has to take his dog on zig-zag walks (switching back and forth across the street) to avoid those treated gardens. He does this, as he and his dog learnt the hard-way -- one time the dog burnt his paws on one of those treated lawn, which resulted in a visit to the vet and sore paws for a week or two...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Summing up:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Organic&quot; lawn fertilizers carry zero to low risk.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Organic&quot; lawn fertilizers with added &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticide&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pesticides&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbicides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;herbicides&lt;/a&gt;) carry zero to low risk.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Non-Organic&quot; (chemical) fertilizers carry low to medium risk.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Non-Organic&quot; (chemical) fertilizers with added &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticide&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pesticides&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbicides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;herbicides&lt;/a&gt;) carry medium to high risks for those available over the counter to the average home owner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Non-Organic&quot; (chemical) fertilizers with added &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticide&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pesticides&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbicides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;herbicides&lt;/a&gt;) carry high to off the chart risks for those not available over the counter to the average homeowner ie Those used by (available to) licensed lawn care companies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please keep in mind, the above is just my personal opinion (built from experience gained via varying means) and not based on real scientific knowledge I can layout here in a coherent manner...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and I do hope the above proves somewhat helpful/useful...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-10-27T14:15:55.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2598" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2599" CreationDate="2011-10-25T21:30:20.163" Score="6" ViewCount="676" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Lightning Bamboo Green (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_tithymaloides&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pedilanthus tithymaloides&lt;/a&gt;, also called &lt;em&gt;Euphorbia tithymaloides&lt;/em&gt;) feels well at my home; he already has a sprout.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I can't explain what the white rash on the leaves are. It looks like white dots, but made of powder. I've already removed such leaves two days ago, but now other leaves have the same rash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you know what could be causing the white rash on the leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CIm1A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CIm1Am.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pedilanthus tithymaloides&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h9sWw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h9sWwm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;White rash on Pedilanthus tithymaloides&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="728" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-26T00:39:54.927" LastActivityDate="2012-07-01T00:33:08.950" Title="What is causing a white rash to appear on the leaves of Pedilanthus tithymaloides?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2598" CreationDate="2011-10-25T22:20:59.717" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to stick with my initial thought, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powdery_Mildew&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Powdery Mildew&lt;/a&gt; as the culprit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://urbanext.illinois.edu/focus/pm.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Powdery Mildew&lt;/a&gt; via University of Illinois Extension&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gives: Description, Symptoms and Control (Nonchemical &amp;amp; Chemical).&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Podcast - &lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.illinois.edu/podcasts/greensideup/201107_853.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Powdery Mildew&lt;/a&gt; via University of Illinois Extension&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Richard Hentschel interviews with Jim Schuster, form Extension plant pathologist about powdery mildew, a typical disease of the late summer that has showed up much earlier this year due to the high humidity and night temperatures. Cultural management includes proper location and thinning in the spring and possible fungicide treatments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://soilplantlab.missouri.edu/plant/diseases/mildewfungicide.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fungicides for powdery mildew&lt;/a&gt; via University of Missouri Extension&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is general listing of active ingredients labeled for use for control of powdery mildew. Always consult the label to make sure both the host and disease are listed&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Homemade &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ghorganics.com/page15.html#Baking%20Soda%20Spray&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Baking Soda Spray&lt;/a&gt; for Powdery Mildew via Golden Harvest Organics&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sodium bicarbonate commonly known as baking soda has been found to posses fungicidal properties. It is recommended for plants that already have powdery mildew to hose down all the infected leaves prior to treatment. This helps to dislodge as many of the spores as possibly to help you get better results. Use as a prevention or as treatment at first signs of any of the diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;To make:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mix 1 tablespoon baking soda&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;2½ tablespoons vegetable oil with one gallon of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shake this up very thoroughly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;To this mix add ½ teaspoon of pure Castile soap and spray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Be sure to agitate your sprayer while you work to keep the ingredients from separating. Cover upper and lower leaf surfaces and spray some on the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Repeat every 5-7 days as needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-10-25T22:20:59.717" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2600" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2602" CreationDate="2011-10-26T01:41:29.407" Score="25" ViewCount="36066" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a potted aloe vera that I keep indoors during the winter and outside the rest of the year. It has leaves one foot long and two inches wide at the base. I fertilize it with tea from my vermicomposter. I water it sparingly during the winter and it rain does the rest. It is in rich garden soil in a ten inch pot. I heard  that this is the right size to start flowering. What conditions are necessary to make it bloom?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x44lJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt; I followed the instructions in Mike Perry's answer and now get a 4 1/2 foot triple spike of flowers every couple months. The plant is now in a five gallon pot, and is about 2 1/2' high and 3' across. Huge success. The photo below is of a young flower stalk from December 2013. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MU2TO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-11T00:17:24.667" LastActivityDate="2014-06-12T03:09:54.163" Title="What conditions are necessary to make a potted aloe vera bloom?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2601" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2621" CreationDate="2011-10-26T01:51:16.370" Score="14" ViewCount="5604" Body="&lt;p&gt;On several of my aloe vera plants, the leaves suddenly became kinked. The leaf would get very thin in a spot and bend over. It starts near the tip and is most noticeable on older leaves. What is causing this? It happens inside more often than out, and it isn't the cat - he isn't allowed in the house. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wEgKQl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-22T22:14:42.740" LastActivityDate="2019-02-08T01:54:24.053" Title="Why are there kinks in my aloe vera leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2600" CreationDate="2011-10-26T03:08:16.580" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;A healthy, mature, Aloe Vera will bloom (flower) when it's ready...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which translates into -- as far as I'm aware you can't &quot;force&quot; an Aloe Vera plant to bloom, it will flower once it reaches maturity (roundabout 4 years old), is in good health and has stored up enough energy to-do-so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are some points which will help keep a potted Aloe Vera plant in good health:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Container/Pot should have drainage holes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Size of the container/pot should be suitable for the size of the plant ie Aloe Vera doesn't mind being a little bit root-bound.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When repotting move up one pot size; early Spring is the best time to repot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Potting medium should be free draining, either use a &quot;Cactus&quot; potting mix or add some additional &quot;Perlite&quot; or &quot;Coarse Horticultural Sand&quot; or... to a soil free potting mix.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Watering...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Minimal water during the Winter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water thoroughly (saturate), then allow the potting mix to dry out between waterings during the growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep in a bright, well lit spot, but out of direct sun-light (especially important during the heat of Summer).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Best not to subject to temperatures below 50&amp;#176;F (10&amp;#176;C).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most definitely do not want to subject to &quot;light&quot; frost temperatures or anything below 32&amp;#176;F (0&amp;#176;C).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;During Winter try to keep the temperature between 50 to 60&amp;#176;F (10 to 15&amp;#176;C), doing so will give the plant an opportunity to &quot;rest&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I fertilize it with tea from my vermicomposter&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; How much and how often?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; I give it diluted dose of vermiicompost tea in almost every watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're more than likely overfeeding it. One feeding per month during the growing season would be more than enough (IMHO).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It is in rich garden soil in a ten inch pot. I heard that this is the right size to start flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Please describe/explain &quot;rich garden soil&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; The soil is good, dark, crumbly garden soil that grows plants very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is not the ideal growing medium for an Aloe Vera. &lt;strong&gt;Why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will not be free draining enough ie The soil will retain too much moisture while it's drying out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Refer above for recommended &quot;potting medium&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;When I said 'I heard this is the right size to start flowering', I was actually talking about the plant, not the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strike&gt;Pot size has no bearing on flowering (refer to initial statements above).&lt;/strike&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oops! ok my bad, I read it wrong...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-12T03:09:54.163" LastActivityDate="2014-06-12T03:09:54.163" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2603" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2577" CreationDate="2011-10-26T03:34:26.210" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I'm aware you can't &quot;force&quot; a consistent re-bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Such Sedum's have a relatively short bloom period, very late Summer through to mid Autumn (Fall) at the latest. Yes they look spectacular (at least I think so) when in bloom, but the &quot;late&quot; flowering season means there's very little chance of a re-bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best I think you can do, is plant them in the preferred location ie Full-sun in well drained soil, then enjoy them for what they are. &lt;em&gt;Personally I think their foliage is striking, at least on certain varieties, especially the ones that have variegated leaves, and the purple/red foliage varieties...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe one way to extend the bloom period (though I've not tried it) would be to protect them on nights when a frost is forecast or when temperatures are getting down close to freezing...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-26T05:31:45.943" LastActivityDate="2011-10-26T05:31:45.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2604" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2601" CreationDate="2011-10-26T11:41:30.833" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The culprit may be in the background of the photo.   I've got a cat that chewed on mine occasionally before I got him a pot full of grass to chew on instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastActivityDate="2011-10-26T11:41:30.833" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2605" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2949" CreationDate="2011-10-26T17:19:37.583" Score="3" ViewCount="7433" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the difference between turf and grass? Specifically the artificial type. And what is the proper word for the artificial type such as the one used on football fields/tennis courts? Are mixes of artificial materials and natural grass/turf materials used on sports fields and courts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="729" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-10-26T19:19:58.830" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T11:58:12.257" Title="(Artificial) turf vs. (Artificial) grass" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2606" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-26T19:49:04.500" Score="7" ViewCount="6958" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in North Georgia (USA) and I want to grow a rose bush. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.starrosesandplants.com/plants/rose/knock-out-rose&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Knockouts&lt;/a&gt; are sold around here all the time and are fairly cheap, and I'm wondering when is the best time to put one in the ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I started one this past spring and lost it to a combination of over watering, black spot mold, not enough sun, and then drought (hey, it's been a fun year). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to pick a sunnier spot this time so the mold shouldn't be as much of an issue and will take care and do a better job watering too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I start one now (later October/early November, we should be getting a frost any day now) or wait until Spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-09T00:38:21.760" LastActivityDate="2016-12-09T00:38:21.760" Title="When is the best time to plant Knockout Roses in North Georgia?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2606" CreationDate="2011-10-26T22:19:51.723" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Personally I think Autumn (Fall) is the best time of year to plant things like perennials, shrubs, trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, late Autumn (Fall) planting can be a little risky depending on exactly what it is you're planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I say go for it now (end of October) or sometime within the next 2 to 3 weeks (by mid November).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Choose a full-sun location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Morning sun is important.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A little bit of late afternoon shade isn't a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Good air circulation around the plant is important.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Roses like a fertile, well drained soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Though they will tolerate a wide range of soils, except those that stay wet.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prepare the chosen location by putting down a 4inch (100mm) thick layer of organic matter (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compost&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;compost&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf_mold&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;leaf mold&lt;/a&gt;, well rotted &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmyard_manure#Animal_manures&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;farmyard manure&lt;/a&gt;, etc), then dig that into the soil -- you will want to dig down at least 12inches (300mm).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When planting I like to add (mix in) a little &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_meal&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bone meal&lt;/a&gt; into the back fill material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are some resources I believe you will find helpful/useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://urbanext.illinois.edu/roses/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Our Rose Garden&lt;/a&gt; via University of Illinois Extension&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://urbanext.illinois.edu/roses/planting.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Planting&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://urbanext.illinois.edu/roses/winter.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Winter Protection&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6600&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Roses: Selecting and Planting&lt;/a&gt; via University of Missouri Extension&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6600#Planting&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Planting&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6601&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Roses: Care After Planting&lt;/a&gt; via University of Missouri Extension&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6601#Winter&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Winter protection&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I highly recommend you read the above documents/articles, especially read up on &quot;planting&quot; and &quot;Winter protection.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-09T00:32:19.337" LastActivityDate="2016-12-09T00:32:19.337" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2608" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-27T09:33:12.443" Score="7" ViewCount="671" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am searching for a list of plants which are easy to maintain, small and would produce enough oxygen for one person in a 25m&amp;#178; room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Until now I just found two sources:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/newton/askasci/1993/biology/bio027.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plants making oxygen&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://greenspaces.in/blog/ted09/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Grow Your Own Fresh Air - TED 2009&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="730" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2011-11-03T01:40:43.570" LastActivityDate="2011-11-03T01:40:43.570" Title="What are some oxygen producing plants for a small room?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2609" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2610" CreationDate="2011-10-27T11:35:22.707" Score="28" ViewCount="2039" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my garden a strange plant is growing at an incredible speed and I can't identify what kind it is. It broke through end of June and within two months it grew about 1.8-2.0m high. It now carries black/blue berries which produces a red juice upon squeezing them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume birds were dropping the seed onto my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have a picture of the root (originally I had two of those plants, but I had to remove one as it was in the way). The root was quite impressive: 20-30cm long and 2-8cm in diameter in a form of a carrot colored in ocher. I think the two roots of the two plants were connected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm located in France, in the Essonne departement (near Paris).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures &lt;em&gt;(click to enlarge)&lt;/em&gt;. The light green leaves in the first picture do not belong to this plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The whole plant&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Leafs and the flower before flowering&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7V2SR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;      &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7V2SRm.jpg&quot; height=&quot;375&quot; /&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/a&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iMMNi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;      &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iMMNim.jpg&quot; height=&quot;375&quot; /&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Before flowering&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;After flowering&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BqaRT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;      &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BqaRTm.jpg&quot; height=&quot;260&quot; /&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/a&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9QyCt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;      &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9QyCtm.jpg&quot; height=&quot;260&quot; /&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fruits in green&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Fruits in black&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aFRrQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;      &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aFRrQm.jpg&quot; height=&quot;500&quot; /&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/a&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/krLLR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;      &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/krLLRm.jpg&quot; height=&quot;500&quot; /&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2011-10-27T22:09:26.983" LastActivityDate="2015-08-17T02:46:23.293" Title="What is this fast growing plant with blue/black berries?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2610" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2609" CreationDate="2011-10-27T12:43:12.907" Score="24" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokeweed&quot;&gt;Pokeweed&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastActivityDate="2011-10-27T12:43:12.907" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2611" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2613" CreationDate="2011-10-27T14:29:32.350" Score="8" ViewCount="1778" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my garden I have a small bed of flowers pictured below. I don't know what the plant is, so I don't know whether I can move it or not. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The blossoms are long, pink, hang down and almost touch the ground. The stem is also pink. The leaves were much greener than in the images below, but that was before Autumn (Fall) arrived. The roots are relatively poor. It can easily been ripped out of the ground. The plants are 30-50cm (12-18inches) high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Click the images for a larger version)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;From the top:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;From the side:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q5HcH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;      &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q5HcH.jpg&quot; width=&quot;325&quot; /&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/a&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uVIj9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;      &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uVIj9m.jpg&quot; width=&quot;325&quot; /&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2011-10-27T19:23:48.173" LastActivityDate="2011-10-27T19:23:48.173" Title="What's this plant with long pink hanging blossoms?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2612" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-27T16:07:48.177" Score="7" ViewCount="602" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in San Francisco, and this plant has invaded my lawn with a vengeance. Pics are below.  Its leaves/stems are slightly fuzzy, and its roots are kind of woody.  It pops up all over the place and I have a sinking suspicion that they are all connected via a common root structure.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aepkr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aepkrm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J0LVo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J0LVom.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vykIm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vykImm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="330" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-28T00:29:06.530" LastActivityDate="2011-12-03T00:16:41.423" Title="What is this broad-leaved weed in my lawn and how do I kill it?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2611" CreationDate="2011-10-27T16:31:18.717" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/a558/amaranthus-caudatus.aspx&quot;&gt;Love-Lies-Bleeding - &lt;em&gt;Amaranthus caudatus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; via Missouri Botanical Garden&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranthus_caudatus&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Amaranthus caudatus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; via Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-10-27T16:31:18.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2614" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2615" CreationDate="2011-10-27T17:31:47.830" Score="18" ViewCount="983" Body="&lt;p&gt;At our office, we have a wonderful recreation area that gets a few hours of morning sun. The rest of the day the space is engulfed in generic flourescent light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm curious which herbs, vegetables or fruits would theoretically thrive in an environment such as this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've considered some of the more &quot;generic&quot; herb choices like rosemary and basil.  What other plants would be a good choice?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="643" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-21T17:55:51.577" LastActivityDate="2018-01-21T17:55:51.577" Title="What are good shade-loving consumable plants for a high-rise windowsill?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2615" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2614" CreationDate="2011-10-27T17:45:34.600" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lemon balm &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-126.html&quot;&gt;grows nicely in shade&lt;/a&gt; and makes a delicious pesto or refreshing accent to beverages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Parsley fares pretty well inside, too, but &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardenofeaden.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-grow-parsley-from-seed-indoors.html&quot;&gt;needs warmer temperatures&lt;/a&gt; in order to thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basil actually doesn't do very well in mostly shade; it &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil#Cultivation&quot;&gt;grows best in full sun&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For vegetables, it seems that &lt;a href=&quot;http://organicgardening.about.com/od/vegetablesherbs/a/shadeveggies.htm&quot;&gt;leafy greens&lt;/a&gt; are easy to grow in shade (which helps prevent bolting, too), but I haven't tried growing greens indoors so I can't speak from experience on that one. Mother Earth News actually has a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/shade-tolerant-vegetables-zm0z11zsto.aspx&quot;&gt;great chart with the minimum hours&lt;/a&gt; of sunlight per day that shade-friendly vegetables require; bok choi looks like it's the most shade-tolerant, requiring only 2 hours of sunlight per day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I know, most fruit requires full sun, but maybe someone else has experience successfully growing fruit inside with only partial sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="492" LastActivityDate="2011-10-27T17:45:34.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2608" CreationDate="2011-10-28T01:08:11.777" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a great deal of skepticism about the idea that less than an acre of plants in full sun can make a substantial difference in the oxygen levels of an enclosed area.  Most tropical plants that are inside are receiving from 100 to 500 &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lux&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;lux&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Outside in the northern hemisphere on a cloudy day is around 50,000 lux.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can you reduce the amount of light by a factor of 100 and get the same amount of photosynthesis going on? I see a commonly quoted figure of &quot;Plant leaves produce 5 milliliters of oxygen, per leaf, each day.&quot; but I don't see under what conditions this is measured under.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think you can produce enough oxygen inside a room unless the roof is glass and you fill it entirely with any type of plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2011-10-28T10:29:01.027" LastActivityDate="2011-10-28T10:29:01.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2617" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2622" CreationDate="2011-10-28T01:31:25.260" Score="7" ViewCount="3431" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an annual Dahlia and I would like to save some seeds for next year. I've heard it is easy, but I don't know how to do it. Most of the flowers have dropped their petals. The plants are about 8&quot; tall. What do the seeds look like and how do I collect them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-10-28T03:51:41.180" Title="How do I collect annual Dahlia seeds?" Tags="&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;dahlias&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2618" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7161" CreationDate="2011-10-28T01:37:31.857" Score="9" ViewCount="303" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have tried growing rebutias before, and failed because the plants lacked vigor and grew slowly. Would they do better if I flat-grafted it onto a columnar Echinopsis, to increase vigor? Are there any better rootstocks? Should I use a columnar type as a rootstock?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-01-18T02:27:24.713" LastActivityDate="2013-04-19T02:00:39.407" Title="Does Rebutia grow better when grafted onto an Echinopsis?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2619" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2627" CreationDate="2011-10-28T01:42:55.957" Score="5" ViewCount="2549" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do I propagate &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_victoriae-reginae&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Agave victoriae-reginae&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-10-28T20:51:36.047" LastActivityDate="2011-10-29T17:52:47.390" Title="Can I propagate my Agave victoriae-reginae?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2621" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2601" CreationDate="2011-10-28T01:53:56.850" Score="9" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2601/why-are-there-kinks-in-my-aloe-vera-leaves/2604#comment-3747&quot;&gt;From comment&lt;/a&gt;: It happens indoors more often than out. I do not think it is my cat. He is not allowed in the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2600/what-conditions-are-necessary-to-make-a-potted-aloe-vera-bloom/2602#2602&quot;&gt;From here&lt;/a&gt;: The soil is good, dark, crumbly garden soil that grows plants very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the Aloe Vera in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/2601/394&quot;&gt;your question&lt;/a&gt; has the same potting medium as quoted above, I believe over watering or the high moisture retention properties of the &amp;quot;potting medium&amp;quot; is the most likely cause of the tips curling up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-10-28T01:53:56.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2622" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2617" CreationDate="2011-10-28T03:51:41.180" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I'm aware, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahlia&quot;&gt;Dahlias&lt;/a&gt; are perennials in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone#USDA_Hardiness_Zones&quot;&gt;USDA Hardiness Zone&lt;/a&gt; 7 and higher.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In zone 6 and below they are treated as an annual.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead of collecting seeds (which can be done, see below), it's generally recommended to dig up the tubers (roots) in the Autumn (Fall), clean them, store them, then replant them in the Spring a week or two before the average last frost date (or start earlier in pots indoors).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/a445/dahlia-group.aspx&quot;&gt;Dahlia (group)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Tuberous roots must be lifted in fall in the St. Louis area. Although generally winter hardy to USDA Zones 7-10, many gardeners in those areas still lift and store the roots each winter because such care usually enhances plant performance...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1245.html&quot;&gt;Growing Dahlias&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dahlias may also be propagated from seed.&lt;/strong&gt; This method is used most often for bedding dahlias. Because of cross-pollination, they will not come true to cultivar. Harvest seeds in September and October. Cut the ripened flower heads open and lay them out to dry on shallow trays. When dry, the seeds will readily separate form the chaff. Store them in sealed containers. Seeds can be sown indoors in February or March; germination takes about one week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-10-28T03:51:41.180" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2623" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2541" CreationDate="2011-10-28T05:07:13.877" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; Do you keep the strawberry bed “overly” moist? What size is the strawberry bed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; It is a dry area about 6' by 20' (ca. 1.8m × 6m).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeing as the bed is “dry” I’m not quite sure what to suggest, as Dock tends to prefer moist conditions, but if it’s thriving in dry conditions…&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe regular, shallow hoeing will help you get it under control (eventually).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Though the following information doesn’t help you with your existing strawberry bed, it may prove somewhat helpful to keep in mind for the future—I was reminded this past weekend, most commercial strawberry growers cover their beds in black plastic (helps keep unwanted plants under control), then cut holes in the plastic to plant their strawberry plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2016-08-28T01:26:28.670" LastActivityDate="2016-08-28T01:26:28.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2624" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2625" CreationDate="2011-10-28T07:42:15.713" Score="24" ViewCount="2633" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently I needed a pot with a shape that would make it as stable as possible so that it's unlikely to tip over and fall from the shelve. I was looking for a pot as close to a cylinder as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had to search many shops before I could find a suitable pot, almost all pots are wider at the top than at the bottom, they are usually of truncated cone or rounded at the bottom form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know why the cylinder shape is so rare. Does having a less stable form than most pots have give any advantages?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-09-13T21:43:15.117" LastActivityDate="2018-09-15T08:43:49.303" Title="Why are pots typically wider at the top than at the bottom?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2625" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2624" CreationDate="2011-10-28T14:12:10.260" Score="21" Body="&lt;p&gt;With ceramic pots, I imagine it's easier to get sloped sides cleanly out of the mold when manufacturing.  This may be true of some plastic manufacturing, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When transplanting, it's easier to get the plant out, complete with all the soil, if the sides are sloped.  For seedlings, the reduction in root hair damage may also be significant.  Once it's free from the bottom, there's no contact with the sides, if you pull out straight.  With a cylinder, the soil is scraping against the sides all the way up.  If the sides are really slippery, like most plastics, this doesn't matter too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This makes the most difference when transplanting seedlings, and plants where the pot is still larger than the plant needs.  For seedlings, the reduction in root hair damage may also be significant.  At the other extreme, larger root-bound plants will usually hold the soil together regardless of pot shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for &lt;a href=&quot;http://images1.hellotrade.com/data2/IQ/DE/HTVENDOR-2072523/syskevasia_sporofyta1-250x250.jpg&quot;&gt;styrofoam seedling trays which are often cylindrical&lt;/a&gt; - the shape is certainly a problem for &lt;em&gt;me&lt;/em&gt;.  The higher friction of them makes getting seedling out of them cleanly a lot harder than with other materials.  The shape compounds the problem.  Tried them, didn't like them.  They're probably fine for growers for whom the seedlings are always root-bound before transplanting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-10-28T15:46:25.850" LastActivityDate="2011-10-28T15:46:25.850" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2626" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2572" CreationDate="2011-10-28T19:35:30.073" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I can't stress this enough, before considering to remove the sap from the trunk, &lt;strong&gt;it would be best to take the time to identify the reason for the leaking sap ie Your tree may very well have bigger problems than just sap stains on the trunk...&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, I would be very wary of removing sap from a tree trunk, doing so can lead to inflicting even more damage on the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Third, keep in mind it will be almost impossible to remove all the sap from the trunk .&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To remove the majority of the sap, use a (very) sharp, large blade (2inch/50mm) &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chisel#Woodworking&quot;&gt;woodworking chisel&lt;/a&gt; that has been cleaned with something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubbing_alcohol&quot;&gt;rubbing alcohol&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keeping the chisel as near parallel to the trunk as you can, very! carefully slice, pry off the sap. Whatever you do, do not let the chisel cut into the bark, or allow the sap to pull away the bark from the trunk. If the sap is really hard, use a hammer to very! carefully insert the chisel into the sap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you've &quot;very! carefully&quot; finished removing as much of the sap as you can from the trunk with the chisel, take a clean (with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubbing_alcohol&quot;&gt;rubbing alcohol&lt;/a&gt; or similar) woodworkers &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_scraper&quot;&gt;card scraper&lt;/a&gt; or decorators/painters hand scraper and very! carefully (this time keeping the tool perpendicular to the trunk) scrape off as much of the remaining sap as you can without damaging the bark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend stopping there, don't try to remove anymore sap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you felt compelled to try and remove even more sap, the following may work (disclaimer, I've &lt;strong&gt;never&lt;/strong&gt; tried it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mix up some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmentally_friendly&quot;&gt;eco-friendly&lt;/a&gt; &quot;degreasing&quot; cleaning solution (read the label to ensure it is safe to use around plants, etc), then apply directly to the sap via a (new) stiff bristle cleaning brush. Allow the solution to &quot;work into&quot; the sap as per the instructions on the label. Then thoroughly rinse off with cold water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-10-28T19:35:30.073" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2627" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2619" CreationDate="2011-10-28T20:45:36.630" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Agave&lt;/em&gt; is propagated by seed, offsets and tissue culture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is your own plant that you want to propagate, you may have to wait twenty or thirty years for the plant to flower and provide seeds. You can, however, get &lt;em&gt;Agave victoriae-reginae&lt;/em&gt; seed from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;J. L Hudson&lt;/a&gt; and others perhaps. Germinating it in a flat or container of sterile sand at 70-80F (20-25C) be would be a good approach. Given &lt;em&gt;Agave&lt;/em&gt;'s weird lifecycle, I would expect the germination to be inconsistent and to occur over a long period (several weeks). Xeric World Forums has an interesting &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.xericworld.com/forums/agavaceae/1514-seed-advice.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;discussion on &lt;em&gt;Agave&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Yucca&lt;/em&gt; germination&lt;/a&gt; (page four is the best part).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Agave&lt;/em&gt; also produces small plantlets next to the main plant in much the same way that &lt;em&gt;Sempervivum&lt;/em&gt; does. These plantlets are called offsets. &lt;em&gt;Agave victoriae-reginae&lt;/em&gt; is very slow growing, so it produces few offsets, but they may occur occasionally. The main plant can be lifted, spring or early autumn, when the temperatures are moderate, and the offsets can be detached from the main plant. Try to keep as many root as possible with the offset. Also, leave the offset out to dry until any cuts that you have made have callused over. Then plant. Be cautious to avoid overwatering. A good description of the procedure can be found at &lt;a href=&quot;http://bhutia2006.blogspot.com/2006/07/agaves-propagating-from-offsetsrunners.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mikes Exotics and Hardy Plants blog&lt;/a&gt;. I have never propagated &lt;em&gt;Agave&lt;/em&gt; this way, but I have with &lt;em&gt;Lewisia&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-10-29T17:52:47.390" LastActivityDate="2011-10-29T17:52:47.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2628" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1912" CreationDate="2011-10-28T21:39:17.860" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_millet&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pearl Millet&lt;/a&gt;.  The birds like it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Grain_millet%2C_early_grain_fill%2C_Tifton%2C_7-3-02.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UQnptm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;Wikimedia commons&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="732" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-25T03:57:40.207" LastActivityDate="2011-11-25T03:57:40.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2629" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2630" CreationDate="2011-10-29T17:41:09.340" Score="27" ViewCount="31922" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to grow mint. I did repot the plant cutting away excess roots. I placed the plant where it gets direct sunshine for about half a day and water the plant occasionally. It does pretty well with leaves showing up in a few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The questions I have is about &quot;harvesting&quot; the mint leaves. I read about cutting the flowers when the plan starts flowering, but I have no idea what the flowers look like(especially new ones). Also when I cut the leaves off a branch, the branch seems to dry up and die in a few weeks. So I would like to know about which leaves to cut, where (leave a little leave stem, all of the stem, etc.), distribution(all on one stem, location), leaf size, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the picture below, the plant has plenty of leaves, but the stem on the right seems to be dying because I took all the leaves from that stem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jLS8Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="733" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-29T18:34:07.523" LastActivityDate="2015-06-19T04:31:02.853" Title="Which leaves should I  harvest in a mint plant?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2630" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2629" CreationDate="2011-10-29T19:11:46.070" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture of my mint plant showing a flower (left) and most of the plant (right). The way I harvest is to pick a few leaves (how much ever I need), but never all from the same stem. I pick the biggest leaves from different parts of the plant, and by the time I need more, the plant will have produced lots more. As you can see, I have &lt;em&gt;way&lt;/em&gt; more than I need. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you find that your mint requirements are generally more than what you can reasonably take from the plant at once, I would suggest getting a second or a third plant and cycling between them. That way, you pick from the first, then from the second the next time, then the third and so on. By the time you come back to the first, it would have produced more leaves. I also &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1383/why-does-my-cilantro-have-thin-leaves-why-is-my-parsley-not-growing-when-will/1389#1389&quot;&gt;explain this&lt;/a&gt; in a related answer pertaining to cilantros.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click to enlarge&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wthxf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wthxfm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8cXia.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8cXiam.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now coming to the leaf &quot;drying&quot; up, it could be because &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1906/why-has-my-mint-plant-gone-all-woody-sparse-stringy/1907#1907&quot;&gt;it has bolted or because the plant is rootbound&lt;/a&gt;. However, I do &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; think this is the case in your plant above. Now, there's no way for me to tell if it's rootbound or not, but the stem definitely does not look dried up. In fact, it looks healthy to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe the thin &quot;dried&quot; stem that you see in the right is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;stolon&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, which is how mint propagates. Stolons generally spread horizontally along the ground surface. However, by their very nature (technically being stems), they seek out light and since there is no way to grow horizontally in a pot, they grow upwards. In my plant, since it's in the ground, the stolons just spread outwards, instead of upwards. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another identifying feature of a stolon is that they have longer internodal distances. What I mean by this is that if you look at the distance between the &quot;notches&quot; (where the leaves form) in the thin stem on the right and in the other thicker ones, you'll see that it's longer, which further confirms my suspicion. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-05-15T16:48:16.017" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2631" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2629" CreationDate="2011-10-29T21:03:58.287" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you had more mint, I'd go with what Yoda said.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But for a plant you're harvesting as hard as shown, pulling the biggest leaves will result in a lot of bare stems and a pretty lanky plant - as shown.  So I'd suggest going the opposite way.  Harvest from your tallest stem, &lt;em&gt;starting at the top&lt;/em&gt;, and pruning back as you harvest.  When you get down to around 2-3&quot; from the bottom, repeat with another stem.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My sense is that you'll have a lot more attractive, healthier, more productive plant that isn't wasting a lot of effort pushing nutrients up long, leafless, nearly woody stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2011-10-29T21:03:58.287" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2632" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2638" CreationDate="2011-10-29T23:07:10.380" Score="15" ViewCount="18736" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live on a hill where the soil has lots of clay.  My back garden has been terraced with small (1m) retaining walls.  The net result is that we have several lawns / gardens with the following properties:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Surrounded on all sides by concrete retaining walls.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The top 20-30cm is good soil; the remainder is clay.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;At the bottom of some of the retaining walls (i.e. a bit less than 1m below the surface), there are periodic drainage holes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the drainage is quite terrible -- the water can't get out the sides, and it can only sink slowly through the clay.  To improve this, my idea was to dig a trench ~30cm wide along the side of the retaining walls (where the drainage holes are), fill the bottom 50cm with sand, and the rest with dirt, and then run drainage pipes from the rest of the lawn to this trench.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, I have also read: &quot;Don't mix sand and clay; that's how you get brick&quot;.  Is this a good idea?  Will it work?  Are there better options?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Photos below (excuse the laundry -- we can't let a sunny day go to waste :-) )&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The corner with the manuka (centre first image, bottom-right second image) is evidently a little lower than the rest of that lawn, and thus in heavy rain it can be under 5+ cm of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HOYMN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Southern lawn&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G2nvW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Northern lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="734" LastEditorUserId="734" LastEditDate="2011-10-30T00:56:55.140" LastActivityDate="2016-04-09T16:04:20.493" Title="How do I improve drainage vertically through clayey soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;clay&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2633" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2634" CreationDate="2011-10-30T10:59:47.970" Score="10" ViewCount="1610" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 10m peer tree that every year produces hundreds (thousands?) of small pears.&#xA;Every year the pears are destroying the grass underneath, and require a lot of work to clean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do (such as sterilize it)? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise I might have to cut the tree down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="735" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-10-30T12:56:04.247" LastActivityDate="2011-10-30T16:05:18.640" Title="How do I reduce the amount of fruit my pear tree produces?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2634" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2633" CreationDate="2011-10-30T14:47:45.867" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I presume that manual thinning of the fruit due to the quantity and size of the fruit is impractical. There are a range of chemicals that can be used to prevent or reduce fruit production, but none appear to be a good choice for your situation. A common deflowering agent, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.montereylawngarden.com/pdf/FlorelBrandGrowthRegulator-2-column%20label%20%2807%29.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Florel&lt;/a&gt;, when sprayed on a tree, enters the plant, and is converted into ethylene. Ethylene signals to the tree that it is under stress. If applied while the tree is in bloom, Florel will cause most of the flowers to fall off reducing fruit production. Unfortunately, spraying this chemical on a large tree without drift onto non-target plants is difficult to impossible. There are a bunch of other &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub360/4thinchem.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;chemicals used in orchards for thinning fruit&lt;/a&gt; that have the same problem and, in the case of Sevin, toxicity to bees. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.treetech.net/DeflowerA/Snipper/SnipLabel.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Snipper&lt;/a&gt; is an injectable chemical that eliminates the drift problem and has been &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6629384/description.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;shown to be effective on ornamental fruit trees&lt;/a&gt;, but, so far, it is only labeled for use on sweet gum trees (&lt;em&gt;Liquidambar&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your best choice is to replace the patch of grass under your tree with a ground cover. There are quite a few options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mint (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botany.com/mentha.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mentha&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; sp.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lady's Mantle (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/b210/alchemilla-mollis.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Alchemilla mollis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sweet Woodruff (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/c820/galium-odoratum.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Galium odoratum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bugleweed (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/b200/ajuga-reptans.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ajuga reptans&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plumbago (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/b960/ceratostigma-plumbaginoides.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ceratostigma plumbaginoides&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Japanese Spurge (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/e430/pachysandra-terminalis.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pachysandra terminalis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dwarf Cotoneaster (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/groundcover/cotoneaster_dammeri.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cotoneaster dammeri&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perennial Geranium (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/h870/geranium-macrorrhizum-bevan%27s-variety.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Geranium macrorrhizum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;St John's Wort (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/a520/hypericum-calycinum.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hypericum calycinum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spotted Deadnettle (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/d720/lamium-maculatum-white-nancy.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lamium maculatum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ground Clematis (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://Clematis%20recta&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Clematis recta&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dwarf Japanese Spirea  (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/shrubs/cultivars/spiraea_japon-varalpina.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Spiraea japonica&lt;/em&gt; 'Alpina'&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And many others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears that Snipper is now labeled for a variety of ornamentals: Ash,&#xA;Black locust, Black walnut, Cherry Cottonwood, Crabapple, Gingko, Hackberry, Hickory,&#xA;Honey locust, Maple, Oak, Olive, Persimmon, Plum, Tree of Heaven, Sweet gum, and Sycamore. Ornamental pear is not on the list though. There is another injectable agent for fruit control called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.arborsystems.com/material_updates/pdf/PC_SS.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pinscher&lt;/a&gt;, which is broadly labeled for ornamentals. Either of these chemicals would have to be applied every spring by a professional arborist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-10-30T16:05:18.640" LastActivityDate="2011-10-30T16:05:18.640" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2635" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-31T04:55:13.723" Score="8" ViewCount="392" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spring has sprung and it's time to turn on my reticulation (bore).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My retic worked back in May but now (October) I turn it on and no water comes out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can hear the pump going but no water comes out. Any ideas? I only ran it for a couple of minutes because I heard you can blow up the pump if there's too much pressure. Do I have to let it run for a while to fill up the pipes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2011-11-03T01:38:15.553" LastActivityDate="2013-09-20T14:09:10.823" Title="Why can't I  get reticulation to work in spring?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;&lt;greywater&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2636" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3251" CreationDate="2011-10-31T09:36:31.040" Score="16" ViewCount="14694" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a succulent plant that got some disease and is covered with holes. The holes started to appear a month ago. At first they were green (like something was eating it), probably growing and then they dried out and turned brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are no bugs/insects around. Ants are everywhere in my garden but not on this tree. What is it and how can I treat it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F0k9R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="737" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-31T14:02:42.243" LastActivityDate="2019-02-19T01:35:58.133" Title="How to treat a succulent with holes in its leaves?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2637" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2647" CreationDate="2011-10-31T15:07:58.243" Score="11" ViewCount="3345" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if it would be too late in the season to overseed, repair a cool-season lawn in preparation for the coming Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Atlantic Canada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been fighting with our lawn since we purchased our place. The majority of it is weeds, I have no experience with this and am really at a loss of where to start without just starting from scratch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Adding photos.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GbNBP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Front lawn&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p3HlR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Front lawn close-up 1&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MOLSW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Front lawn close-up 2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6eGvp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Back lawn&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vHLNn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Back lawn close-up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="738" LastEditorUserId="738" LastEditDate="2011-11-04T11:18:27.717" LastActivityDate="2011-11-04T11:18:27.717" Title="Is early November too late in the season to overseed, repair a cool-season lawn?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2638" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2632" CreationDate="2011-10-31T18:46:49.610" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below is what I would consider a &quot;Rolls-Royce&quot; job, all of it &lt;strong&gt;might&lt;/strong&gt; not need to be done if water doesn't puddle on the surface of the lawn...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;French drains on the back face/side of the upper and lower retaining walls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dig 300 to 450mm (12 to 18inches) wide trenches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The trenches should run the length of the retaining walls.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The trenches should bottom out 100mm (4inch) below the existing drainage holes in the retaining walls.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep the &quot;good&quot; top soil for back-fill material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Clean out the existing drainage holes in the retaining walls.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's a little difficult to tell from the photos, but if you feel there are not enough drainage holes in the retaining walls or they are spaced greater than 2000mm (78inches) centers, I would recommend drilling some additional drainage holes through the retaining walls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Layout any new drainage holes at the same level as the existing ones and position them along the retaining walls as needed -- no greater than 2000mm (79inches) between them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;First drill pilot holes through the retaining walls using a 12.5mm (&amp;#189;inch) masonry drill bit, then use a 50mm (2inch) concrete core cutter to drill the &quot;final size&quot; drainage holes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get some outdoor screen mesh fabric (small off-cuts) and place the pieces on the back face/side of the retaining walls over the drainage holes -- this will help keep them clear of debris and functional.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get enough &quot;permeable&quot; landscape fabric to line the trenches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The landscape fabric should go 200mm (8inch) up the back face/side of the retaining walls, lay across the bottom of the trenches, then up the face of the trenches (opposite the retaining walls) to above ground level.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill the bottom 100mm (4inch) of the trenches with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravel#Types&quot;&gt;pea-gravel&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay 100mm (4inches) diameter &quot;perforated&quot; underground plastic drainage pipes (enclosed in a polymer liner/sock) on top of the 100mm (4inch) thick layer of pea-gravel. Position the pipes &quot;horizontally&quot; in the middle of the trench.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The drainage pipes should run the length of the trenches (retaining walls).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill the trenches with pea-gravel up to 300 to 450mm (12 to 18inches) below ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fold over the landscape fabric so it covers the top of the pea-gravel.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finish back-filling the trenches with the saved top soil back-fill material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make good the surface to match in with the existing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;French drains on the outer face/side of the upper retaining walls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dig 300 to 450mm (12 to 18inches) wide trenches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The trenches should run the length of the upper retaining walls (minus the path/walk-way in the middle).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The trenches should bottom out at the same level as the trenches dug behind the lower retaining walls.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep the &quot;good&quot; top soil for back-fill material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get enough &quot;permeable&quot; landscape fabric to line the trenches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The landscape fabric should go 200mm (8inch) up the outer face/side of the upper retaining walls, lay across the bottom of the trenches, then up the face of the trenches (opposite the retaining walls) to above ground level.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill the bottom 100mm (4inch) of the trenches with pea-gravel.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay 100mm (4inches) diameter &quot;perforated&quot; underground plastic drainage pipes (enclosed in a polymer liner/sock) on top of the 100mm (4inch) thick layer of pea-gravel. Position the pipes &quot;horizontally&quot; in the middle of the trench.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The drainage pipes should run the length of the trenches (upper retaining walls, minus the path/walk-way in the middle).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill the trenches with pea-gravel up to 300 to 450mm (12 to 18inches) below ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fold over the landscape fabric so it covers the top of the pea-gravel.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finish back-filling the trenches with the saved top soil back-fill material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;French drains on the lower level lawn areas, running perpendicular between the upper and lower retaining walls:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dig 300 to 450mm (12 to 18inches) wide trenches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 number per lower level lawn area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;1 on each of the inside faces of the &quot;side/wing&quot; retaining walls. Position 1000mm (39inches) away from the &quot;side/wing&quot; retaining walls.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;And the 3&lt;sup&gt;rd&lt;/sup&gt; positioned in the middle of the 2 (near the &quot;side/wing&quot; retaining walls).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The trenches should run between the trenches on the outer face/side of the upper retaining walls and the trenches on the back face/side of the lower retaining walls.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The trenches should bottom out at the same level as those trenches.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep the &quot;good&quot; top soil for back-fill material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get enough &quot;permeable&quot; landscape fabric to line the trenches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The landscape fabric should go up one face of the trenches to above ground level, lay across the bottom of the trenches, then up the opposite face of the trenches to above ground level.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill the bottom 100mm (4inch) of the trenches with pea-gravel.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lay 100mm (4inches) diameter &quot;perforated&quot; underground plastic drainage pipes (enclosed in a polymer liner/sock) on top of the 100mm (4inch) thick layer of pea-gravel. Position the pipes &quot;horizontally&quot; in the middle of the trench.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The drainage pipes should &quot;T&quot; into the drainage pipes that are running along the &quot;face&quot; of the upper and lower retaining walls&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill the trenches with pea-gravel up to 300 to 450mm (12 to 18inches) below ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fold over the landscape fabric so it covers the top of the pea-gravel.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finish back-filling the trenches with the saved top soil back-fill material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If water doesn't puddle on the surface of the lawn I would considering not doing the work under heading &lt;strong&gt;&quot;French drains on the lower level lawn areas, running perpendicular between the upper and lower retaining walls.&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Good luck! and I hope the above makes some kind of sense (is somewhat helpful/useful). If you have any questions please ask, I will then do my best to address them...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="394" LastActivityDate="2011-10-31T18:46:49.610" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2639" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-10-30T20:42:20.340" Score="6" ViewCount="1228" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a pretty steep backyard hill that slopes down to a fence that I'd like to dig out and make into a sort of fire pit area with a patio.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't afford to do the entire project right away, but I wondered if I could start digging out the hill or if I'd need to get some sort of retaining structure up right away so I don't cause anything stupid to happen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Caveatrob" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-10-31T22:10:38.360" LastActivityDate="2011-10-31T22:10:38.360" Title="Should I start digging out a hill in the backyard in preparation for a retaining wall/patio?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2639" CreationDate="2011-10-30T21:04:40.877" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on the soil, weather/rain, ground water. If it's existing compacted ground, not torrential rains ahead, and we're not talking about a mountain, it can probably last a season without too much problem. That said, it wouldn't hurt to get some plywood and 2x4's to prop it up to be on the safe side. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" OwnerDisplayName="DA01" LastActivityDate="2011-10-30T21:04:40.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2641" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2624" CreationDate="2011-11-01T01:41:17.397" Score="23" Body="&lt;p&gt;The simple answer is to minimize the size in transit. Conical shapes slide into each other producing a neat, stable stack. Cylindrical shapes can’t slide into each other, which effectively quadruples the size of the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That and as Ed Staub said, it makes plant removal a bugger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-09-13T21:45:35.110" LastActivityDate="2018-09-13T21:45:35.110" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2642" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2643" CreationDate="2011-11-01T05:43:28.563" Score="23" ViewCount="22185" Body="&lt;p&gt;Today I finally caught my Venus Fly Trap in the act, or rather caught this snap of the bug relaxing on the trap. The plant just won't eat. It may have been on a local store shelf for a while (instruction sheet says source is &lt;a href=&quot;http://flytraplady.com/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://flytraplady.com/&lt;/a&gt; ).  I filled a tray with 1&quot; of reverse osmosis water and pushed a wandering box elder bug inside the dome. Today the bug is sitting on the one wide-open trap, looking lost, but untrapped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have not poked the traps in any way since I got it. Is this trap just exhausted? Is it not able to eat these guys (a pity because it's common inside in the winter.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jfwoB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="697" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-01T12:41:53.153" LastActivityDate="2020-10-08T22:16:48.123" Title="Why won't my venus fly trap eat?" Tags="&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2643" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2642" CreationDate="2011-11-01T12:40:33.123" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;Quite possibly, although there are two explanations I can think of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each trap has some hairs on the inside (typically three on each side of the trap, but it does vary). A single touch to a hair is insufficient&amp;nbsp;— there have to be two touches within about 20 seconds. The second touch can be to the same hair or a different hair. This behavior is interpreted as an adaptation against false triggering due to the wind/etc.&#xA;So it is possible the (rather large) insect didn't meet this criteria&amp;nbsp;— if the body is quite high above the &quot;feet&quot;, then there's only the lower right leg that might be close to touching a hair in the photo.  The insect seems a little larger as well&amp;nbsp;— I've seen them catch English blue bottles which are probably about half the length.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondly, yes, the traps do become inactive. Each individual leaf trap has a 'life' of about 3 captures. Not sure if these are actual insect trappings or trap activations. One in a shop might get fired a lot by kids and as a demo, but then I think I've had them where I must have activated the traps more than 3 times.  Either way this is on a leaf by leaf basis&amp;nbsp;— other leaves should still be active.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can test it with a cocktail stick. You are right not to overdo it, but once just as a quick test is fine. Remember you will need to touch two of the hairs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally: I don't think this is a problem in your case, but I see a lump of peat in the middle over the crown (centre of the plants where all the leaves are sprouting from). Don't bury this area, and don't soak it&amp;nbsp;— Venus Fly Traps are susceptible to rotting around this point, and the whole plant will die. It usually happens when the plant is transplanted too deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT BY AN ONLOOKER WITH A LOT OF EXPERIENCE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No one ever asked what the temperature was. Let alone being in march this plant should be asleep. Personally I believe your VFT is half asleep or needs some time to adjust to its conditions. Your crown does not look rotten or weak and you can see some new growth coming from it. The post below was talking about nitrogen content of the soil. If there was enough food in the soil it would be worse off than this picture and will die let alone the pH of the RO water and the soil locks out a good bit of nutrient uptake leaving salts to burn the roots and crown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're watering with RO water which is good. Give the plant some time. Let it overcome its shock, and in the summer it will perform wonderfully. During the fall you need to put the plant in an environment to where it can sleep. Water it less and put it in 40°F temperatures like a refrigerator, garage, or outside if you do not have hard freezes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never fertilize this plant. Never give the plant water that is chlorinated or impure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-12-28T03:04:10.843" LastActivityDate="2013-12-28T03:04:10.843" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2644" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2646" CreationDate="2011-11-01T19:26:39.723" Score="18" ViewCount="151319" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am landscaping my yard and need to remove from 2-6 inches of dirt from the entire yard (about 2,000 square feet) to get it level with the rest of the property. The dirt in the yard currently sits higher than the foundation of the house due to overgrowth &amp;amp; gophers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best piece of equipment to rent to help with this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to have training/experience to rent/use a tractor (excavator, loader, etc)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no experience using tractors, but am a quick learner. Should I attempt this task myself, or would it be more cost effective to hire someone?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: I am looking to rent from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.atoolshed.com/equipment.asp?action=category&amp;amp;category=38&amp;amp;group=TRACTORS%20-%20EXCAVATORS%20&amp;amp;%20TRENCHERS%20RENTALS&quot;&gt;A Tool Shed&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT 2: Responses to a few of your answers: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have called 811 (Call before you dig) and had the utilities marked. There are none in the yard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I will be moving the dirt to my front yard in an effort to make the front yard level&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I will be softscaping (adding sod, trees, bushes, irrigation)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;After removing about 4 inches, the dirt becomes very clay-like, so I don't anticipate any settling. I will be tilling the clay with soft dirt and fertilizer before the sod&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="743" OwnerDisplayName="Jeremy White" LastEditorUserId="743" LastEditDate="2011-11-02T17:03:41.537" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T22:47:45.823" Title="What's the best way to remove 2-6 inches of dirt from my yard?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2645" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2644" CreationDate="2011-11-01T19:45:12.760" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you rent a front end loader to load the dirt into a truck, make sure the loader can lift the load high enough. I once had to have two loaders onsite, one to dig up the dirt and one to lift the dirt into the truck. The small loader could not reach high enough and the larger loader could not fit into the opening into the back yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, make sure to get your utilities staked out. Something like Bluestake should be available. Make sure you know where your sewer/septic clean outs are. You don't want to hit anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had several guys drive loaders during a long landscape project. Most asked if I wanted to run the loader myself. In each case I declined. As much fun as it looked, all I had to do is bump into one thing and my day would have been ruined. If you have a wide open space you should consider doing it yourself. In my case there were several tight spots, so I left it to guys who run loaders for a living.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="741" OwnerDisplayName="Scott Bruns" LastActivityDate="2011-11-01T20:08:27.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2646" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2644" CreationDate="2011-11-02T01:14:47.793" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Before you do anything, call DIG SAFE or its local equivalent.&lt;/strong&gt; Hitting a gas line will ruin your day. (Hitting a sewer pipe won't be much fun either.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could rent a tractor with a front-end loader, a wheeled loader, a skid-steer with a loader (&quot;bobcat&quot;), backhoe with a front-end loader.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't need to haul the soil away, you could rent a small bulldozer. With this strategy, you'll need a place to push the dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are hauling it away, you'll want to think about the truck and how you'll unload it. In other words: shoveling dirt out of the back of a pickup is a hassle, consider a dump trailer, see below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding skill level:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;At the low end, wheeled loaders (tractor, backhoe) are probably the easiest to use. (I've been driving tractors since I was a kid, so I'm guessing at the skill level required for a novice.)&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Be careful when dumping into the truck (or trailer, see below) not to hit the sides with the bucket!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Be careful when dumping into the truck that you don't bump the front of the machine into the side of the truck!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Be careful of overhead clearance near power lines!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some machines have the tendency to tip forward when the bucket is loaded. If you don't have a lot of weight in the back, beware of tipping forward. (Especially when you're next to the truck...)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beware that the arm hanging off the rear of the backhoe is easy to bump into stuff while you're backing and turning. I'd avoid the backhoe if you have any kind of obstacles and there's any other machine available. Otherwise be &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; aware of where the arm is while you're maneuvering around the yard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Getting the soil even and level as you work is harder than it looks, and takes a fair amount of skill and practice to do quickly. I own a tractor with a loader, I don't use it much for this kind of work, and it takes me a while to get an area somewhat level -- and then I end up finishing with a hand rake. I know current/former full-time equipment operators who can do the whole job with the tractor in about a quarter of the time it takes me, not including the time I'd spend raking. (And I've been doing this a while and get semi-regular practice -- the point is that it takes a lot of practice to get good.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The controls on the bulldozer might take some getting used to. I haven't used a bulldozer but I know enough that the controls operate differently.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Things to keep in mind:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As Scott Bruns mentions in his answer, make sure the loader can reach the truck you'll be loading.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You need to move about 25-35 cubic yards of material. A standard full-size pickup truck can hold about 2-2.5 yards. Beware that a yard of topsoil weighs 2000-2500 pounds. So a half-ton pickup can only carry about half a yard. That's 20 loads or more. Consider renting a dump trailer. Just make sure your truck has the tow capacity for the amount you load on the trailer. A trailer will generally reduce the clearance/height requirement for your loader; you won't have to lift as high. And a dump trailer reduces your labor requirement for unloading. (The trailer rental fee is much cheaper than the cost of repairing springs on your truck.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You're going to remove the top 4-6&quot; of soil. What's underneath that? If you have really deep topsoil (12&quot; or more), then you'll maybe do ok. But a lot of residential developments have maybe 2&quot; of topsoil over the top of cheap fill (which is probably either heavy clay or very sandy depending on where you live and what's available nearby).&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you're in the shallow topsoil situation, you're going to have a hard time getting a lawn to grow where you remove the topsoil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You may need to remove &lt;em&gt;extra&lt;/em&gt; material and then add back good topsoil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You might be able to get away with eyeballing the area to get it level. But if you want to do a professional quality job, get a surveyor's transit and use it to level the area. (You'll need a helper unless you get a laser.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-11-02T01:14:47.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2647" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2637" CreationDate="2011-11-02T01:21:34.680" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Starting in spring might be a better idea if you are looking for a quick result. If you reseed in the fall many of the seeds will remain dormant until spring, letting weeds sprout. If you wait until it warms up in spring, the seeds will quickly sprout and fill in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-11-02T01:21:34.680" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2648" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2650" CreationDate="2011-11-02T01:43:45.790" Score="10" ViewCount="1414" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can buy hybrid seeds anywhere in large quantities and the plants all turn out about the same, but when you save seeds, they all turn out different. How do the professionals save the seeds? If I could do it I would save a lot of money.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T22:45:06.130" Title="How do professionals save hybrid seeds?" Tags="&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2649" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2913" CreationDate="2011-11-02T01:52:56.060" Score="8" ViewCount="1275" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to grow fruit on my &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlumbergera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;thanksgiving cactus&lt;/a&gt; (also holiday cactus) so that I can save seeds, but I can never get them to start growing. How do I get my cactus to grow fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-12T02:05:10.410" LastActivityDate="2012-01-12T02:05:10.410" Title="Can I make my Schlumbergera truncata (Thanksgiving cactus) produce seeds?" Tags="&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;holiday-cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2650" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2648" CreationDate="2011-11-02T14:01:29.563" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Essentially, professionals keep &quot;parent&quot; plants that will produce &quot;child&quot; plants that are genetically similar.   Hybrid seeds are seeds from the parents that produce those child plants.  Every time they need more hybrid seeds, they have to induce and wait for the parents to flower and fruit.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hybrids are generally assumed to be &quot;unstable&quot;, which means that they will not produce seeds that make plants just like them.   Good seed shops will specify explicitly that something is a hybrid, and if that's mentioned in the variety's description, you can assume that it will not breed &quot;true&quot;.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other varieties have been bred continuously within the same genetic pool for long enough to be true-breeding; many heirloom varieties fall within this category.   Their seeds will generally produce very similar plants generation to generation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For tomatoes and peppers, at least (and many other plants), if you have the ability to keep them indoors through winter, you can keep cuttings of them pretty much indefinitely, if you are careful about keeping them disease and pest free.  That would let you keep a strain of plant that you like without having to continually buy more seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastActivityDate="2011-11-02T14:01:29.563" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2651" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2653" CreationDate="2011-11-02T17:30:06.307" Score="10" ViewCount="13880" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a potted aloe plant that looked like a set of leaves coming out of a single spot at ground level. One day it just fell apart - the leaves and the roots got completely rotten at ground level and wouldn't hold leaves together and to the ground. Leaves otherwise look alive - they are just damaged at the end where they were connected to the root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1566/can-i-save-my-damaged-aloe-vera-plant/1567#1567&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; aloe plant leaves can be planted on their own and can perhaps start growing as separate plants. Will that technique likely work in my rotten case? Do I have any other options?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-02-01T19:06:42.773" Title="Can an aloe plant that's completely rotten at the base be cured?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2652" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="593" CreationDate="2011-11-02T22:59:59.507" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perhaps pre-sealed pavers/bricks (but I really like the rubber paver option above).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having never lived in a place where icing of pavements is more than a 10-minute problem, I'd never really thought much of this issue before. If I understand correctly, the problem is where the concrete absorbs saline water via capillary action which then causes the concrete paver to fret, distort or crack due to expansion/contraction of water inside plus the increase in pH (which in turn draws in more water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some brief research tells me that a plethora of products exist to seal pavers which contain or silicon a similar substance, filling air gaps and repelling water. I presume it must be possible to buy pavers that have been pre-treated with such a product if you're willing to pay extra for it. A quick google search confirmed dozens of such options exist in Australia at least so there must be loads of competition in the US. And, evidently, the resilience of such concrete pavers is further enhanced by applying extra sealant after the paving is laid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2011-11-02T22:59:59.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2651" CreationDate="2011-11-03T01:18:34.860" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your leaves have rotted at the base, there is nothing practical you can do to save the plant. The leaves, though you can sometimes root them, would probably do poorly because they are not fresh. The best thing to do would be to find out what caused the rot, buy a new plant, and carefully monitor it so that you can fight the rot as soon as it appears.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-03T13:36:44.780" LastActivityDate="2011-11-03T13:36:44.780" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2654" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7134" CreationDate="2011-11-03T01:26:50.747" Score="9" ViewCount="2423" Body="&lt;p&gt;Several times, I have had &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saintpaulia&quot;&gt;Saintpaulias&lt;/a&gt; (African violets) in unlabeled pots. I tried finding the variety name through several sites and they all looked different. How can I identify them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-03T19:25:06.403" LastActivityDate="2019-01-06T17:06:26.027" Title="What is the best way to identify a Saintpaulia (African violet)?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;african-violets&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2655" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1239" CreationDate="2011-11-03T14:32:21.240" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've had a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlumbergera&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Christmas Cactus (A.K.A. Holiday Cactus)&lt;/a&gt; in our bathroom window for over ten years now, with very little watering. I have a picture of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5A2Yf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;same young plant (in bloom) from the 90's&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qvcyS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Christmas Cactus with bloomed flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The name of the plant comes from the bright flowers that bloom during Christmas. It's remarkably unlike traditional cacti and from a distance it doesn't look like one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="147" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T16:37:29.303" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T16:37:29.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2656" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2661" CreationDate="2011-11-04T00:05:00.380" Score="6" ViewCount="869" Body="&lt;p&gt;Preliminary reading suggests that the only way is to rake up the fallen leaves and get rid of them.  Will this do the trick?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way I could keep the leaves for compost without propagating the tar spot fungus to next year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-04T19:11:40.543" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T20:05:13.700" Title="How do I get rid of tar spots appearing on my maple's leaves?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2658" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2666" CreationDate="2011-11-04T01:31:32.550" Score="6" ViewCount="3129" Body="&lt;p&gt;My spruce trees produce hundreds of seeds, but when I plant them very few germinate and the ones that do don't overwinter. I was sowing them in fall to overwinter and sprout in spring in acidic, humusy soil in full sun, in a regular nursery bed. I don't have the normal equipment used for this, just the nursery beds. How should I be doing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-06T01:30:53.483" LastActivityDate="2015-01-06T01:30:53.483" Title="How can I grow Norway Spruce from seed?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2659" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2660" CreationDate="2011-11-04T01:36:23.697" Score="6" ViewCount="2429" Body="&lt;p&gt;When most trees get over ten feet tall, they seem to be trying to grow every way but up. Staking would be impractical because of scale, and pruning often helps but does not force the tree to grow up. What is the best way to keep them growing straight?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-04T11:17:27.613" LastActivityDate="2011-11-04T12:19:50.593" Title="What is the best way to keep a tree growing straight?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2660" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2659" CreationDate="2011-11-04T02:53:08.763" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trees change shape as they grow.  The silhouette of a young tree is quite different than a mature tree.  The shape is also influenced by the species or cultivar, exposure to sun and how crowded it is.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want an arrow straight tree the easiest way is to plant a cultivar that grows that way like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/k360/ginkgo-biloba-princeton-sentry.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gingko biloba &quot;Princeton Sentry&quot;&lt;/a&gt;. If the tree is already planted  you could plant fast growing upright trees around it which will encourage it to grow straight up.  Gradually thin these throwaways as the years go by.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-11-04T12:19:50.593" LastActivityDate="2011-11-04T12:19:50.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2661" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2656" CreationDate="2011-11-04T02:59:19.413" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uoguelph.ca/pdc/Factsheets/Diseases/TarspotMaple.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt; describes the tar spot. It does not harm the tree but is unsightly.  The causal agent, a fungus, overwinters on the leaves.  If your neighbours have maple trees and don't follow rigorous cleanup chances are good cleanup work on your part will not reduce the chance of infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3304.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;Short-term composting of mulches in windrows under high-temperature conditions (130-160 degrees F) kills these plant pathogens. Six weeks of composting is sufficient to kill most plant pathogens and avoid their dissemination in mulches or composts.&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said it's hard to provide uniform temperature for an extended period of time with a homeowner composting set up. &#xA;I wouldn't take the chance that your compost will provide the right temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-11-10T21:46:16.187" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T21:46:16.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2662" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2664" CreationDate="2011-11-04T09:53:21.330" Score="4" ViewCount="5635" Body="&lt;p&gt;We often read in books and Wikipedia that certain fruits or vegetables contain certain amount of vitamins, minerals and other elements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An example can be seen on &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beetroot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Beetroot&lt;/a&gt; in the box with &lt;code&gt;nutritional value&lt;/code&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can imagine that these numbers are only &lt;code&gt;averages&lt;/code&gt; and certain minimum &lt;code&gt;ideal conditions&lt;/code&gt; must exist for the vitamins to be present. We often hear that supermarket fruit and veg may not in fact contain the nutritional value that is claimed. The soil may be contaminated. When the product is stored and transported part of the vitamins and minerals may be lost. So supposedly healthy food may not in fact be all that healthy. I was little upset when I read that &lt;code&gt;carrot juice&lt;/code&gt; may be &lt;code&gt;nitrate&lt;/code&gt; concentrate instead of healthy juice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's good idea to grow your own fruit and vegetables and have control over your own food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And now the question: How is &lt;code&gt;nutritional value&lt;/code&gt; measured and how are &lt;code&gt;ideal conditions&lt;/code&gt; identified? What is the science dealing with these topics? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I grow my own fruit and veg how can I perform my own measurements? Is there any literature dealing with these topics?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="541" LastEditorUserId="541" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T08:30:31.133" LastActivityDate="2019-04-03T20:07:04.930" Title="How is nutritional value in fruit and vegetables measured?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="11" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2019-04-04T16:14:57.033" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2663" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1027" CreationDate="2011-11-04T11:47:42.220" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the UK, so it may not be the same in the USA, however there is a very simple guideline that works well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Never cut of more than 1/3 of the grass when you mow the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if you wish to have short grass then you need to mow more often.   Likewise if you over feed your grass so it grows very fast you need to mow more often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the UK, a golf green needs to be mowed most days, as it is kept very short, but a normal back garden lawn can be kept neat and tidy without undue stress to the grass just by mowing it most weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Grow regulators (eg  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scottsprofessional.co.uk/uk/grass-growth-regulator.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Primo Maxx&lt;/a&gt;) can allow short grass without having to mow every day.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="231" LastActivityDate="2011-11-04T11:47:42.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2664" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2662" CreationDate="2011-11-04T12:19:10.470" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;An article at slate.com &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2004/04/how_do_they_measure_calories.html&quot;&gt;describes how food labs measure calories&lt;/a&gt;, and where the calorie numbers come from on food labels. It's good for background info on the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless you have a remarkably well-stocked and well-equipped lab in your basement, you're not going to be able to test vitamin content at home. As far as I can tell, literature dealing with these topics is aimed at industrial users and/or academic papers. See, for example, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19916369&quot;&gt;this abstract on testing vitamin D using liquid chromatography&lt;/a&gt; [pdf].&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Furthermore, you can't even really trust the labels on the foods you buy to be accurate: producers can just use the values from government tables. So if there are differences, they won't necessarily be reflected on the label of a particular batch of food that you've purchased.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know of no literature regarding &quot;home grown&quot; vs &quot;supermarket&quot;, but there is info on the nutritional content of organic vs conventionally grown fruits and veg:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organic-food/NU00255/NSECTIONGROUP=2&quot;&gt;This article at the Mayo Clinic&lt;/a&gt; says &quot;a study&quot; (uncited) found that organic and conventional are comparable for nutrition.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The same Mayo Clinic article says that the USDA (uncited) has found that organic foods contain significantly fewer pesticide residues than conventional.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/organicreviewappendices.pdf&quot;&gt;This report&lt;/a&gt; [pdf] for the UK Food Standards Agency might be the one referenced by the Mayo Clinic article above. They surveyed the literature and found:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;There is no good evidence that increased dietary intake, of the nutrients identified in this review to be present in larger amounts in organically than in conventionally produced crops and livestock products, would be of benefit to individuals consuming a normal varied diet, and it is therefore unlikely that these differences in nutrient content are relevant to consumer health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There &lt;em&gt;were&lt;/em&gt; small differences in the content of some things in some foods.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Another &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11833635&quot;&gt;survey study out of New Zealand&lt;/a&gt; [abstract] finds that the &quot;findings are inconsistent&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yet another &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11327522&quot;&gt;survey study&lt;/a&gt; [abstract] found that there are significant differences in the levels of some nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Local (backyard!) food &lt;a href=&quot;http://chge.med.harvard.edu/programs/food/nutrition.html&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;may&lt;/em&gt; be more nutritious&lt;/a&gt; for a few reasons: cultivars are selected for taste and nutrition above yield and transportability, processing is reduced or eliminated, and damage from transport is reduced or eliminated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately I don't see any literature that can give you concrete guidance or hard numbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For what it's worth, my personal experience is that home-grown and locally-produced food has far superior flavor and texture compared to supermarket food from &quot;far away&quot;. (And we don't have to worry when there are massive recalls on lettuce, tomatoes, beef, eggs, etc.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-11-04T12:19:10.470" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2665" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2667" CreationDate="2011-11-04T18:21:05.053" Score="8" ViewCount="178" Body="&lt;p&gt;Today I was part of a volunteer team that cut back just over 800 square metres (roughly 8600 sq. ft.) of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea-buckthorn&quot;&gt;sea buckthorn&lt;/a&gt; encroaching onto a nature reserve, which basically came down to lopping and sawing, while avoiding getting covered in thorn scratches and berry juice, followed by burning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once that is complete, the roots need to be dug up. And it grows back at an astonishing rate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is - are there any more effective ways to remove it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-04T19:09:27.440" LastActivityDate="2013-06-15T19:42:09.033" Title="Are there any ways to cut back sea buckthorn, other than brute force?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2666" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2658" CreationDate="2011-11-04T18:42:27.183" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.christmastree.org/trees/nrwy_spr.cfm&quot;&gt;National Christmas Tree Association&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Most propagation is by seed. Rooting is difficult and a challenge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.floridata.com/ref/p/pice_abi.cfm&quot;&gt;Floridata&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Propagate Norway spruce from seeds sown in spring. Seeds usually germinate readily and do not require pre-treatment. The dwarf cultivars may be propagated from tip cuttings of mature shoots taken in summer. Some of the cultivars typically are grafted onto seedlings of the species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I would hold the seed over winter (perhaps in the fridge -- I think most conifers want a cold period to break dormancy), and plant in the spring in acidic, well-drained soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, I know people who grow Christmas trees, and they expect significant losses (in related species, not necessarily Norway Spruce) when they plant &lt;em&gt;from seedlings&lt;/em&gt;, so I wouldn't expect all of the seeds you plant to survive. A good strategy might be to sow 10x (or even 100x) what you want, and then thin to the strongest survivors after a couple of years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-11-04T18:42:27.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2667" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2665" CreationDate="2011-11-04T19:08:33.857" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't see how there can be any options other than strong weedkillers or physical removal, and obviously blanket use of weedkillers is out of the question in this case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What we did in a similar situation in Texas with &lt;em&gt;Ligustrum&lt;/em&gt; (brushy/woody invasive but no berries and no spines as such; known as 'privet' in the UK) is to cut it down to ground level, and then brush a kill-everything bush weedkiller (eg. Bush-B-Gone) directly on the fresh stumps. That is sufficient to kill the roots, and the application is localized to the stump only.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-05T02:52:07.473" LastActivityDate="2011-11-05T02:52:07.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2668" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-11-05T03:35:35.120" Score="16" ViewCount="16160" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have read that composting things like bones and fat should be avoided as it can get smelly and attract pests.  However, I expect that there are a lot of nutrients that I am wasting if I threw these things in the garbage (or the city compost).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I am planning on building up a new compost pile this fall and letting it run till next fall.  I have a ~2' diameter, ~3' tall compost bin.  I am planning on lining it with composted manure and bone meal to deter pests.  I will supplement the heavy kitchen waste with plenty of branches and leaves.  Will this work?  What else should I be doing (esp. about the pest deterence)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastActivityDate="2019-11-22T18:29:17.737" Title="What procedure should I follow to compost bones, fat, and rotten cooked food?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2671" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-06T21:41:15.850" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maple is the common name for the genus &lt;em&gt;Acer&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tree&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tree&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tree&lt;/a&gt;s (and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/shrubs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;shrubs&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;shrubs&lt;/a&gt;). They are members of the sub-family &lt;em&gt;Hippocastanaceae&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The genus contains about 129 species. Most are native to Asia, although some are native to Europe, North Africa, and North America. Only &lt;em&gt;Acer laurinum&lt;/em&gt; is native to the southern hemisphere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most &lt;em&gt;Acer&lt;/em&gt; are deciduous although a few Mediterranean and Asian species are evergreen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Classic &lt;em&gt;Acer&lt;/em&gt; leaves have a veined, lobed palmate shape; and are arranged on opposite sides of the stem. Seeds are known as &amp;quot;keys&amp;quot; and are attached to a flattened wing of papery tissue. This wing causes a falling seed to spin and to travel long distances in the wind. These characteristic seeds have various common names including &amp;quot;whirlybirds&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;helicopters&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In horticulture, &lt;em&gt;Acers&lt;/em&gt; are typically grown as ornamental trees. They are typically fast growing and cold tolerant. A number of Asian varieties are also popular choices for &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/bonsai&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;bonsai&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;bonsai&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Commercially, &lt;em&gt;Acer saccharum&lt;/em&gt; is grown for maple syrup which is produced by boiling the tree's sap. Some &lt;em&gt;Acer&lt;/em&gt; trees are also grown for timber - it is particularly popular for bowling pins, bowling alley lanes, and baseball bats. &lt;em&gt;Acer&lt;/em&gt; woods also tend to carry sound well, making it a popular choice in many musical instruments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T14:11:39.663" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T14:11:39.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2672" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-06T21:41:15.850" Score="0" Body="Common name for Acer trees, famous for syrup produced from their sap." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-07T12:46:59.017" LastActivityDate="2021-01-07T12:46:59.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2673" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2668" CreationDate="2011-11-06T21:44:54.893" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fat and rotting meat are better suited to creating manure. Bones don't compost easily either. The fastest way to break down fat and rotten food is to have an animal digest it first. I take my leftover bacon lard and dribble 1-2 tbsp per day on my dog's food... he loves it! Depending how rotten the meat is, I may or may not give it to my dog as well (he doesn't like chicken). However cooked bones should merely be discarded since they take a long time to break down. Only raw bones are good for dogs--small bones like chicken bones are not good for dogs either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastActivityDate="2011-11-06T21:44:54.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2674" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-11-06T21:54:07.610" Score="6" ViewCount="3315" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have found the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujube&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;wikipedia page&lt;/a&gt; for &lt;a href=&quot;http://edwardfortnurseries.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&amp;amp;flypage=edfort.tpl&amp;amp;product_id=48&amp;amp;category_id=9&amp;amp;option=com_virtuemart&amp;amp;Itemid=57&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Jujube&lt;/a&gt; but I could not find much on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://edwardfortnurseries.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&amp;amp;flypage=edfort.tpl&amp;amp;product_id=128&amp;amp;category_id=9&amp;amp;option=com_virtuemart&amp;amp;Itemid=57&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sugarcane Jujube&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the difference between these two varieties (if any)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-06T22:01:21.987" LastActivityDate="2011-11-11T13:33:08.717" Title="How is a Sugarcane Jujube different from a regular Jujube?" Tags="&lt;variety-selection&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2675" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-06T22:03:08.303" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pear&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pear&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pear&lt;/a&gt; can refer to either one of several &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tree&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tree&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tree&lt;/a&gt; species of the genus &lt;em&gt;Pyrus&lt;/em&gt;, or the apple-like fruit of these trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flowers and fruit resemble those of the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/apple&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;apple&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;apple&lt;/a&gt;, and both &lt;em&gt;Pyrus&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Malus&lt;/em&gt; (apples) members of the same sub-category of the tribe &lt;em&gt;Maleae&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pears have been cultivated since earliest antiquity, and they were probably eaten during prehistoric times. Although much of this evidence is found in Northern Europe and Switzerland, the genus is thought to have originated in Western China in the Tian Shan foothills.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pears are typically grown for their fruit, which is typically consumed fresh, canned, as juice, or dried. The juice can be fermented to produce a cider. Pear wood is also a popular choice for high quality woodwind instruments, and furniture. It can also be burnt to produce aromatic smoke for smoking meat or tobacco.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pear trees are sometimes grown as ornamental trees - such as the Bradford Pear in the US. Although an undamaged Bradford Pear has a pleasing shape, it can &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/damage&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;damage&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;damage&lt;/a&gt; easily, produces lots of suckers, and attracts undesirable &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/birds&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;birds&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;birds&lt;/a&gt; such as grackles. In many areas it is considered a problematic non-invasive tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T15:34:41.223" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T15:34:41.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2676" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-06T22:03:08.303" Score="0" Body="Several species of Pyrus." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T13:17:37.120" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T13:17:37.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2677" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2689" CreationDate="2011-11-06T22:17:37.593" Score="12" ViewCount="381" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's my apple store a few weeks after I put them into storage:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TGtVym.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see, already quite a high failure rate. And even for the apples which still look sound as of today, are they still at risk? Or if they've got this far without rotting are they basically now set to store OK through the winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But my main question is, how do I improve my success rate? I can guess that the key things are: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;don't store obviously damaged apples &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cool, even temperature&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;darkness&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dry, with good air circulation&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If my list is correct, which out of those is most important? Is there anything I've left out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my case I did pick windfalls rather than harvesting them from the tree (is trying to store windfalls hopeless? They looked unblemished at the time). The temperature may have been a little high. Is that enough to explain the high failure rate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-07T01:23:19.203" LastActivityDate="2018-02-10T16:39:21.027" Title="Storing apples - how do I improve my success rate?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;storage&gt;&lt;post-harvest&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2678" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2681" CreationDate="2011-11-06T22:26:20.427" Score="8" ViewCount="1016" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an old woody sage plant (I &lt;em&gt;think&lt;/em&gt; it's sage) in my herb garden. It's probably several years old and no longer looks in great shape. Also, I have allowed the grass and weeds to smother its base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cU1Rt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I pruned it back and weeded it, would it come back good as new? Or is it best to start again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-06T23:10:46.310" LastActivityDate="2011-11-07T02:14:52.403" Title="Is my woody old sage plant finished?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2679" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2677" CreationDate="2011-11-06T22:48:30.097" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having been in a commercial apple &quot;cold store&quot;, I would think coolness was the most important. The lights were on when I was there, but I assume they went off when the door closed. Can't comment on air circulation, or what kind of humidity control existed (this was in England).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I think windfalls are probably a major reason for your problem. Commercially, windfalls are not stored. They are either discarded or used for cider.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-11-06T22:48:30.097" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2680" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-07T01:02:46.980" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I watched a video on this precise question because my neighbour invited me to take rhubarb from her plant, and I wanted to make sure I did it in a way that wouldn't affect her plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The video was made by Tom Cole at Capel Manor College in London. It has been deleted, but these are the points I took from it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't cut the stalk with a knife. Pull it right out with a sharp tug. This apparently promotes new growth and &quot;invigorates the roots&quot; so it helps the plant. (Also the bit right at the bottom is the most delicious part to eat!)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't take more than 3 or 4 stems per season per plant. I actually took up to 5, because there were so many, but I think the idea is to make sure to leave the plant with at least 3-4 stalks leftover for the new season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-19T00:44:04.890" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T00:44:04.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2681" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2678" CreationDate="2011-11-07T02:14:52.403" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can cut it back in stages, removing a third of the plant each year for three years. It takes time, but the results are normally satisfactory. Cut the old woody stems to 3 or 4 inches from the ground and cut out the dead stems each time you cut back. It would help the plant to keep other plants from growing around the base. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-11-07T02:14:52.403" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2682" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2688" CreationDate="2011-11-07T06:10:10.297" Score="14" ViewCount="22125" Body="&lt;p&gt;I only ever add fertilizer after I remove a previous crop and break up the soil a bit, but should I be adding fertilizer to vegetables that take 10 or so weeks to grow, such as zucchini?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How frequently should I add fertilizer?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there particular types of fertilizer that are good to add while a vegetable plant is growing?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How can I add fertilizer if I am using mulch such as hay, should I just sprinkle it on top and water it in?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T21:22:25.027" LastActivityDate="2018-07-25T10:18:01.550" Title="How often should I fertilize vegetables?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2683" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3098" CreationDate="2011-11-07T06:18:08.100" Score="16" ViewCount="177" Body="&lt;p&gt;Australia has a problem in that most garden and building centers where you can buy seed usually only sell one or two brands and there is such limited variety e.g. beans, lettuce, tomato etc. Also, the country being isolated, there are several restrictions on what can be imported, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For my own interest I would like to try growing a larger variety of vegetables.  How can I go about finding alternatives to commercially available seeds or maybe heirloom varieties to try? I'm not looking for a specific retailer, but rather for the most logical place to look for alternatives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T02:03:31.267" LastActivityDate="2012-02-24T00:31:13.907" Title="What are common places to try for alternatives to commercially available seeds?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2684" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-11-07T09:34:03.467" Score="9" ViewCount="3850" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have grown basil from seeds in a large pot. They have germinated but are now failing to thrive.  They are now about 3 weeks old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They get the afternoon sun and are watered daily.  I applied &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seasol.com.au/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Seasol&lt;/a&gt; a couple of times, but am still not having any luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a new gardener living in the Illawarra region in New South Wales, Australia.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;EDIT:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Heeding the suggestions here, I have moved the basil into direct sunlight and am watering less often. The seedlings have responded really well!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your advice, it has really helped. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="750" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-11-13T15:04:54.897" Title="Why are my basil seedlings failing to thrive?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2685" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2683" CreationDate="2011-11-07T14:33:14.463" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are import restrictions in Australia (as in most countries), to avoid spreading diseases, etc.  Sources in other countries may not be useful - make sure they ship to Australia.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Simply googling for &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;vegetable seeds Australia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;will bring you to a variety of Australian sources, including heirloom vendors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apart from that, hope for a fellow Australian with experience with particular vendors to answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2011-11-07T14:33:14.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2683" CreationDate="2011-11-07T14:41:30.500" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Take a look at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seedsavers.org/&quot;&gt;Seed Savers Exchange&lt;/a&gt;. I don't know if they have any &quot;branches&quot; in Australia, but you may be able to find related/similar organizations where you can find a larger variety of seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the same line of thought, ask the vendors at a local farmers' market. (You'll probably have better luck if you aren't asking during the busy hour.) Look especially for growers who are selling &quot;unique&quot; or heirloom varieties. They may be able to point you to good sources for seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-11-07T14:41:30.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2682" CreationDate="2011-11-07T14:51:06.030" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Frequency depends on how &quot;fast&quot; the fertilizer is.  If it's slow to break down, you don't need to apply it very often, and it's less likely to burn (from too much nitrogen at one time) - so unless you're trying to grow giant pumpkins or something, slow is better, IMHO.  Even with slow fertilizer you &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; apply it more often than you are.  Whether you &lt;em&gt;need&lt;/em&gt; to depends on what's in the soil already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I prefer a &quot;balanced&quot; fertiliser, e.g., 10-10-10 - not something with lots of nitrogen.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also rely on other soil amendments - composted manure, turned-in winter rye, and my own yard compost, in widely varying amounts.  These are applied once a growing season.  If I had to choose only one amendment, it would be store-bought composted cow manure.  These amendments improve the soil structure, in addition to providing slow-release nutrients, and thus are a lot more beneficial than chemical fertiliser.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can apply fertiliser over mulch.  Some of the nitrogen will be lost to bacteria breaking down the mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, just experiment cautiously and observe carefully how your plants react.  If you over-fertilise, you'll see some immediate tell-tale yellowing or wilting.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-11-07T15:04:47.200" LastActivityDate="2011-11-07T15:04:47.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2688" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2682" CreationDate="2011-11-07T15:01:14.920" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;The short answer is &quot;fertilize when the plants need it&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a longer answer, here are some guidelines that I follow:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;(I know I sound like a broken record) Get a soil test done. This will tell you what your soil does and does not have. A good test lab will give you advice on what amounts of fertilizer to add. If you use organic growing practices, the lab should be able to provide advice on which fertilizers to use.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Consult a good gardening book for the requirements of particular vegetables. (I like Ed Smith's &quot;The Vegetable Gardener's Bible&quot; because it provides low/medium/high for N/P/K for each vegetable in an info box on each vegetable's reference page.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Know your pH, and adjust pH so that the soil is the proper acidity for vegetables. (Generally around 6-7; some like it higher or lower -- consult Smith's book or others to see specific recommendations.) Plants can't take up nutrients as effectively when the pH is too far out of the optimal range.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I add copious amounts of composted horse manure (since it is &quot;free&quot;). I haven't had the compost tested, but based on the soil tests that come back after a few years of adding manure, it seems to be high in potassium and phosphorus. Because of this, I don't really fertilize for P/K, just for N. If you have amendments available locally that you can add, till these in either in the fall, or a couple of weeks prior to planting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Build up your soil organic matter content. This helps to build healthy soil that holds nutrients and water better, and helps to convert nutrients to a form that plants can take up more readily.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Regarding fertilizing mulched plants, you have three options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apply fertilizer on top of the mulch and water it in. Some (especially nitrogen) will be lost to the mulch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pull back the mulch and apply fertilizer on top of the soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use a foliar feed (liquid fertilizer sprayed on the leaves).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, if you feed the &lt;em&gt;soil&lt;/em&gt; appropriately before planting then you won't need any fertilizer while the plants are growing. You mention zucchini -- I've had incredible growth for an entire season when the plants were put into beds with very rich soil (or when they volunteer out of the compost pile). And on the other hand I've had zucchini which I could barely keep alive even with regular top dressing with dried blood and foliar fish fertilizer because the soil was so poor. It's really important to build great soil; if you do this, then you won't have to fertilize the plants at all during the growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finally (and the main part of my answer): &lt;strong&gt;observe the plants&lt;/strong&gt;. In my experience, if you have a generally healthy soil and you've been adding compost, the primary nutrient you may be lacking is nitrogen. If the leaves are pale / yellow, it may need supplemental nitrogen. When I see this, I use a couple of different tactics: foliar feeding with fish emulsion (I think it is 1-2-0 analysis, don't have the jug handy now), or side dressing with dried blood (something like 12-0-0). For &quot;hungry&quot; plants (e.g. squash, celery, etc), I typically add a scoop of horse manure to the planting holes before transplanting. This summer that was all the celery needed; I didn't need to do any supplemental feeding. But the squash was in a newly built bed which hasn't had the soil built up over several years, and it needed a couple top dressings of compost as well as a couple rounds of foliar feeding -- the leaves would getting pale and the plants weren't thriving like they normally do.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-02-16T14:12:28.410" LastActivityDate="2012-02-16T14:12:28.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2689" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2677" CreationDate="2011-11-07T15:24:11.147" Score="7" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Keep them cool and damp.&lt;/strong&gt;  32F with 90% humidity is ideal. Every bit above 32 and below 90 will take a little bit off the &quot;ideal conditions&quot; storage life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don't store windfalls.&lt;/strong&gt; Put them in a bowl on the table and eat them &quot;soon&quot;. If you lose everything in the fruit bowl, it's not such a big loss. If you lose everything in your winter store, that's much worse. Better yet, make cider or applesauce with these; can the end product for a very long term storage life. (Or make jam, or freeze them for making midwinter apple pies, give your horses a treat, etc.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don't store fruit with any sort of damage.&lt;/strong&gt; (Or, store them separately and eat the damaged fruit first, as well as any that are starting to turn bad. The drawback to this strategy is that you'll end up eating the worst fruit all winter long... sometimes it might be nice to eat good quality fruit!)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Check your storage regularly (at least weekly).&lt;/strong&gt; Remove fruit at the first signs of damage. (&quot;One rotten apple spoils the whole bunch&quot; is real advice!) You shouldn't get anywhere near the point of having black, moldy apples in your storage; cull them earlier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don't store overripe fruit.&lt;/strong&gt; I'm not sure about picking prior to full ripeness, but I know that ripe fruit gives off &lt;em&gt;much&lt;/em&gt; more ethylene. Ethylene is the enemy of fruit storage.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some varieties store better than others.&lt;/strong&gt; Keep the storage apples &quot;on the bottom of the barrel&quot;. Eat the other varieties first. (Though I don't actually use a barrel; it would be easier to inspect with relatively shallow storage boxes.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-10T16:39:21.027" LastActivityDate="2018-02-10T16:39:21.027" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2690" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-07T15:50:20.093" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/snail&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;snail&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;snail&lt;/a&gt; is the common name for members of the class &lt;em&gt;Gastropoda&lt;/em&gt; that have a coiled shell when adult. The name may refer to sea snails, land snails, and freshwater snails; although without a qualifier (and in most horticultural usage) the name usually refers to land snails only.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many kinds of snail are herbivores. Within a horticultural context, they are usually considered &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pests&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pests&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pests&lt;/a&gt; due to the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/damage&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;damage&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;damage&lt;/a&gt; that they can cause. Snails can generally eat a wide range of different plant types and parts, due to their abrasive manner of eating ('chewing').&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Snails without a prominent shell are usually known as &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/slugs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;slugs&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;slugs&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Slug and snail baits based on metaldehydes are available and frequently used (especially in agriculture) but they can be toxic to cats, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/dog&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;dog&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;dog&lt;/a&gt;s, and other mammals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-13T16:14:17.203" LastActivityDate="2021-02-13T16:14:17.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2691" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-07T15:50:20.093" Score="0" Body="Members of the Gastropoda (a class of mollusc) with a coiled shell. Use this tag with questions about identifying snails or protecting plants from snails." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-13T16:14:20.283" LastActivityDate="2021-02-13T16:14:20.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2692" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-07T16:05:22.803" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cacti are members of the family &lt;em&gt;Cactaceae&lt;/em&gt;, and are a distinctive group of plants adapted for low-water and/or hot conditions. Most cacti have evolved so that the stem is succulent and photosynthetic, and the '&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/leaves&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;leaves&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;leaves&lt;/a&gt;' have evolved into spines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cacti are native to the Americas, with a range extending from Patagonia into southern, central Canada. They are at their most diverse in Mexico and tropical regions of Argentina &amp;amp; Bolivia. Note that this range includes areas that experience hard &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/frost&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;frost&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;frost&lt;/a&gt;s - which some varieties tolerate without any problems. They have been introduced into other parts of the world for agriculture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cacti tend to have short growing seasons, long periods of dormancy, and large &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flowers&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;flowers&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flowers&lt;/a&gt;. In the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/wild&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;wild&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;wild&lt;/a&gt;, most grow in mineral rich (humus poor) &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/soil&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;soil&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;soil&lt;/a&gt;s that are very free draining. The main exception are the epiphytic cacti which prefer organic-rich soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cacti are usually grown as ornamental plants, mainly &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/indoors&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;indoors&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;indoors&lt;/a&gt;, or in xeriscape applications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They can also be grown for food (e.g. the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt; and pads of &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/opuntia&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;opuntia&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;opuntia&lt;/a&gt; are edible when the spines have been removed), and fodder. Many &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/opuntia&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;opuntia&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;opuntia&lt;/a&gt; plantations have been developed as a host for cochineal &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/scale&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;scale&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;scale&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/insects&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;insects&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;insects&lt;/a&gt; - used to make cochineal dye.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gardeners are general wary of the spines, but they should also be wary of the hairs which often surround the areoles (spine bases). These are an irritant that are difficult to see when stuck in your skin. Even &amp;quot;spineless&amp;quot; &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/cultivars&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;cultivars&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;cultivars&lt;/a&gt; of &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/opuntia&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;opuntia&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;opuntia&lt;/a&gt; may have these hairs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about cacti. Use a specific species tag as well, where appropriate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T12:44:07.867" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T12:44:07.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2693" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-07T16:05:22.803" Score="0" Body="Member of the family Cactaceae. Desert succulents, but for non-cacti succulents use the [succulents] tag. Use this tag with questions about caring, propagating and identifying cactus." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T12:44:18.490" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T12:44:18.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2694" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2697" CreationDate="2011-11-07T16:32:56.583" Score="11" ViewCount="2804" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is an olive tree frost resistant? I have a small olive tree planted in a flower pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are small flies that put their larvae into the soil. Usually they are gone when the flower is outside for several days, but it's currently getting colder every night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="751" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-28T22:58:03.217" LastActivityDate="2018-04-23T09:01:44.990" Title="Is an olive tree frost resistant?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;frost&gt;&lt;olive&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2695" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-07T16:55:06.427" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/humidity&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'humidity'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;humidity&lt;/a&gt; refers the amount of water (moisture) in the air as water vapour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The quantity of moisture per unit volume, that air can contain; varies greatly according to air temperature. Therefore humidity is usually measured as &lt;strong&gt;Relative Humidity&lt;/strong&gt;. This is a percentage of the maximum amount of water that the air can currently contain. Ie. 0% is completely dry (no moisture present), however 100% is the maximum amount that the air can contain (any more, and the moisture will form a precipitate - eg. rain).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Earth has environments which range from virtually 0% (eg. the Atacama Desert) through to humidity at or near 100% (tropical rainforests). Plants have evolved to live in all of these conditions. For example rainforest plants can survive high moisture conditions, whilst cacti have evolved to solve in low humidity conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Humidity is just one of the environmental conditions that has to be satisfied for your plants to grow well. Use this tag for all questions about humidity. It should be used with tag(s) specific to the plants or plant groups that you are asking about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-07T16:55:06.427" LastActivityDate="2011-11-07T16:55:06.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2696" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-07T16:55:06.427" Score="0" Body="Quantity of water in the atmosphere. Use this tag with questions about the effect of different humidity levels on plants, landscape elements, insects and pests or how to create an environment with certain humidity levels." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-04T15:00:24.017" LastActivityDate="2021-02-04T15:00:24.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2697" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2694" CreationDate="2011-11-07T21:08:50.183" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Olive trees prefer hot weather, but may stay outdoors as long as the temperature doesn't &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_tree#Growth_and_propagation&quot;&gt;dip below 14F&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plan on getting an Arbequina olive tree and I know those are fairly frost resistant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="752" LastActivityDate="2011-11-07T21:08:50.183" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2698" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2699" CreationDate="2011-11-07T23:24:44.173" Score="9" ViewCount="437" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sowing a lawn organically seems to have 2 problems that need solving:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Killing the weeds prior to sowing&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Avoiding weed growth after sowing&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the soil is levelled, I'm considering trying the &lt;strong&gt;false seed bed&lt;/strong&gt; technique to kill off any remaining weeds before sowing grass. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stale_seed_bed&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia's article on false seed beds&lt;/a&gt; suggests hoeing the soil after 2 weeks, and probably repeating that step again at least once to be sure. If the technique is repeated enough, perhaps weed growth after sowing can be mostly avoided?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Has anyone had experience sowing a lawn with the false seed bed technique? Is there any other advice that might be useful?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have recently built a house and the earthworks have resulted in approx 180sqm of a bumpy and difficult mixture of soil and pebbles around the house that I'd like to be lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know there are heaps of weed seeds in the soil as lots have sprouted over the last few weeks. Our first step will be to have the land levelled with a small digger as there's too much soil to shift by hand - this will hopefully kill off most of the weeds currently growing on the surface, but I'm sure it will also expose more weed seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have obtained quotes from tradesman for sowing the lawn, but they want to spray with a broadleaf herbicide several weeks after sowing to kill off weeds. Researching the ingredients in the proposed spray (picloram being one), they appear to be very safe in the short term but very little appears to be known about long term effects. It is also toxic to aquatic life, will readily drain through soil into the groundwater (our region uses mostly groundwater for irrigation and drinking!), is long lived, and may affect plant growth when it ends up in our compost. Interestingly, picloram also appears to be considered &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.beyondpesticides.org/pesticides/factsheets/Picloram.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;inappropriate for residential use&lt;/a&gt;. Going organic seems like a sensible option!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; I hoped the grass would win competing against other plants. After having some issues with birds eating the seed on the day it was sown, I resowed some areas then sprinkled sieved soil over the whole area to protect the seed. It took about 3 hours to sieve enough soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, something like 10 months later I think, the grass is growing well, however clover is healthily coexisting with the grass. In a few parts which didn't get enough grass seed, the weeds, such as plantain and ox tongue, are much more prolific, so it's clear the grass is dominant enough to keep them down where well sown. I've dug out a few thistle and ox tongues that established themselves amongst the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm allergic to beestings, so my daughter might be too, which is why we'd rather not have much clover around; it attracts lots of bees in summer. One suggestion I've had was to add nitrogen fertiliser to make the clover bolt and then die off. I'm not sure whether any organic fertilisers would be adequate for this, or whether I'd need to use a non-organic one such as superphosphate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="715" LastEditorUserId="715" LastEditDate="2013-09-10T00:25:47.833" LastActivityDate="2013-09-10T00:25:47.833" Title="How do I prepare and sow a lawn organically?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;sowing&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2698" CreationDate="2011-11-08T02:12:42.823" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could use corn gluten meal to control weeds. It is a germination inhibitor that lets the grass grow while keeping out the weeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, don't put down corn gluten meal when you sow the grass seed, because it will inhibit germination there, which is exactly the wrong thing. Wait until the grass comes up! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-10T05:17:29.253" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T05:17:29.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2700" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2684" CreationDate="2011-11-08T02:20:59.773" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience basil grows best during the long days of summer, and when they are forced to germinate in a time where the days are short they are hard to maintain and lack vigor. They also seem to be sturdier in a sunny sandy soil better than a moist peat based mix. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-11-08T02:20:59.773" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2701" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2674" CreationDate="2011-11-08T02:53:42.867" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears that these are just different varieties, like red and golden delicious apples are different. The sugarcane jujube is smaller and sweeter than the other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-10T05:12:35.487" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T05:12:35.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2702" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2694" CreationDate="2011-11-08T02:59:40.473" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, most olive trees are frost resistant, but do not like it to get too low. Usually the most cold-tolerant varieties can take temperatures of down to 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit. If it gets colder than that in your area, or stays cold for extended periods, try moving it indoors to a sunny window during the worst parts. But once it's used to indoor temperatures, it can be damaged more easily by sudden placement in a cold environment. Try not to water too much during cold periods because the plant slows down and can't handle as much; too much water can cause root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the flies, I'm not entirely sure what they are, without a picture, but if you put a layer of dry material (such as pencil shavings or shredded paper) on top, it will discourage the laying of eggs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-28T12:11:17.937" LastActivityDate="2014-08-28T12:11:17.937" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2668" CreationDate="2011-11-08T03:27:05.313" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will &quot;work&quot; -- after all, the city compost takes meat. It's just that they're willing to put up with pests and stink. And they monitor and manage the compost so it &quot;cooks&quot; properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will tell you from experience that, unless you are putting it in a bin that is pest-proof, a foot or two of manure and leaves will not keep them out. I've buried kitchen compost (no meat/fat, just veg) 2-3 feet deep in horse manure only to find the next morning that a skunk dug it out. If you are composting meat and fat, I would bet that the smell of rotting meat will get through a few feet of manure and leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As JoeHobbit says, an alternative is to pass the waste through another animal. In my case, we sometimes give the chickens meat scraps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been tempted, like you, to put some of the &quot;prohibited&quot; items into my longer-term compost piles. I haven't yet because I don't want to encourage chicken-killers (e.g. skunks) to come around. Also, I'd have a constant feedstock of small amounts of meat/bones/fat to add to my compost, but I might not always have enough other material to balance the mix the way I'd want it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Getting around to the answer, with the caveat that I'm not a meat-composter, so this is only the procedure that I &lt;em&gt;would&lt;/em&gt; follow if I was going to try it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Build it bigger: 4' high, 3' diameter at a minimum.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't bother with the bone meal. (I'm not sure what your purpose for it is.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Know that you will attract rats and/or other pests.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you add bones, the marrow and bits of meat attached may compost, but the bone itself will not break down in your lifetime. You'll need to sift them out of the finished compost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you want to try to deter pests, bury it under 4-5' of manure. This &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; help, but I wouldn't bet much on it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The leaves will give a good carbon source; don't add too much at once or they'll mat down.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I wouldn't add branches, they'll just slow things down. (Unless they're chipped, and then &lt;em&gt;small&lt;/em&gt; quantities would be ok.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't add large quantities of cooking fat. (E.g. don't put the oil from your turkey fryer into the compost! Even the city doesn't want this.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure how you're going to manage the feedstock: putting small amounts of meat into the compost feedstock in a way that it breaks down reasonably and doesn't make a horrible smell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-11-08T03:27:05.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2704" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-11-08T04:51:26.707" Score="9" ViewCount="1131" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a hose nozzle that looked robust (though made mainly of plastic) last year and let it sit out over the winter (temperatures get down to -30 ºC).  This spring, naturally, the nozzle was leaking from all its seams.  I bought another one of the same kind with the plan to bring it in before the really cold weather starts.  To my dismay, the nozzle started leaking this week after we had some mildly frosty nights.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts on what I should look for in a nozzle so that it'll withstand the frost? I don't expect it to survive the winter.  I am thinking I need a nozzle made of all metal, possibly with metal seals.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-08T20:52:48.100" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T14:00:31.510" Title="What sort of hose nozzle should I look for such that it won't spring a leak after just one frosty night?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;frost&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2705" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2704" CreationDate="2011-11-08T17:28:16.890" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use my hose all winter as part of &lt;a href=&quot;https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/3961/how-do-i-build-an-ice-rink-in-my-backyard/7971#7971&quot;&gt;maintaining a backyard rink&lt;/a&gt;. We use brass fittings and they don't leak. Now, we don't leave the hose outside with water in it, and I don't think you should either. (At the risk of being overly clear I mean the habit of turning off the hose at the nozzle (the business end), then walking back to the tap and turning off the water supply, then going back to the business end and opening the nozzle to empty the hose. This makes it much lighter and easier to move around (in true winter we bring the empty hose inside after each rink watering) and if you're going to leave it outside, pretty much eliminates freezing worries.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xFxOR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I probably got mine from Lee Valley (eg &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=10369&amp;amp;cat=2,2280,33160&amp;amp;ap=3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=10369&amp;amp;cat=2,2280,33160&amp;amp;ap=3&lt;/a&gt;) or else Canadian Tire, which may not be an option for you depending on where you live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My hoses are currently mostly still outside and we've had a few frosts already this year. They don't leak. Also cold plastic shatters when you drop the hose on hard-frozen ground (and for sure on a rink) but brass does not. My fittings look nothing like the picture these days - they are 10-20 years old and not shiny. But they don't leak :-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:22:11.787" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T14:00:31.510" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2706" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-08T20:01:56.880" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The term 'mint' has two main meanings. First it is used to refer to the entire family &lt;em&gt;Lamiaceae&lt;/em&gt;; secondly it is used for the aromatic &lt;em&gt;Mentha&lt;/em&gt; genera within this family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;em&gt;Lamiaceae&lt;/em&gt; are native to most parts of the world, and contain 236 genera and approximately 7000 species. Members are frequently aromatic, and are commonly used as culinary &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/herb&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;herb&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;herb&lt;/a&gt;s. In addition to herbs such as &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/basil&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;basil&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;basil&lt;/a&gt;, mint, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/rosemary&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;rosemary&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;rosemary&lt;/a&gt;, sage, marjoram, and oregano; the &lt;em&gt;Lamiaceae&lt;/em&gt; also include some shrubs, and trees (e.g. teak). They are generally easy to cultivate, and are hence in widespread cultivation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lamiaceae&lt;/em&gt; have opposite leaves. Some sources describe &amp;quot;square stems&amp;quot; as a diagnostic feature although this is not always the case, and other plants may have square stems. Flowers are bilaterally symmetrical with 5 united petals and 5 united sepals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/mint&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;mint&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;mint&lt;/a&gt; tag could be used for all &lt;em&gt;Lamiaceae&lt;/em&gt; (ie. the botanical sense), it should only be used for the &lt;em&gt;Mentha&lt;/em&gt; genera - &amp;quot;mints&amp;quot; in the horticultural and culinary sense. &lt;em&gt;Mentha&lt;/em&gt; consist of between 13 and 18 species - definitions are not distinct and are complicated by hybridization and cultivars. &lt;em&gt;Mentha&lt;/em&gt; mints are aromatic, perennial (although sometimes annual), and are all grown as herbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T00:39:52.800" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T00:39:52.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2707" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-08T20:01:56.880" Score="0" Body="Flowering herb; also the entire Lamiaceae family. Use this tag with questions about caring, propagating and identifying mints." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T00:39:55.720" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T00:39:55.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2708" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-08T20:07:46.377" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Virtually all plants require light to power the chemical reaction known as photosynthesis, to produce sugars and cellulose (exceptions include some rare orchids such as &lt;em&gt;Hexalectris&lt;/em&gt; which are at best partially photosynthetic).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different plants have adapted to require different amounts of light. For example, trees that grow at high latitudes are generally adapted for poor light conditions, and low latitude desert plants are adapted for high light conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There can be artificial light sources like &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/led&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;led&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;led&lt;/a&gt; lights or &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/grow-lamp&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;grow-lamp&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;grow-lamp&lt;/a&gt; beside the natural source of light: &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/sunlight&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;sunlight&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;sunlight&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about the required light levels for your plants. Use it with tag(s) specific to the plants in the question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-02T18:38:47.613" LastActivityDate="2021-02-02T18:38:47.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2709" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-08T20:07:46.377" Score="0" Body="Illumination, required for photosynthesis. Use this tag for all questions about the required light levels for your plants. For questions specifically about artificial lights use the [led] or [grow-lamp] tags. For questions directly about the Sun and its effects in different conditions on plants use the [sunlight] tag." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-02T18:38:51.200" LastActivityDate="2021-02-02T18:38:51.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2710" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-08T20:14:27.337" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pomegranates, &lt;em&gt;Punica granatum&lt;/em&gt; (Genus &lt;em&gt;Punica&lt;/em&gt;) is a deciduous shrub or small tree that is native to Iran. It has since spread to the Caucasus, Himalayas, and Kerala. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pomegranates have been cultivated for their fruit since ancient times. Today, cultivation is common in the Middle East, and Central &amp;amp; Southern Asia; and has spread to drier parts of the Mediterranean, and Latin America (including California and Arizona).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As well as being grown as a fruit crop, pomegranates are often grown as ornamental trees. They are also drought tolerant but can be prone to fungal root decay in wetter climates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pomegranate fruit contains large numbers of seeds. These can be consumed raw. Each seed has a red casing (aril) that contains juice. The juice is used to make grenadine syrup, and is often also used in traditional Middle Eastern recipes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing pomegranate trees/shrubs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-14T19:21:02.453" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T19:21:02.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2711" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-08T20:14:27.337" Score="0" Body="Punica granatum - a fruit bearing shrub or tree." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-03T19:51:30.647" LastActivityDate="2021-02-03T19:51:30.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2712" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-08T20:16:46.850" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Process of pollen transfer in plants, enabling fertilization and sexual reproduction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pollination is desirable if you wish to produce seeds for propagation, or to produce fruit for consumption.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different plants have different methods of pollination - eg. wind, insects, birds. Most plants will not require human help, but occasionally this may be beneficial if the plant does not pollinate easily, or if you wish produce a hybrid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all of your plant pollination questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-08T20:16:46.850" LastActivityDate="2011-11-08T20:16:46.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2713" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-08T20:16:46.850" Score="0" Body="Process of pollen transfer in plants, enabling fertilization and sexual reproduction." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-08T20:16:46.850" LastActivityDate="2011-11-08T20:16:46.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2714" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-08T20:17:38.737" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for general questions on plant care. This is an extremely general tag and should be avoided if possible. In most cases there are much more appropriate, specific tags available. E.g. for &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/water&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;water&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;water&lt;/a&gt;ing, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/light&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;light&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;light&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pollination&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pollination&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pollination&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pruning&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pruning&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pruning&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pest-control&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pest-control&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pest-control&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/transplanting&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;transplanting&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;transplanting&lt;/a&gt;, what &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/soil&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;soil&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;soil&lt;/a&gt; to choose, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T20:33:39.127" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T20:33:39.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2715" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-08T20:17:38.737" Score="0" Body="General tag for questions on plant care. Use it along with more specific tags related to plant care whenever possible." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T20:33:28.663" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T20:33:28.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2716" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-08T20:24:00.817" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetable matter. This is invariably in a wet, low oxygen environment that allows the matter to accumulate but limiting decay due to the lack of oxygen.&#xA;Example peat-forming locations include peat bogs, moors, muskeg, pocosins, mires, and peat swamps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Geologically peat could be considered as being &quot;on its way to becoming&quot; lignite and eventually coal. In common with lignite and coal, it has a high carbon content, and after draining, can be burnt for fuel. However, it is a smoky fuel - more so than lignite. Some countries (e.g. Finland) class peat as a slowly renewing biomass fuel, although other sources class it as a fossil fuel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peat is also used in agriculture and horticulture as a growing medium. Peat can be mixed in with the soil to improve the soil's structure and improve its water and nutrient retaining abilities. It can also be used to increase soil acidity for plants which prefer an acidic soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about using peat in a horticultural context.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-08T20:24:00.817" LastActivityDate="2011-11-08T20:24:00.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2717" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-08T20:24:00.817" Score="0" Body="Accumulation of partially decayed vegetable matter, usually in a wetland environment." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-08T20:24:00.817" LastActivityDate="2011-11-08T20:24:00.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2718" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-08T20:27:46.633" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peony (or paeony) are plants of genus &lt;em&gt;Paeonia&lt;/em&gt;, the only genus in the &lt;em&gt;Paeoniaceae&lt;/em&gt; family.&#xA;There are between 25 and 40 species, although species definitions are not distinct.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peonies are native to Asia, southern Europe, and western North America. Most are herbaceous perennials although some resemble small trees. Leaves are compound and deeply lobed. They are grown for their large, usually fragrant flowers. Flower colors range from red to pink to white to yellow, and are typically in late spring or early summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Herbaceous peonies are propagated by root division or seed. Tree peonies can also be divided by grafting and cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about peonies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-08T20:27:46.633" LastActivityDate="2011-11-08T20:27:46.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2719" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-08T20:27:46.633" Score="0" Body="Plants, genus Paeonia, grown for their flowers." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T18:25:49.740" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T18:25:49.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2720" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-08T20:35:02.550" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palm&lt;/strong&gt; is the common name for members of the &lt;em&gt;Arecaceae&lt;/em&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Palmae&lt;/em&gt;) family. They are monocot &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flowering&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;flowering&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flowering&lt;/a&gt; plants, and the only family of Order &lt;em&gt;Arecales&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are roughly 202 genera with about 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical and subtropical climates. They typically have large, compound evergreen &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/leaves&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;leaves&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;leaves&lt;/a&gt; at the top of a singly un-branched stem - however, there are many exceptions. There are exceptions to the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/climate&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;climate&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;climate&lt;/a&gt;, and some are native to deserts, and others are tolerant of warm temperate conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Palms are often planted as ornamental &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/trees&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;trees&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;trees&lt;/a&gt; (e.g. in California and along the Gulf of Mexico coast), but they have been widely cultivated since ancient times. Example palm crops include the &lt;em&gt;Cocos&lt;/em&gt; (coconut), &lt;em&gt;Copernicia&lt;/em&gt; (Carnauba wax), &lt;em&gt;Metroxlyon&lt;/em&gt; (Sago palm), &lt;em&gt;Phoenix&lt;/em&gt; (Date palm), &lt;em&gt;Elaeis&lt;/em&gt; (palm oil), and &lt;em&gt;Sabal&lt;/em&gt; (Palmettos).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing palms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-15T12:27:58.747" LastActivityDate="2021-02-15T12:27:58.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2721" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-08T20:35:02.550" Score="0" Body="Family Arecaeae, monocot flowering plants known for their tropical habit. Use this tag with questions about caring, propagating or identifying plams." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-15T12:27:45.757" LastActivityDate="2021-02-15T12:27:45.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2722" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-09T03:36:50.917" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/mowing&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'mowing'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;mowing&lt;/a&gt; is the act of cutting a lawn. Typically, a motorized (electric or gasoline) mower is used to cut a grass lawn, although there are hand-powered mowers, and non-grass lawns also exist. Animals, such as goats, can also be used to mow grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about lawn mowing and other types of mowing (eg. of meadows). Typical questions will include when, how frequently, and how high the mowing should be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T03:36:50.917" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T03:36:50.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2723" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-09T03:36:50.917" Score="0" Body="The act of cutting a lawn" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T03:36:50.917" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T03:36:50.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2724" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-09T03:46:06.740" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The mosses are a major division of the &lt;em&gt;Plantae&lt;/em&gt; Kingdom. They are non-vascular and absorb water through their leaves. They do not have flowers or seeds, but propagate using spores. They are typically small (less than 10cm tall), soft, and grow in clumps or mats. They generally require moist environments to aid water absorption.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Historically, &lt;em&gt;Bryophyta&lt;/em&gt; have included liverworts and hornworts but these are now classified in their own divisions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mosses can become a &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/weed&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'weed'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;weed&lt;/a&gt; in &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/lawns&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'lawns'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;lawns&lt;/a&gt; which are too moist, and in extreme cases (eg. parts of the Pacfic Northwest) it is deliberately encouraged as a lawn substitute which requires little mowing, fertilizer, or water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moss is also deliberately grown in Japanese styles of gardening where moss can add a sense of calm, age, and stillness. Moss is also used with &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/bonsai&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'bonsai'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;bonsai&lt;/a&gt; to cover the soil and enhance the general impression of extreme age.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mosses are also sometimes used in green roofs where they are useful for their reduced weight loads and no fertilizer requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all gardening questions about moss, whether it is discouraging lawn grown, encouraging lawn growth, or its use in bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T03:46:06.740" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T03:46:06.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2725" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-09T03:46:06.740" Score="0" Body="Non-vascular spore plants, division Bryophyta." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-07T12:47:54.267" LastActivityDate="2021-01-07T12:47:54.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2726" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2775" CreationDate="2011-11-09T05:50:46.950" Score="9" ViewCount="1190" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking at &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2668/what-procedure-should-i-follow-to-compost-bones-fat-and-rotten-cooked-food/2673#2673&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; made we wonder again about why we don't compost dog and cat faeces. Any guide to composting will always caution against including dog (and cat) excrement (examples &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/composting/compost_pf.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/compost-avoid-items-bin.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it simply that pet faeces are dangerous to human health? Or do pet faeces not actually have much composting value in their own right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-11-11T13:53:22.517" Title="Why can't I compost dog &amp; cat faeces?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;domestic-animals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2727" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2684" CreationDate="2011-11-09T09:34:04.727" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I guess it's probably due to a rotten root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A large pot would hold more water than a small pot. Watering once a day is perhaps too much for a large pot. I have two basil plants in large pots and I water them once every 3 days. Of course the duration depends on how fast the water evapourates. You can test the soil for dampness using your finger before you water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may want to keep them in smaller pots and indoors. Add a little water every night so that they won't dry out. When they are 10cm above the soil, you can move them outdoors, following proper transplanting techniques and you should adjust your watering accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-10T05:15:40.693" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T05:15:40.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2729" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2665" CreationDate="2011-11-09T13:59:41.263" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you considered goats? (I have no idea if they'll munch on sea buckthorn, but it might be something to consider.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're investigating grazing sheep on ~4 acres (~1.5 hectare) where wild blackberries are a problem and have been told that they will help keep it under control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If not goats, other livestock may work. (Pigs, from what I understand, may be of some assistance with digging up the roots. Just don't let them get loose into your reserve, because then you've got a problem with pig control instead of weed control...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You said in a comment:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In this instance it wouldn't work for the very reason you state - there is no separation between the buckthorn and the reserve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Again, I have no &lt;em&gt;direct&lt;/em&gt; experience, though a friend of mine keeps goats and I've done research to see what would work for us.) Depending on the type of goat you may be able to keep them in an area with portable electric fencing and a small portable fence charger. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T13:59:41.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2730" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-09T14:50:35.233" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Drainage is the ability for soil or other growing medium to lose (drain) water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different plants require different drainage characteristics. For example, bog plants require little or no drainage, but desert plants typically require high drainage soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Drainage can be improved by adding coarse sand. Clays tend to restrict drainage. Humus will add a water retention ability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For gardens and landscaped areas, drains (eg. French drains) may be added to improve drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all drainage questions, whether they are for pot plants or larger landscape drainage questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T14:50:35.233" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T14:50:35.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2731" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-09T14:50:35.233" Score="0" Body="Ability for water to drain through soil. Use this with questions about what techniques, tools, materials to use to increase or decrease drainage of the soil or other planting medium." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-16T13:38:38.837" LastActivityDate="2021-01-16T13:38:38.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2732" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-09T14:52:40.987" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hoses are flexible pipes used to water plants. This might be direct, through an sprayer, or using a drip hose. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for garden-specific questions about hoses, e.g. How to position and time a drip hose for a particular plant type. Many hose questions will be off-topic. For example: &quot;How do I repair my hose faucet?&quot; is a plumbing question and is off topic. Only use this tag for garden specific applications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-14T19:07:03.220" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T19:07:03.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2733" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-09T14:52:40.987" Score="0" Body="Flexible pipe used for water - typically to irrigate plants" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T14:52:40.987" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T14:52:40.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2734" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-09T15:20:53.120" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spruces are coniferous evergreens of the genus &lt;em&gt;Picea&lt;/em&gt; (Family &lt;em&gt;Pinaceae&lt;/em&gt;). The 35 species of spruce are native to northern temperate and boreal regions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spruces can grow large (20-60m) and are distinguished by their whorled branches and conical habit. Spruce leaves (&quot;needles&quot;) are needle-shaped and are attached to each branch in a spiral fashion. Needles are typically shed when 4-10 years old, leaving rough branch surfaces of pulvinus (peg-like structures where the needles attached).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spruces can grow to great ages: a Norwegian Spruce in Western Sweden nicknamed Old Tjikko has been dated to 9550 years old, and is claimed to be one of the world's oldest known living trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In horticulture, spruces are typically grown as ornamental trees (e.g. Norwegian Spruce is a popular Christmas Tree in northern latitudes) and landscape trees. They are also grown for timber and pulpwood. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves and branches can be a source of essential oils, and the sap has been used to make gums - including the first chewing gums. Spruce needles are also useful in survival situations due to their Vitamin C and water content.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before the development of petrochemicals, spruce resin was also used to manufacture pitch. This is believed to be the etymology of &lt;em&gt;Picea&lt;/em&gt; (&quot;pix&quot; is latin for pitch).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing and caring for spruce trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-12T16:01:36.130" LastActivityDate="2012-03-12T16:01:36.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2735" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-09T15:20:53.120" Score="0" Body="Coniferous evergreen, genus Picea." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T21:25:35.483" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T21:25:35.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2736" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-09T17:40:23.057" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Succulents&lt;/strong&gt; is a general term referring to &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/water&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;water&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;water&lt;/a&gt;-retaining plants adapted to arid climates and/or &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/soil&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;soil&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;soil&lt;/a&gt;. They are not a genetic group as such, and should not be confused with cacti. Although cacti are succulents, there are many unrelated succulent genera.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Succulents store water in their &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/leaves&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;leaves&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;leaves&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/stems&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;stems&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;stems&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/roots&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;roots&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;roots&lt;/a&gt;. Geophytes which store water in underground storage organs such as tubers, corms, and rhizomes; may be considered succulents.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water saving adaptions found in succulents may include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Crassulacean acid metabolism&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leaves that are absent, reduced, or cylindrical/spherical in shape (reduced surface area)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Reduced number of stomata&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Photosynthesis mainly occurring in stems rather than leaves (eg. cacti)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Compact, reduced, columnar or spherical habit (reduced surface area)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ribs enabling rapid increases in volume to contain water when available&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Waxy, hairy, or spiny outer surface to create humid micro habitat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Roots near ground surface to absorb water from light showers or heavy dew&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ability to retain water despite high internal temperatures&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Very impervious outer cuticle&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mucilaginous internal content (eg. aloe sap)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Succulents tend to come from dry areas of the tropics, and sub-tropics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all general questions about succulents. These might include general care, or planning/caring for a xeriscape bed. Questions about specific plants should use the tag(s) for that plant, instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T20:33:25.987" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T20:33:25.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2737" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-09T17:40:23.057" Score="0" Body="Water retaining plants adapted to arid climates and/or soil.  Use this tag with questions about caring, propagating and identifying tomato succulents. " OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T20:33:42.983" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T20:33:42.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2738" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-09T17:43:09.837" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants can be found in virtually all environments on Earth, and hence can grow in a wide range of different thermal environments. Different plants have different thermal needs and sensitivities. Use this tag for questions about the temperatures required or tolerated by specific plants. Note that some other tags (eg. &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/frost&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;frost&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;frost&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/heat&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;heat&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;heat&lt;/a&gt;) may be more appropriate to the specifics of your question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-09T00:10:19.673" LastActivityDate="2021-02-09T00:10:19.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2739" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-09T17:43:09.837" Score="0" Body="For questions about thermal environment. Use this tag with questions about the effect of different temperature levels on plants, landscape elements, insects and pests or how to create an environment with certain temperature levels. If possible indicate temperatures in questions in both Celsius and Fahrenheit degrees." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-09T00:10:11.140" LastActivityDate="2021-02-09T00:10:11.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2740" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-09T17:47:12.237" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/japanese-maple&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'japanese-maple'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;japanese-maple&lt;/a&gt; is the common name for &lt;em&gt;Acer palmatum&lt;/em&gt;, a woody plant native to Japan and East Asia. Ornamental cultivars of Japanese Maple are grown around the world for their attractive leaf shapes and colors. They are also popular in bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Japanese Maple is deciduous and grows to heights of about 6-10m. In the wild it often grows as an understory plant in shady woodlands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions specific to &lt;em&gt;Acer palmatum&lt;/em&gt; and its cultivars. Note that the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/acer&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'acer'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;acer&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/maples&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'maples'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;maples&lt;/a&gt; will be more appropriate for general maple or &lt;em&gt;Acer&lt;/em&gt; questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T17:47:12.237" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T17:47:12.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2741" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-09T17:47:12.237" Score="0" Body="Acer palmatum - a woody plant native to East Asia." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T18:26:07.340" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T18:26:07.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2742" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-09T17:51:33.963" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Each plant has a typical sowing time for a particular environment. You may sow earlier than this or later  within certain limitations. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Late sowing can be a good way of staggering a crop, although often there will be a race to grow a crop before adverse weather conditions prevail (eg. heat in high summer, or frosts in winter). Use this tag for all late sowing questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T17:51:33.963" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T17:51:33.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2743" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-09T17:51:33.963" Score="0" Body="For questions about sowing later than usual." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T17:51:33.963" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T17:51:33.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2744" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-09T17:59:00.083" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blossom end rot is a fruit rot commonly seen on &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/peppers&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;peppers&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;peppers&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tomatoes&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tomatoes&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tomatoes&lt;/a&gt;, caused by calcium (Ca) deficiency. It typically appears as sunken, dry, decaying brownish areas on the fruit that grow over time. It typically appears furthest from the stem (hence the name) but can also appear on the sides. &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt; can still be picked and eaten if the rotten area is removed, and if the fruit is picked before the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/rot&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;rot&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;rot&lt;/a&gt; becomes too large.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ca deficiency can occur due to the natural &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/soil&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;soil&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;soil&lt;/a&gt; conditions (e.g. acidic soils tend to have low Ca content), an over-use of fertilizer, or an uneven watering regimen. A soil can also have a high Ca content that is insoluble and hence inaccessible to the plant, causing the rot to occur - this often occurs in high phosphate soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Treatments can include the addition of agricultural lime to acidic soils. If water of &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fertilizer&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fertilizer&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fertilizer&lt;/a&gt; misuse is the cause, then fixing this is the best remedy. Existing rot cannot be cured, and treatments aim to stop future rot or to avoid rot occurring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to peppers and tomatoes, blossom end rot are also observed with apples ('Bitter pit'), cabbages (internal browning), carrot ('Cavity spot'), and celery (stunted growth).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about blossom end rot, or diagnosing/correcting suspected cases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-16T18:53:13.760" LastActivityDate="2021-02-16T18:53:13.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2745" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-09T17:59:00.083" Score="0" Body="Plant disorder caused by Calcium deficiency." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T17:59:00.083" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T17:59:00.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2746" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-09T18:04:32.743" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dahlias (Genera &lt;em&gt;Dahlia&lt;/em&gt;, a member of the &lt;em&gt;Asteraceae&lt;/em&gt; Family) are a genus of bushy, tuberous, perennial plants native to Central America. There are at least 36 species, but hybrids are very popular as garden plants for they large, decorative flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dahlias prefer frost-free climates, but due to their tuberous nature they can survive periods of dormancy. Therefore gardeners that experience frosts can grow dahlias, if they lift the tubers to be stored in cool, frost-free conditions over winter. Planting the tubers deep (6in) can also provide some protection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When actively growning, dahlias prefer well watered, free-draining soils with plenty of sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about dahlias.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T18:04:32.743" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T18:04:32.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2747" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-09T18:04:32.743" Score="0" Body="Genus of bushy, tuberous perennials; commonly grown for their flowers." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T18:04:32.743" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T18:04:32.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2748" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-09T18:07:58.090" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes trees have to be removed - for example they may be causing building damage, or they are suffering from disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about the best way to remove a tree. Larger trees will usually require a contractor or arborist, but here still remains the question of stump removal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T18:07:58.090" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T18:07:58.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2749" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-09T18:07:58.090" Score="0" Body="For questions about tree removal" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T18:07:58.090" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T18:07:58.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2750" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-09T18:13:08.397" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soils can be tested for a wide range of characteristics. These can be used to help diagnose problems (eg. due to a mineral deficiency), guarantee safe crops (eg. no heavy metal contaminants in the soil), or provide pointers as to the best kind of plants to grow (eg. according to acidity).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many soil test kits are available from nurseries and big box garden stores. Specialist tests and services are also available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the tests that might be considered:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Major nutrients (NPK) - fix with fertilizer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Minor and secondary nutrients (Ca,Mg, Fe, Cu, etc)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Acidity (pH) - different plants prefer different acidities&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Contamination (from air, ground water, industry, gas stations, dry cleaning, etc)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;General composition (humus,sand,mud,clay)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about soil tests and testing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T18:13:08.397" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T18:13:08.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2751" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-09T18:13:08.397" Score="0" Body="Tests for various soil characteristics including nutritional and contaminant content." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-09T18:13:08.397" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T18:13:08.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2752" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2648" CreationDate="2011-11-09T22:45:06.130" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends. It may not make sense for you to try (too much work, or too many plants needed for good seed).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A hybrid is a cross of two different lines, and may well not breed true.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a discussion on the broader issues of saving seed, have a look at  &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/086571553X&quot;&gt;Gardening When It Counts&lt;/a&gt;, the author talks about saving seed, he ran his own seed company for a number of years, so he does have a good bit of experience. He talks about how many plants you need, hybrids, etc. It is a complex subject, it may be that you cannot, or that you can for just one generation (plant the bought seeds, collect seeds from them, use those until the are gone over the next few years).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is his website, I've not looked at it before today, I don't know how useful it will be to you: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilandhealth.org/index.html&quot;&gt;Soil And Health Library&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck, and let us know how it works out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="632" LastActivityDate="2011-11-09T22:45:06.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2753" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2757" CreationDate="2011-11-10T03:41:35.553" Score="14" ViewCount="7099" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general, is there any benefit (growth, soil quality, etc) if I place eggshells on top of my potted plants? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My mother often does it to provide it organic material. She's not much of a scientist. I always ask why she does it. She explains that just does it because she's been advised to by others with more experience and swears by it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thus my other question: If there is a benefit of egg shells, what is it? Why is it helpful to do this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="290" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-10T13:30:42.580" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T13:30:42.580" Title="Placing eggshells on top of potted plants?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2754" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2753" CreationDate="2011-11-10T04:21:13.890" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're mostly lime (calcium carbonate), with other trace minerals.  If the soil has a low pH, it will help.  Otherwise, it can't hurt, but probably won't help much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T04:21:13.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2755" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-11-10T09:17:00.970" Score="16" ViewCount="34517" Body="&lt;p&gt;We planted a lemon tree five and a half years ago. Today it's about the exact same size as ever. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3uPiC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3uPiCm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried using citrus fertilizer, but to no avail. We've had dry summers and wet summers, but nothing changes. I'm in Melbourne, Australia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's going on? Is there anything else I should tell you?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="758" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-11-07T18:49:13.753" LastActivityDate="2020-08-29T07:34:34.650" Title="Why isn't my lemon tree growing?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2756" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2753" CreationDate="2011-11-10T13:15:21.257" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother in law liked to put eggshells (not crushed much) at the bottom of pots when repotting. Served the dual purpose of drainage (as some people might use gravel) and possibly providing calcium. With the added bonus that eggshells are easier to come by than gravel for many people.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the top of the pot I doubt it would do anything much. I'm not really convinced it did much at the bottom. I put my eggshells in my compost so the vegetable garden gets more calcium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T13:15:21.257" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2757" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2753" CreationDate="2011-11-10T13:28:39.540" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to acidity (probably not a problem), and very slow calcium release, I'm going to offer a hypothesis as to why she does it...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crushed eggshells are sometimes used as organic methods of deterring certain pests, especially gastropods such as snails and slugs (see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/928/what-is-the-best-organic-way-to-defeat-slugs&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;). Gastropods are unlikely to be a problem in indoor pots, but perhaps she saw someone do this outside around plants in a bed, and copied it? Or even an ancestor did this, and it has been passed down through the generations from village gardening in beds to modern city gardening in pots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similarly, it might have been done to help with calcium deficiency in beds, although digging the shells in and crushing them would be much more effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T13:28:39.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2758" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-10T13:58:53.170" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The genus &lt;em&gt;Sinningia&lt;/em&gt; (Family &lt;em&gt;Gesneriaceae&lt;/em&gt;) contains about 65 species of tuberous perennial herbs native to Central and Southern America. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sinningia&lt;/em&gt; usually grow on rocks and cliffs. Most are pollinated by hummingbirds or bees, although some species are pollinated by bats or moths. Flower color varies according to the pollinator: most are bright colored, but those pollinated by moths have large white fragrant flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For historical reasons, the most well known species, &lt;em&gt;Sinningia speciosa&lt;/em&gt;, is often sold as &lt;em&gt;Gloxinia&lt;/em&gt; although it is not a member of the true genus &lt;em&gt;Gloxinia&lt;/em&gt; (the latter has scaly rhizomes rather than tubers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-10T13:58:53.170" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T13:58:53.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2759" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-10T13:58:53.170" Score="0" Body="Genus of flowering plant in the family Gesneriaceae." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-10T12:50:49.383" LastActivityDate="2021-01-10T12:50:49.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2760" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-10T14:05:34.207" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rye (&lt;em&gt;Secale cereale&lt;/em&gt;) is a grass, and a member of the wheat tribe (&lt;em&gt;Triticeae&lt;/em&gt;). It is closely related to barley and wheat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rye is native to central and eastern Turkey, but does not appear in the archaeological record until about 1800BC. Earlier reports from the Euphrates remain controversial. Since the Middle Ages, rye has been the main cereal grown in Central and Eastern Europe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rye is widely grown as a grain crop, and as a forage crop. It grows well in poorer soils, making particularly valuable in sandy and peat regions. It can also survive snow cover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rye grains are used for flour, rye bread (eg. pumpernickel), rye beer, and some spirits (eg. some whiskeys and vodkas).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rye should not be confused with ryegrass. Rye is a cereal grain, whilst ryegrass is a grass used for lawns, pasture, and hay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-10T14:05:34.207" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T14:05:34.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2761" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-10T14:05:34.207" Score="0" Body="A cereal grain commonly grown as a grain or forage crop." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-10T14:05:34.207" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T14:05:34.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2762" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-10T14:38:20.233" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes trees have to be removed (e.g. due to structural damage or disease). After a tree has been cut down, a 'stump' is usually left. This consists of the roots the very bottom of the trunk (typically less than a foot of the trunk).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stumps and their related root systems take up space, and it is usually desirable to remove them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stumps are typically dug out, shredded insitu using a stump grinder, burnt, or treated chemically. Chemical products are typically based on potassium nitrate (salt petre) and work by rapidly increasing the rate of decay. A stump so treated has typically rotted into manageable pieces in about 4-6 weeks. Potassium Nitrate followed a few weeks later with fire is also effective as the potassium nitrate acts as an oxidiser (some jurisdictions may control the distribution of larger quantities potassium nitrate).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about removing the tree stumps. The tag can also be used for all woody stump removal even if they are not technically trees (eg. shrub stumps).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T14:10:25.550" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T14:10:25.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2763" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-10T14:38:20.233" Score="0" Body="For questions about tree stump removal" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-10T14:38:20.233" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T14:38:20.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2764" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-10T14:48:11.080" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of four species of genus &lt;em&gt;Cucurbita&lt;/em&gt;, also known as marrows in some countries.&#xA;The four species of squash are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;C.maxima&lt;/em&gt;: Hubbard squash, Buttercup squash, and some varieties of prize pumpkin&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;C.mixta&lt;/em&gt;: Cushaw squash&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;C.moschata&lt;/em&gt;: Butternut squash&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;C.pepo&lt;/em&gt;: Acorn squash, summer squash, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/zucchini&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;zucchini&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;zucchini&lt;/a&gt;, and most &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pumpkins&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pumpkins&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pumpkins&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In North America, squashes are also loosely grouped according to season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Squashes were first cultivated in Mesoamerica over 8000 years ago, and was one of the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/three-sisters&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;three-sisters&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;three-sisters&lt;/a&gt; cultivated by Native Americans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Botanically, squash are fruit because they contain the plant's &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/seeds&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;seeds&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;seeds&lt;/a&gt;, but are cooked as savory &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vegetables&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;vegetables&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vegetables&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing squashes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T18:47:35.307" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T18:47:35.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2765" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-10T14:48:11.080" Score="0" Body="One of four species of genus Cucurbita; also known as marrows." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-06T12:48:41.803" LastActivityDate="2021-01-06T12:48:41.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2766" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-10T14:49:37.007" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a general term for fruit which have soft flesh around the seed(s), and are not hard (like an apple). Generally you should probably use more specific tags for the fruit or fruit family that you are asking about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-10T14:49:37.007" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T14:49:37.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2767" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-10T14:49:37.007" Score="0" Body="General term for fruit which are not hard" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-10T14:49:37.007" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T14:49:37.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2768" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-10T14:53:10.653" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Typically plants are controlled by pruning their branches. Although less accessible, it is possible to prune the route, eg. when a plant is transplanted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Root pruning is typically performed for two main reasons. First, it is a method controlling the size of the tree. Eg. root pruning is applied to bonsai to stunt the tree's growth, and to produce ancient-looking surface roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondly, tree saplings in pots can be root-pruned in order to promote the growth of root hairs. These will aid the tree's survival when it is transplanted into its final location. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-10T14:53:10.653" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T14:53:10.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2769" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-10T14:53:10.653" Score="0" Body="The pruning of roots instead of branches." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-10T14:53:10.653" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T14:53:10.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2770" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-10T14:59:24.343" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A rock garden is a garden that makes extensive use of rocks or stones in combination with plants native to rocky or alpine environments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other names include &quot;rockery&quot; (popular name in the UK), and &quot;alpine garden&quot; (where mountain/alpine plants are used instead of moorland/high latitude plants).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although rock gardens might be considered a European concept, other parts of the world have developed similar garden/landscape styles. For example, Japanese rock gardens are similar but with few plants and may include bonsai trees. Similarly, North American xeriscape beds often resemble gravel rock gardens but with native desert plants such as cacti, yuccas, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for European-style rock gardens and alpine gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-10T14:59:24.343" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T14:59:24.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2771" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-10T14:59:24.343" Score="0" Body="For questions about rock gardens, rockeries, and alpine gardens." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-10T14:59:24.343" LastActivityDate="2011-11-10T14:59:24.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2772" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1932" CreationDate="2011-11-11T07:07:09.250" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the same problem. Some of my covered moss tanks grow white mold; the uncovered ones rarely do. Things you can do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pull the mold out and throw it away (I use 12&quot; long tweezers). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use spring tails (a type of bug that will live in the ground and eat the mold at night). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If possible use a small PC fan to get air movement. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep an organism that eats the mold.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In one of my smaller tanks I have a red clawed crab and he eats the mold. He actually prefers it over his food. From what I have read online though the mold will go away after a while - it's all part of the tank or jar establishing itself. I still don't know the name of this mold or if there are treatments for it but this is what I've learned and most of it is from trying things and seeing what works.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="761" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-12T05:38:57.630" LastActivityDate="2011-11-12T05:38:57.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2773" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1726" CreationDate="2011-11-11T08:15:58.823" Score="5" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If I keep the moss in a closed jar then how do I avoid molding?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep the lid off, or add spring tails (molding eating bug), or let the mold run its course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Do I need to put soil in the jar?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No, moss will grow on anything really. It likes acidic soil, though I use peat moss myself and it works well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;What do to in winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't matter. Moss in the wild freezes in winter and when the rainy season comes again it'll spring back. It'll do fine at room temperature; just keep it moist and out of direct sun and should do fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Can the spores be contained if grown in a closed glass container?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm unsure about this, but I have two 10 gallon tanks with moss and a 40 gallon tank with just moss in it (used to house plants and frogs) and I'm fine, so I dont believe they cause any problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="761" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-12T05:43:07.517" LastActivityDate="2011-11-12T05:43:07.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2774" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2674" CreationDate="2011-11-11T13:33:08.717" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/jujube.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;jujube fact sheet&lt;/a&gt; from California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. that lists Sugar Cane:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sugar Cane&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Small to medium fruit which can be round to elongated. Extremely sweet fruit but on a very spiny plant. The fruit is worth the spines!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See also &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.texasgardener.com/pastissues/janfeb08/Jujube.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; on growing jujube in Texas:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The better varieties for fresh use are 'Honey Jar,' 'Sugar Cane,' 'Li,' 'Shanxi Li,' 'Sherwood' and 'Chico' ('GI 7-62'). Of these the largest is 'Shanxi Li' and the smallest is 'Honey Jar.' 'Honey Jar' is the juiciest. 'Chico' ('GI 7-62') matures in mid to late season and 'Sherwood' is the last of these to ripen in early October. 'Li,' 'Shanxi Li,' 'Honey Jar' and 'Sugar Cane' ripen in August and early September.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See also &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lecooke.com/cms/le-cooke-blog/Sugar-Cane-Jujube.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this seller's page&lt;/a&gt; that makes it a bit more obvious that &lt;em&gt;Sugar Cane&lt;/em&gt; is just a named cultivar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-11-11T13:33:08.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2775" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2726" CreationDate="2011-11-11T13:53:22.517" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1275/is-spent-cat-litter-an-appropriate-source-of-nitrogen-for-compost/1279#1279&quot;&gt;My answer&lt;/a&gt; to the cat litter question lists the hazards associated with cat feces. (&lt;em&gt;Toxoplasma gondii&lt;/em&gt;, Fecal Coliforms, roundworm.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h238manure-dog-cat.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;University of Wisconsin extension&lt;/a&gt; for describing the hazards associated with dog feces:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is the hazard in dog manure?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The common large roundworm, called &lt;a href=&quot;https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Toxocara_canis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Toxocara canis&lt;/a&gt; can also infect humans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What kind of symptoms would a person have who is infected by dog worms?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A condition called Visceral Larval Migrans. The ascarid eggs hatch in a person's small intestine. The little worms or larvae get into the blood stream and float to the liver. They migrate in the liver and get to the blood stream that goes to the lungs. Some may enter the general circulation and end up in different parts of the body. They have been found in the human heart, brain, spinal cord, skin, and other tissues. The symptoms would vary depending on where the larvae become attached.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Another condition is called Ocular Larval Migrans. The immature ascarid worms or larvae can affect the human eye. The larvae attack the retina and cause blindness. Many eyes of children have had to be removed which until recently was the only treatment for this problem.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Note that &lt;em&gt;Toxocara canis&lt;/em&gt; is related to &lt;em&gt;Toxocara cati&lt;/em&gt; which I listed in the answer to cat litter.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;However&lt;/strong&gt;, don't let this make you think you &lt;em&gt;can't&lt;/em&gt; compost cat and dog feces!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(&lt;em&gt;Do this away from your vegetables/edibles as possible to avoid pathogen movement through the soil. Do not use the finished compost on edibles.&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's organic material, pathogens and all, so it will break down given appropriate conditions. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cityfarmer.org/petwaste.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;City Farmer&lt;/a&gt; has a page on composting dog waste. Among other methods, this is listed, along with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZLPpwg2VcM&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;a video&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About 15 years ago, I dug a hole in the back of my ornamental garden, away from my food crops. The hole is about 3 feet wide and 3 feet deep, and is covered with a plastic lid from an old compost bin. I empty my dog's waste in the pit every day so that it will break down as compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Occasionally I add Septo-Bac, an enzyme-active biological compound formulated to increase the digestion rate of sewage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[...]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am also starting to add some chopped yard waste (green and brown) to hasten the process. The finished dog waste compost can be used on ornamentals, but not on food crops. Dog waste is not allowed in garbage bins, so this alternative has served me well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(If you watch the video, notice that she says she's got 10 years' worth of poo in the compost pit!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-11-11T13:53:22.517" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2776" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-11-11T16:54:00.823" Score="10" ViewCount="1453" Body="&lt;p&gt;I ordered a dwarf &quot;Garden Prince&quot; almond tree and a dwarf &quot;Fuji&quot; apple tree and I want to keep them in a container on my balcony. The balcony gets great sun in the morning, especially in the summer. I live in zone 7B and we get really hot and humid summers here. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I was wondering if that'll be enough sun for them to produce any fruit.  I've read some conflicting things online where someone said these trees could grow okay in part sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the harvest is smaller, that should be okay since it's just for my husband and I.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="752" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-11T17:56:04.987" LastActivityDate="2011-11-29T02:22:39.477" Title="Can a dwarf fruit tree grow well with just morning sun?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2777" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-11-12T04:32:46.013" Score="9" ViewCount="1313" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have these black woodlouse like bugs that infested my whole back yard. They are eating through many of the leaves in our garden and wreaking havoc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5FroN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5FroNm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;woodlouse&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(Click to enlarge)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of pesticide / approach can I take to eliminate them or reduce their number? Preferably I would like a non-chemical solution.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="408" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-12T05:16:05.647" LastActivityDate="2011-11-13T22:11:50.060" Title="What are these woodlouse-like bugs and how do I kill them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2778" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2777" CreationDate="2011-11-12T05:34:44.983" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I strongly suspect that it's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillidiidae&quot;&gt;&quot;pill bug&quot;&lt;/a&gt; (in the &lt;em&gt;Armadillidiidae&lt;/em&gt; family). One of the very distinguishing features of these bugs is that they roll up into a ball when disturbed, as a self-defense mechanism. The one in your picture seems to be doing that (although, half-assedly), possibly irritated by some bloke moving the leaf around and positioning it for a picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, pill bugs aren't exactly plant ravagers. They're mostly harmless and thrive on damp/decomposing matter. If you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use wood chips as mulch instead of compost or proper mulch&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;have decaying matter nearby&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;have a moist soil/mulch pretty much most of the time in inadequate sunlight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;then the chances of your finding these bugs are quite high. The simplest way of controlling them would be to change the above conditions so that they don't like the surroundings and leave on their own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually ignore these in my garden, and hence cannot recommend any pesticide organic or otherwise. However, I highly doubt that any of them would actually be effective, as these creatures have a protective shell on their backs that would prevent/delay penetration of the poison and also, they're not exactly the type of pests that commercial products are manufactured for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-11-12T05:34:44.983" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2779" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2915" CreationDate="2011-11-12T17:33:07.227" Score="10" ViewCount="5868" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to have a small container herb garden indoors this winter, but I want to make sure my herbs do not try to flower.   Currently, it's a couple of different basil plants and some rosemary, but we may add some others before it's all said and done.   I know that a number of plants are light-cycle dependent as far as their determination of when they should bloom.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the optimum light-cycle for basil and rosemary to grow vegetatively without me having to worry with pinching flowers back? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-12T17:48:02.757" LastActivityDate="2013-06-19T11:07:10.820" Title="What light cycle should I use to grow herbs indoors?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2777" CreationDate="2011-11-12T23:56:39.560" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Heavy ammunition.&lt;/strong&gt;  Chooks (chickens) like slaters, if you're interested in raising them.  Otherwise, consider iron-chelate-based slug pellets.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Prevention.&lt;/strong&gt;  I've had the same kind of weird problems when we've had earwigs in the garden in the past.  The underlying cause, I believe, was mulching or top-dressing with compost that was too woody, providing good living quarters and a resulting population explosion.  When that happened, they started eating foliage, which they don't normally do.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect you've done something similar - a lot of rotting woody material on top of the soil providing a good home for these guys.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if you use non-woody mulch, keep it away from seeds and seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-11-13T22:11:50.060" LastActivityDate="2011-11-13T22:11:50.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2782" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-11-13T15:36:25.840" Score="3" ViewCount="532" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have got a Japanese maple plant in the back garden in a pot that has suddenly seemed to have died.  There are absolutely no leaves on it at all now.  I asked my dad who said this is perfectly normal, but I find it strange because there's been no frost or anything.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, now another one of our plants (not sure what it's called), which had been really thriving up until a few days ago has also died suddenly.  All the leaves and flowers are look charred, black and shriveled up. Another plant in a pot is also starting to die.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason I am concerned about ruling out possible poisoning is because the plants are all along our back fence which our neighbours next door were not happy about us putting up and have stopped speaking to us as a result.  The soil had been treated with manure as well.  Our climbing roses are fine, but they are not right next to the fence.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I still can't get over how quickly the plant died.  It was almost overnight.  What do you think is the cause?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="763" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-13T20:33:32.617" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T02:21:19.763" Title="My plants are dropping leaves suddenly and dying. Are they being poisoned?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2783" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-11-13T20:20:31.707" Score="6" ViewCount="276" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardenia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;gardenia&lt;/a&gt; has a multitude of red, berry-like structures at what would have been the base of the flower. Given it is now November in South Carolina, what are they and will they produce a new plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="764" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T04:19:13.837" LastActivityDate="2011-12-08T02:36:27.057" Title="What are the red berry-like structures at the base of my gardenia's flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;gardenias&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2782" CreationDate="2011-11-14T02:21:19.763" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is that there was a frost and you didn't notice. (You can have frost damage when the forecast was only 4 or 5 C, especially if you are in a bit of dip or valley.) If the plants that are ok are on a south-facing wall, or are against the house, for example, they might escape frost damage while the more exposed plants were hit by it. Also some plants (tomatoes, say) take way more damage from frost than others. Generally flowering plants are more tender than trees. I have seen black curled leaves from frost, as well as an excellent imitation of being totally dried out and needing desparately to be watered. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The good news is that if it is frost, and the plant is hardy outdoors, it wil be fine come the spring, it's just that this year's leaves and flowers are done for. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing to do is to look over your fence in all directions. Do other folks have Japanese maples that are untouched? How about a park or school nearby? If so, it's possible the neighbours took the plant dispute too far. I hope that's not the case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T02:21:19.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2787" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2755" CreationDate="2011-11-14T04:02:48.183" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would suggest:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lack of sunlight&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I notice it's right next to a fence corner and suspect there's not enough sunlight getting through to this one for it to thrive. I'm not sure what to suggest as a solution for that.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible magnesium deficiency (pretty common in Australian citrus trees) or some other mineral deficiency in soil&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also notice, on close inspection of the picture, that there is a leaf which has the classic yellowed edging typically associated with magnesium or zinc deficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5fKK1.png&quot; alt=&quot;Yellow-edged citrus leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found out just a few months ago after asking what was causing the yellow leaves on our tree here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1116/&quot;&gt;What is my citrus deficiency, based on leaf appearance? And how to treat?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are you absolutely positive it's getting the nutrients it needs via the citrus fertiliser you used? Perhaps that leaf I'm looking at is an anomaly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Genetically determined dwarfism&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On reflection, if neither of the above make sense, and given how fecund and otherwise healthy this tree of yours looks, I really start to think @bstpierre might be right in thinking you've got a genetic dwarf, whether or not it was labelled as such.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lack of environmental stimulus to grow/reproduce (highly unlikely)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another obscure possibility, which I find hard to believe but I have heard ABC talkback radio (Adelaide) gardener Jon Lamb mention at least twice, is that if you give a plant really optimal conditions it just &quot;enjoys life&quot; rather than competing by growing tall or producing fruit in order to pass on its genes before it dies. If you have really paid attention to the tree and done soil tests and whatnot to be sure there's no mineral deficiency then this may be the (admittedly bizzare) answer. Given that you said your wife already tried pruning it though, I really do doubt it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T15:26:17.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2788" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3198" CreationDate="2011-11-14T13:03:23.193" Score="8" ViewCount="362" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to get seeds from a certain orchid (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypripedioideae&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lady slipper&lt;/a&gt;) I have.  Are they self fertile? What would be the best way to pollinate them?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The genus is Cypripedium&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="766" LastEditorUserId="766" LastEditDate="2011-11-27T22:58:54.707" LastActivityDate="2012-01-09T02:23:23.493" Title="Are Lady slipper orchids self fertile, and how can you pollinate them?" Tags="&lt;orchids&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2789" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-14T14:33:54.747" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rain barrels collect rainwater (typically from a building's gutter system) to be used at a future date for irrigation. Such systems typically feed drip irrigation systems, or a tap for hand watering (e.g. via hosepipe or watering can) because a typical barrel can only hold a limited volume of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rain barrels are very useful in drier parts of the world where they can be used to water plant pots and smaller areas during drought restrictions; and are even used in wet temperate areas (e.g. the UK) where a barrel or two can keep a garden green during the height of summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T14:33:54.747" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T14:33:54.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2790" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-14T14:33:54.747" Score="0" Body="Barrel for collecting rain water to provide irrigation at a future date." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T14:33:54.747" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T14:33:54.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2791" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-14T14:50:51.170" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hydroponics is the processing of growing plants in water without soil. The plants gain their nutritional requirements from mineral nutrients dissolved in the water. This system was developed after it was discovered in the 18th century that plants absorb nutrients from soil as ionic solutions (ie. dissolved in water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some terrestrial plants require an inert medium (eg. gravel) to be grown hydroponically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hydroponics are typically used for crops where advantages include: no soil, water can be re-used, nutrients can be completely controlled, no nutrient pollution, stable/high yields, easy to harvest, easier to control pests. The primary disadvantage is that there is no soil to act as a chemical buffer, so any failure in the hydroponic solution will quickly lead to plant death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing plants using hydroponics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T14:50:51.170" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T14:50:51.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2792" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-14T14:50:51.170" Score="0" Body="Method of growing plants in water without soil." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T14:50:51.170" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T14:50:51.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2793" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-14T15:00:12.723" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about the different uses a plant may have. For example, you may have a plant that does very well, and wish to use the foliage or crop for something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tag should be used with the relevant tag(s) for the plant(s) in question. A more specific tag should also be used instead, if appropriate: eg. culinary uses will probably require a more specific tag instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T15:00:12.723" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T15:00:12.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2794" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-14T15:00:12.723" Score="0" Body="Tag for questions about using plants" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T15:00:12.723" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T15:00:12.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2795" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-14T15:18:02.593" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants are typically adapted for a specific range of conditions. Hot weather (eg. during the height of summer) can pose problems for plants that prefer more temperate conditions. Use this tag for questions about how make it easier for your plants to survive hot weather conditions; and also gardening in areas that regularly have hot weather (eg. SW USA).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T15:18:02.593" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T15:18:02.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2796" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-14T15:18:02.593" Score="0" Body="For questions about gardening during hot weather conditions" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T15:18:02.593" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T15:18:02.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2797" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-14T15:24:25.177" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Garlic&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Allium sativum&lt;/em&gt;) is a vegetable in the onion genus, &lt;em&gt;Allium&lt;/em&gt;, closely related to the onion, shallot, leek and chive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Native to the Central Asia region, it features a lot in Mediterranean diets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to its culinary uses, garlic has also been found useful in medicinal applications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vfn5t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;garlic&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;See also:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/onions&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;onions&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;onions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/leeks&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;leeks&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;leeks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/chives&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;chives&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;chives&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/seeminglee/3869443440/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;licensed under creative commons&quot;&gt;Garlic, Farmers Market by See-ming Lee 李思明 SML, Flickr&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T15:12:44.100" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T15:12:44.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2798" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-14T15:24:25.177" Score="0" Body="Vegetable species of the onion genus, Allium." OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-08T17:04:05.437" LastActivityDate="2021-01-08T17:04:05.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2799" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-14T15:25:06.177" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The term &quot;bug&quot; has multiple meanings. In horticulture, it is typically a colloquial expression referring to &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/arthropods&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'arthropods'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;arthropods&lt;/a&gt;, especially &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/insects&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'insects'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;insects&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Colloquially, it can also be used to refer to microbes (micro-organisms). This meaning is discouraged here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Entymologically, a &quot;bug&quot; is a specific sub-order (&lt;em&gt;Hetereoptera&lt;/em&gt;), the so-called &quot;true bugs&quot;. This sub-order contains about 40,000 species, in the order &lt;em&gt;Hemiptera&lt;/em&gt; of insects. Example &lt;em&gt;Heteroptera&lt;/em&gt; include bed bugs, leaf-footed bugs, seed bugs, pond skaters, and stink bugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When referring to &quot;bugs&quot; in a question (eg. &quot;How do I remove this bug?&quot;, &quot;What is this bug?&quot;), try to be as specific as possible. For example, if it is a spider, use &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/spiders&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'spiders'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;spiders&lt;/a&gt; and not &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/bugs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'bugs'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;bugs&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T15:25:06.177" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T15:25:06.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2800" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-14T15:25:06.177" Score="0" Body="Colloquial expression usually referring to arthropods." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T15:25:06.177" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T15:25:06.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2801" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-14T15:45:36.430" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dandelion&lt;/strong&gt; is the common name for perennials known scientifically as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum_officinale&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Taraxacum officinale&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In full bloom, its appearance sports a yellow head of petals that later turn into white tufts of seed (pictured below). The tuft primarily consists of 'parachutes', each of which are attached to an individual seed (which are clustered at the center of the seed head).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dEYMY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dandelion in seeding mode&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;In folklore&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seed dispersal stage of its life has been referenced in folklore as a conduit for &lt;a href=&quot;http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MakeAWish&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;making wishes&lt;/a&gt;. If the person making a wish can blow out all of the seed off the head in on breath, it will come true.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/zanastardust/525252860/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;licensed under creative commons&quot;&gt;oops, somebody blew it by Zanastardust, Flickr&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T14:46:54.957" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T14:46:54.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2802" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-14T15:45:36.430" Score="0" Body="Common name for plants in the Taraxacum genus." OwnerUserId="91" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-08T17:03:49.097" LastActivityDate="2021-01-08T17:03:49.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2803" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-14T16:42:29.807" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A greenhouse is a glass-walled building intended to shelter and provide a warm environment for plants. They are typically used in cooler climates. The glass allows the building to absorb the maximum amount of sunlight available, but restrict heat loss (roof sections typically allow ventilation and some heat control). Some greenhouses also have their own heating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about greenhouses themselves, and growing in a greenhouse environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T16:42:29.807" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T16:42:29.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2804" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-14T16:42:29.807" Score="0" Body="Glass building to shelter and heat plants" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T16:42:29.807" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T16:42:29.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2805" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-14T16:44:22.847" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Urban gardening (ie. gardening in cities) is generally restricted to smaller spaces and/or the widespread use of plant pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions specific to growing plants in an urban environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to limited space, urban environments also have to deal with fewer pollinators, water limitations, and varying wind/sun conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T16:44:22.847" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T16:44:22.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2806" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-14T16:44:22.847" Score="0" Body="For questions about gardening in cities." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T16:44:22.847" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T16:44:22.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2807" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-14T16:46:03.113" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Strong winds can cause plant damage - especially to weaker, ornamental plants. Many plants can recover to being battered by wind. Others need surgery (eg. removal of damaged tree limbs). It is also possible to defend against potential damage by using stakes, wind breaks, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about wind damage that has occurred, or trying to prvent wind damage in the future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T16:46:03.113" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T16:46:03.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2808" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-14T16:46:03.113" Score="0" Body="For questions about plant damage caused by strong winds." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T16:46:03.113" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T16:46:03.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2809" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-14T16:54:54.387" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Vascular plants have &lt;strong&gt;roots&lt;/strong&gt;. These are an organ of the plant that lacks leaves (and nodes) that absorbs water and nutrients (typically from the soil), and anchor the plant to the soil (or host/ledge for an epiphyte). There are plenty of exceptions. For example a rhizome is actually a piece of buried stem. Similarly, roots can be aerial - especially in water logged conditions, and with epiphytes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As well as being an essential part of most vascular plants, roots play an important role in the landscape, as they help prevent soil erosion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a wide range of different root types found on various plants. For example a 'tap root' goes very deep to tap water in drought / low water table conditions. A 'stilt root' comes out of the plant's trunk a few feet up, providing support for the plant, and even allow very limited lateral movement of the plant. A tuberous root stores food or water - eg. a sweet potato.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although barely visible, plant root systems can be very large, and as a general rule-of-thumb, typically mirror the extends of the above-ground foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about roots. For example, protecting them, pruning them, removing them, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-12T15:37:09.483" LastActivityDate="2012-03-12T15:37:09.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2810" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-14T16:54:54.387" Score="0" Body="Plant organ that is typically below ground. Use this tag with questions about roots in general. How to prune, diagnose issues, encourage better root growth, etc.." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-01T18:37:24.480" LastActivityDate="2021-02-01T18:37:24.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2811" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-14T16:59:45.650" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Runner bean&quot; (also known as &quot;Scarlet runner bean&quot;, &quot;Oregon Lima Bean&quot;, &quot;ayocotl&quot;) is a bean, species &lt;em&gt;Phaseolus coccineus&lt;/em&gt; (family &lt;em&gt;Fabaceae&lt;/em&gt;). It typically has multicolored seeds and red flowers, although white flowers and seeds are known. It is native to the mountains of Central America.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Runner beans differ from common beans in that it is a perennial vine with tuberous roots. also, the cotyledons (embryonic first leaves) remain in the ground during germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Runner beans contain a poisonous lectin, and must be thoroughly cooked before consumption.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing runner beans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T14:31:19.377" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T14:31:19.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2812" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-14T16:59:45.650" Score="0" Body="Phaseolus coccineus, a bean plant, member of the Fabaceae." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-10T12:50:45.567" LastActivityDate="2021-01-10T12:50:45.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2813" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-14T17:04:17.003" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sap is a fluid that is transported throughout a plant in order to transport water and nutrients. Transport is effected with xylen cells or phloem sieve tubes; which use osmosis (and surface tension / evapotranspiration effects) to lift the sap against gravity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sap usually consists of water, sugars, hormones, and mineral elements. It can be harvested - for example, maple syrup is made from reduced sap tapped from &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/sugar-maple&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'sugar-maple'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;sugar-maple&lt;/a&gt; trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about sap. For example, how to avoid sap seepage (which is often caused by insect damage).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T17:04:17.003" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T17:04:17.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2814" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-14T17:04:17.003" Score="0" Body="Fluid used to transport water nutrients and water within a plant." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-14T17:04:17.003" LastActivityDate="2011-11-14T17:04:17.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2815" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-14T17:08:30.607" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rosemary, species &lt;em&gt;Rosmarinus officinalis&lt;/em&gt;, is a member of genus &lt;em&gt;Rosmarinus&lt;/em&gt;, Family &lt;em&gt;Lamiaceae&lt;/em&gt;. It is a woody, perennial &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/herb&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;herb&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;herb&lt;/a&gt;, noted for fragrant, evergreen needle-like foliage. It is native to the Mediterranean region, and typically grows with white, pink, purple, or blue flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As well as being used as a culinary herb, rosemary is used for decoration, and has also been used for medicinal applications due to high levels of various bioactive acids. Historically it has a reputation for improving memory. In Australia and New Zealand, rosemary is used as a symbol of remembrance on ANZAC Day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing rosemary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T12:43:36.383" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T12:43:36.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2816" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-14T17:08:30.607" Score="0" Body="Woody, perennial herb, Rosmarinus officinalis. Use this tag with questions about caring, propagating and identifying rosemary varieties." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T12:44:03.953" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T12:44:03.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2817" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2857" CreationDate="2011-11-14T17:54:25.233" Score="20" ViewCount="8504" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lot of acorns on my lawn from a red oak tree.  I would like to start a new tree from an acorn and I was wondering what I can do to ensure success.  What should I look for in an acorn, for example, cap on / cap off?  How deep should I plant it?  Is there a right side up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far so good...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eM7WA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="117" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-04-17T22:24:26.267" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T18:24:27.210" Title="How do I start an oak tree from an acorn?" Tags="&lt;seed-starting&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2818" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2820" CreationDate="2011-11-15T02:53:32.173" Score="9" ViewCount="9410" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this plant at home and I need to know its name so I can better take care of it. Here is a picture of the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/50QbR.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="768" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-15T05:07:36.597" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T06:08:39.530" Title="What's the name of this plant that has large, broad leaves with white spots?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2819" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2614" CreationDate="2011-11-15T05:41:10.917" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Suggestions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha&quot;&gt;Mint&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greenharvest.com.au/Plants/ginger_info.html&quot;&gt;Ginger&lt;/a&gt;, cardamom or other Zingiberales&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chives or other &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium&quot;&gt;Allia&lt;/a&gt; (assuming enough morning sun)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cranberries, lingonberries or other &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccinium&quot;&gt;Vaccinia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See also &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gomestic.com/gardening/five-overlooked-edible-plants-for-your-garden/&quot;&gt;Five Overlooked Edible Plants for Your Garden&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; which suggests Wintergreen and edible ferns as commonly overlooked shade-loving edibles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T05:41:10.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2818" CreationDate="2011-11-15T06:08:39.530" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumb_cane&quot;&gt;dumb cane&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Dieffenbachia&lt;/em&gt;). While these are generally grown outside in the tropics, they can be grown indoors as they don't mind the shade. Wikipedia also lists some ideal growing conditions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The plant needs light but filtered sunlight through a window is usually sufficient. When the plant is brought home from the nursery, it will likely need repotting. The plant needs moderately moist soil. The soil should be fertilized with either regular liquid fertilizing or fertilizer pellets or spiky spikes. Leaves will periodically roll up and fall off to make way for new leaves. Yellowing of the leaves is generally a sign of problematic conditions, such as a nutrient deficiency in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T06:08:39.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2821" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2836" CreationDate="2011-11-15T13:47:31.760" Score="7" ViewCount="766" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a follow up to my question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2477/what-kind-of-mower-should-i-get-for-a-acre-lawn&quot;&gt;purely about lawn mowers&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We are short of space so having a lawn mower in addition to a snowblower is going to be a chore.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a two-in-one device that has both attachments?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="770" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T10:26:04.493" Title="A mower that's also capable of pushing snow" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;snow&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2822" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-15T13:49:46.937" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;An oak is a tree or shrub of genus &lt;em&gt;Quercus&lt;/em&gt; (Family &lt;em&gt;Fagaceae&lt;/em&gt;). This genus contains about 600 species, but confusingly the common name 'oak' is also used in the names of species of some related genera (e.g. &lt;em&gt;Lithocarpus&lt;/em&gt;). Oaks are native to the Northern Hemisphere, extending from high latitudes down into tropical Asia and the Americas. The genus includes both evergreen and deciduous species. Evergreen oaks are known as 'live oaks' but they are not a botanically distinct group and instead are distributed through the genus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oaks are flowering plants. Leaves are arranged spirally, and often have a characteristic lobed shape. Flowers are in the form of catkins, and produce a characteristic nut known as an acorn. The acorn is born in a cup structure (a 'cupule'). The acorn nut contains high levels of tannic acid, making them poisonous to most ungulates. They are edible to humans although the tannic acid makes them bitter, so they are usually processed to leach the tannins and make them more palatable. They are a staple for other animals such as squirrels and jays.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many oak trees can grow as large, old trees (a typical English Oak can easily live to 1000 years), and it is a common symbol of strength and endurance. For example the Royal Navy song &quot;Hearts of Oak&quot; - inspired by the use of English oak in wooden ships. Similarly, the Donar Oak is an ancient symbol for the German nation, and oak leaves often appear on German Army regalia. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing and caring for oak trees (and shrubs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T13:02:09.537" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T13:02:09.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2823" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-15T13:49:46.937" Score="0" Body="Tree or shrub, genus Quercus noted for lobed leaves and 'acorn' seeds." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-04T18:16:16.447" LastActivityDate="2021-01-04T18:16:16.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2824" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2948" CreationDate="2011-11-15T13:51:47.500" Score="9" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mytinyplot.co.uk/10-jobs/10-jobs-for-november/&quot;&gt;This list of jobs for November&lt;/a&gt; suggests sowing peas and broad beans. The comments section is more specific about varieties to go for, namely: &lt;em&gt;Aquadulce&lt;/em&gt; for Broadbeans and &lt;em&gt;Douce Provence&lt;/em&gt; for Peas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How important is it to use the suggested varieties? Would using any old beans/peas result in nothing at all, or just produce slightly inferior results (or something in between)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I expect germination and a small plant over winter, or do the seeds just sit there in the ground only for something to appear in Feb/Mar?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The comments also suggest they go straight into the ground, but presumably starting off in pots will also work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-12-12T05:02:33.073" LastActivityDate="2011-12-12T05:02:33.073" Title="Are 'winter' varieties important when sowing beans &amp; peas in late autumn/fall?" Tags="&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;peas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2825" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-15T13:52:04.893" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Row cover (or cloche) is a material cover over row plants (usually vegetables) to protect them from the cold, the wind, and/or insect damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Popular row cover materials include clear plastic polythene, or spun-bound polyester. This material is then placed on hoops to form a tunnel over the crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about row cover - eg. using one, or if you are having problems with one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-15T13:52:04.893" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T13:52:04.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2826" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-15T13:52:04.893" Score="0" Body="Also known as a cloche - covers row plants such as vegetables as protection." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-15T13:52:04.893" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T13:52:04.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2827" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-15T14:50:17.457" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes known as Corfu Lily, Day Lily, or Plantain Lily; Hostas (genus &lt;em&gt;Hosta&lt;/em&gt;) are a genus of about 23-45 species of lily-like plants in the family &lt;em&gt;Asparagaceae&lt;/em&gt;. Originally they were classified as &lt;em&gt;liliaceae&lt;/em&gt; but are now considered &quot;liloid&quot; (lily like).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hostas are herbaceous perennials that grow from rhizomes or stolons. They have broad leaves that can vary from 1 to 19 inches long, and 0.75-12 inches broad.  Leaves are typically green, but some have a coating which gives them a blue appearance. Some species have a white coating under their leaves; and yellow-green leaf mutations are known in the wild. Variegated cultivars exist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hostas are native to China, Japan, and Korea. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hostas are typically grown as ground cover plants that are noted for being shade tolerant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hostas are also edible and they are eaten in Japan as &quot;urui&quot;. The edible portion varies by species but is typically the leaf or leaf shoots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing hostas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-15T14:50:17.457" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T14:50:17.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2828" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-15T14:50:17.457" Score="0" Body="A genus of lily-like plants, family Asparagaceae." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T03:01:35.927" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T03:01:35.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2829" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-15T15:39:46.823" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Olive trees, &lt;em&gt;Olea europaea&lt;/em&gt; is a species of small tree in the family &lt;em&gt;Oleaceae&lt;/em&gt;. It is native to the Eastern Mediterranean and has been a major agricultural crop since ancient times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Olive trees are evergreen trees or shrubs. In the wild it rarely exceeds 8-15 metres high. Leaves are oblong silvery-green, and the trunk is gnarled and twisted. Olive trees are very hardy, and generally resistant to drought, disease, and fire. They can grow to extreme age, with some claimants exceeding 2000 years in age. Definite examples include a specimen in the Algarve (dated with carbon dating) and one in Crete (dated with tree ring analysis). Other claimants include &quot;Plato's Old Tree&quot; (now in an Athens museum) and specimens in the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Olive trees are usually grown for their fruit (also known as olives) which is used to make olive oil. In fact, the word &quot;oil&quot; in a range of languages derives from the word for &quot;olive&quot;. Olive trees are also grown for wood, leaves, and the fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Olives appear in many ancient texts. Notable appearances include Homer's Odyssey, the Bible (both Testaments), the Quran, Pliny the Elder, and Theophrastus &quot;On the Nature of Plants&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing olive trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-15T15:39:46.823" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T15:39:46.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2830" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-15T15:39:46.823" Score="0" Body="Olea europaea a small tree grown for its fruit." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T13:17:31.353" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T13:17:31.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2831" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-15T16:33:21.133" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes known as &quot;shaven peach&quot; or &quot;fuzzy-less peach&quot;, the nectarine is a peach cultivar with a smooth skin. This is caused by a recessive gene, so it does occur naturally as a 'sport'; but is typically cultivated from existing nectarine trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nectarines were first recorded in English in 1616 although it is thought that they pre-date this within the peach's native range of Central and Eastern Asia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about nectarines. Note that most advice for &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/peaches&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'peaches'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;peaches&lt;/a&gt; will also be relevant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-15T21:44:43.103" LastActivityDate="2012-03-15T21:44:43.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2832" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-15T16:33:21.133" Score="0" Body="Cultivar group of peaches with a smooth skin." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-15T16:33:21.133" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T16:33:21.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2833" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-15T16:41:56.840" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Onion sets are onions which were planted from seed the year before. They are typically planted very densely, producing stunted small onion bulbs. These are then sold/distributed for propagation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The advantage of using onion sets is that they have had a 'head start' and will mature more quickly. This is particularly useful when the growing season is short (e.g. northern climates due to limited day length; and south latitudes due to excessive heat in summer).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/onions&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'onions'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;onions&lt;/a&gt; questions which are specific to using &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/onion-sets&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'onion-sets'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;onion-sets&lt;/a&gt;. Do not use it for questions about seed propagation or general onion questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T15:14:50.557" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T15:14:50.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2834" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-15T16:41:56.840" Score="0" Body="Small, young onion bulbs that are planted like seeds." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-15T16:41:56.840" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T16:41:56.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2835" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2477" CreationDate="2011-11-15T17:20:53.893" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've used several different mowers, both at my homes, my parents' home when I was in school, and &quot;professionally&quot; (summer job; &lt;em&gt;small&lt;/em&gt; client list) when I was in school, for mowing areas ranging in size from a softball field to a midsized suburban yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are in halfway decent shape, 0.75 acre with a self-propelled walk-behind mower is a piece of cake. This is what I use now. I'm not sure precisely what acreage we maintain as lawn, but 0.75 would be a good guess (more or less). I &lt;em&gt;mostly&lt;/em&gt; let the clippings fall (it's a mulching mower), but on occasion I bag the clippings (e.g. in spring when the grass is really lush and I'm looking for compost feedstock). Mulching the clippings with a good mower will reduce your fertilizer needs and make your lawn look better. I would suggest looking for a mulching mower that has a bagger attachment that is easy to remove. (FWIW, I have a several years old self-propelled Toro with removable side chute, mulching blade, and removable bagger, and I've been very happy with it.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are out of shape, or lazy, or don't have the time to walk around your lawn, a riding mower may be a requirement. (I used various riding mowers when I was getting paid -- time is money!) A warning though: if your lawn has a lot of obstacles or tight spaces, you may need &lt;em&gt;both&lt;/em&gt; a walk-behind and a rider. If you have obstacles (furniture, trees, shrubs, etc) then pay careful attention to the turn radius. As mentioned above, you should be mulching your clippings -- but bagging is nice sometimes too. So consider a mower with a mulching blade and optional bagger. On the other hand, if there are no obstacles, you don't plan on adding them, and the yard is a wide open space, you may value speed over turn radius.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I saw your &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2821/a-mower-thats-also-capable-of-pushing-snow&quot;&gt;other question&lt;/a&gt; about plowing snow with your lawn tractor. If you are going to do this, it will constrain the machine that you can get.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am intentionally ignorant of edgers and leaf blowers. In my opinion, blowing leaves is a waste of time, and those machines are a pointless waste of resources. If you are lazy, just hook up the bagger on your mower and &quot;vacuum&quot; them. If you're not lazy and in decent shape, raking them is not that much work. If you don't have too many leaves, it may be beneficial to mow them with the mulcher and let them stay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T17:20:53.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2821" CreationDate="2011-11-15T17:50:54.970" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You say &quot;snowblower&quot; but you talk about &quot;pushing&quot; snow. These are two fundamentally different operations. A snowblower sucks up snow and ejects it from a chute so that it lands many feet away from the machine. A snow plow pushes snow, basically scraping it from the ground and pushing it somewhere else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll address both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Disclaimer: I haven't used a snowblower or plow on a subcompact (&quot;lawn&quot;) tractor. I have used both attachments on compact tractors (20-30 HP diesel tractors, with hydraulics and 4wd, weighing 2000-3000 lb.) I currently use a plow on a 30 HP machine. We get 48+&quot; of snowfall annually, any time from October to April. I maintain a partly paved, partly gravel driveway about 250' long.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;General&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will want a machine that can handle driving around in the snow. All else equal, I'd want a heavy machine with good tire tread. If you're willing to mess with chains, make sure the drive tires will accept it. Four wheel drive could be a consideration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want a machine that has good lighting. Winter is dark. You'll be removing snow in the dark, in a snowstorm. It's good to not only see where you are going, but for cars to be able to see you when you're working at the end of your driveway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Snowblower&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First consideration: make sure your tractor will accept a snowblower attachment! If possible, I would buy both the tractor and the attachment from the same vendor, to ensure that they will mate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you get a lot of heavy snow, definitely consider a two stage snowblower attachment. This will eject the snow with more force, sending it further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a stone/gravel driveway, you should seriously reconsider the idea of snowblowing. When the snowblower digs in below the snow, it acts like a machine gun, sending rocks flying. You will need to add skids to the bottom of the snowblower deck to avoid this dangerous situation. (I've done it, but I never liked it and I no longer do it this way.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are going to blow snow in windy conditions. This sucks: you get tons of snow blown back in your face. So if the tractor accepts a cab or &quot;windshield&quot;, this is something to keep in mind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obligatory safety notes: Never aim the snowblower at the road. Sending a stone or hunk of ice at a car would be bad. Never aim the snowblower at the house; a hunk of ice through your kitchen window when it's 20F, snowing, and windy will ruin your day. Never aim the snowblower at people or pets. I mention this now so that you can plan how you're going to use the snowblower and where you're going to (safely) put the snow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plow&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, make sure your tractor will accept a snowblower attachment; buy from the same vendor if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weight and traction are critical if you're going to push snow. (My tractor weighs 3000+ pounds, has industrial-tread tires, 4wd, and still spins when the driveway is slippery...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another consideration is where you're going to push the snow. If you get a lot of snow, you'll have to push the first snowfalls well out of the way so that you have room to push later snowfalls. This implies that the control mechanism on your blade is important; most consumer grade lawn tractor attachments I've seen are simple hand-operated levers to raise/lower the blade. This means you can only push snow forward, you can't lift it at all. If you can't push the snow up, you have to push it further to make room for later snowfall. If you have to push it onto your lawn, you risk digging up the lawn, either with the blade or when your wheels spin. (I have the benefit of hydraulics on my blade, so I can raise the blade when I push and make high snowbanks. It makes a big difference.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T17:50:54.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2837" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-15T20:21:27.460" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Parsley, &lt;em&gt;Petroselinum hortense&lt;/em&gt; is a species of &lt;em&gt;Petroselinum&lt;/em&gt;, family &lt;em&gt;Apiaceae&lt;/em&gt;. It is native to the central Mediterranean area but is naturalized in other parts of Europe; and is in widespread cultivation around the world.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Parsley is a biennial herbaceous plant in its preferred temperate climate, but can also be grown as an annual herb in tropical and sub-tropical climates. As a biennial, parsley typically grows to about 75cm tall with 3-10cm diameter umbels with numerous yellow-green flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Parsley is typically grown as a herb/spice or as a leaf vegetable. It is also popular with wildlife - swallowtail butterflies use parsley leaves as a host for their larvae; bees and other insects will pollinate the flowers; and birds (e.g. goldfinch) feed on the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Parsley can also be planted as a companion plant. In common with other members of the carrot family, it can attract predatory insects which then help to protect neighboring plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing parsley.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-15T21:04:21.420" LastActivityDate="2012-03-15T21:04:21.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2838" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-15T20:21:27.460" Score="0" Body="*Petroselinum hortense*, a herb that is cultivated as both a spice and a vegetable." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-15T21:04:21.470" LastActivityDate="2012-03-15T21:04:21.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2839" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-15T22:22:16.310" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Toxicodendron radicans&lt;/em&gt; is a plant native to North America. It produces urushiol, a compound found in the plant's sap, that causes an itching rash on most people who touch it. There is some evidence that the immune response is cumulative (i.e. it gets worse the more you are exposed to it), and systemic responses occur for some individuals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Poison ivy is not a try ivy. As well as growing as a trailing vine or climbing vine, it can grow as a shrub.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Poison ivy can usually be identified by groups of three leaves which are on their own stem that connects to the main vine. Leaves also have an alternate arrangement, and there are no thorns. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Poison ivy is considered a pest so tagged questions will typically be about its safe removal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T15:15:15.657" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T15:15:15.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2840" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-15T22:22:16.310" Score="0" Body="*Toxicodendron radicans* is a poisonous creeping plant native to North America." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-15T22:22:16.310" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T22:22:16.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2841" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-15T23:10:40.907" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Radishes are an edible root vegetable, species &lt;em&gt;Raphanus sativus&lt;/em&gt; in the &lt;em&gt;Brassicaceae&lt;/em&gt; family. Originally domesticated in Europe in pre-Roman times, radishes are now grown and eaten throughout the World. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Radishes grow best in full sun, in light soils. Due to the huge number of varieties available and in cultivation, they are available year-round in Europe and Japan especially.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As well as different seasonal varieties, radishes come in a range of shapes, sizes, and colors (including red, pink, gray-black, yellow). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Radishes are usually grown for use as a root vegetable although the entire plant is edible and the leaves can be used as a leaf vegetable. Bulbs are eaten raw, or steamed; and typically consumed in salads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Radishes can also be grown for seed oil, with wild radish seeds containing up to 48% oil. This oil is not suitable for human consumption but is a potential biofuel for cool climates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing radishes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-15T23:10:40.907" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T23:10:40.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2842" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-15T23:10:40.907" Score="0" Body="Edible root vegetable, species Raphanus sativus." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T21:25:46.330" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T21:25:46.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2843" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-15T23:22:25.517" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Greywater is a term used to refer to waste water from activities such as laundry, dishwashing, and bathing (ie. excluding industrial and sewage water). Although this water is too &quot;dirty&quot; for consumption it can still be used for landscape irrigation or to aid constructed wetlands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Greywater systems are typically of two kinds, depending on whether they include purification or not.  The &quot;dirt&quot; in non-purified water will typically work as a fertilizer, although care should be taken to avoid contamination from things like non-aqueous solvents. Also non-purified systems can be prone to bacterial build up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about using greywater in a gardening applications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-15T23:22:25.517" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T23:22:25.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2844" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-15T23:22:25.517" Score="0" Body="Waste water from domestic activities that can be recycled for irrigation." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-15T23:22:25.517" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T23:22:25.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2845" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-15T23:23:53.940" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Landscaping term that refers to construction materials used in landscaping. Eg. brick, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/concrete&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;concrete&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;concrete&lt;/a&gt;, timber, stone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Contrast with &lt;strong&gt;soft landscape&lt;/strong&gt; materials which refer to plant materials (grass, shrubs, trees, etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-08T12:29:46.053" LastActivityDate="2021-02-08T12:29:46.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2846" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-15T23:23:53.940" Score="0" Body="Landscaping term that refers to construction materials used in landscaping. For example [concrete] or brickwork. Use this tag with questions about how to choose materials, how to work with them, or how to maintain them." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-08T12:30:02.220" LastActivityDate="2021-02-08T12:30:02.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2847" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-15T23:54:57.670" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Lilac&quot; is the common name for genus &lt;em&gt;Syringa&lt;/em&gt; in the &lt;em&gt;Oleaceae&lt;/em&gt; family. The lilacs consist of about 20-25 species and are native to woodland and scrub from SE Europe through to E. Asia. They are widely cultivated in temperate climates around the World.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lilacs are flowering deciduous plants that grow as shrubs or small trees. Flowers are typically purple (often light purple - hence the name 'lilac') but also white, pale yellow, burgundy, and pink are known. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lilacs are closely related to &lt;em&gt;Ligustrum&lt;/em&gt; (privet) and both are classified in the &lt;em&gt;Oleeae&lt;/em&gt; tribe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lilacs are popular shrubs for both parks and gardens due to their flowers and tolerance of soil types. A range of different cultivars of different flower colors are available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing lilacs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-15T23:54:57.670" LastActivityDate="2011-11-15T23:54:57.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2848" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-15T23:54:57.670" Score="0" Body="Genus Syringa, flowering woody plants native to SE Europe to E.Asia" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T18:25:56.850" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T18:25:56.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2849" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-16T00:13:50.437" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lupines (also known as Lupins) are plants of genus &lt;em&gt;Lupinus&lt;/em&gt; in the legume family &lt;em&gt;Fabaceae&lt;/em&gt;. There are over 280 species, most of which are found in the Americas, although there are also species centers in the Mediterranean and Africa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lupines are herbaceous perennials that grow 0.3-1.5m tall. Some are annuals, and a few are shrubs that grow to 3m. Leaves are usually palmately divided into 5-28 leaflets. Flowers grow as whorls on an erect spike. Each flower is about 1-2cm long with a peaflower-type shape. Their resemblance to to bonnets lead a number of species to have common names such as &lt;em&gt;bluebonnets&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;quaker bonnets&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lupin seeds contain a range of amino acids making them nutritious. Romans ate them as &quot;lupin beans&quot;, and in the 21st century they are increasingly recognized as a cash crop alternative to soy that can be grown in cooler climates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gardeners usually grow lupins as ornamental plants due to their impressive flower spikes; but they can also be grown as companion plants providing nitrogen to their neighbors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing lupines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-15T20:57:42.710" LastActivityDate="2012-03-15T20:57:42.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2850" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-16T00:13:50.437" Score="0" Body="Genus Lupinus also known as Lupins, member of the Fabaceae." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-15T12:37:01.030" LastActivityDate="2021-01-15T12:37:01.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2851" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-16T01:45:30.783" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Part of the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/dracaena&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;dracaena&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;dracaena&lt;/a&gt; genus, common name for &lt;em&gt;Dracaena braunii&lt;/em&gt; (sub-family &lt;em&gt;Nolinoideae&lt;/em&gt;). Also known as &amp;quot;Ribbon Draceana&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;Belgian Evergreen&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;Ribbon Plant&amp;quot;. These are small, shrubby plants with slender stems and strap-shaped leaves. They are native to the understory of rainforests in Cameroon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that despite the name, &lt;em&gt;Dracaena braunii&lt;/em&gt; is unrelated to bamboo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An adult plant grows up to 1.5m tall with leaves 6-10in long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is marketed in much of the developed world as &amp;quot;Lucky Bamboo&amp;quot; in the form of decorative short cuttings in water &amp;amp; gravel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water based plants should be watered with bottled water, soft tap water with little fluoride, or from filtered (aquarium) water. Fluoridated and/or chlorinated water can be used if the water is left to stand for about a day, allowing the fluorine and chlorine to de-gas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;Lucky bamboo&amp;quot; is also sold as an aquatic plant for aquariums. Although it will grow like this for months, it will eventually rot unless the sprouts are allowed to grow above the water's surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about  &lt;em&gt;Dracaena sanderiana&lt;/em&gt; / Lucky Bamboo. Use the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/bamboo&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;bamboo&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;bamboo&lt;/a&gt; tag for questions about true bamboos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;#External links&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wikipedia article on &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_braunii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Dracaena braunii&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-08T12:30:13.373" LastActivityDate="2021-02-08T12:30:13.373" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2852" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-16T01:45:30.783" Score="0" Body="Use this tag for questions about growing or diagnosing problems with Dracaena braunii (also D. sanderiana). This plant is commonly known as &quot;lucky bamboo&quot; though it isn't related to bamboo. Use the [bamboo] tag for questions about true bamboos." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-08T12:29:14.270" LastActivityDate="2021-02-08T12:29:14.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2853" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-16T01:53:52.357" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Legumes are members of the family &lt;em&gt;Fabaceae&lt;/em&gt; (formerly &lt;em&gt;Leguminosae&lt;/em&gt;). The name is also used to refer to the fruit (&quot;legume fruit&quot;) - these are usually pods of seeds (e.g. beans).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Legumes are noted for their capability to fix atmospheric nitrogen gas (N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;) into soil nitrates (NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;) which can be used as &quot;natural fertilizer&quot; by other plants. This process is performed with a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with bacteria (rhizobia) in root nodules. These nodules also provide much greater levels of nitrogen to the host plant (compared to other plants), resulting in greater protein content in the plant and seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Legumes are a very important agricultural crop. They are grown for their highly nutritious high-protein seeds (eg. beans), and they are also grown as a natural way of soil improvement. This latter advantage is often used in &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/companion-planting&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'companion-planting'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;companion-planting&lt;/a&gt;; and was an important innovation in the Norfolk Four Course Rotation (crop rotation).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Example legumes include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;beans&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;peas&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;clover&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lentils&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lupines&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;alfalfa&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mesquite&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soy&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;peanuts&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all general questions about legumes - eg. their use in companion planting, crop rotation, choosing a legume, etc. Most questions about growing specific legumes should use the relevant tag for the plant in question, instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-14T22:08:45.707" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T22:08:45.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2854" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-16T01:53:52.357" Score="0" Body="Member of the Fabaceae family, noted for their capability to fix nitrogen into soil nitrates." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T18:25:52.813" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T18:25:52.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2855" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-16T02:06:03.160" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Annual flowering plant, member of the &lt;em&gt;Papaceraceae&lt;/em&gt; genus. Flowers are noted for scarlet petals and black center; and they are prominently used to symbolize wartime remembrance in the Commonwealth and some West European nations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Poppies typically have 4-6 petals, and these can be almost any color although scarlet is the most well known. Pollen colors can also vary and include blue and grey shades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Poppies are primarily grown as ornamental plants that add a bright dash of color to a garden. They are also grown for drugs (&lt;em&gt;Papaver somniferum&lt;/em&gt;  aka 'opium poppy') and food (poppy seeds are often used in cooking and baking).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Poppies have symbolized sleep, peace and death for a long time. Sleep comes from opium, and death comes from the blood-red color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today they are primarily used to symbolize wartime remembrance. This comes from &lt;em&gt;Papaver rhoeas&lt;/em&gt; (&quot;corn poppy&quot; of NW Europe). Poppy seeds are remarkably hardy to deep burial. The 'churning' of the land of Flanders during the intense trench warfare of World War 1 had the effect of bringing old seed up to the surface. This bloomed immediately after World War 1. Symbolically, this also tied with existing connections with peace and death. The appearance of the poppies was popularized in the poem &lt;em&gt;In Flanders Fields&lt;/em&gt; by John McCrae. &#xA;The wearing of plastic poppies for Armistice Day has since been taken up by organizations such as the British Legion - as both a mark of remembrance, and also to raise funds for their charitable activities.  Although the wearing of poppies is most notable in Britain and the ANZAC nations, it was once custom in the US but has since fallen out of use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-16T02:06:03.160" LastActivityDate="2011-11-16T02:06:03.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2856" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-16T02:06:03.160" Score="0" Body="Annual flowering plant, member of the Papaceraceae genus." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T21:25:49.233" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T21:25:49.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2857" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2817" CreationDate="2011-11-16T02:17:14.230" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Quercus_species#Section_Lobatae&quot;&gt;large number of different red oaks&lt;/a&gt;, but, usually, when people say red oak they are referring to Northern red oak (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_rubra&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Quercus rubra&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; syn. &lt;em&gt;Q. borealis&lt;/em&gt;). A Texan, however, might reasonably use the term to refer to Texas red oak (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_buckleyi&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Quercus buckleyi&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), Southern red oak (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_falcata&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Quercus falcata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), or Shumard oak (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_shumardii&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Quercus shumardii&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;). Most of what follows is widely applicable, so we need not worry which tree we are dealing with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Acorns should be collected promptly since many types start rotting, drying out or germinating shortly after falling from the tree. Any loose caps or twigs should be removed. The acorns should then be dumped into a bucket of water, and any acorns that float should be discarded.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Acorns do not store well. They quickly dry out and die. Hence if the acorns are being stored for any length of time, put them in a heavy duty sealed plastic bag (4-10 mils) and place in a refrigerator (1-3ºC).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The white oak group, the oaks with smooth lobed leaves, with only a couple exceptions (like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_macrocarpa&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Q. macrocarpa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), do not require a cooling period to germinate and will germinate in three to five weeks after planting. The black (red) oak group, the oaks with pointy lobed leaves, almost all require a cold period of 30 to 90 days before they will germinate. This can be done in a refrigerator. The acorns can be placed in a plastic bag containing moist sand and peat and then put in a refrigerator (1-5ºC) until the appropriate chill time is reached or the acorns start germinating. Shumard oak has a 30-45 day pre-chilling requirement. Both northern red oak and Southern red oak have a 30-90 day pre-chilling requirement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The easiest way to germinate acorns, however, is to plant them outside during the fall in a seed bed 6-12&quot; (15-30 cm) apart covered with .25&quot; (0.5 cm) of soil. Members of the white oak group will germinate before winter while the those in the black (red) oak group will germinate in the spring. Both the roots and stems emerge from the pointy part of the acorn, so the most sensible orientation for planting an acorn is on its side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is some disagreement on whether to remove the seed coat, or &lt;em&gt;pericarp&lt;/em&gt;, from Northern red oak (&lt;em&gt;Q. rubra&lt;/em&gt;) before planting. Bonner and Vozzo recommend it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Dormancy in &lt;em&gt;Q. rubra&lt;/em&gt; has also been attributed to the pericarp by Jones&#xA;  and Brown (1966). They induced germination by removing or clipping the&#xA;  pericarp and concluded that dormancy was the result of inhibited cell&#xA;  expansion. Hopper and others (1985) also concluded that the pericarp&#xA;  was significantly involved in dormancy of &lt;em&gt;Q. rubra&lt;/em&gt;, and Bonner (1968)&#xA;  found pericarps to inhibit germination of four red oak species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Norman Deno investigated &lt;em&gt;Q. rubra&lt;/em&gt; and explicitly disagrees:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Soaking seeds for a week, making a hole in the seed coat, or removing&#xA;  the seed coats did not increase the rate of gemination or the percent&#xA;  germination showing that impervious or semimpervious seed coats were&#xA;  not present nor was there any inhibitors in the seed coat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I would not bother. It is likely the pre-chilling required for Northern red oak is sufficient to neutralize any inhibitors present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;References:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ddr.nal.usda.gov/dspace/bitstream/10113/41279/1/CAT30988245.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;First Supplement to the 2nd Edition of Seed Germination Theory and Practice&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Norman C. Deno (1996).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nsl.fs.fed.us/Seed%20Biology%20and%20Technology%20of%20Quercus.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Seed Biology and Technology of Quercus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, F.T. Bonner and J.A. Vozzo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://openlibrary.org/books/OL1542826M/Seeds_of_woody_plants_in_North_America&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Seeds of Woody Plants in North America&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, J.A. Young and C.G. Young (1992).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2011-11-21T20:12:22.773" LastActivityDate="2011-11-21T20:12:22.773" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2858" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2877" CreationDate="2011-11-16T07:35:12.193" Score="6" ViewCount="1374" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many gardening websites recommend succulent plants as the best plants for indoors such as an office. It's true that they require minimal care with respect to water, but the websites usually don't tell you how much sunlight they need to live on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best scenario is an outdoor garden with full sun, comparable to the dry desert environment which most succulents can survive and thrive. However as the websites state that they are suitable to be planted indoors, can we just assume that they can accept minimal light such as the light from the fluorescent tubes (not the extra one, but the default one in the office) in a normal office? Of course not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think there maybe some succulents that can live in such environment. So what are some  succulents that need a fair amount of sunlight to live on, and what others need relatively less sunlight? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT: Office conditions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hong Kong is a subtropical region which is relatively warmer than some other places. In winter, the outdoor temperature is above 10 degree Celsius and it's much warmer indoors in a sealed office with people moving around. I guess it's not below 15 degree Celsius.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the light, the default lighting we have is fluorescent lighting. If the plant is placed on the windowsill, it'll get some sunlight through the glass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-23T23:16:18.473" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T23:16:18.473" Title="What are some succulent plants that are suitable to be planted in my office?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2859" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-11-16T07:40:23.527" Score="6" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is said that we should water less in Autumn and Winter. However in Winter, our hands and face become very dry. Doesn't this indicate a low relative humidity and that water will dry out faster?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-16T13:54:23.787" LastActivityDate="2011-11-17T22:13:09.000" Title="Should I water less in Autumn and Winter in Hong Kong?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;humidity&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2860" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2859" CreationDate="2011-11-16T13:44:30.813" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Humidity in winter will vary a lot according to climate. In the UK, yes your face might dry out and relative humidity may be a part of it, but the wind plays a part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant soil dries out due to evaporation (which you are thinking of) and the plant's natural evapo-transpiration processes (ie. what it &quot;drinks&quot;). Most plants slow down and even become dormant (eg. deciduous trees) during winter. Hence they require less water because growth is minimal or stopped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This process starts in Autumn as the weather cools and light levels are reduced. In contrast, in Spring, the plant is starting to &quot;wake up&quot; and needs water to function.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-11-16T13:44:30.813" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2861" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2862" CreationDate="2011-11-16T16:58:17.863" Score="11" ViewCount="43843" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently purchased a dwarf Northsky blueberry bush from a mail order company. When I recieved it, roughly 15-20% of its leaves had the appearance of being burned or scorched; the bad leaves were about 50% brown and curled, like they were burned or just dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plucked those off and transplanted the bush to a larger container and I noticed the plant was also severely rootbound. I had to break off a lot of its roots to plant it. It has been about a week now, and I've noticed maybe two or three more leaves with those symptoms. Since then, the plant has bloomed about 5 really pretty looking flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to know if the leaf symptoms were a sign of it suffocating in its original container or shock from being shipped, or maybe that of a more serious disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Currently the plant is being kept indoors while I try to nurse it back to health. I keep it in a room with good southern sun exposure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="752" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-16T17:56:07.103" LastActivityDate="2017-06-24T00:31:36.117" Title="Why does my blueberry bush have brown/scorched leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2861" CreationDate="2011-11-16T18:10:13.727" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The burnt/scorched looking leaves could mean a lot of things. My first guess would be over fertilization either at the nursery or by you. Blueberries need acidic soil at a pH level of about 4.5-5. If you used a regular high nitrogen fertilizer, it would be terrible for the plant and the leaves can get &amp;quot;burnt&amp;quot; from the fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondly, blueberries like well drained soils. They have very shallow root systems and stagnant water can also lead to discoloration of the leaves, although this is usually deep reddish-brown (like fall colors), and seldom have a burnt appearance. However, I won't rule this out. Since you said that it was heavily rootbound, it is very likely that the water wasn't draining away fully. I explain a bit more about this and how to increase soil pH for blueberries in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2323/is-it-really-important-to-give-blueberry-plants-acidic-soil/2324#2324&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, reddish leaves are also a symptom for underwatering! From &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2184/what-are-these-red-spots-on-the-leaves-of-my-boysenberry-plant/2187#2187&quot;&gt;Mike Perry's answer&lt;/a&gt; to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/2184/109&quot;&gt;my question on boysenberries&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below quote comes from Growing Small Fruits for the Home Garden:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Watering&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lack of supplemental watering from June to August severely limits successful production of blueberries in the Pacific Northwest. Shallow-rooted plants require close attention to maintain a uniformly moist environment around their base. They require 1, or possibly 2 inches of water each week, in the absence of any rainfall. Be sure the entire root zone is wet after an irrigation. Drought symptoms include &lt;strong&gt;reddened foliage&lt;/strong&gt;, weak, thin shoots, and reduced fruit set. Maintain a 2-inch mulch layer to preserve soil moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also see the scientific reason in Mike's answer, although I'm not sure if that applies to blueberries too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, it could be something as simple as sun scorching. If the nursery was in a place that had long periods of direct, intense sunlight every day, it could have scorched the leaves. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1704/how-do-i-prevent-my-berry-leaves-from-getting-scorched-in-the-sun&quot;&gt;This happened to my raspberries&lt;/a&gt; and the advice there was to use a sun shading fabric.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, from your description, the plant seems to be doing well in your garden, so you probably are doing things right. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-11-16T18:10:13.727" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2863" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-16T22:24:44.413" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Pea&quot; refers to a number of annual legume (&lt;em&gt;Fabaceae&lt;/em&gt;) plants. Without further description, the term usually refers to &lt;strong&gt;field peas&lt;/strong&gt; (species &lt;em&gt;Pisum sativum&lt;/em&gt;) which are grown as a vegetable. Field peas have spherical green seeds in a pod. The pod is typically shelled and the seeds (&quot;peas&quot;) eaten. Some varieties are eaten as an entire pod (eg. French &quot;mange tout&quot;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wild peas are native the Mediterranean and Far East. Earliest known cultivation dates back to the Neolithic Syria, Turkey, and Jordan.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peas are a very popular vegetable in Western cuisine. They can be readily frozen for storage and transport with minimal damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing peas as vegetables. Use the tag &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/sweet-pea&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'sweet-pea'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;sweet-pea&lt;/a&gt; for questions specific to the non-edible flowering sweet pea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-16T22:24:44.413" LastActivityDate="2011-11-16T22:24:44.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2864" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-16T22:24:44.413" Score="0" Body="A type of legume (Fabaceae) noted for a spherical seed contained in a pod." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-09T13:17:45.920" LastActivityDate="2021-01-09T13:17:45.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2865" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1467" CreationDate="2011-11-17T02:54:36.593" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like Sea Holly to me - Eryngium (perhaps Eryngium Planum?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="773" LastActivityDate="2011-11-17T02:54:36.593" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2866" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3036" CreationDate="2011-11-17T06:27:04.777" Score="7" ViewCount="6768" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few years ago (4ish, I think) my girlfriend at the time brought me a small bonsai, a Port Jackson Fig (if I remember right!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have managed to keep it going so far. At this point, it is more a &quot;small tree in a pot&quot; than a bonsai. It hasn't really even been shaped, and I enjoy it looking normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to be honest - over the last 5 months it has been left totally unloved. My watering was random, often with large gaps in between and when I did water, it was normally too much water. So now it's looking very sad. It only has about 4 leafs left on it, they look healthy but there are very few!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know how to get it back on track. I haven't changed the soil in ages, so I assume that's step one. What next?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also should a fig bonsai be inside or outside? Full sun or shade? Even through I've had it for 4 years now, I feel like a bad dad and I'm asking for your help with a crash course in bonsai love.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help would be amazing. I've had this thing for so long, that I would hate for it to die because of me! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="774" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-17T13:24:35.580" LastActivityDate="2011-12-08T01:17:43.860" Title="How do I take care of a Port Jackson fig bonsai?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2867" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-17T13:43:12.183" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gardenia is a genus of 142 species of flowering plants in the &lt;em&gt;Rubiaceae&lt;/em&gt; (&quot;coffee&quot;) family. They are native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australasia, and Oceania. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gardenias are evergreen shrubs and small trees that range in height from 1m to 15m. Leaves are broad, dark green and glossy. Flowers are typically solitary or in small clusters. They are white or pale yellow. Many species have strongly scented flowers, and they are primarily grown for their scent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing gardenia plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-17T13:43:12.183" LastActivityDate="2011-11-17T13:43:12.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2868" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-17T13:43:12.183" Score="0" Body="Genus of flowering plants in the coffee family (Rubiceae)." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-08T17:03:54.393" LastActivityDate="2021-01-08T17:03:54.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2869" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-17T13:50:41.543" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apricots are a species (&lt;em&gt;Prunus armeniaca&lt;/em&gt;) of Genus &lt;em&gt;Prunus&lt;/em&gt; and classified with the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/plums&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'plums'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;plums&lt;/a&gt; in sub-genus &lt;em&gt;Prunus&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A typical apricot tree is small (8-12m tall) with a spreading canopy. The fruit is similar to a small peach with a large 'stone' (seed), soft fruit, and 'skin' with short hairs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The native range of the apricot is poorly understood due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation. The name comes from the original understanding of Armenia, but more recent theories place its origin as India or China.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As well as being used for its fruit, apricots are grown for their seed kernels. These can be used as an almond substitute, and are used in amaretto liqueur and amaretti biscotti.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Historically, apricot plant extracts have been used for medicinal purposes, although modern research has yet to find any beneficial effects against, for example, cancer. Studies also note the possibility of cyanide poisoning from bark extract, etc.  After saying this, the fruit contain high levels of fibre, and carotenoid antioxidants - hence they are effective against constipation (fibre) and probably heart disease (antioxidants).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing apricot trees and shrubs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-17T13:50:41.543" LastActivityDate="2011-11-17T13:50:41.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2870" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-17T13:50:41.543" Score="0" Body="Fruit tree, Prunus armeniaca." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-08T07:19:07.537" LastActivityDate="2021-01-08T07:19:07.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2871" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-17T13:56:52.833" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blueberries are &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/perennial&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;perennial&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;perennial&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flowering&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;flowering&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flowering&lt;/a&gt; plants of genus &lt;em&gt;Vaccinium&lt;/em&gt; (ie. related to cranberries and bilberries) which are grown for their dark-blue berries. Most in cultivation are from the section &lt;em&gt;Cyanococcus&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/shrubs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;shrubs&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;shrubs&lt;/a&gt; vary from 10 cm to 4 m in height, and leaves can be either deciduous or &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/evergreens&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;evergreens&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;evergreens&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruit are sweet when ripe, but the level of acidity can vary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blueberries are a popular fruit(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt;) in North America (where they are native), but have increasing popularity in Europe and other parts of the world. They are typically eaten fresh, in jellies, jams, pies, muffins, snack foods, and cereals. They have a diverse range of &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/nutrients&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;nutrients&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;nutrients&lt;/a&gt; and a relatively low glycemic load. Some studies have shown that these combined components may have an effect against cancers, Alzheimer's &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/disease&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;disease&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;disease&lt;/a&gt;, and stroke &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/damage&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;damage&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;damage&lt;/a&gt;. This is an area of ongoing research.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing the various varieties of blueberries. Questions about bilberries, and related &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/berries&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;berries&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;berries&lt;/a&gt; should use the appropriate tag instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T12:37:13.957" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T12:37:13.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2872" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-17T13:56:52.833" Score="0" Body="Flowering plants of genus Vaccinium; grown for their fruit." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-17T13:56:52.833" LastActivityDate="2011-11-17T13:56:52.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2873" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-17T13:58:22.100" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soil erosion in a horticultural setting is typically due to water (e.g. erosion by rainwater runoff in a heavy storm) but it can also be gravity (steep slopes) or wind (&quot;dust bowl&quot;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about controlling erosion. This may include inert solutions (e.g. wooden barriers) and/or plant solutions (e.g. drought-tolerant long-rooted grasses).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T15:11:56.067" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T15:11:56.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2874" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-17T13:58:22.100" Score="0" Body="Controlling soil erosion in a horticultural setting" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-17T13:58:22.100" LastActivityDate="2011-11-17T13:58:22.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2875" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-17T14:03:54.937" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The family &lt;em&gt;Cucurbitaceae&lt;/em&gt; consist of various squashes, melons, and gourds. They can be found in both the New and Old Worlds; and continue to be popular vegetable crops in modern gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is quite a large family with approximately 125 genera and 960 species. Flowers are usually white or yellow, and often large. Stems are hairy and pentagular. They usually grow as vines so they often have tendrils 90degrees to the leaf petioles at nodes. flowers are unisexual with male and female flowers either on different plants, or the same plant. The fruit is a form of modified vegetable, but when eaten is considered a vegetable by gardeners and cooks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All species are sensitive to frost, and are hence usually grown as annuals in temperate zones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for general questions about growing cucurbits. Use the specific plant tags for questions about specific plants such as melons and squashes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-17T14:03:54.937" LastActivityDate="2011-11-17T14:03:54.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2876" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-17T14:03:54.937" Score="0" Body="Plant family Cucurbitaceae - contains squashes, melons, and gourds." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-21T19:23:13.603" LastActivityDate="2021-01-21T19:23:13.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2877" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2858" CreationDate="2011-11-17T15:18:53.953" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most succulents require a lot of sunshine.  However, there are many that don't mind some shade.  Grassland succulents are characterized by extremely long flower stalks that are meant to shoot up above grass.  So the plants with long flowerstems are more tolerant of lower light.  Plants like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.succulent-plant.com/families/aloaceae/gasteria.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gasteria&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.succulent-plant.com/families/aloaceae/haworthia.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Haworthia&lt;/a&gt; will grow well on windowsills.  The only thing is that lower light means the plants won't be at their most compact attractive form and will likely not develop any of the more interesting colours and will just stay green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.succulent-plant.com/families/crassulaceae/echeveria.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Echeveria&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.succulent-plant.com/families/crassulaceae/sedum.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sedum&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.succulent-plant.com/families/crassulaceae/sempervivum.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Semperivums&lt;/a&gt;, Pachyveria(Echieveria x Pachyphytum), etc... tend to look pretty poorly if they don't get full sunlight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="618" LastEditorUserId="140" LastEditDate="2011-11-18T03:50:04.910" LastActivityDate="2011-11-18T03:50:04.910" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2878" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-17T16:36:31.017" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Genus &lt;em&gt;Ficus&lt;/em&gt; (family &lt;em&gt;Moraceae&lt;/em&gt;) contains over 850 species that cover a wide range of tropical ecological niches including &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tree&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tree&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tree&lt;/a&gt;s, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/shrubs&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;shrubs&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;shrubs&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/vines&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;vines&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;vines&lt;/a&gt;, and epiphytes; but is commonly named after one particular species - the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fig&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fig&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fig&lt;/a&gt; tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Despite their wide variety, ficus trees often have aerial &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/roots&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;roots&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;roots&lt;/a&gt;. They have distinctive &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt; with an enclosed inflorescence (syconium - an urn-like structure lined on the inside with tiny &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flowers&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;flowers&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flowers&lt;/a&gt;). These flowers are designed for &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pollination&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pollination&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pollination&lt;/a&gt; by tiny highly-specific fig &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/wasps&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;wasps&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;wasps&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;Fig plants all possess a white to yellow (latex) sap; and twigs leave a circular stipule scar when they fall off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Figs are considered a major &amp;quot;keystone&amp;quot; species in rainforest ecosystems, that provide fruit, perches, and habitats for other creatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A number of &lt;em&gt;ficus&lt;/em&gt; are grown for their fruits, but &lt;em&gt;Ficus carica&lt;/em&gt; is the primary &amp;quot;fig&amp;quot; in cultivation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about growing the various &lt;em&gt;Ficus&lt;/em&gt; plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-15T21:12:14.723" LastActivityDate="2021-02-15T21:12:14.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2879" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-17T16:36:31.017" Score="0" Body="Genus of woody trees, shrubs, vines, and epiphytes; also known as &quot;fig trees&quot;." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-17T16:36:31.017" LastActivityDate="2011-11-17T16:36:31.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2880" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-17T16:39:40.610" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cabbages are popular cultivars of &lt;em&gt;Brassica oleracea&lt;/em&gt; (Family &lt;em&gt;Brassicaceae&lt;/em&gt;). They are often eaten as a leafy green vegetable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cabbage plants are herbaceous, biennial, dicotyledonous flowering plants. They are distinguished by short stems with a rounded mass of leaves. These leaves are typically green, but red/purple are also known. This is the &quot;cabbage head&quot; which is harvested for eating as a leaf vegetable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cultivated cabbage was known to ancient Greeks and Romans. It is derived from the wlid mustard plant, native to the Mediterranean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing cabbages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T16:39:31.480" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T16:39:31.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2881" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-17T16:39:40.610" Score="0" Body="Cultivar of Brassica oleracea grown as a leafy green vegetable." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-08T14:23:56.727" LastActivityDate="2021-01-08T14:23:56.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2882" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-17T16:42:05.727" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;C:N ratio or the Carbon:Nitrogen ratio (i.e. the ratio of carbon to nitrogen, by mass) is an important measure in composting. This ratio is an indicator of nitrogen limitation or over-supply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost should ideally have a C:N ratio of about 20:1 to 30:1.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Add finely chopped woody material to increase the carbon content.&#xA;Add leaves and composted manure to increase the nitrogen content.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-15T00:17:13.783" LastActivityDate="2012-03-15T00:17:13.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2883" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-17T16:42:05.727" Score="0" Body="Ratio of carbon to nitrogen, typically in a compost heap." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-17T16:42:05.727" LastActivityDate="2011-11-17T16:42:05.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2884" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-17T16:46:09.610" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saintpaulia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;African violets&lt;/a&gt;, genus &lt;em&gt;Saintpaulia&lt;/em&gt; (family &lt;em&gt;Gesneriaceae&lt;/em&gt;) contains six species of herbeceous perennials. They are native to Kenya and Tanzania, where some species are endangered. They are not related to violets, but have a superficial resemblance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves are fleshy and hairy. Flowers are typically 2-3 cm diameter with five petals, and grow in clusters of 3-10 on slender stalks. Wild &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flowers&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;flowers&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flowers&lt;/a&gt; colors include violet, purple, pale blue, or white.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;African violets are widely cultivated in the Western world as &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/houseplants&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;houseplants&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;houseplants&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing, propagating(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/propagation&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;propagation&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;propagation&lt;/a&gt;) or identifying(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/identification&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;identification&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;identification&lt;/a&gt;) African Violets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d3ewZm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Purple_African_Violet_Top.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikimedia Commons&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Author: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jjhake&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Jjhake&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-16T14:29:12.193" LastActivityDate="2021-02-16T14:29:12.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2885" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-17T16:46:09.610" Score="0" Body="Also known as Saintpaulia. Herbaceous perennials often grown as houseplants mainly for their flowers. Use this with questions about care, propagation and identification of African-violets." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-16T22:26:42.850" LastActivityDate="2021-01-16T22:26:42.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2886" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-17T17:13:26.100" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Clover (genus &lt;em&gt;Trifolium&lt;/em&gt;) is a well known and globally distributed genus of over 300 species of &lt;em&gt;Fabaceae&lt;/em&gt; (legumes). Clovers are small annual, biennial, or short lived perennials. In gardens, they often appear in lawns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clovers have characteristic trifoliate (3 sub leaf) leaves. Sometimes more sub-leaves are seen - eg. &quot;lucky 4 leaved clovers&quot; - these appear due to specific species, or in the case of a 4-leaved clover a sport/mutation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flowers are heads of dense spikes of small red, purple, white, or yellow flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Several types of clover are grown as nutritious fodder plants. As they are legumes, they have the added advantage of providing nitrogen to the soil - making them an excellent choice in a crop rotation scheme.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clover flowers are also important nectar sources for bees. Clover makes a popular choice for honey, and bees are the preferred way of pollinating self-seeding clover crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing or managing clover (it is also considered a relatively benign weed in some circumstances).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-04-23T19:21:23.933" LastActivityDate="2015-04-23T19:21:23.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2887" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-17T17:13:26.100" Score="0" Body="Genus Trefolium, well-known trifoliate legume." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-08T14:23:59.730" LastActivityDate="2021-01-08T14:23:59.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2888" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-17T18:08:31.800" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A boysenberry (&lt;em&gt;Rubus ursinus x idaeus&lt;/em&gt;) is a cross between a European Raspberry (&lt;em&gt;Rubus idaeus&lt;/em&gt;), Common Blackberry (&lt;em&gt;Rubus fructicosus&lt;/em&gt;), and a Loganberry (&lt;em&gt;Rubus x loganobaccus&lt;/em&gt;). It is a large compound fruit resembling these three &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt;. It has large &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/seeds&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;seeds&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;seeds&lt;/a&gt; and a deep maroon color. In common with the parent fruits, boysenberries are grown for their fruit which are popular in jams and pies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing boysenberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T12:36:52.980" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T12:36:52.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2889" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-17T18:08:31.800" Score="0" Body="A cross between a European Raspberry, Common Blackberry, and a Loganberry." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-17T18:08:31.800" LastActivityDate="2011-11-17T18:08:31.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2890" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-17T18:12:18.617" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cucumbers (&lt;em&gt;Cucumis sativus&lt;/em&gt;) is a member of the gourd family (&lt;em&gt;Cucurbitaceae&lt;/em&gt;). It grows as vines producing cylindrical green fruit, which are eaten as a vegetable. It is a popular choice for salads and sandwich garnish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cucumbers originate in India, and the earliest known evidence for cultivation dates back to Western Asia and the Epic of Gilgamesh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cucumbers are typically eaten fresh (eg. in salads and sandwiches) or pickled for longer shelf lives.  These are known as &quot;pickles&quot; in the US or &quot;gherkins&quot; in the UK (a gherkin is actually the same species as a cucumber but technically a different cultivar).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing cucumbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-17T18:12:18.617" LastActivityDate="2011-11-17T18:12:18.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2891" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-17T18:12:18.617" Score="0" Body="Cucumis sativus, member of the gourds with cylindrival &quot;fruit&quot; which are eaten as a vegetable." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-17T18:12:18.617" LastActivityDate="2011-11-17T18:12:18.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2892" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-17T19:42:59.977" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Known as &quot;Box&quot; in most English speaking countries, and &quot;boxwood&quot; in North America, this refers to the &lt;em&gt;Buxus&lt;/em&gt; genus (family &lt;em&gt;Buxaceae&lt;/em&gt;) of shrubs and trees. They have a widespread distribution but are mostly tropical or subtropical. Only the European and some Asian species are frost-tolerant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Box are slow growing evergreens and typically stay below 12m height. It is often used for hedges and topiary. The wood is considered a good wood for carving, and it is also a popular choice for stringed instruments due to its high density and striking orange/red color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing box trees and shrubs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-14T19:13:02.947" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T19:13:02.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2893" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-17T19:42:59.977" Score="0" Body="Tree of genus Buxus, also known as &quot;box&quot;." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-08T12:41:15.593" LastActivityDate="2021-01-08T12:41:15.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2894" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-17T19:55:47.337" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blackberry is an &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/edible&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;edible&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;edible&lt;/a&gt; fruit(&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt;) produced by a number of species in the &lt;em&gt;Rubus&lt;/em&gt; genus. It is technically an aggregate fruit and not a true berry. There are over 375 wild species of blackberry. Blackberries are closely related to &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/raspberries&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;raspberries&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;raspberries&lt;/a&gt; but they retain the &amp;quot;core&amp;quot; of the fruit aggregate (raspberries leave the core attached to the plant). Both are often referred to generically as &amp;quot;brambles&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blackberries are considered very nutritious with a wide range of vitamins and mineral nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing blackberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T12:36:44.407" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T12:36:44.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2895" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-17T19:55:47.337" Score="0" Body="Edible fruit from several species of genus Rubus." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-17T19:55:47.337" LastActivityDate="2011-11-17T19:55:47.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2896" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-17T20:10:00.353" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants which derive some of their &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/nutrients&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;nutrients&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;nutrients&lt;/a&gt; by trapping and consuming animals or protozoa - typically &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/insects&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;insects&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;insects&lt;/a&gt; and other arthropods. &amp;quot;Carnivorous plants&amp;quot; is a general description, and there are many different methods, which can be similar across genus and species, that these plants use to trap and digest their prey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Carnivorous plants tend to grow where &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/soil&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;soil&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;soil&lt;/a&gt;s are thin or poor especially with low nitrogen levels (eg. acidic peat bogs). Carnivorous plants can be found around the world, from the tropics to boreal regions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;True carnivorous plants will attract &amp;amp; trap prey, produce digestive enzymes, and absorb the resulting available nutrients. There are over 300 &amp;quot;proto-carnivorous&amp;quot; plants which exhibit some but not all of these characteristics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The true carnivorous plants have the following trap styles:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pitcher plants&lt;/strong&gt;: A &amp;quot;pit fall&amp;quot; trap typically with nectar to attract insects, hairs and/or slippery sides to make entry one-way, and digestive juices at the base. Examples: &lt;em&gt;Sarracenia&lt;/em&gt; (Trumpet Pitcher), &lt;em&gt;Darlingtonia&lt;/em&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;Nepenthes&lt;/em&gt; (Vine Pitcher)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Flypaper&lt;/strong&gt;: Sticky mucilage traps the insect. Plant leaf often then folds around the insect. Examples: &lt;em&gt;Drosera&lt;/em&gt; (sundews), &lt;em&gt;Pinguicula&lt;/em&gt; (butterwort)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Snap Traps&lt;/strong&gt;: A mouse trap / bear trap, sudden mechanical trap. Examples: &lt;em&gt;Dionaea&lt;/em&gt; (Venus Fly Trap), &lt;em&gt;Aldrovanda&lt;/em&gt; (waterwheel plant)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bladder traps&lt;/strong&gt;: Uses a bladder with a partial vacuum and hinged door. Aquatic creatures such as &lt;em&gt;Daphnia&lt;/em&gt; inadvertently nudge the door, and are let in. Only found in &lt;em&gt;Utricularia&lt;/em&gt; (bladderworts).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lobster-pot traps&lt;/strong&gt;: These have a convoluted design, making entry easy but exit difficult. Found in &lt;em&gt;Genlisea&lt;/em&gt; corkscrew plants. It can be argued that &lt;em&gt;Darlingtonia&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Nepenthes aristolochioides&lt;/em&gt; fit this category.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most carnivorous plants are endangered and protected by local laws and CITES. Always buy such plants from reputable specialist nurseries. Plants propagated in &amp;quot;captivity&amp;quot; are healthier and less likely to carry &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/disease&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;disease&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;disease&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pests&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pests&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pests&lt;/a&gt;, and do not contribute to their extinction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about carnivorous plants. Also add tags for specific species or genera, as appropriate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-17T13:06:30.507" LastActivityDate="2021-02-17T13:06:30.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2897" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-17T20:10:00.353" Score="0" Body="Plants which derive some of their nutrients by trapping and consuming animals or protozoa." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-17T20:10:00.353" LastActivityDate="2011-11-17T20:10:00.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2898" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2859" CreationDate="2011-11-17T22:13:09.000" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This may seem non-responsive to the question - and it is, in that I'm suggesting that it may be the wrong question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead of trying to estimate from weather and climate, let the soil tell you when to water.  That way all of the variables relative to that specific plant, pot?, soil, and siting will be taken into account.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water only when it's dry. But don't wait beyond then.  This will encourage deep roots without over-stressing the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How dry is dry? The soil should be dry to the touch. Depending on the soil, it will usually be a lighter color than when it's moist. If you poke into the soil, say 5-10 mm, you won't find moist or darker soil just underneath the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't mean to discourage having a schedule for &lt;em&gt;usually&lt;/em&gt; watering.  But always check the soil - at least feel the surface a bit.  Every once in a while you'll be really surprised.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2011-11-17T22:13:09.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2899" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3205" CreationDate="2011-11-18T11:06:11.837" Score="15" ViewCount="9563" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have quite a few daffodils planted around the perimeter of my garden, and although I see them spreading each year, I was wondering whether I could help thicken the daffodil border without buying new bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I dig up bulbs and split them? Or is that likely to damage them?&#xA;Is there something else I should do to encourage spreading?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-18T13:25:06.563" LastActivityDate="2019-03-15T14:24:56.697" Title="How much human interference is required to help daffodils spread?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;daffodils&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2900" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2902" CreationDate="2011-11-19T17:46:43.897" Score="14" ViewCount="9139" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to get a hint to identify the beautiful plant with red, green and yellow leafs in the picture below. The color of the leaves has been like that since the plant has been there (at least since June this year), so no autumn specialty. In some it had small white flowers with a yellow heart. The plant is not higher than 25 to 30 cm. There are several of them in a radius of 2 m and it seems that their root-system is connected. At first I thought this is a kind of ivy, but I couldn't find anything which is similar. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The variety of plants in my garden and my (non-existent) experience makes it impossible for me to identify them. I would be surprised if it is a weed. Thanks in advance for your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click for a larger version&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7gSi7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7gSi7m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Colorful leafs&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eAmkW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eAmkWm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Colorful leafs&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-19T18:08:19.057" LastActivityDate="2021-05-20T20:18:57.527" Title="What is this plant with red, green and yellow colored leaves and little white flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="608" CreationDate="2011-11-19T17:56:11.707" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just a note, for all you who happen to have acidic soil: Oak leaves are very acidic so I would avoid using them if that is a concern. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="777" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-22T11:43:24.957" LastActivityDate="2011-11-22T11:43:24.957" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2902" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2900" CreationDate="2011-11-19T22:17:51.243" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;That would be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houttuynia_cordata&quot;&gt;Houttuynia cordata&lt;/a&gt; which I now regret planting in my garden.&#xA;It is invasive with a spreading underground root system.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;It does grow slowly in water so might be used as a water garden plant. For most gardens in even moderately moist soil it is ill behaved and should be removed unless you really, really like it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-11-19T22:17:51.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2904" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3265" CreationDate="2011-11-20T18:17:28.123" Score="8" ViewCount="133" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a window-like opening between my kitchen sink and the adjacent room.  On the ceiling of the opening is a fluorescent light, and ideally I'd like to set up a long rectangular hanging basket underneath.  I would also like ideally to use an adjustable chain so that I can keep the plants at a constant distance from the light as they grow.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering what options might be available.  I found some correctly shaped baskets online, but can't seem to figure out what to search for regarding adjustable hanging hardware.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FSwaa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;    &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FSwaa.jpg&quot; height=&quot;500&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="58" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-20T19:19:44.897" LastActivityDate="2012-01-19T22:18:10.843" Title="What products can I use to hang herbs under a fluorescent light?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2905" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2906" CreationDate="2011-11-20T18:51:42.090" Score="10" ViewCount="1500" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's late November now, and I'm contemplating what would be good vegetables to plant in the next couple weeks.  I understand that most things planted now won't be harvestable until spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Rosa,_California&quot;&gt;Santa Rosa, California&lt;/a&gt;, where we do get frost, but temperatures rarely dip very much below freezing (and basically never below 25F/-4C). Not sure if we're technically zone 8B or 9A. Maps claim 8B, but there's a lot of microclimates and 9A might be more accurate. Rain, fog and overcast weather are common through winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know November seems late, but a lot of my spring and summer plantings have only started dying off in the past couple weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got maybe 50 square feet (4.5 square meters) of raised bed space that's not already occupied with a perennial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Already planted some kale a couple months back and considering planting some other kale varieties. Also planted some fava beans recently, mostly for the nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking for ideas for other winter crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="380" LastActivityDate="2018-04-25T03:48:31.177" Title="Good winter vegetables in hardiness zone 8B?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2906" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2905" CreationDate="2011-11-20T23:29:58.687" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cold tolerant vegetables:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spinach&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;kale&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;collards&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;peas -- the plants are very hardy, but the flowers may be frost sensitive. You may want to consider planting a short variety so that you can cover them if there is going to be a frost while they're flowering.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cabbage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;broccoli -- you may want to cover them if you expect a hard frost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lettuce&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;raddichio / chicory&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mâche&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(most greens -- e.g. if you bought a packet of mesclun mix seeds, they would probably all do ok)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;chard&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of these will not do as well if direct seeded in cold weather. It might be best, for example, to start chard or broccoli inside and then transplant outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-11-22T23:48:22.610" LastActivityDate="2011-11-22T23:48:22.610" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2907" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-11-20T23:54:29.133" Score="17" ViewCount="1135" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had this deciduous shrub in our lawn for many years. Its height was about 1.5m - 2m. This photo is from a couple of years ago. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YJgBY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Strange thing is that this spring it seemed to have died. We reckoned to return that area to lawn. I cut the dead plant right back to its stump (thinking to remove that later) and turfed over the remainder. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not long ago I noticed fresh growth from the stump. Is the full shrub now going to come back from the dead and be good as ever? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And can anyone identify it (either from the old photo, or from the new shoots?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's the fresh growth (if you look closely, you'll see that the shoots are definitely coming from the original stump.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JJywq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ltz01.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tQVHI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-22T11:36:40.523" LastActivityDate="2018-12-31T01:08:20.547" Title="What is this shrub and has it come back from the dead?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2908" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-11-21T00:05:15.697" Score="16" ViewCount="101295" Body="&lt;p&gt;Like many families with children we have a large (15 foot) inflatable paddling pool taking up part of the lawn for the entire summer period (roughly May to Oct).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When we pack away the pool, there's naturally some serious damage to the lawn underneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/98x7k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But after about a month, and if October and November are at all warm, the grass starts to recover a little, starting with the outer part of the circle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By May the following year there's quite a good recovery (just in time for it to be squashed again). Are there any steps to help the grass survive the pool and/or recover faster? For example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tougher grass species&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;applying feed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;anything else?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-13T19:47:27.977" LastActivityDate="2020-07-15T06:10:57.790" Title="Family pool on lawn all summer - what can I do to help the grass underneath recover?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="12" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="368" CreationDate="2011-11-21T00:11:13.963" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have used a steel mesh (approx 3m wide by 1.5m high) that was hanging around in our yard when we bought our house. About 15cm worth of mesh is poked into the soil and then I tied it to four wooden stakes I'd hammered in deeper. I hope it works, as it's my first time growing climbing beans since I was a kid. I'll take a picture when I get a chance and attach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS: Hope you don't mind an out of season answer (but it's in season now for Antipodeans).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: Picture below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4uXdt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4uXdt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Steel mesh will be used to trellis navy beans&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-12-01T01:27:40.907" LastActivityDate="2011-12-01T01:27:40.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2908" CreationDate="2011-11-21T03:47:32.113" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think there is a solution to &quot;helping the lawn recover&quot; because in this case it is completely dead. There's no way to have a permanent (air-blocking and sun-blocking for more than 1-2 days) structure on top of lawn co-exist with living lawn. So we're not talking recovery but somehow mitigating the appearance of dead lawn, or avoiding having it die at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gardening solution:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Replace circle with a new piece of turf or reseed with grass seed every single year (&lt;a href=&quot;http://this%20is%20the%20official%20%E2%80%98proper%E2%80%99%20way%20of%20repairing%20bare%20patches!&quot;&gt;according to KiddieGardens.com&lt;/a&gt; this is the official solution) with or without cutting out the circle section first.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Practical solution:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Move the pool every 24 hours to a different part of your garden. I appreciate, given the size of the circle in the photo, that you won't be able to do this very easily or even at all. Nevertheless, the theory is sound.&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The cure is very simple – in fact, prevention is even better than a&#xA;  cure. To prevent lawn problems caused by outdoor equipment, simply&#xA;  move it every 24 hours. Every time you sit at a an outdoor table, move&#xA;  the table and chairs a couple of inches. Move the kids paddling pool&#xA;  every day. Better yet, empty it at night and hang it to dry. While it&#xA;  may be a pain to constantly move these items, having to go around and&#xA;  repair damaged lawn areas every weekend is a bigger pain. (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.grassstitcher.com/blog/de-clutter-lawns-worst-enemy/&quot;&gt;source: GrassStitcher.com&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternately:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't put a paddling pool on the lawn since it's killing the lawn 24 hours after you've placed it there. Put it elsewhere.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Replace a section of lawn big enough to hold the paddling pool with something that doesn't need sunlight or air (eg. bark chips).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2011-11-21T03:47:32.113" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2912" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-11-21T05:14:21.597" Score="10" ViewCount="831" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't had a lawn to speak of in my current home, but am having it sodded with Empire Zoysia in the next couple of weeks. I'll need to clean up oak leaves, twigs and acorns in the front yard on an ongoing basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1580176496&quot;&gt;Paul Tukey's Organic Lawn Care manual&lt;/a&gt; suggests a bamboo rake for dethatching, but I'm not sure that is appropriate for this. I'm wondering what a bamboo rake offers that is different than, say, a plastic fanned rake, or a metal one for that matter (I already have a metal one).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What type of rake is appropriate?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll have to go out of my way a bit to get a bamboo rake, but I'll happily do so if that is the right tool; I just want to know &lt;strong&gt;why&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="153" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-21T05:25:39.620" LastActivityDate="2011-11-21T19:06:30.853" Title="What is the right type of rake for oak leaves, twigs, acorns on a Zoysia lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2649" CreationDate="2011-11-21T06:10:09.783" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As understand it, propagation of cacti is normally achieved via cuttings. But if you're concerned about seed saving then, to me, the question is how to induce flowers. Then worry about fertilisation, fruiting and seed collection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Inducing blooms&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check you've optimal growing conditions so it's not afaid to flower. Optimal conditions for Schlumbergera cultivars, based on &lt;em&gt;Christmas Cacti : The genus Schlumbergera and its hybrids&lt;/em&gt; (ISBN 9780951723463) by AJS McMillan and JF Horobin and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlumbergera#Care_of_cultivars&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mentioned on Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant is grown in free-draining, humus-rich, somewhat acid soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant is kept just moist throughout the year to avoid underwatering or overwatering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant does not recieve much light (Truncata is less tolerant of excess than other Schlumbergera) [I am not sure how McMillan and Horobin quantified the amount of light]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check how much light your Schlumbergera is receiving:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Very low light levels will prevent flowering.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Continuous darkness for at least 12 hours is necessary to induce bud formation. (8 days with 16 hours of darkness at 16 °C (61 °F) has been shown to cause buds to form).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Temperatures lower than 16 °C (61 °F) slow the process of bud formation. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/thanksgiving-cactus.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Guide-to-houseplants.com&lt;/a&gt; advises:&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;To set flower buds, the plant needs cool 60-65°F/16-18°C days and 45-55°F/7-13°C nights. Once buds set, 70-75°F/21-24°C days and 60-70°F/16-21°C nights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Withholding water from the plant has been shown not to speed bud formation.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note also: From &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://books.google.com.au/books?id=DISMqbY-igwC&amp;amp;lpg=PA81&amp;amp;dq=cultivating%20cactus%20fruit&amp;amp;pg=PA81#v=onepage&amp;amp;q=low%20temperatures%20influence&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cacti: biology and uses&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; (ISBN 9780520231573) by Park S. Nobel, the following points are made (condensed by me):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Both flower number and fruit number dramatically increase in response to both mineral and organic fertilizers, water, and pruning&quot;. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/thanksgiving-cactus.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Guide-to-houseplants.com&lt;/a&gt; advises:&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Feed every 2 weeks with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted by half. After blooms have dropped, stop fertilizing for a month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Low temperatures in the winter influence flower bud burst for some cultivated cacti, indicating that chilling is involved&quot; quoting &quot;Nerd and Mizrahi 1997&quot;, but since buds appear all year round in the Peruvian highlands, no one is really sure what other physiological factors are involved.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pollination&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hat tip to @EricNitardy for the advice that Schlumbergera typically require cross-pollination to produce fruit (per &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.centralarizonacactus.org/holiday.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;CentralArizonaCactus.org advice on &quot;holiday&quot; cultivars of Schlumbergera&lt;/a&gt; and confirmed in the AJS McMillan and JF Horobin resource mentioned above), although most other cacti can self-pollinate. So you need a second Schlumbergera truncata specimen that's not a clone (can be sure if it has different coloured flowers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then you can either leave it up to the birds and bees to cart pollen between the flowers of the two plants or manually fertilise by the following steps (which is the same for many many plants if they're propagating sexually rather than asexually or by cloning):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Identify the stigma of a flower where you'd like to see fruit. It should be deep red in colour and protrude from the flower (per &lt;a href=&quot;http://mrbrownthumb.blogspot.com/2007/12/how-to-pollinate-thanksgiving-cactus.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pictures and advice from Mr Brown Thumb&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Identify the pollen on a flower of the other cactus plant. It is a yellow clump hanging off of the end of the filament (white tube-like part of the flower's stamen; again see Mr Brown Thumb images).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sAlm0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stigma with pollen on filaments, and stigma&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Take the flower containing pollen and coat the stigma of the first flower with pollen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully fruit will start to grow at the base of the flower bloom (see pictures on &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plantsarethestrangestpeople.blogspot.com/2011/01/random-plant-event-schlumbergera-fruits.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Random plant event: Schlumbergera fruits&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; blog post).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fruit&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4zPco.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Schlumbergera fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BxN1g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Schlumbergera fruit&quot;&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://media.photobucket.com/image/schlumbergera%20fruit%202/eukofios/schlumfruit2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Seeds&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1Iajh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Schlumbergera seeds&quot;&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://dragonplants.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0CIPb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Schlumbergera seeds&quot;&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/peggy_de/1448448829/in/photostream&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-11-22T05:48:56.270" LastActivityDate="2011-11-22T05:48:56.270" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2912" CreationDate="2011-11-21T15:28:36.077" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plastic rakes I've used behave very similarly to bamboo rakes, ignoring durability, sustainability, etc.  Since your reference is an &lt;em&gt;organic&lt;/em&gt; lawn care manual, I suspect sustainability was considered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A plastic rake is usually a little gentler, because the right-angle bend in the tines is more flexible.  A bamboo rake digs in a little more.  So &lt;em&gt;for dethatching&lt;/em&gt;, a bamboo rake might be better, as the book noted.  But that's not what you're doing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-11-21T19:06:30.853" LastActivityDate="2011-11-21T19:06:30.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2915" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2779" CreationDate="2011-11-22T05:34:49.117" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can answer only the question for basil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wish to avoid flowering, the optimum light-cycle for basil is in the neighborhood of twelve hours. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.florifacts.umn.edu/mnfgbulletins/July%202002%20Bulletin/Daylength%20and%20flowering.pdf&quot;&gt;Research at the University of Minnesota&lt;/a&gt; has identified basil as a &lt;em&gt;facultative long-day plant&lt;/em&gt;, that is long days, or more accurately short nights, encourage flowering. Short nights are, however, not &lt;em&gt;required&lt;/em&gt; for flowering. For example, water stress (over or under watering) can often push basil into flower. Hence setting your artificial lighting to run for twelve hours daily will at least not encourage flowering. Also, make sure that you put the plants where they receive little stray light at night. A night that is interrupted by a bright light is interpreted by most plants as two short nights, and, in basil's case, this will push it to flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since rosemary blooms in the spring, initiation of flowering likely to be more complicated. A mature rosemary will have buds ready to bloom as it heads into winter. Cool temperatures may be required for flowering, but day length (night length) may also play a part.  I have not seen any research, and, when I have brought rosemary inside during the winter, it has bloomed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastActivityDate="2011-11-22T05:34:49.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2916" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3499" CreationDate="2011-11-22T20:27:03.670" Score="11" ViewCount="1672" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know which edible plants can actually root from twigs and/or leaves put in water or a similar setup? Is it as simple as leaving them in water or do you need chemicals to induce rooting? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="256" LastEditorUserId="256" LastEditDate="2011-11-23T00:00:54.710" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T22:38:57.620" Title="What are some edible plants (vegetable or fruit) that can produce roots in water?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2918" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2921" CreationDate="2011-11-22T23:03:51.800" Score="15" ViewCount="4842" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought some mint twigs from the supermarket, and I needed only a few leaves. The rest of it was surplus, and I didn't want to throw it away. Knowing that mint is an invasive plant, I assumed it was hard to kill and could reproduce from basically any part of it, so I tried to put the twigs in water to see if they would produce roots. After three days, most of the twigs appear to be dry and dead. A small number of them, however, till have some leaves that appear healthy, so I still have hope. No roots though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have two questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this a possible way to propagate mint?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do you get mint, considering that the plant does not give seeds? I know that you can look for runners somewhere, but I don't know where, to be honest.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="256" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-22T23:09:08.477" LastActivityDate="2020-04-02T04:19:49.460" Title="How can I propagate mint?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2919" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-11-22T23:08:35.217" Score="11" ViewCount="417" Body="&lt;p&gt;These days, the seeds on display in garden centres are usually a mix of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F1_hybrid&quot;&gt;F1 hybrids&lt;/a&gt; and traditionals. And F1 seeds are invariably priced a quid or a couple of quid extra.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question to expert gardeners is: when is it worth paying the extra money for F1s? Or rather, given that (I assume, for most of us) our time, energy and effort is more valuable than a few extra pounds spent on seeds, when is it ever &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; worth paying extra for F1s?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-23T12:39:23.293" LastActivityDate="2017-03-24T21:48:23.840" Title="Is it worth paying the extra for F1 hybrid seeds?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;hybrids&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2920" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2935" CreationDate="2011-11-22T23:08:47.433" Score="12" ViewCount="1103" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lot of oak trees where I live, and I've heard that acorns are edible, although not particularly tasty. Is it true? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be honest I have only tried a minimal amount, too little to make any claim. I wasn't particularly eager to find myself at the hospital.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="256" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-07T14:13:18.407" LastActivityDate="2011-12-07T14:13:18.407" Title="Are acorns, or oak nuts, edible?" Tags="&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2918" CreationDate="2011-11-22T23:32:51.723" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mint is typically propagated, as you correctly say, by runners (or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;stolons&lt;/a&gt;). Stolons are longish horizontal parts of the stem that can either grow along the surface or underground and connect two vertical stems. Here's a picture of a mint stolon from &lt;a href=&quot;http://botany.0catch.com/mint0.html#3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;(I'll replace this with pictures from my plant when I get the time).&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/56Akqm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's the stolons that have the ability to put out both shoots (upward stems) and roots from the nodes. The upright stems do not have this ability and so if you only have mint stems from the grocery store, they're probably never going to grow roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason that you saw some of them remain fresh is because the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylem&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;xylem&lt;/a&gt;, which is the plant tissue responsible for upward water transport, might've still been alive and hence would've been transporting water to the leaves via capillary action. However, it cannot sustain itself this way, and without a corresponding upward transport from the roots, the capillary pull cannot balance the water loss from transpiration in the leaves and eventually they'll dry. Slowly, but surely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've not tried to get a stolon to root in water, however, I wouldn't be surprised if it did, although it's not really a common way of growing it. To propagate it effectively, you need a good section with a bit of root (not necessary though), part of the stolon (a must) and some shoots with leaves (to nourish the plant when it's establishing itself). Although highly uncommon, some varieties are propagated by seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding its invasiveness, you can contain mint by growing it in a pot. That way, eventually it will get root bound, which then determines its maximum size. If you plant it on the ground, you better be making &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2629/which-leaves-should-i-harvest-in-a-mint-plant/2630#2630&quot;&gt;lots of mojitos ;)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2011-11-22T23:32:51.723" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2922" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2919" CreationDate="2011-11-22T23:59:01.577" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually, if you are careful enough, you can control the soil conditions, nutrients, water and lighting pretty precisely. However, the differences in the genetic makeup of the plant is totally up for a game of dice. It is when that little difference matters to you, that you should get an F1. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, if you're a championship show rose grower, you would probably care for that little bit. You'd want your roses to all bloom in time, at the same time and look pretty consistent too, which is pretty much guaranteed with an F1, if you don't bungle up the rest of the variables. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're growing plants commercially and you want them to all be ready before a certain time (e.g., pumpkins for Halloween and Thanksgiving in the US), you'd probably want to take the safer route and get F1s. However, if you're planning on continuing with them and propagating those plants, you should note that F2s are unstable. You probably already knew that. So that means getting F1s every year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normally, these are of no concern to the average gardener. Most people really couldn't care less if the package said that the roses were 4&quot; in diameter and got ones that were only 3&quot; or if their pumpkins matured a week or two late. But some might. If you fall in that group, you might want to get F1s. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Essentially, it all boils down to &lt;em&gt;&quot;Is it worth it to &lt;strong&gt;you&lt;/strong&gt;?&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-11-22T23:59:01.577" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2923" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2933" CreationDate="2011-11-23T02:39:00.867" Score="9" ViewCount="671" Body="&lt;p&gt;I stored some bulbs in the fridge a while ago. Now it is already the 50th day. I am wondering, if I store it longer than the recommended duration (60 days), would anything happen to them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-23T02:56:15.887" LastActivityDate="2011-11-24T05:18:33.140" Title="Can bulbs be stored in the fridge for over 60 days?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;storage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2924" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2928" CreationDate="2011-11-23T02:52:53.147" Score="14" ViewCount="52131" Body="&lt;p&gt;After our house was built there is quite a bit of hardfill (river pebbles) mixed up with the topsoil around the section (approx 180sq.m.). We want to level the section, and loosen the top layer of soil to ready it for laying a lawn and growing a garden, and we're wondering what to do about the pebbles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We understand that leaving too many stones in the soil will reduce the capacity of the soil to hold moisture and can also prevent tree roots from forming normally so we're considering sieving the soil somehow. It sounds like the local landscaping contractors can't help us with sieving, so I suppose it will have to be done manually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We'd be happy if we could remove any stones with a diameter of 20mm or more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideas so far include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bird-netting (dump the soil on top, then lift the netting); this might be hard work when it comes to breaking up clumps of soil?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a wooden frame (supported, somehow) covered with chicken wire (several layers of wire to reduce the gap size); this might get stones stuck between layers of wire&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;something more rigid from the local building recycling firm (have yet to see what they've got)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would really appreciate any other ideas, or accounts of what's been tried and has proven effective. Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[Edit] Have added a photo to give an idea of what we're dealing with. This soil was dug up and scattered around the left side of this photo by contractors putting in the fence post to the left.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PEDnu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;stony ground, with brick for reference&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="715" LastEditorUserId="715" LastEditDate="2011-11-23T06:56:58.257" LastActivityDate="2018-09-10T18:14:07.297" Title="What techniques can be used to manually sieve stones from the soil efficiently?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2925" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="608" CreationDate="2011-11-23T04:23:19.113" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;One good use for oak leaves is as an overwintering blanket for tender plants.  Unlike maple leaves which tend to lie flat and create an impermeable sheet, oak leaves curl. With enough of them and a tomato cage, you can make a nice blanket which will protect your plant from the desiccation of winter winds&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-23T05:04:08.637" LastActivityDate="2011-11-23T05:04:08.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2926" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2947" CreationDate="2011-11-23T07:24:54.513" Score="12" ViewCount="525" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Willow water&quot; is a term for water that has had willow soaked in it to extract compounds that improve the chances of a cutting growing roots. &lt;a href=&quot;http://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/home-made-plant-rooting-hormone-willow-water/&quot;&gt;Here's a fairly descriptive article on it&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried it once when I was given some cuttings from a ficus tree, and one cutting grew roots (it's now about a metre tall, and makes a nice indoor plant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I don't know is how much of a difference it really makes to use willow water rather than just plain water (or commercial rooting hormone). Does anyone have a good feel as to how much it improves the strike rate of cuttings?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="715" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-29T18:46:05.570" LastActivityDate="2011-11-29T18:46:05.570" Title="Efficacy of &quot;willow water&quot; for improving propagation of cuttings" Tags="&lt;organic&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;rooting-hormone&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2927" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-08-29T18:21:08.893" Score="6" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;My spreader is gunked up with fertilizer so that the agitator does not spread out the fertilizer and seed anymore. How can I dissolve the fertilizer that is gunked in the agitator so that the spreader will work again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="0A0D" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-11-23T12:38:37.320" LastActivityDate="2011-12-08T02:41:14.240" Title="How can I dissolve the gunked up fertilizer in a Scotts Turfbuilder drop spreader?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2924" CreationDate="2011-11-23T13:56:18.520" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;The wooden frame you describe is what I use, but instead of chicken wire I use hardware cloth (wire mesh). I have one frame with 1/4&quot; mesh and one slightly larger (3/8&quot;? -- I think 1/2&quot; would be too big)). My large frame measures about 3' square, the small frame is built to fit over a specific bucket and measures about 15&quot; square.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The biggest problem with frames like mine is that you have to physically shake them by hand to get the soil to shake out. If I was going to build another one (and I likely will), I'd make it maybe 2' wide by 4-5' high so that I could set one end on a sawhorse and toss material onto it with a shovel. The material (rocky soil, compost, etc) would &quot;roll&quot; down the face of the screen, the fine material would fall through and the large material would stay on the front.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you didn't want to build a frame, I've seen people just throw a section of hardware cloth over a wheelbarrow and toss material onto it. Looks like more ongoing work though -- I think you're better off building a frame.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're a bit handy with carpentry, I've also seen frames that are built on a stand that has a couple of levers so that you can toss material on it and then grab the handles to shake it out. I think I saw it used at an archaeological dig site, but from what I could see the construction looked fairly simple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Details&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A couple of things that I didn't mention above:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The sifter should be designed so that rocks come out easily -- you don't want a fully enclosed frame, because then you have to tip it over to dump out the rocks.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ideally the sifter will be inclined -- the rocks will just &lt;em&gt;fall out&lt;/em&gt; instead of you having to remove them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Decide where you want to have the sifted soil land (e.g. wheelbarrow, container, or the ground) and design the sifter around that destination. For example, if you want to capture soil in your wheelbarrow, make the frame wide enough so that it sits on the wheelbarrow edges, tilted so that you lose the rocks between the handles, and not so high that it will tip over your wheelbarrow.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Photos / References&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nifty-stuff.com/compost-sifter-screen-sieve.php&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; has some photos of a simple frame sieve like mine. He built rails so it's easier to shake. (I've used a pair of sawhorses as rails instead of building a special jig.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mybackyardplans.com/compostsifter.php&quot;&gt;detailed plans&lt;/a&gt; for a simple frame.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0EA580985474E2EE&quot;&gt;youtube playlist&lt;/a&gt; that has several different styles -- flat shakers and rotary style, manual and motorized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://secure.flickr.com/photos/buffaloreuse/3821105970/&quot;&gt;This one&lt;/a&gt; is on a stand as suggested by Ed Staub in a comment below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-11-27T23:30:07.980" LastActivityDate="2011-11-27T23:30:07.980" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2929" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="268" CreationDate="2011-11-23T18:57:11.870" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can grow non-fruiting vegetables, like lettuce and spinach, indoors under florescent bulb. Use 6500K bulbs. You need 30 watts per square foot. Place the bulbs so close to the plants that they nearly touch. Raise the light as the plant grows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="784" LastActivityDate="2011-11-23T18:57:11.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2931" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2923" CreationDate="2011-11-23T23:19:24.300" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year, I stored tulips and daffodils in the fridge from September until January.  I only got one daffodil to bloom (but the weather was VERY flip-floppy last year which confused my entire garden).  However, the tulips all bloomed incredibly (it was perfect temperatures for them when they were busy blooming).&lt;br&gt;&#xA;My conclusion is that your bulbs will be fine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="786" LastActivityDate="2011-11-23T23:19:24.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2932" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11081" CreationDate="2011-11-24T02:50:04.757" Score="12" ViewCount="3720" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant has small white flowers and dark fruits - almost black.  Seems like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_subpeltata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Passiflora subpeltata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; - but the fruit is very dark - not sure if they started out green as some sites described.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cftCp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cftCpm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X8vlb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X8vlbm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm seeing a lot of articles which say that they contain cyanide, but others that say they are edible.  Also sites which say that some fruits are edible when mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It tastes very sweet and stains fingers readily. I thought of using it as a cocktail mixer, but I guess that might not be a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these fruits edible or should I stay away from them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="41" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-24T10:39:16.683" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T13:51:40.823" Title="Is the fruit of passion vine edible?" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2933" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2923" CreationDate="2011-11-24T05:18:33.140" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, I should think so, but I suppose the success rate would vary depending on what kind of bulb it is. Bulbs contain the food or nutrients to keep it alive while it is dormant through the winter. Sixty days in the fridge is shorter than an outdoor overwintering and definitely cool enough so they should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the bulb is too squishy it might have started to rot, or if it's crispy it might have died. Otherwise I think they have a very good chance of germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2011-11-24T05:18:33.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2934" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="220" CreationDate="2011-11-25T10:19:36.233" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;For years we tried all sorts of things to deter unwanted interlopers entering our property. First it was stray cats. They used to get under the house in the middle of the night making loud noises right under where we slept. I used to bang on the floor, go outside in the dark and throw things at them. They still came back. So after some thought I bought an Audi Sub machine gun and loaded it. No not with bullets as it was a battery powered water gun, so loaded it with Cloudy Ammonia. Anyway after a few nights shooting at the cats it fixed the problem. I think the cloudy ammonia soaked into the bases of the house support beams and the ground. Most cats mark their territory with urine so in the dark the cats smelling the cloudy ammonia probrably though a lion had been wandering around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Years after the property next door had many wild rabbits on it. During The night they used to invade our property and feast on fresh vegetables. The front lawn looked like a golf course with the many holes they had dug. So one day I simply sprayed the border of our property once again with cloudy ammonia. This must have soaked into the grass and ground, as since that day we have never had another rabbit on our property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another problem that I fixed up is we had many birds getting into our vegetable and herb garden. Knowing that a birds and some small animals worse nightmare is an Owl I bought a plastic one. However the birds soon woke up that it wasn't real, as it did not move its head.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So with this in mind I scanned a picture of an owls face, making sure it was one with huge yellow eye's (These are the most predatory owls) and frightens even squirrels and other small animals. Then with my laser printer I printed the owls face onto a CD or DVD stick on label. This I affixed to an old CD or DVD disk on the label side. With a diamond drill bored a small hole near the top edge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the laser printing of the owls face was in black and white or greyscale colour I then proceeded to paint in the Eye's with the yellow as per the coloured picture of the owl from the original in the bird book.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When it had dried then suspended it with a short length of fishing line just above the vegetables in our garden. The least bit of breeze it spins around first one shiny disk side then suddenly swinging around with the fearsome staring face of the owl.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I asked a friend what she thought. First I displayed the shiny side of the CD disk and just like in Achmed the Dead Terrorist&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neTsQng-70o&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neTsQng-70o&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I asked her, are you afraid? She replied Not really! Then I flipped the disk round to the glaring owl's face and asked her, How about now? She replied &quot;&lt;strong&gt;A bit&lt;/strong&gt;&quot; so if it works on her I thought it surely would on the birds, and it did.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Happy gardening&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peter&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="787" LastActivityDate="2011-11-25T10:19:36.233" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2935" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2920" CreationDate="2011-11-25T13:59:13.627" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes they are, and I've seen my wife (biology professor) demonstrate this at a city event in front of TV! There are a few folk recipes that use acorns, but yes they are very bitter due to the tannins they contain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Quericus&lt;/em&gt; (oaks) are a large genus of trees. I would not like to rely on ALL of them being edible. Seek out a local expert on your local oak species first...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My wife adds: she thinks all of them technically are, but whites are more palatable than red or black acorns due to the tannins. White oaks have smooth lobed leaves, red oaks have points on their margins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-11-25T13:59:13.627" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2937" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2938" CreationDate="2011-11-26T09:35:38.473" Score="19" ViewCount="45619" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our lucky bamboo has turned yellow in a very short time, after we've had it for almost 2 years. We've trimmed all yellow leaves, and changed the pebble to clean the green algae - what else can be done? Why did this happen and what can we do to save it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Da3iA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Da3iAm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CqJz4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CqJz4m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OEVwE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OEVwEm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/56WqV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/56WqVm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="225" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-26T15:00:43.950" LastActivityDate="2020-05-31T03:18:53.393" Title="Why has our lucky bamboo turned yellow?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2938" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2937" CreationDate="2011-11-26T15:13:30.743" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me that your lucky bamboo is root bound. What that means is that the roots have outgrown the pot the plant is in and are getting suffocated. This reduces their ability to take in fertilizers and water, even if you're feeding them on schedule and can cause stunted growth and sometimes, yellowing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a plant potted in soil, you'd see something like the second picture &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1907/109&quot;&gt;in this answer&lt;/a&gt;. Your's looks a little different from that because of the pebbles, which are harder for the roots to push around. But the problem is the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would suggest getting a larger pot and transplanting it so that the roots get some 'breathing space'. You might also want to propagate a couple of cuttings, as Mike Perry notes in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1655/how-to-replant-bamboo-water-based-plants&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before transplanting into a larger pot, I would take a cutting or two from the plant (if it's viable, I can't tell from the photo as it doesn't show the top/whole of the plant) and propagate those cuttings, just in case something goes wrong during the transplant process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Here is a video on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNvRq4cd_U8&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;How To Propagate Your Lucky Bamboo&amp;quot;&lt;/a&gt; that may prove helpful/useful.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-11-26T15:13:30.743" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2939" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2937" CreationDate="2011-11-26T15:51:51.900" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen symptoms like this when the water has dropped too low (roots start to die and rot) and/or when the water has turned anoxic (no oxygen). Note that rotting roots when re-submerged will quickly turn the water anoxic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I consider my answer and yoda's above to have a lot of overlap. We're both talking about a root problem and some variation of suffocation/anoxia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One symptom of chemical anoxia is a sulfurous smell - and I have smelt this with lucky bamboo in an extreme case (stems had truly rotted!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-11-26T15:51:51.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2940" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1341" CreationDate="2011-11-27T11:31:57.763" Score="6" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove all maturing fruit so the plant doesn't think it has done its job (to make seed) and die.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Moist soil is OK but never over-water (especially in winter) and never let it get totally dried out or get soggy feet (unless you're growing hydroponically!).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Good soil nutrient levels are important to strengthen the plant before over-wintering (yellowing leaves can be a sign of low nutrients as well as other things).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When potting on, try to move the complete root ball with not too much disturbance and avoid crushing roots and stems. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Good light levels with no overwintering drafts (i.e. move them off windowsills at night if indoors, put back in high light levels in a warm spot during daylight).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If the plant drops its leaves to go into winter dormancy, trim the main stem back to above the healthiest, green, 'branch' point and keep an eye out for any further browning and be prepared to trim again if necessary, then wait for new growth in spring.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pay attention to what the plant is telling you BUT it may still die - they can be fickle things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="790" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T20:40:31.680" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T20:40:31.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2941" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2951" CreationDate="2011-11-28T02:17:12.817" Score="10" ViewCount="2931" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to build an inexpensive, removable greenhouse over the back deck. The deck is approximately 20' x 8'. I'd like to build it for easy disassembly and storage in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never seen anyone attempt to cover their deck with a removable greenhouse. Are there some issues I should consider in planning a project such as this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for suggestions for the covering. Does it matter if the covering is clear or would it work better if it was green tinted or semitransparent? I'm also considering using &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lowes.com/pd_77559-1115-1413A_?PL=1&amp;amp;productId=3043880&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tuftex clear corrugated plastic roof panels&lt;/a&gt;. Is a viable option?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any recommended resources pertaining to this would be greatly appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional info:&#xA;Although, topically overcast and rainy we currently have about 9 hours of daylight.&#xA;I live in &quot;USDA Hardiness Zone 8a-8b&quot; where the average low is 20°F through 10°F.&#xA;Snow is unlikely and minimal at 0-3 inches in a year. High temperatures for the winter and spring would be in the low 40°F through 70°F. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for orientation of the deck, the long axis runs east-west.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in the Pacific North Wet (as I call it, instead 'West') an abundance of rain seems to harm some of the plants, especially the tomatoes. Just the act of covering the tomatoes in the fall season seems to greatly extend their lifespan. In fact, I've got six tomato plants covered on the deck that are still producing and tomorrow starts the first of December. It is getting cold enough though that I have to pick the tomatoes green or yellow and let them ripen inside. I'm guessing that if I were to cover them in a greenhouse, it would produce an even better outcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Purpose for building a greenhouse over the deck:&#xA;- Cover six large plants of tomatoes.&#xA;- Keep the herbs through the cold, wet winter seasons. &#xA;  (Example: rosemary, thyme, basil, mint, lemon balm, lavender, green onions, etc.)&#xA;- Growth of a late fall produce &#xA;  (Example: lettuce, spinach, etc.)&#xA;- Shelter flowers&#xA;- Grow starts in the early spring&#xA;- Ability go out on the deck without getting cold &amp;amp; wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="791" LastEditorUserId="791" LastEditDate="2011-11-30T19:05:30.530" LastActivityDate="2015-05-29T06:50:10.550" Title="Building a DIY greenhouse  - where to start?" Tags="&lt;resources&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2942" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2943" CreationDate="2011-11-28T21:19:08.283" Score="13" ViewCount="28259" Body="&lt;p&gt;First a little backstory: I bought the basil at a supermarket, where it came in a small plastic vase. I kept it in this vase for three weeks. During these three weeks, I did the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;kept it at the window, with an additional timer lamp to provide more light during the evening (here the sun goes down very early)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;watered from the bottom, with a reversed coke to always keep some water around. The result was a humid soil on the top.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;on top of a heat radiator. There's a space of 15 cm between the radiator and the actual board where the vase is sitting. I am not using an aggressive temperature. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In these conditions, the basil appeared to grow well. Got good leaves and new sprouting leaves were well established. I got a couple of slightly yellow leaves in the lower parts of some plants. This may hint at excessive watering, as I read around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two days ago I realized the roots were coming out the drain holes, so I decided to transplant the plants into three vases. It is the first time I attempt this procedure, so I am quite sure I did it wrong: I took the plants out of the old vase. I found out that it was basically a lump of roots. I tried to pull, and I clearly felt the roots breaking. I tried to put the lump in water to release some soil but it remained a (now wet) lump. Ok. I just pulled it into three pieces, moved each of them into a vase, where I put some new soil, the lump, and soil all around and to cover it. The new soil is pH 5-6.5, with NPK 14-16-18 fertilizer in slow release coated granules.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the transplant (which I did at around 15:00, which means that after the transplant, the plants got only three hours of indirect light), I put the three vases (which have drainage as well) in basically the previous situation: a water buffer in a larger container, with the vases inside. The only difference is that I haven't provided artificial light, since I am using the lamp for some sprouts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After only one day, some plants are clearly stressed and on the brink of death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3y9Lm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is one of the three vases. Note how some plants appear healthy, while one is clearly dying. This happened within 24 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What did I do wrong ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="256" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-28T23:08:26.737" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T20:42:41.467" Title="My basil had a shock after transplanting. What did I do wrong?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2943" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2942" CreationDate="2011-11-28T23:19:19.790" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is not unexpected in the first 24 hours. Transplanting certainly induces shock to the plant and all we can do is to minimize the shock. The snapping of the roots you heard is quite common when you separate out root bound plants and as long as you weren't aggressive or remove a lot of them, they should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, here are some observations that might affect your plant's health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A soil pH of 5-6.5 is perhaps a little too acidic for basil. Normally, basil can tolerate something a little to either side of neutral, so about 6-8. However, 5 is getting into blueberry territory and you might want to take care of that, lest the plant dies.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Basil requires full sun, i.e. 8+ hours of sun. Given that you planted in the afternoon, with only 3 hours of sunlight, followed by 12 hours of darkness, I'm not surprised that the plant hasn't had the time to recoup itself. If you have a part of the house which gets good direct sun, I'd suggest moving it there, at least till it establishes itself.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is possible that the roots of the drooping plant were 'damaged' a bit more than the others, so it has to also heal and grow those in addition.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would suggest giving it a few more days to gauge its health (at least 2-3 full days, where it has had the chance to enjoy the sun), before concluding that its dying. Lastly, since it's pretty cold now where you are, I wouldn't suggest taking it anywhere outside as basil plants hate the cold. This could also explain a rather sluggish growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-11-28T23:19:19.790" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2944" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2776" CreationDate="2011-11-29T02:22:39.477" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see some problems here:&#xA;Fuji apple trees are not self fertile so you would need two late blooming apple trees to get any fruit set&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Anything less than full sun will reduce the amount of flower and fruit set.  How your plants will do could vary depending on such hard to measure things as amount of reflected light, if there are drying winds to stress the plant and so on&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Even a dwarf apple tree will need some well informed pruning to keep the amount of top weight within manageable proportions.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Likely you would want to do some thinning after fruit set to get fewer but larger apples.  Some research on this will show you how easy this can be.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The almond tree is self fertile but normally grows 10 to 12 feet, but can be controlled to grow only 8 feet.  Even in a pot on a balcony a mature height of 6' to 8' with annual pruning is not out of the question.&#xA;Again, reduced sun equates to reduced yield.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;For both plants they require chill hours to set dormancy.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  As much as they need a few hundred hours of temperatures below 15 degree Fahrenheit their root systems cannot get too cold.  Depending on your location you may wish to buy some Styrofoam SM or similar insulation and make a little box around the pot to assist in the wintering over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is likely they will grow and set fruit and nuts at a reduced yield and with the proviso a more maintenance than for in ground plants.  Whether they will grow &quot;well&quot; is too hard to tell&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-11-29T02:22:39.477" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2945" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="707" CreationDate="2011-11-29T09:39:27.867" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sempervivum &lt;strong&gt;is not&lt;/strong&gt; a houseplant!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;problem&quot; you describe is called flowering :) Once starting to flower, the rosette starts to grow upwards (in your case sadly sidewards &amp;amp; downwards which shows the unfavourable conditions plant was growing in!). Afterwards, the flowering plant dies, and this is normal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://sempervivum.aforumfree.com&quot;&gt;Here's&lt;/a&gt; more on Sempervivum cultivation on my website.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="793" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-29T18:50:42.790" LastActivityDate="2011-11-29T18:50:42.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2946" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2941" CreationDate="2011-11-29T12:12:30.097" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The coverage should be transparent or semitransparent. Both have advantages and disadvantages, but I would prefer semitransparent glass (or plastic), because the solar radiation will be scattered. Maybe a plastic-foil could also be a possibility. Plastic materials must be UV-resistant. Don't use colored materials (green or whatever), as plants react on many spectral ranges of sunlight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="792" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-29T18:35:26.557" LastActivityDate="2011-11-29T18:35:26.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2926" CreationDate="2011-11-29T12:25:31.490" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Willow water could contain an unusually high amount of &quot;phyto-hormones&quot;, which support the growth of roots. I think this will be an auxine-derivate, which the willow contains. Clear water doesn't contain those phyto-hormones. So plant and root-growth comes from the cuttings themselves. However, I'm not 100% sure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Conventional rooting hormones containing those pyhto-hormones, but they are synthetic. One exception may exist, if I'm not wrong — There's a product based on a special variety of seaweed. The seaweed used contains a relatively high amount of auxines and this product might be used in organic horticulture/agriculture in Europe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="792" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-29T18:44:31.407" LastActivityDate="2011-11-29T18:44:31.407" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2824" CreationDate="2011-11-29T12:42:29.567" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is important to use the given varieties or similar ones for over-wintering.&#xA;These varieties are bred for this purpose, while others may not be and might die when the frost hits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Old vs. new seed:&lt;/strong&gt; You can test if the seed still grows. Use kitchen paper, fold it like an accordion (&lt;code&gt;/\/\/\&lt;/code&gt;), wet it, put the seed on it and wait. If seed is thick or hard (like beans), you could put everything into a jar with some holes in the cover. If the seed is very old, you will have only inferior germination or none at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After seeding, I would expect a small plant over winter which starts to grow in spring. But I'm not sure on this point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeding into pots should also work. You could try both now and next winter, you'll know what the better way is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="792" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-29T18:41:50.407" LastActivityDate="2011-11-29T18:41:50.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2949" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2605" CreationDate="2011-11-29T12:56:44.980" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perhaps this is a possible definition:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grass is the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Turf is the area where grass is grown and cut twice a week with a lawn mower. Usually, turf is made from a mix of different types of grass varieties, depending on the use (garden vs. football field). Turf may be seeded directly or pre-cultivated (e.g., rolled turf)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Artificial turf is plastic. You won't mix artificial and naturally grown grass, because it doesn't make sense really. Artificial turf is based on plastic-mats and I think it will not be easy for grass-plants to get through that mat with their roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="792" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-29T19:07:29.613" LastActivityDate="2011-11-29T19:07:29.613" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2950" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-11-29T17:43:26.567" Score="11" ViewCount="193" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Northern Virginia and am concerned about possible heavy snow damaging two &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.conard-pyle.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/koplants.splash&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;knockout rosebushes&lt;/a&gt; this winter. Is it okay to trim them slightly now with a bigger trim at the beginning of spring? I don't want to stimulate new growth now if that's the wrong thing to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="794" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-12-28T14:37:18.730" LastActivityDate="2011-12-28T14:37:18.730" Title="Can I trim knockout rosebushes in winter?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2951" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2941" CreationDate="2011-11-29T22:37:34.063" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would still be useful to add a couple of details to your question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are you going to grow?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What orientation does your deck have? (Which way is the long axis running -- north-south, east-west, in between?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on what you've said so far, I can provide some general things to consider:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm assuming you'll be using it to start plants from seed -- vegetables, flowers, etc. prior to transplanting them in the ground when the soil warms up.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;20x8' is pretty big. (It's huge!)&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For comparison: I start hundreds of plants (basil, tomatoes, squash, cole crops, celery, annual flowers, etc) every spring on two shelving racks in my basement -- about 6' wide x 6' deep x 7' high. That's enough to fill a 4000 sq ft veg garden plus smaller flower gardens in a third of the space you're proposing. &lt;em&gt;(Well, sometimes there's overflow to a third rack upstairs, but that's only when I'm hardening off one batch of plants and starting a new one.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you are going to use it for sheltering dwarf fruit trees or something like that, then maybe you'll need that extra space.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;(It just occurred to me that maybe you're going to use it as a warm place to hang out during cold but sunny winter days? Is this part of your plan?)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Depending on how cold it gets at night, since you're not going to heat it, you may not be able to use it to start heat-loving plants like tomatoes, peppers, etc. I think it will get too cold at night. (You may be able to prove me wrong on this point by adding thermal mass to the greenhouse so that it stays warm -- 65-70°F at night.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You should research greenhouses that are built out of metal conduit. A friend built a small (6x6' or so) &quot;gothic roof&quot; style greenhouse, covered with poly sheeting, that worked out really well for her to start plants as described above. A structure this small could be firmly attached to your deck (to prevent blowing over) while in use, and then detached and carried away to be stored during the off-season.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've seen plans for houses built out of plastic conduit too, you can check these out while you're doing your research.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Consider very carefully how you are going to ventilate it. Roll-up sides might be handy. Self-ventilating roof panels might work on smaller structures. On a larger structure you may need to invest in some large fans that will need to be built-in to the endwalls and operated on a thermostat.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ventilation is critical.&lt;/strong&gt; A sunny 70°F day in February will create a &lt;strong&gt;very&lt;/strong&gt; hot greenhouse, and you will kill all of your plants! Even a sunny 40°F day is dangerous.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You may want to consider using shade cloth to keep the temp down on warm days. (But this works against providing light, see below.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On the flip side, you'll want to retain heat at night (see above), so you'll need a way to make sure that your ventilation shuts off / closes when the greenhouse starts to cool at the end of the day.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Depending on how short the days are during your winter, you may need to provide supplemental lighting. In my basement &quot;nursery&quot;, I put my seedlings under fluorescent lights on a timer for 12-14 hours of light per day.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Regarding the corrugated roof panels you're considering: I've seen a wood-framed greenhouse built with something similar (roughly 8x8'). It lasted several years and worked very well but eventually collapsed under a heavy snow load. If you decide to use these, consider carefully how much wear and tear you're going to create in your setup and teardown. (I doubt poly sheeting will be very reusable, but it's much cheaper than the panels.)&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yes, it matters that the covering (&quot;glazing&quot;) is clear. &lt;strong&gt;Plants need light to grow&lt;/strong&gt;. The lower the light transmission of your glazing, the poorer your plants will do. I know of a greenhouse built using &quot;smoked&quot; glass (it was free) where (a) it doesn't warm up on sunny spring days like you might expect a greenhouse to do, (b) the plants don't thrive because they aren't getting full strength sunlight, (c) seedlings get &quot;leggy&quot; because they aren't getting full strength sunlight. I would go for the most transparent glazing you can get.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you're going to use it for starting plants as described above, what are you going to use for shelving? Are you going to stack vertically? If you're depending on overhead sunlight (versus sunlight entering at an angle), consider that top shelves will shade lower shelves. How high will the sidewalls be?&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;At 8' wide you can have multiple rows. Consider carefully which way your long axis runs, and whether stacked shelving on the outside rows is going to shade the inside rows.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you're going to build the large structure, and you plan to have a lot of plants out there, you're going to have a &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; heavy load -- all that soil and water, shelving, and the framing and glazing of the structure itself. (And possibly thermal mass -- e.g. barrels of water, bricks?) You may need to evaluate (by a pro) your deck to see if it has sufficient structural capacity to carry this large load.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Greenhouses are warm, damp places. Warm and damp is generally good for fungus and bad for wood. Consider how this may impact your deck. (You're going to disassemble it for the summer, so maybe this won't be such a big impact. It will depend somewhat on your climate.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do some thinking about these aspects, a bit of research on what you think you need, and come back here and ask specific questions about your project.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Disclaimer: I don't (yet) have my own greenhouse. Budget and siting have prevented me from getting one set up -- wind (50 mph+) and snow load (4') are major considerations for me, so I'll need a very sturdy structure. I've done a lot of research, and watched various hobbyists operate their own greenhouses, which is where the info above comes from.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-11-29T22:37:34.063" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2952" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2983" CreationDate="2011-11-30T01:47:29.443" Score="7" ViewCount="556" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, the new house has a mystery tree. Our initial guess was some form of a broad leaved &lt;em&gt;ligustrum&lt;/em&gt;. It appears to be evergreen - no leaves have been lost yet although the neighboring peaches have lost all their leaves in the past week, and the post oaks have lost almost all their leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Height is a little over 12 ft. The leaves almost remind me of an apple - but they're glossy/waxy (unlike an apple).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bushes in the background are small-leaved &lt;em&gt;ligustrum&lt;/em&gt; (&quot;privet&quot; in the UK). &lt;em&gt;Ligustrum&lt;/em&gt; is an invasive here in Texas — the bushes will be replaced in the next 6-12 months. The identification of this tree could seal its fate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spring Addenda: Flowers are white with five petals. They did not last long and unfortunately I did not get any photos. More like blossom than a &lt;em&gt;ligustrum&lt;/em&gt; flower. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click to enlarge&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AyLVd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AyLVdm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Overall photo of mystery tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C8y4L.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C8y4Lm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Detail of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-19T20:45:23.027" LastActivityDate="2013-03-17T10:19:20.903" Title="What is this tree with dark, broad leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2953" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-30T02:13:13.070" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions where a particularly frugal solution is required. Ie. a solution that is thrifty (doesn't cost much) and/or re-uses an existing item.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-30T02:13:13.070" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T02:13:13.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2954" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-30T02:13:13.070" Score="0" Body="For questions that are thrifty and/or re-use items." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-30T02:13:13.070" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T02:13:13.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2955" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-30T02:17:01.080" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hybrids are specimens produced by crossing two (or more) species, sub-species, or cultivars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Technically, biology (especially genetics) also recognizes a range of different hybrid types; but horticulture limits the definition to this general meaning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In nature, a number of plants will readily hybridize (form hybrids). Examples include &lt;em&gt;Sarracenia&lt;/em&gt; (trumpet pitcher plants) and &lt;em&gt;Opuntia&lt;/em&gt; (prickly pears).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hybrids may also form naturally between sub-species, and between cultivars. Cultivars are typically produced with a mixture of selective breeding (selection of seed from plants with required traits) and hybridization of plants with the required traits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about hybrids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-15T20:26:09.707" LastActivityDate="2012-03-15T20:26:09.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2956" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-30T02:17:01.080" Score="0" Body="A specimen produced by crossing two species, sub-species, or cultivars." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-30T02:17:01.080" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T02:17:01.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2957" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-30T02:20:48.250" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Rooting hormone&quot; is one of a number of &lt;strong&gt;auxins&lt;/strong&gt; - hormones which control plant growth and behavior.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rooting hormones promote root initiation, growth of existing roots, and branching of roots. In horticulture, the auxins NAA and IBA, are often applied to the base of a cutting in order to promote root growth and improve the chances of survival of the cutting as a new plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rooting hormones are typically sold as powders and are readily available in plant stores.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about applying root hormones, and where the use of root hormone may be relevant to the question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-30T02:20:48.250" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T02:20:48.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2958" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-30T02:20:48.250" Score="0" Body="Common name for Auxins which promote root growth." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-30T02:20:48.250" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T02:20:48.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2959" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-30T02:25:57.400" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Popular name for &lt;em&gt;Chlorophytum comosum&lt;/em&gt; (member of the &lt;em&gt;Asparagaceae&lt;/em&gt; family), a herbaceous plant native to tropical and southern Africa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spider plants (especially variegated ones) are popular as house plants and office plants, due to their tolerance of a wide range of conditions - especially the relative neglect of office environments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roots are tuberous. Leaves are long and thin - often growing to 45cm in length.&#xA;Flowers form in a long branched inflorescence. Most of the flowers will quickly die off, resulting in a sparse inflorescence with a few small flowers. These will form plantlets (stolons according to some sources) producing a characteristic branching plant with small plants on the end of stems. These can be removed as a very easy form of propagation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing spider plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-30T02:25:57.400" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T02:25:57.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2960" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-30T02:25:57.400" Score="0" Body="Popular name for *Chlorophytum comosum*." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-30T02:25:57.400" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T02:25:57.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2961" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-30T02:30:57.970" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thyme is the common name for a group of herbs in the &lt;em&gt;Thymus&lt;/em&gt; genus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thyme has a strong flavor due to the presence of thymol. As well as its use in culinary flavoring, it has been used for folk medicine (bring courage, warding off nightmares), as well as embalming by Ancient Egyptians. in recent decades, thymol has been used as an active ingredient in mouthwashes, hand sanitizers; and for bandage treatments (the latter before the discovery of antibiotics).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thyme prefers hot sunny locations with well-drained soil. It is usually grown as a perennial and tolerates drought well; in addition to frost and deep freezes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing thyme.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-30T02:30:57.970" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T02:30:57.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2962" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-30T02:30:57.970" Score="0" Body="Culinary and medicinal herb, genus *Thymus*." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-30T02:30:57.970" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T02:30:57.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2963" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="129" CreationDate="2011-11-30T02:33:02.543" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have almost no land but I am still able to grow a plethora of fruits, herbs, and veggies. If you have the pots and soil, you can grow whatever your local area can provide based upon weather and sunlight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I grow: tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, key limes, lemons, beans, lettuce, radish, catnip, onions, basil, spinach, pineapples, and much more herbs. The small trees I have are in large garbage cans, and everything else is in pots with potatoes in the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck! Just keep working on it and check to see what will grow well in your area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="796" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-11-30T02:44:02.567" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T02:44:02.567" CommentCount="2" CommunityOwnedDate="2011-11-30T02:33:02.543" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2964" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2967" CreationDate="2011-11-30T02:45:06.013" Score="9" ViewCount="699" Body="&lt;p&gt;The new house also has a couple of banana trees! What is the best way of over-wintering them? I am in USDA Zone 8a and we've just started to get frosts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the research/asking around that I've done, it sounds like there are two main approaches: dig them up (like dahlias in the UK); or cut them down and cover them up with leaves or burlap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One tree is pretty small - less than six foot including leaves. The other is much taller - well over 12 feet with leaves. This latter one is already showing signs of frost damage and it is also too big to dig up - and even the smaller one might leave a large hole (I don't know how big the roots are).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So covering them up sounds the best approach. How far should I cut them back? To ground level? To a few feet? They're pretty hefty: Is there a recommended way of doing this? Time to sharpen the hatchet, or learn how to use a machete?  (the latter would give the proper tropical feel to the exercise!) It might seem an odd question, but is there a particular way of burlap wrapping? Multiple layers, or just string &amp;amp; sacks?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming they are a hardy variety of banana, but I really don't know if they are plantains or sweet bananas. The large one would imply they've been over-wintered before but my experience in Costa Rica is that bananas can grow very fast in the right conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although it would be very cool to have fruit, I think I'm resigned to them being purely ornamental plants - I understand they require a frost-free winter before they will have any chance of producing fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T09:44:55.690" Title="What is the best way to over-winter bananas?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2965" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2969" CreationDate="2011-11-30T05:16:17.317" Score="9" ViewCount="646" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do wattles (roughly Australian &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Acacia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; species) have the same ability as other members of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabaceae&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fabaceae&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (legume) family to fix nitrogen from air via symbiosis with soil bacteria? For instance, it's well known that peas and beans do, but what about the more tree-like legumes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not a completely academic question for me. I'm wondering if planting wattles would be a useful way to gradually improve the surrounding soil by adding nitrogen, while being a chance to plant native species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zlOUS.png&quot; alt=&quot;Wattle: Acacia buxifolia&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/flickr-photo-of-the-week-wattle-tree.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Acacia buxifolia&lt;/em&gt; image source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-12-01T00:12:51.863" LastActivityDate="2011-12-01T00:12:51.863" Title="Do wattles have the same ability to fix nitrogen from air as other legumes?" Tags="&lt;nitrogen&gt;&lt;legumes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2966" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-11-30T08:04:08.640" Score="1" ViewCount="201" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1750/millipedes-eating-my-vegetable-seedlings&quot;&gt;How do I deal with millipedes eating my vegetable seedlings?&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I get rid of millipedes they have taken over and are under anything left lying on the ground? I am pretty sure they are responsible for a lot of damage in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="797" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T08:16:14.517" Title="How do I get rid of milllipedes in the garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;millipedes&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2011-11-30T08:12:12.880" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2967" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2964" CreationDate="2011-11-30T09:29:28.977" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not easy to give the right answer, as it depends on the winter hardiness of the banana varieties. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the institute of horticulture, where I'm working, we have some banana plants outside. This is in southern Bavaria, USDA-zone 7. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These banana plants are over-wintered with an thick coverage of bubble wrap, bambus-mats and fleece inside. The leaves are cut (on a height of ~1m / 3-4'). Additionally it is possible to protect the roots with an thick mat made from coconut fibers, which is laid on the ground around the shoot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I said above: It depends mostly on the variety, if this is possible or not. No guarantee if this is working for you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GTs7I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Frost protection: Bubble wrap around bananas&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6EX4m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Frost protection: Fleece under bubble wrap&quot;&gt;&#xA;License of these photos taken by myself: creative-commons cc-by-sa-3.0&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="792" LastEditorUserId="792" LastEditDate="2011-11-30T09:44:55.690" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T09:44:55.690" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2968" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2974" CreationDate="2011-11-30T12:22:28.533" Score="15" ViewCount="5715" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1907/99&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; talks about pruning the roots of a plant when it has become rootbound. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IJekV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How easy is it and how do you go about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T15:27:42.797" Title="How do I prune the roots of a rootbound plant?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2969" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2965" CreationDate="2011-11-30T12:58:44.423" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;My understanding is that this is one of the defining points of the &lt;em&gt;Fabaceae&lt;/em&gt;. Trees in this group definitely act like legumes - other examples include mesquite and Texas red bud. As it happens, only a couple of weeks ago I was talking about plant diversity with MrsWinwaed - one of the ones I mentioned were the &lt;em&gt;Fabaceae&lt;/em&gt; which include clover, beans, and mesquite - three quite different looking plants!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another feature of them is they usually have high protein levels (eg. beans) due to the extra nitrogen made available by the nodules. &lt;em&gt;Acacia&lt;/em&gt; are known for having high protein, so I think it is safe to say they do fix nitrogen in reasonable quantities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T12:58:44.423" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2970" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-30T14:21:04.133" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Millipede ( Latin &quot;&lt;em&gt;mille&lt;/em&gt;&quot; and &quot;&lt;em&gt;pes&lt;/em&gt;&quot; - thousand feet) is an arthropod with two pairs of legs per body segment, with the exception of the head (no legs) and the first few segments which often only have single pairs of legs. Pairs of legs occur due to the fusing of adjacent segments. Millipedes belong to the class &lt;em&gt;Diplopoda&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The majority of millipedes have long elongated, cylindrical bodies. Many can roll up in a similar way as a pill-bug (wood lice).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Despite their name, no millipede has 1000 legs. The most ever recorded is 750, and most common species have between 36 and 400 legs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The similar centipede tends to have less legs (only one pair per segment), moves more quickly, and the legs tend to be longer relative to the width of the body.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The majority of millipedes are herbivores and usually feed on decomposing plant matter or organic matter present in soil. In a horticultural setting, they are often found near compost heaps. The few carnivorous species feed on small insects, centipedes, and earthworms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about millipedes - are they posing a problem, does a compost heap have too many, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-14T20:04:18.593" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T20:04:18.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2971" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-30T14:21:04.133" Score="0" Body="Arthropods with two pairs of legs per segment." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-30T14:21:04.133" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T14:21:04.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2972" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-11-30T14:53:07.793" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of genus &lt;em&gt;Musa&lt;/em&gt; and their fruit. They are native to South and Southeast Asia, and were first domesticated on Papua New Guinea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most modern edible bananas are produced from crosses of two wild species: &lt;em&gt;Musa acuminata&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Musa balbisiana&lt;/em&gt;. Starchier fruit of the &lt;em&gt;Musa&lt;/em&gt; are known as &lt;strong&gt;plantains&lt;/strong&gt; or &quot;cooking bananas&quot;. The names &quot;plantain&quot; and &quot;banana&quot; are often used interchangeably, although banana is usually considered sweeter, and plantain starchier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wild bananas typically have large, hard seeds inside the fruit. Cultivated bananas and plantains are parthenocarpic (no fertilization) and only have seed remnants. As such they cannot be propagated by seed and must be cloned (eg. with cuttings).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bananas are considered topical plants and require a frost-free winter to produce fruit. They are grown as ornamental trees in warmer temperate zones which only experience mild frosts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing bananas and plantains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-11-30T14:53:07.793" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T14:53:07.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2973" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-11-30T14:53:07.793" Score="0" Body="Common name for genus Musa and their fruit." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-08T07:18:49.507" LastActivityDate="2021-01-08T07:18:49.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="2974" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2968" CreationDate="2011-11-30T15:27:42.797" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Root pruning is typically done when the roots of the plant are all entangled and have begun growing around in circles. Pruning is necessary for the continued growth and health of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning approaches can vary wildly, depending on how badly the plant is root bound, but the essential goal in each case is the same: free the roots! I'll describe two ways of doing it, depending on the severity of root boundedness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;1. Mild – moderately root bound&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here (see examples below), the plant is just starting to get root bound and the roots outside are mostly whitish (new roots) or thin. This is perhaps the best stage to diagnose root boundedness and do the pruning, as most of the roots can be retained without very heavy pruning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can start by gently trying to separate out the roots. Try to squeeze and separate or use a tool to shake the soil off. You can also use your fingers to tickle the soil out of the gaps and free the roots. You might not be able to separate individual fibers in the left image, and that's ok. For the picture on the right, you might be able to separate out each of the root fibers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Snip away any tips of the roots that are bunched up together and cannot be untangled. You needn't try to save each and every fiber. The plant can take some pruning and that's perfectly fine. Usually, these spots are around where the pot has protrusions/ridges (see bottom of both images).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://containergardening.about.com/od/containergardening101/f/Rootpruning.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TwSgfm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.countryliving.com/outdoor/most-common-nursery-mistakes-0409&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uKyPVm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;2. Heavily root bound&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The picture in the question and the following examples fall under this category. If not pruned immediately, the plant will have serious issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In these cases, the pruning is generally harsher, as the goal is to first free the plant from being suffocated. For the plant in the question and the first one in the right image, I would take a sharp knife and make several vertical slits (every quarter or an eighth around the base) to cut out the roots that bind it from the outside and be able to pry it open. This is necessary, because the roots have become extremely tangled and have begun going in circles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you do that and start freeing up the roots, you'd actually be amazed to see that some of them are a foot to a foot-and-a-half long! After you've freed them and dislodged the soil, take a pruning scissors and go to town on the roots. Trim them down by cutting off the excess length from the mature, thick roots and keeping as much as possible, of the newer roots (these won't be that long, and you can trim the ends). Do this till you bring the root clump down to a reasonable size, with free roots, ready to be transplanted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cserkert.hu/hirek/hir/66&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ctB6cm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://kentcrockett.blogspot.com/2011/01/root-bound-christians.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JkQTtm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Some observations:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Although you aren't explicitly cutting the roots in the first approach, as you do in the second, you &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt; hear the thin, young, white roots snap as you pry the root ball open. Do not worry about this; it's bound to happen and the plant will be fine. Remember, some roots &lt;em&gt;have&lt;/em&gt; to be sacrificed for the rest of them and the plant to survive.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;While you can prune the roots aggressively in the second case, do not over do it. In other words, do not leave a plant with just 2 roots fibers, when it had 30 to start with.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Scheduled root pruning (to maintain the size) is best done in the dormant season. However, if a plant is failing because of the roots, then it's best done immediately (except perhaps, in the harsh winter).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-11-30T15:27:42.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2975" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2937" CreationDate="2011-11-30T22:22:17.620" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had this happen to me once and eventually the yellowing went all the way down to the roots and the plant died. After doing some research, I was told it was a fungal disease. According to this FAQ, it looks like it could be a variety of things. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit 11/22/15: The original link provided above is no longer available, therefore I deleted it. Although I'm not sure it was the exact reference, here is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://luckybambooshop.com/faqs/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Frequently Asked Questions&lt;/a&gt; page about lucky bamboo care from the same site. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="798" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-22T21:49:50.383" LastActivityDate="2015-11-22T21:49:50.383" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2976" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-12-01T14:15:55.807" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Snow is water precipitation in the form of &quot;fluffy&quot; clumps of small ice crystals. Contrast with sheet ice and hail where the ice freezes into a solid sheet or block, respectively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Snow is often better for plants than solid ice. This is partly because it can form thermal insulation protecting the plants from the worst of the cold, but also snow tends to only form at intermediate temperatures. Although counter-intuitive, the saying &quot;too cold for snow&quot; has some truth to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, care should still be taken for many plant varieties. As well as cold, snow can add a significant weight to the branches of plants - causing physical damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about handling snow in a garden: how to protect plants, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-15T18:20:13.643" LastActivityDate="2012-03-15T18:20:13.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2977" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-12-01T14:15:55.807" Score="0" Body="Water precipitation in the form of clumps of small ice crystals." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-15T18:20:13.737" LastActivityDate="2012-03-15T18:20:13.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2978" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-01T17:16:57.950" Score="7" ViewCount="15684" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 30' ficus tree whose roots are starting to be invasive to plumbing.  I'd like to cut down the roots &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; stunt their growth. How can I achieve this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If cutting down and killing the tree is the only viable option, what is the best way to go about doing this for a tree this large?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="799" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-01T20:07:06.197" LastActivityDate="2019-01-23T00:33:53.863" Title="How do I contain the roots of a ficus tree to prevent damage to plumbing?" Tags="&lt;tree-removal&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2979" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-01T19:56:04.810" Score="16" ViewCount="8397" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaryllis&quot;&gt;amaryllis&lt;/a&gt; bulb in a pot for about 5 years now and the bulb hasn't been doing much for, I reckon, over 6 months. When should I consider getting rid of it? Could it have run its course?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="800" LastEditorUserId="137" LastEditDate="2011-12-08T13:20:18.187" LastActivityDate="2017-02-22T15:39:45.437" Title="How long do amaryllis bulbs live?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;amaryllis&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2978" CreationDate="2011-12-01T20:22:16.107" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Consider using some kind of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_barrier&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;root barrier&lt;/a&gt; - a plastic &quot;wall&quot; that is placed in a trench, which is subsequently filled in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2011-12-01T20:22:16.107" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2981" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2982" CreationDate="2011-12-01T21:02:45.997" Score="10" ViewCount="7187" Body="&lt;p&gt;We cut down one from our land every year for Christmas. This year I want to get it a bit earlier than usual (like this weekend), but we're not sure if it will be dead and horrible before Christmas or not. How long before Christmas can I cut it that it will still be alive and not falling apart on Christmas Eve (when we celebrate Christmas).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="801" LastActivityDate="2013-03-24T08:34:16.973" Title="How long does a Norway spruce tree live after being cut down?" Tags="&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2981" CreationDate="2011-12-01T22:10:21.470" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't do it.  Norway's hold their needles poorly.  From &lt;a href=&quot;http://interiordec.about.com/od/christmastrees/tp/tp_cmastrees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Top 10 Choices for Christmas Trees&lt;/a&gt;, where Norway spruce's were the 10th choice out of 10:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The Norway Spruce is a beautiful tree but does not hold its needles&#xA;  well, and should be purchased just just a week or so before December&#xA;  25th. The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.christmastree.org/trees/nrwy_spr.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;National Christmas Tree Association&lt;/a&gt; notes that the &quot;overall&#xA;  color of Norway spruce is fair to excellent, but needle retention is&#xA;  considered poor unless the trees are cut fresh and kept properly&#xA;  watered.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your inside temperature is low and/or humidity is high, &lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/for-fact/0049.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;that will slow down needle drop&lt;/a&gt;.  Since you're in the UK, I'm guessing that you have relatively warm winters (compared to &lt;em&gt;New&lt;/em&gt; England) and high outside humidity - both of which increase the inside humidity.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-12-05T03:30:55.827" LastActivityDate="2011-12-05T03:30:55.827" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2983" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2952" CreationDate="2011-12-02T01:04:13.387" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This may not be the final final answer, but we've made progress and think it is a &lt;strong&gt;pear&lt;/strong&gt;. Not a Bradford Pear (we'd know that one alas), but probably a fruiting variety. An Asian Pear is also a possibility. A fruiting pear would fit with the other plants the previous owner has planted (peaches and bananas) and general style.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are the right shape, color (including a thin light green line down the middle, and glossy upper surface), and the bark is correct for a young tree (which it is). The only thing would be that pears are deciduous so this one is slow losing its leaves and my evergreen assumption is probably wrong (and based on post oaks and peaches in the garden which have lost virtually all their leaves).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We would not be able to identify the variety until/if we get fruit. Neil Sperry (&quot;Texas Gardening&quot;) describes a number of varieties and most require or prefer a pollinator. Hopefully the previous owner planted one of the few self pollinators...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Addenda&lt;/strong&gt; (3rd April): The blossom have fallen and fruit are forming. Looks like it might indeed be pear. Our arborist came by and yes, definitely a pear!! It is possible the Bradford Pears on the street at the back are sufficient to pollinate it. We also have &lt;strong&gt;fire blight&lt;/strong&gt; (apparently this spring is the worst he's seen it due to the mild winter). I'll post a &quot;jeopardy&quot; question about it next week after I get a chance to take a photo of the damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-04-03T13:07:07.510" LastActivityDate="2012-04-03T13:07:07.510" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2984" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2981" CreationDate="2011-12-02T03:24:48.683" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you buy a tree from a parking lot in the city, it was probably cut in November. I see the trucks driving by carrying them weeks and weeks before Christmas. But they are kept outside in the cold. If you want to decorate a tree starting Dec 1st, use an artificial one. If you want to use a natural tree, have it up for two weeks, tops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My tradition is to put up the tree Dec 23rd or 24th. (When I was a child, the tree went up after the littlest had gone to bed Christmas Eve, and for my children I have always saved certain decorating for after they're asleep even though the tree is up.) Then we keep it up for &quot;the twelve days&quot; and sometimes need another day or two after that to get it all taken down. We cut from our property and some might well be Norway Spruce from a quick glance at pictures of them. we keep it in a stand that holds 2+ litres of water, and keep it topped up. By the last day it is dropping needles, but it's not awful. It's possible that it's dropping needles because we've become complacent about watering it, and that you could get a longer life by being more conscientious - my answer is as much about human nature as trees in that case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will gain lifetime by cutting it fresh. But I don't think I could push it to four or five weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2011-12-02T16:28:28.673" LastActivityDate="2011-12-02T16:28:28.673" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="150" CreationDate="2011-12-02T11:34:26.103" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to chemical and mesh repellant techniques, you could have a look at things like these &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.molerepeller.co.uk/Mole_Repellers--ll-4_421-Mole_Repel-0-0.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;noise repellors&lt;/a&gt; which appear to work. They use a noise that is inaudible to humans but apparently really annoys moles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastActivityDate="2011-12-02T11:34:26.103" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2986" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-02T12:19:05.027" Score="12" ViewCount="15458" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought my Massangeana (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_fragrans&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dracaena fragens&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;) 15 months ago, and he's be doing really well. Started off with a few burnt ends, but I switched to filtered water and he was good again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the last couple of weeks I've noticed some leaves have suddenly turned yellow.  I'm not sure if this is root rot or something less serious.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tested the trunk of the plant with a finger nail and it's still firm (not mushy, the bark doesn't scrap off either). Also, I've tried pulling gently on the yellow leaves and they're not falling away. They're very limp compared to the green leaves, but they're not falling off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is particularly personal to me and I'm desperate to save it. If it is root rot, I'm under the impression the plant is pretty much done for, but I wonder if there's a chance I can grow a new plant from cuttings?  Or equally, does this plant really look and sound like it's got root rot (pictures below)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Really hoping someone can help me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you so much in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click to enlarge&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TTDjV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TTDjVm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yellow leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fbKfU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fbKfUm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yellow stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="584" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-02T16:06:30.037" LastActivityDate="2011-12-05T02:50:51.683" Title="Are the yellow leaves on my Massangeana due to root rot?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2987" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-02T13:30:45.207" Score="10" ViewCount="265" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been asked to purchase a fertilizer spreader for someone as a holiday gift.  I'm completely lost as to what features are worth extra money and what features are not.  The recipient has an approximately 10,000 square foot lawn and about half of that is currently completely under leaf cover and very shaded.  The other half is grass.  The terrain is flat in parts but steeply sloped in others.  It is quite bumpy.  I believe the spreader may be used for spreading seed as well as fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see spreaders with &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000XS3EFW&quot;&gt;pneumatic tires&lt;/a&gt; get raves, but is that overkill for residential use?  Would simple &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000N4ZV66&quot;&gt;plastic plug tires&lt;/a&gt; handle bumps and slopes just fine?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the pros and cons of a broadcast versus a classic drop spreader?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there benefit to the bigger hopper sizes that will hold enough fertilizer to cover the lawn without refilling, or does it make sense to go with a cheaper model that requires a refill part-way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any features I should consider that aren't on this list?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="808" LastActivityDate="2019-04-25T10:25:43.183" Title="What features should I look for in a fertilizer spreader?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2988" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2987" CreationDate="2011-12-02T15:59:29.370" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;As  you noted, it depends on several factors.  For the most part, you get what you pay for.  A drop spreader can more accurately distribute the fertilizer, but a broadcast spreader is much faster.  A nice feature some broadcast spreaders have is an edge guard to block on direction to avoid putting fertilizer or grass seed in flower beds.  If you are only using it a few times a year on one yard, a simple spreader with plastic wheels is probably good enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="703" LastActivityDate="2011-12-02T15:59:29.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2989" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="2993" CreationDate="2011-06-28T00:08:38.897" Score="9" ViewCount="1339" Body="&lt;p&gt;What basic maintenance should be performed on a lawnmower regularly to ensure it stays in good repair?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="368" OwnerDisplayName="kzh" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T02:32:55.657" LastActivityDate="2013-04-23T02:01:22.027" Title="What maintenance does a lawnmower need?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2989" CreationDate="2011-06-28T04:04:05.350" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;change oil, change spark plug, clean deck underneath, sharpen blades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;if it came with someone to push it, tip them well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" OwnerDisplayName="DA." LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T04:04:05.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2991" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2989" CreationDate="2011-06-28T05:06:21.857" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would recommend you consult the manuals that came with your lawnmower.  Most lawnmowers I have owned have a general manual for the overall manual, and one specifically for the engine.  There will be for normal usage maintenance, along with recommendations for short-term and long-term storage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At a minimum, I change the oil and sharpen the blade at least once per mowing season.  I change the air filter and spark plug yearly.  I clean any oil or gas residue and grass from the mower after each use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="dnorthut" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T05:06:21.857" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2992" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2989" CreationDate="2011-06-28T05:10:06.223" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use a fuel stabilizer when you buy gas, so it won't varnish in the carburetor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1324" OwnerDisplayName="Jay Bazuzi" LastActivityDate="2011-06-28T05:10:06.223" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2993" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2989" CreationDate="2011-06-28T18:05:08.740" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;For a walk behind mower:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every use:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;check fuel &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;check oil, add as needed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;light cleaning (quick wipe down with&#xA;a rag or broom)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roughly twice a season or as needed:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;blade sharpening&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;detailed cleaning (get all the stuck on gunk from under the deck)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First mow of the year. Do in order to save trips to parts store:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;inspect pull cord start&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sharpen blade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;belts as needed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;change oil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;change sparkplug, be sure to check the gap&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;change air filter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;shot of carb cleaner into carburettor&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lubricate control cables&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lubricate and inspect wheels+bearings&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last mow of the year:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;drain or add stabilizer to fuel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;detailed cleaning&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="486" OwnerDisplayName="Freiheit" LastActivityDate="2011-07-01T21:26:15.027" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2986" CreationDate="2011-12-02T17:29:16.653" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could be two things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spider mites like Dracena Massangea that are located in dry conditions like the inside of your home or an office.  (Dry is relative humidity &amp;lt; 40% for tropicals).  They can be easily detected by examining the underside of the leaf in good light.  You could see small white specks.  A magnifying glass will allow a definitive diagnosis.  Severe cases have webs usually located in the axils of the newest growth.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A solution of dish soap and water applied by running a cloth over the underside of all the leaves at about 6 day intervals for 3 or 4 repetitions should control or eliminate them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most common cause is overwatering and consequent root rot. This does not look like the case here. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT  Root rot starts from the soil and works upward.  New stalks can continue to look green for a while until the last of the available water is used.  The final symptom is often papery dry leaves at the point of newest growth.  A good test for root rot is to grip the trunk and see if it the bark is firm or has softer hollow areas that run vertically.  As root rot progress vertical sections of the trunk stop moving water up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However the last cause is competition amongst the trunks. These trees are usually grown in Costa Rica then cut down with chain saws and shipped like logs to Florida for finishing.  The smaller trunks can be out competed by the larger ones.  Here, the only solution is to move the plant to a sunnier location and rotate the pot once a week to ensure even lighting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your last question is about rooting cuttings.  This is ridiculously easy for a healthy plant in good light.  Cut a section of new stalk off that has at least 3 or 4 inches of bare stem and place in water in good light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A plant with rot or mites is not going to have cuttings that do much better so you need to diagnose the primary issue first before taking cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my ten years as an interior landscaper I noticed the most long lived massangea were the ones planted in a clay soil.  This is totally contrary to what you would expect but an interesting idea if you have clay soil and a healthy plant.  The dangers of microbes and &quot;bugs&quot; in soil from outside are exaggerated in my opinion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2011-12-05T02:50:51.683" LastActivityDate="2011-12-05T02:50:51.683" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2995" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1239" CreationDate="2011-12-02T22:21:14.173" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most ferns and ivies work well indoors. We use these mainly in our vertical gardens when planting them indoors. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pothos&lt;/a&gt; is a great plant for indoors as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="809" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-27T18:21:47.727" LastActivityDate="2011-12-27T18:21:47.727" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2996" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1724" CreationDate="2011-12-02T22:27:43.983" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may want to consider some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uzplanters.com/Vertical-Garden-Panels/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; title=&quot;vertical gardens&quot;&gt;vertical gardening kits&lt;/a&gt;. They make the construction a lot easier. If you use a material like plywood you could run the risk of having your wall rot which will destroy your work over time. With the effort that goes into making it, it may make more sense do use one of the kits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uzplanters.com/Florafelt-12-30-Pocket-Living-Wall.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; title=&quot;living wall&quot;&gt;vertical garden panel&lt;/a&gt; is of a synthetic felt which is rot-resistant. Also the pockets are about 6&quot; deep which meet your requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="809" LastActivityDate="2011-12-02T22:27:43.983" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2997" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2612" CreationDate="2011-12-03T00:16:41.423" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You'll probably be able to tell when the flowers come out. I also live in SF in the Mission, and the chickweed always appears in my garden in the springtime for a couple of months, but dries out and disappears after that. It does get much bigger (8-10&quot;) in my yard, the stems have an elastic feel to them, and I put it in my salads, it's really good for you and tastes great. My chickweed is a lot more fragile-looking. I can't tell for sure from the photo if it's definitely chickweed, but the little white flowers will give you a better idea. The other plant that looks similar and also grows around these parts is Scarlet Pimpernel. Here is a blog post with a pic of my SF spring chickweed: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lazycomposter.com/spring-greens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.lazycomposter.com/spring-greens&lt;/a&gt;. There are some flowers in the pic, but you can barely see them, they're so tiny. That root in your picture looks awfully woody for chickweed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="810" LastActivityDate="2011-12-03T00:16:41.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2998" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-03T10:49:10.827" Score="8" ViewCount="304" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two buxus which have suffered a lack of water due to irrigation failing in the summer and no time to hand water them. There is a definite orange tinge to the first 2 or 3 inches of top growth. I fear pruning at this time of year will kill them. Will a good fungicide at least kill the disease. Advice please? Would be much appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="812" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-03T15:18:15.920" LastActivityDate="2012-01-29T20:41:51.990" Title="How do I get rid of box rust in December? Will fungicide work?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;&lt;rust&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="2999" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3001" CreationDate="2011-12-03T22:52:13.817" Score="16" ViewCount="195" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a patch of lawn between the driveways of my neighbour and I of dimension ~5 ft x 20 ft (ca. 1.5×6 m).  I would like to plant edible fruit producing plants in my half of this strip of dirt and not have it creep over into my neighbour’s lawn. What plants would be suitable for this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking of a bunch of mulberry bushes, but these would probably be too big. Other thoughts were strawberries and grapes. It would be nice to mix in flowers and other visually appealing plants as this garden will be at the front of the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also like these plants to be perennial. I live in &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hardiness zone&lt;/a&gt; 6a-5b.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2016-03-27T15:40:22.710" LastActivityDate="2016-03-27T15:40:22.710" Title="What is a good choice for an edible fruit producing plant given a space of 20 ft x 3 ft (ca. 6×1 m)?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2999" CreationDate="2011-12-04T01:10:31.733" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Highbush blueberries:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They're a reasonable size&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make an attractive hedge&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Attractive fall foliage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Blueberries are delicious!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-12-04T01:10:31.733" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3001" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2999" CreationDate="2011-12-04T02:25:48.053" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want all of the plants to be the same type, you would probably want a row of shrubs that grow between 3 and 6 feet tall and don't spread much. Blueberries would do well in your location, if you have an acid soil high in humus.  Thornless blackberries would produce lots of fruit, but take a lot of care in pruning and supporting. Grapes need more attention than blackberries, but are more versatile in what things they will grow on, and what size they will get. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were in your situation, I would plant four blueberry bushes spaced evenly over the length of the plot, and plant Seascape strawberry plants around them as a groundcover. Although strawberries aren't normally planted around blueberries, they easily adapt to it and it looks attractive. This would also work with the planting of flowers through the garden, if the strawberries are spaced far enough apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-21T19:08:57.750" LastActivityDate="2014-10-21T19:08:57.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3003" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2999" CreationDate="2011-12-04T20:55:45.787" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd think blueberries, too - except for the driveway location.  You neighbor may not thank you for all the blue bird-poop.  If you are willing to put netting over them, if you need to, then I agree that they're the best fit otherwise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might consider &lt;strong&gt;golden raspberries&lt;/strong&gt;.  The canes are nowhere near as nice to look at as blueberry bushes, but the berries seem to be invisible to birds.  And they're delicious!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't call raspberries invasive, but you will eventually need to prune them to keep them on your side.  And of course, they have thorns.  This can be good or bad, depending on the situation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2011-12-04T20:55:45.787" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3004" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3009" CreationDate="2011-12-05T01:37:46.197" Score="13" ViewCount="10492" Body="&lt;p&gt;This past growing season (2011) I was growing squash.  Often I would find that the leaves had drooped (lost rigidity).  Watering the plant seemed to help; but I'm not sure if there is a causal link there.  The season was a particularly dry and hot season.  What is the cause of this droop?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-05T15:20:15.440" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T15:27:56.453" Title="Why are my squash's leaves drooping?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3005" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3004" CreationDate="2011-12-05T14:17:33.197" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you are describing sounds like &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Wilting&quot;&gt;wilting&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, and it can happen to any plant, not just squash. Watering the plant helps (it &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; a causal link) because you are restoring water the plant needs to maintain tissue rigidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best treatment is prevention. If the plant gets to a point where it wilts that means it has been damaged. Watering will help restore it, but it will not perform as well as if you had kept it properly watered. In hot, dry weather make sure the plant gets enough water, and do what you can to conserve soil moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/086571553X&quot;&gt;&quot;Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times&quot;&lt;/a&gt; by Steve Solomon has a lot of material devoted to watering. Among numerous other things, he suggests growing &lt;em&gt;fewer plants&lt;/em&gt; to avoid soil moisture loss due to transpiration from a larger number of plants. Thus you can water less and maintain the same soil moisture level, and your per-plant yield will be higher than if you had more plants. (I recommend this book; it has a much more detailed discussion than I can provide in an answer on this site.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-12-05T14:17:33.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3006" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3007" CreationDate="2011-12-05T15:10:44.907" Score="14" ViewCount="446" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking of buying a cactus. Shops have a lot of those and one of the variables is the size and density of spines. Cacti with rare huge spines (something like 15 millimeters long and about 1 millimeter thick) look appealing, but I wonder how practical such cacti are to manipulate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, if I want to transplant one - will I need some super strong gloves that won't be pierced by the thick strong spines or will any gloves do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How to manipulate a cactus that has thick long strong spines without harming hands?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-12-05T16:27:16.647" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T12:04:43.613" Title="How to manipulate a cactus with thick long spines?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;gloves&gt;&lt;protection&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3007" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3006" CreationDate="2011-12-05T15:52:26.593" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few different options here. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the easiest and readily available options is to use a towel. Wrap the cactus in the towel and gently grab it (I'd still wear good thick, possibly leather or other pierce resistant, gloves) Don't press too hard or the spines will still penetrate the towel, but this gives you a good gripping option hopefully without damaging your hands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the spines are very sparse than you might be able to find a hold without any help by finding a hand hold between spines, however I'd still get a good pair of gloves just in case. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2011-12-05T15:52:26.593" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3008" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3013" CreationDate="2011-12-05T15:59:53.503" Score="11" ViewCount="207" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a grafted apple tree in a pot and shortly thereafter realized the graft union is about 5-6 inches above the soil line. My gardening books and online searches recommend the union be no more than 3 inches above the soil line. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will it harm the tree if I leave it as is, or should I stop being lazy and replant it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="752" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-05T23:59:22.747" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T02:45:01.260" Title="What problems can come from a tree with its graft union 5 inches above the soil line?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3004" CreationDate="2011-12-05T16:09:54.683" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mulch the soil around the plant.  This greatly reduces moisture loss, and (with some materials) also reduces weeds.  Opinions vary on best materials.  See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/355/whats-the-best-mulch-material-for-a-vegetable-garden&quot;&gt;this post&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;For myself, I don't use -cides on my lawn, and I bag the clippings and use some of them on the garden.  You need to make sure to not put too much on at one time, especially when damp, because it can burn from too much nitrogen - just like leaving piles of clippings on the lawn can make yellow spots.  Of course, this brings some weed seeds in with it, but it's not a big problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your soil drains quickly, you should increase the humus content, one way or another.  Composted cow-manure, dried and bagged from your local home-improvement box store or garden center, is an easy, high-quality fix.  I use both that (in the spring, as needed) and winter rye, a tall annual grass that I broadcast in the fall, and then fork into the soil a few weeks before pea-planting.  I've had problems with compost from my own bins, and now only apply it in the fall to the vegetable garden, forking it in.  The compost usually has woody material left in it that, if left on the surface, harbors earwigs and other critters that sometimes eat the leaves off young plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mulch and humus should get you to where, even on days in the nineties, you don't need to water more often than once every day or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you water, water thoroughly, then &lt;em&gt;try&lt;/em&gt; to not water till the top quarter-to-half-inch is dry.  This will encourage deeper root growth, making plants more tolerant of hot days.  When a hot day is predicted, be sure to water if you think it will wilt before you can water it again, regardless.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For squash in particular, beware of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_vine_borer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;squash vine borer&lt;/a&gt;.  If your plants wilt and then outright &lt;em&gt;fail&lt;/em&gt;, it's a likely cause.  If you ever see something that looks like a handsome bright red and black wasp around the squash, usually in May or June, that's the bugger.  It lays eggs on the stem at bottom of the young plant, which bore in and live inside the stem, growing into a big fat ugly grub.  The most obvious telltale is some sawdust-like &quot;frass&quot; that it leaves around the base.  You can also often see the holes, especially late in the season.  Check out the pictures on the Wikipedia link.  We've struggled with these guys for many years.  Last year we had good results with a resistant variety of squash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T15:27:56.453" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3006" CreationDate="2011-12-06T01:27:21.053" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use long handled pruning shears and a wheelbarrow.  I use the shears to cut off pieces and then pick them up and put them in the wheelbarrow, grabbing more gently with the shears.  Since they are replanted by placing them on bare dirt and ignoring them, I just use the pruning shears again to gently remove them from the wheelbarrow.  And of course, I still use heavy leather sacrificial gloves, as others have mentioned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="600" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T01:27:21.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3012" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3006" CreationDate="2011-12-06T02:34:29.840" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could try bending heavy paper across the middle and using it like you would use hot pads on a pan. Heavy canvass and leather gloves work with most cactus spine types, but if you are worried about breaking spines, you can use the towel method mentioned in  Wax Eagles answer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T02:34:29.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3013" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3008" CreationDate="2011-12-06T02:45:01.260" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are worried about it, put a 6' diameter circle of topsoil mixed with compost around the tree to a depth of about three inches.  I do not recommend replanting as this will set back the tree. My method will actually speed up the maturity. It works especially well if you maintain a 1&quot; mulch of organic matter around the tree. One of my trees has the graft about 6&quot; above ground and it is fine without any protection. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T02:45:01.260" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3014" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5292" CreationDate="2011-12-06T02:54:37.733" Score="11" ViewCount="642" Body="&lt;p&gt;At a perennial sale once I found an unmarked canna with green leaves, and when I asked what color the flowers were, they said they didn't know. After looking at the leaves for a while, they decided it was probably yellow. Later that summer, I found they were right. How can I find that out for myself?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-06T05:37:34.037" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T22:28:12.527" Title="How can a green leaved canna's flower color be found when not in bloom?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;canna&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3015" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-12-06T13:49:06.067" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pasture is land used for grazing. Contemporary usage is usually restricted to enclosed farmland with grazing by domestic livestock (eg. horses, cattle, sheep). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pasture vegetation is usually based on forage grasses, although other types (especially legumes) are usually mixed in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Technically pasture is found in agriculture rather than horticulture, however there is some overlap - e.g. gardeners who keep a few animals, or with small holdings (small semi-professional farms).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about caring for pasture, but recognize that many questions might be deemed agricultural and off-topic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-06T13:49:06.067" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T13:49:06.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3016" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-12-06T13:49:06.067" Score="0" Body="Land used for grazing" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-06T13:49:06.067" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T13:49:06.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3017" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-12-06T13:55:43.013" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Passion fruit are the fruit of &lt;em&gt;Passiflora edulis&lt;/em&gt; - a vine native to Paraguay, Brazil, and northern Argentina.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The term is also sometimes used to refer to all fruit from Passion Vines (genus &lt;em&gt;Passiflora&lt;/em&gt;). Care should be taken as it is unclear if all such fruit are edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Passiflora&lt;/em&gt; are found worldwide, except for Antarctica and Africa. However, Africa does contain native related members of the &lt;em&gt;Passifloraceae&lt;/em&gt; family. Some varieties and species have been naturalized beyond their original ranges. This has been aided by cultivation of a number of species (including &lt;em&gt;Passiflora edulis&lt;/em&gt;) for their fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about growing Passion Fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-06T13:55:43.013" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T13:55:43.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3018" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-12-06T13:55:43.013" Score="0" Body="Refers to the fruit of passion vines, and specifically the fruit of *Passiflora edulis*." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-06T13:55:43.013" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T13:55:43.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3019" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-12-06T14:06:27.037" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rust&lt;/strong&gt; is a common term used for a range of plant diseases caused by fungi of the &lt;em&gt;Pucciniales&lt;/em&gt; order. Over 7000 species of &lt;em&gt;Pucciniales&lt;/em&gt; are known and they can infect plant leaves, stems, fruit, and seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rust usually appears as a colored powder (spores) which land on the vegetation and cause pustules to form on the lower surfaces. By late spring / summer, yellow orange to brown (hence the name) hairlike structures (&lt;em&gt;telia&lt;/em&gt;) form on the leaves or bark. These, in turn, produce more spores that spread infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All rust fungi are parasites that require a living host in order to complete their life cycle. As such, it is unusual for them to completely kill the host, but they can severely reduce growth and/or fruit yield. Cereal crops are particularly prone to commercial-level devastation. Young trees can also die if they are infected at an early stage (eg. younger than 5 years).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Agricultural treatments often involve crop spraying by fungicides from the air.&#xA;Horticulturally, rusts are very difficult to treat. Fungicides can be used, but rarely eradicate the rust. for an organic solution, sulfur is known to reduce (and even prevent) spore germination. High levels of plant and soil hygiene are strongly recommended to help minimize problems. Good soil drainage also helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about diagnosing rust, preventing/reducing infections and applying treatments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T15:27:33.037" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T15:27:33.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3020" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-12-06T14:06:27.037" Score="0" Body="Plant diseases caused by Pucciniales fungi." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-10T12:50:55.347" LastActivityDate="2021-01-10T12:50:55.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="3021" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-12-06T14:09:07.437" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gloves are an important horticutural tool used to protect hands whilst working in the garden. There are a range of types. For example some gloves help to protect against handing rough objects such as wood and stone. Others (commonly sold as &quot;gardening gloves&quot;) help to protect against spines and thorns on plants. Other thinner gloves help to protect against sap and other plant irritants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about using and choosing gloves for particular horticultural applications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-06T14:09:07.437" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T14:09:07.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3022" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-12-06T14:09:07.437" Score="0" Body="Clothing that protect the hands." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-06T14:09:07.437" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T14:09:07.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3023" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-12-06T14:33:00.440" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Parsnips (&lt;em&gt;Pastinaca sativa&lt;/em&gt;) are root vegetables related to carrots. They resemble pale, wide carrots, and tend to have a sweeter taste. As with carrots, they should be grown in sandy, loamy soils. Clay, silt, and rocks should be avoided as they produce forked roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As with carrots, parsnips are native to Eurasia and have been cultivated since at least the ancient Greeks and Romans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Parsnips are usually grown in cooler climates due to the requirement for a frost to help develop the root's distinctive flavor. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Parsnip shoots and leaves contain furanocoumarin, a photosensitive chemical that can produce skin burns and allergic reactions. Therefore protective clothing should be used when handling parsnip plants and greenery. If skin contact occurs, wash immediately, avoid sunlight and sweating. If the rash occurs, treat is as a chemical burn and seek a physician or pharmacist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Parsnips have escaped into the wild (eg. in the US) and are hence often listed as noxious invasive species due to these chemical burns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;use this tag for all questions about growing parsnips, handling parsnip plants, and controlling invasive parsnips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-06T14:33:00.440" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T14:33:00.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3024" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-12-06T14:33:00.440" Score="0" Body="*Pastinaca sativa*, a root vegetable related to carrots." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-06T14:33:00.440" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T14:33:00.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3025" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2011-12-06T14:34:47.083" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a rather general tag to be used for questions about protecting oneself (or others, or property) from various horticultural hazards. Often a more specific tag will be more appropriate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hazards that might require protecting against include: plant spines, thorns, sap, photo-chemical excretions, and insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-06T14:34:47.083" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T14:34:47.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3026" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2011-12-06T14:34:47.083" Score="0" Body="rotection against various horticultural hazards." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-06T14:34:47.083" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T14:34:47.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3027" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1733" CreationDate="2011-12-06T16:52:39.377" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you don't want the bother of repotting it I would suggest that you just take some sand (builder's, sandbox) and fill the areas where there is no soil. The sand will replace the peat and the cactus likes the sand. Just add sand when the soil level drops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="108" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T16:52:39.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3028" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="989" CreationDate="2011-12-06T21:43:33.730" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There may be &lt;em&gt;two&lt;/em&gt; questions here - or at least, &lt;em&gt;I&lt;/em&gt; &amp;nbsp;have a slightly different question.  We use 6-foot-high trellis, and this year we had record yield, with the beans growing all over themselves into huge &quot;ropes&quot; at the top of the trellis.  So my question is about what to do when there's nothing for the beans to climb up farther on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without some solid advice to the contrary, if we get another crop like that I'm going to prune.  I think the plants put a lot of effort into making runners that did them no good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-12-06T22:14:33.280" LastActivityDate="2011-12-06T22:14:33.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3029" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3200" CreationDate="2011-12-07T02:25:24.407" Score="16" ViewCount="536" Body="&lt;p&gt;In May, I took some greenwood forsythia cuttings, dipped them in a hormone rooting powder and planted them in rooting mix. The mix was kept moist all year. I had thought they had rooted because they began to grow rapidly and the new shoots hardened off. In October the plants dropped their leaves, and by November they were dead. I dug them up and they had not rooted. There wasn't even a trace of root. What caused it to do this and how do I prevent it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-12-12T05:18:36.560" LastActivityDate="2012-01-09T14:53:27.380" Title="Why didn't my forsythia cuttings root?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3030" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3033" CreationDate="2011-12-07T02:58:44.207" Score="7" ViewCount="688" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like the look of flowering ivy, but mine has never shown a sign of a flower. Is it one of those plants that takes a long time or am I not caring for it properly? Mine is five years old and climbed 25' up the wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-07T05:51:59.290" Title="How old does English ivy (Hedera helix var.) have to be in order to flower?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;english-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3031" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3046" CreationDate="2011-12-07T03:24:15.100" Score="11" ViewCount="378" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother's persimmon tree is producing fruit that tastes good, but the area at the top beneath the leaves (the hull/calyx) is black. The local nursery suggested the fruit may be getting too much sunlight, but even fruits that have grown under the shade of other leaves have the same condition. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves don't sit right on the fruit, like the persimmons we see in the store. Instead, there is a little bit of a gap between the fruit and those leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas what may be causing this condition, and how we can prevent it next year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="717" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-07T13:11:56.917" LastActivityDate="2011-12-09T02:21:45.923" Title="Why are my persimmons black beneath the hull?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3032" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-07T03:37:43.720" Score="8" ViewCount="117" Body="&lt;p&gt;I put my muscaris in the part of the fridge where I store fruits, but I heard that some people store them in the freezer where it's much colder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, won't the freezer freeze them to death? Which one is better?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-07T13:11:04.343" LastActivityDate="2011-12-11T02:16:48.733" Title="In which part of the fridge should muscaris (grape hyacinths) be stored?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;storage&gt;&lt;grape-hyacinth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3033" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3030" CreationDate="2011-12-07T04:55:17.167" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's like a lot of vines - it has to get woody, with dark leaves.  This takes several years.  If you prune it hard each year, it will stay juvenile and never flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-12-07T05:51:59.290" LastActivityDate="2011-12-07T05:51:59.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3034" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28" CreationDate="2011-12-07T19:29:55.843" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know a couple of people that have used &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000FHAJ90&quot;&gt;AquaGlobes&lt;/a&gt; successfully.  They are really just a commercial version of your soda bottle idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a lot of plants, they also make sophisticated systems for watering them for a longer period of time like &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000U5YFR4&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="703" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-07T20:37:20.733" LastActivityDate="2011-12-07T20:37:20.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3035" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="989" CreationDate="2011-12-07T22:45:36.320" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My opinion* is you should grow as high as you can reach without the runners affecting other plants. If they want grow higher, trim them. Above all, don't do anything that would cause you to miss picking ripe pods!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The point of growing beans is to harvest as many pods as possible, with the possible secondary purpose of putting nitrogen back into the soil as part of a rotation (but that's not relevant to plant height). Thus the principal &lt;strong&gt;downsides to allowing the beans to grow too high&lt;/strong&gt; are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can’t reach the beans (especially if you're petite) and so you don't pick them promptly causing the plant to decide it's fulfilled its biological purpose and shutdown.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Energy is unnecessarily expended in growing more infrastructure (runners) rather than flowers that would become beans. &amp;lt; &lt;em&gt;EDIT: This is wrong. See comment.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you did, instead, trim the plant at the top, it would make more lateral branches and so fill in usable space at the top of the trellis where reachable beans would grow.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;downsides to allowing your beans to grow on to another plant&lt;/strong&gt; when you already have separate trellising:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The beans are more difficult to pick, increasing the risk of missing a ripe pod, causing the same problem of the plant deciding to shut down.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The runners could damage the other plant when they entwine around it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Transfer of plant diseases could occur.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The finished beans are harder to clean up at the end of the season when tangled into something that's still productive.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[*] Posting on behalf of a friend, Francoise, to whom I posed this question (and who's not ready to join G&amp;amp;L stack exchange) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-12-11T07:09:56.197" LastActivityDate="2011-12-11T07:09:56.197" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3036" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2866" CreationDate="2011-12-08T01:17:43.860" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your bonsai is suited to be outside, but where it sits in your yard / balcony depends on your climate. If you've had it inside next to a window etc. you will just as likely kill it by sticking it outside in full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As your bonsai is a tree it prefers sunlight, water and fresh air. If you've ever visited a place with plenty of bonsai you will notice they elevate them on pedestal or on benches so that they can catch the breeze and are in a position where they can get access to regular sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem with having a plant in sunlight most of the day is you need to have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1617/what-is-a-good-watering-routine-for-a-bonsai&quot;&gt;good watering routine&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've had it for 4 years and it is in a small container there is a good chance that it is root bound and the roots need to be trimmed. There is also a good chance the nutrients have been sucked out of the soil. Most nurseries will sell a bonsai potting mix. If you take the plant out of the container and there are way too many roots in there you are going to have to do something about it...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But wait! If your plant is near death, the worst thing you can do right now is go and hack off a third of the roots. What I would do is get a bigger pot, even if it is one of those ugly black plastic things and transplant the poor thing into something where it can recuperate. I wouldn't even remove the remaining dirt from the plant, just tease out the roots and plant it in a larger tub with more dirt, add a little extra dirt on the top layer and add some slow release fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At least a year later when your tree has grown a full head of hair then it is time to think about moving it back into a smaller pot. If there is still a problem of too many roots you can, now that it is healthy enough to survive, cut back the roots of the plant so that it has room in the smaller container. Make sure you leave a good mix of feeder roots and established roots and I would suggest not cutting more than a third of the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the process should be:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get a good bonsai soil mix&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get some slow release fertilizer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Transplant to a larger tub&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Move it to a position where it can get enough sunlight and fresh air&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leave it for a year to recover&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Once healthy and you want to move it to a smaller container consider trimming the roots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Establish a better feeding / watering / pruning cycle&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2011-12-08T01:17:43.860" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3037" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2783" CreationDate="2011-12-08T02:36:27.057" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like your gardenia has fruited. Those are fruits. It is possible to raise them from seed, but it is time consuming and the results are often uneven in growth. Propagation from cuttings is normally a better idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-08T02:36:27.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3038" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2927" CreationDate="2011-12-08T02:41:14.240" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Warm water trickled over it or applied with a damp cloth normally works, but if the area that the fertilizer is stuck on is hard to get at, a little dissembly may be required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-08T02:41:14.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3039" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2916" CreationDate="2011-12-08T02:51:32.880" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sweet potato slips root readily in room temperature water near a light source. The slips are 8&quot; cuttings from the growing tips, with all of the completely mature leaves removed. Tomatoes are also easy to root this way. Change the water and rinse the roots in room temperature water every other day for best results. Peppers take longer, but they will root. Fig trees root pretty well from ripe-wood and hardwood cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-08T02:51:32.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2979" CreationDate="2011-12-08T02:57:23.260" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would re-pot it and fertilize it and keep it moist for a while, and if nothing happened in a couple of months, I would get rid of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-08T02:57:23.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3032" CreationDate="2011-12-08T02:59:53.740" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Put them in the coldest part of the refrigerator, which is normally the part closest to the freezer. The freezer would be a little too cold and most of the refrigerator is too warm. 25-30 degrees Fahrenheit is usually best. If you keep your refrigerator below forty degrees, it will probably do fine.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2011-12-11T02:16:48.733" LastActivityDate="2011-12-11T02:16:48.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3043" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3044" CreationDate="2011-12-08T21:40:17.870" Score="17" ViewCount="18293" Body="&lt;p&gt;As I was planting a few fruit trees last weekend, I discovered an odd and very annoying phenomenon. About 6&quot; down from ground level, I ran across a 2&quot; layer of really crumbly concrete/gravel mixture. Beneath that was clay for as far as I dug. The dirt above the concrete layer was slightly better quality topsoil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found this in every one of the holes I dug for the trees, which spanned a length over 60' about 10' away from my privacy fence. (The trees were dwarf fruit trees, hence the closer spacing. The recommended separation between trees was 15'.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At first I thought I discovered some sort of massive French drain covering the entire backyard. But when I looked closer, I realized it wasn't just gravel - it was actually crumbly concrete. Does anyone have any idea why this was in my backyard? And will it significantly affect the trees I just planted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastEditorUserId="6" LastEditDate="2011-12-08T21:57:42.093" LastActivityDate="2019-09-06T21:57:14.067" Title="Why is there concrete buried across my entire backyard?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;clay&gt;&lt;concrete&gt;&lt;gravel&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3044" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3043" CreationDate="2011-12-08T21:56:06.297" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Who knows? There could be lots of reasons. It &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; have been to help drainage (although proper rounded gravel probably does this better), but it might be just builder's fill - and a bulldozer leveled it out before the final top soil was added.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A large number (majority?) of urban backyards in the US are made of varying degrees of builder's fill. All they are doing is leveling it out with whatever is lying around, what was dug out, demolished, etc. Older houses tend to fare better (but have the most 'history' from previous owners instead) - newer houses tend to be worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-09T14:17:40.883" LastActivityDate="2011-12-09T14:17:40.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3043" CreationDate="2011-12-08T22:23:12.133" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like the original builder may have dumped any remaining concrete from the mixing truck into your yard and top soil was just thrown over that later.  Although 60' is a lot of concrete.  Maybe it was once a drive way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="652" LastActivityDate="2011-12-08T22:23:12.133" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3046" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3031" CreationDate="2011-12-09T02:21:45.923" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you have black-spot, a fungal disease that attacks the fruit. When It attacks mature fruit in the orchard, it can be found almost entirely under the calyx. It is a high humidity that makes it spread, and it can be treated with a fungicide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-09T02:21:45.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3047" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2154" CreationDate="2011-12-09T02:34:00.397" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rotting in aloes is caused by fungus. The fungus enters through weak or dead growth, and spreads and grows when any of the following factors are present:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Very high humidity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Low light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Too much water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Poor drainage &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Extended low temperatures&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Extensive cuts or bruises&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sitting water at the base of the leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sunburn (usually only in potted plants moved from low to full sun)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Too much fertilizer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prevention is better than cure. Try to provide the best conditions you can (ie, the opposite of the factors listed above). To control, apply a fungicide according to the directions on the label, until the infection is gone. Reapply at any sign of recurrence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had some problems with rot in my potted aloes, until I repotted them into a lighter mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-15T17:07:44.813" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T17:07:44.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3048" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2950" CreationDate="2011-12-09T02:40:31.590" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is okay to cut out damaged wood in winter. If you do, be sure to coat any cut with a diameter of 1/2 &quot; or more with a protective paint to keep in water and to keep out disease. They will save their new growth for spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-09T02:40:31.590" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3049" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3055" CreationDate="2011-12-09T02:50:56.440" Score="9" ViewCount="913" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing &lt;em&gt;mammoth grey stripe&lt;/em&gt; sunflowers for a while, but I want to know if there is a better producer for my climate. The area I would plant them in is a heavy, clay base soil. The average yearly rainfall for this area is forty inches. Is there a better producer that will grow under these conditions?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-12-11T22:28:55.083" LastActivityDate="2011-12-23T21:29:37.083" Title="What is the best sunflower for seed production in Pennsylvania zone 6b?" Tags="&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3043" CreationDate="2011-12-09T04:53:54.453" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably from the builders, as winwaed and LarsTech already point out, and previous structures that were built there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Though our backyard sounds much smaller than yours, it sounds like you've been just as unlucky. Our house is on land near a city centre that has undergone an &quot;urban renewal&quot; project, transforming from really shabby houses to slightly larger houses on slightly smaller blocks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our backyard's soil was so bad, and so crammed full of the builder's fill that winwaed describes, that we decided to get the top 15cm (6&quot;) soil removed and replaced with a sandy loam/compost mix. During the process we not only found crumbly concrete from previous house foundations, but many well-rusted copper pipes from what must have once been a bathroom and bits of tile and crockery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-01-11T23:07:47.080" LastActivityDate="2012-01-11T23:07:47.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3051" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-10T11:10:46.017" Score="5" ViewCount="867" Body="&lt;p&gt;How often should I water a Skimmia japonica 'Rubella'?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="822" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-12-10T13:36:24.590" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T21:59:18.990" Title="How often should I water a Skimmia japonica 'Rubella'?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3052" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-11T10:16:51.080" Score="22" ViewCount="60493" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 6-month-old indoor avocado plant that is growing nicely. I have cut it back a few times and it is now about 1 meter (3 feet) high:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X1t5F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Avocado plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How often and how much should I prune my avocado plant? Can I just remove the leaves from the stem's tip, or should I cut off a chunk of the stem itself?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What should the size of the pot be?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I had to move the plant from beside the window. Now I'm looking for a new location where it will continue to flourish. Is fluorescent lighting OK or does an avocado plant need sunlight?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Any other tips from someone who has successfully grown an indoor avocado plant over a span of a few years?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="126" LastEditorUserId="126" LastEditDate="2011-12-11T10:33:57.767" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T19:33:02.083" Title="Advanced care of an indoor avocado plant" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3053" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3061" CreationDate="2011-12-11T12:55:56.123" Score="9" ViewCount="344" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received a couple of hyacinth bulbs in small pots that have flowered nicely, and I'm wondering what the best way to prepare them for planting out in the spring is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have 8 inch stalks with flowers, which are now starting to look a little weary. Should I just pop the bulbs outside now? Or perhaps plant them, or possibly even remove the stalks and just plant the bulbs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-12T22:23:49.110" LastActivityDate="2011-12-12T22:23:49.110" Title="How do I prepare my hyacinths for planting out?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3052" CreationDate="2011-12-11T15:47:17.727" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;I assume you are growing it for decorative purposes. If you were planning to harvest avocados you would need to grow it outside for large parts of the year.&#xA;Many of your questions relate to each other.  The less sunlight the more it will &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiolate&quot;&gt;etiolate&lt;/a&gt; (stretch out).  This means you will need to prune it back to try and keep it bushier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning for a denser look consist of cutting the main stem just below the top leaf node. I have never had much luck in encouraging multiple leaders.  Most times after pruning they just regrow a new leader.  Removing the leaves is not pruning, this just encourages the plant to grow more at the top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A pot bound plant will tend to put on more top growth and be more likely to flower than one in a huge pot with a little root system.  Re potting should be done in the spring, move to the next pot size up.  I find that topsoil with a clay component mixed with soil less mix lasts longer and is better for long lived plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing under fluorescents will give you a straggly plant.  Lots of sunlight or metal halide lights are a better solution.  (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_halide&quot;&gt;Metal halide&lt;/a&gt; lamps are much costlier to run.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-12-11T15:47:17.727" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3055" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3049" CreationDate="2011-12-11T21:56:19.783" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have grown sunflowers for seed for several seasons now in central Iowa.  That should be pretty close to your climate with a bit less rain and slightly more extreme temperatures. (We typically see -15F in winter and 95F summer and 35in total precipitation).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plant enough to harvest a half dozen to a dozen flowers (2-3qt yield dried with hulls).  So this is totally unscientific anecdotal data :).  The best performing variety for me has been &lt;em&gt;Azteca&lt;/em&gt;.  &lt;em&gt;Azteca&lt;/em&gt; is a Medium height (6'-7') single flower variety.  6'-7' is short enough that I can harvest easily and the flowers are very large.  The multiflower varieties that I have tried have had much smaller flowers which is more effort to harvest and seem to produce less seed.  I have tried &lt;em&gt;mammoth grey stripe&lt;/em&gt; but with them I had over 1/2 my plants blown over in a summer thunderstorm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="193" LastEditorUserId="193" LastEditDate="2011-12-23T21:29:37.083" LastActivityDate="2011-12-23T21:29:37.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3056" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-11T22:22:24.287" Score="8" ViewCount="187" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to find the right type of plants to put along the edge of my front yard on a terraced level.  It has no shade and the plants will be next to a brick wall that separates this level from the next one up. It will be the first thing people see when looking at the yard as it is close to street level. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hoping for something that can stay green in winter months (Seattle climate) but will bloom/flower in spring or summer. We tried hydrangea but the heat from the brick wall was too much for them even with regular watering.  I have room to plant 4 evenly spaced bushes there. &#xA;Any ideas?   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="827" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2011-12-11T22:31:12.850" LastActivityDate="2017-12-09T21:20:30.993" Title="Looking for plant recommendations for newly landscaped front yard" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2014" CreationDate="2011-12-11T23:21:47.933" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are two varieties of red clover that are grown – medium red clover (most popular variety) and mammoth red clover (what you're planning on using). According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://cropsoil.psu.edu/extension/facts/agfact67.pdf&quot;&gt;this PDF&lt;/a&gt; from Penn state, the primary difference between the two is that medium red clover is quicker to establish than mammoth and grows back well after it is cut. The following is mostly information for medium red (as that was what was abundantly available) and most of it applies for mammoth, keeping in mind the differences pointed out&lt;sup&gt;*&lt;/sup&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.cornell.edu/bjorkman/lab/covercrops/red-clover.php&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; from Cornell university, red-clover is a slow growing crop. The seeding times suggested are in Feb/March for frost-seeding and between April to September. Frost-seeding, as Mike mentioned in the comments seems to be a good solution and according to &lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=16969&quot;&gt;the article he linked to&lt;/a&gt;, red clover is one of the easiest to establish. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps the best solution for you (taking into account the conditions in April and frost in September) is to plant late April/early May, towards the later stages of spring, but as early as possible. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.cornell.edu/bjorkman/lab/covercrops/early-spring.php&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; gives spring seeding a thumbs up:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Spring is the most common time to sow clover. This cover crop is often overseeded into small grain. If mowed at early flowering, it can provide nitrogen and cover through the summer, and even until the following spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pdf from PSU also states:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The preferred time of establishment is in &#xA;  early spring or early summer, although establishing it after &#xA;  small grain crops come off is possible. The earlier the red &#xA;  clover is established, the more benefits it can be expected to &#xA;  produce the following year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should give the section titled &quot;Establishment&quot; in the article a further read, as it has a host of information that is tangentially related to your question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whichever variety you use, you should consider planting a nurse crop alongside, to aid the legume while growing by suppressing weeds (important since they're slow growing) and supporting it when it's covered by snow. The article from Cornell article suggests the following for a nurse crop mix:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;For a nurse crop, mix 2/3 annual ryegrass with 1/3 medium red clover, sow 20-25 lb/ac.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;*&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sub&gt;In addition, the second article I linked to also warns users &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; to use mammoth red clover as a cover crop (which is what you're using) although they don't say &lt;em&gt;why&lt;/em&gt;. Might be something to look into (perhaps ask locally), and I haven't been able to dig up anything.&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-12-11T23:21:47.933" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3058" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3067" CreationDate="2011-12-12T02:09:23.340" Score="8" ViewCount="751" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anything in the cactus family can be grafted onto anything else in the cactus family, even jungle cacti to desert cacti. I've even grafted a Schlumbergera to a prickly pear. I would like to know, just because I'm curious  and would like to experiment, is it possible to graft any cactus as a scion to a non cactus succulent rootstock?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-12T22:41:26.747" Title="Can any cacti be used as a scion on a non cactus succulent rootstock?" Tags="&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3059" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3056" CreationDate="2011-12-12T02:25:32.753" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Barberry could work, but is considered invasive in some areas. Dwarf Burning bush would work also. Texas scarlet quince, Fairy rose, Van Houtte Spireae, Prostrate coralberry, or Syringia laciniata are good heat and drought tolerant shrubs. Texas scarlet quince is one of the more colorful ones, But this and most of the hardier shrubs are not evergreen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-12T02:25:32.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3060" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3056" CreationDate="2011-12-12T02:37:26.557" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;With your hydrangeas, did the soil get dry below an inch or so between waterings?  In my experience, this kind of site often suffers from too much drainage.  We have one area that we've almost gotten right, after 15 years - my wife calls it our &quot;death bed&quot; from all the plants we've lost in it.  In order to keep water pressure from pushing out the wall, there's usually a layer of loose stone behind it starting a little ways down from the surface, to allow water to drain below the footing.  In addition, terraced areas are by their nature artificial, and often are built up with whatever kind of fill is convenient in your area - often very sandy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bottom line: you may need to add &lt;em&gt;lots&lt;/em&gt; of humus, and use mulch, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Site requirements for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/planting.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hydrangeas&lt;/a&gt; differ between varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-12-12T02:48:39.003" LastActivityDate="2011-12-12T02:48:39.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3061" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3053" CreationDate="2011-12-12T02:40:50.043" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wait until the foliage yellows, then remove the plants from the pots, trim off all the tops and roots. Plant them 4-6&quot; deep if you have a sandy soil, slightly more shallow if you have clay. Cover the soil with 1&quot; of a straw-type  mulch and tamp down. It should then need no further attention until spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-12T02:40:50.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3062" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3110" CreationDate="2011-12-12T02:55:57.663" Score="9" ViewCount="130" Body="&lt;p&gt;Arborvitaes grown in rows often grow unevenly with some growing twice as much as others of the same age and with the same care. Is it possible to prevent this, and make all the trees in one row look alike?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-12T13:57:35.237" LastActivityDate="2011-12-21T00:26:16.530" Title="Can multiple arborvitaes be made to grow uniformly to the same height?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3063" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3064" CreationDate="2011-12-12T03:02:30.557" Score="12" ViewCount="1674" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any help would be appreciated, thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1nKZE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="798" LastActivityDate="2011-12-15T00:53:53.960" Title="What is this pink flower with dark green leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3064" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3063" CreationDate="2011-12-12T03:12:53.643" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia&quot;&gt;camellia&lt;/a&gt; sasanqua, a.k.a. the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Camellia&quot;&gt;Christmas camellia&lt;/a&gt;.  I've no experience with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2011-12-12T03:12:53.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3066" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-12T21:21:41.453" Score="10" ViewCount="793" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in San Jose, CA and have a 6 feet wide by 40 feet long strip of land running from SE to NW. At the SE end it is flanked by an established oak tree which would delay the morning sun to the first 15 feet of the strip until 11am during summer (SE strip end is 15 feet away from the tree periphery).&#xA;The NW end of the strip is near the house which starts to cast its shadow progressively by 2pm during summer. (house is about 15 feet away from end of strip). &#xA;The degree and timing of the shadows cast varies with the seasons though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I'm concerned with is what type of fruit trees would do best in this situation: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;insufficient morning sun to the trees planted nearest to the SE end&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lots of heat from late morning till mid afternoon to the same ones and for the trees near the NW end of the strip&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lots of shade from 4pm onwards.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far, I have decided to plant a row of semi-dwarf fruit tree of the same type, set 8 feet apart from each other. From the choices below, what fruit tree is best suited? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Choices: nectarines, peaches, plums(European),or apples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="830" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-12-13T01:10:09.453" LastActivityDate="2011-12-14T02:34:25.957" Title="What fruit tree grows well in an area with variable sunlight in San Jose, CA?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3067" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3058" CreationDate="2011-12-12T22:41:26.747" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Succulents, in general, are plants that have adapted to living in dry/arid/desert-like conditions. Cacti are a subset of succulents and are entirely native to North and South America and as such evolved very differently from other succulents in Africa/Asia. For one, they have spines whereas most others do not, and presumably, there are other physiological differences.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the most important factors in successful grafting is that the vascular systems of the rootstock and the scion be a close match. I don't know very much in detail about the biology of succulents/cacti, but given their isolated existence and independent evolutions, I highly doubt that you can graft &lt;em&gt;any&lt;/em&gt; cactus onto &lt;em&gt;any&lt;/em&gt; non-cactus succulent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2011-12-12T22:41:26.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3068" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3069" CreationDate="2011-12-13T00:06:58.280" Score="9" ViewCount="676" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the summer, as it almost never rains here, I end up watering plants in the backyard every 2 to 3 days. In the winter, it rains more regularly. However, when it doesn't rain for periods of a few weeks in a row, should I then be going back to watering, at least for non drought-tolerant plants? Or are the plants in semi-hibernation, making watering in the winter unnecessary?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="831" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-12-13T15:15:25.553" LastActivityDate="2011-12-13T17:19:09.520" Title="Is it OK to skip watering outdoor plants in the winter in California?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3069" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3068" CreationDate="2011-12-13T02:25:48.990" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our climate is different, but I would let the soil tell me - if it's dry below the top half-inch or so, I'd water thoroughly.  Don't just sprinkle - it encourages shallow root growth, when you want them deep instead.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd expect water needs to be reduced in the winter, but not gone.  It will vary greatly from plant to plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-12-13T13:59:33.333" LastActivityDate="2011-12-13T13:59:33.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3070" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3068" CreationDate="2011-12-13T14:37:22.477" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As @Ed says, let the soil tell you - also let the plants tell you: plants do vary (a cactus will be more drought tolerant than a magnolia, for example).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, try to plant local natives - I've spent a few months in the Bay Area and there's a lot of wild plants around there. They survive just fine without any human-produced irrigation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-13T17:19:09.520" LastActivityDate="2011-12-13T17:19:09.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3071" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3072" CreationDate="2011-12-14T01:02:12.973" Score="9" ViewCount="5474" Body="&lt;p&gt;Late fall / early winter means it's time to select seeds for next year's garden!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What varieties of sweet corn are good for both eating fresh and freezing? The seed catalogs seem to be silent on the latter point, mostly emphasizing the fresh eating qualities. I plant enough so that we have all we can eat fresh, and then some extra to freeze and eat during the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Willing to plant two varieties, but I can't isolate in space, only in time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Short season, about 90 days&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you don't want to offer specific varieties, I wouldn't mind some pointers on how to navigate the maze of SU (normal sugary), SE (sugary enhanced), SE-SE, etc. in terms of what will freeze best. (This might even be better -- &quot;teach a man to fish&quot;.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-14T14:53:20.090" LastActivityDate="2011-12-14T14:53:20.090" Title="What varieties of sweet corn are best for freezing?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;corn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3071" CreationDate="2011-12-14T02:27:19.387" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;For freezing, sweet corns that develop their sugars to starches slowest are best, Because they hold their flavor better than more starchy sweet corns. Super-sweet(sh2) are good for this, but have tougher skins and less flavor than others. On the other hand, you have sugary-enhanced(se) corn with tender skins and good flavor, but is more starchy. What I have grown for two years now is a variety that combines the sweetness of super-sweet(It is actually quite a bit sweeter), The tender skins of sugary-enhanced, and the flavor of normal corn. The variety name is 'Mirai 350 BC' a sh2/se/su corn that has bicolor, eight inch ears on 6 1/2' plants. It matures in 78 days. You would not believe how good this corn tastes. It makes old Silver Queen, a white su variety, taste like cardboard, even when freshly picked. Is stores well, and you can leave it in your fridge for four weeks, in its husk, and it will taste better than other corn. The earliest sweet corn is Earlivee, a 52 day yellow corn with 6&quot; ears on a 3 1/2' stalk. It is an su corn. It can be planted at the same time as the Mirai, without fear of cross-pollination. Its seeds are also much less expensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-14T02:27:19.387" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3073" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3066" CreationDate="2011-12-14T02:34:25.957" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Of the trees you are thinking about, I think peaches are the best option. Peaches (and nectarines, whose tree is exactly like the peach, the only difference being the fuzz on the fruit) are the easiest to care for of these trees, and will grow in variable light. They also can take heavy pruning, and a mature standard tree can be kept at 6' and still bear profusely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-14T02:34:25.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3074" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="545" CreationDate="2011-12-14T05:24:24.817" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is only better to water in the evening or early morning from a conservation perspective due to evaporation of this precious resource.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, the idea it's bad to be watered under the bright midday sun because it hurts the plants themselves appears to be a myth. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20chalker-scott/horticultural%20myths_files/Myths/Leaf%20scorch.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article by a well qualified horticulturist&lt;/a&gt; debunk it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;There are many causes of leaf scorch, but irrigation with fresh water is certainly not one of them. Hundreds of scientific publications on crop plants, turf, woody shrubs and trees have examined foliar scorch, and not one of them has implicated midday irrigation as a causal agent. What does cause damage, however, is suboptimal plant-water relations, which can result in tip and marginal leaf scorch, shoot dieback, stunted growth, and leaf abscission.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-12-14T05:35:18.103" LastActivityDate="2011-12-14T05:35:18.103" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3075" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-14T20:15:51.123" Score="14" ViewCount="4952" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am working on building a cold frame and have purchased a Univent automatic opener to vent the cold frame by lifting the lid/light.  However the Univent opener is not supposed to subjected to freezing temperatures or it will break.  That is surprising to me because it seems most people would want to use an automatic opener during times of the year that there are freezing temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know whether a Univent opener can handle freezing temperatures?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are some alternatives for automatically venting a cold frame during the Winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="833" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2011-12-15T18:54:54.450" LastActivityDate="2013-09-08T15:12:51.367" Title="How to automatically vent a cold frame during the Winter?" Tags="&lt;winter-gardening&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;&lt;cold-frame&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3076" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3089" CreationDate="2011-12-14T22:59:12.700" Score="9" ViewCount="3510" Body="&lt;p&gt;I lifted some carrots this evening. It being December these are carrots which have been in the ground some time. They're big and fat, they need cleaning up and the damage needs cutting out, but basically most of them is OK to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I clean them up I see that there are holes and tunnels, the usual with root veg which has been a bit neglected. OK, slugs, I'm thinking. That's fairly normal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But as I work on them a bit more I find woodlice in the holes. Are woodlice a root vegetable pest, will they eat carrots, and have they made those holes? If so, is there any way to control them and keep them out of my veg?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or are they just sheltering in holes made by other creatures?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-07T23:03:44.297" LastActivityDate="2020-04-21T05:24:03.510" Title="Are woodlice eating my carrots?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3077" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3063" CreationDate="2011-12-15T00:53:53.960" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yep, Camellia.  Japonicas bloom in spring and Sasanquas bloom in the late fall.  They are very common here in the Piedmont of NC.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2011-12-15T00:53:53.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3079" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3076" CreationDate="2011-12-15T02:20:19.913" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Woodlice eat dead vegetable matter, but they normally do not attack live plants. They are probably just in the holes because they offer protection from the weather. If the holes are large and appear at the top of the root, the culprit is probably slugs. If the burrows are smaller and run along the root near the skin, you probably have had carrot rust fly maggots sometime during the growing season. Applying pesticides will keep these away, but, when grown in a good, active, organic soil and given enough water, the plants will take care of themselves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-15T02:20:19.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3080" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3109" CreationDate="2011-12-15T02:57:35.717" Score="8" ViewCount="392" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4hYUV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;  I have an arbor over a walkway, under a large tree. I want to find a vine that will grow on this under these conditions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dry clay based topsoil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;medium shade all day&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;USDA hardiness zone 6b&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lots of bird activity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The arbor is 4' wide and 7' tall, with lattice on the sides for the vine to climb on, and the top is designed for the vines to intertwine in. The vine should preferably have most of these characteristics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;evergreen foliage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;free branching habit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;perennial woody vines &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;good disease resistance&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;moderate growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2011-12-23T02:34:45.187" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T18:15:29.103" Title="What vine would be best for my arbor under a tree in dry soil?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3081" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3088" CreationDate="2011-12-15T12:18:11.040" Score="10" ViewCount="364" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a buried fountain reservoir that cannot easily be protected from rainwater. It soon fills and at some point this winter will freeze over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can put in it that will prevent it from getting damaged? Something that would prevent or reduce pressure from splitting the sides?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[update]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pump is already out, so I am not so concerned about that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="310" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T02:55:15.833" LastActivityDate="2012-02-17T02:55:15.833" Title="How should I protect a buried fountain reservoir from freezing?" Tags="&lt;frost&gt;&lt;fountain&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3082" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3255" CreationDate="2011-12-16T02:31:09.167" Score="7" ViewCount="243" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nola.com/homegarden/index.ssf/2014/09/tips_for_growing_night_bloomin.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;night flowering cereus&lt;/a&gt; cactus that is about five years old. It is a foot tall and has a single stem. It is in a four inch square plastic pot. Is it going to flower anytime soon?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-11T20:45:30.763" LastActivityDate="2016-11-11T20:45:30.763" Title="At what age will a night flowering cereus begin to flower?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3083" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3084" CreationDate="2011-12-16T06:37:56.977" Score="17" ViewCount="1451" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just germinated some mini sinningia from seed and the seedlings are very small. When I water the soil, the soil mixture just floats on the water because some of them are perlite. The perlite and water crashes into the seedlings and I thought &quot;oops, they are going to die.&quot;. I can't separate the soil from the seedling ( without using a toothpick/needle ) and I can't just watch them die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do you water in such case? I think that the water will be too much if I use a spray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="924" LastEditDate="2012-02-21T20:54:57.230" LastActivityDate="2012-05-07T16:35:18.617" Title="How do you water tiny seedlings?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3083" CreationDate="2011-12-16T14:23:45.680" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tray watering is the standard way of watering plants so that the soil surface is not damaged. The water is poured in at the bottom - so no damage, and then soaks up through the soil. The seedlings will need to be in a shallow tray for this to work (it won't work with a deep pot unless the plants have a good root structure). For my pepper seedlings, use the standard seed trays, and leave one of the squares &quot;empty&quot; so I can pour water into it - the water goes straight down into the tray without damaging the peat or washing seeds around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If light surface watering is required, try a spray instead? This will then soak the upper soil surface without washing it around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The perlite is probably floating due to surface tension effects - is it drying out? Keeping the perlite damp would avoid this (although it might mean the soil gets too wet and lead to damping off / etc of the seedlings).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-12-16T14:23:45.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3085" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3083" CreationDate="2011-12-16T17:58:33.337" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;@winwaed's answer is definitely the right way to do it for conventionally grown seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But you can sidestep this entire issue (how to best water tender seedlings) by using soil blocks. These are a compressed soil mixture that holds a surprising amount of water. I like to start small seeds in 3/4&quot; blocks, larger seeds in 2&quot; blocks. (When the seedlings in the small blocks get big they can be &quot;transplanted&quot; into a larger block.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I put the blocks in a tray with low sides and when they need watering I pour a small amount of water into the tray. The blocks absorb moisture from the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last time I planted I think I counted 300 of the small blocks and 50 of the larger blocks on a standard sized cookie sheet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(This assumes that whatever you are starting will germinate and grow properly in the media required to get blocks to form well.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-12-16T17:58:33.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3086" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3087" CreationDate="2011-12-16T23:23:49.097" Score="12" ViewCount="10164" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lot of leaves on my lawn (in Oklahoma). Will it hurt the grass if I leave the leaves there over the winter? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="662" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-17T00:04:30.353" LastActivityDate="2011-12-18T02:58:56.430" Title="Will leaving fallen leaves on the lawn during winter damage the grass?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3086" CreationDate="2011-12-17T03:30:54.570" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, if they get matted down - just like covering the grass with anything else would - by reducing sunlight and air circulation.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Less importantly, leaves will compete with the grass for nitrogen - they consume it in decaying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oak leaves are especially bad because they're acidic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some folks have good results with shredding leaves and leaving them on.  Not me.  I suspect this may work well (or at least better) if you fertilize a lot, which I don't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grass still grows in the winter, except when it's very cold - just a lot slower.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2011-12-17T03:30:54.570" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3088" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3081" CreationDate="2011-12-17T04:32:43.127" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an olive barrel/reservoir/water feature that is completely buried underground.  The pump is at the bottom of the barrel which is approximately 4 feet underground.  I drain the reservoir in the autumn.  It is full of water every spring.  So far, in our zone 5 location, where temperatures of -30 deg C are not uncommon the barrel and pump have come through fine since being built in 2008.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are really worried get a cattle trough heater with guard from a feed store. That will keep things liquid at the cost of some electricity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VjAgz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Water feature with buried reservoir&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-12-17T04:32:43.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3089" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3076" CreationDate="2011-12-18T02:18:51.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;These little guys normally feed on decomposing plant material.  They like to shelter on or under a surface.  I would not normally associate them with eating something hard like a carrot.  It is far more likely that another insect did the damage and they were just looking for shelter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-12-18T02:18:51.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3090" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="332" CreationDate="2011-12-18T02:49:52.123" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gourds climb using tendrils, so they do not twine around the poles like beans. You cannot tell exactly which direction they will grow, but most plants will head towards the light. Vining plants also sometimes wave their heads in circles as they grow in order to find a support. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For best climbing results, train the vines that go wandering away back onto the teepee, even if that means turning the whole plant a different direction. Cucumbers will grow the same way, but they aren't as fast and need more water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-18T06:31:01.077" LastActivityDate="2011-12-18T06:31:01.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3091" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3086" CreationDate="2011-12-18T02:58:56.430" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you mow over the leaves with a lawn mower and chop them up, they will go between the blades of grass and decompose into the soil. The grass clippings and leaves chopped up make a good carbon/nitrogen ratio for composting. If your leaves are a quickly decomposing type like cherry, a thin layer will not damage the grass during winter, but oak leaves will mat down and deprive the grass of light and oxygen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-18T02:58:56.430" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3092" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3093" CreationDate="2011-12-18T10:46:36.713" Score="12" ViewCount="1412" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the likely cause of the bobbly forms on the leaves of a peach tree? Does it matter or is it just some natural anomaly that doesn't affect the tree's health? If is it a concern how can it be treated?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree in question is about 1m (3 ft) tall, so not very close to maturity yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the left is a bottom view of a bobbly leaf; on the right is top view.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Further to the question, can anyone give information about how leaf curl is different when cause by a virus (e.g. &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begomovirus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Begomovirus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;) instead of the &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taphrina_deformans&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Taphrina deformans&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; fungus which is apparently the much more common cause? And how would treat it differently?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aa4htm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Peach leaves showing bobbly forms&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F372am.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2011-12-20T02:19:08.737" LastActivityDate="2011-12-20T02:19:08.737" Title="What is the problem/disease that causes bobbly peach tree leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3093" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3092" CreationDate="2011-12-18T17:56:36.093" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pretty sure that's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.caf.wvu.edu/kearneysville/disease_descriptions/omplfcrl.html&quot;&gt;Peach Leaf Curl&lt;/a&gt;.  My tree's were hit by that pretty bad this last year.  I spoke with a few people and from what I understand the solution is to apply a fungicide in either late fall (when most of the leaves are gone) or early spring (when they are budding).  Something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensalive.com/pestguide.asp?article_id=66&amp;amp;sid=0155140&amp;amp;gclid=COm8lsmYjK0CFWg0QgodkzzalQ&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I sprayed my tree's down but I haven't had a chance to see how well it works.  Hope this helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="837" LastActivityDate="2011-12-18T17:56:36.093" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3094" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3095" CreationDate="2011-12-18T18:06:21.807" Score="11" ViewCount="938" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I am going to add horse manure that has a lot of wood shavings to my compost should I do anything special to make sure everything decomposes well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="837" LastActivityDate="2011-12-18T18:19:02.197" Title="Adding horse manure that has a lot of wood shavings to my compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3095" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3094" CreationDate="2011-12-18T18:19:02.197" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use horse manure with a lot of wood bedding in my compost. (That's understating it: my compost is &lt;em&gt;mostly&lt;/em&gt; horse manure with wood bedding...) I've found that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;making sure it stays moist;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;adding whatever nitrogen sources are available (kitchen scraps, lawn clippings, chicken manure, etc); and&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;turning it occasionally&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;gives me great compost after 6-12 months. If it's dry when you turn it, add water. If these are your horses, you can help it stay moist by dumping the leftover water from the buckets onto the pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During the summer (lawn mowing season) I find that layering 1&quot; of lawn clippings with 3&quot; of manure+bedding gets hot fast. With a good sized pile, and turning every couple of weeks, you can have nice finished compost by the end of the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, keep in mind that the bedding can absorb a lot of urine, which is very high in nitrogen. So if the bedding is well soaked, you may not need to add tons of extra nitrogen to get it to break down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-12-18T18:19:02.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3096" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3097" CreationDate="2011-12-18T19:26:10.483" Score="17" ViewCount="734" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to measure the pH of soil in my potted plants (especially for the dwarf citrus trees that I just bought).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen many different options: expensive laboratory-grade meters, cheap digital meters, analog meters, pH test paper strips, and so on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What type of meter works best for home gardening? Are there any specific types that should be avoided?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="543" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-12-24T13:21:21.247" LastActivityDate="2015-12-24T13:21:21.247" Title="What type of tester works best for measuring soil pH?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-12-29T17:17:23.700" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3096" CreationDate="2011-12-18T20:42:13.823" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would stay clear of paper (eg. Litmus paper) and indicator solutions (eg. Universal Indicator). Paper strips are only a simple &quot;is it more acidic than X&quot; or &quot;is it more alkali than Y&quot;. Pigmentation from the soil can also pose a problem. Soil colour and suspension will be the problem with the solutions. A well designed solution such as Universal Indicator might be accurate enough where you need it but it will be difficult to read with soil discoloration. (universal indicator is great for schools as it is easy to use and covers a wide range, unlike litmus paper).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lab readers are going to be overkill - so cheap digital or analog will be your options. For our Costa Rica work we use a cheap analog reader from a garden center - primarily because it will easily go through aircraft security and customs and cheap if it breaks (also it is more likely to break...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-12-18T20:42:13.823" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3098" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2683" CreationDate="2011-12-19T03:56:08.713" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Being in Australia, I started out with exactly the same question, xiahouzi. I've found that in attending &lt;strong&gt;vege swaps&lt;/strong&gt; (regular, moneyless, small community trading events), people are always swapping seedlings and seeds as well. This is a really useful way to source quality seeds, given they're simply backyard gardeners saving the seeds from their favourite veges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've obtained or given away seeds for beans, marigolds and mustard greens in this way already this season. And I've received or given away seedlings for Lebanese cucumbers, rosemary, Black Russian tomatoes, aloe vera, various lettuces, parsleys, basil and a foot-tall apricot sapling! That would give you an idea of how vigourous the swapping can be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My local vege swap at West Croydon (which anyone is most welcome to attend if travelling through Adelaide) is one of Australia's best examples. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://users.tpg.com.au/vegeswap&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://users.tpg.com.au/vegeswap&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a list of regular swaps around Australia at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ceres.org.au/node/114&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ceres.org.au/node/114&lt;/a&gt; but that information appears slightly outdated so you might have to do a bit of localised research or try to start your own local swap to proceed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure if the concept is widespread internationally, but if someone else knows, feel free to chip in and add to this answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE (24 Feb 2012)&lt;/strong&gt;: I've since discovered dedicated &lt;strong&gt;seed swaps&lt;/strong&gt; are also occurring all over the country. If you can get in contact with one person from a local gardening or seed saving community you'll be pleasantly surprised at the passion for seed saving that occurs quietly without much reflection of that activity on the web.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently I went along to a local seed savers meeting and picked up a year's worth of vege seeds and some flower bulbs to attract the bees. Many of these were seeds you can't easily buy because they're the offspring of plants cultivated over many years by some dedicated gardener, shared in the gardening community and typically genetically distinct in some way that home gardeners prize.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2012-02-24T00:31:13.907" LastActivityDate="2012-02-24T00:31:13.907" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3099" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3112" CreationDate="2011-12-19T04:57:44.630" Score="14" ViewCount="13763" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to plant plants/trees/shrubs along the sidewalk on the roads to improve the landscaping and general appearance. However, I live in Gurgaon, India and it is common to see livestock (cows, goats, etc.) on the roads. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In order to prevent my plants from being eaten up by livestock, I'd like to use only those plants that the animals avoid eating. I'd also like them to be non-poisonous, just in case some actually do happen to nibble a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of plants/trees/shrubs fit the above requirements and will grow well in my city?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="332" LastEditorUserId="332" LastEditDate="2011-12-21T04:53:42.993" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T12:40:04.473" Title="What kind of landscaping plants do livestock avoid eating and need minimal attention?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3100" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3092" CreationDate="2011-12-19T12:54:09.493" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with @Abe Miessler's diagnosis of peach leaf curl. Last year one of my peach trees had a bad case of this -- the other one 30' away was mostly unaffected. (One of the recommendations for prevention is to plant resistant varieties.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure where I read this, but once you've got it, you can't cure it this season -- you can only prevent it next season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/1605296775&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control&lt;/a&gt; (Bradley et al) describes peach leaf curl on p. 324:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant resistant cultivars.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove and destroy infected leaves.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That reference says it's worst in cold, wet springs. You can apply a preventive spray of lime sulfur (calcium polysulfide) (or &amp;quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Bordeaux_mixture&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bordeaux Mixture&lt;/a&gt;&amp;quot; -- a copper spray) either in the fall after leaf drop or in the spring before bud break. (See &lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/0963452037&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Backyard Orchardist&lt;/a&gt; (Otto), p197.) Beware that copper-based sprays are toxic to fish and earthworms (at least), so don't overdo it. Beware that sulfur sprays can be toxic to the plants in hot, dry weather (see links below). Either of these sprays are fairly generic items that should be available at a well-stocked garden center or nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may not be practical advice for you at this point, but &lt;em&gt;Handbook&lt;/em&gt; also suggests growing dwarf trees in pots where they won't be cold and wet in spring and then moving the pots outside for the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some other info:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://news.msue.msu.edu/news/article/lime_sulfur_sprays_can_improve_spring_disease_control&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lime sulfur sprays can improve spring disease control&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://lancaster.unl.edu/hort/Articles/2002/lime-sulfur.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lime-sulfur: a Fungicide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4dmg/VegFruit/organic.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Some Pesticides Permitted in Organic Gardening&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2011-12-19T12:54:09.493" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3101" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3257" CreationDate="2011-12-19T22:53:19.250" Score="6" ViewCount="122" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking of gifting someone with a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum_opulus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;snowball viburnum&lt;/a&gt; for Christmas. Will it live alright in the bay area (specifically, Fremont)? I heard that the soil may cause some issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="841" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-19T23:36:26.577" LastActivityDate="2012-01-17T20:24:54.833" Title="Will a snowball viburnum thrive in the San Francisco bay area (Fremont)?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3102" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-19T23:53:44.883" Score="10" ViewCount="6471" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a number of overgrown &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bougainvillea&quot;&gt;bougainvilleas&lt;/a&gt; that were hit by frost damage last season.  As such they have a lot of unsightly, dead branches on them.  This spring I plan to do a severe pruning, but I'm dreading it.  Bougainvillea's have some nasty thorns on them, end even when doing some simple trimming, I'm always covered with scratches, and the toxic nature of the thorns make my skin itch for some time.  They are also a royal pain to get into trash bags as they simply shred them if you aren't careful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way for dealing with disposing of a lot of bougainvillea branches without looking like I tangled with a pack of angry cats? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[edit] I should clarify. severely pruning back the bougainvillea's will create a lot of very thorny branches, often quite long ones.  When I have trimmed the plants in the past, I ended up doing a lot of cutting the branches into smaller, more manageable pieces so that I could shove them into trash bags.  I'm not looking so much as to how to keep from getting cut up, although the suggestions are great. I'm really looking for an idea of how to dispose of the branches.  How do people that have dealt with a very large amount of these thorny branches deal with them?  They don't compost well as they are.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps could I burn them?  I know I can't do that with plants like oleander because of the toxic nature of the smoke, but what about bougainvillea?     &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="239" LastEditorUserId="239" LastEditDate="2011-12-20T18:29:17.297" LastActivityDate="2019-02-01T23:01:11.137" Title="How do you deal with disposing of bougainvillea branches?" Tags="&lt;disposal&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3103" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-20T00:42:38.373" Score="9" ViewCount="1562" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the last 6 months the level of the soil in my back yard has dropped 4-6 inches exposing all the sprinkler heads and tree roots. Whats going on? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="842" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-19T00:56:18.483" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T00:56:18.483" Title="Why is the soil shrinking in my backyard?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1239" CreationDate="2011-12-20T02:33:40.707" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieffenbachia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dieffenbachia&lt;/a&gt; species&lt;/strong&gt; tend to make good house plants. They don't need much water or sunlight and tend to be really hardy indoors. A brand name of one of our Dieffenbachia is &quot;indoorstructable&quot;!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BXM1Y.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2011-12-20T02:33:40.707" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3103" CreationDate="2011-12-20T02:37:25.657" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be one or more of several things. First, rain is a main source of erosion. erosion from rain occurs when there is a dry period, drying the soil down several inches. The rain then lands on the dust, splashing mud and dust and traveling downhill as the amount accumulates. When rain erosion removes a layer of topsoil, there should be a level area on the uphill side of roots or large rocks where the mud pooled on its way downhill, and drained. Second, If your soil was very dry and dusty, wind can quickly move large amounts of topsoil. The result usually looks like the ground is sunken between roots and rocks, and where there are no healthy root systems. Third, soil compaction can put moist soil down several inches in a relatively short amount of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some good tips to reduce soil erosion:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep your soil in a healthy condition, adding plenty of organic matter (like compost) to your soil. This keeps it springy and holds moisture, greatly reducing erosion.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grow something. A cover of plant growth and a good system of plant roots works with healthy soil to prevent erosion.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Where you can't grow anything, mulch. Mulching with organic matter protects the soil from the elements and feeds it at the same time. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-20T02:37:25.657" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3106" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3108" CreationDate="2011-12-20T04:09:37.280" Score="9" ViewCount="2619" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a problem with crickets eating my seedlings and young plants.  I have found very little information on keeping crickets away, as this doesn't seem to be a problem for most people.  Without resorting to synthetic chemical pesticides, how can I keep crickets from eating my young plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="843" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-20T05:34:46.377" LastActivityDate="2014-11-30T11:20:40.390" Title="How can I handle a cricket problem without using pesticides?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3102" CreationDate="2011-12-20T10:30:14.760" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need thick gloves and long sleeves. Some available products:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B003BVIPYI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.amazon.com/Magid-TE194T-L-Collection-Professional-Gardening/dp/B003BVIPYI/ref=pd_sim_ol_1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B001L7ANKI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.amazon.com/The-Protector-Rose-Gauntlet-Gloves/dp/B001L7ANKI/ref=pd_sbs_ol_2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="126" LastActivityDate="2011-12-20T10:30:14.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3108" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3106" CreationDate="2011-12-20T12:57:19.553" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.asktheexterminator.com/Crickets/Cricket_Control.shtml&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; talks about prevention:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Mow tall grass and weed flower beds. Crickets love tall grasses. If you have tall grasses near or around your house, it's best to keep them trimmed low. Crickets also live in debris. They are attracted to moist, shaded debris, like grass clippings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prevention is important because if you kill them (through whatever method mentioned below), they'll just come back unless you destroy their habitat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entomopathogenic_nematode&quot;&gt;Entomopathogenic nematodes&lt;/a&gt; are one method of control. Shop for &quot;nematodes&quot; and read the label to verify that crickets are targeted by the particular type of nematode in the container. If you have mole crickets, &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/nematode/mole_cricket_nematode.htm&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Steinernema scapterisci&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; will kill them. (See &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/lh039&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; for sources.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pyrethroid is a natural (though still toxic; and often only available commercially as a synthetic) poison that may be effective against crickets. Check the label.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you shop around, you'll find cricket bait available that is listed as suitable for organic production. I presume these are &quot;safer&quot; pesticides. Note that, at least on the websites I found, they are not available in several states.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of what you find on the internet says that &quot;natural predators&quot; will control crickets: birds, toads, etc; you should encourage these predators into your garden. The U Florida extension service article linked above says this isn't effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-12-20T12:57:19.553" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3109" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3080" CreationDate="2011-12-21T00:23:20.700" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In no particular order of preference&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Akebia%20quinata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Akebia, the Chocolate vine&lt;/a&gt; fragrant purplish or reddish flowers, semi evergreen, pest and disease free, flowers have an edible pulp-any type of soil, tolerates shade.  Downsides: plant two for fruit production, not a native North American plant, might be too vigorous if it likes it&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celastrus_scandens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Celastrus scandens, bittersweet&lt;/a&gt;, highly coloured red berries encased in yellow shells, tolerates shade, attracts birds, north american native plant, any soil. Downsides: berries are poisonous to humans, may be too vigorous with growth to 30 feet, best cultivars may be hard to find, need a male and female plant.  Newest cultivar 'Bailumn' is self fertile (or a graft), larger berries or you may find a combo plant of 'Hercules' and 'Diana' the older cultivars&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humulus_Lupulus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Humulus Lupulus, Hops&lt;/a&gt;, for the beer maker in your home!, vigorous, tolerates shade, interesting fruiting structures Downsides: not native, likely will die down to the ground&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I am bored with what everyone else has I am growing this plant from seed:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisteria_macrostachya&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Kentucky wisteria&lt;/a&gt;, fragrant purplish flowers Downsides: probably needs more light, not interesting to birds, only available from seed where I live, see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensnorth.com/site/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardens North&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&#xA;Whether a vine is evergreen is not always easy to determine as climatic factors play a part.  A euonmyus plant is evergreen in zone 6 but not necessarily so in zone 5.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The wisteria and hops are the least likely to be evergreen in zone.  The most likely is the Akebia.  Look around for bittersweet vines in your local botanical garden or nursery for information on how they will behave for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-01-03T17:55:07.563" LastActivityDate="2012-01-03T17:55:07.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3062" CreationDate="2011-12-21T00:26:16.530" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where I live this issue is taken care of with a hedge trimmer.  If this is not what you had in mind you could try planting identical cultivars.  They are more likely to grow to a similar height and spread than a group of species cedars.  They will cost more, sometimes 5 times as much as wild grown cedars but your up front investment is rewarded by less trimming in future years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-12-21T00:26:16.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3111" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3113" CreationDate="2011-12-21T03:57:55.153" Score="19" ViewCount="7468" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to be a good composter, but turning my pile is backbreaking work.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was looking through a gardening magazine today and I saw a contraption that was basically a three foot long pole that had 6&quot; arms that fold in along the side when pushing in, and then expanding out when you pulled it out.  The idea is that you just plunge it in and pull it out a bunch of times and blammo - aeration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6b1az.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Outdoor/Compost-Tools-and-Accessories/Double-Winged-Compost-Aerator?gdftrk=gdfV23673_a_7c1677_a_7c8224_a_7c2910409&amp;amp;gclid=CIKU2-Cikq0CFaQbQgodiwFQnw&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Double Winged Compost Aerator&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do these types of things actually work, or do I just need to stop being lazy if I want to aerate my pile?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="837" LastEditorUserId="837" LastEditDate="2011-12-24T07:29:46.460" LastActivityDate="2015-05-29T21:01:55.043" Title="Is there an easier way to aerate my compost besides turning it?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="10" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3099" CreationDate="2011-12-21T05:40:00.877" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Livestock will favour legumes over something taller with more cellulouse to digest. So instead of planting just one kind of plant on the sidewalks, might I suggest you plant two kinds at least. First, something tough and not very delicious like Mondo grass or agapanthus in the background. Then, sprinkled in the foreground, clover or soft grass (e.g. couch) in the foreground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The animals might be tempted to nibble the background plant if they were desperate but hopefully that never happens due to the presence of the foreground plant. That way passing livestock will almost certainly let the background plants become well established even if they do damage the foreground plant. And once established, occasional munching won't hurt them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the ideal world, at some point an equilibrium would form so that the clover grows fast enough to supply passing livestock and the background plant maintains its place more or less left alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Disclaimer: I have no idea how suitable the above mentioned plants are for a monsoonal climate, but with some local advice you could adjust the species according to the general concept.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2011-12-21T05:40:00.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3111" CreationDate="2011-12-21T13:46:13.493" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;The point of aerating your pile is to get oxygen to the microbes that break down the organic matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't used those compost aerators, but the theory seems sound -- it will &quot;fluff&quot; up the pile, undoing any compaction that has happened and letting the microbes breathe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, if you've already got a pitchfork and you're willing to do a &lt;em&gt;little&lt;/em&gt; work, you may not need the aerator. When I'm feeling too lazy to turn the pile all the way, I just shove the fork in, lever it up and down, and work my way around the pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of &quot;an easier way&quot;: I've seen designs for bins/piles that incorporate perforated pipe into the bottom of the pile. Basically you run a piece of perf-pipe along the ground so that both ends stick out of the base of the pile, and a second pipe vertically, then build your compost pile on top of the bottom pipe and around the vertical pipe. The idea is that the pipes will carry air into the center of the pile. I've tried it and didn't see much benefit -- but I don't know if my execution was flawed or if the idea is flawed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another approach would be to layer a few long sticks horizontally across the pile as you build it up, crisscrossing the sticks as you build it. The idea is that instead of turning the pile, you can just grab the end of the sticks and jiggle them to fluff up the pile and get some air in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And: it's not for everybody, but when my pile gets too big to turn by hand, I push it with the tractor. (You could also attack a big pile with a plow on the front of your truck...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But: attacking a pile with a snowblower doesn't work very well. The compost is just too heavy and bogs down the machine too much, even at a slow speed. (It was an idea I had to try...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also worth noting that turning the pile is an opportunity to add moisture. (My piles tend to dry out quickly.) When I turn the pile, I will often add water to the middle of the new pile about halfway through turning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, if I'm &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; feeling lazy, I don't bother turning it at all. The pile will still break down, it will just take longer and/or the decomposition won't be as complete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-12-21T13:46:13.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3114" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3111" CreationDate="2011-12-21T16:24:05.680" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your pile will compost without turning it, but it goes faster if you turn it.  A pitchfork and a little bit of work every few weeks or months will do just fine&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastActivityDate="2011-12-21T16:24:05.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3115" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-21T17:22:54.680" Score="8" ViewCount="657" Body="&lt;p&gt;My girlfriend got a rose to sprout and then planted. It grew nicely but now spider mites are coming back all the time.&#xA;She tried a BAYER spray for mite control but they are coming back every time she has the rose plant inside the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="845" LastActivityDate="2014-12-28T23:58:05.167" Title="How to get rid of spider mites on roses?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;&lt;spider-mites&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3116" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3111" CreationDate="2011-12-21T19:16:40.803" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you aren't already - use a fork, not a shovel.  It's much easier.  I use a D-handled gardening fork.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://chiotsrun.com/2009/03/20/three-bin-compost-system/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;3-bin composter&lt;/a&gt; that I built about 25 years ago (with minor repairs since), using the very simple plans from &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0316161209&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Crockett's Victory Garden&lt;/a&gt;.  Whenever I add anything, I add to the same bin, layering in about as much from another bin as I put in new.  When that bin's full, I start on another - often needing to empty out what's left in it, either for use in the garden, or just tossing it on top of one of the other bins if it isn't ripe yet.  So I don't turn it all at once, but it gets turned over time.  This also allows me to balance out the green-brown (carbon-nitrogen) ratio over the year.  We get lots of nitrogen-rich grass clippings in the spring, and carbon-rich leaves in the fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another good thing about using bins, instead of just a pile, is that it gets a lot of the work up higher, so it isn't as hard on the back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-12-24T18:27:14.693" LastActivityDate="2011-12-24T18:27:14.693" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3117" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3111" CreationDate="2011-12-22T02:17:49.937" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It partially depends on what you are composting. If you are composting something like junk hay that is tough and stringy, Double winged compost aerators are hard to push into the pile, and the material comes up in a clump, tangled in the wings. also the wings may bend if you are composting something heavy. If you shred your material, this device works quite well. If you compost a variety of material types, it would normally end up taking less time just to use a pitchfork. Pitchforks are good for most home composting, but if you have too much material coming in and you don't have the equipment to stir it, consider multiple piles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-22T02:17:49.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="76" CreationDate="2011-12-22T14:32:00.357" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem_oil&quot;&gt;neem seed oil&lt;/a&gt; effectively. From the wikipedia article (emphasis not in original):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Formulations made of neem oil also find wide usage as a bio-pesticide for organic farming, as it repels a wide variety of pests including the mealy bug, beet armyworm, &lt;strong&gt;aphids&lt;/strong&gt;, the &lt;strong&gt;cabbage worm&lt;/strong&gt;, thrips, whiteflies, mites, fungus gnats, beetles, moth larvae, mushroom flies, leafminers, caterpillars, locust, nematodes and the Japanese beetle. Neem oil is &lt;strong&gt;not known to be harmful&lt;/strong&gt; to mammals, birds, earthworms or some beneficial insects such as butterflies, honeybees and ladybugs if it is not concentrated directly into their area of habitat or on their food source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="848" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-17T17:28:35.083" LastActivityDate="2012-01-17T17:28:35.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3115" CreationDate="2011-12-22T17:26:55.707" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Either soap and water applied at 5 to 6 days intervals with particular attention being paid to get good coverage on the underside of the leaves or keeping the rose outside would solve this problem.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1842/51&quot;&gt;This answer&lt;/a&gt; is very detailed; I recommend looking at it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-01-06T21:45:13.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3120" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3140" CreationDate="2011-12-23T02:28:03.683" Score="11" ViewCount="1773" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cT4Jt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m8NX5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This Norway spruce's roots have always been on top of the ground. The soil it is growing on is very hard white dry soil with a layer of decayed needles on top. It has been growing fine so far, but would it be healthier if I covered all the exposed roots with topsoil? I do not know if this would harm the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I added five wheelbarrow loads of dirt. Can I grow grass there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-02T14:22:53.070" LastActivityDate="2012-02-02T14:22:53.070" Title="Should my spruce tree roots be covered?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3121" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3135" CreationDate="2011-12-23T14:30:15.397" Score="13" ViewCount="777" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the office there is an abundance of fluorescent light and that's about it. The temperature stays around 70 ºF (21 ºC)  I think.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could I grow a fruiting plant in these conditions? I may be able to add a lamp with a full spectrum light bulb to help the plant out.  It can't be anything fancy though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was hoping I could grow a small hot pepper plant, but I don't mind if I have to settle for something else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="752" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T13:38:20.483" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T13:38:20.483" Title="Is there a fruiting plant that can grow in an office environment?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3122" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-23T18:16:29.067" Score="17" ViewCount="18701" Body="&lt;p&gt;This harvest I was not able to pick a single corn cob.  Some large animal(s), I suspect raccoons, got to them before they were ripe (I would find peeled and gnawed corn littering the lawn and the corn stems bent down when I got home).  I had crushed garlic all over the garden.  This kept the rabbits away, but was not effective against the large animal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am looking for a solution that does not involve putting a fence around my garden patch.  Are there plants that raccoons are repelled by?  Has someone tried prickly plants to make the patch unattrative to raccoons?  I am told these are very intelligent animals, so I think the solution will have to be a mix of good ideas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-23T22:30:01.510" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T23:31:41.013" Title="How do I prevent raccoons from eating my corn?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;raccoons&gt;" AnswerCount="10" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3123" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3122" CreationDate="2011-12-23T18:45:41.937" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;When the corn is about 1-2 weeks from being ready for human consumption put a battery powered radio tuned to an all night talk radio station in your corn patch.  Music does not work.  The raccoons will avoid the &quot;humans&quot; for a while.  You have to time this carefully to your corn crop because after a couple of weeks the 'coons will figure that those voices they hear are not really people.  You have to have your corn harvested before then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="193" LastActivityDate="2011-12-23T18:45:41.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3124" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-23T18:47:43.617" Score="8" ViewCount="894" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to create a living driveway.  I saw a clip on TV the other night about 'rain gardens' that absorb run-off and help filter water into the aquifer as opposed to dumping it into storm drains.  This got me thinking about converting my asphalt driveway into a rain garden of sorts.  I want it to meet the following requirements (admittedly a difficult list to meet):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It has to be attractive, as it is the front of my house.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It should not deform too much (e.g. form ruts) from having cars parked on it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I live in Canada in a heavy snow region, so it needs to be easily cleared of snow using a snow blower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This is crazy idea; the heating in compost piles got me thinking that there has to be some way to keep the driveway hot through the winter via a biological process (so, I am not talking about running wires over my driveway) thus limiting the amount of snow and ice removal required.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Barring a bio-heated driveway, I will need to salt the driveway to prevent ice, so the living matter will have to be able to deal with extra salt.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It should effectively filter the water from precipitation and not dump it into the storm drains.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How would I go about doing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2011-12-23T22:34:08.647" LastActivityDate="2011-12-29T13:21:07.487" Title="How to create a living driveway resistant to heavy Canadian winters?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3122" CreationDate="2011-12-23T21:19:03.887" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have direct experience with raccoons, but these are techniques I've heard about:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Surround your corn by pumpkins / winter squash. Raccoons do not like the spines from the squash vines on their feet and will not cross the barrier to get to your corn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You said you don't want to put up a fence, but you might consider a couple of strands of electric fence. One strand at 6&quot;, one at 12&quot;. Connect this to a fence charger like you'd use for cows or horses; solar-powered chargers (and the fencing) can be found at your local feed store / Agway. There are also temporary &quot;push in&quot; posts that you can attach the fence wires to. You could set it up for just a couple of months in the summer while your garden is at risk from marauding raccoons.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A motion-activated strobe light / noise maker. As @rschuler mentions, they may get used to this after a couple of weeks so you have to time it carefully. You may also get better effectiveness by moving the strobe a little bit each night so that they do not become accustomed to it as quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-12-23T21:19:03.887" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3126" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3122" CreationDate="2011-12-24T02:36:35.890" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;My solution for large omnivorous varmint problems (opossums and skunks, here) is a Havahart trap.  I release them far from anyone's home, a few miles away.  I've gotten rid of over a half-dozen opossums and a half-dozen skunks with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to use bait that's specific to what you're trying to catch.  You don't want to catch Fluffy from next door.  For racoons, marshmallows are a good choice - except that skunks like them too.  I can explain how to deal with skunks if needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The nice thing about this solution is that it's semi-permanent - till the next varmint moves in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2011-12-24T18:00:21.337" LastActivityDate="2011-12-24T18:00:21.337" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3124" CreationDate="2011-12-24T13:16:00.163" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;To be honest, I think this is impossible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want something that is frost resistant - really that means a native or similar from other high latitude areas. That limits you to very slow growing plants or moss. The first will not last long - drive over once and it will kill years of growth. Moss will not keep warm. In fact all plants are going to go dormant when it gets so cold and become covered with snow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anything that might just survive this lot, is going to have trouble with salt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you need to think about the substrate. As I'm sure you know, driving over grass in winter wrecks it quickly as the weight of the vehicle and the tires rip the grass roots out of the very soft mud. The same is going to be true to some extent for virtually any low plant you are going to think of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think a creative artificial solution will be better...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2011-12-24T13:46:50.050" LastActivityDate="2011-12-24T13:46:50.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3128" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3124" CreationDate="2011-12-24T16:18:23.703" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can probably best meet your needs with a gravel driveway over a sand base. That will absorb the rain instead of dumping it off. It's the default driveway in places without storm drains (we have ditches) and works well. We have one about 200 feet long, which is short for our neighbourhood, and:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;snow blowing is no problem though you will want to set the blades high, wear eye protection, and don't let children play outside while you're snowblowing (that was also our rule for power lawnmowing before we got the reel mowers.) There will be some gravel on the lawn in the spring; just rake it off the grass back onto the driveway&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;we see rain running down the driveway no more than once a year&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;every ten years or so we need more gravel to fill in puddles or low spots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;we don't salt it, though there is one spot we occasionally sand. Salt is for steps and decks, not for car areas&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just make sure your neighbourhood association is ok with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2011-12-24T16:18:23.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3131" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3134" CreationDate="2011-12-26T08:20:27.737" Score="9" ViewCount="20164" Body="&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2632/how-do-i-improve-drainage-vertically-through-clayey-soil&quot;&gt;another question&lt;/a&gt; I was advised to use pea gravel for french drains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, as it happens, a previous owner put down a lot of weed matting and covered it with perhaps 5cm of gravel.  My best guess, from looking at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ataktrucking.com/crushed-stone&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this page&lt;/a&gt;, is that the gravel is equivalent to 3/8&quot; crushed stone.  Can I use that instead of pea gravel?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="734" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2011-12-26T17:41:36.823" Title="Can I use crushed stone instead of pea gravel for drainage?" Tags="&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;gravel&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3133" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3139" CreationDate="2011-12-26T17:25:40.490" Score="6" ViewCount="1909" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have bought a number of pumpkins from a gardener. I'm storing them in the basement at about 12°C (54°F). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A couple of days ago, most of them started showing small, rotting black dots that grow rapidly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Early stage:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xhYpG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Advanced stage:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tz6lI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Out of interest  - where do these come from? Were the pumpkins stored at too cold a temperature by the previous owner? (We've had really cold nights the past few weeks.) Or was 12°C too much after all? I was told that was the temperature to store them at, but I didn't check.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do except cut out the rot, cut the good parts down to pieces, and store them in the fridge until it's time to eat them? (I guess the answer to this one is &quot;no&quot;.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastEditorUserId="591" LastEditDate="2012-01-03T21:37:57.600" LastActivityDate="2012-01-04T01:06:47.523" Title="Why do my pumpkins develop rotting black dots after harvesting?" Tags="&lt;pumpkins&gt;&lt;post-harvest&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3134" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3131" CreationDate="2011-12-26T17:41:36.823" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Crushed gravel is the media of choice for providing drainage.  What you want is to have the maximum amount of airspace in the drainage layer so water has somewhere to go.  Normally you would use 5/8&quot; or even 7/8&quot; crushed gravel but 3/8&quot; will do.  Pea stone gravel would not be my first choice as it will pack down over time and provide less airspace than the irregular shapes of crushed gravel.&#xA;If you want to be diligent you can give the gravel you dig up a quick wash to separate out any dirt or other loose material.&#xA;And, when in doubt, add more drainpipe with sleeve!  There is no reason you cannot have several layers of drainpipe on top of each other in particularly difficult to drain areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-12-26T17:41:36.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3135" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3121" CreationDate="2011-12-26T17:56:55.457" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can probably get a number of fruiting plants to flower and set fruit once indoors.  I have seen coffee plants, citrus and members of the fig family flower and set fruit or seed indoors under fluorescents.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is that flowering and fruiting takes a lot of energy.  If the plant does not have more illumination than standard indoor light levels allow this comes from energy stored in the roots.  The usual issues with growing indoors also apply, low humidity, lack of pollinators.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe you would be most successful with a citrus plant like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamondin&quot;&gt;Calamondin orange&lt;/a&gt;.  If you can grow it in a high light area next to a window during the flowering then you could sustain in under fluorescents during the fruit cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-12-26T17:56:55.457" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3137" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="50" CreationDate="2011-12-26T19:17:13.803" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general, seed trays should be uncovered when you have full germination, or you can lift seedlings into other flats as they germinate.  An anti-fungal can be sprayed or sprinkled on the seed before planting and/or just on the soil surface.  I use ground cinnamon and have never lost a plant to fungus.  In the case of raising orchids, cinnamon should always be used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="853" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T20:36:26.260" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T20:36:26.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3138" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3121" CreationDate="2011-12-26T23:15:01.467" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peppers and some tomatoes will easily fruit indoors, provided they get enough light. You might want to try indoor avocados too, and keep the size small by pruning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="855" LastActivityDate="2011-12-26T23:15:01.467" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3133" CreationDate="2011-12-26T23:31:48.417" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You didn't say when they were harvested (if you know).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fungus is probably either black rot, also known as gummy stem blight, or pumpkin anthracnose.  There are numerous references, but &lt;a href=&quot;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Cucurbit_FrtRots.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cornell University's page on squash and pumpkin rots&lt;/a&gt; seems to have the most information.  If I had to guess, I'd say that it's anthracnose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It most probably was from spores splashed up from the ground onto the growing pumpkin by rain.  Rainy weather increases spore deposition; hot, humid weather spurs growth.  High humidity (more than 70% or so) in storage also might speed growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most references say you should only expect to be able to store a pumpkin for 2-3 months anyway.  However, a few say much longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-01-04T01:06:47.523" LastActivityDate="2012-01-04T01:06:47.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3140" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3120" CreationDate="2011-12-27T18:13:36.413" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This kind of root growth is typical of soils that are thin or heavily compacted from foot traffic.  If people walk over the area on a regular basis then the air pockets get squeezed out of the soil and the flow of water and gas exchange is reduced.  If the compaction is due to foot traffic it would be better to stop the foot traffic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way you can't go wrong from top dressing with a &lt;strong&gt;very thin layer of soil&lt;/strong&gt;.  Most tree roots are within 6&quot; of the surface.  If you top dress too much you make things worse.  A little bit of compost/soil/mulch will improve the retention of water and soil quality.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-12-27T18:13:36.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3141" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-29T01:09:51.040" Score="5" ViewCount="4018" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a fern at Walmart just a few weeks ago. It had been in the frost at least 3 times and they were going to pitch it out. I was wondering if anyone knows how to save a dying fern? It still has green leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="857" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2011-12-29T04:11:56.217" LastActivityDate="2016-06-23T18:52:22.440" Title="How do I save a dying fern?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3141" CreationDate="2011-12-29T01:39:22.607" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does the plant label have any other information, perhaps a genus?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ferns like water and humid conditions, so make sure it is watered. Not sat in water, but don't let it dry out. Also it will prefer a humid atmosphere - think bathroom rather than a dry office for example.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many ferns are perfectly fine with frosts although they may go dormant like most plants in these conditions. Due to their water needs I tend to think of them as temperate plants (think of babbling wooded brooks in the British Isles, for example) - where frosts are common. But I've also seen them growing in the rainforests of Costa Rica - VERY humid but frosts are unheard of and would probably kill these species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-12-29T01:39:22.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3143" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3124" CreationDate="2011-12-29T13:21:07.487" Score="3" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It has to be attractive, as it is the front of my house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will depend somewhat on your tastes and the norms in your neighborhood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It should not deform too much (e.g. form ruts) from having cars parked on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you already have an asphalt driveway, you probably have a good base. Gravel over a good base should not form deep ruts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I live in Canada in a heavy snow region, so it needs to be easily cleared of snow using a snow blower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on my experience, I'm not a big fan of snow blowing gravel driveways. Asphalt is best here. The problem with snow blowing gravel driveways is that the blower tends to shoot stones a fair distance so you have to raise the blade, which leaves behind a layer of snow. Then you have to either shovel off that layer or leave it. On the upside, if you leave it, it will form a nice layer of ice, and then you can drop the blade to scrape off the next batch of snow. ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With asphalt you can drop the blade and scrape it clean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;This is crazy idea; the heating in compost piles got me thinking that there has to be some way to keep the driveway hot through the winter via a biological process (so, I am not talking about running wires over my driveway) thus limiting the amount of snow and ice removal required.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In order to generate heat, you'd need a compost pile at least 2' deep (probably better at 3'). In the crazy case: if your driveway is 10' wide by 40' long, that's 2x10x40=800 cubic feet=30 yards of material. Of course, driving over that wouldn't be possible, your car would sink out of sight. (But even if you could, it wouldn't generate heat all winter anyway.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you would instead need a giant compost pile with pipes running from the pile under your driveway. I have heard of large piles being used to heat domestic hot water, but you'd need such a massive pile to heat your driveway through an Ontario winter that I don't think it would be practical. You'd also need to tear apart the pile every spring and rebuild it (including all of the piping) in the summer -- &quot;disposing&quot; of the finished compost shouldn't be too hard, but acquiring enough new material of the right mix for the next winter pile could be a challenge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Barring a bio-heated driveway, I will need to salt the driveway to prevent ice, so the living matter will have to be able to deal with extra salt.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend coating any ice that forms with &lt;em&gt;sand&lt;/em&gt; instead of salt. The amount of salt you'd need to use on the driveway will kill anything you try to plant there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It should effectively filter the water from precipitation and not dump it into the storm drains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A possible compromise would be to remove a strip of asphalt down the center of your driveway and plant grass. Your wheels don't drive over this part of the driveway so it won't get compacted and you should be able to get decent growth. It's a minor hassle to snow blow, but not as dangerous as gravel -- you will want to raise the blade at least the first couple of times you snow blow so that you don't damage the grass. Once you have a compacted layer of snow down the center of the driveway, you can probably scrape later snowfalls without doing any damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another key piece of preventing runoff into storm drains is to plant good edges. Make sure you have vegetation all along the edge of your asphalt driveway; this will help to catch runoff and absorb it into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Observe the path that water travels. (Sounds crazy, but go out during a heavy rain and watch where the streams are going.) Are there areas where you can divert the flow into a rain garden? If your driveway is built so that it slopes directly into the street (and then a storm drain), your options may be limited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2011-12-29T13:21:07.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3144" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3154" CreationDate="2011-12-29T18:07:55.483" Score="7" ViewCount="791" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm faced with moving across the US soon. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As my climate zone will be changing, some of my outdoor potted plants will have to become indoor plants. However, I would like to take as many as possible with me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I best pack plants for travel? I have a mixture of sizes: some are in 6&quot; pots and some over 7' tall (I'm particularly concerned about the latter), with several dozen pots in between. Maybe techniques are different for each. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I keep the soil intact and not making a mess of my truck and other belongings? Are there clever techniques for keeping plants from getting crushed? I'll likely have a moving truck and my car.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="101" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-07-21T13:06:48.007" LastActivityDate="2012-07-21T13:06:48.007" Title="How can I pack my potted plants for moving (across the US)?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;pots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3145" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3146" CreationDate="2011-12-29T23:02:25.267" Score="8" ViewCount="13854" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to build a paver patio next to a large tree that has a 3&quot; wide root at ground level.  I do not want to damage the roots of the tree, so it seems like my only option is to build a raised paver patio.  If I do build a raised paver patio what material should be used for the perimeter? I assume the roots will be a problem when building the perimeter, for instance if I need to bury the perimeter 4&quot; deep how do I deal with roots that may only be 1&quot; deep?  Am I putting the tree at risk by burying the surface roots under a patio?  I've considered building a raised deck instead, but I would really prefer a paver patio.  Are there any other options for dealing with a situation like this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I believe the tree is a New Zealand Christmas tree.  It's 20'-25' tall.  The patio would be about 5' away from the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="860" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T02:54:12.333" LastActivityDate="2012-02-17T02:54:12.333" Title=" Is it a good idea to build a paver patio near a large established tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;hard-landscape&gt;&lt;pavers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3146" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3145" CreationDate="2011-12-30T04:18:47.223" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Established trees like things just the way they are.  I killed a tree by doing just what you are planning.  The reason that trees don't take well to grade changes is that most of their roots are within 6&quot; of the surface.  An substantial amount of gas and water exchange goes on in the soil near the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you build over the roots it is like putting a blanket on someone's face.  The tree roots cannot breathe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roots will grow out as least as far as the drip line of the branch farthest from the trunk. If you still want to build a patio you should not cover more than one third of the total area under the drip line of the tree. The roots will die in this area but will regrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2011-12-30T04:18:47.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3147" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="268" CreationDate="2011-12-30T22:04:16.400" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're not averse to hydroponics or using a kit, I highly recommend picking up an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/AeroGarden-Patio-Garden/b?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;node=695353011&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;AeroGarden&lt;/a&gt; to start with. I started with one of these on account of our extreme temperatures here in the Florida tropics versus my attempts to grow moderate and midwinter crops, and it worked so well that I literally couldn't use through my weekly harvests. At the very least, researching their product line will give you an idea of what crops are tame enough to grow inside, and the base set should only set you back $50-100 if you shop around online.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bonus here is that, despite the company's best efforts, these devices are very hackable once you have the base set. You can find a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=instructables+aerogarden&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;copious amount of tutorials&lt;/a&gt; ranging from creating your own seed pods and growing bulbs to, if you feel so inclined, creating an entire set yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just be careful with UV growing lamps indoors. In addition to the fire and electrical risk, the light and heat signatures occasionally gets targeted by law enforcement dependent on your jurisdiction. There've been a surprising number of cases in Florida where growing lamps were targeted dubiously, as searching for these emissions is classified as unconstitutional (Fourth Amendment &quot;unreasonable search and seizure&quot;) down here. Learn the proper care of the system and your rights, and you should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="864" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-01-06T11:18:50.340" LastActivityDate="2012-01-06T11:18:50.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3148" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3149" CreationDate="2011-12-30T22:57:41.427" Score="24" ViewCount="44917" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard that coffee grounds are a good &quot;green&quot;(nitrogen rich) to put in your compost, but I was wondering if I could throw the filter in there as well?  They are the standard &quot;accordion side&quot; white ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="837" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T18:29:55.380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T16:16:28.503" Title="Can I put coffee filters into my compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;coffee-grounds&gt;" AnswerCount="10" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3149" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3148" CreationDate="2011-12-30T23:04:59.777" Score="25" Body="&lt;p&gt;The paper ones? Sure - they're just like blotting paper and break down quickly. The usual things that can make some papers questionable should not be present (plastic coatings, metal and/or oil based inks) - or if they are present, you need to quickly change your filter brand!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I would probably do if possible, is to try and tear the paper a little so that it all mixes up more easily and quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2011-12-30T23:04:59.777" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3150" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3148" CreationDate="2011-12-31T02:45:54.467" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can add coffee grounds with their filters to your compost pile. Because they are wet, they decompose fairly quickly. The filters may dry out you if leave them on top of the pile in dry weather. Keep it inside the pile and keep it moist. Also, worms compost the grounds and filters very fast. I have a five tray worm factory and I just drop the whole filter with the grounds in and close the lid, and my army of five thousand redworms eat it in less than a week. I found filters to be easy to compost in almost any composter. If you have a two week ComposTumbler you will want to shred them before you add them, to keep it even. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2011-12-31T02:45:54.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3151" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3155" CreationDate="2011-12-31T07:36:47.177" Score="12" ViewCount="2637" Body="&lt;p&gt;Earlier today, pictures of weirdly shaped lemons were &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/nwtjg/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;shared on reddit&lt;/a&gt;. The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/nwtjg/this_thing_fell_off_my_lemon_tree_%E0%B2%A0_%E0%B2%A0/c3cl6ih&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;top comment there&lt;/a&gt; says it is a case of citrus bud mites, which actually seems to make sense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this really the cause of the deformation or could it be caused due to other non-insect factors (similar to blossom end rot in peppers &amp;amp; tomatoes)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How can one prevent this from happening/attacking (if possible)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Post attack/occurrence, how can one control this insect/disease? &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/nwtjg/this_thing_fell_off_my_lemon_tree_%E0%B2%A0_%E0%B2%A0/c3cnbop&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;There is a comment&lt;/a&gt; on that thread that describes an organic solution. Does that seem reasonable? Are there other/better alternatives?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sZnZN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sZnZN.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Kpxg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Kpxg.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;Image credits: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reddit.com/user/Evan1&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Evan1&lt;/a&gt; (left), &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reddit.com/user/VanillaCocaCola&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;VanillaCocaCola&lt;/a&gt; (right)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2019-01-30T20:21:36.510" Title="What insect/disease causes lemons to look like a Cthulhu and how can this be prevented?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3152" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-12-31T23:46:35.507" Score="7" ViewCount="92" Body="&lt;p&gt;All my &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantana&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lantanas&lt;/a&gt; have this blight on their leaves. What is causing it and how can I cure it?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LZzMQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Rei7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="865" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-01T00:37:50.160" LastActivityDate="2012-01-01T02:44:01.870" Title="How do I control blight in lantanas?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;blight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3153" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3152" CreationDate="2012-01-01T02:37:44.860" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your location isn't in your profile - adding it will help folks help you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My best guess is entomosporium, especially if you get the leaves wet when watering, or live where it rains a lot.  I can't find a good reference, but see &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pests/msg0422050328164.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this GardenWeb post&lt;/a&gt;, especially &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/pests/msg0422050328164.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;the photo&lt;/a&gt;.  Of course, bear in mind that this is just another forum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-01-01T02:44:01.870" LastActivityDate="2012-01-01T02:44:01.870" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3154" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3144" CreationDate="2012-01-01T04:37:12.630" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://moving.about.com/od/movingityourself/a/moving_plants.htm&quot;&gt;This page&lt;/a&gt; offered some good advice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Any breakable ceramic pots, try placing them in an open-toped box, cushioned with bubble-wrap or a towel or something to protect the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If possible, replant into plastic containers so they don't break.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anything tall, wrap it in some bubble wrap or plastic to protect it.  Also make sure it has some holes to breathe.  I might worry about too much contact with the plastic if it's too wet, so be careful there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You also have to be careful if you're moving from one state to another.  You aren't allowed to bring some plants across different state lines.  For instance, Arizona does not allow citrus from outside the state.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you were moving to a place with harsher sun, I would suggest marking the plant's positioning, but it sounds like you're moving somewhere cooler, so I don't imagine that will be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might consider trimming some of the larger plants, if they can handle that.  Depending on the length of your journey, you might consider packing the plants into your moving truck last so that you can water them if necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="843" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-01T07:01:52.103" LastActivityDate="2012-01-01T07:01:52.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3151" CreationDate="2012-01-01T17:12:02.860" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;A quote from &lt;a href=&quot;http://goldengategarden.typepad.com/golden_gate_gardener_/2009/04/lemon-sculpture.html&quot;&gt;Golden Gate Gardener&lt;/a&gt; on the identification&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This happens because some mites enter the flower buds and start sucking out the sap. The ovary of the flower is misshapen, so the fruit is, well, outlandish. Citrus bud mite is apparently particularly a problem near the coast in our area, just where we depend on lemons for most of our garden citrus. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And in relation to that, I found another &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.allexperts.com/q/Container-Gardens-714/2008/2/insect-problem.htm&quot;&gt;post on AllExperts&lt;/a&gt; about getting rid of them&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;To insure you kill all activity, treat once a week for 3-6 treatments. This schedule is necessary in the warmer months when cycles develop quickly. If it is the off season and development is slower, treat 2-4 times every two weeks. Don't waste your time with standard materials like dursban or diazinon. Like most arachnids, spider mites are not too vulnerable to these active ingredients. The best material for spider mite control is called CYFLUTHRIN.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A comment on the Golden Gate Gardener site also mentions that since the mites only attack the flowers of the tree, even though the fruit might not look very appetizing, it should be safe to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="866" LastEditorUserId="866" LastEditDate="2012-01-01T17:20:05.407" LastActivityDate="2012-01-01T17:20:05.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3156" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3158" CreationDate="2012-01-01T21:57:16.160" Score="7" ViewCount="2229" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found what looks like a good raised vegetable garden soil mixture: 1/3 top soil, 1/3 compost manure, and 1/3 peat moss. Should I go by weight or volume?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="869" LastActivityDate="2012-01-02T04:05:58.987" Title="When dealing with soil mixture and compost ratios, are you supposed to go by volume or weight?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3157" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3156" CreationDate="2012-01-02T04:05:47.943" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A formula like this, unless specified otherwise,  is (ok, &lt;em&gt;almost&lt;/em&gt;) always by volume.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-01-02T04:05:47.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3158" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3156" CreationDate="2012-01-02T04:05:58.987" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A &lt;em&gt;good&lt;/em&gt; recipe will tell you whether the author means weight or volume...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this case I'd assume volume, since topsoil is so much heavier than peat moss: if you mix equal weights, you'll have way too much peat moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, note that peat moss can be acidic. I'd recommend performing a pH test on both your topsoil and peat moss. If they are acidic, add lime as your building the beds to bring pH up to around 6-6.5 (assuming the raised beds are for a &quot;typical&quot; mix of vegetables; other plantings may have very different needs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-02T04:05:58.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3159" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-01-02T04:43:50.323" Score="14" ViewCount="1490" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for hardy (USDA Z4/Z5; -15F winter lows) perennials (or low maintenance reseeding annuals) that are easy/reliable to propagate either via cuttings, division, or seed. The growing season is short, about 100 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edibles are preferred. Deer resistance is awesome. Biomass production is pretty nifty too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elderberry&lt;/strong&gt; wins a platinum star: edible, hardy, produces suckers (and, as far as I can tell from research, is easy to propagate from cuttings), and apparently doesn't much mind getting mowed to the crown by deer in the winter. (As a special bonus, not invasive in this area either.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lupine&lt;/strong&gt; wins a gold star: easy to grow from seed (even self-reseeds freely), very hardy, fixes nitrogen, deer don't seem to bother them (and they reseed anyway). Not edible (at least not without processing that I'm unwilling to perform). Might have the potential to become invasive, but relatively easy to control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Peas&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;oats&lt;/strong&gt; (part of my favorite cover crop mix) are relatively easy to harvest seed from. Together they produce a lot of biomass and peas fix nitrogen. Peas have the bonus of being edible (more or less; depending on variety); oats are technically edible, but processing is non-trivial. Vetch is nice in this mix, but I've never had luck harvesting much seed; the season may be too short.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Marigolds, cosmos, and calendula&lt;/strong&gt; are interesting from the perspective that they produce a lot of seed and I could potentially create my own seed mix to broadcast over an area. They're also inviting to beneficials. They're not perennials but are likely to self-reseed once established. (Same story with a lot of flowering annuals; I'm just most familiar with saving seed from these.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for more like these. (Especially if I'm overlooking something that's likely to be present at a friend/neighbor's house where I can take cuttings.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My goal is to plant an area approx 1.4 ac (62500 sqft, 5800 m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;) with a mix of plants -- biomass, N-fixers, edibles, etc -- on a limited budget, over the next couple of years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Note that this is the same general location as my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2020/what-are-some-good-plants-to-put-in-a-guild-built-around-plums-stone-fruit&quot;&gt;stone fruit guild&lt;/a&gt; question, but this project is unrelated.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T20:12:23.843" Title="Hardy edible perennials that are easy to propagate?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3160" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3177" CreationDate="2012-01-02T05:50:14.163" Score="8" ViewCount="646" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking into setting up an aquaponics system, which requires me to acquire a large tub (on the order of 250L, relatively flat) to use as a grow bed for the veggies. Does anyone know where I could look to find a source of such tubs? Perhaps disused from some other purpose? All those I've seen commercially seem exorbitantly expensive for what they offer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, I've read something about &quot;food grade&quot; materials (usually regarding plastic) for this use. If the containers are not designed for growing good, how can I determine whether the material is suitable?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="870" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T02:17:22.643" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T02:17:22.643" Title="Source for cheap large plastic tubs?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3162" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3159" CreationDate="2012-01-02T18:46:19.003" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Consider blueberries, raspberries, blackberries.  Blueberries need acid soil, and probably are good deer browse, so I'd do raspberries or blackberries first.  I particularly like the &quot;gold&quot; or &quot;yellow&quot; varieties, because birds don't recognize them as food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-01-03T00:45:23.393" LastActivityDate="2012-01-03T00:45:23.393" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3159" CreationDate="2012-01-03T02:30:22.980" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Jerusalem artichokes have these assets:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;winter hardiness in your area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;edible tubers that produce up to 5 times more per plant than potatoes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;good disease resistance&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;extreme vigor&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;adds huge amounts of biomass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;easy to propagate from cut up tubers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grows tall (4-8') and can support climbers like peas&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;draws nutrients out of the subsoil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;thrives in poor rocky soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;very drought tolerant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;covered in bright yellow flowers in summer, attracting butterflies and huge amounts of bees&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no maintenance perennial&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This sunflower family plant has these liabilities:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It takes work to dig a whole field of these &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tops may fall during summer, especially during the flowering period.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it will regrow in spring from tubers that were missed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can shade out shorter plants (including regular sunflowers)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also consider horseradish, another root crop. This plant has:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;winter hardiness in your area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;edible roots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;very good disease resistant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;good vigor&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;adds biomass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;easy to propagate from division&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stays under 3'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;draws nutrients out of subsoil &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;thrives in the worst soil imaginable&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;very drought tolerant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;attractive gray green foliage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no maintenance perennial&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;out grows superweeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;deer resistant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But it also has liabilities:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;may croud out other varieties&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it is hard to get rid of once established &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-01-03T02:30:22.980" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3165" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3191" CreationDate="2012-01-03T02:40:45.973" Score="11" ViewCount="13661" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an old lilac bush that I would like to propagate. Suckers work, but I would like more control over amount, uniformity, and size. I had heard that they root readily from hardwood and semi-ripe cuttings, but after several failed attempts, I came here for some help. So, how are these cuttings taken?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T15:42:32.787" Title="How are lilac cuttings taken?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;lilac&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3166" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3102" CreationDate="2012-01-03T04:15:59.207" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently trimmed back a huge Bougainvillea in at the front of our house. It might seem a bit of a waste of time but where I wanted to trim any branch/twig longer than a foot I just clipped it twice; once near the tip and at the point where I wanted it to be for the second clip. I don't recall the thorns being such a problem. The bigger problem was trying to get the secateurs or clippers to get through the thickness of some of the older limbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trimmings, being quite woody, weren't really useful to us as compost so I put them in the green bin provided by our local council for the purpose of disposing of unwanted organic material. Do you have such a system where you live?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2012-01-03T04:15:59.207" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3167" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3168" CreationDate="2012-01-03T14:52:25.817" Score="10" ViewCount="10114" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an outdoor vegetable garden in South Florida. The garden consists of things like tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, peas, and squash. Everything was started from seed about 2 months ago. I don't have any veggies yet but plenty of tall stems with leaves all over the place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It generally never gets below freezing here, but we do have several days during the winter with relatively low overnight lows, ranging from high 30s to low 40s ºF (or 0–5 ºC). Daytime highs after such evenings are typically in the 50s and 60s ºF (or 10–20 ºC).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm told I should cover my garden with some plastic or a sheet in order to protect it from the cold. At what point is the temperature low enough (and how long does it have to be expected to be that low) before I need to take the time to do so?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="631" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-03T19:44:32.050" LastActivityDate="2013-03-04T23:47:19.880" Title="How low (and for how long) does the temperature need to be before I need to worry about covering my outdoor vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3168" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3167" CreationDate="2012-01-03T15:18:12.220" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Different vegetables have different temperature thresholds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peas, for example, are very hardy -- they can tolerate heavy frost. (But not the blossoms -- if these get frosted you probably won't get any pods.) Kale and spinach can be planted in fall and survive months under several feet of snow snow to be eaten in the spring (if the deer don't eat them first).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plants can tolerate barely-freezing (30F), but die if temps drop to 20-25F. You might see these described as &quot;semi hardy&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tender vegetables like peppers, tomatoes, and squash won't tolerate any frost. If you're expecting frost you should cover those plants. Failing to do so will likely be fatal to the plants. A week of extended overnight temperatures of 35-40F may injure your plants to the point where they stop producing. If it's only 60F during the day, they certainly won't thrive. If you can manage to cover your plants and hold them around 50F overnight you may be able to keep them healthy enough to continue producing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I honestly don't have much experience with knowing &quot;how long&quot; tender plants can be exposed to cold and still make a recovery because once it starts to get cold here, it stays cold for long enough to kill all the tender stuff.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-03T15:18:12.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3167" CreationDate="2012-01-03T15:58:42.393" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As @bstpierre says, the tolerances are going to vary. I've had peppers survive temperatures in the mid 30s but they go dormant and won't produce - a hard frost will kill them out right. I would expect the same from the closely related tomatoes. The downside is that your plants sound young so they might be more sensitive. As well as cloth, hay and leaves are another option to help keep them warm (I'm currently trying leaves wrapped in burlap/hessian on some banana tree stumps).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also sensitivity does vary by variety and not just species. In our new house we moved the pepperocinis, chiltepins, and poinsettia peppers (our potted peppers from the old house) into a sheltered courtyard (North Texas). This probably still gets the hardest frosts, but they're against walls/windows of a heated house. The pepperocinis are dead, the chiltepins might be (or dormant - hard to tell at the moment!), and the poinsettias are very healthy! The best they've been since I've planted them. The poinsettias and chiltepins are now inside in an attempt to over-winter them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-01-03T15:58:42.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3170" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-01-03T16:11:18.020" Score="10" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am about to buy a house with about an acre and a half of property. I'm going to start with a 20'x40' (~6mx12m) vegetable garden. Primarily tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, onions, garlic etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I go about selecting the optimal plot for my garden? Should I focus on shade/sun exposure, soil quality, drainage or all of the above?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T02:52:46.680" LastActivityDate="2012-02-17T02:52:46.680" Title="How should I select the proper location for my garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;planning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3170" CreationDate="2012-01-03T17:04:23.733" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would look first for sun. It's the hardest thing to fix. If you've got an otherwise good site that is shaded by trees on your property, then you could cut them down. You can't, however, change a northeast-facing slope into a southwest-facing slope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Drainage can be fixed (in all but the most severe cases), but it does take some effort; if you have two sunny locations to choose from, pick the one with good drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the property has a steep slope to it, consider this as a factor. You could think of it as part of drainage, but gardening on a slope can be challenging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you'll have to fix your soil quality to be ideal for a vegetable garden just about anywhere you place it, and this is relatively easy to fix so it would be my last consideration, so long as you have at least &lt;em&gt;something&lt;/em&gt; to work with. (Though I suppose if you've got a spot with incredible soil but poor drainage you might decide to put the effort into drainage instead of soil-building.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other considerations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Access to water. Don't put the garden 500' away from the house where you can't easily reach with a hose. Lugging water back and forth won't be much fun.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Proximity to house. You'll pay more attention to it if you don't have to hike to get there. You're also more likely to harvest frequently, which means you'll get more out of it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Possibility for expansion (if applicable). If you ever think you'll grow the garden (you said &quot;start out&quot;, so I'm assuming this may be a possibility), make sure there's room for it. E.g. if you expand to 40x40, will the expansion area be shaded? Will it have good drainage? (E.g. are you siting the 40x20 in between two big puddly areas?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Protection. Will the garden site be protected from heavy winds? E.g. if your prevailing winds (especially storms) are from the west, it would be beneficial to have trees or a building not far from the west side of the garden (but not shading it). Even some large-ish shrubs can cut the wind.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My garden gets all day sunshine in the summer, has protection from northwest wind by the house, south wind by tall pine trees (only one of which has fallen &lt;em&gt;into&lt;/em&gt; the garden during severe winds...), but &lt;strike&gt;has&lt;/strike&gt; had poor drainage. I used to get terrible puddling in summer thundertorms. I've fixed it by adding organic matter to improve the soil's water-holding capacity so it soaks in instead of puddling and by giving the water a way to get out of the garden without flooding the beds. I've also added &quot;capture&quot; areas above the garden that can absorb a ton of water before I have problems. It's about 50' from the back door of the house, and I can reach the entire garden area with 150' of hose. It's also easy to go out and cut some lettuce and pull a carrot when I want a quick salad for lunch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-03T17:04:23.733" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3172" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4159" CreationDate="2012-01-04T02:27:59.810" Score="7" ViewCount="264" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed some new growth on my &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlumbergera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Schlumbergera&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, and when I looked at it, I found a three cornered stem segment. The segments are normally flat. with only two wings out from the stem. This segment has three.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that a disease, a sign of nutrient deficiency, or a genetic defect?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MJPAF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-10-12T16:34:57.420" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T16:34:57.420" Title="Why does my holiday cactus have a three cornered stem segment?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;holiday-cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3173" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30362" CreationDate="2012-01-04T02:37:58.343" Score="9" ViewCount="2595" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I look at Elephant Ear varieties in plant catalogs, they all say Elephant Ears are hardy in zones 9-10, sometimes 7-10. But I see people in my area, zone 6b, growing them outdoors without winter protection. Are they growing special varieties or are most catalogs being overly safe?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-31T20:39:27.750" LastActivityDate="2017-01-03T22:45:16.957" Title="Are there any varieties of Elephant Ear that are hardy enough to withstand a zone 6b winter?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3174" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11101" CreationDate="2012-01-04T02:48:47.513" Score="9" ViewCount="378" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking through catalogs, I see pictures of lilac bushes in full bloom with sunflowers blooming nearby, illustrating how well they rebloom during the season. If I bought one, should I expect that or should I expect them to be like my reblooming day lilies, and bloom once in spring and have a few dotty reblooms through the summer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The two varieties I'm considering are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hortmag.com/plants/plants-we-love/bloomerang-lilac&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bloomerang&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/4686/josee-lilac/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Josee&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-26T21:45:56.250" LastActivityDate="2017-03-26T21:45:56.250" Title="Do Bloomerang and Josee lilacs rebloom as well as advertised?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;lilac&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3175" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3148" CreationDate="2012-01-04T04:53:17.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Absolutely ok; we have incorporated coffee grounds into our plant food and many of those grounds included the paper filter.  You can go to our site if you are curious, there is a lab analysis on the site: www.beantogreen.com&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="873" LastActivityDate="2012-01-04T04:53:17.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3176" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3178" CreationDate="2012-01-04T11:08:35.540" Score="33" ViewCount="52903" Body="&lt;p&gt;I’ve got a compost bin (a big plastic box with air holes) that’s used by two or three families. We have been putting kitchen scraps and stuff into the composter for about a year now (mostly vegetables). The composter does not stink, it gives a nice earthy smell even when I turn it (which I do every two or three weeks). Today I even found earth worms in it, which I was very happy about. The only thing that troubles me is that the stuff inside does not look like it could be used for plants anytime soon, there’s a lot of small pieces of stuff, not everything is properly brown, in short it does not look much like soil, not even in the oldest layers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So how long does it take for the contents to turn into soil? Is it possible for the process to somehow stop? (&lt;em&gt;The winter is quite mild this year here, temperatures seldom dropping below 0°C (32ºF).&lt;/em&gt;) How do I know I’m on the right track? Are there some “milestones” that could be seen from how the stuff looks inside the composter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="170" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T19:25:54.083" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T19:25:54.083" Title="How long does it take for the compost to ripen?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3160" CreationDate="2012-01-04T13:07:09.823" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Restaurant supply houses offer a wide variety of food grade equipment that can be repurposed.  I also see food grade containers like totes and olive barrels available at my local recycler.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A supplier like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.arizonabarrels.com/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; has a wide selection however they are not pretty.  If you want something that does not look industrial you need to find an outdoor pond or even a koi supplier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-01-04T13:07:09.823" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3178" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3176" CreationDate="2012-01-04T13:41:16.867" Score="34" Body="&lt;p&gt;The short answer: your compost will be finished in six months to a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/106/51&quot;&gt;It will finish faster if you turn it&lt;/a&gt;, slower if you don't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(&lt;em&gt;A picky correction to your question: compost will turn into &lt;strong&gt;humus&lt;/strong&gt;, not actually soil.&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rumor is that compost can be finished in as little as a few weeks, under ideal conditions. (I've never seen it.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Folks who do vermicomposting (i.e. with worms) claim that 1 pound of worms will devour half their body weight per day, leaving just castings (worm poo). Worms can help the composting process, but keep in mind that if you heat up your pile by turning it you will either kill the worms or they will leave because they're uncomfortable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, the process can stop. Especially if it gets cold -- but it will restart once it warms up. It will also stop (really, it will probably just slow down a lot) if the bacteria inside the pile use up all of the oxygen. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3113/51&quot;&gt;This is why turning the pile reactivates the process, because it introduces air.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like the idea of &quot;milestones&quot; -- this is a good question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/319/how-hot-can-my-compost-get&quot;&gt;Temperature&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;: Is it hot? I have a thermometer with an 18&quot; probe that I can stick into my pile. If it is warmer than ambient temperature, then the bacteria are working inside the pile. (In summer when it's 80°F outside, I'm happy if my pile is 100-120°F; in winter when it's 30°F, I'm happy if the pile is 40°F.)&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This is also a cue to know when to turn the pile. Once the temperature starts dropping, it's time to turn it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you turn the pile and it doesn't heat up any more, then you know it's close to being finished.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Smell&lt;/strong&gt;: As you mention, you want a nice earthy smell. If it smells &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/2010/51&quot;&gt;sour&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/755/51&quot;&gt;rotten&lt;/a&gt; you've probably got too much water and not enough air. If it smells of ammonia, you've got too much nitrogen (&quot;greens&quot;) and not enough carbon (&quot;browns&quot;).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/479/51&quot;&gt;Moisture&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;: The pile should be about as damp as a wrung-out sponge. Any less water and the microbes can't thrive. Any more water and they will suffocate because air can't move as well.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Texture&lt;/strong&gt;: Perfectly finished compost has a fine texture with no large chunks -- certainly nothing recognizable from the initial feedstock. (In my experience this never happens either -- there's always something left over from what you started with. If you want &quot;perfect&quot; compost, e.g. for starting seeds, it's easy enough to sift the compost so you take the fine stuff and leave behind the chunks to compost further in your next batch.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A couple of things to keep in mind:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you're constantly adding new material to the composter, you'll never get a complete batch of finished compost. There will always be something fresh in there. That's why you see a lot of recommendations for &quot;three bin&quot; systems: add fresh material to one bin, the second bin is in the process of finishing, and the third bin is finished and is where you take compost from when you need it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You said kitchen scraps &quot;and stuff&quot;. Not sure what the &quot;stuff&quot; is, and you must have a good balance if it doesn't stink, but &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/422/51&quot;&gt;make sure you're adding enough &quot;browns&quot;&lt;/a&gt; -- carbon-heavy materials like autumn leaves, shredded cardboard or black and white newspaper, straw, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-01-04T13:47:07.740" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3179" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3180" CreationDate="2012-01-04T17:02:51.310" Score="9" ViewCount="2962" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a clear 100 foot north-south swath through a wooded lot.  If I plant fruit trees (apples, peaches, plums, pears) would it be best to put them on the east side (shaded in the morning) or the west side(shaded in the afternoon) or right in the middle?  I live in Austin, TX and it gets damn hot in the long summers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="874" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-01-04T20:34:15.243" LastActivityDate="2012-01-05T17:04:55.173" Title="Is morning, afternoon or in-between sun the best for fruit trees?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3180" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3179" CreationDate="2012-01-05T02:20:58.333" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In your area, if you have to cut part of the light back, It would be best to cut it off the end of the day. Why? Well, starting at the beginning of the season, we find that fruit trees need their morning sun to get them warmed up for the day. In an area that has only afternoon sun the trees are noticeably behind others grown in morning sun. In summer, The trees will benefit from the shade in the afternoon, especially in your area. Fall and winter benefits would be minimal. If you were living in Vermont I would definitely advise planting in afternoon sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-01-05T17:04:55.173" LastActivityDate="2012-01-05T17:04:55.173" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3181" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3190" CreationDate="2012-01-05T02:39:06.353" Score="5" ViewCount="127" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some Madonna lily bulbs that I would like to scale. If I planted them after the last frost in spring, how long will it be until I get a flowering size bulb? Does it matter which scales I use?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T22:49:16.317" LastActivityDate="2014-06-10T13:36:30.273" Title="How long after a lily scale is planted should I expect a flowering size bulb?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3182" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3159" CreationDate="2012-01-05T03:41:13.013" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(This answer is a summary of my own research and other answers to my question. Thanks for the help.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few notes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;All plants listed below are perennial unless otherwise noted. Interestingly (I guess it should have been obvious) a number of &quot;weeds&quot; fit the criteria quite well...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've noted &quot;forage&quot; below for some items because there will be sheep, chickens, and guineas grazing this area at some future time (after everything is established well enough that the chickens won't destroy it).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've listed &quot;edible&quot; where my research has indicated they can be eaten. Do your own research -- make sure the thing you're about to eat really is edible!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Common weed&quot; translates as &quot;Hey! Free seed&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've noted &quot;medicinal&quot; for some plants that are commonly used in herbal medicine. I'm not into that, so it's no benefit for me, but noted here anyway.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In no particular order:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lupine&lt;/strong&gt;: N-fixer, reseeding, deer resistant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Raspberries&lt;/strong&gt;: edible, sucker and spread quickly, easy to propagate, deer resistant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elderberry&lt;/strong&gt;: edible, suckering, easy to propagate, deer resistant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oats&lt;/strong&gt;: biomass, seed producing, nitrogen scavenger [annual]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Peas, beans&lt;/strong&gt;: edible, N-fixer, seed producing. (And the pair has complementary growing seasons: peas early, beans late.) [annual]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Burdock&lt;/strong&gt;: common weed (biennial so it is controllable), biomass, dynamic nutrient accumulator (deep taproot), seed producing, edible root [biennial]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bamboo&lt;/strong&gt;: biomass, spreading, edible, useful products, deer resistant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;annual flowers (e.g. &lt;strong&gt;cosmos&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;calendula&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;marigold&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;sunflower&lt;/strong&gt;): insect attracting, visually interesting, heavy seed production, some are edible (seeds, flowers, and/or leaves) [annual]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dandelion&lt;/strong&gt;: common weed, edible, seed producing (which is a downside too), dynamic nutrient accumulator, visually interesting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Comfrey&lt;/strong&gt;: biomass, easy to propagate, dynamic nutrient accumulator, medicinal&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jerusalem Artichoke&lt;/strong&gt;: edible, &quot;seed&quot; producing (propagate by replanting tubers), visually interesting, insect attracting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bee balm&lt;/strong&gt;: insect attracting, visually interesting, spreading&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sweet clover&lt;/strong&gt;: N-fixer, insect attracting, biomass, forage?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Horseradish&lt;/strong&gt;: edible &lt;em&gt;(but how much horseradish can you actually eat?)&lt;/em&gt;, biomass, spreading&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Daffodil&lt;/strong&gt;: medicinal, spreading, visually interesting, blooms early&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dill&lt;/strong&gt;: edible, insect attracting, seed producing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Coriander&lt;/strong&gt; (aka &lt;strong&gt;Cilantro&lt;/strong&gt;): edible, insect attracting, seed producing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following are candidates that I may use, but need to do more research -- possibly a test grow for some of these. These may be too high maintenance for the payoff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alfalfa&lt;/strong&gt;: N-fixer, biomass, forage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Heather&lt;/strong&gt;: insect attracting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chicory&lt;/strong&gt;: common weed, edible, forage?, (I suspect, but don't know for sure that seed will be plentiful and easy to harvest)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plantain&lt;/strong&gt;: common weed, forage, medicinal&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fennel&lt;/strong&gt;: edible, seed producing? (I have no experience with fennel -- no idea how much seed can be harvested and/or how easy it is)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Yarrow&lt;/strong&gt;: forage, insect attracting?, nutrient accumulator, drought tolerant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stinging nettle&lt;/strong&gt;: edible, insect attracting? , nutrient accumulator, common weed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Blackberry&lt;/strong&gt;: common weed, edible, deer resistant, drought tolerant. (Hesitant to propagate these &lt;em&gt;on purpose&lt;/em&gt; since they're something I'm trying to remove from much of this area.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Buckwheat&lt;/strong&gt;: edible, biomass, insect attracting, forage?, seed producer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm also planning on planting widely planted trees, but except for the fact that most of them are &quot;common weeds&quot; on the property and some parts of pine trees might qualify as &quot;edible&quot;, none of them are &quot;hardy edible perennials that are easy to propagate&quot;...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately I couldn't find anything beneficial about ragweed... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-05T03:41:13.013" CommentCount="1" CommunityOwnedDate="2012-01-05T03:41:13.013" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3183" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-01-05T14:07:06.023" Score="7" ViewCount="1441" Body="&lt;p&gt;Quick question. There are 3 tree surgeons in my local area and none are available today...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a tree which is about the height of my house. If I wrap my hands around the trunk the trunk is about 2 and a half hands around. At about 10ft the trunk stops and branches come out making the crown? The leafy part of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is about 10ft from my conservatory. If it hit my conservatory I can foresee broken glass but really the tree doesn't have enough mass to to destroy or do any real structural damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not want this tree to come down. I don't know if I can wait and hope through the night. I was thinking about giving it a little prune. As the tree still has leaves I figure I just need to take off a medium sized branch which has a lot of leaves on it. This should reduce the wind resistance and keep the tree upright.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone done something like this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I feel that I could tackle this with a step ladder and hack saw without too much difficulty and without any real danger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="878" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T02:52:15.823" LastActivityDate="2020-07-28T18:19:33.763" Title="Why is the ground  moving around my tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;wind-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3184" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3185" CreationDate="2012-01-05T15:39:10.080" Score="8" ViewCount="859" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have recently acquired a new 33 x 33 ft plot in the West Country (south west England). I was just wondering with a new baby and limited time, what would be the best vegetables to grow, to maximize the output. Do you have any time saving ideas or advice?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil is pH 7, loamy and only slightly weedy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="879" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-01-05T21:52:42.783" LastActivityDate="2012-01-06T02:38:16.043" Title="How can I get the most produce out of my allotment with limited time each week?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3184" CreationDate="2012-01-05T16:19:55.907" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you simply want to maximize the number of pounds of vegetables you harvest, plant any of zucchini (courgettes), celery, swiss chard, leeks, rutabagas. Those will yield the most pounds per square foot of planting area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to maximize the number of calories per square foot, plant any of jerusalem artichoke, lima beans (pole, not bush), beets (eat both greens and roots), burdock, garlic, leeks, parsnips, potatoes (white/Irish), potatoes (sweet), rutabaga (I think you call these swedes), salsify, shallots. Surprisingly (to me at least), leeks are far and away the champion for calories per square foot -- 132000 calories possible from a single 100 sq ft planting. This list ignores the fact that these vegetables have different lengths of time to maturity -- beets are much faster to harvest than parsnips or leeks, for example.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And really, how many leeks can you eat? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would choose the vegetables that you like to eat the most. If you have limited time, you might consider avoiding fussy crops like tomatoes, which can require a lot of care but don't provide much output. On the other hand, hilling potatoes requires labor but they can produce a lot of output.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as plants that will likely yield well without a lot of care, consider the squash family. Zucchini (courgettes) and most winter squash will give you as much food as you care to eat without tons of work -- assuming you have fertile soil. We got so much zucchini out of just a couple of hills last summer that we ended up making several jars of pickles, shredding some to put in the freezer, and making several breads. And I think all of the pumpkins that volunteered out of the compost pile gave my wife nightmares about how we were going to process them all, and what we're going to make with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Quick crops that don't require too much work would include lettuce, mustards, and chard. You can sometimes find all three combined in a packet of &quot;mesclun mix&quot;. (Not sure if there's a different name for this in the UK.) Sow them rather thickly (0.5&quot; - 1&quot; or so; much closer than the 8-12&quot; spacing that a packet of a single lettuce variety will recommend for heads) and cut them at baby size (3-4&quot; high) for mixed salads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, I like chard for greens all summer long. An 3'x4' bed will give you plenty. Start them in the spring, planting more thickly than the packet suggests (every 1&quot; or so). Thin them at baby size to have in salads. As they get bigger, you can cut stems from the outside of the plant and it will continue to grow new leaves. If they start to get too thick (because you didn't thin enough -- I never do), chop off a whole plant. They're good in stir fries and soups. When I have too many to use at once I'll put a whole pile of leaves into a freezer bag for use in soups during the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as time savings goes: keep up on the weeding. It's &lt;strong&gt;much&lt;/strong&gt; easier and faster to walk around with the scuffle hoe for an hour once or twice a week and chop off all the little weeds than it is to hand-weed for several hours when the weeds get out of control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-05T16:19:55.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3186" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3184" CreationDate="2012-01-05T16:58:43.560" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bearing in mind the &quot;limited time&quot; and &quot;new baby&quot; factors I would suggest:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Courgettes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Will produce a big harvest for not a lot of effort and are good to puree for babies. They will take up quite a lot of space but your plot isn't small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Beans&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Runners and French beans take very little looking after and french beans are usually popular with little ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tomatoes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I disagree with @bstpierre, I think they're fairly easy to grow and such a big winner on taste versus the shop version that it's worth the effort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2012-01-05T16:58:43.560" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3187" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3184" CreationDate="2012-01-06T02:38:16.043" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think potatoes are a viable option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people grow potatoes the easy way: In early spring cover the entire plot with at least one inch of fresh compost and till to six inches below ground. Then place the tubers, pre-cut, twelve inches apart each way, on top of the ground. Then spread 10-12 inches of loose hay on top of the potatoes. They will come up later, but once they get through the hay, they grow like weeds. When the tops die back, lift the hay, and find bushels of clean white potatoes lying on top of the ground. They are easily harvested without the need for a spade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-01-06T02:38:16.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3183" CreationDate="2012-01-06T18:41:16.843" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If there's something available, temporarily guy (tie) it to something upwind that is more fixed, with a sturdy rope, looping around the top of the trunk. For me, I usually tie to other trees. Tie to the upwind tree near the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-01-06T18:41:16.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3189" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3183" CreationDate="2012-01-07T01:21:24.143" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without more information on the type of tree, age and a picture of the branch structure even an arborist would find it hard to say.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A poorly pruned tree with a strong wood like an oak could be a greater danger than a well pruned tree with a tendency to split.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is easier for a tree to blow over when the soil is thin, or if it has no other trees to act as windbreaks, or if it is a mature specimen.  If your tree has a number of these factors then some support as indicated by Ed might help you during a windy time.  However this forum is not a place for definitive advice without more information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-01-07T01:21:24.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3181" CreationDate="2012-01-07T01:23:39.523" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;With good soil and a sunny location and without &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_lily_beetle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lily beetles&lt;/a&gt; attacking from scale to a small flower could be three to five years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: @jmusser asks about a timeline for growth rates.  From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Lilium%20candidum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Seed - immediate epigeal germination[130]. Sow thinly in pots from&#xA;  late winter to early spring in a cold frame. Should germinate in 2 - 4&#xA;  weeks[163]. Great care should be taken in pricking out the young&#xA;  seedlings, many people prefer to leave them in the seed pot until they&#xA;  die down at the end of their second years growth. This necessitates&#xA;  sowing the seed thinly and using a reasonably fertile sowing medium.&#xA;  The plants will also require regular feeding when in growth. Divide&#xA;  the young bulbs when they are dormant, putting 2 - 3 in each pot, and&#xA;  grow them on for at least another year before planting them out into&#xA;  their permanent positions when the plants are dormant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This mirrors my own experience in growing Lilium canadense from seed.  The first few years all you see is a tiny leaf.  After that it can easily be a few more years until you have a plant with a stem.  Sadly, the local chipmunks liked my seedlings a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-06-10T13:36:30.273" LastActivityDate="2014-06-10T13:36:30.273" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3165" CreationDate="2012-01-07T01:32:05.657" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;From this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/chiwonlee/plsc368/student/papers04/elizabethbruins/syringa.htm&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Propagation by cuttings is one of the most popular ways to propagate&#xA;  lilacs. Cuttings should be taken when new green terminal shoots are&#xA;  produced. They should be four to six inches long, but should not be&#xA;  left out too long, because they will wilt easily and die. The cutting&#xA;  should be dipped in a rooting hormone like IBA (Indolebutyric acid)&#xA;  which aids the plant. The cuttings can be placed in a media with peat,&#xA;  vermiculite and perlite. Each cutting should contain 2-3 nodes, which&#xA;  are the growing points where the leaves are attached. The leaves aid&#xA;  in rooting by producing carbohydrates for the rooting plant. The&#xA;  cuttings should never be allowed to dry out and should be kept moist&#xA;  at all times. The cutting should root within 3-6 weeks. Once roots&#xA;  appear, you can place the plant outside in a desirable location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should be noted is that you need strong shoots that have a little bit of woodier stem and you need the strongest rooting hormone you can get.  It used to come in three strengths and I recommend the strongest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take cuttings in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try various rooting mediums but constant moisture, higher humidity levels and bottom heat are required. The quote recommends an artificial soil-less mix but I would also try floral foam, glasses of water or even pure perlite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trick with cuttings is lots of humidity to compensate for the lack of roots, lots of light and air movement to prevent mould.  For many this means a greenhouse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-01-07T01:32:05.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3192" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-01-07T18:11:02.953" Score="9" ViewCount="205" Body="&lt;p&gt;My father, who lives in Florida, recently gave me a guava that was growing in his back yard.  He potted it with soil from the ground and tossed in into the back of my van to bring home to Boston.  This little stick with leaves looks pretty sad.  The leaves have wilted and dried in spite of having been watered; even the tip is dry and brittle.  The internet tells me that guavas can grow happily in containers but I'm afraid this one hasn't transitioned well from yard to pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions include: Has it past from this life? Is there no hope? What can I expect if it's not dead? How long should I wait to see if anything comes back? What can I do to encourage the little guy to pull through? In general what should I do? I have no guava experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="882" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-07T20:41:29.737" LastActivityDate="2012-01-11T01:00:24.437" Title="How do you transition a guava from a yard in Florida to a pot in Boston?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;guavas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3193" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3194" CreationDate="2012-01-07T20:36:07.437" Score="11" ViewCount="26050" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had some fairly extreme weather in the UK, enough wind to blow over a tree. Luckily nobody was hurt as the trunk rested larger branches, narrowly missing the neighbours fence. The trunk  and branches have been cut in several places as it can be seen below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bjLe6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two of the same mature pine trees are planted either side of this tree which concern me as well as a few other trees in our garden. How can I tell which trees are expected to fall and what can I do about them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="147" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-02-07T16:56:16.397" LastActivityDate="2012-06-30T22:35:46.417" Title="How can I determine which trees are unsafe in strong winds?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;wind-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3194" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3193" CreationDate="2012-01-07T21:45:35.763" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's probably very hard to tell simply by looking at a tree, that otherwise shows no obvious indications of being weak, but here are a few things to watch out for:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I would be very skeptical of a tree that is perfectly straight (yours seems to be that way). It is a pretty good indication that the person who planted it trained it to grow straight by staking it to a vertical pole/support for a very long time. While this might be aesthetically pleasing, it does not allow the tree's stem to develop it's own bending strength. So when you have heavy winds, instead of the stem swaying and absorbing the force, the tree remains very stiff and eventually either snaps or transfers all the bending moment from the wind to the roots, which eventually give in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If your tree has a sharp Y crotch (with the upper limbs very vertical), consult an arborist and cut the weaker one off. If you don't, they'll eventually break and cause damage in heavy winds/storm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stay clear of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callery_Pear&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bradford pears&lt;/a&gt; if you're in a windy/stormy area. They're notorious for breaking under winds/snow/storm (primarily because of point 2 above), yet people plant them because they look pretty. If you find them in a house that you bought in a windy area, better cut them down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;As pointed out by &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/51/bstpierre&quot;&gt;bstpierre&lt;/a&gt;, if you have a small woodlot (or just several trees surrounded by other trees) and you clear the peripheral trees or thin them down for whatever reason, you'll be exposing the inner trees to the winds. These are most likely going to be weaker, as they grew up being partially protected from the wind and now that there are't as many outer trees to break the wind, these are at risk of getting uprooted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are some of the visual indicators that you can use to identify. However, the bigger culprit lies underground, which is very hard to correct once the tree is established. If the root system is not well developed or shallow, then it will easily be blown over in a mild storm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A lot of these problems have to do with improper care for the trees when they're young. Here are some things to keep in mind when you plant a new tree, so that you won't have problems 5–10 years later:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It might not be a bad idea to stake young saplings in regions with heavy winds so that don't get blown away. However, do not use a stiff vertical stake and train it upright. There are alternate ways of staking that provides support while at the same time, allows it to sway. See the answers to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1670/109&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; for more info on this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water less often, but water deep. Often people water their saplings every day/every other day in a shallow manner. By that, I mean watering just enough to wet the surface and maybe half an inch into the soil. This will result in the trees developing shallow root systems, because that's where the roots can find water. Instead you need to water maybe twice a week at most, but water deep so that the roots grow downwards in search of water. See the answers to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1980/109&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; (and is a standard advice in several answers scattered around).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep the height low by crown pruning. You can keep it as low as you think looks good, but I wouldn't let it get higher than 20 ft. This way, the winds won't have the same effect that it does on a taller tree. If anything happens, you're restricting the damage to just a 20 ft radius, and if you're careful to plant it 20 ft away from the house to begin with, you can also minimize potential damage. See the answer to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1430/109&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; for more information on crown reduction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, as &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/499/kevinsky&quot;&gt;Kevinsky&lt;/a&gt; mentions below, crown reduction is not a viable solution for evergreens as they just grow a new leader or multiple leaders with weak attachment points.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just saw this picture on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/vun4j/neighbors_tree_after_last_nights_storm_in_the/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;reddit&lt;/a&gt; showing a tree that got uprooted in the recent storms in the US. This clearly illustrates my point above about shallow root systems being an easy prey for strong winds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In today's &amp;quot;model&amp;quot; homes with quick-n-dirty landscaping, the builders more often than not, top off with a foot of soil with a hard gravel/clay/cement base underneath. While this might be fine for most plants, you should not plant trees here. In this case, the tree grew shallow roots that spread through the lawn because it could not go any further down (possibly hard base). Besides, having a lawn also ensured adequate shallow water supply which mean it didn't have to try to grow downwards either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gn2ee.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-06-30T22:35:46.417" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3195" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3197" CreationDate="2012-01-08T02:32:25.013" Score="9" ViewCount="265" Body="&lt;p&gt;For a while, when I looked at plants in catalogs, I thought that PVP was part of the name of the plant until I saw the same name without it. What does it mean?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-01-08T03:37:11.293" LastActivityDate="2012-01-08T03:37:11.293" Title="What does PVP mean?" Tags="&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3196" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3202" CreationDate="2012-01-08T02:43:00.737" Score="9" ViewCount="492" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have tried growing carrots now and then, but they were always twisting around all of the rocks and squeezing through the clay, and I basically got a bad crop of strong flavored, tough carrots that were good for nothing. Would a round variety like &quot;Paris Market&quot; be better for my type of soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-02-10T13:03:50.990" LastActivityDate="2012-02-10T13:03:50.990" Title="Is the &quot;Paris Market&quot; carrot a good variety for clay-rich soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;&lt;clay&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3195" CreationDate="2012-01-08T03:36:11.637" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;PVP stands for &quot;Plant Variety Protection&quot;, which is a patent on the particular variety/cultivar that is sexually propagated. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://cropandsoil.oregonstate.edu/cereals/PVP/pvp.htm&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is PVP?&lt;/strong&gt; Plant Variety Protection (PVP) is a patent on a sexually propagated plant variety. PVP protects rights of ownership for the people who develop and release a cultivar for a period of 20 years. At the same time, there is full disclosure of how the variety was developed, making information available to anyone who wants it so that additional genetic advances can be made.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2012-01-08T03:36:11.637" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3198" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2788" CreationDate="2012-01-09T02:23:23.493" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, most Cypripedium are self-fertile, but pollination is tricky and requires special equipment. Germinating and growing is also a long and slow process. Probably starting new plants from divisions or buying new ones would be more satisfactory.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-01-09T02:23:23.493" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3196" CreationDate="2012-01-09T14:13:45.463" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like your soil is the main problem. You should avoid stoney soil or clay soil. Clay could probably fixed by digging in other material (but not manure which is too rich for root vegetables). You may want to consider using raised beds or containers as an easier soil fix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For poor soil conditions, the shorter  more rounded varieties are indeed recommended. For example there's some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/growfruitandveg_growingcarrots1.shtml&quot;&gt;general advice here at the BBC&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Carrot varieties are described as early or maincrop varieties, but&#xA;  also either short-root or long-root varieties. These names give you an&#xA;  idea of when they will crop and the type of soil they're suitable for.&#xA;  Carrots and parsnips grow best in light, sandy soil so if your soil is&#xA;  heavy clay, stony, chalky or doesn't drain particularly well,&#xA;  concentrate on the maincrop, short-root types which cope better with&#xA;  these conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The article also provides some UK-specific advice (minimizing carrot fly) plus sowing instructions and recommendations for pots if the soil is poor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-01-09T14:13:45.463" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3029" CreationDate="2012-01-09T14:53:27.380" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think the problem is forsythia specific - I've had the same experience with peach cuttings. The first time I tried it I took the cuttings at the wrong time of year (ie. a different unrelated problem), but the second time I took them at the right time and I had one success out of about half a dozen cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the failures in the second batch showed some leaves. Many were either too small (possible a problem specific to peaches where a cutting should be a minimum size); or with the larger cuttings when I dug them up, any roots had rotted away and the stem was beginning to rot. I believe this is your problem. The rot (or mold - rot is after all usually a kind of mold) is due to too much moisture. In your case you describe the mix as being moist all year - so it was probably too moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my case I probably had more variability (outside, Texas, hand watering) - so it was probably too moist at a critical time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-01-09T14:53:27.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3201" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3206" CreationDate="2012-01-09T15:36:18.073" Score="19" ViewCount="12444" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pretty steady access to about 4 pots of coffee worth of coffee grounds each day. I have heard coffee grounds are great for a compost pile, but I am wondering how much is too much? Is there a good ratio to maintain between coffee grounds and other compostable material?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="885" LastEditorUserId="885" LastEditDate="2012-01-10T03:27:02.287" LastActivityDate="2015-09-22T00:13:22.023" Title="How many coffee grounds are too many coffee grounds for composting?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;coffee-grounds&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3196" CreationDate="2012-01-09T15:38:06.887" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The direct answer to the question you asked is a hesitant &quot;yes&quot;. I hesitate because you may have other issues that prevent you from getting a good crop. But a short variety can help you get a usable crop if you don't want to go to a lot of effort improving your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, improving the soil is a worthwhile effort, so here's my recipe for getting a good carrot crop on marginal soil:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil here is &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; rocky, acidic, and low in organic matter. I still get good carrots (well over 30 pounds in 2011 from two 3x10' beds, mostly good quality, &lt;em&gt;Scarlet Nantes&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Scarlet Keeper&lt;/em&gt; -- both full-sized varieties). My strategy for carrots is long-term and similar to my strategy for just about everything else (i.e. managing rotation, organic matter, and nutrients).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;My rotation plan tells me where carrots are going to be growing for the next few years.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The &lt;em&gt;year before&lt;/em&gt; a given bed is going to be planted to carrots I grow squash. This provides two benefits:&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Squash is &lt;em&gt;hungry&lt;/em&gt; and does very well on copious amounts of composted horse manure. You wouldn't want to dig in too much manure right before you plant carrots, but adding it the year before lets it mellow for an extra year. All the extra organic matter helps lighten the soil for the carrots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A squash crop helps reduce weed pressure: before the vines creep out, you can hoe regularly to cut down the little weeds and reduce the seed bank in the soil. After the plants fill out, the leaves shade the soil and make it harder for weeds to thrive. Carrots don't compete well with weeds, so this is beneficial.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(You could use another crop to precede the carrots; I used to get good results with peas. It probably doesn't matter that much as long as you can start loading nutrients into the bed the year prior to planting; carrots don't like fertilizer added just prior to seeding.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I also add &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/562/51&quot;&gt;wood ash&lt;/a&gt; to the bed. This adds phosphorus, which carrots need, and it raises the pH. Be careful not to add too much, though -- and don't use lime and ash unless you know you need it. Ash has very high pH and if your soil isn't already acidic then it will become too alkali for the carrots. (Ash also adds a lot of calcium, which carrots don't specifically require a lot of, but it is helpful to other crops and you'll be adding it if you would normally lime anyway.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In the fall after I harvest the squash, I apply a layer of one- or two-year-old leaf mold. You could dig it in at that time or leave it on top and dig it in in the spring before planting. This is a low-fertility way to add organic matter to the soil -- and lighten a heavy clay. Worms love leaves, too. (Incorporating the fall is probably better, but I never seem to make it in time.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When I dig in the leaves, I sink my garden fork as deep as I can into the bed, pulling out all the rocks and sticks that I can find. (When I started this garden, I had so many rocks and pockets of gravel that I &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/2928/51&quot;&gt;sent the soil in several of the beds through a screen&lt;/a&gt; to get a finer soil; that was a lot of work but it seems to be paying off now.) Other crops aren't as sensitive to soil obstructions, so you don't have to treat every bed this way, but carrots really do well when the rocks are gone. So we can't even dig fence posts on this property, but the carrots have a bed where they can go a foot deep or more before they hit rocks. (Alternatively, you could build raised beds and fill them with material.)&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I still get the occasional forked/twisted carrot. If I lift a carrot to find that it is forked, I can usually dig around that spot and find a rock that I missed... the more careful you are at removing rocks the better the results will be. Also, while forked carrots aren't something you can sell -- or feed to picky kids -- they still clean up ok and are tasty in soup or sliced onto salad.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The end result is a bumper crop of long, mostly-straight, delicious carrots -- and &lt;strong&gt;incredible&lt;/strong&gt; soil. When you pull the carrots, you're left with a fine soil rich in nutrients and loaded with organic matter. Follow the carrot crop with another dose of manure, a cover crop of winter rye if you're not overwintering your carrots, and you're ready for sweet corn the next season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-01-09T15:38:06.887" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2538" CreationDate="2012-01-09T15:52:59.430" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is lots of info online concerning growing citrus indoors.  I know grapefruit trees get pretty big and so may be a challenge to keep indoors after a few years but you're not at a point to worry about this yet.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are the basics to make sure are in place: keep your trees watered but make sure the pots have good drainage and offer room for the roots to grow. Florida soil is very sandy (I can say after having cared for a citrus tree there for a number of years) and so I emphasize the importance of good drainage.  If you're willing to invest in your little tree I'd recommend using 'Cactus, Palm &amp;amp; Citrus Soil.' I have purchased it off the shelf at Home Depot here in Boston so I have to imagine you'll be able to find it in PA. I keep a potted blood-orange. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure to put them outside in the sun whenever the temperatures are above 40(F) degrees to soak in as much natural light as possible. In a nutshell I'd say the important points are lots of light, good drainage &amp;amp; protect from the cold/wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this advice is not too late and good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="882" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-24T21:06:38.497" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T21:06:38.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3204" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3871" CreationDate="2012-01-09T16:09:54.147" Score="11" ViewCount="1294" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm building a bunch of hugelkultur beds from the blowdowns, branches, trimmings, and sticks we have scattered around the property. This weekend I built a 20' long, 5' wide, 2-3' high pile of (mostly old / half rotted) wood of various sizes (0.5&quot; - 8&quot; dia). It's a mix of species: pine, hemlock, maple, beech, birch (possibly small amounts of others). Other beds will be roughly the same dimensions and wood mix. This bed is &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; (and none of the others will be) trenched -- digging in this location is too much work because of rocky soil and/or ledge outcroppings. This bed is on a slope -- perhaps 5-8% -- some of the others will be steeper and a couple will be nearly flat. It's built across the slope, but not perfectly on contour so that water can flow (slowly) around it and downhill beds can get some water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A selection of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3159/hardy-edible-perennials-that-are-easy-to-propagate&quot;&gt;these plants&lt;/a&gt; will end up in these beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plan to cover the beds with composted horse manure and soil. (Probably more the latter than the former, since horse manure is easier to come by than soil.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The compost is mostly horse manure with wood-based bedding. The soil is loamy/silty with gravel mixed in. I won't have time/resources to screen the quantity of soil required, so all but the largest rocks will end up in the beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How deep does the soil/compost layer need to be?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there a mix/ratio of soil to compost that I should aim for?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it better to layer soil and compost or to blend them? (If layering, in which order?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-04-15T23:51:44.997" Title="How much soil do I need on top of my hugelkultur beds?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;permaculture&gt;&lt;hugelkultur&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2899" CreationDate="2012-01-10T02:21:43.777" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do this in early fall after the year's growth has died down, but before they start their winter growth. I dig up the entire clump, and do either of two options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pull it into several evenly sized pieces(whatever size you need) and replant to the same depth, without removing the earth from the bulbs. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the earth from the bulbs, clean it and trim the tops and roots. Then sort them and replant the large bulbs along the border. The smaller bulbs can be discarded or planted as a filler between the big bulbs, to grow to blooming size in the row.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-10T07:01:38.037" LastActivityDate="2012-01-10T07:01:38.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3201" CreationDate="2012-01-10T02:44:42.633" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you add enough carbon, then you can't really put too many grounds in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Coffee grounds are 20 carbon to 1 nitrogen or 20/1. A good ratio is 30/1 for aerobic composting, So lets say you use leaves to compost the grounds with. leaves are 50/1, so a mix of 66.67% coffee grounds to 33.33% leaves would be a good mix. Remember that this is by weight, so shredding the leaves will help make it easier to measure. Of course the condition of the material can change the ratio, but it is always safer to put in too much carbon than too much nitrogen. You can use any high-carbon material; I only used leaves as a quick example. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-03T17:45:11.543" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T17:45:11.543" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3207" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3208" CreationDate="2012-01-10T10:08:08.507" Score="19" ViewCount="62444" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sure I've heard before that the time to harvest potatoes is when the flowers fall off. Is that right or is it more complicated than that? For example, does it differ based on climate or variety, etc.?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="715" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-10T16:08:17.110" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T23:51:50.257" Title="How do I know when to harvest my potatoes?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3207" CreationDate="2012-01-10T13:31:52.153" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every time I've grown potatoes, there's been a day when the plants as a whole just all collapse. Distressed, I've dug up to see what's going on, and ended up with perfectly nice potatoes. If that doesn't happen to you, then do it before a frost, because potatoes aren't one of those vegetables that is nicer for frost exposure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Actually I grow them in a stack of tires, so &quot;dug&quot; isn't quite the right word, but &quot;knocked over&quot; doesn't make sense without the context.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given the size difference between &quot;new potatoes&quot; and &quot;ordinary potatoes&quot; in the store, and the historical role of potatoes as an everyday staple, I'm pretty sure there's a huge range of acceptable harvest times. The only downside of too early is that you might have got more by waiting. So don't do all the plants at once until you know you're done for the year - either because the plants have died or because there's a frost coming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2012-01-10T13:31:52.153" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3209" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3192" CreationDate="2012-01-11T01:00:24.437" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/guava.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; is extremely detailed so I will give the salient points:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if the main stem dies it is likely to sprout multiple stems, give it a few months&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;not fussy as to soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;guavas are tough, verging on weedy in the tropics.  Don't give up hope!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;regular watering when the top half inch of soil dries out should do&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;does not tolerate frost and not happy with temperatures lower than ~15 degree C &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cannot tolerate intense hot summers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;with your location in Boston the key to success is lots of indoor light in the winter, perhaps filtered light in the summer, depending on the amount of light received&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if the plant has been stressed I would not consider repotting until you have seen a few months of good growth.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;once you see growth again a fertilizer applied at a fraction of the recommended rate every few weeks should help.  (I find tropicals do better with small amounts of fertilizer at regular intervals as opposed to monthly applications.  Applying at 1/8th or 1/10th the recommended rate on a weekly or biweekly basis for vigorously growing plants more closely approximates the natural cycle of the tropics)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-01-11T01:00:24.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3210" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3207" CreationDate="2012-01-11T02:14:18.923" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you harvest when the flowers fall you will get a more tender potato, better for frying and boiling. If you wait until the tops are dried, you get the best storage potatoes, better for mashing and baking. Harvesting over time is easier on you and gives a steady supply.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, there is nothing wrong with frost on the vines at maturity, because the vines are useless to the plant at that time. The vines are going dormant like most other perennials do near the hardest time of year. Frost might make the vines dry out, but you don't need to worry unless you are going to get a hard freeze. You will want to harvest the rest of your potatoes before the hard freezes start.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-05T22:58:36.363" LastActivityDate="2016-09-05T22:58:36.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3211" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13380" CreationDate="2012-01-11T02:34:02.120" Score="8" ViewCount="971" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw a Sochi tea plant in a catalog that was hardy in zones 7-10. Since I am in zone 6b, I was wondering if I could successfully grow these without wrapping in tar paper or anything like that. I am down in a valley, so there wouldn't be much wind. The space I would have for it would be right next to a south-west facing untreated pine siding wall. If it would help, I could put on a shredded wood mulch. Would this be a good idea, or a waste of money?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-10T01:26:32.173" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T04:01:59.987" Title="Could I grow a Sochi tea plant (Camellia sinensis) in zone 6b?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;tea&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3212" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3218" CreationDate="2012-01-11T02:42:57.800" Score="8" ViewCount="416" Body="&lt;p&gt;An advertisement of Zephirine Drouhin rose said that this rose was disease resistant, shade tolerant, alkaline soil tolerant, pollution tolerant, more floriferous than other varieties, and completely thornless. I suppose they are probably being optimistic about it: I would especially like to know about the thornlessness. Are these really completely thornless?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-01-11T16:31:37.410" LastActivityDate="2015-11-21T22:14:39.657" Title="Is Zephirine Drouhin rose completely thornless?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3213" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3219" CreationDate="2012-01-11T09:50:59.937" Score="10" ViewCount="2157" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I grew aubergines (eggplants) and tomatoes with grafted rootstocks, and they actually produced a lot more veg than my other plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could someone tell me why it is done and why they produced more veg?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="879" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T17:10:29.987" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T17:10:29.987" Title="What are the benefits of veg / fruit plants with grafted rootstocks?" Tags="&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3214" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3213" CreationDate="2012-01-11T13:32:07.267" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't heard of it being doing with vegetables, but grafting is common with fruit trees. I assume the reasons are broadly similar for your aubergines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For fruit trees the main reason is so combine the characteristics of the root stock with those of the above-ground tree. For example, you might want to grow a particular variety of apple, but that apple conventionally has a large tree which you do not have space for. So you choose a graft that has a dwarf root stock. This is from an apple variety which produces a small tree - it might produce bad apples, you don't care. The small root stock limits the tree size, but the graft is what produces the fruit you are after.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also with many fruit trees (especially apples), they are not true to seed, so you must propagate with cuttings or grafts if you wish to preserve the variety (a &lt;em&gt;Granny Smith&lt;/em&gt; pip will not grow into a tree that produces Granny Smith apples).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-01-11T13:32:07.267" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3215" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1498" CreationDate="2012-01-11T17:20:41.543" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;try &lt;a href=&quot;http://worldfoodgarden.org&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;worldfoodgarden.org&lt;/a&gt;, I am hoping this site will have exactly what you want!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="887" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2012-01-11T18:03:06.663" LastActivityDate="2012-01-11T18:03:06.663" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3201" CreationDate="2012-01-11T18:37:18.497" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Late last year (September or so) I started getting about 2 gallons a week of grounds.  I now have a big pile of them in one compost bin, mostly collected since the weather turned cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the one hand, I haven't seen them act &quot;hot&quot; at all, even though I haven't been mixing them with anything since November.  I think this is just from a dry November making a dry pile, and cold weather since.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, folks who've written on this from actual experience &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.wsu.edu/stewardship/compost/coffee.htm&quot;&gt;suggest mixing with leaves at 1 part grounds to 2 parts leaves&lt;/a&gt; (by volume), or &lt;a href=&quot;http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/soil/2002015354019975.html&quot;&gt;no more than 25% of the pile&lt;/a&gt; (also &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=15&amp;amp;ved=0CF0QFjAEOAo&amp;amp;url=http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/sites/default/files/documents/cffee07.pdf&amp;amp;ei=8tQNT7OFMoPi0QHowrHtBQ&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGEhv-YvcrCGGgYJwOPuwG8QVz9Vw&amp;amp;sig2=H_EHUxaIkrGjYltcIbhYyQ&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;) (by volume, after some compaction?).  I suspect that aeration may be the limiter - grounds are obviously a lot denser than most materials, so the pile is likely to be oxygen-starved if there are too many. I'm just guessing now, but I'll probably know in a year when my compost is done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-11T19:29:09.067" LastActivityDate="2012-01-11T19:29:09.067" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3212" CreationDate="2012-01-11T20:23:23.477" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Bourbon rose is also known as 'The Thornless Rose'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This is one of the classic roses, introduced in 1868 and cherished for&#xA;  generations for its lavish and unsophisticated flower display, and its&#xA;  ease of cultivation, &lt;strong&gt;not least the thornless stems which make pruning&#xA;  a pleasure&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/783.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;BBC Gardening&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/354&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;davesgarden.com&lt;/a&gt; mentions 'Stems are nearly thornless' &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="147" LastActivityDate="2012-01-11T20:23:23.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3218" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3212" CreationDate="2012-01-11T23:08:21.167" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Zephirine Drouhin Rose that has been growing in USDA zone 4 for two years.  It puts on a great show, grows fast, resistant to powdery mildew but &lt;strong&gt;it is not thornless&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compared to the shrub roses I have you can work with it without gloves.  There are not many thorns, perhaps one every inch on the larger stems only.  The thorns are a 1/4&quot; in length and as picky as you would expect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-01-11T23:08:21.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3219" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3213" CreationDate="2012-01-12T01:09:48.573" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The principle is to combine the superior growing/rooting characteristics of the root stock with a graft either:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a. that cannot be grown from a seed (e.g. hybrid); and/or&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;b. whose roots/infrastructure is inferior to that of the rootstock in some way; and/or&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;c. whose flowers/fruit/leaves are superior to those of the rootstock in some way (e.g. better pest resistance, larger fruit, more fruit).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fact that the graft produces more or better fruit than the rootstock would is simply due to genetic difference within the species or subspecies (i.e. tiny differences). The main reason why the graft is not just propagated directly by its own seeds is that the rooting and other infrastructure of that graft is known to be weaker and thus more vulnerable to weather, disease, etc, than the rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2012-01-12T01:19:29.607" LastActivityDate="2012-01-12T01:19:29.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3220" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3234" CreationDate="2012-01-12T01:46:38.380" Score="9" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it sensible and possible for a home gardener to attempt to create new cultivars (e.g. of citrus) via manual/controlled pollination in a home garden without specialist equipment?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For instance, if I wanted to cross two different apple cultivars is it easily achievable without using specialist equipment to prevent the flowers from being accidentally fertilised by the wrong pollen?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T14:15:31.793" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T14:23:39.750" Title="Is it practical to breed new cultivars at home?" Tags="&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;cultivar&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3221" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2012-01-12T01:51:39.357" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where the female and male flower belong to the same plant or a clone plant the offspring is also a clone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where the female and male flower belong to different plants of the same species the offspring is genetically distinct within the same species. This is known as cross-breeding if the flowers belong to distinct cultivars of the species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where the female and male flower belong to different species, the offspring is a hybrid if fertilisation is successful at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2012-01-12T01:54:25.717" LastActivityDate="2012-01-12T01:54:25.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3222" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2012-01-12T01:51:39.357" Score="0" Body="Sexual reproduction in plants involves female flowers being fertilised by pollen from male flowers to produce seeds." OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2012-01-12T01:54:27.790" LastActivityDate="2012-01-12T01:54:27.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3223" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3226" CreationDate="2010-11-18T19:24:15.503" Score="17" ViewCount="1204" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard a lot of anecdotes and shortcuts, but I am still unclear at to how to properly winterize a power push lawnmower. What steps or maintenance tasks should I take in order to keep it in good condition the following year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Josh" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-01-17T20:33:28.647" LastActivityDate="2012-12-20T21:15:26.260" Title="What is the proper way to winterize a lawnmower?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3223" CreationDate="2010-11-18T22:15:12.337" Score="10" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drain the fuel tank&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Check the oil level, topping it off as necessary. (You may want to think about changing the oil as well)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tilt the mower onto its side, and clean off any grass or debris which is stuck to the deck&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Inspect the blade.  If it is damaged or dull, take it off and sharpen or replace it if necessary&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="James Van Huis" LastActivityDate="2010-11-18T22:15:12.337" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 2.5" />
  <row Id="3225" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3223" CreationDate="2010-11-19T01:25:30.190" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had good luck with simply adding a bit of Sta-bil to a full tank, run it for a couple of minutes, and then parking it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually wait until the spring to change the oil, clean/replace the spark plug, sharpen the blade, etc although you do want to make sure that there's no buildup of grass or other debris that will hold moisture against the body.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="243" OwnerDisplayName="chris" LastActivityDate="2010-11-19T01:25:30.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 2.5" />
  <row Id="3226" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3223" CreationDate="2010-11-19T14:23:03.323" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;The proper answer is &quot;read the manual and do what it says&quot;.  There is usually a list of maintenance that should be performed once a season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some common items:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drain the fuel, or run it until it is empty.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Change oil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Check/replace spark plug&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Replace air filter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Replace fuel filter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Scrape clippings from under the deck&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Blade sharpen/balance, replace blade if necessary (do you have a torque wrench?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Touch up any spots on the cutting deck with chipped paint and/or rust&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lube the wheel bearings&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lube the control cables&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put a tiny bit of oil in the cylinder and crank the engine a few times.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many people skip a lot of these things.  How much did you pay for your mower?  How much is it worth to you to keep it in good condition?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also recommend NEVER using ethanol gas in your lawnmower as it leaves a residue like corn syrup on the carburetor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="336" OwnerDisplayName="msemack" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-01-17T20:34:16.430" LastActivityDate="2012-01-17T20:34:16.430" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3227" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2538" CreationDate="2012-01-12T16:38:09.777" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few common issues with citrus grown indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have seen them get 5 or 6 feet tall indoors, we are talking a plant that wants to be a tree!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If it gets enough light indoors normally the environment is dry enough to encourage spider mites.  Seeing your citrus webbed by mites is not a pleasant sight.  Higher humidity discourages mites. Soap and water will control but not eliminate an advanced infestation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;most soil less mixes popular for indoor mixes are ph neutral.  If you have alkaline water over time the soil mix becomes alkaline and nutrient deficiencies can show up.  The most common is the veins of the leaves are green and the rest of the leaf is yellow. Normally this is a deficiency in iron or manganese.  I deal with this by adding garden soil yearly.  It may be as alkaline as your water but seems to  have more accessible nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;oh, and very sharp thorns&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-01-12T16:38:09.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3228" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3336" CreationDate="2012-01-13T02:16:14.847" Score="5" ViewCount="185" Body="&lt;p&gt;Someone gave me a box of bulbs, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycoris_squamigera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lycoris squamigera&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Resurrection Lily), and I don't really know how to care for them. They are in a cardboard box in my basement right now. When I looked up how to care for these, all I could find was that they do not like being dug up. So how should I care for them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T17:54:53.113" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T17:54:53.113" Title="How should I care for a dozen bulbs of Lycoris squamigera?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;lily&gt;&lt;amaryllis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3229" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5294" CreationDate="2012-01-13T02:25:21.790" Score="6" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had been hybridizing cannas in the summer and have a promising young plant. Should I store its rhizome in a basket in the basement like the big rhizomes or do mini plants need special care? The rhizome is a little lump 2&quot; in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-10-02T07:38:28.377" Title="How should I care for the rhizome of a small canna seedling?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;canna&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3230" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3238" CreationDate="2012-01-13T05:10:10.663" Score="9" ViewCount="1123" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planning on planting around 500 ft of evergreen hedge in Tennessee, partly in the sun and partly in shade. I talked to a local landscaping company who recommended one of the following:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Manhattan Euonymus&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I'm leaning towards Manhattan at the moment, because it's fast growing and doesn't look bad, but I'm concerned because the person at the landscaping place mentioned that the leaves of the ones out in the sun will probably turn a lighter green than the ones in the shade, which would definitely not be what I want. I'd like 500 ft of uniformly colored hedge. She also said that if properly fertilized, the leaves should stay the same color. I'm looking for other opinions!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Osmanthus fortunei&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I was considering Osmanthus but was concerned that they get much taller than I want, which might lead to a leggy appearance at the bottom if I shear them at 4 ft tall.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;American Boxwood&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Boxwood is quite slow growing in comparison to the others, and I'm fairly certain it offers no real benefits to me.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like the hedge to be about 4 feet high at the most, but very thick. I will be putting up a fence behind the hedge, and would like the hedge to cover the fence, and I'm wondering what sort of planting structure I should go for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm planning on planting them 6 ft apart and the Osmanthus/Manhattan plants are already about 3ft tall. Should I plant them all on one side of the fence, or alternate fence sides, or add another set of plants on the other side of the fence?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="888" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-13T07:11:48.250" LastActivityDate="2017-05-10T21:09:03.203" Title="What sort of planting layout should I follow to cover a fence with a hedge?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3231" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3232" CreationDate="2012-01-13T21:40:03.487" Score="9" ViewCount="3116" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently wondered if I could compost peanut butter. I would assume it is fine since it is an organic material. If you can compost it, what are the pros and cons to doing so? Is there anything else I should know about adding peanut butter to my compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="885" LastActivityDate="2012-01-13T22:06:01.933" Title="Can I compost peanut butter (pros and cons)?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3232" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3231" CreationDate="2012-01-13T22:06:01.933" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/2668/51&quot;&gt;This question&lt;/a&gt; covers similar ground. See especially @baka's comment there:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;the fats and oils slow down &quot;bug&quot; growth&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are composting a little bit of peanut butter then it should be ok -- e.g peanut butter on a bagel that didn't get eaten and ends up in the compost bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I wouldn't dump a whole jar of peanut butter into the compost. The issue is that peanut butter is mostly fat. Fat doesn't compost well. It will take longer to break down and will end up as a gooey, smelly mess in the meantime. It may also attract unwanted pests (raccoons, rats, neighborhood dogs, etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-01-13T22:06:01.933" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3233" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2071" CreationDate="2012-01-14T00:18:10.100" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;For #1, Its not really possible to determine the variety exactly without genetic analysis. However, you can tell if it is a real variety or a seedling by looking for a graft line near the bottom of the trunk. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/solver/suckering.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This article shows you how to identify the graft lines&lt;/a&gt; but it is applicable for smaller trees. For larger trees finding a graft line will be more difficult. If there is no graft line, it is a seedling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For #2, the damage definitely looks like bird damage that has rotted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="890" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-14T01:59:26.480" LastActivityDate="2012-01-14T01:59:26.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3220" CreationDate="2012-01-14T00:21:17.380" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it is doable. The more crosses you do, the more likely you will come up with something good. The more cultivars that exist for whatever you are breeding the less likely you will come up with an improvement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Smaller plants would be amenable to home breeding. Large trees like apples would be difficult to come up with an improvement over other varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="890" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-14T02:00:53.740" LastActivityDate="2012-01-14T02:00:53.740" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3235" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2932" CreationDate="2012-01-14T01:16:49.823" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Beware, that does not appear to be Passiflora subpeltata because the fruit are the wrong color. It is a Passiflora, though its dangerous to eat the fruit if it is an unknown variety. Those fruit are way too small to eat anyways since its the pulp inside that is eaten and those would have scant pulp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="890" LastActivityDate="2012-01-14T01:16:49.823" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3236" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3237" CreationDate="2012-01-15T02:27:11.667" Score="9" ViewCount="142" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why are my dwarf double yellow daffodils putting out flower buds? It's January, and they usually start that in March. They could get damaged by cold and wildlife during winter. Anyone know what is going on? The winter has been about average, except for the roller coaster temperatures (warm one day, freezing the next).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FD3eO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-23T20:03:47.173" LastActivityDate="2014-09-23T20:03:47.173" Title="Why are my daffodils putting out flower buds in January?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;daffodils&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3237" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3236" CreationDate="2012-01-15T02:58:15.833" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you had unseasonably warm weather in the past few weeks? (we have down here in Texas). Unseasonably warm weather will often 'trick' plants into producing new leaves and/or flowers early. The real problem occurs if there's a frost which kills new buds/growth (I suspect daffodils are less prone to that than, say, fruit trees). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-01-15T04:25:06.740" LastActivityDate="2012-01-15T04:25:06.740" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3230" CreationDate="2012-01-15T02:59:18.900" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaf color of Manhattan Euonymus does keep its color better when fertilized, but you should also expect a larger, more vigorous plant than you would otherwise have. I think that this plant would be a good one for what you are trying to do here. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About the planting layout, if you are looking to cover the entire fence on both sides, then you will definitely want a full row on each side. The reason is that Euonymus are upright plants, and will not want to cascade over the fence and cover the other side. Manhattan grows fast, and if you want a thick hedge, you should head them in several times during their growth periods for the first couple of years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the way I see this type of project fail most often is from trimming the sides of the hedge either straight down or inward, causing it to become thin from lack of sunlight. Trim the sides sloping outward from the top, away from the center. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-15T04:06:30.850" LastActivityDate="2012-01-15T04:06:30.850" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3239" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3244" CreationDate="2012-01-15T18:11:31.577" Score="8" ViewCount="178" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just made &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.diynatural.com/kitchen-compost-bucket-diy-easy-and-frugal/&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.diynatural.com/kitchen-compost-bucket-diy-easy-and-frugal/&quot;&gt;small compost container&lt;/a&gt; but I'm not certain how to use it. Should I just put the scraps in there and &quot;let it do its thing&quot; or are there other steps needed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="542" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T14:50:17.580" LastActivityDate="2012-02-17T14:50:17.580" Title="How is compost made in the kitchen?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3240" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1988" CreationDate="2012-01-15T23:38:37.137" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This hasn't been answered yet so I'm going with the most likely causes and you can derive the most likely out of those. Sorry I can't be more specific, but it would probably depend on really localised variables given your cherry tomatoes are so flavourful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prolonged cold spells weakening plants (redirecting nutrients), especially while tomatoes ripenening. Possibly your cherry tomatoes weren't as affected due to differing stage of maturity or being in a more sheltered part of garden.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nutrients somehow otherwise depleted; perhaps in such a way that it really only hit this particular variety.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For more ideas, see an excellent set of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.selectedplants.com/culture.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;tips at SelectedPlants.com&lt;/a&gt; whose section on tomato flavour I'll excerpt here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What are the best tips for getting the tastiest tomatoes?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Genetics is the first and foremost consideration.  Growing a variety that does NOT have the genetic capability of making good flavored fruit is a hopeless cause.  Brandywine (Sudduth) is well known for producing very good flavored tomatoes.  Big Beef is a hybrid known for decent flavor.  What sets these apart from the average bland hybrid such as Celebrity?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Very high nutrient levels in the soil is linked to better flavored tomatoes.  This is because the plant has all the nutrients it needs to produce the plant and to mature the fruit.  The very best tomatoes I ever harvested were the year I put down a layer of rabbit manure 4 inches thick and then planted tomatoes.  The vines were 15 feet long and fruit production was incredible.  Flavor was off the charts.  Note that the nutrients must be in balance.  If nitrogen is too high, flavor suffers and production goes down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Low disease and insect pressure is directly tied to good flavor.  Among the worst flavored tomatoes I've ever grown were Black Sea Man in 2008.  The plants were hit by nematodes and foliage diseases so heavily that they were all dead before the first fruits could completely ripen.  Other varieties growing beside them were fabulous, in fact, Strawberry Margarita became one of my new favorites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reducing water as the fruits ripen is a well known manipulation to get sweeter better flavored fruit.  You can achieve the same effect by improving the nutrient status of the soil so the plants are growing healthy with a high foliage to fruit ratio.  You get more fruit as a bonus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Temperature is a partial contributor to flavor.  The only time I've had bad flavored tomatoes linked to temperature was when I had a very late fall crop that matured fruit when night temps were down near freezing.  There is a distinctive flavor transition point near 50 degrees (nighttime temp) where fruit that matures at higher temps tastes better and fruit matured at lower temps tastes bland.  As a general rule, temperature is not a major contributor to bland flavor except very early and very late in the season.  An exception has to be made for folks in extreme climates since zone 3 microclimates are too cold for all except a few short weeks in mid-summer.  In these climates, it makes sense to use hoop houses and tunnels to improve flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-01-15T23:38:37.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3241" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3243" CreationDate="2012-01-16T02:48:59.433" Score="7" ViewCount="501" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for a rose that produces a good crop of large hips. It has to be winter hardy and relatively carefree , but I will be able to prune, mulch, and, water it. It also will have to be disease resistant as I don't use chemicals. I found a hopeful looking rose, 'Jubilee'. This has good production and growth habit but disease resistance wasn't mentioned. What rose would be good for this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T23:49:12.780" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T23:49:12.780" Title="What rose would be best for hip production?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3242" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-01-16T07:41:39.393" Score="5" ViewCount="581" Body="&lt;p&gt;My muscari(s) are flowering, with one stalk each, but I found a new bud coming out from the base of each muscari. I think it is another flower stalk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can a muscari plant have more than 1 flowering stalk at a time? If so, how many can they grow?&#xA;I froze them in fridge for 3 months before planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-16T16:51:09.503" LastActivityDate="2012-01-17T02:39:45.250" Title="How many flowers can a single muscari plant grow?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;grape-hyacinth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3241" CreationDate="2012-01-16T13:10:19.393" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fedcoseeds.com/trees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Fedco Trees&lt;/a&gt; lists a couple of varieties in their catalog that might meet your requirements. See page 42 of the 2012 catalog:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;R. ‘Fru Dagmar Hastrup’:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Relatively low-growing form&#xA;  with rich green, deeply veined disease-resistant foliage that turns bronze in&#xA;  fall. Very large red hips. Recommended for the edible landscape. Z4&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;R. rugosa ‘Scabrosa’:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;One of the absolute best roses for&#xA;  the edible landscape [...] huge orange-red hips that can be the size of cherry&#xA;  tomatoes [...] beautiful flowers and large hips. [...] Extremely hardy. No disease&#xA;  issues ever. Z3.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-16T13:10:19.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3239" CreationDate="2012-01-16T13:24:40.103" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not much composting will happen inside that bucket. It's also far too small -- we'd fill that bucket a couple times a week in the winter, maybe daily in the summer. Your kitchen habits may be different than ours, but my point is that you're going to fill it eventually and then you'll need someplace to put the compost. Also, an outdoor compost pile needs to be around 3'x3'x3' before it becomes very active -- much smaller than that and you just have a pile of rotting garbage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The container you built &lt;em&gt;does&lt;/em&gt; look like a good temporary holding spot for kitchen scraps before you move them to a larger container or an outdoor pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you read the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.diynatural.com/vermicomposting-worm-farm-diy-easy-and-frugal/&quot;&gt;second post&lt;/a&gt; in the series that you linked to, you'll see that the author is really talking about vermicomposting (i.e. composting with worms) and uses the small container you built as a temporary holding spot:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;We keep our DIY kitchen compost bucket under our kitchen sink until it is full, at which time we feed the worms by emptying the contents into the worm farm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I've read from other sources, worms can eat about half of their body weight in compost per day. So if you have a pound of worms, they'll eat half a pound of kitchen scraps every day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're thinking about trying vermicomposting, do a little more reading -- the articles you linked to are light on details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-16T13:24:40.103" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3245" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3246" CreationDate="2011-06-03T16:54:13.770" Score="10" ViewCount="3608" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have these white bugs that seem to be falling down from the tree over where I park my cars. They have feathery tendrils and are staining our cars with white drops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea as to what these bugs are and how to get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first picture is what I originally saw. This had a larger body, with long white thread-like tendrils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next picture had what looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eriosomatinae&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;woolly aphid&lt;/a&gt; (on the left) and a variation of the first type I saw. This is the first time I saw one with wings. The one on the right has a very small body, but very similar tendrils to the first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HDwSK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white bugs&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IbeMW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;two other variations&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="921" OwnerDisplayName="CodeNaked" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-01-16T16:45:04.660" LastActivityDate="2012-01-16T16:45:04.660" Title="What are these white bugs that leave white stains on my cars and driveway?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3246" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3245" CreationDate="2011-06-03T17:37:42.177" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;The description sounds like woolly aphids, and from some combined detective work are most likely &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=woolly%20alder%20aphid&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;biw=1192&amp;amp;bih=792&amp;amp;prmd=ivns&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=bBvpTbePCs_pgAfDtfHBAQ&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0CD8QsAQ&quot;&gt;Woolly Alder Aphids&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One way to get rid of them would be to introduce a natural predator. Ladybugs could be your best bet - although then you may end up with a ladybug infestation. Amazon has them for &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000MR6WRG&quot;&gt;pretty cheap&lt;/a&gt; if you decide to go this route.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" OwnerDisplayName="Doresoom" LastActivityDate="2011-06-03T17:37:42.177" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3247" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-01-16T16:30:35.983" Score="7" ViewCount="2294" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently made a compost bin. I simply drilled a bunch of holes on all sides of a plastic bin and was ready to go. I have been using it for a while now with it sitting flat on the ground. Should I be doing anything differently such as elevating it off the ground? Does this affect the amount of air the material gets? Does this affect the heat of the compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For anyone interested, I used this &lt;a href=&quot;http://organicgardening.about.com/od/compost/ht/storagecompost.htm&quot;&gt;guide&lt;/a&gt; for building my own bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="885" LastActivityDate="2012-01-16T17:08:15.683" Title="Should my compost bin be on or off the ground?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3248" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3242" CreationDate="2012-01-16T17:05:08.077" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Muscaris can reproduce vegetatively (asexual reproduction), similar to how mints reproduce by stolons, onions by forming new bulbs, growth from cuttings, etc. In your case, the plant has produced a new bulb underground, which has given rise to a new flowering stalk. There are a couple of excellent pictures on Wikipedia showing this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f7Ul7.jpg&quot; height=&quot;450&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hrEBY.jpg&quot; height=&quot;450&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&#xA;Source: Wikimedia Commons&lt;br&gt;&#xA; 1. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Muscari_displaying_vegetative_reproduction.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Image&lt;/a&gt; – &lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Gut_Monk&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gut Monk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA; 2. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blauwe_druif_vdg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Image&lt;/a&gt; – &lt;a href=&quot;http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Vdegroot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Vincent de Groot&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2012-01-16T17:05:08.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3247" CreationDate="2012-01-16T17:08:15.683" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you have holes drilled in the bottom? You should -- these will allow excess liquid to drain out. If you have it elevated off the ground (e.g. by a couple of bricks underneath it), then you may get a &lt;em&gt;little&lt;/em&gt; extra air via these holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm skeptical of the idea that small holes drilled into the sides of a large (15-30 gallon) container filled with compost will introduce much air into the center of the compost; thus I don't think it matters much if you have your container elevated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Composting &lt;em&gt;does&lt;/em&gt; depend on the microbes having adequate oxygen, but it will be much more effective to aerate the compost -- just shake the container as recommended in the article you linked, or stir it with a garden fork -- after it starts to cool down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other benefit I could see to having it elevated off the ground is if you want to catch the leachate and use it as a liquid fertilizer. To do this, put down a catch pan, put a couple of bricks on the catch pan, then put your bin on those bricks. Whatever drips out of your bin will collect in the pan, and you can pour it off to use it on your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-16T17:08:15.683" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3250" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-01-16T20:29:50.400" Score="12" ViewCount="232" Body="&lt;p&gt;I brought my geraniums indoors for the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do they need light?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I water them?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I cut them? If so, how short?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When is the best time to take cuttings (i.e. during winter, start of spring, etc.)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="893" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T23:46:02.080" LastActivityDate="2012-03-22T11:22:42.080" Title="What should I do with geraniums during the winter?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;geraniums&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2636" CreationDate="2012-01-17T00:25:51.637" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like anthracnose to me. The picture shows some typical symptoms:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no yellowing leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;round sunken areas that are not soft or rotting but look brown, even bark like&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;anthracnose is also common in Australia in many major crops such as mangos, olives, lupins, avocados, pistachios &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Treatment&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;easy way: cut the diseased tissue off with a knife or pruners. After each cut pass it through a flame or dip it in medicinal alcohol. Keep cutting until no diseased tissue is visible. Avoid fertilizer, as sometimes, lush new growth is more susceptible&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hard way: do all of the above and apply chemical control by spraying with Saprol (0.15%), Maneb powder spray (0.2%), Dithane, or Orthocid 50.  Personally, I would rather throw the plant out than use this stuff again.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-01-17T00:25:51.637" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="290" CreationDate="2012-01-17T14:46:13.133" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you make the pots out of newspaper (black &amp;amp; white only is the best -- definitely not glossy/coated), and the plants aren't overgrown, then just plant the pots in the ground. Newsprint will rot away quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plants are large (starting to become root bound in the pots), it wouldn't hurt to slash the paper a bit when planting so that the roots don't have to do any work to push through the paper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't used paper pots, but I'm guessing that with the watering you do during seed germination and the first few weeks of growing the paper will be well on the way to disintegrating away by the time you get around to transplanting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The advantage of paper pots versus plastic pots is that you don't have to remove the seedlings to transplant. This avoids root disturbance which sets back seedlings after transplanting. I suspect the advantage of paper over peat is that paper pots will rot much faster than peat pots (I've seen peat pots persist quite a while after transplanting, especially if the pot isn't slashed up when the transplanting is done).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-17T14:46:13.133" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3254" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="290" CreationDate="2012-01-17T20:13:53.343" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to keeping any sprouts wet while waiting to plant, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonnieplants.com/LearnGrowLibrary/GardeningMadeEasy/tabid/79/ID/59/How-to-Plant-Bonnie-Pots-video.aspx&quot;&gt;you should thoroughly saturate&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sustainablehort.com/?tag=compostable-pots&quot;&gt;the pot itself just&lt;/a&gt; prior to putting in the ground. It is also recommended that you &quot;tear away the bottom half of the pot before placing the plant in its hole to exposes some roots to direct contact with the soil.&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sustainablehort.com/?tag=compostable-pots&quot;&gt;(source)&lt;/a&gt;&quot; On the latter step I am not 100% sure it applies to all scenarios, but on the former step I have heard and seen (on manufacturer's packaging in particular) this advice repetitively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastActivityDate="2012-01-17T20:13:53.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3255" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3082" CreationDate="2012-01-17T20:14:48.287" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That you have it in a 4&quot; pot and it is a single stem doesn't favor blooming. Assuming this is grown from a cutting it could technically bloom at any time, though the larger the plant the more likely the bloom. Selenicereus are typically vigorous and can flower quickly if they accumulate enough mass. Is yours in a warm sunny enough location? They like their soil moister and richer than the typical cactus though I have found they can thrive in small pots. Try moving it up to a 1 gallon and providing more light to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="890" LastActivityDate="2012-01-17T20:14:48.287" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2570" CreationDate="2012-01-17T20:18:52.057" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely not edible fruiting trees. Typically grafting is same species, sometimes same genus and rarely from outside the genus.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bignoniaceae#Genera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bignoniaceae#Genera&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Closely related genera would be your best bet if you want something other than a different type of Jacaranda.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="890" LastActivityDate="2012-01-17T20:18:52.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3257" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3101" CreationDate="2012-01-17T20:24:54.833" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pretty much everything from a temperate climate can live in the bay area. I've seen similar viburnums for sale at local nurseries so it should be fine&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="890" LastActivityDate="2012-01-17T20:24:54.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3241" CreationDate="2012-01-18T02:26:44.137" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Along the New Hampshire seacoast (yes, we have one), &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_rugosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;rosa rugosa&lt;/a&gt; (&quot;beach rose&quot;) is ubiquitous, as hedging, and the hips are, as Fedco says, &quot;the size of cherry tomatoes&quot;.    It's &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; thorny.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-01-18T03:11:36.187" LastActivityDate="2012-01-18T03:11:36.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3259" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2012-01-18T21:19:04.800" Score="11" Body="&lt;h2&gt;Wheelbarrow&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recommended for medium to large gardens. Wheelbarrows give you leverage over heavy loads and help transport plants, soil, compost, woodchip, grass, logs and other natural waste as well as tools across your garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_051228-N-4374S-009_Utilitiesman_1st_Class_Arthur_Smiley,_a_U.S._Navy_Seabee_assigned_to_Naval_Mobile_Construction_Battalion_Three_(NMCB-3),_dumps_a_wheel_barrel_full_of_demolished_concrete_during_patio_restoration_at_th.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jy7WJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;U.S. Navy photo [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="147" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2014-07-18T18:44:13.450" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T18:44:13.450" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2012-01-18T21:19:04.800" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3260" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3279" CreationDate="2012-01-19T02:22:47.927" Score="18" ViewCount="1852" Body="&lt;p&gt;I keep a few dozen assorted plants under fluorescent lighting in my basement, because the light isn't very good at the windows. I have always left the light on day and night, but now that I think about it, that is not very natural for plant growth. Would the health of my plants be improved by controlling the light during the night?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T23:45:22.050" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T23:45:22.050" Title="Does controlling night-time light for house plants improve their health?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3261" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3269" CreationDate="2012-01-19T02:33:34.243" Score="11" ViewCount="336" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kUUNh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found this plant in my woods And would like the identification. It is a small woody evergreen that grows in dry soil in light to deep shade. It grows about 1 1/2' tall and has small clusters of small greenish white flowers terminally on new wood in summer.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RIb3v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update pic: I replanted it in a lighter location, and the plant has shot up to about 3 1/2 feet, after I topped it off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SZoCt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-12T21:57:38.337" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T21:57:38.337" Title="What is this low-growing evergreen?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;broad-leaved-evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3263" PostTypeId="7" CreationDate="2012-01-19T21:28:27.790" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This site is for professional and amateur gardeners and landscapers to ask questions about the care and maintenance of gardens and landscapes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;If your question is about:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;general care and feeding of plants,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;identification, diagnosis or management of plant diseases, pests, or weeds,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant recommendations, or&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;garden or landscape planning and layout;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;and it's not about:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;culinary uses of herbs/fruits/plants (try &lt;a href=&quot;http://cooking.stackexchange.com&quot;&gt;Cooking&lt;/a&gt;),&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;health and nutritional aspects of fruits/vegetables (try &lt;a href=&quot;http://fitness.stackexchange.com&quot;&gt;Fitness &amp;amp; nutrition&lt;/a&gt;),&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant biology, beyond what is generally gardening knowledge (try &lt;a href=&quot;http://biology.stackexchange.com&quot;&gt;Biology&lt;/a&gt;),&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the framing, plumbing or electrical aspects of building greenhouses, decks, etc. (try &lt;a href=&quot;http://diy.stackexchange.com&quot;&gt;Home improvement &amp;amp; DIY&lt;/a&gt;), or&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;large scale agriculture and/or the business of gardening,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;then you're in the right place and we'd love to help answer your question. Help us help you and tell us what part of the world you live in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're not sure whether your question is on- or off-topic, you can ask about your question on &lt;a href=&quot;http://meta.gardening.stackexchange.com&quot;&gt;meta Gardening&lt;/a&gt; or in &lt;a href=&quot;http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/546/the-garden-shed&quot;&gt;chat&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-12-03T03:28:58.727" LastActivityDate="2012-12-03T03:28:58.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3264" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="474" CreationDate="2012-01-19T21:53:13.177" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I talked about my experience with cardboard as mulch in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/355/whats-the-best-mulch-material-for-a-vegetable-garden&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I experimented this past summer by laying down overlapping sheets in the path between two beds in my vegetable garden and weighted it with rocks. It gave very good weed suppression. The only weed problem I had was that some creeping weeds would &quot;hide&quot; under the edges and sneak out the sides; it was harder to hoe these out since the cardboard was in the way. Don't do this if you care about appearance, it's a bit ugly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since weeds will poke up through gaps, and a single layer offers excellent weed suppression, I'd recommend &lt;em&gt;against&lt;/em&gt; shredding or cutting the cardboard in any way. Just lay down big sheets and overlap the gaps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I'm going to guess that it's not going to do much for me this coming summer: I think it will be broken down enough that weeds will start to poke through, especially as it tears when I walk on it after everything thaws. I'll probably just put down another layer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-01-19T21:53:13.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2904" CreationDate="2012-01-19T22:18:10.843" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two things to keep in mind: the weight of the basket and the convenience of raising/lowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I was going to set up something like this, I'd probably screw two sturdy hooks into the ceiling on either side of the light. I'd really want them to sink into studs -- something with a long screw is important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd get a single rectangular basket, roughly the dimensions of the light. If the light isn't hitting the plants directly, they won't grow nearly as well. If you're starting from seed, you'll want the lamp 1/2 to 1&quot; above the soil surface. (This may not be practical if you need that light to do dishes while the seeds are germinating...) Then as the plants are growing you'll want the lamp nearly touching the leaves. If you put the light source too far away from the plants you'll get spindly, leggy, weak plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get some chain from the local hardware store -- small enough that it isn't bulky and ugly, but heavy/sturdy enough to hold the weight of the basket. Oh, and make sure the chain will fit onto the hooks. I'd use four lengths of chain -- two from each hook to each corner of the basket.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like there are two tubes in that light fixture. You can buy full spectrum &quot;grow lights&quot;, but I've heard that you can get nearly as effective results by buying one &quot;cool&quot; and one &quot;hot&quot; bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-19T22:18:10.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3266" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="355" CreationDate="2012-01-19T23:22:03.553" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use &lt;strong&gt;pea straw&lt;/strong&gt; (from field peas) everywhere up to 7cm (3&quot;) deep. It's not necessarily the cheapest source of mulch but definitely cheap enough. The bonus is that little field peas sprout here and there due to the peas left in the straw and so if they're not in direct competition with a weaker plant I let them run their 30cm (1') course and improve the soil by adding nitrogen while doing all the things any other mulch does: retaining moisture, suppressing weeds and discouraging minor erosion over the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2012-01-19T23:48:26.450" LastActivityDate="2012-01-19T23:48:26.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3267" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2012-01-20T02:50:42.467" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lawn mowers are tools for cutting lawn grass. Traditionally these were mechanical and operated by human power, but most modern lawn mowers are electric powered or gasoline/petrol powered. They range in size form small push mowers all the way up to agricultural-sized tractor-towed implements&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-12T14:02:01.427" LastActivityDate="2012-03-12T14:02:01.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3268" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2012-01-20T02:50:42.467" Score="0" Body="For questions about lawn mower use in gardening." OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2012-01-20T03:25:15.377" LastActivityDate="2012-01-20T03:25:15.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3269" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3261" CreationDate="2012-01-20T03:46:07.650" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this might be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/eufo.htm&quot;&gt;wintercreeper or euonymus&lt;/a&gt;.  Although it is native to China it has naturalized in many parts of the eastern United States.  The leaves have light coloured veins, it is a creeper, evergreen and adaptable to a wide variety of soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is this adaptable part of it's nature that leads to the recommendations to remove it as it it considered invasive and displaces native vegetation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most definitive identification is the pink round capsules that open to show red-orange arils (seeds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-01-20T03:46:07.650" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3270" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3271" CreationDate="2012-01-21T08:17:59.683" Score="6" ViewCount="1803" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased some onions to plant in a small planter on my apartment balcony. The planter also contains some lettuces/greens, parsley, basil, and sage. The onions came in a little box as nursery plants do, sprouted with long green stems, with perhaps 15 onion plants packed in very tightly, one next to the other. So far, I have transferred the onions from the little box directly into my planter as-is, but I feel this might not be right and wanted to get some advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My hope is to continuously harvest the greens of the onions, for use in salad, eggs, whatever, and occasionally harvest young onions when I want a bit more kick. If a few make it all the way through to mature onions, great. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would be the best way to lay out these onions? Should I leave them in a clump, separate them out a little, spread them through the planter as singletons?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="644" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T02:49:58.040" LastActivityDate="2012-02-17T02:49:58.040" Title="What is the ideal onion spacing/layout?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;onions&gt;&lt;layout-planning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3270" CreationDate="2012-01-21T13:33:26.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't mention what variety of onion you have, but for how you're planning to use them, I'd recommend fairly close spacing -- perhaps 1&quot; apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normally I plant onions (for mature/bulb harvesting) at about 4&quot; apart in rows 6&quot; apart. This gives them plenty of space so the bulbs are competing with each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've already transplanted them, you may not want to transplant them again -- too much disturbance will negatively affect the plants. You can achieve the final spacing by thinning: when you want a small onion, carefully pull out a plant that is too close to its neighbors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I might also suggest planting seeds instead of plants. Something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fedcoseeds.com/seeds/search.php?item=2444&amp;amp;index=8&amp;amp;search=onion&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;crystal wax white onion&lt;/a&gt; is good for baby onions, and since you'd have a whole packet of seed, you could plant the seed thickly for cutting leaves for flavoring. (If you choose to go this route, remember that onion seed &lt;em&gt;must&lt;/em&gt; be fresh -- year-old seed will not germinate well; don't buy last year's seed from the discount rack.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another possibility would be chives -- a very hardy perennial in the onion family that you can snip for flavoring whenever you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-21T13:33:26.587" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3272" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-01-21T19:39:16.603" Score="5" ViewCount="3113" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's late Jan now. I want to plant a climbing vine on my second-floor, east-facing, balcony railing to give a little shade in the morning. Come Spring and all through to the Fall, that morning sun shines through the balcony windows and turns my apartment into an oven. I'm cooked well-done before noontime. I live just a few miles South of Los Angeles, Zone 10? I'm wondering if I can get a jump on growing this thing in Feb before I start sweating it out in the Spring? I thought that I should ask before I start stringing wire to the rafters or buying/making planters. I'm quite ignorant of gardening stuff. My mom and dad would be kinda disappointed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="902" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-01-22T08:31:44.633" LastActivityDate="2012-01-23T13:24:53.277" Title="Can I plant Morning Glory at any time (in USDA Zone 10)?" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;&lt;morning-glory&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3273" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3274" CreationDate="2012-01-21T21:27:06.933" Score="17" ViewCount="15355" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have read that one shouldn't compost nuts or peanut butter because of their high oil and fat content. I am wondering if the same thing goes for peanut shells? I have a lot of peanut shells and I hope I can compost with them rather than throw them away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sUQKM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="885" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-01-22T02:48:39.617" LastActivityDate="2019-04-25T08:14:23.887" Title="Should peanut shells be composted?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3274" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3273" CreationDate="2012-01-21T21:37:56.120" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, peanut shells are a fine high-carbon addition to your compost pile. Adding peanut shells to your compost will probably tend to dry it out, so make sure you either add water or use enough high-moisture ingredients (e.g. most kitchen scraps or coffee grounds). Also, if you're lacking in high-nitrogen ingredients, then they will take longer to compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-21T21:37:56.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3275" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3272" CreationDate="2012-01-22T01:16:51.203" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Morning glory seed will rot in the ground if the soil is not warm enough.  They are sullen when it's cool.  Grow them in a container with soil that stays warm, until the ground is warm.  They are heat-loving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2012-01-22T01:16:51.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3276" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3273" CreationDate="2012-01-22T02:10:54.920" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, peanut shells can be compostable, but be sure that there is no salt on them. Often peanut shells have been salted, and these should not be added to compost because the salt will stay in the soil and damage plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-01-22T02:10:54.920" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3278" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7026" CreationDate="2012-01-22T02:39:14.950" Score="12" ViewCount="4295" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to multiply my snowdrops as fast as possible. I have about five plants right now. They normally double in size every year. Is there a faster way to do it? They are a little small for twin-scaling. What would the best method be? Would different conditions make them multiply faster? The bulbs are a bit small to propagate the way I do daffodils, but are a similar shape. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt; The plants now have green grape like fruits. Is it practical to save seeds, and if so, how?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OIa3u.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OIa3um.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; title=&quot;Click on photo for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eKgq1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eKgq1m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; title=&quot;Click on photo for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-29T03:05:37.893" LastActivityDate="2021-05-24T12:27:34.733" Title="What is the fastest way to multiply snowdrops?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3260" CreationDate="2012-01-22T14:43:18.333" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.globalsciencebooks.info/JournalsSup/images/Sample/PS_4%281%295-17o.pdf&quot;&gt;lot&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://symposium.cshlp.org/content/25/221.extract&quot;&gt;of&lt;/a&gt; research has been done on this and most of the results vary by species. Every plant has a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoperiodism&quot;&gt;photoperiod&lt;/a&gt; or the number of hours of light it is used to receiving in a day.  Short day length plants can have stunted growth as they depend on day length to trigger flowering and fruit/seed production.  Day neutral or 12 hour plants like most tropicals can do better.&#xA;From this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tropgard.com/general-plant-care-info/317-light-and-your-plants&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Most foliage plants originate along the equator, where plants get&#xA;  about 12 hours of high intensity light year-round. Many of these&#xA;  plants grow better under 24 hour light than under 12 hour light as the&#xA;  longer light periods enable plants to compensate for the low intensity&#xA;  of artificial light, by absorbing light over a long period. Certain&#xA;  annual bedding plants may receive enough light in order to bloom&#xA;  indoors under continuous lighting. Some plants that do particularly&#xA;  well under 24 hour lighting are Swiss cheese plant (Monstera&#xA;  deliciosa), coleus, cissus, schefflera and cacti. Continuous light&#xA;  also speeds up growth of many slow growing, flowering plants like&#xA;  orchids and cacti. In this way, they can be brought to maturity much&#xA;  quicker. Some plants do well either both 12 and 24 hour days,&#xA;  including philodendrons, English ivy, pothos and dieffenbachia. Under&#xA;  continuous lighting, they tend to keep their lower leaves longer.&#xA;  Spider plant (Chlorophytum spp) grows best with 12 hours of light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My interpretation of the research is that tropicals will do fine under 24 hours a day continuous light but plants like tomatoes might suffer.  The no risk method is to have the lights on for 20 out of 24 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-01-23T01:26:10.897" LastActivityDate="2012-01-23T01:26:10.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3280" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3287" CreationDate="2012-01-22T21:57:42.783" Score="7" ViewCount="4641" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Houston, TX, USA and fire ants are a nearly year long concern.  I have had success treating mounds with Orthene as they appear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NWren.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I had a Siberian Elm in my backyard that was infested with fire ants and I never managed to kill the colony.  I could suppress it for a bit, but I would see a new mound within days.  Not long after I started treating the tree and mulch around it regularly, it died (I've removed it since).  It was near the end of it's lifespan (likely 30 years old).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I have a colony just starting up on a tree in my front yard (likely an elm as well, though it's much bigger than the other).  In addition, my two year old loves this tree and plays around it constantly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are my questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Can Orthene harm my tree?  Even over repeated dosages (a few tablespoons a month)?  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is there a better pesticide that is less likely to harm the tree and my child?  The Orthene is effective, but it is quite nasty.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="905" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T23:02:50.937" Title="How do I control fire ants in the mulch around my tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;ants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3281" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3291" CreationDate="2012-01-23T01:35:56.233" Score="4" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just received seed for a North American tree/shrub called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CLAC3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Clethra Acuminata&lt;/em&gt; or Cinnamon Clethra&lt;/a&gt;. With its fragrant mid summer flowers and easy germination, it sounds nice. Other opinions talk about the suckering and loose ungainly look.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what they are like in urban cultivation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T16:57:15.290" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T16:57:15.290" Title="Is Clethra Acuminata nice or not?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3282" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-01-23T01:48:03.903" Score="15" ViewCount="496" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm considering growing some ginger on my window-ledge. Is ginger a hardy plant that is conducive to indoor cultivation? Also, will ginger root from the supermarket grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-18T23:21:38.653" LastActivityDate="2021-01-18T23:21:38.653" Title="Does ginger grow well indoors?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;ginger&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3283" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3282" CreationDate="2012-01-23T02:14:47.293" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;It grows well as a forced plant indoors, and will grow year after year if the rest period and fertilizer needs are met. The roots from the supermarket usually work but may have been sprayed by a growth inhibitor to keep them from sprouting. Make sure they have large containers and plenty of light. Rotating the pots once a week keeps them from growing one sided.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-01-23T02:14:47.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3284" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3288" CreationDate="2012-01-23T06:43:58.040" Score="14" ViewCount="1920" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something that I've heard quite regularly&lt;sup&gt;†&lt;/sup&gt; is that when you plant your tomatoes, you should put an aspirin under each plant. Apparently salicylic acid both increases the number of blooms and strengthens the plant's immune system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been unable to find any references for studies done on this. Nor have I found it discussed on some of the sites or in books that I find more trustworthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, does anyone know of any good references for this?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Does anyone have an explanation of &lt;em&gt;why&lt;/em&gt; aspirin in particular helps tomatoes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;sup&gt;†&lt;/sup&gt; Some website references: &lt;a href=&quot;http://blogs.abc.net.au/tasmania/2011/10/tomato-time-so-get-the-asprins-ready.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://3000tomatoes.com/2010/06/take-two-aspirin/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_2126099_use-aspirin-grow-tomatoes.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;3&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growbetterveggies.com/growbetterveggies/instructions-on-how-to-grow-better-tomatoes.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;4&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantea.com/plant-aspirin.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;5&lt;/a&gt;, etc...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="907" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-28T20:42:51.797" LastActivityDate="2013-04-28T20:42:51.797" Title="Does aspirin really help tomatoes grow?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3272" CreationDate="2012-01-23T13:24:53.277" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your USDA Zone represents the minimum annual temperature -- useful for predicting whether a given perennial plant will survive the winter. If you're in Zone 10, that means your expected minimum temperature is about 30°F (35, if you're in 10b)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're planting an annual morning glory like &lt;a href=&quot;https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Ipomoea_purpurea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ipomoea purpurea&lt;/a&gt;, then your frost-free dates will be more helpful than the USDA Zone. See, for example, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates/zipcode/92801&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;best planting dates for Anaheim, CA&lt;/a&gt;. That chart doesn't list morning glory, but morning glory does well in hot weather so you could use planting dates for other heat-loving annuals like melons or tomatoes as a proxy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.chestnut-sw.com/seeds/flowseed/mornglry.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This page discusses starting morning glory from seed.&lt;/a&gt; So based on the chart above (frost-free after March 1) and the germination temperature of 75-80°F, you should:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Start the seeds inside now, keeping the soil warm during germination.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Transplant outside (or move the containers) in about six weeks (which would be March 5; any time after March 1 should be fine).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that the Weekend Gardener page linked above says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;scarify seeds by nicking them with a file, then soaking them overnight in lukewarm water&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used 92801 (Anaheim) as a rough guess, substitute your ZIP code in a chart like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates/zipcode/92801&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;the Old Farmers' Almanac&lt;/a&gt; or check your city in &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.victoryseeds.com/frost/ca.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Victory Seed's chart&lt;/a&gt;. If you know that your location gets colder than surrounding areas, then transplant outside a little later, or plan to move the containers back inside if you're expecting cold temps overnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-23T13:24:53.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3286" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3282" CreationDate="2012-01-23T14:00:24.983" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;To add to jmusser's answer; I've had no problems growing grocery ginger (perhaps I was lucky with the growth inhibitor). You need a piece that is larger than about an inch and with complete &quot;buds&quot; or &quot;wrinkles&quot; (they look like wrinkles in the side of the ginger root).&#xA;Plant it horizontally - iirc I planted mine about 1-2in deep. And as jmusser says, use a large, deep pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect my location lacked enough sun, but I believe my big mistake was not watering it frequently enough. When the plant died back I dug it up. The original root had been absorbed (rather like a seed potato does), but it had been replaced by lots of tap roots. These are vertical pointy things. So I think it was reaching down for water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-01-23T14:00:24.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3280" CreationDate="2012-01-23T14:21:41.993" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd never use Orthene (or any organophosphate insecticide) where children play.  But I've never had to deal with anything as nasty as fire ants, either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some thoughts, based on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/fireants.html&quot;&gt;reading&lt;/a&gt;.  See especially the links at the bottom of the page.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you didn't get down to the queen with orthene, which suggests that a different treatment mode might be in order - either bait or a drench.  Because you're working around tree roots, I suspect it may be difficult to get thorough coverage of the base of the mound with a drench.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consider using a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinosad&quot;&gt;spinosad&lt;/a&gt;-based bait.  It can be used as a mound treatment and/or as a wide-area broadcast bait.  If I understand your situation, use it as a mound treatment - broadcasting will kill off other insects, especially other ants that compete with fire ants.  (If you've got fire ants all over, then broadcasting is the way to go, with heavy dosing on the mounds as well.)  It has to be used when the weather is dry - otherwise, it turns rancid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's the advice from your &lt;a href=&quot;http://harris.agrilife.org/program-areas/fireant/&quot;&gt;county extension service&lt;/a&gt;.  You may want to contact them.  They'll have had infinitely more experience than me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-01-23T14:21:41.993" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3288" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3284" CreationDate="2012-01-23T16:05:43.700" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salicylic_acid#Plant_hormone&quot;&gt;Salicylic acid&lt;/a&gt; is a phytohormone (plant hormone).  It was originally extracted from willow bark.  It mediates &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systemic_acquired_resistance&quot;&gt;systemic acquired resistance&lt;/a&gt;, the reaction of a plant as a whole to a localized pathogen attack.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://vir.sgmjournals.org/cgi/reprint/67/10/2135.pdf&quot;&gt;It's been shown to be effective&lt;/a&gt; when sprayed on some plants against some pathogens.  There's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1402051832&quot;&gt;book&lt;/a&gt; on its role as a plant hormone.  I'd get it from inter-library loan - it's a $200 book!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sounds promising.  We had some late blight this year that I would have tried it on to (hopefully) slow the spread.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-01-23T16:25:05.603" LastActivityDate="2012-01-23T16:25:05.603" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3289" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-01-23T15:07:51.537" Score="6" ViewCount="276" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to roughly compare a gasoline-powered chainsaw to a battery-powered one. I can't find any quotes on how many cuts (and of what specific material) a gasoline chainsaw can do on some specific amount of gasoline.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I'm looking for looks like this: &lt;em&gt;chainsaw model X (any will do for my rough comparison) can cut L logs of diameter D (or M 2x4-s or any other specific amount of any specific amount of lumber stuff) on Y milliliters (or any other specific amount figure) of gasoline&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any quotes like that - either from manufacturers or from real life experience?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" OwnerDisplayName="sharptooth" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-09-15T10:45:07.260" LastActivityDate="2019-10-16T02:29:48.647" Title="What is the typical &quot;mileage&quot; for a gasoline chainsaw?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;&lt;chainsaw&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3289" CreationDate="2012-01-23T20:04:37.230" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a good question, but I'm not sure it's answerable. (Or, if it is answerable, you'll get answers from controlled experiments that will be useless to compare to real-world usage.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know from experience that my gas-powered saw will run for about 30-40 minutes on a tank of gas when I'm bucking logs for firewood. That's running at more or less full throttle for a significant portion of that time -- I move from cut to cut rapidly because the logs are mostly ready to cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But it's hard to know how much wood (i.e. measured in cords) I'm going to actually cut in that time, because the mix of logs (species, age/seasoning, size) isn't uniform and the chain dulls over a couple-hour cutting session. Even on a single cut, I know that the saw will zip through a 4&quot; hemlock that's been down a year but will take forever to work both sides of an ancient 30+&quot; maple that's full of knots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, performance of the saw will depend on how well you maintain it. Again from experience I know that if I haven't done my job properly (sharpening, cleaning, etc) then it doesn't run as well or cut as well. I occasionally think, &quot;Oh just one more tank of gas&quot;, and regret it because it doesn't cut for beans and my time would have been better spent in the garage sharpening and/or cleaning the machine so it runs smoothly &amp;amp; cuts fast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-23T20:04:37.230" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3291" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3281" CreationDate="2012-01-24T02:28:07.213" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a good shrub in urban conditions, and the ones I have seen have been growing in very adverse conditions. They do not sucker as much when grown as an upright shrub as when they are grown as trees. The loose ungainly look comes from low fertility, low light, and improper pruning. Given good care, they make attractive specimens. If you already have the seed, then I would say go ahead and plant them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-01-24T02:28:07.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3292" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3675" CreationDate="2012-01-24T02:40:48.380" Score="6" ViewCount="233" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to save seeds from my double lavender asters, I would like them to be pure, but I do not know if they will pollinate with wild ones. The nearest wild patch is about 100' from the plant. Bees go to all of the flowers. Do they cross pollinate too much to make seed saving worthwhile?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-01-26T02:38:21.007" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T21:36:50.693" Title="Do wild asters cross with domestic ones?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3293" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3294" CreationDate="2011-05-01T17:19:28.773" Score="10" ViewCount="1231" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the most effective way to kill weeds that does not involve digging or killing other plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Carnotaurus" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-01-25T02:28:37.223" LastActivityDate="2018-03-24T11:37:09.933" Title="What is the most effective way to kill weeds that does not involve me digging or killing other plants?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3294" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3293" CreationDate="2011-05-01T19:31:38.537" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;I assume due to your comment that this a garden you are worried about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can put down a heavy application of mulch around your rows of crops, you still will have to manually weed, but the mulch will prevent some weeds from coming up and will make those that do easier to pull. Even better, this in conjunction with ground cloth works wonders because the ground cloth prevents seeds from finding soil and those underneath from getting through to the sun. Neither of these solutions requires digging, just hard work. Because you are only doing the no digging method here you will get weeds in between your crop plants where the ground cloth didn't cover, but the mulch in these areas will keep it down more than no mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now if you want to get serious, and never weed again in your life, you cut out pieces of ground cloth that fit your garden and cut an X in the cloth where a plant stem will be, this way the only space not covered by ground cloth is where your crops are growing. Then cover with 2-3 inches of mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use this exact method for my rose gardens and my herb gardens. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="allindal" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-01-25T02:12:05.110" LastActivityDate="2012-01-25T02:12:05.110" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3295" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3293" CreationDate="2011-05-01T19:37:05.050" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best method I know of doing weed control without weeding is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheet_mulching&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sheet mulching&lt;/a&gt;, but this is best if applied before the weed is outgrowing the vegetables, making it a very labor intensive technique.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Asaf Chertkoff" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-24T11:37:09.933" LastActivityDate="2018-03-24T11:37:09.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3293" CreationDate="2011-05-02T14:33:19.743" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;If this was a lawn, I would suggest a weed spray.  There are weed sprays from Ortho and Spectracide that will kill weeds &lt;em&gt;without harming grass&lt;/em&gt;.  Note that this is different than something like Roundup or GroundClear, which simply kills all vegetation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a garden or flower bed, weed sprays will often harm your plants too (after all, they're not grass).  However, you can check the label of the sprays to see what does/does not kill.  You might get lucky.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the spray won't work, it sounds like you need to do some manual labor.  Start digging/plucking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a future preventative, you can apply a weed preventer like &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.preen.com/products/preen-garden-weed-preventer&quot;&gt;Preen&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; to your garden.  Preen stops new weeds from germinating, but it does not harm established plants, so it is good to use in an already-weeded garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Others have already suggested landscape fabric and mulch, so I won't repeat that one.  You can use Preen in combination with this, just sprinkle some on top once the garden plants are established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="336" OwnerDisplayName="msemack" LastActivityDate="2011-05-31T10:40:17.257" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3298" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3301" CreationDate="2012-01-25T13:06:23.697" Score="14" ViewCount="1083" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do I use a propane flame weeder in my garden? I want to use it to keep weeds under control but I do not want to harm my vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-26T02:26:01.700" Title="What is the proper technique for using a flame weeder?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3293" CreationDate="2012-01-25T14:05:26.487" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;em&gt;most effective&lt;/em&gt; way to kill weeds is to prevent them from popping up in the first place. You mentioned in a comment that you are weeding around cabbages, so this answer is geared toward weed control in an annual vegetable garden. (I don't use herbicides, so I don't mention that below.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1805/51&quot;&gt;my answer&lt;/a&gt; to a question on controlling ragweed for some prevention techniques.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also worth noting that some control techniques will work better on certain weeds than on others. Weeds vary in their behavior: some are creepers, some set tons of seed quickly, some will send out runners even under a sheet mulch. The advice that follows is generic to the types of weeds that I find in my vegetable garden. The bullets are ordered from things that will provide immediate benefit to things that will provide longer-term benefits and/or require more up-front preparation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cultivate&lt;/strong&gt; (shallow hoeing) diligently. If you spend just a few minutes every week with a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1151/51&quot;&gt;scuffle hoe&lt;/a&gt; you can easily slice off tiny weeds before they become a problem. (&lt;em&gt;Shallow&lt;/em&gt; is especially important for plants like cabbage that have shallow root systems. Don't go too deep or you will damage the roots and kill the plant.) Unless you have a very large garden, this is hardly any work at all. Keep your hoe sharp!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't let any weeds go to seed. This &lt;strong&gt;prevents&lt;/strong&gt; weeds from growing next season. Taking 10 seconds to pull that yellow dandelion head before it goes to seed saves you 10 minutes of pulling dandelions next year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't till deeply unless you have to. Deep tillage brings seeds from lower in the soil to the surface where they can germinate. If you need to loosen the soil, consider using a fork that does not turn over the soil and bring buried seeds to the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Consider using a propane &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/3298/51&quot;&gt;flame weeder&lt;/a&gt;. You have to pay for propane, but this may be less work than hoeing. (I don't use flame, I just use the hoe, so I can't comment much more on the effectiveness here.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prepare your beds in a way that prevents weeds from germinating. This is especially possible where you're planting transplants instead of seeding directly. I think it's best to put down mulch &lt;em&gt;before&lt;/em&gt; you plant, and then transplant into the mulch. You've got several choices of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/395/51&quot;&gt;mulch material, as described in this answer&lt;/a&gt;. (Though note that the linked question is about putting down mulch around &lt;em&gt;established&lt;/em&gt; plants, so you may find the answers there useful to your situation.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also, when preparing beds, consider using the &quot;stale seedbed&quot; method. A couple of weeks before you plant, prepare the bed as if you were going to plant. Water well. Allow weeds to germinate for a week, then cultivate. (&lt;em&gt;Shallowly&lt;/em&gt;! You don't want to bring any new seeds to the surface!) Let another batch of seeds germinate for a week, then cultivate right before transplanting. With this technique, you decrease the amount of weed seed that will pop up after your transplants go in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Consider undersowing a cover crop. You could, for example, sow clover around your established cabbages. The clover is an &quot;intentional weed&quot; that will choke out weeds. Clover is beneficial because it adds nitrogen to the soil. As a bonus, if you have cover crops smothering the weeds, you don't have to hoe!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-01-25T14:05:26.487" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3301" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3298" CreationDate="2012-01-26T02:26:01.700" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;These weeders are best used between stepping stones and in brick walks. In a vegetable garden, the safest way to use them would be on the paths between raised beds. This tool is made for killing the weeds that come up in walks, patios, driveways, and in crevices in between hard nonflammable surfaces where hand weeding would be very difficult. If you have your vegetables spaced far apart and there is no dry plant matter on the ground, you could use it between them. Be careful not to get too near the vegetables. You may want to water the garden when you are finished because of soil dehydration. It might be faster just to use a hoe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-01-26T02:26:01.700" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3302" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3303" CreationDate="2012-01-26T02:48:32.613" Score="6" ViewCount="115" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ABPd6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; While I was transplanting daffodils I came across this plant that grew upside down, with the base of the bulb sticking out of the ground. Now that I dug it up, How should it be replanted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X2rIf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-02-07T17:20:43.543" LastActivityDate="2012-02-07T17:20:43.543" Title="How should I replant  this daffodil?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;daffodils&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3303" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3302" CreationDate="2012-01-26T03:01:15.747" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Replant it roots down and it might stage a comeback.  The stem will come about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2012-01-26T03:01:15.747" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3302" CreationDate="2012-01-26T07:19:05.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Replant it. Most likely it'll come back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could toss it. However, just put it back in the ground wherever it came from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="260" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-01-26T10:52:11.530" LastActivityDate="2012-01-26T10:52:11.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3305" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3315" CreationDate="2012-01-26T08:54:39.230" Score="7" ViewCount="398" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 8ft Leylandii along the outside of most of my west and north facing fences, but there are some gaps on the north side, so I have been using a range of climbing plants inside the fence to provide some privacy, but after seeing some lovely dense cotoneaster covered walls and fences I was wondering whether I should plant them inside the fence at these points.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in central Scotland, on clay soil. The fence is a common type - diagonal wood planks with gaps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastEditorUserId="174" LastEditDate="2012-01-26T14:49:27.913" LastActivityDate="2012-01-27T03:33:31.070" Title="Is Cotoneaster an appropriate plant to fill an empty space along my fence?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;privacy-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3306" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3314" CreationDate="2012-01-26T14:33:31.420" Score="11" ViewCount="2000" Body="&lt;p&gt;We built this indoor &quot;garden&quot; in our office as a prank for one of our employees who was out for a stint.  It was only meant to be temporary, however we have all grown a liking to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We ended up planting English Ivy with some Winter Creeper mixed in.  Also we used some Miracle Grow planting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the problem is it has seemed to develop little flies in and around the soil/plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything we can spray the plants with in order to reduce these flies?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FxFBW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F4e9a.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="912" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-04T14:40:08.167" LastActivityDate="2019-03-02T03:02:21.410" Title="Indoor garden built in an office - little flies problem!" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3307" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3311" CreationDate="2012-01-26T16:22:47.173" Score="9" ViewCount="713" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's the plant that sits on my desk:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ispw7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is, I believe, a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachira_aquatica&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;money tree&lt;/a&gt;. I've had it for about four months and seen some pretty substantial growth - 4-6 inches of overall height and many many new shoots (including that random one that points down for no reason).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sort of dumb at plants, but I'm determined to make this one thrive. How will I know when it's outgrown its little pot? What size pot should I move it into? What sort of soil should I move it into? Can I get rid of that moss around the base, or is it functional somehow? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="908" LastEditorUserId="908" LastEditDate="2012-01-26T16:31:18.110" LastActivityDate="2012-01-27T15:38:07.293" Title="Is it time to repot my desk plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3308" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-01-26T17:01:11.777" Score="8" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;The USDA just released the &lt;a href=&quot;http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/#&quot;&gt;first new hardiness zone maps&lt;/a&gt; since 1990.  Am I still in the same zone?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-01-26T17:06:42.610" LastActivityDate="2012-01-26T21:35:44.130" Title="Has my USDA hardiness zone changed?" Tags="&lt;plant-hardiness&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3309" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3308" CreationDate="2012-01-26T17:05:58.557" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;High-resolution state maps are available &lt;a href=&quot;http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/Maps.aspx&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In New Hampshire, most areas are now around a quarter-zone warmer, moving a lot of the state from 5a to 5b.  The eastern half of Massachusetts, and southern Mass west to Springfield, went from mostly 5b to a 6a or 6b.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the moment, at least, you can find old maps, for comparison, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantmaps.com/index.php&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  They'll probably update them soon, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-01-26T21:35:44.130" LastActivityDate="2012-01-26T21:35:44.130" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3310" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3306" CreationDate="2012-01-26T19:04:05.053" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=whitefly&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=uAq&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla%3aen-US%3aofficial&amp;amp;prmd=imvns&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=s6AhT_AszvOCB-iGwZAJ&amp;amp;ved=0CHkQsAQ&amp;amp;biw=1497&amp;amp;bih=993&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;these&lt;/a&gt;, then it's whitefly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've always had good luck with a very simple method of control for whiteflies - just move the plants outside for a few days.  Whiteflies don't like sun, wind, rain - they like indoors.  Also, there are a lot of things outdoors that like whiteflies - ants, ladybugs, etc.  I don't know if an outdoor excursion is feasible in your case, with this big oddly-shaped tray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whiteflies will eventually spread to every other plant in the room -maybe even to other rooms, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also slow them down with insecticidal soap which is relatively non-toxic.  If you and your co-workers don't care about toxicity (?!), you might also consider systemic granules, which is probably the most reliable control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-01-27T00:05:08.743" LastActivityDate="2012-01-27T00:05:08.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3307" CreationDate="2012-01-27T02:35:09.573" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Different plants act differently when they outgrow their pots. Some plants crack the pots, some pull in the soil, some just stop growing. This plant is healthy, but repotting would be a good idea. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Money trees naturally have plenty of soil to grow in, so putting it in a pot too large won't damage it. They should be repotted once a year. If the roots haven't reached the edges of the pot by the repotting time, shake away the loose soil, clean the pot, and repot it in its original pot with fresh potting soil. Fertilize once every other week with all purpose plant food. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the roots are growing along the edges of the pot, repot it into a pot one size larger with the same care. Use all purpose potting soil, not potting mix. The soil mimics natural conditions better than potting mix, so it relieves stress. You can get rid of the moss if you want to. Moss keeps soil from splashing while being watered and spreads the moisture through the pot. It also helps keep the water in the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In nature, you always find plant matter on top of the soil, excepting very poor soils. In good soil in nature, there is always either a layer of dead plant matter on the ground, or a carpet of growing plants. In a pot, the dead matter layer is more convenient, as it requires no care. The moss is the layer of organic matter in your pot. Getting rid of the moss shouldn't hurt the plant, as you will be replacing the soil every year. Taking it out or leaving it is your choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="908" LastEditDate="2012-01-27T15:38:07.293" LastActivityDate="2012-01-27T15:38:07.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3306" CreationDate="2012-01-27T02:52:41.230" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although I really like indoor plants, in my honest opinion, they have no way to prevent pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most pests are attracted by wet environments. If your soil is constantly wet, I bet there will be flies. If the soil contains organic substance, there will be other bugs too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't see if you have a tray under the container. If there isn't a tray to hold the excess water, you can't release the excess water. And if there is a tray, you should remove the water from it regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, you may review your soil. You should buy soil that comes in a loose shape, instead of a black soil block. For example, I always use the following kind of soil if I don't want bugs in my soil:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wQK08.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is free of bugs and it contains a fair amount of perlite and vermiculite, which helps to improve drainage. Thus it is good to prevent fly-like creatures. If you don't know which type of soil should you buy in the shop, you can check the soil made for African Violets. They have higher standards to regulate the property of the soil. Check &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com.hk/search?q=soil%20for%20african%20viola&amp;amp;ie=utf-8&amp;amp;oe=utf-8&amp;amp;aq=t&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, I don't recommend using such a big container because it is harder to maintain. You may consider using individual pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="908" LastEditDate="2012-01-31T17:14:34.933" LastActivityDate="2012-01-31T17:14:34.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3313" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3316" CreationDate="2012-01-27T02:54:08.813" Score="12" ViewCount="913" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a compost pile that has a lot of &quot;browns&quot; in it, dead leaves and wood shavings mostly.  Can anyone recommend sources for large quantities of &quot;greens&quot;? I've been putting in my kitchen scraps but it doesn't seem like much compared to what I already have...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also started stealing the used coffee grounds from my work but I've heard this can make my compost too acidic.  Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="837" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-01-27T13:29:24.707" LastActivityDate="2012-07-01T00:03:10.837" Title="What are good sources for large quantities of &quot;greens&quot; for my compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;carbon-nitrogen-ratio&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3314" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3306" CreationDate="2012-01-27T03:28:30.500" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe they are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springtail&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;springtails&lt;/a&gt;.  The definitive identification is whether they fly.  If they jump around when the soil is watered: springtails.  If they fly into your face or to the window: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciaridae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fungus gnats&lt;/a&gt;.  If they are white and fly when disturbed they are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_fly&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;whitefly&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While the first two are annoying control can be as simple as keeping things dryer. Whitefly are another matter and control can best be accomplished by physically removing the plants they are living on.  You don't really want to be spraying anything in your office where everyone works.  Even soap and water leave a film on items located close by if it is sprayed on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree that the set up you have appears to lack drainage or an appropriate depth of soil.  I don't think you have a viable set up for the long run.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-01-29T02:37:01.060" LastActivityDate="2012-01-29T02:37:01.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3315" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3305" CreationDate="2012-01-27T03:33:31.070" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have one cotoneaster growing in clay and it is a star performer.  The glossy green leaves and bright red berries are a real treat for the eye. The right species can be trained up a fence to 4 or 5' tall and tolerates pruning well &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do agree with Michael Dirr's assessment that the way the branches grow makes it a real catchall for leaves and other debris.&#xA;If there is anything blowing around your garden in the wind it will end up in the cotoneaster. Otherwise, thumbs up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a note to the wise, some cotoneaster species have escaped cultivation in Europe and are now  considered to be an invasive weed. Investigate the species offered with care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-01-27T03:33:31.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3313" CreationDate="2012-01-27T13:29:10.370" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;After a bit of googling, it looks like coffee grounds are close to neutral pH, so I wouldn't worry about acidity there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have too much &quot;browns&quot; and not enough &quot;greens&quot;, you could take a different approach: instead of adding your dead leaves to the compost pile, make a dedicated leaf mold pile. This will take a long time (up to two years) to break down, but when it does it makes a nice low-fertility soil amendment. No need to worry about acidity here either: leaves &lt;em&gt;are&lt;/em&gt; acidic, but the end product from your leaf mold pile will have nearly neutral pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an aside, do you have a constant stream of wood shavings that you're adding to your compost pile? If so, have you considered other ways that you might use these around your yard, e.g. as mulch? I only ask for the same reason I suggest the leaf mold pile -- using the shavings in some other way could help you balance your compost pile better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, on to the answer to the question you posed... sources of greens (high nitrogen):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;kitchen scraps&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;coffee grounds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lawn clippings&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fresh weeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;seaweed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;animal manure&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;apple pomace&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;human hair&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hops (brewery waste)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a number of other sources of vegetable waste&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for places to acquire these ingredients:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As you mention, you can get coffee grounds from work or from a coffee shop.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You could try making arrangements with the cafeteria at work or a local restaurant to use their kitchen scraps. (But I'd guess that they'd want a commitment from you to haul &lt;em&gt;everything&lt;/em&gt; away, which could be more than you can use. Depending on how careful they are, you may get some contamination with stuff you can't or don't want to compost, e.g. meat, dairy, trash.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can ask for veg waste from the produce department at your local supermarket.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ask your neighbors if you can take their lawn clippings from their &lt;strong&gt;untreated lawns&lt;/strong&gt;. You don't want to import herbicides into your compost!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If there are any kind of fruit/vegetable processing plants locally, they may have waste products that you could get for free.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ask for a bag or two of hair from your local barbershop. (According to &quot;The Rodale Book of Composting&quot; on p93, 6 pounds of hair has as much nitrogen as 100 pounds of manure.) Make sure to mix well with your leaves/shavings because hair mats down easily.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have a local brewery, ask if they'll let you take away a few buckets of their waste. Hops or grain mash are both good additions to the compost pile. If they're soggy, make sure you layer well with your dry leaves and shavings.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If there are any farms in your area, or people with backyard horses or chickens, you may be able to get manure free for the hauling.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beware that horse stall bedding that includes wood products (shavings or sawdust) will behave more like a brown (or neutral) than a green.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beware that manure from horses will contain a lot of weed seeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beware that hay as a bedding material will contain a lot of weed seeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beware that manure from commercial feedlot operations may contain high levels of salts.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Even with all of these caveats, I'm a big fan of manure in the compost pile, mainly because for me it's home grown, easy, and free.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can grow a &quot;compost crop&quot;:&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Comfrey is a perennial with leaves that can be harvested multiple times a year and added to your compost pile.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Various annual/biennial cover crops make a nice addition to the compost pile: buckwheat, clover, small grains like oats (if you cut them while they're green -- before they become mature, toughen, and turn into straw which is high carbon).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-27T13:29:10.370" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3075" CreationDate="2012-01-27T17:44:46.643" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wish I could point to a bimetallic contraption that would open the lid, but after a little searching I haven't been able to find anything -- perhaps because that solution isn't strong enough to lift a lid? Maybe someone else knows of something in this category that would do the job?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll suggest taking a different approach, unfortunately with added complexity. Instead of lifting the lid:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;run electricity to the cold frame&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;add louvered vents to two walls&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in one of the vents, add an exhaust fan that is connected to a thermostat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;make sure the other vent is oriented so that the louvers open when the fan is blowing out&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fortunately a hot cold frame is associated with sunlight, so you may be able to use a solar panel instead of connecting the cold frame to the grid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you get a lot of snowfall in winter, you'll need to make sure that the louvers do not get obstructed by snow. You'll also need to check regularly (daily?) that the louvers do not get frozen shut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, there's a danger here that if the cold frame is humid during the day and temperatures drop rapidly some evening, the louvers could get stuck open and the interior could drop below freezing. This probably wouldn't be a problem in the dead of winter when all you've got growing are greens (which will generally recover from such a freeze). But it would be a disaster if you get a cold night in mid-spring when you're hardening off peppers or other cold-sensitive plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-27T17:44:46.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3318" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2942" CreationDate="2012-01-28T07:06:27.467" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;First of all,you should have let the plants rest, which means you should not put it in sun. You must put it in light which is enough for you to be able to see everything (not too dark and not at all bright).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondly, you must not prune off any leaves except those which are entirely dead, since it will only stress out your plant even more. Imagine what you would do with a sick person who has just gone through a surgery. Of course you would want to give him rest and make sure he's not stressed out in any way, right? You need to do the same with your basil plants and let them rest for two days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="915" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T20:42:41.467" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T20:42:41.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3319" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3329" CreationDate="2012-01-28T08:59:08.080" Score="6" ViewCount="3122" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a fatalii pepper plant and today I discovered some very small larva in my plant's soil. I already saw that there were more flies than usual. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any danger for my plant ? Should I kill them ? How do I kill them ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are white and very small, I can only see them when I water my plants. They start to move in the water then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="916" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T02:48:25.547" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T00:04:15.697" Title="Why are there small flies on my Fatalii pepper plant?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3320" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-01-28T10:29:17.403" Score="8" ViewCount="2168" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have finally managed to make one of my chili plants (variety unknown) live into its second year! I've kept it indoors so far this winter. As it will be spring in a couple of months (I'm in the UK), what should I to prepare it for next year? Should I prune it back and if so, how? Should I change the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tlktk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-01-29T04:08:47.347" LastActivityDate="2012-01-29T04:08:47.347" Title="How do I prepare a chili plant for a second year's growth?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3321" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3319" CreationDate="2012-01-28T10:44:33.170" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are they &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aphids&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HoWz2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;150&quot; height=&quot;100&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nZR4l.jpg&quot; width=&quot;150&quot; height=&quot;100&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant is not in immediate danger, but if left unchecked they will feed on the new grow of the plant and over time they could eventually kill the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You really have two options, use some form of spray (chemical will be the most effective) or buy/attract Ladybirds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="54" LastEditDate="2012-01-28T10:55:06.263" LastActivityDate="2012-01-28T10:55:06.263" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3322" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3075" CreationDate="2012-01-28T14:31:37.330" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growerssupply.com/farm/supplies/prod1;gs1_greenhouse_accessories-gs1_vent_openers_1;pg106119.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this product&lt;/a&gt; which claims to work at low temperatures.  It's claim to fame is that it uses wax instead the mineral gel. Having done some work around greenhouses and looking outside my house at the freezing rain I agree with bstpierre that you need a robust solution that will stand up to snow load.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Commercial greenhouses use the end wall to place a louver with fans that is temperature activated.  The only gotcha is that you must also screen the louver to prevent insects from coming in (like thrips) in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-01-29T02:38:13.773" LastActivityDate="2012-01-29T02:38:13.773" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3323" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3284" CreationDate="2012-01-28T23:11:47.177" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few other references on Salicylic Acid treatment (in plants).  If you have a local state university most of these journals should be available as walk-in.  Also, if you call the librarian you can often get access with a good story.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21143731&quot;&gt;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18604621&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19795669&quot;&gt;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19795669&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="917" LastActivityDate="2012-01-28T23:11:47.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3324" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-01-28T23:20:33.173" Score="17" ViewCount="19828" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our lovely lemon tree is in trouble... We live in Northern California. Starting mid-last summer our tree began yellowing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've called an arborist out to the house but the advice has been pretty useless.  (Advice was to turn off all yard sprinklers near the tree and nothing else to recommend. We did this and if anything the tree seemed to be getting sicker.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the symptoms:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most leaves are turning yellow and very few leaves at top of tree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The fruit is smallish relative to past season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The bark is peeling starting from the base of the trunk and going up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have supplemented with Iron/Magnesium solution per directions on package (1% by volume) two times over two months, total volume of 2.5L poured around base tree and roots. This has not seemed to help the color.  I measured the soil pH and best as I can tell from the kit it seemed normal within range for citrus trees. Also, there seems to be a green mossy color on the branches.  We're not sure if this has always been there or if it's getting worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions for StackExchange include.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is wrong with our tree?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is causing the bark to peel?  Is this &quot;collar rot&quot;?  Something else?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are the yellow leaves related to the peeling bark at base of tree?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How can we fix the bark, the leaves. Basically, how do we save the tree?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're not gardeners but we love this tree... please help if you can!&#xA;Any advice, questions or treatment options?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Yellowing Leaves&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5e7BJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yellow, sparse leaves on lemon tree&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ypYhd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yellowing leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Smallish Fruit&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nrJMG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Smallish fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Peeling Bark&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mS0Up.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Peeling bark&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hILjL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Green mossy&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Formula we used to supplement at 1% by volume&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt; (total treatment volume 2.5L at base of tree two times over two months)&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ufr9T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Formula&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="917" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T02:54:56.357" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T08:19:32.923" Title="How should a lemon tree with yellowing leaves, peeling bark, and small fruit be saved?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3325" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3327" CreationDate="2012-01-29T01:41:26.990" Score="10" ViewCount="396" Body="&lt;p&gt;I came into the possession of one of these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TeYoG.gif&quot; alt=&quot;link to image&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to know if it would make a decent greenhouse and, if so, how I could retrofit it to grow some kind of small plants or seedlings.  I think the refrigeration component is no longer functional and will make sure that the coolant has been removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="918" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-01-29T14:03:29.537" LastActivityDate="2012-01-29T14:03:29.537" Title="Would an old refrigerated food display case make a good greenhouse?" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3326" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3319" CreationDate="2012-01-29T02:16:56.757" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y6Mdr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;It sounds like you have root mealybugs. These insects are sucking sap from your plant roots. They can eventually kill plants if left uncontrolled. The easiest way to control them is to take the plant out of its pot, wash the roots clean, spray the entire plant with pesticide, and replant in a new pot with fresh potting soil. Water it well and then resume normal care. This picture is close up. I sometimes have problems with these, but if properly controlled, The plants always survive. They fit the description of larvae but not of worms.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-01-30T10:26:31.503" LastActivityDate="2012-01-30T10:26:31.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3327" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3325" CreationDate="2012-01-29T02:23:43.737" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think I might be tempted to call that unit a large terrarium rather than a greenhouse. It is still a neat unit and could be used if you are willing to take care of some of the details.  You need to establish what your purpose is:  a display case, something to grow something edible in, a germination area....the possibilities are numerous so you need to settle on one thing and do it well&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;light:  to make plants pop you will need lots of it. I guess 48&quot; fluorescents would do.  If you want really healthy plants consider using Vita-Lite tubes to duplicate the spectrum of sunlight.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;moisture will be an issue. For a terrarium you need a soil depth of at least three to four inches.  In a terrarium you would add a drainage layer underneath the soil. Say....an inch of styrofoam packing peanuts with a soil separator like landscape fabric between drainage area and soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Where will the water go?  You might need to put a drain into the base of the display area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if your choice is to germinate seeds you could add a heating pad which will help germination and just put the trays of seedlings inside&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ventilation:  moist air that doesn't move causes mould or rot.  One solution is to cut a four inch diameter hole in the side and get a computer case fan installed. Put it on a timer or run continuously depending on how you use it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;one other possible issue is how much weight will the unit support.  Soil and water can weigh quite a bit.  The base must be well supported and waterproof. I would be tempted to get some pool liner cut to fit the base with some extra to run up the sides.  This would keep moisture in and not leak.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-01-29T02:23:43.737" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3328" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3320" CreationDate="2012-01-29T02:26:35.963" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chili plants do not really need much care to go into their second year. I usually just move them outside after frost has passed, let them transition themselves to the new environment, and plant them on a cloudy day into the garden, at the same depth as they were originally. During this whole time, water very plentifully, until the plant begins actively growing. If you want to prune, trim the softest new growth from the stem tips. This leaves the toughest part of the plant for the transition. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-01-29T02:26:35.963" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3329" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3319" CreationDate="2012-01-29T02:36:00.547" Score="3" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If they are worm like then they are not root mealy bug.  Those guys are white, largish and round.  You normally don't see them until you re-pot the plant or it is a terminal infestation.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aphids live on the plant not in the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil dwelling insects like fungus gnats (dark, mobile) and springtails (brown or black and jump around) and others can usually be controlled with soap and water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put a tablespoon of dish soap in a quart of water. Put the plant in the sink, pour mixture through.  Wait five or ten minutes and flush with clean water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that doesn't work you can try what I call the &quot;big hammer&quot; approach:  one tablespoon of bleach, one quart of water, pour in, wait and flush with clean water.  Be warned that this is a last resort as many plants respond poorly to this treatment&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  water mixed with soap will clog the breathing holes (spiracles) of insects.  A few minutes not being able to breathe is sufficient to kill most insects.  Eggs, however, will survive and hatch again.  A second application of soap mixed with water after another five to seven days might be required&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-01-29T15:44:48.180" LastActivityDate="2012-01-29T15:44:48.180" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3330" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3488" CreationDate="2012-01-29T02:51:53.877" Score="8" ViewCount="3472" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many of my perennial garden plants have been getting eaten by some animal. Possible culprits include deer, rabbits, and groundhogs. I would like to control them, but I have to know what I am controlling. for example, I don't want to start trying to control rabbits when deer are the problem. How can I find out what is eating them so I can match control to culprit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T02:46:55.400" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T02:51:37.623" Title="How can I tell what animal is eating my plants?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3331" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3320" CreationDate="2012-01-29T04:02:26.747" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never pruned peppers. As with jmusser, if they survive winter in a pot, then I plant them out after the last frost (this is Texas so it is fairly warm by the time frosts are guaranteed gone).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are keeping it in a pot (seems popular in the UK, although you should be able to plant them out in a similar manner as tomatoes), then I would remove the dead plant, and probably the nearly dead green stalk; then choose a larger pot. I find pots restrict the size of a pepper plant (those in beds grow much bigger).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise I think it looks healthy. At this stage, better than any 'edible' pepper plant that I've managed to overwinter! (I currently have some ornamentals doing well, but they are tiny plants with tiny fruit)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-01-29T04:02:26.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3330" CreationDate="2012-01-29T14:02:31.457" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have soft soil around the plants that are being eaten, you can figure out what the animal is by looking at the tracks left behind -- the difference between a rabbit and a deer will be obvious.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Height is another differentiator. Groundhogs, for example, are unlikely to eat the tips of the branches of your apple tree that are 4' off the ground. Voles might attack from underground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Droppings are the last way I know of to figure out what is eating plants. Last summer, for example, I thought I had a woodchuck sneaking through a gap in my fence and nibbling on my peas. But when I patrolled the fence looking for the gap, I found skunk turds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you find tracks or droppings that you aren't familiar with, a google image search will usually turn up something useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-01-29T14:02:31.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3333" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3334" CreationDate="2012-01-29T14:09:59.277" Score="12" ViewCount="6641" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my garden I have several of the plants shown below. At first I thought it is a weed, but then it was quite robust against cold weather and continued to grow slowly:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are long and sharp, the example shown below is about 30cm high and the leaves are 8-12cm long. I haven't seen a flower or anything for 8 months and the temperature has varied from -3 to 35 C over this period (including rainy and dry times) and the plant hasn't died yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click to enlarge&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lAtUe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lAtUem.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A7DmR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A7DmRm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-02-05T17:09:39.677" LastActivityDate="2016-10-11T04:56:07.353" Title="What is this plant with long sharp leaves? Is it a weed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3334" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3333" CreationDate="2012-01-29T16:14:39.523" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe it's &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_lathyris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Euphorbia Lathyris&lt;/a&gt;, commonly known as Mole Purge or Gopher Purge.  Here's another &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/euplathyrus.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; with a better picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I've identified it correctly, the spike will grow to about 120cm (4 feet) and the flowers will be uninteresting (small and green).  It spreads, but not aggressively; I'm familiar with it from a friend that grows it as a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/155/26&quot;&gt;repellent for moles&lt;/a&gt; and it hasn't taken over his yard, though I know he's had it for several years.  It's easily controlled too; seedlings in the lawn just get mowed down, and in flower or vegetable beds they pull up easily by hand when they're small.  (At 30cm, yours are probably starting to develop a proper root system, so may not be quite so easy to pull.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sap is an irritant, so if you've got children or pets, you might want to remove the plants for safety; be sure to wear gloves if you do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-01-30T03:00:58.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3335" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3341" CreationDate="2012-01-29T19:08:55.683" Score="11" ViewCount="13428" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems like every year I'm needing to buy a new battery for my lawn tractor. A battery that worked perfectly well never seems to make it through the off-season in-tact. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this normal? Is there something I could do to make them last more than one season?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="531" LastActivityDate="2021-05-10T13:25:20.743" Title="How long should a garden tractor battery last?" Tags="&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3228" CreationDate="2012-01-29T20:25:06.443" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whether the bulb is sprouted or not, the most important conditions for storing your bulbs are: dry and cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best for the specific summer bulb you mention is between 45-55°F (7-13°C).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cardboard box is perfect but I'd put some dry material over them to absorb ambient moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="919" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T17:54:13.317" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T17:54:13.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2998" CreationDate="2012-01-29T20:41:51.990" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;With the Buxus or Boxwood it is very common for the plant to discolor in winter, especially if they're not protected from the sun and wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would bet you're experiencing drying and not rust. A picture would confirm that though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="919" LastActivityDate="2012-01-29T20:41:51.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3338" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3339" CreationDate="2012-01-29T21:52:47.213" Score="11" ViewCount="228" Body="&lt;p&gt;When should I sow my broccoli seeds indoors and when should I transplant outside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="919" LastActivityDate="2012-01-31T12:43:42.343" Title="When should Broccoli seeds be sown indoors for spring planting in Minnesota?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3339" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3338" CreationDate="2012-01-29T23:22:00.163" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Look up the last frost date for your zip code &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.almanac.com/content/frost-chart-united-states&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. Duluth, for example, has a last frost date of May 21.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or, as Ed Staub points out in a comment below, for a better picture of the situation go to the original source of the data at the &lt;a href=&quot;http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/climatenormals/climatenormals.pl?directive=prod_select2&amp;amp;prodtype=CLIM2001&amp;amp;subrnum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;National Climatic Data Center (1971-2000)&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;View the data sheet for your state.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In the &quot;State and Station Name&quot; column, find the observation station that is nearest and/or most like your location weather-wise.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In the row for 32°F, read across to the 50% column. (This means that there is a 50% chance of a temperature below 32°F after that date.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This date is a reasonable time to transplant broccoli.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you are going to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/841/51&quot;&gt;cover the transplants&lt;/a&gt; -- which is an effective cabbage looper protection -- then you might be able to transplant a week or two early depending on how heavy your row cover fabric is.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can transplant broccoli outside a week or two before the last frost date, and start the seed 4 to 6 weeks prior to the transplant date.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About a week before you transplant, start hardening off the plants: first set them outside on a moderate day for a couple of hours, avoiding winds or too much intense sunlight. Then set them outside for longer periods each day. This lets them acclimate to outside conditions so they don't get a sudden shock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-01-31T12:43:42.343" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3340" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3324" CreationDate="2012-01-30T01:57:00.000" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live a long ways from Northern California but these symptoms are the same for citrus grown anywhere in the world when the soil is alkaline.  There are some great pictures &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/C107/m107bpleaftwigdis.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most likely cause is a manganese deficiency&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Leaves turn yellowish overall but larger veins remain slightly green&#xA;  where manganese is deficient. Zinc deficiency symptoms are somewhat&#xA;  similar to those of manganese deficiency. Both are more prevalent on&#xA;  young leaves of the fall growth flush as soils cool and root activity&#xA;  diminishes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Solutions:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;improve the soil quality around the tree by adding organic matter, the photo shows chunks of soil, not an even texture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;apply a foliar micro nutrient spray about every 3 to 4 weeks. Apply a chelated citrus fertilizer high in nitrogen that also has micro nutrients. Foliar sprays are just water and fertilizer sprayed on the leaves for faster absorption&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;examine the area for external causes of soil compaction and loss of organic matter.  Are people always walking over the root area?  Does water poured on the soil drain freely or does it puddle and take a while to drain?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Technically speaking I believe you are seeing chlorosis induced by a high ph level in the soil  (over 7 ph). Another part of the solution may be using a fertilizer specifically designed for citrus trees.  Over a ph of about 7 iron, manganese and zinc that are water soluble are not available to the tree.  You need a chelated micro nutrient mix. I have not used &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B004AGTEQ6&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this product&lt;/a&gt; but have seen it recommended in other forums.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what is causing the bark to peel off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your tree could benefit from some pruning. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In the first picture I see a tree that needs thinning to encourage larger fruit and let more light go through to the lower branches.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In the last picture I see a stub coming out of the main trunk that is an entry point for rot and a longitudinal sunken area on a branch that I normally associate with mechanical damage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Citrus trees are heavy feeders and don't do well in very alkaline soils. More micro nutrients year round and more fertilizer during the flowering and fruit season would seem to be indicated.  I urge you to consult with a local nursery or citrus grower to get a local opinion as soil chemistry and diseases can be very localized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-09-28T16:26:14.180" LastActivityDate="2015-09-28T16:26:14.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3335" CreationDate="2012-01-30T16:53:44.360" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have a lawn tractor, but presumably this is a lead acid battery? (i.e. similar to a car battery but smaller)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If so, when stored for long periods of time, they should be hooked up to a slow charger. Power requirements are minimal: what you need is more of a float charger to avoid self-discharge. (i.e. any lead acid battery charger will do, but set it to slow or float - do not use a fast charge setting)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A discharged lead acid battery will result in sulfur build up on the electrodes (in the form of lead sulfate). This is known as &lt;strong&gt;sulfation&lt;/strong&gt;. Pulse conditioning is said to help. Also with wet batteries (i.e. not the various gel types), you can use de-sulfurization tablets in each cell which might work.  Either way, it is better to avoid &lt;strong&gt;sulfation&lt;/strong&gt; in the first place. So take the battery out during winter, and keep it permanently connected to a lead acid charger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Better battery sellers will keep their lead acid battery stock on a &quot;float charge&quot; like this, although they may have some on display which aren't. They will either rotate them periodically, or they are relying on stock turnover to avoid discharge problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-01-30T16:53:44.360" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3342" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3313" CreationDate="2012-01-31T15:33:16.847" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another source of nitrogen I read about is the urea in urine ( how the human body gets rid of excess nitrogen ).  Take a leak on the pile every now and then and it will add some nitrogen and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="476" LastActivityDate="2012-01-31T15:33:16.847" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3343" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3335" CreationDate="2012-02-01T16:30:13.150" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have no problems, as I use my tractor all year round. My current tractor battery is over 5 years old now, and still strong. Assuming you don't plow your driveway though...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can help to pull the battery and store it in a warmer place, rather than leaving it all winter in a cold garage. A quick charge in the spring may be necessary to bring it back to form, although I have never found it necessary. For example, our boat battery spends winters in our basement, and has always been ready to go with no charge at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the water is topped off, unless it is a sealed battery. (Tractor batteries seem not to be so in my experience.) Use distilled water for this purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep your battery posts clean. Bad contacts will prevent the battery from charging, and will make it seem like you have a dud for a battery. You can buy some stuff (from an auto parts store) to paint onto the posts to inhibit corrosion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check the wires to and from your battery. Are they loose or frayed? If so, tighten/replace them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you replace the battery, get a better battery than the default stock. For a few dollars more, the extra reserve amps will help to start your engine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take care of your tractor. Put stabilizer in the gas if left for some time. Change the oil at least once a year, more so if you push the beast or live in a dusty area. Keep the air filer clean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user923" LastActivityDate="2012-02-01T16:30:13.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3344" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3345" CreationDate="2012-02-01T18:48:30.107" Score="11" ViewCount="4764" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently became interested in starting some outdoor planters this coming spring.  After searching around, I found an interesting idea off of Popular Mechanics using &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/lawn-garden/drywall-bucket-flower-pot-garden&quot;&gt;5 gallon drywall buckets&lt;/a&gt; as planters.  What appealed to me was the low cost to setup and more space (depth-wise) for plants to grow.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions is: Has anybody has success with using a 5 gallon buckets as planters?  If so, what setup would you recommend as far as soil type/composition, fertilizers, placement, other tips, etc? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For what its worth, I am think of growing green-leafy herbs like mint or basil and tomato plants.  I live in Grand Forks, ND (USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 4, more climate info &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Grand_Forks,_North_Dakota&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;).  Any help or reference would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt; Also, I forgot to mention that I live in an apartment/townhouse building (front and back door but no porch/yard) with not a lot of room out back.  I may be able to fit in a self watering system with the kiddie pool, but would prefer individual buckets lined against the apartment wall.  Sorry for any confusion!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T02:43:54.420" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T22:15:21.640" Title="Has anybody had any success using 5 gallon buckets as planters?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3345" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3344" CreationDate="2012-02-01T22:25:28.760" Score="5" Body="&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Quick and Dirty Self-Watering 5-Gallon Bucket Garden&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;__&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Parts List&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1 Kiddie Pool &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fleetfarm.com/catalog/product_detail/lawn-garden/outdoor-play/swimming-pools/summer-escapes-big-wader-pool&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;example&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;7 Clean 5-Gallon Buckets &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fleetfarm.com/catalog/product_detail/farm-livestock/livestock-supplies-equipment/watering-feeding/mills-fleet-farm-5-gallon-pail&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;example&lt;/a&gt; (or however many will fit comfortably in the Kiddie pool you just bought)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;7 Clean (Read: Bleached) Bath Towels&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Asbestos free vermiculite. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lowes.com/pd_180541-1321-50801727_0_?masthead=true&amp;amp;selectedLocalStoreBeanArray=&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;example&lt;/a&gt; - &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermiculite&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;info&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/721/recipe-for-a-long-lasting-fast-draining-container-soil-mix-with-good-aeration&quot;&gt;Your favorite potting soil&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drill/Cut 4 Holes on 4 Sides, 2 Inches from the bottom of each container. Each hole should be at least 1 Inch in diameter (big enough to pull a bit of towel through). Use the compass as your guide.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put a 1 inch layer of vermiculite on the bottom of each container. It will expand.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lay the towel over the vermiculite and pull the corners through the holes you opened in the buckets. Pull enough through so that the corner lays on the ground.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mix &lt;strong&gt;2 Parts&lt;/strong&gt; vermiculite with &lt;strong&gt;1 Part&lt;/strong&gt; [Your favorite potting soil here] and fill the buckets to the half way point. Add rocks to buckets with big plants to keep them from blowing over.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mix &lt;strong&gt;1 Part&lt;/strong&gt; vermiculite with &lt;strong&gt;2 Parts&lt;/strong&gt; [Your favorite potting soil here] and fill the buckets leaving adequate room at the top.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put the buckets in the pool and fill it with a few inches of water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can you grow in a bucket?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=51322&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;SurvivalistBoards.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;per 5 gal bucket&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1 tomato&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3 corn&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;6-8 carrots&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2-3 peppers&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1 cucumber/melon&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2-3 leafy greens per bucket&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="919" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-02-01T22:25:28.760" CommentCount="5" CommunityOwnedDate="2012-02-01T22:25:28.760" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3347" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3349" CreationDate="2012-02-02T00:08:39.260" Score="9" ViewCount="1398" Body="&lt;p&gt;The weather this year has been exceptionally mild here in northern Illinois, and I am thinking of planting my peas, green beans and lettuce in the next couple weeks. This is probably a full four weeks earlier than normal, but honestly, I don't think the ground is even frozen anymore. I am willing to accept that a serious event could kill back the plants, but would it be worthwhile to get so much extra growing season? What else might I be able to get in early this year? (I don't do tomatoes or peppers from seed usually...I buy flats of seedlings)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="925" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-02-02T02:42:29.703" LastActivityDate="2012-02-02T02:42:29.703" Title="Can I plant peas, green beans and lettuce this early?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;green-beans&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;&lt;peas&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3348" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3347" CreationDate="2012-02-02T02:39:09.600" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would go ahead and plant them, but if you want to be safe, you could try planting some of them now, and save the rest just in case. I do this often when I gamble with the early spring weather. Lettuce and peas can stand very cold weather, and will probably survive even if the weather turns around and gets cold. Green beans will germinate better produce a much better crop if planted in warm soil after the frost is past. Other cool season plants you could get an early start on include radishes, onions, scallions, leeks, turnips, rutabagas, spinach, most of the many kinds of salad greens, carrots, beets, potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, and broad beans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-02-02T02:39:09.600" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3349" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3347" CreationDate="2012-02-02T02:42:12.060" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peas and lettuce are very hardy and can handle a few frosts. Green beans should wait until it warms up. Other plants you might consider are spinach and kale, which are also both very hardy. (This is not an exhaustive list of good candidates for early spring planting, but I've had good experience with these.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The challenge you will face is that seeds will germinate very slowly -- if at all -- when the soil is very cold. To get around this, you can start some lettuce plants inside and transplant them out after they're started. Most people don't transplant peas, but you can chit them: sprout them indoors wrapped in damp paper towels and then carefully plant the sprouted seeds into the ground outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding whether it's worth the risk: the seed to plant your early crop will be relatively inexpensive (I'm guessing you aren't going to plant full packets). If you enjoy being in the garden then you wouldn't consider your time to be &quot;wasted&quot;. If this warm weather pattern turns and you get some heavy snow you could lose the crop. I'd risk it -- not much to lose, plenty to gain!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just be careful that you don't go out and rototill a heavy, wet soil: you could destroy your soil structure and end up with heavy clods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-02-02T02:42:12.060" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3350" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3351" CreationDate="2012-02-02T02:48:07.043" Score="9" ViewCount="1508" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R94Sd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a pile of about 4 bushels of spruce needles, and want to use them. Is there a way to compost them to use on garden plants? Do I have to add lime or ashes or other alkaline material? I know I will have to add a lot of nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T02:40:29.493" Title="Is there a way to compost these spruce needles?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3351" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3350" CreationDate="2012-02-02T03:21:53.773" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pine needles are only about 80:1 C:N ratio -- about the same as straw or hay. If you mixed the needles in layers with high nitrogen material it should compost reasonably well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're right about acidity. &quot;The Rodale Book of Composting&quot; suggests using the resulting compost on acid-loving plants like blueberries. If you don't have plants that would do well with acidic compost, they discuss using lime in the compost pile on p80  -- recommending adding lime to the soil when adding the compost instead of mixing it into the pile. This is especially true if you're using manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-02-02T03:21:53.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2677" CreationDate="2012-02-02T20:55:20.240" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It also depends on what type of apple you are storing.  Certain types of apples last much longer than other varieties.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuji_%28apple%29&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fugi&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granny_smith&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Granny Smith&lt;/a&gt; for example are well know for their &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple#Storage&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;long shelf life&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Commercially apples are stored in highly-ventilated, carbon dioxide rich chambers and are waxed to prolong shelf life.  Perhaps in addition to the other suggestions about storing in a cool, dark place make sure the area is properly ventilated to prevent ethylene from accumulating, which induces faster ripening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For windfall apples I would either eat as soon as possible, or convert the apples to other processed goodies such as applesauce, apple butter, apple jam, or dried apples just to name a few!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastActivityDate="2012-02-02T20:55:20.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3353" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2071" CreationDate="2012-02-02T22:51:40.920" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are your apples particularly soft/mushy at all or are they pretty firm?  A soft fruit can be pierced easily by wasp mandibles, but a harder apple should have good protection against wasps.  If your apples are being pecked open first by birds (suggested in comments) and then more damage is being done by wasps, you might want to take a different approach than just treating wasps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For wasps there are several solutions depending on how much effort you want to take to save your apples.  An easy one is, remove rotting apples as soon as possible.  Rotting fruit gives of odors that attracts more wasps (and birds as well).  I have heard hanging a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeners.com/Natural-Wasp-Deterrent/36-561,default,pd.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fake wasp nest&lt;/a&gt; is an easy way of deterring wasp, although I can't say I've ever tried it.  Lastly, you can spray your tree with an insecticide or put up wasp traps.  Personally I would avoid killing the wasps since they help in pollination, especially if you have flowers and other trees around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For birds there are a few solutions.  A &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00002N8HZ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fake owl&lt;/a&gt; is a natural deterrent of small birds.  I have heard that the owl must be moved ever so often or the birds will quickly wise up.  Netting is a good way to go if you are serious about saving your apples on your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, if you have any neighbors nearby that have apple trees in their I would try to start up a conversation and ask them if they have had to deal with rotten apples.  Maybe someone has done the hard investigative work for you :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastActivityDate="2012-02-02T22:51:40.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3354" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3358" CreationDate="2012-02-03T01:01:10.930" Score="9" ViewCount="1562" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a small apartment with small balconies. If I'm going to grow some veggies, I need more space!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried my local community garden, but it has a 3 year waiting list..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any other options out there for renting land on a small scale (think 5 square meters)? Any craigslist remix for backyard rentals?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Montreal but I'm equally interested in solutions that exist elsewhere!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="926" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-02-03T06:50:17.907" LastActivityDate="2012-02-03T16:03:27.283" Title="What are my options for renting small amounts of land for outdoor gardening in an urban setting?" Tags="&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3355" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-02-03T03:12:36.943" Score="5" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some muscari and they flowered successfully with two flowers per bulb. Now the flowers have wilted. How should I keep them in order to make them grow next year? The leaves are still there and I've cut the flowers so that they don't drain energy anymore.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in Hong Kong which is a subtropical area. Please give advice for the sub-tropics as I know muscari originated from colder places which suit them better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T02:36:48.390" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T02:36:48.390" Title="How should Muscari be kept  so that they grow well next year?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3354" CreationDate="2012-02-03T06:42:18.650" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There was an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/sep/02/garden-sharing-growing-vegetables&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;article on garden sharing&lt;/a&gt; in the paper recently. I don't have any experience of it but basically the piece describes how you are matched up with folk who are either too busy or too elderly to look after their own garden. So you work their plot and you split the harvest with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe there's a scheme like that in your area or you could start one yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2012-02-03T06:42:18.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3357" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3354" CreationDate="2012-02-03T13:15:34.343" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you tried posting &quot;garden space wanted&quot; on craigslist yet? Beyond that, I might suggest looking for local gardening clubs and asking the membership if anyone has space they'd like to share.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A different approach would be to look for a local CSA. Not the same as growing your own veg, but some CSAs need volunteers -- and allow your volunteer time to offset your membership price. Alternatively, the folks that you meet there may be able to steer you toward someone who would rent you some space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-02-03T13:15:34.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3354" CreationDate="2012-02-03T16:03:27.283" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;To find land you're going to have to work two routes at the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, join one or all of the following sites...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sharingbackyards.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;SharingBackYards.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wepatch.org&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;WePatch.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[Please edit to include any other good sites you find]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you're signed up, start working locally using tools like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.meetup.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;meetup.com&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.craigslist.org&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;craigslist.org&lt;/a&gt; to get people your information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also I'd like to stress that vegetables can be grown in a small apartment and on a small balcony.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/containers&quot;&gt;Container Gardening&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="919" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-02-03T16:03:27.283" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3359" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3360" CreationDate="2012-02-04T00:36:00.920" Score="6" ViewCount="1302" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have eight or so Elaeagnus growing in front of my house.  They're five years old and growing quite well; I have to trim them several times a year to keep them under four feet.  I just don't think they're sized correctly for the front of my house.  I'd like to move them to my back yard where they would make an excellent privacy hedge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, can an Elaeagnus of this size be transplanted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="117" LastActivityDate="2012-02-04T16:18:26.357" Title="Can a large-ish Elaeagnus be transplanted?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3359" CreationDate="2012-02-04T16:18:26.357" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I assume you are asking about the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaeagnus_angustifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Russian Olive or Elaeagnus angustifolia&lt;/a&gt;.  This is a tough species which has been &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/plants/russolive.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;classed as invasive&lt;/a&gt; in many parts of North America.  These plants have a good chance of a successful transplant if you take a few preparations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can assume that their roots will extend out as far as the branches on the leaves. At the start of the growing season use a sharp spade cut a circular trench at least six inches deep, preferably a foot, around each tree. I am assuming this will be around a three or four foot in diameter. Water in and wait a month.  On transplant day water in the plants and start digging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Considering the tough weedy nature of this plant you could just take your chances and dispense with the preparations and dig them out now.  Another approach that involves less work is growing them from seed. With their rapid growth you could have a good hedge with less work in a few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wonder if you would consider planting a native species instead of the Russian Olive?  The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=17731&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;yaupon&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=4386&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sophora&lt;/a&gt; are local and make a good hedges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-02-04T16:18:26.357" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3361" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3333" CreationDate="2012-02-04T16:35:01.623" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll confirm that ID. I have it growing in my yard in Chapel Hill, NC.  If their numbers become excessive, they are easy to pull from the ground.  The sap is indeed nasty, so be careful when handling it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2012-02-04T16:35:01.623" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3362" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3373" CreationDate="2012-02-05T00:17:05.023" Score="9" ViewCount="343" Body="&lt;p&gt;A lot of plants can pollinate themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Fruits: Tomatoes, Strawberries&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Vegetables: Peppers, Eggplant, Snap Beans, Lima Beans, Lettuce, Endive, Peas,&#xA;  Cabbage, Broccoli, Beets, Kohlrabi&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Other: Chicory, Oats, Wheat, Barley, Dill, Lentils&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some other plants cannot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I plant that will attract butterflies and other pollinators? I am in Minnesota.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also See: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1477/what-steps-can-i-use-to-encourage-pollination&quot;&gt;What steps can I use to encourage pollination?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="919" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-15T17:33:44.083" LastActivityDate="2020-05-20T09:15:35.623" Title="What can I plant to attract butterflies and other pollinators in Minnesota?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;butterflies&gt;&lt;bee-attractive&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3363" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3355" CreationDate="2012-02-05T02:20:22.233" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;When winter comes, dig the bulbs up, trim off the leaves, and wrap in newspaper. Then put them in the refrigerator  to break the dormancy. Leave them in for 8 weeks, then plant back in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-02-05T02:20:22.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3364" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3371" CreationDate="2012-02-05T02:46:28.900" Score="4" ViewCount="1263" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x39zx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;This Spruce tree is very odd. I have a few questions about it. First of all, how did the branch segment pictured below grow there? It grows right out of the smaller trunk into the larger one, without branching. This segment increases in diameter each year, like a normal branch. My second question is, how did this tree get its branching habit? It is very unusual for a norway spruce to grow that way. The lower branches are extremely strongly developed, and curve upward until they are growing parallel to the trunk. The lowest branches grow to within ten feet of the top. The tree is very vigorous and spreading. Why does it grow this way? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HzxQn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sOKpw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b2kXG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VeGiA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gTfNw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SVHXQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-02-05T21:46:57.187" Title="What is wrong with this Norway spruce?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3365" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3364" CreationDate="2012-02-05T03:24:04.707" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The branch segment you see will be a structural problem for the tree. It should be trimmed out.   If allowed to grow it will cause a second large trunk and for the tree to get a &quot;forked&quot; shape. This will increase its vulnerability to winter storm and wind storm damage.  My southern magnolias sometimes develop these branches and I cut them off before they get big and become a threat to the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2012-02-05T03:24:04.707" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3344" CreationDate="2012-02-05T15:19:35.337" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, I have had quite a bit of success using 25 litre buckets on my balcony, planting some plants &quot;upside down&quot; and others at the top of the bucket.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut a small hole in the bottom of the bucket and gently push the roots of my seedling through the hole. I keep the roots in place with a small square of landscaping fabric with a slit cut into one side, or else a piece of foam (those ones that come in some vitamin bottles) with a slit cut in the side - the stem is pushed into the slit, and the foam/fabric covers the hole with the rest of the plant sticking out the bottom. I fill the bucket with the same mix I use for square-foot gardening (1:1:1 compost:peat most:vermiculite). I plant a companion plant at the top and cover with bark mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants I have had success with (upside down) include tomatoes and bell peppers. Strangely, my patty pan squashes and gem squashes aren't really doing all that well, and sugar-snap peas never took off. At the top, plants that grow well for me are marigolds, mint (regular and chocolate), lemon balm, thyme, oreganum. Things that have not grown well for me in the buckets include sweet basil, pick-and-come-again lettuces, mustard greens and borage. (The thyme does really really well!) I think anything with a reasonably shallow root system works ok. Lemon basil doesn't seem to thrive either - it grows, but it stays quite small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have the buckets hanging from the security bars outside the window, with some under the others so the runoff from the top row waters the bottom row.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FYI: I live in Cape Town, South Africa. Don't know what that works out to in US Hardiness zone equivalents, but we have a &quot;mediterranean climate&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[UPDATE]: Here is a pic. From left to right: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bucket 1: top - lemon basil, bottom - heinz tomato; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bucket 2: top - thyme and marigolds, bottom - heinz tomato; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bucket 3: top - chilli (don't know which yet) and marigold; bottom - needs replanting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bucket 4: top - thyme; bottom - needs replanting&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fTATf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;25L buckets&quot;&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="929" LastEditorUserId="929" LastEditDate="2012-05-31T09:47:38.220" LastActivityDate="2012-05-31T09:47:38.220" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3367" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="378" CreationDate="2012-02-05T15:43:22.787" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Cape Town (mediterranean climate, hot dry summers, cool wet winters), and I have had success with Swiss Chard, tomatoes, bell peppers (sort of - they ripen too early), but these all need a quite a bit of watering. Fortunately, they recover from heat waves quite nicely. I've also got a blueberry bush in a large pot that seems to never need water (although its only ever produced 2 blueberries). Plants that seem to require less watering, and thrive in my garden, are: thai basil, common thyme, oreganum, sweet basil, lemon balm, mint, lavendar, lemon verbena, and a fig tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, I've never had success with salad greens - the slightest hint of a heat wave sends my lettuce and mustards bolting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="929" LastActivityDate="2012-02-05T15:43:22.787" CommentCount="1" CommunityOwnedDate="2012-02-05T15:43:22.787" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3368" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1482" CreationDate="2012-02-05T16:07:01.063" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;In response to those up-thread who seem to think that peat extraction in Canada is not a big deal, I have to say:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have stood on the edge of Provincial Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI) in southern Ontario and watched the peat being extracted.  It broke my heart.  The bog in question lay just outside the border of a Provincial Park, and the Park and Nature Conservancy Canada had been negotiating to purchase it.  The land owner wanted more money that was being offered, and as a pressure tactic had stepped up the rate peat extraction from the bog.  At the same time, he was still allowing the Park Natural Heritage Education staff to access the parts of the bog that were not being mined for our own educational purposes, so I can tell you  there were many regionally and provincially significant plants growing in it.  Extracting the peat from this bog was destroying an ecosystem that was 10 000 years in the making. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Talking about peat on a continent wide basis is really rather irrelevant.  You need to know where the peat &lt;em&gt;you&lt;/em&gt; are using is being extracted from.  Most of the peat in North America is found in vast peatlands in boreal forest.  This is far different from the situation that I observed, which was an isolated kettle bog in southern Ontario. The species living in the bog had nowhere else to go when their home was destroyed. The  bog provided a rare habitat type in Ontario south of the Canadian Shield.  Other southern Ontario bogs are also subjected to the same destructive land use.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We cannot restore a bog to it's original state once it has been mined out, at least not on a human time scale.  So please, if you're going to use peat, try to determine it's source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="930" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-21T22:35:18.103" LastActivityDate="2012-02-21T22:35:18.103" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3369" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3372" CreationDate="2012-02-05T17:06:21.613" Score="10" ViewCount="2164" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most people are aware that once you've had foods out of the freezer and allowed them to thaw, you shouldn't put them back in your freezer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But what about frost hardy plants like leeks?  I've just harvested some old onions, leeks and carrots and who knows how many times they've been frozen in the ground, then thawed out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this OK?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-02-09T17:55:50.493" LastActivityDate="2017-10-29T23:34:17.660" Title="Is it safe to use vegetables which have experienced several frosts?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;frost&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3369" CreationDate="2012-02-05T20:40:58.930" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the advice to not re-freeze anything has more to do with the structure of the produce being broken down by the ice crystals (the cell walls burst from the pressure or the ice crystals cut through) and you end up with a &quot;mushy&quot; (highly technical term) vegetable. This can also lead to freezer burn (parts of the vegetable dehydrated due to water loss). If the onions, leeks and carrots all look OK to you (mites, molds, fungi, etc), and pass the sniff test and aren't soft, then I see no reason the think they would be bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="925" LastActivityDate="2012-02-05T20:40:58.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3371" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3364" CreationDate="2012-02-05T21:27:01.820" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd guess that when it was young, the leader was cut just above where all the odd branches come out, at two different heights, and maybe more.  After that, the top candles all competed to be the new leader.  The odd branches that turn upward were the losers.  The normal branches above that are off of the &quot;winner&quot; that became the new leader.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect the odd intersection happened the opposite of the way you described.  The smaller branch was there first, but as the new trunk grew in girth, it grew into the smaller branch.  This happened because of the topping described above, and subsequent neglect.  The fancy term for this is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inosculation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;inosculation&lt;/a&gt;.  This is used deliberately in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_shaping&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;tree shaping&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-02-05T21:46:57.187" LastActivityDate="2012-02-05T21:46:57.187" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3372" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3369" CreationDate="2012-02-06T00:14:23.863" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;A raw root vegetable can sit at room temperature or slightly cooler for weeks and months without bacterial growth that will harm you. The same is not true of meat, cooked vegetables, and other things you're likely to have in your freezer. That's where the &quot;don't refreeze&quot; advice comes from - the food may have started to spoil, and you should therefore cook it and eat it quickly before it gets worse. Entirely different from whether a raw root vegetable happened to freeze or almost freeze.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some vegetables are so much nicer after a frost that my parents had a rule that if you harvested them earlier (because you couldn't wait to eat them or there hadn't been a frost by a meal that called for them), give them a little time in the freezer. Parsnips, for example, are much sweeter after a frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2012-02-06T00:14:23.863" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3362" CreationDate="2012-02-06T17:23:44.470" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pollinators are no different than people, they need the same things: food, water, shelter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Food: Some butterflies like a bit of mud to puddle up minerals  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shelter: many bees are under-served in the shelter area.  Nesting tubes can be as simple as groups of bamboo 4-8&quot; long, smooth with a 5/16&quot; diameter hole. Group them together in a bundle off the ground and with some mesh around to prevent birds from poking their beaks in for a snack.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water that is fresh and moving is a magnet for all kinds of animals, pollinators included.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the food part try to add flowers that have many small compound flowers like &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hylotelephium_spectabile&quot;&gt;Sedum Spectabile&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Milkweed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aster Aster&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Caltrop Kallstroemia&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Creosote bush Larrea&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Currants Ribes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Elder Sambucus&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Goldenrod Solidago&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Huckleberry Vaccinium&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Joe-pye weed Eupatorium&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lupine Lupinus&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oregon grape Berberis  (probably not hardy in Minnesota)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Penstemon Penstemon&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Purple coneflower Echinacea&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rabbit-brush Chrysothamnus&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rhododendron Rhododendron&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sage Salvia&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Scorpion-weed Phacelia&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Snowberry Symphoricarpos&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Stonecrop Sedum&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sunflower Helianthus   (guaranteed to attract all kinds of pollinators)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Skip grasses and large flowering plants like lilies or hardy hibiscus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And most importantly: do not use pesticides. Frequent use kills more than just the pests if there is residual activity&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-02-06T17:23:44.470" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3374" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3376" CreationDate="2012-02-06T17:58:42.853" Score="8" ViewCount="777" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is at all possible to grow tea plants, particularly something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia_sinensis&quot;&gt;Camellia sinensis&lt;/a&gt;, not herbal teas, indoors with special lighting?  Specifically, I'm not taking about starting tea seedlings and the transplanting outside, but solely growing the plant indoors (from seed to mature plant).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in North Dakota (hardiness zone 4), where I am far away from ever seeing a tea plantation outside my window, so (to the best of my knowledge) there isn't any way I would be able to plant tea outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastEditorUserId="924" LastEditDate="2012-02-06T18:26:04.223" LastActivityDate="2012-02-07T00:49:41.513" Title="Is it possible to grow an indoor tea plant?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;tea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3374" CreationDate="2012-02-07T00:49:41.513" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, in a pot you can bring it outdoors when it is warm and bring it indoors while it is cold. Tea is a zone 6 plant so it is relatively hardy and durable. It should survive your winter inside similar to how you would overwinter other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="890" LastActivityDate="2012-02-07T00:49:41.513" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3377" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3324" CreationDate="2012-02-07T00:56:27.213" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yikes. That soil is really moist and the moss/lichen growing on the trunk along with the missing bark from a good chunk of the base of the tree indicates moisture is your issue.&#xA;That tree is way too moist and it looks like you've already eroded at least half of the bark/cambium of the trunk. This results in diminished nutrients making it up the trunk which results in tree decline and eventual death. My advice is to go purchase another lemon tree to replace this one, thats the easiest path. And if you see moss/lichen growing on the trunk lower the water it receives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="890" LastActivityDate="2012-02-07T00:56:27.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3378" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3379" CreationDate="2012-02-07T02:50:55.993" Score="8" ViewCount="282" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've always thought lichens were neutral to tree health, and I think they are attractive, but someone recently told me to get rid of them, because they will cause rot and harbor disease. Do they really do that? Is that why so many trees have hollow centers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T09:58:09.333" Title="Are lichens healthy for trees?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3378" CreationDate="2012-02-07T04:14:52.170" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lichens are considered to be neutral to tree health.  They are not symbiotes or parasites. They just hang around.....   ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However a tree in poor health may not be able to grow new bark faster than lichens can encrust it.  Normally no control measures are necessary for lichen.  Stimulating the tree by feeding, mulching, watering and applying a foliar feed is usually enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regards to the common sight of a tree with a hollow centre this is due to the different way trees grow than people.  A person with a hollow centre would be....hungry or dead but a tree only uses the centre of it's trunk for mechanical support and food storage.  All the living tissue is contained within a cylinder running up the trunk.  The tissue is surrounded by protective bark and backs onto the storage area in the interior.  If the interior rots out it is like not having an attic or basement. You can still live in your &quot;home&quot;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-02-07T17:16:01.123" LastActivityDate="2012-02-07T17:16:01.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3380" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3386" CreationDate="2012-02-07T15:47:45.607" Score="11" ViewCount="3594" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am aware that different plants thrive/need different pH levels to grow.  What is it about the alkalinity/acidity of the soil that effects how a plant grows?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; I understand that this could have an in-depth answer about plant biology; but I am speaking a more basic level - not on the mechanics of molecular biology.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T02:30:08.290" LastActivityDate="2015-03-14T21:49:33.650" Title="How does pH affect plant growth?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;native-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3380" CreationDate="2012-02-07T16:24:15.867" Score="4" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The effect of soil pH is great on the solubility of minerals or nutrients. Fourteen of the &#xA;  seventeen essential plant nutrients are obtained from the soil. Before a nutrient can be&#xA;  used by plants it must be dissolved in the soil solution. Most minerals and nutrients are &#xA;  more soluble or available in acid soils than in neutral or slightly alkaline soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have some good info here:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/soilph/soilph.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/soilph/soilph.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="935" LastActivityDate="2012-02-07T16:24:15.867" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2258" CreationDate="2012-02-07T17:06:29.473" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassafras#Culinary_uses&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; covers the culinary uses of the Sassafras plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leaves&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The dried and ground leaves are used to make filé powder, an&#xA;ingredient used in some types of gumbo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Roots&lt;/strong&gt; (Pathogenic and carcinogenic)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The roots of sassafras can be steeped to make tea, and were used in&#xA;the flavoring of traditional root beer until being banned for mass&#xA;production by the FDA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Laboratory animals that were given oral doses&#xA;of sassafras tea or sassafras oil that contained large doses of&#xA;safrole developed permanent liver damage or various types of cancer.&#xA;In humans, liver damage can take years to develop and it may not have&#xA;obvious signs. Along with commercially available sarsaparilla,&#xA;sassafras remains an ingredient in use among hobby or microbrew&#xA;enthusiasts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sassafras tea can also be used as an anticoagulant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the cooking aspect of sassafras, 'When ground, they smell somewhat like eucalyptus or juicy fruit gum'. The powder is used to flavour soups and stews and acts as a thickener when combined with liquid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/gumbo-file-powder-powdered-sassafras-leaves&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Spice House&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="147" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-02-07T17:11:53.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3383" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2012-02-07T17:07:23.840" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sassafras&lt;/em&gt; is a genus of the family &lt;em&gt;Lauraceae&lt;/em&gt;. The genus consists of three extant species and one extinct species of tree. They are native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="147" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T14:09:31.963" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T14:09:31.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3384" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2012-02-07T17:07:23.840" Score="0" Body="A genus of tree native to eastern North America and eastern Asia." OwnerUserId="147" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T14:09:32.010" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T14:09:32.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2258" CreationDate="2012-02-07T18:48:23.357" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hugelkultur is a sort of slow composting process that uses woody material as the bottom layer of a sheet compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a nutshell: pile up the branches (don't shred or chip them), pack down the pile a bit, cover the pile with compost and/or soil, add a layer of mulch on top. Let it rest for a couple of months, and then plant into it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Decaying wood acts like a sponge, so the pile should retain moisture so that the plants you are growing in the pile don't need (as much) watering. As the wood decomposes it will heat up, so your plants may gain some benefit in the shoulder months from slight bottom heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-02-07T18:48:23.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3380" CreationDate="2012-02-07T19:01:26.427" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_pH#Effect_of_soil_pH_on_plant_growth&quot;&gt;Soil pH&lt;/a&gt; affects the availability of nutrients to plants. At values outside the range of about 5-7, certain nutrients become unavailable to plants. (The Wikipedia article gets into more of the details of the chemistry, which are somewhat outside the scope of this site.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For most plants in a home garden or landscape, you want to target a pH of about 6.0-6.5. There are some exceptions (blueberries, the azalea family, etc. like much more acidic soils).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-02-07T19:01:26.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3387" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3394" CreationDate="2012-02-07T20:15:44.563" Score="5" ViewCount="10716" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;em&gt;Dracaena fragrans&lt;/em&gt; (corn plant) which is dying. I originally purchased it just over a year ago, when a similar plant I had (&lt;em&gt;Yucca elephantisis&lt;/em&gt;) died in a similar manner. Basically, what happens is that the new growth on the cane starts to turn brown and dry out from the bottom upward. I originally had 3 canes, and now I'm down to a single cane with a healthy growth on it. I just saw yesterday that the growth is now starting to turn brown at the base, which indicates it will soon exhibit the same signs and dry out/die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what I'm doing incorrectly. At first, I thought I was over-watering the plants. I watered it about once every other week, with enough water to saturate the soil. I then made sure that it could drain by adding a bit of sand to the base of the pot, and putting fresh soil over this, which I did last summer (July, I think), so it was last re-potted in July of 2011.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong with this plant... I can't seem to keep it alive! Could you help me figure out what I'm doing wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="936" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T18:04:27.317" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T18:04:27.317" Title="Why is my Dracaena fragrans wrinkling?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3388" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3389" CreationDate="2012-02-08T15:13:04.167" Score="6" ViewCount="151" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are the basics for overwintering a plant?  Where is a good place in a house/apartment to overwinter a plant?  In general, does this require special supplements/artificial lighting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastEditorUserId="924" LastEditDate="2012-02-09T14:33:45.473" LastActivityDate="2012-02-09T14:33:45.473" Title="How do you overwinter a container plant?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3389" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3388" CreationDate="2012-02-08T15:31:40.750" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is going to depend on the plant, but putting it in a sheltered place with some light is usually the minimum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some examples:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dahlias in the UK and smaller bananas here in North Texas can be over-wintered by digging up the roots, wrapping them up and leaving them in the garage. Basically they are dormant but you are protecting them from frosts.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sometimes simple shelter (eg. against a south-facing wall or in a cold frame) is sufficient. I've found this works for Mexican prickly pears here in North Texas: The warmth of the house protects against the worst frosts.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;But something like peppers are going to need some warmth (not necessarily hot - room temperature is fine) and sunlight and the usual watering. My problem is usually the sunlight - especially at the old house. I have ornamental peppers that are doing nicely in the new house but they have a bay window which gets direct sunlight in the early morning, and good ambient light most of the day. If you don't have enough light, then yes grow lamps might be necessary.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So a good place would be a window. Ideally the window with the best light. I would also avoid window draughts - these might chill the plant if you have a deep frost outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-02-08T15:31:40.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3390" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1315" CreationDate="2012-02-08T18:34:07.380" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have raised beds and I always plant several hills of cukes. What really worked well for me was to plant the cukes near the outside of the raised beds and use cattle panel for the trellis. Cattle panels are quite large so I cut them in half and then bend each half into an &quot;A&quot; frame. I place one end of the bent panel on the side of the raised beds and the other end on the ground outside of the raised bed. As the cukes begin to grow, I weave them into the panel and they will continue to grow up and over the top of the panel (away from the bed). The fruit will hang off the vines underneath the panel making them really easy to see and pick. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="937" LastActivityDate="2012-02-08T18:34:07.380" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3391" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3392" CreationDate="2012-02-08T18:53:13.050" Score="11" ViewCount="5324" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroponics&quot;&gt;Hydroponics&lt;/a&gt; is the method of growing plants in a soil-less medium.  I've always wondered, how does someone grow a mainly root/bulb-based vegetable (potato, turnip, onion, etc) in a hydroponic environment?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-02-08T19:15:05.040" LastActivityDate="2014-02-25T00:28:37.150" Title="How do I grow root vegetables hydroponically?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3391" CreationDate="2012-02-08T19:18:43.817" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Soil-less&quot; doesn't necessarily mean &quot;liquid&quot;, though I often think liquid when I hear hydroponics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See, for example, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_5642856_grow-hydroponic-carrots.html&quot;&gt;this page&lt;/a&gt; on growing hydroponic carrots:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Medium hydroponics systems require a physical substance for the vegetables to grow in (in this instance, perlite), whereas solution hydroponics systems only require a liquid nutrient solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Essentially you just use perlite or some other soil-less medium in order to support the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-02-08T19:18:43.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3393" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3387" CreationDate="2012-02-08T22:35:48.790" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the cane gets soft, that's a sign of overwatering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the leaves get droopy but perk up when you water, it's underwatered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dracaenas are very sensitive to flouride, boron, and (other) soluble salts, from tap water, superphosphate fertilizer, or perlite.  If water seems likely to be the problem, switch to another water source, such as distilled water, or other bottled water if you can find an assay of what's in it.  You can find reference to this problem many places on the web, including &lt;a href=&quot;http://houseplants.about.com/od/foliageplants/p/Corn-Plant-How-To-Grow-Dracaena-Fragrans.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-02-08T22:35:48.790" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3387" CreationDate="2012-02-09T02:14:20.880" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ed has correctly diagnosed the symptoms.  Other facts about the Mass Cane are that it dies from the roots upwards.  New growth is the last to go when the roots are dead.  Your problem may be buying a poorly rooted plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is commonly grown in Costa Rica.  When a tree reaches twenty or thirty feet tall it is cut into lengths with a chain saw.  These are shipped to Florida, potted up and then sold to you anywhere from three months to a year later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you buy a new plant where the canes are loose in the soil then you are buying a poor risk.  The roots are probably no more than a few inches long.  Another growing practice that affects health and you cannot see is the number of months under shade cloth and how much shade cloth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The faster a grower can get a plant to market the more money in their pocket.  Yet a plant grown outside in Florida adapts poorly to the light levels in northern climates. Growers should move plants from high light levels to lower light levels to adapt them.  How much they do is not guaranteed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To keep a plant alive buy good quality stock: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;well rooted&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;free from spider mites&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;and grow it in a brightly lit area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once they established they are incredibly tough plants. They will even grow in solid clay in dim light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-02-09T02:14:20.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3362" CreationDate="2012-02-09T12:53:17.417" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;@kevinsky's answer is excellent. I would also mention that different plants bloom (and attract pollinators) at different times. If you want to attract pollinators for help with, say, your June strawberry crop, then sunflowers (which bloom late) are a poor choice -- Lupines might be better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because of the differing bloom times and possibly preferences of different pollinators, it would be a good idea to plant a wide variety of species. Then you can start attracting pollinators early in the season and keep them around for longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to kevinsky's list, also consider &lt;em&gt;Monarda&lt;/em&gt; (bee balm) as a candidate. You can get very hardy varieties that will survive a Minnesota winter. Ours grow about 4' tall and when in bloom attract &lt;em&gt;tons&lt;/em&gt; of bees and butterflies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-02-09T12:53:17.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3396" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3397" CreationDate="2012-02-09T18:00:46.473" Score="17" ViewCount="11069" Body="&lt;p&gt;From my understanding, hydroponics is essentially growing plants without soil. Instead of soil, the plant is placed in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any advantages to growing plants hydroponically? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there instances where plants can grow faster if they are grown hydroponically?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="290" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-21T22:37:22.703" LastActivityDate="2017-03-06T19:52:03.340" Title="What are the advantages of hydroponics?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3396" CreationDate="2012-02-09T19:49:34.487" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few 'advantages' to growing plants via hydroponics.  It is mostly just a way to grow plants in a different environment (indoors, or in a non-native environment).  Just like growing vegetables in a greenhouse wouldn't per se be 'better' than growing them in a field.  There are advantages to both: a greenhouse allows you to grow things that aren't naturally suited to your environment, whereas a field would allow you to a much larger quantity of plants per cost.  Hydroponic is just another way to suit a person's tastes/needs in a growing environment.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a few things hydroponics can accomplish or accomplish easier than other methods:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Control over nutrient uptake (can adjust in water supply)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grow plants indoors without the use of natural light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No hassle with soil setup and testing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Generally weed free environment (if done indoors)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;More plants can fit into a smaller space&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Easier harvesting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is some debate as to growth speed and nutrient retention.  Generally, grow speed is faster in a hydroponic system.  This is somewhat due to the increased nutrients supplied in a water supply and the roots of a plant can directly absorb them.  However, in a soil based system, if a fertilizer or nutrient is applied regularly it can have the same effect so just because the system is hydroponic in nature, doesn't necessarily mean your yield will always be more.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a few disadvantages over more conventional growing methods:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No soil buffer.  If the hydroponics system fails, plants will die much faster.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Increased energy cost (if using growth lights and air pumps)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water-based pathogens can be easily introduced&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;More complex handling/tracking of nutrient solutions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Much higher cost to start up system compared to traditional methods (need to purchase nutrients and supplements to keep plants alive)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just a note: hydroponics isn't necessarily growing plants in water, a substrate may still used (such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perlite&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;perlite&lt;/a&gt; or fired clay pellets).  The difference is that the plant is not absorbing any nutrients from the substrate, it's getting it all from the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sources&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroponics#Advantages&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroponics#Advantages&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hydroponics-simplified.com/advantages-of-hydroponics.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.hydroponics-simplified.com/advantages-of-hydroponics.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-06T19:08:04.603" LastActivityDate="2017-03-06T19:08:04.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3398" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-02-09T19:58:59.190" Score="7" ViewCount="1144" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife and I just moved into a house in Arkansas a few months ago and have noticed a few drainage issues with the back yard, it has roughly a 5 to 10 degree slope (east to west) and is fenced in. The soil is fairly hard and seems clay like at the surface. There is also a lack of grass at the moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rain water will pool against the fence on the low side (West) of the yard and takes quite a while to soak into the soil in numerous places. The slope also causes loose silt and dirt to migrate towards the west side of the yard (down sloped side) during heavy rains.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to fix this issue. The first thought is to till the land, fill in the low spots with some top soil, level the land slightly, and plant seed. I'm thinking that will help absorb the water faster.  I would like to stray from such ideas as dry wells and re grading the land as I think they would be too costly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My problems arises from the underground sprinkling system in the yard and some stray wires I found running underneath the cement slab patio to some point in the yard (I presume it is a wire for the underground sprinkler system).  I have not followed the wires yet but they are only a few inches below the ground (if that) and are rather small in diameter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read the sprinkler system should be around a foot underground, should I be concerned with that if hand till the lawn with one of those cultivating tools from Lowe's? Possibly using a rototiller? Is there a company or anything out there that can give me an idea where the sprinkler system runs (short of marking the heads and guessing/trial and error) and where these stray wires go to (something like a digger hotline, Arkansas one call only does utility type lines)? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, how do I prevent the rain from washing the new seed and soil towards the down hill side of the yard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Joseph D Spitz" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-21T22:41:39.030" LastActivityDate="2012-02-21T22:41:39.030" Title="How do I landscape a sloping and flood-susceptible yard?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3399" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3398" CreationDate="2012-02-09T22:44:44.013" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My thought is that your best strategy is to get some organic matter and a little sand into that dense clay. Organic matter is a sponge; it will readily absorb and then release water. Sand and other aggregate is more like a sieve; it creates spaces in the soil in which water can collect, making the soil itself more absorbent. Both of them will also make the soil softer, allowing grass to sink its roots deeper and thus grow healthier. The carbon compounds and nitrates in the organic matter are natural fertilizer to your lawn as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there's little or no grass in the area, it's not going to hurt much just to till it all up. Sprinkler lines CAN be a concern; your average sprinkler line will be between 6 and 12&quot; beneath the surface; your average rototiller will chew up any heads you hit, and can even grind up the entire line beneath. As was said in the comment, sprinkler lines are relatively cheap; HOWEVER, you'll have to consider whether it's worth it to you to replace any lines you hit (in addition to materials cost, you'll either need to get dirty and wet to actually do the job, or pay a crew to do it for you). Generally you don't want to just chew up PVC or nylon into your topsoil, either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most systems I've seen are extremely simple; just find each head and connect the dots. To be absolutely sure since you're digging around anyway, you can dig down to the T-joint under each head and see which way the pipe(s) run. By doing this you'll also see how deeply the line was trenched.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Much more important than sprinkler lines is other utilities. Make sure you know exactly where any buried electrical, gas, CATV and water supply pipes are located on your property. Most relatively new neighborhoods should have one dedicated utility easement that carries all these conduits from central service points through to all the properties. Older developments that were built before the advent of certain modern conveniences, or even newer houses that weren't built as part of a large coherent development project, can have these lines practically anywhere on the property. If you call, they will come out and marke the lines for free. If you hit one and come out to have them fix it, it can cost you hundreds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1104" OwnerDisplayName="KeithS" LastActivityDate="2012-02-09T22:44:44.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3400" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3456" CreationDate="2012-02-10T02:22:03.123" Score="11" ViewCount="44149" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a gravel driveway going horizontally across a hill, and have trouble keeping the gravel in the driveway, especially during snow. This is because every time I shovel out the driveway, stones get picked up by the shovel and thrown into the grass. Of course, this takes a long time to pick up. Big rainstorms also wash out gravel. It is crushed limestone in the 1/2-1&quot; diameter range. I can't pave it because I haven't got the money, and there are some nice trees over it which would be bothered by pavement. How do I keep gravel where it belongs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-14T22:15:50.437" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T17:04:15.840" Title="How can I keep gravel from moving out of my driveway during winter?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;gravel&gt;&lt;winter&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3401" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3418" CreationDate="2012-02-10T20:35:18.707" Score="12" ViewCount="146" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in northern Indiana and it is currently snowing. I want to add worms to my garden.  Should I wait for it to warm up, start raining, or what?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="944" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-21T22:45:16.593" LastActivityDate="2012-02-21T22:45:16.593" Title="When is the earliest that I can safely add worms to my garden?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3402" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-02-12T02:49:23.123" Score="27" ViewCount="54364" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because we live in southern Canada, in the late fall, my mother likes to take as much of her garden indoors as she can fit, for the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;She usually brings in her potted palms, a few flowers, at least one pot of each of her dozen or so types of herbs, and before moving to a smaller place, she would also bring in as many pots of tomatoes as she could fit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;She arranges them all next to the window, waters them once a week, and plugs one or two lights into a timer that is programmed to turn on just when it’s getting dark, and off just when it’s getting light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This has always made me wonder if plants can have too much light. I tried Googling it, but all the discussions I found were about burning from too much sun (ie, too much heat/UV/etc.) That is not the issue here since the light(s) are just 13W CFLs. My issue is more with the idea that as far as the plants are concerned, it is &lt;strong&gt;always day&lt;/strong&gt; and night never comes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I was studying psychology in University, one thing I found very interesting was the study of sleep and circadian rhythms. I’ll never forget reading about various experiments on sleep deprivation and their effects. Moreover, in my biology courses, we learned how (most) plants have a two-phase cycle: an anaerobic one (i.e. “breathing” CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;) during the day, and an aerobic one (“breathing” O&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;) at night. These make wonder what effects having a constant source of light would have on the plants. After all; &lt;em&gt;all day and no sleep make humans something something…&lt;/em&gt; what about plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="920" LastEditorUserId="920" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T02:39:54.080" LastActivityDate="2020-05-17T05:17:19.960" Title="Can plants have too much light, or do they need night/rest?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="9" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3403" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2011-06-22T23:58:00.893" Score="6" ViewCount="820" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a new home that has a small area of grass on the other side of my driveway that is not part of the main yard about 10x16 in size and it has 6 sprinklers along the boarder.  I want to remove the grass and gravel it.  However, I don't know if I should just cap all the heads or if there is a dead end at one of these heads or not.  I live in an area that you need to winterize so I want to make sure I do it right.  Suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="JT1" LastActivityDate="2012-02-12T16:42:43.027" Title="How do I figure out where the dead-end is in a sprinkler system?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3404" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3403" CreationDate="2011-06-23T00:42:52.820" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got to do some digging no matter what, so you don't need any special trick for this.  Just dig up around each of the heads to see where the line is going.  Trace the line from end to end to see if it stops or keeps on going.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it doesn't continue beyond that area, you'll want to remove this part of the line from the system so that it doesn't freeze and leave a leak.  Find the last sprinkler head in the chain that is not going to be removed and swap out the T for an L joint.  I'll leave it up to you whether you want to remove all the old line or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the line continues, cap all of the T's or remove the T's and replace them with a straight piece of PVC.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way, be sure to save the old sprinkler heads.  You never know if you'll need to replace one somewhere else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="270" OwnerDisplayName="BMitch" LastActivityDate="2011-06-23T00:42:52.820" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3405" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3406" CreationDate="2012-02-07T15:47:27.333" Score="6" ViewCount="1946" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am currently in the process of trying to determine the cost benefit of installing a well to be used on my sprinkler system. In order to do this cost analysis I need to know how much water will be used for each watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any easy way to figure out how much water will be used? I know I could run the system and check the meter before and after, but I have a .6 acre lot and have no need to water right now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="946" OwnerDisplayName="Kellenjb" LastActivityDate="2012-02-12T16:42:55.680" Title="Is there any way to estimate the gallons per minute that a sprinkler system would use?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3405" CreationDate="2012-02-07T16:29:44.223" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you know how many heads you have, and the GPM (gallons per minute) rating of each head, then you just do the math. This will give the worse case scenario, of course, assuming each head is adjusted for max. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can run each zone for 10 minutes, check the meter reading before and after, multiply by 6 to get the gallons per hour. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just found this from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sprinklertalk.com/Sprinkler_School/PDFs/Toro_Planning_And_Installation_Guide.pdf&quot;&gt;Toro&lt;/a&gt;. Each manufacture should have similar details. The pdf shows how you can determine you're available flow rate (GPM) vs pressure (PSI). This also shows the usage of their heads at a given PSI. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something cool I did last summer. My friend lives in a condo, he wanted to know how long and what time his sprinklers were running. We could not tap into the timer, or the valve, so this is what I came up with. I put a funny pipe &quot;T&quot; into a head in his back yard. This was up against the foundation, made it easy. At the 1/2&quot; threaded port of the &quot;T&quot; I screwed an automotive oil sensor to it (using an adapter, standard NPT thread). This is the type used for gauges, not the switch type used for idiot lights. Previously I tested the sensor with my air compressor to see what the resistance was per PSI. Now all that was needed was to run a twisted pair of wires from the buried sensor into his basement. From there I designed and built a microprocessor circuit that would give him all the data he needed! We monitor date and time stamp, and continuos pressure. He can now tell what time of day he is watering, how long, and the pressure tells him if things are normal, or perhaps a broken head somewhere in the zone. You could use the same to monitor pressure, and convert that to GPM for a constant monitor of you're system. I went into this elaboration of detail, because I see you are a fellow EE guy from you're profile! Have fun with it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="SteveR" LastActivityDate="2012-02-07T18:04:02.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3407" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3410" CreationDate="2011-08-08T22:14:12.950" Score="11" ViewCount="3038" Body="&lt;p&gt;My backyard is essentially a wasteland; I plan on installing an irrigation system along with landscaping, hardscaping, shrubs, trees, retaining walls, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I've been able to discern so far, I want to get my layout done first, and start on an irrigation system before any other features go in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, I've been wondering whether this is the sort of project I want to tackle on my own (to save money) or if I am better off hiring a professional company.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am aware of some of the concepts behind designing and installing such a system (low spots, zones, dual-coverage of all areas) but I wonder if there's enough of a cost savings to justify venturing into this project on my own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am looking for advice from those who have designed and installed their own, and whether you would do it again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;My lawn is about 3600 sq. foot and is essentially a flat rectangle.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="88" OwnerDisplayName="JYelton" LastActivityDate="2012-02-12T16:43:05.367" Title="Sprinkler/irrigation system for new yard: DIY or hire a professional?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3408" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3407" CreationDate="2011-08-09T02:03:26.183" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's like any other DIY project. It's a time/money issue. That said, it sounds like you are doing MAJOR landscaping. To do all you listed will likely take you years DIY (especially retaining walls...they aren't for the faint of heart). If that's OK, I say go for it. Keep in mind that you really can't get irrigation figured out until you have the plan for the landscaping finished. I'm not sure you want the irrigation done first. Typically, you'd be adding it as needed as you go. Otherwise you're dealing with other projects interfering with your already installed irrigation system. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" OwnerDisplayName="DA." LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T02:57:46.490" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3409" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3407" CreationDate="2011-08-09T05:09:58.890" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are the regulations in your area regarding permits for irrigation systems? In many municipalities, irrigation work now requires a construction permit, which must be pulled by a tradesman with the appropriate license -- in my area, this is a master plumber with an irrigation license. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason for this is back flow prevention. Irrigation systems are extremely common paths for fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals to enter your home or city water supply. The irrigation license requirement means that The city has the guarantee that the irrigation system will be installed correctly. If they find an irrigation project that a license was not pulled for, then they will require you to tear it out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your city has this requirement, you cannot DIY this project. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="955" OwnerDisplayName="Karl Katzke" LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T05:09:58.890" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3410" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3407" CreationDate="2011-08-09T13:56:51.303" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've done all my own irragation. I would do it again myself. Here is why.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You know what was done. What grade of pipe was used, proper cleaner/glue, quality of valves and timer. I've seen lots of shoddy installations at other houses.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You know where the pipes are running. Take photos of everything. This really helps when you need to dig later. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is not all that hard compared to many other DIY projects. Pipes are easy to carry. Glue is easy to work with. The materials are not very expensive. Compared to pouring concrete or building a retaining wall this is easy.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can take your time. You can spen a few days installing everything. It does not have to be finished quickly, like concrete.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some downsides:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It takes time. You could be watching tv/fishing/bowling instead!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There is a lot of digging. Rent a trencher.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You will get dirty!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You will get wet!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You will probably have to fix a leak!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some tips:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Buy the thicker PVC pipe.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Consider above ground valves. It is no fun working on valves when they are below ground and in the mud.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put in more zones than fewer. Think about sun/shade/soil differences.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you are putting more than one pipe in a trench color code them. This will really help when you need to add to a zone later.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If possible, put the timer where you can see the water when it is running. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use better quality sprinkler heads.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bury the pipes deeper than you need. That way when you need a taller sprinkler head you can just install it. You can always use a taller riser.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure the sprinkler heads are below the surface of the lawn. The kids don't like stepping on them when they are running around.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make a test run before burrying everything. Check for leaks!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get the proper tools. Do not cut pvc pipe with a saw. You'll have to deburr every cut.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't forget to flush the pipes before installing the heads!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Enjoy your new lawn!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="741" OwnerDisplayName="Scott Bruns" LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T13:56:51.303" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3407" CreationDate="2011-08-09T17:10:02.993" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Consider hiring a professional to do the hard part. My parents had a sprinkler system installed in their yard when I was in middle school. They hired out the trench-digging and installation, but didn't pay to have the professionals back-fill the trenches. My dad and I just had to shovel the dirt back into the trenches once he was satisfied with their work. Doing it this way saved some money and allowed my parents to inspect the job done by the professionals. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" OwnerDisplayName="Doresoom" LastActivityDate="2011-08-09T17:10:02.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3412" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3413" CreationDate="2011-05-06T19:40:51.757" Score="14" ViewCount="2418" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some new sod getting rolled within the next few days and have a few questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How many days out of the week will I need to water until the sod is established?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How many minutes per zone should I water for on those days?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How long until I can switch to a regular watering schedule (2ish days a week)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the Dallas, Texas area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="538" OwnerDisplayName="Robert Greiner" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2021-03-14T13:42:13.857" LastActivityDate="2021-03-14T13:42:13.857" Title="How often/long should I water my newly sodded lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;&lt;sod&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="3413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3412" CreationDate="2011-05-07T00:42:17.690" Score="11" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Every day (twice, ideally)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's not minutes but inches that matter. Check with the people laying the sod. It will depend on the sod.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Until the sod takes (meaning you can't lift it up anymore).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing to be sure to do is properly roll the sod before the first watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" OwnerDisplayName="DA." LastActivityDate="2011-08-08T03:01:51.670" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3414" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3415" CreationDate="2012-02-12T19:16:08.953" Score="5" ViewCount="165" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the past couple of years, one of my neighbors has allowed me to use a 20' by 15&quot; / 6m x 35cm strip of land against his garage wall.  He had installed hooks on the wall so I've tied string around them as a trellis for peas and beans to climb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year, I grew snow peas against the wall, with basil and parsley in a row to the front of the bed (the parsley is still going strong and I plan to leave it until it bolts).  The previous year, I had green beans against the wall so I think I want to stay away from legumes this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other information:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The wall faces due West, so it only gets sun for half the day.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The soil is quite gravelly, so root crops don't do well (I've tried carrots and radishes with no luck).  Otherwise, the soil seems OK; I added some compost to it last year, for what it's worth.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm in USDA zone 8a.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I prefer to plant vegetables so my neighbor can take some to repay him for the use of his wall.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would be a good crop to grow in that little strip of land?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-02-12T19:36:40.340" LastActivityDate="2012-02-12T19:46:37.610" Title="What's a good successor crop to snow peas in a narrow bed against a West-facing wall?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3414" CreationDate="2012-02-12T19:46:37.610" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your soil is rich, you might try a few celery plants. Space them out wide, harvest a couple of stalks at a time throughout the season. Between the celery, plant salad crops: start with spinach in early spring, replant to lettuce as you harvest spinach, start chard when you harvest the celery. If you start the lettuce and chard from seed indoors, you can have transplants ready to put in the ground as soon as you harvest the previous crop. Or you can direct-seed, it will just take longer to mature to harvestable size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spinach and lettuce mature quickly -- as fast as 40 days from transplanting, possibly less if you're harvesting for &quot;baby salad greens&quot;. You can also plant the chard close (3&quot;) and then eat the thinnings as baby greens when you thin them to 12&quot; spacing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you keep up on the successions, you can have fresh salads until the weather gets really hot. And then when it cools off again towards autumn, you should still have some chard and celery to harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I thought about recommending cabbage and possibly some other long-season cole crops, but I think a west-facing wall might bake them too much in the summer. Spinach and lettuce mature quickly so you should be able to harvest them before the baking heat starts. I think 15&quot; might be too narrow for tomatoes or bush squash, though you might consider growing cucumbers up your pea trellis.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-02-12T19:46:37.610" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3416" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3429" CreationDate="2012-02-12T20:13:53.357" Score="9" ViewCount="1544" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an issue with a small area of my lot collecting a couple inches of water pretty much any time it rains. It takes it a few days before the water finally evaporates or soaks into the yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been trying to figure out the best way to deal with it. I have thought about putting in a drain to take the water to the back side of the house where the is a slope down into a drainage ditch. What I am struggling with is the idea that when I run my sprinkler system in the summer, the drain would be taking some of the water I paid good money for and just throwing it away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a rough drawing of what the lot looks like. It is sloped towards the drainage ditch with the house being elevated slightly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4teAC.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, what is the proper way to deal with something like this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="946" LastActivityDate="2012-02-15T02:18:41.220" Title="How do I determine the proper way to drain a yard?" Tags="&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3417" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3453" CreationDate="2012-02-12T21:29:01.707" Score="8" ViewCount="5195" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've been in our home for roughly three years. The previous owners did a less than stellar job at maintaing the lawn, so I've spent quite a bit of time trying to get it back into fair condition without having to actually re-sod our entire property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Among other things, I've spent time mowing, weeding (by hand &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; by using weed killer), watering, planting seed, and more. For a while, I made progress - the lawn looked good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately this winter, Atlanta has been relatively warm with quite a bit of rain. So much so that the yard has returned to a state that I've not seen it since we originally purchased the property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For reference, I've provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://plus.google.com/photos/108995874475859793495/albums/5708358566499021681?authkey=CPDsysX51u-rOA&quot;&gt;a small gallery of photos&lt;/a&gt; for you to see with what I have to work. Specifically, I'm looking for advice on how to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;reduce the weeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leverage the existing foundation of the lawn to serve as a basis for improvement&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prepare the lawn to properly handle inclement months&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;generally improve the overall appearance&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm relatively handy and comfortable with working outside so I'm open to all practical steps, tools, and chemicals that you suggest and recommend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="947" LastActivityDate="2012-02-16T02:51:14.413" Title="How do I restore my lawn without having to re-sod the property?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3418" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3401" CreationDate="2012-02-13T02:14:53.970" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is best to add worms when the ground is thawed out long enough to let them get safely into the subsoil where it will not freeze. It can be done day or night at any temperature above 35 degrees Fahrenheit, if the ground is thawed. Worms will not tolerate freezing. They will get safely underground in an hour at most. If you have your worms ready and the weather doesn't permit putting them into your garden, you should put them in moist peat moss in a plastic freezer bag in the refrigerator. The cold will slow their metabolisms and lower their food consumption. They will survive on the peat until you can put them outside. You can bury them, but be careful not to put them too deep if your soil is heavy, or they will be crushed. Even active compost will cool off pretty fast, when applied in a several inch layer on frozen ground, so compost would mainly help the worms after a thaw. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-15T14:15:05.900" LastActivityDate="2012-02-15T14:15:05.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3419" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3420" CreationDate="2012-02-13T02:25:53.030" Score="8" ViewCount="336" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my vegetable garden areas has low organic matter. I would like to help it with a grass winter cover. The two I am looking at are oats and rye, both of which grow all winter and get plowed under in spring. My question is, which one is better for poor soil? I know they both grow well in my area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-21T22:59:42.707" LastActivityDate="2012-02-21T22:59:42.707" Title="Do rye or oats make a better winter cover for a poor soil vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;cover-crop&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3420" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3419" CreationDate="2012-02-13T03:52:41.907" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the answer depends on more factors than what you've provided in the question -- especially your specific goals, but I can lay out the considerations I would make in choosing between the two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/winterrye.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;a UVM factsheet&lt;/a&gt;, rye can add 5 tons of organic matter per acre. I like rye because the seed is cheap, it germinates quickly and reliably, you can start it late, it catches reliably, it &lt;em&gt;always&lt;/em&gt; survives the winter, and it goes like gangbusters when the snow melts in spring. The only real downsides I can think of are (a) it is so vigorous it can be challenging to till under in the spring, and (b) it is allelopathic so you can't sow seeds for a couple of weeks after tilling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have less experience with oats -- and none as a winter cover crop, only spring seeded. According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Books/Managing-Cover-Crops-Profitably-3rd-Edition/Text-Version/Nonlegume-Cover-Crops/Oats&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;a SARE document&lt;/a&gt;, oats can add 1-2 tons per acre with fall seeding. Locally for me, oat seed is less available than rye. Also for me, oats will reliably winter kill, which means it would need to be started earlier in the fall -- but it also would be easier to incorporate in spring. Oats also have allelopathic properties; I think winterkilled oats won't cause problems in the spring. Because of the allelopathy, you should wait 3 weeks (according to SARE) before planting after tilling the oats under.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either cover crop makes a good nitrogen trap -- &quot;soaking up&quot; excess nitrogen left in the soil following the previous main crop and storing it for the following season. They both do a good job of smothering weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The SARE document on oats linked above mentions in &quot;Comparative Notes&quot; at the bottom:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;[Compared to Oats,] Rye grows more in fall and early spring, absorbs more N and matures faster, but is harder to establish, to kill and to till than oats. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I guess if you've got a good rototiller and are willing to work at tilling it under in the spring, rye would be my recommendation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-02-13T03:52:41.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3421" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-02-13T06:50:51.880" Score="8" ViewCount="2336" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a large fireplace made of rocks from the Craters of the Moon park in Southern Idaho.  The rocks are very rough and already have some dry moss on them, but really, the whole thing's a kind of eye sore, to me; I prefer river rock.  So I started thinking maybe I could get moss and other small plants to grow on the moon rocks. Then it would be quite beautiful!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our climate is dry and there is no direct light on the rocks.  Would I need lighting and some way of misting the moss daily?  Any ideas on how best to do this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="949" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-02-13T10:11:14.423" LastActivityDate="2012-02-15T22:09:32.677" Title="How can I grow moss on our fireplace?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3422" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3425" CreationDate="2012-02-13T09:09:42.447" Score="10" ViewCount="1358" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a reticulation system in my lawn. Recently I replaced some of the sprinkler heads. But they don't always retract; ie when the water pressure is reduced or off they stick up above the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The head is brand new and has been in for around a month and doesn't retract. They look like this:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lp0mu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sprinkler&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this because I got cheap sprinklers or does it means there is dirt in the system?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2012-02-13T14:05:53.767" Title="What stops sprinkler heads from retracting?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3425" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3422" CreationDate="2012-02-13T14:05:53.767" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;These type of sprinkler heads typically have a spring inside of them that pulls the head back down when there is no water pressure to be pushing them up. When they don't pull down, there is either something jamming the head, like dirt getting in there, or the spring just isn't pulling hard enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since these are new heads, there is a chance they might just be cheap and don't have great springs in them. You can try to unscrew the sprinkler at the part that is in the middle of your picture. When you do this you should be able to see the spring in there. You might just need to play with it to see if you can find anything wrong. If you still have no luck, then you might just have to go buy a new head.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="946" LastActivityDate="2012-02-13T14:05:53.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3426" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3421" CreationDate="2012-02-13T17:50:14.327" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your fireplace is used regularly you may find it difficult to get moss started - it grows best in outdoor alpine conditions (ie cool/cold, shaded, damp)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, you could bring some established moss inside to try on one of the rocks furthest from the fire, and possibly run a fine sprinkler system to keep the stones damp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen a setup for something similar where a low pressure water feed dripped onto the rock continuously, but at very low volume, providing just enough moisture for a fern/moss bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastActivityDate="2012-02-13T17:50:14.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3427" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3421" CreationDate="2012-02-13T18:51:04.103" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some mosses from outside will establish indoors in good indirect light.  However they need constant access to  moisture.  For the integrity of your house I could not recommend having fire and water close to each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe the most practical method would be to set up a planter box.  If the dimensions were one or two feet long by 6 inches wide and at least 6 inches deep you could plant &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_pumila&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ficus pumila&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selaginella_kraussiana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;plants like it&lt;/a&gt;.  This way you keep what you need to keep moist, the soil, away from what should be kept dry, the fireplace.&#xA;A planter should have a drainage layer, something like one inch of styrofoam peanuts with some landscape fabric between it and the soil.  And experience shows you should put a small diameter plastic container in the soil so you can see how much water is in the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on the exposure you may need to supply additional light in the form of fluorescent or LEDS. I don't recommend halogen or xenon lights because they run hot and will make it harder on the plants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-02-13T18:51:04.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3428" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3402" CreationDate="2012-02-13T19:23:40.947" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would definitely depend on the plant species you are talking about.  Some plants specifically thrive in continuous light.  For example, in northern Alaska the day-night cycle can during the summer can become 19 hours of light (or more) and 5 hours of night.  This allows people to grow giant cabbage (the record weighing approx. 127 lbs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plants respond better than others.  In a study they found that 24 hour light increased the growth of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickpea&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;chickpeas&lt;/a&gt; under the same amount of time as opposed being grown under normal conditions.  Roses experience a shorter blossoming period, but more buds were produced and blossomed.  Cucumbers and corn experienced no net increase in mass compared to plants grown under normal conditions.  Certain plants such as sweet peppers and tomatoes actually experience decreased growth and yields compared to standard conditions and also experienced blistering from continued light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So truly it does depend on what plant is being grown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-20T02:59:10.987" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T02:59:10.987" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3429" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3416" CreationDate="2012-02-14T01:45:09.493" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is only an idea.  Most landscapers can help you with this issue and could provide better advice as they can be on site to check grading.  The solution you need should have these characteristics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keeps water away from the house&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;should keep sprinkler water on the property&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;should allow high volumes of water to leave the property&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KbCDx.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your friend is four inch perforated drain pipe with a sleeve.  Once you dig a trench and line it with crushed gravel and drain pipe it should be able to deal with substantial quantities of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that sprinklers and torrential rain are two quite different scenarios.  When you water the lawn the low velocity should keep the water within 4 inches of the surface.  It will spread out and be absorbed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flash floods, rainstorms and weather that only happens once in a hundred years need a more robust solution.  The drainage &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rockvalleynaturalstone.com/guides/drainage-swale.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;swale&lt;/a&gt; near the ditch can be constructed several ways depending on the kind of weather you anticipate.  You could terminate the drainpipe in the ditch and assume that most water will be absorbed over the run of the pipe.  Or you might want to keep as much water as possible. If this is the case you could use the method I have illustrated and bring the pipe up to the surface in a small depression.  Water might pool here but should be absorbed.  If a huge amount of water comes down it will overflow into the ditch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a last point, with Valentines Day coming up you may be wondering what to get that special someone.  Give them peace of mind!  Nothing better than a hundred feet of drainpipe to let you rest easy when a hurricane comes through...&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/roSr4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT @kellenjb I placed the drain away from the house out of simple caution.  I don't know the amount of grade away from the house or the amount and kind of rain you receive in your area.  You could place the drain as close as four or five feet away from house (ie; the depth of the eaves) but if you are going to go to the trouble of digging why not be safe?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-02-15T02:18:41.220" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3430" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3421" CreationDate="2012-02-14T02:26:18.057" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow moss indoors in several conditions. If you want moss and other plants to grow on you rocks you could try this. Mix one quart of worm compost, 8 oz. of compost, and three gallons of water in a bucket. soak the rocks in this mixture for ten minutes. Sprinkle heavily with soil. Go outside and gather moss from rocks in your area. This ensures that the moss you are using is adapted to the humidity in your area. You do not need enough to cover the rocks, but 1-2' diameter pieces 3&quot; apart on the rocks. If they don stay, mist them and wrap onto the rocks in a net of organic material. Keep the rocks moist at all times with rain water. I use a used and cleaned cleaner bottle. After two weeks, remove the net. As for lighting, moss does best in bright fluorescent lighting. Some people make the mistake of putting them in dim light indoors. Outside in the shade is actually quite a bit brighter than a normally lit room. I have had the most success using 100 watt replacement fluorescent bulbs with a  mirror in the back, to bounce excess light back at the moss. After the moss is well established and has a good amount of dead matter between it and the moss, you can add miniature ferns sparingly. It often takes half a year to get the moss looking completely natural. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-02-14T02:26:18.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3431" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2101" CreationDate="2012-02-14T14:19:05.737" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try Arizona Ash &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pda_2909.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;(&lt;em&gt;Fraxinus velutina&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;. This tree fits with all of your needs, except for size. It gets 30-50' high and spreads 30-50'. It is a good shade tree, it is wind, drought, and heat resistant, grows rapidly, looks good, and has good yellow fall color. Good in any soil. &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/fantex-ash-tree-care-62845.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fraxinus velutina&lt;/em&gt; 'Fan-Tex'&lt;/a&gt; is similar. It gets 30-50' high, 30' wide, and grows well in the same conditions. These are both very shady in summer. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olneya&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Desert ironwood (&lt;em&gt;Olneya tesota&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; is very tolerant of desert conditions, and is smaller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-19T01:39:02.660" LastActivityDate="2014-10-19T01:39:02.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3432" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3524" CreationDate="2012-02-14T17:54:25.143" Score="12" ViewCount="1139" Body="&lt;p&gt;@Om Patange asked this in a comment on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2043/how-can-i-grow-my-own-sweet-potato-starts&quot;&gt;this sweet potato question&lt;/a&gt; and I'm curious about the answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;How long does each step [in starting sweet potato slips] take? I ask to know how long before spring I should start the process so that I have healthy slips to put in the ground. Also, when is a good time to plant the slips in the ground? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-02-28T21:28:03.773" Title="How long does it take to start sweet potato slips?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;&lt;sweet-potato&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3433" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3436" CreationDate="2012-02-14T18:46:18.910" Score="7" ViewCount="4094" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was about to buy a potted hydrangea as a last minute gift. I looked at the stem and it appeared dry, brittle and brown at the base of the plant. It's nice and green and firm near the heads of the flowers. Here is a picture that attempts to capture this difference:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AvA6a.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is this color/texture difference along the stem a problem?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What characteristics should I avoid when buying hydrangea plants?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most stems are in bloom, colored pink, so from above the plant looks very lively. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="601" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-16T14:56:33.750" LastActivityDate="2013-09-19T18:30:47.257" Title="What Should I look (out) for when purchasing a hydrangea plant?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3434" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3454" CreationDate="2012-02-14T20:45:25.683" Score="8" ViewCount="200" Body="&lt;p&gt;My parents seem to have a large problem with fire ants in their backyard. They're more of an inconvenience than anything. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What seems to be the most effective method (chemical, or a technique based, etc; doesn't need to be a specific product) of removing fire ants without harming or hurting any neighboring vegetation? Also, please provide a reason why.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We don't have any trees (&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3280/how-do-i-control-fire-ants-in-the-mulch-around-my-tree&quot;&gt;How do I control fire ants in the mulch around my tree?&lt;/a&gt;) in the backyard thus the reason for this post.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="290" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-06-13T02:57:04.327" Title="How are fire ants removed without endangering vegetation nearby?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3435" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3452" CreationDate="2012-02-15T05:16:18.820" Score="11" ViewCount="3569" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently read a book that suggests using soil blocks for starting seeds. What are the advantages and disadvantages of soil blocks over the more popular seed starting methods? I am mainly interested in using the seed blocks to start vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="954" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-21T22:46:32.143" LastActivityDate="2012-02-24T19:17:59.313" Title="What are the advantages and disadvantages of using soil blocks?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3436" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3433" CreationDate="2012-02-15T09:19:20.300" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm &lt;em&gt;almost&lt;/em&gt; certain that what you're seeing is the &lt;strong&gt;difference in color between old growth and new growth&lt;/strong&gt;. Hydrangeas (I mean &lt;em&gt;H. macrophylla&lt;/em&gt;) always bloom from the current year's growth. So after a season, or during winter, the plant can be cut back and the lush new growth in spring will bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your pic, the plant looks like its stems were pruned at some point and the new growth from the buds are the green colored stems. You can see that the transition from brown to green is always at a joint (node), which sort of confirms this. Even if they weren't pruned, you'd see something similar if the plant had a growth spurt from the apex after a dormant period. I think your plant is &lt;strong&gt;perfectly healthy&lt;/strong&gt; and there's nothing to worry about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Choosing hydrangeas:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, you should not just look for good characteristics in the hydrangea that you buy, but you should also pair it with your soil conditions and sunlight availability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most hydrangeas require shade for it to thrive, so consider if you'll be able to provide that (if you're planting outdoors), else you might have to settle for a smaller, indoor one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;H. macrophylla&lt;/em&gt; changes colors depending on the soil pH. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1745/109&quot;&gt;I explain more on this in a different answer&lt;/a&gt;. If your soil is acidic/alkaline, it might be preferable to getting a blue/pink hydrangea respectively, as then the plant will not have to experience a shock from a dramatic change in pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Avoid plants that only have thin, upright stems. These occur due to irregular pruning (or none at all) and will bloom only at the top and don't branch out much. Eventually, it will break under its own weight. Having several branches will ensure that you will have lush blooms and also tells you that the plant has been pruned well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I learnt that I needed to prune my hydrangeas only after I let it grow to look like a Hanukka menorah (until then, I was only &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/965/109&quot;&gt;deheading the flower heads&lt;/a&gt;). Needless to say, flower production took a hit and the poor thing looks all scrawny now. So you don't want to buy something that looks like this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Avoid plants with obvious spotting in the leaves, rots, patchy leaves or curled/warped flowers. These are all signs of some defect/disease or the other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Choose plants that have large (it wasn't named &lt;em&gt;macrophylla&lt;/em&gt; for nothing!), bright leaves and preferably ones that have a nice bloom. The bloom is primarily so that you can have a look at the color and the liveliness before buying it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, if you can drive to a local nursery (if there's one in your city), I'd strongly suggest buying a plant from there. This is more likely to have been grown in your climate (or a similar one), which makes it easier for it to adapt. The packaged/gift-wrapped hydrangeas that you find in a grocery store are usually mass produced somewhere and then shipped to various places. These will &lt;em&gt;look healthy&lt;/em&gt; as long as they're in the same pot, but once you transplant it, it'll have a hard time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-02-15T09:19:20.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3437" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3440" CreationDate="2011-03-08T18:57:31.477" Score="38" ViewCount="58926" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've got a ~4500sq/ft back yard that's probably 90% weeds. Is there an organic/natural way to kill off all the weeds so we can start from scratch?&#xA;With kids and dogs and a swimming pool right beside the area, I'd really rather not spray a ton of roundup (or something comparable).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had one guy suggest &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=3721&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Iron X&lt;/a&gt; but I've read mixed reviews.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've always read about people putting newspaper or black tarp over areas of weed to kill them, but with this square footage I'm just not sure that's feasible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a close up of what most of the weeds are (though really there are probably a dozen different types):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2TXmO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="86" OwnerDisplayName="Shpigford" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-02-15T20:23:08.770" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T00:04:39.447" Title="Is it possible to kill a large area of weeds organically/naturally?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="16" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 2.5" />
  <row Id="3438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3437" CreationDate="2011-03-08T19:47:23.037" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;As noted in my comment above, those are strawberries.  Think about preserving a patch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roundup is not a bad idea, unless you live near a swamp/waterway, as it is toxic to amphibians.  I'd just spray, and go visit the parents for a weekend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than that, your best bet is to roto-till and pull up as many roots as possible by hand, and then re-sod.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="539" OwnerDisplayName="Chris Cudmore" LastActivityDate="2011-03-08T19:47:23.037" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 2.5" />
  <row Id="3439" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3437" CreationDate="2011-03-08T21:12:57.923" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;A non-toxic way of killing off a patch would be to cover the area in a black, light-proof tarp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The heat, combined with the lack of light and moisture, should kill anything under it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  Oops, missed the &quot;4500 sq ft&quot; part.  You might be able to find some rolls of inexpensive material, like plastic wrap or roofing cover, but that's still a lot of material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="243" OwnerDisplayName="chris" LastActivityDate="2011-03-08T21:12:57.923" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 2.5" />
  <row Id="3440" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3437" CreationDate="2011-03-08T21:34:42.800" Score="35" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, I might argue that a tarp IS adequate. It is far better than a lot of chemicals, especially with kids &amp;amp; a dog.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Buy one large tarp. You can easily buy a 30x40 foot tarp for under $100. I saw one on Amazon for $59. You would probably spend that much money on chemicals anyway. 30x40 feet is 1200 square feet, or 1/4 of the square footage of your yard. So kill off one rectangle of weeds. This will take a few weeks. Then move the tarp to a new spot. After 4 placements of the tarp, the entire lawn is done. Clean up any small spots in the corners with a hoe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And, if you look around, you might be able to find a larger tarp. I did just look, and I found a silver/black poly tarp for $65 that was 30x50 feet, so 1/3 of the footage of your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user923" LastActivityDate="2011-03-08T21:34:42.800" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 2.5" />
  <row Id="3441" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3437" CreationDate="2011-03-08T22:05:54.190" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A good non toxic herbicide is Round-up.  Although it is not strictly organic, it is non toxic. It is systemic and works in less than 7 days usually.  The refuse can be tilled in with no damage to new plantings.  You will need to rototill or York rake the area before replanting grass.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="shirlock homes" LastActivityDate="2011-03-08T22:05:54.190" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 2.5" />
  <row Id="3442" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3437" CreationDate="2011-03-09T17:20:36.947" Score="36" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a little strange, but I'll throw it out here anyways. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Around here there is actually a company that rents out goats to clean up large areas of unwanted vegetation.  They come out with some hungry goats, the goats eat all the weeds right down to the ground, then they leave with the goats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure if there is anything similar in your area, but might be worth checking into.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1410" OwnerDisplayName="Eric Petroelje" LastActivityDate="2011-03-09T17:20:36.947" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 2.5" />
  <row Id="3443" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3437" CreationDate="2011-03-10T22:48:40.043" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had the same problem in our yard - 80% weeds, but wanted to avoid chemicals b/c of kids and dogs. Our yard was much smaller (less than 1000 sq/ft), but the solution worked well: I rented a gas-powered sod cutter, set it for a fairly deep setting and cut off the entire layer of grass/weeds. It's pretty hard work (especially hauling the sods pieces away). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This method avoids pushing weed seeds farther into the ground as would happen if you just roto-tilled. After cutting the sod, I tilled and then planted grass seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;4,500 sq. ft is a ton of sod though...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="213" OwnerDisplayName="Voodoo" LastActivityDate="2011-03-10T22:48:40.043" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 2.5" />
  <row Id="3444" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3437" CreationDate="2011-03-14T19:41:59.650" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Vinegar works pretty well.  Spray down, and within a few days they should be dead.  I'd follow it up after a few days with a rototiller, rake, and seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user2061" LastActivityDate="2011-03-14T19:41:59.650" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 2.5" />
  <row Id="3445" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3437" CreationDate="2011-05-21T22:16:48.337" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a backyard that was all weeds. Before I was educated on weed killers ( 10 yrs ago)I sprayed the yard. It killed everything. The weeds came. Back after a couple of weeks before I had a chance to do anything. I did it again. The weeds didn't resurface. I didn't till ( this would bring more seeds to the top) I users dethatcher and removed everything. I put sod down and haven't had a problem with the weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Round up is only active when absorbed by the plant. Once it hits the dirt it becomes inactive. You might try the tarps. Then lwhatever germinate use the round up as soon as you see the sprouts. I beleave in laying sod. See if your area has a master gardener program and call them shouts the round up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="gunga" LastActivityDate="2011-05-21T22:16:48.337" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3437" CreationDate="2012-02-15T18:10:55.407" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good answers above. But one is missing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Torch your weeds.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv4T4H7a58w&amp;amp;feature=related&quot;&gt;build your own torch&lt;/a&gt; (um, dangerous) or purchase one such as the &lt;a href=&quot;http://killweedsnow.com/&quot;&gt;Red Dragon&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But beware. According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://bifurcatedcarrots.eu/2006/03/weed-burner/&quot;&gt;this worthwhile read at Bifurcated Carrots&lt;/a&gt;, you should not use a torch near dry brush or over mulch, both of which can be extremely flammable. Also, a torch may not kill weeds that have matured past the cotyledon stage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="491" OwnerDisplayName="SamTheBrand" LastActivityDate="2012-02-15T18:10:55.407" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3447" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3451" CreationDate="2012-02-15T22:06:20.297" Score="6" ViewCount="446" Body="&lt;p&gt;I once saw advertised in a catalog a miniature blueberry bush, that could spend its whole life in a container and grow to maturity.  Are there any other fruit plants that can exist their whole life in a reasonably sized (one that the average person could easily pick up) container and how easy/hard is it to maintain these plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-16T02:04:08.593" LastActivityDate="2012-02-16T02:26:26.373" Title="What kinds of miniature fruit shrubs/trees can be grown in a reasonably sized container?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3448" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3421" CreationDate="2012-02-15T22:09:32.677" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been reading up a lot on garden railways recently. One tip in one of those was to &quot;seed&quot; the rock by painting milk on it first. This will encourage the moss to grow. You need some moss to start it of course, and the conditions have to be right (see the posts above).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never tried it, and this is not something I'm not going to do here in Texas; but it seems like it would be worth a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unrelated, and I don't know the exact situation here, but taking rocks from National Parks &amp;amp; Monuments, State Parks, and even City/County Parks is generally prohibited. A reminder to everyone: don't do it unless you have permission from the relevant organization.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-02-15T22:09:32.677" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3449" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3447" CreationDate="2012-02-15T23:29:51.407" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have miniature lemon and lime trees, both about 3 feet tall in the pot, which bear full sized fruit, and I've had probably 15-20 years.  Since I live above the 45th parallel, I take them outside in the summer, bring them inside in the winter to keep them from freezing.  Other than watering, fertilizing, and occasionally trimming or repotting them, they get almost no other care, and live in about a 2-3 gallon pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they're designed to live in a pot, just make sure they get adequate sun, water, and fertilizer.  Pots can dry out quickly, so the watering is most critical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="600" LastActivityDate="2012-02-15T23:29:51.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3450" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="739" CreationDate="2012-02-16T02:03:12.797" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like the toothpicks and a glass of water method.  It does take months but you can prune the roots with a razor blade to get more roots.  Moderate indirect light is all they need to germinate. Once they are planted they need diffuse high light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After reading Zeina's answer I tried it on the next batch of avocados.  The trick is to find which part of the seed is &quot;up&quot;.  You need to take the inner part of the seed off the bottom end and this does speed up germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-19T00:48:30.653" LastActivityDate="2012-06-19T00:48:30.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3451" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3447" CreationDate="2012-02-16T02:26:26.373" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are some plants adapted to this culture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dwarf citrus(lemon, lime, tangerine, orange)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Blueberries (Tophat is a dwarf variety that is self-fertile, and is good in containers)*&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dwarf pineapple&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dwarf fig&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dwarf pomegranate&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Strawberries*&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;American cranberry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grapes (grapes will grow and fruit in containers with a small trellis attached)*&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Passionfruit &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can grow these adapted plants with low maintenance. It is possible to grow just about any tree in a pot, but some take more care than others. I purposefully left most of the deciduous trees out of the list because they require more winter care. If they get too cold, they will die back, and if they are too warm, they will not fruit. The maintenance is different with all of the plants. of course, strawberries will be easier to maintain than a citrus tree, but the ones on the list are generally carefree. The citrus and pineapple will want to be misted every week if you are in a low humidity area. The trees and shrubs will need minimal pruning, but the vines need trellises and a heavy pruning each year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*&lt;em&gt;These plants need a cool period in winter&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-02-16T02:26:26.373" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3435" CreationDate="2012-02-16T02:46:22.097" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably the biggest disadvantage of using soil blocks is the up-front cost. If you want to get the biggest advantage, you'll want to have the ability to transplant from smaller blocks to larger blocks. For example, you'd start tomatoes in 2&quot; blocks and then transplant up to 4&quot; blocks. I've seen a number of people recommend the little tongs/tweezers, which would be an extra expense. (I don't own them, but I could see how they might make handling blocks a bit faster.) Buying all of these tools (3/4&quot;, 2&quot;, 4&quot;, tongs) at once will probably cost $200 or more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A minor disadvantage is that all of the soil block recipes I've seen use peat. (I'd like to reduce my use of peat for sustainability purposes, but I'm hoping that reducing the use of plastic planting containers is a net gain.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll want to mix your own potting soil. (I do this anyway, so there's no net change for me.) I suppose that you may be able to buy pre-mixed block soil, but it's fairly easy to do and you get to have control over the ingredients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll want to set up a good watering system. I've done a couple of seasons of blocks without a good watering system, but I'm working on something for the upcoming planting season. The two problems related to watering are: (1) spraying the blocks with a hand sprayer is tedious and could lead to problems with fungal disease, and (2) if you pour water into the tray with a watering can (i.e. so that the stream of water makes contact with the blocks as you pour), you'll erode the blocks. Setting the blocks on a mesh screen so you can bottom-water seems like it will be ideal. I'm calling this a &quot;drawback&quot; because it's yet another bit of upfront setup you have to deal with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; a drawback, but I find that when I get in the groove of making blocks I will enthusiastically make a &lt;em&gt;lot&lt;/em&gt; of blocks and then end up with a few too many plants. (A sure symptom of this is when you catch your friends saying, &quot;Quick! Hide, he's going to try to give us some more lettuce in those weird little dirt bricks!&quot;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, there's a learning curve: consistently making good blocks takes some practice. You've got to get the hang of mixing the soil to the proper consistency and then form the blocks correctly. It's not &lt;em&gt;difficult&lt;/em&gt;, but it does take a bit of practice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Benefits:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No containers.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This reduces an ongoing cost and hassle.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There's nothing to clean, nothing to throw away.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's a big time saver.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Once you get the hang of making blocks, you can make a lot of blocks very quickly. (Don't be discouraged by your first couple of block making sessions. Stick with it and it will work out.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Potting up&quot; is really fast. Just drop the small block into the big block. No pricking out, no trying to squeeze plants out of little plastic containers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Transplanting into the garden is really fast for the same reason.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can make efficient use of space: if you use a heating mat, you can put a whole mess of 3/4&quot; blocks onto the mat to germinate the seeds and then &quot;pot up&quot; the 3/4&quot; blocks into 2&quot; blocks.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's gentler on the plants.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No root shock when transplanting.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plants don't get root bound. The roots will be air pruned when they reach the edge of the blocks.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No pricking out, no squeezing/pulling plants out of containers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoiding all that shock keeps plants growing steadily without setbacks. In theory this should give you higher quality plants that mature faster and yield better.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The block makers from Ladbrooke are high quality tools. I think that with proper care they're likely to last a lifetime.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My suggestion to get started slowly would be to start with the 1.5&quot; or 2&quot; blocks. These are good for starting a large variety of plants: spinach, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, etc. Then you can add either the 3/4&quot; blocks if you want to be able to germinate larger numbers of seeds at once, or the 4&quot; blocks if you want to be able to start plants that should be potted up to a larger size before transplanting in the garden (e.g. tomatoes, peppers) or those that are large to begin with (e.g. melons, pumpkins).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way: an old cookie sheet can hold about 300 3/4&quot; blocks, and 35 2&quot; blocks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-02-24T19:17:59.313" LastActivityDate="2012-02-24T19:17:59.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3453" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3417" CreationDate="2012-02-16T02:51:14.413" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The soil appears to be typical for an urban environment, dry, compacted, low in organic matter.  You can improve this situation quickly but costly or slow and less expensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fast and costly is&lt;/strong&gt;: get a 40 yard dump bin and remove the top 6&quot; to topsoil.  Rototill the subsoil to at least three inches deep and so the consistency is still chunky.  You do not want a fine texture. Then replace with a premium mix of topsoil from your local suppliers.  You will need at least one double axle dump truck worth.  Keep in mind that the volume of soil delivered will compact by at least one third.  Roll the soil to get it level and re-sod.  Keep the grading the same as you do not appear to have a lot of room to drain water if you get a lot in a short time period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consider laying interlock or flagstone in the high traffic areas to avoid the compaction from foot traffic that appears to have caused some of the lawn's problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Slower and less expensive is&lt;/strong&gt; follow the link from bstpierre and have patience.  Rebuilding this way takes years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-02-16T02:51:14.413" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3434" CreationDate="2012-02-16T03:06:24.850" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ed Staub's answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3287/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; is appropriate and relevant. And &lt;a href=&quot;http://fireant.tamu.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this comment&lt;/a&gt; on Ed's post is informative.  Who knew those little red guys had their own web site?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My take on the information is that chemical methods are common and available.  Organic bio control is available in some areas.  Home grown remedies seem to be ineffective and potentially dangerous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-02-16T03:06:24.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3455" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-02-16T03:20:03.100" Score="8" ViewCount="298" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a reasonable amount of practice growing things from seed but I recently spread a whole packet of strawberry seed at the right depth and didn't get a single sprouter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm hoping to get some pro-tips on how to grow strawberry from seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The packet said I could grow them in place so I didn't try growing in trays.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Sydney Australia and the temperature here has been in the mid 20s with a reasonable amount of rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have had experience growing strawberries from seed can you give me some suggestions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-16T14:36:15.420" LastActivityDate="2012-03-07T04:45:35.173" Title="What are some tips on growing strawberries from seed?" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3456" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3400" CreationDate="2012-02-16T20:27:07.107" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two traditional methods which work but may not agree with you are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) tar the surface.  I believe you could get a local construction company to do this as spraying hot tar may not be a chore you want to do&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) If your driveway is already compacted and drains well this is my preferred solution:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravel&quot;&gt;Crusher run&lt;/a&gt; or&#xA;Crushed stone: this is generally limestone or dolomite that has been crushed and graded by screens to certain size classes. It is widely used in concrete and as a surfacing for roads and driveways, sometimes with tar applied over it. ... A special type of limestone crushed stone is dense grade aggregate, or DGA, also known as crusher run, or colloquially as &quot;crush and run&quot;. This is a mixed grade of mostly small crushed stone in a matrix of crushed limestone powder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This should be available in bulk at good prices from any quarry or landscape supplier. Spread in a layer so the top of the existing gravel and compact with a roller and apply water to harden.&#xA;For spots where it could wash out mix with Portland cement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Average Coverage&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*1 cu. Yd. will cover approximately 100 sq. ft. at 2&quot; deep&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are going to go to the effort of doing this you should also do some grading on the uphill side to add a ditch and add piping to let the water through from one side to another.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-02-16T20:27:07.107" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3457" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3437" CreationDate="2012-02-16T22:24:02.173" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could kill the weeds with any of the other solutions already posted here, but if you don't cure the &lt;strong&gt;root cause&lt;/strong&gt; as to why the weeds are outcompeting the lawn grass, they will just come back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Before you kill the weeds, get your soil tested. At the very least, check the pH.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Then kill the weeds. (I think your best approach to killing the weeds will be multiple tarps.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When the weeds are dead, spread lime as recommended by the pH test.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spread at least 1/2&quot; of compost (1&quot; would be better). That's about 7 cubic yards -- get it delivered (or make a couple trips with your pickup truck) in bulk, don't try to buy bags from the local big box! This will feed your lawn. It's worth investing in quality compost: free composted horse manure, for example, may be loaded with weed seeds. Municipal compost, if available in your area, probably won't have this problem.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/2698/51&quot;&gt;Seed your lawn.&lt;/a&gt; If allowed by your HOA, consider using a lawn seed mix that contains white clover. Clover draws nitrogen from the air and puts it into the soil; this helps to feed the grasses.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Follow the tips &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1391/51&quot;&gt;in this answer&lt;/a&gt; for ongoing lawn maintenance. If you keep your grass healthy it will outcompete the weeds and you won't have this problem again.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-02-16T22:24:02.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3458" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3437" CreationDate="2012-02-17T00:50:07.830" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Further to the suggestion of goats, I had a large patch of Spiderwort (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradescantia_fluminensis&quot;&gt;Tradescantia fluminensis&lt;/a&gt;) which was taken care of by two young hens within a couple of weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tractor&quot;&gt;chicken tractor&lt;/a&gt; method or just let them roam around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many benefits to this method:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Free chicken feed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Free eggs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Improved soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chickens will do a good job of getting not just the tops of the plants, but they will scratch up the roots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the Spiderwort the chickens were quite interested in eating it and it has hardly come back at all this warm season (in Australia) leaving a few small plants which I could easily remove by hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing I would mention is to do some research to make sure the weed you have there is not toxic to animals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-02-17T00:50:07.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3459" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3718" CreationDate="2012-02-17T09:30:22.527" Score="7" ViewCount="717" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x30/icygirl33_bucket/DSC01684.jpg&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x30/icygirl33_bucket/DSC01682.jpg&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x30/icygirl33_bucket/DSC01685.jpg&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x30/icygirl33_bucket/DSC01690.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="959" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:36.140" LastActivityDate="2012-03-26T04:26:47.600" Title="What is this Australian weed with red flowers and green leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3460" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2182" CreationDate="2012-02-17T14:48:59.860" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;See the answer to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1645/Why/did/my/jalepeno/turn/bl/1646#1646&quot;&gt;Why did my jalape&amp;#241;os turn black?&lt;/a&gt; As stated above it is the same ripening discoloration in both cases. It is not a problem and will disappear as the plant ripens. It is more common on hot peppers than bell peppers, but occurs regularly on both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-02-17T14:48:59.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3461" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3463" CreationDate="2012-02-17T18:03:57.643" Score="9" ViewCount="2351" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general, do most seeds require/do better with bright light when germinating indoors?  I am trying to germinate a variety of seeds indoors (basil, chives, spinach, pepper) and am curious if no lighting (just warmth) is sufficient or if it would be better to use artificial/indirect sunlight?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastActivityDate="2012-02-17T19:37:21.197" Title="Do seeds require light indoors to germinate?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3462" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3473" CreationDate="2012-02-17T18:14:00.953" Score="10" ViewCount="11113" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking into getting some potted plants since I have a patio at my apartment; one plant I'm interested in is the avocado. However, I live in northeastern Ohio. It looks like bacon avocado trees can withstand frost well, but can it be dwarfed and still produce fruit? Would another variety work better? Should I give up and find another tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="744" LastActivityDate="2014-03-31T02:49:20.757" Title="Can I grow a dwarf avocado tree in my climate?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3463" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3461" CreationDate="2012-02-17T19:07:16.533" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some seeds will germinate with just warmth and water but if they do not get sufficient light they become spindly and stretched out.  These seedlings are weak stemmed and tough to plant out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You get better seedlings by growing them under light. Once they are around the two leaf or four leaf stage you can take the top off your tray and move them into indoor sunlight if you wish but if you let them dry out then it's all over! I prefer to keep mine in high humidity and bright artificial light for four to six weeks and then take outside to harden off in some shade.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From a technical point of view most seeds only need water and air to germinate but if you are looking to get the best results they should have at least eight to ten hours of light and as much as eighteen to twenty hours of light from the moment they are sown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-02-17T19:37:21.197" LastActivityDate="2012-02-17T19:37:21.197" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="231" CreationDate="2012-02-17T20:35:25.827" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;How many days are there until maturity listed about the species?  A lot of info can be gathered by looking up a specific species or by noting any information on seed packages or tags (if bought as juvenile) that come with the corn in addition to the other answers posted here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastActivityDate="2012-02-17T20:35:25.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3465" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-02-18T21:12:13.523" Score="6" ViewCount="195" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have no experience in gardening. I have a pot of Calla lilies but I have no idea how to take care of it. It came with a label that suggests keeping it at a sunny place. But apart from that, I don't know anything else. How often should I water it? How big and deep should the pot be? When should I transfer it to a bigger pot? Is there anything else I should know?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="961" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T01:39:27.420" LastActivityDate="2014-11-14T00:03:52.117" Title="How should I grow calla lilies?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3466" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4796" CreationDate="2012-02-18T22:38:08.237" Score="8" ViewCount="963" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few months ago I removed a lot of over grown shrubs; the soil is clay based topsoil on top of solid clay.   The top soil is about one spade deep.  I don’t think the garden has had any compost for many years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am going to double dig before planning the roses, so how much compost should I put into the subsoil and how much into the top soil.   I have a source of compost from &lt;a href=&quot;http://fairfieldcompost.co.uk&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wholesale market fruit &amp;amp; vegetable waste&lt;/a&gt; and cost is not a limiting factor.  (Organic content = 100%,  C:N ratio c. 15:1, pH c. 7.5)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am also planning on adding more worms, as there seem to be very few in the ground. All of the beds will be covered with compost or wood chipping every year, but this is my only chance to properly dig-in compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(We are in the North West of the UK)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="231" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-21T22:39:58.267" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T20:19:16.983" Title="How much compost should I add to a clay soil for roses?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;clay&gt;&lt;digging&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3467" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3466" CreationDate="2012-02-18T23:53:29.937" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would add &lt;del&gt;1&quot;&lt;/del&gt; &quot;a bunch&quot;&lt;sup&gt;&lt;b&gt;*&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/sup&gt; of compost and dig it into the topsoil, but I wouldn't mix it into the subsoil. The benefit of double-digging is that you can break up the subsoil. But you don't want to mix your soil layers, and adding compost to your subsoil isn't helpful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm somewhat skeptical of importing worms: if you have poor soil, you won't have worms. But when you improve your soil, the worms will come. Adding compost and double-digging will help by breaking up the clay topsoil. Maintaining a deep mulch of wood chips on the surface will make a worm-friendly environment. (Though I do suppose that, assuming you have created the worm-friendly environment, importing the worms will hasten the process. Just make sure you've got a nice place for the worms to live or they'll leave and your efforts will have been pointless.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;*&lt;/b&gt;See discussion in comments, with good points raised by @jmusser. 1&quot; is probably too little. 4&quot; might be a better amount?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-02-20T02:32:56.677" LastActivityDate="2012-02-20T02:32:56.677" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3469" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3465" CreationDate="2012-02-19T02:39:17.543" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is some basic info on how to keep your plant healthy:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep the soil moist, but not wet. Test this with your finger. If the potting mix is dry more than 1/2&quot; deep, water thoroughly until water drains from the bottom of the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Transfer to a larger pot if the plant becomes rootbound. Test this by removing from the pot, and looking at the root-ball. If it looks like a mass of circling roots, and you can't see much soil, it's time to repot. Use a pot one size larger, and add high quality organic potting mix as required.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize once every other week with a balanced, soluble fertilizer with the watering. This promotes healthy growth and flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Locate in a bright location out of direct sun. They don't like direct sun, as it can burn the leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Calla lilies overheat easily. don't place them in a location that gets over 75 degrees F. on a regular basis, or they won't thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-14T00:03:52.117" LastActivityDate="2014-11-14T00:03:52.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3470" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3471" CreationDate="2012-02-19T04:14:34.720" Score="9" ViewCount="13389" Body="&lt;p&gt;Today I received the results for my garden soil test, which show that I have only 5 ppm of nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my research (here, and elsewhere) has suggested that the best way to (organically) raise the nitrogen level is to add some blood meal.  But how much blood meal do I need?  The &quot;Fertilizer recommendations&quot; that came with my test results says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;You should apply your nitrogen at a rate of ¼ lb N per 100 sq. ft. You can divide this amount in half and apply half at planting and half a month later during the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then later it says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;To Calculate the Amount of Fertilizer to Use:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  ( % of nutrient in fertilizer ÷ 100) = Pounds fertilizer per 100 sq. ft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But using that formula, if I had a theoretical fertilizer with 100% nitrogen, I would apply 1 lb per 100 sq. ft., or 4x the recommended amount above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is an accurate formula to use to determine how much (organic) nitrogen fertilizer I need to apply?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;EDIT&lt;/b&gt;&#xA;I live in Central Kansas, and will be growing a variety of vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="705" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T13:53:11.107" LastActivityDate="2012-06-11T17:48:36.403" Title="How much fertilizer do I need for my vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3470" CreationDate="2012-02-19T19:02:50.303" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The NPK numbers on the fertilizer represents the percent, by weight, of Nitrogen, P&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;5&lt;/sub&gt; and K&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O, respectively. So if your blood meal is labeled 12-0-0, then a 100 pound bag would contain 12 pounds of nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a 400 sq ft garden, you'd want to apply a pound of nitrogen, or 100/12 = 8.3 lbs of 12-0-0 fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that the calculation for phosphorus and potassium is a little trickier, since the weights in the NPK number are the amount of phosphate and potash and not the pure element. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1940/51&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; for details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@kevinsky's comment about varying requirements for different vegetables is a good point. You probably shouldn't make a blanket application over your entire garden. Check a good gardening reference for the relative amounts of nitrogen required by various plants and add more for plants that want it and less for plants that don't. Squash and corn, in particular, do well with extra. But if you give extra nitrogen to your tomatoes then you'll end up with a lot of foliage and not much fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also keep in mind that you can reduce your long-term need for nitrogen amendments somewhat by increasing the organic matter content in your soil. The organic matter acts like a sponge, absorbing nitrogen and releasing it for plants gradually over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, be aware the nitrogen is volatile -- if you add the full amount at the beginning of the planting season, you may lose it into the air or it may wash away into the soil. Soil type is an important factor because sandy soils will tend to lose nutrients faster than clay soils. It's definitely a better idea to add half the amount at the start and then side-dress a month or two later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-02-19T19:02:50.303" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3472" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-02-19T21:58:35.183" Score="8" ViewCount="414" Body="&lt;p&gt;Over the years I have seen examples of people making a type of compost tea which is made by using a large barrel filled with about 70 - 80% water and then adding all sorts of stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some examples I have seen:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dead &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_toad&quot;&gt;cane toads&lt;/a&gt; -&gt; Just found video &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yST_ICULHis&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grass clippings&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seaweed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chicken manure&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Meat scraps&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note, these examples I have seen both on television and in practice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mixture is left to decompose until it is mostly liquid (there is no separation of ingredients and the liquid) then it is further diluted and applied to the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the results I've seen in the real world I want to start making the same stuff but I want to know what I should avoid putting in the mix; what should I not put in this tea if I want to avoid making my family sick?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-20T02:03:03.877" LastActivityDate="2012-05-16T17:39:32.937" Title="What should not be put in compost tea?" Tags="&lt;compost-tea&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3473" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3462" CreationDate="2012-02-20T02:14:51.817" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/#&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;latest USDA zone map&lt;/a&gt; places Ohio in a zone where the minimum temperature could be as low as -15 degrees F.  No avocado tree will take that so you would need to bring it indoors during  the winter which will limit how big a pot you can put it in and the maximum size you can let it grow. I'm just speculating here but anything taller than six feet and one hundred and fifty pounds could be classed as unmanageable to move indoors in the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can dwarf many trees but I have found that avocados resist growing multiple stems. See my answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2172/is-it-too-late-to-pinch-back-my-avocado-plant&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. It is challenging to get more than one stem even on a plant three to four feet tall.  Repeated cutting back hard might work if you have a lot of light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.avocado.org/grow-your-own-tree/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;organization&lt;/a&gt; which is just about avocados.  I note their statement that &quot;While it is true that you can grow a tree from an avocado seed, keep in mind that a tree grown from seed will be very different from its parent variety and may take 7-15 years to begin producing fruit. Fruit from a tree grown from seed tends to have different flavor characteristics than their parent variety.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So yes, if you have patience, you can grow an avocado as a potted patio plant.  However it is likely it will take a long time to get any fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I was going to try this I would try other plants like the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamondin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;calamondin orange&lt;/a&gt;.  The flowers are fragrant, it will set fruit indoors after only a few years and is available in the retail trade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-02-20T02:14:51.817" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3474" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3511" CreationDate="2012-02-20T03:56:48.840" Score="5" ViewCount="164" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Frangipani which has been hacked to bits (thanks previous owner) and now the flowers are around 2 metres (7 feet) above the ground. Below that it is just a single leafless, flowerless stalk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to take cuttings and turn it into several smaller plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's where the questions start:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the best size for a cutting? ie. What will be most likely to&#xA;survive. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should the cuts be straight or at an angle? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I treat the cuttings in some way or can I just stick them in a pot? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How long should I wait before planting the potted cuttings?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any other tips or advice that will help them thrive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T02:17:33.057" LastActivityDate="2012-02-24T19:53:10.853" Title="How are Frangipani (Plumeria) cuttings taken successfully?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3475" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3111" CreationDate="2012-02-20T06:25:33.937" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gardening is such hard work. Just kidding. It's only hard for suckers that turn their own compost... Don't do that. There's a short cut, if you've got the coin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;It's called a rotating compost bin.&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/53zSS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Just turn to aerate&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost goes in. A couple of weeks later, give it a turn or two and your aerating is done. How easy is that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now if you're really smart you'll figure out how to put wheels on it and you can throw away your wheelbarrow!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2012-02-20T06:25:33.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3476" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3694" CreationDate="2012-02-20T07:37:45.953" Score="21" ViewCount="64673" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn has both peaks and troughs. I guess that I can just fill the troughs with lawn soil or compost, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But how do I flatten the peaks? &#xA;I’ve read that a water filled roller does nothing. &#xA;Has anyone been successful at flattening out an established lawn or do I have to rip it out and re-sod?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-21T22:38:35.727" LastActivityDate="2015-12-26T19:38:51.470" Title="How is a lumpy lawn flattened out?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3477" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3476" CreationDate="2012-02-20T12:29:39.250" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends how big they are. For small bumps a roller is very effective, but for larger humps you may need to try one of the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut the turf up, peel it back, take out sufficient soil (this is relatively easy to get close to flat...not so easy to get exactly right)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;take the turf off entirely, flatten all the soil and re-lay the turf (bigger job, but gives best results)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastActivityDate="2012-02-20T12:29:39.250" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3478" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3479" CreationDate="2012-02-20T13:09:36.783" Score="9" ViewCount="588" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am attempting to grow some herbs in my kitchen and I was wondering how frequently I should water them? Also my kitchen isn't the warmest so I am attempting to keep them near the radiator, is there anything else I can also do, e.g. insulate them or something?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks very much for any help&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="963" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T01:34:08.940" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T01:34:08.940" Title="How can I grow  herbs in my kitchen?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3479" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3478" CreationDate="2012-02-20T13:27:37.730" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Different herbs will vary, but make sure they don't dry out, also that they are not soaking (which could lead to rot/etc). They will dry out more quickly near a radiator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also need light. is the radiator below a window? Is so the sill could be an excellent place - especially if it gets a lot of sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-02-20T13:27:37.730" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3481" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3478" CreationDate="2012-02-21T01:45:27.760" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The radiator probably isn't helping unless it's below freezing. Your biggest problem is going to be lighting. Most herb need direct sunlight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DIRECT SUNLIGHT&lt;/strong&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe your kitchen uses natural lighting but getting &lt;em&gt;direct&lt;/em&gt; sunlight indoors is difficult.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is what the experts have to say:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Herbs need as much light as possible, preferably the natural variety&#xA;  from the sun. Direct sunlight, at least four or five hours a day, is&#xA;  the minimum herbs need. Even with that, and with plants positioned&#xA;  close to a south, east or west facing window, I like to recommend&#xA;  supplying supplemental artificial light from growlights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't have direct sunlight you should consider either a hydroponic lamp or simply rotating indoor/outdoor pots every few days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for watering:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;When watering, it is better to water more throughly and less often. A&#xA;  good principle to follow is to water until water comes out of the&#xA;  drainage holes in the bottom of the container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And don't forget about soil:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Inexperienced gardeners may think that if soil in the garden is good&#xA;  enough to grow herbs or other plants, then the same soil must be good&#xA;  enough for potted herbs. That’s wrong because of the water drainage&#xA;  factor. Good garden soil drains well enough in the garden, but in a&#xA;  container the walls of the container restrict the movement of water in&#xA;  the soil column. Even in unglazed terra cotta containers it is&#xA;  important to use a good potting mix that contains amendments such as&#xA;  perlite or vermiculite or sharp builder’s sand to allow water to move&#xA;  freely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Quotes taken from this great resource: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.richters.com/show.cgi?page=MagazineRack/Articles/indoors.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Growing Herbs Indoors&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2012-02-21T01:45:27.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3472" CreationDate="2012-02-21T02:20:08.603" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had a look around the interwebs and it seems like you can make compost tea with just about anything. It will grow some nasty pathogenes, but if your tea is brewed properly (oxygen rich with decomposed compost) they should be at a safe level. Here are some things to remember: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoid getting compost tea on foliage - those microbes only work on soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wash your vegetables - you should be doing this anyway, right?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't eat dirt or drink compost tea - duh!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This quote sums it all up pretty well:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Soil itself has about 10 billion microbes per gram, and they're pretty&#xA;  much the same microbes that are in your compost pile. Avoid eating&#xA;  compost just like you avoid eating dirt and you'll be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some links:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilfoodweb.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&amp;amp;view=article&amp;amp;id=78&amp;amp;Itemid=56&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.soilfoodweb.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&amp;amp;view=article&amp;amp;id=78&amp;amp;Itemid=56&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://heartgarden.com.au/composttea.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://heartgarden.com.au/composttea.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0700020013496.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0700020013496.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2012-02-21T02:20:08.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3483" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3484" CreationDate="2012-02-21T03:36:04.617" Score="11" ViewCount="162" Body="&lt;p&gt;This spring, I plan on growing vegetables on land that is new to me. How do I find a lab to test my soil? Will some labs give me information that others might not? Also, how much can I expect to pay for a soil test?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="954" LastActivityDate="2012-02-21T17:26:50.973" Title="Where should I get my garden soil tested?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3484" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3483" CreationDate="2012-02-21T03:55:13.017" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think I paid $17 through my state's cooperative extension service and got pH, organic matter %, phosphate, potash, calcium, magnesium, lead, and recommendations for how much lime and organic fertilizers I should add.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your profile says you live in Ohio. A quick google search leads me to &lt;a href=&quot;http://mahoning.osu.edu/topics/master-gardener-volunteer-program/plant-and-pest-diagnostic-clinic/PSU%20Soil%20Testing1.pdf&quot;&gt;the OSU Extension Service&lt;/a&gt; -- note that the form indicates that Penn State's lab actually does the testing. The cost listed on that form is $9 for the analyses I mentioned above (minus lead); you can add $5 if you want an organic matter analysis. Follow the instructions on the form for taking the sample.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-02-21T17:26:50.973" LastActivityDate="2012-02-21T17:26:50.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3485" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-02-21T12:26:03.457" Score="11" ViewCount="4466" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planning on covering the stucco (which has a texture like &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uM4c4.jpg&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;) on the back facing walls (faces west) of my house with a creeper. I'd rather the plant not grow any roots on the walls and adhere to the substrate by disks or any other similar mechanism. An obvious choice for this is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_quinquefolia&quot;&gt;Virginia creeper (&lt;em&gt;Parthenocissus quinquefolia&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;, which is native to eastern and central USA. However, I'm not sure if the plant grows well in southern California (hardiness zone 10) and I'm looking for alternatives to choose from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some traits that I'd like are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flowers year-round (or as much of the year as possible). Winters are mild (8–13 ºC or 46–55 ºF) and there is no frost. Fragrant flowers are preferable, but is not a must.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As mentioned earlier, the creepers must not produce root structures on the substrate or in any way damage it. Getting rid of it (if I need to, in the future) should be as simple as clipping the stems at the bottom to cut off all supply and pulling it down.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should stay flat against the wall instead of growing outwards like a hanging bush.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should be easy to maintain and not ooze sap or any other icky stuff.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should grow reasonably fast. The wall is roughly (off the top of my head) 35'x10' (a lot less if you discount for the windows &amp;amp; patio door), and I'd like it covered within 12–18 months (24 months at most).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The general look that I'm aiming for is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OpPApm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are some possible choices that I can look into? Will my initial suggestion of Virigina creeper be a good fit for my climate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T13:55:27.800" Title="What creepers can be grown to cover an entire wall in a southern Californian climate?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3486" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3470" CreationDate="2012-02-22T01:37:37.250" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why not start with some beans or other legumes? These will help put some nitrogen into your soil, and you'll get a crop as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T01:37:37.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3488" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3330" CreationDate="2012-02-22T02:51:37.623" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As well as looking for droppings and specific damage, there are number of other options depending on how much time and/or money you have:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Old fashioned stake out&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Live traps (these will work for rabbits, groundhogs, etc. Even voles if you can find some very sensitive traps of the small solid-sided variety. Deer are more of a problem. You need an idea of the animal size, or deploy traps of various sizes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Motion detector cameras.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All three of these are used by the professionals. If you are so inclined (ie. make your own  electronic gadgets), then motion detector cameras could be quite a hobbiest DIY project.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T02:51:37.623" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3489" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3485" CreationDate="2012-02-22T03:48:53.307" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would call this list a starting point.  One thing I would ask you to consider is why plant only one species?  With a mix you could get a wider flowering period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bougainvillea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bougainvillea spectro-glabra&lt;/a&gt;tough, takes dry soil, nice flowers, needs support&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Campsis radicans-only held in check by lack of water, could be too vigorous in a sunny location, red or a yellow flowered variety&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clematis flammula Virgin’s Bower&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clematis viticella hybrids&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clematis tangutica-a personal favourite but invasive in some parts of North America, tough grows to 30', needs support&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardenbergia_violacea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hardenbergia violacea&lt;/a&gt;-nice but might not grow tall enough, needs support&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedera_canariensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hedera canariensis&lt;/a&gt;-will cover the side of a house but the clinging aerial roots might pull off the stucco&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ipomea alba, not as vigorous as the better known morning glory but nicer, white fragrant flowers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Jasminum polyanthus (Jasmine) - lovely scented climber, ideal near a door or window, needs support, might need additional watering during dry periods&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Kennedia nigricans&lt;/a&gt; (Black Coral Pea)-vigorous enough to cover your house and your neighbour's too, Australian, might have to start from seed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandevilla_suaveolens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mandevillea laxa&lt;/a&gt; (Chilean jasmine) pure white fragrant flowers ten to twenty feet&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandorea_jasminoides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pandorea jasminoides&lt;/a&gt;-Australian vine, might be a bit short&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Passiflora caerulea (Passion flower) another classic climber, needs support, can get mites in dry climates, probably not tall enough&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantnop/podranricasol.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Podraena ricassoliana&lt;/a&gt;-Pink trumpet vine, vigorous south african plant, hard to tell whether it will be invasive, might be hard to find. Needs more water while being established, should have no problems covering the house, your car, even you...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/p/polaub/polaub1.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Polygonum aubertii&lt;/a&gt;- it's not called mile a minute vine for nothing, probably invasive and not a good choice&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Solanum ‘Glasnevin’&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://climbingplantsdirect.com/Product.asp?ProductRef=2463&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Solanum jasminoides var. alba&lt;/a&gt; Chilean potato vine, haven't grown it but looks good: vigorous, white flowers, scented&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachelospermum_jasminoides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tracholspermum jasminoides&lt;/a&gt;- star jasmine-widely planted in California, white flowers to ten feet tall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wisteria sinensis or japonica (Wisteria)-I can't grow it where I am but you can! A classic, maybe even overdone.  When well established will damage posts with it's trunks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of white flowers in the list above so you could try the Sissinghurst White Garden look or mix two colours like trumpet vine and white.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect some of these can only be found through a superior seed supply house but what's the point of doing something easy like going to a garden centre? &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tmseeds.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Thompson and Morgan&lt;/a&gt; should have some of these or your local garden centre can assist you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T13:55:27.800" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T13:55:27.800" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3490" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-02-22T04:39:41.927" Score="14" ViewCount="1023" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen discussions here and elsewhere, about composting news paper, cardboard, etc.  But I'm wondering what considerations to consider when composting some specific non-food items. Some of the recommendations in &lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/0878579907&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Rodale Book of Composting&lt;/a&gt; seem a bit questionable to me.  For instance, it recommends composting newspaper, but &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1458/705&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; suggests the inks may be harmful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some items I'm specifically wondering about:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Facial tissue&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can imagine that the lotion-treated ones may not be good.  For untreated ones, are spent facial tissues safe to compost, or will they carry contagions (from blowing one's nose), or other manufacturing chemicals that would be harmful?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Human hair&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a recommendation from The Rodale Book of Composting. But is it a good idea, considering the various types of hair product many people use?  If all I use is shampoo, will my hair be safe to compost? Will it depend on which shampoo I use?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coffee filters, tea bags, paper towels, etc&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the exception of some paper towels, none of these items typically are printed (and I usually buy plain white paper towels anyway).  Are these items safe to compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Corks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although cork is obviously wood, it's soft enough I imagine it would decompose quickly. Are corks (from wine bottles) treated in any way that would make them unsafe to compost?  Should I avoid the ones that have logos printed on them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;100% cotton cloth&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will socks or other clothing made from 100% cotton decompose reasonably well? Are there other reasons not to compost them? Perhaps fabric dyes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="705" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-10-24T14:52:43.507" Title="Can these non-food items be composted?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3491" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3490" CreationDate="2012-02-22T06:46:38.443" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the cork-part of your question: if there is somewhere close to you a cork-collection-place or something like that I think you should better return your corks for recycling rather than letting them rot. From Europe (especially Germany) I know that there is almost a place which takes corks in every smaller town.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Corks are a valuable resource and can be easily recycled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T06:46:38.443" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3492" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-02-22T10:48:37.683" Score="6" ViewCount="8650" Body="&lt;p&gt;I appreciate this is a hard question to answer, I just wanting to get people opinions on whether I can give up on these plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have another plant from the same crop and it still have one or two leaves, and some green colour in the stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YKAhn.jpg&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-02-22T16:29:06.667" LastActivityDate="2013-08-11T06:12:40.487" Title="Is this chili plant dead?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3493" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3490" CreationDate="2012-02-22T13:20:00.370" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;From one perspective, you should definitely compost &lt;em&gt;all&lt;/em&gt; of these things if the alternative is sending them to the landfill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know enough chemistry/biology to understand how the mineral oils in some inks might be taken up by different plants, so I can't make recommendations there. (E.g. Is it safe to use newspaper with mineral oil ink around fruit trees -- where the edible part is &quot;far away&quot; from the contaminant? Does the oil &quot;poison&quot; the soil for a long period of time?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's worth considering that if you acquire mass produced (e.g. municipal) compost, it's very likely to have everything you mentioned and more!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to be safest:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tissues: buy only white tissues (i.e. undyed). To avoid germs in the snot, only use compost that contains tissues on ornamental plants or food plants where the compost doesn't come near the food (e.g. fruit trees).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hair: I'd be surprised if there was much residue in your hair if all you use is shampoo. Unless you're acquiring hair in bulk from a barbershop, it will be such a small overall component of your compost that there should be little risk.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Coffee filters, tea bags, paper towels, etc: Buy only unprinted versions. If possible, get the unbleached versions. (I.e. as close to &quot;natural&quot; as possible.) If you've got some kind of nasty cleaning product on the paper towel, it's probably better to keep it out of the compost. (And ditch the nasty cleaning products and switch to natural -- vinegar does a great job for a lot of household cleaning.) Again this will be a small component of your overall compost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cork: I don't know anything about how these might be treated, but see @Patrick B.'s answer about recycling.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cotton: I haven't tried this yet, but I do have a couple of old shirts I'm going to toss into the pile this spring. I suspect they will break down rather slowly. I've heard that cotton is one of the most pesticide laden crops, but I would hope that by the time an old sock has lived a full life any possible remaining residue has long been washed away. An argument you can make against composting is that these kind of items may still have some use as rags -- I keep a box in the garage for old socks and t-shirts and use them instead of paper towels (usually when they've been used in this way they're unfit for composting afterward).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T13:20:00.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3494" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3492" CreationDate="2012-02-22T13:39:41.903" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes I use the green stems as my guide.  It could be the color-cast of the photo, but it looks like the stem on the far right has some green?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The very base between the roots and the branches will be woody like that - even on a plant that has life in it. This is also the area where you might expect new growth (as well as from any green branches above).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the branches really are brown, then I'd discard it. Otherwise I would top-dress it with some compost - cover those roots up and improve the nutritional content of the soil (could be just the surface but looks a bit sandy/stony). If it doesn't grow in the next couple of months, discard it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would dig compost in before planting new plants, but doing this in this situation would disturb the roots too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T13:39:41.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3495" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3490" CreationDate="2012-02-22T13:52:10.827" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;As for paper, this has come up before a few times. There is also a lot of very old (decades old) advice hanging around - passed by word of mouth mainly. Basically inks are far better now than they were even 10 years ago. Also consider the quantities - even a few sheets of &quot;bad&quot; paper are not going to harm things - but half a ton of glossy mags with high metallic mineral inks might be another matter!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Inks use a solvent - water, mineral oil, and soya are the common ones. Professional printing rarely uses water for what are probably obvious reasons. Mineral oils are to be avoided, but many may eventually break down (as does crude oil after all). Soya is perfectly fine - and is the most common solvent in newspapers and magazines these days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next is the actual pigment. Traditionally these have used metallic pigments - nice bright colours and many of these in high concentrations can definitely be a problem. In this case, avoid glossy magazines. Many are probably okay these days (and some will even say), but many probably still aren't. Color newspapers are okay (these guys use the cheapest they find - nice colorfast metallic pigments are too pricey!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cereal box card is probably okay these days as I've noticed they usually say they use soya based dyes (10 years or so ago, this wasn't the case). I prefer to recycle these though rather than compost them - they seem like they would take a while to breakdown due to their construction and I can't be bothered to tear them up or shred them!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, avoid plastic laminated cards as used in juice and milk cartons. Unless the carton says otherwise (eg. as in biodegradeable wrappers), the plastic laminates will not break down in human-useful timescales.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T13:52:10.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3496" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3498" CreationDate="2012-02-22T14:51:56.917" Score="10" ViewCount="1355" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I repot all of my potted plants each year, I end up with a rather large amount of used potting soil. It seems like a waste of good organic material to take it to the landfill. Is there a way of saving and recycling it to make it usable in some way? Can it be composted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T16:00:16.297" Title="Is there a way to recycle old potting soil?" Tags="&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3497" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3496" CreationDate="2012-02-22T15:36:16.660" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use it to amend the clay-like soil when I plan something in the ground, which I always seem to be doing.  If you don't plant anything in the ground, I imagine you might be able to just reuse it, maybe even once or twice, before you add it to compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="117" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T15:36:16.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3498" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3496" CreationDate="2012-02-22T16:00:16.297" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Of course you can compost it! &#xA;Clay soil improvement (@uncle brad) is another possibility. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use it to fill small lawn gaps (I'm not into the bowling green quality lawns!) or to help top up raised beds (where the bulk goes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing to watch for would be possible disease. You may want to discard it if you had some serious disease (or nematode) problems in the plants which were in it. There the best thing would depend on the disease - a good hot compost heap may be sufficient to sterilise it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T16:00:16.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2916" CreationDate="2012-02-22T22:38:57.620" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Theoretically you can induce most slips (of an asexually reproducing plant) to root in just water as long as the water is extremely aerated, the right temperature and the proper pH.  Most plants that can reproduce asexually don't need nutrients from soil to start roots for a limited time.  Once they slip/seed has used up its stored energy source it will need nutrients added to the water or to be transplanted to the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are the vegetables/fruits that I know of that can be grown asexually:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Asparagus&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rhubarb&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Potatoes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sweet Potatoes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Garlic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shallots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Horseradish&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Jerusalem Artichokes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; You can start any plant hydroponically/aeroponically and then transplant it to soil later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastActivityDate="2012-02-22T22:38:57.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3500" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3515" CreationDate="2012-02-22T23:16:07.950" Score="19" ViewCount="76192" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general how long do maple trees live?  Does the lifespan vary a lot according to species?  I'm thinking of planting a few in my yard and I'm wondering how long they will be around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-22T08:48:53.097" LastActivityDate="2019-09-18T02:16:24.857" Title="What is the average lifespan of most maple trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;maple&gt;&lt;lifespan&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3501" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3455" CreationDate="2012-02-23T00:08:05.123" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on the type of strawberry seed they may need cold stratification for 2-3 months. This can be done by having the seeds in the fridge during this time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="890" LastActivityDate="2012-02-23T00:08:05.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3502" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3504" CreationDate="2011-05-28T21:08:30.270" Score="5" ViewCount="698" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbor has planted a row of pine trees along our boundary. The trees (perhaps 10 of them) will grow to 14m tall, yet are barely 4m from my house (and 2.5m from his).  The ground is heavy with clay so I'm guessing the roots will spread a distance. Between the fence and my house is a concrete driveway. He has planted the trees so close to the fence that they already push against it and they are currently only 6m tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To make the situation worse, my neighbor has since sold the house so the new owner may simply say it is not their problems since they bought the house that way. I have not met them yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How bad is this for me? Will the roots affect my driveway or, worse, my house?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any way to protect my house against these trees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="dave" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2012-02-23T21:45:00.790" LastActivityDate="2012-02-23T21:45:00.790" Title="How to protect against my neighbour's trees" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3502" CreationDate="2011-05-28T21:33:42.240" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, start with the easy solution.  Welcome the new neighbor and mention how the trees will eventually threaten their own property (at that distance, the branches will be growing into their siding before impacting your home).  You may try to convince them that an evergreen shrub/hedge will give them better privacy with a lot easier maintenance and less damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they don't find the trees a new home (or chop them down if you insist), then check the local laws to see who is liable if the tree falls on your home and whether you're allow to cut the branches that encroach on your property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the roots, you can always cut them if they are close enough to the surface.  If you have a bed along the side of the driveway/house, taking a stab with a shovel along the edge of the bed where it borders the lawn would be a good way to notice any roots, hopefully before they cause any damage.  I'd say, keep an eye on the neighbors home.  The tree will damage their place first, so you get an idea of what to prevent in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="270" OwnerDisplayName="BMitch" LastActivityDate="2011-05-28T21:33:42.240" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3504" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3502" CreationDate="2011-05-28T21:41:39.813" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ribabookshops.com/item/structural-engineers-pocket-book/66521/&quot;&gt;Structural Engineers Pocket Book&lt;/a&gt; summarises some recommendations from the UK's National House Building Council (NHBC).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will assume the tree has a moderate water demand and a high plasticity for the soil. In the current condition the D/H ratio for the trees is 4/6 = 0.67 and in the final condition when the trees are 14m high the ratio is 4/14 = 0.28.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Checking against the chart for high plasticity soil the depth of influence for the current condition is 1m (this is the minimum for this type of soil in the UK) and for the final condition is 1.3m. In principal, provided your building foundations are deeper than these then shrinkage caused by drying out of the clay due to the trees roots should not be an issue. This is of course based on local practise and so it would be worth getting checked out by a local professional if in doubt. This shrinkage is typically the biggest issue for structures in the UK rather than root damage, although given time roots can cause problems. Conifers tend to have deeper rather than wider root systems though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding protecting your house, it will somewhat depend on the layout of the house, the structure and the design of the foundations so you will probably need to seek professional advice. One point to note with regard to cutting the trees down, this has been known to cause as many problems as not cutting trees down because as soon as you cut them down you reduce the amount of water being drawn from the clay causing swelling. Because these trees are relatively new, this shouldn't be an issue but may be something to beware of. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="484" OwnerDisplayName="Ian Turner" LastActivityDate="2011-05-28T21:41:39.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3505" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3502" CreationDate="2011-05-29T01:45:41.847" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it's going to be a problem with the roots for your house... the new owner next door will have the same problem, but twice as soon.  Chat with the neighbor, see what they think of the trees, and make sure it's okay to trim the ones once they cross the fence, so you can keep your driveway clear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Dean J" LastActivityDate="2011-05-29T01:45:41.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3506" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3513" CreationDate="2012-02-23T22:24:26.187" Score="11" ViewCount="2031" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few questions about starting chives (&lt;em&gt;Allium schoenoprasum&lt;/em&gt;) and keeping them happy.  I understand chives can survive and grow in many conditions, but what are the best conditions?  A few points I would love answered:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are ideal conditions for germination?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should seeds be clumped together or individually spaced out?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the optimal soil pH/temperature?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Full sun, partial sun, shade (optimally)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How aggressive should stalks be harvested?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do they spread asexually (spores, clippings) or by seed only?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should they be replanted every year or do they overwinter well?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What nutrient are they heavily dependent on (if any in particular)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please feel free to bring up any other aspects that may be pertinent!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastEditorUserId="924" LastEditDate="2012-02-24T15:54:57.447" LastActivityDate="2012-02-27T02:33:46.833" Title="What are the optimal growing conditions for chives?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3507" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2012-02-23T22:33:08.080" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2012-02-23T22:33:08.080" LastActivityDate="2012-02-23T22:33:08.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3508" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2012-02-23T22:33:08.080" Score="0" Body="Tag for conditions that best help a plant thrive and produce." OwnerUserId="924" LastEditorUserId="924" LastEditDate="2012-02-24T00:02:45.537" LastActivityDate="2012-02-24T00:02:45.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3509" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-02-24T12:13:38.093" Score="8" ViewCount="22839" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an orchid that's been thriving for a few years.  A while back I trimmed the main stem (where the first flowers blossomed) over the second knot, and later a whole new orchid started growing there with its own roots, leaves, stems, and flowers.  It's kind of neat, but I'm wondering how to best care for this.  The second plant is growing and getting heavier, and I'm wondering if at any time it will fall off or if I can somehow remove it from the stem and transplant it to its own pot.  Does anyone know?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a photo of the plant: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/4361885/1/Orchid?h=0963b0&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OwcDJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="972" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-05T14:31:50.967" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T23:33:19.190" Title="Orchid - Second plant growing from stem of main plant?" Tags="&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3510" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3509" CreationDate="2012-02-24T14:27:02.280" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Congratulations, you must have a situation that is just right for your orchid. It looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalaenopsis&quot;&gt;phalaenopsis&lt;/a&gt;.  In nature the second plant would start rooting in the same medium that the parent is rooting in.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The no-risk solution is to get another pot with the same medium (looks like bark chips from the photo) and plant your latest addition into it. Wait until you can see that the leaves and roots of the new plant are growing and cut the link to the parent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are willing to take a little more care of the baby orchid you can cut the link now and pot it up.  The roots that you see are more for mechanical attachment than drawing nutrients. The preferred day temperature for Phalaenopsis orchids is 75-85 deg F(24 - 29 deg C) with a lower night temperature. Do not let the medium stay wet.  Soggy rooting medium causes rot.   If you can increase the humidity and air movement for your new plant this will help new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: If you cut the roots now then you should make sure the new plant has the best conditions possible such as higher humidity, warmer temperatures, bright but diffuse light.&#xA;If you pot the new plant up and leave it attached then you don't have to do anything more than wait until it is larger and better established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-02-24T16:13:34.893" LastActivityDate="2012-02-24T16:13:34.893" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3511" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3474" CreationDate="2012-02-24T19:53:10.853" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's a web site with some good explanation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.howtogrowplumeria.com/HT-Cuttings.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.howtogrowplumeria.com/HT-Cuttings.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="969" LastActivityDate="2012-02-24T19:53:10.853" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3512" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3514" CreationDate="2012-02-25T21:05:22.077" Score="18" ViewCount="1850" Body="&lt;p&gt;My first effort at growing tomatoes was last year when I was given plants ~20cm tall and it went well. This year I'm having another go, but starting from seed. On the grounds that I have no seed trays, etc and don't really know what I'm doing, I bought a lazy kit type of thing, which provided me a small degradable tray, soil and seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The instructions provided had be filling the pots to ~2cm down adding the seeds and then topping off with ~1cm more soil. I assumed you added lots of seeds because there was an expected failure rate, so used them all (this may have been wrong).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This was only a week ago and I already have over five seedlings growing in the two 4cm pots that took tomato seeds. I suspect if I leave them there they will get entangled and so on? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I endeavour to separate the plants? Or maybe remove the weakest? I don't &lt;em&gt;want&lt;/em&gt; over 10 tomato plants, two will be plenty, so I'm not adverse to just plucking out those I don't need!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a quick photo:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tlKE1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of Tomato Seedlings in 4cm pots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-26T02:11:40.253" LastActivityDate="2012-05-14T20:55:41.843" Title="Are these tiny tomato seedlings going to be too crowded?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3513" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3506" CreationDate="2012-02-26T01:17:25.717" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chives are one of the easiest herbs to grow and are trouble free unless you grow onions close by.  The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/00-017.htm&quot;&gt;onion fly&lt;/a&gt; will attack most members of the onion family of which the chive is a member.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What are ideal conditions for germination?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil less mix, moisture, light, bottom heat, moderate to high humidity to start germination with more air movement after germination&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should seeds be clumped together or individually spaced out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chives do very well from seed. Collect the seeds and sow in a pot very early in the year. Keep warm and watered until the seedlings are large enough to plant outside. Use normal spacing, they will fill in as they start growing outdoors&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What is the optimal soil pH/temperature?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ph neutral, temperatures ranges from 15 deg C to 30 deg C.  At either end of the temperature range growth is reduced.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Full sun, partial sun, shade (optimally)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Full sun if the soil is rich and does not get too dry, light shade is better if the climate or soil is dryer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How aggressive should stalks be harvested?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Let seedlings grow unharvested for one year. Established clumps can be regularly harvested by taking a portion of the stalks. It's your choice whether you take the entire stalk down to the base or a little off the top. After flowering the  entire clump should be cut down to the ground so you can have another harvest late in the fall.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do they spread asexually (spores, clippings) or by seed only?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They spread by seed or by division&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should they be replanted every year or do they overwinter well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They can be grown in USDA zones 3 to 9.  I have read that they should be replanted every four or five years but have never done so and I have more chives than I can use.  Rabbits don't seem to eat them either.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What nutrient are they heavily dependent on (if any in particular)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;None when grown in soils with normal or above average amounts of organic matter. Fertilizer is not necessary unless your soil is extremely poor in nutrients. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chives are not a fussy or demanding plant.  There are a few different types like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic_chives&quot;&gt;garlic chives&lt;/a&gt;.  Once you plant them and see how reliable they are their relatives such as garlic, onions and leeks start to look like a good addition to your garden as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-02-27T02:33:46.833" LastActivityDate="2012-02-27T02:33:46.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3514" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3512" CreationDate="2012-02-26T04:02:42.877" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you should thin them. If you wanted to keep them, you could try pricking out -- gently tease apart the roots from the soil and move the plant into a separate container. Always handle the plant by the leaves, not the stem. (The plant can replace a broken leaf, but a broken stem is fatal.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your case, since you've got more plants than you need, thin them by snipping the weakest with kitchen scissors. Don't try pulling them out since you may disturb the plants you want to keep. You'll also want to favor the ones in the center of the pots versus the ones growing right on the edge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the &quot;failure rate&quot;: decent quality tomato seed should germinate at something like a 90% rate. So in the future, you can use two seeds per pot if you want to be sure, but I usually do one per pot and start a few extra pots to make sure I have as many as I want at the beginning of the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-02-26T04:02:42.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3515" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3500" CreationDate="2012-02-26T21:55:59.177" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of factors that affect lifespan for all trees:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you live in an old growth forest that has never been logged larger maples can live well over 200 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you live in an urban environment in USDA zones 3 to 7&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Norway maple 100 years  (Invasive in some areas and does not play well with others)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Red maple    100 years&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Silver maple 100 years  (I cannot imagine why you would want to plant this species)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sugar maple  75 years (away from compacted soil)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you live where the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_long-horned_beetle&quot;&gt;Asian long horned beetle&lt;/a&gt; has been seen then the lifespan of a maple could be very short. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.maple-trees.com/&quot;&gt;many kinds of maples&lt;/a&gt; that are smaller such as the Amur Maple. I'm sure there's something that will fit.  My choice of species would not include Ash or Maple due the possible appearance of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_ash_borer&quot;&gt;introduced pests&lt;/a&gt; such as the Emerald Ash Borer or the Asian Long Horned Beetle in your region.  If you have the room &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gingko_biloba&quot;&gt;Gingko Biloba&lt;/a&gt; seems immune to almost every pest and disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-02-26T21:55:59.177" CommentCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3516" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3517" CreationDate="2012-02-27T13:59:06.977" Score="11" ViewCount="1461" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in the process of starting a small garden (6'x9'). My current sprinkler system doesn't do a great job of covering the area where I have placed the garden, so I would like to tap off of my existing system to add a head dedicated for the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How tall should I make the head for this garden? Should I place it several feet above the ground so that it is able to get over some of the taller plants, like tomatoes? Also, is it better to place one single head for the whole thing or a few heads with less pressure around the garden? Or is there some better method for automated watering of this garden? I would like to have most everything underground while having to perform minimal amounts of digging to get it underground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="946" LastEditorUserId="946" LastEditDate="2012-02-27T15:21:17.687" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T07:20:30.443" Title="What is the best way to automatically water my garden?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3517" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3516" CreationDate="2012-02-27T15:56:37.917" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you design your garden with the tall stuff around the perimeter, a single head just needs to be high enough to loft over the nearest plants - really high for corn, not so much for chives.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To reduce evaporation loss, mulch and use a head that puts out big droplets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't use an automated system, so I can't help you with the specifics on that.  FWIW, I use a little square-pattern sprinkler on our 16' by 16' garden - the simple kind that's just a bunch of holes in a domed metal plate.  It puts out big droplets with very little mist.  It's on a little platform that's about two feet high.  We have trellising all around the perimeter, for tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans, peas, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-02-28T15:28:04.650" LastActivityDate="2012-02-28T15:28:04.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3518" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3516" CreationDate="2012-02-27T22:35:50.070" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;My preferred method for watering is with soaker hoses buried just under the soil. Basically I just put them in the beds at the beginning of the season, bury them with just enough soil to hold them down, and then plant. (The occasional uncooperative hose gets held down with the nearest rock.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Benefits:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water goes directly to roots where plants can use it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No loss to evaporation.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No overspray / watering of areas that don't need it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Drawbacks:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Be careful with sharp tools! I've put a couple of nice big holes in my hoses when I wasn't being careful with a pitchfork...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm not sure that water delivery is even over the entire length of the hose. But it seems to work well enough for my needs.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have a fully automated system, but I do use a simple timer so that I don't overwater. I've had decent luck with relatively inexpensive timers that you screw into the spigot, and then screw the hose into the timer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do know someone with a more elaborate electronic timer that turns the water on every day at, say, 3pm and then off again at 4pm. (I've seen this system watering the garden on rainy days!) They like it, but I'd rather just pay attention to moisture levels in the garden soil and conserve water and energy by only irrigating when necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-02-27T22:35:50.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3519" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-02-28T00:11:22.023" Score="7" ViewCount="748" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what the potted plant pictured here is? &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6PYi5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="975" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-28T13:51:41.920" LastActivityDate="2012-02-28T17:03:53.020" Title="What is this houseplant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3519" CreationDate="2012-02-28T03:47:14.420" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a bromeliad, most likely a member of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=aechmea%20fasciata&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=9&amp;amp;ved=0CF4QFjAI&amp;amp;url=http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/urn-plant.html&amp;amp;ei=LOhMT-D_JeXi0QHMyuTTAg&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNESaRHGRQckyu1oFWXgk6AEWPvAGw&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Aechmea fasciata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; cultivar family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are a large genus of about 200 species and all are epiphytic tank-forming plants mostly with broad rosettes of arching leaves. Bromeliads are long lasting houseplants but once they flower, like the one in the picture,the next thing they do is start dying. If conditions are good it will put out some pups at the side that, eventually, will become adult plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:  You can improve the health of the pups that will start sprouting out of the base by increasing the humidity and providing bright diffuse light.  When I worked at a museum we sprayed them with distilled water every day and let a little water accumulate in the cup formed by the leaves.  This mimics their natural environment where they tend to be epiphytes growing on trees and acquiring moisture through rain not roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-02-28T17:03:53.020" LastActivityDate="2012-02-28T17:03:53.020" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3516" CreationDate="2012-02-28T13:59:42.597" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm probably in a similar boat. The new house has its own irrigation although we currently don't know quite where it goes and how well it performs. It also doesn't help that the workmen installed a new fence hit the pipes (should be fixed but who knows...).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway I'm not planning on installing anything this year but by next year we'll have longer term plans and may move / rebuild the existing raised beds for veg. I'm intending to go the drip or soaker hose route, rather than the traditional sprayer heads but don't know anything else about this stuff!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a parts supplier catalog which just confuses things further due to the large array of parts available. They're pushing a book I nearly purchased but it gets bad reviews on Amazon. My cart currently contains the following two which get better reviews, and I'll be buying in the near future:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;All About Sprinklers and Drip Systems (Ortho's All About Gardening) -&#xA;Ortho&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drip Irrigation for Every Landscape and All Climates, 2nd edition - Robert Kourik&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm hoping they'll help me -they might help you as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-02-28T13:59:42.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3432" CreationDate="2012-02-28T21:28:03.773" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In zone 7-8 Sweet Potaoes go in around June 1 or after.  The time depends how many steps you are doing.  We started with organic potatos from organic grocery store, cut up and planted those to make sprouts, that was about 3-4 weeks.  Then we cut vines off those sprouts, placed in buckets of water outdoors 2 weeks or so, then planted each of those rooted slips in the field rows.  The whole process only took about 6 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="977" LastActivityDate="2012-02-28T21:28:03.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3525" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-02-28T21:39:08.923" Score="6" ViewCount="253" Body="&lt;p&gt;For hydroponic horticulture are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=metal%20halide%20lights&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;ved=0CIcBEBYwAA&amp;amp;url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal-halide_lamp&amp;amp;ei=8IhNT5WaFK230QH-qfXiAg&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNHWwcDFTTrdYHyUpYOR40KyVU-hAA&quot;&gt;Metal Halide&lt;/a&gt; (MH) and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium-vapor_lamp#High_pressure_sodium&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=high%20pressure%20sodium%20lights&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEgewYvA8rlkkfL2AE2D48ebJV5wA&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=KYlNT5-hGafe0gGW3ZzNAg&amp;amp;ved=0CKkBEMoEMAY&quot;&gt;High-Pressure Sodium&lt;/a&gt; (HPS) lights still the staple/better choice for growing indoors or do Compact Fluoresent lights (CFL) offer enough light output/spectrum to give the HID lights a run for their money?  Can CFLs provide enough power to support indoor plants alone (specifically concerning a setup where there is very little sunlight available)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Also:&lt;/strong&gt; Perhaps this would be better suited as its own question but, where do LED lights fit in to the plant lighting world?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-02-29T02:14:52.823" LastActivityDate="2013-06-19T13:41:59.013" Title="Is High-Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting better overall than Compact Fluoresent Lighting (CFL)?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3527" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-02-29T05:39:13.970" Score="7" ViewCount="629" Body="&lt;p&gt;A book I've been skimming through recently, &lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/1580087965&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits&lt;/a&gt;, talks about this, and I've also heard it mentioned, and read about it several other places--perhaps most notably the Farmer's Almanac which I have seen for sale on many news stands, and which has a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.farmersalmanac.com/calendar/gardening/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;web site&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the book:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the most controversial aspects of [our] method is [the] method of planting seeds and transplanting seedlings according to the phases of the moon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;... &lt;em&gt;Short-germinating and extra-long-germinating seeds&lt;/em&gt; are planted &lt;em&gt;2 days before the new moon,&lt;/em&gt; when significant magnetic forces occur, and up to 7 days after the new moon. &lt;em&gt;Long-germinating seeds&lt;/em&gt; are planted &lt;em&gt;at the full moon&lt;/em&gt; and up to 7 days afterward. Seedlings are &lt;em&gt;transplanted&lt;/em&gt; at the &lt;em&gt;opposite&lt;/em&gt; time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(emphasis in original)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It goes on to explain in much greater detail when certain types of seeds and seedlings ought to be planted or transplanted, in accordance with lunar phases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The gist of it seems to boil down to the idea that moonlight helps leaf development, and that lunar gravity, helps root development. (I'm not really sure what it means by the &amp;quot;magnetic forces&amp;quot; in the above quote).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At least the book acknowledges, right off the bat, that this lunar stuff is &lt;em&gt;controversial&lt;/em&gt;.  But my question is:  Is there real evidence that there is a benefit to plants to be planted and/or transplanted by phases of the moon?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="705" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-03-02T06:39:38.890" Title="Is there any truth behind planting by phases of the moon?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3527" CreationDate="2012-02-29T06:13:46.770" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;How to Grow More Vegetables editions 1-4 state that the ideas are based on the &quot;biodynamic/French intensive method&quot;, the most recent edition of the book calls it the &quot;Chinese Biointensive way of farming&quot; although the content is the same. There are parts of that book which are useful and parts of that book which are plain BS. Some of the biodynamic suggestions are good. The planting by the phases of the moon stuff as presented in this book would fall under biodynamic theory.&#xA;Biodynamic farming in general is much a pseudoscience (see &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodynamic_agriculture&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wikipedia entry&lt;/a&gt;)&#xA;However, planting by the phases of the moon may have merit, more scientific research is warranted before it can be recommended.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="890" LastEditorUserId="890" LastEditDate="2012-03-02T00:51:18.410" LastActivityDate="2012-03-02T00:51:18.410" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3529" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3875" CreationDate="2012-02-29T06:03:58.900" Score="10" ViewCount="261" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in planting about 5-10 vines of wine grapes from a mature (3-5 year old) rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions on the particular varietal.  I'm located in the Texas Hill Country near Austin.  I'm currently focused on Lenoir (Black Spanish).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="978" OwnerDisplayName="Dustin Kirkland" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2012-02-29T15:01:39.793" LastActivityDate="2012-04-16T18:42:38.670" Title="Choosing and finding a good wine grape rootstock" Tags="&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3530" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3527" CreationDate="2012-02-29T13:43:10.420" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is local lore in Costa Rica too - but reality is their stuff grows any time of the month!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;magnetic forces&quot; bit really is BS. The Moon does have a small relict magnetic field but you have to be on the Moon or low lunar orbit with specialist equipment to detect it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It pales into insignificance when you compare it to the Earth's (very active) field, and the solar magnetic field. Even locally magnetized rocks are going to have more influence, and even these will be drowned out with the fluctuations from the Earth/Sun interaction - which can be over times scales of seconds to 11 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lore might come from countries with strong seasons (eg. the UK and not Costa Rica) where planting in a specific 1-2 week window really is ideal. However it isn't the phase of the Moon that is causing this, but the actual seasons. If you don't have a calendar , then you would naturally use the Moon. From this some Moons even have names - e.g. the Harvest Moon is traditionally when grains are harvested. It marks the right time of the year (to an accuracy of about 2 weeks) and gives good illumination past dusk. I would imagine the same would occur for planting - &quot;Well son, you need the first half Moon after the start of Lent&quot; or something like that. Earlier and it might be too cold; later and the crops might not have time to mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-02-29T14:17:50.613" LastActivityDate="2012-02-29T14:17:50.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3532" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3533" CreationDate="2012-03-01T02:51:12.540" Score="6" ViewCount="481" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stevia Plants, to be precise their leaves are being used as a natural sugar substitute in some countries like Japan, India and over South American for decades or centuries now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Especially in the European Union, Stevia was only lately approved (December, 2011) by the WHO for human consumption, after several evaluations for toxicity and Long-Term Health Effects.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;More information here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q&lt;/strong&gt;: Where can I buy Stevia seeds?! It seems, after several approaches to get my hands on the seeds, that i either asked the wrong people, they never heard about it or couldn't point me in the right direction. Right now I live in Frankfurt, but anyway online resellers are just fine with me!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if anyone of you is experienced, in growing this particular plant from seeds, feel free to give me some advice of how to do it right. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="974" LastEditorUserId="974" LastEditDate="2012-03-01T23:04:52.663" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T13:19:25.227" Title="Stevia Plant, aka. Sweetleaf, Sugarleaf, Sweet Herb - where to get seeds?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3533" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3532" CreationDate="2012-03-01T03:04:10.323" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stevia seems to be widely available in North America.  Examples include &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/store/herbs/steviatp/stevia&quot;&gt;Vesey's&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_store.cgi?product=X6030&amp;amp;show=all&amp;amp;prodclass=&amp;amp;cart_id=1193093.31991&quot;&gt;Richters&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The issue seems to be that plants grown from seed can have &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.stevia.net/growingstevia.htm&quot;&gt;widely varying amounts&lt;/a&gt; of the sugar substitute. Seeds can normally be shipped across the world but live plants are subject to phytosanitary certificates which are a lot of work for an individual.  Your best choice would seem to be growing from seed and selecting for the sweetest leaves.  You can grow them indoors but an plot of well drained soil with rich loam will give the best results&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-03-01T03:04:10.323" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3534" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3538" CreationDate="2012-03-02T00:26:25.900" Score="10" ViewCount="63939" Body="&lt;p&gt;We're about to level our front yard. It will be partly sown with grass, and partly planted with trees &amp;amp; shrubs, though it may not be completely relevant to this question. What is a suitable slope to gently drain water away from the house? &lt;strong&gt;I think one of the tradespeople I spoke to suggested a 1 in 65 slope&lt;/strong&gt; would be adequate, which by my calculations would be a drop of roughly 15mm for every horizontal metre. &lt;strong&gt;Is this about right, not enough, or too much?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I had a go at pulling a string taught from one side of the yard to the other. Holding my spirit level against the string didn't really work very well for working out what was level. &lt;strong&gt;What is the best equipment for determining what's level?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I have a small spirit level that can attach to a string (from a picture framing kit) which might be better, though I don't know how accurate it will be (I can calibrate it against my big spirit level probably).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Background info: we have high rainfall sometimes in the winter, though the soil should have reasonably good drainage qualities (no clay). The size of the yard isn't very big. The max distance from the house to the edge of the yard is probably about 7 metres.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="715" LastActivityDate="2020-07-03T20:31:47.623" Title="What is a suitable slope for a lawn to drain water away from a house?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3535" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3545" CreationDate="2012-03-02T06:56:51.117" Score="12" ViewCount="4924" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live on a corner lot, with neighbors' fencing on two sides of my back yard, the house on a third, and an open street on the fourth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rather than installing a fence myself, to provide privacy in the back yard, I had the idea of planting some shrubs or bushes along about a 30-40 foot (9-12 meters) length along the road.  I'm wondering if there might be any food-bearing plants that might do the job nicely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my criteria, in order of highest to lowest priority, would be something that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will grow thick, and at least 4-5 feet tall, but taller would be nice (Clearly a 4-foot shrub wouldn't provide a lot of privacy, but it would keep wandering neighborhood children from drowning in the hot tub, which is the main concern)&lt;sup&gt;*&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grows well in my area (mid-Kansas, Zone 6A) and in moderate sunlight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will make for at least a semi-attractive shrub row&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will produce a small food crop&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;*Note I may opt to have a (probably wire) fence in addition to the shrub row, depending on how thick the shrubbery turns out to be, for the purpose of keeping pets in, and children out. But if possible, such a fence will be mostly hidden by the greenery.  I'll also provably put a locked gate near the house (between the red line and side of the house in the photo)&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would be happy to consider a combination of plants.  Particularly because I suspect a 40-foot harvest of any single crop will be more than I can eat or give away, whenever the crop ripens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondarily, I had the thought that a combination of shrubs, planted right by the road, and (dwarf?) fruit trees planted a few feet into the yard, might help with privacy more than just one or the other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's an image of my yard, taken from Google's satellite view:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z10CP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Satellite view of my yard&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The red line indicates where I want the privacy wall to go.  The southern end is in direct sunlight practically all day, and the northern end is in direct sunlight all afternoon. (The image must have been taken mid-morning, judging by the shadow positions.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="705" LastEditorUserId="705" LastEditDate="2012-03-02T22:09:42.863" LastActivityDate="2020-08-02T19:56:02.977" Title="Options for an edible privacy &quot;fence&quot;?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3536" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3537" CreationDate="2012-03-02T13:24:41.270" Score="4" ViewCount="2251" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've had a mild winter here, and I'm going to plant out the broccoli (currently under lamps in the garage) this weekend. First time I've grown it and it seems to be doing well but obviously too big for the seed trays and I have an aphid infestation (some natural predators should help here!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The previous owners left two raised beds in so-so condition and a couple of bags of &lt;strong&gt;composted cow manure&lt;/strong&gt;. I'm going to be buying more compost at the weekend to help bulk things out, but should the cow manure be okay for the broccoli? I intend to dig it in with the soil that is in the bed already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next alternative would be the second bed where I intend to plant the pepper seedlings, but these are currently a bit small for planting out (give them another week or two I think).  And the final alternative would be as general bed compost or a top mulch for trees, the bananas, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The long term plan (i.e. next year) is probably to move the beds so I don't want to properly fill them - just put enough compost in for good growing this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-03-02T13:47:16.970" Title="Will composted cow manure harm vegetables?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;manure&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3537" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3536" CreationDate="2012-03-02T13:47:16.970" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're buying bagged cow manure, it is thoroughly composted and should pose no harm to your vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only possible harm I can think of is if you use it on the peppers: if the bag is labeled with NPK, you may want to check that you aren't adding too much nitrogen. Manure is usually pretty low analysis (1-2% N), so it should be fine. But I wouldn't hesitate to add it to broccoli or the other spots you mentioned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing to check on your broccoli is pH: cole crops want soil that is nearly neutral pH (6.5 - 7.5). If you're planting this weekend it might be too late for lime (for acidic soil) to really have much effect prior to planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main problem I have with broccoli is cabbage loopers. If you have these in your area, I'd recommend planting under row covers and/or spraying with Bt on a regular basis. (I've had too many broccoli harvests that were &lt;em&gt;loaded&lt;/em&gt; with little green worms. Kind of a turn-off, and a pain to clean, though if I can get them worm-free without anybody else in the house knowing, they end up just fine. Bt works well to reduce plant damage and worms in the harvest.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-02T13:47:16.970" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3538" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3534" CreationDate="2012-03-02T17:08:18.600" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The minimum slope that I recommend is two percent, or 1/4 inch per foot. As an example, the grade at a spot four feet away from your house should be one inch lower than the grade next to your house. This will do for most houses with soil that will absorb water readily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For your 7 metre garden (~ 22.9 feet) this would be no more than a 6&quot; drop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that too much slope means difficulties with mowing equipment.  12.5 degree of slope or a 22.2 percent slope is as much as you want to have close to your house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@Scivitri's comment:  I agree, for the purpose of grading a laser level would do the job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-03-02T19:17:18.487" LastActivityDate="2012-03-02T19:17:18.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3539" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3540" CreationDate="2012-03-02T21:53:24.907" Score="6" ViewCount="7164" Body="&lt;p&gt;My soil test from my local county extension office says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Your pH is 7.4 ... You should incorporate sulfur to a depth of 6&quot; at a rate of ½ lb per 100 sq. feet at least 6 weeks before planting in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm about 2-3 weeks from the historical last freeze in my area (Wichita, KS, Zone 6A), and I'd rather not wait &quot;at least 6 weeks&quot; from now before transplanting anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So is it too late to add sulfur now?  Or should I take any special precautions when applying it now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="705" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-01T21:17:34.937" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T21:17:34.937" Title="Is it too late to add sulfur to my vegetable garden soil?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3540" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3539" CreationDate="2012-03-03T14:02:37.163" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are suggesting incorporating sulfur to lower the ph of the soil.  The sulfur will become sulfuric acid in the presence of water.  If the soil had a ph of over 8 or you were a commercial farmer this would be a viable solution but would have to be done yearly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your soil ph of 7.4 is not extremely alkaline. Although most vegetables prefer a ph of 5.5 to 6.5 these vegetables will do well in your soil:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;beets&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;broccoli&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cabbage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;brussel sprouts&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;legumes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;turnips&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Refer to this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.eutechinst.com/tips/ph/15_soil_ph.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pdf&lt;/a&gt; which has a detailed list of what likes what.  You will see that with your soil ph these vegetables will not do as well:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lettuce&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;carrots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;corn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;potato&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;peanuts&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;watermelon&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your best investment which would help your garden in many ways and moderate your soil ph would be to add organic matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To grow the vegetables that like a lower ph you could consider a raised bed with large quantities of composted manure mixed with top soil.  In my area they have a &amp;quot;triple mix&amp;quot; of composted manure, top soil and peat moss.  If you have six to eight inches of a soil high in organic matter and you top dress it every spring with more organic matter then you will not need to use sulfer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  Yes, I am suggesting that  you would be better off with a raised bed of your favourite mix of compost and top soil and grow the ph sensitive vegetables there.  Skip the sulfur...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-03-04T02:32:59.030" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3541" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3543" CreationDate="2012-03-04T03:11:26.760" Score="6" ViewCount="260" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to plant some shrubs and/or flowers in a mostly wooded area behind my house (in NE Oklahoma). What are some good candidates that are (1) cheap, (2) perennial, and (3) hardy enough to survive without any assistance from me? (This is just for fun -- nothing serious, so I don't really mind if 3/4 of them don't survive.) Invasive species are fine, poison ivy is not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="662" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-03-04T18:57:44.300" LastActivityDate="2012-03-04T18:57:44.300" Title="What flowers and shrubs will grow without outside help?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3542" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-04T15:18:10.403" Score="15" ViewCount="8726" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippeastrum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;hippeastrum&lt;/a&gt; which is about 4 years old. When the flowers and leaves die, I've been cutting them off and putting them back into the pot on top of the soil. This is in the hope that they rot down and become compost. Is this a good idea or not?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="982" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-29T20:17:06.390" LastActivityDate="2017-01-29T20:17:06.390" Title="Should I return dead houseplant leaves to the pot?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3543" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3541" CreationDate="2012-03-04T18:57:00.527" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know of a list of plants for Oklahoma, but I'll tell you how we achieved the criteria you listed for flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Drive around in the spring (we're in a rural area), notice what is flowering in the ditches on the side of the road. Dig up some of those plants, bring them home and plant them. Here, some of the early blooms are from the lupines. (Obviously you don't want to steal plants from someone's front yard, but digging up a scoop of dirt and weeds from a roadside ditch won't bother anyone.) Repeat in mid- and late-summer and you'll have something flowering all summer long. Not everything you find will be perennial, but since they are weeds, they are likely to reseed freely. Since you're getting plants that are naturalized to your area, and are already growing without any human help, you're sure that they'll survive without your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that you have a mostly wooded area, I presume it is somewhat shaded. So when you're scouting wildflowers, keep an eye out for what's growing in the shade. You should also keep an eye on where they're growing and what kind of conditions you're going to put them in -- weeds growing in a ditch that's always wet may not grow well on sandy, very well drained soil. Of course, even if you fail on the first attempt, you'll learn about what will and won't survive in your planting area, and anyway, you said you don't care if you have a high failure rate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shrubs are a little trickier, but you can use a similar strategy. Find some nearby family, friends, or neighbors with vigorous (possibly overgrown) shrubs. Get permission to take cuttings, root them, and then plant them. Before you take cuttings, ask the owner about what kind of care they have to provide for the shrub -- if it's something that requires more care than you want to provide, you may want to pass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-04T18:57:00.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3544" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3542" CreationDate="2012-03-04T21:12:46.863" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not really, an indoor plant does not have the same ecosystem in the soil that an outdoor plant does.  Hopefully you do not have worms, slugs and snails in the soil of your plant.  These are the agents of recycling outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are better off to pick up the dead stuff and apply a dilute fertilizer to replace the nutrients lost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-03-04T21:12:46.863" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3545" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3535" CreationDate="2012-03-05T01:59:58.993" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are some ideas but ultimately your decision will have to be made on what is available at your local plant nurseries:&#xA;In no particular order of preference:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corylus_avellana&quot;&gt;Corylus avellana&lt;/a&gt;: Hazelnut: six feet tall and wide, yellow fall colour, edible nut, likes moist to wet soil, for sun to half shade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_idaeus&quot;&gt;Raspberry species&lt;/a&gt;:  Red Raspberry, black Raspberry: three to four feet tall with prickly stems, sun to half shade (named cultivars might be better for production)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambucus_canadensis&quot;&gt;Elderberry&lt;/a&gt;: to nine feet, full sun, large white flowers, dark berries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum_trilobum&quot;&gt;Highbush Cranberry&lt;/a&gt;:twelve to sixteen feet (smaller with pruning), white flowers, bright berries, red fall colour&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jostaberry&quot;&gt;Jostaberry&lt;/a&gt;: to four feet, narrow, tangy sweet fruit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each of these has their ups and downs.  The raspberries will need more cutting back.  I have seen elderberries with ugly powdery mildew but that may  be local. The Highbush cranberry is a personal favourite but the berries are only edible by those who are extremely hungry (tart!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your chances of getting a crop of any of these shrubs seems kind of slim if you have any wildlife in your area.  Planting Hazelnuts will make you a friend to all the squirrels within five miles of your house.  Berry plants are favoured by birds.  Netting and standing guard around harvest time might be in order if you want a crop instead of a handful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-03-05T01:59:58.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3535" CreationDate="2012-03-05T19:57:28.827" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although certainly a pest if you don't keep a vigilant fist on it, you might consider a hedge of bamboo latticed with bean sprouts. The bamboo is quick growing (2-3' per year easily; hence, a pest) and hard to kill. The vines may be difficult to maintain once the height of the bamboo gets too high. Berries would also provide nice vining (and especially coloration), but may be more difficult to interlace.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To my knowledge in Ohio, if you have a drowning hazard a landscape fence will not suffice. I am unaware of your local municipality's statutes, however you might contact your local Department of Public Health (the Ohio agency's name). I have a bamboo privacy row (not my choice) that is thick, and not comfortable to climb through; I would not trust it to save children, nor would I trust any other plant for that matter (a hard fence sends a message no plant will).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastActivityDate="2012-03-05T19:57:28.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3547" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3548" CreationDate="2012-03-06T16:59:38.587" Score="9" ViewCount="699" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was talking to someone about adding chicken manure to my compost and they said that I shouldn't do it because it's dangerous.  I had assumed that as long as I let is compost for 6 months to a year everything would be ok.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Who is right here?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="837" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-03-06T17:21:42.583" LastActivityDate="2012-03-06T18:04:05.963" Title="Safe to use Chicken Manure in my compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3547" CreationDate="2012-03-06T17:25:08.930" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are right. It's generally accepted that chicken manure is a fine addition to compost, with the caveat that, as you mention, it should cure for 6-12 months. Chicken manure is high in nitrogen, and if you have a good mix of &quot;browns&quot;, it will help the pile get hot quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I regularly add small amounts of poultry manure (from about 2 dozen birds) to my pile of horse manure and stall bedding, and it makes excellent compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-06T17:25:08.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3549" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3542" CreationDate="2012-03-06T17:50:33.700" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have learned the hard way with this one. I ended up with fungus gnats/larva. The gnats are attracted to decaying plant material. You really can't compost properly without doing it right or you will have problems. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="985" LastActivityDate="2012-03-06T17:50:33.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3550" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3547" CreationDate="2012-03-06T18:04:05.963" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://seattletilth.org/learn/resources-1/city-chickens/compostingchickenmanure&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://seattletilth.org/learn/resources-1/city-chickens/compostingchickenmanure&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is a really awesome site with lots of information about the process. If you read it through you will have a much better understanding and realize the important steps in the process you should take instead of jump pouring a pile on your pile.  But I do highly recommend it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="985" LastActivityDate="2012-03-06T18:04:05.963" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3551" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1820" CreationDate="2012-03-06T18:09:50.117" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless they have disease, bad garden bugs, or unorganic pesticides there is no reason why they wouldn't be a wonderful addition to your collection! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="985" LastActivityDate="2012-03-06T18:09:50.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3552" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2012-03-06T20:38:35.697" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hornets are large, aggressive wasps that resemble large yellow jackets (proverbial 'wasps' in UK English) but with a very pronounced thorax.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although they are generally rarer than yellow jackets and less colonial, their aggressive nature makes them a potentially dangerous pest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions referring to hornets, e.g. how to safely remove them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-06T22:45:10.343" LastActivityDate="2012-03-06T22:45:10.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3553" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2012-03-06T20:38:35.697" Score="0" Body="A large, aggressive wasp." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-06T20:38:35.697" LastActivityDate="2012-03-06T20:38:35.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3554" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3555" CreationDate="2012-03-07T02:52:35.237" Score="8" ViewCount="2733" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is a low-growing cool season annual. I'm guessing it is in the mint family because of it's square stems, triangular hairy leaves and distinctive odor. The plants are 4-8&quot; tall, and grow wild in fields, gardens, lawns, and along roadsides. To my knowledge they are not cultivated. They grow in the same season as chickweed, Sprouting in fall, growing and blooming through winter, then peaking and finally dying by late spring. What is the name of this plant?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3OA3N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PJVhY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2018-03-20T14:23:20.813" LastActivityDate="2018-03-20T14:23:20.813" Title="What is this annual weed with square stems and purple bracts?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3555" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3554" CreationDate="2012-03-07T04:39:02.127" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium_purpureum&quot;&gt;Purple Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It grows to 5–20 cm (rarely 30 cm) in height. The leaves have fine hairs, are green at the bottom and shade to purplish at the top; they are 2–4 cm long and broad, with a 1–2 cm petiole (leaf stalk), and wavy to serrated margins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Family: Mint (Lamiaceae)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Habitat: roadsides, waste places, gardens&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Height: 4-12 inches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flower size: 1/4 inch long&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flower color: lavender&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flowering time: April to October&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Origin: Europe&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="102" LastActivityDate="2012-03-07T04:39:02.127" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3557" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3641" CreationDate="2012-03-08T02:20:04.550" Score="4" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;How can budding off be stopped on a mature &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=gardenia&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0CFoQFjAA&amp;amp;url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardenia&amp;amp;ei=dBZYT-mtFcTa0QG8_PiuAg&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEyQpWZ4sKwCCGz8PpCOoZ1Bo8C1A&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardenia&lt;/a&gt;? The plant is healthy in all other ways, but the buds always fall off before opening. What is causing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-03-16T18:32:17.757" Title="How should budding off be prevented on Gardenias?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;gardenias&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3560" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3532" CreationDate="2012-03-08T14:19:40.437" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased some from Paraguay but have yet to see them sprout, I got a TON of seeds so I will try again. Surprisingly enough, I also saw them at Lowes, but when I shook the little seed packet I could tell they were a completely different type of seed. I'd check out the ones at Lowes or buy from a reputable seed company like Parkseed. Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="985" LastActivityDate="2012-03-08T14:19:40.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3562" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3512" CreationDate="2012-03-08T14:39:04.890" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should definitely thin them out. No more than two per spot. If you have two, you will have to make sure they get enough nutrients and water. I snip the stem of the thinnest stalked seedlings with a pair of scissors. If they are the same height I pick the one with more leaves. It does look like your seedlings could use a little more light, but they will be fine. When you plant them, make sure you plant them deep. The bottom leaves should not be touching the soil but be close. This will help the plant grow thicker by producing a better root structure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomato seeds are crazy reliable. I filled up a tray of 50 spots w/2 seeds each. Only 2 were empty by transplant and after that I had some still popping up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="985" LastActivityDate="2012-03-08T14:39:04.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3564" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3570" CreationDate="2012-03-08T17:29:15.660" Score="7" ViewCount="26059" Body="&lt;p&gt;When looking at either the fruit, or the plant of either, is there a specific characteristic, or set thereof, of either group that distinguishes one from the other? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am curious as to the classification of watermelon. I saw a listing of them with &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/ho-8.pdf&quot;&gt;Cucurbits&lt;/a&gt;&quot;, and am mostly just confusing myself with the little help &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watermelon&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; is providing. Is there a taxonomical clarification someone could help me with to figure out how to sort watermelon, and know how the family tree works with respect to melons and squash?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-08T22:18:28.323" LastActivityDate="2019-10-31T03:20:39.027" Title="What is the difference between a melon and a squash?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;cucurbits&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3565" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-08T18:36:30.393" Score="5" ViewCount="196" Body="&lt;p&gt;I made a cold frame out of $5.00 worth of lumber and some saran wrap. I don't know if it necessarily deserves the title &quot;cold frame&quot;, but I want to use it as a place that is protected from the elements where I can sprout and keep seedlings during the day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that one usually uses a cold frame to raise early lettuce and other things in, but is a cold frame an acceptable alternative for a greenhouse? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-08T22:17:47.827" LastActivityDate="2012-03-08T22:17:47.827" Title="Is it a bad idea to put seedlings in a cold frame?" Tags="&lt;seed-starting&gt;&lt;cold-frame&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3566" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3565" CreationDate="2012-03-08T20:34:37.860" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You live in a similar zone to me so we have the same issues with seedlings.  When they are young they are sensitive to cold and burn easily in hot direct sun.&#xA;If you put seedlings outside when it's too cold your unheated cold frame will not protect them very much.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;If you put your seedlings outside on a warm sunny day it could get too hot and bake them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A greenhouse can have heating and should have ventilation which takes care of a wider range of temperatures.  I think your cold frame will be useful for a few weeks in the spring and again in the fall for that period of time when you could still get a frost but it's not too hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-03-08T20:34:37.860" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3567" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3565" CreationDate="2012-03-08T21:04:23.037" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seems like it would depend on what you're growing, where you are, and what the weather is like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You say &quot;during the day&quot;, are you bringing them in at night? If so, and you've got enough sense to keep the plants inside during a cold or windy/rainy/snowy day, then you're probably ok to put them out. I got a tiny &quot;mini greenhouse&quot; for Christmas -- basically a clear plastic tent that goes over a little frame -- that I plan to use in this way for hardening off before planting out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't put my tomato seedlings in a plastic wrap cold frame in Wisconsin in early March. Tomatoes are tender, and I'm guessing that you're still getting some fairly cold nights. (20°F overnight probably isn't outside the norm?) Your cold frame isn't going to hold much heat. The tomatoes will be dead in the morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you were growing spinach in South Carolina, and the overnight temps were expected to be in the 40s°F, then I'd say go for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't try to &lt;em&gt;germinate&lt;/em&gt; seeds in the ground in a cold frame at this time of year. The soil is probably still pretty cold, and the seeds will germinate slowly, if at all. You're better off inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-08T21:04:23.037" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3569" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3576" CreationDate="2012-03-09T02:52:08.513" Score="8" ViewCount="445" Body="&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/421/138&quot;&gt;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/421/138&lt;/a&gt;, the answer mentions &quot;&lt;em&gt;Remember to harden off any indoor plants for a few days before transferring them outdoors.&lt;/em&gt;&quot;  I assume this is something you would need to do to help them survive in the colder, more variable climate outside.  We're trying to grow tomatoes and peppers, both of which are supposed to be started indoors if I understand correctly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I do that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For what it's worth, we live in central Minnesota, so that's the climate they'll be moving out into.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="138" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T14:19:52.803" Title="How do I harden tomato plant seedlings?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3570" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3564" CreationDate="2012-03-09T02:53:45.673" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's all genetic. Here is a list of the taxonomies of several common curcurbits:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watermelon:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kingdom:&lt;/strong&gt; Plantae&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Phylum:&lt;/strong&gt; Magnoliophyta&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Class:&lt;/strong&gt; Magnoliopsida&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Order:&lt;/strong&gt; Violales&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Family:&lt;/strong&gt; Curcurbitaceae&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Genus:&lt;/strong&gt; Citrullus&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Species:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;lanatus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Squash:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kingdom:&lt;/strong&gt; Plantae&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Phylum:&lt;/strong&gt; Magnoliophyta&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Class::&lt;/strong&gt; Magnoliopsida&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Order:&lt;/strong&gt; Violales&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Family:&lt;/strong&gt; Curcurbitaceae&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Genus:&lt;/strong&gt; Curcurbita&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Species:&lt;/strong&gt; Pumpkin: &lt;em&gt;maxima&lt;/em&gt;, Butternut type: &lt;em&gt;moschata&lt;/em&gt;, Summer type: &lt;em&gt;pepo&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cucumber + Melon:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kingdom:&lt;/strong&gt; Plantae&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Phylum:&lt;/strong&gt; Magnoliophyta&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Class:&lt;/strong&gt; Magnoliopsida&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Order:&lt;/strong&gt; Violales&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Family:&lt;/strong&gt; Curcurbitaceae&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Genus:&lt;/strong&gt; Cucumis&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Species:&lt;/strong&gt; Cucumber: &lt;em&gt;sativus&lt;/em&gt;, Melon: &lt;em&gt;melo&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see, the watermelon, squash, and melon are in the same family, But each has it's own Genus. Of course, every species of plant has its own set of characteristics. Watermelon vines are thinner and longer than squash vines, and the leaves are deeply lobed, compared with the squashes wide, flat leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fruit looks very similar when young, but when they are matured the watermelons have a dramatic decrease in starch content, and have low density flesh with extremely high moisture content, and a high level of fructose. The cucumber genus is lower in water content, but also store the energy supply as fructose rather than starch. The melons have more sugar than the cucumbers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Notice that the ones with the higher starch ripen latest in the season, when animals need starch to build up fat for winter. The more sugary juicier fruits are ripened a little earlier, when the animals need quick energy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-12T13:48:03.313" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T13:48:03.313" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3571" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3575" CreationDate="2012-03-09T02:54:21.490" Score="23" ViewCount="783" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are wanting to grow tomato plants from seed this year.  We've not done this before, so we have some questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How big should the containers be that we start the seeds in?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long should they be in the containers before they get transferred outside? (i.e. how much before my outside planting should I start them?)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And, what am I forgetting/not thinking about? (I am asking about hardening in a separate question, but I'm sure there are other considerations that I haven't even thought of asking about)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="138" LastEditorUserId="2485" LastEditDate="2013-07-09T12:18:50.190" LastActivityDate="2015-04-30T00:45:05.907" Title="Starting tomato from seed" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3572" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3569" CreationDate="2012-03-09T02:59:53.357" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Slowly get them used to their new environment. For tomatoes, This would mean placing the plants outside for an increasing amount of time each day until they are completely used to it. Start When the frost is past outside and the average outside low temperature stays above 45 degrees Fahrenheit. I usually put them out for an hour the first and second days, three hours the third day, five hours the fourth day, and keep going like that until it stays out from sunrise to sunset. Then plant it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-03-09T14:19:52.803" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T14:19:52.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3571" CreationDate="2012-03-09T03:43:36.130" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes are very similar to peppers and I find they need similar conditions, although we find peppers have a longer growing season through our (hot) summers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So following from this, I would start them in seed trays - probably 2 seeds per 'pocket'. This lets you start a large number in a small space. Using a larger pot with (say) six seeds could 'loose' them as it were, and take a lot of space, and be more difficult to keep moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Follow the instructions on the packet for depth/etc (for peppers they are barely covered).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I then plant them out when the seedlings are a couple of inches in size and after the last frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would expect them to grow easily - from experience, tomato &quot;volunteers&quot; (ie. those we ate and were discarded in the previous year's compost pile) grow much better in our compost than peppers...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T03:43:36.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3574" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-09T09:06:53.760" Score="10" ViewCount="246" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm the new owner of a well established garden.  Unfortunately I don't really know what I'm doing...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Already I seem to have lots of problems (e.g. well established Rhododendron now near death), which I hope to post questions about individually.  But for now..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What advice would you give to a gardening newbie, to help get on top of the situation?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Perhaps you could tell me what I should be doing at a minimum to maintain the health of the garden, before I get properly up to speed?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of my problems:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I don't know what most of the plants are, and its proving very difficult to identify them&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm finding it difficult to distinguish between weeds and garden plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Already some plants are looking very 'ill'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="463" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T02:21:11.887" Title="Advice for overwhelmed beginner" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3575" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3571" CreationDate="2012-03-09T13:45:34.957" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've done tomatoes in a few different ways. The list of steps below seems long and involved, but it's really pretty easy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Start 6-8 weeks before the last frost date for your area, or 6-8 weeks before you plan to transplant to the garden. That's about 1 week to germinate, 1 week for growing before potting up, 3-5 weeks of growing in the second container, and 1 week to harden off.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get your supplies: seeds, containers, seed starting mix, light source. The seeds are obvious.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For containers, you have tons of choices:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plastic &quot;six packs&quot; -- these are ok, but you'll have to transplant from these to a larger pot before transplanting into the garden, and getting the plant out of the six pack does a fair bit of root disturbance which sets the plant back a bit. You also don't get much density if you want to start a bunch of plants; for a beginner this isn't much of an issue.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plastic 11x20 trays. Last year I started about 50 tomatoes in one of these by putting the seeds on a 1&quot; x 1&quot; grid in the tray. Transplanting disturbs the roots a lot (see previous bullet) because you have to prick out the seedlings to put them in pots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Half gallon milk cartons are, in my mind, possibly the best container. (That's a link to my blog, with a picture of parsley seedlings from last year in milk cartons.) They're free, easy to make (cut off at 4-5&quot; high and drill holes in the bottom), they reuse something I've got tons of, easy to store, they fit nicely in the 11x20 trays, and they're a good size for keeping the plants until transplanting to the garden. The only drawback is that they can be a hassle to remove the plant when transplanting -- a sharp knife to slit the container open along the sides does the trick though. If you use milk cartons, put two seeds per container and thin to the strongest one.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;32oz yogurt tubs. These are almost as good as milk cartons, but they don't fit as nicely into trays because of their shape.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;6&quot;x24&quot; (or whatever size) window box planters. Last year, after starting in trays, I planted up to window boxes because I didn't have enough milk cartons. These are nice because they're quite deep (and I had several that weren't in use in the spring). The drawback here is that there's quite a bit of root disturbance when transplanting into the garden because you have to separate / tear apart the plants since they're not in separate containers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lastly, you can go containerless and use soil blocks. Since you haven't mentioned soil blocks and this is your first time, I won't go into any more detail except to say that this bypasses the need for containers and minimizes transplant shock.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For seed starting mix, you again have tons of choices, but at a basic level, you can buy seed starting mix from the store, or you can &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1483/51&quot;&gt;mix your own using a simple recipe&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;5 gal sifted garden soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;5 gal sifted mature horse manure compost (we use a wood-based bedding product, and the compost has some of the desirable properties of peat)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;5 gal coarse sand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&quot;sprinkling&quot; of equal parts lime, greensand, and rock phosphate -- strength depending on what I'm potting [fairly weak for starting seeds]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See other answers on that question for different recipes. Keep in mind that if you use the sterile &quot;seed starting mix&quot; from the store, it's probably just something like vermiculite and peat, it has &lt;em&gt;no nutrients&lt;/em&gt; and it is &lt;em&gt;only&lt;/em&gt; appropriate for germinating seeds that you will transplant to a larger container with soil that has nutrients. My recipe above is suitable for growing from seeds to planting out in the garden. Don't use any nitrogen fertilizer in a seedling starting mix; it's not necessary and can stimulate too much growth, especially in tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lighting is important! I see a lot of advice to &quot;put the seeds in a sunny window&quot;, but I don't think this is ideal. You're better off with a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/100/51&quot;&gt;$10 fluorescent fixture from the big box store&lt;/a&gt;; a single fixture can accommodate two trays, or 40 milk cartons set into trays. The fixtures with chains are best -- you can raise/lower the light so that it stays between ½-1&quot; away from the growing plants. If the light is further away, the plants will shoot up quickly and get leggy and weak (they won't survive in the garden, if they even make it that long). I buy one &quot;warm&quot; bulb and one &quot;cool&quot; bulb to try to get a full spectrum; I don't know how much this really affects plant growth. You can also get &quot;full spectrum&quot; bulbs made specifically for plants but they're a specialty item and really expensive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now that you've got all your stuff, fill up your selected container with your selected soil mix. Get the soil moist, but not soggy. Plant the seeds according to the directions on the packet (a general rule of thumb is to plant seeds 2x the depth of the size of the seed; for tomatoes it's about ¼&quot;). Cover lightly with your soil mix. Don't tamp them down; seeds need to breathe, and you don't want to make them fight to break out. (I don't even cover the seeds that I plant in soil blocks.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many people recommend covering the trays with plastic wrap or those domed covers you can get, but &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/57/51&quot;&gt;this is an invitation to fungal disease&lt;/a&gt;. Air flow is very important at this stage. Leave them uncovered, but keep the soil moist while the seeds are germinating. If you do cover them, remove the cover as soon as the plants poke through the soil so they can get light and don't get a fungus (eg. damping off).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the lights stay about ½-1&quot; above the plants. It doesn't hurt them if they touch the lights a little bit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the soil stays moist but not wet. I use a moisture probe to see how wet the bottom of the container is; it is &lt;strong&gt;very&lt;/strong&gt; hard to judge by looking at the surface, which can be completely dry while the bottom of the container is quite wet. Make sure your containers have good drainage holes. (Though when I used trays last year, I didn't have drainage holes, I was just &lt;strong&gt;very&lt;/strong&gt; careful about not overwatering.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you planted into a tiny container (eg. six pack) or shallow tray, you'll need to &quot;pot up&quot; / &quot;prick out&quot; when the seedlings have four &quot;true leaves&quot; (the first leaves that come up are &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotyledon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cotyledons&lt;/a&gt;, &quot;seed leaves&quot;, and don't count). Don't put this off -- the roots grow &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; fast and they will quickly become root bound, and you'll shock the plant more than you have to if you wait too long. Potting up from a six pack isn't hard: just prepare your next container (with good soil, see above), squeeze the container a little bit to free up the plant, turn it upside down and the whole thing should fall into your hand, then drop it into a hole you've made in the soil in the larger container. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/2162/51&quot;&gt;Pricking out&lt;/a&gt; from a tray isn't much harder: use a small tool (I use a tiny ¾&quot; wide planting trowel) gently dig/tease apart the roots from the tray, always holding the plant &lt;strong&gt;by a leaf&lt;/strong&gt; not the stem, and drop it into the larger container, gently firming around the roots. For either technique, bury the plant up to the first set of true leaves. This will help it grow extra roots.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;As long as you used good soil in your second container (or first container if you're sticking to milk cartons for the entire time), you shouldn't need to fertilize. But if the plants become yellowish and aren't growing well, you can apply a &lt;strong&gt;dilute&lt;/strong&gt; liquid fertilizer. Again: not too much nitrogen!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A week before you're going to transplant, start hardening off. (I'll give a more complete answer to hardening on your other question.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Transplant into the garden ideally on an overcast, calm day. If you can't manage an overcast day, at least avoid doing it in the middle of the heat of the day. Early morning or (better, in my mind) late afternoon would be best. Remove the plant from the container, disturbing the roots as little as possible. Plant into prepared holes in the garden. I sometimes put a little scoop (maybe 1-2 tablespoons? -- read directions on the bag) of tomato fertilizer in the planting hole. If I know I'm planting into fertile soil, I'll skip the fertilizer. I've also added just pulverized eggshells -- calcium is important to tomato growth. Set the plant deeper than it was into the container -- bury the first set of leaves. If your plants are leggy, you can lay them a bit sideways in sort of a trough, again burying some of the stem. The above-ground part of the stem will turn upright, and the hairs on the below-ground part will turn into roots. Water well. If it is a sunny day, and you have a way to provide a little shade, do so.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-07-09T19:34:56.717" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3576" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3569" CreationDate="2012-03-09T13:53:27.757" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's what I do over the course of a week before I transplant to the garden. This is sort of the &quot;ideal&quot; plan, it never goes exactly this way -- variations are ok.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On the first day, which is ideally overcast and not windy, set the plants outside for a couple of hours. If it is sunny, I put them out in a spot where they'll be shaded for those two hours. If it is windy, I put them in a spot where they are sheltered from the wind, or I leave them inside for an extra day if I can't provide sufficient shelter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On the second day, same shelter consideration, but I put them out for an extra couple of hours. (All morning, or all afternoon.) Be careful to check the soil moisture level -- pots can dry out fast on a warm, dry, sunny or windy day.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On the third day, I'll leave them out most of the day, with the same shelter considerations. If it is sunny, I'll move them at midday (because my morning shady spot is sunny in the afternoon).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On the fourth day, they're out most of the day. I still shelter from wind, but I let them get a bit of direct sunlight.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On the fifth day, basically the same, letting them stay out later in the evening.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On the sixth day, as long as we aren't expecting rain overnight, I leave them out overnight, but protected from marauding animals (i.e. move them to inside the garden fence).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On the seventh day, they get transplanted.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watch out for rain! My &quot;hardening off area&quot; is under the eaves of my house. I work from home, so I can scurry outside and rescue the plants from rain if we get a surprise storm. An unexpected downpour can quickly water log your planting pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-09T13:53:27.757" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3577" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-10T04:43:42.027" Score="6" ViewCount="157" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you have to plant the sweet potatoes first and make sprouts, then cut vines off of these       sprouts and put them  in water? Can you just cut your potatoes in half and put them into water and grow slips from these?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="989" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-04-10T22:37:11.487" LastActivityDate="2012-04-10T22:37:11.487" Title="How do I start sweet potatoes off?" Tags="&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;sweet-potato&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3578" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-10T16:55:18.003" Score="6" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to grow heirloom varieties of the vegetables listed below.  However, I have never worked with heirloom seeds before and I have heard they are difficult to grow.  So, I would like recommendations on which heirloom varieties will be easiest to grow for a beginner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tomatoes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;eggplants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;peppers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;squash&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;beans&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;corn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-21T20:14:01.243" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T20:14:01.243" Title="What heirloom varieties are easiest to work with for an heirloom beginner?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;heirloom&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3579" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3586" CreationDate="2012-03-10T17:10:40.777" Score="5" ViewCount="172" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know what vegetables would work well in a garden with the following history:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Season 1: Tomatoes (various varieties, (vv)), eggplants, peppers (vv), basil, marigold, asparagus (did not survive)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Season 2: Corn, squash (buttercup and sunburst), pole beans, morning glory&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Planned Season 3: Unsure what to plant here, thinking of root vegetables: potatoes, radishes, carrots, and more beans and marigold&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am also open to suggestions for variations on seasons 1 and 2 as I have other vegetable patches at various states in the above cycle.  Suggestions for a rotation of longer than 3 seasons are also welcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-10T18:24:01.997" LastActivityDate="2012-03-10T20:32:47.100" Title="What plants are complementary to these plants in a crop rotation?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;crop-rotation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3580" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3578" CreationDate="2012-03-10T17:12:28.310" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Heirloom plants are those that were in cultivation at least about 3-5 (human) generations ago, but aren't at present due to changes in agricultural trends, and the present day reliance on seeds with certain desired qualities (at least, in large scale cultivation). As such, these heirloom plants are well adjusted to the local area where they once were in cultivation and seldom do well anywhere else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most common mistake that people make is to try and grow just any heirloom variety (for the sake of growing a heirloom), without consideration as to where it &lt;em&gt;used&lt;/em&gt; to grow. In other words, you can't expect to grow a heirloom Mexican pepper plant in, say, northern Europe. Just ain't gonna happen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I've only grown heirloom peppers and I've found them to be very easy to grow, since my climate is fairly similar to its original environment. The one I'm growing right now is the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1800/109&quot;&gt;pepper in this question&lt;/a&gt; (Pasilla bajio). It has a very mild and flavourful taste, and works great in salads for a little kick (yes, you can eat it just like that!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I guess no matter which kind of plant you want to grow, the important thing to make sure is that they suit your locale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-03-10T17:12:28.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3581" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3582" CreationDate="2012-03-10T17:18:42.920" Score="5" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was told that heirloom varieties will start to 'weaken' after 3 or 4 seasons.  I interpreted this as the plants will be weaker and produce less fruit season after season.  What can be done to prevent such weakening?  How do we have healthy generations older than 3-4 seasons?  Is the answer simply to have a large number of the plants and allow natural mutation and pollination to occur?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-03-10T17:44:09.097" LastActivityDate="2012-03-10T17:54:03.997" Title="How to prevent heirloom varieties from weakening?" Tags="&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;heirloom&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3582" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3581" CreationDate="2012-03-10T17:54:03.997" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need genetic diversity, and you need to be careful to rogue out plants that are either weak or aren't true to type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some varieties may not necessarily &quot;weaken&quot;, but some will revert to more wild types. I've heard this of lettuce: it will tend to get bitter after a few generations of seed saving from inadequate populations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The size of the population depends on whether the plants are inbreeding or outbreeding. I don't know of a good reference for this information except for &quot;Seed to Seed&quot; by Suzanne Ashworth. I don't have it handy at the moment, but I know that population sizes are bigger than is convenient for most home gardeners. For example, I think you'd have to save seed from something like 50 squash plants to have sufficient diversity; a population this size would require a lot of space and produce far more food than most people can handle processing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For some plants it's easy to maintain a large population -- peas or beans for example.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not certain if you can fix this by swapping some of your seeds with friends (assuming you and your friends have enough plants to constitute a &quot;sufficient population&quot;). You may actually need all those plants growing in the same place so they can trade pollen?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-10T17:54:03.997" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3579" CreationDate="2012-03-10T18:23:29.970" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would definitely keep with the beans (and any other legumes you might find). These will help to add nitrogen to the soil. Corn/etc will tend to take nitrogen from the soil (they're often grown together in modern horticultural or pre-European agricultural settings, because of this).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're in Ontario so more of a temperate climate: You've probably found this already, but you want the cooler tomato and pepper varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How about some broccoli, cabbages, lettuces, spinach?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-03-10T18:23:29.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3584" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3588" CreationDate="2012-03-10T18:54:42.880" Score="7" ViewCount="9720" Body="&lt;p&gt;I love my black walnut tree. I almost love it as much as I hate it, but it's beautiful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, grass refuses to grow around it even though my wife and I are adament about cleaning up leaves and fruit that drops from it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in zone 4b and am wondering what is the best species of grass to grow in the yard that has the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried bluegrass and it started to grow, but maybe I didn't do it right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is bluegrass the right species to grow around black walnut trees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="990" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T12:55:05.967" Title="What is the best species of grass to grow around a black walnut tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;walnut&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3585" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3587" CreationDate="2012-03-10T19:03:54.240" Score="6" ViewCount="740" Body="&lt;p&gt;When should I start planting seedlings for the vegetable garden that we're going to start this year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the question says, I live in zone 4b and we're planning on zone specific vegetables &amp;amp; gourds, but want to know the best time to start growing them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="990" LastActivityDate="2012-03-10T21:07:52.860" Title="Zone 4b: When should I start planting vegetable garden seedlings?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3579" CreationDate="2012-03-10T20:32:47.100" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Root vegetables are a good choice following the squash; root veg (except for potatoes) have a hard time competing with weeds, and squash tends to help keep down weeds in the following season. Squash are heavy feeders, and you generally don't want to fertilize much ahead of roots like carrots, so they do ok on the leftovers from whatever you fed the previous squash crop. (I.e. manure in the fall before you plant squash, then don't manure the following fall and plant carrots in the spring.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wanted to make a longer rotation, you could put more years between having tomatoes and potatoes in the same place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You haven't mentioned any salad crops: lettuce, chard, spinach, kale, beetroot (to eat leaves and/or roots). As @winwaed mentions, you could also consider broccoli and cabbages, as well as brussels sprouts. If you wanted to insert a year of cole crops, they would be a good fit between the tomatoes and the corn/beans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An excellent resource for these kind of rotation considerations is Elliot Coleman's &quot;The New Organic Grower&quot;. That book targets a larger scale: market gardeners / small farmers, but it's packed with good advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-10T20:32:47.100" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3587" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3585" CreationDate="2012-03-10T21:07:52.860" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best time depends more on your last frost date than your planting zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The planting zone tells you how cold it gets during the winter. The last frost date tells you when tender plants like squash and tomatoes can reliably survive outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can look up your last frost date &lt;a href=&quot;http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/climatenormals/climatenormals.pl?directive=prod_select2&amp;amp;prodtype=CLIM2001&amp;amp;subrnum&quot;&gt;at this NOAA site&lt;/a&gt;. Gourds and other squash family should go out on or after the last frost date. Spinach and kale can go out as soon as the ground is open. Other plants fit somewhere in between, depending on how hardy they are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-10T21:07:52.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3584" CreationDate="2012-03-10T21:37:44.820" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Black walnut gives off juglone, which is a chemical that makes it hard for other plants to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, a quick search indicates that there aren't any native grasses that are juglone resistant, e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=5692&quot;&gt;Mr. Smarty Pants at wildflower.org&lt;/a&gt;. Zoysia might work, but it doesn't sound like that's a clear winner either, and it grows best in USDA zones 6-9, which is warmer than where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That site lists some other ground covers that you may want to consider:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland sea oats)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sedges like Carex blanda (eastern woodland sedge)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ferns&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could probably plant an attractive mix of these species underneath your black walnut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're willing to consider something other than grass, Toby Hemenway suggests a walnut &quot;guild&quot; in &quot;Gaia's Garden&quot; on pages 194-195. Species that are suggested are elderberry, hackberry, wolfberry, mulberry, &lt;em&gt;Eleaegnus&lt;/em&gt;. Currants, if grown with hackberry, may work under walnut. He also suggests the possibility of tomatoes and peppers, as well as legumes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-10T21:37:44.820" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3589" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3592" CreationDate="2012-03-10T22:43:58.507" Score="8" ViewCount="152" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got some thornless honeylocust seeds (about 20). They've been stratified, and I'm ready to plant, but I'm not sure what the best approach is. I haven't started trees from seed before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will they work in soil blocks? 2&quot; or 4&quot; to start?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is a 2x11x22&quot; flat too shallow? I'm not sure how quickly the roots will go down deep.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've got plenty of milk cartons, some window box planters, various other containers that might work.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will be 8-10 weeks before I can transplant them outside. I'm assuming that I should grow them for a year in a protected space, so I'm planning on putting them about 1-2' apart in a nursery bed. What makes a good tree nursery bed (soil, location, etc)? Is this plan a reasonable approach?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2020-06-04T12:46:28.023" Title="How do I start tree seeds?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3590" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3747" CreationDate="2012-03-10T23:56:41.037" Score="9" ViewCount="350" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JZsc6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dead. dead. they&amp;#39;re all dead.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have these three bags, along with two more waiting for curbside pickup of yard waste to start back up. I am also about to dig a garden bed for a bunch of pepper plants. Although I don't anticipate that the varieties will bear too many rodent pests, I would like to have it be raised by about a foot or two to make it easier on the eyes and to maintain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was wondering if the bamboo stocks would make a suitable fill material. They are just cut down stalks from a rampant overgrowth in a corner of my yard, no pesticides or herbicides or anything on them. However, I don't want them to take root and start sprouting up halfway through the growing season. I also don't want them to compress too much, or decay too rapidly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;My hypothetical plan would be to build a frame, carve out the inset for it, lay out the bamboo as a base, then cover with leaf mulch, and a compost/manure/top soil mix. I intend to wholly smother the bamboo beneath a good amount of topical materials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there a real risk to using these stalks as fill for a raised garden bed?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If it did sprout, would it cause any more work than regular weeding?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there any good ways to divert those risks? (Perhaps a good shake of lime or something to that effect?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="40" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T18:01:23.603" Title="Do dead bamboo limbs run the risk of seeding a garden bed?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3591" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3597" CreationDate="2012-03-11T00:33:32.423" Score="10" ViewCount="4638" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/290/what-should-i-do-to-a-homemade-paper-pot-before-planting-it&quot;&gt;This question&lt;/a&gt; talks about making paper pots for seedlings, and links to what appears to be the standard pot maker for sale at various online outlets. There are also some entirely home made solutions (using an aerosol can, a jam jar, etc to shape the paper) discussed online.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can see the definite advantage of being able to transplant without root disturbance. But you don't see much online discussion of their usage by serious gardeners, just a lot of craft/novelty/gimmicky &quot;hey, here's a simple idea&quot; pages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone had any problem with these pots? Don't they disintegrate easily, especially with any kind of sustained watering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like the no-hassle transplanting but if I've got to rescue soggy, disintegrating pots half way through doing their job then that's no time/hassle saving at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T02:17:37.350" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T02:17:37.350" Title="Do homemade paper pots for seedlings really work well?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3592" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3589" CreationDate="2012-03-11T02:28:50.440" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I start these in shallow containers. It does not decrease plant vigor, but the roots go out through the drainage holes, so they are difficult to remove from the pot. Your plan would work pretty well if you got a deeper flat. They can be spaced pretty close. Young seedlings do not bother each other in the first year if they are spaced two inches apart. When you move them out, plant them 1' apart in rows 2' apart. A good bed has at least 6&quot; of good, fertile topsoil of a good balanced loam. Partiall shade is best my zone (6) south, but full sun is better in the northern climates. It should not be too high in nitrogen, or the trees will grow soft and stretch, And won't sell as well. This method is good for a sturdy, vigorous tree. It is very similar to the method I use to raise nursery trees to sell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-03-11T02:28:50.440" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3584" CreationDate="2012-03-11T02:34:46.390" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow tall fescue and 'merion' Kentucky Bluegrass under black walnut trees, and they do pretty well, if watered during dry weather. They also prefer black walnuts and their hulls to be removed soon after falling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-03-11T02:34:46.390" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3591" CreationDate="2012-03-11T06:09:26.477" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00062ZNXQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;product reviews&lt;/a&gt; at Amazon, they seem to work.  One reviewer specifically addresses &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/review/R1U40V6WI7N0S6/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;ASIN=B00062ZNXQ&amp;amp;nodeID=&amp;amp;tag=&amp;amp;linkCode=&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;your concern of root propagation&lt;/a&gt; (emphasis added):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Great tool for recycling newspaper while starting seeds, especially those that don't like &quot;root disturbance&quot; when transplanting! I've always had trouble with peat pots - the root system just doesn't grow through peat even when the sides are cut but thanks to paper pots I have no such trouble; &lt;strong&gt;roots grow through easily and the paper melts away in the soil!&lt;/strong&gt; Another plus - you get to bury bad news!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/review/R2ZWSGZBTNA2J2/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;ASIN=B00062ZNXQ&amp;amp;nodeID=&amp;amp;tag=&amp;amp;linkCode=&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;another&lt;/a&gt; also prefers the newspaper pots to peat pots, due to improved biodegradability:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Ok so it's just a couple pieces of wood. It does exactly what the maker claims. No more yearly expense for dusty peat pots. Just save a few Sunday papers during winter, cut them up and make pots. I cut them into 4x12 inch strips, a bit bigger than the instructions call for, but I use more of a newspaper page that way and the pots seem a bit stronger. &lt;strong&gt;Newspaper rots unlike the netting on peat pots.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="705" LastActivityDate="2012-03-11T06:09:26.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3595" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-11T16:38:49.240" Score="13" ViewCount="2483" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the answer @bstpierre gave to this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1956/746&quot;&gt;question&lt;/a&gt; on ammending soil he mentioned mixing layers of soil during double digging is a bad idea.  I was wondering why is this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I imagine mixing the layers at the initialization of a vegetable patch (converting from lawn to garden) would be a good thing.  For example layering in the following way:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;compostable material + compost in the deepset layer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;turf and top layer of dirt&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mixed dirt&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;more compost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;more dirt&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;might lead to a very rich, deep soil.  Then, this procedure would only be repeated if the garden seems like it is depleted of nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At any rate, this is what I did last fall to prepare a new patch for the coming season. I dug down about 2.5' hoping that the turf and compostable stuff deep down would compost.  I have a clay soil.  I guess I can report back in a few months to say how it went, but it would be good to know what people have already experienced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-03-15T01:25:40.390" Title="Why is it bad to mix layers of soil if you do it once at the start?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3596" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-11T16:59:50.880" Score="10" ViewCount="2705" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have read in various places that mushrooms in lawns are an indication of woody compostable material that is being eaten by the mushrooms and that the by-product of this process will be additional nutrients for the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can this same process be used in a vegetable garden?  @bstpierre mentioned that mushrooms would compete well against the vegetable plants for the nitrogen in the soil in this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1956/746&quot;&gt;question&lt;/a&gt;.  But if there is a lot of uncomposted material from the previous season (stems, roots, leaves, etc) lying on top of the garden (left there as mulch/soil amendment) can a balance be struck with mushrooms mostly feeding on the mulch and the plants eating the nitrogen in the soil?  What species of mushrooms would be good for this?  It would be nice if the mushrooms were edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T17:04:01.320" Title="How can mushrooms be used to enhance a vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3597" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3591" CreationDate="2012-03-12T09:07:37.827" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had no problem with them disintegrating, probably because I packed them tightly in a seed tray. However I found that fungus grew and spread quickly through the pots. I prefer giving the seedlings plenty of time before transplanting - if I planted on as soon as they sprouted it might be a different story.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="992" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T14:21:34.717" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T14:21:34.717" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3589" CreationDate="2012-03-12T09:15:19.173" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have experience with oaks. As soon as they germinate I transplant them into empty plastic pop (soda) bottles - neck cut off and holes punched in the bottom. This because they throw down a very deep tap root. I then bury the bottle in soil. I've never worried about soil type but I've only done this with oaks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="992" LastActivityDate="2012-03-12T09:15:19.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3596" CreationDate="2012-03-12T13:24:02.037" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mushrooms like feeding on decomposing organic material under the surface of the ground that rarely gets disturbed, or above the ground in large pieces that are constantly internally moist. They like rich soil in shady locations. Of course this is your average mushroom. There are kinds that use different growing environments. But the point is that in a vegetable garden, the conditions are all wrong. A better idea would be to compost the material. The bacteria and fungi do the same thing as the mushrooms, but are by far easier to use than mushrooms. When you see mushrooms in your lawn, it means you have undecomposed organic material in the soil. The mushrooms have probably been working on them for a while before you saw the fruiting bodies emerge. Getting the mushrooms with a lawnmower will not hinder the composting process from continuing. And even if there were no mushrooms, little microscopic organisms would be eating it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-18T17:04:01.320" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T17:04:01.320" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3600" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3577" CreationDate="2012-03-12T13:41:17.647" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, there are multiple ways of doing it. The ways you described are some of them. What professional growers do in my area is cut them in half lengthwise, and dust the cut with rootone, a rooting hormone powder with fungicide. Then they lay them cut-side down in moist sand and cover in compost in a controlled 70-75 degree Fahrenheit with 80-90 percent humidity. The sweet potatoes will sprout through the compost and root into it and the sand. Then when the sprouts are 6&quot; long, they are removed at the base and wrapped in moist newspaper, letting the leaves out the top, in bundles of twenty five. A rubber band in put around it to old in together. Then it is placed right side up in a small glass jar with an inch of water at the bottom. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-03-12T13:41:17.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3602" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3687" CreationDate="2012-03-12T14:02:02.300" Score="16" ViewCount="4071" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a gardener I've found that doing some paperwork while gardening really assists in keeping things organized and on schedule.  It occured to me the other day as I stopped to check my beeping phone that it'd be REALLY handy to have a software application to assist in some of the paperwork items that I do every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got the knowledge and the gumption to make it happen, but what I really need is a lot of common data about the type of plants we, as gardeners, find ourselves planting.  I'm looking for any sites that provide the following data points:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Common Name&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Scientific Name (or maybe the full KPCOFGS classification?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Light requirements&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil pH requirements&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water requirements&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Average germination time&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Average time till flowering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(if fruiting) time to fruit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am sure that no such database exists with all of these pieces of data available, but I'm curious to see what solutions other people are using to get this data.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="643" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-10-15T11:55:28.680" LastActivityDate="2013-11-20T07:02:28.173" Title="Does anyone know of a somewhat comprehensive plant database available online?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3603" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3595" CreationDate="2012-03-12T17:49:34.957" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Once you get below the root zone, the only thing you're affecting is drainage.  How deep the root zone is varies from plant to plant; see e.g. &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010137veg.roots/010137toc.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Root Development of Vegetable Crops&lt;/a&gt;&quot;.  Even when taproots go very deep, you probably want to focus on where most of the root hairs are, for most of the time the plant is growing, which is of course less deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Subsoil is usually far inferior to topsoil, so if in mixing you're putting topsoil below the root zone, you're wasting it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some folks think you shouldn't till at all.  I'm not there, because I use winter rye that needs turning in, because I add compost every few years, and because I have invading tree roots that I have to keep an eye on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In composting, there are four key ingredients: carbon, nitrogen, water, and oxygen.  When you bury plant material where no air can get to it, you won't get much composting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T17:18:51.873" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T17:18:51.873" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3604" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3607" CreationDate="2012-03-12T22:48:44.423" Score="8" ViewCount="8044" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have about 8 zucchini plants, about 6- 8 weeks along, which are starting to show signs of disease on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's definitely not powdery mildew, but the end result is quite similar. Leaves are getting yellowish patches which then develops brown spots and eventually the whole leaf turns yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far only some of the first leaves have turned yellow, but I can see it has spread to some of the larger leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've had unseasonal excessive rain over the past few months, which I assume is the cause of disease and helping to keep it spreading.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this sound like it can be treated and how? &lt;em&gt;or&lt;/em&gt; Should I just remove the plants and plant something more suitable to the current weather?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T16:57:26.753" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T16:57:26.753" Title="Zucchini leaves yellowing - but not powdery mildew" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3605" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3609" CreationDate="2012-03-13T15:58:04.767" Score="7" ViewCount="1251" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Tomato plants &lt;em&gt;seem&lt;/em&gt; to be coming along quite well:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N5ZXP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tallest (shown) is ~10cm tall above the soil and most of them are in square 6×6×6cm cardboardish pots (there are others off-camera, in varying numbers per pot). The 'target' pots (and only other pots available) I wish to have them finally grow in are circular, 21cm in diameter and 19cm tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these tomato plants ready to move in to my larger pots, if not when?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;And how many should I put in each pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, and in case that matters, the box tells me they are of the &lt;em&gt;Gardeners Delight&lt;/em&gt; variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T16:58:31.400" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T17:09:28.780" Title="Are these tomato plants ready to be replanted in to my bigger pots?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3606" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3616" CreationDate="2012-03-13T16:31:01.327" Score="4" ViewCount="623" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was hoping to find a fern houseplant at the gardening store, but the next best thing I could find was a potted evergreen fern, &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantessential.com/plants/ferns/browse_plants.php?id=21&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dryopteris Affinis Crispa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would have thought it's small size and shady conditions would be suitable for indoor use, but I'm having difficulty watering the plant sufficiently without it flooding the tray beneath the pot. Not much information is given on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y5BRl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;plant label&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the moment, the plant is in a medium sized pot filled with multi-purpose compost in the garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="147" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2013-01-14T17:16:27.707" LastActivityDate="2013-01-14T17:16:27.707" Title="Can an evergreen fern be adapted for indoor use?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3604" CreationDate="2012-03-13T16:57:15.287" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without the benefit of a picture, I can suggest (quoting from &quot;The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control&quot;) the following, with my most likely guesses first:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Downy mildew: &lt;em&gt;Leaves mottled yellow between veins; purple spots on leaf undersides. ... thrives during cool, wet weather.&lt;/em&gt; Avoid wetting foliage. Maybe spray with potassium bicarbonate, or plant resistant cultivars.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Angular leaf spot, scab, alternaria leaf blight, other fungal and bacterial diseases (all of these are listed alongside powdery mildew symptoms): &lt;em&gt;Leaves with spots, blotches, or brown areas. ... Reduce problems with keeping foliage dry when watering and not working amid wet plants.&lt;/em&gt; They suggest removing and destroying infected leaves, and making sure to provide good air circulation (i.e. good general fungus-preventing garden hygiene). You can try spraying with potassium bicarbonate, *Bacillus subtilis, or 0.5% baking soda.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Powdery mildew shows up as powdery white spots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Angular leaf spot shows up as &lt;em&gt;water-soaked spots that turn gray, die, and drop out&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Scab may also show up as water-soaked spots, it &lt;em&gt;causes sunken brown spots with gummy ooze on fruit&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Alternaria leaf blight shows up as &lt;em&gt;dark brown spots with concentric rings, usually appearing on older leaves first.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mosaic: &lt;em&gt;Leaves with yellow patches; older leaves mottled and distorted. ... Remove and destroy diseased plants. Control aphids and cucumber beetles...&lt;/em&gt; (I.e. there's only prevention, no cure.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aphids: &lt;em&gt;Leaves yellow, curled and wilted.&lt;/em&gt; Inspect plants and remove aphids if present; they also spread disease, see above.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mites: &lt;em&gt;Leaves yellow and puckered, becoming bronzed.&lt;/em&gt; Make a positive diagnosis of mites (tiny red, yellow or green pests), and then spray with weak insecticidal soap.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T16:57:15.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3608" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3605" CreationDate="2012-03-13T17:04:03.297" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you transplant from 6 x 6 cm pot to a 21 cm diameter pot the plants will put all their energy into growing new roots.  This will retard the growth of new leaves, particularly if you keep them indoors.  For many gardeners there are still a few weeks to go or more before tender seedlings are ready to go outside. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are able to find an intermediate pot size of around 8 to 10 cm in diameter this should tide them over until they are ready to go outside.  A fruitful place to look for new pots is your plastic recycle bin.  Even a  one litre waxed paper container used for ice cream might do the job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T17:04:03.297" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3605" CreationDate="2012-03-13T17:09:28.780" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those plants look good. They need to be transplanted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You should put one plant per 'target' pot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When transplanting, handle them &lt;em&gt;by the leaves&lt;/em&gt;, not by the stem: if you tear a leaf, the plant will grow a new one, if you break a stem, you've killed the plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Gently&lt;/em&gt; separate the roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant them deeper in the new pot than they are now. Bury the stem up to the first set of leaves, if your new pot is deep enough (it should be).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what you mean by &quot;finally grow&quot;: are you planning to transplant from the 21cm pots to an outdoor garden, or are you planning on harvesting fruit from plants in those pots? If the former, then they are decent to use for growing to transplant size, if perhaps a little big (see @kevinsky's answer). If the latter, they are far too small. See the discussion in comments below &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3603/51&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; to get an idea of the size of the roots that a tomato plant can have -- or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010137veg.roots/010137ch26.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;see Fig. 72 and 73 on this page&lt;/a&gt;. Most of the roots are in an area 60cm deep by 120cm diameter, with some going further if they can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2012-03-13T17:09:28.780" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3610" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-13T20:09:56.450" Score="6" ViewCount="911" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every year I have to wade into a steeply sloped tree lawn beside my driveway that is planted in Myrtle and Pacasandra to remove wild blackberry vines, a very long vined weed (maybe Creeping Charlie - not sure what it is) and other weeds and vines including poison ivy.  This is very time consuming and difficult to do.  Is there a way of controlling the unwanted vegetation and not killing my ground cover?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="996" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-13T20:37:03.497" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T16:09:18.573" Title="Keeping my ground cover planting free of unwanted vines and weeds" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3612" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3615" CreationDate="2012-03-14T01:00:21.383" Score="6" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed our neighbours have a row of flowers / flowering shrubs going through their vegetable plot. I think they are carnations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know I could just ask my neighbours, but I would like to get a wider opinion: Is it a good idea to plant some flowers amongst a veggie patch? I assume the aim is to increase pollination and thus improve yields.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What type of flowers make good companions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-03T02:01:30.753" LastActivityDate="2012-04-03T02:01:30.753" Title="How should flowers be used as a companion in a vegetable plot?" Tags="&lt;companion-planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3571" CreationDate="2012-03-14T01:23:44.283" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another option not mentioned in the answers above is sowing directly into the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I guess this depends on your climate and if you are trying to sow early and also the variety (due to the climate in my city we have suitable 'year-round' varieties).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About 8 weeks ago I put about 20 seeds into the ground (southern hemisphere) and had a near 100% germination rate which meant I had to pull out some of the seedlings to make room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I spaced each seed about 20cm apart and about 60cm away in a second row of 10 seeds. The even spacing allows for me to lay down mulch (we are in summer here so locking in moisture) around the seedlings once they get about 5 - 10cm high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When they reached the 5 - 10cm height I removed the excess seedlings so that my plants are now in two rows of 6 with around 50 - 60cm between plants and the second row.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T01:23:44.283" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3614" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3619" CreationDate="2012-03-14T01:29:17.400" Score="4" ViewCount="359" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have tried several times to plant tulips and have mixed results. They all do well the first year, but after that some varieties consistently die and others thrive and spread. After a little research, I found that this is common among Holland-grown tulips. Some varieties are perennial and some aren't. I have two questions. The first is, how do people in Holland maintain and multiply the non-perennial tulips? More importantly, is there a listing of tulip varieties, showing which are perennial?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T18:48:57.847" Title="What tulips are best for perenniallizing in a clay-base soil?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;tulips&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3615" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3612" CreationDate="2012-03-14T01:43:47.973" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Flowers are both a beneficial and attractive addition to a bed of vegetables. They have a variety of uses, depending on species. I always grow sunflowers in the veggies because they are attractive, thrive in the same conditions as vegetables, attract hordes of bees, and have tasty seeds at the end of the season. Some people grow flowers in among the vegetables solely for pollination, but others use the flowers artfully to create an eye pleasing picture. Good flowers for vegetable gardens are bright, long lasting annual plants that have a long blooming season. They should be upright, or climbing if you have a support, and preferably attract plenty of insects. Zinnias and Cosmos are some good ones. Also, some flowers, such as nasturtiums and marigolds, are good for companion planting with various vegetable crops as pest deterrent. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T01:43:47.973" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3606" CreationDate="2012-03-14T01:48:35.127" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get a decent sized pot, at the bottom of the pot put a layer of large stones, broken roof tile or something similar, then put a layer of smaller coarse material on top of that, then fill the remaining 80% of the pot with your potting mix / soil. This will ensure that water will drain freely and you can easily keep the soil both moist and free draining as listed on the page you linked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next issue is collecting the excess water. I have used two methods either having a larger more suitable tray at the bottom or I put my plant initially inside a smaller pot and then put that into a slightly larger pot. This larger pot can then be emptied once a week or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen these grown indoors, but you are going to want to have it somewhere where it can still get some sunlight via a window etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And as with any indoor plant, I take mine outside at least once a fortnight where I spray the leaves with a mister and wipe off dust and also for the purpose of giving them some fresh air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T01:48:35.127" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3617" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3574" CreationDate="2012-03-14T02:21:11.887" Score="5" Body="&lt;h3&gt;Learning about plant varieties&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to learn different plants is to go to your local nursery. My observation is 90%, if not more, of what you and your neighbours have in your yard is the same as what is available in your local nursery. If you go there a few times and spend time looking at the different names you will start to realise that the variety is not that large.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a huge nursery nearby and I would suggest they wouldn't have more than 100 &quot;types&quot; of plant e.g. grasses, fruit trees, regular trees (maples etc.), succulents, roses, azaleas, camellias etc. You only need to know these larger groupings to know how to care for your plants. Then once you are familiar with the larger groupings you can start to learn each variety e.g. within fruit there are oranges, apples, mandarins etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Basic needs&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most plants have very basic needs: food, water and sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If a plant is put in the right place you usually don't have to worry about food and sunlight and in most cases water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is if you bought a house which has a high maintenance garden. For example you have many flowering plants which are planted in a location where they get too much sunlight and require daily watering. In this case you will notice many thirsty plants wilting in the sunshine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;What can you do&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best thing you can do until you start to get the hang of it is to ensure your plants have enough water. If you notice water is pooling at the bottom of the plant and is still quite moist the next day, then hold off watering in that location. With a decent watering routine your garden should be able to stay in a reasonable condition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then start reading and learning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After that you can start picking up some advanced techniques:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pruning&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pest and disease control&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mulching&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Feeding&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T02:21:11.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3618" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3610" CreationDate="2012-03-14T16:09:18.573" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately my solution is a lot of work.   Here is what you could do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove the weeds in the spring&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut back what you want to keep, depending on the density of planting you may have to remove some of the desired groundcover&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lay a high quality geotextile/landscape fabric.  Cut X's in the fabric when it is over a plant you want and push the fabric down to the ground to expose the plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cover with a mulch that does not encourage weeds like pine needles and does not slump on a slope.  Pea stone or mulch do not work: stones move downhill and mulch allows tough weeds to root&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T16:09:18.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3619" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3614" CreationDate="2012-03-14T18:48:57.847" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tulip growers will claim that all tulips are perennial in the right conditions. Planting them deep, up to 8&quot; deep, seems to help as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have found that Darwin Hybrids are the best for my alkaline clay based soil in USDA zone 4.  These &quot;perennial&quot; tulips are the result of crossing the old Darwin Tulips with Fosteriana Tulips, which grow wild.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, without a doubt the most bombproof tulips are the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species_Tulips&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;species tulips&lt;/a&gt;.  What they lack in height they make up for in toughness.  Yes, they don't have the eye popping splash that their larger cousins do but for someone who likes something different and tough they will do well.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Height:  usually about 6&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bloom time:  early&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Foliage:  smaller leaves that do not hang on quite so long&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Colour:  various, a wide range&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No bugs and squirrels have not shown an interest so far&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T18:48:57.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3620" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2012-03-14T20:08:05.047" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/daffodil&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'daffodil'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;daffodil&lt;/a&gt; is a synonym for &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/narcissus&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'narcissus'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;narcissus&lt;/a&gt; (genus &lt;em&gt;Narcissus&lt;/em&gt;) flowering bulb. In some regions, 'daffodil' and 'narcissus' refer to plants with different shaped flowers (daffodils tend to have larger trumpets) but modern international usage is for the term to be a simple synonym.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Daffodils are usually associated with spring, although some autumn blooming varieties exist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for all questions about daffodils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-14T20:08:05.047" LastActivityDate="2012-03-14T20:08:05.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3621" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2012-03-14T20:08:05.047" Score="0" Body="Narcissus bulb grown for spring flowers." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-15T00:36:50.310" LastActivityDate="2021-01-15T00:36:50.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="3622" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3692" CreationDate="2012-03-14T21:54:40.493" Score="23" ViewCount="4937" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few herbs growing hydroponically (basil, chives, cilantro) that are about 4 weeks old.  Right now they are about 4-5&quot; tall and have a health glow and smell to them.  The herbs are being held at a continuous temperature, light, and nutrient level indoors, so essentially the &quot;season&quot; never changes for them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming that I always have a need for fresh herbs and therefore want to keep my plants alive as long as possible for continuous harvesting, when is it OK to start harvesting them and how often should I?  Is there a certain height/number of leaves recommendation (harvest a quarter of the leaves at a time, half the leaves at a time, etc.)?  Is there a general rule for most leafy herbs that apply for harvesting? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastEditorUserId="924" LastEditDate="2012-03-15T18:22:48.330" LastActivityDate="2012-03-21T18:33:38.467" Title="How often should I harvest herbs?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;plant-hardiness&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3623" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3626" CreationDate="2012-03-15T00:24:25.897" Score="9" ViewCount="1317" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are the best soil amendments for blueberries grown in containers?  What's the best mulch?  Last year I used chopped leaves from a friend's landscaping job that is no longer around.  I also remember hearing about adding coffee grounds to the soil to help with acidity.  I haven't tested the soil yet, but have a bunch of coffee grounds from a local coffee shop. Do they raise the ph so much that I shouldn't add them if I haven't tested the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="998" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-03-15T01:04:20.463" LastActivityDate="2012-03-15T01:23:30.957" Title="What are the best soil amendments for container grown blueberries?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3624" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2012-03-15T00:31:06.793" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Herbaceous, perennial &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flowering&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;flowering&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flowering&lt;/a&gt; bulbs of the genus &lt;em&gt;Amaryllis&lt;/em&gt; in the &lt;em&gt;Amaryllidaceae&lt;/em&gt;. These are members of the monocot &lt;em&gt;Asparagales&lt;/em&gt; order.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note the name is also used to describe &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/hippeastrum&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;hippeastrum&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;hippeastrum&lt;/a&gt; - another large bulb grown for its large flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-16T14:29:21.950" LastActivityDate="2021-02-16T14:29:21.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="3625" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2012-03-15T00:31:06.793" Score="0" Body="Flowering bulb noted for its large multi-trumpet flower." OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T16:40:03.240" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T16:40:03.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3626" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3623" CreationDate="2012-03-15T01:23:30.957" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;A good soil mix for pot grown blueberries is a porous, acidic mix high in organic matter. A good mix could be made by mixing these materials by weight:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;5/8 topsoil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2/8 peat moss&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1/16 vermiculite&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1/16 coarse sand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plus some slow release plant food. To help with the acidity, mix 1/4 pound of aluminum sulfate into the top 6&quot; of soil. There are several mulches that fit the needs of the blueberry bushes. Bark mulch is acidic, long lasting and attractive. Also, shredded wood, aged sawdust, and pine straw are good mulches. Coffee grounds are only very slightly acidic, so they will not be useful in maintaining ph. But they do make good compost, and if composted with an acidic material high in carbon, such as the mulching materials mentioned above, they would make an excellent mulch that would feed the plants and help maintain soil ph.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-03-15T01:23:30.957" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3628" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3633" CreationDate="2012-03-15T01:52:23.270" Score="6" ViewCount="1549" Body="&lt;p&gt;Title says it all.  Is it possible to connect a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/buy/outdoors/garden-center/toro/funny-pipe-100-ft-roll-60920.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;funny pipe&quot;&gt;funny pipe&lt;/a&gt; to a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dripdepot.com/kit-pop?mv_arg=1045&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;polyethylene tube&quot;&gt;polyethylene tube&lt;/a&gt;?  If so, what exactly do I need?  Here in Southern California, I tried going to Home Depot and Lowes, but none of the employees there were able to help me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to set up a drip irrigation system, but if possible I'd like to use an existing but unused sprinkler system pipe as the water source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="999" LastActivityDate="2019-07-18T10:04:48.847" Title="Is it possible to connect a funny pipe to a polyethylene tube?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3630" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3632" CreationDate="2012-03-15T03:22:29.733" Score="8" ViewCount="1314" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I understand there is something in seed raising mix that increases the chance of germination and I guess the rest is stuff that helps feed a seedling. What is there in seed raising mix that improves chances of germination?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way I can make my own seed raising mix? I would like something that is as natural / organic / chemical free as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-03-15T12:19:55.840" Title="Can I make my own seed raising mix?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3632" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3630" CreationDate="2012-03-15T12:19:55.840" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I disagree with @peer's answer. I've been making my own seed mix for the past three years, I have never sterilized it, and I only once had a problem with damping off when I covered a flat with plastic wrap. (So that's 1 flat out of maybe 80 or more that had a problem, and I'm pretty sure that was caused by too much moisture and not enough air flow.) Elliot Coleman agrees with this; I think I read his position on not sterilizing potting soil in &quot;The New Organic Grower&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most &quot;sterile seed starting mix&quot; that I've seen in the garden center is a mixture of peat and vermiculite, or something similar: there's &lt;em&gt;nothing&lt;/em&gt; in there to feed the plants. I think the key to getting good germination is that the mix stays moist, thus the peat component. If the mixture has a fertilizer component then I think (at least in the US) it is required to be labeled as such, and you'll see the N-P-K values printed on the package.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've posted &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1483/51&quot;&gt;my recipe for seed starting mix&lt;/a&gt; here before:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;5 gal sifted garden soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;5 gal sifted mature horse manure compost (We use a wood-based bedding product in the horse stalls, and the compost has some of the desirable properties of peat -- mainly that it holds moisture well.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;5 gal coarse sand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&quot;sprinkling&quot; of equal parts lime, greensand, and rock phosphate -- strength depending on what I'm potting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll want the strength of the fertilizer to be lower for seed starting, especially if your compost and garden soil are fertile. If your compost is acidic (or if you use some compost and some peat), then add a little extra sprinkling of lime to raise the pH. When you pot up your seedlings to larger pots, you can use a slightly stronger potting soil, and you may want to include &lt;em&gt;just a little&lt;/em&gt; dried blood for a &lt;em&gt;small&lt;/em&gt; nitrogen boost. (Overfeeding seedlings seems to make them leggy.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is not an exact science. I've mixed seed starting soil using variations of the above because I didn't have enough of one material or the other on hand at the time, and the seeds came up and the plants grew just fine. Experiment with whatever you can get locally in bulk for cheap. (Note that my recipe uses &quot;on farm&quot; ingredients except the fertilizers.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-03-15T12:19:55.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3628" CreationDate="2012-03-15T19:56:07.210" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;One solution would be to just use hose fittings, e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.shoptoro.com/Comergent/en/US/direct/Toro?cmd=ToroCatDisplayStyle&amp;amp;catKey=700705&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Toro part 53389&lt;/a&gt; to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agriculturesolutions.com/Hose-and-Faucet-Fittings/Toro-Loc-Eze-3/4-Female-Hose-Adapter-to-1/2-Irrigation-Tubing.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-03-16T11:08:31.533" LastActivityDate="2012-03-16T11:08:31.533" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3634" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3602" CreationDate="2012-03-15T23:06:17.093" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I do a web search I usually end up at &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/&quot;&gt;Dave's Garden site&lt;/a&gt;. They have all the information you list for 189,700 different plants.  More valuable still are the comments from gardeners who have grown the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The site is directed towards North American growers so exotics and tropicals require more work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-03-16T16:53:49.397" LastActivityDate="2012-03-16T16:53:49.397" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3635" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3637" CreationDate="2012-03-15T23:22:50.783" Score="13" ViewCount="10113" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a grassy weed with flowering seedheads at the top. What is it and how do I get rid of it in my yard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/swe4p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VoNW7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="946" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-30T15:37:33.827" LastActivityDate="2018-07-16T22:24:49.333" Title="What is this weedy grass and how can I control it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3636" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-16T00:41:03.273" Score="5" ViewCount="1376" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have moved to Mobile Alabama and bought a home.  In the yard are three pecan trees and a pear tree.  All three of the pecans and also the pear have some sort of vine growing on them.  It looks like ferns growing along the branches.  In the winter, the area where the growth is turns dark.  It seems to have pretty much killed one older pecan and working on the two  younger trees.  The pear is lightly infested.  Up in the tree, it grows independent of ground roots which I cut when I find them.  Does anyone have an idea of what this might be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you all for the feedback.  It definitely is not mistletoe.  I recognize that from when I was a child and we  used to go out in the woods for it at Christmas time.  I am going to check out the climbing ferns.  Also wanted to say we had the most damaged pecan tree cut down as it was very old anyway.  The inside of the trunk was not as damaged as I expected it to be which gives me hope that this is some kind of harmless, fern looking vine.  Thanks again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1773" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-12-06T19:22:41.317" LastActivityDate="2012-12-06T19:22:41.317" Title="What is this parasitic vine on my trees?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;parasites&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3637" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3635" CreationDate="2012-03-16T01:39:34.333" Score="21" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=annual%20bluegrass%20wikipedia&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0CCMQFjAA&amp;amp;url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poa_annua&amp;amp;ei=q5hiT6TgEqb20gGqvqG0CA&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFeKYVZ58xPGcbLYC9SPcRfPS3g6A&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;annual bluegrass, &lt;em&gt;Poa annua&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It grows in lawns during the spring (and/or fall, depending on climate) and causes some very nice lawns to thin out, as it grows very thick and chokes out the lawn grass. The problem with removing it is that this is a grass itself, so you cannot kill it with selective weed killer. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=annual%20bluegrass%20control&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0CDwQFjAA&amp;amp;url=http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7464.html&amp;amp;ei=qJhiT8unAuHs0gHMypijCA&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNHbhP1xGu--doBCi1NW3jdow08XrA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; gives good information on the management of the grass. Do not overwater your lawn, especially in shady areas. When you water the lawn, water deeply and infrequently, as this grass is a shallow rooted water addict. Do not overdo the fertilizer as that will give these a head start over the turf. Keep your soil loose, as this species likes compacted soil. Maintaining a thick, vigorous lawn will discourage the grass from spreading. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if you use  PGRs (plant growth regulator), such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.alanwood.net/pesticides/flurprimidol.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;flurprimidol&lt;/a&gt; (a-(1-methylethyl)-a-[4-(trifluoromethoxy)-phenyl]-5-pyrimidinemethanol) which slows the growth of the &lt;em&gt;Poa annua&lt;/em&gt; more than the growth of the perennial turf grasses, it give these good grasses a head start, as well as drastically reducing the &lt;em&gt;Poa annua&lt;/em&gt;'s ability to produce seed heads, which will lead to decreasing populations of this weed in lawns each year that this treatment is applied.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fci9t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z9LrJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-05T04:12:05.070" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T04:12:05.070" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3639" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="739" CreationDate="2012-03-16T13:06:26.513" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will give you a personal experience.&#xA;The first time I planted an  avocado using toothpicks it took 3 moths and no roots were observed.&#xA;The second time, I did the following: using a knife, pass the knife around the seed, but mostly from the bottom, to allow the water to reach inside the seed and let the root form. This time it took 1 month, at the end of this month not only roots were performed, but also a little green stem, after that I placed it in the pot. I water it twice per week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It usually takes 2-3 weeks for the root to be grown, but you can leave it an additional week in water, to see the green stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I have three planted avocados, and I'm waiting for the greatest one to grow a little big to fertilize it, because I heard that avocados don't fertilize alone the first time, they need fertilization, then they will continue alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1006" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T15:45:49.990" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T15:45:49.990" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3640" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-16T18:14:01.613" Score="5" ViewCount="217" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in a rental unit that had an elderly couple as tenants for many years.  The outside has been utterly neglected.  We have already discovered that the property managers are worse than useless for taking action on these sorts of issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year I made some attempt to remediate the lawn with a fertilizer/grass seed combination to little improvement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year we've been out already and managed to rake up a lot of fresh, thriving moss and want to tackle the problem early in the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our soil is a red, clay and the yard has multiple slopes, primarily east and south.  The grass is pretty ratty, but I will not consider laying sod as I am willing to exert effort but not substantial monetary outlay to correct this as best I can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone suggest a plan of attack?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="437" LastActivityDate="2012-03-16T19:51:49.627" Title="How can I remediate a lawn that has been attacked by moss?" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3641" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3557" CreationDate="2012-03-16T18:32:17.757" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few things that can cause Gardenias to drop their buds prematurely.  The most common cause being a &lt;strong&gt;lack of humidity&lt;/strong&gt;.  What is the relative humidity where it is being kept?  Gardenias are native to a very humid, tropical environment and like a lot of heat and light, but not direct sunlight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few other reasons I can think of:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the soil pH?  Gardenias like acidic soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is the pot being moved around a lot? A lot of motion can easily cause dropping buds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there a lack of light/heat?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For humidity you can try using a humidifier to increase the humidity or a tray of pebbles in water under the pot I've heard can work.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/flower/gardenia-flowers-gardenia-buds-falling-off-plant.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; are more information and references if needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastActivityDate="2012-03-16T18:32:17.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3642" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3640" CreationDate="2012-03-16T19:51:49.627" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not sure you can get a really nice looking lawn fast.  Given the clay soil improvements take time and you might not feel your efforts had been well spent if it takes three or four years to make a perceptible difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Still there are inexpensive things you can do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in the spring give the lawn a hard raking to remove the moss&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;aerate with a gardening tool that will remove plugs of soil, there are manual and roller types&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;apply lots of grass seed of a variety suited to the light conditions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;top dress with one quarter inch of your choice of compost or top soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water in, keep watering if the spring is dry until you see the new grass is established&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do this every spring and fall the lawn will improve.  The goal is to improve aeration, increase the organic matter and increase the density of grass in order to shade out weeds and moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-03-16T19:51:49.627" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3643" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3645" CreationDate="2012-03-16T20:07:42.987" Score="7" ViewCount="303" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm beginning to prepare the soil for my vegetable garden.  Overall, it's clay-type soil, and I've added some of the leaves from last fall and the grass clippings from last year into the soil and tilled it in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I add any kind of fertilizer or manure?  How can I tell what the soil needs for prime growing conditions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1007" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-03-17T07:16:46.437" LastActivityDate="2012-03-17T07:16:46.437" Title="How much additional fertilizer should I add to a vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3644" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3647" CreationDate="2012-03-16T20:14:50.320" Score="7" ViewCount="4299" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have an area that we attempt to use for gardening every year.  It makes a nice garden area of about 10 feet wide by 20 feet deep. It will probably end up being the subject of several questions.  But the first is how to clean it out and prepare it for spring?  We are in northern California, USA (Zone 9) so it is hard to do anything with the area through the rainy winter.  So the area is poorly cared for and horribly overgrown each year.  What is the best way to eliminate the weeds and prepare the soil for spring planting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="432" LastEditorUserId="432" LastEditDate="2012-03-17T15:13:51.707" LastActivityDate="2012-03-18T03:18:13.903" Title="What are the steps to prepare an overgrown, grassy area for gardening?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3645" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3643" CreationDate="2012-03-16T22:13:20.627" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think you can really go wrong with adding manure. Since this is a new garden in clay soil, you'll benefit from adding organic matter (the leaves and grass clippings are a good start), and composted manure will boost your soil fertility.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the only real way to know how how much fertilizer you should add is to get your &lt;strong&gt;soil tested&lt;/strong&gt;. Your profile says you live in Utah. &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/htm/publications/file=5851&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;This document (pdf)&lt;/a&gt; from the Utah State University Cooperative Extension describes how to take a soil sample. It says they charge $10 for a standard test, which is a very reasonable price.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-16T22:13:20.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3646" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3649" CreationDate="2012-03-17T00:01:42.770" Score="12" ViewCount="2280" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm reading this question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/3500/652&quot;&gt;What is the average lifespan of most maple trees?&lt;/a&gt; and the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3515/652&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; mentions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Silver maple 100 years (I cannot imagine why you would want to plant this species)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;followed by a comment:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Silver Maples in urban areas are trouble. Their roots seek water and infiltrate water pipes. They have a poor branch structure that unusual weather can cause broken branches or splits in branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With such bad press about this tree, I looked it up and googled the images and lo and behold, &lt;strong&gt;that's my tree!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It saddened me a bit since my brother-in-law gave me this seedling from his yard (as mine was barren of any trees) and I've been really happy with how fast it's been growing.  The leaves are full and pretty and it's about 15 feet high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really don't want to take down this tree, so what can I do to improve the branch structure?  How realistic a concern is &lt;code&gt;infiltrates water pipes&lt;/code&gt;? (the main water pipe to the house is not that far away from the tree)  Are the roots drilling through metal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="652" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-10-21T10:03:54.867" Title="How can I love a Silver Maple?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3647" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3644" CreationDate="2012-03-17T00:03:30.017" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have converted parts of my backyard from lush lawn to lush vegetable patch.  Here is what I tried in ascending order of work involved.  The first two are the approaches that have given me good results so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;With a shovel overturn the patch, i.e. dig up a peice of lawn and put it back turned upside down; I went down about 1 shovel depth.  Cover this with weed control cloth (black material, permiable to air and water, you can probably find it at your local department store) and/or large flat stones.  Leave the patch alone throughout winter.  This should kill most of what was growing in that patch of dirt.  In spring remove the stones and cloth, add manure, compost, plant desired plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you don't want to wait half a year, pull out all the weeds and grass, try and keep the dirt you already have.  Amend this with compost, manure, then plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This approach is similar to double-digging.  Dig out the first shovel depth of patch, put aside.  Dig another shovel depth, or two, or more.  Put the first dug layer at the bottom, add compost, manure, dug up dirt.  Keep layering these till you run out of dirt.  Cover with weed control cloth and stones.  Leave patch alone for a winter.  This should kill what was growing there originally plus give you a deep layer of rich soil for the plants you want to plant.  Add compost and manure the next spring before planting.  This is a controversial approach, see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/3595/746&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, but I suspect it will give me really good results for deep rooting plants like corn, sunflowers, maybe even tomatoes (I will be using this patch for the first time this season).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would recommend against herbicides to get rid of the grass and weeds, especially if you are going to use this patch for vegetable gardening.  If you keep on top of the weeds on a regular basis, say every weekend, it won't be too much work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: I live in Southern Ontario with hardiness zone 6a-5b, where we have snowy winters. The best approach might be different for your location, where I imagine things grow all year long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-03-17T00:03:30.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3649" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3646" CreationDate="2012-03-17T13:47:37.360" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;The structural problems that silver maples usually have include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/615.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;included bark&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://agebb.missouri.edu/agforest/archives/v10n3/gh1.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;narrow crotch angles&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a tendency when grown in urban conditions to grow wider than taller&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a shallow root system&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you consistently trim the width over the next four or five years to promote vertical growth and you remove any branches with narrow angles or included bark you can reduce the risk of branches breaking off in wind or ice storms.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/00-005.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;This guide&lt;/a&gt; is for fruit trees but the ideas apply to what you want to do.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other issue to address is how close is the tree to any structures or parking areas?  Urban areas are unnatural for trees.  The soil is different and they are not planted with the same density as a forest.  In a forest a tree can depend on it's neighbours to buffer high winds.  This is not true in urban environments and silver maples can blow over and break things like your house or car.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly the issue of water seeking roots.  Tree roots cannot drill through metal or plastic.  However, depending on the age of pipes there may be pinpoint leaks at the joins.  Where there is water ----&gt;   roots will go.  Roots can go into a pipe where there is the tiniest gap. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Only you can do a complete analysis of whether this tree should be kept or not.  Talk to a local arborist and get some costs:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;how much to remove it now?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;how much to give it some structural pruning on a yearly or bi yearly basis for four or five years?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;how much to remove a full grown silver maple (assume full grown after fifty years)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what could it fall on and how much would it cost to fix? Are you insured?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;has your area had high wind storms or ice storms in the last ten years?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the silver maple clogs your water pipes fifteen years from now how much could it cost to get new pipe laid?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know this answer sounds like it's all about money but as a homeowner you will be responsible for what happens to the tree. If you are unsure hire an arborist for an opinion and estimate now.  It's much cheaper to spend a little money now than a lot of money later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-10-21T10:03:54.867" LastActivityDate="2014-10-21T10:03:54.867" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3650" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-17T15:24:24.220" Score="10" ViewCount="254" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read other questions on this and other forums on Jade plants, and haven't quite found an answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My Jade plant is 20 years old and about 3&quot; in diameter at the base and 4' high. It seems to never have been sick, except for a sunburn 10 years ago. A few months ago, leaves down the branches from the tips started to wrinkle and brown - more than the normal old age shedding. Now most leaves have wrinkled and are dying. The plant's trying hard to survive - it has grown new leaves that I thought would &quot;save&quot; it, but now they are wrinkling and turning brown too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All I've read on over-watering has led me to reduce watering, then increase some after a month of low water didn't help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An 18&quot; tall tree next to this one is doing great. Sunshine in Colorado isn't a problem. I'm wondering if a house sitter over watered and cause the roots to rot, but I don't know what to do now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I repot a tree this large? (maybe there is no choice).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How large a branch can I start in a separate pot? How would I start a fairly large branch?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1009" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-03-18T18:01:58.940" LastActivityDate="2012-03-18T22:27:27.837" Title="Jade: Can I repot and/or take cuttings?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3651" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3664" CreationDate="2012-03-17T15:47:34.987" Score="7" ViewCount="6140" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know what this white-flowered,  winter-hardy ground cover plant with lacerate(?) leaves? Up to 15cm high. It has flowers: The diameter of the flowers is about 2 cm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(click for a larger version)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/75j6E.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/75j6Em.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;while-flowered&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/strong&gt; I added two pictures which zoom on the leaves and one which shows the whole ground its covering. Again click to enlargen:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cHWCk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cHWCkm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;ground&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RuqlL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RuqlLm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2012-03-19T12:12:07.693" LastActivityDate="2014-07-01T03:48:34.800" Title="What is this white-flowered ground cover plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3652" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3653" CreationDate="2012-03-17T15:57:42.823" Score="10" ViewCount="1115" Body="&lt;p&gt;We gave up on grass for much of our front yard after a disastrously hot and dry summer last year. (I couldn't morally live with the idea of soaking the yard with enough water to keep the grass alive, especially as I watched the primary area reservoir sink lower and lower.) So the problem parts of the yard are now covered in a few inches of dark mulch, with some rocks and native drought-tolerant shrubs, succulents, etc.  Looks a little goofy but I'm happy with it for the most part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway it's been a lot wetter so far this year. Over the past couple of days we've seen a burst of mushroom activity.  There are &lt;em&gt;lots&lt;/em&gt; of them, almost uniformly across the shadier part of the area.  Now to me, ignorant though I am, that means that there's some really happy fungus working over the bottom layer of the mulch, which is probably a really great thing for the soil (which still has to keep some 20yo live oak trees alive). I figure it's a good thing to leave them alone, and I already plan to add some more mulch pretty soon and turn it over to some extent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The things are kind-of freaking my wife out however, and she's worried that they might actually be bad for the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't say that I've seen this specific type of mushroom before, but then I've never had any of that particular kind of mulch in my yard and I figure the spores were there when it showed up in the truck last fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1010" LastActivityDate="2012-03-18T01:18:50.137" Title="Mushrooms in mulch: that's OK, right?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3652" CreationDate="2012-03-18T01:18:50.137" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The mushrooms will not harm the trees. They are decomposing the mulch, and have no interest in a live tree. If you want to, you can remove the caps and stalks, as these are just reproductive organs and do not have anything to do with the fungus health. A layer of mulch like that, while decomposing, will take up a large amount of nitrogen from the soil, so sprinkling blood meal should help the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-03-18T01:18:50.137" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3644" CreationDate="2012-03-18T03:18:13.903" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you have a mature garden space, and the problem you're facing is weed control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1805/51&quot;&gt;my answer&lt;/a&gt; to another question on weed control for a general approach, mainly:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do not let them go to seed!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will work (somewhat) to keep the milkweed at bay, though you may have a similar problem to that mentioned in the linked question: seed blowing in from outside your property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aggressive grasses can be harder, especially if they spread by rhizome or stolon. You can try starting from a fresh slate by covering the area with heavy black plastic for two weeks. This will block out light, and if it is sunny, should cook the weeds. Some weeds are &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; aggressive, and will survive this kind of treatment. Rototill. Rake the garden smooth. Wait a week, then cultivate &lt;em&gt;shallowly&lt;/em&gt; to kill anything that is resprouting. Repeat for a couple more weeks; this should reduce the amount of weed seeds that are ready on the surface to germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant your vegetables into the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cultivate regularly during the growing season. Shallow hoeing, once a week, will keep the weeds down. If you still have aggressive grassy weeds, you may need to hand pull and/or cultivate more often. Be persistent, the effort will pay off in the long run. (At least I hope so! I started a battle with some aggressive grasses last year, I hope to start this spring with the upper hand...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the fall as you remove vegetables following harvests, plant a thick cover crop. You want something that grows well in your area, germinates quickly, is winter hardy (in zone 9 this won't be a problem), and will grow so thickly that weeds can't catch hold. For me, this is winter rye; if this grows well where you are then you can use it, otherwise you'll need to find something that suits your environment. The following spring, till it in before it puts on too much growth, and wait a couple of weeks before planting (especially with rye, which gives off a natural chemical that prevents seed germination).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Continue annually with regular cultivation and thick winter cover crops, and you can keep weed pressure to a minimum. As a bonus, the cover crops will help improve your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good hygiene in other parts of your yard is helpful too: if you let milkweed grow along your back fence, it's going to spread seeds into your garden. Same for the grasses in your lawn. If you need help controlling weeds in your lawn, so that they won't spread into your vegetable garden, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1391/51&quot;&gt;see this answer&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-03-18T03:18:13.903" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3655" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3657" CreationDate="2012-03-18T18:45:40.760" Score="10" ViewCount="1278" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing some herbs in my kitchen in individual pots and they have been growing quite successfully. However, certain herbs, like coriander, have grown to be quite tall, but not strong enough to hold themselves upright. The pots that they are in (that were part of an indoor herb growing kits) have fairly high edges, so I fear this might mean that the plants have had to grow too tall in order to find direct sunlight.  Is there anything I should do to stop this? e.g. replanting them in better pots, trimming leaves etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastActivityDate="2012-12-21T02:43:10.713" Title="How can I stop my herbs growing too tall?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3656" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3659" CreationDate="2012-03-18T21:21:23.680" Score="18" ViewCount="86829" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a couple of ducks in my yard (male and female).  I think they have come to my backyard to make a nest.  I fear that if this happens half my backyard will become off-limits due to an angry duck-mom.  I also worry that they will munch on my seedlings in the spring.  How do I get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read that hanging CDs on trees could deter them.  Does this work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know a dog would do the trick, but I don't want a pet.  Also, both of my neighbours have dogs and the ducks do not mind them so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to stay away from pesticides, but if that is my only option I will use it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-19T13:49:48.097" LastActivityDate="2014-07-02T14:08:41.370" Title="How do I get rid of ducks from my backyard?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3657" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3655" CreationDate="2012-03-18T22:15:50.777" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general, stronger light while they are growing will keep them from getting too leggy. Your fear is correct: they are reaching to try to get to the light. This makes them grow too fast and the stems are weak.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-18T22:15:50.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3658" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3650" CreationDate="2012-03-18T22:27:27.837" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a hard question to approach, it could be many things. If it is effecting the whole plant and you've ruled out the basics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Insects attacking leaves, branches, roots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A larger plant taking over all the sunlight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water pooling&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Something that could have contaminated the soil where it is growing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possible that it is some sort of disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;If&lt;/em&gt; it is disease then the problem is you are likely to bring that disease across when you take a new cutting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can't see the source of the problem on the leaves or branches I would get out my shovel and clear away some of the dirt next to the roots. Enough so you can get a decent look and see for yourself if there is any problem down there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My first step would be to search for something like &lt;em&gt;jade tree diseases&lt;/em&gt; on Google. I would also take a small cutting of an effected section of the plant and take it to a nursery (my suggestion would be to take it to an independent, not a big mega-mall style nursery) and ask them there. Even if they can't say exactly what it is they may be able to suggest something you could try in terms of disease control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience I have cut 50cm off the side of a jade tree (no roots) to start a new plant. I have also cut 10x 1m large succulents out at ground level and left them at the base of a tree (very little sunlight) without any dirt and they all eventually grew roots down to the ground and are all very happy. The problem in your case, the larger the cutting you make the more chance you are of bringing across the disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are wanting to preserve the plant for sentimental value I suggest you take a cutting of about 15cm of new growth and move it away from the parent plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-03-18T22:27:27.837" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3659" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3656" CreationDate="2012-03-19T02:29:24.777" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are some often repeated remedies. However ducks are like people with individual likes and dislikes. What might terrify one duck could be &quot;ho-hum&quot; to another.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a plastic owl:  usually available at birding stores, sometimes outdoor/hunting stores.  Get the better quality ones with a head that moves or the deluxe versions with wings that move.  (I'm not making this up!)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;any bright object like CD's on a string or bright reflective streamers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;as a temporary solution string fishing line across your yard  near where they land above head height. All birds don't like to hit things when they are landing and fishing line will not hurt them, only surprise them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-03-19T12:31:35.190" LastActivityDate="2012-03-19T12:31:35.190" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3660" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3636" CreationDate="2012-03-19T03:10:16.340" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it looks like a fern, then it is probably a variant of the so-called &quot;climbing ferns&quot; which aren't really ferns but just have fern like leaves. Most are harmless but there is a Japanese climbing fern which is considered a dangerous invasive species. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might check some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=climbing%20fern&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;client=safari&amp;amp;rls=en&amp;amp;prmd=imvns&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=9aJmT5y2IKqg2gXW3rWvCA&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0CFMQsAQ&amp;amp;biw=1316&amp;amp;bih=716&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;google images of climbing ferns&lt;/a&gt; to see if you can spot the culprit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1012" LastActivityDate="2012-03-19T03:10:16.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3661" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2624" CreationDate="2012-03-19T03:26:19.097" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't know much about gardening but I happen to know something about ceramics. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you look at the history of ceramics e.g. vases or urns from the classical world, you will see that virtually all traditional/pre-industrial are some variant of a round cone. This is because the firing of ceramics creates enormous compressive pressure on skin/surface of the object. It is this compressive pressure that makes the ceramic strong for its weight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The compression tries to press the vessel into a sphere. If you try to create a cylinder with ceramics the firing compression will squeeze most strongly right in the middle causing it to break. That's why it's so hard to make ceramic pipe and most historical ceramic pipes where not true cylinders.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Creating a conical shape creates some usable cylindrical space while directing the compression force in a strong circular vector that works something like an arch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stack-ability and plant management are most likely simply nifty side effects of ceramic processes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1012" LastEditorUserId="1012" LastEditDate="2012-07-12T19:00:49.703" LastActivityDate="2012-07-12T19:00:49.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3662" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-19T18:40:56.980" Score="7" ViewCount="453" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/268/how-do-i-grow-a-usable-vegetable-garden-indoors&quot;&gt;How do I grow a usable vegetable garden indoors?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to grow any vegetables, or even fruit, indoors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had a bit of success growing herbs and kalamondin indoors before now, but I was wondering if there's any small vegetables that can be grown indoors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's in a flat, no window ledges, but a fair few hours of sunlight&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-03-21T01:12:23.520" Title="Is it possible to grow vegetables indoors?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2012-03-21T13:12:03.197" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3663" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3656" CreationDate="2012-03-19T18:46:49.250" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A hunting rifle would probably solve the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're looking for non-lethal methods, you could probably shoot them with a BB or pellet gun, and encourage them to go somewhere else that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastActivityDate="2012-03-19T18:46:49.250" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3664" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3651" CreationDate="2012-03-19T19:05:45.687" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;OK, just 5 minutes after starting the bounty I think I found it on another site: it seems to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.hortipedia.com/wiki/Arabis_alpina_subsp._caucasica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Garden Arabis, &lt;em&gt;Arabis caucasica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-01T03:48:34.800" LastActivityDate="2014-07-01T03:48:34.800" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3665" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3662" CreationDate="2012-03-19T20:32:58.050" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have quite a few people here who have grown peppers and small tomatoes indoors and in pots. I think peppers (especially jalapenos) have a certain novelty factor that attracts people.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The big problem (as indicated by @kevinsky) is the sunlight for peppers and tomatoes. You are going to need a sunny window or conservatory. If you don't have anywhere like that or a balcony, then you could buy a grow lamp or two?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Smaller root vegetables might also be worth trying - e.g. beetroot, onions, and carrots (although carrots might need deep pots). As you have complete control on the soil texture, these should grow well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-20T02:51:09.140" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T02:51:09.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3666" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3674" CreationDate="2012-03-20T00:19:34.983" Score="11" ViewCount="8031" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of articles on the web ranked highly in searches that advocate the use of tar/tar based products to seal tree wounds such as pruning cuts. For example — &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/way_5825783_homemade-tree-wounds.html&quot;&gt;&quot;Homemade tree wounds&quot;&lt;/a&gt;. However, this is really an outdated practice and the use of such products only seals in the bacteria and fungus, further worsening the situation and accelerating the decay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there concrete sources of information (published literature/university program articles, etc.) that go into further detail on the benefits/hazards of using tar based products for such purposes? I'd appreciate detailed answers with links so that this post can quell any disinformation floating around on the internet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T20:22:03.737" Title="Are tar based products really useful in treating tree wounds?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3667" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3668" CreationDate="2012-03-20T02:39:58.187" Score="9" ViewCount="1842" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a steep driveway that isn't very practical for parking in, but looks pretty nice.  It is &quot;paved&quot; with bricks and large marble slabs, with dirt in between the stones.  Although this looks pretty nice and rustic in the winter/spring, but it gets out of control with weeds come summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any suggestions for a good, low ground cover that will grow well in this environment?  It would be great to have something to block the weeds and provide some year-round color between the stones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="171" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-03-21T01:05:54.947" LastActivityDate="2015-04-14T19:34:21.120" Title="What ground cover would be best for my old stone driveway?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;rock-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3668" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3667" CreationDate="2012-03-20T12:18:10.983" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Creeping thyme (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thymus_serpyllum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Thymus serpyllum&lt;/a&gt;) works very well for me in USDA zone 4. Tolerates a lot of traffic, small flowers, turns a reddish colour in a mild winter. It is readily available at most nursery centres and once it gets established will self seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The downsides are that the flowers attracts bees which may not be what you want when you open your car door.  It is vigorous enough to cover the bricks and slabs so you will have to cut it back yearly.  It grows thickly but grass seeds can germinate so if you have an adjacent lawn which you cut with a power mower you may end up weeding between the cracks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would use &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.permacon.ca/product/landscaping-permapro/xp-polymeric-sand&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;polymeric sand&lt;/a&gt;.  It is expensive but when properly applied provides a weed proof barrier that allows water to move through it.  As one paving installer said to me &quot;Once you use it you'll never go back&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-04-14T19:34:21.120" LastActivityDate="2015-04-14T19:34:21.120" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3669" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-20T14:21:45.863" Score="4" ViewCount="73" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3667/what-ground-cover-would-be-best-for-my-old-stone-driveway&quot;&gt;What ground cover would be best for my old stone driveway?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas for what I could either seed directly onto gravel or plant for reasonable quick growth (ground cover).  This is an area which gets a little bit of car passage but mostly people.  I'm in southwest france (reasonably mild).  We are tired of adding hundreds of euros of gravel each year, and the weeds just get through anyways, so why not turn the whole thing green?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1018" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-03-21T01:04:44.573" Title="How can I turn my gravel driveway into a green driveway?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2012-04-05T02:16:37.423" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3670" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3672" CreationDate="2012-03-20T14:36:16.110" Score="6" ViewCount="1363" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I use Roundup to keep weeds and grass out of the irrigation ditches that bring water to my vegetable garden, will it end up washing downstream and killing my vegetables?  Also, will it harm my vegetables if I use Roundup on weeds growing in the garden if I'm careful not to get any on the vegetables themselves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1007" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-03-21T01:18:39.643" LastActivityDate="2018-08-25T01:20:25.347" Title="Should I use Roundup in irrigation ditches?" Tags="&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3671" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3662" CreationDate="2012-03-20T14:39:21.557" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just about anything can be grown indoors without natural sunlight.  It depends on how serious you are.  There are a few different options if you were willing to setup a few lighting fixtures.  The cheapest setup (for peppers and lettuce for example) would involve buying a simple &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00076Q0FG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fixture&lt;/a&gt; and putting a &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0018OS06S&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;full-spectrum CFL&lt;/a&gt; bulb in it.  A full spectrum bulb (around 5000K, and roughly 1000 lumens is a good start) closely resembles the sun in terms of specific wavelengths that plants require to photosynthesize.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I myself am currently experimenting with growing basil, green peppers, chives, and spinach indoors in a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroponics&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hydroponic&lt;/a&gt; setup with no direct sunlight.  I'm at about week 5 and so far everything is doing great; the little bit of basil I have sampled so far tastes great!  If you preferred to use a soil setup instead of a soil-less one I imagine you would have similar results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just about every fruit has been grow indoors nowadays with the right lighting.  Take a look at this impressive little setup growing &lt;a href=&quot;http://urbanhydro.org/2010/04/strawberry-update/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;indoor strawberries&lt;/a&gt;! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note&lt;/strong&gt;: Growing basil and peppers indoors is a lot different than growing strawberries/other plants solely indoors and require a lot more than just a simple bulb and a spot light fixture. For more difficult plants a more complex setup and a lot of research is required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T14:39:21.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3672" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3670" CreationDate="2012-03-20T14:58:32.853" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/dienochlor-glyphosate/glyphosate-ext.html&quot;&gt;ETOXNET (Extension Toxology Network) page at Cornell for glyphosate&lt;/a&gt; suggests it binds quickly to soil so that run off problems tend to be minor (2% being quoted as typical). Note however you are talking about irrigation ditches, so I would expect run off to be higher - although perhaps not by much if you treat the ditch whilst dry and a few days before rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although glyphosate is the active ingredient of Roundup, much of the animal toxicity comes from surfactants used in the Roundup mixture - so a lot of the official toxicity reports tend to under-report the toxicity of Roundup (Monsanto have only submitted glyphosate for testing and not production Roundup mixes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T14:58:32.853" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3673" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-20T16:23:35.697" Score="8" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3476/how-is-a-lumpy-lawn-flattened-out&quot;&gt;How is a lumpy lawn flattened out?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My lawn is full of bumps, there's no stretch of flat ground anywhere. They're little mounds about 4 inches high or so, and this is not on any kind of a hill. What are some methods to fix it and level it all off? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1019" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-03-21T22:51:25.697" Title="How do I flatten out the four inch high bumps in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ClosedDate="2012-03-22T13:34:31.743" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3674" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3666" CreationDate="2012-03-20T17:41:11.793" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Shigo&quot;&gt;Alex Shigo&lt;/a&gt; pioneered the research which has shown that anything that covers a pruning cut works against the natural habits trees have to wall off injury. His works (&lt;a href=&quot;http://joa.isa-arbor.com/request.asp?JournalID=1&amp;amp;ArticleID=1845&amp;amp;Type=2&quot;&gt;Shigo, A. L., 1982 Tree Health in the Journal of Arboriculture 8 (12)&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://shigoandtrees.com/index.php?_a=viewProd&amp;amp;productId=3&quot;&gt;a New Tree Biology 1986&lt;/a&gt; helped to show arborists a more effective way to prune.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The basic idea is that trees seal off injuries, they do not heal like we do.  If there is damage they build a wall of tissue around it and carry on growing.  When you apply tar, or aloe gel or pectin to a tree wound you are sealing in moisture and preventing the wall of tissue from forming.  Some of the ingredients can serve as a food source for pathogens and none of them will stop rot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More details can be seen in these articles &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda%20Chalker-Scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/Myths/Wound%20sealer.pdf&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1082&amp;amp;context=utk_agexfores&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  Trees have been around for around 360 million years and managed quite well without our &quot;help&quot;.  If you see an urban tree chances are it needs a big drink of water more than anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T17:41:11.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3292" CreationDate="2012-03-20T21:36:50.693" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally, almost all members of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteraceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Asteraceae&lt;/a&gt; (daisy family) are able to self-pollinate successfully and most species, including Asters, pollinate strictly by insects (A few species are pollinated abiotically, Ambrosia and Artemisia).   You did not mention the color of the wild asters.  Are they golden/yellow?  If they are, you may be in luck.  Some research has shown that the color of a flower is a predictor of when a flower will be pollinated.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/plantstrategies/index.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lavender colors&lt;/a&gt; usually attract pollinators between September and October where as bright yellows attract between June and August (see bottom of page).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However asters do cross-pollinate (noted &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.floridata.com/ref/a/aste_xfr.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; under 'Propagation' and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/ontario_aster.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; under 'Faunal Associations').  So my best guess would be  if the wild asters are similar in color (different shade of blue/purple) to your 'double lavender', you are out of luck.  But if the wild asters are yellow/white/etc I would think they should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Good news&lt;/strong&gt;: Some asters are perennial and propagate easily by division!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T21:36:50.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3676" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3682" CreationDate="2012-03-20T22:20:02.543" Score="11" ViewCount="1167" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whenever I sow seed directly into the garden bed, due to the bizarre laws of physics, I end up with patches of no seedlings and patches where they are growing on top of each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I scatter seed by hand whenever the seed is impossibly small to be picking out individual seeds for planting e.g. lettuce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a technique I can use that results in a more even distribution?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand there is a tool available, but I'd prefer not to have one of every tool if I can do it myself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-03-21T01:17:13.763" LastActivityDate="2012-08-13T21:00:13.910" Title="How should vegetable seeds be sown evenly?" Tags="&lt;sowing&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3677" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-20T22:34:49.733" Score="16" ViewCount="6723" Body="&lt;p&gt;Around a year ago I went to a local hardware store to buy some treated pine logs to make a raised garden bed. The guy at the store asked if I was using it for a vegetable bed and he explained that chemicals from the treated pine would leach into the soil and I should use a special type of wood specifically designed for use in garden beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have since abandoned the idea of purchasing from the hardware store and currently I only have one raised bed which I am using for potatoes which I have built up using an old bookshelf I picked up for free and knocked the back out. This is made out of what I assume is &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com.au/search?q=melamine%20mdf&amp;amp;um=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;source=og&amp;amp;sa=N&amp;amp;tab=wi&amp;amp;ei=nARpT9e3HOSpsAK5sr2oCQ&amp;amp;sout=0&amp;amp;ved=0CEAQxxQ&amp;amp;biw=1680&amp;amp;bih=870&amp;amp;sei=rARpT7e7AYSOsQKQ6IHBDg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;melamine coated particle board&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there research around where leaching of wood materials has been properly researched and documented?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What healthy as well as sustainable / recycled / reusable solution should a person use when building a raised bed? Note: This doesn't necessarily need to be wood it could be something like recycled brick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-21T07:24:36.063" LastActivityDate="2014-12-21T07:24:36.063" Title="Do chemicals leach from the sides of raised beds?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;sustainability&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3678" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3677" CreationDate="2012-03-20T23:02:40.257" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mdf tends to fall apart in the presence of moisture.  After a while exposed to wet soil or soil with a clay component it returns to being wood chips and paper.  What happens to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium-density_fibreboard&quot;&gt;formaldehyde resins that bind it together&lt;/a&gt; and the urea formaldehyde that is slowly released is a good question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/are-pressure-treated-woods-safe-in-garden-beds.aspx&quot;&gt;detailed article from Fine Gardening&lt;/a&gt; explains that since 2003 in the United States pressure treated wood has used copper based compounds instead of arsenic. Details on the EPA's policy can be found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/reregistration/cca/acq.htm&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. Similar legislation is in effect in Europe, Australia and Canada. Theoretically food plants will die before they absorb toxic levels of copper from wood produced after 2003 and this is only likely to happen in soils low in phosphorus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even though I do not aspire to have my garden certified as organic which requires no pressure treated wood I do not use it as there are many alternatives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;nothing- just bank the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stone - highway construction sites are usually happy if you take away blast rock they would otherwise haul away.  (ask first if you are not sure!)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cedar contains natural preservatives which lengthen it's lifespan &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;recyclers can provide breezeblocks, paving slabs, old bathtubs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;shipping pallets are readily available.  They make good firewood or excellent retaining walls&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bricks can be problematic.  Most house bricks are only fired so they are waterproof on one side.  When exposed to constant moisture and winter/summer they flake and spall in a few years.  Interlock bricks are cement and can be used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T23:02:40.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3679" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3677" CreationDate="2012-03-20T23:05:27.937" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your hardware store guy is right — chemically treated wood will leach into the surrounding soil. Lumber is typically treated with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromated_copper_arsenate&quot;&gt;Chromated copper arsenate (CCA)&lt;/a&gt; to preserve it. The oxides and salts of the three metals — chromium, copper and arsenic — together provide as an effective fungicide and insecticide and also as a barrier against termites. From the wiki article:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;CCA is known by many trade names, including the worldwide brands &quot;Tanalith&quot; &quot;SupaTimber&quot; and &quot;Celcure&quot;. The chromium acts as a chemical fixing agent and has little or no preserving properties; it helps the other chemicals to fix in the timber, binding them through chemical complexes to the wood's cellulose and lignin. The copper acts primarily to protect the wood against decay fungi and bacteria, while the arsenic is the main insecticidal component of CCA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These chemicals can, over time, leach into the surrounding soil and potentially even contaminate the water table. &lt;a href=&quot;http://npic.orst.edu/ingred/ptype/treatwood/ccaleach.html&quot;&gt;Here is some information&lt;/a&gt; from the National Pesticide Information Center&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Chromium, copper and arsenic can leach into soil or water when wood treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) is exposed to the environment. Many factors can affect the amount of leaching that occurs from treated wood. Such factors include how long the wood has been exposed to the environment, the size and type of wood that was treated, whether the wood is coated with a sealant, water movement, and the type of soil. The chemicals that leach from CCA-treated wood can accumulate in soils near the wood, but under certain conditions, the chemicals can travel farther. In general, CCA chemicals are least mobile in organic soils, slightly more mobile in clay soils, and most mobile in sandy soils or water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can use untreated wood to create your raised beds. One way to tell untreated wood apart from treated is the absence of a greenish tint (mostly due to the copper in CCA). Wood that is used to make palettes and box crates are generally untreated (so raw that they don't even bother finishing it). However, you should be careful when working with them because they are so rough that you could easily get splinters. Best to get a few planks and run them through the planer if you have one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2012-03-20T23:05:27.937" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3680" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="744" CreationDate="2012-03-21T01:51:28.300" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;As @bstpierre mentioned, the pile you are working with is huge and suggested making it into smaller piles. You also said you don't want to use the results of your composting personally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My suggestion is to take the material that is already well composted and place it bags and sell it on the sidewalk next to your house for a reasonable price. I have seen this done quite often where I live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I can get a whole bag of good quality compost for about $5 it is much better than spending $15 for the same quantity of poorer quality stuff from a store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This way you are reducing the size of your pile, someone is getting good use out of your work and you can continue with your goal of lessening your impact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-03-21T01:51:28.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3681" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3676" CreationDate="2012-03-21T03:00:55.187" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something I learned from my father for spreading tiny seeds like lettuce...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fold a piece of light cardboard in half so that it forms a V shape.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drop the seeds into the bottom of the V, spreading them out along the width of the card.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hold the cardboard so that the bottom of the V has a slight downward slope away from where you're holding it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Move slowly along the row, tapping the card gently.  If you do it right, you should have a few seeds bounce out with every tap.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best thing is, you can practice this technique in a controlled place (like over a piece of paper on your kitchen table) to be sure you're doing it right, then gather up the seeds and do it again for real in your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I find that this technique works even better for me than using the seed sower I use for larger seeds (like spinach):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jBGcP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;seed sower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2012-03-21T03:00:55.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3682" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3676" CreationDate="2012-03-21T03:37:15.293" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can &lt;a href=&quot;http://annieskitchengarden.blogspot.com/2009/09/september-22-2009-home-made-seed-mat.html&quot;&gt;glue seeds to paper napkins&lt;/a&gt;. Sounds weird, but I tried it last year with carrots and lettuce with mostly ok results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to retry this year with toilet paper so I can have a nice, straight, long row of carrots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's somewhat time consuming to prepare the mats, but you get perfect spacing, and you can do it at night when there's no possibility for doing other garden chores. It also makes the outside part of planting time go very fast, which is critical for me because it's stressful to try to carefully space tiny seeds when the black flies and/or mosquitoes are sucking your blood. And it saves time on thinning, since the spacing is already correct.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-21T03:37:15.293" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3683" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3684" CreationDate="2012-03-21T11:28:02.333" Score="29" ViewCount="104490" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had my pressure treated wood raised beds for my vegetable garden since 2005 and was recently made aware of the potential risks of using this kind of wood.  I have seen conflicting articles saying that it may be OK to use pressure treated wood after 2003 such as this one:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/infptforraisedgardens.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Using Pressure Treated Wood For Raised Gardens...Is It Safe For Growing Food??&lt;/a&gt; However, I am trying to replace my chemical habits with good non-toxic ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What type of wood will be good for a few raised veggie beds?  About how long do you think it will last before needing to be replaced?  I'm in zone 7B if that makes a rotting difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="998" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-10-01T16:55:24.803" LastActivityDate="2019-03-16T06:35:04.950" Title="What is a good alternative to pressure treated wood for raised beds?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="13" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3684" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3683" CreationDate="2012-03-21T12:21:55.893" Score="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cedar is the most commonly available rot resistant wood. There is another solution which lacks aesthetic qualities but adds years to the life of wood.  Wood rots when it is constantly moist. Here's how to avoid this and use any wood you can get that is not treated:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dig a trench about 3 inches wide and six inches deep around the perimeter of your bed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;add two to three inches of 3/4 to 7/8 crushed gravel and tamp down&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;start assembling your wooden raised bed &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;on the side of the wood facing the soil line it with an impermeable layer. ( I happen to have some pond liner left over which does a great job but you can also use 40 - 60 mil plastic sheeting used for covering insulation.  This plastic should last five years if covered.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;place your wood and liner in the trench, back fill with soil and you are done&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other materials to replace wood include stone, used paving stones even empty wine bottles!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit Jojo has commented that liner may not be food safe.  Roofing liner and swimming pool liner are not food safe.  However Firestone's product page shows numerous places where it is used for food production and I cannot find any literature or studies disproving their claims of food safety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.firestonesp.com/geomembrane.aspx?intSubNavigationID=11&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Firestone's Building Products&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-10-20T13:47:38.593" LastActivityDate="2016-10-20T13:47:38.593" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3685" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3756" CreationDate="2012-03-21T12:35:39.017" Score="6" ViewCount="2670" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pile of bricks and pavers (left behind from the previous owner). My septic tank is exposed a little in one corner, right at the base of my porch steps. I was thinking of scraping the tank clean then throw the bricks right on that, and then have some overlap onto dirt/sand. Is this advised? I'll make sure the opening is easily accessible. Should I throw a layer of sand down first?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="987" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-03T02:00:11.237" LastActivityDate="2012-04-03T02:00:11.237" Title="Is it a good idea to make a brick patio on my septic tank?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3683" CreationDate="2012-03-21T13:06:14.343" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;@kevinsky's answer is very good if you want to keep edged raised beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing to consider is that &quot;raised beds&quot; don't &lt;em&gt;need&lt;/em&gt; any kind of edge. They're mainly for aesthetics -- which might be important to you, but aren't necessary for the plants. Unless you have a need for very high beds, you can simply mound up the soil. My garden doesn't have edges around the beds. Every spring I rake some of the soil from the paths and mound up the beds. The paths get compressed by foot traffic, but we never walk on the beds so they stay raised.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen people use regular untreated lumber (i.e. spruce/pine/fir) for raised beds. It lasts 3-4 years. If you are anywhere near a real lumberyard (not a big box store) or sawmill and you can get cheap, rough-cut, possibly second-quality boards, and you don't mind rebuilding beds every few years, it may be cost effective to just build with this. (Use @kevinsky's drainage tips to extend the life.) Since they're natural and untreated, when they start to rot and need to be replaced, you can break up the boards and bury them under your raised beds. They will compost slowly over the course of several years -- no waste!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-21T13:06:14.343" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3602" CreationDate="2012-03-21T13:25:00.280" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov&quot;&gt;The USDA Plants Database&lt;/a&gt; is helpful for most domestic and native plants. You can search by scientific or common name, and each species page will provide links to some of the information you are interested in. There are also modules for searching for various crop plant info (see sidebar modules). Another helpful place is your local ag university. In Utah, Utah State University publishes lots of regional horticulture information online, your state may have a similar university that will be a good resource for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1022" LastActivityDate="2012-03-21T13:25:00.280" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3688" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3691" CreationDate="2012-03-21T14:08:04.277" Score="21" ViewCount="110680" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife and I have been living in a new subdivision for the past two years and have been struggling with getting grass to fully take in our backyard. Our front yard is sod and has been doing fine, but the back is a heavy clay mix since the developers scraped off the top soil and sold it (so we've been told). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried a fescue mix in the past, but it seems to die out rather quickly in Mid-July when the heat is at it's strongest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any specific seed mixes that work better in clay, or other techniques that can help us with our yard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1023" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-03-22T01:18:07.673" LastActivityDate="2019-08-07T05:32:09.673" Title="How can we grow grass in our heavy clay yard?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;clay&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3689" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3690" CreationDate="2012-03-21T14:28:40.030" Score="10" ViewCount="382" Body="&lt;p&gt;My new yard has a lot of trees, probably 20-30.  There are apple, pear, peach, pine, plum, and a few others.  Most of them are fairly old (50+ years).  Some of them don't seem to be very healthy (dead branches, withering/yellow leaves, etc.).  Are there any tips or tricks for helping an unhealthy tree?  How do I figure out what is wrong with them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1007" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-03-22T01:18:58.873" LastActivityDate="2012-03-22T13:25:02.207" Title="Are there any tips for helping unhealthy trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3690" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3689" CreationDate="2012-03-21T15:03:23.393" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking, established trees like it just the way it is.  Grade changes, drainage changes, more foot or car traffic causing compaction; these are things that trees don't like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That sounds like a lot of trees for a backyard.  I've seen cases where previous owners liked trees and planted a lot of them.  &quot;They're so cute when they're small.&quot;  After twenty years it can get a bit crowded as the trees fill in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Things that you can do from easiest to harder:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;look at the trees for pests and diseases&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;decide if there are any you do not want&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;top dress around each tree with good compost twice a year to a depth of 1/4&quot; to 1/2 inch from the drip line to within 6&quot; from the base of the tree. (Thanks @winwaed)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if the soil is compacted aerate yearly around the drip line of each tree (don't get too close to the trunk)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if it is dry during the summer, water them generously and thoroughly every two weeks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do a maintenance prune yearly or get an arborist in&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-03-22T13:25:02.207" LastActivityDate="2012-03-22T13:25:02.207" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3691" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3688" CreationDate="2012-03-21T16:21:15.153" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen this many times in new subdivisions.  The worst was a house with heavy clay soil where a year after the builder left you could still roll up the grass.  As you have found grass finds it hard to get roots into a compacted clay subsoil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume that you are not able to remove the existing grass and add two to six inches of topsoil.  That would solve your problem immediately but would change the drainage around your house and that's never a good thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stopping the grass from browning out in the summer when water loss due to heat is more than the roots can take up from the soil could be as simple as watering once a week during the dry periods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A longer term solution is to sow more grass seed and top dress twice a year, spring and fall, with compost to a depth of 1/4&quot; to 1/2&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another solution that is hard to back out of is to plant clover and thyme.  Clover will &lt;a href=&quot;http://landscaping.about.com/cs/lawns/a/clover_lawns_3.htm&quot;&gt;break up the clay and add nitrogen&lt;/a&gt; but cannot be easily removed once added to a lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as grass mixtures for most homeowners the choices are &quot;Shady lawn&quot; or &quot;All purpose&quot;.&#xA;The only difference is the ratio of different grass species.  For real success you need to improve the underlying soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/08-017.htm&quot;&gt;Good mowing practices help too&lt;/a&gt;.  Cut late in the spring and cut as high as you can stand to let the roots store energy. Continue cutting higher in the back yard during the summer and then cut lower in the fall to avoid &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uoguelph.ca/~thsiang/snow/amazing_snowmold.pdf&quot;&gt;snow mould&lt;/a&gt; if that happens in your zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-03-21T22:37:52.563" LastActivityDate="2012-03-21T22:37:52.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3692" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3622" CreationDate="2012-03-21T18:33:38.467" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;Herbs (and leaf vegetables in general) must be harvested &lt;em&gt;regularly&lt;/em&gt; and not left to mature too much or too soon. Here are a few tips to harvesting herbs — mostly paraphrased from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1389/109&quot;&gt;these&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/587/109&quot;&gt;two&lt;/a&gt; answers of mine — that'll help you keep a good availability of herbs for most of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Harvest the young leaves&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's a reason why grocery stores only sell the young leaves of herbs — the flavorful herbs as we know it are the young leaves of the plant. At this stage in the plant's life, its sole purpose is to grow and as such, the leaves are wider, lush, tender and rich in the aromatic stuff that we love. Once you have a bunch of young leaves (or when the plant is 6&amp;quot; high), you can start harvesting it a few stalks at a time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the plants reach maturity, its focus is to reproduce and die. So the new sets of leaves it produces are a lot thinner and in general, less aromatic (sometimes gets bitter). This is very commonly seen in cilantro, parseley and mint (and less so in rosemary and thyme).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;If you need more, plant more!&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your culinary needs require larger amounts of cilantro, don't chop off the entire bunch or a lot of leaves at once, because the plant needs its leaves to photosynthesize and grow. My rule of thumb is that no more than 1/6th of the plant should be harvested at a time. Instead, have two plants and take off a 1/6th from each. You can scale this up and plant more as per your needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you follow such a cycling scheme between sets of plants, you'll automatically be trimming the plant, keeping it forever young and by the time you've reached the last plant in your set, the first will be ready to harvest — this way, no plant is overworked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Prevent bolting at all costs — pinch the flowers!&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you notice any flowers growing/flower buds, pinch them off. Remember that a plant's &amp;quot;mission&amp;quot; is to reproduce before it dies, to ensure the survival of its species (producing flowers is the first step). If you let it go to flower (also called bolting), the plant, satisfied that it has successfully produced a flower, might decide to stop growing and focus instead on developing that flower into a fruit and eventually a seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, when you remove the flowers you're sort of &amp;quot;tricking&amp;quot; the plant into thinking that its previous mission has failed (i.e., it hasn't produced a flower to ensure its survival). This in turn encourages the plant to produce even more leaves for food production (and flowers). However, this will only prolong the life of the plant by a few months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basil and cilantro are notorious for &amp;quot;bolting&amp;quot; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/154/109&quot;&gt;this answer of mine&lt;/a&gt; shows how to remove the flowers (it's really easy). Typical indicators of a plant that has bolted or is in advanced stages, is the presence of flowers, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1906/109&quot;&gt;woody stalks&lt;/a&gt; and thin, possibly bitter leaves. At this point, its better to let it go to seed and harvest the seeds for spice (in the case of cilantro) or simply start a fresh one while this dies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Plant only what you know you'll use&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know, it's tempting to be able to grow all possible herbs so that you can use it whenever you need them. However, if you're not prepared to use them up (or share with friends/neighbours) at the same speed as they grow — i.e., if you use them sparingly — it might be a better idea to not plant them in the first place. They'll simply die without being used and most likely, you might end up only needing it when it is at a mature stage, hence spoiling your experience with the out-of-flavour leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-03-21T18:33:38.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3693" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1301" CreationDate="2012-03-21T18:38:16.817" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I could not find a service so I have made one, &lt;a href=&quot;http://frostalertemail.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://frostalertemail.com&lt;/a&gt; (UK only).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1026" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-03-22T11:51:04.113" LastActivityDate="2012-03-22T11:51:04.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3694" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3476" CreationDate="2012-03-21T22:51:25.697" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a former landscaper my favorite quote to clients was &quot;You can have it fast, good or cheap. Pick two.&quot; In this situation I see a few solutions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rent a Bobcat with a toothed bucket and remove all the grass and bumps to a dump bin. Apply six inches of topsoil mix, gently compact and sow grass seed or sod. That's fast and good.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;top dress spring and fall to a depth of 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch with topsoil or compost, repeat until it's level.  That's good and cheap.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;from Rory's answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3476/how-is-a-lumpy-lawn-flattened-out&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;cut the turf up, peel it back, take out sufficient soil (this is&#xA;  relatively easy to get close to flat...not so easy to get exactly&#xA;  right) ... re-lay the turf&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That solution could be fast and cheap if you don't have a lot of area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-05-10T18:55:17.070" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3695" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3250" CreationDate="2012-03-22T01:47:35.763" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There  are several options. The first is the most common in my area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=how%20should%20geraniums%20be%20overwintered?&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;ved=0CDEQFjAA&amp;amp;url=http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2004/9-17-2004/geraniums.html&amp;amp;ei=jX9qT5jXD6PL0QG5-fHdBg&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGOpRDz7rcGb50R5FwPKAimVFqhkg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, Dig them up before frost, remove the soil, and put them in open paper bags. Then hang them from the rafters in a dry cool (45-50 degrees Fahrenheit) room. Several times during the winter, take them down, soak them in water for a couple hours, and return them to their original location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option is to pot them and grow them through the winter like a houseplant, and move them out to the garden after it warms up in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last one I will mention is to cut all the stems off at ground level and leave the roots. Insert each stem into a tin can of soil. Keep the plants in a bright but cool location until spring, when they are rooted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-03-22T01:47:35.763" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3696" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3250" CreationDate="2012-03-22T11:22:42.080" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I pot them and put them in a sunny windowsill or under my grow lights. Either way they're not very happy, and they lose a lot of leaves, but they also give me cheery red flowers all winter, and stay alive until I can put them back out in the spring. Under the grow lights, they get really long-stemmed, and I generally cut off a lot of that growth when I put them back out. I'm pretty aggressive about deadheading and pulling off dead leaves, because they're indoors and I have to look at them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2012-03-22T11:22:42.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3697" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2567" CreationDate="2012-03-22T13:16:16.807" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=tall%20fescue&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=7&amp;amp;ved=0CGkQFjAG&amp;amp;url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festuca_arundinacea&amp;amp;ei=8yRrT62SMYX00gGu9K22Bg&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFZ-5v6uCOeQVurQ8CfAZm0pE9j3w&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;tall fescue&lt;/a&gt;, a common lawn grass in cool region areas. I found the answer by planting different grass seed types until I found one that matched.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lLJML.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-03-22T13:16:16.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3698" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-22T15:10:01.627" Score="6" ViewCount="1150" Body="&lt;p&gt;The air temperature is in the mid 60s, and already the weeds started to germinate. Is this a good time to spray a pre-emergent herbicide or is it too late? Should I apply a post-emergent herbicide instead? Can I apply both together? I want to make sure the application is done properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1028" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-03T01:59:19.727" LastActivityDate="2012-04-20T22:42:25.743" Title="Should I be using pre-emergent or post-emergent herbicide? " Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3656" CreationDate="2012-03-22T16:09:11.457" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had a pair of mallard ducks come to my yard.  (Unlike you though I welcomed them...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case - they did not take residence - they just liked to visit often.  I wish they had stayed to lay eggs - and nest&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They did not damage my garden&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They returned the next year and hung about - no nests, no &quot;angry duck mom&quot;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't want wildlife perhaps move to an urban area?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastActivityDate="2012-03-22T16:09:11.457" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3700" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-22T21:40:24.967" Score="7" ViewCount="4468" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother has been raising an ever-growing family of lilies of various colors for the past 15 years. In the previous house, they would grow to almost 6-foot tall while in the new house (which gets a lot more sun), they stay around 3'-4'. She is sure that the stunted growth is due to their not needing to “reach” for the sun, so she is not concerned about that. She was a little worried for a while about them going into shock from being transplanted, but then they grew, so they have survived fairly well for quite a few years now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What she &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; worried about is the fact that there are deer near the new place. Last summer, she was horrified one morning to find that a lot of her lilies were slashed. She thought it was a neighbor, but when she found clear deer-prints in the dirt (both adult and fawn), she stopped feeling so bad. She doesn’t mind deer eating the flowers, but unfortunately they are “greedy”; that is, they eat almost &lt;em&gt;all&lt;/em&gt; the buds before they have even bloomed at all. We tried wrapping the garden in plastic chicken wire, but that didn’t work. I tried looking up a way to spray some sort of repellent but could not find anything reliable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Her concern now is whether the lilies will survive if the flowers are prevented from blooming and being fertilized by bees (there are plenty of bulbs safely under the ground).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Are the bulbs enough? What role then do the flowers play?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="920" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-21T21:22:06.613" LastActivityDate="2020-05-19T11:50:26.140" Title="Deer ate my lily buds last year. Will the bulbs survive this year?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3701" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3700" CreationDate="2012-03-22T23:34:56.580" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Flowers do not need to bloom or be fertilized to do well. They do need good soil, light, and foliage.  As long as the deer leave that alone the lilies will be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plants, like bromeliads, will flower and die so if you remove the flower bud it will last much longer than a plant in the wild.  Plants expend an enormous amount of energy on producing flowers and attracting pollinators. If the buds are removed this energy remains in the bulb or roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To stop the deer is another matter: hungry, great jumpers and not very fearful of people.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fencing is one solution but a bit pricy. There are many unusual suggestions on the web. I found that smaller plant eaters like rabbits disappeared for a while when I applied fox or coyote urine in the garden.  If you can get over going into a hunting store and asking for fox pee this may work for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: you asked about how lilies propagate.  They can grow from offsets to the main bulb (you saw those when you dug up the bulb).  They can also grow from little bulblets that grow in the axils of the leaves and they can also set seed from their flowers.  Lilies have it covered, no flowers?...grow bulblets on the leaves, no leaves?....grow offsets in the ground.  It's a wonderful system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-03-23T03:33:32.140" LastActivityDate="2012-03-23T03:33:32.140" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3702" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3704" CreationDate="2012-03-22T23:43:45.263" Score="8" ViewCount="226" Body="&lt;p&gt;Due to the unusual weather in the Midwestern USA this year with record highs being set almost on a daily basis, should I plant my summer garden earlier? That is, does this affect the growing season for tomatoes, cucumbers, banana peppers and so-forth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in &lt;a href=&quot;http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/&quot;&gt;Zone&lt;/a&gt; 6a. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1030" LastEditorUserId="1030" LastEditDate="2012-03-23T01:18:01.077" LastActivityDate="2012-03-23T03:30:27.460" Title="Should I plant my garden early this year?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3702" CreationDate="2012-03-23T01:07:30.477" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could, and you will probably be able to get away with it (e.g. I also planted peppers out a few weeks back, and in previous years they would have been caught by the last mild frosts). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, just because it is warm now does not mean it will be above average in a few weeks time. So you have to weigh your chances up - if it goes back to normal or a little below normal in, say, two weeks time (i.e. beyond vaguely accurate forecasts); will the plants survive?    And sometimes you just have to take a chance and follow your gut!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-03-23T01:07:30.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3704" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3702" CreationDate="2012-03-23T03:30:27.460" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm having the same thoughts about kicking the season off early, but I'm waiting for two reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I don't have transplants started and ready to plant out yet. I'm not starting anything like tomatoes or peppers early because of the risk of frost if things return to &quot;normal&quot; for a week in mid-May. I'm not sure I'd have enough row cover to protect everything.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The ground is still very cold. I stuck a soil thermometer in my garden a couple of days ago and while everything has melted, there may still be chunks of frost a few inches down (i.e. completely frozen ground) and the soil temps at the surface are only about 50°F. Not much will germinate at this temp, and even plants that will germinate will do so very slowly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will, however, probably plant out hardy plants a couple of weeks earlier than usual, assuming the soil warms up early. For example: onions, spinach, peas, and kale. (Probably transplants of the spinach and kale, just so that they germinate quickly inside and then I'll transplant them small.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a packet of seed for, say, lettuce or spinach, and you're never going to use up the whole packet, you might as well plant some out and see what happens. If the weather stays this warm, you'll have early salads. And even if it gets cold again (or snows in April!), it probably won't hurt the hardy stuff much anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-23T03:30:27.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3705" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3710" CreationDate="2012-03-23T03:33:50.470" Score="5" ViewCount="3462" Body="&lt;p&gt;I heard that some plants need fertilizing every two weeks in order to encourage flowering. I prefer organic fertilizers because I feel they provide better nutrients, however they are in granules and are slow releasing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way for me to provide a clean, fast, organic way to fertilize the soil to encourage flowering? Should I use the inorganic fertilizer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-23T12:27:55.157" LastActivityDate="2020-12-24T09:35:55.213" Title="Which organic fertilizer should I use to encourage flower growth?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3700" CreationDate="2012-03-23T03:59:02.933" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, they will be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the energy of the plant was exhausted by producing the bud, it needs to store the energy again in the coming year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the deers didn't eat the whole lily and some leaves are still there, they can do photosynthesis thus storing the nutrients again. And when the next suitable season comes, the flowers will still bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;After all, if the deer hadn't eaten the buds, you would have cut the flower stem when the flowers wilted. So don't worry.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-21T21:08:59.567" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T21:08:59.567" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3707" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3324" CreationDate="2012-03-23T04:58:58.273" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might try sanding the soil..kinda like pounding spike holes into the ground and adding sand into the holes..pound at least 100 holes for a tree this size down at least 3ft with a metal spike .. fill in with fine sand..and maybe some fertilizer (kinda like a fertilizer spike with sand setup). I would use osmocote type to make sure it is released slowly. You need to remember citrus needs great drainage..sanding will help..break up top soil with pitchfork every 6 months and add sand here as well to increase aeration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember, when trees and plants are watered three things happen, water is brought to the roots as is nutrients such as fertilizer but don't forget the water also brings oxygen to the roots also..they need to breathe so don't drown them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a septic tank that can also kill your tree..it changes the drainage and the added raw sewage kills citrus..( this happened to me once when a neighbours sewer line broke and killed my orange tree kinda like how your tree looks like...similar symptoms with slow death. Right now the moisture is a problem with your tree so sand it out to improve aeration. JMHO&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1032" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-03-23T15:39:24.967" LastActivityDate="2012-03-23T15:39:24.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3708" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-23T09:39:59.403" Score="7" ViewCount="136" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to grow some &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohleria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;kohleria&lt;/a&gt;, not sure which variety, in the office, but I am not sure the light requirement is satisfied.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most websites said kohleria require partial shade sunlight. We don't have direct sunlight in our office:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In our pantry, we have indirect sunlight from the East through the glass wall and the default fluorescent tubes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In the main office, there are only the default fluorescent tubes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have a light meter here so I don't know how to judge their light intensity. But there are some clues. I've seen my colleagues growing Gloxinia, (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/indoor/flowering/hgic1559.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Florists' Gloxinia, Sinningia speciosa&lt;/a&gt;, the big flower one), and &lt;a href=&quot;http://avsa.org/learning&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;African Violets&lt;/a&gt;, in the office. In the main office they usually grow African Violets only and they blossom nicely. In the pantry they grow Gloxinia and African Violet. The Gloxinias grow well and blossom nicely (I know they give them fertilizer once a week to boost the flowers), but the African Violets usually don't look good and their leaves are curly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do you think?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-22T20:20:32.787" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T20:20:32.787" Title="How can I determine if I have sufficient light for kohleria?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;&lt;african-violets&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3709" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-23T09:55:45.593" Score="7" ViewCount="165" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the past, I grew some herbs which I harvest them when I see them grow out of space. Then I just cut the whole stem, then the plant will split in 2 ways growing in a Y shape. The next time it grew out of space, I cut the whole stem again, and produce another Y shape branch. Eventually its leaves become smaller and are too small to harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a bad way of harvest? Should I just take the leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-23T12:25:32.897" LastActivityDate="2012-03-23T13:54:42.240" Title="Should I just trim the leaves when I harvest my herbs?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3710" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3705" CreationDate="2012-03-23T13:15:34.860" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;(&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;: My first attempt at an answer had the &lt;em&gt;wrong&lt;/em&gt; nutrient... thanks to @kevinsky for the correction.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Phosphorus is the key nutrient that promotes flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Except that plants can't use pure phosphorus (not to mention that pure phosphorus &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oke8GinWDG8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;is dangerous&lt;/a&gt;!), they need it in the form of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;phosphate&lt;/a&gt; (which actually describes any of a handful of different chemical compounds). Some liquid fish/kelp fertilizers are high in fast-acting phosphorus, but be careful not to overapply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants can't take up phosphorus as well if the pH is too low or too high. Aim for slightly acidic -- which is what many plants prefer anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, the best approach would be to use limited quantities of fast-acting soluble phosphate like fish emulsion if you have an immediate deficiency, but to aim for a longer-term prevention of deficiency by (a) maintaining pH and (b) using an organic long-lasting, slow-release phosphate source like rock phosphate or bone meal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-03-24T23:34:19.797" LastActivityDate="2012-03-24T23:34:19.797" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3711" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3709" CreationDate="2012-03-23T13:54:42.240" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're growing indoors, I'd expect to need to replant non-woody leaf herbs like basil at least once a year, if not more.  For woody leaf herbs, like rosemary, you should be able to get several years.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's hard to give specific advice without a photo.  However, when you get to the point you describe, you probably need to do something drastic - a hard prune, repot, or start another.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plant has more than one stem, or has low branches that would &quot;volunteer&quot; to become a new stem, you probably occasionally want to cut back the main stem very hard when it stops being productive.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's in a pot, consider the possibility that the plant is root-bound - has too much root for the pot.  In this case, you want to both cut it back (to reduce stress from repotting) and repot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-03-23T13:54:42.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3683" CreationDate="2012-03-23T19:11:01.673" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cedar, redwood, brick, cinder block. There are limitless options. The keys are durability (rot-resistance) and safety (won't leach poisons)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="890" LastActivityDate="2012-03-23T19:11:01.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3713" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3532" CreationDate="2012-03-23T20:45:33.997" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I order most of my seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. They have &lt;a href=&quot;http://rareseeds.com/stevia.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;stevia&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="969" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-03-24T22:55:46.847" LastActivityDate="2012-03-24T22:55:46.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3714" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3708" CreationDate="2012-03-24T01:57:04.500" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They need bright light, but cannot tolerate hot sun. Because you have no sun, that won't be a problem. Because you have fluorescent lighting bright enough to light an office, you can grow a kohleria. It would be best to grow them as close to the light as possible. On the desk is better than on the floor, and a filing cabinet is better than the desk. That is, unless you have a desk light. A desk light plus the ceiling will keep it well lit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-03-24T01:57:04.500" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3715" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3716" CreationDate="2012-03-25T03:15:18.473" Score="12" ViewCount="2298" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my third year growing garlic and in the past I've sprayed my plants with a liquid &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.neptunesharvest.com/fs-191.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fish&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.neptunesharvest.com/sw-191.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;seaweed&lt;/a&gt; fertilizer throughout the season. I had also applied a small amount of composted manure in the fall when planting it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year when I planted the garlic I did not amend the soil since I didn't have anything to use. Now that it’s coming up I’m wondering when this should be fertilized, and with what.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have some bone meal and my local nursery has a bulb care product and some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.espoma.com/p_consumer/biotone_overview.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bio-tone starter plus&lt;/a&gt; available. Would any of these be ok to apply or is there a better solution?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-24T20:23:35.930" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T20:23:35.930" Title="What type of fertilizer should be used on garlic?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3716" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3715" CreationDate="2012-03-25T15:37:37.317" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bone meal, like most phosphorous sources, is not mobile in the soil.  A plant has to grow towards it to use it.  I assume you are not going to dig up your garlic in order to add bone meal or bulb care at the roots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I actually never fertilize my garlic but what it could use in the spring is nitrogen for leaf growth. Nitrogen can be applied as a side dressing or a foliar feed.   The least amount of work would be to apply 1/2&quot; of compost to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-03-25T15:37:37.317" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3717" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3732" CreationDate="2012-03-26T01:20:08.623" Score="16" ViewCount="12440" Body="&lt;p&gt;The last couple of weeks we had unusually warm weather in the Northeast -- several days had record warm temperatures. My pair of (two-year-old, 8' high) peach trees have buds earlier than usual. If it matters, the varieties are &lt;em&gt;Reliance&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Red Haven&lt;/em&gt;, both selected for hardiness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The warm streak is ending abruptly: it will be 12°F on Monday night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this warm/cold transition going to prevent me from getting fruit this year?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there anything I can do to protect them from the cold? I'm thinking about covering them, but two nights below 20°F and a day with a high of 32°F seems like a long time for a tarp to keep the chill off.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-04-15T23:46:49.790" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T23:33:22.680" Title="When do I need to protect a fruit tree from cold, and how do I do it?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;&lt;frost&gt;&lt;protection&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3718" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3459" CreationDate="2012-03-26T04:26:47.600" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.saveourwaterwaysnow.com.au/01_cms/details_pop.asp?ID=1297&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Stephanophysum longifolium&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Naturalised in Bellingen (North Coast) and in Queensland. Also&#xA;  naturalised throughout many of the Pacific islands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/maXyM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowers and leaves of Ruellia brevifolia (synonym R. graecizans)&quot;&gt;&#xA;Source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ruellia_graecizans.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ruellia_graecizans.JPG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Author: &lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Oeropium&amp;amp;action=edit&amp;amp;redlink=1&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Oeropium&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-03-26T04:26:47.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3720" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-26T07:04:37.417" Score="6" ViewCount="3849" Body="&lt;p&gt;After leaving home for 3 days, I found my haworthia was deeply hurt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now the upper and lower parts are merely connected. The upper part can be placed in whatever direction like a joystick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wonder if I cut the upper part, left it for a couples of day then put it into wet soil, will it grow back its roots and keep the shape?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AVFgv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-26T12:26:03.390" LastActivityDate="2012-03-26T14:20:25.030" Title="Can we save the haworthia?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3721" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2523" CreationDate="2012-03-26T12:08:03.367" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Immature Mirabella is the probable answer. I'm posting it here to clear this question from the unanswered list.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other possibilities based on the picture would be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damson&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Damson&lt;/a&gt; plums or immature Satsuma plums (&lt;a href=&quot;http://scratch.typepad.com/scratch/2009/08/satsuma-plum-crostata.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;image&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2012-03-26T12:08:03.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3722" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3591" CreationDate="2012-03-26T12:20:42.120" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've used toilet paper pots for a while now -- packed in together in a shallow box to support each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I snip at them a bit just before planting in the soil, especially if the roots have some distance to go to get to the bottom of the roll. They're cheap and simple and so I'd recommend them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not being in a really wet climate they don't rot too fast for me but do attact slugs on their undersides, which I flick away prior to planting the pot itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2012-03-26T12:20:42.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3723" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3720" CreationDate="2012-03-26T12:22:33.477" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Haworthia's are very tough plants.  I can't say what caused the damage but starting over again is easy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut the plant at the damaged area on the stem&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leave the cutting on a sunny window for at least a few days to a week (this is to let the stem dry and harden off)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;replant in a free draining soil in a sunny window (chicken grit or other small sharp crushed stone is a good soil additive to ensure drainage)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;during the phase that it is rooting water thoroughly until water runs out of the bottom of the pot when the plant looks dry.  (this might be weekly or biweekly depending on conditions)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is possible the base of the old plant will sprout new growth so don't give up on it. Just keep it in bright sun and wait and see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  the question was asked whether you can reuse the original potting soil for the plant. This is a judgement call.  If there is any possibility of fungus, rot or insects you are better off using a new potting mix.  If there are no signs of this you could just harden off the top of the stem on the windowsill and stick in the pot with the old one.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-03-26T14:20:25.030" LastActivityDate="2012-03-26T14:20:25.030" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3724" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3731" CreationDate="2012-03-26T14:32:03.953" Score="7" ViewCount="211" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing this from seed:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://ontariowildflowers.com/main/species.php?id=85&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Asclepias exaltata&lt;/a&gt;  which is not the poisonous &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.altnature.com/gallery/pokeweed.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pokeweed&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Poke Milkweed   Height .5-1.5m  Zone: 4&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The grower, &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardensnorth.com/site/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardens North&lt;/a&gt;, claims it is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Found in the wild in rich woods and forest edges, with elegant sprays&#xA;  of long-lasting white flowers overlaid with a subtle lavender to green&#xA;  tint. Poke milkweed is a species of the Carolinian forest, at the&#xA;  northern limit of its range in southern Ontario.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some milkweeds can be invasive. Has anyone grown this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-03-30T01:59:16.293" LastActivityDate="2012-03-30T01:59:16.293" Title="Is Poke Milkweed nice or nasty?" Tags="&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3726" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3750" CreationDate="2012-03-26T19:11:07.063" Score="7" ViewCount="405" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some tulip bulbs outside last fall for the first time.  We had a week of warm weather last week and they're coming up nicely.  Is there anything I should do to ensure a nice bloom?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information: I planted in a mixture of potting soil, coir, compost and topsoil in a well-drained location.  I live in Ottawa, Canada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1042" LastActivityDate="2012-03-29T12:16:06.537" Title="Should I fertilize my tulips in the spring?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3727" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-26T21:14:27.907" Score="9" ViewCount="333" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small flower bed which is in a very shaded corner.  It never gets any direct sunlight, and tends to be very damp (although it's well-drained - but the water never evaporates).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to be able to grow something in it - can anyone suggest anything?  Ideally, something that adds colour, and also anything which is beneficial for insects or wildlife would be great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's about 0.5m x 1m or so, so not very big - and maybe 0.5m deep.  I'm in Belfast, so we don't tend to get very hot or very cold weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1043" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-03-27T00:09:01.693" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T13:11:05.237" Title="What can I grow in a very damp, shaded part of the garden?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3728" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3730" CreationDate="2012-03-27T00:28:44.073" Score="7" ViewCount="184" Body="&lt;p&gt;Being March in the Southern hemisphere, winter is approaching. I have just had my very-weedy front yard levelled. Most of the weeds have been removed, but I don't want to sow grass until I've given some of the remaining weed stalks a chance to show themselves so I can dig them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking about sowing lupins to cover the ground in the meantime. I think lupins would have the added advantage of growing relative quickly (as the seeds are large).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any alternative winter cover crops that have &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allelopathic&quot;&gt;allelopathic&lt;/a&gt; properties (so would prevent or slow growth of at least some of the weeds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in New Zealand, with a moderate climate. Temperatures will range roughly between -5 (overnight) and 15 C over the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="715" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T01:56:38.797" Title="Are there any common allelopathic plants suitable as a pre-lawn winter cover crop?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;cover-crop&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3729" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3733" CreationDate="2012-03-27T01:34:17.350" Score="18" ViewCount="56627" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had multiple plants in my vegetable garden that have seemed to just vanish from the garden over the period of about a week. I have notice pill bugs eating the remains of the plants. They seem to be focused on my lettuce. How can I determine if the pill bugs are the ones at fault or if they are just feasting on the fatal lettuce remains? If they aren't the pill bugs, how do I determine what would cause it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A little bit of detail: This is a new garden in which I pulled up grass and placed a thick layer of Miracle-Gro's Garden Soil for Flowers and Vegetables on-top of the clay soil that we have here. We have had a very large amount of rain over the last couple weeks that has caused everything to stay saturated for days along with some high winds that took out some of my tulips. I am in hardiness zone 6b.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of what the damage looks like on plant that was in good shape yesterday.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/66Gjk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the little guys under the damage (sorry for the blurry photo, I tried multiplies and this is the best focus I could get)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EVQ1g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And a new discovery today. The bottom of my bell pepper plant appears to have been chewed on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ze7t4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="946" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-07T23:04:24.550" LastActivityDate="2016-03-21T01:05:13.047" Title="How do I get rid of pill bugs in my vegetable garden (or is it even the problem)?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="14" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3730" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3728" CreationDate="2012-03-27T01:56:38.797" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Winter rye is allelopathic, inexpensive, and very hardy. I don't know about suitability as &quot;pre lawn&quot;. It can be challenging to kill in the spring when you're ready to plant. I rototill it once or twice, then wait a couple of weeks before trying to plant any seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure about sowing lupins -- it wouldn't work well for me because we'd be hitting -5°C and down to -20°C in midwinter, but perhaps in your climate they will grow enough in the fall. They have the added advantage of fixing nitrogen and being relatively easy to kill in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T01:56:38.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3731" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3724" CreationDate="2012-03-27T02:04:05.503" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Disclaimer: I have no experience in planting this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is not listed under the invasive species specified on &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/java/invasiveOne&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;U.S. Invasive Weed list&lt;/a&gt;, unlike some other milkweed you can find within the genius of Asclepias in that list.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And given the fact that it like partial-shade more than full sun, it might not be a fast growing plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moreover, it is a heaven for monarch butterfly so you can save wildlife too. Though you plant might be chewed down to stem only during active growing season of monarch larvae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T02:04:05.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3732" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3717" CreationDate="2012-03-27T03:00:53.053" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless they have passed the stage of bud swelling, they should be okay at 12F (as discussed by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/peach/faq/what_temperatures_cause_cold_damage_to_peach_flower_buds.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Clemson&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-713.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;NCSU&lt;/a&gt; extension).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Methods used to actively protect a tree from low temperatures work best under calm clear conditions. Under these conditions, an inversion layer occurs - this is a relatively stable cold air mass at the surface with warmer air above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover with a blanket - helps to retain heat radiated from the earth surface&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spray a mist to create a fog - helps to retain heat radiated from the earth surface&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wind machine - helps to mix cold air at surface with warmer air above.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Irrigate - frozen water around the buds serve to insulate them from lower temperatures&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place heaters under the tree.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are all described in more detail on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/85-116.htm#freeze&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;Freeze Protection Fact Sheet&quot;&lt;/a&gt; published by Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. For more details on how to implement the irrigation method, see the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-713.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;NCSU Guide to Deciding When to Start and Stop Irrigation&#xA;for Frost Protection of Fruit Crops by K.B. Perry&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="450" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-26T23:33:22.680" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T23:33:22.680" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3733" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3729" CreationDate="2012-03-27T03:37:31.363" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have only ever noticed pill bugs feasting on stuff that is piling up and rotting as they usually don't come out into the air or sunshine. So I would be interested to know if you have enough space between plants and if you are leaving food (rotting leaves etc. piling up near plants). It seems strange that these guys would come out into the open to feed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have actually posted several questions about trying to control slugs etc. that were eating my lettuce, but I was never quite sure what it was. I ended up finding the source of the problem by going outside at night just before I went to sleep with a torch. If I needed to go the bathroom late at night I also went outside for a look until I eventually found the culprit. It was then a matter of control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your choices are then: manual removal by going out at nighttime for several nights physically removing the invaders, using traps (beer trap, slug pellets) or spraying your plants so they don't taste nice. Unfortunately in your case if the rain persists the last two options don't work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T03:37:31.363" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3734" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-27T06:20:26.773" Score="11" ViewCount="13483" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed these tiny white bugs on several of my romaine leaves today. Detail is not great since it was a camera phone, but they're about 2mm in length and there are hundreds of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are they and how can I get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does the lettuce they've been crawling all over need to be yanked up and thrown out...? =(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/83Nla.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tiny white bugs&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LjjL8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;zoom&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="631" LastActivityDate="2020-06-29T18:42:59.183" Title="What are these white bugs all over my lettuce?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3735" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3727" CreationDate="2012-03-27T07:44:23.820" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Forget-me-nots seem to like damp and shaded places and have nice blue colour. You could also try planting some mint there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="976" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T07:44:23.820" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3736" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-27T09:35:53.660" Score="4" ViewCount="173" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does all organic fertilizer require decomposing? I would like to focus on fertilizer available in gardening shops instead of unprocessed urine or manure from mammals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I know, decomposing of organic fertilizer require microbes in the soil and the action itself may have some undesired smell or it may attracts bugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I want to avoid bugs and stinking smell, what should do before applying the fertilizer to the soil? Should I compost the fertilizer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason of asking this is that I have an experience of using organic fertilizer in granule form bought from gardening shop. I put the granules on the surface of soil as instructed by the manual ( it said it is okay to put it on the soil or in the soil ). After some months ( I didn't look into the soil when I watered them ), I found there were quite a lot of ants moving in and out of my pot. Then as I checked the plant, I found the organic fertilizer granules covered with white fungus. I wonder if the fungus attracted the ants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-03-27T11:58:19.180" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T18:03:37.907" Title="What should I do before applying organic fertilizer to ensure no bugs or smell?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3737" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3738" CreationDate="2012-03-27T11:06:31.317" Score="6" ViewCount="1081" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew a &quot;tree&quot; out of a lemon seed. As I'm not living in a climate for lemon trees I'm trying to make an indoor bonsai out of it. I'm not sure if it is good bonsai material. Will it build enough bark? Can I get the leaves small enough for a bonsai? Any experiences?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1044" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-02-05T13:27:19.930" LastActivityDate="2013-02-05T13:27:19.930" Title="Does anyone have experience with a lemon tree as an indoor bonsai?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3737" CreationDate="2012-03-27T12:22:03.000" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did this for a few years with a seedling.  The trunk will change from green to gray bark when it gets about the diameter of a small straw. The leaves will reduce in size but not in a proportion that is suitable for a small bonsai of less than a foot tall.&#xA;I found pictures where it seemed to be more suitable for a large bonsai of two to three feet tall.  At that size the thorns and leaves are more in proportion to the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil composition is essential for success as &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3324/how-should-a-lemon-tree-with-yellowing-leaves-peeling-bark-and-small-fruit-be&quot;&gt;this question about lemon trees&lt;/a&gt; shows. For a bonsai I favour a watering wick so the plant has ready access to water but is never soggy. One or two days of inattention when it's hot and years of work can be compromised.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T12:22:03.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3739" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3727" CreationDate="2012-03-27T12:26:04.950" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't say where you are, but some general answers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mosses and ferns. Perhaps you have too many where you are, but this is probably what I'd go for here in N.Texas. Some all round verdant green!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bog plants are another answer.  (&quot;make lemonade&quot; and all that). Which bog plants would depend on your location, but if you want some novelty, then carnivorous plants would be worth investigating. &lt;em&gt;Drosera&lt;/em&gt; (sundews) and &lt;em&gt;Sarracenia&lt;/em&gt; (trumpet pitcher plants) would be a good start. The latter could be expensive if you're filling an area with plants, so I would be tempted to buy as seeds and then cultivate in pots first. If you have little kids or little kids visiting - they'd love these!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-03-27T13:11:05.237" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T13:11:05.237" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3740" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1301" CreationDate="2012-03-27T14:35:29.727" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think I've found a winner! &quot;If this then that&quot; is a website that lets you specify an action to take based on some trigger event. They have weather triggers available, and email/SMS actions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ifttt.com/recipes/26749&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's my ifttt recipe for email frost alerts.&lt;/a&gt; I just barely set it up, so I don't yet know how reliable it will be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;SMS is left as an exercise to the reader...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T14:35:29.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3741" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-27T00:26:22.270" Score="16" ViewCount="2423" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking for advice on building a raised garden bed for vegetable gardening. Will be building two beds. Was planning for 1' deep beds, using either 2&quot;x12&quot; or 2&quot;x6&quot; (2 stacked) boards, but is that depth necessary?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also looking for advice on best types of wood to use. Have been told to avoid treated wood, because the chemicals can seep into beds/plants. Cedar and redwood have been suggested.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All in all, trying to keep costs relatively low, as this is primarily meant to be a fun little hobby and a way to eat a bit healthier. Any advice/resources greatly appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Terry Streetman" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-03-27T16:49:24.663" LastActivityDate="2013-03-15T02:12:11.447" Title="How should I build a raised garden bed?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3742" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3741" CreationDate="2012-03-27T00:37:07.997" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The raised bed is for convenience more than anything, so as for how high to make it, it's really up to you. The higher it is, the less you need to bend over. But also the more materials and effort that will go into building it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You definitely want to avoid any sort of treated lumber, or creosote railroad ties or the like. Cedar would be a good bet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's lots of plans out there if you google. Here's one:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sunset.com/garden/perfect-raised-bed-00400000039550/&quot;&gt;http://www.sunset.com/garden/perfect-raised-bed-00400000039550/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" OwnerDisplayName="DA." LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T00:37:07.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3741" CreationDate="2012-03-27T02:30:59.447" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As DAO1 has stated avoid any chemically treated wood.Two twelve inche boards will be fine,the deeper the soil the less it will dry out in the sun.Also be careful of the source of your soil.Many municipalities offer free compost from their yardwaste composting centers.Avoid it for anything you will consume.Many times it contains street sweepings,lawn fertilizer and pesticides.Use soil from a known source,mixed with composted manure.Prior to it being regulated painters would scrape the exterior siding and let the chips fall on the ground,the lead would be absorbed by the soil.If your home was built before 1978 don't place it to close to the house as there is a chance of lead contamination in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="mikes" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T02:30:59.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3741" CreationDate="2012-03-27T02:45:30.860" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cedar would be the best, but it's expensive, and you may have a hard time finding it at your local big box store. Arsenic is no longer used for PT lumber, so at least from the few sources I've found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningblog.net/2009/04/12/using-pressure-treated-lumber-in-raised-garden-beds/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;PT wood appears to be safe for raised garden beds&lt;/a&gt;. You certainly don't want untreated wood since it will rot in no time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For assembling, I'd used coated deck screws. Nails will pull out, and anything other than a hot dipped galvanized nail would react with the PT chemicals and corrode. The other advantage of screws is that you can remove them to disassemble the box in the future, especially if you need to replace one or more boards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The deeper you build it, the more soil you need to fill it with, but the less you bend over. Make sure when sizing it that you don't make it so large that you can't reach part of the bed without stepping in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="270" OwnerDisplayName="BMitch" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-03-27T16:47:03.513" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T16:47:03.513" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3745" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="767" CreationDate="2012-03-27T15:49:26.157" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't do it!   My biggest concern is reproducing Gmo plants. It will not matter how many years you save and reproduce plants that have been modified, the DNA will be forever altered.  It will never be natural (organic). If it is a beautiful fruit or veggie from a big box store, it very likely has been tampered with. Even buying organic may not be safe.  Because we have saved the seed, we feel it is natural, but of course we cannot see the genetic changes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Buy from a reputable seed vendor, then collect your own seed, carefully, as mentioned.&#xA;Be aware that even crossing with Gmo plants produces altered offspring. This is why there will never again be organic canola. It is gone for good. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1045" LastEditorUserId="1045" LastEditDate="2012-03-27T15:55:58.083" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T15:55:58.083" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3746" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3734" CreationDate="2012-03-27T16:53:09.277" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are nymphs of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitefly&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;whitefly&lt;/a&gt; insect a common garden pest. From comparing them to this &lt;a href=&quot;http://topveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/white-fly-nymphs-300x294.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;picture&lt;/a&gt; I believe they are closely related to the cabbage whitefly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They can be controlled with a spray of a mixture of dish soap and water, followed by a quick rinse with a hose. Ladybugs also eat them but convincing them to eat your bugs is another job.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They don't do a lot of damage to the plant if controlled promptly.  You could spray soap and water, discard the worst affected leaves and harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT @gunbuster363 could be right that they are aphids.  The way to tell is if when you shake the leaf does anything fly around.  Whitefly will usually have some adults with wings whereas aphids are not usually seen with wings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soap and water works well on aphids too!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-03-28T14:32:15.660" LastActivityDate="2012-03-28T14:32:15.660" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3590" CreationDate="2012-03-27T18:01:23.603" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a fence around my garden last year made entirely of fresh cut bamboo stalk. It was cut from the root so it won't do anything. It is dead. &#xA;Bamboo is super useful in the garden and also a beautiful additive. You can even make tomato stakes out of them! I highly recommend using them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="985" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T18:01:23.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3748" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3736" CreationDate="2012-03-27T18:03:37.907" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're concerned about bugs, ants and smell, and know about composting, i would recommend compost tea. It's not supposed to smell and doesn't take long to make. You could use that to help feed your plants instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="985" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T18:03:37.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3749" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1790" CreationDate="2012-03-27T19:18:47.867" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience, those peat pots that you moisten and they grow up are bad. Don't try those! Try a nice seed starting mix with really thin texture perhaps with vermniculite. Keep them warm and moist to start. Once you see them sprout, place them under some light. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="985" LastActivityDate="2012-03-27T19:18:47.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3750" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3726" CreationDate="2012-03-27T22:38:27.220" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Ottawa and never fertilize my tulips.  Most of the storing of energy goes on in the fall.  Right now the soil, light and warmth are more like a wake up signal than fuel.&#xA;If you are planting exotic tulips like the double fringed or the parrot tulips these are not as tough as the Darwin hybrids.  All tulips can benefit from these cultivation tips:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;deadhead them to prevent the formation of seeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not cut back the foliage until they have died down to the ground&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant them deep:  six inches, eight inches, a foot if you have the soil. Ottawa winters are unpredictable at best.  Planting deep prevents some of the types from having the main bulb die and growing many little bulbs which take years to flower.  Deep insulates from rapid temperature changes and squirrels.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can find thousands of web sites and  companies promoting bone meal as the extra ingredient tulips just have to have but &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda%20Chalker-Scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/Myths/Bonemeal.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;research&lt;/a&gt; has shown this is not true for most gardens.&#xA;To summarize the research&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bone meal supplies high levels of phosphorus and calcium, elements that are rarely limiting in&#xA;non-agricultural soils.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Phosphorus, from bone meal or other sources, does not “stimulate” plant growth; it is only a mineral, not a plant growth regulator.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;High levels of phosphorus, from bone meal or other sources, will inhibit growth of mycorrhizal fungi.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Without mycorrhizal partners, plants must put additional resources into root growth at the expense of other tissues and functions.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Before you add any supplementary nutrients to your landscape, have a complete soil test performed first.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good preparation of the planting area, as you have done already, is all that is required for most bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-03-29T12:16:06.537" LastActivityDate="2012-03-29T12:16:06.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3729" CreationDate="2012-03-28T01:43:45.130" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From your blurry photo I cannot tell whether you have pill millipedes or pill bugs. Even though they are not related, they live in the same habitat and eat the same things.  In my answer to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3076/are-woce-eating-my-carrots&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; related question, I pointed out that woodlice are some of nature's dead plant matter recyclers, digesting the dead matter that accumulates on the ground. Pill bugs are the same in their eating habits. Sometimes they will chew on ripe strawberries, or tender young plants, and things like that, but that is not the main part of their diet. Those holes were definitely not made by any of these critters. I also think it could be slug, but There are many other things that make holes in plants. Once you narrow down your list of suspects, the control method will be easier to find also. Your pepper damage could have been a cutworm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xBMST.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-08-07T23:02:21.553" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3752" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3729" CreationDate="2012-03-28T02:31:58.767" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've always had a lot more trouble with insects, especially with young plants, when there was a lot of &lt;strong&gt;woody mulch&lt;/strong&gt;, as is shown in the picture.  For instance, we would have problems with earwigs swarming plants after dark and doing a lot of leaf damage.  Earwigs aren't supposed to be a pest, but there you go.  I think this is because the woody mulch provides a place for them to hide during the day.  We now use grass clippings (not too green, not too much, no -cides), and only after plants are established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This doesn't apply to cutworms - they burrow underground during the day.  For them, we use &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_5156427_make-cutworm-collars.html&quot;&gt;cutworm collars&lt;/a&gt; around young plants - in our case, recipe #5.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-03-28T02:31:58.767" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3734" CreationDate="2012-03-28T14:12:47.723" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are aphids. try neem oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You see they are gathering around the veins of your plant's leaves. They are sucking the juice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Related questions : &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=aphid&quot;&gt;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=aphid&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-03-28T14:12:47.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3754" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3762" CreationDate="2012-03-28T14:18:03.737" Score="5" ViewCount="734" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have just planted a tray each of tarragon and sage seeds, and intend, once the seedlings are suitably developed, to transfer them to planters on the verandah, rather than to the main plot. What would people recommend as a suitable depth to ensure vigorous growth of the rootball and prevent them drying out too quickly in a warm summer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="979" LastActivityDate="2012-03-29T16:44:12.237" Title="What's a suitable depth for a planter for sage and tarragon?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3741" CreationDate="2012-03-28T15:05:10.480" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used 2x6 pine - it was cheap.  They lasted a number of years before I removed them because I wanted to change the orientation - I went back to just a flat garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For me rebuilding every 5 years or so is not a problem - So I went with the cheaper wood.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;6&quot; height is more than enough - I would say 12&quot; is overkill.  But it is not bad - if you have the time, money and extra soil go for the deep one, but I'd just go with 6&quot;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would stay away from treated lumber.  I think test show that stuff leaches into the soil but I have not study yet that confirmed that it entered the food.  (It seems to make sense to me that it could - so to be safe I just avoid all PT stuff anywhere near my garden)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastActivityDate="2012-03-28T15:05:10.480" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3756" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3685" CreationDate="2012-03-28T15:40:34.603" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think it's a bad idea, but having a different surface underneath the tank in some parts of the patio and dirt under the rest could cause some problems if you aren't careful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Start out by preparing the base for the patio.  You'll want to dig down a few inches in the surrounding dirt and fill it in with sand.  Make sure it's compacted &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; well - the base for a patio is critical, and since the dirt will settle but the septic tank won't, you need to make sure that most of the settling is done before the bricks go down.  You can rent a compactor from tool rental places.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as putting sand on top of the septic tank, I think you should put some down as long as you can make the entire surface level without making the sand too deep on any one part.  You don't want more than a couple inches of sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the sand is compacted, lay the bricks and compact again.  Once everything is set, sweep some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202275541/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&amp;amp;langId=-1&amp;amp;keyword=Polymeric+Sand&amp;amp;storeId=10051&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;polymeric sand&lt;/a&gt; into all the cracks between the bricks.  This sand will bind the bricks together and keep them from moving too much.  After sweeping it in and cleaning off the surface, wet the whole patio down to activate the polymers in the sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1007" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-03-28T16:13:08.907" LastActivityDate="2012-03-28T16:13:08.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3757" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3741" CreationDate="2012-03-28T23:47:42.750" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;We went with galvanized water troughs. Mostly 2' tall.  Easy to sit on the edge and don't have to bend as far. No digging holes for corner/side supports for the wood boxes that the dirt can bow out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We designed the garden like this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Layer of hardware cloth 1/2&quot;x1/2&quot; (We have lots of gophers)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A layer of gravel (3-4&quot;) for pathways, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bought several size water troughs, (You can get ones that leak at a discount!)&#xA;   some are 1'Hx2'Wx4'L ($70)   2'Hx3'Wx8'L ($220)   2'Hx6'Diameter ($220)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drilled several holes in the bottom of the trough for drainage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Placed another 3-4&quot; of drain rock in the bottom of the trough. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Covered rock with TrenchWrap/landscape fabric&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Filled to top with Organic Veggie Potting Soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For watering we trenched in 3/4&quot; water pipes to each location and cut out a hole in the trough for the water line. All the water lines are controlled by sprinkler valves. 6 Valves for 15 Planters.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We went with the hardware cloth over everything so the gophers won't come up through the pathways.  The gravel under AND in the troughs was to help with drainage of the water. The less standing water on the bottom of the troughs the longer the galvanized metal will last. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DGSZw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hardware Fabric and Gravel&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HpaU7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mostly done, 4 more 8&amp;#39; units to go&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1049" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-03-30T02:36:46.057" LastActivityDate="2012-03-30T02:36:46.057" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3758" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3759" CreationDate="2012-03-29T11:48:01.280" Score="5" ViewCount="3430" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just moved into a new home where the yard was not kept well.  Most of the wire fence in the backyard is overgrown with honeysuckle vines (such that you can no longer see the fence).  In corners of the yard, there is no grass - just vine roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What makes the problem worse is that the backyard is very close to a creek, so the soil appears very rich - I'm digging up dozens of bulbs that have sprouted among the roots of these vines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are some tips on getting rid of the vines for good?  How can I ensure they don't come back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1050" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-03-30T01:18:58.263" LastActivityDate="2016-10-24T20:24:08.207" Title="How can I permanently get rid of honeysuckle vines?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3759" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3758" CreationDate="2012-03-29T12:24:40.067" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Honeysuckle vines have very hard wood.  I have snapped sequiteur blades trying to cut a branch only 3/4&quot; diameter.  If you have a lot of old vines that have not been pruned I recommend an industrial approach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rent a chainsaw and cut the vines back near the base.  (Be extremely careful not to snag the chainsaw on the fence.  Use hearing protectors, safety chaps, chainsaw gloves and eye protection.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;trench around each plant to a depth of a foot with a spade.  It helps to sharpen the edge of  the spade. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the rest is just hard work to cut the roots around the base using &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loppers&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;loppers&lt;/a&gt; and lever out the stump&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cleanup involves cutting the branches grown into the fence and filling in the holes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;honeysuckle will not regenerate from the roots if you remove the bulk of the root ball&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-03-29T14:05:58.060" LastActivityDate="2012-03-29T14:05:58.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3760" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3761" CreationDate="2012-03-29T13:45:46.260" Score="6" ViewCount="8179" Body="&lt;p&gt;So as a new homeowner I'm new to the whole lawn thing.  I want to spiffy up my yard a bit planting grass seed (not sure what type yet), but I'm unsure as to when to start looking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, what is the best time of year to plant grass seed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1050" LastActivityDate="2012-03-30T21:25:57.440" Title="When is the best time of year to plant grass seed?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3761" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3760" CreationDate="2012-03-29T14:14:39.297" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spring and fall are excellent times to over seed with new grass seed. You can improve the success by top dressing with 1/4&quot; to 1/2&quot; of compost or good weed free soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;by top dressing you hide the seeds from hungry birds and keep it moister to improve germination&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;less watering is required in spring and fall as the temperatures are cooler&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said, timing is everything.  Sow seed too soon and it will not germinate until soil temperatures reach 40 to 45°F and day length is long enough.  Wait too long and the seedlings could find it hard to establish if you get an early summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the fall you want to allow sufficient time for the grass seed to germinate and establish before frost.  Where I live that is September, no later than October but your area may be different.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over seeding and top dressing twice a year are a smart gardener's best methods to improve the appearance of your lawn, reduce weeds and reduce the need for fertilizers with minimal cost and time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-03-30T16:02:19.733" LastActivityDate="2012-03-30T16:02:19.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3754" CreationDate="2012-03-29T16:44:12.237" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Both those herbs tend to get a bit woody.  I assume your aim is to harvest the leaves in which case your aim is to maximize top growth which can do by getting the plant pot bound.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potting seedlings directly into a large diameter or large depth pot will allow the plant to grow roots at the expense of foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend re potting your seedlings into one pot size larger until you reach pots that are 8&quot; to 12&quot; in diameter. This process could take a few months.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may be able to winter over these plants indoors by cutting them back hard and letting them regrow under high light inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-03-29T16:44:12.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3763" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3781" CreationDate="2012-03-29T22:02:55.303" Score="5" ViewCount="1189" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some Chamomile plants that have started to flower and I would like to use them to for tea, but I am unsure of how.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. When should I pick the flowers?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Do they need to be dried to be used?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is a picture of their current state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jKgcE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U5YF6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1016" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-03-30T01:16:33.523" LastActivityDate="2012-04-02T13:47:00.610" Title="What is the proper way to harvest Chamomile flowers?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3764" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3836" CreationDate="2012-03-29T22:09:18.043" Score="9" ViewCount="7355" Body="&lt;p&gt;What does it mean when the tops of the Brussels Sprouts start to turn purple?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sULwn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Top view of Brussels Sprouts&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1016" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-03-30T02:41:54.490" LastActivityDate="2016-10-30T22:58:15.337" Title="Why are the tops of my Brussels Sprouts turning purple?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3765" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3782" CreationDate="2012-03-29T22:57:17.297" Score="5" ViewCount="1558" Body="&lt;p&gt;How can I tell when the seed pods of broccoli (assuming thats what these little things are) are ready to be saved for next seasons planting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sorry the picture is so blurry, my phone would not focus on the pods themselves. My finger in the bottom left of the picture is holding 1 up. You can also see them in the focused part in the top right.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sb1Rs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1016" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-03-30T01:12:35.713" LastActivityDate="2012-04-02T13:51:35.457" Title="How can I tell when my broccoli seeds are ready to harvest?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3766" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3783" CreationDate="2012-03-30T01:37:40.300" Score="4" ViewCount="358" Body="&lt;p&gt;The north side of my house is in the shade of some big spruces, and we're in a valley, so the area that they come from is quite shaded. They are little red ant-like insects that I never see until they swarm. A couple times a year they come above ground in great quantities. They must live deep, for they also come up on the other side of the foundation, in my unfinished basement. When they come out, they cover the ground and climb slowly up the wall. They are very delicate and cannot support their weight well. After they climb up waist to head height, they drop off and fly. They flutter and dive and wobble in circles. Half of them bump into the wall and fall back down The others fly somewhere else. They don't all have wings, and some have only one. They have a stinging bite, which is surprising because of their weakness. This whole process is done in a few hours in the afternoon. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture. What are they, and how do I keep them from pulling down my lily of the valley (what I have for a foundation planting)?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-04-02T14:17:05.223" Title="What are the little bugs at my foundation?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3767" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3839" CreationDate="2012-03-30T01:48:07.900" Score="6" ViewCount="4587" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bed of Improved Golden Sedum that is healthy in every way, but wants to go back to lawn. This is difficult to weed, because the grass has a very dense shallow root system, while the Sedum has soft thin roots. Pulling the grass would take out a large part of the Sedum, and leave holes in the ground. How can I successfully remove this grass while maintaining the Sedum's health? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of how it looks after weeding. It is normally dense and tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zq6mh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-08-28T16:44:23.177" LastActivityDate="2015-08-28T16:44:23.177" Title="What is the best way to remove grass from my ground cover Sedum?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;sedum&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3768" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-30T16:14:53.633" Score="8" ViewCount="8105" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have about 12 fruit trees (one pear, three peach and the rest are apple).  We had an early warm spell which kicked the trees into high gear and they started to blossom.  Unfortunately, we had 2 nights this week when the temperature got down to below freezing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My trees are too big to really cover and while I tried to place a halogen work light on two of them all night, I didn't have any other way of protecting them from frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Someone told me that if you get up the next morning and spray the trees with water before the sun hits them that it will prevent damage to the tree/fruit.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this true?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1053" LastActivityDate="2012-03-30T21:19:09.127" Title="Does spraying water on fruit trees after a frost help?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;frost&gt;&lt;protection&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3769" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3768" CreationDate="2012-03-30T21:19:09.127" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the spraying thing is not after, it's during. The cold will freeze the mist, keeping the air around the trees at (but not below) freezing. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_5805520_use-freeze-damage-fruit-trees.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.ehow.com/how_5805520_use-freeze-damage-fruit-trees.html&lt;/a&gt; for example which recommends a sprinkler. The &quot;releases heat&quot; thing is kind of an oversimplification, but basically as long as you have any liquid water around, it will keep things at zero. The sap of your tree is not pure water, and therefore freezes somewhat below zero. By having the water freeze instead you stay away from the temps that would damage your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5245655_spraying-frost-protect-fruit-freezing_.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5245655_spraying-frost-protect-fruit-freezing_.html&lt;/a&gt; is total gibberish since evaporation doesn't generate heat, quite the opposite. There is a better explanation at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/135830-spray-water-plants-during-frost.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenguides.com/135830-spray-water-plants-during-frost.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OEvNQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;oranges coated in ice&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a picture from &lt;a href=&quot;http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.ca/2011/02/orange-ice-low-426-high-433-frost-vs.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a blog entry&lt;/a&gt; that gives you details from the citrus farmer's point of view. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2012-03-30T21:19:09.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3770" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3760" CreationDate="2012-03-30T21:25:57.440" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My father in law always said the best time was to scatter the seed on the first snow in the fall. You could see how much you were using and how even it was. Then in the spring when the snow melts, there will be water for the seed. I think that matches pretty well to how wild grass propagates: the seed forms in the fall, eventually falls or blows off the stalk (or animals/birds help the process) and reaches the ground sometime in the winter, then in the spring it &quot;wakes up&quot; at the appropriate temperature and assuming it is on soil and there's water, it grows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you won't hurt your lawn by walking on it (around here the ground can be very soggy in the early spring and it's easy to compact it, or to pull grass out with your footsteps) then go ahead and scatter some seed on your existing lawn. If you have no existing lawn that's a different story, because you might need to amend the soil, and you shouldn't do that too soon in the year (again, depending on where you live.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2012-03-30T21:25:57.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3771" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3741" CreationDate="2012-03-31T03:26:57.007" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3686/51&quot;&gt;my answer&lt;/a&gt; to a similar question for an alternative to building any kind of structure. Unless you have really awful soil and you're unwilling to invest some time in improving it, building enclosed beds is mostly just a matter of style.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To answer your question about the depth, 1' deep isn't strictly necessary, but the deeper you have loose soil for plants to grow into, the better your results will be (generally speaking).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a middle ground between building 1' high edges and having no edges and just gardening in the ground, you could loosen the soil about 8&quot; (about the depth of a garden fork), work in an inch or two of compost, and build your beds with 2x6s above that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-03-31T03:26:57.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3772" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3774" CreationDate="2012-03-31T18:41:57.773" Score="7" ViewCount="429" Body="&lt;p&gt;With the drought last year I lost two fairly large (~ 5 foot tall) Photonia/Redtip shrubs that were part of a hedge. I've been to several nurseries, but the biggest one I've seen for sale anywhere is about 2' tall. It seems like it will take years for something that size to catch up to its siblings in the hedge row and look bad. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume there is some resource that landscapers have to find shrubs to address this problem, but I'd like to try this as a DIY project if possible. Can anyone provide guidance for what I should be looking for in the phonebook/google to find larger shrubs/plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, judging by the root system on the dead ones I pulled up, there might be some challenge planting a shrub that big. Any advice/tips to ensure survival of a large shrub when planting to protect my investment? I'm sure they won't be cheap, if I can even find them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="531" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-02T01:21:37.457" LastActivityDate="2017-07-29T05:13:19.683" Title="Where can I find a large shrub to replace one that died in a hedge? (See details)" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3773" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-03-31T20:06:49.193" Score="7" ViewCount="1005" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just been given some tulip bulbs, and pondering where to put them.  I have space near a lemon tree that I have just planted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read that lemons have shallow roots, so you shouldn't plant things near them because they will compete for resources.  On the other hand, it seems to me that tulips will collect their nutrients from deeper in the soil, so this would not be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So can I plant bulbs near my lemon tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="734" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-11-07T18:50:26.653" LastActivityDate="2012-11-07T18:50:26.653" Title="Can I plant bulbs (e.g. tulips) under a lemon tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;tulips&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3774" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3772" CreationDate="2012-04-01T04:16:12.463" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are available, but they don't come cheaply. In regards to logistics, suppliers can usually deliver (also at considerable cost) and with larger trees you will need some sort of equipment to move them into position.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The phrase you should be searching for is &quot;advanced trees&quot; or &quot;established trees&quot; in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your other option is private growers, but these are usually only found by word of mouth and can sometimes be cheaper than a nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had a private grower of azaleas and cameleas in Sydney who sold plants mainly in the 5 - 10 year range. Last time I went, 2/3 of his stock was snapped up for filming on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby_%282012_film%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Great Gatsby&lt;/a&gt; :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-04-02T01:24:49.917" LastActivityDate="2012-04-02T01:24:49.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3775" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3838" CreationDate="2012-04-01T07:30:13.483" Score="6" ViewCount="1752" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Original Post&lt;/em&gt; (as suggested by jmusser I reverted my edits and put them into an answer)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my garden there is a bulb plant growing since the beginning of last autumn. The thin leaves have grown out 50 - 70 cm and a bulb has up to 6 leaves before winter came. It has survived some cold days (-15 C) in winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now in spring the shape of some of them is changing (see below).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to know what this plant might be so that I can take measures to beautify the spot and to know when to clean up, and of course, whether I can expect flowers ;-) . &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some photos (&lt;em&gt;click to enlarge&lt;/em&gt;):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Last autumn&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Oy0an.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Oy0anm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A sample&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vIP3m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vIP3mm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G16zQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G16zQm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;New shape this spring&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jcj3c.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jcj3cl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2012-04-12T11:19:39.810" LastActivityDate="2012-04-12T11:22:52.520" Title="What is the Identification of this robust bulb-plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3776" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3775" CreationDate="2012-04-01T14:25:21.167" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing it's a blue-eyed grass (&lt;em&gt;Sisyrinchium&lt;/em&gt;), but the blub-like thickening at the base doesn't look right, so perhaps it's something else in the iris family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[c.f &lt;em&gt;Sisyrinchium bermudianum&lt;/em&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TNApH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastActivityDate="2012-04-01T14:25:21.167" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3777" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3780" CreationDate="2012-04-01T19:13:09.893" Score="10" ViewCount="9477" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pictures of young asparagus plants seem to indicate multiple spears will come from a single plant.  But pictures of mature plants are harder to interpret.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to know so that I can determine how many asparagus plants I should plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastActivityDate="2012-04-02T13:38:49.417" Title="How many spears can I expect from an average asparagus plant ready for harvest?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;asparagus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3778" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3772" CreationDate="2012-04-02T01:35:57.767" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You said your hedge was five feet. A two foot Photonia will, under natural conditions, catch up to it's larger partner in two years. Of course, it may take a year or so later to get as thick as the older ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-29T05:13:19.683" LastActivityDate="2017-07-29T05:13:19.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3773" CreationDate="2012-04-02T13:29:44.613" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lemons need acid soil. Tulips prefer the soil slightly alkaline. If you still want to grow them here, Put 5&quot; of good, slightly alkaline topsoil in a twelve inch deep pot. Then place the tulip bulbs right side up on the soil, and fill the pot the rest of the way up with the same soil. Then dig a hole and plant the whole thing level with the ground level. Then mulch the entire area. People do this all the time under conifers in my area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-04-02T13:29:44.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3777" CreationDate="2012-04-02T13:38:49.417" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=how%20many%20spears%20of%20asparagus%20grow%20on%20one%20plant&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=2&amp;amp;ved=0CCwQFjAB&amp;amp;url=http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1603.html&amp;amp;ei=iap5T9yrFqHE0QH8_JjcDQ&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNHvt0TA8oU0u3NNRhXVdrT6V6_cbw&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, a mature asparagus crown will produce a half pound a year, which is about twenty spears a year per plant. A good rule of thumb is to plant ten plants for each family member.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-04-02T13:38:49.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3781" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3763" CreationDate="2012-04-02T13:47:00.610" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=harvesting%20chamomile%20flowers&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=2&amp;amp;ved=0CDgQFjAB&amp;amp;url=http://www.gardenguides.com/526-chamomile-culinary-herbs-short-season-gardeners.html&amp;amp;ei=OKx5T9b8CKH00gHftJS6DQ&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGNXgHXpm5MxHuNLYhkMaPuai9brg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, Chamomile should be harvested as soon as they are fully open. delaying it will reduce the flavor. The plants in your picture have plenty of good flowers that need to be picked. They can be used fresh or dried. Put the flowers on a screen in a warm airy room with low humidity. Circulating the air with an electric fan helps the drying process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-04-02T13:47:00.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3782" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3765" CreationDate="2012-04-02T13:51:35.457" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;When the seeds are ready, the pods will turn brown and split, releasing the seeds all over the ground. To prevent that, you can cut the stems as soon as the first pods split, and hang them upside down indoors, with the ends covered in a paper bag. Then, when the pods split, the seeds will be released into the bag. Occasionally rubbing the pods helps remove the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-04-02T13:51:35.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3783" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3766" CreationDate="2012-04-02T14:17:05.223" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds like they look, smell, and behave like Larger Yellow Ants, also known as Large Yellow Ants, Citronella Ants, or for the nimble of tongue, Acanthomyops interjectus.  The ones with wings are queens.  The queens shed their wings after mating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A fellow in southern Ohio named Steve Willson just published a &lt;a href=&quot;http://bluejaybarrens.blogspot.com/2012/03/ant-swarm.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;splendid blog post&lt;/a&gt; on these guys - a great read whether you have them or not!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-04-02T14:17:05.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3784" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-02T01:17:34.560" Score="6" ViewCount="400" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been looking at the sheet rock and I've decided it's kind of boring. I want to rip it out exposing the rafters behind it. I was thinking it'd be kind of cool to layer the framing and the sheet rock behind it with a strong white epoxy (for protection) and to see if I could get &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum&quot;&gt;pothos&lt;/a&gt; to fill up the void. I could build a bamboo lattice where the sheetrock used to be for the pothos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I find it hard to believe indoor vines covering a wall is that unique. Have you ever heard of this being done? Are there any concerns to growing vines indoors on a larger-than-pot scale?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1061" OwnerDisplayName="Evan Carroll" LastActivityDate="2012-04-02T23:11:39.680" Title="Is there any kind of plant or vine that can grow so thick as to replace the need for sheetrock?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3683" CreationDate="2012-04-02T15:30:47.697" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I build my raised beds out of 2x12x8 boards of Douglas Fir framing boards. They will last over a decade. I live in Oklahoma, zone 6. Do not use treated wood for edible gardening - unless your consumers can tolerate arsenic and cyanide in their diets!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1059" LastActivityDate="2012-04-02T15:30:47.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3786" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3784" CreationDate="2012-04-02T16:27:06.387" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It can be done and is being done to new and existing buildings across the world today.  Of course they had to give it a catchy name:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.ca/images?q=living%20wall&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Living wall&lt;/a&gt;.  They added one to the building I work in.  It is 30 feet high and needs a mobile lift to let the gardeners tend to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a do it yourself project there are a number of key issues that must be addressed or you could end up ripping it out or even causing water damage to your home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;natural or artificial light in reasonable quantities is a must. Depending on your location and orientation it could be enough to have a south facing bank of windows, perhaps with some skylights.  Or you might require a more robust light source like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_discharge_lamp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;HID lights&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water: plants need it and you need it to stay where you want it. Many installations treat their water to even out the ph and lower levels of dissolved salts and remove chlorine. (think what hard water does to your fixtures). Then the water is pumped to the top of the wall and released at very low pressure so it moves by force of gravity down to the reservoir.  Problems can occur if the water does not flow in an even pattern along the outlet pipe. Wet soil can also slump downward if not held by a mesh.  The reservoir should be treated like a pond.  Use Pond liner or galvanized steel with a marine grade epoxy coating or both!  No one will be happy if your reservoir leaks into the floor below!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;types of plants: pothos or creeping fig (ficus pumila) are easy choices but using bromeliads as they do not require a soil based medium is another approach. You should have a plan to deal with insects like mealybug or spider mite.  Soap and water might not work for all the pests and rip out and replace is time consuming and costly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;environment: Most people like temperatures around 70 deg F or 20 deg C, humidity less than 50% and diffuse light.  Your plants will be a lot happier and healthier with higher humidity and light levels some would consider too bright to sit in. Is the location suitable for bright light and higher humidity?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;construction details:  different approaches are used but the idea is to retain the soil using a mesh of some sort with a grid/grill behind it.  Avoiding leaks is paramount!  Pool liner is your friend here.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&#xA;Sure you can put a planter up high and plant it with some pothos.  It is a reasonable question to ask how often you will water it if it is difficult to get at. Care must be taken or water could splash out and down the wall.  However if you want a project that you can do for less than $25 that fits the bill. I assume there is some insulation where the planter would be as 50 deg F is a bit chilly for a tropical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-04-02T23:11:39.680" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3787" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-02T17:39:07.837" Score="7" ViewCount="2219" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would really like to grow brocolli, potatoes, blueberries, and/or spinach in Oklahoma (zone 6). But all my previous attempts have failed miserably. Does anyone have pointers on how to do this, or should I just give up? Even tomatoes are difficult to grow down here, because the summer heat can be brutal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1059" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-03T01:37:55.540" LastActivityDate="2012-04-05T02:06:20.120" Title="How can I grow cold weather crops in a hot climate?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;&lt;weather&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3788" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3787" CreationDate="2012-04-02T18:08:00.127" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;For tomatoes, you'll need to get the soil to hold enough moisture between waterings, and to not dry out too deep in the heat of the day.  So you need lots of humus, and lots of mulch.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your garden's small and dollars aren't tight (or you can get it cheap), my favorite quick-and-easy source of humus is composted cow manure.  But there are many other options.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For mulch, I prefer one that's a grass of some kind - but be sure not to use too much that's too green (which will burn).  Some folks also worry about introducing weed seeds, but it hasn't been a problem for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, you must keep an eye on it.  You'll probably still have to water heavily daily in the heat of the summer.  You're best off watering in the morning, to avoid molds.  For a small garden, consider use of a simple sprinkler that just has holes for the water to squirt out of.  These put out big droplets, so you lose less to evaporation.  Just don't spray hard directly at the leaves - it should &quot;falleth as the gentle rain, upon the place beneath&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also should try to use seed varieties that are heat-tolerant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in New Hampshire, so take this with a grain of salt.  You may need to do more than this - but it's a good start.  For the other plants besides tomatoes, I think I'd better defer to folks who have experience with your climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-04-02T18:08:00.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3789" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3787" CreationDate="2012-04-03T01:41:26.817" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Haven't tried spinach or blueberries, but I've grown potatoes and tried broccoli here in N.Texas (similar climate to OK but our frosts are not as bad). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your growing season for these plants are limited to spring (or possibly autumn), so there's a race from when growth starts (or last frost) until it gets too hot. As Ed says, watering is important. For the potatoes, I've found they do best on a north facing wall and with good watering later in spring when the rains are less frequent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In order to lengthen the growing season my first attempt to grow broccoli was with grow lamps but became a failure due to aphids on the seedlings. Will try again in autumn or next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-04-03T01:58:02.627" LastActivityDate="2012-04-03T01:58:02.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3790" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3797" CreationDate="2012-04-03T01:45:53.317" Score="7" ViewCount="1339" Body="&lt;p&gt;In one place in the yard, there is a carpet of ivy under a black walnut. Would it harm the tree in any way to let the ivy up to the base of the branches? I would like to do this so that the whole scene is green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-04-05T15:09:03.497" Title="Is it okay to grow English ivy on the base of a tree trunk?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;english-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3791" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3794" CreationDate="2012-04-03T01:51:49.097" Score="10" ViewCount="7158" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most convenient spot for my new compost pile happens to be under a young apple tree. I would put it there, but I have a few questions first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will I be able to make successful compost in heavy shade?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will the tree's roots be bothered by (or bother) the compost pile?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will the decomposing plant matter promote disease in the tree or it's fruit?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-04-19T00:05:54.613" Title="Can I put a compost pile under a tree?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3792" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-03T02:46:21.823" Score="13" ViewCount="325" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am considering planting about 4 asparagus plants in a 5'x7' patch.  The asparagus will take up most of the space in the patch.  What companion plants would work well in such a space?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; recommends: Aster Family flowers, Dill, Coriander, Tomatoes, Parsley, Basil, Comfrey, Marigolds.  Has anybody tried these combinations?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2012-04-04T22:11:00.247" LastActivityDate="2018-09-21T16:34:49.697" Title="What is a good companion for asparagus?" Tags="&lt;companion-planting&gt;&lt;asparagus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3793" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3787" CreationDate="2012-04-03T06:54:23.567" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew up in Eastern Kansas(hardiness zone 5b). &#xA;I had the most success with tomatoes when I bought them as seedlings and selected heat loving varieties. Late frosts were also a problem. I also found they needed to be in the sun but did poorly if the area did not also receive shade(especially during the hottest part of the day.&#xA;I also found that spinach did not do well after June. Early Spring or late winter was a good time to plant it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have not personally grown blueberries in Kansas but I have a friend that successfully grew them after many years of trying out different plants and soil combinations. She built a netted shelter around them that keeps creatures away from them. As I am not familiar with the type of blueberries that grow well in Oklahoma I suggest &lt;a href=&quot;http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-1025/HLA-6248web.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt;. I used a similar site when I started growing blueberries where I currently live on the West coast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A couple things I have learned is that you need to plant more than one bush. I am trying several varieties that are supposed to do well in my region. I tried to choose a well drained protected location. I mulched around them during the winter to try and protect the roots from the cold.  The birds always seem to get my blueberries so netting or some other type of protection is necessary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1062" LastEditorUserId="746" LastEditDate="2012-04-05T02:06:20.120" LastActivityDate="2012-04-05T02:06:20.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3791" CreationDate="2012-04-03T13:35:09.813" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, heavy shade is fine.  In fact, it may be better, because the pile will dry out slower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The compost and its leachates will be good for the tree.  I don't know about apples in particular, but the tree will grow roots up into the compost, and you'll need to keep cutting them. On balance, it still should be good for the tree.  It's a minor nuisance.  Don't let the roots get deep into the compost (say, 2-3 years without turning) and then cut all at once - that &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt; stress the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if it will promote disease in the fruit.  If concerned, you might avoid turning the compost while fruit is ripening, to avoid throwing up lots of mold spores.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-04-03T13:35:09.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3795" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3791" CreationDate="2012-04-03T14:55:06.640" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most tree roots are within 6 inches of the surface and extend from the trunk to the drip line because that's where the oxygen and water are.  If you raise the existing grade by more than an inch or two over more than two thirds of the rooting area there is a good possibility that the tree will decline as the roots starve for oxygen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is most commonly seen in new construction areas where contractors put safety fencing around an established tree to &quot;protect&quot; it and then kill it by raising the grade a foot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Younger trees have a better chance of growing new roots up into the compost but that's not what you want either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not recommend putting a compost pile under the tree unless it occupies no more than twenty percent of the rooting area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-04-03T14:55:06.640" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3796" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3790" CreationDate="2012-04-03T15:02:52.090" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Walnut and butternut trees try to ensure that there are no competitors for light and water by excreting a substance called juglone.  It inhibits the growth of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.connon.ca/pdf_files/specsheets/Juglone%20Tolerant%20Plants.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;some plants&lt;/a&gt;.  I cannot find ivy listed as being tolerant which would indicate that it's growth would be stunted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_quinquefolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Virginia Creeper&lt;/a&gt;  which is tolerant however a well established plant could compete with the walnut tree and inhibit it's growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the &lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/for-fact/0044.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;price of black walnut wood&lt;/a&gt; you could be better off pruning it so it has a good form and then selling it when you want to retire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-04-03T15:02:52.090" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3797" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3790" CreationDate="2012-04-03T17:48:29.123" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, as long as it doesn't compete for light, the tree is healthy, and the soil situation is normal, ivy is fine on tree &lt;em&gt;trunks&lt;/em&gt;.  Ivy is not a parasite.  Here's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.arborecology.co.uk/article_forf.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;good article&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Alien Plant Working Group of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nps.gov/plants/intro.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Plant Conservation Alliance&lt;/a&gt;  lists &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/hehe1.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;English Ivy as invasive&lt;/a&gt; in many states, including PA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-04-05T15:09:03.497" LastActivityDate="2012-04-05T15:09:03.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3798" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1301" CreationDate="2012-04-04T17:02:45.187" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had the same problem and couldn't find a solution..so I developed ColdSnap! for Android..costs less than a packet of seeds (and now does high temperature warnings too).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1066" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-04-05T13:36:13.750" LastActivityDate="2012-04-05T13:36:13.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3799" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3800" CreationDate="2012-04-04T22:10:38.280" Score="10" ViewCount="9761" Body="&lt;p&gt;Shortly after the blossoms fell on my pear, areas around the blossoms started to turn black and die. This is spreading. Although the dead areas tend to be on the end of the branches, there are exceptions where a branch may have 2 or 3 dead zones along the length of the branch. Each is centered on a blossom. The dead zones do not have fruit - not all of the blossom locations are dead, and some have small fruit starting to form. However over half are dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: North Texas. We had a mild winter with relatively few proper frosts, and it cannot have gone below the mid-25s.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dwmAI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Detail view of some of the branches, showing the dead spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UYmzr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Overall view, showing the mean dead spots throughout the tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-11-07T18:49:54.127" LastActivityDate="2012-11-08T14:43:39.763" Title="Why is my pear tree dying around the blossoms?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pear&gt;&lt;blight&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3799" CreationDate="2012-04-04T22:13:32.740" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;strong&gt;Fire Blight&lt;/strong&gt;, a bacterial infection commonly spread by bees and other &#xA;pollinators. Hence the infection usually starts at the blossoms. It typically extends &#xA;into the branches and twigs, but is often localized. It can, however spread into the &#xA;tree (especially a weakened tree). Death is inevitable if the infection reaches the &#xA;roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pears are especially susceptible, but it can also infect apples and roses. Infections of &#xA;hawthorns, cotoneaster, and mountain ash are also not unknown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bacteria (&lt;em&gt;Erwinia amylovora&lt;/em&gt;) turns dormant or dies with frost, so outbreaks &#xA;tend to be more severe after a mild winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Treatment with antibiotics only works before infection, and is strongly discouraged due to &#xA;the evolution of disease resistance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Copper sprays may also have some effectiveness if applied as blossoms open out. These are ineffective against existing infections.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead, treatment should be by removing the infected branches. Shears should be dipped &#xA;in bleach between each cut in order to disinfect them and to avoid spreading the infection &#xA;further. Cuts should be a few inches back from the visible infection. Typically the &#xA;core of a branch will be infected below the visible damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further information can be found at:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7414.html&quot;&gt;University of California, Integrated Pest Management Program: Fire Blight&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.caf.wvu.edu/kearneysville/disease_descriptions/omblight.html&quot;&gt;West Virginia University, Davis Tree Fruit Research and Education Center: Fire Blight&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/factsheets/treefruit/diseases/fb/fb.asp&quot;&gt;Cornell, New York State Integrated Pest Management Program: Fire Blight&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-04-04T22:13:32.740" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3801" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-05T12:19:47.360" Score="13" ViewCount="29511" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received what I guess is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepenthes&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Nepenthes&lt;/a&gt; last month, but the pitchers have all dried out by now. It starts with the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nepenthes_pitcher_morphology_upper.svg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;lid&lt;/a&gt; drying up and once that happens it takes 10 days until the entire pitcher is all dried up. I cut it off before this happens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read that its soil may never dry out and that it needs much light but not direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What am I doing wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I wait until the soil is almost dry and then give it lots of water. This is around each fifth day.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I placed it in a hanging pot in a window over the kitchen sink, where there is never any direct sunlight but occasionally are lots of non direct sunlight. (Sweden, so sun is not strong.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I replanted it and gave it a bio-fertilizer that actually had a way expired date.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mXBHi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1070" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-07T02:02:43.510" LastActivityDate="2016-08-19T16:38:07.867" Title="How can I prevent my Nepenthes pitchers from drying out?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="8" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3802" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3801" CreationDate="2012-04-05T12:38:30.207" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like humidity is the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I understand correctly, you are growing it in a pot in a window sill? In non-tropical climates, I have only ever seen &lt;em&gt;Nepenthes&lt;/em&gt; growing in tropical greenhouses (I find they are common plants in public tropical greenhouses in both the US and UK).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the days when I grew CPs (Carnivorous Plants) myself, I never tried &lt;em&gt;Nepenthes&lt;/em&gt; because the books said I would need a terrarium. The only time I have seen them not in a terrarium or greenhouse, was in Costa Rica where I saw one growing in a hanging basket as a 'pot plant'. They are actually native to SE Asia tropical rainforest, and not Costa Rica - but the tropical conditions were sufficient.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As they like rainforest conditions, keeping it out of strong sun (as you are doing) sounds like a good idea. However I bet you are missing the warm humid conditions. I would try a terrarium or give up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to grow pitcher plants in temperate conditions, then &lt;em&gt;Sarracenia&lt;/em&gt; (&quot;Trumpet Pitcher Plant&quot;) are worth a try. I managed to grow them from seed on UK window sills. The other common one in cultivation (&lt;em&gt;Darlingtonia&lt;/em&gt;) is considered difficult to grow, although it has a striking pitcher. It is sensitive to conditions but is native to Oregon,US - so you might need an unheated terrarium!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2013-08-24T19:21:22.843" LastActivityDate="2013-08-24T19:21:22.843" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3803" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-05T20:41:00.397" Score="5" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3717/how-can-i-protect-a-peach-tree-from-cold&quot;&gt;How can I protect a peach tree from cold?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Popcorn is popping on my apricot tree, but there's supposed to be a frost tomorrow. The trees are marginal for the valley I live in as some years the frost damages the blossoms and makes for a year without a harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to protect the blossoms?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1071" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-04-05T20:41:00.397" Title="Protect apricot blossoms from frost" Tags="&lt;frost&gt;&lt;apricots&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2012-04-09T18:00:09.570" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3804" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3805" CreationDate="2012-04-06T15:19:19.543" Score="6" ViewCount="1228" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't seem to find any consistent information on the root structure of these guys.  We were given one as a housewarming gift and would like to get it into the ground as soon as possible, however I'm not sure how far to place it from my fence to avoid future issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What diameter should I expect the root system to be, so that I can plant it far enough from my deck and fence to avoid issues?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1072" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-07T20:18:43.910" LastActivityDate="2018-01-07T20:18:43.910" Title="What is the root span of Dwarf Southern Magnolia 'Little Gem'?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;magnolia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3804" CreationDate="2012-04-06T15:49:13.717" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have a definitive answer for this tree, but as a general rule, tree roots spread 2-3x the width of the branches. It looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sunnygardens.com/garden_plants/magnolia/magnolia_1817.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;your tree will be about 15' wide (diameter)&lt;/a&gt;. So if you plant it 30' from your fence you should be well clear of any root-related issues. (Closer &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be ok, I don't know how aggressive these roots are.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-06T15:49:13.717" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3806" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3801" CreationDate="2012-04-06T23:15:37.837" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got some advice from a colleague, that says he kept one alive for 4 years. He said:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It needs more than just get &quot;watered&quot;; It needs to &quot;stand in water&quot;. He watered his everyday.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;He tried to use mostly distilled water, as his tap water contained too much lime, which eventually would clog the roots. (I will not waste my money on buying distilled water though.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Never mind the directions about non direct sunlight, because the sun is not too strong here anyway.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1070" LastActivityDate="2012-04-06T23:15:37.837" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3792" CreationDate="2012-04-07T01:48:34.277" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=what%20is%20a%20good%20companion%20for%20asparagus?&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;ved=0CCgQFjAA&amp;amp;url=http://organicgardening.about.com/od/vegetablesherbs/p/tomatocompanion.htm&amp;amp;ei=IJp_T-6CCar20gHvtJTVBw&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGWHHAc-QRoPFY-JKIGX1xa9bGNig&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, tomatoes are a logical companion to the asparagus, because the asparagus grows most actively in spring, and the tomatoes fill in later in the season as the asparagus becomes inactive. Also, the tomatoes repel asparagus beetles, which is a great help in summer. It is better to plant the tomatoes on the south side of the asparagus plants, as asparagus gets fairly tall, and will shade the tomatoes if they are on the wrong sides of each other. Marigolds also repel beetles. I personally like tomatoes, because it produces food almost all season.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-04-07T01:48:34.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3808" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3814" CreationDate="2012-04-07T02:18:43.990" Score="33" ViewCount="16714" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes, I receive an unlabeled plant start from a friend, and they do not know if it is patented. If I want to grow and sell a plant in question, is it okay to just take the chance, or is there a way to find patents?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-10-15T11:56:43.903" LastActivityDate="2016-01-20T10:38:03.433" Title="How can I tell if a plant given to me is patented?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3809" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1467" CreationDate="2012-04-07T12:20:32.010" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is worth considering that it might also be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfrey&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Comfrey&lt;/a&gt;. Here's are a couple of images of comfrey from Wikipedia that show the similarity of the leaves with your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uBJN6.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Russian_comfrey_close_800.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/auour.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1074" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-04-08T19:05:53.317" LastActivityDate="2012-04-08T19:05:53.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3810" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-08T13:08:18.757" Score="7" ViewCount="328" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just dug up this tree (I think it is a tree), and I wanted to know if someone could help me identify it. Click for larger images.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ct0sq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ct0sqm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YShhr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YShhrm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This woody plant was growing in Illinois near some marshy land before it was dug up.  The specific location was:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dupageforest.com/Conservation/ForestPreserves/Hidden_Lake.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.dupageforest.com/Conservation/ForestPreserves/Hidden_Lake.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been trying to use the following resource but cannot seem to identify the plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://woodyplants.nres.uiuc.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://woodyplants.nres.uiuc.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FEATURES:&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;opposite branching&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;simple leaves &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leave outline smooth &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;young branches hairy&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DIFFERENTIAL:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Honeysuckle&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dogwood&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1077" LastEditorUserId="392" LastEditDate="2012-07-23T00:31:47.707" LastActivityDate="2012-07-23T00:31:47.707" Title="What is this woody plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3811" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-09T10:13:06.790" Score="7" ViewCount="1856" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just moved into a new house and these weeds are dominating the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what they are or the best way to control them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Z6hb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lbmYs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Vrb1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DPTCm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-09T13:17:27.160" LastActivityDate="2019-05-26T15:47:49.207" Title="What is this furry, prickly leafed plant, found in the UK?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3812" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-09T12:25:58.700" Score="6" ViewCount="3720" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know a thing about Landscaping but have been getting more interested lately as I shop for houses.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Just last week I realized that a maple tree in my front yard had pink &quot;helicopters&quot; (now I know they are called &quot;samaras&quot;).  I am nearly 100% certain that this tree has never had anything but green samaras before this year and it definitely has green leaves.  The tree is only around 20 feet tall, and I have lived in this house for over 20 years and never seen this.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Is it normal for the samaras to change color?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the same time, there is a &quot;red bud&quot; tree that suddenly bloomed this year, when I am (again) nearly positive it has never been anything but green and brown.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do trees often bloom and/or change seed colors like this?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the Lilac bush in that same spot in the yard it's suddenly quite beautiful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1078" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-09T13:20:54.767" LastActivityDate="2012-04-09T15:39:54.560" Title="Why did the samaras on my maple suddenly turn pink?" Tags="&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="700" CreationDate="2012-04-09T12:50:15.040" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sweet peas, garden peas and broad beans prefer rain water. Although they still grow when watered with tap water the results you get from watering with rain water are vastly improved. Chlorine and other substances in mains water inhibit the uptake of nutrients and thus reduce plant growth and health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1079" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-04-11T16:22:22.723" LastActivityDate="2012-04-11T16:22:22.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3814" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3808" CreationDate="2012-04-09T13:13:25.520" Score="21" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some plants or shrubs can be distinguished by specific traits like leaf colour.  The &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1100/&quot;&gt;Diablo&lt;/a&gt; Ninebark with it's purple leaves is hard to miss.  So if you get a purple leaved Ninebark and propagate a hundred of them for sale you would be violating the patent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not a patent lawyer but I suspect that it is your intent as much action that means more.  If you don't ask questions and propagate with intent to make money that will be trouble.  If you receive a gift which is hard to identify and grow it in your garden it's not worth anyone's time to identify you or prosecute.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@Dmitriy Likhten Yes, farmers have been sued by &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto_Canada_Inc._v._Schmeiser&quot;&gt;agro corporations for patent infringements&lt;/a&gt;.  However from the original question it does not seem that @jmusser will be planting a whole field of plants with intent to sell them for profit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-03-15T22:11:28.763" LastActivityDate="2013-03-15T22:11:28.763" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3815" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3833" CreationDate="2012-04-09T14:38:29.987" Score="21" ViewCount="104123" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for the best way to get rid of tree stumps.  I have so many on my property that digging them out by hand is almost unreasonable, and I can't get a truck into the back to pull them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've looked at &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1815/1007&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;, and grinding would probably work well but I'm looking for a less expensive option (it costs about $300 a day to rent a grinder around here). Does anyone have experience with burning out tree stumps?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1007" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T02:24:25.090" Title="Should I burn out my tree stumps?" Tags="&lt;stump-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="11" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3816" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3870" CreationDate="2012-04-09T15:02:39.123" Score="6" ViewCount="1061" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small &lt;em&gt;Calendula&lt;/em&gt; plant indoors and it is growing quite well. However, can I care for the plant better by following any specific care instructions? At the moment I'm just giving it plenty of tap water and sunlight, but no extra feed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I add a supplement to the water, use rain water instead of tap water, etc?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-11T01:36:08.953" LastActivityDate="2012-04-15T23:42:46.503" Title="How should I care for my  Calendula?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3817" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3812" CreationDate="2012-04-09T15:39:54.560" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is pretty normal and could be a combination of weather / climate change.  For instance, this year we have had a much warmer winter season.  The &quot;helicopter&quot; in pink could be a nice photograph so enjoy it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2012-04-09T15:39:54.560" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="88" CreationDate="2012-04-09T23:26:25.317" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I finally got though an entire season using row covers and it worked out great. I planted carrots and spinach (and some cilantro snuck in there as well, somehow) back in December and we are still harvesting them now with only minor leaf damage on the spinach and no apparent damage to the tops of the carrots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only problem was that I didn't make the PVC cage quite tall enough. It was about 18&quot; tall and both the carrots and spinach made a &quot;tent&quot; over the past month and the greenery starting pushing above the tops of the PVC. Very successful, though I'll need to purchase more covers as the ones I have are starting to look a little ratty (it gets really windy here at times; that plus the act of pulling them off and on for watering tore through the mesh eventually).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="79" LastActivityDate="2012-04-09T23:26:25.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3819" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3815" CreationDate="2012-04-10T12:40:46.683" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;I concur with the comments that grinding is the best route to go.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chemicals are overpriced for what they are and toxic to the immediate soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hauling them out with a tractor or bobcat works but leaves a huge hole in the ground that must be back filled&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grinding allows you to set how deep you go and provides that instant &quot;problem solved&quot; look&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course there is always the procrastinating gardener approach... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tree stumps provide valuable nutrients and a home for insects and animals&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they are not really that unsightly if you put a pot of flowers on them&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;just wait twenty years and your problem is solved with no effort on your part!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-04-10T12:40:46.683" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3525" CreationDate="2012-04-10T17:56:28.107" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found a great resource &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/guide3.shtml#chart&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like you can accomplish similar results with either.  You won't need as many HID bulbs as fluorescent and CFL, but that doesn't necessarily translate to less power or cost. HPS and MH bulbs are very expensive and they get very hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as LED goes, it isn't on the chart but a friend of mine tried to grow some herbs on his desk at work with an LED light.  It didn't work well at all over the long term.  His blog about it is &lt;a href=&quot;http://cubiclegardening.blogspot.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  Also, there is a section under the first link that discusses LED lighting and finds it unsuitable for most applications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it were me, I'd use fluorescent based on price, practicality, and performance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1007" LastEditorUserId="1007" LastEditDate="2012-04-10T18:23:22.837" LastActivityDate="2012-04-10T18:23:22.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3821" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8067" CreationDate="2012-04-10T17:59:20.603" Score="11" ViewCount="4234" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lot of fairly thick, short moss growing on my lawn. The grass seems to be growing through it and looks healthy, but I still have a carpet of moss. I try raking it, but it's relentless and continues to grow. What can I do about this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-11T01:36:36.897" LastActivityDate="2013-08-04T08:08:37.377" Title="How can I remove the moss growing on my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3822" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3821" CreationDate="2012-04-10T19:36:53.070" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Moss cannot compete with grass under ideal conditions for grass.  You could cultivate a moss garden. It never needs mowing!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To improve conditions for grass you can do some or all of these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;more light: can you cut back any trees or shrubs to let more light in?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;reduce compaction due to foot traffic or absence of organic matter&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;add a hard path where people walk&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sow more grass seed and then top dress twice to 1/4&quot; to 1/2&quot; yearly with weed free compost or topsoil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;aerate the soil: the best method is to physically remove plugs of soil (takes more work than using a hard rake)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;drainage: does water sit in puddles after a rain? some regrading to let water flow off the turf might help&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use a hard rake to physically remove the moss before seeding and top dressing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-04-10T19:36:53.070" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3823" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-10T20:52:44.427" Score="6" ViewCount="1660" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sAbeK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;This plant is growing all over the place in one part of the garden. I'm wondering whether to try to get rid of it completely, or just reduce it - but I'd like to know what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to have a very well established root system. (some kind of tuber I think, see image below).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've attached photos. (It's just sprouting at the moment - normally a lot bigger.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Central Europe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dEoes.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="463" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-04-11T20:57:24.810" LastActivityDate="2012-04-11T20:57:24.810" Title="What is this clover-like plant with a thick woody root system?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3824" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-10T21:09:44.403" Score="4" ViewCount="1336" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a VERY VERY bad idea to burn the leftover grass and leaves during a windy day; however, do you know of any tricks that might solve this problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried using a small metal bucket except that it's taking forever and ever to burn anything in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1087" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-04-10T22:28:16.087" LastActivityDate="2014-10-28T15:02:45.130" Title="How can I burn dead tree leaves and grass during wind?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;bonfire&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3826" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3824" CreationDate="2012-04-10T21:21:24.520" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's no tip or trick to burning grass and leaves on a windy day.  You answered the question yourself, it's a VERY VERY bad idea.  Fire can spread very rapidly in wind and, depending on conditions, could easily spread a mile in minutes.  Not only could your life, and others nearby be in danger...you are also risking your property and other's property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5" LastActivityDate="2012-04-10T21:21:24.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3827" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3828" CreationDate="2012-04-10T21:35:54.153" Score="5" ViewCount="900" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a fairly short growing season-- last frost mid-May, first frost mid-Sept. This year, it's even more compressed because I'm having a baby in late June (yay!). I want to put an easy garden in and use my sprinkler timers to keep everything alive. I don't want to do radishes, lettuce, etc... anything that will need thinning &amp;amp; reseeding... things I just won't have time for or be up to doing.&#xA;I am planning to do lots of potatoes-- they grow well here and can be basically ignored. Any other ideas?&#xA;I'm also thinking of filling my containers with some easy annuals, flowers and herbs... need something I can get planted within the next month and then ignore (besides watering) for most of the summer.&#xA;Thanks for any and all suggestions!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1088" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-11T01:37:48.017" LastActivityDate="2012-04-11T02:39:33.847" Title="What are some low-maintenance vegetables and annuals that take no extra care beyond watering?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3827" CreationDate="2012-04-10T22:21:59.197" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not sure whether you're after a solution for this year only or for years to come. Though if you're about to have your first (?) child (congrats) your garden is going to be neglected for more than a year or two (in my experience).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The overall all-time lowest maintenance item I have in my veg garden is &lt;strong&gt;rhubarb&lt;/strong&gt; which simply comes back year after year and needs nothing doing to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But for just this year, a plant you can put in now and neglect until later? What about putting something into growbags, so you won't have to thin or weed. &lt;strong&gt;Tomatoes&lt;/strong&gt;? Or for minimum effort (though you do have to harvest regularly, you can manage &lt;em&gt;that&lt;/em&gt; right?) what about &lt;strong&gt;runner beans&lt;/strong&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2012-04-10T22:21:59.197" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3829" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3834" CreationDate="2012-04-10T23:46:09.343" Score="9" ViewCount="142" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was doing my daily inspection of my plants I noticed this weird glob of stuff in the pot of one of my trees. I'm trying to figure out what exactly this is, because I've seen the same thing in another pot about a month ago. Is this some kind of fungus?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XfECW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;weird stuff in pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="752" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T07:30:59.360" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T07:30:59.360" Title="Is this weird glob of brownish stuff a fungus?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3830" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3824" CreationDate="2012-04-11T01:14:08.203" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you absolutely need it burnt (don't want to compost it), then it would be best to store the material in a wind-proof spot, or in a container of some kind, and then burn it after the wind is gone. I personally think it is a waste of organic material, just burning it. It would make a wonderful carbon base for a compost pile. Carbonaceous material burned to ashes don't do your land nearly as much good good as the same material would if composted. Anyway, that is an option to consider. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-28T01:03:02.080" LastActivityDate="2014-10-28T01:03:02.080" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3831" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3823" CreationDate="2012-04-11T01:32:07.277" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think that is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=columbine%20plant%20wikipedia&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=3&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0CDoQjBAwAg&amp;amp;url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquilegia_canadensis&amp;amp;ei=st2ET_iqLYTw0gG2hr3NBw&amp;amp;v6u=http://dualstack.ipv6-exp.l.google.com/gen_204?ip=174.59.243.98&amp;amp;ts=1334107507017583&amp;amp;auth=g5witf3lwmymauig7e7wyzuwywdvsvkx&amp;amp;rndm=0.7430487170349807&amp;amp;v6s=2&amp;amp;v6t=51908&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEEBjSdRpAh57qPLtGQ3Iq5IDm18w&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;columbine&lt;/a&gt;. I have them blooming in my gardens. They can have quite variable leaf form, but I am pretty sure from your plant and leaf photos that this is it. They get up to three feet tall, and grow in moist rich soil from full shade to near full sun. The flowers are extremely variable, but usually appear in mid-spring on the tops of the stems, hanging down. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WsifV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AYzZt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-04-11T01:32:07.277" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3832" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3827" CreationDate="2012-04-11T02:39:33.847" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can plant lettuce and other small-seeded plants without needing to thin. One trick that can help you avoid thinning is to make your own seed &quot;tape&quot;. You can make these indoors so you don't have to bend down in the garden while trying to carefully drop tiny seeds at appropriate intervals. Get some cheap paper napkins from a fast-food joint (really cheap: you want them to fall apart fast). Put dots of glue at the appropriate spacing, and put a single seed on each dot. Let them dry overnight. (Don't stack the napkins! Yes, I'm dumb enough to have done this...) You can make them far in advance and then when it's time to plant your carrots (or lettuce, etc), set the napkins into your garden bed and sprinkle with just enough soil to hold down the napkins. Keep moist until they germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your growing season sounds a lot like mine. Spinach can go into the garden now. By the time the kid arrives, the spinach will probably have bolted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peas can also go in now. They're very low maintenance, except for the daily harvesting... which will be happening right around the time the baby is due. (You could always have a friend come and take your peas, or let them go to seed, harvest in August, and save it for next spring.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have rich soil, or can dig in a bucket of compost where you plant them, pumpkins and winter squash are relatively maintenance free. (Unless you get squash bugs really bad, but we still got more volunteer pumpkins than we could deal with last year, even with a bumper crop of squash bugs.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For flowers, I've had good luck (and zero maintenance beyond watering and very little weeding) with marigolds, calendula, cosmos, and sunflowers. We've got some perennial wildflowers that do well too, but you've only asked about annuals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The one thing you didn't mention is weeding... if you can get out once a week and pass a hoe over the tiny weeds it will be more manageable. But speaking from experience, that'll probably end up fairly low on the priority list...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-11T02:39:33.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3833" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3815" CreationDate="2012-04-11T02:43:36.370" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fire is a great idea. I highly recommend it. I had a stump in my yard a few years ago and a friend lit a small fire on top (enough to burn for an hour or so) and just left it. The fire burned out the stump and all the roots which subsequently collapsed. There was a bit of a hole to be filled, but it was gone within 48 hours and about 20 minutes of light labour. No digging. No special equipment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously there are dangers to lighting fires in your yard so take resonable precautions. Also don't do this if the stump is above gas mains... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fire is super underrated for stump removal! Other people will give answers like, &quot;spend 15 hours digging it out&quot; or &quot;spend hundreds of dollars&quot; - bad ideas. Burn it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2012-04-11T02:43:36.370" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3834" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3829" CreationDate="2012-04-11T17:39:17.093" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The bark mulch leads me to think it's a slime mold - which is either a fungus or Something Else, depending on who you listen to.  See, for instance, &lt;a href=&quot;http://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/insects-diseases/1435-slime-mold/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; from the Colorado Extension Service.  Beyond ugliness, it's harmless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T07:27:18.210" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T07:27:18.210" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3835" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3841" CreationDate="2012-04-12T00:17:02.330" Score="8" ViewCount="455" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there like a rule of thumb of the relation between the amount (and size) of fish and the amount of plants growing in a aquaponic system?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I started playing with aquaponics in a small setup, but I dont know if I have enough fish, or if they're big enough, I bought 10 goldfish, the kind they use as food for bigger fish, this is my tiny setup&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z4aLS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z4aLSm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Pic was taken before the fish where added, but they're there now. Click to enlarge.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1092" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-04-12T20:25:21.023" LastActivityDate="2013-12-28T03:01:09.597" Title="What is the relation between number of fish and number of plants in aquaponics" Tags="&lt;aquaponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3764" CreationDate="2012-04-12T02:06:55.530" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Purpling on brassicas can be caused by several common occurrences, and thus this is a common problem. It can be caused by soil acidity, so liming might be a good idea, but I think it is probably one of the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Potassium Deficiency.&lt;/strong&gt; This is a common problem in light or sandy soils, and in poor soil. The plant cannot gather enough potassium in the soil, and it causes a purple color on the leaves, buds, stems, or a combination of these. Also, some plants, including some brassicas, are inefficient at taking up potassium during cold weather. Thus, many plants become purplish in cold weather.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Variety.&lt;/strong&gt; Different varieties of Brussels Sprouts were developed to have purple coloring, and it is not uncommon for some sprouts that were meant to be green to develop some purple coloring. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;None of these things really affect the flavor of the sprouts, so you do not have to worry about that. It is a good idea to keep your soil in good health by maintaining a good amount of organic matter in the soil, which is best accomplished by adding plenty of compost each year, and keeping your plants mulched. Also, if your soil becomes too sour, you can add lime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-04-12T02:06:55.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3837" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3840" CreationDate="2012-04-12T06:14:27.667" Score="20" ViewCount="27193" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can ANY plant with green foliage survive in a sealed office environment with fluorescent lighting from 8am to 5:30pm and air conditioning set at 20 C (for the remaining time, there is basically zero light and limited air flow)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a very sterile office which has been designed to effectively be a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Faraday cage&lt;/a&gt; and we'd love to introduce some real, living greenery to make it less bleak.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In case it is not already clear, there are no windows and there is definitely no natural light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is a bit similar to the three following but more inclusive. In our case we're really not fussed at the absence of flowers or fruit, but it must be able to survive on fluoroescent light alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1239/low-maintenance-plant-choices-for-apartment-indoor-living&quot;&gt;What are some low maintenance plant choices for apartment (indoor) living?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3121/is-there-a-fruiting-plant-that-can-grow-in-an-office-environment&quot;&gt;Is there a fruiting plant that can grow in an office environment?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2146/what-flowering-bulbs-grow-well-in-an-air-conditioned-office-environment&quot;&gt;What flowering bulbs grow well in an air conditioned office environment?&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are any suitable candidates, please rank in order of indoor-toughness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T13:25:00.043" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T13:25:00.043" Title="What can I grow in a sealed office environment with no natural light or airflow?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3838" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3775" CreationDate="2012-04-12T11:22:52.520" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm answering my own question as advised by @jmusser. I found out that this is a &lt;em&gt;Iris X hollandica&lt;/em&gt; aka as &lt;em&gt;Dutch Iris&lt;/em&gt;. I found this information &lt;a href=&quot;http://calyxflowers.com/Floral-Library/Content/Dutch-Iris.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. (not a permanent link I suppose).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Voila, the flower is open:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PdfkF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PdfkFl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Originally I asked about the identification because I wanted to know whether the plants growing in my garden are just almost dead leftovers of something planted years ago or not. The comments and answer have encouraged me to not remove it and to wait.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/51Ejx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/51Ejxl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2012-04-12T11:22:52.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3839" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3767" CreationDate="2012-04-12T12:35:37.407" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mulch helps a lot in this kind of situation.  I'm thinking of ordinary pine/cedar/hemlock bark mulch.  Before mulching, cut the grass as low as you can, or pull the tops off if it's too intermingled in the sedum to cut.  When the grass grows through the mulch the roots are a lot shallower, and there's less of it.  Because the roots are shallower, and because the soil underneath is moister, pulling grass without harming the plants around it becomes a lot easier.  But resign yourself to losing some of the sedum when you do weed it.  It will grow back!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-04-12T12:35:37.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3840" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3837" CreationDate="2012-04-12T12:41:13.537" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;For many indoor tropical plants life in the office is slow death.  You may feel that way yourself after a bad day!&#xA;With minimal light levels and good watering practices most tropicals will live for a while. The ones that require high light will draw on their stored resources in the roots and gradually go downhill.&#xA;Tropicals that tolerate low light levels for a long time are&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum&quot;&gt;pothos&lt;/a&gt;  - indestructible and common&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglaonema&quot;&gt;aglaonema&lt;/a&gt; - and its relative &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathiphyllum&quot;&gt;spathiphyllum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanseveria&quot;&gt;sanseveria&lt;/a&gt; - not the prettiest plant but tough&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philodendron&quot;&gt;philodendron&lt;/a&gt; - look for smaller varieties as some can get quite large&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspidistra&quot;&gt;aspidastra&lt;/a&gt;  - hard to find and can get spider mites&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't mind some extra work most palms (date palm, canary palm, bella palm) will tolerate low light levels for many months before needing a refresher session in higher light.&#xA;Ficus have an undeserved reputation for being finicky about light levels.  Most new plants are inadequately conditioned for low light and drop many leaves with a change to lower light.  An older plant grown in lower light will thin out but look quite acceptable. Particularly if it's height allows the foliage to be closer to the lights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A faraday cage has no influence on plants that I know of but too much water will.  Water thoroughly and let dry out. Constantly wet soil means root rot: the number one killer of tropical plants.  If you don't mind a little extra work the self watering pots or making your own with a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greenculturesg.com/articles/may06/may06_self_watering_pot.htm&quot;&gt;capillary wick&lt;/a&gt; are an excellent way of providing a good water cycle. I use strips from self watering mats rather than the acrylic string indicated in the link.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2012-04-13T05:08:55.977" LastActivityDate="2012-04-13T05:08:55.977" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3841" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3835" CreationDate="2012-04-12T14:41:25.383" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I can tell from being an aquarium enthusiast and a hydroponics enthusiast there is not a set in stone rule when it comes to this.  The problem is that 2 different fish can produce different amounts of waste (goldfish are notorious for producing &lt;em&gt;a lot&lt;/em&gt; of waste), and two different types of plants can have varying absorption rates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However there are a few thing to go off of.  Using testing kits (for Ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite) you can keep a chart of your levels every week and determine if you need more fish to make more waste, or less fish if you have too much waste.  From what I could find in a stable aquaponics setup: ammonia levels should range from 0.25 to 2.0 ppm; nitrite levels should range from 0.25 to 1 ppm, and nitrate levels should range from 2 to 150 ppm.  Aquaponics is considered a &quot;newer science&quot; so it may take a lot of personal balancing to get everything within the right levels as there isn't a &quot;standard&quot; on how to do it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Unrelated side notes:&lt;/strong&gt; Forgive me if I'm being a little nosy but a few things I've gathered from your picture: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do you have a cover lid for your water reservoir?&lt;/strong&gt;  From my experience with hydroponics, you want to limit light as much as possible in your water.  Algae grows wonderfully (and seemingly out of nowhere sometimes) under grow light and will deplete all the oxygen in your fish reservoir which is bad for your fish and your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How close is your grow light to your plants?&lt;/strong&gt;  It may of been that you just moved it to take the picture, but you want your grow light to be as close as possible to your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do you have an aquarium or wet/dry filter handy?&lt;/strong&gt;  A simple filter &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000260FVG&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;like this&lt;/a&gt; provides additional aeration for your fish and your plants and also an area (specifically the mesh material that does the filtering) where ammonia converting bacteria can live and thrive.  You need these bacteria to convert ammonia into nitrates and nitrites (which are what your plants need to grow).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Are you supplimenting with additional nutrients?&lt;/strong&gt;  Nitrate and Nitrite are great for boosting plant growth, but that is not all they need.  Trace amounts of phosphorus, magnesium, iron and other nutrients are needed for plants to grow properly.  You may be lucky and find that some of these actually occur in the fish food you are feeding your goldfish, and any uneaten food will get dissolved into the water supply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I apologize ahead of time if any of this is overbearing, just want to be thorough.  Please ignore any of these if they aren't applicable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastEditorUserId="219" LastEditDate="2013-12-28T03:01:09.597" LastActivityDate="2013-12-28T03:01:09.597" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3842" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2012-04-12T14:55:09.080" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Aquaponics&lt;/a&gt; is a sustainable food production system that combines a traditional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In the aquaculture, effluents accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity for the fish. This water is led to a hydroponic system where the by-products from the aquaculture are filtered out by the plants as vital nutrients, after which the cleansed water is recirculated back to the animals. The term aquaponics is a portmanteau of the terms aquaculture and hydroponic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aquaponic systems vary in size from small indoor or outdoor units to large commercial units, using the same technology. The systems usually contain fresh water, but salt water systems are plausible depending on the type of aquatic animal and which plants.[citation needed] Aquaponic science may still be considered to be at an early stage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-04-13T16:21:18.597" LastActivityDate="2012-04-13T16:21:18.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3843" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2012-04-12T14:55:09.080" Score="0" Body="Aquaponics is the combination of growing plants hydroponically with aquatic animals that provide nutrients to the growing plants.  The result is a balanced system that is a symbiotic relationship between the plants and aquatic life." OwnerUserId="924" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-04-13T16:18:14.560" LastActivityDate="2012-04-13T16:18:14.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3844" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3845" CreationDate="2012-04-12T17:24:54.117" Score="7" ViewCount="1409" Body="&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3835/what-is-the-relation-between-of-fish-and-of-plants-in-aquaponics/3841#3841&quot;&gt;another question&lt;/a&gt;, it was mentioned that an aquarium filter &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thatpetplace.com/aquaclear-20-power-filter-20-gal&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;like this&lt;/a&gt; would help in an aquaponics setup (&lt;a href=&quot;http://cl.ly/1C1E22443T2Q023C0V42&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;picture&lt;/a&gt;).  However, I thought the rocks played the role of the filter. Am I missing something?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1092" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2018-03-10T12:36:11.257" Title="Do I need an extra filter for aquaponics" Tags="&lt;aquaponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3845" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3844" CreationDate="2012-04-12T18:52:45.120" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://cl.ly/1C1E22443T2Q023C0V42&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;picture&lt;/a&gt; from the last question, you &lt;strong&gt;wouldn't need&lt;/strong&gt; an additional filter but it &lt;strong&gt;would be helpful&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rocks near the output of your pump will serve as a good breeding ground for &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrosomonas&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Nitrosomonas&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrobacter&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Nitrobacter&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; bacteria, which are responsible for converting ammonia and nitrate (respectively, &lt;em&gt;Nitrosomonas&lt;/em&gt; first converting ammonia into nitrite) into nitrate.  Although plants can absorb ammonia and nitrite, they can't do it well enough to survive off of them and absorb nitrate at an exponentially higher rate.  Also, fish can handle high levels of nitrate, but are vulnerable to even low doses of ammonia and nitrite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if your pump were to fail, those colony of bacteria would quickly die due to drying out, as they need to be constantly moist.  An aquarium filter, on the other hand, provides a better environment (the mesh can sustain more colonies) and even if the filter were to fail, it still remains full of water and can keep your colonies alive a lot longer before drying out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, the filter will reduce uneaten food from getting stuck in the rocks slowing down harmful bacteria and algae growth.  Finally, the movement from the filter will help oxygenate your water even further (although there is already a good amount of water movement in this system, but more is never worse).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="924" LastEditorUserId="219" LastEditDate="2013-12-28T03:04:29.797" LastActivityDate="2013-12-28T03:04:29.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3846" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3849" CreationDate="2012-04-12T17:04:13.270" Score="13" ViewCount="58686" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have what &lt;em&gt;seems&lt;/em&gt; to be Wild Grape Vines killing off my hedges.  Is there any other recourse besides uprooting them all?  Would clipping them down and spraying stump rot be another possibility?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1094" OwnerDisplayName="Refracted Paladin" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-18T19:35:08.847" LastActivityDate="2020-03-04T17:18:34.790" Title="How do I get rid of wild grape vines?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3847" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-12T20:03:20.910" Score="6" ViewCount="410" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it true that some varieties of Paulownia are sterile? And if so, where are they sold?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1095" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-04-12T23:40:23.177" LastActivityDate="2012-04-13T17:09:06.227" Title="Are some varieties of Paulownia sterile?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3848" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3852" CreationDate="2012-04-12T22:43:37.317" Score="10" ViewCount="2329" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year, I tried to start most of my vegetable garden inside while it was still cool outside.  This included peas, corn, peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, pumpkins, and zucchini.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once it warmed up, I took them all outside and planted them.  Within a few days almost all of them died, or got really unhealthy and didn't grow big or produce much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did I do something wrong, or is it better just to start the plants outside to begin with?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1007" LastActivityDate="2012-04-13T12:38:12.867" Title="Transplanting indoor vegetable starts outside" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3849" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3846" CreationDate="2012-04-13T01:32:08.930" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The shortest answer is no. I have grape vines all over the property, and they will re-sprout from any stems underground, and from any roots thicker than 1/4&quot; in diameter. The best method to remove them, in my experience, is to trim all excess vegetation in the hedge bushes 8&quot; from the ground, down, with the crowns cleaned out, and cut everything else out to the ground level every few weeks. Tearing the roots out in moderation may help, but excessive digging will greatly weaken the hedge. This will be difficult at the beginning, but it looks great and well cared for when your done, and the vines underneath will eventually weaken due to the loss of photosynthesis. Also, putting a two foot wide strip of water-penetrable plastic down under each side of the hedge, leaving space for the bushes, and then adding a three inch layer of dyed wood chips helps greatly in keeping down weeds, and also looks great. Again, this is labor-intensive at the beginning, but eventually will come down to adding a new layer of mulch yearly, and cutting off all alien vegetation at ground level, plus the maintenance of the hedge itself. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-18T00:55:23.323" LastActivityDate="2014-06-18T00:55:23.323" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3850" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3837" CreationDate="2012-04-13T01:53:19.683" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selaginella_lepidophylla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Resurrection Plant,&lt;/a&gt;, a small low-maintenance moss, has the odd characteristic that it can stand long periods of adverse conditions (dessication) without weakening. I don't know how available they are in your area, but I see them here and there around here. I know someone who keeps theirs in a box in the attic all year, and takes it out, waters it, and puts it on a windowsill for Christmas week. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-08T13:47:39.483" LastActivityDate="2017-07-08T13:47:39.483" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3851" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3848" CreationDate="2012-04-13T02:01:00.303" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have found that some plants benefit from being started inside and others are hindered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From my experience, these plants should be started inside to maximize the growing season (this is not an exhaustive list):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tomatoes: plant part of the stem under the ground, laying horizontally.  This will allow the plants extra roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;peppers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I am trying eggplants and asparagus this season &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants should be planted straight in the ground:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;corn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;beans (so I imagine peas as well)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;squash&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;garlic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't know about broccoli and zucchini.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In either case, make sure you have fertile soil, proper sunshine, and provide plenty of water after initial transplanting/planting.  See this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/2756/746&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; for amending the soil for transplanting tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should also harden the seedlings to the outside before planting.  See this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3575/746&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; to get an idea (the question was specifically about tomatoes, but the answer applies well to other plants).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are still having a lot of trouble getting things to grow, consider buying already started seedlings from a nursery.  I have found these have a much better chance of survival.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-04-13T02:01:00.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3852" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3848" CreationDate="2012-04-13T12:38:12.867" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &quot;How to Grow More Vegetables&quot; by John Jeavons, you can start almost all vegetables inside and transplant them. In my experience, this isn't necessarily true.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As @Om Patange mentions, corn, beans, and garlic are best planted straight in the ground. Potato, carrots, and parsnips (to pick some common vegetables) should also go straight in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had good luck transplanting the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;broccoli&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cabbage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;turnips&lt;sup&gt;*&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;beets&lt;sup&gt;*&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;squash family: zucchini, pumpkin &amp;amp; winter squash&lt;sup&gt;**&lt;/sup&gt;, summer squash, cucumber, watermelon&lt;sup&gt;**&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tomato&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pepper&lt;sup&gt;xxx&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sunflowers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;celery&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spinach&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lettuce&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;parsley&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;onions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leeks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;kale&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;okra&lt;sup&gt;xxx&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;basil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;radicchio&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;*&lt;/sup&gt; I've had good luck transplanting these via soil blocks. They probably won't work when transplanted another way because of the root disturbance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;**&lt;/sup&gt; These get big really fast. They have to go outside as soon as they germinate, or you need to start them in fairly large containers (or 4&quot; blocks), and avoid disturbing roots when transplanting. All in all, it's probably easier to just direct seed outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;xxx&lt;/sup&gt; To the extent that I've had &lt;em&gt;any&lt;/em&gt; success. They &lt;em&gt;grow&lt;/em&gt; ok, but I never get much fruit. This isn't so much a function of transplanting, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Things to keep in mind when transplanting:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoid disturbing roots as much as possible. Some plants are more sensitive to disturbance than others. (Especially root veg: if you disturb the roots when planting, you may get deformed roots or they may just die.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil blocks avoid root disturbance. If you're willing to make the investment in a block maker, it's a good way to get a head start on growing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't transplant at noon on a bright, sunny day. The best time to transplant is in the morning on a calm, overcast day.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Harden off your seedlings for a week prior to transplanting. This lets them adjust from the comfortable, controlled environment indoors to the &quot;wild west&quot; of outdoor life.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water carefully for the first week or so. Note that says &lt;em&gt;carefully&lt;/em&gt;: overwatering is just as deadly as underwatering.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoid overfertilizing. If you transplant a seedling with fine roots onto a high nitrogen fertilizer, you can burn the roots. (You want fertile soil, because if you don't, they will fail to thrive. But in my experience, this shows up later in the season as weak or stunted plants and not immediate plant death.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-13T12:38:12.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3853" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3844" CreationDate="2012-04-13T12:59:53.310" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an outdoor pond which is not set up for aquaponics.  There are similarities as there are plants and fish in an outdoor area.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I started using volcanic rock in a layer between landscape fabric to give a home to beneficial bacteria.  However with fish, plants and rainwater being added to top it up the algae just got out of control.  I added a &lt;a href=&quot;http://ca-en.hagen.com/Water-Gardening/Filtration/External/PT490&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;filter box like this&lt;/a&gt; which increased the volume where bacteria could live by a huge amount and this really helped even out the swings in nitrate/nitrite/ammonium levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2018-03-10T12:36:11.257" LastActivityDate="2018-03-10T12:36:11.257" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3854" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3847" CreationDate="2012-04-13T14:05:13.633" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a species listed as non invasive, although they produce seeds. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulownia_elongata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Paulownia elongata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a fast growing tree with many various uses. Sources may rise and fall, but &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=paulownia%20elongata&amp;amp;source=productsearch&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;docid=17659901848724792857&amp;amp;ved=0CD0QgwgwAA&amp;amp;url=http://www.amazon.com/BEAUTIFUL-PAULOWNIA-Paulownia-elongata-seeds/dp/B007368H7M&amp;amp;ei=NDKIT8_wL8iEgwei3O32CQ&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEDfctSukUDnmctuJWtFuLdX36qjA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Amazon&lt;/a&gt; is currently selling it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-04-13T14:05:13.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3855" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3856" CreationDate="2012-04-13T14:18:49.393" Score="6" ViewCount="1636" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3717/when-do-i-need-to-protect-a-fruit-tree-from-cold-and-how-do-i-do-it&quot;&gt;When do I need to protect a fruit tree from cold, and how do I do it?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have several cherry trees and an apple tree in our back yard.  Due to the very warm March we had (in Minnesota), they are all covered in flowers.  In a few days, there is a chance of snow, and an overnight low of 26.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do I need to do to protect them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I saw &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/3717/138&quot;&gt;When do I need to protect a fruit tree from cold, and how do I do it?&lt;/a&gt;, but I don't know if the difference between just starting to bud, and having flowers on them for a week or two is important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="138" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-04-13T14:57:36.490" Title="Protect flowering fruit trees from frost" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;frost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2012-04-24T16:08:59.467" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3856" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3855" CreationDate="2012-04-13T14:57:36.490" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My initial thought was to cover them with tarps if they aren't too big.  I like the suggestion in the question you linked to about placing heaters under the tree as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A quick search found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/68705-protect-orange-trees-frost.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; about protecting orange trees.  It suggests keeping the ground near the tree wet and wrapping the trunk with cardboard or cloth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/319/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; has a fantastic suggestion - put Christmas lights on the trees and leave them on all night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those are some things to try.  I think anything you can do to raise the temperature around the tree a little bit is good whether there are flowers on it or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1007" LastActivityDate="2012-04-13T14:57:36.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3857" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3847" CreationDate="2012-04-13T17:09:06.227" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollarding&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pollarded&lt;/a&gt; trees do not produce flowers, as these only form on mature wood. However this is a labour intensive solution.  If you plant an invasive variety and stop pollarding you have gifted the neighbourhood with a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-04-13T17:09:06.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3859" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-14T18:19:59.663" Score="7" ViewCount="2148" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have started a bunch of seedlings and some are doing really well others are not, under similar conditions.  I used 6-8 inch wide pots, ~6 inches tall, potting soil, and left the pots in front of a sunny bay window.  The first picture below is of an eggplant seedling.  It seems to be wilting, but I have been giving it plenty of water.  In fact, I have been watering it the same as the tomato seedling in the next picture (the background of which has the other sad eggplant seedling).  The one major difference in conditions was closesness to the window.  I swapped them today.  What is going on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5rXe1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Wilted eggplant seedling&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/unwf3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Thriving tomato seedling&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-04-14T20:11:45.750" LastActivityDate="2018-10-05T05:01:56.370" Title="Why are my eggplant seedlings not thriving?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3860" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-14T18:23:56.537" Score="4" ViewCount="1758" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have plants growing in my seedling pots that I didn't put there.  The potting soil says it's weed-free.  What are these plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IajBs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-04-14T20:11:02.147" LastActivityDate="2013-08-01T12:30:54.647" Title="What are these little plants with round leaves, growing in my potting soil?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="9" ClosedDate="2013-09-30T15:16:57.417" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3861" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3862" CreationDate="2012-04-14T18:39:24.133" Score="6" ViewCount="420" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oscseeds.com/detail/index.php?Proid=2380&amp;amp;Clink=sub-category/index.php?thirdID=TC0267&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Russian heirloom Black Cherry tomato&lt;/a&gt; seeds twice now (4 seeds in total) and I have not had a succesful germination.  I have planted in potting soil as opposed to the recommended soilless growing medium, but I would expect this to not matter.  What could be going wrong?  Does anyone have experience with this species?  (Note, many of my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/3859/746&quot;&gt;other seedlings&lt;/a&gt; are thriving.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-04-14T23:21:15.357" Title="What could be preventing tomato seedling germination?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3861" CreationDate="2012-04-14T23:21:15.357" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've grown cherry tomatoes, but never Black Cherry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some possibilities, in decreasing order that I would suspect:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Old seed, or seed that was poorly stored (too warm and/or too much humidity)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Too low temperature for germination (though if you have other tomato seeds that have germinated ok, this probably isn't the cause)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You didn't wait long enough -- in my experience, some varieties take longer to germinate than others.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Failed to keep the growing medium moist during germination.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kept the growing medium too wet during germination.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You used soil from your garden and it has some kind of germination inhibitor. (E.g. winter rye was growing where you took the soil.) But you said &quot;potting soil&quot; so I'm assuming this is bagged soil from a store, so this is highly improbable, and I'm only listing it for completeness.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Things you could do to increase the odds of germination:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep the soil temperature at 75°-80°F during germination. (A heat mat with thermostat would probably be the best bet. I also frequently hear putting them on top of your fridge as a recommendation. I don't do either, but I haven't really had germination problems except when I use old seed.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use a sterile, soilless medium.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This won't increase your germination percentage, but it will increase the likelihood that you will get a successful germination: &lt;em&gt;plant more&lt;/em&gt;. Yes, this may waste seed, but if it isn't germinating anyway, what are you going to lose?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you're using seed that you have held over from a previous year, and you haven't stored it under ideal conditions, give up on this batch and either plant a different variety or buy some fresh seed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do everything right, and you're still not getting a high percentage germinating, you should complain to your seed vendor and/or find a better vendor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-14T23:21:15.357" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3863" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="10969" CreationDate="2012-04-15T01:51:45.843" Score="5" ViewCount="1630" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some old Lily of the Valley plants around the northeast corner of my house, and they grow nice and thick around the foundation, but failed to spread into the four-five foot wide strip along the house which I intended them to. The soil is a damp, heavy clay-based soil with little organic matter. It has been three years now, and sometimes a new shoot comes up in the strip, but they do not last long. The strip is an area mulched with premium bark that goes between four and five feet wide, and over 20' long, between the house and a walkway. Is there a way to to make them spread, or will I have to plant more in the area? It spreads quite well for me in nursery beds and under trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-10T21:58:52.620" LastActivityDate="2014-06-10T21:58:52.620" Title="Is there anything I can do to promote spreading in my Lily of the Valley?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3864" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3865" CreationDate="2012-04-15T15:17:08.807" Score="10" ViewCount="15344" Body="&lt;p&gt;I finally own my home and this is my first spring. I have a decent front lawn that I want to keep as green as possible. I've always been told not to water in the day as it can burn the grass (as a result of the sun). Is this true? Is it true all the time? It's a nice 75 degress out right now, will this hurt my grass if I water it now? What about when it's a hot 95?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any insight or recommendations?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="987" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-16T02:02:29.817" LastActivityDate="2013-09-10T16:58:02.737" Title="What is the right time to water my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3865" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3864" CreationDate="2012-04-15T15:36:26.940" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Burning is open to debate (search this site for examples) but is probably more of an issue for delicate plants and buds, rather than tougher plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The big issue about daytime watering is that of evaporation. Here in Texas you will waste a large percentage of the water (especially if spraying) and it is against bylaws in summer in most cities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In cooler climates, night time watering is thought to encourage to mould and rot. I don't ever recall this being an issue with lawns when I lived in the UK (where it rains at night!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="746" LastEditDate="2012-04-15T23:22:13.847" LastActivityDate="2012-04-15T23:22:13.847" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3866" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3811" CreationDate="2012-04-15T16:17:09.603" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it might be a member of the borage family: lungwort - pulmonaria, because of the white speckles on the leaves. Lungwort likes shade and moist soil, although it will grow in dry soil.&#xA;Here is a link with more information: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hardyplants.com/Pulmonar.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;PULMONARIA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="721" LastActivityDate="2012-04-15T16:17:09.603" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3867" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3869" CreationDate="2012-04-15T17:29:07.737" Score="10" ViewCount="1815" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a planter with several lettuce plants and other plants growing on my balcony. Recently, all of &quot;normal&quot; leafy lettuces were rapidly overcome by a bug. A sawtooth, more mizuna-like lettuce was spared, as were sage, parsley, onions, and basil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I first saw this bug, I thought it was a fungus, because the bugs come so thickly clustered, and have this bulbous appearance to them like they are all outgrowths of the same fungus. Looking closer, I was able to see that some of them indeed have legs and move around, although some still look very much like unmoving lumps. In the picture I took for this post, they look entirely grey, but in person they definitely seem a little bluish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I first noticed them, they had spread so quickly to coat these inner surfaces of the leaves, that I went with the scorched earth strategy. I cut each lettuce back to a stump, and now they are slowly starting to sprout small leaves again. To my dismay, the bugs have already returned to one lettuce. I'm looking for a more permanent solution now. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I tried @kevinsky's solution. Lacking a hose, I used a spray bottle and toothbrush, using the toothbrush to knock bugs off the leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;So far, two days after implementing, I've only seen a few bugs reoccur. I've tried to be extremely proactive about disrupting returning bugs. I found that an easy way to find bugs is to shine a very bright LED behind the leaves at night (using my phone's flashlight)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rinsing off the soap with a spray water bottle was less effective than I'd hoped, although not catastrophically so. It looks like some leaves sustained minor damage. Plants that weren't part of the treatment have some mottled yellow spots where (apparently) splashing from the soapwater spray hit them. For anybody at home trying this solution who also lacks a hose, I'd use a more dilute soap solution, or make sure to rinse the leaves with the spray bottle VERY enthusiastically.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pending further updates, I'll make @kevinsky's answer correct.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rTV3R.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rTV3Rm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bluish-grey bugs&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="644" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-04-19T02:19:10.797" LastActivityDate="2012-04-19T02:19:10.797" Title="What is this bluish-grey bug on my lettuce, and how do I treat it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3868" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3867" CreationDate="2012-04-15T18:36:16.607" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;My best guess is whitefly (larvae), but it doesn't look quite right.  If you see tiny bright-white flies around, that's it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is your balcony enclosed?  If so, can you open it?  Whiteflies don't like cool weather, wind, rain, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-04-15T18:36:16.607" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3869" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3867" CreationDate="2012-04-15T19:21:14.860" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organicgardeningpractices.com/mealybugs.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mealybug&lt;/a&gt; is my guess but they are usually warm season bugs and it's a bit early for them. They are sucking on the plant juices by clustering on the veins of the lettuce leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or they could be aphids that are whitish.  Aphids come in a lot of colours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Frankly it doesn't matter what they are, you need to control them.  A good hose down followed by a spray of 1 tablespoon dish soap to one liter of water does the job.  Given that lettuce is fairly delicate I would follow up on a spray with another hosedown after a few minutes to remove the soap.  The fatty acids in soap can burn delicate leaf tissue if applied too strongly or left on too long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-04-16T02:42:24.207" LastActivityDate="2012-04-16T02:42:24.207" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3870" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3816" CreationDate="2012-04-15T23:42:46.503" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never grown calendula indoors, but I've found them to be relatively undemanding when grown outside in soil of reasonable fertility.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the pot is big enough and has sufficient drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you didn't plant it into potting soil that has any kind of added fertilizer, or you didn't use any compost, then you may want a small amount of some low-analysis balanced organic fertilizer once a month or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be careful not to overwater.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's growing well, and continues to grow well, you're probably already giving it what it needs. If the plant's health starts to decline, then make sure you aren't overwatering, and consider adding a &lt;em&gt;small amount&lt;/em&gt; of fertilizer. (It won't take much for a single plant in a small pot -- follow package directions.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-15T23:42:46.503" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3204" CreationDate="2012-04-15T23:51:44.997" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Practically speaking, having built a couple of these beds at this point, it seems like the soil is completely optional if you have a deep layer of manure over the top of the wood. Composted horse manure might even be better than soil since it's going to retain that much more moisture and provide extra nitrogen for the wood breakdown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-15T23:51:44.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3872" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3874" CreationDate="2012-04-16T02:28:39.543" Score="8" ViewCount="1905" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some heritage &quot;Strawberry&quot; popcorn plants in the garden, and I've realised I don't know when to harvest them. Though it might be possible to eat it while still fresh and juicy, I intend to pop it into popcorn so the kernels presumably need to be left longer than sweetcorn to mature. Is there some way I can tell when it's ready to harvest?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit - here's the end result (well, not quite, as I haven't popped it), to be left in the kitchen like this to dry for a couple of weeks:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CGmbs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Strawberry popcorn drying&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="715" LastEditorUserId="715" LastEditDate="2012-05-12T09:56:25.100" LastActivityDate="2012-05-14T06:09:05.143" Title="How do I know when to harvest my popcorn?" Tags="&lt;corn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3873" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3837" CreationDate="2012-04-16T02:43:21.937" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could get multiple plants and rotate which one is in your office every few weeks, bringing one home on a Friday night and then the next one in on a Monday morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Honestly I had no idea what kind of stress these changes would put on a plant compared to staying in the office full-time, but I suspect it would work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1096" LastActivityDate="2012-04-16T02:43:21.937" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3874" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3872" CreationDate="2012-04-16T13:31:17.807" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2000/7-21-2000/popcorn.html&quot;&gt;Iowa State University Extension&lt;/a&gt; says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Allow the kernels to dry in the field as long as possible. When harvested, the kernels should be hard and the husks completely dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never grown popcorn, but it looks like a hard freeze can damage the kernels. So let it dry in the field as long as you can, and harvest prior to any hard freezes. I'd probably also want to pick it if I knew there was a lot of wet weather coming and the corn wouldn't dry any more outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-16T13:31:17.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3529" CreationDate="2012-04-16T18:42:38.670" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay, for better or worse, I have purchased and planted &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Spanish_%28grape%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Black Spanish (Lenoir)&lt;/a&gt; root stock (purchased from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naturalgardeneraustin.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Natural Gardener&lt;/a&gt; here in Austin).  It's native to Texas, and resistant to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phylloxera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Phylloxera&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierce%27s_Disease&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pierce's disease&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two weeks in, they seem to be doing well, taking root and starting to climb along the trellis.  I'll update here again sometime in the future, if anyone is interested!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="978" LastActivityDate="2012-04-16T18:42:38.670" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3876" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3846" CreationDate="2012-04-16T19:05:25.143" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let me just say to begin: &lt;strong&gt;I... HATE... GRAPEVINE.&lt;/strong&gt; While it's considered a decorative plant by many, for me it's become an insidious weed that resist my best efforts to eradicate it from my yard. I want to get rid of it because the previous homeowner didn't take care of it, and as a result its unchecked growth has resulted in my deck sprouting new shoots up between the boards all through the spring and summer, one of my fences having been systematically dismantled by vines creeping between structural members, and one of my trees looking like a scene from a haunted forest. It grows anywhere and everywhere it's allowed to, and except for a limited time during early summer when it flowers, it honestly doesn't look all that great (just a big green mess over whatever it's covering; with its 3-leaflet pattern it resembles poison ivy, and would you want THAT in your back yard?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, how to kill it. In the olden days, 2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) mixed in fuel oil was recommended by the Forestry service to clear grapevine from tree stands. That's how hardy this stuff is, that you'd need to use the banned highly-toxic half of Agent Orange mixed with diesel fuel to have the best success. Weed-B-Gon (there are several formulations; look for ones containing 2,4-D and/or Triclopyr among the active ingredients) is effective at controlling young grapevine shoots and &quot;beating back&quot; overgrowth, but grapevine is &quot;modular&quot; enough that spraying it on outlying shoots will not kill the plant altogether. These chemicals are also uncommonly effective at killing &quot;woody&quot; plants, including grapevine but probably also the shrub they've infested.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best solution I've found is physical dismemberment coupled with surgical herbicide use. To really kill it, you have to find the main root, sever it close to the ground, then poison what's left (otherwise the root will grow new shoots). So, I would recommend buying a concentrate product containing Triclopyr, cutting the vine off about 2 to 3 inches above the ground, and then painting the concentrated mixture onto both sides of the cut vine. Also watch out for basal roots. Grapevine can throw one of these down wherever it touches earth, allowing that part of the plant to continue to thrive long after you've found and killed the main root system; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the vine has died off, you now have a bunch of ugly withered vine in your shrub. The temptation may be to simply rip it out. Don't do this if you value the shrub. Grapevine uses a combination of adhesive tendrils and a twisty vine growth to attach itself to its climbing frame (be that another plant, a fence or trellis, or a brick wall). The adhesive remains long after the plant has died, and the vine itself is uncommonly sturdy. The best way to remove it is to cut it out. With a pair of pruning shears (and maybe a pair of bypass loppers for the heavier cuts) sever every Y-joint in the vine's structure that you can see, before gently but firmly pulling these disconnected pieces out. Never yank; if it doesn't lift out, cut away what you've been able to physically remove from the shrub and then go back in to pull more of it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1104" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-18T19:38:32.410" LastActivityDate="2014-06-18T19:38:32.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3877" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3879" CreationDate="2012-04-17T01:23:53.320" Score="7" ViewCount="142" Body="&lt;p&gt;In winter, the next-years growth spikes of some of my Regal Blue Hostas got trampled off, and now that they're up, the leaves all have blunt-ended, ragged ends that curl and ripple. This is right by the house, and I would like to know whether I can expect them to self-repair in a reasonable amount of time (like under a year), or should I plant something in front of it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-04-17T12:00:34.280" LastActivityDate="2012-04-18T12:36:49.530" Title="Will a winter-damaged hosta self repair?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;hosta&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3878" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3880" CreationDate="2012-04-17T01:42:32.093" Score="8" ViewCount="2031" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an old flower bed in which the large daffodil clumps bloom spectacularly each spring, but after the flowers fade,  the leaves grow some and last for a couple of months before they also die. They aren't very attractive. What is the best method to disguise or hide them? Here are some options I've looked into:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant throughout the daffodils a similar leaved plant that flowers during the time the leaves of the daffodils are up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant various narrow leaved clump forming plants in with the daffodils for some variety&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut the leaves off at ground level (I've heard this damages the next seasons blooms)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;flatten the leaves onto the ground and grow annuals through them&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant something tall in front of them&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've discovered all of these methods, but don't know which one is most natural looking. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-05T23:28:11.220" LastActivityDate="2019-04-27T03:48:35.330" Title="What is the best way to hide daffodil leaves after the flowers die?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;daffodils&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3879" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3877" CreationDate="2012-04-17T12:21:21.307" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The existing leaves won't heal this year. New ones will be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is true for most leaves: damage is not repaired.&#xA;Leaves &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3599711?uid=3739448&amp;amp;uid=2129&amp;amp;uid=2&amp;amp;uid=70&amp;amp;uid=3737720&amp;amp;uid=4&amp;amp;sid=47698889087207&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;decrease in efficiency&lt;/a&gt; as they age so from the plants point of view why invest more energy in an older leaf when a new one will yield a better return.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: if you remove old leaves from a vigorous healthy plant it will not weaken it. I grant that if you remove every leaf from the plant that is a set back.  It depends on the overall percentage of damaged leaves. If all are damaged take one or two at a time every few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-04-18T12:36:49.530" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3880" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3878" CreationDate="2012-04-17T12:23:42.630" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I plant hostas with daffodils. They leaf out later and cover the foliage of the daffodils as they die back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My psychic gardening powers tell me you have some Regal Blue Hosta which could be split and planted with your daffodils.  Why not give it a try?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Daffodils need full sun and Regal Blue Hosta are normally comfortable with half sun. So it depends on the location.&#xA;These hosta take &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.about.com/od/perennials/qt/Sun_Hosta.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;full sun&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yellow Hosta: August Moon, Gold Regal, Golden Sculpture Rising Sun, Squash Casserole, Sum and Substance, Sun Power&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yellow Variegated Hosta: Gold Standard, Inniswood, Regal Splendor, Sundance&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fragrant Hosta: H. plantaginea, Aphrodite, Fragrant Bouquet, Fried Green Tomatoes', Guacamole, Honeybells, Invincible', Royal Standard, Summer Fragrance, So Sweet, Sugar &amp;amp; Cream&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;White Variegated Hosta: H. undulata Albomarginata, Francee, Minuteman, Patriot&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Green Hosta: Invincible, Pearl Lake&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If hosta are getting too much sun you will see&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Browning on the tips or outside edges of leaves&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dull color or faded spots on leaves &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nice thing about hosta is that they are rugged plants that can be transplanted anytime in the growing season.  Mix and match and see how it goes!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-04-18T16:56:35.307" LastActivityDate="2012-04-18T16:56:35.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3881" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-17T15:43:02.973" Score="9" ViewCount="226" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a follow up to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/3855/138&quot;&gt;Protect flowering fruit trees from frost&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Background: We have several fruit trees in our back yard.  They are in full bloom at the moment.  It was supposed to be pretty cold last night. (I don't know what the actual low temperature was here overnight.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had enough tarps and Christmas lights to cover some trees, but not others.  So, other than waiting several months, is there a way to tell if the uncovered trees were damaged by the cold?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="138" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-05-06T04:39:52.013" Title="How can I tell if frost damage has happened?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3882" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3887" CreationDate="2012-04-17T19:19:14.313" Score="4" ViewCount="2427" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted several daisies last year.  They didn't flower then, but I assumed it was due to stress.  This year they appear quite lush, except that they're still not flowering.  Is there anything specific I should try?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BBL9R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="117" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-04-17T22:23:54.427" LastActivityDate="2012-04-18T01:08:38.123" Title="Daisies planted last year are not flowering" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3883" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3885" CreationDate="2012-04-17T19:34:34.187" Score="5" ViewCount="1228" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently moved my seedling outside and as I started removing weeds and moving the soil I found several of these bugs, is it something I should worry about?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In case it matters, I moved some watermelons, pumpkins, tomatoes, cucumbers and plan on moving some other things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3yV40.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3yV40m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bug&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1092" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-04-19T00:38:42.560" LastActivityDate="2012-04-19T00:38:42.560" Title="What's this hard, brown bug with lots of legs and will it harm my veggies?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;millipedes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3884" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4375" CreationDate="2012-04-17T19:53:01.483" Score="6" ViewCount="1864" Body="&lt;p&gt;The area of yard I intend to sow as lawn is around 150sqm, and has just been levelled by machinery which removed much of the plant material. Most parts of it have just had a shallow layer scraped off the surface though and there is couch (aka twitch) established in perhaps a third of the total area. In the parts where the level had to be raised, I expect some broken couch stems will be mixed in and will sprout.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After initially trying to dig out some of it, I've realised the full extent of it so I'm interested in a larger scale solution. Any tips would be appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want to spray it with herbicides, so I'm looking for a solution consistent with organic gardening philosophy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="715" LastActivityDate="2012-05-30T12:46:14.313" Title="How do I kill couch grass organically prior to sowing a lawn?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3885" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3883" CreationDate="2012-04-17T20:04:46.550" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a millipede.  They &lt;em&gt;usually&lt;/em&gt; aren't a pest, unless things are very wet and/or you've got a lot of woody mulch - in which case they are one of those things that may swarm and denude your plants at night, like earwigs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-04-17T20:04:46.550" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3886" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-17T23:51:50.517" Score="3" ViewCount="2878" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My frangipani experiences rust. How should I best treat/protect my plant from rust (all year round)?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plant experienced severe rust during December/January (Australian Summer). It was a very wet and a very cool summer for Australia (record rain days).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is two years old and last year I cut the stems to encourage shape. I don't plant to cut the stems this winter as I am looking forward to my first flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During summer and in particular during the bad January, I used a copper spray with pest oil. It did not seem to help. I also sprayed the ground around the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When leaves are very rusty, I removed them. I also remove fallen leaves and place them in the bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plant is in a well drained full sun position (Sydney climate). The soil has sand mixed through, coal ash (from my Weber BBQ) and is in a raised bed. It cannot flood in its position.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oddly, (April), the remaining leaves show no more severe rust. You can see some signs on close inspection. So it appears healthy now. We are moving into winter and the plant will drop its leaves soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen comments on the interweb stating that rust is a result of the plant missing some essential elements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a comment i found:&#xA;From - &lt;a href=&quot;http://aussieorganicgardening.com/?p=146&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://aussieorganicgardening.com/?p=146&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Rust is a sign that the trees are lacking trace elements. Add a twice annual drink of seaweed &#xA;extract tea to the soil. If the infestation is severe also spray them with chamomile tea&#xA; (you can make it up using tea bags). &#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also seen this product: &lt;a href=&quot;http://frangipanirust.com.au/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://frangipanirust.com.au/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="695" LastActivityDate="2012-09-06T17:38:55.200" Title="How should I treat Frangipani rust?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;rust&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3887" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3882" CreationDate="2012-04-18T01:08:38.123" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Daisies grow their flowers on stems, which come up later in the season. Those plants are healthy and should flower at the right time. You just have to be patient. That is how daisies look before they send up stems. If you wait until Summer, and the plants haven't sent up shoots, there is something wrong. For now, just water, weed, and wait.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-04-18T01:08:38.123" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3888" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3890" CreationDate="2012-04-18T01:47:00.883" Score="8" ViewCount="42624" Body="&lt;p&gt;I prune a lot of neighborhood trees, but I've come to a small problem. Some people like their weeping willows high enough that they can walk underneath without brushing it. I have been doing this by hedge trimming the stems at seven feet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I hear that this greatly shortens the life of the tree, as compared with an unpruned tree. Is this true, and if so, is there a better way to prune it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-26T00:20:56.283" LastActivityDate="2017-12-26T00:26:27.767" Title="How should I prune a weeping willow without shortening the life of the tree?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;weeping-willow&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3837" CreationDate="2012-04-18T06:35:09.570" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;IMO,You can keep &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_sanderiana&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dracaena sanderiana&lt;/a&gt; (we call them Bamboo in Iran, and some people believe they bring their owners luck and some call them lucky Bamboos).&#xA;They can survive in many indoor conditions, they don't need high light level or sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1106" LastActivityDate="2012-04-18T06:35:09.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3890" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3888" CreationDate="2012-04-18T16:52:58.163" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Improper pruning can shorten a tree's life.  However you would have to work really hard to damage a willow with bad pruning. Here's why:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Willows grow fast&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they will bud from old wood, even really old wood&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they are a messy tree, commonly dropping leaves and branches  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they are used to breaks or cuts in the branch structure&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;willows have been &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppicing&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;coppiced&lt;/a&gt; for centuries.  If that kind of hard pruning doesn't kill them off bad pruning is not likely to either. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bluestem.ca/willows-pruning.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for a detailed discussion on pruning for look with willows&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you continue to use a hedge trimmer at the seven foot level you will cause the tree to develop a mass of new growth at that height.  It would be better practice and more aesthetically pleasing to use a pole pruner to deliver a series of graduated cuts at various heights. This will yield a wide band of new growth instead of a ribbon at one height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: @David You are right. Trimming with a hedge trimmer is essentially pollarding. However all the cuts are at the same height and, if continued for years, will produce a thick mass of branches. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollarding&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Traditional pollarding&lt;/a&gt; creates quite a different look.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-26T00:26:27.767" LastActivityDate="2017-12-26T00:26:27.767" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3891" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-19T14:50:17.167" Score="8" ViewCount="8223" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last night I found that earwigs have been eating my newly planted basil plants. They have only been in the ground for a few days, and it didn't take long for the earwigs to find them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The planted ones are lost. I have read &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1750/how-do-i-deal-with-millipedes-eating-my-vegetable-seedlings&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; about millipedes, which mentions removing debris, so I'll start with that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to prevent earwigs from eating any more herbs that I would like to plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="101" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2019-07-10T13:03:07.610" Title="How can I keep earwigs from eating my basil?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3892" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3891" CreationDate="2012-04-19T15:29:21.430" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Earwigs like to come out at night when you're not looking and eat flowers and new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove mulch like bark or piles of leaves from the immediate area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a thin layer of diatomaceous earth around the basil will discourage them. However this will have to be redone after a rainfall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Longer term solutions are&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider where you have planted basil as your &quot;trap&quot; area. Plant more basil that you want to keep in clay pots or other containers in a different area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;encourage natural insect eating predators such as frogs.  They need water, shelter and lots of insects to eat.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-04-19T15:29:21.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3863" CreationDate="2012-04-19T16:07:46.903" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had the exact same problem and I planted wild geraniums in the front. My guess was that the  lilies grew towards the foundation because the stone of the foundation keeps the dirt moist and a little cooler. I noticed the lilies love to spread their roots/shoots under the pavers of a stone path as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1109" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-10T01:34:44.410" LastActivityDate="2014-06-10T01:34:44.410" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3891" CreationDate="2012-04-19T19:39:59.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might try &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1856/445&quot;&gt;what I did for the same problem with Asiatic Garden Beetles&lt;/a&gt; - make covers for the plants out of window screen material.  Row cover might be easier to use, but overheating is an issue unless you can find some really lightweight row-cover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-04-19T19:39:59.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3895" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3896" CreationDate="2012-04-20T01:14:27.063" Score="7" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;Due to circumstances beyond my control I will only have the option of planting citrus trees at the beginning of June this year. The temperatures in Phoenix, Arizona will average highs above 100°F (38°C) throughout June. Is this too hot for new citrus trees to survive, even with daily water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-19T19:38:32.487" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T19:38:47.337" Title="How late in the spring can I plant a citrus tree in Phoenix, Arizona?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3896" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3895" CreationDate="2012-04-20T01:47:03.143" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;They will have a good chance if you do this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=heavy%20row%20cover&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;ved=0CIIBEBYwAA&amp;amp;url=http://growerssolution.com/page/GS/PROD/AG125&amp;amp;ei=Gb6QT_O0CfGN6QG815m2BA&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEZotagGLzLDxeW3kQ5kWnoiuBWBg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;heavy row cover&lt;/a&gt; on a hoop frame for shade. Keep it up off the ground, so that the bottom of the cover begins halfway up the plants for ventilation. Also, for the same reason, keep the ends open.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put a mister next to each tree, and keep them misted with a light mister several times a day. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep them watered. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-19T19:38:47.337" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T19:38:47.337" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3897" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3926" CreationDate="2012-04-19T22:34:39.400" Score="5" ViewCount="1635" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was under the impression they were the same thing, but I have a friend who insists they're two different trees.  What's the difference, and what's the relationship between the two?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1201" OwnerDisplayName="Brad Koch" LastActivityDate="2012-04-24T05:37:53.293" Title="What's the difference between a redwood and a sequoia?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3898" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3897" CreationDate="2012-04-20T01:34:15.420" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are different. Giant Sequoia, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=giant%20redwood&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=7&amp;amp;ved=0CEYQFjAG&amp;amp;url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoiadendron&amp;amp;ei=FLqQT7P3Gofk6QGI2JiNBA&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNH-R54VSP8xMMGAlt_KRxPwcAXoeQ&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sequoiadendron gigantium&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, are shorter and more massive. This group contains the worlds largest trees. Redwood, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia_sempervirens&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sequoia sempervirens&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Is the taller, thinner one. This group contains the worlds tallest trees. They are both very long lived. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" OwnerDisplayName="jmusser" LastActivityDate="2012-04-20T01:34:15.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3899" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-19T23:57:26.583" Score="9" ViewCount="1402" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've owned my home for about 3 years now and every winter large patches of my lawn appears to die, but in the summer it comes back to life.... which makes me believe its some sort of seasonal grass. I'm not 100% sure of this though, and if there's an easier solution to killing the grass and replanting seeds that'd be awesome.  I live in eastern Pennsylvania.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Notice how the grass is greener near my neighbors mulch... which then makes me believe that its getting nutrients from it and perhaps needs something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fEmMF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fEmMFm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; title=&quot;Click for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the grass actually grows in its REALLY thick&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5idxw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5idxwm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; title=&quot;Click for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on this, do you think maybe I just need to dethatch, buy something to spray on it, or kill and replant? I put down scotts turf builder plus weed control like 3 days ago... no results so far (it worked in killing weeds in my front yard though)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1115" OwnerDisplayName="Chris Klepeis" LastActivityDate="2017-09-06T19:28:11.777" Title="Lawn problem - seasonal grass, thatch, or something else?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3900" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3899" CreationDate="2012-04-20T12:15:38.290" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like Kentucky Blue grass, or maybe you installed Bluegrass sod. It could be Zoysia grass. Both green up later when the soil temperatures rise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1111" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-06T19:28:11.777" LastActivityDate="2017-09-06T19:28:11.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3698" CreationDate="2012-04-20T12:20:59.907" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The rule of thumb for pre emergent weed control is to apply between forsythia bloom and Lilac bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can apply post emergent any time you see weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This article will explain - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.grassstitcher.com/lawn-care-info/lawn-care/lawn-weed-control/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.grassstitcher.com/lawn-care-info/lawn-care/lawn-weed-control/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1111" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-04-20T22:42:25.743" LastActivityDate="2012-04-20T22:42:25.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3902" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3899" CreationDate="2012-04-20T13:15:17.250" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your grass looks like the below picture in summer, then you have bermuda grass. I am in south eastern PA, and this grass is green in Summer, but it takes a long time to green up in spring, and yellows with the frost in the fall. It is drought and heat resistant. One of my neighbors has Zoysia, and it does the same thing. It also is very thick in summer, like your problem grass. The lower picture shows Zoysia in the summer. He mows it to one inch after it dies back, and overseeds with annual bluegrass, to keep it green until next spring, when the Zoysia takes over. If you want to get rid of it, you can either spray it with weed and grass killer, or you can smother it with a covering. After it dies, reseed with your choice of grass seed.  &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bgKWm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tEjtX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-04-20T13:15:17.250" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3903" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-20T15:02:22.953" Score="5" ViewCount="974" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've grown philodendrons in water for years in all sorts of light conditions and never had an algae problem until taking a cutting to work a few months ago, where the whole glass container rapidly starts to turn a neon green color not long after being freshly cleaned out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there something I can use to continue growing a healthy plant in water but preventing algae growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1113" LastActivityDate="2012-04-20T16:19:27.083" Title="Philodendrons: keeping algae at bay but keeping the plant healthy" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3904" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3903" CreationDate="2012-04-20T16:19:27.083" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Algae grows where there is light and nutrients.  Most plants can absorb the nutrients found in tap water more efficiently than algae if they have roots. Here are some ideas:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use a cup or other container that is opaque to light.  If no light goes in, algae growth will be reduced.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if they are in a high light, higher temperature area move them to a lower light area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;reduce any sources of more nutrients and spores.  Putting the container next to an open or screened window will allow millions of airborne particles to settle on the water and become algae food&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;see if the problem is less pronounced for plants with an established root system&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;regular cleaning of the container until the plant is established should keep the algae in check.  A one time cleaning with water and a bit of and bleach might help.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And yes, there are chemicals that pond owners add to water to reduce algae bloom but this seems like overkill for a problem that good practices can control&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-04-20T16:19:27.083" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3905" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3899" CreationDate="2012-04-20T16:43:45.507" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just looking at the grass, I don't think it's a thatch problem (though de-thatching once in a while couldn't hurt; you don't need a thatch rake, just run a metal-tined leaf rake over it and you'll get any dead stuff). It looks like a greenup problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As mentioned in other answers, the species of grass you have planted affects when it turns green. Bermuda and other perennial &quot;southern lawn&quot; grasses are heat and drought-tolerant, but aren't as green or as pleasant to walk on barefoot as annuals, and they can have a delayed greenup in cooler climates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weed &amp;amp; feed is generally a good thing to do at least once a season, but understand that even though the herbicides used are designed to be selective (targeting broadleaf plants - weeds - while leaving the grass alone), they are still poisons and do still have an effect on your grass (think of it like chemotherapy; the chemo is designed to target cancerous cells but does a fair amount of collateral damage). While the grass is recovering (this can take up to a month), its growth and greenup will be reduced, and germination of any new seeds (good and bad) will be prevented. So, it's generally best to apply weed &amp;amp; feed either as early as possible after the snows have melted and the ground thawed, or more toward mid-season after the grass has greened up well. If you don't weed and feed early, fertilize early; a fertilizer-only product such as Scott's Turf Builder can be applied four or five times a year, and up to a point, the more you fertilize the quicker your lawn will green up and the thicker it will grow. Of course it's possible to &quot;burn&quot; a lawn by over-fertilizing (either too much or too often) so be reasonable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you are most likely seeing with regards to the strip of green next to your neighbor's lawn is a combination of a different species of grass, regular overseeding, and better fertilization. Your neighbor is most likely using a scatter spreader, and so whatever he puts on his lawn (seed, fertilizer) will carry over onto yours. No big deal, except you're not doing the same thing he's doing, with the same products, so the difference is noticeable. I'd talk to your neighbor, find out what products he's using, how much and when; it seems to be working for him, so you could take away some pointers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1104" LastEditorUserId="1104" LastEditDate="2012-08-14T16:51:52.947" LastActivityDate="2012-08-14T16:51:52.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3906" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-21T17:35:31.820" Score="5" ViewCount="640" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are pictures of the infected leaves.  I cut them off the plant as soon as I saw them today.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rbx4C.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rbx4Cm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The three infected leaves&quot; title=&quot;The three infected leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are close-ups of the most infected leaf:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sg2MA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sg2MAm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up, top&quot; title=&quot;Close up, top&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/17toJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/17toJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up, bottom&quot; title=&quot;Close up, bottom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to prevent this from happening to the rest of the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I may have found the culprit.  I found the what looks like a fruit fly right beside a new white patch.  I am not sure if it was snacking or had just finished laying eggs.  I am actually not sure if it was a fruit fly at all.  Here are some pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first two are the bugs in action.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3zOVs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bFhY5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;Here is a close up of a bug I caught while cleaning the leaves with soapy water.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zSEb0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone confirm this is a fruit fly and that it is the bug responsible for the white mess?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-04-30T19:33:19.350" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T19:33:19.350" Title="What are these black spots on white splotches appearing on my tomato seedling?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3907" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3913" CreationDate="2012-04-21T17:44:09.673" Score="12" ViewCount="1001" Body="&lt;p&gt;At my local supermarket they are selling peppermint seeds. How is it possible? I thought peppermint was a sterile hybrid, and only reproduced through stolon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="256" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-22T01:21:02.050" LastActivityDate="2012-04-22T01:21:02.050" Title="Peppermint seeds? Isn't peppermint sterile?" Tags="&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3908" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-21T19:22:34.770" Score="7" ViewCount="152" Body="&lt;p&gt;My greenhouse is near some fruit trees and every spring when I come to start off the growing season I find a certain amount of grime has settled across the glass over the preceding year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most years I give it a thorough clean and it looks much better for it. This year I didn't bother but how much does it matter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be more accurate about the extent of the grime ... it's certainly more than any normal houseproud person would tolerate on their kitchen windows, but it's not enough to feel as if any serious amount of sunlight is being screened out. But, maybe I'm mistaken about that, hence my question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2012-05-09T19:14:48.247" Title="Is it important to keep greenhouse glass thoroughly clean?" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3909" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3911" CreationDate="2012-04-15T14:13:40.337" Score="5" ViewCount="15273" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a way I can plug three oscillating sprinklers into one hose? I have a big backyard and I don't want to stand there and water it every morning. I have one sprinkler because I only have one tap/hose in the backyard. I was wondering if there is a way to add multiple sprinklers to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the kind of sprinkler I have currently:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9vB38.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Asdfg" LastActivityDate="2019-02-21T11:21:09.790" Title="How can I attach three oscillating sprinklers to one hose?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3909" CreationDate="2012-04-15T15:14:22.670" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use a hose splitter, like &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000PSFLT2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt; from Amazon:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tPLuS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" OwnerDisplayName="Niall C." LastActivityDate="2012-04-15T15:14:22.670" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3909" CreationDate="2012-04-15T15:16:36.560" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can purchase a Y adapter that fits on the tap and gives you two feeds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://www.homedepot.ca/wcsstore/HomeDepotCanada/images/catalog/66edc911-0939-4cf0-bf0c-578d253f5339_4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Y Adapter&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also chain these to give you 3 feeds by using 2 adapters.  This however requires a lot of hose. You can also find sprinklers that have an IN and OUT feed so that you can daisy chain them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oK0Jb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oK0Jb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sprinkler with in and out&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(source: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.homedepot.ca/wcsstore/HomeDepotCanada/images/catalog/91634_4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;homedepot.ca&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sub&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see, there is an end cap you can remove and then add another hose to the next sprinkler.  This is often preferred as it requires less and shorter hoses all over the place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1116" OwnerDisplayName="Steven" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-02-21T11:21:09.790" LastActivityDate="2019-02-21T11:21:09.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="3912" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4527" CreationDate="2012-04-21T22:12:58.320" Score="11" ViewCount="13051" Body="&lt;p&gt;My blueberry bush's flower bells are falling off, leaving only the center stalk (stamen? pistil? whatever it is, its part of the sex organs)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this what happens when a blueberry flower is properly pollinated or is some type of disease/blight affecting the plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="643" LastEditorUserId="643" LastEditDate="2012-04-21T23:14:38.883" LastActivityDate="2021-03-26T20:07:17.317" Title="What causes flowers to fall off of a blueberry bush?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3907" CreationDate="2012-04-22T00:39:39.560" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;TL;DR: They're seeds that will grow up to be a peppermint, not seeds that were made by a peppermint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peppermint&quot;&gt;peppermint&lt;/a&gt; is a hybrid (specifically an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F1_hybrid&quot;&gt;F1 hybrid&lt;/a&gt;) of two other species of mint, spearmint and watermint.  Hybrids between species are generally sterile, but since the parent species are fertile, one can pollinate the other to make the peppermint seeds that you're seeing.  The hybrid plants share characteristics from the two parent species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Another, much more remote possibility: most F1 hybrids are sterile, but they can sometimes be fertile; their children are called F2 hybrids, and their characteristics can vary across the entire spectrum between the two original parent species.  It's &lt;em&gt;possible&lt;/em&gt; that your supermarket happened upon a source of fertile peppermint.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2012-04-22T00:39:39.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3914" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35753" CreationDate="2012-04-22T02:04:11.873" Score="3" ViewCount="3744" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wanted to grow peanuts this year, and I've bought seeds, but someone just told me that they don't grow here. If that is true, then I won't plant them, as I have limited space. Can I grow them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-10-08T23:06:01.410" Title="Can peanuts be grown in Pennsylvania?" Tags="&lt;peanuts&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3915" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4158" CreationDate="2012-04-22T02:07:36.940" Score="6" ViewCount="630" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some peanut seeds, and about half of them have lost their papers and/or are split in half. Will these grow properly, or should I remove them? I don't have any experience with these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-05-12T03:35:41.237" Title="Will peanut seeds grow if they are missing their papers and/or split in half?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;peanuts&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3916" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4135" CreationDate="2012-04-22T04:04:40.473" Score="5" ViewCount="224" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a plastic, rectangular planter with a variety of plants. I recently added a new plant to an empty spot, and found that the region was already thick with root fibers from the other plants in the planter, and starting to cluster thickly around the edges. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I saw the question about pruning &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2968/how-do-i-prune-the-roots-of-a-rootbound-plant&quot;&gt;rootbound &lt;/a&gt; plants, and don't want my planter to end up like that. But, since this is a planter, i can't just pull out the whole thing and prune the roots. How do I keep the roots of my plants from becoming overgrown and fighting with each other in a planter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="644" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-05-09T19:10:32.667" Title="How do I manage roots in a multi-plant planter?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3917" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3918" CreationDate="2012-04-22T05:55:31.830" Score="10" ViewCount="5221" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been reading about tree fertilizers and urea constantly comes up as a good source of nitrogen for trees. Let's say your dogs always pick the same tree to urinate on every day. Would that tree be healthier, grow faster etc. as a result?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-11-07T18:47:32.460" LastActivityDate="2014-01-11T18:58:30.740" Title="Does urinating at the base of a tree help it grow?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3918" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3917" CreationDate="2012-04-22T13:51:41.223" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;In one word, no.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dog urine contains high concentrations of nitrogen and salts. The concentrations are sufficient to burn grass roots.  Tree roots near the surface are only slightly woodier and just as subject to burn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For mature trees they can probably deal with the root burn in localized areas.  A freshly planted tree might have a harder time depending on the number of dogs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: @David High nitrogen levels kill roots in a small localized zone. After the urea has been broken down into nitrogen that is available then new roots can make use of it. Dogs tend to be consistent on where they urinate so you get a cycle of root burn followed by new root growth in the kill area and then more root burn. This does not help a tree grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-04-29T12:56:16.040" LastActivityDate="2012-04-29T12:56:16.040" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3919" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3920" CreationDate="2012-04-22T17:01:40.073" Score="5" ViewCount="200" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like some help figuring out what the cause of my unhealthy tree is in addition to suggestions on how to fix it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is at least 3 years old; I've lived in the house 2 years and each year it looks the same. Its leaves are droopy, bark peeling, and the leaves never reach the top of the branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've watered regularly, treated it with root stimulant, pruned dead branches, pruned leaves sprouting from the base of the trunk and nothing seems to work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I appreciate any help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the tree gets full sun everyday in Dallas, Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sb7tY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full length&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SQ4mp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunk&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uoSPw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LW9MX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Branches&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1117" LastEditorUserId="1117" LastEditDate="2012-04-22T17:37:16.597" LastActivityDate="2017-03-25T18:03:34.107" Title="Perpetually unhealthy tree. Suggestions? [Pics]" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3920" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3919" CreationDate="2012-04-22T18:50:11.083" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree has major damage to the important tissue underneath the bark that transports nutrients to the branches above it.  From the pictures it looks like at least 50 percent of the cirumference is damaged.  The branches above the damage are only getting half or less of the nutrients they should. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This accounts for the dieback at the tips of the new growth and the sucker growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would say that this tree is a write off and the damage is too severe to recover from without skillful grafting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This type of damage can be caused by a poor planting procedure.  Something as simple as letting the trunk of the tree bounce up and down on the tailgate of a pickup would do this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another cause could be really bad staking and tying.  Although given the size of the dents in the trunk you would have to tie it with metal bands not the more common wire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-04-22T20:51:36.207" LastActivityDate="2012-04-22T20:51:36.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3921" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3923" CreationDate="2012-04-22T19:20:34.673" Score="6" ViewCount="228" Body="&lt;p&gt;We recently moved into a new house with existing rose plants, many of which are diseased. The obvious problems are the orange spots that puff into dust when you touch the plant, and black / brown patches on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried a compound from Bayer that was said to resolve all problems with roses including the ones I described, but it had no effect. It was pellets that you put onto the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if it's worth trying to save these plants, or if I should simply pull them out and plant new ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have some Daconil fungicide on hand, which I understand can be used to treat some things. That would be my next attempt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Some of the plants have a whitish color on the leaves / stems, wbich I understand is also fungus related.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1120" LastEditorUserId="746" LastEditDate="2012-04-22T21:34:16.137" LastActivityDate="2012-04-23T12:12:29.197" Title="roses: re-plant or salvage?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3922" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3937" CreationDate="2012-04-22T19:26:33.377" Score="11" ViewCount="4729" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn was overrun with dandelions so I've used some Ortho Weed-B-Gon Max and that seems to be killing the dandelions very well. The problem is now  my lawn is very sparse with grass. There just wasn't much grass there after killing the dandelions. I've thought about reseeding but every bag I look at wants me to till up the ground before putting the seed down. I've also thought about just using fertilizer but wasn't sure if that would do enough or even help the dandelions survive the herbicides. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best approach to getting my lawn back to full grass the easist and cheapest way possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1024" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-04-25T11:57:19.023" LastActivityDate="2020-10-04T00:59:06.640" Title="Dandelions taking over the lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;dandelions&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3921" CreationDate="2012-04-22T21:06:30.087" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you have powdery mildew  (whitish film on stems and leaves) and rose rot (orange spots) and blackspot, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rosemagazine.com/articles02/pages/blackspot.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;Diplocarpon rosae&quot;&lt;/a&gt;. That is quite a handful of problems for a rose but there is nothing here that good garden practices, soil amendment and some control measures like sulphur can't handle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are my suggestions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove all debris from around the roses. Spores will find a nice home here.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prune hard to encourage air circulation and sun, remove or prune other shrubs and trees if necessary&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;make sure that the soil is not waterlogged due to poor drainage or grading. Topdress or regrade if necessary&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use a mulch such as bark, shredded cedar, wood chips &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut all infected parts off, with a bad infestation consider an industrial solution and cut the roses down to the ground.  (However, if they are grafted, cut everything more then six inches above the ground, which is hopefully above the graft). Remove infected material, do not compost this.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when new spots reoccur apply sulphur, soap and water as a spray after every rain&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not use fertilizers this spring as they promote growth which could be more attractive to fungal and viral diseases. If there is no sign of problems next spring then consider fertilizing  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some rose varieties are prone to black spot and if these are members of those varieties you may wish to consider removing them and planting new resistant types such as the ones listed &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/ppdl/weeklypics/3-22-04.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: With the scale of the problem you have I would act immediately.  Waiting will only allow the problems to increase.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-04-23T12:12:29.197" LastActivityDate="2012-04-23T12:12:29.197" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3924" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-22T22:35:13.143" Score="9" ViewCount="585" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's my first time with Pak Choi (Bok Choy) and so I don't know what seedlings &lt;em&gt;normally&lt;/em&gt; look like. But should they be &lt;em&gt;this&lt;/em&gt; varied in shape and colour?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fnLEN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-04-23T00:08:44.250" LastActivityDate="2013-08-17T05:07:02.613" Title="Is it normal for Pak Choi (Bok Choy) seedlings to come up so varied in colour and leaf shape?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;cabbage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3925" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3936" CreationDate="2012-04-23T00:49:46.987" Score="5" ViewCount="272" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there any plants or ground covers that are known to withstand both direct and reflected light?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Central US, Iowa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every year I replant a 3 foot wide strip of grass along the south side of my house and by mid summer it has burned up.  My house is on a slight hill so once the grass dies the sometimes severe thunderstorms can cause erosion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ideal solution would:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Withstand the amount of sunlight and heat caused by direct and reflected sun exposure. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Need water no more often then my Kentucky Bluegrass lawn.  I only hand-water once a week during dry periods.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grow thick enough to control erosion.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Be a perennial or shrub so that I don't have to replant it every year.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;I really want to avoid using river rock. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1121" LastActivityDate="2012-04-23T16:14:39.130" Title="Suggestions for a ground cover or plant for direct and reflected sunlight" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3926" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3897" CreationDate="2012-04-23T01:06:29.607" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are the largest and tallest trees in the world.  They are related but not the exactly the same.  See &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoioideae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sequoioideae&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as growing regions go:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Redwood trees primarily grow in Northern California and Oregon along the coast.  See &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redwood_National_and_State_Parks&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Redwood National Park&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sequoia trees primarily grow in Central California in the Sierra Nevada mountains.  See &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia_National_Park&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sequoia National Park&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1121" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2012-04-24T05:37:53.293" LastActivityDate="2012-04-24T05:37:53.293" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3927" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11281" CreationDate="2012-04-23T01:51:21.107" Score="5" ViewCount="1064" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know how fish emulsion works as a foliar spray on deciduous shrubs, but will it work on needle leaved evergreens such as mugho pines and junipers? If not, what should be used for comparable result? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-06T04:17:35.573" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T15:35:10.147" Title="Does fish emulsion (or another foliar feed) work as a foliar fertilizer on needle leaved evergreens?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3928" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3929" CreationDate="2012-04-23T02:10:44.210" Score="10" ViewCount="495" Body="&lt;p&gt;We recently moved into a new house that has a flower bed that is completely infested with weeds. It's basically solid weeds. We spent the day hand-weeding and getting rid of most of what we can see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What else can/should we do to prevent the weeds from returning? Have we done enough? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We plan on planting annual wildflowers, which I guess are sort of weeds themselves. Also, we plan on planting strawberries. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1120" LastEditorUserId="705" LastEditDate="2012-04-23T07:52:14.833" LastActivityDate="2012-04-26T01:19:10.160" Title="&quot;sterilizing&quot; a flower bed" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3929" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3928" CreationDate="2012-04-23T02:20:51.737" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's the thing, no matter what you do the weeds will return. Eventually. Here are some things you can do to slow them down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;put down some weed blocking fabric (available in your hardware store or wal-mart).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mulch around your new flowers when they come up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;weed regularly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's hard work keeping a bed free of unwanted plants, there is no magic solution and the things I mentioned above are deterrents, the weeds will eventually come back, because good healthy soil, the kind you want for your plants, is exactly the thing they crave.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2012-04-23T02:20:51.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3930" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3891" CreationDate="2012-04-23T03:11:03.283" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year we grew chives right next to basil in our &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.squarefootgardening.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;square foot garden&lt;/a&gt; and had absolutely no pest problems near the chives.  I am not sure if chives repel earwigs though.  I did find &lt;a href=&quot;http://backyardfarming.blogspot.com/2010/07/ive-got-earwig-crawling-towards-my.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1121" LastActivityDate="2012-04-23T03:11:03.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3931" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-23T06:07:53.007" Score="10" ViewCount="1256" Body="&lt;p&gt;I came upon this plant growing in a friend's shower the other day (don't ask me why I had my camera in her shower!):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9fSC8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought it added a unique and interesting touch to the shower.  What kind of plant is this?  And what do I need to take into consideration to grow one of my own?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I notice hers is sitting on a sponge; presumably to provide moisture, as well as to prevent it from falling through the wire mesh.  Do I need to feed it anything (on the sponge)?  Will such a plant grow in an air-conditioned home?  (This one was growing in an un-airconditioned home in central Mexico).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;She also had a skylight above her shower.  None of my showers have any natural light.  How can I compensate for this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="705" LastEditorUserId="705" LastEditDate="2012-04-23T08:53:02.880" LastActivityDate="2012-05-29T01:42:04.503" Title="What kind of plant is this growing in my friend's shower, and how can I grow one?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3932" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3914" CreationDate="2012-04-23T06:51:25.980" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.food-skills-for-self-sufficiency.com/growing-nuts.html&quot;&gt;this web site&lt;/a&gt;, peanuts can be grown in &quot;Zone 5 or higher&quot;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Peanuts are annual plants related to peas and beans. You can grow them in your garden if you are in USDA zone 5 or higher. They require a long growing season but can be started early indoors in northern regions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like most of Pennsylvania is in Zones 5b, 6a, and 6b (see map &lt;a href=&quot;http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;) so chances are peanuts should grow where you live, although due to the shorter growing season in the northern states, you may do well to start your peanuts indoors early (probably too late for that this year).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="705" LastActivityDate="2012-04-23T06:51:25.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3933" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3942" CreationDate="2012-04-23T11:06:37.353" Score="5" ViewCount="2462" Body="&lt;p&gt;With the help of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/3775/588&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; I identified that I have &lt;em&gt;Dutch Iris&lt;/em&gt; (Iris X hollandica) in my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As described there the plants came out last autumn (we had a quite warm and dry autumn, following a super-dry spring in the same year). Over the winter the long thin leaves which came out survived (coldest day was -15 C) then some weeks ago some of the plants (6 of ~25) produced a stem where now the flower can be admired. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of questions regarding the handling of these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Is it normal that they already come out in autumn? Can I cut those ugly/partially dead leaves in early spring/late winter? (see picture below (taken in autumn))&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) What can I do to encourage more flowering? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) When is the right time to multiply the plants (dig out the bulbs, stocking them, splitting them)? When do I need to put them back into the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Oy0an.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Oy0anm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-04-24T01:45:50.537" Title="How should I care for my Dutch Iris plants?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;irises&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3934" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3931" CreationDate="2012-04-23T13:48:29.547" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.houseofplants.co.uk/Dracaena_compacta.htm&quot;&gt;Dracaena compacta&lt;/a&gt; but they need some soil for their roots&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;or it could be a bromeliad like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mongabay.com/images/venezuela/600/v_bromeliad_1-600.jpg&quot;&gt;this species from Venezuela&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They both have thick waxy leaves which allow them to  live in hot climates.  This type of bromeliad collects water in the cup in the middle and does not really need soil or much in the way of roots.  Many bromeliads have a row of thorns on the edge of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Conditions in Mexico are different than homes that are farther north. Primarily it is more humid and brighter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To keep a bromeliad going in your bathroom you could try this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;place in the most used bathroom in the house. If it cannot absorb water from roots then the only supply is humidity and water that is held in it's cup. Top up the cup as required with rain water or distilled water to avoid the chlorine or chloramine which may be in your tap water if you are on city treated water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;most are tolerant of typical changes in temperature&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they need light: usually bright filtered light will do. A bathroom with a window with a good southern or eastern exposure should do.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you don't have the light consider buying two plant and rotating them to higher light monthly for a rest&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could investigate &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia&quot;&gt;Tillandsia&lt;/a&gt;.  These are also bromeliads but are even tougher. You could stick them on a wall with silicone if conditions are right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-04-23T13:48:29.547" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3935" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3947" CreationDate="2012-04-23T15:27:15.787" Score="7" ViewCount="4664" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question:&lt;/strong&gt; &#xA;I have an above ground garden that I recently built. &lt;strong&gt;I live in Arizona and currently temperatures rise to 100-110 degrees.&lt;/strong&gt; I need to know how often and how long to water it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reason for Above Ground&lt;/strong&gt; Just in case this pertains, I picked this because I have a 6 month black lab puppy who loves to dig. That and we live in a rental property and I really don't want to have to uproot a garden when/if we move.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;50/50 mix of Miracle-Gro Potting Mix and omni. I did not use any AZ soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;sunlight:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Garden sits along west wall of backyard so it gets about 6-8 hours of sunlight and that tan shade is drawn over it at all times during the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;veggies&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cilantro&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;basil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;garlic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;onions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;chives&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spearmint&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;thyme&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;jalapenos&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;annaheim peppers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;green beans&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tomatoes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;artichoke - this has been re-planted in the ground as i learned they get quite big!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Watering Method&lt;/strong&gt; The picture shows a soaker hose, however I have replaced the hose with a sprinkler system, with a single 360 degree sprayer for each bucket. &lt;strong&gt;I can control flow on an individual bucket basis. However, timer is set for the entire garden&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2z4DL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1124" LastEditorUserId="705" LastEditDate="2012-04-23T19:05:28.090" LastActivityDate="2012-04-25T11:56:16.123" Title="How often should I water my vegetable garden in Arizona in the summer" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3925" CreationDate="2012-04-23T16:14:39.130" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can try the native North American grasses. Some ideas are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_gracilis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;BOUTELOUA gracilis&lt;/a&gt; Blue Gramma 30cm tall  Zone: 3&#xA;This is a small, clumping, warm-season grass native to dry, sandy plains of central North America. An excellent choice for the xeric garden where it can be used in the front of the border or as a specimen. It is low enough to be used as a lawn substitute. Very narrow grey-green foliage with decorative flower heads, turning maroon-purple as they mature. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_dactyloides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Buchloe dactyloides&lt;/a&gt; - Buffalo Grass -often used as a low maintenance lawn substitute. It needs mowing only once a season and has low water requirements. Buchloe forms a tight mat with stolons (above-ground runners) and has very dense roots. Often planted with Bouteloua gracilis in a lawn, as the Bouteloua will green up about 2 weeks earlier than Buchloe. Due to its spreading ability, it is often used for erosion control.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Description: warm season; moderate spreader&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Foliage - grey-green; of narrow blade width; 10-15 cm (4-6&quot;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flowers - sparse; blooms in July-Aug; 5-15 cm (2-6&quot;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ideal conditions: full sun; prefers clay soil, but will grow in sandy loam; well drained soil is required; tolerant of extreme heat and drought&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Native to: Great Plains of North America, one of the short grass prairie grasses&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water to root depth once every month&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-04-23T16:14:39.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3922" CreationDate="2012-04-23T16:25:38.600" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;The label for this product does not recommend applying grass seed until four weeks after the last application.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Once this waiting period is up buy or acquire:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a big bag of grass seed suitable for the light and soil in your lawn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;enough compost or top soil to cover the sparse areas to a depth of 1/4&quot; to 1/2&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use a rake to open up the soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apply grass seed at a generous rate&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;top dress with compost or top soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water in and continue to water until the seed sprouts&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do this twice a year in the spring and fall and you can put your Weed-B-Gon away!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-04-23T16:25:38.600" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3938" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3941" CreationDate="2012-04-23T20:03:04.877" Score="7" ViewCount="2301" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately we don't have a proper garden, but we do have an area that we can use for pots and/or grow bags. We've been offered some raspberry canes by a friend - but will they grow ok in pots or growbags, or do they need to be in the ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't seem to find any information online - what would people suggest?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="24" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T21:23:58.313" Title="Can you grow raspberries in a pot/growbag?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;&lt;soft-fruit&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3939" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-23T22:14:51.463" Score="6" ViewCount="540" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just moved into my first house, :) and I have two big bushy trees in the front yard. (I'm unsure of the identification for them. Anyone know?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At one time it looks like they were lanscaped, but since have started growing sturdy green shoots from the base.  See below pictures.  Am I safe to hack that weed like thing out of there?  It's pretty tough.  Any recommendations how to do this if that is so?  (Ax?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u1INA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DxSVB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="912" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-24T01:07:16.917" LastActivityDate="2012-04-25T00:13:39.277" Title="What are the green shoots coming out from under my tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3940" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3939" CreationDate="2012-04-23T22:38:42.123" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's my guess at what you're looking at.  The tree took a huge amount of damage some time in the past as evidenced by the dark line running up the trunk.  I'm guessing this is a grafted tree and after the damage the original root system decided to ditch it's partner further up the trunk and grow it's own leaves.  From the thickness of the little stems this was allowed to grow for some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dig the sucker growth out back to the trunk while trying to minimize damage to the root system.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;try and identify the tree. We need location and a closeup of the leaf and bark&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider doing some pruning to let more light in and promote new growth on the upper part of the tree.  If you don't know how consider an arborist or landscaper or ask another question here.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-04-23T22:38:42.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3941" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3938" CreationDate="2012-04-24T01:19:22.317" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;They will grow to a normal size if they are given about 8 cubic feet (2'x2'x2') of good topsoil. Potting soil has to be fertilized more often. Keep them moist and give them at least a half day of sun for best production. You can use grow bags, but pots or planters are more stable and work better long term. I experimented with this and found that I could grow raspberries in pots as small as eight inches, but the smallest pot in which they would grow to a natural size and produce normal amounts of berries held about 8 cubic feet of soil. pot grow brambles are best pruned short (3'). Always prune after temps average under forty degrees Fahrenheit, to reduce the risk of disease. Cut any cane that produced fruit to the ground level, thin out the new canes to the strongest few (6 max.) and cut those canes and any branches on them to tree feet of the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2012-04-30T21:23:58.313" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T21:23:58.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3942" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3933" CreationDate="2012-04-24T01:44:28.383" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay, here is my answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Yes it is normal. They often even stay above ground year round. Any dead or completely yellowed foliage can be removed at any time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) Splitting the clump and replanting in rich, well drained topsoil will encourage flowering. Try not to compact the soil, or let it become waterlogged. Also, I've found that mulching with any carbonaceous organic material keeps out weeds better than cultivation, and is good for the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) The best time of year to divide this is in autumn before the ground freezes, but after the plant has finished with its growth for the year. This gives it time to regrow damaged roots and get established before blooming time next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-04-24T01:44:28.383" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3943" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3939" CreationDate="2012-04-24T16:05:33.887" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I got your question, the answer is &lt;strong&gt;yes it is safe to bring those weed out&lt;/strong&gt;. The root of your tree won't damage by bringing the weeds out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1106" LastActivityDate="2012-04-24T16:05:33.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3944" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3945" CreationDate="2012-04-24T17:45:29.863" Score="8" ViewCount="1015" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been contemplating putting up a fence, but I'm not exactly sure how high it should be.  Can anyone point me to some instructions on what specs a good deer fence should have as well as how to build it?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also seen motion sensor sprinklers that claim to scare deer away when they get too close.  Has anyone had any luck with these?  If it would work I would rather go this route.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="837" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-04-01T00:15:38.143" LastActivityDate="2013-04-01T00:15:38.143" Title="What is the best way to keep deer away?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3945" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3944" CreationDate="2012-04-24T18:50:44.167" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://icwdm.org/handbook/mammals/Deer.asp&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; goes into extensive details on electric fencing.  Fencing that is not electrified should be at least 8 feet tall. A detailed description is found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.environment.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=309,301,254,94,88,Documents&amp;amp;MediaID=136&amp;amp;Filename=How%20to%20Build%20a%20Deer%20or%20Elk%20Proof%20Fence.pdf&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  Sadly these solutions require time, money and a post hole digger or a tractor.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Deer pose a different problem for every gardener. A hungry deer will go to far greater lengths to eat your garden than ones that can survive on their normal diet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will also find suggestions to use bars of soap, human hair, dogs or getting a hunting licence. These will work for some deer, some of the time but if you want a solution for all of the deer, all of the time you need a fence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-04-24T18:50:44.167" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3946" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3939" CreationDate="2012-04-25T00:13:39.277" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's a fruit tree of some kind, probably apple.  I don't think it's pear, cherry, or peach, and I can't think what else it could be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree with @kevinsky on the suckers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-04-25T00:13:39.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3935" CreationDate="2012-04-25T11:56:16.123" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The simple answer is to water when the garden needs it. Make a small investment in a soil moisture probe. Check the moisture level in the morning. If the soil is dry, run the water. If there's enough moisture, leave it alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Checking the soil surface isn't good enough: the surface can appear dry but there's still moisture deeper down where the roots are. That's why you need a probe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-25T11:56:16.123" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3948" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-25T15:23:17.910" Score="6" ViewCount="343" Body="&lt;p&gt;The previous owner of my house planted a &lt;a href=&quot;http://zoysias.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;zoysia lawn&lt;/a&gt;, which is awful as I live in a cool climate. It's brown for most of the year. After digging up the entire yard for foundation repairs I tried to reseed with bluegrass but the existing zoysia sprouts have grown in and more has invaded from my neighbor's yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to get rid of the zoysia and prevent it from coming back in from the yard next to mine? I've read about doing a non-selective herbicide spray a few times in August and then seeding with something new but I'm afraid I'll just end up with it creeping back in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to out-compete it with some other cool weather grass specie? Or another way to crowd it out reliably?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1128" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-23T22:27:54.583" LastActivityDate="2016-12-23T22:27:54.583" Title="How can I replace zoysia grass when it's also in my neighbor's yard?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3949" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3948" CreationDate="2012-04-25T16:40:30.093" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can only answer part of your question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Is there a way to ... prevent it from coming back in from the yard&#xA;  next to mine?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, pool liner does the job very nicely here.  Dig a trench about 6 inches deep along your property line.  Some hardware or pool stores stock the 40mm or 60mm black pond liner. Maybe you can get the end of the roll or cutoffs at a better price. Cut the liner into strips about 8 inches tall. Place in the trench, back fill with soil and you have installed an impervious, UV resistant barrier good for 25 years.  This has stopped other creeping weeds in my garden like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campanula_rapunculoides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;creeping bellflower&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-04-25T16:40:30.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3950" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3951" CreationDate="2012-04-25T18:16:19.160" Score="5" ViewCount="87" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our city sent us a letter informing us that the ash tree in our parkway was infested with the Emerald Ash Borer insect.  The city removed the tree a few weeks ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; have done to have saved the tree?  Or prevent the infestation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="652" LastActivityDate="2016-09-09T19:42:32.973" Title="Could I have prevented an Emerald Ash Borer infestation?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3951" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3950" CreationDate="2012-04-25T19:13:10.320" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming that you have not been bringing wood pallets from China to your home there isn't anything you could have done.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.illinois.edu/firewood/eab.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This website&lt;/a&gt; from Illinois University is informative.  The ash borer is spreading slowly throughout North America and the only solution we have is to cut down ash trees.  Thousands have been cut where I live and many more will be as the pest spreads out.&#xA;There are no proven solutions using biological predators in use now and no resistant varieties yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From various articles it seems likely that &lt;a href=&quot;http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-04-01/news/0804010011_1_ash-borer-ash-trees-beetle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;predators&lt;/a&gt; and new &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.isaontario.com/content/emerald-ash-borer-part-iii-science-makes-progress&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cultivars&lt;/a&gt; based on Chinese or Korean Ash should be available within ten years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-09-09T19:42:32.973" LastActivityDate="2016-09-09T19:42:32.973" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3952" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3961" CreationDate="2012-04-25T20:26:56.653" Score="3" ViewCount="982" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a number of young &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thuja&lt;/a&gt; trees that I would like to grow outside my porch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I live in student housing and we're forbidden from altering the outside area, so I don't like the idea of putting them into the ground - I fear that an overzealous gardener / inspector / whatever might have them removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got myself some wooden boxes that I'd have to isolate in some way (that's a different issue) but my basic question is - are these boxes large enough to house one of the plants, or even two?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will there come the time when they need an even bigger box? If yes, is there a way to tell before it's too late?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/emqZe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants are currently about 3 feet tall (from where the stem enters the soil); the boxes are 1 foot wide, 2 feet long, and 1 foot tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastEditorUserId="591" LastEditDate="2012-04-25T20:35:49.233" LastActivityDate="2014-06-10T16:56:19.683" Title="Can Thuja trees live in a &quot;square foot garden&quot; style container?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3953" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-25T20:33:16.693" Score="9" ViewCount="695" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have bought a number of used wooden containers that I would like to grow Thuja trees and various vegetables in:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nAbSK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;they are about 1 foot wide, 2 feet long, and 1 foot tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being an amateur in these things, I naively assumed I'd just put the soil in there and the chinks between the planks would drain any excess water. However, I've since learned that you need some sort of isolation to keep the wood from rotting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I create such an isolation while making sure that excess water can still find its way out of the container? I thought of just wrapping the inner area with plastic and putting holes in it for draining, but I guess that would damage the wood as well. Is there a &quot;canonical&quot; way of doing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastActivityDate="2012-04-26T03:20:23.393" Title="How do I make a wooden container fit for growing stuff in it?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3954" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-26T00:09:16.177" Score="4" ViewCount="380" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there some tool that you walk behind and it creates a line on the grass where you walked?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for something that makes a line the same thickness of a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalk_line&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;chalk line&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want something like this because I want to attach it to my mower so I can keep track of where I already mowed/seeded/fertilized on my yard since I need to go in a zig-zag pattern&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1131" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-26T13:00:35.807" LastActivityDate="2012-04-26T15:36:19.053" Title="How can I make lines on the grass in a field?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3955" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3957" CreationDate="2012-04-26T00:21:35.160" Score="4" ViewCount="3880" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mower would not start. On inspection of the spark plug there was wet oil present on both the spark plug and on the thread on the mower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What maintenance and parts should i inspect/replace in order to fix this problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will be my first attempt at servicing, or for that matter, taking apart a lawn mower. I have not been able to find videos specifically on this problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This mower is two years old, and has a 4-cycle engine. The oil level is correct and looks clean. I suspect the problem has come from running too rich; most probably by slowing the mower while i empty it. So in future I will just keep the mower running at full speed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="695" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-07T00:41:58.300" LastActivityDate="2015-01-07T00:41:58.300" Title="Mower with oily fouled spark plug" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3956" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-26T00:52:57.900" Score="9" ViewCount="2805" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why do my strawberries only grow half red, so the top half is nice and red and the bottom half is white?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I pick my strawberries like this can I leave them a couple of days near a window so the other half goes red?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do commercial growers deal with this issue?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I leave them there until fully ripened I am worried the top half will get spoiled before the back end has time to go red.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My second issue with leaving them to ripen is that they get consumed quickly by other creatures (bird/mice/insect) before I can eat them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-04-26T05:36:53.893" Title="Strawberries only half red" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3957" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3955" CreationDate="2012-04-26T01:16:31.507" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Replace the plug, and if you use the mower a lot, replace the air filter.  If you let it warm in the sun a while before attempting to start, starting will be easier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2012-04-26T01:16:31.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3958" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3928" CreationDate="2012-04-26T01:19:10.160" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cover the bed with black plastic for a week or two.  If the weather is warm, this will kill weeds and their seeds.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2012-04-26T01:19:10.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3953" CreationDate="2012-04-26T03:20:23.393" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;First option: Treat the wood to stop it from rotting and just proceed as you intend to. The downside to this is soil contamination if you intend to grow edible plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second option: The cheaters way; buy a secondary inner container and just keep the box as decorative. You could even go for cheap plastic pots on the inside. Add some rocks / pebbles if you need to stabalise or hide the inner pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Third option: Buy some slow degrading sheet plastic, the kind that is used to keep weeds from growing and use a staple gun to staple to the inside of your boxes. You should have a layer of crushed tile / rocks / pebbles as your base so that water drains freely from the bottom of your containers and not pool at the side. Before putting your rocky base in, put holes in the plastic that line up with gaps in the wood. If these are not large enough then I suggest drilling larger draining holes. The aim is to stop water pooling at the base and draining freely where it is supposed to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-04-26T03:20:23.393" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3960" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3955" CreationDate="2012-04-26T03:28:13.237" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is this a 2 cycle or a 4 cycle engine?  I believe that all mowers sold in the last several years are 4 cycle, so you should not be mixing oil in the gas and significant oil on the spark plug would indicate leaking O-rings.  Of course, if you haven't changed the spark plug in two years, it could easily be normal buildup, in which case, it's time to change the plug.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="476" LastActivityDate="2012-04-26T03:28:13.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3961" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3952" CreationDate="2012-04-26T03:38:33.060" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;People regularly use Thuja as bonsai so the container isn't really the issue. The problem is how you care for your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest not putting 2 plants in the one box. It is going to cause you headaches in a couple of years time. The problem with growing in containers is space. This problem is going to be compounded having two plants squeezed in together. Root space, available nutrients and water would be a much larger problem with two plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To begin with you are going to want a good quality soil. If you have a good quality soil you can get away with only having to replace the soil every two years. Even if you feed the plants with slow release fertilizer I would still suggest pulling the plant up, trimming the roots and replacing the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The size of the box as well as available nutrition (food/water/sunlight) will determine how tall your plant grows. If you trim the tree and trim the roots every couple of year you can keep it in the same sized container forever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With potted plants your challenges to keeping a healthy plant are:&#xA;- Adequate sunlight&#xA;- Appropriate watering&#xA;- Healthy soil&#xA;- Healthy root growth (not root bound)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-10T16:56:19.683" LastActivityDate="2014-06-10T16:56:19.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3962" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3956" CreationDate="2012-04-26T04:47:49.803" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In order to deal with harmful insects &amp;amp; birds you can &lt;strong&gt;make a scaffold around strawberries and cover them by plastic&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene&quot;&gt;PEfilm&lt;/a&gt; like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greenhouse&quot;&gt;greenhouses&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;IMO, if you give them time to ripe, keep the temperature between 15-25 ^C and sunlight their color completely will be red.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: more clarified.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1106" LastEditorUserId="1106" LastEditDate="2012-04-26T05:36:53.893" LastActivityDate="2012-04-26T05:36:53.893" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3963" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3964" CreationDate="2012-04-26T13:15:15.493" Score="3" ViewCount="235" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbor, while spreading a thick layer of tobacco stems across his pasture (I have no idea what for), got quite a few into my garden. I tried to remove it, but somehow a good amount has been chopped up with the soil this spring. Will that harm any of my vegetables? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-04-26T14:10:55.760" LastActivityDate="2012-04-26T14:10:55.760" Title="Will vegetables grown where tobacco stems were chopped into the soil have any traces of nicotine?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3964" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3963" CreationDate="2012-04-26T14:08:04.163" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perhaps he's aiming for organic matter / compost in his pasture? Seems like a good way to encourage stray deer to keep coming back! ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know, but I doubt that your veg will take up any significant quantities of nicotine. A quick search didn't turn up any useful information about uptake by plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main harm that comes to mind is the possible transmission of tobacco mosaic virus to your Solanaceaa (tomatoes, potatoes, pepper, eggplant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if there &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; any significant quantity of nicotine related to the stems in your garden, it could be harmful to your population of beneficial organisms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-26T14:08:04.163" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3954" CreationDate="2012-04-26T15:36:19.053" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on what you use, I would suggest adding a white powder to your fertiliser - flour might do just fine as long as it isn't windy and that way you can see exactly where you have been. Some fertilisers already come coloured in order to make this very easy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastActivityDate="2012-04-26T15:36:19.053" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3966" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1219" CreationDate="2012-04-26T21:03:34.223" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a friend tell me that I could put about the last 2 inches of green onions in a shot glass or other small glass, fill it with water (being sure to leave to top sticking out), then stick it in my window sill so it gets a lot of sun, and they will re-grow! You just have to keep an eye on the amount of water so it doesn't dry up. I've been doing it for the last couple of weeks and I have about 12 growing. Some are already ready to use! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1132" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T22:51:48.063" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T22:51:48.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3967" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3972" CreationDate="2012-04-27T15:22:49.633" Score="5" ViewCount="254" Body="&lt;p&gt;I let my basil grow from seed, and I very seldom trimmed it. My aim is to understand the plant life cycle, so I did it on purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants are so arranged: Three vases sitting in a larger, long vase which I keep constantly with 1cm of water with an upside down bottle. Water gets to the plants through the drain holes of the internal vases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first vase has two plants. Both are in good health. Large leaves but no flowers. Thick main branches, almost wooden at the base. They seem resistant enough to stand without the glass of the window they normally rest on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second vase is really crowded, having 5 major plants plus 5 minor ones. They are also rather close to each other (I did not trim the seedlings). This vase has the greenest leaves (dark green) but not at the base, where they are pale green, almost yellowish. It's also badly wilted, but it's also the one where the flower seems to be extremely well developed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The third vase contains five robust plants as well. It's the one in the best shape of all the batch. A couple of flowers are emerging, and the leaves are green (not a strong one, but decent) and perfect consistency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant receive sunlight for a part of the day, they are indoors, at the window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My main questions, arising from the second vase situation, is the following: is letting basil loose without trimming a bad move for the plant health? I am of course aware of bolting (which I am trying to achieve to experiment and hopefully get seeds) but provided you cut the flowers and nothing else, can the plant stay alive without trimming or is there a limit where the plant can't sustain itself anymore and wilts ? It may be just overcrowding, but I want to know first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second question is: will this strategy give me seeds ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="256" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-05-19T21:56:01.600" LastActivityDate="2012-05-19T21:56:01.600" Title="Letting basil loose. Will it die?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3968" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3969" CreationDate="2012-04-28T12:12:00.657" Score="6" ViewCount="1739" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've planted Basil (from a pot) outside and it's been very wet in the last few weeks. The plant has now got these grey spots on it. What is wrong with it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hFocq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1134" LastActivityDate="2012-04-28T13:16:16.763" Title="What is this disease on my Basil?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3969" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3968" CreationDate="2012-04-28T13:16:16.763" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is leafspot, or pseudomonas cichorii. It is a bacteria that lives in the soil and infects the plant when soil is splashed onto the leaves&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no cure for bacterial leaf spot for homeowners. Growers could use streptomycin or copper maneb but I would not use these for something I was going to eat.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some recommendations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Minimize the damage by making sure that your basil plants have plenty of air circulation and that they are watered in a way so that the soil is not splashed onto the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove all infected leaves as well.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;There appears to be a link to growing at cool moist temperatures.  Try to provide a sunnier, drier environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-04-28T13:16:16.763" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3970" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-28T16:46:09.957" Score="2" ViewCount="1293" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have offshoots from a former cotoneaster bush that are growing very well. Whenever we try transplanting an offshoot, they don't seem to thrive. What can we do to help them thrive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1135" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-03T16:45:48.630" LastActivityDate="2012-05-11T03:24:31.657" Title="How should I transplant cotoneaster offshoots?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3971" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4106" CreationDate="2012-04-28T21:44:43.073" Score="6" ViewCount="426" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dandelions and bull thistle own my backyard. It's their turf now. (I'm a game developer, not a gardener.) I've tried a couple of things to kill them. I think I've decided to go with some uprooting tool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, there are some particularly large plants (one of each at least), like a dandelion with maybe six or seven stems that are flowering. Would it be possible to kill them by depriving them of sunlight?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people recommend (as a last, extreme measure) blanketing your whole backyard with some sort of plastic or something that won't let light through, to kill everything. I'm just looking to take out the worst of the bunch, maybe with something heavy and light-proof like an upside-down pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will this work? Do I need to cover all the leaves of the plant for it to work? How long will I have to wait, or how will I know that it worked or didn't work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-04-29T02:06:27.163" LastActivityDate="2020-09-28T10:57:29.420" Title="Can I kill dandelions and bull thistle with darkness?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;dandelions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3972" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3967" CreationDate="2012-04-28T21:50:33.407" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't generally trim my basil in any way (only prevent it from bolting) and it is perfectly healthy. You don't need to support it either, because by the time it grows big enough for the weight of the leaves to matter, it would've matured enough that the lower stems start to harden and become woody. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think your plant will die &lt;em&gt;directly&lt;/em&gt; as a result of not trimming (mine hasn't), but you need to be aware that it &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; cause certain other problems that could contribute to a decline in health:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A very high density of leaves can reduce the penetration of sunlight to the inner and lower leaves. These leaves could eventually turn yellow, and not contribute to food production, thereby straining the plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Similarly, increased leaf density could increase moisture retention in the interior of the shrub, leading to a higher likelihood of fungus growth, rot, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, it would take an extraordinarily dense basil shrub for it to even be an issue. If you're using basil normally for your culinary needs, it should be sufficient to keep it in decent shape, without any special trimming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2012-04-28T21:50:33.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3973" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4004" CreationDate="2012-04-29T02:19:58.147" Score="3" ViewCount="377" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3092/what-is-the-problem-disease-that-causes-bobbly-peach-tree-leaves&quot;&gt;What is the problem/disease that causes bobbly peach tree leaves?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I was spraying my peaches, I found this ugly pink puffing on my peach leaves. What is it and how do I get rid of it?&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o5CkW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the upper surface&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UifWi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;underside&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-05-01T00:34:23.453" Title="What is this disease on my peach leaf?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2012-05-02T17:11:30.023" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3974" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3991" CreationDate="2012-04-29T02:25:49.153" Score="4" ViewCount="1392" Body="&lt;p&gt;What it this small tree? It is growing in the woods so I can't get a wide shot. It grows about 15' tall and wide, with wide, arching branches. The leaves all have round shiny indented bumps scattered on them. The fruits eventually ripen to blue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UBk9T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rj5aM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b8e0i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RLjhS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-08-21T03:38:48.860" LastActivityDate="2017-01-03T18:08:08.147" Title="What is this small tree with partially serrated leaves and blue fruit?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3975" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4042" CreationDate="2012-04-29T02:34:36.793" Score="7" ViewCount="17384" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this attractive little wildflower growing through my yard, and I would like the identification. They get from 6&quot;-20&quot; tall and very slender. Before blooming, the flower buds are curled downwards.It blooms from early April until summer. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lh4Io.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WSnp0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6ZbX0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2018-04-14T14:43:24.273" Title="What is this small, daisy-like wildflower found in open woods?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3976" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3983" CreationDate="2012-04-29T02:49:00.200" Score="4" ViewCount="575" Body="&lt;p&gt;A girl who's graduating just got a pot with a pretty little flower in it from her a capella group as a parting gift. She's about to fly away across the world, so she can't take it with her, so she gave it to me to tend to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that we some background, just for interest:&#xA;First I try to ID the flower. I'm 90% sure it's a French marigold. Looks almost exactly the same, but can't be sure and I don't have a camera to show you at the moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But assuming it is, I see that this is an annual, and can be expected to die. But I also see that it's possible to resurrect the plant through its petals, which apparently function as seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone explain to me (quite thoroughly, as though to an idiot) how and when to do exactly what in order to keep this plant alive for the whole season, and to bring it back in future seasons?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1137" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-01T01:32:01.043" LastActivityDate="2012-05-01T01:32:01.043" Title="How can I prolong a marigold?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3977" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3984" CreationDate="2012-04-29T03:26:38.333" Score="12" ViewCount="12175" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a crude understanding that planted seeds should be non-hybrid non-gmo open-pollinated in order for their offspring to be as good as the parents.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I try to use organic produce from the grocery store to start different varieties of plants which of them would create quality offspring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any root vegetables like potatoes, garlic, onions, carrots, beets? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any vegetables that still have their roots intact like scallions or watercress? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also what different seeds would work? Chia seeds? Flax seeds? Wheatgrass seeds? Other seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For fruit, I assume that many fruits have sproutable seeds, but that few if any would grow a new generation as good as the parent? Is this correct?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also my local market has tomatoes labels as &quot;heirloom tomatoes&quot;. Are the seeds in these really &quot;heirloom&quot; and replantable or is this just a marketing gimmick?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, I am not asking if it is a good idea. I am not planning on starting a garden this way, I am more interested from an educational perspective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1096" LastEditorUserId="1096" LastEditDate="2012-04-29T13:48:31.110" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T03:17:49.460" Title="What vegetables/seeds/fruits at the grocery store can be viably replanted?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3978" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-29T03:50:17.240" Score="7" ViewCount="286" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know it is a good idea to bury part of the stem of tomatoes when transplanting as they will sprout new roots along the stem.  I am wondering if something similar applies to asparagus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My asparagus seedling (started from seed) is rather thin in the stem and I am hoping to bury part of it so it will have less plant to support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-06-04T04:26:42.493" LastActivityDate="2012-09-02T05:02:34.713" Title="When transplanting asparagus seedlings should part of the stem be buried?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3906" CreationDate="2012-04-29T17:37:22.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is definitely not a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.ca/search?q=fruit%20fly%20image&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fruit fly&lt;/a&gt; as they do not damage leaves and the body of the pest is longer and thinner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The original poster advises that the eggs of the pest are a different colour then a tomato leaf miner, my first identification.  The most likely pest is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://nfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/images/programs/originals/tomato_spotted_wilt_04.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;thrip&lt;/a&gt; as seen in this picture here.  They are common, feed on a wide variety of crop and ornamental plants and the damage the larvae cause looks like a leaf miner.  They also leave black &quot;frass&quot; on the leaves where they lay their eggs. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/03-077.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This guide&lt;/a&gt; from the Ministry of Agriculture may help you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For ornamental plants I have never been able to control thrips with or without pesticides. The eggs are inside the leaf and cannot be controlled with soap.  The only solution was to destroy the plant.  You may have success with removing damaged leaves,&#xA;surrounding the plant with a fine mesh to prevent new adults from arriving and applying soap and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-04-30T12:40:00.257" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T12:40:00.257" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3981" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="3997" CreationDate="2012-04-29T19:35:20.050" Score="4" ViewCount="654" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got something called &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000VZRV4C&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;dr earth&lt;/a&gt; and I was going to drop a handfull in at the bottom of the hole before I planted. Would it be beneficial for me to throw some steer manure in there as well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had my soil tested and they told me there was almost no nitrogen. To try and fix that i sprinkled 6 bags of steer manure and 4 bags of compost over the planting area (about 25x20) and worked it in with a rake. Will dropping some extra in by the roots when planting give it an extra kick or would it be overkill?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="837" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-04-30T13:45:38.830" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T13:45:38.830" Title="How to fertilize when planting veggies?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3982" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-29T20:04:14.640" Score="5" ViewCount="251" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small bush/tree. I don't know exactly what it is. What I see is the new growths folded over onto each other, and connected together. When I pull them apart, I can find tiny white worms with black heads, which are about 5/8 inch long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The worms have eaten the new growth, severely stunting it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried treating with insecticidal soap to no avail, probably because it can't get to the worms as they are all safe in their tent. I also tried &quot;BT&quot; hoping they were some sort of caterpillar. It appears that has not worked either as I see no affect. The next step I guess is to pull out the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1120" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-14T22:30:49.500" LastActivityDate="2016-11-11T21:48:26.913" Title="What is this leaf miner / tenter in my small bush/tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3983" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3976" CreationDate="2012-04-29T20:08:36.187" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Marigolds are about the easiest thing I know of to save seed from. When the flowers die, let them stay (don't deadhead), then when they are thoroughly dry just pull the centers from the dried up flowerhead. The seeds are about ½&quot; long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only complication I can think of in your situation is that you only have a single plant. It might be self-fertile, but another marigold might be better to provide cross-pollination. I'm on my third generation of saved marigold seed, but the seed is from plants where there are at least 20 others in the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of care, I've never kept a marigold in a pot, but I'd suggest the same generic care you'd give to any small potted plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure the pot is big enough.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't overwater; make sure the pot has a drainage hole in the bottom.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure it gets plenty of light.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-29T20:08:36.187" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3984" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3977" CreationDate="2012-04-29T20:26:31.890" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're better off buying seeds from the rack in the front of the store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Potatoes are often treated to prevent sprouting.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you buy organic potatoes, they may sprout, but they may also be carrying diseases. Normally you'd want to buy certified disease-free &quot;seed&quot; potatoes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Garlic might also be treated to prevent sprouting, but planting the cloves might work. You'd probably be better off to purchase a variety that is known to do well in your area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Onions, carrots, and beets are all biennial. You'd have to store them overwinter, plant the root back in the ground in the spring, and harvest seed. If the vegetable you purchased was a hybrid (they probably are), then the seeds you'd get from this method will not be true to the parent.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I don't know about the seeds (flax, etc). If they haven't been heat-treated (e.g. to kill bugs), then you may be able to plant them. Again you may have the hybrid issue.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As far as &quot;other&quot; seeds, I might mention dry beans, again with the heat treatment and hybrid caveats.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tree fruit (apples, pears, stone fruit, etc) are normally propagated vegetatively. The seed may be viable, and would grow into a tree, but it is unlikely to produce fruit that tastes like the parent (and, I've heard, is unlikely to be worth eating at all).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Vegetables that are really fruit (e.g. tomato) and are sold mature (e.g. pumpkin and other winter squash -- not zucchini and other summer squash), and are truly &quot;heirloom&quot; will probably contain seeds that will viably produce another generation. The issue you may run into here is that the vegetables were produced without paying attention to the things that are important for seed saving: roguing, maintaining genetic diversity, and avoiding cross-pollination. Some plants (squashes) cross very easily, so you may get odd results if your heirloom pumpkins were grown nearby some other squash family plant. Most producers selling at market will probably have a large enough population to maintain genetic diversity, but if you don't then the plants that you grow may be weak. Finally, the producers aren't roguing off-types, so your plants may have undesirable genetic variations.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-29T20:26:31.890" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3985" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4002" CreationDate="2012-04-29T21:07:41.947" Score="5" ViewCount="1254" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to build an aquaponics system with PVC. I have 3&quot; pots on 3.5&quot; tube. When I was done with the drilling and positioning I noticed that the water just rushed below the pots, not touching them. Do I need pots that are longer or do I have to place them somewhere else while the roots are big enough to reach the bottom of the tube?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1092" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-17T13:33:55.863" LastActivityDate="2013-07-17T13:33:55.863" Title="How do I make the water reach the roots on a PVC aquaponics system?" Tags="&lt;aquaponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3986" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4091" CreationDate="2012-04-29T21:36:52.507" Score="4" ViewCount="505" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some &quot;Low nutrient NPK compound fertilizer&quot; which is sold as &lt;em&gt;Citrus Food&lt;/em&gt; left over from a Calamondin tree which has sadly passed away. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I use this fertilizer on my herbs? They are basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, coriander, chives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has nothing on the bottle which says you shouldn't use it on plants that aren't citrus fruit-baring, but will it benefit my herbs much even if I do go ahead and feed them with it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastEditorUserId="1011" LastEditDate="2012-04-30T22:11:58.393" LastActivityDate="2012-05-07T03:45:20.373" Title="Can I use an NPK compund fertilizer on herbs?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3987" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-29T23:19:54.983" Score="3" ViewCount="4661" Body="&lt;p&gt;I searched through all the posts on lawnmowers and didn't find anything on electric mowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a very small front yard and only a slightly bigger backyard. Our elderly neighbor had mowed our lawn for years with his gas-powered mower, but is unable to anymore. We're now in the market for a lawnmower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My husband and I are thinking of trying a small electric mower. The following isn't the greatest picture, as it doesn't show the full yard, but it does give an idea of how small it is. Note: the yard isn't much longer than it is wide. As you can see, our lawn is flat and there are no bumps or little hills. There is a maple tree off camera on the left side of the picture, but that's all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L5QVi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lawn/Yard&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would you experts recommend an electric mower in general? We have two extension cords that are more than adequate in length to mow both the front and the back. I've been perusing mowers on Amazon, just to get an idea of price and options and basic electric mowers seem to start at around $99 and run up to around $400.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts or advice on purchasing an electric mower? What's the importance of volts and amps? Would a simple, inexpensive electric mower be appropriate for a yard like ours?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T19:47:51.437" Title="What Should I Look For In An Electric Lawnmower?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3988" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-29T23:48:01.627" Score="6" ViewCount="194" Body="&lt;p&gt;So my mom has all this junk wood she's been collecting, and I think I found a good use for it:  as above-ground planters or as a vertical planter &quot;post&quot;  (say 2 x 2 x 6 feet).   Basically, fill it with soil and have planters coming off the sides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would I some how need to compensate for gravity and more water accumulating on the lower plant roots?  Would this attract termites if I didn't use redwood (or cedar) but emptied it every year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1139" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-04-30T00:21:43.140" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T01:04:39.047" Title="Is a vertical, soil vegetable garden a bad idea?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3989" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3987" CreationDate="2012-04-30T00:34:20.520" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used a battery-powered mower on a lawn much larger than yours for several years. It worked well, but we got tired of having to do the front &amp;amp; back yard on separate days (because the battery would discharge too quickly). In your case, I think it would work great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other thing you might consider is a reel mower (e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00004RA3E&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;something like this&lt;/a&gt;). I've never used one, but if I had a lawn your size I'd definitely consider it. When I lived in the city, my neighbor mowed a lawn maybe 2-3x the size of yours with a reel mower and it seemed to work well for him.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T00:34:20.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3988" CreationDate="2012-04-30T01:04:39.047" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not necessarily a bad idea, but I think you'll find construction and use to be much more straightforward if you use the wood to build several smaller, shallower beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't get the drainage right, the bottom of your planter will get waterlogged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It isn't clear how you plan to plant into it, but it seems like it could be awkward to plant into it. Plant roots generally grow downward, so if you plant them on the side of your planter, they won't really be able to take advantage of the full depth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Emptying a 2x2x6 planter (nearly a cubic yard of soil) every fall to keep it from rotting/attracting termites seems like a real pain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Building &quot;standard&quot; raised beds should be a straightforward exercise in comparison.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T01:04:39.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3991" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3974" CreationDate="2012-04-30T01:35:12.540" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The tree appears to be a hackberry (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtis&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Celtis sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;). The identifying characteristics are the alternate leaves which have heart-shape with an uneven base, have a serrated or partially serrated margin, and are often affected by nipple gall, the green bumps on the leaf's underside. The small green fruit (a drupe) that turns red and often eventually purple or black is also distinctive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not certain which species the pictured tree is, but the primary options are common hackberry (&lt;a href=&quot;http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=26&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Celtis occidentalis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) or  sugarberry (&lt;a href=&quot;http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=275&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Celtis laevigata laevigata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;). Both begin with smooth bark as pictured, but common hackberry gradually forms prominent corky ridges, while sugarberry does not. Sugarberry commonly has serrated leaf edges only near the tips and occasionally smooth leaf margins, whereas common hackberry is usually serrate all the way down the leaf side, but often not on the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both are medium to tall trees, depending on growing situation. Both commonly grow on moist bottomland soils, but common hackberry is also found on upland soils. Common Hackberry grows natively from the midwestern United States (North Dakota to Kansas) up into the Northeast. Sugarberry's range runs from Texas and Oklahoma to Virginia and Florida. However, both trees share a substantial common range.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My best guess for the tree pictured is common hackberry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The forest service provides some detailed information on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_2/celtis/occidentalis.htm&quot;&gt;common hackberry&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_2/celtis/laevigata.htm&quot;&gt;sugarberry&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2012-04-30T01:45:43.790" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T01:45:43.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3992" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-30T04:55:54.517" Score="5" ViewCount="217" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a little plant and don't know it's name. I don't know how to maintain it or what kind of soil or fertilizer it needs. Any suggestion is welcomed in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit1&lt;/strong&gt;: Can I bring out the root, and take a picture of it. IMO, If I know it is a &lt;strong&gt;taproot&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;fibrous&lt;/strong&gt;, It might help in maintenance and the soil it needs. is it right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Avn6H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6ZWN2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DLN6T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;right&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1106" LastEditorUserId="1106" LastEditDate="2012-05-02T04:42:10.510" LastActivityDate="2012-05-05T03:03:06.293" Title="What is this little narrow leaved rosette forming plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3993" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-30T11:48:56.467" Score="4" ViewCount="8698" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always thought weed whackers were for hard to reach areas that a mower can't get, but now that I think of the name... can a weed whacker be used to kill weeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I say kill I mean get rid of them without using chemicals or such. Is that possible or is the name just an alliterative selling point?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1131" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-17T17:07:24.827" LastActivityDate="2018-04-21T06:17:41.640" Title="Is a weed whacker able to whack weeds?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3993" CreationDate="2012-04-30T12:20:27.567" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The what, why, and when of weed whackery. Published on the WWW, and written, of course, by W, now that he is free from obfuscating in the oval office (another alliterative phrase.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seriously, it can't really do much to kill weeds, as a weed whacker can't really get at the roots of a weed, so all it does is to cut a plant back. To the extent that this weakens a weed, it might do something, but usually that will just slow a hardy weed down. It is useful in spots that a mower can't get to easily, or that would quickly erode sharpened blades. So one can use a weed whacker for edging, or on a brick walkway. However, be careful around the base of a tree, as the string can still damage tender bark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user923" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T12:20:27.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3995" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3993" CreationDate="2012-04-30T12:51:20.867" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to @woodchips answer: it might work against some annuals - chop the top off and it dies; but it could make some weeds &lt;strong&gt;much&lt;/strong&gt; worse. Eg. a creeping plant would be chopped up into more bits which could re-root giving you a &lt;em&gt;Sorcerer's Apprentice&lt;/em&gt; type situation.  Or existing seed heads are effectively spread (dandelions, beggar's ticks  come to mind).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, Murphy and Sod both say that the plants which will be the most likely to be killed by a weed wacker, are exactly the same plants you want to keep!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T12:51:20.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3996" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3971" CreationDate="2012-04-30T13:28:43.860" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can kill some weeds by depriving them of sunlight but it takes a while.  Why not let modern technology make your job easier?  Something like this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.leevalley.com/us/garden/page.aspx?p=10418&amp;amp;cat=2,2300,44822&amp;amp;ap=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;water powered weeder&lt;/a&gt; works well for good soil and weeds with deep tap roots.  There are many other innovative solutions for dandelions out there that work immediately.&#xA;If you try the &quot;heart of darkness&quot; approach you could have pieces of old carpet on your lawn all summer!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I have tried it and it works in good soil. If you have heavy clay close to the surface or lots of little rocks it doesn't work so well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-04-30T14:50:53.400" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T14:50:53.400" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3997" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3981" CreationDate="2012-04-30T13:39:43.923" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on your comment that the soil testing person recommended a certain type and quantity of amendment: if you assume that they knew what they were doing, then you should have good fertility in your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a general rule: don't put fertilizer in the planting hole with seeds and don't put &quot;hot&quot; fertilizer where transplant roots are going to touch it and get burned. In my experience, better with seeds to have fertile soil to begin with (e.g. amendments have been mixed into the soil some weeks in advance). Also better to have the entire planting area fertile instead of focused in one small area (which you've done with the manure and compost). You can top-dress throughout the growing season if needed to help keep the plants growing well. Foliar feeding with a liquid fertilizer works really well instead of top dressing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over the long term, adding organic matter to your soil will help retain nitrogen. The manure and compost will help with this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it were me, and I were doing transplants for the cucurbits, I might put a little scoop in the planting hole at transplanting time and mix it into the soil before dropping in the transplant. (Squash always seem to be really hungry. I typically give them a bucket of manure at transplanting time with decent results.) For direct seeding, wait until they come up and then top-dress after a couple of weeks. Or mix Dr Earth into the soil a week or two before planting according to the recommended application rate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The beans will probably be ok as-is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the corn I'd probably top-dress every couple of weeks after it comes up -- but only if it seems to need it. If the leaves are a dark green already you probably don't need extra fertilizer. If your P-K values were high enough, I might not even use this 5-7-3 fertilizer, maybe favoring something more nitrogen-heavy like dried blood (12-0-0) or poultry manure (~ 4-2-2). Last year in weak soil I top dressed with 1-2&quot; of composted horse manure after a month on one batch, and foliar fed the other batch every couple of weeks. Both turned out well. (The manure fed plants might have been a little bit stronger.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the tomatoes and peppers, I would add Dr Earth to the planting hole. You don't want to overdo the nitrogen. Did you get a calcium analysis as part of the soil test? Make sure you've got enough calcium. If you got a pH test and it was low, you'll be adding lime (calcium) anyway. If your pH is balanced and your calcium is low, you can add gypsum. Or finely crushed eggshells -- I've added a spoonful to the planting holes in the past. Then monitor the plants as they grow. If they seem to be yellowing or aren't thriving, you can top dress with Dr Earth. If you see other deficiency, a foliar feeding of something like 0-2-2 (liquid fish fertilizer or similar) can be very helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have any experience with artichoke.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T13:39:43.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3998" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4012" CreationDate="2012-04-30T13:41:45.203" Score="6" ViewCount="1999" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every year I plant morning glories from fresh seeds, in containers (the long, rectangular kind).  They always take a bit of time (1-2 weeks) to sprout, and after that, really take off (I hang some twine on the walls of my terrace and they climb up like crazy).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year, I planted more seeds than I ever have - different varieties of morning glories, as well as some moon flowers.  I soaked the seeds overnight as I always do (for about 24 hours, and I'd say the seeds double, if not triple in size).  Planted them as I always do (about a 1/4&quot; deep as per the directions), in a &quot;zigzag&quot; pattern in the planters, about 4&quot; or so apart.  Probably about 40 seeds in total.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3 weeks later, only 2 have broken through the soil, and even those are not looking so good (very &quot;wrinkly&quot; and weak-looking).  No sign of the others.  I've been watering regularly, and the weather seems about the same as it always (maybe a few nights that have been colder than average).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically I've done exactly the same thing that I've done for years, and it's not working for some reason this year.  Any ideas what could be wrong, or what I could to improve the process?  I just planted a whole new batch of seeds (in the same planters) a few days ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:  I should add - I'm in New York City, and the plants get tons of sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="143" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-01T01:13:07.963" LastActivityDate="2018-06-28T22:15:34.953" Title="Why aren't my morning glories sprouting this year?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;morning-glory&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="3999" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4001" CreationDate="2012-04-30T17:00:14.533" Score="6" ViewCount="319" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it ok to have bonfires on my garden bed when I'm not growing anything? Should I do anything special with the aftermath or just rake it into the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="837" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-01T01:11:45.670" LastActivityDate="2012-05-01T01:11:45.670" Title="Is it okay to have bonfires on my dormant garden bed?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;bonfire&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4000" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-30T17:51:54.890" Score="5" ViewCount="5480" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a method to dethatch zoysia best without harming the runners?  I went over a small portion of my lawn yesterday with a thatch rake, and came up with a ton of thatch, but felt like I was catching in the zoysia quite a bit.  I tried to exercise care and back off when I felt it catching, but it still felt like it was doing some harm.  Is this just a natural effect of detatching, or was I going at it too aggressively?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1143" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-01T01:10:49.977" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T04:38:37.570" Title="How should I dethatch zoysia without harming it?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4001" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3999" CreationDate="2012-04-30T18:50:31.073" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't do it on my garden bed:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The heat from the fire will kill soil life, including worms and beneficial microbes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If your fire gets hot enough, I think it might burn off soil organic matter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not a fan of bonfires in general:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Most of the &quot;good stuff&quot; (carbon, nitrogen, etc. that would be helpful in the soil as plant nutrients) in the material that you are burning will be released into the air. It would be better (in most cases; see below) to capture this matter in compost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Along the same lines, bonfires unnecessarily pollute the air. Pile up the material that you would burn and bury it. It will rot over time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can make an exception for diseased plant material -- you don't want to spread disease around by composting it. When I want to get rid of diseased material I will put it on top of a hot fire in my wood boiler; understandably not everyone has a wood boiler available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you decide on a bonfire, I'd suggest doing it somewhere &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; on the garden bed. The ash left over from burning wood will have high pH and will contain some potash and calcium. You could spread the ash on your garden bed if you want to raise the pH of your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never burn pressure-treated wood or manufactured wood (e.g. OSB, plywood).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T18:50:31.073" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4002" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3985" CreationDate="2012-04-30T19:02:41.983" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could use a wicking system which is also known as capillary matting.  Put a strand or strip of absorbent material into the root ball at planting time. Put the root ball and wick into a pot.  Tease the wick so it sits in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shoestrings or polyester fleece are materials that you may have in your home.  Any hydroponics store should have material that lasts longer.  This works best when the distance from the water to the pot is no more than a few inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T19:02:41.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4003" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3987" CreationDate="2012-04-30T19:47:51.437" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The amp rating of the motor will determines the maximum power you'll get out of the mower. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Amperage*Voltage=Power&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B002YK4V0E&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this electric mower&lt;/a&gt; has a 12 amp rating. If you're in the US, the standard voltage from you circuit breaker panel is 120V. Therefore, you'll get a maximum 1,440 Watts (1.93 HP) of power without factoring in efficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For comparison, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=203117248&amp;amp;storeId=10051&amp;amp;langId=-1&amp;amp;catalogId=10053&amp;amp;MERCH=REC-_-product-2-_-203069467-_-203117248-_-N&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this gas mower&lt;/a&gt; is similar in price. With a 158cc engine though, it will be around 5 HP for its maximum power output.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You won't get the same power/$ out of an electric mower. But then again, if you're mowing a small lawn that isn't overgrown, you may not need all the extra oomph of a gas mower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T19:47:51.437" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3973" CreationDate="2012-04-30T19:56:36.903" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://byf.unl.edu/peach-leaf-curl&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;peach leaf curl&lt;/a&gt;. As far as I know it is not curable, but it is preventable (for next year) -- quoting from that UNL page:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Fortunately, peach leaf curl is one of the easiest fruit diseases to control. In most years, leaf curl can be effectively prevented with a single application of an appropriate fungicide, including lime sulfur, chlorothalonil, Bordeaux mixture, or a copper fungicide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should spray in late winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T19:56:36.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4005" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4143" CreationDate="2012-04-30T21:23:05.587" Score="10" ViewCount="6006" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in the process of planting my garden, and I had planned 3 ft wide raised beds with a single soaker hose running down the center of each one. I am using a square foot layout, so there will be 3 rows across most of the beds. Will this hose layout be enough to reach plants that are in the outside 2 rows? Or do I need to run 2 hoses between the rows, so they're 18&quot; apart? I'm not sure if soil composition or density will greatly affect the moisture distribution or not. Is this just something I'm going to have to experiment with to determine?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y8cjDl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastEditorUserId="6" LastEditDate="2012-04-30T21:30:55.390" LastActivityDate="2012-05-10T16:32:26.780" Title="How much space can I leave between soaker hoses in my garden?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4006" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="93" CreationDate="2012-04-30T22:17:42.537" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Turn your pile weekly or every 7-10 days.  A good pile has volume (3 cubic feet is a good size).  5-6 inches of brown materials by volume and 2-3 inches of green materials by volume.  Then mix, add a sprinkle of dirt or already made compost (an innoculator) and water, mixing well.  Then begin the layers again until you reach your desired height/depth.  Then water and turn.  Should feel like a wrung-out sponge.  I use a pallet system and have 2 bins right now.  One for turning into each week.  I also cover with black plastic. Use corn or sunflower stalks for aeration in the pile too.  If possible, leave your grass clippings on the lawn.  It's better for the grass.  Typically, one finds more green materials than brown (except in the fall/winter).  Paper towel/TP roles, wet cardboard (non-shiny), coffee filters, egg shells, hay, straw, lint, vacuum cleaner bag contents are good sources of brown, along with your bruised leaves (I use the lawnmover to chop them up).  I built a pile on Saturday afternoon and it was already hot Sunday morning.  If you turn regularly and have the right amount of air, water and the contents, you can have compost in 6-12 weeks.  Usually, you let it cure for another 1-2 months.  This means chopping up things small and not just tossing them in, food scraps included.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1144" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T22:17:42.537" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4007" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4008" CreationDate="2012-04-30T23:03:58.900" Score="11" ViewCount="2231" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the following plants, each with their own drip feed:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Corn&#xA;Tomatoes&#xA;Peppers&#xA;Squash&#xA;Cucumber&#xA;Cantalope&#xA;Crenshaw mellon&#xA;Zuccini&#xA;Artichoke&#xA;Bush beans&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a bunch of drip ends that are 1 gallon per hour, would it be good enough use these for an hour a day on all of my plants or do some of the above require more/less water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, should I break up my watering or just do it all at once?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="837" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-11T14:42:28.150" LastActivityDate="2015-05-06T07:22:48.207" Title="How much water should I give my veggies every day?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4008" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4007" CreationDate="2012-04-30T23:29:48.867" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The rule of thumb I've often heard is 1&quot; per week, but I know that some vegetables like more water (e.g. celery) than others. (And yields decline in tomatoes with less water, but the flavor is supposed to be incredible in &quot;dry farmed&quot; tomatoes. YMMV.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Figure out how long it takes to deliver 1&quot; of water (do the math using your square footage and 1 gal/hour), then run it for that long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do it all at once, and do it infrequently. It's better to soak the soil and get the water deep. That encourages the plants to send roots deeper into the soil. Frequent, shallow watering leads to shallower roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a moisture probe, use it. Once your plants are established, check to see how much moisture you have deep in the soil. If the soil is moist enough, you don't need to water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-04-30T23:29:48.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4009" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-04-30T23:48:39.280" Score="4" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;This may be a long shot, but I've got a very large (1.5 inch diameter) root running along the side of my house.  There is ivy, bamboo and lilac growing above it.  There is a 20 foot magnolia about 20 feet away.  There is a 50 foot Red Maple about 40 feet away.  Or is it something else entirely?  The roots seem very distinctive to me, so I have hope.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WlSp2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qjA9C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="171" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-01T01:10:03.723" LastActivityDate="2012-05-01T01:10:03.723" Title="What plant did this root come from?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4010" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4009" CreationDate="2012-05-01T00:14:06.053" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't identify it by appearance, but by the layout, it's probably the magnolia.  It doesn't look like maple to me, and it's really far to be that big.  I don't believe either lilac or bamboo would get this big, and from pictures it doesn't look like bamboo anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Magnolia roots are supposed to be relatively soft and &quot;ropy&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your lilac is really huge and old, it &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be that, I suppose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-05-01T00:14:06.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4012" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3998" CreationDate="2012-05-01T00:38:47.740" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Morning glories HATE cold. Do not attempt to germinate the seeds in an environment with temperatures under 60 on a sustained basis. The seeds will simply rot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@tim: do not allow morning glories to self-seed.  They revert to useless forms.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2012-05-01T00:38:47.740" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4013" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-01T02:24:51.943" Score="7" ViewCount="4822" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know if it's squirrels or possums or what, but some pesky varmints keep eating my produce.  How can I stop them from getting to it?  Since they can climb the fence around the yard, obviously putting a fence around the garden would not help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Until recently they just took the tomatoes, but now they have figured out they can eat the edemame and lemons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="476" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-05-01T06:42:13.890" LastActivityDate="2012-05-01T15:24:16.517" Title="How to protect vegetable garden from pests (possibly squirrels or possums)?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4014" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-01T03:53:39.540" Score="6" ViewCount="322" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a dwarf orange this winter.  It came from the nursery with oranges already on it.  They are still green, and one split through the skin so I cut it off.  Should I leave the rest on?  Or would it be better to let the tree get established and take all the green fruit off?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1146" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-01T21:08:39.787" LastActivityDate="2012-05-02T01:28:00.853" Title="Is my dwarf orange tree too young to bear fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4015" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4013" CreationDate="2012-05-01T12:06:31.680" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lots and lots of chicken wire would be a cheap reusable solution.  You really need to find out who the culprit is.  A groundhog will go under a fence and a raccoon might rip apart a barrier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-01T12:06:31.680" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4016" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4014" CreationDate="2012-05-01T14:06:19.877" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A lot depends on the local environment where the tree is. At the grower's, conditions were optimized for growth and fruit production.  If your tree has good light, humidity over 30 or 40 percent and a regular watering and fertilizing schedule with a citrus fertilizer that provides chelated minor nutrients, then leave the fruit on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A tree in less than optimum conditions can still flower and set fruit but a good practice would be to do some thinning at fruit set so it can grow a few fruits well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watch out for spider mites on the underside of the leaves if it is dry (humidity less than 30 percent on a regular basis). Soap and water on a dishcloth wiped on the underside of the leaves will control them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-02T01:28:00.853" LastActivityDate="2012-05-02T01:28:00.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4017" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4013" CreationDate="2012-05-01T15:24:16.517" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Echoing @kevinsky's answer: you need to figure out what the animal is. Just because they're getting in your yard doesn't necessarily mean they're climbing the fence. Many animals can fit through surprisingly small gaps in a fence (if a rodent's head fits, the animal fits -- chicken wire won't keep rats out).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is a squirrel or other small rodent (rat, mouse, vole, chipmunk), I doubt there's much you can do. They can squeak through nearly any fence, they can climb nearly anything, some rodents dig, and they can jump higher than you would expect. I could only suggest keeping outdoor cats... it seems to work for me, though the cats sometimes cause their own trouble in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is a skunk, woodchuck, rabbit, or similarly sized animal, chicken wire or welded wire fence will do the job. Be sure to bury a portion of the fence, angling it slightly outward to thwart diggers. I keep skunks and woodchucks out of my garden this way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't personally dealt with raccoons, but they are notoriously difficult. Based on what I've read and people I've talked to, I would probably combine the chicken wire/welded wire with a strand or two of electric fencing: one at about 6&quot; height, and one higher -- I'm not sure if you want it at 12&quot; or if it would be better along the top of the wire fence at something like 4-5' height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is deer, you need an 8' high fence, or a strand or two of electric fence. Generally the advice I've seen is to have a strand at about 5' high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is birds, experiment with scarecrow-type things. (E.g. an owl statue, or those big &quot;eye&quot; balls, or streamers, etc.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other things you can do, I haven't tried these but I've heard varying degrees of success:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use fox (or other predator) urine to deter prey animals like deer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Motion-activated noise makers; or just a radio that stays on at night.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Motion-activated lights.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Motion-activated sprinklers that hit the animal with water to scare it away.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem with these kinds of solutions is that the animals will become accustomed to them. You can move them to different areas to prevent this, but over time a clever/hungry animal (raccoons) will find a way to get to the food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Someone invariably chimes in on these questions with an answer that you should sit outside with a rifle and shoot the critter that is raiding your garden. Even if you're in an environment where this works (not the 'burbs), and you're a good shot, it's a pointless exercise. First, you're going to have to shoot every animal that wants to eat your garden, but they're like those zombie movies: they'll just keep coming, so unless you want to do nothing but sit on your porch with a rifle all the time, and eat possum stew every day, it's not practical. Second, many of these animals come around at night; shooting in the dark isn't such a great idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Catching whatever it is in a live trap is a poor idea for similar reasons. I'd also note from experience that it's hard to bait something into a trap when there's so much nearby good food to attract it elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-01T15:24:16.517" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3993" CreationDate="2012-05-01T23:53:27.133" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Weed whackers mechanically cut weeds.  You can kill them by yanking them out, spraying a herbicide, and by using a germination preventative such as Preen.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weed whackers are likely to kill desirable plants. Rampant ones resprout and come roaring back, so it's not a great strategy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2012-05-01T23:53:27.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4019" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3992" CreationDate="2012-05-02T12:30:22.020" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like a member of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sansevieria&lt;/a&gt; family, possibly a cultivar of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria_%27Hahnii%27&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sansevieria 'Hahnii'&lt;/a&gt;.  I realize the foliage shown in &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.ca/images?q=sanseveria%20hahnia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;these pictures&lt;/a&gt; is darker with stripes but as the Wikipedia article says &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;There is great variation in foliage form within the genus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When raised in low light it stretches out and the foliage becomes a lighter green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some cultivation suggestions from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sansevieria-international.org/cultivation.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sansevieria society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Sansevierias are succulent plants and so need a well-drained compost&#xA;  and moderate watering. In the summer months they can be watered&#xA;  frequently and appreciate this, as long as the soil does not remain&#xA;  water-logged, but in the cooler months they are best left dry. A&#xA;  minimum winter temperature of 10°C is recommended. Short periods of&#xA;  lower temperatures may however be tolerated as long as the plants are&#xA;  dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Sansevierias will grow in many positions but appreciate good light and&#xA;  dappled sun to grow naturally and produce good leaf shape and&#xA;  colouration. Long green leaves, often produced in low light&#xA;  situations, and admired my some collectors and growers, are not normal&#xA;  and the leaves tend to be weak and featureless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The soil used for Sansevierias can be adapted to suit whatever&#xA;  materials are available locally. The main constituent needs to be a&#xA;  material which anchors the plant in the ground but at the same time&#xA;  keeps the compost open to allow for excess water to drain through&#xA;  quickly. This could be pumice or lava or any other neutral material.&#xA;  To this needs to be added in about equal proportions some kind of&#xA;  material containing humus and fertilizer. Again almost anything will&#xA;  be suitable, peat or coir based composts or even orchid composts with&#xA;  a slow release fertilizer added.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: if the existing soil retains moisture too well you can just re pot with a better draining mixture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-03T12:11:28.240" LastActivityDate="2012-05-03T12:11:28.240" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4020" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4021" CreationDate="2012-05-02T16:33:56.617" Score="5" ViewCount="587" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a house last winter. It has a good size garden in the back which I wanted to plant up. A few weeks ago I went out and dug out a bunch of the weeds pictured below. I dug as deep as possible to get as much of the roots as I could.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The weather started turning cold again, so I waited to plant. The garden is now full of this weed again. What is it and what can I use to kill it? I don't want to affect the growth of the vegetables I hope to plant in the next week or so. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it helps, I am in Ohio.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for full size.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dgSao.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dgSaom.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kMsVH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kMsVHm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1149" LastEditorUserId="9703" LastEditDate="2016-03-10T03:28:41.463" LastActivityDate="2016-03-10T03:28:41.463" Title="What is this leafy weed, and how do I get rid of it without harming my vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4021" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4020" CreationDate="2012-05-02T17:01:37.683" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's thistles.  You're probably doing the right thing - just keep at it.  This time of year, weeds can seem unbeatable.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main thing is to loosen the soil out about a foot from a big thistle, with a gardening fork or similar.  Then try to get all the roots in one go with a spade, or by pulling.  With little ones that regrew from little roots you missed, you don't have to go out so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-05-03T20:34:51.840" LastActivityDate="2012-05-03T20:34:51.840" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4022" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4023" CreationDate="2012-05-02T17:14:20.753" Score="2" ViewCount="576" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've grown a jacaranda tree from seed a few months ago. It was developing ok until a few days ago when I found it in a really bad condition. I guess it was the cold weather (I'm in South America and its getting cold around here).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now it has the branches down and some fell off. It has only three branches still green. It's in a small pot, it doesn't get any direct sunlight and I am keeping it inside during the night to avoid the low temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to rescue it from this condition?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(you can see some pictures of it at &lt;a href=&quot;http://jacarandakisu.tumblr.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://jacarandakisu.tumblr.com/&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1151" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-03T01:05:34.263" LastActivityDate="2012-05-03T01:05:34.263" Title="How can I make my seedling jacaranda recover " Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4023" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4022" CreationDate="2012-05-02T17:51:33.460" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Jacaranda is hardy to USDA zone 9 or −1.1 °C (30 °F).  Seedlings are probably more sensitive so I would not recommend keeping it outdoors if night time temperatures can go below   +4.4 °C (40 °F).  They like a lot of light so keeping it indoors by sunny window is a good choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep it in a warm sunny location with a regular water schedule and it will recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: for a seedling your finger can be used as a soil moisture tester.  Put your finger in the pot up to the first joint.  If the soil at that level is moist, leave it be.  If it's dry, water it until water comes out the bottom of  the pot.  Don't let the plant sit in water or in a pot without drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-02T19:29:58.470" LastActivityDate="2012-05-02T19:29:58.470" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4024" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-02T18:31:03.107" Score="3" ViewCount="1327" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have about 1000 sq feet full of weeds that I'd like replace with grass. I sprayed herbicide over it to kill everything before planting seed. I thought I would be able to get some equipment to the area so I could till before seeding, but the path is too steep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to ensure the zoysia seed will establish?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1167" OwnerDisplayName="Homer" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-03T16:41:36.077" LastActivityDate="2012-05-04T18:40:38.750" Title="How can I establish Zoysia seed without tilling?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4025" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4024" CreationDate="2012-05-02T19:43:02.980" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Zoysia is a low maintenance grass when established but there are some &quot;buts&quot;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grow only in areas where there is no winter. It goes yellow at cool temperatures and looks poor.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it requires full sun, growing in shady areas will not produce a green lush lawn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tends to thatch easily so regular de-thatching by rake or power machinery is required&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;seed germinates slowly and is slow to establish so it is recommended to sod rather than seed or sprig.  Sprigging may work for you depending on your location and soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can be invasive, getting into garden beds and requiring removal&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most herbicides do not recommend applying grass seed for at least six weeks due to residual toxicity. This depends on what you used and further consideration should be given to the weeds that were there before.  Some weeds laugh at herbicides and may reappear while the seed is establishing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without seeing the site I think you might find sod to be a better bet if this an area you want to work over once and not worry about.  Lay your sod parallel to the slope, using wooden stakes to secure it if the slope is really considerable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-02T19:43:02.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4024" CreationDate="2012-05-02T19:52:24.137" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first thing you can do is read the label on the herbicide you used thoroughly. You should have done that before you used it but I digress; if you at least followed the application instructions correctly you shouldn't have done any damage. Over-application of herbicide, even one with biodegradable chemicals, can &quot;poison&quot; the soil and prevent anything from growing in it, good or bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most herbicide blends, whether &quot;selective&quot; or &quot;ground-clearing&quot; (usually determining whether they kill only broadleaf plants or grass as well), contain a chemical designed to prevent germination of new seeds. These chemicals are not selective (the way they work, they can't be), and will prevent your grass seed from sprouting. The instructions on the herbicide will tell you how long to wait before seeding treated areas, or treating newly-seeded areas. Usually this is one to two months either way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once that time has passed, ground prep is usually as simple as loosening the top inch or so of soil with a bow rake. A full-size roto-tiller, designed to churn up several inches of soil for gardening, is usually not necessary unless the ground is REALLY hard or REALLY rocky. However, a &quot;cultivator&quot; may be called for; these are tools with a set of offset spinning spikes that do a combination of ground fluffing, thatching, weed-eating etc. These come in powered and unpowered variants and are generally easy enough to handle even on slopes, but can have trouble with rocky soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the ground prepped, most seeding products are as simple as loading them into the spreader, setting the desired dispersion rate, and heading out. However, you must then keep the ground nice and moist. Zoysia is very drought-tolerant, but like all grasses the seeds need plenty of water to grow and establish quickly. Watering once or twice a day for about 30 minutes, or long enough to keep the ground wet down to about 3 inches but not enough to turn it into mud, is the way to go. I would generally advise on a sprinkler instead of soaker hose, because a sprinkler will have less of a footprint and so you can leave it in the area between waterings without ending up with a twisted snaking bare path where the hose was. Grass generally takes about 2 to 3 weeks to take hold in an area, and can take up to a full season to really cover the ground well and &quot;dig in&quot; to prevent erosion. As was stated, Zoysia takes longer to establish than other grasses, so be patient. Once the grass is about 2&quot; tall you can start mowing it, but you should still water regularly (at least every other day) until the turf is at the desired thickness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1104" LastEditorUserId="1104" LastEditDate="2012-05-04T18:40:38.750" LastActivityDate="2012-05-04T18:40:38.750" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4027" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4037" CreationDate="2012-05-02T21:38:58.417" Score="9" ViewCount="4450" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two or three potato plants growing in my compost pile. I'm pretty sure they are some red potatoes I tossed after they got too old. I bought them from a local organic produce store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zKk4b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;potatoes: Boil'em, mash'em, stick'em in a stew&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants look pretty healthy (to my untrained eye).  What should I do with them, considering I want to grow some potatoes this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kill them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd generally prefer to grow potatoes from known good potato stock intended for such a purpose, but considering they're grown from organic potatoes, is there much risk?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Protect them in the compost pile so I can harvest them there later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This could be a bit of a hassle, considering I continue to add to the compost pile.  I also wonder if growing in the compost pile directly might not be best for the potatoes--would they be happier in regular soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Transplant them to my main garden area for a real potato harvest later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure how realistic this is... I suspect this would basically amount to harvesting the (likely small/immature?) potatoes, and planting them anew in my garden.  At this point, I may as well buy some actual seed potatoes, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="705" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-08-04T15:29:02.153" Title="What should I do with some volunteer potatoes growing in my compost pile?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;&lt;volunteer&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4028" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4035" CreationDate="2012-05-02T21:52:44.957" Score="2" ViewCount="19511" Body="&lt;p&gt;I transplanted some cabbage about a month ago (after starting it from seed in a flat).  Now I see that something is eating the cabbage leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fvpoz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cabbage Image #1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also see that one pair of seedlings is doing very poorly:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EGI7r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cabbage Image #2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is eating these leaves?  the lettuce growing next to the cabbage appears unmolested. I have seen a rabbit or two in the neighborhood, but I don't think a rabbit would cause this kind of damage, would it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And what (organic) options do I have to protect my cabbage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt; Found this critter on one of the leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PmFZs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;caterpillar&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="705" LastEditorUserId="705" LastEditDate="2012-05-04T16:34:04.780" LastActivityDate="2018-02-06T03:45:18.603" Title="What is eating my cabbage, and how can I protect it?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;cabbage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4029" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4028" CreationDate="2012-05-02T22:43:59.057" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's some kind of bug - not a vertebrate.  If you're not seeing it at all during the day, go out at night.  One common bug that does this that you &lt;em&gt;should&lt;/em&gt; be able to spot during the day is the cabbage looper - green caterpillars with two white stripes on each side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-05-02T22:43:59.057" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4030" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-03T01:22:57.107" Score="7" ViewCount="899" Body="&lt;p&gt;I came home today and noticed two patches of this stuff in my flower bed.  I recently put down new mulch and I just started watering my lawn again. I live in Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Is this a fungus?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;2) Is it harmful?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;3) How do I get rid of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tK7gM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="538" LastActivityDate="2012-05-04T18:45:18.333" Title="What is this fungus or weed growing in my flower bed?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4031" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4033" CreationDate="2012-05-03T01:35:52.993" Score="9" ViewCount="439" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found these growing in our flower bed of the home we recently purchased. I didn't really like how they looked, so I started ripping them out. Afterwards, I noticed some in other strategic places and thought maybe I had made a mistake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/63xuv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;Learned earlier today that the stuff in the background is thistle. I'm interested in the stuff with the reddish stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Crab3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;This is a picture of the root of one that I dug up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1WI4u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stuff growing in another portion of the yard is starting to develop bud at the end. I'm not sure what will come out of it though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1149" LastActivityDate="2012-05-03T03:04:10.747" Title="Is this a desirable plant or a weed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4032" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-03T03:02:01.560" Score="4" ViewCount="354" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm just wondering why most of the organic fertilizer are in granules. Yes, fish emulsion is liquid but there are no organic fertilizer is in powder form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wouldn't it be easier if they crush the granules into powder so that we can simply mix them with water and pour them to the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although I can think of an exception of bone meal, which need to be mixed with the soil completely because it doesn't move around in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-02T21:38:18.987" LastActivityDate="2014-10-02T21:38:18.987" Title="Why can't you get organic fertilizers in powder form?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4033" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4031" CreationDate="2012-05-03T03:04:10.747" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves in the first picture make me think it's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peony&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Peony&lt;/a&gt; which would make it a good plant to have.  A look at the buds on your other plants would help confirm it.  This is a picture of one in my yard; notice the globe-shaped flower bud at top right held high above the leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C3m15.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The shoots look like you have the herbaceous type, meaning that they die back every year, regrowing in the Spring.  In the right conditions, the plants can live for a long time.   Some varieties can be &lt;em&gt;extremely&lt;/em&gt; fragrant, and with some the flowers can be so big and heavy that they need support either by staking the stems or with a peony cage. They can be spectacular when they flower as a quick &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&amp;amp;q=peony&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;image search&lt;/a&gt; will show (image from Wikipedia):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ny9qW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think they like to be disturbed once they've settled into a spot, though, so the ones that you've pulled up may not do well for a while if you decide to replant them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2012-05-03T03:04:10.747" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4034" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4032" CreationDate="2012-05-03T09:39:33.947" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;My bet is because of the slow(er) release of the nutrients in the granules over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the granules become wet, the substance will release a bit. After some other rain it will release some more etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Releasing too much fertilizer at once can burn the roots etc. It can make your soil too acidic and 'scare' away micro-organisms that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's why you should take 2 weeks between putting manure on the soil and planting new plants into the soil. Root burns are one of the most damaging things that can happen when plants get a new environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonemeal and fish emulsion don't burn that much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1069" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-03T11:44:42.997" LastActivityDate="2012-05-03T11:44:42.997" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4035" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4028" CreationDate="2012-05-03T11:55:52.250" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like it could be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r108301111.html&quot;&gt;imported cabbage worm&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Pieris rapae&lt;/em&gt;). Though it could be one of the other species that also gets lumped under the generic &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage_worm&quot;&gt;&quot;cabbage worm&quot;&lt;/a&gt; label.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had similar-looking worms and very similar damage. You can (mostly) prevent them from getting on your cabbage (and other brassicas) by using row cover &lt;em&gt;as soon as you transplant or direct-seed&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that you've got them on your plants, you'll have to spray. I've had good luck with Bt (&lt;em&gt;Bacillus thuringiensis&lt;/em&gt;), an organic-approved biological control. You can get it at your garden center; follow the instructions on the label. I spray every couple of weeks and the damage is minimal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-03T11:55:52.250" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4036" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4030" CreationDate="2012-05-03T14:51:05.357" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just talked to the guy that handles my lawn and he said that this is common with new mulch.  As the wood decomposes, you can sometimes get different types of bacteria and fungi as a result.  He told me that he's seen it before and says that you can just remove it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, from what I hear this isn't harmful to your shrubs either, so that's a plus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="538" LastActivityDate="2012-05-03T14:51:05.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4037" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4027" CreationDate="2012-05-03T16:40:31.150" Score="11" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Organic probably isn't well-correlated with whether the potatoes are carrying any disease or not. This is the primary reason that you want good potato seed stock, whether conventional or organic. I've grown my own organic potatoes and had them get full of blight, but was still able to harvest some edible potatoes. While they were edible (and probably would have been marketable if I were selling), they would &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; be something you'd want to save for seed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Letting them be probably wouldn't do much harm. It's up to you if you want to deal with the hassle of adding to the pile while the potatoes are growing there. I've heard of plenty of people growing potatoes under straw, so they don't &lt;em&gt;need&lt;/em&gt; soil. They look pretty healthy to me, and will probably give you some tasty taters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't bother trying to transplant. Doesn't seem like it has much chance given the effort involved.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-03T16:40:31.150" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4038" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4039" CreationDate="2012-05-03T17:34:21.073" Score="5" ViewCount="1345" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a house and have this 250 sqft backyard with really tall grass (about 7 inches). I found an 18&quot; push reel mower and an electric trimmer (weedeater) thing in the garage. The reel mower is not able to cut anything, I guess, since the grass is really tall plus the blades looks really dull to me. So my question is: can I use the electrical trimmer to cut 1/3rd of the grass in the entire lawn a couple of times and then go back to using the reel mower when the grass gets manageable. I mean, is it OK to use the trimmer for the lawn, or are they specifically meant for edges and would destroy the lawn if used to cover the entire area?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1153" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2012-08-15T16:39:28.267" LastActivityDate="2012-08-15T16:39:28.267" Title="Is it OK to use a trimmer when my reel mower does not work?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4039" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4038" CreationDate="2012-05-03T18:06:29.110" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well a trimmer won't destroy the lawn but it won't do a good job.  It is difficult to keep the trimmer head at exactly the same height. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use a sharpener on the blades, even sandpaper will help.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;oil all the moving parts of the mower, WD40, lubricating oil or whatever comes to hand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do wear protective gear when using a trimmer&lt;/strong&gt;. Gloves and glasses are essential if you don't know what's overgrown under the grass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;using the trimmer reduce the lawn height to three to four inches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use the reel mower to give a nice clean cut.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Ok, maybe not WD40...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-03T20:01:51.527" LastActivityDate="2012-05-03T20:01:51.527" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4040" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4041" CreationDate="2012-05-03T18:27:17.193" Score="6" ViewCount="268" Body="&lt;p&gt;The last two mornings I have come out to find 4 or 5 of my newly planted vegetables dug up out of their holes. The plants themselves appear to be undamaged so I just keep replanting them in the hole that some creature dug it out of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could be doing this and what is it looking for? My best bet is raccoons, but I have never heard of them doing stuff like this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FYI I live in Northern California in the foothills.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="837" LastActivityDate="2012-05-03T19:09:17.187" Title="What keeps digging up my veggies?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4040" CreationDate="2012-05-03T19:09:17.187" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you have grubs? Last year I had a lot of grubs. For a few days, I'd go out and find that my basil had been dug up -- nothing was eaten, just a bunch of digging around that happened to damage the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it was a skunk -- I &lt;em&gt;saw&lt;/em&gt; the skunk one day at dusk, not in the garden, but heading towards the fence. I also saw what I believe to be skunk turds in a couple of places around the fence and inside the garden. Skunks like grubs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I inspected the entire perimeter, I found a small gap that it must have been getting through. After plugging the gap, nothing was disturbed. My (apparently skunk-proof) fence is mostly 4 and 5' welded-wire, with a couple sections of 4' chicken wire. The bottom isn't buried in the dirt everywhere, but where it isn't buried, I've got rocks piled up on both sides of the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-03T19:09:17.187" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3975" CreationDate="2012-05-03T20:47:01.643" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erigeron&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;daisy fleabane, &lt;em&gt;Erigeron&lt;/em&gt; sp.&lt;/a&gt;. My best guess is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erigeron_pulchellus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Robin's plantain, &lt;em&gt;E. pulchellus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, at least if you live in eastern North America. It's native there, and a very common &quot;weed&quot; of semi-disturbed areas, but it also is common in moist-ish open to moderately closed woods.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-17T03:25:05.030" LastActivityDate="2014-07-17T03:25:05.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4043" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4045" CreationDate="2012-05-03T23:20:06.083" Score="2" ViewCount="261" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there an ideal time of day to water the average house plant? Does it depend purely on the plant, or are there times of the day (evening for example) when you should avoid watering them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1134" LastEditorUserId="705" LastEditDate="2012-05-04T08:44:05.553" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T23:08:44.487" Title="What is the best time to water a house plant?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4044" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4030" CreationDate="2012-05-04T02:03:05.090" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/TRA/PLANTS/slime.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;slime mold&lt;/a&gt;, a weird primitive organism that has spores but isn't fungus.  See also (as usual) &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slime_mold&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not harmful.  In a very few places, one phase of this, when it's transparent &quot;slime&quot;, is eaten.  No thanks.  It made (non)&lt;a href=&quot;http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/june99.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fungus of the month in 1999&lt;/a&gt; - what an honor!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for getting rid of it - there's no need, but if you want to try, use a shovel, not a hose.  Spraying it will just spread the spores around.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-05-04T18:45:18.333" LastActivityDate="2012-05-04T18:45:18.333" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4043" CreationDate="2012-05-04T02:12:21.600" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since the humidity doesn't vary much in the house, and you don't need to worry about spray evaporating, it doesn't matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-05-04T02:12:21.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4046" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-04T06:12:57.837" Score="5" ViewCount="217" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife and I would like to have a potted orange tree. We live in the San Diego area so the climate for citrus trees is near perfect, but we don't know what kind of tree we should buy. Also, how large of a pot, half a barrel size? Any other tips on the care and feeding would be most welcome. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1082" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-06T02:44:48.183" LastActivityDate="2012-05-06T04:44:01.370" Title="What are some recommendations for a potted orange tree?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4047" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-04T13:58:28.507" Score="2" ViewCount="1659" Body="&lt;p&gt;I plant morning glories every year in containers to climb up the walls of my terrace, but this year am having a lot of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3998/why-arent-my-morning-glories-sprouting-this-year&quot;&gt;trouble&lt;/a&gt; with them.  When buying the seeds, I saw sweet peas as well, and decided to give them a shot, and unlike the morning glories, they're doing great so far - I planted them later than the morning glories (less than 2 weeks ago), and every seed has sprouted and they look very healthy.  I'm wondering if I should be planting more sweet peas, and how they compare with morning glories in a number of areas:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How fast do they grow, compared to morning glories?  The number one priority is height/volume.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How does their coverage compare?  Will they &quot;branch out&quot; as much as morning glories?  ~6 morning glories in a rectangular 36&quot; planter fully covered a 6' x 10' section of wall - would the vines from the sweet peas do the same?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I need to care for them any differently?  I have read that they like colder temperatures.  Is a New York summer too hot for them?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When (as in time of day) do they bloom?  One frustration with morning glories is that the flowers are only out in the mornings, and at night when I'm actually there they are gone or shriveled up.  I've never had any luck with moonflowers.  Will the sweet pea flowers be open at night?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks - I have had a hard time finding answers to these by googling, and the photos seem to be focused on the flowers and not the vines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="143" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-05-06T23:46:13.233" Title="How do sweet peas compare with morning glories in terms of growth, coverage, etc.?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;morning-glory&gt;&lt;sweet-pea&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4048" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-04T14:13:54.090" Score="1" ViewCount="2445" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have just read about bindweed - essentially a variety of morning glory that is considered a weed because of how fast it grows and how it &quot;chokes&quot; other plants.  This may be exactly what I need to quickly cover the walls of my terrace (it will be grown in containers and won't be near any other plants).  I can't find any place to get the seeds (perhaps understandably).  Is there anywhere I can get them, and is there any reason I shouldn't plant them for my needs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="143" LastActivityDate="2015-08-03T16:21:28.290" Title="Where can I get bindweed seeds?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;morning-glory&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2016-11-24T02:41:47.640" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="249" CreationDate="2012-05-04T16:40:58.270" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Honeysuckle?  Depending on how big your containers are.  Or buy new morning glory seeds - sounds like you got a bad batch&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastActivityDate="2012-05-04T16:40:58.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4051" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4027" CreationDate="2012-05-04T16:42:34.243" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;When this happens to me I just let them grow where they are.  But I had enough space int he past to move the compost pile and let them grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastActivityDate="2012-05-04T16:42:34.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4052" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4048" CreationDate="2012-05-04T17:04:23.050" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think morning glory seeds would do the job you wanted.  They have no problems covering large areas and don't spread where they aren't wanted. I agree with @Tim planting bindweed is something you are likely to regret.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-04T19:10:20.030" LastActivityDate="2012-05-04T19:10:20.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4053" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4054" CreationDate="2012-05-04T17:07:59.807" Score="5" ViewCount="927" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I buy over-the-counter iron supplements at a drug store, mix with water and spray on dandelions, will it kill them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If so, how much iron do I need and is it more cost effective to make this yourself than buying iron-based weed killers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1155" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-04T19:09:41.960" LastActivityDate="2012-05-04T19:09:41.960" Title="Will dandelion spray made with iron supplements work?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;dandelions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4053" CreationDate="2012-05-04T19:01:43.163" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably not.  The active ingredient in the new iron-based weedkillers is a specific iron chelate - specifically, iron HEDTA (Hydroxyethyl Ethylenediamine Triacetic Acid).  AFAICT, this isn't used in diet supplements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't try using the weedkiller as a diet supplement, either. ;-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-05-04T19:01:43.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4055" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-04T20:18:16.163" Score="3" ViewCount="215" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a beautiful yellow cymbidium mini. Once I forgot it in heavy rain and in time it rotted badly. I dried it out, cut the rotten parts and left one old, slightly decayed bulb with the flower, but the decay spread through all remaining healthy parts. Now there is just one healthy little young bulb left, but with 3 starting (1cm) roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does it have any chance to survive? I keep it in very small cup with airy fine substrate, fertilized very little, I spray it with water little twice a day. Can I do more? It is my most beloved one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1156" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-06T02:43:14.630" LastActivityDate="2014-04-02T13:09:29.853" Title="Can a single young bulb of cymbidium mini survive?" Tags="&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4056" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-04T20:52:59.220" Score="4" ViewCount="143" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I plant pansies among bushes in my landscaping, will they come back the next spring? I live in Central PA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1157" LastActivityDate="2012-07-04T01:41:47.453" Title="Can pansies overwinter in Central PA?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4056" CreationDate="2012-05-05T01:13:07.653" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, they will overwinter. I am in south eastern PA and do this often. It works best if you start with small plants. They sometimes almost seem to disappear in winter, but invariably come back in spring. On some mild winters, they may bloom steadily throughout the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-05-05T01:13:07.653" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4058" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4048" CreationDate="2012-05-05T02:39:57.070" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;If there isn't bindweed in your area don't be the person that imports it... There are a great many climbing plants, including morning glory, passion flower, honey suckle, trumpet vine, even Virginia creeper or hops... Do some research and find something suitable in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-05T02:39:57.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4059" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4047" CreationDate="2012-05-05T02:43:16.567" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a great many kinds of sweet peas... But I haven't ever grown one that much hight than 24&quot;, I suspect that a sweet pea could fill up some spacial volume better than morning glory&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-05T02:43:16.567" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4060" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4005" CreationDate="2012-05-05T02:52:52.390" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends on where you live, but in general: One hose should be good, but I would bury it at least 3 inches, it probably would require extra top water for seedlings until they get established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-05T02:52:52.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4061" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3992" CreationDate="2012-05-05T03:03:06.293" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Monocots are very tough to identify out of context... You could start by looking through the various genera in Asparagaceae and Liliaceae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will know better if it flowers...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-05T03:03:06.293" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4062" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3978" CreationDate="2012-05-05T03:08:13.353" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It should be fine, I doubt they will root like tomatoes... Monocots grow adventitious roots, I wouldnt worry too much about it, unless you live in an area with a lot of water... Then avoid it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-05T03:08:13.353" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4064" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-05T03:49:10.890" Score="8" ViewCount="12823" Body="&lt;p&gt;You know those roles of black plastic you can get at Home Depot?   What does the plastic have to be made of to be safe for lining a garden bed?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What if the plastic is exposed to sunlight - what plastic is still safe to grow edible vegetables from?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1139" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2020-05-26T21:17:58.417" LastActivityDate="2020-08-02T19:45:44.510" Title="What type of plastic is safe for lining vegetable garden beds?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="4065" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4072" CreationDate="2012-05-05T04:08:01.893" Score="2" ViewCount="1947" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was thinking of getting 2x6&quot;x8' redwood planks to make raised beds.   The beds will not be burried at all.  Will lining the inside that with that black plastic make these beds last longer, or does it not matter?   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1139" LastActivityDate="2012-05-05T20:42:30.340" Title="Will a plastic liner in a Redwood raised bed make the wood last longer?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4066" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-05T11:08:31.717" Score="3" ViewCount="740" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do my seedlings continue thriving by watering, if they were placed in a dry pot for a day or two without any water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This question may have a relation to &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/3083/1106&quot;&gt;How do you water tiny seedlings&lt;/a&gt;&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1st Edit: put image below.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qwfnf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1st&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xPtSD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2nd&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T4OUx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3rd&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are sour oranges!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2nd Edit: Nothing happen, after 2 or 3 weeks observation they are healthy, some of them have leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1106" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-05-21T08:39:59.630" Title="What happens if I forget to water seedlings?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4067" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4068" CreationDate="2012-05-05T13:00:30.453" Score="6" ViewCount="2033" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn is very uneven - it seems that between trees &amp;amp; settling fill there are places where there are dips of up to 8&quot;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to get a load of topsoil, but I'm wondering how much dirt I can place over existing grass before I will need to re-seed the area?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="243" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-06T00:38:30.413" LastActivityDate="2012-05-06T00:38:30.413" Title="How much topsoil can I put over grass before needing to re-seed?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4067" CreationDate="2012-05-05T14:29:31.583" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not much, for small holes you can roll your existing sod back and fill in the hole, then replant your sod, if it is in good shape. If you are doing your whole yard, probably better to reseed, depending on the age of your lawn you may be getting a more modern water-wise variety anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-05T14:29:31.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4069" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4066" CreationDate="2012-05-05T14:36:01.607" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on every factor that you haven't included, species of seedling, humidity, how large of container and what material is it made from... How hot is it? What substrate are they planted in...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For instance: In the desert in the summer, most seedlings will wilt in a nursery flat if not watered continually, but in a coastal area during the spring you may only have to water some types of seedlings once or twice a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-11T14:45:56.617" LastActivityDate="2012-05-11T14:45:56.617" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4070" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="801" CreationDate="2012-05-05T16:56:55.910" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I add my coffee grounds to my worm bin... It is an easy way to process veggie scraps, and a lot faster than composting (at least in the semi arid salt lake valley.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-05T16:56:55.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4071" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4064" CreationDate="2012-05-05T20:35:49.800" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Landscape fabrics are made of woven polypropylene which is considered to be stable, or safe, for organic gardens.  As it is woven it will allow water through it.  Cheap landscape fabric is not UV stable and tears like tissue paper after a while.  I can't find anything about decay products even though manufacturers of commercial grade products describe them as &quot;resistant&quot; not impervious. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The commercial grade products I have used in retaining walls look good even after ten + years in close contact with the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given the short life cycle of vegetables any commercial grade fabric will do the job.Replace the fabric every ten years and you should be guaranteed not to have any contaminants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-05T20:35:49.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4065" CreationDate="2012-05-05T20:42:30.340" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Black plastic is a wide ranging term.  Landscape fabric will not help you here as it is porous.&#xA;Redwood is pretty expensive so putting a liner or inner pot will extend the life of the containers.  A properly lined container will last much longer than one where the wood is exposed to damp soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pool liner comes in a variety of types.  The blue coloured material used for swimming pools is toxic for fish. So, probably not a good choice for plants.  I have used black EPDM pool liner marked for use in ponds to line containers and it works great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;UV stable for 25+ years&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;resistant to leaks and tears&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;not that expensive given the life of the material&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;impervious to water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-05T20:42:30.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4073" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4828" CreationDate="2012-05-05T21:34:08.840" Score="2" ViewCount="145" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a palm tree to provide a back drop to a swimming pool. I think I want a medium sized palm but I know nothing about them and need to educate myself. Where can I learn about the different palms that are available and what would be most suitable for my needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've already tried going to local nurseries but they only seem to be interested in advising me on palms that they have in stock and I worry that I'm not getting objective advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="1203" LastEditDate="2012-05-19T01:46:23.043" LastActivityDate="2012-07-18T12:22:16.630" Title="Where can I educate myself about palm trees?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4074" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-06T00:27:01.243" Score="7" ViewCount="7332" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there any way to prevent maple trees from producing seeds? I have 2 old maples that are beautiful trees, but I hate the seeds. They sprout everywhere, they clog up the gutters and get tracked in the house. The seeds are produced by the thousands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1161" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-06T02:36:02.563" LastActivityDate="2019-05-20T13:22:03.567" Title="Is there any way to prevent maple seeds from developing?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4075" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-06T03:12:56.777" Score="1" ViewCount="347" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there any permits required? What can be done to prevent problems with authorities in this regard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="237" LastActivityDate="2012-05-06T14:25:41.470" Title="Are raised beds considered a change of grading?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2012-08-23T15:22:50.787" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4076" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4075" CreationDate="2012-05-06T04:26:24.310" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seems like it would depend on where you live and what you mean by raised beds... If you are building a terraced rice patty, maybe it would, if you mean some planters set off with railroad ties, or concrete landscaping block... Probably not; but check your local ordinances. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-06T04:26:24.310" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3881" CreationDate="2012-05-06T04:39:52.013" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The flowers will simply fall off, or if they are past that point the fruit turns very dark, and becomes translucent, it will then darken and dry out... I assume you know by now, how did it go?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-06T04:39:52.013" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4079" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4046" CreationDate="2012-05-06T04:44:01.370" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I may be missing something, but if you live in San Diego, why do you want a container citrus? Everyone else has to deal with setting fruit with limited light and winter protection, you just have to pick the one that you like the taste of most then buy the version that grows into the size that you have room for. Lucky...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-06T04:44:01.370" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4080" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4075" CreationDate="2012-05-06T14:25:41.470" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with @Grady Player. This question is very local.  Cities across the world have vastly different regulations. Ask yourself these questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is where you want to build the bed your property? (Condo's anyone?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;does it change the drainage in any way?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;will it change the amount of sunlight any neighbours might receive?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is it structurally safe and can you prove it?  I'm thinking of a raised bed on a rooftop where the static load must be assessed against what the roof can hold up.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is where you want to build it going to affect access of other parties. (right of way, shared driveways)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's always a good idea to consult your local authorities. In my city they have a phone line staffed with people paid to answer questions like this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-06T14:25:41.470" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4081" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4087" CreationDate="2012-05-06T17:52:53.230" Score="6" ViewCount="270" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've started unearthing those dandelions (why do I bother? What exactly do they do to my lawn). The root is notoriously long and brittle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I know if I got the whole thing out? It always looks broken to me on the bottom. Even if I dig further, I can't tell if I got it or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-07T01:06:10.460" LastActivityDate="2012-05-12T21:03:44.507" Title="How can I verify the total extraction of dandelion roots?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;dandelions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4082" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4314" CreationDate="2012-05-06T18:00:39.633" Score="9" ViewCount="1497" Body="&lt;p&gt;As part of my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4081/verifying-dandelion-extraction-root-and-all&quot;&gt;other question&lt;/a&gt;, I started uprooting dandelions. How successful, exactly, in removing the root, I'm not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming that I am not always extracting 100% of the root, &lt;strong&gt;what can I put in the dug-up &quot;grave&quot; to prevent or stunt future dandelion growth?&lt;/strong&gt; For example, if I put salt, it's not likely the dandelion will grow back -- but neither will anything else! (I plan to eventually grow something.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, what can or should I be putting in here? Is grass seed &quot;okay&quot; or &quot;good enough?&quot; Is there something benign that will compete with dandelions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chemicals are a no-go -- I have young kids who play in the backyard, and in my area, they just banned a whole slew of lawn chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-05-25T20:04:13.743" Title="What can I plant in dandelion graves?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;dandelions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4083" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-06T21:07:28.933" Score="8" ViewCount="23453" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother is in a furor because the grapevine that she planted last spring and which flourished last year is now infested with little black bugs. From what I can tell, they seem to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://images.google.com/images?q=flea%20beetle&amp;amp;sout=1&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;flea beetles&lt;/a&gt;. (Are those thousands of tiny black spots they have left everywhere feces or eggs?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I’ve read conflicting information about them being a problem, not being a problem, even being beneficial. She is sure that the level of damage they are doing is certainly harmful since they have already pretty much destroyed most of the few leaves that have managed to bloom so far this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The vine is not on the ground; it grows up around the porch (she intends it to be used as a sort of privacy hedge when it thickens), so some pest-management techniques like row-covers or growing repellent companion plants around it likely will not work (also, there are already &lt;em&gt;lots&lt;/em&gt; of birds that frequent the area all day and they don’t seem to help).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anybody advise on how harmful they are and of a way to deal with them? (Preferably something not involving pesticides since they are poison, cost money, and would require searching town for a supply.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Figure 1&lt;/strong&gt;: Vine configuration&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XJT9v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Figure 2&lt;/strong&gt;: Leaf damage&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z3PGB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Figure 3&lt;/strong&gt;: Army of beetles&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TYWTH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="920" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-07T01:24:22.950" LastActivityDate="2014-08-03T03:55:15.513" Title="How can I deal with the beetles eating my grapevine?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4047" CreationDate="2012-05-06T23:46:13.233" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can't answer all of your questions, but I can tell you about my sweet peas. (Don't know what variety, sorry.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got sweet peas on a fence. The fence is only about 4' high, but they would keep right on going if it was higher -- probably at least 8'. Planted just a handful in the ground (not a planter) last year and they grew in very thick. This spring they've come back, and brought friends. I'm in NH -- Zone 5, and summers almost never hit 100°F, really just expect to have maybe 2-3 days above 90°F.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't specifically remember that much about the timing of the flowers. I &lt;em&gt;think&lt;/em&gt; they were open in the afternoon/early evening, but I don't remember about nighttime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-06T23:46:13.233" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4085" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-07T00:39:27.763" Score="5" ViewCount="2746" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are making numerous raised beds and have been playing around with various combinations of bagged garden soil, compost, etc. to fill them but this method is both expensive and providing less than perfect results.  Just read a gardening book that talked about instead using a soil less mix involving three materials: compost, peat moss and vermiculite. I had no problems finding the first two but the vermiculite I can only find in very tiny and expensive bags.  When you compare the vermiculite package with the peat moss package, it reads like both products do the same thing.  So can I just use the peat moss mixed with the compost/manure to make my soil less mix?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1163" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-07T01:03:00.557" LastActivityDate="2015-05-02T10:57:56.917" Title="How can I make a soiless mix for raised beds?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4086" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4085" CreationDate="2012-05-07T01:37:29.820" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The mix needs to contain three basic types of ingredients: something to retain water (the peat moss in your recipe), something to provide nutrients (the compost in your recipe), and something to provide drainage (the vermiculite in your recipe).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you make a mix of just peat and compost, it may not drain well enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some ingredients that you could use for each of the three basic types:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Retain Water&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Peat moss&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Coir (this will likely be more expensive than the peat)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nutrients&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Compost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Manure&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilizer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Drainage&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Vermiculite&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Perlite&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sharp sand (aka washed sand, winter sand). You don't want to get &quot;sandy fill&quot; even though it may be the cheapest thing on the menu at your local sand &amp;amp; gravel yard, because this will probably be too silty and won't provide good drainage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose if you use sand, it's maybe not technically a &quot;soilless&quot; mix, but I find that sand works well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A recipe that I use that works very well for plant-starting potting soil and costs very little; it would work well in raised beds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1 part well-composted horse manure (mine also contains composted kitchen scraps and some poultry manure). Since my horse manure contains a stall bedding product made from wood, it has really good moisture absorbing properties, so this meets both the water retention and nutrient requirements.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1 part washed sand (this is the only part I might pay for, but sometimes I get free sand)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1 part good garden soil -- obviously, if you are building brand-new garden beds, you won't have this&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes I'll mix in peat moss if the compost portion is more compost-y and not as manure-y.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to build a low-cost mix for new raised beds, look around your local area to see what you can get cheaply. In many areas, if you own a pickup, you can find a horse stable or a dairy farm where you can get free or cheap composted manure. (The last time I went &quot;off farm&quot; for manure, I paid $20 for a pickup-truck load of well-rotted cow manure that the farmer loaded for me with his tractor. I also made a few trips to horse farms where I had to shovel it on the truck, but it was free for the taking.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-07T01:37:29.820" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4081" CreationDate="2012-05-07T01:42:14.400" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chances are, you didn't get the whole thing out.  But you probably got enough of it out so that when/if it does re-grow, it will be a much smaller plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only way to make sure the entire thing is dead is to spray it with something that will get absorbed into the plant and kill it.  But that's not nearly as satisfying as ripping them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  One suggestion is to spray a bit of weed killer or vinegar into the hole created by most weed removal tools, which will kill the entire plant without affecting the surrounding grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do leave them in, the leaves will eventually kill grass under them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="243" LastEditorUserId="243" LastEditDate="2012-05-12T21:03:44.507" LastActivityDate="2012-05-12T21:03:44.507" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4090" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4083" CreationDate="2012-05-07T03:16:07.510" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh, not good, I am not really an expert on pests, but I would try neem oil, works on all manor of pests... Oh yeah, btw it doesn't smell very good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-07T03:16:07.510" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4091" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3986" CreationDate="2012-05-07T03:45:20.373" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yeah, should be fine, citrus fertilizers usually have extra micronutrients, like chromium and copper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-07T03:45:20.373" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4093" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4085" CreationDate="2012-05-07T05:34:36.000" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since I've watched &quot;Back to Eden&quot; about mulching with woodchips I'm convinced to give that a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because it seems the most natural and logical thing to do. In nature there is no mix with peat, compost and vermiculite on a 1-1-1 basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would start with grassclippings, compost on top of that and mulch with woodchips. Add little manure on top and later on some bonemeal, bloodmeal or anything else when needed. Every next year, just some woodchips and little manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To me, that's the most natural way to get good healthy soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1069" LastActivityDate="2012-05-07T05:34:36.000" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4094" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4095" CreationDate="2012-05-07T11:49:05.057" Score="4" ViewCount="3524" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like now what this tree is in order to find out how to prune and whether or not the shadow of a rubinia close by is a problem as I have the impression the tree is weak (at least it was the case last year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree has yellow flowers and oval leaves. The fruits/seeds have a similar form as a maple-tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures (click to enlargen):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FUtep.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FUtepm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O8iTk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O8iTkm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SlTmX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SlTmXm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YRyeS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YRyeSm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2013-03-31T00:50:23.690" Title="What is this tree with oval leaves and yellow flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4095" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4094" CreationDate="2012-05-07T12:12:35.163" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laburnum&quot;&gt;Laburnum × watereri&lt;/a&gt; also known as golden chain tree.  The most common cultivar is &quot;Vossii&quot;.  I note that all parts of the plant are poisonous. It's a member of the pea family (Fabaceae).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In North America this plant is prized for it's stunning, fragrant,short lived floral display but can be a little fussy.  Not too hot (USDA 7), not too cold (USDA 5).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree tends to have weak floppy growth. A program of preventive pruning to decrease the number of top shoots in awkward locations that rub other branches or put too much weight on the base trunk is recommended.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-07T13:12:24.527" LastActivityDate="2012-05-07T13:12:24.527" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4097" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-07T14:03:40.097" Score="5" ViewCount="2591" Body="&lt;p&gt;My 6-7 year-old outdoor date palm trees are growing side-sprouts, resulting in multiple trunks. How do I prevent this from happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="126" LastEditorUserId="126" LastEditDate="2012-05-09T07:02:31.780" LastActivityDate="2014-03-22T19:55:48.517" Title="How do I stop palm trees from sprouting from the side?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4098" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-07T15:38:06.200" Score="6" ViewCount="7201" Body="&lt;p&gt;Caveat - I am about as novice as it gets when it comes to gardening, and especially with vegetables.  I'm trying tomatoes for the first time this year (&lt;a href=&quot;http://bonnieplants.com/products/vegetables/tomato-varieties/all-tomatoes/husky-cherry-red-tomato&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Husky Cherry Red)&lt;/a&gt;, and am wondering how I should be feeding them.  There is so much information (talking about fertilizers defined by 3 numbers, fish oil?, etc.) I just can't make sense of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately I did not know to mix fertilizer in with the soil at the time of planting.  Here's what I did:  They are in 5-gallon paint buckets.  I drilled ~12 1/4&quot; holes in the bottom, lined the bottom with about 2 inches of rocks, filled with soil (that said it was for flowers and vegetables), and planted the tomatoes in those organic &quot;pots&quot; they came in according to directions (rip the bottom half off and drop the pieces in the hole).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been watering a lot, and they look healthy.  In 2 weeks they've grown a few inches.  No fruit yet though.  Oh - I'm in New York and they get plenty of sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do now as far as feeding?  There seems to be so many choices - I'm really just looking for a &quot;tell me as if you were talking to a 5-year-old explanation.&quot;  Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="143" LastActivityDate="2012-05-07T16:26:53.797" Title="How should I be fertilizing my container tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4099" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4098" CreationDate="2012-05-07T16:26:53.797" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's possible that the soil you used has fertilizer already mixed in; I couldn't tell you without looking at the bag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The three major nutrients required by plants are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These are often abbreviated N-P-K (the chemical symbols for each respective element). The three numbers listed on fertilizer bags are the percentage of those nutrients that are present, e.g. 2-5-3 is 2% nitrogen, 5% phosphorus, and 3% potassium, by weight. (It's slightly more complicated than that, but you don't care about the gory details; read the comment I left below the question for more info.) There are other nutrients needed in large-ish quantities (&quot;macronutrients&quot;) by plants, and several that are needed in much smaller quantities (&quot;micronutrients&quot;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For tomatoes, you want to make sure they're getting enough P and K, and not too much N. If you give them too much nitrogen, you'll end up with a lot of foliage and not a lot of fruit -- nitrogen stimulates green growth. But if they don't have enough nitrogen, the leaves will start to turn yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you used reasonably fertile soil (or better, compost mixed in to your pots) then you shouldn't have problems with the micronutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes are sensitive to a lack of calcium, which is one of the macronutrients. If you don't provide enough calcium (and/or don't provide a consistent water supply as they're setting fruit), then they can develop blossom end rot, which could ruin your harvest. You &lt;em&gt;probably&lt;/em&gt; don't need to worry about this -- just keep a consistent watering schedule.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're low on phosphorus, you'll need to use a liquid fertilizer. Putting dry phosphate on the soil surface won't do much for you since it tends to move slowly through soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You said New York; I think based on your other questions this is NYC, and you're gardening on a balcony. So I wouldn't recommend fish emulsion (which is what it sounds like -- basically ground up fish in liquid form that you can spray on the plants), since the smell will not make you popular with your neighbors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I would recommend is a trip to your garden center to see what they have for organic liquid fertilizers (that don't stink too bad) with an N-P-K label something like 0-3-2 (don't interpret my recommendation rigidly; you might do ok with 1-3-1 or 1-2-0.5, but you don't want large numbers, and the first number (nitrogen) should be smaller than the second two (phosphorus and potassium)). The benefit of using something like liquified kelp (which might be too stinky) is that it has plenty of micronutrients on the off chance that your soil is lacking in something. Follow the directions on the back of the package, e.g. mix two Tbs in a gallon of water and soak the foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-07T16:26:53.797" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4100" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3083" CreationDate="2012-05-07T16:35:18.617" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use a turkey baster to water my seedlings in peat pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastActivityDate="2012-05-07T16:35:18.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4101" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4083" CreationDate="2012-05-07T16:37:45.143" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found these suggestions for commercial grape growers &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/factsheets/grapes/pests/gfb/gfb.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; which confirms @Grady Player suggestion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They do note that&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;...treatment with a broad-spectrum insecticide is effective against&#xA;  adults migrating to grapevines from their hibernation sites, but&#xA;  timing is very critical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;At the time larvae and beetles are feeding on the upper surface of&#xA;  grape leaves, they are easily controlled by spraying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not recommend soap to control beetles as they have tough shells. A more effective alternative is spraying with a pyrethrin compound or dusting with a diatomaceous earth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cleaning up the area by removing old leaves and branches and working over the soil nearby in the spring to expose overwintering adults is another possible control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot find any agreement on planting marigolds to deter beetles.  Some say yes, many say no. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-14T18:11:25.103" LastActivityDate="2012-05-14T18:11:25.103" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4102" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-07T16:51:22.283" Score="4" ViewCount="7342" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4082/what-can-i-plant-in-dandelion-graves&quot;&gt;What can I plant in dandelion graves?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been very active this year religiously pulling dandelions with a dedicated weed removal tool and my lawn is virtually free of the &quot;yellow menace&quot; now. When I pulled the dandilions out, a small but noticable hole is left behind. Typically I step on the hole in an effort to close it, but I feel like I should fill it in with soil or something. Can someone recommend a good solution to fill the many holes on my nice green lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1169" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-05-07T19:23:17.247" Title="What is the proper method for repairing the holes left behind after pulling dandelions?" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2012-05-23T05:53:46.510" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4103" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4102" CreationDate="2012-05-07T17:25:55.817" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect either dirt or patience will do the trick... I just paid someone 30 bucks to put a whole bunch of holes in my lawn...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-07T17:25:55.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4102" CreationDate="2012-05-07T19:23:17.247" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leave the holes: they'll help to aerate your lawn just as well as any man-made hole.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have circular patches where the rosette of dandelion leaves has killed the grass, loosen the top inch or so of soil with a handheld cultivator, mix some grass seed into some compost and scatter it over the missing patch. Then keep it well watered for a few weeks until the grass is established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2012-05-07T19:23:17.247" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4106" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3971" CreationDate="2012-05-07T22:40:56.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably, but it takes forever. Honest. Just uproot them, it's easier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastActivityDate="2012-05-07T22:40:56.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4107" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-08T00:47:37.210" Score="6" ViewCount="6241" Body="&lt;p&gt;I didn't find anything Googling or in my John Seymour books:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question: Is there any reason not to build super-tall raised beds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason: Having the ground level at chest-height could make tending the plants much much easier on my back.  So I'm thinking of raised beds about 5 feet tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1172" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-08T01:19:18.397" LastActivityDate="2012-05-08T13:05:38.117" Title="Is there any reason not to build super-tall raised beds?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4108" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-08T01:02:24.043" Score="9" ViewCount="300" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read the posts on soil testing, and I realize it's cheap and widely available through local universities, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question: Is it possible to do my own soil testing?  Are there some compounds that it's very difficult to test for without a big fancy lab like at the university?  Can the same chemistry be used to test for compounds in things like compost, manure, etc?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In other words, if I invest in a little chemistry lab and follow instructions, can I test any mulch, compost, whatever that comes my way for chemical quantities, and make use of those numbers in deciding how to mix them and how long to let it age?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1172" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-08T01:22:22.560" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T06:52:54.697" Title="Is it possible to do my own extensive soil/organic matter testing?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;manure&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4109" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4528" CreationDate="2012-05-08T01:49:15.990" Score="6" ViewCount="967" Body="&lt;p&gt;After the flowers fell the green plums started growing. As soon as they were 1/4&quot; across, They began developing these little sunken black marks. I have been consistently spraying with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=fruit%20tree%20spray&amp;amp;um=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;amp;tbm=shop&amp;amp;cid=17491524663154315165&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=X3qoT56MDOPx6QGX2_DbBA&amp;amp;ved=0COQBEPMCMAA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;fruit tree spray.&lt;/a&gt; How can I control this?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1Ab9L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-08T01:58:21.330" LastActivityDate="2013-01-12T18:42:27.153" Title="What is this mark that appears on my small green plums?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4108" CreationDate="2012-05-08T01:51:26.933" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Short answer: yes you can find them for 3-20 usd depending on features.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Long answer: When I was young my biology teaching father brought home a suitcase full of colorful vials and reagents, each set represented a test for an aspect of the soil, phosphate, nitrate, pH, etc... I remember running every test available on the garden soil... When I was done I had a little card with all of the results... And as a result we did what we did every year, add more manure (we had horses).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the moral of the story is, sure you can buy  these tests and amend you soil and retest in the fall or next spring, but only bother if you have a plan an ideal target for something in particular.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-08T01:51:26.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4111" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7164" CreationDate="2012-05-08T01:57:36.493" Score="7" ViewCount="991" Body="&lt;p&gt;My new &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;ved=0CKoBEBYwAA&amp;amp;url=http://gurneys.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_74104&amp;amp;ei=_3uoT6vDMcix6QHRtMmnBA&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFh0m58lxjrucrDnkCYBBgxMPovQw&amp;amp;sig2=lRlkvqRwJuMDWiZa_LxWdA&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gurney's Whopper strawberries&lt;/a&gt; are growing large as advertised, but are an odd fan shape. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong? I have here a picture of Gurney's Whopper strawberries with a regular June-bearing strawberry plant for comparison.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M2jOh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NqztA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2020-12-23T16:14:55.893" Title="Are large strawberries supposed to be fan-shaped?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4108" CreationDate="2012-05-08T02:24:37.860" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can do your own testing. I've been told by different people whose opinion I trust that the consumer-grade kits that are available sometimes have problems with accuracy. It isn't clear if this is due to low quality in the kits, or problems that consumers have following directions, or both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For me, the point of soil testing is to make sure my soil isn't too low or too high on any nutrient. Levels don't change radically from year to year; my extension service recommends testing every couple of years. For my time and money, I'd rather get a high quality test every couple of years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, I'm not sure that you can do organic matter content (%) testing easily at home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-08T02:24:37.860" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4074" CreationDate="2012-05-08T07:09:56.127" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Manually thinning of the flowers on a large maple tree to reduce fruiting is dangerous and probably impossible. Setting aside an area under the tree into which the fruit can fall is impractical since the pods can ride a great distance on the slightest breeze. The only means of reducing the fruiting without harming the tree is some kind of chemical thinning. I discussed this in part of my answer to a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2633/how-do-i-reduce-the-amount-of-fruit-my-pear-tree-produces/&quot;&gt;similar question about reducing the fruit production of an ornamental pear&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of the options that I mentioned there, only the injectable deflowering agents, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.treetech.net/DeflowerA/Snipper/SnipLabel.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Snipper&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.arborsystems.com/material_updates/pdf/PC_SS.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pinscher&lt;/a&gt;, would be practical for a large tree. Both are specifically labeled for maples, and both were developed for treating mature landscape trees. To be effective, Snipper must be applied each spring as the flowers open, while Pinscher is applied during previous growing season to prevent the following spring's flowering. Since these chemicals must be injected into specific layers of wood just beneath the bark, they should only be applied by a professional arborist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: I have no personal experience with either chemical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-05-08T07:09:56.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4114" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4085" CreationDate="2012-05-08T07:37:44.510" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could try replacing vermiculite with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expanded_clay_aggregate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;expanded clay aggregate&lt;/a&gt;. It may be more available than vermiculite (here, in Poland, it is) and can provide the same function (drainage and loosening of the soil).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="976" LastActivityDate="2012-05-08T07:37:44.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4115" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4107" CreationDate="2012-05-08T12:34:01.303" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You mentioned some reasons not to build tall beds in a comment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd encourage you to also seek out info from Sepp Holzer (e.g. the book &quot;Sepp Holzer's Permaculture&quot;, though there's a bunch of other stuff on the web, some videos on youtube, etc). He talks about building large hugelkultur mounds (wood buried under soil to create raised beds) for the same reason that you mention: easier to plant, maintain, and harvest. I'm trying his method this year, with a couple of mounds (so far) that are about 3-4' high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My point in posting this answer is that you can overcome the drawbacks you mentioned in your comment by (1) using wood to fill the first couple of feet of volume and (2) not using any siding, just making mounds. Also by mounding you increase the square footage of planting area available since you can use the slope of the mound for planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only reason beyond yours that I can think of is that many tools are designed with long handles (e.g. hoes) so that you don't have to stoop to use them. You'd have to make your own hoe/weeder to work on high beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-08T12:34:01.303" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4116" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4107" CreationDate="2012-05-08T13:05:38.117" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Besides the aforementioned issue of cost, there are a few other items that you might want to consider.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How tall of plants do you plan on growing? Even a 1 or 2 foot tall plant in a raised bed to chest level might cause you problems because you would have to reach up to tend to the plant. Even if you can reach it without a step, it can cause strain on your back to be reaching up all of the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also think about how far out you would have to reach. A shorter bed allows you to grab over a plant, where as a chest high bed would require you to reach in between plants. Unless you have a very narrow bed or large spacing between plants, this could cause problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also think about how you will add soil. Over time your soil will settle so you will most likely need to add more soil. Lifting a bag of soil to chest height is a lot more strain on your back then lifting it into a shorter bed. A related note is how you will till up the dirt. Tall beds will only give you the option to till it by hand with a small hand shovel, where as a shorter bed you could still use other methods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will also want to consider how much sun the plants will get. This may or may not be an issue, but depending on your surroundings different height beds will get more or less sun. You might also run into problems with wind. Again this may or may not be an issue, but depending on your surroundings, it could be. Just make sure you take this into account.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overall I would say, you should consider various levels depending on the height of plants, but the highest I would consider is waist level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="946" LastActivityDate="2012-05-08T13:05:38.117" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4117" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4123" CreationDate="2012-05-08T13:23:43.883" Score="7" ViewCount="1639" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few days ago I put my basil outside. In a couple of days, the temperature fell considerably, and I think it got a shock, despite moving it back inside as soon as I could. I think this is the reason, however, it could also be a disease. Can you say if it's one or the other? The leaves are yellowish and broken, with the borders of the cuts greyish or brownish. In addition, there are slight pits on both surfaces of the leaf, either brown or grey. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1dAPi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="256" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-05-09T10:52:06.013" LastActivityDate="2012-05-09T10:52:06.013" Title="Basil: cold or disease?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4118" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4131" CreationDate="2012-05-08T14:02:26.097" Score="7" ViewCount="19626" Body="&lt;p&gt;We bought a house in the winter and once the snow cleared and things started growing, we noticed this low laying plant covering large sections of our lawn. It is mostly in the very shady areas and completely takes over those areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is nice to look at, and where it is there is so much shade I would need to plant a shade grass. I don't mind it, as long as it stays in place and doesn't try to take over the rest of the yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt; I live in Minnesota so I get lots of ice and snow (most winters).&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EJJsD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y7Yzu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1170" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-13T00:30:01.113" LastActivityDate="2012-05-13T00:30:01.113" Title="What is this purple flowering ground cover?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-09-18T15:13:06.570" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4119" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4122" CreationDate="2012-05-08T14:12:33.103" Score="6" ViewCount="815" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bought a house this winter and I am not sure what this fern is, or how to stop it from taking over. It is growing in two areas, and in one month it went from a dozen or so small stalks to  completely taking over both areas. It is so thick, the smaller flowers that came in earlier are total engulfed in these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do like the way these look, but they are way too thick for me and seem to spread very fast. They keep springing up in the lawn, but I pull those as soon as I see them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would love to identify this type of fern, and know if I can contain it and trim it back. It would be nice to have some of them, but not at the cost of everything else getting absorbed into them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9D6op.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Taking over this whole area&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MSLzu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;All flowers in here are now gone&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pcA68.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wIgBa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1170" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-05-09T10:56:33.743" Title="What can I do about this fern?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4120" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4118" CreationDate="2012-05-08T15:28:29.333" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Edit: changed my mind based additional information&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Scutellaria alpina or &lt;a href=&quot;http://navigate.botanicgardens.org/weboi/oecgi2.exe/INET_ECM_DispPl?NAMENUM=9957&amp;amp;DETAIL=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;S. pontica&lt;/a&gt; (??) The skullcap family are members of the Mint family and vary widely in height and leaf shape. Pontica is hardy to USDA zone 6 which is not in Minnesota but other species are hardy to that temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-08T16:18:14.950" LastActivityDate="2012-05-08T16:18:14.950" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4121" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="319" CreationDate="2012-05-08T16:20:55.837" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Also make sure your pile is not too big. Average size of 4x4x4 foot (1 cubic meter) is preferred. This makes it easier to turn over. It also makes it easier to dry when too wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can make multiple piles next to each other in different stages. 2 Piles is good, 3 is better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should be quite happy with the temperature. Try to keep it up for a couple of days. After that split the most and mix with new green and brown material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1069" LastActivityDate="2012-05-08T16:20:55.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4119" CreationDate="2012-05-08T16:21:19.190" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matteuccia_struthiopteris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ostrich fern&lt;/a&gt; Matteuccia struthiopteris.  I won't have it in my garden as it is too aggressive.  If you don't like it, you can pull it out or eat it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The tightly wound immature fronds, called fiddleheads, are also used&#xA;  as a cooked vegetable, and are considered a delicacy mainly in rural&#xA;  areas of northeastern North America.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to contain it would be to put a physical barrier down.  Pond liner comes to mind...dug in six to eight inches deep around the bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-08T16:21:19.190" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4123" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4117" CreationDate="2012-05-08T16:35:42.917" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basil is not very cold hardy and damage from just a touch of frost looks like this. Once a plant is weakened in cool damp weather the usual bacterial suspects move in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would pick off the damaged leaves and hope for warmer sunnier weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-08T16:35:42.917" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4124" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-08T20:14:16.307" Score="5" ViewCount="89" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hopefully on-topic enough:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What guidelines should gardeners follow in order to avoid back injuries and other health problems that could crop up in old age?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are all intensive gardeners doomed to some health problems from bending, hacking, whacking, shoveling, pulling, heaving, etc?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the best answer just: Do everything slowly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1172" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-05-29T08:35:38.053" LastActivityDate="2012-05-29T08:35:38.053" Title="Personal Health: Garden Labor and back injury" Tags="&lt;safety&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4125" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-08T19:51:11.107" Score="8" ViewCount="241" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a beautiful Shag Bark Hickory next to the house with a large hole about 18' up.  A family of raccoons moved in a few weeks ago and had a litter.  Recently we've seen a lot of domestic disturbance going on as the mother fought off the father.  Well, I can only assume he's gotten to the kids and killed them.  The tree is starting to smell and we see flies around it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want to cut down the tree, it's beautiful.  I know it's hollow.  It won't last forever but I still don't want to cut the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do we do about the scent?  Is there a way to not have to endure it?  Concrete?  Flesh eating beetle?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What advice, please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1174" OwnerDisplayName="Trout" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-05-09T02:55:36.853" LastActivityDate="2013-02-19T22:55:36.230" Title="What to do when an animal dies inside a hollow tree?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;raccoons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4126" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4125" CreationDate="2012-05-08T20:00:49.323" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Time and flies will take care of the problem with you, if you can wait a couple of weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="671" OwnerDisplayName="The Evil Greebo" LastActivityDate="2012-05-08T20:00:49.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4125" CreationDate="2012-05-08T20:30:49.643" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Greebo is right, time heals all wounds.  However, if you can't handle the smell and flies, you can try dumping a gallon or two of ground limestone down the hole.  I'm not really sure how it will effect what's left of the tree, but it will cut down the smell, maybe keep other predators away and help dry out the remains in the tree. Anyone want some lime jerky? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="shirlock homes" LastActivityDate="2012-05-08T20:30:49.643" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4128" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4118" CreationDate="2012-05-08T20:46:07.393" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know what it is, but I have it here in Southernish Ontario. It's not too invasive, it stays low, it won't win a fight with grass but it will fill up a flowerbed if you let it. It stays really low and I quite like it among petunias etc so I let it stay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2012-05-08T20:46:07.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4130" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4124" CreationDate="2012-05-08T22:38:11.353" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;These suggestions have helped me&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;don't move heavy things early in the day when you are not warmed up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;don't do that &quot;one last thing&quot; at the end of the day. Being tired increases the chances you will drop something, usually on your toe.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wear knee protectors, good ones&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repetition of any activity for hours is asking for trouble.  Do a chore for a while and then walk about and stretch or rest&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;laissez-faire ( as a practice characterized by a usually deliberate abstention from interference) is a valid gardening technique.  Maybe the garden doesn't need to be absolutely spotless&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant and landscape to minimize follow on intervention. Don't plant things that will require watering or pesticide treatment&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;good tools are a good friend. Don't use tools that do a bad job or make work for you&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;on a very personal note this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.shelterpub.com/_fitness/_stretching/stg_book.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;book&lt;/a&gt; has been my valued companion for over 30 years. I'm on my second copy and the stretching exercises included will help you avoid injury at the cost of looking a little silly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-09T17:46:23.413" LastActivityDate="2012-05-09T17:46:23.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4131" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4118" CreationDate="2012-05-09T01:26:12.727" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I hate to break the news, but this is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glechoma_hederacea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Creeping Charlie,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;Glechoma hederacea&lt;/em&gt;, an invasive lawn weed in moist and shady areas. It normally stays low (2-4&quot;), but can get up to 10&quot; under ideal conditions. It grows as a mass of creeping stolons over the ground like a carpet, rooting at the leaf nodes to form a dense mat. It will generally stay out of a thick, vigorous lawn, but is a constant trouble in areas where people try to grow grass in the shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rnb7J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xwV4r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-12T22:20:04.007" LastActivityDate="2012-05-12T22:20:04.007" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4132" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4124" CreationDate="2012-05-09T01:42:39.183" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A slightly glib answer to your question is that you might consider training your body to be able to handle the task of gardening.  For example, you could weight train; you can even beef up your lower back.  Maybe this is not a good answer over the period of a lifetime, I can't speak on this point from experience yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastActivityDate="2012-05-09T01:42:39.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="319" CreationDate="2012-05-09T14:11:34.517" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know this is an old post, but no one has answered the title question. The answer is, too hot; as in under certain circumstances organic material can auto ignite, almost always found in hay/straw piles. The limiting factors for compost temp are:  The Net r-value from the most central part of the pile, availability of oxygen and water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A garden compost pile will generally never get too hot, as they are generally modest in size (less than 2m^3)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-09T14:11:34.517" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4134" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4137" CreationDate="2012-05-09T19:06:22.033" Score="11" ViewCount="18252" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been growing cucumber plants from seed this year and everything was going fine until I started trying to move them outside when they were about 8 inches tall. I was acclimating them to the outdoor conditions along with my tomato and pepper plants by placing them outside for a few hours each day, but I always found that the cucumbers wilted by such a large degree when they were outside that I got scared and moved them back indoors after an hour or so. The other plants were fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I ended up moving the cucumber plants straight into the greenhouse a few weeks ago, and since then they've gradually got worse and worse, with the leaves becoming very floppy and wilted, followed by the young fruit wilting, and now the entire stems are buckling and collapsing to the soil level. Meanwhile, I kept two plants indoors that were, up until that point, treated identically to the outside plants, and they're thriving (or, at least, not dying).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm fairly certain that they have had sufficient water, and the temperature hasn't dropped below about 5°C here since they've been outside, however I forgot to poke holes in the bottom of the plants' growbag, so they spent the first couple of weeks with no drainage. At no point did the soil appear to be saturated, though, and I've since cut some drainage holes about a week ago, but the plants have only got worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any idea what I've done wrong? I'm really quite baffled at this stage...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For reference, the seeds I sowed were shop-bought Cucumber Amanda F1 seeds, and I've included photos of both the wilting and healthy plants below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image of wilting plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n4YiSl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image of healthy plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cLLnDl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1175" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-05-10T11:04:21.177" LastActivityDate="2021-04-30T10:51:48.273" Title="Cucumber plants wilting in greenhouse, but fine indoors?" Tags="&lt;wilt&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4135" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3916" CreationDate="2012-05-09T19:10:32.667" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are at least two approaches to solving this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Completely remove the portion of soil where the new plant will go cutting all roots and replace with new plant + soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Add &quot;dividers&quot; to your planter to compartmentalize the growing areas of your plants. This can be something solid like wood or flexible like weed-block&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neither of these solve the fundamental problem. Your other plants are growing and sending out their roots, if you reduce their root space you are restricting their growth. Plants want to grow. If you want them all to grow bigger you will need a bigger planter or to supplement for reduced root size with more nutrients. If you want all of the plants to stay similar in size restricting their root size will restrict their growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="890" LastActivityDate="2012-05-09T19:10:32.667" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4136" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3908" CreationDate="2012-05-09T19:14:48.247" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends what you want to accomplish. The grime can be beneficial or detrimental depending on your goals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Benefits:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reduced light transmission - good if your plants need reduced intensity sunlight&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Increased insulation (at least in theory)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Drawbacks:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reduced light transmission - some plants may not be getting optimal light&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unsightly - the asthetic is off&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ultimately, it depends on what you are growing. There is no hard and fast rule about what to do. If your plants are happy and you are ok with the appearance, leave it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="890" LastActivityDate="2012-05-09T19:14:48.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4137" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4134" CreationDate="2012-05-10T02:48:07.443" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You hear often that squash/cucumbers/melons/pumpkins don't like to be transplanted, for several reasons, one of which is that they are very delicate, in that they are very soft and vascular, if any of the vascular tissue gets pinched or stretched or broken, it can lead to dessication. Good luck, plenty of summer left if you want to direct sow...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-10T02:48:07.443" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4138" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4048" CreationDate="2012-05-10T06:13:43.583" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I assume you are talking about Convolvulus sepia. It is quite common in my area (Seattle).&#xA;I think it would be a big mistake to plant it. Although the individual white flowers are&#xA;really quite elegant, in the mass this vine is really not very attractive. Also, I suspect&#xA;that this species propagates vegetatively only, because I have rummaged through stands of this&#xA;weed dozens of times over several decades looking for seeds, and I have yet to find a single&#xA;one. I am glad to say.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1176" LastActivityDate="2012-05-10T06:13:43.583" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4139" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4140" CreationDate="2012-05-10T10:34:08.547" Score="3" ViewCount="3290" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my plants apparently collapsed under its own weight, and the stem is clearly broken, where the plant stem meets the soil (a bit under it apparently). I think that if I move it and twist it for 30 seconds or so, I may be able to detach the whole plant. The plant looks healthy though. Do I have some chances of recovering it or should I just make pesto ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="256" LastEditorUserId="1203" LastEditDate="2012-05-17T18:56:19.277" LastActivityDate="2012-05-17T18:56:19.277" Title="Broken basil plant at the stem" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4140" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4139" CreationDate="2012-05-10T12:49:12.903" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm no expert, but if I really wanted to try to save it, I'd cut it back so it just has 5 to 10 leaves and prop it up with something.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing that the plant got too tall from not enough sun.  If so, when you're harvesting a small amount for a meal, consider nipping off tops - especially when it's trying to flower.  This should make it branch more and keep the center of gravity lower, reducing the torque at the base.  And in general, when just leaf-harvesting, do it near the top.   There's more flavor there anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-05-10T12:49:12.903" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4141" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4134" CreationDate="2012-05-10T13:25:18.660" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;+1 to @Grady Player's answer: damage is probably the cause. You've likely damaged the roots or vine, possibly in a way you can't see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried transplanting pumpkin last year and even though the transplants were 2 weeks ahead of the direct-seeded (and the same variety), they were quickly outpaced by the direct-seeded plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My advice would be to throw away the wilting/damaged plants and start over by planting in the place where you want them to finally grow, and then don't move them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or: (I haven't tried this approach yet, but I am this year), if you want the plants to germinate inside so you get faster/better germination, set them out &lt;em&gt;immediately&lt;/em&gt; after the seeds sprout. I'm going to use soil blocks so that there's very little chance of damaging roots or vines. (I'll come back and edit this with the results...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-10T13:25:18.660" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4134" CreationDate="2012-05-10T14:40:08.287" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If exposure to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=cucumber%20beetle&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=z0&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla%3aen-US%3aofficial&amp;amp;prmd=imvns&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;ei=6tKrT_i9MYrH6AHe6tyYAg&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;oi=mode_link&amp;amp;ct=mode&amp;amp;cd=2&amp;amp;ved=0CB8Q_AUoAQ&amp;amp;biw=1447&amp;amp;bih=964&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cucumber beetles&lt;/a&gt; is a possibility, then it may be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/hortcrop/pp747w.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bacterial wilt&lt;/a&gt;, for which there is no treatment.  The test for this is to slice off the stem of an infected plant and squeeze out some sap.  If it's stretchy/slimy, it's wilt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think this is a problem in the UK too, but I'm not certain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've lost a lot of cucumber plants to this, but always much later in the season.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-05-10T14:40:08.287" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4143" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4005" CreationDate="2012-05-10T16:32:26.780" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;After a week of observation and some supplemental watering with a regular spray nozzle, I ended up buying more hose and running two down each bed between the rows. The water wasn't reaching the outermost edges of the beds with only one hose. When I water now, the entire bed is moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Side note: It turns out that a regular spigot has problems with supplying enough water for 8 soaker hoses totalling 500' running in parallel. I have a splitter setup that allows me to run half the garden at once, then I can switch to the other half.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, since my yard was slightly sloped away from the spigot, I couldn't even run 2 hoses in series. I wanted to try a 75' hose + a 50' hose in series wrapping back towards the top of the garden for each bed. The second hose wouldn't weep the last 25' though, so I had to buy another 4 way hose splitter and feed everything from the top end.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastActivityDate="2012-05-10T16:32:26.780" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4139" CreationDate="2012-05-10T17:10:58.760" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Has this happened to more than one plant? If so, it might be cutworms, the larvae of the click beetle. They characteristically &quot;cut&quot; small, young, tender plants at their base, thus their name.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To control cutworms, you can put a little paper cylinder around your plants (or a yoghurt container with the bottom cut out, etc.), or you can run chickens through before planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1177" LastActivityDate="2012-05-10T17:10:58.760" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4146" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4149" CreationDate="2012-05-10T17:49:56.427" Score="9" ViewCount="14596" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What are the pros and cons of using cement blocks for a raised bed?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am thinking of using something similar to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lowes.com/pd_149052-44840-400_4294858233_4294937087_?productId=3609240&amp;amp;Ns=p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr%7C0%7C%7Cp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1&amp;amp;pl=1&amp;amp;currentURL=/pl_Block_4294858233_4294937087_?page=4&amp;amp;Ns=p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr%7C0%7C%7Cp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1&amp;amp;facetInfo=&quot;&gt;these cement blocks&lt;/a&gt; and building them 3 blocks high. That would give me a good 2ft deep bed. I am also thinking (but unsure) if I should pour cement down the slots to help make it solid and connected or how I should go about keeping them together. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once all the bricks are lined I will also be getting some nice treated wood to build around them. This will be mainly just for aesthetics but I guess could also help hold the blocks in place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1016" LastActivityDate="2015-05-18T00:54:15.767" Title="Cement Blocks for Raised Bed?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4147" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4108" CreationDate="2012-05-10T17:49:59.730" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;easiest&lt;/strong&gt; test to do is also perhaps the most important: organic matter content. You do this with what is commonly called a &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=soil%20shake%20test&quot;&gt;soil shake test&lt;/a&gt;.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Find an area clear of weeds and growth where you can get about ¼ quart jar of screened soil (no rocks or huge lumps). Add water to the quart jar until it is perhaps ¾ full. Attach lid and shake vigorously for some minutes until the slurry is a consistent suspension -- no big lumps of anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let it settle for a day or so. You should now observe four distinct &quot;horizons&quot; in the jar, each corresponding to the four basic physical soil ingredients (bottom to top): sand, silt, clay, and organic matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Measure the depth of each layer, and divide that by the total depth of the stratified sample, and you'll have the percentage of each constituent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The major goal of soil building is to increase the amount of organic material, which increases oxygenation, water storage, and nutrient availability. Land that is industrially-farmed year after year may only have a few percent. Good content will be 10% or more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1177" LastActivityDate="2012-05-10T17:49:59.730" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4148" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4146" CreationDate="2012-05-10T18:04:13.937" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cement blocks will work but are likely to make your soil alkaline.    By adding cement you are definitely going to  adding a chemically active compound to your bed. Why not use rebar or T-Bars to stabilize your wall?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, from a structural point of view, unless you prepare a bed of crushed stone to a depth of 6&quot; or more that has been compacted cement will not hold the blocks together if the soil heaves due to frost or cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-10T18:04:13.937" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4149" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4146" CreationDate="2012-05-10T19:43:48.423" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen it done with one row of blocks laid right on the ground -- gives you the same height that a single 2x10 plank would. Two rows might work ok without cementing them together if you do some prep work for a foundation (coarse sand or stone, 4-6&quot; deep). At three rows, you'll definitely want to do foundation work and tie them together. If I were doing it three rows high, I'd mortar the joints instead of just dry stacking them (it will look nicer and you won't need to pour cement down the holes). On a solid foundation, this won't need any external support (I have a 10' wall built from 6x16x8&quot; blocks, built on a concrete foundation, that is not going anywhere.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a pro, if you put in the up-front work and do it right, it will last just about forever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As cons, the up-front work is time consuming, requires some skill to get it right, and once you're done, it will last just about forever, whether you want it to or not. ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-10T19:43:48.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4150" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4139" CreationDate="2012-05-10T22:38:32.680" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basil is very easy to root, just cut the stem clean and remove some of the bottom leaves, put it in a glass of water, or some vermiculite or perlite. Rooting hormone wouldn't hurt, but is not necessary. Then put it someplace that it wont dry out too much, greenhouse or window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you get roots plant them in some new soil away from whatever damaged it the first time, then harden it off to go back outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-05-11T02:19:56.910" LastActivityDate="2012-05-11T02:19:56.910" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3970" CreationDate="2012-05-11T03:24:31.657" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have any specific knowledge of cotoneaster, but with other rosids the reason for failure of transplanting shoots is dessication and transplant shock (roots are too small to support the new growth). Basically you are taking a branch that is connected to a massive underground network of roots and cutting it off, leaving the shoot to take up all of its water through its puny little roots.&#xA;To make matters worse the old shoot was grown in the shade of the parent plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is what I would try:  take some peat moss and bury the botton 8-12&quot; (kind of poor mans air layering) water that normally, figure out some way to keep the peat there: maybe a pot with the bottom cut out. Then this winter maybe January, dig it up and bury so that the top most roots are just below the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-11T03:24:31.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4153" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4146" CreationDate="2012-05-11T05:17:07.103" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think those blocks would be very unsuitable for the purpose: there will be no way to get&#xA;them to hold together without a great deal of extra effort and expense. Besides that, they&#xA;are ugly. I would advise you to look into masonry retaining wall blocks, which are designed&#xA;to be dry-stacked with good structural stability. They will tolerate a good deal of&#xA;ground movement/settling with no issue, and they are far more attractive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1180" LastActivityDate="2012-05-11T05:17:07.103" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4154" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-11T12:38:32.850" Score="5" ViewCount="115" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted strawberry seeds on coconut seed starters. The seedlings did come, and I got two nice set of round leaves (the cotyledons I guess) for each seed followed by a new pair of nice, real leaves. The seedlings grew to approx half a centimeter high, with the leaves being a little smaller than the length of a grain of rice. I was extremely happy about it but then I realized the growth stopped. It's like they are stable in that size since weeks. I keep the coconut starters wet from below, adding water to the base plate once every three days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am keeping the seedlings inside, on a front window. I receive very little sun. Is it the expected life cycle for the plant, or is it due to some problem ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="256" LastActivityDate="2012-05-14T14:00:25.383" Title="Strawberries from seed. Apparently growth stopped. is it fine?" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4154" CreationDate="2012-05-11T13:54:36.227" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Coconut husk doesn't have much in the way of nutrients; which makes it great for starting seeds on because they don't damp off as easily as soil grown seedlings, but it is probably time to either transplant into potting mix, or fertilize with some sort of gentle weekly type of liquid fertilizer if the seedlings aren't big enough, or you don't have a place to put them...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Great job on growing strawberries from fruit btw, I haven't ever had the patience. .&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="1158" LastEditDate="2012-05-14T14:00:25.383" LastActivityDate="2012-05-14T14:00:25.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4156" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-11T14:20:32.100" Score="1" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4007/how-much-water-should-i-give-my-veggies-every-day&quot;&gt;How much water should I give my veggies every day?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently installed a drip irrigation kit in my square foot garden with 1GPH heads aimed at the center of each square foot region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The instructions say to run the system for 30-60 minutes every 1 to 4 days depending on temperature, which comes out to anywhere from 60 minutes per day to 30 minutes every 4 days. If my math is correct, that's anywhere from 1.4&quot; to &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;11&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; per week!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;11&quot; per week seems very excessive even in the heat of summer for where we are (Zone 10), yet 1.4&quot; per week supplied via 30 minute waterings every 4 days seems like way too little in this heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't mind going through the cost/effort of adding extra lower/higher flow heads where appropriate, but I'd rather avoid ruining my crops due to experimenting with vague watering requirements from multiple sources.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a good resource for watering requirements (volume and frequency) based on temperature for different types of vegetables that I could refer to in order to optimize my system?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the mean time, what watering schedule could I use in general to keep my plants healthy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="631" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-05-11T14:20:32.100" Title="How much water does my square foot vegetable garden really need if I'm using drip irrigation?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2012-05-14T02:04:18.870" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4157" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-11T21:12:51.803" Score="6" ViewCount="1101" Body="&lt;p&gt;Somebody saw this tree in a park (in Galicia, in northwestern Spain) and asked me to try and identify it. Here are 3 photos of the tree (click on each to enlarge):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/FdcSr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/FdcSrm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/WI6mM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/WI6mMm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/YsPBj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/YsPBjm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1182" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2013-02-11T14:09:34.393" LastActivityDate="2013-04-12T15:09:28.937" Title="What is this tall tree with needle-like leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4158" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3915" CreationDate="2012-05-12T03:35:41.237" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Missing paper is no problem, some of the broken in half seeds could grow, if the embryo is intact on one of the halfs, but it would only have half as much energy to start with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-12T03:35:41.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3172" CreationDate="2012-05-12T03:42:27.310" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Developmental abnormality, when the stem was very small some chemical signal got slightly messed up, sometimes maples get three seeds, I had a watermelon with three cotyledons this year... A four leaf clover would be the same sort of thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stem is genetically the same as the stem it was connected to, stems growing from this one will likely be flat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="1158" LastEditDate="2012-05-12T05:00:27.340" LastActivityDate="2012-05-12T05:00:27.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4160" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4162" CreationDate="2012-05-12T09:44:19.590" Score="8" ViewCount="560" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a picture of courgette/zucchini from a plant I bought but no longer have the tag for. The shape shown is the same as every other courgette from the plant. They look like a coat hook to me!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant itself has relatively small leaves compared with the standard courgettes people grow, and the fruit is smaller too and probably a bit less prolific. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, unlike the standard ones, the courgettes were also a little more crisp to eat, and didn't grow too large within a few days if left unpicked (the one shown was probably 2 weeks old and is larger than I generally picked them, as I didn't notice it for a while, but it was still delicious!). The plant has also lasted much much longer with no sign of mildew, and is still producing as we get into wintery weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if anyone can identify the variety? (it was purchased in New Zealand, but may still be grown elsewhere?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jxBS8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="715" LastActivityDate="2012-05-12T17:50:20.507" Title="What variety is this curvy courgette / zucchini with a bulge at the flower end?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4161" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4160" CreationDate="2012-05-12T15:30:59.813" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like some variety of Cucuzza&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-12T15:30:59.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4162" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4160" CreationDate="2012-05-12T17:50:20.507" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems to be called &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;zucchini tromboncino&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. Here are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=zucchini%20tromboncino&amp;amp;qs=AS&amp;amp;sk=&amp;amp;FORM=QBIR&amp;amp;pq=zucchini%20trombon&amp;amp;sc=1-16&amp;amp;sp=1&amp;amp;qs=AS&amp;amp;sk=&quot;&gt;some pictures&lt;/a&gt; that all look like yours. North American zucchini = European courgette. (BTW some of the pictures fall somewhere between funny and not quite NSFW.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2012-05-12T17:50:20.507" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4163" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4227" CreationDate="2012-05-12T19:17:34.920" Score="10" ViewCount="978" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have searched everywhere and cannot seem to identify the type of tree this is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VFKLg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a9h3K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mCts3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GjBQj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="782" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-05-21T05:28:12.190" LastActivityDate="2020-11-05T17:18:13.700" Title="What is this tree with green spherical fruit?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4164" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4169" CreationDate="2012-05-12T22:55:40.503" Score="5" ViewCount="2557" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a 30ft (9m) chinaberry (Melia azedarach) removed that the previous owner left for me, four months ago. It had multiple split trunks at the bottom that made every arborist that looked at it concerned, and it was positioned close to the front of the house, so a storm could easily knock one of the major trunks onto the house. The tree removal people cut it down to an inch from the ground. I left an option open to have the stump ground down but didn't have that done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, I haven't been making it a priority to remove it, but I just noticed what looks like chinaberry sprouts coming from the edge between the bark and the wood. As I have read online so far, this sounds bad because I didn't apply an herbicide to prevent this from happening. So, now I am wondering how to best proceed with killing off the chinaberry for good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently, since it was a four months ago, applying glyphosate to the stump won't help to kill off the roots. Is that right? Should I apply glyphosate to kill the sprouts and possible future sprouting? I already have some potassium nitrate (stump removal chemical) that I was thinking about applying inside the stump.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, from what I've read from other chinaberry sufferers is that they have roots all over the place. However, I don't seem to have roots from the chinaberry exposed anywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My gut is telling me to apply glyphosate and then drill holes into the stump and apply the potassium nitrate. But, I also want avoid a dead lawn where I can't grow anything to replace it. There are two live oaks near it that were being dominated by the much taller chinaberry that need help growing especially in the central Texas climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1179" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T07:00:52.900" LastActivityDate="2020-09-28T11:03:25.900" Title="How to get rid of sprouts coming from a chinaberry stump?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;stump-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4165" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3872" CreationDate="2012-05-14T06:09:05.143" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Further to @bstpierre's answer: harvest as dry as you can, then bring indoor and shuck to seed, then spread that out and dry for some additional time. But don't apply heat to dry; just air-dry at room temperature. It is the residual moisture that causes it to pop -- too wet or too dry, and it won't pop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can pop this in a microwave right on the cob!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1177" LastActivityDate="2012-05-14T06:09:05.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4166" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4167" CreationDate="2012-05-14T09:47:31.907" Score="11" ViewCount="972" Body="&lt;p&gt;My garden is full of ants, but I thought they are harmless and so I have been putting up with them till now.&#xA;However, yesterday I noticed that a pot plant has some aphids in it, and a lot of ants were running up and down the plant and there was a distinct ant-full path to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found some similar questions here, but I want to ask the following: &#xA;Should I fight the aphids or the ants first, and how?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to use bio/organic/safe ways of getting rid of the pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" LastActivityDate="2012-05-15T01:19:13.723" Title="Ants and aphids - which should I fight first" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;&lt;ants&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4167" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4166" CreationDate="2012-05-14T10:27:49.697" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might have a case of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ghorganics.com/page11.html&quot;&gt;ants farming the aphids&lt;/a&gt;.  If this is the case, tackling the aphids will not likely be productive as the ants will just replace the aphids.  I suspect you will need to attack the ant nest directly.  The suggestion I thought would work best from the above link was pouring boiling chili water down the nest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastActivityDate="2012-05-14T10:27:49.697" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4168" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4166" CreationDate="2012-05-14T12:08:46.690" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;A teaspoon of dish soap mixed with a quart of water and sprayed on will knock down the population of aphids and kill some ants.  Leave it on a minute or two and give the plant a good wash down afterwards with water.  (This is in case it is a plant with delicate leaves like lettuce or the mixture has too much soap and the fatty acids burn the leaves.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-14T12:08:46.690" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4164" CreationDate="2012-05-14T13:43:45.153" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The chinaberry tree is considered invasive in many states and I note with horror that even with seedlings &quot;any root fragments left behind will resprout&quot;. This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/meaz1.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt; recommends cutting and then a herbicide and then goes on to caution that seeds can lie dormant for many years before sprouting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could get a chainsaw and make a new cut lower down on the stump and then carefully follow the herbicide instructions.  As a former licensed pesticide applicator the recommended compounds (&lt;a href=&quot;http://environmentalcommons.org/cetos/criticalhabitat/imazapyr.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;imazapyr&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pesticide.org/get-the-facts/pesticide-factsheets/factsheets/picloram&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;picloram&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pesticide.org/get-the-facts/pesticide-factsheets/factsheets/triclopyr&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;triclopyr&lt;/a&gt;) are not anything I would apply without a complete set of impermeable clothing, and face mask with filter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless you have the gear and experience to do the job safely this looks like a job for an arborist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-14T13:43:45.153" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4166" CreationDate="2012-05-14T13:57:07.120" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use neem oil or soapy water/insecticidal soap for the aphids. Most species of ants are slightly beneficial, except when they are running a protection racket on some aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-15T01:19:13.723" LastActivityDate="2012-05-15T01:19:13.723" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4171" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4181" CreationDate="2012-05-14T15:33:26.437" Score="18" ViewCount="50834" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some white spots appeared recently on my Twilight chilli plant (indoors), on some leaves brown spots start appearing in the middle. First I thought - aphids, but it doesn't quite look like insects. Or those very small insects. The white thing can mostly be found on the upper surface of leaves. It is a bit sand-like in touch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hgCDy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the white thing on the upper surface&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RnGnC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the white thing on the lower surface&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JPG8s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the brown and the transparent spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The transparent spots on some leaves (visible on the last photo) had appeared earlier, but I didn't panic about those, as the plant seemed otherwise healthy. In fact it still looks quite healthy apart from the described symptoms – it is flowering and first fruits grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am afraid about my other plants on my windowsill – three other chillies and a tomato. They do not seem affected now, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it? Can it be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powdery_mildew&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;powdery mildew&lt;/a&gt; or rather those are some insects? How can I fight it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do all the symptoms (white 'sand', brown spots, transparent spots) seem related or, maybe, some of them can be just an effect on some bad care from my side?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2012-05-15:&lt;/strong&gt; Thanks for the comments. You may be right, these are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;scale insects&lt;/a&gt;. Though, today I was able to take a bit better pictures and it doesn't quite look like on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1761/what-are-these-hard-white-brown-spots-growing-on-my-houseplant&quot;&gt;other question&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KENJR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;affected leave&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/huY6B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white &amp;#39;sand&amp;#39;&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IyikJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;brown spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am starting a treatment, with soap, vinegar and scissors, like it is scale, anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2012-05-22:&lt;/strong&gt; Just after my last update I have started my 'treatment'. I have washed the leaves and whole plant with a soap and vinegar mixture, then flushed with clear water. I was able to get rid of most of the white stuff and for a moment things looked well. But in an hour first leaves started wilting. In a couple more hours most of them wilted. The next day most of the leaves and some branches were clearly dead. The pests would probably not harm this plant as I did…  I hope they were killed together with the most of this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably the solution was too strong, the leaves to delicate for such treatment or I was not able to flush it properly. Or all of these. Do not try this at home!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Out of curiosity I have kept the plant to see if it can survive. Now, a week later, new leaves and branches appear. The three fruits are still there, even some flower buds seem still alive. The pests are nowhere to be seen, but I know I need to wait a few more weeks to know if they are really gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next time the bugs appear, I will buy some pesticides at a local gardening shop and use them properly rather than trying a compilation of 'organic' treatments described on the Internet. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2012-06-19:&lt;/strong&gt; Over a month passed and the plant recovered from my 'treatment'. Unfortunately so did the insects. Yesterday I have found them on my Cayenne plant, then one adult on a Habanero and lots of small ones on the Twilight, which started this story. This time I have bought a pesticide (systemic, for chewing and sucking insects) in a nearby gardening shop and sprayed all my plants… I hope this time the results will be much better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="976" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2021-05-29T09:02:07.157" Title="What is happening to my chilli plant? How can I help it?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="10" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4172" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4173" CreationDate="2012-05-14T16:50:18.693" Score="19" ViewCount="32590" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted mint in my garden a few years ago and it turned out to be a mistake. I should have grown it in a container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been pulling out mint each year but can't get rid of it, so I dug up the wooden barrier surrounding the garden, and found mint vines had grown in all directions out into the back yard. I've spent a few hours on my knees digging in the grass trying to pull out all these underground vines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any easier way to get rid of mint? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1155" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-05-15T01:16:45.240" LastActivityDate="2021-04-18T16:35:33.007" Title="How can I get rid of mint?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;mint&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4173" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4172" CreationDate="2012-05-14T17:09:06.457" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mint does not care for being mowed. If you just assert your ownership of that bit of the lawn, and mow and weed whack as you prefer, eventually it will be less minty. Oregano, in contrast, seems to decide to become a creeping ground cover in the face of endless mowing, which isn't entirely a bad thing. We have fragrant walking paths.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sure, while there are still full mint plants somewhere nearby, plants will continue to pop up in your lawn. But it's not like poison ivy or something. Mow them and enjoy the smell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2012-05-14T17:09:06.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4172" CreationDate="2012-05-14T17:29:20.400" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh boy! I made the same mistake and now mine occupies about 3-4 times the area in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/2630/109&quot;&gt;the pic on the right here&lt;/a&gt; (that was taken last Oct). It's hard to tell if you're really done pulling it out, because the stolons could have propagated quite far. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know of an easy way (I doubt there's one...). The approach I'm taking now is to mercilessly cull most of it (leaving only what I need). Later, when it pops up in a new area, I dig around and cull that. That way, I don't break my back trying to dig in places where I can't be sure if it's there or not. Besides, as Kate mentioned, it's not really a bad thing — I don't mind its smell, and it certainly has uses. So I'm not desperate to get rid of it in one sitting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-05-14T17:29:20.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4175" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4083" CreationDate="2012-05-14T17:56:12.653" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In &quot;The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Disease and Pest Control&quot;, p. 265 talks about Flea Beetles. The adults chew holes in the leaves, the larvae feed on the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They suggest:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;using garlic spray or kaolin clay to repel the beetles&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use parasitic nematodes on the roots to control larvae&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;as a last resort, use &lt;em&gt;Beauveria bassiana&lt;/em&gt; or spinosad; you may need to repeat treatment&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They note that problems are worse during drought; watering may help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's worth noting that spinosad, pyrethrin, and diatomaceous earth are broad-spectrum insecticides: they will likely kill your flea beetles, but they also kill beneficials like honeybees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-14T17:56:12.653" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4176" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4179" CreationDate="2012-05-14T18:06:40.150" Score="6" ViewCount="444" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's a photo of a bug in Michigan that's eating my tomato, chard, and other plant leaves.  Can you identify it?  For extra credit, can you tell me how to get rid of it organically?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/553366_10150861091607342_797907341_9636372_628640780_n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery Bug&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1188" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-14T18:44:25.400" LastActivityDate="2012-05-14T18:44:25.400" Title="What is this Michigan garden insect with a striped body and reddish head?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4179" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4176" CreationDate="2012-05-14T18:44:08.083" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Three-Lined-Potato-Beetle&quot;&gt;three lined potato beetle&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming control will be as for Colorado potato beetles, as described in &quot;The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control&quot;, p260, in order of preferred controls to last resorts:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;shake beetles into a cup of soapy water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove beetles and larvae by hand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;search for &amp;amp; destroy eggs (bottoms of leaves)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spray with &lt;em&gt;Beauvaria bassiana&lt;/em&gt; or spinosad&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spray with neem&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that &lt;em&gt;B. bassiana&lt;/em&gt; and spinosad can kill beneficial insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-14T18:44:08.083" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4180" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3512" CreationDate="2012-05-14T20:55:41.843" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are not too crowded, yet.  But, they will be soon.  You can use all or most of those young seedlings by giving them what I call a &quot;root bath.&quot;  In the picture above, I see about 10 plants.  I do this to avoid dealing with failed seeds and use fewer seeds to get a crop.  If you have extras, give them away or trade with a friend.  Most warm season crops work well, some cool season crops don't like transplanting. Tomatoes are easy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the bath, wait until the plants get to about 1-2 inches tall, then dip the each plant set, with soil, in a cool bowl of water and gently loosen the soil from the roots.  Next, gently separate the plants at the root.  Keep the plants in the water for a few minutes while preparing new pots for each plant.  Gently insert each individual plant into the soil of a new pot, firm them in a little and water well.  Keep the roots wet and undamaged and almost every little seedling will stay happy.  I regularly turn a 2in x 2in soil cube with seedlings into a full bed of 30 plants this way.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1190" LastActivityDate="2012-05-14T20:55:41.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4171" CreationDate="2012-05-15T13:17:58.337" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The last picture clinches it - it's undoubtedly scale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Scale is really hard to get rid of entirely.  For most of the lifecycle it's very tiny and impossible to spot all of.  It spreads to other plants.  It leaves a sticky residue underneath the plant that's hard to remove.  So... consider tossing the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can slow it down a lot with organic sprays, and by peeling the brown adults off with a thumbnail if it won't damage the plant.  After you think it's gone,  keep treating the plant and inspecting daily for a couple of months.  The life cycle of scale is about 6 weeks, and for most of it's life it's virtually invisible.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep infected plants away from other plants.  No flying is involved - when young they crawl.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another technique is to spray or gently wipe down the leaves (tops and bottoms, being sure to get around the bottom central rib) with rubbing alcohol.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For any given technique, you can find five people who say it doesn't work, and one person that says it does.  Regardless of what you use, you must continue long beyond when you think it's gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sticky honeydew they leave on the leaves often grows sooty mold, a black fungus - rinse or gently wipe it off occasionally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Definitely NOT my favorite critter!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-05-15T13:17:58.337" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4182" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-15T13:38:33.110" Score="6" ViewCount="289" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some hops growing and their leaves are starting to turn yellow, my &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.freshops.com/hop-growing/hop-diseases-and-pests/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;research&lt;/a&gt; tells me that it is probably a nitrogen deficiency. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What ways can I naturally add nitrogen to the soil of an already growing crop?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking a compost tea, or just piling more compost around them. Thoughts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;I would prefer not to add chemical fertilizers, but to help others including them in your answers is fine&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1016" LastActivityDate="2020-08-23T03:15:13.310" Title="Raising Nitrogen in Hops" Tags="&lt;nitrogen&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4184" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4182" CreationDate="2012-05-15T15:56:28.037" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adding composted manure to the soil is probably the fastest fix. I have heard of using coffee grounds, but I hear it builds up acidity and haven't tried it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1193" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-05-15T16:12:33.580" LastActivityDate="2012-05-15T16:12:33.580" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4182" CreationDate="2012-05-15T16:47:15.033" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(This is generic advice for increasing nitrogen -- I don't know much about hops specifically.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, a feeding of compost tea is an ok way to add nitrogen. The actual amount of nitrogen you will add depends on what went into the compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A better amendment for a quick nitrogen boost (don't overdo it!) is blood meal. Sprinkle some on the soil around the plants, and then water to let it soak in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a temporary fix, the nitrogen will either get used up, or it will leach deep into the soil, or even volatilize into the air over time. So you may want to repeat this -- with small amounts -- every couple of weeks. A longer term fix would be to put an inch or so of composted manure around the plants; this will provide a source of slow-release nitrogen that will feed the plants over time. Repeat the application in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-15T16:47:15.033" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4186" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4187" CreationDate="2012-05-15T19:28:08.523" Score="4" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our fruiting quince tree has fireblight.  We've been trying to control it by pruning, but it's not working.  We're going to have to take out the tree.  I can't buy quince fruit, so I want a quince tree.  How long will we have to wait before we can plant another tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(My husband says never, that we lost another tree to fireblight in the past, and it never really goes away.  On the other hand, our apple trees don't appear to suffer from it.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="600" LastActivityDate="2012-05-15T20:06:27.410" Title="How long until the fireblight is gone?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4187" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4186" CreationDate="2012-05-15T20:06:27.410" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fireblight is always present in the environment (except possibly Japan and Australia) and infects trees through honeybees and other insects. Birds, rain and wind can also transmit the bacterium to susceptible tissue. Local weather conditions that change from year to year affect the amount of fire blight.  Warm rainy springs encourage fireblight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normal control measures include &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pruning diseased tissue before it infects the roots (disinfect your pruners after every cut!)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spraying which is not feasible for homeowners as they usually cannot buy agricultural grade antibiotics or have the equipment to apply it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;preventive pruning to keep the tree open with lots of sun coming through the crown&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;planting resistant varieties  (none known for quince)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;avoid heavy fertilizing with nitrogen that encourages soft fast growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;removing other sources of infection such as seedlings of apple and pear&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-15T20:06:27.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2550" CreationDate="2012-05-15T22:55:09.217" Score="6" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Have you checked the pH of the soil AND water? Should be just right at 7...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are you using a citrus fertilizer? Should be using a fertilizer for citrus...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Have you checked closely for pests? Some pests will feed on roots and you won't see them...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are you sure you're not OVER watering or feeding? That's a quick way to kill a plant slowly...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is the soil draining properly? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lay off the watering on your lime by a week or more.. Let the plant wilt a bit before watering it again. Don't fertilize every week either, you may be causing salt buildup unless you're using organic, even then I'd only feed &lt;strong&gt;maybe twice a month&lt;/strong&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check that pH! Plant won't take nutrients if soil or water pH is too high or low and won't be able to hold fruit as a result..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1196" LastEditorUserId="95" LastEditDate="2012-05-15T23:09:22.690" LastActivityDate="2012-05-15T23:09:22.690" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4189" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-15T23:13:31.483" Score="4" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planning on building a water garden on my south facing deck. I plan on having water cover plants and fish. I also plan on having the barrel elevated a few centimeters to allow air flow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm located in the North West and I figure the spot I'm putting it gets about 7-8 hours of direct sunlight. Is this too much?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;edit&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plan is to get about 70% surface coverage with plants and have a couple of fish handle bugs. I've read that a 5 gallon a week water change will help keep the water fresh. If it doesn't work out, I'll probably add a small pump to keep the water surface moving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1195" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-17T14:20:43.633" LastActivityDate="2012-05-17T14:20:43.633" Title="What is an appropriate amount of light for a half barrel water garden?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4189" CreationDate="2012-05-16T00:56:15.300" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seven to eight hours of sun should be fine for a small collection of plants. Lotus or water lilies are not as likely to flower unless other conditions are optimum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have not mentioned how you intend to maintain water quality and that is the key factor that the amount of sunlight will play a part in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you just put some plants in things will work out fine for a while.  Algae magically appears after a while and can convert your beautiful water feature into a green soup. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a while it seems almost anything can encourage algae:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;not enough sun&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;too much sun&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil in pots has more nitrogen than the plants can use&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cool weather slows plant metabolism but not algae&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;shallow water features encourage algae due to higher water temperature&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant them in coconut fibre or coir which does not break down readily.  Keep the environment cool. Aeration from a pump and water stone might help or a pump with a  filter.  You will have to experiment to see what your microclimate does.  Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-16T12:11:12.030" LastActivityDate="2012-05-16T12:11:12.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="104" CreationDate="2012-05-16T03:14:34.387" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been composting with worms awhile now and believe I have some good advice for you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) if you are using the active compost method, you can't use worms. Red wiggler Worms survive from 40-95°Fahrenheit (4-35°Celsius), but the optimum temp is from 60-77°F (16-25°C). If you will be having a lot of waste and want to use worms to compost with, you have a couple options: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A) use bokashi composting first (you can compost everything, including meat, dairy, and oils with this method. It is an anaerobic method, meaning you can use an airtight container. After the bokashi compost bucket is full, either bury the pickled waste in your garden or feed a little at a time to your worms. Over feeding the worms is bad and can overheat the bin. There are many sites on bokashi composting if you google it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;B) the second method if you really want to have an active pile is to wait until the hot composting process is complete. I have a compost pile that has yard waste and horse manure (worms delicacy) right now that is 154°F (68°C). That's almost twice what the worms can survive in. Let the &quot;hot&quot; process complete, then add the ingredients to your worm bin. Hot composting is great to do prior to worm composting because it kills any diseases, pathogens, and weed seeds. Horses only digest about 1/4 of what they eat so many weed seeds escape. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;*&lt;/em&gt; if you'd rather only use worms, you will need to build a compost pit (which you can insulate with straw in the winter) or you will need to put together a bin for them (wood ones are better than plastic because the aeration provided). You don't want to use garbage cans if you can help it because they will be too deep for the worms. If you have any questions, let me know and I'll be happy to help out any way I can. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adam H (Phoenix, AZ)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1197" LastEditorUserId="1916" LastEditDate="2013-02-11T10:45:32.603" LastActivityDate="2013-02-11T10:45:32.603" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4193" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4203" CreationDate="2012-05-16T05:57:10.850" Score="7" ViewCount="7400" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many homesteading / simple living / sustainability blogs suggest farming mealworms as a protein source for chickens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mealworms aren't part of my garden ecosystem and I am interested in knowing what the likely impact would be if a reasonable number escaped my hungry chickens and established themselves in my garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-05-16T15:43:20.337" Title="Impact of mealworms in a garden" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4195" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2629" CreationDate="2012-05-16T10:32:55.587" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing one variety of mint in my garden and I always harvest it much in the same way that &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/445/ed-staub&quot;&gt;Ed Staub&lt;/a&gt; suggested.&#xA;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Namely, I take the &lt;strong&gt;younger&lt;/strong&gt; leaves, not the older ones. I don't just harvest the leaves, but I break the stem somewhere in the middle. Over time, new &quot;shoots&quot; are formed from this stem.&#xA;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I sometimes even use scissors and cut down several stems, especially in the end of the season. I have heard that this propagates growing of the mint.&#xA;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;However, I am raising my mint in the garden and thus I have a lots of it. I am not sure if this method will be beneficial for potted mint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-05-16T10:32:55.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4196" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4199" CreationDate="2012-05-16T11:43:41.707" Score="6" ViewCount="2396" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard stories of people who have had seemingly-dead tomato plants which they left alone and the plant grew back. How can I tell if my plant is dead as opposed to merely in poor shape? Is there anything I can do to encourage it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This was the plant a few days ago; since then the brown wilted part has been spreading down the stem. It had some damage to the stem in a storm, losing the top portion with the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D0EdF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The plant&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="744" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-08-17T19:13:07.020" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T19:14:48.443" Title="When can a tomato plant come back from the &quot;dead&quot;?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4197" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4202" CreationDate="2012-05-16T13:21:23.520" Score="5" ViewCount="105" Body="&lt;p&gt;These started showing up in my backyard this year, I believe they migrated over from my neighbor's yard.  Are they lilacs, or are they something else?  This picture was taken in mid-May in Saginaw, Michigan.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cc3OM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lilacs&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1201" LastActivityDate="2012-05-16T15:43:24.487" Title="Are these lilacs/something else?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4198" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4197" CreationDate="2012-05-16T14:14:03.537" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;not lilacs, looks to be some sort of mustard... similar to, but not: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/blue_mustard.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/blue_mustard.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-16T14:14:03.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4196" CreationDate="2012-05-16T14:16:55.483" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it isn't dead, as the stem seems quite green. If you are interested from a botany/plant physiology standpoint let it grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There will be nodes where there used to be leaves. These will regrow new branches, but if you are in a hurry for tomatoes, go out and buy a new one, the biggest one that you can find cheaply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-08-17T19:14:48.443" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T19:14:48.443" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4193" CreationDate="2012-05-16T14:19:05.013" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;mealworms are more broadly known as Darkling Beetle or flour beetle larvae, they basically wont bother anything in your garden generally...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour_beetle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour_beetle&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-16T14:19:05.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4197" CreationDate="2012-05-16T15:33:52.907" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The specific flower is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dame%27s_rocket&quot;&gt;Dame's Rocket&lt;/a&gt;.  Definitely a mustard, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://trailguidetraining.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/this-week-at-audubon-4/&quot;&gt;apparently commonly confused with phlox&lt;/a&gt;.  Also an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/06/public_enemy_no_2_invasive_dam.html&quot;&gt;invasive species in Michigan&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1201" LastEditorUserId="1201" LastEditDate="2012-05-16T15:43:24.487" LastActivityDate="2012-05-16T15:43:24.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4193" CreationDate="2012-05-16T15:43:20.337" Score="6" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although A. diaperinus is not considered of major economic importance to whole grains, it does occur commonly on products already damaged by other biological agents, especially molds. However, it is of considerable importance in the poultry business as an avian disease vector, and there are human health risks associated with exposure to A. diaperinus. Poor community relations can also develop with, costly litigation when adults fly en masse to the artificial lights at private residences from beetle-infested manure (Hinchey 1997).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lesser mealworms can also cause poultry house structural damage. When searching for suitable pupation sites, larvae will chew holes in styrofoam, fiberglass, and polystyrene insulation panels in the walls of poultry houses. The resulting damage can cause increased heating bills and additional building repair costs when the infested area is replaced. Energy costs in beetle-damaged broiler houses are reported to be 67% higher than in houses without beetle damage (Geden and Hogsette 1994).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you may also be forgetting that chickens are a natural benefit to your garden anyway as they work as a natural pesticide themselves. Let them graze your garden and feed on the pests that are already bothering you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1202" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-05-16T15:43:20.337" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4204" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4206" CreationDate="2012-05-16T17:15:21.673" Score="4" ViewCount="244" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an apartment with a balcony - the flooring of the balcony is a lot of wood boards. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My compost bin is a big plastic recycling bin which I have perforated with an awl and rubber hammer on the bottom and sides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What this means is that when it rains (anything beyond a sprinkle), I have a real hard time turning the compost enough to encourage that water out of the bin. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I have newspaper around I shred and toss some in to soak up a bit of the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is if there's any better material I could use to try and absorb the water a bit more. A few days of sun will eventually dry it out, but generally the water really gets trapped between the compost and wood boards, no matter how perforated the bottom is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;edit&lt;/strong&gt;: I do have a cover and have used as suggested Ed here. This appears to work well barring heavy rain. I have also place bricks under the corners of the bin, which has drained a little water and provided some more aeration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All the same, I would like to keep the question open a bit longer as I'm still interested in the question of some organic material which may be able to absorb some of this moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Many thanks&lt;/strong&gt; for your help as the bin is already operating better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1203" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-06T12:55:11.837" LastActivityDate="2018-04-06T12:55:11.837" Title="Balcony composting - suggestions for trapped rainwater" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4172" CreationDate="2012-05-16T17:23:25.127" Score="-3" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is no problem on earth that cannot be solved by the proper application of high explosives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Consider a dog. I've heard more than one story of dogs digging up mint and their roots.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;More seriously: &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;There are several ways to kill mint without the use of harmful&#xA;  chemicals, which should always be a last resort. Many people have had&#xA;  luck using boiling water to kill mint. Others swear by using a&#xA;  homemade mixture of salt, dish soap and white vinegar (2 cups salt,&#xA;  teaspoon soap, gallon vinegar). Both methods will require frequent&#xA;  applications onto the mint over some time in order to kill it. Be&#xA;  aware that these methods will kill any vegetation that it comes in&#xA;  contact with.    - Gardeningknowhow.com&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1202" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2012-05-16T21:44:31.770" LastActivityDate="2012-05-16T21:44:31.770" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4204" CreationDate="2012-05-16T17:27:03.263" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would put the container in a container. Think about a flower pot and the dish it sits on. Same idea. Can you not cover the recycling bin?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1202" LastActivityDate="2012-05-16T17:27:03.263" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3472" CreationDate="2012-05-16T17:39:32.937" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Compost should be fed an organic, vegan diet. Adding meat/biproducts to your compost pile can attract bad bacteria/insects that will have negative effects on your tea&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1202" LastActivityDate="2012-05-16T17:39:32.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4208" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-16T19:52:51.463" Score="3" ViewCount="147" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it too late to add edible fish for an aquaponics project in zone 7A?  It looks like I may be too late for fingerling tilapia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="998" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-05-17T04:38:59.433" LastActivityDate="2012-05-18T04:40:07.357" Title="Is it too late to start outdoor aquaponics?" Tags="&lt;aquaponic&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-07-04T04:05:45.060" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4209" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4204" CreationDate="2012-05-16T20:13:24.463" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd put a cover on it that's easy to remove , and can be propped open on one side.  For a McGuyver example, duct-tape a cover to one side, and duct-tape a prop-up stick to the other side of the cover that will hold it open, lean-to-fashion (while still keeping rain out) most of the time.  Be sure to consider wind as needed in your situation.  The cover should open down-wind for the usual wind direction &lt;em&gt;in that particular spot&lt;/em&gt; for storms.  Make sure that the side that's attached to the bin extends beyond the bin's edge, so the rain will drain off outside the bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-05-17T16:24:54.167" LastActivityDate="2012-05-17T16:24:54.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4210" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4213" CreationDate="2012-05-16T23:05:11.360" Score="10" ViewCount="13921" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Orange and small avocado trees are becomming yellowish and have many dots on them, is this a deficiency of something or something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I checked the bottom of the leaves for any sort of plague but didn't see anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click any image for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WWDRO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WWDROm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Orange3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vjmXl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vjmXlm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Orange2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9XCJo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9XCJom.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Orange&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sn6ow.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sn6owm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Avocado&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1092" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-19T12:07:07.430" LastActivityDate="2012-06-19T12:07:07.430" Title="Why are these white dots appearing on my citrus and avocado trees and the leaves getting pale?" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4212" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3993" CreationDate="2012-05-17T05:56:58.010" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Weedwhackers can definitely be used to kill weeds, hence the name. Many people including myself use them for that purpose, it's a real quick and dirty way of controlling them, but you have to be pretty good with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The simple trauma of the weed being whipped so hard and so much by the string can be enough to kill a weed, or any plant, alone. It's the same way a tree or bush dies from being constantly exposed to heavy winds, it's just too much for it. But the general idea is to cut them down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should start by cutting the weed as low as you can. The weedwhacker string often hits the weed so hard it cuts right through it, but if the weed has really thick stems or stalks it may not be able to do it in one go. If it can't, a lot of strings are serrated so as the weed is getting smacked the string drags across the outside of it and starts to cut little grooves into it, until finally that part of the weed bursts open and the string cuts all the way through, bringing the weed down. Another technique is to weedwhack the top of the weed until it's disintegrated and progressively working your way down, that way when you get to the thick part of the stem it will already be weakened and the string should be able to get through it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The idea is you're taking away the weed's food supply, and if you cut it really short, even if it survives the weedwhacking, it won't have enough food to be able to grow back, and will rot away in the sun over the next few days, the same way your grass would die if you cut it too short. If the weed is by itself or in a group, after you bring the weed down, you can also angle the weedwahcker down towards the little stem that's left and really dig into the weed, further reducing the weed's chances to live, and, if it's a shallow weed, sometimes it's enough to actually dig the weed up. Any remainders of the weed should be weedwhacked too, until there's noting left of the plant, to avoid the possibility of any part of it rerroting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also important to make sure the weedwhacker is hitting the weed as hard as possible without wasting the string. If the weed is getting hit hard enough, the friction can be so great from the whipping action that the string also burns the weed alive as it cuts it. If you've ever edged the yard before with the weedwhacker, you usually see the grass turn brown where it got hit, which is caused by this. Again, even if the weed survives the weedwhacking, anything that was cut away can't be grown back because of the burns, and the weed is forced to start all over, which, provided enough of it was cut away, it won't have enough food left to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's true there are weeds for which the weedwhacker isn't very effective at all on,  including those that are very deeply rooted. Also, as already mentioned some weeds' seeds are spread by weedwhacking them, but at least you've killed the majority of them for the itme being. I use it on the weeds around my house, which are nu,numerous and aggressive, and the majority die, and I only have to do really big sessions with it 5 or 6 times out of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1205" LastActivityDate="2012-05-17T05:56:58.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4213" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4210" CreationDate="2012-05-17T13:15:33.973" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like spider mites or a deficiency.  Here's how to tell them apart:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;look on the underside of the leaf.  Spider mites are visible to the eye but a magnifying glass will help.  If you see whitish blobs clustered around the veins of the plant you have a small problem.  If I'm right you have an extensive infestation and will see them all over the underside of the leaf.  You might even see webbing between the axils of the leaf.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;on the top of the leaf you won't see much except for pinhole sized light spots where the spiders have sucked the plant juices out from the underside&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if it is a deficiency it is more common to see dark veins and light leaf material or spotting but you will not see webs or anything on the leaf. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1116/what-is-my-citrus-deficiency-based-on-leaf-appearance-and-how-to-treat&quot;&gt;this post&lt;/a&gt; for some pictures of citrus with a deficiency.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control of spider mites on citrus is challenging in warm climates. Mix one teaspoon of soap to a quart of water, get a cloth and wipe the underside of each leaf. Rinse or spray with fresh water.  Repeat at least twice at five day intervals to get the eggs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-05-17T22:04:05.393" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4214" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4216" CreationDate="2012-05-17T15:12:45.603" Score="2" ViewCount="1827" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just had a house built, and in the front and back yards are baby trees. The trees are supported by a large, narrow piece of wood fastened to the tree trunk. A few weeks ago we had a terrible windstorm and now both baby trees are pointed at 45 degree angles. Should I bother digging a small hole and re-fastening the supporting wood to the baby trees or is there a more efficient way to fix them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1206" LastActivityDate="2012-05-17T22:18:19.773" Title="How should I go about straightening up my baby trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4214" CreationDate="2012-05-17T22:18:19.773" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That piece of wood is not really providing any support to the tree and was probably encouraging poor growth. Most trees do not need staking and if they did it &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/text/staking_trees.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;should be removed after a year&lt;/a&gt;. See this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1670/is-staking-young-trees-helpful-or-harmful&quot;&gt;excellent post&lt;/a&gt; for more than you ever wanted to know about staking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most trees will live fifty to seventy five years outside of a forest so it is worth investing an hour of your time to straighten them now so you don't have to look at a crooked tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on how securely they are rooted and the soil dig on the side they are leaning away from and the side they are leaning towards. Cut and fill as required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is also a good time to check for damage to the trunk.  A healthy eight foot tree should not need staking unless it was recently planted.  If you see breaks in the bark or long vertical wounds &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3939/what-are-the-green-shoots-coming-out-from-under-my-tree&quot;&gt;such as in this picture&lt;/a&gt; on the trunk consider cutting your losses and planting a new tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-05-17T22:18:19.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4217" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4225" CreationDate="2012-05-17T22:28:48.700" Score="5" ViewCount="493" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was looking through my vegetable garden this evening and noticed two of these bugs crawling over my lettuce:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gUpjS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what type of bug this is and if it's something I need to get rid of?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1207" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2012-05-18T10:32:33.220" LastActivityDate="2012-05-18T15:50:38.010" Title="What kind of bug is this and do I need to get rid of it?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2015-01-03T02:24:29.813" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4218" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4204" CreationDate="2012-05-18T03:25:22.567" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As for materials that absorb water, in my worm bins, I use:&#xA;Peat moss, cardboard, formed pulp cartons: like egg cartons, drink holders, packing material etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-18T03:25:22.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4219" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4224" CreationDate="2012-05-18T03:39:58.007" Score="9" ViewCount="401" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am starting composting. I have a pot (basically, a huge knee-high pot) that I want to use; it doesn't have much in the way of aeration holes, but it's open on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two concerns I have are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Open bins bring more pests than closed bins&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I don't have existing compost to kickstart it with&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to super accelerate the rate of composting (at least for the first run -- I don't have any existing compost, just a backyard) and how do I avoid those icky pests?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonus points for smell management. This might be my only shot at composting, and if I get bugs or bad smells, the wife will not permit future experiments. :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-19T12:06:23.827" LastActivityDate="2012-06-19T12:06:23.827" Title="How should I avoid pests in an open compost bin" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4221" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4219" CreationDate="2012-05-18T03:59:44.867" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Put it in the shade, cover it, and get a pound of red worms... Vermicomposting is much faster, and the resulting worm castings are more valuable than compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-18T14:07:02.350" LastActivityDate="2012-05-18T14:07:02.350" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4222" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4219" CreationDate="2012-05-18T05:10:17.467" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Compost needs oxygen, water, nitrogen, carbon, and bacteria.  If you don't have enough oxygen, the pile can go anaerobic which stinks - literally.  So your precautions may cause what you're trying to avoid if you don't somehow aerate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Super accelerating&quot; means having a good mix of everything - most notably, the right amount of nitrogenous stuff.  But the fastest pile will put out a lot of smells too - though a lot more pleasant, barnyard aromas than the dead-body smells you can get from an anaerobic pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The easiest way to keep from getting too much smell is to control the amount of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for pests... to avoid carnivorous mammals, never put meat or bones in compost.  Use good judgement on insects - if whatever you're putting in would normally attract a lot of flies, be sure to turn it in.  You will get a lot of other insects in the pile, but in my experience, none I'd call a nuisance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing a lot about holes, drainage, etc... but I'd be worried about there not being enough aeration and drainage, especially if you get a lot of rain.  If that's a concern, you might want to put a removable &quot;roof&quot; over it that leaves it open to air but keeps some of the rain out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-05-18T19:29:10.450" LastActivityDate="2012-05-18T19:29:10.450" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4223" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4228" CreationDate="2012-05-18T10:11:22.017" Score="8" ViewCount="16243" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves on my chilli plant have recently started turning silver, (as below), they also become thinner and have an 'elasticy' quality to them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what is causing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Factors to consider:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Its a 2 year old plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Its recently been put outside (no frost)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There are a few aphids on the plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KAurd.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot;/&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9MwkN.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot;/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-06-19T01:56:26.403" LastActivityDate="2020-03-27T19:49:25.783" Title="Why are the leaves on my chilli plant turning 'silver'?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4219" CreationDate="2012-05-18T15:10:52.847" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, an open bin is much better than a closed bin, but I'm not sure that what you have is really open enough:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;it doesn't have much in the way of aeration holes, but it's open on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You &lt;strong&gt;need&lt;/strong&gt; both drainage and aeration. I wouldn't use a pot, or if I did, I would make a bunch of holes in the bottom of it to both let excess water out and air in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have slightly conflicting goals: &quot;super accelerate&quot; and &quot;no pests&quot;. If no pests (and no smells) is the most important thing, I would aim for slow composting by going heavy on the carbon side of the carbon/nitrogen ratio. Ingredients to do this would be autumn leaves, shredded newspaper, or [smaller amounts of] wood chips. Then add coffee grounds. If you absolutely do not want flies, and you want the first experiment to go well so your wife approves, do not add kitchen scraps yet. In the spring when the lawn is growing vigorously (at least it does here), I think it's ok to remove clippings from your lawn and add them in small quantities to the compost bin. (At other times of year the lawn clippings are a valuable source of nitrogen that you should leave on the lawn.) &lt;strong&gt;Always&lt;/strong&gt; cover your &quot;greens&quot; (coffee, clippings, etc) with &quot;browns&quot; (leaves, newspaper, wood chips): this helps capture nitrogen from escaping into the atmosphere, and can help with smells. If you do this properly, your pile will not smell much more than earthy smell you'd get off the forest floor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The end result of this pile will not be super rich compost. It will be more like leaf mould -- slightly richer. But it makes a really nice amendment for your carrot beds or other root vegetables that don't want over-rich soil but do enjoy loose soil with lots of organic matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of &quot;accelerating&quot;, you should add a thin layer of healthy garden soil on top of your pile to help inoculate it with the bacteria that will start breaking everything down. This is a good practice even if your primary aim is no pests/smells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your primary goal is a &quot;fast&quot; pile, and you can tolerate some risk of smells and flies, then you can aim for a 30:1 carbon:nitrogen ratio. This would mean &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; using wood chips or sawdust, since they are very high carbon -- stick with newspaper, straw, or autumn leaves (ideally shredded). And add more nitrogen-rich materials like lawn clippings, coffee grounds, human hair (&lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; thin layers), &quot;vegan&quot; kitchen scraps (no meat or dairy), small amounts of poultry manure if you have it available, etc -- but not too much nitrogen, and only in thin layers between the browns. You may need to add water if your feedstocks are dry. The pile should heat up within a day or two. When the pile starts to cool off, turn it, and it should heat up again. Repeat; when you turn it and it doesn't heat up, then it's probably nearly fully composted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you get bad smells, use them to diagnose and fix problems (e.g. too wet, too much nitrogen). The normal smell for this is &quot;barnyard&quot;-like as described by @Ed Staub in his answer; I find this to be a pleasant smell, but I grew up around a barnyard full of animals, YMMV.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HOWEVER&lt;/strong&gt;, a hot pile has a critical mass -- I've typically seen 3x3x3' recommended for a pile size, which about matches up with my experience. Any smaller and it won't heat up; much larger and the interior doesn't get enough oxygen and it's hard to turn. It doesn't sound like your bin is big enough to qualify -- so it won't heat up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend using the slow method I outlined above: you're more likely to have (eventual) success, less likely to have bad smells, less likely to have pests. As you gain experience, you can start adding small amounts of kitchen scraps (i.e. gradually decreasing the carbon ratio) and see how it goes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-18T15:10:52.847" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4225" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4217" CreationDate="2012-05-18T15:50:38.010" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe I found the answer after searching around a bit on this site:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/invertebrates/invertid/list_category.asp?Ca_ID=10&quot;&gt;http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/invertebrates/invertid/list_category.asp?Ca_ID=10&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think they're called Ladybird Larvae, but please let me know if anyone thinks differently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1207" LastActivityDate="2012-05-18T15:50:38.010" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4226" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4219" CreationDate="2012-05-18T16:51:50.990" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been doing this same thing with good success. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I drilled about 6-8 holes on the side near the bottom for drainage. I usually add lawn/ garden clippings, weeds, food scraps (no meat or dairy) and spent grains from brewing beer. I am not sure on the exact percentages of each but as they say &quot;Compost happens&quot;. It can get pretty warm in there, and I do have to take a shovel and turn it about once a week, more if it rains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To keep away pests (mainly only flys) I place about a 4 inch thick covering of lawn grass/hay that covers everything below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To prevent smell I  and pick a few vines from my mint to set on top. This keeps the mint a little more under control and makes them not smell at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only problems I still have is maggots (at least I think they are) that show up if I don't turn it often enough. but they just die when it dried out and compost out as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1016" LastActivityDate="2012-05-18T16:51:50.990" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4227" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4163" CreationDate="2012-05-18T18:48:26.797" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's actually a &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/31&quot;&gt;Tung tree&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="782" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-20T01:39:01.603" LastActivityDate="2012-05-20T01:39:01.603" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4228" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4223" CreationDate="2012-05-18T21:01:02.357" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its because you put the plant straight outside and the plant is not used to the harsh light outside so it gets 'sunburned'. To avoid this in the future you should harden it off by moving it out gradually over about a week:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;day: 2-3 hours in part shadow&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;day: 2-3 hours in the sun&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;4-5 hours in the sun&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;6-7 hours outside&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the whole day out but in at night&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the whole day out but in at night&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Now it can be outside all the time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does not have to be exactly like this, but the idea is you let the plant get used to the environment outside slowly. I know it can be difficult to do this while having a full time job so you can make variations where you leave it longer in the evening where the light is less harsh and stretch it out over a longer period than a week. or you can put fleece over it and leave it out a bit longer as well.&#xA;About the plant where the damage is done. It will set new leaves to replace the damaged ones, don't worry :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1200" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-22T17:55:54.717" LastActivityDate="2012-05-22T17:55:54.717" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4229" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2012-05-19T00:39:00.083" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2012-05-19T00:39:00.083" LastActivityDate="2012-05-19T00:39:00.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4230" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2012-05-19T00:39:00.083" Score="0" Body="Mushrooms are the fleshy fruiting bodies of a fungus, which bear spores for reproduction. Includes mushrooms with a stem and cap as well as any fruiting body, such as truffles or jelly fungus." OwnerUserId="1203" LastEditorUserId="1203" LastEditDate="2012-05-19T01:46:59.283" LastActivityDate="2012-05-19T01:46:59.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4231" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-19T16:24:01.583" Score="7" ViewCount="1455" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to replace some of the grass in my lawn (in the shadier parts of it) with moss. How should I go about doing that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user1039" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-06-19T01:57:23.560" LastActivityDate="2012-06-19T01:57:23.560" Title="How can I encourage moss to grow on my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4232" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-19T16:32:36.673" Score="9" ViewCount="12084" Body="&lt;p&gt;My backyard lawn has always been slightly &quot;patchy.&quot; My yard keeper attributes this to my two female dogs. I've been willing to believe him as the front yard grass has not had this problem and the backyard grass eventually gets green (even if it fills in w/ a bit of clover).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, this year it is not getting green. I've included some photos to illustrate:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Zvyk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;patchy grass&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xszo2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;patchy grass&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VFoJo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;patchy grass&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zdmgq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;patchy grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are my options to fix a yard which has become this patchy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1212" LastActivityDate="2013-05-10T02:09:18.763" Title="How can I fix a lawn which has become patchy?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4233" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4237" CreationDate="2012-05-19T19:00:43.890" Score="6" ViewCount="1265" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant was at the end of driveway, getting tossed by a previous owner. I'd like to care of it but I have zero idea what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does any one know a likely candidate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wdkgo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d1YjT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1203" LastEditorUserId="1203" LastEditDate="2012-05-31T12:07:44.040" LastActivityDate="2012-05-31T12:07:44.040" Title="What is the medium-leaved, thick-stemmed plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4231" CreationDate="2012-05-19T19:11:25.127" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Moss grows in a variety of environments and plants like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagina_subulata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Irish Moss&lt;/a&gt; may be of interest to you as well given the similar appearance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moss cannot out compete grasses or other perennials except in special environments (think temperate rain forest).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You would need to remove the competitors such as grasses.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;provide shade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;provide a soil that is damp or retains moisture well (peat moss helps)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;low traffic area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;allow for weeding to remove wind blown seeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@Ed Staub You're right that there are factors that are not clearly understood about moss growth.  I have a patch just out the front door: north facing, heavily compacted, heavy foot traffic, clay base soil.  This is not an ideal environment for anything much less moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-05-21T18:18:19.587" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4235" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-19T20:58:55.333" Score="14" ViewCount="3597" Body="&lt;p&gt;My basil has produced very nice white flowers. It's still cold outside so I can't put the plant out and let nature take its course. How do I successfully obtain seeds from the flowering plant? Do I have to cross pollinate, or does basil take self-pollination? After how long will be plant finally die after the process took its course? I'm doing some experiments here, so please bear with me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="256" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-06-19T01:59:04.620" LastActivityDate="2012-06-19T01:59:04.620" Title="I have the flowers, but how can I get seeds from my basil?" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4236" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1402" CreationDate="2012-05-19T21:15:32.587" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Miracle Gro Potting Mix has too much fertilizer in it and it tends to kill the young plants because it burns their root system. Try a potting mixture that does not have fertilizer in it. Good Luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1213" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-20T01:35:44.070" LastActivityDate="2012-05-20T01:35:44.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4237" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4233" CreationDate="2012-05-19T22:15:33.400" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglaonema&quot;&gt;Aglaonema&lt;/a&gt;, commonly called a Chinese Evergreen.  Their leaves come in a range of different variegation, so while the picture on the Wikipedia page doesn't look very much like yours, an &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=chinese+evergreen&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot;&gt;image search&lt;/a&gt; shows several that are closer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant looks like the leaves have been scorched by the sun, and it may not have been getting enough water (mine looked like that at one point after being packed away during a home remodel and not watered for &lt;em&gt;months&lt;/em&gt;).  Fortunately, they're very durable when given the right conditions, so it should bounce right back if you can give it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;shade or diffuse sunlight (I have mine at work where it's next to a west-facing window with Venetian blinds that are closed most of the time).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;moderate temperatures.  They don't like cold, so (depending on your climate) it might do best as a houseplant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;even watering; they like to be kept damp all the time (though like I said, I have one that survived for months without water).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-05-19T22:26:14.117" LastActivityDate="2012-05-19T22:26:14.117" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4238" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4257" CreationDate="2012-05-19T23:10:43.740" Score="9" ViewCount="19032" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a flowering crabapple in my yard whose bark has several large areas where it cracks and curls away from the wood underneath:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hover over any image for description / click for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rT7pH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rT7pHm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;Bark peeling away from the trunk&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YLZdu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YLZdum.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;Lower down on the trunk&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/odPZw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/odPZwm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;Original damaged area at the bottom of the trunk&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fQSsy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fQSsym.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;The whole tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what variety it is (the previous owners planted it), but it's a flowering crabapple with fragrant pink flowers and inedible 2&quot; kidney-shaped fruit.  I live in Portland, Oregon, USA which is USDA zone 8a.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is causing this damage and how can I treat it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I be worried about it spreading to my real apple tree which is approximately 20' away?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-05-23T01:33:20.650" LastActivityDate="2021-04-06T13:21:33.133" Title="What is causing the bark on my crabapple to crack and peel off?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4239" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4146" CreationDate="2012-05-20T02:33:29.647" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The blocks you are choosing are too narrow they will collapse in a short period of time. You need to use a full cement block with a crushed and compressed bed with the first course buryed or as the above poster stated use a decorative landscape block. Regardless the 6 inch base of crushed and compressed stone should be in place as well as burying the the first course of block. Good luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1214" LastActivityDate="2012-05-20T02:33:29.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4240" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-20T14:34:04.043" Score="6" ViewCount="480" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found another strange insect flying around in my garden today that I'm hoping to get identification on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/invertebrates/invertid/list_category.asp?Ca_ID=10&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This website&lt;/a&gt; was helpful previously, but I haven't been able to figure it out this time. It flys around pretty bee-like, but also sort of burrowed when it fell into the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ibkQY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Insect to identify crawling on my pepper plant (image 1)&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qqx1Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Insect to identify crawling on my pepper plant (image 2)&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1207" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2016-10-20T14:02:10.053" LastActivityDate="2016-10-20T14:02:10.053" Title="What is this beetle-like, brown-spotted flying insect?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4241" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-20T21:03:59.333" Score="6" ViewCount="1483" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not at all trained in identifying plants. I've tried the tips from the question: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/158/how-do-you-identify-a-plant&quot;&gt;How do you identify a plant?&lt;/a&gt;, but I have no idea what kind of group or family this plant belongs to, so starting a search is difficult. Google Image Search yields no results. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my question is: can somebody identify this plant? It grows quite well in a tropical climate is all that I can say about it. And it measures about 70cm in height. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DK28i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LmzR9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7VQ3p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1216" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-06-17T02:13:35.827" Title="What is this tropical-style houseplant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4242" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4254" CreationDate="2012-05-20T20:14:08.727" Score="18" ViewCount="5221" Body="&lt;p&gt;What type of tree(s) should I plant to provide the best shade on a two-story house?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to provide as much shade as possible on the red square below:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BVFcU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The part I'm most concerned about is the window area.  That is my office and, in the afternoon, outdoor temps that go over 85 turn that square area into a small oven. Even with the A/C blasting; there's only so much it and insulation will do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The place to plant the tree is key too.  Here is an overhead view of my house:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NMOsZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you see what the evil sun is doing every afternoon from 2-5?  He wants to bake me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand this task will require a bit of patience so anything that would provide shade in the next 5 to ten years would be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Update&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on an answer and some comments, let me refine what &quot;best&quot; means:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;How much should it grow per year?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anywhere between 2-4 feet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;How long should it live?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know the average life expectancy of trees, but something that would last at least 30 years should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Provide the most shade?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh yeah!!!  Much-o important-o!  Especially in that little window area in the red box since that is where I work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Should it be easy to maintain?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;YES!!!  Anything that requires work on the ground (e.g. raking) not a huge deal, but I don't want to climb ladders and trim limbs every season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;How big should the tree be to start with?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Small enough to fit in the Minivan you see in the garage or that would fit on a small tow trailer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ideal for your climate?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, obviously, but it would help if I listed climate:  Alabama.&#xA;I should also mention we get awful tornado weather every year so I would not want to plant something that would blow over and destroy the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1217" OwnerDisplayName="ray023" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2012-06-19T02:01:50.093" LastActivityDate="2017-01-31T08:14:45.800" Title="What is the best shade tree to shade the front of my house?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4241" CreationDate="2012-05-21T02:19:20.217" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just a wild guess, but I would guess a Pilidendron, maybe Philodendron martianum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-21T02:19:20.217" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4242" CreationDate="2012-05-21T02:40:38.357" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Define &quot;Best&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fastest to grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Longest to live?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Provide the most shade?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Easiest to maintain?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideal for your climate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously, it all depends.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For 'instant' shade in 5-10 years, that's going to require that you purchase a tree that is &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;somewhat mature already &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;fast growing&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The drawback to that is &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;expense (the more mature the tree, the larger it is, the more expensive and more work to plant)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;the faster the tree grows, the weaker the wood, and the shorter the lifespan&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, that's the main trade-off. Looking at your picture, it looks like you already have a tree well on its way to shading that entire end of the house. What you could consider doing is plant a few quick-growing trees that will get you the shade sooner than later, and then remove those trees another 20 years down the road when your other tree has matured.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for what tree to get, I'd consult a local arborist or local nursery. Those folks will help you pick the right tree for your locale. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2012-05-21T02:40:38.357" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4245" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4383" CreationDate="2012-05-21T03:11:49.597" Score="8" ViewCount="489" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recognize that gas trimmers will be less expensive and won't have the battery life issues cordless electric trimmers have (and corded is impractical - too many obstacles in the yard.) BUT! I would prefer to avoid the noise, smell and maintenance hassle of yet another small engine. I have a half acre, but there are many rock outcroppings, trees, shrubs and flower beds - it's more than just four sides each for house and property line. On the other hand, it's pretty tame - no heavy grass or weeds. Are the newest high-end cordless trimmers up to this? I'd like to hear from anyone who has one of the new fast-charge models.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1150" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-21T17:15:05.360" LastActivityDate="2021-03-05T09:12:44.487" Title="Are cordless electric string trimmers &quot;good enough&quot; for a medium sized yard?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;string-trimmer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4246" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4231" CreationDate="2012-05-21T03:33:55.943" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with kevinsky, and would like to add that you could collect spore bodies from &quot;fruiting&quot; moss in the area. Non-seeding plants have a slightly different lifecycle. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="1158" LastEditDate="2012-05-21T03:39:42.240" LastActivityDate="2012-05-21T03:39:42.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4247" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="104" CreationDate="2012-05-21T04:39:21.400" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would just comment, but i feel the need to ramble.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had red worms for about 4 years, I have over wintered them 4 ways, they were always in a bin every year but one.&#xA;In my basement one year, they were fine.&#xA;In two different garages, they were fine.&#xA;Last winter I decided to try to overwinter outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I dug a hole 24 inches deep, maybe 3 foot square.  Filled with peat and a little sand and the contents of the bin...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This spring... Not a whole lot of worms, don't know if the froze or dried out.. Or just left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not very scientific, but I am buying new worms... I know a guy, ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-21T04:39:21.400" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4248" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4249" CreationDate="2012-05-21T07:00:15.157" Score="14" ViewCount="13926" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking to use soaker hoses on my tomatoes this year and need a bit over 100 feet to get all the plants. The maximum length I can get one in is 50 feet so I would need three hoses to get everything evenly. Would they work ok if I connected them all together or would it be better to use a 3-way splitter on them? If it helps the hoses I was looking to get are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sears.com/craftsman-50-ft-x-1-2-in-soaker-hose/p-07163035000P?prdNo=1&amp;amp;blockNo=1&amp;amp;blockType=G1&quot;&gt;these&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2018-08-08T11:33:27.993" Title="Will the effectiveness of soaker hoses degrade too much if I connect multiple ones together?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4248" CreationDate="2012-05-21T08:08:31.143" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;As long as your tap can provide the required pressure to get a decent flow all the way to the end it &lt;strong&gt;should&lt;/strong&gt; work in series, however you will find that running the hoses in series will lead to greater pressure nearer the tap, so I would recommend a splitter to make all 3 hoses have similar pressure and flow characteristics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastActivityDate="2012-05-21T08:08:31.143" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4250" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4248" CreationDate="2012-05-21T11:31:02.767" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you considered a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_drain&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;french drain&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainwater_harvesting&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;collecting rain water&lt;/a&gt;? Depending on your location, tap water can be heavily chlorinated and not as helpful to your plants. If you're going to make the effort to install soaker hoses consider installing a water harvesting system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're serious about even water distribution and arent afraid of a DIY weekend you might consider forgoing the soaker hoses and creating your own system with PVC pipes, which you can raise/lower to meet the pressure requirements for each type of plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1202" LastActivityDate="2012-05-21T11:31:02.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4251" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4270" CreationDate="2012-05-21T12:09:01.897" Score="7" ViewCount="7306" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have an up-to-date list of which US states require a permit or otherwise restrict land owners from harvesting water? I know Washington, Utah, and Colorado were on the list at one point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1202" LastEditorUserId="785" LastEditDate="2012-05-21T19:09:46.747" LastActivityDate="2018-12-08T02:51:19.460" Title="Which US states restrict rain water harvesting?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;rain-barrel&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4082" CreationDate="2012-05-21T12:27:45.670" Score="6" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How To Get Rid of Dandelions:&lt;/strong&gt; The best way to get rid of dandelions is&#xA;  to remove them by hand. The key is to get all, or as much as possible,&#xA;  of the long taproot, since the plant can regenerate from any root&#xA;  pieces that remain in the soil. Water the area the day before you plan&#xA;  to weed, then use a long, narrow tool, such as a flat screwdriver or&#xA;  dandelion digger. Insert the tool as deeply as you can next to the&#xA;  crown of the dandelion, and wiggle the tool to loosen the soil around&#xA;  the root. Test to see if it is loose by gently tugging on the plant.&#xA;  Once there is little resistance, pull the dandelion out of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How To Prevent Dandelions:&lt;/strong&gt; Soils with low levels of calcium, and that&#xA;  don't break down organic matter quickly, are havens for dandelions,&#xA;  especially in lawns. If you have a lot of dandelions, top dress your&#xA;  lawn in the fall with compost. This will improve the nutrient level&#xA;  and introduce microbes that will break down organic matter more&#xA;  quickly. In addition, mow your lawn high and use a mulching mower to&#xA;  leave your clippings on the lawn. Try to remove any existing&#xA;  dandelions before they go to seed. For garden beds, a three inch layer&#xA;  of mulch will usually prevent dandelions from popping up.&#xA;  -&lt;a href=&quot;http://organicgardening.about.com/od/weeds/p/dandelions.htm&quot;&gt;http://organicgardening.about.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;But if I could convince you to spare these well-intended yet invasive buggers:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The dandelion plant is a beneficial weed, with a wide range of uses,&#xA;  and is even a good companion plant for gardening. Its taproot will&#xA;  bring up nutrients for shallower-rooting plants, and add minerals and&#xA;  nitrogen to soil. It is also known to attract pollinating insects and&#xA;  release ethylene gas which helps fruit to ripen.&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.countryfarm-lifestyles.com/companion-planting.html&quot;&gt;http://www.countryfarm-lifestyles.com/companion-planting.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1202" LastActivityDate="2012-05-21T12:27:45.670" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4242" CreationDate="2012-05-21T13:30:30.083" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As DA says, a local arborist should give you good advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Along with all the other questions: What is your water like? If you have sufficient water, then Alabama says &quot;Magnolia&quot; to me. Dense foliage and they can grow big, but I'm not sure how fast they grow. More ideal for the wetter parts of the Gulf States, people do grow them in gardens here in DFW and they get big (personally I would plant a more drought tolerant plant for DFW).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-05-21T13:30:30.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4254" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4242" CreationDate="2012-05-21T13:38:24.363" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;A problem is that any tree you plant will take a few years to grow sufficiently to give a second story room much shade. A tree large enough to help you within the next few years will be quite costly, and well beyond your limits for a self-planted tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some trees like a Leyland Cypress that grow incredibly quickly. However Leylands are not supposed to be good in hot climates, and they have a shallow root system, so storms will be an issue. There are good, fast growing trees you can find for your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you might try planting a second tree that will grow eventually into that hole to block the sun. Don't put it too near the house or driveway though. Any tree that large will be a problem otherwise. Anyway your existing tree will gradually fill out to provide more shade, IF you don't stunt its growth by having another tree next to it. You may do as well by just making sure that existing tree is well watered and has sufficient fertilizer to grow as rapidly as it can over the next few years. So add some drip irrigation around the tree you already have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd save that money on a new tree, and instead look at improving the quality of your insulation. Replace that window with a triple glazed one, with the proper coatings designed to reduce the cooling load. Then I'd look to add an inner layer of insulation on the wall. Go for 2-3 inches extra on those walls the sun bears down on. The nice thing is both of these fixes will give you immediate relief, instead of waiting for 5-10 years for a tree to grow enough to be of help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A final trick that may help is to cool the garage underneath. Add a fan to vent the air out of the garage when it gets too hot. This will reduce the heat infiltration through the floor of the room above. You may also look at insulating the garage ceiling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user923" LastEditorDisplayName="user923" LastEditDate="2012-05-21T13:43:47.290" LastActivityDate="2012-05-21T13:43:47.290" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4255" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4248" CreationDate="2012-05-21T15:46:29.183" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/4143/6&quot;&gt;my experience&lt;/a&gt; with connecting soaker hoses. It pretty much supports @Rory Alsop's advice, but it was too long to fit in a comment:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soaker hoses I bought recommended a maximum of 150' in series using two 75' hoses. I tried connecting a 75' and a 50' hose for each row I had planted. My plan was to double back at the end of each bed. Each hose had a flow regulating washer that needed to be removed for connections between soaker hoses. (Be sure to leave the first washer in at connection to the leader hose!) I followed all instructions, and the second hose didn't weep for the last 25'. I suspect it was partially due to the slight slope of my yard. My spigot was at the top of the slope, and the hose ran downhill. However, when it doubled back, the end of the hose was at the very top of the hill, which resulted in reduced pressure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're on flat ground with only 100' of hose, I'd try a setup connected in series. Observe your setup in action, and if you notice the end isn't weeping as much as the rest of the length, go for a splitter. It's not a huge hassle to relay the hose, and in series will save you the cost of the splitter. (My brass 4 way splitter was $14).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-05-21T15:46:29.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4257" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4238" CreationDate="2012-05-21T18:39:37.940" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I volunteered at a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maplelawn&quot;&gt;heritage garden&lt;/a&gt; (shameless plug for a place worth visiting) that had old crab apple and their bark did exfoliate or peel in little scales about two inches high by an inch wide.  This is normal for mature crab apple and apple trees.  What is in your pictures doesn't look like a mature tree with a trunk over eight inches in diameter and neither is the peeling all over the trunk.&#xA;Given the diversity of the apple family it's hard to say whether this is normal or not. The real question is: does the tree look healthy and bear fruit? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it does then watch and wait is my advice.  If the tree lacks healthy new growth or fruit then call an arborist for an on-site opinion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: from the additional pictures I can see that there is healthy bark underneath the peeling area and that the tree does not look stressed. I am in agreement with @Ed Staub that this is normal for apple trees. Dropping bark allows the tree to drop pests and diseases in the top layer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-23T12:18:53.257" LastActivityDate="2012-05-23T12:18:53.257" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4251" CreationDate="2012-05-21T19:06:48.763" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rainwater collection can refer to different aspects. There's agricultural use, there's home and garden use, there's storm run off prevention, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for collecting water for personal household use, Colorado has had a history of not allowing it , but in 2009, they passed new legislation to allow homeowner rain water collection (as well as well drilling): &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flxxrainwater.com/resources/co-laws/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.flxxrainwater.com/resources/co-laws/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears Washington still has restrictions, though has relaxed them on minimal amounts (such as rain barrels). This article also talks about Colorado's issues as well: &lt;a href=&quot;http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/the-legalities-of-rainwater-harvesting/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/the-legalities-of-rainwater-harvesting/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not aware of other state's restrictions, though there very well may be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2012-05-21T19:06:48.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4259" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4260" CreationDate="2012-05-21T19:11:35.200" Score="8" ViewCount="705" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently started composting, and I was reading about top-dressing. Two questions I have about top-dressing are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there a maximum to it? Most of my reading suggests up to once a year max.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I really need to rake it under the grass? Some sites suggest leaving it on your grass (it'll disappear by itself), some suggest raking it until it goes under the soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're wondering, my backyard area has quite a few weeds (hoping to eliminate most of them), a few small bare patches, and a few areas of yellow/dead grass. I'm aiming to eliminate most of the weeds and get a consistent, thicker grass for this year; maybe some vegetables next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt; I live in a place where we get cold winters (-20C and under) and hot summers (up to 30C or so).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="606" LastEditDate="2012-05-21T22:50:27.360" LastActivityDate="2013-12-28T01:27:34.583" Title="Top Dressing: When and How" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4259" CreationDate="2012-05-21T21:04:25.060" Score="10" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When: twice a year, spring and fall for areas where there is a cold winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;how much: you should be able to still see the grass. complete coverage could be counter productive if the grass cannot grow fast enough to reach the light.  Whether it will or not depends on your zone and health of grass and soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;raking helps but is not necessary unless you put a lot on&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the first part of top dressing is adding more grass seed.  By seeding twice a year the lawn can stay thick with less room for weeds.  Fall seeding works well as the seed will not germinate till spring when there should be more moisture.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-22T12:05:32.843" LastActivityDate="2012-05-22T12:05:32.843" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4262" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4263" CreationDate="2012-05-22T00:38:50.083" Score="9" ViewCount="219" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small open compost bin, it's now full with layers of brown and green. I read somewhere that I need to turn it occasionally (weekly is ideal), and that I need to keep a 1-4&quot; layer of browns (shredded newspaper is good) on top to prevent bugs/pests/etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I reconcile these two? Turning it will mix everything up and will disrupt the layer on top. Do I need to then re-layer it on top? I didn't leave that much space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastActivityDate="2012-05-22T02:22:14.873" Title="Compost Bin Full - Turning vs. Layer of Browns on Top" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4263" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4262" CreationDate="2012-05-22T02:22:14.873" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The ideal time to turn it is after the temperature starts to drop. Depending on your recipe, this may take more or less than a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as not having space, the pile will magically shrink as it composts. By the time it's done, it will generally reduce in volume by 1/3.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you turn it, you have options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't worry about re-covering it with browns. You may end up with bugs if you leave bug food on the surface. You could put a lid &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover it with a thin layer of browns -- whatever fits after you've turned it, even if it's just ½&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover it with a thin layer of garden soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wait to turn it until it has reduced in size.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't fully turn it; give it a stir so that you get some air mixed into the center.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-22T02:22:14.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4264" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4259" CreationDate="2012-05-22T03:09:36.327" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know the &quot;right&quot; answer, but I'll tell you what I've done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;The Lawn&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in a similar climate, temperature-wise. My lawn is pretty pathetic; I don't put much effort into it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I top dress around my apple trees in the spring and fall with about 1&quot; of composted horse manure. I don't bother to rake it in -- some mulch on the surface is nice to have there. This spring I had some compost left over in the wheelbarrow so I spread it around on a nearby patch of lawn -- I did rake that in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The grass in that ring around the trees is thick and green. The grass where I raked the extra compost is greener than the rest of the lawn, but less so than where I piled it thick around the trees. Actually, there's a strip of lawn &quot;downstream&quot; from one tree where the rain runs off that seems to be benefiting from the runoff from that inch of compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;The Vegetable Garden&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year I had two patches of corn in my garden. I fed the first patch every couple of weeks with liquid fish fertilizer. I gave the second patch a top dressing of 1-2&quot; of composted horse manure when it was maybe 2' tall. The first patch did ok; the plants struggled a little bit but I got a decent yield. The second patch did well; the plants were strong and had nice green leaves, though I'm not sure the yield was any higher.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Part of the veg garden was new, and the soil wasn't built-up yet. I had squash planted there that weren't thriving. I tried top dressing with about 2&quot; of manure on half the plants and dried blood on the others. The plants treated with blood responded much faster. Unfortunately I can't say much about yield, which was poor. An infestation of squash beetles and powdery mildew didn't help. Part of the lesson learned is that &quot;fixing&quot; with top dressing doesn't always work: weak plants invite pests and disease. (The volunteer pumpkins 30' away growing out of the compost pile -- very well fed from the start! -- were relatively unaffected by the beetles and powdery mildew.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;The Horse Pasture&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm building soil in a sloping area of would-be horse pasture that's got very poor soil. Think of it as a large lawn. As an experiment last fall, I dumped several 1' high by 2-3' wide windrows of compost along contour lines on the slope. Not surprisingly, the grass below those piles grows better than anywhere else -- the nutrients flowing out of the windrows when it rains feeds everything downhill. Obviously, though, nothing grows directly under those piles -- not necessarily what you want to have on your lawn, though I'm tempted to do this and plant some flowers into the pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-22T03:09:36.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4265" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-22T08:48:51.297" Score="6" ViewCount="453" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking to graft (I hope this is the right word) some fruit on top of an &amp;quot;Acacia saligna&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can this be done? What fruit tree types would be suitable for this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The temperatures where I live range from -2°C in the winter up to around 38°C in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="672" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2021-05-05T05:14:55.907" LastActivityDate="2021-05-05T05:14:55.907" Title="Are there trees with edible fruit from the family Mimosaceae?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="4266" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-22T10:03:39.267" Score="4" ViewCount="1117" Body="&lt;p&gt;Young seedlings are susceptible to bending caused by external force such as heavy wind or flood. The seedlings just lie on the soil and cannot lift up by itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should we help them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been growing a pepper chilli. It was bent to the ground because of lack of support. I forgot to help it recover (usually with a stick and a string to tie them). It continued to grow and grow straight up from the bending point, in a 90 degree turn. The bending point was hardened and I don't think that it is hurting the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-05-26T02:38:21.950" LastActivityDate="2012-05-26T02:38:21.950" Title="Should we help seedlings recover from a bent shape?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4266" CreationDate="2012-05-22T10:24:55.677" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the leaves/cotyledons are lying on the soil I would attempt to do something about this, so they would not rot. If it is only a part of the stem – don't bother. The seedling will continue growing up. When transplanting just plant it deeper, to put the bending point underground. It will become a part of the root system – not even hurting the appearance of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="976" LastActivityDate="2012-05-22T10:24:55.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4265" CreationDate="2012-05-22T12:23:25.460" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a very interesting tree. It fixes nitrogen, can be used to retain soil in gullies and grows in tough areas.  It is also considered invasive in parts of North America as it forms large stands of only this species which  exclude all other species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Around the world it is used to make charcoal, particle board and stakes to name only a few uses.  The seeds and pods are used as cattle and sheep feed but some species contain phenols and tannins which limit their use by humans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vachellia_farnesiana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Acacia farnesiana&lt;/a&gt; is more of a shrub than a tree and has edible seeds. This &lt;a href=&quot;http://asgap.org.au/apol25/mar02-3.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;details some acacia with edible seeds and where they are grown around the world.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, there are acacia with edible seeds, and you could probably graft them onto your acacia but it's a lot of work and would qualify as original research in horticulture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given the challenges of grafting with a species that does not have a long history of grafting I'd rather plant a tree that I like the fruit or seeds of directly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Just for clarity you can only graft within a genus.  So you cannot graft apple stock on acacia. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.worldwidewattle.com/speciesgallery/home.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This web site&lt;/a&gt; seems to be a detailed web site for acacias.  You can search for all members of the genus by continent.  Theoretically, every acacia listed on the web site is a suitable candidate for grafting. Grafting is not currently practised commercially so no one can tell you how successful you might be. Let us know!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-22T14:58:35.873" LastActivityDate="2012-05-22T14:58:35.873" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4269" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4265" CreationDate="2012-05-22T13:41:42.573" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most edible members of Fabaceae that are trees include tamarind (Tamarindus indica),Carob (Ceratonia siliqua), And the acacia that you were asing about... In the new world there are some acacias that have edible pods that are eaten as immature, but the also have great big spines that host ant colonies... There are edible acacia food stuffs, in Gum Arabic, and Acacia Gum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But if you were interested in a tree that produces food especially in hot dry climates I would look at: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa_oleifera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa_oleifera&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-22T13:41:42.573" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4270" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4251" CreationDate="2012-05-22T13:52:03.587" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the west water rights were acquired by the states to encourage expansion westward.  Over times most states have enacted laws/regulations permitting rainwater catchment.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a full list of these laws, please refer to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.harvesth2o.com/statues_regulations.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;www.harvesth2o.com/statues_regulations.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1223" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-05-23T05:51:26.920" LastActivityDate="2012-05-23T05:51:26.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4232" CreationDate="2012-05-22T15:05:37.237" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You will find a lot of questions about grass maintenance on the right side bar and the answers tend to cluster around similar themes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fast solution:  re sod and water thoroughly for first few weeks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Slow solution:  aerate and dethatch yearly, over seed and top dress twice a year&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But...your dogs are playing a part with the &quot;paw&quot; traffic and a bit of digging. Consider fencing off an area for a dog run to let the rest of the lawn recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-22T15:05:37.237" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4272" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-22T15:44:12.370" Score="4" ViewCount="575" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a Dracaena about 3 months ago.  I water it 1-2 times a week and make sure the soil is moist, but not too damp.  About 3 weeks ago, it started developing a white powdery substance on the leaves.  Can you tell me what this is or what I can do to get rid of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1225" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T18:05:24.650" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T18:05:24.650" Title="What is the white powdery substance on my Dracaena's leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2017-12-02T03:11:31.273" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4273" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1402" CreationDate="2012-05-22T17:59:44.453" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've switched all of the plants in my apartment to &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B005CXI79G&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Conrad Fafard Professional Potting Mix&lt;/a&gt;. It seems to work well for everything I currently have - ivy, pothos, snake plants, palms - and has a nice balance of draining well while retaining plenty of moisture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plan to try the &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B005CXTOES&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;organic version&lt;/a&gt; of this potting mix with my new herbs (no chemical fertilizers in the pots of plants I'm going to eat!); I found a garden shop where the owner recommended this over the seven or eight other brands they carry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="492" LastActivityDate="2012-05-22T17:59:44.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4274" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4276" CreationDate="2012-05-22T18:45:45.183" Score="9" ViewCount="41597" Body="&lt;p&gt;I sowed arugula/rocket in an outside pot 2 months ago. As it was my first sowing of rocket, it turned out to be too dense so I have thinned it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was growing nicely, but all of a sudden it started sending out long shoots that now have flowers on top of them. Beside this, the leaves are too tiny and cannot be used, and the lower  leaves are turning yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tV7kxl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rocket flowering&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L5HYQl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rocket&amp;#39;s tiny leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the plant is trying to make seeds and then it will die away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I sow new seeds? Is it better to sow them in my garden or in a pot? The current pot is in a really sunny position that can get really hot in the afternoon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-05-23T01:08:26.960" LastActivityDate="2013-08-20T20:33:17.700" Title="Does Arugula/rocket flowering mean the plant's crop season is over?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4275" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4274" CreationDate="2012-05-22T19:55:12.410" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, generally any salad green's leaves get tough and bitter when they start flowering / setting seed. At this point, you should pull them up and plant something else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know about rocket specifically, but warmer weather and/or longer days often trigger flowering. If your garden provides more shade or a cooler environment, your rocket may grow better. But if you can't provide an ideal environment, you may want to try growing something more adapted to warmer weather and replant rocket as cooler weather approaches in late summer / autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Salad greens that work better for me in the summer would include beets, chard, or some heat-adapted varieties of lettuce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-22T19:55:12.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4276" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4274" CreationDate="2012-05-22T21:47:13.260" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, your arugula's crop season is coming to an end, as bstpierre notes. Mine finished going to seed and dried out completely by last week (I live in southern California, so you can compare the weather here with your location). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You certainly have planted them very close to each other, which is why they aren't tall/the leaves aren't bigger (in comparison, mine's about 3-4 feet tall). Next year, try to give them some more space (depending on how much you can spare), ideally about 10 inches apart. The plants will support each other as they grow, just like some varieties of peas. I don't try to collect the seeds, but instead let the pods dry out, pop and spread it on its own. When it grows again the next season, you can pull them from wherever they are and plant it neatly in a row/grid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing that I did notice that was different from other greens in my garden, is that the leaves of arugula still remained edible right till the very end and do not increase in bitterness like lettuce does. The reason for this is that in lettuce, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/529/109&quot;&gt;the bitterness is a defense mechanism&lt;/a&gt; against pests, especially during the final bolting phase. On the other hand, arugula is inherently bitter and most insects avoid it, so there is no need for an additional defense mechanism.  Since arugula is an acquired taste anyway, there is no discernable change in bitterness. So for now, the green leaves are perfectly fine to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-05-22T21:47:13.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4277" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1402" CreationDate="2012-05-23T02:05:58.090" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The OP is growing indoors and the biggest problem is the lack of direct sunlight. Lack of sunlight will lead to &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a weak plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;very wet soil because of insufficient evaporation.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I suggest an extra loose potting mix ratio of &lt;code&gt;2:1:1 Peat:Perlite:Vermiculite&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;. Peat is quite loose when dried but it can get too wet so I put a extra portion of perlite and vermiculite which are both soil enhancers to help the drainage. And please use a pot with a lot of big holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-05-24T03:36:19.690" LastActivityDate="2012-05-24T03:36:19.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4278" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4281" CreationDate="2012-05-23T09:49:35.870" Score="11" ViewCount="1132" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to put small plant labels in my garden so that I don't forget what exactly is sown where.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you suggest plant labels that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;are made from non-toxic materials&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can have arbitrary text written/carved in them&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;are relatively easy to make&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;are made from materials easy to obtain&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;are made from materials that are durable outdoors for at least one growing season&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" OwnerDisplayName="nettle" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-23T11:17:32.933" LastActivityDate="2012-06-30T20:57:58.263" Title="How do I make plant labels for outdoors?" Tags="&lt;plant-labels&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4279" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-23T10:01:42.930" Score="4" ViewCount="11123" Body="&lt;p&gt;A year ago, my grandmother gave me a cutting from her jade plant and it has grown a little since that time. I repotted it about a week ago because the pot it was in was beginning to get too small.&#xA;I used a 50/50 mix of organic potting soil and sandy dirt and I water it whenever the soil feels and looks dry. It sits in full sun for about 4 hours a day (I live in the UK so the light intensity is not extreme)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture of it at the moment:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5062494/junk/jade_plant_23-05-2012.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5062494/junk/jade_plant_23-05-2012.JPG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It grows REALLY slowly (my chilli plants I bought a week ago have grown as much as the money plant has done in a year)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I make it grow faster? If so, how?&#xA;Also, is there anything I can do to make the trunk grow thicker and taller? (I want it less bushy and more tall + tree like.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1228" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-23T11:33:12.867" LastActivityDate="2021-02-26T13:57:33.030" Title="Can I make my Jade plant grow faster?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4280" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-23T11:24:43.423" Score="9" ViewCount="640" Body="&lt;p&gt;I travel too much, and, honestly I don't really have a green thumb plants. Still, I like them and would be happy to keep some resilient plants if could get geeky about it :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was trying to figure how to automatically irrigate plants with simple mechanism and interesting designs (after all, plants in my case, are for decoration only).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wanted some that was:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Simple and low maintenance&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Interesting design (I probably mean geeky here)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Somewhat configurable. Specifically in terms of how much water it drips for the different plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have experimented with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drip_chamber&quot;&gt;IV tubes&lt;/a&gt; I bought in a pharmacy but that small flow control is not precise enough to set the drip rate so low.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen a few commercial products around, but they all seem to assume the person buying will be on top of the maintenance or they have some sort of lame camouflage to hide it within the plants. Well, I guess both points are fair enough, but neither is my case :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have any of you guys figured something alike?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[EDIT] I guess I should mention this is for small plants kept inside the house - nothing fancy, really.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1229" LastEditorUserId="1229" LastEditDate="2012-05-23T16:50:20.763" LastActivityDate="2012-05-23T20:05:58.327" Title="Non mechanical plant watering systems?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4281" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4278" CreationDate="2012-05-23T11:29:11.873" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some ideas:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hang the empty seed packet over a stick shoved into the ground on the end of a row. This will usually fade by the end of the season, but at that point the plants have grown large enough that you know what's what.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/982/51&quot;&gt;blank dog tags and a stamp set&lt;/a&gt; to create metal labels.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Write in pencil on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/976/51&quot;&gt;back of strips of scrap vinyl siding&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've seen small wooden signs nailed to stakes that have the plant name painted on them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Similarly, I've seen signs that appear to have been woodburned/carved.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you want really cheap and easy, don't mind appearance much, and are willing to perhaps replace them halfway through the season, save your junk mail. Cut envelopes open on the short end, write your label on the back with a sharpie and hang it over a stake as mentioned above for seed packets.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Write with a &lt;a href=&quot;http://cackleberrycottage.blogspot.com/2012/01/wine-bottle-repurpose.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;paint marker on an empty wine bottle&lt;/a&gt;, and invert the bottle over the end of a stick.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Carve the name into an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.andrealehnen.com/2008/06/labels.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;flattened-out aluminum can&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut open cardboard milk cartons and write on the inside with a sharpie. The plastic coating on the inside of the cardboard makes these very durable; they'll probably last a couple of seaons -- perhaps with a refresh on the marker.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not a direct answer, but I was reminded by &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/4312/51&quot;&gt;@Rob Forrest's suggestion&lt;/a&gt; that I should mention I've had good luck with &lt;em&gt;planning&lt;/em&gt; my plantings so that I have a map of what is supposed to be where. Of course nothing ever goes exactly to plan, so I make sure to update the map after reality strikes and then I have a record of what is growing where.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-05-27T01:51:13.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4283" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4278" CreationDate="2012-05-23T11:52:43.280" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Used plastic forks and knives, save them up from lunch, then write on the black ones with silver sharpie and the white ones with black sharpie...&#xA;Re-using garbage is awesome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-23T11:52:43.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4279" CreationDate="2012-05-23T12:23:38.027" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A plant tends to put on more top growth when it is pot bound. So, don't re pot it for at least five years.  You can pinch out the top leaf set and it may branch out.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another way to make it look bushier is to detach a leaf from the stem, let it dry for a week and then put it in the soil.  It will grow roots and start a new stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fresh soil and lower light levels imply there is no need for fertilizer for a few years. If you do fertilize this could result in the kind of growth that will attract pests who like juicy soft new leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-23T12:23:38.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4278" CreationDate="2012-05-23T13:13:20.243" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I slice up plastic containers/tubs, such as one-litre yogurt tubs, with ordinary scissors or kitchen shears, into strips about half an inch across and 6 inches long, and I write on them with a grease pencil. Just the plant (eg lettuce, green beans) - the specific type etc are recorded in the garden book, not on the label. I write in the top half of the strip and then just stick it in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had the same grease pencil for over 20 years. I may need to replace it in the next decade or so. I keep the tags in the fall and reuse them if I am planting the same stuff later (and most of us usually do plant the same core things all the time.) Where I live, we can recycle those tubs, so any strips I don't want any more can go in the blue box. As an extra bonus, some of them are written in the &quot;brand new to writing&quot; handwriting of then-small children (now grown), giving me a little nostalgia as I look through them to find the one I want, a bit like putting kindergarten-made ornaments on my xmas tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2012-05-23T13:13:20.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4286" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4272" CreationDate="2012-05-23T13:19:30.583" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In lieu of a picture, here is a blind guess: it is one of powdery mildew, a scale bug of some sort, or mineral deposits. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is probably a scale bug.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-01-06T01:05:46.447" LastActivityDate="2015-01-06T01:05:46.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4287" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-23T16:20:46.397" Score="7" ViewCount="354" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mom gave me this shrub/tree/bush a few years back.  She told me it was a rhododendron but had no other information.  I live on the border of Zone 4 and 5 in the Lake Michigan basin.  I planted it on the north east corner of my house in pretty much full maple tree shade.  It hasn't done very well where it is but it has bloomed twice so far (as you can see in the pics).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does anyone know the common/scientific name?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does this plant require full sun?  How much should I water?  How much should I fertilize?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've never covered it over the winter, should I and how should I?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've attempted trying to tie it up over the winter but the branches are so scraggly that I was afraid I'd break/kill what little remains.  Any help with this plant would be awesome. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1i9H0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;With flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3ZfF9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Entire plant without flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="626" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-06-14T10:20:11.650" LastActivityDate="2012-06-14T10:20:11.650" Title="Is this shrub a rhododendron, and how can I help it to flourish?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4288" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4287" CreationDate="2012-05-23T16:33:56.513" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a rhododendron, probably a cultivar like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/r/rhopjm/rhopjm1.html&quot;&gt;PJM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;partial shade to full sun&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prefers moist, cool, acidic, well-drained, organic soil. Lots of peat moss helps&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;much more soil adaptable than most rhododendrons&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;avoid harsh, dry, windswept sites&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you can wrap it in burlap or other windproofing material to protect from leaf burn in the winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-23T16:33:56.513" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4280" CreationDate="2012-05-23T18:05:49.847" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;These seem trendy. They are glass bulbs that you fill with water, then stick in the soil. They'll slowly drain over a few days:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CsdcF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2012-05-23T18:05:49.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4290" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4292" CreationDate="2012-05-23T18:24:29.473" Score="9" ViewCount="8103" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wanted to put in some raised beds that are about 1' deep above ground, and that wrap circularly around a Northern Arizona cedar tree.  Do I need to plastic or a rock/cage around the tree trunk to protect it from the new wet environment?  The trees are about 1-3' in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1139" LastActivityDate="2012-05-23T19:09:58.907" Title="Raised bed around tree. Do I need to protect the trunk?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4291" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4293" CreationDate="2012-05-23T18:29:52.477" Score="9" ViewCount="1204" Body="&lt;p&gt;The trees are Northern Arizona cedar trees about 1'-3' in diameter at trunk base, have a canopy of 15'-25' in diameter and I wanted to to put in trunk-surrounding raised beds that are 5' in diameter, 1' deep above ground.  But when I do this normally (with no major tree involved), I dig rocks up out of the native soil, and essentially till it.   What do I need to do or not do to keep these trees' roots damage-free ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1139" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T17:54:05.693" Title="Tilling soil around a tree for a raised bed. How much is safe for tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4292" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4290" CreationDate="2012-05-23T18:51:22.147" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the diameter of the planting bed in relation to the drip line of the tree?  If you raise the soil grade one foot around the tree you will &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bartlett.com/resources/Preventing-Damage-to-Trees-from-Grade-Changes.pdf&quot;&gt;kill&lt;/a&gt; the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/hortcult/treeshru/treewells.htm&quot;&gt;roots&lt;/a&gt; in &lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/landscape/tree/protect.html&quot;&gt;that area&lt;/a&gt; that the tree uses to exchange air.  It is not advised to cover much more than forty percent of the surface of the tree from the drip line to the trunk. I have seen many trees near new house construction slowly killed by this kind of work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Younger trees are better able to adapt than older trees to this kind of change but you increase your chances of success by building a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.forestryimages.org/images/768x512/1361174.jpg&quot;&gt;tree well&lt;/a&gt; as wide as you can tolerate in your design around the base the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another solution is to raise the grade slowly.  By adding two or three inches a year you can achieve what you want in three years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another solution is more intensive and involves using 4-inch perforated plastic pipe arranged in 5 to 6 horizontal lines radiating from the tree well like spokes in a wheel to a point beyond the branch spread. This allows air exchange and can be covered with soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yet another solution is to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cover the area you wish to raise with coarse gravel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;top with a landscape fabric to prevent soil from seeping in&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;put a thin layer of soil  (one inch) on top to hide the gravel and fabric.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-23T19:09:58.907" LastActivityDate="2012-05-23T19:09:58.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4291" CreationDate="2012-05-23T18:56:35.103" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most tree roots are within six inches of the surface where there is air and water that is freely available. Any kind of tilling or compacting will have a negative effect on the trees health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most mature trees like it just the way it is and changes to their environment must be done slowly, if at all, to give them time to adapt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See your &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/4290/51&quot;&gt;other question&lt;/a&gt; for better ways to do this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-05-23T21:13:52.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4294" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4280" CreationDate="2012-05-23T19:29:18.370" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A simple and cheap method is to take a 2 liter bottle and poke a very small hole in the top, then put the bottle upside down in your soil. You can regulate the flow of water by making the hole larger or smaller. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This may not work if you are gone for a very long period, but would probably work well if you are only gone for a few days. It also doesn't look very good, but you might be able to disguise them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2012-05-23T19:29:18.370" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4295" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4280" CreationDate="2012-05-23T20:05:58.327" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I also travel frequently and use the &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hydrospike.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hydrospike&lt;/a&gt;&quot;. Basically it siphons water up from a container into a clay spike, which slowly diffuses the water. The flow can be &quot;regulated&quot; by the number of spikes you use ;-) The physics doesn't quite make sense to me, but against all odds, it seems to work quite well. The longest trip I've used it for was 10 days, with outdoor plants in warm weather, and my plants were all healthy when I came back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The downsides I've faced are &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;size (this is too big for really tiny pots)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;arranging the water reservoir. The water tube needs to drape down into the reservoir, which must be below the spike. Unfortunately, the water tube is only so long, so you may need to do some furniture arrangement to get the water up high enough, but not too high. I've seen other products on Amazon that come with some reservoirs designed to attach to the side of pots, and I tried one once, but it didn't fit my arrangement.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;constant moistness (I don't leave this going for too long, but I imagine if you did, you might start to have fungus or soil bug problems.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The arrangement I use is an Ikea side table holding some paint buckets full of water, with many Hydrospike tubes feeding two yard-long elevated planters. I made some clear plexiglass lids with small gaps for the tubes, to limit evaporation and bug invasion, but allows me to check the water level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="644" LastActivityDate="2012-05-23T20:05:58.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4278" CreationDate="2012-05-23T20:54:55.470" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used popsicle sticks and a sharpie for plant labels this year. It worked really well for all of our seed starts. If you want to save time, you can color code them so you don't have to write out the same thing dozens of times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastActivityDate="2012-05-23T20:54:55.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4297" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-23T21:06:46.023" Score="5" ViewCount="395" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw a video of a guy using this symbiotic fungus powder on legume root balls that he placed in a green manuring bed.  Is there a point to using this stuff in general?   Right now I'm a few days away from planting black/raspberry bushes from pot to 50/50 potting/native soil, in the ground.  Should I put some of this stuff on the roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Edit&lt;/em&gt;:&#xA;Okay, found some plant lists:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mycorrhizalsymbiotics.com/content/plant-list#nonforming&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://mycorrhizalsymbiotics.com/content/plant-list#nonforming&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mycorrhizalsymbiotics.com/content/plant-list#nonforming&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.californiamycorrhiza.com/lists.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mycorrhizas.info/nmplants.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://mycorrhizas.info/nmplants.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1139" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-26T11:42:12.983" LastActivityDate="2013-07-03T21:21:59.807" Title="Mycorrhizae Innoculant. When/where/on what do I use this?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4291" CreationDate="2012-05-23T21:57:19.980" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You do &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; want to be adding a foot of soil to the base of a mature tree. That will suffocate the roots and likely weaken the tree. Maybe consider some alternatives. A bit of mulch and perhaps a few containers rather than an entire raised bed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2012-05-23T21:57:19.980" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4300" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4248" CreationDate="2012-05-24T14:52:57.793" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My experience is similar to others - a parallel set up is better than long single line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also - do not mix different kinds of soaker hoses.  We bought different kinds and the result was not good.  Not sure of the reason for this but I suspect that pressure drops across one section led to starvation of pressure in subsequent.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastActivityDate="2012-05-24T14:52:57.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4301" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3344" CreationDate="2012-05-24T17:31:24.437" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had a great deal of success growing vegetables in a 5 gallon bucket.  I live in FL and we are about to enter the &quot;off season&quot; for vegetable gardening as choices are somewhat limited because of our warm evenings.  Many veggies need a cooler part of the day to do their best.  But things I am harvesting now include many types of peppers, eggplant and pole beans.  I am going to try okra, summer squash and corn.  I use a sub-irrigated planter that is built into a five gallon bucket.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1234" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T22:15:21.640" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T22:15:21.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4302" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-24T20:12:08.560" Score="7" ViewCount="2127" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I'm starting the design of my Home Sprinkler system, and the first thing I do naturally is call the utility company and have them mark everything.  The problem is, they've essentially &quot;boxed off&quot; a big section of yard to where if I'm going to get at least 50% of my house covered by sprinklers I'd have to go over at least one utility line.  I figure maybe there's a few options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dig really carefully (I'll resort to my kid's Sand Shovel if needed)?  One of the lines is a telephone line so I figure if I break the line the electric shock wouldn't be too great.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ask someone about relocating a line?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Maybe go topside for a stretch over the line in question?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;One side of the &quot;box&quot; is the property line, I could ask my neighbor about a tresspass to circle around the utilities, don't know about the legal issues there.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1235" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-25T12:23:41.213" LastActivityDate="2013-03-07T17:23:57.630" Title="Utility lines blocking off areas of my designed sprinkler system entirely, what to do?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4303" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-24T21:37:18.473" Score="1" ViewCount="4438" Body="&lt;p&gt;It hasn't rained here for nearly a month, but it's supposed to tonight.  I was thinking of doing some quick planting when I get home and let mother nature take care of the watering, is she usually sufficient for setting newly planted seeds?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I know if it's rained enough to equal what I would have wanted to put on the garden. Is rain water more effective at seed starting than tap water (even tap water stored in a barrel)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="10" LastEditDate="2012-05-24T22:07:37.907" LastActivityDate="2012-06-09T04:50:44.910" Title="Planting seeds before a rain to save a step" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;rain&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4307" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4287" CreationDate="2012-05-25T01:42:27.997" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the morphology of the leaves and the shape of the buds, it's definitely a Rhododendron. I'd advise fertilizing with an acidifying product like MirAcid or Hollytone.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2012-05-25T01:42:27.997" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4308" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-25T07:17:39.317" Score="2" ViewCount="292" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for any kind of references (book , video , PDF , ...) for growing lilies in greenhouse. I heard Lilies are like a child and they need standard growing plan such as irrigation plan , ....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1238" LastActivityDate="2012-05-29T13:57:23.703" Title="Growing Lilies In Greenhouse References" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4309" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4303" CreationDate="2012-05-25T11:55:32.293" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;After I plant seed, I try to keep it moist until it germinates. This means watering every day that it doesn't rain, sometimes morning and evening if the day has been especially hot, sunny, and dry. If the weather is damp and overcast, even if it doesn't rain, I may skip watering if it looks like the ground where I planted is still moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So planting when there's rain in the forecast may save you a step.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With that said:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I thought there was a heavy rain coming, I might skip planting small seeds like lettuce to avoid having them washed away.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If the predicted rain doesn't arrive, you'd best be out there watering!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-25T11:55:32.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4310" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4311" CreationDate="2012-05-25T14:12:21.610" Score="7" ViewCount="9388" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this large unidentified plant which I keep indoors. (a present from my aunt) I don't water it too frequently, and it seems to be doing OK - it's much bigger than it was when I got it a few years ago. I've even cut off a few branches and successfully planted them, but I'm never sure whether I'm watering too much or not, and these experiments die as often as not. It seems like after watering, some leaves turn yellow and fall off, almost every time. But the soil is completely dry both before and after I water - I'm not watering enough to keep the soil moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify the plant and give me watering advice?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click image for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ir6qN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ir6qNl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1239" LastEditorUserId="1239" LastEditDate="2012-05-26T12:25:07.907" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T15:20:45.047" Title="Am I overwatering this unidentified (jade) plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4310" CreationDate="2012-05-25T14:22:00.263" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_plant&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;jade plant&lt;/a&gt; or Crassula ovata.  The one in the picture you have has been grown in low light and has stretched out and dropped the older leaves which is why it looks so thin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are plump and there are some yellow leaves so it does look to have been slightly over watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The wikipedia entry noted above agrees with my experience with them&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;they require a normal watering when the soil is dry in the summer, and&#xA;very little watering in the winter. Overwatering will cause them to&#xA;lose their leaves (it is easy to identify overwatering by the&#xA;characteristic crinkling look that the fallen leaves have) and&#xA;eventually the stem will rot away. Though jades can survive&#xA;overwatering, it is best to keep them on a 10 - 20 day cycle in the&#xA;summer, and even less (up to a month dry) in the winter. Letting the&#xA;soil dry between waterings is essential for a healthy jade.&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_plant&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They will grow in full sun to light shade. However, they do not&#xA;tolerate extreme heat or overexposure to direct sun very well, showing&#xA;damage ranging from scorched leaves to loss of foliage and rotting&#xA;stems. Most of the common species will tolerate a limited degree of&#xA;frost but overexposure to cold weather will kill them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The intense summer sun where you live can scorch a jade plant so do not put this plant in full sun.  It appears to need more light so an unobstructed eastern or north facing window should be just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend cutting it back to encourage new growth and give it a bushier look but that is just personal preference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cuttings can be rooted in the same pot or can start a new plant by letting the cut end dry or callous.  Place it in bright light for a few days and then push into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-06-03T12:00:55.597" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4278" CreationDate="2012-05-25T15:40:18.200" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I heard a great suggestion on Gardeners question time.  Instead of sticking in a label that invariably gets lost, fades so that you can't read it, or just looks plain ugly; why not take a photo of what you've planted and name that photo with the name of the plant.  You'll have a record of exactly whats there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1241" LastActivityDate="2012-05-25T15:40:18.200" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4314" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4082" CreationDate="2012-05-25T20:04:13.743" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't tried this, but I might take a two-pronged approach:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Squirt a little vinegar down the hole -- maybe 5mL with a child's medicine dropper to get it down in the hole. I don't know if 5mL is enough to really do anything to the dandelion, but it shouldn't be enough to cause collateral damage. IANAL, but I can't imagine that vinegar qualifies as a banned herbicide, and at any rate, it's perfectly safe for kids.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Then fill in the hole with finely screened compost, smooth the surface, and sprinkle a pinch of grass seed over the top. Keep moist until it germinates.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My hope is that the vinegar would damage any remaining taproot without causing damage to the lawn, the compost will buffer the germinating seed from the vinegar and feed the new grass, and the lawn seed will sprout and grow in thickly before the dandelion gets a chance to regrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(After writing the answer above, I found &lt;a href=&quot;http://landscaping.about.com/od/weedsdiseases/qt/vinegar_weeds.htm&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; about battling dandelions with vinegar, so it looks like what I've described above has been done before. About halfway down they mention that the best time for this treatment would be in autumn.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-25T20:04:13.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4316" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4317" CreationDate="2012-05-26T10:14:44.383" Score="2" ViewCount="97" Body="&lt;p&gt;Took my bean outside recently and it was just fine for last 2 days when suddenly yesterday 4 or 5 leave got their tips dried out. It is in pot on North facing wall so wonder if that might be due to strong morning sun ? I put it into the place where is more shade so we will see how it will go from there. Also I checked moisture and its just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1243" LastActivityDate="2012-06-25T17:36:38.933" Title="French Bean Cobra got scorched by sun?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4316" CreationDate="2012-05-26T16:39:52.513" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yeah, seedlings need to be &quot;hardened off&quot;, before you can leave them outside, methods include leaving them outside for progressively longer periods of time each day, and letting the seedling wilt inside several times&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-05-26T16:39:52.513" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4318" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4297" CreationDate="2012-05-27T03:35:40.957" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have never heard of inoculating mycorrhizal fungi as that is pretty much present everywhere.  Legumes however, have symbiotic relationships with nitrogen fixing bacteria.  Once present in the soil, new crops will take them up and form root nodules to house them.  Getting the correct inoculant for your legume ( each legume species has a specific bacteria species it pairs with ) is a good idea if you haven't done so before and your soil doesn't naturally contain the correct bacteria already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had good results with green soybeans ( edemame ).  My first crop had no root nodules, and so I inoculated the second crop and have had good nodulation and better yield since.  Pull up a plant and look at the roots and if there are no nodules ( largish knot or ball like structures ) in the roots, then inoculating may help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, if there is already plenty of nitrogen in the soil ( because you are adding fertilizer ), inoculating probably won't make any difference.  I have read studies that say the plants only cultivate the bacteria when they need some more nitrogen than they are getting from the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that black/raspberry bushes are not legumes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="476" LastActivityDate="2012-05-27T03:35:40.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4319" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-27T11:02:55.150" Score="6" ViewCount="7622" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have a parsley plant (in its second year), and I think it has 'bolted'?, so it not really producing lush green stalks that I can use for cooking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/C9Vv2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I salvage it? Or is it too far gone?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="54" LastEditorUserId="54" LastEditDate="2012-05-27T11:08:23.300" LastActivityDate="2012-05-27T23:02:53.103" Title="Is this parsley plant too advanced to be salvaged for use with cooking" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;parsley&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4320" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4319" CreationDate="2012-05-27T15:09:28.390" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, your parsley has bolted. You might be able to use some of the green leaves at the bottom, but the stalks are definitely going to be tough and stringy, unlike when the plant is young. Typically, parsley still keeps producing some good leaves when it has bolted (at least, the people I gave the leaves to didn't say it tasted bad). I don't like parsley, so I can't say much about the taste, but my experience with cilantro and lettuce has been that the leaves get bitter (or off-taste) when the plant has bolted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try cutting the stalks and prolonging the plant's life, but I would suggest getting a fresh new plant and starting the cycle again. Herbs are so easy to grow and new plants are quite cheap, that it's not worth the trouble to keep pushing a bolted plant. You might also find this answer on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3692/109&quot;&gt;harvesting herbs&lt;/a&gt; useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-05-27T15:14:51.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4321" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4319" CreationDate="2012-05-27T15:51:14.837" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should be able to use the bottom leaves. &#xA;You can also remove the stems with flowers on them - this should encourage some new growth if you are lucky.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Parsley is a biennial plant, meaning that on the second year it bolts and produces seeds.&#xA;To prolong its life, remove the bolting stems as soon as you see them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-05-27T23:02:53.103" LastActivityDate="2012-05-27T23:02:53.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4322" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4324" CreationDate="2012-05-27T17:26:59.040" Score="6" ViewCount="6632" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a bunch of potatoes with long sprouts from their eyes.  (Actually, we just planted them, but I'll ask the questions I had right before planting.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should I leave a 12-inch sprout from the eye, or break some of it off?  On average, the remaining potato chunk is small (&amp;lt;1&quot;), so I imagine it doesn't have too much energy left.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should I plant the sprouts up or down?  (We actually planted them sideways because we weren't sure.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1085" LastActivityDate="2012-05-27T21:24:45.083" Title="Advice on planting potatoes with long sprouts" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4324" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4322" CreationDate="2012-05-27T21:24:45.083" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Long sprouts may mean the potatoes were improperly stored or stored too long.  What you did is a sensible thing.   If the potatoes are not too far gone, you should get some plants to sprout.  Breaking the sprout risks breaking off the meristem; it is possible there may be other viable meristems along the sprout which could cause a plant to grow, but this is not a sure thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2012-05-27T21:24:45.083" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4325" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4319" CreationDate="2012-05-27T21:58:10.473" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dan that parsley's on its way out. Parsley's a great plant for seeing you through the winter with plenty of usable greenery but juuust about now we enter its short period of limbo where last year's crop bolts or fades (mine's not yet bolted but it has mostly gone too yellow and too dried up) and this year's is too small for any kind of harvesting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully you sowed a fresh crop several weeks ago and it's well on its way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2012-05-27T21:58:10.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4326" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4329" CreationDate="2012-05-27T23:23:28.607" Score="10" ViewCount="6406" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given a plant a while back that I was told repels mosquitoes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WEA2tl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of the plant growing inside a 10-gallon nursery pot&quot; title=&quot;Mystery mosquito-repellant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The little I know about it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it has dark green heart shaped leaves that grow up to about 3&amp;frac12;&quot; wide by 4&amp;frac12;&quot; long (9cm by 11cm).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the stems, ribs on the leaves and the underside of the leaves all have a reddish tinge.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the leaves are alternate on the stems.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it's herbaceous in Portland, Oregon (USDA zone 8a).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it tolerates shady conditions; I have it in a half-full 10 gallon nursery pot by the northwest corner of my house where it only gets light for part of the afternoon and it seems to be doing OK.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it spreads by underground roots which are similar to those of bindweed, though it does not seem to spread as aggressively -- a bindweed would have climbed out of the pot by now, but it's staying inside.  Also, its roots seem harder to break than those of bindweed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it may originally have come from east Asia -- my plant is at three degrees of separation from the source, who I'm told is Korean.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I don't know what its flowers look like.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-06-03T14:24:36.823" LastActivityDate="2020-05-24T21:51:20.680" Title="What is this (allegedly) mosquito-repellent trailing plant with dark green heart-shaped leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;mosquito&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4327" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4328" CreationDate="2012-05-28T02:04:24.703" Score="6" ViewCount="400" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2012/can-my-lawn-be-saved-or-is-it-time-to-dig-it-up-and-re-sod&quot;&gt;Can my lawn be saved or is it time to dig it up and re-sod?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have two problems that I am trying to knock out with the least amount of work possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first problem is I have bluegrass taking over my yard. It started out this season in small patches and has managed to cover most of the back yard now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second problem is the unevenness of the yard. There are small holes from a dog digging, medium hills from a sandbox that was removed, and large grading that was never leveled when the house was built.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought I might be able to kill two birds with one stone. My thought is to kill off the current yard (with something like roundup), get top soil brought in and spread across the yard, then seed with new grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything that I am looking over here that might be an easier plan of attack? If I do use something like round up, is there any standard time I would need to wait before replanting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Details: I am in zone 6B. Primarily people have Fescue (which is what I currently have) but a few do have Bermuda.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="946" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-05-28T04:34:02.980" Title="How to replace the grass in a yard?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2012-08-23T15:22:16.327" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4328" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4327" CreationDate="2012-05-28T04:34:02.980" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rather than killing the grass with poison, you really want to remove it mechanically. A sod cutter would be one way. Scraping it off via a skid-steer would be another.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At that point, get the soil tested, find out what would the best amendements would be, and then mix that in with a new layer of topsoil, till it, rake it and then you can put your new grass down. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS Personally, I've always preferred blue grass over fescue, but maybe that's a regional thing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2012-05-28T04:34:02.980" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4329" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4326" CreationDate="2012-05-28T12:25:36.377" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a variety of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houttuynia_cordata&quot;&gt;Houttuynia cordata&lt;/a&gt;.  The most popular cultivar is &quot;Variegata&quot; which has multicoloured leaves of white green and red.  The way to confirm the identification is to pinch off a leaf.  There is a unique smell associated with this plant.  I can't describe it but the Wikipedia article refers to it as &quot;fish mint&quot;. If it has mosquito repellent properties the ones in my garden are unaffected by it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant grows well in moist to wet soil and even grows in water in partial or full sun.   After this was introduced to my garden by a well meaning gardener I can confirm that plants are invasive in gardens and difficult to eradicate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After reading the article I see that it can be used as a garnish and I'm hoping to find someone who likes the taste so they can eradicate it by eating it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-28T12:25:36.377" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4331" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4308" CreationDate="2012-05-28T12:56:49.083" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.umd.edu/publications/pdfs/fs687.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; goes into some detail on growing lilies for the specialty market. Here are the basics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;essentially you are forcing the bulb to produce a flower.  This can be done year round but it is not economical to re-use bulbs. You plant new every crop.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bulbs can be bought year round from growers in cool climates such as Oregon, Washington State and Chile and are shipped pre-chilled so they are ready to plant when they arrive.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove from packing, dry overnight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use a soil less mix to ensure a well drained soil and plant in raised beds or crates with drip irrigation&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;heating at night and supplemental lighting may be required depending on your location&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;harvesting and post harvest handling depend on whether you are focused on the cut flower or live plant market.  Plants are sensitive to ethlyene so do not store with fruit.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the most destructive pest is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_lily_beetle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lily beetle&lt;/a&gt; who is well known to home gardeners for the devastation that it causes on most lily species. Commercial growers prefer to grow under glass or poly with all vents and fans filtered with mesh to avoid the beetles entering the growing area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are considering entering the commercial market to grow lilies remember that producing the product is only half the challenge.  You must have customers secured to buy your product before you plant.  A detailed explanation of floral industry practices is beyond the scope of this question due to it's regional nature.  However, chances are excellent that there is a commercial auction house in a major urban centre near you.  Contact them to find out what cultivars and quantities are in demand by buyers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-29T13:57:23.703" LastActivityDate="2012-05-29T13:57:23.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4332" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4333" CreationDate="2012-05-28T14:21:34.487" Score="5" ViewCount="715" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can I do this safely and economically by myself?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What skills do I need to build using natural stone?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What's better about doing it yourself? Why wouldn't I hire a contractor?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What do I need to know before I start?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-08T14:15:01.450" Title="What do I need to know to build stone steps?" Tags="&lt;hard-landscape&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4333" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4332" CreationDate="2012-05-28T14:21:34.657" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You can build your own steps using flagstone, some simple tools and your  planning and labour.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While this is not a beginner project, with preparation you can have the satisfaction of doing a great safe job that a contractor would charge thousands of dollars for.  Be prepared to invest some time in thinking before you start digging.  Here are some of the issues to consider:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what kind of soil do you have: clay, sand, soil or whatever the builder left behind? Compacted clay soil can support stone laid directly on top. Sandy soil offers very little frost heave and no support for stone. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;measurements: the length and height, width of the area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;transition areas, top, bottom sides: how will you deal with these areas?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what is the amount of rainfall and frost heaving in your area?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;how will you dispose of the soil? I needed a 40 yard dump bin.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what kind of traffic: just foot traffic, lawnmowers?, wheelbarrows? skiers?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what kind of style: formal characterized by a symmetric design, more straight lines or informal, rustic?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;many areas have bylaws regarding steps and they have them for safety reasons. Investigate whether you need handrails and other best practices.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Utilities: gas, phone, cable.  Call before you dig and get them marked.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See related material here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4334/what-tools-do-i-need-to-build-stone-steps&quot;&gt;Tools you need&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4336/how-do-i-work-safely-with-stone&quot;&gt;Working safely&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4340/building-natural-stone-steps&quot;&gt;Step by step with pictures and diagrams&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4342/what-problems-should-i-expect-to-encounter-when-building-stone-steps&quot;&gt;A finished project and more tips&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a &quot;before&quot; picture of the slope I had to deal with&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RJ2W0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;October 2007&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-06-08T14:15:01.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4334" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4335" CreationDate="2012-05-28T14:49:15.433" Score="8" ViewCount="397" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I need a lot of specialized tools? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will I have most of these tools already?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What do they look like?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-08T14:06:22.583" Title="What tools do I need to build stone steps?" Tags="&lt;hard-landscape&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4335" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4334" CreationDate="2012-05-28T14:49:15.573" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What you need to have before you start&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a sketch: &lt;a href=&quot;http://sketchup.google.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sketchup&lt;/a&gt; is great for this. A free tool you can install on your computer to draw what you want to do.  Very easy to learn and use. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hand tools: &#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spade and trowel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?as_st=y&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;as_q=flat+pry+bar&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;flat pry bar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a level at least three feet long&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;string&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;markers, wooden or plastic stakes work well&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a circular saw with diamond blade (a diamond blade will save you hours and makes precise cuts) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;caulking gun&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;laser sight or water level&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chisel#Masonry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;stone chisel&lt;/a&gt; and hammer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;measuring tape, usually 25 feet or more&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wheelbarrow &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;safety equipment: it's not just for other people! &#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gloves, knee pads, goggles, safety shoes &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Materials you may need&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;four inch drainage pipe with sleeve&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;landscape (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geotextile&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;geotextile fabric&lt;/a&gt;) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recommended materials&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lepageproducts.com/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=84&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;stone adhesive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.permacon.ca/products.html?product_id=477&amp;amp;z=sable&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;polymeric sand&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plants to go in the cracks (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thymus_serpyllum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;creeping thyme&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sedums&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sempervivum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sempervivums&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxifraga&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;saxifrages&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For working with heavy pieces of stone&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;two wheel dollies are available that are rated for up to 800 lbs.  I find that they are really good for up to 600 Lbs but that is enough to move some large slabs. Place the bed parallel to the ground and lever the stone onto the bed.  Raise to a vertical position and off you go.  They definitely work better on smoother surfaces. Lay plywood if you have to go over grass.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-08T14:06:22.583" LastActivityDate="2012-06-08T14:06:22.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4336" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4337" CreationDate="2012-05-28T15:10:30.040" Score="6" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gardening can be very physical.  That's part of the fun.  Can I work with stone to make walls and steps safely?  What should I watch out for?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-28T15:10:30.197" Title="How do I work safely with stone?" Tags="&lt;hard-landscape&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4336" CreationDate="2012-05-28T15:10:30.197" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Safety, it's not just for other people! I have made a few mistakes that you can avoid with these simple steps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do some stretches before you start moving a few tons of stone.  Your back will thank you!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if it's hot: drink water.  If you are water deprived you will feel tired and are more prone to make mistakes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you have to work in the hot part of the season start work early and take a siesta in the afternoon.  Tell your significant other you are &quot;recharging&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wear safety shoes with a reinforced toe. The embarrassment of dropping a piece of flagstone on your toe is worse than the pain&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you pick up a hammer or circular saw then you need to wear goggles. No exceptions! Stone chips can fly anywhere.  Getting a  tiny chip in my eye once was enough to convince me.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;working with stone is dusty. Work pants are better than shorts as they add protection and catch some of it.  Good idea to get the person who does the laundry on board with the idea that you will be coming back in the house with clothes that should be washed separately!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stone is rough on your hands. If you're at it all day wear gloves when possible.  I coat my hands with a &lt;a href=&quot;http://well.ca/products/prevex-protectant-cream_3692.html&quot;&gt;wax compound&lt;/a&gt; at the start of the day.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when cutting stone with a saw have a garden hose nearby to wet down the stone and nearby surfaces.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There is no need to walk like a stork after a day on your knees.  Wear knee pads! Yes, they're hot, yes, they can be bulky but they are lot cheaper than arthroscopic surgery!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-28T15:10:30.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4338" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4339" CreationDate="2012-05-28T16:53:57.167" Score="5" ViewCount="887" Body="&lt;p&gt;What types of places can I buy natural stone for various landscaping uses, like steps, patios, and walls?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the different kinds of stone that are available?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do I look for when making a choice? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-21T22:34:47.360" LastActivityDate="2016-08-21T22:34:47.360" Title="How is natural stone sold and what should I know?" Tags="&lt;hard-landscape&gt;&lt;rocks&gt;&lt;patio&gt;&lt;wall&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4339" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4338" CreationDate="2012-05-28T16:53:57.307" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stone is available from building and construction stores, stone suppliers, direct from the quarry and, occasionally from construction sites when you have permission.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although most of the planet is made of stone there is only a small fraction that is useful as building material for steps and walls and patios. Stone that is all about the same thickness is the most important factor when building steps and patios.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I live these types are commonly available:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limestone&quot;&gt;limestone&lt;/a&gt;: hard, durable, tends to be brown or gray, commonly found with fossils. Low quality grades can be uneven.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandstone&quot;&gt;sandstone&lt;/a&gt;: wide variation in color, hardness and quality. Low quality grades are uneven and subject to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spalling#Spalling_in_mechanical_weathering&quot;&gt;spalling&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granite&quot;&gt;granite&lt;/a&gt;: very hard, beautiful texture, usually only available as specimen stones or cut &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimension_stone&quot;&gt;dimensional stone&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slate&quot;&gt;slate&lt;/a&gt;: splits easily, comes in a variety of colors, wears well, very smooth. A pleasure to work with.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Building and construction stores sell stone by the pound. This price is usually at a substantial premium to buying by the skid but handy if you just need one more piece.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stone suppliers will source material from around the world are a better decision if you want a wider choice.  They will usually deliver and often supply the gravel and stone dust that you will also need. Stone is usually sold by the ton with a pallet holding two tons. Assume one person and a wheelbarrow can move one ton of stone an hour over a distance of a hundred feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Quarries sometimes sell directly to the public and this is the best price you will get as there are no middlemen.  They might or might not deliver and usually only stock what they quarry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Construction sites are another source of stone if you are reasonable.  First thing to do is ask if you can take some stone!  Some sites are removing stone and are only too happy to have you do the job for them.  Other sites are filling and view the removal of raw material as stealing.  If the stone has been blasted out it is not as suitable for building as the blasting process causes micro fractures. Later your &quot;free&quot; stone can start falling apart causing you to need to rebuild your project.  This stone can be used for walls but is rarely suitable for steps or patios.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-28T16:53:57.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4340" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4341" CreationDate="2012-05-28T17:36:02.997" Score="13" ViewCount="6558" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What tips and tricks are there to building steps?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can it still be accessible for equipment and the elderly?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;how can I make it look like it has always been there?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-07-07T15:48:22.980" Title="Building natural stone steps" Tags="&lt;hard-landscape&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4340" CreationDate="2012-05-28T17:36:03.167" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is what I determined before I started.  Good planning is essential!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;kind of soil: compacted clay soil, suitable for laying flagstone on top with minimal base&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;measurements: taken three times. The height of the slope can be particularly difficult to determine accurately. I set up a long stick with markings and used a laser level&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;transition areas: had to join with two other pathways, a slope on one side, wall on the other and transition to a gate at the bottom&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;we get lots of rain spring and fall and lots of snow. Frost heave can be an issue.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I rented a 40 yard bin to dispose of the soil. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I wanted to be able to get bicycles, wheelbarrows, elderly people and skiers up and down the steps&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;four tons of limestone flagstone and ledge rock and two cubic yards of stone dust required.  Gravel (five eighths with no fines) already on site.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Informal style matched the existing stonework&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;building code recommended a 7&quot; rise and handrails only if there was a drop&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I called for a utility locate before starting construction and determined that by keeping the grade close to existing level within three feet of the property line I would not be disturbing any utilities&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o1kQH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Rough sketch of stone steps&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;After two hours work removing grass to the bin&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UPY8P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IpOkC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;After 30 hours of work&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mHJXn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As finished in 2011&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gn705.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and as it looks in 2014. The only maintenance was using some construction adhesive to glue stones to the risers after a bit of winter frost heave.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wsfBl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;Edit: I had a base plan on pencil and paper but it did not survive being outside during the excavation.&#xA;The ramp was to allow skiers to go up the grade during the winter.  Small dogs like it too.  Unfortunately there was no way to make it accessible by published standards as the slope was too steep.  I would have to start the ramp at the door from the house to make the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/buildings-and-sites/about-the-aba-standards/aba-standards/chapter-4-accessible-routes&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;recommended slope&lt;/a&gt; of 1:20.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-07-07T15:48:22.980" LastActivityDate="2014-07-07T15:48:22.980" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4342" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4343" CreationDate="2012-05-28T18:03:05.287" Score="5" ViewCount="372" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How long does a set of steps take to build?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can you create a micro climate with stone work?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What worked and what didn't work for the project?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will most issues be apparent right away?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-30T13:42:13.447" LastActivityDate="2012-05-30T13:42:13.447" Title="What problems should I expect to encounter when building stone steps?" Tags="&lt;hard-landscape&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4343" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4342" CreationDate="2012-05-28T18:03:05.473" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The finished steps took around 60 hours of work over a month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8XGGd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's amazing how much soil you end up with.  Compacted soil seems to double in size when you dig it out.  I could have used two bins for disposal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Up to twenty percent of a skid of stone was not usable for the steps.  That material was too uneven, not the right size, not the same thickness or had cracks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Design is always a series of compromises. In this case the ramps are popular with children, the elderly and small dogs but could not be certified as accessible as the slope is too steep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The planting was very successful and by the ramp is now suitable for dwarf primula's as most of the water drains down that side now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following spring I had to re glue two of the steps at the edges. Note to self: use more adhesive next time!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-28T18:03:05.473" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4344" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-28T20:01:51.643" Score="11" ViewCount="38611" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the best method of removing weeds from between the bricks of a patio?  We have a dog and don't want to use toxic chemicals if possible.  The bricks are closely spaced, probably only about 1/10 inch between them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1247" LastActivityDate="2017-08-04T01:29:15.913" Title="Removing weeds from brick patio" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4345" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4344" CreationDate="2012-05-28T20:19:30.093" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your best bet would be a propane fueled flame weeder — something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00008ZA0F&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;. Since the surrounding material (brick) is non-flammable, you can easily direct the flame in the cracks/gaps and burn the weeds out. This is a very effective method of getting rid of weeds from landscaping stones. See also &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3301/109&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; on using the flame weeder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-05-28T20:19:30.093" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4346" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-28T21:45:17.677" Score="8" ViewCount="337" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used a new soil-less method for my recent raised vegetable bed. This is the method I used: Softened the soil by loosening with a fork. Laid soaked cardboard in the diameter of the bed, overlapping each piece. Then covered with a bed of straw, garden compost, wetting each layer. I laid two layers and used peat moss as the last layer, with a finished height of approx 8&quot; and a bed size of 4x6. I planted corn seeds and covered with mesh. The corn is growing, however, the bed is also covered with &quot;grass&quot;. What is the best way to get rid of the grass? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1250" LastEditorUserId="1298" LastEditDate="2012-06-09T04:50:32.943" LastActivityDate="2012-06-09T04:50:32.943" Title="Soil-less raised garden bed with straw" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4347" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4346" CreationDate="2012-05-28T22:13:41.520" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd be worried that the cardboard will act as a root blocker and the corn won't be able to develop the deep roots it needs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the grass...like any weed, you'd need to pull it out. Corn is a grass too, so unless you planted round-up ready corn, you likely don't want to use any grass poisons (not that you'd want to use poisons on your garden anyways).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the grass is pulled out, you can put down a layer of weedblock. I typically stake in kraft paper. You could also use a layer of newspaper. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2012-05-28T22:13:41.520" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4348" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-28T23:16:10.450" Score="8" ViewCount="8490" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in the process of systematically removing all the weeds from my backyard -- starting with dandelions and thistle. All of a sudden, this thing sprouted in the middle of a bare patch. What on earth is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it helps, I live in southern Ontario, near Toronto.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mQv92.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-05-29T08:10:52.687" LastActivityDate="2020-06-03T19:32:55.427" Title="Identifying Broad-Leaf Plant/Weed" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4349" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4344" CreationDate="2012-05-28T23:44:26.507" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have found that weed killer works just fine. I used Spectracide Weed and Grass Killer on my brick patio and was able to pull up the dead weeds from their roots just a few days later. Follow directions that come with the product and you should have no more weed problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1250" LastActivityDate="2012-05-28T23:44:26.507" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4350" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4377" CreationDate="2012-05-29T00:38:53.350" Score="11" ViewCount="13978" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is an unusually warm year in Minnesota. I planted two rows of spinach around April 15th. Now (end of May) I have two rows of spinach about 2 inches tall, and it all started flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it now inedible because of the flowering?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do I prevent the flowering at such a tiny stage in future?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1085" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-05-29T08:08:39.070" LastActivityDate="2014-10-24T11:57:23.677" Title="Why is my spinach flowering and how can I prevent it?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;bolting&gt;&lt;spinach&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4353" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4346" CreationDate="2012-05-29T02:25:28.153" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sweet corn needs something like 1 foot of soil depth within the first couple weeks of its growth, see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010137veg.roots/010137ch2.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  This requirement goes up to several feet over the lifetime of the corn.  I expect your corn will not be able to grow very well in the conditions you described.  Perhaps you can puncture your cardboard layer to allow the roots to get at more soil.  Pulling weeds is the best approach to getting rid of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastActivityDate="2012-05-29T02:25:28.153" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4354" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-29T02:49:30.620" Score="8" ViewCount="687" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have prepared a leaf-rich garden patch (see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/3595/746&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;).  To promote decomposition of the leaves I have planted a lot of beans and peas to promote nitrogen fixation in the soil.  However, I don't know if there are any &lt;em&gt;Rhizobia&lt;/em&gt; bacteria in the soil.  How do I figure this out?  How do I figure out their concentration?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-05-29T13:37:16.053" Title="How do you figure out if you have Rhizobia bacteria in your soil?" Tags="&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4355" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4357" CreationDate="2012-05-28T23:18:54.533" Score="14" ViewCount="6048" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to remove poison ivy from a yard or trees without getting it all over yourself? I figured that even with an herbicide that the dead poison ivy would still need gathered up, and the oils would still cause problems&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1252" OwnerDisplayName="CodeMonkey1313" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-05-29T08:34:55.027" LastActivityDate="2016-10-22T16:25:40.837" Title="How to safely remove poison ivy" Tags="&lt;safety&gt;&lt;disposal&gt;&lt;poison-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4355" CreationDate="2012-05-29T03:46:06.980" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This may sound crazy, but one way to do it is to get a goat and let it chow down on the stuff. Goats, and pretty much everything except humans, are immune to the effects of poison ivy and they are notoriously voracious. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course they will also indiscriminately eat the rose bushes next to the poison ivy too, so this is only practical if you (1) Can get and contain a goat; and (2) Don't have any plant life you want to save (including trees) near the poison ivy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="531" OwnerDisplayName="JohnFx" LastEditorUserId="88" LastEditDate="2012-05-29T22:18:52.463" LastActivityDate="2012-05-29T22:18:52.463" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4357" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4355" CreationDate="2012-05-29T05:21:09.003" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suggest thick gardening gloves and a disposable paper suit you sometimes see landscapers or painters wearing. Once everything is stuffed into composting bags, throw out the suit and gloves (or be sure to clean the gloves appropriately if you want to reuse them). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, and cover your face so you can't absently wipe your face with the back of your sleeve... :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Stefan Mohr" LastActivityDate="2012-05-29T05:21:09.003" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4355" CreationDate="2012-05-29T11:09:25.083" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;We use Roundup on poison ivy. It is restricted for sale here in Ontario, but poison ivy is a permitted use. We don't gather up the dead plants - or in fact notice any. Over the years I have developed a strong sensitivity to it, so I don't participate in getting rid of it, but I have no problems going places that poison ivy used to be, suggesting that the Roundup-killed plants and their oils go away after some number of months. The less you touch it the better, so any form of pulling it up and throwing it away is going to be problematic. The Roundup approach is not particularly easy - each plant gets an individal spray - but it does work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2012-05-29T11:09:25.083" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4359" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4344" CreationDate="2012-05-29T11:55:51.627" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use a weed-whacker.  If you have moss or similar that you'd like to keep, this allows you to kill the tall stuff without killing the moss.  In our climate, at least, once a weed between bricks has been whacked down once or twice, it doesn't come back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-05-29T11:55:51.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4354" CreationDate="2012-05-29T13:37:16.053" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know how to figure out their concentration, but figuring out if you have any is easy if you're willing to be patient.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that there are different species of &lt;em&gt;Rhizobia&lt;/em&gt; that work with different groups of legumes (e.g. clover needs different bacteria than string beans).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the end of the growing season, carefully dig up the roots of your beans and peas. If they have &lt;a href=&quot;http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/N/NitrogenFixation.html&quot;&gt;nodules (see picture in upper-left)&lt;/a&gt; then you have &lt;em&gt;Rhizobia&lt;/em&gt;. I'd assume that heavier nodulation means a higher concentration of bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I can tell, testing concentrations are not something you can easily do at home. If you want to ensure that you have &lt;em&gt;Rhizobia&lt;/em&gt; on a home-garden scale, it will probably be cheaper and easier to just buy a packet of inoculant and coat the seeds prior to planting. In your case, this isn't possible because you've already planted the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For what it's worth in terms of breaking down your leaves, I'm not sure you need to worry much about nitrogen. If you have any worms at all in your garden, you'll find &lt;strong&gt;tons&lt;/strong&gt; of worms in the leaves now. Work that soil gently (if at all); avoid chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides; and they'll multiply like crazy and munch it all down for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I added a couple of inches of leaves to part of my garden last spring and the worms worked it like crazy. Between the worms and the slow composting, today you'd hardly know that there was a big layer of leaves there.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Last fall I covered my garlic planting with 1-2' of leaves, and this spring when I pulled off the mulch that whole area was wriggling with worms.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-05-29T13:37:16.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4361" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4348" CreationDate="2012-05-29T18:10:53.520" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipsacus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Teazel&lt;/a&gt; to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2012-05-31&lt;/strong&gt;: I made a photo of young &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipsacus_fullonum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fuller's teasel&lt;/a&gt; plants growing near my home:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BgmmK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I am quite sure your plant is the same or other plant from the Dipsacaceae (teazel) genus. Notice the thorns on the lower side of the leaves. I can see them on your photo too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="976" LastEditorUserId="976" LastEditDate="2012-05-31T07:14:28.027" LastActivityDate="2012-05-31T07:14:28.027" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4362" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="168" CreationDate="2012-05-29T19:27:32.717" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;As it turns out, the answer was as &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/394/mike-perry&quot;&gt;Mike Perry&lt;/a&gt; suggested in the comments on the question: wait and see.  One year after I posted this question, the previously &quot;bad&quot; Lupin is growing and flowering strongly, while the &quot;good&quot; Lupin is a lot smaller than last year, but otherwise looks healthy:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0jXDhl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The same Lupins in late May 2012&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-05-29T19:27:32.717" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4363" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-29T20:07:28.093" Score="6" ViewCount="454" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I can buy the little pots of &quot;cat grass&quot; or even the grow kits at my local pet store, but I thought it would be more fun to have a little patch of it growing in the yard that (hypothetically) would be perennial so it would come back after (or maybe even stick around during) the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fortunately the manager of the pet store knew his stuff and let me know that their &quot;cat grass&quot; is actually winter rye.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So while I know this isn't stackexchange for pets, I was hoping someone would be able to recommend a grass that met the following criteria:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It will grow and survive in the Austin, Texas heat (we had 3 months of triple-digit days last Summer).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If possible, a grass that I could sow now. (I don't want to get it in beds but start from scratch, but if that's not an option, I'll do what I have to).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The grass guy at Home Depot admitted he didn't know a lot of indigenous grasses to Texas/Austin (having just arrived from Ohio) but did mention centipede grass, but with the warning that it was very fragile in the germination stage. Ideally, I'd like something simple that I don't have to barricade for a month while it matures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most importantly, would be a good &quot;cat grass&quot;.  Based on the look and feel of the winter rye that they sell at the pet store, combined with what I've seen our cats gnaw on in the yard, I believe the basic criteria are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Very thin, like stems (so not flat or blade-type)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Very soft, (this is what winter rye is like, I'm not sure our cats care as much),&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Very tall.  By very tall, I don't mean wheat field tall, I think it just has to be tall enough both to stand out and get the cat's attention and keep them from having to lick and gnaw at dirt/bugs while trying to get their fix.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bonus points if you know of a grass that would fit the above criteria and that cats are known to really enjoy.  Obviously I can't put &quot;tasty to cats&quot; as a criteria, but if anyone on here has already experimented/succeeded with growing a good indigenous Texas-style cat grass, obviously that would avoid finding out that some grass that is otherwise prefect just smells/tastes like crap to most cats.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help is appreciated, even if it's only suggestions that meet 2 or 3 of the criteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1253" LastActivityDate="2013-04-12T03:31:39.153" Title="What would be a good &quot;cat grass&quot; for the central Texas heat?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;domestic-animals&gt;&lt;hot-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4364" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4423" CreationDate="2012-05-29T20:10:47.310" Score="9" ViewCount="418" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our landscape is mostly natural: cedar, prickly pear, hedgehog cactus, shrubs, foxglove flowers, random weeds, and grass-like weeds.  My dad wanted me to pull all of the grass out and place it in a dumpster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My stance: &lt;br&gt;&#xA;1) Weeds, green or dry make good compost, and if you're worrying about reseeding, it is possible to kill the seeds with a proper compost.  And pulling all the weeds out will not stop the seeding any way unless you did this for several years while the weeds were still green.  Then the weeds will eventually come back on their own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, the plants that the weeds are growing around are not being overtaken by the weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2)  Weeds make good mulch.  Just knock them down when they're dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3)  We're in an ecosystem where a patch of dirt full of weeds is healthier than a barren patch of dirt, and at the moment if I pulled up all the weeds there would be rock and dirt and a few plants here and there.  The landscaping I'm doing will happen very slowly as I don't have a lot of money and a team.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Who is right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1139" LastActivityDate="2013-05-19T15:53:51.427" Title="Please shed light on argument about weeding" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4365" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4364" CreationDate="2012-05-29T22:09:22.990" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your dad is right.  Here is why:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;While weeds may make good additions to a really vigorous (hot) compost pile they will likely survive most composting treatments.  The reason why weeds are such a nuisance is that they will survive under an extreme range of conditions and consume nutrients that would otherwise go to plants you are interested in growing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The role of mulch is to help conserve moisture in the soil and keep down weeds.  If you just knocked over the weeds you wouldn't achieve either goal.  The weeds would consume both the nutrients and water that you were trying to preserve by having mulch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You may have a point here.  However, letting weeds gain a foothold in your garden is a bad idea if you intend to use it in the future, &lt;em&gt;i.e.&lt;/em&gt; it will be that much harder to get rid of the weeds when you finally don't want any weeds in your garden.  A good alternative might be to put down some landscape fabric and/or mulch (real mulch not weed mulch).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastActivityDate="2012-05-29T22:09:22.990" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4366" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4367" CreationDate="2012-05-30T00:15:07.513" Score="7" ViewCount="36214" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighborhood is saturated with squirrels, and I see the little critters burying nuts or whatever in my back yard all the time. They leave small holes about 2 inches in diameter in the yard.  There is one place they are particularly fond of, and it is forming a depression and killing a lot of the grass. Any way to get these things to stay away?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1254" LastActivityDate="2015-09-01T16:38:56.940" Title="How do I repel tree squirrels that are digging holes in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="8" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4367" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4366" CreationDate="2012-05-30T01:41:12.167" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;.22 (check local ordinances...killing them may not be allowed)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;trap and release (release far away...again, check local ordinances)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;metal mesh. Squirrels don't like digging through wire. This is a great technique for protecting flower bulbs...not as practical for a yard. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repellent (the stuff I've used that seems to work OK is a mix of garlic, dried blood, and pepper. Alas, it STINKS...so your yard will smell like a bad italian restaurant, but it did seem to repel the squirrels&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best option, though:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a dog&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Granted a dog can end up digging bigger holes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2012-05-30T01:41:12.167" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4368" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4350" CreationDate="2012-05-30T04:34:59.813" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your spinach has bolted, and is (probably) no longer edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To prevent this, predict warm years ;-) and plant earlier in them.  Seriously, if you see that everything seems a couple of weeks ahead of normal, plant accordingly and hope for the best.  If the weather turns cold against you, you can replant - better to be too early than too late.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-05-30T04:34:59.813" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4370" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4399" CreationDate="2012-05-30T05:27:21.870" Score="8" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;So i know my plants aren't getting enough light, my question is, does it make a difference if I turn on the light as soon as the direct sunlight goes away or if I do it when I get back from work (and the sun has been gone for a while)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1092" LastActivityDate="2012-06-01T20:05:14.670" Title="Does it matter when I supplement light?" Tags="&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4371" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4348" CreationDate="2012-05-30T07:09:11.113" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this is some kind of Dock/Sorrel - see &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, maybe not a weed, but an edible plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think we will be more lucky in identifying the plant if you let it flower, and then upload a new picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" LastActivityDate="2012-05-30T07:09:11.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4372" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-30T10:07:33.490" Score="6" ViewCount="2418" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zE095.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;We recently moved into a house with deep beds built into the outside patio wall. I planted healthy bedding plants into these after first adding compost etc, and they all died within a week. When I pulled them up, all the roots are covered in globs of orange-yellow substance (like a hard jelly in texture, or like cavity filler) - any ideas on what this is and how I can remove / treat please?  It looks almost like a chewed up toffee; some of it has attached itself to the roots and some is sitting on the surface. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1256" LastEditorUserId="1256" LastEditDate="2012-05-30T19:32:07.570" LastActivityDate="2012-08-28T11:21:05.957" Title="Orange mold-like substance seems to be killing my bedding plants" Tags="&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4373" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4374" CreationDate="2012-05-30T02:11:21.360" Score="3" ViewCount="4526" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a mango tree in my backyard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently we are seeing that our flooring tiles in room towards my backyard has started protruding because of the roots underneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I dont want to cut the tree.&#xA;Is there a way for me to save my flooring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please let me know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1262" OwnerDisplayName="meetpd" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-05-30T10:29:19.320" LastActivityDate="2013-08-05T07:55:36.533" Title="Tree roots are removing the tiles of my flooring. What to do?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4374" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4373" CreationDate="2012-05-30T04:58:39.360" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're likely going to need to consult with two experts: An arborist and a foundation expert. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If roots have made it under your floor, the foundation is likely compromised to some extent. You'll want someone out there to see how much. If the house was built on a slab, you might be OK and it could be repairable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the tree, the problem is that it's too close to the house. If removing the tree isn't an option, you can maybe somehow cut all the roots on that side, dig a trench and then install some form of root blocker. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" OwnerDisplayName="DA." LastActivityDate="2012-05-30T04:58:39.360" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4375" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3884" CreationDate="2012-05-30T12:46:14.313" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Quack grass has many common names but the Latin name is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elymus_repens&quot;&gt;Elymus repens&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pni7441-tbl4.html&quot;&gt;page&lt;/a&gt; I see that solarization will not work as the plant is perennial and the seeds are tough.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/quackgrass.htm&quot;&gt;Recommendations for farmers&lt;/a&gt; suggest plowing in the fall to bury the rhizomes further down where less will resume activity in the spring. This is not practical for a homeowner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.journeytoforever.org/edu_quackgrass.html&quot;&gt;phrases&lt;/a&gt; such as&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A good, thick, well-composted and well-watered lawn will smother it,&#xA;  and so will a thick mulch, or a carpet, though it will take time.&#xA;  To control couch grass on a lawn, mow higher -- set the mower to more than 3 inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and it appears that regular turf grasses respond better than quack grass to fertilizing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For areas where there is no sod expect this solution to take all summer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rototill and remove root fragments, after the sun has baked anything on the surface repeat at least two more times&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;add a few inches of good compost or weed free topsoil and sod in the fall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;apply a fall fertilizer and a spring early green up fertilizer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut the grass high, over three inches  (scythe anyone?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not let the grass go dormant over a hot summer due to drought, water to keep the turf going&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second option is to cover with landscape fabric or cardboard and a thick mulch for a year.  Less labour but the area is out of commission for growing for a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-30T12:46:14.313" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4372" CreationDate="2012-05-30T12:48:15.527" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect it's &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=slime%20mold%20facts&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=4Lj&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla%3aen-US%3aofficial&amp;amp;prmd=imvns&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;ei=yxTGT4_2LceT6gHBhICaBg&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;oi=mode_link&amp;amp;ct=mode&amp;amp;cd=2&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0CFoQ_AUoAQ&amp;amp;biw=1694&amp;amp;bih=947#hl=en&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=ngO&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla%3aen-US%3aofficial&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=1&amp;amp;q=slime%20mold&amp;amp;oq=slime%20mold&amp;amp;aq=f&amp;amp;aqi=g10&amp;amp;aql=&amp;amp;gs_l=img.3..0l10.315954.317278.0.318670.6.6.0.0.0.1.234.803.2j3j1.6.0...0.0.l8kiSzaroK0&amp;amp;pbx=1&amp;amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&amp;amp;fp=298aedf4642dae10&amp;amp;biw=1694&amp;amp;bih=947&quot;&gt;slime mold&lt;/a&gt;, in which case it's just opportunistically eating the dead plants - it didn't kill them.  As for what &lt;em&gt;did&lt;/em&gt; kill them - sorry, I've no idea.  A picture and/or some details about the soil and moisture conditions might illuminate.  Also, what did the plants look like while they were dying?  Did the leaves turn color?  If so, what color?  Etc... A truly uninformed guess is that it's been too wet and/or the compost was too hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/TRA/PLANTS/slime.html&quot;&gt;Slime mold&lt;/a&gt; is a weird primitive organism that has spores but isn't fungus.  See also  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slime_mold&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's no need to do anything about it - when there's nothing dead left to eat, it will just die off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-05-30T12:56:15.377" LastActivityDate="2012-05-30T12:56:15.377" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4377" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4350" CreationDate="2012-05-30T13:14:28.053" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It &lt;em&gt;may&lt;/em&gt; be inedible, but it's worth giving a leaf a taste to see if it is not too bitter. If it doesn't taste too bad, harvest the whole lot and eat some baby spinach salads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There may be some spinach varieties which are more resistant to bolting, but it's probably a better idea to simply let nature do what it's going to do. Some years are warm, and some crops (e.g. spinach) don't like warm weather. A few years ago it was very cold and wet in June here and everybody had trouble with strawberries and tomatoes; there's not much you can do about the weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something you can try is to locate your spinach (and other cool-weather crops) in a microcliimate where it stays cooler: perhaps where there's shade from the midday sun, a low area that cools off quickly at night, or near water that helps to moderate the temperature. You could also try putting some shade over the rows of spinach, e.g. a lath screen &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21414/21414-h/21414-h.htm#Page_17&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;as shown in this book&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also hedge your bets: plant a variety of crops that are tolerant of different sorts of weather. For alternate greens, when you plant your spinach, start some lettuce (which still doesn't like heat, but is generally slower to bolt in my experience), and chard a couple of weeks later (which holds up really well to the summer heat).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2014-10-24T11:57:23.677" LastActivityDate="2014-10-24T11:57:23.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4378" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-30T13:23:42.567" Score="4" ViewCount="5679" Body="&lt;p&gt;After a few great years, my garden, which is landscaped with medium size rocks has lost some of it's shine.  The, originally, white rocks are now off colored and the leaves are piling up thick under the bushes and herbs.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a trick to cleaning up the leaves and restoring some of the brightness to the rocks?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1258" LastEditorUserId="1203" LastEditDate="2012-06-01T02:42:49.363" LastActivityDate="2012-06-01T03:21:21.117" Title="Cleaning up leaves in a rock landscaped garden" Tags="&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;rock-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4379" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4380" CreationDate="2012-05-30T13:25:06.353" Score="6" ViewCount="5518" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I'm building a ramp, as mentioned in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/4343/51&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt;, what are the slope and width requirements to ensure that it qualifies as accessible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I recognize that there may be varying local regulations. Good answers will qualify the specs with which regulations they conform to, and possibly where they're applicable.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-05-30T15:01:14.367" Title="How steep can a landscaped path/ramp be to qualify as accessible?" Tags="&lt;hard-landscape&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4380" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4379" CreationDate="2012-05-30T13:31:04.873" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the US, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm#4.8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;section 4.8, Ramps&lt;/a&gt; of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ADA&lt;/a&gt; has this to say:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4.8.2* Slope and Rise.&lt;/strong&gt; The least possible slope shall be used for any ramp. The maximum slope of a ramp in new construction shall be 1:12.  The maximum rise for any run shall be 30 in (760 mm) (see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/figures/fig16.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Fig. 16&lt;/a&gt;).  Curb ramps and ramps to be constructed on existing sites or in&#xA;  existing buildings or facilities may have slopes and rises as allowed in &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm#4.1.6%283%29%28a%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;4.1.6(3)(a)&lt;/a&gt; if space limitations prohibit the use of a 1:12 slope or less. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm#A4.8.2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Appendix Note&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4.8.3 Clear Width.&lt;/strong&gt; The minimum clear width of a ramp shall be 36 in (915 mm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;with the Appendix Note:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A4.8.2 Slope and Rise&lt;/strong&gt;. Ramp slopes between 1:16 and 1:20 are preferred. The ability to manage an incline is related to both its slope and its length. Wheelchair users with disabilities affecting their arms or with low stamina have serious difficulty using inclines.  Most ambulatory people and most people who use wheelchairs can manage&#xA;  a slope of 1:16. Many people cannot manage a slope of 1:12 for 30 ft (9 m).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also discusses the use of landings to break up the ramp, use of handrails and edge guards and the allowable cross slope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Double check with your city, county or state to make sure that they don't have more stringent requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-05-30T15:01:14.367" LastActivityDate="2012-05-30T15:01:14.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4379" CreationDate="2012-05-30T14:12:55.267" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In Canada some areas experience snow and ice on a regular basis. This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/pdf/67031.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;document&lt;/a&gt; from a federal agency recommends a slope of no more than 1:20 for exterior ramps that are used year round.  A slope of 1:10 is almost insurmountable for people in a wheelchair in icy conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consideration should be given to providing hand rails and that the surface provides good traction.  Polished slate has a great look but can be hazardous when wet and sloped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I accidentally increased the traction on a sloped ramp by spilling some polymeric sand on it and spraying gently with water.  The sand sticks to the stone and adds to the traction.  It does wear off but is easily renewed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-05-30T14:12:55.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4382" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-05-30T15:42:33.220" Score="11" ViewCount="160" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine gave me an avocado plant that she grew from seed.  She kept it primarily in a well-shaded patio.  I don't have such a patio... in fact, I have a non-shaded house with frequent strong winds.  I really want to keep this plant outside without resorting to constructing a green house.  How can I best accomplish this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1260" LastActivityDate="2014-08-24T23:25:21.493" Title="How to take care of an avocado plant in the chihuahuan desert?" Tags="&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4383" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4245" CreationDate="2012-05-30T16:22:13.217" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lot is only 60x110 but I bought a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.ca/product/ryobi-18v-lithium-trimmer/916026&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ryobi lithium cordless trimmer&lt;/a&gt; and it works great. I spend about 15 minutes trimming the entire yard and can get around 3 trims on one charge. Sounds like that might  work for your 1/2 acre (charging after every trim). It's powerful enough to cut down numerous weeds, it's quiet and the battery works in other ryobi devices. The battery also has a charge indicator button which is useful. You could also just buy a second battery and rotate through them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;edit&lt;/strong&gt;: you could also go for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.ca/product/string-trimmer-40v/995116&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;more volts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1178" LastActivityDate="2012-05-30T16:22:13.217" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4384" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4348" CreationDate="2012-05-30T19:31:40.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dipsacus fullonum, I'm pretty sure and I agree with Jacek.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your picture the plant is still very young, it takes a couple of months to see the flowers. In Italy it is very common and it is called &lt;strong&gt;cardo dei lanaioli&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1261" LastEditorUserId="1186" LastEditDate="2012-05-31T14:13:35.240" LastActivityDate="2012-05-31T14:13:35.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4385" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4387" CreationDate="2012-05-31T11:43:09.883" Score="5" ViewCount="361" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree seems like a good addition to a garden/landscaping project, but I've never seen it before. Leaves are turned down. I don't know if that's an aberration for this particular plant or characteristic of the species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas what this is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4ARFO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1203" LastEditorUserId="1203" LastEditDate="2012-06-01T02:17:28.000" LastActivityDate="2012-06-01T02:17:28.000" Title="What kind of broad-leaved tree is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4378" CreationDate="2012-05-31T12:53:10.210" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would guess you just want these leaves there to stay and keep your soil covered. It protects the soil and it keeps the soil moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One figures why the leaves aren't composting quick enough. In nature, nobody blows the leaves away and look how green and shiny most plants and trees look.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest to have a look if there are enough critters, worms, beetles etc. in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If a plant looses shine and turns yellow, it lacks nitrogen. Applying bloodmeal will help getting the nitrogen back into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1069" LastActivityDate="2012-05-31T12:53:10.210" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4387" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4385" CreationDate="2012-05-31T14:09:26.523" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a weeping form of &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CECA4&quot;&gt;redbud&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-05-31T17:53:50.767" LastActivityDate="2012-05-31T17:53:50.767" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4388" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4355" CreationDate="2012-05-31T16:30:22.193" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Go to the pharmacy and buy some TecNu.  It removes the oils from poison ivy, etc. from your skin.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.teclabsinc.com/products/poison-oak-ivy/tecnu&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tecnu Original Outdoor Skin Cleanser &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1263" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-10-22T16:25:40.837" LastActivityDate="2016-10-22T16:25:40.837" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4389" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4366" CreationDate="2012-05-31T17:30:34.230" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can make your own all natural squirrel repellent at home that won't (shouldn't) kill the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a 2oz pot of water add the following ingredients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2 tablespoons black pepper&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2 tablespoons cayenne pepper&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;one chopped Jalapeno pepper&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;one chopped onion&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Boil for 20 minutes and then let cool with the lid on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Strain liquid threw a cheese cloth into a spray bottle, then spray covering the trouble areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be very careful not to get any on your skin, and if you get some one your hands you need to wash it all off. The slightest touch to the lips or eyes will result in immediate irritation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1155" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-04T12:06:30.930" LastActivityDate="2012-06-04T12:06:30.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4390" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4398" CreationDate="2012-05-31T17:38:45.047" Score="5" ViewCount="766" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to build the a box for my vegetable garden that has a 10&quot; riser with a 6&quot; bevel frame. The idea is this will stop mice from climbing up over the side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was at the store pricing out wire mesh to line the bottom to prevent the mice from digging up under it, but the mesh was very expensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you think a mesh is required? or is there another way to prevent mice from digging under the box?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tl37m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1155" LastActivityDate="2012-06-01T13:09:17.580" Title="Do I have to line the bottom of my vegetable garden with a wire mesh" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4391" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4373" CreationDate="2012-05-31T18:27:56.997" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming you have a concrete slab or other typical foundation.&#xA;Mango trees have a deep tap root and typically have dense non-destructive surface feeder roots. They typically would not cause a problem with a concrete slab. The mango tree may not be the problem with your flooring.&#xA;Are there any other trees nearby which may be the source of the problem? If so, it may be a good idea to consider removing them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="890" LastActivityDate="2012-05-31T18:27:56.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4355" CreationDate="2012-05-31T19:34:50.663" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;From my personal experience, what Stefan Mohr said is the basis. Only differences are what I use, which is: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a heavy duty mechanics overall, the long sleeved, fully closed kind, legs of it tucked into also &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;heavy duty work shoes, comfortable ones &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;long sleeved socks, NOT worn outside the overall but inside as a second safety layer, the overall sleeves tucked into &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;WELDERS HIDE GLOVES, that is, those that goes well up the forearm&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a sombrero&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if needed, to deal with ivy that is already up trees or up whatever, safety goggles, if not so, safety lenses can do&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a bandana put under the sombrero, hanging on the back of the head and neck and falling overlapped on the back of the overall, foreign legion fashion&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If there is a really bad infestation, if there's a thick masses of the ivy, it can exudate or if is mixed with already dried up parts that can crumble and make dust, a basic workshop mask or if things are not so bad, another bandana set over mouth and nose is always advisable as it protects from any sprig that could lash against the face when pulled down or up. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Removal&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If the ivy is not too thick, carefully pull it up from the soil or down the tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if this is not practical, then with a short machete cut, but cut, gently. not try to chop, pieces of the weed mass that are then manageable with the gloved hands. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Then make a loose bunch of the cut and pulled off weeds and let it get dehydrated for a couple of hours under the sun&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;then I mix the remains with either builders lime or gypsum (plaster if no gypsum available) depending of if the soil there is acidic or alkaline, so the weeds get&#xA;well mixed with it, then allow it to dry more under the sun &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mixing at times for a day or two, covering with a plastic sheet if there's much or hard wind, or rain, uncovering  the heap when there's sun&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dig a little shallow pit and set the mix there, adding some more lime or gypsum along with sand on the top. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This way there will seldom be left any viable seeds for next rainy season, and if some were left they can easily be spotted and cut or squashed as soon as they begin to sprout in that little contained space. I do this last part as I do not like at all &quot;exporting&quot; problems, as can happens if I just get the cut weeds into a plastic bag and send it to the garbage bin, but for who can't or won't do the lime or gypsum mix and bury of the weed remains, is a valid option, I guess. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the gear is used:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I would put some lime or gypsum and rub the gloves and shoes, as well as step on it, before taking them off&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;then would peel off the sombrero, bandanas and then the overall letting all for the rest of the day under the sun and rain if any (not the gloves!). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Then rub the hands gently with a bit of lime or gipsum powder&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;take away the goggles or safety lenses (better goggles)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;again clean hands with some of the clean lime or gypsum from the sack. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I find better to leave this powder on the hands for a while than to wash immediately with soap and water. If you are wary of remains of uroshiol in your wear gear, wash it after letting it to dry under the sun, mainly the bandanas. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have done this about two dozen times and haven't had any problem. Ah, a basic thing is to be patient, to do the work calmly and ponder all things, and this will avoid any error that can lead to contact of the naked parts of the body and the ivy. Take a good pee and poo before starting, so you don't have to be messing with it in the middle of the work, better safe than sorry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1265" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-05-31T20:03:48.490" LastActivityDate="2012-05-31T20:03:48.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4393" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4378" CreationDate="2012-06-01T03:21:21.117" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer to your problem is a leaf blower and pressure cleaner. The blower will move the loose stuff and the pressure cleaner will turn the rocks pearly white.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is the get it clean at any cost method. If you ask the permaculturist in me... It sounds like you are already getting some natural mulch which is going to break down and feed your plants naturally. Shift the rocks to an area to make a water catchment, then you will have free mulch + water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: Leaves piling up under bushes = good for the bushes!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-06-01T03:21:21.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4372" CreationDate="2012-06-01T04:49:05.010" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think I can see the problem looking at the picture, but it may be the way the picture was taken (I could be wrong, just going on what I see)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To me it looks like the soil is not well draining, the location is shady so the soil stays constantly damp. The plant above looks like the roots are in a ball so when you put it in, the plant is not taking in any nutrition or moisture. So it looks like your plant starved to death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume that when you put your plant in with its roots like that you didn't move it around to remove any air pockets. This is exacerbated by having a plant which is slightly root bound.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the plant dies it provides food for the orange stuff that is living comfortably in the moist soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the above is correct here is what you need to do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Throw down a tarp and get all of the soil out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind what the soil is like as you will need to diagnose the problem:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where was the water pooling? In the compost; the whole way through; just the bottom?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want soil that is a consistent moisture the whole way through.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the soil under the compost is poor quality then put it in your compost bin and get (buy) some better soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With these type of beds often there isn't any drainage. If it was me I would find which corner the water is likely to pool in then drill a whole and add a copper pipe so that large quantities of water can drain eg when it rains heavily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next get some larger rocks or crushed tile and place in the bottom of the beds. About 15cm high layer. This will allow your beds to drain freely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure when adding compost that you mix it in well with the existing soil. Compost can be thick and moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now you should have a good free draining soil in a good free draining bed. You should aim to be able to give it a decent soaking and the soil will hold onto some of the water and the rest will drain out the pipe once it makes it way down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, any of your plants that are still living; take them and tease out the root ball so they will be able to mix in with the soil in the planter. It doesn't matter if most of the existing soil falls off. You are aiming to allow it to feed on the soil in the planter not on the remaining soil it is attached to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you plant them into the planter don't dig the holes too deep. Place them into suitable holes and have plenty of dirt (it should mound up slightly at the base of the plant). Push firmly around the edges. Next get a thin stick (plastic chopstick is good) and prod around near the roots to remove any extra air pockets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next step; as mentioned you should have some extra dirt at the base of each plant. You should now water the base of the plants with a decent amount of water. As the water washes down the extra piled dirt will fill those last few pockets of air amongst the roots and under the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should now have a place for healthy happy plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-06-01T04:49:05.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4332" CreationDate="2012-06-01T05:06:24.677" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would also like to add that you need to consult your local planning laws. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For our local council they only allow a certain amount of cutting and filling before you need to apply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is also limits on the size of retaining walls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-06-01T05:06:24.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4396" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-01T09:35:08.367" Score="14" ViewCount="43432" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Las Vegas, Nevada. So I know I have the right soil and conditions to grow pistachio trees. But can I just plant a pistachio seed and grow a tree or do I have to go buy the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1266" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-06T17:36:38.853" LastActivityDate="2015-07-02T03:52:18.897" Title="Can I grow a pistachio tree from seed?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4396" CreationDate="2012-06-01T12:37:10.803" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistachio&quot;&gt;pistachios&lt;/a&gt; (Pistacia vera) that you buy at the grocery store are usually roasted and will not grow. They are a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.ca/images?q=image%20pistachio%20tree&quot;&gt;nice looking tree&lt;/a&gt; and only get about twenty feet or eight metres tall.  Where you live is hot and dry with alkaline soil and not a lot of moisture in the spring.   This is the just right for pistachios but....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seed germination is most successful with fresh seed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they do not start producing pistachios until they are eight years old with real crops starting around fifteen years of age&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they need at least one male tree and one or more female trees to pollinate each other and produce nuts&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can find raw unroasted pistachios you can remove the shells and put them in damp paper towels.  Some may germinate after ten to thirty days.  Plant in small pots and transplant into progressively larger pots as they grow. Chances are good that grocery bought pistachios will have a poor germination rate as they are not fresh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You would find the most success buying pistachio seed from a supply house or buying trees from a supplier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-01T12:37:10.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4398" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4390" CreationDate="2012-06-01T13:09:17.580" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3344/has-anybody-had-any-success-using-5-gallon-buckets-as-planters&quot;&gt;this post&lt;/a&gt; about using five gallon buckets as planters is a relevant solution. It has these advantages:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cheaper and faster than building the box you have shown&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the smooth sides of the buckets will hinder mice climbing up.  A little silicone lubricant will make the sides extra slippery.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;works for tomatoes, green peppers and many herbs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you can always increase your protection by using the kiddie pool suggested by LogicalLunatic in the post as a moat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-06-01T13:09:17.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4399" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4370" CreationDate="2012-06-01T14:13:46.330" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's better to try and mimic nature where there is a continuous period of light followed by darkness.  Some plants need a period of darkness like tomatoes and many flowering plants but other tropical plants are just fine with getting light twenty four hours a day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This photo, courtesy of @geermc4 shows what happens to tomatoes with different light periods&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n2Wcp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use a timer to extend the daylight period. Given the low cost of one it's probably the easiest solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-01T20:05:14.670" LastActivityDate="2012-06-01T20:05:14.670" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4400" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-02T05:24:42.837" Score="5" ViewCount="283" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a well-established hemlock tree in my yard that has started producing large quantities of cones. This is apparently a result of it being &quot;stressed&quot; (according to a nursery worker and a tree-cutter). I have given it some tree spikes (fertilizer) in the beginning of spring for a couple years now, but it is still producing a prodigious quantity of cones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I determine what is stressing it? How can I de-stress it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note this is in the pacific northwest, so it gets enough water. Also last year it had significant new growth--less so this year--so it does not seem to be dying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1267" LastActivityDate="2018-12-11T06:52:31.270" Title="How to recover a stressed hemlock?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4401" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4414" CreationDate="2012-06-02T13:32:06.440" Score="7" ViewCount="1039" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the back of my lot I have about 20 feet thick of woods/brush. This provides some very nice privacy from the house that is on the other side of that brush. However, I have had problems with poison ivy and in general just have had a hard time preventing the woods from creeping into my back yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am considering clearing out the woods, leaving the big trees, and trying to replace it with something that can be maintained a little easier. So, that leads me to my question, what type of plant(s) can provide the type of privacy that you get from the woods without the painful (literally painful with poison ivy) upkeep of brush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some details: My lot dips down into a drainage ditch. These woods/brush is currently located on the slope. It is probably about a 10 foot drop over 20 feet. The house on the other side is about the same elevation as me, so the privacy would need to come up about 20 feet (10 for the slope, 10 from my ground level). I am in zone 6B.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hroJy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a0MJZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="946" LastEditorUserId="946" LastEditDate="2012-06-02T20:04:16.413" LastActivityDate="2014-05-28T12:55:29.990" Title="Is there any replacement for the privacy that the thick undergrowth in woods provide?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4402" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4400" CreationDate="2012-06-02T13:32:55.037" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It may not be stressed, it just may have reached &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_1/tsuga/heterophylla.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;adulthood&lt;/a&gt;. Regular cone production starts at twenty five to thirty years of age.  Heavy crops are produced every three to four years in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your source who said it was stressed may also be correct.  These are the factors that can stress hemlocks:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if the water table has risen and is now closer to the surface&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if the amount of organic matter in the top layer has decreased. This is most likely in urban environments and goes with soil compaction from foot traffic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/nr/fid/mgmtnote/hemdm.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;dwarf mistletoe&lt;/a&gt; parasitizing the tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;drift from applications of the herbicide 2,4-D&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;insect attack - most insects attack the foliage: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/pest_al/hem-looper/hem-looper.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hemlock loopers&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.forestry.ubc.ca/fetch21/FRST308/lab5/acleris_gloverana/budworm.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;western blackheaded budworm&lt;/a&gt; and the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/nr/fid/fidls/fidl-31.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hemlock sawfly&lt;/a&gt; are the most commmon&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, your diagnostic tools would be a walk around the tree to assess:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is there adequate water but not water logged soil?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is there any insect damage observed?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;any physical damage to the bark?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;any possibility of herbicide application drifting onto foliage?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dig a small hole at least three feet from the trunk.  How much organic matter is there in the soil profile.  If you have more than two inches of rich organic soil the tree should be fine if all other factors are good.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More organic matter is always better.  Top dress with a half inch of rich organic matter twice yearly, spring and fall, from the trunk of the tree to the drip line. Repeat every year and you will help your tree achieve a long life of over three hundred years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-02T13:32:55.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4403" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4486" CreationDate="2012-06-02T18:27:19.423" Score="8" ViewCount="275" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the spring I &quot;sow&quot; some mushrooms in a shady part of my garden - Blewitt (Lepista nuda), Wine Cap (Stropharia rugosoannulata) and Elm Mushroom (Hypsizygus ulmarius).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mushroom spawn I sow came in the form of mycelium sprinkled on various kinds of seeds (at least looked like this).&#xA;I prepared the mushroom beds as a mixture of straw, sow dust and autumn leaves depending on the requirements of the different species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yesterday I noticed that some mushrooms have just sprouted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to have the sown mushrooms as a permanent addition to my garden, so I am wondering whether to gather the mushrooms or let them get big and hopefully spread through the whole mushroom bed.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;If I am to gather them, should I cut the mushrooms, or twist them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in zone 6.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IscVb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Part of the mushroom bed and the sprouts&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: After letting the mushrooms get big enough, I realized they are none of the species I have bought, so I am not eating them. Nevertheless, when hopefully I get sprouts of let's say Garden Giant, what would you suggest doing with the first crop?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" LastEditorUserId="1186" LastEditDate="2012-06-06T06:36:52.537" LastActivityDate="2012-07-16T20:20:50.820" Title="Mushrooms sprouting for the first time, should I gather them or let them be?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4404" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4417" CreationDate="2012-06-02T19:36:27.220" Score="9" ViewCount="1201" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to prune this bush in my garden. It wasn't me who planted it, which is why I don't know what it is and before doing any mistakes I'm asking here for help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With this one I'm especially unsure because it has flowered right into December (down to 0-5 C) and I think the leaves only got brown when it became really cold. Now in spring there are new sprouts and flowers. It could well be that it is an evergreen when conditions aren't to rough. Right now the dimensions are 3m large, 2m wide and 1m high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Click on the picture for a larger image).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The whole bush from the side:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lKcT5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lKcT5m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The leaves and flowers&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xxTw4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xxTw4m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;A zoom on the flower we can see below the meter in the picture with the meter&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MHyaq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MHyaqm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2012-06-02T20:10:18.267" LastActivityDate="2014-07-08T02:31:10.377" Title="Identification of this branched bush with tiny blue flowers" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4405" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4350" CreationDate="2012-06-02T20:17:07.107" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I, too, live in Minnesota and have been frustrated by bolting spinach.  This year I tried a variety called &quot;Catalina&quot; from &quot;Rennee's Garden&quot;.  I bought the seeds at Bachman's.  I have a hoop garden so on March 15 I planted Catalina, along with &quot;American&quot; from Seed Saver Exchange.  I have gotten an extra couple of weeks out of the Catalina, though they are pretty much bolted now.  The Catalina flavor is also slightly better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1269" LastActivityDate="2012-06-02T20:17:07.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4406" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-02T22:05:25.367" Score="2" ViewCount="1639" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some weeds that keep coming back in my 'blue rug' junipers. I reasearched it a little and found that pre-emergent weed killers are practical, but I am not sure which ones are safe to use on 'blue rug'. Please enlighten me concerning what is safe and what is not when it comes to 'blue rug' and pre-emergent weed killer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-28T20:49:56.840" LastActivityDate="2014-07-28T20:56:15.417" Title="What pre-emergent weed killers won't harm my 'Blue Rug' juniper?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4407" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4406" CreationDate="2012-06-03T00:47:08.033" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pre-emergents do not affect existing plantings. They do prevent seeds from germinating.  Hence, they would prevent annual grasses from eating your Junipers alive.  I use Preen for this purpose.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a also very effective against the rapacious annual Japanese stilt grass, which is a noxious invasive exotic weed afflicting the Southeast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastEditorUserId="409" LastEditDate="2012-06-15T14:04:22.160" LastActivityDate="2012-06-15T14:04:22.160" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4408" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-03T11:04:53.170" Score="5" ViewCount="2479" Body="&lt;p&gt;What type of plants are good ground cover for bonsai?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I first started growing bonsai, I only used a fine gravel for ground cover, but this looked very boring and artificial. Then I tried moss, since it has no roots to compete with the bonsai, but it typically required much more water than the bonsai preferred.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm now using various species of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sedum&lt;/a&gt;, a small low-growing creeping succulent. It thrives in nearly all types of climates, sun exposure, and watering routines, so I'd have trouble killing it even if I wanted to. My only concern is with how much its root system will compete with the bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone had success with other plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1270" LastActivityDate="2012-06-03T12:05:28.353" Title="Good groundcover for bonsai" Tags="&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4409" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4408" CreationDate="2012-06-03T12:05:28.353" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;For bonsai that stay outdoors all the time &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagina_subulata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Irish moss or Sagina subulata&lt;/a&gt; looks like miniature grass and gives the right look. It's not too aggressive unlike creeping thyme which will cover everything and keep going.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Real moss works well indoors or out but does better with a soil that is moister.  I just find moss that is outdoors and transplant it where I need it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neither of these have deep root systems that would compete with the bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-03T12:05:28.353" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4410" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-03T14:30:41.063" Score="7" ViewCount="5912" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking for herbs to fill out a blueberry bed. The soil is somewhat sandy and acidic, lots of coffee grounds mixed in, and its topped with white pine chips and needles.  What herbs would be happy here?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="124" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-03T17:54:47.277" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T01:49:49.040" Title="What herbaceous plants like acid soil, blueberries and white pine mulch?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;companion-planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4410" CreationDate="2012-06-03T15:07:54.333" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@GardenerJ points out that the list below is far too liberal - blueberries like &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; acid soil (4.5-5.5), whereas the list includes plants that will tolerate, at best, a little below 7.  Of course, what matters is how acid &lt;em&gt;your&lt;/em&gt; soil is - not what blueberries like.  A list of herb pH preferences can be found at the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenersnet.com/atoz/phlevel3.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardener's Network&lt;/a&gt; - check your soil pH and match against.  Rosemary seems like a good bet, and is mentioned elsewhere, but it may be difficult to balance water requirements - blueberries like more water than rosemary.   Other possibilities are basil, sage, and thyme. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;--&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.richters.com/show.cgi?page=QandA/Growing/20081201-1.html#&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Richters&lt;/a&gt;, a Canadian herb specialty catalog, the following should do well in acid soils:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Aconite, alfalfa, alkanet, annatto, angelica, avens, lemon balm,&#xA;  basils, bay laurel, sugar beet, belladonna, bilberry, bloodroot,&#xA;  boldo, borage, broom, burdock, butterfly bee, calendula, castor bean,&#xA;  celery, chicory, garlic chives, sweet cicely, citronella grass,&#xA;  clivers, red clover, codonopsis, black cohosh, coltsfoot, cumin,&#xA;  dandelion, elecampagne, purple foxglove, garlic, ginseng, guava,&#xA;  henbane, henna, hops, horehound, indigo, lambs quarters, lemon grass,&#xA;  luffa,common marjoram, apple mint, English mint, menthol mint,&#xA;  pineapple mint, spearmint,(most of the rest of the mints prefer it a&#xA;  bit less acid), white mustard, stinging nettle, Welsh onion, compact&#xA;  oregano, gold crisp and golden oregano, showy oregano, papaya,&#xA;  paprika, passion fruit, patchouli, Chili peppers(of the genus Capsicum&#xA;  annuum), pokeroot, Queen Annes lace, rauwolfia, rosemary, Chinese&#xA;  senna, sesame, shallots, stevia, strawberries, sunflower, tamarind,&#xA;  tea, all varieties of English and French thyme(Thymus vulgaris),wild&#xA;  thyme, toothache plant, tormentil, Bearberry(Uva ursi), vetiver,&#xA;  wintergreen, sweet woodruff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That should be enough to get you started ;-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2015-05-23T22:38:18.410" LastActivityDate="2015-05-23T22:38:18.410" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4412" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4413" CreationDate="2012-06-03T15:49:43.017" Score="24" ViewCount="15756" Body="&lt;p&gt;I put all my fruit and vegatable scraps in my compost including seeds. This spring is my first time adding my own compost to my garden. Now all those seeds are germinating. I got a good chuckle but now I want to know what I'm doing wrong. I figure it's the obvious thing and I shouldn't be mixing seeds into my compost. Or maybe the less obvious that I didn't manage it correctly and the seeds weren't sterilized. Or something else entirely. What do other people do with seeds and compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1271" LastActivityDate="2018-01-25T03:09:52.303" Title="Should I stop adding fruit and vegetable seeds to my compost" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4412" CreationDate="2012-06-03T18:34:56.123" Score="24" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you manage your compost pile perfectly, it will heat up and kill the seeds. I've never managed my pile perfectly and there are always some seeds. Occasionally it's a happy thing -- last year we got a bunch of pumpkins from volunteer plants. Often it's a real pain: raspberry seeds left over from making jam are terrible; we don't put raspberry leftovers into the compost any more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the most part, though, I don't bother. A few stray cucumbers, pumpkins, or tomatoes aren't a big deal. They're not terrible to deal with like other weeds -- easy to pull out, they don't resprout, and they won't spread seeds (assuming you don't let them fruit). Sometimes you can get usable fruit from volunteers, but generally speaking I just pull them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-03T18:34:56.123" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4414" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4401" CreationDate="2012-06-03T21:02:48.950" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As @DA mentioned in a comment, many kinds of evergreen trees will provide good privacy. In particular, white pine grows fast and can be spaced fairly close together to provide privacy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As another option, I'm working on using beech trees as a sort of privacy hedge based on some articles I had seen about their willingness to be pruned into a hedge shape. The nice thing about beech is that even though they're deciduous, they retain their leaves through the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-03T21:02:48.950" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4415" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4416" CreationDate="2012-06-04T02:50:53.850" Score="8" ViewCount="18622" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live in Oklahoma and planted some autumn blaze maple trees last fall.  They seemed to come out of dormancy fine and the leaves were nice and green.  We planted them in an area that stays pretty soaked most of the time, and I'm wondering if that's why the leaves are starting to turn red.  Is the leaves turning red a sign of over watering, or could it be some other problem I need to deal with?  Below are some pics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HQoIG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZW2I8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I think I might have multiple problems.  I dug a small hole around the tree and the entire soil profile resembled loose mud.  The hole quickly filled up with water.  Also, for two of these trees, the tree can easily be moved around in the soil (you can see the root ball moving back and forth).  I think I've seen this mentioned as a crowbar problem.  I went ahead and staked the trees to prevent them from coming all the way out of the ground.  Are these trees just doomed if they live in such a wet area?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1275" LastEditorUserId="1275" LastEditDate="2012-06-06T15:42:00.347" LastActivityDate="2018-05-06T18:01:42.267" Title="Are my autumn blaze maple trees dying?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4416" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4415" CreationDate="2012-06-04T03:18:28.443" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This hybrid tree got the &quot;Urban Tree of the year&quot; award in 2003 for vigour and adaptability. It tolerates clay soil, dry conditions or &lt;a href=&quot;http://pnwplants.wsu.edu/PlantDisplay.aspx?PlantID=215&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wet soil&lt;/a&gt;.  I see that it is sensitive to iron and magnesium deficiency on alkaline soils but that should be evident if the new growth is yellow with green veins which I don't see here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees do change colour early if they are stressed. It's possible the tree was planted too deep. This diagram from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/uf/treeguidehtm/chapter6.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; may help you determine that.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kOSkf.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should also check the underside of the leaves for &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_mite&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;spider mites&lt;/a&gt; if it has been hot and dry. I don't see the symptoms in the pictures but it's worth checking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also check for physical damage that may have occurred during transport or planting. Look for sunken areas on the bark indicating the cambium is dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And when you say the soil stays soaked most of the time this might be the main problem.  Damp or wet is one thing, soaked, where you can squeeze water out of the soil with your hand is another.  Try gently excavating a small hole in one area around the tree.  Examine the soil profile, can you still see the original root ball?&#xA;Is it wet too?  Or is the whole soil profile wet from top to bottom?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: The original poster asked if windy conditions could stress a young tree.  I have not seen this myself.  If a tree has been planted for more than a year it should not be staked anyway.  But...this does allow you to do a little experiment....&#xA;Try moving the tree. A vigorous tree should not have that much motion after a year.  Alternately, a tree that has not developed a good root system can be rocked back and forth.  You may want to review &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.umd.edu/publications/pdfs/fs756.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this guide&lt;/a&gt; which discusses TDS or &quot;Too Deep Syndrome&quot;.  Many trees are planted too deep and the issue is often compounded by too much mulch around the base of the tree.&#xA;Try excavating around the base of the tree and see where the swell of the root collar is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Mike has told us that the soil is wet even in early June on the site.  This makes it more likely that the stress that the plants are exhibiting is due to a waterlogged soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeing as the trees are planted already here are some choices:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leave them be:  assume it has been a wet spring, trees are adaptable, these are a vigorous cultivar so you could just monitor them and hope they will adapt&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dig them up and replant them higher as illustrated below.  This will stress the trees even more and is a messy job&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider changing the drainage of the area with my old friend, four inch drainage pipe with sleeve.  You may be able to dry the area up enough just by digging a trench, laying pipe and gravel and recovering.  This is called a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_drain&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;French drain&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Or they could be a write-off. Plant trees that really like wet soil like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtis_occidentalis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hackberry&lt;/a&gt; (Celtis occidentalis) or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpinus_caroliniana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;American hornbeam&lt;/a&gt; (Carpinus caroliniana).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zxJWx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Planting a tree high&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-06T16:51:55.660" LastActivityDate="2012-06-06T16:51:55.660" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4417" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4404" CreationDate="2012-06-04T04:18:51.757" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a deciduous &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceanothus&quot;&gt;Ceanothus&lt;/a&gt;, and since it flowered into December probably an Autumn-flowering variety.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm more familiar with evergreen Ceanothus, which don't respond well to heavy pruning.  However, some research indicates that deciduous varieties respond better to it.  For example, the &lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=354&quot;&gt;UK's Royal Horticultural Society&lt;/a&gt; says to prune in early to mid-spring and on established plants, to cut flowered stems back by about a half.  It also says that thinning out the center of the bush is OK, though in your case, since the bush seems so overgrown, I would do it over the course of two or three years, giving the plant time to recover between prunings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2012-06-04T04:18:51.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4418" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4366" CreationDate="2012-06-04T11:29:20.150" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use chicken wire to keep squirrels out of my garden.  They are always digging holes there and burying acorns.  One thing I've noticed: they always go for open soil, and once plants are established there they don't seem to dig and bury stuff anymore.  So you might try the mesh until you can get other vegetation better established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was going to put mesh over more of my garden until I figured this out.  Now I have a couple pieces of mesh and a mesh box that I move around to cover newly started areas.  Once established I don't need it anymore, the squirrels stay away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1278" LastActivityDate="2012-06-04T11:29:20.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4419" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4412" CreationDate="2012-06-04T13:20:31.073" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you somehow make all the compost pile heat up the heat will kill just about anything. However that is very hard - you'll have to thermally insulate the pile so that no parts cool down and the latter will almost likely mean the pile won't be ventes so you will get totally different chemical processes in there and the materials will ferment and turn into silo instead of rotting and turning into compost. So the bottom line is it's very hard to get all the seeds killed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That shouldn't bother you. Unless you add some very active weed seeds in there removing those accidential plants is not a big problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastActivityDate="2012-06-04T13:20:31.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4420" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-04T14:15:57.440" Score="5" ViewCount="990" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to keep squirrels off of my peach tree. They have gotten over half of the peaches already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to make a home-made scare owl? I have found a few resources on-line, but they vary in complexity, from simply &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hcdz1I_yi8&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;hanging old cd's&lt;/a&gt; to using &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mnn.com/family/family-activities/stories/fun-nature-craft-scare-owl&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;two cds as eyes and brown foam as the face&lt;/a&gt; to using chicken wire to create a life-size 3-D owl.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am curious what is the easiest way to create a home made scare owl?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some examples, all would seem pretty scary to me if I were on the owl menu.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t9mj3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bird-x.com/filebin/images/products/results234x213/Scare-Eye-3-Pack.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pkIBj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mnn.com/family/family-activities/stories/fun-nature-craft-scare-owl&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MqXyO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="450" LastEditorUserId="450" LastEditDate="2012-06-04T14:26:54.750" LastActivityDate="2012-06-04T20:00:58.563" Title="How to make a fake scare owl, and do different animals respond to different abstractions?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4421" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4251" CreationDate="2012-06-04T15:30:45.263" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Utah still prohibits RWH outright, but I haven't heard of anyone being prosecuted for doing it on their homestead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Louisiana, in New Orleans, still has a ban on cisterns because of an old law dating back to French rule that was a response to mosquito outbreaks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;California just adjusted their policy, in spite of Governor Brown's veto of a law that would have established guidelines.  Los Angeles county passed legislation to support RWH there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most states have permitting and/or permission restrictions when a RWH system is installed in a service area of a public water supply to insure no cross-connections or backflow problems exist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For more information on rainwater harvesting in Texas, go here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rainwaterharvestingtexas.com&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.rainwaterharvestingtexas.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1279" LastActivityDate="2012-06-04T15:30:45.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4420" CreationDate="2012-06-04T16:18:18.963" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your goal is to protect your fruit tree from squirrels then you should attack on all fronts:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wrap a band of thin, smooth sheet metal about three to five feet tall around the trunk of the tree.  It should be about four to six feet above the ground. Make sure there are no branches so they can jump the distance to get up into the tree. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;enlist your local dog or cat to scare them off.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;buy coyote or fox urine from a hunting store and apply regularly at the base of the plant from spring onward&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spray leaves and bark with a mix of hot pepper sauce and detergent. Reapply after every rain.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.davewilson.com/homegrown/gardencompass/gc02_may_june_01.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; shows what you can do with a tree that has been kept small. T-posts and deer fencing may seem like overkill but if you want the fruit you'll have to work for it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.joe-ray.com/site/motherland/the_road_back_to_tradition_begins_with_a_graft/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here is an approach&lt;/a&gt; that is a lot of work but ends up making less work. Your chances of controlling access to a tree that is twenty feet tall with netting are slim. You could plant a new tree such as the Bonanza dwarf or a larger variety and prune to keep it under eight feet tall or you can cut your existing tree back and graft on new buds at a lower level.  Olive growers do this in the Mediterranean to keep their trees small. I grant this requires an experienced grafter but you might find one through the local Master Gardeners near you.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you make it hard enough to get to they will go somewhere else&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-04T20:00:58.563" LastActivityDate="2012-06-04T20:00:58.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4423" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4364" CreationDate="2012-06-04T18:06:27.093" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think almost anyplace is better for weeds than a dumpster, for the reasons you list and more. But there are concerns, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A hot compost will kill weed seeds. Get a compost thermometer, and make sure your hot pile is fairly big so it can get hot in the middle -- we use shipping pallets, which makes for a roughly 3' cube.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have chickens? Know anyone who does? They will have a gas tearing through the weeds, picking out the insects and seeds. Then when they're through, what's left will be lovely soil mixed thoroughly with chicken manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How about goats? The &lt;strong&gt;best&lt;/strong&gt; way to kill weed seeds is to run them through a ruminant! This also gives you many months' head-start on composting. Goat manure is fairly hot, but you can use it un-composted if you mix it with soil, rather than simply applying it around plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many of these so-called &quot;weeds&quot; are actually your local soil conditions, selecting for what it needs to improve. They are often &quot;dynamic accumulators&quot; that have deep tap roots that bring up needed micro-nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever you have, if you cut or pull it before it goes to seed, it is perfectly reasonable to compost it, even if you don't have goats or the patience or knowledge to hot-compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you put weeds in the dumpster, you're exporting your soil's fertility.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1177" LastActivityDate="2012-06-04T18:06:27.093" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4424" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4348" CreationDate="2012-06-04T18:21:46.473" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's certainly teasel if it has a row of thorns along the underside spine of the leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a dynamic accumulator, with a deep tap root. It pierces clay soils and brings up important micronutrients. The leaves are good for mulching. It collects water at the base of its leaves. It will mature with a distinctive spiky seed pod that crafters work into arrangements when dried. Goats love it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As with most weeds, it's trying to tell you something. If it's not right where you want something else, I'd let it grow until &lt;strong&gt;before&lt;/strong&gt; it goes to seed, then cut it down and spread the leaves out on your fall/winter beds for mulch. As a mulch, it will reduce erosion while putting into surface soil minerals and micro-nutrients that it probably lacks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either that, or feed it to someone's goat! As weeds go, it's a pretty nice one. :-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1177" LastActivityDate="2012-06-04T18:21:46.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4425" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-04T18:53:31.800" Score="6" ViewCount="5197" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tend to my garden once a day and about half the time see one or more wasps crawling on one of my lettuce heads. I've always been told that wasps are predators so I presume they aren't there to eat the lettuce. Why are they frequenting my garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some background on my garden's climate and location... I live in coastal Southern California in a residential area. The garden is in my backyard and receives direct sunlight most of the day. I am growing lettuce, tomatoes, corn, beans, and squash spread across three planters that are build within a few feet of one another. I've only seen wasps on the lettuce and in the planter with lettuce and tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="922" LastEditorUserId="922" LastEditDate="2012-06-04T19:56:15.990" LastActivityDate="2012-06-20T05:40:09.233" Title="Why are there wasps in my garden?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4426" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-04T22:59:31.890" Score="5" ViewCount="401" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard many people talk about using rock dust when talking about organic gardening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I understand rock dust is made from crushed rocks. If they are to be used in an organic garden I assume they are made from real rocks; rocks that took many years to form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would seem to me that using rock dust is less sustainable than using something like sustainable timber. I would appreciate if someone could explain whether using rock dust is a sustainable practice or are we using up a irreplaceable resource?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-06-05T16:54:58.753" Title="Is rock dust a non-renewable resource?" Tags="&lt;sustainability&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4427" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-04T23:28:52.510" Score="16" ViewCount="11075" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen a lot of information saying that chlorine can be bad for some plants and the suggestion to let the water sit out for several hours before using it on plants. I rarely see anything about chloramine, a common alternative to chlorine in municipal water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chloramine doesn't evaporate from the water (which is why it is used) but it has the same anti-bacterial effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will chloramine harm plants the same way chlorine allegedly does?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1281" LastEditorUserId="1281" LastEditDate="2012-07-05T21:10:44.707" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T17:46:23.130" Title="Chlorine vs Chloramine: Both harmful?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4428" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4432" CreationDate="2012-06-05T04:10:16.100" Score="4" ViewCount="2006" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been looking into making a 3000-4000 liter system. When the water tank came in to play I wasn't happy with the sky-high prices so the next option was to dig a hole. For cover I found EPDM pond liner, but that posed its own problems and is also expensive. Then I saw a post on using drylok. I'm wondering if this product can handle that. Also does it have any adverse effects on the fish or plants... or me when harvest time comes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1092" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-06-06T15:45:50.167" LastActivityDate="2012-06-06T16:21:45.133" Title="Is drylok a good option for an aquaponics fish tank?" Tags="&lt;aquaponic&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4429" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4428" CreationDate="2012-06-05T05:40:38.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Drylok is for applying to concrete. Are you planning on lining your hole with concrete? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have to imagine a pond liner would be the cheaper alternative to concrete. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2012-06-05T05:40:38.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4430" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4428" CreationDate="2012-06-05T10:40:19.887" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to preface this by saying I do not have an aquaponics setup, but it is something I am currently researching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To answer your question, can it be done, the answer is yes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=323313#p323313&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;linked through to this forum&lt;/a&gt; which has pics of someone who has done it and covers most of the main points which I will highlight below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I built a 112 gallon aquarium with tile board and drylok. Still going&#xA;  strong at 4 months! I am a Master Plumber and I have seen what others&#xA;  have seen when remodeling showers. Water marks, mold and such. I can&#xA;  say that there is NO way this will leak, NO WAY. Let me know if you&#xA;  want details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6ZOQK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;Source plumberman from the forum attached.&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main things I've seen mentioned:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ensuring the whole thing is watertight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much of the product is going to leach into the water and whether or not this will effect the pH of the water and is it non-toxic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Effect of direct sunlight if the tank is sitting outside under constant sunlight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even with the link attached above where some guy has claimed he has done it this is something I think will be a YMMV kind of thing. That guy was a plumber and knew what he was doing. You could try it, but it make take a few tries to get it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some other cost effective alternatives that people regularly use:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermediate_bulk_container&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;IBC tanks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Builders film (go as thick as possible and double up). This has the benefit of being cheap to replace if something screws up, but is not as durable.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are going to attempt it I suggest you do plenty of research, there are many Google results if you search for &quot;drylok aquaponics&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2012-06-05T10:40:19.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4431" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4427" CreationDate="2012-06-05T11:53:56.660" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am the Director of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://chloramineinfocenter.net/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Chloramine Information Center in PA&lt;/a&gt;. Chloramine cannot be evaporated or boiled out of water and is more persistent than chlorine.  Therefore it maintains the chlorine around the roots longer than chlorine would. While we are not aware of any scientific studies on the effects of chloramine on plants, we have heard from a number of MJ growers, who are the best record keepers for plant growth, measuring yield, root and leaf health.  They have recorded stunted growth, diminished yield, 'burning' of roots and browning of leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We also know that outdoor pond plants have been killed off by chloraminiated water as well as frogs and fish.  We also suspect that bees and birds are being effected.  One bee keeper in PA lost 70 hives of bees overnight after his fall sugar feeding was made with chloraminated water. A neighbor also noted that the bees from other hives stopped landing on her backyard pond when the chloramine started.  We have anecdotal information regarding humming bird feeders, where the birds stopped feeding when the water district switched to chloramine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this is helpful. If you have any other information that we can add to our library, please contact us.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1284" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-07-06T12:13:15.313" LastActivityDate="2012-07-06T12:13:15.313" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4432" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4428" CreationDate="2012-06-05T12:39:52.003" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A setup for 112 gallons is quite different than a 3000 to 4000 litre system.  The water alone will weigh 3000 to 4000 kilograms ( ~8800 pounds!).  This amount of weight implies being sited on the ground on something like a concrete slab or using pond liner with a cushion layer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you were to use Dryloc, which is meant to be applied on concrete, the concrete would have to be added to your static load, unless you meant to build an in ground tank.  If that were your choice EPDM pond liner would be much easier but it's not cheap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, lets talk about safety.  EPDM pond liner can be purchased that is food safe. Firestone EPDM PondGuard, Hypalon, Permalon (layered HDPE) are brands I have seen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dryloc is not designed for use with food. Seeing as the main ingredients are limestone and resins it might be safe but there is no certification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question was asked about what shape of tank is better when using pond liner. Circular is a little better but no matter what you do you will get folds and creases in the liner.  Water goes where it wants to so to prevent capillary action allowing water to go up and out of your pond you can construct it using this method below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u8VUn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By folding the liner on top of a block or stone you accomplish two things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it's now safer to stand on the edge as your weight is distributed over the area of the block&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;any water moving via capillary action  up the folds and creases will remain in the tank&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After you have the liner in place and the perimeter set up let things settle for a few days.  You can only cut the liner once and it is difficult to patch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might want to consider how you will prevent someone falling into the tank and drowning. While not technically a swimming pool some cities apply the same rules about fences and gates that are locked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-06T16:21:45.133" LastActivityDate="2012-06-06T16:21:45.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4433" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4426" CreationDate="2012-06-05T13:10:55.383" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the off-chance that you're serious...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No, we are not in danger of running out of rocks.  Erosion eventually deposits the sand and mud in the bottom of the ocean, and when it gets deep enough it makes rock again.  That gets uplifted, either through tectonic uplift or volcanically, at which point erosion goes after it again.  Almost any rock you see has been through this cycle a few times.  Fossils of ancient sea creatures are found in the Himalayas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Much more significant is the energy used (and carbon emitted) to remove, transport and crush the rock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know how you would use sustainable timber in lieu of rock dust.  You might explain that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-06-05T13:10:55.383" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4426" CreationDate="2012-06-05T16:49:59.163" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think there are specific types or sources of rock dust that you are referencing here, such as glacial rock.  This is often collected in either dust form or in rock form that is then ground to dust.  The reason this source is used is the nature of glacial activity - it collects rock from many sources along its path and consequently it has a wide but perhaps inconsistent mineral content.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So while a particular source location might not be considered non-renewable, I would say that the material in a more general sense is very, very renewable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also heard of people putting rock dust in their worm farms as worms require substances like this in their gizzards to help grind down plant matter.  Apparently they don't have teeth.  Who knew?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1278" LastActivityDate="2012-06-05T16:49:59.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4436" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4426" CreationDate="2012-06-05T16:54:58.753" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Living, growing trees also sequester carbon dioxide and give off oxygen - removing them from the biome as living organisms increases the carbon dioxide load on the atmosphere, as the microbes that cause wood to decay expell carbon dioxide or methane as part of their respiration process (yes, even single cell organisms need to &quot;breathe&quot;). Also, &quot;sustainable&quot; timber usually requires pesticides and fertilizers, which are generally petroleum products with net negative effects on the environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rocks are heavy and hard and need to be quarried, moved around and ground into dust. This requires energy - but it's hiiiighly unlikely it requires more energy than cultivating, harvesting and processing trees for the same purpose. Definitely not more ecological in the aggregate - so grinding up rock is more sustainable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plus, the entire planet outside of its small iron core is made out of rock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1150" LastActivityDate="2012-06-05T16:54:58.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4437" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4443" CreationDate="2012-06-05T17:34:06.877" Score="5" ViewCount="1441" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an empty lot with a tree line that is going to be too close to the home I intend to build on it.  I hired a landscape contractor to clear the woods back about 40ft on the property but to avoid the added price of renting a chipper and a bobcat he suggested that he could just leave it in piles for me to burn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Luckily there are only a few trees over 6 inches in diameter at the trunk, most of it is brush, saplings and smaller trees, however 4,000sq ft of cleared woods is still going to make for some rather big piles to burn!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I already called my local fire department to ask for permission and they said I don't need a burning permit, just to call them when I know a date for when I will burn so they can mark it on their books that there is a controlled burn at that location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They didn't really tell me what defines a &quot;controlled burn&quot; however, and I certainly don't want to pay the landscaper $60/hr to tend an enormous fire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, how can I safely burn these brush and sapling piles assuming that I do not have a water source to tap for a hose if it gets out of control?  Is there a safe way to do this to ensure that the grass surrounding the fire won't catch?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1285" LastActivityDate="2012-06-06T09:21:20.880" Title="How to safely control a fire after clearing woods" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;bonfire&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4438" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4440" CreationDate="2012-06-05T18:50:36.403" Score="8" ViewCount="8571" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planning to set up a nano-vivarium to grow moss and ferns indoor like shown in the picture below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ArmSO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Nano-Vivarium&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is what kind of light is best or which lamps should I use? I don't have any experience with indoor-growing moss yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1286" LastActivityDate="2018-08-27T00:00:23.673" Title="What kind of light is needed for moss and ferns?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4439" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4437" CreationDate="2012-06-05T18:52:52.303" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In places I've lived the fire department said we can only burn (a) if it is raining or (b) if there is snow on the ground. Either strategy makes it easier to control the fire, though getting it started when it's pouring rain can be moderately challenging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that if all of this was just recently cut, you'll have a hard time getting much of it to burn until you get a fire going pretty hot, and even then green wood will make a lot of smoke. If you can wait until you have snow on the ground, then the wood will be dried out, easier to burn, and the fire will be easier to control. (Your profile says Pittsburgh, I assume you will have a bit of snow on the ground next winter.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For an alternative to burning, see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hugelkultur&lt;/a&gt;; at your scale this will likely require the Bobcat to distribute brush into piles and bury it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-05T18:52:52.303" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4440" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4438" CreationDate="2012-06-05T19:31:47.060" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can use just about any light source but each has it's consequences for your design:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fluorescent lights are cheap, have a long life, tubes are available to mimic sunlight and they don't generate a lot of heat in comparison to halogens. The output decreases as the bulbs age and I found replacing them every five thousand hours worked best. With the ballast and housing they need they are normally a bit bulky for the kind of setup in the picture.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;halogen lights are much smaller, have a longer life, offer a strong white light.  They run really hot, like burn your fingers hot.  The bulbs cannot be touched with your fingers as oils cause premature lamp failure. This much heat causes a big temperature difference and consequent humidity.  Unless you circulate air from outside the vivarium into the vivarium you could cook everything inside.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;HID, high intensity discharge are sometimes known as Xenon, generate a lot of white spectrum. They are said to generate less heat than halogen but the ones I have will still burn your finger if you touch the exterior glass. They are expensive in comparison to fluorescent but are compact.  Lifespan ranges from eight thousand to twenty thousand hours without the lumen output decreasing. They can be dimmed unlike halogens. You would still need to have a fan circulating air inside the vivarium and some kind of humidity control.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With any indoor container the following issues will arise:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if it's warmer inside than outside you will get condensation on the interior surface which makes it hard to see inside&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you need air circulation but success lies in keeping the humidity higher on the inside than the outside&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you need to have the lights and fans on a timer.  With the multiple lights and at least one fan you may have to wire your own connection or buy a huge power bar.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If money is no object and the look and aesthetics is important go for xenon. If cost is important use fluorescent with the best bulbs you can buy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-05T19:31:47.060" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4441" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4445" CreationDate="2012-06-06T03:58:39.320" Score="8" ViewCount="17906" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought a home in the CA bay area.  My front yard is dominated by a large redwood tree that seems in good health.  I really love the way it looks.  By large I mean 5-6 stories in height, planted most likely in the late 40s.  The tree is somewhat close to my front porch in that eventually some of the branches will probably grow out to touch the roof.  I assume I'll need to have those trimmed back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know how much tree trimmers know about redwoods specifically, so I want to be knowledgeable myself.  A trimmer recently recommended thinning out the branches and getting rid of the lower hanging branches.  I kind of like the lower branches (still above my head) as it feels more forest'y.  I worry about thinning reducing the shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kinds of trimming should I be doing regularly other than keeping branches away from my roof?  Are there any other things I need to worry about with an old redwood: watering, pests or anything else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1288" LastActivityDate="2018-07-14T16:26:53.830" Title="How to care for a large redwood?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4442" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-06T07:26:57.540" Score="7" ViewCount="217" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b8rCS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Here&amp;#39;s a photo of the plant&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reddit thinks it might be a tomato. I thought it was chives, obviously it's not, but I still think I picked it from the herb shelf, not from a vegetable shelf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1162" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2012-06-06T12:03:13.840" LastActivityDate="2012-06-06T12:03:13.840" Title="I have mislabelled a herb (thought it was chives), can anyone recognize what this is?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4443" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4437" CreationDate="2012-06-06T09:21:20.880" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple more things from me:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Choose a calm day without heavy winds to start the fire. If you have a lot of winds, there is quite a lot of risk that the fire will spread.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clear the area surrounding your fire piles - the best way is to use hoe and remove the dry weeds/grass and dig a bit the earth. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prepare spades to use them to shut down any small fires that can emerge around your piles. Maybe having a fire extinguisher is not a bad idea either.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" LastActivityDate="2012-06-06T09:21:20.880" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4444" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4442" CreationDate="2012-06-06T11:37:54.653" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It does look like a tomato. The easy way to tell for sure is to gently rub the leaves -- even at that size, tomato should have a distinctive aroma. If you used compost in your potting soil, you could just have gotten a volunteer from a stray seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As mentioned in the comments, the seedling to the right of the tomato could be a chive. They grow fairly slowly, so &quot;doing absolutely nothing&quot; is par for the course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-06T11:37:54.653" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4445" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4441" CreationDate="2012-06-06T13:10:52.267" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have never pruned a redwood but their cultural needs are easy to list:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rich acid moist soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;shaded and cool roots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately this is not a common environment in urban areas. Redwoods that are under stress can come under attack from several fungal pathogens. You can take these steps to keep the tree healthy:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;enhance soil moisture by top dressing with rich compost twice a year, spring and fall, from a foot from the base of the trunk to the drip line to a depth of one quarter to a half inch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if possible consider increasing the moisture by sloping adjacent ground so that rainwater goes towards the tree.  Do not change the grade around the tree.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not prune the lower branches as they shade the roots unless they are dead or crossing each other&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;redwoods are surface rooted with most roots within twelve inches of the surface. Compaction of the soil from foot or vehicle traffic &amp;quot;can be devastating&amp;quot;. Minimize traffic near the tree. If grass or other plants are growing under the tree remove them and replace with a mulch  (redwood bark is good, but ironic).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To summarize from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ufei.org/files/pubs/Redwoods.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this publication&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Redwoods in the landscape appear to do best when their lower laterals&#xA;are left intact, the lower branches and trunk are shaded and their&#xA;root zones are mulched. When given these cultural advantages the trees&#xA;can thrive even in hot inland valleys.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, there is another matter to consider.  Redwoods live hundreds of years and get very tall.  Local weather conditions across North America are best described as changeable.  To have such a tall tree growing that close to your house when there is a chance of high winds could be trouble. What could the consequences be if the tree fell on your house?&#xA;You may wish to check with your house insurance if you are covered for this possibility and it definitely makes sense to ensure the health of your redwood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-06-06T13:10:52.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3859" CreationDate="2012-06-06T19:19:15.010" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look leggy to me.  My best guess says lack of sunlight which eggplant needs a lot of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1292" LastActivityDate="2012-06-06T19:19:15.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4453" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4459" CreationDate="2012-06-06T20:40:22.957" Score="7" ViewCount="794" Body="&lt;p&gt;Help! I need to get rid of &lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2141.html&quot;&gt;squash bugs&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know Sevin will kill them, but I would like to use a less toxic method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been destroying them manually, but I am losing the battle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1294" LastActivityDate="2012-06-07T18:05:59.700" Title="What's the best way to control squash bugs" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4425" CreationDate="2012-06-06T21:19:26.463" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are probably looking for caterpillars for their eggs/larvae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardengrapevine.com/TomatoWorm.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Braconid Wasp lays it's eggs on the Tomato Horn Worm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you are growing Tomatoes that is probably what is happening.  In a vegetable garden wasps do more good than harm.  So I would suggest you just ignore them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1294" LastActivityDate="2012-06-06T21:19:26.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4455" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4609" CreationDate="2012-06-07T00:55:58.233" Score="8" ViewCount="2593" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to grow some mushrooms in my vegetable garden which is in full sun.  Are there any varieties of edible mushrooms that like direct sun?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastActivityDate="2012-07-17T15:20:52.283" Title="What edible mushrooms can be grown in full sun?" Tags="&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4456" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3656" CreationDate="2012-06-07T08:28:25.810" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try dusting the area with cayenne pepper. I seem to recall hearing that some animals respond to the heating effects by moving on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1295" LastActivityDate="2012-06-07T08:28:25.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4458" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4463" CreationDate="2012-06-07T15:23:40.060" Score="8" ViewCount="1264" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just planted two unnamed blackberry cultivars in a raised bed with rhubarb surrounded by flagstone.  It seemed like a good idea at the time but now based on a remark about how they are a &quot;nightmare to control&quot; I'm having second thoughts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do they send out a lot suckers?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Can they be controlled by yearly hard pruning?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How far will the suckers extend?  More than a few feet?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I cannot mow the plants down in a raised bed. Is it feasible to plant them in a bottomless pail so they only send new canes from the base of the roots and not send suckers under my flagstone path?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: in 2015 the blackberries have been planted for three years in a shady area with good soil and water and three competitive rhubarb plants.  Last winter in USDA zone 4 they were killed to the ground but still managed to grow ten feet in a season.  No berries though.  Rhubarb is doing great!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-10-02T23:28:08.107" LastActivityDate="2015-10-02T23:28:08.107" Title="Are blackberries hard to control?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4453" CreationDate="2012-06-07T17:33:24.447" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Squash bugs are nasty. They can kill a fully grown healthy plant in less than a couple of weeks (I had it happen a couple of times). Once you have them its not easy to get rid of them naturally. However some hints&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kill the adults, carefully rub the leaves to get the eggs off and kill the young.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Encourage spiders to live in your garden, however the problem is spiders will only kill so much and could lead to getting bit (a large wolf spider bite is very painful, again personal experience)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are some companion plants that either keep insects away or act as bait plants there are  catnip, tansy, radishes, nasturtiums, marigolds, bee balm and mint.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have heard veggie oil works but I have never tried it personally.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly I also heard some types of squash have more resistance than others. Maybe contacting your local State Ag Department and or 4-H may help. Also try to see if there are any gardening meetup groups in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1296" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2012-06-07T18:01:45.010" LastActivityDate="2012-06-07T18:01:45.010" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4461" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4453" CreationDate="2012-06-07T18:05:59.700" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Timing seems to be everything if you want to meet certified organic standards. Adults overwinter in brush and debris near their last meal.  Mild winters allow more adults to overwinter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in the spring remove any cover, particularly mulch, from the intended planting area and at the base of plants nearby&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Weekly monitoring to remove eggs once a week or more for the month of June when egg laying usually starts&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Diatomaceous earth or pyrethrins can be applied around the base of the plant in June and one or two weeks later to reduce the population to levels that hand picking and egg control can manage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-07T18:05:59.700" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4462" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4458" CreationDate="2012-06-07T18:32:59.450" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will probably depend on the particular cultivar. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wild blackberries are extremely productive in spreading. I live on an Island nearly coated with blackberry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They seem impervious to mowing, burning and chemicals:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7434.html#MANAGEMENT&quot;&gt;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7434.html#MANAGEMENT&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, that doesn't bode well. :/&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One recommendation from the site above is to mow, then roto-till the roots several times. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2012-06-07T18:32:59.450" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4463" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4458" CreationDate="2012-06-07T19:07:30.987" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are two dangers with blackberries:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Suckers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have &lt;em&gt;tons&lt;/em&gt; of wild blackberries; it must be some kind of sick contest between them and the ragweed as to which is the top weed here. I don't know that much about cultivated blackberries, but I believe have seen &quot;non suckering&quot; advertised as a feature of some cultivars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They'll apparently grow anywhere. I have a pile of rubble/boulders where nothing &lt;em&gt;should&lt;/em&gt; be growing, but the blackberries love it. Here, I blame the birds for spreading seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mowing seems to keep them under control (not eliminated, just controlled). I say this, because I don't have them popping up in the middle of the lawn, or in fields that are mowed at least a couple of times a year. But at the edges of the lawn, fields, or areas where I can't easily mow, there are many blackberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I don't want this answer to sound like a complaint, though. I usually manage to freeze a couple of gallons of wild blackberries in August, and that doesn't count the berries that don't make it to the freezer. I definitely prefer the blackberries to the ragweed!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-07T19:07:30.987" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3173" CreationDate="2012-06-08T02:56:52.987" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.logees.com/elephant-ear-pink-china-colocasia-hybrid.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pink China Elephant Ear&lt;/a&gt; is supposed to be hardy to zone 6. I have not grown it myself though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1298" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-03T22:45:16.957" LastActivityDate="2017-01-03T22:45:16.957" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4465" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-08T04:00:37.130" Score="5" ViewCount="1639" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am considering growing some Porcini mushrooms (&lt;em&gt;Boletus edulis&lt;/em&gt;) under a maple tree in my backyard.  The tree is ~10 years old and is very lush; so I imagine that at its base there might be enough shade for the Porcini to grow.  There is also a good layer of mulch at the base of the maple.  Will the Porcini form a symbiotic relationship with the maple?  What things can I do to enhance my chances of producing mushrooms and of helping out the maple?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastActivityDate="2013-06-04T13:13:41.803" Title="Will Porcini mushrooms grow under a maple tree?" Tags="&lt;maple&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4466" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-08T04:05:02.413" Score="4" ViewCount="270" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to grow some Chanterelle mushrooms (&lt;em&gt;Cantharellus cibarius&lt;/em&gt;) under some shrubs in my yard.  Will they grow in the narrow space between the shrubs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-22T04:18:33.700" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T04:18:33.700" Title="Will Chanterelle mushrooms grow under shrubs in my yard?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4467" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-08T08:30:51.847" Score="6" ViewCount="1466" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a small shed in my garden, and it used to be a great home for many spiders (and two mice). Walls are thin wood, floor is solid concrete, and eternit roofing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few months ago, my father helped me to clean it out completely and apply drywall to all inside walls + ceiling, with some latticework and plastic sheeting between the old outer wall and the new inner drywall to keep the inside dry. It's now a clean and dry space. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;only entryway&lt;/strong&gt; for insects is through the door, which is a problem because it's a sliding door mounted on a rail on the outside of the shed, so there is a very small gap all around the door, and of course spiders are finding their way back in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How can I effectively keep spiders out of this space?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As long as I only use it for storing shovels, who cares about spiders. But I'd like to use the newly upgraded space for storing other things that I don't want ruined by cobwebs and assorted gunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;I believe this question is more about gardening than about DIY because it's about how to fight spiders, not how to build a shed.&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="453" LastActivityDate="2014-04-23T15:16:58.400" Title="How can I keep spiders out of the shed?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4468" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4471" CreationDate="2012-06-08T08:39:45.347" Score="10" ViewCount="3859" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seeing &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/28/how-do-i-keep-an-indoor-plant-hydrated-while-im-away&quot;&gt;this indoor question&lt;/a&gt; made me look for an outdoor version of the same but found nothing, so here goes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've got a balcony with a very large planter on the outside in which we have planted some small flowering plants for decoration. The planter faces south so it gets a LOT of sun during the day, and my wife waters it by hand nearly every day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're worried that the plants won't survive four days in direct sunlight without watering, but we haven't found a good solution for automatic watering. I don't want to spend big money on ready-made systems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have tried the &lt;strong&gt;inverted soda bottle with a pinhole in the cap&lt;/strong&gt; but the bottle was drained within a few hours. This solution &lt;strong&gt;won't work&lt;/strong&gt; over several days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What alternatives can I try?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="453" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-07-02T09:29:31.490" Title="How do I keep my balcony flowers hydrated while I'm away?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4469" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4467" CreationDate="2012-06-08T08:40:30.020" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The simple answer is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You can't.&lt;/strong&gt; Spiders can get in anywhere, and as long as it is an environment which offers shelter or food they will use it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your biggest bang for buck is in clearing spider egg clusters when you see them - this will keep the numbers down to one or two in residence at a time, but even if you let all the eggs hatch, they whittle their own numbers down pretty quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my sheds spiders tend to hang egg clusters in corners, along edges, and behind objects - usually up at ceiling level, not so many at floor level (I'm assuming for safety from predators or flooding?) - I am in central Scotland, so your mileage may vary on this. They are very visible though - most of the spiders we have make quite large balls of webbing, between 2 and 3 cm across.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastEditorUserId="174" LastEditDate="2012-06-08T11:46:51.287" LastActivityDate="2012-06-08T11:46:51.287" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4470" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4468" CreationDate="2012-06-08T10:09:50.467" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The point is the soil. The soil gets moist when you give it water and the water flows down, down, down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on the type of soil you have on the bottom of the planter, the water stays in a while or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you use mulch on the spots most covered with sunrays, you can stop or slow down the evaporation of the moist. What kind of mulch you could use? I suggest to have some woodchips on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These woodchips should be organic, natural, untreated wood, leaves, twigs etc. Maybe take some from ground in the forest, depending how much you need and if it is allowed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you use green, fresh chopped woodchips it will release to much nitrogen and your plants will probably die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When there already is too much sun, I would soak the woodchips for a couple of hours in (collected rain) water. This way the sun will first dry out the woodchips. The woodchips will slowly absorb water from the soil underneath, but it still covers most of the soil in shade. This way it stays moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This way you slow down the process of extracting moist from the soil enormously. You can choose to keep the woodchips on top, because it's good for the soil too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watch this film for more information about woodchips: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.backtoedenfilm.com&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.backtoedenfilm.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1069" LastActivityDate="2012-06-08T10:09:50.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4468" CreationDate="2012-06-08T12:22:27.733" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I am not mistaken in Israel in the 60's they pioneered subterranean irrigation with buried terra cotta jars.. Perhaps you could use a clay flower pot with the bottom corked, and the top covered... A few of those buried in your planter may do the trick... The downside would be that you would want to test it first...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would retry the soda bottle thing... Your hole may have been too big or you may have had a leak.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-06-08T12:22:27.733" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4472" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4468" CreationDate="2012-06-08T12:23:59.730" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wood chips are effective in keeping the soil moist but inert and will not absorb or release any nutrients into the soil in the short term when applied &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fluvannamg.org/2010/03/winter-garden-gifts-21/&quot;&gt;as a mulch&lt;/a&gt;.  If mixed into the soil &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07235.html&quot;&gt;they will tie up nitrogen&lt;/a&gt; as they slowly decompose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Twigs and leaves from the forest will provide some nutrients and act as a mulch but are also likely to contain insect and slug eggs. In a planter, with no predators they could get out of control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead of using wood chips and leaves I recommend a commercially prepared mulch which you can work into the soil next season and will keep the soil moist this season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you combine it with an automatic watering season as seen &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.ca/Oasis-Vacation-Plant-Watering-System/dp/B004I35W6W&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; you have a solution for this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An even better solution is to set up your planter as a self watering system as described &lt;a href=&quot;http://m.lifehacker.com/5190496/turn-storage-containers-into-self-watering-tomato-planters&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  This requires reworking your planter to have a water reservoir with fill tube in the bottom.  An air space separates the reservoir from the soil area and a capillary wick draws water from the reservoir to the plants.  Simple and effective when set up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-08T12:23:59.730" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4473" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4478" CreationDate="2012-06-08T12:27:18.890" Score="8" ViewCount="229" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a house with beautiful landscaping: small flowerbeds and decorative shrubs and trees, tucked away in various corners of a hilly, rocky lot. The flower beds are very densely planted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of hand-hoes, cultivators and weeders out there - japanese nejiri gama, dutch hoe, korean ho-mi, Cape Cod weeders, three-prong claws of numerous styles, aluminum traditional hand-hoes/cultivator, asparagus knife -  does anyone have any experience with the different types, and can offer a comparison? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1150" LastActivityDate="2012-06-12T03:09:40.967" Title="Which style of weeding tool for small, densely planted flower beds and raised gardens?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4474" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4458" CreationDate="2012-06-08T13:59:21.320" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends on where you live... where I live, it is too dry for them to be too dangerous... and the varieties that I have tried to grow for the last 2 years haven't done much yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I dug up about 40 Raspberry canes this spring and not one had major roots further down than 4-5 inches, so I wouldn't worry about trying to confine them if you have them in a raised bed and it isn't directly adjacent to a neighbors yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;cons:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br&gt;&#xA;consider that the plants grown from a thornless blackberry seed may have thorns...&#xA;the can spread quickly...&#xA;they don't call them brambles for nothing!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;pros:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br&gt;&#xA;they taste so much better than the berries that are available in a grocery store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-06-08T13:59:21.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4475" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="104" CreationDate="2012-06-08T17:41:40.877" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've accidentally overwintered worms a couple of times. In the fall, I gather materials so that I can be ready for planting in late winter when the ground is still frozen. One of the required materials is composted horse manure, so I fill up a couple of 5 gallon buckets with the oldest stuff (sifted) from the manure pile and keep the buckets in a warm part of the garage (stays at least 50-60F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When it comes time to start mixing potting soil in late winter, the compost buckets always have tons of worms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-08T17:41:40.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4476" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2014" CreationDate="2012-06-08T17:52:22.640" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Update based on experience:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I seeded one bed after peas came out, mid/late August. As of June the following year, the clover here is thick &amp;amp; crowding out most of the weeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I seeded another bed after tomatoes came out, mid/late September. As of June the following year, the clover here is doing well, but not as thick as the August-planted.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I seeded a bed this spring, late April/early May. The clover is up, but germination has been patchy (even with some watering to help when it was dry), and because the weeds (mostly grasses) look like they are going to out-compete the clover, I'm probably going to have to till the whole thing down (before the grass roots create a thick turf) and start again. (Given that it's June and we have warm weather, I may throw down some buckwheat and wait until August to retry the clover.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This seems to confirm @jmusser's advice of August/September planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In retrospect it would have been helpful to have planted this spring's clover with some oats as recommended in @yoda's answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, it's worth noting that 2011/2012 was a very mild winter, and this may have benefited the pure stands of clover -- @yoda's answer also mentions that a nurse crop would have protected them from snowfall if we had gotten a normal amount.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-08T17:52:22.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4477" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4518" CreationDate="2012-06-08T17:59:35.670" Score="8" ViewCount="5804" Body="&lt;p&gt;My peach trees have &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3092/what-is-the-problem-disease-that-causes-bobbly-peach-tree-leaves&quot;&gt;peach leaf curl&lt;/a&gt;. (Spring came too fast this year, I wasn't prepared, and I didn't get a chance to spray.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're still young/small trees (10' tall), but they've got a bit of fruit on them. Will peach leaf curl affect the fruit? Is there anything I can or should do to protect the fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2019-06-11T15:50:53.340" Title="Will peach leaf curl affect my fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4478" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4473" CreationDate="2012-06-09T01:15:22.917" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have something  similar to this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B001P55DG0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.amazon.com/DeWit-Dutch-Cape-Cod-Weeder/dp/B001P55DG0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These things are great for annual weeds, especially the Japanese Stilt Grass that is afflicting this part of North Carolina.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2012-06-09T01:15:22.917" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4479" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-09T02:59:30.850" Score="6" ViewCount="2998" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of guava trees that are starting to flower and while noting the flowers today I saw a number of very small, black bugs hanging out on some of the leaves and stems. They look like baby flies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G9XRg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G9XRg.jpg&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JBaog.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JBaog.jpg&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I noticed there are a few leaves that have been nibbled on by insects, but overall the tree is very healthy. Are these little guys responsible? If so, what steps can I take to reduce if not eradicate them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="922" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-11T13:28:53.697" LastActivityDate="2012-10-05T00:35:01.430" Title="What are these critters in my guava tree and do I need to get rid of them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;guavas&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4481" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4346" CreationDate="2012-06-09T04:40:53.580" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is your grass growing from the bed itself, or is it spreading on runners from the edges? And what kind of grass is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have Bermuda grass, for example, it spreads on runners above ground, as well as below ground roots, so your cardboard wouldn't have worked that well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some herbicides that will kill certain grasses, but not others. I'm not aware of any that specifically say that don't kill corn though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Applying a thick layer of mulch may help, and also has other benefits, like increased moisture retention. You could lay down newspaper to smother the grass, and then pile wood chips or straw on top of the news paper, to hold in moisture, keep the newspaper from blowing away, and  also look nicer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing I'm trying this year is landscaping fabric. You can roll it out on top of your plants, cut holes in it for the plants, and then cover it in mulch. It lets moisture in, but blocks weeds. It also lasts much longer than newspaper or organic mulch, which can be both good and bad. It also costs more than discarded newspaper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1298" LastActivityDate="2012-06-09T04:40:53.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4303" CreationDate="2012-06-09T04:50:44.910" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_gauge&quot;&gt;rain gauge&lt;/a&gt; will tell you how much it rained. The local weather might also tell you how many inches of rain you received, though obviously they're measuring it from a different place than your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, with seed starting, you don't really have to worry about &quot;deep watering&quot; and applying &quot;inches of water&quot;. You just need to keep the soil moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The simplest way to tell is just to use your finger. Stick your finger in the ground to the depth you planted the seeds, and see if it's moist. You probably want to check a couple of different places, especially if different parts of your garden get different amounts of sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1298" LastActivityDate="2012-06-09T04:50:44.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4483" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4522" CreationDate="2012-06-09T13:39:54.787" Score="8" ViewCount="463" Body="&lt;p&gt;A while back I threw out some spoiled-looking garlic cloves only to find them growing quite well in my compost. I'd like to try planting a few (in a container, not the open ground). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I simply stick them in the soil and water, or do I need to cultivate the clove first in some way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1203" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-06-10T19:35:44.680" LastActivityDate="2016-01-31T14:26:30.437" Title="How do I increase the chance of growing a garlic plant from a clove?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4484" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4479" CreationDate="2012-06-09T13:43:59.350" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Kind of hard to tell from the photo, but the constellation of them makes me think aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aphids reproduce very quickly, by live birth and eggs, and are very difficult to eliminate, but pretty manageable...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know where you live and what you local fauna is like, but ladybugs are the natural predator of the aphid, these can be purchased commercially in some places. You can also spray with normal soapy water, incecticidal soap, neem oil or pesticides in order of inceasing effecacy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-06-09T13:43:59.350" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4485" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4483" CreationDate="2012-06-09T13:46:41.200" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yeah you can put them in almost anything as long as you don't let them dry out totally..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I remember correctly they are grown by sowing in the fall and harvesting in early summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-06-09T13:46:41.200" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4486" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4403" CreationDate="2012-06-09T13:54:28.993" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;To answer your hypothetical question: wait until the mushrooms have developed to the appropriate point, don't worry about size...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some indicators of development are if the flap covering the gills is still attached and the color of the gills, and the shape. Size isn't important as mushrooms are deterministic and won't get bigger than they were set up to in the primordia stage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then cut at the ground level with a sharp knife.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-06-09T13:54:28.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4487" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4496" CreationDate="2012-06-09T16:06:57.573" Score="7" ViewCount="969" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Meyer Lemon tree that I brought inside for the winter and am now ready to bring outside. The problem is that there's no good place inside where it would get 100% sunlight, instead only part of the tree did. As a result one branch grew towards the light and is now longer than the tree is tall and is very straggly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to trim it so the tree is uniform but was wondering if there's anything special I need to do when doing this? I've never trimmed it back before and want to make sure I don't do anything wrong that will kill it. Do I just take the clippers and snip it at the right place or is there more to it than that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="52" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2012-06-12T04:51:58.267" LastActivityDate="2016-12-08T09:01:03.010" Title="Trimming back a Meyer Lemon tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4488" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-09T16:32:44.780" Score="7" ViewCount="1007" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a mature orange tree in my back yard and I've noticed that the lower leaves at the extremity of have started to to yellow over the last couple of months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a sign of overwatering? Underwatering? A lack of necessary nutrients? Something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="922" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-12T13:51:02.077" LastActivityDate="2012-06-12T13:51:02.077" Title="Are my orange tree's yellowing leaves a sign of underwatering?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4489" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4490" CreationDate="2012-06-09T17:02:44.777" Score="4" ViewCount="173" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check out what I found today on my 2 year old tree.&#xA;It's about 2 to 3 inches in length not including those massive wings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YtmPLsoqAcg/T9N8kr64XCI/AAAAAAAAAzE/65MxOlOd15Q/s400/2012-06-09_10-43-14_729.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;side profile of bug&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zIgrUCPfh97B_VLn0ODRsL3mpz-C7UdROThjVQxep7c?feat=directlink&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;glorious full size picture&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-g2zY0PwFocU/T9N9YM30K9I/AAAAAAAAAzU/6pi59x8jT8s/s400/2012-06-09_10-44-58_888.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;top view of bug&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XUpv9rAuc3wojk4Hnh1Eq73mpz-C7UdROThjVQxep7c?feat=directlink&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;full size #2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is a Texas Mountain Laurel and this is central Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1179" LastActivityDate="2012-06-09T17:53:52.410" Title="What is this moth-like bug on my tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4490" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4489" CreationDate="2012-06-09T17:53:52.410" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cicada&lt;/a&gt;. I found this quote &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.texasento.net/Cicada3.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;East central Texas is a veritable cicada paradise&lt;/a&gt;&quot;. They are harmless to people but the females lay eggs deep within tree limbs. If you notice a loud sound during the hottest part of the day in the vicinity it may be the song of the cicada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No action is necessary on your part as they prefer larger trees for their eggs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-09T17:53:52.410" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4491" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4488" CreationDate="2012-06-09T18:04:36.873" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A picture would help.  You can do the diagnosis by doing a walk around the tree. Check for these items:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is the soil compacted and dry or springy and rich with organic matter? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is there competition from grass and other plants under the tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;are the veins of the leaves green and the rest of the leaf yellow  (nutrient deficiency)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is the soil dry and sandy or clay? Does it drain well or does water puddle on the surface?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;any signs of insect issues? Scale gives a sticky sugar on branches and on the ground. Mealy bug looks like white fluffy clumps in the axils of the branches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do you water the plant? Is the local water high in salt content?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let us know and we do more diagnosis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-09T18:04:36.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4493" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4495" CreationDate="2012-06-09T20:18:29.450" Score="17" ViewCount="94522" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have bought this peace lily plant one or 2 months ago, but suddenly all life seems to have gone out of it. Can we still save it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hig2I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown plant foto&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We watered it once a week, so I don't think that is the issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1304" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2013-04-04T06:14:53.830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T02:29:54.910" Title="Can this peace lily be saved?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4495" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4493" CreationDate="2012-06-09T22:40:52.770" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathiphyllum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;spathiphyllum&lt;/a&gt;, a close relative of the anthurium.  The identification key is the white flower with the spadix that drops pollen when mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants do well in a moist soil and a range of light conditions from medium to bright indirect light.  I have seen them very happy sitting in an inch or two of water.  When they get too dry they collapse as seen in the picture.  To make it confusing they will also collapse if they have root rot but seeing as the leaves still have some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turgor&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;turgor&lt;/a&gt; I don't think this is the case here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For this plant, if the soil is not wet, water it.  If the soil is already wet let 24 hours pass. If it's still passed out then take it out of the pot and look at the roots.  Healthy roots are firm and white or brown. Roots that have rotted are soft and black.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plant has root rot throw it out. They are difficult to save at this stage. If it's just dry it will recover quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An aid for these plants is to add a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hydroponicvegetablegardening.com/HVGBasics.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;wick and reservoir&lt;/a&gt;.  It can be as simple as taking a knitting needle to push a wick up into the root ball from the bottom of the pot and sitting the pot on top of some small stones inside another pot. Keep the water level at a few inches so the plant is above water but the wick brings water to the roots and the plant will never collapse again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: the other ways to tell an anthurium from a spathiphyllum or Peace Lily are that the spath has larger leaves.  In some varieties they are six inches long. Anthurium leaves tend to be thicker and a darker green.  The anthurium spadix sticks out from the bract known as a spathe whereas in Spathipyllum's the spadix starts enclosed by the spathe and and in many cultivars remains cupped by it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-06-10T12:43:07.837" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4496" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4487" CreationDate="2012-06-10T00:06:29.013" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good news is that many things to watch for in deciduous trees are not an issue with citrus. Branches are able to bear heavy loads of fruit, the crop is about the same on pruned or unpruned trees and fruit is produced in all but the most heavily shaded parts of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is what you should do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prune between February and April in the Northern hemisphere or at the end of the cold season in the southern.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prune to remove dead branches, crossing branches and, if the canopy is dense, to let more light into the interior&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;eliminate all sprouts coming from the main trunk.  It's easier to remove them when they're small so this is more of a year round task.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/crops/az1455.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;great pdf&lt;/a&gt; with many more details if you are still unsure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-12-08T09:01:03.010" LastActivityDate="2016-12-08T09:01:03.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4499" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-10T16:21:33.620" Score="4" ViewCount="105" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was building a nesting box to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1782/how-can-i-naturally-encourage-birds-into-my-garden&quot;&gt;encourage birds in my garden&lt;/a&gt;. It worked, a week ago a family of &lt;em&gt;Blue Tit&lt;/em&gt; moved out after a stressful time. I'm curious so I got up to box to check what they left. I was surprised by the size of the nest and would like to know:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) To raise the chance of having another couple doing their business inside this year do I need to clean or better leave as much as possible of the material inside and do the cleaning in late autumn (or early spring next year)? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) As it can be seen below 3 eggs &quot;didn't work&quot;. Is that normal for blue tits or this an indicator for a buggy box or place?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) I hope GL.SE is the right place for asking this question?!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Moy1Q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Moy1Qm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UkUoG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UkUoGm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-06-10T16:21:33.620" Title="Nesting box cleaning" Tags="&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2012-06-11T14:04:40.533" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4500" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4468" CreationDate="2012-06-10T19:06:43.277" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Similar to, but not an exact duplicate of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4280/non-mechanical-plant-watering-systems/&quot;&gt;this question.&lt;/a&gt; My answer will be the same for both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I travel frequently and use the &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hydrospike.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hydrospike&lt;/a&gt;&quot;. Basically it siphons water up from a container into a clay spike, which slowly diffuses the water. The flow can be &quot;regulated&quot; by the number of spikes you use ;-) The physics doesn't quite make sense to me, but against all odds, it seems to work quite well. The longest trip I've used it for was 10 days, with outdoor plants in warm weather, and my plants were all healthy when I came back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The downsides I've faced are &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;size (this is too big for really tiny pots)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;arranging the water reservoir. The water tube needs to drape down into the reservoir, which must be below the spike. Unfortunately, the water tube is only so long, so you may need to do some furniture arrangement to get the water up high enough, but not too high. I've seen other products on Amazon that come with some reservoirs designed to attach to the side of pots, and I tried one once, but it didn't fit my arrangement.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;constant moistness (I don't leave this going for too long, but I imagine if you did, you might start to have fungus or soil bug problems.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The arrangement I use is an Ikea side table holding some paint buckets full of water, with many Hydrospike tubes feeding two yard-long elevated planters. I made some clear plexiglass lids with small gaps for the tubes, to limit evaporation and bug invasion, but allows me to check the water level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="644" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-06-10T19:06:43.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4501" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4505" CreationDate="2012-06-11T00:58:56.583" Score="13" ViewCount="27373" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes. I took my weedeater through a patch of poison ivy.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Yes. I am regretting it in a big way right now.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;A week later I re-infected my hand with it off the weedeater when changing the spool (Damnit!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what is a good way to clean off equipment that has the taint of poison ivy on it? I was thinking of just running a power washer over it, but I'm not sure that would be all that effective. Is there something I can soak the business end of it in to de-activate the oils from the poison ivy (urushiol)? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="531" LastEditorUserId="531" LastEditDate="2012-06-11T04:16:30.703" LastActivityDate="2021-05-01T05:22:35.520" Title="How can I clean yard equipment that has come into contact with poison ivy?" Tags="&lt;poison-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4502" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4501" CreationDate="2012-06-11T01:37:29.637" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have my sympathies. From what I understand urushiol can stay active for 6-12 months (!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are various products marketed specifically for cleaning the oil off. I haven't used any of them. (Search for &quot;poison ivy clean&quot; or &quot;urushiol clean&quot; and you'll see a bunch of stuff.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had it on my boots in the past (and, like you, gotten re-exposed after getting rid of the first round). A squirt of regular dish soap, a little scrubbing, and a good rinse seemed to get rid of it. I'd imagine that any reasonably strong detergent would do the job of breaking up the oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obligatory obvious warning that I'm sure you don't need: wear disposable gloves when you handle the machine while you're cleaning it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-11T01:37:29.637" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4501" CreationDate="2012-06-11T02:35:48.567" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking at the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urushiol&quot;&gt;structure&lt;/a&gt; of urushiol, and recalling the rule of thumb 'like disolves like', the most suitable commonly available solvent I would try is rubbing alcohol with vigorous scrubbing.  If you have access to these and know how to use them safely, try methanol, benzene, toluene, (Wikipedia also recommends ether).  Having a long alkyl chain should mean it will respond well to soap and water as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Disclamer: I have never worked with urushiol.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastActivityDate="2012-06-11T02:35:48.567" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4504" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-11T06:52:14.783" Score="9" ViewCount="24911" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was suggested to put bonemeal to my chili pepper to make it stronger. However the plant is already there and I've read about bonemeal in the wiki and found out that bonemeal doesn't move by itself in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't like to spread them on the surface because I don't want to attract bugs. If I want to mix the bonemeal thoroughly in the soil, there is no way to avoid digging out the plant. Even if I can dig out the whole plant, the soil could've been mixed with the root completely because the chili is not small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastActivityDate="2015-08-29T15:08:13.627" Title="What is the best way to put bonemeal into the soil?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4505" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4501" CreationDate="2012-06-11T11:50:25.913" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yup, it's an oil - a good de-emulsifier and lots of water will work. All you'll need is laundry detergent and a cheap scrub-brush you can toss at the end of it and your garden hose, no power wash needed, and wear some disposable dish gloves, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on how allergic you are to it, products like Zanfel can prevent or cure mild cases, especially if you apply it right after you notice contact. If you're really sensitive to it, not much will help but time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1150" LastActivityDate="2012-06-11T11:50:25.913" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4504" CreationDate="2012-06-11T12:21:52.220" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bone meal does not help your plants.  This is a myth that is found so extensively you would think it had been propagated from seed. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda%20Chalker-Scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/Myths/Bonemeal.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Linda Chalker-Scott of Washington State University&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Bone meal supplies high levels of phosphorus and calcium, elements&#xA;  that are rarely limiting in non-agricultural soils. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Phosphorus, from&#xA;  bone meal or other sources, does not “stimulate” plant growth; it is&#xA;  only a mineral, not a plant growth regulator. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;High levels of&#xA;  phosphorus, from bone meal or other sources, will inhibit growth of&#xA;  mycorrhizal fungi. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Without mycorrhizal partners, plants must put&#xA;  additional resources into root growth at the expense of other tissues&#xA;  and functions.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also highly recommend &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.washington.edu/uwpress/search/books/CHAING.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;her book&lt;/a&gt; about gardening &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda%20Chalker-Scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;myths&lt;/a&gt; which I read and shows how you can achieve the same or better gardening results with less work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: both blood and bone meal are byproducts from the meat packing industry.  Blood meal is a good source of nitrogen. They are sometimes packaged together as blood and bone meal. The key differences are that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;nitrogen is mobile and not tightly bound in the soil so it can be used by roots quickly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some plants are heavy nitrogen users like corn or many green vegetables so it is a limiting factor&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit @Ed Staub There is a difference between phosphorous must be present for root growth and  &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/info_8072382_bone-meal-plants.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bone meal helps stimulate strong root growth&lt;/a&gt;&quot; or this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hewitts.com/Hewitts_Home/You_Cant_Beat_Bone_Meal.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt;. In regards to mycorrhizal fungi &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://sciweb.nybg.org/science2/hcol/mycorrhizae.asp.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Approximately 90% of all vascular land plants live in some association with mycorrhizal fungi&lt;/a&gt;&quot;.  That does not endorse selling MF supplements it just underlines that if you inhibit the growth of a plant's symbiotes then mineral uptake is decreased until more roots are grown. I would be very interested in any research that substantiates the claims that are made for bone meal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit @Ed Staub In acid soils phosphorous is less available to plant roots as it is tied up as aluminum phosphate down to ph of 5 or iron phosphates below ph 5. Adding bone meal will not supply more phosphorous as it is limited by the soil ph. That's why they recommend &lt;a href=&quot;http://msucares.com/crops/soils/phosphorus.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;liming agricultural soils&lt;/a&gt; before applying a phosphorous source.  If gunbuster363 is growing his chili's in acidic soil below ph 6 he would get better yields by adding organic matter such as compost or growing plants that tolerate this such as potatoes, beets, cabbage and cucumbers. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2682/how-often-should-i-fertilize-vegetables&quot;&gt;This question&lt;/a&gt; has some great answers on fertilizing vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-06-13T21:15:46.677" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4504" CreationDate="2012-06-11T12:26:02.427" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bone meal is primarily recommended for phosphate and calcium. Neither moves very rapidly through the soil. You should find out &lt;em&gt;why&lt;/em&gt; bone meal was recommended: do you have a deficiency of phosphate or calcium? When you know that, then you can figure out what nutrients you need to provide, and then you can figure out what amendments you need and how you can best apply them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-11T12:26:02.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4508" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-11T12:53:46.050" Score="6" ViewCount="198" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a kohleria plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It had gone thorough a 5 day deficit of water back in Feb/Mar. From that day, it started to develop yellow spots along the rim of the leaves. These have remained as the temperature has increased.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now the temperature could go up to 35 °C. I think it is the heat and the drought it went through.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to bring it to my office where the temperature is more suitable to it, but I need to check if there are any bugs causing this before I move it to my office.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on any image for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AMeVK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AMeVKm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OBVPU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OBVPUm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/goG9z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/goG9zm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z0j0u.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z0j0um.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DAMgG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DAMgGm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NsiO7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NsiO7m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-10T13:05:51.653" LastActivityDate="2018-02-10T13:05:51.653" Title="Are these yellow spots due to heat?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4509" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1176" CreationDate="2012-06-11T15:01:43.777" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just covered my tomatoes with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/buy/bird-x-14-ft-x-45-ft-netting-34-in-polypropylene-mesh-248272.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bird netting&lt;/a&gt;. It doesn't look pretty, but it protects the plants. Depending on how big the fig tree is, this could be a working solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you need to make a larger net, you could try joining two nets together using zip ties and overlapping a foot or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastActivityDate="2012-06-11T15:01:43.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4511" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-11T15:40:47.560" Score="1" ViewCount="336" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1783/how-can-i-help-a-sunburned-jade-tree-recover&quot;&gt;How can I help a sunburned jade tree recover?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought a jade plant from a lady about two weeks ago. I can tell it wasn't being taken care of. From experience (my mom having this kind of plant when i was younger) I brought it home watered it and since it was summer stuck the plant outside to flourish. I did not know it could sunburn. When I saw leaves turning brown and shrivelling up I quickly brought it inside. I believe my variety of jade is the e.t. Well I wanted to make sure my plant was healthy before I started pruning and replanting it. From the looks of the plant it has not been pruned for awhile. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is what would be the proper action to take to ensure the continued prosperity of my plant? I do not know how to post a pic of this plant otherwise I would.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1310" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-06-12T13:49:27.723" Title="My new jade plant" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2012-06-12T03:29:21.447" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4512" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4511" CreationDate="2012-06-11T16:18:49.727" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1783/what-to-do-about-sunburned-jade-tree&quot;&gt;very similar question&lt;/a&gt; has a great answer and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1378/how-can-i-encourage-a-jade-tree-to-grow-a-strong-trunk&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt; is about encouraging a strong trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most jade plants do not grow really fast and very little pruning is needed unless you are aiming for a specific look like a bonsai tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Re potting a jade is not required for young plants if you want to see more top growth. They can grow very large in small pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For your plant keep in one place with bright indirect light and the new growth will be fine.  As you get new growth you can remove the sun burned older growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Re potting and pruning can be done in any order, just don't do them at the same time.  If this plant has got a bit sunburned I would let it recover for a few months before doing either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most soil mixes will do for a jade if you add some sand to improve drainage or you buy succulent or cacti mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A rooting agent is not necessary for jade plants. Cuttings can left to dry on the windowsill for a few days and then gently pressed into soil where they will grow roots and leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-06-11T19:01:28.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4513" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3470" CreationDate="2012-06-11T17:48:36.403" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can get over the &quot;ick factor,&quot; you have an easily-applied source of organic nitrogen fertilizer close at hand. It costs nothing, and you should be able to get several litres of it per day with little inconvenience -- your urine!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unlike humanure, urine should be sterile, so you don't need to go through long composting nor testing for pathogens. It has a nominal rating of 11-1-1 or so, so together with the other answers posted, you can easily calculate how much you need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend diluting 10:1 or so, since urine is so &quot;hot&quot; with nitrogen that it will &quot;burn&quot; some plants if applied directly. Put it in a pump sprayer, and fertigate away!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A simple plastic container next to your toilet will suffice. A well-fitting lid is essential. I recommend the square plastic one-litre containers that organic plain yoghurt comes in. When you fill it, put it in your ten-litre pump sprayer, top off with water, and you're set.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using urine for fertigation helps close the &quot;nutrient cycle&quot; that our &quot;modern&quot; sewage systems have broken, neatly carving one natural solution into two problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only disadvantage (besides the mentioned &quot;ick factor&quot;) is the odour, which is considerably attenuated when you dilute it. But besides, have you smelled &lt;em&gt;other&lt;/em&gt; organic fertilizers? They &lt;em&gt;all&lt;/em&gt; stink! So tell yourself you're saving the planet, and just get over the smell and &quot;ick factor.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, urine fertigation does great for starts, leafy greens, and other things that produce leaves. Root crops are going to want more potassium than you can get from urine, and seed/flower crops are going to want more phosphorous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For leafy greens, apply at the base of the plant, rather than foliar, to further reduce the &quot;ick factor.&quot; (You &lt;strong&gt;do&lt;/strong&gt; wash your greens before eating, right?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1177" LastActivityDate="2012-06-11T17:48:36.403" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4514" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4516" CreationDate="2012-06-11T18:31:31.600" Score="10" ViewCount="4321" Body="&lt;p&gt;I didn't turn my compost pile this spring, and had an unexpected surprise that's been growing for the last few weeks. Can anyone identify what it is? I'm almost 100% sure it's some type of squash, but I don't know enough to tell what variety it is. From what I can remember, I've put waste from zucchini, acorn, spaghetti, and butternut squashes in the compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ify70.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;  &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xPM6I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b7CRu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ko3Iw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's also another smaller plant which looks very similar, but the leaves are a different shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1PqZb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Full size pictures &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/QXeoQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-10-29T22:09:03.080" LastActivityDate="2017-10-29T22:09:03.080" Title="What type of squash is growing out of my compost pile?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4515" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4508" CreationDate="2012-06-11T20:15:05.080" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have not grown &lt;em&gt;Kohleria&lt;/em&gt;, but I have grown other gesneriads, namely &lt;em&gt;Gloxinia&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Streptocarpus&lt;/em&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;Saintpaulia&lt;/em&gt; (African Violets). These plants all strongly dislike having cold water sprinkled over their leaves. Judging from the character and distribution of the spotting on the plant pictured, I would guess that is the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering the plants from the bottom of the pot, never letting the leaves get wet, will resolve the issue. Alternatively, one can water overhead using warm, 85ºF (30ºC), and only watering in the morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastActivityDate="2012-06-11T20:15:05.080" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4514" CreationDate="2012-06-12T02:48:17.867" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on what I've seen, and confirmed a bit by a couple of quick searches, the photos on top with the deeply indented leaves look like melon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The one on the bottom looks like a cucumber, though maybe it could be a squash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a side note, zucchini, acorn, and spaghetti squashes are all &lt;em&gt;C. pepo&lt;/em&gt; and could have crossed last year. If you have volunteers from any crosses and let them mature, you may end up with odd-looking fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For what it's worth, last year I planted a half dozen hills of pumpkin &amp;amp; winter squash; they gave me maybe three semi-decent fruits. I didn't pull the volunteers that popped up out of the compost pile and they gave me at least 20 gorgeous pumpkins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-06-12T11:53:17.413" LastActivityDate="2012-06-12T11:53:17.413" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4518" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4477" CreationDate="2012-06-12T04:45:13.267" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The easy answer is yes, (fungal) leaf curl will affect the fruit in the sense that some will drop early and not mature at all and the remainder may be warped or develop tumour-like bulges.&lt;sup&gt;[&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.caf.wvu.edu/kearneysville/disease_descriptions/omplfcrl.html&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.yates.co.nz/problem-solver/problems/peach-leaf-curl/&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/sup&gt; On the other hand the fruit might not be affected at all, depending on how many fungal spores manage to get in or near to the flower buds across the tree, or whether they managed to get there at all before the fruit started growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is nothing I'm aware of that you can do to protect this year's crop. Just have to monitor and plan for the autumn and next spring spraying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Many infected fruits drop early and go unnoticed; those that remain may become crooked at the stem end like a small yellow squash, while others develop reddish to purple, wart-like deformities on the fruit surface.&quot; - Kearneysville Tree Fruit Research and Education Center&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Fruits may drop early, or turn reddish-purple with warty growths on the outer surface.&quot; - Yates (NZ)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2012-06-12T04:45:13.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4519" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4235" CreationDate="2012-06-12T05:09:43.487" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basil will self pollinate, but I guess you might need to manually spread the pollen around yourself, given the lack of insects indoors (I'm not sure). Every single flower on my perennial basil seemed to be successfully pollinated this year without effort on my part, but I have had bees helping out mightily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the flowers wilt and the stems carrying those flowers begin to brown you'll find that the flowers have turned into little brown containers carrying 4-6 tiny black seeds per floret. Although the leaves are still green it doesn't look especially attractive at this point so you might not want it cramming up your favourite windowsill view.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each seed is slightly oval-shaped and probably less than 1mm in its broadest dimension. Wikipedia has &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil#Gallery&quot;&gt;a picture of the seeds&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2012-06-12T05:09:43.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2491" CreationDate="2012-06-12T05:38:20.750" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;No you can't cross-pollinate basil and chili peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not only are they a different species but not even in the same genus, family or order. That is, they're vastly different genetically speaking and therefore interbreeding is not possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The definition of &lt;strong&gt;species&lt;/strong&gt; is generally considered to be that there's enough genetic similarity for pollination to occur &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; produce a viable seed. If you exclude the requirement for viable seed then occasionally pollination outside the same species (&lt;strong&gt;hybrids&lt;/strong&gt;) but within the same genus may occur, (even outside the genus within the same family - e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursid_hybrid#Sloth_bear_hybrids&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;bear hybrids&lt;/a&gt; in the animal kingdom) but certainly not across different families or different orders.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are concerned about &lt;em&gt;unwanted&lt;/em&gt; cross pollination between your plants, you normally only need to worry if you're growing, closely placed:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;different species in the same genus (e.g. jalapeño chili &lt;em&gt;Capsicum annuum&lt;/em&gt; x birdseye chili &lt;em&gt;Capsicum frutescens&lt;/em&gt;); or&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;different cultivars within the same species (e.g. jalapeño chili x cayenne pepper).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2012-06-12T06:16:21.937" LastActivityDate="2012-06-12T06:16:21.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4134" CreationDate="2012-06-12T09:09:02.193" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Identical problem in the greenhouse here. I suggest you eliminate any suggestion of draughts.  Worked a treat for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: I was wrong. It wasn't the draughts. By coincidence I happened to drape some net curtain in the greenhouse, shielding the plants from whatever weak sunlight there is. Bingo ! They revived in 24hrs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1313" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2012-07-16T04:28:50.353" LastActivityDate="2012-07-16T04:28:50.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4483" CreationDate="2012-06-12T12:13:18.053" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to grow garlic, buy some &quot;seed garlic&quot; instead of using leftover cloves from the grocery store. It will still just be regular garlic, and you'll plant the cloves, but sometimes grocery store garlic is treated to prevent sprouting. You'll also notice when looking at a catalog that there are many varieties of garlic, and you'll be able to choose a variety that is most suited to your local growing conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Select a planting site with deep, loose soil. pH will ideally be about 6.5 -- similar to what other garden vegetables like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant garlic in autumn before the ground freezes -- but not too early, you don't want it to put out any top growth before winter. Mulch with a thick layer of straw or autumn leaves. (Last year I used about 8&quot; of leaves with good results.) Plant only the larger cloves, which will produce larger bulbs. Save the small ones for eating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the spring, pull back the mulch before the weather warms and the plants try to send up shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1625/51&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; for information on harvesting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-06-12T12:13:18.053" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4523" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4278" CreationDate="2012-06-12T14:53:07.957" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;One grower we buy from uses cheap PVC Venetian blinds.  You can cut the slats with scissors and they are virtually indestructible.  Label with grease pencil or indelible marker and you are good to go.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This worked well for me as we had a few sets of these blinds in the garage and it was better than throwing them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-12T14:53:07.957" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4524" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-12T14:58:00.183" Score="10" ViewCount="26281" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need a lawn mower that can handle rocks and tall thistle bushes. I go through a lawn mower a year it seems. 90% of our ground is granite with a shallow ground covering. Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1314" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-06-12T15:32:00.583" LastActivityDate="2018-12-11T09:45:08.437" Title="I need to mow a lawn filled with Rocks galore" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4525" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4524" CreationDate="2012-06-12T15:57:08.053" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've basically described what I have in my lawn and fields, except that I have blackberry instead of thistle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I use:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For my lawn I use a self-propelled walk-behind Toro purchased from a big box store several years ago. The blade is in horrible shape (I should replace it), but I sharpen it with an angle grinder a few times a year and it keeps doing the job. This machine has been thoroughly abused: I knock down heavy weeds (small brush) with it, it has had numerous encounters with rocks, uneven ground, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Another tool that is very useful is a scythe. I use this in areas where the mower can't go, or there are just too many rocks and the ground is too uneven for the mower. Just be careful to mow high with the scythe or you'll ruin the blade on the rocks.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've used a string trimmer (&quot;weed whacker&quot;) in the past, but sharp rocks tend to eat up string really fast, and they don't work well on thick, woody weeds (e.g. blackberry). I've seen some that have a blade instead of a string, but hitting rocks with a blade seems &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;At a larger scale, I recently got a field mower attachment for my tractor. This is used on a couple acres of horse pasture. (Yes, up until this summer, I used the little Toro to knock down brambles in the pastures.) It easily handles small brush, and the blades will give way if they hit a rock. (Though I have already had to replace a shear pin when it hit a rock that was too big.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have not used them, but I know people that have the DR brush mowers as mentioned in a comment on the question by @DA. You may want to consider something like this.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For any solution, it's helpful to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove as many rocks as possible from the area to be mowed. This avoids damaging equipment, and potentially throwing rocks that could injure people or damage property (e.g. your living room window).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mow high. Set the blades high to avoid hitting shallow ledge outcroppings that you simply cannot remove.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lower your expectations. With the conditions you've described, you're &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; going to have a golf course lawn. If that's what you want, you're going to need to have many tons of screened topsoil trucked in to cover the rock.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Consider alternative landscaping. Some areas just don't need to be mowed. You may be better off deciding against a lawn in a problem area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Learn how to maintain the equipment yourself. At the very least, an investment in a vise and angle grinder, and time to learn how to sharpen a mower blade can pay off over the course of a summer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-12T15:57:08.053" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4526" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3912" CreationDate="2012-06-12T21:14:30.570" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I realize this answer is late -- you should be able to confirm by now -- but this is normal behavior. The flowers fall off and the little bit that is left behind becomes the berry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-12T21:14:30.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4527" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3912" CreationDate="2012-06-12T22:38:53.700" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can also get blossom drop without fruit forming if the bushes are stressed by a lack of water.  It is normal for the blossom to drop after the fruit forms. But if the fruit are not forming, you may have stressed plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2012-06-12T22:38:53.700" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4109" CreationDate="2012-06-13T11:37:03.160" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My best guess is &lt;a href=&quot;http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/publications/epubs/eee_00014.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;plum curculio&lt;/a&gt; (see Figure 2, looks like yours).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control&quot; (p170) suggests spreading a cloth on the ground and tapping the tree -- twice a day -- with a padded mallet. Gather up the bugs that fall and destroy. Or pasture your chickens in the orchard...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or they suggest spraying &quot;with kaolin clay beginning at petal fall and continuing for up to 8 weeks&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or as a last resort, monitor carefully for scars and spray with pyrethrin as soon as they occur: twice, 7-10 days apart. Just be careful not to do this before pollination can occur, as pyrethrin will kill pollinators too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-13T11:37:03.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4529" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4536" CreationDate="2012-06-13T23:33:05.683" Score="9" ViewCount="1599" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got two red currant bushes in my backyard, probably several years old, slightly neglected. Anyone have experience maintaining these? I'm about to string them up a bit as they have so much fruit on them they're hanging on the ground, figure if there was anything else that I should be doing for them, such as pruning, I might as well do it all at once.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="112" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-06-14T10:12:27.073" LastActivityDate="2012-06-15T10:45:32.277" Title="Care of red currant bushes" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;soft-fruit&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4530" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4693" CreationDate="2012-06-14T03:04:40.970" Score="9" ViewCount="1832" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many web sites on how to use bone meal with claims like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/organic/bone-meal-fertilizer.htm&quot;&gt;&quot;Using bone meal will help your flowering plants, like roses or bulbs, grow bigger and more plentiful flowers.&quot;&lt;/a&gt; Is this true for all plants, just vegetables and bulbs or not at all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-06-06T01:13:56.997" Title="Does bonemeal promote bigger and stronger plants through root growth?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4531" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4504" CreationDate="2012-06-14T03:15:52.233" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't advise digging a plant out just to fertilize it - especially an annual.  So regardless of the efficacy of bone meal in general, it doesn't seem like a good fit in this case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as the need for phosphorus in some form - opinions clearly differ, as well as conditions.  As @bstpierre noted, you can always test first - if it's worth it to you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-06-14T03:15:52.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4532" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4530" CreationDate="2012-06-14T12:45:21.823" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is going to be true if it contains nutrient(s) that are in short supply. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonemeal is considered a slow-release high phosphate fertilizer: bones are primarily apatite - a Calcium Carbonate Phosphate, and the phosphate is more tightly bound than in mined phosphates which are often just simple salts (ie. that dissolve easily). It also has a small quantity of nitrates, and I would expect it to make a good source of Calcium (a micronutrient).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if your soil is short of phosphate relative to your plant's requirements, then yes it would be a good amendment. If the soil isn't short, then you're not going to see much change. Too much and you may even see damage (eg. fertilizer burn). This is true of any required resource of nutrient. E.g. Extra water is only going to be beneficial if it is dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-06-14T12:45:21.823" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4533" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4534" CreationDate="2012-06-14T21:25:30.883" Score="4" ViewCount="5195" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read this page, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.notjustahousewife.net/2011/08/mason-jar-wall-planter.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mason Jar Wall Planter&lt;/a&gt;, and many people complained about the bottles not having drain holes, but many others said that simply adding some rocks at the bottom will fix it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do you think? Is it possible to grow herbs in this kind of bottle without drain holes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1320" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-12T22:46:31.790" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T21:34:56.260" Title="Can I grow herbs in a glass bottle with no drain holes?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4534" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4533" CreationDate="2012-06-15T02:43:37.370" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is essentially a pot without drainage. Most herbs do not like to sit in wet soil so you need to have a drainage layer and a soil separator topped with a soil or soil less mix.  Here are the things I have used for a drainage layer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;peastone gravel -  attractive but heavy&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;styrofoam peanuts - light, colorful but maybe not what you want near something you will eat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;marbles, ping pong balls, glass rounds are other options&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A soil separator keeps the soil out of the drainage layer when you water. I have used:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;landscape fabric&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pantyhose&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering a container without a drain is a challenge. If you let the soil really dry out it contracts and water runs down the side and sits in the bottom. If you water too much you will get root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try and supply as much light as possible and try with chives or parsley which are fairly easy to grow.  Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-15T02:43:37.370" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4535" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4541" CreationDate="2012-06-15T08:19:30.677" Score="5" ViewCount="19916" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a medium sized Weigela bush in my garden.  Can anyone advise me on how best to prune it, when to prune it and how often?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JJQ0L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Weigela in bloom&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is lots of new green growth on the tips of the stems that flowered this year.  Does the plant flower from there next year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, this picture shows the main &quot;trunk&quot; (the thicker upright branches) of the bush.  Do I prune back to that or do I also prune that part?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j3vYW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Weigela in bloom closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bush is quite old and I've never really done anything with it so I'd appreciate any advice you can offer!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1322" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-01-23T12:35:46.897" LastActivityDate="2018-06-04T06:03:14.287" Title="How &amp; when should I prune a Weigela bush?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4536" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4529" CreationDate="2012-06-15T10:45:32.277" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ideally, red currants should be trained into a sort of empty goblet shape, which allows air and light to circulate right through the bush, and makes harvesting the fruit easier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My inclination at the moment, though, if the bushes are heavily in fruit, would be to hold off from any aggressive pruning. It should be safe to take off a little new growth to help concentrate the plants' energy on the fruit. Providing some support is an excellent idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you have harvested the bushes, you can start a stricter regimen of care. Cut the central stems out, producing the goblet shape mentioned. Trim off any shoots less than around 10cm from the soil, and remove any suckers that might be around the main stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut back the main outer stem growth to about a third of their length (possibly less, depending on how neglected the plants have been!), cutting to an outward-facing bud. The inner, more upright, shoots, can be cut back to about a half of their original length.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/growfruitandveg_growingcurrants1.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;page&lt;/a&gt; on the BBC's Gardening mini-site might be of use. Of course, bear in mind the advice here is aimed at gardeners in the UK, so you might need to adjust timings a bit for your location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="979" LastActivityDate="2012-06-15T10:45:32.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4537" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4539" CreationDate="2012-06-15T11:06:10.083" Score="16" ViewCount="20310" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small indoor garden. Unfortunately, I also have a dozen liters of spoiled wine. Intuitively, I think watering edibles with wine will be beneficial for them, as the wine carries already dissolved organic material. However, I am beginning to worry about a possible acidity change in the soil. Maybe also other factors, that I haven't considered exist as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it a good idea to water edibles with spoiled wine? (bonus question: what about coffee residue?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1316" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-06-15T12:25:26.603" LastActivityDate="2019-10-15T20:09:44.833" Title="Can I water plants with spoiled wine?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4539" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4537" CreationDate="2012-06-15T12:24:08.973" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spoiled wine is sometimes converted to vinegar through spoilage. Vinegar is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ccerensselaer.org/horticulture-program/Turfgrass-Research/Vinegar-Herbicide.aspx&quot;&gt;herbicide.&lt;/a&gt; If it's not vinegar and simply &quot;off&quot; tasting, it will still contain between 10-18% alcohol by volume, and alcohol is also a herbicide. So, no, don't put poison on your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1150" LastActivityDate="2012-06-15T12:24:08.973" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4540" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4537" CreationDate="2012-06-15T12:34:09.870" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;When wine goes off, it literally &quot;turns to vinegar&quot;. The ethanol becomes ethanoic acid (=acetic acid or vinegar).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ethanoic acid is relatively &quot;weak&quot; (acidity depends on the concentration, reactivity, and ease that it disassociates the H+ ion - my &quot;weak&quot; refers to the latter two properties).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although a glass of bad wine at a party might be okay with a resilient house plant in a big pot, I would not make a habit of it. &quot;Dozen litres&quot; is a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beds and compost heaps, being larger, and getting water from elsewhere should not be such an acute problem. I would &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; use the wine for &lt;em&gt;watering&lt;/em&gt; though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-06-15T12:34:09.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4541" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4535" CreationDate="2012-06-15T13:45:51.247" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would be very happy to have a weigela that looks that good!  They bloom on wood that is one year old. Here are some general guidelines:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prune after flowering is finished&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;new stems are more vigorous than older growth so they should be encouraged by removing up to one third of the old growth once a year.  For this plant that would mean cutting one of the thick woody stems this year at the base.  Use a saw or a pair of loppers to get a clean cut.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you wish to reduce the size of the plant overall you can prune branches back by one third. Prune by hand, do not use a hedge trimmer.  Do not cut a branch to leave a stub, cut back to where it divides.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the usual shrub maintenance of top dressing with compost, removing competing weeds and pruning other shrubs and trees to maintain the amount of light it gets are also good practices.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: yes, where you prune an existing branch back to reduce the size of the plant you will reduce the amount of flower.  It looks like you have enough room for a full size plant so I would just practice removing up to one third of the old growth each year.  If you do this every year you will end up with more flowers in a few years as the new growth comes in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-18T14:54:49.157" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T14:54:49.157" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4542" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3369" CreationDate="2012-06-15T17:05:28.927" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it's safe. Spoilage in vegetables that have had &quot;too much&quot; frost is obvious -- e.g. spinach leaves will be discolored or mushy. Classic advice is to let parsnips overwinter, so that the cold weather makes the plant convert starches to sugars. This works with carrots too, though if they experience too many freeze/thaw cycles, they'll turn to mush (in which case they'll be obviously unappealing to eat!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-15T17:05:28.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4543" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-16T03:09:47.737" Score="7" ViewCount="295" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/987/what-else-besides-calcium-deficiency-could-be-causing-tomato-blossom-end-rot&quot;&gt;What else besides calcium deficiency could be causing tomato blossom end rot?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each year my tomatoes develop a brown rotten area on the bottom of the fruit. I always add steer manure, sweet lime, bone meal, epsom salts, and time-released fertilizer to the soil.  Is there something I am missing? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1325" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-06-16T06:01:49.610" Title="How to prevent rotten end of tomatoes" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2012-06-27T01:28:39.933" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4544" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4543" CreationDate="2012-06-16T03:31:10.717" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;tomato blossom end rot is caused (generally) by a lack of calcium, sound like you are amending the soil, but in my area, The Great Basin the lack of calcium is caused by too much limestone clay, causing the soil to be so basic that the calcium isn't available (ie too much calcium means too little available to the plant) introduction of organic matter typically helps, but isn't much of help to established plants, depending on your soil maybe sulfur would help, be sure to water enough also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;here are some blossom end rot links:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/tomato/2000082444023571.html&quot;&gt;http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/tomato/2000082444023571.html&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Tomato_BlossRt.htm&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/blossendrot.html&quot;&gt;http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/blossendrot.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-06-16T03:31:10.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4545" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4543" CreationDate="2012-06-16T06:01:49.610" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;What @Grady Player said, except I would add to not only water enough, but to water regularly. Stressed plants are more prone to all sorts of things, of which Blossom End Blight/Rot is one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can take several years to amend the soil enough to reduce the problem - after several years of working on improving my clay, I had no blight last tomato season, but it has taken quite a bit of work to get to that point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1326" LastActivityDate="2012-06-16T06:01:49.610" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4546" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4869" CreationDate="2012-06-16T17:24:07.537" Score="5" ViewCount="1582" Body="&lt;p&gt;This vine is growing up around a sycamore tree in my yard. Mainly I am concerned that it is something that is toxic. Just want to make sure it isn't likely something that will make me break out in a rash before pulling it. I'm a little gun shy since my recent bout of poison ivy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe it is just the fact that the leaves themselves look like they have some kind of rash on them. =)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh. I probably should mention that the vines are central Texas. Might help on to ID them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KhOHd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YZ4Ec.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="531" LastEditorUserId="531" LastEditDate="2012-06-18T21:17:24.487" LastActivityDate="2012-07-26T03:19:53.123" Title="Can someone identify this vine for me?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4547" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8612" CreationDate="2012-06-16T18:53:58.933" Score="5" ViewCount="235" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been putting some worms in my raised beds and feeding them the fresher kitchen scraps.  I'm starting to run out of spots to place the food, so for the next bed I build I want to put in some-type-of-mesh holes that go 1-2' down and are simply to to form a hole that doesn't cave in, into which I can throw worm food for the ultimate purpose of direct composting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the design:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YDJxx.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, some design questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What would make a good mesh?  Chicken wire with 1/4&quot; squares?  Large chicken wire + large-mesh burlap?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will the worms be able to eat from this resevoir and readily go back into the soil?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I need to cover the hole or place soil on top of the fresh food?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rectangular prism or circular prism hole?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What else to consider?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1139" LastActivityDate="2013-10-29T00:02:14.897" Title="Meshed-hole Direct Composting design - please comment, suggest changes, advise" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;worms&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4548" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4549" CreationDate="2012-06-16T19:20:46.860" Score="12" ViewCount="2587" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently noticed what looks like small beetles on our dwarf citrus tree.  Can anyone identify this abnormality?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click image for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2mPhN.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2mPhNl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this something harmful that I should attempt to treat?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="432" LastEditorUserId="432" LastEditDate="2012-06-17T00:02:07.773" LastActivityDate="2014-03-13T19:01:39.990" Title="Can anyone identify this abnormality that is on my dwarf citrus?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4549" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4548" CreationDate="2012-06-16T19:56:00.840" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like the worst case of scale I've ever seen.  Are the tops of the leaves sticky, and is there more of it on the central rib of each leaf (top and/or bottom)?  If so, that pretty much clinches it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, you definitely need to treat it.  You'll find some advice &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4171/what-is-happening-to-my-chilli-plant-how-can-i-help-it&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, but maybe someone has better advice for such a horrible infestation.  What I would do is start by wiping it all off with small cloths soaked in rubbing alcohol.  When you've gotten rid of all the adults (the brown bumps in the picture) there will still be lots of eggs and larvae.  Spray the plant with neem oil or similar to get rid of the kids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Scale-poo can be hard to clean up from underneath the plant, depending on what it's on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure this isn't near any other plants that you care about!  Frankly, I'm tempted to recommend discarding the plant.  Keep an eye on anything that has been nearby - it &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt; &quot;jump&quot; from plant to plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-06-16T20:06:40.093" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4550" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-17T00:22:43.997" Score="6" ViewCount="1662" Body="&lt;p&gt;The espaliers at my local tree nursery are grafted and already started, so they'll stay short and espalier like.  But can I just do this with these two cherry trees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really don't care if they're espaliered or not - I just need two trees to plant right on (6&quot; away) from a 6' cedar fence.   The bed was originally for black / rasp berries, but I got overzealous digging the hole and so I thought I'd stick some trees in there too.  And since there's all this open soil, I was going to put in some squash or beans for as many years as they can get sun there, then switch to shade veggies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have 6&quot;-square re-mesh if a grid is needed to espalier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1139" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-04T00:44:14.267" LastActivityDate="2017-02-03T08:34:20.233" Title="Can I espalier a regular black cherry tree starting with 1&quot; trunk, 6' tall?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4551" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4546" CreationDate="2012-06-17T02:27:47.527" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It does not look like any poison ivy, oak, or sumac variant that I've ever seen.  They usually have leaves that grow in a trio.  Have you ever seen it seed/fruit? I'm placing a guess that it's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://my.gardenguides.com/forums/topic/64396&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Manroot vine&lt;/a&gt;.  I'm not a botanist so it might be worthwhile to put on some gloves, put a cutting in a plastic bag, and check with a local nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="432" LastEditorUserId="432" LastEditDate="2012-06-17T06:09:41.237" LastActivityDate="2012-06-17T06:09:41.237" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4552" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-17T03:53:43.410" Score="4" ViewCount="302" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning on planting 3 to 5 apple trees for eating, baking and cider.  My wife keeps telling me to get some heirloom varieties but I am not sure which ones and where to get them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am looking for suggestions from growers for a disease resistant apple tree for my climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree location is full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2014-05-24T07:28:47.863" LastActivityDate="2014-05-24T07:28:47.863" Title="Please suggest an apple variety that will grow well in Long Island NY without pesticides" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4553" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-17T04:21:20.770" Score="4" ViewCount="290" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4290/raised-bed-around-tree-do-i-need-to-protect-the-trunk&quot;&gt;Raised bed around tree. Do I need to protect the trunk?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to put a circular bench around my cherry tree but need to make the ground level.  It's not level due to its roots. Is there anything I can do?  I was thinking about covering the area with sand and pebbles but understand this would harm the tree. I love the tree and do not want to lose it. Help!!!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1328" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T12:53:23.583" Title="Can I cover the roots of my cherry tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2012-07-08T05:46:38.007" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4554" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4572" CreationDate="2012-06-17T05:55:24.443" Score="7" ViewCount="2038" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got two 6 foot by 3 foot beds I plan on growing bush beans in. The varieties I'm growing are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6989-european-soldier.aspx&quot;&gt;European Soldier&lt;/a&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6303-kenearly-yellow-eye.aspx&quot;&gt;Kenearly Yellow Eye&lt;/a&gt; and the seed spacing that is on the packets says about 2 inches apart, 1 inch deep, and in rows 20-36 inches apart. Since I'm going to be growing these in a 6 foot x 3 foot block instead of a row what would be a good spacing for them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T12:45:56.180" Title="How far apart should bush beans be when planted in blocks instead of rows?" Tags="&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4555" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4546" CreationDate="2012-06-17T13:20:25.803" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Ampelopsis brevipedunculata 'Elegans'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.yourgardenshow.com/plants/6810-Ampelopsis-brevipedunculata-Elegans-&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.yourgardenshow.com/plants/6810-Ampelopsis-brevipedunculata-Elegans-&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1323" LastActivityDate="2012-06-17T13:20:25.803" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4556" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4567" CreationDate="2012-06-17T13:36:23.837" Score="3" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got a clone of a nice oregano from someone recently and this oregano had apparently managed to survive through a frosty winter outdoors in the south of Ireland. I was very impressed as I've always had difficulty with oregano so I'm wondering if this character would be maintaned in the clone ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="334" LastEditorUserId="334" LastEditDate="2012-06-17T21:22:29.087" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T03:41:06.240" Title="Are plants cloned from a hardened donor effectively pre-hardened?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4557" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4650" CreationDate="2012-06-17T17:32:59.853" Score="6" ViewCount="960" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Houston, TX and this is growing in our garden (planted by previous owner).  My fiancee says it's a weed but I'm thinking otherwise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone settle our debate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/upv7l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Identify Me!&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FJGXx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;FlowerZoom&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WCGZA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;BaseZoom&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EVSYH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1329" LastEditorUserId="1329" LastEditDate="2012-06-17T22:31:10.573" LastActivityDate="2013-03-15T03:32:46.317" Title="What type of plant is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4560" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4553" CreationDate="2012-06-17T20:58:34.210" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a cherry tree that has mulch all around it - to prevent grass from growing there. It is doing fine after many years of mulch. Perhaps mulch (ground hardwood) is a solution?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastActivityDate="2012-06-17T20:58:34.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4561" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-17T21:18:29.920" Score="4" ViewCount="235" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to plant Morning Glory to cover a fence.&#xA;I was told not to cause the growth  would be  unmanageable.&#xA;Is it really a problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is a great deal of watering required ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1331" LastActivityDate="2012-07-02T15:07:22.537" Title="Morning Glory - Unmanagable growth?" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4562" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4561" CreationDate="2012-06-17T21:27:09.810" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have morning glory growing wild as a weed on a fence in the corner of my garden. At this point I've mostly got the upper hand, but if I'm not diligent in removing every vine that appears it will take over the fence. Maybe you have a variety that won't be quite so vigorous, but I'd normally recommend against morning glory except in a container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for watering: since I consider it a weed, I'm obviously not watering it intentionally, but it is coming from an area that would tend to hold water well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-17T21:27:09.810" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4563" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-17T23:57:50.853" Score="12" ViewCount="4412" Body="&lt;p&gt;My cherry tomato plant has been showing some yellowing of leaves over the past week or so. Just today I noticed the formation of these cluster of white granules - not sure if it's connected to the yellowing or not. It looks like grains of salt more than anything else; if it's an insect of some sort, I can't get a close enough look to see any legs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you help me identify and respond to this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Updates:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They are stationary when poked&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They were getting more dense, so I took a toothbrush and knocked them off. They are fairly sticky, so that took some doing. I'll wait to see if they return and examine more closely for legs.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I was able to examine some white granules I'd missed earlier in detail under a magnifying glass, and couldn't find any signs of legs. At this point, the waxy response hypothesis seems like the most likely answer. I'll keep the question open for a few more days to see if the white granules return.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on any image for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8J9Tx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8J9Txl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white bits on tomato plant, looks like grains of salt&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4IO0V.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4IO0Vl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="644" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-24T21:21:31.423" LastActivityDate="2020-05-27T00:13:01.530" Title="Tomato plant looks like it has grains of salt - what is it and how do I treat it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4564" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-18T00:05:22.133" Score="4" ViewCount="2421" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few leaves on my orange tree have this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j9Nf0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cottony scale&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V08P1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cottony scale 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this?&#xA;What can I do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1331" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-18T13:20:09.680" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T13:20:09.680" Title="Orange tree has pest or blight" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;blight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2015-06-02T15:52:09.317" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4565" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9916" CreationDate="2012-06-18T00:06:21.113" Score="7" ViewCount="713" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought an &lt;em&gt;Oregon Champion&lt;/em&gt; gooseberry bush last year.  I was weeding near it just now and found several volunteer gooseberry plants in a clump a few feet from the parent bush, like they grew from a berry that was dropped by a bird.  To the best of my knowledge none of my neighbors grow gooseberries, so the seeds would probably have been self-pollinated (if they even &lt;em&gt;do&lt;/em&gt; self-pollinate).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ECYPgl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fifteen or so baby gooseberry plants in an area about 6&amp;quot; square&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if gooseberries are typically grown from seed, or cuttings grafted onto a different root-stock, or if the baby plants would breed true to their parent's type.  Should I keep and cultivate these new plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-06-19T00:28:41.387" LastActivityDate="2014-06-04T01:32:36.990" Title="Are volunteer gooseberry bushes worth saving?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;soft-fruit&gt;&lt;gooseberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4566" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4561" CreationDate="2012-06-18T03:28:00.533" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had little success growing morning glory from seed (I was using a mix from McKenzie).  The few plants that came up did not at all take over the fence, which they were sharing with some bean plants.  I found the flowers very pretty and would recommend planting them based on my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T03:28:00.533" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4567" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4556" CreationDate="2012-06-18T03:41:06.240" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Think of hardening and hardiness as two different things. Hardening is a complicated process involving thickening of the cuticle, production of protective pigments, root development... You can consider hardening to be a tropism, a response to a harsher, drier environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can think of cold hardiness as the plants ability to not freeze, which is greater in established plants, and plants that have a genetic predisposition to not freeze.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So as an answer, you will inherit the cold hardiness, and some of the hardening that include changes in the existing growth... But maybe not the roots, depending on how it was prepared.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T03:41:06.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4568" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-18T05:04:05.917" Score="8" ViewCount="11669" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lawn that I am considering turning into more garden space.  (roughly 25' x 25')&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've done raised beds on top of an existing garden in the past, but never on top of lawn/grass without ripping up the sod/grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would I run into issues just putting soil on top of the lawn and putting in beds, or should I rip up the grass?  I suspect it might work ok, and want to avoid tilling (400 sq feet or so) but I am not sure. (Especially as someone else pointed out issues with root crops)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm curious if anyone has had experience or definite knowledge about this&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt; - after a request for a little more detail&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The goal is to have veggies and likely a greenhouse over them for parts of the year (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fourseasonfarm.com/about/eliot.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;plastic tunnel ala Eliot Coleman&lt;/a&gt;).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;beets &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;carrots &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spinach &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;peppers (sweet and habanero) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tomatoes &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;herbs (rosemary, dill, basil) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cucumbers &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;squash &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;beans &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;peas&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;onions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;etc&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I might even try artichokes&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastEditorUserId="23" LastEditDate="2012-06-18T16:02:58.303" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T23:34:12.227" Title="Do I need to/should I till up lawn before putting raised beds on top?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4569" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="274" CreationDate="2012-06-18T07:24:44.413" Score="7" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crop rotation&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;My grandparents had а large garden beside the vineyard, that they cared about long years. Every spring, they reshaped the garden - putting the tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, carrots, onion, cabbage and other goodies in new places. They told me this is because every plant uses some same assortiment of nutrients in the soil. Planting the same kind of plant in the same spot for several concessive years would exhaust the soil, they explained. Later, at the university, the teacher in Engineering Ecology told us planting the same crops in the same place is one of the biggest problems of contemporary agriculture.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Adding compost&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;I have read that compost not only supplies the soil with nutrients, but also aids texture. This summer is my second year of balcony gardening. I use the same soil as wast year, mixed 3:1 with compost. I compost most of what I harvest and don't use (stems, leaves). Everything is growing fast &amp;amp; healthy for now, so let's hope this works out forever :D I would really love to be closer to sustainable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1316" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T07:24:44.413" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4570" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4561" CreationDate="2012-06-18T12:17:49.930" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some morning glory seeds in rocky soil in a hot dry raised bed.  In these conditions where it was close to a well established cedar hedge which sucks up moisture I expected it to ramble about the bed. I never watered it. After three months it had covered the bed, the adjacent fence, the bench that was close by and was making some inroads on covering the cedar hedge.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was pretty but never again...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T12:17:49.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4571" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4564" CreationDate="2012-06-18T12:26:42.163" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Ed that this is most likely to be a cottony &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mealybug&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can control this taking a paper towel soaked in dish soap and water and wiping the leaves down. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Repeat for every leaf with the symptoms. Check the axils where the leaves join the stems too.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;After the treatment rinse or spray with water to prevent a soapy buildup&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repeat every five to seven days for at least three times&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;continue to monitor as mealybug is hard to get rid of&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;move the tree away from any other houseplants.  Some adult mealybugs have wings and fly to spread the population. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;check for other plants that may have it too&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T12:26:42.163" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4572" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4554" CreationDate="2012-06-18T12:45:56.180" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience the issue of spacing in a block planting comes down to (in this order):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much the plant &lt;em&gt;needs&lt;/em&gt; for space&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ease of weeding&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ease of harvesting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For bush beans, the 20&quot; row spacing is basically the narrowest path from which you'll want to be harvesting. You could maybe get away with planting them 4&quot; apart in a block planting and meet the plant's needs, but a spacing that tight is really hard to weed around, and a 3' wide block of beans at 4&quot; apart will be hard to harvest. If you know you're in an area where you're expecting a lot of moisture while the beans are maturing, you might want to space them further apart so that they can have better airflow and a chance to dry out so they don't get a fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A quick peek at &quot;How to Grow More Vegetables&quot; (John Jeavons) says 6&quot; for bush beans. That's the tightest I'd use; 8&quot; would be easier. I find that 6&quot; is the narrowest space that I can get a hoe through, and then I have to be slow and careful. At 8&quot; I can go faster through a bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both of the varieties you mentioned are for dry beans, so I presume you won't be picking much for green beans. This is something to consider when thinking about harvesting: since you'll wait until the beans are fully mature and mostly dry, you can pull out the whole plant when you harvest, so a tighter spacing will be ok. If you are planning to pick some immature for green/snap beans, then keep in mind that it will be a little harder to harvest from the center of a dense block of plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bottom line: plant your beans at 8&quot; apart in all directions for your 6x3' block.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T12:45:56.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4553" CreationDate="2012-06-18T12:53:23.583" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trees like it just the way it is.  You can change the grade by small amounts and mulch is a good way to do so as it allows some air movement to the roots below. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4290/raised-bed-around-tree-do-i-need-to-protect-the-trunk&quot;&gt;This answer&lt;/a&gt; has more detail on the ways to change grade.  If you do not raise the grade more than a half inch to an inch a year that should work.  However, not changing anything is guaranteed to work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T12:53:23.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4574" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13643" CreationDate="2012-06-18T16:54:28.710" Score="8" ViewCount="1295" Body="&lt;p&gt;I harvest rainwater in a four hundred liter ( 90 US Gallon) container that has a drop of about a foot to where I want to add the water. It would save me some time if I could program a timer to turn on every day for five or ten minutes.  What should I look for?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot supply an electrical outlet and the timer will be over wintered inside so there is no risk of freezing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: the purpose of this was to top up my two water features which can lose a half inch a day during the hot dry summer due to evaporation and transpiration from the water plants.  The issue behind this question is can you find a timer or regulator that works at low pressure.  Gravity feed usually provides 10 to 20 psi where tap water is 100 psi and up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-06-09T23:05:04.967" LastActivityDate="2014-08-09T23:54:10.363" Title="What features should I look for in a low pressure water timer?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4575" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4568" CreationDate="2012-06-18T18:18:24.753" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have enough soil to go on top, I recommend &quot;sheet mulching&quot; by putting down cardboard on top of the grass to kill it. Otherwise, it will inexorably work itself up, and you'll have a raised bed full of grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the basis of so-called &quot;lasagna gardening,&quot; where you layer cardboard, compost, soil, and mulch to turn lawn into garden space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can forego your root crops for a year, you'll find that by the time the grass has died and the cardboard decomposed, you'll be ready to open the bed with a broadfork or spading fork.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know you don't want to till, but roots need oxygen, so you'll need to do &lt;em&gt;something&lt;/em&gt; eventually to open it up. If you plant things with spreading roots in your lasagna garden the first year, then fork it thoroughly the next year, the beets and carrots should be happy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1177" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T18:18:24.753" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4576" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4557" CreationDate="2012-06-18T19:05:00.477" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;As written in my comment I don't know what it is exactly. (morning glory/blindweed). But I can help to settle the debate with your fiancee: whether a plant is weed or not is a-point-of-view debate. Like taste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every wild flower (even tiniest and shyest ones) can be nice to be looked at in the right spot. If you have for example no real lawn (like I have) but just a sort of &quot;grass-kept-short&quot; you could be surprised how many different small flowers are hiding in there if you decide not to mow it every week. Well, at least I was.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In short, why removing the plant if it seems right where it is (and as in your case it even has flowers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T19:05:00.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4577" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4578" CreationDate="2012-06-18T19:10:19.953" Score="8" ViewCount="1199" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a back yard I need to tame.  Lots of Kudzu and small brush (&amp;lt; 1/2&quot; diameter).  Growing up we always used the old fashioned string trimmers. However going to shop now I see very, very few &quot;string trimmers&quot; and lots of &quot;power heads&quot; which you have to buy attachments for.  Which is better to purchase for clearing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Poison is not an option, I'm strictly concerned with manual removal).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1334" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-21T17:16:04.127" LastActivityDate="2020-09-29T01:03:08.060" Title="Taming the jungle, power heads vs old fashioned &quot;weed eater&quot;" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;string-trimmer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4578" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4577" CreationDate="2012-06-18T20:44:56.963" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have several options. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gas trimmer (no power head option). These can be a bit cheaper than a power head option, but have less versatility, you can't convert them to a brush cutter, limb trimmer or rototiller. They might also have more durability as they don't have to worry about the connection between the power head and the attachment. There aren't a lot of these available anymore, most of them are power heads with string trimmers attached by default.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gas Power head with string trimmer. If you need a trimmer anyways this might be the way to go here. You can start with heavy duty line, and if you need more power you can pick up the optional brush cutter attachment that gives you even more cutting ability. I went this route and recently bought the rototiller attachment and while it's not like having a real rototiller, it's reasonably effective for the investment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Something heavier like the DR Trimmer - If you're going to have to go through this dance every year, you might want to invest in a push string trimmer with optional blade attachments. DR Trimmers makes one that looks really nice.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally unless you're expecting to do this kind of massive cleanup every single year, I'd go with the string trimmer and get the brush cutter attachment, it's going to be cheaper (you can do that for ~200$ if you go curved shaft on the trimmer) and it will likely meet you needs, although it will be a lot of work upfront. However, if you're not planning on maintaining your backyard and letting it overgrow again than putting down the cash and getting a walk behind string trimmer is the way to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T20:44:56.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4579" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4548" CreationDate="2012-06-18T22:09:37.930" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Scale for sure. Manual removal means wiping them off. Use a wet soapy cloth and rubber gloves as they will become a mushy slime. You might consider purchasing  Lady bugs to do some of the work, especially their larvae. Adults will breed and the babies will be extra hungry. Water the foliage before releasing the ladybugs so they can have a drink after their long voyage. Weekly applications of a safer soap or horticultural oil may also help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="862" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T22:09:37.930" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4581" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4568" CreationDate="2012-06-18T23:34:12.227" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, I would till. Lawns tend to be fairly compacted, and vegetables do &lt;em&gt;much&lt;/em&gt; better with deep, loose soil. The upside to tilling is that you'll have to import less soil for the same &quot;working depth&quot; in your beds. The act of tilling will introduce air to the soil and actually increase its volume. You also won't need to raise your beds as high in order to provide your plants with the same depth of usable (non-compacted) soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your situation, what I would do now (June) to prepare an area for raised beds next spring (or perhaps even this fall):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kill the existing sod.&lt;/strong&gt; Lay down black plastic over the area to be converted for a few weeks. This will kill the grass. You could also do this with cardboard or other heavy, dark material. As a (more labor intensive, but faster) alternative, you could cut away the turf and either use it elsewhere or stack it for composting. (If you choose the &quot;cut away&quot; approach, you'll be losing some soil depth.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get your soil tested.&lt;/strong&gt; Unless you've already got tests from your lawn, send off a soil sample while the sod is dying so that you'll have results when you're ready to start the next phase.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Loosen the soil.&lt;/strong&gt; Till the area to be converted to a depth of at least 6&quot;. Remove rocks and any other obstructions you find (e.g. roots). (If you are a fan of double digging, now is the time to do it.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amend the soil.&lt;/strong&gt; Add whatever amendments are recommended by the lab (i.e. lime or sulfur, fertilizers, organic matter).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Build your beds.&lt;/strong&gt; Whatever you normally do for raised beds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plant a cover crop.&lt;/strong&gt; If you aren't going to plant a fall crop, sow a cover crop in the new beds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-18T23:34:12.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4582" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4583" CreationDate="2012-06-19T02:21:43.063" Score="8" ViewCount="789" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small, dense, spreading herbaceous perennial plant in my lawn. I don't have anything against it, but I would like to know what it is. It has slightly square stems and rounded leaves. It has small purple flowers sometimes, and looks a lot like a Prunella when in bloom. It tends to grow in poor, rocky soil where the grass gets thin.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LlIP6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aVRTe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2012-06-19T13:26:08.210" Title="What is this low growing square-stemmed plant in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4582" CreationDate="2012-06-19T02:48:17.990" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajuga_reptans&quot;&gt;Ajuga reptans or bugleweed&lt;/a&gt;. It has many cultivars and changes its habit depending on the environment.  It is six inches tall when in flower.  For the rest of the year it is just a few inches high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant does not taste good to deer but is considered invasive in parts of North America.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it starts getting out of hand you can pull it out by its tap root and fertilize or top dress to encourage the grass to out grow it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-06-19T13:26:08.210" LastActivityDate="2012-06-19T13:26:08.210" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4585" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-19T11:48:21.387" Score="5" ViewCount="127" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do a lot of soldering in my room which smells. Not only that, I find my room smells stale anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally I want a fairly small plant that is easy to maintain and doesn't grow into a forest/ palm tree. It should be widely available too. I live in Manchester in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1336" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-06-19T13:25:13.580" LastActivityDate="2012-06-19T13:51:12.897" Title="Looking for recommendations for houseplants to freshen up air that do not grow much" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4585" CreationDate="2012-06-19T13:51:12.897" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants do exchange air but in direct relation the amount of light and water available. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1283/suggestion-for-houseplants-that-can-clean-the-air?rq=1&quot;&gt;This post goes into detail&lt;/a&gt; about what kind of plants and mentions a ratio of one plant per 100 square feet.  To get an effective filter rate you need good light and adequate water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From a health and safety point of view &lt;a href=&quot;http://employment.alberta.ca/documents/whs/whs-pub_ch032.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; has a long list of things you could be breathing when you solder including ozone, carbon monoxides and various metal ions.  You would be safer using a fume hood which exhausts to the outside and buying a plant to deal with the rest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-06-19T13:51:12.897" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4587" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4588" CreationDate="2012-06-19T14:15:07.210" Score="8" ViewCount="6808" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a volunteer melon vine (it looks like cantaloupe) growing at the end of my garden area.  I chose to let it grow out of curiosity.  It's now producing a number of healthy looking fruits.  However, it's also invading my tomato plants and my lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I most safely prune the vine to prevent it from continuing to invade my yard?  I don't want to hurt the health of the existing fruits, although I don't feel the need for &lt;em&gt;more&lt;/em&gt; fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I simply cut the long and/or troublesome vines? Is it important to let some of the vines continue to grow and leaf out for the general health of the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How far from the base of the plant, or the nearest fruit, should I prune?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or should I avoid pruning all together (google disagrees on this), and just redirect the vines that are competing with my tomato plants, and mow around the ones in the yard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps installing a trellis or other climbing structure for the vine would be preferable?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="705" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-11T21:11:51.107" LastActivityDate="2016-12-11T21:11:51.107" Title="How can I safely prune a melon vine?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4587" CreationDate="2012-06-19T19:29:28.110" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I can remember, pruning the vines of a melon/watermelon/pumpkin, etc, is not only allowed, but even encouraged.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;If you do not prune them, they will continue growing onwards, and the &quot;strength&quot; of the plant will go to the new growth instead of to the forming of the fruits.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would suggest that you move (gently) the vines that are growing into your tomatoes.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Then cut back all vines so you get a manageable plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Concerning how much to cut them back, I would cut as little as possible - just the tips. However, if you feel the plant is too big for you to manage, I guess that 3-4 leaves after the last fruit should be ok.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" LastActivityDate="2012-06-19T19:29:28.110" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4589" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-19T21:21:04.807" Score="9" ViewCount="4716" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a fairly large area, ~1000 square feet, that I would like to plant with ground cover that looks good, is low to the ground, and is zero maintenance. The area gets full sun the first half of the day. The soil is moderately clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because it's such a big area and it's on a slope, I'm concerned that it will be difficult to establish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are my best options for establishing ground cover in this situation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1167" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-06-21T12:00:12.027" LastActivityDate="2012-06-21T12:00:12.027" Title="Ground cover for large sloped area" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4590" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-19T21:34:19.113" Score="4" ViewCount="980" Body="&lt;p&gt;My family and I recently moved into a new home, I noticed these ivies everywhere in our backyard and I'm having trouble figuring out exactly what they are. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know little of ivies/vines and I am a little concerned that these ivies could be poison ivy. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TjWRr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/53pxf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;closeup of buds&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Album of more photos:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j257/lacee_06/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j257/lacee_06/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;please note that the ivy I labeled &quot;type 2&quot; is covering an oleander shrub so you may see oleander leaves in the photo. Once again thank you for your time!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1337" LastEditorUserId="1337" LastEditDate="2012-06-21T00:12:27.710" LastActivityDate="2014-06-24T23:15:56.577" Title="What kind of ivy plants are these?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;&lt;poison-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4591" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4589" CreationDate="2012-06-19T23:16:39.620" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a very similar problem, on a steep enough slope I had to climb a ladder placed against the hillside. I transplanted a few pieces of crown vetch from another spot where it was growing, but it did not take well. Then I bought a flat of pachysandra. While it is taking acceptably, it will also take some time to fill in as it was still pretty sparse. So I over-seeded with clover, which worked nicely to fill in the holes while staying moderately low.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user923" LastActivityDate="2012-06-19T23:16:39.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4592" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4589" CreationDate="2012-06-20T02:37:51.460" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see a problem with the size of the area.  No groundcover will be so thick it will choke out grass or other wind borne seeds.  After a while you will be looking at weeding and with the size of the area this means wading in.  Tough...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;White clover is an excellent idea from @woodchips.  I have used it to open up and enrich thick clay soil.  There are other groundcovers that can compete with grass like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thymus_serpyllum&quot;&gt;creeping thyme&lt;/a&gt; although it prefers hot and dry areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another idea which will cost you more in the short term but be very effective is to use &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus_aromatica&quot;&gt;Rhus aromatica&lt;/a&gt; cultivar &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/f180/rhus-aromatica-gro-low.aspx&quot;&gt;'Gro-low'&lt;/a&gt;. This cultivar of this shrub spreads six feet and grows three feet tall. It is great low maintenance plant for mass beds or bank control with fragrant leaves. I see that some kinds of sumac grow where you live so check your local nursery for availability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To use this you would sow white clover and plant the rhus on five or six feet spacing. If your area was fifty feet by twenty feet you could buy thirty plants and have the job done.  The clover would enrich the soil and keep out weeds while the sumac establishes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-20T02:37:51.460" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4425" CreationDate="2012-06-20T05:25:56.100" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a number of different types of wasp, even amongst the yellow-and-black striped kind. And a lot of people also cannot tell the difference between wasps, bees and some of the flies that mimic wasps and bees. And obviously the food and behaviour is different for different species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, assuming they are wasps, the black-and-yellow kinds all tend to have similar general behaviour. Insects, esp. caterpillars and beetle larvae, are collected to take back to the nest for the wasp larvae to eat. The adult wasps generally eat nectar and sweet fruits, and some also like our food and food waste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The parasitic wasps, such as the Braconid mentioned, are usually black, orange or red, and are generally smaller than the black and yellow guys that people normally think of as wasps. These are the ones that lay eggs directly in other dead or alive insects, before or after taking them to there nest. But these are not the ones you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As mentioned by a commenter, a common insect to find on lettuce is caterpillars, which they might be collecting for food.&#xA;A number of the black-and-yellow wasps also collect fibre for the nests, which is a possibility.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are two websites with basic wasp-identification information if you are interested or would like to check the ID of your wasps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Characteristics_of_common_wasps_and_bees&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Characteristics_of_common_wasps_and_bees&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;http://www.adkinsbeeremoval.com/wasp-identification.php&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1339" LastEditorUserId="1339" LastEditDate="2012-06-20T05:40:09.233" LastActivityDate="2012-06-20T05:40:09.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2086" CreationDate="2012-06-20T14:38:54.063" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I first moved here Steve Solomon's book, &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1570615349&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades&lt;/a&gt;, gave me an excellent introduction and featured a nice month-by-month overview for year round gardening here in the Pacific Northwest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1341" LastActivityDate="2012-06-20T14:38:54.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4595" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-20T20:13:40.947" Score="6" ViewCount="2086" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have one tree of each of the following: peach, plum and pear.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have been in the ground for less than a year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How many (gallons per week) should I be watering each tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in coastal southern California, so I don't get a whole lot of rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1343" LastEditorUserId="1343" LastEditDate="2012-06-23T19:00:37.510" LastActivityDate="2012-06-23T19:19:10.860" Title="How much should I be watering my peach, pear and plum trees?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4596" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4597" CreationDate="2012-06-21T02:39:01.077" Score="8" ViewCount="991" Body="&lt;p&gt;I put a base of compost in my vegetable garden this year which included some number of seeds from vegetables I've eaten in the past. So far I have identified a tomato and squash plant, but this one is a mystery. When it first started growing it's first leaves looked very similar to a squash plant, but as it grew it turned into this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/s720x720/538451_122629757876942_1366136107_n.jpg&quot;&gt;Top View&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/s720x720/282759_122629857876932_1831515085_n.jpg&quot;&gt;Side View&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves have a sort of hairy texture. The stalk almost looks like bamboo, the way there are sections between the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, does anyone know the species of this plant? and will it produce edible vegetation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1345" LastActivityDate="2012-06-21T02:55:56.053" Title="Can anyone identify this mystery plant growing in my vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-05-09T13:56:21.233" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4597" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4596" CreationDate="2012-06-21T02:55:56.053" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a young &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower&quot;&gt;sunflower&lt;/a&gt;.  If you haven't grown them in the past, you could still end up with seeds courtesy of some squirrels or birds.  Without knowing where it came from, it's hard to say if the seeds would be edible, though again, birds and squirrels will certainly enjoy them, and honeybees will love the flowers beforehand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2012-06-21T02:55:56.053" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4598" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-21T16:07:47.520" Score="9" ViewCount="2036" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never tried growing tomatoes before and I recently went out and bought a tomato plant for my balcony.  I initially re-potted the plant in too small a planter, so I re-re-potted it a week later.  Each time I watered thoroughly, perhaps too thoroughly, and also added a bit too much fertilizer, which I later attempted to wash away by (yes) more watering.  Now, 2 weeks later, all the leaves are wilted and the tomatoes that started growing have stopped getting bigger.  I tried draining the soil by lifting up the tomato plant and replacing wet soil that didn't yet have any roots with fresh, relatively dry soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything else I can do to stimulate this plant back to life?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1348" LastActivityDate="2014-02-09T15:21:33.087" Title="Can I salvage an over-watered tomato plant?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4599" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4603" CreationDate="2012-06-21T17:11:08.480" Score="4" ViewCount="2021" Body="&lt;p&gt;In fruit tree catalogs, I've seen multi-grafted or multi-budded trees. Here's an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.groworganic.com/multi-grafted-fruit-salad-semi-dwarf.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;example&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I've also heard of a technique where you plant 3 or more trees in the same hole. Here's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&amp;amp;v=W0WM0HFduXI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;youtube&lt;/a&gt; video talking about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which one is better? Or what are the advantages and disadvantages of each technique? Is one likely to yield more fruit than the other?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What about planting multiple multi-grafted tree in one hole? I suspect that would be a bad idea, but I thought I'd bring up the possibility.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1298" LastEditorUserId="1298" LastEditDate="2012-06-21T23:02:16.443" LastActivityDate="2012-06-22T11:38:25.373" Title="For fruit trees, is it better to plant a single multigrafted tree, or multiple trees in one hole?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4600" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-21T20:29:11.643" Score="3" ViewCount="156" Body="&lt;p&gt;As stated before I bought my jade 2 or 3 weeks ago from a lady over f.b. I have not seen any new growth on my plant. I was wondering what is a sufficient amount of time to wait to see if my plant is thriving? I am planning on pruning and planting leafs so I can have multiples of this beautiful plant. I keep seeing the word porous when talking about planting stems and leafs. What does the word &quot;porous&quot; mean in this context and how is it achieved? If I plant multiple leaves in one pot and one gets root rot can I save the rest of them? Do I have to throw away the soil and start over?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1310" LastActivityDate="2012-06-21T22:13:07.517" Title="Is my jade thriving?" Tags="&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4601" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4563" CreationDate="2012-06-21T21:39:50.217" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aphids ! Use 2tsps of dishwashing liquid to one quart of water, mix and spray to cover all of the insects. Wait 4-7days repeat as needed. Don't spray during heat of the day!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1349" LastActivityDate="2012-06-21T21:39:50.217" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4600" CreationDate="2012-06-21T22:13:07.517" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Jade plants do not grow quickly. You mention that is was stressed when you bought it so it could take months before new growth is seen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To propagate twist a leaf off and let it sit in the pot or on the windowsill for a few days to harden off. The leaf needs to have the wound area dry and calloused. This area is where the roots will come from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you propagate a batch of cuttings or leaves once they have started to take root you can carefully pot them up in individual pots or put them back in the main pot.  There is no need to throw the potting soil away. It can be re used many times for this purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-21T22:13:07.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4603" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4599" CreationDate="2012-06-21T22:20:09.193" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The question is where you want the competition for resources to take place. On multi grafted trees some of the grafts may grow faster due to their position or vigour. I have seen trees like this where one of the grafts fails but you are still getting fruit from the others.&#xA;By planting three trees in one hole you are putting the competition for nutrients and water at the root level.  If one fails you still have the others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are solutions for gardeners with limited space who have the time and interest to work with trees that are higher maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have lots of space plant one tree of each type at the usual spacing.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If space is at a premium and you don't mind the cost of buying three plants then plant them all in the same planting hole.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you don't have space or enough money to buy three trees then try one multi graft.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: The advantages of multi graft or multi stem apple trees is that the different types can pollinate each other. If you only have room for one tree or one clump and there are no other apple trees around this is real advantage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both types of grafted trees require more skill and time to prune.  You have to ensure that all parts are getting enough light.  A clump of different apple types could get a bit tricky to prune but nothing out of the ordinary.  I don't think the yield of fruit or quality will be any different between the two types so it comes down to space available and price.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-06-22T11:38:25.373" LastActivityDate="2012-06-22T11:38:25.373" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4604" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-22T00:38:04.370" Score="5" ViewCount="336" Body="&lt;p&gt;So if I have 3 leaves growing in a pot, and 1 gets root rot, is it possible to save the other 2? And if so, how would this be achieved?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1310" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-06T01:30:38.020" LastActivityDate="2014-06-06T01:30:38.020" Title="Can I save a jade from root rot?" Tags="&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4605" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4607" CreationDate="2012-06-22T00:52:43.683" Score="9" ViewCount="1028" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my garden there some roses that are growing wild. Some of theme are at least two meters high with the flower only visible from down below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I cut them in the summertime? Or is it best to prune them down late winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="973" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2018-02-11T01:53:13.340" LastActivityDate="2018-02-11T01:53:13.340" Title="When to cut roses?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4606" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4604" CreationDate="2012-06-22T01:14:35.200" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many root rots are caused by a bacteria which takes hold if poor conditions are present like water logged soil.  In a small pot of seedlings which have less resources than an established plant it's likely that if one has root rot the others have&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does no harm to gently separate them into different pots with a free draining soil and good light and see what happens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-22T01:14:35.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4605" CreationDate="2012-06-22T01:30:10.040" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.canadianrosesociety.org/CRSMembers/Resources/RosePhotos/ExplorerRoses/tabid/70/Default.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Explorer rose&lt;/a&gt; that is almost three meters tall.  At one point in time I wanted to get rid of it and dug down to the roots.  I used a spade, a saw and eventually, an axe.  Despite removing roots as thick as my arm it was impossible to kill. Next year it put on the best flower show ever and I have since learned to love it... at a distance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The books say prune after flowering is over.  If your roses are vigorous you can do no harm by removing dead branches now. After flowering cut one third of the old thick stems off at the ground.  Repeat every year and you will be practicing &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-4.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;rejuvenation pruning&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I prune the Explorer rose year round. I must take off a bundle of cuttings every three months year round and it invigorates it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not underestimate the pickiness of roses. Wear thick, thick gloves, eye protection, long sleeve shirt and pants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The picture below is what roses with Rosa rugosa parents look like with continual pruning in a sunny site with lots of moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CXcW9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Explorer Rose&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-22T19:53:34.443" LastActivityDate="2012-06-22T19:53:34.443" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4608" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4610" CreationDate="2012-06-22T12:38:29.500" Score="5" ViewCount="1663" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received this plant as a gift. It had flowers, but they have long since vanished. The plant seems to be doing fine- it's been putting out new leaves, and it's been six months. I recently moved it into a larger pot, and it's been receiving a few hours of direct sunlight every day. After someone identifies it, I'd be glad to know what to do to get it to flower again, one day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-AvUhc5_aap4/T-RmkMgBvwI/AAAAAAAACsA/AKsZdlhai70/s436/unidentified+plant+from+vidmind&quot; alt=&quot;the unidentified plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1239" LastEditorUserId="1308" LastEditDate="2012-06-22T13:38:28.240" LastActivityDate="2012-06-22T14:30:54.443" Title="Can you identify this small, formerly flowering houseplant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4455" CreationDate="2012-06-22T13:53:35.123" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only one I know of is the Stropharia aka wine cap mushroom below is text taken from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2012/04/vern_nelson_grow_giant_mushroo.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; on planting them&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stropharia always produced best in sun or broken shade with well-drained, moist soil. Mushroom mycelium needs to be mixed with fresh hardwood chips or sawdust. Do not use chips or sawdust from pine, cedar, redwood, eucalyptus, juniper or other fragrant woods. Fresh straw, NOT hay, can also be used, though it doesn't last as long as wood chips. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The chip/mycelium mix can be used as a mulch in garden beds or sprinkled down the center of caneberry rows. Stropharia always flourished among my raspberries; the combination of berries and mushrooms made good use of space. You can also grow mushrooms between corn rows or scattered among bok choy, kale, lettuces or other salad greens. Keep the patch watered but not wet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1296" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-07-17T15:20:52.283" LastActivityDate="2012-07-17T15:20:52.283" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4610" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4608" CreationDate="2012-06-22T14:25:26.370" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalanchoe&quot;&gt;Kalanchoe&lt;/a&gt;, and they typically bloom in spring so it's natural for yours not to be bloom now.  (You can find them blooming in the stores all year round, but those plants have been forced into bloom by their growers.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get it to bloom again, give it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plenty of light -- where you have it looks OK.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;moderate water while it's growing, less during winter months. (It's a succulent, so it can stand being a little dry for a while).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;regular fertilizer; I use a slow-release fertilizer on mine and feed it a couple of times a year.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;room temperatures: they don't like being cold.  I move mine away from its normal home on my kitchen windowsill when it's very cold outside.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also a good idea to pinch out the growing tips of the shoots, otherwise the plant can get straggly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-06-22T14:30:54.443" LastActivityDate="2012-06-22T14:30:54.443" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4611" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4615" CreationDate="2012-06-23T07:55:39.263" Score="5" ViewCount="7375" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I uproot my vegetable plants or even sometimes when I remove weeds, I see this white stuff in the soil near the roots:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/717/img1014be.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/717/img1014be.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/802/img1013ae.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/802/img1013ae.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j1HVF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;What is this? Is it harmful? How to get rid of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1350" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-06-24T02:35:31.740" LastActivityDate="2012-06-24T02:35:31.740" Title="White stuff on roots" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4612" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4614" CreationDate="2012-06-23T10:41:57.183" Score="4" ViewCount="7242" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure whether I can ask this question here or not. For, I am attaching an image to be identified and it's not easily searchable. I bought &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e6H5Y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; lovely plant yesterday, but I don't know its name and how to maintain it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RrCX5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Peperomia&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1351" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-23T14:03:59.653" LastActivityDate="2015-12-11T13:15:30.123" Title="Houseplant Identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="943" CreationDate="2012-06-23T12:34:19.210" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a Chinese yam! I have one tooo!&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/invasiveplants/factsheets/pdf/chinese-yam.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/invasiveplants/factsheets/pdf/chinese-yam.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1352" LastActivityDate="2012-06-23T12:34:19.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4614" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4612" CreationDate="2012-06-23T14:02:13.510" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.floridata.com/ref/p/pepe_obt.cfm&quot;&gt;Peperomia obtusifolia&lt;/a&gt;, a native of Florida and Central America. You can identify it by the thick, fleshy stems and leaves which have a glossy wax finish. Flowers are insignificant but this if more than made up for by it's adaptability to being grown indoors or as an outside ground cover in tropical areas.&#xA;Does your plant have drainage at the bottom of the pot? You can always pot it up and put the pot inside the decorative pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Indoor plants like filtered light an east window or well lit north window.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they like a soil rich in organic matter. A soil less potting mix works well&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;likes high humidity and moist but not wet soil.  Water and then let the top of the soil dry out.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;propagates easily from cuttings.  Cut a stem below the joint, let it dry out for a day and put in a rooting medium like damp vermiculite or perlite.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;overwatering can encourage diseases which show up as mushy black spots on the leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can be attacked by scales or mealybug which can usually be controlled with a Q tip or swab soaked in soap and water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-23T14:02:13.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4615" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4611" CreationDate="2012-06-23T14:42:47.140" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycelium&quot;&gt;mycelium&lt;/a&gt;. It's a fungus that breaks down organic material. You'll find it on bits of wood buried in the soil, on rotting straw or woody bits in compost heaps, on leafmould and manure in the soil. They are not harmful and these organisms play a vital part in the ecosystem in breaking down material so plants can use it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a good thing when you see this in your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-23T14:42:47.140" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4595" CreationDate="2012-06-23T19:19:10.860" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live quite close to where you are, so pretty much the same climate. I have a peach and a plum a little older than yours and I typically water them twice a week (once/week in late fall/&quot;winter&quot; months) till the surrounding ground is soaked upto about, 6&quot; deep at the very least.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm hesitant to give a gallons/week number, as I don't think it makes much sense. In general, the advice for trees is to water deep, so as to encourage the roots to grow downwards and water wide, so that the roots also grow outwards. If you do it narrow and shallow, you'll have a tree with roots that are close to the surface and the tree and will be easily uprooted in a strong wind (not that we have many of &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastActivityDate="2012-06-23T19:19:10.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4617" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-24T12:22:19.150" Score="4" ViewCount="4538" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can I grow chestnut or hazelnut trees indoors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If yes, how? If not, how can I grow them outdoors?&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1353" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-25T18:17:15.437" LastActivityDate="2016-11-25T18:17:15.437" Title="Can I grow chestnuts or hazelnuts indoors? If yes, how?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;nut-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4618" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-24T23:51:53.010" Score="6" ViewCount="1709" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cut a few of the roots around my tree. My tree is now in shock: the leaves are curling and it's losing some of them.  The tree itself is drooping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do for my tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1354" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-07-27T15:18:47.103" LastActivityDate="2019-10-19T00:15:47.730" Title="My tree has root damage: how can I save it?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4619" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-25T04:16:44.213" Score="8" ViewCount="5867" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many plants recommended over the internet as heat tolerant plants. I am not sure how much heat they are talking about. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My Habanero Chili peppers are in bad shape due to the heat wave coming from the air conditioner downstairs. Now I am looking for a new plant suitable to this condition. The temperature varies from 30 to 40 degrees Celsius (85 to 100 Fahrenheit). Although 40 is rare, it is not uncommon to see 35 degree Celsius.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any plant recommendations other than cactus? I don't want cactus because they grow slowly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-03T16:54:24.923" LastActivityDate="2019-02-17T06:24:15.560" Title="Is there a plant which can withstand heat up to 40 degrees Celsius?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;heat&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4620" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-19T14:09:35.953" Score="3" ViewCount="4661" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a reservior of water which feeds a vertical garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to install a type of switch/valve?? that fills the reservoir to a specific height if the water drops below a certain point (low water mark). The reasoning is if the reservoir runs dry the water pumps cooks out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A float switch (like those used in a toilet) will not work (to my knowledge) as the water level drops and rises during the day (when the water pump comes on) but only reaches the low water mark every few weeks after some evaporation takes place. A float switch would fill the reservoir every time the water level drops, creating over flow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Steve" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-06-25T13:06:15.843" LastActivityDate="2013-02-25T23:29:54.913" Title="How can I automatically fill a water reservoir when a low water mark is reached?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4621" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4620" CreationDate="2012-06-19T14:58:26.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would look at swimming pool fillers. Pool stores and catalogs offer a variety of automatic switches for filling swimming pools. These are devices you hook up to your hose, and they watch the water level, and turn on the water when it gets low. Here is a link to one I found quickly via Google, though I recommend you shop around: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.familypoolfun.com/shop?category=64&amp;amp;product=NA231&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pool Sentry&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would think these would work for your application, since they are designed to deal with sudden shifts in level (due to people splashing and swimming), while watching the average level to decide when to add water. But you may wish to do more investigating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do decide to build something based on a toilet float, here is an example of someone building a pool filler out of one: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.instructables.com/id/Automatic-Pool-Water-Filler/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Automatic Pool Water Filler&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1080" OwnerDisplayName="Steven" LastActivityDate="2012-06-19T14:58:26.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4622" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4620" CreationDate="2012-06-19T16:38:24.720" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can get a standard normally-closed (&quot;fill up&quot;) float switch at most hardware stores or plumbing specialty stores. These usually come with a 120V plug on the end that you can plug a pump or solenoid into to be controlled by the switch, but you can cut that off and wire directly to a solenoid if that makes more sense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xFGCQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You attach this near the bottom of the tank so it can move up and down with the water level. When it's facing down, it turns on and fills the tank, and then when it faces up, it turns off. There is an amount of swing in them so the &quot;on&quot; and &quot;off&quot; levels are spread apart - this prevents small fluctuations from cycling the switch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One easy way to attach is just using a pole made of PVC pipe (or something similar), and attaching the float near the bottom. You can leave more slack in the line depending on how much you want the tank to fill, you'll have to play with it to get the levels right. Just be careful that there is enough room for the float switch to operate without getting hung up on anything -- eg, any wires, pipes etc should be secured so they don't get tangled up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BQc2A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="gregmac" LastActivityDate="2012-06-19T16:38:24.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4623" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4619" CreationDate="2012-06-25T12:35:15.767" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can see from &lt;a href=&quot;http://growhotpeppers.com/growing-the-habanero-plant/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; that Habaneros like a temperature of between 60 and 90 Fahrenheit, which is 15 to 32 Celsius, so you are exceeding that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a wide variety of cactuses, and some grow faster than others, so you could have a look at the varieties available to you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While cactuses may not be your thing, a useful way to find suitable plants might be to search for plants which survive in Texas or other hot climates, eg:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Blackfoot Daisy&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mexican Zinnia&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cigar Plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-03T17:01:15.647" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T17:01:15.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4624" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4617" CreationDate="2012-06-25T12:39:47.890" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Both these trees are from temperate climates and need a dormancy period which is brought on by decreasing day length and, sometimes, colder temperatures. American chestnuts have been subject to a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut_blight&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fatal blight&lt;/a&gt; for many years so the European varieties such as the horsechestnut are more suitable. As @Grady Player notes chestnuts are big trees with mature heights up to 25 meters:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Horse chestnut has leaves that can approach 1m across and has long internodes so it is very difficult to produce anything that works well &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Aesculus.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;as a bonsai&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hazelnuts or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Corylus&lt;/a&gt; are a better subject for growing indoors as a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Corylus.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bonsai&lt;/a&gt; as they will tolerate a small pot size with reduction in foliage size and have an interesting flower called a catkin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;both are difficult to grow as full size trees indoors without a tall climate controlled greenhouse&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hazelnuts can be grown as bonsai but will still need a dormant period in the winter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;neither are suitable for nut production indoors&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's how to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/chiwonlee/plsc368/student/papers04/amieestockman/hazelnut-1.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;grow a hazelnut from seed&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Collect nuts from the trees rather than from the ground when they begin to turn brown. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use the flotation test to see if the seed is viable.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hazelnut seeds have a hard seed coat, internal dormancy and irregular germination with increasing length of storage. To overcome this dormancy, the following procedure is followed for C. avellana in Oregon. &#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Half-brown nuts are harvested in August and are refrigerated. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In late November, the nuts are soaked for two to four days in water then stratified in moist vermiculite at 4 degrees C for three to five months. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;After three months the seeds are warmed for 5 days and those with visible root tips are planted in flats in the greenhouse. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ungerminated seeds receive further stratification. Seedlings are transplanted after they reach 25 cm.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.acf.org/pdfs/resources/planting_manual.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;propagate a chestnut&lt;/a&gt; or horse chestnut:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Obtain healthy chestnuts in the fall from a surviving mature tree over 10 years old. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Store them in slightly damp peat moss, place them in the refrigerator and plant them in March or April. Germination rates often exceed ninety percent.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Choose a location with full sunlight and slightly dry, well-drained soil. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-25T16:21:13.867" LastActivityDate="2012-06-25T16:21:13.867" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4625" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4619" CreationDate="2012-06-25T12:45:43.497" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those sound like the kind of temperatures we get here in North Texas (today will probably hit 40C - we have a hot week forecast!).  Every summer for the last 10 years I've grown peppers in those conditions. Peppers are adapted to heat stress, so they'll appear to wilt during the day (leaves turn floppy like thin paper) but will perk up with a good watering. So give them a good watering each evening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, peppers usually stop producing fruit during those conditions. There will be flowers, but no fruit. We get fruit in late spring/early summer (May to June) and then the main crop September-November. By watering the peppers during the summer, the plants grow good stems and leaves - ready for fruit production in the cooler months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had some exceptions in recent years. Last year &quot;Gypsy&quot; (smaller, yellow bell pepper) was very prolific with lots of fruit throughout summer. Also this year, I'm still getting fruit on my peppers (new house, and the bed is probably particularly good nutritionally) - varieties are: Cayenne, Pimento, Big Jim (Anaheim), and Sweet Banana.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;re. @Rory's suggestions:  There are cacti for all temperatures (some grow in the wild in Canada) - the main requirement is good well draining soil. Prickly pears are particularly easy to grow and cuttings are very easy.  We have some zinnia I sowed back in March and we now have flowers, and they don't appear to be wilting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have water and humidity? If so, consider tropical plants. We have bananas with fruit on them - in North Texas! (the books describe it as rare for south Texas and don't even both with the possibility up here due to our frosts).  In a tropical environment, bananas will provide some shade and bring in lots of animals and birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-06-25T12:45:43.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4626" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4627" CreationDate="2012-06-25T18:27:52.923" Score="3" ViewCount="177" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/346/heeding-use-by-dates-on-seed-packets&quot;&gt;Heeding &amp;ldquo;use by&amp;rdquo; dates on seed packets?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought some heirlooms for my 2011 garden and ended up not using the seeds, but they are still in the packaging and have been in a cupboard for the past year. Are they still good or am I going to have to buy 30 dollars worth of seeds for my fall 2012 garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="542" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-06-25T21:37:34.537" Title="Can I use old seeds from last year?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2012-06-26T18:37:15.983" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4627" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4626" CreationDate="2012-06-25T20:25:18.450" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on (1) the type of plant and (2) the storage conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different plants have seeds that last for different lengths of time. Onion seeds, for example, should be purchased fresh every year since the seeds are very perishable. Tomato seeds can last 4 years with decent storage practices. (Possibly longer if you do everything &lt;em&gt;exactly&lt;/em&gt; right.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeds don't like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;moisture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;heat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;so you want to store them in a cool, dry, dark place. If &quot;in a cupboard&quot; is a warm, humid kitchen or garage cupboard, then I'd just toss the seeds, buy fresh, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/635/51&quot;&gt;use better storage in the future&lt;/a&gt; so that you don't have to buy fresh seeds every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have lots of seeds (e.g. a packet with dozens of spinach seeds), you can do a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/349/51&quot;&gt;germination test&lt;/a&gt; to see if it's worth using them in your garden. However, this isn't really practical if you've only got half a dozen seeds of a particular plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-06-25T20:25:18.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4628" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4618" CreationDate="2012-06-26T04:36:58.947" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't worry, let it lose some of the leaves, it can't feed them.&#xA;After reaching a stable situation it will stop losing leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1106" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-06T01:39:12.930" LastActivityDate="2014-06-06T01:39:12.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4629" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4645" CreationDate="2012-06-26T06:28:11.207" Score="6" ViewCount="3024" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lemons are cracking as shown in below image:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can be causing this and how can I prevent this in the future?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: India.&#xA;Weather In May-June: Hot! &gt; 95F days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dKnwGl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cracked lemon&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1350" LastEditorUserId="1350" LastEditDate="2012-06-29T02:52:44.553" LastActivityDate="2016-09-04T13:07:42.697" Title="Why are my lemons cracking?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4630" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4632" CreationDate="2012-06-26T06:34:53.510" Score="9" ViewCount="2424" Body="&lt;p&gt;My French bean plants have diseased leaves as shown below:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YTGk6l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can be causing this? The beans themselves are relatively plentiful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: India. Weather In May-June: Hot! &gt; 95F days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bottom side of the leaves have small white flying insects as shown below:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VwaBAl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1350" LastEditorUserId="1350" LastEditDate="2012-06-29T02:54:16.783" LastActivityDate="2012-06-29T02:54:16.783" Title="What is causing diseased leaves on my French beans?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4632" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4630" CreationDate="2012-06-26T12:25:48.793" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have a little zoo under those leaves.  The flying white insects are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitefly&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;white fly&lt;/a&gt;.  The long curly lines on the leaf are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf_miners&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;leaf miners&lt;/a&gt; and I think you have &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_mites&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;spider mite&lt;/a&gt; damage too judging by the stippling of yellow areas where the plant juices have been removed by insect activity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could do nothing as you only want the beans to harvest or spray a mixture of dish soap and water on the underside of the leaves two or three times at four to five day intervals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaf miners cannot be treated with soap but they are not significant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: White fly is the most likely pest that fits the description but they could be something else.  Either way spraying with soap and water will control them until harvest time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-27T12:43:06.747" LastActivityDate="2012-06-27T12:43:06.747" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4633" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-26T14:48:23.793" Score="4" ViewCount="1253" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a bottle of organic fertilizer which is in liquid form. The instructions are in German but the merchant here labeled it as &quot;organic fertilizer for fruit&quot; so I just bought it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I found out that it is specifically for citrus plants.  I wonder if it is still suitable for my chili pepper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.international.compo.com/en/consumer/blumenpflege/compo.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Liquid Fertilizer for Citrus Plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;NPK-fertilizer 7+3+6 + trace&#xA;  elements       &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Mediterranean plants have a special nutrient demand. This liquid&#xA;  fertilizer covers this need and is recommended for all kinds of citrus&#xA;  plants. The trace elements support the development of blossoms and&#xA;  fruits, the added iron acts preventively against chlorosis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-17T23:34:42.763" LastActivityDate="2014-05-22T13:41:31.600" Title="Would this citrus fertilizer be suitable for chili peppers?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4634" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4635" CreationDate="2012-06-26T16:45:08.170" Score="7" ViewCount="407" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few of the squash plants in our garden started wilting for no discernible reason late last week. We lost three sweet meat squash plants before we figure out that &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_vine_borer&quot;&gt;vine borers&lt;/a&gt; were attacking the squash. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At this point, most of the squash plants have signs of vine borers. The zucchini, spaghetti and acorn squash plants all show signs of vine borers - holes in the base of the vine and wilting leaves. The butternut, Hubbard, and pumpkin plants seem to be unaffected, but I'm not sure if they're resistant or just haven't been hit yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything that can be done for the plants that are already affected? I tried cutting open some of the stems lengthwise and pulling the vine borers out, but I'm afraid I did too much damage to the plants, and I know I didn't get all of the larvae out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What about the plants that don't show signs yet? Should I wrap the stems in foil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Side note: We're trying to do everything organically. So far we've been spraying weekly with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem_oil&quot;&gt;neem oil&lt;/a&gt;, and occasionally spreading &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth&quot;&gt;diatomaceous earth&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastActivityDate="2012-06-26T17:16:18.347" Title="How can I stop vine borers from killing my squash?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4635" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4634" CreationDate="2012-06-26T17:16:18.347" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control&quot; (Fern Marshall Bradley) says on p286:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;To save attacked vines, slit infested stems and remove borers, or inject vines with BTK; after treating the vines, heap soil over the treated areas to induce rooting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(BTK is &lt;em&gt;Bacillus thuringiensis kuristaki&lt;/em&gt;, a commonly available and organic-compatible pesticide.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also talk about preventive measures, which you'll definitely want to take next year:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cover with floating row cover (uncover for pollination when they start to flower)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;check stem bases and destroy egg clusters&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-26T17:16:18.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4636" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4639" CreationDate="2012-06-26T18:37:11.383" Score="6" ViewCount="366" Body="&lt;p&gt;This insect with a rough brownish shell showed up on potatoes at a friend's house in Vermont. I've looked around in books and online and can't find anything that's an exact match. Current control strategy is knocking them into a can of soapy water. (My friend hasn't said anything about them making a stink when removing them.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update via email:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Yes, I've had a couple fly away.  Though they're very slow to get moving&#xA;  (i.e. very easy to get into the soapy water first).  They're really stuck&#xA;  to the leaves, so I have to really scrape them off the leaf.  You can't see&#xA;  in the pic, but they leave big round holes (size of pencil eraser at their&#xA;  biggest).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XDSFq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-06-27T02:17:04.650" LastActivityDate="2012-06-27T05:35:27.443" Title="What is this insect with rough brown shell on potatoes?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4637" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4643" CreationDate="2012-06-27T04:08:32.273" Score="1" ViewCount="863" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed a swarm of large amber coloured bugs on my walk home today.  I think they were cicadas (they were moving too fast and it was too dark to take a picture).  They seemed to be swarming around the small trees on the walk (maples and oaks).  Is this a problem, &lt;em&gt;i.e.&lt;/em&gt; will the trees be damaged?  How can the bugs be gotten rid of?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastActivityDate="2012-06-27T12:27:03.490" Title="How do you get rid of a swarm of cicadas?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4638" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4644" CreationDate="2012-06-27T04:57:57.443" Score="5" ViewCount="183" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a steep hill on one side of my home (20' down x 100' across) that is a pain and unsafe to mow. The top of the hill flattens about 10' from my home and the bottom is an unfinished lot that isn't maintained. The problem is that anyone turning on my road can see the hill prominently so I'd rather it not go wild. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to keep it under control without having to mow or weed constantly? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the upper midwest and the hill faces the east. Hard landscaping isn't an option given that the bottom of the hill butts up to the property and would be demolished once the neighbor lot is developed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1360" LastActivityDate="2012-06-27T12:41:19.773" Title="How can I control growth on a steep hill?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4639" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4636" CreationDate="2012-06-27T05:23:57.507" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a Tortoise Beetle (part of Leaf Beetle subfamily), probably Plagiometriona clavata - Common Garden Tortoise Beetle or Clavate Tortoise Beetle.&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;(The beetles as a group seem to have undergone a number of taxonomic and name changes)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See another excellent picture of one here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pbase.com/image/28969283&quot;&gt;http://www.pbase.com/image/28969283&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is some more information about them from the University of Florida here:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/beetles/Plagiometriona_clavata.htm&quot;&gt;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/beetles/Plagiometriona_clavata.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, anyone interested should google image search &quot;tortoise beetles&quot; because they look amazing :D&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1339" LastEditorUserId="1339" LastEditDate="2012-06-27T05:35:27.443" LastActivityDate="2012-06-27T05:35:27.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4640" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4642" CreationDate="2012-06-27T06:41:13.173" Score="4" ViewCount="2448" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please have a look at these images of my zucchini plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T94Sxl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HS5d9l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What disease is this and what is causing this? What are the solutions to counter this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: India.&#xA;Weather In May-June: Hot! &gt; 95&amp;deg;F days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1350" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-01-06T01:17:22.907" LastActivityDate="2015-01-07T08:50:40.327" Title="What causes my zucchini leaves to become light yellow?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4641" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-27T06:48:15.757" Score="6" ViewCount="690" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please have a look at these images of my hot pepper plant. Notice the growing tips which seem withered and diseased.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What disease is this and what is causing this? What are the solutions to counter this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: India.&#xA;Weather In May-June: Hot! &gt; 95F days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bhaUe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8DTsL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1350" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-09T16:53:27.717" LastActivityDate="2014-06-09T16:53:27.717" Title="What is this disease on the growing tips of my peppers, and how can I control it?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4642" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4640" CreationDate="2012-06-27T12:05:22.317" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like downy mildew. From &quot;The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Pest &amp;amp; Disease Control&quot; (Bradley), p194:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Remove and destroy badly infected leaves.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Disease is worst in cool, wet weather; don't water in this weather. (Avoid wetting foliage in general when watering.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Spraying with potassium bicarbonate may help control it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See also &lt;a href=&quot;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/NewsArticles/Cuc_Downy.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Managing Downy Mildew in Cucurbits&lt;/a&gt; (Cornell University).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-06-27T12:05:22.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4643" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4637" CreationDate="2012-06-27T12:27:03.490" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cicadas lay eggs inside trees across North America. The amount of damage they cause depends on whether they are annual or periodical but &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/prints/cicada.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;rarely causes any significant damage&lt;/a&gt; to well established trees. Control with pesticides is not desirable. When you see them there are hundreds of them.  Whatever ones you spray will be replaced with others and you risk harming the local birds that eat them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They do their business and disappear quickly.  When you hear them you know it's summer in North America.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a different opinion on their damage and control see &lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2137.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  This seems to apply more to farmers with orchards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-27T12:27:03.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4638" CreationDate="2012-06-27T12:41:19.773" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4589/ground-cover-for-large-sloped-area&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; might help you.  The &quot;Gro-Low&quot; sumac is excellent for covering large areas with low maintenance.  However you are looking at a few years to establish. Other perennials are listed &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2037/fast-propagating-inexpensive-ground-cover-border?rq=1&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; but you need a lot of perennials to cover it.  Shrubs are a better option.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With such a large area that will be undergoing change when the next lot is developed is not cutting the grass at all an option?  What part of the world are you located in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-06-27T12:41:19.773" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4645" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4629" CreationDate="2012-06-27T14:02:30.800" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://ceventura.ucdavis.edu/Gardening/Coastal/Veg-Fruit/CitrusCrack/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://ceventura.ucdavis.edu/Gardening/Coastal/Veg-Fruit/CitrusCrack/&lt;/a&gt; it is due to uneven watering... Which you sometimes just can't avoid in containers... So you could step up to a larger container or add some sort of inverted bottle drip system...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have a lot of citrus experience, but with other fruit, sometimes just too much direct sun can cause the water to expand and break the fruit open.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I guess the answer is too much turgor pressure... The cause being osmotic pressure from sporadic watering or expansion pressure from over heating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-06-27T14:02:30.800" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4646" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-27T14:28:16.547" Score="6" ViewCount="9535" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few bell pepper plants out in the garden and they are finally starting to bud. Is it a good idea to prune the older and larger leaves below the buds to encourage larger fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am growing them in a Topsy Turvey&amp;trade; and they are doing quite well.  The ones I planted in containers seem to be getting their leaves munched on a bit which is why I have been pruning those.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best practice with regards to pruning leaves in peppers or other simple leaf type plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1361" LastActivityDate="2012-06-28T14:03:02.003" Title="Pruning leaves from bell pepper plants" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4647" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-27T14:38:03.680" Score="4" ViewCount="1020" Body="&lt;p&gt;This year I ripped up some sod to put in a garden, and roto-tilled the dirt.  We live in a very nutrient rich area of the country and the plants seem do be doing very well.  However I didn't add any mulch or other lighter soil to the ground while I was tilling.  Now when it rains or when I water the garden, the water seems to pool for a longer period of time than I would personally like to see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the negative effects of pooling water in the garden, and what can be done to correct this now that the plants are already growing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1361" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-06-27T15:24:47.220" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T18:06:10.927" Title="Negative effects of water pooling in garden" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4648" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4647" CreationDate="2012-06-27T15:15:25.113" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best conditions for vegetables are a soil that is pH neutral  (pH of 7) and rich in organic matter. What you have sounds like a clay soil.  Clay soils are slow to warm in spring and, depending on soil pH, can have critical nutrients tied up and unavailable for plant growth.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A lot depends on what you are growing.  As you have seen clay also drains poorly. This means roots are waterlogged and unable to exchange air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This can be solved as part of your annual garden chores.  In spring and fall top dress with compost or other organic matter.  Repeat yearly and the drainage will improve in the bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However you may still have poor drainage in the grass area around the bed. You have to assess the likelihood of storms dumping many inches of rain in your area versus the work involved in installing my preferred solution of four inch drainage pipe with sleeve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-06-27T16:49:20.113" LastActivityDate="2012-06-27T16:49:20.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4649" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-27T17:35:10.240" Score="4" ViewCount="6415" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking of replacing an ugly evergreen shrub in my front yard with a flowering tree of some kind. The location on which I'll be placing the tree is overshaded by some very large old oaks, so I'm looking for something which:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is relatively short (ideally 10-15')&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;has attractive spring and/or fall colors&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tolerates shade well&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grows in hardiness zone 4&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on my own searches I'm looking at an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.arborday.org/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?id=6&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Eastern Redbud&lt;/a&gt;, but I'm worried that my location is too shaded for the redbud to thrive. The surrounding oaks shadow the potential location for all but a few hours of the day, and if the redbud really needs &quot;full sun&quot; as described, I don't think it will do well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have experience planting redbuds in shaded locations? Is there another tree that meets my requirements that would do better?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20" LastActivityDate="2014-06-07T16:55:47.800" Title="Does an Eastern Redbud tolerate partial shade?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4650" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4557" CreationDate="2012-06-28T01:41:36.297" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Mexican petunia (&lt;em&gt;Ruellia simplex&lt;/em&gt; aka &lt;em&gt;R. brittonia&lt;/em&gt; aka &lt;em&gt;R. tweediana&lt;/em&gt; aka...etc)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Texas A&amp;amp;M's horticulture people have named this species a &quot;Texas SuperstarTM&quot; (&quot;superior landscape plants for Texas and their subsequent introduction in the marketplace!!!&quot;), which, of course, means that it is indeed a fairly major problem in Texas natural areas (and broadly across much of the Gulf South). The Bayou Preservation Society in Houston has it on their list of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bayoupreservation.org/html/BPA_exotics.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Invasive Exotic &quot;Dirty Dozens&quot;&lt;/a&gt; (pdf). More info here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep415&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep415&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here it is in full bloom (original image &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardeninginbrevard.blogspot.com/2010/08/invasive-exotic-beware.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;). It's a very attractive ornamental plant, but personally, I'd highly recommend removing it (and giving your fiancee a footrub, or whatever you do when you lose a bet :) )&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/poh7O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastEditorUserId="392" LastEditDate="2012-06-28T01:48:45.870" LastActivityDate="2012-06-28T01:48:45.870" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4651" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4479" CreationDate="2012-06-28T02:23:53.297" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Grady Player - almost certainly aphids. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To help control the aphids, as well as soapy water, various oraganic spray and pesticides, some people recommend knocking them off with streams of water from a hose, or brush them off and/or squashing them by hand if there aren't too many. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Re: the ladybirds - I don't think you can force the ladybirds to stay, but if there is a good food source they probably have no reason to leave. They may not have migrated from the corn because they are happy over there, so you could carry some over to encourage them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You SHOULD try to control them as they can overwhelm the plant, and they especially like the nice new shoots, so they can prevent growth. They can also spread disease. (I hate aphids, :|)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1339" LastActivityDate="2012-06-28T02:23:53.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4652" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4640" CreationDate="2012-06-28T03:37:01.517" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;While I think I also see some mildew close to the ground, most of the damage looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.veggiegardener.com/pests/leafminers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;leaf miners&lt;/a&gt; - but much, much worse than I've ever had experience with in our cooler climate.  I don't find much good guidance for what to do at this point, for this year.  When done with the plant, be sure to dispose of it - get rid of the pupae and larvae.  Also, clear out nearby weeds that may be hosts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-06-28T03:37:01.517" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4646" CreationDate="2012-06-28T14:03:02.003" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;As @Grady says, removing leaves could result in more harm than good. Some people prune the tops of tomatoes and peppers to keep them within a certain size. I don't do this with my peppers - they have space, and I just let them grow. More plant = more peppers down the road.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the case of peppers (and most fruiting plants), removing fruit can enhance growth. This varies - for example removing peaches from a peach tree will result in larger fruit (same resources going in to fewer fruit). Peppers flower and form over a period of time (unlike peaches where a tree's blossom occurs all at the same time) - so the presence of peppers on a plant can inhibit the growth of new flowers and fruit. So I remove peppers when they are ripe enough to eat. Having too many on the plant will reduce flowering and formation of new peppers. Also the longer they are on a plant, the more likely you will risk pest damage (individual daily risk is small, but if they're on the plant twice as long, then they're twice as likely to get damage).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-06-28T14:03:02.003" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4649" CreationDate="2012-06-28T16:54:15.913" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cannot grow Redbuds but according to Michael Dirr's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timberpress.com/books/dirrs_encyclopedia_trees_shrubs/dirr/9780881929010&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;book&lt;/a&gt; they will tolerate partial shade.&#xA;As they grow under the canopy of larger trees in the forest the vigor and amount of flower will be in direct proportion to the amount of light.  You have a better chance of getting reasonable performance if the oaks leaf out after the redbud has finished.  You would want to observe the oaks and other redbuds in your area to see if this is possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They require a &lt;a href=&quot;http://hcs.osu.edu/hcs/tmi/plantlist/ce_ensis.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;rich, moist, well drained soil&quot;&lt;/a&gt;.  Plants that have less than ideal conditions can get wilts and cankers.  Mature oaks can keep the soil area around them dry and weed free if their leaves are left on the ground so good preparation of the planting site is essential.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatives include any of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelanchier&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;serviceberries&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-28T16:54:15.913" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4655" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-28T17:36:59.320" Score="4" ViewCount="399" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have French Cobra bean which I heard is supposed to self pollinate. In the mean time all the flowers just dry out and fall off leaving a small stem behind. It's the first time I grow beans and I would expect that once the flower falls off it would leave fruit behind as with tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1243" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2012-07-02T08:03:34.437" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T03:56:45.350" Title="Why are my French Cobra bean flowers not being pollinated?" Tags="&lt;beans&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;green-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4656" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-28T18:18:35.273" Score="3" ViewCount="2758" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a young (I'm guessing, it's 6&quot;-8&quot; tall) Freesia about a week ago. It was doing well at the time of purchase, but it's been all downhill since. Within a few days, the flowers shriveled then finally dropped. Around that time the leaves began to yellow starting at the tip of the leaf gradually making its way down. Most leaf tips are now a light brown. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I saw this happening, I varied my care. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was initially outdoors on my porch that receives only morning sun, then I brought it inside to sit under a north facing window that allows light in all day. Next I tried it on my back patio which receives sun from about noon to 7:00pm, but it's so hot right now in North Texas I was afraid to leave it out for more than a day. I returned the Freesia to the window, figuring it was safest for now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for watering, I only water if the top inch or so of soil is dry. While watering, I wait for the surface to puddle slightly and then let it drain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yesterday, I added maybe an 1/8 tsp. of fertilizer. 3% Nitrogen, 2% Phosphate, 3% Potash, 2% Calcium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any and all help or advice would be greatly appreciated- I really do want to save this little guy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click to enlarge&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CxV54.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CxV54m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nhgBL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nhgBLm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1365" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-02T17:33:52.677" LastActivityDate="2016-10-02T17:33:52.677" Title="Why are the flowers dropping and leaves turning yellow on my potted Freesia?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4657" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4547" CreationDate="2012-06-29T01:05:11.523" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen this done with plastic piping (the large type used for plumbing mains), which I didn't like so much because I'm really down on plastic. However I loved the concept of it and was also trying to come up with my own design.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I originally thought of making sort of a box from wood and drilling plenty of holes in it, but I like your idea of using hardware mesh better. I'd probably put a wooden stake at each corner, just to keep it nice and sturdy. I'd use a mesh a little bigger than your average earthworm, say 1/2 an inch, and leave out the burlap because, 1) it will just disintegrate anyway before too long, and 2) it will prevent the worms from crossing back and forth between the bed and the compost. Definitely cover it with dirt. Adding a cover should keep rodents out if you're concerned about that. I think the shape of the hole is completely up to you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1367" LastActivityDate="2012-06-29T01:05:11.523" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4658" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-29T13:40:08.237" Score="9" ViewCount="421" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found these seeds all over my yard which I think were dropped by some nesting starlings. Each seed has a dry, papery pink casing. The attached photos show the seed inside the casing on the left, with the peeled seed on the right. First photo shows topside of peeled seed, second shows underside of peeled seed. Size comparison is to a Canadian dime (coin is about 18mm diameter). Any ideas what they might be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bWkTs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;topside of peeled seed&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DlkdP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;underside of peeled seed&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1367" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2021-05-02T17:11:47.790" Title="What are these seeds in papery pink casing?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4660" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4740" CreationDate="2012-06-29T16:27:01.303" Score="9" ViewCount="313" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://albertafruittrees.tripod.com/id8.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;honeysuckle with edible fruit&lt;/a&gt; is being sold by retailers in my area as the new best thing.  After researching them I planted three varieties to get good cross pollination.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What experience have people had growing them?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do they perform as advertised:  seedless large berries that ripen ahead of most other fruit shrubs?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;any pest or disease problems?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;how many varieties do you need for good fruit set?  The literature is confusing on this issue.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: we have only ever seen one deer in seven years and it was confused so I can't tell if these honeysuckle are a tasty treat for them. Right now they are just snack size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-23T19:08:21.423" LastActivityDate="2017-11-23T19:08:21.423" Title="Best practices to grow haskap bush: Lonicera caerulea edulis" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;honeysuckle&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4661" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4641" CreationDate="2012-06-29T16:58:57.687" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://harvesttotable.com/2010/05/how_to_grow_hot_peppers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Peppers may drop blossoms and not set fruit at air temperatures as low as 85F&lt;/a&gt;.  But many also germinate best with high temperature (~85F).  At 95F, you're into a stress zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.avrdc.org/LC/pepper/chipep.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Another source&lt;/a&gt; indicates that &lt;strong&gt;night&lt;/strong&gt; air temperatures above 75F suppress fruit-setting.  If this is really all you need to get to, you might be able to do it by moving the plant indoors at night (if potted, and if you have air conditioning), or by misting at night.  Misting may cause mold/mildew problems, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, they need insect (or hand) pollination, so if growing indoors (unlikely in your case!) you need to hand-pollinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd guess (based on NO info), that if you can keep the soil temperature down it might set some fruit even at 95F air temperature.  Once the fruit is set, it will grow even in elevated temperatures.  If you get a lot of blossoms at once when it's hot, you might consider removing some.  Pruning may also help to allow the plant to get enough water up from the ground.  And as I commented above - mulch to reduce soil temperatures and eliminate surface drying.  Again - this paragraph is all guesswork!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-06-29T16:58:57.687" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4662" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1572" CreationDate="2012-06-29T17:09:50.173" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I often add some gardening or aquarium charcoal to the bottom of sealed pots to freshen the soil. I also use a water meter (large hardware stores sell them).  I push the rod of the meter more than 1/2 way down into the soil and don't water unless the meter indicates that the soil is dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1368" LastActivityDate="2012-06-29T17:09:50.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4664" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28" CreationDate="2012-06-29T17:59:57.017" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If they can handle some wet soil I put them in a pan of water that goes 1/2 way up the pot. This has worked for me for over a week. I don't think anything will work for a summer. I have also watered plants well and drained them. Then wrapped the pot in a plastic bag and sealed it to the bottom of the plant with a twist tie. The water gets used by the plant  but doesn't evaporate from the soil surface.  The plant is exposed to the air so it doesn't mold or rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1368" LastActivityDate="2012-06-29T17:59:57.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4665" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4666" CreationDate="2012-06-29T18:32:25.713" Score="8" ViewCount="5626" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got some Aunt Molly's Ground Cherries fruiting on me, but I don't know when to pick them.  I've never planted them before.  I've picked a few and they don't taste very good so I'm thinking they're a little early - about a quarter of an inch in diameter. I just don't want to pick them to late.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my question is, how do you know when they're ready to pick?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-15T02:53:09.130" LastActivityDate="2017-10-22T23:24:57.903" Title="When are ground cherries ripe?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4666" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4665" CreationDate="2012-06-29T22:28:31.233" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dianeseeds.com/ground-cherry.html&quot;&gt;Diane's Flower Seeds&lt;/a&gt;, you should wait until they fall to the ground to harvest them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Harvest ground cherries when they fall from the plants. They should be eaten when they are fully ripe and have turned from green to yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1298" LastActivityDate="2012-06-29T22:28:31.233" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4667" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4679" CreationDate="2012-06-30T02:39:18.463" Score="7" ViewCount="6383" Body="&lt;p&gt;We turned our sprinkler system off last weekend so that we could mow the lawn in the morning without the grass being wet. Unfortunately, I forgot to turn the sprinkler system back on and the grass has gotten no water for a week. The grass has large, dry spots where the grass is green/brown. It looks dead but I'm wondering if there's any way to bring it back to life. Any ideas? It's tall fescue (I think) and the weather has been in the high 90s all week. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1206" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-12T01:23:17.287" LastActivityDate="2016-08-12T01:23:17.287" Title="Can I save a lawn that wasn't watered for a week?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4668" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1027" CreationDate="2012-06-30T15:07:04.267" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read recently that the commonly-accepted advice to remove no more that 1/3 of the grass height in a single mowing is actually based on grazing pasture research in the 1950's.  Modern lawn and turf grass mixes are different from pasture grass mixes, and grasses react differently uniform mowing as compared to grazing.  I keep my lawn long, and routinely remove up to 1/2 half the grass length without damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1373" LastActivityDate="2012-06-30T15:07:04.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4669" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4678" CreationDate="2012-06-30T17:22:49.790" Score="7" ViewCount="1617" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am new to gardening. I mowed the grass in the garden and left it like that hoping everything would be ok. After two weeks, I found out that there are now lots of weeds in the grass as shown in the picture. How do I remove /kill all the unwanted plants? I would like to add some lawn seeds to get a good looking lawn. Please help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OomP7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1375" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-10-03T10:47:01.867" LastActivityDate="2019-12-31T04:59:54.073" Title="How do I remove the weeds and lay the lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4670" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-30T17:55:41.883" Score="4" ViewCount="164" Body="&lt;p&gt;Regular tap water contains chlorine, which can be harmful to plants.  Is the concentration of chlorine in tap water enough to merit setting water aside for some amount of time before using it to water my herb garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1376" LastActivityDate="2012-06-30T19:33:49.867" Title="Should I set water aside to off-gas chlorine before using in my herb garden?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4671" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4670" CreationDate="2012-06-30T19:33:49.867" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you remove it?  It depends on your local water supply.  Many cities across North America now use chloramine which cannot be effectively removed from the water unless you use a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wqa.org/pdf/TechBulletins/TB-Chloramine.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;de-chlorinating compound, reverse osmosis or a carbon filter&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chlorine can be removed by boiling (impractical) or leaving the water to sit so the dissolved chlorine returns to the air as a gas which is dissipated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The issue of whether the chlorine or chlorine compounds is harmful to plants is up for debate.  I can find plenty of unsupported opinions but no research papers on it.  It is toxic for fish but soil chemistry is too complex and too local for me to give a definitive answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-06-30T19:33:49.867" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4672" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4278" CreationDate="2012-06-30T20:57:58.263" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;If&lt;/em&gt; you have open fires in your home you're likely to have a supply of kindling/starters. If so, you're either buying them or, better still, making your own out of old pallets/demolition timber. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They make great plant labels. In my case I just rob from the kindling stack whenever I need labels. Easy to write on with a Sharpie. Return them to the kindling pile when they're old and worn and faded at the end of the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5C8sD.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2012-06-30T20:57:58.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4673" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-30T21:04:47.630" Score="4" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is a &lt;em&gt;mange tout&lt;/em&gt; merely an immature &lt;em&gt;pea&lt;/em&gt; and there's nothing more to it than that? And while we're at it, is a &lt;em&gt;courgette&lt;/em&gt; (zucchino for Americans &amp;amp; Italians) just an immature &lt;em&gt;marrow&lt;/em&gt; and that's all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does variety come into it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2012-07-03T01:52:17.270" Title="Mange Tout/Peas &amp; Courgettes/Marrows" Tags="&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;&lt;peas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4674" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-06-30T21:09:51.463" Score="6" ViewCount="627" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bolted lettuce is famously unusable because your sweet salad leaves turn bitter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But does the same apply to spinach? It's a lettuce type crop (and equally prone to bolting in hot weather) but it's basically a bitter leaf anyway and typically cooked to a mush (a nice mush, if spinach is your thing, but still a mush) anyway, so does it really matter if additional bitterness has entered the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-06-30T21:14:57.027" LastActivityDate="2012-07-01T03:53:08.763" Title="Is spinach which has bolted as unusable as bolted lettuce?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;bolting&gt;&lt;spinach&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4674" CreationDate="2012-06-30T21:23:42.017" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yeah, but mainly because of the pollen which get everywhere and coats the plants. I don't think the leaves tasted particularly bad.  Not picking it in a timely manner is why I didn't plant spinach this year.  Last year I used my bolted spinach to &lt;a href=&quot;http://livingsmallblog.com/2007/06/26/bolted-spinach-soup/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;make soup&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="10" LastEditDate="2012-07-01T03:53:08.763" LastActivityDate="2012-07-01T03:53:08.763" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4676" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3313" CreationDate="2012-07-01T00:03:10.837" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Starbucks has their &quot;garden grounds&quot; program where they give away free, used coffee grounds. If they don't have any packages made up they'll usually just hand you a big, white bag of grounds if you ask. I put about 100 lbs of starbucks in my leaf pile each fall and come away with wonderful brown compost the next year. I also think I have the most hyper worms in the neighborhood. :-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for hair from pets (dogs and cats) and humans... don't compost it if you have problems with rabbits and other pests in the garden. Just scatter it around the plants that are vulnerable and the herbivores then believe that their safety lies in different areas. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1377" LastActivityDate="2012-07-01T00:03:10.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4677" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2598" CreationDate="2012-07-01T00:04:44.123" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like your plant is not getting enough water. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.takeawaytrends.com/en/Care/Green-Lightning&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this article:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Be careful with the draught., which will cause mildew with a white fluffy deposit on the stems and leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1378" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-07-01T00:33:08.950" LastActivityDate="2012-07-01T00:33:08.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4678" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4669" CreationDate="2012-07-01T03:17:44.540" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;At a quick glance I would say that over 50% of your lawn is not grass but a variety of well established weeds. This is at the stage where minor efforts are of no use.  Even if you could magically remove the weeds other weeds would move in faster than the grass would grow in the summer.  This &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2012/can-my-lawn-be-saved-or-is-it-time-to-dig-it-up-and-re-sod?rq=1&quot;&gt;detailed answer&lt;/a&gt; from Mike Perry may help you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the questions you have to answer first are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do you know much about the soil?  get a pH test done and dig a hole to see how deep the topsoil is and whether it is clay or sand or junk.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;does it matter if it has weeds? You could just over seed with white clover and grass seed in the fall and not worry about it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is cost an issue?  If not, then re sod. It's fast and produces results right away. You will need to water a lot if this is done in the summer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do you really need all of it to be perfect? Maybe there are some areas you want to look nice but the rest of it.....  Then just re sod the critical areas.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some of your options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fast and expensive is re sodding. Best time is the fall or spring.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;slow and cheaper is over seeding and topdressing with organic matter spring and fall.  Every year you should see a small improvement.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mowing and watering practices play a vital part in lawn health.  Cut at least three inches high and water deeply and thoroughly in the summer months during dry conditions.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-07-01T03:17:44.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4679" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4667" CreationDate="2012-07-01T03:22:11.617" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are going to water after a period of stress then you need to keep watering it to keep it green during the summer.  Grass has no problems going dormant in the summer but the turf opens up for weeds to get a hold.  If you want to keep your lawn to a high percentage of grass and low amount of weeds then it needs to be watered during dry periods otherwise it will go dormant as you have seen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other beneficial practice during the summer is to cut the grass high.  As high as you can stand.  Taller grass can cope better with dry conditions, three inches or more during the summer allows more root growth which, in turn, lets the roots get more water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-07-01T03:22:11.617" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4680" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4681" CreationDate="2012-07-01T18:25:14.237" Score="9" ViewCount="2484" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife raises show rabbits, and about a year ago we switched to stacking cages with trays instead of hanging cages. (We switched to an insulted building in order to run an AC window unit due to heat issues every summer)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In order to reduce on the ammonia and oder, we have been using, as litter in the trays, a product called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.equinepine.com/&quot;&gt;Equine Pine&lt;/a&gt; which is &quot;made of 100% pure Pine pellets&quot;. After use, the pine pellets seem to turn into something closer to a corse sawdust. My wife also sometimes sprays the litter with a product called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bunnyrabbit.com/price/information/zapsit.htm&quot;&gt;Zaps It&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So we have a slowly growing pile of former pine pellets and rabbit manure. (All of which at one point was soaked in rabbit urine). There's also a little rabbit fur and a bit of straw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pile isn't really doing anything though. The parts of it that are a year old look about the same as parts that were only added last week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I buy or make a compost bin for it? Do I need to add something else to it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would red wiggler worms help, or would this be a medium that you could raise them in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read a little about it in the past, but I don't have any experience with composting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: The pile is about 8 foot by 5 foot, and is maybe 2 feet tall at the tallest point. With nothing to contain it, it's kind of a sprawling pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1298" LastEditorUserId="1298" LastEditDate="2012-07-01T20:40:26.527" LastActivityDate="2019-07-26T07:16:13.907" Title="Composting Equine Pine and Rabbit Manure" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4681" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4680" CreationDate="2012-07-01T19:26:07.460" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;We use something similar with our horses, and it composts nicely... though I'm guessing there's a lot more urine in what goes into our pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How big is your pile? Composting won't really take off until you have about 3x3x3'. You don't need a bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding kitchen vegetable scraps will help it along -- bury the scraps with the bedding to cut down flies and odors. Adding lawn clippings in thin layers will also help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your pile is under cover (i.e. does not get rained on), you may want to add water to help the composting process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With respect to size, try piling it up a bit higher so that it measures more like 4x5 and 4' high. The act of piling it up will stir it to introduce air, which will help composting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soak half the pile with the hose for a couple minutes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get 1-2&quot; of lawn clippings on that half&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Then scoop the other half on top of the clippings&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hose the whole thing down again&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may get some composting. Check it in a couple of days -- does it heat up? If it doesn't heat up, it's very likely that you've just got way too much carbon, and you need to add quite a bit of nitrogen to make it balance out. The rabbits are just for show? (If you process them for meat, the blood would be a helpful high-nitrogen addition to your pile.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That bedding also absorbs (by design) &lt;em&gt;tons&lt;/em&gt; of water. If you're ever tossing out water (e.g. dirty animal buckets), get in the habit of tossing them on the pile. And if it's in a place where you can do so without getting in trouble, feel free to pee on the pile -- you'll add water and nitrogen for double the win.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-07-01T21:09:23.173" LastActivityDate="2012-07-01T21:09:23.173" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4682" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4683" CreationDate="2012-07-01T11:09:41.377" Score="18" ViewCount="55659" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have noticed that there are weeds growing between the bricks in a paved area in my garden, as shown in the attached picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I remove them? Is there anything I can do so that I can avoid them growing in the first place?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iS05bl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the weeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1375" OwnerDisplayName="rfsk2010" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-20T14:10:39.310" LastActivityDate="2017-09-13T21:38:48.920" Title="How do I remove weeds and prevent them growing between the bricks in a paved area?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;repair&gt;&lt;pavers&gt;" AnswerCount="8" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4683" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4682" CreationDate="2012-07-01T13:21:28.063" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Weeds are tenacious. Nothing is going to stop them from growing forever. Well, nothing you can do that won't be dangerous to your own health or cause other problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that the pavers are already in place, you can spray the weeds periodically with something like Roundup. This will keep them down. Or use a Weedwhacker to mow them down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be careful on a paver walkway to not use flame to burn them down, as that can cause spalling, damaging the pavers. Be careful that you do not put down something that will cause environmental damage to nearby planted areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user923" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-20T01:57:04.997" LastActivityDate="2014-09-20T01:57:04.997" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4684" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4682" CreationDate="2012-07-01T19:59:05.480" Score="23" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you don't want to use a chemical herbicide, boiling water poured on the weeds will kill them.   Use a kettle with a spout so you can direct the water directly onto the weeds with minimal splashing, and be careful carrying it from the kitchen!    This can be useful for relatively small areas, especially if you have two kettles so one can be warming up while you pour the other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on your patience, and the number of weeds, you can also use a putty knife or thin screwdriver to scrape them out of the cracks.   Sometimes for particularly big-rooted weeds, I'll lift an adjoining brick if I can wiggle something in next to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other solutions (that I haven't tried):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Vinegar -- some recommend a high strength (10% acetic acid, or higher) solution; others say it may damage the pavers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Herbicidal soaps -- these are formulated to smother the weed by blocking their ability to absorb oxygen.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=8206&amp;amp;sid=140643&quot;&gt;One example&lt;/a&gt; (no affiliation).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than pulling the weeds, these solutions will all leave you with dead weeds that you'll have to remove.   If you go the herbicide route, wear gloves when handling them, and dispose of them where pets and wildlife won't get into them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="TomG" LastActivityDate="2012-07-01T19:59:05.480" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4685" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4682" CreationDate="2012-07-02T00:08:53.820" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've used vinegar - it works well, but it does depend on your pavers (hunks of granite won't care, some cement pavers will).  Just keep a small plant sprayer bottle filled with some, and squirt as needed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="liantics" LastActivityDate="2012-07-02T00:08:53.820" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4686" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4687" CreationDate="2012-07-02T11:49:22.807" Score="5" ViewCount="5398" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife bought a potted &quot;Christmas Tree&quot; last year in the week running up to Christmas. It wasn't in the best of shape when we got it and about a week after being inside the house, it shed the majority of its needles, leaving the bottom 1/3rd of the tree &quot;naked&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having moved it outside and letting it enjoy a lot of sun and rain, it's been putting out lots of new growth at the top of the plant and generally seeming a lot healthier. However, very little has happened in that bottom third. The very tips of the branches have produced some new growth, but there's no sign of regrowing needles anywhere on the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything we can do to stimulate the tree to re-grow its lost needles and rejuvenate the sad parts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17" LastActivityDate="2019-05-21T14:36:18.837" Title="Is there a way to encourage needle re-growth in fir trees?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4686" CreationDate="2012-07-02T13:10:26.947" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, I'm afraid not. The vast majority of conifers do not regenerate on dead parts, they simply continue to grow at the tips and top of the plant. Your tree has bare branches at the base and it will remain that way - planted outside in a garden, the bare parts wouldn't be noticeable as the tree got larger, but they'd still be there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-02T13:10:26.947" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4688" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4157" CreationDate="2012-07-02T13:14:26.163" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedrus_deodara&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cedrus deodara&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; of some variety too — the drooping tips of the branches indicate that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-07-02T13:34:37.647" LastActivityDate="2012-07-02T13:34:37.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4689" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4682" CreationDate="2012-07-02T13:24:36.430" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If its just the odd weed here and there, any of the methods described in the other answers. If you find over time that weeds pop up all over, then start using a Path Weedkiller treatment - these are designed for paved areas only, and contain an ingredient that sits in the cracks for a season to prevent regrowth. Best applied in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-02T13:24:36.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4690" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4669" CreationDate="2012-07-02T13:31:41.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If more than 50% of your lawn looks like this, its probably best to take it up and lay new turf - best time, in the UK, is October, so long as the ground isn't waterlogged. Prepare the ground properly before laying the turf though (borrow or get a copy of D. G. Hessayon's The Lawn Expert for guidance on that).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-02T13:31:41.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4691" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4656" CreationDate="2012-07-02T13:38:10.157" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your plant is Freesia, these are bulbs - they come up, flower for a short period (2-4 weeks) and then die back down again. You may, or may not, get it flower again next year. Feed while the leaves are present so the bulbs can store energy for next year, using something with higher potash content, maybe half strength tomato food for instance, or just a general purpose balanced fertilizer. When the foliage dies down, put the pot somewhere to rest, water sparingly, just to keep the compost from shrinking completely, but not to have the pot damp or wet. If/when growth begins again next year, move to a brighter spot, increase watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-02T13:38:10.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4692" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4561" CreationDate="2012-07-02T15:07:22.537" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what part of the world you're in, but in the UK, Morning Glory is Ipomoea and its half hardy- gets killed during the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-02T15:07:22.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4693" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4530" CreationDate="2012-07-02T15:16:17.983" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer, according to my old Horticultural College lecturer, is no, it's not going to do much for your plants at all, because it takes so long to break down. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE JUNE 2014:&#xA;Here's confirmation of the science behind what I've said - I note I've been marked down two points, one of which was done yesterday (no prizes for guessing who that one might be from):-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda%20Chalker-Scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/Myths/Bonemeal.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda%20Chalker-Scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/Myths/Bonemeal.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other thing I can find which Linda Chalker doesn't mention is that the phosphorus content in bonemeal is only available to plants growing in soil with a ph of 7 or less, so if your soil is alkaline, the plants won't be able to access it anyway. This was the result of a study carried out by Colorado State University into organic fertilisers - there's a link to it under Wiki.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-05T20:12:56.703" LastActivityDate="2014-06-05T20:12:56.703" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4694" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4404" CreationDate="2012-07-02T15:29:11.423" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/91791/Californian-lilac-Autumnal-blue/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ceanothus&lt;/em&gt; 'Autumnal Blue'&lt;/a&gt; - its evergreen, but will drop its leaves, like many other plants, in severe winter weather. If you're in the UK, the sudden descent into arctic conditions in February, following on what wasn't really a winter at all, but more an extended autumn, may have caused the leaves to drop.&#xA;Pruning of this variety should be carried out in spring, as growth begins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-08T02:31:10.377" LastActivityDate="2014-07-08T02:31:10.377" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4695" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28" CreationDate="2012-07-02T16:23:01.050" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have not tried this method but read this blog post a while ago. Looks like a potential solution for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://andyshora.com/2012/06/plant-watering-hack-holiday/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Plant Hack: Watering plants while you’re away&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1357" LastActivityDate="2012-07-02T16:23:01.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4696" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28" CreationDate="2012-07-02T17:28:27.853" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the end, I've bought &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.blumat.at/automatic-watering-system.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tropf Blumat&lt;/a&gt; system that works with ceramic cones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, all my chilli plants died before that...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, thanks to everyone for your help! Hopefully this question+answers will help others too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="45" LastActivityDate="2012-07-02T17:28:27.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4697" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4704" CreationDate="2012-07-02T17:36:27.803" Score="4" ViewCount="133" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two lime trees in pots, because I need to bring them indoors during the winter.  Additionally, we recently found that keeping mint in our lawn garden was a bad idea, since it spreads so vigorously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can we move the mint into our pots with the lime trees to keep the mint contained?  Will the mint compete in any way with the tree itself?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1381" LastActivityDate="2012-07-03T11:44:02.933" Title="What else (if anything) can I support in the same pot with my lime trees?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4698" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4703" CreationDate="2012-07-02T18:40:22.437" Score="20" ViewCount="1850" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two days ago I noticed this thing growing semi-covered in my garden near a grapevine:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7OiwZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;View from side&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rs6UF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;View from top&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see, it was light purpalish - light pinkish kind of colour. On touch it was a bit soft, and the diameter of the whole thing was not more than 5-8cm. As far as I know, it looked like a mushroom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yesterday I decided to pick up this &quot;mushroom&quot; and slice it in order to try identifying it.&#xA;I should say that removing this from the ground needed just a gentle pull.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the unexpected result:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wSNU8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picked up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jjuYm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sliced&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JcEh3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The slice showed the following (outer to inner):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Skin layer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Green jelly-like substance that was sticky to touch&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;White and hard to touch porous main part&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Jelly-like white center&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This thing does not look like anything I have seen before. I am no more even sure, that it was a mushroom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you identify this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in hardinest zone 6, Bulgaria. The thing was growing under a grape vine, so most of the day it was in shadow. It has been quite hot these days, around 30 C and above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;: To give you more sense of the size, one of these things is as wide as the circle you get by touching your thumb and index finger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;: After 36 hours in the composter, the white hard part has grown quite a bit. The plastic card on the photo is the size of a credit card.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IRrh0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;: After consulting a Mushrooms Encyclopaedia, &lt;strong&gt;it turned out that this is actually &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phallus_hadriani&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Phallus hadriani&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. This corresponds to the observation &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/1380/bamboo&quot;&gt;Bamboo&lt;/a&gt; made for the root like thing - it is actually &quot;aggregations of mycelium that resemble plant roots&quot;. Beside this, it appears that this species is endangered in Bulgaria... Next time I see it I'll just let it fruit and hopefully spread.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-09-16T00:56:33.513" Title="What kind of plant/mushroom is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4665" CreationDate="2012-07-02T18:49:14.117" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Tim, but it's a royal pain to do so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We put an old (but clean) eve trough in front of our ground cherries, then cut a slot in a piece of cardboard shaped like this &quot;|\&quot; and fit it around the plant. Then when the ground cherries fall, they roll down the cardboard into the eve trough for simple harvesting!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1177" LastActivityDate="2012-07-02T18:49:14.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4700" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4673" CreationDate="2012-07-03T01:52:17.270" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If &lt;em&gt;mange tout&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; is the same as what we call a &quot;snap pea&quot; or a &quot;snow pea&quot;, it's not that it's immature, it's a different variety. (Well, I generally eat them before the peas fatten up, so they &lt;em&gt;are&lt;/em&gt; immature, but I don't do this with &quot;garden peas&quot; (aka &quot;English peas&quot;) because the pods aren't very tasty.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hmm... what's a &lt;em&gt;marrow&lt;/em&gt;? It looks like a member of &lt;em&gt;C. pepo&lt;/em&gt;, but an image search turns up all kinds of wildly different squashes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; That's French for &quot;eat [it] all&quot; -- I guess my French is better than my [British] English?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-07-03T01:52:17.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4701" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-03T05:34:54.057" Score="4" ViewCount="260" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started these tomatoes on the soil and they were kind of crowded. I placed 2 of the largest ones in a separate container and they already have 2 tomatoes and lots of flowers, these where the others that where left. I put them in the aquaponic system a month ago, and although it has grown, it's no where near the size of the bigger ones I placed in soil. &#xA;Other plants in the system are doing well ( I think :D )&#xA;1 main difference is that the potted tomatoes get around 3 hours of direct sunlight and the aquaponics get all they're light through a grow lamp&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if that bad start has anything to do with how things are going now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are the tomatoes in question, as you can see, even at that size, they can't hold up their own weight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qdczv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;BadTomato&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the tomatoes that got a head start on the crowded pot that I separated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/isXnh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;GoodTomato&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some happy plants on the system. I mention this because this leads me to think it's not some nutrient issue. The first gets the same amount of direct sunlight, and the bottom one is all by the grow light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BE5AO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Happy1&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xMR7N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Happy1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1092" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-22T03:39:16.557" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T19:51:18.427" Title="Is it too late for this tomato?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;aquaponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4702" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4698" CreationDate="2012-07-03T11:36:12.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think this is a fungi - in the third photo, showing it after you'd extracted it from the ground, there is a root showing which looks to be newly formed. This suggests to me that this might be some kind of seed case from something which has germinated and started growing. I do not, though, recognise what it is. If the root is intact, coming to a point at the end, then that might be what this is - if the root is broken, with more in the ground, then I'm not so sure. The other possibility is some kind of Crown Gall, but its not one I recognise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-03T11:36:12.613" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4698" CreationDate="2012-07-03T11:42:47.230" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maybe &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phallus_impudicus&quot;&gt;Phallus impudicus&lt;/a&gt;, or some other kind of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phallus_%28genus%29&quot;&gt;Phallus&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;I'm from Germany and Phallus impudicus can be found here. It smells very bad. You could try to sniff them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1384" LastActivityDate="2012-07-03T11:42:47.230" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4704" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4697" CreationDate="2012-07-03T11:44:02.933" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't recommend putting your mint in the pots with the trees - mint roots go up to 18 inches downwards in the soil, and spread prolifically, and would compete with the trees. Pot the mint separately. It can be grown in the ground without taking over provided you insert a root barrier down to 18 inches all round the area you want it to occupy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-03T11:44:02.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4705" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4706" CreationDate="2012-07-02T20:17:50.570" Score="5" ViewCount="3260" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am doing some garden remodeling, which includes making sunken beds for veggies. To separate the beds, I am stacking cinder blocks. The problem is that the base is not level, and there are some places where existing work means that the blocks can be offset vertically by as much as an inch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what I need to do is to get the second level of blocks level, and get the gaps/vertical differences filled. How do I do this? Mortar? Concrete? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need to be a little more explicit. I have the base line of blocks as level as I could get it, which is fairly close (I can usually get to about 3-5 mm). The bigger problem is where there is existing stuff that causes the office. These include fence bases, old walls, and old, buried railroad ties. I try and line up the blocks so the tops are at the same level as the obstruction, but I can't get it perfect. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The top of the cinder portion of the wall has concrete tops (landscape blocks), and even a little bit of a gap causes the blocks on top to be unsteady. I was thinking that mortar or whatever I should use might make everything more stable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will be walking on these (to weed, etc), and I noticed that some I built earlier are not stable. I think that the gravel might have settled, or something else. I'm not a pro, so I have done the first level incorrectly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for any help/suggestions!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Erick&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1388" OwnerDisplayName="Erick T" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-07-03T13:07:26.553" LastActivityDate="2012-07-03T16:19:56.397" Title="When building a cinder block wall, how do I attach/level the stacked blocks?" Tags="&lt;hard-landscape&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4705" CreationDate="2012-07-03T13:06:17.257" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mortar or cement will not help you in the long run if you have an uneven base. Ground moves, particularly in the presence of water and will overcome the bonding strength of cement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One crude but effective method is to buy metal T-bars which are available in six foot lengths.  Use a sledge hammer to put the T-bar into the ground through the holes in the cinder blocks. It can be tricky to line up the holes but if you start with that goal in mind then it is possible. Use an angle grinder to cut them off flush with the top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If possible put landscape fabric (geotextile) on the outside of the block wall and back fill. This will prevent earth from moving in through any irregularities in the walls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best solution is to make a good base.  It takes much more time but provides a longer lasting solution.  A trench filled with six to eight inches of crushed gravel without fines (stone dust) and mechanically compacted is considered a norm.  If you suspect the presence of ground water or soggy conditions then my good friend, four inch drain pipe with sleeve at the outside base of the wall, will help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I agree with @Grady Player a sand base might work.  Are you building to last five years or twenty five years? Heavy clay soil will &quot;push&quot; any wall in the spring where a sandy soil will drain nicely. There's a lot of local soil information only you can &quot;base&quot; your judgment on. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-07-03T16:19:56.397" LastActivityDate="2012-07-03T16:19:56.397" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4707" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4682" CreationDate="2012-07-03T13:45:46.803" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;A preventive solution after you have weeded is to apply a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.permacon.ca/products.html?product_id=477&amp;amp;z=sable&amp;amp;lang=en&quot;&gt;polymeric sand&lt;/a&gt; onto the pavers.  It fills in the cracks and sets to a porous but weed resistant surface.  I initially balked at paying $25 for a bag of sand but was pleasantly surprised at how well this resists windborne seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will not stop weeds that are already present from growing up but will stop most wind borne seeds from taking hold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-07-03T13:45:46.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4427" CreationDate="2012-07-03T15:05:38.000" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a beekeeper and my bees have used tap water with chloramine for nearly a decade without apparent issues. That's been true for dozens of others who live by. I have not experienced, seen or heard of anything like your one anecdotal case. Do you have any actual research evidence about any of these things? I would love to hear it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS No rejection issues with my hummingbird feeders either, and my beer brews fine. It is not enough to start a group and spread scare anecdotes. If there are genuine, researched issues, I'd like to hear them, but scaremongering is just mean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1385" LastEditorUserId="1385" LastEditDate="2012-07-03T15:13:19.493" LastActivityDate="2012-07-03T15:13:19.493" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4709" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4710" CreationDate="2012-07-03T15:39:47.577" Score="10" ViewCount="409" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there any real way to get rid of bamboo?  I have tried digging, every variety of round up, even salting the ground but it just keeps growing.   Is there anything I can do (short of calling in an air strike)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1386" LastActivityDate="2012-07-04T02:01:27.350" Title="Is there any way to get rid of bamboo?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4710" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4709" CreationDate="2012-07-04T02:01:27.350" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.completebamboo.com/bamboo_removal.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;completebamboo.com&lt;/a&gt;, it depends somewhat on if you have running or clumping bamboo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically you want to dig up as much of the root system as you can, and destroy any shoots that are above ground. But like you said, it's going to keep coming back. You just have to keep killing the new shoots until the root system runs out of energy and dies. Sounds like it may take several years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't want to kill it all but want to contain it, there are some special bamboo rhizome barriers that you can buy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is speculation of my part, but since bamboo likes slightly acidic soil with good drainage, maybe you could over-lime the soil to a ph it doesn't like, or overwater it until the rhizome rots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1298" LastActivityDate="2012-07-04T02:01:27.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4711" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4752" CreationDate="2012-07-04T11:22:29.160" Score="4" ViewCount="45" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am experimenting with muskmellons this year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Starting from seeds I kept from a melon I bought last year I was having 3 nice seedlings by the end of April. Putting them outside in May (and hoping that the weather will be warm) I had to witness 2 of them dying. But one of them is still there and now it starts flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sure that there are no other mellon plants nearby - hence my question: Are muskmellons self-fertile? Will I get fruits from my lonely plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2012-07-10T06:46:46.317" Title="Are muskmellons self-fertile?" Tags="&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2644" CreationDate="2012-07-04T12:31:17.777" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hire someone to come in and re-grade the property! It is inexpensive and well worth the expense to have it done once and properly. Top soil is a valuable component to your lawn's environmental health. Stripping it off is setting yourself up for future landscaping problems. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1390" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T21:05:07.167" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T21:05:07.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4713" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4714" CreationDate="2012-07-04T14:03:16.627" Score="3" ViewCount="2757" Body="&lt;p&gt;I walk my dogs around a number of different parks in the neighborhood. In each of this parks there are a number of flower beds with different color lilies. Some of them are still flowering while others have begun to produce seeds. When is the right time to pick these seeds so I can take them home and add them to the lilies we already have. Also, should I wait until next spring to plant them or would it be ok to go ahead and plant them now. Lastly, if I need to wait until spring, what is the best way to preserve the seeds? Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1024" LastEditorUserId="1024" LastEditDate="2012-07-04T14:57:03.597" LastActivityDate="2012-07-04T15:11:28.883" Title="Picking, planting, and storing lily seeds" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4714" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4713" CreationDate="2012-07-04T15:11:28.883" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that the seeds of hybrid lilies may or may not look like their parents. Species lilies will have children that closely resemble the parents. It can be hard to tell the difference between a hybrid and a species but if this is for fun it doesn't really matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pods should be harvested when they start to go brown and dry out, usually the autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing lilies from seed can require immense patience depending on the species.  I just planted out seedlings of a species lily that I germinated five years ago.  They were three inches tall and made a nice snack for the local rodents.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lilies.org/mainhtml/04e_growingfromseed.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Other types will flower in two years&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lilies.org/mainhtml/04d-propagation.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growers propagate by scaling the bulb or starting the bulblets&lt;/a&gt; that grow in the axils of the leaves of some species&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can start growing the seeds now if you have a well lit window that you can devote to the seedlings until spring.  Or you can remove the seeds from the pods, place in envelopes that are located in a cool, dark area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-07-04T15:11:28.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1241" CreationDate="2012-07-04T15:13:32.000" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Putting poison in your compost is crazy. If you feel really strongly about not having ants, then just cut off their access to your compost: put the compost bin on feet that rest in containers of water. Then just have patience and nature will take care of the rest. Eventually they'll go away; either another insect will eat them or they'll run out of food, but at some point &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachamama&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pachamama&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; always takes care of things. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1391" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-10-13T14:53:58.873" LastActivityDate="2012-10-13T14:53:58.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4716" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4718" CreationDate="2012-07-04T15:31:21.567" Score="8" ViewCount="2977" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have three large zucchini plants in my garden, and all three have been producing nice fruits for a few weeks.  The last couple days, one of them has started to turn yellow and sickly:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VRYGd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WVTle.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never grown zucchini before, so I'm not sure if this is just the natural progression, and the plant's life is over... or if this is a sign of some damage or disease.  If it is the latter, can I nurse the plant back to health? Or should I destroy it so it doesn't infect the remaining healthy plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;EDIT&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to @EdStaub's answer, here's a new photo of the base of the plant, at three magnifications:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tDEwd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="705" LastEditorUserId="705" LastEditDate="2013-08-15T16:25:57.403" LastActivityDate="2013-08-15T16:25:57.403" Title="Is something wrong with my zucchini plant?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1241" CreationDate="2012-07-04T15:55:15.557" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ants in compost heaps usually means the heap's too dry. The absence of obvious brandlings and other worms should confirm that. Add water and continue turning it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-04T15:55:15.557" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4718" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4716" CreationDate="2012-07-04T18:08:27.537" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Look at the stem, down near the base.  Do you see some distinctive brown-orange sawdust-like material?  If so, that's called frass, and your plant is being destroyed by one or more squash vine borers.  The &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_vine_borer&quot;&gt;wikipedia article&lt;/a&gt; is really good, and shows pictures (at the bottom) of what to look for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've tried killing the grubs in the stem, with a hatpin and other things, with partial success.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some varieties of squash have some resistance to borers.  I don't know about zucchini, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-07-04T18:08:27.537" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4719" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-04T22:16:42.170" Score="6" ViewCount="599" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the San Francisco Bay area and my landlord asked us to take care of the overgrown yard in exchange for reduced rent. I cleared a lot of the dead weeds and piles of leaves out and it looks like the soil is mostly sand (we live near a beach, so that makes sense). Any plants I can put in that patch that will keep the wind from kicking up dirt/sand? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose I could cover it with topsoil, but maybe keeping the soil the way it is and using plants that are conducive to that environment would be lower maintenance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1393" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2015-04-13T18:54:49.090" LastActivityDate="2015-04-14T00:21:23.263" Title="What are good plants for sandy soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4720" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4667" CreationDate="2012-07-05T02:00:37.657" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your lawn will be fine. I don't water my (couch) lawns, ever, and they survive weeks and months of 35-40C daytime temperatures in summer without rain, with no ill effects. The grass just stops growing. Fescue is less drought-hardy than couch, but much the same principles apply - my Dad's fescue lawns get watered once a week or once a fortnight, depending on the level of water restrictions we're under.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water it as per your normal until it recovers - which it will, given time - and then look at reducing your lawns dependence on you, in case this happens again. As others have said, cut the grass higher and slowly reduce the frequency of watering, but I would also look at whether there are drainage improvements to be made, in the long term (if your soil can't hold water, then you &lt;em&gt;have&lt;/em&gt; to water daily to keep good-looking lawn).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1326" LastActivityDate="2012-07-05T02:00:37.657" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4721" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5342" CreationDate="2012-07-05T05:40:28.603" Score="9" ViewCount="3434" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a mystery citrus tree that bears sour and almost inedible small oranges. This tree is about 10 years old. I'd like to cut-off its branches and graft on branches from a Navel or Valencia orange tree. Is this possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that is possible then is it also possible to graft two different types of tree onto the stem of one tree such that it bears two different types of fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-11-07T18:47:46.297" LastActivityDate="2012-11-07T18:47:46.297" Title="Can I graft a Navel or Valencia orange tree onto an established citrus tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4722" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3466" CreationDate="2012-07-05T07:51:00.610" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maintaining a deep mulch of wood chips on the surface will make a worm-friendly environment. Though I do suppose that, assuming you have created the worm-friendly environment, importing the worms will hasten the process. Just make sure you've got a nice place for the worms to live or they'll leave and your efforts will have been pointless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1394" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T20:19:16.983" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T20:19:16.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4723" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="10985" CreationDate="2012-07-05T18:34:43.080" Score="5" ViewCount="3718" Body="&lt;p&gt;Moving into a house with a garden last year, I collected black-pepper-like seeds from a dried out small shrub.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Putting two of them in a seeding pot resulted in having 2 small shrubs with relatively big green leaves and white trumpet flowers. The flowers remind me of various morning glory-kinds I have seen, but none of those had this kind of leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The dimensions are 40-50cm large and 30-40cm high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click the image to enlarge&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yEjQD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yEjQDm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EogI7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EogI7m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-12T22:20:45.827" LastActivityDate="2014-06-12T22:23:04.607" Title="What is this small annual with white trumpet-shaped flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4724" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4726" CreationDate="2012-07-05T18:54:29.000" Score="4" ViewCount="149" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my garden I have a perennial (at least in a second year) in two varieties (one white-flowered, one red) of the scrub pictured below. I collected seed from it last year and I got seedlings from it this year (seedlings are not pictured). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are sharp and wound around the stem. The flowers are coming out of the stem as well. It flowers in July and August. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The red variety (not pictured) is a little bit weaker than the white one - it is smaller and flowers less and later. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The scrub I have consists of several stems which have been cut down last autumn and now they are back like if nothing has happened. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The white variety is about 1.20m high; the red one 0.80-1m.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for giving me a hint on its ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click to enlarge the images&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oXvZs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oXvZsm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pc7Sj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pc7Sjm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XQIob.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XQIobm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-07-06T14:07:09.357" LastActivityDate="2012-07-06T14:07:09.357" Title="Help on identifying a sharp leaved white-(another variety of it is red-)flowered perennial" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4725" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4730" CreationDate="2012-07-05T19:01:27.623" Score="11" ViewCount="143" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing a couple varieties of peppers this year.  They are Red Thai, Bhut Jolokia, and Red Marconi.  What is the most effective way to maximize the amount of fruit I get from them.  They are growing very well and are starting to get peppers on them, but since I live in Western NY I want to get the most out of the short growing season.  Any help is appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1323" LastActivityDate="2012-07-06T13:50:52.593" Title="Help with Pepper Yield" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4726" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4724" CreationDate="2012-07-05T19:14:11.067" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaura_lindheimeri&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gaura lindheimeri&lt;/a&gt;.  The white cultivar is probably &quot;Whirling Butterflies&quot; and the one with the darker red flowers is likely to be &quot;Siskiyou Pink&quot;.  I have grown them both.  They tolerate heat and drought but will not take poor drainage in the winter.  If you have clay based soils a raised bed with a freer draining soil will help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-07-05T19:14:11.067" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4727" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4427" CreationDate="2012-07-05T23:16:46.617" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Myself, I only have a casual interest in chemistry, but when you are also the son of a Ph.D inorganic chemist who spent his career on developing chemicals to clean things, you pick some things up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chloramine&lt;/em&gt; actually refers to a (very) large number of chemical compounds, the principal defining factor being a nitrogen-chloride bond somewhere in the structure. The simplest such compound is monochloramine (NH&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;Cl), an ammonia molecule with a hydrogen replaced by chlorine; it is generally seen in dilute aqueous solution, but in its pure form it is a gas at room temperature (25*C). So, distilling water by boiling at high temperature and feeding the vapor into an open-ended still will reduce monochloramine concentrations if present. However, monochloramine is used as a disinfectant because it will stay in water longer than &quot;free chlorine&quot; (chlorine from ionic compounds), and is less harmful to larger organisms (including plants). So, just putting a bucket of chloraminated water out in the sun will have a lesser effect than with chlorinated water (the free chlorine will exit the water at a greater rate than evaporation, while chloramines are much more content to sit in solution).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, when you hear about &quot;chloramines&quot; outside of municipal chlorination, you are generally hearing about organic chloramines; these are compounds with an NHCl group or two, bound to one or more organic (H-O-C) molecules. These are by-products of disinfection by chlorine and/or quaternary ammonium compounds (quat sanitizers; based on ammonia, they'll pick up chlorine atoms easily); the chlorine (or chloramine) latches on to chunks of important enzymes or other key organic compounds in microbes, and the microbe dies due to the destruction, leaving the organic chloramine floating around (along with many more as the bacteria decomposes in the water). Organic chloramines are often aromatic; A pool that has the distinctive &quot;chlorine smell&quot; is actually one with a high concentration of organic chloramines that are evaporating. These are not incredibly stellar things to be drinking or to be feeding your plants, and don't disinfect well, although if your municipality has chlorinated water of any kind you will have SOME organic chloramines in it (except in the totally implausible case of there being nothing in the water to kill). Again, boiling water to distill it will reduce organic chloramine concentration, more so than with monochloramine alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Putting water out in the sun reduces overall chloramines indirectly, by consumption of monochloramine into organic chloramines; the sunlight and heat will cause the more aromatic of the organic chloramines to boil off. But, open standing water attracts more microbes, which the chlorine or chloramine kills and dissolves, then those organic chloramines boil off, more microbes come in, and the cycle repeats itself until there's no more chloramine in the water. But, by the time the chloramine runs out the water's pretty full of microbes, especially hardier ones that didn't get poisoned by the decreasing level of chloramine. So, don't drink water you've left sitting out, and be careful about eating things fresh from the garden when you've watered them with dechloraminated water. The microbes that were tough enough to survive the dechloramination process are not going to be things you want in your body.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1104" LastEditorUserId="1104" LastEditDate="2012-08-14T16:47:30.330" LastActivityDate="2012-08-14T16:47:30.330" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4730" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4725" CreationDate="2012-07-06T13:50:52.593" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may get other advice from others, but a good start is to pick them when they are ripe enough and big enough to eat. A pepper will not set as many fruit if it already has a lot of fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't grown the Thai and Jolokia types, but generally hotter peppers prefer hotter weather. I've tried the Italian style (like Red Marconi) but had mixed success in Texas - my understanding is that they are a cooler weather fruit, so you should do well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main fruit season for us is September to November. The real trick is to keep the plants growing during the hot summer months. There will be little if any fruit, but if the plant keeps growing, then there will be a good large plant ready for September. If you have a short growing season, then this might be the secret. If growing from seed, you could start them earlier indoors; or if you are buying plants, buy them earlier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-07-06T13:50:52.593" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4731" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4739" CreationDate="2012-07-07T10:12:33.497" Score="11" ViewCount="24470" Body="&lt;p&gt;While inspecting &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4732/leaves-at-the-tip-on-new-branches-of-my-cherry-trees-are-wrinkled&quot;&gt;another problem&lt;/a&gt; I observed that most of the leaves are having two red dots (or very small bulbs, maybe cocoons) at the stems of their leaves: it is something harmful or even a pest? If so, do I need to do something?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r4RGO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2020-05-15T22:04:45.193" Title="What are those red dots on the leaf stems of my cherry trees?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4732" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4734" CreationDate="2012-07-07T10:27:59.423" Score="7" ViewCount="6621" Body="&lt;p&gt;On my cherry-trees I observed that the leaves of the tips of newly grown branches are wrinkled and inside there is something which simply said looks like black dirt. The leaves do not look damaged, only their form has suffered, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems that only tips are affected which are not higher than 1.5 to 2m from the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally I saw that several ants where walking on the branches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a pest? Could it be an ant-tribe which is farming? Do I need to do something?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click to enlarge the images&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jcE2u.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jcE2um.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m7jvo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m7jvom.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2012-07-07T12:38:40.257" Title="Leaves at the tip on new branches of my cherry-trees are wrinkled" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4733" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4735" CreationDate="2012-07-06T19:50:41.207" Score="13" ViewCount="1653" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small basil plant similar to this one:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2bt1G.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Basil pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mine's actually a bit smaller, but well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut leafs off it for cooking but I try to keep the plant healthy by not using up more than can grow back. I'm under the impression (I'm no expert at all!) that the plant would die if I remove too much leafs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I still want to maximise the output while keeping the plant alive and healthy. So I wonder which algorithm to use when picking which leaf to take. Should I prefer leafs from the top, from the bottom? Perhaps always pick the largest leafs? Does it even matter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1402" OwnerDisplayName="bitmask" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-07-11T15:36:23.480" LastActivityDate="2012-07-14T01:50:52.173" Title="How should I harvest Basil leaves as to be least harmful to the plant?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4734" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4732" CreationDate="2012-07-07T12:31:03.017" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming this cherry tree is not a Japanese species, for these are rarely attacked, this looks like Cherry Blackfly. Its a sap feeding aphid, Myzus cerasi, which overwinters as eggs on fruiting cherries and some ornamental species such as Prunus avium and P. padus. Fruiting trees used to be sprayed with a tar oil wash in winter to control the eggs, but a lot of these have been withdrawn from the market - check in your area to see whether they're still available. In combination with a winter wash, new spring growth on the tree should be inspected, and sprayed with an appropriate pesticide as soon as infestation is seen, preferably before the leaf curling stage - permethrin based ones may still be available. Note that systemic insecticides may damage flowering (ornamental) cherry foliage, so a contact insecticide is probably best for those. (Source: RHS Pests &amp;amp; Diseases Library)&#xA;The ants are attracted by the honeydew secreted by the aphids - they 'farm' the aphids to collect the substance. Dispose of the infestation of aphids, and the ants will disappear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-07-07T12:38:40.257" LastActivityDate="2012-07-07T12:38:40.257" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4735" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4733" CreationDate="2012-07-07T13:14:30.090" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ask mummy (anecdotal): as long as you put the basil into a large pot you can pretty much cut all of it since basil grows back from its roots. If the ends close to the soil are kind of woody you should leave more stalk over. If it doesn't grow back then it's most likely because that kind of basil would have died anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1401" LastActivityDate="2012-07-07T13:14:30.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4736" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4749" CreationDate="2012-07-07T19:37:43.623" Score="4" ViewCount="2087" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently acquired a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilea_peperomioides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;money plant&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Pilea Peperomioides&lt;/em&gt;) and have placed it indoors at the top of a stairway in a non-draining pot. The plant seems to be growing very well. I have two specific questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have branched one part of it on the staircase in a &lt;em&gt;downward&lt;/em&gt; direction. I heard from someone it will not grow in a downward direction but I'm not sure and would like to check whether it will work or not.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much should I water the plant? It would be super if someone can be specific in terms of &lt;em&gt;quantity&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;timing&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1403" LastEditorUserId="31167" LastEditDate="2021-04-02T16:13:25.013" LastActivityDate="2021-04-02T16:13:25.013" Title="Money Plant Branching and Watering" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="4737" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4931" CreationDate="2012-07-07T22:47:03.890" Score="11" ViewCount="840" Body="&lt;p&gt;I remember eating the most flavourful and fragrant alpine strawberries in Germany a few years ago, and I'd like to try growing them in my garden in South Africa. The climate is obviously quite different here, most notably the temperature never goes below 0 degrees in my area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do alpine strawberries (&lt;em&gt;Fragaria vesca&lt;/em&gt;, also known as wild strawberry or woodland strawberry) require any particular climate in order to grow and bear fruit? Some berries require below-zero temperatures, and I wonder whether this is also true of alpine strawberries? For the record, ordinary strawberries grow quite well here, so this question pertains to alpine strawberries in particular.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1404" LastEditorUserId="1404" LastEditDate="2012-07-24T22:36:18.233" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T04:33:20.363" Title="Alpine strawberries growing conditions" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4738" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-08T04:48:32.450" Score="7" ViewCount="10249" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I wanted to start selling seeds (for example, tomatoes), how would I go about doing that? &lt;strong&gt;Do I have to grow my own strains&lt;/strong&gt;, and then harvest the seeds, or &lt;strong&gt;is there places where you have to buy seeds&lt;/strong&gt; (like a wholeseller)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1364" LastActivityDate="2014-08-28T19:38:58.820" Title="How to sell seeds" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-08-28T20:15:20.627" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4739" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4731" CreationDate="2012-07-08T13:53:18.883" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I turn the floor over to Mr. Chas. Darwin:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;“Certain plants excrete sweet juice, apparently for the sake of eliminating something injurious from the sap; this is effected, for instance, by glands at the base of the stipules in some Leguminosæ, and at the backs of the leaves of the common laurel. This juice, though small in quantity, is greedily sought by insects; but their visits do not in any way benefit the plant.” &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cherries, too. If you look closely, there will be a pair of staggered glands on the leaf stems; sometimes prominently, like in the species you are growing (&lt;em&gt;Prunus avium&lt;/em&gt; aka sweet cherry?), and sometimes far less so, as in the common wild black cherry of North America. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastActivityDate="2012-07-08T13:53:18.883" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4740" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4660" CreationDate="2012-07-08T14:00:01.327" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Deer don't seem to be an issue with Haskap.  I had a Hosta and a haskap side by side and the the deer took the hosta and didn't touch the Haskap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On our farm as well, there were no issues with deer an the Haskap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1405" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-04T23:00:28.663" LastActivityDate="2017-04-04T23:00:28.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4741" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-08T15:42:37.353" Score="8" ViewCount="2006" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Okra leaves have turned as shown below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a deficiency or a disease? How can I remedy this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: India. Weather In May-June: Hot! &gt; 95F days.&#xA;Current: Overcast with light rains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VGQDG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1350" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2015-09-11T06:48:10.737" LastActivityDate="2016-10-27T21:05:48.447" Title="What's causing these yellow veins on my Okra leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;okra&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4742" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4412" CreationDate="2012-07-08T16:22:18.950" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like your compost isn't breaking down all the way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost has to heat up and stay hot to kill seeds, and you need a full cubic yard or the pile won't really ever heat up. Even then, only the inside heats up -- you have to turn it periodically so that the compost on the outside moves to the inside where it can heat up, too. Our community compost bins are sometimes more than 100 degrees in the winter. It can be pretty impressive to see them smoking. Most household compost bins will never have the volume to get hot enough to kill seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Worm bins don't heat up, but in a worm bin most seeds will sprout and get eaten by the worms -- same ultimate effect. Most seeds, but especially melon and squash seeds, are too woody for worms to eat until they've sprouted or decomposed so you'll also see them in the compost sometimes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're really committed to seed free compost, let it sit for more than just one season, so it really has a chance to break down. Stop adding to the bin, leave it open to the sun and turn it from time to time (with a pitchfork or a compost crank), and start new pile for new waste. The seeds will sprout, but by turning them, you'll effectively bury the young plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also do lasagna beds in the early fall: put down a layer of mostly finished compost, top that with cardboard and top that with straw. The seeds will sprout but they'll be too hot and dark to survive, so they'll break down. By spring you should be able to dig the mulch in and plant the area without getting more volunteers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1081" LastEditorUserId="1081" LastEditDate="2018-01-25T03:09:52.303" LastActivityDate="2018-01-25T03:09:52.303" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="744" CreationDate="2012-07-08T16:28:34.527" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to aerate it. It will probably smell ghastly at first, but that will pass. Anaerobic bacteria dying stinkily upon exposure to air is one of the biggest causes of stench in a compost bin or pile. So if you can get in there with a pitch fork and turn it, it will probably smell pretty shocking, but in the long run the smell will dissipate and the more often you turn it the faster it will break down. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1081" LastActivityDate="2012-07-08T16:28:34.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3111" CreationDate="2012-07-08T16:48:55.780" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our community garden has a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lotechproducts.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;compost crank&lt;/a&gt; and I swear by it. The crank is  an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auger&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;auger&lt;/a&gt; design. You corkscrew it down in and then pull it up. It pulls a core of compost up to the top and you crank down again. The device you're showing there looks like it works on about the same principle, though perhaps with more movable parts to break down over time. Either way, you're pulling compost from the middle up and out to the top which is exactly what you want to achieve through aeration. &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t0YG3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;crank photo&quot;&gt;&#xA;We also have a big tumbler (two actually, one that turns end over end and one like the one in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3475/1081&quot;&gt;@coomie's answer&lt;/a&gt;) and I find that we need to get in there and crank from time to time because the compost just turns into a big mass that sticks together as you turn and just drips in a big thunk. So it doesn't really aerate when you tumble it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost gets heavy when it is wet and it is possible with the crank to turn it down so deep that you can't (I can't, anyhow) muscle it out. I deal with that by backing the crank out until I can pull it up, but that means you do want to make sure that the aerator you settle on is designed to stand up to use. It is tempting to think of compost as the light, damp stuff you get at the end, but midway through it can be pretty heavy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS. The picture is kind of silly, but it is the best shot of what the crank actually looks like that I could find.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1081" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-07-08T16:48:55.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4745" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4738" CreationDate="2012-07-08T17:10:40.640" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know someone who started a &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardensnorth.com&quot;&gt;seed business&lt;/a&gt; with a suburban garden and a kitchen table.  You don't need a lot to start but you need drive and determination to stay in the business.&#xA;Seed buyers want to buy seeds in uniform quantities that are cleaned and accurately named. If you want to grow your own seeds&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant in quantity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;clean the seeds and test for viability&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;know how to germinate them. &lt;a href=&quot;http://theseedsite.co.uk/normdeno.html&quot;&gt;Norman Deno&lt;/a&gt;'s work is the bible for the trade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not plant seeds from copy righted or patented plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;know the Latin and common names of what you are planting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ensure you are harvesting what you think it is.  With pollination, hybrids and what else plants get up to you must ensure that plants are true to name&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A good web site will assist in sales but mechanics of e-commerce are beyond the scope of the question.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also buy wholesale seeds in quantities ranging from a kilogram to much larger quantities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:  plants that are copyrighted have this information on the tag when you buy them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-07-08T23:16:08.463" LastActivityDate="2012-07-08T23:16:08.463" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4746" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3111" CreationDate="2012-07-08T17:20:22.010" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The compost stirrer you show a picture of is actually intended for use in plastic compost bins, with a lid, rather than an open heap on the ground. I bought one and I can't say I was that impressed - seemed a bit short for one thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-08T17:20:22.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4741" CreationDate="2012-07-08T19:22:00.803" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never grown okra.  This looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pakissan.com/english/allabout/horticulture/okra.diseases.and.ipdm.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;yellow vein mosaic virus&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;These is some good information on this fact sheet from &lt;a href=&quot;http://203.64.245.61/fulltext_pdf/FLYER/2011-2015/f0185.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The World Vegetable Center&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given your other posts, I wouldn't &lt;em&gt;entirely&lt;/em&gt; rule out a nutrient problem.  In particular, if you see leaf yellowing on other plants, I'd consider a magnesium deficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2016-10-27T21:05:48.447" LastActivityDate="2016-10-27T21:05:48.447" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4748" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4738" CreationDate="2012-07-09T04:28:49.183" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Instead of trying to grow a number of varieties to sell yourself you could contact one or more seed companies to try and contract with them for a season to grow one of their varieties. This could be a good learning experience since you’ll have their guidance throughout the growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just read an article in the summer 2011 issue of &lt;a href=&quot;http://rareseeds.com/heirloom-gardener-magazine/back-issues/2011-summer.html&quot;&gt;The Heirloom Gardener&lt;/a&gt; that was someone's experience growing Boldog Peppers for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fedcoseeds.com/&quot;&gt;Fedco Seeds&lt;/a&gt;. It's a good read since it shares some of the obstacles faced with growing enough plants for viable seed to sell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2012-07-09T04:28:49.183" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4749" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4736" CreationDate="2012-07-09T12:39:45.567" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thanks for confirming the plant name.&#xA;This one likes well drained soil, so the first thing I'd say is that it shouldn't be in a non draining pot - being waterlogged will cause it problems. If you can transfer it to something which drains, with an outer container which doesn't, water with tepid water when the surface of the compost is dry to the touch, but not shrunken from the sides of the pot. Reduce watering in winter. Empty any water left in an outer pot after 30 minutes. Mist frequently, it likes high humidity, although where you are, high humidity might be the norm anyway, I'm not sure.&#xA;As for the direction of growth, this one has fairly lax, drooping stems and leaves spilling out and down over the pot, which is its natural habit, but growth will always aim for where the light is brightest. You may find it becomes leggy and unattractive over time - cutting back hard in spring helps, but its advisable to root cuttings for replacement plants at the same time, in case the parent plant continues to look unattractive. Repot in Spring if necessary.&#xA;Note that watering is not an exact science in home conditions - how much the plant needs is dependent on its local environment, how large the plant is, the ratio of compost to root within the pot, heat, and speed of growth, which varies according to the time of year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-07-09T12:59:29.020" LastActivityDate="2012-07-09T12:59:29.020" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4738" CreationDate="2012-07-09T18:05:53.047" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I hope this helps,,,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_4926665_start-business-selling-flower-seeds.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ehow.com/how_4926665_start-business-selling-flower-seeds.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't forget there are allot of regulations sending certain seeds across state or country borders due to invasive species&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1409" LastActivityDate="2012-07-09T18:05:53.047" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4752" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4711" CreationDate="2012-07-09T18:18:11.017" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Curcumis melo -- the entire group of melons -- are monoecious, meaning individual flowers are either male or female, but a single plant produces both male and female flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Cucumis%20melo%20cantalupensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;See &quot;Plants For A Future&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1177" LastActivityDate="2012-07-09T18:18:11.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3437" CreationDate="2012-07-09T18:31:16.690" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something not suggested: sheet mulching for &quot;lasagna&quot; gardening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A local department store will probably give you 4,500 sqft of cardboard boxes for free -- they may even deliver them! De-tape and de-staple them, break them down, and put them over everything you want to kill. Put a bit of topsoil on the cardboard to hold it down. The cardboard will eventually break down, enriching your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please don't use RoundUp. Despite claims here and in Monsanto's marketing literature, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=%22the%20world%20according%20to%20monsanto%22&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;ved=0CEkQFjAA&amp;amp;url=http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-world-according-to-monsanto/&amp;amp;ei=DiP7T-zAGoXMrQHw9_yKCQ&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFAnI3dFAJh1qvVvXlkXrqIaA_hfg&amp;amp;sig2=jt1h2mLLg9Jz0w3fuRGE8g&quot;&gt;it is deadly poison&lt;/a&gt; to numerous things -- including people. In India, an epidemic of farmer suicides is coming from drinking RoundUp in protest over Monsanto's grip on their seed supply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1177" LastActivityDate="2012-07-09T18:31:16.690" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4754" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3437" CreationDate="2012-07-09T19:31:43.363" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Re RoundUp - don't use Round up, if you must use a weedkiller, buy glyphosate. This is the active ingredient in Round Up, minus all the other additives they put in it which make it more of a threat to the environment. Glyphosate works just as well - if you want to add a surfactant, a squirt of washing up liquid will do the job. Note that Round Up once contained the slogan 'bio degradable, environmentally friendly'. This labelling was removed some while back when these claims were proved to be false.&#xA;Black plastic or tarpaulins, if you want to go that route, must be anchored tightly to the ground to exclude, air, sunlight, and water, and should be left in place for a year to achieve good results. You could cover most of the area with those, and then use the most eco friendly solution of all - digging, with a fork, extracting all the roots, a patch at a time, just whatever you can handle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-09T19:31:43.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4364" CreationDate="2012-07-09T20:07:11.547" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like the goat idea, but if you don't have anything to plant now, pulling the weeds out is Sisyphean. One good option is to dig them in, in place. Especially if they haven't gone to seed yet. If they have gone to seed, you want to compost them in a bin that gets hot enough to kill them. But as they come back you can just dig them in and you'll be amending your soil in a way that readys it for whatever you do want to plant instead of yanking out all the nutrients and binning them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should look to a local botanic garden or ag extension for ideas on ground covers or cover crops that are suitable to your climate. A cover crop you'd grow and then dig in before it goes to seed (building up the soil), a ground cover you'd just allow to take over (landscaping). Either one will help suppress weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1081" LastActivityDate="2012-07-09T20:07:11.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4756" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8266" CreationDate="2012-07-09T20:09:24.697" Score="7" ViewCount="186" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to start cultivating a shady plot of dirt where nothing currently grows. The soil is quite compacted, and I think the first thing we need is a green mulch or cover crop that will do well in a shady area. I did dig in some half finished compost this spring, mostly because we hadn't yet acquired our second bin and the first was overflowing. So there are some spots where there's a lot of organic material in the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wondering then: what's a good green mulch for shade?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1081" LastActivityDate="2013-08-28T12:18:36.180" Title="Ideas for a good green mulch for a shady area?" Tags="&lt;shade&gt;&lt;cover-crop&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4757" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-09T21:56:43.657" Score="11" ViewCount="27170" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of goats I like to let run around my yard, problem is I have a few flowering plants out there too. The goats seem to target these heavily, I was wondering if there was some way to keep them from eating specific plants/groups of plants? They get all the free choice hay they want at their pen, so I know they're not starving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1411" LastActivityDate="2021-05-17T23:46:11.337" Title="Keeping goats from eating my plants" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="10" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4758" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-10T01:26:18.633" Score="4" ViewCount="87" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something's digging in the shredded bark, unearthing our shrubs/roses/perennials.  What is it and what's it after?  It's July in Michigan -- a little late for grubs, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1412" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-07-10T12:44:28.727" LastActivityDate="2012-07-10T12:44:28.727" Title="Holes in our landscaping" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;raccoons&gt;&lt;digging&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4759" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4758" CreationDate="2012-07-10T02:05:49.977" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could be squirrels or chipmunks caching food for the winter, or robins looking for worms.  If it has been dry in your area you will see unusual behaviour as animals look harder for food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try turning over the soil and seeing if there are grubs, that will bring in skunks and raccoons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-07-10T02:05:49.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4760" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4786" CreationDate="2012-07-10T05:56:56.513" Score="4" ViewCount="2095" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4776/can-you-bring-citrus-trees-into-quarantined-states&quot;&gt;Can you bring citrus trees into quarantined states?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to buy a Washington Navel Orange Tree in Arizona. When I search online these are priced between $30 and $67 but the online sellers state that they can't ship to AZ because of agriculture regulations. When I visit the nursery they have them for sale at a minimum of $500 which seems to be a bit pricey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anybody know what the regulations are that prevent citrus being shipped to AZ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I feel that with a better understanding of the restrictions I'll be able to make more informed decisions.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-07-19T15:59:12.303" Title="Buying citrus trees online in Arizona" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2012-07-19T16:29:08.747" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4761" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4711" CreationDate="2012-07-10T06:46:46.317" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Muskmelon flowers are self-fertile, but require insects to transfer pollen. There must be sufficient bee activity during the one day the female flower is open to insure that more than 400 seeds are formed. Fruit with less than 400 seeds are usually so small they are classified as culls&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1413" LastActivityDate="2012-07-10T06:46:46.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4762" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-10T13:40:22.387" Score="3" ViewCount="414" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased a praying mantis egg case and put it in my greenhouse to help get rid of an aphid infestation. Nothing seemed to happen for the longest time, but now it looks like there are hundreds of dead mantises attached to the egg case (and each other, they're like a large growth off the side of the egg case).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these mantis dead? I know mantises molt but these bodies look pretty intact (they even have tentacles!). Is this normal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="357" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-27T23:16:50.710" LastActivityDate="2013-06-27T23:16:50.710" Title="Are all my praying mantis dead?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4763" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-10T15:42:16.877" Score="9" ViewCount="42350" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning to buy a weed eater/trimmer + edger but I am confused with the terms that are used. Is a weed eater the same as a trimmer? If not, what is the difference between the two?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, any insights as to what to look for when buying a weed eater/trimmer + edger would be very helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="vad" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-21T17:16:54.647" LastActivityDate="2019-02-18T16:39:33.733" Title="Is there a difference between weed eater and trimmer?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;string-trimmer&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4764" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4763" CreationDate="2012-07-10T16:41:50.363" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weed_Eater&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Weed Eater&lt;/a&gt; is the brand name of the first string trimmers. These days, people use Weed Eater and trimmer interchangeably the same way most people call facial tissue Kleenex (even though Kleenex is only one brand of facial tissue) or they say then need to Xerox something (even though Xerox is only a brand of copier). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for insights into what to look for - it really depends on what you'll be using it for. Electric trimmers are usually lighter so they are easier to carry and maneuver but you are limited to the range of your extension cord (or the time of your battery charge if it's cordless). Gas trimmers usually have a bit more torque so you can use them on heavier foliage (and can also swap in saw blades, etc for doing shrubs and what not).   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1152" OwnerDisplayName="djmadscribbler" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-06-08T15:14:45.360" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T15:14:45.360" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4765" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4766" CreationDate="2012-07-10T18:11:57.217" Score="7" ViewCount="509" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn is currently struggling in the recent heat wave that has hit the midwest United States. Despite how much I water my lawn resemble more of a desert than a green oasis. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've asked around and I get conflicting advice. To prevent burning the lawn, some say it best to water in morning while others say in the evening. Some say keep the grass short, others say to let it grow out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to prevent my backyard from becoming the first desert in Wisconsin? What is the correct time to water/mow on those really warm days/weeks?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1416" OwnerDisplayName="Scott" LastActivityDate="2016-09-30T07:18:30.913" Title="Proper Lawn care for warm weather." Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4765" CreationDate="2012-07-10T18:34:59.043" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Keep it long to reduce stress on the grass. And water in the early morning to avoid mold or other disease growth that may happen with evening waterings. Beyond that, make sure your soil is healthy. Aerate, dethatch, and reseed in the spring and fall. And train the lawn to go further between waterings with deep soakings rather than frequent short watering. The latter results in roots that grow near the surface and suffer from drought more easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: For a deep soaking, I would try to get several inches of the soil (depth) moist for grass (for a tree, you'd want even more). Figure some of it will evaporate, some will quickly be absorbed by the plants, so maybe 1&quot; of water above ground will get you a few inches below ground. You can use the trick of putting a cup in the lawn to see how much water it's received, but I just guestimate it by running the sprinkler for nearly an hour. The key is to not stand out there with the garden hose for 10 minutes only spraying the leaves of the grass and training the roots to stay shallow. With a good soaking, you can go a day or two between waterings, depending on how hot/humid it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="270" LastEditorUserId="270" LastEditDate="2012-07-12T19:50:12.687" LastActivityDate="2012-07-12T19:50:12.687" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4767" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4763" CreationDate="2012-07-10T18:54:45.100" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to answer this part of your question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Also, any insights as to what to look for when buying a weed&#xA;  eater/trimmer + edger would be very helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm by no means an expert, but having played with head replacement lately, I'll try some advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main body of the trimmer will likely have options for larger engine sizes, which might limit the size of brush it can be used to cut.  This will principally be a factor of the installed head, however.  Also, different power source/fuel mixtures can be easier to work with.  Personally, I'd like a 4-stroke engine so I can use the same gas tank as my lawn mower, but I've currently got a 2-stroke unit.  Different 2-stroke engines require different fuel-oil ratios.  I don't know that any engine functions significantly better, but things to take note of while looking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many different types of head you can get for a trimmer.  A string head works decently on small brush and heavy grasses, while a bladed head can cut thicker stalks.  Heavier bladed heads can cut thicker brush.  If you're planning to use this device for multiple purposes, look for something which can easily swap heads.  If you're adding a bladed head, look for something in which blades can easily be replaced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen several bladed heads which say not to use them vertically.  I'm not sure how much overlap their is between string trimmers and lawn edgers, but if you'd like to do both I'd definitely research carefully before purchasing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="53" LastEditorUserId="24846" LastEditDate="2019-02-18T11:25:37.340" LastActivityDate="2019-02-18T11:25:37.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="4768" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4765" CreationDate="2012-07-10T19:04:17.063" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think in really hot weather it doesn't matter whether you water morning or evening. Grass will soak up the water quickly when the soil is dry.  When it does rain it can happen any time and the grass seems to cope.  If you have hot days and cool humid nights you could possibly encourage mould and fungal diseases by watering in the evening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Definitely let the grass grow longer when it's hot.  Cutting it only encourages more top growth at the expense of energy stored in the roots.  BMitch's answer is excellent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you over seed be sure you have the kind of grass that tolerates dry conditions such as a mix of red fescue (Festuca rubra) and hard fescue (Festuca ovina var. duriuscula).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consider planting native grasses in low use areas such as buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides).  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3925/suggestions-for-a-ground-cover-or-plant-for-direct-and-reflected-sunlight&quot;&gt;See here for more detail.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: D.A. has some excellent points.  If you choose not to water and let the grass go dormant then this aids in letting weeds get a hold in the turf. Whether this is significant depends on how many weeds are close enough to have  wind borne seed blown in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-07-10T23:31:53.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4769" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4770" CreationDate="2012-07-10T19:36:47.390" Score="6" ViewCount="2866" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Litchi plant grown from a seed that doesn't seem too happy. It keeps growing new leaves, but each time a fresh set appears, the old ones turn brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems unable to carry more than two pairs of leaves simultaneously. It's placed in a south facing window in southern Sweden, which this time of year means quite a lot of sun and warmth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried giving it rain water (which I've read it would prefer) and watering it only when the soil is no longer wet, but nothing seems to boost it's growth. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1415" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-20T19:15:22.427" LastActivityDate="2017-01-20T19:19:16.060" Title="Why is my Litchi plant getting brown leaves indoors?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4770" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4769" CreationDate="2012-07-10T20:16:00.470" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This species can present a real challenge to the indoor gardener.  Although they can be robust and get up to 100' (30 m) tall outdoors, indoors their requirements seem to be much more exact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;acidic soil is preferred - using a soil less based mix with extra peat moss should work&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a soil that is moist but not constantly wet  (tricky!). It is better described as allowing the roots ready access to water while not sitting in water. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3985/how-do-i-make-the-water-reach-the-roots-on-a-pvc-aquaponics-system&quot;&gt;Using a watering wick and a reservoir may help&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;alkaline soils may necessitate a chelated foliar spray to increase available iron.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not plant too deep, the base of the trunk must be exposed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if the plant is in a full sun location you could fertilize monthly from spring to fall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;during the winter a period of reduced growth seems to take place. Reduce watering and stop fertilizing during this period.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have read &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/lychee.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and elsewhere that a Mycorrhizal Fungi inoculation is required. Some soil less mixes come with this.  A handful of good top soil added to the pot might also do the job.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2017-01-20T19:19:16.060" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4771" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4765" CreationDate="2012-07-10T21:47:03.630" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the summer, you have two options: Water regularly, or let it go dormant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both are valid. Grass is fine going dormant in dry hot weather and it will comeback come cool weather later in the year. Yes, it doesn't look pretty, but it's low maintenance. ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are going to water, you want to soak it well infrequently rather than light water frequently. The former encourages deeper root growth which will make the grass hardier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of keeping the grass healthy, cut it on the long side. that helps to shade the turf and keeps moisture in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for what time of the day to water, many claim that during the day, it can cause burning. I think that's more of an old wive's tale, though. Ideally, you'd water when it's the least windy, though, so that more of the water hits the grass rather than blows away. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2012-07-10T21:47:03.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4772" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4769" CreationDate="2012-07-11T05:17:51.207" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;From my own experience, I can recommend keeping the young litchi plants in a bright place, but without direct sun light. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I remember reading somewhere that in the nature the big litchi trees put quite a lot of shade, so the new seedlings are meant to grow in a less sun-exposed environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" LastActivityDate="2012-07-11T05:17:51.207" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4773" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4427" CreationDate="2012-07-11T07:21:13.393" Score="13" Body="&lt;h2&gt;Short answer:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chloramine water is about as safe for plants as chlorinated water is. Generally, as long as the plants/animals are not amphibious/aquatic (i.e., the water goes directly to the tissues), it should be fine to water your garden with chloramine water. In all other cases, the water will need further treatment before it can be used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Long answer:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chloramine is used these days instead of the traditional chlorine, because it stays longer in the water distribution system, thereby increasing its effectiveness. The most common sources of reliable information on the internet is from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/mdbp/chloramines_index.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;US Environmental Protection Agency&lt;/a&gt; (EPA) and local public utilities' websites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some important points from the EPA's FAQs are (general):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chloraminated water is safe to use for drinking and cooking.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chlorine and monochloramine can be harmful to fish because they directly enter&#xA;their bloodstream through the gills.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chlorine and monochloramine can also prevent the growth of beneficial bacteria&#xA;that are necessary for healthy fish tanks.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last two points are also echoed in &lt;a href=&quot;http://lbre.stanford.edu/dpm/sites/all/lbre-shared/files/docs_public/stanford_chloramine.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stanford University Utility Division's infosheet&lt;/a&gt; (PDF):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is chloraminated water safe for plants and animals that do not live in water, like my pet dog or cat?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chloraminated water is as safe as chlorinated water for&#xA;plants and animals that do not live in water. Chloramine is only dangerous for fish, reptiles, shellfish, and amphibians that take water directly into their bloodstream.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and also in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sfwater.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=957&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;San Francisco public utilities commission's infosheet&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Scientific study:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following study showed that root browning occurred in lettuce due to the reaction of hypochlorous acid in tap water and ammonia in the nutrient solution (the reaction produces chloramine).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dx.doi.org/10.2503/jjshs.71.485&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;S. Date, K. Naba, K. Kobayashi and T. Namiki, &lt;em&gt;&amp;quot;Induction of Root Browning by Chloramine in Lactuca sativa L. Grown in Hydroponics&amp;quot;&lt;/em&gt;, Journal of the Japanese Society for Horticultural Science&#xA;Vol. 71 (2002) No. 4 P 485-489&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The induction of RB occurred only when plants were cultured in the solutions containing both hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and ammonium ion (NH4+), but not in the solutions contained either HOCl or NH4+ alone. The addition of NaOCl (HOCl) followed by NH4H2PO4 (NH4+) solution after a 7-10 day storage or NH4H2PO4 followed by NaOCl solution induced no RB symptom. It was concluded that RB was induced by chloramine, a reaction product between HOCl and NH4+.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A followup study by the same authors is the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2004.06.019&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;S. Date, S. Terabayashi, Y. Kobayashi and Y. Fujime, &lt;em&gt;&amp;quot;Effects of chloramines concentration in nutrient solution and exposure time on plant growth in hydroponically cultured lettuce,&lt;/em&gt;&amp;quot; Scientia Horticulturae, Volume 103, Issue 3, 30 January 2005, Pages 257-265, ISSN 0304-4238, DOI: 10.1016/j.scienta.2004.06.019.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In summary, it is highly possible that the anecdotal evidence in Susan's answer, re: burning of roots, and that of dying pond plants, frogs and fish is correct.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-07-11T07:21:13.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4774" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4731" CreationDate="2012-07-11T15:41:18.127" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are extrafloral nectaries, or nectar glands. If you watch, you will probably notice beneficial insects and/or ants visiting them for the nectar they provide. You can just leave them be - they are supposed to be there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1418" LastActivityDate="2012-07-11T15:41:18.127" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4775" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4427" CreationDate="2012-07-11T17:16:12.160" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would be helpful to understand that there is no such thing as harmful, harmless, safe, unsafe etc. Instead all things provide some benefit while causing some harm. What we really want to know is if the harm out ways the benefits or if the tradeoff cost of mitigating the harm is worth the effect and/or won't itself cause more harm than good. This applies to all technological decisions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are really questions about the &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;scale&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; of benefit to harm. It something that really needs to be expressed in numbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As noted above choloramines are a class of chemicals both natural and artificial instead of being just one substance. To evaluate the benefit to harm ratio, you first need to know which exact compound/s your local utility is using. Then you need to consider your plants and the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants most susceptible to damage from anything in water are those who (1) grow in high water soils like marshes and/or (2) are heavily dependent on symbiotic fungus and bacteria. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants of type (1) have very little &quot;skin&quot; that keeps water from osmosing into and out of the plant. Such plants will readily absorb almost anything in water. For example, various marsh plants are used in the bio-remediation of soils with heavy metal contamination because the plants readily absorb the heavy metal salts in the soil and transport to their leaves on the surface. Desert plants by contrast have very think &quot;skins&quot; and won't soak up much else except nearly pure water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants of type (2) usually also grow in moister soils although there is a lot of variation. In theory, the chloramines in the water could kill the symbiotic microbes and thereby damage the plant. On the other hand, it would also kill parasitic and/or disease microbes as well so the effect might be a wash. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would say that if you have the time to remove the chloramines you might as well do so. However, if removing the chloramines means you might not water enough or might have to neglect other important care of the plants, I wouldn't bother unless you know for sure it necessary. Otherwise, you might do more harm than good. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1012" LastActivityDate="2012-07-11T17:16:12.160" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4776" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4777" CreationDate="2012-07-11T20:49:07.127" Score="4" ViewCount="211" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to the USDA here &lt;a href=&quot;http://saveourcitrus.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://saveourcitrus.org/&lt;/a&gt; and in particular this page &lt;a href=&quot;http://saveourcitrus.org/index.php/grow-citrus-smart&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://saveourcitrus.org/index.php/grow-citrus-smart&lt;/a&gt; it states &quot;If you are thinking about buying a citrus plant, be sure not to move it from quarantined states or territories.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This makes perfect sense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in one of the quarantined states (Arizona) and I am having an email discussion with an online citrus tree vendor and he won't sell and ship me a citrus tree because of that restriction. However, that doesn't make any sense to me. Surely you would be allowed to ship &lt;strong&gt;INTO&lt;/strong&gt; a quarantined area? (from an unquarantined  area.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I assume that the vendor is not in a quarantined state otherwise he would not be able to ship to anywhere in the country.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone confirm if you can bring a citrus tree &lt;strong&gt;INTO&lt;/strong&gt; a quarantined state?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2012-07-12T02:22:30.273" Title="Can you bring citrus trees into quarantined states?" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4777" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4776" CreationDate="2012-07-12T02:15:33.917" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought a Clementine tree through the mail. The tag on it says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;Limited Permit: USDA-APHIS-PPQ. Not for distribution in AZ, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands of the United States or those portions of CA and SC not quarantined due to the presence of ACP.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also I found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.azda.gov/psd/acp.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this link&lt;/a&gt; specific to AZ. It says&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Citrus trees purchased to be planted within the quarantine area must have a tag issued by the USDA that states that the citrus trees may not be moved to outside of the quarantine area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So that at least confirms you do have to do something special to move trees into the quarantine area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like not all of AZ is quarantined. There seems to be a serious effort to keep &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaphorina_citri&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ACP&lt;/a&gt; from spreading to other areas of the state and eliminate it from the areas that do have it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1298" LastEditorUserId="1298" LastEditDate="2012-07-12T02:22:30.273" LastActivityDate="2012-07-12T02:22:30.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4778" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11061" CreationDate="2012-07-12T05:10:07.117" Score="7" ViewCount="6824" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I started a number of artichoke plants over the winter. I wasn't successful in giving them enough cold weather in order to bud the first year so I covered the plants with leaves in the fall and over wintered them. Despite losing all their leaves some new growth emerged in the spring and now I have two surviving plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem I’m facing now is they haven’t gotten any larger since they first came up. New leaves continue to form but the bottom ones die off leaving the plant no bigger. There are also no signs of a flower stalk. Is there anything I can do to help encourage flowering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I went out into the garden today and found this. Looks like all I needed was a week of good rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/xt0rted/7618704926/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;Untitled by Brian Surowiec, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8157/7618704926_cea1cc55cf_c.jpg&quot; width=&quot;600&quot; height=&quot;800&quot; alt=&quot;Untitled&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:36.183" LastActivityDate="2019-01-26T01:20:24.743" Title="Why won't my artichoke plants produce buds?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4779" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4889" CreationDate="2012-07-12T06:00:52.997" Score="8" ViewCount="1007" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few years ago I purchased five raspberry plants and since then all but one of them have died. I would like to take as many cuttings as I can from this plant and root them to replace what I've lost. What are the steps to take in order to do this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2012-07-29T16:59:21.470" Title="How can I propagate raspberry plants from cuttings?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4780" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4781" CreationDate="2012-07-12T19:07:36.327" Score="7" ViewCount="6556" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was so proud of my tomato plants (grown from seeds), but now I'm worried that they have died...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead of having a usual French summer (with 30 C at least and dry weather) it is raining a lot and it is cold (18-20 C). Up to now (until last week or so) I was not worried because the tomatoes did well, a lot of flowers and some fruits were appearing. Then suddenly the stems became black, not only black dots and yellow leaves as described &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/244/why-have-my-tomato-leaves-started-yellowing-at-the-base&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; but real areas. In addition the leaves have dried out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do? If not, what could I have done to avoid this situation beforehand? (&quot;In gardening there is always a next year&quot;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures (click to enlarge).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K7M3j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K7M3jm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NTA2R.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NTA2Rm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-07-13T18:06:08.147" Title="Tomato plants got black stems and the leaves dry out" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4781" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4780" CreationDate="2012-07-12T20:08:48.293" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's very sad that the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tomato_diseases&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;list of things that attack tomatoes is so long&lt;/a&gt;. This could be the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.semena.org/agro/diseases/didymella-stem-rot-e.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Didymella stem rot fungus&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's likely you do not have access to the controlled fungicides that greenhouse growers use so control is either cutting off the diseased areas or lifting and destroying severely diseased plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why your plants get infected is a longer term issue that is tied is with having a source of infection (usually dormant spores in the soil) and the right conditions (plant stress + cold + wet).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some ideas for control:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use sterilized potting mix and plant in pots or containers (removes source of infection)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant tomatoes in a different location every year (might help avoid a source of infection)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;improve soil conditions with more organic matter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant resistant varieties&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-07-12T20:08:48.293" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4782" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4787" CreationDate="2012-07-12T20:24:05.060" Score="7" ViewCount="295" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is our first year growing kale and although it is not large enough to harvest yet, it has been growing rapidly during the last two hot weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When it reaches a size that we are able to begin harvesting, how much can be harvested at a time? I've read that outer leaves can be removed, but can anyone recommend a limit of how much to take such that the plants continue growing and producing into the fall?  Will the kale's new growth occur in the center as with rhubarb?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="342" LastEditorUserId="342" LastEditDate="2012-07-13T12:26:51.190" LastActivityDate="2012-07-13T12:26:51.190" Title="How much of a kale plant must be left when harvesting outer leaves?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4783" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4788" CreationDate="2012-07-12T20:32:29.223" Score="4" ViewCount="1153" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to grow an Acacia variety in Ohio (zone 6)?  I'd prefer to not grow them in a greenhouse, I'm looking for something that will survive the winter (even if I cover it all winter). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1425" LastActivityDate="2012-07-13T12:43:41.377" Title="Acacia shrubs in Ohio" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4784" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-12T23:17:32.040" Score="8" ViewCount="560" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/U2jjv&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this plant&lt;/a&gt; that I found growing in my backyard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has a thin stem, long thin leaves that are paired on the stem, with a prominent central rib on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on image for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xQQ1D.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xQQ1Dm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1426" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-07-12T23:22:52.843" LastActivityDate="2012-07-13T04:36:31.270" Title="Can anyone identify this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4784" CreationDate="2012-07-13T00:13:27.550" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is balloon plant aka...um...'hairy balls' (&lt;em&gt;Gomphocarpus physocarpus&lt;/em&gt; aka &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_physocarpa&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Asclepias physocarpa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), a milkweed native to southeastern Africa. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-07-13T04:36:31.270" LastActivityDate="2012-07-13T04:36:31.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4786" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4760" CreationDate="2012-07-13T01:45:24.040" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/citrus/index.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this page&lt;/a&gt; is the government page about the regulation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Specifically this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/citrus/downloads/citrus-nurserystock-reg.txt&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;text document&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's kind of hard to summarize, but this is probably one of the biggest reasons behind it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Citrus greening, also known as Huanglongbing disease of citrus, is &#xA;  considered to be one of the most serious citrus diseases in the world. &#xA;  Citrus greening is a bacterial disease, caused by strains of the &#xA;  bacterial pathogen ``Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus,'' that attacks &#xA;  the vascular system of host plants. The pathogen is phloem-limited, inhabiting the food-conducting tissue of the host plant, and causes &#xA;  yellow shoots, blotchy mottling and chlorosis, reduced foliage, and tip &#xA;  dieback of citrus plants. Citrus greening greatly reduces production, &#xA;  destroys the economic value of the fruit, and can kill trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But there's several other diseases listed too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1298" LastActivityDate="2012-07-13T01:45:24.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4787" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4782" CreationDate="2012-07-13T02:17:45.690" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I start cutting kale when it's about 3&quot; high for &quot;baby kale&quot; salads. At that size, if you cut one stem per plant, it will keep growing. It takes quite a bit to make a salad, but you can mix them with your beet green thinnings, some small spinach leaves, and chard thinnings for a very nice salad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With larger plants, I've cut maybe one-third to half of the stalks off and the new stalks keep growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will see it putting out new leaves and stems in the center.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-07-13T02:17:45.690" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4788" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4783" CreationDate="2012-07-13T12:43:41.377" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The hardiness of a plant is influenced by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/143.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;many factors&lt;/a&gt; some of which you can influence.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;your local micro climate:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt; - sheltered is good&#xA; - warmer urban areas help&#xA; - ideal soil conditions.  &#xA; - Acacias do not seem to withstand heavy snow loads so plant accordingly.&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Although the hardiest acacias I could find were good to zone 7 ish the latest USDA zone map shows a creep of warmer winter temperatures northward.  I'm certainly seeing this where I live.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try these species:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.hortipedia.com/wiki/Acacia_obliquinervia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Acacia obliquinervia&lt;/a&gt; good to at least -12 deg F 2 deg C&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/59172/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Acacia pravissima&lt;/a&gt; cultivated in Europe for many years&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growingontheedge.net&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This web site&lt;/a&gt; is for gardening enthusiasts who like to push the definition of plant hardiness and may be of interest. Or this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.peckerwoodgarden.org/support/seeds&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;botanical garden&lt;/a&gt; in Texas has acacia seed for sale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would try growing plants from seed rather than buying established plants and plant as many as your garden will fit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-07-13T12:43:41.377" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4789" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4757" CreationDate="2012-07-13T16:41:41.857" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Goats are browsers rather than grazers. That means that they prefer to eat woody shoots and stems of trees and shrubs (including your flowering plants) over grasses like hay. In this regard goats are more closely related to deer than to other domestic livestock like sheep or cattle, which are both grazers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like Tea Drinker mentioned they also like variety and will try pretty much anything if left to their own devices.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="390" LastActivityDate="2012-07-13T16:41:41.857" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4790" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4780" CreationDate="2012-07-13T18:06:08.147" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Regardless of which species of fungus it is, a helpful preventative is to &lt;strong&gt;mulch your plants&lt;/strong&gt;.  Mulch reduces splash-up of fungal spores from the ground onto the stem and leaves, by absorbing the force of raindrops as they hit the ground.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use mulch sparingly until plants are well-established - it can harbor insects that will go after seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-07-13T18:06:08.147" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4792" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-14T00:19:25.120" Score="8" ViewCount="2261" Body="&lt;p&gt;My yellow squash and zucchini are infested with both striped and spotted cucumber beetles. I don't think I can use Sevin Dust anymore because I've already started harvesting them. I tried food grade diatomaceous earth, but I don't think it's working. (But it did start raining a couple days after I applied it)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are my best options for killing them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're also attacking my tomatoes and eggplant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I have not tried Neem oil, I have not tried pyrethrum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Organic is not the same as safe. I don't necessarily care if it's organic or not. But I do care whether or not it's safe apply to plants that I'm actively harvesting from. I'm picking squash and zucchini as often as daily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Application details would be nice too. And along with that, how labor and time intensive it is to use these products. If I have to spray the bugs individually (which doesn't seem all that practical, they do have wings...) that's going to be a different experience than spraying the plants or applying a powder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1298" LastEditorUserId="1298" LastEditDate="2012-07-20T02:32:49.733" LastActivityDate="2012-07-23T23:02:09.580" Title="What's the best way to kill cucumber beetles after I've started harvesting?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;&lt;cucurbits&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4793" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-14T01:24:36.630" Score="7" ViewCount="1032" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1656/how-do-i-bake-weeds-out-of-my-landscaping&quot;&gt;How do I bake weeds out of my landscaping?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2312/how-to-stop-grass-growing-through-landscape-pebbles&quot;&gt;How to stop grass growing through landscape pebbles?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do you best remove weeds that have infiltrated a weed mat covered with medium sized marble chips. I have a japanese garden, the weed mat was laid down by the landscaper about 6 years ago, covered with marble chips that are about 1/2-1&quot;thick, some bare spots, and each year more weeds creek up through the mat and are impossible to pull out. Must I rip up the entire area and start again. He did kill the entire area with a chemcial before putting the weed mat down. Deer and debris from neighboring trees get on the marble chips. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1429" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-07-16T00:58:37.063" Title="How do you remove weeds from a weed mat?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2012-08-23T15:23:59.587" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4412" CreationDate="2012-07-14T01:39:01.377" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;As other people have said, I just chuck it all in. I get volunteer tomatoes all over the yard, and I'm OK with that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I refrain from composting anything which I might spread by doing so - soursobs and couch grass suckers spring to mind - and anything with spikes (three corner jacks, rose and lemon tree prunings). Other than that, anything goes; let the seeds fall where they may.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1326" LastActivityDate="2012-07-14T01:39:01.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4795" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4733" CreationDate="2012-07-14T01:50:52.173" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Caveat: I utilise my father's basil rather than growing my own, because he waters more than I do, so his grows bigger, and his is grown in a (waist-high) clump in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having said that, I harvest basil by slashing it back. In six weeks or so, I can harvest the same plant again as it resprouts. If I'm being careful, I cut just above a bud to encourage the plants, but when I'm making pesto, I rarely take less than a third of the plant and usually more. I always take off all of the flowers, pinching them out if I don't want to take the stems they're on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutting this way encourages the plant(s) to produce more soft stems full of leaves, which is what you want. A basil plant that is getting leggy needs slashing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1326" LastActivityDate="2012-07-14T01:50:52.173" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4796" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3466" CreationDate="2012-07-14T01:56:41.200" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would add as much as possible, however much that happens to be, as once the roses are established, they won't appreciate more being dug in around their roots, and using compost as mulch, while it works over time, is a slower way of incorporating it into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1326" LastActivityDate="2012-07-14T01:56:41.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4797" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-14T20:17:44.460" Score="2" ViewCount="305" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something is making holes in the stem/trunk of my succulent, and is now making holes in an offshoot. When I stick my fingers in the dark hole, it feels gritty. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't see any insects in the hole or on the plant. I don't want to lose the succulent, which has leaves like paddles. I've had it a long time. I take it in during the winter and put it outside in the spring in the sun. I live in Atlanta, GA. I haven't noticed any problems with the succulent beside it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you know what the holes might be and how I can treat the plant? It is otherwise very healthy. Also, do you know the name of this succulent? Can't find it online. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1430" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-07-15T06:00:35.437" LastActivityDate="2012-07-15T06:00:35.437" Title="What's making holes in the trunk/stem of my succulent?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2014-07-15T13:35:58.080" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4798" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5353" CreationDate="2012-07-14T20:50:14.043" Score="6" ViewCount="11657" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several rosemary bushes in the backyard; I live in San Francisco and rosemary thrives here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the landlord overwatered one of the bushes for several months.  It's now got some kind of fungus or root-rot which causes it to look unhealthy and the leaves on some branches to turn yellow.  Since then, I've removed the soaker hose he put there, and have been letting it dry out.  It doesn't seem to be getting better though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: is there a way I can rescue this rosemary bush?  Should I expect it to recover with mostly dry soil and infrequent watering?  Or is it doomed at this point and I should rip it out and plant another one?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1431" LastActivityDate="2012-10-16T05:47:09.217" Title="Restoring overwatered rosemary" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4799" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4757" CreationDate="2012-07-14T21:21:54.313" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure: a 6-foot high fence.  Preferably with some electrification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that goats will, on occasion, eat things as diverse as cardboard, newspaper, clothing and cat food, nothing you can spray on your plants is going to dissuade them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1431" LastActivityDate="2012-07-14T21:21:54.313" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4798" CreationDate="2012-07-14T21:29:12.417" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the plant really does have Foot and Root rot, best remove it as soon as possible. There is no effective treatment available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Ok, then I'd get it out as soon as possible. Because this is a shrub or a woody based plant, even though Rosemary isn't particularly prone, when they get root rot, its usually caused by phytophthera, so best removed asap, together with some of the soil from round the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-07-16T12:25:26.637" LastActivityDate="2012-07-16T12:25:26.637" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4801" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1578" CreationDate="2012-07-15T11:48:23.763" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;An outdoor bonsai is a bonsai of a species that can naturally grow in the climate you live in. This does of course not necessarily mean the &lt;em&gt;region&lt;/em&gt; you live in:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XIufE.png&quot; alt=&quot;licence Creative Commons, see commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Klimag%C3%BCrtel-der-erde.svg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a species that can not survive in the climate you live in, you need to create an artificial climate which means taking it indoors. Whether this means your window sill or a greenhouse or something else entirely depends on the species and your indoor climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This means that all bonsai are both indoor and outdoor bonsai somewhere in the world. It also means that all bonsai can be held indoors when you create the right conditions. As a rule of thumb though, trees prefer an outdoor environment so that's why it is advised to put outdoor bonsai outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please note that only because a tree is native to a climate does not mean that a miniature tree aka bonsai can be just left outside without special care, especially during winter in regions that experience extended periods of frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1432" LastActivityDate="2012-07-15T11:48:23.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4802" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1578" CreationDate="2012-07-15T14:37:46.003" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to my Bonsai books (specifically Practical Bonsai), an outdoor bonsai is just that - it's a plant that would normally grow outside where you are, and it needs to be kept outside, and not in full sun. If you live somewhere that gets very cold in winter, the plant will need to be moved under shelter during the worst temperatures, but really should not be kept indoors for longer than 4 weeks, and preferably only 2 or 3 days. An example of an indoor bonsai in the UK would be Aralia elegantissima, most Ficus varieties, or Crassula arborescens; Pinus parviflora (japanese white pine), Acer varieties, Boxwood are examples of outdoor bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-07-15T15:16:35.940" LastActivityDate="2012-07-15T15:16:35.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4804" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4855" CreationDate="2012-07-15T20:28:28.157" Score="4" ViewCount="1656" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've tried to grow cilantro from seed, and also I've purchased cilantro already grown and kept it on my windowsill. In the case of the cilantro I've grown from seed, it grows the first set of leaves and then promptly dies. In the case of the store-bought cilantro, I think my best track record was keeping the cilantro alive for 3 days before it keeled over. (For what it's worth, I have a very good track record with other plants!!) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard that cilantro is pretty tough and doesn't mind the occasional under- or over-water. I've tried watering every day. I've tried watering only when it's very dry (if it lives long enough to dry out). I've kept it in full sun, part shade, and full shade. Nothing has worked! What am I doing wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1433" LastActivityDate="2012-07-23T19:02:13.887" Title="How to care for cilantro indoors" Tags="&lt;cilantro&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4793" CreationDate="2012-07-16T00:58:37.063" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1656/how-do-i-bake-weeds-out-of-my-landscaping?rq=1&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; will help you.  You can bake them out with hot sun.  Other solutions are pickling vinegar poured on the plants.  Boiling water works on top growth but can lead to burns if it splashes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The key thing is to prevent regrowth.  You could add more marble chips but if it was my garden I would rake out the marble chips and put new fabric on top of the old fabric and then rake the marble chips back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-07-16T00:58:37.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4806" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4809" CreationDate="2012-07-16T03:04:04.617" Score="7" ViewCount="916" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a certain time of year that is best for planting new trees to give them the best chance of survival?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1007" LastActivityDate="2012-07-16T17:06:18.870" Title="What is the best time of year to plant trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="964" CreationDate="2012-07-16T11:12:29.177" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I get the same problem with my lupines every year and about this time I harvest the seeds and cut them back.  They always grow back and often I get some flowers again in September.  I cut mine last week.  That was the end of the first week of July.  Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1436" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-07-16T14:01:59.500" LastActivityDate="2012-07-16T14:01:59.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4806" CreationDate="2012-07-16T11:45:51.380" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know where you are in the world, nor what trees you're thinking of planting, but the general rule is simple - autumn is the best time, or early winter if they are bare root. This should mean they will have a plentiful supply of water over winter, enabling the roots to settle in ready for the following season. They will, though, need to be given water at regular intervals (a good soak) during dry spells the following spring and summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-16T11:45:51.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4809" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4806" CreationDate="2012-07-16T12:28:08.287" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer is....it depends on the species, the kind of weather and your location in the world.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oak trees are usually planted in the spring in the Northern Hemisphere.  The city where I live commonly plants maples, gingko and hackberries in the fall, sometimes into October.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are in a drought it's not a good time to plant a tree no matter what the season or species. If you must plant in a drought, be prepared to water, a lot.  The first few seasons are critical for the development of a good root system and and structure for a tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To provide a counter example if you are planting willows in a wet area they can be so weedy you could do it almost any time you can dig the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bare root stock is almost exclusively planted in the spring with balled and burlapped material which is normally larger being planted spring through fall.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Evergreens in colder areas have a greater chance of success if they are planted in the spring so they have the whole summer to root.  Winter's drying winds can burn an autumn planted evergreen.  The damage to the foliage can be seen for years with some species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry if this answer seems a little scattered but you have asked a wide ranging question so you get an answer going in a lot of directions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: @bamboo Yes, the differences in planting evergreens are due to the much lower winter temperatures that the northerly States and provinces receive. The last few years have also seen much more variability in weather which is harder on evergreens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-07-16T17:06:18.870" LastActivityDate="2012-07-16T17:06:18.870" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4811" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4812" CreationDate="2012-07-16T22:23:39.233" Score="5" ViewCount="848" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you have any idea what this is on my oak tree?  We are in the middle of a drought in Central Illinois and I've been seeing this on the back of my leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZSgYF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1439" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-02T03:40:11.273" LastActivityDate="2016-03-02T03:40:11.273" Title="What is this white fuzz on my oak tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4812" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4811" CreationDate="2012-07-16T23:26:34.173" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It'a a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;gall&lt;/a&gt; of some kind, though I couldn't tell you which species; I'd guess some species of the gall wasp &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall_wasp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Andricus&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-07-16T23:26:34.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4660" CreationDate="2012-07-17T00:24:21.310" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only pest we've noticed so far is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.haskapusa.blogspot.ca/2012/06/zone-3-forest-tent-caterpillars-dine-on.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Forest Tent Caterpillar&lt;/a&gt;. The deer nibbled a bit on fresh growth but did not ravage the young plants like they did the cherries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1440" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-04T23:01:35.010" LastActivityDate="2017-04-04T23:01:35.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4814" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4829" CreationDate="2012-07-17T00:32:13.660" Score="5" ViewCount="288" Body="&lt;p&gt;Near my immature corn plant (only one of them) is an odd, pale yellow, pill-shaped looking &lt;em&gt;plant&lt;/em&gt;(?). Any idea what it is? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eOGB1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eOGB1l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Took a picture a day later and it looks drastically different and dead, not to mention some sort of mushroom:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/pWw75.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/pWw75l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT #2:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took some pics early this morning to see if there were anymore that sprung up and sure enough, these are actually standing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/VcHBp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/VcHBpl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="798" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-07-19T15:38:00.277" LastActivityDate="2014-06-14T06:33:01.300" Title="What is growing in my garden that is pale yellow and pill shaped?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4815" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4817" CreationDate="2012-07-17T00:38:10.093" Score="8" ViewCount="13490" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got the weed shown here all in my yard, and no one can tell me what it is or how to kill it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this and how do I get rid of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click any photo for full size&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kVlDo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kVlDol.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T1cYq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T1cYql.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1441" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-09-22T15:13:41.530" LastActivityDate="2018-07-23T00:52:42.743" Title="How can I get rid of this vine-like weed with small rounded leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4816" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4815" CreationDate="2012-07-17T01:47:29.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on which plant you are referring to in the pictures. The first picture predominantly features bermuda grass. The second picture appears to be &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?sugexp=chrome,mod=0&amp;amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;amp;q=purslaine#hl=en&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=ocIEUMeSEsarrQGzzci-CA&amp;amp;ved=0CEYQvwUoAQ&amp;amp;q=purslane&amp;amp;spell=1&amp;amp;fp=1&amp;amp;biw=1366&amp;amp;bih=677&amp;amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&amp;amp;cad=b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;purslane&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Glyphosate (Roundup) will kill purslane. My experience is that pretty much nothing kills bermuda grass. I heard someone once say to get rid of bermuda grass you need to move. Then move again :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="390" LastActivityDate="2012-07-17T01:47:29.180" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4817" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4815" CreationDate="2012-07-17T04:02:08.890" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_maculata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Euphorbia maculata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (or a closely related species), commonly known as &lt;em&gt;Prostrate Spurge&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;Spotted Spurge&lt;/em&gt;.  More images from Google &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=prostrate%20spurge&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It forms a tap root, so it's fairly easy to control by hand; my technique is to find all the branches radiating from one central stem, them grasp the stem just below the branching point and pull straight up.  I've also found that it responds well to Roundup, if you don't mind using weedkillers.  And just yesterday I used a flame weeder on some, which is extremely effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since it can be confused with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)&lt;/a&gt;, here's a picture of the two of them together for comparison, with the Spurge on the left and Purslane on the right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e3Va3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Spotted Spurge vs. Purslane&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves on the Purslane are paddle-shaped, larger and they are clustered together at the end of the stems.  On the Spurge, they're oval in shape and are spaced evenly on the stem.  The Spurge's leaves are a darker green than those of the Purslane, and they can have an even darker spot in the middle, hence the common name of Spotted Spurge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another way to distinguish is to break the stem: the Spurge will have a milky white sap (careful, it can irritate your skin) that will bead at the broken end of the stem, while the Purslane will have a green, almost clear sap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-08-03T03:48:16.800" LastActivityDate="2012-08-03T03:48:16.800" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4818" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-17T08:32:33.190" Score="3" ViewCount="121" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1519/how-do-i-encourage-morning-glories-to-bloom&quot;&gt;How do I encourage morning glories to bloom?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did see the other answers for morning glories not blooming but didnt find that it answered my question fully.&#xA; Every year i plant either nasturtiums or morning glories in the large window planter in fron tof my house. They always require very little care and bloom profusely. This year I did everything the same, have not fertilized and sun exposure and soil is the same but no blooms. &#xA; The only thing i can think of is that I used mostly seeds collected from last years plants. Is there a process I am unaware of as to storing the old seeds or?? the vines and leaves are otherwise healthy.&#xA;thanks!&#xA;let me know if i should just go back to nasturtiums next year.. I miss my flower blooms climbing all around the front window!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1442" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-07-17T08:32:33.190" Title="My yearly display of morning glories haven't bloomed" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2012-07-27T18:33:28.617" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4819" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1467" CreationDate="2012-07-17T13:24:03.410" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its Digitalis (foxglove). It doesn't have the hairiness of one of the Borage family, although its easy to confuse the two before they flower - the way to tell is by touch. Borage feels unpleasant to handle, Foxglove doesn't, being soft. I suspect it was planted deliberately - it is surrounded by Lamium maculatum and the blue flower appears to be Tradescantia - all these are used in the UK for shade planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-17T13:24:03.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4820" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-17T14:04:17.710" Score="3" ViewCount="272" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3837/what-can-i-grow-in-a-sealed-office-environment-with-no-natural-light-or-airflow&quot;&gt;What can I grow in a sealed office environment with no natural light or airflow?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone recommend a plant that do reasonably well in an office environment please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The office is well lit but I am a good 10m away from any natural source of light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonus points to something that would fruit or at least provide some colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1241" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-21T17:57:01.553" LastActivityDate="2018-01-21T17:57:01.553" Title="Plants that grow well in offices" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2012-08-23T15:28:40.017" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4821" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5183" CreationDate="2012-07-17T15:15:48.757" Score="5" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to pick a type of grass for my backyard lawn. I've researched some on wikipedia such as:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kikuyu grass:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennisetum_clandestinum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennisetum_clandestinum&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kentucky Bluegrass:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poa_pratensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poa_pratensis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bermuda Grass:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_grass&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_grass&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But still don't know which is best for an Arizona backyard. I've had the guy from the Nursery come out and look but he's never heard of Kikuyu grass so is not much help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone out there have experience with multiple grass types in Phoenix, AZ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-07-17T16:38:59.773" LastActivityDate="2012-09-12T02:51:35.437" Title="How do I pick the right type of grass for my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4822" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2578" CreationDate="2012-07-17T21:08:55.287" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you cant find someone to take it you can look into someone to haul it for you. There are lots of options as far as haulers that will take mixed debris but I've had good luck with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.budgetdumpster.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;www.budgetdumpster.com&lt;/a&gt;. They've gotten me the best prices I could find on a rental dumpsters. Depending on your area they are a great option especially for small to medium sized projects because you don't have to worry about finding disposal as they'll take it to a yard for you. Hope that helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1443" LastActivityDate="2012-07-17T21:08:55.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4823" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4845" CreationDate="2012-07-17T21:38:12.897" Score="4" ViewCount="637" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recall reading something on companion planting and crop rotation that mentioned some crops shouldn't be planted near or where garlic or other alliums were planted. The reason was that those plants would have stunted growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this true and if so what plants are affected by this? Are there any plants that benefit from being grown in a location where garlic was?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2012-07-22T12:43:16.570" Title="Are there any plants that shouldn't be planted near garlic?" Tags="&lt;companion-planting&gt;&lt;crop-rotation&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4824" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4823" CreationDate="2012-07-18T00:31:13.857" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted garlic as a rabit deterrent around all my plants.  I didn't realize that garlic can cause stunted growth, but here is my data:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants that seen not to have been affected: tomoatoes, squash (various kinds)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants that are smaller than I would like: marigolds, some hot peppers, eggplants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if the lack of growth is due to the garlic or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastActivityDate="2012-07-18T00:31:13.857" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4826" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4792" CreationDate="2012-07-18T05:05:22.643" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never had a problem with cucumber beetles nor do I have any experience using the following products but this is what's listed in my current &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.johnnyseeds.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Johnny's Selected Seeds&lt;/a&gt; catalog as their recommendations for cucumber beetles. They are all marked as organic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.biosafesystems.com/Product-Ag-AzaGuard.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Azaguard&lt;/a&gt; - $134 Qt.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://bioworksinc.com/products/mycotrol-o.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mycotrol O&lt;/a&gt; - $109 Qt.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mgk.com/Crop-Protection/PyGanic_1_4.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pyganic&lt;/a&gt;* - 1.4% concentration for $69.95 Qt. or 5% concentration for $179 Qt.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.saferbrand.com/store/garden-care/5118&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Safer Insect Soap&lt;/a&gt; - $12.95 16 oz.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Safer Brand site lists their &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.saferbrand.com/store/garden-care/5085&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tomato and Vegetable Insect Killer&lt;/a&gt; as their recommended product for cucumber beetles which you can read about &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.saferbrand.com/advice/insect-library/garden-insects/all-about-cucumber-beetles/control-options&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*&lt;em&gt;Can't be shipped to Canada or Alaska and has restricted uses in California.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of the products listed I'd try the &lt;code&gt;Tomato and Vegetable Insect Killer&lt;/code&gt; or &lt;code&gt;Insect Killing Soap&lt;/code&gt; not only because they're the cheapest options but also because it should be easy to find locally and I've had good results with their other products in the past. I haven't checked the other products but these say you can use it up until the day of harvest so you should be safe eating from the plants you're currently applying this to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Their instructions on use are to thoroughly moisten all plant surfaces where insects are feeding or resting and apply every 7-10 days when insects are present or as needed to prevent damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2012-07-23T23:02:09.580" LastActivityDate="2012-07-23T23:02:09.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4827" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4792" CreationDate="2012-07-18T11:33:48.080" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From &quot;The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control&quot;, p262-263:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prevention:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove and destroy crop residues&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover with floating row cover (and pollinate by hand)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cure:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apply kaolin clay, especially to leaf undersides; reapply after rain&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Handpick or vacuum beetles&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apply parasitic nematodes to soil weekly to control larvae&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spray with pyrethrin -- &lt;em&gt;as a last resort&lt;/em&gt;, since this will kill beneficials like bees.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For both species, larvae and adults can spread wilt and mosaic virus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-07-18T11:33:48.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4073" CreationDate="2012-07-18T12:22:16.630" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This may sound old fashioned, but I'd get myself a very good palm book and then make my choice. Several recommendations for the most useful are made on this site : www.florida-palm-trees.com/palm-tree-books or else just Google 'books on palm trees'. I'd probably choose 'All About Palms' because its not too expensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-18T12:22:16.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4829" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4814" CreationDate="2012-07-18T16:44:01.017" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pretty things! I've been unable to establish what they are (my references here are to British toadstools/mushrooms) but they may be impossible to get rid of. They are just the fruiting bodies of underground mycelium of which you will be largely unaware the rest of the time - now is the time for them to 'fruit' so to speak. You can just twist them off at the base, using a plastic bag over your hand in order to contain them in case they have viable spores beneath their caps. Some reproduce in this way, some don't. If you have used bark chips or any woody material, that is what they are growing from, or have been introduced from. Fungi perform part of the task of breaking down dead matter. Hopefully someone else will recognise quite what they are. Might be part of the Mycena group, but hard to be sure - pic's a bit dark. If it is mycena of some kind, they usually have a groove down the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-07-18T17:05:21.593" LastActivityDate="2012-07-18T17:05:21.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4830" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4831" CreationDate="2012-07-18T19:36:37.783" Score="7" ViewCount="2267" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started enjoying Bonsai a few years ago.  I enjoy the experience but I also like the challenge.  It is my understanding that growing bonsai from seeds can be difficult but fun for those who enjoy the experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which species of trees are easiest for the new bonsai artist to start with when he or she is ready to grow from seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1444" LastActivityDate="2013-02-23T23:12:21.077" Title="I want to grow bonsai from seeds. What are some of the easiest tree species to start with?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4831" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4830" CreationDate="2012-07-19T01:36:21.123" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why not look around your neighborhood for seedlings and try with some of those?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my area you can find seed and seedlings from maple, oak, linden, cedar (arborvitae) and the odd mulberry just by walking around the parks. Your area should have a different but equally interesting selections. A bit of quick work with a trowel and a plastic bag and you have bonsai material at no cost, and no guilt if it should die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some trees are better bonsai subjects than others.  The criteria include&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;diminution of leaf size&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mature bark features in a young tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;whether it will flower as a bonsai&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ease of shaping to a style&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wanted to try tropical bonsai that would stay indoors all the time some easy options include&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;boxwood - outdoor plant can be kept indoors- start from cuttings or buy a plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;citrus - orange and grapefruit trees sprout easily from seed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;jade plant - should not need wiring - easy from cuttings or leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;date palm -easy if you start with fresh dates&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ficus family - ficus pumila would be easier with it's small leaves but the common ficus from a tropical plant store has possibilities&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podocarpus_macrophyllus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Podocarpus macrophylla&lt;/a&gt; or Buddhist pine - nice plant - harder to find - sometimes available from tropical plant suppliers - nice bark, leaves get a little smaller, easy to train&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyscias_fruticosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ming aralia&lt;/a&gt;- beautiful plant for indoor bonsai, leaves are proportionate to the pot size, bark goes gray early in it's growth, buds from old wood&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-07-19T14:35:46.890" LastActivityDate="2012-07-19T14:35:46.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4832" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4833" CreationDate="2012-07-19T02:51:47.987" Score="12" ViewCount="62878" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing peppers this summer and they have been doing great.  The fruit is really starting to take off, but now I have 3 or 4 of my larger fruit getting these brown spots.  This is a Red Marconi pepper.  Can anyone give me any guidance on what to do to alleviate this problem.  I have done some research and found that it might be some type of fruit rot, but I am not sure what to do help it if it is.  I am concerned this could spread to my Bhut Jolokia or Red Thai which are next to these if it is some sort of disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants are being grown in a pot and I have been feeding them some miracle grow for vegetables maybe once every 2 weeks.  The pot is not over watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oQQOM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Brown Spot 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/296EQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Brown Spot 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1323" LastActivityDate="2019-06-08T18:56:11.533" Title="Brown Spots on peppers" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4833" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4832" CreationDate="2012-07-19T12:47:10.060" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would have said &lt;strong&gt;Blossom End Rot&lt;/strong&gt; because that seems to be the most rot along these lines., and especially as you have it on a few of the larger fruit. It is caused by a Calcium deficiency. Check your MiracleGro - it is probably almost all NPK but might have Calcium in smaller quantities. Is that enough? I don't know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually the problem occurs more due to a mobility problem with the Calcium when watering is erratic - yes the plant might get water, but it might go a couple of days without water and then get it all at once. I have seen this and is probably hard to avoid with modern drought restrictions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ohio State have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3117.html&quot;&gt;Blossom End Rot Fact Sheet&lt;/a&gt; that is worth reading. As well as lack of Ca in the soil, and erratic watering, they mention &quot;competitive cations&quot;. What they mean is the pepper plant is absorbing similar ions to Calcium instead of Calcium - and then has a lack of calcium in the fruit. They mention ammonium specifically, but magnesium is probably a candidate (it is common, and is chemically very similar). Check your MiracleGro - if it is ammonium based, them this could be your cause. OSU's recommendations are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maintain the soil pH around 6.5. Liming will supply calcium and will increase the ratio of calcium ions to other competitive ions in&#xA;  the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Use nitrate nitrogen as the fertilizer nitrogen source. Ammoniacal nitrogen may increase blossom-end rot as excess ammonium ions reduce&#xA;  calcium uptake. Avoid over-fertilization as side dressings during&#xA;  early fruiting, especially with ammoniacal forms of nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Avoid drought stress and wide fluctuations in soil moisture by using mulches and/or irrigation. Plants generally need about one inch&#xA;  of moisture per week from rain or irrigation for proper growth and&#xA;  development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Foliar applications of calcium, which are often advocated, are of little value because of poor absorption and movement to fruit where it&#xA;  is needed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I've seen it, watering has been the main issue during drought conditions. Rot has not been too widespread. Pick the fruit before the rot gets too big. You can still eat it - just cut the rot off. If you wait too long, the rot will spread (secondary infections have taken over) and there's nothing worth saving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-07-19T12:47:10.060" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4834" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4760" CreationDate="2012-07-19T15:52:25.200" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Allow me to respond to this inquiry from the perspective of the United States Department of Agriculture. Regarding the movement of citrus nursery stock into the state of Arizona, it is true that one of the main challenges we face is the potential movement of existing citrus pests from an area of infestation to an area free from such pests. In this instance, the potential movement of citrus greening and its vector, the Asian Citrus Psyllid, is our main concern. Many of the major citrus nursery stock production areas lie in or near areas where one or both of these two pests have been detected. However, neither Citrus greening nor the Asian Citrus Psyllid is known to occur in Arizona. Therefore, in an ongoing effort to protect not only the commercial citrus industry but also this popular residential landscape plant, federal officials, along with their Arizona state counterparts, regulate the movement of nursery stock into the state. With these efforts, which include meeting certain safeguarding requirements (pre-shipment inspections, treatments, etc.) it is our goal to maintain a healthy citrus industry in Arizona for many years to come. For more information, you can check out the following website: www.saveourcitrus.org. The Arizona Nursery Association may be able to provide a list of nurseries from which to choose your new navel orange tree....480-966-1610 or email: info@azna.org.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1446" LastEditorUserId="1446" LastEditDate="2012-07-19T15:59:12.303" LastActivityDate="2012-07-19T15:59:12.303" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4835" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4820" CreationDate="2012-07-19T16:47:40.783" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The other thread included a very good list, but I have one more to add - Zamioculcas, also called &quot;ZZ plant&quot;. I have one at home that was about 5 feet from a window, and doing very poorly. I moved it to a corner that is about 20 feet from the window and gets no direct sun, and now it is thriving. Very hardy, likes to be neglected. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2012-07-19T16:47:40.783" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4836" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4864" CreationDate="2012-07-20T05:03:36.667" Score="9" ViewCount="2429" Body="&lt;p&gt;We moved into a house with a large in-ground pool, and have been learning to maintain it (I'm a yard-work newbie). We skim leaves and twigs out every few days, and some days there is rather a lot of them. For example after some storms this week, there was a lot of leaves in the skimmer basket and that I skimmed out manually. I can't even imagine what it will be like when the trees start losing their leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any preferred way to deal with this waste? What would be most &lt;strong&gt;practical, economical, and environmentally-friendly&lt;/strong&gt; of my choices?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dump them on the lawn, let them blow away?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dump them on the concrete, let them dry out and crumble?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Compost them? (I have no idea if this is feasible)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Accumulate them in village yard-waste bags and put them out with the trash?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Something else?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We use standard chlorine tablets, occasionally augmented via chlorine &quot;shock&quot; powder, chlorine stabilizer (cyanuric acid), and simple chemicals to adjust the pH when needed. We use a basic pump and sand filter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1080" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-07-25T12:46:18.153" LastActivityDate="2012-07-25T12:46:18.153" Title="What should I do with leaves skimmed out of a pool?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;disposal&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4837" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4836" CreationDate="2012-07-20T12:04:33.647" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes you can compost them - the most efficient way to compost leaves is to use black binliners and compost them separately from your compost heap, in particular the autumn leaf fall.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;They use a different process to break down compared to other garden waste, and are better processed alone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The drawback is, you need somewhere to store the binliners full of leaves out of sight for a year, maybe more if your climate is cool (in Britain, this process can take up to 2 years, but more usually one).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put the leaves in a black binliner, cram them in, tie the top. Now poke a few holes in the bottom of the bag, and put the bag somewhere out of sight to rot down on its own, preferably on soil, or somewhere that any fluids which seep out of the holes do not cause staining. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once it's ready, you will have something we in the UK call 'black gold', though frankly, the nutrient content varies depending which leaves comprise the result. The best from a nutrient point of view are oak leaves, but all are useful to a degree as compost. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The composting process is faster if the leaves are 'chopped' in some way beforehand, for instance, running the mower over them first, but they will still rot down eventually anyway, even unchopped. Large bits of twig will not rot down very easily though.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Leaves should be wet or damp when placed in the bag, or crammed in and then some water added, just to moisten them. If you have a saline pool, it would be best to hose off the leaves before placing in the bag to flush off most of the salts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing I am not sure about with this process is the use of chloraminine rather than chlorine in water in some parts of the States - this may cause some problems with the resulting compost, or it may not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1186" LastEditDate="2012-07-23T16:00:27.287" LastActivityDate="2012-07-23T16:00:27.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4840" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1519" CreationDate="2012-07-21T16:36:01.507" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a morning glory trellis that had healthy plants with copious flowers every year, then last year - no flowers until just a half dozen or so just before the first frost.  This year again nothing until mid-July.  I had read about poor soil and not over watering so I did neither.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, yesterday I decided to try a different approach and bought Miracle-Gro Bloom Booster for the high phosphorus content.  I applied it at 8PM last night and at 7:30AM when I went out for the morning paper every vine had tiny blossum shoots starting, literally hundreds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am convinced.  If your glories are not blooming, add phosphorus.  The middle number.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1450" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-07-23T13:35:22.023" LastActivityDate="2012-07-23T13:35:22.023" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4841" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4844" CreationDate="2012-07-21T20:04:14.963" Score="3" ViewCount="233" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 10-15 50cm tall lettuce basil plants hanging in large flower pots over my balcony.  They are approx. 14 weeks old.  I have for about 4 weeks now been cutting the tops of the plants or pinching whenever flowers have developed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming optimal environmental conditions, is there a limit to the amount of times I can continue to do this before the plant will die?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am very happy with these plants and would like to produce and conserve seeds for next year but would like to delay this as long as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1451" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-07-25T13:49:24.017" LastActivityDate="2012-07-25T13:49:24.017" Title="How long can I continue to pinch flowers from a basil plant" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;pinching-out&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4842" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4843" CreationDate="2012-07-21T21:53:35.483" Score="2" ViewCount="836" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am having a problem with keep the grass around my trees green. Half a dozen trees died in the area last year, so I am trying to make sure that doesn't happen to more. I suspect I am not getting enough water to the area despite having almost maxed out my water rationing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I remembered awhile back seeing a rod that you would stick in the ground that water a few feet below the ground level in order to keep the roots growing deep and not pulling water that the grass needs. Here is an &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000P7M740&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;example on Amazon&lt;/a&gt;. I wasn't able to find one at my local hardware store and the selection is very small online. This has got me wondering if they really don't work that well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, are these actually helpful to use? If not, is there any approach I should be taking to try to get enough water to this area?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My current water rationing allows me to water 2 days a week for a total of 10 hours during each of those days. Split this across 10 zones and I am maxed out at an hour per zone, 2 days a week. Currently I am watering this area for 45 minutes, 2 days a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="946" LastActivityDate="2012-07-24T19:40:03.150" Title="How to keep a tree and the grass around it well watered?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4843" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4842" CreationDate="2012-07-22T11:37:57.213" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd be more concerned about the trees dying from lack of water than the grass which surrounds them, frankly. Have you considered cutting away the grass at the base of the trees and replacing with a mulch instead? A humus rich mulch such as bark chips or good composted material applied in spring, when the ground is moist, would conserve moisture for the trees, and you wouldn't then have brown grass at some point in the year. You could shape the edge of grass left further out from the trees to give a neat finish, and in an area where water is a scarce commodity, that certainly might be a better solution than trying to work out how to keep the grass green. Bear in mind that any mulch you choose to use should not be heaped up around the base of the trunks of the trees - you need the 'soil' (or in this case, mulch) to remain at its current level immediately against the trunks. How useful this might be as a solution does rather depend on the size of the area of grass which doesn't stay green and the number of trees concerned though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-07-22T14:03:03.413" LastActivityDate="2012-07-22T14:03:03.413" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4844" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4841" CreationDate="2012-07-22T11:52:41.533" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need at least 6 weeks between letting it flower and your first 'frost date', and 8 weeks would be safer, since, to some extent, the onset of colder weather is a bit of a moveable feast, well in the UK it is anyway. The plant needs time to set the flower, for pollination to occur, and seed to be produced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-22T11:52:41.533" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4845" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4823" CreationDate="2012-07-22T12:43:16.570" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to my Companion Planting book, legumes, peas and potatoes should not be grown with or near garlic because it affects their flavour and growth. Everything else (carrots, etc) is fine, in fact, the garlic may well have a good effect on pests which affect other crops, such as carrot fly. There is an idea that planting garlic near roses means the roses have fewer diseases, in particular, blackspot, which doesn't thrive in the presence of sulphur - garlic accumulates sulphur as it grows, so in theory, it should have an impact, but I've not noticed any real difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-22T12:43:16.570" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4846" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="146" CreationDate="2012-07-22T14:15:22.507" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I was actively going after the thistles in the lawn, I used vinegar right down the center of the plant. Killed the growth, controlled the spread effectively and didn't hurt our animals. For several years, using this method, I have only seen a handful try to reemerge and were quickly tamped down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1453" LastActivityDate="2012-07-22T14:15:22.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4847" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3810" CreationDate="2012-07-22T20:37:36.673" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a non-native bush honeysuckle, most likely &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouriplants.com/Whiteopp/Lonicera_maackii_page.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Amur honeysuckle&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Lonicera maackii&lt;/em&gt;). It's a terrible, highly invasive weed across most of eastern North America. I'm sure the DuPage Forest Preserve District would be more than happy if you called them up and volunteered to help them remove more of it :) (but fyi, it's illegal to dig it or any other plants up from the preserve on your own without permission). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastActivityDate="2012-07-22T20:37:36.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4848" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4858" CreationDate="2012-07-22T21:34:03.477" Score="3" ViewCount="214" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 5 groupings of basil plants, each containing between 5-7 unique plants.  I would like to produce enough seeds (say 100) to replant the same total amount of basil next season.&#xA;I have throughout the season been pinching out flowers to delay the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How many groupings of plants should I stop pinching out in order to produce the desired amount of seed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1451" LastActivityDate="2012-07-24T21:04:04.903" Title="How many basil plants required to produce seed?" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;pinching-out&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4849" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4853" CreationDate="2012-07-23T00:15:49.453" Score="4" ViewCount="1557" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not able to kill these weeds in my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on any image for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JUKIs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JUKIsl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;wild&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dtFqZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dtFqZl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;wild2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MeEMJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MeEMJl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;wild3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1454" LastEditorUserId="392" LastEditDate="2012-07-24T02:54:01.843" LastActivityDate="2012-07-24T02:54:01.843" Title="How do I kill these weeds in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fall-gardening&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4850" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-23T00:52:02.293" Score="4" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;My fiancee has a miniature rose she was given as a gift, which we keep indoors as we live in an apartment. After recovering from being left in an abandoned office for a week or so, it's been thriving - survived a summer, this last winter, and into this summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This summer however, it got hit with a very bad case of powdery mildew, and by the time we managed to get something to treat it, it's sustained some pretty bad damage. Essentially all its leaves are curled and brittle, and it looks &quot;dead&quot; - or close to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there something that can be done to salvage it? Is there a place to cut to essentially encourage new growth and starting over? Or is it on its way out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1455" LastActivityDate="2012-07-23T12:08:55.250" Title="Salvaging a Damaged Miniature Rose" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4852" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4850" CreationDate="2012-07-23T12:08:55.250" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might be on its way out, unfortunately. I don't know what you sprayed with, but in future, if you have no suitable fungicide and it happens again, mix 1 part cow's milk to 9 parts water in a spray bottle and spray with that, till run off, under the leaves as well as on top.&#xA;In the meantime, some emergency treatment might be worth carrying out - cut the stems down to about 2 inches and check whether it needs a bigger pot by turning it out of the pot it's in and seeing if its rootbound. If it does need potting on, then do that, using fresh potting compost. If it doesn't, then feed it, ordinary houseplant food will do at this stage for its nitrogen content. Don't overwater at this stage - it may not be using too much with no topgrowth, but water when the surface of the compost feels dry to the touch, but not shrunken from the sides of the pot. And keep your fingers crossed...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-23T12:08:55.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4853" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4849" CreationDate="2012-07-23T13:33:23.383" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like you have clover and thyme and grass all co existing in the same area.  This mix is actually recommended for a low maintenance area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not recommend Round up to solve this.  You would have to apply it over the whole area and really soak it in then you would not be able to do replanting for at least a week or more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is just as effective to dig up the area with a turf spade and re sod. You would be doing that anyway if you apply Roundup.  Or, if you wait till fall you can over seed with grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that is thyme in the photos then the question is how can it compete with grass?  Normally grass has no problems out growing it.  Thyme thrives on dry soils with lots of sun.  Consider applying compost or other organic matter to help retain moisture.  This will prevent the thyme from reappearing from any seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-07-23T13:33:23.383" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4854" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4848" CreationDate="2012-07-23T16:49:24.510" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay, if they're all the same variety, assuming normal pollination occurs, you should get a good number of viable seeds from just one plant, so if you want to continue cropping, pinch out the flowers from half your crop as you have been doing, and let the other half go to seed. Although most likely, you will only need to let about 1-3 plants seed, but just to be on the safe side... How many seeds to an individual seed pod or plant is hard to predict, it's not an exact science.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-23T16:49:24.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4855" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4804" CreationDate="2012-07-23T19:02:13.887" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have never had issues growing cilantro inside. Here are a few things to check on&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Heat - Cilantro does not do well with heat. Put a thermometer on or near the pot. cilantro prefer early and late day sun, make sure it shaded during the heat of the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting Bowl - at least 18 inches wide and 8 to 10 inches deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting - Put the seeds in the soil and then cover them with about a 1/4 inch layer of soil. I know a friend that puts her's in sand until they germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil - fast-draining potting soil. Mist with water at first, Cilantro are kind of delicate don't dump water on them fill slowly around the edges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1296" LastActivityDate="2012-07-23T19:02:13.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4857" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2629" CreationDate="2012-07-24T08:50:20.003" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to the above helpful hints: You can help spread your plant by cutting about four or three inches off the top of a few stalks, harvest the leaves you need and re-plant the stem in the soil an inch deep. I have done this with store-bought mint leaves on stalks and they have propagated very well. Very happy with my pot of mint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1456" LastActivityDate="2012-07-24T08:50:20.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4858" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4848" CreationDate="2012-07-24T13:45:47.343" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to be able to collect seeds from year-to-year indefinitely without a decline in the health (genetics) of your basil population, you should collect seed from at least 20 plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will also want to be careful to select seed from only the &quot;best&quot;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; plants. If you collect seed from weaker plants then you are not removing weak genes from the pool and the quality of the plants you get from your collected seed will suffer after a couple of generations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; For whatever value(s) of &quot;best&quot; is important to you: flavor, vigor, disease resistance, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-07-24T21:04:04.903" LastActivityDate="2012-07-24T21:04:04.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4859" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4860" CreationDate="2012-07-24T14:31:01.500" Score="6" ViewCount="1333" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm building a fairly large raised brick pond in the back garden. It's walled on both the inside and outside of the pond, so you can't see the foil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;the wall stretches out about 7,5 meters (24ft) round, and is about 1 meter (3ft) tall. &#xA;The wall is cemented, and flushed afterwards with normal mortar (based on portland cement)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does the water eventually break down the interior wall? I know it will inevitably damage it by time, but will the wall hold?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does the water get effected by the mortar in such a way that it won't get 'clean'. (for plant growth purposes only)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first year, only waterplants will inhabit the pond.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different sources give different perspectives: some say to clean the dried wall with vinegar, others say that I have to fill the pond with water, adding 1 liter of vinegar with every 100 liter water... others say don't do anything.&#xA;What to do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1340" OwnerDisplayName="Joris" LastEditorUserId="32" LastEditDate="2012-07-24T19:35:08.800" LastActivityDate="2016-09-01T13:24:35.823" Title="Will brickwork affect the water quality of a pond?" Tags="&lt;pond&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4860" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4859" CreationDate="2012-07-24T16:26:56.310" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, mortar and concrete will affect water quality for the first little while. How long depends on the pH of your local water and how diligent you are at reducing the reactivity of the mortar by using acidic agents like vinegar.  If the pH of the water tends to become extremely alkaline you can counteract this with muriatic acid.  However there are other considerations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are going to the effort of building an enclosure like this I assume you want it to last more than a few years.  Water is actually quite corrosive and will leach calcium from mortar.  Your wall might have a reduced lifespan because of this.  It is more likely that slight shifts in the base due to the weight of water (10 pounds per gallon) will cause cracks in the mortar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a job for &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPDM&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;EPDM pool liner&lt;/a&gt;!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yes, it adds to the cost. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;With an expected lifespan of over 25 years and good heat water and weather resistance this is the product to use if you only want to do it once.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not use swimming pool liner which will leach chemicals into the water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it can be tricky to fold the liner inside an enclosure so practice before the final lay.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;see the attached diagram for how to avoid capillary action between folds in the liner which causes hard to detect leaks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I touched up my quick little drawing to show that the liner prevents water from touching the mortar and brick, hope that helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XJJaE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;How to use pool liner&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-07-24T19:14:32.857" LastActivityDate="2012-07-24T19:14:32.857" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4861" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2629" CreationDate="2012-07-24T18:49:52.170" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Like many of the others, I just harvest the youngest leaves of my mint plants. If I am chopping them up to cook, I find it easies to just pinch off the little cluster of 4 leaves at the top of each stem. They are tender and mild, and easy to chop up. As an added benefit, harvesting this way causes the plant to grow bushier, so it looks nicer in the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I need a full sprig, for example if I am adding it to lemonade or a pitcher of water, I just snip off the top few inches of a stem. Again, this causes the plant to fill out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2012-07-24T18:49:52.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4842" CreationDate="2012-07-24T19:40:03.150" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree that in your case I would probably remove the grass under the tree and replace with mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, I have a suggestion for watering the tree - if you have a 5 gallon bucket, you can poke a few holes in the bottom of it, place it under the tree you want to water, fill it with water, cover it, and let the water slowly seep out into the ground. You should plan about 10 gallons of water, per tree, per inch of trunk diameter, per week. This will tell you how many times you need to refill that bucket. If you have one bucket per tree, it can make it much easier to get all of your watering in with the watering restrictions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2012-07-24T19:40:03.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4863" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-25T10:02:54.750" Score="9" ViewCount="5427" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a fairly small yard, in which I've got a well-established (no idea of the age) mirabelle plum tree, and 3 young trees that I bought last year (malus apple, conference pear, I-forget-exactly-what-but-not-bing cherry).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to do some grafting, with the goals of providing pollinators and adding variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions concerning compatibility:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The neighbor has a quince and at least one apple tree. This year, my apple was the only one of the new trees that produced fruit. No problem grafting a scion from his apple onto mine, right?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Would scions from his quince take on my apple (or pear)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've seen online that pear, apple, and quince can be grafted together (in fact, putting an apple onto a quince rootstock is supposed to make it a dwarf). Is this true?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've also seen online that plum and cherry (and a few others...) can be grafted together. Is this true? Could I put some cherry pollinators on my plum tree? Could I put some fresh plum branches on my cherry tree (to make a &quot;backup&quot; of the old tree)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions concerning technique:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The hot season (i.e., now) is when I should be T-budding, right? Why would whip-and-tongue grafts not take?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1458" LastActivityDate="2017-02-03T08:21:06.537" Title="Grafting compatibility" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4864" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4836" CreationDate="2012-07-25T10:11:05.180" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Instead of using a binliner, as Bamboo stated, you can just dump the leaves under the hedge.&#xA;It sounds somewhat mocking, but it is fairly easy, efficiënt and helping! small insects, hedgehogs, birds and sorts benefit from the waste. Eventually it dries, crumbles and putrefies. I've done it for years, it works.&#xA;Just make sure the hedge is large and thick enough, so it's no nuisance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't have a hedge, you can dump it in the woods (in some countries this is illegal though) or put it in a hole in the ground, covered with soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The chlorine should not have a significant effect; the concentration is too small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1340" LastActivityDate="2012-07-25T10:11:05.180" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4865" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4866" CreationDate="2012-07-25T11:57:04.263" Score="4" ViewCount="2776" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a problem with my house plant that I want to research on the net about what may have caused it and how to prevent it.  The problem is I have no idea of the name of the plant.  It looks like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S82GF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1459" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-07-25T12:42:50.357" LastActivityDate="2012-07-26T02:41:39.003" Title="What is this houseplant with large waxy leaves and a reddish base?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4866" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4865" CreationDate="2012-07-25T12:37:34.930" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philodendron&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;philodendron&lt;/a&gt; plant. Probably a cultivar like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ambius.com/ambius-catalogs/floor-plants/medium-light/philodendron-red-congo/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;Red Congo&quot;&lt;/a&gt;.  I don't see any problems with this plant in the photo.  The thing that does surprise people is the speed with which the aerial roots grow.  I did maintenance at a hotel which had a similar cultivar in good light and the manager complained about the &quot;snakes&quot; coming out of the pots.  It did no good to explain that they were roots....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cultivation&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;low to medium light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;avoid cold temperatures and over watering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;happy to be pot bound&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mature specimens grow aerial roots &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Edit: they are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aroideae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Aroids&lt;/a&gt; and have a flower structure which has a hood and a spathe inside it. It opens up, waits for a beetle to propagate it and then drops off. Their relatives, the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathiphyllum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;spathiphyllums&lt;/a&gt;,  have many flowers at the same time. With spaths you can get the flower to last longer if you break off the spathe at the base. This will probably work with Philodendrons too. It does no harm to any aroid for the flower to eventually die.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-07-26T02:41:39.003" LastActivityDate="2012-07-26T02:41:39.003" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4867" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4868" CreationDate="2012-07-25T14:02:54.213" Score="3" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a (very) small pond (well, it's a .5x.5 bin with foil) with some still standing water inside. It's mainly inhabited by frogs, insects and visited by the local cats and contains a lot of duckweed. (it's more a 'frog ditch' than a pond...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year, I put a small willow trunk in the water, and after a while, it started to grow. That is not specifically special (willows like water), but it's still growing and it has it's complications. The small branches quickly get too high which makes the trunk topple. The small branches lie in the water, and after a while, new branches start to grow. Under water, the trunk creates roots, which start to rot once they appear above water level (due to toppling).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What to do? I don't want to pull the trunk out of the water; I like the small growing willow. But what will happen once I fix the trunk in some way or another? will it grow, silt up and become a 'full blown' healthy willow tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1340" LastActivityDate="2012-07-25T14:54:46.060" Title="Willowbranch in small pond: it grows, but what now?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pond&gt;&lt;weeping-willow&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4868" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4867" CreationDate="2012-07-25T14:54:46.060" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Willows will grow in any combination of wet and soil.  They might grow slower when grown in water without soil but most species will get too large for a small pond/ditch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With my pond I use a plastic planting basket or a pot with holes in the side and put the cutting or stem in this with some substrate to hold it up.  Pea stone or coconut coir provide stability without adding nitrogen to the water as soil would do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This has worked for Joe pye weed, bull rushes, button-bush and water iris.  All the plants need is a little support and they do the rest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-07-25T14:54:46.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4869" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4546" CreationDate="2012-07-26T03:13:01.073" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is wild grape vine!  The leaves of wild grape vary quite a bit, but this is one type.  Look up Vitis mustangensis,  Mustang Grape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1462" LastEditorUserId="1462" LastEditDate="2012-07-26T03:19:53.123" LastActivityDate="2012-07-26T03:19:53.123" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4870" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4872" CreationDate="2012-07-26T06:56:47.033" Score="10" ViewCount="1193" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a 4 foot by 8 foot bed of &lt;code&gt;Mara des Bois&lt;/code&gt; strawberries that's been growing for about 4 years now. Due to excessive heat the last two years about half the plants have died. I would like to dig up the remaining plants and move them to a better spot in the garden. Would it be better to do this in the fall or spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since I'll be moving the plants and will be able to amend the soil is there anything in particular that I should add for them or is compost/composted manure good enough?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2012-07-26T15:27:57.133" Title="When is the best time of year to transplant established strawberries?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4618" CreationDate="2012-07-26T13:51:18.507" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Water well and frequently - you haven't said how large/old the tree is, nor what variety it is, but if its all wilting, I'm assuming it's not a large tree. Difficult to be precise about how much water and how often without further information, but you have cut its water uptake roots (so to speak) so supplying plenty of water for the next 6 to 8 weeks should help the situation. Nothing else will.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-07-26T17:14:35.643" LastActivityDate="2012-07-26T17:14:35.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4872" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4870" CreationDate="2012-07-26T15:27:57.133" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I usually move mine in the spring, but have moved them in the early fall with good results. If you live in a cold climate, be sure to move them early enough so they can get established before the ground freezes. I generally just use compost and composted manure, but others may have better advice on ammendments. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2012-07-26T15:27:57.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4873" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4878" CreationDate="2012-07-26T21:11:50.293" Score="4" ViewCount="3057" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have moved to a property where the lawn has not been cut for (according to neighbours) 2 years, and the grasses are now about 2 feet high with seeds. I would like some advice about which ones to keep and which ones to remove. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one seems the easiest place to start:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5aukl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Thick and coarse&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is very thick and coarse and has tough seeds which do not fall off easily. After cutting it grows back very quickly. The cut patches seem to be raised above the surrounding areas. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is what it looks like a few days after cutting:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zk58e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I guess I should remove these (dig them out)? They appear in small clumps all over the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one is finer, though almost as tall as the coarse one, and the seeds are quite soft and fall off easily:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AyHRv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After cutting, they seem a &lt;em&gt;bit&lt;/em&gt; coarse but do not seem unpleasant. So should I save these and maybe harvest the seeds to sow on the bare/thin patches ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And then there is this one, which is very fine and about half the height of the other two:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SLpco.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing that this is the &quot;best&quot; lawn grass, as it is so fine and wispy, so should I save these and harvest the seeds for sowing ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I estimate that there is about 10% of the first one, 60% of the 2nd one, and 30% of the 3rd one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I harvest the 2nd and 3rd one for sowing the bare/thin patches, should I use a mixture of them, or maybe just stick with the 3rd one?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1464" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-19T21:54:59.643" LastActivityDate="2015-12-19T22:06:38.737" Title="Which grasses should I keep in this terribly overgrown lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4874" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-26T23:30:04.617" Score="6" ViewCount="170" Body="&lt;p&gt;Woo-hoo! Starting to get excited... it will soon be spring again and looking ready to growing some good food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our spring begins in September which is about 5 weeks away so I am interested in finding out what I should be doing to my vegetable beds to prepare for planting in spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have quite mild winters and I am in Zone 4. I can pretty much clear out the beds completely if necessary as I only have a minimal amount of carrots / radishes occupying beds and some beans which will need to be left, but won't be in the way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I need to do anything to aerate the soil?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What type (organic only) and how much fertiliser should I be adding?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I start occasionally watering the beds? As the beds are getting dried out as we have relatively low rainfall.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="1096" LastEditDate="2012-08-02T01:58:44.870" LastActivityDate="2012-08-02T01:58:44.870" Title="What should I be doing one month out to prepare garden beds for spring?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4874" CreationDate="2012-07-27T00:46:39.167" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have acidic soil, now is a good time to add lime. Or if you have acidic soil and deficits of phosphate and potash, you could add wood ash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wanted to warm up the soil, now is a good time to put out plastic mulch. But it sounds like you don't have to worry about warming up the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My winters are more severe (in a normal winter I'd have snow on the ground until 1-4 weeks past the official start of spring), but about four weeks before planting is when I would add manure. I use horse manure because I have a large supply handy, but you could use whatever you have available nearby (e.g. if there are sheep, dairy, or horse farms anywhere near you). Unfortunately I can't say how much &lt;em&gt;you&lt;/em&gt; should add, because I don't know how fertile your soil is. I have beds that I didn't add any manure to this year, but others (especially where the corn and squash are growing) got a whole bunch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't bother watering if you don't have anything planted, this seems like a waste of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is about the time that I would fork my beds for aeration -- I generally don't turn them over, just move the fork back and forth to loosen the soil a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is also the time that I'd plant early crops: spinach, spring onions, peas, oat cover crop, etc. (I also would be starting stuff inside now, but you didn't ask about that.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About 3 weeks before planting is when I would till cover crops like winter rye, and then repeat a week later. (Crops that are easier to kill I'd only till once, but winter rye is pretty vigorous.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-07-27T00:46:39.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4876" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4874" CreationDate="2012-07-27T12:01:55.103" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends what you're going to grow whether you add manure at this time or not - root crops such as carrots will not appreciate it. Manure for those should be carried out one year before. Different crops need different nutrients and soil conditions, so deciding what you want to grow and then working out what you need to add to the ground, if anything, is the way to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-27T12:01:55.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4877" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4873" CreationDate="2012-07-27T13:32:59.517" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A lawn unmaintained for that long will be a long term challenge.  Here is how I would approach the situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1)  Find out the turfgrass species and varieties that work well in your area.  In the US, local university extension offices are a great resource.  (&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Iowa&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Illinois&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://lancaster.unl.edu/hort/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Nebraska&lt;/a&gt; are near to me.)  Also, high end lawn and garden shops &lt;em&gt;should&lt;/em&gt; have knowledgeable staff that can help you find this answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) Mow with care.  First cutting:  bag or side discharge raking up the dead grass.  This will remove the seeds of the undesirable grasses.  After that mow frequently at the height recommended for the recommended grasses in your area.  This will encourage the good and discourage the bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) In the early fall and/or early spring roundup or dig out clumps of undesirable grasses (the first type in your question) back filling the hole with good topsoil, then seed with species and varieties recommended for your area.  Also, overseed the whole lawn with species and varieties recommended for your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because the modern turf grass varieties are much better than what was used in the days of old I would not bother collecting seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="193" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-19T22:06:38.737" LastActivityDate="2015-12-19T22:06:38.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4878" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4873" CreationDate="2012-07-27T14:05:53.577" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ah, I had a feeling you might be, from the look of the photographs. It looks as if the lawn has been largely colonized by weed grasses - this happens all the time in ordinary lawns, more so in those left unmaintained. If, as you say, 60 percent of the lawn is comprised of these rough weed grasses, and particularly if there is a large component of other lawn weed invasion, it's probably best to take the lot up, dig out the roots of the weed grasses, and returf. The best time for returfing is October, so long as the ground isn't frozen or waterlogged, but it can be done any time provided you're able to water sufficiently well. Get yourself a copy of D. G. Hessayon's &quot;The Lawn Expert&quot; - it's only around a tenner, and often you can find a copy in the library, although any chemicals mentioned will now probably not be available. Its a valuable resource, that book, and will tell you precisely how to lay turf.&#xA;If you don't want to replace the whole lot, then dig out all the clumps of weed grass you can see, by the roots, rake and relevel those areas, adding topsoil if  you need to, and then reseed using a proprietary Lawn Seed mix, preferably one with shortleaved rye grass as the main component, which is hardwearing but doesn't get 'tufty' (Playlawn, or General Purpose would be examples). Note that reseeding in this way, particularly for larger areas, means you cannot walk on the newly seeded/grown areas normally for a couple of months, it must be cut with shears the first couple of times so as not to tear the new plantlets out by the roots with the mower, and will need to be kept moist as a seedbed. The best time for reseeeding is either September or May. You can buy Luxury Grass Seed, but this is for the 'bowling green' effect, for areas where it's not walked on often, and requires a lot more regular maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-19T22:00:46.060" LastActivityDate="2015-12-19T22:00:46.060" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4879" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4880" CreationDate="2012-07-27T16:28:29.607" Score="6" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a patch on July 4th, seedlings sprouted a couple days later. Its been fungus/disease free (I spray a baking soda organic homemade spray every 10 days).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The past week we've been getting some serious heat during the days and the top leaves on my pumps seem to sag/wilter during the heat. They spring back up at night. I water every morning from a pitcher directly into the soil. Is this not enough, should i proceed to bidaily waterings?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Addendum: The starter leaves on the plants are starting to yellow; they are those two thick ones that are the first to sprout. Are they suppose to fall up and this is natural ---I remember reading somewhere this is suppose to be the case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FYI: I use the classic blue-crystal miracle grow every 7 days to the patch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1465" LastActivityDate="2012-07-27T22:37:51.887" Title="Pumpkins in Florida" Tags="&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4880" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4879" CreationDate="2012-07-27T22:37:51.887" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Upping how frequently you water certainly won’t hurt in extreme heat though the plants may be wilting because of the heat and not from a lack of water. To help make watering more efficient you could cut the bottom off of a plastic bottle such as a soda bottle and partly burry that next to each plant. This will help direct the water to the roots which is much more beneficial than surface watering, especially in extreme heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If upping the water doesn't help then you could try a shade cloth. These you should be able to find at a garden center or any number of gardening supply websites. They will come in a number of densities that will allow anywhere from 50% - 80% of the light to pass through and can reduce the temperature under them by 10 °F or more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The starter leaves are called the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotyledon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cotyledon&lt;/a&gt;, I wouldn't worry about those yellowing and/or falling off as that's typical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2012-07-27T22:37:51.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4881" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4883" CreationDate="2012-07-27T23:24:29.620" Score="8" ViewCount="1385" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have never had a problem with snails, but since planting a large swathe of day lilies I have found between twenty and fifty snails a day in that patch. I have been disposing of every one, to no avail. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are day lilies especially tasty to snails? Is there something I should be doing to keep them off? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-23T03:51:38.320" LastActivityDate="2016-12-23T03:51:38.320" Title="How can I keep snails off my Day Lilies?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4881" CreationDate="2012-07-28T00:06:21.887" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This past spring I had a bunch of slugs attacking my Asian greens. Picking them off by hand didn’t help so I tried &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molluscicide&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sluggo&lt;/a&gt;. After applying I had no more slugs in about a week. Some other options include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sprinkling diatomaceous earth (D.E.) around the plants. This has a lot of sharp edges and irritates them when they try to go over it. You will need to re-apply every so often since rain and watering will wash it away.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Copper tape around the bed so the snails/slugs will have to go over it to get to the plants. This works similar to the D.E. but instead of sharp edges it shocks them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trapping them is one of the more common things people do but I have no experience in this and have read conflicting stories on what works so maybe someone else can provide some insight on that.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2012-07-28T00:06:21.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4883" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4881" CreationDate="2012-07-28T11:54:15.663" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I note you're in Scotland - most of the UK has been incredibly wet this summer, not so sure about where you are, but this has meant an explosion in the snail and slug population. Slug pellets - the little blue pellets of death, metaldehyde based, will do the trick, but don't over apply, just a light sprinkle around the day lillies, reapplied after rain, or after a couple of days if they've all disappeared. Day lillies are attractive because they trap moisture in the base of their clumps of leaves, so its a useful place for slugs and snails to lurk so they don't dry out and can remain hidden. The previous answer mentions copper tape - this can be quite effective most years, but as there are so many this year, its not as efficient currently. You could try both. There's also a product called Slug Gone, made of pelleted sheeps wool which you spread around your plants. Its expensive, and from anecdotal evidence this summer, once its sodden, it acts like a welcome mat rather than a repellant, but works quite well when the weather is dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-28T11:54:15.663" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4884" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-28T15:07:40.123" Score="3" ViewCount="955" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a pot of hydrangeas for a few months which I keep outside. I water them twice a day: in the morning and in the early/late evening. They receive little to no direct sunlight - which according to multiple internet sources is perfect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DpDI6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers have had these dark green tips for some time. Many of the leaves are also wilted from the middle towards the tips. Also note the brown steam, though I am assuming that this is normal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps I am over-watering them; however, I used to also water them (but a lesser amount) and was told by a gardener that they need a lot more water (they were quite dry).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is wrong with my flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hnAsm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/apCXb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1467" LastActivityDate="2012-07-31T12:38:05.650" Title="Dealing with Hydrangea with dark green flower tips and wilting leaves" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4885" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-28T16:42:13.363" Score="5" ViewCount="3781" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed that some of my small pine trees (4 ft.) started turning brown and upon closer inspection I noticed 100's of bag worms all over the trees. I spent quite a bit of time pulling off the bags. My questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I just throw them on the ground will they die or do I need to do more to make sure the bugs in the current bags don't come back?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the best insecticide or other method to keep these bugs from coming back?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pmvbC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bag Wrom&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1024" LastActivityDate="2018-06-10T20:49:25.553" Title="Bag worm infestation on small pine trees" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4886" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1382" CreationDate="2012-07-28T16:42:45.437" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Believe it or not, baking soda does the trick.  It is usually best to spot treat as soon as you see some crabgrass as it spreads very fast. Especially in the hot summer. You still have to pull the dead crabgrass root and all once it dries out or it WILL come back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crabgrass is the bane of my existence and I have fought this losing battle for many years now. Once it gets too out of control, I usually wind up digging the patches up. Good grass and all. Wish there was a better way.  It drives my wife crazy, but what drives me even crazier is to replace the entire lawn when it does get out of control. I have asked professionals about this and the only thing that was mentioned was a product called azulux and then they said while it's effective you still have stay on top of the situation. Very expensive as well. Last I heard it no longer for sale to the general public. Not sure though  Tips like deep watering and keeping your grass longer when it's hot make sense but in the hot summer the crabgrass usually takes over so stay on top of it to get rid of it. Hope this helps. Just my two cents. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1468" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-10-13T14:51:19.267" LastActivityDate="2012-10-13T14:51:19.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4887" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4884" CreationDate="2012-07-28T18:39:45.303" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not surprised the flowers are in trouble - the whole plant is. The pot's too small - suggest you turn it out and pot into something bigger, with at least an inch all round and at the bottom for 'empty', fresh potting compost so that the rootball can grow into it. There's a bit of healthy, new leaf growth struggling to come on at the base on the right of the picture, so the plant is struggling to carry on, despite being so constricted. I can see there's a label in the pot, but can't see any varietal name - most H. macrophylla varieties (which this one is) get pretty large, often making 7 feet by 7 feet, but there are a few newer, smaller varieties, so these might be called H. macrophylla 'Baby Blue' for instance. You haven't said where you are in the world, but in the UK, Hydrangeas are hardy outside year round, although in a pot, they are slightly more vulnerable in colder regions here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; As it just says 'hortensia', you still don't know how big its meant to get - these vary between 3/4 feet and 6 feet. You will need to pot it on, certainly bi yearly, possibly yearly, as it matures, and if you can find a spot actually in the garden for it, it'll do better there, though best planted out in autumn rather than now. Watering info contained in my comment below - make sure the pot has drainage holes, which then makes it impossible to overwater because it just runs out. Also best stood on something like pot feet or broken bits of roof slate or whatever to keep the base of the pot off the paving beneath.&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2&lt;/strong&gt; Seen the trough, but although its lovely, and would be great for temporary planting, its not suitable for growing a large shrub like a Hydrangea - its way too shallow. Best to choose something with a depth of 40 cm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-07-31T12:38:05.650" LastActivityDate="2012-07-31T12:38:05.650" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4888" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4899" CreationDate="2012-07-29T01:00:06.847" Score="2" ViewCount="345" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a hydrangea in its second season planted outside (New York region). The plant gets a lot of sun for most of the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant had pink flowers the first season and the beginning of this season but not far into this summer the flowers turned a light yellowish/brownish green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nothing changed in the soil composition during that time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could the change in color be due to a problem with watering and/or the amount of sun?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've included a photo of the plant below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NpV2h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1274" LastEditorUserId="1274" LastEditDate="2012-07-31T14:17:51.360" LastActivityDate="2012-08-01T14:47:38.263" Title="Why did hydrangea flowers change from pink to light yellowish/brownish green?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4779" CreationDate="2012-07-29T16:59:21.470" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to do clone cuttings now too using rooting hormone.  I've ran across some people saying they did it, but now how they did it.  You can find out more on Tipping ( bending the plant over and putting the tip in the dirt until it grows) and air layering.  Have yo had any success yet?  I'll let you know if I get mine to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1470" LastActivityDate="2012-07-29T16:59:21.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4890" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-07-29T17:06:12.407" Score="8" ViewCount="153" Body="&lt;p&gt;The idea of a robotic lawn mower is appealing, but it seems that most of the robotic lawn mowers currently on sale are overpromising their delivery somewhat. Amazon reviews are in many cases a mixed bag, and it seems the effectiveness and use of such a device can only be correctly gauged when actually letting it loose on the lawn you intend to buy it for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nevertheless; what would be the main parameters to look for in a robotic lawn mower, and what are the major painpoints that still exist?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="556" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-07-30T00:31:48.823" LastActivityDate="2013-06-26T18:45:21.043" Title="What to look for in a robotic lawnmower?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4891" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4885" CreationDate="2012-07-29T17:26:32.283" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have done the right thing removing the bags - make sure to remove them all, and drop the bags in a bucket of soapy water to kill off the larvae living inside.&#xA;As for insecticide treatment, this is most effective during June - spinosad is mentioned as an appropriate treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-29T17:26:32.283" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4892" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4893" CreationDate="2012-07-29T20:19:50.257" Score="6" ViewCount="426" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted asparagus this year, and I have used a water permeable weed barrier to control weeds.  But this does not seem like a good idea going forward, as I don't want to discourage the spread of the asparagus to other areas of the bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My father used to sprinkle salt water on his asparagus, but that is not considered a good idea by many experts.  The reasons are listed &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/facts_7717352_salt-weed-control-asparagus.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hoeing seems like it would disturb the roots and possibly damage the crowns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What methods or techniques are best for controlling weeds in an asparagus bed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1294" LastActivityDate="2012-07-30T10:44:12.013" Title="How can I control weeds in asparagus" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;asparagus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4892" CreationDate="2012-07-30T08:59:44.570" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've found straw to work well for most plants in my garden. I haven't used it for asparagus but I have used it on garlic &amp;amp; shallots, neither of which had issue pushing through in the spring. The only issue I've had, which was even worse with leaves, is by spring the mulch sometimes becomes too compressed and needs to be raked to loosen it up or just re-applied.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2012-07-30T08:59:44.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4892" CreationDate="2012-07-30T10:44:12.013" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're right about the water permeable weed material not being a great idea in an asparagus bed, for the reason you mention. Assuming that you prepared the bed thoroughly before planting by not only digging it over, but rigorously removing any roots from perennial or pernicious weeds, part of the ongoing, rather labour intensive management of asparagus is regular weeding &lt;strong&gt;by hand&lt;/strong&gt;. Old fashioned, tiresome, but the most effective and least damaging, I'm afraid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-07-30T10:44:12.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4895" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4881" CreationDate="2012-07-30T16:04:44.127" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are marketed in the states, products that are labeled as organic, and contain some form of iron, I have had very good success with them, but I am in a very much dryer location 13&quot;/year total precip, mostly in the winter... Not great at metric conversion but I think 13&quot; is like 1 cubit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-07-30T16:04:44.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4896" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4897" CreationDate="2012-07-30T17:36:25.320" Score="3" ViewCount="143" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm considering purchasing a gas powered string trimmer, after my previous electric one died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've noticed that some offer accessories. I have also been thinking of getting a cultivator, and that's one of the accessories some offer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000DZXHU2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Example 1 Trimmer&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000E176D4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Example 1 Cultivator&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B003JTGNQ4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Example 2 Trimmer&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0015Z1I0K&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Example 2 Cultivator&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the advantages and disadvantages of that compared to buying a dedicated cultivator?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: My soil is red clay, probably &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultisols&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ultisols&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While the cultivator accessory interests me most right now, I'd also be interested in hearing about the limitations of other common accessories. They seem to offer edgers, brush cutters, blowers, hedge trimmers, and something that looks like a chain saw on a pole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1298" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-20T00:30:23.957" LastActivityDate="2014-05-20T00:30:23.957" Title="How do string trimmer accessories compare to dedicated tools" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;string-trimmer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4897" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4896" CreationDate="2012-07-31T21:31:49.737" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A dedicated cultivator is a heavy machine that uses its weight to dig deep.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A trimmer cultivator attachment won't go nearly as deep.  Ours (a Ryobi) is relatively heavy, and will go around 4 or 5 inches, but I think many won't even go that far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This probably varies with the model, but with our string trimmer roots get wrapped up in it and I have to cut/pull them off occasionally.  If you don't have tree roots to deal with, this probably won't be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With hard-to-penetrate soil, you may find that a trimmer cultivator doesn't dig in very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have raised beds in wood frames, with some internal cross-braces, so a big Troy Bilt or whatever would likely cause damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a big area, I think a dedicated cultivator would be easier and faster.  For smaller areas, consider using a garden fork, which is what I use most of the time.  I bought a Craftsman fork 30 years ago and am on replacement 4 or 5 now.  You can't beat the price!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a clay soil or other soil with poor tilth, amend the soil (over time) with organic matter.  Consider &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeplaceearth.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/choosing-which-cover-crop-to-plant-where/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;planting winter rye or other cover crop in the off season&lt;/a&gt;, and turning it in a few weeks before planting in the spring.  Other organic material, like composted cow manure, is good too, of course.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may want to continue to fork and then use a string trimmer-cultivator to break up the top few inches better.  Once the soil's in better shape, you can probably skip the cultivator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-08-01T15:30:14.033" LastActivityDate="2012-08-01T15:30:14.033" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4899" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4888" CreationDate="2012-08-01T14:47:38.263" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Makes it more difficult to diagnose because we don't know the variety. The leaves are quite dark green for a hydrangea, and also rather sparse, seemingly. Note that flower colour change (from pink to blue, or the other way around, or from blue to a sort of faded lilac) is an indicator of the ph of the soil, but this is only true in Hydrangea macrophylla 'hortensia' varieties. Yours, though, looks more faded, like the flowers do at the end of the season, as they start to dry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hydrangeas generally prefer dappled shade, though some tolerate a fair bit of sun, and they like moisture retentive, but not waterlogged, rich soil. As you only planted them last year, I'd assume this is a watering issue, given that they're in full sun. If you'd had a very hot year with blazing sun, that might have faded the flowers like this, but infrequent and insufficient water supply would have a similar effect. Given the scarcity of foliage (unless there's more lower down, out of shot, which is lush), increase watering. Best to water a lot and infrequently (once a week if its dry) rather than a little daily. If you didn't enrich the soil before planting, a mulch of good composted material (animal manure compost or good soil conditioning compost) applied in spring around the base should help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-08-01T14:47:38.263" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4900" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4901" CreationDate="2012-08-02T16:15:05.287" Score="3" ViewCount="1811" Body="&lt;p&gt;After returning home from vacation I found many of my jalapeños to be wrinkled and shriveled up. I suspect they are a couple of weeks past ripe, though I'm new to gardening so I don't know. Is it safe to dry them and use them in recipes? Or maybe just the seeds? Or should I just put them all in the trash?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1479" LastActivityDate="2012-08-03T12:13:34.387" Title="Harvesting wrinkled jalapeños" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;&lt;jalapenos&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4900" CreationDate="2012-08-02T17:42:29.327" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Jalapenos turn red when they're fully ripe but even if they aren't you can still dry them for use as hot pepper flake. As long as there isn't any bad spots on the peppers I'd think they should be fine to pick and finish drying inside. A picture would help but are you sure the peppers aren't just in need of water since you were away from them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2012-08-02T17:42:29.327" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4902" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4905" CreationDate="2012-08-03T03:33:09.267" Score="7" ViewCount="35605" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every year, I grow a zucchini plant, and every year a few of the zucchini stop growing once they reach a few inches in length, then turn yellow from the blossom end:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NEuob.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Left to themselves, they will start to turn soft and shrivel, again starting at the blossom end.  I generally pick and dispose of them once I notice them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than a few zucchini that don't develop properly, the plants themselves are generally healthy and usually have healthy ones forming at the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What causes this, and what can I do to prevent it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2015-08-09T03:28:56.597" Title="Why do some of my zucchini shrivel and turn yellow at the blossom end?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4903" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4929" CreationDate="2012-08-03T05:22:50.313" Score="12" ViewCount="4387" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am investigating the use of a PC to control my yard irrigation system. The research that I've done has only revealed one system with the (unfortunate) name of Irritrol.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you used your PC to control your yard irrigation system? If so, how did you do it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am considering hobbling something together with an X10 controller and writing some software to control it but don't want to dive into that if it's already been done...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2016-07-16T09:41:12.647" Title="PC controlled irrigation system" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4905" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4902" CreationDate="2012-08-03T14:14:46.483" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the blossom end turns black, that's blossom end rot, due to irregular water supply disabling calcium uptake, but the other cause of this problem is the female flower, particularly when the weather is wet. The flower traps water and causes the end of the burgeoning zucchini to start rotting. It usually only affects some of the fruits, and a way round it is to carefully remove the flower once you can see the zucchini is starting to grow away nicely, but when it's still small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-09-20T01:33:51.273" LastActivityDate="2012-09-20T01:33:51.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4906" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4902" CreationDate="2012-08-03T15:34:25.697" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it happens when they are very small then it is just an abort. It happens to some varieties more than others. A little bit bigger (flower opened and closed), they could have pollination problems or a problem with inconsistent watering. I haven't noticed a problem with BER with zucchini. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-09-20T01:34:32.223" LastActivityDate="2012-09-20T01:34:32.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4907" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4928" CreationDate="2012-08-03T15:44:57.677" Score="2" ViewCount="535" Body="&lt;p&gt;About a month ago I asked this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4667/my-lawn-got-no-water-for-a-week-is-there-hope&quot;&gt;question&lt;/a&gt; about my lawn. To summarize, I just had this house built, so the grass was only put in a few months ago and the sprinklers did not turn on for 1 week last month. The suggestions I got all said to just keep watering it and it should come back in a few weeks. It's been over a month now and I see very little improvement to the grass. This is what it looks like now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fe8fv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My dead lawn.&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also applied &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000P0DK1Q&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this plant food&lt;/a&gt; after a suggestion from the original landscape company and I have not cut the grass at all. Is there anything else I can do to get my lawn back or do I need to cut my losses?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: To add to the information above; the grass was sod when it was put in a few months ago. Do I need to hire a landscaping company to tear it all out and re-apply sod? What are my options?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1206" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2019-06-12T02:26:42.013" Title="Over 1 month, lawn hasn't come out of (what I assume is) dormancy. Is it dead?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4909" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4910" CreationDate="2012-08-04T12:16:35.970" Score="2" ViewCount="6228" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something is eating the ivy that covers a wall of my house. Is it a disease or is there something hiding that eats the leaves? And what can I do to heal my ivy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see an example of the damage to the ivy in the top row of pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on all pictures for larger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ui4A5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ui4A5m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;An overview of the damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6P2I8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6P2I8m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Detail of a leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps unrelated, but another plant is having the same 'symptoms', but with added yellow discolouration: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/64Czw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/64Czwm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The other plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1480" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-30T17:14:02.783" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T17:14:02.783" Title="What is eating my ivy?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4909" CreationDate="2012-08-04T12:56:35.177" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it looks like adult vine weevil damage. The adults cause these holes by eating on the plants at night, but its the grubs that cause the most damage. They particularly like pots, so assuming these two plants (looks like Euonymus in the last picture) aren't in pots, then you may have an infestation in pots elsewhere. They do also live in soil though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Treatment is difficult - pots can be treated successfully with a nematode solution (ordered online, google Nemesys and select vine weevil nematodes) or a chemical drench, but nematode solutions do not work well on open ground which is heavy or dry, and must be applied when the temperature and time of year is right. Thiacloprid is a chemical which can be applied as a drench to soil in containers, but is not suitable for use in open ground. Two treatments which contain this and which are used as a drench are Scotts Bugclear Vine Weevil Killer, or there's a Bayer one too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that the adults don't usually kill plants - the larvae in the soil, though, will eat through roots and kill pot plants particularly. The only 'organic' way of tackling the adult beetles is to go outside at night with a torch and a bucket of water, shake the stems and catch the beetles, or pick them off by hand.&#xA;This assumes that you're not seeing slug or snail trails all over the ivy though - I don't see any in the pictures. If you are, slug/snail damage might be the problem, given the very wet weather we've all been having this year and the resulting explosion in the population of these creatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-08-04T13:01:36.873" LastActivityDate="2012-08-04T13:01:36.873" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4911" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4913" CreationDate="2012-08-04T15:19:29.160" Score="5" ViewCount="343" Body="&lt;p&gt;We moved into this house in winter and now it is summer our garden is absolutely full of this stuff, so what is it and it isn't by any chance edible is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AkMzU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;large profile&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hO2MY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Srpsx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1481" LastActivityDate="2012-08-05T03:00:39.560" Title="What is this tall, fast growing plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4912" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4917" CreationDate="2012-08-05T00:54:36.267" Score="7" ViewCount="9157" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm getting conflicting identification from various people. Does anybody know what the difference between a Pineapple and Date Palm is? Here are some palms that I have seen in my neighborhood each of which have been identified as both Pineapple and Date Palms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HGraM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Palm Tree 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ETdP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Palm Tree 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1OLDc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Palm Tree 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c73uX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Palm Tree 4&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2012-08-05T13:58:16.770" LastActivityDate="2016-11-30T18:02:43.240" Title="Pineapple or Date Palm?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4911" CreationDate="2012-08-05T03:00:39.560" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's an &lt;em&gt;Impatiens&lt;/em&gt; of some sort. Poke at a plump seed capsule -- it will pop open explosively and throw out the seeds inside. It's pretty cool if you've never seen it before (hence the common name &quot;touch-me-not&quot;). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you live in Europe? It looks like &lt;em&gt;I. parviflora&lt;/em&gt;, which is widely naturalized there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're not edible, and in fact are at least slightly toxic. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastActivityDate="2012-08-05T03:00:39.560" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4915" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4923" CreationDate="2012-08-05T08:49:15.830" Score="5" ViewCount="1401" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got a small plant (from my mother-in-law... ) on which I would like to have an ID with your help. I cannot say much about its life-cycle as I only got it recently: she told me it was once in a pot and she put it outside. Thus I assume it survived winters with peaks down to -20 C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tiny white flowers (1.5cm in diameter)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;saw-teethed leaves (2cm long, 1.5 large, reminds me of birch-leaves)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;flowers die back quite fast (a few days), but new one are coming out again quickly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some images (&lt;em&gt;click to enlarge&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/25bE5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/25bE5l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gghKO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gghKOm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UhZqK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UhZqKm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2017-04-01T12:53:55.843" Title="What is this small plant with tiny white flowers and tiny saw-teethed leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4917" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4912" CreationDate="2012-08-05T12:58:47.500" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The confusion is because of the use of common names - this palm is commonly known as either Pineapple Palm, or Date Palm, or Canary Date Palm - its proper name is Phoenix canariensis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-08-05T12:58:47.500" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4918" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4926" CreationDate="2012-08-05T14:27:44.850" Score="5" ViewCount="219" Body="&lt;p&gt;I moved into a house a month ago, and am trying to recover the lawn.  There are several patches (roughly a square foot each) with no grass at all, just tough soil.  There are two large maple trees, so it is quite shaded.  Possibly the previous owners had a dog.  Possibly the big trees are sucking all the moisture out of the lawn.  Not sure what the cause of the bald spots is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see a lot of information saying reseeding should happen in the spring or fall, but is it possible to reseed these patches with something now to promote growth?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure what type of product would be best, if I should be reseeding or aerating, what time of year would be best, or if it's all a lost cause.  (I hope not!)  I live in Northern Ontario, so in a few months, the lawn will likely be covered in snow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1486" LastActivityDate="2012-08-12T11:30:06.117" Title="Seeding patches in the lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4919" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-05T14:29:12.053" Score="2" ViewCount="262" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to automate the bottom watering process (reservoir and wick method). This design should uses a water float valve instead of a timer.  What is the best way to do this?  Here are two methods:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a full-pressure water float value and use one of those steel covered hoses made for the washer/dryer.  Connect that to a float value in an enclosure.  The water will be siphoned off to all the plant sitting at the same water level as the float valve.  The washer dryer hoses can come with a safety cut-off if the water flows too quickly.  A small defect however could cause the system to loose a lot of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another method might use a pressure regulator that will sit under constant pressure and work when the water is not flowing.  In other words, it will be hooked up to the outdoor faucet and be connected to a small low pressure tube.   So, the pressure can't build up when the water is off (some models say they only work when the water is flowing).  This should probably go down 10 PSI or lower.  The slower the better, a slow constant flow could feed many plants.  If the float valved jammed, water loss would be at a minimum.  This is a 10PSI preset &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.irrigationdirect.com/pressure-regulator-10-psi-3-4-fht-x-3-4-mht-low-flow-1-8-gpm-for-drip-tape?utm_source=&amp;amp;utm_medium=&amp;amp;utm_term=&amp;amp;utm_content=&amp;amp;utm_campaign=&amp;amp;thissku=DD777dash777HPR10&amp;amp;site=google_base&amp;amp;gclid=CKTEgfHV0LECFQgFnQodvzAAbg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;unit&lt;/a&gt; for the dipper irrigation  (less than 10 dollars).  The problem was it had to be hooked up after the timer.  I'm not using a timer, I'm using a water float value.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any other suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1487" LastActivityDate="2013-03-03T18:32:17.770" Title="plant bottom watering system" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4920" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4919" CreationDate="2012-08-05T15:10:30.210" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A hose overflowing all day at 10psi is going to still be thousands of gallons, if you have concerns about you setup use a timer too... Give it 4 15 minute chances a day to flood instead of all day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-08-05T15:10:30.210" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4921" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4925" CreationDate="2012-08-05T16:44:40.517" Score="5" ViewCount="271" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a blueberry bush in a smallish pot.  It was given to us a couple of summers ago, and we put it in the only available pot we had at the time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year, we've had a pretty good yield from it, considering its size.  The fact that we now have a one-year-old daughter who loves blueberries means that we're thinking about putting the blueberry bush either in a larger pot, or planting it out in the border between a small apple tree and a small cherry tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my question is - should we transfer it to a large pot, or put it in the soil?  It's a clay soil, if that helps.  If so, when is the best time to do it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in the UK. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1488" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-05T18:23:40.697" LastActivityDate="2016-09-05T18:23:40.697" Title="Should I transfer a growing potted blueberry bush to a bigger pot, or into the ground?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4922" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="928" CreationDate="2012-08-05T17:04:38.660" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not sure where you are in the world (therefore not sure if they're available where you are), but have you looked into using nematodes?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/nemaslug-slug-killer-pid7623.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Nemaslug Slug Killer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oz&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1488" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-09-24T13:40:00.687" LastActivityDate="2016-09-24T13:40:00.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4915" CreationDate="2012-08-05T18:35:34.430" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like some species of campanula like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campanula_carpatica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Campanula carpatica&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This spring I recieved one campanula carpatica as a gift in a pot. &#xA;I planted it outside in June as it was overgrowing the pot and I heard it can withstand the colds of the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't say it has been doing great outside, but it is still alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" LastActivityDate="2012-08-05T18:35:34.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4924" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4915" CreationDate="2012-08-05T19:11:54.993" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campanula&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Campanula&lt;/a&gt;, but its not &lt;em&gt;C. carpatica&lt;/em&gt; - it looks remarkably like &lt;a href=&quot;http://skalnicky-jundrov.webnode.cz/album/trvalky/campanula-trachelium-album-plenum-jpg/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;C. trachelium&lt;/em&gt; 'album plenum'&lt;/a&gt;, the so called 'nettle leaved' campanula, but that has flower stems which reach 80 cm, which is why I asked about the height...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-08T02:24:37.350" LastActivityDate="2014-07-08T02:24:37.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4925" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4921" CreationDate="2012-08-05T19:15:18.470" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whether its clay or not isn't an issue - the issue is they like acidic soil conditions, not alkaline. If your garden grows Pieris, Rhododendron, Camellia or blue hydrangeas well, then you can bet its on the acidic side, so plant the blueberry out in autumn. Dig over the area first and incorporate some good garden compost, or soil conditioning compost from the garden centre prior to planting. If your soil is alkaline, probably best to buy a larger pot and use ericaceous compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-08-05T19:15:18.470" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4926" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4918" CreationDate="2012-08-06T02:04:32.653" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is best to seed in the spring and fall but it can still be done during the summer.  Really the key is keeping the soil moist, which is hard to do with the sun beating down on it all day and warm weather. If you are prepared to water several times a day you can probably fix up the patches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll want to put down a small layer of topsoil before you seed the areas.  I lightly run a rake over the seeds afterwards to mix them into the very top layer of the new soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a grass mix appropriate for the amount of sun where the patches are.  Kentucky Bluegrass is the most common cool season grass.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember, keep it moist!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aerate in the fall if your soils is really compacted - if water puddles, that is a good sign that you need aeration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1116" LastActivityDate="2012-08-06T02:04:32.653" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4927" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4903" CreationDate="2012-08-06T05:15:55.550" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to write software probably you are looking for customized solutions, you have imagination and you don't mind  to do it yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest you try search with google: Arduino + Watering&#xA;( for example look at this document: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.it/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwj5i92S2PfNAhVBsRQKHTfBAIYQFgghMAA&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fviewer%3Fa%3Dv%26pid%3Dsites%26srcid%3DaXZhbmZtLmNvbXxkaWNhc3xneDo2YTMzZmUwYTFkMDc0ZTJi&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNEucqtpucltvYoZEATVQnzSLCZVqA&amp;amp;sig2=m9msV-1kH2Vv-qQlhbiC_Q&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;THE GARDUINO GARDEN CONTROLLER &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a simple open-source platform with which many hobbyists have already ventured and you can find a community willing to help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1261" LastEditorUserId="1261" LastEditDate="2016-07-16T09:41:12.647" LastActivityDate="2016-07-16T09:41:12.647" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4907" CreationDate="2012-08-06T12:45:09.793" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't just spread grass seed - you'd need a fine tilth of about an inch of soil to sow it into, and what you've got there are dead sods. I'd lift them and replace the dead ones with new sods, but what I'm puzzled by are the bright green strips on the left of the picture. They're turf or sod shaped, and I can't imagine why those two bits would remain bright green, but immediately next to it are large dead areas of turf. Which is why I asked about your sprinkler system working properly...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose its possible you over applied the lawn feed in those areas, and that might have caused the extreme green effect, but for any feed to work, the grass has to actually be alive in the first place, and I suspect you applied feed when half of it was already dead. So that doesn't really explain those two strips either...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-08-06T12:45:09.793" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4929" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4903" CreationDate="2012-08-06T17:13:14.783" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A company called Irrigation Caddy makes a great product that runs on an internal network, and even has mods for remote offsite management depending on your router and web skills. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.irrigationcaddy.com/&quot;&gt;http://www.irrigationcaddy.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1489" LastActivityDate="2012-08-06T17:13:14.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4930" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3437" CreationDate="2012-08-06T18:53:04.777" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any organic gardener will tell you Round Up damages the ground.  It will cause resulting weed problems that last for years.  It's also not organic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A rototiller won't be of any help.  It's better not to disturb the ground.  Once the weeds are killed some other way a rototiller will just stir things up.  If you use a rototiller when you still have weeds, it will just break them into tiny pieces that will regrow and make a mess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A weed burner won't kill established weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a reasonable area to use black plastic on.  I suggest not thinking about it as an area you will transform overnight, but rather over a few years.  You could think about covering a quarter of it at a time, then you don't need to buy so much plastic.  The best plastic to use is woven landscape plastic, that will let through water and air.  Unwoven plastic will kill all life in the ground, and it will take time to recover from this.  Also unwoven plastic will stick and become a mess if you leave it too long.  Black plastic takes about 6 months to completely kill weeds, not just a few weeks like someone said above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A nice, organic and renewable way to kill the weeds is with wood chips or bark.  You'll need a lot, it'll have to be delivered by truck.  It'll be a little pricey.  You'll need about 80 yards.  You'll want an initial layer about 6 inches or thicker.  As it kills the weeds it'll rot, feed the ground and get thinner.  You can rake holes in it to put plants, or move it from one side of the yard to the other to maintain thickness.  After about 2 years it'll mostly be gone, and you'll be left with rich weed free ground.  When you get tired of the bark, you can rake it into a compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1490" LastActivityDate="2012-08-06T18:53:04.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4931" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4737" CreationDate="2012-08-06T19:04:40.630" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, the don't require freezing temperatures, but they don't tolerate heat and drought well.  They will tolerate a bit of shade.  I suggest planting them in a semi-shaded spot.  If it gets too warm, they'll stop producing and eventually die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Commercial strawberries are nearly all 'all at once' types, meaning they give their harvest at about the same time, sometimes several distinct times of the year.  Alpine strawberries give a steady harvest over time.  With a bit of luck, you might get strawberries all year round.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1490" LastActivityDate="2012-08-06T19:04:40.630" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4932" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4943" CreationDate="2012-08-06T19:17:25.873" Score="3" ViewCount="643" Body="&lt;p&gt;My jade plant is very droopy. I keep it in my southwest facing window and try to keep it behind a few other plants to get filtered sun. I water once a week (if I remember -- let's just say it's definitely not overwatered). I've had it for several years, I can't even remember when or where I got it at this point. Here's a picture so you can see. It's never grown up, only down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/XhqWy&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/XhqWy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;Hosted by imgur.com&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also has these weird, as I call them, &quot;fractal jade&quot; formations. Instead of growing up it just sort of branches out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/ibDN3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have another jade plant that grows perfectly upright and &quot;normal&quot; looking, and I treat these two the same, so I'm not sure what gives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1433" LastActivityDate="2012-08-07T11:38:35.017" Title="Why is my jade so droopy?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4933" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4934" CreationDate="2012-08-06T19:13:43.367" Score="16" ViewCount="19521" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a brick driveway and a brick walkway.  There is no grout between the bricks.  In the sunny areas, small weeds grow between the bricks.  In the shadier areas, moss grows between the bricks.  The moss isn't that slimy moss like in  &lt;a href=&quot;https://diy.stackexchange.com/q/3465/6896&quot;&gt;How do I remove moss from an outdoor brick walkway?&lt;/a&gt;.  It's just the dense, fuzzy stuff between the cracks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just spent a couple hours clearing one walkway's cracks with an old debit card.  It looks great now.  The driveway and other walkways are next.  There really isn't all that much, but I'd like to discourage future growth if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard vinegar might be an option.  Does vinegar work to discourage moss, or is it only good for weeds?  Is there a better natural way to do it?  I've seen suggested &lt;a href=&quot;https://diy.stackexchange.com/q/1072/6896&quot;&gt;filling the cracks with sand&lt;/a&gt;, but at this time, I'm looking for a spray option, rather than adding sand to the mix.  (Unless of course sand is the best option.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1486" OwnerDisplayName="dangowans" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:22:11.787" LastActivityDate="2015-01-20T18:44:08.347" Title="How do I control weeds and moss on a brick walkway and driveway?" Tags="&lt;moss&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4934" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4933" CreationDate="2012-08-06T19:36:30.187" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the moss I sprinkle baking soda. It turns brown and dies after a few weeks. I spoke nicely to our cafe lady and she got me industrial size 1kg bags of the stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the weeds I use a glyphospahte based spray, commonly known as 'Roundup' here in NZ.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1533" OwnerDisplayName="eyecarver" LastActivityDate="2012-08-06T19:36:30.187" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4935" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4933" CreationDate="2012-08-06T20:36:25.697" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The steps would be:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;kill the weeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the earth that lets the weeds grow from between the bricks (can be tricky, a power washer set on a low setting might work)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;replace the earth with polymeric sand (it's fine silica sand with cement that will harden and make it hard for future weeds to take root).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally, there's also a weedblock underneath the bricks. That, obviously, is hard to retrofit if it's not there, so poisons may be your best bet for now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2012-08-06T20:36:25.697" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4939" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4942" CreationDate="2012-08-07T03:23:31.277" Score="4" ViewCount="11046" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pot plant with Swiss cheese kind of foliage that has got some problem possibly some sort of parasite or fungal infection, I have no idea. It's like red-brown rust that brushes off fairly easily but leaves the leaves looking kind of sickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it and how should I treat that, to stop it reoccurring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jGwG2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rAZKC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1459" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-23T10:02:42.213" LastActivityDate="2021-02-23T10:02:42.213" Title="Monstera Deliciosa plant with brown crud on the leaves" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;monstera&gt;&lt;parasites&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="4940" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4945" CreationDate="2012-08-07T05:19:37.640" Score="30" ViewCount="120691" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen trees with the lower trunks painted white in a number of places around the world but have never found a definite answer to why this is done. Some suggestions that I've heard are to make them more visible at night time so people don't walk into them. Another is to make it easier for birds to see bugs on the trunk. Does anybody know why you would paint part of a tree white? What type of paint you would use? And why that paint doesn't damage the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2015-11-02T12:35:20.280" Title="Why do people paint some tree trunks white at the bottom?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="11" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4941" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4940" CreationDate="2012-08-07T06:20:57.643" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In (some parts of) Germany trees have a white markers (in form of stripes or a big rectangle) when they enclose a road (&quot;Allee&quot;). This is (or was) to avoid cars crashing into them and to save the plastic marker which usually helps to identify the road or the metal protection rail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In other places I realized that trees which are painted or marked with color are to be felled. I saw that in woods (to clean) and in city (to make space :-( ).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2012-08-07T06:20:57.643" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4942" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4939" CreationDate="2012-08-07T11:27:41.783" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a rust problem, a fungal infection, fairly advanced by the look of the underside of the leaves. Try spraying thoroughly with a suitable fungicide which treats for rust, covering the underside and topside of the leaves and all the stems. Remove the worst affected leaves if possible, and always remove any fallen parts of the plant as soon as possible. The other possibility is that it has been infected by a mite which has caused a virus, but try the fungicide treatment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might also be worth changing the soil in its pot in case of spores present there too - water only when the surface of the compost is dry to the touch, but not shrunken from the sides of the pot, and water thoroughly when you do it, removing any water left in an outer pot or tray 30 minutes later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-08-07T11:27:41.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4943" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4932" CreationDate="2012-08-07T11:38:35.017" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's probably Kleinia petraea, the trailing jade plant, and not Crassula ovata, the upright jade plant. Care regime is the same, really, but its best planted in a hanging pot rather than a standing pot. I'd repot into a hanging pot which is just big enough to take the rootball it currently has - these don't need repotting very often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-08-07T11:38:35.017" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4944" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4940" CreationDate="2012-08-07T12:06:32.907" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen this a lot in Arizona and other southwestern states in the US. Mostly the white paint is on citrus trees. The white paint protects the young citrus plants from the sun, when their bark is still thin. Eventually the canopy of the leaves means that the white paint is unnecessary but some people will continue to paint them because they like the way it looks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in Boston I've seen tree wraps (but I guess you could also use white paint) used on new tree plantings, I assume for a similar purpose and also to prevent winter sun heating / winter evening freezing cycles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1433" LastActivityDate="2012-08-07T12:06:32.907" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4945" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4940" CreationDate="2012-08-07T13:06:36.373" Score="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;In &quot;The Garden Primer&quot; (Damrosch), p 422:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Apple borers can also kill the tree outright just by tenneling in through the trunk [...] Painting the trunk with white latex paint diluted to 50 percent will make it easier to spot the sawdust residue produced by the larvae's tunneling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similar advice is in the Fedco Trees catalog; they suggest mixing white latex paint with joint compound.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also in &quot;Primer&quot; on p 659:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Another danger to the trunk in winter is sun scald [...]. You can protect younger trunks from winter sun and wind by wrapping them in burlap or painting the trunks with white paint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This same advice is repeated in &quot;The Backyard Orchardist&quot; (Otto), p43. She actually says to paint not only the trunk, but scaffolds out to nine inches from the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure I've seen a mixture of something involving white latex paint to apply to the trunk that is supposed to deter four-legged pests. (I want to say that the recipe had sand in it so that any deer/rodent tasting the bark would get an unpleasant mouth feeling and would avoid the tree, but I can't put my hands on a reference right now. I don't think &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.permies.com/t/15471/permaculture/Bone-sauce-bones&quot;&gt;bone sauce&lt;/a&gt; would show up as white.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-08-26T11:41:11.757" LastActivityDate="2012-08-26T11:41:11.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4940" CreationDate="2012-08-07T14:48:04.620" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;when trees are painted white from bottom up to a certain level of the trunk it is called white washing or winter washing. the practice is most common in countries where real winters occur but not exclusively there. it's an effective method of reducing reinfestation of borers etc that either hide in trunk bark to overwinter or overwintering in soil to crawl up the tree in spring. also assists a little against secondary fungal infection of trunk by insect or other primary injury. what is this space age paint substance? lime mixed with a bit of water. it's done mostly on fruit trees but also on ornamentals such as hard and expensive to replace rows of street trees in cities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1495" LastActivityDate="2012-08-07T14:48:04.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4948" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4957" CreationDate="2012-08-07T14:56:27.117" Score="10" ViewCount="34272" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got lazy and let weeds takeover a bed near the porch that has some azaleas and perennials. When I went to pull some of the weeds, I noticed this ~3ft high plant that looks like a tomato plant. It is starting to fruit and has very small dark, almost black, fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this some kind of tomato?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SERm3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves, flowers and stalk resemble tomato plants.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NXzAH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;small dark fruits&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1494" LastActivityDate="2018-12-04T03:46:24.247" Title="What is this plant that resembles tomato and has small dark fruit?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;volunteer&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4949" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1200" CreationDate="2012-08-07T15:03:42.563" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;technically bolted means run to seed prematurely. as opposed to flowering and seeding by usual time for species. factors for bolting include unusally long hot spells, drastic fluctuations in weather over few days, poor soil structure and/or soil moisture problems, unbalanced chemistry due to fertilizer use, crowding, improper handling of seedlings when planting out and planting seedlings of species that hate handling altogether and should be planted as seeds. almost forgot, untimely planting of crop, planting crop outside normal climate zone. thankfully species most prone to bolting are also quickest growers so you can progressively sow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1495" LastActivityDate="2012-08-07T15:03:42.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4951" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4737" CreationDate="2012-08-07T15:25:23.380" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In Melbourne, Australia, I've sometimes had a pitiful tasting crop of alpine strawberries during summers in which temperatures fluctuated a lot, or we had late warm weather. They also become tasteless with too much fertilizer, just like their bigger cousins. Don't let them dry out, and good drainage is also needed. In the wild they grow at edges of forests or small clearings. Maybe you can mimic these conditions for your cultivated plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1495" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-11T04:33:20.363" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T04:33:20.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4953" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4948" CreationDate="2012-08-07T16:44:26.603" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fruit looks like that of &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Solanum%20melanocerasum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Solanum melanocerasum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; or more commonly &lt;em&gt;Garden Huckleberry&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*&lt;em&gt;Removed comments on eating them just to be safe.&lt;/em&gt;*&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After looking into this more I found &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Solanum%20burbankii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Solanum burbankii&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, or more commonly &lt;em&gt;Wonderberry&lt;/em&gt;, as another edible variety that looks the same as garden huckleberry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case I'd avoid eating them as others have said since it's not known what variety they are and it's probably best to pull them as well. If you would like an edible variety a pack of seeds costs a few dollars and is well worth the purchase to know that you're getting a safe variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2012-08-08T02:50:28.857" LastActivityDate="2012-08-08T02:50:28.857" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4955" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4948" CreationDate="2012-08-07T19:22:25.327" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd +10 @Bamboo's comment on Brian's answer, if I could: &quot;&lt;em&gt;ID is important&lt;/em&gt;&quot;.  Anyone thinking about eating the berries of something similar should be &lt;strong&gt;sure&lt;/strong&gt; that they don't have &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atropa_belladonna&quot;&gt;Deadly Nightshade&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, &quot;one of the most toxic plants found in the Western Hemisphere&quot;.  After giving our daughter ipecac for eating nightshade berries long ago, I always pull up anything that looks like this.  I'm sure there are similar plants that are fine; I don't think it's a good idea to have them around to provoke a possibly fatal mistake.  Birds spread these around quite a bit (the berries aren't toxic to birds), so if you have it, your neighbor probably will too, sooner or later.  Two to five nightshade berries are lethal to children.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-08-07T20:47:13.717" LastActivityDate="2012-08-07T20:47:13.717" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4956" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4939" CreationDate="2012-08-07T22:22:51.483" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do some of the larger bumps look a little different, smoother, thicker, maybe sort of waxy-looking, and are harder to get off - probably near or on the central mid-vein of the leaf, on top or bottom?  If so, you probably have scale, which excretes the sticky stuff (most of which lands on the leaves and floor below), which then gets eaten by various molds and whatever, causing things like the spots you see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd especially look for Ceroplastes Rubens, aka Pink Wax Scale or Red Wax Scale, which looks like little pink waxy domes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastEditorUserId="445" LastEditDate="2012-08-08T02:47:03.547" LastActivityDate="2012-08-08T02:47:03.547" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4957" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4948" CreationDate="2012-08-08T03:49:39.477" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks a lot to me like one of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_nigrum&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Solanum nigrum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (&quot;black nightshade&quot;) varieties -- see the &quot;Solanum nigrum complex&quot; paragraph under &quot;Taxonomy&quot; in the Wikipedia article.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure where you're from, but they grow as weeds all over North America, as well as -- as far as I know -- most of the rest of the world. They are not tomatoes, and most of these varieties are very dangerous.*&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are smooth and kite-shaped with wavy margins and prominent veins. The berries are clustered and spherical, 1/4&quot; diameter or a bit more at full growth, and turn from green to shiny black as they ripen. The flowers are white and five-petaled, with prominent yellow &quot;beaks&quot; in the center (technically, &lt;em&gt;anthers&lt;/em&gt;) . (Personally, I think they're fairly handsome plants.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;em&gt;related&lt;/em&gt; to the tomato, as well as several other food plants -- eggplants, capiscums, and potatoes. This accounts for the vague similarites one can see in the fruit and the leaf structures. They are all members of &lt;em&gt;Solanaceae&lt;/em&gt;, the &quot;nightshade family&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some parts of different varieties of this genus and species &lt;em&gt;are reported&lt;/em&gt; to have different degrees of edibility, depending on you, the plant, the ripeness of the berries, how you cook it, the day of the week, and whether your car is red.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Please don't eat&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; any part of this plant unless you get a &lt;em&gt;much better&lt;/em&gt; identification from an actual botanist or someone who can see the plant first-hand and is verifiably an expert.**&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*Among non-mushrooms, poisonous nightshades are probably second only to the poisonous hemlocks (&quot;poison hemlock&quot; and the &quot;water hemlock&quot; genus) in terms of deadliness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;**Actually, that goes for any wild plant. Most aren't poisonous, and most of the poisonous ones aren't automatically deadly, but why make yourself sick for curiousity when there's plenty of books you can check first? Many of the poisonous wild ones are closely related to our food plants -- like this one, and various members of the pea family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="581" LastEditorUserId="581" LastEditDate="2012-08-12T18:06:34.317" LastActivityDate="2012-08-12T18:06:34.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4958" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4959" CreationDate="2012-08-08T10:06:04.930" Score="9" ViewCount="1357" Body="&lt;p&gt;Typical garden soil from the garden centre has a perfect black colour, with additions like peat, fertilizers, and so called 'soil improvers'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone explain to me what the process is of making the 'typical' garden soil. With this I mean the standard soil with no fancy properties whatsoever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I make it myself, through composting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1340" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2012-08-08T13:09:44.347" LastActivityDate="2012-08-08T16:58:11.883" Title="How is 'gardening soil' made?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4958" CreationDate="2012-08-08T16:52:57.300" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not entirely certain what you're asking - the use of the term 'soil' is confusing. What you buy at the garden centre will be either potting compost (John Innes, Multi purpose, but still potting) or soil conditioning compost, or composted animal manure, or topsoil. Topsoil is only as good as where its been extracted from - its dug out of the ground and bagged up, so sometimes it might be rubbish, like motorway spoil, or it might be top graded soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The 'soil' you speak of with added nutrients and peat, etc., is a good description of a general potting compost rather than soil itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if you're asking if you can improve the soil you've already got, yes is the answer - humus rich materials are what you need, and by that I mean good garden compost you've made yourself, soil conditioning compost or composted animal manures that you buy in, plus things like leaf mould, spent mushroom compost, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're asking if you can make your own potting compost, you can, but your own garden compost would need to have been produced using a 'hot' aerobic system rather than the more usual cold, anaerobic one because the heat is what kills off weed seeds and certain other undesirables. To that you'd add a quantity of sand and peat, maybe some grit; there are many recipes for making different types of potting compost, depending which plants you want to grow in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-08-08T16:58:11.883" LastActivityDate="2012-08-08T16:58:11.883" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4961" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-09T16:20:38.337" Score="7" ViewCount="307" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are building 2-story home (~2300 sqft) in a neighborhood of mostly 1-story homes, and typically less square feet, and no large attached garage.  Needless to say, with the extra square feet, and attached 2-car garage, the home appears a bit out of place for the neighborhood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our home is at the end of a culdesac and is at the highest point in the neighborhood, which does help somewhat with making it seem a bit separated from the rest of the homes, as it's not visible until you get to the top of the culdesac.  However, I would still like to visually make the home appear smaller using various landscaping techniques.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you drive up the road to the end of the culdesac, the first thing you see is the side of a deep garage.  Before the garage was framed, the home did not seem too large.  I would like to get some input on some landscaping techniques on how to make a home appear smaller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking some evergreens of some sorts, but I really have zero experience with choosing the right plants, and where to place them.  We are located in CT.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1501" LastActivityDate="2012-08-14T11:14:10.200" Title="Landscaping to Reduce Visual Size of Home" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4962" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-10T00:31:38.140" Score="3" ViewCount="3795" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not sure what is wrong, the plant seems to be rotting and withering from the top down.  The tag says that it is a bush but it has grown to 5 feet or more in height.  I tried trimming back the withering parts but the withering is continuing.  The leaves start getting dull and then darken and then fall off.  It is still trying to grow the baby leaves even on the bunches that are starting to wither. I have tried moving it into more sun but it hasn't seemed to help.  I am afraid I will eventually loose the whole plant and I have had this plant for years,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1504" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-08-10T17:35:30.767" LastActivityDate="2013-08-05T00:27:44.550" Title="Schefflera arboricola , seems to be withering and dying, help!" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4963" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5014" CreationDate="2012-08-10T01:17:29.577" Score="11" ViewCount="975" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small lawn and no outside storage, so I have recently acquired a manual reel lawn mower.  I suspect that this mower is more sensitive to poor mowing practices that a typical gas mower but I am not experienced enough to know what best practices I should follow or if there are different things to pay attention to than when using a gas mower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What best practices should I follow when using this mower?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="679" LastActivityDate="2018-06-29T17:36:27.000" Title="What best practices should I follow when using a manual reel lawn mower?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4964" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4966" CreationDate="2012-08-10T01:19:02.747" Score="4" ViewCount="1633" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Northern Ontario, where evenings below freezing start in October, and snow begins as early as November.  I'm looking to aerate and seed my lawn.  I've read that Spring and Fall are the best times to do that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being in Northern Ontario, is Fall too late in the year to effectively aerate and seed a lawn?  I would imagine that for seeding to be effective, the seeds should have time to germinate before frost.  Should &quot;Fall&quot; really be &quot;End of Summer&quot;?  Would Spring be a better time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1486" LastActivityDate="2012-08-10T02:55:13.087" Title="Fall seeding a lawn in Northern Ontario" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4962" CreationDate="2012-08-10T02:46:26.913" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A picture really helps in diagnosis cases.  With Scheff's there are more and less likely causes:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;most likely, root rot from overwatering.  The soil may have been fine when you first got it but over the years it has compacted.  Add some overwatering in low light and rot will set in.  Normally I see the lower leaves die first while the top ones are the last to go.  Solution:  take cuttings and try rooting them in water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;insects like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;scale&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrips&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;thrip&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_mite&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;spider mites&lt;/a&gt; can also produce dying leaves.  All of these  will hang out on the underside of the leave.  Examination with a magnifying glass will reveal the insects or with thrips the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frass&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;frass&lt;/a&gt; that they leave.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Less likely for a well established plant is some kind of fungal/bacteria/virus.  Indicators would be spots on the leaves, sunken lesions or brown mushy spots on the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a picture of the underside of a leaf that is still green and another closeup of the plant and we can help you more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-08-10T02:46:26.913" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4966" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4964" CreationDate="2012-08-10T02:55:13.087" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grass seed takes longer to establish than sod.  I have seen sod laid in November in Ottawa that takes.  The ground is still warm and cool temperatures prevent it from drying out.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For seed, it needs time to germinate and root.  My guesstimate is that you need at least four to six weeks of air temperatures over ten degrees celsius to establish grass seed.  This is also dependent on soil, moisture and light levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you would have more success to lay sod in September or grass seed in May.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-08-10T02:55:13.087" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4967" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4963" CreationDate="2012-08-10T03:06:35.427" Score="8" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keep it sharp&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mow frequently (they really struggle in tall grass)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2012-08-10T03:06:35.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4968" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-10T03:12:54.990" Score="4" ViewCount="2270" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the last 2 years my dutch irises have been a beautiful Spring show. However, this year they have failed to bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would greatly appreciate any ideas as to what may have gone wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks, Marg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1505" LastActivityDate="2012-08-11T12:08:02.633" Title="What causes Dutch Irises to fail to bloom?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4969" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4968" CreationDate="2012-08-10T06:23:25.523" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read that from time to time you need to dig them out and split the bulbs as they have created daughter bulbs and all the energy is going into them instead of the flowering. I did it it this year and tripled my irises like that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to that if you heavy soil it is said to give the bulbs a break. IOW: dig them out and store them for a month or two maximum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All that digging need to be done in Summer so that you can put them back into the soil in early autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read this in the French &quot;Truffaut&quot; (Gardening bible) and from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3933/how-should-i-care-for-my-dutch-iris-plants&quot;&gt;How should I care for my Dutch Iris plants?&lt;/a&gt; (although the answer is addressing iris' based on rhizomes) and I don't have the complete experience myself as I'm currently in the middle of trying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-08-10T08:34:40.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4970" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-10T09:16:11.143" Score="6" ViewCount="22898" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was taking a lunch time walk at work and noticed some council workers filling in a sizable patch (about 1m square) with soil. I've noticed this done on golf courses and also on sports grounds and I am curious to find out. Why are divots, and small ditches filled in with sand or with a very sandy soil with very minimal organic matter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My brother used to work on a golf course and the typical thing for someone to do to fill in a sizable divot is to fill the spot with sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why is this the case?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see an example of this here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://golf.about.com/od/beginners/ss/repair_divots_4.htm&quot;&gt;http://golf.about.com/od/beginners/ss/repair_divots_4.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-08-10T11:01:08.290" LastActivityDate="2014-01-07T14:22:44.863" Title="Why are holes and divots typically filled with a sand mix?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4970" CreationDate="2012-08-10T15:14:46.433" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sand has a couple of advantages over regular soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sand doesn't harden when underwatered, or when watered and then left dry for a long time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sand drains really well so it won't stay wet if it is overwatered. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sand is also very loose so when seeds germinate (or grass from the divot starts rooting again) the roots don't have to work too hard to spread and grow down into the ground. This allows grass to root more quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly from what I can tell, there is a pragmatic reason. It's fairly easy for a golfer to carry a small bag of sand, or sand/seed mix in his bag or cart to fill divots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2012-08-10T15:14:46.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4972" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4975" CreationDate="2012-08-10T21:35:50.330" Score="5" ViewCount="2307" Body="&lt;p&gt;The shoots coming up in the middle of my lawn (see picture) I believe they are from the roots of a cherry tree that is roughly 15 feet away (I could be wrong, there is also a Pear and Maple tree nearby). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is my only option to keep cutting them at the ground or maybe more effective to chop a wedge out of the root? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm general curious about controlling shoots in other areas as well. It seems like there should be a better solution then just clipping them back a few times a year. &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kKLb8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1503" LastEditorUserId="1503" LastEditDate="2012-08-12T02:50:42.827" LastActivityDate="2012-08-12T02:50:42.827" Title="Is there a long term solution to prevent tree shoots from coming up in lawn?" Tags="&lt;root-pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4974" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4972" CreationDate="2012-08-11T04:08:03.780" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's almost certainly from one of the fruit trees.  If you really just have to clip them a few times a year, I'd just do it, unless you really don't like the tree for other reasons.  This probably isn't the answer you wanted, but there you are!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="445" LastActivityDate="2012-08-11T04:08:03.780" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4975" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4972" CreationDate="2012-08-11T11:54:03.213" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It'll be the cherry tree causing the problem - these put out a lot of surface roots, from which shoots will grow - often in untended gardens, you might find what appear to be 4 young cherry trees spaced out 30 feet away from an old cherry tree, or within 30 feet of a now dead cherry tree. All these will be formed from the mature, surface roots of the original tree. Unfortunately, its the nature of these trees - there isn't really a good solution other than to plant cherry well away from any lawns, and to keep wrenching off the shoots which appear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-08-11T11:54:03.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4968" CreationDate="2012-08-11T12:08:02.633" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The term Dutch iris refers to a group of bulbous irises which is divided into three - Reticulata, Juno and Xiphium - the first to flower are the Reticulatas, and Xiphium are the last. All require well drained soil in a sunny spot, but the Reticulata group prefer alkaline soil, and flower better year on year if fed every 2 weeks with a liquid low nitrogen tomato fertiliser, immediately after flowering is over, and until the foliage dies down. This group produces those short (6 inch) flowers in late winter to early spring, so if that's the type you've got, follow the feeding regime next year - start it even if flowers don't arrive within a week of the time you'd normally expect them to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Juno group particularly detest wet and cold soil conditions and rot quite quickly, and some varieties must be put under shelter for winter - but with those, you wouldn't get leaves and no flowers if wet was the problem, they'd just disappear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-08-11T12:08:02.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4962" CreationDate="2012-08-11T12:46:43.133" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Turn it out of its pot - see how much root material there is, whether its all waterlogged, whether there's any pests or invaders in the compost. It might just be totally rootbound and unable to hang on to sufficient water/nutrients to keep going. If there is some good root material, repot into fresh compost, using a larger pot if necessary, cut down the top growth by at least half, water only when the surface of the compost is dry to the touch but not shrunken from the sides of the pot (after you've done a good water when repotting). Keep out of direct sunlight, but leave in a well lit (natural daylight) spot. Empty any outer pot or tray 30 minues after watering. Feed with a proprietary houseplant food intended for foliage plants (Baby Bio in the UK) 2 weeks after repotting and if regrowth occurs, feed weekly, or whatever it says on the feed you buy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-08-11T12:46:43.133" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4978" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4979" CreationDate="2012-08-11T14:44:27.940" Score="-6" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have bought these plants recently but i don't know their names&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://plus.google.com/photos/105026230771918356682/albums/5775409609786251761?authkey=CNju7sPY67i79AE&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Plants Images&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you tell me their names ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1508" LastActivityDate="2020-12-19T20:19:36.043" Title="I need to identify the following plants?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2012-08-23T15:22:27.467" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4979" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4978" CreationDate="2012-08-11T18:22:47.163" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Patrick B's right in what he says - but I had a look and they're such easily recognizable ones, here's the list 1. &lt;em&gt;Codiaeum&lt;/em&gt;; 3. &lt;em&gt;Syngonium podophyllum&lt;/em&gt;; 4. &lt;em&gt;Coleus&lt;/em&gt;; 5. &lt;em&gt;Dieffenbachia amoena&lt;/em&gt;. Number 2 is the dodgy one, can't see it clearly, but could be &lt;em&gt;Philodrendron scandens&lt;/em&gt;, or &lt;em&gt;Scindapsis&lt;/em&gt; if it's variegated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2020-12-19T20:19:36.043" LastActivityDate="2020-12-19T20:19:36.043" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="4980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="739" CreationDate="2012-08-11T19:47:19.253" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wrap the avocado seed in wet, but not sodden, paper towel, put it in a Ziploc bag, place it in a semi-light spot (I place mine on my kitchen counter) and check every week or so to make sure the towel is still wet. In my experience, it takes between a week and a half and three weeks for it to form roots and a shoot. Then just plant it with the shoot above the soil line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the only way I've ever had success. I'm on my third.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1509" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-08-11T19:50:29.663" LastActivityDate="2012-08-11T19:50:29.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4981" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-12T05:09:50.567" Score="5" ViewCount="14286" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see that &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther_Burbank&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Luther Burbank&lt;/a&gt; wrote &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1414702248&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;a book&lt;/a&gt; on the subject around a hundred years ago. But I don't have access to that book. Was he, or anyone else, successful?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought that I had seen something like that for sale in a catalog long ago, but I can't seem to find any reference to it with a Google search. I can't even seem to find anyone talking about it, besides Burbank.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's the &lt;a href=&quot;http://books.google.com/books?id=EvgUQR1n7rsC&amp;amp;lpg=PP1&amp;amp;pg=PA26#v=onepage&amp;amp;q&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Google Books link&lt;/a&gt; to the page of the preview that looks most relevant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, does any edible nut in an edible fruit exist? That is, what did I probably actually see in a fruit and nut tree catalog if almond in a peach doesn't exist?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1298" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-08-19T04:02:30.287" LastActivityDate="2014-08-19T04:02:30.287" Title="Is there an almond that grows inside a peach?" Tags="&lt;peaches&gt;&lt;hybrids&gt;&lt;nut-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4983" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4918" CreationDate="2012-08-12T11:30:06.117" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was too anxious to get started on the patching, so last weekend, the first weekend in August, I went up to Home Depot and picked up some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/brand/watersmart/tbEZ/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Scott's EX Seed&lt;/a&gt;.  I followed the steps to the letter, sprinkling it on the bald patches on the lawn.  I've been paying very close attention to watering, always twice, sometimes three times a day depending on the heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yesterday, to my amazement, grass!  It's just starting to grow, but it's only been a week.  Another product would probably be better for doing the entire lawn, as EZ Seed would be pricey for large areas, but for patches, it's perfect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1486" LastActivityDate="2012-08-12T11:30:06.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4984" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4981" CreationDate="2012-08-12T11:45:03.810" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't imagine why anyone would bother to try to get a sweet almond from a peach tree. Peach and almond are related botanically - the pit inside the stone of a peach has a bitter almond like flavour, and these are often extracted and treated, ground down and used in products like exfoliating scrubs. They contain cyanide, but eating one or two won't kill a human - if used in manufacturing for any food purposes, they are heat treated to destroy the toxin. So far as I'm aware, and according to my research, no one is attempting to get peaches which contain sweet almonds inside the stone, which itself is very hard to crack open.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: What I meant by why would anyone bother is, other than its appeal as a novelty, who would buy the resulting trees? Growers of almonds want just almonds to sell on - commercial peach growers might grow such a thing, but probably most people would rather pay less and have a peach than a peach/almond. And in the garden, I don't think I'd want to eat 6 peaches just to get my 6 almonds a day, that is if I got any peaches in the UK anyway. So if there is a market, it wouldn't be a particularly large and lucrative one, was what I meant, which is probably why breeders haven't spent a lot of money and time trying to breed one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-08-12T17:20:07.657" LastActivityDate="2012-08-12T17:20:07.657" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4985" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-12T11:45:24.310" Score="4" ViewCount="521" Body="&lt;p&gt;I really like dill, so I would like to have a constant supply of it in my garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, every time I sow dill, it grows and has some leaves, eventually flowers and I am left without any of it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having recently read the question on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/81/what-are-the-best-conditions-for-basil&quot;&gt;Best conditions for basil&lt;/a&gt;&#xA; I have seen how beneficial flower pinching is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, can dill's life be prolonged by removing the flowers and pinching the stem? Or is it just a plant with short lifespan and the only way of having constant supply of it is by reseeding every 2-4 weeks?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-08-14T20:43:29.277" Title="How to have constant supply of dill throughout summer?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4985" CreationDate="2012-08-12T11:51:28.503" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can extend its life by not allowing it to flower - the aim of most annual plants is to grow, flower, be pollinated, and set seed. Once they've done that, their job is over and they die. Delaying the flowering/seeding process means the plant continues to grow, but there is an end to the process - the plant will eventually give up and die anyway. Try it, see how well it works - plan to have a couple of successive sowings, say 4 weeks apart, next year, and give them all a reduced version of the  'chelsea chop'. You should then be able to have dill leaves for most of the season. Let some seed though; the seeds themselves have a pungent taste and can be used to flavour food too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-08-12T11:51:28.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4987" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4988" CreationDate="2012-08-12T01:56:37.553" Score="1" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;The house I live sits on the rock and I guess there would some problem with isolation and maybe some other issue as well. I have to clean the room time to time with vinegar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any indoor plant that would help me with mold in the room?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Radek" LastActivityDate="2012-08-12T14:29:44.633" Title="Is there any indoor plant to help with mold in the room?" Tags="&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4988" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4987" CreationDate="2012-08-12T02:38:16.053" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mold loves moisture, and plants typically like moisture too, so I don't think any plant is going to help control mold. If you introduced 20 plants, you'd also be introducing a lot of moist soil which would further increase the humidity. The best way to control mold is to keep everything dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1116" OwnerDisplayName="Steven" LastActivityDate="2012-08-12T02:38:16.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4989" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4987" CreationDate="2012-08-12T03:14:58.130" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As Steven points out about plants and moister, your best thing to do is get more ventilation in your house.  You could also use an Air Purifier with a HEPA filter to reduce the mold spores floating around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Gunner" LastActivityDate="2012-08-12T03:14:58.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4940" CreationDate="2012-08-12T15:15:36.120" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here in Poland this is often done in late winter (February) to prevent &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_scald_%28flora%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sun scald&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="976" LastActivityDate="2012-08-12T15:15:36.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4991" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="125" CreationDate="2012-08-12T19:25:14.070" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;This year I have had such a problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am having partial success with &quot;Ultrasonic Motion-Activated&quot; system as proposed by Mike Perry.&#xA;By partial I mean that the cats seem to stop pooping in the places where the system is installed, but move to other &quot;corners&quot; of the garden. I have moved the machine 3 times for now, the cats haven't yet returned to the first spot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my childhood, my grandparents used to have something like a compost pile, where they also put the fresh manure. And today I suddenly remembered that this was also the &quot;toilet&quot; for our cat. &#xA;Furthermore, in the spring I spread quite a lot of manure throughout the yard and I am inclined to think it was a bit too fresh. Then, cat poops started appearing throughout the garden, and I even found some on top of the bags that used to hold the manure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the time I thought I was dealing with some crazy cat, but today everything has started making sense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cats like pooping at one and the same place, and they seem to be specifically attracted to the smell of composting manure. Therefore, they have started frequenting my yard after I added some fresh manure to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ultrasonic thing + removing the poops as soon as spotting them seems to be helping a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next year I won't be adding manure, especially fresh one, for sure!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" LastActivityDate="2012-08-12T19:25:14.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4993" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3886" CreationDate="2012-08-12T23:09:31.613" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Yates rose gun seems to get rid of rust on frangipanis. I have had some good results in Broome and Melbourne using this product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1514" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-09-06T17:38:55.200" LastActivityDate="2012-09-06T17:38:55.200" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4994" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="4996" CreationDate="2012-08-13T09:35:19.493" Score="2" ViewCount="115" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any idea why my Ipomea Violacea flowers remain all white, in deed almost all white: there are sometimes little little diffuse stains of purple at the basis of the corolla.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should be deep blue/purple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not enough sun, fertilizers, pH ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought it was an easy plant to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1515" LastEditorUserId="1515" LastEditDate="2012-08-14T18:18:06.527" LastActivityDate="2012-08-14T18:18:06.527" Title="My Ipomea Violacea plants keep their flowers white" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4995" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="125" CreationDate="2012-08-13T11:50:22.247" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem is the mulch - cats like anything that's loose and which they can scratch and move around easily, so freshly dug soil, mulch, pea shingle, anything like that is the equivalent of cat litter so far as they're concerned. The best mulch to use to discourage cats is probably coca shell, if that's available - that has a habit of 'bonding' together to create a resilient mat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut branches of holly and berberis do keep them off, but your borders don't look great with these laid all over. Sticks inserted also work, again, doesn't look great. Scaredy cat plant doesn't work, nor does tiger poo, tried it, they loved/ignored it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most effective I've found is the system with a PIR connected to a sprinkler - any movement in the garden means the sprinkler comes on. But that only works well if the sprinkler covers the whole area, obviously, and there's another drawback - windy days meaning excessive movement of plants may well trigger the sprinkler. Having a cat of your own helps to keep them out, and I found they don't like the old fashioned mothballs, the very smelly camphor ones - but you have to renew them every few days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other last resort (as far as I'm concerned) option is to provide somewhere they can go, like a smallish area of sand, which apparently works well, but obviously will need clearing out regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-08-13T12:02:40.907" LastActivityDate="2012-08-13T12:02:40.907" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4996" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4994" CreationDate="2012-08-13T12:39:52.290" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ipomea violacea isn't always violet coloured - it comes in white, pink, bi colour and purple, so unless you bought a named variety which specifies the colour, yours just happens to be white with a hint of purple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-08-13T12:39:52.290" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4997" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3676" CreationDate="2012-08-13T14:34:53.070" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another technique for spreading evenly small seeds is mixing them beforehand with sand. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the mix, you will have more material that can be easily spread either by hand or by the technique proposed by Niall C. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Furthermore, the sand generally has different colour than soil, so you will easily see how even the sowing is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" LastActivityDate="2012-08-13T14:34:53.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4998" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5004" CreationDate="2012-08-13T20:17:16.380" Score="9" ViewCount="297" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I moved into my house last year I found a bed of (unmaintained) strawberries which despite that were fruiting quite well. This spring I cleaned up and dug out all of them and removed weeds. Then I replanted them randomly into the same bed and because they were so many into 3 other beds close by. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of them worked and they produced quite a lot of fruits in the first round. Now the second round has started and the plants on the original bed are fruiting very nicely. On the other 3 beds only very few plants are flowering again, but they build a lot of huge leaves and daughter plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Is the creation of daughters and fruits exclusive? (I have one plant which flowers and has daughters (which themselves are flowering) out of 40 plants).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) I put some compost tea on them once a month for three months just to see what happens. What (else) can I do to encourage flowering? This year or next year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;: I forgot the add in my original question that when I replanted them I haven't put anything into the soil: no compost, no fertilizer, no manure. I wanted to see what happens, gather conclusions what to do with the soil next time. Hence my question. Thanks for the ideas so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2012-08-15T11:41:40.597" LastActivityDate="2012-08-25T17:07:04.460" Title="Understanding the flowering of strawberries" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="4999" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3676" CreationDate="2012-08-13T21:00:13.910" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Especially for round seeds, I take a pinch between my thumb and finger, and then kind of roll my fingers back and forth so that one or two seeds fall out a time. Do this while moving your arm along the row and you should end up with well spaced seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, don't be afraid to pick them up and move them if you get a clump of seeds all next to each other in the row. Don't pull the soil over them until you like how they're laying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2012-08-13T21:00:13.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4961" CreationDate="2012-08-14T04:00:33.010" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Scale is your priority.  Big house equals big tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to a large tree and if your front yard is deep enough you might want to plant some shrubs which have showy seasonal interest, such as flowers, fall color or unusual form.  Planting them closer to the road will make them appear larger.  They will draw attention to themselves distracting attention from your large home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are in a hurry be sure to choose a fast growing tree.  I might suggest the Willow Oak &quot;quercus phellos'. It's fast growing, grows to 80 to 90+ feet, is long lived, pest free and it has fine foliage which is easy to garden under. I believe you are in zone 6 which is in it's range.  It has slender branches which withstand ice storms and wind extremely well and it has a very nice winter silhouette.  This is my favorite so I had to give it a plug.  If your heart is set on a conifer, you might want to check out Norway Spruce &quot;picea abies' but be sure to ask about any pest or health issues they may have in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1517" LastEditorUserId="1517" LastEditDate="2012-08-14T11:14:10.200" LastActivityDate="2012-08-14T11:14:10.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5001" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5002" CreationDate="2012-08-14T10:21:17.353" Score="3" ViewCount="6903" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning to make a rockery down the end of my garden. The position is directly underneath two tall Leylandii. The soil there is poor and any moisture very quickly sucked out by the Leylandii. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The spot receives no direct sunlight - it is north facing (UK), and in the corner between two fence panels. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What plants can you recommend that would be suitable for a rockery in this position?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1518" LastActivityDate="2016-06-24T13:21:16.067" Title="Plant suggestions for a rockery in a dry, shaded position" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5002" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5001" CreationDate="2012-08-14T10:34:02.523" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry, Nicholas, but the answer is not good - rockery plants, if you mean a proper rockery rather than just a bed with a few rocks dotted about, are usually alpines. Alpines grow in dry, rocky/scree, open situations, with full exposure to sunlight, and none of them will do well in a shaded area. That then means you're stuck with plants which only do well in dry shade - so one or two ferns, maybe some Lamium varieties, Vinca, Hypericum calycinum, none of which are 'rockery' plants as we know them. The latter three are, or can be, invasive, so if you were going to use those, you'd not particularly want them where you can't reduce or weed them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is also the question of how close to the leylandii you wanted this rockery to be - the soil level which currently exists around the base of the trunks should be kept the same, so any piling up of soil/rocks will need to be done further away from those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If three feet away is not an option either, loose lay a few slabs and stand pots on them and plant into those with whatever you want - summer bedding in summer (lobelia, fuchsia, busy lizzy, begonia, pansy all tolerate shade well) or use much larger pots and put the plants mentoned in the update section in those instead. Means you have to water regularly though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Anything you plant should be a minimum of 3 feet away from the base of the trees - have a look at Mahonia aquifolium, Ruscus, Prunus Otto Luyken, Lamium maculatum White Nancy or Beacon Silver, the latter two for ground cover. All will  need watering till established though, particularly the shrubs mentioned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-08-14T15:01:36.073" LastActivityDate="2012-08-14T15:01:36.073" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5003" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4998" CreationDate="2012-08-14T13:14:50.713" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maybe the soil on the other three beds is just more fertile? Lots of nitrogen can encourage plants to grow green instead of flowering and fruiting. In such case adding more fertilizer won't help, it could rather make things worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="976" LastActivityDate="2012-08-14T13:14:50.713" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4998" CreationDate="2012-08-14T20:35:29.380" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are you certain they are all the same type of strawberry? My strawberry bed has a mix of June bearing and Everbearing plants - the June bearers flower once in the spring, the everbearers flower at about the same time in the spring, and are flowering again right now. If you have a mix, it could be that the plants which are not flowering are your June bearers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2012-08-14T20:35:29.380" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5005" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4985" CreationDate="2012-08-14T20:43:29.277" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pinching dill back will work for awhile, but I find that the quality of the foliage degrades over time even if you aren't allowing the plant to flower - the stems get too big and tough, and the texture of the leaves also changes. I think you are best off reseeding every few weeks in the summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2012-08-14T20:43:29.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5006" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4981" CreationDate="2012-08-14T20:54:46.220" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wonder if what you saw was what is marketed as a hardy almond? There are almond/peach tree crosses sold in some of the catalogs (Raintree is one). They are marketed as a substitute for almonds for growers in areas that are too cold for a regular almond tree. They have an edible seed, but I don't believe the fruit is edible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2012-08-14T20:54:46.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5007" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4963" CreationDate="2012-08-14T21:03:28.643" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I had a reel mower, I found it best to pick up twigs that had fallen from the trees before I started, otherwise it was frustrating to have to keep stopping when they jammed in the reel. It was still much more pleasant than using a gas mower for a small yard, though - hope you enjoy yours! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2012-08-14T21:03:28.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5008" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-14T21:07:30.540" Score="6" ViewCount="233" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pumpkin patch in Illinois with 30 plants. They're all in bloom now but are only sprouting male blossoms. How do I get them to give me female blossoms? I'm worried I won't have a single pumpkin from this patch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1520" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-08-14T21:32:39.297" LastActivityDate="2019-08-30T05:55:36.147" Title="Why does my pumpkin patch have only male blossoms?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5008" CreationDate="2012-08-14T21:32:48.763" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;How long have they been in bloom? Usually the first flush of blossoms are all male - the female blossoms will show up later - in my experience, a week or so after you first see blooms. They grow fairly fast, so I'm betting you'll have squash before it frosts. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2012-08-14T21:32:48.763" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5010" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5012" CreationDate="2012-08-15T00:46:11.963" Score="4" ViewCount="1946" Body="&lt;p&gt;For years I dream to plant a Ginkgo Biloba. And the other day I found two ones in a shop. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first one was really cheap, but really little with its head having been cut off... it was something like 20 cm high, with a little note evaluating its height after ten years: 60 cm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other one, much more expensive, really good looking, (but costing something like 160 euros) was already circa 60 cm high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does the Ginkgo Biloba growth rate is really that slow ? Do you think it's the fact that the first one had its head cut off ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So... if a plant one from a seed, how much time would it take to be 1 meter old ? (It's for my blaconny, I don't have a garden)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1515" LastEditorUserId="1515" LastEditDate="2012-08-15T01:13:12.407" LastActivityDate="2015-09-01T22:35:43.410" Title="Ginkgo Biloba growth rate" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5011" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-15T03:50:50.907" Score="12" ViewCount="745" Body="&lt;p&gt;Inside of my compost which is only like five gallons I see hundreds of maggots or larvae. Is there a way I can dissect them and tell which species they are? I see some reports online that &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetia_illucens#Black_soldier_fly_larvae_and_redworms&quot;&gt;Black Soldier Flies are a good thing&lt;/a&gt;. My compost is still very anaerobic -- this is a problem I want to fix. I see a few options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put a bunch of paper in the nitrogen rich compost, hope it sucks up the moisture and the new balance is less hospitable to the maggots or larvae.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dump vinegar or rubbing alcohol in the bucket -- hope that kills off the problem. (I'm open to other solutions, or input on why this is a bad idea).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1061" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-08-15T14:13:48.693" LastActivityDate="2017-11-03T05:46:05.907" Title="Compost has larva or maggots?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5012" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5010" CreationDate="2012-08-15T10:21:20.503" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it is that slow, they are very slow growing compared to other plants. Estimated height of one bought as a good sized plant growing in optimum conditions in the ground after 20 years is 5 metres. I have one myself, bought at around 50 cm - 4 years later, its about 3cm taller. I've been unable to establish how long a seedling might take to reach, say, 40 cm, but I'd guess it might easily be as long as 10 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-08-15T10:21:20.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5013" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5011" CreationDate="2012-08-15T12:05:10.537" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't worry too much about what exactly you've got. If you've got larvae inside your compost, they're eating your compost, which is what you want. The problem will be when they mature and you have a bunch of flies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your first proposal is good -- add paper, dry leaves, sawdust/wood shavings, or other carbon-containing materials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't add anything like vinegar or alcohol. You'll kill the organisms that are in your compost doing their thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other recommendations I'd make are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;More volume. Five gallons isn't really enough to get critical mass so that the aerobic bacteria can take over. The size you've got will work, but there's not really enough mass to insulate the interior so that the aerobic bacteria can generate and retain heat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Aerate. At 5g, you're probably not choking off the air too much, but if it's a big wet mass of material then this could be a problem. Mix it with a garden fork so that air gets into the interior. It's a good idea to do this when you add your carbon material, since you'll want to get that extra material mixed into the pile.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-08-15T12:05:10.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5014" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4963" CreationDate="2012-08-15T12:06:37.353" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an acre and a half, about half of which is lawn, and have used nothing but reel mowers on it for a decade or so. My tips:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;don't try to mow when it's wet, and don't let it get too long - both long grass and wet grass (or heaven forbid, long wet grass) will be a real struggle. These rules fight each other when it rains every day, causing the grass to grow. At some point you have to get a little obsessed about getting out and mowing when you can&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;don't feel you have to mow the whole lawn when you mow. The great thing about a reel mower is that it's always ready to go. You can do two minutes if you want, no big deal. This lets you cope with different parts of the lawn growing at different speeds, or just pop out and take care of something with no real prep effort. We work at home and can do 5 minutes of mowing here and there while waiting for code to compile or the like&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you don't clear twigs and pine cones before you mow, they are likely to jam the blade. This means the whole thing stops dead and typically the handle ends up in your stomach. You'll soon learn by aversion to pick up twigs and pinecones if you're just walking across the lawn for some other purpose&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you need less safety equipment than a rotary power mower. You don't need ear protection, for example. But you should wear shoes. We let the kids do the lawn starting much younger than we would have let them touch a gas mower. But we had to insist on shoes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you run with it (which is fun) it will let out a lovely spray of grass clippings towards you, not off to the side like a rotary mower. Choose your clothes accordingly, or don't run with it (see what you learn when you let the kids do it?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it can get dull and you will feel the difference when it does. Owning two makes it easier to notice. We have a sharpening kit that you bolt on to the mower and it works. While you're sharpening it, make sure everything is moving freely&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;long grass can wrap around the wheel axles and slow you down. Take a minute to clear it away and you'll be happier&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If yours doesn't come with a padded handle, go to the hardware store and buy a slip-on foam thingy to pad it. A plain metal handle is uncomfortable.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We got ours from Lee Valley. They've been reliable and I would never buy a gas mower. Gas mowers need maintenance too, and back when we had one I couldn't do everything on one tank of gas, and it would run out at some awkward half-mowed stage. And we're a twenty minute round-trip drive to the gas station and back. The reel mowers are lighter than the gas ones (since there's no engine to lug around) which matters on our hilly property, they're safer, cheaper to run, and just more convenient for the way we live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One last tip: people will think you've bought it because you're a little eccentric. It gets boring explaining that it's actually easier than the power mower, so just prepare to be thought eccentric or a lawn-nut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2012-08-30T22:02:14.020" LastActivityDate="2012-08-30T22:02:14.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5015" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5001" CreationDate="2012-08-15T12:26:21.713" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leylandii are well known to discourage things growing around their bases. Think of the good news: no weeds!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why not plant something in-front of the &quot;dead zone&quot; surrounding the base of the leylandii and that grows a couple of feet high, hiding the dead area? Some nice annual flowers, perhaps?  Or some of the larger heathers? If you choose some distinctive heather colours, these could contrast well with the leylandii.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-08-15T12:26:21.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5016" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-15T17:43:48.653" Score="5" ViewCount="3721" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help me identify this monster plant. It grew by itself late July. Yellow flower, somewhat a rounded star shape, indented leaves, some with whitish patches, yellow round smooth &quot;fruit&quot;, small 3-4in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nrM2m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Monster plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1523" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-02T00:51:45.467" LastActivityDate="2015-01-02T00:51:45.467" Title="Squash or gourd? Monster plant growing from mulch put on empty bed" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5017" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-15T21:36:36.850" Score="5" ViewCount="1780" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to find an inexpensive but attractive way to put a raised bed in that will be used for an organic veggie garden.  It sounds as if clay bricks are OK if they haven't been in a fireplace.  What about the mortar?  What do I need to look for?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1524" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-08-16T03:55:06.020" LastActivityDate="2012-08-16T03:55:06.020" Title="Can I use red clay bricks for an organic veggie raised bed? What about mortar?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5017" CreationDate="2012-08-15T21:57:08.150" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never heard anything about standard mortar mix that would be harmful to vegetables. A bag of mortar mix at your local hardware store will be relatively inexpensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, take a look at &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2552/which-techniques-and-tools-should-i-use-to-build-a-raised-vegetable-garden-from?rq=1&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; for some tips on building a raised bed with bricks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-08-15T21:57:08.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5019" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4242" CreationDate="2012-08-16T15:44:27.620" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The one shade tree you have there looks like a red oak or similar.  These should grow fairly quickly if properly encouraged.  Every year put tree food spikes around the drip line, and water regularly if not getting enough rain.  Also, an interim solution would be the 3 pane window and attic insulation. Also, a arizona ash will grow very quickly and can be removed once the red oak matures.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1527" LastActivityDate="2012-08-16T15:44:27.620" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5020" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4242" CreationDate="2012-08-16T16:54:43.043" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fastest growing tree I can think of is Eucalyptus gunnii, the Australian gum. Very deep rooting, may grow up to 6 feet year, but I've no idea how well it would do in your climate. The other problem is, I don't know about footings to your house - in the UK, a tree which reaches 60 feet or more must never be planted less than 45 feet from any house or structure because of the roots threatening the footings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-08-16T16:54:43.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5021" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-17T01:35:03.883" Score="1" ViewCount="5754" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to split an existing sprinkler zone into two zones. The issue I have is I cannot remove the valve that currently controls to flow. So, I want to have the system turn on both the original valve and one of the new.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example. Current zone 5 becomes zones 5 and 6. When the controller kicks on zone 5 or 6, the original valve also opens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All I can come up with is using 2 relays to make an logical OR circuit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am wondering what the best way to wire this up would be? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1528" LastActivityDate="2012-09-06T17:36:30.440" Title="Dividing a sprinkler zone into two zones" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4981" CreationDate="2012-08-17T17:52:39.677" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;luther burbank was a glorious blowhard... try a garden huckleberry if you don't believe me...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;as for the alternate question, mormon/Chinese apricots (as well as several other apricots, collectively referred to as sweet pit) have an edible fruit and pit(nut).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;also cashews grow with an &quot;apple&quot; but that wont survive outside of the tropics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-08-17T17:52:39.677" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5023" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5024" CreationDate="2012-08-18T00:05:53.867" Score="3" ViewCount="177" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whats the best/cheapest/natural (3 separate questions or 1?) way to control mildew on plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a lot of roses that had not been nurtured for years, and they are really struggling with mildew (black, white, yellow, you name it these roses got it). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm also getting a small garden started and noticed white mildew showing up on my pumpkin leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will the same solution work for many different types of plants and mildew, or will I need to trouble shoot each case individually?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1503" LastEditorUserId="1503" LastEditDate="2012-08-18T01:25:27.423" LastActivityDate="2012-08-18T12:29:45.180" Title="What causes mildew on plants and how to prevent it?" Tags="&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5024" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5023" CreationDate="2012-08-18T12:23:06.330" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, what you'd use on roses is bound to be different from what you use on crop or food plants, in terms of pesticides. Judicious pruning of roses to open up the bushes and increase air flow helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondly, there is one natural cheap solution for them all, if its powdery mildew - 1 part cow's milk to 9 parts water, sprayed until run off over all leaves (both sides) and stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Powdery mildew occurs more often when plants are a bit stressed through drought, and keeping plants fed and watered optimally helps to fend off infection generally, but overcrowding of plants and very damp weather contribute to all forms of fungal infection, including mildews.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-08-18T12:29:45.180" LastActivityDate="2012-08-18T12:29:45.180" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5025" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5026" CreationDate="2012-08-19T15:16:50.560" Score="3" ViewCount="928" Body="&lt;p&gt;I couldn't resist, I offered myself an Acer Palmatum one week ago. And now we face one of the hottest heat wave nowadays in Europe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I noticed some leaves are already dry, some of them are burnt. &#xA;I water one day on two... and yesterday night I used an atomizer for the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I wonder if I could also use the atomizer during the hot daylight. I fear that the droplets may act like magnifiers and burn the leaves all the more... I don't know. Is it a rationnal fear or is it completely unaccurate ? Will a little mist do any good to my Japanese Maple?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1515" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2012-08-20T03:29:12.863" LastActivityDate="2012-08-23T07:45:26.480" Title="During a heat wave, is it good to use an atomizer during daylight to spread water on the leaves of my Acer Palmatum?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5025" CreationDate="2012-08-19T18:15:54.493" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As to whether or not a fine mist spray will benefit your Japanese Maple, I can't say. It almost certainly won't do it any harm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The matter of water scorching leaves, though, is just a myth. Far more damaging to your plant in times of drought than a little bit of water on the leaves is not watering when it shows signs of drought stress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's time to come clean - until I read &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0295987901&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Informed Gardener&lt;/a&gt; by Linda Chalker-Scott recently, I would have avoided watering in the heat of the day, precisely because I would have been worried about scorching the leaves. However, the essay &quot;The Myth of Hot-Weather Watering&quot; dispels the myth convincingly. And of course, it makes perfect sense that wet leaves aren't susceptible to sunburn - every time we had a rain storm followed by bright sunlight, we'd see struggling plants and trees throughout the environment!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="979" LastActivityDate="2012-08-19T18:15:54.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5027" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5025" CreationDate="2012-08-19T18:51:25.057" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're growing Acer palmatum, there are two things you need to provide for it - dappled sunlight only between the hours of 11 and 3 during summer, and a sheltered spot out of wind. Hot sun will frazzle the leaves, and wind will have the same effect, and rather more quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously, in a pot, keeping it well watered is important - but well watered or not, if its exposed to winds, the leaves will frazzle regardless, particularly if it is a dissectum variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-08-19T18:51:25.057" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5028" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-20T00:27:20.883" Score="11" ViewCount="53014" Body="&lt;p&gt;This question has been asked many times on the net and the information provided is unreliable and mostly wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I am aiming to understand is what is lacking in compost that we can't just add it to make it the same composition as a rich soil? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it the amount of time that is needed to completely break it down?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there some special ingredients that are built below the surface that can't be organically added to the compost mix?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there some special conversion process that happens underground that makes it different from compost?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="160" LastEditDate="2012-08-20T01:01:48.033" LastActivityDate="2017-11-03T03:18:40.063" Title="What is the difference between compost and soil?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5029" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5028" CreationDate="2012-08-20T12:18:12.463" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;As with any complex systems, there are no universally accepted definitions, so let's see the differences from this points of view:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil a) = naturally occurring granular covering on the surface of Earth, capable of supporting life&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil b) = substrat plants are growing from&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;compost = partially decomposed organic matter, human-made fertilizer and soil amendment&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope it is clear that from this point of view, &lt;strong&gt;&quot;compost&quot; is one of the things you can add to &quot;soil&quot; to make it &quot;rich&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; and not the other way round.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But well, if you really wanted to cover the ground with glass and put some compost on top of it, the &quot;things&quot; / components / elements to add to make a rich soil from it would be:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;inorganic matter - plants need more minerals to be healthy than just from compost that contains mostly carbon and nitrogen compounds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil life - bacteria that feed from plant's roots, roots themselves, fungi, worms, ...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keeping the right water / air composition (compost is usually just right except it lacks anaerobic layers with anaerobic bacteria further down from the surface)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;hr/&gt;&#xA;Also soil is much more open, complex and stable system - part of an ecosystem, organic matter is dynamically renewing from dying roots, fallen leaves, ... - than compost - a gardener creates it, it has several stages and finally adds it to soil and it becomes soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1536" LastEditorUserId="1536" LastEditDate="2012-08-20T12:25:49.863" LastActivityDate="2012-08-20T12:25:49.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5030" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5025" CreationDate="2012-08-20T14:39:09.760" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As others have said, I'm sure it won't hurt/sunburn the leaves, but I also doubt that it will do any good. Water evaporates so quickly in the heat of the day. I think you are better off focusing on keeping it well watered and letting it handle the transpiration itself. Do you have mulch in the pot? That would help keep it from drying out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2012-08-20T14:39:09.760" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5031" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5021" CreationDate="2012-08-21T01:03:09.540" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;My controller cannot operate two valves at the same time, but based on the comments from Scivitri, I looked around online and found a video that shows my RainBird valves can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have RainBird HV100 valves, and turning the solenoid counter-clockwise 90 degrees opens the valve. It is working like a charm!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I still want to research making a XOR circuit (Thank you JYelton) if I cannot get in and remove the valve, but for now I am up and running.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks you all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1528" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-09-06T17:36:30.440" LastActivityDate="2012-09-06T17:36:30.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5032" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5028" CreationDate="2012-08-21T02:37:40.717" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Expanding my comment a bit. Disclaimer: I'm not a soils scientist, just a guy who reads about gardening and related topics a lot.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I commented:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Pure compost would be nearly 100% organic matter. Soils have an inorganic component (minerals, rock particles, etc). You could build &quot;rich soil&quot; by mixing compost, sand, silt, clay, etc in the right proportions, depending on what kind of soil you want to build.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are tons of different kinds of soils on earth, and they can be divided up in numerous ways. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_texture#Soil_texture_classification&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sand vs Silt vs Clay&lt;/a&gt; (i.e. by particle size). Organic matter content (low vs high). For growing purposes, we often also talk about soil pH (acidic vs alkaline).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's very much a possibility to &quot;design&quot; a soil that suits your needs. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1483/51&quot;&gt;my favorite recipe for potting soil&lt;/a&gt;, which mixes garden soil with sand to get the desired grain size (for drainage purposes) and then adds compost (for plant nutrients and organic matter), lime (to raise pH), and mineral fertilizers (plant nutrients).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could do the same thing on a large scale by having three dump trucks swing by your house and deliver one load each of composted manure, sand, and topsoil(*). Add a few bags of lime and some mineral fertilizers and then all you'll need is a bulldozer to mix it and spread it around your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(*) &quot;Topsoil&quot; is kind of begging the question, I guess. You could get really specific and order up precise quantities of sand/silt/clay in the desired proportions. When I'm mixing potting soil, I just go by how it feels in my hands so that it's the &quot;right&quot; consistency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2012-08-21T02:37:40.717" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5035" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5251" CreationDate="2012-08-21T20:31:59.847" Score="3" ViewCount="849" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've noticed a beetle on our fava beans.  They crawl out and fly away, leaving perfectly circular little holes.  Any idea what they are and what they do?  Besides the little hole, the beans seem fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't post images but they're little dark beetles, maybe 3 millimeters long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1485" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-11T19:31:39.967" LastActivityDate="2016-12-12T20:02:48.340" Title="Do I have fava bean beetles?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;fava-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5036" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5045" CreationDate="2012-08-21T21:04:25.287" Score="7" ViewCount="3857" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple stores I frequent now use, or are starting to use, plastic bags and cups that say they're compostable. Are these safe to add to my compost pile or are they just more environmentally friendly for landfills?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2019-12-25T13:55:09.377" Title="Is it safe to add compostable plastics to my compost pile?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5037" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5035" CreationDate="2012-08-21T21:15:32.133" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The two insects that I know of which would do this are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Leaf%20Cutter%20Bees&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;leaf cutter bees&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alticinae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;flea beetles&lt;/a&gt;. If the bug is in fact a beetle then it’s most likely a member of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf_beetle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;leaf beetle&lt;/a&gt; family. By the looks of it neither is considered harmful, just a nuisance (though I wouldn’t mind having the leaf cutter bees in my garden for pollination).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2012-08-21T21:15:32.133" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5038" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1519" CreationDate="2012-08-21T21:27:29.750" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have grown morning glories off and on for several years. The years that I added blood meal, they grew incredibly high- but no flowers. The years I did not add any fertilizers- many flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1541" LastActivityDate="2012-08-21T21:27:29.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5039" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5040" CreationDate="2012-08-22T01:29:24.040" Score="3" ViewCount="1536" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small vegetable garden and a small dog. I'm looking for advice on the best way to keep the little guy out of the veges. Advice on the following would be appreciated:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can plant that will deter him?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is there a minimal barrier or obstruction that is known to work to deter dogs?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is a physical barrier the only sure way?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1538" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-08-22T02:27:18.243" LastActivityDate="2012-08-23T14:10:17.653" Title="How can I keep a dog out of my vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;protection&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5040" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5039" CreationDate="2012-08-22T02:01:02.533" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will really depend on the dog. A lot of people say strong smelling items such as Ammonia, vinegar, and citrus oils will deter a dog from coming near the area. Others say to use Chili Pepper. Potentially some plants with strong scents will deter just the same. However, my personal experience is that my dog is NOT deterred by any of that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had to resort to a physical barrier. I've got a larger dog, so a decorative fence from my local hardware was plenty to keep him out. For a small dog you could use a similar fence, but attach chicken wire to it. Even some of the small fences might be tight enough to keep a small dog out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are worried about the look, you can get creative  by first building a raised bed, oddly shaped rocks might be beneficial. Then for additional security, add some decently thick plants around the edge of the bed. For a small dog, there is a good chance this will look like a wall that they will be scared to jump on to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="946" LastActivityDate="2012-08-22T02:01:02.533" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5041" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5068" CreationDate="2012-08-22T07:41:11.897" Score="8" ViewCount="18071" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the past I've had eggplant in my garden but my parents had always taken care of harvesting them since I don't eat it. This year I'm growing a couple for them and have some fairly large fruit on the plants. The problem though is they look the same now as when they first came out on the plants. How do you tell when an eggplant is ripe and ready to be picked? The variety I'm growing is &lt;code&gt;Listada de Gandia&lt;/code&gt; if it helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2018-10-02T05:53:53.307" Title="How do I tell when an eggplant is ready to be picked?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5042" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5052" CreationDate="2012-08-22T08:02:09.410" Score="9" ViewCount="31207" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have six or seven eggplant plants that are growing marvelously. They have been in the ground for about 3-4 months and are each about a foot, foot and a half tall. They all have plenty of purple flowers but I have had no fruit yet. Why? Is it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Seasonal - I'm in Brisbane, Australia and we are only just now coming to the end of Winter, start of Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;User error - do I need to be hand-pollinating these babies?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nutritional - a lack of food?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1538" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-08-22T16:39:58.970" LastActivityDate="2021-04-16T12:07:11.730" Title="Why do my eggplants have plenty of flowers but no fruit?" Tags="&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5043" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5046" CreationDate="2012-08-22T08:09:57.360" Score="3" ViewCount="5233" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a mulberry tree growing in a large pot, about 30-40 litres (about 40-50cm diameter, same depth). How long will it be fine in that size pot, or is it good forever and will just be stunted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1538" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-12T20:58:06.817" LastActivityDate="2017-11-12T20:58:06.817" Title="How long can I keep a Mulberry tree in a large pot without stunting it?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5044" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5047" CreationDate="2012-08-22T12:23:56.653" Score="9" ViewCount="19456" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am working on cleaning up my yard, and that means removing some lower branches.  I've heard removing at the node is important, so I am doing that.  I've seen other trees that have been painted at the removal point.  I'm guessing this seals the tree, helping prevent rotting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is painting or sealing the removal point necessary?  Is it detrimental?  Is there a specific product for the job or is paint the right thing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1486" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-08-22T12:40:59.217" LastActivityDate="2018-06-27T13:34:31.490" Title="When removing a tree branch, should I paint the exposed part of the tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5036" CreationDate="2012-08-22T12:35:03.657" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect the answer is still no, they're not suitable for your compost heap. There is currently a programme in action at Imperial College in London which is making good progress on producing plastic bags and the like made from degradable polymer, which should be compostable. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, most 'biodegradable' plastic bags currently are polylactide based, and these need high temperatures of the sort achieved in industrial facilities to ensure breakdown rather than what you might achieve in your compost heap. The current crop of these plastics otherwise requires sunlight and air to break down - placing in landfill or in the middle of a compost heap means the breakdown process will be slow or non existent. This polylactide product has metals added which help it to biodegrade, but according to a Swedish study recently, the process is also halted by cool or cold, damp conditions. Since that description applies to most of the Northern hemisphere during the winter, 'biodegradable' in this case appears to be a very loose term indeed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given optimum conditions, polylactide based plastics should, in theory, biodegrade within 3 years - in reality, that is not what's happening because they're not in optimum conditions. There is also a big question mark over the metals they contain and what happens to those within the environment, never mind your compost heap.&#xA;So on balance, I'd not recommend putting them in your compost heap unless you are sure they are polymer based and, so far as I'm aware and have been able to ascertain, these won't be available for another 5 years or so, unless someone out here has already perfected the process and has marketed them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE 14th September&lt;/strong&gt;: sorry only just seen your comment that the cup you have is made from PLA - PLA is polylactide, not polymer (vegetable origin) so I wouldn't be putting it on my compost heap. Although you could try one, I'd love to know if/how long it takes to degrade, and whether you have fragments of plastic in its place rather than a whole cup. Which is what I'm betting will happen, no idea how long that'll take, I suspect 3-5 years, but it'd be interesting to see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-09-15T10:33:51.277" LastActivityDate="2012-09-15T10:33:51.277" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5046" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5043" CreationDate="2012-08-22T12:53:31.240" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;To some extent, it depends which variety you've bought - Morus alba 'pendula' is a smaller, neater version of this plant, and the largest known specimen of this particular variety is 4 x 4 metres. Even that, though, would require a larger pot as it grew than the one you currently have, probably something of the order of 90 high by 60 cm wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, though, you have any other variety, ultimate height and spread after 20 years in the ground is 9 metres high with a spread of 10 metres. Clearly, that is not achievable in anything other than a very, very large pot, in particular if you wanted to use the fruit. If its stunted, it won't fruit very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that this plant tends to grow rapidly at first, (maybe the first 4 years or so) and then is slow growing thereafter. It also has roots which are fleshy and easy to break, so potting on needs to be done extremely carefully in order not to damage, or expose to the air, the roots - it dislikes the disturbance. For that reason, it is not a plant which is good for pot culture, and without knowing which variety you have, its impossible to hazard a good guess how long it will be 'fine' in that pot size, but I'll take a leap in the dark and suggest a couple of years at most.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-08-22T14:11:52.640" LastActivityDate="2012-08-22T14:11:52.640" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5047" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5044" CreationDate="2012-08-22T13:00:18.857" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends on the variety of tree. If its a Prunus species, then wound paint may help to prevent silverleaf infection, but otherwise, wound paint is no longer recommended, since research shows that it does not prevent or stop any infection of the wounded area, and in some cases appears to be detrimental to the healing process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you prune the tree is much more important, and the method you use - a clean cut, without damaging the 'collar' or main trunk of the tree itself, and cutting just above a node, as you mention, are necessary, but some trees are better cut back when they are dormant, others at other times of year. Knowing the variety is necessary to advise further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Acer varieties bleed profusely if cut before end of July in the UK because the sap is flowing strongly - you need the sap to be down, not rising, so best time is really late autumn/very early winter to be safe, although given you're in Canada, the sap might be dropping now, not sure. Might be wisest to wait till September.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-08-22T13:43:28.287" LastActivityDate="2012-08-22T13:43:28.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5048" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-21T19:41:40.407" Score="9" ViewCount="6261" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to observe root development of plants for a hobby home experiment. I need transparent soil for this purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I asked some local gardening stores for it, but they said that they don't sell such a thing. Is there any way which I can make it myself at home with as simple materials as possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Requirements:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It must be very transparent if not completely.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It mustn't contain any ingredients that would harm plant roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It must be able to carry oxygen from air to the roots of the plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It must be able to hold water in it, and supply it to the roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1542" OwnerDisplayName="hkBattousai" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-08-22T19:50:42.037" LastActivityDate="2019-08-20T11:29:22.263" Title="Is there a way I can make transparent soil for plants at home?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="8" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5049" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5048" CreationDate="2012-08-21T19:55:30.977" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can search for polyvinyl alcohol granules. They often have pigment mixed in, but polymer itself does not have any color, is transparent and keeps big amount of water. You also can consider avoiding usage of soil at all as some plants grows well in pure water without soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1543" OwnerDisplayName="permeakra" LastActivityDate="2012-08-21T19:55:30.977" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5041" CreationDate="2012-08-22T14:20:12.920" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I usually go by size when picking eggplant. Once the fruit gets to be about the size it is supposed to be and still has lovely shiny skin, I pick it. I see your variety is supposed to get to 7&quot; long. It won't hurt to pick them a little early - they'll still be good to use - so if it is somewhere in the 5-7 inch range, I'd go ahead and pick it and try it. You'll know you've waited too long when the skin becomes dull. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2012-08-22T14:20:12.920" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5051" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5042" CreationDate="2012-08-22T15:32:53.327" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Advice for aiding pollination is to gently tap the flowers two or three times a week until you see they're pollinated, repeating this if necessary. Either that or use a Q tip or old eye make up applicator to lift pollen from the stamens (the filaments in the middle of the flower) and apply it to the tip (stigma) of the pistil in the centre. The flowers are 'perfect', meaning there aren't separate male and female flowers - each flower, if pollinated, has the capacity to turn into a fruit, and each individual flower can pollinate itself, it does not need to be another flower's pollen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-08-22T15:55:58.733" LastActivityDate="2012-08-22T15:55:58.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5052" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5042" CreationDate="2012-08-22T15:52:21.440" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pollination is essential. Check to see what the area has pollinating insects like bees, butterflies or flies. The insects may not be out in full force considering that it is winter, but you would know better than I. If you are fairly certain that you have active pollinators, water may be an issue.&#xA;If the plant does not have weekly deep watering, the flowers will drop. Make sure that the soil is wet at least 6 inches deep. Mulch to preserve moisture. Water deeply on a weekly basis, more if the climate is dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have both pollinators and adequate moisture,  you could always try pollinating by hand using a fine paintbrush or some cotton swabs. Just lightly transfer pollen from the flower of one plant to the flower of another. Let us know what happens. Often wnd can be a good enough pollinator for these plants. (If there is enough wind)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think as spring starts to arrive and things warm up, this plant will take care of it self.. (patience)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="862" LastActivityDate="2012-08-22T15:52:21.440" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5053" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5048" CreationDate="2012-08-22T17:21:09.373" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Transparent glass beads or marbles in a transparent glass would do the job.  Many plants will do quite well in water.  The beads are for mechanical support for the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might find algae will become a problem as it too will grow in water.  Flushing with fresh water on a regular basis and keeping the container out high light will control this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit&#xA;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3adoi/10.1371/journal.pone.0044276&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;recently published study&lt;/a&gt; covers exactly what you are asking for.  The researchers used &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Nafion, the building block of transparent soil, is a transparent&#xA;  ionomer (synthetic polymer with ionic properties) that is physically&#xA;  and chemically adaptable. Nafion particle size distribution has been&#xA;  manipulated by freezer milling (250–1600 µm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This product appears to be available at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/aldrich/474541?lang=en&amp;amp;region=US&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;chemical supply houses&lt;/a&gt; but might require some processing.  It is described as&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;suitable for growing and imaging the roots of various plant species,&#xA;  including alfalfa, barley, maize (data not shown), tobacco, lettuce&#xA;  and thale cress (Arabidopsis), and imaging at the whole root level can&#xA;  be achieved using OPT (Fig. 2A). Transparent soil provides images with&#xA;  low levels of noise and opens avenues for automated analyses of&#xA;  genetic screens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-09-21T16:35:06.757" LastActivityDate="2012-09-21T16:35:06.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5048" CreationDate="2012-08-23T04:07:29.273" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a product call &lt;code&gt;gel 2 root&lt;/code&gt; which is a clear cup with a clear gel in it that you can use to root cuttings of plants. I'm not sure how it would work if you tried to start seeds in it and keep the plants growing, but for cutting this would be a good way to see the root structure as the plant grows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2012-08-23T04:07:29.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5055" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8743" CreationDate="2012-08-23T06:07:49.920" Score="6" ViewCount="2246" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've tried looking but I can't seem to find the name of these weeds (in Australia):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kX8on.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves don't grow any larger than in the photo. It is vine-type and can spread for metres. Vine-root stuff is is just below the surface. Gets a small red flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aYPTF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The weeds always grow in a clump. They don't get any larger than they are but spread like the plague and kill any grass it covers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone have any idea what they are?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1544" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-01-11T02:04:39.910" Title="What type of weeds are these?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5056" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5044" CreationDate="2012-08-23T07:17:27.417" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use clean and maybe disinfected cutting equipment. From my own experience, painting the wound over with either thick lime solution or another fungicide like lime sulfur is better than the black wound paint.&#xA;As for the point made about sap flow, even this is being revised in horticulture. Counter to current literature to prune apricot when dormant in winter, I've had minimal bleeding pruning in summer after fruiting. I've pruned a couple of years in winter and it bled like a stuck pig.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1545" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-09-22T02:53:27.800" LastActivityDate="2012-09-22T02:53:27.800" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3922" CreationDate="2012-08-23T07:36:14.467" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dandelions grow on poor compacted soil. The soil can be poor or clay soil with drainage problems. They successfully grow where the grass struggles a bit. Whilst it would be less hassle to just re-seed grass, it probably won't improve the growing conditions (soil) and dandelions are likely to return. I would suggest ripping the soil and adding whatever is needed. That could be gypsum and/or sharp sand or crusher dust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1545" LastActivityDate="2012-08-23T07:36:14.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5058" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5025" CreationDate="2012-08-23T07:45:26.480" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Only water high in minerals (especially sodium) can do some &quot;burn&quot; damage when watering in the heat. An exposed location is not good for maples. If you want to persist with it, try misting with a mixture of water and horticultural silica. It will help a bit with wind/sun burn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1545" LastActivityDate="2012-08-23T07:45:26.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5059" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5039" CreationDate="2012-08-23T14:10:17.653" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;My dog was tearing up my garden, but it turned out she was after the strips of clean socks that I used to tie up my plants.  Luckily I figured this out before I put up a big fence.  Of course this might not be the same situation you're having, but keep an eye out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="117" LastActivityDate="2012-08-23T14:10:17.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5061" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-23T20:19:47.700" Score="7" ViewCount="521" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a few broccoli plants which are under attack from caterpillars. They aren't currently netted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I manually &quot;weeded&quot; all the caterpillars off the most distressed plant (and some of the other plants nearby) and figured that as long as I repeated the exercise fairly regularly I'd be able to save the crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, a few days (and many squished caterpillars later) I'm not sure this is a winnable battle. There are probably slightly &lt;em&gt;fewer&lt;/em&gt; caterpillars on each sweep but they're nothing like eradicated. And I realise I know almost nothing about my foe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also I'm wondering .. are the butterflies laying new eggs daily? Or are eggs laid long ago simply reaching hatching point? If the former, I should try netting (even now at this late stage). If the latter, there's no point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, one plant is far and away under the most attack. The other plants much less so. How come? If hordes of butterflies are visiting my brassicas on an ongoing basis then surely they'd move onto the healthier looking plants wouldn't they?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Actually, this question is less about saving this particular crop on this occasion and more about educating myself about my enemy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2016-02-05T21:50:44.023" Title="Are new caterpillar eggs added daily to a brassica that's already under attack?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5062" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5065" CreationDate="2012-08-24T00:45:25.260" Score="5" ViewCount="1095" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help me identify this plant?  It is located in the foothills of Colorado.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/53vhm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and a younger version:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dqcyo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have not had any luck that past few days online and would appreciate any shared knowledge!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1549" LastActivityDate="2012-08-24T14:02:37.633" Title="Colorado Plant/Weed Identification Thistle thing with purple flowers" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5063" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5061" CreationDate="2012-08-24T07:50:45.000" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can use BT as regularly as necessary, every time you see more caterpillars attacking. The BT does persist in the plant for a few weeks, providing residual protection. The white butterfly lays eggs on brassicas all the time, as long as it's warm enough. This is from late spring to late autumn. The yellowish oval eggs are laid on the underside of leaves, attached at one end of the egg.&#xA;I'm trying silica in water spray to try to harden up my plants and vegies, hopefully reducing damage by pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1551" LastActivityDate="2012-08-24T07:50:45.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5064" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5061" CreationDate="2012-08-24T11:16:44.210" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Brassica crops in the UK are subject to attack by three different caterpillars; those of the Large White or the Small White Butterflies (cabbage whites) and Cabbage Moth, and all three may be present at once. Netting in about April with insect proof mesh, or with fine net mesh (5-7mm) will prevent most attacks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that the Small and Large Cabbage Whites have 2 generations a year - Cabbage Moth 1. The caterpillars of the Large Whites are yellow/black, and can usually be seen on the plants in June/July and again in late August and September. Small cabbage white caterpillars are usually May/June, and again July to September.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a nematode solution (Steinernema carpocapsae) available, which can be bought on line from suppliers like Nemesys, or sometimes available at garden centres. I'm not sure when the best time is to use the nematodes, so check the optimum time to use these when/before you buy. Otherwise, control is by hand picking, but if the infestation is heavy, pesticides available suitable for this use are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bayer Sprayday Greenfly Killer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Westland Plant Rescue Fruit and Veg Bugkiller&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Scotts Bug Clear Gun for Fruit and Veg&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Doff All in One Bug Spray&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first two can only be used twice a year, with a minimum 7 day gap between spraying and harvesting; the latter two can be used as often as necessary, with a gap of one day between spraying and harvesting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the butterflies preferring one plant above all the others, that's probably just because there's something about access that's better for them - or maybe they feel safer in numbers!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-08-24T11:16:44.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5065" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5062" CreationDate="2012-08-24T14:02:37.633" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liatris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Liatris&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, most likely &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liatris_spicata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Liatris spicata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (commonly known as Blazing Star) which is widely grown as a garden flower in the USA.  Another possibility is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liatris_punctata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;L. punctata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; which is &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LIPU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;native to Colorado&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;L. spicata&lt;/em&gt; is easily identified by their long flower spikes composed of hundreds of smaller feathery florets in pink, magenta or purple.   They also have long narrow leaves arranged radially around the stem.  They're perennials, growing from a corm, so you can look forward to seeing them again in future years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2012-08-24T14:02:37.633" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5066" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5055" CreationDate="2012-08-24T20:49:03.543" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strike&gt;The top photo looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glechoma_hederacea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Creeping Charlie&lt;/a&gt; (Glechoma hederacea). Look at &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/224/what-are-some-natural-ways-of-killing-ground-ivy-creeping-charlie&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; for some ideas on dealing with it.&lt;/strike&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See @J. Musser's comment below for why my identification is incorrect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-01-04T03:04:29.723" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5067" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5086" CreationDate="2012-08-25T08:49:47.137" Score="5" ViewCount="819" Body="&lt;p&gt;For entirely irrational reasons (maybe because gooseberries hard to get here), I bought a Cape gooseberry seedling today.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I live in Brisbane, however, is not your typical cool climate for gooseberries!  Instead, it's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane#Climate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;humid&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humid_subtropical_climate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;subtropical&lt;/a&gt; climate, with about 10-20&amp;deg;C in winter and 20-30&amp;deg;C in summer. No frost or snow in Winter and up to 40&amp;deg;C in Summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With this in mind, what sort of strategy should I employ to get the best out of this plant? Anyone grown one in a similar climate elsewhere?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1553" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-16T16:59:16.850" LastActivityDate="2013-07-16T16:59:16.850" Title="Growing Cape Gooseberries in Brisbane, Australia" Tags="&lt;soft-fruit&gt;&lt;gooseberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5041" CreationDate="2012-08-25T16:45:54.307" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usual way of testing for ripe eggplant is to try to dent it with the end of your thumb. If it gives way with as much pressure as you would dint a tomato then it's ready. I've grown that variety, very nice flesh and no bitterness. The white streaks will also go a bit off white. I can't locate my flickr page, which has a nice photo of those eggplants just about ready.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1551" LastActivityDate="2012-08-25T16:45:54.307" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5069" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5011" CreationDate="2012-08-25T17:00:58.587" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;add garden lime or even gypsum, mixing it in a bit. It will raise the PH of putrefying acidic wet materials in your compost. It should also stop the ammonia smell and lessen the maggot problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1551" LastActivityDate="2012-08-25T17:00:58.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5070" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4998" CreationDate="2012-08-25T17:07:04.460" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Potash encourages flowering and fruiting but don't overdo it. Cut off shoots that will produce daughter plants, otherwise you end up with a &quot;lawn&quot; of low yielding strawberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1551" LastActivityDate="2012-08-25T17:07:04.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5071" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5036" CreationDate="2012-08-25T18:17:09.833" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately industry has done a poor job of educating the public about compostable 'plastics'.  It all started with Sun Chips who have since eliminated their 'PLA'/Compostable chip bag campaign.  PLA/Ingeo/Earthfirst or other PLA 'compostable' plastics do not compost in a residential compost pile and must be commercially composted.  While Europe has done a great job of establishing hundreds of commercial composting facilities to deal with the deluge of compostable 'plastics' the US has fallen short in this area and, to date there are few commercial composting facilities available to the public.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1554" LastActivityDate="2012-08-25T18:17:09.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5073" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5083" CreationDate="2012-08-25T22:20:47.067" Score="4" ViewCount="7732" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing chilli plants for the last couple if years. In the first year I always get a decent amount of fruit considering the size of the plants. However, fairly consistently my chilli plants stop growing after their first season. They get to a certain height and just seem to stop. Some give up all together and just turn into sticks, others make it through the winter but then don't ever seem to get any bigger. I have seen chilli plants get quite large, a metre high or more, so I'm curious as to why mine are stunted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm reasonably confident they are getting all the food they need and they always get plenty of water. So I'm wandering, what is the trick to getting large and plentiful chilli plants?!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1538" LastActivityDate="2014-03-23T08:03:18.730" Title="Why do all my chilli plants stop growing?" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5074" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-26T00:40:17.577" Score="5" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;I moved into a house with existing landscaping that's pretty nice but seems a bit lacking in maintenance. I feel capable of doing maintenance work but I'm not sure what needs to be done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a resource that can:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;identify my plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;give me a maintenance plan (eg this should have dead flowers cut off)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;recommend additions/changes that I can implement over time&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either an online site where I could upload pictures and get back the info/plan or do local landscaping companies offer such a thing and if so what should I ask for?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1557" LastActivityDate="2012-08-30T16:34:30.173" Title="Where can I go to get a maintenance plan for my existing landscaping?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5075" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5074" CreationDate="2012-08-26T04:01:36.723" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are in North America there is usually a local chapter of the Master Gardeners in your area.  They are volunteers and are usually quite knowledgable about local conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This site is good for plant identification as waxeagle noted.  For a maintenance plan and improvements a landscape company or landscape architect are some of the professionals you can call on depending on the size of your garden and your interest in maintaining and changing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-08-26T04:01:36.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5076" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-26T05:40:50.890" Score="8" ViewCount="2949" Body="&lt;p&gt;While visiting a restaurant next to where I work (to get scraps/waste for my chickens) I was shown their gardening attempt behind the restaurant.  Their goal was to have some produce for the kitchen right out the back door.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The location has full sun and they are using a collection of different containers to grow &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;herbs (basil, rosemary, lemon balm)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tomatoes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;eggplant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;peppers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cucumbers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some other things - not sure of&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(5 gallon pickle buckets, some commercial bins about 4x4, various other things)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like most of the plants are suffering from the heat.  And I suspect the soil, roots and containers are being baked.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggested to them to fill the voids around the containers with straw/hay to moderate the temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The containers have between 12&quot; to 24&quot; of soil in them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, their little &quot;garden&quot; is on cement which is surrounded by blacktop.  I'd say they have about 100 to 150 square feet of garden space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is in southern NY/Long Island&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll take a picture when I can to show the issues of the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Does anyone have suggestions on how to improve the container gardening?  They want to have access to some produce right outside their door.&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose one piece of advice is to just stick with herbs - they have a better chance of succeeding in that environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DIWoW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Various containers on cement surrounded by blacktop&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastEditorUserId="23" LastEditDate="2012-08-30T15:46:41.913" LastActivityDate="2012-08-30T16:26:01.920" Title="How to improve container gardening on a concrete surface" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5077" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1557" CreationDate="2012-08-26T06:22:48.027" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;So happy ! I just cured my indoor basil plant which was suffering from white little aphids all over it!!&#xA;All I did was dunk the stem and leaves of the plant into a solution of Oak leaves and water. I did this once a day for 2 days. ( 99.99% cure after the first dunk !) &#xA;(I had a bunch of oak leaves which I had previously torn up in to shreds and soaked overnight in a large bowl of water .) Also I changed the plants location to the bathroom (away from 2 other plants it was with ?not sure if relevant??!) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1558" LastActivityDate="2012-08-26T06:22:48.027" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5076" CreationDate="2012-08-26T13:05:34.380" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're probably right, the containers are being baked by hot sun, especially standing on hard surfacing like concrete, which holds the heat. Some remedial arrangement of the containers would certainly help; moving them close together, or as close as possible, or grouping them, so that the plants have sufficient room with good air circulation, but are close with other plants, helps because the transpiration of each plant helps with the one next to it, creating a bit less moisture loss. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing I'd suggest is that the containers are stood on something which raises them slightly off the concrete, enabling air to circulate beneath. Just an inch or so will do it,though it doesn't matter if its more, and will create better drainage conditions. Because the next thing to recommend is a good soaking with water, directly onto the compost/soil in the pots, not on the plants themselves, morning and evening when the weather is hot, and a hosing down of the concrete during the middle of the day to cool the hard surface down, more often if possible. This advice obviously assumes that the containers do have drainage holes which are not blocked. Feeding should obviously still take place, but not necessarily every time watering is carried out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The situation you describe should be fine for eggplants, peppers and tomatoes - the heat will certainly be good for ripening fruit - but ensuring a good water supply is critical. Given that temperatures may be too high at times, some sort of shading which can be erected when necessary, and removed when it's not, would be a good idea too. Perhaps erected during very hot weather between the hours of 11 to 3, being removed outside of those hours. Whether this needs to be a permanent structure like a pergola, over which is drawn some tenting or similar material, when its appropriate, or whether several garden umbrellas might do the trick is for them to decide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure I'd recommend the straw around the containers, frankly - straw holds heat too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ongoing, it will be necessary to renew the soil in the containers periodically, depending on the crops being grown. Most herbs will be fine in the same soil for a long time, but crops like solanums can develop soil pests, so occasional soil change may be necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE 30 August: Now I've seen the photo, the other advice I'd offer is to get better containers - ones that are a minimum of 18 inches deep and as wide as possible. Squares or oblongs will 'fit' together better too. The larger the containers, the better the plants will grow, and they'll dry out less quickly too. Trying to water that disparate array of small 'pots' must be a real pain - I can't even tell what's growing in them currently. Some of them appear to be buckets which, unless someone has drilled holes, don't have drainage. I'm also wondering what they'll do with the compost/soil when it needs to be changed...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-08-30T16:26:01.920" LastActivityDate="2012-08-30T16:26:01.920" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5079" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4757" CreationDate="2012-08-27T02:18:57.657" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good quality electric fence will do the trick.  It only needs to be 32 or 36 inches high.  It will also keep them from standing on your car.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1559" LastActivityDate="2012-08-27T02:18:57.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5080" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5081" CreationDate="2012-08-27T09:17:29.270" Score="2" ViewCount="4709" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm having some problems with my Moringa Oleifera. It's about 6 months old and is placed in a sunny window (oriented south), in southern Sweden. It's been growing well and looked healthy until recently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, many of the leafs are getting spots, turning yellow and eventually falls of - see photo. Since it summer in Sweden now, I don't think it's lacking sunshine. Neither do I think it's gotten too little or too much water since I try to keep that under good control (letting it dry up, but not too long, before I water it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas about what could be wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ns47R.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1415" LastActivityDate="2015-12-04T22:05:05.320" Title="How can I make my Moringa Oleifera happy again?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5081" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5080" CreationDate="2012-08-27T12:16:08.853" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't see a photo, nor a link to one, but my answer isn't dependent on that anyway. This plant is a pan tropical tree - its fast growing, and lives for around 20 years, reaching a height of 12 metres at maturity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry to say, if you're trying to grow it on a windowsill, that's why it's got problems. As it's fast growing, keeping it in a pot small enough to be on a windowsill means it cannot follow its natural inclination to put on growth very rapidly, because there's insufficient room for the roots to grow to support the topgrowth. After 6 months, it may well have reached the outer limits of its growth within the pot. It does sound as if its got some kind of Leaf Spot infection, but plants are more likely to suffer infections if their conditions cause them stress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant appears to be possibly suitable for culture in a semi tropical greenhouse or conservatory, in progressively larger containers, rather than as a houseplant on a windowsill. Once it's reached a certain size, then stooling/pollarding is possible to keep it at around 1-2 metres, but it does need good root room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-08-27T12:49:24.010" LastActivityDate="2012-08-27T12:49:24.010" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5082" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5076" CreationDate="2012-08-27T12:56:23.300" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes the hay will restrict air movement between the pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Definitely add some drip watering: Pots could dry out within a day - so even regular watering by an employee could be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to erect some shade or partial shade?&#xA;Especially in the direction of the blacktop as well as the full sun. The shade would help to deflect heat radiated by the black top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-08-27T12:56:23.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5083" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5073" CreationDate="2012-08-27T13:05:23.613" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think there's anything that unusual here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although technically perennials, most people grow peppers (and tomatoes) as annuals. I've grown quite a few peppers for about ten years now, and rarely manage to over-winter them. We have frosts, so I can only overwinter those that I can bring inside. Then I think they are susceptible to low light, aphids, disease, etc when they are relatively dormant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are making it through winter (and sometimes when I try, I do manage it), I always pot them out into a bed, and usually get excellent growth. Even if most of the plant died back to 3-4&quot; of stem, the roots are still good, and in that soil with good water &amp;amp; sun, off they go!&#xA;You don't say if you are growing in pots or not, but if you are, then I think this is the reason:  They are probably pot bound and also need some fresh compost. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;re. metre high peppers: I don't get them quite that big, but they definitely can grow quite bushy and large. As well as conditions, it does vary a lot by variety. For example, I've had Gypsy (a Bell), Big Jim (an Anaheim/Hatch), and Sweet Paprika grow large - but never any of the &lt;em&gt;C.frutescens&lt;/em&gt; cultivars (Tabasco, Twilight, etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-08-27T13:05:23.613" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5074" CreationDate="2012-08-27T17:33:20.177" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If there is a botanical garden in your area, that might be a place to learn about the basic maintenance schedule for your own garden. Ours offers several inexpensive classes a year, taught by volunteer master gardeners who cover the best times to translplant, divide plants, fertilize, and cut back different plants in our area. I will say that the master gardeners I've worked with here tend to be a little more reliant on synthetic chemicals and tend to do more cleanup than I like in my own yard. That may be a regional thing, but regardless, they can help you learn the basics and then you can adjust according to your own gardening philosophies from there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2012-08-27T17:33:20.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5086" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5067" CreationDate="2012-08-28T05:20:45.890" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It may depend on the type of gooseberry you have bought. Information I have says that only the Cape Gooseberry is suitable for Brisbane's climate (I'm in Brisbane too). Other types (American, Chinese, European) are a no-go, I'm afraid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ive never grown it myself, but the Cape Gooseberry is said to be reasonably hardy and can grow well in well drained soil with good amounts of sun and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Added 16/7/2013: Cape gooseberries are in the genus &lt;em&gt;Physalis&lt;/em&gt; along with ground cherries, husk tomatoes and tomatillos. They are sub-tropical in origin and love the Brisbane climate. If you don't get frosts where you are it may grow for a number of years. They self-seed quite easily too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1538" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2013-07-16T12:17:29.413" LastActivityDate="2013-07-16T12:17:29.413" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3924" CreationDate="2012-08-28T05:25:15.480" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've grown Pak Choy a few times and I get a bit of colour variation. I've found, with other plants as well as pak choy, that it usually has to do with sun exposure. Perhaps a shadow is being cast across a few of them for parts of the day? I have a coriander plant, for example, that has very pale leaves in the part that is behind a pole and the greenest of green leaves in the part that gets good sun!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1538" LastActivityDate="2012-08-28T05:25:15.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5089" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5090" CreationDate="2012-08-28T14:57:08.493" Score="8" ViewCount="12868" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the north of England (where it's fairly wet) and have a section of lawn near a fence that is quite mossy and boggy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot put any drainage pipe in, because the only place to run the water would be into the next door neighbour's driveway ... the run-off water already heads that way but to put in deliberate pipes would not be a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been suggested that I plant a line of shrubs or bushes along the fence line to help dry out the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have talked to the local gardening stores (who were not very informative) and searched on Google (but I don't know the right search terms).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I am looking for is a plant that grows no more than 6ft high, preferably 3-4ft and likes water. The current suggestion is a large number of different colored heather (which so far is looking possible).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: The site is along a fence line. Width is anything up to 18in or so. It gets the sun from early morning till late afternoon. Not sure about the soil acidity at the moment. It can be built up if needed. I would classify the soil as very soft and damp for most of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update #2: Width could be wider if I can get a better looking border. The reason the lawn is wet is that any rain (and we tend to get a reasonable amount) falls on the patch of grass outside my fence (public land) which then flows down onto my lawn and then off to the neighbour's. My lawn is flatter and hence the water pools there. The sewers and fresh water supply pipes are far enough away from the wet patches and should be fine, I have recently had the plans from the council detailing where they are. The area does begin to dry out if we have several hot days in a row, so I think that if we actually get a summer it might dry out completely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1561" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-09-22T16:11:24.930" LastActivityDate="2019-04-06T23:35:30.510" Title="Plants to dry out a soggy lawn" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5090" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5089" CreationDate="2012-08-28T16:24:12.283" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Odd suggestion, Heathers - both Calluna and Erica like open, sunny situations, in well drained soil, but which isn't drought prone. That's not the same thing as a permanently wet and boggy situation, so I wouldn't recommend either family of heathers for this situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know whether you can make a border along there, and if you can, how deep it could be from front to back, but as you've got this nice, wet, boggy area, I'd suggest you use plants which love that and create a mixed border with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Suggestions include: Gaultheria and Andromeda (both shrubs) but the latter can only be used if the soil is lime free, or acidic in nature. Perennials which would do well in such a situation are: Ligularia; Astilbe; Darmera; Gunnera (gets really large); Hosta; Persicaria; Rodgersia; Trollius; Zantedeschia aethiopica 'Crowborough' (this one's hardy outside, unlike other varieties of this plant); Filipendula; Cimicifuga; Lythrum; Primula; Lysimachia; Caltha. Some of the sedge type grasses will work there too, have a look at Carex and Cyperus varieties. Also 3 ferns will like that situation: Matteuccia; Onoclea; Osmunda.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of these will require more sun or shade than others, so bear that in mind when considering choices. There are some smaller Salix (willow) varieties that will grow well there, but most of them tend to spread rapidly below ground, so it may not be a good idea to use any of them if the border isn't large.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I see your comment says 18 inches depth to the area - that makes an attractive, varied height mixed border difficult to achieve because all the plants will be in a row, so would be useful if you could widen the border along there. Salix (willows) soak up a lot of water - but all would need much more space than that because of their rapidly increasing roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering why that area is so wet - if it's lower than the rest of the garden, then maybe that's why, but is it possible you've got a leak from a supply pipe, or from the sewer system, or it's sitting over a spring of some kind. If you've not done so already, might be worth investigating why that area is so troublesome, if it's the only spot where this happens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-08-29T12:37:31.630" LastActivityDate="2012-08-29T12:37:31.630" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5092" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-29T02:56:08.047" Score="3" ViewCount="351" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got two sections in my front yard, each with one terrible looking plant. I've removed all other plants(mostly weeds). I want to remove the remaining two plants leaving me with a clean slate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One section is an L-shape 8x4 section and the other is somewhat round 6ft in diameter around my light post. Both sections are currently filled with mulch to prevent weeds from growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are some good options for bushes and &quot;filler&quot; plants that don't require much maintenance?Watering and some occasional trimming at most.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1564" LastActivityDate="2012-08-31T20:00:37.273" Title="What are some low maintenance plants I can use for my front yard?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5093" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5092" CreationDate="2012-08-29T15:05:25.567" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general, plants that are native to your area will be very low maintenance, as they are adapted to where you live. Without knowing where you live, though, it would be very hard for us to make specific suggestions. Can you provide more info? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2012-08-29T15:05:25.567" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5094" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-29T17:33:52.463" Score="3" ViewCount="130" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant growing adjacent to the sea, so salt tolerant. Dense, ground cover type plant. Longish, ovate leaves, central spine to leaf. Leaves green, central spine whiteish. Flowers on red stem stand above the leaves. Newer flowers are spiked, multi petalled, whitish pink. Later flowers seem to turn red and look dried deep red.(similar shape to catkins)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1565" LastActivityDate="2014-07-08T02:27:43.933" Title="Identification of plant growing on Grange-over-Sands promenade, in organised flower bed" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5095" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5094" CreationDate="2012-08-29T18:29:51.683" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persicaria_affinis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Persicaria affinis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, maybe &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/60308/Knotweed-Donald-Lowndes/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;P. affinis&lt;/em&gt; 'Donald Lownes'&lt;/a&gt;? Otherwise need a photo. By Grange-over-Sands, I'm assuming you mean Cumbria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-08T02:27:43.933" LastActivityDate="2014-07-08T02:27:43.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5096" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5035" CreationDate="2012-08-29T19:16:06.137" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saved beans from the spring crop for future seed in a bag and beetles are now emerging from them. They have the same size and shape as summer bean beetles, but darker color.  In past i just save the seed in an open container, and I knew there were larva in the seed from the holes in the beans, but the seed still sprouted so I didn't care. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1566" LastActivityDate="2012-08-29T19:16:06.137" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5097" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5131" CreationDate="2012-08-29T21:22:09.017" Score="1" ViewCount="481" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking at building a small NFT system to test the viability of growing lettuce commercially for local consumption.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Investigating options for NFT. Right now I am looking at using 3&quot;-4&quot; PVC or ABS pipes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I was checking prices on these materials, I noticed a 4&quot; x 2&quot; eaves trough made of PVC. The flat bottom would be better suited to an NFT system, but I am not sure if this will be deep enough to grow the lettuce properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am looking at growing Romaine and Butterleaf mostly (Though this may change).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1567" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-08-29T22:49:23.373" LastActivityDate="2012-09-04T16:00:42.253" Title="NFT Hydroponics for Lettuce" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5098" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-29T22:51:17.833" Score="5" ViewCount="574" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wonder if anyone has experience using oxygenated water to water their garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have deep clay with a bit of topsoil that I've been amending. But that can only do so much. My fruit trees have shallow roots and lawn chook run become saturated quickly. Apart from all the expensive options I've just read about using oxygenated water subsurface irrigation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's a fairly new product for home gardeners for the hose, a Pure Rain brand water oxygenating watering wand. There's no reviews of this product by real people and the only use of hand made water oxygenation I've seen is for ponds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does oxygenated water (using a venturi) hand wand or similar home made device provide the benefits for soil and plants as the &quot;oxygated&quot; subsurface broadacre irrigation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1568" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-08-30T11:54:47.950" LastActivityDate="2012-09-10T05:16:19.070" Title="Does oxygenated watering benefit deep clay?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5099" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-30T13:35:28.957" Score="5" ViewCount="1911" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have bunches of nettles in my yard.  I would like to get rid of them without without regrowth.  Any suggestions which do no require chemicals or tilling the soil ?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1569" LastActivityDate="2012-08-30T13:58:39.737" Title="How do I get rid of nettles in an organic way?" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5100" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5099" CreationDate="2012-08-30T13:58:39.737" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where are the nettles growing? Is it a large patch, or are they scattered among plants you'd like to keep? If it is a large patch, you can smother them. The easiest way to do this would be to build a lasagna bed on top of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are scattered about with other plantings and assuming they're urticaria dioica, I'd grab some good leather gardening gloves, pull them and eat them. They're delicious and very healthy. I blanch them in boiling water to get rid of the sting, then add them to recipes just like you would spinach. I think the flavor is much better than spinach, though. Enjoy! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2012-08-30T13:58:39.737" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5101" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5098" CreationDate="2012-08-30T15:31:10.280" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is this &quot;oxygenated water&quot; meant to help with clay?  I guess I'm having trouble working it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most water has oxygen dissolved in it. Obviously you want to add oxygen if you have animals such as fish living in it; but at the other end of the spectrum &quot;oxygenated bottled drinking water&quot; is junk science (the kind of stuff they make fun of in the inside back cover of &quot;New Scientist&quot;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the garden, &lt;strong&gt;anoxic&lt;/strong&gt; water conditions can definitely occur. For example, if you have stagnant water sat at the base of a plant pot, it will go anoxic (all the oxygen is &quot;used up&quot;). When you empty the pot out, it will smell sulphurous. Anoxic conditions are generally considered bad. This is where the chemistry is &quot;reduction&quot; - the opposite of oxidation. One change in chemistry is that stray sulphur (eg from decomposition) instead of being oxidised turns into Hydrogen Sulphide (the sulphurous/bad egg smell) or even Iron Sulphide (iron pyrites - aka Fools Gold) - yes I've heard of the latter occurring on an agricultural scale (12ft or so below the Fens, Norfolk, UK).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if you have anoxic conditions and stagnant water, yes do what you can to get some oxygen in there. Aerating the soil and draining the excess water would be a good start. Watering with fresh water rather than stagnant water is also good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't have these conditions, then I'm not sure what an aerating hose will achieve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-09-06T13:11:21.957" LastActivityDate="2012-09-06T13:11:21.957" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5074" CreationDate="2012-08-30T16:34:30.173" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The critical thing is to identify the plants you have, whether you do that by posting on here and asking for ID, or getting a professional to come and ID them for you. Once you know what they are, then finding out how to prune/maintain them properly is easy - cultivation and pruning regimes for plants are usually listed in various entries on Google, or in any good gardening book. Unless you want to pay the professional to produce a diary plan telling you what to do and when to do it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-08-30T16:34:30.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5103" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5097" CreationDate="2012-08-31T18:32:30.990" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I went to my local hydro shop yesterday and this will be more than suitable for growing lettuce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1567" LastActivityDate="2012-08-31T18:32:30.990" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5098" CreationDate="2012-08-31T19:52:43.260" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;no, it isn't going to make any kind of measurable difference, as soon as the water is out of the hose it is going to come to an equilibrium very quickly, the factors that effect where the eventual equilibrium are partial pressure of 02 (pretty constant) and the temperature of the water (gases have a negative solubility curve, ie. the hotter they are the less solute will dissolve).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;some things that could keep it from coming to equilibrium would be high volume to surface area ratio... and stagnation severe enough that the oxygen is used before it can diffuse to the interior of the body...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;as for the soil example ... whatever happens at the nozzle will basically be modulated toward the equilibrium.... so if the water had normally 0 turbidity vs 100+% saturation the effect of spraying the water and having it hit the ground will make them practically the same by the time they interface with the sub-soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;not a super technical explanation, but hopefully enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-08-31T19:52:43.260" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5092" CreationDate="2012-08-31T20:00:37.273" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;depending on the space you plan to fill... Butterfly bush, yuccas, prickly pears, Daturas are popular in the desert southwest, farther north things like, service berry, bear berry, elderberries maybe some cotoneasters... maybe a smoke bush... then as far as kind of classic &quot;bushes&quot;: Yews, the ever popular boxwood and euonymous and the classic privet could fill space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest going to a locally owned nursery and looking around, as they will know what does well where you are, and there may be some municipal/local incentive to purchase water wise plants...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-08-31T20:00:37.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5106" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-08-31T20:55:51.110" Score="3" ViewCount="4276" Body="&lt;p&gt;The severe drought in the midwest has killed my yard.  The Fescue I planted in the spring (which took nicely) has completely died and is being replaced with crabgrass and native grasses.  Other parts of the yard are full of random weeds and dead grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the recent rain we've gotten I'm interested in redoing the lawn.  I'm trying to find the &quot;best&quot; blend between manual labor and cost savings.  I am trying to choose all 3 of lazy, stingy, good-lawn, but I know I can only pick two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Half of my yard is heavily shaded by a large maple tree (but the grass is still dead and weedy).  A third of the remainder is covered by a heavily-producing pear tree (which we might mulch around to promote the tree instead), and what's left is exposed to sun.  Trees are slated for the near future, so shade will be coming in 5 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I go from my crappy dead, weedy lawn to a gorgeous lush lawn?  I have available to me:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Weed &amp;amp; Feed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;About 25lb of Fescue blend (grew well in all areas before I gave up watering)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A &quot;chick-chick-chick&quot; sprinkler and a &quot;wave&quot; sprinkler on a long hose with a timer.  I don't have enough hose or pressure to water the whole yard at once.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Access to an aerator (PTO on a riding mower)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Access to a tiller (manual, this will conflict heavily with my lazy streak)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not against any chemicals or fertilizers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1571" LastActivityDate="2012-09-05T03:24:27.033" Title="How do I make my dead &amp; weedy lawn suck less?" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5106" CreationDate="2012-09-01T11:27:30.717" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;At the risk of stating the perfectly obvious, you've answered your own question really. You say your fescue seed, which you sowed in spring, 'took nicely' and 'grew well in all areas before I gave up watering'. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any living plant requires water - newly planted (within the last year) plants require more frequent watering. Sounds as if it's safe to assume that, if you had kept on watering, the grass would have been fine. If you think you can keep up with the watering in future, regardless of the weather conditions, then it seems you have to prepare the area by removing all weeds and unwanted grasses and resow your fescue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding shade from trees - whilst that might stop the grass from being fully exposed to hot sun, the trees themselves will be sucking the area surrounding their roots dry of moisture, so any benefit gained from sunshading is probably counteracted by the trees' requirements for water. It's wisest to assume that any trees you plant will need to have an area of at least 3 feet at the base of their trunks kept clear of grass. Even so, as they get larger, their roots will extend further and will still take away moisture from the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given the drought you've experienced this year, and it being hard to predict whether this will be a regular occurrence because of climate change, consideration should perhaps be given to artificial lawn. I hate saying that, being a horticultural person, but these artificial lawns have improved quite dramatically in the last few years - and they're certainly very low maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-09-01T11:27:30.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5108" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5111" CreationDate="2012-09-01T21:09:45.523" Score="16" ViewCount="31159" Body="&lt;p&gt;For a variety of reasons (poor outdoor storage, limited outlets, etc...) I do not want to get a gas or electric weed whacker, so I started to think of other options for maintaining the parts of my lawn that would normally call for a weed-whacker.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Presumably there was a need to whack weeds where a mower couldn't reach before the weed whacker was invented.  What tool (or tools) fulfilled this purpose and are they still available?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Note: a cordless electric weed-whacker is probably really my best option but I am curious as to other options out there)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="679" LastActivityDate="2021-04-16T00:23:48.587" Title="What did people whack weeds with before weed-whackers?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="13" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5109" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5151" CreationDate="2012-09-01T22:15:16.573" Score="7" ViewCount="13186" Body="&lt;p&gt;We buy fantastic fresh corn from the farmer's market.  If we leave it for a few days, sometimes the cob underneath the kernels has turned black.  However, the kernels are still golden and taste fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why does the cob turn black?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1085" LastActivityDate="2015-07-08T04:19:28.393" Title="Why does a corn cob turn black?" Tags="&lt;corn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5108" CreationDate="2012-09-01T23:30:20.233" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;Personally, I hate weed whackers. They're terrible at my house: the places I need to weed are either next to plants that can't get whacked, or they're next to wire fencing that chews through tons of string, or they're next to rocks that chew through tons of string.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My preferred tool for getting in next to the fences, lilies, and trees is a pair of manual hedge clippers, like these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/29803258@N02/5076448803/&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4071/5076448803_0989262496.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; height=&quot;240&quot; alt=&quot;Hedge clippers oc&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think mine have somewhat larger blades. Keep the blades sharp and they work really well. (Sharpening the blades is less of a chore for me that re-stringing the weed whacker, not to mention gas &amp;amp; related maintenance.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For more open areas where the mower can't go, I like one of these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/1971markus/5962250701/&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6134/5962250701_438a4664de.jpg&quot; width=&quot;375&quot; height=&quot;500&quot; alt=&quot;Eine Sense...&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you get the hang of it, using a scythe is a pleasant way to knock down tall weeds. I also use it for knocking down cover crops like buckwheat or sorghum-sudangrass. Carry a stone in your pocket and keep the blade &lt;em&gt;sharp&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-09-01T23:30:20.233" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5108" CreationDate="2012-09-02T14:29:16.283" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;We own a tool that looks just like the one on the right here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/24Wqa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hand tools for brush&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used it just last week - it's good for goldenrod, raspberries, oregano and the like. After a round with this the mower can handle it. Instructions for using it are at the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.americantrails.org/resources/info/tools3.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;American Trails site&lt;/a&gt;, among other places. We own a gas powered trimmer, but this is actually quicker (and lighter and quieter) when you want to do a fairly wide swath of clearing and you're not trying to be precise. As for sharpening, we've had it for over 20 years and have never sharpened it. One side is now easier to use than the other, so I'll think about sharpening it, but I really don't know how. I'm ambidextrous so I just give preference to the better side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For precise work, like the edges of paths, we use the oversize scissors pictured in the other answer, or the aforementioned gas trimmer if things are really getting so overgrown that it's worth getting it out. We also pull up goldenrod, ragweed, and small pine trees by hand when we happen to be walking nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2012-09-12T15:53:18.013" LastActivityDate="2012-09-12T15:53:18.013" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5112" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5138" CreationDate="2012-09-02T17:04:05.477" Score="2" ViewCount="1114" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will be growing lettuce hydroponically using an NFT system and HO 54w T5 6500k lights. I will be using an organic nutrient solution (AN Iguana Grow) as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have ordered some certified organic seeds, and on the website it listed the maturity days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For instance, the Gandhi Butterhead lettuce says &quot;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Matures in 70 days. (open pollinated seeds)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that 70 days from seed to finish?&#xA;How much time should I knock off for growing hydroponically over soil?&#xA;How do I know when it is ready for harvest?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1567" LastActivityDate="2012-09-05T12:17:28.023" Title="How do I know when hydroponic lettuce is ready to be harvested?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5113" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5159" CreationDate="2012-09-02T18:25:38.993" Score="7" ViewCount="4447" Body="&lt;p&gt;What plant does this seed come from?  I remember it being a low growing, sprawling weed that produced a ton of these little seeds that easily stick to clothes.  In Northern California.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BnErQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;seeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1574" LastEditorUserId="392" LastEditDate="2012-09-09T16:43:35.033" LastActivityDate="2019-07-02T10:20:01.700" Title="Identify this spiny seed from Northern California" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5114" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5120" CreationDate="2012-09-02T21:53:06.640" Score="4" ViewCount="2503" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spider plants have jumped from pots into the yard, and are spreading fairly rapidly across the shady portions, near the south fence.  Will these become a problem in the future, or can I regard them as a relatively benign, drought-tolerant ground cover?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Specifically, I'm wondering if they will choke out other plants, deplete the soil, and/or be very difficult to dig out should I decide to remove them someday.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1431" LastActivityDate="2014-09-14T16:41:12.517" Title="Are spreading spider plants a problem?" Tags="&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5115" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5118" CreationDate="2012-09-02T23:31:56.520" Score="4" ViewCount="1069" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen worm farms for sale down at the hardware store but have always been discouraged by the price. I know the benefits of using worm poop/tea on your garden, but I'm wondering whether it is actually just better to encourage worms into your soil naturally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the benefits of using a worm farm over encouraging them naturally?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can you do to attract worms into your garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And how do you keep them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1538" LastActivityDate="2012-09-03T13:44:27.293" Title="How do you attract and keep worms in your garden?" Tags="&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5116" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5192" CreationDate="2012-09-03T08:16:11.040" Score="3" ViewCount="6196" Body="&lt;p&gt;I dug out Iris rhizomes yesterday in order to put them somewhere else, I was surprised by their quantity and couldn't put all of them to their new destination due to space limitation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, now I have plenty of them dug out and before deciding what to do with them I need to store them somehow. How do I do that ideally?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2012-09-03T15:59:53.247" LastActivityDate="2012-09-13T13:16:54.787" Title="How to store (Iris)-rhizomes?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;storage&gt;&lt;irises&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5117" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5119" CreationDate="2012-09-03T08:32:02.980" Score="9" ViewCount="936" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it better (healthier) for the lawn if rake and dispose of lawn clippings or if you leave them on the lawn to decompose and return to the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2012-09-04T08:56:56.690" Title="Rake or leave lawn clippings?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5115" CreationDate="2012-09-03T10:57:00.450" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your soil is in good condition, with plenty of humus content, and it isn't too dry most of the time, worms will be present. Lack of worms in the soil, assuming it's not dry as dust, is a good indicator of soil fertility - few or no worms means it's poor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding humus rich materials regularly (certainly yearly) such as composted animal manures, good garden compost, leaf mould, spent mushroom compost, anything like that, either dug in or as a mulch, will increase the fertility by improving bio diversity - including worms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no point in buying in worms and adding them to the ground; if they're not there in the first place, the soil needs emending, and when the soil is good, the worms will appear anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-09-03T10:57:00.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5117" CreationDate="2012-09-03T11:28:55.200" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;As with most horticultural type questions, there's no simple yes or no answer to this. If you leave the cuttings, then nutrients are returned to the soil, drought resistance is improved, moss is inhibited and you are saved the task of taking the clippings away. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But there are disadvantages - if the turf is weedy, then you're likely to increase the number of weeds by leaving the clippings. In damp weather or damp regions, the turf becomes spongy and susceptible to disease, and aeration is impeded. Also, if the cuttings are very long, they form a layer over the whole lawn, which not only looks awful, but takes longer to break down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the UK, which is obviously pretty damp most of the time, the general advice is to let the clippings fly when the weather is hot and dry, but to collect them the rest of the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-09-03T11:28:55.200" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5120" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5114" CreationDate="2012-09-03T12:29:56.170" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having done a bit of research, your USDA Zone is 10a, which means this plant should survive very well outdoors, as you've discovered. It's also chosen the best spot - light shade, because it burns in hot sun. It is useful for ground cover in shade situations, and is reasonably drought resistant, but will suffer from extended drought. It's a good plant to use, particularly in walls or raised areas where its 'babies' and leaves trail attractively, but is considered quite aggressive, in that it spreads easily. It is not, though, difficult to dig up and remove. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding depletion of soil, they don't absorb any more nutrients than any other plant would.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To sum up, if it's not checked by unusual cold, waterlogging at the roots or extended drought, you may need to dig out parts periodically to keep it where you want it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-09-03T16:36:11.390" LastActivityDate="2012-09-03T16:36:11.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5121" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5115" CreationDate="2012-09-03T13:44:27.293" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bamboo's answer is what I came here to write, excellent advice there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other thing worth adding is to avoid doing things that will send worms away: harsh chemicals and overuse of rototilling. (For the reasons that it's hard to live somewhere that the soil is literally killing you, and tilling will tend to shred worms, which is the opposite of your goal.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few years ago, the space where my garden is had hardly any worms. After a few years of adding composted horse manure, household compost, and leaves, the worms have arrived in force. I've noticed that in the spots where I added shredded leaves, and one spot where I added some shredded paper mulch, the worm population is extra heavy. I mostly avoid rototilling -- mainly just to kill winter rye cover crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-09-03T13:44:27.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5116" CreationDate="2012-09-03T17:26:38.453" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd pot them up in soil/compost and keep them as container 'plants' if I wanted to keep them, to keep the rhizomes turgid. I usually bin quite a few, because they do spread so easily, bit if you think you might want them, that's what I suggest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-09-03T17:26:38.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5123" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-03T17:30:48.337" Score="3" ViewCount="241" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got some synthetic grass for the dogs to play on. We put down landscaping cloth which is black with blue lines about every foot. The cloth was laid down, but we noticed that the dog pee didn't drain through it.  How is this &quot;permeable&quot;.  What should I do to this cloth before I put the synthetic grass on top of it?  Underneath the cloth is soil, and the whole yard slopes about 30 degrees downhill right up against our house.  Will be a BIG problem when rain comes...should we aerate the cloth? Please advise. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1577" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-09-06T17:43:15.723" LastActivityDate="2012-09-06T17:43:15.723" Title="How can I make permeable landscaping cloth drain better?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5124" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5123" CreationDate="2012-09-03T18:07:35.640" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Geotextile weed membrane is intended for use beneath open soil or mulch, with heavier duty types being used beneath paved areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Artificial lawn is always laid on to either crushed aggregate, tamped down, or tamped aggregate with sand on top, again tamped down, depending on the situation (sports ground, home lawn) and the product supplied (suppliers' instructions). The lawn is then laid directly on top of that, and it drains into the sand/aggregate base. A little more slowly than ordinary grass, but it does drain. There should be no membrane beneath - as you have a membrane, you will inevitably have serious drainage problems when it's wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Suggest you take up the lawn, remove the membrane, lay a proper base appropriate for the product you have, and replace.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-09-03T18:27:00.770" LastActivityDate="2012-09-03T18:27:00.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5125" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5128" CreationDate="2012-09-03T22:26:25.643" Score="7" ViewCount="13967" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is anyone able to identify this disease / pest? We have this on several citrus of different types including an orange, grapefruit, lime, and a mandarin orange.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pHcK7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pHcK7m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0NkfJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0NkfJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My first thought was that it could be snails as some of the blighted area almost looks like it has snail tracks around it. I don't see snails around the trees, but they might be attacking at night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is in San Jose, California.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE Aug 15, 2015: Still same problem. Doesn't seem to be killing the tree though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1120" LastEditorUserId="1120" LastEditDate="2015-08-19T15:41:42.833" LastActivityDate="2015-12-08T07:51:57.713" Title="What is causing curled leaves on different varieties of citrus?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5126" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5117" CreationDate="2012-09-04T00:34:38.527" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always recommend leaving the clippings on the lawn and I've had good luck with it myself. As Bamboo says, there are disadvantages to this. I would add that a good set of mulching blades is a good idea if doing this as smaller bits will decompose more quickly. Also, don't let the grass get too tall between cuttings or over-fertilize as this could lead to thatch problems. Fertilizing promotes quick growth, which means more cutting, which means you may end up adding clippings to the lawn much faster than they can decompose, leading to a buildup. That buildup is thatch. When this problem is detected however, you could bag for a few cuts to let the process catch up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1578" LastActivityDate="2012-09-04T00:34:38.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5117" CreationDate="2012-09-04T08:56:56.690" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bamboo is right, there's no cut and dry answer - although cut and dry is a good summary of my answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut it, collect it, compost it and then return it to the lawn. You'll need to compost it with other fine materials (ie not whole corn cobs). I have a nice little pile in a corner of my yard that's part leaves and part cut grass (mowed leaves, it's easier than racking). It's composting nicely and I intend to recycle it into my lawn to fill in some low points. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the plus side:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoid thatching&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoid unsightly grass piles on my pretty lawn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Any weeds can easily be removed from my compost pile.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The down side is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's more work to collect that leave it on the lawn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You need a bit of room for your compost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It can take a while to break down&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's plenty on this site about making a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3176/how-long-does-it-take-for-the-compost-to-ripen&quot;&gt;rich&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/269/does-unused-compost-keep-on-getting-better-and-better&quot;&gt;compost&lt;/a&gt; and they almost always include &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/601/how-do-i-compost-lots-of-grass-clippings&quot;&gt;lawn clippings&lt;/a&gt;. Throwing them away would be a waste!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-09-04T08:56:56.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5128" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5125" CreationDate="2012-09-04T14:02:53.223" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is likely the work of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllocnistis_citrella&quot;&gt;citrus leaf miner&lt;/a&gt;.  More details can be found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74137.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. The key identifier is the squiggly tracks on the leaves.  This moth and it's larvae can be found on all ages of citrus trees but the damage is more noticeable on younger trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Citrus leafminer rarely causes serious damage and management is&#xA;  normally limited to practices that limit succulent growth and protect&#xA;  natural enemies&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you feel that you have to try and control this pest these are the recommendations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they are attracted to the new growth. Avoid pruning live branches more than once a year, so that the cycles of growth are uniform and short. Once the leaves harden, the pest will not be able to mine the leaves. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do not prune damaged leaves since undamaged areas of leaves continue to produce food. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do not apply nitrogen fertilizer in summer and fall when leafminer populations are high and growth will be severely damaged.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove water sprouts that develop on branches and above the graft union on the trunk and might act as a site for the moths to lay eggs . Suckers should always be removed.&#xA;Chemical Control&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Many insecticides registered for residential use do not effectively control citrus leafminer, because they have difficulty reaching the larvae inside the mines.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pheromone traps are available&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the homeowner I would recommend cultural practices and pheromone traps or no action over chemical controls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-09-04T14:02:53.223" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5129" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5106" CreationDate="2012-09-04T14:12:05.933" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Consider using a different sort of grass, or giving up on grass entirely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You say the native grasses took over--why not foster them? Crabgrass isn't so lovely, so perhaps weed that out (a chore to be sure)--but why waste water and fertilizer fighting your natural biome? There are many other &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.treehugger.com/clean-water/6-grasses-for-low-maintenance-drought-resistant-lawns.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;drought-tolerant grasses&lt;/a&gt; to choose from too, and a mix of those and other grasses can help you cover your bases if the weather shifts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Groundcovers like clover can also be quite nice. We have a small lawn that is more clover than grass now, and it's extremely low maintenance--and it didn't die back even in this dry summer, with no watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="32" LastActivityDate="2012-09-04T14:12:05.933" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5130" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5132" CreationDate="2012-09-04T15:51:15.047" Score="5" ViewCount="7082" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our builder planted this tree, and I have no idea what kind it is. The bark seems to split and a lot of sap runs out of the tree.  Since I don't know what kind of tree this is, I haven't been able to find out if this is normal or not.  A lot of the branches have been dying as you can tell from the pic.  It also appears that they planted it in a burlap sack. I only staked the tree because it is really windy here in Oklahoma City and I thought the root ball was moving around a little too much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are my questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can anyone id the tree from the pics? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What should I do with all the dead branches? Cut them off or leave them as is?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is the bark splitting off and sap leaking a normal behavior of this tree, or is it needing something from me?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let me know if you need more info!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m08As.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wSGcN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cSMez.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1275" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-30T20:07:31.620" LastActivityDate="2019-09-27T13:01:10.257" Title="Why does my tree have splitting bark, dripping sap, and dead branches?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5131" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5097" CreationDate="2012-09-04T16:00:42.253" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;We provide commercial hydroponic systems and the channels that we use are made from virgin HDPE and are 2&quot; X 4&quot;.  The 2&quot; depth is perfect for romaine and butterhead.  They don't fall over and will grow from seed to harvest in about 6 weeks.  Go to the American Hydroponics website to see the full line of commercial hydro equipment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1579" LastActivityDate="2012-09-04T16:00:42.253" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5132" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5130" CreationDate="2012-09-04T16:04:49.293" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not bothering to identify the tree - what I'm seeing in the pictures is a tree with bacterial canker in its main trunk. I'd have it removed before it becomes a risk to the property or people when it gets rotten enough to fall down in a strong wind. Be good to have the roots bored out too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't want to do that straight away, then you could call a tree surgeon (arboreal specialist) to see if it can be treated, but usually this condition can only be managed and not cured. It is particularly common in Prunus varieties, meaning Cherry, Peach and the like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe some explanation of bacterial canker and why it's happened is in order. Canker usually sets in post some kind of injury - either physical (machinery or pruning cuts for instance), or bark borer damage, or things like exceptionally cold weather or drought followed by excessive rainfall causing the bark to split. If the cracks or splits are deep enough to penetrate the tree's circulation, which is in the wood just under the bark, then its easy for bacteria to enter the wound and cause infection. This then spreads in much the same way as bacteria does if it enters the bloodstream of a human being.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-09-04T16:14:49.260" LastActivityDate="2012-09-04T16:14:49.260" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5106" CreationDate="2012-09-05T03:24:27.033" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're biggest problem is one that is common to all would-be gardeners. You don't have(or take) the time a flourishing garden requires. It sounds like a half hour 2 or 3 times a week would give you time to water your lawn and pull the weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Gardens are like kids - they need care and attention or they'll start&#xA;  growing weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't have time to take care of your garden you have 3 choices:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hire some one else to do it - expensive&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Give up and have your neighbours hate you - lowers property value, also expensive&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Choose garden plants that will grow with less effort - UGLY!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All bad options.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My prescription is this: set aside 3 half-hour time slots. Evenings are best because you'll lose less water to evaporation and it'll be cooler for you. Take this time to water and dig some weeds. When you lawn starts to be looking healthy, get a lawn chair and potable (beverage) - it'll give you time to unwind after work. Your garden will be more enjoyable because of the attention and you'll enjoy it more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe my answer should be moved to relaxation.stackexchange.com ...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2012-09-05T03:24:27.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5134" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5140" CreationDate="2012-09-05T05:56:57.813" Score="3" ViewCount="110" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been trying to transform a previously ornamental garden into a productive but still attractive one. I've used citrus and guavas for hedging, lemongrass for borders etc. One final niche I'm looking to fill is an attractive shade tolerant shrub to fill in some small beds around the base of a larger tree. This is currently occupied by agapanthus. My climate is temperate (I am in Sydney, close enough to the coast to not get frost).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am considering replacing the agapanthus with Naranjilla (Solanum quitonense), a perennial shrub of Andean origin I have been reading about. Can anyone offer any advice about growing these and whether they will cope in my climate? Can they be kept to a maximum height of around 1 metre and still give a good crop? Does anyone have an alternative suggestions for filling this shady niche with a suitably attractive edible plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1580" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-09-05T12:18:37.397" LastActivityDate="2012-09-05T16:31:32.683" Title="Advice on growing Naranjilla (Solanum quitonense)?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5135" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5113" CreationDate="2012-09-05T10:58:34.333" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://ontariowildflowers.com/mondaygarden/article.php?id=166&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;common burdock&lt;/a&gt;, nature's own version of velcro. See it &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.luontoportti.com/suomi/en/kukkakasvit/wood-burdock&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; too. The seeds travel by attaching to virtually ANYTHING - clothes, hair, fur, etc. This tends to be bad for &lt;a href=&quot;http://dnr.wi.gov/news/Weekly/Article_Lookup.asp?id=2245&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bats&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VWvLk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user923" LastEditorDisplayName="user923" LastEditDate="2012-09-05T11:11:33.920" LastActivityDate="2012-09-05T11:11:33.920" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5136" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5137" CreationDate="2012-09-05T11:45:22.367" Score="8" ViewCount="5705" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am putting in some new raised veggie beds along a fence line and will also be putting in some climbers (probably passion fruit) between the beds and the fence for screening. To keep the vine/tree roots from sucking all the water and nutrients out of the veggie beds I'm planning to put some thick plastic sheeting down under the raised beds to keep the veggie soil isolated from the tree roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, my question is what depth do I need to make sure the veggies have enough soil? I want to be able to grow most common annual veggies and herbs including tomatoes, carrots, parsley, zucchini, etc. I won't be growing perennials such as chillies or asparagus in these beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1580" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-09-05T12:02:04.567" LastActivityDate="2012-09-05T12:08:47.583" Title="How deep does a raised bed need to be for a veggie patch?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5137" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5136" CreationDate="2012-09-05T12:08:47.583" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;The bulk of the root systems of most annual vegetables is in the top foot of soil, so 12&quot; (30cm) of soil will be sufficient. Root vegetables will want more -- you may have a hard time growing good carrots or beets in a 12&quot; deep container. Since you're going to &quot;seal&quot; the bottom of the raised beds, you're essentially creating a container for growing. With containers, one thing to be very careful of is drainage: make sure that excess water has someplace to go so that your vegetables don't drown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-09-05T12:08:47.583" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5138" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5112" CreationDate="2012-09-05T12:17:28.023" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know anything about hydroponics, so I can't answer the part of your question about &quot;knocking off&quot; time for growing hydroponically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When seed packets say &quot;matures in XX days&quot;, they're referring to the time you put it in the ground. For plants that are usually directly planted (e.g. corn, beans, carrots) this is the time between putting seed in soil and harvest. For plants that are usually transplanted (e.g. tomatoes), this is the time between transplanting to ground and harvest. I think lettuce usually falls in the former category (the seed packets usually tell you to direct-seed), even though transplanting is not uncommon. For hydroponics, &quot;in the ground&quot; is a bit different, but the principle is the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lettuce is generally ready to harvest when it looks ready: you can harvest &quot;baby&quot; greens for salads when they are 3-4&quot; tall, or you can wait until the head is formed (for head lettuce) or the leaves are full size (for leaf lettuce). In my experience it's better to harvest early than late, since letting it go too long will generally result in bitter flavor and runs the risk of bolting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-09-05T12:17:28.023" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5109" CreationDate="2012-09-05T15:25:58.023" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not sure this is a useful answer as such, but I have seen this myself. Last week I had corn and the ear (or cob) inside wasn't completely black, but did have the beginnings of blackening at one end, where the tassels would have been, with streaks penetrating the cob itself, yet, as you say, the kernels themselves were fine -  looked normal, tasted normal. My assumption is that it's some kind of fungal infection, possibly present in the tassels, and the longer the corn cob is stored, the blacker the ear becomes, as it degrades. Without keeping them for longer to see what happens, I can't say whether they eventually do become completely black.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having said all that, though, I can't find any real evidence to back up this theory. Smut is the obvious contender, and it certainly can be present on the tassels, but it usually ruins the kernels rather than just the cob itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose its possible that the particular variety of corn where you find this to be the case is one where this feature is normal, but again, I can't find a variety listed that mentions this attribute.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-09-05T15:25:58.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5140" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5134" CreationDate="2012-09-05T16:31:32.683" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seems like a good choice because it does not like to be waterlogged, and where you want to plant it will be dry (around the base of a larger tree). However, it seems they don't fruit very well, if at all, in temperate climes, preferring semi tropical conditions, so it's a risk if you do try it. It won't tolerate temperatures lower than 7 deg C - anything lower will kill it. I don't know how low your temperatures can get in winter, but anything approaching 7 deg C or below is likely to cut down some of the topgrowth, so keeping it small may well not be a problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other thing I can think of is Chaenomeles japonica, a form of quince often used as hedging which is extremely shade tolerant, fruiting regardless. The only drawback is, although I have seen it grown as a free standing plant, it does looks better against a wall or fence. It responds well to pruning though. Rather depends whether you like the idea of making quince jelly too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-09-05T16:31:32.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5141" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5142" CreationDate="2012-09-05T18:41:48.147" Score="3" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;Three months ago I bought an (20kg pack) organic compost mix of (horse-)manure/algae/compost. In addition it states &quot;naturally moist&quot;. I used some part of it and I put it, loosely closed, in a dry but badly temperature-isolated place. We had some days of 35 C during the last weeks and all in all it was around 22 C during that period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today I wanted to use some more of it and when I opened it I found strange things inside:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;White stripe-like threads of 5mm diameter and 10 - 30cm length &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The top-level has become somewhat white/brown and dry.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A slug&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume that due to moisture and hot weather things have gone their way and mushrooms and/or whatever else has come to life. Is this bad? Can I still use it? If not, what should I do with it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2012-09-05T19:13:13.833" Title="Strange things in my purchased manure / algae / compost-mix - unusable?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;manure&gt;&lt;algae&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5141" CreationDate="2012-09-05T19:13:13.833" Score="10" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;These are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycelium&quot;&gt;mycelium&lt;/a&gt;, and perfectly normal in &quot;live&quot; compost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The top was exposed to air, so it dried out. The white may be a fungus growing on the surface.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Slugs like damp places, especially where there's stuff they can eat. It does not seem &quot;strange&quot; to me that you'd find one in a bag of &quot;naturally moist&quot; compost (i.e. slug food) that has been left to sit for a while.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't hesitate to use it. (I suppose it &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; possible that you'll be importing slug eggs, but slugs are everywhere anyway, so it doesn't seem like a big risk.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-09-05T19:13:13.833" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3584" CreationDate="2012-09-05T19:59:04.540" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I seem to recall that bugle is a groundcover that is happy under walnuts. It's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aragriculture.org/horticulture/ornamentals/plant_database/groundcovers/ajuga.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a pretty groundcover&lt;/a&gt; and it doesn't need mowing. We have it on some slopes that are hard to mow and it has spread happily into the woods. No walnuts, though, but &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/info_8323485_grow-under-walnut-tree.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;eHow&lt;/a&gt; feels they're happy together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rIs91.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2012-09-05T19:59:04.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5145" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5146" CreationDate="2012-09-06T00:19:34.723" Score="3" ViewCount="3347" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm working against 5 years+ of no upkeep. The moles had been left unchecked and ruined the lawn. There are lots of high and low spots (a few inch difference in the worst spots) spread out over the whole lawn. I finally got rid of the pre-existing moles and now want to develop a plan to restore some sanity to the lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read the other questions, but none resulted from moles and they all seem to be more isolated and significant leveling issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1503" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-09-06T15:56:08.077" LastActivityDate="2012-09-06T15:56:08.077" Title="How to level an uneven lawn (due to moles)" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5146" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5145" CreationDate="2012-09-06T10:23:02.947" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You mention the high and low spots, but there will also be tunnels - these are sometimes just about visible because of a raised ridge in the ground where they are. You really need a heavy roller; this should be rolled all over the lawn, which will compress the tunnelled areas and hills. This also makes the area safe from the point of view of walking over it - you won't finish up with your foot sinking 6 inches into a tunnel you didn't know was there.  Once you've done that, examine the area again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you still have raised areas, you can either peel back the turf, remove some soil by digging, and replace the turf, or just shave the top off, and rake up the surface to make a fine tilth. With the lower spots, fill those in with good topsoil, preferably weedfree, until you have levelled the whole lawn area.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Broadcast (sow) grass seed over the deeper filled in areas, and any bald places where you shaved the top off. Areas filled in with less than half an inch of soil may not need seeding - the grass will work its way through, but deeper areas should be seeded. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best time to do this depends on your local climate - in the UK, now would be a brilliant time because the soil is still warm, so the seed germinates quickly and will  have time to be grown on well by winter. An equivalent time/weather period for your area would be best, but re-seeding can also be done in spring, though the seed takes longer to germinate then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can't get hold of a heavy roller, the only other option I can think of that doesn't involve machinery is to walk all over the lawn, closely, on your heels, the way you do when you first prepare an area for turf or seeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If all that sounds like too much work, it might be marginally simpler to lift the existing grass, relevel all over, prepare the ground properly and returf (re-sod) - but it is only marginally easier. If the grass has a high percentage of weed invasion, including moss and weed grasses, with less than 30% being desirable grass, replacing the whole thing is probably be the best option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-09-06T11:48:50.047" LastActivityDate="2012-09-06T11:48:50.047" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5147" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5148" CreationDate="2012-09-06T17:19:50.783" Score="3" ViewCount="9401" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a rose. I have noticed that some of the leaves have got white dots and do not look healthy. There are also strings between some of them (similar to spider webs). I also noticed some small flies around my rose a few weeks ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone explain what is going on and what I should do? What can I do to avoid a similar situation in the future?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click any image for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/enMJt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/enMJtm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/llUMu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/llUMum.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/585rB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/585rBm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The white spots seem to be inside the leaves. The leaf on top is washed with warm water and there are still the white spots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HgQgq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HgQgqm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are moving black creatures under the leaves. There are also things that look like eggs/larvae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update 2:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nUvZZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nUvZZm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zmO6H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zmO6Hm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="208" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-09-22T16:17:05.907" LastActivityDate="2012-09-25T14:07:30.643" Title="White spots on rose leaves" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5148" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5147" CreationDate="2012-09-06T18:07:19.627" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't tell from the photos whether the white on the leaves in the penultimate picure is a deposit on the leaf, or within the leaf tissue itself. In the last picture, it looks more as if dust or dirt has stuck to the leaf. If its a white, powdery deposit on the leaf, and it's not dust or dirt, its got mildew. As for the insect infestation, aphids love roses, and sometimes look like white dots on the foliage, but with webbing, not sure what other beasties you may commonly have where you live. Suggest you check the underside of the leaves and leaf joints for signs of aphids, larvae or eggs. Spider mite infestation springs to mind - this would also cause white mottling of the leaves, but I'm not sure whether that's an outdoor pest in your area or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to ask a few cultural questions, but instead, I'll dish out the cultural advice. Roses are high maintenance - they need spraying every fortnight from spring through to fall with a systemic fungicide/insecticide. They need feeding with a specialist rose food at least twice a year (usually spring and 6 weeks later, if a granular formulation) to supply everything they require on the nutrient front, in particular to enable them to fight off infection/infestation better. They prefer heavier soils, with plenty of sun, and need good pruning to aid airflow between the branches to reduce the risk of fungal infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without a description of the flies you saw, they could have been anything from hoverflies to rose sawfly, hard to say. If you suspect spider mite, spray with an appropriate insecticide. That will take care of any aphids present too. If there's mildew present, you can try finding a combined fungicide/insecticide treatment which will cover all the bases, or you will need to spray with a fungicide separately. Or try the milk treatment (1 part milk, 9 parts water) sprayed till run off on top and beneath the leaves and on the stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Seen all the pics - that just looks like a fly, not a hoverfly or sawfly. If you were in the UK, I'd recommend Roseclear Ultra or Roseclear 3 combined systemic insectide/fungicide, but I've no idea what products are available in Toronto for this kind of thing. Guess you could check whether the product is available there - otherwise its a case of reading the boxes/bottles on products to see which one/s you need. Roses aren't particularly susceptible to damage from pesticide sprays, but always remember to spray after the sun has gone down, but obviously before its dark, when the bees and other pollinating insects have stopped working, and avoid spraying open flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you've got a problem with leafhoppers and spider mite, so if you can't find a combined fungicide/insecticide, just get an insecticide and use that, preferably a systemic one that mentions those two pests on the list of things it treats. How often you need to use a Systemic insecticide varies depending on formulation, but the instructions should be on the bottle or box. Contact insecticide will only kill off what's currently present in terms of insects, and won't prevent repopulation, so you may find yourself having to use it very frequently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-09-06T20:08:52.973" LastActivityDate="2012-09-06T20:08:52.973" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5150" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-07T21:11:28.243" Score="2" ViewCount="226" Body="&lt;p&gt;What type of &quot;ladder&quot; are these plants on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XqZqV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XqZqVl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1090" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2012-09-08T11:02:23.020" LastActivityDate="2012-09-08T17:20:48.567" Title="What type of &quot;ladder&quot; are these plants on?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5151" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5109" CreationDate="2012-09-08T03:06:51.700" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perhaps this is cob rot, as described &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wvu.edu/~exten/infores/pubs/pest/pcerti5.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, or one of the many other diseases described there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This page describes &lt;a href=&quot;http://vffarms.com/Images/Resources/Crop_Health/Corn/Ear_and_Kernel_Rots_of_Corn.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;black corn&lt;/a&gt;, which can apparently infect the cob.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many pictures of diseased corn are shown &lt;a href=&quot;http://agcrops.osu.edu/specialists/corn/specialist-announcements/ear-abnormalities&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, perhaps one of them may match your case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There seem to be a few varieties of fungal infections that would infect an ear of corn, some of which are apparently edible, as shown &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.livestrong.com/article/153425-corn-fungus-as-a-cooking-ingredient/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overall, it appears there are many varieties of fungal infections that can attack an ear of corn, so its difficult to be sure which one you saw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user923" LastActivityDate="2012-09-08T03:06:51.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5152" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-08T13:41:57.633" Score="5" ViewCount="4500" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure enough, botanical gardens do grow, for instance, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffea_arabica&quot;&gt;Coffea arabica&lt;/a&gt; in hothouses, and, according to Wikipedia, its growth conditions do not seem impossible to achieve in a European or Northern American backyard:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;C. arabica [...] does best with 1.0–1.5 meters (about 40–59 inches) of rain, evenly distributed throughout the year.[...]&#xA;  The plant can tolerate low temperatures, but not frost, and does best when the temperature hovers around 20 °C (68 °F). [...] C. arabica prefers to be grown in light shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have never heard of people having them in their garden and actually harvesting coffee beans. It does make sense to me that it may not be economical to have commecial plantations in Hamburg or Berlin, but say I had a little waste heat and a glass house I could divert that to, are there any requirements that I can't fulfill in the moderate latitudes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In fact, to me, the above description sounds like you could easily have those trees in lobbies and canteens indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1585" LastActivityDate="2012-09-09T03:49:51.433" Title="Can I grow coffee outside of tropical climate zones?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5153" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5152" CreationDate="2012-09-08T15:19:56.970" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is one requirement you can't fill which would be difficult to get round - uv light levels. You're in the Northern hemisphere, and these trees grow best between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer, where the intensity of light is much greater than where you are. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would be an interesting experiment to try, but quite often, although we may persuade this type of plant to grow in the north, getting it to actually fruit usefully is another matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-09-08T15:19:56.970" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5154" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5150" CreationDate="2012-09-08T17:20:48.567" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking at it, apart from its being deeply unattractive, it seems to me to be something that's been pressed into service for a purpose other than that for which it was originally intended. Perhaps its been cobbled together by the owner in a different form, or it was conveniently structured to just stick some (now slowly rotting) wood shelves onto it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most 'sold for purpose' plant 'ladders' or stands of this kind have black or green metalwork, usually with a metal grid shelf for the plants to allow water to drain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-09-08T17:20:48.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5155" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-08T19:24:57.170" Score="4" ViewCount="1030" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tropical plants may require a higher UV level in the light, if not to grow, maybe to fruit. Are there studies / sources on that with actual quantities?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bamboo suggested in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/5167/1585&quot;&gt;her answer&lt;/a&gt; to look at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uvawareness.com/uv-info/uv-strength.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this page on UV strength&lt;/a&gt;, which I had seen already. It is slightly helpful in that it shows that, for instance, Germany in the summer can expect roughly half the maximum UV input as, say, Cuba, gets all year round.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the tropics don't have seasons, so a comparison would have to take into account seasonal differences in temperate latitudes. Also, while it does linearly relate to UV intensity, the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet_index&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;UV index&lt;/a&gt; is adjusted for how damaging the UV is to human skin, so different wavelengths are weighted differently. This might be inadequate for thinking about plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, while knowing the typical UV levels for a plant's natural habitat is a start, it would be better to know what irradiance it actually requires, how much, what wavelengths, what rhythm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1585" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-09-11T18:22:08.653" Title="Are there sources for what plants do require which uv light levels?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5152" CreationDate="2012-09-09T03:49:51.433" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I maintained tropical plants for a living I dealt with a few coffee plants.  They got to about five feet  (~1.8 m) tall and looked very attractive with their glossy leaves.  They grew as a clump of stems and under the right conditions would flower and set fruit  (beans).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately the yield was low and the quality was poor for coffee.  You might get better yield in a greenhouse with some shade in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The quality of the beans might have been due to poor roasting techniques as there is a lot to know about preparing coffee beans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you just wanted to grow them as an interior plant I recommend them.  When they are smaller they do not tolerate drying out.  They should not be situated in a direct southern exposure as this is too much sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The usual soilless potting mix works quite well for the one I'm growing now in my home. I have not seen any pest problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-09-09T03:49:51.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5157" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5155" CreationDate="2012-09-09T04:02:26.563" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have worked in and studied various greenhouses with a wide variety of tropical plants.  As glass blocks most ultraviolet rays these plants would not have been receiving the same amount as they would in their normal environment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most plants will flower and fruit in a greenhouse if conditions are right.  Some of the factors that are of greater importance are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;maturity of the plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is a pollinator required or can it self fertilize?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;amount of light received&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;being pot bound seems to encourage flowering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;specific day length or change in day length may be required to initiate flowering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I looked for definitive research on this and could not find anything directly answering your question.  There are many greenhouses around the world growing fruit and vegetables so it would seem that not all species require UV light to set fruit or seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-09-09T04:02:26.563" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5158" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-09T05:42:53.677" Score="6" ViewCount="2506" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small PVC hoop house that I built last winter and plan on using again this winter. I found out first hand, then read about it later on, that the plastic used for greenhouses will react with PVC and turn white. Since I've already invested in the PVC, and it's a much cheaper alternative to metal pipe, I'm trying to come up with a way to isolate the plastic from touching the PVC.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The options I've come up with so far are to use some type of tape (felt, electrical, clear duct tape etc.) and apply it to the outside of the hoops where they come in contact with the plastic. My purlins are attached on the inside of the hoops so I don't need to worry about them. The felt shouldn't react since I've seen this sold on greenhouse supply websites for just this reason, but what about the tape? Are there any other low-cost options I'm missing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The design is changing a bit the second time around, but this is what it looks like from the inside. As you can see very little PVC actually comes into contact with the plastic covering. The plastic I used was from &lt;a href=&quot;http://green-tek.com/4_yr_films.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Green-Tek&lt;/a&gt; which I think is really &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.atfilmsinc.com/horticultural/hort_products_dura_super4.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dura-Film Super 4 from AT Films&lt;/a&gt; and it's what I plan on using again this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Trcjd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Trcjdm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2014-08-29T07:24:42.057" Title="What chemicals react with greenhouse plastic and cause it to turn white?" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5113" CreationDate="2012-09-09T16:02:50.163" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure it's a burclover (&lt;em&gt;Medicago&lt;/em&gt; sp.). Hard to tell from the picture, but if the seeds (well, technically, the fruit -- the seeds inside look like &lt;a href=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Medicago_polymorpha_seeds.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;) have a very obvious spiral growth pattern at the base, and it's a clover with small yellow flowers, it's definitely a burclover. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nkFos.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sonoma.edu/preserves/prairie/prairie_desc/invasives.shtml#mepo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;[source]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XtGpK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hear.org/starr/images/image/?q=070308-5262&amp;amp;o=plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;[source]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know that much about California's flora, but one very widespread &lt;em&gt;Medicago&lt;/em&gt; species there is &lt;em&gt;M. polymorpha&lt;/em&gt;, an invasive species native to the Mediterranean which certainly fits the description of &quot;low growing&quot; and &quot;sprawling&quot; and &quot;weed&quot; and &quot;a ton of these little seeds that easily stick to clothes&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastEditorUserId="392" LastEditDate="2012-09-09T16:09:53.903" LastActivityDate="2012-09-09T16:09:53.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5160" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-09T21:31:09.453" Score="4" ViewCount="2966" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 5 acre parcel of land and just excavated it, leaving just large cedars and firs. I am trying to find a low ground cover that's pretty dense and can cover at least an acre of hillside that can't be mowed. Any help would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1589" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-09-22T15:29:27.947" LastActivityDate="2012-09-22T15:29:27.947" Title="Pacific N.W. sandy, sloped probably acidic soil. Needs ground cover!" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5161" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5160" CreationDate="2012-09-09T21:50:06.660" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cotoneaster Queen of Carpets, height up to a foot, spread up to 6 feet or more, or C. microphyllus, which forms more of a hummock reaching about 2 feet as it matures, spread up to 4 feet, sometimes more. Both provide evergreen ground cover, though in severe winters, may be semi evergreen; takes a while to achieve full spread (probably around 8 years). Tiny flowers much loved by bees, red berries in fall on both. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: Just thought of another one - dwarf Bamboo, the Pleioblastus varieties such as P. pygmaeus, which spreads up to 6 feet because its quite invasive, gets about 10 inches high. Note that the variegated ones (P. variegatus, P. auricomis) do not have such a wide spread.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-09-11T13:14:36.463" LastActivityDate="2012-09-11T13:14:36.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5162" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5098" CreationDate="2012-09-09T22:43:49.780" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a study on adding hydrogen peroxide to the soil. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?seq_no_115=207538&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here is the link.&lt;/a&gt; I'm not sure I understand it well enough to summarize it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1298" LastActivityDate="2012-09-09T22:43:49.780" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5163" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5098" CreationDate="2012-09-10T05:16:19.070" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;'Oxygenated water' for watering your garden is, as has been explained by others, pure snake oil. I have a subsurface of the most horrible clay but have success using the traditional method of spreading lots of Gypsum every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem with clay is that it is composed of very small particles. These all pack in together tightly making it difficult for water and oxygen to penetrate between them, hence the poor drainage etc. Gypsum works by binding the small clay particles into larger clumps with don't stack together so closely, allowing water and air to penetrate. It doesn't work immediately but if you apply it consistently over time it will considerably improve a clay based soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should be able to buy Gypsum (possibly under some strange branding) at any garden shop. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1580" LastActivityDate="2012-09-10T05:16:19.070" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5164" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5165" CreationDate="2012-09-10T11:30:52.683" Score="4" ViewCount="4547" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am putting in new raised beds for a vegetable garden. The beds will be 40cm (16 inches) high. The beds will line the length of a fence and I am planning to put a row of fruit trees (possibly blueberries and passionfruit) between the beds and the fence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In order to try and prevent the tree roots from colonising the vegetable beds and stealing all the water and nutrients, I am planning on laying porous weed matting underneath the raised beds. My theory is that will keep the tree roots away from the vegetable soil but still allow drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I have received strong advice from a family member that this isn't sufficient and that the trees will still suck the vegetable beds dry. Basically I've been told that you can't put fruit trees anywhere near vegetable beds if you want the vegetables to thrive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this correct? Is there any way to make this work? If so I've considered some even more drastic measures such as hammering in sheet metal vertically down the back of the vegetable beds to keep the tree roots from growing in under the beds (they could happily grow the other way into the neighbours place as they don't have anything growing along that fence). Would this work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1580" LastActivityDate="2012-09-13T05:17:38.633" Title="Can a raised vegetable garden co-exist with nearby fruit trees?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5165" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5164" CreationDate="2012-09-10T12:07:48.500" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have blueberries growing about 6' away from the edge of my vegetable garden, and I haven't had any problems with roots invading the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know much about passionfruit, but from what I see from a couple of quick searches, it looks like it has a small root system. Blueberries also have a shallow, fairly small root system. It doesn't sound like either plant will invade your beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beware that &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/2336/51&quot;&gt;blueberries want much more acidic soil&lt;/a&gt; than most vegetables. With raised beds it probably won't be as much of an issue, but if you have to lower the pH of the soil where the blueberries are planted, and the passionfruit is nearby, you may run into trouble.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll definitely want to mulch around the blueberries to conserve moisture. Both the blueberries and the passionfruit want consistent water while they're fruiting; the small, shallow root systems mean they need to be watered frequently, but they don't want to stay waterlogged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't plant the blueberries or passionfruit in a place where they will cast shade on your vegetable beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's hard to say &quot;fruit trees&quot; are good or bad around your raised beds: there's so much variation in plants matching that description that you'd really have to ask a narrower question to get good advice. (I.e. as you've done here by asking about blueberries &amp;amp; passionfruit.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-09-10T12:07:48.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5166" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5164" CreationDate="2012-09-10T13:05:08.997" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agree with bstpierre across the board, but would say more strongly that blueberry isn't a fruit tree, they're bushes, and passionfruit is a vine, a climber which needs support, so again, not a tree. The term fruit 'tree' would be applied to things like pear, apple, peach, plum etc., where the plant forms a woody bole or trunk with the growth held above that. A proper tree would likely cast far too much shade over your veggie beds, but if all you want to grow is passionfruit and blueberry, apart from the latter's requirement for acid conditions, neither should cause too many problems in terms of root invasion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-09-10T13:05:08.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5167" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5155" CreationDate="2012-09-10T13:13:38.970" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might find information contained here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uvawareness.com/uv-info/uv-strength.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;www.uvawareness.com/uv-info/uv-strength.php&lt;/a&gt; to be useful. This site has an explanation of the uv index and how its measured, but its really aimed at sun protection for humans. Even so, it might make interesting reading for the answer you seek. I have no idea how to make it as a link for you to click on, thus proving indisputably that my skills lie entirely in the horticultural sector and not in computing/web skills.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-09-10T18:17:04.833" LastActivityDate="2012-09-10T18:17:04.833" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5168" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5191" CreationDate="2012-09-10T13:45:12.147" Score="5" ViewCount="4888" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do you mark lawn sprinkler heads so that you don't hit them and break them with your mower when you're mowing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2016-08-25T06:59:23.043" Title="How do you mark lawn sprinkler heads?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5169" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5170" CreationDate="2012-09-10T14:01:54.830" Score="2" ViewCount="24242" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm experimenting with a patch of new lawn (different grass type) in the middle of my existing lawn but it must taste pretty good because the desert cotton tail rabbits are eating all the new shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After reading this question's accepted answer:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/55/how-do-i-prevent-critters-from-chewing-my-sprinkler-system&quot;&gt;How do I prevent critters from chewing my sprinkler system?&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;I had the idea that I could spray the grass with some chilli pepper oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;1. Will the chilli pepper oil damage grass when sprayed on it?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;2. How do you prevent rabbits from eating your grass?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2017-08-03T23:43:21.283" Title="How do you stop rabbits from eating your lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5169" CreationDate="2012-09-10T15:10:42.307" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chili pepper oil or garlic should work in the short term but you can't be out there applying it every other day.  I will admit to buying some fox urine from a hunting supply store and that made them scarce for a while. It too suffers from  loosing effectiveness unless reapplied on a regular basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've found that most rabbits will eat a wide variety of plants depending on their personal preferences and how hungry they are. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could solve your problem by protecting the new growth with chicken wire until it has become less tasty or just give in and plant a grass they don't like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A working dog makes rabbits more cautious too if you have one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-09-10T15:10:42.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5171" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-10T15:23:11.423" Score="6" ViewCount="973" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is the image:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oIw2O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It grows in the Northeast USA in poor soil.  A bit invasive but pulls out easily.  I have an idea of what it is but would like confirmation.  Does not smell or taste herbaceous.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1592" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-12-02T17:48:48.830" LastActivityDate="2014-12-02T17:48:48.830" Title="Can anyone identify this weed with jagged leaves and tiny white flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5172" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-10T17:35:13.700" Score="3" ViewCount="2874" Body="&lt;p&gt;I pruned the main branch of my (7') weeping willow tree last year too low (I'm guessing) and now the main branch is about 3-5&quot; off center. The tree is now about 12-14' high. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a problem? If so, how do I correct it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sBFw9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the photo is slanted. Tilt your head to the right to view. The highest top right branch is the one growing off-canter&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1593" LastEditorUserId="1593" LastEditDate="2012-09-26T18:01:36.563" LastActivityDate="2013-01-30T20:08:08.647" Title="My 14' weeping willow tree's pruned main branch is growing off center" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;weeping-willow&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5173" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5171" CreationDate="2012-09-10T22:54:31.633" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Peruvian daisy (&lt;em&gt;Galinsoga quadriradiata&lt;/em&gt;), which is native to Central and South America. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;WRT its invasiveness, saith JK Small in 1933: &quot;a particularly pestiferous weed of such rapid growth and seeding as to make eradication extremely difficult.&quot; Ok, then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And WRT its edibility, Peruvian daisy is quite edible as a cooked green, and is a key ingredient in ajiaco, a Columbian chicken/potato/corn stew. So now you know what to make for your next potluck! (athough, there are related species, particularly &lt;em&gt;Tridax procumbens&lt;/em&gt;, that supposedly are toxic, so perhaps you might be best taking it to a botanist at a local university just to be safe rather than trusting random ol' me. OTOH, I seriously doubt you would find a &lt;em&gt;Tridax&lt;/em&gt; species anywhere in the continental US except for Florida). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastEditorUserId="392" LastEditDate="2012-09-10T23:02:01.830" LastActivityDate="2012-09-10T23:02:01.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5174" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5177" CreationDate="2012-09-11T02:35:08.343" Score="25" ViewCount="22352" Body="&lt;p&gt;A lot of plants need well drained soil. They're said to not like getting their feet wet. The explanation given is that the roots need oxygen; they will rot and die if they're in standing water for too long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But a lot of the same plants will root if you take a cutting and place it in water for long enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An example of this is kiwi vines. They require well drained soil. But their cuttings will root if you put them in a cup of water for a few weeks. I'm doing this right now (for the first time); mine have just began growing roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also grown a sweet potato in a coffee cup filled with water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, why does this work? Why don't cuttings drown instead of grow roots? Why do the roots continue to grow instead of immediately rotting and dying, since they don't have any oxygen?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1298" LastEditorUserId="7469" LastEditDate="2016-09-05T18:13:14.017" LastActivityDate="2018-06-01T03:06:02.117" Title="Why do plants root when placed in water, but die in standing water" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5175" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5194" CreationDate="2012-09-11T06:29:39.997" Score="4" ViewCount="1824" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed this spectacularly blue Eucalyptus tree growing in Seattle (USDA zone 8). It is partially shaded by a large Douglas fir and a building. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know Eucalyptus well enough to identify the tree's species?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x1g5R.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x1g5Rm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown Eucalyptus tree in Seattle&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p1B7B.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p1B7Bm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown Eucalyptus tree in Seattle&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pe33X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pe33Xm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown Eucalyptus branch in Seattle&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MvcUJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MvcUJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown Eucalyptus branch in Seattle&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/38rRJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/38rRJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown Eucalyptus tree in Seattle&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/myCsQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/myCsQm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown Eucalyptus tree in Seattle&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: I stopped by to look more closely at the tree in light of Bamboo's answer. Judging from the branching and pruning wounds, this tree never had a upright leader. In fact, it appears incapable of growing a branch vertically. All branching is lateral.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I added two more photos hoping it will help with the identification. Note that if you click on a photo, you get access to a &lt;em&gt;much&lt;/em&gt; larger version.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2012-09-12T00:13:19.987" LastActivityDate="2014-10-07T00:49:32.190" Title="Which species is this Eucalyptus?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5176" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5175" CreationDate="2012-09-11T12:11:39.117" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its really difficult to see the plant clearly because of the dappled sunlight effect. What's extraordinary is the fact that it doesn't appear to be particularly subject to apical domination- the young leaves shown in the bottom two pictures indicate probably E. gunni, but that is subject to very strong apical domination and relentlessly grows upwards, however often its cut. Although there's a faint possibility its E. perriniana, again cut, I can't really see the typical paired leaves surrounding the stem which identifies this variety. Another ID factor for E. perriniana is the fact the stems have distinct notches or rings on them, made by the older leaves spinning round before falling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The colour of the bark, particularly beneath any peeled parts, is important for ID - sight of the mature leaves and flowers helps too, but given this one's obviously been cut more than once, there don't seem to be any mature leaves to have a look at.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that most eucalyptus produce juvenile foliage which is blue and often rounded, but if let to grow naturally, that foliage becomes greener and elongated, loosing the round leaves, though any new growth towards the top will be the blue, rounded foliage. Eucalyptus gunni, for instance, will reach over 60 feet if left, but it can be grown as a small tree with young leaves by constant cutting, or cut virtually to the ground in spring, when it forms a shrub about 6 feet by onset of autumn, comprised entirely of blue, rounded, foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-09-11T12:40:06.497" LastActivityDate="2012-09-11T12:40:06.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5174" CreationDate="2012-09-11T12:33:59.267" Score="34" Body="&lt;p&gt;The oxygen explanation regarding plants in standing water is too simplistic. When you root cuttings in plain water, there's nothing else in there compared to what's in soil. Your cuttings may take up to six weeks to root, and in that time, you may top up the water with more clean water occasionally to keep the base of the cutting in the water, while it frantically tries to create enough roots for itself to survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil, though, is full of bacteria, fungal organisms, decaying matter, and various other forms of life which are not visible to the naked eye, and some which are (worms for instance). If the soil in a pot is saturated, either because it has no drainage, or is left standing in a tray of water, not only is oxygen in short supply, but other gas exchange processes are changed, the bio diversity changes, and sulphurous compounds are usually produced in the soil, which is why it starts to smell bad. The bio diversity change is because some organisms die in those conditions, others, such as fungal organisms, may  thrive, so the balance of the eco system is out of whack. You could liken the results to the way the bacteria in your gut is altered by taking antibiotics, perhaps causing an overgrowth of thrush in the body. None of that happens in your rooting container of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-09-11T13:00:59.283" LastActivityDate="2012-09-11T13:00:59.283" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5178" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5169" CreationDate="2012-09-11T13:47:57.870" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a similar problem, but it was my blueberry bushes the rabbits went for. I bought a roll of 3' chicken wire and cut it in half. Then I pounded stakes into the ground and made chicken wire cages. I haven't had any more problems with the blueberries, but that just made the rabbits move on to other vegetation in my yard. They began chewing the bark off of the fruit trees I had just planted. I eventually fenced those off too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best solution I found was to just get rid of the rabbits. Otherwise my entire yard might have ended up with tiny little chicken wire fences around everything. After #7, I haven't seen any more in my backyard. I used a &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B001V67HTY&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ruger Blackhawk .177 air rifle&lt;/a&gt;, because I live in a surburban area. It's not much louder than a staple gun, but it still packs quite a punch. You can get one for about $100, and it's a lot of fun for plinking when you're not using it for pest control. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd just suggest that you practice with it first so you can kill any pests humanely (aim for the head). Be aware of range limitations - usually 30-40 yards is considered the maximum range for a humane shot with an air rifle. Any farther than that and the rifle isn't accurate enough to ensure a kill. As with any firearm, remember to be aware of what's behind your target as well. (As well as always treat it as if it's loaded, keep your finger off the trigger before you're ready to fire, and never point it at anything you're not willing to destroy.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're out in the country, a .22 or .17HMR rifle would work a little bit better and would give you more range.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should also call the local game warden and make sure you don't need a hunting license for varmint control, and that the rabbit isn't a protected species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastActivityDate="2012-09-11T13:47:57.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5179" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5169" CreationDate="2012-09-11T14:40:59.737" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I prefer the electric fence (http://www.pastorelectrico.com/), you don't kill any rabbit and they changes their behavior, so after some time they go away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1595" LastEditorUserId="1595" LastEditDate="2012-09-12T10:44:58.980" LastActivityDate="2012-09-12T10:44:58.980" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5160" CreationDate="2012-09-11T19:56:17.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This answer assumes your hill lies on the West side of the Cascade Mountains. Hillside plantings for the Okanagan or the more arid and cold areas of Washington, Oregon and B.C. would look quite different.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spreading cotoneaster (Cotoneaster sp.) is very common and successful plant for hillsides in the Pacific Northwest and, as Bamboo notes, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greatplantpicks.org/plantlists/view/449&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;C. procumbens 'Queen of Carpets'&lt;/a&gt; is an excellent choice that is low (&amp;lt; 1'), wide spreading (6-8') and quite dense. Other Cotoneasters well adapted to this area include bearberry cotoneaster (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greatplantpicks.org/plantlists/view/447&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;C. dammeri&lt;/a&gt;)(1' x 6'), gray-leaf cotoneaster (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greatplantpicks.org/plantlists/view/448&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;C. glaucophyllus&lt;/a&gt;)(3' x 6'), willow-leaf cotoneaster (&lt;a href=&quot;http://pnwplants.wsu.edu/PlantDisplay.aspx?PlantID=134&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;C. salicifolius&lt;/a&gt;)(2' x 6'). For a large hillside, the taller varieties (2-3') may be more effective as they are better weed suppressors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;St Johnswort (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/a520/hypericum-calycinum.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hypericum calycinum&lt;/a&gt;) is another commonly used hillside plant, 1.5 feet tall and 4-5' wide, all summer flowering and very tough, but can look a bit tired by the end of our typically rainless summers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0LB15.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A Seattle hillside of Hypericum calycinum in early September&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;A Seattle hillside of Hypericum calycinum in early September&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Pacific Northwest is a weird climatic hybrid between wet maritime England, and the dry summer Mediterranean coast, so there are lots of other options. Any good choice for a dry hillside in the Northeastern or Midwestern U.S. will work for you. Hence junipers (Juniperus sp.)(2' x 6'+, but slow), Gro-low fragrant sumac (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/f180/rhus-aromatica-gro-low.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rhus aromatica 'Gro-Low'&lt;/a&gt;)(2' x 6'+), or bush honeysuckle (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diervilla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Diervilla sp.&lt;/a&gt;)(1.5' x 6') are good choices for your hill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dWQNX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Diervilla sp. planting near Everett, WA&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;Diervilla sp. planting near Everett, WA&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the slope is sunny, warm and sandy, you can also use plants more typical of California such as rock rose (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greatplantpicks.org/plantlists/view/373&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cistus x hybridus&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://pnwplants.wsu.edu/PlantDisplay.aspx?PlantID=506&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;C. purpureus&lt;/a&gt; and others)(1-3' x 6'+) or California lilac (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceanothus_gloriosus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cenoanthus gloriosa&lt;/a&gt;), but, after these plants are established, they should get NO supplemental water during the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x8Y13.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cistus sp. planting near Everett, WA&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;Cistus sp. planting near Everett, WA&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, there are number of attractive native groundcovers. bearberry (&lt;a href=&quot;http://wnps.org/landscaping/herbarium/pages/arctostaphylos-uva-ursi.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Actostaphyllos uva-ursi&lt;/a&gt;)(0.5' x 4') is an attractive mat-forming broadleaf evergreen that is found native growing on sunny, sandy, acidic locations. For shadier spots, creeping Oregon grape (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greatplantpicks.org/plantlists/view/981&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mahonia repens&lt;/a&gt;)(1' x 6') and salal (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaultheria_shallon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gautheria shalllon&lt;/a&gt;)(In sun,  1' x 6'+, in shade 4' x 6'+, suckering great distances) are better choices. Both are evergreen, adapted to dry unirrigated sites, and grow in full sun as well as shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vNKLu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A Seattle planting of Mahonia repens with Actostaphyllos uva-ursi behind&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;A Seattle planting of Mahonia repens with Actostaphyllos uva-ursi behind&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can, of course, plant several of these. Since you have over an acre to work with, it would seem a shame to use only one plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a final option, you can leave the slope as it is or plant any of the above but fail to consistently weed. In five to ten years, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsAndPlants/noxious-weeds/weed-identification/blackberry.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Himalayan blackberry&lt;/a&gt; will own your hillside. The birds will be pleased, but your neighbors might not be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QD7ou.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Himalayan blackberry near Everett,WA&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;Himalayan blackberry near Everett,WA&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastActivityDate="2012-09-11T19:56:17.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5182" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5188" CreationDate="2012-09-12T00:42:19.200" Score="11" ViewCount="28171" Body="&lt;p&gt;I occasionally discover swirly green growths inside my bell peppers, such as the ones pictured below.  What are they exactly?  Are they edible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wyt7I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bell pepper growths&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1201" LastActivityDate="2012-09-20T01:15:35.280" Title="What are these swirly green growths inside my bell peppers?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;identification&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5183" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4821" CreationDate="2012-09-12T02:51:35.437" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should look into &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_dactyloides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Buffalo Grass&lt;/a&gt;. It sounds perfect for Arizona. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's drought resistant, so you won't have to water it too much.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's heat resistant, so it won't melt in your hot, hot summers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's cold resistant, so it won't freeze on your frosty mornings. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also it's pretty hard to kill. Here are some &lt;a href=&quot;http://ucverdeblog.com/2009/04/20/follow-this-phoenix-arizona-gardener-as-she-installs-her-uc-verde-buffalo-grass/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Buffalo&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lawns/msg0310371213116.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Grass&lt;/a&gt; blogs from Phoenix&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2012-09-12T02:51:35.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5184" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5197" CreationDate="2012-09-12T03:07:41.273" Score="6" ViewCount="1644" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've run into this problem and I'm sure others will too: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I want to know what variety of lawn I've got.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Knowing your lawn type is important for: watering, PH levels, fertiliser, etc. And if you didn't plant it (like me), how do you know what you've got?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be generic enough for general consumption:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover common lawn varieties - Couch, Bermuda, Buffalo, Kikuyu, Fescue, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Have image&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Have short description on how to &lt;strong&gt;identify&lt;/strong&gt; (rather than care for) the the lawn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2012-10-04T20:07:27.280" Title="Identify Common Lawn Varieties" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5171" CreationDate="2012-09-12T03:21:58.130" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very good information but I'm going to add some correction after much help from reddit.  It is Galinsoga Quadriradiata/Peruvian Daisy.  Good call on this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is another variety called Galinsoga Ciliata/Shaggy Soldier which is a bit hairy and has little to do with this conversation but interesting nonetheless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The edible variety though is Galinsoga Parviflora/Gallant soldier/Guascas. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, will attempt the ajiaco with dried substitution and very good suggestions from here, &lt;a href=&quot;http://andreasrecipes.com/ajiaco-bogotano-colombia/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://andreasrecipes.com/ajiaco-bogotano-colombia/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the warning I just put a bit on my tongue.  Have identified spurge, nightshade and lily of the valley nearby so not trying to be reckless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1597" LastEditorUserId="1597" LastEditDate="2012-09-12T03:56:18.303" LastActivityDate="2012-09-12T03:56:18.303" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5186" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5108" CreationDate="2012-09-12T03:56:13.200" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without question a scythe.  They are by far the most elegant, efficient and pleasant tools to use.  There is nothing comparable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had the same question and then one day it hit me.  Life's been better ever since.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1485" LastActivityDate="2012-09-12T03:56:13.200" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5182" CreationDate="2012-09-12T09:07:15.977" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's an internal proliferation known as a form of parthenocarpy - formation of fruit without fertilization. So it's just a sort of clone or internal baby pepper, sometimes looking much more like a pepper than the pic you've shown. Common in sweet peppers and yes, edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-09-12T09:07:15.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5189" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5193" CreationDate="2012-09-13T03:36:28.483" Score="2" ViewCount="927" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a sadly neglected peach tree that with some spraying and pruning might continue to produce for a few more years.  It has excellent peaches, and when the time comes, I'd like to replace it with the same kind of peach.  How do I tell what kind of peach it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fruit is very juicy and has a very good sweet peach flavor.  It is a free stone, and it gets ripe in early July (instead of late August/Sept like most peaches in northern North America).  When the fruit is ripe, the skin pulls off easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="600" LastActivityDate="2012-09-13T14:33:14.800" Title="Help identify peach tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5164" CreationDate="2012-09-13T05:17:38.633" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't mention the kind of passionfruit you intend to grow, but I think many&#xA;varieties are quite rampant, both above and below ground. The species I am very familiar&#xA;with is Passiflora caerulea, which is not ordinarily grown for its rather insipid, but&#xA;edible fruit, and I can tell you that a well-established plant will send up abundant&#xA;root sprouts up to 15-20 feet from the main stand. This in Seattle, a very non-tropical&#xA;clime. Your constantly moist garden beds will be a magnet for the roots of anything &#xA;nearby, and a landscape fabric will be no impediment to them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1180" LastActivityDate="2012-09-13T05:17:38.633" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5168" CreationDate="2012-09-13T12:48:05.810" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I prefer to mark the heads by first trimming an area around them with a string trimmer or something similar. You may be already using this method to mark the heads that are on the edges of your lawn (spraying inward). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other alternatives? If you want something at least as fail-safe, there are some chalk-like (temporary) grass-safe paints. (I know that Krylon has such a line.) You can also use flags or small cones. Over time, however, these alternatives seem to add an extra step--one too easy to skip in haste.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some permanent marker options to consider, depending on how intensively you care for your lawn and whether or not you care for the result. Google key words &quot;sprinkler head protector&quot; for a selection of devices that you can place over/around the problem heads. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1601" LastEditorUserId="1601" LastEditDate="2012-09-14T15:30:09.763" LastActivityDate="2012-09-14T15:30:09.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5192" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5116" CreationDate="2012-09-13T13:16:54.787" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;(1) Dry them. If it's sunny outside, place them in a sunny spot outdoors. When they are dry, then lightly brush off the excess dirt. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(2) Cure them. Find a cool, dark, dry, but well ventilated place where they can &quot;cure&quot; for a couple of weeks.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(3) Dust them. To prevent rot, you can dust them with an anti-fungal powder. (I admit to skipping this step often, but then I live in a dry climate.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(4) Wrap them. Wrap each iris rhizomes in a piece of newspaper; place these in a box. I use stackable open weave plastic bins.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(5) Store them. Again, you'll want a cool, dry place. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(6) Check them. As you have probably gathered by now, rhizomes are subject to fungus and rot. Every so often, check your stored rhizomes. They should feel firm. Discard those that seem soft or mushy so those don't spoil the whole lot.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1601" LastActivityDate="2012-09-13T13:16:54.787" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5193" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5189" CreationDate="2012-09-13T14:33:14.800" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The harvest dates chart found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.davewilson.com/homegrown/promotion/chart/harvest_dates2010.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; is probably a good place to start. It lists about five or six different varieties that ripen in early July. From there I would look up the characteristics of each individual variety to find the one that matches your description more closely. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1460" LastActivityDate="2012-09-13T14:33:14.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5194" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5175" CreationDate="2012-09-14T01:34:54.620" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on the leaves, I'd say it's a Silver Dollar Gum (Eucalyptus cinerea). The immature leaves grow right off the branch but you'll notice in a lot of images on the web there is a stalk between the leaf and the branch. This occurs during maturing, read up on it on the wikipedia page below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info from &lt;a href=&quot;http://treesandshrubs.about.com/od/selection/tp/Gum-Trees-Eucalyptus-Trees-Species.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;about.com&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_cinerea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wikipedia.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2012-09-14T01:34:54.620" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5195" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5196" CreationDate="2012-09-14T07:12:38.077" Score="3" ViewCount="521" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to grow some herbs for regular use on my kitchen window sill. As herbs influence other plants growing next to them, I want to make sure they'll go well together before planting/sowing them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which &lt;strong&gt;herbs&lt;/strong&gt; can be planted closely &lt;strong&gt;without having a negative effect&lt;/strong&gt; on each other?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In particular I want to put &lt;strong&gt;rosemary, basil and parsley&lt;/strong&gt; together in one pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1587" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-09-21T23:08:54.977" LastActivityDate="2012-09-21T23:08:54.977" Title="Which herbs can be planted closely without having a negative effect on each other" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5196" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5195" CreationDate="2012-09-14T10:59:52.277" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only 'negative effect' from planting culinary herbs together would be the differing sizes and growth rate related to the amount of space available for each plant. For the three you have specifically mentioned, Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a reasonably hardy, evergreen, woody shrub. Basil is a tender annual, and parsley is a hardy biennial, although the flavour of its leaves is best in its first year, so is usually treated as an annual.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a decent amount of Parsley to use in cooking, you will probably need more than one plant - recommended container size for 3-5 plants is 20-40cm wide by 20-25cm deep; Basil gets taller, so doesn't need quite such a wide container. Rosemary needs good root room to form a good branchwork above the ground, and recommended pot size is 30-45cm wide by 30-40cm deep, although if you only want the plant for one season, a smaller pot will do for that. Therefore, planting parsley and basil together in, say, a trough on a sunny window sill is possible, and should be sufficient for both plants, with the parsley taking up most room on the surface of the soil. Rosemary is better being grown separately, in its own pot. Unless you choose one of the half hardy varieties, R. officinalis is hardy down to -5 deg.C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: No, there aren't any problem combinations for culinary herbs in the same way as vegetables. The combination of medicinal and culinary herbs is another matter - I wouldn't, for instance, grow Wormwood (artemisia) in with edible herbs in pots if I intended to use the latter in food. I don't actually know that this is a risky thing to do, but given that wormwood is used as a moth repellent and insecticide, I wouldn't be prepared to take a chance. I do, though, grow Artemisia in the garden, which also contains Chives, Thyme and Sage, though it's not particularly close to the edible ones. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-09-14T15:52:51.910" LastActivityDate="2012-09-14T15:52:51.910" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5184" CreationDate="2012-09-14T11:57:32.917" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a site called &lt;a href=&quot;http://thelawnguide.com.au&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;thelawnguide.com.au&lt;/a&gt; which describes and shows small pictures of commonly used lawn grasses in Australia, not sure how much use it'll be, but can't find anything else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="946" LastEditDate="2012-09-17T02:33:49.673" LastActivityDate="2012-09-17T02:33:49.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5198" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5201" CreationDate="2012-09-14T13:13:37.300" Score="4" ViewCount="544" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a joke that in the army when the grass has any color but green it is painted so that it has &quot;the right&quot; color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I open Google and search for &quot;painting grass&quot; and there're numerous results for different grass painting solutions. Looks like the joke is not really a joke, but I'd rather check before coming to conclusions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do solutions for painting grass green really exist or is it just a mass joke?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastEditorUserId="562" LastEditDate="2012-09-14T15:07:31.983" LastActivityDate="2012-09-21T19:31:06.343" Title="Is painting grass green for the sake of making it green for real?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5199" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5363" CreationDate="2012-09-14T15:10:24.503" Score="4" ViewCount="1708" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I bought my house ~3 years ago, the backyard was being watered by hand even though it has a sprinkler system. &lt;s&gt;The sprinklers had no supply line.&lt;/s&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: What I mean is, the supply line delivers no water. The stop &amp;amp; waste in the front turns on the water for the sprinklers in the front yard, but the back doesn't get water. It could be a missing shutoff (which I've tried like the dickens to find) or a broken line under the driveway so it was just disconnected. Either way, the supply line runs under lots of concrete, so my best option is just to run a new line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fast forward to now, my backyard is a layer of weeds, holes dug by my dog and piles of dirt. There is also a roughly 2x2 foot pad of concrete in the middle of the yard I want to remove. The sprinklers run throughout the yard are still usable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have sprayed the yard once with roundup killing all the weeds. That leaves me with a very uneven yard w/ sprinklers in it and a lot of dead weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what my best options are from here. Should I pull/dig out the dead weeds, or would leaving them in place while leveling be an ok option. The soil where I live is very rocky so any type of digging is always a huge pain. What is the best type of tool I should rent to get this job done as easily as I can? I was thinking of using a bobcat. (Renting from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.acerents.net/catalog.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ace Rents&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timprental.com/equipment-rentals.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;Timp Rental&quot;&gt;Timp Rental&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Caveats are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I don't want to destroy the sprinkler system already in the ground.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I would like to get rid of the 2x2' concrete pad.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have called 811 a had the utilities marked. Nothing obstructing us there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After I've leveled the ground, is there anything special I need to do to prepare for sod? Any special care after it's been laid?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I originally was thinking I would rototill the yard (as suggested reading &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2012/can-my-lawn-be-saved-or-is-it-time-to-dig-it-up-and-re-sod&quot;&gt;Can my lawn be saved or is it time to dig it up and re-sod?&lt;/a&gt;) but I don't want to destroy my sprinklers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I currently have a chain link fence between my yard and the neighbors yard on the side with the other 3 side surrounded by concrete. The neighbors yard is not well taken care of and I worry about weeds coming over from there. I would like to put in a concrete strip and a new fence then roughly 3 feet of veggie garden space along the length of that side plus another concrete strip to separate it from the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm not going to get it done before winter, so at this point I need a plan of attack for ASAP after thaw in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1194" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-10-20T15:49:18.157" Title="Leveling a yard and laying sod" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5198" CreationDate="2012-09-14T15:42:38.847" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, goodness me, you learn something every day, what will they think of next.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just checked this out online and you're right, you can spray paint your lawn green. There appear to be two types of products available, one dye and one pigment based. The latter professes to last a lot longer than the dye one. Trying to find out quite what ingredients are present isn't easy - they claim its good for the environment, but this appears to be simply because you will/may water your lawn less to keep it green. I'd argue that all the paint will do, if you water less, is conceal the fact that your lawn is dying/dead and may not recover at all with no water in hot parts of the world. Certainly ammonia seems a large component. The pigment based one, exposed to 'thermal conditions' (whatever that means - sun?) will give off Co2, so hardly good for the environment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both products carry warnings regarding eye, skin and breathing exposure, so seems you need a bio hazard suit to use the stuff, really, and it should be done on a windless day when the blades of grass are completely dry. The pigment based one seems to have been originally approved for professional rather than amateur use. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-09-14T15:42:38.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5201" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5198" CreationDate="2012-09-14T16:00:09.927" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's for real, and it's not just a new notion. Foreclosures and drought probably have something to do with just how trendy it is right now.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first link below is to a July 2012 article that appeared in &lt;em&gt;Business Insider&lt;/em&gt;. The second is to the website of a group formed in San Antonio due to &quot;overwhelming foreclosures and drought.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-drought-is-so-bad-people-are-painting-their-lawns-green-2012-7&quot;&gt;The US Drought Is So Bad People Are Painting Their Lawns Green&lt;/a&gt;&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.manta.com/c/mt4cjjn/texas-green-grass-inc&quot;&gt;Texas Green Grass, Inc.&lt;/a&gt;&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you Google for &quot;paint grass green&quot; you'll find a host of solutions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1601" LastActivityDate="2012-09-14T16:00:09.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5202" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13821" CreationDate="2012-09-14T17:58:47.303" Score="7" ViewCount="6137" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this pair of fairy castle cacti for several years now, and they've done fairly well. However, I noticed today that they have developed brown patches over most of their stems and a few areas have a sort of crackled look. I can't say exactly how long it took for this to develop, but I didn't notice it on the last watering (6-8 weeks ago).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IZWBc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;brown patches and &amp;quot;crackling&amp;quot; (lower left and middle right) on fairy castle cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;in some areas it looks &quot;built up&quot;, like it could be chipped off (though I haven't tried). There are also a few very dark spots that almost look burnt, except they are on the side facing away from the window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JC6WS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&amp;quot;burnt&amp;quot;-looking spots on fairy castle cactus 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J4rFo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&amp;quot;burnt&amp;quot;-looking spots on fairy castle cactus 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas on what is wrong with them, and what I can do about it (natural methods only please - I don't use commercial gardening products)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1367" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-12T13:14:09.903" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T02:34:23.523" Title="What are these brown patches on my acanthocereus tetragonus (fairy castle cactus)?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1187" CreationDate="2012-09-14T18:27:49.480" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try moth balls or rags soaked in vinegar. There are also herb type pellets that you can put around the plants that make the squirrels run the other direction.  The squirrels I had would eat green, partially ripened or wonderfully ripe tomatoes.  They are a nuisance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1604" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-09-21T16:06:08.080" LastActivityDate="2012-09-21T16:06:08.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5036" CreationDate="2012-09-14T18:50:55.773" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless it is made from something organic like corn or hemp, I would say no. Plastic (other than from corn, hemp, etc) is made from petroleum, and those plastics advertised as biodegradable or compostable are simply petroleum processed in such a way that it breaks down faster than regular plastic. When petroleum-based plastic breaks down, it does not turn into something organic, it's just smaller bits of petroleum. All petroleum-based plastics will break down in this manner eventually, and they will build up in the environment - a good example of this is the '&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch#Plastic_photodegradation_in_the_ocean&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Great Pacific Garbage Patch&lt;/a&gt;' - creating a toxic environment for local flora and fauna.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In short, unless it's made completely from materials you would put in your compost in their raw form, I wouldn't add it in it's processed form. I wouldn't add crude oil to my compost, so I wouldn't dream of adding plastic made from crude oil to my compost either, especially with it's links to cancer and other nasties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1367" LastActivityDate="2012-09-14T18:50:55.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5048" CreationDate="2012-09-14T19:07:03.313" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had a lot of success transferring my indoor plants to hydroculture. Bamboo, aechemia fasciata (silver vase or urn plant), aloe vera, hippeastrum (commonly sold as amaryllis), and araucaria heterophylla (norfolk pine) have all thrived in plain water, sometimes with rocks or marbles added for support, and provide a very nice view of the roots. I have, however, noticed that the water roots look slightly different than the soil roots (which die off eventually after being transferred to water, being replaced by the roots adapted to the water environment), however, the growth pattern of the roots seems unchanged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As mentioned above, the water needs some circulation to keep it oxygenated, both for the plants' health and to prevent stagnation of the water. For very thirsty plants, this is achieved simply by topping up the water level with a watering can when it gets low, with plants that do not drink as much, I occasionally need to dump the old water before adding more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1367" LastActivityDate="2012-09-14T19:07:03.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4344" CreationDate="2012-09-14T21:44:35.137" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Kill the weeds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;White Vinegar--full strength. Saturate the area. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;or ... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Salt and water mixture. Saturate the area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once they are dead, consider pouring some salt between the bricks, at least in those areas where you are having the most problems.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1601" LastEditorUserId="1601" LastEditDate="2012-09-15T07:36:16.593" LastActivityDate="2012-09-15T07:36:16.593" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5036" CreationDate="2012-09-15T02:22:45.673" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your home compost will likely never get hot enough to compost the plastic.  These are intended for industrial operations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1606" LastActivityDate="2012-09-15T02:22:45.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5208" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-15T04:23:20.173" Score="6" ViewCount="7955" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple of years ago I planted a lemon and a lime tree in my garden. They've been growing quite well but recently I noticed the leaves are patchy and holey - something has been eating them. What's the best way of protecting the trees, preferably not involving the use of pesticides?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IGa0c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LvTvR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1607" LastEditorUserId="1607" LastEditDate="2014-06-27T09:01:45.247" LastActivityDate="2014-06-27T09:01:45.247" Title="How can I protect my citrus tree leaves from being eaten?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5210" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5208" CreationDate="2012-09-15T10:41:06.807" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;One factor that is commonly overlooked when a plant has a problem is a basic one - proper diagnosis. People often spray randomly with anything to hand in the hope it will work, but given your desire to avoid the use of pesticides, it's even more important to diagnose the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Inspect the trees all over, from the base of the trunks, all the branches and twigs, leaves, backs of leaves, for anything that shouldn't be there, maybe deposits on the back of the leaves, fluffy bits on the trunk or stems, lumps and bumps, obvious forms of life like caterpillars or other creatures, snail trails, evidence of leaf miner, rolled leaves, webbing, that kind of thing. Also, obviously, any signs of diseases such as fungal spots or marks. Take a torch out at night and have a look after dark - some things attack plants then. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that the type of holes in the plants are important - for instance, the half circle nibbles from the edge of a leaf are diagnostic, as opposed to a leaf full of holes, or one that has holes which previously were simply dead, brown tissue which has now fallen away and left the hole/s behind. Whether your plants are in pots or in the ground is a factor too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can diagnose the problem, then you know what you're dealing with, and in that way can work out the best, hopefully non pesticide, solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-09-15T10:46:35.427" LastActivityDate="2012-09-15T10:46:35.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5211" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3102" CreationDate="2012-09-15T11:02:06.290" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bougainvillea trimmings are a form of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_waste&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;green waste&lt;/a&gt;, itself a form of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_waste&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;biodegradable waste&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Municipalities often have ordinances for how residents should dispose of oversized or bulky green waste. I wasn't able to see where you live, but suggest you check for restrictions that apply to your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you asked about burning, you might particularly check for &quot;backyard burning&quot; ordinances.  (See also, United States Environmental Protection Agency, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/backyard/index.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Backyard Burning&lt;/a&gt;.&quot;) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my area, permits are required for all &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.maricopa.gov/aq/divisions/compliance/dust/open_burning/Default.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;open burning&lt;/a&gt;.&quot; More importantly, the permits aren't available for the purpose of burning &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.maricopa.gov/aq/divisions/compliance/dust/Burning_Activities/faqs.aspx#one&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;yard waste&lt;/a&gt;.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any substantial bougainvillea trimmings from our yard find their way to a solid waste facility/landfill via our local bulk trash collection program. Once a quarter, residents here are permitted to place trimmings and such at the curb for this collection. The schedules are much publicized; we just trim our bougainvillea immediately ahead of the appointed pick up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1601" LastActivityDate="2012-09-15T11:02:06.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5212" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-15T13:35:29.480" Score="3" ViewCount="822" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been battling purple nutsedge (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_rotundus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cyperus rotundus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) and yellow nutsedge (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_esculentus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cyperus esculentus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;) as long as I've had a lawn. These weeds grow from tubers. The tuber networks are connected by a baby hair fine root system--ordinarily too fragile and deep to extract without snapping. Whether just a myth or not, I'm told that each connection I break will eventually bring forth three more terrible tubers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the southwestern part of the United States. The year we re-sodded the front lawn, I spent hours over the summer digging for tubers anytime something vaguely appearing to be nutsedge sprouted. Every year since, though, the nasty buggers return. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm familiar with chemical approaches to selectively controlling nutsedge in a lawn (see table 1. Controlling Nutsedge with chemicals, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7432.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;); hoping someone has discovered an organic solution. I'd prefer something that didn't require me to spend &lt;em&gt;every&lt;/em&gt; summer camped on my front lawn with a bucket and spade. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1601" LastEditorUserId="1601" LastEditDate="2012-09-15T16:46:47.143" LastActivityDate="2013-08-15T23:54:08.133" Title="Nutsedge nightmare. Is there an organic solution that will rid my lawn of ever spreading nutsedge?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5213" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5214" CreationDate="2012-09-15T15:00:11.997" Score="2" ViewCount="909" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in southern Sweden, where temperatures can get down to around 20C / 4F in the winter. Any tree grown outdoors is exposed to quite a lot of darkness and cold from around early November to late March. It's from this environment I've taken an acorn that have now grown indoors to a small oak tree for almost a year. The goal is to make a bonsai out of my baby oak, but I'm not sure if I should make it an indoor or outdoor bonsai. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is basically; Would an oak from a northern climate thrive if kept indoors through the winter, or should I leave it outside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1415" LastActivityDate="2012-09-15T15:57:06.890" Title="Should I leave my bonsai oak tree outdoors during winter?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5214" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5213" CreationDate="2012-09-15T15:57:06.890" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live where it can get as low as -40 degrees Celsius and successfully  overwintered some bonsai burr oak (Quercus macrocarpa) that were eight inches tall.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether seedlings need to overwinter outside depends on the species. Maples and oaks growing in colder climates require a period of cold dormancy.  It doesn't have to be very cold or more than four to six weeks but it is necessary to initiate leaf drop, the formation of new buds and flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other suggestions I have seen included placing the plants in a steamer trunk filled with insulation like Styrofoam peanuts but what worked for me was very simple:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dig a trench in soft garden soil the depth of the plant and pot. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;place the bonsai in the ground and back fill&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mark the location and wait for spring&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found that after a bit of cleaning up even moss growing on the surface of the pot was quite happy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-09-15T15:57:06.890" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5216" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5217" CreationDate="2012-09-17T04:51:48.287" Score="21" ViewCount="85955" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was reading over &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/5206/608&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; that salt can be used to control weeds in paved areas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is salt an effective way to kill all (or most) plant types?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it a permanent solution?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will using salt affect ground water (I have a bore) and nearby gardens?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2019-01-30T09:20:43.257" Title="Can salt be used to control weeds permanently?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;pavers&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5216" CreationDate="2012-09-17T10:43:12.313" Score="23" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, salt will kill plants. In theory, if you use enough of it in the soil, it will kill a tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding whether its permanent, no, its not. If you saturate open ground with salt, everything dies, and, by and large, nothing grows for some months, even years. In your case, you want to know whether it works permanently when its been applied to paving. No, is the answer, it will wash through eventually, so you will need to re apply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, using lots of salt to kill weeds will affect ground water, although how much its affected depends entirely on how much you use and how often. A small amount occasionally is unlikely to cause much harm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But there is one other factor to consider - salt damages concrete and other paving materials. Damage occurs from the use of salt/grit mixes on concrete or paved surfaces as a de-icing solution - it's more likely to occur when used neat on paving, even if you're trying to only get it in the cracks. It is toxic to plants and other forms of life within the soil, and the risk of run off onto planted areas when it rains should also be considered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I would not recommend it. The use of salt as a weedkiller because it's believed to be 'organic' and less toxic than a commercially available tailored-for-purpose path weedkiller is erroneous - salt, used frequently, is much more toxic in comparison to one or two applications of path herbicide a year, assuming the herbicide is intended for amateur garden use rather than professional agriculture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-09-17T11:55:00.760" LastActivityDate="2012-09-17T11:55:00.760" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5218" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4344" CreationDate="2012-09-17T11:45:44.917" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Back when I lived in the city, my neighbour used boiling water for this. It looks rather odd to be outside with a kettle, but she swore by it. You want to be careful not to spill or splash on your legs or feet, but it's probably safer than the flamethrower and you don't need to buy or rent anything. I suspect it's easier on the concrete and bricks than salt or vinegar, also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On our rural property we have basically set it up so this isn't a problem, but we do have a patio with &quot;tiles&quot; 16&quot; on a side. If anything grows between them we just pull it up by hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2012-09-17T11:45:44.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5219" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5220" CreationDate="2012-09-17T18:55:10.143" Score="5" ViewCount="184" Body="&lt;p&gt;A little over a year ago, after complaining about the amount of cord I had to use with our electric leaf blower I was gifted an inexpensive gas blower. A &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-Outdoor-Power-Equipment-Leaf-Blowers/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbxav/R-100390020/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&amp;amp;langId=-1&amp;amp;storeId=10051&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ryobi 150 mph 400 CFM Gas Blower Vac&lt;/a&gt; from home depot to be precise. It probably wouldn't have been the one I would've chose, but hey. Complaining about gifts is never a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I mixed up some gas for the two stroke engine, but admittedly I did eyeball it. It started right up, and worked great. I used it for the next 30 minutes or so until it ran out of gas. At this point I needed to buy some new gas. I mixed up this next batch very carefully, and about two weeks later I went to use it again. It would not start, didn't start. Its a year later and If I was going to return it I should've done it months ago. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to get it started, but have little experience with trouble shooting small engines. I am a computer programmer, not a lawn care specialist. But, I'd love to learn. And I do have an internet connection. I am a bit stumped. Where should I begin. What could be wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;note:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; looking at the reviews online this 'not starting' or tough to start seems to be a common problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="546" OwnerDisplayName="matchew" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-09-17T20:03:10.177" LastActivityDate="2012-09-17T20:03:10.177" Title="What could be wrong with this leaf blower?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;&lt;repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5220" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5219" CreationDate="2012-09-17T20:02:55.183" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's what I've done on my two-stroke chainsaw when it has refused to start:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove and replace spark plug; check the gap.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove and clean [with an air compressor] or replace air filter. (I just blow it out, I haven't yet replaced the filter.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you see gunk when you're removing these parts, clean it up. (Because of all of the sawdust and bar oil, the chainsaw accumulates a lot of gunk. I don't know how dirty your leaf blower will get.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; easy steps -- I'm usually a complete failure at engine/machine repair and even &lt;em&gt;I&lt;/em&gt; can do these without ending up with a pile of parts that I have to bring my friendly local mechanic for reassembly. For tools, you'll need a spark plug (deep) socket, an air compressor with a blower fitting, and maybe a screwdriver to open the engine case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also seen replacing the fuel filter as a suggestion, but haven't needed to do this yet. The steps above always get it restarted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-09-17T20:02:55.183" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5221" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-17T20:54:15.573" Score="3" ViewCount="1910" Body="&lt;p&gt;What can I plant in a pot that will survive in a relatively dark room?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1613" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-08-28T11:55:49.963" LastActivityDate="2015-08-29T02:39:22.860" Title="What plants survive in a relatively dark room?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5222" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5221" CreationDate="2012-09-17T21:08:45.207" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have kept bamboo in my bathroom (no windows) for years and they have done very well (I do use full spectrum LED lights, which probably helps, but bamboo is reported to do well in low light/artificial light anyway). A quick search provides the following plants as being good for low light situations as well:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spider plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;golden pothos&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ferns&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sansevieria (snake plant)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dracaena&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;aechmea (urn plant)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;aglaonema&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spathiphyllum&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some palms&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some philodendrons&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are actually quite a number, mushrooms also come to mind, though they like it very dark. Just do a search for 'low light plants' and you will find many possibilities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1367" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-08-29T02:39:22.860" LastActivityDate="2015-08-29T02:39:22.860" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5223" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-17T21:14:47.943" Score="3" ViewCount="161" Body="&lt;p&gt;What shall I plant in the 4m² soil area in front of a London house? I want something beautiful and that needs minimal care. Also it shouldn't grow taller than 1m. The house is located South-East from the spot, so the area receives little sunshine, except during summer afternoons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1613" LastActivityDate="2012-10-18T14:06:09.977" Title="What to plant in a shady London small area?" Tags="&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5223" CreationDate="2012-09-17T21:38:23.363" Score="1" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hosta&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;foxglove&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;daylily&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;snowdrops&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bleeding hearts&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;impatiens&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;deadnettle&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;yellow archangel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;jack-in-the-pulpit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;monkshood (toxic, wear gloves when handling)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;columbine&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;astilbe&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;blackberry lily&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;barrenwort&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;primrose&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many, many more. Do a search for 'shade garden' and look for plants that will grow in your hardiness zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1367" LastActivityDate="2012-09-17T21:38:23.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5225" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5223" CreationDate="2012-09-18T12:27:39.500" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Living in London myself, I'm wondering what length and width the soil space is in your front garden, rather than the overall square metre size. Also whether it has a low wall running along the front of it which blocks light as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, and assuming you don't want to spend hours in the front garden doing maintenance, I'd choose a mix of mostly shrubs, particularly evergreens, some ground cover and a few perennials/bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Smaller shrubs which do well in shady situations are:- Sarcococca varieties; Mahonia aquifolium; Prunus 'Otto Luyken'; Leucothoe*; Skimmia (note you will need a male and female for berries, unless you choose the variety S. 'reevesiana'*); *Pieris 'Katsuro'; Buxus; Acer (japanese varieties, particularly the slow growing dissectum ones). Note that Acer does not like alkaline conditions, but is fine on neutral soil, and also does not like windy situations nor hot sun around midday in summer. If there is some sun at times, Euonymus fortunei varieties will also do reasonably well. All plants mentioned are evergreen, barring Acer. Plants with * require acid soil conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Evergreen ground cover: Lamium maculatum (White Nancy, Beacon Silver); Ajuga reptans; Campanula portenschlagiana (syn. muralis); Bergenia; primrose/primula/polyanthus. Perennials: Dicentra formosa; Astilbe; Pulmonaria; Rogersia; Digitalis (foxglove); Tiarella; Campanula persicifolia; hardy Geraniums (Cranesbill, not Pelargoniums) such as 'Wargrave's Pink'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bulbs/corms: Crocosmia Lucifer; Daffodil (choose miniature varieties, less fading foliage lying about for the required six weeks after flowering), Convallaria, hardy Cyclamen varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-09-18T14:01:50.877" LastActivityDate="2012-09-18T14:01:50.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5226" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5221" CreationDate="2012-09-18T13:44:07.660" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The classic houseplant for dark areas is Aspidistra; there are three Dracaena which will not mind a darkish environment - these are D. Draco, D.marginata and Cordyline. The Philodrendron which will cope is P. scandens. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The definition of 'shade' for houseplants is well away from a window, but enough light to read a newspaper. Semi shade means near a sunless window, or some distance away from a bright window. Semi shade plants will tolerate a shade position for a couple of months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The list for 'shade' plants has probably already been covered, but for clarity, the well known ones are: Aglaeonema, Aspidistra, Asplenium, Fittonia, Helxine, P. scandens, Sansevieria, Scindapsis, although the variegation on the latter will fade. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-09-18T13:56:51.977" LastActivityDate="2012-09-18T13:56:51.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5227" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5199" CreationDate="2012-09-19T05:51:17.170" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;To lay sod, you need to get rid of the current turf. You can use a sod cutter for that or just get a skid-steer and scrape it all off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the old turf is off, you can now lay down new quality top soil, adding any amendments required. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Till it in, level it, then lay down the new sod. Roll the new sod and then water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the sprinklers, I'd have those looked at after you take off the old sod. Might as well fix it then before putting thew new sode down. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2012-09-19T05:51:17.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5228" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5198" CreationDate="2012-09-19T13:55:42.357" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbor had this done several summers ago. When our grass was dormant and brown, theirs was green. When our grass turned green again, theirs was clearly a different shade of green than anyone elses, but I wouldn't say it was immediately obvious that the green wasn't natural. I had never heard of it before then, either. I do wonder what the enviornmental ramifications are. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2012-09-19T13:55:42.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5229" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5268" CreationDate="2012-09-19T17:21:10.643" Score="3" ViewCount="3271" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a potted tomato plant on my porch. The temperature is starting to drop as we move into fall; will it adapt well to being an indoor plant? My windows don't get a ton of sun I'm afraid. The plant is about four feet tall, of the variety &quot;Watermelon Beefsteak&quot;. It's got a few flowers that are just starting to develop fruits; will this be interrupted if I bring it inside? Should I bring it in now or wait until it gets cold properly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="744" LastActivityDate="2012-09-27T11:29:30.150" Title="Can my tomato plant move indoors?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5230" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5229" CreationDate="2012-09-19T20:20:20.083" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can move a tomato indoors, but the problem will be that it will grow spindly and thin, crawl along the ground, and will not set new fruit. Existing fruit won't ripen quickly.  But if it survived until Spring you would probably get tomatoes starting in April/May depending on your climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-09-19T23:42:18.280" LastActivityDate="2012-09-19T23:42:18.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5234" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5237" CreationDate="2012-09-21T21:58:31.290" Score="6" ViewCount="6247" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this vine? It's currently growing on the ground, as it has nothing to climb, and it's sending out long shoots in several directions. I'm in zone 7a if that helps at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V7aDP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V7aDPl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown vine&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1460" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-30T18:36:13.503" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T18:36:13.503" Title="Identify this sprawling vine with five-lobed leaves with serrated edges" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5235" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5238" CreationDate="2012-09-21T22:28:26.140" Score="5" ViewCount="2500" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a basil plant growing and I have noticed on a few of the leaves -- only on this one type of basil plant -- I am getting these faded black spots. I tried looking online to see if I could find anything that looked like the spot but the closes thing I could find was &quot;Cercospora Arachidicola&quot; but that looks a little darker than the one I have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click image for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DHXiu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DHXium.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;Spot on basil leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1622" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-09-21T22:48:43.263" LastActivityDate="2013-10-06T22:43:12.530" Title="What are the black spots on my basil's leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5236" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5234" CreationDate="2012-09-21T22:50:13.680" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is Virginia Creeper, a pretty agressive weed (in my opinion).  See &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_creeper&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_creeper&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="600" LastActivityDate="2012-09-21T22:50:13.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5237" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5234" CreationDate="2012-09-21T22:53:14.470" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_quinquefolia&quot;&gt;Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinqefolia)&lt;/a&gt; on the basis of the five serrated leaves that have holes in the leaves that are the typical signs of being eaten by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/m1236.html&quot;&gt;grape flea beetle&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is a robust climber that is not be treated lightly.  It is a member of the grape family and around this time of the year you can often find the small pea sized purple berries. It turns a vibrant red and is very attractive at this time of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been known to cover houses and was described by Trevor Cole, former curator of the Arboretum in Ottawa where I live as the only plant he knew that could be planted upside down and still live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a plant to place far away from delicate plants and structures as it will overgrow them.  I have one that is fighting it out with my cedar hedge and Explorer rose bush.  So far it has not ripped out the chain link fence it is growing on....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-09-21T22:53:14.470" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5235" CreationDate="2012-09-21T22:56:54.080" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is most likely to be a fungal disease. Prevention and treatment measures include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keep plants well aerated by trimming regularly and giving them plenty of sun is a must&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Watering in the morning and at the base of the plants rather than evening also keeps moisture levels down in cooler temperatures. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Natural controls include fungal soap, a baking soda and water mixture, etc. - Trim the affected leaves and  treat the rest of the plant is probably your best measure&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-09-21T22:56:54.080" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5239" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5248" CreationDate="2012-09-22T03:59:47.893" Score="7" ViewCount="150" Body="&lt;p&gt;I serviced my mower this morning and gave it a clean with a hose with a moderate level of water pressure. It appears that I have blown a part off the lawn mower though I am not sure how. I can't figure out where the part came from and am hoping someone can identify it so that I can narrow down where it might have come from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image of front and back of the part:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click image for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dOlhY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dOlhYm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;front&quot; title=&quot;Back view of mower part&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6hNuO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6hNuOm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;back&quot; title=&quot;Front view of mower part&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The inner part spins free of the outer part and that's about all the information that I have. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mower I have is a Rover i5500 and the manual is rather light on pictures or diagrams so it was not much help, the manual is also quite easy to find online if that is of any particular help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1623" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-09-22T15:36:41.073" LastActivityDate="2014-03-07T19:41:08.667" Title="Identify a doughnut-shaped free-spinning mower part" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5240" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1551" CreationDate="2012-09-22T23:01:54.210" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My sun-room doesn't get enough sunlight for rhubarb. I went to a local nursery that sells rhubarb and the plants were thriving outside in 90F heat. The only difference: they had a very porous soil vs. the clay I had tried growing mine in. I am now successfully growing rhubarb outside in 80-90 degree F heat. The soil MUST be porous. (+ daily watering)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastActivityDate="2012-09-22T23:01:54.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5241" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-22T23:04:04.817" Score="2" ViewCount="208" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a &lt;em&gt;Schefflera arboricola&lt;/em&gt; and accidentally watered it too much before leaving it for a while. When I came back after a few days, the plant had sit in its water for far too long and has been losing leaves everyday since. I have stopped watering it and it is in a very sunny location but I am afraid that the leaves will continue dying until the whole plant is gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I try using cuttings and starting a new one or will the plant survive this mistake and eventually stop losing leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1626" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-09-23T00:50:05.420" LastActivityDate="2012-09-23T16:22:41.397" Title="What to do if I watered a Schefflera arboricola too much by accident?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5242" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-23T04:00:56.953" Score="8" ViewCount="2947" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had some grilled white corn in some parts in south Mexico, prepared in different ways, they're all pretty good and none are sweet, I've been looking to grow some but most of the seeds I find say sweet corn, anyone know what kind they are? Some searching led me to hickory king, is that a good candidate or what other options are there (that are not the result of human tampering :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1092" LastEditorUserId="3216" LastEditDate="2014-03-17T22:35:26.387" LastActivityDate="2014-04-16T23:33:42.650" Title="What are some non-sweet white corn varieties?" Tags="&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;corn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5241" CreationDate="2012-09-23T16:22:41.397" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you've got green, healthy growth at the top of the stem/s, I'd cut off about 6 to 8 inches, depending on how close the leaflets are to each other, strip the lower leaves, leaving just about 4 at the top, pop them into a bottle of water on a windowsill and let them root. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant might recover - depends whether its got root rot or not. You could also turn it out of its pot, remove as much compost as possible, then repot with fresh compost, to give it a good chance if rot has not set in already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-09-23T16:22:41.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5244" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-23T19:38:56.410" Score="3" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3333/what-is-this-plant-with-long-sharp-leaves-is-it-a-weed&quot;&gt;What is this plant with long sharp leaves? Is it a weed?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found this plant in my garden that I can't identify. I've asked a few people and they don't know either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's pretty tall, probably around 1ft, and has long, thin leaves and a darkish, green colouring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stem is thin, but sturdy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xxk3s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unidentified Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="246" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2012-09-23T19:38:56.410" Title="I found a plant in my garden that I am unable to Identify" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2012-09-23T21:59:03.697" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5246" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5247" CreationDate="2012-09-24T07:04:58.647" Score="7" ViewCount="1206" Body="&lt;p&gt;Would like to grow indoor plans upside down, to save space...&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Which are some good choice?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Would like those promoting more leaf growth?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Will the stem continues to grow at the same rate, as if it's planted straight?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1620" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-09-25T11:17:21.183" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T19:44:39.960" Title="Which are some good indoor plants for upside down planting?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5247" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5246" CreationDate="2012-09-24T16:38:26.337" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your goals of course will guide you. Most types of plants that you see growing from baskets could be grown upside down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rat-tail cactus, or Heart-leafed philodendron come to mind. I would avoid things that can support themselves, or they will just end up growing back up and taking up more space than if they were just in a hanging basket.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="1620" LastEditDate="2012-09-25T01:27:10.390" LastActivityDate="2012-09-25T01:27:10.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5248" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5239" CreationDate="2012-09-24T19:09:30.523" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you look at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rovermowers.com.au/files/editor_upload/File/04016218-I_ProCut.pdf&quot;&gt;this manual&lt;/a&gt; (I'm not sure if this is your exact mower), there's an exploded parts view on page 86. I suspect it's the bearing labeled &quot;26&quot; in the diagram. There are several of them, so check each location on your mower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastActivityDate="2012-09-24T19:09:30.523" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5249" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5267" CreationDate="2012-09-25T03:21:15.673" Score="13" ViewCount="55712" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have lived in this house for many years.  I have always had a bush behind the shed that I couldn't identify.  I always knew it was green most of the year and that it had thorns but that was about it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well a couple of days ago I was looking at it and low and behold there was an green apple or an apple like fruit on it!  I was excited but it wasn't like a normal apple.  There was no stem, it was directly attached to the branch, and I have never seen an apple with thorns that are an inch or so long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what it is or if it is native or a non-native ornamental plant.  I live in New Albany, Indiana which is in southern Indiana near Louisville, KY. Also on my property here in town I have dogwoods, an ornamental cherry, a holly, some catalpa trees, a white pine, and some miscellaneous other bushes/hedges. It is an old property and I think most of the trees were placed here by a previous owner. My dad and I are very curious as to what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves are dark green and look very similar to an apple's.  The fruit is very apple shaped, even has a dimple on the bottom, but like I said no stem.  It is a little more round than most apples and about 2.5 to 3 inches in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See photos below, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/45055463@N02/sets/72157631619559065/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;and more on flickr&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8036/8022889044_5383fcd752_m_d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo by brucevt1218 on flickr www.flickr.com/photos/45055463@N02/&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8176/8022888868_d4bf680179_m_d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo by brucevt1218 on flickr www.flickr.com/photos/45055463@N02/&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8315/8022886978_5629305df4_d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo by brucevt1218 on flickr www.flickr.com/photos/45055463@N02/&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1631" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:36.210" LastActivityDate="2020-11-22T01:11:40.667" Title="Please help me ID this apple or apple-like bush/tree in my yard - Small green apple with no stem and thorns" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5250" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5249" CreationDate="2012-09-25T03:37:34.410" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;At a guess it sounds like a wild apple tree. There similar to regular apples but the branches have thorns. Also the fruit is known to be of lower quality. Have a read of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/list_5980225_edible-wild-fruit-trees.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could also be a wild crabapple. You can read up on them &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/700-799/nb754.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounded like you were describing thorny branches, but if the fruit itself was thorny it's probably an Osage Orange.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2012-09-25T03:37:34.410" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5035" CreationDate="2012-09-25T05:32:24.510" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As they've been causing so much havoc, I've been doing more research and found out that they're not bean beetles.  They're bean weevils:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bean_weevil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bean_weevil&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That picture of what they did to the beans is exactly what's going on with our favas.  Really damaged this year's crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now it's time to research organic controls!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&#xA;One of the nice things (!) about these weevils is that they don't kill the bean. So while you may not be able to serve 'em in your pub (which is what we wanted to do) you can still plant the bean. Furthermore, unless they die in it, they'll leave the bean so you can still use 'em. Heck, you can still use 'em anyway :-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1485" LastEditorUserId="1485" LastEditDate="2016-12-12T20:02:48.340" LastActivityDate="2016-12-12T20:02:48.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5249" CreationDate="2012-09-25T13:22:02.993" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if its a form of quince - &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaenomeles_japonica&quot;&gt;Chaenomeles japonica&lt;/a&gt;. Has thorny branches, fruit is produced virtually stalkless, branches are quite dark in colour, drops its leaves in winter. Does grow in your USDA zone, although fruit production is sometimes compromised for various reasons to do with climate (fruit split, late cold killing the flowers before pollination). Tolerates shade very well. Fruits are edible, but usually used to make quince jelly, not tasting great raw.&#xA;Looks like Chaenomeles to me, but to make sure whether its an apple or not, cut the fruit in half, through its equator, so to speak. If the seeds are held in a five part case, its an apple. I reckon its flowering quince though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-09T20:59:50.597" LastActivityDate="2014-07-09T20:59:50.597" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5147" CreationDate="2012-09-25T14:07:30.643" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like whitefly to me. A couple of sprays of white oil mixed with water or even garlic infused water should do it. Spray the concoction all over the leaves, including underside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1633" LastActivityDate="2012-09-25T14:07:30.643" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5254" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-25T14:11:28.127" Score="3" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;I fertilized my plants today and watered them well. Tonight, when I looked at my vegetable patch, I found tiny drops of transparent liquid on some of my half-grown brassicas. They're on the leaf margins at the place where the veins meet the leaf margins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this phenomenon?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1633" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-04-14T20:35:01.120" LastActivityDate="2015-04-14T20:35:01.120" Title="What is this liquid that looks like dew drops on my brassica leaf margins?" Tags="&lt;brassicas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5255" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-25T15:43:27.060" Score="10" ViewCount="14830" Body="&lt;p&gt;This has been going on for a while (about a year), one of my cacti has turned purple. I've just replanted it after its pot fell and broke (no, it did not spend the year on the ground). What is the cause of this and what should I do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I put the cacti out on the open balcony in the summer and put them on the windowsill for the rest of the year, so the usual temperature they are exposed to is 20-35C (as low as 10C during the night). I water them twice a month during the summer and once a month otherwise with tap water, about 100 ml per plant. The height of the cactus is about 6.5 cm. The cactus in question spends most of its time very close to my other cacti (~10 cm), and some of them don't look too hot, pictures below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O82VI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O82VI.jpg&quot; height=&quot;400&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6qrvh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6qrvh.jpg&quot; height=&quot;400&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cactus in question about to be replanted, click to open full image&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ImFxe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ImFxe.jpg&quot; height=&quot;400&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Section of the offspring, the flesh is green with a white center and has no smell, click to open full image&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iL2Gr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iL2Gr.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lk31A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lk31A.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Neighbouring plants showing possibly related symptoms (The other side of the one on the left is perfectly green), click to open full image&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="956" LastEditorUserId="956" LastEditDate="2012-09-25T19:33:33.703" LastActivityDate="2015-08-12T22:48:58.017" Title="Why is my cactus purple?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5254" CreationDate="2012-09-25T17:14:37.847" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guttation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;guttation&lt;/a&gt;.  You can see it on plants grown indoors as well.  The roots send water up to the leaves and under the right conditions the pressure is so much that water comes out of the leaves.  You can find it occurring under conditions of high moisture levels in the soil.  It is harmless and can be enjoyed rather than looked upon as something that needs fixing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-09-25T17:14:37.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5257" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5259" CreationDate="2012-09-25T19:25:43.240" Score="3" ViewCount="399" Body="&lt;p&gt;The landscapers planted a new tree (1 1/2 diameter) in the middle of the sod they also installed. They have the yard set to be watered 3x daily for half an hour at a time (the sprinkler heads are the low-flow Hunter rotator ones).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this too much water for the tree? If I tone back the water on the sod will that be too little water for the lawn? Do I need to give the tree a deep watering at some point?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One suggestion I have found is to remove the sod in a 6' ring around the tree -- but doesn't that ignore the fact that there is still water going to that area, and probably even more water to the tree since there's no sod to soak it up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Some more information - Yard is in Colorado (very dry, has been in the 80s), with Colorado's typical clayey soil. The tree is a Box Elder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1634" LastEditorUserId="1634" LastEditDate="2012-09-25T21:20:26.253" LastActivityDate="2012-09-26T12:30:59.697" Title="Watering a new tree in the middle of new sod" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5258" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-25T20:31:13.193" Score="5" ViewCount="170" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is possible to contain growth of Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus) with low votage electric wire. A friend has asked me if something equivalent existed for wisteria.  The low voltage wire does NOT work for wisteria. So What else ? Any tricks or tips to trim or tend this plant easily ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking of setting de long and narrow plastic sheet below the edge of the roof, curving the top of this sheet away from the roof, so as to entice the wisteria branches to reach in the air and away from the building.  What do you think ?  Could this do the trick to protect the roof from wisteria invasion ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any trick for stunting growth or pruning ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1569" LastActivityDate="2013-04-12T12:09:14.127" Title="Is there a way to curb wisteria growth or to trim it quick and easy?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5259" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5257" CreationDate="2012-09-26T10:49:35.070" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't worry about the tree getting to much water - a new tree needs a couple of gallons of water a week in temperate climates, more in hotter places like yours, or if the weather is hot and dry, for its first 2 years. The problem is the frequency - it's better to water a tree once a week with 2 or 3 gallons than a little 3 times a day, in order to encourage deeper rooting, as DA mentions in his comment. Pity DA didn't post his comment as an answer, because what DA says is what I'd recommend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the meantime, I'd water the tree directly, once a week with a couple of gallons at its base, despite the frequency of sprinkler watering. I'd also be inclined to remove the sod in a circle around it and replace with a mulch, simply because it makes the extra water you give from a can or whatever more easily able to penetrate the soil down to the roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-09-26T10:49:35.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5257" CreationDate="2012-09-26T12:30:59.697" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where I live this tree is known as a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_negundo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Manitoba maple (Acer negundo)&lt;/a&gt;. It is described as&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This species prefers bright sunlight. It often grows on flood plains&#xA;and other disturbed areas with ample water supply, such as riparian&#xA;habitats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree would not be planted where I live because of it's &lt;a href=&quot;http://hort.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/acenega.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;brittle weak wood, short life and prodigious amounts of seed&lt;/a&gt;.  Cultivars show some promise but this is still a tree to plant away from the house.  It tolerates extended flooding and a mature specimen can be  hacked at with a chainsaw and regrow from the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The existing water schedule is adequate for this tough tree but bamboo and DA are correct in their recommendations if you want to encourage growth and a good root system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may with to observe other box elders in your area to see how big they get and if people have issues with seedlings or brittle wood.  Good preventive pruning now, when the tree is young, can make a huge difference in whether the tree will suffer wind damage later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-09-26T12:30:59.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5261" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-26T15:17:04.073" Score="2" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;Several years ago I purchased a plant that looked like a tree trunk .  Leaves sprouted out from the sides and the top had a wax covering that needed to be scraped off.  The leaves are dark green and long with a pointed end.  However the leaves started to turn black and eventually dropped off.  It no longer produces leaves and is just a dried looking trunk.  Before I toss it, does anyone know what it is and if it can be revived?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1635" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-09-26T19:24:29.737" LastActivityDate="2012-09-28T14:37:15.283" Title="Do I have a totem plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5262" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1239" CreationDate="2012-09-26T15:35:13.997" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Jade plant sitting near an East window that I've had for years.  I only water when its very dry and it takes care of itself.  It started as a table plant and now sits on the floor and is roughly 4 feet wide and tall.  A great plant that requires very little care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1635" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-09-26T19:23:28.303" LastActivityDate="2012-09-26T19:23:28.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5263" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5261" CreationDate="2012-09-26T15:44:08.093" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds like an ex Dracaena of some kind, sometimes called Ti tree. If you take an old cane from a mature Dracaena, and plant it in compost, leaves sprout at the top once roots form. Yours, though, sounds as if it was grafted, if it had a wax covering at the top. A photo of it whilst it still had leaves, even blackened leaves, may have helped with proper ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To tell whether it's completely dead or not, scrape away a bit of the bark with your fingernail in a few places - if it's brown and dry beneath, it's like the proverbial dodo, but if it's moist and greenish, then there's hope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-09-28T14:37:15.283" LastActivityDate="2012-09-28T14:37:15.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5264" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3888" CreationDate="2012-09-26T17:43:34.083" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read somewhere to cut all branches that are under 6' from the ground off the main trunk. This allows for sitting under the tree. I am growing mine this way. I like the natural length of the branches. Perhaps this is something your client would consider. Just a thought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1593" LastActivityDate="2012-09-26T17:43:34.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3183" CreationDate="2012-09-26T18:07:57.943" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a huge mole/vole problem here. Dig/upturn some soil near the tree and look for white grubs. If that is the case, milky spores treatment for a few years, and nematodes will kill the grubs and get rid of the moles/voles. Takes a few years of tending, but very effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1593" LastActivityDate="2012-09-26T18:07:57.943" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5266" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5270" CreationDate="2012-09-26T18:21:01.943" Score="8" ViewCount="606" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just had an arborist look at a red maple with a long bark split in my yard. His diagnosis was that it was struck by lightning (there was a close lightning strike a few months ago) and the tree needs to come down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is approx 40-50 ft tall and roughly a 30&quot; diameter. Not a giant, but no sapling for sure! Exact measurements coming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bark is split but the wood underneath is solid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is roughly between my house and my neighbor. It can fall in the back yard and hit nothing, any other direction and there will be structural damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wife got some pictures, there is clearly something wrong with the tree. Here is a far shot, closeups of the crack coming soon:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SJeP2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was not overly impressed with the arborist. I have a second estimate scheduled. What questions do I need to be asking the expert? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am considering keeping this tree for firewood. Seems daft to cut it down and haul it off only to turn around and buy a face cord later. Is this something that the pros will usually facilitate? I can handle stacking and splitting, but I need the tree sectioned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following up 8 months after the original post: The tree was stone dead this spring. One lonely branch had some green on it but it was clear it was done for. The bark had sloughed off the entire main trunk and was falling off in other places. I had it removed by a second local arborist. This is the place I called for a second opinion last fall. They were charging more than other places, but they gave good advice and were clearly more professional and capable than some dude with a saw and a chipper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="486" LastEditorUserId="486" LastEditDate="2013-05-20T21:01:45.257" LastActivityDate="2013-05-20T21:01:45.257" Title="Second opinion: Arborist says tree needs to go" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5249" CreationDate="2012-09-26T21:47:17.943" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am sure you have a Quince or Thornapple as they are sometimes referred to here in New Hampshire. I know this because we have the same plant. We have cut them down and dug them up and they continue to grow back. They are very invasive with very long and traveling roots. The flowers are beautiful but the fruit I really wouldn't eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1636" LastActivityDate="2012-09-26T21:47:17.943" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5229" CreationDate="2012-09-27T02:50:36.250" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can not come up with a good reason why you couldn't, but depending on size, soil, inside temp/sunlight, ect, it could be a bad idea.  Also of interest is your location.  If it was me I would try, but I would not expect a good outcome.  On a plus side if it did do well you would have a great start next year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do have a couple of suggestions.  I have an acquaintance who has a very large hydroponic greenhouse in Kentucky.  He told me that the important things for tomatoes is temperature, water, and nutrients.  So I would use a balanced miracle grow type product, keep it well, but not overly watered, and most of all WARM.  According to him, light was not as important to tomatoes as heat.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope that it helps some.&#xA;-Bruce&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry I almost forgot all about my last thought: Prune the sucker vines!!  They take too much energy from the rest of the plant.  I'm sure you can find some Google some good info on how to ID and prune sucker vines on tomato plants.  Good Luck -Bruce&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1631" LastEditorUserId="1631" LastEditDate="2012-09-27T11:29:30.150" LastActivityDate="2012-09-27T11:29:30.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5269" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5266" CreationDate="2012-09-27T13:36:21.953" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Further to my comment above, it seems the OP is looking for questions to ask. We don't know the tree, and most (all?) of us are not professional arborists. So I'm going to post a few questions here, but I think a community wiki might be the best answer. Everyone could add questions to make a &quot;Questions to ask an arborist&quot; community wiki?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to kick things off:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Will the crack heal itself over the next year or two?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Will the crack be a site for potential disease? Can this be avoided?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Can wires (or other devices) be added so that if it does fall, it falls in a safe direction?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-09-27T13:36:21.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5270" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5266" CreationDate="2012-09-27T15:16:22.553" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;To work on winwaed's excellent rephrasing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Will the crack heal itself over the next year or two? No, a crack will take many years to heal but the length of time it takes to heal does not bear upon the health or safety of the tree&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Will the crack be a site for potential disease? Can this be avoided? &#xA;    Hard to tell without a picture. Current thinking in arboriculture is that letting trees do what they do &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.shigoandtrees.com/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;without assistance is a valid course of action&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Can wires (or other devices) be added so that if it does fall, it falls in a safe direction?  Wires and cabling can be added if the split could lengthen but this will not prevent the tree from falling a particular way. Trees are heavy and winds are unpredictable.  Bracing and cabling is primarily done to keep the tree together.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now that a picture has been posted I see an immediate issue.  The foliage appears to be dying from a point quite low on the tree to the top.  If the dieback continues the apex of the tree will die and it's a tossup whether you can correct the shape to encourage a new leader.  If this tree does not leaf out in the spring in the same area then your arborist could be correct in recommending removal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-10-01T20:59:18.730" LastActivityDate="2012-10-01T20:59:18.730" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5271" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-27T18:26:40.177" Score="20" ViewCount="85106" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am beginning to get into indoor hydroponics to grow lettuce, I haven't figured out which type of lettuce to grow yet, I am thinking of a butterhead. I have been to many hydroponics stores and seen almost all the lettuce hydroponics videos on youtube. When it comes to lighting, no one has an accurate answer. The store is trying to push a huge T5 lighting system. But I think its overkill. Now I have bought a Light Meter, to test various lights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How many lumens do I need for lettuce to grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to figure out the costs involved with the electricity of the lights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1637" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-10-04T22:10:30.860" LastActivityDate="2020-12-05T21:43:42.323" Title="How much lighting do I need for growing lettuce using indoor hydroponics?" Tags="&lt;light&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="9" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5272" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5274" CreationDate="2012-09-28T05:29:10.410" Score="7" ViewCount="2361" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently I noticed some bugs eating the leaves of my eggplant. This is the first time I've ever seen these and so far the only plants they are on are the eggplant, they wont touch the peppers next to them. They look almost like short grubs and seem to stay along the edges of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ammk5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ammk5l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2012-09-29T07:07:01.000" Title="What is this grub-like bug that's eating my eggplant leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5273" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-28T14:18:54.547" Score="4" ViewCount="343" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant comes up every year growing through gravel in a part sunny, part shady position in garden. It comes up in August and flowers late August to late September ( its still in flower now). It dies down to nothing. It does not have woody stems. It's about 2 ft high and 3 foot wide. The leaves are soft and formed in pairs opposite on the stem. The leaves measure at bottom of plant about 12cm long and are smaller at top where the flowers are. They are sort of heart shaped. The flowers have no scent and are trumpet shaped and flower at the top of the leaves in bunches of several at a time- see photo beneath. They have no scent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1639" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-09-28T14:28:53.123" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T00:22:34.383" Title="Need to identify this plant please?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-06-11T02:08:45.097" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5274" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5272" CreationDate="2012-09-28T14:19:04.297" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_potato_beetle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;false potato beetle&lt;/a&gt; larva.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.bg/search?q=false+potato+beetle+larvae+images&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;google search&lt;/a&gt; for images of the larvae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are lucky, as these are described as &quot;not serious pest&quot;. However, if I was in your place, I would gather and dispose of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" LastEditorUserId="1186" LastEditDate="2012-09-29T07:07:01.000" LastActivityDate="2012-09-29T07:07:01.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5275" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5266" CreationDate="2012-09-28T16:15:31.873" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Additional questions for the CW post:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do the costs change for the arborist to: completely remove the tree, simply fell the tree, or fell and buck the tree into logs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What certifications do you hold?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I take this tree down, what do you recommend replacing it with?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="486" LastActivityDate="2012-09-28T16:15:31.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5276" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3815" CreationDate="2012-09-28T20:31:49.013" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;I initially tried gasoline (bad idea.)  Was shocked at the initial flame when I lit it.  Other than that, it just burned for 15 min and didn't do anything.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What did work was charcoal from my grill.   After making dinner on the grill, I'd put the still hot charcoals on the stump.  Did that three times and it ate away most all of the stump.     Cheap and effective!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1640" LastActivityDate="2012-09-28T20:31:49.013" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5277" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5279" CreationDate="2012-09-29T07:36:14.757" Score="2" ViewCount="563" Body="&lt;p&gt;In early June and in late August I took cuttings from an Abelia (not exactly sure which species it is, it flowers from Mai/June until November in white).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the how-to I found described, I potted them (several of them in one pot, see image below) and waited... About 1/3 seem to have rooted and new shoots have appeared, 2 of them even start to flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I kept the pot outside all the time with no cover whatsoever, I watered regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that there are cold nights and ultimately mister frost will turn up, what should I do to protect them? I assume that being in a pot will freeze and thus kill the roots much easier than when being in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would it be a possibility to keep the cuttings inside thus disturbing the cycle of seasons?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see 3 possibilities:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Repot them in a bigger pot, might reduce the impact of freezing: I don't want to touch the roots, I assume that they are very fragile.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant them into the garden: same problem as in 1) plus I haven't got the spot yet.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep the pot inside: I don't have an 'inside' which I judge adequate. It would be either to hot or too dark. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PNi27.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PNi27l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2012-09-29T11:34:51.093" Title="How to overwinter potted cuttings from an Abelia?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5278" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5280" CreationDate="2012-09-29T07:54:21.467" Score="6" ViewCount="1941" Body="&lt;p&gt;Similar &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5277/how-to-overwinter-potted-cuttings-from-an-abelia&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; question I potted rose-cuttings using the described in BBC's Gardener's World (cutting August-shoots in 20cm long &quot;sticks&quot; and place them into drained soil). I did this in the end of August and two of the stems started to build side-shoots. Not sure whether rooting has already started though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do to over-winter them (inside/outside, cover from frost, etc)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9OSBh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9OSBhl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;EDIT&lt;/em&gt;: Not even one year later it flowers. It is not the same color as the parent. I assume that this is because of the plant not being really strong. The flowers look sadly because they have suffered a thunderstorm. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dNKFM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2013-07-26T06:24:57.093" Title="How to overwinter potted rose-cuttings?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5277" CreationDate="2012-09-29T11:25:45.630" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;One piece of information re your Abelia which would be very useful for ID is whether it's evergreen or not - if it is evergreen, it's mostly likely A. grandiflora, and the best way to propagate that particular one is hardwood cuttings in autumn, left outside to root in a cold frame. If you have a warm, sunny spot in the garden where you could take some more, longer, hardwood cuttings, insert them in the ground and cover with a cloche or similar, anchored down, these may root as well over winter and next spring. If its not evergreen, then what you've done already should suffice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Suggest you clip off the flowering part immediately - it does not signify the production of roots on the cutting, the 'information' in that particular part of the plant was already coded for flowering when you took the cutting, so those particular cells are flowering regardless. They will detract from the cutting's ability to produce roots, so cut them off immediately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your part of France, I believe, is Zone 8, the same as the UK. The best way to overwinter your cuttings is in a cold frame placed in a warm part of the garden, closed during severe weather, up against the house wall if possible for extra warmth/shelter. Whether you want to buy a moveable cold frame with a base is your decision, but perhaps you could think of something you can cobble together to create a similar situation. I've used cardboard boxes with the front cut down to 1 inch and the sides angled down to meet the front, then covered the whole lot in plastic, but that's really only good for a few weeks in summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't recommend moving the cuttings out of their pot at this stage, unless you know they have good roots already. What you can do is put the pot inside a larger pot and pack the gap with compost. It's probably wise to wrap the outer pot in fleece, or surround it with straw or any kind of insulating material to try to prevent the pot freezing - if you have very severe weather conditions, with temperatures falling below -3deg C during the day and staying there for a week, it is at risk of freezing, and you may need to move it temporarily into a cool or cold windowsill until the weather eases back a bit, when it can be replaced outside. A covering of snow on your 'cold frame' is a good thing - it insulates well and means the pot it is a little less likely to freeze. Raising the cold frame off the ground would also help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-09-29T11:34:51.093" LastActivityDate="2012-09-29T11:34:51.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5280" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5278" CreationDate="2012-09-29T11:41:04.687" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you had put these straight into the ground, then you could just have forgotten about them over winter and left them to get on with it. I'd sink the pot into a patch of border or bed, and leave over winter. If the weather is extreme enough to cause soil freezing, popping a cloche or belljar over them for a bit of protection might be wise, but shouldn't strictly be necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-09-29T11:41:04.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5281" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-09-29T15:50:15.023" Score="7" ViewCount="92818" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a small tree (about 2 meters tall, maybe a bit more) at the front of my house that has become a wasp magnet in the last few weeks. I have seen at least 2 kinds of wasps hanging in there, and there must be around 100 of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to prevent this tree from attracting them without cutting it down?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4cYWNl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of the tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are some of the wasps that have been hanging around, I took the pictures after using some anti-wasp spray:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F2xRn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In case it is relevant, I live in Quebec, Canada, and winter is comming...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1581" LastEditorUserId="1581" LastEditDate="2012-09-30T11:57:03.593" LastActivityDate="2013-09-18T15:00:47.150" Title="My tree is a wasp magnet, what can I do to get rid of them?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5282" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5266" CreationDate="2012-09-30T02:15:26.467" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree is large, of significant caliper and in a tight spot.  As to arborist' advice, get at least three opinions from known and/or reputable firms.  Include in your questions of the arborists' all that you have mentioned above, especially if the tree is saveable through a 'watch and wait' approach, and do not hesitate to get information on their liability insurance, education and years in business.  Ask others who have done significant work of this type in your area for references.  It is imperative you get a good arborist!  This may not mean the cheapest person but the most experienced because of the context in which you find your tree.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not recommend wiring unless there are significantly large limbs that can hold the tree together without creating pressure at the trees' crotch areas from which the wired limbs are tied.  If you choose to remove the tree, I would not recommend a rope wrap, cut and lower method without a bucket and person in that bucket in the air with a bird's eye view of how the tree is behaving with each cut.  This is dangerous work and not to be underestimated in this regard nor in cost.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most good arborists will cut available wood into &quot;biscuits&quot;, sized for fireplaces or, if requested, wood stoves.  It takes a year to season this wood for efficient firing.  I haven't met a good arborist without a splitter so make that part of your estimate. (Renting a splitter is prohibitive unless you can share the costs with others in the same situation.)  Get an estimate that details every last necessary detail to remove and/or save your tree in writing.  An experienced arborist will know this is a necessary part of doing business in removing such a large tree so close to structures.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1641" LastActivityDate="2012-09-30T02:15:26.467" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5283" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3815" CreationDate="2012-09-30T10:00:35.900" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've chipped the main roots and stump with an axe to speed the natural decay. Micro-organisms can infiltrate the cuts ans colonize the wood. Indeed rotting happened in 3 years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1569" LastActivityDate="2012-09-30T10:00:35.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5281" CreationDate="2012-09-30T13:58:18.287" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wasps are very territorial. If you place a fake wasps nest, they will stay away from it. Paper and wire &quot;wasps nests&quot; can usually be found cheap anywhere camping equipment is sold, or you could fashion your own from a waterproof material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1367" LastActivityDate="2012-09-30T13:58:18.287" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3564" CreationDate="2012-09-30T21:31:10.900" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The above answer is accurate. The simple gist of it is this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are two sensation categories involved:  Flavor and Sweetness&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are two substance categories involved: Starch and Water&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Listed below are the three fruits in question, by each of the above four items in the order of their volume from most to least:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cucumber&lt;/strong&gt;: water, starch, sugar, flavor. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Squash&lt;/strong&gt;: starch, flavor, or flavor, starch, sugar, water. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Melon&lt;/strong&gt;: Flavor, water, or water, flavor, sugar but no starch&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1644" LastEditorUserId="109" LastEditDate="2012-10-11T18:17:47.637" LastActivityDate="2012-10-11T18:17:47.637" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5286" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5281" CreationDate="2012-09-30T21:36:44.757" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've thought of something that might be causing the trouble - check the tree, if you can find a time when it's not got too many wasps on it, inspecting the needles closely for signs of aphid infestation. They're often difficult to see, so you might need a magnifying glass. If there's an infestastion of aphids on the tree, they produce honeydew, and wasps like the honeydew, so that might be why they're on the tree all the time - they're actually after the honeydew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-09-30T21:36:44.757" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5281" CreationDate="2012-10-01T19:13:52.643" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used 2 traps earlier this summer with great success, i purchased from my local hardware store for $4 each... they were the type where you cut some plastic flap off of the top and pull the mounting hardware bit out, then you put water in it, which dissolves a pouch of wasp bait... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;they were like &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B004C34UHA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;they are supposed to be good for 6-8 weeks, probably more like 3-4, but they killed many many hundreds of wasps and had a very wasp free mid-summer, which is usually the worst part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;will be doing the same thing next year... I have tried re-usable traps in the past with little success and less desire to clean an re-use them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-10-01T19:13:52.643" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1523" CreationDate="2012-10-02T00:10:29.413" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Scale insect attack can be a symptom of weaker than normal plant cells, such as produced by overfertilizing with nitrogen. So a longer term solution in this case is to reduce nitrogen fertilizer and/or add some potash to help grow stronger plant cells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ants help to spread the scale on the plant by protecting them from potential insect predators. The ants do so as the scale exudes sugary substance that ants like. In a sense the ants are said to be &quot;farming the scale.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1568" LastActivityDate="2012-10-02T00:10:29.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5089" CreationDate="2012-10-02T01:12:55.717" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Boggy conditions plants will not dry out the bog. They do use some water but will not alleviate the boggy conditions. If (by miracle) the bog plants did dry out soil, they'd die and you'd get bog conditions again from the run-off. Could the council be persuaded to fix drainage on the public land because it's inundating private property?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1568" LastActivityDate="2012-10-02T01:12:55.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5291" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5089" CreationDate="2012-10-02T04:14:30.100" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The key to what you plant in this area is the condition of the soil (other than &quot;wet feet.&quot;)  In addition to soil pH, is it sandy, clay, loamy soil?  Would there be a way to berm up the soil giving you additional height along the fence line and more options for varying textures and seasonal displays?  18&quot; width, depending upon the length of the space, is plenty for accent, or anchoring shrubs with mixed perennials in between.  I like to make my beds bird and pollinator friendly which usually means a focal point of some kind for the birds to bathe and the bees to drink.  The differences in height and texture of the plants selected will mitigate &quot;long views&quot; into the neighbor's driveway, contain the space, solve the boggy issue by building up the soil slightly and create a new feature in your yard good for aesthetic and environmental appeal.  Once you have determined the baseline for your soil, select plants that don't mind &quot;wet feet&quot; and plenty of sunlight. Give the plants plenty of room, be patient, and edit your list. Simple for such a small area is better.  Good luck!  It sounds like solving this &quot;problem&quot; could be a lot of fun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1641" LastActivityDate="2012-10-02T04:14:30.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5292" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3014" CreationDate="2012-10-02T07:17:04.550" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Orange colored cannas invariably have orange or yellow streaks on the leaves. Yellow cannas don't have orange streaked leaves. The almost white canna's streaks or similar variations in foliage will be very pale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1649" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-14T22:28:12.527" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T22:28:12.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5255" CreationDate="2012-10-02T07:35:07.130" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Heaps of sun can turn parts or whole cacti a purple or burgundy hue. When the heat is on and you have cacti in outside pots, the roots and plant can also start getting damaged from overheated roots and frequent watering. Keep them in pots that don't overheat (avoid black plastic) and the media should be coarse but still retain some moisture without soggy bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1649" LastActivityDate="2012-10-02T07:35:07.130" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5294" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3229" CreationDate="2012-10-02T07:38:28.377" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Moist sawdust in a dark place. In frost free areas you can pot it up or bung it into a planting spot directly in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1649" LastActivityDate="2012-10-02T07:38:28.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5295" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-10-02T11:04:32.003" Score="7" ViewCount="890" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anybody help me identify this plant from the picture posted? It has waxy rounded leaves and is very easy to look after. From the picture you'll see it is flowering in late Summer / Autumn UK. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VS0Ov.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VS0Ov.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1651" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T00:52:41.663" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T00:52:41.663" Title="What is this houseplant with waxy rounded leaves and a tall straight flower spike?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5172" CreationDate="2012-10-02T18:36:32.257" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Now that there is a photo to work from I feel confident that this is not a problem. Yes, it probably would have been better to leave a leader but with the fast growth willows have one branch will end up becoming the new leader. I think one of the side branches is already tending upwards.  It just needs a little help. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-456/430-456.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for corrective pruning practices which include &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;replace it by splinting an upper lateral on the highest scaffold to a&#xA;  vertical position. Prune all laterals immediately below the new&#xA;  leader. Use wood or flexible wire splints, removing them after one&#xA;  growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general you should follow these points with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salix_babylonica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;weeping willows (Salix babylonica)&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prune young trees in late winter to encourage a strong growth habit. They grow wide and spread with many arching branches and multiple trunks. Since the wood is weak, breaking and splitting damages the tree at the weakest points&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove V-shaped crotches where limbs and trunk fork as these are the weakest points  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;select a central stem for the tree's leader and remove any competing vertical growth.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something else to keep in mind is that weeping willows get quite large (20–25 m  or 66–82 ft). They have brittle wood and drop branches all the time.  This is not a plant you want close to your house or near anything that can be damaged by something large and heavy falling on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-10-02T18:36:32.257" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4719" CreationDate="2012-10-02T19:43:42.443" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sandy soil drains more quickly than silt or clay, so choose plants that require little watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A layer of mulch can help retain moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rosemary&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; is a fragrant herb suited to the San Francisco Bay area as it requires very little watering. Its Latin name (&lt;em&gt;Rosmarinus officinalis&lt;/em&gt;) literally translates to 'dew of the sea' as it can live off of the humidity of the sea breeze. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="147" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-13T18:57:33.283" LastActivityDate="2015-04-13T18:57:33.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4719" CreationDate="2012-10-03T05:00:41.900" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Look to nature. Have a look at uncultivated areas with similar soil types. The plants that are growing naturally will certainly grow when cultivated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Eg. If you live in a desert, cactus will grow well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are several other options available depending on how much effort/money you want to invest:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Water more often&lt;/strong&gt;. Like Ambo100 said, sandy soil will drain faster. Watering will keep it moist and allow a greater number of plants to grow and flourish.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mulch the area&lt;/strong&gt;. This site has a huge number of questions on mulch like &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/185/how-much-mulch-should-i-put-in-my-vegetable-gardens&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4410/what-herbaceous-plants-like-acid-soil-blueberries-and-white-pine-mulch&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/474/how-should-i-use-corrugated-cardboard-for-mulch&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. This will help the soil retain water. Mulching or composting is great for the environment too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use a sand converter&lt;/strong&gt;. I live in a sandy area of Australia, similar to California. My local garden supplier stocks a product called &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.richgro.com.au/products/my-garden/sand-to-soil/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sand to Soil&lt;/a&gt;&quot; (Bentonite Clay). I didn't believe my retailer when they said &quot;It changes the chemical composition of sand, making soil&quot;. But it does actually work. I would use the word &quot;miracle&quot;...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I highly recommend option 3. I did it a few weeks ago and the results are amazing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-04-14T00:21:23.263" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5301" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5304" CreationDate="2012-10-04T02:29:01.653" Score="6" ViewCount="652" Body="&lt;p&gt;The flies, fruit flies, mosquitoes, and moths are getting really annoying and the spiders in the house aren’t helping much, so we want to get some carnivorous plants to put around the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our main concern is how to maintain them during the winter. They shouldn’t have too much trouble with the cold because the same ones grow wild in a bog in town, but there won’t be any bugs during the winter, so I’m not sure what they should/would eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried looking up information on wintering carnivorous plants, but didn’t find anything useful; most of it was just about temperature, not feeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can we ensure that carnivorous plants survive through the winter? Should we feed them? If so, what and how often?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I don’t know specifically which one(s) we would get until the stores get them in. Naturally, I’d like the usual Venus Fly Trap, but the varieties that grow wild here are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarracenia_purpurea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sarracenia purpurea&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundew&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sundews&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosera_rotundifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Drosera rotundifolia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosera_intermedia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Drosera intermedia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utricularia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Utricularia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, so I would think that they would be the ones most likely to be available and likely to survive here.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="920" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-30T16:40:58.480" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T16:40:58.480" Title="What's the best way to overwinter carnivorous plants?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5302" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-10-04T08:18:17.037" Score="3" ViewCount="554" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm currently growing a few herbs and spices in pots on my terrace using Natural/Organic gardening techniques. Turmeric, Basil (Tulsi), Lemon-Grass, Omum are few herbs.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to transition to growing &lt;strong&gt;Ayurvedic herbs&lt;/strong&gt; on a larger scale in future in &lt;strong&gt;Southern India&lt;/strong&gt;. The best thing is to ask people who've already got full-blown herb-farms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What problems/solutions did you experience in &lt;strong&gt;real-life&lt;/strong&gt; situations?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do you need totally different techniques when going from a terrace garden to a farm?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any pointers to people/websites/books/resources to help transition from being a weekend hobby terrace-gardener to growing herbs on a farm would be most welcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1657" LastEditorUserId="1657" LastEditDate="2012-10-05T06:40:20.530" LastActivityDate="2013-04-05T00:04:33.313" Title="Can anyone give advice related to growing an Ayurvedic Herb Garden?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5303" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5301" CreationDate="2012-10-04T11:15:06.060" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My experience is limited to Venus flytrap plants in Scotland, but I found that through the winter the plants growth slowed right down along with the lack of insects. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There were a few bugs that we fed to the plants, but only around one a month, and the plants just picked up their activity in the spring as the insects started to increase in numbers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastActivityDate="2012-10-04T11:15:06.060" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5301" CreationDate="2012-10-04T12:56:22.237" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can grow carnivorous plants (CPs) without any bugs. Think of the bugs as a dietary supplement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're growing local plants, then indoor climates might still pose problems. I don't know your outside climate or if you have a/c, but carnivorous plants generally like moist bog ground. That may require frequent watering in a dry indoor climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although there are stories of greenhouse &lt;em&gt;Sarracenia&lt;/em&gt; emptying entire ant nests (the first leaves a trail, and everyone else follows to their doom...), my experience is that they probably won't make a good fly control system, and the moist soil might encourage tiny harmless bugs like springtails. An interesting novelty? Yes definitely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see you are in Canada, so I assume your local plants are &lt;em&gt;Drosera&lt;/em&gt; (sundews)? Many of the northern hemisphere sundews are quite easy to grow. I would recommend &lt;em&gt;D. capensis&lt;/em&gt; as being particularly easy. You can grow it from seed, and it will seed itself (to the extent that the many of the expert CP-growsers consider it a weed).  Don't take any from the wild - most CPs are protected and you may also introduce pests into your house / plant pots. Go to a reputable nursery or specialist which breeds them in 'captivity'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finding CPs in the wild is always cool - whether they are the giant &lt;em&gt;S. alata&lt;/em&gt; in East Texas, or the diminuitive &lt;em&gt;D. rotundifolia&lt;/em&gt; in the Scottish Highlands!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2012-10-07T16:42:00.453" LastActivityDate="2012-10-07T16:42:00.453" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5305" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5302" CreationDate="2012-10-04T13:07:56.917" Score="2" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What are other good herbs to grow in pots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A lot of then, but first of all I would as you what herbs you like. And of this set which you can plant with the wheather where you live.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;you can plan Mint, pasley, sage, oregano.... a lot of then but try to see how much light and moisture you have. Some of then (like dill) grows a lot, so you need to see if your pots are big enough&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do's/Don'ts or advice from people who already have full-blown herb-gardens on problems/solutions would be welcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Control the plage (mainly slug and special flies) and some deseases (powdery mildew), because if you loose the control you will have to throw your herbs away&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do herbs scale well from a terrace garden to a small plot of land?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Usualy they grow in pots as fine as in lands, and some of them can't grows betters in places with shadow than directly with the sun.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope I could help you. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1595" LastActivityDate="2012-10-04T13:07:56.917" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5306" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5271" CreationDate="2012-10-04T19:07:34.060" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had success with an &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0040B2S2S&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;80 watt compact fluorescent light (CFL)&lt;/a&gt; within 5 cm of the plants, you can grow at least 6 plants. &#xA;Unlike metal halide and high pressure sodium lights you can position the light close to the plants without burning them. Also you don't need a ballast just a standard screw fitting for the light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This page might be helpful under the heading: &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6515&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;How much light should plants receive?&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Incidentally using a CFL light is a great way to start seeds. It amazing how easy it is to start seeds (even temperamental varieties) with CFL light and a heating mat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1658" LastActivityDate="2012-10-04T19:07:34.060" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5307" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5184" CreationDate="2012-10-04T20:07:27.280" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends what country you're in.&#xA;I had a book called &quot;Be your own lawn expert&quot; by David Gerald Hessayon. It shows the UK varieties (Bent, fescue, meadow grass, Rye) and you can identify them by the shape of the leaf base&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1659" LastActivityDate="2012-10-04T20:07:27.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5308" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4479" CreationDate="2012-10-05T00:35:01.430" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're fruit flies not aphids. I have the same problem with my guava tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a safe pesticide often. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1660" LastActivityDate="2012-10-05T00:35:01.430" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5309" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13486" CreationDate="2012-10-05T00:51:07.270" Score="7" ViewCount="134" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in Sydney, NSW, Australia. This coming (arrived?) summer I have several fruit trees which will be bearing fruit for the first time. This includes a peach tree and nectarine (both of which already have masses of fruit about half the size of a golfball) and 5 different guava varieties, some of which are starting to flower at present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my particular area I don't know the extent of the fruit fly population, but it's a safe bet that they will be present to some extent. I have been keeping an eye on the peach and nectarine trees with no signs of infestation yet (as far as my untrained eye can tell).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I be taking a preventative measure right now, such as setting some baited traps? If an infestation takes hold, I'd like to use the most organicy remedy possible but I'm prepared to use pesticides to save the crop if there are no other options left. I'd much rather make a pre-emptive strike though, but I have no experience with growing fruit fly susceptible fruit trees. Any tips?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1580" LastEditorUserId="9745" LastEditDate="2015-02-09T04:40:31.733" LastActivityDate="2015-02-09T04:40:31.733" Title="What preventative action should I take against Fruit Flies?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5311" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-10-05T16:50:29.907" Score="3" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a total and complete novice when it comes to gardening...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to plant some bulbs this fall in large containers on my back patio.  I live near Dallas, Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What bulbs would you recommend?  And how should I care for them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1663" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-10-05T16:59:34.720" LastActivityDate="2012-10-17T00:42:48.073" Title="What bulbs will do well planted in containers in the fall in Dallas, and how should I take care of them?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5312" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-10-05T18:12:26.670" Score="19" ViewCount="9350" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a neighborhood in California that has a number of parrots that, presumably, escaped from captivity sometime ago and have since multiplied in number. They are all the same kind of parrot, these noisy little green guys.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5RcGn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Parrots!&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to the noise, these guys like to snack on my apple and persimmon trees. I've seen parrots sitting on the branches taking bites out of my apples and while I haven't seen them on my persimmon tree, now that the persimmons are starting to ripen I see bite marks in them that are identical to the bite marks in the apples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I keep parrots off of my fruit trees? My first thought was to get a plastic owl but I'm uncertain if that would work. These parrots seem fearless and have skirmishes with much bigger crows all the time. (Now that is a fun scene to watch, a crow being attacked by a pack of parrots.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="922" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-10-06T19:12:17.743" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T14:58:28.317" Title="How do I prevent parrots from snacking on my fruit trees?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5313" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8777" CreationDate="2012-10-06T12:11:59.270" Score="4" ViewCount="177" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since we don't get frosts, I kept my chillies over winter, replanted them into beds, and most have survived very successfully. I was excited to see them flower early in spring, however the fruits turned a ripe colour much quicker than they did in their first season, and the size of each fruit is only about 1/3 of the size of the summer crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6CDjz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut one of the fruit in half (please excuse my blurry picture), and it looks like there is a green 'pea' in the centre, where the seeds should be. The flesh still has some heat, but they taste bitter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xaJOi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Inside Fruit / &amp;lt;code&amp;gt;Pea&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I pick and discard the dwarf fruit and hope that a better crop turns out later? It looks like my jalapenos are also turning out tiny, although my other chillies haven't started flowering yet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After picking off all the &lt;code&gt;miniature&lt;/code&gt; chillies, about 2 to 3 weeks later, new flowers fruited and the fruit is again full-sized, albeit taking much longer (5-6 weeks) to fully ripen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A similar thing happened to my jalapenos - I had tiny jalapenos which turned red within 2 weeks of the fruit first forming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would still be interested to know why this happens? Early spring cold snap? Nitrogen in the soil perhaps?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1664" LastEditorUserId="1664" LastEditDate="2013-01-02T15:51:37.110" LastActivityDate="2013-12-17T17:04:29.270" Title="My habeneros have shrunk over winter!" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5314" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5315" CreationDate="2012-10-06T16:37:20.890" Score="4" ViewCount="10244" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm fighting a losing battle with these plants (pictured). No idea what they are called, but I always just call them &quot;stickers&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3jFI9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stickers!&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried pulling them with the sticker pods intact and disposing of them to prevent them from spreading as much as possible, but that hasn't been effective. I'm thinking about applying a herbicide whenever I see a patch of them, but I'm thinking that by the time they have the seed pods developed it might be too late to do any good because the next generation is on the way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is this: Will spraying herbicides (such as RoundUp) &quot;kill&quot; the sticker seed pods and prevent them from germinating in addition to killing the plant they are attached to?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="531" LastActivityDate="2020-01-22T11:33:11.003" Title="Will herbicides (like RoundUp) prevent stickers from germinating?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5315" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5314" CreationDate="2012-10-06T17:20:20.140" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Round Up is a herbicide which kill 'through the green'. The best time to apply is when the plant is growing strongly, the soil is damp, and the weather reasonably fair and not windy. Spray all stems till run off. Repeat applications might be necessary, but if you treat the plant before it flowers and sets seed, then it won't flower and set seed. Once the seeds are formed, Round up will not have any effect on them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A word about Round Up - try to find glyphosate instead. This is the active ingredient in Round Up without the other surfactants and ingredients which have an impact on the environment. Glyphosate bought as a generic is cheaper, and when mixing it with water to spray or apply by can, adding a dash of washing up liquid helps it to penetrate plant tissues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-10-06T17:20:20.140" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5312" CreationDate="2012-10-07T15:30:05.167" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a difficult question, I never saw someone with parrots problem... I think that this problem is solved with parrots as any other birds... so I would wrap the trees with a net (which could be expensive) or try to get them away with CDs acting as scarecrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that there are ecological repellents for pigeons, but I don't know if it works with parrots, and there are also some that are sound based, like one could find here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bird-x.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bird Control Solutions for Today's Environment.&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope I could help you. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1595" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-06-06T15:51:36.017" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T15:51:36.017" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5301" CreationDate="2012-10-08T22:48:02.590" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I love the idea of carnivorous plants for indoor pest control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the temperate carnivorous plants that I am aware of require a winter dormancy. They will probably survive for a couple of years without this dormancy, but they won't really thrive. Sarracenia leaves can last for 2-3 years; so probably that long at least before it withers away.&#xA;During the winter you will very likely have to cover them to survive inside, as the humidity will be low (assuming you have a furnace).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During the natural winter they will not need a lot of nitrogen / phosphorous and will not need to &quot;eat&quot; insects. If they aren't allowed to go dormant, then they would probably benefit from some food. I would suspect that anything you can feed to a tropical fish or a lizard you could feed to a plant, but i would go very easy as you probably have a better chance of poisoning your plant from too many nutrients than you do from the plant &quot;starving&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-30T16:39:31.637" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T16:39:31.637" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5318" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5510" CreationDate="2012-10-09T09:00:48.307" Score="6" ViewCount="362" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you know your tropical trees?  Can you identify this one?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This picture of the tree's leaves and blossoms was taken in Thailand. The fragrance of these blossoms is very startling and unique.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you for any help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l4Bj7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l4Bj7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1667" LastEditorUserId="23640" LastEditDate="2018-10-26T21:44:12.653" LastActivityDate="2018-10-26T21:44:12.653" Title="Can you help identify this fragrant tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="5319" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-10-09T09:15:08.603" Score="3" ViewCount="262" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking for help with this plant we recently got. Not much of a plant person, but struggling with this one in particular. Don't know what it is..but I think it's slowly going.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the soil is really bad...water just flows right through it and it feels quite dry only a few hours after watering. The soil is very hard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T9VAk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1668" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-19T19:31:50.233" LastActivityDate="2014-10-23T18:58:03.290" Title="What is this houseplant, and what can I do to keep it from going downhill?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5320" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5319" CreationDate="2012-10-09T12:28:10.420" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;How long has the plant been in that pot? It might be time to change the soil. Make sure you get good potting soil, and just get rid of the old stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1433" LastActivityDate="2012-10-09T12:28:10.420" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5321" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-10-09T13:31:58.023" Score="7" ViewCount="1791" Body="&lt;p&gt;A local shop offers a shovel made of spring steel (specifically - steel used for leaf springs) which is like twice as expensive as a regular one. The implication is that using special steel makes a more durable and reliable shovel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is such shovel really more durable and reliable?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastActivityDate="2019-01-14T18:29:58.020" Title="Is shovel made of spring steel really worth it?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5322" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5321" CreationDate="2012-10-09T16:21:36.517" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend stainless steel for garden tools such as spade and fork - they stay sharper longer and don't rust, thus allowing them to be more efficient when used for digging, as its harder for the soil to stick to stainless steel. Not sure I can think of an advantage for a stainless steel shovel, which will get scratched and battered being used for all kinds of things, from shovelling grit to wet concrete. As for 'spring' steel, unless that's a name used for 'stainless' steel where you live, not sure what advantage it might have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-10-09T16:21:36.517" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5323" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5327" CreationDate="2012-10-09T21:07:29.090" Score="6" ViewCount="7316" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fXCUy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of ants and white spores&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted my gardenia four or five months ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I noticed, recently, that (a) growth has stunted, and (b) there are ants all over the plant (base, leaves, etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also white little dots (spores?) on some of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To help with the stunted growth, I've started fertilizing with a more-acidic fertilizer as opposed to the more general-use plant food I had been using.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Couple details about environment:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I live in South Florida&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's rained 3-5 days a week for the last couple months&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant gets plenty of direct sunlight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, a couple questions wrapped together:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are the white dots, and how can I get rid of them?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are the ants all over the plant a bad thing, and, if so, how can I get rid of them without harming the plant?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1671" LastEditorUserId="1671" LastEditDate="2012-10-11T13:54:44.917" LastActivityDate="2019-06-05T14:24:28.090" Title="Ants and white/gray/brown spores all over my gardenia" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;gardenias&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5324" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-10-09T21:14:36.927" Score="6" ViewCount="4077" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/magzalez/5106233830/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;Tree by the Monza Publix by magzalez, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1228/5106233830_3e48623ab2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; height=&quot;375&quot; alt=&quot;Tree by the Monza Publix&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/magzalez/5107728883/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;Beautiful tree by Monza Publix by magzalez, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4108/5107728883_e8136f6694.jpg&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; height=&quot;373&quot; alt=&quot;Beautiful tree by Monza Publix&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z2wXk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree without its flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas of what it could be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Edit: Added a picture without its flowers. The new image gives some reference for how tall it is and how much space its canopy covers.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1671" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:36.247" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T13:30:41.090" Title="Help identifying South Florida tree with large pink flowers that appear annually for a short time in the fall" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5325" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="72" CreationDate="2012-10-09T21:20:18.163" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your profile reports your location as Portland, Oregon, so I'll assume that's where the dahlias we want to overwinter are located. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let Dahlia tubers remind you of &lt;em&gt;Goldilocks and the Three Bears&lt;/em&gt;--we don't want things &quot;too&quot; anything, we want things just right. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't dig too soon, don't dig too late. Dig them up ten days or so after the first freeze or, if no freeze, in about mid November. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dry-ish, not so dry as to dry them out. Regardless of whether you use composting medium, sand or sawdust, the natural humidity of the area where they will be stored will effect their condition. If they start to dry out, you'll need to supplement humidity by using a spray bottle to dust a little moisture on the medium.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cool, but not too cold. A temperature between 40 and 50 degrees fahrenheit is &quot;just right.&quot; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overwintering your tubers is not a &quot;set it and forget it&quot; business. If you check the tubers every few weeks, you'll catch a problem before you lose the crop. The tubers will tell you if they are too dry, as they will start to shrivel. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dahlias are beautiful, so the little extra care and keeping of the tubers is well worth the effort.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1601" LastActivityDate="2012-10-09T21:20:18.163" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5326" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5323" CreationDate="2012-10-09T22:26:58.107" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's probably mealybugs, being farmed by the ants. Like aphids, the mealybugs suck the juices on the new growth and cause deformity and discoloration. Spray with white oil or garlic infused water over several days/weeks. Over-fertilizing can cause soft growth that bugs opportune. A drench with a diluted seaweed solution helps strengthen cells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1672" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-09T17:25:39.250" LastActivityDate="2015-09-09T17:25:39.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5327" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5323" CreationDate="2012-10-10T01:18:57.310" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mealybug&lt;/a&gt; are whitish and have a white fluff around them.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Scale&lt;/a&gt; is hard, semi spherical and brown to black.  Scale and aphids both secret a sugar that ants harvest.  You haven't seen a real scale infestation until you walk under an indoor tree and notice that your shoes stick to the carpet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the picture above the oldest adults are dark brown and the youngsters are light brown. They move out up and down the leaf vein where the flow of sap is the strongest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Scale are difficult to eradicate as the hard shell protects them from soap and water.  However a soft tooth brush dipped in soap and water would be effective in removing the adults.  Use the toothbrush once and then wipe the leaves and stems, top and bottom, with a cloth or paper towel soaked in soap and water at five to seven day intervals to catch the eggs and stragglers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;High nitrogen levels will attract scale but the most likely source is that they came with the plant from the grower.  If the grower only had them under control and not eradicated the scale will return as they can hide in the axils of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to GradyPlayer for pointing out that the two are related.  Even with their different lifestyles they are both hard to control on houseplants.  As a former licensed pesticide applicator I found that if soap and water doesn't remove them then pyrethrums, neem oil or registered pesticides are not 100% guaranteed either.  It's not what you use, it's the coverage.  Can you get your choice of control agent to cover the entire surface of the plant and can you get the same coverage when you repeat the treatment at five to seven day intervals?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Magzalez asks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What are the white dots, and how can I get rid of them? They are scale insects and you can use a variety of methods but success involves covering the entire surface of the plant at five to seven day intervals with your choice of soap, neem oil or dormant oil.  Best methods with scale involve physically removing them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are the ants all over the plant a bad thing, and, if so, how can I get rid of them without harming the plant?  The ants are there for the plant sugars the scales excrete. Remove the scales and the ants will go away.  They are farming the scale and are not directly harming the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-10-11T14:46:05.610" LastActivityDate="2012-10-11T14:46:05.610" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5328" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5318" CreationDate="2012-10-10T17:57:56.310" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like it might be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cestrum_nocturnum&quot;&gt;Cestrum Nocturnum&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Via Wikipedia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Cestrum nocturnum is a species of Cestrum in the plant family&#xA;  Solanaceae (the potato family). The species is native to the West&#xA;  Indies and South asia. Common names include Raatraani (Marathi:&#xA;  रातराणी), night-blooming cestrum, Hasna Hena, lady of the night, queen&#xA;  of the night, night-blooming jessamine and night-blooming jasmine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1671" LastEditorUserId="1671" LastEditDate="2012-10-10T22:04:26.727" LastActivityDate="2012-10-10T22:04:26.727" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5329" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5331" CreationDate="2012-10-10T20:45:14.770" Score="4" ViewCount="2297" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in the process of planning a landscaping project for the front of our house. Is there any clear benefits to using solid stone steps over smaller interlocking stones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My perceived benefits for solid stone steps is that they won't warp or change shape over the years. Where as interlocking stones can loosen with high traffic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since this is the main entrance to the home. I figure it'll see a lot of traffic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it worth the extra cost? or is it purely a cosmetic thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1155" LastActivityDate="2012-10-11T02:26:36.620" Title="Solid stone steps or interlocking stones for front stairs" Tags="&lt;hard-landscape&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5271" CreationDate="2012-10-10T23:54:06.093" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lettuces don't need a lot of light to grow.  I recently read &quot;The Winter Harvest Handbook&quot; by Elliot Coleman and in it he describes growing lettuces in the winter in Maine (Zone 5) in the dead of winter underneath  two layers of insulating row cover.  They don't grow fast as in summer, but they do grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The nice thing about leaf crops (which lettuce is) as opposed to fruit crops (like tomatoes that have to flower to produce the part you want) is that as long as you can keep it alive it doesn't really matter how big or vigorous it grows, you can just grow more of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have metal halide lights indoors and the lettuces that I plant underneath them flower and go  bitter in about 8 weeks - hardly worth the effort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My advice would be to go to home depot and get some shop lights which are 40W fluorescents or something similar.  They are cheap and easy. You can spend money for the grow bulbs but I would not bother at this point.  Start small and experiment, you can add more if you like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;BTW, if you are in a cold climate where the inside air in the winter is very dry you will get better results if you enclose your growing area as much as you can and do everything you can to keep the humidity up.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2012-10-10T23:54:06.093" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5331" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5329" CreationDate="2012-10-11T00:00:07.263" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In order for you to decide what is best you should think about these questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what kind of soil is under the area of the step? Clay moves, sand drains well&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;how old is the house?  Older houses &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; have less soil movement&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is there any history of subsidence around your foundation?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;how long are you planning to stay in the home?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;does the area of the step have hard boundaries like walls which can keep interlock from moving?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do you like to do a job once and not touch it again or do you like to tinker?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We live in the same province so it may be helpful to look at what house builders have been doing for the past thirty years.  Common practice was to take a pre-cast concrete step and attach it to the foundation with two steel rods as seen in this picture.  This kind of installation lasts the life of the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PZxt6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;precast concrete steps&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This method has the advantage that it's not moving: ever.  The soil around a foundation can continue to subside for many years.  Clay soils will rise and fall with the seasonal changes in moisture and any areas of poor drainage near the foundation will make this more noticeable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Interlock bricks have strength when they are in contact with each other. If the soil subsides or there are no hard edges to retain or there is the possibility of water causing movement in the compacted stone dust then the installation will fail. Exposed edges are the most likely point of failure.  I have seen some imaginative solutions such as pouring concrete to form a base and then compacting stone dust but I don't know if it lasts.  Interlock pavers can also be problematic if the stone dust between the bricks settles or is washed away.  Weeds and drifting become a problem.  This can be solved by reapplication of stone dust as required or my favorite solution of polymeric sand as described &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4682/how-to-remove-the-weeds-and-avoid-them-growing-between-the-bricks&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My preference was for solid stone steps that I installed here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HKRjP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Solid stone steps&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I ignored a few common practices putting these in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I did not prepare a new base of compacted crushed stone,instead I relied on the previously undisturbed base&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I only used a two wheel dolly and some friends to move the 400 and 600 pound pieces&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had to shim one step by one eighth of an inch after the last winter. Took five minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think solid stone steps are worth the expense and effort.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They have better stability if the soil moves.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they look better&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;less maintenance than interlock because there are less gaps&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;but...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they are more work to install.  Remember to have a slight inclination away from the house to allow water to drain&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if the orientation of the steps means there is the chance of rainwater hitting the steps interlock will drain better and will be less likely to have ice freeze on top in the winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Natural stone can be sourced from local suppliers.  Unilock offers the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unilock.com/default/products/walls/retaining-walls/sienastone/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sienna Line&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.permacon.ca/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Permacon&lt;/a&gt; has a complete product line of precast steps that look like stone and will withstand salt used in the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Matthew asked about the use of salt.  For natural stone using salt is not recommended as many types of stone will spall and chip.  For concrete products &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.permacon.ca/guarantee_rules.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt; Permacon guarantees the structural integrity of its concrete&#xA;  landscaping and masonry products, for a period of fifty (50) years&#xA;  from the date of purchase of the product.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most other interlock manufacturer's will have similar warranties.  So if you live where ice and snow, and more importantly, freeze and thaw are common then for areas that are frequently used a manufactured concrete product is the way to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-10-11T02:26:36.620" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5323" CreationDate="2012-10-11T00:07:04.517" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had great luck with scale using a dormant oil spray.  It essentially coats the shell of the insects and suffocates them.  You can also simply spray the plant with a high pressure spray from a garden hose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-10-11T14:41:49.860" LastActivityDate="2012-10-11T14:41:49.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5333" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5339" CreationDate="2012-10-11T00:42:51.773" Score="10" ViewCount="239" Body="&lt;p&gt;I ordered 4 raspberry plants from burpee and they came today.  I was expecting just bare roots and a bare cane, but instead they came as a single stem with leaves and the roots in a ball of dirt.  Just a single stem maybe 8 inches tall with 10ish leaves each.  Is this considered a bare root plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should i plant them so they start building roots this fall and winter?  Should i cut the stem leaving no leaves?  I want to put them in the ground in the next couple of days, should i let them get some sun before then?  Any other advice?  I live in Baltimore Maryland.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1673" LastEditorUserId="1673" LastEditDate="2012-10-11T11:20:19.783" LastActivityDate="2012-10-11T14:55:38.843" Title="mail order raspberry plants, now what" Tags="&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5334" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5324" CreationDate="2012-10-11T04:28:31.470" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I'm not mistaken, it's a Hong Kong Orchid Tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1675" LastActivityDate="2012-10-11T04:28:31.470" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5335" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5337" CreationDate="2012-10-11T12:21:43.020" Score="8" ViewCount="25734" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a potted dracaena fragrans that I got from a garden store. How tall will potted ones like this grow? Related, how long should I expect it to live with proper care? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I should note that it has a dark brown waxy ring around the top of the stalk almost like it was painted - maybe it was cut and this was put ? I don't know what that means. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hUtjL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1678" LastActivityDate="2012-10-11T12:54:28.947" Title="How tall will my Dracaena fragrans grow?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5336" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5338" CreationDate="2012-10-11T12:22:55.193" Score="7" ViewCount="365" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XZU1g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If someone could give me the name of this plant, I would be very grateful. Even a common name would do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The guy I bought it from does not know the name, but I know that it can only have two leaves at a time. I tried searching on a lot of websites but couldn't identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1677" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-10-11T17:00:46.573" LastActivityDate="2020-08-12T22:48:22.207" Title="Can someone identify this plant with a strangely shaped leaf?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5335" CreationDate="2012-10-11T12:54:28.947" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_fragrans&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dracaena fragrans&lt;/a&gt; 'Massangea' or the mass cane. It is a very popular tropical plant from Africa.  In the wild this plant reaches 15 m (49 ft) but specimens grown indoors can be easily kept at ceiling height (about 2 m or 6 to 8 ft).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant has a red waxy substance on the end of the cane due to how it is grown.  A typical production cycle for this plant is for it to be grown outside in Central America, Costa Rica is a common origin.  The plant is allowed to grow to twenty or thirty feet and then chain sawed into various lengths.  The trunks are then shipped to Florida in containers and potted up. Growers will pack three or four trunks of varying lengths into one pot and a sealant is put on the end of each trunk to prevent rot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mass cane has the ability to start new growth from the woody trunks so a grower can start from a trunk with no roots or leaves and have a saleable product in less than a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So....what does this have to do with caring for your plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;each trunk is competing with the others for limited growing area in the pot.  It is common for the smallest trunk to die after being outgrown by the others.  Good diffuse light, turning the pot regularly and even watering practices help.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if it is new your plant is likely to have a poorly developed root system in comparison to the amount of foliage.  Again, good watering practices help.  Water thoroughly and let the top third of the soil dry out, do not let it sit in standing water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;your plant can be rejuvenated or kept to a certain height by cutting back the foliage at the stem.  New buds will erupt from the stem when it is in good light.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most successful Mass Canes I maintained were over twenty years old in pots about 20 inches in diameter. They flowered, were firmly rooted and generally unkillable. The secret seemed to be that they had been re potted in a clay based soil which provided greater support and a more durable medium than the soil less potting mixes that are commonly used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-10-11T12:54:28.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5338" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5336" CreationDate="2012-10-11T12:59:59.253" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is Amazon elephant's ear (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alocasia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Alocasia&lt;/a&gt; amazonica).  It is a tropical plant that does not withstand cold temperatures and prefers to be in moist or wet soil.  Provide bright but not direct sun and keep in high humidity if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant would be a good candidate for a self watering system using a wick and water reservoir as described &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4280/non-mechanical-plant-watering-systems&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2012-10-11T12:59:59.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5339" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5333" CreationDate="2012-10-11T14:55:38.843" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant them so that the top of the root ball is level with the surface of the soil, pretty much as you would any other potted plant.  Water them well between now and when cold weather arrives and they will do fine.  I would get them in the ground as soon as you can because, unlike bare root plants, they are not dormant right now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for other advice...some raspberry varieties spread quite vigorously from underground runners.  If you have a variety like this you may want to contain them as best you can.  As they mature you will want to prune out the old canes to keep the plant healthy and productive.  Lots of information on the web about how and when to do that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2012-10-11T14:55:38.843" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5340" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5336" CreationDate="2012-10-11T14:59:32.363" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Specifically it is Alocasia Polly.  Its a great houseplant and it can have more than two leaves at once.  Lots of images on the web of this plant.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/60423/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here is just one of many&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2012-10-11T14:59:32.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5341" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7796" CreationDate="2012-10-12T14:50:38.640" Score="10" ViewCount="20498" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have some raspberry canes growing in a space in our yard and while doing some work this summer I removed some thorn bushes and stunted trees that were taking up sun, which was great for the raspberries since they flourished in the past two months.  With the space we ended up putting some blueberry bushes since I had the space, and its fairly sunny, but now I am wondering if the raspberry bushes will be ok.  Our soil is slightly acidic so I figure the raspberries can handle it, but if I am watering the blueberries will any acidic fertilizer I give them cause problems for the raspberries?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="135" LastActivityDate="2016-07-23T15:58:58.190" Title="Can blueberries and raspberries be planted near each other?" Tags="&lt;raspberries&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5342" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4721" CreationDate="2012-10-12T22:09:45.443" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes and yes. It sounds like you have a sour orange which is typically used as root stock for full sized citrus trees. You can graft grapefruit, orange, lemons and limes to this stock. Oranges and grapefruit will do the best. If you put Mexican lime on one side and grapefruit on the other the lime side will grow slower and the grapefruit side faster and so you will get a very strange looking tree eventually. However, if you try some Valencias, navels and blood oranges the growth will be more proportionate. &#xA;If the stock is more than a few years old you will use top working techniques - probably cleft grafting would be best. If you go to Texas A&amp;amp;M's website you can get some in depth instruction on how to do it.  Here is an article on cleft grafting at the A&amp;amp;M site: &lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/propagation/cleftgrafting/cleftgrafting.html&quot;&gt;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/propagation/cleftgrafting/cleftgrafting.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1680" LastActivityDate="2012-10-12T22:09:45.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5343" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5345" CreationDate="2012-10-13T04:44:58.973" Score="5" ViewCount="4469" Body="&lt;p&gt;My avocado tree was doing fine, until I noticed it begin to wilt, although her sister was doing fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't know what fertilizers to give it first, but later I noticed mushrooms growing at its roots. They are what's making it wilt. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it enough to remove the mushrooms only, or will they just grow again?&#xA;What shall I give it to come back to life?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a picture of the avocado with mushrooms:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7v7iA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7v7iA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and here is the picture of it with her sister:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UH5K6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UH5K6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1006" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-16T19:00:15.720" LastActivityDate="2015-12-16T19:00:15.720" Title="Why are mushrooms growing from the base of my potted avocado tree?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5344" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1196" CreationDate="2012-10-13T06:20:09.400" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a Banana.  I grow Cannas and at first glimpse the leaves do resemble those of Cannas in colour and structure, but the low, stocky and compact stems and their formation confirm to me it's a Banana. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1681" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-10-13T14:56:41.380" LastActivityDate="2012-10-13T14:56:41.380" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5345" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5343" CreationDate="2012-10-13T15:06:37.670" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The mushrooms are simply the fruiting bodies of mycelium present in the compost. To check whether the plant is revivable or not, scrape back a little of the bark or outer covering on the main stem with your fingernail in a few places, particularly towards the lower part of the stem. If beneath is brown and dry, it's dead - if it looks moist and greenish, then turn it out of the pot, shake the compost off, rinse the roots in water, and repot using fresh compost in a clean pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There seems to be an issue with watering and/or humidity. If the brown leaves on the 'live' plant went soggy and then brown, overwatering. If they went dry and crispy and brown, underwatering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-10-13T15:06:37.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5346" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5341" CreationDate="2012-10-13T15:11:23.420" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, in short. These fruiting plants are not natural bedfellows: Raspberries prefer alkaline soil conditions, so the acidity required to grow blueberries successfully will not suit them. You could plant Blackberries instead of blueberries, they will thrive where raspberries do, and plant the blueberry elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-10-13T15:11:23.420" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5347" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-10-14T04:18:13.917" Score="7" ViewCount="532" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've planted some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kikuyu_grass&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;kikuyu grass&lt;/a&gt; by seed in my Arizona back yard. It's growing well in clumps and I want to encourage its horizontal growth of stolons. Would trimming the parts that are growing up speed the horizontal propagation of the stolons or not?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I'm still trying to find an answer to this question. My grass is now about a foot tall but still in clumps/patches around the yard. The logical side of my brain says that cutting it will not improve its horizontal propagation but I have no evidence or references either way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="1110" LastEditDate="2012-11-18T19:28:18.533" LastActivityDate="2012-11-18T19:28:18.533" Title="Will cutting grass help it spread?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5348" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-10-15T01:22:29.787" Score="4" ViewCount="1048" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to try growing a passionfruit vine from seed. My best guess on a good way to do it would be to dry the seed out well first, then soak it for a day or two to help it germinate, then put it under the some soil in a seed tray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a better technique?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="715" LastActivityDate="2012-10-16T17:47:18.603" Title="How to grow a passionfruit vine from seed" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5350" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5351" CreationDate="2012-10-16T00:58:59.553" Score="5" ViewCount="1386" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought some Freesias in the spring last year and planted them in a wooden planter. All spring and summer, I didn't see any signs of life, even though they got watered regularly.  Then in the fall of last year, they started to grow.  They stayed green all winter, probably because (a) I had them on my porch, and (b) it was a mild winter here.  They flowered in the spring this year as expected, then died down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's now October and they're sprouting again!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/acqfA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture of a wooden planter with several freesia shoots&quot; title=&quot;freaky fall flourishing freesias&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had cool and wet springs here both years, but the summers were very different: last year stayed cool for most of the summer, while this year was warm and the good weather lasted until early October.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why would they be doing this?  Is there anything that I can do to get them on a normal &quot;grow in spring&quot; schedule?  And since I can't count on another mild winter, what can I do to protect them (the planter is a bit too big and outdoorsy to be taken indoors)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-29T02:03:35.830" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T02:03:35.830" Title="Why are my Freesias sprouting in the fall?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5351" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5350" CreationDate="2012-10-16T03:23:35.690" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;It's now October and they're sprouting again!&quot; -- as they should be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most freesias are native to the hot dry summer, moist winter portions of South Africa. Freesias normal cycle is to go dormant during the summer and resprout when temperatures moderate and the rains finally return.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have summer dormancy period. I am not sure whether the bulbs need to dry out or must simply wait a certain number of days before they can regrow. They, however,  do not require a cold period as most temperate zone bulbs do. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are concerned about the freesias surviving the cold this winter, you might park the container near the garage and be prepared to wheel the container inside if the temperature dips below 25ºF (-4ºC). Usually, an unheated garage will provide enough protection for a few cold nights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, keeping the bulbs dry should keep them from respouting in the fall. If you wait until the worst of winter passes before moistening the soil, you might be able to keep them dormant until early spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2012-10-16T03:44:17.777" LastActivityDate="2012-10-16T03:44:17.777" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5348" CreationDate="2012-10-16T04:43:55.370" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to Norman Deno in &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scribd.com/doc/44360991/SEED-GERMINATION-THEORY-AND-PRACTICE-by-Professor-Norman-C-Deno&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Seed Germination Theory and Practice&lt;/em&gt; (2nd Edition)&lt;/a&gt;, the seeds of passion fruit (&lt;em&gt;Passiflora edulis&lt;/em&gt;) germinate best if they are provided a moist, warm (70ºF, 21ºC) period for three months, followed by a cold, moist (40ºF, 4ºC) period for three months, followed finally by a moist, warm (70ºF, 21ºC) period (81% germination in the fifth week following the last temperature change).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In his &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scribd.com/doc/46330980/Seed-Germination-Theory-and-Practice-1st-Supplement-Norman-Deno&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;First Supplement to Seed Germination Theory and Practice&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Deno added the following information:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;P. edulis&lt;/em&gt; had been found to germinate in a 70-40-70 pattern (2nd Ed.). Thelma Norman of Mena, Arizona, now reports some interesting results. Commercial seeds of &lt;em&gt;P. edulis&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;P. antiquiensis&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;P. malformis&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;P. mollissima&lt;/em&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;P. vitafolia&lt;/em&gt; were inadvertently exposed to temperatures of 125ºF for several days shortly after sowing. All germinated in 6-10 days. Presumably the chemical system blocking germination can be destroyed not only by 70-40 treatments, but also by high temperatures in the 125ºF region. &lt;em&gt;P. cinnabarina&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;P. coccinea&lt;/em&gt; failed to germinate in the above treatment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I, personally, suspect that, for passion fruit and some other fussy germinators, fresh seed may germinate more easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastActivityDate="2012-10-16T04:43:55.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5353" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4798" CreationDate="2012-10-16T05:47:09.217" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm actually going to answer my own question, because it turned out that the answer above was not correct.  I got some offline advice, and what I did instead was:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aggressively prune back the rosemary, cutting off all the yellowed branches.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water it infrequently for the next month, allowing it to dry out between waterings.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rosemary is now restored and growing again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1431" LastActivityDate="2012-10-16T05:47:09.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5354" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1555" CreationDate="2012-10-16T13:22:51.040" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a sugar maple in the front yard. It was cut down 2 months ago. The roots of that tree caused me big problems and a lot of work. A 5 inch diam root 2 1/2 feet in the ground grew tight against my basement wall and the pressure of the root buckled the wall, which i am repairing now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree had always been trimmed, so it would be hard to say how big the crown was. The tree trunk on the bottom was 54 inches in diameter. The tree was 30 feet away from the house and now I find it was too close and caused me a lot of damage and work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendation: never plant trees that close to any building.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1690" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2012-10-16T15:09:57.873" LastActivityDate="2012-10-16T15:09:57.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5355" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5348" CreationDate="2012-10-16T17:47:18.603" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew passiflora alata from seed a few years ago.  The seeds were dry (purchased from a garden store).  My method for fussy seeds like this is to put them in a ziplock bag with some damp sphagnum moss.  When they start to germinate they can be potted into small containers.  I find that putting them right into soil makes them harder to keep moist and also harder to see what is going on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2012-10-16T17:47:18.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3602" CreationDate="2012-10-16T19:26:35.360" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;For information specific to Florida and much of the Southeastern United States, I use &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UF IFAS is the Institute of Food and Agricultural Science at the University of Florida. They have an office in every Florida county.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1671" LastActivityDate="2012-10-16T19:26:35.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5357" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5311" CreationDate="2012-10-17T00:42:48.073" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A quick bit of research suggests that you are probably in zone 8 which has a minimum temp of around 15F.  Tulips and daffodils need about 40 days of weather below 45F in order to bloom well.  OTOH amarylis, alliums, fresias and anemones should all do well without the kind of chilling we get in the north.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would find a good garden store and engage one of the staff and see what they recommend.  You might also try going for a walk on a street where people are growing gardens and see what they do.  Gardening is about experimenting so don't feel bad if everything you try doesn't do well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(If I could live in a place where amarylis would grow outside I am pretty sure that would be all I would grow.  I don;t want that bad enough to move to zone 8, but you should consider yourself lucky.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2012-10-17T00:42:48.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5347" CreationDate="2012-10-17T15:23:48.657" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Kikuyu is regarded as a weed in many areas, and needs little encouragement to take over any open ground you may have. It can be a menace to keep out of flower beds, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure whether mowing will speed up the spreading, but in my part of the world, in colder weather kikuyu doesn't spread nearly as fast in winter as it does in summer - I'm not sure how cold your winters are?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would suggest you keep transplanting grass from established areas - you can break up the stolons / rhizones (white underground shoots) into sections of a few inches each, and transplant these. This will also help to alleviate &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.alma-lawn.com/turf_care.html&quot;&gt;thatching&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1664" LastActivityDate="2012-10-17T15:23:48.657" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5359" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5595" CreationDate="2012-10-20T13:09:21.073" Score="4" ViewCount="457" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am preparing a new garden at home and instead of removing the grass that was present, we only used a rototiller to pierce the soil and rip the grass apart. I have been told that we would have a big problem with grass in our garden after doing that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it true that we are in trouble and if so, what should I do now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1693" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-10-20T14:10:08.447" LastActivityDate="2012-12-20T11:10:13.140" Title="Will I have problems with grass in my garden if I till it under during preparation?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5360" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5372" CreationDate="2012-10-20T13:15:52.237" Score="11" ViewCount="44262" Body="&lt;p&gt;With all the fallen leaves that were on our field I picked them up with my lawnmower with the pouch and them put that in my garden and worked the rototiller afterwards. I thought it would be good for the garden but then some people made me doubt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Was that a good move or not? And why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1693" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-24T14:50:19.847" LastActivityDate="2019-10-30T09:21:30.687" Title="Should I have added dead leaves directly to my garden?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="11" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5361" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5360" CreationDate="2012-10-20T15:25:48.373" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaves that have been chopped (and I am assuming this is what your mower did) can add motility but not necessarily additional fertility to garden soil.  This is a good thing depending upon your soil type:  humus to make the soil drain better, be a bit looser rather than compacted is good.  It was long believed that leaves would raise the pH to the acid side, not always good for vegetable gardening, but this idea has been debunked.  I use chopped leaves for winter mulch and it works beautifully:  during the winter's rainfalls, snowfalls, freeze and thaws the leaves slowly break down and become part of the good soil mix while reducing weeds to zero.  Unchopped leaves, however, can become a slithery mess, sticking together and blanketing an area that will need real work to incorporate in the Spring.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1641" LastActivityDate="2012-10-20T15:25:48.373" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5362" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5359" CreationDate="2012-10-20T15:31:04.700" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is better to remove the grass, especially if it has gone to seed.  You essentially would have been planting the seeds for further grass to be in your garden.  However, if the grass is well-incorporated, it will eventually break down.  Grass seed is very hardy though - I would recommend a thick layer of mulch over the area to reduce weeds or, even better, just in this case, stapled down black plastic mulch covered with a layer of mulch hay (only because I find that plastic in the landscape is so unsightly.)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1641" LastActivityDate="2012-10-20T15:31:04.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5363" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5199" CreationDate="2012-10-20T15:49:18.157" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Marking the sprinkler heads and making sure the system is working before installing the sod is a good idea.  So is renting a bobcat, in this case unless you have a couple of acres, a baby bobcat will do the trick.  Use the bucket to remove the 2x2 concrete pad - these machines make this kind of task easy work.  Also, removing the weeds and any undesireable subsoil, leveling out the dog-built holes (I sympathize) will all go more smoothly.  Sprinkler systems can be repaired with leak detection and flow a quick service by most experts.  Make sure you lay down at least 2 to 4 inches of good top soil before laying in your sod.  Keep the sod &quot;squishy wet&quot; until well-established (a few days.)  You will be most pleased at the transformation.  I would keep your dog off the new lawn as well until after the sod is well-established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1641" LastActivityDate="2012-10-20T15:49:18.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5364" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-10-20T17:04:03.807" Score="6" ViewCount="265" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have about 5 small garden beds, that we grow tomato, peppers, okra, egg plants etc.  After the growing season (Apr - Sep; Toronto, Canada) we usually bury the left over stems and leave the beds exposed for the winter.  I have read that covering up the beds with mulch would be better, keeping the soil warmer!.  Is that so?  What else should we do to prepare the garden for the winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1695" LastActivityDate="2012-10-26T00:25:59.830" Title="How to prepare a small vege garden for Toronto's winter?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5365" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-10-20T17:55:52.947" Score="8" ViewCount="13468" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an ornamental cherry tree approximately 30 ft tall, which is now close enough to my house that I could touch it from my window. I would like to keep it , but am concerned it will damage my property. Do I need to cule, or can I have a good cut back to halt root spread? Your advice would be grately appreciated. Thanks. Mick&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1711" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-10-25T20:04:02.167" LastActivityDate="2013-09-26T20:10:20.473" Title="Is my tree too close to my house?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5364" CreationDate="2012-10-20T19:54:13.750" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would not recommend burying the debris in the garden. That could spread diseases. Pull all that and put it in a compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't mulch empty dirt. Sure, it gets cold. Then in May it gets warm. (I live about 90 minutes outside Toronto.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have just (Oct 21st) done a &quot;final dig&quot; on the garden, giving everything a thorough fluff-up and pulling up dead stuff to the compost. The exception is half a row of arugula and half a row of carrots that are still going strong. Sometime in the next week or two we will do one last thing: dig a trench about 4-6&quot; deep for peas next year. Peas are happy to be planted when it's so cold and wet that digging a trench would hurt the soil. So we dig it now, and in the early spring just poke the peas into the dirt with a finger. Later we can fill in the trench to give the pea stems a little more support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't keep a garden diary, now is a good time to at least record what was planted where. Most things should not be planted in the same place every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2012-10-22T13:38:04.127" LastActivityDate="2012-10-22T13:38:04.127" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5367" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5365" CreationDate="2012-10-21T02:46:40.267" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You probably shouldn't have a cherry tree that is that tall, I would contact an arborist to see what they think, if you insist on some DIY trimming, always trim right after a node, you will probably have to cut some benches that are much thicker than you would normally trim, so get some sealant, and work in the fall to early spring.... Check out one of the many great articles on training fruit trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-10-21T02:46:40.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5368" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5360" CreationDate="2012-10-21T02:54:52.863" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will probably be fine,  depending on what your soil is like, but not as good as composting then adding... For all the reasons mentioned, and you have set up an ideal pest breeding ground... Millipedes and pill bugs and the like can multiply on leaf litter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-10-21T02:54:52.863" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5369" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5359" CreationDate="2012-10-21T02:59:04.373" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes you will have a big grass problem, you can use the lasagna method of putting down cardboard then more soil. Other than that you can tarp it for a few weeks to hopefully kill anything that pops up in time, but eventually you will want plants growing, and I suspect that using landscape fabric as row covering isn't a very appealing idea... You can probably just fight a good fight this year and a smaller fight next year...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-10-21T02:59:04.373" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5370" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5401" CreationDate="2012-10-21T04:13:18.880" Score="6" ViewCount="211" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have garlic, and ornamental onions and chives planted.  They overwinter, how about those bargain onion sets I bought?  I planted the bag of twenty or thirty but it was a dry summer and those I harvested were not much bigger than when I put them in. They died down in the summer and the ones I left have started new foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what kind they are but they look like a &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_onion&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yellow Onion, also known as a Brown Onion, is a variety of dry onion&#xA;  with a strong flavor. White inside, its layers of papery skin have a&#xA;  yellow-brown color.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I leave them in the ground will they over winter and grow again next spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-10-25T12:18:45.803" LastActivityDate="2012-10-25T19:33:11.893" Title="Will onion sets overwinter in USDA zone 4?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5371" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5364" CreationDate="2012-10-21T11:34:21.480" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a little late now, but planting cover crops is also a good idea. About the only thing you could plant right now (mid-October in Toronto) that would put on enough growth would be winter rye. Winter rye seed is cheap and easily available. The only real drawback is that it is hard to kill in the spring -- you'll need to hit it at least once with a heavy tiller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next year if you start earlier, you could plant oats, clover, fodder radish, or other cover crops. The benefit of some of these is that they reliably winter kill -- e.g. with oats you will essentially have a layer of straw on the beds in the spring. The trick is that you have to plant them early enough so that they can put on enough growth before hard freezes kill the plants. Late August is a good time to do this -- you can undersow in your main crops and then when you do your garden cleanup, don't uproot the main crop, just cut it off at the soil surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-10-21T11:34:21.480" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5372" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5360" CreationDate="2012-10-21T14:16:01.067" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's done is done, but in future years, as others suggest, collect up the leaves and compost them separately, either in a contained heap or in binliner bags with holes in the bottom. Leaves should be wet, crammed in a binliner, the tops tied shut, holes poked in the bottom, then left in a corner somewhere to rot down over a year or so, by which time they will have shrunken right down to something commonly known as 'black gold'. This can then be added to your soil with, if applied in spring, a handful or two of nitrogen in some form or other. In the UK, that would be Growmore or other granular nitrogenous, but balanced, feed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason you wouldn't normally allow leaves to degrade slowly on the ground in your garden, or dig in shredded or whole leaves, is because the fungi and bacteria which break down the leaves require nitrogen to function. Therefore, if you add chopped leaves directly to your soil, the activity of those organisms will increase, and remove more nitrogen from the soil in which your plants are growing, leaving less available nitrogen for plants to take up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-10-21T14:16:01.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5365" CreationDate="2012-10-21T14:24:22.167" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;My advice is to remove the tree, unless it were a small or dwarf form, which, if yours is already 30 feet, doesn't seem to be the case. Cherries, ornamental or otherwise, send out extensive surface roots which get pretty large, as well as having one or two major roots which go down a long way to keep the tree stable. Without knowing the variety of Prunus you have, there's no way of knowing just how big it is likely to get, although I realise it is not a fruiting variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recommended planting distance from any structure with footings/foundations (including walls and  outbuildings, but particularly houses) for non dwarf varieties of trees generally is around 40 feet, more for large trees such as, say, Eucalyptus gunni.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-10-22T11:30:19.233" LastActivityDate="2012-10-22T11:30:19.233" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5374" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5379" CreationDate="2012-10-21T20:58:52.817" Score="8" ViewCount="1393" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought some Scotts (4M Snap) Lawn Fertilizer. On the container it says:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water soluble: No  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How does fertilizer that is not soluble in water get absorbed by the root system of a plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-01T23:11:39.047" LastActivityDate="2016-10-01T23:11:39.047" Title="Why would a lawn fertilizer bag say it's not water soluble?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5375" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5365" CreationDate="2012-10-22T00:50:51.023" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fruit trees in poor health often are full of carpenter ants, which can do major damage to the house.  Keep a close eye on this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2012-10-22T00:50:51.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5376" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5377" CreationDate="2012-10-22T01:03:23.120" Score="14" ViewCount="152304" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yesterday I used around 3 litres (approximately 1 gallon) of glyphosate (generic Roundup) around my garden. It was in the evening around 6pm. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This morning I awoke to the sound of rain. Will the rain have diluted the glyphosate or will my weeds die?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To make this more generic: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be 100% effective how long before rain should I poison? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-25T17:47:37.523" LastActivityDate="2021-05-10T22:39:06.647" Title="To be effective, how long does Glyphosate weed killer need to be applied before it rains?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;&lt;rain&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5377" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5376" CreationDate="2012-10-22T03:02:23.497" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Glyphosate needs to be applied while the plants is actively growing and transpiring moisture, which requires sunlight. This means you need to apply glyphosate in the morning so that it will take effect during that day. Glyphosate it deactivated very easily so applying at night, even if it doesn't rain, is likely to be ineffective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, apply in the morning on a day that is expected to be sunny and warm with no rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1580" LastActivityDate="2012-10-22T03:02:23.497" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5378" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5376" CreationDate="2012-10-22T03:07:56.913" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends on the formulation.  I understand from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sierraclub.ca/national/programs/health-environment/pesticides/glyphosate-fact-sheet.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glyphosate#Formulations_and_tradenames&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; that many products sold as glyphosate based are mostly &quot;inert&quot; ingredients.  One of the functions of these is to prevent the active ingredients from washing off by acting as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfactant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;surfactants&lt;/a&gt; and stickers described in excessive detail &lt;a href=&quot;http://psep.cce.cornell.edu/facts-slides-self/facts/gen-peapp-adjuvants.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In practice if it had at least a few hours before being washed off you should see some effects. At worst you will have to reapply on the tougher weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-10-22T03:07:56.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5374" CreationDate="2012-10-22T06:29:12.957" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Actually it's a simple question and I'll give you a simple answer too ;-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With &quot;water soluble&quot; they mean, &quot;able to dilute with water before applying&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the soil, every fertilizer is probably soluble with water, but fertilizer is not depending on water to be taken up by the roots. Water is for distribution of nutrients like fertilizer and aeration of the soil. But water is not the only part responsible for distribution to the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not that the plant just only 'drinks' the water with the fertilizer by it's roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil is a very complex area of all kinds of mechanisms and organisms. The roots (rhiza) communicate with several organisms to get their nutrients in exchange for the sugars they release. Some of the organisms are fungi and one of them is the mycorrhizae family which is responsible for finding the nutrients the plant wants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To make it easier for the mycorrhizae to find the nutrients, the water distributes the fertilizer more easily all over the soil and deeper into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1069" LastActivityDate="2012-10-22T06:29:12.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5374" CreationDate="2012-10-22T11:40:28.493" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aschwin is right with the comment about 'water soluble' meaning it can be diluted in water for application. Some Lawn treatments are water soluble, and should be mixed with water at the correct dilution rate, usually in a can, before application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The product you have purchased though, works differently. I haven't seen it physically, but from the description, this will be either granular or pelleted, because it feeds the grass over a period of 6 weeks. The way this is achieved is a formulation which breaks down very slowly over that time, releasing amounts of feed as it does so. Take up by the lawn will be through the drinking route, if you like, that is, the solution will be present in any water in the soil in small amounts as the product breaks down, and will be taken up by the roots and thus into the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously, such a slow release product cannot be formulated to dissolve instantly in water, the point of it is to slowly degrade, releasing small amounts of nutrients as it does so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-10-22T11:40:28.493" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5382" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5420" CreationDate="2012-10-22T20:35:22.697" Score="2" ViewCount="2098" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just scheduled a pallet of Fescue sod to delivered to my home for Wednesday. The salesman said that Fescue sod is only sod that will grow/root throughout the winter if laid down now. Is this correct? Is fescue the only sod to lay down at this time of year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, he said that I will need to overseed the Fescue grass area next spring. Can I overseed with a variety/mix of grass? Or only Fescue?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks, many.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1699" LastActivityDate="2012-11-01T01:49:33.453" Title="Laying down Fescue sod in North Carolina in Late October. good idea?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5383" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1555" CreationDate="2012-10-23T13:12:26.307" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A considerably raised garden will entail less work than digging compacted soil and roots, plus you can use a quality mix. Any existing roots won't grow up into a raised garden. In fact this is how flowers and other plants flourish in botanical gardens, right next to huge water guzzling trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1701" LastActivityDate="2012-10-23T13:12:26.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5384" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-10-23T14:14:43.183" Score="8" ViewCount="1331" Body="&lt;p&gt;About a week ago, I was given a houseplant (pictured), with the instructions to water it twice a week. Unfortunately, it seems to be fading fast - its leaves are drooping and the flowers are turning black.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the name of the plant?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What to I need to do to save it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WkO7J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WkO7Jl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is fading fast. Does anyone have suggestions of anything I could do pending identification?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1702" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-10-25T02:47:09.670" LastActivityDate="2014-07-09T20:43:12.983" Title="Identification of houseplant and diagnosis of its discontent" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4302" CreationDate="2012-10-23T19:09:41.317" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like you are in Colorado where the temperatures might get quite low.  Please, do NOT have you or your kids use plastic shovels to &quot;dig around&quot; your phone lines - this kind of experimentation can lead to injury, damage to the lines and, thus, unintended consequences.  Check depths.  Call the phone company.  Find out how deep the lines are laid.  Generally they are enclosed (find out) in piping and deeper than what is required for a sprinkler system.  Utitlies are marked off for a reason - to protect you and to prevent damage.  Check relative depths - I think you will find most municipal services delivered by wire are not only enclosed but buried quite deeply to prevent heaving during the freeze/thaw cycle of winter.  They did their due diligence.  As a &quot;do-it-yourselfer&quot;, please do yours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1641" LastActivityDate="2012-10-23T19:09:41.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5386" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5387" CreationDate="2012-10-23T18:36:34.440" Score="8" ViewCount="2024" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=202051457&quot;&gt;Scotts 20&quot; Classic Reel Mower&lt;/a&gt;. The blades are starting to dull a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the best way to sharpen the blades on the reel?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1671" OwnerDisplayName="magzalez" LastActivityDate="2012-10-23T19:51:49.537" Title="What's the best way to sharpen the blades of a reel mower?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5387" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5386" CreationDate="2012-10-23T19:45:47.777" Score="8" Body="&lt;h1&gt;Adjust the cutter bar&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Often times bad cutting results are caused by a mower in need of adjustment, not a mower in need of sharpening.  The first thing you'll want to try, is to adjust the cutter bar to ensure you have proper contact with the reel.  This is often done using a few adjustment screws, and a tape measure or spacing tool (that may have come with the mower).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this does not provided a better cut, it may indeed be time to sharpen the mower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Sharpen the mower&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The easiest way to sharpen a reel mower, is by backlapping. You can pick up a backlapping kit, or easily create your own.  All you need is...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grinding compound.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A crank, or socket that fits your mower.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Strong arms (optional).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Procedure&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Disassembly&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Start by removing the handle.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Next remove the side cover (hub cap).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the &amp;quot;C&amp;quot; ring that holds the wheel on.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the gear.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll be using your crank to turn the reel, by attaching it to the place where the gear was removed from.  You can either use a manual crank, or a drill motor and properly sized socket to turn the reel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Backlapping&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apply some grinding compound to the reel blades and the cutter bar.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Attach you crank (or socket).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Turn the reel backwards (opposite direction of normal operation), with your crank.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Repeat Step 3, until the mower is sharp.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can test the sharpness, by cutting a bit of scrap newspaper (be careful not to cut your fingers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Reassemble&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Reinstall the gear.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put the wheel in place.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Install the &amp;quot;C&amp;quot; ring to hold the wheel on.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put the cover on.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Attach the handle.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the mowers sharp and back together, get back out there and mow some grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Reference:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ec7ht.gif&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ec7htm.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="337" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-10-23T19:51:49.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5388" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5382" CreationDate="2012-10-24T03:39:23.390" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;With some additional information, it appears that the salesman gave me good advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fescue.com/info/whentoplant.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.fescue.com/info/whentoplant.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fescue is a cool weather grass, and it is best to plant it in the fall and spring. Down in north carolina, it would be practically impossible to plant it in the summer months due to the heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The salesman was also correct that Fescue grass/sod, even when established, does not fare well in summer (in NC), and it would be advisable to overseed in the spring.  When I do overseed, I plan on overseeding with a grass mix. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1699" LastActivityDate="2012-10-24T03:39:23.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5390" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-10-24T14:36:29.917" Score="4" ViewCount="431" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received my order of paperwhites that I had ordered from a catalog and when I opened the boxes I saw that the bulbs have started to sprout.  Should I get them into the ground now or should I store them, even though they are sprouting, until November.  I received about 400  bulbs and want to plant them around all the trees on our property.  We have three lots.  I plan on planting Muscari around them on the outside of the tree perimeter.  We live in Missouri City, which is located in the Houston area (Zone 9).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1705" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-10-25T02:12:09.103" LastActivityDate="2012-10-25T02:12:09.103" Title="Should I plant paperwhites that have started to grow?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5390" CreationDate="2012-10-24T14:58:30.123" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant them now.  If they're sprouting, they're using their own stored energy to grow their leaves, so the more they use doing that, the less they'll have for putting out flowers in late winter or spring.  They're probably not getting the water they need either, and that's also coming from what's stored in the bulb; once that runs out, they'll start to weaken and die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, if you have them in the ground outdoors, they'll have natural daylight for an energy source, and they'll be able to pull water and other nutrients from the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since they've already started growing, they'll probably flower sooner than they would naturally (it's common for paperwhites to be forced so they can be grown in pots indoors so that they bloom around Christmas).  They should resume their normal flowering time in subsequent years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-10-25T02:09:10.043" LastActivityDate="2012-10-25T02:09:10.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5393" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5384" CreationDate="2012-10-24T16:00:52.453" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure it's &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celosia_cristata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Celosia cristata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, but whatever it is, it looks as if its been overwatered, that is, it looks droopy but not crispy. These plants like their roots to be constantly moist, but they do not like sitting in water, so if you've been watering twice a week and leaving water in the bottom of the pot, that would cause a problem. They like cool, airy conditions, and some sunlight is essential.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the compost in the pot is sodden, and there is water in the outer pot, empty that out and stand the plant somewhere it can drain down completely. Then water when the surface of the compost feels just slightly dry to the touch, but not dry. Water well, and go back 30 minutes later and empty the outer pot, so that the plant is not standing in water. Should be fed weekly with a proprietary houseplant food whilst it is in flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-09T20:43:12.983" LastActivityDate="2014-07-09T20:43:12.983" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5390" CreationDate="2012-10-24T16:05:16.600" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant them as quickly as possible, outdoors, as Niall suggests. Paperwhites are Narcissi, and these particular bulbs really like to be in the ground by the end of August or very early September, which is when they will start to produce roots. Tulips are best left till November to be planted, other bulbs just in fall/autumn. Timings apply to cool temperate zones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-10-24T16:27:53.810" LastActivityDate="2012-10-24T16:27:53.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5395" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5396" CreationDate="2012-10-24T19:12:43.867" Score="6" ViewCount="25986" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 4 pine trees (not sure the type but they look like Christmas trees) in my back yard.  They were planted at the end of May by the people that we bought the house from.  One of them has turned completely brown (but still has needles on the tree but they are slowly falling off), and the others are beginning to turn brown near the edges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Maryland (USA) and it is the start of winter but not below freezing if it matters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do to save these trees?  Is the one that is all brown already dead?  Will it come back?  Maybe I am not watering them enough?  How much water should they get?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1673" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2012-10-25T19:33:45.857" LastActivityDate="2016-10-20T07:35:58.497" Title="Why is my pine tree turning brown?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5396" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5395" CreationDate="2012-10-24T19:23:50.793" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It may be too late for the one that is completely brown, and you may decide you don't want to keep the others which have brown parts either. Trees, any variety, need regular and copious amounts of water in their first 2 years, so around 2 gallons a week as a minimum, more if the weather is hot and dry. They are at risk of dying from drought without it, and in the case of conifers, will start to go brown and shed needles in some parts, if not all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, your trees will always have those dead and brown parts, although growth may continue in other parts, and even at the tips of dead branches, if water arrived in time, but they do not regenerate or grow replacement needles in parts which have been affected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-10-24T19:23:50.793" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5395" CreationDate="2012-10-24T20:44:33.943" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some trees, such as Cedars, will brown and drop part of their needles each year, but if the branches are mostly brown, then it's too late. The branch is dead. Best you can do is lop it off. If most of the branches are dead, you might as well take out the tree completely. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2012-10-24T20:44:33.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5398" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-10-25T00:19:04.950" Score="3" ViewCount="123" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Woodshark 1975, serial number starting with 02224D and with a display number 38CC EM. How do I find which variety of chainsaw I'm dealing with? I'm looking for a replacement bar, oil cap, gas cap, air filter if it matters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1709" LastActivityDate="2013-07-25T11:39:37.037" Title="Finding a woodshark sub model number" Tags="&lt;chainsaw&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5399" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-10-25T16:45:14.977" Score="7" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help i've  never grown sweetpeas and wasn't sure what to expect when I chucked the seeds that had started to grow in the packet in with the ones i'd started already and now they have all grown to about 2ft already all 3 packets and the pot is over crowded but I don't know if I should risk planting them in the Garden now or wait till the weather is better&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1710" LastActivityDate="2013-01-29T19:08:06.923" Title="Potted sweet peas have shot up quicker then expected" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;sweet-pea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5370" CreationDate="2012-10-25T19:33:11.893" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Onion sets are &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/366/51&quot;&gt;already in their second year&lt;/a&gt;, and onions are biennial, so even if they survived winter, it seems unlikely that they're going to get any better than they already are now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had onions grown from seed accidentally survive (I missed a couple at harvest time last fall) through a very mild winter last year in what is normally Z5. I would not expect onions to normally survive a cold winter -- especially with a lot of freeze/thaw cycles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your situation, I might harvest most of whatever is there and hope for better luck next year. (I'd probably also leave a few to see what happens -- just for curiosity sake. Deep mulch might help survival. I wouldn't expect much extra growth.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-10-25T19:33:11.893" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5402" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5364" CreationDate="2012-10-26T00:25:59.830" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recommend Elliott Coleman's book &quot;Four Season Harvest.&quot;  He grows crops year 'round in Maine and provides a variety of techniques for preserving enough warmth to at least be eating greens in the dead of winter.  His approaches are simple to complex with the simpler methods being the least expensive.  I agree with the other reply, though:  old stems and leaves from previous harvests should be removed from your growing area and composted.  There is too much risk in spreading pathogens and disease without the warmth of the compost process to break down a garden's remnants. Adding compost to the cleared areas with give your garden a boost in the springtime. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1641" LastActivityDate="2012-10-26T00:25:59.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5403" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5408" CreationDate="2012-10-26T13:12:59.617" Score="4" ViewCount="1625" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have &lt;strong&gt;two vineplants in 40-litre-pots on my rooftop garden&lt;/strong&gt;. This will be their first winter outside and I want to &lt;strong&gt;protect them from freezing to death&lt;/strong&gt;. I live in an area where there are a lot of wineyards (southern Germany), but our winters can get as cold as -10 to -15°C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pots are made from plastic and are about 50cm high and 30cm wide. They have holes in the bottom so the roots don't sit in water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;first pot&lt;/strong&gt; is a &quot;Jakobsberger&quot; plant with white grapes. It is loacated against a wall facing south with sun from&#xA;late morning until early afternoon (Position 1 in the image below). Behind the wall is an elevator&#xA;shaft, so it might be a bit cooler than a normal house wall. The wall should provide some protection from wind. The first pot could easily be moved as it's climbing aid is&#xA;free-standing. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;second pot&lt;/strong&gt; is a &quot;Moldawa&quot; plant with blue grapes. It is located against a metal wall facing west with&#xA;direct sun somewhat longer than the first plant (Position 2 in the image below). The metal wall is&#xA;free standing so it provides no protection from temperature changes.&#xA;As the plant grows along the top side of the wall it has little protection from wind. Moving the plant would be a bit more difficult (due to the same reason of &quot;growing along the top side of the wall&quot;). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I though about buying several meters of bubble wrap and wrapping it around the pots multiple times as an isolation. I hope this way I would get a reusable solution that doesn't take up too much storage room during summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have other (better) suggestions?&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Remark: Alternative locations for the plants would be:&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p7Ret.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;possible locations&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Both in the same location (one of the two described above). &lt;strong&gt;1, 2&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Next to the balustrade facing south (Probably quite windy, sun from morning till afternoon) &lt;strong&gt;3&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The elevator shaft wall facing west (Almost no sun in winter). &lt;strong&gt;4&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The house wall facing east (our flat behind the wall, no sun after late morning). &lt;strong&gt;5&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In the entrance area of the roof garden (Our flat behind the wall, not much wind, almost no sun) &lt;strong&gt;6&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1587" LastEditorUserId="1587" LastEditDate="2012-11-30T10:05:17.653" LastActivityDate="2021-01-08T05:51:07.143" Title="How to protect potted vineplants from cold temperatures?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;frost&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5404" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5403" CreationDate="2012-10-26T15:05:32.257" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You cannot keep the root ball from reaching outside air temperature but you can reduce wind chill and exposure to fluctuating temperatures. Consider these ideas:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;relocate the plant and pots to an area sheltered from the prevailing winter winds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;avoid locations exposed to point heat sources from the building. (ie not outside the exhaust from a dryer vent)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;avoid sunny southerly locations that could cause a thaw/freeze cycle&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water the plant thoroughly before freeze up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mulch the base of the roots with peat or similar compost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bubble wrap will cut the wind but will keep any moisture inside as well. You want to minimize cold drying winds but allow some air circulation.  How about a big cardboard box?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-10-26T15:05:32.257" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5405" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5413" CreationDate="2012-10-27T06:19:59.170" Score="4" ViewCount="11583" Body="&lt;p&gt;How high should I mount a retractable hose reel from the ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want it to be easy to reach (for children too), not damage plants that are nearby, and not be too high or low that it will look strange.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.holmanindustries.com.au/auto-rewind-hose-reel-with-gun/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Holman Industries&lt;/a&gt; site says &quot;&lt;em&gt;An ideal height to mount the reel, is to have &lt;strong&gt;about 150mm between the bottom of the reel &amp;amp; the ground&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&quot;, but that seems way too low to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1614" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-10-28T16:15:14.050" LastActivityDate="2012-10-30T10:27:11.563" Title="What's a good height to mount a retractable hose reel?" Tags="&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5406" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5407" CreationDate="2012-10-27T07:05:27.570" Score="8" ViewCount="4605" Body="&lt;p&gt;Several of my peaches have this crystalised goop on the outside, as seen in the first picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/euUSw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Outside of peach&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutting the peach open reveals some kind of bug trail. The hole the bug made is full of the sticky goop and I guess the crystal outside is the dried goop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2rhAO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Inside&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of bug is this and how do I stop it? I am in Sydney, Australia and the season in Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1580" LastActivityDate="2017-08-05T17:26:30.720" Title="What's eating my Peaches?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5407" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5406" CreationDate="2012-10-27T13:00:19.643" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like an attack by Fruit Fly - the female burrows into the fruits and lays her eggs, which then hatch and eat their way out. The droplets on the exterior of the fruit are characteristic of such an attack, although sometimes they may just look like small dimples in the fruits. I can see something white on the left side of the cut fruit - not sure what that is. The other possibilities are Codling Moth, which does the same thing as Fruit Fly (burrows into the fruits) or Oriental Fruit Moth, but with the latter, you would also see wilting tips to the branches, or on the new leaves, and webbing where the larvae nest. Oriental fruit moth attacks new leaves and stems as well as the fruits, and the management regime is somewhat different than for either Codling moth or Fruit fly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remove and dispose of any affected fruits as soon as you notice them. Once the fruitlets start forming, you can mesh the tree with material which has holes not more than 2mm, which will stop the Fly from accessing the fruits, though any such mesh will also reduce slightly the amount of sun reaching the fruits. There are pheremone traps you can buy and erect in the tree yearly, but they tend to only trap the males, and many other insects, and aren't very effective in orchards. They do, though, tell you if there are Fruit flies about. There will be chemical treatment sprays available, but I'm unable to recommend any because the pesticides you have in Australia will not be the same as those in the UK, therefore a trip to your garden supplies retailer for recommended chemical sprays would be useful. Depending on the treatments available, it may well be too late to treat this year's crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note there are also pheremone traps for Codling moth which are quite effective for 1 or 2 peach trees, but again, not so useful in orchards, though pheremone traps should be erected in early spring, as flowering begins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-10-27T13:00:19.643" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5408" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5403" CreationDate="2012-10-27T13:26:45.197" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're a bit colder than we are in the UK (well, usually) but I'd leave the plants where they are if it's too difficult to move them, stop watering as winter arrives, and use cheap wood (wooden fruit pallets if I can get hold of them) fixed together to create a sort of 'box' around the pots. The 'box' should be a few inches higher than the pots, and about 6 inches away from the outside of the pots. Pack the gap, and over the top of the compost, with straw or shredded newspaper. I usually add a large sheet of plastic cut to fit round the stem of the plant, left draped over the outside of the 'box' which helps to keep out water, but inevitably the wadding you use inside (newspaper or straw) gets wet, so I often find myself replacing it during the course of winter. If the wadding gets very wet, then that's at risk of freezing too, of course. Sheets of glass keep the moisture out better, but we don't all have old sheets of glass or perspex lying about for such a purpose. You can use cardboard instead of wood, but it's likely that will need to be replaced that much more often over winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other option is a roll of heavy duty horticultural fleece and bubblewrap - wrap the pot, and over the top of the compost, with 2 or 3 layers of fleece, then wrap bubblewrap over it, but the bubblewrap should not really be tightly fixed over the compost, up against the stem. The fleece also gets wet though, so again may need removing, drying and replacing, or just replacing during the course of winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's easier and more effective if you can put both plants next to one another and create a single 'box' around both, packing the gap between the two pots with insulation material too. I find this method of overwintering pots more effective if the plants are against a housewall, out of wind, and in any sun that's available during winter. Under an overhang of eaves or a projecting part of the house structure to keep off some of the precipitation during winter is also very helpful, but it seems that may not be an option for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that temperatures of -15 deg C for a couple of days won't cause freezing of the compost, particularly if the compost is not very wet, but extended periods of those sort of temperatures of, say, 5 days, especially if daytime temperatures don't get above freezing, and your pots are in complete shade, is when the pots are seriously at risk of freezing solid. During milder spells, take the chance to unwrap and dry out, or clear insulation material and replace as it gets colder again. In other words, you can't really just choose a protection method and then ignore it all till spring appears, unfortunately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that a blanket of snow is a good thing - it, too, has insulating properties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-10-27T13:35:34.450" LastActivityDate="2012-10-27T13:35:34.450" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5409" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5405" CreationDate="2012-10-28T02:08:22.343" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two and they are mounted just below my hip. Works fine for me. The retraction will work at any height so post it at what height works best for your location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1713" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-10-28T14:51:41.813" LastActivityDate="2012-10-28T14:51:41.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5410" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5411" CreationDate="2012-10-28T07:50:35.067" Score="5" ViewCount="644" Body="&lt;p&gt;My grandma is a great fan of mushrooms and knows quite a lot about them. About 10 years ago, she started throwing out mushroom remnants in one special place, in order to grow her own mushrooms. In fact, during last three years we found some parasol mushrooms (&lt;em&gt;Macrolepiota procera&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today she found something, that nobody at home can classify. From what I searched, it might be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.grzyby.net/cortinarius-privignoides.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cortinarius privignoides&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, but it is marked as almost extinct here in Poland, so I doubt this classification. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found one more candidate: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortinarius_traganus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cortinarius traganus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, but one thing is not right - the ones that I have don't have any special smell (just faint generic mushroomy smell) and gassy webcap should smell and taste bad. Grandma threw a lot of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortinarius_caperatus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cortinarius caperatus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; bits there, so I would expect to see this one, but what we have is very different.&#xA;Maybe you have seen this or know what it really is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Do42S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Strange mushroom&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The hat is light brown with faint violet shades, the leg on the outside is partly violet too, but the inside is all whitish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some more photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hell.org.pl/~kamyk/mushroom/DSCN1448.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;All three&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hell.org.pl/~kamyk/mushroom/DSCN1450.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The gills&lt;/a&gt; are lighter brown, almost creamy, also with a violet tone&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hell.org.pl/~kamyk/mushroom/DSCN1453.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The cut through the leg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hell.org.pl/~kamyk/mushroom/DSCN1454.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The cut through the hat&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1714" LastActivityDate="2012-10-28T13:16:41.573" Title="An unexpected brown-violet mushroom in my garden" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5410" CreationDate="2012-10-28T13:16:41.573" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not a mushroom expert by any means, but I'll offer up two possibles - the first is edible, but must be cooked. The Field Blewit, sometimes called Blue Leg (Lepista saeva), does have purple streaking down the leg, but doesn't usually have any hint of purple or violet in the cap. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second suggestion is one of the Russula group - these are quite difficult to identify, because there is a large variation in their appearance year on year. Russula cyanoxantha, commonly known as Charcoal Burner, is edible, has a cap which often has mixed colours, or may even be green; the leg is white, but sometimes flushed with lavender. The gills are white and crowded, and do not separate readily from the edge of the cap. Other Russula varieties also vary widely in appearance, and many are toxic, as in Russula mairei and Russula emetica.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may be that none of these are varieties that grow in Poland, I really don't know, but I'm guessing you will!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-10-28T13:16:41.573" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5412" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5405" CreationDate="2012-10-29T07:39:30.930" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's no benefit in installing it low other than that children (and small adults) will be able to reach it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may be a typo, and they may mean 150cm (not mm). If you scroll down the page you linked to in your question there is a video with a man and the reel is around head height... It looks too high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way. It's a personal preference. I would go waist height, so you don't have to bend so much... but I'm pretty lazy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt; This is the video in question. The man is leaning over, but the top of the reel is at head height...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7XyST.png&quot; alt=&quot;Holman Auto Rewind Hose Reel&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastEditorUserId="608" LastEditDate="2012-10-30T00:54:21.277" LastActivityDate="2012-10-30T00:54:21.277" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5405" CreationDate="2012-10-30T10:27:11.563" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The measurement the manufacturers have given is just a minimum clearance between the ground or obstruction and your wall mounted retractable hose. Having used many of these in other people's gardens over the years, the optimum height from the ground is, in my estimation, around 4 feet (120cm), although if you're very tall, that might seem a little low. They work better when placed directly above clear ground, not over planting (you can see that guy in Coomie's picture leaning over at an awkward angle), and if your reel has a manual handle, it's much easier to use at the height I've suggested.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-10-30T10:27:11.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5384" CreationDate="2012-10-31T17:41:31.477" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it is a Celosia cristata. While the plant is listed in several places a suitable for growing indoors, this is not true once it has flowered. C. cristata is a true annual - it lives for only one growing season, and once it has flowered and begun to set seeds it will expend all it's energy on that reproductive mission and then die. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Celosia can be grown as a houseplant in the foliage only stage, and will generally never set flowers inside due to low light levels compared to outdoors. It MIGHT be possible to return this plant to fully vegetative (foliage only) stage buy pruning it back hard, removing all the flowers and flower buds. However, the other point mentioned above re: lack of drainage appears to have already damaged the plants root system, and this would make recovery difficult. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have any shoots without flowers/flower buds, take cuttings and root those. Or try removing flower from shoots and root those shoots, although rooting success may be lowered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1717" LastActivityDate="2012-10-31T17:41:31.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5416" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5399" CreationDate="2012-10-31T17:57:46.607" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are going into winter in the northern hemisphere, sweet peas are usually planted as seeds directly in the ground outside.  You probably would do better just getting more seeds and direct sowing. In the southeast US they are usually sown in November or December. As you get further north (Mid-Atlantic or northeastern US for instance) sweet peas are usually planted in late winter - ~February (again, direct in ground as seed). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the southern hemisphere going into spring it MIGHT be possible to move the plants outdoors. Success rate will probably not be very high due to the amount of growth already. Best method would be to pinch them back hard, then gradually harden them off (daily increase of time outdoors in increased light and cold) and then transplant into the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As above, knowing where you are growing them will result in much better answers. All gardening is local.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good article on sweet peas is &lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/hortupdate_archives/2005/mar05/Sweetpea2.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/hortupdate_archives/2005/mar05/Sweetpea2.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: just saw that all the plants are in one pot - this reduces success rate from transplanting further as at 2 feet tall their roots are completely entangled. You won't be able to separate the plants. Best bet there would be to cut off all but 2 or 3 stems at ground level, and follow the other suggestion for hardening etc. Or, better still, go with direct sowing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1717" LastActivityDate="2012-10-31T17:57:46.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5417" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5365" CreationDate="2012-11-01T01:11:08.103" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should be able to save both the tree and the house foundation. Although 5 meters is a bit closer than desirable, the root hazard at least can be dealt with. The method below is high labor and can be expensive, but depending on the value of the tree to you, it's a possible solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will need to dig a trench between the house and the tree, close to the house foundation. (if your house has any kind of drainage system or termite proofing near it, you'll need to find out where that is and trench outside that area) You want the trench closer to the foundation than to the tree trunk to minimize root damage leading to instability. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trench should be at least 18&quot; deep (if you were not in heavy clay, it should be deeper - 2-3 feet) but can be quite narrow. It should extend at least 20-30 feet in each direction from the point on the house foundation directly opposite the trunk. This will cut all roots approaching the foundation. A ditch-witch (often available at rental places) will make this job much, much easier than trying to do it by hand! Or you could hire a landscape company to do the work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then insert some kind of root barrier into the trench - copper treated landscape fabric, heavy grade plastic sheeting, etc and refill the trench. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure to give the tree some extra watering for the next year or so since it will have lost some portion of its root system.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be aware that this root pruning and barrier method will not help with the other potential problem of trees close to houses - toppling. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1717" LastActivityDate="2012-11-01T01:11:08.103" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5418" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-11-01T01:14:19.323" Score="6" ViewCount="2129" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know mulching when mowing is typically a good thing for the health of the yard. If this is the case, under what circumstances should I bag the clippings?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="946" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2012-11-05T21:41:29.673" LastActivityDate="2012-11-05T21:41:29.673" Title="Lawn-mowing: when to mulch and when to bag?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;mowing&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5420" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5382" CreationDate="2012-11-01T01:49:33.453" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the Piedmont, it is best to plant fescue in the fall.  It then has a chance to get established in the late fall and winter, before the arrival of next spring's warmth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Chapel Hill, NC.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2012-11-01T01:49:33.453" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5421" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5418" CreationDate="2012-11-01T04:03:41.163" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The rule of thumb is mulch all year except late spring and fall when the weeds are seeding, but in general you can mulch all the time, unless you there are weeds that you don't want to spread.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2012-11-01T04:03:41.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5418" CreationDate="2012-11-01T11:47:55.937" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well I'm intrigued - your statement 'mulching when mowing is generally a good thing' is not one I'd agree with, in principle. I don't know what kind of grass you're growing, but in the UK, we do not let the clippings lay on the lawn UNLESS the weather is very hot and dry, and likely to continue to be so. Allowing clippings to remain on the lawn increases the amount of thatch, blocks light from the blades of grass, may encourage weed growth if you already have weeds in the lawn, and encourages fungal diseases. They are, though, left when the weather is hot and dry as a bit of protection from the heat, and to provide a bit of much needed moisture for a brief period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given where you are, it's likely that your summers are much more 'summery' than ours, in which case, the 'when the weather's hot and dry, let the clippings fly' rule applies - provided the clippings are not full of weed seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-11-01T11:55:44.157" LastActivityDate="2012-11-01T11:55:44.157" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5423" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-11-01T15:13:00.240" Score="14" ViewCount="67395" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a quite large clear glass vase, that I would like to transform into a plant pot. What are the problems that may occur? Are there any houseplants that I can grow inside the house, which won't have a problem with the clear glass? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1718" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-08-15T03:29:01.770" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T16:51:48.970" Title="Can I use a clear glass as a container for houseplants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5424" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5423" CreationDate="2012-11-01T16:53:44.070" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can grow almost anything in a pot or vase but some of the issues are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if there are no drainage holes in the bottom and you plant in soil there is a risk of root rot.  Even if you have a drainage layer and soil separator it is tricky to maintain just the right amount of soil moisture.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;many plants are quite happy to grow in water. This is easy if there are no drainage holes.  However depending on light conditions you may find that algae builds up on the inside or that the aesthetic appearance of all those tangling roots is not what you were looking for.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;glass is a considered to be chemically stable and should be waterproof. Roots don't care what kind of pot they are in if there is sufficient room for them.  Many vases tend to be tall and narrow with smooth sides.  This will promote the roots circling around the inside of the vase wall as they grow out. For plans with a woodier stem this can cause the root ball to have a mass of roots at the periphery and none in the middle of the soil ball which makes it harder to keep all the soil at a consistent moisture level&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-11-01T19:13:47.460" LastActivityDate="2012-11-01T19:13:47.460" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5426" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5483" CreationDate="2012-11-04T12:24:19.677" Score="5" ViewCount="6346" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a plot that I would like to use to make an orchard. The problem is that there are too many stones. I was looking for solutions and the only thing I found is a stone removing machine, which looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.interempresas.net/FotosArtProductos/P1554.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;, but I think it's too expensive for a small orchard. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the best solution? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1595" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-23T02:25:35.833" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T02:25:35.833" Title="How should I remove a large number of stones in my plot of land?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;rocks&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5427" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-11-05T01:19:17.020" Score="5" ViewCount="775" Body="&lt;p&gt;I took a close look at one of my plants, and saw all these tiny yellow bugs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kfG96.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bugs.jpg&quot;&gt;&#xA;They don't seem to be hurting the plant, but I thought I'd ask to make sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it helps, this is in the San Francisco Bay Area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1722" LastActivityDate="2012-11-05T10:34:04.607" Title="What are these yellow bugs and should I be worried?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5429" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5427" CreationDate="2012-11-05T10:34:04.607" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;aphids&lt;/a&gt; to me. Spraying the plant with neem oil or an insecticidal soap should help clear them up. You could also wipe down the plant before spraying it so you get rid of the bulk of the bugs quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2012-11-05T10:34:04.607" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5430" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-11-05T07:06:33.403" Score="8" ViewCount="173" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been getting through my home-grown carrots lately. I've had a few raw, and twice now I've noticed solid chunks in the top of the carrot. The first time when my teeth crunched on it I figured it was a piece of plastic the carrot had grown around. It was a piece about 5mm², solid, and a translucent whitish colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It happened again just now, so I'm thinking maybe it's not plastic. And if it's not, then what else might it be? Some kind of crystallization?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1724" OwnerDisplayName="Alec" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-11-05T21:01:08.753" LastActivityDate="2012-11-05T21:01:08.753" Title="What are the solid chunks in the top my carrots?" Tags="&lt;carrots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5431" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5430" CreationDate="2012-11-05T08:34:44.367" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the carrots were left in the ground for too long, a hard stalk starts forming and as you mentioned it isn't very good to eat. Next time try to check one before buying a bunch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="nbubis" LastActivityDate="2012-11-05T08:34:44.367" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5432" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5435" CreationDate="2012-11-07T04:55:45.660" Score="8" ViewCount="2627" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have buffalo grass for lawn and garden beds around the house. The grass wants to spread into my garden bed. I have a border of concrete curves that looks like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nkklh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Concrete Border Image&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the border is fairly overgrown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the best way to keep lawn out of gardens?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a grass that is recommended? Perhaps a non-invasive variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or should I just maintain the border better?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2012-11-21T14:28:17.760" Title="Keeping lawn out of garden beds" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;border&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5433" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5439" CreationDate="2012-11-07T05:10:33.913" Score="3" ViewCount="237" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in replacing my lawn with Zoysia (Empire or Empress). But I've heard it's intolerant of low temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;USDA Hardiness scale&lt;/a&gt;, what is the minimum it would tolerate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2012-11-08T03:06:06.120" Title="Zoysia temperature range" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5423" CreationDate="2012-11-07T09:03:22.083" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the laboratory, when we work with plants we always cover the soil chambers with aluminum foil to protect the root system from light. You don't only have roots in there. There are bacterial communities, protozoa and fungi as well that are essential to the circulation of nutrients in the rhizosphere. If you ever see a drop of soil water under a microscope, it will blow your mind. This is a system that has evolved in the dark.  So, if you find that the mysteries of soil ecology are as cool as the plant itself, give the poor little microbes some cover.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Paint the glass.  That will look pretty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why don't you put a cactus in there?  If it only takes a little bit of water, drainage might not be such an issue. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or put rocks in and grow bulbs on top.  People do that a lot in Germany.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1726" LastActivityDate="2012-11-07T09:03:22.083" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5432" CreationDate="2012-11-07T11:40:40.770" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having that concrete border actually makes this a much easier task than many of us (I have no separator, so it requires constant work)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two simple steps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Regularly through the growing season, use an edging tool to go around the grass edge of the concrete, cutting vertically through anything trying to grow beyond that demarcation line.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Where seeds have landed in your beds and are growing, regular turning of the soil in the beds, as you would do anyway for weeding purposes, will be sufficient&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You shouldn't need anything more serious than that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastActivityDate="2012-11-07T11:40:40.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5436" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5423" CreationDate="2012-11-07T18:17:22.887" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant generically called &quot;Lucky Bamboo&quot; grows very well in vases and water.  The only thing sometimes required are pretty pebbles to keep the plant upright.  To keep the water fresh, add a bit of charcoal at the bottom before placing the pebbles.  I nor my friends have had problems with algae growth with this plant grown in a vase and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1641" LastActivityDate="2012-11-07T18:17:22.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4815" CreationDate="2012-11-07T22:02:32.823" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;To get rid of the weed you could use weed killer spray that can be found in most home improvement stores, like Roundup, or find remedies using common household products. This video shows you &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5T_qdcrQ4c&amp;amp;feature=plcp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;How to Make Vinegar Weed Killer&lt;/a&gt; using dish soap, spray bottle, spoon, and vinegar (acidity of 5% or more). It's a spot treatment so be careful when spraying around plants and grass that you want to keep. Hope this helps! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1727" LastActivityDate="2012-11-07T22:02:32.823" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5439" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5433" CreationDate="2012-11-08T03:06:06.120" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;After doing some research, I was able to find the answer &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.yardcare.com/create/choosing-the-right-grass/warm-season-grasses/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and confirm it &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/facts_7901498_empire-zoysia.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. To summarise :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zoysia is a warm season grass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Recommended minimum USDA Zone 6&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The best range is 7 - 9 &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zoysia will thrive up to Zone 11&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this can save someone else some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2012-11-08T03:06:06.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5440" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3799" CreationDate="2012-11-08T14:43:39.763" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not convinced this is fireblight - I see no evidence of dieback in the branches, but if there is, then it may be that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seems much more likely to me that its Blossom Wilt - the attack starts in exactly the same way as fireblight, but you don't get the die back of whole branches or limbs of the tree, nor the typical fireblasted look which comes with fireblight. Blossom Wilt is a fungal infection caused by Sclerotina laxa which starts at the base of the blossoms - all affected spurs should be removed asap, together with any branch parts necessary, cutting to healthy wood. Diagnosis can be confirmed by the presence of buff coloured fungal pustules on the affected areas, which you won't see if its fireblight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Copper oxychloride spray just before flowering is helpful, if you are allowed to use that where you live. The fungus overwinters on infected stems, any small cankers present on the branches (these will occur if the infection is not noticed initially) and in the pustules. The spores themselves are windborne and spread is much more likely during damp weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-11-08T14:43:39.763" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5441" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5442" CreationDate="2012-11-08T15:44:58.310" Score="6" ViewCount="2770" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a tomato plant in a large planter. I spotted several yellow lady bugs on the leaves as I was pruning the plant. The plant seems to be doing very well in the fall so far. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was a bit curious as to what they were. I've never seen yellow ladybugs. I also don't know much about insects. I did notice some of the leaves had holes in them. I presume that's from insects eating on my plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did a quick &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=ladybugs%20tomato%20plants&amp;amp;aq=f&amp;amp;oq=ladybugs%20tomato%20plants&amp;amp;sugexp=chrome,mod=0&amp;amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8#hl=en&amp;amp;tbo=d&amp;amp;sclient=psy-ab&amp;amp;q=yellow%20ladybugs%20tomato%20plants&amp;amp;oq=yellow%20ladybugs%20tomato%20plants&amp;amp;gs_l=serp.3..33i29.1904.2958.0.3115.7.7.0.0.0.0.88.422.7.7.0.les;cpsugrer..0.0...1.1.NwTULw3eIhs&amp;amp;pbx=1&amp;amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&amp;amp;fp=b9d99e6316b545fe&amp;amp;bpcl=37643589&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=994&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;google search&lt;/a&gt; which indicates that they might possibly be beneficial for tomato plants. I wanted to confirm this. Are yellow ladybugs helpful for tomato plants? Are they any different from regular red ladybugs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="290" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-28T23:27:37.587" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T17:26:33.843" Title="Are yellow ladybugs a threat to tomato plants?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5442" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5441" CreationDate="2012-11-08T17:53:17.310" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think ladybugs are what we call ladybirds - there have always been yellow ones with black spots, sometimes black with yellow spots, and the more usual red ladybirds. They are classified often by the number of spots they have on their backs, but they all do the same job - eat aphids, which is good for your tomatoes and any other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-11-08T17:53:17.310" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5443" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5474" CreationDate="2012-11-08T18:17:24.220" Score="8" ViewCount="21823" Body="&lt;p&gt;About a year ago, we had a really bad gopher problem in our backyard. I've successfully trapped and eliminated all the gophers but my dog sometimes can still smell something and goes crazy digging. I wouldn't mind the digging, but we just laid sod earlier this year. The lawn in the backyard covers roughly 3,500 square feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm curious if there's anything I can do (besides being 100% vigilant while my dog is out back) to the lawn itself that could eliminate the gopher odor, or make it harder for him to scent. Obviously, I don't want the grass to be negatively impacted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="743" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2012-11-21T16:57:47.030" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T02:02:33.883" Title="Is there anything I can put on my lawn to prevent my dog from digging?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;domestic-animals&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5444" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5321" CreationDate="2012-11-09T01:36:47.263" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A question like this comes down to many personal factors such as how often you use them, how much tool-pride you have, would you prefer rusted tools or tools with dings and dents in the blade. To help you make an informed choice for you I've compiled some info from wikipedia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_steel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Spring Steel&lt;/a&gt; is a type of carbon steel that will return to its original shape despite significant bending or twisting. The benefit of Spring Steel tools is that even with heavy use, they will return to their original shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, two points to consider:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are you currently using your tools so much that they are being permanently damaged?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you buy good quality (stainless steel) tools you should find they aren't easily damaged. If they are maybe the real problem is the way you're treating your tools.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spring steel is a &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_carbon_steel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Carbon Steel&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; which means there is no requirement for Chromium&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Chromium&lt;/a&gt; is the element that is added to iron to make &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Stainless Steel&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spring Steel &lt;em&gt;may&lt;/em&gt; be prone to rust. I think this will be more detrimental to your tools than some dings in the blade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The best possible tool would be Spring Steel with Chromium.&lt;/strong&gt; If such a product exists, it would be a good investment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2012-11-09T01:36:47.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5445" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5446" CreationDate="2012-11-09T01:47:57.923" Score="7" ViewCount="8209" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn goes up to my garden bed with a concrete border between. I looks something like this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vNNaa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Concrete edge&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the plain concrete looks ... bad, just bad. I'm thinking about slapping a coat of paint on it, maybe a nice grey or brown colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The thing is, I often mow over it and use a mechanical edger. I think I would scratch up the paint. I don't know if scratched up paint work would look worse than unpainted concrete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Will it get all scratched up if I mow and edge up to it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If it does, will it look bad? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have painted concrete garden borders? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do they look when you mow over them?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T05:27:40.690" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T05:27:40.690" Title="Is painting a lawn/garden border a good idea?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;border&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5445" CreationDate="2012-11-09T06:38:25.223" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, paint will get beat up and you'll likely end up in a never ending cycle of repainting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead, I'd look into using an concrete acid stain. These are the stains that people use on concrete floors and concrete counter tops and the like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that there are two types of stains...true acid stains, that will etch into the concrete, and then there's the stains that you can find at Home Depot that act more like a wood stain in that it's just a top coat. Go with the former. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've used the Kemiko products before for staining a basement concrete floor:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kemikostainforconcrete.com/&quot;&gt;http://www.kemikostainforconcrete.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are several other brands of concrete stain to choose from as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2012-11-09T06:38:25.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5447" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5449" CreationDate="2012-11-09T13:32:02.137" Score="7" ViewCount="3549" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a mimosa and I have to  prune it. I'd like to be less invasive and do this &quot;operation&quot; in the best way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which is the best weather to prune mimosa?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which is the best time to do it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1611" LastActivityDate="2014-06-01T23:47:47.340" Title="Pruning a mimosa" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5448" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5443" CreationDate="2012-11-09T16:23:23.567" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bitter apple has been recommended to me but has never worked in deterring my dog from accidents, digging or nosing around where he doesn't belong.  A dog is a dog - they are going to dig.  If you want to train him/her not to on your sod, carry a water spray bottle wherever you go, be with the dog when you let him out and spray him well the minute he begins to dig with a firm &quot;No!&quot;  This is a form of training that is somewhat benign but gets the message across very well.  I simply show my dog the bottle now and no digging, jumping, etc., occurs.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1729" LastActivityDate="2012-11-09T16:23:23.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5449" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5447" CreationDate="2012-11-10T12:20:56.060" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've decided to give you the information anyway, and you can interpret it for wherever you are in the world in terms of your spring/flowering times. Usual pruning time for this plant (Acacia dealbata) is immediately after flowering is over, when you remove any dead or diseased wood, thin out crossing branches/stems and reduce the size - you can take off two thirds of the growth if necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATED RESPONSE&lt;/strong&gt;: I don't know whether you get very low temperatures where you are - the risk with pruning now is that you may induce new growth on the plant, which you really don't want before winter arrives, it won't have time to harden off. What you can do, though, is top any long branches to reduce windrock - this is best done when the weather is very cool, so if you can wait till end of November, that would probably be better,on the assumption it's colder then and a greater degree of dormancy is present in the plant. And make a resolution to give it a good prune and reshaping, taking out crossing/twisted stems, next spring after flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-11-11T12:59:32.840" LastActivityDate="2012-11-11T12:59:32.840" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5450" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5426" CreationDate="2012-11-10T12:30:15.843" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a solution, but if it's only a small area, it'll probably not be much good to you because it's a large piece of plant. There is a machine which does this used by landscapers on large areas - it's called the 612W Trommel, which is a self contained, portable, deisel powered piece of screening plant. It'll sort topsoil from stones and debris - you put the soil in one end and it spits out two separate piles, one of soil and the other of debris, from its conveyor belt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-11-10T12:30:15.843" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5451" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-11-11T17:19:43.653" Score="6" ViewCount="231" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's mid-November and we just had our driveway expanded.  Now the lawn in the region is absolutely thrashed.  Re-reading my contract with the driveway crew, they were very clear that the landscaping would be my responsibility.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a total novice at lawn care.  How do I repair a lawn?  Is there anything urgent I should do before the freezing weather comes?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;photo of my lawn:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lOWJv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/IesEL&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;more photos in my imgur album)&lt;/a&gt; with more details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1732" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2012-12-22T13:29:56.440" LastActivityDate="2013-09-07T04:20:49.423" Title="How do I repair my lawn this late in the year?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5452" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5454" CreationDate="2012-11-11T18:06:59.793" Score="14" ViewCount="10149" Body="&lt;p&gt;My last chili experiment was some 5 years ago, when the dried results started to use up. So I went to buy 2 chili plants (habanero &amp;amp; jalapeno, both F1 hybrids) this European spring - and the results are overwhelming: I have some 15-20 Jalapeno fruits and 30-40 Habaneros still on the plants, all ripe as far as I can tell. This is far more than I expected or can use now, so my questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I harvest them now?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I don't, will they start to rot?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I harvest them all, what's the best way to store them?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently I prefer drying them up and making chili powder, but I can't remember how I dried them without them starting to rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1733" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2012-11-11T19:52:57.183" LastActivityDate="2021-03-03T07:05:46.387" Title="When to harvest chilis? What happens if I don't? How can I store them?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;storage&gt;&lt;jalapenos&gt;&lt;habaneros&gt;" AnswerCount="9" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5453" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5451" CreationDate="2012-11-11T18:38:59.203" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Given the state the area's in, it seems laying sod (turf) would be the best option, although you don't say what type of grass you originally had. If the weather's not freezing yet, you could at least start the preparation involved, which is basically digging over to remove any lumps of debris and areas where maybe the workmen walked or carried stuff so they're not compacted. Then rake level (not flat, I can see you have a slope there) so that the area is smooth and ready to take sods. I don't know where you are - were it the UK, specially in the south or west, I'd say lay turf now, but depending on your climate, it may be wiser to wait till Spring to actually lay it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-11-11T18:38:59.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5452" CreationDate="2012-11-11T20:58:00.797" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Harvest them before they freeze, or the resulting mushiness will ruin everything and they will rot. Jalapenos are picked green - if you leave them on the plant they will turn red, which isn't bad, just unexpected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I llke to pickle jalapenos. I add a little turmeric and onion flakes to  hot vinegar, use a cold pack technique, and process them well. The resulting &quot;pickled peppers&quot; I slice and use on nachos and the like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most chilis are happy to dry as long as they are somewhere warm and dry. A dehydrator will make it even easier. I've dehydrated hot red peppers and it worked wonderfully. I've never tried drying Jalapenos, because I like them pickled, but I wouldn't expect trouble if I were to try it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastEditorUserId="1844" LastEditDate="2013-01-10T15:04:59.503" LastActivityDate="2013-01-10T15:04:59.503" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5452" CreationDate="2012-11-12T05:00:11.113" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I dry my peppers by stringing them up with a needle and thread and then I hang them in the opening between our kitchen and porch which has a wood burning stove in it. After a couple weeks the peppers are dry enough to store in bags or jars. I've done this with Thai Chilies and Tabasco Peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2012-11-12T05:00:11.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5456" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5459" CreationDate="2012-11-12T12:45:43.877" Score="5" ViewCount="458" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my yard I mainly have oak trees. I try to create leaf mold from them and was told that this can take longer than one year which seems to be the average duration for &quot;other&quot; leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do I need to pay attention to when creating leaf mold from exclusively oak leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2012-11-12T15:08:06.280" Title="Leaf mold from oak leaves" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5457" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5452" CreationDate="2012-11-12T14:02:37.743" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pick them as soon as they are as ripe as you want them. They won't get any bigger, and too many fruit will restrict the formation of more fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you live in a dry climate, then @Brian's suggestion of hanging them up is definitely the way forward, and is very traditional in places like New Mexico. @Kate's dehydrator should work in a humid climate, but most of us don't have dehydrators, so you can use an oven on the lowest setting.&#xA;As I usually freeze peppers over a month or two to get enough (a lot of peppers do not make very much powder), drying in an oven is probably the only option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For drying peppers in the oven (I've done cherry bomb, jalapeno, and paprika in the past; this year it will be cayenne), I cut them in half and lay on a baking sheet. Then turn over periodically. Repeat until they are crisp and all mushiness has gone. With jalapenos, your house will fill with that wonderful fruity flavour that jalapenos have hiding under the heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A word of warning: when cutting thawed hot peppers, the capsaicin might thermally sensitize your hands more than with raw peppers. This happened with the cherry bombs. I will be wearing gloves when it comes to the cayennes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will need a lot of fruit to make a small amount of powder. Also, you don't need a fancy spice grinder - just use a dedicated coffee grinder. Fraction of the price, works just as well - just don't mix it up with your existing coffee grinder!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2012-11-12T14:02:37.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5458" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5456" CreationDate="2012-11-12T14:57:22.977" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Other than ensuring the oak leaves are free from fungal infections, nothing much. Just collect them up, put in black binliners, make sure they're nice and damp by watering if necessary, stick a few holes in the bottom of the bag, tie the top and stand somewhere out of the way for at least a year, probably 2, till they've become dark, crumbly soil. Process can be hastened by running a mower over the leaves to chop them up a bit before bagging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, all the leaves I've done this with take 18 months to 2 years, regardless of variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-11-12T14:57:22.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5456" CreationDate="2012-11-12T15:08:06.280" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use a large chicken wire surround in the adjacent woods to my home.  I make sure that the leaves are compressed and then leave them alone.  Perhaps because it is open to the elements, I have never had to wait longer than a year for oak leaves to decompose to fluffy leaf mold.  A sibling has tried this method concealing the surround behind a car park and has had similar results. Either way, the surround is easy, the disposition of leaves very quick and no other effort has to be made.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1641" LastActivityDate="2012-11-12T15:08:06.280" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5460" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5452" CreationDate="2012-11-12T18:43:11.957" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As others have said - pick them before a frost/cold.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I make hot sauce with the peppers and I also I slice my habaneros and freeze them in baggies.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can cover the plants with a low tunnel/low hoop house to extend the season a little bit.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also dug up a plant or two and brought it into my sun porch to extend the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastActivityDate="2012-11-12T18:43:11.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5461" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5432" CreationDate="2012-11-13T02:27:23.417" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can get your hands on some cedar sawdust, cedar chips, or cedar bark mulch, that will suppress grass quite well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd put a trench along the grass side of your concrete barrier, and fill it with cedar sawdust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1177" LastActivityDate="2012-11-13T02:27:23.417" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5462" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5469" CreationDate="2012-11-13T04:12:15.040" Score="7" ViewCount="4172" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree is on the side of my South Florida house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trunk is really thin. The diameter can't be more than three inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't measured the tree, but it's gotta be about 10-12 feet tall and definitely growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure how old the tree is. It was there when I bought the house almost a year ago. It was probably only 6 feet tall back then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are long, dark green and mostly equal in size. It looks like all the leaf clusters are more or less the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photos below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kLBYK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Amate tree Florida&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nbWfx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Amate tree Florida&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Niczh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Amate tree Florida&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1671" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2013-01-09T20:51:09.133" LastActivityDate="2017-09-15T07:43:29.047" Title="What is this South Florida tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5463" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5464" CreationDate="2012-11-13T12:49:50.057" Score="6" ViewCount="10063" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=rudbeckia%20goldsturm&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;prmd=imvns&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=WUCiUNO0KoSXhQei14GIAQ&amp;amp;ved=0CDIQsAQ&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=979&quot;&gt;Rudbeckias&lt;/a&gt; have had a great 2nd summer, have now grown up to 60cm ish in height and have flowered like mad for at least a couple of months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm just wondering how best to care for them over the winter? (in the UK midlands)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=1728&quot;&gt;This RHS article&lt;/a&gt; doesn't mention pruning them back to the ground (or at all), so should I just leave them to look after themselves, or would some pruning protect and / or promote more growth next year? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any other tips on keeping them happy and flowering would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks, Ted&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="537" LastEditorUserId="537" LastEditDate="2012-11-13T16:01:53.223" LastActivityDate="2014-10-27T09:19:25.307" Title="Should I prune Rudbeckia for winter?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5463" CreationDate="2012-11-13T15:54:30.133" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Quite a few Rudbeckias are not entirely hardy in the UK, Ted, particularly not in the Midlands. I'd be inclined to dig up a little clump, pot it up and keep in the greenhouse, if you have one, in case you lose the lot if we have a hard winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given they're not fully hardy, the best thing to do is not to cut them at all, other than deadheading if you like, and allow dead leaves to collect in the remains of the stems which will give a bit more protection to the roots. If you don't like an untidy look in winter, you could cut them right down and mulch heavily over the top, a good couple of inches or more, with something like garden compost, bark chips, whatever, again for added protection. But don't forget to rake off some of the mulch in spring, as growth begins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-11-13T15:54:30.133" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5452" CreationDate="2012-11-13T16:28:10.793" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Appallingly, I've just harvested a chilli plant I let dry out and die, and then left for so long that the chillies simply dried out on the plant!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not an ideal approach, and only of any use if you aren't hoping to get a second year from your plant, but it was a very low effort way to preserve them!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="537" LastActivityDate="2012-11-13T16:28:10.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5466" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2379" CreationDate="2012-11-13T16:51:51.903" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not sure what kind of grass you have, but some grasses are more resilient to dog urine such as fescue and perennial rye-grass. You could try reseeding in areas that your dog frequently uses  with these grasses and see if that helps with dog spots or flush the area with water, like Mike mentioned, but keep in mind where the runoff flows.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;SOURCE- &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lawncare.net/dog-spots/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; title=&quot;Fix Dog Spots on Grass&quot;&gt;Fix Dog Spots on Grass&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1727" LastActivityDate="2012-11-13T16:51:51.903" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5467" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2379" CreationDate="2012-11-13T18:47:06.783" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;What about dog rocks? They sell these at the vets in the UK, and provided your dog doesn't refuse to drink the water to which they've been added, they do a good job of neutralising dog urine before it exits the body.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-11-13T18:47:06.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5468" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5452" CreationDate="2012-11-14T21:17:53.073" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Delaware and have already harvested my jalapeno and chili peppers. If you do nothing but leave them on the dining room table, some of the green peppers will ripen to red, some will dry out (get wrinkly, but remain edible), and many will start rotting or growing mold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can freeze them whole or sliced, but I prefer drying. I dry the chili peppers whole, only cutting off the stems. (They're too small to handle.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The jalapenos, I cut in half and remove the seeds, which is optional.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In both cases, I place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and &quot;roast&quot; them at low heat (my oven's lowest temp is 170) for 20 mins to an hour, then turn off the oven and let them dry overnight or over 36 hours -- until they are completely dried out. For fleshier fruit, I turn the oven back on after a few hours -- alternating to keep the oven dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year I ground them in a coffee grinder, but I won't do that this year -- I'll just store them in a glass jar and crush what I need when I need it. If you grind, consider wearing gloves, goggles, and a dust mask. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another way to use fleshy hot peppers fresh or thawed is to press them in a garlic press, cut into press-size pieces and place them in the press skin side up -- it's like mincing, and you don't lose the juices.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1734" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2012-11-17T13:38:18.887" LastActivityDate="2012-11-17T13:38:18.887" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5469" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5462" CreationDate="2012-11-15T01:09:41.723" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schefflera_actinophylla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Scheffelera actinophylla&lt;/a&gt;, the botanical name for umbrella tree, a species of evergreen tree native to northern Australia which is a common house plant. A common cultivar which may be the one you have is the &lt;a href=&quot;https://garden.org/plants/view/611899/Schefflera-Amate-Soleil/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Amate&lt;/a&gt; which has thicker leaves and is less subject to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_mite&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;spider mite&lt;/a&gt;. In Florida it can approach it's typical outdoor size of around fifty feet when grown outdoors. I am more familiar with them as a house plant where they do not like to be over watered and are subject to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;scale&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mealybug&lt;/a&gt; and the dreaded &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrip&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;thrip&lt;/a&gt;.  In an outdoor environment, with plenty of light and adequate access to water your problems are more likely to be controlling how tall it can get.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant will respond well to hard pruning if it gets too tall for you.  No need to worry about it sulking if it's cut back.  Just get a pruning saw or other sharp saw and top it close to the desired height. It will bud out and resume new growth close to the spot where you pruned it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: magzalez asks about the roots.  They are thick with a fairly bark like skin and the usual smaller white feeder roots.  If the plant is healthy the smallest roots will be firm and white.  The largest roots I have seen are two inches in width but outdoor plants could have larger ones. Might want to check if the roots can get into trouble with water pipes or drains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-16T22:35:36.060" LastActivityDate="2017-04-16T22:35:36.060" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5470" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5471" CreationDate="2012-11-15T05:55:35.353" Score="9" ViewCount="696" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking into decorative &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topiary&quot;&gt;Topiary&lt;/a&gt;. In my studies I've come across a similar process called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espalier&quot;&gt;Espalier&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're both shaped trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's my question: What is the difference between espalier and topiary? Is it plant species, shape or function? Obviously, I've wikied it and several difference are outlined:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Topiary is rounder&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Espalier is flat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Topiary is perenial with thick leaves or nestles&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Espalier is usually a fruit tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What if I had a round (or even animal shaped) fruit tree. Would that be topiary or espalier?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2014-11-17T03:06:13.190" LastActivityDate="2016-03-17T20:34:12.500" Title="Difference between Espalier and Topiary" Tags="&lt;terminology&gt;&lt;topiary&gt;&lt;espalier&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5470" CreationDate="2012-11-15T11:52:53.650" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would technically be topiary, meaning a plant shaped to grow in some decorative manner or form of the owner's choice - that could be a square, globe, pyramid and a myriad of other forms which might resemble animals, insects or birds, or spirals, or pillars, or even a human being. Note that plants used for topiary are those which respond well to regular clipping or shaping, and are evergreen, such as Buxus, Lonicera nitida, Ligustrum, Yew. The amount of clipping required to shape a fruit tree in such a manner would compromise the health of the plant, and its cropping potential, and as such, they are not really suitable candidates for real topiary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Espalier really means a trellis or support against which plants are trained flat, but the term has come to mean a form of training. As you rightly say, usually used for fruit plants in small areas, and pruned flat against a wall or support, often to maximise crop production and create ease of access to fruits, or to successfully grow fruit in small areas. This form of pruning is always done with the health of the plant, and the fruiting crop, in mind, rather than for decorative purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE in response to Comment:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No, its not the shape that defines it, Coomie, but the purpose for which it is done. As Kate clarifies, topiary is done for purely decorative reasons, whereas espalier is not, although some might consider the result to be decorative.&#xA;If you want a more difficult classification to think about, consider cloud pruning. This is a form of topiary, but not classic topiary, and its used usually on certain trees or large shrubs. It is done specifically for its attractive effect, but is still called 'pruning' rather than 'topiary'. Classic topiary is as described in the first part of my answer. Note that classic topiary and cloud pruning are restricted to certain plants, none of which will be fruit cropping ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-11-16T14:07:29.507" LastActivityDate="2012-11-16T14:07:29.507" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5472" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5470" CreationDate="2012-11-16T16:03:13.890" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As Bamboo points out with espalier you generally train growing branches to grow in a direction  that you specify. With topiary you prune to a shape but in almost all cases the branches are left to grow more or less naturally.  For example, you could prune an apple tree to some shape, say round, and that would be topiary.  You could also train boxwood to grow in some pattern by training the branches as they grow.  That would be espalier.  Training of espalier has a lot in common with bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2012-11-16T16:03:13.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5474" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5443" CreationDate="2012-11-18T03:42:12.330" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;This may seem odd, but it has worked for me. Place the dog's feces in the hole they dug, then cover it back up. You may have to do this many times if they continually dig there holes in different places. At some point your dog will dig in a hole that you have covered up once before. At this point they will be disgusted by what they find and will learn to stop digging. Or if there is indeed a smell they are digging for, they will now have another (bad) smell on top of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doing this kept our dog from digging for a full year. He relapsed recently, but one treatment has him back to being dig free.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is one other thing to keep in mind, sometimes dogs dig to find cool or warm dirt. If you leave your dog outside during temperature extremes, they may just be digging as part of their natural instinct to keep their temperature stable. Giving your dog a place that they are allowed to dig or providing a dog house can assist if this is the source of the issue.a&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="946" LastActivityDate="2012-11-18T03:42:12.330" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5475" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5476" CreationDate="2012-11-18T20:03:56.903" Score="6" ViewCount="21023" Body="&lt;p&gt;I collected seed from my &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ballseed.com/PlantInfo/?phid=020100001026602&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Crocosmia&lt;/a&gt; (I believe &quot;Honey Angels&quot;) and I'd like to see whether I can get healthy plants from them or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the right conditions to make them germinate? When do I start? If not now, how do I store the seeds, and how do I &quot;reactivate&quot; them later on? What type of soil? Those are some of the questions I have in my mind.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-22T00:54:48.327" LastActivityDate="2018-04-03T19:39:08.890" Title="What's the best way to grow Crocosmia from seed?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5476" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5475" CreationDate="2012-11-19T11:58:34.330" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As with all other seeds, you need seed and cutting compost, sometimes called seed starter compost in other countries. The seeds themselves should be 'ripe', meaning you harvested them when the pods were dry and crackling. Separate the seeds from the seed pods and remove any bits of stuff remaining. Sow the seeds about a quarter inch deep in a seed tray filled with seed compost - you can do this now, mid to late autumn is the usual time. Mist water so as not to disturb the seeds, and place the tray in a brightly lit spot. Keep the tray at a temperature of 60-70 deg F over winter, and keep it damp but not sodden - they should germinate within 2-4 weeks. Prick out into individual cells or small pots, still in seed and cutting compost, when they have produced their first set of true leaves. Keep them at the same temperature, pot on as necessary as they grow, switching to multi purpose compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once all risk of frost is over, plant out if they are big enough - if not, keep in pots until they are. They will not flower for at least two years, and the results may be variable - crocosmia seeds do not necessarily come true to the parent plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to increase your stock of the Crocosmia variety you already have, you can dig them up, split the clump and replant separately either now or in spring. Any seeds not used now can be stored in a paper bag, in a very dry, dark place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-11-19T11:58:34.330" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5477" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-11-19T17:33:51.493" Score="9" ViewCount="6055" Body="&lt;p&gt;On my property there is an ugly wall/fence, made of concrete, with vertical pieces of concrete and gaps between, like a picket fence. but far, far less attractive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to plant some plants at the base of a fence that will cover it. I'm looking for fairly invasive plants that will grow enthusiastically all over the fence, and cover it with an evergreen green covering, ideally with flowers at some point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fence is old and serves no practical purpose, so it is not a problem to completely cover it. I do not however want anything that needs maintenance - nothing that needs cutting back every year, is hard to establish, etc - only that needs trimming back if it gets really out of control in size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil at the base of the fence is small, about a foot front to back, with hard surfaces behind and in front, so I suspect the moisture levels are not enormous, though not too bad as the soil is deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm considering a simple ivy, combined with some evergreen clematis armandii, but is there a better option? The site is in London in the UK, so plenty of rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1740" LastActivityDate="2013-01-12T09:26:09.847" Title="Plants to grow over and cover up an ugly wall?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5478" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5477" CreationDate="2012-11-19T19:58:52.830" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in London too, and although this year has been very wet, most years we're dry as dust by August, so water might be an issue in future years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You haven't said which way the 'fence' faces - if it gets plenty of sun, consider Trachelospermum jasminoides - evergreen, fragrant white flowers in summer. Can be slow to get going, but spreads up to 33 feet once it has. This one's a twiner, and as such, will need a trellis or trellis fence section or three to twine around. Alternatively, wires strained between eyes which are inserted into the concrete for support, but this method usually means you have to do a bit of tying in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than this and the clematis you mention, there are no other hardy flowering evergreen climbers suitable for the UK, unless you're prepared to use a free standing plant which prefers to grow against something, such as Garrya elliptica or Pyracantha. Both will need some training and pruning. Clematis 'Freckles' is supposed to be evergreen, but in my experience, is not a vigorous grower and sometimes does shed its leaves in winter. It will also get 'lost' in the ivy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem you may experience is the arrangement of the 'fence' you have - although self clinging plants such as ivy will happily climb up the vertical concrete and cling well, there'll be nothing for it to cling to inbetween each upright. Other plants, such as the clematis you mention, are not self clinging unless they have a support to cling to, and in the case of clematis, this support usually needs to have thin struts, as in clematis mesh, so that the small petioles can twine around them. Anything thicker and they can't attach themselves. Therefore, depending which plants you choose, it may be necessary to erect another form of support over the existing fence to allow plants to climb or cling properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also add that ivy, once it has clothed the area, will need maintenance in the form of cutting back twice a year, usually around May and again September, to keep it flat to the support, at which time any extra root growth or runners at the base heading away from the fence, over the hard surface at the bottom and into the garden should also be removed. The necessity for trimming in later years is much more difficult if you have Clematis armandii growing in and amongst the ivy, obviously - this one should only be cut immediately after flowering. If, on the other hand, you decide not to cut back the ivy, you will very likely not notice the Clematis amongst the unmanaged ivy growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of all the choices available, I'd be inclined to go for pyracantha and train it if the area's fairly sunny, Garrya elliptica if not. That way, you won't need to provide extra supports, but obviously, the choice is yours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-11-19T20:03:53.380" LastActivityDate="2012-11-19T20:03:53.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5479" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5477" CreationDate="2012-11-19T23:51:44.307" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Invasive plants that will be easy to establish and grow enthusiastically all over the fence will need cutting back every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might be better off compromising with something somewhat slower to establish and easier to maintain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something also to consider is dealing with the cuttings of an enthusiastically growing plant. Woody plants are more difficult to mulch. Something like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantinspirations.com.au/plants.php?id=ID1279597825&amp;amp;l=Jasmine%20Vine%20x%2010%20Solanum%20jasminoides%20Garden%20Plant%20Flower%20Potato%20Vine%20Climber%20Creeper&quot;&gt;jasmine variety&lt;/a&gt; that grows rapidly but has a light growth that will easily mulch &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="503" LastActivityDate="2012-11-19T23:51:44.307" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5480" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5158" CreationDate="2012-11-20T04:33:44.520" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The UV stability of PVC aside I chose to use a roll of clear weather sealing tape from Frost King. This is used to seal windows which means it's not going to react with the greenhouse plastic I'm using. I've applied it to the top of all the hoops and will see how it fairs over the winter compared to last year without it. This is the roll I picked up&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s9Rdu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s9Rdum.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update on 8/29/14:&lt;/strong&gt; It's now been almost two years since deciding to use this product. My PVC structure has remained setup in the garden the entire time with this tape on it. I've had no issues with it coming undone, cracking, or turning my plastic white (aside from the general wear marks from wind which are much less than that of the chemical reaction). The structure has been up for a total of three years and the stability of the PVC looks to be no different than the day it was setup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2014-08-29T07:24:42.057" LastActivityDate="2014-08-29T07:24:42.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5481" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5443" CreationDate="2012-11-20T21:32:37.943" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dogs dig for a number of reasons.  Sometimes it is because of a scent, but more often they are just bored.  Digging is also a natural activity for dogs, so you are working against nature by trying to stop it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other answers have some good ideas for deterring the dog - I've also heard of people pouring cayenne pepper around the areas they dig.  An E-Collar or shock collar might also be helpful but it might be worth consulting a trainer because you try these methods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had success with giving my dog a specific area to dig in.  In my case, it was around the side of the house where no one really can see.  I piled up some dirt in a nice mound and hit some liver treats in it. A bit of encouragement and the he figured out he could dig them out, which I praised.  Anytime I caught him digging else where, I'd immediately stop him and relocate him to the designated digging area.  So you kill two birds with one stone - your dog is entertained doing something they love, and your lawn won't be full of craters!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1116" LastActivityDate="2012-11-20T21:32:37.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3688" CreationDate="2012-11-20T22:04:28.670" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're lucky then gypsum will work on your clay, helping the clay break up. Put a bit of the clay in a glass of water for a few hours. If the water becomes milky, i.e. the clay disperses (without any human intervention such as shaking), then gypsum will work. Spread generous amounts of gypsum when the clay is moist or even additionally spike the clay using a fork (or even turn it over) and add the gypsum. The alternative is to add at least two inches of crusher dust (finely ground basalt) and rotovate it in. Organic matter doesn't help clay soil particularly. An unamended clay soil will never grow a good lawn as grass roots suffocate in the airless environment, drowning when the clay is wet and baking when it's dry. Clay is only ever at a good moisture level for a very short time between being an airless wet mud and dry and hard as a brick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1743" LastActivityDate="2012-11-20T22:04:28.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5483" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5426" CreationDate="2012-11-21T04:44:37.410" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have a number of options depending on the size and depth of your stones and the area to be cleaned:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the area to be cleaned is small, you could manually do it with a pick and shovel. If the stones are really big you may need a jackhammer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But it sounds like you have a commercial size orchard, so I'll give you the options for large machine clearing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are reasonably small and shallow, you could use something like a beach cleaner:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QTe54.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Small Beach Comber&quot;&gt;&#xA;There are small ones like above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R6Lw4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Large Beach Comber&quot;&gt;&#xA;And there are large, tractor pulled varities&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the stones are large, you may need a backhoe&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ACSN0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Back hoe&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're best option is to grab the whitepages and find either a rental company in your area or a contractor to do it for you. They will have the right equipment and advice for an undertaking of this size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2012-11-21T04:44:37.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5484" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5477" CreationDate="2012-11-21T11:26:26.383" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have used &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotoneaster&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cotoneaster&lt;/a&gt; with great success for covering fences and walls that have gaps. I live in central Scotland, so I would guess you could get better growth in London.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An example from paulnoll.com:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oAgqY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastActivityDate="2012-11-21T11:26:26.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5485" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3076" CreationDate="2012-11-21T14:19:58.387" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As has been suggested, woodlice don't damage live vegetables. They will nicely clean up any rotting parts of a vegetable or fruit that is still growing, which prevents decay spreading. A lot of fruit and vegies are still usable with imperfections and chewed off bits, as long as any decay is removed. I have no problem eating a strawberry that had an injury cleaned up by woodlice. I have very few woodlice now that i stopped adding bark based commercial bagged composts and such but, that's another story.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1744" LastActivityDate="2012-11-21T14:19:58.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5486" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5432" CreationDate="2012-11-21T14:28:17.760" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're ok for some digging, dig a narrow trench along your concrete strip (grass side) with a mattock. Then install the one foot wide root barrier plastic that comes in rolls. Once this bit of hard work is done you will never have strong grass invade the garden beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1744" LastActivityDate="2012-11-21T14:28:17.760" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5487" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5490" CreationDate="2012-11-22T13:37:14.047" Score="5" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have poinsettia (Christmas flower) from last Christmas. It has many green leafs.&#xA;I have been told that there is a special procedure how to make these green leafs become red.&#xA;Does someone know exact procedure? &#xA;Is it too late for this year Xmas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1516" LastActivityDate="2012-11-25T00:29:44.310" Title="Making poinsettia leafs red" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5488" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-11-22T13:53:28.203" Score="8" ViewCount="335" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently gotten a san pedro (Echinopsis pachanoi) cutting as a gift. I'm trying to take care of it as good as possible, but I'm not sure if I'm doing it the right way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The situation is: the cutting has been properly dried after cutting it, to let the wound heal. The wound is dry, and little white roots were even starting to form. It's about 30 cm / 11 inches tall. I've planted it in a pot with relatively dry cactus soil, the cactus is about 5 cm / 2 inches deep (with supports to prevent it from falling over, and it has plenty of room to grow roots). I haven't watered it yet, because over here it's winter now and I heard that these types of cacti don't like to be watered in the winter (or they'll rot).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is now in a safe place indoors, in its own pot. It doesn't receive a whole lot of sun (because it's winter and my windows face the north), but there's not a whole lot I can do about that unfortunately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problems are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm kind of worried that the soil will become too dry (and that the&#xA;microorganisms will die), but then again, I don't want the cactus to&#xA;rot. So I'm kind of unsure what to do about that.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The cactus is showing some discolorations (lighter green spots in&#xA;its otherwise dark green skin. Some of the spots are swollen and&#xA;kind of shiny, like bruises. Would this be damage from&#xA;transportation, or is it sunburn or something else? Should I be&#xA;worried and what can I do about it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As I said, the cactus is indoors, so it has to deal with my&#xA;sleep/wake rhythm and my use of indoor lighting. Would this be&#xA;detrimental to its health (i.e., could I be disturbing its day/night&#xA;cycle by my use of artificial light)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So those are my main questions. If you have any other suggestions/recommendations for taking care of my cactus, please let me know, I'm a total novice at taking care of cacti. Also, if you need to see pictures of it to know what I should do, let me know and I'll see if I can upload some.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user1745" LastEditorDisplayName="user1745" LastEditDate="2012-11-28T08:05:55.080" LastActivityDate="2013-04-09T08:07:14.697" Title="cultivating a cactus from cutting" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5489" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-11-22T17:32:06.370" Score="3" ViewCount="3298" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves on my Stromanthe &quot;Burle Marx&quot; are all curling vertically.  I usually water it from the bottom on a bed of stones but I wonder if the water standing on the stones has caused it to be over-watered.  I poured out the water that was standing and am now hoping it will come back to life.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it likely to, and what is the best way to prevent this curling?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1635" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-22T18:22:32.887" LastActivityDate="2014-05-24T12:08:43.350" Title="How do I stop the leaves from curling on my Stromanthe &quot;Burle Marx&quot;?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5490" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5487" CreationDate="2012-11-23T03:39:18.463" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general terms, you need to make sure the plant has complete darkness for at least 12 hours a night - e.g. cover it up or something over night. However, during the day they need bright light so that they can absorb energy to create a bright colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But: the red colouring is part of the overall life cycle of the plant. The recommendations I have seen discuss the year round care of the plant, and the build-up to the Christmas colour starts in September, so I am not sure if you will be able to convince the plant to become red in the remaining 4-5 weeks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For more information see: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/poinsettia/poinsettia-care-how-do-you-take-care-of-poinsettias.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/poinsettia/poinsettia-care-how-do-you-take-care-of-poinsettias.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1339" LastEditorUserId="1339" LastEditDate="2012-11-23T03:45:24.357" LastActivityDate="2012-11-23T03:45:24.357" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5491" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-11-23T22:41:25.817" Score="6" ViewCount="4980" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a stretch of my otherwise healthy South Florida, St. Augustin lawn that has thinned out over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a long, but relatively thin (maybe 15' by 3'), stretch of the yard that is in the shade most of the day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The dirt below grass in the area that has thinned out looks great (rich and black). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want really want to lay down new sod in the area, so my question is, when should someone plant grass seeds versus using some sort of weed and feed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is a recommended brand of St. Augustin grass seeds? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gzzmC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full yard&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XjORw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Thinned out grass on good dirt&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1671" LastEditorUserId="1671" LastEditDate="2012-11-25T07:10:41.293" LastActivityDate="2013-09-25T13:08:24.037" Title="When to use grass seed vs. &quot;weed and feed&quot;" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5492" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5495" CreationDate="2012-11-24T16:14:59.490" Score="6" ViewCount="1103" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several indoor potted Snake's plants. One pot has several kinds of plants in it, and is reasonably large - probably 16&quot; diameter. It is filled with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b604&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Prayer plants&lt;/a&gt;, another plant (the name escapes me at the moment), and two varieties of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/sansevieria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Snake's Tongue&lt;/a&gt;. One of them looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/sansevieria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;S. trifasciata (Snakeskin Plant)&lt;/a&gt;, and the other one looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/sansevieria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;S. trifasciata laurentii (Mother-in-Law's Tongue)&lt;/a&gt;. I have had trouble knowing how to water the pot. The latter Snake's plant I mentioned loses leaves when they become soft and bend over. I lost about 18&quot; of one leaf to that, and it looks like I'm about to lose 4&quot; of another leaf due to that. The first variety mentioned doesn't seem to have that problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't remember when I fertilized it last, but it's been a while. The Prayer plant and the other plant variety don't seem to mind less water, they just don't grow as fast, and may drop a few leaves - usually nothing major. I usually let the soil get reasonably dry before watering it. The pot is a clay pot if it matters, and it is on the south side of a window facing east, so it gets plenty of light, it's just not direct through the window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Am I over or under watering, or is there something else I am missing?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1748" LastEditorUserId="1748" LastEditDate="2016-03-17T12:52:52.403" LastActivityDate="2016-03-17T12:52:52.403" Title="How to care for/water Snake's Plant (Mother-In-Law Tongue Plant) indoor potted plant?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5493" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5576" CreationDate="2012-11-24T20:08:26.293" Score="8" ViewCount="2033" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lawn that was neglected for a long time - I've done a fair share of Weed-n-feed for a few months, but the weeds continue to prosper in the lawn.  I know the soil is great (rich, moist, black dirt), but the weeds seem to be really well-established.  In trying to weed a few I've found massive root systems going 8-12 inches into the dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The little bit of grass I have is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eremochloa_ophiuroides&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;centipede&lt;/a&gt;, so many of the weed products can't be used on my lawn.  I'd like to keep centipede if possible - it grows well in my climate and I like the maintenance involved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where do I start?  Would I be better of spraying the entire effected area with round-up and starting over?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VQfZCl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1050" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-29T18:45:22.590" LastActivityDate="2013-05-29T18:51:52.347" Title="How do I control the broadleaf weeds taking over my centipedegrass lawn?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5494" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5487" CreationDate="2012-11-25T00:29:44.310" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;@standgale is correct that you need to duplicate the natural life cycle in regards to day length.  However there are other factors that are much more difficult to reproduce. Growers go to a lot of trouble and use a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1222/index2.tmpl&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;number of techniques&lt;/a&gt; such as:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant growth retardants to keep the plant compact&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;special fertilizer and potting practices&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mist system&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;slightly acid or neutral ph water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen many people keep a poinsettia from the previous year but I have never seen it look as nice as they come from the grower. A good challenge for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-11-25T00:29:44.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5495" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5492" CreationDate="2012-11-25T00:41:18.487" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem with mixing plants that need different watering regimes is that it's hard to keep everyone happy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria_trifasciata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sanseveria&lt;/a&gt; and the smaller version sometimes called Hahnia will exist under low light but do really well in strong diffuse light in a well drained soil.  When this plant is over watered the leaves become plump and soft and rot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The prayer plant or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantoftheweek.org/week123.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Maranta leuconeura&lt;/a&gt; has shallow roots and benefits from a soil that is moister and has more organic matter in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants that you have need different types of soil and watering.  You could separate them or try and give them more light and check that the soil is dry a few inches down before watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer is not really an issue here as it is unlikely that the levels of nitrogen and phosphorous and potassium are a limiting factor to growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-11-25T00:41:18.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5496" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3801" CreationDate="2012-11-25T04:56:41.793" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Never let a nepenthes sit in water it will kill the plant I use a small terrarium for my nepenthes with a sphagnum moss and foam mix although many other pourous draining soils with lots of air spaces works great. This soil type has helped has kept my ventricosa x Mira hybrid alive for years and if yours is a highland species it needs a nightly tempurature drop which I supply to mine by bringing it downstairs every night where it is about fifty five to sixty degrees then back up to my room which is about eighty degrees. Also you should allow it to dry out somewhat but always remain moist. Give it almost direct slightly shaded light and if it sits in water it is doomed to root rot so never do that. I hope I helped and good luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1749" LastEditorUserId="1749" LastEditDate="2012-12-06T03:26:55.910" LastActivityDate="2012-12-06T03:26:55.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5497" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5498" CreationDate="2012-11-25T13:17:37.963" Score="4" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine and I want to start producing cider, but from scratch: He inherited a property which we want to clear up, plant apple trees and eventually produce apple wine (a common beverage in some regions of Germany). We are aware that this is a 10+ year project.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a biologist, so I know the basics, but I don't know much about agriculture. I'm looking for literature on how to select, plant and maintain apple trees (the wine-making part is not relevant at this point). A general agriculture book will also do for now. The literature doesn't have to be easy, I'm completely ok with research papers or university-grade books.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1750" LastActivityDate="2012-11-28T23:35:30.577" Title="Scientific (?) literature on planting and maintaining apple trees" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5498" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5497" CreationDate="2012-11-25T17:48:32.467" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;How large is the property?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm skeptical that research papers or university-grade books will give you the information you're looking for. There's practical information that you really want to know that won't be in those kind of books.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Backyard Orchardist&quot; is a decent general reference on fruit trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Barbara Damrosch's &quot;Garden Primer&quot; is an excellent general gardening reference that includes a good treatment of fruit trees, with specific coverage of apple trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding selection, you'll want to talk to local growers for varieties that do well in your area. You'll also want to talk to winemakers so that you can choose varieties that are good for wine. The people that you talk to can probably give you tips on techniques for dealing with local pests and diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One topic that seems to be well-covered by university-level research (and not well covered in the consumer/grower-grade literature) is IPM (integrated pest management). Just keep in mind that cutting-edge research doesn't always translate directly into practical applications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2012-11-25T17:48:32.467" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5491" CreationDate="2012-11-25T22:51:30.837" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check the ph of your soil. I'm thinking the thatch is building up and grass not as lively due to souring soil. Use lime or dolomite if that's the case. Dolomite is better in that it has both calcium and magnesium, so it won't unbalace your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1744" LastActivityDate="2012-11-25T22:51:30.837" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5500" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5502" CreationDate="2012-11-26T03:48:48.883" Score="3" ViewCount="1801" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've started growing a tomato plant a month ago and it is still pretty small. Around 7 cm high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I grow it with a small fluorescent light ( T8 model ) in my basement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why is it growing so slow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it the inadequate temperature?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Too much / not enough light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Inadequate water amount&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Too small/big pot size&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1751" LastActivityDate="2013-06-19T13:23:51.763" Title="Why my tomato plants grows so slowly?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5501" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5491" CreationDate="2012-11-26T21:26:19.300" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Weed and feed products do not actually contain grass seed that I am aware of.  They are for fertilizing and weeding existing lawns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the grass in this area is the same grass as is in the rest of your yard (which looks pretty open and sunny) then I would not expect that same cultivar to do well in dense shade as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A trip to a good garden store in your area will provide several options for grasses that will do better in the shade than the main grass that you have.  Its pretty common to have to plant more than one type of grass in lawns that have ranges of sun vs. shade.  Also keep in mind that sod is usually grown in open fields and therefore the cultivars planted by the sod farmers are those that do well in constant sun, which is not what you have in this area, so another reason not to use sod in this area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have found that one of the keys to getting new grass seed established is watering is keeping the establishing seeds moist.  I try to water new seed 3 times a day for 10-20 minutes per cycle.  After the first two to three weeks you can cut this back a bit.  In my climate mixing the grass seed with some milled peat moss also help because the peat retains moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2012-11-26T21:26:19.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5502" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5500" CreationDate="2012-11-27T12:13:33.207" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Regular T8 is probably not giving enough light, the High Output version is usually used for tomatoes, and that version is referred to as HO T8 &lt;strong&gt;Growlight&lt;/strong&gt; fluorescent tube rather than just T8 tube. If ordinary fluorescents are used, these are more usually T12, and are much better at growing leafy crops such as lettuce than fruiting ones like tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes need a minimum of 8 hours darkness per day, between 8-10 hours is optimum, so the lack of that, coupled with the use of standard T8 lights, might be the reason. Note also that plants grown where air is wafting around them (not blasting) grow stronger, with thicker stems, than plants in an area where air movement is virtually nil most of the time, due to a process named thigmomorphogenesis (just in case you want to look it up).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The optimum distance between the plant and the light should be between 11 - 51 cm, but better results are achieved with the lower measurement (4 inches, or 11 cm), so moving the light closer would be a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the pot size, once it starts growing properly, it should be in a pot that's an 8/9 inch tomato pot, so around 23cm, for good cropping, with the usual high potash feeding regime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-11-27T12:27:29.623" LastActivityDate="2012-11-27T12:27:29.623" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5503" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-11-28T06:19:45.680" Score="3" ViewCount="394" Body="&lt;p&gt;Crusher dust = cracker dust = bluestone tailings etc. It's a cheaper and coarser basaltic crushed stone compared to bagged rockdust products. I got some into the soil in winter. Now I've got summer crops already started but wanted to add some more crusher dust. Can I use it successfully as a mulch, an inch or two, before digging it in after summer veggies finish? If it works as a mulch as well then I'd rather avoid the cost and inconvenience of straw etc mulches for the vegies. The main thing I'm looking for in a mulch is moisture retention and wettability, which is something organic mulches aren't that great for in my climate (Melbourne Australia). Anyone used crusher dust as mulch?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1754" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-11-29T02:17:45.153" LastActivityDate="2012-12-29T02:33:31.260" Title="crusher dust as summer mulch?" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5505" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5488" CreationDate="2012-11-28T15:41:06.617" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't worry about using lights in the room, it will be fine. Typical house lights wouldn't disturb plants. The potting mix would be better if it wasn't bark based but instead pea gravel or even propagating sand. This will ensure good drainage and will still provide enough of a drink. Even cacti need some water. You should water it if you haven't already. Then depending on heating in the house and the potting mix, water every two or three weeks. Bark based potting mixes are terrible in that they tend to become water repellent if allowed to completely dry out. Then you have to soak the pot in a tub for ten minutes so it wets properly and the plant can have a drink. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leave any re-potting until the plant gets growing though as disturbing the baby roots again might not be so good. Provide as much sunlight as you can. The only real substitute is expensive metal halide lights. No need for any fertilizer or any seaweed etc. By the way if you later switch to a gravely potting mix, it will support the plant much better, without the need for supports or having to plant it deeper than necessary. The mix should only be about two centimetres burying the roots. It is a bit deeper than what they like, which could cause rot if the mix was too moist for extended periods. Not sure if those spots are natural markings or an indication of under or over-watering. Both hydration problems present similarly. In summer take it out to give it plenty of sunshine and fresh air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1754" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2012-11-28T21:07:06.157" LastActivityDate="2012-11-28T21:07:06.157" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5503" CreationDate="2012-11-28T17:59:26.223" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I guess it depends what you're growing - crusher dust is highly alkaline, with a ph reading of around 9, so crops like onions will be fine - blueberries won't. So if what you're growing likes alkaline conditions, seems it's a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-11-28T17:59:26.223" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5507" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-11-28T21:30:09.337" Score="2" ViewCount="1222" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are light green stems covered with crater-looking bumps sprouting off the main stems, close to the ground. Is this normal? I can't find anything like these growths in descriptions online or through image search. Just want to  make sure I shouldn't get rid of them somehow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know what mealy bugs are and this isn't that, the bumps on the light green stems I'm sure are part of the stem itself/part of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1757" LastActivityDate="2012-12-01T15:08:04.483" Title="Is this normal - indoor Bamboo palm tree has bumpy stems sprouting from the main stalks?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5508" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5497" CreationDate="2012-11-28T23:35:30.577" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the US, there's often good information from local county extensions, and from universities.&#xA;Some examples:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://orchard.uvm.edu/uvmapple/ForBeginners_ApplesJanuary2006.PDF&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://orchard.uvm.edu/uvmapple/ForBeginners_ApplesJanuary2006.PDF&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/mgtguide/ch07_managing_abandoned_orchards.pdf&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aces.edu/home-garden/lawn-garden/veg-fruit-nuts/index.php#Fruit&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.aces.edu/home-garden/lawn-garden/veg-fruit-nuts/index.php#Fruit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's usually better to get information from a source close to you geographically, because they'll have the information you need for your local climate and local pests. Certain varieties are better adapted to certain regions. Since you're in Germany, that probably means universities in Germany, which probably publish in the German language. Since I don't know German, I won't be able to find those resources for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1298" LastActivityDate="2012-11-28T23:35:30.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5509" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5507" CreationDate="2012-11-29T02:16:23.230" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds like an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root#Specialized_roots&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;adventitious root&lt;/a&gt; or a rhizome.  Bamboo is a vigorous grower in the right climate and will spread with their tough and vigorous roots.  Some more details on how hard it is to eradicate bamboo outdoors is described &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.completebamboo.com/bamboo_removal.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A picture would help as the common &quot;lucky bamboo&quot; is actually a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_sanderiana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;dracaena&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is just growing roots from the stem there is nothing to worry about or do. The plant is just trying to get as much nourishment as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-12-01T15:08:04.483" LastActivityDate="2012-12-01T15:08:04.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5510" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5318" CreationDate="2012-11-29T07:37:54.787" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is not &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cestrum_nocturnum&quot;&gt;Cestrum nocturnum&lt;/a&gt;. This is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alstonia_scholaris&quot;&gt;Alstonia scholaris&lt;/a&gt; or Devils tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1758" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-11-29T14:29:05.350" LastActivityDate="2012-11-29T14:29:05.350" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5511" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5493" CreationDate="2012-11-29T14:50:17.870" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had good results with ferrous sulphate granules - also called Weed &amp;amp; Feed this side of the world. Could very well be the same thing you used. Be sure to apply it when the leaves are wet. Lightly water the lawn a hour or so before sunset and apply. By midday next day most of my problem was dead or dying. Had to do this at least three times over several months though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1759" LastActivityDate="2012-11-29T14:50:17.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5512" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-11-30T14:42:15.397" Score="4" ViewCount="225" Body="&lt;p&gt;I collected a bag of tame chestnuts when they fell in August. A few weeks later I found most of them had sprouted in the bag so I planted them in potting mix and they are progressing. The best result has come from suspending a nut over a jar with its root in the water. That one now has a green shoot growing upwards. My question is will the seedlings keep growing indoors through the winter so they will have a head start if/when I plant them next spring? If I keep a couple in a pot and bring them indoors for autumn and winter will they skip hibernation and keep growing? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1769" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2012-11-30T20:20:21.987" LastActivityDate="2012-12-02T15:33:58.403" Title="Nursing of chestnut sproutings indoors" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;nut-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5513" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5512" CreationDate="2012-12-01T15:07:35.730" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few plants which are called chestnuts which are not of that family: horse chestnuts, water chestnuts, chestnut oaks.  If you have one with edible nuts then you have a member of the Castanea (chestnut) family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; has a lot of detail. Chestnuts need a dormancy (cold) period before germination so I am surprised you have had any success.  Any that do sprout should be potted up and you can grow them on during your winter.  Put the pot in the ground in the spring and leave them outdoors over the winter.  Protect the sapling from mice,rabbits, deer and wallabies (if you are located Down Under)  with chicken wire or topdressing with soil or both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you bring a plant that needs a dormancy period indoors in the winter it will not get the right mix of seasonal cues (decreasing day length and lower temperatures).  Having tried something similar with bonsai oaks I can verify the contents of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basics_Indoor.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this link&lt;/a&gt; that says&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Firstly, all deciduous and coniferous trees need a period of dormancy&#xA;  which is only triggered by cooler temperatures. Without this dormancy,&#xA;  trees can continue to grow for anything up to 2 years before going&#xA;  dormant whatever the season or temperature; this enforced dormancy can&#xA;  often be fatal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chestnuts are nutritious and provide food and shelter to your local ecology but &quot;when grown from seed, the trees do not begin to yield fruit until they are thirty to forty years old.&quot; See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Castanea%20species&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Castanea+species&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have patience and good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-12-01T15:07:35.730" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5514" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5516" CreationDate="2012-12-02T00:28:08.213" Score="6" ViewCount="505" Body="&lt;p&gt;My avocado tree is about 4&quot; tall now with big bright green leaves. It is still suspended in water. I've read that I should wait for my seedling to reach 6&quot; in height, cut the leaves off, wait for them to grow back, and then plant it in soil. I don't see it gaining height any more, what should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I go ahead and plant it in some potting soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, my tree looks like there are two trees coming from one pit. Is this normal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fkHJJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My Avocado Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1766" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2013-01-10T04:06:43.597" LastActivityDate="2013-01-17T11:02:16.380" Title="When to Plant Avocado" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5515" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-12-02T02:51:17.953" Score="4" ViewCount="1980" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had it for 7 years and in the last 2-3 months it has been losing all of its leaves. In an attempt to save what is left of it, I transplanted it today into a larger pot with fresh organic soil. i think, looking around online, i've overwatered it. also i had the top of the soil covered with rocks. When i removed them all to transplant, the soil was very moist. The last time a watered it was about 3 days ago. The tree (well mostly sticks at this point) is over 5 feet tall and the root system was very small. They didn't seem to be rotten.&#xA;I've trimmed most of the branches down, with a few left that had healthy leaves.&#xA;The base stems are still green when i scratched it (all the way up until the top 1/4)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does my tree have any hope of rebounding? &#xA;Should I trim it down more?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't water it when I transplanted it today, the soil was pretty moist already, should I?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It used to be a large beautiful tree. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I've had this tree for so long, i'd hate toss it! (I have pic but are unable to upload them yet)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1768" LastEditorUserId="1768" LastEditDate="2012-12-02T02:56:26.203" LastActivityDate="2012-12-03T03:23:40.000" Title="Schefflera Arboricola (Umbrella Tree) in bad shape :(" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5514" CreationDate="2012-12-02T13:51:34.477" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant it now in a pot with a height and diameter of four to six inches.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Avocados are trees&lt;/a&gt; so in good conditions you can expect that it will need to be re potted one size larger in a year or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Avocados exhibit &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apical_dominance&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;apical dominance&lt;/a&gt; so when I have cut mine back they do not sprout multiple leaders but just sit there until one new bud one the side forms.  I do not see any value in cutting back a seedling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two leaders from one seed means it is very healthy. Likely one will become dominant but you can let nature take it's course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3052/advanced-care-of-an-indoor-avocado-plant?rq=1&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; for more details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2012-12-02T13:51:34.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5518" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4326" CreationDate="2012-12-02T21:30:09.363" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have it growing in my garden in the southern most part of Virginia. I can attest that it is extremely invasive. On the other hand, it makes a beautiful display with the white flowers in May. After that, I'm in a never ending battle of keeping it at bay. It is even growing up through the deck. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It grows solid green in my garden with full morning sun (east exposure). When growing in more direct sunlight (a southern exposure), the leaves become variegated, white, lighter green, dark green and pink to red. The height is also severely restricted, and it stays under 6 inches. In my experience, it does nothing to repel mosquitos here in the Tidewater, VA area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1770" LastActivityDate="2012-12-02T21:30:09.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5519" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5515" CreationDate="2012-12-03T03:23:40.000" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it is over watering you would have seen some of these things when you re-potted it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soft brown mushy roots, very few tiny feeder roots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;parts of the trunk will have the outer surface rotting from the inside. You just touch it and it sloughs off&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;commonly the plant dies from the top down.  The top stems go limp from lack of water as the circulation system cannot bring the water up that high&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you see brown or dark bumps on the stems and underside of leaves (scale) or white fluffy cottony masses (mealy bug) in the leaf axils or small grains like salt on the underside of the leaves (spider mites) you have insect problems and that is another question.  Observe the underside of the leaves and stems closely with a magnifying glass to verify if pests are present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately re potting a plant that is already stressed does not help it. You need to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;place it in an area with more light &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hold off on the watering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut back the dead growth until you see green living material on the stems&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wait, patience is required as the plant grows new roots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-12-03T03:23:40.000" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4933" CreationDate="2012-12-03T10:06:37.580" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a little time-consuming, but 100% organic:  Pour boiling water on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This cooks the plant. Smells quite like brewing tea when pouring the water on them, and a day or three later the weeds are quite obviously dead - easy to sweep up and dispose of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1767" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2015-01-20T18:44:08.347" LastActivityDate="2015-01-20T18:44:08.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5521" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5522" CreationDate="2012-12-03T10:20:34.687" Score="5" ViewCount="485" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a garden bed in between my fence and my lawn, seperated by a row of two bricks in an &quot;L&quot; arrangement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to replace the bricks with a concrete divider similar the picture in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5432/keeping-lawn-out-of-garden-beds&quot;&gt;this post&lt;/a&gt; - a curved concrete 'rail' with a 'step'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The shape of my garden bed is very similar. &#xA;Is this a DIY task I'd be able to achieve by myself?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1767" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2012-12-04T06:33:17.930" Title="Building a concrete divider for a lawn/garden bed" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;concrete&gt;&lt;border&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5521" CreationDate="2012-12-04T06:33:17.930" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Short answer: No, the concrete blocks are too heavy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I asked the question you reference and while the picture isn't my own, the concrete blocks I have are exactly the same. The blocks themselves are fantastic, easy to mow over and wide enough to keep out my invasive grass (most of the time) - buffalo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a great DIY task and an excellent improvement, mine look great. But unless you're a weight lifter, you would need at least &lt;strong&gt;2&lt;/strong&gt; people. I'm a big, (I like to think) strong guy and those block are &lt;strong&gt;HEAVY&lt;/strong&gt;! I would say they're around 40-50kg (100lb) and about 100 cm (40in) long. I broke a shovel trying to dig out out, snapped the handle in half! I moved 4 and it just about killed me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do yourself a favour and get a mate to help you out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good thick gloves are a must and a mattock helped me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2012-12-04T06:33:17.930" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5523" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="81" CreationDate="2012-12-04T18:05:42.330" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basil is a great &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companion_planting&quot;&gt;companion plant&lt;/a&gt;.  Have a search for 'basil' on &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants&quot;&gt;this list of companion plants&lt;/a&gt; to see what's good to plant nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1767" LastActivityDate="2012-12-04T18:05:42.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5318" CreationDate="2012-12-04T21:35:24.440" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;While I am not familiar with either plants, I agree with Anup wthis is not &lt;a href=&quot;http://keys.trin.org.au:8080/key-server/data/0e0f0504-0103-430d-8004-060d07080d04/media/Html/taxon/Cestrum_nocturnum.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Night Jessamine (&lt;em&gt;C. nosturnum&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;. His/her guess of &lt;a href=&quot;http://keys.trin.org.au:8080/key-server/data/0e0f0504-0103-430d-8004-060d07080d04/media/Html/taxon/Alstonia_scholaris.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Devil Tree (&lt;em&gt;Alstonia scholaris&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; seems a &lt;strong&gt;lot&lt;/strong&gt; more likely to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cestrum&lt;/em&gt; is a shrubby species that rarely gets to more than four meters (~12 ft) and lacks a defined trunk. This is very clearly a tree.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cestrum&lt;/em&gt; has prominent acuminate leaf tips, those of &lt;em&gt;Alstonia&lt;/em&gt;, like those in estephan500's picture, are obtuse (blunt).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leaf nervation is also very different from that I see in images of &lt;em&gt;C. nocturnum&lt;/em&gt;, which curves markedly, whereas it is almost perpendicular to the leaf shape in &lt;em&gt;Alstonia&lt;/em&gt; and this mystery plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Alstonia scholaris&lt;/em&gt; is a native of Southeast Asia. &lt;em&gt;Cestrum nocturnum&lt;/em&gt; is a Caribbean (West Indies) species.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1771" LastActivityDate="2012-12-04T21:35:24.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4933" CreationDate="2012-12-05T22:03:28.713" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Vinegar works on killing both weeds and moss. If you want an all natural approach I'd recommend this article/video on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lawncare.net/vinegar-weed-killer/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;how to kill weeds with vinegar&lt;/a&gt; that only requires vinegar, dish soap, water, and a spray bottle. Easy, effective, and inexpensive but be careful not to get the solution on any areas with grass that you want to remain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1727" LastActivityDate="2012-12-05T22:03:28.713" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5530" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2149" CreationDate="2012-12-06T03:05:07.727" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Actually I find nepenthes easy to keep in a sphagnum moss and foam mix and nepenthes sanguinea or khasiana don't need terrariums at all also allow good drainage and water the Venus flytrap from below in a terrarium for the summer but in the winter cool it down so it can go dormant the drosera needs similar conditions but no summer terrarium as they seem to like it a little cooler and do well just in a tray of water. Also even though easy care I find sarracenia boring as as they don't don't grow in a very wild way just tall leaves and from a distance look like tall grass blades and often look frail. Although S. purpurea is cool looking with its tubby pitchers and all the bright red ones are cool too. Good luck growing&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1749" LastActivityDate="2012-12-06T03:05:07.727" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5531" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2642" CreationDate="2012-12-06T03:40:23.437" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is clearly an older trap that has gone into an inactive state purely for photosynthesis. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is easy to tell from the outward bend of the sides of the trap and the hairs pointing outward. The traps with the hairs pointed inward and the inward curve are active. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They open like this when old, so the trap has more exposure to light instead of blocking the light from the inside with the hairs and the other side of the trap. So pretty much the ones that look like toothed mouths are active but once that trap bends outward the curved sides wouldn't allow it to shut in its prey and the outward pointed teeth wouldn't hold the bug in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1749" LastEditorUserId="1587" LastEditDate="2012-12-22T20:06:56.100" LastActivityDate="2012-12-22T20:06:56.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5532" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5301" CreationDate="2012-12-06T03:49:25.963" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't have to feed carnivorous plants at all and for the winter they will just slow growth and eat less. For good health you will need to decrease the temperature of the plants if it is a flytrap or pitcher plant, but tropical sundews don't need any change. The same is true for &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepenthes&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;nepenthes&lt;/a&gt;, also known as tropical pitcher plants, or the kings of carnivorous plants. Nepenthes can live hundreds of years and grow two feet across and some can eat mice. It's an amazing spectacle of nature. They are very easy to keep and I recommend them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1749" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-30T16:37:13.607" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T16:37:13.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5533" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3683" CreationDate="2012-12-07T00:20:31.483" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check out juniper! It lasts longer than cedar or redwood without any chemicals, plus it is an invasive species in Oregon. Cutting it helps to restore the grassland ecosystem -- no old growth forests need be clear cut to obtain this stuff!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1777" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-12-15T20:23:59.593" LastActivityDate="2012-12-15T20:23:59.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5534" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5537" CreationDate="2012-12-07T17:10:28.187" Score="4" ViewCount="6666" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have many Pothos plants in my home most of them well settled. Four weeks ago I gave some Fertilizer to them(the kind of quantity I always gave) and watered them a little more for a week and than came to normal watering(once a week). Now after 3 weeks I see that all plants have one or two leaves becoming yellow every week. The remaining leaves look ok. Winter is also beginning to settle in here in India.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I need to worry about the cold and move all the plants indoors ? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Did the daily watering for a week hurt the plants ? Can they still&#xA;recover ?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1780" LastActivityDate="2020-10-11T06:10:17.303" Title="Pothos leaves turning yellow" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5535" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5546" CreationDate="2012-12-07T18:16:13.233" Score="6" ViewCount="704" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last summer I decifded to create a lawn and brought in top soil and planted grass seed. After six weeks, I spread fertilizer and then my grass turned yellow. I didn't water as much as I think I should have and by the end of the summer, I had some very green streaky areas where it was obvious that water from the driveway was being directed down my sloping yard. I live in Alaska and there will be snow until late April or May. When spring finally arrives and the snow is gone I would like to be proactive in recovering the rest of the yard. Besides the obvious of adding some new seed and watering frequently, what else can I do? I'm wondering if adding lye or some other type of neutralizer would help. Any ideas? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1781" LastActivityDate="2012-12-27T14:36:25.160" Title="How do I recover from an over fertilized yard" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5536" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5565" CreationDate="2012-12-08T01:21:03.860" Score="4" ViewCount="6992" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a basil plant in my garden that has plenty of leaves. Should I pick the leaves/stems from the bottom of the tree or the top?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this apply to most herbs like cilantro or parsley?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1671" LastActivityDate="2016-12-12T22:42:54.297" Title="Is it better to pick herbs from the top or bottom of the plant?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5537" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5534" CreationDate="2012-12-08T03:00:32.423" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pothos or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Epripremium aureum&lt;/a&gt; is a fascinating plant and a reliable house plant. Botanists could not believe the difference between the mature form, a vine over sixty feet tall that climbs up trees, and the juvenile form which is a weak climber that never flowers and might reach six feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If these plants are well established it is normal for them to loose older leaves on the stem.  You will only find the larger leaves up to six inches across in humid conditions with bright diffuse light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are not frost hardy and should not be exposed to temperatures less than about fifteen degrees Celsius. (perhaps as low as five degrees in a sheltered location).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over watering will cause leaf drop but they are hardy and rugged. If the plant does not look good just cut it back so there are a few stems and it will regrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@Geek asks about getting pothos to climb.  Many Florida growers are now offering pothos which has been grown up a split log or other surface.  You can do this to if you provide the right conditions.  Pothos naturally grows roots from the nodal points of each stem.  I have grown it in a bathroom where the humidity was enough to encourage this.  Roots started and adhered to the trim around the window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All you need to do is provide high humidity and good air circulation and pothos will do what comes naturally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2012-12-09T17:11:16.477" LastActivityDate="2012-12-09T17:11:16.477" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5538" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5539" CreationDate="2012-12-08T10:54:48.117" Score="3" ViewCount="874" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had my &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/adenium.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Adenium Boehmianum&lt;/a&gt; for almost, em!, maybe 4 years. I leave it in the most sunny place and water on this schedule:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;summer - every week;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spring/autumn - every fortnight;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;winter - once in a month.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has leaves 3-4 months a year as it should, but I've never seen it bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I'm doing wrong? What is the right care scheme for &lt;em&gt;Adenium Boehmianum&lt;/em&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user1746" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-13T20:09:21.897" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T20:09:21.897" Title="How do I care for Adenium Boehmianum?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5539" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5538" CreationDate="2012-12-08T15:39:34.350" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This fascinating plant known as the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenium_boehmianum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bushman Poison&lt;/a&gt; is native to Namibia and the sap from the plant was used by Bushmen to make poison arrows. This species is known for not flowering as much as some of it's relatives such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenium_obesum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Adenium obesum.&lt;/a&gt;It is known as a slow grower and can require long periods of dormancy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Careful attention to their growth cycle should help you bring this plant to flower.  Keep in mind that many plants do not bloom until they are mature and your plant may still be a youngster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bright filtered light is best&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;never allow the plant to dry out as this can initiate dormancy which prevents the flowering cycle from starting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use a pot with lots of drainage holes and a free draining soil media with perlite, pumice or even lava rock (popular where I live for use with barbeque's)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ensure the plant has the bulk of the roots below the caudex (the enlarged water storage area). As a plant from a dry area the bulk of the roots are deep and the upper third of the soil serves to support the stem&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when growth starts in the spring they can be watered daily as long as they do not sit in water and the soil and pot is free draining. If the tips start browning and soil is moist cut back on the watering.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;continue a free watering regime during the spring and fertilize with a product rich in potassium and phosphorus without a too high nitrogen content.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you are keeping the plant in a cool climate it will naturally go into dormancy in the fall and drop most of it's leaves.  If kept in a greenhouse it can be considered an evergreen and might be more likely to flower.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;greenhouse conditions are good for growth but can encourage spider mite. Inspect the underside of the leaves regularly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-12-08T15:39:34.350" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5540" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5572" CreationDate="2012-12-08T22:47:23.020" Score="4" ViewCount="819" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing up vegetables (without any chemical products) and among them broccoli. They are good, but they've a big problem: they're full of very small insects, and when I cook them, I find them in my dish. This isn't very nice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do you keep far away your dish these small boring insects?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I eat my broccoli without insects? they hid themselves within broccoli and don't go away even if I wash broccoli with flowing water, neither if I put them in water with salt... :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1611" LastEditorUserId="1611" LastEditDate="2012-12-12T14:18:43.337" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T01:54:20.010" Title="How to remove small insects from broccoli?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5541" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5547" CreationDate="2012-12-09T16:46:53.980" Score="5" ViewCount="6719" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a rubber plant that lost quite few leaves shortly after we got it.  We've got it back on track and are seeing some new chutes, but I'm wondering if there's a way to grow new leaves on the stems that lost most of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1782" LastActivityDate="2012-12-11T00:11:44.093" Title="How to grow new leaves on rubber plant after they fall off" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5542" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5540" CreationDate="2012-12-09T17:28:36.113" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to grow your broccoli with a floating row cover as described &lt;a href=&quot;https://extension.umd.edu/growit/beyond-basics/floating-row-cover&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  The cover allows light and water in but prevents the adults from laying eggs on your vegetables. It is re-usable, not too expensive and has the added advantage of protecting your crop from late frost in spring or early frost in the fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not know of any way to efficiently remove insects in broccoli. Kids in my house have enough issues with it already, add some insects and they won't go near it, washed or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2017-03-31T01:29:25.413" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T01:29:25.413" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5544" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5514" CreationDate="2012-12-10T06:00:25.787" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It should be noted that the bumpy skinned haas avocados only come from clones of the original tree. Avocados grown from seed will be the normal smooth skinned avocado which does not have the high flavor of the haas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1784" LastActivityDate="2012-12-10T06:00:25.787" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5545" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5488" CreationDate="2012-12-10T06:17:46.423" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The main problem with rooting cacti is rot from sitting in wet soil. Water once to settle the soil and do not water again until you see new growth on the growing tip. The spots are probably the skin drying. This is normal. Cactus skin gets brown dry spots on older growth. If the color is more sickly green and the spot is soft then it is probably rot which happens from the inside out. You can save a cutting from rot by removing all infected flesh and allowing it to dry again before replanting. Cacti like lots of sun and heat, but the younger plants can benefit from some shade until well established. During growing season cacti likes plenty of water and will reward you with opulent growth. As the season grows to an end allow the soil to dry and then water only very occasionally during the colder season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1784" LastActivityDate="2012-12-10T06:17:46.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5535" CreationDate="2012-12-10T16:07:41.873" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know that a neutralizer will help.  You have excess and uneven distribution if nitrogen in your soil and lye won't neutralize that.  The only way to correct it is to even it out in some way or let the grass take up the nitrogen over time.  If the driveway drainage is creating the problem by washing over the yard I'd start by correcting that with a french drain or some other method.  Then I would do as you plan which is to put down more seed and water more frequently.  The streaks will even out over time.  I would also go easy on the fertilizer.  If you brought in good topsoil that will go a long way to helping you grow a nice looking lawn.  If and when you do fertilize I have had good luck using a whirlybird spreader set to half the recommended distribution rate and making one pass in a north/south direction and the other in an east/west.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2012-12-10T16:07:41.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5547" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5541" CreationDate="2012-12-11T00:11:44.093" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is very rare for rubber plants to start new growth from the abcission area where a leaf was.  I have seen it in high light, high humidity areas but your most effective solution is cut the stem off near the base leaving one or two of the ridges on the stem where the leaves were attached above the soil line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This may seem harsh but the plant will sprout out new growth after a few weeks and in six months your plant will look great and be shorter and more compact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2012-12-11T00:11:44.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5548" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-12-11T03:31:04.117" Score="10" ViewCount="11849" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm starting with the assumption that roses can grow from seed, as that's how most plants reproduce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wanting to grow roses with rosehips, which handily contain seeds. I can try cuttings as well of course, but thought it would be interesting to grow them from seed since that's what people tend not to do. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I collected a whole lot of rose hips from various roses (and after having stored them over winter) got the seeds out, put them in seed raising mix, etc, like with my other types of seeds, and I don't think any of them grew. It is possible I have two seedlings from one of the rosehips, but I'm not 100% sure they're not a deceptive weed, partly because it took around two months for them to sprout, which is a long time (and I was tricked by a lot of promising-looking seedlings that turned out to be weeds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So - what kind of conditions are needed for growing roses from seed, and what is a likely germination time? And do rose seedling look sufficiently similar to big roses to be able to identify them as such?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1339" LastActivityDate="2017-01-29T19:49:00.210" Title="How do I grow roses from seed?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5549" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-12-11T03:43:19.180" Score="7" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few years ago I covered my backyard garden with a thick layer of newspapers to kill the weeds. Now I think I might have spoiled the soil and have to do something to change its quality. What should I do now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1786" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-04-06T02:04:30.220" LastActivityDate="2018-04-06T02:04:30.220" Title="How can I improve the quality of soil after using newspapers to kill the weeds?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5557" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5549" CreationDate="2012-12-11T15:40:49.013" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Covering soil with plastic or newspapers is a common way of killing weeds in soil.  You haven't ruined your soil in any way.  Just do whatever you were planning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would till the soil as little as possible.  The proper way to do this is to prepare the soil for planting &lt;strong&gt;before&lt;/strong&gt; covering like this.  A lot of people cover their soil, kill the weeds and then till the soil which brings lot of dormant weed seeds to the surface.  Then they sprout and you conclude the process was a waste of time when it wasn't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2012-12-11T15:40:49.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5558" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5491" CreationDate="2012-12-11T18:16:45.473" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with the above recommendations, but you must also keep in mind that what works best for your lawn can greatly depend on the weather as well as what part of the country you live in.  To get a better idea of what would be most helpful for you particular situation as well as the warm Florida region that you reside in check out this article &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lawncare.net/best-grass-seed/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.lawncare.net/best-grass-seed/&lt;/a&gt;.  It gives some great pointers on seeding and I hope it provides some helpful insight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1727" LastActivityDate="2012-12-11T18:16:45.473" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5559" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-12-11T23:23:47.183" Score="5" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted it, indoors, about 2 days ago. I rotated it because I thought it was leaning. Then I heard a snap and realized i'd broken the roots. I didn't think roots would have already sprouted :(. Did I kill it? Or will it re-root itself??&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1789" LastActivityDate="2012-12-19T22:35:03.407" Title="I just planted a Paperwhite bulb and I broke the roots. Will it still grow?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5560" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-12-12T01:59:34.020" Score="5" ViewCount="1347" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Hens &amp;amp; Chicks on steroids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3gK7D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mystery plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in Baja California near Ensenada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1790" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2012-12-12T03:46:45.543" LastActivityDate="2012-12-13T03:23:19.823" Title="I'm trying to identify this succulent" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5561" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5560" CreationDate="2012-12-12T15:36:54.760" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its a type of Aeonium.  Maybe Aeonium canariense.  There are a lot of hybrids of aeonium so it might be difficult to pin it down exactly.  Canariense's leaves get tinged with red in bright sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2012-12-12T15:36:54.760" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5562" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-12-12T18:58:08.853" Score="6" ViewCount="13954" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_vera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Aloe vera&lt;/a&gt; plant has bloomed.  It has gotten very &quot;spidery&quot;, hanging out over the edges of the pot.  Some of the leaves down near the base have begun to dry up.  Someone told me they usually die after blooming.  Is there any truth in that? Is this spidery growth normal, can it be prevented or does it just happen in older Aloe vera plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1791" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-17T15:55:25.003" LastActivityDate="2013-09-17T15:55:25.003" Title="Is it normal for an Aloe vera to become spidery after blooming?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5562" CreationDate="2012-12-13T03:17:11.020" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is Agaves that die after flowering, not Aloes. Aloe will continue to grow after the flower stalk blooms. You can cut the flower stem off or leave it to dry. If the plant is becoming leggy it may be because of low light. The plant does become spidery with age, but should also produce new growth centers at the base and from the main stem along its length. Dried leaves are normal and you can cut them back or leave them to dry and peal from the stem then if you like. I like to remove the brown leaves but they can be attractive in a garden. Aloes like plenty of water during growing season and dry soil when it is cold. Of course, they also will take all the sun you can give them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1784" LastActivityDate="2012-12-13T03:17:11.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5565" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5536" CreationDate="2012-12-13T03:31:43.383" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would take basil by pinching whole stems off. The new growth is the best tasting and the plant will sprout multiple new stems from the old one. You have to be careful not to overdo it which is why you might want more than one plant to produce enough basil on a regular basis. Most herbs will respond to this treatment, I can't think of any exceptions, but I am sure there are some.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1784" LastActivityDate="2012-12-13T03:31:43.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5566" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5579" CreationDate="2012-12-13T18:06:21.863" Score="4" ViewCount="159" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this guy shortly before Hurricane Sandy, and then was stranded away from my apartment for a couple weeks while it died. It's managing to come back to life, but I'd love to know what kind of grass this is so I can best take care of it. Any guesses?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0APi4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1793" LastActivityDate="2012-12-15T16:40:48.997" Title="identify this tall grass plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5567" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2629" CreationDate="2012-12-14T04:53:06.060" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;i actually have this same plant. the kentucky mint. I would definitely replant it if i were you because this plant produces more roots than stems and will create about 30 to 40 more plants at the beginning of next year if you grow it to its full potential. I know I'm kinda late but give the plant more sunlight and more time for the leaves to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1795" LastActivityDate="2012-12-14T04:53:06.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5568" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2907" CreationDate="2012-12-14T04:58:33.200" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cannot identify the plant but it seems to be the same plant based on the angle that the new growth is coming up. Maybe all the plant needed was for the old bush to be removed so that it could get sunlight and create new and healthier growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1795" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-01-13T16:21:15.477" LastActivityDate="2013-01-13T16:21:15.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5569" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4863" CreationDate="2012-12-14T05:10:12.770" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never grafted a cutting onto another tree but it is very possible. You would have to cut the branches at a 60 degree angle and would have to shave an area of the other tree of the same size, and use twine to attach the two tightly. For a higher success rate take multiple cuttings from ANY tree of your choice and conduct this experiment multiple times on a tree and see what stays alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1795" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-12-15T20:25:06.913" LastActivityDate="2012-12-15T20:25:06.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5570" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5562" CreationDate="2012-12-14T05:17:43.510" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aloe Vera plants need lots of sunlight and will continue to create new growth throughout its life. In order for this to happen the plant must focus more on its new growth than the older leaves and may be the reason why the outer leaves are dying. So take the old leaves and use them on your skin and eat it to get reap the historical benefits of the plant which is high in vitamins. At the same time though you must act quickly because once left dead for a day or two the plant begins to produce toxins and brown up. try to bury the old leaves so that the plant can take the nutrients and create more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1795" LastActivityDate="2012-12-14T05:17:43.510" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5571" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5549" CreationDate="2012-12-14T05:27:22.650" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Now that the weeds are dead the best thing to do is dig up the roots of the weeds and bang out all excess soil then through them away ( I would not  compose them because once most weeds get water their roots create more plants). Water the yard when necessary to loosen up the ground for grass to grow in. The process of grooming the yard may take weeks depending on the size but is worth it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1795" LastActivityDate="2012-12-14T05:27:22.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5572" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5540" CreationDate="2012-12-14T05:34:53.253" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a powder called diatomaceous earth that you purchase which has microscopic edges that cut the insects' waxy coat and dehydrates them. It's also edible so don't  worry about it getting on your plants. It can also be ingested daily to reduce waste in the colon and gives you glowing skin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1795" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-31T01:54:20.010" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T01:54:20.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5536" CreationDate="2012-12-14T05:39:27.393" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best thing to do always is take leaves from the top of the plant so that it can grow fuller. In the case of a fully grown basil plant, though, the best thing to do is take off as many big leaves as needed so that the other leaves get more sunlight. That way they can grow to full size so that by the time you need to pick more leaves they are fully grown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1795" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-12T22:42:54.297" LastActivityDate="2016-12-12T22:42:54.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5575" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5535" CreationDate="2012-12-14T05:53:42.950" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check the pH and get it back to 7 with a base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1795" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-12-14T17:54:25.940" LastActivityDate="2012-12-14T17:54:25.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5576" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5493" CreationDate="2012-12-14T15:01:43.123" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely start with a soil test. You mention that the soil is black, rich, but artificial fertilizers and many pesticides can lead to biologically poor soil. Without good soil biology, much of the nutrients you dump on your lawn remains unavailable to grass.  If you can afford it, get a bioassay done (like that from &lt;a href=&quot;http://soilfoodwebnewyork.com/&quot;&gt;http://soilfoodwebnewyork.com/&lt;/a&gt; but from a local lab).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also mention that your soil is moist. This in itself can be the problem. The number 1 cause of lawn problems is improper watering. Lawns should be watered deeply and infrequently, and you should let them dry out between watering. This encourages deep turf root growth and helps it compete with weeds. You may also have drainage issues - which a soil test may be able to detect. Continually wet soils lead to disease and prevent turf from competing with weeds effectively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, I can't tell from the photo exactly, but it looks like your grass is cut really short. You should not cut your lawn below 3&quot; during the growing season, and never cut off more than 1/3 of the height of the grass. Taller grass has much more leaf area, shades out weeds and their seeds, cools the ground below it to reduce evapo-transpiration and heat stress, and leads to much healthier lawns. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, leave grass clippings in place if at all possible. These clippings can be an important input of both carbon (food for the soil biology) and nitrogen (food for the turf).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2012-12-14T15:01:43.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5577" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1499" CreationDate="2012-12-14T15:09:02.347" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I disagree with advice about dethatching. In healthy cool season lawns this is not a problem. If you have excessive thatch it is because of the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Excessive growth caused by over-fertilization and heavy watering;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Infrequent mowing that creates long clippings;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Heavy, compacted soils;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Unfavorable soil conditions that interfere with microorganisms that break down thatch. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;(from &lt;a href=&quot;http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-1006/HLA-6604.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Thatch Management&#xA;  in Lawns&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dethatching is not only unnecessary in healthy lawns, but it can also be an important pathway for weeds to invade. When you pull thatch, you remove roots, expose soil, and allow light to fall on weed seeds. These seeds, in their newly found perfect environment, spring into action and can easily outcompete the recently weakened dethatched grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-07-23T22:25:48.500" LastActivityDate="2016-07-23T22:25:48.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5578" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3864" CreationDate="2012-12-14T15:26:31.507" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lawns should be watered between the hours of 2am and 9am (or thereabouts). Evaporative loss is a concern for two reasons: it's a waste of water, and when a significant proportion of the water you apply evaporates, your turf isn't receiving as much water as you think it is. But even if you account for this evaporative loss (and you should) and don't care about wasting water (you should care), it is still important to limit your watering at a time that doesn't extend the amount of time your turf is wet (from dew, for example). If you water at 8pm, you are extending that wet time by 6 hours or more. Diseases, especially fungal infections love wet turf, and the longer the grass is wet, the greater the chance of infection. By 4am, your turf is already wet with dew, and it will dry out once the sun comes out again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just as important as the question of when to water is how much and how frequently to water. Water as infrequently as possible while still providing the proper amount (here is a nice guide, though every state will have one: &lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-010/430-010.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-010/430-010.html&lt;/a&gt;). A typical lawn needs (depending on soil, location, grass type, slope, etc.) between .75&quot; - 1.5&quot; of water a week (including rainfall). The only way to know how long to water is to know how much water your sprinkler applies in a given time (see How to Calibrate Sprinkler Heads - &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/LH/LH02600.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/LH/LH02600.pdf&lt;/a&gt;). Only after you know this can you determine how long you need to let those run. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2012-12-14T15:26:31.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5579" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5566" CreationDate="2012-12-14T17:59:14.023" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Got it — it's Gracillimus Maiden Grass (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miscanthus_sinensis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Miscanthus sinensis &quot;Gracillimus&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1793" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-12-15T16:40:48.997" LastActivityDate="2012-12-15T16:40:48.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5580" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-12-15T17:33:58.100" Score="8" ViewCount="1212" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well I have two parent mint plants and both of them lost all of their leaves and sprouted up about 50 new sprouts that are growing great, but the original parent plants still don't have leaves. Should I dig them up or give them time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1795" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-12-15T19:45:05.283" LastActivityDate="2012-12-17T16:23:52.473" Title="End of the Season Mint" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5581" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5580" CreationDate="2012-12-15T19:44:32.597" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha&quot;&gt;Mint&lt;/a&gt; is generally a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbaceous&quot;&gt;herbaceous&lt;/a&gt; perennial, so it loses its leaves and dies back every winter, then new shoots sprout from the roots in spring.  With mine, I cut the dead stems back to just above soil level as part of my normal garden clean-up going into winter, and that's what I recommend you do.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't dig up the dead stalks because mint spreads by sending up new shoots from its roots, and those roots are still alive and part of your baby plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your two original plants might regrow from their bases, but with fifty baby plants, I don't think you'll be lacking for mint this year either way.  (And I hope for your sake that you have them in a container, otherwise at that rate of growth, you'll have over 1200 plants next year and 31,000 the year after!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2012-12-15T19:44:32.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5582" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-12-16T05:10:10.507" Score="8" ViewCount="1139" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;nepenthes ventricosa x mira&lt;/a&gt; has lost two of the four traps it had when it shipped in but the leaves are still living, kinda growing, and are healthy. But I am wondering how long they will last.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although one is a small insignificant leaf the other is the largest in the plant so if it died before the next leaf fully developed the plant would be devastated and growth would be stunted due to its small size. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am just hoping to know as the pitcher died about nine days ago and I am relying on those two leaves staying alive at least another two weeks. I am sure the pitchers died from shipping as they had no fluid In them and being a small plant I couldn't refill them easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1749" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-14T20:23:25.387" LastActivityDate="2019-01-26T18:00:33.533" Title="How long do Nepenthes leaves last without traps?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;nepenthes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5583" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5640" CreationDate="2012-12-16T13:29:46.350" Score="4" ViewCount="2270" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am living in Tartu where the water is middle hard.&#xA;I think that it is partially the reason why some of my plants are dying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I manage my plants by&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;watering once a week by room temperature, 20C, water middle-hard&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;showering them once a month - cleaning dusts away&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;removing death parts of the plants if needed everyday&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally filter the same water which I drink.&#xA;However, I do not filter it to water the plants.&#xA;The filtering does not affect the calcium level of the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Possible reasons why some of my plants are dying&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the high level of the calcium is the problem why some of my plants are dying&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;little light during the winter time, I am not using bright light bulbs for them&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the water has much different microflora than for instance human&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How would you soften the water?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is probable that the light is the key problem.&#xA;However, I would like to get your comments about if the hardness of the water affect on plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1798" LastActivityDate="2013-01-04T16:41:47.557" Title="How to soften water to water plants?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5584" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5591" CreationDate="2012-12-16T19:26:24.020" Score="3" ViewCount="1904" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;First, I'll set the scene:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: South Florida&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Temperature: 75°F - 85°F most days&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rain: Had been fairly dry until the last couple days&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Affected plant: Mandevilla with yellow flowers&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YBUd1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yellow Mandevilla&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Story:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There usually isn't a day that goes by that I don't take a close look at my mandevilla (multiple) in order to guide the vines and such. So, I was surprised to notice this morning these little orange insects on the bottoms of a bunch of leaves that looked like the life was being sucked out of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZsJUk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Insect and eggs on removed leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut most of the leaves they'd infested and hit the rest of the plants with some high-pressure water to hopefully knock off some of the remaining insects and the little black specs (eggs?) that accompanied them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After that, I sprayed a combo of water and Dawn soap around the affected areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are these little guys, and what's the best way to keep them in check?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/khRKe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Insect fully grown&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OfaI4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Insects on the Mandevilla&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1671" LastActivityDate="2012-12-19T19:39:58.363" Title="What are these orange insects under the leaves of my mandevilla?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;mandevilla&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5585" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2012-12-16T19:27:45.250" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2012-12-16T19:27:45.250" LastActivityDate="2012-12-16T19:27:45.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5586" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2012-12-16T19:27:45.250" Score="0" Body="Mandevilla is a genus of plants belonging to the the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. It consists of about 100 species, mostly tropical and subtropical flowering vines.&#xD;&#xA;&#xD;&#xA;Mandevilla species are native the Southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America and South America. Many originate from the Serra dos Órgãos forests in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The genus was named after Henry Mandeville (1773-1861), a British diplomat and gardener." OwnerUserId="1671" LastEditorUserId="1671" LastEditDate="2012-12-17T21:21:28.707" LastActivityDate="2012-12-17T21:21:28.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5587" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5583" CreationDate="2012-12-16T21:38:51.657" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, I'll make my comment an answer: Use rainwater for your plants (but please, do not drink unfiltered). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In case you live in an apartment, you may consider &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_12117341_harvest-rain-apartment-balcony.html&quot;&gt;this idea&lt;/a&gt; to harvest it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2012-12-16T21:38:51.657" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5589" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5580" CreationDate="2012-12-17T16:23:52.473" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mint has a tendency to stop growing in containers after a couple of years, so that might be why the parent plants aren't doing anything. The cause of the problem is twofold - they like a nice, deep rootrun, up to 18 inches, and they like to spread far and wide. If the original plant reaches a block on the length of its roots, the offshoots take over and carry on growing until they reach root limit too. In containers, its often best to tip them out, split what's there and repot separately, as you would with any other herbaceous perennial plant. You may need to discard the older, central parts, again, as is normal with herbaceous perennials. Best done in Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-12-17T16:23:52.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5590" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5549" CreationDate="2012-12-17T16:31:19.573" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You won't have 'spoiled' the soil - newspaper is biodegradable, lets air and water through, so the soil beneath won't be sterile and without life. Whether you improve what's there by adding humus rich materials (composted animal manures, leaf mould, garden compost you've made yourself, anything like that) is largely dependent on what you actually want to grow in the ground. Some plants don't appreciate manures (root vegetables) but plenty of others do. Raising the humus content of the soil, though, is never a bad thing to do; by and large, most plants will thrive in amended soil because it improves bio diversity, thereby improving growing conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-12-17T16:31:19.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5591" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5584" CreationDate="2012-12-19T19:39:58.363" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am no expert about bugs or caterpillars. But still I have a guess: from what I found what you have there &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; be &lt;em&gt;Oleander Caterpillar&lt;/em&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syntomeida_epilais&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Syntomeida epilais at Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; - however the pictures there did not lead me to this conclusion).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/info_8647271_wrong-mandevilla-turning-yellow.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for an article I found which lead me to this &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/in/in13500.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;PDF of the University of Florida&lt;/a&gt; about these caterpillars. Look at Fig.2 on page 2. The small ones seem to be similar to your pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this PDF there is also a section about controlling this pest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2012-12-19T19:39:58.363" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5592" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1551" CreationDate="2012-12-19T21:58:26.603" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow it in the UK where it thrives. I'd suggest putting it in a shady area under some trees or shrubs. Maybe you could grow it in late winter / spring and autumn as an annual? It needs cold dormancy (induce in late summer by putting the root in a bag and in a freezer). Then in late summer when it is cooling down - plant it and harvest in late autumn / early winter and maybe through till spring. When it starts getting hot again, cut it back, dig it up and store it in a fridge until late summer when it should go in the freezer for a week or two.&#xA;I'm not sure if this will work, but Rhubarb is very cold hardy and could be forced to grow in a cooler part of thr year IMO. It won't thrive in heat though, so don't have it un the ground during the middle of summer. &#xA;I'm not sure if it'll work, but it's worth a try. Rhubarb roots are dirt cheap and can be divided every few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your problem is growing rhubarb in a warm climate, mine is growing grapes in a cool climate. Rhubarb is easy to grow here - put it in the ground and forget about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1804" LastActivityDate="2012-12-19T21:58:26.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4863" CreationDate="2012-12-19T22:19:32.133" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;1) Apple onto apple usually works, not always. Bear in mind that grafts are weak spots and a grafted branch would have to be supported for years. A apple tree with two varieties grafted is often marketed as a &quot;family tree&quot;. Grafting should really be onto the rootstock if you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) I don't think so. Quince is used to provide roots to Pear trees to keep them small, it doesn't graft onto apple or pear itself, it's the other way round. Apple is grafted onto dwarf and crab apple roots. Grow Quince from cuttings, they're not a big tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) Putting a pear onto Quince roots makes it dwarf. I think apples only go onto dwarf variety and crab apple roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;4) In theory - yes. They're closely related and both are usually grafted onto Mirabelle plum rootstock. It's better to graft onto the rootstock itself and to try and establish a family tree though. There are often compatibility issues between species and even different varieties. You must be careful not to damage the rootstock when grafting though or else the grafted tree could die. You also have to watch out for silverleaf disease with plums,  cherries, peaches and a few other related plants. It often infects then via cuts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) I'm not sure. It might be because sap in the tree would ve rising and make it bleed, weakening the tree. T budding in theory is less likely to make it bleed a lot. You also have to watch out for diseases with whip and tongue as mentioned earlier. If you use whip and tongue, seal the graft with beeswax.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1804" LastActivityDate="2012-12-19T22:19:32.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5559" CreationDate="2012-12-19T22:35:03.407" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It'll probably grow new ones. I planted mine a week ago and they're nearly blooming!&#xA;I've had our native ones indoors for months, trying to for them and the paperwhites have done more in a week than those others have in 2 months! It might be too hot inside for the native ones, paperwhites are from the Med so can tolerate the heat better I guess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1804" LastActivityDate="2012-12-19T22:35:03.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5595" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5359" CreationDate="2012-12-20T11:10:13.140" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grasses can resprout from a tiny piece of root so you are going to have a problem. One solution is to cover the soil for eight weeks with sheet plastic. This will sterilize the soil killing a majority of the remaining roots. You will need to prepare the bed as is you were going to plant, then water thoroughly before covering the soil with two layers of 4 mil polyethylene. Cover the edges of the plastic with dirt to create an air tight seal. Leave it alone for eight weeks. Remove the plastic and plant. If you don't have a problem with chemicals in the garden another approach is to water the patch thoroughly, allow the grass to sprout a few inches and blast it with roundup weed killer. You need to repeat this a few times at three week intervals to get the majority of the weed roots. This works best in the spring, of course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1784" LastActivityDate="2012-12-20T11:10:13.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5596" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5597" CreationDate="2012-12-20T11:38:35.483" Score="5" ViewCount="190" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have a terrace garden, so I was wondering which kind of &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;herbs&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;can be grown in &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&quot;flower pots&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My balcony gets abundant sunlight in summers and zero sunlight in winters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The herbs I wish to plant are:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fenugreek    &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Coriander    &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Green chilies&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="332" LastEditorUserId="332" LastEditDate="2012-12-21T04:13:19.140" LastActivityDate="2012-12-22T18:40:25.093" Title="Which kinds of herbs can be grown in flower pots?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5597" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5596" CreationDate="2012-12-20T14:07:50.680" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This sounds like a simple question which might have a simple answer. It doesn't, not really. First, let me say that it's possible to grow almost anything in pots - what eventually constricts growth on most large plants will be not enough root room, so a large tree won't get too large, for instance, and may become stunted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking, depending which herbs you want to grow, use containers with a depth of 8-12 inches, no less. The more root room you give for them, the better they will do, and on a hot balcony, you won't have to be watering 3 times a day, as you would in small pots. Some herbs, like parsley, do better in wider containers 8 inches deep - you need a bigger area on top of the container to grow enough to be useful for cooking, so something like an 8 inch deep trough or window box is good for something like that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your climate and micro climate are important considerations when choosing which herbs you might grow, rather more important than the question of containers. You may gather from this answer that, in fact, it depends which herbs you want to grow, so I suggest you decide which ones you want, and then check out whether they'll grow 1) in your area and 2) what size pots you might need to use. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fenugreek (Trigonella) is an annual plant, can be grown from seed in spring, will reach about 75 cm in a good sized pot.&#xA;Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is another annual, grown from seed in spring. Needs a deepish pot to reach its full size, keep well watered. Let flower if you want to collect seeds for food use.&#xA;Chili peppers (Capsicum) count as a vegetable rather than a herb - again, an annual, needs a good sized pot too (all should be around 20cm deep). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2012-12-22T18:40:25.093" LastActivityDate="2012-12-22T18:40:25.093" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3223" CreationDate="2012-12-20T21:15:26.260" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;After you've drained the gas and oil you should clean the bearing and moving parts in the lawn mower with a lubricant like WD-40 or anything that isn't too oily that will cause dust and debris to stick to it – How to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lawncare.net/how-to-winterize-lawn-care-equipment/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Winterize Lawn Care Equipment&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1727" LastActivityDate="2012-12-20T21:15:26.260" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5596" CreationDate="2012-12-21T02:29:14.783" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any herb can grow in a flower pot but if i had to suggest my personal favorite. I would say that the rosemary plant would be the best plant for the setting you described. They can grow in  both sunny and shaded areas. They are similar to the evergreen trees with the needlelike leaves which is designs by nature to keep it protected through winter. Because they are woody plants they take longer to grow making it great for a container. Plus they smell great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1795" LastActivityDate="2012-12-21T02:29:14.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5600" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4533" CreationDate="2012-12-21T02:34:08.343" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it's hard to say if it's ok or not. It all depends on the herb and how much you water the plant, each plant varies. For instance, rosemary only needs to be watered when it dries out, while mint plants love to have lots of water. I would try it out and see how it goes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1795" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-13T00:25:51.207" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T00:25:51.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5601" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3655" CreationDate="2012-12-21T02:43:10.713" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I learned a trick from my botany teacher, maybe it can be helpful. There was an indoor container garden using florescent lights and because there wasn't much space for the plants to grow tall, she would pinch off the new growth from the top of the basil plants so that the plant would focus more on filling itself out and having bigger leaves and it wont grow as tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1795" LastActivityDate="2012-12-21T02:43:10.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1557" CreationDate="2012-12-21T02:45:55.603" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;there is a powder called diatomaceous earth that you purchase which has microscopic edges that cut the insects' waxy coat and dehydrates them. It's also edible so don't worry about it getting on your plants. It can also be ingested daily to reduce waste in the colon and gives you glowing skin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1795" LastActivityDate="2012-12-21T02:45:55.603" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5603" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3864" CreationDate="2012-12-21T16:42:23.410" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Congratulations on the purchase of your house!  Lawn care can be one of the most complicated things for new homeowners and there is definitely a right and wrong way to water your lawn.  Things like seasons, how much water to use and how often to water your lawn all play a big part in the health of your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have an article &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lawncare.net/lawn-watering-done-right/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;on watering lawns&lt;/a&gt; that has instructions and tips to maintaining a good lawn. In brief:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Water a Lawn Deeply and Infrequently&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Deep watering (about one inch of water, one or two times a week) is much better for your plants than shallow, frequent watering, which leads to shallow roots and impacts the ability of your lawn to survive drought conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Change the watering schedule according to the seasons&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grass does not need the same amount of water when it is growing as it does when it is dormant. So change your watering schedule depending on the season and how much rain you get.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do not overwater&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering too much is a waste because once the soil is saturated, excess water will drain off into the ground water system.  If a soil remains saturated, lawns can suffer from lack of oxygen, which is equally as bad as suffering from drought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1727" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2012-12-28T19:02:32.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5605" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-12-24T13:54:20.290" Score="6" ViewCount="1660" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently moved into a new construction here this December, and since we have cold winters where I live, the builder was not going to do any landscaping for us.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What they did was spread some (very) rough top soil across the yard with the intention that it can be tilled and grass can be planted in Spring.  In the meantime however I have a puppy that is having a very awkward and difficult time navigating the dirt to do his business when I let him out.  He is refusing to go into the dirt and the thought of walking him across the street to go in my already unfriendly neighbors lawns isn't a good way to get on their good side.  Plus I don't want to walk across the streets in below 0 weather with a cold puppy everytime he needs to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question then is what can I realistically do about this craggy and unmanageable topsoil in my yard to smooth it over and make it easier for the puppy to walk across.  Even if I can just do a small section it would be preferable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1285" LastActivityDate="2013-12-28T03:01:26.300" Title="New construction, rough top soil spread, how to flatten it?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5606" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="283" CreationDate="2012-12-24T17:51:36.210" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;On putting greens and highly maintained public parks such as Lego land they use very specific varieties of grass, namely Bermuda and bent grasses, which can be kept very short and maintain a good appearance. They also devote a large amount of effort to keep weeds out of such lawns. A weed in this case would be any other plant at all, no other grasses. Of course there are grass seeds all over and they are watering and maintaining these turfs so the advantageous grass seeds are a constant problem. Full time work is the solution to your problem! But starting with the right turf and keeping it free of weeds is the place to start. I noticed while searching that on high traffic putting greens and some areas at Lego land they use an artificial turf that is quite real in appearance. Maybe that is what you saw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1784" LastActivityDate="2012-12-24T17:51:36.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2632" CreationDate="2012-12-26T10:20:48.880" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with the very helpful advice above, but depending on the thickness of the clay, you may find a soakaway trench doesn't work (the trench would just fill, like a pond). &#xA;You may need to drain the water into the the drainage system, fairly easy if the slopes work, If not build a sump and pump the water into the drainage system. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps you can find information for garden drainage and sump pumps here.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flowerpotman.com/lawnsandgardendrainage.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.flowerpotman.com/lawnsandgardendrainage.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1813" LastActivityDate="2012-12-26T10:20:48.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5608" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2632" CreationDate="2012-12-26T20:57:42.743" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant daikon radishes in the area affected these radishes are 3 feet deep/long. After each plant makes these &quot;holes&quot; and rot. You will have better drainage. The rotting root/radishes will become humus which will also make the soil more drain-able. effect  Seeds are cheap and the leaves and root are also edible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1815" LastActivityDate="2012-12-26T20:57:42.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="283" CreationDate="2012-12-26T21:03:25.200" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;White clover only gets to 2 inches or less with foot traffic and in the wild(no mowing or foot traffic) they only get to 6 inches.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/white_clover.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/white_clover.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1815" LastActivityDate="2012-12-26T21:03:25.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5610" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5605" CreationDate="2012-12-26T21:09:55.193" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can always buy turf, dirt or a lot of mulch to cover the rough gravel/topsoil. Obviously, you can't trespass on your neighbor's yard or grow grass from seed now in your zone 6/7 in the winter. It's going to take money.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1815" LastEditorUserId="219" LastEditDate="2013-12-28T03:01:26.300" LastActivityDate="2013-12-28T03:01:26.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5611" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2642" CreationDate="2012-12-26T21:13:50.570" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If they get too much Nitrogen, they will stop killing to get protein/Nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1815" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-01-29T03:56:27.983" LastActivityDate="2013-01-29T03:56:27.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5612" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3864" CreationDate="2012-12-26T21:21:34.723" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watering in the day is actually good for the plant because it reduces the chance of it getting  mold/disease. However due to higher evaporation rate in the sunlight/day it is best to o it at night when the humidity/temp/light is lower to reduce your water use and also to let the water soak to a deeper level that just the top 1 inch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1815" LastActivityDate="2012-12-26T21:21:34.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5583" CreationDate="2012-12-26T21:25:08.430" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you must use &quot;city&quot; water let it air out for at least 24 hours or use a air stone to evap the chlorine and other volatile molecules.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1815" LastActivityDate="2012-12-26T21:25:08.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5615" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5535" CreationDate="2012-12-26T21:33:49.603" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dont add nitrogen. Next time add white clover, they fix nitrogen from the sun and only get to be 2-6 inches high&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1815" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2012-12-27T14:36:25.160" LastActivityDate="2012-12-27T14:36:25.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5540" CreationDate="2012-12-26T21:41:22.557" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I also had this problem. they are called aphids. &#xA;Ladybugs eat them so plant lady bug plant attractors.&#xA;Dont grow anything in the cabbage family for a year. &#xA;You still have radish/beet/chard/etc&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1815" LastActivityDate="2012-12-26T21:41:22.557" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5617" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5491" CreationDate="2012-12-26T22:00:49.173" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would add some white clover, they are usually only 2 inches tall with out mowing just foot traffic. Max of 6 inches in the wild. they also naturally fix nitrogen and uses less water.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1815" LastActivityDate="2012-12-26T22:00:49.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5618" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2578" CreationDate="2012-12-26T22:36:04.410" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would combine the sand and urbanite together and then cover with mulch and plant some vines to cover the &quot;eyesore&quot;. After a few years the mulch will help make it a hill. Most plants don't mind the rock unless you plan on planting potatoes in it. I have seen some trees growing on cliffs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1815" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-04-08T18:48:57.303" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T18:48:57.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5621" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-12-27T13:55:11.020" Score="6" ViewCount="2124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got used to shovels that have a pointed blade like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IgzL6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pointed blade&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;which is more or less the right shape for digging ground. Now the very same shovel (same handle, same everything) comes in this design with a rounded blade:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7eUZK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rounded blade&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;which I'd guess would not stick into soil as well as the pointed one. Still there're plenty of such shovel offerings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When would I use the latter design (rounded blade) shovel instead of the former design (pointed blade) shovel?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastActivityDate="2012-12-29T13:32:22.057" Title="When would I prefer a shovel with a rounded blade over one with a pointed blade?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5623" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5605" CreationDate="2012-12-27T20:56:20.763" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are only needing to do a small area then try this.  Go to a rental store and rent a sod kicker.  The manual ones are maybe $10-$15 for a half day.  With it you can scrape loose 2-3 inches of soil per pass.  Then smooth you can smooth it with a metal rake.  I have graded small areas like this.  Even if it doesn't work like you want, its cheap and worth a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2012-12-27T20:56:20.763" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5624" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5629" CreationDate="2012-12-28T21:30:14.867" Score="4" ViewCount="2434" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a weird orange spherical fungus growing in our garden, any idea what it is and if we need to do anything special to get rid of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HyIeA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1819" LastActivityDate="2012-12-29T18:11:03.723" Title="Orange spherical fungus in garden" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5625" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5621" CreationDate="2012-12-28T22:20:01.590" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did a little looking around on landscapers sites to see what I could find. One thing I noticed is that transplanting spades have the rounded tip as compared to digging spades which have the pointed tip. Transplanting spades also have a longer spoon which your example does not. This leads me to guess that the shovel with the rounded tip is for situations where you would want to preserve the ball of soil unharmed, such as digging up small plants to move, whereas the pointed shovel would be used when you want to take as big a bite as possible without concern about the ball of soil staying in one piece, such as turning soil or digging a ditch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1784" LastActivityDate="2012-12-28T22:20:01.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5626" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-12-29T06:01:28.603" Score="3" ViewCount="3867" Body="&lt;p&gt;My aloe plant is not growing right. I've had it for about a year and the leaves are bending and drying up. Please help me because I don't want it to die, they are very beautiful plants. Can I transplant it in the winter? I just don't know what to do, it’s dying from the tip to the base of the plaint. I can’t give you a picture because this is my first time posting on this site.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1820" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-01-03T00:52:47.207" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T21:29:22.830" Title="Why are my aloe's leaves bent and drying up, and what can I do to help it grow?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5628" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5621" CreationDate="2012-12-29T13:32:22.057" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, let me just say that these look like spades, not shovels, although I think in America the terms seem to be interchangeable, so it's moot. A shovel is broader, with a dished shape, usually with a raised ridge along either edge left and right, running vertically. A spade is more or less flat from side to side, and often has a ridge at the top, horizontally placed, for putting your foot onto when digging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pointed spades like the one in your first picture are designed to make digging lighter work - it's easier to penetrate the ground with the point, and the spade itself holds less soil, making it lighter to use. These are intended for people with less body strength. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-12-29T13:32:22.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5624" CreationDate="2012-12-29T18:04:45.570" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This appears to be a slime mold (not a fungus) in the genus Lycogala; most likely either L. epidendron or L.terrestre. It is harmless to your garden, feeding on microorganisms and other detritus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1822" LastEditorUserId="1822" LastEditDate="2012-12-29T18:11:03.723" LastActivityDate="2012-12-29T18:11:03.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5630" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2012-12-30T08:53:30.870" Score="4" ViewCount="15945" Body="&lt;p&gt;A colleague told me that in a region where all tree removal required consent he had processed many consents for removing lemon trees and concluded they (and limes) are particularly bad at damaging concrete paths and foundations. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is of particular interest to me since just a few months ago I planted a lemon tree not much more than 1m from the concrete foundation of our house. I don't have a lot of space so it makes sense to keep things tightly spaced, and I was intending to keep it heavily pruned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a 600mm eave and it's usually quite dry under it, so towards the house is probably an undesirable direction for the roots to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone confirm whether lemon trees are any worse at damaging concrete than other trees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="715" LastEditorUserId="715" LastEditDate="2012-12-30T19:31:18.867" LastActivityDate="2012-12-31T00:12:47.683" Title="Are lemon tree roots unusually damaging to nearby concrete?" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5631" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5630" CreationDate="2012-12-31T00:12:47.683" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, they're not. Usually, people buy dwarf lemon tree varieties, but if they don't realise and just buy a non dwarf lemon, that'll reach 6 metres. They are rather slow growing though, and the dwarf varieties often produce suckers off the rootstock - left in situ, these will grow very rapidly and easily be taller than the tree itself rather quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most likely explanation as to why your friend is constantly being asked to remove lemon trees is that, most often, people plant them in a sheltered spot, often near paving or near the house, both for ease of access and shelter and, perhaps, sun. Certainly, if they do not buy a dwarf variety, having a 6 metre tree within a metre of a house would mean removal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, 1 metre from concrete foundations is too close in my opinion - I'd be shifting it to at least 3 metres away, preferably 4 or 5 if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2012-12-31T00:12:47.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5632" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4251" CreationDate="2012-12-31T17:03:11.567" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Washington state removed the restrictions on rainwater harvesting for homeowners. It is not against the law now, in Wa. state to collect rainwater for personal use. That changed in 2009. Find the info here: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2011/016.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2011/016.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, if you set up a massive dam and store millions of gallons of water, that is another story, particularly in Eastern Washington state. This is fodder for some extremists who have tried to prevaricate the situation by misrepresenting the facts, and spreading hate and discontent. This is totally wrong. The average homeowner can collect and store rainwater in Wa. State. It's no longer against the law - however it was for 90 some years before 2009.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1823" LastActivityDate="2012-12-31T17:03:11.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5633" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5635" CreationDate="2013-01-02T05:10:05.070" Score="9" ViewCount="2067" Body="&lt;p&gt;In July I moved into a new house with an established lemon tree (about 4-5 m high) and orange tree (3-4 m high). Apart from collecting the last crop we have left them alone. &#xA;The previous tenants grew their own vegies, so I assume the trees were cared for up until about April last year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today I stripped off a vine that had been growing all over them, and I wonder what care should I give them now. I assume I should get rid of all the stuff growing under them. Is it too late/early to fertilise (I'm in Sydney, so it is midsummer)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the leaves on the lemon are a bit yellow, but that might be from being overgrown by the vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1825" LastActivityDate="2013-01-03T06:03:08.317" Title="what care should I give my lemon and orange tree after 8 months neglect?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5634" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-01-03T05:39:17.870" Score="2" ViewCount="1647" Body="&lt;p&gt;Several months ago I planted a row of blueberries in order to form an (edible) hedge. At the same time I installed an automatic watering system for these and the rest of my fruit trees and vegetable patches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used a variety of systems including mini sprinklers, drippers and soaker hoses for the different types of trees, shrubs and vegies. For the blueberries, I put in two drippers for each plant, one either side of the trunk about 20cm (8 inches) from the trunk and underneath a 1-2 inch layer of lucern mulch. The rationale for this was that since I will train these bushes to grow as a hedge, a dripper would work to sit under the hedge and apply water to the root zone, whereas a sprinkler would get blocked. I applied well rotted compost and acid loving plant poultry manure based pelleted fertiliser when planting, and added additional fertiliser 2 months after planting. The subsurface soil in my area is an acidic heavy clay, although the top 6-12 inches in the location of the blueberries is a more balanced imported garden soil. I am in Sydney, so we are currently in the middle of a hot, dry summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is the background. My problem is that the blueberries are growing very slowly with little new growth and the tips (in some cases the 'tip' is up to half of the leaf) are showing a burnt reddish appearance and shrivel up and die. I found &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2861/why-does-my-blueberry-bush-have-brown-scorched-leaves&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; question which appears to describe the same issue. One thing I noted is the suggestion to wet the entire root area. I also found on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/hort/news/allontario/ao0403a3.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; site the comment &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;There is little lateral translocation of water and nutrients within the plant. This means that irrigation should moisten entire root zone, not just a portion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could my problem be that the use of two localise watering points means I am not getting water to the whole root zone? The worst case scenario would be that I'm over-watering some parts and under-watering others!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would the optimal irrigation method for a blueberry hedge be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1580" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2013-01-05T00:20:02.090" Title="What type of irrigation system works best with blueberries?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5635" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5633" CreationDate="2013-01-03T06:03:08.317" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did the trees flower over the last few months? Do they currently have small green fruit on them? If so then you have a chance to save the current crop in which case you should definitely fertilise. Use a good quality citrus fertiliser. For trees of that size you will need to apply quite a bit. It has taken me a few seasons of caring for the established citrus trees I moved into a place with to get my head around how hungry they are. Without enough fertiliser you will get a lot of fruit drop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't have fruit on your tree now then you've missed this seasons crop so fertilising or not won't make a huge difference, but it can't hurt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should definitely clear all grass and weeds in the area under the trees. Citrus do not like grass etc growing in the root zone. Be careful when removing the weeds as citrus have relatively shallow roots than can be disturbed by vigorous digging. Once you've cleared the root zone, put down a goodly layer of cow manure (and fertilizer) then top with mulch such as sugarcane or lucern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yellow leaves can be a sign of general nutrient deficiency (lack of fertiliser) or specific lack of zinc and magnesium. First thing is to clear the weeds, mulch and fertilise. If you still have problems you can investigate further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing you probably want to do it give them a good prune. If they have fruit on them just take off the worst looking leaves and any dead wood at this point. If not, then you could take the opportunity to prune them harder, in particular opening up the middle of the tree and removing any diseased leaves (leafminer, black scale etc). My established citrus have been doing much better since I gave them a hard prune after I suspect several years of no pruning. Just avoid doing this while they are fruiting or you will lose that crop (most likely).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, citrus need a fair bit of TLC to keep them going well. I'm in northern Sydney and find that unless I keep up a consistent schedule of applying white oil then leafminer and black scale take over. I also get a lot of bronze sucking bugs (commonly known as stink bugs) which I remove with a pair of tweezers. Again I find that unless I go around at least once a week or so the bug population gets out of hand. Personally I'd find it difficult to give this attention to a 4 metre high tree, so I now keep mine to around 2-2.5m high. This obviously makes picking the fruit much easier as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1580" LastActivityDate="2013-01-03T06:03:08.317" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5636" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-01-03T11:36:28.243" Score="3" ViewCount="12846" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible Duplicate:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2937/why-has-our-lucky-bamboo-turned-yellow&quot;&gt;Why has our lucky bamboo turned yellow?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have just bought new large lucky bamboo stems, spiralled ones. Two out of 3 are fine, however the third stem began turning yellow very quickly. I have cut off the yellow part hoping this would stop the yellowing but it has continued. The spiral part at the top and the leaves are fine so far. I keep my bamboo in a large vase with water and cleanse it every day with sandalwood incense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please let me know what i can do to prevent/stop this happening again.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1828" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-01-06T18:05:14.957" Title="why is my lucky bamboo stalk turning yellow" Tags="&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ClosedDate="2013-01-09T19:44:16.143" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5637" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-01-03T13:12:07.383" Score="2" ViewCount="1362" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am considering getting some hose reels mounted onto our brick veneer home. However have been advised by family that the bricks might fracture etc and that it is better to just leave it on a trolley. Has anyone ever had such trouble? Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1829" LastActivityDate="2013-01-04T18:33:50.060" Title="Wall mounting hose reels and wall cracks" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5638" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5639" CreationDate="2013-01-04T09:12:44.220" Score="4" ViewCount="126" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some herbs growing in a couple of pots on my balcony. Today I noticed that the aloysia leaves are all covered in this stuff, it looks as if somebody emptied an ashtray on it. It mostly on the underside of the leaves and on the stem itself, especially near the top. When the plant is touched or shaken, the stuff drops off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LDJII.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this? Can it be helped? Is it contagious? I also have some lemongrass and some salvia in the same pot - might they be infected by this? What about other types of plants in adjacent pots (peppermint, basil, oregano)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1832" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-01-04T18:19:12.740" Title="My aloysia has some kind of rash" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5639" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5638" CreationDate="2013-01-04T13:35:26.340" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to be an aphid infestation - when you say the deposit drops off when you move the plant, do the black specks remain? Does anything fly off when you shake the branches? If it is aphid, you need to spray with an insecticide suitable for edible plants, which is not systemic. Systemic treatments remain in the tissues of the plant for up to a fortnight, and plants sprayed with those should not be consumed in that time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-01-04T13:35:26.340" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5583" CreationDate="2013-01-04T16:41:47.557" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can use peat moss as a media to soften water. I use it im my aquarium as part of my water treatment. I bought a 3yrd compressed bale of it at the local garden center (pure canadian sphagnum) for a few bucks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can either soak it with water or pour water through it. Warm water works best as when its dry it resists wetting. If you soak it just put it in a bucket and squeezes the water out you want to use, but that can be a lot of work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I put it in a bucket with a little hole in the bottom. Pour water in the top, collect it in a container below. In my case I water my plants from my aquarium, So that water goes in there to refill what I took for the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's pretty solid if you don't mind the setup or the water having a color to it, as your watering plants with it I imagine you don't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1833" LastActivityDate="2013-01-04T16:41:47.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5641" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2632" CreationDate="2013-01-04T16:51:12.290" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on the level of work you are willing to put into it...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could use something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.haydite.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Haydite&lt;/a&gt; or another expanded shale product. It's cheap and they make it all over the country so it's not too difficult to come by. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then you dig up your terraces, mix the Haydite to the right consistency (you can ask the source for instructions, especially if you bring a sample of what you're working with) and re-seed your lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's fairly cheap and straight forward.  Just some excavation which is not so small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1833" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-09T16:04:20.493" LastActivityDate="2016-04-09T16:04:20.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5642" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5644" CreationDate="2013-01-04T17:05:48.693" Score="3" ViewCount="3904" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathiphyllum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;spathiphyllum&lt;/a&gt; and I water it 3 times a week.  But the leaf tips look like burned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AtsQA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that natural or should I do something for it?  Also, how can I make it blossom?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1834" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-21T00:22:08.733" LastActivityDate="2016-10-21T00:22:08.733" Title="Why do the leaf tips of my spathiphyllum look burned?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5643" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1314" CreationDate="2013-01-04T17:15:35.920" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use Charcoal as an amendment. I had a buddy that was doing soil research on Terra preta. I was interested and decided give it a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my case I have a large Rubbermaid tub. On the edge of our property is a compost for lawn cuttings, been there for many years. I filled the tub about 1/2 full with it, sieved out the larger stuff, and added a bunch of worms. I couldn't use the same type of worm as they suspect in nature. But the normal red wiggler compost worms work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every few months I change the carbon in my aquarium filters, and during the summer I have a little kiln I made out of a can I use when we have campfires. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I grind up the charcoal and feed the worms like you would for compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use this in pots and in my aquariums. When it's time to plant something I use as much as I need of the charcoal vermipost and mix with as much haydite as I need for the proper body. When a pot is done I mix the used soil back into the tub. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This seems to work because the worms are processing the ground charcoal (activated carbon) the same way or along with the normal soil as the compost what you feed them. Secondly, the Haydite ( an expanded shale product) not only has a similar function as the carbon for small particles, but the larger bits serve to hold a lot of space for air and beneficial bacteria to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They find a lot of busted up pottery in the Terra preta soils. Enough above average to be sure that it was busted up and put there. They think that the worm process, the carbon, and the pottery bits all work together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I find that in the past year or so that I have been using this I have seen at lest double the growth in my aquarium and slightly more then that with some transplanted houseplants. This spring I intent to try a raised bed with it to see how it fairs.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, that's my two cents ymmv&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1833" LastActivityDate="2013-01-04T17:15:35.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5642" CreationDate="2013-01-04T18:13:23.427" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This could be two things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;if the humidity is low and it is a sunny location the tips will die back as they have the most &quot;edge&quot; area and are at the end of the line for circulation. This can be prevented  by putting the plant on a self watering system with a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroponics#Passive_sub-irrigation&quot;&gt;capillary wick and a reservoir of water&lt;/a&gt; that it can draw on at all times.  Spaths like it moist but not soaking and this can be done with some simple materials&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;* put a one to two inch layer of inert material like stones in the base of a pot that does not have any holes in the bottom.  &#xA;* using a knitting needle insert a wicking material such as nylon parachute cord, acrylic or polyester material, into the base of the inner pot leaving six to eight inches to sit in the inert layer.&#xA;* fill the outer pot with enough water so the plant is sitting on top of the water but not in it.  Capillary action will draw water up to the roots on demand.&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;another possible cause of tip browning is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/02911.html&quot;&gt;high level of fertilizer in the soil&lt;/a&gt;.  In the rush to bring product to market many growers fertilize the stock during the entire growing cycle so it looks great on arrival. When you buy the plant and put it in lower light levels with a different watering cycle this can cause tip burn. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This leads me to my last recommendation.  If you are watering this plant three times a week this could mean that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you are not watering it until water runs out of the bottom of the pot. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the plant is pot bound and there is not enough soil to retain moisture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the plant is placed in unusually high light levels&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good practices for spaths are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bright filtered light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when you water add enough water so the entire root ball is soaked&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they respond well to capillary watering which prevents the root ball from drying out and avoids the unfortunate characteristic of these plants to collapse and look dead if they get too dry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen these plants flower in low light, high light, new plants or old.  There does not seem to be anything you can do other than good watering practices to encourage them.  They will flower when they want to.  You can make the flower last longer by removing the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spadix&quot;&gt;spadix&lt;/a&gt;, the spiky thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-01-04T18:13:23.427" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5645" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5637" CreationDate="2013-01-04T18:33:50.060" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Veneer bricks crack easily even using a masonry bit but the real question is what is behind the brick?  A hose reel could easily weigh fifty pounds, particularly if there was still water in the hose when you hung it up.  In this case you should not rely on the brick veneer to carry the load.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Possible solutions depend on what is behind the brick.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If it is concrete then a hammer drill with a masonry bit and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tapcon.com/products.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tapcon&lt;/a&gt; screws should do the job. An overkill solution would be attach the hose reel to a one or two foot length of two by four and then attach the wood to what is behind the brick.  By using a larger attachment point you spread out the stress and can use more fasteners.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if the brick veneer is mortared onto some tar paper with plywood sheathing behind that then you need to find where the joists are. Use a hammer drill with a masonry bit to drill through the brick and attach the hose reel to one or more joists using outdoor grade screws.  You could also use a two by four as mentioned above.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will grant that this is more work and effort than might be required by some. My motto is &quot;What I put up,stays up&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-01-04T18:33:50.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5646" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5648" CreationDate="2013-01-04T20:45:13.567" Score="2" ViewCount="152" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought a new plant but I forgot to ask what's the name.  Can you recognize it?  Any suggestion about how to take care of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bNC9M.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1834" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2013-01-05T17:39:30.807" LastActivityDate="2013-01-05T17:39:30.807" Title="What's the name of this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5647" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5646" CreationDate="2013-01-04T22:31:12.777" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a cyclamen to me. Here are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=cyclamens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;more pictures&lt;/a&gt; so you can compare. The general consensus is that they don't need a lot of fuss and bother. That matches with my memory of having them in my house when I was young - my mother was very hard on houseplants but we usually had one of these around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2013-01-04T22:31:12.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5648" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5646" CreationDate="2013-01-04T23:55:23.013" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most likely this is a cultivar of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclamen_persicum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cyclamen persicum, the Persian cyclamen&lt;/a&gt;. This plant is native to the Mediterranean area and is not hardy in areas colder than around zero degrees Fahrenheit. It has a large tuber which it uses to store energy and water over the long hot summer.  If the plant enters dormancy all the leaves die and it should be kept drier until it grows new leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cyclamen.org/faq_set.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cyclamen society&lt;/a&gt; they recommend:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Cyclamen pot plants need a light position, but not too much direct&#xA;  sunlight. A window sill which does not face south is ideal, but on&#xA;  frosty nights, unless you have double glazing, you should bring it&#xA;  into the room. It will be happy at normal room temperatures, but&#xA;  shouldn't get too hot, and will last much longer in a cool position&#xA;  (55°F/13°C). Watering incorrectly can cause the most problems,&#xA;  generally when too much water has been given. Always wait until the&#xA;  compost feels fairly dry, but avoid waiting so long that the plant&#xA;  becomes limp. You can water from either the top or the bottom, but&#xA;  afterwards the pot should be allowed to drain properly, and any water&#xA;  remaining in the saucer or pot-holder after 5 minutes, should be&#xA;  tipped away. If possible, avoid splashing the centre of the plant with&#xA;  water. You can feed with a pot-plant liquid food... about&#xA;  every 2 weeks, but be aware that overfeeding is more likely to produce&#xA;  foliage rather than flowers. Dead flowers or leaves should be removed&#xA;  carefully by giving their stems a sharp tug&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The requirement for cool temperatures ( ~50 degrees Fahrenheit at night) seems to be the key to success with these plants.  In sunny climates a north facing window is a good choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-01-04T23:55:23.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5649" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5634" CreationDate="2013-01-05T00:20:02.090" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This advice from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s789952.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardening Australia&lt;/a&gt; may be relevant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Good quality water that is low in dissolved salts is a rare commodity&#xA;  in many parts of Australia, and is necessary for growing blueberries;&#xA;  as well a slightly acidic free-draining loam is ideal, and an open&#xA;  sunny aspect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you could tell us what kind of blueberry that would be helpful as the low bush, high bush and cultivars have different requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I note that where I live the underlying soil is limestone and the water is alkaline yet native low bush blueberries grow quite well. These plants are more adaptable than they are given credit for if other conditions are right.  A soil with lots of organic matter and readily available water seem to be key.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if you are able to rework your bed but in order to ensure a free draining soil I would have put a trench in the clay and fill it with four or six inch &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iplex.com.au/iplex.php?page=lib&amp;amp;lib=26&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;perforated drain pipe&lt;/a&gt;.  This a modified &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_drain&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;french drain system&lt;/a&gt; which would ensure that the soil medium above drains well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendations are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;test your water for dissolved salts level and pH&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ensure the planting medium is free draining by improving the drainage underneath&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;while the plants are establishing water more often, by hand if needed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-01-05T00:20:02.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5650" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-01-05T07:50:38.980" Score="5" ViewCount="3464" Body="&lt;p&gt;The death toll of plants in my apartment continues to rise, having lost both a miniature rose and a rosemary plant to powdery mildew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now something's killing one of my succulents. It was fine when we left for holiday travel, but on returning it's in bad shape - formerly opaque leaves are now droopy and a sad, waxy transparent color - those that haven't simply fallen off, and it looks like there's a livid purple-brown...bruise...that I suspect is rot or the like spreading from the center of the plant out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what caused this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wwovz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1T0gf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1455" LastActivityDate="2014-06-19T03:11:17.317" Title="What's killing this succulent?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5651" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5650" CreationDate="2013-01-05T14:38:31.957" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd hazard an educated guess at bad growing conditions - it looks as if this plant is in a pot, which presumably has drainage holes, sitting inside an outer container which probably does not. Succulents like to be kept on the dry side, preferring well drained conditions - if you've watered that too often, and not emptied the outer pot of all water twice after half an hour each time post watering, then its roots have been sitting in wet conditions. Most plants do not like that kind of environment, but succulents particularly loathe it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also seems that the outer pot is too deep, meaning the plant itself is sitting too low in it - this will block airflow around the plant. Moving air reduces dampness and the likelihood of fungal conditions, although I'm not suggesting you should keep all houseplants near a wide open window in cold conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering houseplants is a bit of an art - in general, you water only when the surface of the growing medium is dry to the touch, but not so dry it's shrunken from the sides of the pot. When you water, do it well, let the plant sit for half an hour, then empty any outer pot. If its still sopping wet, you need to return and empty the outer pot or tray again, and maybe again, till there's no water present which is still draining.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-01-05T14:44:07.183" LastActivityDate="2013-01-05T14:44:07.183" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5652" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-01-05T21:01:34.573" Score="2" ViewCount="327" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend who was moving away left it with me; he had no idea what it is.  It's currently growing in a glass mason jar of water - and has grown to an impressive size doing so - and I'm trying to figure out if I should just leave it in the jar or give it some dirt in a new pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/58QoS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/58QoSm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A houseplant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1838" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-01-05T21:18:06.637" LastActivityDate="2013-01-06T14:20:22.833" Title="What is this houseplant with variegated leaves that thrives growing in water?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5652" CreationDate="2013-01-06T14:13:14.300" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a variegated coleus. The nomenclature people have been busy again and this plant now seems to be in with either &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;the genus Solenostemon or in another genus, Plectranthus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;.  There are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/thoog/6184249366/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;many cultivars&lt;/a&gt; with a wide variety of leaf shape and colour.  They are very easy to grow.  You could take your plant and put each stem in water and it would root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is a tender perennial when grown outdoors.  It requires some shade in subtropical climates or full sun and some pruning management in areas where there is a winter but the temperatures do not get below around ten degrees Celsius.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can re pot it in any potting soil with a lot of organic matter and keep it moist.  You may choose to pinch off the flowers which are not the main attraction to keep it more compact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normally on these plants have more colourful leaves but under low light conditions they loose the red and yellow.  Consider putting your plant in higher light levels for a better show.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-01-06T14:20:22.833" LastActivityDate="2013-01-06T14:20:22.833" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2013-01-06T14:20:22.833" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5655" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5658" CreationDate="2013-01-06T15:17:01.063" Score="5" ViewCount="2884" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend has a fig tree which seems to be the target of a worm. As far as I can see the leaves and fruit do not have any bite marks or worms/insects inside them, but the fruit born was less this year, and they mentioned that they think a worm or worms have burrowed into the tree's roots somehow and is killing it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I researched and found that 'nematodes' are a common problem and sounded like the root of the problem, though they are apparently microscopic, and it seems like they have seen the worms themselves, so now I'm not so sure. As far as I know I don't think it is the borer/carpenter worms as there is no sawdust that they leave behind. The roots seem to be damaged almost as if medium sized parts of the bark is damaged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone have any ideas or know what can be done to cure the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1842" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2015-09-11T03:15:33.173" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T21:47:07.223" Title="Fig tree mystery worm problem" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;worms&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5656" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5636" CreationDate="2013-01-06T18:00:00.800" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't clean it with sandalwood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you cut lucky bamboo, you need to seal it with wax, if you don't it can get moisture in the bamboo and cause rot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lucky bamboo needs fertilizer about once a month. Green Green is great and is cheap and will keep your plant green  &lt;a href=&quot;http://amzn.com/B004490QYI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://amzn.com/B004490QYI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lucky bamboo is sensitive to tap water (chlorine and fluoride). You should boil tap water at least, and possibly use distilled water. Chemicals will make your plant turn yellow and die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lucky bamboo is not an aquatic plant, and should be transferred into a soil pot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you have a yellowing stalk, you should separate it from your other stalks to ensure no bacteria spreads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be careful when changing water, as really cold water, or hot water can cause distress. You really should only change the water about once a month.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, to much, or to little light can cause distress (yellowing) in the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My suggestions: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;move it to its own container (isolation)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;only use distilled water   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;fertilize it asap with green green &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;stop using sandelwood &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;seal the top if its open with candle wax &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;think about the light its getting&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1843" LastEditorUserId="1843" LastEditDate="2013-01-06T18:05:14.957" LastActivityDate="2013-01-06T18:05:14.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5657" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-01-06T18:08:29.577" Score="10" ViewCount="504" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large pile of ashes from burning leaves, wood, limbs, pine straw etc, and I've read that ash can be helpful to plants if my soil pH is not over 7.5.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How would you recommend that I test my soil, and what tools should I use?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking to test my soil soon and want to buy the necessary tools/equipment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1843" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-26T22:34:10.217" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T02:17:25.407" Title="What are the best tools for testing soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5658" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5655" CreationDate="2013-01-06T18:19:21.733" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fruit drop in figs can be caused by nematodes but there are other causes.  From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/119501/fig-growing-nsw.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this document&lt;/a&gt; causes include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cool weather&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;insufficient irrigation&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;weak trees and nematodes. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Figs that develop on the ends of branches often dry out or drop because there has not been enough heat for them to mature.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Smyrna-type figs will drop when they are partly&#xA;grown if they have not been pollinated.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the problem is nematodes then they cannot be seen without a microscope but you would be able to see knots or galls on the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control can be attempted by using bio control in the form of a green manure crop of mustard that is grown and very lightly tilled into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can be a detective and eliminate the causes listed above one by one before trying to examine the roots with a trowel.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-01-06T18:19:21.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5659" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5657" CreationDate="2013-01-06T19:26:51.720" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A quick and dirty way is take the ashes and mix into a sample of your garden soil in the proportion you intend to use.  Then sow some lettuce seed.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://ei.cornell.edu/toxicology/bioassays/lettuce/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lettuce is sensitive to contaminants&lt;/a&gt; and will not germinate well when exposed to them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-12T02:17:25.407" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T02:17:25.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5660" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5657" CreationDate="2013-01-06T21:41:24.510" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;For a relatively small fee, I think it's easier and gives better results to send it to a lab for testing. If you're in the US, your state university's cooperative extension can give you pH and basic nutrient content for $10-20.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-01-06T21:41:24.510" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5661" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5657" CreationDate="2013-01-07T01:19:46.363" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was in a hardware store last week and saw a PH testing kit. I was around $10.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or if this is the sort of thing you want to do regularly consider getting a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.masters.com.au/product/901842418/garden-trend-mini-ph-meter-probe&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ph test probe&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ygFXj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ph Level test probe&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just stick it in your ash (or soil or compost) and it will give you a (moderately) accurate reading. No batteries required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2013-01-07T01:19:46.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5662" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5665" CreationDate="2013-01-07T02:23:31.103" Score="6" ViewCount="46927" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was just reading this article, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5621/when-would-i-prefer-a-shovel-with-a-rounded-blade-over-one-with-a-pointed-blade&quot;&gt;When would I prefer a shovel with a rounded blade over one with a pointed blade?&lt;/a&gt;. The answers said something like, &quot;That's a spade not a shovel&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what is the difference between a spade and a shovel?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2020-11-20T10:02:25.840" Title="What is the difference between a spade and a shovel?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5664" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5657" CreationDate="2013-01-07T18:40:02.720" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use liquid regent aquarium test kits to track my sail parameters. I keep an aquarium so they may not be worth the price if your just using for soil (still only a few dollars). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First you establish a base line by testing the water you plan to use. then you mix a little bit of your soil in to water in a bucket, let the dust settle a bit and test the water from your bucket.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then by comparing the readings of how the soil affects the water you can deduce the affected parameters with reasonable accuracy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1833" LastActivityDate="2013-01-07T18:40:02.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5665" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5662" CreationDate="2013-01-07T22:45:42.960" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seems it depends where you live!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the UK, a spade is most definitely not a shovel, they're two different tools intended for different usage. A shovel is broader, more curved from left to right, and sometimes longer in the blade, sometimes slightly broader at the sharp end, sometimes with a sort of ledge running either side down to the tip. Occasionally you find a shovel with a pointed tip, and the other difference is, they come in numbered sizes. It's the sort of thing builders use when shovelling sand or concrete into a mixer, or mixing cement by hand, for instance, or for shovelling coal, or shovelling loose topsoil from a pile into a wheelbarrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A spade is what's shown in the pictures under the question you refer to, whether it has a rounded tip or not. Its shape and weight are designed for digging in the ground - try doing that with a shovel, and you'll quickly discover the difference between the two, apart from their appearance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Googling 'shovel' should produce images of actual shovels... at least it does when I do it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-01-07T23:14:13.830" LastActivityDate="2013-01-07T23:14:13.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5666" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5657" CreationDate="2013-01-07T22:59:58.240" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds as if you want to check the current ph of the soil itself, before amendment with your ashes. Either way, a ph test probe is probably easiest, but I've found it's important to take more than one sample for testing. Any areas which may have had something dropped on them, or added to them, (bird poo, old potting compost, an area with a bit of peat or manure in the soil already) will possibly give a different ph reading than an area even just 2 inches to the left or right, so I generally took several samples from different areas to get an idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I should add that the one I used (Rapitest ph meter) was supplied with several boilable test tubes to which soil samples were added for testing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-01-07T23:09:42.557" LastActivityDate="2013-01-07T23:09:42.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5667" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1815" CreationDate="2013-01-08T01:34:51.940" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that the questions asks about the efficacy of stump removal chemicals, however, I assume the intention is to gain information on removing a stump.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine just hired a 40lb jack hammer from Home Depot for $55 for 4 hours and said that it was the perfect tool to quickly and efficiently dig up his stump. Personally I thought this was an ingenuous idea and wanted to share it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2013-01-08T01:34:51.940" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5669" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5812" CreationDate="2013-01-08T09:09:26.900" Score="5" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;I currently live in tropical country Philippines and I would like to plant or graft the most leafiest tree serving 2 purpose; first to have a better shade, like I said we live in a tropical climate and leafy trees provide a cool and shady place. secondly, tree leaves are useful for composting so I'm searching for the best one. It's a plus if it can grow the least possible time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1844" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2013-01-09T17:41:10.447" LastActivityDate="2013-02-23T07:33:26.770" Title="Leafiest Tropical Tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5670" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5671" CreationDate="2013-01-09T03:17:20.900" Score="2" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did a bad thing: I planted several punnets of seedlings in mid-summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's been 5 days and many look like they're already dead. They are (or were) a small daisy-like ground cover. It's been hot this last week, as high as 36C (97F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to make sure they survive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2013-01-09T12:58:08.737" Title="How can I make sure my seedlings don't die in summer?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5671" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5670" CreationDate="2013-01-09T12:58:08.737" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Prick them out into individual cells, then, when they're big enough, move into pots. Once they've grown to a good size, with a good root system, then you can plant them out- but even then, they will need plenty of water to establish themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on what you're growing, some seeds can be sown or scattered on the ground directly in spring, where they can be left to grow or not grow, when they see fit, depending on the prevailing conditions (temperature, moisture, friability of soil).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-01-09T12:58:08.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5672" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5536" CreationDate="2013-01-09T15:13:13.440" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I harvest my basil plant, I use scissors and cut just above a point where two leaves are located. Those leaves will then sprout two branches and make the plant bushier. Very large leaves near the bottom can also be pinched off and used (why waste them since they will probably fall off soon). Just never let it start a blossom at the top of a branch. The plants life cycle is complete and the plant shuts down then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1846" LastActivityDate="2013-01-09T15:13:13.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5673" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-01-10T19:55:40.847" Score="1" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;During xmess and summer, one needs to work elsewhere about 2-3 months. Flowers should not die during that time. What kind of flowers should one have and how should one keep them not to die? A lot of watering before leaving? Keeping in cold/dark place? Which flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1850" OwnerDisplayName="hhh" LastActivityDate="2013-01-15T19:24:19.843" Title="Flowers to sustain long-duration of absence during winter and summer?" Tags="&lt;planning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5674" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5673" CreationDate="2013-01-10T20:23:00.060" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Houseplants that need no maintenance at all for many months are rare. Why not either give them to someone else to look after, or let them die and replace them when you return? Especially since these are theoretical houseplants that you don't own yet, since you ask which kinds of flowers would be best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" OwnerDisplayName="Kate Gregory" LastActivityDate="2013-01-10T20:23:00.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5675" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-01-10T22:14:01.363" Score="3" ViewCount="1905" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wanted to sprinkle rock salt around pool to kill weeds. Then put decorative stone on top. Will the rock salt affect my pool liner. I don't want to have the rock salt kill the weeds and destroy my pool liner at the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1847" LastActivityDate="2013-01-13T16:39:38.627" Title="Rock salt to kill weeds" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5676" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-01-11T21:49:22.837" Score="4" ViewCount="307" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a ( Indoor ) plant that has been drooping lately and its stems are long and touch the floor. I'm not sure if the stems are supposed to be stiff, or if that is just the way the plant is supposed to be. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, The plant seems to be dying since it has a lot of leafless stems. The plant has been neglected for a long time and I just decided to try and make it healthier. So, should I cut off the long leafless stems so the plant can conserve energy? And is it normal for a plant to have stems that dont grow upright? I didnt have this plant since it was bought so I'm not sure why its stems grow along the floor. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1849" LastActivityDate="2013-02-22T07:22:24.637" Title="Should I cut leafless stem off of plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5677" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5477" CreationDate="2013-01-12T09:26:09.847" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some years ago I lived in Somerset; in the back garden was a new, but ugly fence about 4 feet high. I didn't want to remove the fence but wanted to soften it, or even hide it.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;There was a border about 30 inches deep between the fence and the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted several cotoneaster horizontalis about six feet apart and about one foot away from the bottom of the fence.  Over the next few years, the branches spread out, leaning against the fence and began to cover the face of the fence with that lovely herringbone growth.  The leaves turned red in autumn.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Sorry I don't have a photograph; I moved away after a few more years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only pruning I carried out was on the part of the plants facing the lawn.  They wanted to grow out as well as against the fence.  It was no trouble to prune the unwanted growth back.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The end result, up to five years later, was a curtain leaning against the fence.  The one-foot distance was perfect to encourage the branches to form a curtain leaning against the fence.  It doesn't cling or attach to the fence, although some shoots tried to get between the pieces of fence to the other side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did manage to get some pruned branches to root and provide new plants, as I recall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Low maintenance, attractive, and a great cover.  If I had to cover a wall or fence again, I would do exactly the same again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1851" LastActivityDate="2013-01-12T09:26:09.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5679" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5675" CreationDate="2013-01-13T16:39:38.627" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rock salt kills weeds but is tough on soil, concrete and most plants.  Why not use something that will kill weeds and definitely does not endanger the pool liner?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Choices include&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://northernshade.ca/2009/07/18/killing-weeds-with-hot-water/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hot water&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=weed%20burner&amp;amp;hl=en&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;propane weed burners&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=41632&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;over strength vinegar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any of these combined with applying them during the weeds growth period, usually in the spring, and filling any crack in the brick work with &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4682/how-to-remove-the-weeds-and-avoid-them-growing-between-the-bricks/4707#4707&quot;&gt;polymeric sand&lt;/a&gt; to reduce the area where new weed seeds can germinate will do a good safe job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-01-13T16:39:38.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5680" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5681" CreationDate="2013-01-14T13:16:20.587" Score="6" ViewCount="3803" Body="&lt;p&gt;Natural light is best for plants during all growth phases, but I'll be growing indoors, It's a good idea to have a basic understanding of the light spectrum and how it affects plant growth, in order to choose the best lighting for my indoor gardening needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By Photosynthesis. Chlorophyll in the plant converts carbon dioxide into food using light energy. Light quality, quantity and duration. Quantity refers to light's intensity, while duration is the length of time the light is present. Quality of light refers to its wavelength, or color according to some scientists.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sunlight includes all colors of light. Plants only absorb light in the red and blue wavelengths, so orange, yellow, green, indigo and violet are theoretically are unnecessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1844" LastActivityDate="2014-09-13T16:04:25.150" Title="What is the best light spectrum for growing chili peppers?" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5681" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5680" CreationDate="2013-01-14T19:24:31.493" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;if you want to grow chili peppers then you want lots of light.  Getting a crop to grow indoors is far different than just getting a plant to grow.  Your only feasible option is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_discharge_lamp&quot;&gt;high intensity discharge lights&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wikipedia describes them as&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;HID lamps have made indoor gardening practical, particularly for&#xA;  plants that require high levels of direct sunlight in their natural&#xA;  habitat; HID lamps, specifically metal halide and high-pressure&#xA;  sodium, are a common light source for indoor gardens. They are also&#xA;  used to reproduce tropical intensity sunlight for indoor aquaria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any hydroponics shop will have them in stock.  They run hot and use more electricity than fluorescents so a fan may be required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-01-14T19:24:31.493" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5683" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-01-15T09:49:55.287" Score="3" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;It always puzzles me when websites say we should bury bulbs under the soil about 2 or 3 times the height of the bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, a nice post about planting hyacinths recommends putting the bulb 5 cm beneath the soil, while all the planted mature, ready to flower, hyacinths I've seen on the market have about two-thirds of the bulb above the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I've seen the bulb growing a bud, should I bury the bulb?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-22T20:07:41.083" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T20:07:41.083" Title="What is a suitable depth for planting a bulb?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5684" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5683" CreationDate="2013-01-15T19:05:40.950" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, and as recommended by the supplier. The ones you see in bowls, ready to flower, are for indoor use and have been specially treated to induce them to grow for use as houseplants. They are also usually planted in bowls without drainage, in a special growing medium, and they are not expected to be kept for long, because once the flowering is over, they won't flower again in the house, and need either to be binned or planted outside, at the recommended depth of 2-3 times the depth of the bulb itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-01-15T19:05:40.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5685" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5673" CreationDate="2013-01-15T19:24:19.843" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you've explained you actually mean houseplants, flowering or otherwise, then your best bet would be cacti (as suggested already by someone else) and succulents generally, such as Aeonium, Agave, Aloe. As far as succulents are concerned, they can cope for 1-2 months during winter without water, but must be watered normally from Spring through to Autumn, so if you're absent during winter, they should be fine, but not otherwise. Note that succulents do require air movement, even in winter, so will not particularly appreciate a completely closed up environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-01-15T19:24:19.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5686" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5693" CreationDate="2013-01-16T05:22:53.330" Score="2" ViewCount="274" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a dying Jalapeno plant and I want to save the fruits that are already growing, can I use grafting procedure to save it from dying using a well grown Jalapeno plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1844" LastEditorUserId="1844" LastEditDate="2013-01-16T09:06:27.440" LastActivityDate="2013-01-17T18:47:36.977" Title="Can we save a dying chili pepper plant by grafting?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5687" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5712" CreationDate="2013-01-16T07:02:14.090" Score="4" ViewCount="4384" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had a chili bush I grew from seed for about a year now, and it's finally growing into something resembling an actual bush (rather than just a seedling) and it was going great until the last few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The new leaves are starting to kind of crinkle, and the most recent new shoots look as though they're dying entirely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In spite of this it's bravely trying to grow a pepper on it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But yeah - couldn't see any pests (other than the stupid things that ate the leaves further down the plant a month or so ago which are no longer affecting it) so am I looking at bacteria, fungus, virus, or deficiency here? Or something else?!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: Brisbane, Australia. It's late Summer here. Soil is clay, although clay breaker has been used occasionally on it, and the grass nearby has been fertilised recently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's some pics in case it helps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QcPKP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Malformed and dying new shoots&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nDOen.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole chili bush in case it helps&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Accepting diagnosis answers is tougher than I envisaged!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, since originally posting this, I refertilized (herb/veggie fertilizer) which seemed to only very slightly help. Then, we had a cyclone, which dumped 150+mm of rain onto the soil, which also helped a bit, then I cleared the grass in a 50cm diameter circle away from the base, added weed control sheeting, topped with a little new soil, and fertilized with some stuff that had higher calcium concentrations in it than most fertilizer. Result is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Eq14R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;New shoots after calcium, water, and grass removal&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doesn't look completely better, but seems a lot less unhappy. So it's really hard to tell which of the three things it was that made the most difference, and I won't really know unless the plant starts to get worse again. As it is, it seems like the new shoots are much less curled (but not completely flat) so... yeah. Here's a pic of the whole bush showing the base etc:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YR5G4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole bush with base cleared&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Latest pics after drenching in eco oil and pyrethrum a week or so ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As of last week, this is what the worst affected parts of the plant were starting to look like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0bzDH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Worst affected parts example&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I finally tried absolutely drenching the plant in eco oil and pyrethrum (both sides of all the leaves, all trunk/stem surfaces... to the point it was dripping liberally off onto the ground underneath it.) A week or so later, it started to look like it was throwing out new leaves and these weren't affected, so I trimmed off the older damaged foliage etc, and this is now the result:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c1ipt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Treated and trimmed plant, much happier&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It... certainly is very suggestive that it might have been a pest that was not easily seen... will wait to make sure it's still on the right track, but all things going well I'd say this will finally get a resolution in a few weeks or so... capsid guy is looking good so far :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: update after a year of trying to nail this persistent sucker.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my latest update to this is that none of the above appears to have made a lasting difference. After a lot of reading up and experimenting over the year I'm almost certain now that this is a virus, and I suspect it is spread by midges or similar. Spraying with white oil and pyrethrum not just on the chili bush but also on surrounding grass, plants, vegetation, and weed reservoirs appears to dramatically slow the spread of the disease from reaching new plants, but you need to keep applying the spray every two to four weeks or it wears off and the bugs come back, and then a few weeks later so does the curl.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you give it fertilizer and make it generally happy with water and light and warmth etc it seems to be able to outgrow small infections reasonably well, but once it starts to get too infected you have to basically kill it and burn the bush to prevent spreads. The bush in the images above is now sadly cut off to the ground and burnt, though the stump has started to sprout some leaves so we'll see if the below-ground portion is okay or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Bhut Jolokia and Butch T chili plants I also grow are also possibly to be affected by the virus, but not as strongly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1857" LastEditorUserId="1857" LastEditDate="2013-10-21T08:19:03.093" LastActivityDate="2013-10-21T08:19:03.093" Title="What's wrong with my chili bush?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5688" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5689" CreationDate="2013-01-16T15:48:49.063" Score="7" ViewCount="444" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking to start my first garden, and I'd like it to be organic. I have read a lot of articles which have all instructed me to start small the first year by planting easy plants like tomatoes, herbs, cucumbers, and lettuce. However, no matter how hard I search online, I cannot find an exact list of tasks that I need to do to get my garden together, and when I need to do them, as applied to the climate in the northeast. Could someone give me a rough list of things I need to do, and when I should get them done by? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1858" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-10-02T16:02:51.573" LastActivityDate="2014-10-02T16:02:51.573" Title="Timeline for first organic garden in New England (Massachusetts)?" Tags="&lt;organic&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5689" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5688" CreationDate="2013-01-16T21:34:38.263" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My list is based growing in the ground (not raised beds -- this is my experience). If you're growing in raised beds, you may be able to start a week earlier (they will warm up faster). If you need to build beds, you'll need to have those ready before you can start anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't give exact dates, because individual locations vary widely in what can be done at different times, but I will tell you the signals that tell you when you can do the different tasks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I highly recommend a good reference like Ed Smith's &quot;The Vegetable Gardener's Bible&quot;. It provides concrete planting times (based on frost date) for all the common backyard veg crops, and Ed is from Vermont, so his climate is similar enough to yours that the advice still applies. (I'm in NH.) I mention some vegetables below, but consult a good reference for info specific to what you're growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ideally, in the fall you will apply manure to the beds that will be growing &quot;hungry&quot; crops. (Tomatoes, corn, cabbage-family (brassicas), and squash-family.) This is also a good time to plant cover crops. Mulch may also be added.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have fruit trees, late winter is the time to spray.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In the spring after the ground thaws, wait until it dries out enough so that you can till without making clumps. The point of tilling at this time is to kill cover crops that you planted the prior fall, to incorporate manures that you added, to incorporate mulch that was added in the fall, and to incorporate any crop residue left over from the previous year. (You may opt to go &quot;no-till&quot;, but my advice for now is to use appropriate tillage.) Depending on how your raised beds are built, you may be able to use a rototiller, or you can turn them with a sturdy garden fork.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Now is the time to make sure you have all your supplies.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilizer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Irrigation (not necessarily all of these): hose, watering can, sprinkler, drip hose, etc&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Row cover, if you will &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have deer or other pests, now is the time to verify that your &lt;strike&gt;land mines are still &quot;hot&quot;&lt;/strike&gt; fence doesn't have holes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As soon as you have tilled you can plant hardy crops like peas, spinach, and kale.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(But don't plant immediately after tilling under winter rye -- the rye gives off a chemical that prevents seed germination for a week or two after tilling. I try to plan my cover crops in the fall so that I don't put rye where the spinach and peas are going in the spring.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have a soil thermometer, it may be useful to wait until the ground warms up to 60F or so; the seeds will germinate better when the soil is warmer. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can also &quot;chit&quot; your seeds indoors so that they are pre-germinated when you plant them out. As a first timer, you'll probably have better success waiting for the ground to warm up a bit and planting in the ground.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Figure out your &quot;last frost&quot; date. Lots of planting times are based on when the last frost happens -- you don't want to plant tender (cold sensitive) plants and have them get killed by frost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you're starting tomatoes and other tender plants from seed, then about 6 weeks before last frost, start these indoors under lamps.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;After they germinate (1-2 weeks), you'll need to thin them and &quot;pot up&quot; to larger pots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;About a week before last frost, you'll need to &quot;harden off&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On or after last frost, you can plant them into the ground.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;About four weeks before last frost you can plant semi-hardy vegetables like cabbage, carrots, and chard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;About two-three weeks before last frost you can plant vegetables like potatoes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On or around last frost, plant tender vegetables.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;At this point, you're already harvesting some baby spinach, kale, and lettuce for salads.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A week or two after last frost -- when the ground has really warmed up -- plant heat-loving stuff like watermelon and squash.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;At this point, the spinach and lettuce may start to bolt. You can plant more heat-tolerant varieties of lettuce to replace the bolted sprint lettuce.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;SUMMER: weeding, harvesting, watering, etc&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When the peas are done in midsummer, pull them out, rake over the bed, and plant a hardy fall vegetable like short-season cabbage, broccoli, turnips, carrots, or kale, or something quick like beets or radishes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;About a month before you expect the first frost, pinch out the growing tips on your tomato plants so that the plant puts energy into ripening fruit instead of making more vegetation.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In the late summer/early fall, watch the forecast for frost warnings. When a frost is imminent, you can either cover your tender crops (tomatoes, peppers, etc), or you can harvest everything (even the green tomatoes).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When the frost hits, pull out all the tender plants.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you had any disease, dispose of the plants; if you were disease-free, compost them. Rake over the space.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Take soil samples to send to your cooperative extension service for testing. Then you'll know what to add for fertilizer the next spring.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Where you expect to plant &quot;hungry&quot; plants the following spring, apply rotted manure.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Where you expect to &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; be planting early plants like peas or spinach, plant winter rye or some other suitable cover crop. (I favor winter rye because it's cheap, widely available, reliable, and hardy; other covers are ok too.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-01-16T21:34:38.263" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5690" PostTypeId="7" CreationDate="2013-01-17T00:23:09.817" Score="0" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;general care and feeding of plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;identification, diagnosis or management of plant diseases, pests, or weeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant recommendations&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;garden or landscape planning and layout&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="44" LastEditDate="2013-01-17T00:23:09.817" LastActivityDate="2013-01-17T00:23:09.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5692" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-01-17T13:33:33.843" Score="3" ViewCount="447" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small sequoia tree which I got from the San Francisco airport as a seedling. I planted it in January 2012 and it has been growing (slowly) and seemed healthy - it is about a foot tall and is planted in normal soil. I notice recently that the needles are browning starting from the base all the way up until about an inch from the top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea why this would be happening or what I can do to fix this (assuming it needs to be fixed)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1766" LastEditorUserId="1766" LastEditDate="2013-01-17T14:38:32.727" LastActivityDate="2020-09-28T22:00:50.827" Title="Sequoia Browning" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5693" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5686" CreationDate="2013-01-17T18:47:36.977" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grafting will not be able to save the fruits that are already set.  The graft will take time to establish and while this is happening the scion (which is the top part of the graft, i.e. the piece of the dying plant you are trying to save) will be without nutrients until the graft is established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For annuals like peppers it is probably best to get rid of the plant.  You can use the fruits if they are big enough but the last thing you want is for whatever is causing the plant to die to spread to your other healthy ones.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2013-01-17T18:47:36.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5694" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5657" CreationDate="2013-01-17T21:44:43.073" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Did you try your Local Extension Office?&lt;/strong&gt; Ours offers free soil testing. I believe most offer this service, but you may want to call and check. Some apparently have stopped offering soil testing (budgetary issues).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tell them exactly what you want to do and what you want to plant. They will recommend what to add (or, in your case, what &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; to add).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastActivityDate="2013-01-17T21:44:43.073" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5695" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5662" CreationDate="2013-01-18T01:44:57.013" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's correct.  In the US, most dictionary definitions follow those clear and different descriptions ... although colloquially both are frequently called shovels.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When people in the US talk about shovels, it's important to know whether or not they call a spade a spade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1861" LastActivityDate="2013-01-18T01:44:57.013" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5696" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="225" CreationDate="2013-01-18T01:51:25.560" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree that dustbins would work well; I have forced rhubarb under buckets, cardboard boxes, and other containers that exclude light.  But, in my experience, a cheap, common-size dustbin is best... for excluding light and allowing the maximum space for the rhubarb, as well as costing less than &quot;bespoke&quot; forcing jars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However you choose to force rhubarb, though, it's important to not forget to check occasionally and deal with the problem of slugs and snails that are hidden beneath the cover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1861" LastActivityDate="2013-01-18T01:51:25.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5697" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5700" CreationDate="2013-01-18T02:08:26.743" Score="6" ViewCount="15516" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L9pu8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Queen Palm 1&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FjwCP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Queen Palm 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently moved into a new house which has a couple of Queen Palms and have never had to take care of palms before. Questions: Do these palms need trimming? If so, how much trimming do they need and do I just cut the lower fronds off? Is there a specific time of the year that's better for trimming them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info: location is Phoenix, AZ&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T16:04:21.037" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T16:04:21.037" Title="When does a queen palm need trimming?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5698" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1551" CreationDate="2013-01-18T02:24:19.367" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I grew rhubarb in England, it thrived without any help.  Of course, the climate in England is temperate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't grow very well at all in climates approaching sub-tropical and warmer.  Even if there is a noticeable cold season, rhubarb will find it difficult to thrive when summers are hot.  The humidity level might be important too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've attempted to grow rhubarb in two different parts of Tennessee.&#xA;In the  mountains of Northeast TN, at about 2000 feet elevation, I found that rhubarb planted in the spring seemed to thrive for a while, but by August it had all but melted into the ground.  I would think that the NW corner of South Carolina might experience something similar, the rest of the state being worse for rhubarb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In West TN, a few miles from the Mississippi at about 300ft elevation, where winters are less cold and summers tropically hot and humid, it gave up the ghost much more rapidly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing it as an annual might be possible, but an important point about rhubarb (to me) is that it's around for many years. I've given up growing it, with despair.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect that the climate of the area around San Francisco, California, would be good for rhubarb.... also Maine, Michigan, northern Illinois...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1861" LastActivityDate="2013-01-18T02:24:19.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5699" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-01-18T03:10:09.577" Score="4" ViewCount="3609" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know almost nothing about gardening and landscaping so I can really use some advice. In our backyard we had a hillside that was covered with ivy and weeds for years. I finally had it cleared this week and I plan to seed it with wildflower seeds in an effort to draw butterflies and hummingbirds. I haven't measured but I would guess it's about 50' long by 20' deep, and it faces south.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Right now the hillside is just muddy dirt. There's a bit of tree cover overhead, so about half of the hill will be partial shade, the other half will be full sun. The soil is dark brown so I assume it's good for planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I have a few questions for anyone willing to help out:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;how should I 'plant' the seeds? should I just toss them around and rake them in?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;when&lt;/b&gt; should I 'plant' the seeds? do they need to sit in the cold dirt for a few weeks to be 'activated'? or should I just plant them when I'm ready for them to grow (this spring)?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I see on the website where I'm going to order the seeds, the various species have a 'spacing' - usually something like 18&quot;. Does this mean I'm supposed to put down one seed per 18&quot;? that seems strange, I want the hillside to be covered in wildflowers&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;any suggestions on keeping the weeds and ivy from returning? it was cleared using hand tools so I suspect roots etc are waiting to regrow as soon as the weather warms up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;the website I'm ordering from has flower seeds which I can purchase individually, but they also have pre-packaged bundles of various flowers. That seems nice but I was surprised to see the bundle I want (for attracting hummingbirds and butterflies) is 50% grass. Is this wild grass somehow beneficial? should I go for that, or just put down 100% flower seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;any suggestions on types of wildflowers? Right now my list is:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Blanket flower (Gaillardia)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aster novae-angliae (New England Aster)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rudbeckia fulgida (Orange Coneflower) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Monarda didyma (Red Bee Balm) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aquilegia canadensis (Wild Columbine) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Salvia coccinea (Scarlet Sage)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Salvia farinacea (Blue Sage) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1862" LastActivityDate="2013-01-29T00:36:25.490" Title="Advice on planting a bed of wildflowers on a hillside in zone 7?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5700" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5697" CreationDate="2013-01-18T04:04:40.830" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Palm trees don't &lt;em&gt;need&lt;/em&gt; trimming, so any fronds you remove are simply to improve the aesthetics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like to cut away all the older, tattered palms &lt;strong&gt;just prior to spring&lt;/strong&gt; for one simple reason &amp;mdash; once warmer weather hits, the new growth will start &lt;em&gt;pouring&lt;/em&gt; out from the top of the tree, and your palm will look fantastic and healthy despite their recent haircut. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like to cut out &lt;em&gt;all&lt;/em&gt; of the older fronds all the way up to the newest, freshest growth from last year. It sounds severe, but palm trees are basically a type of grass, so it is really hard to hurt it unless you cut off the growing top, center-most shoots (don't do that).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kc4ac.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the old, woody fronds encircling the lower trunk, if you leave them, they will eventually fall off on their own. I tend to give them a good pull each year to see which are pretty much ready to come loose (I prefer the look of the bare trunk underneath), but they will come off easily in their own good time. If you want to cut them off sooner, it will not hurt the tree. Overall, Queen Palms pretty much take care of themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2013-01-18T05:02:07.207" LastActivityDate="2013-01-18T05:02:07.207" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5701" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-01-18T05:11:05.870" Score="3" ViewCount="1871" Body="&lt;p&gt;After doing some research around sub-irrigation I think I've come up with a cheap method of creating a SIP pot (the 20L pails are expensive in Aus)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;9.3L Bucket&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;~40cm length of 2&quot; Corrugated Drain Pipe &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;~30cm length of 13mm rigid hose&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BcO8R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rigid hose will be trimmed and a short section used to provide the overfill drain (level with the top of the corrugated pipe, through the bucket wall), the remaining long section will be used to feed water into the drain pipe in the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The space in the centre of the corrugated pipe will be filled with gravel (slightly lower height than the drain pipe) and shade cloth layered over this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A mix of 5-1-1 Pine bark - peat - perlite (with some fertilizer and lime depending on the plant) will fill the space above the shade cloth. The surface will probably be covered in straw mulch&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before I go plant 20-30 of these, I'd be keen to know;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Recommended amount of gravel? level with overfill pipe? half the height of the corrugated pipe (to allow more moisture wicking)?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm also planning on using builder's plastic sheeting in the bottom of regular pots to block the drain holes, any recommendation as to whether just to line to above the water level, or the entire pot?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1863" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-02-11T18:32:30.113" LastActivityDate="2014-06-01T19:39:41.080" Title="Sub-irrigation planter bucket setup" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5702" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-01-18T16:25:02.037" Score="3" ViewCount="2525" Body="&lt;p&gt;When my sod was about a month old, we (accidentally) didn't water it for about it a month, causing it to go dormant. Over several months, most of the grass came back, but now it has several large bald spots similar to this picture. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ylbVt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bald spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried removing some of the dead grass in those dead spots with a rake like this, but with all the green netting under the old sod, it makes it nearly impossible. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j0Q20.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rake&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the best way I can remove this dead grass having the sod netting underneath so I can put down a lot of fescue and fix these bald spots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1206" LastActivityDate="2013-01-20T16:50:24.610" Title="How do I fill in dead patches in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5662" CreationDate="2013-01-19T08:23:09.400" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;At least in America, distinctions fade with distance from our more rural past. Today the words are used interchangeably except by specialists, but the spade is for digging, the shovel is for scooping. This difference manifests itself as an angle in between the handle and blade of a shovel while the spade is more or less straight from handle to blade. The snow shovel is a good example to imagine. You hold the handle and the blade approaches parallel to the ground so you can slide it under the snow. A spade has a nearly straight handle for the same reason a chisel has a straight handle, so you can easily judge the angle the blade is entering the ground to control the shape of your 'excavation.' A spade would be used to break up the ground and then a shovel would be used to heave the dirt out of the hole or into a wheelbarrow. Its just digging though, no one will complain as long as you move the dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1864" LastActivityDate="2013-01-19T08:23:09.400" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5704" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5702" CreationDate="2013-01-19T17:43:58.193" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to purpose a solution, though it will take some time. You can cover those dead patches with soil, then irrigate it and cover again with cardboard. You should fix it to the ground with stones, to stop the wind blowing them around. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let it stay for several (1-2) months. The dead grass and dead or living roots will die and decompose. Remove the cardboard and you'll have a clean patch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can either wait for the grass to cover it, or to plant/sow new grass yourself. Additionally, you can transform some of it to a beautiful flower bed adding patches of colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user1865" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-01-20T04:41:24.487" LastActivityDate="2013-01-20T04:41:24.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5705" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5706" CreationDate="2013-01-19T20:03:52.643" Score="3" ViewCount="1042" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apparently, what used to be a foundation for a small house is now part of our backyard. The house is long gone, but the concrete foundation has been there for as long as anyone can remember. Is there a species of tree that I can plant on or near the foundation to purposely break it? Time is not a concern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1860" LastActivityDate="2013-01-20T16:47:02.617" Title="Can I plant a tree into a concrete foundation to break it?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;concrete&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5705" CreationDate="2013-01-20T16:47:02.617" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could plant a large, broadleaved tree (Oak for instance) near the foundation, but I wouldn't advise planting it on top. Over the years, the roots may, or may not, advance sufficiently to crack the foundation that's there, but equally, they may choose to spread in a different direction. The other consideration is how close the obsolete foundation is to your own, current residence - if it means planting a large tree such as an oak within 50 feet of that, I wouldn't recommend it, for you will be putting the foundations of your own house at risk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-01-20T16:47:02.617" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5707" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5702" CreationDate="2013-01-20T16:50:24.610" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;My solution is different - get a sharp knife or strong, sharp scissors, uncover by digging and scraping the bald areas and cut out the existing mesh support which came with the turf. Fill in with friable soil, the stuff you moved to expose the mesh will do, though you may need to top it up a bit, then seed the areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other alternative is to lift the lot and returf the whole area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-01-20T16:50:24.610" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5699" CreationDate="2013-01-20T16:55:11.067" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but someone should say it. If you haven't dealt with any ivy roots left in the soil, and it sounds as if you haven't, then it will regrow and, by the end of next year, the area will be, once again, covered in ivy, regardless of which type of wildflowers/grasses you plant. You can either try digging out all the roots, or you will need to expose and treat them with brushwood killer, as little as possible, applied directly to cuts made into the roots. A note of caution, though - you haven't said what the gradient of the slope is, and if it is rather steep, removing all the roots by digging will greatly increase the risk of landslide or landslip.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-01-20T16:55:11.067" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5709" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5692" CreationDate="2013-01-21T16:58:39.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Now you've said it's in a pot, that might be the problem. These trees have a root mass which spreads out laterally, and if you have it contained in the same pot as a year ago, it's possible it's either unable to produce enough root to support healthy growth, or is completely pot bound. I suggest you turn it out of the pot and check what's going on - if it has a solid mass of roots, it needs a much bigger pot, because the ratio of soil to root is incorrect, meaning the plant cannot take up sufficient water to remain healthy because there's not enough soil to hold any water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-01-21T16:58:39.613" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5710" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5711" CreationDate="2013-01-23T21:54:42.357" Score="3" ViewCount="1185" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ok, I had 60yo oak taken down on my back yard. Not sure how to do it properly without damage but guys drove bucket truck and:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Got stuck - there is 1+ft holes in a ground below topsoil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;While driving into yard and back left about 6 inch deep tracks in lawn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bunch of holes left from chunks falling down.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was fine with holes from falling limbs, not a biggie to fix but got really disappointed with those tracks. I have not clue how to fix it. It looks like this on a ground:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/piFnL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those tracks go for long way (I have .7 acre and it is on backyard). I can imagine how local damages can be worked but long imprints from driving on it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They said they will bring topsoil and fix all but I'm really sceptical about it..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question is: How do I fix this &quot;waves&quot;? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1872" OwnerDisplayName="katit" LastActivityDate="2013-01-24T13:28:19.957" Title="Fixing wheel tracks on lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5711" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5710" CreationDate="2013-01-24T13:28:19.957" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is no easy way to fix this.  If you had access to a tractor or bobcat with a bucket you could run the bucket along the ground and shear off the bumps above ground.  Then back fill with soil, compact and overseed with grass seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Things to check include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the soil type and how wet the soil is. If the soil is soft and wet now you might want to wait until it gets drier before doing the cut and fill.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if possible you should fill the depressions with the same type of soil so the drainage remains the same.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if there is any chance you will be moving heavy equipment through the area again then maybe you need an access path. Consider using gravel instead of soil to back fill the ruts for an inexpensive path&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-01-24T13:28:19.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5687" CreationDate="2013-01-24T13:36:31.113" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Capsid bug damage looks like this - as the distorted leaves grow, they should look tatty and have holes. Whether its thrips or capsid, it's difficult to see the bugs themselves, you usually only know there's a problem with them because of the distorted and puckered appearance of the affected plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some sort of pesticide spray seems to be necessary - check what's available in your area which is suitable for food plants. This usually means a non systemic treatment, and it will need to be applied frequently, but check the instructions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-01-24T13:36:31.113" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5713" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5716" CreationDate="2013-01-24T19:40:02.303" Score="7" ViewCount="679" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was hoping someone would be kind enough to identify this tree for me.  I want to properly care for it and I think identifying it would be a good first step.  Any help on this would be appreciated, also, links or advice on care for this little guy.  So my question is&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/skkAA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/skkAAl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What kind of tree is this?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;edit: I have since moved it towards sunlight, this picture was taken right when I got it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1879" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2013-01-26T20:56:09.133" LastActivityDate="2013-01-26T20:56:09.133" Title="Can someone identify this Bonsai tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5714" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-01-24T20:53:53.923" Score="3" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in zone 7 on the Chessapeake Bay, and depending on the year, it can feel more like zone 8.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year, I want to push the limit more than ever before.  What hardy plants should I start early?  I'm thinking both indoor transplants and direct planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for when, if we do not get any prolonged freezing, I would like to do potatoes 3 weeks early. I am thinking transplanting cabbage &amp;amp; spinach into the ground late Feb.  Is this possible? Foolish?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What else? Greens? Romanesco? Brussels?  I know that some are hardier than others but have never tried much more than a week or two early.  Any thoughts would be deeply appreciated.  Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1881" LastActivityDate="2013-02-25T04:26:42.913" Title="What hardies should I plant early this year?" Tags="&lt;planting-times&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3273" CreationDate="2013-01-24T23:32:15.100" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, peanut hulls compost well, but if you have quite a lot, I know from experience they work great as mulch.  I live in &quot;Peanut Country&quot; so peanut hulls are available here and they work great!!   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1882" LastActivityDate="2013-01-24T23:32:15.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5716" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5713" CreationDate="2013-01-25T00:48:53.477" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a juniper to me. Adapted from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.shbonsai.com/care_juniper.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are one of the easiest forms of bonsai to take care of. They can be grown indoors or outdoors but they should be kept in a cooler environment during the winter months in order to get their dormancy requirement.     &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let them dry out between waterings. Feel the soil every day.Just stick your finger about a half of an inch to an inch into the soil. If it feels dry, water.  Never let it go totally dry for extended periods. The best way to water your bonsai is to soak it in a sink or container of water up to the trunk for about 5 to 10 minutes. Then allow to drain. If top watering your bonsai, water, wait a few minutes, and water again. Repeat this several times to insure that your bonsai has received a thorough watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Light&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Filtered or shaded sunlight is best. Allow low intensity morning sunlight when possible and avoid hot direct afternoon sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Feeding&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize every two weeks during the growing season, spring until fall. An organic liquid fertilizer such as a fish emulsion or an organic seaweed fertilizer is recommended. Chemical fertilizers should be diluted to approximately one half strength so that valuable roots are not damaged. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Humidity&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a humidity tray or plate filled with stones and water and place on top of the stones in the tray. Misting once a day will also help but misting is not a replacement for watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Repotting&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Junipers should be repotted about every two years when young (less than five or six years old) and every three to five years thereafter. Junipers may be repotted throughout most of the year, although, the best times for repotting are in the spring and fall. After repotting, water thoroughly and keep the plant in a shady location for several weeks so that new roots may grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Winter Care&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in a cool (under 60 degrees F) during the winter months for a dormancy period. During this period your bonsai should be protected from drying winds and extreme cold conditions. This can be achieved by utilizing cold frames, window wells, enclosed unheated rooms, or mulch beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-01-25T00:48:53.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5714" CreationDate="2013-01-26T03:51:46.383" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;USDA Zones indicate minimum annual temperature; the information we &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; need to help answer your question is when does your last frost typically occur?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Zone 7, your expected low temperatures would be about 5°F (Z8 more like 15°F), but this doesn't help us know when you expect the weather to start warming up -- which is the key consideration here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did a quick check of frost dates on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.almanac.com/content/frost-chart-united-states&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Farmer's Almanac&lt;/a&gt;, and I see that Baltimore is typically April 11th. My answer below is based on that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For transplants, I might try spinach, lettuce and kale. You could probably plant these in February if you're using row covers. Depending on soil temperature (see below), I might wait 2-4 weeks, though. Most of your greens can go out relatively early -- beets and chard can be seeded a couple of weeks before frost-free as long as the soil has warmed up, for example. Carrots don't mind being seeded a little early. And the general advice on peas is to plant them &quot;as soon as the ground can be worked&quot;, but again consider soil temperature and germination time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your limiting factor in the early season may be the amount of sunlight that the plants actually receive during the day; in February the sun is probably still fairly low in the sky in your area? Thus planting out might not really gain you any jump on harvest -- though it might be good enough for your mental health to be able to get outside in the late winter that it's worth the effort even if you don't get anything to eat any earlier...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The big limitation on direct-seeding will be soil temperature. Most seeds won't germinate (or will do so &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; slowly) when the soil temperature is below 60-70°F. Peas (for example) are more tolerant of colder soil, but will still germinate much more slowly at 50°F than at 65°F.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-01-26T03:51:46.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5718" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="162" CreationDate="2013-01-26T16:35:48.147" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;We may have a similar climate at least in summer, I am in a mediterranean climate.  Heat started early with two weeks of 40+C (104F) followed by high 30s.  No rain until autumn if we are luckly. I restrict the vegi patch to a very small area in summer which I can water. A few tomatoe plants which are started early so they are large and fruiting before the heat. A small raised bed (watered) contains a triffid Japanese sweet potatoe (it will take the cold winter), red snake beans that like the heat, dwarf scottish kale which never turns a hair and just keeps going and early planted silverbeat. I use wicker troughs in the shade (they have a water reserve at the base and never need watering) planted kang kong another trifid, boc choy and chinese cabbage. Presto stir fry. Not sure how the asian veg would go if you get very cold nights. Good gardening from Western Australia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1884" LastActivityDate="2013-01-26T16:35:48.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5719" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5720" CreationDate="2013-01-26T18:16:34.147" Score="2" ViewCount="406" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some small box-trees which start to have some yellow leaves on the top of some branches. Is this the start of box-blight or just the effects of winter. We have some low temperatures (down to -5 C) here and snow (20-30cm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please advise with the help of the pictures below. (Click to enlarge)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xGZSj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xGZSjl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lkvl4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lkvl4m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vmuMj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vmuMjm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2013-01-26T20:03:43.573" Title="Box-blight or just the effects of winter" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5720" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5719" CreationDate="2013-01-26T20:03:43.573" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like winter burn to me based on:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;absence of circular necrotic spots on the leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;boxwood blight (Cylindrocladium buxicola (syn C. pseudonaviculatum))should be less active during winter months as it is usually drier and colder&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;absence of dark or blight on the stems&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/hortline.asp?code=3959&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; winter burn is described as:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Winter damage occurs on boxwoods (Buxus sp.) when unseasonably warm&#xA;  winter days are followed by freezing temperatures. During the warm&#xA;  period, the plant begins to come out of dormancy and the cambium or&#xA;  conductive tissue begins to fill with additional water. When the&#xA;  temperature drops below freezing, the water freezes. The expanding ice&#xA;  splits the tissue resulting in death of the affected tissue. Cold, dry&#xA;  winds pull moisture from the affected branch resulting in a&#xA;  freeze-dried, &quot;freezer burn&quot; effect. Depending upon conditions, whole&#xA;  plants, just sections of a plant or only the tips of branches may be&#xA;  affected&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Boxwood blight is described in detail &lt;a href=&quot;http://soilplantandpest.utk.edu/pdffiles/presentations/Boxblight.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is considered to be endemic in Europe and other areas of the world. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Warm humid weather with abundant leaf litter to act as a source of infection promote the growth of the disease&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it can attack cuttings, containerized plants or well established plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fungal controls only give some relief&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As is typical with many fungal diseases keeping the ground clear of debris, using a mulch to reduce soil splashing on leaves and good cultural practices will go some ways to preventing this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-01-26T20:03:43.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5721" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5955" CreationDate="2013-01-26T20:10:02.857" Score="11" ViewCount="12279" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm starting to prepare my gardening year and I'm wondering what the most efficient and organic way is to protect strawberries from birds and slugs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not at all against sharing a part of my fruit with the wild-life in my garden, but last year it was more like they have shared some 20 per cent with me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For birds I was thinking about some meshed-cover but I'm worried that this will stop insects from doing their job because they won't be able to see the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For slugs I had the impression that wood-ash was blocking them. I sprinkled some ash over the bed in April and the first slugs only appeared in June.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;: It worked. I built a wooden frame over which I stretched a 1.5x1.5cm meshed net in a way that a bird should be able rebound - insect could get inside doing their job. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the slugs I tried to put large garden snails inside because I was told they are eating the eggs of slugs. Maybe works a little bit... Also I planted shallots between the - which seemed to have no effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT 2&lt;/strong&gt;: The shallots have an impact which is that the slugs seems to prefer their leaves instead of the strawberry fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1kBzim.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2013-06-28T11:24:50.643" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T17:13:51.980" Title="How to protect strawberries from &quot;predators&quot;" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5722" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5699" CreationDate="2013-01-29T00:36:25.490" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;@Bamboo's answer is spot-on -- you need to take care of the ivy before attempting to plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know about all of the species in your list, but in your situation I would consider using a seed mix that does contain some grass component (a low growing type), and probably a small percentage of red clover and/or lupines. The grass/clover/lupine will help hold the soil in place (and give a better appearance) when annual flowers are dead, or when perennials have died back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm also of the opinion that dandelions are an attractive, hardy, early-blooming option for &quot;wildflowers&quot;. At my house, our approach to a wildflower garden has been to combine some of the more attractive weeds from local ditches and let them battle it out. We chop back the more aggressive spreaders with a spade in mid-/late-summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-01-29T00:36:25.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5725" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5732" CreationDate="2013-01-30T05:51:37.433" Score="4" ViewCount="159" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 2 months old compost and there are still undecomposed greens in it, and I also have propagated some varieties of Capsicum cultivars &amp;amp; Tomato cultivars and they are getting bigger that they need to be transplanted to a larger containers. Will they grow on an active compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1844" LastActivityDate="2013-03-10T18:34:31.570" Title="Is it safe to grow vegetable bushes like Tomato and Chili Peppers on an Active Compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5726" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5687" CreationDate="2013-01-31T05:25:07.577" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it's growing that slowly, there's no evidence of bugs or other infestations or infections, take a look at potential nutrient deficiencies in your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any nutrient deficiencies could be due to an actual lack of the nutrient, or from a lack of the conditions required for the plant to access the nutrient (if the pH is too low, for example). My acidic clay soil in Adelaide tends to grow plants that are chronically low in calcium, so I remedy that (long-term, year by year) by applying agricultural lime (calcium carbonate) to raise the pH and gypsum (as well as manure and compost) to help break up the clay and make it less difficult to dig next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My calcium-deficient plants do look somewhat like your chili bush there, and it &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt; need extra calcium at fruiting time, so... Test the pH. Then if your pH is fine, send a sample of the soil off to be tested. Fixing either pH or nutrient deficiencies is a long-term project, but if that's your problem, there are things you can do in the short term to assist this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the grass you've got growing around the base of the plant will hog whatever nutrients it can. If you can, try to pull some of it out and mulch (leaving a small clear area around the actual plant stems in case of excessive damp) with something suitable for your current weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1326" LastActivityDate="2013-01-31T05:25:07.577" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5727" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5721" CreationDate="2013-01-31T06:31:08.737" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Once the fruit appears the insects are no longer required.  Since losing a few berries to birds, I've wrapped the fruiting region in some floating row cover which I cut out, and tied it.  Dunno if this will work as I'm not sure if full sunshine is required on the fruit, or is sufficient to land on the leaves. I'm guessing the latter as that's where the photosynthetic machinery is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2013-01-31T06:31:08.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5728" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5730" CreationDate="2013-01-31T08:46:08.337" Score="2" ViewCount="1052" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Cussonia bonsai suffers for a couple of months now from an unrecognized pest. &#xA;First I thought these are mites, so I bought a powder that you mix with water and spray on the leaves. But unfortunately it persists. It looks like brown spots on the back of the leaves, and some leaves are getting white spots all over,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what pest is it according to the images? (I could add only two since I'm a new user)&#xA;And if it mites, perhaps I should spray weekly or monthly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1GSZX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;http://i.stack.imgur.com/snqd6.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4SJEY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;http://i.stack.imgur.com/w8rqO.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1895" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2013-01-31T14:25:04.077" LastActivityDate="2014-05-06T22:01:34.753" Title="What is causing these dark spots on my bonsai tree?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;spider-mites&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5729" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5731" CreationDate="2013-01-31T10:07:54.780" Score="5" ViewCount="561" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some basil seeds and grew them in aquarium water over the two months or so.  They are placed in a rear window but I believe are getting adequate sun.  However, the plant is quite leggy being about 8 inches tall and only a few leaves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this indicate a deficiency of some sort, or just a lack of sunshine?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2013-02-19T03:53:53.047" Title="What does my basil need?" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5730" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5728" CreationDate="2013-01-31T11:51:09.603" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/cussonia_spicata.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cussonia or cabbage tree&lt;/a&gt; is native to South Africa and used for bonsai due to the large fleshy roots. It likes a well drained neutral pH soil with lots of sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pictures are helpful but do not show the white spots that you mention.  What I do see is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;veins of the leaf remain green but the area in between is yellow. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it appears that new growth is affected more than old growth &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This looks more like an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/objtwr/imported_assets/content/pw/gard/nutritional_gn_formatted.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;iron or manganese deficiency&lt;/a&gt;, due to the pH of the soil being too alkaline, rather than a pest issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is still possible that you have spider mites but we would need to see a closeup picture of the underside of the leaf where they live. Full details on what spider mites look and control like are found &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4210/why-are-these-white-dots-appearing-on-my-citrus-and-avocado-trees-and-the-leaves/4213#4213&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; but, in brief, they look like tiny grains of salt and are found on the undersides of the leaves where the flow of sap is strongest (near the veins).  A really bad infestation will show webbing between the axils of the leaves. Fortunately a dish cloth soaked in soap and water rubbed on the underside of each leaf  repeated three times at 5 to 7 day intervals will offer good or complete control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is what you could try:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;An application(s) of a sulphate or &quot;acid&quot; fertilizer will help. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Watering with pH neutral water helps in the long run. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Top dressing with a more acidic soil based on peat moss or sphagnum moss helps too.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2013-01-31T16:01:31.713" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5731" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5729" CreationDate="2013-01-31T15:54:50.860" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lack of sunlight.  Basil needs a lot of light.  If you are in the northern hemisphere at this time of year it likely that you will see some of the legginess you describe no matter where you put the plant.  Other than the obvious solution of more light might be to simply have more plants. Basil tends to root pretty easily from cuttings.  Cut down your leggy plant and put the cuttings in water.  When they root, pot them up and give them as much light as you can.  The plants will still be a bit sparse compared to what they would look like outside in the summer but you will have more of them so hopefully you will have enough leaves to harvest for your needs.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2013-01-31T15:54:50.860" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5732" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5725" CreationDate="2013-01-31T17:45:40.550" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't recommend it. Unless you're composting using an 'active' method, that is, a hot method, any fungal spores, bacteria and other infective organisms will be present in the compost, and the fact you still have uncomposted green material means the heap is not ready for use. Even so, the best use for this material is on the garden, in open ground, not contained in pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-01-31T17:45:40.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5734" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5735" CreationDate="2013-02-01T08:46:22.203" Score="3" ViewCount="1430" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm keen to have a bonsai by my desk at work. It will be on a window sill, but only have direct sunlight for about an hour a day (in the morning), the rest of the day it will have light reflected at it off a white wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I could place it outside during the weekend, if it needed it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will a juniper be suitable as an indoor bonsai in a situation like this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastEditorUserId="608" LastEditDate="2013-02-04T06:02:11.643" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T14:10:00.273" Title="Is a juniper suitable as an indoor bonsai?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5735" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5734" CreationDate="2013-02-01T11:49:52.713" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5713/can-someone-identify-this-bonsai-tree&quot;&gt;This answer&lt;/a&gt; should help you decide. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have bright filtered sunlight from an east window that is optimum.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The less light available the more it will &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiolate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;etiolate&lt;/a&gt; or stretch out which compromises one of the goals of bonsai which is to maintain a resemblance to a full size tree. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If it does stretch out there is not much which pruning can do to fix this.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Supplementary artificial light is a good option.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keep in mind that they need a dormancy period every winter when they need to be kept at cooler temperatures.  A north facing room often works well if you close the heating vents.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-02-01T11:49:52.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5736" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4658" CreationDate="2013-02-02T02:10:24.790" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you will find a mature English Ivy plant (Hedera helix) nearby. I've found dozens of the same seeds on the ground under my plum tree this week (Jan 30, 2013). I found your post while trying to determine the source. Today I went on safari and found the source in another yard. Apparently the mature vine looks different from the younger vines, I had thought they were two different plants. The birds are going crazy for the berries but they don't seem to eat the seeds, only the skins. My guess is you also have lots of purple bird droppings in the same area as the pink seed pods. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1897" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-05-16T06:16:50.587" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T06:16:50.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5737" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5739" CreationDate="2013-02-02T04:34:41.023" Score="7" ViewCount="2822" Body="&lt;p&gt;I moved into a new house (built 1979) this past fall and I would like to convert some of the grass area to a vegetable garden.  I don't know how the previous owners took care of their lawn, but is there any chance of of unsafe chemicals still hanging around in the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking of just normal lawn care products.  Do they dissipate over time?  If so, how long?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the current state of the grass, it does not appear they did anything special to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1899" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T05:05:27.580" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T05:05:27.580" Title="Is it safe to make a vegetable garden where there may have been lawn chemicals?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5737" CreationDate="2013-02-02T08:39:43.913" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you mentioned there has been grass growing on the area, which implies that the soil there is not badly contaminated. Since you want to grow vegetables out there, therefore it isn't worth taking a risk. The best way to check this would be grow few fast growing vegetable plants like tomatoes (sow the seeds of a tomato, don't plant an already grown plant) in some various areas of the garden. It will hardly take a month and a half for them to give you tomatoes. Take these tomatoes to any laboratory to have them tested. The lab results will definitely tell you whether the tomatoes have any sort of contamination or they are safe for health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1900" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-02-02T12:18:32.123" LastActivityDate="2013-02-02T12:18:32.123" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5739" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5737" CreationDate="2013-02-02T13:12:08.580" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're really anxious about it, do as &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/5738&quot;&gt;Evol Gate suggests&lt;/a&gt;, but to answer your query about timespan of activity for lawn care/treatment products, the longest acting one I can think of is one that might be used in the Autumn. This contains a small amount of nitrogen and sometimes a chemical to retard the growth of moss, and its length of activity is between 4-6 months at the most. If the grass you have looks in wonderful condition, with no weeds or moss or anything else, and no bald patches, then it's likely chemical treatments have been used. If it looks like most 'lawns', that is the opposite of what I've just described, then it's likely nothing much has been applied to it, and particularly not an autumn feed. Certainly, any growing season (April through to early July in the UK) products used last year will have long since dissipated. This answer assumes you're not in Australia...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2013-02-20T00:43:41.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5740" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5741" CreationDate="2013-02-02T15:42:12.603" Score="5" ViewCount="2243" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a rather large balcony and love onions. Is it possible to grow bulb onions in a container? What would the minimum dimensions of a container have to be to grow them? Could they be co-planted with something else to maximize space?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1433" LastActivityDate="2014-03-11T14:03:59.943" Title="Is it possible to grow bulb onions in a container garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;onions&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5741" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5740" CreationDate="2013-02-02T22:42:19.280" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes you can grow onions in containers. You can usually buy onion sets from local stores which will produce a good size onion much faster than starting from seed. Garlic works as well. We are currently growing it in 2 inch diameter pots from a clove bought from the store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With containers, bigger is better subject to some limitations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wet soil is heavy. Check the load limits for your balcony if you are above ground level&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil much deeper than twelve to eighteen inches will not be used except by trees or shrubs.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;make sure you have adequate access to water.  Even large containers dry out and in hot summer conditions regular watering is essential.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in regards to recommended size that is dependent on a number of factors.  At least twelve inches deep and eight to twelve inches wide but bigger is better.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you should be able to intercrop with lettuce and radishes as these grow fast and should be harvested before the onions get too big.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope some of the other vegetable gardeners will add their ideas on what else you can grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-02-02T22:42:19.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5742" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5743" CreationDate="2013-02-03T18:39:12.917" Score="3" ViewCount="1528" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like English walnut (&lt;em&gt;Juglans regia&lt;/em&gt;) is the tree that produces the walnuts you'd get in the supermarket. Does black walnut (&lt;em&gt;J. nigra&lt;/em&gt;) produce nuts that are worth eating?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there varieties of either species (or perhaps other walnut species) that have some quality to recommend them over other varieties?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-02-03T19:26:19.167" Title="Which walnut varieties are best for eating?" Tags="&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;nut-trees&gt;&lt;walnut&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5742" CreationDate="2013-02-03T19:26:19.167" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No. The nuts produced by Juglans regia and its cultivars have the thinnest shells and the largest kernels. Black walnut (J. nigra) does produce nuts, but they are much more difficult to extract from the shell. There are cultivars of J. regia which may be chosen by professional growers for various reasons - perhaps the growth habit is broader and less tall, or flowering is later to avoid frost damage in regions where spring is late. Bear in mind these trees are best grown separately - the roots have an allelopathic effect, particularly J. regia roots, and may kill off surrounding planting, although some plants are more suspceptible than others to the toxin. You may also need more than one tree to guarantee fruiting - although they are self fertile, carrying both male and female flowers on a single tree, sometimes they appear at different times, so that fertilisation cannot take place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-02-03T19:26:19.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5744" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-02-03T21:54:32.820" Score="12" ViewCount="116053" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very tall pine tree in front of my house. I am about to start work digging up my downstairs floor and re-doing it. I'm just wandering if before I start I should look further into the roots of my pine tree, because it is very close to the house, in case they will soon become a problem. Has anyone else had a problem with a pine tree wrapping its roots around their houses' foundations? Or (I'm very new to this as you may tell) are they the type to grow around obstacles?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last thing I want to do is take down this beautiful tree, which is why I am trying to find out about it now. I would like to keep the tree and my house in one piece for as long as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1903" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T08:41:36.650" LastActivityDate="2019-05-24T10:53:57.130" Title="How far will pine tree roots spread?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5745" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5744" CreationDate="2013-02-03T23:31:03.067" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.isa-arbor.com/education/resources/educ_Portal_RootGrowth_AN.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;New research tools&lt;/a&gt; have allowed arborists to learn more about tree roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tree roots can extend as far as two or three times the width of the drip line, or the farthest point from the tree where foliage grows.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pine trees are not known for having invasive root systems but if the soil is dry roots will go where the water is. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Most roots grow within the top foot (30 cm)  of the surface.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Trunk diameter is about as good as it gets for estimating root spread&#xA;of unobstructed trees. For young trees [less than approximately 8 in&#xA;(20 cm) in diameter], the ratio of root radius to trunk diameter in&#xA;the documented studies was about 38 to 1&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;this can change for different soil types, compacted soil, mature trees, palm trees&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only way to be sure is to test and discover more yourself with these methods:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you have downspouts redirect the water far away your foundation. Dumping it two or three feet from your foundation just encourages roots to go get the water. Redirect the water as far away as you can using four inch PVC pipe or, my favorite, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=images%20four%20inch%20perforated%20drain%20pipe%20with%20a%20sleeve&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;four inch perforated drain pipe with a sleeve&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;given that roots are close to the surface investigate with a spade. Dig a slit trench six inches deep between your foundation and the tree and see if there are&#xA;roots present.  If there are you can put a physical barrier  between the tree and the foundation.  I found that EPDM pool liner provides an inert barrier that does not degrade and will prevent roots from passing through it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All tree roots will grow towards water. How far they go and how deep depends on the type of soil. Where I live white pine trees can get 100 feet tall with roots only going twenty feet out.  The best way is to investigate with some slit trenches in areas where you are concerned roots could be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-09-09T12:56:23.633" LastActivityDate="2015-09-09T12:56:23.633" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5746" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5747" CreationDate="2013-02-04T06:46:14.550" Score="3" ViewCount="6177" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to train my bonsai branches down to give the appearance of an old, tired tree.It's about 20cm high and the trunk is around 8mm thick and the branches tapper from around 5 to about 3mm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to know what gauge or (or diameter) wire I should use, but it would be most useful to the community if there was a &quot;rule of thumb&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a general rule for the thickness of wire one should use to train a bonsai? &#xA;ie. the thickness of the branch at the thickest or thinnest place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T19:56:04.817" Title="What gauge wire should I train my bonsai branches with?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5746" CreationDate="2013-02-04T07:18:58.960" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did some research and came up with this answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The gauge of wire depends on the strength of the branch you want to train. Give the branch a bit of a bend and note how much force you need, then bend the wire you have. If it takes more force to bend the wire than the branch you have the right gauge wire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Branch &amp;gt; Wire = Bad&#xA;&#xA;Branch &amp;lt; Wire = Good&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can bend the wire with less force than the branch, you can &quot;double wire&quot; the branch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's better to wire with too thick wire than with too thin wire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got the answer mostly from &lt;a href=&quot;http://youtu.be/kfyMtTvsy3A?t=1m22s&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TfTTcbLEHo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is a video on wiring technique.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-02T19:56:04.817" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T19:56:04.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5748" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5750" CreationDate="2013-02-05T06:13:20.180" Score="5" ViewCount="278" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a whole yard of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c319&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Amur Privet&lt;/a&gt; that hasn't been taken care of for quite some time. (I've newly moved in). Over about a year I've cut down and cared for my privets. There are a few low areas and very thin areas. How do I propagate them? I've tried trimming off pieces, putting them in rooting compound and trying to get them going that way with no luck whatsoever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help at all would be great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1905" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-11T18:37:46.650" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T14:05:51.727" Title="How to propagate a hedge?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;rooting-hormone&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5749" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5758" CreationDate="2013-02-05T17:42:07.180" Score="7" ViewCount="4135" Body="&lt;p&gt;The bark is falling off my tree. Is the tree dead? Diseased? Will I have to have it removed? Please see the pics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on any photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vl5BY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vl5BYm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree trunk&quot; title=&quot;tree trunk&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dfNlq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dfNlqm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bark missing from tree&quot; title=&quot;bark missing from tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m2m0T.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m2m0Tm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bark on ground&quot; title=&quot;bark on ground&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JsltH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JsltHm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;trunk with bark missing&quot; title=&quot;trunk with bark missing&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G1fE1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G1fE1m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree&quot; title=&quot;tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1907" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T08:19:55.580" LastActivityDate="2017-12-26T13:20:44.143" Title="The bark is falling off my tree - is it diseased or dead?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5750" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5748" CreationDate="2013-02-05T17:53:41.870" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a pretty prolific plant. You should have no trouble propagating it from cuttings, &lt;em&gt;but&lt;/em&gt;&amp;hellip; &lt;strong&gt;you have to select the right growth stage to cut from.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should only root from the newer (but not &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;too&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; new) growth. The best time is late spring to early summer when the newer growth is just starting to become woody. Cut sections of about 6-12&quot; and strip off about 1/2 to 3/4 of the leaves from the bottom of your cutting. Dampen the cut ends a few inches up and dip them in your rooting compound. Make a hole with a pencil in your propagation medium, gently lower your cuttings into the hole, and lightly firm the soil around it. Keep it out of the direct sun. Water the soil thoroughly (no fertilizer) and keep it moist. You can cover it with a plastic bag or a seed-starting enclosure to help keep the moisture level consistent, but if you keep it watered, that should be fine. Never let it dry out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;New growth should appear in about 6-8 weeks, more or less.  I would suggest keeping the new plants in their pots until the roots have had plenty of time to develop. Plan on transplanting the new plants to your garden later in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2013-02-05T18:28:35.403" LastActivityDate="2013-02-05T18:28:35.403" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5749" CreationDate="2013-02-05T19:58:03.543" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most of this looks to be old damage and I suspect it is caused by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=image%20porcupine%20damage%20tree%20bark&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a porcupine&lt;/a&gt; due to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;irregular areas chewed off&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;damaged areas are dry with no signs of fungal/viral infection&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no signs of holes or sawdust indicating borers or beetles&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some damage occurs well above areas that deer or mice will feed on&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any tree would be stressed from this amount of damage and this seems to be born out by the thinning leaf canopy.  As Kate Gregory recommends compare the amount of foliage to similar trees in the area to establish what is healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is porcupines one control method is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;...is to place a skirting of galvanized metal or tin around the base&#xA;  of the tree. The metal reaches all the way around the tree trunk and&#xA;  is tall enough that the porcupines can't easily reach above it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.helium.com/items/2172883-safeguarding-trees-from-porcupine-damage&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  You might be able to see similar damage on other trees in the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is also possible that the cause is something else but we would need to know more about what kind of tree and where it is growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/science-and-innovation/agricultural-practices/agroforestry/diseases-and-pests/protecting-trees-from-animal-damage/?id=1198877618448&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; to complete list of tree guard materials. It includes&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bitter repellants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plastic mesh tubing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;rolled roofing, sheet metal or 1/4&quot; galvanized hardware cloth&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Current thinking in tree care in regards to wounds is to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compartmentalization_of_decay_in_trees&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;leave them alone&lt;/a&gt; and let the tree utilize it's natural defense mechanisms to close off the wound. Tar, shellac and numerous other &quot;ideas&quot; people have used do not appear to help the tree and could harm it by providing an area that is sealed where existing fungus/virus/bugs can live in comfort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2017-12-26T13:20:44.143" LastActivityDate="2017-12-26T13:20:44.143" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5752" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-02-06T02:03:51.300" Score="3" ViewCount="165" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Mexican Avocado tree growing indoors in the winter (we live in the Northeast) outdoors in the summer. It has developed white round spots and the edges to the inside are becoming brown and the leaves are falling off. I do not see any sign of infestation anywhere. The soil looks clean, as do the leaves and I think it may be a disease but I do not know what.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1909" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-02-06T14:09:13.520" LastActivityDate="2013-02-06T14:09:13.520" Title="Mexican Avocado tree grown indoors 1½ years old has round spots on leaves" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2014-07-16T03:21:55.187" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5753" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5754" CreationDate="2013-02-06T06:57:44.020" Score="8" ViewCount="2458" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been working on applying permacultural techniques of layering in space and time, and most of my gardens work well on this principle but I am having trouble applying it to asparagus. What should I plant around my asparagus to reduce exposed soil and improve fertility?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have done some research and found a lot of people seem to say that asparagus should be grown alone, but this poses weeding and soil fertility problems I would rather avoid long-term. So, how can I apply permacultural techniques to the growing of asparagus?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Asking here because it was declared off-topic on sustainability.se.com.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: I'm in Eastern Washington State, relatively dry, hot in the summer, cold in the winter, moderately growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1911" LastEditorUserId="10904" LastEditDate="2018-09-22T15:40:44.497" LastActivityDate="2018-09-22T15:40:44.497" Title="What to guild with Asparagus" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;companion-planting&gt;&lt;permaculture&gt;&lt;asparagus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="5754" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5753" CreationDate="2013-02-06T14:06:30.563" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://sustainability.stackexchange.com/q/250/66&quot;&gt;second version of your asparagus question on sustainability.SE&lt;/a&gt; specifically asks about reducing water requirements:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I have been looking into applying this with asparagus, to reduce water usage involved in growing this food, but have been unable to find recommendations for plants to plant alongside (and given the spacing between plants, this leads to a lot of exposed soil). I would like to grow asparagus with as little external water input as possible. What can I plant next to asparagus to help cut down on the water loss, weeding requirements, and fertilizer requirements? I.e. how can I grow asparagus sustainably?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your aim is reduce water usage, then the thing that immediately comes to mind is a thick organic mulch for both suppressing weeds and retaining moisture. Some (free!) mulches that would be suitable for a permaculture garden:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;straw&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;autumn leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;don't just chop &amp;amp; drop your cover crops that are grown elsewhere, drag some over to the asparagus&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;arborist wood chips&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(&lt;em&gt;Note that I do not have an asparagus guild, but I will lay out how I would go about assembling one.&lt;/em&gt; Conventional wisdom is that you want to keep all that soil around your asparagus bare, and while I find a couple of mentions of asparagus in permaculture guilds, I didn't see any lists of plants.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the table for Asparagus on p. 182 of Ed Smith's &quot;The Vegetable Gardener's Bible&quot;, it mentions basil, calendula, parsley, and tomato as good companions for asparagus. The text, however, mentions that while tomatoes are commonly recommended as companions (see &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus#Companion_planting&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; for example), both asparagus and tomatoes are fairly hungry plants, and you don't the tomatoes to steal nutrients from your asparagus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So using that principle, you wouldn't want to plant anything near it that is going to use up a lot of nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another hurdle to finding good plants to go along with asparagus is that you want something that will actually grow beside the asparagus. Basil is another suggestion in the list above, but basil likes full sun and the asparagus can get quite tall, casting shade on the basil. So &lt;strong&gt;basil&lt;/strong&gt; is questionable, but since it's fairly easy to grow, and it's just an annual, I think it would be worth trying as an experiment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Barbara Damrosch's &quot;The Garden Primer&quot; on p. 270, she suggests that during the first year of growth, the asparagus won't grow too high and you could plant bush beans between the rows. This seems like a good choice: nitrogen-fixing beans would help the soil, and a dense planting of beans will shade the soil quite well. In later years, she suggests early crops like &lt;strong&gt;radish&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;lettuce&lt;/strong&gt;. Radish seems like a good choice -- light nutrient usage, and they're out of the ground before the asparagus gets very tall. Lettuce seems like it will use more nutrients, but if you aren't using it as the &lt;em&gt;only&lt;/em&gt; companion and therefore planting a ton of them then it sounds like a reasonable guild member. (For that matter, other &lt;strong&gt;&quot;baby&quot; salad greens&lt;/strong&gt; might be reasonable as long as you harvest them while they're small and don't plant so densely that they suck up all of your nitrogen and other nutrients: &lt;strong&gt;kale&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;spinach&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;chard&lt;/strong&gt;.) If you end up with substantial plantings that you're harvesting, definitely consider a generous top-dressing of compost in the spring; this is challenging if you've got a couple inches of wood chips on the ground, so plan accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that I'm assuming that asparagus is the apex of your guild -- it wants full sun, so I don't think you want anything to overshadow it. With that said, I suppose it would be possible to plant something taller on the north side; perhaps a small &lt;strong&gt;fruit tree&lt;/strong&gt; that won't spread so far as to overshadow the bed but would provide a wind break and some extra shade for the soil on the north side. A deciduous tree would also provide leaves that you can use for mulch (i.e. providing multiple yields &amp;amp; stacking functions). The risk here, of course, is that a tree is rather permanent -- the other plants suggested are more temporary and thus very suitable as experimental guild members. Although now that I write that, I suppose a tree has a several decade long life span but the asparagus bed will only be around for about 15 years so you could replace the asparagus with something else if it didn't provide good results. (A &quot;successful&quot; experiment as long as you learn something, right? Be sure to share what you learn!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, at the bottom layer you want a low-growing, nitrogen-fixing ground cover. I'm a big fan of &lt;strong&gt;white clover&lt;/strong&gt; for this in other settings. The bees love it when it flowers, it tolerates light traffic (so you can plant it in lightly-used paths), a thick planting it the soil and crowds out weeds, and if it starts to get too tall you can mow it and leave the clippings in place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that I see &lt;a href=&quot;http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/rye_cover_crops_slow_asparagus_emergence&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;rye&lt;/a&gt; mentioned as a winter cover crop in conventional asparagus growing, but it seems like a &lt;em&gt;terrible&lt;/em&gt; idea in a permaculture guild around perennials like asparagus. I love rye in my annual garden because it is very hardy, scavenges a bunch of nitrogen that might otherwise be lost, and can put on a good flush of growth in the spring; however it is hard to kill, often requiring multiple passes with the rototiller (the linked article mentions glyphosate) -- not possible with the asparagus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you were going to use an annual winter cover in your asparagus, you'd want something that is guaranteed to winter-kill. If you do this, make sure you leave the residue in place to compost back into the soil -- you don't want to be removing nutrients from the asparagus bed by way of cover crops!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Summary&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mulch with straw, leaves, chips, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;experiment with basil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;experiment with quick spring crops like radish or baby salad greens&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use a ground cover like white clover&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you're feeling adventurous, try a fruit tree on the north side of the bed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:49:27.957" LastActivityDate="2013-02-06T14:06:30.563" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5755" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-02-06T21:32:39.170" Score="5" ViewCount="3149" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live on a sloped lot in Utah (just north of Salt Lake City, USDA zone 7b) with several rock retaining walls (small boulders 3-5' in diameter). After hard rains I've noticed considerable dirt plumes from drainage between the boulders and I worry about erosion. The previous owner had some sort of ground cover plants in between but those pretty much died off when the house sat vacant for one year. I also get weeds growing in the dirt between the rocks. I'm looking for a good, low-maintenance solution to minimize erosion and weeds, even if it's non-organic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1913" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-02-07T18:19:36.267" LastActivityDate="2013-02-12T06:08:47.490" Title="How can I control erosion and weeds on a rock retaining wall?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;erosion-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5756" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5755" CreationDate="2013-02-06T23:25:01.987" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best solution is to build a retaining wall with a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=geotextile&quot;&gt;geotextile&lt;/a&gt; fabric that will stop soil from being washed out.  This might not be as large a job as you might think.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;take the wall down&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dig a trench with 4&quot; perforated drain pipe with sleeve on the inside of the base of the wall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lay down your geotextile or landscape fabric&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rebuild the wall with a slope back against the higher ground&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternately you can look for native plants that tolerate hot and dry conditions and plant them into the walls.  They will stabilize the soil and stop the washout.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2013-02-06T23:25:01.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5757" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-02-08T06:14:08.217" Score="4" ViewCount="301" Body="&lt;p&gt;We picked up a brown turkey fig tree last summer. We plan on keeping it in a large pot rather than in the ground. We have a small space and understand they have a good sized root system. Plus we live in an iffy area for this tree when it comes to overnight lows (Kootenays in BC Canada). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the end of year wrap up we brought it inside rather than protecting it outside. The location it's been in has not allowed the tree to go dormant and instead it's growing...too well!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is what should we do to give it the best chance this summer? Did we harm its year? Should we prune it now and get it outside (slowly) to give it some cold time? Or let it be and just move it out in when it's warm?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1915" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2015-09-11T03:11:49.150" LastActivityDate="2015-09-11T03:11:49.150" Title="Brown turkey fig dormancy time" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5758" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5749" CreationDate="2013-02-10T15:39:09.997" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a tree service come out. They said that it's dead and is infested with pine bark beetles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1907" LastActivityDate="2013-02-10T15:39:09.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5760" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5763" CreationDate="2013-02-10T02:59:13.540" Score="5" ViewCount="7008" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Murray lawn mower (Model 20223X12A). The Tecumseh engine model number is TVS 90 4354K. I measured the blade diagonally and it is about 19.5 inches long. It is just a regular blade. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wanted to know if I can install any type blade or brand as long as the length is the same. I was thinking of getting a 3 in 1 blade. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1923" OwnerDisplayName="Rick" LastEditorUserId="1923" LastEditDate="2013-02-10T21:32:54.347" LastActivityDate="2013-02-11T09:50:30.550" Title="Can I replace my lawn mower's blade with any brand blade?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5761" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5740" CreationDate="2013-02-10T20:26:36.463" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been container gardening for a number of years, as I'm limited in the available space I have at my town center terraced house. The containers are all at the back of my south-facing house. I also have a small plastic green house. In the containers I grow onion sets, spring onions, lettuce, beetroot, asparagus, potatoes, strawberries, a gooseberry bush, an apple tree, a cherry tree, two pear trees.  In the green house I have two fig trees and two goji berries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Results are slower than in the open ground, but it provides me with an adequate supply for a period of the year. Though crops are not as heavy with the restriction of space, so you can possibly grow any vegetable you may wish and the same is with fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best of luck, and happy gardening &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1921" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-02-10T21:00:26.903" LastActivityDate="2013-02-10T21:00:26.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5762" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5803" CreationDate="2013-02-11T08:47:00.033" Score="10" ViewCount="3925" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that for 'regular' composting without worms you need a carbon-nitrogen ratio of something between 25:1 and 30:1. Is the same true for vermicomposting? I'm not sure if it matters, but I'm using &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenia_fetida&quot;&gt;tiger worms&lt;/a&gt; in a closed worm bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;:&#xA;I tried google and  found mixed results. &lt;a href=&quot;http://compostguide.com/vermicomposting-composting-with-worms/&quot;&gt;On this page&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.livestrong.com/article/238431-what-things-should-be-put-in-a-composting-bin/&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt; they say that the specific C:N: ratio doesn't matter, but &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Vermicomposting&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; mentions a ratio of 30:1 and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gracelinks.org/114/vermicomposting-101&quot;&gt;on this page&lt;/a&gt; they say you should have a 70:30 ratio (of browns:greens).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1916" LastEditorUserId="1916" LastEditDate="2013-02-20T08:05:02.527" LastActivityDate="2016-10-13T15:55:58.250" Title="What's the best C:N ratio when vermicomposting?" Tags="&lt;vermicomposting&gt;&lt;carbon-nitrogen-ratio&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5763" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5760" CreationDate="2013-02-11T09:50:30.550" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In principle, sure - as long as it will fit. Most blades are made to similar strength standards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check very carefully that the hole spacings are correct - and that you can tighten the bolt/bolts fully, as you really don't want a blade flying off at speed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastActivityDate="2013-02-11T09:50:30.550" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5764" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-02-11T21:00:06.923" Score="5" ViewCount="197" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live in southern Spain, and have the problem of trying to disguise a massive cliff wall behind the house. We intend to erect large metal fencing to the cliff, which is 100 feet long by 40 feet high! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our question is what vines to use to cover as much of it quickly. We have to use containers, because the cliff is made of reinforced concrete, and the pots for the vines need to be placed 12 inches away from the cliff's base. Also we will be away from June till October, so we must plan a watering system. We're thinking of something along the lines of Morning Glory, as this would have green leaves all year, to try to hide as much of the cliff as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1925" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-02-12T03:26:20.150" LastActivityDate="2013-02-12T16:30:06.117" Title="What climbing vines will cover a 40' high cliff in southern Spain?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5765" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-02-12T02:19:43.247" Score="5" ViewCount="1772" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am entertaining the idea of growing a Goji berry plant in my backyard.  I have several fruit trees already and have good soil conditions.  The plant would be permanently outdoors and would not be brought in during the winter.  I live in Northeast Ohio (Zone 6) and so winters can get a little harsh.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can Goji berry plants survive an Ohio winter?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does anything special need to be done to winterize them?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there any kind of special soil prep or maintenance that should be done?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this plant a complete waste of time?  ;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1053" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-02-12T03:38:23.227" LastActivityDate="2015-12-31T14:43:02.973" Title="Growing Goji berry plant in Ohio" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5766" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5772" CreationDate="2013-02-12T03:23:05.877" Score="8" ViewCount="18358" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have four Butterfly Bushes (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddleja_davidii&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Buddleja davidii&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) in my yard from a previous owner. I believe two are the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddleja_davidii_%27Black_Knight%27&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Black Knight&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; cultivar, but I'm not sure what the other two are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I spend a &lt;strong&gt;lot&lt;/strong&gt; of time every year keeping them (and their dozens of offspring) under control and I've finally had it with them &amp;mdash; I want them gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the current state of the largest of the bushes: a 6&quot;/15cm high stump, about 16&quot;/40cm by 12&quot;/30cm with four large trunks.  The other bushes have smaller trunks, but they'll be in a similar state as soon as I can get the time to cut them back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LmY8G.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A Buddleja stump, about 16&amp;quot; across and 6&amp;quot; high, with four large trunks.&quot; title=&quot;Current state of the largest bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, in the time I've been in this house, ice storms have knocked them back to the ground twice; they regrow just fine once the weather warms up, so I know they're tenacious.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A complication is that my sewer and gas lines both run along that side of the house, so I'm limited in the digging or picking I can do there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do I have to do to get rid of them for once and for all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-02-12T03:30:51.657" LastActivityDate="2014-06-18T19:33:38.053" Title="How do I kill a butterfly bush so it stays dead?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5767" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5765" CreationDate="2013-02-12T04:46:32.083" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are very hardy, and will survive in zone 5 or so... There have been feral populations in northern Utah since the railroad was joined... Most of the Goji plants in the US market are from this stock from one supplier in northern Utah.&#xA;I have grown them for a few years, and have been surprised with how many berries I get from such small plants, but the berries themselves don't taste like much... Maybe they will get sweeter and more tart when the plant gets bigger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2013-02-12T04:46:32.083" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5768" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5762" CreationDate="2013-02-12T05:26:52.003" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't ever worried about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Here are my general guidelines&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;YES&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;best to &lt;strong&gt;chop up or dry out fresh veggies&lt;/strong&gt;, because many will just start growing and never get eaten.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;add ground up egg shells, they provide calcium and a buffer against organic acid buildup.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;make sure you have plenty of air, and not too much water, drain holes in the bottom are a must.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;watch your worms, if they are climbing out something isn't right&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plenty of cardboard and pulp egg cartons, the structure gives worms places to escape to and lay egg capsules.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;NO&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;no dairy or meat&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;worms never eat anything that is alive, including seeds.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no citrus or fresh pineapple.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no tropical fruit skins (pesticides).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;nothing too oily&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;most pungent/strong food has herbs and spices that are antihelmetic... Don't add any dried wormwood, rosemary, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no hair.&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The worst horror stories I have heard involve either pesticides from banana peels or ant invasions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The old timer that sold me my worms has been vermicomposting for 30 years, and always makes sure his worms have access to alfalfa pellets, because, he claims, the worms can eat them directly without first being digested by fungi... I don't know if it is true.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/23361/14359&quot;&gt;similar list on this SE, with a single page pdf to hang&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-10-13T15:55:58.250" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5769" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5755" CreationDate="2013-02-12T06:08:47.490" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it depends on how much work you want to do and how much you want to spend&#xA;In salt lake there are a few good places to get native plants, Cactus and Tropicals has an outdoor area during the warm months.&#xA;You could do some cool native plants depending on sun and water, you could try wasatch penstamen, the native four o' clock, service berry, choke cherry, mountain mahogany, red dogwood, scarlet Gillia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry for any of those names that I munched..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;USU has a good list here: &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.usu.edu/plantguide/index.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.hort.usu.edu/plantguide/index.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also if you live near the bench, watch out for rattlesnakes, they love rock piles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2013-02-12T06:08:47.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5770" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5784" CreationDate="2013-02-12T08:51:33.783" Score="2" ViewCount="2313" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see a lot of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_hulls&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;rice hulls&lt;/a&gt; that are burned after harvest seasons. Is there a good use for it in my garden or it is best suited for large scale farming like rice and corn? Is there a good use for its ashes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1844" LastActivityDate="2013-02-14T00:23:55.173" Title="What are the uses of rice hulls?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5771" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5777" CreationDate="2013-02-12T09:35:54.197" Score="5" ViewCount="703" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can somebody let me know the name of this plant? My office desk has inherited it and I would like to keep him alive :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/1S0yvVp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1926" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-23T23:18:04.960" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T23:18:04.960" Title="Can anybody identify this office plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5772" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5766" CreationDate="2013-02-12T14:02:20.763" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would paint brush-b-gon (or a similar small tree weedkiller) on the stumps after cutting them back. Using an old paint brush means the treatment is highly localized and does not affect neighboring plants, etc.  This is the approach used by many ecological groups when removing invasive bushes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Incidentally, &lt;em&gt;davidii&lt;/em&gt; amounts to an invasive in the UK, where it freely grows in abandoned industrial areas, along railway cuttings, etc. I guess the purple brings in some color and butterflies (and I remember having one as a kid that would be covered with small tortoise shells and peacock butterflies), but it is very much a weed when it escapes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-18T19:33:38.053" LastActivityDate="2014-06-18T19:33:38.053" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5773" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5764" CreationDate="2013-02-12T16:30:06.117" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've a problem if you can only plant in pots. Any large vine or climbing plant so contained will only ever achieve a few feet, say 6 feet if you're lucky in 2 foot deep pots, because of the constriction to its root room, so this does not sound like a good solution to your problem. If you can find somewhere to plant into soil, and then train towards the cliff, that might work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-02-12T16:30:06.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5774" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5779" CreationDate="2013-02-12T16:34:53.650" Score="19" ViewCount="22294" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an allotment in England where I grow vegetables and fruit. One of the biggest problems I am having with it (other than the soil desperately needing fertilising) is the bindweed infestation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TGXSf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;By Anneli Salo (Own work (Own photo)) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried all sorts to get rid of it. I have tried digging the roots out by hand, but I have 150 sqr meters of ground to dig through &amp;amp; I have read that the roots can penetrate to a depth of 5m.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried training it up bamboo away from my crops and spraying it with Glyphosate based weed killers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All to no avail, it seems to come back within only a matter of a week or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've looked around the internet for more answers, but can't seem to come up with anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastActivityDate="2018-11-05T16:27:30.720" Title="How to get rid of bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) once and for all?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;" AnswerCount="8" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5775" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5766" CreationDate="2013-02-12T18:29:19.360" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't mention where you are located, but here in Central Florida, I've been able to take out &lt;em&gt;incredibly&lt;/em&gt; invasive, persistent, and prolific &lt;em&gt;sprout-from-the-trunks&lt;/em&gt; plants &lt;strong&gt;by covering it and sealing it down in thick, black plastic.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use 3 mil contractor clean-up bags cut open into one large sheet. On even mildly-warm days, I've measured it at over 140°F (60°C) under there.  There's no light, so even if something manages to sprout in that heat, it isn't going to last very long. Bonus that, once the plant dies from either &quot;heat exhaustion&quot; or light/energy deprivation, it starts rotting very quickly. By fall, it is basically a pile of loamy mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2013-02-12T19:10:57.107" LastActivityDate="2013-02-12T19:10:57.107" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5776" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5765" CreationDate="2013-02-12T21:06:52.607" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry I can't just add a comment yet. But I can  say that ours do fine in zone six. Winters have been mild the last few years but they are happy. I have a fence of sorts around them and this helps support the snow when there is lots. I understand they can have a good sized root system when growing strong. &#xA;We dry them and use them in smothies. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1915" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-31T01:37:23.787" LastActivityDate="2015-12-31T01:37:23.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5777" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5771" CreationDate="2013-02-12T23:53:02.813" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maranta_arundinacea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Maranta arundinacea&lt;/a&gt; which has been grown in low light so the white parts of the leaf are less obvious.  I base this on the the prominent leaf sheaths and the limited variegation.  They are similar to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglaonema&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Aglaonemas&lt;/a&gt;, commonly called Chinese Evergreen, but most aglos have more consistent variegation across the entire leaf.  The definitive way to identify this is to look in the soil.  Aglo's have white roots and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=Maranta%20arundinacea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Maranta's have rhizomes&lt;/a&gt; which look like ginger. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This Maranta is also known as arrowroot, is edible and said to have uses as an herbal medicine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant looks to be potted in the usual artificial soil mix with a high peat content. Maranta's prefer a consistently moist soil when they have the light to use the moisture.  I recommend moving it to a higher light area and thoroughly watering it on a regular basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-02-16T16:01:04.957" LastActivityDate="2013-02-16T16:01:04.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5778" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5782" CreationDate="2013-02-13T13:04:24.203" Score="5" ViewCount="180" Body="&lt;p&gt;I accidentally ran a Stihl MS 261 chainsaw on a 4% mixture for 3 tanks instead of the 2% oil to gas mixture it should have had. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would this have done any damage to the machine should I do anything special to deal with this situation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user1933" LastActivityDate="2019-10-16T02:02:42.523" Title="What is the risk of using 4% 2T mixture in a chainsaw that needs 2% 2T?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;&lt;chainsaw&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5774" CreationDate="2013-02-13T15:50:43.030" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ooh, dear, sorry AvieRose, that's because there isn't a once and for all solution. Bindweed is practically impossible to eradicate, as you've discovered, so all you can hope for is to keep it in check. In light soils, it's often possible to extract the bulk of any root material when the area is unplanted, but in clay or heavy soils, it's much harder because, as you probably know, it will regrow from a piece of root no more than a quarter of an inch in size. I usually do what you did, insert canes and let it climb up that, then spray with glyphosate, and periodically, when revamping an area, attempt to extract as much of the root as is possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-02-13T15:50:43.030" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5780" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5783" CreationDate="2013-02-13T15:55:27.937" Score="5" ViewCount="297" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can only grow things in containers as I have no garden and have an active herb garden mostly consisting of some very happy chives and some potted Bay, rosemary and basil.However the window box I plant my mint in seems to be a dead loss. Sometimes I discover it is too wet and I have been over watering (so it dies) or I find it is too dry (so it dies). I tend to water most plants about the same time and about the same rate but the mint seems to like to fluctuate massively. What can I do to increase the life and survival of my mint?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1934" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-02-13T17:26:16.740" LastActivityDate="2013-02-19T03:38:45.793" Title="Water levels for Mint in a window box" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;mint&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5782" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5778" CreationDate="2013-02-13T17:25:10.297" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am by no means a small engines expert (and someone should correct me if I'm wrong), but as far as I know, running with extra oil will make it smoke while running and may foul up your spark plug (?) which is easily fixable, but won't cause any permanent damage. Running it with &lt;em&gt;less&lt;/em&gt; oil than recommended would mean insufficient lubrication and may damage the engine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for &quot;should I do anything special&quot;: I'd inspect your spark plug, replace it if it is fouled. Maybe check your fuel filter and replace that if needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-02-13T17:25:10.297" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5783" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5780" CreationDate="2013-02-13T17:42:20.210" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid it won't do well in a trough or window box however you water it. Mint likes a deep root run, so does much better in deep pots than it will in shallow containers, but even then, it inevitably stops growing well after a couple of years. Try getting a pot 18 inches deep and as wide as possible - that way, the mint will be more productive for longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-02-13T17:42:20.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5784" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5770" CreationDate="2013-02-14T00:23:55.173" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rice hulls would &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.blogdivvy.com/growing-vegetables/rice-hull-compost.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;make a decent mulch&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Rice hulls are very lightweight and in order to be used satisfactorily as a mulch, a thin layer of dirt must be spread over them, then gently but thoroughly moistened. This way they will hold their position the rest of the season controlling weeds and conserving moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_hulls#Rice_husk_ash&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The ash&lt;/a&gt; is high in silica, and the hulls themselves are fairly nutrient-poor to begin with; I'm not sure it would be much benefit for your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can get your hands on the unburned hulls, I'd use them for mulch as described above. Wikipedia also says they also make good insulation, so if you have a greenhouse or other situation that would benefit from this insulation you could use it there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-02-14T00:23:55.173" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5785" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-02-14T16:02:29.500" Score="3" ViewCount="11435" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a fir tree planted at the front corner of our house. We recently had foundation problems due to that side of the house sinking. We live in north Texas. The company that fixed our foundation advised that the tree was using all the water and therefore, causing our foundation problems and advised us to remove it. It is about 20ft tall and now we are wondering if we should undertake the task of removing it. An ideas or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1936" LastActivityDate="2013-02-16T16:10:42.263" Title="Do fir trees cause foundation problems?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5786" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5778" CreationDate="2013-02-14T22:11:48.947" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.stihl.co.uk/fuel-mix.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Stihl's website have a guide&lt;/a&gt; for engine oil/fuel mixtures, the following applies to ANY petrol driven chainsaw:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Your petrol-powered engine requires a mixture of petrol and engine&#xA;  oil. &lt;strong&gt;The quality of the petrol and oil is extremely important to the&#xA;  running and life of the engine.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Unsuitable fuels or mix ratios that do not comply with the&#xA;  specification can seriously damage the engine (piston seizing,&#xA;  excessive wear.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The MS 261 in particular is a professional piece of equipment, I would definitely take good care of it and not take any chances.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="147" LastActivityDate="2013-02-14T22:11:48.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5787" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5785" CreationDate="2013-02-14T23:54:34.383" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the tree is within a few feet of the foundation it should be removed. Please consider hiring an arborist to remove it, particularly, as &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5785/do-fir-trees-cause-foundation-problems#comment7116_5785&quot;&gt;Ambo100 points out&lt;/a&gt;, if it could fall on your car, the sidewalk or another house.  Some cities have ordinances prohibiting the removal of trees above a certain size.  Best to check before cutting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fir trees are not known to have aggressive water seeking roots but many factors play into how far a tree's roots will look for water:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil profile&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;availability of water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mortonarb.org/tree-plant-advice/article/698/tree-root-problems.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Morton Arboretum&lt;/a&gt; states&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Roots are often blamed for damage to foundations. In reality, roots&#xA;  are rarely the cause of the problem. Though small roots may penetrate&#xA;  existing cracks in foundations, they are incapable of causing&#xA;  mechanical damage through their growth. Soil subsidence can result in&#xA;  damage to structures. Under very special circumstances roots can&#xA;  contribute to this problem. When soils are prone to shrinking&#xA;  substantially during periods of drought, and if foundations are&#xA;  shallow, roots can contribute to depletion of soil moisture under the&#xA;  foundation, causing it to subside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't determine without a local inspection whether your tree is the source of the problems but it is too close.  Most trees should be at least ten feet from your house and twenty is better.  A rule of thumb is that a tree should be a distance away from your house equal to its mature height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-02-16T16:10:42.263" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5788" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-02-15T06:48:29.667" Score="0" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most of my plants die when I am away for a week or 2 weeks. Is there any way to water them regularly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have a water tap on my balcony. And if I move plants inside they die because of a lack of sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1937" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-02-16T16:03:48.667" LastActivityDate="2013-02-16T16:03:48.667" Title="Watering while away from home" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2013-02-16T15:56:42.323" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5789" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5774" CreationDate="2013-02-15T16:24:37.877" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only thing I want to add...&#xA;You are fighting 2 battles, one against the plants, one against the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You must never let it seed, or your eradication will be delayed by years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should fight a pitched battle against a small area , maybe 20m by 10m for a year or 2, then advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the plants in my area, the main problem is that are dormant while I am fighting weeds in the spring, then pop up when I am resting on my mid summer laurels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have heard rumors of putting the plant in a cup of glyphosate, seems dangerous to me, but who knows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="1158" LastEditDate="2014-08-15T13:37:23.140" LastActivityDate="2014-08-15T13:37:23.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5790" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5791" CreationDate="2013-02-17T05:08:53.607" Score="9" ViewCount="14833" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several large pumpkins on a vine but am not sure when to pick them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have heard they are similar to potatoes in that you wait till the vine starts to die before harvesting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="583" LastActivityDate="2013-02-17T13:46:02.787" Title="How do you tell when pumpkins are ready to harvest?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5791" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5790" CreationDate="2013-02-17T10:42:35.690" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Once the vine starts to die back, that is a useful indicator that they are ready or nearly ready.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other indicators of a ripe pumpkin include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It should sound a bit hollow when you slap it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The stem should be hard and start to have cracks in it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pressing the skin with a fingernail should dent but not puncture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastActivityDate="2013-02-17T10:42:35.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5792" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5790" CreationDate="2013-02-17T13:46:02.787" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you leave a tomato on the vine too long, it may split, or a critter may come and eat it in the night. Pumpkins and their ilk don't suffer from either problem, so you can leave them as long as you want. The colour change is a big clue, but most people leave them until there is no chance of them growing any more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the late fall when we have a hard frost that leaves the ground white and &amp;quot;melts&amp;quot; a lot of tender foliage, it is very common to see bright orange pumpkins all over a field.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P29jz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;from &lt;a href=&quot;http://photos.syracuse.com/post-standard/2012/10/pumpkin_harvest_at_abbott_farm_4.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://photos.syracuse.com/post-standard/2012/10/pumpkin_harvest_at_abbott_farm_4.html&lt;/a&gt; - the grass and weeds between the pumpkins clearly weren't killed by the frost but the pumpkin stems and leaves were (look closely.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are just dying to eat some pumpkin then tapping for hollowness and checking the hardness of the skin and stem are good things to do. But if you are just feeling a sense of nervousness that you should be harvesting now, relax. Take them in when the foliage is all dead and they are surely no longer growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-02-17T13:46:02.787" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5793" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-02-18T10:07:40.690" Score="3" ViewCount="947" Body="&lt;p&gt;My house has a patio area outside the back door. The patio borders onto grass and makes a home for a pair of sheds. It doesn't drain well and is always in the shadow of the house, so that it stays damp long enough for algae to grow, leaving the area slimy and treacherous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I clean the algae off the slabs when the weather is dry, but it grows back quickly as soon as it becomes damp again. Living in the UK, this is more often than is tolerable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Long-term, I want to replace the entire area with something that drains properly and is dry enough to stop the growth completely. Until then, is there anything that can be done to inhibit the algae?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17" LastActivityDate="2013-02-18T12:20:40.547" Title="How can I prevent algae growing over my patio area?" Tags="&lt;algae&gt;&lt;patio&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5793" CreationDate="2013-02-18T12:20:40.547" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not really, if water is pooling in the area, or it remains damp and sunless, particularly in  our wet winters. On roof slates or walls, the addition of a copper strip at the top, so that any water running down contains a minute amount of copper, inhibits algal growth or stops it altogether, but that's not going to be effective in the area you describe. I'm afraid you're stuck with cleaning it off whenever you get the chance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-02-18T12:20:40.547" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5799" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5737" CreationDate="2013-02-19T03:47:47.473" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would recommend using raised beds so that you don't get contaminated with whatever may be in the ground. I helped build a community garden and we had to used raised beds because of the chemicals that were in the ground. You can never be too sure with things like this so it's best to not use the dirt in the ground because health regulation weren't followed diligently back in the 1970s. There are lots of carcinogens that can cause cancer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1795" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-02-20T00:41:13.083" LastActivityDate="2013-02-20T00:41:13.083" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5729" CreationDate="2013-02-19T03:53:53.047" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basil needs about 12 hours of sunlight and it sounds like your basil isnt getting this much sunlight. I grew basil from seeds last spring in my outdoor container garden and they grew great because of all of the sunlight. Some leaves scorching is much better than the plant suffering from deficiency. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1795" LastActivityDate="2013-02-19T03:53:53.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5802" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-02-20T03:53:54.920" Score="5" ViewCount="1087" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small sprout (30‒40 cm) of some species of spruce tree that is native (or at least welcome) to the Rocky Mountains of North America (purchased from the local Fish and Game Department’s nature centre). It is still in the small plastic bucket, and I want to transplant it in the roomier container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When is it okay to move it? Is it too late to move it this winter (the daytime temperatures are consistently above freezing already)? When is it even normal to move perennial plants (trees) in general? I thought winter is a good time, since the plant is dormant, just like for trimming. Is it possible to move it more than once? I do not have the land to plant it in yet, but I want to move it from the medium-sized tub someday as well, would that be not much of a shock? Is there minimum time in between such moves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1948" LastActivityDate="2013-02-27T00:32:19.937" Title="When to transplant spruce tree sprout from a small bucket" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5762" CreationDate="2013-02-20T08:02:56.957" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I stumbled upon &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bsyse.wsu.edu/ndegwa/resources/documents/research/Vermi_CN.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this scientific paper&lt;/a&gt; in which they say that&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;different earthworm species are impacted differently by C-to-N ratio and feed mixture type.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the Eisenia fetida (tiger worm) the result of their study was: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A C-to-N ratio of 25 resulted in the highest stability of the product, the best fertilizer-value of the product, and also a&#xA;  product with the lowest potential for environmental pollution&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1916" LastEditorUserId="1916" LastEditDate="2013-02-21T08:52:36.460" LastActivityDate="2013-02-21T08:52:36.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5804" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7335" CreationDate="2013-02-21T08:10:39.407" Score="3" ViewCount="180" Body="&lt;p&gt;Towards the end of summer and for the whole of winter  the lawn at the back of my house has been ignored. It now looks more like a farmers field and needs some attention! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are photos here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nh46s9xy7pyd0jz/7R5w655tU0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nh46s9xy7pyd0jz/7R5w655tU0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's very white / yellow and is quite hard or brittle to touch. There are areas of weeds and bare patches too. I really want to get it nice for summer so my little girl can play on there. Can anyone offer any suggestions or starting points? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Embeded some close-up photos and added more photos to the drop box link. Should be easier to see the whiteness/yellowing and the weeds etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qf23Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up of bare patch.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CEtlk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close of up weeds.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1322" LastEditorUserId="1322" LastEditDate="2013-02-22T08:54:56.850" LastActivityDate="2013-10-09T10:46:30.643" Title="Lawn repair / treatment ahead of spring?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5806" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-02-22T00:44:31.577" Score="3" ViewCount="289" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an interesting project going on.  I was visiting the 911 Memorial site in NYC last fall.  There are many swamp oaks planted on the grounds, and in the footprint of where the twin towers stood.  The acorns were plentiful while I was there so I picked up a handful with the idea to grow my very own liberty tree from the 911 site.  I went online, learned how to get the acorn to sprout. SUCCESS!  I have 3 swamp oaks in 6 inch pots.  They are about a foot tall with anywhere from 3 to 6 leaves.  Very healthy looking leaves, but very skinny twig-like stems.  I have a grow light on them for about 8 hours a day.  My question is: What's next?  I want to plant them outside in the spring.  I've read a lot already about how to go about it, but lots of different opinions, and none for a swamp oak going in the gound in Connecticut.  Any suggestions?  What month? Soil prep? Watering schedule?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1952" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-15T17:12:39.337" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T17:35:28.967" Title="How should I transfer swamp oak seedlings from pot to ground?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5626" CreationDate="2013-02-22T07:03:58.363" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will suggest that you  check on the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it getting proper sunlight and moderate amount of water to keeps its soil moist.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Has your plant has overgrown that pot, i.e. if the plant has grown more as compared to the size of the pot, then you need to transfer it into a bigger container.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Otherwise I suggest to replant it so that soil gets loosened up. Also, add some organic fertilizer while replanting, and check the growth after 15-20 days. Also if you find any insects near the roots, then re-pot it with the fresh soil and wash the roots with clean water before potting it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-18T21:29:22.830" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T21:29:22.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5676" CreationDate="2013-02-22T07:22:24.637" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you notice that plant isn't healthy state and not growing, then you can give them a CUT to promote their growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;please note following while trimming a plant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make a sharp and clean cut.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut where live part is connected with dead part (dried &amp;amp;  unhealthy).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You should be able to see clean &amp;amp; live part after the cut has been done.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Give some organic fertilizer to your plant and make sure its soil remains moist by regular watering. If needed, loosen up the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you said it is kept indoor, check that it is getting some direct\indirect sunlight via some window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-02-22T07:22:24.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5809" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5826" CreationDate="2013-02-22T10:27:25.367" Score="5" ViewCount="578" Body="&lt;p&gt;At my home I have got a few different plants (Aloe, Rose, Neem, Pisum, Air plant, Lucky Bamboo). I got some type of soil (mixed with compost) from the plant nursery, and I'm wondering if using the same type of soil for all of them will be fine, or if I need to arrange for their specific soil requirement. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-20T23:07:36.860" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T23:07:36.860" Title="Is it fine if I use the same type of soil for different houseplants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5811" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5489" CreationDate="2013-02-22T17:01:29.410" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaves curl for various reasons like too much or too less sun light, overwatering, extreme underwatering, lack of humidity. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest to loosen up the soil and place the plant near moderate sunlight source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also take care that its soil remains moist (but not wet). This could help it grow better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="2751" LastEditDate="2013-09-24T18:05:01.293" LastActivityDate="2013-09-24T18:05:01.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5812" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5669" CreationDate="2013-02-22T19:32:08.650" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Consider growing following:-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teak&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Teak&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;br&gt;Broad shape, Grows faster(approx 9 mtr/year), durability in weather and against insects.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_mangium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Acacia Mangium&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;br&gt; Grows 3-5 mtr/year, fixes nitrogen in the soil, susceptible to termites.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;References:- &lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/list_5929683_fast-growing-tropical-trees.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ehow.com/list_5929683_fast-growing-tropical-trees.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question13317.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question13317.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="1871" LastEditDate="2013-02-23T07:33:26.770" LastActivityDate="2013-02-23T07:33:26.770" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5813" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5816" CreationDate="2013-02-22T21:35:27.563" Score="7" ViewCount="149" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just got some apple, peach and pear trees. They're still kind of young but I'm wondering if i can just graft an extra branch on the side without cutting any of the ones it has (only has 2-3 thin ones).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1092" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-25T18:13:55.687" LastActivityDate="2016-11-25T18:13:55.687" Title="Can I graft fruit trees without pruning?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;branches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5815" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="801" CreationDate="2013-02-23T02:50:33.340" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been using grounds as top dressing for tomatoes, garlic, onions, blueberries, roses, hibiscus, iris, strawberries, and evergreens for years, with great results. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use a &quot;tea&quot; of 1 coffee can-full (2lb can) of dry grounds in 5 gallons of water. I mix it Tuesday night, let it sit in the sunny backyard until Saturday, then strain it into my sprayer &amp;amp; give all the trees &amp;amp; flowers a heavy misting Saturday and Sunday afternoon, when the air temp is in the 70-80&amp;deg;F range. I also use this on the indoor flowers, and have no problem with them. It seems to perk the plants up, especially the apple and nectarine trees. Grandma said it was the caffeine, and I learned long ago that Grandma was usually right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I put equal amounts of grounds, dry leaves, and grass clippings on top of the worm bed, and they tend to disappear very quickly. We have both Georgia Reds and 'Crawlers in the bed, and they both seem to be very healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every six weeks or so, I spread grounds on the grass (Scott's Drop-Spreader on #3), and I've noticed the grass seems to grow somewhat faster for the next month or so. It may be due to the grounds' properties, the increased worm activity, or maybe both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Interested in others' findings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1955" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-02-23T03:28:15.817" LastActivityDate="2013-02-23T03:28:15.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5816" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5813" CreationDate="2013-02-23T03:54:13.943" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;sure you can add a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_2051060_bud-graft-fruit-tree.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bud graft&lt;/a&gt; anywhere, but you generally want to prune the branch that you are grafting to, so the bud is stimulated to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2013-02-23T03:54:13.943" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5819" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2654" CreationDate="2013-02-24T13:48:35.077" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As there are about 20 different species of Saintpaulia,  I am able to put images of few species with their names.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other users can edit this answer to update the list for remaining species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Saintpaulia confusa&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kcuhu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Saintpaulia confusa&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Saintpaulia ionantha&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u3TA4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Saintpaulia ionantha&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Saintpaulia velutina&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QPQD5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Saintpaulia velutina&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-02-24T13:48:35.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4620" CreationDate="2013-02-25T20:05:51.257" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;here is a non electrical solution for filling water tanks&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jobevalves.com/uploads/86738/files/Vortex_Differential.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.jobevalves.com/uploads/86738/files/Vortex_Differential.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1962" LastActivityDate="2013-02-25T20:05:51.257" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5823" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5830" CreationDate="2013-02-26T08:45:47.800" Score="4" ViewCount="1878" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many times fungus gets accumulated on the walls of my ceramic pots, it gets too thick &amp;amp; smelly. It is difficult for me to completely remove it with knife.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is their any way by which we can prevent its growth on ceramic pot ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I dont want to re-plant all of my ceramic pots plants to plastic pots for this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MEva8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UUktP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="1871" LastEditDate="2013-03-01T18:15:51.473" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T03:34:07.197" Title="How do I prevent growth of fungus on outer wall of ceramic pots?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;pots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5824" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5825" CreationDate="2013-02-26T12:09:57.750" Score="3" ViewCount="2009" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are their any advantage of having plastic pots over ceramic pots except below points:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;1. Lower cost.&#xA;2. Fungus will not grow on Plastic&#xA;3. un-breakable, good life.&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;all of above point are not considering plant health and its growth, So I am asking which of the two is in &lt;strong&gt;favor of plant health&lt;/strong&gt; and why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-02-26T13:24:07.387" Title="Plastic Pots OR Ceramic pots, which is better in terms of plant health?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;pots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5825" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5824" CreationDate="2013-02-26T13:24:07.387" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've only asked about ceramic versus plastic pots from the plant point of view, so that's what I'll answer. If the ceramic pot is glazed, then the water retention will be about the same as a plastic pot, but because the material might be thick walled, they may be slightly more insulating against heat and cold than plastic, but the difference will be negligible. In truth, it doesn't really matter to the plant - what matters is that it has sufficient room for its roots, that the roots don't freeze in winter nor bake in summer (as in metal pots), and that the pot has good drainage and is watered as and when necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-02-26T13:24:07.387" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5826" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5809" CreationDate="2013-02-26T13:32:40.067" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;General purpose planting mediums are intended for a wide range of plants, and most will be just fine within it. The exception would be acid loving or lime hating plants, such as Camellia, which will thrive best in an acidic compost, usually sold as ericaceous potting compost. Other plants, like orchids, do best in a specialist orchid mix; large, permanent shrubs do better in a loam based mix, so the thing to do is check the requirements of plants you want to grow to see if they require anything in particular regarding growing medium. Succulents such as the aloe you mention would prefer a freer draining compost, but as already said, will do fine in general purpose provided they are not over watered or waterlogged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-02-26T13:32:40.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5827" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="220" CreationDate="2013-02-26T17:09:53.113" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;We used a product called U Scram to keep chipmunks from digging up our potted plants. It is made out of these cork shaped triangles soaked with some smelly oils. Actually I sorta liked the smell. Anyway we stuck one in each of our huge planters and guess what, the chipmunks not only left our plants alone they left the back yard. Lasts through rain too. uscram.com. Also sold on Amazon&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1965" LastActivityDate="2013-02-26T17:09:53.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3683" CreationDate="2013-02-26T23:08:21.640" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Constructed 3 large raised containers 5 years ago using green oak and have found this to be a successful material.  I was looking for a very solid and long lasting material.  The raised boxes are 4' x 10' x 2', using 2&quot; thick cut material.  A few problems I found with green oak included the weight and the density of the wood.  So make sure you have access to a good pick-up truck available and a well built assistant.  Another important necessity will be good tools, because you will not be able to securely sink a nail into this material.  If you want to use nails, you will first need to drive a screw with a smaller diameter than your nails into the wood then remove the screw and sink your nails.  Needless to say we went with screws and make sure you use a fully charged power screwdriver.  I built these 3 boxes for approx. $300.        .  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1966" LastActivityDate="2013-02-26T23:08:21.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5829" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5802" CreationDate="2013-02-26T23:52:10.017" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, the plant can be moved multiple times. Plants can be transplanted at almost any time of year. One of the main reasons for avoiding summer transplantation is because high temperatures cause dehydration of the plant, and if the plant has had root damage in the move, it cannot absorb enough water to keep up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The important thing in your move now is to keep the temperatures consistent. If the spruce is in the house, once it’s transplanted, leave it in the house. If it’s in a greenhouse, leave it in the greenhouse. Only move it outside now &lt;em&gt;if the plant is already outside&lt;/em&gt;. Like any plant, it will have to be hardened off to go out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you remove the spruce from the container it’s in, check the roots. If they are circling, &lt;em&gt;gently&lt;/em&gt; spread them out. Always replant trees at the same level: do not bury them deeper or shallower — this can kill them. Gently press the soil in so there are no large air pockets, but do not compact it. Water in well. Do not fertilize until active growth starts later this spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1967" LastEditorUserId="1948" LastEditDate="2013-02-27T00:32:19.937" LastActivityDate="2013-02-27T00:32:19.937" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5830" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5823" CreationDate="2013-02-27T01:53:17.927" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't normally see fungus growing on clay pots unless it is in a greenhouse with a high humidity.  Then you see algae and green slimy growths.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However you can see a white powdery exudate on clay pots where the local water has a lot of dissolved salts. If your area has a lot of limestone this will likely be calcium and a mix of other salts. If this is what you have it would be dry to touch, whitish and some can be scraped off with a knife or other hard surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To remove take off as much as you can with a wire brush and then apply linseed oil, which will make the powdery deposits invisible.  I use over strength vinegar, or a 10% solution of hydrochloric acid. Rinse well afterward.  When using hydrochloric acid wear goggles, long sleeves and gloves!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-02-27T01:53:17.927" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5831" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5836" CreationDate="2013-02-27T03:36:39.090" Score="4" ViewCount="842" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a cute bonsai sitting by my desk, it's a juniper. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pyNjS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;It looks like this&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a window and it gets around an hour a day of direct sunlight. For the rest of the day it has a mix of indirect and florescent light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that enough light? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want it to die, but I don't want to have it away from my desk for too long. If I put it outside for 3 hours of morning light will that be enough?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in USDA zone 11 in the southern hemisphere, so it's summer here, now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="608" LastActivityDate="2013-03-01T11:49:48.163" Title="How much light is enough for indoor plants?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5834" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5845" CreationDate="2013-02-27T13:24:23.027" Score="3" ViewCount="654" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several indoor plants in ceramic\clay pots. The pots are now look old &amp;amp; faded. Also, fungus is grown on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I was thinking to re-color them to get a fresh look. What should I consider in choosing color for pots and coloring technique? or any other thing which I need to consider for this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-03-02T16:32:34.677" Title="How do I re-color clay pots of my plants?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;pots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5831" CreationDate="2013-03-01T11:49:48.163" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although Junipers grow in hot and dry areas they are not tropical plants. They are better described as  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junipers&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the&#xA;  Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the&#xA;  mountains of Central America.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any plant with that kind of range is very adaptable which makes it a good choice for bonsai growers. Wherever they live they like full sun and this makes the current light levels of your plant too low to sustain it in the long run.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem with putting it outside for a few hours each day is described here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://umanitoba.ca/afs/hort_inquiries/house_plants/improper_lighting.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sudden changes in lighting can also have a negative effect on plant&#xA;  health. For example, plants that have been produced under high-light&#xA;  greenhouse conditions often drop leaves when relocated to low-light&#xA;  home conditions and severe leaf drop can result in plant death. This&#xA;  is quite common in Ficus species. Conversely, plants that are moved&#xA;  from a fairly shady location to a sunny window often exhibit signs of&#xA;  scorching and wilting. Even plants that prefer bright lighting will&#xA;  react this way if they are not properly acclimatized&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To rephrase this &quot;plants like it just the way it is&quot;, constant changes in the intensity of the light can stress a plant.  You would be better off to provide a stronger source of supplemental lighting.  LED or Compact Fluorescent lights are now on the market that are corrected to provide a light that is closer to sunlight. They can often be found at hydroponic stores or hardware stores.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-03-01T11:49:48.163" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5837" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-01T18:44:09.677" Score="6" ViewCount="515" Body="&lt;p&gt;The stem of this plant goes curling up like a creeper plant. It has small leaves. Not seen any flower yet, so not sure if it flowers or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FxVlZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Zoomed-in:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ksq00.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;New added pic:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A7Ea8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="1871" LastEditDate="2013-03-21T11:47:35.270" LastActivityDate="2017-03-15T03:54:19.257" Title="What is this little leaved plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5838" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5844" CreationDate="2013-03-01T19:14:24.873" Score="2" ViewCount="216" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a little hedge of boxwood which I let alone for a year. This year I would like form it a little bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When is the right time to gently cut and trim boxwood? Can I do it several times during the year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T16:01:52.853" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T16:01:52.853" Title="When is the right time to trim boxwood?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5839" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5843" CreationDate="2013-03-01T19:23:29.040" Score="2" ViewCount="648" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to put my small boxwood hedge into a rectangular form. I never did this before - I need newbie advices.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is useful to construct a frame/framework to guide? What material do I need to use as a guide? I assume freehand with an electric is not an option for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I use my electric hedge-cutter for it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What else do I need to take care of?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See also my related question: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5838/when-is-the-right-time-to-trim-boxwood&quot;&gt;When is the right time to trim boxwood?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T16:01:36.563" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T16:01:36.563" Title="How to trim and form a boxwood hedge for a beginner?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5840" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5847" CreationDate="2013-03-02T08:49:08.317" Score="4" ViewCount="1934" Body="&lt;p&gt;My  Air Plant (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalanchoe_pinnata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kalanchoe Pinnata&lt;/a&gt;) is attacked by little green worm like insects which are eating its leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Slowly one by one, all of the leaves are dropped by the plant, now it is left with just two leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To save it, I had sprayed  a pest shield solution(diluted with water) that contains &lt;strong&gt;Polyoxalate Phenol (80%)&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Anionic Surfactant (20%)&lt;/strong&gt; but no improvement so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Images for diagnosis of the problem:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iVRS1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SyPmr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q3jwD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-03-03T16:34:00.327" Title="My Air Plant (Kalanchoe Pinnata) is attacked, how do I save it?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5841" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5853" CreationDate="2013-03-02T15:50:27.377" Score="3" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Maryland, and I expanded my back yard last fall by clearing some trees and leaves.  I brought in top soil and tried to smooth out the contour also.  After seeding, I had areas of success and failure in the yard.  I didn't put down starter fertilizer, which was my fault.  I'm ready to put some time in this spring to help get a healthy lawn going before the summer temperatures rise.  Some of the advice I've gotten:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Overseed again&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use starter fert. this time&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spread Lime&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the right thing to do for a lawn's first summer season?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1974" LastActivityDate="2013-03-05T01:54:40.447" Title="What can I do this spring to help my new lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5837" CreationDate="2013-03-02T16:18:24.767" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seems to be a climber of some sort, not sure what. When it's bigger, or flowers, its identity might be more apparent - at the moment, the leaves are reminiscent of a Jasmine variety, but not sure it is one of that family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-03-02T16:18:24.767" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5843" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5839" CreationDate="2013-03-02T16:24:10.380" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Topiary or hedge forms of Buxus are usually trimmed to shape 2 or 3 times a year, starting in mid Spring, when the weather has warmed and growth is strong. If you just want a rectangle, then a shaping device is not necessary, unless you feel diffident about your ability to cut in a straight line. Probably best to do it by hand the first few times, and if your Buxus is one of the smaller varieties, such as B. microphylla, then best done by hand all the time. Some people prefer one handed shears for this, but you can do it with ordinary shears, tidying up any stray or woody shoots with secateurs afterwards. All of the implements you choose to use should be sharp.&#xA;You can buy framework structures for topiary shapes, but I'm not sure you can get one that's just a simple rectangle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-03-02T16:24:10.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5844" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5838" CreationDate="2013-03-02T16:27:40.657" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you did not do it after planting originally, nor in spring last year, you will need to remove the top third of growth, maybe a bit more depending on how much it has grown, in order to create new growth lower down the plant to ensure you finish with a dense hedge rather than its being leggy and bare for the lower half. As for trimming at other times, see your other question and its answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-03-02T16:27:40.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5845" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5834" CreationDate="2013-03-02T16:32:34.677" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Clean the pots first, removing any fungal or algal growth, and, if they are terracotta or clay, you can paint those with any water based paint such as emulsion intended for use on walls. You will, though, need to reapply at intervals, and you may need to apply several coats. Best done when the pots are empty, and replant when all the coats of paint have been dry for at least 24 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-03-02T16:32:34.677" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5846" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5974" CreationDate="2013-03-02T20:12:28.980" Score="8" ViewCount="335" Body="&lt;p&gt;So some of my rhubarb is just starting to show signs of life. A vivid yellow-green-red bud is starting to burst from the old brown husk. I'm planning to force some of the crop. Is now the right moment to start? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I have to wait for it to reach a certain size? Or could I have (should I have) placed my forcing jar (or whatever) over the dormant plant back in mid-winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2013-03-21T15:13:28.673" Title="Is there a correct moment to start forcing rhubarb?" Tags="&lt;rhubarb&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5847" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5840" CreationDate="2013-03-03T14:48:23.453" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to tell what the complete problem is without a picture of the pest. However these observations may assist you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the most common insect pests of Kalanchoe are Mealybugs, aphids and brown scale. Each of these insects tends to hang around a plant they infest and should be visible in a picture.  Mealybug look like tufts of white cotton. Scale looks like light or dark brown bumps and aphids come in a range of colours and look like &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&amp;amp;site=imghp&amp;amp;q=aphids&amp;amp;oq=aphids&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;each of these pests does not produce any visible damage to the leaf as they live off the plant juices.  Scale and Aphids produce a sugary exudate which dries to leave sticky glossy areas underneath the plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;kalanchoe also suffer from &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_kalanchoe_diseases&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fungal and viral diseases&lt;/a&gt; which are a better match for what is shown in the pictures. The sunken areas of dead tissue with black spots that are apparently inside the leaf are more typical of a fungal disease, perhaps a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercospora&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cercospora&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some things you can check for to decide what to do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;has the plant been over watered or grown in low light? These factors encourage the triad of fungal/bacteria/virus problems&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if the plant is grown inside your house are any other plants showing problems? Pests move around faster than diseases.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Could you have a pest and a disease problem?  This is not unheard of for a sick plant to be attacked on multiple fronts &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You mention Polyoxalate Phenol as a pest control. I cannot find any references to this and would like to know more.  Most indoor pest problems can be dealt with by a mixture of dish soap heavily diluted with water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is tough and adaptable. So much so that it has naturalized and considered invasive in Asia, Pacific and the Caribbean. One solution for your problem is to remove a healthy leaf and place in a small pot with free draining soil.  They propagate easily and with good light you will have a similar plant in a short period of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-03-03T16:34:00.327" LastActivityDate="2013-03-03T16:34:00.327" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5848" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-04T03:00:22.407" Score="3" ViewCount="370" Body="&lt;p&gt;My uncle just starting farming tomatoes. For irrigation he used to mix chemicals in water and irrigate the farm for 1 to 2 hour's 2 times a day, but the results were not good. Most of the plants died and the rest didn't give even 25% of the normal amount of tomatoes. So if any one can help suggesting if there is a problem in the drip irrigation system or anything else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pipes where laid in the following manner; one main pipe running perpendicular to lines of plants and one pipe going in each line with holes in it at every plant.&#xA;If anyone can suggest me the correct way to configure it for a plantation of tomatoes using drip irrigation, it would help me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1977" LastEditorUserId="1916" LastEditDate="2013-03-04T11:17:21.643" LastActivityDate="2013-07-13T11:45:51.343" Title="Drip irrigation for farming tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5849" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-04T05:40:37.593" Score="4" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife &amp;amp; I recently purchased a new house and while the backyard isn't a total mess, it needs some work.  Both because the prior owner was elderly with limited abilities, but also because we want to make it a space we really enjoy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the major things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The lawn is very uneven.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The yard is a mix of grass &amp;amp; clover.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There are various pockets of shrubbery that's overgrown, in particular one area we'd like to return to simple grass (so we could use it for socializing, grilling, etc.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know one option is to hire a landscape architect, but for now we'd rather keep it simple &amp;amp; do it ourselves.  (Learning would be part of the fun, enable us to tweak it, and if we do get an architect, we'd have a better sense of what we want.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The thing is, where to start!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any experienced hands have suggestions on must-read books, websites or any resources we should avail ourselves off?  (I know planning will be an important step.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1978" LastActivityDate="2013-03-04T05:40:37.593" Title="Best Resources for a new DIY'er Getting Started?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;planning&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2013-03-04T22:22:10.267" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5851" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-05T01:42:19.123" Score="2" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our new house has a backyard that's very pretty &quot;bumpy&quot; and not very level.  What are our options for leveling it?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1978" LastActivityDate="2013-03-07T00:59:06.217" Title="What are the different ways you can level a yard?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2013-03-07T03:47:01.690" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5852" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-05T01:49:47.057" Score="5" ViewCount="272" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife &amp;amp; I recently purchased a house who's owner was a bit frail &amp;amp; had let the backyard go for a while.  It's a mix of some grass, empty patches &amp;amp; lots of clover.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We'd like it to be a simple green lawn.  Pulling it all out &amp;amp; putting down new sod seems like overkill.  Are there other ways we could go about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it makes any difference, we're in southern California.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1978" LastActivityDate="2013-03-08T04:14:41.110" Title="&quot;Saving&quot; an unattended yard?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5853" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5841" CreationDate="2013-03-05T01:54:40.447" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a few very local answers that will affect the success of spring seeding:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what kind of soil do you have? Clay, sandy, rocky, moist,dry?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what are your expectations as far as the finished product? Do you want a bowling green or a pasture?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;how many hours of light does the area receive?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;are there existing weeds or are a lot of wind blown weed seeds likely?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what is your mowing equipment, practices and cutting schedules?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think starter fertilizer is over rated in importance over these more critical factors:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Choose a mixture of grass seeds appropriate for the soil and light conditions. If you have to sow shade grass in some areas and higher light cultivars in sunnier areas you loose out on a uniform appearance but gain in diversity and ability to adapt.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If looks and bees don't bother you then add some clover seed.  Clover will add nitrogen to the soil but is tough to remove once established.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spring over seeding is perfect if your area can expect four to six weeks of cool temperatures and moister conditions.  If your area has early hot dry springs be prepared to water thoroughly until the seed is established or consider plugs of zoysia grass.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;watering practices are also critical.  Frequent, light watering are worse than a few inches of water applied at longer intervals.  Soil and light will affect your lawn's needs. Where rye grass and fescue mixes will brown out in the summer and allow weed seeds to take hold zoysia will stay green and out compete annual weeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mowing practices have a huge effect on the health of your lawn.  Sharp blades cut cleanly so sharpen your mower blades.  Cut as high as you can tolerate with fescues,  lower for zoysia, more often in the spring, less in summer.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do some research at the local nurseries and sod farms on the best performing grasses for your area.  I see from my research that Maryland is considered a  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/23/AR2007052300334.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;transition zone, meaning cool-season grasses such as fescues,&#xA;  bluegrass and ryegrasses suffer in the summer and warm-season grasses&#xA;  look awful in the cold months&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the choice of using a traditional rye fescue mix or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hgic.umd.edu/_media/documents/publications/zoysiagrass_lawn.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;zoysia&lt;/a&gt; should be governed by your local conditions.  For zoysia &quot;The negative is, it's dormant here probably six months of the year. On the plus side, it's great in the summer and survives most summers here without much maintenance.&quot; (Kevin Morris, executive director of the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program, )&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-03-05T01:54:40.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5854" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5852" CreationDate="2013-03-05T07:47:44.017" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a repoblating lawn that people use it to &quot;patch&quot; the lawn when it has a some empty spaces. But I would prefer redoing it again, mainly to kill all the weeds.&#xA;If you can send us a picture of garden to see how it looks like and give you a better advice.&#xA;Good Luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1595" LastActivityDate="2013-03-05T07:47:44.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5855" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5856" CreationDate="2013-03-05T10:41:04.677" Score="8" ViewCount="341" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this plant for a year now, but don't know the name. Can someone help me identify this plant and also tell me how keep him healthy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the two photos for identification:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CIa89.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3yeJe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1973" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-09-11T21:23:06.530" Title="What is this houseplant that looks like it has a fruit in the curled leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5856" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5855" CreationDate="2013-03-05T11:42:28.523" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathiphyllum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Spathiphyllum&lt;/a&gt; or Peace Lily, a member of the aroid family.  See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4493/can-this-plant-be-saved/4495#4495&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; for what happens if they get dry and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5642/why-the-leaf-tips-of-my-spathiphyllum-look-burned/5644#5644&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more tips on watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are a reliable indoor plant that likes good access to water.  As they do not have woody stems if they get dry they collapse and look dead.  Watering will return them to their normal appearance.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;They tolerate lower light levels but bright filtered light will bring on more flowers and leaf growth.&#xA;The only pest problem I ever saw was scale insects.  It cannot be effectively treated with soap and water due to the hiding areas for scale inside the leaf sheaths.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2013-03-05T11:42:28.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5857" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-05T14:54:24.117" Score="4" ViewCount="789" Body="&lt;p&gt;My citrus tree is in a large pot on the patio where it gets lots of sunlight.  Two summers ago, it was filled with blooms, but they all fell off.  We had a hard freeze that winter and it looked dead.  However, it came back to life, but grew three sprouts from the original graft.  Will it produce?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1982" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-05T15:17:35.767" LastActivityDate="2013-03-06T01:41:27.133" Title="Can a citrus tree produce fruit after a freeze?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5858" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5857" CreationDate="2013-03-05T17:16:40.800" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the new growth is above the graft line, then there's no reason that the plant wouldn't continue to grow and produce fruit as long as you take care of it properly: watering, feeding, pruning and so on.  It might take a couple of years before it has recovered enough to produce fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the new growth is below the graft line, it will probably produce, same as above, but it's almost certain that the rootstock will be a different variety of citrus, so the type of fruit you get won't be the same type of fruit that the tree originally produced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2013-03-05T17:16:40.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5852" CreationDate="2013-03-05T19:32:16.687" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Clover is generally an indicator that the soil is lacking nitrogen. Clover can pull nitrogen from the air and add it to the soil. If you use a &quot;weed killing&quot; fertilizer, it will kill the clover and you will have to buy bags of nitrogen-containing fertilizer to feed the grass. There's nothing wrong with clover in your lawn -- it makes a nice ground cover. (I &lt;strong&gt;make sure&lt;/strong&gt; that seed mix I buy has clover as a component.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first thing I would do is get a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1963/51&quot;&gt;soil test&lt;/a&gt;. Depending on what they check, they can confirm your nitrogen deficiency as well as other soil nutrients and pH that might be out of balance. Add amendments as recommended by the test results. Avoid the &quot;weed and feed&quot; fertilizers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1068/51&quot;&gt;overseed with a warm season lawn seed mix&lt;/a&gt; mid-spring. (Follow advice in that link for best results.) You'll want to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/2179/51&quot;&gt;water after seeding&lt;/a&gt; so that the new plants can germinate and get established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you set your &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1034/51&quot;&gt;mower height properly&lt;/a&gt; -- you don't want to cut it too short or it will harm the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/5578/51&quot;&gt;water appropriately&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on the results from your soil test, you may need to do a new soil test annually for a couple of years. And you'll need to consider &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1394/51&quot;&gt;how often you need to fertilize&lt;/a&gt; and what methods you want to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-03-05T19:32:16.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5860" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5861" CreationDate="2013-03-05T21:08:20.753" Score="3" ViewCount="2971" Body="&lt;p&gt;I find myself in the situation where I need to redo my raised vegetables and strawberry beds. I read &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3683/what-is-a-good-alternative-to-pressure-treated-wood-for-raised-beds&quot;&gt;What is a good alternative to pressure treated wood for raised beds?&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3677/do-chemicals-leach-from-sides-of-raised-bed&quot;&gt;Do chemicals leach from the sides of raised beds?&lt;/a&gt; which are excellent references and I was about to go with wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I have a huge heap of natural rocks (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gritstone&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Griftstone&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granite&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;kind of granite&lt;/a&gt; and some others) which I got for creating, at some point in time, a dry stone wall in my garden which is a long slope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm now wondering if I could use especially the griftstones to make a border of my raised beds. My main doubt is that the wall won't be closed. By definition there are holes and I'm afraid that water will dissolve the soil with time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do you think?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-03-06T16:05:04.027" Title="Raised beds border - made of a dry stone wall" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5861" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5860" CreationDate="2013-03-05T23:26:09.370" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_stone_wall&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;drystone wall&lt;/a&gt; is certainly an option. The stone you have is ideal for building.  All it takes is a little preparation and some inexpensive materials and...time. Here are some practices I have used which assisted me:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;know your soil type. Clay will shift in a cold winter or a very cold winter. Sand drains freely but is more likely to washed out&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;drystone walls are good up to one meter tall or so.  Higher than that takes some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retaining_wall&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;practice and preparation&lt;/a&gt;. (More &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retaining_wall#Sheet_piling&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;deadman&lt;/a&gt; retaining stones, more drainage, angling the wall into the soil on the higher area)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a geotextile fabric or soil separator is essential to keep the soil from washing out from between the stones EDIT: in North America these are sold as &quot;Landscape Fabric&quot; or &quot;Weed Barrier&quot;.  I find the quality of this type of retail product is insufficient for a long lasting job and suggest you source commercial grade products which will be called &quot;geotextiles&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;drainage pipe on the inside base of the wall is also essential. In North America you can buy four inch diameter drainage pipe with a woven sleeve that does the job nicely. I'm sure similar material is available where you live.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a list of tools you might need is &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4334/what-tools-do-i-need-to-build-stone-steps/4335#4335&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some alternative ideas are &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3741/how-should-i-build-a-raised-garden-bed/3757#3757&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I find the best part of using stone for your bed is that are also building a miniature micro climate.  Stone will warm faster and retain heat than soil. Plants placed into the wall will grow sooner and, if the correct species are chosen, flower faster&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My stone wall is starting to shape up nicely after a few years of stuffing plants into every crack. It has been stable for 5 years with a temperature range of -30 degrees Celsius to + 30 degrees Celsius. &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VOO0s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stone wall&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-03-06T16:05:04.027" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5862" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5864" CreationDate="2013-03-06T01:16:55.153" Score="5" ViewCount="4525" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do I propagate two of my house plants or in other words how can I give this plant to someone else who wishes to grow it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photos of them are given below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plant 1: Norfolk Island pine (&lt;em&gt;Araucaria heterophylla&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oFZ7y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lf8MA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plant 2: asparagus fern (&lt;em&gt;Asparagus setaceus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i5Rvi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1973" LastEditorUserId="392" LastEditDate="2013-03-06T18:23:29.557" LastActivityDate="2015-08-19T05:15:45.063" Title="How to propagate Norfolk Island pine and asparagus fern ?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5864" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5862" CreationDate="2013-03-06T12:30:25.767" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Araucaria heterophylla&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is propogated by seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Asparagus setaceus&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can be propogated by divisions i.e. cutting a stem and plant it at other place. You can place it in water bottle for few days till it's roots grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Other method:&lt;/em&gt; Asparagus setaceus gives birth to it's offsets (baby plants) near main stem which can be transplanted to new pot. Ensure that you &lt;strong&gt;carefully&lt;/strong&gt; detach the offset from the mother plant to prevent it from any harm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;References: &lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/31757/#axzz2MlEiNWTY&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/31757/#axzz2MlEiNWTY&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2575/#ixzz2MlEwhdO5&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2575/#ixzz2MlEwhdO5&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-03-06T12:30:25.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5865" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4396" CreationDate="2013-03-06T16:54:53.070" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Modern pistachio trees are simply not grown and then wait for the results. The nut you buy to eat will not germinate to produce a tree from which you can obtain more nuts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees are grafted onto a rootstock (either after plantation or in nursery stage) and the tree takes off from there...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rootstock seeds are notoriously hard to find and generally take several months to germinate even if done properly. I'm lucky as I now have a rootstock tree (from a graft that didn't take) that regularly produces several thousand seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's at least 2 years from ungerminated seed to a position to plant in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a commercial grower and I need to give nurseries a 2 year notice when I want some more trees, so now I germinate my own, but have 4 HA of 20 year old trees to get cuttings from too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take my advice....if you find a tree to buy, buy them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember pistachio trees are dioecious, which means you need a male and a female tree. About 1 male (which doesn't produce fruit) will pollinate 12-15 female trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1985" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-06T17:35:07.343" LastActivityDate="2013-03-06T17:35:07.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4302" CreationDate="2013-03-06T20:02:38.037" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have three proposed solutions for your problem, with a better idea of your particular situation I could recommend one but here they are in order of most practical based on my opinion. (I believe in avoiding going near utility lines at all costs, the average water lines lay 18&quot; deep and telephone and electricity have been known to come closer to the surface in situations where rocks or roots became a problem) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Build Raised mulch beds; raised mulch beds look nice even without cutting out an edge. Depending on what/if you would like to plant in these mulch beds and the condition of your current soil would determine how raised. Remember that you are going to want to touch up these beds with additional mulch in the future so keep them low and maintainable now. Gradually run your irrigation to raise just above the ground where it crosses these lines (avoid additional joints and elbows, the less pieces the better). Get your system working first. Then do the mulch beds. I recommend a form of landscape fabric from your local department store or nursery to guard against weeds. I have even heard of people using newspaper, but that will not last as long as a fabric. Also a product called &quot;preen&quot;; which can be picked up at the same place, is a seed like product that you can spread in the beds (I do it to mine every spring) it prevents anything from seeding. (don't expect it to be 100% efficient)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The second option would be a form of hardscaping; small retaining wall or perhaps a waterscape? I am from New Hampshire where frost heaves in the winter freeze the moisture in the soil, moving the ground. The standard base I use is 5-8&quot; of a 3/4&quot; processed gravel commonly referred to as road base topper with 2-3&quot; of sand or stone dust. I prefer working with stone dust. I gave you those numbers strictly for the purpose of planning the costs of your project. If anyone would like a full description of the proper methods in hardscaping please ask, but I would not want to try to fit that in here. If you choose the hardscaping option make note of where your irrigation line runs under it. Just in case.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A third option which is a stretch would be to have a pipe fitter run you a water line sticking out the opposite side of your house. I know nothing about this but while he is there throw in a new hot water tank and go green and then maybe drop a hot tub down there to treat yourself for going green. You deserve it. If you would like recommendations on products or details on any methods please ask. be safe.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-07T17:23:57.630" LastActivityDate="2013-03-07T17:23:57.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5868" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5862" CreationDate="2013-03-06T23:59:48.813" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucaria_heterophylla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Norfolk Island Pines&lt;/a&gt; are propagated from seed. Practically speaking you need a mature specimen to get seeds.  This species is a hardwood tree that grows to 50 to 65 feet tall and is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.floridata.com/ref/a/arau_het.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hardy in USDA zone 10 to 11&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.chileflora.com/Florachilena/FloraEnglish/E_Germination_Araucaria.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt; has a great description about growing a close Arucaria relative from seed which can be summed up as:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seeds of Araucaria araucana must be fresh to germinate, but when&#xA;they are fresh, they germinate readily. In literature different&#xA;methods for germinating the seeds are mentioned, but the safest way&#xA;to achieve a 85 - 90 % germination is the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soak the seeds for about two days in water, then carry out a short&#xA;cold stratification (put the seeds into a refrigerator for about 10 -&#xA;15 days in humid sand), and then plant them at 20º C or more. The&#xA;seeds begin germination after 10 days, and by day 30 almost all of the&#xA;seeds will have germinated. Because the seeds are quite big, the&#xA;initial growth (10 -12 cm.) is very quick - it takes less than 90 days&#xA;from the time you soak the seeds till you obtain the young plants of&#xA;this size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also propagate from tip cuttings but the literature indicates that only a cutting from the top of the tree will develop symmetrically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take 6-8 in (15.2-20.3 cm) cuttings of the terminal leader in summer&#xA;and treat with rooting hormone. Caution, cuttings from lateral&#xA;branches will produce irregularly shaped trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees are grown commercially from seed but you need a mature tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-03-09T13:19:03.290" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5869" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7114" CreationDate="2013-03-07T00:21:17.483" Score="6" ViewCount="693" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a small area in the front yard in Jakarta.  What I have right now are three mango trees providing a rather dense and low canopy.  This is bordered to the south with the house and a fence/wall runs through it forming an effective boundary to the North.  Along the North and West we have lime and Jackfruit trees.  To the east things open up a bit and there is a Papaya tree which is tall enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There isn't much direct light at this point reaching in (I am considering pruning back the mangos a bit after the harvest) but this will change as the papayas get just a little taller too, so I am looking for shrubs I can plant between the papaya and the mangos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a food forest, what are the main recommendations? I can tell you there is insufficient sunlight for cassava to do well at present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1911" LastActivityDate="2013-04-11T18:08:13.373" Title="Plant recommendations for tropical food forest shrub layer" Tags="&lt;permaculture&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5871" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5881" CreationDate="2013-03-07T13:59:37.810" Score="4" ViewCount="45088" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_religiosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ficus religiosa&lt;/a&gt; is a common tree in India, it is called 'Peepal' here. It can grow anywhere even where there is no proper soil. It also grows near wash-room ducts (drainage pipes) of the Apartment building.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I like this tree, but I cannot allow him to grow near drainage pipe of the Kitchen of the apartment I live in. It is going to damage the concrete structure of the apartment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's roots are too strong. We have tried removing this tree several times but it grows again and again. Also to destroy the roots, we had used HCL Acid but again it came up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="1871" LastEditDate="2013-10-07T08:34:26.977" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T11:05:54.200" Title="Peepal tree (Ficus religiosa) grows again and again, how do I stop it?" Tags="&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5872" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5871" CreationDate="2013-03-07T14:26:26.560" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;HCl isn't very poisonous, it is corrosive, but not too poisonous. Glycophosphate, on the other hand is poisonous to plants, but I wouldn't apply to a watershed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think for your situation covering with a tarp would be the best, especially if the area gets direct sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2013-03-07T14:26:26.560" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5873" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1375" CreationDate="2013-03-07T15:27:22.227" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most tropical plants enjoy a lighter soil mix to grow in.  I started a navel orange tree over ten years ago and it is STILL thriving for me.  I use two parts regular potting soil to one part sand or perlite.  So far that does the trick for me.  I had started an avocado a few years ago and it lasted for almost a year and then lost its leaves and died.  I suspect back then I used a heavier potting mix.  You need to allow oxygen to reach the roots so DON'T pack it down hard as well and add that sand or perlite.  Hope this helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1989" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-09T15:39:45.143" LastActivityDate="2013-03-09T15:39:45.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5874" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5852" CreationDate="2013-03-08T04:14:41.110" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adding to @bstpierre's excellent answer, if you simply water and mow (at the right hight, you will find that the lawn comes back pretty quickly.  Adding seed can help but grass can spread into bare patches pretty fast.  In general, the best thing to do is to let the clover work.  It can be an important part of a healthy lawn and it will save you a lot of headache if you leave it in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course this depends on how big the patches of dead space are.  If they are small (say, no larger than 6 ft across by the smallest dimension) I would just say water, possibly fertilize, and just mow.  You may get some initial weeds but those will get quickly selected against by the mowing and the grass runners (annuals rarely if ever outcompete perennials if everything else is ok).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dead spots are usually an indicator of a lack of water, and the live grass roots may go further there than you expect anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1911" LastActivityDate="2013-03-08T04:14:41.110" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5875" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5880" CreationDate="2013-03-08T05:38:33.737" Score="4" ViewCount="144" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking to plant a few trees this year, they are not in a high priority location. I am mostly just doing it to keep my hill from eroding. I have heard ( i dont know how well documented this is) certain trees can provide different Health benefits? I was interested in this and was wondering if anyone had any information related to this. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-03-08T17:15:58.143" LastActivityDate="2013-03-17T08:49:08.807" Title="What are some hardy trees with medicinal properties?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5876" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5878" CreationDate="2013-03-08T06:05:49.177" Score="4" ViewCount="391" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this plant in a garden near my office. I was so amused I took a picture and thought I would ask you all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZSecG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;full view&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OLqTo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;top view&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3bEtX.png&quot; alt=&quot;closer view&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1973" LastActivityDate="2013-03-08T18:47:37.083" Title="what is this plant which has leaves like flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5877" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2508" CreationDate="2013-03-08T06:28:01.653" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I harvested maybe 5,000 seeds, per information on the internet and none had an internal seed and none produced any plants or were edible to birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I fully believe the original seed to have been &quot;doctored&quot; to not reproduce!&#xA;Such is the planet on which we live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1991" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-09T15:40:46.297" LastActivityDate="2013-03-09T15:40:46.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5878" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5876" CreationDate="2013-03-08T11:50:24.117" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is an ornamental &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cabbage&lt;/a&gt; (Brassica). Conclusive identification would be possible if the plants were in flower. This has been planted with five plants in one small pot so it does not have the normal outline of leaves from top to bottom.  Another way to verify the identification is to see if the topmost leaves before it starts to flower are white, pink or red.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cabbages are biennial that flower in the second year.  They do best in full sun and well drained fertile soil. When grown in hot temperatures this can speed up their cycle and move them into flowering. The list of pests and diseases is extensive and for ornamental cabbages the flowers are removed as the attraction is in the foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-03-08T18:47:37.083" LastActivityDate="2013-03-08T18:47:37.083" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5879" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1551" CreationDate="2013-03-08T15:48:33.313" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm recently retired here in southern Brasil from Manitoba, Canada. I too miss rhubarb crumble, and of course nobody ever has heard of rhubarb here. I brought some seeds from Canada, and started the plants outside in a planter in mid winter (July here). They grew amazingly well! I even managed to savour a rhubarb crumble, then the weather got really hot, and they fizzled out and disappeared. I don't think the plant likes warm soil. I'm going to try again and this time watering only with cold water, maybe that might help. I have pictures of the plants; they were awesome!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1992" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-09T15:36:43.977" LastActivityDate="2013-03-09T15:36:43.977" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5880" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5875" CreationDate="2013-03-08T18:34:21.273" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's an intriguing idea, but as far as I'm aware, not quite as you phrase it. Plane trees are renowned for tolerating polluted air and do a good job of sopping some of it up; Yew provides a toxin from which the drug tamoxifen, a cancer treatment, is derived, and of course, Willow was the original source of aspirin before it was synthesized, so in that sense, they can be healthy. I can't think of any other way they might be more healthy for humans in the vicinity though, other than the fact that all trees absorb and store carbon, taking in carbon dioxide and giving back oxygen to the atmosphere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-03-08T18:34:21.273" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5881" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5871" CreationDate="2013-03-08T18:40:30.567" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A brushwood killer applied to pre drilled holes or cuts into the woody roots or severed trunks of the tree is best. In the UK, SBK would be the one - this is a liquid and contains the active ingredient triclopyr, which is particularly effective with woody growth. Using something like this in pre drilled holes, carefully applied without spillage, and covered with something afterwards, reduces the impact on the immediate environment including waterways, although it seems your tree is growing near drainage rather than a water supply for drinking. I do not know whether a product like this would be available where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-03-08T18:40:30.567" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5875" CreationDate="2013-03-08T20:28:50.130" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ginko biloba could be medicinal, but no one seems to agree on that... &#xA;here is a good list from Washington State: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Environment/CulRes/ShrubsTrees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Environment/CulRes/ShrubsTrees.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;not everything on that list is zone 5 ok, but things like the chokecherry would be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;the state tree of NH (Betula papyrifera) is used to make Birch Beer...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2013-03-08T20:28:50.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5883" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8569" CreationDate="2013-03-08T20:49:17.883" Score="3" ViewCount="4723" Body="&lt;p&gt;This summer I was eating a strange type of fruit in Ethiopia and I'm still curious to know what it actually was.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The taste is similar to &lt;strong&gt;citrus&lt;/strong&gt; fruits (little bit acid like a lemon and &lt;strong&gt;bitter&lt;/strong&gt; like a grapefruit or eating the peel of a lime). It's a local citrus.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Unlike citrus fruits, it is &lt;strong&gt;very dry&lt;/strong&gt; to eat and has a very dry, melon texture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It was big, &lt;strong&gt;between 15 and 25 cm&lt;/strong&gt; large and its shape was somehow similar to that of a long papaya. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's color was &lt;strong&gt;yellow(-green) outside&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;white inside&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It had a thick and rough, &lt;strong&gt;orange-like peel&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Local people called it &lt;strong&gt;TURUNGU&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I don't remember well the tree it was growing on but anyway it was not something like a palm or papaya tree, but a &lt;strong&gt;'normal' branched tree&lt;/strong&gt; with medium sized leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1976" LastEditorUserId="1976" LastEditDate="2013-04-19T16:09:55.437" LastActivityDate="2014-09-14T07:52:33.683" Title="What was this large yellow-green fruit I ate in Ethiopia?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5886" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5927" CreationDate="2013-03-09T07:14:25.477" Score="4" ViewCount="970" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw this flower at the botanic gardens yesterday. What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's late summer here. It seems to have no leaves, so I guess it grows from a bulb or something similar. The total height was perhaps 15-20cm. The petals felt kinda firm and rubbery, like the leaves of a succulent. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/88vnr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery flower - side view&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h1zYI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery flower - top view&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="734" LastEditorUserId="734" LastEditDate="2013-03-12T21:23:53.257" LastActivityDate="2014-02-09T23:56:28.187" Title="What is this late-summer red flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5887" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5903" CreationDate="2013-03-09T09:23:56.337" Score="4" ViewCount="380" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got this plant few months back, but I forgot to ask its name from the vendor. Could anyone identify it? I have taken a few pics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Full Plant:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3mJmC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stem:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uFcaw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flower:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5pdQZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kHo4K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-09T15:43:14.813" LastActivityDate="2013-03-15T02:24:07.003" Title="What is the name of this fat-stemmed plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5888" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5889" CreationDate="2013-03-09T09:28:39.997" Score="4" ViewCount="14580" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my hanging plant's name I don't know, can you identify it? here are its pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Full Plant:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ukoIc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves Front Side:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d9htr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves Back Side: (Purple side)&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M2xt1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T09:44:08.357" Title="What is the name of this purple leaved hanging plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5888" CreationDate="2013-03-09T10:35:02.727" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradescantia_zebrina&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tradescantia zebrina&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (previously known as &lt;em&gt;Zebrina pendula&lt;/em&gt;), although it is often confused with other Tradescantia varieties such as T. fluminensis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-14T02:03:56.023" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T02:03:56.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5891" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-09T13:41:55.227" Score="5" ViewCount="169" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in northern Colorado on the plains and the rosemary that thrives in the summer never makes it through the winter in a pot.  It slowly dries up and dies even though I water it and keep it in a sunny place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do to keep it alive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1993" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-12T22:39:50.007" LastActivityDate="2016-12-12T22:39:50.007" Title="How to grow Rosemary indoors over the winter?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5892" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5891" CreationDate="2013-03-10T01:11:53.217" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;While I am not intimately familiar with rosemary per se indoors in Colorado, I am aware that many plants are remarkably sensitive to humidity and this comes up particularly with plants like ginger (which I have grown indoors in central Utah as a kid).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first thing I would do is assume that the problems may be related to a drop in humidity and consequently extra water loss.  After all, Colorado gets cold, and heating makes air very dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is the case, the first thing to do when you bring it in doors is to cut the plant back somewhat.  By doing so, you reduce the number of leaves and the respiration of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second thing I would think about trying to do is spray the leaves with water every day or so (and if necessary a couple times a day).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The third thing I would do is periodically check the soil, which should be damp but not wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A fourth thing (rosemary-specific here) that you could try is to put the plant in a cooler part of the house with a humidifier.  Rosemary is hardy to zone 7 so your pipes will freeze before your indoor plants will be killed by frost.  Cooler weather retards respiration and water loss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1911" LastActivityDate="2013-03-10T01:11:53.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5893" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5923" CreationDate="2013-03-10T01:16:41.810" Score="3" ViewCount="732" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted tumeric and lesser galangal in the same garden plot.  I have a bunch of very similar-looking plants.  Is there a reasonably easy way to tell them apart?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I &lt;em&gt;suspect&lt;/em&gt; I have only one lesser galangal plant up, and I think it is this because the leaves are a bit bigger, but I am not at all sure.  The leaves, apart from size, look identical and the plant I think that is lesser galangal has leaves that look more or less identical to commercially available tumeric leaves (but the tumeric plants I have are a bit smaller).  Since this is narrowed down to two possibilities based on what was planted, I don't believe that images would help, so much as textual descriptions separating the two plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1911" LastActivityDate="2013-03-12T09:06:59.210" Title="How to differentiate Tumeric from Lesser Galangal without digging it up?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5894" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-10T03:35:07.177" Score="6" ViewCount="118" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in an area that has a lot of old pines and a lot of wind, so I find I'm having to clear downed trees every few months.  I've found that an 18&quot; saw is sufficient for most jobs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've owned a number of chainsaws.  Each time I've purchased a new saw I've gone up in price hoping for better results, but without fail, after a season or two, it takes so long to get the saw running, I often give up and do the work with a bow saw instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand the normal maintenance of two cycle engines. I have a lot of other yard equipment that I keep operational.  For some reason, chainsaws seem &quot;special&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am interested in purchasing yet another chainsaw, but this time I want to get some advice from other chainsaw owners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I am looking for is an 18&quot; saw that will start and run reliably for many years.  I have a life, so I don't want something I have to work on regularly to keep running.  I am more concerned about long term reliability than price.  Maybe I'd like to find something for under $300.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ok.  I'm not asking anyone to do any research for me.  I'm doing the normal stuff you do to check out products.  I've got access to consumer reports.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like recommendations from real chainsaw owners.  Just make and model.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1996" LastActivityDate="2019-10-23T05:46:18.893" Title="Chainsaw 18&quot; that actually starts" Tags="&lt;chainsaw&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5895" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5894" CreationDate="2013-03-10T04:20:28.673" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 18&quot; Poulan, and it was my grandfathers, I guess it is 15 years old... last year I bought a new gas cap, plug, bar and chain, so 45 bucks for what now runs like a brand new saw was a great purchase.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2013-03-10T04:20:28.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5896" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5891" CreationDate="2013-03-10T04:30:07.283" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yeah I have this problem in Utah, it is just way too dry in the winter with the forced air heating... You can put the plants in a clear trash bag supported with a stick and make a micro greenhouse...&#xA;This winter I have killed lots of things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Small olive tree, &#xA;A couple of small umbrella acacias, &#xA;A windmill palm,&#xA;All of my citrus dropped leaves,&#xA;A couple of morangia ovalifolia... Which could come back...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2013-03-10T04:30:07.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5897" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3808" CreationDate="2013-03-10T07:38:33.393" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few issues here at least in the US, namely genetic engineering utility patents. plant patents, plant variety protections, etc.  Each of these covers different aspects and we don't know what the scope of genetic engineering patents are until the Supreme Court issues their case in Bowman v. Monsanto.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't actually think there is a sure-fire way of telling if a plant is protected under any of the above laws.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However more to the point, if &lt;em&gt;you&lt;/em&gt; can't tell if the plant is patented, it will be relatively difficult for the patent holder to do so either, so if it were me I would assume against patents but that is my own risk assessment for myself and may have very little to do with you.  I second the idea that you should probably seek help from a lawyer specializing in intellectual property issues regarding plants because you can get a much better assessment that way, as well as a better assessment of risk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  Now that the Supreme Court has decided Bowman v. Monsanto, there still isn't much clarity.  All we know is that genetic engineering patents are not exhausted through first sale when the seeds are then used to produce more plants.  But then the behavior at issue in Bowman was pretty clearly &lt;em&gt;intended&lt;/em&gt; to infringe on Monsanto's patent.  Intentions aren't clearly relevant to patent infringement but I doubt Monsanto can sue just because of the probability that the soybeans one is growing probably contain some with the patented genes.  If more specific analysis is required there, then it seems to me that intentions end up in the analysis through the back door.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But then other (non-GM) plant patents don't cover (in the US at least) products of sexual reproduction so you can take two patented plants and breed them and sell the offspring (plant variety protections do, but subject to some substantial limitations).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, my answer has not changed since I posted it, just commenting on further developments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1911" LastEditorUserId="1911" LastEditDate="2016-01-20T10:38:03.433" LastActivityDate="2016-01-20T10:38:03.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5898" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5918" CreationDate="2013-03-10T07:40:40.097" Score="5" ViewCount="470" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had asked my plant vendor for an Orchid plant and I got this one. I am not sure if it is really an Orchid. Since 4 months, it is of same size as I got it initially, it never bloomed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I maintain its soil moist, placed it under Sun, fertilized, still no growth &amp;amp; nor bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope, if it is identified then, I could treat him much better as per his specific needs if any.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are its pictures: &lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;br/&gt;Side View:&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HE8bp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Top View:&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KVNVT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Close leaf View:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Udzao.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2014-12-01T04:03:10.887" Title="Is it really an Orchid plant? If yes, then which variety of it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5899" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5916" CreationDate="2013-03-10T07:58:09.820" Score="4" ViewCount="540" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves of this plant are bit thick &amp;amp; filled as of any succulent plant. &lt;br /&gt;&#xA;I have not seen any flower from 6 months, maybe it don't bloom.&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;It likes hanging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are its picture:&#xA;&lt;br/&gt; &#xA;Full View:&#xA;&lt;br/&gt; &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gd7E9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf View - 1:&#xA;&lt;br/&gt; &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h2xVM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf View - 2:&#xA;&lt;br/&gt; &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IBcxn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;Leaf View - 3:&#xA;&lt;br/&gt; &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LpYGS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like some variety of Pilea; May be &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.co.in/search?q=Pilea%20depressa&amp;amp;aq=f&amp;amp;um=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;source=og&amp;amp;sa=N&amp;amp;tab=wi&amp;amp;ei=e8dNUdb_IcHXrQeUkoCYCQ&amp;amp;biw=1280&amp;amp;bih=613&amp;amp;sei=f8dNUdjmPIelrQeV9YDYCA#um=1&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=1&amp;amp;q=Pilea%20depressa&amp;amp;oq=Pilea%20depressa&amp;amp;gs_l=img.12..0j0i24l4.35509.35509.8.36365.1.1.0.0.0.0.105.105.0j1.1.0...0.0...1c.1.7.img.4SWTXCBTqUo&amp;amp;bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&amp;amp;bvm=bv.44158598,d.bmk&amp;amp;fp=8aa46cbbcf6b7855&amp;amp;biw=1280&amp;amp;bih=613&amp;amp;imgrc=Sj8iBL6xsQRmjM:;tIoBHtBv-4-fdM;http%253A%252F%252Fwww.gheesung.com%252F_%252Frsrc%252F1320657618024%252Fplants%252Ffoliage-plants%252Fpilea%252Fpilea-depressa%252FPilea.Depressa02.JPG%253Fheight%253D400%2526width%253D300;http%253A%252F%252Fwww.gheesung.com%252Fplants%252Ffoliage-plants%252Fpilea%252Fpilea-depressa;300;400&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pilea depressa&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="1871" LastEditDate="2013-03-23T15:21:50.860" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T04:04:45.343" Title="What is this hanging plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;hanging-plant&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5900" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2013-03-10T08:05:59.823" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2013-03-10T08:05:59.823" LastActivityDate="2013-03-10T08:05:59.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5901" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2013-03-10T08:05:59.823" Score="0" Body="Plants which like hanging downwards, but not creepers and climbers." OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-03-10T14:09:50.600" LastActivityDate="2013-03-10T14:09:50.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5902" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5898" CreationDate="2013-03-10T14:41:59.033" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is what I notice:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;That is a large pot for a small plant. If it does not appear to be growing it could be spending all its energy growing a root system. Consider repotting one size down to encourage foliage growth and get a look at the roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If it is an orchid it won't do well in the peat or topsoil based mix it is presently potted in.  Orchids like a soil that is free draining. Growers often use finely ground bark or lava rock in their mixes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plant has more than a passing resemblance to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_fragrans&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dracaena deremensis&lt;/a&gt; which is not an orchid. There are numerous cultivars available, some with the same stripes on the leaves that your plant has.  I have never seen an orchid with stripes on its leaves.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Orchids vary widely in appearance and size but their leaves tend to be thick, some have a waxy cuticle to reduce moisture loss. Your plant looks to have thin leaves.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Many orchids have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pseudo bulb&lt;/a&gt; which is thicker than the leaf that grows from it. Older pseudo bulbs shrivel as new growth takes over. I don't see any pseudo bulbs.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you choose to repot it that could tell you what the plant is. An orchid will not have a woody stem and the root system will tend to be in the top layers.  A Dracaena will have woody roots that spread out and down into the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-03-10T17:56:16.320" LastActivityDate="2013-03-10T17:56:16.320" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5903" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5887" CreationDate="2013-03-10T18:03:23.540" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jatropha_podagrica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Jatropha podagrica&lt;/a&gt; is a very poisonous plant so don't eat any of it. It's an indoor plant and can't survive under 50&amp;deg;F. Water it when dry, give it bright light but avoid direct sun. Other than that it should stay alive for some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is an indoor tropical forest type plant and is only poisonous if eaten; if handled just wash your hands thoroughly! But that goes with all poisonous plants although this one is particularly lethal. I think nearly all the species of this plant are bad news.  I learned this one about ten years ago when reading up about survival techniques in the rain forests. I've read that&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;the seeds are violently purgative! it can cause inflammation of the intestines along with diarrhea and vomiting- these conditions can lead to dehydration and could endanger you life in a survival condition, if unable to find prompt medical help&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;as quoted from Hugh McManners and one of his many books.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand it is quite a pretty plant. I would just treat it with respect, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-15T02:24:07.003" LastActivityDate="2013-03-15T02:24:07.003" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5904" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5848" CreationDate="2013-03-10T18:21:09.733" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could have been a mix of chemicals where a bit too strong- always under feed and what i do is put a lump of well rotted manure under the soil where the plant is to be planted- this acts as a reservoir for moisture (only water in the evening)and a food store, i only start feeding after the first truss has set and remove all dead leaves when they turn yellow- beware of blight as this can kill all your plants within a day!&#xA;Misting and slightly knocking the plants can help with pollenation, there are varieties that are resistant to deseases but don't have much flavour... if grown under cover they must have shading on the windows to avoid sun burn(depends on which direction your facing with afternoon sun) and water the floors to add humidity to the air or the leaves will curl up- its all about prevention with tomatoes- make them happy and they will grow well plus a good summer to ripen them off too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2013-03-10T18:21:09.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5905" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5939" CreationDate="2013-03-10T18:24:01.680" Score="11" ViewCount="2005" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am building a compost bin and it will be built right on the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But is it better with or without a roof? and why?&#xA;Also does the location change the answer? Lot of rain, snow, etc&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1693" LastActivityDate="2021-01-15T15:03:09.843" Title="Should a compost bin have a roof?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5906" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5846" CreationDate="2013-03-10T18:26:53.127" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends where one lives but I do it in December and leave it on the plant until May. Overfeed them with plenty of manure, but don't let it touch the new growth -- keep it a finger's width away from them as this will and can burn them. When they are a size you want them, then harvest them but leave all the leaves on during the summer to recharge the root for next year. It's a good idea to have several roots to expand the season and not overtax the one plant in your garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The professionals in the north of England's &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhubarb_Triangle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;Rhubarb Triangle&quot;&lt;/a&gt; recharge their plants every year outside in the fields with tonnes of manure so they are literally force fed. In October they dig up the plants and place them in a very large dark shed on layered shelves with a constant temperature. The stems then grow rapidly in the dark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A completely useless fact: rhubarb is officially the fastest growing plant in the world and one can actually hear it growing! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-21T15:13:28.673" LastActivityDate="2013-03-21T15:13:28.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5725" CreationDate="2013-03-10T18:34:31.570" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use a cold method of composting and ONLY plant squashes and beans on my compost heap and thats it! It's a good use of useless land while i wait for the heap to break down although i do spread a layer of soil over the top to seal it in- well it looks nice and i don't have to feed or water any plants...worked last year-altough as advice to anyone don't do it on a chippings heap as the compost steals nitrogen to start breaking down and this stunts any plant grown in it! found that one out last year! only plant on ordinary garden compost heaps only- if in doubt use the advice above and don't do it if your not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2013-03-10T18:34:31.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5908" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5905" CreationDate="2013-03-10T18:43:49.153" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its about appearance more than anything- however a bit of old carpet will seal in the moisture on the top (think dry summers) and allow it to really break down without having to turn it over too many times- its good though your building it on the ground as this will allow excess moisture to drain away and allow worms to get it in and do their stuff.&#xA;I prefer to build compost bins away from a house and in the shade as hot sun can ferment a heap and attract flies including wasps and mosquitos too- yuck! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2013-03-10T18:43:49.153" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5909" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4723" CreationDate="2013-03-10T18:55:21.550" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The good thing is you can dig up the roots in autumn and keep them over winter- they look like large black carrots, dry them out and keep safe from frost- plant out in late spring and enjoy or you can collect the seeds every year but be aware that they do cross quite a bit and you won't have the same colours every year. Treat them like dahlia's and they will last years and years- just don't let the frost any where near them- end game if you do...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2013-03-10T18:55:21.550" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5894" CreationDate="2013-03-10T19:01:05.370" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think make and model matter less than care &amp;amp; feeding. I have a&#xA;cheap Husqvarna and a used Jonesered that was fairly expensive&#xA;when it was new. Neither of them will start reliably if they&#xA;aren't taken care of, but they are both easy to start when well&#xA;maintained.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chainsaws &lt;em&gt;are&lt;/em&gt; &quot;special&quot; in that they seem to need more maintenance than&#xA;other 2-cycle equipment. The saw generates a lot of dust, and the&#xA;dust+bar oil combination gets gunked up around the engine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you're familiar with keeping equipment running smoothly, I'm&#xA;sure you know some of these things, but here's what I do to keep my&#xA;saw in good shape:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep the saw sharp so that it is not making so much fine dust. The&#xA;bigger chunks of sawdust from a sharp saw don't seem to gum up the works as&#xA;quickly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use fresh gas.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure your gas:oil mix is correct and that the oil is well&#xA;mixed-in.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Frequently (as often as daily if you do a lot of cutting) pull off&#xA;the cover, clean out the air filter, make sure everything is clean&#xA;around the air intake, check the spark plug.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If it is hard to start, do the cleaning mentioned above. Sometimes I get lazy and skip a couple of cleanings and then pay for it later when I try to start and it won't cooperate; after a good cleaning it is like night and day.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-03-10T19:01:05.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5258" CreationDate="2013-03-10T19:06:45.603" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pruning wisteria is easy as long as you have a ladder or platform to work off, in spring one prunes new growth to every third bud and in august cut all the whipsy growths back to five buds and thats it or alternatively you can prune it very hard into old wood every year in late summer to allow the cuts to dry before winter- if you do it in spring they will bleed and get infected with mildew- prune the shrub into a basic shape you want and tie in new growths onto wire supported onthe structure you want to cover, in about three years it will cover a surface enough in summer, that one can't see the wall underneath.&#xA;If you do it wrong don't worry it will grow back with added energy! and you can retrain it from there onwards. The other idea is to visit an old garden open to the public and ask the gardeners there how they would do it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2013-03-10T19:06:45.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5912" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5913" CreationDate="2013-03-10T19:16:58.850" Score="4" ViewCount="4356" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just come into possession of two 120L water butts to connect up to my shed on my allotment plot, but as it is a pent roof I need to connect the water butts together as there is only one downpipe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I have read there are two methods of linking them:-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Connect at the top so the first overflows into the second when full.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;or&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Connect at the bottom so the water is evenly distributed between the&#xA;two containers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the benefits and downsides of these methods and how best to connect them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastActivityDate="2020-08-13T07:27:04.573" Title="How best to connect multiple water butts?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;rain-barrel&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5912" CreationDate="2013-03-10T23:14:17.170" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Benefits and downsides are part of the materials, space and time available to you.  I had a downspout source eight feet in the air (from the gutters), limited lateral space and some leftover cement slabs which happened to be the right size to support the barrels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My solution was to use the overflow method.  By redirecting the downspout into the top of the first barrel the overflow was easy to direct into the second barrel.  Any overflow from the second barrel could be redirected back into the lower part of the downspout system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cement slabs are strong and cheap and by using cement breeze blocks as risers I have sufficient height to have a reasonable gravity fed system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen systems using the &quot;connect at the bottom&quot; system but you need to do more piping work.  With overflow systems you minimize the amount of pipe joins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-03-10T23:14:17.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5891" CreationDate="2013-03-11T02:15:28.923" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used to grow rosemary and they need moving air just as much they need sun and water. That's why it may be difficult to grow indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1795" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-03-11T02:58:28.377" LastActivityDate="2013-03-11T02:58:28.377" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5915" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-11T11:36:35.353" Score="4" ViewCount="1452" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can I grow peonies, camellias or magnolias in the tropics/Philippines? or at least a good substitute for those I have mentioned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2001" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T09:06:27.710" Title="Growing in the Tropics" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5916" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5899" CreationDate="2013-03-11T13:32:57.907" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd hazard an educated guess that this is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum_spurium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sedum spurium&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; of some variety - planted in the ground, it sprawls across it, so planted in a hanging container, it would grow like this The shape of the leaves strongly suggest it, along with the notched edges, coupled with the fact it is obviously a succulent. Note that Sedum is an extremely large and varied group of plants, all commonly referred to as Stonecrop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-11T04:04:45.343" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T04:04:45.343" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5917" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-11T14:57:55.457" Score="4" ViewCount="859" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cut down a tree that was infested with pine borer beetles. I don't want the beetles to infect other trees. Unfortunately, I can't burn the infested wood. And I don't have anywhere to haul the infested wood. What's the best solution?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1907" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-03-11T15:42:25.643" LastActivityDate="2013-03-11T21:56:55.500" Title="Pine Borer Beetle Infestation" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5918" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5898" CreationDate="2013-03-11T15:56:12.617" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its tough to identify from what you have provided but my guess would be phaius tankervillae.  Commonly called &quot;the nun orchid&quot; because the petals and the way the flowers hang down resemble a nun's habit.  Its fairly common in garden centers.  If your vendor was a nursery or supplies to them then phaius tankervillae would be an example of a plant that he might commonly have on hand that is a member of the orchid family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I am right then it is a pretty small specimen and probably several years away from blooming.  Unlike a lot of other orchids,  phaius tankervillae is a terrestrial species meaning it grows in the ground as opposed to as an epiphyte which is more common for orchids.  It will do fine in normal garden soil.  Phaius tankervillae does not have psuedobulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few other possibilities.  If you can provide details of where you live, what sort of place you got it from and how it was grown before you got it (i.e. outside, greenhouse, etc.) then it might be possible to narrow it down if it turns out not to be phaius.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2013-03-11T15:56:12.617" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5919" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5917" CreationDate="2013-03-11T21:56:55.500" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vernon.ca/lifestyles/pine_beetle.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this link&lt;/a&gt; from the city of Vernon,which is whimsically located in the &quot;lifestyles&quot; section&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;each beetle infested tree contains enough beetle brood to infest between three and eight healthy trees in up to 20 generations per year.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beetle infested trees cannot be used for firewood, transported or stored for any length of time unless they are debarked. Infested bark should be chipped or buried to ensure beetle brood are destroyed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Landfill: some facilities will accept it, check your local site. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Selling: Landowners wishing to sell their timber should contact a log buyer or forestry professional for advice. Look in the Yellow Pages under “Logging Companies &amp;amp; Contractors”, “Logging Services”, and “Tree Service”.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bugspray.com/article/pinebark.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Other sites&lt;/a&gt; indicate that&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the act of taking down the tree will stir up adults causing them to leave.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;as a general rule you don’t want to leave a fallen tree laying around which is infested with pine bark beetles. They will quickly start to leave and nearby trees will become immediate targets and new homes. It is important to have the tree taken away, mulched or burned immediately upon being cut. There have been too many cases of trees which look to be OK turn out having hundreds and thousands of adults start leaving it once it has been cut down. These migrating adults are then able to relocate and start their infestations all over again.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dispose of the tree completely. Burning works well and mulching does a good job as well. The last thing you want to do is keep the logs laying around intended to become firewood for the next winter. This would be a big mistake. Since the adults and larva will start leaving this now dead and dehydrating lumber you should never keep and store any of the infested wood around the home. Get rid of it any way you can.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-03-11T21:56:55.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5920" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-12T03:12:51.143" Score="5" ViewCount="669" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in NJ and my house next to a daycare facility playground. Not only is there zero privacy, it also gets really noisy with the kids screaming all day. I am looking into the possibility of a living fence and am wondering what the best options are. Some suggestions given so far are Arborvitae, Cyprus, or Hemlock. We have already ruled out Arborvitae, because the deer apparently love to eat it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some things we are looking for and/or might be relevant:&#xA;- 10 ft+ tall plants/trees&#xA;- Area gets decent sunlight and doesn't flood&#xA;- Looking for not only privacy but to lessen the sound&#xA;- We have enough space to alternate &amp;amp; stagger plants/trees if needed&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help would greatly be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2004" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-03-13T12:39:30.537" LastActivityDate="2013-03-14T13:24:51.573" Title="Tall Living Fence" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;privacy-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5915" CreationDate="2013-03-12T07:22:13.563" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Magnolias will probably be fine, there are pink and white ones which I grew successfully in Hawaii. You might want to keep the ground clear around the base of the tree and make sure it has adequate drainage. Peonies generally need a hard freeze, and since the roots are sensitive to transplant you can't just stick them in the freezer. I'd say no on that one. But you might be able to do Chinese tree peonies (also rather lovely). Camellias? They should go fine. There are varieties in the Southern US and Indonesia. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="424" LastActivityDate="2013-03-12T07:22:13.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5893" CreationDate="2013-03-12T09:06:59.210" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I eventually did some more research and found that I didn't have any galangal growing yet at all.  No idea why it doesn't like that area.  I was also able to locate galangal in neighbor's gardens for visual comparison.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It turns out that galangal is more similar to ginger than tumeric in its growing pattern.  Tumeric has a bunch of leaves coming from a short stock, while galangal has a tall stock with alternating leaves.  The leaves are much more broad but tougher and less obviously veined than ginger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1911" LastActivityDate="2013-03-12T09:06:59.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5924" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5920" CreationDate="2013-03-12T12:05:21.957" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you want a privacy screen and a sound barrier now rather than five years from now when any plantings will have a chance to fill in. Unless you have a large budget and can buy large caliber specimens a fence will provide the most effective solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let's do some rough calculations which do not account for local pricing and should only be taken as an indication.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assume you have a forty foot length you wish to shield. The white pine, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_strobus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pinus strobus&lt;/a&gt; is commonly available and less expensive than some alternatives.  It is about twenty feet wide at maturity but if you bring in large specimens that have a burlapped root ball in a wire basket they will sit for a number of years while they make themselves at home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The largest size I see available is 400 cm tall (about thirteen feet) in a wire basket. So with four trees in two staggered rows plus some heavy machinery you have the job done in a day or so.  However this could easily cost $1000 to $1500 a tree installed for a price of $6000. Also, at maturity the four trees occupy an area about thirty feet wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compare this to just &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.academyfence.com/DIY/vinylfencing/bufftechvinylspecial.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;one of your local fencing suppliers&lt;/a&gt;, of which New Jersey seems to have in abundance. Vinyl fence in eight foot sections that is six feet tall can probably be installed for $300 per section.  You need five sections for a cost of about $1500 to $2000.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This same price differential between trees and fences is true in most parts of the world. There is always a tradeoff between time, money and usefulness.  You can put small trees in and it won't cost much but you won't have privacy or a sound barrier for five years or more.  Or you can put large trees in but it will cost much more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The optimum solution is put a fence in yourself using pre built panels and take the money you save to plant some small trees outside the fence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please provide some more information on your local soil types and whether you want an evergreen or a tree with leaves and we can work some more on this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-03-12T12:05:21.957" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5926" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5928" CreationDate="2013-03-12T20:24:53.127" Score="5" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;Discussions &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/290/what-should-i-do-to-a-homemade-paper-pot-before-planting-it&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3591/do-homemade-paper-pots-for-seedlings-really-work-well/3594#3594&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; talk about making these frugal paper pots to ease the shock when transplanting seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard though that you should only use black and white newsprint, as the colour ink may contain heavy metals. But with the rise of cheaper colour printing over that past decade, I can't think of many pages of the newspapers that I have (rarely) read recently that don't have a colour element in them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, how much of a risk is it to use colour newsprint? The seedlings that I will be growing will be crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T02:17:46.007" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T02:17:46.007" Title="How bad is it to use colour newsprint for paper pots?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5927" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5886" CreationDate="2013-03-12T20:46:08.293" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It has all the same qualities of a Scadoxus membranaceus. Except I can not find anywhere saying that they are known to grown in New Zealand, and the colors are much more vibrant than other images. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastActivityDate="2013-03-12T20:46:08.293" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5926" CreationDate="2013-03-12T21:02:57.010" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears as though using any type of newspaper can be hazardous. Newspapers are whitened with bleach. The ink is either a petro-chemical compound or as of lately vegetable based but more likely a combination of the two. This is described in complete detail in this article.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cityfoodgrowers.com.au/blog-latestposts.php?catid=104&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://cityfoodgrowers.com.au/blog-latestposts.php?catid=104&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;paper towels that do not contain other chemicals or toilet paper could be a decent alternative, but avoid all toxins in such early stages of development for your crops&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastActivityDate="2013-03-12T21:02:57.010" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5929" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5934" CreationDate="2013-03-12T21:29:55.113" Score="4" ViewCount="872" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some questions about some trees present in my study areas. I think there must be acacias trees and baobabs, but it's hard for me to distinguish them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe there are also some additional trees someone can help me with. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ones in the front, at the right side in picture 2 must be eucalyptus trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pictures are taken in the north of Ethiopia!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oGjiG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oGjiGl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J1V1l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J1V1ll.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6FNQr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6FNQr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9hiWv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9hiWv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vPEHm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vPEHm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yURFD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yURFD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1976" LastEditorUserId="1976" LastEditDate="2013-03-13T13:17:13.077" LastActivityDate="2013-03-13T13:17:13.077" Title="Are these baobab or acacia trees?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5930" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5894" CreationDate="2013-03-12T22:27:23.700" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ok, so the answer seems to be...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take better care of the chainsaw and the manufacturer won't matter.  I suppose the is possibly true for the typical home owner.  Professional users seem to use particular makes and models.  I assume they do this for a reason.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, I'll go back over the chainsaw I currently own, which ran OK for 1 season and then never started again, and see if I can make it happy.  This could save me some money if it works, so it seems worth a shot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the feedback.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1996" LastActivityDate="2013-03-12T22:27:23.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5933" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5994" CreationDate="2013-03-13T06:34:35.133" Score="2" ViewCount="194" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my childhood, I had tried growing musturd in the bowl having cotton as growing medium. It grown much well. Also tried Money plant &amp;amp; water-cabbage in water. Regular soil is used for potted plants. So my question is; Is there any other growing medium for any indoor plants, that is more suitable than soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-03-24T20:30:55.463" Title="Which are the possible, suitable growing mediums for indoor plants?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5934" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5929" CreationDate="2013-03-13T06:52:37.900" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the first picture the closest two (that are fully in view) appear to be Baobab based on their thick trunk and the fact that they are leafless. Baobab are excellent survivers, hence why they ditch their leaves so early ( to conserve water and protect themselves from infection). Also in the first picture there are two trees in line with each other in the upper right. The first appears to be a flat top acacia, of all the trees the only one I will confidently say is, but they come in so many variations. In the second picture the only distinguishable tree is a Baobab sitting just slightly to the left and slightly above the center of the picture behind a smaller tree, the thinner trees without leaves scattered about the front could also be Baobab but I would not say for sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have any closer pictures of the plush tree sitting all the way to the left in the middle of the picture set behind the smaller trees? I only ask because it sticks out and one of the most interesting parts of Ethiopia's plant life is the diversity of how some trees store nutrients to protect themselves while others yield so much value that have warranted cultivation&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastActivityDate="2013-03-13T06:52:37.900" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5935" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2013-03-13T08:23:57.810" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2013-03-13T08:23:57.810" LastActivityDate="2013-03-13T08:23:57.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5936" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2013-03-13T08:23:57.810" Score="0" Body="A growing medium is material in which plants grows, and fungi taking water and food from it. Common examples are soil and water." OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2018-09-23T14:31:15.917" LastActivityDate="2018-09-23T14:31:15.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="5937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5258" CreationDate="2013-03-13T11:13:33.677" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wisteria smishteria, It will grow back thicker so do not take it lightly on the wisteria if it is threatening your house. In my experience it is like pulling gum out of your hair. If there are any areas the wisteria can be burnt, I would use a blow torch. That is my solution for weeds in cracks also. Safety first though, have adult supervision and a fire fighter there just in case. &#xA;On a Lighter Note a fun way to fight this perpetual battle could be butterflies. Marine Blue butterflies love some Wisteria. This will take at least a year or two to have any effect because 90% or something like that of their consumed diet is in caterpiller form. Here are a list of plants that butterflies enjoy.&#xA;•Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)&#xA;•Lantana&#xA;•Zinnias&#xA;•Bee balm&#xA;•Purple coneflowers&#xA;•Pentas&#xA;•Sage&#xA;•Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) or other milkweeds&#xA;•Lilac&#xA;•Sunflower&#xA;•Marjoram&#xA;•Hebe&#xA;I can not say how affective they will be, I would love to know, but if gardening and attracting butterflies would be a hobby that you would also enjoy then it would be worth pursuing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastActivityDate="2013-03-13T11:13:33.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5938" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5905" CreationDate="2013-03-13T13:21:15.427" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not only flies consider how often you are going to be downhill from it, your distance and what you are mostly going to be putting in it. Grass clippings smell like cow manure after just a few days. Well actually its probably the other way around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fun Fact: Coffee Grounds are great for compost, i had fun&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastActivityDate="2013-03-13T13:21:15.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5939" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5905" CreationDate="2013-03-13T13:51:11.503" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Building a roof over your compost bin, would prevent it from getting moisture and you would have to water it in hot weather. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As previously mentioned, a bit of old carpet or sheet of corrugated cardboard will help to keep in the moisture while letting the heap breath and keeping in some of the heat to facilitate the micro-organisms growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also has the added benefit of keeping out some of the pests if you are going to be putting food waste on the heap as well as garden waste. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastActivityDate="2013-03-13T13:51:11.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5941" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5926" CreationDate="2013-03-13T17:25:51.720" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I personally use a mixture of recycled plastic containers, anything from yoghurt pots to pot noodles- the latter being my favourite- heat treated so they have strength, depth and strangely the exact same size as a normal small pot found in trays of bedding plants from the nurseries- so one can reuse the trays as well...also one can reuse them year in and year out and they  can be sterilised, stacked and made to have holes in the bottoms too- should last about three years or so. i also reuse tonne bags- but thats an entirely different story...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2013-03-13T17:25:51.720" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5942" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5774" CreationDate="2013-03-13T17:50:27.270" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would sink a plastic barrier to stop any more of that root getting on your patch, corrogated plastic as one can bend onto shape round a corner and about 18 inches or more deep, secondly i would put  jam jars of  concentrated weedkiller around the edge- but be carefull and break any incoming stems and shove them in the  jars the ends should in theory suck    up any killer and start to die off this should also stop any contamination of your crops and neighbouring soil     &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2013-03-13T17:50:27.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5943" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4647" CreationDate="2013-03-13T18:07:12.763" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You said that you roto tilled it so I would imagine that you have created in a clay soil what I would call a soil pan. This unfortunate is a layer of skimmed subsoil, in this case thick clay, that has over the summer formed a compacted layer under your nice top soil. It has pooling water on top and does not allow drainage to occur. So next time, double dig it and fork the bottom  of the trench. That will aid in adding extra drainage, I would also include large amount of manure to add air to the soil and add moisture during the summer. This all helps with badly clogged up heavy clay soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-09-05T02:27:06.040" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T02:27:06.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5944" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-13T20:15:29.387" Score="8" ViewCount="1319" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know why eggshells are good for flowering plants!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2008" LastActivityDate="2013-03-15T22:24:44.367" Title="What's in eggshells that makes a good fertilizer?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5945" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5962" CreationDate="2013-03-13T21:40:06.680" Score="4" ViewCount="5312" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Chinese Elm bonsai. The tree was doing fine, sprouting many new twigs in the last month or two. After the growth slowed down I decided to repot the tree, because the original soil was too slow to dry out and also because the roots were starting to fill the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I used something called Terramol as the substrate, it’s supposed to be something like Akadama. I didn’t mix it with anything. (The supplier says it can be used as is.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I had to trim some of the roots so that the plant would fit neatly in the pot. I was very careful doing it, only trimming a small part of the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think my watering routine should be fine – I always water after the top part of the substrate gets sort of dry, and I keep pouring until the water comes out through the drain holes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But after a week the tree looks tired and wilted, some of the leaves are turning yellow. Is this expected after repotting, or have I done something wrong? If I screwed up, what’s the best way to help the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is how the tree looks now, after repotting once more into a mix of Terramol (two parts) with grit (one part) and potting soil (one part):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rllu0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bonsai Elm tree after repotting&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And this is a detail of the pot &amp;amp; substrate mixture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WFGM6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pot and substrate&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: After a month or so after repotting the yellowing stopped and the plant started to look happy again. This is how the tree looks today:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jFMsw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Happy tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="170" LastEditorUserId="170" LastEditDate="2013-06-22T17:58:48.987" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T08:39:26.393" Title="Chinese Elm bonsai turning yellow after repotting" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5946" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-14T09:12:40.843" Score="3" ViewCount="141" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got yet another cactus rotten and this was most likely causes by overwatering. I'll try to rescue it but I'll likely need a new one anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there perhaps cacti that don't rot when overwatered?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastActivityDate="2013-03-22T19:30:04.880" Title="Are there cacti that don't rot when overwatered?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5947" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5949" CreationDate="2013-03-14T09:53:48.207" Score="3" ViewCount="133" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just recently (2013.03.08) bought a lilium and an orchid plant from a big hardware/gardening chain store. The day after, I watered them early in the morning with room temperature water (unfortunately chlorine treated tap-water) as instructed and by the end of the day I noticed that some of the leaves of the Lilium have started to dry out and wither.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants pick a bit of the air stream of my air-condition, but it is set to 19°C (warm mode) and the room temperature is at 21°C - both of which might be the reason why the upper layer of the soil was dry 5 days after watering. They receive constant, but not direct, sunlight throughout the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been pruning the withered leaves, as they came off with ease and I thought it wouldn't do any additional harm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this normal or is the plant unhealthy? Am I doing something I shouldn't be doing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand the orchid is doing fine, but I am still concerned as I read somewhere that when something is wrong with an orchid plant it dies suddenly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, are there any other tips for taking care for these plants I should know?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;hr/&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://anderiv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/20130314_001.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;Click for larger view&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://anderiv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/20130314_001.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Click for larger view&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2010" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:36.267" LastActivityDate="2013-03-14T13:12:23.247" Title="Lilium flower withering" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5933" CreationDate="2013-03-14T13:04:25.240" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rock wool can come in blocks and is used for hydroponics and also that stuff that florests use.. Oasis? but you'll have to provide nutrients for the plants once they get beyond seedling size as the medium they are in is only for support of the plants structure only and won't feed it in any way- rock wool is also sterilised against fungal infections etc and can be used several times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2013-03-14T13:04:25.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5949" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5947" CreationDate="2013-03-14T13:07:15.953" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its possible you're not watering enough, given the conditions it's currently living in - this should be done when the surface of the compost is slightly dry to the touch, but not so dry it's shrunken away from the sides of the pot. Don't leave it standing in water in any outer tray or pot 30 minutes after watering, empty that out.&#xA;The Lilium plant is a bulb - it's a short term, temporary resident in the home, with the flowers lasting, if you're lucky, about a fortnight. Once the flowers are gone, the bulbs can be transferred outside to the garden, if you have one, or stood outside in their pot, though there are a few varieties which aren't hardy enough for this. The normal flowering time outside is summer, so if you live somewhere it can be planted or potted outside, that's when it will flower next year. If you want to keep them in a pot, feed with a general purpose or higher potash feed weekly (depending on the product you choose) after the flowers have faded until the foliage dies back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-03-14T13:12:23.247" LastActivityDate="2013-03-14T13:12:23.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5950" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5946" CreationDate="2013-03-14T13:16:14.350" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, there aren't - but the trick is to make sure they are not left in standing water in any outside pot or tray. When you do water, go back after 30 minutes and empty out any water left in there, and if there's a lot, go back 30 minutes after that and do it again, until there's no more water collecting. This assumes that you have the cactus planted in a gritty, freedraining compost in a pot with drainage holes which are not blocked. And only water sparingly and, in comparison to most houseplants, infrequently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-03-14T13:16:14.350" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5951" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5920" CreationDate="2013-03-14T13:24:51.573" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;List of sound barrier type plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees:&#xA;Acer platanoides varieties: Cleveland, Columnare, Globosum, Olmsted.&#xA;Acer pseudoplatanus varieties: Atropurpureum (Spaethii), Erectum.&#xA;Ailanthus altissima.&#xA;Carpinus betulus Fastigiata.&#xA;Platanus hispanica.&#xA;Populus varieties.&#xA;Prunus laurocerasus in variety.&#xA;Pterocarva fraxinifolia.&#xA;Quercus ilex.&#xA;Sorbus aucuparia variety thibetica John Mitchell.&#xA;Tilia americana.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shrubs:&#xA;Ilex.&#xA;Rhododendron.&#xA;Viburnum rhytidophyllum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Conifers:&#xA;X Cupressocyparis leylandii.&#xA;Pinus in Variety especially P. radiata.&#xA;Taxus Baccata.&#xA;Thuya plicata Atrovirens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;notes some of the above are poisonous and male form can be found to avoid berries like the Taxus and Ilex's for example -thinking kids here! but its up to you to find whatever is locally available and i'm sure that you can compromise on exact varieties listed here for something similiar and just as nice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2013-03-14T13:24:51.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5952" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5944" CreationDate="2013-03-14T13:25:27.927" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Eggshells, as Kate says above, are mostly calcium, with a bit of lime and protein. Calcium is important to flowering and more particularly fruiting plants, and the lime improves magnesium and alkalinizes the soil, which is good for plants like roses. For instance, Blossom End Rot in tomatoes is caused by a shortage of calcium - but this may be caused by underwatering, which disables the plant from taking up any calcium already present in the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, because it's difficult to assess quite how much calcium and lime your plants are getting (depending on the quantity and frequency of application of eggshells) I'm not convinced they're at all useful, preferring instead to use measured doses of plant food appropriate to the plants, and adding the eggshells to the compost heap, which eventually will be added to the soil anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-03-14T13:25:27.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5953" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5912" CreationDate="2013-03-14T13:32:04.663" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What i did is i went to Wickes( i'm sure they must have a website and you can buy one online) and got a connector kit for a fiver that connects all the butts together at the tops- screw them in and off you go- if you want to redirect water coming down but at an angle its best done with a hanging chain, the rain drips along and goes exactly where you want it to go-it will take a bit of mucking about with it but its affective and looks good too! often quite a good talking point. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2013-03-14T13:32:04.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5954" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5766" CreationDate="2013-03-14T13:53:36.667" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could burn it out or use a pick axe to split the base or paint it with something like root stump killer (overhere i would suggest TBK stump killer in the UK) expensive stuff and must be used neat not dilute as the instructions say so(never works if you do!), one must damage the stump first and mash up the exposed bark on the outside to allow the chemicals to be absorbed- seal it with a shower cap and leave it to die- stump killers are usually based on white spirit or helicopter fuel type chemicals, nasty stuff! and of course keep pets away and children- paint on using an old paint brush and try not to get too much on the soil or you'll have to leave it for several months before planting- oh don't smoke around it too as its very flammable! and wash it off your hands within fives minutes or so as it can be absorbed through the skin- usual precautions apply with PA1 and PA6a pesticides and spraying certificate holders- nothing special just common sense type stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2013-03-14T13:53:36.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5955" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5721" CreationDate="2013-03-14T14:16:27.680" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soft fruit can be protected with taut mesh nets. By stretching them over a wooden frame one can lift the whole contraption off the fruit and get to it for weeding or picking. The taut net can be big enough for any insect to get through as caterpillars from butterflies are not a problem here, but I found that birds would often get caught up in loose ones (draped over wire poles) and be found dead the next morning, which is quite disappointing for some young child to find. The net should be able to support a domestic cat in weight and allow birds that don't see the net to bounce off without getting tangled up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for slugs I use organic pellets based on ferric phosphate which is promoted by the organic farmers and the suggestions on the label. A few years ago I poisoned my cat with ordinary slug pellets when he ate a frog in the back garden. He did survive but it did make him very ill, so think what they do to wildlife. I've been told that one ordinary pellet can kill an elephant! I'm not sure if it's true but I wouldn't like to try it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Commercial growers have been trying with off the ground techniques and grow them in an open drain pipe laid on its side, making it easier to pick and apparently water too. The added bonus is that the fruit is off the ground and no need for straw or chemicals for slugs etc. as they can't reach them! They also grow them in polytunnels so birds are not a problem either. That's the way the farmers grow them anyway.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-29T17:13:51.980" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T17:13:51.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5956" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5961" CreationDate="2013-03-14T21:15:04.287" Score="8" ViewCount="391" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Lotus flower seed and have kept it in water for the last 5 or 6 days. I saw that it has started to open up. What should I do next?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I saw on the paper packaging that it is called &quot;Nelumbo nucifera&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From Wikipedia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Nelumbo nucifera, known by a number of names including Indian lotus,&#xA;  sacred lotus, bean of India, or simply lotus&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2012" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-21T00:44:25.760" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T00:44:25.760" Title="How do you grow a Lotus flower from seed?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5958" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3808" CreationDate="2013-03-15T03:10:41.047" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;My knowledge of IP law is pretty limited, but from a semester of patents in law school, I can assure you that &quot;good intentions&quot; will not save you from a lawsuit. There is an exception for &quot;purely scientific inquiry&quot; if you are not going to use any research for profit (we're talking backyard invention kind of stuff here). The reality is that lawsuits are expensive and more than likely if you were &quot;caught&quot;, you'd just receive a few cease and desist letters or be given an opportunity to setup a licensing deal with the patent holder. Licensing is where the real value of a patent is anyway. Since you're not a mega-corp (otherwise you'd have in-house counsel to direct your question at), you have no assets for a patent holder to go after anyhow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, you can scrap that entire explanation under the same principle a previous poster already mentioned - there is basically no way in hell anyone will discover whether you're violating a patent unless you start selling the patented plant in large quantities. At that point, you'd benefit from professional advice, and you'd have the cash to afford it. Patents themselves are confusing (almost intentionally designed that way), so there isn't really anyway for you to go do research on your own. In reality, the system is designed so that at whatever point you realize you're infringing, you'd better setup a licensing deal or stop infringing. But, there really isn't a lot of incentive to put in the leg work upfront, especially if you're small-time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2023" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-13T19:59:13.220" LastActivityDate="2014-10-13T19:59:13.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4557" CreationDate="2013-03-15T03:32:46.317" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dwarf Ruellia is a common cultivated border landscape plant and thus not a weed unless you don't like it. A weed is any plant that will increase despite the increase in humans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2024" LastActivityDate="2013-03-15T03:32:46.317" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5960" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5964" CreationDate="2013-03-15T09:24:14.983" Score="5" ViewCount="2940" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a south-facing balcony with a built-in soil container. Ideally, I don't want to water it at all. Since the container is on the edge of the balcony, it receives some rainfall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the best plants/herbs/vegetables to make it look pretty with the following set of priorities in order:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;little to no watering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cheap seeds or plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;green year-round&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;edible?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no experience at all and need forgiving plants to get started.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&#xA;The container is 120 by 40 cm, 1m deep and has drainage. It is already filled with soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2032" LastEditorUserId="2032" LastEditDate="2013-03-18T09:26:31.373" LastActivityDate="2013-03-23T18:46:50.637" Title="What can I plant in a container on my south-facing balcony that requires the least attention (watering etc.)?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5961" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5956" CreationDate="2013-03-15T11:13:37.313" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used this as a reference: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.victoria-adventure.org/lotus/growing_from_seed.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.victoria-adventure.org/lotus/growing_from_seed.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have failed to raise one successfully to flower in my last 3 attempts. I think my problems are three things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;failing to get into a pot soon enough&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;failing to provide enough sun&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;trying to raise in too great of density&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They like it warm, and will not grow quickly unless they have a pretty warm environment, but too much direct sun can burn them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, they don't tolerate changes in water depth well, you can put them in shallower water, but going deeper can only be done easily over winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mine in the past tend to just die over winter, they fail to get enough energy to survive dormancy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're also very edible, so must be protected from ducks, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-21T00:43:12.910" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T00:43:12.910" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5962" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5945" CreationDate="2013-03-15T11:34:34.593" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know where to start.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you use this as an indoor Bonsai? Where do you live? First of all you can't use that substrate if you don't use a special fertilizer. Then you can't cut the roots of a tree when it should have a winter break. And after that put him into literally rocks and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to put that tree into your garden, bury it so the trunk is covered by earth at least 10 cm. Let it stay there until mid of April. Use the time to get informed about how to treat a Bonsai tree the right way. Then buy real Bonsai substrate or learn how to mix it. If the roots don't fit the pot after you cut them the right way, buy a new pot that fits. Elm trees are famous for taproots, so I doubt a plate is the right thing to use without experienced treatment. Put the tree into a place where it can have morning sun until midday and then is protected from too much sun. Make sure it only gets much water when it has a good ventilation or it easily dries out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many Howtos to find for Chinese Elm Bonsai, they will help you from here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2031" LastActivityDate="2013-03-15T11:34:34.593" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5963" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5960" CreationDate="2013-03-15T13:43:31.863" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where are you located? What kind of climate do you have? How often will this spot receive rain?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're in the southern US or central America, and you are feeling culinarily adventurous, then prickly pears fit the bill. Tunas (the fruits) can be bought at grocers (depending on area, you may have to seek out a Mexican or other Latino grocers), or the pads can be collected from the wild. Easy to grow. Make sure the pots are well draining to handle rainstorms (you don't want to flood them). Both the fruit and the pads are edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My experience with cultivating local (North Texas) native prickly pears is that they will easily flower, but do need water when forming fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2013-03-15T13:43:31.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5964" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5960" CreationDate="2013-03-15T14:11:40.933" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_vera&quot;&gt;Aloe vera&lt;/a&gt; plant have following good points for you &lt;strong&gt;Except Eating&lt;/strong&gt;, even though people consume it or use it as cosmetic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Requires low water - Water every after 2-3 days&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bug Resistant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Green around the year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gives birth to offsets, that is little aloe vera babies. (For me it is not good point as I always have to search some person who will keep &amp;amp; take care of baby aloes)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cheap, as you need to buy once; then you will be bumped with aloe babies :)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It blooms very rare, but if it does, you will be amazed! (very very long but thin flower)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Can be grown easily in Pots\Containers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cons:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is not so beautiful looking plant; if you want to show your it to others then may be don't go for this.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_vera#Toxicity&quot;&gt;toxic&lt;/a&gt;, that's why I said you 'Except Eating'. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-03-15T14:11:40.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5960" CreationDate="2013-03-15T18:33:15.907" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any small herbs will do- depending on your taste:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Melissa officinalis if cut often enough- leaves smell and tastes of lemon.&#xA;Ocimum basilicum- goes well with tomatoes and egges.&#xA;Chamaemelum nobile- makes a tea.&#xA;Allium schoenaprasum- chives taste of mild onion flavour.&#xA;Coriandrum sativum used in indian cooking.&#xA;Hyssopus officinalis good in soups.&#xA;Lavandula good in all sorts of cooking.&#xA;Origanum vulgare used  in italian dishes and salads.&#xA;Mentha- mint.&#xA;Petroselinum crispum- parsley but would have to be replaced every year.&#xA;Rosmarinus officinalis Prostratus Group - only grows to 30 cm high used with lamb and tea.&#xA;Saliva officinalis -sage.&#xA;Artemisia dracunculus used with chicken and fish- grows about 40 cm at most.&#xA;Thymus. Thyme used in stews and stuffings grows about 2-30 cm high. T.serpyllum -types are low growing carpeters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most come from the hot climates of southern europe and like dry conditions on the good side they are exstremely hardy and shouldn't die in a cold winter- all edible and of low maintenance- just water in very hot dry summers once every 7 to 10 days and they should do fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2013-03-15T18:33:15.907" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5967" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5944" CreationDate="2013-03-15T22:24:44.367" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Calcium is not mobile in soils so in order for eggshells to be useful it must first be degraded into little particles, digested by bacteria then washed down to the root level.  This takes a while so composting would be more efficient, particularly if you dig your compost in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/ff/Ca_Basics.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;In limestone soils and where the ph is above 7 calcium is rarely deficient&lt;/a&gt;. It does provide a short lived barrier to slugs if applied in quantity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are better off composting your eggshells so that the resulting compost has available calcium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are gardening on acid or poor soils these plants respond well to calcium applications:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;apples, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cherries, citrus, conifers, cotton, curcurbits, melons, grapes, legumes, lettuce, peaches, peanuts, pears, peppers, potatoes, tobacco, and tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-03-15T22:24:44.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5968" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5973" CreationDate="2013-03-16T17:27:11.643" Score="7" ViewCount="2522" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have bought this rare breed of Camellia, the Camellia azalea. It's originally from China I think. I have mixed in some coco husk to allow for good water flow and prevent clogging the soil with too much water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves recently started falling for no reason, still green and firm, with no wilting. There's also some browning at the tips of the fallen leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.americancamellias.org/display.aspx?catid=3,136,137,148&amp;amp;pageid=171&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's&lt;/a&gt; a page about the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aTfR3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know about this rare breed of Camellia and its growing requirements? Should I be watering it a lot or changing back the soil to something less leaky? Or does it not like the water too much? I am based in Hong Kong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really don't want this beautiful plant to die! I would be forever grateful to anyone who could give me some guidance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2042" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-16T05:18:23.640" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T10:28:19.810" Title="What are the growing conditions for Camelia azalea, especially its water needs?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5969" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5875" CreationDate="2013-03-17T08:40:45.937" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you say tree with medicinal properties, the first one I can think of is the Neem tree. I dont know if it can grow in your country. But in large parts of Asia it grows easily &amp;amp; abundantly, with little or no care. All parts of the tree have medicinal value. Neem oil &amp;amp; other products are used widely especially in organic farming to control pestilence in plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could take a look at this link&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azadirachta_indica&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azadirachta_indica&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2043" LastEditorUserId="2043" LastEditDate="2013-03-17T08:49:08.807" LastActivityDate="2013-03-17T08:49:08.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5970" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-17T09:21:30.223" Score="7" ViewCount="22898" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of  lemon trees (small plants really) in my garden. But they seem to grow at an awfully slow pace.They are about 2 years old &amp;amp; about 3/4 ft in height. I have seen pictures of lemon trees in pots with fruits &amp;amp; all (not bonsai). How can I promote growth &amp;amp; flowering ?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2043" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-03-17T12:38:04.027" LastActivityDate="2016-10-21T21:26:40.667" Title="How can I get lemon trees to bear fruit?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5972" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5970" CreationDate="2013-03-17T14:16:18.897" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer seems to depend on the origin of the plants, what kind of lemon cultivar and the growing conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lemons grown from seedlings are very slow to bear and will not necessarily bear lemons that can be used&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Commercially grown stock is very likely to have been grafted. Look for a difference in the trunk where the rootstock was joined to the top graft around 10 cm (~ 5 inches) above the ground if they have been planted properly. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/objtwr/imported_assets/content/hort/fn/cp/citrus_propagation.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Grafted stock will bear fruit in as little as two to five years depending on conditions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Like most citrus lemons will grow well in a wide variety of soil types except heavy clay or high &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliche&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;caliche&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lemons are more sensitive to cold temperatures than other citrus.  If you have frost or cold temperatures in your area this will lengthen the time until the tree is mature enough to fruit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Site selection is important: South to South-east exposure, full sun, protected from strong winds and without competition from other trees/shrubs/perennials and turf grass.  Citrus are shallow rooted so do not plant grass within 90 cm ( 3 feet) of the base of the trunk as it will compete for nutrients and water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mulch should always be kept at least 30 cm (1 foot) from the trunk to prevent &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_citrus_diseases&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;foot rot&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Regular applications of fertilizer with nitrogen and potassium are necessary.Regular thin applications of compost or organic mulch help as well. A citrus fertilizer is often used as it supplies chelated micro nutrients like iron and manganese. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2755/why-isnt-my-lemon-tree-growing&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more details and a question of similar nature&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Regular watering in sufficient quantity to wet the entire root ball to a depth of 30 cm (1 foot) during the growing season is essential.  Quantity of water will also depend on your soil type with sandy soil needing more than clay soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Check for insect pests which retard growth. Most like to live on the underside or in the leaves.  Brown bumps, white cottony puffs or small white grains like salt are common indicators of a problem.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Potted citrus that are already setting fruit are probably grafted plants that are already two years old or more.  There are a number of citrus cultivars (&lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/citrus/lemons.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ponderosa, Meyer&lt;/a&gt;) that are sold as &quot;Lemons&quot; that are actually related species that set fruit sooner. Potted plants often bear sooner but in lower quantity than those grown in soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2013-03-17T14:16:18.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5973" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5968" CreationDate="2013-03-17T14:33:39.620" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Never heard of this plant, so have done some research. There isn't too much info available, and what is available is from specialist growers, but this Camellia is like no other in both its performance and its growing requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil type where it grows naturally, in other words its native soil, is mildly acidic sandy loam, with a ph of about 6. It seems to prefer very free draining soil, but awkwardly, also likes regular supplies of water, so does not like to dry out for any period, but wants any water available to drain away fairly quickly. It does not reach more than about 1.5m in size, and appears to produce more compact and bushy growth when light levels are higher. Heat is no problem for it, but rather a benefit, encouraging more flowers and seed production. Growing from seed though, is difficult - any plants being grown successfully have been grafted onto other rootstock, often Camellia japonica.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At Longwood Gardens in America, they grow them in pots, in a compost comprised of 50% pine bark and 50% coarse sand, with an acidity correction to keep the ph around 6. They are repotted annually, and kept in greenhouses during colder periods, which means they're not as bushy and leafy as they would be outside in warm, bright conditions most of the time. There seems to a strict feeding regime, which is no surprise given the poor nutrient level of the compost they grow it in - they give an osmocote type fertilizer during the growing season frequently, and as soon as anything chlorotic appears (yellowing of leaves) the plants are immediately dosed with a chelated iron solution. This report of their growing was produced in 2003, so things may have moved on by now, but there is no other info available currently from them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the horticultural world, it was loosely named Camellia azalea; the only proper name I've found for it so far (i.e., Latin) is Camellia changii (syn azalea), which indicates that it is only just becoming available to consumers - over time, we may find it much more available, with more definite information regarding its welfare. I could find no information regarding any pests or diseases from which it may suffer - but the obvious one for other Camellias would be scale infestation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-03-17T14:33:39.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5974" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5846" CreationDate="2013-03-17T14:41:44.790" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you're in the UK, the timings olantigh mentions are more or less accurate - my info on rhubarb forcing says to cover the plants in December or January, then harvest as the stalks get large enough. I'm not a 'real' rhubarb grower, preferring to let mine grow perfectly naturally, but the info also suggests that the best time to topdress with well rotted manure is in May, which is certainly about the time I do mine. It also says that, if you force a plant one year, it must be let grow naturally the following year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, in answer to your question, yes, you are too late to force this year, sorry!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-03-17T14:41:44.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5975" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5976" CreationDate="2013-03-18T00:40:51.657" Score="10" ViewCount="1994" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am from southern NH, my neighbor in the next neighborhood has a tree with both pears and apples. I have heard of this but never thought it was practical. I have a peach tree that is less than half alive, but still yields fruit on a small portion (or at least it did last year). I was planning on taking it down this year so I thought I could do an experiment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I stand a chance at combining my combining my peach tree with probably an apple tree or anything else? Does anyone have any experience with this? I have been trying to research possibilities but I mostly get led to people trying to sell me combination trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am going to put a 50 pt bounty on this as soon as I am allowed so take your time in answering. I am most concerned with the different factors of success and failures of tree grafting because I would like to pursue this whether my peach tree is suitable or not. I am not only interested in any documented successes but willing to try where others have failed if anyone has any innovative suggestions or insights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-05T18:32:20.147" LastActivityDate="2017-02-05T18:33:14.930" Title="Can I combine two or more fruit trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5975" CreationDate="2013-03-18T14:51:26.837" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You will be able to graft any peach, nectarine, or almond to that tree. It's also possible that a graft from another Prunus species would take.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first choice would be above, but you could also try plums or cherries or apricots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen plum/peach combos sold commercially as fruit cocktail trees, so it must be possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-05T18:33:14.930" LastActivityDate="2017-02-05T18:33:14.930" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5977" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5980" CreationDate="2013-03-19T20:51:33.987" Score="35" ViewCount="192896" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live at a fairly northerly latitude where we have limited hours of daylight during the winter. Low-wattage (5-8W) white LED bulbs seem to be becoming more common as a household light source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do these LED bulbs provide suitable light for growing plants indoors over the winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2033" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-09T17:08:05.497" LastActivityDate="2018-03-09T17:08:05.497" Title="Are household LED bulbs suitable as supplemental light for plants?" Tags="&lt;light&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;&lt;led&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5978" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-19T23:38:31.443" Score="7" ViewCount="282" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife and I planted some asparagus last spring in a regular bed next to an outbuilding.  We are looking to add another plant right next to the asparagus, which I would like to put into a simple raised bed.  I'll probably just use some treated 2-bys as my bed walls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking that it probably would not hurt to just put the asparagus into an attached raised bed as well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I add the raised bed around the asparagus and fill it in with soil? This would in effect bury the asparagus roots by 6-8&quot; more than what they already are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1053" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-30T23:40:02.267" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T23:40:02.267" Title="Can I turn an existing asparagus bed into raised bed?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;asparagus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5979" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5970" CreationDate="2013-03-21T05:36:51.900" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;citrus are a little different than most things, basically it relies on how many nodes are between your plant and the original base...&#xA;so a grafted plant from a fruiting specimen will fruit while it is a tiny grafted twig...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/citrus/msg0310182631905.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/citrus/msg0310182631905.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2013-03-21T05:36:51.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5977" CreationDate="2013-03-21T08:38:18.210" Score="30" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants need approximately the same wavebands of light that we humans see in; from violet to deep red, and on into the non-visible near infra-red (380 to 720ish nanometres - nm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normal incandescent bulbs deliver much of this, although special bulbs for plant growth are better - different spectra affect different aspects of plan growth, e.g. blue light can affect stem growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;LEDs by contrast only emit light at very narrow peaks, and normal plant growth often needs a wider spectrum. At a push plants can get by on red LEDs emitting at 690nm with some supplementary light in the blue around 450nm, which can be supplied by some white LEDs. Many white LEDs emit in the approx. range around 450 to 550nm, which will not be enough alone to enable plant growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8kTPk.png&quot; alt=&quot;Light Absorption Spectrum for Plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check the image: the green lines are where you want your plant to be, so you can see that by relying only on white LEDs you won't be growing good berries. Supplementing with a few red LEDs (sorry I don't know how many you'd need, but look at the paper &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1198233/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Design and fabrication of adjustable red-green-blue LED light arrays for plant research&lt;/a&gt;&quot; for information), and it will help a bit.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2044" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-21T14:26:47.707" LastActivityDate="2013-03-21T14:26:47.707" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5981" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5987" CreationDate="2013-03-21T18:30:24.807" Score="3" ViewCount="2692" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in an area of the United State where it's never really safe to say that winter is over.  Just when you think it's spring, it can be blizzarding and below zero.  Anyway, should I wait until it's for sure spring to repot my Juniper bonsai? Will it show signs of life that it is out of dormancy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1879" LastActivityDate="2013-03-22T22:50:10.437" Title="When to repot a young juniper bonsai?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5982" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="5990" CreationDate="2013-03-21T22:24:22.640" Score="4" ViewCount="157" Body="&lt;p&gt;When travelling in Turkey some years ago, I noticed many trees (25-40cm diameter) that appeared to have been heavily pruned at a height of around 2m. Only just before leaving did I realise that this was a firewood production method where the long, almost cane-like, branches were being cut annually or semi-annually in a coppice-like fashion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently located images from a &lt;a href=&quot;http://math.msgsu.edu.tr/~dpierce/Travel/2006/cappadocia.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;blog article&lt;/a&gt; of a trip through central Turkey that contained images of trees of this form at:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image 1:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ngZrcl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image 2:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nhf44l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this technique unique to Turkey or the Near-east, or it is practiced in other areas? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the reason for this approach in contrast to the lower level stumping of trees practiced since Neolithic times in Europe?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone identify the species from the winter images provided?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2051" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-28T00:00:10.707" LastActivityDate="2013-05-09T09:43:32.990" Title="Is eye-level coppicing of trees unique to Turkey, and what species are typically involved?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5983" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5960" CreationDate="2013-03-21T22:42:02.917" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best are succulents like cactus, sedum, euphorbia, echinacea, mesembranthemum, aloe, agave&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ficus elastica can grow tall like a tree, depending on the dimensions of the pot. In the garden I saw them 3-5 meters high in the Balearic islands&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They all ask for very little watering: once every 2 weeks or less and &#xA;no water in the winter. They can flower.&#xA;In north of Italy they need water from March/April till September/October&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They suffer if they have too much water or stagnant water, so they need a good drain. They&#xA;suffer from the weight of snow also, so you have to repair them if snow falls, by a light plastic cover (which lets air pass through)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They need a non-calcareous soil, fertilization with a water soluble chelated iron fertilizer and phosphorus, 2-3 times every year, or whenever you see them looking pale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) needs daily water, half day sun. In temperate zones they may be planted yearly in little pots and repotted when they are 2 cm high after cold &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rosemary and sage are perennial. They need a south exposure and a wall behind and to be kept dry as they suffer from molds&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thyme and Melissa want some shade (they grow in Mediterranean forest under the trees).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bay laurel (Laurum officinalis) - very nice and easy to dry - very difficult to plant in a different pot&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-03-23T18:46:50.637" LastActivityDate="2013-03-23T18:46:50.637" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5984" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-21T23:16:26.340" Score="2" ViewCount="272" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for suggestions for plants to put in a duck enclosure that are not going to be eaten or trampled by my ducks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will have some small raised hills running down two sides of the enclosure and also want something to put around the sides of their pond (about 2m squared) which could be semi-aquatic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also like it to fit in with the surrounds, so something like reeds or the like that makes it look and feel like a duck home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2013-03-25T15:46:24.843" Title="Plants for a duck enclosure - Sydney, Australia" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5837" CreationDate="2013-03-21T23:16:52.157" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems to be a &quot;bignonia&quot;, perennial climber plant, many many orange flowers like trumpets in group, during all the summer, no smells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Orange colour is normal typical color, other colours are from gardeners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clay soil, no particularly water, very strong plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bignonia Capreolata - Genus Bignoniacee - Family Catalpa&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Bignonia_capreolata_2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bignonia image&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://www.wildflower.org/image_archive/640x480/JAM6151/6151_IMG01793.JPG&quot; alt=&quot;here&quot;&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Click &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bignonia_capreolata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for link.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-14T23:08:36.577" LastActivityDate="2017-03-14T23:08:36.577" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2981" CreationDate="2013-03-22T00:09:25.143" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In Italy those trees go to die in max 2 weeks.&#xA;Lately we decided to buy them with roots. &#xA;After Christmas we go to plant them in mountain, in our terrain or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make a hole deep enough, cover the roots and water it. We found them every time alive in Italy's mountains. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2013-03-24T08:34:16.973" LastActivityDate="2013-03-24T08:34:16.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5987" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5981" CreationDate="2013-03-22T02:00:02.130" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always do my repotting and trimming of roots and heavy pruning during the time the plant is dormant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Others might argue with me, but I don't think the beginning of spring is the best time to do it because the plant is coming out of dormancy and wants to be growing. The idea of pruning and repotting during dormancy is to do it at a time when the plant is going to experience the least amount of shock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My father in law raised bonsai for over 50 years and he taught me to do heavy pruning and repotting in winter when the plant was dormant and light pruning during late spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is usually a second growth spurt during mid-autumn and then late autumn the deciduous trees will drop their leaves. I try to do it a couple of weeks after the cold has set in rather than late winter. In late winter you are running the risk of shocking the plant when it is coming out of dormancy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2013-03-22T02:00:02.130" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5988" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5945" CreationDate="2013-03-22T02:57:34.117" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you say used it as a substrate, is that all you have in there? A bonsai is not going to survive off just water, so you can't have just rocks and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the most important things to know about bonsai is not to do more than one major thing at a time e.g. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;don't heavy prune the roots and heavy prune the branches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;don't change the soil mix and heavy prune the roots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;don't significantly reduce the amount of soil and prune&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just read that you are in the northern hemisphere, I would suggest that March is too late in the season to prune and repot. I would suggest early winter. If you trim too close to spring you run the risk of the plant going into shock and missing out on your prime growth period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My advice would be to return it to its original pot and tackle this again next winter after your plant has recovered. I think it is not happy where it is and you risk losing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are having problem with too much moisture, I typically put crushed tiles or anything clay like in the bottom of the bottom to allow free drainage. In your case, maybe you could put an inch layer of Terramol since you have it available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would ideally like to see pictures of the pot you have it in, but if it is anything like the picture provided you are going to have some problems because there is little space for soil / roots / substrate. People get confused when they see pictures of bonsai and it looks like a massive tree growing in 3 inches of soil. Plants can't just go from a deep pot to a saucer overnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2013-03-22T02:57:34.117" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5989" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5212" CreationDate="2013-03-22T09:24:27.647" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the main grass in your lawn? The type of grass will help determine the treatment to some extent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently nutsedge grows well at an optimum pH of about 4, so if it's growing really well it's an indicator that your lawn may be too acid for optimal turf grass growth; most lawn grasses grow best at at pH of about 6.5. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A soil test for pH would be very useful, as then one could work out how much (and what type) of lime is needed to lift the pH out of the range where nutsedge grows well, and into the range where grass grows best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2044" LastActivityDate="2013-03-22T09:24:27.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5982" CreationDate="2013-03-22T13:26:38.310" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;No it isn't unique to Turkey. Coppicing / pollarding were also common in the UK where it has been practiced since at least medieval times - and probably a lot earlier. Similarly, British coppicing was for firewood production, and also charcoal production. One of the links below talks about it being a source for animal fodder (young growth and leaves being readily digestible). I'm also hypothesizing that it was useful for wicker, but I haven't found any links supporting this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the UK, there's some overlap between coppice and pollards, but coppices are typically cut lower down nearer the ground, and pollarding is a branch up. The pictures at the following webpages illustrate this well:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Coppices at: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coppice.co.uk/&quot;&gt;http://www.coppice.co.uk/&lt;/a&gt;   &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pollards at: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollarding&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollarding&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that many of these photographs are from Germany and the Low Countries. I would imagine both techniques are common across Europe as traditions that have continued over the last 1000+ years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2013-03-22T13:26:38.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5991" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5984" CreationDate="2013-03-22T18:16:27.543" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;why not Phragmites communis? water plants where often ducks make their nests. High 1-2 mt, in group, flowers spike, any clima&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://t2.ftcdn.net/jpg/00/29/72/41/400_F_29724118_EseS1gVG9jJnN46kEu9HY0gUcW711RB6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zFYjuvKHfL0/TxdCGlbbSoI/AAAAAAAAEqs/HWsoGMYg4Y0/s400/Arundo%2Bplinii%2BTurra%2B-%2BPoaceae%2B-%2BCanna%2Bdel%2BReno%2B%25281%2529.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:36.320" LastActivityDate="2013-03-25T15:46:24.843" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5992" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5946" CreationDate="2013-03-22T19:21:40.460" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The rot is a bacterial disease of plants (fat and no fat).&#xA;So be sure you get your new cactus and plant it in a vessel disinfected.&#xA;Use a new pot of clay (which allows the perspiration), no plastic and no glazed ceramic. Throw away all the old soil, put little gravel in the bottom for good drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want re-use your old pot, if it is of clay, you can. Put it under running water and remove all residual land. Then completely immerse the pot in hot water with much bleach. Let it in immersion at least 24h. Then brush it with a stiff brush, under running water, until you have removed every trace of mold. Rinse it until you no longer feel under your fingers the slimy bleach. Let it dry upside down 2 or 3 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then put the ground, good soil for cacti is: 1/3 clay, 1/3 sand, 1/3 ground of the forest. Plant your new cactus and NO WATER IT for 7-10 days. Follow the Bamboo's suggests for watering it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NEVER water it in winter, if you want flowers (when your cactus type usually makes flowers). That means, no water from half octuber till half march. The plant appears to be dry, but do not worry, just restart the watering and in a few days it will again thriving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At last, cacti get rotten very easy if you keep them indoor: if you can, put it on a window or so, all the year. They don't suffer low temperatures (just pay attention that they don't get cold rain or snow)&#xA;=)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-03-22T19:30:04.880" LastActivityDate="2013-03-22T19:30:04.880" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5993" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5981" CreationDate="2013-03-22T22:50:10.437" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every trees (though dwarf) have to be replanted during winter, when sleeping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When they sleep, the metabolism of the plant is stopped, so do not be afraid to thermal shock. but above all, you need not to fear a biological shock, relating to remove the roots from the earth. This means that the lymph flow is almost stationary, so you need not fear losses of sap from the roots (which the cold makes it harder to heal), or, worse, infected infiltrations into roots: the sap stops ago by cap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-03-22T22:50:10.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5933" CreationDate="2013-03-23T12:14:03.630" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are commercially granules that retain water turning into gel: these may be used for the hydroponic cultivar, mixed with little shells, little pebbles and so on. &#xA;You need to control the light and to put hydroponic fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://translate.google.es/translate?hl=en&amp;amp;sl=it&amp;amp;u=http://lisoladeifavolosi.forumfree.it/%3Ft%3D56489289&amp;amp;prev=/search%3Fq%3Dgelatina%2Bper%2Bcoltura%2Bidroponica%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1047%26bih%3D818&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=BJhNUe78CNK7hAfPgYHYDw&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0CEkQ7gEwAw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;some more explanations&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.donnamoderna.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/casa/giardinaggio/idrocoltura-easy/granuli-gel-per-idrocoltura/11142491-1-ita-IT/Granuli-gel-per-idrocoltura_avorigh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;image http://www.donnamoderna.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/casa/giardinaggio/idrocoltura-easy/granuli-gel-per-idrocoltura/11142491-1-ita-IT/Granuli-gel-per-idrocoltura_avorigh.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can color the gel with alimentary colors, for a nice effect into glas pottes.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lugano-ticino.com/scienza/polimeri/images/idrocoltura-polimeri-espansi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;image http://www.lugano-ticino.com/scienza/polimeri/images/idrocoltura-polimeri-espansi.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-03-24T20:30:55.463" LastActivityDate="2013-03-24T20:30:55.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5995" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5899" CreationDate="2013-03-23T14:27:08.920" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, I agree, it's some sedum.&#xA;If you haven't flowers, it is why your plant hasn't sun enough. That's also why it has so few leaves and so long branches.&#xA;I don't know in english. In italian it's said they make &quot;files&quot;. It happens to every plant put indoor, with few light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try to get some cutting (it's very easy, you can get it from any piece of branch or from leaves too) and plant it in plain air and sun. It should grow thicker. You can classify your plant from its normal form (after good sun exposition) and from flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-03-23T14:32:31.840" LastActivityDate="2013-03-23T14:32:31.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5996" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="6002" CreationDate="2013-03-23T19:30:32.717" Score="5" ViewCount="2265" Body="&lt;p&gt;About two weeks ago, a friend of mine ate an apple and found that the seeds had already sprouted inside the apple.  I thought this was pretty cool, so I put them in a cup to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They grew into &quot;real&quot; seedlings, so when I went home for spring break, I potted them and brought them back, and since then, I've been growing them under my desk lamp (and inside a greenhouse I fashioned from a water bottle) over the last week. They have grown to about 3 or 4 inches and I was wondering how best to care for them from this point. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I find nutrients to give them? A special bulb? Is the greenhouse the best idea? When will I know when to transfer them to a bigger pot/split them up? Is there anything else I should consider?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-17T18:43:08.487" LastActivityDate="2013-04-17T18:43:08.487" Title="How should I care for a potted apple seedling?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5997" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-23T23:31:13.417" Score="3" ViewCount="1124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an indoor avocado plant in a window on the side of the house that gets the most sun. I live in Alaska. Does the plant need direct sunlight or should i move it somewhere else? It is in a plastic self-watering pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2056" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-28T00:00:55.007" LastActivityDate="2013-03-28T00:00:55.007" Title="How do I care for an indoor avocado plant growing in Alaska?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5998" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5996" CreationDate="2013-03-24T01:38:02.097" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my humble opinion and experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Greenhouse for now is a good idea.&#xA;For nutrients, I preferred to wait for the next pot. Prepare your soil first, so that the land and fertilizer will be well blended. Use a fertilizer for vegetables and fruit trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, think if you later want to continue to grow it in a pot, or you will transfer it in the garden. If your apple tree is likely to remain in a pot, do not fertilize too much to limit growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To decide the moment in which to transfer into a larger container, consider that the tree roots are the same size of the branches. When you see that the branches are too large to be contained in the vessel, that means that the roots have grown also. That is the moment for your tree to be transplanted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About the bulb, we need to know how many hours of light, ho much sun and which temperature you have. At the moment, since spring has just started, and your tree has this light yet, I think you could let it for a while. But, before removing the lamp and possibly bringing the pot outside, I suggest you would focus on the thermometer!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-03-24T01:38:02.097" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="5999" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5997" CreationDate="2013-03-24T02:46:34.840" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Persea Americana, better known by the name of Avocado, belongs to the family Lauraceae, genus and species Persea Gratissima or American. Native of Mexico, is in all respects a tropical plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It needs warm / temperate clima, has shallow roots with evergreen and compact foliage. At your latitude, this vine needs the maximum possible sunshine. Direct sun is good only whit open window. The imperfect glass of the windows do not recommend direct light through the close window. Repare it whit a light courtine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plastic self watering pot is not the best. Always better pottery making in clay, ensuring breathability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Avocado cultivars more widespread are characterized by the impossibility of self-fertilization or almost even with hermaphrodite flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Link &lt;a href=&quot;http://translate.google.es/translate?hl=en&amp;amp;sl=it&amp;amp;u=http://www.agraria.org/coltivazioniarboree/avocado.htm&amp;amp;prev=/search%3Fq%3Davocado%2Bcoltivazione%26hl%3Den&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=wUhOUYbhJpCXhQfjuoG4DQ&amp;amp;ved=0CFgQ7gEwBw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-03-24T02:46:34.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5837" CreationDate="2013-03-24T12:12:49.660" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Podranea_ricasoliana_(Pink_Trumpet_Vine)_in_Hyderabad_W_IMG_5685.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Podranea_ricasoliana_(Pink_Trumpet_Vine)_in_Hyderabad_W_IMG_5685.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;color is usually orange--this is a rampant vine that will cover a telephone pole in less than a year, people love the flowers but to me it is too invasive&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://elpasonovicegardener.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/my-trumpet-vine/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://elpasonovicegardener.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/my-trumpet-vine/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2058" LastActivityDate="2013-03-24T12:12:49.660" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6001" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5997" CreationDate="2013-03-24T13:12:52.820" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Houseplant Book lists Avocado under 'fun plants' because you can grow them yourself for nothing. This needs repotting annually, prefers a bit of sun if possible, and you should pinch out the tips to promote bushy growth. Water as necessary, but don't leave it sitting in water, once you have potted into something that isn't self watering (if you do), and obviously, don't stand near heat sources. Prefers cooler temperatures in winter when light levels are low. Should make a plant about 3 feet high with large leaves after a few years. As you're not growing it for fruit, whether the sun comes through a window or not is irrelevant - having a brightly lit area with some sun still increases the lux level for the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-03-24T13:12:52.820" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6002" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5996" CreationDate="2013-03-24T13:44:40.723" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.umanitoba.ca/afs/hort_inquiries/fruit_and_fruit_plants/johnny_appleseed.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growing apples from seed&lt;/a&gt; does not usually meet people's expectations.  They are not likely to be successfully grown indoors over several years and are very unlikely to bear any fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;light requirements are high and it's difficult to match them without &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium-vapor_lamp#.22White.22_SON&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;high pressure sodium&lt;/a&gt; or other high intensity lights.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;seedlings take longer to get to fruit bearing age (seven to ten years for apples) compared to grafted stock&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they are unlikely to be self fertile so you would need an apple tree of a different type to get fruit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they are likely to grow much larger than the parent because most apple trees are grafted on a root stock that dwarfs their size for easier picking&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;getting an edible and tasty apple is unlikely from a seed of random parentage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;all apple trees have a requirement for a variable amount of &amp;quot;chilling hours&amp;quot;. Where I live this is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/hort/news/hortmatt/2006/01hrt06a4.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;1200 to 1600 hours at 7 degrees Celsius&lt;/a&gt;. This varies by variety.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an experiment this is a lot of fun but over several years is not likely to yield the result you expect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: @Throsby asks if seedlings from the same apple can fertilize each other.  I have to give the answer I like the least: &amp;quot;It depends&amp;quot;.  You may get some fruit set but that assumes you have two mature trees (at maturity ~20 to 30 feet tall), that are growing outdoors in a region where you have cool temperatures on a seasonal basis in good light. It's hard to say....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-03-25T10:46:50.657" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6003" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="6010" CreationDate="2013-03-24T17:10:15.443" Score="3" ViewCount="3017" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are about 3 of these sphere things on my Camellia azalea tree/shrub. Can anyone tell me what they are? Are they harmful? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the leaves are browning at the tips and falling. Is that due to not enough water or too much?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for larger size.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GKzWO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GKzWOm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D2wqW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D2wqWm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Xtfb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Xtfbm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rlc7N.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rlc7Nm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aT9h9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aT9h9m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wf4jA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wf4jAm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2042" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-31T23:40:34.847" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T23:40:34.847" Title="What are these sphere-like things on my Camellia azalea tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;azaleas&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6003" CreationDate="2013-03-24T18:22:47.000" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They seem to me just fruits.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6063/6041115205_5a7e9f5d1b_z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;camelia sinensis&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in South of Italy or in islands they often make fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could seem a parasitic fungus (Exobasidium rhododendri), known here as &quot;afloat Rhododendron&quot;.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agraria.org/funghi/exobasidiumrhododendri.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;click for fungus&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;This parasitic fungus, however, is growing on the leaves, branches and any other part of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your &quot;balls&quot; come right from flowers faded. So they seem really fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves seem suffering from Phytophthora ramorum &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.suddenoakdeath.org/diagnosis-and-management/hosts-and-symptoms/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;see here&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Camellia symptoms are limited to leaf spots, which can vary in size from a half a centimeter in diameter to covering nearly half the leaf, depending on environmental conditions. Lesions are usually on the leaf tip or leaf edge, and can be surrounded by diffuse margins or thick black zone lines. Plants will drop their infected leaves, and the lower part of the plant can defoliate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then: less water, shadow, &quot;few fertilizer&quot; for acidophilic plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:36.330" LastActivityDate="2013-03-24T18:22:47.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6005" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="6016" CreationDate="2013-03-24T23:08:36.833" Score="4" ViewCount="778" Body="&lt;p&gt;I hope I can get some help on my question but at the very least maybe someone can direct me to a site that can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This question relates to size of koi pool and fitering system used. We are looking to build a koi pool of about 20,000 litres (about 4400 UK gallons) and I'm trying to wade (no pun intended) through all the different filter systems that are available. I'm not going to ask what the best filter system is (although I'm open to suggestion) I'm just asking how I calculate the filter system size and waste water throughput for a given number of mature koi (say) 40.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm also considering running two smaller filters in parallel i.e. operating independently. What are the pros and cons of this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this is the place to ask these questions and if not please do redirect me elsewhere&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2059" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-26T03:08:21.673" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T08:37:03.807" Title="What size or type of filter system do I need for a 20kL koi pond?" Tags="&lt;pond&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6006" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-25T09:26:05.530" Score="3" ViewCount="550" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a cactus consisting of three &quot;cylinders&quot; growing from the same center point. Recently one of the cylinders started rotting rapidly and I had to remove that part. While I was doing that the rotten half-liquid contents of the &quot;cylinder&quot; spilled onto the soil in the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now if I was doing something similar to a human or animal (like removing a splinter from under skin) I'd seriously consider using an antiseptic or maybe also an antibiotic to prevent the problem from spreading to still healthy parts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any special treatment for cactus in this situation that would reduce risk of rot spreading?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastActivityDate="2013-07-23T14:37:38.337" Title="How do I treat the survived parts of a cactus after some of it has rotten to prevent the problem spreading?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6007" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6006" CreationDate="2013-03-25T13:16:43.947" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anti fungal would be the thing to use, but depending where you live, any useful products that can be diluted and possibly applied to the soil have probably been withdrawn from sale. On the other hand, before antibiotics were invented, hygiene was the thing that saved many human beings, and the same applies to plants. So, what you can do is to get the cactus out of the contaminated soil immediately, very gently wash off any remaining soil from the roots, inspect closely the roots and upper parts and remove anything which looks to be affected, then repot in a thoroughly washed, clean pot  in a sharp compost which drains freely. And then keep your fingers crossed and do not over water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-03-25T13:16:43.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6008" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-25T13:17:31.380" Score="3" ViewCount="244" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a sequel to my previous &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4619/plant-which-can-withstand-heat-up-to-40-degree-celsius&quot;&gt;question&lt;/a&gt;, I would like to seek genre of succulent plant which could withstand weather in Hong Kong, which is hot and damp in Summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moreover, the place is usually around 35 degree Celsius in summer because of the heat released from the AC below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just bought a Hen and Chicks and a Haworthia but I doubt about their heat tolerance. Please suggest other genre but no cacti and Lithops. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2013-03-25T14:23:36.587" Title="Succulent plant for Hong Kong weather" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6009" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-25T13:21:53.477" Score="2" ViewCount="602" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to plant some succulent in a glass bowl because it is beautiful and easy to carry but their is no hole. What is the suitable mix for succulent living in glass bowl?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastActivityDate="2013-03-25T13:32:41.560" Title="Suitable soil mix for plant succulent in glass bowl?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6010" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6003" CreationDate="2013-03-25T13:26:15.493" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Totally agree that they're fruits, or seed cases - were they Camellia Gall, they'd be protruding from the woody branches, not where flowers have been.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the browning, it might be something serious like a phytophthera infection, or it might well be that the plant is in a pot and may have run out of root room and needs a bigger pot, so I'd be checking what's going on with the root ball before fretting about a serious infection for which there is no really effective treatment anyway. Also, given this is a Camellia azalea, about which you have already asked a question, there isn't a huge amount of info about this particular plant (see my previous answer) other than the fact it does much better with sun exposure than the more common forms of Camellia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-03-25T13:26:15.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6012" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6009" CreationDate="2013-03-25T13:32:41.560" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh dear - most plants require drainage, and don't do too well without it unless they have a requirement for very moist air and roots, as in, for instance,  terrarium plants. Succulents in particular need very good, sharp drainage, so I wouldn't recommend a succulent for planting in this glass bowl at all. However, if you insist on trying, put a layer of horticultural grit in the bottom, a good inch, preferably 2 or 3, then a sharp mix of compost on top and plant into that, but I don't hold out much hope of the plant's survival without succumbing to fungal infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-03-25T13:32:41.560" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6013" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6006" CreationDate="2013-03-25T13:51:07.890" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;First: the 3 &quot;cylinders&quot; on the base start from a unique base? Or have separate roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they have separate roots =&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second: grab all 3 cylindres from the ground. Throw off the whole rotten cylinder. Stretch the other two (separately) on a bed of dry sand or newsprint. Leave the two cylinders to rest for 7-8 days. Look carefully if you see traces of rot in the two. If you see any rot, choose the cylinder healthy. Or, if both are healty, follow so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3th: Throw off the old pot and all the soil. Use a new pot of clay (which allows the perspiration) for each healty cylinder, separately, no plastic and no glazed ceramic. Check that the pots have drainage holes. Put a piece of broken pot (not the old one) over the drainage hole. Put little gravel at the bottom for better drainage. Fill the pot with sand e replants separately the two cylinders.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't water them in this phase.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After one month, take the cylinders from the sand and check if you see any rot.&#xA;If not, change the soil into the pot (good soil for cacti is: 1/3 clay, 1/3 sand, 1/3 ground of the forest) and replant your 2 cuttings. DON'T WATER IT for 7-10 days. After that you can go on with normal watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Count that if you got a rot, that means that almost surely your cactus had too much water with respect to the light. So look for a place with more sun, or give less water.&#xA;Follow the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5946/are-there-cacti-that-dont-rot-when-overwatered&quot;&gt;Bamboo's suggests&lt;/a&gt; for watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If some (or both) of your cylinders shows rot. You can save it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut the cylinder at least 30 cm over the rot. To cut use a saw well disinfected with hydrogen peroxide. Re-disinfect it if you have 2 cylinders, before the second cut. And protect your hands with hard gloves also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check the center of cylinders. If it is black or brown, cut again 30 cm over it, until you reach the completely healthy part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sprinkle the cut with antibiotic and healing powder for humans (Here is called Cicatrene). Stretch the two (separately) on a bed of dry sand or newsprint. Leave them to dry for 3-4 days (according to the diameter), always checking for rots. As soon as it is dry, cover all the cut with wax for grafting. Put the cylinder in a jar with sand only, until it gives the roots. You must also wet, in moderation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After about a month, the roots should be grown (just a bit is enough, but treat it with carefully). Take the cylinder from sand, check the roots and eventually rot, and transplant it in its definitive pot. Follow the explanations above for sun and watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This operation is very delicate. Both because the rot go up in the drum together with the sap and a bit of bacteria can be already risen without you seeing it. And because it is very difficult to estimate the timings of transplant and how watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope, however, that my directions you might find useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2013-03-25T14:03:49.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6014" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6008" CreationDate="2013-03-25T14:23:36.587" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any gendre of cacti is good. They are plant from desert, then don't suffer from heat at all. Instead, suffer from dump. Maybe the wet clima is enough and you don't need to water them too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In desert regions they have a lot of rain with very high temperature in summer. Very cold and very dry in winter. So, if you want they give flowers, don't water them in winter at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-03-25T14:23:36.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6015" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-25T20:43:55.563" Score="6" ViewCount="665" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been advised not to use pressure treated lumber to build raised beds, but I just read your idea of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/4065/26&quot;&gt;lining them with pool plastic&lt;/a&gt;. If you did that, could you then use pressure treated lumber, which would at least stop the exterior of the beds disintegrating as quickly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2062" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2020-04-21T08:52:55.577" Title="Is it safe to use pressure-treated wood for raised beds that have been lined with plastic?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;safety&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6016" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6005" CreationDate="2013-03-25T23:07:32.643" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cannot answer all of your question but have these observations from my own experiences keeping koi:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the bigger the pond the better.  Sheer quantity of water provides a buffer for temperature changes and water quality changes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;koi are very happy to eat anything they can get in their mouths.  That prized water lily, that rare native water plant: a mere snack while they think about eating something else.  You will be fortunate if you can keep any plants alive in the pond area.  Without the help of plants you will need to rely completely on artificial filtration. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;for filtration, more is better, you cannot have too much.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A good basic filter design will incorporate at least 3 chambers - settlement, polishing and biological&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;an empty vortex chamber which allows debris to settle is an important part of a good design.  Just having a filter pad a the start of the process will quickly clog up and require cleaning as well as slowing down your flow rate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it is important that the water that goes through your filter system spends enough time in the filtration.  A quick how-do-you-do, out-you-go doesn't let the system work&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the biggest challenges for maintaining water quality are in keeping the same quality over time. As a pond ages organic debris builds up, algae will start and any change in seasons adds to your challenges. The industry standard for algae control is a UV filter. Many products with differing capacities are available.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;one store I know that supplies and installs ponds for koi insist that the only way to go in the design phase is to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clarkekoi.com/bottom-drains.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;have a drain&lt;/a&gt; at the bottom of the pond which allows for easy removal of debris.  I did not install one in my 5000 liter pond so I end up doing mung duty twice a year to vacuum out the mung.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;another part of design is planning for failure.  I live where having a heater in the pond in the winter is essential.  If you only have one heater and nothing ever goes wrong you will be fine.  You should have a backup pump, heater and spares of all critical infrastructure just in case of failure.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lagunakoi.com/Filtration-Designs-c-9.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; to be most informative. Note the placement of outlets and jets to self clean the sides of the pond.  I also note the diagrams for ponds of the size you are talking about seem to resemble plans for a municipal filtration plant.  Good luck, its a complicated project worthy of attention to detail.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-03-25T23:07:32.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6017" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6015" CreationDate="2013-03-25T23:12:41.240" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure, using pond liner will prevent the copper arsenic from getting in your flowers or food crops right away. However as the wood ages the preservatives will wash into the soil adjacent to your bed.  Any plants with spreading roots will take up the preservatives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The savings in cost for using pressure treated wood are not so great that I would take the chance. Average out the extra cost of using a rot resistant wood over the life of the raised bed and it will not be very much extra.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-03-25T23:12:41.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6018" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="6019" CreationDate="2013-03-26T07:24:20.153" Score="3" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is some ideas that we could practice to make our vineyard more environmentally friendly, and/or sustainable?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We are already a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.carbonzero.co.nz&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;carboNZero&lt;/a&gt; certified organisation, but wondering what we can do to improve more. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2063" LastActivityDate="2013-03-27T14:26:44.240" Title="How would we make our vineyard more &quot;green&quot; (environmental)?" Tags="&lt;grape-vine&gt;&lt;sustainability&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6019" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6018" CreationDate="2013-03-26T10:47:35.700" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Green means many things to many people.  Sustainable has some more specific ideas.  Check out the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;permaculture&lt;/a&gt; concept.  Ask yourself if your vineyard could continue to do what you do now one hundred years from now without changing the quality of the soil or local ecology.&#xA;Some more practical implementations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;compost clippings and other high nitrogen organic matter (primarily manure) to make methane to run your tractors&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ensure that any runoff from the fields goes into holding pools for filtration&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;examine all the &quot;inputs&quot; and &quot;outputs&quot; to your vineyard.  Wooden stakes for vine support, bottles, fertilizer, gasoline for tractors, electricity for presses, fungicides enter your system and wine in bottles and waste leaves the system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Could you supply your own stakes with coppiced shrubs/trees?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Could you reduce pesticide use by plantings that act as a home for beneficial predators?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Could you make your own energy with solar panels or wind power?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can you top dress your fields with your own or locally derived compost?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-03-26T21:42:16.097" LastActivityDate="2013-03-26T21:42:16.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6020" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="6022" CreationDate="2013-03-26T13:46:58.030" Score="2" ViewCount="283" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes my plants gets infected by different insects, unless I notice it, it gets very late to save the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chemical based insecticide works well, but I am fearful while using\spraying and storing it, as they are very poisonous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I am looking for the home based solution which should be effective and safe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will be ok for me if home based solution take some more time to heal the plant as compared to chemical based pesticide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-03-27T00:53:16.930" LastActivityDate="2013-03-30T21:34:18.707" Title="What are the effective home based pesticides?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6021" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-26T17:15:17.510" Score="8" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will need it for clearing large tree limbs and small trees, mostly for storm cleanup in a medium sized yard surrounded by mature, healthy trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am looking for recommendations for safety and convenience features, as well as advice on how to choose the amperage/HP rating and bar length - and also how to tell a reliable model apart from a problem-prone one. Consumer Reports recommends a Poulan Pro 400, but that model seems to no longer be available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1150" LastActivityDate="2019-10-16T02:34:39.620" Title="What to look for in a good electric chainsaw?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;chainsaw&gt;&lt;electric&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6020" CreationDate="2013-03-26T17:34:31.533" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most common 'household' remedy used on plants is a squirt of washing up liquid in a spray full of water to treat for aphid infestation. Neem oil is another thing which many people use, but you have to bear something in mind on this subject. Everything on the planet is made of chemicals, including you - it is only the combination and quantity of chemicals which matters. Neem oil in its neat state is dangerous if misused or consumed, and you'd have to store that somewhere - the same applies to household bleach and other cleaners you might commonly use. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is an ongoing argument regarding the use of such things as washing up liquid in water as a treatment in that it's no less dangerous to the environment than many of the made-for-purpose aphid treatments you can buy off the shelf. My personal choice is to only use treatments when it's absolutely essential, to buy the right product for the right job rather than one which treats for lots of other problems which aren't present currently, to use sparingly, and store the remainder carefully in a safe place in the original container. You might, though, want to investigate neem oil in particular, bearing in mind that you will need to store the container somewhere safe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-03-26T17:34:31.533" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6023" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6020" CreationDate="2013-03-27T14:02:08.503" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Little things at hand&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Garlic&lt;/strong&gt; - For large plants (cherry, apricot, peach, etc. ..) - &lt;strong&gt;Insects, aphids, ants&lt;/strong&gt; -&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A natural way, not harmful to the environment, effective and invigorating to plants to which it is addressed, and especially suitable for removing insects from diseased plants. Personally, I tried it on a cherry tree and within two weeks parasites are gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is enough to bury around the plant to be treated, spaced about 40 cm from the trunk, a dozen cloves of garlic sprouts, soon to be themselves seedlings. The roots of the infested plant will absorb the mood of garlic and this will begin to flow in the lymph of the same, resulting in a short time, a disinfectant, all insects away naturally. Garlic is also a natural antibiotic, for bacterian deseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tobacco&lt;/strong&gt; - For every plants indoor also -&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soak in the water a few cigarette butts, smoked, for at least one night, after which it is filtered everything and you put obtained water in a spray. We can then go spraying of diseased leaves with this water, preferably in the morning, and let it carries on its activities throughout the day. In the evening it is better to rinse the leaves with clean water, to avoid the effect of tobacco burned damaged in some way the plant. Within a few days the effects should be visible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another method similar is to macerate for a night and the quantity of tobacco of three cigarettes in half a liter of water with the addition of three garlic cloves squeezed. The next day everything is filtered and poured into a sprayer that you're going to wet the leaves of plants attacked by aphids or other insects. In this case serves no rinse, since the compound obtained is not harmful to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lemon&lt;/strong&gt; - For every plant, large or small, indoor or outdoor, environnement and lawn - (in particular &lt;strong&gt;ants&lt;/strong&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut one or more lemons in half. Let them do their green mold. Place the half rotten lemons on the base of plants and paths of the ants. Renew them when too old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nettle&lt;/strong&gt; - For every plant - &lt;strong&gt;Aphyds&lt;/strong&gt; - &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Decoction of nettles. You put abundant doses of nettle leaves in cold water, boil and when it comes to a boil turn off and allow to cool. Then you drain and use treated water on the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All those methods I use normally and find a very good result.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-03-30T21:34:18.707" LastActivityDate="2013-03-30T21:34:18.707" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="6024" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6018" CreationDate="2013-03-27T14:26:44.240" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here in Italy, and even in France, we plant a rose bush at the beginning of each row.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roses are subject to the same diseases and serve as marker indicators of any health problem. If that can be useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-03-27T14:26:44.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7025" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7028" CreationDate="2013-03-28T03:16:08.427" Score="3" ViewCount="7736" Body="&lt;p&gt;I made a custom cacti soil mix for succulent, which is 1:2:1:1 of potting soil, pumice/perlite, coir and fine vermiculite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it should be quite loose, should I add gravel?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="140" LastActivityDate="2013-08-08T17:41:13.770" Title="Should we add gravel to the cacti soil mix for succulent?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3278" CreationDate="2013-03-28T05:29:30.970" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The grape like fruits are the seed pods.  Yes, you can grow snowdrops from seed, but for most bulbs it will take 2-4 years from seed to bulb.  Given how many seeds each one can produce this is easily your fastest way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Failing that, however, pruning off the seed pods/ flowers ASAP means that the plant pushes more energy into growing the bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, some basic math:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Suppose that you want 5000 snowdrops, and you have 5 right now.  Suppose that you give them lots of TLC and they double in number every year.  You will have 5 the first year, 10 the next, then 20, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I can tell snowdrops thrive in the same conditions that lawns do.  You can probably do a bit better than that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ten years.  But notice that it took you the first 5 to get to 100.  Go out and buy a hundred snowdrops and cut the time in half.  They are cheap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-28T18:06:38.597" LastActivityDate="2013-03-28T18:06:38.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7027" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7025" CreationDate="2013-03-28T09:59:41.123" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, please.&#xA;The ground already prepared is generally good. In my opinion, I would add some clay to the mixture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, for excellent drainage, you have to put on the bottom of the vessel a shard of broken pot for each hole of drainage. And, in addition, about half a centimeter/1 cm of gravel on the bottom. Depending on how big the pot is (and the plant, of course). Don't mix the gravel with the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a new pot, or an old one, thoroughly disinfected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For disinfecting clay or gravel, or pot if you are not sure, use hot steam, by a machine steam or an iron steam.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-03-28T09:59:41.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7028" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7025" CreationDate="2013-03-28T10:48:10.427" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soil mixes are a topic that has many opinions. Some common tips are not as good for a plant as you might think.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Putting gravel in the bottom of a pot to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenmyths.com/gravel-pot-drainage/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;improve drainage&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.todayshomeowner.com/garden-myth-putting-gravel-in-pots-and-containers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;long time practice that does not benefit the plant&lt;/a&gt;. Gravel reduces the amount of soil in the pot and acts as a barrier to drainage until the soil is saturated.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A clay pot to provide some weight for potentially top heavy plants is a good idea. A clay shard over the drain hole prevents fine soil particles from washing out but does not improve drainage either. You could put a piece of landscape fabric or nothing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the soil mix you mention the components that degrade are the potting soil, which is probably peat based, the coir which slowly breaks down and the vermiculite. If you do not intend to repot the plants on a regular basis a soil mix that would last longer could incorporate some portion of a clay based soil. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/cacti.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;One recipe&lt;/a&gt; calls for:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;1 part garden soil 1 part coarse builder’s sand 1 part peat moss&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Notice the use of sand, usually clean sharp washed sand to improve drainage.  Your mix uses perlite and vermiculite to improve drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try your mix out and see which plants do better in it but don't bother with gravel or clay shards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-03-28T10:48:10.427" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7029" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3801" CreationDate="2013-03-28T17:49:03.270" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;First of all, you have a nice Nepenthes! Its a mythic plant :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepenthes_%C3%97_ventrata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Nepenthes ventrata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or a hybrid. It's not a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepenthes_ampullaria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Nepenthes ampullaria&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; for sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Your plant needs rain or demineralized water&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Water the plant when the surface of the soil is a LITTLE BIT dry. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Your plant needs relative humidity of 70% or more.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Your plant needs a 4-5&amp;deg;C temperature drop each night.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your plant needs very airy soil, like orchid mix (you can find this at Lowe's or Home Depot, or any gardening center in your area).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your plant does NOT need a fertilizer. If you are not experienced, you will kill your plant. The only fertilizer I use is insects. You can drop a little insect in a pitcher each week. If your plant lost all their pitchers, just wait for new ones. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A terrarium is an easy way to cultivate your Nepenthes. You can grow the plant as a normal plant, outside a terrarium, but you need to maintain a minimum RH% (40-50%+), so you would have to mist the leaves 5-6 times a day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2069" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-29T02:59:09.083" LastActivityDate="2013-03-29T02:59:09.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7030" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1027" CreationDate="2013-03-28T22:13:34.303" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I mow lawns for business and you should never cut more than 1/3 of the grass plant off (or you could damage the stem) and should mow at a height of 3 to 3-1/2 inches to keep the lawn healthy and green. Also, remember that it isn't really how tall the grass is that matters, unless it is more than 4 inches, it is the even cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2070" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-29T02:50:04.747" LastActivityDate="2013-03-29T02:50:04.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7031" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7032" CreationDate="2013-03-29T22:24:18.980" Score="9" ViewCount="2441" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have looked around and I have seen some recommendations for plants to attract ladybugs, for example, a few sites list that alyssum works well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am hoping to find out others experiences about certain plant choices and how well or not well desired insects were attracted, you would guess, because of the planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps if different plants were tried was there a particular plant or some plants that seemed to do better than others for attracting the insects?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In particular I am most interested in learning about others experiences with plants to attract ladybugs and praying mantis, since I appear to have a problem with aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2072" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-10-06T09:41:36.790" LastActivityDate="2018-12-30T13:23:31.887" Title="What are the best plants to attract Ladybugs and Praying Mantis, from your experience?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7032" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7031" CreationDate="2013-03-30T20:59:56.803" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccinellidae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ladybugs&lt;/a&gt; are attracted (rather than particular plants) by &lt;a href=&quot;http://translate.google.it/translate?hl=en&amp;amp;sl=it&amp;amp;u=http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphidoidea&amp;amp;prev=/search%3Fq%3Dafidi%26hl%3Den&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=C0JXUc3MGcrQhAeW7oGABw&amp;amp;ved=0CDQQ7gEwAA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;aphids&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insects&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;scale insects&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sternorrhyncha&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sternorrhyncha&lt;/a&gt;, 3 suborders of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemiptera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hemiptera&lt;/a&gt;, their main favourite food. So it is better to look for which plants are more susceptible to infestations of aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, the most affected are roses &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rUs4M.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;roses&quot;&gt;&#xA;nasturtiums&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://d2ipumls0u12t5.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/nasturzio.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;nasturzi http://d2ipumls0u12t5.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/nasturzio.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grapes, &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;almost all types of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.es/search?q=echeveria&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=y0xXUZmPJo6KhQeHv4DIDw&amp;amp;ved=0CDoQsAQ&amp;amp;biw=1047&amp;amp;bih=860&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;echeveria&lt;/a&gt; with flowers &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;and all legumes (especially beans) that are grown until they were covered with aphids. Here are toppled to the ground for a natural and intensive nitrogen fertilization.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aphids attract ladybugs. But they are often bred by ants. So it is often necessary to choose whether to remove the ants (which kill ladybugs) or have both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About mantis, they are also carnivorous. In Italy they are not so common. But, as far as I know, they haven't preferred prey. I couldn't say, then, which plant to choose.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://translate.google.es/translate?hl=en&amp;amp;sl=it&amp;amp;u=http://www.isopoda.net/articles/6-mantidi-in-terrario&amp;amp;prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmantidi%2Breligiose%2Ballevamento%26hl%3Den&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=vU1XUZOMHsy2hAeolYEQ&amp;amp;ved=0CDkQ7gEwAA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is an article on breeding mantis but it does not talk about favorite plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead I think you can buy them, as well as spiders and snakes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2018-12-30T13:23:31.887" LastActivityDate="2018-12-30T13:23:31.887" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="7033" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7042" CreationDate="2013-03-30T22:18:45.083" Score="4" ViewCount="14884" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to get some stakes into the ground surrounding my garden, as my neighborhood has large populations of deer.  However, the ground is pretty stony, so just physically forcing the stakes down into the ground is nearly impossible, as I can't get deeper than 2 or 3 inches, which isn't deep enough to support the stakes.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What techniques or tools can I use to get the stakes deep enough without brute physical force?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2074" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T05:03:46.650" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T23:56:54.013" Title="Getting gardening stakes in stony ground" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;digging&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7034" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7031" CreationDate="2013-03-30T23:04:10.723" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't understand the science behind this, but I always get large number of ladybugs when I plant pumpkins or squash. Maybe someone else can explain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This also has some side benefits, you get to eat the pumpkins / squash and the flowers also bring large numbers of bees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also never noticed aphids at the same time, so that can be ruled out as a possible reason.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2013-03-30T23:04:10.723" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7035" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7033" CreationDate="2013-03-30T23:06:23.120" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you considered using steel star posts instead?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are going to handle more of a whacking than a wooden stake so you should be able to drive it into the ground with more force.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2013-03-30T23:06:23.120" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7036" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1840" CreationDate="2013-03-30T23:11:40.157" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should also consider attracting beneficial insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are not using pesticides which would kill off beneficial insects, I suggest you do some research into which plants attract and help them to thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ladybugs and praying mantis are good predators for aphids and other smaller pests. From what I know you can purchase ladybugs in bulk online in the US (I'm in Australia, this is is just something I've heard.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There was a recent post that aske about this which I will link later, but in the meanwhile just search for 'ladybugs' and you should find it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2013-03-30T23:11:40.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7038" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5871" CreationDate="2013-03-31T08:53:39.880" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you try tar used in building roads. Make thick solution mixing tar with kerosene and apply to totally cover the roots and stem of the plant , repeat till the plant is killed.&#xA;The idea is to stop photosynthesis and to stop the plant getting water and air. Remove the leaves regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2076" LastEditorUserId="2076" LastEditDate="2013-03-31T08:58:57.997" LastActivityDate="2013-03-31T08:58:57.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7039" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-03-31T11:22:43.687" Score="2" ViewCount="8560" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a few potted lollipop style plants around the house.  (Round spherical foliage on a single trunk.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Was wondering if anyone has any tricks on how to prune a lollipop plant to keep it round.  I've tried just by using my &quot;eye&quot; but haven't been too successful in the past.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2077" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-03-31T14:37:45.710" LastActivityDate="2019-01-04T15:27:52.437" Title="How to keep lollipop plants round" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;topiary&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7040" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7039" CreationDate="2013-03-31T12:48:35.200" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Measure the total width you want for your plant (or your plants if you want them all the same). Get a rope and size: half the width you measured before, plus 25 cm.&#xA;Put a sign on the rope, to separate your 25 cm and your half rope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bind the rope (using all 25 cm) to the central branch of the tree, in the central point. If necessary, check that the heights of the different plants closely dovetailed. You have to make a node wide, so that it can slide around the branch, as the collar around the dog's neck, but not up and down.&#xA;Make some attempts around the tree to verify that the node is at the center.&#xA;This is the only thing you have to do by eye.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then you can easily pass the rope among branches, stretch the rope in every free space, around the shaft, and then cut the branches in the point of tension, ie at the end of the rope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it would work. This is like to use a compass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NOTE =  A &quot;lollipop&quot; plant (Ligustrum vulgare)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EpgMz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;ligustro&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZB2yL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;idem&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://ciappycardellino.weebly.com/uploads/5/7/1/4/5714859/4803258_orig.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fiore&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OqiKkNzUNts/ScVeHLNkYdI/AAAAAAAABC4/IkL-BuXaFwY/s400/104_2556.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;ulivo&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These pruning &quot;artistic&quot; require a skeleton of iron.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S-XngZUrsnY/UFxRVqpX4KI/AAAAAAAAD8I/m8W2mOjliJ4/s1600/topiari-2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;elefanti&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NGv3z8KKSos/UStb4PhujJI/AAAAAAAAYLI/6Jyp1MwySlA/s1600/jardines+2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pupazzi&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any evergreen plant with small leaves, which can be pruned easily, can become a &quot;lollipop&quot;. Obviously &quot;lollipop&quot; is not the name of the plant but it is a &quot;friendly name&quot;, referred to its form after pruning.&#xA;The Privet (Ligustrum) is one of the most widely used.&#xA;IMHO&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-01-04T15:27:52.437" LastActivityDate="2019-01-04T15:27:52.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="7041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7033" CreationDate="2013-03-31T17:38:17.327" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Metal Fence &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.metpost.co.uk/mp_prod_selection.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;post&lt;/a&gt; supports &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=fence%20post%20supports&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;as seen here&lt;/a&gt; were helpful for me.  I had to put a post for a railing into ground where a patio had been with a 5/8&quot; gravel bed.  The square head lets you put a four by four cut off in and get a really good whack at it with a sledge hammer.  The only difficulty I found was that the post can twist as you are hammering it in. This could make it difficult to align the posts if they are not parallel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-03-31T17:38:17.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7033" CreationDate="2013-04-01T00:18:39.157" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;First: have you tried using a post driver &lt;a href=&quot;http://amzn.com/B000QI3LD4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;like this one&lt;/a&gt;? I've got really rocky ground too, and I know what you mean about getting a hammer on it. The post driver may help you get your force directed into the stake properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want less manual labor, you could see if you can rent a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200398563_200398563&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;powered post driver like this&lt;/a&gt;. I've never used one, but I'd guess you'll want to make sure you've got really heavy duty stakes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second: when I try to drive a stake, I usually have to make 2-4 attempts on each stake. Drive it, realize I've hit a really big rock, move 6&quot;, try again. Sometimes I use &lt;a href=&quot;http://amzn.com/B000QI3LD4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a digging bar&lt;/a&gt; as a probe to find a path where I can get a stake in. It's still brute force, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Third: sorry, but I think five foot stakes aren't going to help you in your battle with deer. Unless there are &lt;em&gt;lots&lt;/em&gt; of other distractions in your neighborhood, they will easily jump a five foot fence to get whatever you're growing. Last year I had two strands of electric fence with the top strand at 7' high, and 5' welded wire on the bottom. They still got in... I had to add a second perimeter of electric fence 5' high about 6' outside the inner fence before they stopped getting in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See also:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/605/what-is-the-best-way-to-prevent-animals-from-eating-my-garden-without-a-fence&quot;&gt;What is the best way to prevent animals from eating my garden without a fence?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3944/what-is-the-best-way-to-keep-deer-away&quot;&gt;What is the best way to keep deer away?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2013-04-01T00:18:39.157" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7043" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7047" CreationDate="2013-04-01T12:52:45.207" Score="3" ViewCount="173" Body="&lt;p&gt;Due to terrible weather my tomato plants did not get enough light during germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The result: Too long stalks on all my plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I save them now by transplanting it? Can I transplant it to a bigger pot, even though this step should have only been done once they've gotten more leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've sown them on the 16th of march, they already germinated on the 20th.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xF8Wp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cherry tomato seedlings&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2064" LastActivityDate="2013-04-01T20:59:15.450" Title="Can I save these tomato seedlings?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7044" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7045" CreationDate="2013-04-01T13:03:24.250" Score="1" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you use certain consumer-lights for simulating sunlight?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know not any light will suffice, since they do not contain the same wavelengths as sunlight and whatnot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or are there special lights available for this purpose?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2064" LastActivityDate="2013-04-01T13:25:20.650" Title="Can sunlight be simulated?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7044" CreationDate="2013-04-01T13:25:20.650" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://translate.google.es/translate?hl=en&amp;amp;sl=it&amp;amp;u=http://www.borda.it/schede/lucecaldafredda.htm&amp;amp;prev=/search%3Fq%3Dtemperatura%2Bcolore%2Bluce%2Bsolare%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1047%26bih%3D860&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=ZYhZUb33HKny7Aa3hIGIAg&amp;amp;ved=0CD4Q7gEwAQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;some general news&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are bulbs that mimic the solar spectrum that is used by plants (which varies approximately from 400 to 700 nm).&#xA;Lamps with these characteristics are mainly some fluorescent and some metal halide lamps, which have a high color rendering index value (Ra&gt; 90). For example the lamps Philips TLD (930, 940, 950, 965) and the lamps Osram Lumilux Deluxe (12, 22, 32, 72) or the HQI ...&#xA;Or you can use the Sonlight AGRO 600W HPS like, but there are also Philips (AGRO 400W, SON-T Plus 400W/600W) and Sylvania (grolux 400W or 600W) ... you just need to properly evaluate how much you want to spend .... both of electricity that of bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-04-01T13:25:20.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7046" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7043" CreationDate="2013-04-01T13:51:59.963" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, you can.&#xA;Stop watering, put the pots out from water, in a place with plenty of light but no sun, if you do not want to burn them. Put them in a place with plenty of air also. Wind (not too much) is fine too.&#xA;Let the soil dry out (now you can see there is too much water at the bottom, and the ground is wet).&#xA;Use the handle of a metal spoon or a little stick to offset the earth from the pot and circulate more air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants become so when they have too little light and too much water, in relation to light. Now you need to do the opposite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the soil is almost completely dry, carefully observe your seedlings. Add a few drops of water when you see the slightest sign of thirst.&#xA;The purpose is to ensure that the plant taking color and snack new leaves, without growing in height too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a very very delicate operation and requires your full attention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-04-01T13:51:59.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7047" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7043" CreationDate="2013-04-01T13:53:13.210" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;See those little white nubs on the spindly stems? Given half a chance, they'll turn into roots. If you transplant (super carefully) and bury them deeper, they'll be happy tomatoes. You don't have to keep the stem vertical - just get it all under the ground. I think the equivalent thing in the wild would be that the spindly plant would fall over, bringing the stem in contact with the ground and getting a better root system going.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes do this more than other plants. I always bury them deeper than they were when I transplant them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2013-04-01T20:59:15.450" LastActivityDate="2013-04-01T20:59:15.450" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7048" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-01T15:09:09.867" Score="3" ViewCount="8167" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a mixed hedge which is about 6 feet high. I think it is privet and hawthorn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Currently, it is very top heavy in terms of the growth, and it has a lot of bare stems lower down. Please see the photographs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yXDbN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yXDbNl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X4AyN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X4AyNl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z5tUG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z5tUGl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to try and get the hedge to be bushy all the way down to ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read about pruning back hard, which I take means to basically chop the whole thing down to within 12&quot; of the floor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I don't know if this is the right thing to do, especially at this time of year (April). There are buds appearing on the hedge, so I don't know if a hard prune down to ground level at this time of year would kill the hedge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got no gardening experience, so I'm nervous at taking such a drastic step.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice welcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2078" LastEditorUserId="2078" LastEditDate="2013-04-01T21:33:33.377" LastActivityDate="2013-04-05T10:39:19.877" Title="How can I rejuvenate a privet and hawthorn hedge?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7050" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7052" CreationDate="2013-04-01T21:02:43.747" Score="5" ViewCount="13832" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm hoping someone has had good experience with a climber that tolerated partial to full shade? Most climbing flowers seem to need full sun, but we have a space in our backyard that would look great with some climbing color. Thanks for any tips.&#xA;We're on the border between Zones 6 and 7 in Maryland.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="171" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-21T20:08:34.130" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T20:08:34.130" Title="What are some good shade-tolerant climbers for zones 6 and 7?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;climbers&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7051" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7048" CreationDate="2013-04-01T21:51:18.870" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, in my opinion it's pretty easy. But it will take some years for a good final result.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Renews the earth around, remove the stones, remove the weeds, remove the old land (up to find out a little roots, as you can). Add at least 20 cm of compost mixed with manure aged, all along the fence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) Clean the plants, remove all dead branches to the root, sawing as down as you can. Remove diseased branches, with moss or fungi, to the root. Begin to prune (but do not delay, since the season is already advanced): Cuts the older and thicker branches, sawing at the base, close to the ground. Cut the branches less old to about 30 cm from the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) Remove the diseased or weak plants and replace them with healthy plants. Prune the new plants to the same height as the other. After this intervention, the hedge will practically bare, but, with little patience, it continuously develops new shoots, which must be pruned frequently to get the desired shape. In the following years the hedge will be back thick and invigorated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;4) Pruning in the second growing season. The branches of the hedge are sheared again and, if necessary, slightly shortened, gradually, beginning to give the desired shape to the hedge. As a general rule, it is assumed that a hedge well pruned is 10-20 cm narrower at the top than at the base of the plant. A hedge that at a height of 1.5 m has a width of 50 cm, will have a base of about 70 cm.&#xA;If in the second growing season, the hedge has not yet reached the desired height, you will not need you will not need to prune the top. Of course, the sides will be cut at least twice between May and August.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;5) The final height is reached after 4-5 years. Thin every year the branches towards the top to stimulate the thickening at the base. To obtain a large hedge, prune the side branches just a little. While to obtain a hedge quite narrow, shorten more the side branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;6) Only after the third or fourth year gradually bring the fence height and shape you want, potandola in June and August.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;7) Only after the third or fourth year gradually bring the fence height and shape you want, the pruning in June and August. The hedge, when it has reached the desired height, it must be sheared. Shorten both the upper and the lateral twice during the growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;8) The best time to perform what said above is in late autumn or early spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;9) How to treat hedges. During the spring you add into the space among the plants enough compost, whether or not mixed with manure or a chemical fertilizer.&#xA;In September-October can also be used manure decomposed, that, in the following spring, is slightly worked into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;10) The disadvantage of a &quot;natural fence&quot; is the fact that subtracts nutrients and moisture to the soil. For example, if the hedge is bordering a flower bed or lawn, you can see from their appearance that they are significantly depleted.&#xA;It is therefore advisable to cut the roots of the hedge (particularly those of privet), so that the same hedge grows less quickly. you can proceed as follows: at a distance of 30-40 cm from the hedge spade a ditch, so that the roots can be cut to a depth of about 40 cm. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since your fence is surrounded from stones and asphalt, your problem is just to limit the grow and let space for soil and compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-04-01T21:51:18.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7052" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7050" CreationDate="2013-04-01T23:11:15.583" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plumbago capensis&lt;/strong&gt;, very nice, covered with flowers all the summer, no sun, no scent. Suffers a lot from ice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qAede.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plumbago&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lonicera caprifolium&lt;/strong&gt;, forest plant, white flowers yellow or pink all the summer, delicious perfume, very tolerant to frost&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Daniel_Fuchs.CC-BY-SA.Lonicera_caprifolium.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;caprifoglio&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7bXM7m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;caprif&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/InuoZm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;giallo&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hydrangea petiolaris&lt;/strong&gt;, very nice, stand the cold to the foot. Appropriate mulch with dry leaves or straw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://www.verdeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/hydrangea-petiolaris-300x300.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;ortensia&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thunbergia&lt;/strong&gt; (family Acanthaceae) (Black-eyed Susan vine), very good essence, &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/b/Acanthaceae/Thunbergia/none/cultivar/0/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;many different types&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UQDJ7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;turncosa&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;================================================================================&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Plants very strong, do not give showy flowers, but that resist all.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Parthenocissus quinquefolia&lt;/strong&gt;, cool the effect of the change in color from green to red in autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e8Rrgm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;eqqueequa&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x0SjFm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;color&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hedera helix&lt;/strong&gt;, good effect two-tone color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RL9Dm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;edera&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got all of them (but Thunbergia), with fantastic results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;==================================================&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you also speak of half shade, yes, clematis are a good choice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hRvMQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;clem2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CLEMATIS MONTANA VARIETIES&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;One of the hardiest of the clematis plant family. They are vigorous growers and will quickly cover large fences and wall. They require little  pruning other than keeping them within bounds. Clematis montanas produce masses of flowers in late spring. Colours vary from white through to rose-pink and many are scented.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/plantfinder/clematis_7.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the best strains, features and images&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another climbing half-shadow is the &lt;strong&gt;Trachelospermum jasminoides&lt;/strong&gt; or Rhynchospermum jasminoides. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Very strong at any temperature and evergreen. Very rapid growth, flowering in late spring and summer with a very intense fragrance in the evening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KCprrR30Vrw/TAchUvEMfCI/AAAAAAAAASk/5T7Wbg2xKxc/s400/gelsomino.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rinch su muro&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want an &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;evergreen&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Hedera helix&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Trachelospermum jasminoides&lt;/strong&gt; in my opinion are the best. But i think that a facing north wall also needs to breathe. A few months without coverage of leaves prevents mold, moisture and rot in the walls and rooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a nice and &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;enchanting atmosphere&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Trachelospermum jasminoides&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Lonicera caprifolium&lt;/strong&gt; fill your garden with perfume, and make you sleep in a magical atmosphere. That is why I personally prefer them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To avoid doors and windows covered by creepers, simply, when you prune the plant in spring, leave a free frame of about twenty centimeters. The space will soon be filled by new shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But remember that all half-shade plants flourish more in parts where they get the sun, and bloom less in areas in the shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-21T20:07:29.033" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T20:07:29.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7053" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7050" CreationDate="2013-04-01T23:55:39.813" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When questions and gardeners come from all around the world it is often very difficult to provide answers that are good for where you live.  I live in USDA zone 4 and have had the following experiences with these plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plumbago capensis or leadwort has now been renamed Plumbago auriculata. It is hardy in Florida and parts of California and is a wonderful leggy shrub or sprawling vine when grown in a pot.  You can bring it outside in the summer and overwinter inside.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Schizophragma hydrangeoïdes - a wonderful vine but with uneven performance.  In the right locations such as east facing with some protection from winds it is a reliable performer.  I have seen other specimens in an exposed location with poor soil that were not able to make it above three feet (one meter tall).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lonicera or honeysuckle: widely available and in many cultivars.  Some are subject to powdery mildew and aphids and others are classed as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/dnap/invasive/1amurhoneysuck/tabid/1996/default.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;invasive&lt;/a&gt;. They tend to get woody and outgrow where they are planted.  Some care is in order when choosing one. The only plant that I ever broke a sequiteur blade on when trying to prune old growth.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black eyed Susan - a lovely annual vine.  When placed in a hanging basket it does not do well if dried out.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Parthenocissus - Virginia creeper or related species. It has sticky adhesive pads which help it climb and beautiful red fall colour. These plants are extremely tough and vigorous.  Some house owners have planted these and noticed, after a few years, that they cannot see out their windows, due to the vine growth. If you planned on keeping this growing within a small area annual vigorous pruning is required.  They can be attacked by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/factsheets/grapes/pests/gfb/gfb.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;grape flea beetle&lt;/a&gt; but usually outgrow any damage.  If you have other members of the Vitus or grape family nearby these may suffer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Boston ivy (Hedera Helix) and it's cultivars are not reliably hardy where I live but you should have no problems.  They do not have a flower that you will notice but are good at covering a wall.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My favourite vine for shady areas are the species clematis.  They come in a variety of colours, usually pinks, reds, whites, blues and grow six to ten feet tall (two to three meters).  Some ones I have used are - &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clematis_montana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Clematis montana&lt;/a&gt;, virgininia, texenis, &lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category%3aClematis_patens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;patens&lt;/a&gt;....  There are hundreds of cultivars, check your local retailers for ideas.  Under some conditions they do get a stem wilt but cutting the plant back to the base allows regrowth.  They usually require three years to get established and prefer to have their roots in shade.  Good companions for a hosta.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-04-01T23:55:39.813" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7054" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-02T01:53:18.413" Score="3" ViewCount="221" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large collection of indoor orchids in good health.  Recently though a strange vine has appeared in one of my indoor orchid pots.  I'm not sure if it's a weed or pest, or some sort of non-invasive companion plants that just happen to like the same conditions as orchids.  My concern is I don't want it to strangle or rob the orchid of nutrients.  So if there's doubt I'll dig em' out!   THANKS very much for the help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vine&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wpr1w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;vine&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Orchid it's trying to cozy up to&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q33mx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;orchid&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;K&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2081" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-04-02T10:28:46.070" LastActivityDate="2014-05-27T22:11:26.880" Title="Help identifying vine in orchid" Tags="&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7055" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7050" CreationDate="2013-04-02T09:26:00.030" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Money Plant&lt;/a&gt; grows very well in India (USDA Hardiness 11-13), I am not sure for your zone. However if it grows near you, it will not take much attention. It grows very fast, likes to hang.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-04-02T09:26:00.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7056" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7050" CreationDate="2013-04-02T11:04:33.287" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nice suggestions from Violaprile, but I tend to agree with Kevinsky's comments. Hydrangea anomala (syn petiolaris) will be just fine in your zone, but is not evergreen, though it does flower. Some Clematis cultivars which prefer a bit of shade, or at least do fine with it, are: C. Hagley Hybrid, Nelly Moser, General Sikorski, Henryi, John Warren, Lady Northcliffe, Marie Boisselot, Mrs. Cholmondeley, Niobe, Ramona, The President, Violet Charm, William Kennett, W. E. Gladstone and Xerxes (also known as Elsa Spath). Again, these are not evergreen plants, and all of these cultivars may be susceptible to Clematis Wilt - note that the species varieties are not susceptible to this infection (for instance, Montana, tangutica).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-04-02T11:04:33.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7054" CreationDate="2013-04-02T17:07:57.513" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a flower genetically modified. Or malformed. This happens often in plants, which have a genetic variability much higher than ours, even in the same individual.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be much easier if you put a picture of the whole plant with your &quot;strange vine&quot;. And even more pictures. So we could see the size compared to the plant, the exact point from which it grows and in which direction it is growing. Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-04-02T17:07:57.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7058" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-03T00:17:00.700" Score="2" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have read about watering orchids with ice which slowly releases water and doesn't over water and I figured watering my highland nepenthes with frozen distilled water would be a good idea and they seem to love the small amount of cooling the ice creates making nighttime temps perfect along with the slow release if water. They are flourishing and my humidity is staying higher for some reason in the terrarium too. I'm just wondering if anyone else has tried this and their results but after trying it on some of my ventricosa hybrids I recommend it to others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2084" LastActivityDate="2013-04-03T00:17:00.700" Title="Nepenthes ice watering" Tags="&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;nepenthes&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2014-07-15T20:19:17.700" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7060" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7065" CreationDate="2013-04-03T15:06:58.307" Score="4" ViewCount="9783" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two Dieffenbachia (dumb cane) plants in pots in my kitchen. One looks great, the other is struggling because I have not done a good job of keeping it watered. It has lost a lot of leaves, and now looks like two tall canes with a bunch of leaves at the top (the lower leaves all dried and have been removed). It is terribly unattractive. Is there any way to save the plant? I've read that you can cut it back, but since all of the leaves are at the top, I would be removing all of the leaves if I cut it back. I assume this would not work. Can I layer it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-03T19:24:15.233" LastActivityDate="2018-05-27T14:13:26.793" Title="How can I renew a Dieffenbachia that has lost all its lower leaves?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7061" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-03T16:12:12.683" Score="3" ViewCount="926" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have dug up a section of my lawn to apply gravel. The soil is now very lumpy and I am wondering how to flatten it out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2087" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-03T17:41:56.190" LastActivityDate="2013-04-04T13:26:20.227" Title="How do I flatten my soil to apply gravel?" Tags="&lt;gravel&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7063" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="10967" CreationDate="2013-04-03T17:38:59.453" Score="6" ViewCount="7984" Body="&lt;p&gt;What could be the reason to cause this discoloration of the leaves? The discolored parts you see here get thicker over the time until the green color disappears. It does not seem that the leaves dry out as the right one on the photo feels quite wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yHOVF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image of the leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2088" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-20T17:27:26.363" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T07:24:07.100" Title="What is happening to the leaves of my Ipomoea (Morning glory)?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;morning-glory&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7064" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="220" CreationDate="2013-04-03T18:53:16.647" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bucket of Death, it's really horrible but works so well.  Fill a 5 gallon bucket halfway full with water then sprinkle the top layer with birdseed till you can't tell there is water there.  Place a ramp up to the top of the bucket with a little seed trail, place the bucket near good cover so the chipmunks feel safe investigating.  Then you'll find out just how many are actually around.  I've easily had 4 in one day. You feel bad but nothing is worst than having 500 strawberries disappear in 2 days! In two weeks I had 11.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2089" LastActivityDate="2013-04-03T18:53:16.647" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7065" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7060" CreationDate="2013-04-03T22:17:24.577" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can remove the top crown of leaves, dip in hormone rooting powder, pot them up into potting compost and provide bottom heat, or you can try cane cuttings. I'd try the first method, but keep the original, now leafless plant, cut it right down and see if it grew again, as well as attempting to propagate from the top parts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-04-03T22:17:24.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7066" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-04T01:05:58.443" Score="5" ViewCount="123" Body="&lt;p&gt;As I said above I just noticed shoots of plants coming up throughout my garden.  They are a red color tip attached to very long bright green/yellow roots.  Would like to know what this is and how to get rid of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2090" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-04-05T11:47:20.173" LastActivityDate="2013-04-05T11:47:20.173" Title="Plant coming up under creeping junipers and in other parts of perennial gardens" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2014-07-15T13:32:27.833" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7067" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7063" CreationDate="2013-04-04T02:56:45.347" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, it could be a too calcareous soil, that causes chlorosis (leaves become white, then dry, then the plant dies)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try to give to it some Sequestrene &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.beckerunderwood.com/productsservices/turfhorticulture/nursery--specialty-ag-nutrients/sequestrene138/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;iron chelate&lt;/a&gt;. &#xA;Very important to any type of plants, included cacti.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-04-04T06:31:55.497" LastActivityDate="2013-04-04T06:31:55.497" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7060" CreationDate="2013-04-04T09:54:18.637" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another way to save the Dieffenbachia is to cut the leaves with 20 cm of trunk. Then cut another piece of trunk leaving 20-30 cm at the base. Leave to dry the left in the pot, if necessary disinfected with antibiotic powder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put the two pieces of plant immersed directly into two transparent vases of white glass, filled with water. Put them at a point where they get a lot of light (but not sun). In a short time they will make new roots and leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is necessary that the water is very clean, changed every few days, with no cold water and &quot;rested&quot;. You also need to clean the bottom, because the trunk into water get rot. It should be kept it very clean. You can clean it under not-cold gentle running water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just sprout roots, you can put the two new plants in a hydroponics culture. Only now you add fertilizer for hydroponics. Lifting plants from water for hydroponics, apply a bit of antibiotic powder on the underside (but not on the roots), and there will be no rot to clean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants can live very well in water, they must have a lot of light (but no sun), and fertilizer for hydroponics. If you want, you can adjust them into the crop soil with normal techniques for the transition from water to soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, the trunk remained in the vessel should have made lateral branches with new leaves. Fertilize and adjust the watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-04-06T18:10:13.283" LastActivityDate="2013-04-06T18:10:13.283" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7069" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7061" CreationDate="2013-04-04T13:26:20.227" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get a pair of wellies on, a rake and a spade. Rake it as level as you can, use the spade to bash any larger lumps, and then walk all over it, not missing even an inch - this should break up the clods and also reveal any soft, sunken parts. Now rake it again and walk over it again, repeat if necessary. I hope this area isn't absolutely huge... otherwise its a machine with a roller on it. Not to be done if its currently waterlogged or frozen, wait for conditions to improve if that's the case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-04-04T13:26:20.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7070" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7063" CreationDate="2013-04-04T22:12:48.287" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;We don't have enough information to provide a definitive diagnosis.  Close up pictures would help.  Here are some possibilities:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrip&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;thrip&lt;/a&gt; are common in greenhouses and indoor plants.  The adults are the size and shape of an explanation point   !   They have wings and can spread from plant to plant.  They do the usual insect thing and suck juices from leaves.  But the kids..they do damage typical of what is seen in the photos because they live inside the leaf and tunnel through the tissue.  The adults leave black spots called &quot;frass&quot; on the underside of the leaf.  You should see frass, and if you do not disturb the leaf, you might see adults.  I have never managed to cure any plant of thrip even when I used systemic insecticides.  They are too hard to eradicate and the plant should be destroyed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some kind of virus is a possibility but ipomoae are not known for this. I could only find &lt;a href=&quot;http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1744-7348.1997.tb05156.x/abstract&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;one reference&lt;/a&gt; for the sweet potato which is in the same family, and would not normally be susceptible unless the plant is weakened and there is source for the virus nearby&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, check for evidence and put up more photos please!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-04-04T22:12:48.287" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7071" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-05T03:17:02.773" Score="5" ViewCount="1750" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently read a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/garden/grasping-at-straw-a-foolproof-vegetable-plot.html?smid=pl-share&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;NY Times article&lt;/a&gt; about straw bale gardening. It says that you should add about 2 1/2 cups of 20% N fertilizer or three pounds of blood meal and feather meal per bale. Add water, wait for the temperature to decrease, and then plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would really appreciate a more objective approach - but I can't find it in any of the guides (including the few &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=extension+straw+bale+garden&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;instructions from ag extensions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;*&lt;/strong&gt;) that I reviewed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A typical &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.adenbrook.com/hay/straw.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;two-string bale&lt;/a&gt; is 45lb with, say 10% moisture, so it has 40 lbs (18kg) of dry straw. composed of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nm.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/tech-notes/agro/AG30.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;45% C&lt;/a&gt; and 2% N: a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 24:1 (according to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/management/files/C_N_ratios_cropping_systems.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;USDA-NRCS&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I am missing is the target range of C:N for the bale - for a mixture of vegetables (tomatoes, squash, beets, carrots) as seen in the article. Then, I could better estimate - and evaluate - what I am doing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I knew the target C:N ratio, and how to account for the uneven decomposition and N loss (leaching, denitrification) as well as the &quot;tolerance&quot; for over / under fertilization (i.e., the range of applications rates that would optimize food production), then I could take an arbitrary fertilizer with complete nutrition (NPK+) and have an estimate of how much to add based on the % N.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;in summary, my questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the target C:N for a straw bale garden?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much fertilizer should I add, in units of mass (g or lb) N?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the range of values in 1 and/or 2 that would optimize mixed vegetable food production?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;*&lt;/strong&gt; for example, while the &lt;a href=&quot;http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-7191/PSS-2264web.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;OKState extension&lt;/a&gt; says &quot;The nutrient supply for plants established in straw bales is also critical.&quot; but gives no information on fertilization rate, only that insufficient nutrient supply can be be diagnosed (yellow leaves, unhealthy plants, etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="495" LastEditorUserId="495" LastEditDate="2013-04-05T03:22:21.923" LastActivityDate="2021-05-07T14:30:31.990" Title="How much nitrogen per bale in a straw bale garden?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;&lt;carbon-nitrogen-ratio&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7048" CreationDate="2013-04-05T10:39:19.877" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Given the three to four years to rejuvenate and the effort involved you could do less work and have a nicer look faster by ripping out the old shrubs, adding new organic matter and planting new.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the asphalt and interlock so close by this would be the time to install some kind of watering system as lack of water is likely to be the limiting factor to growth in an urban environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-04-05T10:39:19.877" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7074" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7071" CreationDate="2013-04-05T13:07:19.703" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The composting process works best when the C:N ratio is about 30:1. So you will want to add N to reach that ratio. If a 20kg bale is 45% C and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nm.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/tech-notes/agro/AG30.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;0.5% N&lt;/a&gt; (section 4), there's about 8.25kg C and 0.09 kg N or about 90:1 C:N. If you add 0.25 kg N you'll be around the 30:1 ratio.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, that 30:1 is ideal for composting, but there won't be anything left over for growing vegetables or to account for losses from the system. Keep in mind that vegetables need a fairly wide range of N: peas can pull N from the air, for example; spinach and other greens are N-hungry; carrots don't need much; and providing too much N to tomatoes will result in lots of vine and not much fruit. You also need to make sure you provide the other nutrients that plants need (P, K, Ca, S, Fe, etc) -- some of these may be present in your straw bales, some may not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also keep in mind that N is volatile: you're going to lose some over the growing season, and this is hard to quantify. I find it easiest to adjust on the fly -- observe how the plants are doing and if they need supplemental fertilizer mid-season, give it to them. (If my spinach starts to yellow, I know it's low, so I sprinkle a little blood meal around the beds.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the right answer will be to add whatever amount of N you'd use when growing in soil for the particular crop in question. E.g., more for spinach, less for peas and carrots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-04-05T13:07:19.703" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7075" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7063" CreationDate="2013-04-05T13:22:44.590" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've said its on a windowsill which has full sun exposure (if there's any sun at all that is). Can I ask if there's a radiator beneath the window, which is currently hot during the day? Do you have double glazing? Do you draw the curtains at night, leaving the plant between the curtains and the window? What size pot is the plant in and how long has it been in that pot, and how tall is the plant currently?&#xA;It's just this still looks like cold damage to me - if the plant is in a heated room during the day, and is exposed to sun, then it's in very warm conditions indeed. But overnight, when the heating is off, and it's dark, and particularly if its on a windowsill with curtains drawn, that's a very cold place to be indeed, even with double glazed windows, and our temperatures are unusually low in the UK for this time of year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-04-05T13:22:44.590" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7076" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7077" CreationDate="2013-04-05T19:59:00.570" Score="5" ViewCount="472" Body="&lt;p&gt;I now work at a new desk and inherited this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Click to enlarge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1uYlP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1uYlPl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it and what can I do with it (to fix it or trim it)?&#xA;Indoors, no sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not a gardener :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2092" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2013-04-05T20:07:41.773" LastActivityDate="2013-04-06T15:43:19.213" Title="What plant is this and what do I do with it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7077" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7076" CreationDate="2013-04-06T00:30:21.577" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophytum_comosum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;spider plant&lt;/a&gt; or Chlorophytum comosum. The most common variety has a white stripe down the middle of the leaf but your variety is also grown indoors. It is native to tropical and South Africa, used as an outdoor bedding plant in Florida and most commonly seen growing indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They will flower under high light conditions and are able to thrive under a wide variety of light conditions.  Any peat based potting mix will do.  They are easily propagated by taking the baby plants that start growing along the stem or by division of existing plants.  Offsets or divisions can do quite well in water until they are ready for transplanting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For maintenance you do not need to do much.  Trim off dead or yellowing leaves, water regularly and thoroughly.  If you want you can divide the root ball and give some to your friends and coworkers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: @Bamboo Yes I am 100% sure it's a spider plant if you look at the photo under maximum magnification you will see the typical flowers on a stalk in the upper right corner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@violadaprile Yes, daylily leaves do look like spider plant leaves but you cannot grow a daylily indoors in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tfc-group.co.uk/assets/graphics/static/Recommended%20light%20levels1.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;light levels that an office has&lt;/a&gt; of ~500 lux. They require light levels of ~10,000 Lux.  If this was a daylily it would look very unhealthy quickly if kept indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-04-06T15:00:24.660" LastActivityDate="2013-04-06T15:00:24.660" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7079" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7080" CreationDate="2013-04-06T15:17:38.883" Score="3" ViewCount="210" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently purchased a top hat blueberry shrub. According to the leaflet it came with, it is self-pollinating. Does this mean that it &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; self-pollinate, or that it &lt;em&gt;only&lt;/em&gt; self-pollinates? Would getting another 2-3 shrubs be beneficial at all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2094" LastActivityDate="2019-01-03T16:06:15.353" Title="Can self-pollinating plants cross-pollinate?" Tags="&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7080" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7079" CreationDate="2013-04-06T15:40:59.880" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Exist in nature numerous species, more than 100, which are distinguished by differences in color of the fruits and to the characteristics of the stem. It grows wild throughout the northern hemisphere, but has a very different structure depending on the diffusion region. The widespread species in Europe are of shrub and, in general, no more than half a meter in height, are deciduous and oval berries sometimes grouped in bunches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Against the North American varieties are real trees and grow in height up to 9 meters, with gnarled trunks and plump berries blue. The fruits of different varieties differ in size and color. Next to the small berries of European species are the American cranberries, more demanding in terms of growing. Eastern cousins, however, grow spontaneously in the forests. We have black berries, blue or red, sweet or sour and perfumes more or less intense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although it is a wild plant, fruit intended for trade are derived mostly from plants growing, producing, in particular, the variety and the giant American cranberry (berry red color and flavor balanced between sweet and sour)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;========================================&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pollination of highbush blueberry &#xA;(Vaccinium corymbosum L.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In 1998-2000 pollinators of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) were studied in a mountain area of Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Northeastern Italy). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The effect of entomophilous pollination on blueberry production was assessed by comparing fruit setting and dropping, weight, size and seed number in blueberry branches wich had been put or not in net bags. The most active pollinators are bumblebees (Bombus spp.); the bell-shaped flowers prevents short tongue pollinators from reaching nectar glands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if flowers are considered self-fertile, the lack of entomophilous pollination caused: lower fruit setting, higher fruit dropping and lower fruit size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.apicolturaonline.it/mirtillo.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;check from - but in italian, sorry&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OuFzP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;m&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the answer could be: yes and no.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Entomophilous pollination seems better, but could also be among more flowers in a single plant. More plants (in my opinion) can just increase the attraction of insects, and then the &lt;em&gt;probability&lt;/em&gt; of intervention of insects in pollination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-01-03T16:06:15.353" LastActivityDate="2019-01-03T16:06:15.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="7081" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7083" CreationDate="2013-04-06T16:18:46.883" Score="6" ViewCount="1684" Body="&lt;p&gt;I honestly have no idea what this plant is. It seems to be some type of vine. I took a few pictures i will put below. As you can see there is some other plant growing in the same pot with the long leaves. I want to clone this vine plant eventually, it looks really nice when the vines get long. So will I be able to clone this plant? And what exactly is it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P.S, it has no flowers as far as I have seen, this confuses me since I see no form of reproduction on it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nsYM2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A cluster of leaves &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lZgCJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A vine&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pUx7l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More vines&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1e9za.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A new leaf, the leaves grow out of these whitish membranse on the sides of other leaves. This leads me to believe that only one leaf can come from a single leaf. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qyYyB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another new leaf growing in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z3cHb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The beginning of a leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jIc9r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An overview&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1849" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-02-27T19:25:57.683" LastActivityDate="2018-01-05T11:55:20.147" Title="Help identifying this vine with green and white heart shaped leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7082" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7084" CreationDate="2013-04-06T16:47:59.463" Score="3" ViewCount="549" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently inherited this plant, and am not sure of what type of plant it is or what its needs are (as far as watering, light, temp, etc.).  Any help in either respect would be greatly appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are links to pictures of the plant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZObiK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;golden pothos&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/nfie8Qm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;golden  pothos 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2095" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-07T15:00:32.967" LastActivityDate="2013-04-07T15:00:32.967" Title="Received a plant; need help identifying it" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2013-04-08T02:07:24.687" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7083" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7081" CreationDate="2013-04-06T16:53:27.447" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant has several names such as pothos or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum&quot;&gt;Epipremnum aureum&lt;/a&gt;. Is an evergreen vine from the Australia/South Asia area and has become naturalized worldwide.  The reason you do not see any flowers on this due to it's life cycle.  Botanists saw two forms of the same plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the juvenile form that you have that does not flower and whose leaves are not split&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the adult form that has much larger leaves that are split and does flower&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the shape of the leaves and the size of the two forms was quite different it took a while for botanists to conclude that they were the same species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is very easy to propagate and care for indoors.  Most potting soils are suitable and a schedule of regular watering when the soil gets dry is appropriate. You can propagate this plant by taking a cutting and putting it in a glass of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maintenance of an established plant involves cutting back the stems close to the base.  Leave at least one node above the soil line and new growth will sprout from that point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Insect pests include mealybug (white cottony tufts in the leaf axils) and thrip. If your plant gets any of these insect pests control is difficult.  You could try cutting the plant back hard so it has no leaves or dispose of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-04-06T16:58:38.187" LastActivityDate="2013-04-06T16:58:38.187" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7082" CreationDate="2013-04-06T17:12:38.257" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant has several names such as pothos or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Epipremnum aureum&lt;/a&gt;. Is an evergreen vine from the Australia/South Asia area and has become naturalized worldwide. The reason you do not see any flowers on this due to it's life cycle. Botanists saw two forms of the same plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the juvenile form that you have that does not flower and whose leaves are not split&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the adult form that has much larger leaves that are split and does flower&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the shape of the leaves and the size of the two forms was quite different it took a while for botanists to conclude that they were the same species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is very easy to propagate and care for indoors. Most potting soils are suitable and a schedule of regular watering when the soil gets dry is appropriate. You can propagate this plant by taking a cutting and putting it in a glass of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maintenance of an established plant involves cutting back the stems close to the base. Leave at least one node above the soil line and new growth will sprout from that point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Insect pests include mealybug (white cottony tufts in the leaf axils) and thrip. If your plant gets any of these insect pests control is difficult. You could try cutting the plant back hard so it has no leaves or dispose of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: on maintenance - as the stems grow longer and age the oldest leaves die off and the stems get thicker.  After a few years you have a tuft of leaves at the end of six foot (two meter) stem.  If you like that look then enjoy but to encourage new growth and keep the plant at a reasonable size cutting back the stems is both an aesthetic and good maintenance practice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-04-06T18:37:40.723" LastActivityDate="2013-04-06T18:37:40.723" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7085" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7081" CreationDate="2013-04-06T17:20:31.210" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agree with Kevinsky, its Money plant (Epipremnum aureum). I am just showing the  propagation pictures by stem cutting and placing it in water filled bottle for few days till fresh roots develop. Then it is ready to be planted in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LQTxJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Zoomed View: Notice white colored roots growing! :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JlzkB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-04-06T17:20:31.210" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7086" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7082" CreationDate="2013-04-06T17:28:19.170" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its very same question I answered few mins back..! Agreeing with Kevinsky, its Money plant (Epipremnum aureum). I am just showing the  propagation pictures by stem cutting and placing it in water filled bottle for few days till fresh roots develop. Then it is ready to be planted in the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LQTxJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Zoomed View:&lt;/strong&gt; Notice white colored roots growing! :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JlzkB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-04-06T17:28:19.170" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7087" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-06T18:48:37.877" Score="5" ViewCount="125" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen opinions that dipping stem cuttings in a topical antibiotic such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.drugs.com/international/cicatrene.html&quot;&gt;Cicatrene&lt;/a&gt; which has a number of different formulations which include sulfates or zinc assists in propagating cuttings.  I have never heard of this.  I have read in numerous publications that all pruning and propagating should be done with clean or even sterilized tools for maximum success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone use antibiotics and is there any reference material to back up it's effectiveness?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-09-04T01:08:15.997" Title="Are antibiotics helpful when propagating a plant" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7088" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7087" CreationDate="2013-04-06T20:10:55.357" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The card i gave you is about Cicatrene, of johnson &amp;amp; johnson, how it is distributed in Italy for human topic use, that includes: neomicina solfato 3.300 UI;Bacitracina zinco 250 UI; Glicina 10 mg; L-Cisteina 2 mg; DL-Treonina1 mg.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is considered essential when you need to save a cactus from rotting from local expertises and for my experience too. I find it usefull also for other suffering plants, like Dieffenbachia, not for propagating but for enforcing or saving it, when you have to save a long trunk which has lost most of the leaves at the bottom.(&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7060/how-can-i-renew-a-dieffenbachia-that-has-lost-all-its-lower-leaves/7068?noredirect=1#comment7450_7068&quot;&gt;How can I renew a Dieffenbachia that has lost all its lower leaves?&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's what i was trying to explain here (&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/6006/how-do-i-treat-the-survived-parts-of-a-cactus-after-some-of-it-has-rotten-to-pre&quot;&gt;How do I treat the survived parts of a cactus after some of it has rotten to prevent the problem spreading?&lt;/a&gt;), with very little success because of my bad English.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use it with Dracaena too, cause of its large trunk, fill of veins, and in other cases, generally depending on trunks, before covering it with wax plug. And yes, it is propagating. Since i think that air is full of bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not in all cases of propagation. If the stems are thin and green, and especially healthy (when I multiply the sedum or geraniums, for example), I do not use antibiotics. Nor for the parts that go directly on the ground, nor for those who remain in the air. Because they dry very quickly and a bacterial infection from the air is unlikely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2013-04-06T21:16:54.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7089" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7093" CreationDate="2013-04-07T02:30:31.987" Score="7" ViewCount="4430" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last summer I had a problem with black grasshoppers with yellow stripes on them, which I identified as &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/lubber.htm&quot;&gt;Lubbers&lt;/a&gt;. Now I grow everything organically and all my plants are heirloom varieties, so last year these insects plowed through my garden and basically ate everything. This year I hope to circumvent this catastrophe before it happens again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How can I get rid of or keep away these lubber grasshoppers in an organic earth friendly way?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2096" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-07T15:02:58.787" LastActivityDate="2016-04-15T22:01:36.710" Title="How do you organically handle lubber grasshoppers that destroy gardens?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7090" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-07T03:12:11.107" Score="6" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have four apple tree seedlings that are in one pot and they're getting too big to get enough light for each of them. I have some pots that I bought to transplant them, but I bought some of &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000VS4QU6&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I'm not sure if I should transplant them into it, because they're definitely not being started anymore (I can post a picture of them if I get enough up-votes). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would they give them the nutrients they need? Would there be any other problems? What should I have bought?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastActivityDate="2014-08-28T12:32:50.750" Title="Transplanting into seedling starter?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7091" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7089" CreationDate="2013-04-07T07:32:29.260" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Natural means.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Almost all the birds&lt;/strong&gt; are very active predators of grasshoppers, especially in the period in which to look after children. &lt;strong&gt;Guinea fowl&lt;/strong&gt;, in particular, may be employed to contain the infestations in the vicinity of corporate centers, holiday cottages and homes. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.es/search?q=gallina+faraona&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=hxdhUbyyCJOLhQfA44HwDQ&amp;amp;ved=0CC4QsAQ&amp;amp;biw=1047&amp;amp;bih=860&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Numida meleagris, pharaos images&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also several preparations of biological origin potentially active, on locusts and newborn being tested. However, are not yet recorded in Italy and, accordingly, are not yet usable on a wide scale. &#xA;After some experience in the '80s, the biological control of locusts through the use of Pharaoh, was revived on a large scale in recent years. In some provinces of the region have been implemented some successful pilot initiatives subsequently adopted in other Italian regions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The locusts have other natural enemies: among the main are the entomopathogenic fungus &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Entomophthora grylli&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, that attacks and kills the adults, and the beetle meloide &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Epicauta rufidorsum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, whose larva lives in the soil and is very active in prey eggs. The action of these factors of containment natural must be preserved even if, often, is not sufficient to contain the most serious infestations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some microorganisms (fungi, bacteria and protozoa) favored by high humidity and rainy seasons, causing life-threatening infections. Small insectivorous mammals (hedgehogs, mice and shrews), most of wild animals (guinea fowl, ducks, and turkeys) and many wild birds (partridges, pheasants, quail, sparrows and raptors -kestrels and buzzards-). Even more effective are the arthropods and between these &lt;strong&gt;spiders&lt;/strong&gt; and, especially, &lt;strong&gt;insects&lt;/strong&gt;. This year was found a high presence of &lt;strong&gt;Meloidi beetles&lt;/strong&gt;, whose larvae actively prey on the eggs of grasshoppers in the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These factors limiting natural, though important, are not sufficient to reduce quickly the pulses may grasshoppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mechanical means.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During the birth of nymphs or otherwise on the first juveniles are possible attempts to contain the infestation with suitable mechanical means (eg rollers), making interventions in the evening or at night when the nymphs are concentrated and property. Speaking with the same criteria you can get good results even with &lt;strong&gt;mobile vacuums&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;strong&gt;barriers&lt;/strong&gt; (and other networks) can be used to defend the gardens or other urban environments. These barriers can be combined with &lt;strong&gt;insecticidal baits based on spinosad&lt;/strong&gt; (+), a product of natural origin low toxicity to people and pets that in any case be used in a localized manner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(+) It is used a bait, based on spinosyn, derived from the metabolism of fermentation of a bacterium attinomicete (Saccharopolyspora spinosa) found in soil. The spinosyn is toxic to bees. So I am personally against the use of this fungus, almost harmless to humans but highly toxic to bees. We need bees! .....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All interventions to fight, to be effective, must be made before the dispersal of adult locusts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;========================&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P.S. Here, in Italy, it is possible to buy larvae of &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Epicauta rufidorsum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, at the main agricultural consortia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-04-07T08:10:04.783" LastActivityDate="2013-04-07T08:10:04.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7092" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7094" CreationDate="2013-04-07T13:40:19.100" Score="2" ViewCount="70" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a decently mature shrub in the backyard that is about 10 foot tall. It is starting to bloom with pinkish flowers. I'm wondering what kind of fertilizer should I give it for early spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question(s)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've purchased &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100355793?storeId=10051&amp;amp;langId=-1&amp;amp;catalogId=10053&amp;amp;productId=100355793&amp;amp;R=100355793#.UWF2fqtASOc&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Garden Soil&lt;/a&gt; will this and mulch be good? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this Garden Soil good for flower beds as well?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the real difference in this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100355793?storeId=10051&amp;amp;langId=-1&amp;amp;catalogId=10053&amp;amp;productId=100355793&amp;amp;R=100355793#.UWF2fqtASOc&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;garden soil&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100355688?storeId=10051&amp;amp;langId=-1&amp;amp;catalogId=10053&amp;amp;productId=100355688&amp;amp;R=100355688#.UWF3IqtASOc&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt;. Which one should I use?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2098" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-07T14:41:51.043" LastActivityDate="2013-04-08T17:08:48.560" Title="What kind of fertilizer should I give to an average mature shrub?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7093" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7089" CreationDate="2013-04-07T13:45:20.693" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Organic or low toxicity control of insects uses a different set of tools than the 'spray and pray' approach.  These points apply to any issue that needs to be controlled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;observation is your first tool. Where are they coming from, when do the juveniles show up, what crops do they prefer?  (If the answers are from everywhere, all during the spring and they eat everything then this could be a tough year)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;timing is everything. The time to start control is when you see the nymphs.  They are easier to control when they are smaller. At this time of year (April) the young should have emerged and be visible. Lubbers do not fly well, move slowly and are relatively large compared to other insects. Mechanical removal by handpicking or a butterfly net when they are young will reduce the damage that the adults could do later. Wear gloves and old clothes when doing this as they have a number of unsavory habits like exuding a foamy spray when menaced.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;identify any areas on or near your property where young will hatch. In the case of the lubber this will be drier areas, possibly where there is tall grass. Consider early spring tilling in these areas if they are on your property. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;try and plant your garden so you can use &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Row_cover&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;floating row covers&lt;/a&gt; to protect your crops&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut down areas of tall weeds or grass and trim growth in ditches where they gather before moving onto your crops&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Everything I read about control mentions chemical pesticides but I think it would be worth a try to use soap and water on the juveniles.  Like any arthropod if their breathing spiracles are covered up they will die.  Soap and water does an excellent job on soft bodied insects and should work on the immature nymphs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-04-07T13:45:20.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7092" CreationDate="2013-04-07T14:03:36.577" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You do not need to spend extra money on soil mixes with slow release fertilizer for an established shrub that is doing well. Regular top soil, compost or composted manure will do the job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you look at what's in the mixtures they are pretty much the same: forest products, sphaghnum moss, manure and a slow release fertilizer. Unless a shrub is showing signs of a nutrient deficiency all of it's needs can be met from the existing soil.  Top dressing with compost or composted manure on a yearly basis is all that should be required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Slow release fertilizers are a great idea for annual baskets.  Annuals can use a lot of energy in flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are only a few situations where this answer could be reconsidered:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;acid loving plants such as blueberries, rhododendrons do better in an acid soil. If you do have acid soil topdressing with peat moss mixtures and acid fertilizer may be required.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if your soil is of a special type like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliche#Problems_caused_by_caliche&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;caliche&lt;/a&gt; then a soil mix with fertilizers may assist&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when growing plants in a greenhouse a peat based soil mix works better for a number or reasons ( sterilized, lightweight, readily available)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Composted cow manure is a good top dressing.  You could apply a layer up to an inch thick twice a year, spring and summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-04-08T17:08:48.560" LastActivityDate="2013-04-08T17:08:48.560" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7095" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7097" CreationDate="2013-04-07T20:12:04.883" Score="17" ViewCount="9846" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is confusing me since I am new to the idea of hydroponics. I have read that it is possible to damage a plant by overwatering it, so how can plants live with their roots submerged in pure water? Is it only possible to grow specific plants using hydroponics? Or is there a large misunderstanding regarding overwatering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1849" LastActivityDate="2019-01-01T13:14:09.423" Title="If it's possible to overwater a plant, then how do plants grow hydroponically?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7096" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7095" CreationDate="2013-04-07T21:37:41.403" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is possible to overwatering plants, when their stems (being into soil) get too much water and no light. In fact, most of the problems of plants comes from an error in the relationship between water and lighting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The hydroponic cultures can be made in two ways.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plant (or rather, a cutting of a plant) is partially immersed in water in a transparent glass container, where it get new roots.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7082/received-a-plant-need-help-identifying-it&quot;&gt;look at the picture into answer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A plant, with already its roots, is introduced into a special container, where it is not in contact with the water and, through a grid, reaches the water only with the roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8497/8415558926_5f562c91af_z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;casa&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikinoticia.com/images2//www.jardineria.pro/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/hidro1-400x300.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;vaso http://www.wikinoticia.com/images2//www.jardineria.pro/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/hidro1-400x300.gif&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the first case, the stem enters the water that stimulates the production of roots. But the stem in contact with the water rots, little by little, so that it must be periodically cleaned, ie removed from the container and washed under warm running water. Then put back into the container with clean water. The roots must receive plenty of light. The light, however, also contributes to the formation of green algae that suffocate the roots and remove the light itself. For this reason, plants, containers and water should always be kept clean, as in aquariums.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the second case the stem does not touch the water. For the roots to be immersed in water or not makes no difference. And light is not so necessary. Then the containers can be colored (but transparent, in any case).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The water, in both cases, must always be very clean. The food is provided by special fertilizers. The hydroponics is easy and comfortable. It is very hard to wrong and, vice versa, it is easy to correct the errors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not all plants can be grown hydroponically. Of course not all succulents and plants that do not bear a lot of watering. The house plants, however, are almost all suitable to give cuttings to grow in water. Indeed they are mostly tropical plants from rainforests, rich in water.&#xA;Although almost all plants of industrial agriculture are arable with this method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Salad hydroponic on roofs of New York&#xA;(&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.genitronsviluppo.com/2009/06/22/agricoltura-idroponica-urbana/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here, not translated&lt;/a&gt;)&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dp310.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;k&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-01-01T13:14:09.423" LastActivityDate="2019-01-01T13:14:09.423" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="7097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7095" CreationDate="2013-04-07T22:56:43.407" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Given the previous answer, which covers hydroponic growing, I'll just add an explanation of how it's possible to over water a plant which is growing in potting compost, and thereby cause plant death or disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The key is in the word 'clean' - hydroponics requires clean water, principally. When a plant has its roots in soil or compost, this isn't clean in the same way. The planting medium is full of bacteria, fungal spores and a wealth of other micro organisms and bio diversity, most of which are supportive of the plant's growth. If you leave this pot with its plant sitting in water permanently, the conditions in the soil change, usually from life supporting to toxic in some way. Gas exchanges are affected, some bacteria multiply and others simply die, and fungal spores may overgrow, thus providing a very toxic environment for the plant trying to survive with its roots in that soil. This is not true of all plants - some grow very well in soggy, wet soil, but the vast majority do not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-04-07T22:56:43.407" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7098" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-08T05:37:06.290" Score="3" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm new to gardening, and I'm slightly confused by something.  How can I tell what seeds / plants should be planted in a certain season?  For example, I'm having trouble telling if there are general rules like vegetables should be planted at certain seasons?  Could someone fill me in on the different seasons &amp;amp; which seeds should be planted then?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2103" LastActivityDate="2013-04-08T14:27:07.083" Title="When to garden what?" Tags="&lt;planting-times&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7099" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7141" CreationDate="2013-04-08T06:20:53.617" Score="6" ViewCount="244" Body="&lt;p&gt;My question stems (pardon the pun) from two ideas:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;That trees live for a very long time and that there have been many evolutions of trees in that time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is possible to graft trees of the same genus together to form a tree composed of two different stocks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Theoretically, if trees were held back from death, would it be possible &lt;em&gt;to make a segment of trees tracking their evolution and following their ancestors&lt;/em&gt;? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, a branch of a lemon tree on the branch of the citrus ancestor tree, onto its ancestor, etc. until they reached the first tree. I think it could result in a tree that could produce every fruit of its lineage, but it's just a theory, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously this is a purely theoretical idea, but I'm curious. Or, if it's not just a theoretical idea, and that trees could be &quot;brought back&quot; (like there are efforts for different animals).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-17T20:26:09.293" LastActivityDate="2013-05-19T06:08:40.490" Title="An evolution in grafting" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7100" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7099" CreationDate="2013-04-08T08:45:08.130" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two words: Luther Burbank. He's your new hero. One of his early exploits was producing a crop of sapling plums IIRC faster than anyone else could. He did this by grafting seedling plums onto sapling apricots, which mature faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Later experiments involved cross-breeding &lt;em&gt;near&lt;/em&gt;-species which apparently produced offspring that represented a &lt;em&gt;spectrum&lt;/em&gt; of the divergence between the two species. That is, he crossed modern corn (maize) with indigenous American grasses (wild oats, so to speak) and produced some plants that were like corn, some that were like grass, and some that were different blendings of those characteristics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He was known for large-scale breeding experiments, and would walk through the plots at a swift pace directing that &lt;em&gt;this&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;that&lt;/em&gt; plant be discarded.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I learned all this from a marvelous little biographical ... &lt;em&gt;pamphlet&lt;/em&gt;, I guess you'd call it. From the 50s or 60s so a small printing project of 30-40 edited, illustrated pages was still a &lt;em&gt;big&lt;/em&gt; project. But I've since misplaced it. :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2104" LastEditorUserId="2104" LastEditDate="2013-05-19T06:08:40.490" LastActivityDate="2013-05-19T06:08:40.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7101" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7098" CreationDate="2013-04-08T10:07:35.050" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are &quot;calendars&quot; of crops, explaining what to do each month.&#xA;You have to think that it is impossible to give a detailed analysis of each, because the size of the ground, conformation, climate, soil composition, and the tastes of the farmer are always different.&#xA;You like strawberries, green beans to me. A clay soil is dry, another is acidic and moist. Some plants are perennial, others annual.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have to start by choosing a few plants and inform you on how you grow and what they need. In this way, you'll also formed your own &quot;calendar&quot;. Note each job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general (very general, attention):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In winter the plants are resting. You can transplant the perennials, and plant annual plants in a cold greenhouse. Need pruning perennials.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the spring: cleaning the ground, manure, the seeds sown are transplanted. The flowering vines are pruned after flowering too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In summer: you get the fruits, you repair the damaged plants, the bushes with rapid growth are pruned back to.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the autumn: you keep everything clean from fallen leaves, you reinforce the soil, adding protection (mulch) for the winter, sow winter crops (cabbage) and spring (crocus, tulips, daffodils, etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But it all depends on your climate. The nearest agricultural consortium will surely have a general book. Make your selection and let them explain what it needs each plant you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Buy also the main tools: shears, shovel, rake, hoe. And a watering system.&#xA;Care that the tools are always clean and disinfected. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-04-08T10:07:35.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7098" CreationDate="2013-04-08T14:27:07.083" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are you in the US? If so, there are plenty of sites online that will show you suggested planting dates for different vegetables based on the USDA planting zone you live in or even based on your zip code. That would be the best place to start. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-04-08T14:27:07.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7103" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6021" CreationDate="2013-04-08T17:09:52.127" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many options for electric chainsaws.  I have owned a handful over the years and all have underperformed, but that is to be expected with the exceedingly low prices on the units.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Safety:&#xA;Chain brake-  Required in my mind.&#xA;Kickback/pull-in teeth- These are the aggressive steal teeth below the bar that are more important than they seem, provide leverage and runaway protection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Function:&#xA;Chain tensioner- must be metal of somekind, and must interact with the chain bar itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said I have seen only a few electrics with these options checked, and those are on the very expensive side.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can recommend the Remington and MTD saws ,but I am only recommending them because they are extremely cheap and their replacement is not as difficult.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a Stihl MSE 140 C-BQ electric saw that is what you are looking for, but the price will most likely be a barrier, at somewhere over $300.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1914" LastActivityDate="2013-04-08T17:09:52.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7104" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7106" CreationDate="2013-04-08T19:52:43.020" Score="5" ViewCount="176" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this growing in our back yard here in the Pacific North West US:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4D30l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Photo taken in late March)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's full of these drooping white flowers and (what I think are) new red leaves. Feels kind of tropical. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Right now it's about 10' tall. I'm not sure if it's a bush or a tree (or if it matters). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is that it was planted about 6' away from a nice Japanese Maple. So this looks rather silly at this scale next to the diminutive maple. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question(s):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;does anyone know what this is?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;at this size, could it be heavily pruned to encourage new growth and then maintained at a more manageable size (say 4' or so)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;at this size, could it be dug up and replanted somewhere else? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if it can be heavily pruned, can that be done now, or should I wait until next winter to do it? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T04:16:53.583" Title="What is this bush/tree and can it be heavily pruned?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2907" CreationDate="2013-04-08T20:15:22.647" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant has some kind of flavor? With small spike flowers? It's his scent similar to lemon? If so, it reminds me of lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora). Check to see &lt;a href=&quot;http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloysia_citrodora&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;if it can help you.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GB905.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;er&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ilgiardinodegliangeli.net/files/Lippia-citriodora.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pianta http://www.ilgiardinodegliangeli.net/files/Lippia-citriodora.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zXTme.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pi2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2018-12-31T01:08:20.547" LastActivityDate="2018-12-31T01:08:20.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="7106" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7104" CreationDate="2013-04-08T20:21:11.540" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieris_japonica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pieris japonica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; of some variety, and these do make between 10 and 12 feet. They don't like being heavily pruned on a regular basis, so keeping it small isn't an option, and at that height, this is a mature shrub which, if it's to survive, would need a crane and a tarpaulin to lift out the (massive) rootball. If the Acer's (Japanese maple) not been in long, move that elsewhere instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-11T04:16:53.583" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T04:16:53.583" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7107" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7110" CreationDate="2013-04-08T22:36:05.710" Score="3" ViewCount="977" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted comfrey last spring (3 crowns) and they grew very vigorously. I did a minimal amount of cutting (pretty much just to remove flowers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to propagate them. It's common advice that they're hard to kill (even when you want to).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is one year too early to divide? In general, is it safe to divide them annually? If not, what is the earliest I can divide and how frequently can I take divisions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-04-09T11:41:28.050" Title="How soon / how often can I divide comfrey?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7108" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7109" CreationDate="2013-04-09T00:17:25.420" Score="5" ViewCount="5482" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several young (1-4 years old) fruit trees and am considering planting nitrogen fixers around/underneath:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;white clover (ground cover)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lupine (herb layer)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;siberian pea shrub (shrub layer)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems intuitive that the N-fixers will only provide a benefit as far as their roots extend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want to damage the tree roots by digging too close. I think the tree roots will extend further outward over time as the trees grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Does it make sense, and is it safe for the trees, to dig planting holes for the lupine just outside the drip line of the trees?&lt;/strong&gt; Or is there more potential for harm than good?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I go to the effort of digging there (digging isn't easy here), I'd probably amend the general area with manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similarly with the clover, I'm thinking about scraping away the mulch and scattering seed underneath the trees then covering with 0.5&quot; or so of composted manure. (Or covering the area with 1-2&quot; of compost and spreading seed there.) &lt;strong&gt;Are there any potential problems with this?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2017-10-03T19:51:45.413" Title="Placing nitrogen fixers around established trees?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;companion-planting&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7109" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7108" CreationDate="2013-04-09T10:48:12.883" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;My understanding of nitrogen fixing plants is that nitrogen is retained by the plant for it's own use.  Farmers will sow clover and legumes but to make the nitrogen accessible they plow it in. This is called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_manure&quot;&gt;green manure&lt;/a&gt; and works well for fields with annual crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see a problem with your idea due to the long term nature of an apple tree.  The clover will compete with the tree in the same root zone and you cannot plow the cover crop in without damaging the apple tree roots.  However the clover will attract bees who will pollinate your apple tree if the timing is right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nitrogen is highly mobile within the soil but mostly it is mobile in one direction, down.  So rain will wash it out but a source must be close to roots for it to be picked up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there annual nitrogen fixing crops? Surely some of the soybean crops would fit. Then you could harvest the beans and mow the rest of plant into a green mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I reviewed that post that you referred to that indicates that nitrogen transfer does take place from nitrogen fixing plants to the roots of other species. If your apple trees have or can host the microrhizae required to facilitate the transfer then you are in a trade off situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pros: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the clover provides some nitrogen at low levels in a continuous feed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the clover will attract pollinators when it flowers. This may assist if the clovers flower at the same time as the apple trees.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;clover will add organic matter, keep the soil from being compacted, reduce water runoff&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;clover is not eaten by those Japanese Beetles that are problematic if you grew grass instead&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cons:&#xA;- clover is competing for the same water and nutrients that the apple tree roots are&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's very hard to assess whether there is a net benefit.  I agree with violadaprile that you do not see shrubs grown close to apple trees.  Farmers appear to prefer monoculture, possibly for maintenance reasons or just habit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-04-09T19:42:02.957" LastActivityDate="2013-04-09T19:42:02.957" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7107" CreationDate="2013-04-09T11:41:28.050" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Symphytum officinale&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Consolida maggiore - Borragine maggiore)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being hardy plants, they can be used in gardening to fill easily unimportant or secluded areas. But as well as plants that self sow, easily become invasive and, being very deep, root system are difficult to eradicate. In the basement are also always a few small fragments of root are still capable of producing new plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can simply divide some piece of root and transplant elsewhere. It is easy, has a very high percentage of engraftment. I'd do it in the spring when the plant is still at rest. But in the meantime you can see on the soil the new shoots from seed, and eventually transplant them. This operation should be much easier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, I think you can split it at any time, even several times a year. But think well, maybe you do not want to find the garden invaded by this plant, then very difficult to remove.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vetbalaid.com/Ingredient_Photos/Symphytum%20Officinale.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;borr http://www.vetbalaid.com/Ingredient_Photos/Symphytum%20Officinale.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTGReCQuVIzOSQudPTssHjxHZkIn1s4Mvw3H89QxMnDoKmeWsqe&quot; alt=&quot;id&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-04-09T11:41:28.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7108" CreationDate="2013-04-09T12:50:28.847" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The starting point of studies here was the observation that legumes, and species of this family are able to deposit nitrogen in the soil in which they live. Furthermore, the type of nitrogen that deposit, which is of an organic nature (manufactured by living beings), is not washed away by rain, as instead happens to inorganic form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To avoid damage to the roots of plants, legumes are seeded prior to implantation of the plants. Then the soil is turned, burying the plants usually covered with aphids (more nitrogen). Only after that are implanted plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Later, the soil around the plants is kept clean (for more air). The sowing of nitrogenous is at aside, in a small special field or on the sidelines, or even directly in the compost area. At maturity the new compound is turned and distributed around the plants, without touching the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in italy (nor in French) you wont see fruit trees surrounded by shrubs or herbs of any kind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-04-09T19:55:30.873" LastActivityDate="2013-04-09T19:55:30.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3729" CreationDate="2013-04-09T19:05:48.993" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are pill bugs. I'm having the same problem and I have caught them in the act. They have slowly eaten all my cucumber plants and all my pole beans. My raised beds are infested with them this year for some reason. I might have to give up on those things for this year. They are not bothering my tomatoes or squash or peppers for some reason, not yet anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2109" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-11T18:09:02.593" LastActivityDate="2013-04-11T18:09:02.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7108" CreationDate="2013-04-10T14:29:03.900" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have interplanted goumi bushes between my dwarf fruit trees for this reason. I can't say for certain whether the nitrogen from the goumis is helping the fruit trees, but they are growing well and appear very healthy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My trees are about 8 feet apart. I planted the goumi half way between the trees about a year after the initial planting. At the time, they were outside of the drip line, but now they overlap with it. I think your idea of planting just outside of the current drip line is a good one. If it doesn't work, lupine is easy enough to pull out, right? I might be a little more careful with the white clover, since it is harder to get rid of if it were to cause a problem, in my experience. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-04-10T14:29:03.900" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7114" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5869" CreationDate="2013-04-10T20:26:56.883" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigeon_pea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pigeon pea&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Cajanus cajan&lt;/em&gt;) or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa_oleifera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Moringa&lt;/a&gt;, depending on what you want. Both plants will fix nitrogen and provide nutrient-dense edibles; they are perfect for chop and drop mulching too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2114" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-11T18:08:13.373" LastActivityDate="2013-04-11T18:08:13.373" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7115" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7121" CreationDate="2013-04-11T17:11:52.147" Score="2" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've noticed that when professional landscaping services put mulch in an area, it smells. However, mulch by itself doesn't smell. I'm wondering what do they mix mulch with and why? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just moved into a new home and cleared the ground by removing a lot of leaves. Now I'm planning to mulch the area. That's why I was wondering whether it is a good idea to mix mulch with something else. This area has couple of trees, shrubs, and a few lilies. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2098" LastActivityDate="2013-04-20T01:45:28.933" Title="Should mulch be mixed with something else?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7116" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7119" CreationDate="2013-04-11T17:18:15.893" Score="5" ViewCount="170" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got several mature trees in my yard. I just moved into the home and for the last two years not a lot of care was given to the trees. As a first step I've removed all the trees that were scattered around the tree step. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/taT3kl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Other than pruning what other measures can be taken to take care of a mature tree?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I cover the stem with mulch? Should the mulch be mixed with something?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2098" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-12T01:03:01.690" LastActivityDate="2013-04-15T12:55:43.567" Title="How to best care for mature trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7117" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7120" CreationDate="2013-04-11T17:25:51.347" Score="7" ViewCount="13593" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just moved into a home and this tree is planted in the yard. Half of it seems to be in good shape but the other half has no leaves and seems dead. I'm not sure what, if anything, I can do to save or rejuvenate this tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click any photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/irsoa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/irsoal.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1WYOG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1WYOGl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Falls,_Virginia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Great Falls, Virginia&lt;/a&gt; in the USA and it is currently early spring here. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2098" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-12T01:00:04.350" LastActivityDate="2015-04-07T14:52:06.377" Title="Is there a way to save this half-dead evergreen tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3815" CreationDate="2013-04-11T19:01:00.723" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can pull them out with a car jack. You need to secure a chain to the jack and the stump and have a thick board for the jack to sit on. I've heard of this to take out fence posts. I have never tried either, but it makes sense theoretically. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2116" LastActivityDate="2013-04-11T19:01:00.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7116" CreationDate="2013-04-11T19:18:11.183" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Honestly, in most cases mature trees don't need our help. It looks like you have a lovely wooded lot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would remove (or have removed) any branches or trees that are dead and might be a hazard (could fall on a house or a person). I would not prune the trees just to prune them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have grass that you will be mowing around some of the trees, I would mulch those trees - just to keep the grass away from the trunk, so you are not taking a mower right up to the trunk or exposed roots and damaging them. I would not mulch or fertilize the trees otherwise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are any invasive plants/shrubs/trees which are taking over, you could remove those as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, a natural area like that is very low maintenance. It's evolved to do just fine on its own without us. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2013-04-15T12:55:43.567" LastActivityDate="2013-04-15T12:55:43.567" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7120" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7117" CreationDate="2013-04-11T20:10:20.687" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;With evergreens they way they grow is that most species do not bud or get new growth off old wood. (Yews are an exception and this makes them very durable for hedging)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For your tree, where the branches are dead it is unlikely that any new growth will &quot;fill in&quot; the gaps.  Existing growth on that side will continue growing and as the tree grows the gaps will become less prominent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot tell the cause of the dieback. It could be winter damage from heavy salt or if there is evidence of damage to the trunk then that could be the problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is a specimen plant that you see every day you could consider removing it.  If you have some patience and it's not in a critical area then just topdress and water during dry spells and you won't notice the damage in a few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-04-11T20:10:20.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7121" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7115" CreationDate="2013-04-11T21:56:58.653" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mulch is just a general term meaning materials applied to the top of the soil around plants, usually. It can be anything from leaf litter, such as you've just removed, leaf mould, coca shell, bark chips, slate, grit, garden compost you've made yourself, peat mixes or composted animal manures. The latter is the one that smells, and is also the most beneficial for many plants, providing nutrients for the soil and, thus, the plant. Your mature trees, though, need none of these, except the leaf litter could usefully be left, or collected and composted into leafmould, then replaced around the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-04-11T21:56:58.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1039" CreationDate="2013-04-12T02:27:36.263" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think fish would be a good solution, but not &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfish&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;goldfish&lt;/a&gt;.  They are nasty, producing lots of feces.  If you put a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plecostomus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Plecostomus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; in there, it would eat the algae, and I have read that &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebrafish&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;zebra striped Danios&lt;/a&gt; will ferociously eat mosquito larvae.  I am looking for solutions before I put in my water feature, I'm no expert.  I think the oil would just look gross.  Hats off!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2117" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-13T14:27:21.067" LastActivityDate="2013-04-13T14:27:21.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7123" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4363" CreationDate="2013-04-12T03:31:39.153" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.prairiemoon.com/seeds/grasses-sedges-rushes/bouteloua-curtipendula-side-oats-grama.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Side-oats Grama&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.prairiemoon.com/seeds/grasses-sedges-rushes/bouteloua-gracilis-blue-grama.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Blue Grama&lt;/a&gt; are both native to Texas and known to occur in Travis County. They tolerate full sun and dry soil, should grow readily from seed when sown on warm soil in the spring, and reach 1-2 feet in height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had good experience with side-oats last year even after sowing in late June (!) at the beginning of a blazing-hot Kansas summer. I thought it was pretty attractive too and definitely soft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Centipedegrass is not native to Texas or even North America, btw. If you're in Austin you might call or visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. They'll know what to recommend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2118" LastActivityDate="2013-04-12T03:31:39.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7125" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2013-04-12T16:19:25.023" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A powered saw for quickly cutting &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/trees&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;trees&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;trees&lt;/a&gt; and limbs.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chainsaw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Chain saws&lt;/a&gt; work by pulling a loop of chain with sharp cutting teeth on it around the edges of a flat bar. The size of saw is specified by the length of the bar and power of the motor. A 14&amp;quot; bar is the smallest generally available. Chain saws go on up in size to 36+&amp;quot; bars found on the very large saws used by lumberjacks felling mature trees. A 16&amp;quot; or 18&amp;quot; bar is reasonable size for most homeowners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Electric saws are available. They tend to be small and underpowered. A good bow saw may be more effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Working with a chain saw is hazardous. Make sure that your saw's &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chainsaw_safety_features&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;safety features&lt;/a&gt; are in place and functional before every use. Wear &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chainsaw_safety_clothing&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;protective clothing&lt;/a&gt; when using a chain saw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A chainsaw is a high maintenance device. Two cycle gasoline motors are finicky about fuel and lubrication. As you use the saw it generates lots of chips and dust that find their way into the motor area. The cutting chain also needs to be regularly sharpened and retensioned for safe and efficient cutting. Expect to spend 1hr on maintaining the saw for every 3-4 hrs of cutting wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="193" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-17T13:06:34.620" LastActivityDate="2021-02-17T13:06:34.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="7126" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2013-04-12T16:19:25.023" Score="0" Body="A powered saw for quickly cutting trees and limbs." OwnerUserId="193" LastEditorUserId="193" LastEditDate="2013-09-19T02:10:50.240" LastActivityDate="2013-09-19T02:10:50.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7127" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7130" CreationDate="2013-04-12T21:56:05.357" Score="5" ViewCount="19940" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two types of Southern Highbush blueberry bushes, Misty and O'Neal. This spring, I noticed that their leaves are yellowing as shown in the photos below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Misty:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YLHWb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YLHWbl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; title=&quot;Click photo for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;O'Neal:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S7B4w.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S7B4wl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; title=&quot;Click photo for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are in 100% peat moss with pine bark mulch on the surface. What typically causes their leaves to turn yellow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1647" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-14T13:42:53.743" LastActivityDate="2013-06-18T14:21:27.223" Title="What are some reasons why a blueberry bush's leaves turn yellow?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7128" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7129" CreationDate="2013-04-13T07:39:39.887" Score="9" ViewCount="225" Body="&lt;p&gt;A month back, I planted a small portion of Ginger root in a pot and watered it moderately every day. Seeing no results so far, today I cleared the pot and saw that Ginger root had started to decompose instead of rooting. I have no idea what went wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I used fairly fresh Ginger root.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I kept the soil moist.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I kept the pot in partial sunlight.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions, how do I grow it again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-11-18T16:16:35.250" LastActivityDate="2013-11-18T22:49:14.710" Title="How do I cultivate ginger from a piece of root?" Tags="&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;spices&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7129" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7128" CreationDate="2013-04-13T08:23:13.150" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It had to be dry and not fresh (out from soil one or two weeks). Put in plain light but not in sun, nor partial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a clay pot, wide and deep, typically from 5-10 liters, with this root in the center and in depth, taking care to cover it with universal soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The watering must be regular and especially whenever the soil is dry, but avoiding stagnation of water in the saucer that would lead to the emergence of fungal plant diseases known as root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That, if you are sure that your ginger was healthy. Maybe it was not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT @ (just learned how answering to comments)&#xA;Rhizomes have to be very dry.&#xA;It works like the cuttings of succulents. When you divide the rhizomes of ginger, one part is &quot;wound&quot;, ie open to infections. As with cacti, you have to wait several days before burying. The &quot;wound&quot; has to dry thoroughly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Likewise, the rhizome of the ginger, which is fleshy, has to dry for some weeks before to be buryed. Even better, like cacti, put it in the ground and wait at least a few days before watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-04-14T23:34:48.810" LastActivityDate="2013-04-14T23:34:48.810" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7130" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7127" CreationDate="2013-04-13T12:33:02.067" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The typical answer to yellowing leaves in an acid loving plant is chlorosis due to a lack of available iron caused by a soil ph of over 7.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However I find &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.utextension.utk.edu/mtnpi/handouts/Fertility/Soil_pH_Explained.pdf&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; that soils in Tennessee are mostly acidic and tend to remain at that level due to sulfur from air pollution and existing soil composition.  You have already done the right thing by planting in peat moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some diagnostics you can do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spray a dilute solution of chelated iron on the foliage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do a pH test on the soil to ensure it is less than 6, preferably less than 5&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;examine the plants closely to see if there are other causes. Look for:&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;after frost damage branches look like upside down hooks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;small reddish spots on the branches are Canker: Fusicoccom (Godronia&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is the soil waterlogged due to poor drainage? If you dig a hole in clay based soils and back fill with peat it is like making a bathtub. Water goes in and stays in.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;are the stems still healthy?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is there any sign of green veins and yellow leaf indicating chlorosis?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-04-14T13:35:00.863" LastActivityDate="2013-04-14T13:35:00.863" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7131" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="141" CreationDate="2013-04-13T14:53:57.337" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;To add to the above answer, ammonia can be a problem; it's poisonous to some plants, and its production depletes the soil of nitrogen&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2120" LastActivityDate="2013-04-13T14:53:57.337" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7127" CreationDate="2013-04-13T23:00:42.103" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I may humbly add something to check: the grass strip under ground and under obstacles with long rhizomes, to find another exit point. Even when it can not exit to the surface, because of the mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes it finds an exit point along the way, but even if not, continues its path. So, for a blade of grass that you see, there can be dozens of underground rhizomes that have no outlet. To rip just the crest visible is not enough, because every piece of rhizome produces a new plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the first picture, examining the maximum magnification, bottom left, just behind the leaves of the bush, you can see the blades of grass very close. Perhaps grass rhizomes are crawled under the mulch strangling the roots of blueberry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If so, remove the mulch (and perhaps also the soil below) and check where they are rhizomes. If necessary, clean up the area and cover it again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-04-13T23:50:59.160" LastActivityDate="2013-04-13T23:50:59.160" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7134" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2654" CreationDate="2013-04-14T23:02:28.350" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The genus Saintpaulia, and original species S. ionantha, were scientifically described by H. Wendland in 1893.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Saintpaulias grow from 6–15 cm tall and can be anywhere from 6–30 cm wide. The leaves are rounded to oval, 2.5–8.5 cm long with a 2–10 cm petiole, finely hairy, and with a fleshy texture. The flowers are 2–3 cm diameter, with a five-lobed velvety corolla (&quot;petals&quot;), and grow in clusters of 3–10 or more on slender stalks (peduncles). Flower colour in the wild species can be violet, purple, pale blue, or white.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Several of the species and subspecies are endangered, and many more are threatened, due to clearance of their native cloud forest habitat for agriculture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Revisions of the genus by B.L. Burtt had expanded the genus to approximately 20 species. On the basis of recent studies that showed most of the species to be very poorly differentiated, both genetically and morphologically, the number of species has been reduced to six, with the majority of former species reduced to subspecies under S. ionantha, in a recent floristic treatment. The most recent taxonomic treatment from 2009 recognises 9 species, 8 subspecies and 2 varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saintpaulia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;from wiki&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Saintpaulia ionantha 'Pink Amiss'&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MelYF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;stpa&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Saintpaulia Podseluj Rusalki&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.skinbase.org/files/archive/zoom/553/Saintpaulia-Podseluj-Rusalki.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sppr http://www.skinbase.org/files/archive/zoom/553/Saintpaulia-Podseluj-Rusalki.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Saintpaulia 'Dorothy'&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V1UiY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;doro&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Saintpaulia tongwensis&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FLMBN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tong&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-01-06T17:06:26.027" LastActivityDate="2019-01-06T17:06:26.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="7135" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7136" CreationDate="2013-04-15T02:00:58.563" Score="7" ViewCount="6471" Body="&lt;p&gt;We're trying to flatten chicken wire (for our raised bed fence) that came in a roll originally. Any tips?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2125" LastActivityDate="2013-04-15T11:36:32.300" Title="How to flatten chicken wire?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7136" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7135" CreationDate="2013-04-15T11:36:32.300" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;You'll never get it completely flat before you use it, though it will tend to flatten over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get most of the curl out, unroll it &quot;upside down&quot; so that the wire on the end bites into the ground. Put a couple of cement blocks or something heavy on that end. Roll out the rest of the fence, putting weights on it wherever it wants to curl back up. Leave it for a couple of days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or, don't bother trying to flatten it before you use it. The curl only has enough strength to be annoying, not enough to undo itself from where you attach it. Drive in stakes where you want the perimeter of the fence. Unroll the first bit of fence and attach it to the first stake. Stretch the fence as you unroll it and tie it to the next stake. Continue, stretching the fence so it stays tight and flat, and making sure to attach it to the stakes as you go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-04-15T11:36:32.300" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7137" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7139" CreationDate="2013-04-15T12:23:44.437" Score="5" ViewCount="361" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a rather small garden and would like to start growing some vegetables and herbs. We already reserved a part of our garden for this, but at the edge of this part there currently is a forsythia growing. It is about 1.5 meter high. My question is; would this cause any problems to our kitchen garden? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main thing I'm concerned about is that the forsythia may excrete substances that may be toxic, or that it may draw away lots of water from the herbs and vegetables. I like the forsythia so I'd rather not clear it. I would relocate it, but since our garden is small there is hardly any room left to move it to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1916" LastActivityDate="2015-08-11T16:49:09.220" Title="Would a forsythia at edge of kitchen garden cause problems?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;toxicity&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7138" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7117" CreationDate="2013-04-15T14:55:58.457" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;first thing to do is trim off all of the dead branches... then see if you really want to save the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;look for signs of beetle attack (sappy bore holes). when it gets warmer you can sometimes hear the larva chewing...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;if you have beetles, just cut it down and burn it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;if not keep in mind a few things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The bare areas will probably not re grow.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;this looks like a horticultural sport, like a weeping spruce of some sort, and probably won't get big enough to look normal with the missing branches.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;unless you figure out what is killing the tree it may continue to die anyway.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2013-04-15T14:55:58.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7137" CreationDate="2013-04-15T15:18:16.607" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The biggest problem might be the amount of root in the ground from the plant, in terms of being able to dig and plant other things, but toxicity isn't a worry. Prune it after it flowers, you can be as severe as you like. Also consider how much shade it will cast (if any) on any food plants you're growing - you don't want those to be in shade most of the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-04-15T15:18:16.607" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7140" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-15T22:18:29.397" Score="6" ViewCount="225" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know it's only spring time, but I have lots of little blossoms on my container tomato plants. All are ready to bloom into tomatoes.  They often do not reach full size.  In fact, I just pulled off four teeny tomatoes that actually tasted great!  Sometimes they do not look plump either.  Also, should I add coffee grounds to the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2128" LastActivityDate="2013-04-16T09:54:00.220" Title="Why don't my Roma tomatoes reach full size?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7141" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7099" CreationDate="2013-04-15T23:20:20.640" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is possible to buy citrus trees with more than one variety grafted to it. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/solver/multi.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fruitsaladtrees.com/Citrus-Trees&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that the first link talks about incapability problems. And all of these trees are considered to be the same species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I'm going to answer &quot;no&quot;, it's not possible in practice, with current grafting techniques. You can get a few varieties grafted onto one rootstock. But grafting an entire evolutionary tree with thousands or millions of grafts isn't going to be possible. The graft point is the weakest point, it's prone to disease, and the tree can only get so big.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1298" LastActivityDate="2013-04-15T23:20:20.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7140" CreationDate="2013-04-16T03:11:55.183" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;To obtain maximum performance with tomatoes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When the plants are in bloom, you can facilitate the fruit setting by gently shaking, around noon, the support rods and ropes. This will facilitate the fall of the pollen&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Only start fertilizing once the first fruits have started to swell &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove all axillary germinations aside of main branches, which are infertile&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Check that the main branches are supported vertically&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove leaves to leave the maximum space to fruits.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant needs a soil rich in organic matter and well drained, but also bears fruit if planted on sandy soil or clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following these rules, your tomatoes should be abundant and large.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you do not give any information about the place where you are, it is difficult to imagine other possible causes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, add coffee to the ground only serves to make the soil more porous and lightweight, like drainage does. It does not serve as a fertilizer or for other purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2013-04-16T09:54:00.220" LastActivityDate="2013-04-16T09:54:00.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7143" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-16T17:32:14.083" Score="9" ViewCount="1763" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been growing some apples from seed. I had four growing in one pot, then transplanted them into four separate pots. They have survived the transplant I believe, but one of the pots has a light-blue mold growing on the surface of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not exactly sure what kind it is or where it came from, but the other three pots haven't shown signs of mold growth yet, and hopefully I'll never see any.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each of the pots have the same schedule of watering and sun light (in response to a previous answer, likely over watered), they have the same soil found &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000OWF97S&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. (It's a mixture of mostly that and some potting soil, but the potting soil hasn't been the cause in the past.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're in small pots, and I'm living in a really small space so making a 5-gallon bucket of bleach-water isn't optimal. How can kill the mold in the pot, and prevent it from growing in the other three?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-17T20:07:32.377" LastActivityDate="2013-04-17T20:07:32.377" Title="How can I stop mold from growing on the surface of the soil around my potted plants?" Tags="&lt;pots&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7143" CreationDate="2013-04-16T21:42:52.613" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This should do the job:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Manually remove the mould from the surface of the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keep the plant a little drier&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;increase ventilation&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;move to a sunnier location&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-04-16T21:42:52.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7145" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7150" CreationDate="2013-04-16T22:21:19.547" Score="7" ViewCount="1345" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here in Montana, high winds are a common cause for both gardening problems and poor energy efficiency in homes (as well as maintenance issues). Can anyone recommend some low-maintenance plants that would shelter both other plants and the side of a leaky house from frequent high winds? I suspect evergreens would be best, but which ones? They need to withstand temperature extremes from below -30F to over 100F and winds that often gust over 30mph (50 possible) and be tall enough to serve as a wind break for at least a single-story building.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2130" LastActivityDate="2019-03-10T16:14:36.833" Title="Hardy plants for wind break in the Rocky Mountain West?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;wind-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7146" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7143" CreationDate="2013-04-17T01:55:46.457" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer to your second question, &quot;how prevent it from growing in the other 3&quot;, is as follows:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Move this plant away&lt;/strong&gt; from the other three&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Disinfect your tools&lt;/strong&gt; every time you've used on the diseased plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If possible, disinfect your hands too.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After you have saved the other plants, we can examine your first question, &quot;How to kill the mold in the pot&quot;. Starting as an immediate measure, I agree with the suggestions made by Kevinsky. Id est, &lt;strong&gt;removing manually the mold&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But we do not have data on what this mold is. It could be an algae (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanobacteria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cyanobacteria&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), or a mold (fungi, like Phytophthora citrophthora, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penicillium_italicum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Penicillium italicum&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or other else) or some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;lichen&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (fungi + algae). The colour is the same, more or less. To distinguish among them, we can start a cursory examination of view (texture and presentation are different), but an exact result we can have, possibly, from a microscopic examination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different causes require different remedies. I believe that a thorough examination would probably be too complicated. But certainly, I think, &lt;strong&gt;the mold is not only on the surface but also inside the ground.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, to help you if you feel like it, you can&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remove&lt;/strong&gt; the plant from the pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Completely change pot and ground&lt;/strong&gt; (for algae and lichens)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Disinfect the bare roots&lt;/strong&gt; and the stem with a fungicide (for fungi)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plant again&lt;/strong&gt; your apple tree &lt;strong&gt;in an uncontaminated environment&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try to do this quickly, without subjecting the roots to temperature changes or drafts. In this way, you deal with all the issues from various sides and it is possible, I believe, to solve them. This is what I would do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-04-17T07:05:37.850" LastActivityDate="2013-04-17T07:05:37.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7147" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7145" CreationDate="2013-04-17T02:48:48.523" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thuja cupressum&lt;/a&gt; is the best. Is a genus belonging to the family Cupressaceae, native to Alaska, Lakes region in North America, China and Japan. They are used in both, Italy and French, as wall against strong and cold winds. They are tall and robust, capable of curbing high winds.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mOEJL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mOEJL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;thuja&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://static.guide.supereva.it/guide/antropologia/cipressi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;supereva.it&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Throughout the centre-south of France are used to mark the borders of the crops and at the same time as effectively repair by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistral_(wind)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mistral&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Italy, due to the different location of urban centers, which here are almost always located on hilltops, are used to protect the access roads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Villa d'Este, Cernobbio, Como&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://www.proarbora.it/main/images/stories/c2-cipressi-este/2c-cipressi-villa-deste-11.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Villa d'Este, Cernobbio&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2019-03-10T10:32:19.593" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="7148" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-17T15:00:18.560" Score="4" ViewCount="1458" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a climate that is sufficiently variable that it doesn't lend itself to programmed irrigation.  At present I use simple mechanical timers.  Put a sprinker in place, turn the timer on, and go do something else for 1-2 hours.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However this means I can't leave for more than 2 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I would like is a timer that has 2 controls:  One is a delay, one is the run time.&#xA;With such a system, and a timer for each hosebib (I have 9 hosebibs) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Go to area 3.  Turn on water manually, adjust sprinkler, turn off water, set delay of 4 hours, run time of 2 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Go to area 2.  Turn on water manually, adjust sprinkler, turn off water, set delay of 2 hours, run time of 1.5 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Go to area 1.  Turn on water manually, adjust sprinkler, set run time of 1:45&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far all of the timers I've found are either simple mechanical ones that allow you to set a time to turn off, or they are programmed timers that have to repeat start at a given time and run time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some have a manual 'start watering now' feature, but this does not have a delay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional requirements:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The unit cannot require access to 110v.  It's 1200 feet from the nearest plugin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For similar reasons using a PC based controller is not an option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to me that this would be a useful device for people who water their lawns at night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional clarification:  (Added because of answer #1)&#xA;The application will require a  different use EVERY DAY. (sometimes twice a day.)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;A timer that:&#xA; * Repeats today at any time in the future is &lt;em&gt;NOT&lt;/em&gt; wht I want.&#xA; * Has a manual mode that only waters &lt;em&gt;NOW&lt;/em&gt; is &lt;em&gt;NOT&lt;/em&gt; what I want.&#xA; * Requires more than 15 seconds to set for the day is &lt;em&gt;NOT&lt;/em&gt; what I want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need:&#xA; * Settable delay&#xA; * Settable runtime.&#xA; * Run.  It will run ONCE and never run again until I come and hit the run button.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Desireable&#xA; * Remembers last used parameters, so, if today is similar to yesterday, I may only have to change one parameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need the functionality of a 2 clock mechanical timer where I twist one dial to set delay and another dial to set run time.  The functionality can be emboddied in an electronic timer, but it has to be easy to set.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know of a timer that allows to quickly set a delay and a run time, and it runs once and stops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastEditorUserId="2067" LastEditDate="2013-04-19T14:23:34.117" LastActivityDate="2013-08-16T15:36:36.947" Title="Irrigation timer with setable delay before start" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7149" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7145" CreationDate="2013-04-17T15:39:46.233" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Montana is high plains.  Bitter cold winters, hot summers.  Dry all year. I don't think cedar will work here.  Some of the upright junipers might be ok. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My experience is based on Canadian Prairie.  Even colder winters, cool summers, similar precipitation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good information about shelterbelts:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do?id=1192201777018&amp;amp;lang=eng&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Trees and Shrubs for Prairie Shelterbelts&lt;/a&gt; (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/%24department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex981&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Shelterbelt Varieties for Alberta&lt;/a&gt; (Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the long haul you want several rows of trees/shrubs at varying height.&#xA;At minimum you want two rows, planted checkboard style, with one very fast growing tree and one conifer.  The fast growing tree gives you some results quickly.  The conifer provides better winter protection in the long run.  The checkboard pattern maximizes the distance between two trees of the same species (different root patterns = less water conflict.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have the water (20 inches of precip/year) I would use hybrid poplar for the quick tree -- probably Hill or Okanese. Golden willow may work too. Here it will grow on glacial till.  Green Ash, mantitoba maple (box elder)  are also possible.  Here it will grow on glacial till.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to your native pines, consider Mountain Pine, Austrian pine (Zone 3 variant).&#xA;Colorado spruce should do well there.  Concolor fir might be ok.  It can handle the temps, but it may be too dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees should be 10-15 feet apart in row, and rows should be 12 feet apart.  Shrubs can be 5 feet apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You &lt;em&gt;MUST&lt;/em&gt; keep grass and weeds to a minimum until the trees are 8 feet tall.  Mow as close as you can, or till carefully to not hit roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water monthly during the first 3 years.  Water deeply.  Take a pail, put a 3/8&quot; hole in the side at the bottom.  Put a 2&quot; cube of sponge in the hole.  Fill with water.  This will take several hours to drip out.  Adding a rock will keep the pail from blowing away when empty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the shrub end:  Wolf Willow, mugo pine, caragana, sea buckthorn, rocky moountain juniper, possibly chokecherry, lilac.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Swaling the rows can help.  Before you plant, grade the land so that each row is at the bottom of a 6&quot; deep by 12 foot wide v trench.  This will cause runoff to concentrate on the trees.  If your row is on a slope, you will need to build dams.  The easiest way to do this is take and 8' blade, and make a 12' v blade that you can bolt to it.  1/4&quot; plate should do it.  To make dams, just lift the blade a few inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-04-23T12:20:08.037" LastActivityDate="2013-04-23T12:20:08.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7150" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7145" CreationDate="2013-04-17T16:00:29.983" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Short answer: if you're looking for the simplest thing that will give you the most value, buy some Western white pine and Grand fir seedlings and plant them about 6' apart in rows about 6' apart like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;P     P     P     P     P&#xA;&#xA;   F     F     F     F     F&#xA;&#xA;P     P     P     P     P&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thin them (i.e. cut some down) as they grow if needed (you will have losses). The pines will tend to grow faster than the firs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Long answer (I've been doing research for a windbreak of my own):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd suggest a mix of species. You'll want something fast growing so that you can have protection early -- but fast growing trees tend to not be as strong, so plan on losing them when they are still young. Interplant with something slower growing and stronger. Deciduous trees provide less protection in winter but they will still slow down the wind so your house isn't getting the full force.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can have multiple layers of windbreak, with some smaller trees/shrubs closer to the house -- deciduous trees on the south side of your house can keep it cooler in the summer when those 100°F temperatures hit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having a mix of species means that you are more likely to have more trees survive in the event that you have an outbreak of pests or disease that affect a particular species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/plants/plasticulture/production-details/windbreaks&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; provides some good general information about building a windbreak:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;On the windward side of a windbreak, wind speed reductions are measurable upwind for a distance of 2 to 5 times the height of the windbreak (2H to 5H). On the leeward side (the side away from the wind), wind speed reductions occur up to 30H downwind of the barrier. For example, in a windbreak where the tallest trees are 30 ft, lower wind speeds are measurable for 60 ft to 150 ft on the windward side, and up to 900 ft on the leeward side. Within this protected zone, the structural characteristics of a windbreak, especially density, determine the extent of wind speed reductions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also talk about density of planting:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A windbreak density of 40 to 60 percent provides the greatest downwind area of protection and provides excellent soil erosion control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind the size of the trees at maturity. I, for one, do not want an 80' tall tree closer than about 100' of my house in case it blows over or drops a large branch in a 50mph windstorm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/MT/www/technical/forestry/Forestry_Tech_Note_MT12.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This paper from the 70s&lt;/a&gt; is specific to Montana and provides a list of trees and their windbreak performance on different soils around the state. You may be able to get some ideas there; I've borrowed a couple of species from their list in my list below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some ideas below -- I'm not familiar with these species since you're in Montana and I'm on the east coast, but these are what I've come up with based on a couple of searches. You may want to investigate further to make sure they're appropriate for your site.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Abies spp.&lt;/em&gt; -- Firs, e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ABGR&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Abies grandis&lt;/em&gt; (grand fir)&lt;/a&gt; is a large tree (150') that is shown as growing in Montana, with a moderate growth rate (25' in 20 years). Other firs may be suitable. You can buy firs in quantity for very low cost. (E.g. the NH State Forest Nursery sells Balsam Fir for &lt;a href=&quot;http://nhnursery.com/seedlings/seedling-details.aspx?sid=14&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;$45 per 100 seedlings&lt;/a&gt;; expect losses of up to 50% if you plant at this size and have a bad first couple of years.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pigea spp.&lt;/em&gt; Spruce is a similar story to fir.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Very fast growing trees like hybrid poplars (e.g. &lt;em&gt;P. deltoides x nigra&lt;/em&gt; (OP-367)) can be started from cuttings in bulk for relatively low cost. (E.g. &lt;a href=&quot;http://nhnursery.com/seedlings/seedling-details.aspx?sid=14&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This guy sells 100 cuttings for $49 plus shipping&lt;/a&gt; -- I have a batch of 17 from him that have all successfully started on my windowsill.) As mentioned above, these will be brittle and prone to breakage, but they shoot up fast and can be coppiced, so they can provide some amount of initial protection for the other trees in your wind break. This may not qualify as low maintenance if you aren't willing to deal with trees that may need to be cut down in as few as 5-10 years, but with a little planning it doesn't seem that bad to me. They also provide a decent quantity of relatively low-quality but easy to process firewood, if that's something that's useful to you.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Relatively fast growing conifers like &lt;em&gt;Pinus contorta&lt;/em&gt; (lodgepole pine) or &lt;em&gt;Pinus monticola&lt;/em&gt; (western white pine). These are both large evergreens with fast growth, but neither as fast nor as brittle as something like the poplar. Cost on these seedlings will be about the same as for fir (NH Nursery sells for same price as fir -- $45 per 100.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Slow-to-moderate growing deciduous trees like Green Ash or Cottonwood may be good choices.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shrubs like &lt;em&gt;Caragana arborescens&lt;/em&gt; (Siberian Pea Shrub) only grow to 10-20' tall and grow to that size relatively quickly. This might be a good choice for a row of shrubs closer to the house or on the windward size of a garden.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Prunus americana&lt;/em&gt; (American plum) might be another choice for an inner row.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-04-23T20:11:24.537" LastActivityDate="2013-04-23T20:11:24.537" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7151" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7153" CreationDate="2013-04-17T20:19:34.907" Score="7" ViewCount="11937" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've planted a dormant bareroot 2' tall mulberry seedling, and I'm wondering what sort of pruning is required. It's a full size tree, not any sort of dwarf variety. It has several branches already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Right now: should I do any initial pruning? (E.g. for apple trees it is often recommended to prune them to &quot;whips&quot;.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On an annual basis: what are the recommended timing and practices?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-09T21:27:02.673" LastActivityDate="2017-11-09T21:27:02.673" Title="What is the right way to prune a mulberry tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7137" CreationDate="2013-04-17T20:26:10.430" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think forsythia will cause any toxicity problems. The worst case that I see is that you will disturb its roots while you are digging for your vegetables. I might dig carefully right near the forsythia and plant perennial herbs that will tolerate partial shade (assuming the forsythia cast shade over that area). Alternatively you could build a raised bed there and plant relatively shallow-rooted vegetables that will be helped by shade from summer sun like lettuce or spinach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-04-17T20:26:10.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7153" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7151" CreationDate="2013-04-17T23:05:19.457" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;1) According to the temperature of this moment. I have read that it can snow until April. The ideal time to prune the mulberry tree is before the spring vegetative growth but avoid the intense frost of the coldest months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) The mulberry tree is a plant exuberant, most of the bud is able to bear fruit. Therefore, you can operate without much thoughts. Since, even in the event of drastic interventions, specimens don't fail to recover quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pruning should be carried out by removing the branches damaged by the weather, dried, dressed, thinned or weakened. You also remove the branches that overlap between them, in such a way as to give more air and sun inside the foliage, for the maturation of the fruits even more inside.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The branches of greater diameter must be trimmed to a third of their length, but, if necessary, it can also halve. In doing so we must always remember that the more buds are left on the mulberry, and the more the fruits are small, so if you want less blackberries, but full and juicy, you can perform pruning more pronounced.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it is always general rule that you should not remove more than 30% of the total leaf area of the mulberry tree, to avoid imbalances in energy to the plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pruning will always be in this period, performed in the same way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And finally, an interesting advice: from the pruned branches can be removed mulberry bark, and set aside to ligatures in the garden (for example, those tomatoes and zucchini). This method 'ecological' avoids the use of synthetic strings!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-04-18T01:35:18.250" LastActivityDate="2013-04-18T01:35:18.250" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7154" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5452" CreationDate="2013-04-18T04:58:38.193" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chilis are best harvested before they have fully ripened. Else, the mush could destroy the entire plant. As for storage purposes, simply use an everyday container like a glass jar or plastic box that you find in your kitchen and ensure it is airtight and moisture-free. I heard that some people actually wrap their chilis in newspaper to absorb the moisture before storing in the fridge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2134" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-18T13:03:27.700" LastActivityDate="2013-04-18T13:03:27.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="767" CreationDate="2013-04-18T05:03:52.927" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is still feasible to store seeds until the next year. This is provided that you have the correct storage measures taken. They must be stored away properly in the right container like an airtight and moisture-free jar and away from damp/humid areas in the house. Avoid putting them in the fridge as the temperature in there might spoil or lower the quality of the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2134" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-18T13:03:55.750" LastActivityDate="2013-04-18T13:03:55.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7148" CreationDate="2013-04-18T11:00:54.423" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of water timers and many of them are cheap and liable to break or leak or under or over water. I had a similar problem with adding water to my pond:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no outside electrical input&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;need multiple schedules&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;option for manual over ride&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rugged housing that resists UV and the physical force of attaching and detaching hoses&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;needs to work with very low pressure to tap water pressures&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.claberinc.com/products/irrigation.asp?sz=34&amp;amp;fm=65&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Claber product line&lt;/a&gt; met all these requirements but they are not cheap and must be brought indoors during the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-04-18T11:00:54.423" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7157" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7160" CreationDate="2013-04-18T20:24:34.027" Score="4" ViewCount="281" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can buy or do to have less ticks in my garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="893" LastActivityDate="2013-04-19T21:34:36.140" Title="How can I get rid of ticks in my garden?" Tags="&lt;parasites&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7158" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7157" CreationDate="2013-04-18T20:29:01.963" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can raise some guineafowl or turkeys.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="137" LastActivityDate="2013-04-18T20:29:01.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7157" CreationDate="2013-04-18T21:34:11.873" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on how big your garden. Guinea fowl is a good idea, if your garden is large enough to accommodate animals and even the things needed for breeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another system, depending on your climate, is to implant some carnivorous plant. It is not a very effective therapy, unless ticks pass close to it. But, being a very hard infection, everything could help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;&lt;em&gt;With the possible exception of widespread DDT use in the Soviet Union, attempts to limit the population or distribution of disease-causing ticks have been very unsuccessful.[25]&#xA;The parasitoid chalcid wasp Ixodiphagus hookeri has long been investigated for its potential to control tick populations. It lays its eggs into ticks; the hatching wasps kill their hosts.&#xA;Another natural form of control for ticks is the guineafowl, a bird species which consumes mass quantities of ticks.[26] Just two birds can clear 2 acres (8,100 m2) in a single year.&#xA;Topical (drops/dust) flea/tick medicines may be toxic to animals and humans. Phenothrin (85.7%) in combination with methoprene was a popular topical flea/tick therapy for felines. Phenothrin kills adult fleas and ticks. Methoprene is an insect growth regulator that interrupts the insect's lifecycle by killing the eggs. However, the US Environmental Protection Agency required at least one manufacturer of these products to withdraw some products and include strong cautionary statements on others, warning of adverse reactions.&lt;/em&gt;&quot;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tick&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;check wiki&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, in zones close to your garden are bred animals, especially sheep:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep the grass cut around your entire perimeter for at least one meter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Proceed to a regular pest control, in the area of your perimeter, environmental planning a treatment a week for at least 4 weeks in order to kill ticks barely out of the eggs before they lay more eggs in their turn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pay attention to your pets. Frontline is a very good non-toxic prevention spray. Keeping your pets free from infestation helps to limit environnement infestation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-04-19T00:57:04.253" LastActivityDate="2013-04-19T00:57:04.253" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7160" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7157" CreationDate="2013-04-18T23:15:51.453" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tick control in the garden is difficult.  The best organic method is chickens or guinea fowl as mentioned in the other answers.  Like a lot of tough pests the most successful &lt;a href=&quot;http://healthvermont.gov/prevent/lyme/landscape.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;approach&lt;/a&gt; combines a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.smdc.army.mil/2008/Safety/Articles/TickControlAroundTheHome.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;knowledge of their life cycle&lt;/a&gt; with a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/publications/fact_sheets/integratedtickmanagement.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;number of methods&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ticks require mice and deer in most locations in the continental United States. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ticktubes.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This product&lt;/a&gt;, Damminix tick tubes, uses permethrin soaked cotton balls to kill the ticks on the mice which removes the possibility of transferring to deer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;add a wood chip, paving or gravel margin ( around 6 feet or 2 meters wide) around your garden. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keep grass short and the garden area dry. Ticks like long grass and moist soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you have dogs or cats consult your veterinarian for appropriate controls&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove wood piles and trim weedy areas where ticks like to live&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rake up leaf litter in garden plantings&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not use plants that deer like to eat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fence to keep out deer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you have woodland or scrub areas adjacent to your property consider hiring a licensed pesticide applicator to spray the perimeter of your garden yearly with their recommended control agent.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-04-19T21:34:36.140" LastActivityDate="2013-04-19T21:34:36.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7161" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2618" CreationDate="2013-04-19T02:00:39.407" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, bigger but not better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I find it beautiful grafts between succulents, as much as I find weak results. The grafted plants have beautiful color effects and forms, but generally do not have a long life. At least in my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A columnar type, such as basic, not very high (proportionally to diameter of fust), it may be a good solution because the lymph veins are straight and pointing upward, hence prone to channel nutrients to the graft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is known that this type of inclusion promotes the growth of the graft, which gets bigger faster but weakens. If the graft is not perfect, very soon they will develop rot. Otherwise the weakened plant will be easy prey to diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As note, I prefer to grow succulents in a natural way. They take time to grow and I keep the patience to wait them to grow. Called Zen :-]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-04-19T02:00:39.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7162" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2539" CreationDate="2013-04-19T02:34:48.757" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;RUST vesicular OF NEEDLES (Chrisomyxa spp.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;fungal parasite&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Symptoms: Yellowing of needles younger during the summer, for a portion or in their entirety. Subsequently emerge from the needles attached vesicles elongated, finger-like white or orange to rust, which would break with ease emitting abundant spores. Following the loss of the needles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PREVENTION: If the vesicles are white, the spores can infect rhododendrons, resulting in the appearance of typical rust, and then ritoornare to infect the fir. Provide deleting or moving the rhododendrons from the immediate vicinity of the plants fir attacked. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;CARE: Remove infected branches, dealing with specific products only in case of massive infestation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2013-05-23T14:06:30.840" LastActivityDate="2013-05-23T14:06:30.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7163" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3924" CreationDate="2013-04-19T02:41:38.163" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had it few times, bought in a nursery, and they were exactament so. the guy explained that part of these were behind a pole of the greenhouse so got less sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then I have grown from seed, it was impossible to put them all in the same position and the result was the same. But in fact, places to stay, they have grown regularly, beautiful and healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-04-19T02:41:38.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4111" CreationDate="2013-04-19T03:25:00.823" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You did not anything wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are monstrouse strawberries, a genetic mutations favored by hormonal interventions&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fJn7F2zcVe0/SDsnMSe5IFI/AAAAAAAAAdY/uT1freqFcNE/s400/le%20mie%20fragole%201.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;frag&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Often it is easy to meet, as a result of a degeneration of the tissue, drums that have abnormal forms or the set of main stem and branches follow irregular growths thus giving rise to so-called monstrosity. For fruits is the same.&#xA;These phenomena due to various causes bacterial also lead to the formation of unique specimens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This happens in many plants, most of all into fruits. Specimens twins, as in cherries, are very common.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In fruits, they disappeas quick, since are eaten.&#xA;But in plants they rest evident, and more evident when the plant lives many years and support many many mutations. The cacti.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Occasionally cacti show aberrant growth forms - called &amp;quot;monstrous&amp;quot; forms, uncharacteristic of the species. An example of this is Aztekium hintonii forma mostruosa a very interesting, slow growing  and uncommon plant in collections.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aztekium hintoni Forma prolifera (mostruosus)&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zoldz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;https://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/AZTEKIUM/Aztekium_hintonii/Aztekium_hintonii_mostruoso/hintonii_monst_540.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a genetically stable mutation with variable +/- monstrous, irregularly shaped, ribs with  knobby-looking swellings along the stems.  Stems are lightly pruinose and branches just from the base and occasionally at higher levels, the apexes easily. The areoles are white and woolly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cereus forbesii &amp;quot;spiralis&amp;quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/227xV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/CEREUS/Cereus_forbesii/Cereus_forbesii_spiralis/Cereus_forbesi_cv_spiralis_810.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cer&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Notocactus scopa &amp;quot;inermis&amp;quot; (mostruosa)&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gfot1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gfot1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;n&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(source: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/NOTOCACTUS/Notocactus_scopa/Notocactus_scopa_inermis_cristata/Notocactus_scopa_cv_mostruosus_forma_cristata_540.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cactus-art.biz&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2020-12-23T13:17:58.180" LastActivityDate="2020-12-23T13:17:58.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="7165" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-19T09:56:41.430" Score="2" ViewCount="152" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a packet of seeds labeled only: &quot;crfincr&quot;. Any idea what they might be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A clue in how this name is constructed is given in another packet labeled &quot;baswlk&quot; which means &quot;basil (wilkinson's)&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've planted them and they're coming up very slowly, with small frilly leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2139" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-19T14:20:38.497" LastActivityDate="2013-04-19T14:20:38.497" Title="What might a UK seed packet labeled &quot;crfincr&quot; contain?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="11" ClosedDate="2014-08-07T00:07:50.087" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7166" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7167" CreationDate="2013-04-19T20:45:49.453" Score="5" ViewCount="10951" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Phoenix, AZ and had some grass (sod) laid in the yard 3 weeks ago. Now, each day, clumps of mushrooms are now popping up all over the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How did the mushrooms get in there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I find out if these mushrooms are poisonous? I have small children who might eat them -- I don't want to try them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[Thanks to everyone for your awesome answers, I wish I could mark them all as correct.]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2013-04-21T14:31:03.287" LastActivityDate="2019-03-01T13:09:37.777" Title="Mushrooms in the grass" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7167" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7166" CreationDate="2013-04-19T21:35:53.640" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are you sure that they are mushroom? How is their form and colour?&#xA;Cold you give any photo?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mushrooms are thousands of types and form, shapes, colour and so on are fondamental to identificate them. The most visible fungi are &lt;strong&gt;symbiont with a tree&lt;/strong&gt;, of which absorbs nutrients through the roots, providing in exchange nutrients and immune help. &#xA;Sure you put some grass coming from the base of a tree, the hyphae of fungi were already inside the ground or tangled with the roots of grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The only real way to recognize&lt;/strong&gt; the good mushrooms from poisonous mushrooms &lt;strong&gt;is to know them&lt;/strong&gt;. Can not do otherwise. Therefore, you should call your Mycological Office of Health and show them your mushrooms and ask for identification. Do not trust the friend who says he knows everything, ask the experts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before remove it, try to identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the mushrooms are small and white, with thin stems, do not run the risk of eating them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Langermania gigantea&lt;/strong&gt; If they are round and white likes small balls, are &quot;vescie&quot; (typical of meadows), very good in the pan. Choose those perfectly white, inside and out. They are called mushrooms deer.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/62009264.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;vescie&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Coprinus disseminatus&lt;/strong&gt; If they are small, with thin stems, and are made as semi-closed umbrella, of medium brown color, arranged in a scattered way, are &quot;coprini&quot;, often highly poisonous.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SnO3L.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SnO3L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;coprinus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mushroomexpert.com/images/kuo/coprinus_micaceus_06big.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mushroomexpert.com&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sub&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;agaricus campestris&lt;/strong&gt; If they are of medium size, plump, white with pink strips under the hat, they are &quot;champignons&quot; (mushrooms of Paris), very good to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR7GvRbJKd3G6jyqoUCYcEjR7Gs9-IIyCIfIrm5WFWrrMn50uug&quot; alt=&quot;agaricus&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I leave here because I'm making assumptions, in groups of fungi that grow in the meadow, in layers of grass that we do not know where they come from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I could put a series of photos, but there are thousands of species, would take too much space throughout the site.&#xA;It's definitely better get you a picture (well, many photos from many points of view, depending on the size and stage of development, and also opening up the land and showing hyphae).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are very poisonous fungi and wonderful mushrooms and fine. First of harvesting all, you'll want to see if you have valuable mushrooms in your garden. Or a danger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If we prove they are poisonous (meanwhile keep away dogs and children) you can sprinkle the lawn with an antifungal, maybe periodically until final disinfection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amanita Caesaera&lt;/strong&gt;, the Fungus of the Gods, which can cost up to 100 € up to the plate, are fungi of the meadows&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ricetteleggere.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Amanita_caesarea.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;amac http://ricetteleggere.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Amanita_caesarea.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amanita crocea&lt;/strong&gt;, are fungi of the meadows&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amanitoide vaginata&lt;/strong&gt; same &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Paris mushrooms&lt;/strong&gt; same&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And so many other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Really you wouldn't wait a bit, and seeing if you have something of valuable? Then, why you plant fruit trees in your garden? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You NEVER can be poisoned by touching&lt;/strong&gt;, and how taste it without touching?&#xA;(But you &lt;strong&gt;NEVER TASTE&lt;/strong&gt; what you don't know !!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But yes, mistakens identifications are dangerous. That's why here in Italy, when we aren't sure, we have &lt;strong&gt;Mycological Centers in the Offices of Health&lt;/strong&gt; that can help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know mushrooms perfectly. But always I ask a conferme to them, just for more surety. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I do not ever deny the casual pleasure to find something good. Or just nice. Or just new. And, as an amateur herbalist, to make new discoveries for the sheer pleasure of discovering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I would never tell anyone to throw it all away, without even trying to understand. Our mind needs to discoveries, and understand, and learn. Not to become merely passive players in the rules that we receive.&#xA;I don't want be rude, just that is what I think.&#xA;=)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-03-01T13:09:37.777" LastActivityDate="2019-03-01T13:09:37.777" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="7168" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7166" CreationDate="2013-04-19T22:44:04.177" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A common cause of mushrooms appearing is cutting down a tree.  The roots start to decay and provide an invisible underground food for the hyphae.  Sod growers might also incorporate peat moss or other woody material in the soil for sod which can provide a home for mushrooms. Mushroom spores are wind borne and cannot be controlled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You cannot get rid of them with fungicides or most control agents without also killing the beneficial parts of the lawn ecosystem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can rake the mushrooms out or a quick and dirty way is to set the lawnmower at a low height. Sure, this will spread mushrooms spores but they are already in the lawn anyway. If you can keep the lawn drier this will hinder mushroom growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mushrooms4health.com/wild-mushrooms/articles-from-coastal-mushrooming-newsletter/poisonous-mushrooms-and-mushroom-toxins/&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; discusses mushroom poisoning and remarks that more people die of lightning in the United States than die from mushrooms.  They note that poisoning can be caused by:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A mistaken identification based on hasty or sloppy work, or inadequate knowledge and resources.  Mistaken ID only becomes a problem if the mushrooms are eaten. Every year people mistake the toxic Jack O'lantern for an edible Chanterelle.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Eating mushroom that were too old and spoiled, or contaminated by pesticides or other toxins.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Eating a mushroom that does not agree with you or for which you have an allergic reaction.  Sometimes this is called idiosyncratic.  For example, some people cannot tolerate Honey mushrooms (Armillaria spp.) or the Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Overindulgence or inadequate cooking is sometimes responsible for sickening.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/wong/BOT135/Lect17a.htm&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; discusses common misconceptions.  &lt;strong&gt;These points are not true&lt;/strong&gt; about eating wild mushrooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is a fool-proof test for distinguishing edible from poisonous mushrooms.... While there are some generalizations that can be made within certain groups of mushrooms, there is no fool-proof test that can be used for all mushrooms. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most mushrooms are poisonous. Of the thousands of species known, perhaps 60 or so are poisonous, and of these only a handful will be fatal if consumed (these numbers will vary depending on your source).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are a large number of people that die from mushroom poisoning each year. &quot;Large&quot; is somewhat ambiguous here. If we are talking about the number of people that go out collecting for mushrooms each year, in this country, then the number of people that die as a result of mushroom poisoning is few relative to that number.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Poisonous mushrooms must taste bad. As indicated above, many mushrooms that are non-poisonous may have a very bad taste. The opposite can also be true. Amanita phalloides is said to have a quite pleasant taste, but is one of the most deadly species of poisonous mushrooms.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can be poisoned by touching a poisonous mushroom. As deadly as some toxins may be, touching the mushroom is harmless. The harmful toxins in mushrooms must be consumed in order to harm you.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Species determined to be edible are always safe to eat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Considering a pack of mushrooms from the store is a few dollars I think I'd try those first before taking my chances with an unknown mushroom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-04-19T22:44:04.177" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5048" CreationDate="2013-04-20T00:58:28.493" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Kevinsky might have the right idea. However, the Nafion polymer referred to in that PLOS article might be overkill. It's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nafionstore.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=26&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;priced at ~$5.00/gram&lt;/a&gt; which might be more than someone would be likely to want to spend for an interesting graphic experiment to show their friends (and this is without even going into the additional processing to make it more soil-like as described in the journal article cited).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While having something closely resembling soil is useful for researchers interested in knowing what happens in real soil, plants do not need such a good soil simulacrum to actually grow well; and, as Ben Norris has pointed out, many will even grow very well without any soil or support of any kind at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it were me, I, like permeakra, would try using something like polyacrylamide hydrogel beads which will be orders of magnitude cheaper than the Nafion beads. I would probably also do some sort of processing to achieve a smaller particle size than the sizes you are likely to get easily (the researchers in the article which Kevinsky cited did this as well).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This won't necessarily result in a fully viewable, transparent growth medium, though. To achieve that you will need to fill your growth container to the top with the irrigating solution to eliminate all air spaces. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1plSYKR7Oo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The similar refractive index will make the fully hydrated hydrogel particles nearly invisible&lt;/a&gt; (the researchers in the article which Kevinsky cited further adjusted the refractive index of the solution using sorbitol or percoll to better match the refractive index of the beads they used but this will probably be unnecessary with the cheaper hydrogel beads and for this application).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having the growth medium waterlogged may work with some plants but not with others (because roots generally need oxygen). In the latter case I can think of two solutions to deal with this issue:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Constructing a hydroponic circulating system which aerates your nutrient solution (so the water level is always high but there's enough circulation to prevent a hypoxic root environment). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Living with the fact that the medium is not transparent and keeping it in a container with a drain hole. One could plug the drain hole and add water whenever one wished to visualize the roots (which is what the researchers in the article cited by Kevinski actually did).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you might be interested in having a mechanism in place set to block light to the root area when not viewing the roots since it may affect some plant roots and, as kevinsky pointed out, will promote undesired algal growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2140" LastActivityDate="2013-04-20T00:58:28.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7115" CreationDate="2013-04-20T01:45:28.933" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're just smelling the fresh shredded bark, it's still got the oils in it that give it &quot;that mulchy smell&quot;. In my experience the stuff you get in bags from the big box stores is all dried out and doesn't really have much smell. When I get a pickup load from a landscaping center, it smells the same as what you see the landscaping services putting down. But that's not really important, the point is that there's nothing magical in that smell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have &lt;em&gt;mature&lt;/em&gt; trees, they probably don't need anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Younger trees can benefit from being mulched out to the drip line in order to prevent grass from growing and competing with the tree for water and nutrients. &lt;strong&gt;But&lt;/strong&gt;, do not pile up mulch around the trunk of the trees! (See &lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.caes.uga.edu/urbanag/Home&amp;amp;Garden/indexFS.cfm?storyid=2710&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;volcano mulch&quot;&lt;/a&gt; for what not to do.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shrubs and lilies also benefit from mulching, for the same reasons. The mulch helps hold moisture and keep down competing weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't &lt;em&gt;need&lt;/em&gt; to clean up the leaves for any reason other than aesthetics. They make a nice mulch -- I rake leaves off my front field and put them around plants. Leaving them in place will save you work and benefit your plants; you could rake leaves off your lawn and add them to your mulched areas. No need for bagging and disposal, no need to buy mulch materials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-04-20T01:45:28.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2941" CreationDate="2013-04-20T05:18:15.090" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Think of a greenhouse as a storage for plants and vegetation and you might be able to get a better idea of how to build one. You see, many people have a preconceived notion of a greenhouse, i.e. one that has glass or one that has high tech climate control. Really, as long as your plants are in this storage unit where they are protected from strong winds, have enough (but not too much) sunlight and good ventilation, you have a good greenhouse going on. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Start small first and build from there. You can start with one shelf of a few varieties of plants that you feel you can handle and go from there as you gain more experience. For cheap but good shelter, ordinary acrylic will do but do note that it yellows in sunlight so you might have to change it every 2 years or so. I suppose you could see that as a sort of maintenance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2134" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-22T17:54:25.300" LastActivityDate="2013-04-22T17:54:25.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7172" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7177" CreationDate="2013-04-20T14:25:43.570" Score="9" ViewCount="10135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was just wondering, is it possible to prune an apple tree so that it will grow short? I just would appreciate not to have to get a ladder or anything to be able to get fruit. Is it possible and a good idea, and if so what is the best way to achieve this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1693" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-21T14:22:46.880" LastActivityDate="2013-04-23T17:32:08.060" Title="How do I prune an apple tree so it will grow short?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7173" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7166" CreationDate="2013-04-20T17:23:11.963" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As this is a new lawn, its likely the spores of the toadstools/mushrooms were already present in the turf when it was laid. The toadstool or mushroom is only the fruiting body of mycelium running through the soil, and you may find they're back next year at a similar time of year. Nothing you can do about it except twist them off at the base with a plastic bag over your hand to contain any spores which might escape (not all mushrooms have spores which spread in this way) so at least you're not looking at them. If the conditions aren't right in your garden, you may find they gradually disappear over the next couple of years or so. If the turf was laid by a company, you should be able to get them to come back and try to treat the turf to remove the problem, but it's not really a serious issue in terms of damage to the rest of your garden/plants unless the mushrooms are honey fungus, which, unless its autumn where you are, they won't be. Even if it is autumn where you are, honey fungus grows and survives on wood, which is probably not present in your turf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for eating them, I wouldn't risk it, but the other answers give you plenty of advice about that aspect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-04-20T17:23:11.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7172" CreationDate="2013-04-21T14:18:37.963" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The apple tree should be pruned yearly, every winter whilst the tree is dormant. Pruning the tree too short can actually lead to an increase in unwanted vigorous growth. The Royal Horticultural Society has a good &lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=90&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;article on winter pruning for apples and pears&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively you may be interested in slow growing cultivars of apple trees like the Red Windsor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="147" LastActivityDate="2013-04-21T14:18:37.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7175" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7321" CreationDate="2013-04-21T15:28:21.037" Score="4" ViewCount="865" Body="&lt;p&gt;Instructions on the packet of cucumber seeds I'm holding say I need to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant the seed on its side&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cover the pot with clingfilm after sowing&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I get that these are measures which will help germination. But how vital is it to get these fiddly and time-consuming details right? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is one or the other or both of these precautions going to aid germination rates by 100%? Or 5%? Or what?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2013-06-16T08:14:56.057" LastActivityDate="2013-06-16T08:14:56.057" Title="Sowing cucumbers, do I really have to place the seed on its side and cover in clingfilm?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7172" CreationDate="2013-04-21T17:23:13.143" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The traditional way to do this is to buy an apple tree which is grafted onto a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/00-007.htm#other&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;dwarfing root stock&lt;/a&gt; such as E.M.26. You can keep fruit trees smaller but it's more work without the right rootstock. Keep in mind that even semi dwarf rootstock will &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://inandaroundthegarden.net/2012/01/09/backyard-fruit-trees-the-hardest-pruning-cut-you-will-ever-have-to-make/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;grow to be twice as tall as the average person&lt;/a&gt;&quot;. Things you can do are &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/pnw/pnw400.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;listed here&lt;/a&gt; but can be summarized as:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;training starts when you plant the tree. The first three years are a critical time to establish the overall shape. When you first plant a whip or young tree cut it back to two to three feet tall. This helps ensure a smaller mature height.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;one of the goals of pruning is to have less fruit that is larger. Look to thin branches at the top to let more light in the centre&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prune well before flowering to promote growth. Mid winter pruning works well in USDA zone 4. Thanks to Michelle for pointing out that if you do not want new growth then prune in mid to late summer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;winter or spring pruning includes removing broken branches, crossing or branches that rub together.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu/files/27164.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this publication&lt;/a&gt; has an excellent summary of how to shape growth by pruning. In summary:&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Topping a vertical branch encourages vegetative growth necessary for development&#xA;of the tree and creates a bushing effect. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Topping horizontal branches is done to renew fruiting wood and to thin off  excessive fruit. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thinning vertical branches opens the tree to more light. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thinning horizontal branches removes fruit. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Horizontal branches left uncut will bear earlier and heavier crops.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-04-23T17:32:08.060" LastActivityDate="2013-04-23T17:32:08.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7178" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-21T20:57:39.807" Score="5" ViewCount="249" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm new to gardening and looking for a some climbers to put in my North facing lightwell. It is very sheltered and gets a little bit of sun in the summer evenings. I have bought two very large containers (60x60x60cm) to put the plants in and erected some trellis for them to grow up. Ideally I would like something that flowers but my main priority is to ensure good coverage. I will be getting one &lt;em&gt;trachelospermum jasminoides&lt;/em&gt; recommended in other posts but would appreciate any advice on something else to get.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2144" LastActivityDate="2013-04-22T11:09:21.067" Title="Low maintenance evergreen shade-tolerant container climbers for UK" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7179" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7192" CreationDate="2013-04-21T21:33:12.427" Score="6" ViewCount="2017" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a new house and have this palm tree in the front yard. No one lived in the house for over two years so it's been neglected but still looks healthy. What's the best way to clean it up and have looking really great? Also is there anything special I should do to fertilize it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3RHM9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3RHM9l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;palm tree&quot; title=&quot;Click photo for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2145" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-22T19:14:35.773" LastActivityDate="2019-02-27T11:49:39.370" Title="What kind of palm tree is this and how do I care for it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7181" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7361" CreationDate="2013-04-22T01:52:25.963" Score="4" ViewCount="1695" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my all balcony areas we've Indian palm squirrel, crows and Pigeons which comes and eat leaves of plants, I've searched for owl statues but at stores they tell not to keep owl statue at home hence they don't keep at it, I don't believe in this stuff so I printed out a photo of owl, gummed on a cd and hung in my balcony  but after few days there was only a cd the paper was gone. I don't like to harm these animals instead I keep water and leftover food for them. I keep it because I want them to eat that and not my plants. I've also kept peanuts for the &#xA;squirrel but I don't know he prefers to eat my plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please help me solve this problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1973" LastActivityDate="2013-05-13T12:26:09.933" Title="Squirrel and crows eating rose buds and leaves of plants" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7182" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7186" CreationDate="2013-04-22T09:32:24.917" Score="4" ViewCount="603" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to experiment on growing onions form an onion, instead of buying each year seeds, sets or little plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I heard that planting one onion does not immediately gives more onions. Opposite to shallots, which apparently you can plant and you'll get a bunch of shallots instead. And for leek you can do the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my question is more or less what is the life cycle of an onion? Can I plant my onion, where from I'll get a plant and seeds, which I can use next year? Do I need several plants or are both sexes present on one plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the question: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/365/onion-seeds-v-onion-sets&quot;&gt;Onion seeds v. onion sets&lt;/a&gt; I read onion seeds are perishable. So if I harvest them this summer I should immediately start them again (in little breeding pots)? But you should only plant onions right after winter? Can I dry them and use them for the first coming season?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1976" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2019-02-23T22:02:59.477" Title="Growing onions from an onion" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;onions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7183" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7178" CreationDate="2013-04-22T11:09:21.067" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem with Trachelospermum is it likes not only sheltered situations, but full sun, or as much as it can get, so I'll be interested to hear how well that does in the circumstances you describe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Evergreen, low light conditions most of the year, and the constriction of a pot makes for limited choices. Have a look at Fatshedera lizei - this isn't a climber as such, it will need tying in to your trellis or other support to keep it upright as it grows, but it tolerates low light conditions, has attractive architectural leaves and is evergreen, but does not flower. There are variegated versions available (F. lizei 'Annemieke', F. 'Aurea' or 'Variegata'), but the variegation may not be noticeable under low light conditions. Otherwise, Hydrangea anomala (syn. petiolaris) should cope. Note that all these will need regular attention paid to watering because they are in containers, and that the containers should have drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-04-22T11:09:21.067" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7184" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7181" CreationDate="2013-04-22T11:09:30.297" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Giving them food will not protect your plant, it will just attract more crows and squirrels. They are not altruistic at all and just eat what they can find that they like. This year squirrels have eaten the engine lining and insulation out of a car in my driveway. Crows have learned that plastic bags by the road may contain food (when people put the garbage out for pickup) so even though mine doesn't (we compost) they shred the bags as soon as they are put out. These are not creatures that will eat the yummy food and leave the so-so food alone, they are creatures that will learn there is always something to eat on your balcony and tell their friends somehow as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get rid of the food and water. Spend time on the balcony if you can, that will make it smell like you a little more and may deter them a little. If local stores won't sell you a fake owl, order an inflatable one (to reduce shipping costs) online. I searched for inflatable owl and got a ton of hits. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2013-04-22T11:09:30.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4757" CreationDate="2013-04-22T11:54:45.313" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some goats are immune to electric fences.  I usually chase my goats out of the roses and various other plants with a stick. I have also resorted to waving my arms and rather ugly words.  I never touch them (well today I whacked the female for the first time) she had just finished off the last of the newly potted plants, in our enclosed anti-goat terrace.  They are lovely but the male goat pisses on the children's toys.  Yes, he is a goat, not a dog.  I have a 3 foot wooden fence and it is just something fun to jump over.  I also have a four foot electric fence that deters all other animals but goats.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My advice is to love your goats more than the plants because they will eat all your favorites, perch on everything like parrots, bleat early in the morning and their mating habits are not good morning material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2147" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-22T17:56:39.747" LastActivityDate="2013-04-22T17:56:39.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7186" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7182" CreationDate="2013-04-22T14:46:40.507" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The onions are planted &lt;strong&gt;from bulb&lt;/strong&gt; to early April, the distance of planting should be 10-15 cm from plant to plant, and 15-20 cm between rows, each bulb will grow from a single onion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The harvest of onions is from August to September when the leaves turn yellow and bend on the ground, once removed from the ground onions can be left on the ground to dry them and Keep them clean them before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant an onion (possibly a bit grown with small leaves on it), and wait.&#xA;Onion divides itself and creates multiples plants in one. Get it in autumn and separe it. Keep one of them to moltiplicate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, you can cut a big onion, with multiples bulbs, with a shape knife, at the base. The fust is the plate lentille between roots and leaves. Cut carefully it in 3-4 parts, paying attention to let some roots to any piece, let them dry (some days) and plant. Be careful with watering, since the plant is &amp;quot;wound&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can leave your plants into the ground years. Each year you harvest what you need.&#xA;Flowers are very nice, though smell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plants do &amp;quot;very little onions&amp;quot;, that can be planted as bulb. (bulbilli)&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gEC6u.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gEC6u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bulbilli&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.inorto.org/wp-content/uploads/Cipolla-egiziana-300x225.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;inorto.org&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FGhsU.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FGhsU.png&quot; alt=&quot;bulb&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.inorto.org/wp-content/uploads/Cipolla-che-cammina-238x300.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;inorto.org&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are not seeds but little bulbs. Just pull the cloves from the mother plant and bury, they can spend the winter in the open field, because they aren't frost sensitive and are resistant to many diseases. They are known also as Egyptian onion, tree onion or onion walking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, you can grow then from seeds but its very hard, as you know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;see seeds&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below, many onions in one before harvesting and didviding = you can see the young bulbs under old skin&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://www.piante.it/wp-content/uploads/Cipolla.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cip&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2019-02-23T16:09:38.823" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="7190" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7196" CreationDate="2013-04-22T16:36:35.907" Score="9" ViewCount="1335" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn is progressively getting worse every year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got large bare patches that just won't take seed, and in the spring and fall I've got racoons and skunks digging up grubs.  There is also a large Norway Maple that isn't helping matters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plan is to completely redo the lawn in a couple of weeks by roto-tilling a truckload of soil in, and regrading.  However, I figure that anything I do is useless if I don't get rid of the grubs first.  What's the best way to do this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Region: Toronto, Ontario (Etobicoke)  Clay soil&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="539" LastActivityDate="2019-11-05T13:27:11.177" Title="How do I get rid of lawn grubs?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7181" CreationDate="2013-04-22T18:38:21.880" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to keep the squirrels away from a certain area of ​​your home or get rid of squirrels already present in it, a bit 'of peppermint oil may be the solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;instructions&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Moisten cotton pieces with peppermint oil, allowing each ball of cotton to be well saturated with oil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place the cotton balls in the corners of the attic, outside the walls, in the garage and in any place where you want to ward off squirrels.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Check the cotton balls every week to make sure that emanate still smell. When the smell is exhausted, replace them with new cotton balls soaked in oil of peppermint.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, there are &quot;bumps&quot;, electric or with battery, that are very useful as an ultrasound device (pest repeller, are fine to remove a wide range of animals why not go to certain areas). They cost 20-30 Euros and are found in agricultural stores, or on e-bay. Some have the proximity sensor so they are not always running, do not damage animals, but annoy them so they do not keep coming back to that place. But personally I have never used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, you can try to keep a cat or a ferret. They should be very affective and effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-04-23T20:34:03.690" LastActivityDate="2013-04-23T20:34:03.690" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7192" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7179" CreationDate="2013-04-22T19:10:37.730" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That palm seems to be a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_canariensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Phoenix canariensis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; or Canary Island date palm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will grow relatively fast, once you start cutting the lower leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1852" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-22T19:55:50.150" LastActivityDate="2013-04-22T19:55:50.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7193" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7179" CreationDate="2013-04-22T19:20:43.673" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems to me a sister of that, Jubahea Chilensis, syn. Jubaea spectabilis, Molinaea micrococos, Micrococos chilensis, Cocos chilensis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although the palm trees in the ground generally are &amp;quot;trees&amp;quot; that do not require treatment, &lt;strong&gt;still require a minimum of maintenance&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;strong&gt;Cleaning, watering and fertilizing practices are essential for the harmonious development of mature palms.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Clean, dry prunes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For small and medium-sized palms, maintenance is limited to an annual cleaning, cutting of old leaves, in inflorescences and seed heads when the seeds are ripe, if you want to receive them. For large palm trees, it is appropriate to use qualified personnel for cleaning the stalk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Uo_PfTt4gBE/SIAV6rFrXAI/AAAAAAAAA4U/VpX5lRgqAYE/s640/t%20008.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;an&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some action is needed to remove the leaves so that they do not fall on the roadway causing damage to property or persons.&#xA;The juxtaposition of old leaves may, during the harsh winters, protect the jamb and the fact you do not cut too soon the leaves turn yellow avoids leaving wounds exposed to the cold. In any case, whether small or large, persistent or semi-evergreen, it is important to remove only the leaves, making the prunes in the spring (March / April).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Irrigation&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of the palm trees of the Mediterranean climate are fairly drought tolerant, but their vegetation and their development will be greatly advantaged of 'increased irrigation during the summer.&#xA;The small palm trees are very sensitive to lack of water and require regular watering.&#xA;The evening is the best time to water: moisture will spread better in the ground during the night. It is appropriate during the summer restore the hole around the collar at least once or twice in order to maintain unchanged the capacity to accommodate the necessary water. It is advisable to fill the pit two or three times at each watering performing the irrigation every 8-10 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fertilization&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally the palm trees respond well to the contribution of fertilizers.&#xA;The manure or other organic fertilizers well decomposed can be buried in a radius identical to that of the surface of the crown, to an extent of 5-10 kg per adult plant. The chemical fertilizers are well tolerated by palm trees, whether they be buried or leaf, it is essential to find a balanced relationship between nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and trace elements, as monocots are highly sensitive to the shortcomings. The arrival on the market of slow release fertilizer that in addition to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, including trace elements, are used to manage well the fertilization. With two fertilizing on a quarterly basis during the period of active growth of 0.5-1 kg of fertilizer per adult plant, are provided in an effective and durable nutritional needs of the palms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some commercial formulas are recommended for palm: 3 parts of nitrogen, the part of phosphorus, 2 parts of potassium, magnesium and l part of a set of trace elements (iron, zinc, boron etc..) Essential for the metabolism of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Disease&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The PALME may show subtle suffering and times are also visible rosure borne by parasites of the leaves;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;More critical, however, when the palm trees, hit a manifest suffering more pronounced resulting in failure to the trunk of a few leaves which continues to maintain a green color;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Almost tragic collapse totally disappears when PALME the color green and dry also the central part of which had previously remained green.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palm trees are often attacked by a dangerous beetle weevil&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhynchophorus_ferrugineus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rhynchophorus ferrugineus&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The species is native to southern Asia and Melanesia. They reported serious damage in the date groves in the Arabian Peninsula. In 1994, the bug appeared for the first time in Europe and specifically in Spain, from 2005, is also reported in Italy (Sicily, Campania, Puglia, Lazio and Tuscany).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The insect lives inside of the palm, where it completes its full life cycle. The female lays about 300 eggs distributed at the base of young leaves or the leaves on wounds or cavities in the trunk of the palm. The eggs turn into 2 or 5 days in small larvae that pierce the palm trees, feeding on the tissues of the same, eliminating all the fibrous material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The larvae move to the inside of the palm digging tunnels and large cavities, can be found in any part of the palm, also the collar. The larval period varies from 1 to 3 months. The larvae pupate in a pupa cylindrical formed by fibrous layers, generally this stage is carried out from the trunk to the base of the plant. After 14-21 days the adults emerge. The entire cycle lasts 4 months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the same palm tree may overlap several generations of the insect. Generally the weevil does not move in a new palm until it has completely destroyed the one on which he lives. The damage is caused by the larvae and are visible only when the weevil has colonized the entire plant, which collapses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fDJiT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fDJiT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;palmeto&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://i1.trekearth.com/photos/88077/giardino_delle_palme.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;trekearth.com&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2019-02-27T11:49:39.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="7196" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7190" CreationDate="2013-04-22T22:55:12.160" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a less and less ways to do this fast since the 2009 ban on using pesticides in Ontario. Your goal is get your lawn to grow roots faster than the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/08-023w.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;three different species of grubs&lt;/a&gt; can eat them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;nematodes can provide some control but are fussy to apply and should be reapplied yearly.  Best &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.richmondnursery.com/en/articles/gardening/item/72-white-grubs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;recommended way&lt;/a&gt; to apply is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;applied with a hose end sprayer. Their effectiveness is not 100% but it is typically effective enough to strike enough of a balance that the grub population is reduced to the point your lawn suffers little to no damage. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the soil needs to be 15 degrees Celsius or else they will die.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they need lots of water to get into the ground. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they are killed by ultra-violet light from the Sun. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stand out in the rain on a warm June day and water your lawn with Nematodes. Oh, and once you buy them you have to keep them in the fridge until you use them.  This does not always thrill other people who have to use the fridge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Longer term cultural controls are effective as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;try and have at least 6 inches of topsoil over the clay base.  Top dress spring and fall every year with about one half inch of compost or top soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;raise your summer mowing height to 6 to 8 cm (2.5 to 3 inches)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leave lawn clippings after mowing because their slow release of nitrogen favours the decomposition of thatch by microorganisms&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if possible do not let your lawn go dry and yellow during the hot summer months.  The stress on the turf hinders regeneration of the root systems which the grubs are eating. Water thoroughly during dry times.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;aerate with spikes or a plug machine regularly (yearly or every other year)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;over seed with grass seed spring and late fall when you top dress. Choose varieties adapted to the light levels&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some grass seed is available with endophytic fungus that grubs find unappetizing and repels them&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider sowing clover seed.  This is not something you can undo so be sure you don't mind a less than perfect lawn.  Grubs don't eat the clover and it will provide some nitrogen to the soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;my experience is that grubs prefer lawns that have been regularly fertilized with a high nitrogen fertilizer.  This formulation offers a quick spring green up so the homeowner is happy right away at the expense of stressing growth of grass blades over root growth. By leaving the clippings on and top dressing you can use less fertilizer. Slow release fertilizers also assist in steady growth instead of the &quot;pop&quot; of a high nitrogen fertilizer. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2019-11-05T13:27:11.177" LastActivityDate="2019-11-05T13:27:11.177" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="7197" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-23T00:30:21.557" Score="5" ViewCount="1930" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been debating with my friends whether or not corn kernels are considered to be fruits or vegetables or nuts. To my knowledge, a fruit is defined as &quot;an over ripened ovum&quot; of a plant's seed. A vegetable is part of a plant that is eaten but not part of the seed. I was under the impression that nuts were only from a specific &quot;branch&quot; of plant evolution that is predominantly trees. This information would lead me to believe it is isn't any of them. &#xA;Looking into it myself, I learned the word &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aril&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;aril&lt;/a&gt;, but I'm not sure if corn's kernels are like that, either. It doesn't sound like it fits the criteria of that, or any of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Taking up from there, I'm a bit confused on what corn should be called. Do we have a name for corn like we do everything? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-04-23T01:53:23.090" LastActivityDate="2019-02-26T07:52:32.323" Title="Is corn a fruit or a vegetable or a nut?" Tags="&lt;terminology&gt;&lt;corn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7198" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2989" CreationDate="2013-04-23T02:01:22.027" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Regular maintenance of a lawnmower includes fuel checks, cleaning (dirt and dust) and oil check. If you had your lawnmower in a self storage unit for awhile, check for rust on the blades, wheels and motor. Any major rust in these areas means your lawnmower is as good as junk. However, light rust can be removed with a rust remover and always make sure all parts are oiled well. If you’re planning to put your lawnmower in a self storage for awhile, make sure all parts are oiled thoroughly and all fuel drained. As for occasional maintenance, you can sharpen or replace all blades for maximum efficiently when mowing, change air filter if necessary, check belt for any wearing or stretching and change all oil if needed. Also, the storage for your lawnmower should be dry and well ventilated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2134" LastActivityDate="2013-04-23T02:01:22.027" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7197" CreationDate="2013-04-23T02:03:07.100" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_corn#Anatomy&quot;&gt;Wikipedia tells us&lt;/a&gt; that the kernels &quot;are a type of fruit called a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caryopsis&quot;&gt;caryopsis&lt;/a&gt;&quot;, which is basically what the grain family (Poaceae -- grasses) produces. Corn, wheat, oats, etc are examples of this type of fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-04-23T02:03:07.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7200" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-23T10:15:14.467" Score="6" ViewCount="7288" Body="&lt;p&gt;This year is the first year I've ever had any success propagating from cuttings. I've tried this many times before, without success, but this year all of my cuttings have taken and are growing nicely... But I now don't know what to do :-(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cuttings have been taken last Autumn and overwintered in a cold frame. I've got cuttings from Forsythia, Ribus, Magnolia, Jasmine and a Climbing Rose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are all in deep pots, and there are multiple cuttings per pot, all growing. I want to separate these up now into individual pots. Do I just pull them out by their stems, or should I try and take them out with some soil round the roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2152" LastEditorUserId="2152" LastEditDate="2015-04-23T12:19:58.987" LastActivityDate="2015-04-23T12:19:58.987" Title="When and how should I transfer propagated cuttings into individual pots?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7201" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7200" CreationDate="2013-04-23T10:36:20.753" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried cuttings the first time last year and currently facing the same issue. I already replanted my cuttings from one pot and I was really surprised that there were so many roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don't try to pull on a stem it will (maybe fatally) damage your roots&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was very afraid of damaging the roots so I carefully turned the pot and shook out the plants while covering the top of the pot with my hand and having the stems loosely between my fingers. The soil was falling off and I realized that most of the roots have been located in the drainage at the bottom of the pot. (This was for my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5277/how-to-overwinter-potted-cuttings-from-an-abelia&quot;&gt;Abelias&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5278/how-to-overwinter-potted-rose-cuttings&quot;&gt;roses&lt;/a&gt; I think I will put them into a bucket full of water and try to &quot;dissolve&quot; the soil so that in the end the new plants will get out of the pot and will be swimming in my bucket and I can easily (without getting thorned) pick up and replant. The &quot;stems between my finger&quot;-idea I don't want to try with the roses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2013-04-23T10:36:20.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7172" CreationDate="2013-04-23T14:26:06.183" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might want to do a little research on Backyard Orchard Culture. Dave Wilson especially has great info on keeping fruit trees small. My oldest fruit trees are just turning 6 this year, but I've managed to keep them about 6 feet tall with semi-dwarfing rootstock fairly easily. One thing Wilson recommends is summer pruning, because it does not trigger the tree to put on new growth the way winter and spring pruning do. After the initial planting (when I prune heavily), I do all of my pruning in the summer now and it works great. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2013-04-23T15:35:29.193" LastActivityDate="2013-04-23T15:35:29.193" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7197" CreationDate="2013-04-23T15:04:28.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Corn kernels are seeds and the kernels is an ear.&#xA;All the fruits of graminae are ears: this means &quot;seed heads&quot; made ​​up of many fruits (usually insignificant) growing together, precisely in an ear.&#xA;When the fruits are ripe ears of generating seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In wheat, rice, rye grass, they are ears &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P2ur1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P2ur1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;spighe&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.farmacoecura.it/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Graminacee.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;farmacoecura.it&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sub&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oats are infructescenses&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e3hSC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e3hSC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;avena&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agraria.org/coltivazionierbacee/avena.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;agraria.org&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sub&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In corn are cobs&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://www.hotars.net/autoimg/488.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pannocchie&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many types of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;true grasse&lt;/a&gt;, some edible and some not. The visible ears are groups of seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-02-26T07:52:32.323" LastActivityDate="2019-02-26T07:52:32.323" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="7205" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7208" CreationDate="2013-04-23T18:09:37.220" Score="3" ViewCount="16548" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just got this succulent plant as a gift. It has small four-petal yellow flowers in large clumps above the large leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can some one please tell me what it is? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E6bd6l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2155" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-23T19:04:22.427" LastActivityDate="2019-02-24T13:01:11.940" Title="What is this succulent plant with clumps of small yellow flowers above large leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ClosedDate="2013-04-24T14:41:35.443" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4465" CreationDate="2013-04-23T20:07:52.770" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Boletus aedulis, ie Porcini, Best variety. It is mainly found in the woods of oak and chestnut of the plain, and beech and fir forests of the high mountains. It is symbiotic fungi, gregarious, which can develop in groups of many specimens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT - Second answer&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Porcini mushrooms are protected across Europe. In Austria it is forbidden even to touch them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Italy the Forest Guard and some allowed growers sell fir trees (small and medium size), with roots already inoculated with hyphae of porcine. A cultivation for dissemination of spores is considered impossible, to no success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They carry pieces of soil with some roots with hyphae and place them between the roots of small spruce trees, or on the base, in the ground, before a transplant. They are then allowed to grow (fir and mushroom) and create a full symbiosis. Then they sell the fir inoculated with his &quot;bread&quot; of soil without touching the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fir tree is then planted in the ground of the buyer, and monitored for several years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have absolutely no idea how to play the private cultivation in Canada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-04-24T22:41:45.897" LastActivityDate="2013-04-24T22:41:45.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7205" CreationDate="2013-04-23T22:47:38.363" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, &lt;strong&gt;as Niall and Kevinsky said&lt;/strong&gt;.&#xA;I found this very nice image, very similar to that in the question&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://images.suite101.com/625190_com_kalanchoe2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;lal http://images.suite101.com/625190_com_kalanchoe2.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&#xA;@ FOR Niall&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;modern hybrid Kalanchoe&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_21_UkiqioPk/TLYle3g0UEI/AAAAAAAAAXY/Oj7ske7PZmU/s1600/Kalanchoe-Red-enlarge.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hibrid&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kalanchoe tomentosa- Panda Kalanchoe&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_21_UkiqioPk/TLYlVU84gsI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/kq0XUhTv2W4/s320/kalanchoe+tomentosa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tomentosa&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kalanchoe beharensis- tree form&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_21_UkiqioPk/TLdhFNu2SNI/AAAAAAAAAXc/w-YY6wlaHuE/s320/Kalanchoe%2520beharensis,%25202.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;behar&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kalanchoe blossfeldiana cv. Calandiva &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6CPns.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6CPns.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cal&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/m1/raznozvet2/Kalanchoe_blossfeldiana7389.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;toptropicals.com&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Enjoy =)))&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2019-02-24T13:01:11.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="7209" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7200" CreationDate="2013-04-23T23:04:29.543" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many times I cut a branch and put it directly into the ground. My climate permits it. This works for roses too. They grow very well, without any more intervention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For oleanders or others, I just put them into a glass bottle, until they get roots (in about 15-20 days with plenty of light, but not sun). Just use clean but not cold water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When they get roots, then yes, carefully plant them in the ground. It's better if you follow the rules of switching from growing hydroponics to those in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just as a tip, pass your cuttings into the ground very gently, without breaking the earth in the pot. This means if you have 3-4 cuttings in a pot, plant them all close together, if the garden has enough space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@ Mark Cooper = I think that's better. Most of all, if you transplant into a garden, but also into a bigger pot. Choose a big pot, where they can grow freely. Dividing roots is always very dangerous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-04-20T20:15:53.450" LastActivityDate="2015-04-20T20:15:53.450" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7210" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7211" CreationDate="2013-04-23T23:27:43.570" Score="10" ViewCount="4600" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bearded dragon, and I recently came up with an idea to possibly plant my dragon's food in her own tank. This way it is fresh, always available, and may even help to keep the humidity in her tank up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My options are as follows:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kale&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Turnip greens&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mustard greens&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spinach&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Peas&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Broccoli&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those are her favorites. These plants would need to be able to handle munching, and temperatures up to 80&amp;deg;F during the day, and around 65&amp;deg;F at night. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know absolutely nothing about gardening, or plants in general, so if any of these could be grown in her tank, I'd love to also know &lt;em&gt;how&lt;/em&gt; to do so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2157" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-24T01:36:39.323" LastActivityDate="2020-02-16T00:37:21.993" Title="How can I grow edible plants for a reptile in the reptile's tank?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7211" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7210" CreationDate="2013-04-24T00:30:29.640" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;That seems a good idea, since the plants useful for your dragon surely are used to the same climate of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could plante it if&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the soil is the same that you use for your animal&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the manure is not dangerous for your animal&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;there is space enough for animal and plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can start with saying that &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinach&quot;&gt;spinach&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoli&quot;&gt;broccoli&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kale&quot;&gt;Kale&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group, a vegetable similar to cabbage), are Winter plants = You can start planting these in the summer to have a harvest in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnip&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Turnip green&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; are winter / spring&#xA;The benefits derived from turnip husbandry are of great magnitude; light soils are cultivated with profit and facility; abundance of food is provided for man and beast; the earth is turned to the uses for which it is physically calculated, and by being suitably cleaned with this preparatory crop, a bed is provided for grass seeds, wherein they flourish and prosper with greater vigor than after any other preparation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Turnip (flower)&lt;/strong&gt; The leaves of turnips are also eaten as &quot;turnip greens&quot;&#xA;The first ploughing is given immediately after harvest, or as soon as the wheat seed is finished, either in length or across the field, as circumstances may seem to require. In this state the ground remains till the oat seed is finished, when a second ploughing is given to it, usually in a contrary direction to the first.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnip&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mustard greens&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Brassica juncea) - Mustard plant are any of several plant species in the genera Brassica and Sinapis. Mustard seed is used as a spice. Grinding and mixing the seeds with water, vinegar or other liquids, creates the yellow condiment known as mustard. The seeds can also be pressed to make mustard oil, and the edible leaves can be eaten as mustard greens. Mustard seeds generally take three to ten days to germinate if placed under the proper conditions, which include a cold atmosphere and relatively moist soil. Mature mustard plants grow into shrubs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pea&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pea sativum&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; is an annual plant, with a life cycle of one year. It is a cool season crop grown in many parts of the world; planting can take place from winter to early summer depending on location.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each crop has its own rules, but in general they are easy. Once you get started, then you would find yourself well, or you can even ask for advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My fear is that the product obtained is not enough for your dragon, that would ultimately devastate your garden. Surely you will integrate the crop with vegetables purchased, unless your soil is so large as to be able to grow food enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-04-24T02:43:42.563" LastActivityDate="2013-04-24T02:43:42.563" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7212" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7210" CreationDate="2013-04-24T10:49:40.667" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a neat idea and just needs a few adjustments to get it to work right. In the wild food is scarce and animals have to work to find it.  When they do they eat all of it at once usually.&#xA;In the tank if you grow food from seed your dragon will either eat it all or step on it long before it will be a reasonable size. It is also likely that you do not have enough light to grow vegetables to a decent size.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/light-level-rooms-d_708.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Outdoor light levels&lt;/a&gt; of 10,000 lumens + vs indoor light levels of 100 to 400 lumens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The solution is to pick seeds which grow fast and do not require a big depth of soil and start them off outside or next to a window with supplementary lighting.  When they are ready move them into the tank.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As violadaprile mentions mustard greens, spinach, lettuce and possibly kale can all be started indoors in shallow pots of only a few inches of soil.  Have several sowings at staggered intervals and move them into the tank when they are an appropriate size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: adra asks if the light over the tank is sufficient to grow plants.  Unless you are using High pressure sodium lights which would be pretty hot even for a reptile you can germinate seeds but not get them to grow to a size that would nourish an animal.&#xA;I worked at a museum where we had live animals and the rotation method worked well for us with many animals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-04-25T00:22:49.493" LastActivityDate="2013-04-25T00:22:49.493" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7213" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7214" CreationDate="2013-04-24T14:39:03.907" Score="6" ViewCount="57301" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got a free string trimmer from a buddy who couldn't get it to start. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did a compression check by pulling the pull starter and the compression seemed good. Next I pulled the spark plug, put it back on the boot, grounded it to something metal. I then pulled the cord again and saw no spark. I kept doing this and some times I'd get a very weak spark, but most of the time I'd see no spark at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't had time to look at it again for a few days, but I will be pulling it out again probably tomorrow. What things would you check and in what order?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1149" OwnerDisplayName="mikeazo" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-21T17:15:33.430" LastActivityDate="2019-07-20T13:47:12.113" Title="What could cause a weak or no spark from a string trimmer's spark plug?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;repair&gt;&lt;string-trimmer&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7214" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7213" CreationDate="2013-04-24T15:24:17.513" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use a Spark tester (which can be found at any automotive supply store), to test the spark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HiVDN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Spark Tester&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To use it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the boot from the spark plug on the trimmer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plug the end of the tester with the metal probe into the boot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Connect the other end of the tester to the spark plug.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Give the trimmer a couple pulls, while watching the testers spark chamber.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;No Spark&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't have a spark, you probably have to replace the ignition coil/module. There's a good YouTube video that shows &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYoNC7np_8M&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;how to replace a lawn trimmer ignition coil&lt;/a&gt;. Your model may vary, but the procedure will be similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Weak Spark&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a weak spark, try cleaning, regapping, or replacing the spark plug.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;How a trimmer ignition system works&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ignition system is made up of 3 major parts. A magnet (located on the flywheel), an ignition coil, and a spark plug. When you turn the engine (pull the cord), the flywheel rotates. When the magnet on the flywheel spins past the ignition coil, a current is induced. This current travels through the ignition wire to the spark plug.  The electrons want so badly to return home (ground), they jump the gap in the spark plug. As they jump, they produce an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_arc&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;electric arc&lt;/a&gt; (also known as a spark). This arc ignites the fuel air mixture in the chamber, and the trimmer starts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="337" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-04-24T15:35:16.060" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7215" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7213" CreationDate="2013-04-24T16:01:19.827" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;On top of Tester's excellent answer, here are some quick and easy ways to get it working without going through the trouble of replacing the ignition system or buying special diagnostic tools.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Clean the Spark Plug&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a bit of fine sandpaper and try to rub the grime and dirt off of the spark plug.  Give it a little bit of a shine and try again.  You can also try a small amount of carb cleaner, but just let it dry out before attempting to start it again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Clean the magneto&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over time small rust spots can form on the magnet in the ignition system. It may not look like much but this rust can greatly interfere with the electrical current generation needed to form a spark.  This can also be fixed by taking fine sandpaper and rubbing the rust spots off of the magnet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1285" LastActivityDate="2013-04-24T16:01:19.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7216" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-24T21:12:31.893" Score="4" ViewCount="659" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to grow my own tomatoes from seed, and they're getting quite big now.&#xA;So naturally, the first problems start to pop up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6OAK5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Opening on bottom of tomato plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone tell me what it is, and if I can do anything about it?&#xA;It reminds me of something trees sometimes have, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another plant kind of has the same thing, but there it HAS rotted the root:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M0Qdi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Rotted tomato plant stem/root&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this what'll happen to my first plant, too?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2064" LastActivityDate="2013-04-29T19:31:40.420" Title="What is this opening on the bottom of my tomato plant's stem?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7217" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-24T21:19:17.663" Score="6" ViewCount="13332" Body="&lt;p&gt;My cucumber plant's leaves are turning yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could it need nutrients already? It only germinated 24 days ago, but is my biggest plant already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6036c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cucumber plant with yellow spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2064" LastActivityDate="2015-03-16T20:11:32.510" Title="Why are my cucumber leaves turning yellow?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7218" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5548" CreationDate="2013-04-25T00:53:07.410" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not all roses produce seeds, some are infertile. These can be reproduced only by vegetative means. If it were not for the continuous intervention of man, they would already extinct. Fruits are called &quot;hips&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The roses ripen their seeds in different eras.&#xA;Some seeds are ready and will be collected in July, others in August, others in November. For all we will have to wait for February to be sown.&#xA;The seeds of roses need four conditions to germinate:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;vernalization&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the temperature&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;humidity &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;oxygen&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The vernalization&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seeds of roses have within them a protein that prevents germination. This protein degrades and the seed can germinate only when subjected to temperature changes. In fact, the seed must &quot;feel&quot; that autumn has arrived, winter has passed, and spring, the best time to be born, has arrived.&#xA;It is therefore necessary to stratify in November our &quot;hips&quot;, collected at different times, in a container of sand, with drainage holes. Then we have to leave them outside, at the mercy of the weather, from November to February, protecting them from mice that have a sweet tooth, with a net of metal.&#xA;In February, the hip will be undone and the seeds ready to be planted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;HIPS&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hlbXQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;HIPS&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The temperature&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seeds, to germinate, need a minimum temperature of around around 6 degrees. In February, in many areas we can have it outside. Or in a garage or in a basement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The moisture and the oxygen&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The substrate in which to give birth to our roses must be able to retain the moisture and to circulate the oxygen. A mixture of 50% peat and coarse neutral sand is what you need. In the market you can find substrates studied for seed germination.&#xA;For germination of the seeds light is not necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The phases of sowing&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holding&lt;/strong&gt; the seeds soaked in water for 24 hours&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fill&lt;/strong&gt; a container with the mixture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Press&lt;/strong&gt; the mixture with your fingers on the sides and bottom&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remove&lt;/strong&gt; excess compound with a vertical tablet&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Press&lt;/strong&gt; the mixture a bit with the same tablet&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Place&lt;/strong&gt; the seeds at 5 cm distance from each other&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cover&lt;/strong&gt; the seeds with half a centimeter of the sifted mixture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Label&lt;/strong&gt; with the name of the rose and the sowing date&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Water&lt;/strong&gt; from above with a watering can (in form of rain very fine)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cover&lt;/strong&gt; the container with a glass plate, to keep it warm and humid&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spread&lt;/strong&gt; on the glass a sheet of newspaper, to minimize temperature fluctuations.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The development of the seeds&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seed germination will start after a few weeks, typically from 5 to 7, and will continue until the beginning of summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As soon as the seedlings appear, remove the sheet of paper and the glass plate, place the container in a well lit area, but not in the sun.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spray the plants with water regularly, but do not soak the soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Give a fungicide to prevent the onset of rot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Freeing each plant from the soil (with a punch) and gently lift her by the cotyledons.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Replanting in a jar of 7-10 cm from the side, in a compound lightly fertilized.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water the pots and keep them bright and warm, not the sun.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some in May will begin to make the first flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you see that the seedlings were stiffened, usually around May, you can pot them in a bigger container or if you prefer in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gently, place an open hand on the jar, passing the stem between your fingers open. Pour the jar with a few taps and make sure you pull the root ball without breaking it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Replant immediately and watering. Crucial at this stage &lt;strong&gt;will not break the sod&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In November, it is necessary to make cuttings of your roses. This is to avoid losing them, because one of your plants may die. Vegetative propagation (cuttings or grafting a gem) will allow you to have identical copies of your new roses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt; @Patrick&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, few, small, but yes, that seeds sown in February, in May will flower. The street of seeds is sometime very long and slow, you sow in February seeds that you collected in July, almost the year before. You need a long waiting and a hard work before you can grow your seeds. But actually when the seed grows, goes some quicker.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, not all your plants will give flowers, but you can see the first ones yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember that the roses come from the seed are all different from each other and from mother plant. That means that the flowering time changes also. That's why I say to take some cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ones will give flowers yet. Others will be late. Surprise of natural germination =)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT II&lt;/strong&gt; @ Bamboo&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, seeds can carry genetic characteristics of any type, derived from the mixing of chromosomes. From seed you can achieve anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the questioner is probably a curious gardener, who likes to experiment. Similarly those who ask that result may have grafting cuttings of apples and pears on the same stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want true roses, you have just to proceed by grafting.&#xA;=)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT III&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Link to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.museoroseantiche.it/index.php/riproduzione-delle-rose/76-riprodurre-le-rose-da-seme&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Museum-garden of old rose&lt;/a&gt;, which often gives me information. Please note that the Museum is in Italy, so the text is written in Italian. However, it includes a lot of great pictures and diagrams which can be helpful to people who don't speak Italian. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-29T19:49:00.210" LastActivityDate="2017-01-29T19:49:00.210" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7219" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7217" CreationDate="2013-04-25T01:28:09.550" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check if the back of the leaves hides little parasites.&#xA;Check if it could had had too cold or changes of temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Give manure and sequestrene (iron), maybe it has grown too quickly and has used all the nutrients.&#xA;They need to be watered 2 times a day, only on the ground and not on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If everything you checked is good, try some anti fungal, it is very difficult to make a quick diagnosis only from a photo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant seems to be into a room. It needs more light, sun, heat.&#xA;It needs to be transplanted, since the pot is small.&#xA;Your clima is a bit to cold now, so wait for better weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-04-25T01:28:09.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7220" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7217" CreationDate="2013-04-25T14:30:22.727" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking too that now would be a good time to transplant it into a larger container. In my experience, cukes don't do very well when they get root bound, and it looks like that is a definite possibility for you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-04-25T14:30:22.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7222" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7216" CreationDate="2013-04-25T18:38:20.813" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am unsure, but I will try a couple of answers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. A physiological disorder&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alterations of non-parasitic, which also affect the tomato in protected cultivation. Such changes may result from the different organs of the plant and are due to climatic conditions, to technical management and cultural inaccurate, and varietal genetic predispositions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cracking of the stem&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is caused by an excess of vigor that influence the dominance exerted by the apical meristem on secondary meristem, following which the tissues that make up the frame are developed in an unbalanced way causing the characteristic cracking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XbptM.png&quot; alt=&quot;fessurazione&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, there are not possible interventions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. An human error.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alterations caused by hormonal substances and pesticides.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They can also be caused by poisoning from herbicides hormones (2,4 D, MCPA, etc.) Used in the weeding of wheat and that in some cases through the drift of the treatment have determined damage to tomato crops in the greenhouse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes they are found damage to the vegetative apparatus, due to an overdose of pesticides or the use of the same in particular environmental conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some formulations applied to soil can cause alterations in the vicinity of the neck due to &lt;strong&gt;longitudinal cracks&lt;/strong&gt;, callus formation and suberificazion (transformation of the membrane of plant cells in cork) of surface.&#xA;Experiences in this regard have been detected in crops preceded by treatment with sodium Metham, Dicloran or with residual herbicides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do not know where it comes from the soil you used, it is possible that the seller has picked it up from a contaminated soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wLWNs.png&quot; alt=&quot;cells in sorg&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yFaV2.png&quot; alt=&quot;sughero 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant is very young so the disorder is in its infancy, still green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again I do not think we can do much, if not groped to change all the substrate. But it is a very delicate operation, which could cause further damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not to mention that, in the absence of a clear diagnosis, it is not at all sure that we can obtain results of any kind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sardegnaagricoltura.it/documenti/14_43_20081120154000.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.sardegnaagricoltura.it/documenti/14_43_20081120154000.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2052" LastEditDate="2013-04-29T19:31:40.420" LastActivityDate="2013-04-29T19:31:40.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1239" CreationDate="2013-04-25T19:01:36.553" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had good luck with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.international-hoya.org/home.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hoya&lt;/a&gt; plants. They have a variety of leaf shapes and colors and require little water. They need good light but not direct sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1368" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-11T21:23:19.543" LastActivityDate="2016-02-11T21:23:19.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="66" CreationDate="2013-04-25T19:15:28.553" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with the cool and hot regular florescent bulbs. I bought two old florescent desk lamps. Each lamp held 2 bulbs. I have one on a table in my living room and the other on a bathroom counter. Mine are old Dazor lamps but any 2 unit florescent will do.Bulb section is about 18&quot;long. They work great but must be turned on and off manually.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1368" LastActivityDate="2013-04-25T19:15:28.553" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7225" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3211" CreationDate="2013-04-25T20:05:13.957" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check your zone online. I live in NYC and used to be zone 6. I am now listed as zone 7. Due to global warming many of the zones have recently changed.  I have also had good experiences with calling the seller and asking for advice. They are usually very helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1368" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T02:08:02.807" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T02:08:02.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7227" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5978" CreationDate="2013-04-26T01:07:41.880" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do not replant an old asparagus bed with new asparagus plants.&lt;/strong&gt; Choose fresh ground to avoid build-up of diseases. An open, sunny site is best, but asparagus will tolerate dappled shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Asparagus grows on most soil types provided they are well drained. &lt;strong&gt;On heavy soils consider creating raised beds&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A pH of 6.5-7.5 is ideal, so more acidic soils may need liming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clear the ground of perennial weeds and incorporate at least one bucketful of organic matter such as garden compost or well-rotted farmyard manure every square metre (yard).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IL9nu.png&quot; alt=&quot;Asparagus&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=310&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;more about Asparagus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-04-26T01:07:41.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7228" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7282" CreationDate="2013-04-26T02:43:36.010" Score="5" ViewCount="5549" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are relatively new to the Pacific Northwest coast. One thing that seems to be somewhat common are Japanese type gardens. What a lot of these gardens have I would call--for lack of a better term--&quot;large outdoor bonsai&quot; trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Essentially, they appear to be heavily pruned and trained trees--like a bonsai--but growing outdoors in the soil and much larger in size (up to 6' or so it seems). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know more about these--such as the best trees to consider, and techniques for shaping them, but I don't know what they are called--or even if they are considered different than traditional bonsai. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastEditorUserId="785" LastEditDate="2013-04-26T02:53:35.267" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T15:17:13.080" Title="Is there a particular term for 'large bonsai'?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7229" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7217" CreationDate="2013-04-26T19:16:20.950" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;doesn't look like nutrients... usually the old leaves would still be green and the new ones would be chlorotic... Looks honestly like heat stress, was it in a hot window?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2013-04-26T19:16:20.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7231" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7236" CreationDate="2013-04-27T17:39:18.990" Score="4" ViewCount="2017" Body="&lt;p&gt;I took the photo below in a country park so I don't know what it is called.  Is there a term for the shape besides &quot;ball&quot; like?  I tried searching for general descriptions online but I couldn't find anything&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NrSYh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Purple Flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&#xA;I had used a link to flickr before SE used imgur.com for hosting images. I think I'd moved the images around in flickr which broke the url. I only had two photos of this flower so it's not too bad.  You can find this and other flower images on my &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/search/?tag_mode=all&amp;amp;sort=relevance&amp;amp;user_id=92157978%40N06&amp;amp;tags=flower&amp;amp;view_all=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;flickr account&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2170" LastEditorUserId="2170" LastEditDate="2015-04-19T19:37:47.567" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T19:37:47.567" Title="What is this plant with a &quot;ball&quot; like head of purple flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7232" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7238" CreationDate="2013-04-27T18:08:29.260" Score="1" ViewCount="2220" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you tell me what this is please? I tried searching for general descriptions online but I couldn't find anything.  The plant without any flowers looks to me to be the same type.  I only read about daffodils without flowers being termed as &quot;blind&quot; this year, maybe that is something that various plants can do too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DlxvN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Buttecup like yellow flowers&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wsLQo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Buttecup like - Whole with flowers&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n2vJ4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Buttecup like - Whole with no flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: &#xA;I had used a link to flickr before SE used imgur.com for hosting images. I think I'd moved the images around in flickr which broke the url.  I couldn't find a way to figure out which images I'd originally got posted in this question.  I'm quite certain it was these three.  You can find these and other flower images on my &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/search/?tag_mode=all&amp;amp;sort=relevance&amp;amp;user_id=92157978%40N06&amp;amp;tags=flower&amp;amp;view_all=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;flickr account&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2170" LastEditorUserId="2170" LastEditDate="2015-04-19T20:16:34.567" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T20:16:34.567" Title="What is this buttercup &quot;like&quot; flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7233" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7234" CreationDate="2013-04-28T00:24:08.503" Score="4" ViewCount="1828" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to plant some seeds soon and have a load of creeping charlie in my garden beds.  If I throw down a tarp, about how long would it take for the weeds to be completely killed?  Would laying down landscape (weed) fabric temporarily work as quickly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or is there a better strategy that doesn't involve attempting to pull them all by hand?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="58" LastActivityDate="2018-07-14T21:12:27.720" Title="How quickly can I kill weeds by covering them?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7233" CreationDate="2013-04-28T01:30:49.187" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It should not take long. It depends on temperature. If the temperature is in the 80's, it takes a week to 10 days to thoroughly do the job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use black plastic. It absorbs heat and cooks and kills the weeds and their seeds underneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastEditorUserId="58" LastEditDate="2013-04-28T14:42:23.427" LastActivityDate="2013-04-28T14:42:23.427" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7235" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7232" CreationDate="2013-04-28T01:31:55.910" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is definitely a ranuncluoid, but I can't go any further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2013-04-28T01:31:55.910" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7236" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7231" CreationDate="2013-04-28T01:32:57.950" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a type of primrose, the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primula_denticulata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Primula denticulata (drumstick primrose)&lt;/a&gt;, owing to the flower morphology.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-04-28T13:55:43.797" LastActivityDate="2013-04-28T13:55:43.797" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7237" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7239" CreationDate="2013-04-28T11:27:27.827" Score="4" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found these in a country park as well.  I'd like to identify them if I can.  While they seem quite distinctive in appearance to me I cannot find them online.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GTZpV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Orange Flower&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L7Bbk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Orange Flower from above&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: &#xA;I had used a link to flickr before SE used imgur.com for hosting images. I think I'd moved the images around in flickr which broke the url.  I couldn't find a way to figure out which images I'd originally got posted in this question.  I picked two.  You can find these and other flower images on my &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/search/?tag_mode=all&amp;amp;sort=relevance&amp;amp;user_id=92157978%40N06&amp;amp;tags=flower&amp;amp;view_all=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;flickr account&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2170" LastEditorUserId="2170" LastEditDate="2015-04-19T19:44:55.267" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T19:44:55.267" Title="What are these orange flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7232" CreationDate="2013-04-28T12:51:20.320" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the Marsh Marigold or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caltha_palustris&quot;&gt;Caltha palustris&lt;/a&gt; which is blooming in my garden right now.  This plant is extremely happy to sit in water or water logged soil. It is not troubled by any pests in my water garden.  The reference indicates that it gets over 80 cm tall but mine are much less than that at around 10 to 15 cm.  They are not aggressive spreaders and do quite well in full sun if they have adequate access to water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-04-28T12:51:20.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7239" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7237" CreationDate="2013-04-28T12:58:31.037" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a Greigii tulip, possibly the cultivar &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growingtulips.eu/cat-Tulip-Bulbs-Greigii-105.htm&quot;&gt;&quot;Tulip Girlfriend&quot;&lt;/a&gt;.  They are descended from tulips that grow in Turkestan.  They tend to be shorter than other tulips at around 10 inches.  They are perfect for rock gardens or front of the border and naturalize well.  Full sun to part sun.&#xA;The usual animals like them too: rabbits, squirrels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-04-28T12:58:31.037" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7240" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7242" CreationDate="2013-04-28T21:54:20.540" Score="8" ViewCount="15077" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had an unusually late frost after we had already transplanted our tomato starts outside this year. I covered the plants with canvas drop-cloths over the tomato trellises, but all the leaves and the top of the stems ended up dying. However, the main stems of the plants are green, and they've started to sprout new branches and leaves from their bases. Will the entire plant regrow and produce tomatoes, or should I just pull them up and start over? If they still have a chance, should I prune away any dead spots at the top of the stems? It's been about a week since it frosted, so I don't think there's any danger of it happening again. (Although the frost last week was over a week after the supposed &quot;last frost date&quot; this year.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastActivityDate="2013-05-29T15:43:12.460" Title="Can I save frost damaged tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;frost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7241" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7243" CreationDate="2013-04-29T00:20:42.130" Score="5" ViewCount="407" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant started popping up behind my garage and it's growing out of control.  What is it, and what should I do about it? I live in Ohio.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ej11a.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2173" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-06T01:52:55.413" LastActivityDate="2015-01-13T00:32:32.797" Title="What is this plant with green leaves and white marks?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7242" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7240" CreationDate="2013-04-29T07:40:47.760" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes are on their own roots.  If they are sprouting new leaves and branches they will be fine.  Just work on making sure they don't freeze again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is true of virtually all herbacious plants btw.  For woody plants if they are on their own roots, again you are usually ok but if they are grafted the leaves and branches are from the rootstock rather than the thing you want.  This is an issue with grafted roses, fruit trees, and the like.  However for non-grafted plants, the fact that it is resprouting means you should probably expect it to recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1911" LastActivityDate="2013-04-29T07:40:47.760" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7241" CreationDate="2013-04-29T10:34:01.230" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium_galeobdolon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lamium galeobdolon&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, commonly known as Yellow Archangel or deadnettle. The latter name is because the plant resembles common nettle, which stings, but Lamium has no sting. Classed as a wild flower or a weed, depending on whether you want it growing or not! You can dig it out, or remove some of it, if you want. Does well in shady places, but, as you can see, it can be rather invasive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-06T23:35:04.883" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T23:35:04.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7244" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7245" CreationDate="2013-04-29T11:27:36.930" Score="8" ViewCount="65588" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a side mini project from &lt;a href=&quot;http://giamban.co/patio.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a bigger patio project&lt;/a&gt;, we moved some concrete blocks to create a well around a tree in the front of the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A conversation over in DIY.SE chat this morning sparked concern about killing the tree by doing this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is what I have done detrimental to the tree? I've only raised the soil level about 6-9 inches; I will probably tamp the soil down, lay some landscaping cloth and fill in with crushed marble.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd hate to rip it all out, but if its going to kill the tree...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TxIFM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="94" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2013-05-01T13:17:52.957" LastActivityDate="2017-10-18T21:43:05.593" Title="Raising soil level around tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7245" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7244" CreationDate="2013-04-29T11:48:07.623" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well you're right to be concerned. The soil level around the base of a healthy tree should preferably not be raised at all, but if you must, 2 inches of something very light and free draining you might just get away with. However, because you've got a closed in 'well' around the base, it doesn't sound as if any soil there will be particularly free draining. The problem is because the soil may/will cause rot and fungal infections in the base of the trunk (which is supposed to be exposed to the air) because it is now buried. Infections like this at the base of a tree do cause plant death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-04-29T11:48:07.623" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7246" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-29T13:25:08.950" Score="4" ViewCount="127" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had an infestation of grubs, as well as some severe compaction issues, resulting in a very patchy front lawn (1000 sq ft, Toronto).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over the weekend I roto-tilled the lawn to a depth of 6 inches.  I dealt with the grubs and ordered 6 yards of a topsoil/compost blend which will allow for two inches of new soil on top of the existing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plan to seed next weekend.  What else do I need to do to prepare for seeding?  Should I mix in some fertilizer?  If so, what kind?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="539" LastActivityDate="2013-04-29T22:03:57.480" Title="How do I start a new lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7247" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7246" CreationDate="2013-04-29T15:53:29.510" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something rather tedious I'm afraid. As you've tilled the soil, you now need to make sure you haven't got any soft spots, and you do this by walking all over it on your heels, on every bit of it. When you've done that, rake it to level it off again, and repeat the process. Rerake and then lay your turf. As far as fertiliser goes, I use a granular feed known as Growmore in the UK, which has an NPK of 7-7-7 and lasts for up to six weeks - spread it all over the area till it looks like snow, then lay the turf, though a little raking in of the feed isn't a bad idea prior to laying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the heeling/walking it all over - you can do this with a heavy roller, though its not quite as effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: In answer to your comment, yes it does - don't put the fertiliser down, everything else still the same, except make sure the top inch of soil, once finally raked, is of a fine tilth suitable for seeds to germinate in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-04-29T20:04:59.953" LastActivityDate="2013-04-29T20:04:59.953" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7248" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-29T16:08:02.630" Score="5" ViewCount="11756" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Ohio and I dormant overseeded in early January.  So far, it has worked wonderfully.  A lot of the new seed is coming up but some weeds have started to germinate as well.  I normally put down some pre-emergent, like Halts, but I waited to let as much of the seed to germinate as possible. The snows and wet springs made this method of overseeding work fantastic in my opinion. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know when is the earliest I could put the pre-emergent down?  I would love to be able to use this dormant overseeding method every year, yet still prevent crabgrass and other weeds from popping up in late spring and all through summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-19T18:57:01.987" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T18:57:01.987" Title="How soon can I apply pre-emergent herbicide after a dormant overseeding?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;crabgrass&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7248" CreationDate="2013-04-29T17:50:18.907" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The time out period will be listed on the label but is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1541.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;commonly six weeks or more&lt;/a&gt;.  With the climate changing quickly and causing ground temperatures to rise you have to be diligent to apply at the right time, too late does no good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.walterreeves.com/lawn-care/lawn-timing-pre-emergent-herbicide/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this professional&lt;/a&gt; in Georgia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Crabgrass seed, you see, germinates when spring soil temperatures tend&#xA;  upwards from 50 degrees F. Weed scientists use 52 degrees F. at&#xA;  one-half inch deep as the trigger point for their application of&#xA;  pre-emergent herbicide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check to see if crabgrass is sprouting already and try a test patch that you have overseeded.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-04-29T17:50:18.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7250" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3815" CreationDate="2013-04-29T18:47:45.813" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can go to Home Depot and rent an easy to use tree stump grinder for $70 for 4 hours...trust me this is the way to go. It'll be gone in no time with no burning or digging. Afterwards you have free mulch that you can recycle. Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2176" LastActivityDate="2013-04-29T18:47:45.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7246" CreationDate="2013-04-29T22:03:57.480" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Scotts has some grass fertilizer for new seeding/new lawns. I've used that.&#xA;Seeding a new lawn is a tough and time intensive process.&#xA;- while you can throw the seeds by hand, it will cause a inconsistent cover. consider a spreader.&#xA;- water at night.&#xA;- consider laying hay down over the seeds to protect from the sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've done a mix of seeding and sodding to fix my lawn (well, my girlfriends lawn.) seeding is cheaper up front, but weeds and watering make for surprise costs. I put down some fescue sod last fall, in a swampy area in her backyard, and it was worth the $ in time savings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1699" LastActivityDate="2013-04-29T22:03:57.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7248" CreationDate="2013-04-29T22:09:18.803" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry, I probably won't answer your question. My advice is to overseed after (weeks) you put your pre-emergent down. &#xA;The point is that you cannot control when the weeds and crabgrass will germinate: when springtime temps turns ~50deg. If you overseed around that time, your grass will attempt to germinate at that time too. If you place a pre-emergent around then, it will stop both good and bad seeds from germinating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1699" LastActivityDate="2013-04-29T22:09:18.803" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7244" CreationDate="2013-04-30T12:56:44.907" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might be able to get away with this because the surface are you have covered is less than 25% of the total surface area where the tree has roots.  Putting a thick layer of soil on top of an existing area is like putting a blanket over your nose.  You can still breathe but it's hard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As Bamboo says the other issue is using soil.  You could increase your chances of success two ways:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;take out the soil.  Add several sections of 4 inch drain pipe with sleeve and use crushed gravel or large diameter river stone with one or more layers of landscape fabric to prevent weeds from rooting.  This allows some air circulation.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;take all except one or two inches of soil. Topdress with another inch every spring and raise it slowly. this lets the tree grow roots in the raised area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want to be a party pooper but it appears you have built this in an area which, in many North American cities, is city property.  The city owns six feet or more adjacent to their road.  You may or may not have permission to do this.  If your city has bylaw inspectors you may find yourself having a chat with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-05-02T12:04:27.500" LastActivityDate="2013-05-02T12:04:27.500" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7255" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7257" CreationDate="2013-04-30T23:02:16.233" Score="3" ViewCount="218" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing peas in a coffee tin.  I noticed some discolorations showing up on the leaves.  Can I get an early indication of over or underwatering from this feature, or is it entirely natural?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y4PAN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2184" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-01T03:36:13.240" LastActivityDate="2013-05-01T16:33:15.947" Title="Can spots on leaves of pea seedlings indicate under- or overwatering?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;peas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7256" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-01T02:14:55.103" Score="6" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in New Hampshire and have a nice group of yucca plants on a hill. I am wondering how often they bloom and do I need to do anything special for it? It has bloomed twice but not last year. Do I need to provide more care?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2186" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-01T03:37:55.043" LastActivityDate="2013-07-13T18:01:40.967" Title="What care does yucca need outdoors in New Hampshire?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7257" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7255" CreationDate="2013-05-01T16:33:15.947" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, you are doing right. Your peas show beautiful leaves, well-built and solid, which means they are not underwatered. And if they were overwatered, this would give easily rise to a fungal disease, which is not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thus, from the photos you've posted, it seems to me that your pea watering is good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The white lines you see (in my opinion) are caused by a tiny beetle that eats the leaves from the inside.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ermesagricoltura.it/var/portale_agricoltura/storage/file/28AG799_1244543646.PDF&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;(Liriomyza gender, L. huidobrensis species)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-05-01T16:33:15.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7258" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8613" CreationDate="2013-05-01T18:13:25.900" Score="9" ViewCount="3041" Body="&lt;p&gt;What hydroponic nutrient solution is best for growing basil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd prefer to know what characteristics to look for rather than a particular brand or product. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="519" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-01T19:38:15.640" LastActivityDate="2013-10-29T11:25:23.707" Title="What nutrient solution is best for hydroponic basil?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7259" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-01T18:55:58.570" Score="10" ViewCount="13237" Body="&lt;h1&gt;Problem&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While I was recently helping my mother prepare her garden for the spring, I discovered that the leak on her porch was not actually coming from the overhang above the door, but rather from a branch of her grapevine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Observations&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Examining closely, it looks like one part of the grapevine (which was planted two summers ago), is leaking what looks like water from an end that has a clean cut (it was probably cut a while ago).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to the clear liquid, there is a slimy (not frothy) white substance from the cut end, down to the point where the liquid drips off the vine, which looks a lot like mucus or something, but is not thick or sticky because it wipes off quite easily (but it seems to build back up quickly).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The drip has been going (slowly) for a week or two but got intense recently and is of sufficient quantity that there is a fair sized puddle on the shelf under it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I took some pictures. The white stuff is definitely not foamy like the stuff that some bugs leave on plants; it is slimy. The fluid is definitely coming out of the end (#) but that is not the only end that is cut, there are a few others (some on the same branch, and one pretty close that is even facing downwards) which are not leaking. It’s not clear if the white stuff is coming &lt;em&gt;out&lt;/em&gt; of the branch or just building up &lt;em&gt;on&lt;/em&gt; it (like mold that builds up due to moisture).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to the unexpected white goo, she is worried about the sheer volume of liquid coming out. As you can see, there is a substantial amount coming out (the 1L mason jar is nearly half full after ~16 hours). She said she tasted the clear liquid (actually it is slightly cloudy), and &lt;strong&gt;it tasted like water&lt;/strong&gt;. She is worried that it is essentially leaking the liquid (read bleeding) instead of actually making use of it to grow and live.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Attempted Diagnosis&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried Googling this but could find nothing anything useful. The closest pages discuss leakage of general &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2007/04/do-grape-vines-cry.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;water&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://movingontothepast.blogspot.ca/2012/03/grape-vines-dripping-sap-indoors.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sap&lt;/a&gt;, and there is a page that shows the same problem with a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf18985737.tip.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;white goo&lt;/a&gt;, but without a resolution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Possible related information includes that there were &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4083/how-can-i-deal-with-the-beetles-eating-my-grapevine&quot;&gt;little beetles on the grapevine&lt;/a&gt; last year (though we have not seen any—yet—this year, and there was no white goo last year). Also, the weather has been pretty cold here and only just warmed up today (May 1), and has cycled between high and low temperatures several times in the past few months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Possible Actions and Concerns&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are three obvious moves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do nothing. This is natural, but it would allow the plant to keep leaking which could be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cap the leaking end. This makes sense, but if it is an infection or something, it would trap it inside the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut the whole sub-branch. This also seems logical, but would be excessive if it is not a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, the action to take depends on a diagnosis on whether or not the excessive leaking and white slime is bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Update&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaking got intense on Thursday and continued unabated throughout the weekend. By Tuesday it had stopped and the white slime had dried up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Question&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what this is, whether it is/was a problem, and how to fix it/prevent it in the future?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1riDh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1L Mason Jar ~half full of liquid&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/krkht.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0hWiu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0zmM0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lDgGv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="920" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-05-12T18:55:02.673" Title="Grapevine leaking water and white mucus" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7260" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-01T19:23:27.217" Score="9" ViewCount="1541" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to give my front lawn a little TLC this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don’t really know a lot about lawn care, (other than mowing it) so I am looking for some general advice. Does this look like a seeding issue, a fertilizer issue or both? I've recently ordered a book on the subject, but I thought I would try the interwebs as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard of de-thatching and aerating… what is that all about?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lawn is located in Boston, MA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The photos were taken May 1st.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what type of grass it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sure it was planted from seed as the property is over 100 years old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click any photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LfodX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LfodXm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YuxjJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YuxjJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/veglQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/veglQm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fvcc8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fvcc8m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gBcdJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gBcdJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AujMy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AujMym.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zmUtF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zmUtFm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2188" OwnerDisplayName="Corey" LastEditorUserId="2188" LastEditDate="2013-05-01T21:28:42.397" LastActivityDate="2013-05-11T05:10:08.333" Title="What type of lawn damage is this, and what do I do about it?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7261" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7260" CreationDate="2013-05-01T20:48:25.370" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you mean dethatching - also known as scarifying, usually done in autumn, then often a top dressing is applied (after aeration) and its left over winter to recover. Aerating is just spiking the lawn all over - this can be easily done with a full sized garden fork, inserted about every nine inches to the top of the tines, then pulled out at the same angle it went in at. This is particularly essential on heavy soils and in wetter regions, and in such areas, may be done twice a year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's hard to say what's wrong with your grass - was it turf/sods? Grown from seed? Comprised of other grasses? How long's it been down? Did you have drought last year, or was it covered in snow in winter and walked on regularly, in which case it could have a fungal infection? When did this first appear? Do you have a dog, particularly a bitch, or do other dogs use the lawn as a toilet? Are birds or other creatures scratching at it? This might indicate infestation by something such as chafer grubs or leatherjackets or whatever your local lawn pests might be. The answers to these questions should help in deciding what's wrong with your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what book you've ordered, but one I would recommend for turf/sod lawns is The Lawn Expert by D. G Hessayon, available at a very reasonable price. Tells you almost everything you ever wanted to know (and some stuff you didn't want to know) about lawns, though its really aimed at the UK/Europe market in terms of the problems it covers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-05-01T20:48:25.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7262" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7260" CreationDate="2013-05-01T23:51:03.130" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This could be from anything.  Maybe kids were setting up home plate for whiffle ball.  Maybe not enough water.  It is usually from friction (people, animals, birds) or lack of water or a mixture.  You need to clean up the area, lay down new sod or seed it, and keep it properly watered.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2189" LastActivityDate="2013-05-01T23:51:03.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7263" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7260" CreationDate="2013-05-02T08:47:25.650" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, if your lawn has been seeded for 100 years it is likely that it is &quot;Perennial rye-grass&quot; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agraria.org/coltivazionierbacee/loiettoinglese.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(Lolium perenne L., fam Graminaceae)&lt;/a&gt;, traditionally used for lawns. &#xA;Your lawn has not been treated for some time, so of course it may grow many kinds of grass, some naturally led by the wind, and more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To keep a good lawn in shape you should do the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clean the weeds &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aerate the soil &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilize&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Periodically re-seed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water properly (few, deep waterings are better than many light waterings)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mow weekly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To repair worn areas, you have two choices:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first, quick but quite challenging, is plowing or digging in the damaged areas and proceed as if it were a new lawn. There are commercially meadows ready, sold per square meter, that can be easily placed, after treatment of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The second, simpler but much longer, is a simple clean from weeds, good aeration and fertilization and re-seeding.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a field so worn out, it's definitely happened that the causes indicated in other responses (trampling, insufficient watering) were added to a low shearing of the lawn. In this way some plants, the strongest, have survived and grew at the expense of the weaker. Their root system has occupied vast areas of land, preventing the weaker grow. This explains the empty areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First of all it is necessary to aerate the soil. Then you can proceed with a pitchfork, but being the ground is rather large I would recommend at least one pass with a harrow cut, which cuts the root system of the turf and allows you to move the ground to reseed. Multiple passes with a harrow cut are even better. Weeding with the whole root also helps to moves the earth.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ik9dl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;erpice a taglio&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe you can rent a harrow of this kind above. Next, you will a tool like this below, to pierce the ground and keep it ventilated. Used periodically, this improves both the aeration and the drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lqj48.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;erpice&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once your lawn has been treated with a good lawn fertilizer you can proceed to re-seeding or simply wait for the old grass rhizomes, left in the soil, to germinate into new plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the meantime, you have to &lt;strong&gt;water a lot&lt;/strong&gt;, even throughout the night and during the hottest hours. And proceed to &lt;strong&gt;shear weekly&lt;/strong&gt;, that prevent the plants from growing too much, taking away space and nutrients from other weaker plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keeping the grass short and wet is the best way to grow a great lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastEditorUserId="2223" LastEditDate="2013-05-11T05:10:08.333" LastActivityDate="2013-05-11T05:10:08.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7264" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7260" CreationDate="2013-05-02T10:48:22.330" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's not much new in lawn care.  A rake and a sharp spade are your detective tools.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rake out the brown areas and remove the dead grass which is called thatch&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use your spade to investigate what's underneath the grass. Look for:&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what kind of soil clay, sand, good earth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is is heavily compacted?  Think about hiring someone to aerate the soil by removing plugs of soil with a machine. This works better than a garden fork or lightweight aerators because it's harder with compacted soil and removing a plug allows better air and water exchange than a slit in the lawn&#xA;-as Bamboo says look for signs of grubs or fungus in the lawn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;over seed with grass seed appropriate to your light levels spring and fall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;top dress with one quarter to one half inch of compost, peat moss or soil spring and fall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;as violadaprile mentions keep the lawn watered during dry spells.  If turf goes dormant weeds can germinate in the gaps in the turf&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-05-02T10:48:22.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7265" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7267" CreationDate="2013-05-02T20:21:29.867" Score="2" ViewCount="1794" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought some clay pots and put a one year old date palm in it using a potting mix of 1 year old compost, leaf mold and very few of bought horse-manure-mix. For drainage I used some stones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today I noticed that there is some white foam visible pn the outside of the pot. It looks like a fungi. I read somewhere that it could also be salpeter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what it is and is it dangerous for my plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;: as requested I upload a photo: (click for a larger version)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TZXiu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TZXiul.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2013-05-02T21:22:56.260" LastActivityDate="2013-05-03T10:38:44.270" Title="Fungi on the outside of clay pot" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;pots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7265" CreationDate="2013-05-03T10:38:44.270" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efflorescence&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;efflorescence&lt;/a&gt; or mineral salts.  They are not harmful to the plant. I assume if the whole outside of the pot was covered in a solid crust it could slow down the transfer of water from the soil to the air through the clay walls.  At this is quite small you could just use a wire brush to remove it or vinegar as Niall mentions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was likely to be the choice of horse manure that caused this as some manures, even after being composted, still have a high level of dissolved salts.  Don't let this stop you from using it.  Composted manure is a good source of organic matter for soil mixes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-05-03T10:38:44.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7268" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-03T10:42:49.907" Score="4" ViewCount="282" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the situation: I live quite far up north (Trondheim, Norway), and wish to achieve greater diversity in yield from the garden. Although the climate is not as tough as the position would suggest (see &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Norway#Climate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Norway#Climate&lt;/a&gt;) due to major influence of the gulf stream, many fruit trees don't thrive so very well outdoors. This made me consider building a greenhouse, for example for mediterranean fruits as oranges and grapes. In case this would be achievable, I would even consider tropical fruits as bananas and mango.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is this: how well would these types of mediterranean (and perhaps tropical) fruit thrive in a northern greenhouse? Would the minimal amount of sunlight be a problem, or is it mainly the temperature that these trees need?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2143" LastEditorUserId="2143" LastEditDate="2013-05-03T20:09:27.090" LastActivityDate="2013-05-03T20:09:27.090" Title="How well would mediterranean plants/trees grow in a greenhouse in northern Europe?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7269" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7271" CreationDate="2013-05-03T11:29:07.163" Score="7" ViewCount="250" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few main subjects such a book should cover, such as:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the seasonal dependence of various plants (which can grow when, and&#xA;when can one grow what),&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;descriptions of the specific care different plants need (how/where to&#xA;plant, how often to water, when to prune),&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;nutritional information of the crops described (which to combine for&#xA;a complete diet),&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;climate dependence (which plants can grow where).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally such a book would have an index of some kind where one could look up information about crops and alike (so that one could for example look for &lt;em&gt;chives&lt;/em&gt; in the index, and find information such as that they thrive in well-drained soil with a pH of 6-7 and full sun, and should be planted in the early spring).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do some or any of you have experience with books of this kind, and which ones would you then recommend (and why would you recommend that book)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2143" LastActivityDate="2015-04-26T03:42:43.640" Title="What books would be most useful as a reference for (vegetable) gardening?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;resources&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7270" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-03T12:29:48.780" Score="10" ViewCount="15120" Body="&lt;p&gt;When fighting dandelions in a lawn, I know it is common practice to dead-head the yellow flowers before they morph into the pappus stage with the feathery seeds, but will the seeds in the yellow flowers germinate if left in the lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A neighbor told me that they will, but I question it.  Are the seeds fertile/mature at that point?  Once the yellow flowers are plucked from the plant, can they still mature while on the ground?  I can not find info on this anywhere on the interwebs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2020-09-28T10:49:17.890" Title="Will dead-headed dandelions flowers germinate in lawn?" Tags="&lt;dandelions&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7269" CreationDate="2013-05-03T12:51:55.950" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't seen any single book that provides all of the information you're looking for, but you can get most of what you want with a small collection of reference guides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://amzn.com/0761122753&quot;&gt;The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch&lt;/a&gt; has broad coverage of plants commonly found in North American yards: from vegetables and  small fruit to bulbs, shrubs, and trees (both shade and fruit). Applying your test, I looked up &lt;em&gt;Chives&lt;/em&gt; in the index, and see that pp. 396-397 it says &quot;full sun or part shade, in rich, fairly moist but well-drained soil&quot; and that you can start them from seed but it's easier to start with a piece from a neighbor's clump. There's no significant discussion of nutrition. Coverage is broad meaning it covers various plant types but doesn't get into anything that isn't typical North American mainstream.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://amzn.com/160342475X&quot;&gt;The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Ed Smith&lt;/a&gt; focuses just on vegetables (and herbs you'd typically find in veg gardens). Again the coverage here is typical North American mainstream, and there's no structured discussion of nutrition. (He says, for example, that broccoli is nutritious and parsley has lots of vitamin C, but there are no charts or structure to be able to compare foods or anything that would be useful for dietary planning.) The second half of the book provides about a page per vegetable, with each veg having a reference box that provides when to plant, pH requirement, days to germinate, spacing, water/light/nutrient requirements, rotation considerations, companions, and seed info. I frequently reach for this when I'm deciding when I should start a certain crop or what I should be using for fertilizer. If I were to recommend a single book to someone focused on &lt;em&gt;vegetable&lt;/em&gt; gardening, it would probably be this one, but with the questions you've asked I don't think it will provide quite enough info.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For a discussion of nutrition, you can reach for &lt;a href=&quot;http://amzn.com/160774189X&quot;&gt;John Jeavons' How to Grow More Vegetables&lt;/a&gt;. The center of the book has several pages of charts that show spacing, nutrition, and information on seeding and transplanting for the Jeavons method of planting. There are a few sample garden plans in the second half of the book. These are set up with the idea that you could grow much of your own food. The first part of the book has a lengthy discussion of nutrition and considerations you should make in getting the most out of your garden. (He talks about &quot;calorie dense&quot; foods that pack the most calories per pound you eat like potatoes, and &quot;area dense&quot; foods that produce the most calories per square foot of garden space. You need both, but you also need to take care of rounding out nutrients and having variety, which other vegetables provide.) Jeavons takes care to consider providing continued soil fertility through cover cropping and composting, whereas Smith and Damrosch seem to take for granted that you will be importing fertility. You don't have to buy into the whole methodology (I find the spacing to be &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; tight for some plants), but it is very useful as a planning resource. It is lacking the plant-specific info that Smith or Damrosch's books provide -- i.e. I doubt it has specific information on growing chives or even potatoes for that matter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those three books will cover most of the info you're looking for. My copies of these books are much more worn than any of my other books -- the covers are worn from use and they have stains from dirty fingers where I've come in from the garden to look something up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://amzn.com/1890132276&quot;&gt;Eliot Coleman's Four Season Harvest&lt;/a&gt; provides good info on how to harvest through winter in cold climates. Keep in mind that he's a market farmer and much of the discussion is of production at scale, but the advice should still be useful to the home cold-climate gardener. In warmer areas, much of what he's doing (in Maine, northeast USA) will be unnecessary -- I doubt anyone in Florida or tropical areas will need double coverage of their cold-hardy kale. If you don't get extended periods of freezing temperatures in the winter, you can skip this book. Coleman's other books are also useful, but remember that he's a (commercial) market gardener and his advice is given with a focus on production at scale.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's not specifically a gardening book, but &lt;a href=&quot;http://amzn.com/1890132276&quot;&gt;Root Cellaring&lt;/a&gt; talks about how to store your harvest through the winter, again focused on cold-weather North American climate. This speaks somewhat to your seasonal/timing information. There is some limited discussion of particular plants, but except for the discussion of harvest &amp;amp; storage, the other books have better coverage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For a different perspective &lt;a href=&quot;http://amzn.com/1890132276&quot;&gt;Steve Solomon's Gardening When it Counts&lt;/a&gt; provides what is, to some extent, almost the opposite of what Jeavons recommends. Solomon is in a dryer, warmer climate. Except for the fact that it contains a different perspective, you could skip this book, though it does have some useful advice on seed saving. (But don't buy it just for seed saving info, a better reference there is &lt;a href=&quot;http://amzn.com/1890132276&quot;&gt;Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm still looking for books that have deeper coverage of climate dependencies, with a good organization so that I can find special-purpose cold hardy plants. Some of the permaculture books discuss this, but that's moving away from a focus on &quot;vegetable&quot; gardening looking more at creating an ecosystem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pfaf.org/user/default.aspx&quot;&gt;Plants for a Future&lt;/a&gt; has a database that has a decent search tool; note that their terminology for what is hardy appears to be UK-centric.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://amzn.com/1603580298&quot;&gt;Toby Hemenway's Gaia's Garden&lt;/a&gt; has many lists of plants for specific purposes, many of which are edible. The focus is on perennials, and many of the plants are tropical/subtropical and won't work in cooler climates. (Though there is enough there to be useful to me where we have frosts during 8-9 months out of the year.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://amzn.com/160358370X&quot;&gt;Sepp Holzer's Permaculture&lt;/a&gt; is an interesting read, and might talk to some of your questions about seasonal timing, but isn't terribly well organized and doesn't go into much detail about any single topic. Worth reading, but I'd probably recommend borrowing a copy instead of buying it. There's not much in there that you're going to refer back to.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-05-03T12:51:55.950" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7272" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7270" CreationDate="2013-05-03T13:11:31.083" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;At the old house I would often  pull the flower heads (technically not dead-heading, as they were in full bloom) and the buds when I saw them. I would discard on the lawn. If the flower heads had (or could develop) seeds in that form, then I think I would have had an explosion of dandelions!  As it was, I was able to keep them in check with just a few which I assume floated in from elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When we moved in, the lawn was covered with them, but a treatment of feed&amp;amp;weed fixed that. About the only thing it killed, and it was something we quickly stopped doing. Much better to mulch and spot treat weeds, if you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2013-05-03T13:11:31.083" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7273" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7270" CreationDate="2013-05-03T13:34:37.387" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Of course you can. But they are dangerous for the lawn, because they are perennial and very invasive. The plant consists of a tuft of leaves alway wider, covering the grass and cause it to die. In addition it has a long taproot, quite deep. If you decide you no longer want dandelions in your lawn, you will need to dig a long time to remove them all. Do not leave even a small piece of the root, which would give new shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, they are edible and also very good, good to purify the body. You have to collect the young leaves, just after winter and before they bloom, with a pointed knife that cuts the base (also the root is edible and very good).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are very young you can eat as a salad, pleasantly bitter, seasoned with salt and fried bacon cubes. Less young, theyhave to be cooked. It belongs to the group of the bitter herbs very beneficial for the body.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-05-03T13:34:37.387" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7274" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7268" CreationDate="2013-05-03T13:59:34.087" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mainly is the humidity. You have to arrange a greenhouse very expensive, in which to regulate the temperature, of course, the light (they require much), and lower humidity. These plants are very sensitive and easily develop fungal diseases, fueled by low to medium temperature and humid climate.&#xA;Also they bear seasonally low temperatures, but they are accustomed to windy areas and suffer stagnation of moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the Mediterranean plants are many, and different from each other. I think you should choose similar species, which need the same climatic conditions. Or organize a greenhouse very large, with separate spaces for plants of each area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you want to do is certainly possible, since in winter in Italy we eat tomatoes from the greenhouses in the Netherlands. But they are very pale and devoid of smell and taste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But if you like to experiment, you can certainly succeed. Check that the cost of this operation is proportionate to the result. Check the greenhouses of your area, surely you are not the first who desire crops of the south.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-05-03T13:59:34.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7275" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3815" CreationDate="2013-05-03T16:09:15.643" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you leave the stump to dry out it will be easier to burn. The amount and type of sap will also determine your success. Stumps can take days of burning before the fire burns out, so make sure you put some rope or something around it to avoid injury.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2195" LastActivityDate="2013-05-03T16:09:15.643" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7276" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7270" CreationDate="2013-05-03T17:12:31.323" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, dandelions are the only flower I know of that will develop seed after they are picked. I generally pick my dandies into a large plastic pail, and when I let the pail sit for several days and then check it, some (not all) of the flowers will develop into seedheads. It may have to do with what stage you pick them at, but I am not sure what exactly was the difference between the ones that continued to develop and the ones that did not. To be safe, I would remove them from the lawn rather than letting them compost in place. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-05-03T17:12:31.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7277" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7269" CreationDate="2013-05-03T17:22:05.830" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bstpierre's list is excellent. I'd add three more possibilities:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Gardener's A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food&lt;/em&gt; by Tanya Denckla is very close to what you are looking for. It is a terrific reference for plants and garden issues and remedies. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;How to Grow More Vegetables&lt;/em&gt; by John Jeavons, which bstpierre mentioned, is awesome, but if it is too technical for you, he has also writted &lt;em&gt;The Sustainable Vegetable Garden&lt;/em&gt;, which I'd consider a light version of &lt;em&gt;How to Grow More Vegetables&lt;/em&gt;. It is way less technical, but still has very good info.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Square Foot Gardening&lt;/em&gt; by Mel Bartholomew. He recommends some things that are just unnecessary for most gardeners (like wholescale soil replacement), and his system is way more rigid than I think gardening should be, but the spacing and basic growing information he provides is a good starting place. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="3255" LastEditDate="2015-04-26T03:42:43.640" LastActivityDate="2015-04-26T03:42:43.640" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7278" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2013-05-03T20:12:41.713" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mattock&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I2bei.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These come in a few variants; this particular one is a pick mattock, the other common one being a cutter mattock, replacing the pic with a narrow axehead. You may never absolutely need one, depending on your region and what else you have growing nearby, but if you do it's the only tool for the job; indispensable for breaking up and turning hard clay soils, cutting invading roots, digging out stumps, pulling up or even breaking up your mid-size and larger rocks, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1104" LastEditorUserId="1104" LastEditDate="2013-05-03T20:38:25.127" LastActivityDate="2013-05-03T20:38:25.127" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2013-05-03T20:12:41.713" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2013-05-03T20:37:16.247" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rock Bar/Digging Bar&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oGj0I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, you may never need one (lucky stiff), or it may be the most-used tool you bring out each spring to prepare your garden beds. It's basically little more than a 5- or 6-foot solid steel bar with a chisel tip on one end (and a few options for the other end, from a pick point to a T-handle).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its forte? Rocks. Big ones, like the ones that gardens in northern climates seem to grow every winter, or the 200-lb limestone slabs hiding just inches below the surface here in Texas. Its weight (typically 15-20 pounds for a solid steel bar) is also good, especially with a pick point, for driving into hard soil at the bottom of a hole to loosen it for the post-hole digger, and so it's a common companion to that tool for fencing, deckwork, some types of planting, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1104" LastActivityDate="2013-05-03T20:37:16.247" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2013-05-03T20:37:16.247" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7280" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-03T23:15:58.147" Score="7" ViewCount="89" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been curious about a lot of vocabulary words in the world of botany. I've had quite a bit of trouble finding somewhere online to help me out, but I'm having some trouble finding a resource like that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Optimally, I'm looking for something with diagrams of plant anatomy over the course of time, maybe some photo examples, and some sort of dictionary to accompany. Is there anything like this, online or offline that anyone knows about?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastEditorUserId="2000" LastEditDate="2013-05-06T00:06:05.687" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T23:50:35.690" Title="Resource for plant anatomy/lifecycle vocabulary" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;resources&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7281" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-04T01:19:39.597" Score="2" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;We would like to build a brick fence with the leftover bricks from the house. The height of the piers will be 1.6m. What height should the wall in between the piers be? I would like to grow a hedge behind the fence, if that makes any difference. Would love to hear your advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the fence I mocked up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MdSya.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2199" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-04T02:15:18.363" LastActivityDate="2013-05-04T06:51:33.237" Title="Need help with our front fence" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7282" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7228" CreationDate="2013-05-04T01:29:47.027" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The trees that you have seen planted in the ground are not bonsais. The actual word bonsai means &quot;tree in pot.&quot; There are a lot of beautiful Japanese gardens in the Pacific Northwest. The trees in the ground that you are admiring do not technically have a name. They are simply trees that have been trained and pruned using the same techniques as that for a bonsai in a pot. The training that it takes to do this is very technical. It also requires special tools and varying sizes of copper wire. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This would be an excellent ongoing hobby for an individual interested in learning the art of bonsai. Because this type of gardening is popular in the Pacific Northwest, I'm sure that there is a bonsai society or club near you. I would contact them and ask to join or ask about bonsai classes they may be teaching. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you may know, a bonsai is a type of pruning, not a specific variety of tree. Many types of trees can be used as material for bonsais. Some trees to think about using are: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Japanese maples&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Various pines (white pine, mugho pine)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Maples (red, white)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Junipers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Boxwoods&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Azaleas&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cryptomerias&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cypress&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I highly recommend reading &lt;strong&gt;Bonsai: Special Techniques&lt;/strong&gt; by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, &lt;strong&gt;Keep Your Bonsai Perfectly Shaped&lt;/strong&gt; by Herb L. Gustafson, and &lt;strong&gt;Miniature Living Bonsai Landscapes&lt;/strong&gt; by Herb L. Gustafson.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2198" LastActivityDate="2013-05-04T01:29:47.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7283" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7281" CreationDate="2013-05-04T06:51:33.237" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In case the question is concerning the height of the wall in the middle piece of fence, I would like to answer with a visual argument. I suppose this is a matter of symmetry and repetition. On the one hand, since the piece of fence that is between the path from the main entrance and the driveway is not as wide as the separations between the piers on the left side of the fence, it would be an irregularity to have the piers closer to each other there. On the other hand, making it a solid fence would perhaps break even more with the style, as the side of the garden that is facing us is for the rest built up just from piers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding one more option, these would be my considerations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Build two poles through which the hedge towards the house is visible.&lt;/strong&gt; The only argument against is that the separation is not&#xA;continuous, but then again, neither is the fence at that point, so I&#xA;would go for this one of the first two options.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Build a solid piece of fence wall between the driveway and the path.&lt;/strong&gt; This would break with the repetition of piers, but would&#xA;maintain just a single separation width. I find the pier theme&#xA;visually more important than the continuous separation, and would&#xA;thus not vote for this.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Change either the width of the mid piece or the separation between the piers for consistency.&lt;/strong&gt; By making the piece of fence we're&#xA;discussing as wide as it needs to be to have the same separation&#xA;between the piers as we see on the left side, or making this&#xA;separation on the left less, I would say maximal consistency is&#xA;achieved.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In case your question concerns the height of the the wall between the piers over the whole front of the fence, I would say it depends on its thickness or depth. If the wall is as thick as the piers are, I would vote for a height that is the same as the width and thickness of the piers (say, horizontal piers in between). If the wall is thinner, it would depend on the final height of the hedge. With a higher hedge, a higher wall would be better, a hedge as low as is displayed wouldn't invite for anything higher than at max half the height of the piers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is all just based on my intuition of what seems more attractive to the eye (which seems the primary concern to me), I would love to hear other arguments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2143" LastActivityDate="2013-05-04T06:51:33.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7285" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7301" CreationDate="2013-05-04T23:07:00.887" Score="13" ViewCount="3207" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen the pictured bush today when hiking around &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Palmas_De_Gran_Canaria&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Las Palmas de Gran Canaria&lt;/a&gt;. From a distance, hexagonal patterns are visible: Adjacent branches grow in an almost perfect 45° angle relative to each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What plant is this, or what is a strategy for finding that out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you need more information, let me know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9EPRI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bush&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BCUg7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; Below a picture, that I took after @Throsby's answer, for confirmation. It shows the closeup of a bud, plus mating behavior. ;-) This bush is in a different location than the one pictured above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HrDnJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bud and wasp&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2201" LastEditorUserId="2201" LastEditDate="2013-05-06T22:18:49.817" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T04:23:05.153" Title="Hexagonal bush?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7286" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7287" CreationDate="2013-05-04T14:50:00.053" Score="7" ViewCount="1110" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to prepare an old deck for staining.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/4974/12844&quot;&gt;Scrubbing with a bleach solution&lt;/a&gt; seems a popular technique.  Will the bleach solution harm nearby plants?  What about if I use soap instead? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2204" OwnerDisplayName="Hbar" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:22:11.787" LastActivityDate="2013-06-24T13:51:27.457" Title="Is it safe to use bleach around the yard?" Tags="&lt;chemicals&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7286" CreationDate="2013-05-04T18:05:17.243" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes bleach will harm or kill some plants - most plants it is just the leaves.  I use a bleach/weed killer combo on poison ivy and it basically clears out everything in its path.  If your plants get bleach on them the very best case scenario is you will notice spotting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soap is perfectly fine around plants.  Maybe there are some very sensitive plants that may have a small small effect on - that is more of a gardening question though.  Unless you are dumping gallons of soap on your plants they will be fine - might smell different though.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2189" OwnerDisplayName="David Moore" LastActivityDate="2013-05-04T18:19:38.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7288" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-05T11:50:49.133" Score="10" ViewCount="14889" Body="&lt;p&gt;When building or buying a greenhouse, it seems to me that the material to use is one of the first concerns. The two options I'm trying to compare right now are glass and plastic films. The characteristics that seemed important to me were transmittance, insulation, maintenance and cost (both purchase- and maintenance-). What I could find on the net was the following.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Transmittance&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthetically_active_radiation&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;shows, plants need mostly light from the visible spectrum:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Q5Ht.png&quot; alt=&quot;Active radiation&quot;&gt;,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;at which range both glass and most plastics transmit most light. A quick scholar.google search gave me &lt;a href=&quot;http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/1520-0450%281963%29002%3C0793:TREOPF%3E2.0.CO;2&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Radiative Effectiveness of Plastic Films for Greenhouses&lt;/a&gt;, with the following info.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J5mSH.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;em&gt;mil&lt;/em&gt; used here was strange to me, which I converted using &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kylesconverter.com/length/mil-to-centimeters&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;the first converter Google gave me&lt;/a&gt;. It seems that there is hardly any difference between glass and plastic here, although there are special glasses designed to transmit &gt;99% of the sunlight, as described in &lt;a href=&quot;http://fp.optics.arizona.edu/optomech/references/glass/Schott/tie-35_transmittance_us.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Transmittance of optical glass&lt;/a&gt;, which are out of reach for most people due to their cost.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Insulation&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As can again be read on &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;, it is mostly (the lack of) convection that accounts for the temperature, and both glass and plastic stop this. Of course, glass insulates better than plastic, and double glass would do so even better (again due to the lack of convection in between these layers of glass), but I couldn't find any literature on this.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maintenance&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plastic changes colour over time and needs to be changed every few&#xA;years (see &lt;a href=&quot;http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/1520-0450%281963%29002%3C0793:TREOPF%3E2.0.CO;2&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Radiative Effectiveness of Plastic Films for&#xA;Greenhouses&lt;/a&gt; again for precise numbers), while glass lasts ages&#xA;(look at &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Greenhouses_of_Laeken&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;the royal greenhouse of Laeken&lt;/a&gt;). I would thus say glass&#xA;needs less maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cost&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plastic is cheap to buy, but needs to be changed every few years, as&#xA;noted at the &lt;em&gt;maintenance&lt;/em&gt; point. Glass is more expensive at first,&#xA;but needs less maintenance. I could not find any thorough comparisons&#xA;of the costs on the web.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Other considerations&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Glass just looks better. It does. It gives a different atmosphere, and you can actually see the rest of the garden when you're for example using it as a hangout spot in the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From this intensive search of the web I can only conclude that glass is a little bit better at some points, but I have no idea if it really differs that much. The only point where I think the glass really wins is the maintenance, but that isn't really such a breaking point (I care more about which of the two is best for the plants). Is glass worth the investment? Did I overlook something? Does any of you have experience with both, or argumented reasons for why one of the two is better?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2143" LastEditorUserId="2143" LastEditDate="2013-05-05T14:08:16.380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-22T19:49:36.687" Title="Glass vs plastic greenhouse covering: pros and cons" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7289" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7292" CreationDate="2013-05-05T15:21:05.223" Score="6" ViewCount="849" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've brought few tomato plants from home depot (Bonnie brand) and they are 5 to 8 inches tall and their roots start poking out from the bottom (and sides) of their (3&quot; and 4&quot;) containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seems like time to plant them in bigger pots. My question is, should i plant then straight into 20&quot; pots, or should i choose smaller intermediate container? The reason i'm asking, besides for lack of experience (first time gardener here), is that in this video &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMiwW0lwV98&quot;&gt;plant tomato deep&lt;/a&gt;, for example, suggests deep planting of tomatoes, where the guy trims all the leaves besides for the very top. If my entire plant is 5&quot; tall, &quot;deep planting&quot; would not work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd love to post an image to illustrate but StackExcahnge tells me I need 10 Reputation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Appreciate your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2202" LastActivityDate="2013-05-06T03:24:13.720" Title="When should I replant Home depot (Bonnie) tomato plants" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7288" CreationDate="2013-05-05T17:14:49.877" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer is the one I hate the most: it depends...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Factors influencing your decision include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;aesthetics: glass looks better than plastic if you are putting a greenhouse close to your house&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;local climate: if it gets cold where you are then the material best suited for the snow load and that provides the most heat retention will be a better choice even if it costs more&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what you are trying to grow:  if you just want to get a head start on spring and sow vegetable seedlings then plastic might be a better choice due to lower cost. Growing orchids in Hawaii is a different set of factors&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;length of time the crop or plants will remain in the greenhouse.  If you intend the greenhouse to be in use year round and have perennials or trees then glass is way to go as it has a longer lifespan and if you need to replace a pane or two the environment of the greenhouse is not compromised.  Imagine that it's the middle of winter and a fierce storm does some damage to the greenhouse.  Would you rather cover up a broken pane of glass or try patching a tear in the plastic?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;your choice of covering influences what you can grow. Plastic is normally used to cover a series of metal hoops giving a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quonset_hut&quot;&gt;quonset&lt;/a&gt; hut shape. Due to the shape of the greenhouse this lends itself well to growing short plants on the edges with a double row of hanging plants in the middle. This does not work well with trying to grow a tree or shrub that could be 2 or 3 meters tall.  There is no place for it except in the middle which is normally an access area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I live has a similar climate to yours. Commercially, plastic is used for vegetables and flowers.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theontariogreenhousealliance.com/files/TOGA_Greenhouse_Sector_2009_Update.pdf&quot;&gt;Every year a larger percentage of crops are grown using plastic&lt;/a&gt;.  Glass remains the choice for consumers and show greenhouses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-05-05T17:14:49.877" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7291" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7286" CreationDate="2013-05-05T18:37:01.297" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use bleach to kill any algae or fungi on the floor of balcony. After using bleach, it becomes perfect at least for a couple of years. So imagine how it can kill anything.&#xA;You have to think that &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chlorine&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; is the primary disinfectant for the house, the pool and all kinds of disease. The unic one for fungal diseases. It kills any organic cell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;&quot;It has the highest electron affinity and the third highest electronegativity&#xA; of all the elements; for this reason, chlorine is a strong oxidizing agent.&quot;&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree with soap, but you have to use &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marseille_soap&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Marseille soap&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; or by the way a natural one (home made).&#xA;Otherwise, normal soaps contain caustic soda, which also kills the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-05-05T18:37:01.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7292" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7289" CreationDate="2013-05-05T18:54:54.040" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't need an intermediate pot. Since the roots are going out their pots, it means they need more space, hearth and food. You have to choose the largest space to them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have to plant them deep. You could also plant them in normal soil, to its normal level, and ridging the ground later, when the plants are higher. Cut the leaves is not very important, but is better to avoid they rot, when they are covered with earth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The important thing is you cut any lateral branche sprouting in the axils of leaves, which are infertile and steal nutrients to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uccnv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2052" LastActivityDate="2013-05-05T18:54:54.040" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3165" CreationDate="2013-05-05T21:08:53.320" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well I must have gotten lucky because I was doing a clean up pruning of my dwarf lilac in early spring here in zone 4b. I took a cutting that was crossing through the plant and for fun just stuck it deep in the soil next to my other lilac. What do you know? It now has leaves and flower buds and looks pretty happy. No rooting hormone either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2203" LastActivityDate="2013-05-05T21:08:53.320" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7294" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7285" CreationDate="2013-05-05T21:28:51.847" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd hazard an educated guess at &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corokia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Corokia&lt;/a&gt;, or Wire Netting Bush, although I can't currently see any of the tiny leaves present. Even so, the haphazard nature of its growth habit and overall coloration point in that direction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-11T04:23:05.153" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T04:23:05.153" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7295" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7280" CreationDate="2013-05-05T23:44:04.150" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is your goal? Do you want to be able to identify plants? Or do you just want to learn a little botany for learning's sake? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to be able to better identify plants, you can choose between identification guides for common garden plants and guides for native (wild) plants in your area. If you are in North America, the Taylor's Encyclopedia of Garden Plants might be a good place to start for learning common garden plants. For native plants, I have two that I like to use: the Peterson's Field Guide to Wildflowers and the Newcomb's Wildflower guide. They each use slightly different methods of learning to identify plants, so are great to use for learning. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-05-05T23:44:04.150" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7296" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7299" CreationDate="2013-05-06T00:11:37.723" Score="5" ViewCount="153" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently acquired an Earthmachines composting bin and was wondering if the bin could withstand large amounts of loose tea. We drink lots of tea made from loose tea and it can end up as much kitchen scraps in terms of quantity. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know we can add tea to the compost bin, my question that can we add such large quantities and compost it fine?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="733" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-05-06T03:14:29.077" LastActivityDate="2013-05-08T11:21:03.883" Title="Composting large amount of loose tea" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;tea&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7297" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7298" CreationDate="2013-05-06T00:31:41.917" Score="6" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been researching(googling) weather to keep my Earthmachines composting bin in the sun or shade. I've read that keeping in the sun hastens the process, but tends to dry out the mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Madison Wisconsin, so we get a few months hot weather in the summers, and the winters are cold. Any advice as to where the composter would be more effective/easier to work with. I can keep the bin on the north side of the house(shade) or the south side of the house(sunny).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="733" LastActivityDate="2013-05-06T03:13:55.480" Title="Composting in Madison, WI : Sun or Shade" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7297" CreationDate="2013-05-06T03:13:55.480" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure it really matters that much. All else equal, I'd probably keep it in the shade: it's probably going to freeze in the winter no matter where you put it, and the summer sun will bake the moisture out of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Though if one side of the house is more convenient, then just put it there. If it gets too dry in the sun, you could always add a little water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-05-06T03:13:55.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7296" CreationDate="2013-05-06T03:18:38.443" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only real problem that I see is if it adds too much moisture. To counteract this, you can make sure to add plenty of bulky carbon material (&quot;browns&quot;): sawdust, newspaper, dry autumn leaves, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you find that it makes your compost too wet, you could always just pit-compost the tea. That way the liquid has a chance to drain away into the soil, and you just need to occasionally cover the tea with a bit of soil or &quot;brown&quot; material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-05-06T03:18:38.443" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7300" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7289" CreationDate="2013-05-06T03:24:13.720" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the roots are growing out of the container, then the plants are &quot;pot bound&quot; and need to be transplanted now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can go straight to the 20&quot; pot. Strip off all but the top two pairs of leaves and plant the stem deeply so that the first pair of leaves is above the soil. The plant will grow roots from the hairs on the stem, so this helps give it a strong root system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-05-06T03:24:13.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7301" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7285" CreationDate="2013-05-06T03:43:45.657" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think that it is a great example of a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=Launaea+Arborescens&amp;amp;aq=f&amp;amp;um=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;source=og&amp;amp;sa=N&amp;amp;tab=wi&amp;amp;authuser=0&amp;amp;ei=fSaHUeziOavh4AOPkoCwAw&amp;amp;biw=1280&amp;amp;bih=645&amp;amp;sei=fyaHUfybLY7b4AOi5IHgCA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Launaea Arborescens&lt;/a&gt;. The Spanish name is &lt;em&gt;Aulaga&lt;/em&gt;,  but the English name is a bit contested, either &quot;spiny lettuce&quot; or &quot;barbed wire bush&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.canaryislandflora.com/arid.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It is a shrub with small branches turned into thorns and up to 70 centimeters high with a few small hairless leaves, lightly lobed. The yellow flowers are grouped in small flower-heads one centimeter in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Surprisingly, it is a member of the lettuce family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture from the first link of the plant in bloom with yellow flowers, you can see the yellow in the buds in your photo. Very cool find.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HrUTp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastEditorUserId="2000" LastEditDate="2013-05-06T15:13:13.807" LastActivityDate="2013-05-06T15:13:13.807" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7302" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7259" CreationDate="2013-05-06T19:42:32.787" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it isn't smelling nasty, burn the cut end where the fluid is leaking from. This may be enough to stop the bleeding, and if no infection has set in, the plant should recover. Got this information from a forum on pruning grapevines, no idea if it works, not tried it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-05-06T19:42:32.787" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7303" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-06T21:59:25.450" Score="2" ViewCount="300" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have an empty field by our house that is being made into a subdivision, and now that they have started work on it the wind has blown 6 to 8 inches of dirt in certain spots in among the rock in my front yard.  I'm looking for any ideas on how to get it all out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2206" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-07T14:00:22.247" LastActivityDate="2013-09-19T16:27:01.827" Title="How can I remove dirt that has blown into my landscaping rock?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7304" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-06T23:09:44.357" Score="1" ViewCount="147" Body="&lt;p&gt;My pine tree is heavily infested with some kind of white stuff. It looks like some kind of scales or white powder that is covering all the pine needles. Anyone know how to deal with this without cutting down the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2207" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T01:40:07.837" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T01:40:07.837" Title="How do I deal with a pine tree infestation?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7305" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7304" CreationDate="2013-05-06T23:21:54.110" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This time of year, are you sure it's not pollen? The pines here just released massive clouds of the stuff. If you brush against them, you end up choking on the stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-07T04:24:43.260" LastActivityDate="2013-05-07T04:24:43.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7307" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7308" CreationDate="2013-05-07T16:29:15.997" Score="2" ViewCount="11606" Body="&lt;p&gt;I sowed some cucumbers and tomatoes in April and already lost them all. Now the other batch is dying; I presume it might be over watering as I used different compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically the leaves became a little bit yellowish on their sides, then the whole plant became stunted slowly and the leaves starting to drop from the one at the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I pulled up some plants (see photo below) and it looks like their roots are almost completely gone instead of filling up the whole pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U4aQKl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lW77tl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1243" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-08T00:11:09.970" LastActivityDate="2013-05-08T00:11:09.970" Title="Are my tomatoes and cucumbers dying from overwatering?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7308" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7307" CreationDate="2013-05-07T16:48:04.443" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably either too much water or a pH that is too high (alkaline).  You can drown the plant by watering it too much and if the soil doesn't drain well, then excess watering will compound the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You mentioned compost - that's good.  But recognize that organic matter holds onto water well - that's one of its virtues - and so if you are watering it too much two things will likely happen:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, you'll end up leaching a lot of the nutrients from the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, you'll make the soil conditions inhospitable to your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can check if they need watering by sticking your finger into the soil maybe an inch.  If it is moist, it doesn't need watering.  If it is mucky... well, you're watering too much.  If it is dry, then water it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, don't water at night or in the heat of the day.  Ideally, you'd water early in the morning when the ground can soak up the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes are particularly susceptible to problems due to poor watering.  A condition called &quot;blossom end rot&quot; can occur due to a calcium deficiency that is usually the result of inconsistent watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope that's helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-07T17:50:55.877" LastActivityDate="2013-05-07T17:50:55.877" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7309" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7311" CreationDate="2013-05-07T23:22:34.337" Score="3" ViewCount="334" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a used John Deere LA145.  After using it perfectly a few times, it started developing some issues that I am 99% sure has to do with the mower &quot;thinking&quot; the blades are engaged when they aren't.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every time I try to start it after leaving it overnight, it gives one try, then sounds like it has a dead battery.  Using a battery charger/jumper makes it start the first time.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Once it starts, you can flip the switch to start the blades fine, then it runs for 5-10 minutes, and eventually the blades cut out, but the mower keeps running.  At this point, if I stop the engine, it will NOT start at all (even with the charger/jumper).  It acts exactly like it does when it is in working condition and you try to start it with the blades on.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;After I leave it out overnight, the next day this process repeats again.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not a handy man, but I'd like to try to figure this out.  Anyone have any advice?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1078" OwnerDisplayName="James P. Wright" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T16:41:17.377" Title="Lawn Mower thinks blades are always on?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7310" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-08T00:09:13.663" Score="3" ViewCount="5430" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree has had a tough time recently. It was &lt;em&gt;heavily&lt;/em&gt; pruned by a former resident, and until recently was buried in the middle of a dense bamboo grove. The bamboo visible to the right is 30+ feet tall and was completely surrounding the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KRbKK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KRbKKl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, there what looks like a white fungus or growth covering large portions of the upper branches. I don't know if the tree's trauma contributed to the growth or what, but I want to know what I should do about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the fungus just natural and I should let it be? Will it resolve itself now that the tree has a better environment? Does the tree need professional help? It's not particularly bothering me, I just want to make sure the tree is getting the care it deserves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2212" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-08T00:27:09.150" LastActivityDate="2013-05-08T10:53:50.850" Title="White fungus growing on tree branches" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7309" CreationDate="2013-05-08T00:20:48.977" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could be the battery, especially if you have to jump-start it: a dead or dying battery can cause all sorts of peculiar electrical problems. Small batteries such as in motorcycles or (I'm assuming) small tractors often die prematurely due to cold storage and infrequent use in the winter. The battery may be working well enough to keep the engine running but not adequately power all the electronics. I would pull the battery and take it to an auto parts shop. They will usually do a quick battery test for free.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's not the battery, the list of possible problems gets a lot longer. If you're &quot;not a handy man&quot; you may have to take it in for repair. Quick things you could look for:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Blown fuses.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there any electrical components on the blades assembly? If so, you could check the contact points for corrosion, damaged wiring, stuff like that: anything that might cause a poor electrical signal.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2212" LastEditorUserId="2212" LastEditDate="2013-05-08T20:13:51.437" LastActivityDate="2013-05-08T20:13:51.437" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7312" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-08T01:08:55.920" Score="3" ViewCount="3174" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a few &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0055E85OO&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;20 gallon grow pots&lt;/a&gt; (20&quot; diameter x 15.5&quot; high), and they look quite big for one plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you think I can put two plants side by side? That'd be 10 gallons per plant. The only issue is they will end up pretty close together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2202" LastEditorUserId="705" LastEditDate="2013-05-08T12:21:47.617" LastActivityDate="2014-09-03T21:52:30.160" Title="Planting 2 tomato plants in one 20-gallon grow pot (Smart Pot)" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;pots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7313" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7314" CreationDate="2013-05-08T01:20:18.967" Score="19" ViewCount="83468" Body="&lt;p&gt;It doesn't seem like there's any process that would kill the kernels, as they're just being dried out. So would it be theoretically possible to grow the kernels into full corn plants? Would there be any difference between the kernels found in commercial, microwavable, bagged popcorn and corn kernels sold specifically for planting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastEditorUserId="2000" LastEditDate="2013-05-08T16:09:14.980" LastActivityDate="2020-10-16T19:09:13.810" Title="Is it possible to grow the corn kernels from commercial popcorn?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;corn&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7314" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7313" CreationDate="2013-05-08T01:31:34.673" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is possible to grow plants from the kernels you get for making popcorn, but remember this is a corn that isn't any good as sweet corn. it it very starchy and not sweet. it would only be good to use for more popcorn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://m.wikihow.com/Grow-Popcorn&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is a quick tutorial on germinating the seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In essence, what they recommend is the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get the plain kernels for home made popcorn from the market (unflavoured).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place the kernels in between damp sheets of kitchen paper to germinate. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The kernels that have germinated should then be planted out into the&#xA;ground in blocks of at least 3 x 3 (as corn is wind pollinated) and spaced at roughly 1' apart.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep watered in dry spells. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leave the ears of corn on the&#xA;plants until the leaves surrounding the corn have browned. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bring the ears in to dry out further. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Once fully dried, twist off the kernels to use as you would with store bought.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;N.B. A great tip, if your patch suffers from rodent or squirrel attack (they do love corn), is to place empty soda bottles over the ears of corn with ventilation holes punched into it so that you don't encourage mildew to attack the corn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2013-05-08T20:32:37.343" LastActivityDate="2013-05-08T20:32:37.343" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7315" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-08T10:47:50.363" Score="2" ViewCount="55" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a gardenpond (roughly 16000 litres) which is crystal clear. The pond contains no fish, only amphibians and insect life and a lot of plants. some plants, like the pondweed are real hardhitters on oxygen production and using nutritions to grow. I learned that a healthy amount of plants can prevent the growth of algae, and so far it is paying off; there are almost no algae in the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;however, there are some examples of plants growing, of which the leafs start to decompose (in spring! They should wait for fall...) and I am wondering if this is due to the lack of nutrients. I never really thought about the &quot;rule against algae&quot; the other way around, but it sounds logical: there is not enough food!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did not test the water yet, and in case of another cause, maybe it is because of acids or other stuff. The overall appearance of the pond is excellent though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1340" LastActivityDate="2013-05-08T10:47:50.363" Title="pondplants with a lack of nutrients?" Tags="&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;pond&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-07-15T20:18:01.443" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7310" CreationDate="2013-05-08T10:53:50.850" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are being very polite when you say &quot;pruned&quot;. The kind of work that was done on that tree &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.broward.org/Regulation/Engineering/Pages/ProperTreePruning.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;does not follow good practices&lt;/a&gt; and has contributed to the growth of the fungus. Here is what I see that are signs of poor health:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;portions of the trunk which do not appear to have any bark&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;large cuts which are too large for the defense process of bark growing over the cut to heal. If decay sets in fungus will start decomposing the exposed inner core&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;there seems to be an indentation or groove at the base of the trunk which is sometimes indicative of damage to the trunk many years ago&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Due to the way it was pruned the new growth has come from suckers at the end of the cuts. These have a poor attachment to the trunk.  If left alone for many years they can easily become heavier than can be supported and will tear off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You ask what you should do about the fungus. There is no reason to treat it as it is there because conditions were right.  Now the bamboo has been cut back if the fungus was growing because of poor air circulation and a moist environment it should stop or slow it's growth.  If could also be growing because of dead wood in the tree. You should monitor the tree for new growth and for the appearance of any other decay agents like shelf fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would contact an arborist to get a hazard assessment. There is&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;damage to the main trunk&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it appears to be leaning towards the house&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;new growth is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_shoot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sucker growth&lt;/a&gt; with a weak attachment&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At some point in time in the future part of the tree could fall off so an on site assessment is a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-05-08T10:53:50.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7296" CreationDate="2013-05-08T11:21:03.883" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because the tannins are asked about, here's just a quick answer to that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It won't overload your compost pile.  The compost is likely to be relatively acidic and will likely lower the pH of the soil you put it into.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would second the suggestion of pit composting though.  One real advantage of pit composting is that it gives you a little more control over where the acids get deposited.  For example, you could compost in place around acid-loving plants....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1911" LastActivityDate="2013-05-08T11:21:03.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7318" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7312" CreationDate="2013-05-08T14:04:26.813" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd put exactly ONE in a 20&quot; diameter pot.  Otherwise you are going to crowd them up terribly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Square foot&quot; gardening recommends 1 tomato plant per 2 square foot spacing - you grid off the planting area into 1' squares and for a tomato it would take 4 of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless of whether this is a &quot;determinate&quot; (bush type) or &quot;indeterminate&quot; (vine type) tomato, trying to put two of them in the same pot is likely to make it a jumbled mess.  Ultimately, you want some space for these to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Addendum:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding spacing of tomatoes in general, this year I spaced my tomatoes right at 3' apart and spaced the rows at 4' apart.  I use some simple cages to contain my plants - mostly indeterminate types - and those are about 2' in diameter.  So there is approximately 1' between the cages in the rows and approximately 2' of &lt;em&gt;potential&lt;/em&gt; walking space in the rows.  Of course, the tomatoes extend out from the cages and so there's a bit less than that and sometimes I have to move vines to scoot around the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My point in all of this is that tomatoes are plants that &lt;em&gt;need&lt;/em&gt; space and will &lt;em&gt;benefit&lt;/em&gt; from the space.  Having room allows air circulation and reduces the likelihood of non-insect problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Determinate varieties &quot;behave&quot; better but still perform better with space.  I'll be honest with you - I had to learn this the hard way after cramming way too many plants in a given space in an attempt to &quot;maximize&quot; my yields.  What I ended up doing most of the time was increasing my problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2014-09-03T21:52:30.160" LastActivityDate="2014-09-03T21:52:30.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7319" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7313" CreationDate="2013-05-08T16:01:27.177" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it should be possible. I've never tried Orville Redenbacher, but I have grown other grocery store popcorn and it grew just fine. The only problem for me was that the results were kind of unpredictable. The package I grew from said it was baby rice popcorn. I've grown baby rice before, and expected the plants to be 5 feet tall or so. The plants that grew from the grocery store seeds were closer to 10 feet tall - very surprising! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-05-08T16:01:27.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7320" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7313" CreationDate="2013-05-08T18:10:20.280" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is possible to do, but your results will vary. The stuff you buy for food popcorn isn't specifically grown for seed; it may be an F1 hybrid and the generation that you grow out may not produce the same as the parents. (This is probably what happened to @michelle -- she mentions that the results were unpredictable.) If you just want to try it as an experiment, go for it, but if you actually want popcorn that will grow predictably, you can buy popcorn varieties, e.g.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fedcoseeds.com/seeds/search.php?search=popcorn&amp;amp;item=677&amp;amp;index=3&quot;&gt;Pennsylvania Dutch Butter Flavored Popcorn&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-05-08T18:10:20.280" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7321" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7175" CreationDate="2013-05-08T19:19:34.177" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;So you probably already have decently-growing cucumbers at this point but I wanted to weigh in on this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you planted the seeds upside down they'd mostly right themselves and grow the right way.  Robert Krulwich from NPR had a good post on this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2012/06/21/155508849/how-do-plants-know-which-way-is-up-and-which-way-is-down&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A sideways seed won't have to right itself so it will shoot up faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cling film helps to do two things - hold in some heat and moisture.  Dry seeds don't sprout and spouted seeds that dry out will die.  If I start seeds inside I'll put them in a small &quot;mini greenhouse&quot; that is nothing more than a container with a plastic lid to help regulate the moisture level.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But with cucumbers, unless I'm making seedlings to sell/give away I'd just direct sow them once the soil's warm.  Indoor/greenhouse seedling growing would jump-start that a bit if the ground is colder in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-08T19:19:34.177" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7322" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5982" CreationDate="2013-05-09T09:43:32.990" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have managed woodlands in UK for their historic and conservation values. Coppice is cut at ground level and soil often scraped against the stump to encourage development of roots from the pleachers (upright stems). Similar to layering.  This means that the pleacher benefits from the original root system and also from the new root. The result is that the pleachers gradually grow away from the original stump over the centuries.  The big threat to the new regrowth is animal browsing and the coupes were often surrounded by a bank, ditch and hedge or fence.  Coppice was often grown with standards which were single stemmed trees such as Oak which were harvested when mature (100 + years) as against the coppice shrubs harvested on a 5 - 15 year cycle.  Pollards were used when it was impossible to prevent stock from grazing around them.  They are cut at a height that the stock could not browse them.  The problem is that whilst coppice can last for thousands of years because they re-root at every harvest, pollard lasts only as long as the stem. Often used as Parkland decoration and cut for stock forage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2213" LastActivityDate="2013-05-09T09:43:32.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7323" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="236" CreationDate="2013-05-09T13:50:26.927" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the north east corner of my house I have hostas in a raised bed about a foot off the ground about 3 ft from the AC condenser....they look good in spring early summer ....but when it gets hot and AC runs a lot the hot air makes the leaves turn brown on edges . I would not recommend hostas unless you plant them at least 6ft from the AC condenser unit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2214" LastActivityDate="2013-05-09T13:50:26.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7324" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3683" CreationDate="2013-05-09T14:19:42.683" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here in the rural northeast, rough-sawn hemlock is a popular choice. Cedar is also a good choice as is redwood. Try to get heart-wood if possible. I have had garden boxes out (with ground contact) for one season and can see the dry-rot starting on a few of them.    Isolating the wood from ground contact is important and the gravel idea outlined above looks like a good one although, if you aren't in a really wet area, maybe just putting the beds up on a few flat rocks, like what is used for a stepping-stone path would help, too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2215" LastActivityDate="2013-05-09T14:19:42.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7325" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3683" CreationDate="2013-05-09T17:08:49.723" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just to add a few notes about my experiences:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Southern yellow pine lasted 3 years.&#xA;SYP with linseed oil applied the first year added another year to its life, maybe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I built cedar boxes similar to how Ana White did them &lt;a href=&quot;http://ana-white.com/2010/05/hack-natural-rustic-cedar-raised-beds.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. Though mine were 50% more expensive each.  Still not bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have 30 or so Black Locust logs 8-10' long 3-15&quot; in diameter some of which I'll be building some &quot;Lincoln Log&quot; style beds this year as an experiment.  Black Locust is quite rot resistant and makes great posts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Douglas Fir is better than SYP.  A box I made from DF was good for 5 years or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-09T17:08:49.723" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7326" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4232" CreationDate="2013-05-09T20:19:18.683" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;They make these pills that you can give your dogs, a bit on the expensive side and you can give them any way they will take it. For my dog i have to shove it in her treats cause she wouldn't take em any other way. But i can say that it works really well, did it for a full summer and found a big difference by just doing that. And it tells you on the bottle how many pills your dog needs per day because its calculated by the size of the dog. And right now i dont remember the name of these pills but im sure with a bit of research you will find them, i hope this helps you out and if you try them i hope they work for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2217" LastActivityDate="2013-05-09T20:19:18.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7329" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4232" CreationDate="2013-05-10T02:09:18.763" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My understanding is your lawn problem is part plant, part canine. Your dog's urine is burning your lawn, weakening it, and then killing it. (female dogs, in particular, cause this issue.) While your dog urinates apparently randomly, there probably is some sort of statistical pattern, as seen in the photos. :-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you didn't have a dog, and you had the patience, I would rake in fresh dirt into your bare spots, seed, rake, then water daily for 14 days. That will fill in your lawn, which is what I every year, so some extent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, because if your dogs, the seeding may not work as well. I would suggest sodding. go for the larger bare places first. place the sod (instructions all over internet) in open fresh dirt) then water the heck out of it for 7 days, cutting back the next week. this will make your lawn look much better. do this section by section, learning as you go. it wont be perfect, but it will look great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll continue to have this issue, because of your dog. I would suggest working at in little by little. (sometimes, I'll rip out a piece of lawn, buy a piece of sod, and shove it in. I have a female dog too.) Also, and it maybe alittle OCD, but watering the lawn after the dog urinates will reduce the burning on the lawn. R&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;oh, consider keeping your lawn a little longer. I mean, ask your lawn guy to cut at a higher level. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1699" LastActivityDate="2013-05-10T02:09:18.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7330" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-10T02:20:02.940" Score="2" ViewCount="3631" Body="&lt;p&gt;Located in North Carolina. Mostly a fescue lawn. well established, some new sod from last fall, some new grass seed from this spring. Let, I have weeds. Some areas of my lawn are fighting a good blanket of what looks a variant of spurweed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hear Trimec works well. will Trimec affect/kill/damage my existing grass, new grass, or germinating grass? (fescue)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1699" LastActivityDate="2015-04-24T03:24:00.327" Title="Does Trimec kill grasses (fescue)" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7331" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="852" CreationDate="2013-05-10T02:22:59.823" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;yea, it's a different type of grass. if you let it grow, you'll see it grows similar to onion grass or a beach grass. If you want to get rid of it, let it grow, which will help you identify it, pull it out, and reseed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I deal with this type of grass as well. I deal with it little by little, pulling it out, and dropping some soil, and reseeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1699" LastActivityDate="2013-05-10T02:22:59.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7330" CreationDate="2013-05-10T03:20:07.360" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't use Trimec on Fescue. It will harm the turf grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try Scott's products, Step 1, 2, 3, and 4 for weed control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut your lawn at about 3 1/4 - 3 1/2 inches in height.&#xA;Aerate your soil &amp;amp; Dethatch it.&#xA;Water your grass once every 4-5 days for a good 20 minutes or so to establish strong root systems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutting the grass higher is similar to giving the grass a hair cut but cutting the head off weeds - the grass will receive sunlight instead of the weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aerating and Dethatching your soil helps grow strong root systems for your lawn, making the grass thicker - reducing weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering does the same, stronger grass less weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2220" LastActivityDate="2013-05-10T03:20:07.360" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7333" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-10T03:20:48.830" Score="5" ViewCount="4391" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have mulched multiple hills and am always looking for ways to keep mulch 'glued' to hillsides. Switching to decorative shale is unfortunately not an option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried three things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ground covers (Junipers etc.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chicken wire (Looks horrible once it does wash away)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Single shredded bark seems to stay put longer than fine &amp;amp; double shredded.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have heard of a clear glue spray, not sure what it is called though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone on here know of ways to keep mulch on hill sides longer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can post a picture of the bank(s), but we do more than one bank mulching so it's general to almost any incline.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2220" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-27T14:28:16.990" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T20:40:44.953" Title="Keeping mulch from washing off of banks and steep inclines" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7334" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5451" CreationDate="2013-05-10T03:22:45.650" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Level out the area with new soil or a strong garden tiller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fall is one of the best times to plant cool season grasses, I don't see palm trees so I am going to guess you have cool season turf grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2220" LastActivityDate="2013-05-10T03:22:45.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7335" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5804" CreationDate="2013-05-10T03:27:39.090" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like you have some lawn fungus.&#xA;I would take a soil sample to a local garden center or school (if they do that in your area) and have it tested so you know where and how to start repairing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll want to dethatch that lawn and start mowing it on a regular basis. Probably an aeration and over seed as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless you tear it up and replant/sod, having it repaired by summer isn't likely. Repairing that will be a process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My first step would be the soil test, but if you don't do that consider having it aerated and over seeded with some compost and starter fertilizer. You have to start mowing that weekly (or as much as needed) about 3&quot; in height, more if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2220" LastActivityDate="2013-05-10T03:27:39.090" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7336" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7337" CreationDate="2013-05-10T08:33:39.143" Score="2" ViewCount="121" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a rose that has suffered some wind damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before it dies I would like to take some cuttings to propagate.  Can anyone advise if this is even possible and/or offer some guidance if it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1322" LastActivityDate="2013-05-10T09:27:12.330" Title="Is it possible to propagate a Rose from a cutting?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7336" CreationDate="2013-05-10T09:27:12.330" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it's possible. When I was pruning my roses last year, I had one of the elderly locals walk past while taking his daily walk, see what I was doing, and ask for cuttings so that he could.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a fact sheet from a source I trust on how to do it: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2634383.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardening Australia: Rose Rustling&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having said that, your rose may not die at all. Mine survive being butchered; the one that suckered into the lawn survived being mowed (until I got around to moving it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1326" LastActivityDate="2013-05-10T09:27:12.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7338" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7333" CreationDate="2013-05-10T16:50:14.670" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yeah, it tends to want to wash down the hill.  A real pain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had better luck with cypress mulch staying in place over the pine bark stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wondering if some black netting pinned down in several horizontal pieces would hold things back.  Put some mulch down, black net and then cover with a layer of mulch.  Just an idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seems like plants are the best option if terracing is out.  They tend to provide anchors on the hill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-10T16:50:14.670" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7339" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-10T21:44:49.217" Score="5" ViewCount="12277" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this &lt;a href=&quot;http://amzn.to/14bfYrK&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mower&lt;/a&gt;. It worked great last year, but this year it's left my lawn looking like the photos in &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/Vekw2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this album&lt;/a&gt;. Believe it or not, I mowed that grass yesterday (not even 24 hours ago).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/eZE0xhTh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is definitely cutting, and cutting a lot (most of the grass is the right height, it's just those long shoots that are persisting).&#xA;I had the blade set to about 2.5&quot;, the notch shorter than what I did last year (an attempt to rectify the problem after the first unsuccessful cutting). I typically only cut when the grass is dry, though it's been raining 3-5 times a week, so I'm usually cutting the 24-48 hours after the last time it rained, but the grass has definitely been dry when I've cut it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this normal for this type of mower? I didn't see this last year at all. Are these just weeds I need to manually pull? Is it the frequency of the rain and the fact that I can't get a day or two of non-rain before I cut it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why might this be happening and how can I fix it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2222" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-05-13T00:34:34.857" LastActivityDate="2013-05-26T14:29:33.997" Title="Is this normal for a push reel mower?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7340" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-10T23:41:59.643" Score="8" ViewCount="675" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last fall I planted 4 raspberry plants from Burpee.  They grew a little and then it got cold and they went dormant.  Now that it is spring they have been growing again.  They are still very small and I was wondering if and how I should prune them to promote proper growth.  Here are a couple pictures.  The two on the left are a variety that produce raspberries on first year vines, and the 2 on the right produce raspberries on the second year vines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Czhex.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;All 4 raspberry plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a close up of the smallest one.  This is a new vine.  You can see no foilege grew on the one from last year (just visible to the left of it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vORN0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of one of them.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a close up of the largest.  The vine on the left is the one from last year, and the one on the right is a new one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KyxBS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1673" LastActivityDate="2013-06-10T00:28:07.967" Title="Care for young Raspberry plants" Tags="&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7340" CreationDate="2013-05-11T00:17:39.573" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cool.  I like raspberries and those brambles tend to grow pretty well if they are watered well and the soil pH is right and they get enough sunlight.  I'd have probably planted them a bit farther out from the house but that's a nit, really.  Their roots get pretty long - a few feet or more and they do well if they are in soil that drains well.  As long as they get lots of sun and stay watered, they'll thrive.  I've got wild ones on the front of my farm and they they've survived my hacking at them with the string trimmer and the mower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Honestly, I think right now there's no pruning to do yet because those plants are still small. Before you get new growth on the canes next spring you'll want to cut them back a bit to get rid of any of the old, dead cane and anything that looks weak and unlikely to flourish.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are they black/purple or red?  June-bearing or Ever-bearing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe you'll want to cut back the 2nd year cane in years to come.  That encourages new growth on the newer, first year cane.  I'm not an expert, for sure, but that's about what I know about them.  I suspect others may be able to add to this or clarify/contradict some of this based on their experiences.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-11T00:17:39.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7342" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1382" CreationDate="2013-05-11T03:54:44.423" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;No. There are no post-emergents that specifically kill crabgrass without killing lawn grass.&#xA;Spray and pull to kill existing grass and use pre-emergents in fall and early spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1699" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-11T05:10:57.530" LastActivityDate="2013-05-11T05:10:57.530" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7344" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-11T11:21:47.900" Score="5" ViewCount="361" Body="&lt;p&gt;A long time ago (about ten years), I put some apple seeds in the ground, and now I have an apple tree. The only problem is that it is too close to the neighbour's house, and might do some damage to it with its roots. Moreover, it is too close to a pear tree. Here's a picture of how close the tree stands to the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AESMu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Apple and pear tree next to each other&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the left you see the apple tree, and on the right the pear tree. Now I wish to move this tree, relocate it to the other side of the garden, where it has more room, can get more light, and not be such a problem to the neighbour's house and the pear tree. The problem is that I have no idea when I should do this. Right now, the tree is blossoming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c9j8z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What season should I wait for to relocate it? When would a few broken roots (as it is impossible to dig all of them out) do the least damage to the tree? And how should I do this? How much of the roots should I try to get out, and should I take some dirt from the old spot with it? Are there any problems that could arise?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2143" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-08T12:32:15.797" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T15:53:46.977" Title="Relocating an apple tree - when should this be done?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7345" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7339" CreationDate="2013-05-11T14:56:20.820" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;If grass is too long when you take a reel mower to it, it just folds over. This is made even worse when it is thick. After making sure the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.leevalley.com/en/shopping/TechInfo.aspx?p=42032&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;blades are sharp&lt;/a&gt;, you will probably just need to take multiple passes at it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We own two reel mowers and the way we know we need to sharpen one is when the same grass responds like that on one mower and normally on another. But I wouldn't let the grass get that high. (Yes, I know that's a frustrating challenge when it keeps raining and the grass keeps growing.) The key to success with reel mowing is to do it often. I find that easy enough to do because the mower is light weight and easy to use, so I can do one bit of lawn that's getting long without full on Mowing The Lawn as some kind of production - I just mow the part that's getting long. (We have an acre and a half, but only about half it is lawn.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it won't stop raining and the grass won't stop growing and when you get to it, it's like that, well you just keep going over it. Go in opposing directions, that may help a little. When it stands back up, go take another pass at it. Don't worry about what's a weed and what's grass. It all needs to get cut. For more tips, see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/5014/754&quot;&gt;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/5014/754&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; I was super frustrated with my reel mower yesterday because it was doing that same thing you asked about. I was going over and over the same ground and it would produce clippings, but the lawn still looked unmowed. I sharpened it (which took about an hour) but the result was the same. But while interacting with the reel to sharpen it I came to realize that the &quot;cutting bar&quot; - the straight thing the reel blades need to contact with to slice the grass like scissors - needed to be raised at one end. The blades were not contacting it on the entire left side of the mower. The grass was not getting cut because the blades were not touching the bar. I adjusted the bar and presto! When I mow a piece of lawn, it stays mowed. Adjusting the bar is much quicker than sharpening so check for that first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To check, put the mower on its back and spin the reel (carefully) with your hand. If it moves really easily and then a bit stiff, really easy and then stiff, look closely at the bar. Are the blades touching along all the length of the bar as they turn? If not, find your instructions and adjust it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-05-26T14:29:33.997" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7346" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7396" CreationDate="2013-05-11T17:39:55.003" Score="2" ViewCount="295" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine told me I should spread seed and then put a half inch of soil over it. I have about half an acre of lawn so this would be a LOT of soil. Is there any way to just spread seed and still have it take without adding soil on top?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="837" LastActivityDate="2013-06-13T18:30:00.040" Title="How to reseed my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7347" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8255" CreationDate="2013-05-11T19:30:25.277" Score="9" ViewCount="24974" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IUbDq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Work of art&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I inherited this Picasso last year when my wife and I bought our first home. Now, there is plenty of potential, but first and foremost I want to remove all the vegetation I don't want, which includes the ivy in the shot above (but I did see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/224/what-are-some-natural-ways-of-killing-ground-ivy-creeping-charlie&quot;&gt;the top answer here&lt;/a&gt;and will be trying that later), and I need to fill in the spots in the lawn where grass looks like it &lt;em&gt;cannot&lt;/em&gt; grow, even if it wanted to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iXzKL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;desert patch&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o2JDE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dirt road&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And those are just small samples, representative of the rest of the yard. In the &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IUbDq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;very first picture at the top&lt;/a&gt;, At the bottom there is a rocky patch of dirt that's covered with moss, and the dirt patch next to it is actually 1+ inches below the level of the lawn, though you may not be able to tell by looking at the picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is Michigan, and I'm not sure how to tell if I have a cool season lawn or a warm season one. When it comes to landscaping, I don't know topsoil from bottomsoil, but I do my own yard work (mowing, edging, raking, etc.) and I have some diy skills and will be performing the work myself. When we moved in last July (in the middle of a heatwave) I dethatched the whole lawn, but from reading this site it may not have been the right time and I may have done more harm than good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that specifically, I have to do the following things&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Plant new grass&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;  The area with rocky dirt and moss needs new grass. I don't know the procedure for prepping the lawn for seeding/sodding, or under what circumstances I should seed vs. sod. I have a feeling I'll need to till those rough areas, but I don't know if I should just dig out that rough dirt and replace it with (top?)soil. Also, I'm not sure how to level off the trough in the front yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Weed Removal&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;  I've been looking at various &lt;em&gt;weed and feed&lt;/em&gt; products that I could use to kill weeds and fertilize the grass all in one fell swoop. I don't know if that's the most effective solution to kill weeds and preserve grass, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Remove old mulch&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;  Some plant beds also have old mulch that hasn't broken down for whatever reason. I don't know the first thing about mulch or putting mulch down beside the fact I'll need a rake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Update 1&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can't believe it's been almost a year since I started this project! A second kid, additional year of marriage, and 5 more college courses under my belt later, progress has been made.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First off, &lt;a href=&quot;https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/3010/what-is-the-best-tool-method-for-vine-removal/30674#30674&quot;&gt;the Ivy's been removed&lt;/a&gt;, the ditch from picture 1 has been filled in, the trees in pic 1 have been cut down. There was a monster holley tree I didn't show in my original post with some ornamental decorations, so for reference&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v08He.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Holley Tree and Co&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And that's all been removed. Toward the end of last August, it looked a little something like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sxxR7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Progress made.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had an insanely busy schedule during this time, so my wife 'forced' me to pay someone to lay sod down for a function that was coming up, instead of my original (&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;much&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; cheaper) plan of planting grass seed. &lt;s&gt;I'll post a picture later,&lt;/s&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G9yfm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;odd sod job 1&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QYKcE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;odd sod job 2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M3nOY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;odd sod job 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't take one back when they laid it but I don't like it one bit. Everywhere in the above picture where there's dirt they laid sod, and took no care to make it even with the existing lawn, and there's a giant seam everywhere the sod meets the existing lawn. The sod guy said it'll settle eventually, but personally I think they did a crappy job. I came across an article (&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9517/is-laying-sod-higher-than-existing-lawn-best-practice&quot;&gt;maybe a question on here&lt;/a&gt;) that I can't seem to find now that mentioned different heights people lay sod, some under existing lawn height, some at, some above (for settling reasons). I'm still not completely convinced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's immediately next is planting some small shurbs alongside the Japanese Dwarf Maple, and lay mulch down around that area. This is also the time for overseeding, so there's that. Weeds have been cropping back up, those dirt areas up toward the house were wretched with weeds last year, partly because it was bare dirt for a while before the sod came (end of August until late October), now they're creeping their way back in. Time to &lt;a href=&quot;http://4.static.newspaper.guestlistmedia.net/uploads/articles/10/679_xl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;lock and load&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next step as far as that sod situation goes is probably damage control and replace the rest of the lawn with sod &lt;em&gt;myself&lt;/em&gt;, to get a nice &lt;em&gt;even&lt;/em&gt; setup. Maybe I'll try wetting the edges and tamping it down somewhat first and see what happens. My wife suggests I should cut it, and it'll look better once I do, we'll see. It may wind up a question on gardening.SE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After &lt;em&gt;that&lt;/em&gt;, it's off to the sides and back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2162" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2019-04-24T14:46:30.707" Title="How do I fix the worst lawn on the street?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7348" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7347" CreationDate="2013-05-11T20:19:04.867" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I didn't know anything about grass until recently. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Caring for grass is a year long process&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Caring for and growing a healthy grass is a year long process. In the south, every season you have to provide it with the necessary amount of lawn fertilizer and preventative or pre-emergent products. Since you live in michigan, caring for lawns during the warm seasons still means providing it enough fertilizer at the right specific times. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Follow your products year long schedule&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just as you would follow instructions for prescriptions; grass fertilizer have directions for year long usage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It varies on the product you purchase. Usually the products you use will provide you a schedule to follow. If you folow that schedule regularly your grass will flourish by summer's time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Fixing dead spots&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for dead areas or spots, you just need to rake and remove dead areas, seed them and provide it some mulch. Often some products provide you a seed and mulch combination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Consider grass plugs&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To fix dead spots also consider growing creeping type grasses that repair dead spots by itself. Some lawn types include saint augustine, burmuda grass, fescue,etc. This is probably the best and most cost effective means of doing so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Finding resources&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, be best friends with your local home gardening store. They'll often provide you free advice. I look for the friendly elderly men or women. They're always willing to give you nuggets of information about grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Growing grass is rewarding&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Caring for a healthy lawn is a rewarding process it also prevents weeds from growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best of luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="290" LastEditorUserId="290" LastEditDate="2013-05-11T20:30:00.390" LastActivityDate="2013-05-11T20:30:00.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7349" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-11T20:22:46.620" Score="2" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there any advantages of growing Saint Augustine grass in the southern United States for residential lawns?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="290" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-26T19:21:54.920" LastActivityDate="2013-07-26T19:44:08.680" Title="In the southern US, what are the advantages of Saint Augustine grass?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7352" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-12T01:25:46.257" Score="6" ViewCount="433" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a house three years ago, the cherry trees appeared to be fruitless. This year they flowered and now have cherries all over them. They are very large adult trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I water them?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How often and in what way do I water them?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I spray the ground around them?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I dig a little ring around them in the dirt? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I just leave them alone. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to get the cherries and not destroy them. I live in northern California, just above Sonora at around 3000 feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2226" LastEditorUserId="1906" LastEditDate="2013-07-14T23:08:37.363" LastActivityDate="2013-07-14T23:08:37.363" Title="How do I water my full grown cherry tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7353" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-12T01:36:43.500" Score="4" ViewCount="1301" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two apple trees. I have lived here for three years and I am sure they are a couple of years older than that. They are both producing fruit but I do not know how to water them. Do I put a ring in the dirt around them about ten inches from the base and soak them once in a while, or do I just water the ground. How often do I water them. And how do I prevent the little pin hole size bad spots on the fruit? I live in northern California just above Sonora at about 3000 feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2226" LastEditorUserId="2226" LastEditDate="2013-05-12T02:05:03.390" LastActivityDate="2013-05-13T00:27:17.703" Title="How do I water my two apple trees?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7354" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7353" CreationDate="2013-05-12T15:20:17.497" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I didn't need to water any of my fruit trees regularly in Ontario, but when they were new the advice I was given was to get a large bucket and put a small hole in the bottom, then put the bucket near the base of the tree and fill it with water. This would release water into the ground slowly enough that it could soak in rather than running off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your trees are looking healthy and the leaves are not wilting, they are unlikely to need watering. If you are having a drought, this technique will probably work. You could also put on a sprinkler near them so their root area (which typically mirrors their branch area) is getting water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2013-05-12T15:20:17.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7355" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-12T17:25:00.500" Score="5" ViewCount="1188" Body="&lt;p&gt;The rope starter for my Craftsman Gas Hedge Trimmer disconnected from the engine while pulling to start.&#xA;Please explain how to reattach this rope starter. I am a DIY individual. &#xA;Thanks for your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="George" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-05-13T00:29:25.007" LastActivityDate="2015-05-16T05:43:26.183" Title="How to replace my gas hedge trimmer rope starter" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7355" CreationDate="2013-05-12T17:39:04.890" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is hard to give really detailed advice on how to fix the pull rope. However generally speaking the shroud over the rope recoil winder assembly needs to be removed. Then it is possible to get at the rope re-winder assembly to reattach the rope. Usually the rope is knotted at the end and slips into a notch or retainer bracket on the spool of the rewinder. Note that the rewinder needs to have a small amount of tension placed on the rope when it is in the fully rolled up position. This tension keeps the rope from hanging loose and coming part way out when the machine is in use. Also be careful to not put too much tension on the fully rolled up rope as then you may not be able to pull the rope all the way out when trying to start the engine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The re-winder works a lot like a tape measure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14630" OwnerDisplayName="Michael Karas" LastActivityDate="2013-05-12T17:39:04.890" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7357" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-12T20:28:35.240" Score="5" ViewCount="145" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a young pear tree that has several varieties of pears grafted on it. It is starting to blossom. Should I pinch these early blossoms? Will the tree divert resources to making more leaves and produce a second wave of blossoms? How many of these blossoms should I pinch?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="746" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-03T22:42:42.447" LastActivityDate="2017-11-04T01:01:51.883" Title="Should I pinch early pear blossoms to encourage stronger tree and better season?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7353" CreationDate="2013-05-12T22:48:45.323" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in zone 7A and get around 43 inches of rainfall a year.  Not all that different from where you are.  Other than when my trees were young - first year or so - I've only given them water when we hadn't had rain for more than 10 days or so.  The roots tend to grow pretty far down (ask me how I know!) and are able to extract water from the soil quite well.  I honestly don't think you need to generally do supplemental watering unless you're in drought conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might find some useful info &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.iastate.edu/directory/people-files/domoto/pdf/CaDis-IAhort.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; on spots on apples.  I'd bookmarked it a few years ago when I was trying to diagnose a problem I was having.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-12T22:48:45.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7359" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7353" CreationDate="2013-05-13T00:27:17.703" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Five (or more) year old fruit trees shouldn't need supplemental water if you get enough rain. If you are experiencing a drought, you should water deeply and infrequently. E.g. the bucket-drip method that Kate Gregory mentions, every other week, making sure that you use plenty of water so that it gets deep to the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Frequent watering with small amounts will encourage the tree to form shallow roots, and without deep roots it will be unable to secure its own water from deep in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I get about 40-45&quot; of rainfall annually, and except for the first year I don't irrigate on a regular basis. Last year during the drought I gave each tree 2 x 5g pails of water every other week. (Bathtub water works well for this.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-05-13T00:27:17.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7360" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-13T04:53:17.840" Score="2" ViewCount="282" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking to id this rose:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dEztC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dEztCl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am no rose expert, and did a search for apricot yellow rose and there are a million of them. I could just root one, but I would like to pay my dues to whomever developed this very pleasant rose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-13T14:16:04.117" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T01:42:23.200" Title="What is the name of this apricot and yellow rose?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7361" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7181" CreationDate="2013-05-13T11:52:27.250" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azadirachta_indica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Azadirachta indica&lt;/a&gt; (neem)&lt;/strong&gt; leaves, crushed them, mixed in water, spread on my plants. Neem leaves are bitter in taste and odour. Squirrels now just come near my plants and move away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1973" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2013-05-13T12:26:09.933" LastActivityDate="2013-05-13T12:26:09.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7362" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-13T04:46:28.057" Score="2" ViewCount="505" Body="&lt;p&gt;I dug up a tree a year ago and the roots seem to still be spreading under ground.  Every once in a while I will see it sprout above ground.   I keep pulling it out but it comes back.  How do I kill the root forever without hurting the grass?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Sam" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-13T14:04:40.403" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T14:58:41.200" Title="How can I stop a dead tree's roots from popping up in the grass?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7363" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7362" CreationDate="2013-05-13T12:26:36.297" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/132346-brush-gone-vs-roundup.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Brush Be Gone&lt;/a&gt;, which is selective for &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicotyledon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;dicots&lt;/a&gt; over &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monocotyledon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;monocots&lt;/a&gt;, should prove useful. That said, some tree types have roots that can live underground without foliage for many years. Killing the thing may well be a multi-year project.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" OwnerDisplayName="Wayfaring Stranger" LastActivityDate="2013-05-13T12:26:36.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7364" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-13T13:39:29.790" Score="7" ViewCount="938" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to clean and restore an old olive plantation which was not cultivated for around 20 years and is now covered with weeds, bushes and spruce tree. I'm new to olive trees but have clean almost everything. But one &quot;pest&quot; bothers and comes back very quickly. It is a plant &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smilax_aspera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Smilax aspera&lt;/a&gt; which so far I was unable to eradicate. It grows very quickly and is capable to cover and &lt;a href=&quot;https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4aFZ2ixjfyg/UZDog_4YXgI/AAAAAAAAEG4/NJz8LHhHtVE/w1227-h920-no/120220111233.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;suffocate whole olive tree&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to get rid of Smilax aspera?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Initially I thought to do everything in an ecological way, but now this Smilax aspera is very resistant and I'm comfortable to use chemicals. Reason (frustration) for this is that olive plantation is far from road access, 1200 m (6000 ft) on very difficult to walk Mediterranean rocky terrain and even when Smilax aspera is removed from under the olive trees, it grows from nearby dry walls as on this image:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WFBE8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;smilax aspera from a dry wall&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What other options do I have?&#xA;Would burning and use of fire remove it permanently?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1516" LastActivityDate="2016-01-10T00:26:50.727" Title="How to get rid of Smilax aspera" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;olive&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7365" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7362" CreationDate="2013-05-13T14:00:02.307" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just keep using your lawnmower.  Set the mowing height a little lower for the problem area. If you told us what kind of tree we could provide a better answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-05-13T18:22:32.183" LastActivityDate="2013-05-13T18:22:32.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1375" CreationDate="2013-05-13T16:11:15.980" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use 2-3 parts pumice to 1 part fast draining potting soil. If you want them to grow fast and well, the soil should be nearly dry in 2 days or less, less is better. I have not tried straight pumice but it should work well as long as you give it the correct nutrient mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2232" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-13T19:45:14.747" LastActivityDate="2013-05-13T19:45:14.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7368" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7375" CreationDate="2013-05-13T19:08:55.813" Score="4" ViewCount="1505" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn is a hodgepodge of different grass types - notably Bermuda grass on my front lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a grass that you can seed that will push other grasses out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For reference I live in Maine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on answers below, I should concede to the Bermuda grass. So, I'll leave the front lawn out of the equation. So with the hodge podge of grasses in my side and back lawn, is there a grass that can make it all cohesive? Or do I seed bermuda grass everywhere?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2245" OwnerDisplayName="Jason" LastEditorUserId="2245" LastEditDate="2013-05-14T18:40:50.347" LastActivityDate="2013-05-15T00:51:32.807" Title="What is an aggressive grass that will grow from seed in Maine?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7369" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-13T20:39:57.727" Score="3" ViewCount="1319" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't want to kill it, but I want to keep it from leaving my mulch bed and wandering into my lawn.  If I spray the edges of the mass, will it only kill a small amount, or will it kill the whole mass?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T15:10:03.403" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T15:10:03.403" Title="Can I selectively control the spread of Vinca with Roundup?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5888" CreationDate="2013-05-13T20:48:52.643" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant you ask about with purple and green leaves is called &quot;Wandering Jew&quot; in my neck of the woods. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2234" LastActivityDate="2013-05-13T20:48:52.643" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7371" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7369" CreationDate="2013-05-13T22:54:12.577" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to the advertising for this product, yes it will kill the whole plant back to the root. In practice, it doesn't, usually, but the way to control your Vinca that's best for the plant, your garden and the environment generally is to give it a good haircut after its flowered by pulling up all the long strands of growth and cutting them off at about 2 inches high. If you haven't done this in the past, you've probably got new plants growing from where the long runners have rooted, so dig these out where they are getting too close to the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutting it back yearly after flowering also creates neater, bushier plants which are much more attractive than a random patch of Vinca with bare bits in between long runners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-05-13T22:54:12.577" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7372" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7357" CreationDate="2013-05-13T22:56:46.773" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;How young? I would remove all fruit if the tree is in its first or second year, because it forces the tree to use all of its energy getting established instead of producing fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;edit: if you have a multi-way tree, often you will find that one or two of the grafts grow &lt;em&gt;much&lt;/em&gt; faster than some of the others. you should prune the fast growing grafts aggressively so as to promote the slower growing grafts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2003" LastEditorUserId="2003" LastEditDate="2017-11-04T01:01:51.883" LastActivityDate="2017-11-04T01:01:51.883" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7360" CreationDate="2013-05-14T01:37:09.663" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I've found so far it could be one of these, I'm not too confident with the answer though, so I'll keep looking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may be (in order of likeliness):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.themulch.com/component/plants/?view=plants&amp;amp;plantid=84815&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;sunstruck&quot; hybrid&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/okEcQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sunstruck&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=sunstruck+rose&amp;amp;aq=f&amp;amp;um=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;source=og&amp;amp;sa=N&amp;amp;tab=wi&amp;amp;authuser=0&amp;amp;ei=C5WRUfiMArOu4AO1ioDYDQ&amp;amp;biw=1280&amp;amp;bih=645&amp;amp;sei=DZWRUcTsOvip4AOmkIHICw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;search here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.themulch.com/component/plants/?view=plants&amp;amp;plantid=84759&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;gold medal&quot; hybrid&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h70Ng.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A little bit staged, but it is quite similar&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=gold+medal+rose&amp;amp;aq=f&amp;amp;um=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;source=og&amp;amp;sa=N&amp;amp;tab=wi&amp;amp;authuser=0&amp;amp;ei=g5GRUaSIFtbl4AOI2YDADw&amp;amp;biw=1280&amp;amp;bih=645&amp;amp;sei=hZGRUdT8OoW64AO8-YCoAw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;search here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.themulch.com/component/plants/?view=plants&amp;amp;plantid=86345&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;tahitian sunset&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cou7s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tahitian Sunset&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&amp;amp;gs_rn=12&amp;amp;gs_ri=psy-ab&amp;amp;tok=_6_nhiW_-m-fL-0tbyC1Hw&amp;amp;pq=tahitian+sunset&amp;amp;cp=16&amp;amp;gs_id=4&amp;amp;xhr=t&amp;amp;q=tahitian+sunset+rose&amp;amp;bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&amp;amp;bvm=bv.46471029,d.dmg&amp;amp;biw=1280&amp;amp;bih=645&amp;amp;um=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;source=og&amp;amp;sa=N&amp;amp;tab=wi&amp;amp;authuser=0&amp;amp;ei=Q5SRUau9Mbap4APvz4Fw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;search here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again I'm not sure, you can search for yourself through the &quot;search here&quot; links to compare&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastEditorUserId="2000" LastEditDate="2013-05-14T01:42:23.200" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T01:42:23.200" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7375" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7368" CreationDate="2013-05-14T03:44:27.917" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bermuda grass is not to be trifled with. It is determined to call your lawn home and won't leave without a fight. To put it simply you wont be able to push it out with any other grasses. That would be like the plot of the Cat in the Hat, every solution turned into another problem. If you want it gone, you'll have to properly kill it all and replant since it spreads &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sunset.com/garden/earth-friendly/how-to-remove-bermuda-grass-00400000052080/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;underground&lt;/a&gt;. Killing it effectively will take several applications of roundup or some potent &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B005DUTNF0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;herbicide.&lt;/a&gt; If you do go the herbicide route, be sure to mix it with a surfactant to increase the coverage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2238" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T03:44:27.917" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7376" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-14T04:34:03.327" Score="3" ViewCount="2707" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read several online guides about taking care of sun star, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornithogalum_dubium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ornithogalum dubium&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, plants, but I'm confused about how to trim off the spent flowers. The instructions say to &amp;quot;remove spent flowers from the base, and another guide says to gently pull them out (and that it wouldn't harm the plant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VYUgt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can easily pull the individual spent flowers out of the spike:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ynWN7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or am I supposed to pull the entire thing out of the plant? I tried to &lt;em&gt;gently&lt;/em&gt; pull one of them out (one without any flowers on it) but it wouldn't budge. Should I be cutting the entire spike off? How do I trim the spent flowers here?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2239" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T22:26:41.927" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T22:26:41.927" Title="How should I trim spent flowers from a sun star (Ornithogalum dubium)?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="7377" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7380" CreationDate="2013-05-14T06:56:50.420" Score="4" ViewCount="4545" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a lot of trees on the farm (Apple, maple, pear, walnut, oak...) and I've been reading about pruning lately. One of the things I stumbled upon is that when a tree is say five feet tall and has a branch at 18 inches above the ground there will always be a branch at 18 inches (even if the tree grows to 50 feet). Is this true? I assume this would also apply to Y's in trees where the trunk separates into two different sections. If you want a good looking tree ideally you don't want a big branch 18 inches off the ground, so you'd prune it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, basically, is it true that when a branch grows in it will always remain at the height it started out at?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2146" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T13:17:50.240" Title="Will a branch on a small tree always be at that same height?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7378" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7379" CreationDate="2013-05-14T07:30:13.903" Score="5" ViewCount="227" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a fir tree that is now about seven meter tall and continues to grow and will reach something like 20 meters height. The tree is too close to buildings and too close to plants and so the shadow it casts is a problem and also the perspective of it growing to 20 meters is also a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutting the tree down at earth level is an options but it doesn't feel good - it would be nice to have some medium size or small tree there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe I can cut it at three-four meters height? What other options are there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T10:50:26.383" Title="What options except cutting the tree down do I have if a fir tree is growing too high?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7378" CreationDate="2013-05-14T10:50:26.383" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The coniferous evergreens do not respond well to pruning to keep them smaller.  Unlike a deciduous tree when they are cut back they do not grow more at the side. If you &quot;top&quot; the tree a new leader will &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apical_dominance&quot;&gt;start from the top&lt;/a&gt; but this will not have as good an attachment and becomes a point of weakness or even potential hazard in the future. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/edcomm/pdf/bul/bul0644.pdf&quot;&gt;This document&lt;/a&gt; is worth reading, if only for the amusing 1950's era drawings of a puzzled homeowner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you had an interest in getting on a tall ladder every year you could keep the tree smaller by trimming the leader.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Practically, if the tree is in the wrong place now it will only get worse. Consult a local arborist and consider removing it now while it is not that big a job. Whatever the price is now, both the tree and the bill will only increase through the years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T10:50:26.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7380" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7377" CreationDate="2013-05-14T11:55:59.377" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, those branches will be at the same height forever. Trees grow from the top. If you have ever seen a sign or (very common where I live) fence nailed into an old tree, the sign/fence is at the same height that it was at 50 or 80 years ago. The same holds true for low branches or Ys.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T11:55:59.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7377" CreationDate="2013-05-14T13:17:50.240" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trees increase in girth (the trunk, limbs) and branches get longer and new growth happens from the buds it forms.  A branch at 18 inches will pretty much stay at 18 inches, other than the thickness causing it to change a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had to learn to prune better with my trees over the years.  It seems harsh to get in there and prune them, particularly when you have to cut off a fair amount, but things won't be any better next year. :)  A small branch sticking out somewhere you don't want it will be likely bigger next year and harder to prune.  Plus, it takes energy to grow that branch.  Energy that could have been used elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T13:17:50.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7339" CreationDate="2013-05-14T14:05:51.543" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with the previous poster - you just let the grass get too long for the reel mower between cuttings. When I had a reel mower and that happened, I just used a gas mower to get it cleaned up, and then made sure to cut more frequently with the reel mower to maintain it. Could you borrow a gas mower from a neighbor for a quick cleanup? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T14:05:51.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7383" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7339" CreationDate="2013-05-14T14:42:37.307" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should not set the blade lower when it gets this long, set it higher and just try not to let it get to bad until the rain stops. The grass is thicker the lower you go so it binds up even quicker. At this point you are probably going to have to go over it twice in a row. I would hit that once at 4.5 and then again at 4. Reduce that by a quarter to half inch each week until you are at the height you want. Just try to stay on top of it now because if it gets much more carried away then you will have an easier time weed wacking your whole lawn in oppose to using that reel mower. You may want to consider hiring a company to come in once just to bring it to a more managable height. Aside from the patch work, Nice lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T14:42:37.307" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7384" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7376" CreationDate="2013-05-14T14:53:54.783" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are supposed to remove the whole spike, but with your flower already coming into full bloom it should not be giving you to much effort in removing. It does not so much pull like a weed, but it should be dry at the base and kinda snap off, like pull a length of celery off the stock. It will however die off on it's own in a month or two if you are unsure of whether or not the stock is from last year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T14:53:54.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7362" CreationDate="2013-05-14T14:58:41.200" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Put epsom salt on the roots. Multiple applications. Another option depending on there size is poke a few drill holes in the roots and poor in some high nitrogen fertilizer. The decomposers in the soil feed of the nitrogen and process the wood much faster then usual.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T14:58:41.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7352" CreationDate="2013-05-14T15:11:59.590" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cherry trees take at  least 3-4 years to blossom, might explain why you are just getting them.  I know some plants will also lay dormant for a number of seasons usually weather based. You should not have to water your full grown cherry tree in the spring, sometimes you do not need to at all. If you go any extended period of time in the middle of summer with no rain you may choose to. As far as where to water. Cherry trees have shallow roots that extend a large diameter. You do not want to water right on the base for this reason. The root tips grow away from the base around 60-80% of the growth from the trees height roughly. If in following years by chance you are not getting a lot of rain when the cherries start to blossom you will want to water it then, because they need additional water to fill the cherries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T15:11:59.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7387" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7346" CreationDate="2013-05-14T15:18:17.560" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes yes, do not do that. Just spread it and then rake it in with a steel rake. You rake it in more just to hide it from the birds than even for its growth. Grass seed will find the soil if given the right water and sunlight. A half inch of soil over a acre would not be a good use of your time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T15:18:17.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7388" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-14T15:39:30.717" Score="2" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to get a small sense of what most people do to protect their evergreens in the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally wrap about 15,  10' arborvitaes each year and going up and down a ladder and around and around just seems like I am doing it wrong. I was trying to kinda invent a solution because I could not find many alternatives. I posted some idea I had to a website that makes random stuff and if they like the idea then they will make it. It is kinda hard to describe, but it is basically kinda like putting a hat on each tree so the snow does not get down the middle. With the idea I posted a couple pictures and a bunch of product details to the site, and I am starting to think I did not do the best job designing this because of my lack of responses. It is not too late for me to edit anything I submitted. So I was wondering If anyone else who has to prepare evergreen trees for winter thinks it is a huge pain? I also have not tested my idea so I am kinda iffy. Does anyone have any insight on if they think this would work or not? any negative repercussions? I have to wait a long while before I can test my theory.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know this is a long question so I answered as many of other people's as I could before I posted and if anyone takes the time to throw me a little insight into my problem I will gladly do my best to field any landscaping questions, I have a good amount of experience in the field. Thank You&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T18:34:32.073" Title="What is your method of protecting evergreens in the winter time?" Tags="&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7389" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-14T15:50:51.553" Score="4" ViewCount="409" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a 6 to 8 year old bed of asparagus last year late &amp;amp; now this year the spears only grow to about 1/8 of a inch thick &amp;amp; kind of stringy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is causing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2242" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-16T13:18:49.400" LastActivityDate="2013-11-01T15:01:06.927" Title="What is causing thin asparagus spears?" Tags="&lt;asparagus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7390" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7368" CreationDate="2013-05-14T15:51:07.527" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like bstpierre's comment just embrace it, but it is hard to get ride of, but if you are looking for a non-chemical approach lay a tarp over it ever day for a month, but do not trap the moisture at night. This is not the best solution but besides digging it up ( roots are around 6 inches down ), which is not that straight forward.....you do not have many options&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T15:51:07.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7391" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7389" CreationDate="2013-05-14T15:53:22.283" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are living anywhere around New England it is because the temperature drops at night. Has dropped 40 degrees past two nights&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T15:53:22.283" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7364" CreationDate="2013-05-14T16:05:14.950" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fire does not kill weeds permanently if they are big enough, I would guess no but I do not know. I was going to suggest an alternative to find a more aggressive ground cover to push it out, but I just searched for something and it does not seem like there are too many more aggressive than what you got. Maybe get 1000 caterpillars to hold the front lines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T16:05:14.950" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7393" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7388" CreationDate="2013-05-14T16:11:07.777" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to define why you are wrapping the evergreen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it is at the limit of hardiness =&gt; use something better than burlap that provides some air movement but prevents drying winds from desiccating the leaves and water well in autumn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it is a newly planted evergreen going through it's first winter.  Watering thoroughly in the autumn is very helpful in preventing winter burn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the location is subject to regular cold winds during the winter.  Maybe you should plant deciduous or evergreens that are hardy to several zones colder than your zone.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;snow load causes the plants to loose branches.  This is where your idea would come in but &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.unh.edu/resources/representation/Resource000594_Rep616.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;proper pruning/shearing&lt;/a&gt; will also go a long way to prevent this.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After doing all of these things I now follow the lazy gardener approach and only plant evergreens where they do not require wrapping in the winter. It's a lot of work and looks odd on your property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  if you are wrapping for snow load then you should definitely prune them to a shape that sheds snow. Think pyramid rather than squared off.  I have seen people use old garden hose to tie the major branches together.  This you can leave on year round as the foliage hides it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-05-14T18:34:32.073" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T18:34:32.073" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7309" CreationDate="2013-05-14T16:41:17.377" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Once you jump it let it get a full charge first, Take the key out of this model at night. Do you have a slight incline in your yard and if so do your blades stop when you are mowing tilted on the incline either towards the left or right? Batteries do not last long, seems like especially with this model and people have reported taking the batter out at night helps this. If blades are kicking out while you are mowing at an angle towards the left or right then it is happening because your oil reservoir is not lubricating the pistons well enough at this point causing either A. an auto shutoff B. extra work from the battery which drains it of what it has left. Top off your oil and try to never mow at this angle unless you have a commercial mower or a two stroke engine, which I think the EPA put a stop on manufacturing of two stroke mowers because of pollution. If none of this helps try kicking it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T16:41:17.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7256" CreationDate="2013-05-14T16:46:20.023" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nah yuccas are very low maintenance, just spit on them once in a while. JK but they have many similar properties as cacti, but just not to the same degree. I am from NH as well, they did not bloom last year because we got a ridiculous amount of rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1986" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T16:46:20.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7396" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7346" CreationDate="2013-05-14T17:05:37.753" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watering is important as is contact with the soil.  That's while you'll see folks talk about &quot;rolling&quot; a yard after seeding it - it increases the contact the seed has with the soil.  Until that seed begins to grow and establish roots, it'll need to be watered.  Obviously you can way overdo this but I've found that it's worked best when I water it well daily.  If it is really hot, then maybe twice daily.  I don't personally roll my yard but then I live on a farm and seed on a larger scale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard some folks poo-poo the idea of putting down straw over the seed but it &lt;em&gt;does&lt;/em&gt; help to retain some moisture and keep the birds from eating it.  Straw - not hay because hay will have seeds in it while straw is less likely to have weed seeds in it - would be what I'd use, particularly if it were hotter.  I've generally had pretty good luck as long as the straw isn't too thick and the soil remains moist.  Then I just mow it up later on once the grass is well-established.  Others will have opinions, I'm sure.  You could skip the straw if you are diligent about watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A 1/2 inch of soil over a half-acre would be something like 33 yards of soil.  A bit pricey and unnecessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T17:05:37.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7344" CreationDate="2013-05-14T17:26:19.103" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure, there's the chance it won't make it but it probably will.  And a chance you'll damage the pear tree too in the process but you probably won't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally, I would move it &lt;strong&gt;early&lt;/strong&gt; in the year before the spring growth when things are dormant. I've successfully moved trees and bushes other times of year - I moved two crape myrtles last weekend and it was 70deg F outside - but doing it early in the year causes the least disturbance to the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would take a sharp spade and get a few feet of root if you can.  Make sure you give it ample space in the new hole that you dig and put some decent compost in there.  I wouldn't add any fertilizer though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It'll need water (since you're severing several roots) so don't be stingy with the water that first year after you move it.  You don't need to drown the tree of course but keep it watered.  It will have lost quite a bit of root in the move so it'll need some attention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Expect that you will cut into the pear tree's roots a bit too.  They spread out some distance and as close as they are, I expect they might be mixed in together a bit.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees are pretty resilient though and if you baby it a bit when you move it, you'll likely have not issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-14T17:26:19.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7398" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="801" CreationDate="2013-05-14T23:15:58.887" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a tray in my kitchen lined with several newspaper sections.   I dump out my coffee grounds &amp;amp; filters on it each day.  The paper helps them dry out.  When dry I transfer it to a bowl and collect it until I feel like using it.  If I have a worm bin I put the whole mess in it once the grounds are cool and no longer sopping wet.  Anyway, drying the grounds makes it easier to broadcast over a bed or the grass.  Also, you can brush grounds off the plants if they are dry, too.  Grounds help in several ways: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I can't vouch for this, but dogs and slugs are not supposed to care for them &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They are a good source of nitrogen &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This source of N is tied up, though and requires microbes to make it usable, so coffee brings in microbes and improves your soil's health.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Coffee is loved by worms- they will aerate the soil and turn the coffee into worm castings, a very good fertilizer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2247" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-16T13:18:05.333" LastActivityDate="2013-05-16T13:18:05.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7399" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7401" CreationDate="2013-05-15T00:30:12.297" Score="3" ViewCount="185" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just planted my tomatoes, and on the advice of my neighbor, I snipped the first blossoms. After reading other's advice, I think I made a mistake. Will my plants still bear fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2248" LastActivityDate="2013-05-15T11:30:10.657" Title="Snipping First Tomato Blossoms" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7400" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7368" CreationDate="2013-05-15T00:51:32.807" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Zoysia grass is very aggressive and will push out weeds and other grasses.&#xA;I just don't know how well it will grow in Maine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2220" LastActivityDate="2013-05-15T00:51:32.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7399" CreationDate="2013-05-15T01:27:35.480" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect you'll be fine.  There are lots of opinions about these things and I'm not sure that any of them is the definitive answer.  What I do know is that tomatoes do really well if they have enough warm sunny days and a consistent watering in a healthy soil.  Sometimes those first blossoms fall off anyway so I don't think it much matters.  I believe the theory is that pinching those off will result in bigger fruit or a stronger plant.  I've had big fruit and strong plants before and &lt;em&gt;didn't&lt;/em&gt; pinch them off.  There are a lot of variables with plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plant my tomato plants sideways in a shallow trench like so:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nV5Tk.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I remove all the leaves except the topmost and plant most of that stem in the ground.  Sideways allow the plant to heat up more and that will spur the growth.  All that stem under the ground will create more roots (beyond those in the original seedling planting medium) and will make the plant grow even better.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2013-05-15T11:30:10.657" LastActivityDate="2013-05-15T11:30:10.657" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7402" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7746" CreationDate="2013-05-15T12:22:02.853" Score="8" ViewCount="244" Body="&lt;p&gt;On occasion I end up burning some oak branches in my firepit, which gives me some ash that I typically throw out.  At times I have heard it may be beneficial to use it in the lawn, although I already have suspicions that my lawn is slightly acidic but still am not sure about that.  We have a lot of oak trees and I have noticed that the azaeleas, blueberries and raspberries we have grown in our yard seem to do really well.  With landscaping I am still learning what acidic and alkaline mean in terms of effects with the yard, and what grows best where (like the patches of moss I have).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was wondering if its useful to use wood ash from the limbs and branches I sometimes burn to target certain areas and help improve my lawn.  I am planning on adding it to the composter and in the garden plot in the fall (I already missed my spring additions), is this a useful idea or will I make things worse?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="135" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-05-20T17:53:53.683" LastActivityDate="2013-09-09T19:25:46.940" Title="How much ash can I use on a lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7402" CreationDate="2013-05-15T13:48:54.523" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on what you have growing in your yard it does sound like your soils is at least slightly acidic.  The best thing to do would be to get your soil tested.  Depending on where you do this the testing service would be able to recommend the proper amendments and offer tips for growing (or not growing) certain types of plants.  Local universities often have extension services that will do this for $10 or $15 (if you are in the US).  You can often find test kits in garden centers this time of year but I have had varying luck with their ease of use and accuracy.  The best part of having your soil tested like this is that you will always know what it is, so anything you want to grow in the future you will have a starting point for determining how best to take care of it.  Having your soil tested is a little inconvenient but well worth it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2013-05-15T13:48:54.523" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7404" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-15T14:38:39.730" Score="2" ViewCount="131" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_vera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Aloe vera&lt;/a&gt; flower is in full bloom, and some of its petals are starting to fall. It also has some sprouts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I wait until the flower has completely died down to re-pot the new sprout?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2249" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-15T18:06:33.200" LastActivityDate="2013-05-16T06:03:27.767" Title="Should I re-pot an Aloe vera when it is still blooming?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7405" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7404" CreationDate="2013-05-15T17:28:10.640" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can do it right now if you like.  No need to wait at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those &quot;pups&quot; - the new plant sprouts you're talking about - can likely be removed without needing to disturb the main plant itself much.  Often you can just dig carefully around it and separate the pup from the main plant, then pot that pup in its own container.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wish to re-pot the main plant itself, you can certainly re-pot it while it is in full bloom.  They are pretty sturdy plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-15T17:28:10.640" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7402" CreationDate="2013-05-15T21:47:21.887" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wood ash contains traces of potash (so long as it hasn't got wet) and can be quite useful for placing around fruiting plants, and onions seem to like it. On the other hand, the amount of useful potash in it varies enormously depending on the wood burnt, so as a reliable source of that element, its not really very useful. As for putting on the lawn, I'm hard put to imagine why that might be particularly useful, given you don't really want to encourage flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-05-15T21:47:21.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7407" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-16T02:12:19.920" Score="0" ViewCount="905" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large butterfly bush in my back yard that has grown up between fences (the previous homeowner put privacy fence on either side of a chain link fence, so its impossible to get to all of the roots without ripping out a lot of expensive fencing).  I have cut it down and my husband has put mass quantities of weed killer on them before and they just keep coming back.  I have cut them down as far as I can for now, and want suggestions for what to put on them to kill them for good.  There is very little other plant life in the area, except for a large oak tree about 10 feet away - no grass or other small plants to worry about killing there.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2250" LastActivityDate="2013-05-16T02:38:06.337" Title="How to kill a butterfly bush" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2013-05-16T03:00:41.637" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7408" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7407" CreationDate="2013-05-16T02:38:06.337" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yeah, the problem with removing butterfly bushes is that they are quite resilient.  We hack away at ours every year and it grows back just as strong the next year, which I actually like because I want to keep mine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without removing the roots completely, there's a high likelihood it will keep springing back.  I'm not a fan of things like Round-Up but Glyphosate, which is what Round-Up is, might do the trick.  It is non-selective so it'll kill most every plant it touches.  If you can make multiple applications of it, you may be able to kill it off.  There are some other harsh chemicals you can use but I don't know much about them as we run a synthetic chemical-free farm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you were able to carefully disassemble a portion of the fence (which could be a pain, I'm sure) and get at those roots, you'd have a much better shot of having success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think if temporary removal of the fence were not an option (as it seems to be in your situation), I'd be inclined to dig down beside and under the fence where the butterfly bush is located an try to remove it that way.  A LOT of work but probably the method with the highest chance of success long-term.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-16T02:38:06.337" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7409" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7411" CreationDate="2013-05-16T04:30:07.457" Score="7" ViewCount="1127" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to identify the purple flowers (and the groundcover plant that they grow from.) The light green leaves on the left of the photo are NOT the same plant. Those leaves are the same as the plant in photo #2&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uuVX9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uuVX9l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; title=&quot;Click on photo for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant has slightly bumpy leaves, but not jagged edges. It has five petaled white flowers too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P10QO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P10QOl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; title=&quot;Click on photo for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am doing an ecology project for biology and we have to identify these plants (genus and species) I haven't found the right species yet, so I appreciate all your help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2251" LastEditorUserId="1871" LastEditDate="2013-05-16T06:00:54.603" LastActivityDate="2018-09-05T01:56:42.683" Title="Can someone help identify these two groundcover plants?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7410" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7404" CreationDate="2013-05-16T06:03:27.767" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Never worry about Aloe Vera, they are strong by nature. You can move them now as Matt had said, just make sure that you pot them correctly and water 'moderate to low' regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-05-16T06:03:27.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7409" CreationDate="2013-05-16T11:44:08.723" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceanothus_prostratus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ceanothus prostratus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, possibly, for the first, blue flowered one? Can't tell how tall or wide it is, you haven't said whether its evergreen, and no idea what part of the world you're in, so difficult to make a proper ID, but that's what it reminds me of. No idea on the white flowered one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-11T04:05:59.997" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T04:05:59.997" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7412" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7402" CreationDate="2013-05-16T12:13:13.337" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with @BRM about getting your soil tested. That's a good step.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you've got things backwards: using ash will &lt;em&gt;raise&lt;/em&gt; your pH, making the soil &lt;em&gt;less&lt;/em&gt; acidic. High pH is alkaline, low pH is acidic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your soils are acidic (it sounds like they are), then wood ash can be a useful amendment. It varies, but if we assume that wood ash is about &lt;a href=&quot;http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~blpprt/bestwoodash.html&quot;&gt;a 50% equivalent of limestone&lt;/a&gt;, then if you had a 5 gallon pail of ash (about 27 pounds), it would be worth about 13 pounds of lime in terms of raising pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of N-P-K, the amount of phosphate and potassium varies, but an analysis of 0-1-3 is often given as a rough guess about what your ash might be worth. If your lawn is low on phosphate or potash, adding ash can add back a little bit. But as @Bamboo notes, it's not a reliable way to add meaningful amounts of P or K because you don't know the analysis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of other nutrients, see the table at the bottom of the link above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To directly answer the question in your title: if your soil is more acidic than, say, 6.0, and you don't already have an excess of calcium or potash, then you are probably safe to add as much as 200 pounds per 1000 square feet of lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can add it to the composter, but don't dump a big pail in all at once. It can clump up, and if water pours through a pile of ash you will get lye which will be harmful to the organisms in your compost. Just sprinkle a little bit in at a time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-05-16T12:13:13.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7413" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7415" CreationDate="2013-05-16T12:23:56.907" Score="9" ViewCount="126681" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yesterday I was talking to my neighbor, and he was telling me he was cleaning the trim on his house with Dawn (dishwashing detergent used in the US) mixed in water. I thought I read somewhere that Dawn can damage or kill plants. Is this true? I was thinking about trying this myself, but have shrubs and flowers under the trim I want to clean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2253" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-13T14:13:15.857" LastActivityDate="2014-11-10T17:39:58.057" Title="Does Dawn dishwashing detergent kill plants (shrubs &amp; flowers)?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7414" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7413" CreationDate="2013-05-16T12:55:11.200" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use Dawn to control whiteflies on tomato plants all the time.  If the concentration gets too high it can destroy all of the leaves, but in small amounts it has proved harmless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-13T14:06:04.503" LastActivityDate="2013-06-13T14:06:04.503" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7413" CreationDate="2013-05-16T13:06:22.527" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've used sudsy dish soap such as Dawn before to combat insects such as aphids and it is quite effective and the one I used (it wasn't Dawn specifically) was biodegradable and that's important to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The key to using Dawn or anything (siding cleaner, bleach, etc.) around plants is that you need to lower the concentration of the chemical low enough that it doesn't harm the plants.  A number of years ago I cleaned my siding with a soapy liquid something like Dawn with bleach in it.  In preparation for this I thoroughly soaked the vegetation with water - I DRENCHED it to be sure - and then cleaned the siding as prescribed by the cleaner, then I hosed all my plants down again, ensuring that any of the cleaner was highly diluted.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants are pretty resilient and tend to fare well under some extreme conditions.  A little insurance in the form of a good hosing down before/after the cleaning should be all they need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-16T13:06:22.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7416" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7417" CreationDate="2013-05-17T00:51:10.907" Score="15" ViewCount="992" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just started gardening, and I'm getting really into it.  I live in an apartment and I've been planting seeds in containers and putting them on my balcony.  I read the instructions on the seed packet and some say to &quot;plant in a small container, leave in dark for a few days, keep moist, then transplant into bigger pot.&quot;  My question is why transplant? Why not just put the seed where it's eventually going to go and you're done?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I transplanted a seedling into a larger container and I butchered it, it was my first time.  I think I exposed the roots, and I haven't seen any growth in a couple weeks.  I think they are in shock, or otherwise not doing well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can see if it's cold outside and you want to protect them from the weather, but that doesn't apply to me.  Why can't I just put the seed in where it's supposed to end up and save the added work and the risk of botching the transplanting? What is the benefit of transplanting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2155" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-09T19:51:31.293" LastActivityDate="2016-09-09T21:28:50.467" Title="When transplanting seedlings, why shouldn't I put them straight into the ground?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7417" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7416" CreationDate="2013-05-17T01:19:27.173" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you are dealing with plants which are going to end up in containers anyway you absolutely could opt to seed them into those containers indoors and then later move the containers outside once you've hardened off the plants.  They might turn out just fine that way and I'd absolutely encourage you to try that - seeing what works is part of the fun of growing things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Often folks - and I've done this myself - initially put seeds into trays or peat pots or some sort of biodegradable container and put them under a grow light or just a fluorescent bulb, typically inside some sort of covered tray to help keep the environment moist and a bit warmer.  I've put trays atop my fridge before to do this.  This isn't always possible to do with the container that they'll eventually end up in.  Additionally, when you plant them in a relatively shallow tray, it is easier to keep the seedlings in a moist planting medium.  Often in a larger container, much of the water works its way to the bottom.  Plus, the mass of potting soil doesn't readily heat up as well as the more shallow tray.  Seeds need moisture and warmth and then later some sunlight (or a reasonable facsimile - e.g., fluorescent lighting).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The key with transplanting seedlings is to make sure you've got a well-established root system, have your new planting hole ready to go and then get that seedling moved w/out having all the planting medium falling off those roots.  If you bring enough of that planting medium with you when you put it in the new container the plant won't really &quot;know&quot; that it's been transplanted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, when transplanting and I find the seedlings are root-bound, I'll take a blade and lightly cut a bit on the root system (just slash a bit on it along the bottom) to help encourage better root growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hardening off, though, is a key step in successfully moving a plant that has been inside to its new outdoor environment.  That just involves putting it outside progressively more over maybe a week to ten days.  Seedlings inside haven't been dealing with lots of sunlight (presumably) or the wind or the cooler night temperatures or the less-frequent watering that tends to happen when they go outside.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I've transplanted seedlings outside I'll start off by isolating them from the wind but give them sunlight for a few hours and then bring them back in.  Each day I'll increase how long they spend outside and cut back a little bit on the watering.  I don't do any fertilizing or anything like that during this period.  I watch the weather and bring them in if it is going to to be severe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well, I've wrote a book. Hope that's helpful.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2013-05-17T13:07:20.977" LastActivityDate="2013-05-17T13:07:20.977" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7418" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7419" CreationDate="2013-05-17T17:01:28.273" Score="5" ViewCount="1697" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bunch of aluminum foil dishes that are maybe 3&amp;quot; deep:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Fsdc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to fill with soil and put on the roof of my apartment building.  How should I prepare the container?  Specifically, how do I take care of drainage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was going to just prick it with pin holes a bunch of times, and then rest it on a few sticks or something to keep it technically off the ground so it will drain.  Do I need to put anything in at the bottom of the dish?  I've heard mixed things about gravel (and I'm not sure I have the vertical room here anyway.  Do I line the bottom with newspaper?  I was going to fill the bottom half with normal potting soil, and then the top half with seed starting soil, and then plug it with arugula or some other vegetable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any recommendations on how to prepare the container, and how/what to fill it with would be greatly appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2155" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-02-03T13:14:13.373" Title="proper drainage in aluminum foil dish, container" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7419" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7418" CreationDate="2013-05-17T17:40:34.843" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two things - I'm wondering whether you're going to use these trays just for starting seeds, and will be transplanting into other containers or the ground later, or whether you're intending to try to get something to grow permanently in them. If the latter, it won't work, they're not deep enough I'm afraid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing that sprang to mind was the material - it will get hot in sunlight, and may scorch the roots of any seedlings you're growing, so you'd need to punch holes all over the base, stand them on something as you've already said, but also you may need to line the tray with something porous (Jeycloth type thing?) to keep the roots from coming into contact with any hot surfaces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For growing Spinach, the container should be 8 to 18 inches wide by at least 12 inches deep. Zuccini (I think that's courgette over here) needs 14 inches wide by 12 inches deep, Capsicum (bell pepper) 8-9 inches wide by the same in depth. This is also the size of pot for tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-05-17T21:14:36.107" LastActivityDate="2013-05-17T21:14:36.107" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7420" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7421" CreationDate="2013-05-18T11:28:12.223" Score="5" ViewCount="690" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am new to having a garden as I have only just moved into my new house. I have some basic questions regarding flowers after they have finished blooming. My mother-in-law planted some daffodils and tulips which grew well and bloomed. The flowers have now died and I do not know what the best step is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do they grow again next year if I leave them planted? Should I trim them back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2259" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-05-19T23:32:01.627" LastActivityDate="2015-05-19T23:32:01.627" Title="What should I do after daffodils and tulips have bloomed?" Tags="&lt;daffodils&gt;&lt;tulips&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7421" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7420" CreationDate="2013-05-18T11:39:34.720" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut them and enjoy their fragrance (if they are fragrant)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put them on your dining table for decoration, or wherever you feel like.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Or if they are dried\dead, compost them (if you compost) or just throw them away.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In all cases, cutting will encourage the plant growth and will flower again in their season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-05-18T11:39:34.720" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7420" CreationDate="2013-05-18T11:57:11.883" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can deadhead by removing the spent flower stems if you want to, but its not desperately important to do so. What is important is that you do not cut the foliage or pull it off or tie it into tidy clumps for six weeks after flowering. Feed them whilst the foliage is still present during that six weeks, particularly just as they finish flowering. This six week period, whilst the leaves are still present and functioning, is when the bulb is storing food in order to be able to flower the following year, particularly with daffodils. Once the six weeks is up, you can cut the foliage off if you like, or wait till it shrivels and then pull it off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-05-18T11:57:11.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7424" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7425" CreationDate="2013-05-18T21:57:22.093" Score="1" ViewCount="607" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below is what I think is grackle poop on my lawn. (It might not be but I haven't seen any other animals there except desert cottontail rabbits and I know what their poop looks like.) How can I prevent these animals from defecating on my lawn? Will their poop benefit or harm the lawn if I spray it into the lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4hti2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2013-05-19T00:40:20.307" Title="How do I keep Grackle's from pooping on my lawn?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7425" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7424" CreationDate="2013-05-19T00:40:20.307" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, if it &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; grackle poop, it's not really going to hurt your lawn.  Technically speaking, grackle poop &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; be a bit &quot;hot&quot; for the grass - in the same way that chicken manure is too hot before it is composted to put on plants - but spraying it into the lawn (I'm assuming you mean spraying water on it so that it washes down into the lawn) will likely work out just fine.  Manure has a lot of nitrogen in it and, of course, plants taken in nitrogen and use it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would encourage you to take a tip from my neighbor who utilizes &quot;flashy&quot; things to discourage the birds from messing up his garden.  He uses things like aluminum pie pans, that yellow &quot;caution&quot; tape and streamers.  The birds (including grackles and crows) don't tend to like those things blowing in the wind and moving around.  It really does work quite well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, yellow caution tape and aluminum pans might not be something you want in your yard but you can put something that is more attractive up that has the same effect.  I've seen folks put up some things like wind chimes or yard ornaments that look pretty nice.  This might do the trick.  The birds may just decide to go elsewhere if they are annoyed/concerned by those flashy things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a farm and at one point the barn was home to a number of birds.  They were crapping on my tractors and other things in the barn.  I tried one of those fake owls - didn't work, there was bird crap all over the top of it.  I also bought one of those multi-hundred dollar systems that purport to scare birds off using a high-frequency sound - that didn't work either.  In the end the only thing that worked in the barn were some barn cats.  This likely isn't a solution for you though - and you'd be exchanging bird mess for cat mess - but my point is that the birds left because, in this case, the cats made the barn a place that they didn't like.  Perhaps putting some things up in the yard will cause them to look elsewhere too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best of luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-19T00:40:20.307" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7426" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1241" CreationDate="2013-05-19T01:28:47.817" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;What possible harm could the presence of ants bring to your dirt? I am thrilled when I see bugs in my compost, it means that it is a healthy ecosystem and bodes well for the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2263" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-22T03:34:51.783" LastActivityDate="2013-05-22T03:34:51.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7427" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-19T02:04:52.543" Score="1" ViewCount="197" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am doing an ecology project for biology and we have to identify these plants (genus and species). We're having a bit of trouble, so any help is greatly appreciated!&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZcGTD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and the second plant:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pt088.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2264" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-14T01:13:34.003" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T14:54:44.277" Title="Could someone help identify these two shrubs?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2017-04-30T17:54:58.460" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7428" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7427" CreationDate="2013-05-19T03:12:51.573" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first is a holly, but I am not sure about the second.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2013-05-19T03:12:51.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7429" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-19T12:00:40.643" Score="3" ViewCount="570" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is probably the sort of thing thats been asked a thousand times but I have no idea what I'm looking for&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;we moved into a house with a lovely huge pond, however now we have our first child and shes trying to walk, the pond had to go. :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;the lawn was lumpy, weedy and generally pants so we decided to take it all up, rotorvate it all and lay new seed. unfortunately we took the lawn off, rotorvated it all, put some food down then the rain came, so did Autumn, winter etc.&#xA;we never got the seed down and now the &quot;lawn&quot; is just a wild meadow of weeds and grass that is hard to remove, especially with an 11 month wanting attention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I have to take all the weeds out and rotorvate it all again, or can I just rotorvate it and stick some turf on top? &#xA;I need some top soil to level out the hole where the pond was but may just level it out and see how lower it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;final question, anybody in Barnsley that actually likes gardening and wants to spend an afternoon away from their family helping us get it sorted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;thanks&#xA;Be&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2265" LastActivityDate="2013-07-02T15:25:19.130" Title="Advice with laying a lawn please" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7431" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4364" CreationDate="2013-05-19T15:53:51.427" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the difference between a weed and a wild flower? Butterflies lay their eggs under the leaves of nettles and bees can be saved by ivy. It always surprises me how so many gardeners seem to want to kill things and control nature all the time. Isn't it enough to trim, cut back and tidy where we must, and make the most of what we have already? A garden cared for in this way is full of birdsong and can look quite beautiful too, and is always full of surprises &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2266" LastActivityDate="2013-05-19T15:53:51.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7432" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-20T01:50:07.147" Score="2" ViewCount="706" Body="&lt;p&gt;My vegetables and herbs are all in pots outside in full sun.  I don't have a drip system.  I just water my plants by hand with the hose on the mist setting.  How do I get the 1&quot; per week amount of water for my plants, without a drip system? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted tomato (basil and oregano in same large pot), cucumber, zucchini, spearmint, sweet bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, buttercrisp lettuce, and spinach seeds. (I planted the spinach seeds in the same pot as the spearmint.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the North San Francisco Bay area of Marin County.  The temperature is in the mid-70s to mid-80s.  The summers get plenty of 90 degree days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2270" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-24T22:40:03.687" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T22:40:03.687" Title="How often should I water potted vegetables and herbs with a garden hose?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7433" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7432" CreationDate="2013-05-20T02:14:34.663" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Different plants need different amounts of water. Veggies like tomatoes and curcurbits like the warmth and consistent watering.  Particularly with tomatoes a consistent watering will help to avoid blossom end rot which is the result of a calcium deficiency that typically happens when watering is haphazard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The way that I test my containers is to stick my index finger down into the soil maybe halfway in and see if the soil at my fingertip is moist.  If it is, then I don't water it but it is dry, I water it deeply until the water runs out the bottom.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just a note on mint - you might already know this - mint is great but it needs to be kept under control because it'll take over a container.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-20T02:14:34.663" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7429" CreationDate="2013-05-20T13:29:03.073" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's going to depend upon the plant (weed) as to how effective tilling the soil will be.  Obviously, just fertilizing the soil resulted in the regrowth of grass and weeds over the course of 6 months or so - weed seeds remained, no doubt, in the soil as did probably some roots.  Plus, you certainly had some new weed seeds show up from the air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants which spread via rhizome (here in Virginia that would be something like Bermuda Grass) are quite hardy and can reemerge after being tilled.  Plants with a deep taproot (again, here in VA I'm dealing with Curly Dock which has quite a deep root) can also reemerge.  Weed seeds remain in the soil even after tilling it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some weeds aren't quite so hardy and have shallow roots and die quite quickly once those roots are exposed to the air and sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, if you tilled the yard and put down turf, watered it well and that turf became well established, it might do a pretty darn good job at keeping the weeds down to a minimum.  All those plants (the turf and the weeds) are competing for resources (sunlight, water, nutrients) and any existing weeds which weren't killed by the tilling will have lost their top growth and be at a disadvantage as the turf will be putting down roots and all the grass will be sucking up sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some might recommend some sort of synthetic chemical herbicide such as something effective against broad-leaf weeds.  I'm not one to do this personally but it may be effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect that if the soil is well-tilled and re-turfed and the new grass takes hold, you'll be able to keep any weeds that &lt;em&gt;do&lt;/em&gt; pop up later at bay if you deal with them early.  Weeds &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt; pop up - that's life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-20T13:29:03.073" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7432" CreationDate="2013-05-20T14:22:45.133" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd add one thing - your fruiting plants will need watering daily in those temperatures, but the mist setting on your hose isn't really the thing to use, it's the roots which need watering, not the topgrowth. You'd be better off running the water through the hose at a lower speed and inserting the end of the hose inside the pots and giving them a good soak till the water runs out. If the compost is already dry when you do this, you will need to go back and repeat the process ten minutes or so later, and again if they were really dry, because the water doesn't always absorb immediately into dry compost, it simply runs off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for giving them the'1&quot; ' per day, provided your pots have drainage, just water them daily when it's hot - any excess will drain away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-05-20T14:22:45.133" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7436" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7429" CreationDate="2013-05-20T14:36:13.090" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you say Barnsley, I don't know whether you mean in the UK or in the USA, but something about the phrasing of your question suggests the UK. If that's the case, it rather depends what the weeds are, as ItsMat says in his answer - if most are just annuals, then you needn't worry too much, but if you have perennials like docks, nettles, or the dreaded bindweed or worse, Japanese knotweed, there's a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming you levelled it after rotavating last year, I wouldn't suggest you rotavate again - what you want is friable soil which is level, but not too disrupted. Cultivators of any sort have a tendency to chop up weed roots and distribute them all over the area, which is the last thing you want. If most of what's there is annual stuff, then hoe the area, or just pull them all up, but dig out things like dandelions, docks, nettles, etc. If you want to use a cultivator after that to break the soil up a bit, fine, but then you need to level it and walk all over it on your heels to get out any soft spots, then relevel and rake over. Now you can apply seed, but to be honest, with a young child, and if you are in the UK, I'd lay turf, because you can be using it within 4 or 5 weeks quite normally. Lawns from seed cannot be used normally (walking over, sitting, playing) for five or six months. If you are going to lay turf, once its levelled and ready, throw Growmore all over the area till it looks like light snow, and rake it in lightly, then lay the turf. Hopefully you're already set up with a hose and sprinkler, which you will need to water the turf immediately after it's laid and when the weather is dry for the first 4 to 6 weeks until it roots into the soil beneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want more of a 'How to' guide, I'd recommend you get hold of a copy of D. G. Hessayon's The Lawn Expert - the library might even have a copy, but it's not expensive to buy anyway.&#xA;If you're not in the UK, this advice may not be terribly useful, although the principles are the same with turf/sod wherever you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-05-20T14:43:42.840" LastActivityDate="2013-05-20T14:43:42.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7437" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-20T15:41:47.100" Score="2" ViewCount="12002" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just tried starting my lawnmower (Lawnboy EasyMulch) after it had been sitting in my garage all winter. I pulled it out, cleaned it off (a lot of oil had spilled out), and gave it a basic maintenance (nothing fancy, just what I always do every spring):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Change oil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add gas&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Change spark plug&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Change air filter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Scrape off any grass that is caked on to the blade or around the chamber where the blade spins in&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I went to give it a start and the cord &lt;strong&gt;will not pull&lt;/strong&gt;. It won't even budge. When I flip it on its side I am able to wiggle the blade back and forth a &lt;em&gt;little bit&lt;/em&gt;, but not able to spin it. Any ideas as to what is going on, or how to diagnose? Again, I scraped off a small amount of hardened grass clipping from underneath the mower, but there's nothing that is &lt;em&gt;blocking&lt;/em&gt; the blade from spinning...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="TicketMonster" LastActivityDate="2013-05-20T17:08:07.813" Title="Lawnmower cord won't pull" Tags="&lt;repair&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7437" CreationDate="2013-05-20T16:12:37.100" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are not able to spin the cutter blade freely around then it sounds like either the main bearings or the piston has seized up. Either one looks like a major repair with engine overhaul. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is also the other smaller possibility that something has blocked the flywheel. This could be some bent shroud piece or some debris (ie small stone or gravel) has lodged itself in the area where the flywheel has a narrow gap by the magneto coil. In this case you still are looking at some dis-assembly to take a look.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14630" OwnerDisplayName="Michael Karas" LastActivityDate="2013-05-20T16:12:37.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7439" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7437" CreationDate="2013-05-20T17:08:07.813" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Piston Seizure, possibly rusted piston rings from winter moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The oil loss is worrisome, pointing to the first which means the piston skirt welded itself to the cylinder wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the lawnmower was running fine before being put away, if it was left outside, moisture can get into the engine. Rusted piston rings sometimes taken care of by a liberal amount of WD-40 down the plughole and a week of sitting followed by working the blade back and forth till the piston moves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both conditions usually mean engine replacement as the cylinder is probably toast and ring rust can trap the rings in the ring groove causing excessive blowby and poor compression. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2013-05-20T17:08:07.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7440" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-20T17:15:28.853" Score="10" ViewCount="372" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a new gardener, and am really excited to grow my own vegetables.  It's end of May, so I may have missed the boat slightly in terms of planting seeds and growing a tomato plant from that.  Next year, I will be prepared, and will maximize the growing season.  But what do I do?  Do I buy a packet of seeds, do seed starters, and then transplant into a pot or the ground? Or just buy a tomato plant and transplant that into my pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems that buying a plant just saves a little work and is many many times more expensive (a plant could be a few bucks, and a single seed in a packet might be a nickel).  The plant would help me this year because I missed the boat in the spring to plant seeds, so it might help me make up for that.  But outside of being lazy and/or lack of planning, is there really a reason to buy plants, when you could have just planted a seedling a few months prior?  Are there any benefits to buying the tomato plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anybody share their thoughts/experiences on the matter?  My questions are about growing all vegetables, not just the tomato example I used above.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: I live in the SF Bay Area.  The climate here is pretty mild/nice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2155" LastEditorUserId="2155" LastEditDate="2013-05-20T19:02:44.597" LastActivityDate="2019-12-17T09:24:55.490" Title="do &quot;real&quot; vegetable gardeners buy plants, or use seeds" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7441" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7440" CreationDate="2013-05-20T17:49:17.500" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know people who have been gardening for decades and buy their tomatoes, peppers, etc. from a local garden center.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I prefer to do my own starts, but sometimes I miss the window for getting things started and I go get plants in the late spring. Sometimes it depends on the plant: I've started onions from seed in the past, but this year I purchased sets. From seed, onions need to be started in February for setting out in May (at least where I live). From sets, you can just go to the store on the day you're doing to plant, buy a bag, and drop them in the ground. I have also done celery from seed a couple of times, but I missed the window this year, and if I can find a local supplier with good plants I will probably not bother with starting my own celery from seed again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Starting from seed requires some infrastructure and space. You need adequate light, a place to store the growing plants, enough heat to keep the soil warm so that the seeds germinate, water, containers, a place to store potting soil and fertilizer (if you live where it freezes during the winter, you can't store it outside or it will be a solid block when you need to use it), and more containers and more space for potting up seedlings to larger pots as they grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An advantage of starting from seed is that you can get a better selection of varieties. A seed catalog can offer dozens of varieties of, say, tomatoes. But your local grower can only afford to stock a few different varieties, and then probably only the varieties that are the most well known (and thus commercially viable). This has been my main motivation in the past for growing onions from seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is rewarding to see something that you grew from seed (perhaps even seed that you saved yourself the prior year -- completing the loop), but it does not make you any less of a &quot;real&quot; gardener if you choose to buy started plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(The chef at the gourmet steak restaurant does lose any credibility because she doesn't raise her own beef, right?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-05-20T17:49:17.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7442" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7440" CreationDate="2013-05-20T18:55:26.610" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been gardening for years and do a mix. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For veggies that I can direct seed in the garden or start in seed trays outside - greens, peas, beans, radishes, squash, cucumbers, carrots, fall cabbage and broccoli, okra, etc. - I use seeds. They are much cheaper, and there is plenty of time to grow them from seed entirely out doors in my climate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For veggies which I would need to start indoors and transfer outside, like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, I buy plants. I just don't have the space or inclination to care for the plants indoors, and I find that I have a decent number of varieties (including some heirlooms) to choose from locally, so I'm not that motivated to put in the effort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure where you live, but even if it is late for spring planting where you are, I am sure there are some things you can still direct seed. A lot of gardeners succession plant - so don't plant everything at once in the spring, but plant small patches for as long as their climate allows. Maybe you could purchase some plants this year, and seed others. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-05-20T18:55:26.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7443" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7440" CreationDate="2013-05-20T19:01:06.577" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Buying seeds and growing seedlings can certainly be less expensive.  Seedlings that you grow yourself require attention and care and space the right environmental conditions (warmth, moisture, etc.).  Some folks lack either the space, equipment, time and/or inclination to grow from seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Buying young plants (and not-so-young ones... I saw 2' tall tomato plants at a store the other day that had fruit on them) takes advantage of someone else's greenhouse and the work that went in to grow those plants from seed. So, you pay a lot more - sometimes a couple orders of magnitude more - for a plant rather than a seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've done and do both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I've got time X weeks prior to the last average frost date for my zone (where X is whatever the appropriate number of weeks is for the given plant, e.g., for bell peppers it is around 8-10 weeks) then I'll grow some from seed.  But that doesn't always happen due to my schedule, so I'll buy some plants locally and grow those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I &lt;em&gt;prefer&lt;/em&gt; to grow my own but, again, that doesn't always happen.  I prefer it both because I like to grow heirloom varieties (not always available locally in plant form) and I dislike paying 50-100x more for a plant that I could grow from seed if I just planned for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That doesn't mean I won't buy plants though.  I buy when it makes sense or is more convenient... life gets busy sometimes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's certainly nothing wrong with buying a plant.  The veggies will be just as great whether you grew it from seed or from a plant you bought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants take different amounts of time to mature.  If you don't have enough growing days left in the year (and don't have a greenhouse or other similar method of extending the growing season) to grow from seed but you &lt;em&gt;do&lt;/em&gt; have enough for a transplant from a garden center or local grower, then opt for the plant this year and plan accordingly next year.  Gardening is very much about planning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-20T19:01:06.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7444" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7448" CreationDate="2013-05-20T20:26:37.777" Score="4" ViewCount="800" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pot of very closely growing chili pepper seedlings and I'd like to distribute them around a bigger pot, but I don't think their roots will allow easy separation. Is there some way I could separate them from each other without sacrificing too many seedlings, like maybe watering the soil down, planting them one by one and covering roots with wet soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this picture can help understand how close the seedlings are:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vNC3i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2273" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-22T03:37:58.467" LastActivityDate="2013-05-22T03:37:58.467" Title="How to safely distribute closely growing chili pepper seedlings around a bigger pot?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;thinning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7445" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-21T00:20:07.173" Score="3" ViewCount="5157" Body="&lt;p&gt;My attempts to grow succulents continue to struggle - two from my wedding, which had been doing fairly well, appear to have developed, fairly swiftly, an infestation with some sort of mite:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1E1en.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vd0EW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what these are, and if there's something I'm doing wrong that's &quot;triggering&quot; an infestation. I've been trying not to overwater, and all the plants are in pots suspended in another container to allow drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1455" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-05-21T00:44:20.723" LastActivityDate="2013-08-08T17:29:15.827" Title="What are these white arthropods infesting my succulents?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7445" CreationDate="2013-05-21T10:42:49.867" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are too small for mealybug so that leaves &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitefly&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;white fly&lt;/a&gt; who often leave small white husks as they moult into a larger nymph or adult.&#xA;What is odd is that they are on a succulent. The thick waxy leaves make it hard going and they are more commonly seen on plants with thinner leaves like tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control is a small hand sprayer with a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insecticidal_soap&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mixture of soap and water&lt;/a&gt;.  Test one plant first to see if they are sensitive to soap.  Dish soap is fine, no need to buy a commercial product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Several sprayings at five to six day intervals to catch eggs that hatch are usually necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Isolate infected plants from any others as white fly will fly to new hosts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-05-21T10:42:49.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7448" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7444" CreationDate="2013-05-21T12:10:44.777" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Separating young seedlings can be tricky because their roots tend to be quite tender and easily damaged.  Often the prescription for seedlings is that you&quot;thin&quot; them out - either pulling or (more often and less likely to disturb the roots of the ones you wish to keep) snipping them off with scissors.  Sounds terrible - thinning goes against the idea in our heads that we're trying to grow things - but it &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; necessary to give them space or you'll have a very unproductive mess on your hands.  Likely the plants will do very poorly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, you &lt;em&gt;may&lt;/em&gt; be able to carefully separate them if the soil is a bit moist and you are gentle with them.  In all likelihood you'll lose some in the process but maybe not all.  The sooner the better once you've got seedlings somewhat established because at some point the roots will be intertwined and then you'll have a very hard time separating them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be able to carefully dig down a bit and get a shallow piece out that has several of them and separate them out a little at a time.  Worse thing that happens is that they all die, but that's probably not going to happen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, in all likelihood some of those seedlings are going to die in the process and so, personally, I'd probably just look at what's there, pick the strongest of the seedlings, thin the others with scissors (just cutting those off at soil-level) and then carefully dig out the ones I'm keeping and transplant them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-21T12:10:44.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7449" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7478" CreationDate="2013-05-20T21:44:34.697" Score="2" ViewCount="266" Body="&lt;p&gt;This may not be the correct place to ask this question, but I'm not sure a more appropriate place exists.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.managemylife.com/mmh/lis_pdf/OWNM/1008008L.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Craftsman 32.8cc 10in tiller&lt;/a&gt; with a two-stroke Tecumseh engine. It ran fine the first day I used it, but then I ran inside to grab water and it tipped over and stalled out. I couldn't get it started again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next day, I was able to start it, but it kept stalling out. I don't think the idle was set too low, because the tines were actually spinning slowly -- but the only way I could keep it from stalling was to pull the tines out of contact with the ground and rock it forward periodically. On top of that, the throttle doesn't respond anymore.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did notice a bolt had fallen out of the muffler, so I replaced that. A more thorough inspection revealed that the governor spring wasn't hooked to the throttle assembly anymore. I've tried reconnecting it, but it seems to unhook itself again every time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I ordered a new governor spring assembly, but wondered if there was a way to jury rig it in the meantime. If the spring's hook is bent, can I solder it to the throttle? Or should I assume the spring has lost tension too?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2285" OwnerDisplayName="mohawkjohn" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2013-05-21T12:44:30.323" LastActivityDate="2013-05-26T21:53:28.160" Title="Two stroke engine throttle not working" Tags="&lt;repair&gt;&lt;tilling&gt;&lt;small-engine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7451" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7452" CreationDate="2013-05-21T13:24:11.717" Score="3" ViewCount="186" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do I have to use an insecticide spray or will a detergent like Dawn be just as effective?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2013-06-20T15:34:39.227" Title="Control of Boxwood Psyllids" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7451" CreationDate="2013-05-21T15:06:05.657" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Timing is everything here.  If you can apply a soap and water spray in early May before the characteristic leaf cupping damage occurs then you can reduce the population to a tolerable level if your soap and water can get good coverage where the nymphs are hiding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/insects/psyllids/boxwood-psyllid.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;recommended solutions&lt;/a&gt; are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do nothing, the damage is superficial and does not injure the plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prune out affected areas, you would probably be pruning your boxwood anyway&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pesticides are only recommended for severe infestations&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-05-21T15:06:05.657" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7453" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7454" CreationDate="2013-05-21T22:25:13.603" Score="8" ViewCount="146638" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen some people throw seed without using dirt. Is it less or more efficient ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is this video &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt-X9OupsOo&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; that shows what I am talking about&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2267" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-05-21T23:13:25.997" LastActivityDate="2018-05-10T17:58:52.930" Title="Is throwing grass seed without dirt enough?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7453" CreationDate="2013-05-21T23:13:07.573" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the video, he applies a soil-based topdressing material after spreading seed on the lawn. I'm not sure where you're getting the &quot;without using dirt&quot; from. If you simply throw grass seed onto compacted soil, you will get poor germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not a lawn expert, but if I was going to go to the cost and effort of spreading grass seed on my existing lawn, I would definitely spread a thin layer of finely sifted compost or topsoil over the top of the seed. If you have bare spots, I think it would be worth the effort to scratch these up so that the seeds make good soil contact when they land there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-05-21T23:13:07.573" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7455" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7457" CreationDate="2013-05-22T02:03:52.973" Score="8" ViewCount="2103" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just finished building my first greenhouse!&#xA;I built in beds on the shelves along the wall that can have up to 10 inches of soil. (I'm planning on putting 8 inches in.)&#xA;I lined the bottom of the beds with plastic because I don't want the plywood to get wet. I was about to put the dirt in when I had the thought that perhaps I would need drainage for my beds due to the plastic preventing water from draining. Then I thought that the water would just evaporate due to the heat inside the greenhouse.&#xA;I'm in hardiness zone 3b.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is drainage so important that I should drill holes in my beds and devise some sort of drainage system? Or should I be OK and just have to keep an eye out for mould or something?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt; 1 year later&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For what it is worth, this is what I ended up doing.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9AvVO.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I had to do it again I think I would just do plastic and dirt. The heat of the greenhouse pretty much vaporizes the water in the soil, even on cool days. This pretty much eliminates the threat of root rot. I'm thinking it must be the dry climate where I live. If I built my boxes out of spruce lumber instead of plywood I wouldn't even bother with the plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All in all though they turned out great!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1046" LastEditorUserId="1046" LastEditDate="2014-05-13T02:48:15.727" LastActivityDate="2014-05-14T19:20:03.853" Title="Is drainage important in Greenhouse beds?" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7456" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-22T02:34:51.617" Score="8" ViewCount="69604" Body="&lt;p&gt;I keep damaging the bottom of my fence with my gas weed trimmer.  What is the best way to prevent damage to my fence while using a gas trimmer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aY5XZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;click photo for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aY5XZl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2182" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-22T14:12:03.350" LastActivityDate="2020-02-11T19:06:26.370" Title="How can I weed trim without damaging a fence?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;fence&gt;" AnswerCount="8" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7457" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7455" CreationDate="2013-05-22T02:39:04.397" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you absolutely want to have drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roots need moisture but they need oxygen too and poor drainage is going to likely result in roots that rot and plants that die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure exactly how your beds are made but you &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; drill some holes in the bottom and then put some PVC drain ports in the bottom to allow for drainage while protecting the wood.  (I'm assuming you've got box-type beds with a solid bottom.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-22T02:39:04.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7458" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7459" CreationDate="2013-05-22T05:22:40.337" Score="7" ViewCount="19713" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some kind of white mold is infesting several of my plants, below is one of the worst infections of a tomato seedling. It is very aggressive, if I remove the top layer of soil it will come back in a single day. It has infected some basil seedlings as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is mostly white, but forms slightly yellow centers in some places, as can be seen from the picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you identify what it is? And how do I get rid of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N78Li.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N78Lil.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;White mold&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2272" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-22T17:48:35.717" LastActivityDate="2015-05-09T01:22:12.800" Title="What is this white mold infesting my tomato plants?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7458" CreationDate="2013-05-22T10:57:54.497" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many possible types of fungi or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slime_mould&quot;&gt;slime mould&lt;/a&gt; that this could be but the cause and treatment are the same.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The source is &lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3304.html&quot;&gt;wood which is part of a soil mix&lt;/a&gt; that has been inadequately composted or sterilized. The culprit is eating the woody bits in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You cannot control this just by removing the soil as it will be found throughout the soil. There is no harm to people or a mature plant but seedlings might not like the competition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control measures include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keep the soil drier.  They need a moist or wet soil to thrive&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have read suggestions to sprinkle cinnamon on the soil but have no research to prove it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a copper based fungicide will probably do the job but it could kill the seedlings as well&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably the best solution is to learn to live with it. Do not use any unused portions of that bag of soil unless you have sterilized in the oven at ~212 degrees Fahrenheit (= 100 degrees Celsius) for twenty minutes or so.  Caution:  the smell of baking soil will not be appreciated by everyone!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="2272" LastEditDate="2013-05-22T12:13:12.650" LastActivityDate="2013-05-22T12:13:12.650" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7460" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-04-30T12:56:13.997" Score="7" ViewCount="652" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm getting ready to begin building a food forest on the back quarter acre of my half acre yard.  However, my yard is absolutely surrounded by walnuts.  Walnuts release Juglone, an allelopathic chemical that inhibits the growth of most other plants, from their roots, rotting wood and nuts.  There are a number of plants that are Juglone resistant, but I'd rather not be limited in that way.  I could remove some, but not all of the trees, however I'd be great to keep them if I can.  Walnuts are a wonderful source of protein and oil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found an article on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15449596&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt; indicating that a species of mushroom, &lt;em&gt;Pleurotus sajor-caju&lt;/em&gt;, is capable of digesting Juglone and removing it from the soil very quickly.  However, there is no species of mushroom that is &lt;em&gt;Pleurotus sajo-caju&lt;/em&gt;, rather there is a species of oyster mushroom (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleurotus_pulmonarius&quot;&gt;Pleurotus pulmonarius&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;) that is frequently misidentified as &lt;em&gt;Pleurotus sajor-caju&lt;/em&gt; and a separate species of tropical mushroom (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lentinus_sajor-caju&quot;&gt;Lentinus sajor-caju&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;) that was previously thought to be a &lt;em&gt;Pleurotus&lt;/em&gt; but is now a &lt;em&gt;Lentinus&lt;/em&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone succeeded in using oyster mushrooms for Juglone remediation?  What species and where'd you get them from?  Are there any other species of fungus or plants known to remove Juglone from the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="124" OwnerDisplayName="Daniel Bingham" LastActivityDate="2015-04-27T19:08:12.827" Title="Are there any fungal or plant counters to Juglone (walnut allelopathy)?" Tags="&lt;permaculture&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7461" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7456" CreationDate="2013-05-22T11:50:48.863" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trimming along a wooden (or chain link!) fence is tough and tears up the wood undoubtedly.  You can certainly try to do it more slowly and angle the string down toward the ground.  That &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; help but there are a lot of variables here - the ground height, the movement of your arms, the amount of grass and where it is located, etc. - and that's only going to work so well.  Plus, it takes a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen folks slide old shingles, cardboard, carpet, etc. under the fence to essentially create a weed block.  That will work but cardboard breaks down and none of these are all that appealing.  You've got that nice fence there so you don't want to go junk it up with some junk laid under it.  That's just my opinion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; cut a little off the bottom as ekaj suggested in the comment above.  This might work well.  It's a pain to cut pickets near the ground that are installed.  A reciprocating saw (Sawzall is what they are called typically) would make quick work of this.  You could cut them so there is 1.5 inches or so of clearance on the bottoms and probably keep the wood from being chewed up by the string trimmer in the future.  That's likely one of the easier &quot;one time&quot; solutions to the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another possibility (though I try to avoid its use on our farm) is some sort of non-selected spray such as Round-up.  That will definitely kill the grass and could be applied periodically.  A more eco-friendly possibility might be vinegar (20% is available and is quite effective but requires some special handling (gloves, goggles) due to its caustic nature).  Vinegar is moderately effective at killing weeds and is cheap (at least the 5% stuff is).  These solutions - Round-up or vinegar - will result in a brown area along the fence line which might be undesirable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could decide to run a strip of mulch along the fence line.  Put down some pro-grade weed fabric and and put several inches of mulch atop that to smother the weeds.  Some of that push-in edging would give you a clean line to separate out the mulch from the grass.  You could skip the edging but you'd probably end up with a fair amount of grass clippings in the mulch or shooting mulch all over the yard with the trimmer. They make that edging in plastic and in metal too.  That's an idea.  The problem with this solution is that (I'm assuming) if you share the fence with a neighbor, you've both got to be on-board with the solution or the weeds and grass are going to crop up on the other side anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Personally, I'd opt to cut 1.5 inches off the bottom of the fence and be done with it.  It's a one-time cost for the Sawzall, a couple hours of time to mark and cut the boards and then you are done.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-22T11:50:48.863" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7462" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7456" CreationDate="2013-05-22T11:58:27.253" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agree with itsmatt's final solution, but there is another option. Because the fence is too close to the grass, you could excavate a narrow trench beneath, part fill with bedding mortar mix (about 1-2 inches deep, made with 4 parts sharp sand, 2 parts soft sand and l part cement) and then lay pavers in a row,or maybe 2 rows, so that the fence is sitting on those rather than the lawn. Once the bedding mortar has set (1-2 days, depending on temperature) then you'd need to point between them with mortar (3 parts soft sand, 1 part cement), brush dry into the gaps, then water gently over the top, so that you don't wash it out, and leave to set overnight. The mix beneath the pavers and the mortar mix will prevent grass coming up in between the pavers, so it's important that you do this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-05-22T11:58:27.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7463" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7465" CreationDate="2013-05-22T16:35:23.333" Score="8" ViewCount="18952" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why does there appear little white stones in the soil of my plants? I had this before in other plants, and now I see it appearing together with my basil. They have a size of max 1 cm and are very porous and crunchy. We got an attack of little flies at the same time, so I was wondering if it might be the little eggs of those flies? (maybe a stupid idea, but it's the only thing I can think about.. water does not contain so much lime and it would be a strange form of precipitation)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the pictures for full size&lt;/em&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DQTS5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DQTS5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wjdbc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wjdbc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1976" LastActivityDate="2013-05-22T17:00:31.047" Title="Little white stones appearing in the soil of my plants" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7464" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7466" CreationDate="2013-05-22T16:52:51.523" Score="4" ViewCount="248" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this plant for a long time. It was a gift and I never knew exactly what it was. It had its good times and its bad times and gave flowers a few times, which are little pink to purple and bell-shaped. Now almost all of it rotted, so I transplanted the two parts which were still fine. Happily the plant formed roots on its stem (check the second picture). Due to the thick leaves I would think it's a succulent, but I do not find any picture with leaves similar to this one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, I would like to check how to take care of it best (probably I gave it too much water), but therefore I need to know what species it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XreNB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XreNB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QoEPf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QoEPf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1976" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-21T20:01:08.637" LastActivityDate="2015-07-21T20:01:08.637" Title="What is the name of this plant which has roots on its stem?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7463" CreationDate="2013-05-22T17:00:31.047" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perlite&quot;&gt;perlite&lt;/a&gt;, a porous mineral that is added to potting soils to help prevent them from getting compacted.  They tend to rise to the surface because the soil contracts as it dries out between waterings and expands when watered, effectively squeezing bigger particles in the soil towards the top (a process known as the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granular_convection&quot;&gt;Brazil nut effect&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's completely benign, and unrelated to any pests that you may have had.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2013-05-22T17:00:31.047" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7466" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7464" CreationDate="2013-05-22T17:14:10.803" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalanchoe&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Kalanchoe&lt;/a&gt;, possibly Kalanchoe uniflora.  It is very hard to tell the exact species as there are thousands of cultivars. &#xA;Fortunately the care is the same for most of the common ones:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bright, sunny locations, especially in the summer growing season. During the winter, consider a south-facing window.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water moderately throughout the summer and reduce watering in the winter. Let the soil surface dry out between watering. In the winter let the plant get drier. Watch out for signs of too much water by observing the fleshy leaves..&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they like warm surroundings. Do not let fall below 55 deg Fah or about 12 deg Celsius.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;an ordinary potting soil mix is fine but I prefer one that is a bit more free draining.  Add more perlite to accomplish this.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:sometimes the signs of over watering are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bacterial infections such as spots or sunken lesions on the leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil is wet but the leaves are limp and dry because the roots have rotted&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-05-23T10:29:29.783" LastActivityDate="2013-05-23T10:29:29.783" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7467" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7460" CreationDate="2013-05-22T19:59:56.810" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know the answer to your question on fungal counters, but if you have space for barrier plants between the walnuts and your other plantings, you might consider that. I've seen service berries and sumac named as effective barrier plants, and both are multi-functional plants appropriate for a food garden. Best of luck! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2013-05-23T13:18:45.390" LastActivityDate="2013-05-23T13:18:45.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7468" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3656" CreationDate="2013-05-23T00:14:42.793" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mylar balloons should take care of the problem. We anchor them to a brick. I read somewhere that the balloons interfere with their landing mechanism. We used old balloons, but once they have been inflated, they can sometime take a second inflation. After that, they are done!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our ducks came back after a few years. So this evening, we have posted 3 mylar balloons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2278" LastActivityDate="2013-05-23T00:14:42.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7469" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7470" CreationDate="2013-05-23T02:12:22.720" Score="6" ViewCount="4432" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently purchased a dwarf evergreen (a &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.gertens.com/12070009/Plant/5498/Hagoromo_Japanese_White_Pine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese White Hagoromo&lt;/a&gt; and a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.russellsnursery.com/library.php?id=195&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese Black Pine&lt;/a&gt;) and was instructed by the salesman to twist off all of the &quot;candles&quot; at about the halfway point once they have reached an inch or two long.  He said this was necessary in order to keep it from growing too large.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7gyJ7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Illustration of candles&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read somewhat vague effects of performing this ritual on selected candles.  Could someone go into a little more detail and ideally provide before/after photos?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="58" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-02T20:05:49.113" LastActivityDate="2019-02-21T04:46:50.750" Title="What is the effect of candling pine evergreens?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7470" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7469" CreationDate="2013-05-23T03:44:46.057" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://oregoncoastgardener.blogspot.com/2011/05/candling-pines.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt;, strategic candling can give your pine an appearance called &quot;cloud style&quot; that looks like the below image.  They explain the technique as:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Candling for a smooth look (you might have seen the &quot;cloud&quot;-style&#xA;  pruning favored in Japanese gardening) is simple.  Just start breaking&#xA;  off the soft growth on the uppermost part of your shrub, at the top of&#xA;  the selected plane or curve.  Then work your way along, breaking off&#xA;  the buds to match this general curve or plane as it suits your eye. &#xA;  In a month or so the pine will have grown out evenly-- though there&#xA;  are always a few buds that stubbornly come out late, just remove them&#xA;  when you see them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;One of the nicest features of Shore Pines is the long internodal&#xA;  spacing between branches, which lends itself to &quot;cloud&quot; pruning. &#xA;  Select a few widely spaced branches and remove those that are in&#xA;  between.  Then begin your annual regimen of candling to create the&#xA;  &quot;cloud&quot; effect.  As the tree grows too tall to reach, it will still&#xA;  maintain a general look of the pruning style, but if you are really&#xA;  fussy you can get up there on an orchard ladder and remove buds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XYe5M.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aAi5Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="58" LastActivityDate="2013-05-23T03:44:46.057" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7471" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-23T14:16:20.360" Score="3" ViewCount="15456" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought a new blade for my Murray 30&quot; riding mower and I noticed that the new blade I bought (not an OEM one) was painted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will the paint be a problem? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The blade seems pretty sharp as it's new, but should I sharpen it further or leave it as is until it needs sharpening again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2013-05-23T16:33:50.023" Title="Does a painted lawnmower blade need any care before installing?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7472" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7471" CreationDate="2013-05-23T14:24:07.527" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, not at all if it is pre-sharpened.  Typically they pre-sharpen and balance them so that homeowners can just buy them, take them home and install them.  The paint will come off soon enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually sharpen and balance my blades if I've got time (the local shop will do it for a few bucks) but I always test them for balance before installing, even the new ones.  Occasionally I've had to touch them up a bit to get them balanced.  An out-of-balance blade will cause the mower to wobble and shake a bit.  That's not so good for the mower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But my experience is that most of the time the blades I'd get at the store were pretty sharp and only occasionally have needed to be balanced.  This might vary based on the blade manufacturer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aside:&lt;/strong&gt;  There is considerable discussion online and at least as many opinions as there folks talking about it as to whether a razor-sharp blade is what you want.  For what it's worth, my opinion is that a razor sharp blade is likely to dull quickly enough anyhow and isn't likely worth the effort.  The factory edge is usually at a greater bevel angle and I try to mirror that at home when I sharpen mine.  If I were using a scythe (and this is on my wishlist), I'd be looking for a thin, sharp edge, sharpening it during use with a whetstone and peening it when needed to keep that edge in tip-top shape.  But with a mower, most folks slap the blade(s) on the mower and go about cutting their lawns and don't bother sharpening the blades all season long and certainly not as a matter of routine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2013-05-23T16:33:50.023" LastActivityDate="2013-05-23T16:33:50.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7473" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5871" CreationDate="2013-05-23T15:51:54.907" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The easiest way to kill any tree is salt. Get a moderately sized bag of salt and place it over a cut tree trunk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But once you have killed this tree, please plant another tree elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2279" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-23T16:12:55.897" LastActivityDate="2013-05-23T16:12:55.897" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7474" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5216" CreationDate="2013-05-23T18:23:54.913" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been using salt to control my neighbor's bamboo for 5 years now.  He planted a 200 foot line of bamboo with no intention of controlling it.  I had to trench my own yard for 200+ feet and lay in a barrier 3 feet off the property line.  (After I removed over 100 feet of roots destroying my yard).  Then to keep the plants from filling in from the barrier to the property line I place 800-1000 pounds of salt once to twice a year along the area.  Any bamboo that crosses the property line not only stops but it kills the offending plants.  Thankfully after 5 years of doing this, the bamboo is more intent to grow towards his pool and house instead of filling up my yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason I went with salt is because other toxins are too expensive, dangerous to kids and I cannot legally spray any of his plants.  This leaves me with constant vigilance for new plants which takes much of my time and doesn't cure the problem or creating the &quot;no plants land&quot; 3 feet wide by 200 feet long and salting it.  Any offending plant ends up committing suicide and I never touch his property or plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2280" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-23T18:51:58.080" LastActivityDate="2013-05-23T18:51:58.080" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7475" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-23T19:20:11.463" Score="3" ViewCount="617" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in need of identifying this plant that is growing in my flower garden, as i have dogs and children and want to make sure it is safe for them to be around. It is tall with a thick trunk and leaves every few inches that are green with a dark green line down the center. It sort of looks exotic. I have a picture, but can't figure out how to add an attachment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2282" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2013-05-24T01:12:41.277" LastActivityDate="2013-05-24T01:12:41.277" Title="Identify a plant with a thick trunk, leaves have dark green line down the center" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-07-15T13:30:23.927" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7478" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7449" CreationDate="2013-05-24T01:15:42.180" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had to order a new air vane assembly, which included a spring. It was not easy to install -- had to remove the engine from the base, then detach the two bolts inside of the air filter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tricky part was that the air vane instructions had some weird reference to part colors. It took me forever to figure it out: the spring had a red streak across it, which indicated which hole it was supposed to attach to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other end of the spring (the circular end) attached to the throttle assembly. It was tricky to attach without bending or stretching the spring, especially since I then had to hold three pieces together at the same time while bolting the engine back together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It works now! Thanks for the assistance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2285" LastEditorUserId="2285" LastEditDate="2013-05-26T21:53:28.160" LastActivityDate="2013-05-26T21:53:28.160" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2013-05-24T01:15:42.180" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7479" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-24T01:29:10.610" Score="2" ViewCount="972" Body="&lt;p&gt;My little apple seedlings (from seed) have gone through a bit too much sun this week, as a string of 90-degree days after being indoor plants has been a shock to them. Their leaves were burnt along the top layers and they're curling quite a bit. Most of them are also significantly more faded from what they were a few short weeks ago.&#xA;(This is just an example, and what incited the questions below)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At what point will the leaves be &quot;dead&quot;? I mean, at what point will I know that they are useless to the plant? Should I trim them so that the lower leaves can get better light? Will they be able to bounce back from the stress that they've experienced?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastActivityDate="2013-05-24T12:09:57.703" Title="At what point is a leaf dead?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7480" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7479" CreationDate="2013-05-24T12:09:57.703" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My advice on this is to leave them alone for now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each leaf will either partially recover or end up dying off.  It won't regrow the areas where it has died.  Once significant cell damage has occurred, that leaf won't regenerate itself but the parts that are still alive will photosynthesize.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; snip off the leaves that have started to die and it is likely that your seedlings will do just fine.  One &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; argue that damaged areas on trees are places where problems can occur with pests and disease and snipping them off would nip that in the bud.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is really dead - dried out and obviously not doing the plant any good, I sometimes clip them off.  I had a number of leaves (groups of them) die on some of my apple trees this year for whatever reason.  I &lt;em&gt;did&lt;/em&gt; prune those off.  My view was that it wasn't going to improve the health of the tree by letting them hang there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd personally follow a &quot;wait and see&quot; course.  You can always snip them off later.  If they get worse and are clearly blocking the healthier leaves below it, then you could do a bit of pruning on them to fix that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-24T12:09:57.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7481" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-24T13:30:48.620" Score="5" ViewCount="2457" Body="&lt;h2&gt;What I think I know&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand that the recommendations for lawn cutting height are based on rotary mowers, and because of a combination of their design and the way they hack &amp;amp; tear at the grass that it was supposed to be cut to around 3 inches tall, preventing damage to the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also been led to believe that a reel push mower that cleanly cuts the grass is supposed to be capable of a 1.5 inch height without harming the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Question&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the correct height to cut grass to with a reel mower for optimal lawn health?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2287" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-24T15:35:19.760" LastActivityDate="2020-10-03T17:08:14.053" Title="What is the optimal cutting height for a reel mower?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7481" CreationDate="2013-05-24T14:02:56.033" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you know correctly, generally speaking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it will depend upon the ground (is it bumpy or relatively uniform and smooth) and your grass type as to how low you can go.  Those creeping grasses such as Zoysia can be cut pretty short - maybe 1.5 inches - while something like Kentucky Bluegrass or Fescue (most lawns have this) could be cut at up to, say, 3 inches.  Zoysia is apparently hard to cut with some reel mowers.  I don't have any of this but I could imagine it might be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The point made most of the time by mowing (regardless of whether we're talking rotary or reel) is that you shouldn't cut more that 1/3 of the height off for the health of the grass.  Personally, I live on a farm and the blades on the various mowers I have are set at the same height and it gets cut to that height regardless of what percentage it is cutting off of the grasses in the pasture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Folks I've talked to in the past about their reel mower were cutting at 2 inches and did so, they said, for both the look and the shading the grass provided the ground.  I guess what they were hoping was that it would help with lessening the drying up of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-24T14:02:56.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7484" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7485" CreationDate="2013-05-24T16:42:43.960" Score="7" ViewCount="6226" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just started composting (again). I added a bunch of greens to a big bin, and then I added some soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the meanwhile, I was uprooting a bunch of grass for a vegetable bed, and without thinking, I threw a bunch of clay/grass into the compost bin. Actually, it's now &lt;em&gt;half full&lt;/em&gt; of heavy clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a mistake -- will this prohibit or inhibit the decomposition? Should I remove it? It's terribly difficult to mix it as is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I saw a couple of worms in the compost bin. In the future, should I add them if I see them, or leave them in the real soil? (My bin is covered.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastActivityDate="2020-09-04T07:35:46.997" Title="Adding clay soil to compost" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;clay&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7485" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7484" CreationDate="2013-05-24T18:28:40.793" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The clay itself isn't going to break down due to decomposition because it is made up primarily of inorganic material - minerals and such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you plan on doing the lazy compost method, where you pile organic material up and forget about it, then it won't much matter if there's clay other than the fact that you'll have a lot of clay in that pile. Eventually, the organic material will break down, though you may find that weed seeds prosper in that environment because it is unlikely to heat up enough to kill them off.  That's a big mess to deal with.  Not worth the long-term hassle in my opinion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you plan on do the actively-involved compost method, where you turn the pile and ensure it is moist and encourage aerobic decomposition, then if there's a lot of clay, you may grow to hate turning the pile and it will likely revert back to the &quot;lazy compost&quot; pile that doesn't heat up much.  And there you are with a pile of clay and eventually some rich material veins running through it (and likely weeds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On our farm, I've thrown clay clods along with weeds and turf into a pile along with horse manure and it has heated up just fine but I'd still hate to turn that by hand. I pick it up with the tractor bucket and toss it that way (it's easy when you can just scoop it up and dump it with machinery) but in my compost bins that are made of pallets I avoid putting clay in it if I can because I actively turn these with my pitchfork and as much as I love a farm workout, clay is (as you said) heavy and I lose my gusto for the turning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendation is to remove as much of the clay as you can from the pile. It'll break down much faster that way.  It will be a pain to deal with it once rather than a pain to deal with multiple times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With regard to the worms - if it heats up considerably (which is what you want), they will move away from that heat down into the cooler areas.  I'm assuming your bin is on the ground and isn't one of those tumbler types.  If it is a tumbler, the worms will die if it happens to heat up enough and they have nowhere to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-24T18:28:40.793" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7486" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-25T14:56:27.813" Score="5" ViewCount="3685" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm having tomatoes in a little greenhouse. I water them by using plastic bottles where I cut of the bottom part, put them a few cm into the soil and fill them each two days entirely with water (+- 1 l). I fill the either in the morning or in the evening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I had a discussion with my mom about the details of watering with bottles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;She recommended me to fill the bottles with soil, for water to infiltrate more slowly. I was thinking that when the bottle heats up during the day, much water would evaporate and would not be used by the plant. At the same time, if water infiltates deeper, roots of the tomato plant will have to grow deeper, creating a stronger plant. But she told me that water would drain very fast too deep and would get lost that way. It is important to know that we have a very sandy soil and from a depth of 20 cm and deeper, organic matter content is very low.. (as I added compost only in the upper soil).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;She also recommended me to direct the bottles towards the plant... for more or less the same reason, so water can be more used for the plant and drains less. While I thought it is better for the plant to have to need to grow deeper.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1976" LastActivityDate="2013-07-25T12:06:14.643" Title="Watering of tomato plants with plastic bottles" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7487" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7500" CreationDate="2013-05-25T15:48:28.057" Score="3" ViewCount="236" Body="&lt;p&gt;A clone that i had placed in water nearly a month ago has fairly long roots. However, they are starting to turn brown on the tips. Any idea what is happening? This clone took a long time to  root, around three weeks. The roots have been growing for about a week now. A second clone that i placed in a different bottle of water with fertilizer rooted quicker, about a week, however its roots are starting to darken too. Should i plant the second one asap? And is the first one saveable at all? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;First Plant:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uJChf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2SBC2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Second Plant&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jw43f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bd569.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;They are both kept in a window where light is available. Should i shield the roots from light?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I added miracle grow liquid fertilizer to substitute for soil in both of these solutions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1849" LastEditorUserId="1849" LastEditDate="2013-05-25T16:01:17.350" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T14:31:48.490" Title="Epipremnum Aureum clone has brown roots" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7488" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7495" CreationDate="2013-05-25T15:59:21.767" Score="5" ViewCount="134" Body="&lt;p&gt;The previous owner put down canvas weed deterrent underneath a few flower beds. We are now trying to turn these beds into grass to increase the size of the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to try to pull up all of the canvas? It is deeply embedded in the root systems of weeds and plants and starting to fall apart. I've taken up a few chunks, but it is difficult to get it to come up in one piece without tearing. If I leave the canvas in the ground, will the grass be able to come in? Will the canvas affect the quality of the grass when it does come in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The canvas is buried between 4&quot; and 8&quot; under the soil (the depth varies).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2289" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-09T21:20:46.367" LastActivityDate="2016-08-09T21:20:46.367" Title="Can we plant grass over canvas weed deterrent?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7489" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7502" CreationDate="2013-05-25T16:23:48.877" Score="3" ViewCount="802" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify what is wrong with my clematis?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are browning and there looks to be a mold or fur growing on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AUT0L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VskwP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1322" LastActivityDate="2013-05-27T22:38:54.317" Title="Do I have a diseased clematis?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7490" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-25T19:33:03.090" Score="7" ViewCount="497" Body="&lt;p&gt;Help me identify this shrub in my new house yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in USDA hardiness zone 6/7.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I cut it back?  When should I do that?&#xA;Also how can I propagate it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture of plant in bloom:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qLkJQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qLkJQl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fJBtn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fJBtnl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/acAzX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/acAzXl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2290" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-26T15:04:40.173" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T04:01:36.250" Title="Help me identify and how to manage, this shrub in my new house yard" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7492" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-25T19:57:49.530" Score="2" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never gardened, but I do love design.  I'm moving into a new place that has an unusable fireplace, and I think it'd look amazing if it had a green, leafy plant filling the interior of it.  Since I've never gardened, I think one that is robust and requires little light and minimal maintenance, especially when it comes to bugs, is best.  Bonus points if it's a plant that is good for air quality as well.  Any ideas?  How should I go about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Preliminary research suggests philodendron or grape ivy: are these good ideas?  How long will they take to grow to fill a fireplace?  (I imagine the philodendron would grow up from the base, while I'd have to build a pot for the grape ivy and then it would hang down).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2292" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-27T00:13:16.003" LastActivityDate="2014-02-02T17:17:06.227" Title="How can I grow ivy (or a bush or other plant) in my fireplace that is low-maintenance and bug-repellant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7493" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-25T23:32:03.607" Score="3" ViewCount="3449" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought my house a few months ago and have noticed a long and narrow strip that is mostly bare of grass in my backyard.  I have no idea why it is there, but recently I found what looks like a plastic drain hole along that strip.  See pictures below. What is it, and why is it there?  What should I do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7T8k1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Is this a drain?&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qxyNa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Narrow and bare strip&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b5LM3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2173" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-13T00:29:01.967" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T00:37:35.170" Title="What is this black plastic-looking drain hole in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7494" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7493" CreationDate="2013-05-26T00:16:27.027" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe that's a daylighted drain pipe.  Before I began capturing rain in rain barrels at my house's downspouts, I ran a piece of drain tile from the downspout away from the house and &quot;daylighted&quot; it down the hill a bit from the house.  This effectively moved the water coming off the roof away from the foundation and allowed it to run out into the yard 30 feet or so away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My guess this is a similar setup.  It doesn't always have to run from a downspout.  It could be part of a drain system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-26T00:16:27.027" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7495" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7488" CreationDate="2013-05-26T00:42:07.920" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it is a pain to pull up, I'd simply leave it there.  Canvas will break down over time.  You mentioned that you've already got roots pushing through it.  Plants are pretty resilient and will find a way.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; slice it with a box knife or punch some holes in it if you like, that'd give the roots an easier time digging down.  Lawn grasses can develop some deep roots over time.  But I suspect the roots will just push down through it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think that the canvas will adversely affect the lawn grass.  You've got 4-8&quot; of soil above it, which is plenty of soil to get it initially established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-26T00:42:07.920" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7496" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7486" CreationDate="2013-05-26T01:04:01.647" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My assumption is that your question is something like &quot;what' the best way to water these tomato plants using a water bottle system?&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what you want, I believe, is a slow release of the water into the soil.  Your mom is right that a slower flow is best. If the flow of water is too fast it'll just wash right through the soil.  That doesn't do the plant any good and just wastes water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An alternative idea that I've used in the past is to punch some holes in the bottom of a plastic milk jug or a plastic 2 liter soda bottle.  I leave the lid on the top of these and that helps slow down the flow and minimize how much evaporates.  I used this method through the garden one year and it worked pretty well.  I punched holes only on one half of the bottom of the bottles and put that side closest to the plants.  Worked pretty well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-26T01:04:01.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7497" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7540" CreationDate="2013-05-26T03:55:57.823" Score="6" ViewCount="1500" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to get into hydroponics and have started with peas as it's winter in in Wollongong, Australia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However I've had an ongoing issue ever since planting them a week ago. I haven't seen much growth at all and constant wilting of the leaves. They were in rock wool in a running water setup that remained saturated and so I thought over-watering might be an issue so I've taken the rock wool out and now they are just sitting in the clay balls with the bottom of their roots in the running water. Also when taking out the rock wool I noticed that the roots are trimmed with brown now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought an air pump a couple of days ago thinking that it may have been an oxygen issue but I haven't seen any results since having installed it in the reservoir.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a beginner and everything I've read on the net points to over-watering however everything I have tried hasn't worked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2274" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-27T00:08:26.667" LastActivityDate="2016-02-04T13:24:29.693" Title="Why are my hydroponic peas wilting right after planting?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;&lt;peas&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7498" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-26T07:55:09.033" Score="14" ViewCount="17156" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some time ago, I wanted to grow tomatoes by using the seeds from the tomato which I was eating at the moment. I did some research on the internet, but then discovered you could not grow tomatoes from F1 hybrid fruits. When searching information about the meaning of F1 hybrids I got a headache, considering I have no background in genetics. There was also no information at all on the package of the tomatoes, so I just tried.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now the question: &#xA;Tomato plants did grow, does that mean they were not F1 hybrid tomatoes from the shop?&#xA;Or might I have been lucky, and do some F1 hybrid seeds germinate? Or is it they don't produce flowers? Or no fruits?&#xA;(at some websites I find information about germination, others talk about no fruits...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone give me a simple answer and some easy explained background information?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1976" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2013-05-27T22:17:31.540" LastActivityDate="2020-08-13T23:38:51.423" Title="Does seed from F1 hybrid tomato fruits grow?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;hybrids&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7498" CreationDate="2013-05-26T12:42:36.247" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;The seed will grow, but you don't know what sort of traits you'll get. F1 means that it came from distinct parents selected for certain traits. On the other hand, if you use open-pollinated seed, that comes from a plant that had parents of the same variety, so you can expect it to share the same genetic traits that both parents had. Among the traits that you might get in the plants that you grow are failure to flower or produce usable fruits -- but you &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; also get a plant that sets delicious fruit. It's kind of a gamble.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Steve Solomon, in his book &quot;Gardening When it Counts&quot;, talks about growing plants from seed saved from F1 hybrids. You will likely get a lot of off-types, but if you grow a large batch you can select the plants that are true to type and eventually (i.e. over several generations) have a stable open-pollinated variety that matches the original F1.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-05-26T12:42:36.247" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7500" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7487" CreationDate="2013-05-26T13:25:30.597" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer is not normally required or recommended to get pothos or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;epipremnum aureum&lt;/a&gt; to root. This is tough tropical vine that has become naturalized around the world but makes a great house plant. If the ends of the roots are soft and mushy then trim them back and replace the water.  If the root tips are firm then don't worry about the colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can trim the roots with a straight edge razor blade to encourage branching and more root mass.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the amount of roots you have you could pot these cuttings up right now as long as they were in good light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-05-26T13:25:30.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7501" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-26T13:35:02.093" Score="1" ViewCount="3406" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a sensitivity plant (Mimosa Pudica) and noticed it was planted in an unusual looking soil.  I want to transfer it to a larger container, so I would like to know how to buy or prepare a suitable potting medium.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/info_7791625_soil-requirements-mimosa-pudica.html#ixzz2UPBvW3yG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The University of Oklahoma Department of Botany and Microbiology's&#xA;  website Plant of the Week recommends using a potting mixture for&#xA;  sensitive plant that consists of two parts peat moss, two parts loam&#xA;  and one part sand or perlite, a formulation used to successfully grow&#xA;  this plant. This mixture provides the good drainage that sensitive&#xA;  plants need to thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is such a potting mixture or reasonably equivalent available for purchase?  If not, are the components readily available in stores?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="58" LastActivityDate="2013-10-25T12:40:13.037" Title="What kind of soil do potted sensitivity plants need?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7502" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7489" CreationDate="2013-05-26T13:37:17.537" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Clematis are usually trouble free.  That white growth looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powdery_mildew&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;powdery mildew&lt;/a&gt;.  If the weather has been unusually damp or humid or if the plant is situated where there is poor air circulation these could be causes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are &quot;organic&quot; solutions like baking soda suspended in water and sprayed on but I have not found that they work as well as cutting back the plant and improving air circulation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or, you can use the classic gardener's solution and ignore it and tell yourself it will do better next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Danny asks if the problem will spread. It's hard to say, different cultivars, slightly different locations indicate that observing is the best policy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-05-27T22:38:54.317" LastActivityDate="2013-05-27T22:38:54.317" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7503" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8493" CreationDate="2013-05-26T20:33:04.750" Score="5" ViewCount="127" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you help me identify this chili plant I'm growing? The chilis are 4-5 inches long and not that hot (without the seeds, I can eat one raw without much pain, and I'm not a big spice eater).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on any photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rVqKR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rVqKRm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cdCVF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cdCVFm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gPl9H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gPl9Hm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9HX8A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9HX8Am.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They turn into a light red hue when ripe and get a bit wrinkly in the fridge. In the first picture, the leaves of the chili plant are those on the right, the one above my thumb is from a gardenia (just in case it looks confusing).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2294" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-27T00:24:00.370" LastActivityDate="2013-10-01T20:46:06.840" Title="What is this 4&quot; to 5&quot; long, light red chili?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7504" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7490" CreationDate="2013-05-27T03:36:12.460" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me that you have a hybrid &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broom_(shrub)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;broom&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1048/lena-scotch-broom.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This&lt;/a&gt; might be your answer, the &quot;Lena Scotch Broom&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QoIIt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oVEgR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastActivityDate="2013-05-27T03:36:12.460" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7505" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7490" CreationDate="2013-05-27T14:25:12.280" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytisus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cytisus&lt;/a&gt;, as the others say. As far as pruning goes, clip over the bush lightly immediately after flowering, removing only about an inch of foliage, every year, although while its still young (as this one is) you can take more. Once the plant is bigger, If you cut into old wood, it does not regrow, and if you cut the whole thing back into old wood, it will die. They're fairly short lived shrubs anyway though, compared to other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As this is a hybrid, it will not come true from any seed it may produce, so propagate via semi ripe cuttings with a heel, taken in late summer. Pot up as soon as possible (when they have developed a root system) and pinch the growth out once it reaches about 10 inches to make bushier plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-11T04:01:36.250" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T04:01:36.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7506" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-27T20:02:56.510" Score="7" ViewCount="9841" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some lemon pips in November last year, and they grew to about 4cm tall, and it seems as if they aren't growing anymore. They have been the same size since December, and they have now turned into a very light yellow. I can't think that this is normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are they supposed to take so long to grow? What did I do wrong to make them go yellow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H21iQl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my lemon seedlings that aren&amp;#39;t growing&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2299" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-05-29T11:57:54.257" LastActivityDate="2013-05-30T12:36:25.253" Title="Why have my lemon seedlings stopped growing and turned yellow?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7507" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-27T22:26:39.330" Score="8" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;We'd like to grow a plant (hopefully not obscure, and not hard to cultivate) which livestock (horses in our case) will leave alone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From observing horses the three main plants which they are guaranteed to leave alone are nettles, docks and ragwort. The last one is highly toxic (you wouldn't deliberately introduce it anywhere near livestock) while the first two are far from attractive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there something more attractive than nettles or docks, which isn't too hard to cultivate? The grassier the better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2013-06-02T14:40:04.293" Title="Is there a grassy plant that's unattractive to livestock without being poisonous?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7510" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-28T01:29:46.680" Score="1" ViewCount="176" Body="&lt;p&gt;I mixed Triplet SF with some non-ionic surfactant in a ratio of 3:1.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mixture coagulated and formed what looked like you might see gumming up the outlet of a soap pump dispenser. Is there something I can do to prevent this, besides maybe diluting it with water? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2302" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-28T15:23:47.500" LastActivityDate="2013-05-28T15:23:47.500" Title="Is adding a surfactant causing my herbicide to solidify?" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7511" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7506" CreationDate="2013-05-28T10:58:51.663" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a nitrogen deficiency as is seen &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ch142&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. There are no other signs of typical citrus problems such as iron manganese deficiency which gives dark veins and lighter leaf area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of this may be the soil mix.  I see lots of shredded bark which, when combined with a moist soil, could be taking up nitrogen that the citrus roots would otherwise use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Think about re potting in a smaller pot size with a potting soil mix that does not use as much bark.  Should you choose to do so you can get an idea of how well developed the root system is.  Small seedlings in a pot will spend a lot of time growing roots so by down sizing and providing new soil you may get more top growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may wish to invest in a citrus fertilizer but it is still early days for your seedlings and a good soil mix should provide all their needs for many months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have a look at the numerous &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=citrus%20seedlings&quot;&gt;answers on this forum for citrus&lt;/a&gt; or this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2538/how-do-i-care-for-grapefruit-seedlings/3203#3203&quot;&gt;one&lt;/a&gt; about typical seedling problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Lauren asks how fast should citrus seedlings grow.  They are a tree so seedlings I have grown tend to spend the first year growing roots.  With more light they will grow faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-05-30T12:36:25.253" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7512" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7501" CreationDate="2013-05-28T11:08:54.547" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've grown this successfully as a houseplant, but I never used any fancy or special compost, I just used a mix of John Innes No. 2 and multi purpose compost with a bit of added horticultural grit to increase drainage, and the plant was fine. (I haven't got it now because I let it get too cold, which isn't difficult in the UK).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trick is drainage - this plant likes water (not so much in winter) but it must have free draining conditions, so as long as the pot has good drainage, the compost within is free draining, and you don't leave it standing in any outer tray or pot which has water in it, it should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-05-28T11:08:54.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7513" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7510" CreationDate="2013-05-28T11:22:37.630" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having looked at the label for this product, 41.50% of the ingredients are active (dicamba, mecoprop, 24T, not necessarily in that order) and 58.50% is comprised of &quot;Other Ingredients&quot; which are not listed. Those other ingredients may well include non ionic surfactants, and your addition of the same thing may have caused this problem. I would check with the manufacturers whether it is necessary to add your own non ionic surfactant - I suspect not, since there is nothing in the instructions telling you to do so, and that 58.50% of &quot;Other Ingredients&quot; is likely to include this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-05-28T11:22:37.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7514" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7507" CreationDate="2013-05-28T13:24:12.537" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agreed - docks and nettles aren't attractive and the horses generally aren't interested in them.  I've spent several days digging dock out of my pastures by hand because it was taking sections of them over.  The goats don't care for it much either.  I suspect that if I confined them to a small enough area they'd eat it but given their druthers, they'd choose other things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The real problem (at least view from the angle of this question it is a problem) is that horses will eat a wide variety of plants.  On our farm, only the goats will eat more things than the horse and donkey will.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure exactly what you want to accomplish here - pretty much anything you plant that isn't unattractive to them (e.g., dock) or poisonous to them (e.g., Jimsonweed) they will likely eat.  Early on in our life here on the farm I had some young trees in one of our pastures.  They basically stripped those bare.  My advice is to expect that they'll eat whatever you put in their fields.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; have success putting up some electric fence (we use solar chargers on our here) to keep the horses from eating something you plant.  I've fenced off a pine tree  in one field using electric and it has effectively reduced their munching on the tree to only browsing on the tips that poke out above the fence line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2013-05-28T16:07:39.013" LastActivityDate="2013-05-28T16:07:39.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7515" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-28T14:43:33.293" Score="5" ViewCount="2326" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HKPwP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;What is happening to my chili plant? The soil is moist but the leaves are drying out. I have the plant in a pot in the bathroom with plenty of light from the skylight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are plenty of flowers but no chili have appeared.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2305" LastEditorUserId="2305" LastEditDate="2013-05-29T17:24:22.570" LastActivityDate="2013-11-09T20:19:41.093" Title="Why is my chili plant drying out when the soil is moist?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7507" CreationDate="2013-05-28T15:45:15.333" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a reason you don't want them eating whatever you plant? Would going with plantings that can survive the grazing be an option?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking of something like buffalo grass that can take heavy grazing and still come back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-02T14:40:04.293" LastActivityDate="2013-06-02T14:40:04.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7518" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7520" CreationDate="2013-05-29T08:29:06.977" Score="3" ViewCount="312" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Cape Town South Africa, which is a Mediterranean climate (similar to Southern California, I think). I'm growing a Passion Fruit creeper. Now I assumed this would grow best during summer (with a bit of watering).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've noticed, for the second year now, that the creeper grows best from about April to May which is actually our Autumn going into winter. How can this be? The sunlight is weaker and the temperature is colder; it doesn't make sense to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing I can think of is that it enjoys the higher relative humidity at this time of year. In summer it's dry here and in winter it's cool and humid but never freezing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas or is this just an anomaly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1658" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-05-29T14:50:50.947" LastActivityDate="2013-05-29T14:50:50.947" Title="Why does my Passion Fruit Creeper grow best in autumn and early winter?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7519" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-29T10:23:49.107" Score="2" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think of buying a garden decoration similar to a garden gnome - a ceramic hollow figure of a bird - sold at a gardening store and meant for installing in a garden. I want to install it indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My concern is that since it is meant for a garden it might contain materials that release toxins and so can't be installed indoors, only outdoors. There store doesn't have any documents that say anything definitive about indoors usage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are such figures typically safe to install indoors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastActivityDate="2013-05-29T15:34:34.767" Title="Are garden gnomes and similar decorations safe to install indoors?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;toxicity&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7518" CreationDate="2013-05-29T12:55:49.033" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer might be that the sunlight is weaker, as you  put it. Although Passiflora likes sun, even in the UK the advice is to protect or shade from very hot sun from late spring to early summer, which implies this plant grows better when the sun is less strong. Certainly, sunlight in the UK during April, May and early June is stronger in terms of UV than it is in July and August, so this might be the explanation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, though, your Passiflora is planted somewhere which is shady during the hours of 11-3 in summer, this won't be an appropriate theory.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-05-29T14:05:35.147" LastActivityDate="2013-05-29T14:05:35.147" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7523" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7519" CreationDate="2013-05-29T15:29:24.100" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is going to be tough to be sure - much of this stuff is produced in factories with unknown standards for the use or non-use of toxic materials. Always better to be safe than sorry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, I'm by no means an expert on ceramics and glazing but I do know that &lt;em&gt;prior&lt;/em&gt; to firing, glazes are most definitely not safe.  There exist specific risks related to dry glaze mixes.  Certain chemical elements are used during glazing to effect particular colors and as part of the process.  Certainly of concern to those using glazed dishes is the presence of lead in the glaze.  Cadmium is also called out in the literature on glazes.  And, of course, many other substances &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; be harmful in sufficient enough quantities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;After&lt;/em&gt; firing, glazes tend to be much more stable, particularly those not subjected to the microwave or dishwasher.  It would be my (uneducated, non-expert) opinion that if one were worried about the off-gassing of toxin from a glazed ceramic piece, leaving it outside for some period of time would be prudent.  Off gassing, if it is going to occur, will likely happen under those conditions (where temperature fluctuations are going to be wider) if it is going to happen at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe there are kits that one can use to test for the presence of lead at the hardware store too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect the toxicity risk is likely low but how do you really know short of having a material safety data sheet that lays out the facts about the product?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2013-05-29T15:34:34.767" LastActivityDate="2013-05-29T15:34:34.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7240" CreationDate="2013-05-29T15:43:12.460" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;To piggyback on Chris Travers' answer, if you are seeing new growth then that's good news.  I would expect it to recover if you are seeing new growth.  Typically the late frosts we receive after our average last frost date aren't so severe as to kill the plant completely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to your follow-up question.  I tend to take the position that the dead/damaged parts aren't going to benefit the plant and will typically prune them off carefully. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-29T15:43:12.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7525" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-29T18:00:01.530" Score="2" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently had &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7449/two-stroke-engine-throttle-not-working&quot;&gt;trouble with the throttle on a two-stroke engine&lt;/a&gt;. It ran fine once I fixed that, but I didn't have time to till right then, so I turned the thing off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It rained the other day, so I put a tarp over the tiller. It may have gotten a bit damp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then, after the rain, I tried to start it again. No luck. The engine turns over with the pull-cord and the spark plug sparks. It makes a slightly different sound when I close the choke. And I can definitely smell gas when I try it with the choke open, so it's getting fuel. The air filter is a little dirty but no worse than it was the other day when I started it successfully on the first or second pull.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas? It's definitely got the right kind of gas/oil mixture, though I do have to use 10% ethanol (only option).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2285" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-05-31T15:18:44.483" Title="Two-stroke engine not starting" Tags="&lt;small-engine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7528" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-05-30T02:50:18.727" Score="8" ViewCount="10237" Body="&lt;p&gt;The previous owner of my house decided to plant two large junipers in front of the house and fill around them with ~1-2&quot; diameter gravel.  I've already taken out the junipers but now I am left to deal with about 2 to 3 yards of gravel that's been sitting there cementing for the last 30 years.  I'll be able to pick axe and shovel most of it out but I have no clue how to get rid of it.  I doubt anyone will takes it for free, it's mostly mixed and compressed with years of juniper waste and weeds.  Anyone know of a good way to get rid of this stuff without paying huge dumpster rental fees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="626" LastActivityDate="2014-12-02T20:49:58.603" Title="How can I dispose of gravel?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;disposal&gt;&lt;gravel&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7532" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7528" CreationDate="2013-05-30T11:06:44.057" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Three options I can think of right now:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Craigslist, Local newspaper and Freecycle&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our paper has a free $50 and under section which still gets traffic even in this digital age.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might be pleasantly surprised by someone willing to come pick that gravel up.  Folks looking for fill material might not care at all that what it is mixed in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Freecycle is pretty good for finding a new owner of things unwanted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option - put a sign out in front of your place - &quot;Free Gravel - You Haul&quot;.&#xA;I've gotten rid of all sort of things with the &quot;Free&quot; sign.  Of course, you might have a few &quot;squirrels&quot; show up to your place with any of these options but most people are friendly enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option might be to just solarize/kill off the weeds and cover it it with soil or mulch.  Not sure what you ultimate plans are for this area but perhaps if you are going to plant there anyway you can leave it in place an just cover it up.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I'd see if someone from craigslist, the local paper or freecycle was willing to take it off for you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-30T11:06:44.057" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7533" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7534" CreationDate="2013-05-30T21:48:13.313" Score="5" ViewCount="110" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've spent several weeks hand-digging out dock and other obnoxious weeds from our pastures.  There's a couple cubic yards of it now in the back of the pickup.  I was considering hot-composting this in a separate pile and covering it in thick black plastic to cook it sufficiently to kill off the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone hot-composted dock or other hardy roots such as these?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aside:  We don't use herbicides here on the farm as a general rule so anything I do to these needs to be a herbicide-free solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-05-31T00:05:20.750" Title="Hot composting dock roots" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7534" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7533" CreationDate="2013-05-31T00:05:20.750" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Assuming you can make a good identification&lt;/em&gt; and verify they are safe to consume, do you have any livestock that would be interested in eating them? I've found that a good way of for-sure killing certain plants is to pass them through an digestive tract. (This doesn't work for, say, blackberry seeds though.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My other suggestion would be to put them in a single layer on &lt;strong&gt;top&lt;/strong&gt; of the black plastic for a few weeks so that they are thoroughly dried out. Then you can do the hot composting. I've got some weeds that have really aggressive stolons and this is the only reliable way I've found to kill them -- baking them before trying to compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-05-31T00:05:20.750" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7535" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7537" CreationDate="2013-05-31T15:06:52.303" Score="8" ViewCount="8014" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have these 2 shrubs (circled in red) that I need to trim.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if I can turn them into/trim it into a spiral shape (like in the 2nd photo).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm finding it very difficult to find what kind of shrubs I have and if it's possible to do this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Existing shrubs:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/35HG8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/35HG8l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;existing&quot; title=&quot;Click photo for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Spiral shrubs:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/48E9Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;spiral shrub&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="94" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-28T22:46:16.363" LastActivityDate="2014-08-28T22:46:16.363" Title="Can I trim this shrub into a spiral shape?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7536" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7525" CreationDate="2013-05-31T15:18:44.483" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like your carburetor might be gummed up. Try the following, it worked for me on my Murray riding mower that had a similar problem cranking up (engine turned over, had a new spark plug, but wouldn't catch).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Buy a can of Carburetor cleaner&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the air filter from the engine, being careful to vacuum or sweep away any bits of grass/dirt that might be around the assembly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spray a small amount of carb cleaner down the air intake&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Start the engine&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If it runs spray short bursts of carb cleaner into the air intake for a few moments.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully this gets you up and running, if not and you can isolate the issue to the carb, there are good instructions out there for removing, disassembling and cleaning carburetors, try to find one specific to your model engine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2013-05-31T15:18:44.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7537" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7535" CreationDate="2013-05-31T16:54:31.380" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In one word, no, sorry! Training an evergreen by practicing &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topiary&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;topiary&lt;/a&gt; starts when the plant is small and involves repeated prunings over a few years.  If you took your existing evergreens and pruned them into spiral shapes you would expose inside areas of the plant where there is no growth.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most evergreens do not bud or grow from old wood with the exception of yews.  This means after you pruned the areas showing the trunk would not grow out.  You can see this when people find their cedar hedge getting too tall and they cut off all growth over a certain height.  It looks powerfully ugly for a few years but the new growth from the perimeter grows up to cover the cut branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your case new growth is only going to come from the perimeter of the shrub which will not give you the look of trained shrub.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Topiary demands yearly or twice yearly attention to keep the plant in shape. Perhaps you would be better off to plant a trained evergreen as they are commonly available at many nurseries in the States and Canada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: ItsMatt asks about an arborist that will prune your evergreen into a shape reminiscent of the cloud shape referred to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7469/what-is-the-effect-of-candling-pine-evergreens/7470#7470&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  You can do this too if you have a healthy evergreen but this is not the same look as the topiary spiral the original question referred to.  It won't kill a healthy evergreen but older shrubs will still take yearly pruning to maintain a nice shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2013-05-31T19:31:28.753" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7539" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13373" CreationDate="2013-06-01T10:51:49.547" Score="3" ViewCount="2007" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have built a simple hydroponics &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_water_culture&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;DWC&lt;/a&gt; system, using a window box with aeration. Actually a system exactly like the below picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bRiyc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;DWC system&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am growing lettuce and cabbage, and a week ago I have transplanted my first seedlings into the system. I have grown the first seedlings in cotton wool, as you can see in the picture below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately some yellow stuff have shown up, and quite rapidly grew to what you can see below. It seems to only have affected this one seedling this much, but some of the other cotton wool shows slight yellow formations also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does not seem to affect the actual seedlings, nor does it seem to spread much more. But I am curious of what it is, and if it can be problematic? Or perhaps the problem is just that I am using cotton wool, and it becomes constantly wet when placed in the hydroponics system?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have started using rockwool cubes, which does not seem to be affected in the same way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is the yellow stuff something I should be worried about, and what is it?&lt;/strong&gt; :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X7rxy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My seedling &amp;quot;infected&amp;quot; with the yellow stuff&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2272" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T17:42:30.680" Title="What is this yellow coloration of cotton wool used as growth media for hydroponics?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7540" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7497" CreationDate="2013-06-01T11:47:57.320" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I understand, what over-watering really is, is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil gets too wet, so bad stuff starts growing on/in it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The roots do not get enough air, which they also need besides water and nutrition.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No. 1 is not a problem in hydroponics, as you do not have soil, and no. 2 is solved by aeration, so you really should be using that air pump.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But if you got that covered, then you should not be afraid of over-watering. Which does not really make sense in a hydroponics system, as the point is growing the plants in water. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, see this question: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7095/if-its-possible-to-overwater-a-plant-then-how-do-plants-grow-hydroponically&quot;&gt;If it&amp;#39;s possible to overwater a plant, then how do plants grow hydroponically?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of nutrition are you using for you hydroponics system?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2272" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2013-06-05T07:11:03.477" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7541" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-01T11:58:00.817" Score="4" ViewCount="4601" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was told by someone that fish fertilizer is good for the lawn; just use 3 tablespoons in a gallon of water and apply it to the lawn.  But how many gallons should I use for a lawn that's about .3 acre?  There really wasn't any instructions for that, other than to apply it every 6 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2320" LastActivityDate="2013-06-05T02:17:19.857" Title="Fish fertilizer for my lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7542" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7541" CreationDate="2013-06-01T14:55:10.377" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Application is 1/2&quot; gallon per 1000 sq ft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;0.3 acre is 13,000 square feet&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For 6 1/2&quot; gallons of solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Add a teaspoon or two of molasses, it's reported to cut the smell if you're having difficulties with that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2013-06-01T15:04:38.973" LastActivityDate="2013-06-01T15:04:38.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7543" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7541" CreationDate="2013-06-01T21:16:52.563" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/697/51&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; I went through the math on figuring out how far fish fertilizer goes. I'll assume here for the sake of reusing that math that your fish fertilizer is 3% nitrogen (e.g. 3-3-1 or some similar analysis).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your 0.3 acre is 13,000 square feet. If your lawn needs 2 pounds of Nitrogen per 1000 square feet (a soil test will tell you the right amount), then you need 26 pounds of nitrogen. If each gallon of diluted fertilizer has 0.001 pounds... you need a &lt;strong&gt;lot&lt;/strong&gt; of fertilizer! It would take 1000 gallons of diluted fertilizer to provide 1 pound of nitrogen, or 26,000 gallons to fertilize your whole lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1 gallon of straight fertilizer would make up about 250 gallons of dilution, so you'd need 104 gallons to produce the 26k gallons to fertilize your entire lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have higher nitrogen content in your fertilizer, then you will need less. (E.g. if you have 6% nitrogen, you can cut the amounts in half.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An organic solid fertilizer that is formulated for lawns will probably be cheaper and easier to apply...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-06-01T21:16:52.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7545" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7546" CreationDate="2013-06-02T06:34:19.450" Score="6" ViewCount="10735" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know what is the name of this plant with long thin strap-shaped leaves which grow in clusters from a swollen stem that looks like a large woody bulb.  The &quot;bulb&quot; is halfway out of the soil in the pot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gN8PRl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2322" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-02T14:32:58.400" LastActivityDate="2018-09-27T17:12:16.177" Title="What is this plant with thin leaves and a swollen woody stem?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7545" CreationDate="2013-06-02T12:02:52.587" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaucarnea_recurvata&quot;&gt;Beaucarnea recurvata&lt;/a&gt;, the ponytail palm.  Despite the name it is not related to the palms.  These are great indoor plants if you have good or high light conditions.  I have never had a lot of problems with them. Things to note include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in indoor environments it can be too dry ( Less than 30% relative humidity) and the tips tend to brown.  Once you cut the tip back to living tissue it too can die back so you get in an endless round of scissor work.  Better to leave the dead ends.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;most common cause of death is over watering. The plant stores water in the bulb at the base of the plant. Just checking to see if the soil is dry will not be an accurate reflection of whether the plant needs more water. Best solution is to place in a high light area so it uses more water and water less frequently.  (For example, every two weeks in high light).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The most common pest is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug&quot;&gt;mealybug&lt;/a&gt; which will hide in the central axil where all new growth comes from. I have never successfully controlled mealybug on these plants with soap and water because you cannot get the soap where the eggs are hiding.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-06-02T12:09:40.553" LastActivityDate="2013-06-02T12:09:40.553" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7548" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7566" CreationDate="2013-06-02T13:47:58.503" Score="4" ViewCount="283" Body="&lt;p&gt;Late last summer, I planted some seeds from a Burpee packet labeled &quot;Radicchio, Red Verona&quot;. All but one sprouted and threw out some base leaves that did remind me of the cabbage I grew the year before. But then a white fly infestation and overgrown tomatoes conspired to destroy all but one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In late fall I cleared the garden of all the annuals, but since that one &quot;radicchio&quot; was still hanging in there, I left it. It stayed green throughout winter. Then, in May, it shot up a tall stalk very quickly, which does not remind me of cabbage at all. Now it is developing a number of what look like flower heads. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, what is it really, and what should I do with it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My only theory is that it is out of control radicchio and this is what happens when it gets too early of a start. And if so, should I cut it off at the base, leaving a few leaves, in the hope it will grow a proper head of radicchio? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or is it just a weed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E7l1j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1271" LastEditorUserId="1271" LastEditDate="2013-06-03T15:17:14.047" LastActivityDate="2013-06-04T11:46:33.710" Title="Help identifying plant (supposed to be radicchio) and advice what to do with it" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7549" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7671" CreationDate="2013-06-02T15:50:14.540" Score="5" ViewCount="1803" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a strawberry patch that I've left go for the past few years.  It's gotten rather wild in the back garden as I've had little time to really devote to gardening lately.  I went out to the patch to clean up and noticed I had deep red strawberries!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I picked them and washed them, expecting an extremely sweet bite.  The flavor, however, was almost tasteless.  The consistency of the meat was not mushy so I don't think I left them on the plant too long.  What other conditions might lead to a low-sugar/low-flavor condition in a strawberry patch?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="643" LastActivityDate="2013-06-16T21:58:31.293" Title="My first strawberries of the season are not very flavorful" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7550" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3729" CreationDate="2013-06-02T15:59:38.490" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pill bugs will eat any tender plant - yes, they generally feast on dead materials from the garden, but they will also devour new shoots coming out of the ground.  I have given up on planting anything from seed in my garden.  And I regularly find them feasting on my pumpkin, squash, and zucchini leaves that are healthy and well above the ground.  I have tried just about every garden-safe (meaning safe for my family to consume) option available.  The only thing I have found to work is setting up beer traps along the garden.  I use 2-oz cups (available on Amazon or at any restaurant supply store, but you could also use empty applesauce containers or any small cup) pushed into the soil so that the lip is at ground level.  The pill bugs are attracted by the smell, they crawl in, they drown.  Scoop out the dead ones in the morning, and refill with beer as needed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2325" LastActivityDate="2013-06-02T15:59:38.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7551" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7549" CreationDate="2013-06-02T22:20:13.497" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are lots of varieties of strawberries, many of which are (like a lot of produce) specifically valued because of how well they'll ship.  What they often lack though is taste.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to guess, however, that since you've had this strawberry patch for a few years you have had good tasting strawberries from this patch in the past.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Berries need enough water of course but they &lt;strong&gt;thrive&lt;/strong&gt; in the warm sun.  It the weather there hasn't been sunny or the rain has been sporadic that might effect a tasteless berry.  My best berries have been when we've had lots of sunny weather.  I believe the warm sunny days help increase the sugar levels in the berries.  I've grown Honeoye strawberries mainly here on the farm and these are a particularly tasty variety.  But I've had a season or maybe two when the berries were a bit less sweet and I'd chalk that up to the weather those years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard of folks adding wood ash to bump up the potassium level in the soil.  I haven't personally done this makes sense as strawberries do better with a soil rich in potassium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you didn't pick all of them you may find that a few more days on the plant might help the flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-02T22:20:13.497" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7552" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3729" CreationDate="2013-06-02T22:27:05.037" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Ed Staub - looks like cutworm damage.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've found a few things that work well in the garden with pests.  We run a strictly commercial chemical-free operation and find other ways to deal with pests.  Two things that have helped are crushed egg shells and diatomaceous earth.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ed's right about the use of cutworm collars.  Definitely have helped me in the past to keep those in check.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-02T22:27:05.037" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7553" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7781" CreationDate="2013-06-03T00:52:14.360" Score="3" ViewCount="105" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife &amp;amp; I purchased a home in November in Los Angeles.  There's a fully automated, underground sprinkler system in the front, but nothing in the back.  The backyard is a bit of a mess.  Not terrible, but not ideal.  4-5 years down the road we see ourselves having it overhauled, so we don't want to invest in an expensive sprinkler system (&amp;amp; installation) at this point.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, with the summer here, we're realizing watering by hand is going to be... a challenge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen a few DIY sprinkler systems with &lt;strong&gt;no&lt;/strong&gt; underground plumbing.  (E.g., Quick-Snap &amp;amp; LawnBelt.)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This could work for us, as the the backyard is basically two large rectangles.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I haven't seen a lot of people use them.  Has anyone had experience with them and/or advice?  I checked Consumer Reports &amp;amp; couldn't find anything either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also be interested if there's any with a timer (e.g., so we can set it water the yard every other day for X minutes, etc.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1978" LastActivityDate="2013-06-26T13:06:27.667" Title="Simple DIY Sprinkler Sets: A bad idea?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7554" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-03T03:40:19.230" Score="4" ViewCount="1703" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a Maple sapling in my front yard in November 2011, and it hasn't shown very much growth since. It gets leaves during the spring, but they seem to fall off earlier than all the other trees in the area, and I haven't seen any substantial branch growth. This week I noticed the bark near the base has a vertical split. The tree that was planted in the same place up until April 2011 also had similar symptoms, until it was damaged beyond repair by a tornado. I had a backhoe dig out the old root ball, so there shouldn't be any remnants of the old tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible that there's a soil-borne disease affecting the new sapling? If so, is there anything I can do to remedy its condition?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4ihTXm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Split bark on Maple sapling&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-15T23:54:30.437" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T23:54:30.437" Title="What's causing the bark on my maple sapling to split?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7555" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-03T09:26:18.380" Score="4" ViewCount="469" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could anyone help identify this plant? I had it in my previous apartment that was facing north. Now we placed it in front of the window facing east, where it gets much more sunshine that before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this plant require a lot of sunshine, or should it be away from the window?&#xA;How often should it be watered?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P.S. These pictures were taken in the morning:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iDg22.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1m3VH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="205" LastEditorUserId="205" LastEditDate="2013-06-03T13:23:01.430" LastActivityDate="2013-06-05T12:22:34.403" Title="What is this plant and does it require a lot of sunshine?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-07-02T17:45:57.293" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7555" CreationDate="2013-06-03T12:41:37.247" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Money Plant&lt;/a&gt;, also called as Pothos and has many names. It is easy to grow, requires very low care. Good for new gardeners. &lt;strong&gt;It does not requires a lot of sunshine, grows very well indoors with low light.&lt;/strong&gt; You can practically keep it anywhere, even in water filled bottle. (&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LQTxJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://i.stack.imgur.com/LQTxJ.jpg&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water it moderately, just to ensure its soil is moist! But don't worry about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read this answer for more details: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7081/help-identifying-this-plant?answertab=active#tab-top&quot;&gt;Help identifying this vine with green and white heart shaped leaves?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2013-06-03T12:50:07.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7557" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7554" CreationDate="2013-06-03T12:54:24.993" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is difficult to say but I have seen very similar damage on trees with large root balls over 100 pounds that were poorly handled somewhere between the grower and your home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, if the trunk of the tree bounced up and down on top rim of a pickup bed or trailer gate it would kill parts of the trunk. The tree would look fine but have severe internal damage.  The tree would wall off the damaged areas.  Due to the size of the wound and the position so low on the trunk this tree has a significant probability of failing due to wind snapping it in two at the damaged area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also note that unless this was planted as a bare root tree the stake is way too close to the root ball. The suggested guidelines are twelve to eighteen inches away from the trunk and using at least two stakes. Damage could have been done to large roots near the trunk with the stake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other way that produces damage like this is by staking the plant and securing it with wire.  This produces a ring of damaged tissue where the trunk is secured and can, if left on long enough, garrote the tree.  However, this kind of damage normally happens higher up the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/text/staking_trees.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; to proper planting and staking practices.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There appears to be a bulge at the soil line that indicates that the tree could be grafted.  There is nothing wrong with grafting and growers use this technique extensively to get slower growing cultivars to grow faster.  Before you buy a tree try and find out if it is grafted.  If the retailer cannot tell you maybe you are shopping at the wrong place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/article/2/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; has these recommendations for planting grafted trees:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;When placing the tree in the planting hole orientate the bowed area of the graft to ward the prevailing wind.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;When planting place the tree in the planting hole and hold it so that the graft is at least six inches above the soil line. Now add&#xA;  subsoil (if present) to a level that allows the graft to be at least 6&#xA;  inches above the soil line. Next add the top soil to the hole&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Don't tie a tree tightly to the stake. A tree must flex in the wind for strong roots and trunk.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;The stake should be 6 - 12 inches from the trunk. Tie the tree with a figure 8 loop around the tree and stake. Old garden hose with a wire&#xA;  through it is ideal.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Tie low. Trees have a stiff lower portion and a more limber upper portion. Shake the tree and find the transition area between the stiff&#xA;  and limber portion. Tie 6 inches above the point where the trunk&#xA;  begins to flex the most.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: One way to find out more is to cut away parts of the bark that are dead.  Examine what's underneath.  If you see wet, moldy tissue with then this might indicate a bacterial issue. If the bark underneath is normal tissue growing over the wound area then it is definitely a mechanical injury.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-06-03T16:18:36.037" LastActivityDate="2013-06-03T16:18:36.037" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7560" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7570" CreationDate="2013-06-03T14:11:20.100" Score="6" ViewCount="1665" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have &lt;em&gt;Parks Whopper Cr Improved Vf1f2nt Hybrid&lt;/em&gt; started from seed indoors.  The plants have healthy leaves and seem to be growing well, but their stems are rather purple.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this normal, or the sign of missing nutrients, or other issue?&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o8VJt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Purple stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2068" LastEditorUserId="2068" LastEditDate="2013-06-04T14:06:34.190" LastActivityDate="2020-08-05T19:26:44.153" Title="Small tomato plants have purplish stems" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7561" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7564" CreationDate="2013-06-03T14:32:35.533" Score="5" ViewCount="3936" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm observing ants on my raspberry plants, especially in the flowers. They are diving head-forward into the flowers and stay there for a while. Just like flying insects on other flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this &quot;normal&quot;? Does it do any damage? Will this pollinate the flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-03T20:03:06.113" LastActivityDate="2017-07-13T04:32:55.020" Title="Are ants in my raspberry flowers beneficial or harmful?" Tags="&lt;raspberries&gt;&lt;ants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7562" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-03T15:03:23.327" Score="3" ViewCount="47" Body="&lt;p&gt;If soybean oil is used in such low concentrations as .5%, why wouldn't using higher concentrations be better?  Is there something preventing a higher concentration being useful or effective?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2326" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-03T19:53:38.940" LastActivityDate="2013-06-03T19:53:38.940" Title="Would more concentrated solutions of soybean oil be better for insect control?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7562" CreationDate="2013-06-03T16:26:20.983" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some oils are helpful at &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horticultural_oil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;controlling some insect problems&lt;/a&gt;.  They suffocate the insects and are not toxic to humans or animals when properly applied. The problem with using higher concentrations is that a concentrated solution will burn or kill the plant. Solutions that are not toxic can also be problematic as they will dry to a sticky surface that will pick up dust and soot and reduce photosynthesis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1999/2-19-1999/oilsprays.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Oils must be mixed exactly at the right dilution rate to prevent plant damage&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As well in the summer oils must not applied when it gets too hot (over 90 Def F or ~32 deg C).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even with the problems of applying at the right rate at the right time horticultural oils are an effective control of soft and slow insects like scale.   Real success means you must observe the plants and weather and know what pests are expected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-06-03T16:26:20.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7564" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7561" CreationDate="2013-06-03T19:43:16.743" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ants aren't typically trouble for plants themselves.  They &lt;em&gt;do&lt;/em&gt; like sweet things, of course, and would be attracted to the fruit but I've not seen them destroy plants themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could be aphids.  The honeydew produced by the aphids is something the ants like.  Ants have this interesting relationship with aphids.  The aphids produce the honeydew and the ants like it and in return the ants protect them from predators.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could also be the nectar that they like.  Nectar is sweet, of course, (it's one of the ingredients in honey) and they may be drawn to that, particularly if they are down in the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will they pollinate them?  Maybe.  Raspberries are &quot;self fruiting&quot; and &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; produce their own fruit but honeybees (the common pollinator for raspberries here on our farm) help to ensure the best possible fruiting by moving that pollen from the anther to the pistil.  Ants &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; do that too, assuming they brush up against both parts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd check for aphids but they're usually on the underside of leaves.  Natural predators like ladybugs or lacewings will work but you've got to have them handy to really combat the aphids.  I'd avoid any use of diatomaceous earth on the raspberries though, as this will harm honeybees too.  A little soapy water is effective against them, as is the time-consuming by-hand removal of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, it very well may be just the nectar they've found.  And if so... no worries that I can see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-03T20:04:50.780" LastActivityDate="2013-06-03T20:04:50.780" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7566" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7548" CreationDate="2013-06-04T11:46:33.710" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the picture it looks like you've got radicchio that has decided that it is too warm and is bolting.  I think they look kinda nice when then bolt, personally but, of course, if you are looking for a tight head of radicchio, this isn't probably what you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think radicchio is a bit finicky - it can bolt when it's too warm, when it doesn't get enough water, when it's soil nutrient levels are off.  I've had no luck growing it here in VA though in being completely transparent, when I've tried, I've been a bit of a poor steward and it's no wonder it didn't work well in my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can certainly try cutting it off low and seeing if you can get it to grow.  Otherwise a heck of a lot of energy is being sent upward to develop seed heads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-04T11:46:33.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7567" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-04T12:18:59.817" Score="4" ViewCount="240" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are trying to grow purple potatoes for the first time, and the plants look really nice. I am wondering if harvesting them is any different than for white potatoes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2327" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-04T12:58:50.043" LastActivityDate="2013-06-04T14:19:54.430" Title="Is harvesting purple potatoes any different than white potatoes?" Tags="&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7568" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4465" CreationDate="2013-06-04T13:13:41.803" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, maples do not grow symbiotically with Porcini or any ectomycorrhizal species. They only grow with vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizal fungi, which do not fruit. While other trees have been innoculated with Porcini, there is little evidence that thees trees eventually produce mishrooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="495" LastActivityDate="2013-06-04T13:13:41.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7569" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7567" CreationDate="2013-06-04T14:19:54.430" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Purple potatoes are fun.  I don't believe there is any real difference harvesting them from white-fleshed ones. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know how you are growing them but when I've done potatoes in the past I have tried mounding up soil and also spent hay and straw (hay/straw was easier for harvesting because there's no digging at harvest time and it's easier to just break open a bale and cover them.).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just keep mounding up the material over them, leaving just the topmost section exposed to the sunlight.  Eventually they stopped growing so much vertically and flowered (nice looking flowers, at least I think so) and then the plant top growth died off.  At some point after that it is fine to harvest them.  The flowering is an indicator that you could harvest.  Well, technically you could try to harvest whenever but your mileage may vary.  I &lt;em&gt;have&lt;/em&gt; harvested early when I needed potatoes and got some though they were smaller.  Typically I waited for the tops to die off a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-04T14:19:54.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7570" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7560" CreationDate="2013-06-04T14:38:52.767" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm certainly no tomato expert - I've killed them seven ways from Sunday including dropping an entire flat of beautiful seedlings upside down and killing the whole lot of them - but that purple color is often, I've read, stress-related.  Perhaps due to light or temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But you say that the plants have healthy leaves and are growing well.  That's good.  Personally, I wouldn't sweat it too much.  There's probably a tomato expert who can say more about what s/he thinks the problem is.  I'm not convinced you have a real problem at this point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-04T14:38:52.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7571" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-04T16:37:24.277" Score="4" ViewCount="1633" Body="&lt;p&gt;This was planted a few years ago by a landscaper that I am no longer in contact with. Two of the four that were planted have died and I'd like to know what they are so I can go get some more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LZama.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;http://imgur.com/3xZvs7w&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2328" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-04T17:13:32.293" LastActivityDate="2013-06-04T18:58:20.843" Title="What is this small pink-flowered shrub?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7572" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-04T17:14:55.250" Score="2" ViewCount="404" Body="&lt;p&gt;A previous answer doesn't answer my question. I have a similar situation with a new house and long neglected vines, except with my vines, there was no trellis, and the vines were growing high into the trees. I probably have 25 feet of thick old vine before there is any new foliage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How drastically can I prune these old vines? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I decided to build an overhead trellis that I can walk under rather than a fence type, (but I'm not sure now if my idea will work right now that I have done more research and reading). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2329" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-04T18:34:40.840" LastActivityDate="2013-08-07T18:00:33.837" Title="How do I prune long neglected grape vines?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7574" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7571" CreationDate="2013-06-04T18:58:20.843" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weigela&quot;&gt;weigela&lt;/a&gt;  which flowers in late spring to early summer with trumpet shaped flowers. They are native to temperate East Asia, specifically Japan, Korea, and Northern China. In the late 1980's, a series of dwarf Weigelas developed by Felicitas Svejda of Agriculture Canada became available.  They are all named after dance steps like Tango or Minuet.  I suspect you have the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/w750/weigela-florida-tango.aspx&quot;&gt;Tango&lt;/a&gt; cultivars which should get no more than 3 feet (1 M) tall and be reliably hardy to USDA zone 4. They need full sun and tolerate most soil types.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plants are doing much better than mine. Mine get a lot of dead wood and look poorly in the spring until they leaf out. They should not be placed where heavy snow is likely to accumulate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-06-04T18:58:20.843" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7575" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7572" CreationDate="2013-06-04T19:45:21.900" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got much younger grapevines here on our farm so I've not had to deal with anything like what you are describing but you can saw those back quite severely when dormant and they'll regrow just fine - it'll just take awhile.  No doubt they've got a terrific root structure on them.  There might be a grape expert here that can confirm this but from what I've seen, grapes will bounce back quite well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-06-05T10:32:44.610" LastActivityDate="2013-06-05T10:32:44.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7576" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7549" CreationDate="2013-06-04T20:12:16.070" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you had a lot of rain recently? I find that mine are tasteless if we get a lot of rain (or I overwater them) just as they are ripening. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-06-04T20:12:16.070" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7577" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-04T20:29:38.877" Score="8" ViewCount="3035" Body="&lt;p&gt;My husband and I are buying a portion of our neighbor's property. Currently, our back yard has this ugly brick wall right by the back, which we are going to tear out.  I also want to pull up all the stones in the patio and lay them back down, because they are warped and crooked from years of settling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yFgb9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;http://tiptail.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/IMG_4750.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is there's a concrete border around the stones. I'm assuming that we're going to have to hire a landscaping company to tear down the brick wall, and the concrete border that goes with it. I don't know, however, if that concrete edging is part of the house foundation. I don't know how to tell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should we have the concrete border torn out? If so, what should I use for a border?  I have never put in a stone patio or deck, so it'll be a first project for me. I want to add some area to the stone patio, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If we don't tear out the concrete border, what can I do to make it look better? Our yard is a complete mess because everything is torn up while we buy the property, build fencing, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, and I'm in Utah, where it gets quite cold in the winter, and very hot in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2330" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-10T20:56:42.847" LastActivityDate="2021-02-22T20:04:58.273" Title="Removing concrete border around stone patio" Tags="&lt;concrete&gt;&lt;patio&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7578" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7577" CreationDate="2013-06-04T21:43:14.610" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing that the patio is quite old ( &gt; 10 years). A concrete border is an effective way of preventing patio stones from drifting away from each other.  Other techniques are used by interlock companies today.  Some of these are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it's all in the base.  With cold winters you can get frost heave which warp the alignment of the bricks that you have. To build an interlock area which will last a long time a base of at least 12&quot; (30 cm) of crushed 5/8&quot; gravel without any stone dust or &quot;fines&quot; is required. This base should be laid in layers and compacted with the heaviest equipment you can get into the yard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the next trick is to extend the base at least 6 &quot; (15 cm) out from the perimeter of the patio area.  This reduces the likelihood of drift.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some contractors like to use a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.interlock-concrete.com/products/details/snap_edge/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;retaining edge&lt;/a&gt; as seen in the link&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;another more subtle solution is to use larger size stones on the perimeter.  The larger and heavier the piece the less likely it is to shift.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;good drainage is essential. Do not drain gutters onto your patio!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;with a good diamond tipped circular saw blade you should be able to cut portions of the border away that you do not want.  If the border is too high rent a contractors cutting saw.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Now I have seen a picture this looks like more of a rebuild than a rip-and-replace. Here is what I would do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove the brick wall. A sledgehammer and determination should do the job. Leave the concrete base but cut it down to an appropriate size using a a concrete saw with a diamond tipped blade.  (This will probably require some excavation to get room to work)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Now is the time to consider running any electrical lines if you want power for water features or other outdoor electrical appliances. Check with qualified contractors for the regulations regarding underground electrical.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This is also the time to ask if you need shade in the summer.  An arbor or similar structure can provide shade and shelter from winds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You have a natural stone patio.  Just lift the stone, verify you have a good base of gravel, add more gravel as required.  Rent a compactor and run it over the base. Add some stone dust (~ 1/2 inch (1.5 cm)). Relay the stone.  You will have to buy some more and this will be a challenge to get a matching type.  Take a sample with you to possible suppliers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@Itsmatt is right to mention safety equipment.  When using a concrete saw I use hearing protection, a helmet with a mesh to protect from flying chips and a dust mask.  Hot work but the right thing to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Cynthia asks if she could build over the concrete foundation of the wall.  Yes, it is certainly possible if you can cut the wall/foundation at least three or four inches (~9 cm) below the level of the new patio.  You need room to lay some stone dust to level the flagstones. As with every project caution is advised as until you get digging you just don't know what you will find.  The brick wall will have a foundation and it maybe reinforced with steel rebar making cutting or removal challenging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-06-06T10:32:13.183" LastActivityDate="2013-06-06T10:32:13.183" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7579" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2477" CreationDate="2013-06-04T23:44:40.183" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your lawn is more than 1500 m²? Opt for a riding mower and save a lot of time in the maintenance of your lawn, and all this at less effort! This machine allows you to cover large surfaces quickly and efficiently, and reduce your working time to increase that of your toes fan out your lawn Yes but now, how to choose a riding mower? Follow the guide, I reveal you all in this article!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Several criteria are taken into account in the choice of your machine:&#xA;And shearing the surface of the cutting width&#xA;Reduce your mowing area, the larger your cutting blade must also be:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Your field&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are an adventurer and your land is dotted with massive to avoid when mowing? Choose a handy mower, that is to say, a lawnmower that you can steer easily. And yes ladies, as the cars! These mowers are more commonly called lawn turning 0, very useful feature is that more land.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pickup&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1.Side Discharge&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The side discharge allows you to evenly distribute the clippings that act as fertilizer and you do not need to stop along the way to pick up! Mowing speed is also faster on this type of model. However, the side discharge has a slight risk of splashing herbs or stones. Depositing grass clippings on your lawn, which is coarser than the technical mulching does not necessarily make your cosmetic lawn for 2 or 3 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;   2. Catcher - Rear Discharge&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mowers with grass catcher offer better handling and avoid the projection of waste in the beds they bypass. The grass catcher is ideal for people who want to pick up the waste clippings, especially to make compost. The ability of the grass catcher from 200 L to 250 L. Who said said tray empty tray! Right now on some models it is you still possible by pushing a button or a lever to empty your bin ;-) Another drawback is the fact to collect all the waste clippings does not provide a natural fertilizer for your lawn which means that it will be up to you to make it, so a little extra work is needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;   3. Mulching&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mulching is a system that grinds your lawn grass as and when mowing and the redeposited on your lawn. Unlike the side discharge grass being crushed, the filing of fertilizer is made thinner and therefore more rapidly absorbed nutrient terms in your lawn and suddenly, at the same time, visually, that's a lot less battlefield grass redeposited by a system with side ejection. The housing of mowers with mulching requires maintenance every time. These mowers are not recommended on grass and regular mowing is necessary, once or twice a week, and dry grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Transmission&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;   1. Mechanical transmission&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Imagine a manual transmission car on a riding mower with mechanical transmission, it's the same thing. To change gears, you must stop the mower and disengage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;   2. Automatic transmission also called hydrostatic&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With a hydrostatic (or automatic) transmission, the shift control is performed by the feet or of the steering wheel and is instantaneous. Shifting or switching to reverse occurs smoothly and thus ensures a comfort. Just like a car, the system is less economical than the mechanical transmission, however it is recommended if you need to mow around many obstacles as you can easily slow down if necessary without sacrificing speed at mowing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The blade engagement&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you opt for a manual clutch lever allows you to operate the blades for cutting, while an electromagnetic clutch, a button is enough!&#xA;The chassis&#xA;The chassis is the metal frame that supports the engine and body of your machine. It can be either in one piece and thus consist of a single block or welded, that is to say composed of several parts welded. The welded frame is less robust to shocks that piece frame, and is preferred for complex terrain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The wheels&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More wheel size of your lawn, the less they will damage the grass and your lawn will be handy. If you have a &quot;difficult&quot; field, I mean a field Type field, meadow at the edge of a pond ... Go for wheeled agricultural tires, specially designed for the tall grass in clearing mode.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Headlights&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're used to mow in late afternoon, the lights will allow better visibility.&#xA;The impact barrier&#xA;A mower equipped with a bumper ensures more security.&#xA;Your comfort!&#xA;To mow over 1000 m² of lawn, it still takes a little time, so much to be installed on your riding mower, do not neglect your comfort: make sure the comfort of the seat, be aware that some models have an adjustment of its height and length. To more easily maneuver your mower, opt for an ergonomic steering wheel! And finally, in order to get on and off your lawn, go for an open platform!&#xA;And finally, the budget!&#xA;For a good riding mower to an amateur gardener, have at least € 1,000.&#xA; &#xA;Well, I hope you have routed the best in the choice of your machine! Otherwise, or if the questions I did not answer remained the case, do not hesitate to ask me in the comments, I'd be happy to answer!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2331" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-05T23:31:10.497" LastActivityDate="2013-06-05T23:31:10.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7580" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2918" CreationDate="2013-06-05T01:06:03.803" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut a little stem and pinch off the bottom set of leaves.  Then place in a clear glass.  Roots should start to form in about 4 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2332" LastActivityDate="2013-06-05T01:06:03.803" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7581" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7541" CreationDate="2013-06-05T02:17:19.857" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fish fertilizer is not intended to meet the N-P-K needs but rather to serve as a foliar amendment to provide amino acids and other organic components that conventional fertilizer does not provide.  The oil in the fish fertilizer is also beneficial to both the plants and microbial organisms in the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Three ounces per 1,000 square feet is virtually the same as one gallon per acre.  Regarding the smell, fish emulsions are usually the culprit.  Try fish hydrolysate and you will likely notice a vast improvement in the smell of the product after application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2333" LastActivityDate="2013-06-05T02:17:19.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7582" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7555" CreationDate="2013-06-05T12:22:34.403" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Scindapsus aureus, also known as Pothos as the first answer mentions, and Devils Ivy. It does not like direct sunlight, although it likes a bright spot. The reason I'm adding an answer is because your plant doesn't look good - it should be bushy with more than one stem either dangling or trailing, or trained up a support. I'd suggest you cut off about six to eight inches from the top, strip off the lower leaves and pop it in a bottle of water, with just the bottom part of the stem sitting in water. This will produce roots to make a new plant. In the meantime, cut back the rest of the plant, repot in new compost if you haven't done that in a while, water well, but don't leave it sitting in water for longer than 30 minutes, put it somewhere bright but out of direct sun, and wait for it to put on (lots and lots) of new growth. Feed weekly with houseplant food during growing season (spring and summer).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-06-05T12:22:34.403" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7583" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-05T13:08:47.680" Score="2" ViewCount="239" Body="&lt;p&gt;Several months ago, I planted three cherry trees, one in the front garden, one in the back and one in a container in the house. The one in the front has really struggled, whereas, predictably, the one I kept inside has flourished. Four days ago, I dug up the one in the front garden and swapped it with the one I grew inside. I notice today on the one I moved outside that some of the leaves have gone pale, almost white, and flimsy. What does this mean? I've watered it regularly, every three days or so, but maybe not in great enough volume. We have had some rain, but also some very hot weather in the last 48 hours. I live in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2334" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-05T14:06:03.363" LastActivityDate="2013-06-08T14:36:57.000" Title="Why have some of the leaves on my cherry tree sapling suddenly gone very pale?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7584" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-05T15:00:39.700" Score="3" ViewCount="169" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking at growing some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfrey&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;comfrey&lt;/a&gt;, Bocking 14 maybe, but I see that this is a sterile hybrid to prevent the weed from growing out of control. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My concern is: I save most seeds from what I grow, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible that the pollen from the Bocking 14 flowers could cross with my other plants, making my seeds sterile for my other vegetables? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1843" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-05T16:38:03.527" LastActivityDate="2013-06-06T14:18:31.197" Title="Should I worry about cross-pollination from the sterile comfrey cultivar, &quot;Bocking 14&quot;?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7585" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7584" CreationDate="2013-06-05T15:16:13.263" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sterile seeds from your comfrey cultivar will not affect your other plants. Only plants that are closely related will cross pollinate.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-06-05T15:16:13.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7583" CreationDate="2013-06-05T17:56:09.963" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As already mentioned, you needed to harden it off before transferring outside, especially this year in the UK when we've had the equivalent of winter temperatures up until the last couple of days. It's still cold at night as well, so its transition shock. You do need to make sure the tree gets a good water supply (this applies to any newly planted tree, especially if planted any time other than late autumn/winter) at least once a week of a good few gallons. You'll probably find the leaves fall off, but new ones should appear once the plant has acclimatized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Giving it a good soak every 5 or 6 days, maybe by leaving the hose trickling at the base for an hour or so, or with several gallons of water from a can, is much better than frequent, lesser waterings. You want the plant to put out its own water seeking roots deep into the ground, and a small amount of water 3 or 4 times a week from the owner means the plant tends to form these nearer the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-06-08T14:36:57.000" LastActivityDate="2013-06-08T14:36:57.000" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7589" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7594" CreationDate="2013-06-05T21:28:41.420" Score="6" ViewCount="1324" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got some freshly constructed raised beds and I've filled them with a lovely load of well rotted horse manure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The manure is so nice to work with, so rich and friable and easy to weed, that next year and the year after I'm going to want to repeat the process, adding in loads more. I've got no shortage of manure. And that's what all the books say - add in &quot;plenty of well rotted horse manure&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, this may seem like a dumb question, but aren't the beds going to fill up? Does settling alone take care of the problem? Or do some gardeners actually &lt;em&gt;remove&lt;/em&gt; some of last year's beds to create the space to add plenty of fresh manure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2013-07-04T01:20:08.337" Title="How do I avoid overfilling raised beds if I'm adding substantial manure annually?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7590" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7589" CreationDate="2013-06-06T06:48:05.600" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only option is to remove old stuff before adding new manure in order to have similar level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, when I refill soil mixed with manure to my plants, I try to remove all unwanted old soil that looks unhealthy / rocky, which I think are just empty food plates :) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS: I just work on upper layer of soil and don't dig down towards roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-06-06T06:48:05.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7591" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7589" CreationDate="2013-06-06T12:15:52.820" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good questions. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants most definitely take up nutrients from the soil.  A heavy feeder like corn is hard on the soil - one of the reasons they rotate with soy on factory farms is that corn simply requires a LOT of nitrogen and won't grow well after repeatedly being sowed on the same plot of ground without replacing the lost nitrogen.  Other plants aren't quite so hard on the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But this is viewing soil simply as a transfer mechanism for chemicals like NPK and not the right way to look at things in my opinion.  Rather, the soil is a living, breathing community of organisms (might sound a bit silly, but this is the truth) which break down compost and manure and aerate the soil and make it quite conducive for growing plants.  So adding some compost to the soil is a good thing because it helps feed the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you fill your beds to the brim they will settle a bit over time but there will come a point where they are definitely full.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have options.  A couple of which are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Add some compost/manure/worm &quot;tea&quot; to the beds.  This is a kind of &quot;liquid fertilizer&quot; that adds nutrients and organisms back into the soil.  I've generally just taken, say, worm tea and spread it on the soil prior to planting or later on as a side dressing to the plants.  Seems to work quite well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are so inclined, you could shovel off some of the topmost soil into a wheelbarrow and use it for a new bed, or some containers or add a little bit to a compost pile or even spread it on the lawn.  Then you could mix in some new composted manure or compost to the soil.  That's a bit more labor-intensive but not that bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Honestly, I've never got to the point where I was so overloaded with soil because I will tend to just add another bed or a couple of containers or a lettuce table.  I do tend to pull a bit of the soil off my beds when creating new seedlings or containers and then will head over to the compost bin and grab a few loads of compost to mix in to the beds.  This helps to keep the beds healthy and filled with microbes and nutrients (and worms!).  So it's a process and requires some inputs from somewhere, whether that is tilling in a green manure or amending it with manure or compost.  You'd end up with the &quot;dust bowl&quot; situation if you never amended the soil and were only ever removing nutrients from it.  Legumes will &quot;fix&quot; the soil with nitrogen but there's more to growing than just nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A bit long, but I hope that was useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-06T12:15:52.820" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7592" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-06T12:49:27.160" Score="5" ViewCount="1050" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a matter of principal we don't spray Glyphosate (Roundup) or other herbicides on our property. I'm well aware of its effectiveness as a non-selective herbicide but choose not to use it for a number of reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got a few hundred feet of paved driveway which has some areas where weeds (mostly Bermuda grass) is pushing up through the asphalt.  Weeds are pretty hard on the driveway edges, breaking it up if left unchecked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a flame weeder which is quite effective at killing off vegetation by heating them up and breaking down the cell structures of the leaves and stems.  But this doesn't work all that well on the driveway and not all that well on Bermuda grass - at least not in my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've used vinegar before and it is OK at killing weed top growth but not so great for plants with considerable roots or those that spread using rhizomes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally I just pull out the mattock and get medieval on weeds - the mattock is a very effective tool for digging out weeds - but along the driveway this isn't really an option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2013-06-06T12:57:55.027" LastActivityDate="2013-08-01T18:11:33.097" Title="Effective weed elimination along paved driveway" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7584" CreationDate="2013-06-06T14:18:31.197" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nope.  Well, &lt;em&gt;technically&lt;/em&gt; there's the tiniest of possibilities that you could have cross-species or cross-genera pollination but in reality this just doesn't happen.  The idea of species involves interbreeding. And thinking about this a bit more, there's nothing particularly special about Bocking 14 other than the fact that it is sterile, right?  There are lots and lots of plants out there that utilize pollen to reproduce and pollinators like my beloved honey bees fly about from clover to flowers to veggies and most definitely transfer some amount of pollen from one type of plant to other plants without any cross-pollination taking place.  Plus, wind pollinated plants (like corn and many trees and grasses) spread pollen all over the place without cross-pollinating the tomatoes or cukes or beans. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect that pollen from Bocking 14 might cross with some other non-sterile comfrey and the resulting seeds could be sterile or not and might have some mishmash of characteristics of traits from those varieties.  But folks probably don't plant multiple varieties of comfrey if they are planting Bocking 14.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Interesting idea of developing a sterile comfrey to control its growth.  I've never grown comfrey but I imagine it could get out of hand if left to its own devices.  Mint can get out of control too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-06T14:18:31.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7589" CreationDate="2013-06-06T22:07:40.830" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In practice, I don't think it will be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't add substantial manure to every bed every year. Some plants simply don't want it -- your carrots, for example.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd add an inch or two for, say, zucchini/courgettes or celery. And, since you're rotating crops, you can plant potatoes or beans there next year to feed off the leftover nutrients. And then the year after that, carrots or onions. Then pile on some more manure and plant tomatoes or corn/maize. Etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have enclosed beds, but mine seem to settle somewhat over time after adding tons of horse manure. Unless I'm sifting it, the new additions of even  manure from the well-rotted part of the pile always seem to have a few still-recognizable turds. After a year or so in the garden these are completely gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think you'll need to specifically shovel soil out of the beds, because you can easily remove some of the soil at the end of the season when you pull out spent crops. If you uproot them, don't shake the soil off too much, and add them to your compost pile, you will end up taking a fair amount of soil out of the beds. This will make plenty of space for adding manure -- and you can mix it in right at that time so it has extra chance to rot down over the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, be careful of overdoing it. You can end up with nutrient imbalances -- too much of one nutrient can interfere with plants' ability to take up some other nutrient, and this can be difficult to correct. (Except possibly the squash family... the best squash I have are always volunteer pumpkins growing directly out of the manure/compost pile.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-06-06T22:07:40.830" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7595" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8248" CreationDate="2013-06-06T22:35:10.000" Score="2" ViewCount="159" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted a prune tree last year and today when I looked at it, I saw it was made of 2 kinds of plants. I am not even sure which one is which.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are these plants?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Should I remove them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ocJsN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Prune tree plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1693" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T23:13:54.763" Title="What is this plant with the prune tree?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7596" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-07T05:35:30.177" Score="6" ViewCount="19533" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Norfolk Island pine is not doing so well; the needles are turning brown and the branches are drooping. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why did this happen to my plant, and how can I cure it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photos for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2pBXL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2pBXLm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/os0RG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/os0RGm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1973" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-02T19:05:16.637" LastActivityDate="2018-12-13T03:03:17.097" Title="Why does my Norfolk Island pine tree have brown needles and drooping branches?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7597" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7596" CreationDate="2013-06-07T12:55:38.477" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My (limited) understanding of Norfolk Pines is that they:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't like to be re-potted and will sometimes go into shock when this is done.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Like a moist environment and some folks will mist them weekly.  It is my understanding that they are originally from a subtropical climate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can exhibit the curling up when being over-watered or under-watered.  How often are you watering it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Like to be near a window and get plenty of light each day.  And do better if they can get some direct sunlight rather than indirect sunlight.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are the branches drying out - it looks that way in the picture to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did you recently re-pot it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are you perhaps over- or under-watering it it?  We usually water our indoor plants once the top inch has dried and then water them until we see some water in the bottom tray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What about fertilizer?  There are indoor plant fertilizers and this plant might benefit from that if you aren't already giving it an occasional does of an appropriate fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing about this tree that I read is that it really does best when it gets direct sunlight and enough moisture.  The humidity level in most houses is going to be much lower than what the Norfolk Island Pine will want and so misting it often with a spray bottle will help.  A humidifier would help too, though that is a bit more of an investment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-07T12:55:38.477" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7596" CreationDate="2013-06-07T16:30:44.010" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/norfolkislandpine.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; the Norfolk Island Pine likes&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The ideal indoor climate for this species is bright and cool, with&#xA;  daytime temperatures ranging from 60 to 70 degrees and slightly cooler&#xA;  at night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My experiences with this plant is that the dry conditions (relative humidity less than 40%) that are so common inside our houses are not ideal for this plant.  Under less than ideal conditions it will drop lower branches as fast as it grows new ones from the top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A south exposure is too hot in most locales and bright northern light is better in the Western hemisphere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucaria_heterophylla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; notes that&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It grows well in deep sand, as long as it receives reliable water when&#xA;  young. This, and its tolerance of salt and wind, makes it ideal for&#xA;  coastal situations. Additionally, it is necessary for the species to&#xA;  be grown in oceanic coastal areas because bodies of fresh water do not&#xA;  provide enough precipitation, moisture, consistent wind levels and no&#xA;  saline air which are all things the species requires.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not agree that these plants &lt;strong&gt;need&lt;/strong&gt; saline air but suspect that a sandy soil with constant access to moisture would be more successful than the common peat based soil and regular waterings.  A &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3985/how-do-i-make-the-water-reach-the-roots-on-a-pvc-aquaponics-system/4002#4002&quot;&gt;wicking system&lt;/a&gt; as described in the link would be a low maintenance alternative.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2013-06-07T16:30:44.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7599" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7793" CreationDate="2013-06-07T20:44:51.913" Score="4" ViewCount="251" Body="&lt;p&gt;Need some help keeping my navel orange healthy. The first image shows the (semi-dwarf) navel orange shortly after I planted it in September 2012 (around 8 to 9 months ago from writing this post). The following image is from June 2013 (a couple of days ago). As you can see it originally had a healthy dark leaf but the leaf is now looking a lot paler and I'm not sure if that's a sign of some sort of deficiency. The tree is in Phoenix, AZ so gets plenty of sun (and heat) but is well watered to compensate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UFx9O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pTaJK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2013-06-27T05:34:31.883" Title="Nutrition for a Navel Orange" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7600" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-08T04:15:15.847" Score="5" ViewCount="780" Body="&lt;p&gt;My parents have a great garden that they started a few years ago with a bed of strawberries and a few other things. My dad built a box to keep out rabbits, but soon enough the strawberries had outgrown the box and then they started out growing the confines of the garden. We figured it was a good enough reason to not mow those parts of the lawn, but now we have an ever increasing field of strawberries. As a very willing member of my family, (and a bit of a scientist) I have decided to take up growing some in my dorm room next year, so they'll be inside, under lamp light from the end of summer until the start of spring. (And in upstate New York, that might be a long time)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My main question is: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Will my strawberry plants, taken from the runners of my family's well-established June-bearing strawberry plants (I'm not certain of a specific variety), flower and fruit over the winter? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How often/recurrently will they flower? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to have them flower more often? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What if they were ever-bearing? How about day-neutral?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastEditorUserId="2000" LastEditDate="2013-06-13T01:41:49.543" LastActivityDate="2013-06-13T01:41:49.543" Title="Will indoor-grown strawberries flower multiple times, if grown all year long?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3437" CreationDate="2013-06-08T20:50:02.267" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would suggest Avenger weed killer. It's an organic (citrus oil) post-emergent herbicide. It works pretty well mixed at strongest ratio the day before and then sprayed on a hot day right before the sun hits the area. It is very fast and effective, with results two hours later. I have used it for clients for blackberries and it turns them brown in 2 hours. It does not work well on cape ivy. I think it's best in sunny locations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2341" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-08T22:20:04.817" LastActivityDate="2013-06-08T22:20:04.817" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7603" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-09T00:46:57.850" Score="5" ViewCount="1614" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large rubber plant that I re-potted in a larger pot with drainage holes and placed one of the water saucers/catchers underneath.  I water the plant once a week and I've noticed the water is standing in the catcher, not evaporating. All the other house plants are set up the same way, no problems.  Also, I didn't have this problem before I repotted the plant and it was set up the same way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could be causing it not to evaporate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2342" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-09T14:52:00.080" LastActivityDate="2013-06-09T14:52:00.080" Title="Why do I have standing water in the saucer after repotting my rubber plant?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;pots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7604" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-09T00:48:50.357" Score="3" ViewCount="89" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm doing soil improvement work in Santa Fe, NM.  I've dug down ~24&quot; in an area ca. 2'x 6', creating an empty pit &lt;em&gt;sort of like digging a grave&lt;/em&gt; and mixing back in the native dirt in ~4-6&quot; layers with copious amounts of spent coffee grounds, very generous amounts of peat, wetted &amp;amp; diced dried alpaca manure, as well as some fire ash &amp;amp; sawdust.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's very, very dry here, so I've been wetting down the finished product when I've completed a layer.  The mixture can get seriously hot in very little time --when I stick my hand down into the &quot;soil&quot; approx. 4 or 5 inches, it's often too hot too leave there for more than a few seconds, &amp;amp; I'm an Aries who's used to playing with fire &amp;amp; traversing hot coals.  (I'm repeating this process in adjacent spaces.)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing that the heat is generated by some sort of chemical reaction within the ingredient mix. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I have two (2) questions: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this high heat excessive i.e. can it do any damage to the soil amendments &amp;amp; therefore be counterproductive?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do you see any serious imbalances in my additive program?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil here tends to be pretty alkaline, &amp;amp; the soil I've started with is poor-- a clay &amp;amp; sand mixture with many smaller stones, which I've removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2343" LastEditorUserId="1906" LastEditDate="2013-07-14T23:08:44.723" LastActivityDate="2013-07-14T23:08:44.723" Title="&quot;Composting&quot; Temperature(s)" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7605" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7604" CreationDate="2013-06-09T02:55:37.003" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, let's see here.  You are digging down 2' into the ground and removing the local soil which is mostly clay and sand.  You're saying the soil is alkaline.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Into this local soil you are mixing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Used coffee grounds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Peat moss&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aged alpaca manure&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wood ash&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sawdust&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the used coffee grounds are a bit of a wildcard.  The internet is full of claims about it.  From my research (which I would not call &quot;exhaustive&quot;) I have read that coffee grounds in the 10-20% percentage is good but more (e.g., &gt; 30%) is not better.  The carbon:nitrogen ratio will change over time.  The pH has varied in experiments from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline.  I believe the last time I tested it myself I found the batch I had to be darn near neutral in pH, but that was several years back and I didn't write down the numbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peat is acidic and certainly would help to bring down the pH of your alkaline soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The aged manure is lower in nitrogen than the fresh stuff but definitely better for the garden (or whatever you plan to do with the enriched soil).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wood ash is going to &lt;em&gt;raise&lt;/em&gt; the soil pH (as opposed to the &lt;em&gt;lowering&lt;/em&gt; of the pH by the peat), so those will in essence contribute to moving the pH of the soil in one way or the other.  The ash will also add some trace elements along with potash to the soil.  Your local soil may be deficient in those.  There are some differences based on the kind of wood used but that's a bit &quot;inside baseball&quot; and probably not particularly important for the purposes of answering your question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sawdust is high in carbon.  On our farm we've used this or wood chips in the past for stall bedding for horses and chickens.  In fact, fresh manure and sawdust or wood chips work really well together in the compost bin and produce some fantastic compost once the microbes have gone to work.  The pine sawdust I have used is acidic.  Same would go for pine needles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, back to your question which is about compost heat.  You've got a bunch of raw materials there long with native soil in a moist environment, so it's going to heat up, particularly if it is mixed well.  The microbes will have a field day in there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The C:N ratio in the range of 25:1 or 30:1 will result in optimal decomposition, or so they say.  Personally, I don't worry too much about the ratios being spot on.  I keep it wet and turn it and the composting magic just happens. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's heating up quickly because there's a lot of raw material there for the microbes to break down, I believe, and I can also believe that it is too hot to stick your hands in for too long  They will definitely generate a lot of heat.  Have you put a thermometer in there (or used one of those handheld infrared thermometers) to get a temperature check?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The hotter compost pile will kill weed seeds (and maybe some other things too) and that's what I do with my weed compost bin.  Some organisms might be killed by the higher temps.  Certainly the worms will move away from anything that is too hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems like your amendments are more acidic and will balance out the more alkaline soil.  I'm not a soil expert by any means and there are likely smarter folks about this subject here than I.  I do like the mix you've got there.  If it is heating up then that would tell me that it is neither too wet nor too high in carbon (or too low in nitrogen).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-09T02:55:37.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7606" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7603" CreationDate="2013-06-09T03:21:33.403" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not an expert on house plants - strictly an outdoor plant grower but here's what I know is for certain:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The water in your rubber tree's saucer is evaporating just like it is in all the other plants' saucers.  There's just more water there than you think there should be. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, some questions I would have are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How's the moisture level in the soil overall?  If you put your finger down into the soil an inch or two, is it moist?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that it might be that the medium in which the plant is in is allowing the water to run right through the pot and not holding onto it.  If that's the case, you'll need to make sure that the planting medium gets thoroughly moist.  I had this occur with some container plants I had outdoors.  The medium wasn't moist enough  and most of the water just ran down the sides of the pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard of folks submerging the entire plant pot under water to eliminate the air bubbles and thoroughly soak everything and then let it drain off the excess, but I've not done this personally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-09T03:21:33.403" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7610" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-09T14:21:15.320" Score="7" ViewCount="5240" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a novice gardener and my lettuce has bolted. Do I have to remove the entire plant from the ground or can I just cut it down to the ground so it can regrow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2347" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-09T14:53:04.483" LastActivityDate="2013-06-09T21:44:27.423" Title="Will cutting a bolted lettuce plant allow it to regrow?" Tags="&lt;bolting&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7611" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7610" CreationDate="2013-06-09T21:44:17.177" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would pull it out of the ground and replant. Cutting it might spur some regrowth, but I think the leaves will be bitter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-06-09T21:44:17.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7612" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7610" CreationDate="2013-06-09T21:44:27.423" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lettuce is finicky and prone to bolt due to the heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once it bolts, it's done.  Here's what I'd do:  Save the seeds from it. They can be planted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I've grown lettuces - leaf ones, not head lettuces - I'll make cuttings and there will be some regrowth  but once it goes to seed the growing year is over.  And the leaves that are there will likely be quite bitter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Save the seeds and then take the plant and compost it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-09T21:44:27.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7613" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7691" CreationDate="2013-06-10T03:35:08.557" Score="8" ViewCount="2223" Body="&lt;p&gt;In getting our spring landscaping underway, we've run into a bush that a family member is sure that this plant (pictured) is Giant Hogweed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BLXJK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BLXJKl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of the weed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;British Columbia considers this plant to be toxic (if it is indeed that species) and requires a professional to be called in to remediate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried to find samples online, and there are similarities, but I also don't have enough background knowledge in plants to be sure.  Any help is greatly appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2324" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-10T04:05:21.677" LastActivityDate="2013-06-17T17:38:55.750" Title="Is this plant Giant Hogweed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7614" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7613" CreationDate="2013-06-10T04:34:52.180" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure this is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthriscus_sylvestris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cow Parsley (&lt;em&gt;Anthriscus sylvestris&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;, an invasive but non-toxic weed, not &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracleum_mantegazzianum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Giant Hogweed (&lt;em&gt;Heracleum mantegazzianum&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Differences between the two include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leaf structure&lt;/strong&gt;: Cow Parsley's leaves are fernlike, Giant Hogweed's leaves are much larger and coarser:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cow parsley leaves&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1zGeim.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Giant Hogweed leaves:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aDWeym.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Height&lt;/strong&gt;: Cow Parsley grows to about 3' to 4' in height (1m to 1.3m), Giant Hogweed grows to 7' to 15' / 2m to 4.5m, though Wikipedia says it can grow higher.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stems&lt;/strong&gt;: both plants have hollow stems, but Giant Hogweed has dark reddish spots on its stems.  Cow Parsley's stems are green and fluted. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Habitat&lt;/strong&gt;: Giant Hogweed likes a wet environment; you can typically see it in the wild along riverbanks or in marshy ground.  Cow Parsley is more of a meadow wildflower.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-10T04:48:45.937" LastActivityDate="2013-06-10T04:48:45.937" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7615" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7616" CreationDate="2013-06-10T16:45:32.043" Score="9" ViewCount="642" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Grandfather bred a bush bean for my Grandma.  They've been gone for years, but I would like to try and keep the breed alive for heirloom purposes.  I've got two sources of seeds, 1 source is about 5-8 years old, and the other source is 25+.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are my chances of getting any of these seeds to sprout?  I assume the 25+ year old seeds will be less than 1%, but I'm hoping the 5+ year old seeds I might get closer to 50% or better.  Any ideas?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2353" OwnerDisplayName="thomasw_lrd" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-10T21:04:42.617" LastActivityDate="2013-06-18T19:47:52.900" Title="How viable will 5 year old or 25 year old bush bean seeds be?" Tags="&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7615" CreationDate="2013-06-10T18:57:20.687" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have looked at several sites, including the forums on gardenweb.com and have found that viability of bean seeds varies greatly based on the variety and the manner of storage. Most of those who claimed 80%+ viability of their beans after five years stored their beans in a freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to SmartGardener, Blue Lake Bush Beans should be about 75% viable when planted between 3 and 5 years. Here's the link: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.smartgardener.com/plants/2327-bean-venture-blue-lake-bush-bean/guide/seed_saving&quot;&gt;http://www.smartgardener.com/plants/2327-bean-venture-blue-lake-bush-bean/guide/seed_saving&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2352" LastActivityDate="2013-06-10T18:57:20.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7617" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7621" CreationDate="2013-06-10T20:29:16.247" Score="22" ViewCount="29978" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is one of those ancient bits of &quot;wisdom&quot; I vaguely recall from my childhood; and now that I have a lawn which seems quite happily established, I'm looking into keeping it that way.  So, I want to know if there's any truth to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Supposedly, each time you mow your lawn, you should change the direction you mow.  For example, travel north/south one mowing, then east/west the next mowing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's obvious if you look at a freshly mown lawn which direction the mower traveled, which I think lends this idea its believability.  But I can't honestly think of any benefit to the plants.  After a day or two they're all still happily growing &quot;up&quot; after all.  And with a motorized spinning blade, I don't see how you could say that a blade of grass was cut &quot;this way,&quot; anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, is there something I'm missing?  Is there some benefit to the plants?  Or is there some quirk of reel mowers which made it true in the past; and if so, is it still true?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="53" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-10T21:09:37.887" LastActivityDate="2019-04-21T23:53:34.230" Title="Are there benefits to changing the direction you mow a lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="9" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7618" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7620" CreationDate="2013-06-10T23:38:50.903" Score="3" ViewCount="2456" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Ridgefield, Connecticut (USDA hardiness zone 6a), and would like to grow cilantro. The local grocery stores sells it in larges bunches for $4, but I only need a little at a time. I'm happy to grow it inside or outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I grow it successfully?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2354" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-11T14:04:15.660" LastActivityDate="2013-06-26T19:37:08.593" Title="How do I grow cilantro in USDA Zone 6?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;cilantro&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7619" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7617" CreationDate="2013-06-11T11:20:13.943" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Theory&lt;/em&gt; says that changing up the mowing pattern will keep the grass from always bending in the same direction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another reason I've heard stated is that it keeps wheel ruts from forming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I might buy the latter but the former's probably not a real problem.  Grass tends to want to grow where it wants to grow, generally upward towards the sun.  &lt;em&gt;Maybe&lt;/em&gt; running the same, exact route each week might develop ruts but I've never see it happen here except when I've run one through really wet ground, which I try not to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I run mowers (push, riding and tractors) all over my farm and only mix up the cutting direction when I notice that I'm not getting a patch of grass cut well from a given angle - for instance my drain field area tends to cut better when I go back and run along the lines rather than across them.  That's because the ground is uneven.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it is mostly an aesthetic thing.  I don't see the direction really affecting the lawn one bit.  A neighbor mixes it up each week and his lawn looks nice but I doubt there's any real benefit to the grass itself over cutting the same pattern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming, of course that one is cutting per general guidance - no more than 1/3 cut off and stuff like that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-11T11:20:13.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7620" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7618" CreationDate="2013-06-11T11:27:07.710" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the word will be &quot;successfully&quot; since you've got a bit cooler climate. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cilantro bolts when it warms up.  Definitely likes the cooler weather.  I learned this the hard way two years ago.  We had what seemed like two weeks of spring before it heated up and was hot all summer.  The Cilantro quickly went to seed, which was discouraging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it tends to bolt when the temps rise above and beyond the high 70's - that's what happened here.  I had a string of 80+ degree days and the patch all bolted.  Of course one can save the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing it indoors from seed is a definite possibility.  It needs 4-6 hours of sunlight a day so a sunny window would be ideal.  The cooler temps indoors (presumably) will help with the bolting problem that cilantro has outdoors.  I like that idea, personally and might consider growing some myself in a window.  $4/bunch gets expensive.  You can tent a bag over a bunch of it in a glass of water in the fridge to help it last longer but growing it at home sounds even better!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2013-06-11T12:44:49.100" LastActivityDate="2013-06-11T12:44:49.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7621" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7617" CreationDate="2013-06-11T12:25:48.160" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect the guidance came from a time of reel mowers, which do actually push the blades of grass over in the same direction. (I use a reel mower to maintain our acre and a half.) As you've pointed out, with a rotary mower there is a lot more randomness involved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, if you mowed your lawn with the exact same path every time, you would probably always miss the same little triangle &quot;downstream&quot; of a particular tree. If there's a bump, the grass &quot;before&quot; the bump would always be a little too short and the grass &quot;after&quot; it always a little too long. If you always mowed parallel to a path the grass next to the path might not get cut, but if you went back and forth across the path it would.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably you can solve most of that with a trimmer. The advice is certainly about the last little bit of perfection rather than overall lawn health. But it doesn't take any longer for you to mix it up once in a while, or to follow a pattern where you go east-west one time, north-south the next, west-east the next and so on. It probably does reduce the amount of trimmer work you need to do and give you a little more uniformity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2015-07-05T13:40:21.853" LastActivityDate="2015-07-05T13:40:21.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7622" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7617" CreationDate="2013-06-11T14:33:15.373" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;@Kate Gregory has a good point about reel mowers, but a rotational mower won't have the same problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't buy the &quot;direction of cut&quot; argument, and here's why:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The blades aren't moving the same direction you are. If you compare the mower blade to a helicopter, the blade is retreating faster than you're moving forward. Depending on the location under the mower, the blade direction is moving forward, backward, left, or right. Do you make the EXACT same number of passes down to the inch every time you mow your yard? If not, then the grass is getting cut in different directions every time anyway. Even as you move forward, the direction of the blade changes with respect to a static point on the ground. The point centered with respect to your mower first gets hit from the left by the blade, and as you continue walking forward gets hit from the right side after it crosses the center point of the mower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for wheel ruts forming, it may be possible. Although I always have a few inches of variability with every pass, so I don't put the wheels in the same place every time I mow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ed2CM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://marinegouge.com/mediawiki-1.17.0/index.php?title=Fam_14_Discuss_Items&quot;&gt;Image Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastActivityDate="2013-06-11T14:33:15.373" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7623" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7618" CreationDate="2013-06-11T15:26:32.790" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in shock over $4 bunches of cilantro. Here is is very cheap like parsely - under a $1 a bunch at my grocery - but I still like to grow it at home, because I can rarely use the whole bunch while it is fresh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trick to growing cilantro at home is to do succession sowing and frequent cutting. As itsmatt mentioned, it bolts quickly in warm weather. I seed a new patch of cilantro every 2 weeks, and start using it once the plants are 4 inches tall or so. In the summer, it works best if you can plant it in a spot with a little shade (I've had good luck with a spot where it gets morning sun but afternoon shade). You could also grow it under shade cloth if you don't have a shady spot for it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-06-11T15:26:32.790" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7624" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-11T17:22:26.497" Score="5" ViewCount="2730" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why are my jalapenos turning brown?  The plant looks healthy.  The fruit turns brown after it is about inch and a half from tip to stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2357" LastActivityDate="2018-08-31T19:01:22.453" Title="Why are my jalapenos turning brown?" Tags="&lt;jalapenos&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7625" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-11T17:23:51.543" Score="3" ViewCount="447" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the 3rd year and they have done ok, until this year and no fruit to mention. Planted nicely in ground on retaining wall of rock. Growing very large, should I cut them back or just let continue to let them grow???&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2358" LastActivityDate="2013-06-11T18:00:57.040" Title="Strawberry Plants from Home Depot not producing." Tags="&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7626" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7625" CreationDate="2013-06-11T18:00:57.040" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess:  These are day neutral strawberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are day neutral strawberries (probably Tristars because that's what I've seen at my Home Depot), then they just need to be replaced. Those do well for a couple of years and then decline rapidly as far as production of berries goes.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a longer-living strawberry plant, consider the June bearing ones.  You'll get runners (also called stolons by fancy plant people in the know, but I call them runners) galore from these, and that's a &lt;em&gt;very good thing&lt;/em&gt; because that helps keep the plants growing well for years.  The older plants will become less vigorous over time (like the day neutrals do) but the runners will have produced new, more vibrant ones.   I just get rid of the old plants when they stop producing, severing them from the newer ones and that makes room for new runners down the road.  The spent older plants go into the compost bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I like the slightly smaller June bearing ones (e.g., Seneca or Earliglow) but Honeoye's are a large sized berry that is a June bearing variety if you like a larger berry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be any number of reasons why you are having no fruit.  But my money is on those being day neutrals that have come to the end of their lifespan as fruit producers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-11T18:00:57.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7627" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7624" CreationDate="2013-06-11T18:03:17.030" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It may be blossom end rot, does it look like this: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.caes.uga.edu/applications/publications/files/html/C938/images/Figure7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.caes.uga.edu/applications/publications/files/html/C938/images/Figure7.jpg&lt;/a&gt; ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is, blossom end rot is caused by a lack of calcium to the plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Have you had your soil tested?  It might show that you need to increase the calcium in the soil.  There are plenty of organic fertilizers that are aimed for tomatoes &amp;amp; vegetables that will contain calcium.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Have you been over fertilizing with high nitrogen fertilizers?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are you watering enough?  Water is needed to bring the calcium up through the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can check out this publication &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.caes.uga.edu/publications/pubDetail.cfm?pk_id=7801&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.caes.uga.edu/publications/pubDetail.cfm?pk_id=7801&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="998" LastActivityDate="2013-06-11T18:03:17.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7628" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7617" CreationDate="2013-06-11T19:28:11.000" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That ancient advice was valid once, in the days when everyone used cylinder mowers with a small roller on the back and wanted a striped lawn. If you didn't vary the cut in the way you describe, over time, a grooved or ridged effect would appear between each mown strip, in other words, a raised edge, from where the roller and the blades continually run, so changing the direction avoided that problem. Irrelevant with most modern mowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-06-11T19:28:11.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="70" CreationDate="2013-06-11T20:40:25.967" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the reading etc I have done on the subject, it is important to get the right balance of minerals as well as organic matter.  So you might consult with people from your State's &quot;Master Gardener&quot; Program.  They can also usually tell you where you can get your soil tested.  Testing your soil every so often is a good idea, so you know what you will need to replenish, or what you may have too much of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would suggest talking to a Master Gardener in your State to get their advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2345" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-14T16:05:57.567" LastActivityDate="2013-06-14T16:05:57.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7630" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-12T02:40:32.370" Score="4" ViewCount="222" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've got PJM rhododendrons at our new house in Michigan... a couple of them are absolutely flourishing, but two of the smaller bushes right next to them are not having a good time.  Some of the branches flowered sparsely this year, but about half the bush is woody and bare.  I see buds, but they didn't open, and no new leaves are growing on these branches now.  Two questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(1) Why?  What caused this, and how can I prevent it in the future?  Cold winter?  Soil conditions?  I got some Holly-tone but haven't applied it yet... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(2) How to fix it?  I understand that you can prune as long as you do so above a growing center, and the buds have not set for next year.  But some of these branches don't have a hint of green anywhere, all the way down to the ground.  Should I lop them off and hope the rest of the bush fills out over the next few years?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2362" LastActivityDate="2013-06-12T15:44:12.843" Title="How to prune my sad rhododendron?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7632" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-12T13:35:11.767" Score="2" ViewCount="205" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ztO00.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unidentified leafy green&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have an unidentified leafy green in my garden. I'd like to know what it is as it's threatening to hedge in on my peas, which you can see a bit of in the right side of the photo. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm quite new to gardening, and since I'm coming to this garden bed second-hand, I'm not sure if it is a vegetable of some sort that the previous year's gardener put in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves have a texture very similar to a cucumber plant. My location is central Mississippi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1203" LastEditorUserId="1203" LastEditDate="2013-06-12T15:16:55.293" LastActivityDate="2013-06-12T15:16:55.293" Title="Textured leafy green in garden" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7632" CreationDate="2013-06-12T14:13:34.200" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to tell, but it looks very similar to a dock.  I'm thinking a curly dock.  It's an edible &quot;weed&quot; (I use weed in the term that it's an unwanted plant in your garden) with many uses, but I would pull it out.  It has a large taproot, so you have to make sure you pull the whole thing or it will keep coming back.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.voyageurcountry.com/htmls/floweringplants/plants/dockcurled.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Voyageur Country Curled Dock&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2353" LastActivityDate="2013-06-12T14:13:34.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7634" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7624" CreationDate="2013-06-12T14:26:24.223" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have never had BER with peppers but with tomatoes I find it helps to pinch off the first few flowers of the summer to give the plant a chance to develop a good root system before attempting to support fruits.  As suggested above good watering practices can also be a factor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2013-06-12T14:26:24.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7635" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7632" CreationDate="2013-06-12T14:29:13.457" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might also be sorrel (which is related to dock).  Pinch off a bit of one of the leaves and chew it.  If it is sorrel it will taste acidic, a bit like a lemon but not as much flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2013-06-12T14:29:13.457" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7636" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7630" CreationDate="2013-06-12T15:44:12.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you say 'right next to' the flourishing ones, how close are they? Might be they're too close and have been out competed for water and nutrients by the larger, healthy ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they have no growth at all right down to the base, snap off a couple of branches - if the wood is moist and greenish inside, they're still alive, if it snaps off easily and is dry, the bush is probably dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-06-12T15:44:12.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7637" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="146" CreationDate="2013-06-12T17:18:55.670" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thistle is classified as a noxious weed in most places and must be controlled.  Talk to the golf course and they will probably deal with what has not invaded your yard (you might even get them to take care of what has invaded your yard, depending on who owns the course).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they fail to deal with the problem, you can report them to your local ordnance control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2363" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-14T04:40:54.693" LastActivityDate="2013-06-14T04:40:54.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7638" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="146" CreationDate="2013-06-12T18:58:53.490" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a foreclosure that had a front lawn made up of around 30% thistle, located in Columbus, Ohio.  I used weed-b-gone that hooks up to the hose and repeated this about every three weeks all summer; about 5 applications.  I hardly have any now.  After overseeding in dormant winter, I am getting compliments on my lawn and how I pulled it off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can kill the thistle above ground, but the underground root will still survive and sprout multiple plants after that.  Each time a weaker plant and using more of the stored energy.  After several generations of losing to the weed killer, it dies.  Good luck.  It was actually very easy IMO.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2013-06-12T18:58:53.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7639" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7600" CreationDate="2013-06-12T19:43:54.520" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not an expert on strawberries but my answer to the question in the title would be &quot;no&quot; and the reason for that is that plants have a growth cycle and strawberries, whether grown in New York or here in Virginia or down in Florida or in California all still follow a cycle.  It's the same thing for flowers or any other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What tends to differ in those different USDA hardiness zones is when the plants produce.  Down in Florida they are early in the year - December through May, I believe - while here in VA we pick strawberries (and here I'm specifically talking about &quot;June bearing&quot; ones because those tend to be the kind that are grown at the PYO patches) in May and maybe into June but otherwise the plants are just spreading via runners and developing roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ever-bearing ones will produce less berries over a longer period of time but I don't think that's really what you are asking.  Even ever-bearing ones follow a cycle and don't flower year-round.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is, in part, why you see berries in stores from the deep south in the late winter months here in VA, fresh ones in the late spring/early summer and some from north of us later in the summer and in the &quot;off season&quot; they are trucked in from far off places where the berries are currently growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, if these are new plants - first year planting of runners - you'll probably get a few berries but not like year two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-12T19:43:54.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7641" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7599" CreationDate="2013-06-13T04:01:38.787" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks to me you are missing a nutrient in your soil and if I had to guess I would say it is iron.  When a plant is missing iron it tends to yellow and not have the rich green the plant had when you first planted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2365" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-13T14:25:46.430" LastActivityDate="2013-06-13T14:25:46.430" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7642" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-13T06:31:35.917" Score="3" ViewCount="367" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently some plants have grown in one of my plant pots. I didn't remove them because they looked nice, but I don't know if they are weeds or plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please help me identify them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/chawu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;weeds or plants?&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1973" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-13T14:42:21.427" LastActivityDate="2013-06-14T12:01:59.623" Title="Are these weeds or plants?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7643" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7642" CreationDate="2013-06-13T11:36:44.320" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Both, of course.   Weeds &lt;em&gt;are&lt;/em&gt; plants.  They just happen to be plants you don't want where they are. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my yard, which is more meadow-like, I don't discourage the growth of dandelions and clover.  Our honeybees love them.  So I don't view them as weeds.  In the eyes of many folks, though, those would be considered weeds and people spend lots of time and money and chemicals to combat them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm no weed expert but here are my thoughts based on the picture I see.  I suspect someone might be able to confirm my thoughts or provide another answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The small multi-leafed one in the middle of the picture &lt;strike&gt;looks like spurge to me.  It's a weed that spreads slowly.  I think it looks kinda nice but it is a weed.  When I find it in my strawberries, I pull it out.&lt;/strike&gt;  &lt;strong&gt;See my update below&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe the other larger leafed one is a nettle.  It's a weed too.  There are some uses for nettles, for sure, but for most folks nettle is just a weed and gets pulled out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your goal is to grow something else (&lt;em&gt;intentionally&lt;/em&gt; grow something else) then I'd remove them.  Weeds pull nutrients from the soil that your intended plant could be using.  Weeds will also compete for space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The smaller one &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be something like Phyllanthus tenellus, which is in the Euphorbiaceae family.  Looking at the weeds of India, this is one that looks similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It &lt;em&gt;might also be&lt;/em&gt; a Senna based on it's leaf shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd be inclined to think it is one of these two rather than a spurge as I earlier thought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2013-06-14T12:01:59.623" LastActivityDate="2013-06-14T12:01:59.623" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7642" CreationDate="2013-06-13T13:49:16.870" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The one in the center looks like a vetch. I think itsmatt may be right that the other is a nettle. Does it have little hairs all over the leaves and stem? If so, be careful touching it without gloves! Nettle won't make a very good container plant, I'm afraid, but you might consider cooking it up if you determine that is what you have. It is very nutritious, and to my mind, tastier than spinach when it is cooked. Stir frying it or blanching it for a few minutes is enough to remove the sting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2013-06-13T13:54:37.357" LastActivityDate="2013-06-13T13:54:37.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7645" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7642" CreationDate="2013-06-13T13:55:21.590" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The large-leaved plant is clearweed (&lt;em&gt;Pilea pumila&lt;/em&gt;), and the smaller-leaved one is a spurge (I presume spotted spurge, &lt;em&gt;Euphorbia maculata&lt;/em&gt;). Neither really is a * terrible * weed, but they aren't particularly ornamental, either. [clearweed, btw, while related to nettles, isn't edible]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastActivityDate="2013-06-13T13:55:21.590" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7646" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-13T15:44:05.727" Score="2" ViewCount="311" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a new clump about two weeks ago.  The leaves were green and the new growth is coming out crimson and staying that color, but the existing green leaves are still staying green.  I can see the veins turning a little purple, but not much else.  Will these existing leaves ever turn crimson with the additional sun exposure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2013-06-14T11:40:27.843" Title="Royal Frost Birch Leaves" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7647" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7646" CreationDate="2013-06-14T11:40:27.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They might, they might not. All the newly arriving leaves should be burgundy, but remember that this colour fades down in late summer and turns to orange/red or yellow at leaf fall. When it leafs up again next year, hopefully all the foliage will be burgundy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-06-14T11:40:27.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7648" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7642" CreationDate="2013-06-14T11:44:33.627" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm more interested in the one described variously as nettle or Pilea, the larger leaved two that are the same - looks remarkably like Honesty (Lunaria annua) to me, but can only really be that if you had some previously, or someone nearby did. And the 'vetch' or 'spurge' could equally be a burgeoning Indigofera...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-06-14T11:44:33.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7650" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="386" CreationDate="2013-06-14T17:14:42.260" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of these answers sound a lot like home remedies.  Knotweed should NEVER be cut before being treated with Roundup or any glyphosate-based product as these products are SYSTEMIC which means they use the plant's own leaf system to kill it.  It cannot be smothered - it can grow through concrete and tarmac.  It should NEVER be dumped - this only spreads it as it will grow again from the tiniest living fragment.  It should be cut an appropriate time after spraying (see pack instructions), left to dry then burned - all on the contaminated land.  After burning, the contaminated land will have to be dug over to weaken all surviving and uncollected parts of the plant.  This procedure will have to be repeated for at least three seasons.  If it's growing next door, have a word with your neighbour before starting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2372" LastActivityDate="2013-06-14T17:14:42.260" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7651" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="386" CreationDate="2013-06-14T17:30:54.253" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If, as I think you said, you're in the UK, talk to your local Council environmental department about it first - they may not deal with it because it's not on public land, but they may be able to give you some advice about what you should do. Second, if you own your house and you have a mortgage with buildings insurance, inform the insurance company and the mortgage company that it is coming from beneath your neighbour's house. Unfortunately, this means the insurance company will take proceedings against next door, but this problem must be dealt with before it starts appearing inside your own living room, which it will, if left untreated. If your house is owned by a housing association or Council from whom you rent, inform them as well and request they take action. Trying to deal with it yourself when its so close to a house is impossible - roots go down 9 feet and, as someone else says, any fragment will grow again. The issue of Japanese knotweed is now so serious that some mortgage companies will not give a mortgage on any property where this plant is within 30 metres. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're renting privately, and you're able to, move. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-06-14T17:30:54.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7652" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7654" CreationDate="2013-06-14T23:59:26.410" Score="5" ViewCount="530" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a minor gardening project in my apartment I've been growing mint, for its robustness and pairing with alcohol.  In my attempt to clone the plant I have and fill another pot, all four of the cuttings I have are curling nearly 180° with a radius of about an inch:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YtGA0l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YtGA0l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mint cuttings beginning to root&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this just fine to plant with the inch-and-a-half of stem buried and roots nearly coming up on the other side, or, should I try to root cuttings so they stay straight (tips on how?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2370" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-16T13:53:49.557" LastActivityDate="2019-06-04T18:32:12.487" Title="Is it a problem that the stems of my mint cuttings are curling?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7653" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-15T03:53:57.500" Score="2" ViewCount="5491" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought a Venus fly trap a few days ago. My new Venus fly trap won't close ANY of its little traps. I put an ant into it and none of the traps closed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this natural?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2374" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-16T15:20:49.597" LastActivityDate="2013-06-20T14:33:44.327" Title="Why won't my new Venus fly trap trap anything?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7652" CreationDate="2013-06-15T15:05:11.707" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just plant them as they are once the roots are long in pots large enough to not cramp them. If you keep potting on the mother plant, which you'll need to do because they prefer to be in the ground (roots go down over a foot, and runners spread out 18 inches underground) you can divide that as it gets bigger and get more plants that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-06-15T15:05:11.707" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7655" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7784" CreationDate="2013-06-15T15:31:48.337" Score="4" ViewCount="221" Body="&lt;p&gt;We moved to a new house recently and are having some major landscaping work done in the backyard (removing/relocating a number of boulders, flattening out one area of the yard and filling another in, etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before we moved in, we did a radon test and the results came back very low (I think it was 0.4 pCi/L). However, I've read that the amount of radon in your home is very specific to your individual house (e.g., your neighbor's house could have much higher/lower radon that yours does).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore, I was wondering if big changes to the surrounding landscape could cause the radon levels to change significantly. Should we do another radon test after the landscaping work is complete?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2375" LastActivityDate="2013-07-26T20:44:09.033" Title="Do I need to re-test for radon after landscaping?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7657" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-16T02:26:35.807" Score="8" ViewCount="14132" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a USDA hardiness zone 5 temperate area. Our soil is definitely heavy clay. I have bags and bags of dirt that I can use to amend it, but I'm stuck as to how.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See, the clay is very heavy, and the temperature is quite hot (25-30&amp;deg; Celsius during the day time). After several days of dry heat, it becomes brick-like. I tried digging up existing soil (which kills the grass too), but it's back-breaking. I even got a pickaxe, and I can barely dent it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There must be a better way to amend my clay soil and use up all my dirt. I also have a very fenced-in back yard, so I don't have any way to get a tiller back there (without going through the house). Manure is out of the option right now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-16T14:37:35.603" LastActivityDate="2013-06-22T09:37:13.337" Title="How can I amend clay soil with soil, without digging?" Tags="&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;clay&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7658" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-16T04:49:56.463" Score="6" ViewCount="7589" Body="&lt;p&gt;Reading multiple entries here and a few others onlne, I have noticed people writing about using dirt/soil in their compost piles/heaps/bins. I had never heard of putting either dirt or soil in a composting bin. I can understand using a low fertility blow sand/silt - dirt just to build a bulk or mass that the compost could improve upon, but why add soil? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;P&gt; Many sources tell that, &quot;Dirt is dead&quot; and &quot;Soil is alive&quot;. That is taking things to an extreme; while I do agree that soil is vibrant, and yet dirt is far from dead because you can improve dirt into soil in a few months. Dead means dead. We need to change the way we word what dirt honestly means.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;P&gt; So why put either into a compost bin/pile/heap?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2378" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2013-06-16T07:48:32.437" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T12:07:47.953" Title="Adding dirt/soil to a compost bin?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7659" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7658" CreationDate="2013-06-16T06:00:29.377" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Composting is usually a layering of green high-nitrogen materials with brown high-carbon materials. Leaves tend to take longer to break down in a low nitrogen environment and work best when shredded so their breakdown is started mechanically. Also, their breakdown is best facilitated by fungal content to the heap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why use soil/dirt in your compost? Dirt isn't necessarily dead, it contains plenty of bacteria/fungi and you use it as the starter for the whole decomposition process. Sprinkle it into the mix to get things started. As you improve your soil, you'll find that including it into the compost mix is like dumping yeast into baking dough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can make sourdough by exposing a flour/water mixture to air so the natural yeasts get a foot hold (what you do when you sprinkle dirt in the layers) but in this modern age, people want things to go quicker, so they use yeast packets (healthy soil, inoculation from the aged compost pile) to get a jump-start on the process. The bacteria to fungi ratio helps get those leaves eaten up in six months instead of two years if you get the mix of green/brown with a healthy soil starter right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2013-06-16T06:11:36.623" LastActivityDate="2013-06-16T06:11:36.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7661" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7667" CreationDate="2013-06-16T07:43:03.917" Score="2" ViewCount="1032" Body="&lt;p&gt;How can I get rid of greenfly on strawberries? I've used Rose Clear successfully on my roses but I don't really want to spray chemicals on something I want to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2380" LastEditorUserId="2380" LastEditDate="2013-06-16T07:51:08.667" LastActivityDate="2013-06-16T14:52:02.570" Title="Control greenfly on strawberries" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2013-06-25T14:23:36.103" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7662" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7666" CreationDate="2013-06-16T07:53:48.943" Score="1" ViewCount="1459" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have greenfly on my clematis. Rose Clear worked well on my roses, but will it harm a clematis? The clematis has only just been planted into the ground this year, in case that makes a difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2380" LastActivityDate="2013-06-16T14:48:58.853" Title="Is Rose Clear safe to use on Clematis?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7663" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7682" CreationDate="2013-06-16T08:05:00.157" Score="7" ViewCount="4606" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've made a compost bin out of old scaffold boards - approx 80cm x 80cm square (say 30 inches). It has four sides, with no top and no bottom and it's sitting directly on soil. I've read that compost can get warm and should be kept damp. If I want the bin to last 5 years,do I need to line it to protect the wood? And if so, with what?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2380" LastActivityDate="2013-06-17T10:55:11.327" Title="Do I need to line my wooden compost bin?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7664" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7668" CreationDate="2013-06-16T11:31:16.237" Score="5" ViewCount="2804" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have just started gardening. My first tree purchase was a Yoshino Cherry (Prunus y yedoensis Ivensii). After potting it into a larger pot, it has started to have lots of holes appear in the leaves. I have found 1 leaf with a collection of bugs on it but no idea what they are or how to treat it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in East Lothian, Scotland if that helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click for a larger version&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ECE47.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ECE47m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Holes in Leaf 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yEw8f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yEw8fm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Holes in Leaf 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dUNI9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dUNI9m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bugs 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hVXem.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hVXemm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bugs 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Image from tips of branches, believed to be new growth but could be a symptom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/apcOp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/apcOpm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sgpfg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sgpfgm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2381" LastEditorUserId="2381" LastEditDate="2013-06-16T14:53:53.297" LastActivityDate="2013-06-16T16:06:38.507" Title="Holes in leaves of Yoshino Cherry" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7665" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7657" CreationDate="2013-06-16T14:30:24.303" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a similar problem in my garden. The clay soil is at least six feet deep and can only be broken up with a pickaxe or power machinery.  Why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;as the glaciers &lt;a href=&quot;http://toronto.foundlocally.com/Local/Info-CityHistoryCanadianShield.htm&quot;&gt;melted&lt;/a&gt; in &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ontarioarchaeology.on.ca/summary/post.htm&quot;&gt;Ontario&lt;/a&gt; about 14,000 to 10,000 years ago they dropped the silt (clay) in huge moraines and drifts. Post ice age plants started building soil and took thousands of years to do so.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;then, as is the standard practice for house builders in Ontario, the builder removed the top soil undoing 10,000 years of biological action&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are real challenges doing anything with the clay subsoil:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grass roots cannot penetrate the surface.  The sod sits on top like a blanket and dies back in the hot summer when it cannot get water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you dig a hole in the subsoil water just sits in it and does not drain.  Most trees and shrubs will not do well so &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/hil/hil-601.html&quot;&gt;planting high&lt;/a&gt; or &quot;proud&quot; can be done&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you decide to raise the grade of your garden by adding lots of soil on top you might change the drainage of the area causing water to go into your neighbours yard or their house.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is what you can do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;establish what areas you want to have flowers, vegetables and trees in and raise the grade in that area by removing grass and adding topsoil.  This is a raised bed. Depending on grading you may need to add &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_drains&quot;&gt;french drains&lt;/a&gt; using my favourite outdoor landscaping material: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=four%20inch%20drainage%20pipe%20with%20sleeve&quot;&gt;four inch drainage pipe with sleeve&lt;/a&gt;. Available at most building supply centres this provides a cheap and effective solution to working with clay sub soils.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;for areas where you cannot change the grade top dress the area every spring and fall with one to two cm of top soil. Repeat every year and your patience will be rewarded.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;white and red clover have deep roots and make their own nitrogen. They will grow in clay and help break it up but are almost impossible to remove once planted.  Will grow with grass and attracts bees.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;instead of adding soil think about planting species which tolerate clay soils:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Amsonia Blue Star (Zones 5-9) - great plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly Weed (Zones 4-9)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aster (various) Aster (Zones 4-8) widely available&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Coreopsis Tickseed (Zones 4-8) widely available and tough&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Echinacea purpurea Coneflower (Zones 3-9)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Eryngium yuccifolium Sea Holly (Zones 5-10) picky foliage and seeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Helianthus angustifolius Swamp Sunflower (Zones 6-9) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Helianthus x laetiflorus False Sunflower (Zones 5-9)( a bit weedy!)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Heliopsis helianthoides Ox Eye (Zones 4-9)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hemerocallis Daylily (Zones 3-10)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Liatris pycnostachya Kansas Gayfeather (Zones 4-9)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Liatris spicata Blazing Star, Gayfeather (Zones 4-9)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Monarda fistulosa Wild Bee Balm (Zones 3-9) (subject to powdery mildew in my area)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ratibida pinnata Drooping Coneflower (Zones 3-10)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rudbeckia hirta Black-eyed Susan, Gloriosa Daisy (Zones 3-7) vary reliable&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sedum 'Autumn Joy' (Zones 3-10) great plant for fall  blooming&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Silphium integrifolium Prairie Dock (Zones 4-7)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Silphium laciniatum Compass Plant (Zones 5-9)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Silphium perfoliatum Cup Plant (Zones 5-9)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Solidago Goldenrod (zones 5-9) get the cultivars as they are better behaved&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Vernonia noveboracensis Ironweed (Zones 5-9)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yucca filamentosa Adam's Needle (Zones 5-10) (does not stand up well to having snow piled on it)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: You can top dress twice a year, in spring and fall, whether you are working with grass or vegetables.  @bstpierre will probably have some thoughts on this but I have not seen top dressing done more often as it is difficult to do so with actively growing plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you dig a hole in clay and back fill with soil you will create a bowl of poorly draining soil that will not work for vegetables or fruit.  A raised bed will allow drainage. The depth you require depends on what you are growing. Apple trees tolerate clay quite well so planting them high so the top half or third of the root ball is above the clay and surrounding them with soil will work.  Carrots need at least six inches of soil probably twelve inches for best results.  Leaf lettuce and similar veggies can get by on a bed of soil that is only six inches of soil.  The taller the bed the better, less bending for your back, warms up sooner in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-06-17T12:20:20.740" LastActivityDate="2013-06-17T12:20:20.740" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7666" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7662" CreationDate="2013-06-16T14:48:58.853" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The active ingredients are  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC37450&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Triticonazole&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetamiprid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Acetamiprid&lt;/a&gt;. It should not be toxic to a clematis.  Both ingredients claim to be of low toxicity to humans but appropriate safety gear should be worn when applying this product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are concerned about toxicity for your plant you can use five to ten ml of dish soap to one liter of water as a spray.  This is a very effective control for greenfly/aphids and most soft skinned insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-06-16T14:48:58.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7667" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7661" CreationDate="2013-06-16T14:52:02.570" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soap and water is an effective control or you can look at this answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/76/what-is-an-effective-organic-pesticide-to-use-against-aphids-or-cabbage-loopers&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2013-06-16T14:52:02.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7668" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7664" CreationDate="2013-06-16T16:06:38.507" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's cherry blackfly infestation - needs spraying before the leaf curl gets any worse. Westland Plant Rescue Fruit and Veg bugkiller should do it - you should also use Vitax Winter Tree wash during winter - this pest overwinters on the plant. As the leaves have started curling, its a little late for the Westland spray to be truly effective, but I'd use it anyway, and make sure you treat the tree during winter with the Vitax solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you google cherry blackfly, the RHS advice page on this should come up which will give you alternative proprietary treatments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-06-16T16:06:38.507" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7669" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7797" CreationDate="2013-06-16T19:51:04.207" Score="4" ViewCount="3730" Body="&lt;p&gt;I happen to have an adult cherry-tree which gives a lot of cherries but they are tiny and basically consist of the kernel and the skin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of my neighbors will prune his cherry-tree soon. As I'm helping during the harvest I know that its cherries are great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm now wondering whether I can graft my tree with his branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If so, which kind of branches I should choose?&#xA;Which method of grafting I should use?&#xA;Is it the right moment, if not, is it a really bad moment?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2014-08-05T20:14:31.647" Title="Grafting an adult cherry-tree?" Tags="&lt;cherries&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7671" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7549" CreationDate="2013-06-16T21:58:31.293" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;After doing several more samplings of the berries in the garden, I've found that the berries that look otherwise perfectly ripe BUT have browning leaves have little or no taste.  The ones that look ripe and have healthy, green leaves come out tasting absolutely amazing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The verdict (for me, at least): brown leaves, toss the berry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="643" LastActivityDate="2013-06-16T21:58:31.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7672" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7663" CreationDate="2013-06-16T22:06:30.953" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lining it with thick plastic sheeting would give the wood a certain amount of protection on the inside but it would still be exposed to the elements on the outside unless you covered that as well. The wood will definitely last longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that you want it to last 5 years, if the wood is thick enough then you do not need to line it. The wood will start to &quot;compost&quot; (i.e. rot) and fall away from the sides but only after a long time and it's highly likely that it will make it to the five year mark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My preference is to reduce the use of plastic as much as possible so I would not line it but then I'm not the one that will have to rebuild it if it doesn't last for 5 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope that helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2013-06-16T22:06:30.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7673" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7674" CreationDate="2013-06-16T22:23:05.423" Score="8" ViewCount="560" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm considering putting teabags into my compost bin but I'm not sure about the bag itself breaking down. Do I need to tear open each bag and only put the tea leaves in the bin or are the whole intact bags okay to throw in there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2013-06-17T02:23:15.467" Title="Are teabags okay in a compost bin?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7674" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7673" CreationDate="2013-06-16T23:37:50.577" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;We throw them in whole. I've yet to see a tea bag survive the composting process intact. They're a worm attractant like coffee grounds and kitchen waste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bacteria and fungi in an established composting operation will attack just about anything. I had a piece of ground cloth get into the heap about three years ago. It keeps reappearing in the sieved material I toss back. I think it's got one more year before it's totally reduced, this year it was falling apart like it actually had rotted. Tea bags don't even begin to have the rot resistance that stuff has.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2013-06-16T23:37:50.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7675" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-16T23:51:16.383" Score="6" ViewCount="9765" Body="&lt;p&gt;If cucumber plants are growing well, &lt;strong&gt;wilt very badly in the sun&lt;/strong&gt;, revive quickly in shade and over night, is the wilting harming them? Their soil tests okay for water. I am in northern California and the sun gets blazing hot with temperatures up to, and sometimes over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (~38 °C). I fear bitter cukes will result from this scenario. Should I throw cheese cloth over them or screen them in some other way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2383" LastEditorUserId="1948" LastEditDate="2013-09-15T17:08:43.677" LastActivityDate="2013-09-16T01:05:06.177" Title="Cucumber plants are healthy, but wilt badly in hot sun, then recover" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7676" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7675" CreationDate="2013-06-17T00:02:42.843" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wilting is a sign of stress, and not harmful in itself, as long as it doesn’t dry to the point that the vascular tissue is damaged. When that happens the water column is broken and transpiration stops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had a professor in college who was a plant physiologist, his field of study had to do with the physiology of plant vascular systems. That was a very boring class.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You would basically not be able to avoid this in some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbitaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cucurbitaceae&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, as they just don’t have the root system to support their above ground parts, even if they are sitting in a puddle — it is just too much water loss to keep them turgid (that is the term they use).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best things you can try to reduce transpiration:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shade cloth — reduce the amount of heat hitting the leaves, ground and air. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mulch — increase the amount of water that stays in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mister — increase the humidity around the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="1948" LastEditDate="2013-09-16T01:05:06.177" LastActivityDate="2013-09-16T01:05:06.177" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7677" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7686" CreationDate="2013-06-17T00:05:58.153" Score="5" ViewCount="3421" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last fall I planted 4 raspberry plants, two Heritage and two Killarney.  Recently the two Heritage have had a handful of leaves curl up and fold in half so you only see the bottom of the leaf which looks very white.  Today one of the Killarney plants had a few leaves that looked similar.  I attached a couple pics below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some background.  The soil is mostly clay, but I mixed a bunch of compost into it when I planted the raspberries.  We have gotten a lot of rain lately so I wondered if it could be a cause of too much water?  I haven't used any herbicides or fertilizer recently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on photograph for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xY7gS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xY7gSl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;One of the Heritage&quot; title=&quot;One of the Heritage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DC77r.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DC77rl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up of curled leaf&quot; title=&quot;Close-up of curled leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1673" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-17T13:39:44.423" LastActivityDate="2013-06-17T13:39:44.423" Title="Why are my raspberry's leaves curling up?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7678" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7680" CreationDate="2013-06-17T02:04:33.190" Score="7" ViewCount="7823" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you put corn cobs in a compost bin? They seem hard and tough, wondering if they'll break down. I assume that the husk will be just like any other green substance like grass?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2018-08-06T00:16:16.773" Title="Can you put corn cobs in a compost bin?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7679" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7673" CreationDate="2013-06-17T02:23:15.467" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Totally OK to toss in whole tea bags as long as they are the traditional paper ones.  There are some bags that are made of synthetic material (nylon, perhaps) and those would be something I'd avoid throwing in mine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The strings and staples are fine.  The string will break down quickly.  Over time the staples will rust, though it'll take some time but they are small so no worries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I toss coffee grounds and their filters in too - it all breaks down.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-17T02:23:15.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7680" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7678" CreationDate="2013-06-17T02:37:50.007" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the cobs are left whole it will take a long time for them to break down but if you aren't concerned about that and want to just do the easiest thing, just toss them in and eventually they'll break down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To speed that up, you'll need to increase the surface area of the cob material.  You could chop them up a bit and that would help speed things along.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty lazy about the compost pile so if there are oversize pieces that aren't done breaking down yet, I'll sift those out and thrown them back in the pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yeah, the husks are similar to leaves and have a higher nitrogen level. They break down really quickly in the pile if it is a hot pile.  The cobs though will take some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-17T02:37:50.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7681" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-17T03:42:38.570" Score="2" ViewCount="1046" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tomato varieties that wilted in the Midwest, even badly, always came back when out of the sun. I am now in a much hotter, drier climate. Will I need to shade them if they go limp? Tomato's are grown commercially here in huge numbers in fields and cannot be shaded, of course. They evidently do fine, but they are plum tomatoes whereas mine are Early Girl and Big Boy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2383" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-06-17T12:18:27.793" LastActivityDate="2013-06-19T20:13:18.957" Title="How much wilting can tomato plants handle" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7682" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7663" CreationDate="2013-06-17T10:55:11.327" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;All untreated wood that is part of a compost bin will start to rot eventually, but how fast it will rot will depend on the type of wood you've used. I think most wood types will last about 5 to 10 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plastic linings will help prevent decay, but chemicals from the plastic may leach into your compost and the plastic itself will start to decay eventually, so small plastic parts may also end up in the compost. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, you can oil the wood to make it last just a bit longer, but it'll probably give you about 1 year extra. If you decide to oil it, it's best to use plant oils like organic hemp oil or linseed oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1916" LastActivityDate="2013-06-17T10:55:11.327" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7683" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7687" CreationDate="2013-06-17T11:14:24.947" Score="6" ViewCount="224" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am wondering what is the most efficient use of my garden waste. Is it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;make compost out of my garden waste and feed it back into the garden?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;make bio-briquettes out of my garden waste and feed back their ash into the garden?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since I can make good use of bio-briquettes, I would really like to weigh the pro's and con's of the two options. Could you help me out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="80" LastActivityDate="2013-06-17T14:31:37.453" Title="Ash OR Composting?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7684" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7657" CreationDate="2013-06-17T12:09:48.163" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the same situation. For garden beds, I've had the best luck with lasagna gardening. I leave the grass in place, and cover it with several layers of cardboard and/or newspaper. I think I am well known at the grocery store as the lady who asks to raid the bin where they dump the broken-down boxes. If I have enough compostable material, I'll add that over the top of the cardboard, cover it in soil, and then cover it in a thick layer of mulch. For some of my gardens, I've run out of compostables, so I just smother the grass with the cardboard and cover the cardboard with mulch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In either case, by the time the cardboard breaks down, the grass had died and the worms have moved in to start composting it. I do have a little grass that survives to pull around the edges, but it generally isn't too bad. And the condition of the soil is way better than it was. I like to use leaf mold as mulch for these beds, but often end up with wood chip mulch, as I do not have enough trees yet to make my own mulch. If I could afford all leaf mold, I think that would be best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2013-06-17T18:34:48.457" LastActivityDate="2013-06-17T18:34:48.457" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7685" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7683" CreationDate="2013-06-17T12:16:57.507" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ash is going to raise the pH of the soil.  I'm not familiar with the use of biomass briquettes but I could see a &lt;em&gt;negative&lt;/em&gt; effect of adding that ash to the soil if the quantity were significant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nitrogen is lost (along with other elements) as a result of the burning process, so there's a difference for sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A benefit of the compost is that it helps develop a much more complex soil structure, making a sandy soil less sandy and a clay soil less dense.  It also provides a much more hospitable environment for microbes and worms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ash is going to really just provide a certain set of minerals and elements (calcium carbonate, potash, etc.) without improving the soil structure.  I would say it is akin to spreading lime or bagged fertilizer on the ground rather than compost.  The former will change the chemical composition but the latter will do that &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; develop better soil structure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your question &quot;what would I lose if I used ash only&quot; is (at least) the following:  potential soil building of the compost, the nitrogen that is lost during the burning process, etc.  Ash is, however, useful particularly if you are trying to raise the pH of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From a work-standpoint, well, ash weighs considerably less than compost.  It is dried and has released much of its original contents as heat and gas so there's that.  It requires less of &lt;em&gt;your&lt;/em&gt; energy to spread about, that's for sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Me?  I'd probably opt to compost it because I'm trying to improve the native clay soil I have here in Virginia.  But I'm not strictly opposed to adding ash to the soil.  It's a time-tested means of changing the pH and encouraging some plants to grow well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It isn't, however, an all-or-nothing affair.  You could, of course, do both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;One more thing I thought about was weed seeds.  If the plant waste you are talking about includes weeds, those would be better as ash unless the compost pile gets hot enough to kill them.  Just a thought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2013-06-17T14:31:37.453" LastActivityDate="2013-06-17T14:31:37.453" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7677" CreationDate="2013-06-17T12:35:35.857" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is that you've got leaf roller caterpillars doing that.  I've had them infest some of my plants before.  If you pry the leaves open, you might see the caterpillar wiggle its way off the leaf pretty quickly.  They can destroy a plant - my young grapevine cuttings had them two years ago.  I ended up snipping off the bad leaves completely.  I tried both soapy water and some &quot;organic&quot; solutions to problems that year - BT powder, horticultural oil, a low-concentrated neem oil.  Most of them survived.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are synthesized chemical solutions that will work but we don't use them here on the farm.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also try to minimize how much stuff I spray/dust in general on the plants.  Actions have consequences, even &quot;organic&quot; ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure that's exactly what you have - caterpillars in those leaves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-17T12:35:35.857" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7683" CreationDate="2013-06-17T12:43:26.107" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In terms of benefit to the garden, the two biggest things you lose by burning the waste instead of composting are nitrogen and carbon (organic matter). The calcium, phosphate, and potash (among other things) will remain behind in the ash. Ash will also tend to raise the pH of the soil, whereas compost will have less effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of sustainability and the environment, burning the waste adds particulate matter and CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; (among other pollutants) to the air. (Composting adds CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; to the air as well; my guess is that burning is worse.) However, if your next best alternative for generating heat is to use imported petroleum or even biomass that comes from far away, you may reduce your overall CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; output by using your own briquettes. On a larger scale -- i.e. if this was a community decision -- if your alternative to burning garden waste is to clearcut forest for wood to heat with, then it makes sense to burn your own briquettes and limit your woodcutting to sustainable levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-06-17T12:43:26.107" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7688" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7683" CreationDate="2013-06-17T13:49:17.087" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm another one who would naturally choose composting because it keeps more of &quot;good stuff&quot; - especially the organic humus, but also many of the salts (Nitrates have been mentioned).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you have a problem with plant pathogens in your soil, then this strikes me as an extremely good reason to prefer briquettes and incineration. Pathogens could be things like viruses, wilts, fungi, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2013-06-17T13:49:17.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7689" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-17T14:49:38.513" Score="3" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;I collected a whole bunch of broccoli seeds last year.  I think they were packman hybrid broccoli.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year my 'broccoli' grew prolifically, but bolted exceptionally quick. I thought I had planted kale instead. But then I remembered the source of the seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I'm keeping them in the garden while they flower because the bees love them, but what do I have exactly?  Is there any way to know?  Are they a new species of weed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-04-01T10:42:55.243" LastActivityDate="2016-04-01T11:32:07.667" Title="Is there any way to know what you're getting when you plant seeds collected from hybrid plants?" Tags="&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;&lt;bolting&gt;&lt;hybrids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7690" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7692" CreationDate="2013-06-17T15:34:23.743" Score="5" ViewCount="35330" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a man made pond that I'd like to get rid of.&#xA;It's approximate 8 ft in diameter and about 1 ft deep.&#xA;What are the typical steps to fill the pond and get grass growing on it again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what I have in mind, but I have my doubts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drain the water to somewhere (public drain?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove rubber tarp that's likely containing the water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fill the hole with the huge rocks from the edge and alternate rock source (link below)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drop clay/soil over the rocks to fill in the gaps&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Seed with grass and water&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pond overall:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G0PtUl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alternate source for rocks:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oLHAMl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should that do it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2384" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-17T18:18:22.963" LastActivityDate="2020-03-18T18:58:20.857" Title="How to empty and fill a man made pond?" Tags="&lt;pond&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7691" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7613" CreationDate="2013-06-17T17:38:55.750" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Myrrhis odorata, aka Sweet Cicely. The entire plant is mildly liquorice-scented.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicely&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicely&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1180" LastActivityDate="2013-06-17T17:38:55.750" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7692" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7690" CreationDate="2013-06-17T17:40:47.210" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a relatively small pond. If you had the patience, you could empty most of it onto your lawn with a 5 gallon bucket, then pull up the liner and let the rest drain into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I would not use the rocks to fill it. I have a lawn that's so full of rocks it's impossible to dig anywhere. I would fill the bottom 6-8&quot; with whatever cheap fill you can get locally and then 4-6&quot; of good topsoil. You should need slightly less than a full-size pickup load of fill, probably $15-20 at your local gravel pit if you load it yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could rake 1&quot; of compost over the top to help the lawn seed get established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some issues that you may have with rocks:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you live in an area where it freezes in the winter, the rocks will heave and make the lawn uneven.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Even without frost heaves, over time the soil will settle into cracks in the rocks and you'll have a lumpy area of lawn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Over time you may forget what was in that spot and rediscover that it's full of rocks when you want to plant something there.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that even if you fill as I've suggested, you may have some settling occur over time as the soil in that spot compacts. Overfilling/mounding up the area may help with this, but it's hard to know how much to overfill in advance -- you may end up with a permanent mound there if it doesn't settle as much as you expected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do decide to use the rocks for bulk as you fill it, I'd suggest watering in whatever you use for soil so that you have fewer issues with settling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-06-17T17:40:47.210" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7693" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7700" CreationDate="2013-06-17T19:12:05.663" Score="2" ViewCount="2265" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have recently purchased a Standard Kitchen Bay Laurus nobilis, once I got home I noticed some discolouration (black spots) on the leaves. Is this a disease? do I need to remove the affected leaves or treat in some other fashion?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jxQYl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jxQYlm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bay leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CRub8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CRub8m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bay leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2381" LastActivityDate="2013-06-18T11:17:26.460" Title="Discolouration on Bay laurus leaves" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7694" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3729" CreationDate="2013-06-18T02:25:58.007" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;So funny to see all these people saying oh no, it can't be the pill bug they only eat dead decaying stuff. Well, naysayers I'm here to tell you. I have been fighting with these little boogers for the third growing season in a row and YES, YES, YES they DO, DO, DO, eat the growing plant and the fruit and/or veg. growing on that plant. I have watched them eat up my beans, my squash, and my strawberries. My entire property it covered with them and no matter what I put out I can not get rid of them. They are like a plague in my yard...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2386" LastActivityDate="2013-06-18T02:25:58.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7695" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7127" CreationDate="2013-06-18T02:53:30.987" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Almost as crucial as soil pH is the moisture level.  If the pH is right, and the moisture is good, blueberries are easy.  If moisture or pH are wrong, blueberries are impossible.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2387" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-18T14:21:27.223" LastActivityDate="2013-06-18T14:21:27.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7698" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-18T06:17:45.350" Score="2" ViewCount="1143" Body="&lt;p&gt;Each time I water my potted plant, I notice that the surface of the soil is holding water. Should I loosen it up with a small spade? Once I have loosen up the soil, is there anything else I should do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2390" LastActivityDate="2013-06-22T10:08:01.057" Title="Soil of a potted plant is holding water. Should I loosen it?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7698" CreationDate="2013-06-18T07:09:34.700" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If water goes down in sometime then you don't need to do anything. Water moves slowly inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Else you can read below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water gets accumulated above the soil when the soil is more concentrated with clay, in a mix of sand, silt &amp;amp; clay. You can loosen up the soil and add some silt and sand, so that they improves water drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also do not forcefully fill your pot with the soil, just fill loosely, otherwise soil will be compacted leaving no space for water to move downwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Detailed reference to estimate your soil type:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/Gardennotes/214.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/Gardennotes/214.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-06-18T07:09:34.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7700" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7693" CreationDate="2013-06-18T11:17:26.460" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Frankly, if you've only recently bought it, I'd return it from whence it came. Bay is prone to black spotting, particularly when it's in pots, and particularly in damp weather. You can try spraying with an antifungal spray, but then you won't be able to use the leaves in cooking, and most treatments of this kind are relatively ineffectual. Obviously, damp, chilly weather is prevailing throughout most of the UK currently, but it could also be something much more serious such as anthracnose, though its unlikely. Nonetheless, I wouldn't expect to see this on a newly purchased plant, particularly given the price of standard Bay trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-06-18T11:17:26.460" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7701" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7689" CreationDate="2013-06-18T11:55:58.823" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you planted broccoli seed from a hybrid, one thing is pretty certain:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll get broccoli. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beyond that, however, what you won't be sure to get is the hybrid that was the parent because that's one of the characteristics of the hybrids - their seeds are going to vary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this matter at all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well, the answer to that question is &quot;it depends&quot; because it might not matter one bit to you that you won't get &quot;packman&quot; broccoli.  It might only matter to you that you get &lt;em&gt;broccoli&lt;/em&gt;, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's no easy way for the layman gardener to &quot;know&quot; what you have there (beyond &quot;broccoli&quot;) because those seeds are going to produce - or at least have the high likelihood of producing - a varied array of broccoli.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The variations aren't likely to be monumental though.  You might not even notice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Are they a new species of weed?&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well, not if you &lt;em&gt;want&lt;/em&gt; them there, right?  What's the definition of a &quot;weed&quot;?  My dad views clover and dandelion as weeds in the lawn.  I don't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The variety of plants (and the offspring of those) will differ on some level from the parents but probably not significantly.  If non-uniformity doesn't bother you (it doesn't bother me one bit) then it is fun to see what grows.  The only down side - if there is one - is that you are living in the &quot;wild west&quot; of broccoli.  You'll get what you get.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And that might be just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2013-06-18T11:55:58.823" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7702" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2313" CreationDate="2013-06-18T16:24:24.267" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just dig it up &amp;amp; move it! I have transplanted numerous gooseberry bushes &amp;amp; they are hardy.  As long as you do it all in the same day, you can do it anytime of year &amp;amp; not worry about the root ball.  Just make sure you fill the new hole with water &amp;amp; supplement like Miracle-Gro before inserting the bush. Then, water &amp;amp; fertilize thoroughly again once planted.  Prune once winter comes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2391" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-18T21:05:19.577" LastActivityDate="2013-06-18T21:05:19.577" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7703" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-18T17:18:09.533" Score="2" ViewCount="240" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my family members got this bonsai tree when I was kid. To my knowledge, it doesn't require food or water - as I've never seen them water it, but it has slowly and steadily grown. Presumably it pulls CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; from the air to survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the photograph for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ghrsI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ghrsIl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of plant is this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2392" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-18T21:48:35.720" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T08:17:42.583" Title="What kind of plant is used for this bonsai?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7704" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7657" CreationDate="2013-06-18T19:37:37.397" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with the lasagne gardening/sheet composting replies above in that adding organic matter is the very best thing you can do for clay soil.  We have heavy clay soil here and we compost leaves every fall in black garbage bags (mix a bit of dirt in and make sure there are holes for air circulation and that it stays moist but not wet) and till those bags of leaves into the garden in the spring when the soil is workable.  During the summer, we pile on several inches of straw in the pathways and around the plants, which composts during the warm wet months and also gets tilled in, in the spring with the semi-composted leaves. After just a couple or three years of doing this, our heavy clay soil was much, much improved. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One more thing - don't bother with sand if someone should suggest it.  You would have to dump a ton of it into your plot to do any good at all, and it doesn't always stay near the top where you put it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-06-18T19:37:37.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7705" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7615" CreationDate="2013-06-18T19:47:52.900" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;FYI, you don't have to plant beans very far away from other beans to prevent cross-pollination.  Just a few feet should be enough, as most are self-fertile and the flowers don't even open up until pollination has already been accomplished.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Beans produce perfect, self-pollinating flowers. Cross pollination by insects is possible but rare as pollination occurs before the flower opens.&quot;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seedsave.org/issi/904/beginner.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.seedsave.org/issi/904/beginner.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-06-18T19:47:52.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3402" CreationDate="2013-06-18T23:17:27.843" Score="8" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Moreover, in my biology courses, we learned how (most) plants have a two-phase cycle: an anaerobic one (i.e. “breathing” CO2) during the day, and an aerobic one (“breathing” O2) at night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wrong. There are two main cycles of photosynthesis colloquially called light and dark cycles. The light cycle requires light. The dark cycle does not require dark. It happens constantly because it is independent of light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2394" LastActivityDate="2013-06-18T23:17:27.843" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7718" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-19T15:41:58.643" Score="2" ViewCount="2713" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Columbus, Ohio.  Dormant overseeding worked very well for me this last year as the wet Ohio springs are perfect for this method.  My lawn is so much thicker than last year.  The home was a foreclosure and the lawn was a wreck.  I am now getting compliments on it already and it has only been one year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately with this method, it pretty much takes using a pre-emergent weed chemical off the table.  The lawn is very thick so it is choking out most crabgrass and other weeds, but clover is still germinating.  I also have some poa annua that I don't want to keep dropping seeds year after year.  Overseeding in fall would allow me to use pre-emergent control in spring, but what kind of results could I expect in doing so without a lawn irrigation system?  Is there enough moisture in the soil during the fall months in Ohio to make it worth while?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2013-07-04T19:18:32.517" Title="Overseeding in Fall without Irrigation" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7719" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-19T19:10:54.003" Score="4" ViewCount="234" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have good healthy plants with no signs of (obvious) trouble. Fruits are forming, but some fruits on some plants, and there quite a few of them, are mysteriously cut. &#xA;I don't see similar damage anywhere else on the plant(s).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/STrYJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cut tomato stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(see exact place marked with white line on the picture).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it some pest? Bird? Disease? Lack of nutrients?&#xA;I'm first time gardener, so pardon my ignorance please.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2202" LastEditorUserId="2412" LastEditDate="2013-06-29T18:57:34.220" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T21:21:10.050" Title="Tomato stems mysteriously cut above the fruit" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7720" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7719" CreationDate="2013-06-19T19:26:04.823" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something is snatching them off the vine IMO.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2013-06-19T19:26:04.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7721" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7681" CreationDate="2013-06-19T20:13:18.957" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the tomato capital of Canada (Leamington Ontario), sunny and warm but damp.  In my experience:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As long as the wilt is limited to the leaves then you should be ok, once the thicker stems begin to wilt you start to stunt growth or cause early fruiting.  Not the end of the world but you probably want to avoid it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't bother with shading; I think the issue you'll have to tackle is moisture retention in the soil.  You have hot and sunny weather which is a tomato's dream; don't deny them the sun! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good three to four inches of mulch will go a long way but if it's really dry you may need more than that.  I'm not sure what would be available in your area, I've used cedar and other tree mulch, leaves and even straw.  You might be able to get coconut husk or something similar.  I would spread the mulch as far out from the plant as your vegetable patch allows and increase the amount closer to the stem.  I also would recommend a direct watering method, drip irrigation if you have the means or soaker hoses under the mulch would give you better results then just watering from above and help prevent evaporation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Commercial field tomatoes are not supported in cages but allowed to grow along the ground, which helps to keep the moisture in the soil and may be another option for you.  They also water them regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1356" LastActivityDate="2013-06-19T20:13:18.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7722" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7719" CreationDate="2013-06-19T20:21:06.080" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I've seen this on my plants it's usually from me knocking a blossum or really small tomoato off the vine.  The vine still sort of grows along with the rest of the cluster even with nothing there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1356" LastActivityDate="2013-06-19T20:21:06.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7723" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7050" CreationDate="2013-06-20T01:09:54.550" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am on Long Island, in New York, zones 6 - 7.  When we moved in to our current home, we inherited a sweet autumn clematis growing on the north wall of the house.  It gets very little sun (if any) and it grows/climbs quickly, starting in early spring.  Small white flowers bloom in the early fall.  The plant is thick and green all summer.  We also have a fair share of deer, rabbits and raccoon and they do not touch the clematis.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2397" LastActivityDate="2013-06-20T01:09:54.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7724" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7653" CreationDate="2013-06-20T11:20:24.623" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Venus fly traps have trigger hairs (which are visible to the naked eye) inside their mouths. In order to trigger their mouths to shut, the prey (or yourself) must trigger two or more hairs within a certain small time frame (35 seconds). If the hairs aren't continually triggered after the mouth has shut, then the mouth will open back up after a short while. If you think about it, this is sensible because their is no nutritional value to, say, a small leaf that has blown inside a trap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Interesting trivia taken from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flytrapcare.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.flytrapcare.com&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in temperatures of over 36˚C only one trigger is required to close a trap?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a trap closes about twice as fast at 20˚C compared to 36˚C?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a trap closes automatically in an acid environment with pH less than 4.5?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used to keep Venus Fly Traps, just a few heads up:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water them with deionised or rain water or they will eventually die due to over-abundance of accumulated solids (they naturally grow in bogs which has a very low amount of this stuff)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;An indoor VFT doesn't even need to 'eat' anything. They'll be perfectly happy with lots of sunlight and the right water. They'll still try to produce flowers (which are very energy/nutrient hungry) and subsequently seeds, so if your plant is not eating, just pinch off the flower to save your VFT the unnecessary stress.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't feed your VFT animal protein - it's built for digesting only insect protein.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The individual traps only have a set number of 'springs'. Once this runs out, your traps will die. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Read &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flytrapcare.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.flytrapcare.com&lt;/a&gt; thoroughly :)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ADDED: I used to get dead flies, put them inside the VFT mouths and manually trigger the hairs with a needle. Once the trap springs close, I'd apply a light pressure to the trap with my fingers to simulate a struggling insect so that the trap will stay closed. Much easier than trapping a live insect!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2398" LastEditorUserId="2398" LastEditDate="2013-06-20T14:33:44.327" LastActivityDate="2013-06-20T14:33:44.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7725" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-20T20:17:33.667" Score="3" ViewCount="372" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing some apple trees from seed and started this year. I'm worried that the width of their stems (or trunks, but they're too small to really call them &quot;trunks&quot;) is too small in proportion to their size. This leads me to wonder how big a tree can grow in one year, with an emphasis on its first year, and what is necessary to make them grow the most.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To recap, my questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much bigger around does a tree normally grow over the course of a year? Specifically its first year?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What leads trees to grow bigger around? Nutrients, hormones?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How should a tree be treated to promote the most outward trunk growth?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T12:38:35.533" Title="What determines the year-to-year growth in girth of any particular tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7728" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7703" CreationDate="2013-06-21T07:47:56.720" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Right, I got curious about this so I did some Google-fu.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The basic components of a traditional Crystal Tree/Garden are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Laundry Bluing: a suspension of blue dye in water traditionally added to laundry to make textiles appear whiter(!)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Table salt (probably Sodium Chloride)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Household ammonia (with no soap)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Non-porous Bowl&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Porous growing material&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crystal growing was popularised in the Great Depression. People traditionally used Mrs Stuart's Bluing. Obviously, this didn't escape the company's attention and to that end, they sell crystal growing kits and have an &lt;a href=&quot;http://mrsstewart.com/magic-salt-crystal-garden/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;instruction page&lt;/a&gt; on their website. Taken from that page:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mrs. Stewart’s Bluing is a colloidal suspension of extremely minute particles of blue powder (Ferric Hexacyanoferrate). This is not a solution in the true chemical meaning of that word.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the water from the bluing and the clear water which is first added evaporate, two things happen. The blue particles can no longer be supported and the excess salt cannot stay in solution. The salt crystallization process will take place around the blue particles as nuclei, in much the same way as silver iodide cloud seeding accelerates the formation of rain drops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;... The purpose of the porous material (sponge pieces) is to provide a means for capillary action to carry the liquid containing bluing and salt up from the main source of liquid. This further speeds up evaporation and causes the crystals to form over a larger area than just the rim of the bowl.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What interested me about this question was the illusion of a tree, continually growing. Whilst our poster wasn't looking the family must have added (again from the website) more bluing, salt and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Causing the 'tree' to&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;“bloom” indefinitely into beautiful rosebuds, coral and crystal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I would suspect that the green like growth was due to the family member using a 'greening', i.e., a suspension of &lt;strong&gt;green&lt;/strong&gt; dye in water, rather than blue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ADDED: Here's an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vat19.com/dvds/magic-christmas-tree.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;example&lt;/a&gt; of a commercially available crystal tree growing kit. It's not as elegant as the poster's, but it serves the point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2398" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T08:17:42.583" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7729" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7730" CreationDate="2013-06-21T07:54:58.217" Score="6" ViewCount="1354" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this plant for a long time, and for most of that time it was outdoors, in a shared area with other plants and heavy sun. It didn't do well, so I dug it out and put in it's own pot, with a little less sun, and it seemed to thrive- it tripled in size and even put out, occasionally, tiny red flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But lately I noticed that it has a layer of an icky white substance on it, and it isn't doing so good- dropping leaves and no new flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it? What can I do about this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0F3Ib.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0F3Ibl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the plant from above&quot; title=&quot;The plant from above&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture from up close:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/20CIZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/20CIZl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; title=&quot;Close-up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1239" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-21T13:59:33.313" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T16:16:17.310" Title="What is this plant? What is the white stuff on it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7730" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7729" CreationDate="2013-06-21T10:42:51.617" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mealy bug&lt;/a&gt;. It looks like white fluffy clumps in the axils of the branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the infestation really gets going some adults develop wings and can spread to other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mealy bug is hard to control with soap and water or pesticides. The powdery wax layer they secrete protects them from control solutions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could put the plant back outside and let predators reduce the number of pests or cut it back hard and spray with a solution of five to ten ml of dish soap in a litre of water. Be sure to get good coverage and repeat at five to six day intervals to get the eggs that hatch new ones.  Repeat at least twice and resume control measures if you see them again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: now I have seen the closeup I can verify that this is a well established mealy bug colony&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T16:16:17.310" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7731" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7725" CreationDate="2013-06-21T12:38:35.533" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nutrient availability, water supply, climate conditions all influence the growth of tree trunks. Cut a mature tree through the middle and you can tell by the width of the rings (which are growth rings) what conditions were like in any given year since the tree started growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, as far as seedlings are concerned, one important thing is something called thigmomorphogenesis, which is a long word to describe something relatively simple - air movement and its effect on plants. If moving air (not gale force, obviously) is gently wafted around and about as a seedling grows, then the stem or trunk becomes stronger and thicker. If your seedlings are outside, not sheltered, then they'll be getting this anyway, and so long as they have access to sufficient water and nutrients, then they'll grow away normally and the trunk will thicken over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T12:38:35.533" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7732" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7228" CreationDate="2013-06-21T13:19:34.990" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The trees you mention, styled like bonsai but grown in the ground, are definitely NOT topiary. I believe you are looking for Niwaki (or Niwagi or Niwa-ki or Niwa-gi); this is the Japanese name for styled and dwarfed trees grown in open ground. Try Jake Hobson's book &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0881928356&quot;&gt;Niwaki: Pruning, Training and Shaping Trees the Japanese Way&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an aside, there are several size classifications for bonsai, the largest being the Imperial or 16-Hand Bonsai (takes 8 men to move) - some of these have trunks up to 3' across. (The &quot;Imperial&quot; name comes from the Imperial Palace, one of the few places you see them this large.) I don't know the Japanese word for these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most commonly grown &quot;largest&quot; size nowadays is probably &lt;em&gt;Omono&lt;/em&gt;, with a maximum height around 4'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2405" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-21T15:17:13.080" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T15:17:13.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7733" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5734" CreationDate="2013-06-21T14:10:00.273" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Technically any bonsai can be grown indoors, but many species require highly specialized care with grow lights and temperature/humidity controls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reigning consensus among bonsai growers and in bonsai books is that junipers are terribly suited for growing indoors, and the conditions you describe would agree with this. Most junipers require full sun (6-8+ hours a day of direct sunlight).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants most often kept as indoor bonsai are tropical, ficus being among the most common, along with dwarf bamboo varieties. Ficus are very difficult to kill and can survive in bright, indirect light as you mention. A ficus would definately be my suggestion for an indoor bonsai, especially if you're looking for the typical aged-tree look.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't suggest any one in particular, but you may want to pickup one of the many books dedicated to growing bonsai indoors (go to amazon books and search for 'indoor bonsai'.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2405" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T14:10:00.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7734" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4310" CreationDate="2013-06-21T14:28:56.367" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a year late, but I'll answer, anyways, in case someone else finds this page.&#xA;That's not &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassula_ovata&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Crassula ovata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;; it's &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulacaria_afra&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Portulacaria afra&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; - you can see the difference in the shape of the leaves. Common names include Dwarf Jade, Elephant's Food, and &lt;em&gt;spekboom&lt;/em&gt; (in Afrikaans).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is probably the easiest plant I have ever seen to cultivate from cuttings. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in USDA hardiness zone 9b and have never had a problem with them in the heat, though full sun can make it harder to keep up with watering in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you think you are overwatering, there is a simple procedure to follow: don't water until the surface of the leaves starts to look wrinkled, instead of smooth and taught as in the picture. Once you've watered and the wrinkles have gone away, make note of how long it takes them to wrinkle again, and the condition of the soil, and water slightly more often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is VERY easy to overwater these, and seems to be the most often problem with (and cause of death to) them, based on my own experience and talking to others who have tried to grow them. (They are often grown as bonsai.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a side note, if you haven't applied any pesticides, the leaves are edible and taste like a sour apple, only not as strong. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2405" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-21T15:20:45.047" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T15:20:45.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7735" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7303" CreationDate="2013-06-21T14:42:25.563" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had good results with a similar problem using a leaf blower - blow it back at them! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2405" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T14:42:25.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7736" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7303" CreationDate="2013-06-21T15:11:42.103" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have that much dirt blown into your yard, I'm also gussing your porch, windows, sills, and any other surfaces are also dirty. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just hit with a hose, as you wash everthing else.  The dirt will make it's way thorugh the gaps in the rocks and wash out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1356" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T15:11:42.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7737" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7657" CreationDate="2013-06-21T15:24:58.830" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In your comment to kevinsky's answer you mentiond you're more into veggies so you might want to consider growing things like diakon radishes and red potatoes in the areas you want to loosen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants will push into and break up the clay.  I've heard of Asian gardeners planting fields of diakon crop and not havesting the roots, just letting them rot then tilling.  You could probably even pull out the plants once they're done growing and then start the layering to get a head start. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sure there are other veg that will work as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1356" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T15:24:58.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5945" CreationDate="2013-06-21T15:29:03.823" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think there's anything wrong with your original 'soil' mix, provided it was screened properly - several of my plants are in a pure inorganic mix and are quite healthy. I also know a bonsai nursery owner who successfully grows everything in a pure inorganic mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, a plant will grow in a pure inorganic mix with only water for quite a while before fertilizer has to be added.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect that the yellowing (and drying) is being caused by too many feeder roots being cut during the root pruning - meaning that even if you water properly, the remaining roots can't absorb enough water to support all the foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If all the roots were trimmed by 1/3, without consideration for what was being cut, it's likely you took too many feeder roots (only the feeder roots -the small, white, hair-like ones- absorb water and nutrients; the heavier roots are just for transport and anchorage).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would leave it in the soil it's now in (re-repotted) and reduce the foliage a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, give it some SuperThrive when you water and mist the foliage with SuperThrive between waterings. The SuperThrive will help the tree put out new feeder roots and restore the balance between roots and foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2405" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T15:29:03.823" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7739" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7740" CreationDate="2013-06-21T16:34:07.093" Score="4" ViewCount="1055" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my first time making compost and after a month or so I've been starting to see these small orange blobs on the surface of my compost about a week after the first couple fairies' bonnets started growing (I assume that's what the mushrooms I have are).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At first I thought they were insect eggs, but after doing some research I found that they could be blobs of slime mold. I'm fine with anything harmless helping with the compost, but if they turn out to be eggs of some flying insect...that would be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help in identifying what they are are much appreciated. Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TDXVk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;compost&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2407" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-06-21T17:22:33.397" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T17:30:10.557" Title="Small orange blobs on surface of compost" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7740" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7739" CreationDate="2013-06-21T17:30:10.557" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The orange things are fungi which are digesting the material in your compost. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears your are doing indoor composting which normally requires a high level of paper shreds, coffee grounds, tea leaves or other absorbent material in comparison to the level of green vegetable waste. This keeps the odor level low and soaks up any liquids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may wish to turn your compost more often to keep all the agents of decomposition working at the same rate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-06-21T17:30:10.557" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7741" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7747" CreationDate="2013-06-21T22:20:00.863" Score="6" ViewCount="3100" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this caterpillar on a strawberry-plant-leaf. The leaf had a lot of holes - I assume it was caused by it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The caterpillar is about 2.5cm long and has a diameter of ~5mm (without the hairs). It is quite hairy. Most of the body hair is white, except two wisps on each side of the body, one of it it is yellow, the other one black. The body is brown and white/grey with red dots. It is has 4 yellow big wisp of hair on its back. It seems to have 2 black eyes - at least as far as I could see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this one dangerous for my strawberries or my garden in general?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click to enlarge&lt;/em&gt; (intentially left small in the question - not sure if these image can be shocking for sensitive people)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pKH53.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pKH53s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z0dti.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z0dtis.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DThkP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DThkPs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T04:00:01.517" Title="Is this colored (brown, red, yellow) and hairy caterpillar dangerous for my strawberries?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7742" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-22T01:55:35.183" Score="5" ViewCount="3032" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hi there a friend suggested that we use a vinegar based recipe to deal with large weeds and brambles in our yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The recipe he quoted was&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;4 cups white vinegar&#xA;4 cups apple cider vinegar&#xA;1 box of table salt (1 kilo)&#xA;1/2 a bottle of sunlight dish detergent&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From my research I understand it is indiscriminate (sp?) in killing all plants applied and that it should be applied while in direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a good and safe recipe, and are there any other worries to consider?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2408" LastActivityDate="2013-07-03T22:13:28.390" Title="Killing weeds with vinegar/soap solution" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7657" CreationDate="2013-06-22T09:37:13.337" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sticky clay requires the addition of calcium (and magnesium to a lesser degree) to cause flocculation of clay particles and contribute to the crumb-like texture which is the hallmark of good soil with good drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost, while a good (eventual) source of humus, is not a significant source of minerals.  Quoting from: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilminerals.com/compost_manure_humus.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.soilminerals.com/compost_manure_humus.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Let's look at another factor in using compost or organic matter as a mineral source:  How much would we need to use to add significant amounts of needed minerals to the soil?  This gets a little difficult to quantify, but going back to research done by Davidson and LeClerc in the 1930s, we find that the amount of Potassium found in ash from commercial vegetables was around 7%, the amount of Calcium averaged about 2% (they also measured 95%+ moisture content and 20% ash from dry matter, which leaves only 1% total ash, but let's be generous and stick with that 1 1/4 lbs we came up with above). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;1 1/4 lbs= 566 grams&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;566 grams x 2%=   11.3 grams Calcium per 100 lbs compost &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;566 grams x 7%=   39.6 grams Potassium per 100 lbs compost &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Even a sandy loam requires at least 2,000 lbs of Calcium per acre for best growth.  What if we measured the minerals and found that we needed to add 1,000 lbs of Calcium?  How much compost would that take, at 11 grams per 100 lbs?  I'll spare you the arithmetic:  It would take about 4,000,000 lbs:  Four million pounds of that 75% moisture content compost per acre to add 1,000 lbs of Calcium.  Wait, it gets worse:  While we were adding that 1,000 lbs of Calcium we were also adding almost 4,000 lbs of Potassium, far too much.  Well balanced soils need about 1/7th as much Potassium as Calcium, so this soil would call for about 280 lbs of  Potassium per acre; we would be adding over 3,700 lbs too much, assuming that we were crazy enough to try adding four million pounds of compost anyway. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Putting that in terms a backyard gardener could relate to, one would need 90,000 lbs of compost per 1,000 square feet of garden just to bring the Calcium level up to par. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Concerning how to add organic matter to soil, I would favor grass clippings to anything else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Its easy to find in large quantities, like leaves.&#xA;2) Grass is green, therefore having chlorophyll, which is a compound containing 4 nitrogens around a magnesium.&#xA;3) Grass has proteins which also contain nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dr. William Albrecht explained why nitrogen is important in organic matter: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010120albrecht.usdayrbk/lsom.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010120albrecht.usdayrbk/lsom.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Thus when decay has proceeded to the point where the carbon-nitrogen ratio is significantly decreased, a residue of a more stable nature is produced. Thereafter the carbon-nitrogen ratio is narrower and remains more constant. This corresponds more nearly to the condition that holds in the case of the organic matter in virgin soils. Its further decay, which is slow because of the relatively low level of carbon, liberates nitrogen in place of storing or preserving it. Because of its high carbon content, the decomposition of fresh organic matter requires additional soluble nitrogen to be used as building material by the micro-organisms, which obtain it from the soil, often exhausting the supply to a degree that is damaging to a growing crop. The amount of increase in organic material corresponds, in the main, to the amount of nitrogen available. The extra carbon in the fresh material is lost from the soil. Thus when soils are given straws, fodders, and similar crop residues of low nitrogen content, only small increases in soil organic matter can result--in the main, only as large as the added nitrogen will permit. Many tons of common farm residues and wastes per acre are needed to produce a single additional ton of organic matter in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The restoration of soil organic matter, then, is a problem of increasing the nitrogen level or of using nitrogen as a means of holding the carbon and other materials. This is the basic principle behind the use of legumes as green manures. In building up the organic content of the soil itself, it will often be desirable to use legumes and grasses rather than to add organic matter, such as straw and compost, directly. If legumes and grasses are to be successfully grown on many of the soils of the humid regions of this country it will be necessary, first, to properly fertilize and lime the soil. Legumes use nitrogen from the air instead of the soil, and thus serve to increase the amount in the soil when their own remains are added to it. Commercial nitrogen used as treatment on straw for the production of artificial manure in compost piles, or when plowing under straw in the field after the combine, may be considered in the same category. Small amounts of added nitrogen may in this way make possible the use of large amounts of carbonaceous matter in restoring the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the remedy for hard clay would be lime and grass.  You could apply the lime, then a thick layer of grass clippings, then apply your bagged soil over the grass clippings to trap the nitrogen in the grass from escaping as ammonia into the atmosphere, then apply more lime (unless bagged soil is already high in calcium) and nitrogen fertilizer.  The result would be fairly healthy soil, with no digging.  This is how I renovated my lawn.  For the garden, I alternate layers of grass and soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would cite more references, but for reasons I can't imagine, I am not allowed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-06-22T09:37:13.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7742" CreationDate="2013-06-22T09:59:45.477" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The vinegar alone should suffice.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/vinegar.html&quot;&gt;http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/vinegar.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;White vinegar is acetic acid while apple vinegar is malic and acetic acid.  Malic acid is found in many fruits as well as apples, of which the latin word is malum, hence, malic acid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would not add salt to any soil I expected to grow, well, anything.  Firstly, table salt is NaCl which dissolves to Na+ and Cl-.  Cl is fairly toxic on its own (main ingredient in chlorine bleach), luckily, being an anion (minus sign), it washes from the soil with rain rather easily.  The bigger problem would be the Na, which would displace Ca++, Mg++, K+, which are essential to plants.  Once Na has been introduced, your problem will be how to get rid of it since it adsorbs to soil colloids just like other cations you want to keep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The detergent simply breaks the surface tension of water allowing it to penetrate soil easier.  Possibly it stops the vinegar from beading on the leaf surface like water on a waxed car, again, for penetration purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-06-22T09:59:45.477" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7745" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7698" CreationDate="2013-06-22T10:08:01.057" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its possible the soil is lacking sufficient calcium.  See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sierravistagrowers.net/growild/sites/default/files/Soil%20flocculation.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.sierravistagrowers.net/growild/sites/default/files/Soil%20flocculation.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-06-22T10:08:01.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7746" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7402" CreationDate="2013-06-22T11:06:28.603" Score="5" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;We have a lot of oak trees and I have noticed that the azaleas, blueberries and raspberries we have grown in our yard seem to do really well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, you have acid soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;With landscaping I am still learning what acidic and alkaline mean in terms of effects with the yard, and what grows best where (like the patches of moss I have).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Acid soil simply means you have a lot of hydrogen cations (H+) in the soil.  Patches of moss indicate acid soil as well, and it isn't because of the acidity... its because of the lack of mineral nutrients (Ca++, Mg++, K+) versus available H+ which means ONLY moss will grow there.  If the area were dryer, then not even moss could survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I was wondering if its useful to use wood ash from the limbs and branches I sometimes burn to target certain areas and help improve my lawn. I am planning on adding it to the composter and in the garden plot in the fall (I already missed my spring additions), is this a useful idea or will I make things worse?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using ashes to improve your lawn is a great idea.  In addition to that, I would apply lime as well.  Its cheap.  Keep the ash and lime away from the blueberries and other plants you mentioned.  Those &quot;acid-loving&quot; plants like the magnesium in epsom salts.  Use ash and lime for protein rich plants like grass and legumes or apple and especially pear trees (which love calcium).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oak wood ash has an elemental composition of roughly 30% Ca, 10% K, 5% Mg by weight. PDF Article: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf1993/misra93a.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wood Ash Composition As A Function Of Furnace Temperature&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Though, these elements are found in the forms of Ca(CO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;), K&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;Ca(CO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;)&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, Ca(OH)&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, which are all alkaline.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't see any gain from using ash in compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="2441" LastEditDate="2013-09-09T19:25:46.940" LastActivityDate="2013-09-09T19:25:46.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7741" CreationDate="2013-06-22T16:29:24.717" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgyia_antiqua&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Vapourer moth&lt;/a&gt; larvae - they feed on fruit foliage and fruitlets, so you might want to get rid of them from your strawberries. Best to pick them off when you see them, though there's probably a pesticide spray suitable for use on fruit and veg that'll do the job if you really want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-11T04:00:01.517" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T04:00:01.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7748" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-22T16:30:37.470" Score="3" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to raise the soil level around my 8 month old Japanese maple.  I need to raise it by about 4 inches.  will this cause the tree any shock or worse, death?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2409" LastActivityDate="2013-06-22T16:58:06.820" Title="Japanese Maple soil level increase" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2013-06-25T14:23:52.620" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7749" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7748" CreationDate="2013-06-22T16:58:06.820" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;For outdoor living trees raising the soil level 4 inches over the entire root area which extends out to the edge of the drip line will usually kill a plant.  See this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7244/raising-soil-level-around-tree?rq=1&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; and this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4290/raised-bed-around-tree-do-i-need-to-protect-the-trunk?rq=1&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; for more explanation. Trees exchange air through their roots and they cannot do so if the soil is suddenly raised.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For indoor or potted plants you will be better off to remove from the pot and add the soil at the bottom of the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-06-22T16:58:06.820" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7750" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7754" CreationDate="2013-06-23T10:08:16.930" Score="9" ViewCount="10192" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a new house and I'm trying to get the garden in order.  It has an apple tree which has lots of low branches and appears generally neglected.  Some of the leaves are silvery and look ill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It blossomed in late May and, now in late June has started producing some pathetic looking fruit. Is it ok to start pruning now? If so, how much should I prune? Below is how the tree looked in May:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WJaPR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Apple Tree in May&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to at least remove the low branches and ideally the high branch coming in from the left. Should I wait until winter or is it safe to do now/summer without damaging the tree? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2412" LastEditorUserId="2412" LastEditDate="2013-06-23T13:53:18.927" LastActivityDate="2013-06-23T21:34:03.167" Title="When is it ok to prune an overgrown apple tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7750" CreationDate="2013-06-23T13:51:58.690" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first question is whether the tree is worth saving.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is it located in a good position? Not too near the house, not where dropping fruit hits something like a car, where it gets good light.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is it an apple tree or a crab apple tree? If you do not use crab apples and it would years of work to bring it back to a productive size then it may not be worth the work.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;does it have insects or disease present? If it does this does not mean you cannot rejuvenate it but it does mean more work.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what reduction in height is required? If the tree is thirty feet tall you can bring it down to twenty feet in three years but then you are still using a ladder to harvest and prune and special equipment to spray&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;are the main limbs structurally sound?  If there are cracks in the limbs or the branches do not look like they will support a load of fruit then it may not be worth saving.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;are you prepared to invest the time? Typical yearly tasks are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;- prune the tree in winter&#xA;- spray with dormant oil in the spring&#xA;- harvest in the fall&#xA;- store your apples somewhere cool or dry or process them&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can buy a dwarf apple tree that will never get more than six or ten feet tall that crops a known variety and will probably be less work than trying to bring an overgrown tree down to a height you can work with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you still want to invest the time in your existing tree this is what you can do now in summer time:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove all sucker growth from the base of the tree by pulling not cutting.  (cutting encourages regrowth)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove broken and crossing branches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove all other shrubs and trees that are competing for light and water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Late winter is the preferred time to start rejuvenation pruning.  You can see the structure better and the tree is dormant so your cuts will not encourage sucker growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How to do rejuvenation pruning is another question but is covered in some detail &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/plants/gardening/fphg/pome/pruning/pruning-a-special-case-renovating-old-fruit-trees&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?A=2723&amp;amp;Q=325958&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dakotagardener.com/stories/overgrownapple.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: now I've seen the picture it does not look that overgrown. The location seems good but you should still wait to do pruning till late winter.  If you prune now you will encourage growth that you will be cutting back later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Rob wants to know if he should remove the low hanging branches. This depends on what your goal is.  If you want to be able to harvest fruit without using a ladder you should work on removing the highest branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree with Randy that you can prune in mid summer but I don't see that the tree is so out of shape that you have to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-06-23T21:34:03.167" LastActivityDate="2013-06-23T21:34:03.167" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7752" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-23T14:10:36.793" Score="2" ViewCount="381" Body="&lt;p&gt;My husband recently purchased this without a tag at our local nursey. We think it's some kind of cabbage plant perhaps a variant of cauliflower. Anyone know what this is?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://postimg.org/image/nmsipq6ip/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://postimg.org/image/nmsipq6ip/&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9v4fm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2413" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2013-06-24T11:51:43.707" LastActivityDate="2013-06-24T11:51:43.707" Title="What is this cauliflower-like vegetable?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cauliflower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7753" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7755" CreationDate="2013-06-23T18:20:12.707" Score="1" ViewCount="239" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our patio is square with 8 foot sides.  For added privacy I was thinking about installing bamboo fencing on both sides and leaving the front open.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I came across bamboo material similar to this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B003BPP2MC&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sample Bamboo Fencing&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is how would I secure this in the ground?  I'm assuming fence posts but how big and how many?  Also, how would you secure the bamboo to the fence posts?  Is there any other secure method I could use without using concrete?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2414" LastActivityDate="2013-06-24T10:48:06.403" Title="Installing bamboo fencing" Tags="&lt;fence&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7754" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7750" CreationDate="2013-06-23T19:56:43.970" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Summer is the time to remove vigorous growth and keep the tree to a manageable size.  Winter is the time to structurally prune and to stimulate lots of new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Say, for instance, you have a tree with 5 branches.  In winter, the sap moves down out of the 5 branches.  Then you cut 3 of the branches away.  In spring, when the sap rises, it will be looking for those 3 branches, which aren't there, so the tree will send out lots of new growth.  If, instead, you remove the branches in summer, you're removing the sap with the branch; therefore, won't stimulate as much vigorous growth next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-When pruning, be sure to use clean tools.  Apply bleach or some disinfectant to blades to kill fungi and bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-Be sure to cut correctly.  Cut limbs to the collar, but not into it.  Don't leave a stub to rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-Prune to a bud facing the direction you want a new limb to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-Don't prune when rain is certain.  Wet conditions are conducive to disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, with apple trees, its important to thin the fruit in the first 6 weeks of fruit formation or there won't be much fruit the following year.  You should thin the fruit to 6 inches or so between apples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a video that will alleviate your fears of summer pruning fruit trees: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ6isBVPcpc&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ6isBVPcpc&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another video concerning winter vs summer pruning: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZQfbGlzz90&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZQfbGlzz90&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some kinds of tree you don't want to cut on in certain months and in certain areas of the country (world).  For instance I won't make cuts on pine trees when its warm enough for insects to be about for fear of the Southern Pine Borer, which could wipe out acres of pine trees.  I hate to cut an oak in summer for fear of attracting insects.  You should research the tree you want to prune and be aware of the insects in your area which could attack a wounded tree.  Additionally, fruit trees are cheap and easy to replace.  Large oak trees are not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-06-23T19:56:43.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7753" CreationDate="2013-06-23T21:48:09.540" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seeing as you do not have a lot of weight to support but you need to keep the bamboo off the ground to prevent rotting you could try some of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hooverfence.com/catalog/hardware/oz-post/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;the newer fence posts&lt;/a&gt; that are metal spikes that you hammer into the ground.  Slot a four by four into the post, add a two by four stringer parallel to the ground to support the bamboo then all you have to do is wire the bamboo to the fence posts.  This is  somewhat removable and reusable if you use screws for the stringer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit I made a stair rail using these posts and found the only problem is that the spike can twist or rotate as you hammer it in making it difficult to get a good fit for the stringer. Care when installing can take care of this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-06-24T10:48:06.403" LastActivityDate="2013-06-24T10:48:06.403" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7756" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-23T21:58:58.917" Score="0" ViewCount="1676" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two issues in my yard but both are centered around the same question.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If a neighbor has a tree, vines, weeds, whatever - that they are not taking care of and these things are constantly creeping in my yard what can I do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Example #1 - Left side neighbor - Has a 50 foot run of just weeds and vines.  These things can look like a jungle in a couple weeks.  Also there is poison ivy/oak growing inside this.  The neighbors don't care and I am constantly keeping the poison ivy and vines out of my yard.  If I let it go for a few weeks they are attacking my walnut tree about 10 feet from property line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Example #2 - Back of the yard has a chain link fence.  Not totally sure who owns the fence since it it shared.  But the owner has let thick vines and trees grow in the fence from their side and basically ruined the fence - good 100 foot section.  Again we have issues here with poison ivy and have a hard time keeping it clean because so much of the stuff is starting in neighbor's yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2189" LastActivityDate="2013-06-24T15:49:12.617" Title="Who owns taking care of neighbor's lawn creepage?" Tags="&lt;poison-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2013-06-25T14:24:02.857" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7759" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7756" CreationDate="2013-06-24T02:22:34.437" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is more of a legal question, which depends where you live.  I have the understanding that if something hangs into your yard, you have the right to do with it as you wish (cut it off, leave it).  What neighbors are growing and how it affects you is probably for a judge to decide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good solution may be to take a peace offering to your neighbors (beer, a pie, some KFC, whatever) and explain how you see things.  You won't be able to convince then to do proper maintenance, but you will make friends and they may let you take more aggressive action on the problem that exists in their yard (weed killing chemicals, drastic pruning, etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can't make someone care, who doesn't, but you can probaby reach an understanding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-06-24T02:22:34.437" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7761" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-24T03:57:16.207" Score="13" ViewCount="6285" Body="&lt;p&gt;Everyone says &quot;deep and infrequent&quot; when describing how to water a lawn, but is there evidence to back up this suggestion?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can expound on this several ways:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Why would one want deep roots if one has to water so much to get water to the roots?  Wouldn't a lawn with shallow roots then be easier to maintain, since not as much water is needed to get to the roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1a) If the answer to the above question is to develop a lawn that is drought resistant, then why is there a need to water deeply in non-drought weather?  If there is water down there in droughts (otherwise, why train roots to grow deeply), certainly there would be water down there in non-droughts... and if there is already water down there... why water deeply?  Wouldn't one just be forcing the water that is already deep, even deeper?  Isn't that a waste of water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) Oak trees are very deep-rooted plants, yet the vast majority of roots are in the top 6 inches of soil... Even trees that are 100s of years old.  If the roots of oak trees haven't managed to figure out that they should grow deeply in 100 years, how then can grass be expected to?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) I am under the impression roots will grow because that's what roots do, like plants themselves.  They grow and press onwards.  How is starving them from water, then flooding them with water going to make them grow any better?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;4) I am also under the impression that roots grow to find phosphorus, which is immobile in the soil.  Wouldn't it logically follow then that roots will grow as deep as they need to in order to find the P they want?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;5) Areas of the country (US) where grass grows best (naturally), have rainfall around 20-30 inches annually.  Areas of the country having rainfall in excess of 50 inches annually, grass doesn't grow so well and trees dominate.  25 inches a year is 1/2 inch a week.  That doesn't sound very deep to me.  Additionally, many of those areas where grass grows naturally well, have drizzly weather.  Areas getting 50+ inches, have monsterous storms with flooding downpours, while remaining sunny most of the time.  Clearly, mothernature is not adhering to the &quot;deep and infrequent&quot; rule concerning her watering of the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, is there evidence to back up the &quot;deep and infrequent&quot; suggestion?  Personally, as a human, I would like a sip every now n then rather than go all day and be force-fed a gallon of water in hopes of developing some resistance to dehydration.  It doesn't seem like biology can be coaxed that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update to illustrate the popularity of the &quot;deep and infrequent&quot; belief:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/lawn-garden/the-smarter-way-to-water-your-lawn#slide-5&quot;&gt;http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/lawn-garden/the-smarter-way-to-water-your-lawn#slide-5&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Too much watering can lead to fungus and a shallow root system; fewer waterings encourage the roots to grow deeper. &quot;You want to train the roots to go down deep into the soil,&quot; he says. &quot;I'm telling my customers if you're going to water, water every three to seven days once we hit summer. &lt;strong&gt;Water deeply and water infrequently.&lt;/strong&gt;&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUubjlAuIk0&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUubjlAuIk0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;1 inch per week.  Deep and infrequent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This site &lt;a href=&quot;http://average-rainfall-cities.findthedata.org/d/d/Kansas&quot;&gt;http://average-rainfall-cities.findthedata.org/d/d/Kansas&lt;/a&gt;  says kansas gets 20-35 inches annually.  1 inch per week is 50 inches.  So, according to this, Kansas should be a desert?  It just doesn't add up.  Kansas is part of the virgin grasslands called prairies &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie&lt;/a&gt;  Grass grows quite well naturally in Kansas with only 20 inches per year.  When rainfall increases to 50 inches in other parts of the country, we have coniferous forests develop instead of grasslands.  Why is that?  It isn't that grass doesn't like the water... its that the &lt;strong&gt;water washes away the nutrients grass needs to make proteins.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If we start in Kansas with 20-35 inches of annual rainfall and kansas having predominantly grasslands, then move east into Missouri, which has 40-45 inches of rainfall &lt;a href=&quot;http://average-rainfall-cities.findthedata.org/d/d/Missouri&quot;&gt;http://average-rainfall-cities.findthedata.org/d/d/Missouri&lt;/a&gt; we start to see more trees on the sat maps.  Move farther east into KY (45-50 inches) and TN (50-55 inches), we see more trees and much less grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This was the principle observation of Dr. William Albrecht on the health of animals.&lt;/strong&gt;  Places that get too much rain, protein-rich things (grasses, grains) don't grow.  The soil is overly weathered, which causes the soil particles to breakdown and lose cation adsorption capacity.  Plus, nutrients are washed away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;William A. Albrecht (1888–1974) PhD, Chairman of the Department of Soils at the University of Missouri, was the foremost authority on the relation of soil fertility to human health and earned four degrees from the University of Illinois. As emeritus Professor of Soils at the University of Missouri he saw a direct link between soil quality, food quality and human health &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Albrecht&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Albrecht&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to the &quot;foremost authority on soils&quot;, if you want grass to grow, you don't want more than 25 inches of rain annually... or less either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's another one saying 1 inch of water &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB1wxn7H6TM&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB1wxn7H6TM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finding someone who &lt;strong&gt;doesn't&lt;/strong&gt; say 1 inch of water and &quot;deep and infrequent&quot; is quite a challenge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="2404" LastEditDate="2013-06-26T10:38:28.603" LastActivityDate="2017-05-26T00:53:42.730" Title="Is there evidence that a deeply watered lawn will develop deeper roots?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7761" CreationDate="2013-06-24T04:49:24.450" Score="3" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Why would one want deep roots if one has to water so much to get water to the roots? Wouldn't a lawn with shallow roots then be easier to maintain, since not as much water is needed to get to the roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shallow roots need more water as they have to be watered much more frequently. They also are much more susceptible to browning quicker in times of drought. Deeper roots = healthier plant with more stored up water/nutrients. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;1a) If the answer to the above question is to develop a lawn that is drought resistant, then why is there a need to water deeply in non-drought weather?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To keep the roots long. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If there is water down there in droughts...certainly there would be water down there in non-droughts&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The water doesn't 'stay' there in perpetuity. You still need to replenish it. It's just that more water will stay there longer, hence the less frequent need to water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;2) Oak trees are very deep-rooted plants, yet the vast majority of roots are in the top 6 inches of soil... Even trees that are 100s of years old. If the roots of oak trees haven't managed to figure out that they should grow deeply in 100 years, how then can grass be expected to?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're comparing trees to grass. Very different organisms. But if you are curious about Oak trees, they do have very deep roots (tap roots) that do find water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;3) I am under the impression roots will grow because that's what roots do, like plants themselves. They grow and press onwards. How is starving them from water, then flooding them with water going to make them grow any better?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're not 'starving' them. You're simply leading them in a particular direction (down, as that's where the moisture will be in an infrequent watering). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;4) I am also under the impression that roots grow to find phosphorus&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't answer that one. Someone with more knowledge hopefully can. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;5) Areas of the country (US) where grass grows best (naturally), have rainfall around 20-30 inches annually. Areas of the country having rainfall in excess of 50 inches annually, grass doesn't grow so well and trees dominate. 25 inches a year is 1/2 inch a week. That doesn't sound very deep to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rarely does rain fall 1/2 inch regularly each week. ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind you're comparing natural moisture to artificial. For the most part, lawns are purely artificial creations. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Clearly, mothernature is not adhering to the &quot;deep and infrequent&quot; rule concerning her watering of the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, if mother nature can 'drizzle' daily, grass obviously enjoys it. To do it artificially, however, wastes a great deal of water. And since shallow rooted grass is most susceptible in times of drought, you're now wasting water in a time of drought...not a great combination. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Personally, as a human&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We also breath oxygen. We're very different organisms than grass. ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2013-06-24T04:49:24.450" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7763" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7752" CreationDate="2013-06-24T05:05:58.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like romanesco broccolli to me, and it is delicious! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-06-24T05:05:58.613" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7764" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7756" CreationDate="2013-06-24T15:49:12.617" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't bat one eye spraying all of it (even not in my yard) with a mass chemical killer.  If they don't care, I wouldn't care about making the upset.  That's my 2 cents.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2013-06-24T15:49:12.617" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7761" CreationDate="2013-06-24T18:35:55.390" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, you haven't said what kind of lawn you're talking about, but assuming you mean turf/sods, then they don't put down really deep roots anyway. If you want to prove that for yourself, lift out some turves from your own lawn by using a turf spade, or a half moon edger - you'll find you can get a turf up with a depth of about 2 inches, complete with roots, although that turf would need to be laid somewhere friable so that it can then root in a bit deeper. As for watering infrequently but 'deeply' that's not advice I've ever heard regarding lawns - a newly laid lawn of turves needs frequent watering for the first six weeks if the weather is dry. After that it should be fine without any at all (in temperate zones), other than dew or rain, although it's fair to say it will be in much better condition if it doesn't suffer drought, and that applies to mature lawns too. In drought, it may go completely brown, but usually recovers when rain arrives, though it may then be invaded by unwelcome guests such as moss/weeds because of being in drought previously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-06-24T18:35:55.390" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7768" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5398" CreationDate="2013-06-25T11:09:30.680" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming you live in America. I've just done some quick Googling (which, perhaps, you also did). I think your chainsaw is made by Poulan, of the type Woodshark model number 1975. Is this correct?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sears Parts Direct seems to offer chain saw parts &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/part-model/Poulan-Parts/Chainsaw-Parts/Model-1975LETYPE1/1324/1503220/P0803107/00001?blt=06&amp;amp;prst=&amp;amp;shdMod=&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;for sale&lt;/a&gt;. You can pick the right parts from their exploded-out diagrams.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2398" LastActivityDate="2013-06-25T11:09:30.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7769" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7770" CreationDate="2013-06-25T12:06:01.350" Score="5" ViewCount="1985" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have fruit trees that I spray with Imidan and Captan.  I try to do this during dry spells, but often the weather will change or my only opportunity to spray is right before rain is expected.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will these chemicals last through a soft rain, hard rain or no rain?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1053" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T21:19:15.850" Title="Is Imidan and/or Captan on fruit trees resilient to rain?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;rain&gt;&lt;chemicals&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7770" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7769" CreationDate="2013-06-25T14:48:32.740" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the Imidan, I've pulled up the label. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gowanco.com/Document.aspx?id=50&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Reading carefully&lt;/a&gt;, there is no mention of rain for it's use on fruit trees. For deciduous trees it mentions not to spray if the leaves won't be able to dry before the rain falls. While that does not appear to be required for your fruit tree application, I'd go ahead and make sure they have enough time to dry anyways as you don't want your chemical to wash off in the rain and be wasted or worse run off into your ground water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also pulled up several fact sheets for Captan, and while I can't judge it's effectiveness, it is a water soluble powder which means it will likely be of reduced effectiveness if it rains immediately after application because it will be washed off the leaves before it can be fully absorbed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2013-06-25T14:48:32.740" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7771" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3052" CreationDate="2013-06-25T17:01:21.653" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had incredible luck several years ago with an avocado plant at my work.  The window I sat next to faced south, and it lived for about 3 years.  It was very bush-like, as I consistently pruned it to keep it from getting too tall and lanky.  The last time I had counted its leaves, there were over 200!  Sadly, one winter, it died as our weather was incredibly dark and gray for too long (Seattle).  Just stay diligent with the pruning.  If a new shoot starts up where you had cut, cut that shoot, too, or as you see fit.  That's what I did, allowing the lower shoots to remain to give it a fuller look.  Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2422" LastActivityDate="2013-06-25T17:01:21.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7772" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7795" CreationDate="2013-06-25T19:02:59.167" Score="8" ViewCount="172" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a spot picked out for a compost heap but it is currently bricked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any benefit to waiting till I can clear it or should I start composting right away?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2412" LastActivityDate="2013-06-27T06:32:30.953" Title="Does a compost heap benefit from being on clear soil vs solid ground?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7773" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2654" CreationDate="2013-06-25T21:30:38.043" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;ID is usually carried out by the overall size of the plant, the shape and colour of the leaves, whether the flowers trail or not, and whether the flowers are single, semi double, double, frilled, star, bicolour, multicolour or geneva. Leaves can be serrated, lance, holly, spoon, or variegated, and in terms of plant size, they're graded as micro miniature, miniature, semi miniature, standard and large. In other words, it's a complicated business, deciding exactly which plant you've got, and the African Violet Society of America states it's almost impossible to decide which variety an unlabelled plant really is, though you can probably hazard a guess by looking at pics of different varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-06-25T21:41:36.787" LastActivityDate="2013-06-25T21:41:36.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7774" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7772" CreationDate="2013-06-26T00:56:08.130" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, there is probably no benefit to the compost heap either way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, there may be a great benefit to the soil should you relocate your compost heap to a new location as a lot of the goodness from the compost heap will have leached into the soil and that path would now be a great place to plant a tree or any other vegetation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bricks might be stained by what you put in the compost and, again, if you were to move the compost it might not be possible to clean the bricks or use them again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2013-06-26T00:56:08.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7775" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6" CreationDate="2013-06-26T01:59:10.153" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This question is a little old (2 years at this writing), but it has been viewed over 1400 times and I think I can add to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tulip tree is a VERY tall and straight tree.  It doesn't sprawl out much and wouldn't be much of a shadetree.  It is wood the native Americans used to build canoes.  It can reach over 150ft tall.  You don't want a tulip tree in a neighborhood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Willow is nice, but its roots will almost certainly end up in some pipes if planted near a house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maples are an intermediate tree.  On a bare piece of land, you have weeds and brambles growing first, then maples and the like take over, and finally the slower growing oaks and hickories catch up and define a mature forest which shades out all the maples.  Oaks are top of the line in the east.  For this reason, I prefer oaks as shade trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would recommend willow oak.  Its my standard recommendation for anyone looking for a shade tree.  It is strong wood that won't break easily in a storm.  It shades lightly, so the grass will still grow under it, but it keeps your house cool.  It grows very fast for an oak and can put on 2ft each year in the beginning.  It will have sprawling branches from which you can hang swings.  It is tolerant of floods and drought.  It doesn't mind root compaction.  Its roots tend to stay under the ground rather than pop up like the silver maple.  And it won't get 150ft tall like the Tulip tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The Willow oak is one of the most popular trees for horticultural planting, due to its rapid growth, hardiness, balance between axial and radial dominance, ability to withstand both sun and shade, light green leaf color and full crown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_phellos&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_phellos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only downside to willow oak is the size and shape of the leaves.  They're small, so they fit nicely between blades of grass, making them hard to rake or blow with a leafblower.  Not an issue if you mulch mow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-06-26T01:59:10.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7776" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5374" CreationDate="2013-06-26T02:14:51.013" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This question has not been answered fully:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;How does fertilizer that is not soluble in water get absorbed by the root system of a plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A company would have to work pretty hard to find a way to make the N component insoluble in water (apart from sulfur coatings, which is done to make a slow release N, yet the NO3 or NH4 components are still soluble in water after the S is gone).  Also, the cheapest potassium and most popular K compound in fertilzers is KCl (potasium chloride), which is salt that is fairly soluble in water like NaCl (table salt).  So the only component of fertilizer that isn't soluble is phosphorus, which is because in the cheapest form, its a rock.  Rocks don't dissolve in water.  Even other compounds of phosphate dissolve only minimally in water.  So how do roots take up something that won't dissolve into the soil solution?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Acids in the soil break them down.  Rain and decaying organics contribute to the acidity of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lime and sea shells are calcium carbonate.  Obviously, sea shells don't dissolve in water, yet we use them to add calcium to our soils.  Acids in the soil solution or in the rain break them down over time and allow the Ca to be taken up by roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-06-26T02:14:51.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7777" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7772" CreationDate="2013-06-26T02:23:57.333" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you mean is there a benefit for compost being on top of soil vs being on top of bricks or concrete?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you put the compost pile on soil, you will have earthworms in your compost, which is considered a good thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you put the pile on bricks, I can't see how the worms would get into the compost unless you put them there... or by magic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, people use special bins or compost tumblers all the time, so maybe it doesn't matter either way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Start composting now and when you feel like moving the bricks, move the pile and move the bricks, then put the pile back.  The sooner you start composting, the sooner you can use the compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-06-26T02:23:57.333" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7778" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7769" CreationDate="2013-06-26T02:38:37.160" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Captan isn't going to hang around anyway, rain or shine:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What happens to captan outdoors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The half-life of captan in soil ranges from less than 1 to 10 days (1, 9). See Half-life box.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Captan’s half-life on plants ranges from 3 to 13 days (1).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The half-life of captan is less than one day in water (1).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Captan is stationary to slightly mobile in various soils (1).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/captangen.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/captangen.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For Imidan:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This pesticide is toxic to fish and wildlife. For terrestrial uses, do not apply directly to water, to areas where surface water is present or to intertidal areas below the mean high water mark. Do not contaminate water by cleaning of equipment or disposal of wastes. Drift and runoff from treated areas may be hazardous to aquatic organisms in adjacent aquatic sites. This product is toxic to bees exposed to direct treatment. Do not apply this product while bees are actively visiting the treatment area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/programs/xmas/pesticides/labels/Imidan-msds.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/programs/xmas/pesticides/labels/Imidan-msds.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seems to me that water does not reduce its effectiveness, though it may not stay where you put it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-06-26T02:38:37.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7780" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-26T04:40:50.647" Score="8" ViewCount="589" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a boring grey northwest-facing-with-southwest-exposure concrete wall on my balcony, outdoors, in Vancouver BC, that I would like to turn into a lush wall of bamboo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have one container whose inside dimensions are 14cm × 81cm × 43cm deep (5½″ × 32″ × 17″ deep). The inside of it has been prepared with landscaping fabric, and the bottom is lined with metal cans to promote drainage and prevent rot. Holes in the bottom of the container permit water to escape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vancouver does not get very cold in the winter (&lt;a href=&quot;http://vancouver.weatherstats.ca/charts/temperature-1year.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;temperature history&lt;/a&gt;), and these plants will enjoy heat emanating from the building walls, all year round.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This balcony is an alcove, rather than something that hangs off the side of the building. Sheltered, it experiences low winds. The building is concrete, and I would rate the load capacity of the balcony as functionally unlimited. There is a drain in the balcony floor for water runoff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ghmH4l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Which variety would you plant to grow a thick, tall screen?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How would you prepare the growing medium?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2426" LastEditorUserId="2426" LastEditDate="2013-06-28T18:25:36.953" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T21:17:47.203" Title="What bamboo species for a container-bound green wall?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;&lt;privacy-plants&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7781" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7553" CreationDate="2013-06-26T13:06:27.667" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you have a lawn or individual plants in the back? &#xA;In L.A. you will certainly need to water almost anything you want to keep alive. If you have individual plants, a drip watering system is the way to go.&#xA;If you have lawns, there are workable options. There are timers that screw onto a faucet outlet and have a threaded connection for a hose. One simple option is an old-style moving sprinkler -- the ones at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.garden-sprinklers.co.uk/enter.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.garden-sprinklers.co.uk/enter.html&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orbitonline.com/products/Sprinklers/01/10/20/1803/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.orbitonline.com/products/Sprinklers/01/10/20/1803/&lt;/a&gt; seem like the ones I remember as a teenager that we used to water a large lawn, although I cannot vouch for these sites. If you use one like these, just remember to occasionally move the hose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2424" LastActivityDate="2013-06-26T13:06:27.667" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7782" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7618" CreationDate="2013-06-26T15:42:00.737" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cilantro anywhere, I've found (California, Colorado, Ontario), grows best in &quot;patches&quot;, rather than a few plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing cilantro as a few plants, no matter where you are, will result in those plants bolting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you grow a thick dense patch, the plants grow slowly keeping each other from bolting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To grow the patch, I usually throw down seed so the plants can grow less than 2&quot; apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could even plant the patch in a somewhat shady spot to further prevent the plants from bolting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2427" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-26T19:37:08.593" LastActivityDate="2013-06-26T19:37:08.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7783" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4890" CreationDate="2013-06-26T18:45:21.043" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;a: safety features&#xA;B: battery life&#xA;C: safety features&#xA;...&#xA;Z: intelligence and adaptability in mowing&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-- and if your yard is not fenced to keep little kids out don't even think of trying a robotic lawn mower because it is hard to believe how brilliant kids can be at doing unbelievably stupid things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2424" LastActivityDate="2013-06-26T18:45:21.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7784" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7655" CreationDate="2013-06-26T18:58:44.030" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a parent, I can see the reason for your concern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Radon is a radioactive gas. While a bit could be released by landscape work, any radon gas would be in the open and therefore readily disbursed. The only potential problem would be if the area you worked sloped down to the air intakes for basement ventilation and if you are in an area that rarely has wind: radon is a very heavy gas, and if there is no air movement it could concentrate in a low spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember that if radon is found in a basement the treatment is increased ventalation. Your backyard has lots of ventilation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2424" LastActivityDate="2013-06-26T18:58:44.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4762" CreationDate="2013-06-26T19:06:08.647" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to take pictures with a camera in &quot;macro&quot; mode for anyone to be able to see the beasties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A praying mantis has legs, not tentacles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If these are the discarded shells after molting, they will be empty and hollow, but this seems very unlikely -- newly hatched ones would be hungry and move away in search of food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid you need to try again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try lady bugs; they also eat aphids but arrive already hatched, active, and hungry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2424" LastActivityDate="2013-06-26T19:06:08.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7786" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7349" CreationDate="2013-06-26T19:12:26.897" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot; It is a medium- to high-maintenance grass that forms a thick, carpetlike sod, crowding out most weeds and other grasses. &lt;em&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/em&gt;&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The advantages:&#xA; Thick sod&#xA; Crowds out most weeds and other grasses&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Disadvantage: &#xA; Maintenance&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2424" LastActivityDate="2013-06-26T19:12:26.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7787" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7788" CreationDate="2013-06-26T19:33:39.910" Score="3" ViewCount="720" Body="&lt;p&gt;With little kids in the Indianapolis yard, I want to make sure this vine is safe. You can see what the leaf looks like and what the vine looks like in the photos below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click either photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sDo05.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sDo05m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; title=&quot;Lobed leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qpy2K.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qpy2Km.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; title=&quot;Vine with single leaves and tendrils&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2424" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-26T19:46:50.147" LastActivityDate="2020-10-02T16:39:25.220" Title="Can anyone identify this vine?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7788" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7787" CreationDate="2013-06-26T19:59:54.290" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have a grapevine. Perfectly safe. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-06-26T19:59:54.290" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7789" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-26T20:01:23.820" Score="2" ViewCount="3143" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a newbie polytunneler in NW Ireland. I have been amazed at the prolific growth of almost everything we planted. Having read the questions on the height of runner beans, is the prolific leaf growth on cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage detrimental to the vegetables we wish to harvest?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2429" LastEditorUserId="2512" LastEditDate="2013-07-27T19:15:46.607" LastActivityDate="2013-07-27T19:15:46.607" Title="Is excess leaf growth on cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage a bad thing?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7790" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7789" CreationDate="2013-06-26T20:34:28.797" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;On cabbage, I would never consider excesive leaf growth bad, since it's the leaves you are eating in the end.  The more leaves, the larger the head will be.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On broccoli and cauliflower, I wouldn't consider it a bad thing either, even though you aren't eating the leaves.  The plant is getting plenty of nutrients, and growing like it should.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2353" LastActivityDate="2013-06-26T20:34:28.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7791" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-27T01:19:01.290" Score="9" ViewCount="3610" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have four chilli plants (Cayenne F1's) that I bought from a garden centre as seedlings back in April (I am in Scotland). When I say seedlings these plants were in tiny seedling growers and started life in my house as 4-6cm seedlings with a stalk and a leaf or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I transplanted all four into a large pot (in a mix of garden earth and garden centre compost) and to my amazement they started to grow to the point where I think they were competing for nutrients. The said &quot;large pot&quot; is in photograph #1 below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tonight I decided to separate all four plants and plant them in their own pots (approx 15cm x 15cm). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In each pot I used a mix of their original earth/compost mix and then topped up with a general purpose &quot;multi-purpose&quot; compost. I then watered each pot with 0.5L of water mixed with a teaspoon of &quot;phostrogen&quot; plant food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following photographs are the outcome of my transplant exercise:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant#1 - this seems to be the strongest of the plants - lots of flowers, started producing fruit (I've harvested a few which is why it looks barren):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jbm9J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant#2 - this was the second strongest looking plant - a fair number of flowers and has begun producing fruit:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r5A3r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant #3 - not a lot of flowers but has produced a couple of fruits&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Qq2V.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant #4 - this fella was the runt of the litter in the shared pot and despite me rotating the pot daily to make sure it got a fair share of sunlight, it looks a bit bent out of shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CpRam.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my first major horticultural adventure. The last thing I grew was cress back in  primary school when I was five years old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants are growing on my kitchen window-sill (inside, not outside) in Scotland. My kitchen window is south facing so I get good sun from around 11am right through until 9pm in the evening. The windows are closed all the time and there are no draughts. We're having a very nice summer so far in central Scotland with outside temperatures in the mid 20's (ambient) and the kitchen is quite warm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have some questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do these plants look &quot;normal&quot; and are they stuck at their pre-transplant growing size/flowering potential?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I read somewhere that chilli plants need some kind of manual pollination. I've been transferring pollen from the flowers with my little finger from on flower to another. Is this necessary for every bunch of flowers that appear?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am new to growing plants that fruit, am I doing the right thing?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Was I too late in separating the plants into their own pots?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="478" LastEditorUserId="478" LastEditDate="2013-06-27T03:40:41.690" LastActivityDate="2013-06-28T20:44:40.430" Title="Am I doing the right thing with my chilli plants?" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7792" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7789" CreationDate="2013-06-27T01:59:53.103" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Thomas, but there is a school of thought that removing leaves, leaves more nutrients for fruit (edible parts).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read a forum where people were arguing whether a pruned or unpruned tomato plants were better.  The argument ended with the statement that the world record total weight of fruit produced was grown on an unpruned plant.  The statement wasn't challenged, and since it jived with my current thinking, I accepted it as fact without further research.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, thinning the fruit will produce bigger remaining fruit, but I don't see why removing leaves would.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So after I typed all this, I decided to do just a quick search because I hate to say something that is just my opinion without some proof to contribute... I found this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fresh market tomatoes were evaluated at the Pinney-Purdue Agricultural Center in Wanatah, Indiana. Nine beefsteak types and one roma type were evaluated in a replicated trial. Plants were grown with and without pruning to evaluate pruning effects on yield and fruit quality.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning made a large difference in No. 1 yield, total yield and fruit size (Tables 1 and 2). Averaged over all beefsteak cultivars, pruning reduced yield of No. 1 fruit and total yield by 38%, and increased fruit size by 25% (Table 1). Last year results were similar: No. 1 yield was reduced by 40% and fruit size increased by 19%.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Results for additional pruning treatments on Mt. Spring, SunChief, and Mt. Fresh, are shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Yield of No. 1 fruit as well as total yield was greater for unpruned plants than for pruned plants (Fig. 1). The heavier the pruning, the less yield. &lt;strong&gt;On average, for each branch left on the plant, No. 1 yield increased by 1.75 lb.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1043&amp;amp;context=fvtrials&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1043&amp;amp;context=fvtrials&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Effectively, by pruning a tomato plant, you're removing fruit (thinning fruit) before it develops.  So this would fall into the thinning category, not removal of just leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot find evidence that removal of leaves will affect yield either way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-06-27T01:59:53.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7793" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7599" CreationDate="2013-06-27T05:34:31.883" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally, yellowing of new leaves would be lack of iron or sulfur.  Yellowing of old leaves would be lack of nitrogen (since N is mobile in the plant).  Yellowing of the entire plant could be iron, or it could simply be over or underwatered.  If you have reason to believe its iron deficiency, you could apply ferrous sulphate, which is water soluble and goes to work right away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-06-27T05:34:31.883" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7791" CreationDate="2013-06-27T06:20:04.963" Score="6" Body="&lt;h2&gt;General observations&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They all look normal enough and if they have grown that large from starters and have fruited then they must be happy with where you have them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing I would suggest by looking at your pictures, the plants don't look to be supported enough. Chilli plants have lots of branches that branch out from the base and continue to branch upwards. I'm not clever enough to explain it here, but I hope you can understand by looking at the plants how it is branching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have two options to get the support right. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Option 1: You can build or buy a plant support that will allow you to tie and support the side branches. Plants will grow with much more vigor and can support larger fruit if they are better supported. This also improves access to light and air for individual leaves / branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Option 2: Use a long single stake and then encourage your plant to grow vertically first so it then can support a bushy top. The end result is about 30 - 50cm stalk and then self supported growth on top of that. Begin by selecting the most appropriate main branch line (strongest and straightest) and remove side branching lines so that growth will go into the main branch. Then continue to prune as appropriate until you have the right structure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main problem you have currently, I see most of you plants have two main growth paths and only one is supported.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Pollination&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The thing about pollination is you can easily tell by sight with this size plant how things are going. Are the flowers coming but not bearing fruit? Then you have a pollination issue, but if you are getting 80% growing and you are satisfied with the amount and size you are getting then continue to do what you are doing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many plants can be hand pollinated so if this is working then keep doing it. If the plants are bearing fruit without your assistance then no need to worry. Experiment to see how it goes without you doing anything. Maybe try hand pollination with one and not with another and see your results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you find using your finger is a bit finicky you can try using a small clean paint brush to transfer the pollen. It is usually quick and easy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regards to transferring the plants, it's only too late if plants begin to go into shock and are already on their way to dying, which doesn't look like the case here. Plants can have transplant shock at any time they are being moved, so it may take up to a year before they decide to start growing again or you might be lucky and they will be happy they were given more space and shoot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking at the picture and just answering the comment above, I don't think the pots are too small. I think you should be fine with that size at least for a couple of years, just keep an eye on the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2013-06-27T06:20:04.963" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7795" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7772" CreationDate="2013-06-27T06:32:30.953" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few things that I would consider, but they are not necessarily show stoppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you place the compost bin on the soil then it will be easier for bugs to get into your compost and speed up the composting progress. This can be overcome by purchasing worms from a supplier, but I am sure there are plenty of other things that you can't see that would arrive if they had an easy path upwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes you need to add water to your compost heap if you have an excess of brown and not enough green going in or if it rains heavily water can go through your heap. If you have your bin or pile next to an area that you want to keep clean or where this water can pool it might stink or become unsightly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How inconvenient is it going to be with bricks in the way if you need to either shovel your compost from the bottom or if you need to turn the pile and bring the stuff from the bottom to the top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, these are not show stoppers, but something to consider.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2013-06-27T06:32:30.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7796" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5341" CreationDate="2013-06-27T07:42:53.850" Score="5" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can blueberries and raspberries be planted near each other?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes.  I wouldn't plant them on top of each other, but they can be planted next to each other.  I routinely have blackberry popping up like weeds in my blueberry stand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;if I am watering the blueberries will any acidic fertilizer I give them cause problems for the raspberries?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a lot of misinformation concerning blueberries.  Blueberries don't like Nitrates, as in Ammonium Nitrate.  Blueberries prefer the Ammonium, but the Nitrate can kill fine roots.  Blueberries should always be fertilized with Ammonium Sulfate.  Many garden supply shops will recommend Aluminum Sulphate because it makes the soil acid.  Do NOT use Aluminum anything on anything you want to live!  Especially blueberries, which are sensitive to all sort of things (salt, moisture levels, ph due to iron availability).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read &lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/AGRS097h.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/AGRS097h.pdf&lt;/a&gt; for more info.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is another article I thought applicable:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here’s the conspiracy: how have they (whoever they are) managed to hide the knowledge that Calcium is such an important element in all living things? In plants, animals and humans, adequate Calcium is absolutely essential for life. But just about the only mention Calcium gets in soil science is as a pH modifier. If you think your lawn or garden grows better after you lime it because you changed the pH, I have a newsflash for you: Calcium is the single biggest growth stimulant in plants. &lt;strong&gt;pH is a measure of free Hydrogen ions in water. It measures Hydrogen ion concentration, H+ and OH-, and that’s all it does. One can change the soil pH with any acid or alkali. You can raise the pH with sodium hydroxide, which is lye, drain cleaner, or lower it with hydrochloric acid, for instance, but they aren’t going to give you much growth stimulus.&lt;/strong&gt; They will probably kill the plant. A slightly acid pH of about 6 or 6.5 is ideal, because it gives just the right amount of electrical conductivity in the soil, but plants aren’t nearly as finicky about pH as they are about having the right balance of soil minerals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rhododendrons, for instance, are supposed to require an acid soil. What they really prefer is a high Magnesium soil.&lt;/strong&gt; Experimenters in Scotland raised the pH of soil from 5.0 to nearly 8.0 with Magnesium Carbonate, and the rhodies grew better and better as the soil pH went up because the Magnesium level was going up. &lt;strong&gt;pH had little to do with it.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, this is a good thing to know if you are trying to grow rhododendrons in New Mexico, for instance, where the soil is frequently alkaline to start with, although there you would want to use an acid form of Magnesium like Magnesium sulfate, &lt;strong&gt;Epsom salts.&lt;/strong&gt; But your garden, your farm crops and your fruits and berries wouldn’t necessarily like it (except the &lt;strong&gt;blueberries&lt;/strong&gt;). High levels of Magnesium in relation to Calcium are common in Organic gardening and farming, though, because people are told to lime their soils with dolomite lime, which is high in Magnesium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilminerals.com/AgricolaII.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.soilminerals.com/AgricolaII.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ph is an indication of a proper nutrient balance, not the cause of it.  There is only one proper nutrient combination, but there are many ways to change soil ph.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main difference between raspberries and blueberries (nutritionally) is that blueberries prefer a little more magnesium in relation to potassium than raspberries.  Otherwise, the N, P, Ca levels are the same between the two.  If you should happen to splash some epsom salt or ammonium sulfate mix onto the raspberries, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now if you start asking about pear and blueberry combinations, then we'll have a problem.  Pear requires significantly more Ca than blueberry and the two just wouldn't get along.  Your pears would taste like cardboard.  Even the deer wouldn't eat them.  And the pear trees would be very unhealthy, possibly having fire blight.  Ask me how I know this :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-06-27T07:42:53.850" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7797" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7669" CreationDate="2013-06-27T08:15:53.387" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Quick summary&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Improving growing conditions only contributes minimally to your cherry tree's fruit size&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Your neighbour's tree has a genetic advantage over your tree in terms of fruit size&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can &lt;em&gt;bud graft&lt;/em&gt; a branch from your neighbour's tree onto yours&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The best time to do this is from July 15 to August 15&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Your own tree should have bark that slips easily&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The other tree should have mature buds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grafting the branch from your neighbour's tree should lead to bigger fruit &lt;em&gt;on that branch&lt;/em&gt; only&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Just some background&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I have an apple tree in my back garden. I had heard as a child that you could &#xA;graft pear tree branches onto apple trees and forever have a branch that grows pears. Thus, a few days ago, I started researching this. Apparently, most commercially bought apple trees are not grown from seeds but from grafting. That is, someone gets a mature apple tree branch and grafts it onto a small (dwarf) tree. Just so you know for your own research, the tree that you intend to graft another fruit tree onto is known as the &lt;strong&gt;rootstock&lt;/strong&gt; whilst the thing that is grafted onto the rootstock is known as the &lt;strong&gt;scion&lt;/strong&gt;. For apple and pear trees, the whole process can be simple as making a diagonal cut on the root stock and scion, jamming them together and securing with electrical tape (&lt;em&gt;whip graft&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What type of grafting should I use for cherry trees?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for cherry trees, you should (according to this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/fruit/grafting-and-budding-fruit-trees/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;useful page&lt;/a&gt; from the University of Minnesota) employ &lt;em&gt;budding&lt;/em&gt;  which is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;a form of grafting in which a single bud is used as the scion rather than a section of stem. It is the most commonly used method for fruit tree production in the nursery, but can also be used for topworking plum, cherry, apricots, and peach as well as young apple and pear trees. (&lt;strong&gt;Cherry, plum, apricot, and peach are not easily cleft grafted or whip grafted.&lt;/strong&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for when you should do this...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Budding is done in the summer, usually from July 15 to August 15, when the bark of the stock slips easily and when there are well-grown buds&lt;/strong&gt;. The first step is to cut bud sticks of the desired cultivar from strong shoots of the present season's growth (see A in Figure 6). These buds should be mature, as indicated by a slightly brownish color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;.. which makes your post very timely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some fruit trees don't self-pollinate, but it seems like your neighbour's cherry tree doesn't have this problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What influences cherry size on different trees?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're interested in why your cherry tree has smaller fruit than your neighbours, there's a (free access) &lt;a href=&quot;http://journal.ashspublications.org/content/132/5/697.full&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;paper&lt;/a&gt; from the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science (JASHS) that links the size of your cherries to the number of (mesocarp, i.e., the fleshy bit) cells in a cherry. Let me quote their abstract. I'll also write my interpretation of it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mesocarp cell number was the major contributor to the differences in fruit equatorial diameter among the five sweet cherry cultivars&lt;/strong&gt;. The cultivars fell into three significantly different cell number classes: ≈28 cells, ≈45 cells, and ≈78 cells per radial mesocarp section. Furthermore, &lt;strong&gt;mesocarp cell number was remarkably stable and virtually unaffected by the environment as neither growing location nor physiological factors that reduced final fruit size significantly altered the cell numbers&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing conditions don't significantly alter the number of mesocarp cells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cell length was also significantly different among the cultivars, but failed to contribute to the overall difference in fruit size&lt;/strong&gt;. Cell length was significantly influenced by the environment, indicating that cultural practices that maximize mesocarp cell size should be used to achieve a cultivar's fruit size potential.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can increase the size of each cell, but the major influencing factor of cherry growing is the number of mesocarp cells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some suggestions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following the above section, what comes next will probably only have minimal contribution to your cherry tree's fruit size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can investigate whether your cherry tree has the right growing conditions. If your neighbour's tree is making nice cherries, its rootstock may cope better with the surrounding soil (in terms of acidity, etc) - in which case, transplanting his cherry branch to yours won't be as useful as you think. Assuming you've not done this, the solution to nicer cherries may be as simple as the application of compost or the adjustment of soil pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5813/can-i-graft-without-pruning?rq=1&quot;&gt;post&lt;/a&gt; for more information on grafting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes you hear of people severely cutting back the number of growing fruits so that nutrients are less spread out, giving larger but less fruit. This will probably work to some extent on your cherry tree in conjunction with what is written above...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2398" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-08-05T20:14:31.647" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7798" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7761" CreationDate="2013-06-27T09:08:40.223" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe I have gathered enough information that an answer is now available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Three main variables determine the direction roots grow: Gravity, light, and water.  These are called gravitropism, phototropism, and hydrotropism.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Phototropism is simply that the roots grow away from the light.  I wouldn't think light extends much below the surface, so this tropism is minimal to none concerning grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrotropism&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrotropism&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Hydrotropism is a plant's growth response in which the direction of growth is determined by a stimulus or gradient in water concentration. A common example is a plant root growing in humid air bending toward a higher relative humidity level. This is of biological significance as it helps to increase efficiency of the plant in its ecosystem. Hydrotropism is difficult to observe in underground roots, since the roots are not readily observable, and &lt;strong&gt;root gravitropism is usually more influential than root hydrotropism&lt;/strong&gt;. Water readily moves in soil and soil water content is constantly changing so any gradients in soil moisture are not stable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Misconceptions&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The greater growth of roots in moist soil zones than in dry soil zones is not usually a result of hydrotropism. Hydrotropism requires a root to bend from a drier to a wetter soil zone. Roots require water to grow so roots that happen to be in moist soil will grow and branch much more than those in dry soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Roots cannot sense water inside intact pipes via hydrotropism and break the pipes to obtain the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Roots cannot sense water several feet away via hydrotropism and grow toward it. &lt;strong&gt;At best hydrotropism probably operates over distances of a couple millimeters.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitropism&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitropism&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Abundant evidence demonstrates that roots bend in response to gravity due to a regulated movement of the plant hormone auxin known as polar auxin transport (Swarup et al., 2005). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://udspace.udel.edu/bitstream/handle/19716/2830/Chapter%205.%20Roots%20and%20Root%20Systems.pdf&quot;&gt;http://udspace.udel.edu/bitstream/handle/19716/2830/Chapter%205.%20Roots%20and%20Root%20Systems.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Root growth results from cell division and the pressure developed by enlargement&#xA;  of newly formed cells. Cell enlargement is discussed in Chapter 11 and&#xA;  root growth at the cellular level is discussed by Barlow in Gregory et at. (1987).&#xA;  Bret-Harte and Silk (1994) question how sufficient carbon for growth reaches&#xA;  root meristems, which are several millimeters beyond the termination of the&#xA;  phloem. The older portions of roots are anchored in the soil and the tips are&#xA;  pushed forward through the soil by cell enlargement at rates of a few millimeters&#xA;  to a few centimeters daily, often following a tortuous path of least resistance&#xA;  through crevices and around pebbles and other obstructions. Generally, root&#xA;  tips tend to return to their original direction of growth after passing around&#xA;  obstacles, a characteristic observed in the 19th century by Darwin and others,&#xA;  which is known as exotropy (Wilson, 1967). &lt;strong&gt;Despite numerous temporary deflections,&#xA;  branch roots of many plants tend to grow outward for a time before&#xA;  turning downward (Wild, 1988, p. 121 and Fig. 5.11).&lt;/strong&gt; The cause of this change&#xA;  in sensitivity of roots to gravity deserves more study.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore, the roots aren't growing down because of the presence of deep water, they're growing downward because of gravity and, being a healthy root, that's what roots do.  If there is some hydrotropism involved, it certainly isn't necessary since the roots are already growing in the direction of gravity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to get deep roots, all we need is gravity and a healthy plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One caveat to this may be if hydrotropism could overpower gravitropism if somehow there is more water near the surface than deeper in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1838587/&quot;&gt;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1838587/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The classical methods of the German botanists, also used by the Darwins included placing seeds in a hanging cylinder of wet sawdust, which resulted in roots first growing downward (gravitropism) but then growing back up toward the wet substrate (hydrotropism).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Inspection of the references reveal the roots were of &quot;Agravitropic roots of a pea mutant&quot;.  The pea was mutant in that it didn't have the capacity to respond to gravity.  I've found no evidence that normal plant roots nor grass roots could do this.  But even if they could, how likely is it to have a situation where the top soil is wetter than the deeper soil over a long enough period of time for the roots to respond and grow in that direction?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So for the &quot;deep and infrequent&quot; theory to hold water, the roots of &quot;shallow and frequently&quot; watered grass would be expected to grow first down, then up towards water, then after encountering light, back down again, then back up to find water, etc, etc, etc in the zig zag pattern for the life of the grass.  This is, of course, assuming one could hold the water on the surface without it sinking down in or evaporating away.  And it has not been demonstrated that hydrotropism can overpower gravitropism without an agravitropically mutated plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MSU study:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From: &lt;a href=&quot;http://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/mitgc/article/2001101.pdf&quot;&gt;http://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/mitgc/article/2001101.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Common irrigation recommendations for turfgrass are to irrigate deep and infrequently in&#xA;  order to achieve a deep root system that will be better suited to endure prolonged drought conditions. Deep infrequent irrigation is a vague description but generally refers to applying large amounts of irrigation, 0.5 to 1.0 inch or more, in a single irrigation. Irrigating deep and infrequently is not recommended for all turf situations. Turf grown on sandy soils should be irrigated with smaller amounts of water more frequently as deep infrequent irrigations could potentially result in losses of irrigation water through leaching. Also, turf grown on fine textured soils with low infiltration rates should be irrigated with smaller amounts of water more frequently to avoid run-off and puddling on the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The alternative to deep infrequent irrigation is light frequent irrigation. Light frequent irrigation would be described as applying small amounts of water, 0.10 to 0.25 inch, every day or every other day. Common perceptions of light frequent irrigations are that they promote shallow rooting in turfgrass thereby making the turf more susceptible to dry soil conditions. Furthermore, frequent irrigation applications are often implicated in increased weed interference. Despite all the negative effects put forth for light frequent irrigation applications there are some positive effects. &lt;strong&gt;Research by Melvin and Vargas (1996) revealed that light frequent irrigation treatments, 1/10 inch every day at 12 p.m., reduced the symptoms associated with Necrotic Ring Spot. Jiang, et al. (1998) also found that a light daily irrigation resulted in higher turfgrass quality, and reduced brown patch incidence when compared to deep infrequent irrigation based upon returning 80% of evapotranspiration weekly. Daily irrigation treatments have also been shown to have a smaller thatch layer than weekly irrigation treatments (Melvin, 1991).&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In order to answer the question of deep/infrequent vs. light/frequent irrigation a research study was established at the Hancock Turfgrass Research Center in 1999 to compare the effects of the two irrigation schedules on three turfgrass species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Materials and Methods&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In 1999 irrigation and fertility treatments were initiated on &lt;strong&gt;Kentucky bluegrass, tall&#xA;  fescue, and perennial ryegrass.&lt;/strong&gt; The three irrigation treatments were no irrigation, 1/10 inch applied daily in the early afternoon, and 0.7 inch applied weekly at one irrigation event. Fertility treatments were different amounts of urea and one treatment with com gluten meal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Results&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Results from 1999 can be found in the 70th Annual Michigan Turfgrass Conference&#xA;  Proceedings (Vol. 29). &lt;strong&gt;Trends from 1999 indicated that the daily irrigation treatments resulted in higher turf grass quality and density than the weekly irrigation and no irrigation treatments.&lt;/strong&gt; Results from 2000 were inconclusive due to the frequent rainfall experienced in East Lansing. Research will be continued in 2001 to determine the effects of irrigation and fertility treatments on turfgrass species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;0.1 inch applied daily resulted in a better lawn than 0.7 inches applied weekly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Other Studies&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Study #1&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/cs/abstracts/29/6/CS0290061536&quot;&gt;https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/cs/abstracts/29/6/CS0290061536&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Field studies were conducted to determine responses of ‘Rebel’ tall fescue and ‘Reliant’ hard fescue to deficit irrigation and irrigation frequency. Turf growing on a Satanta sandy clay loam soil (Fine loamy mixed, mesic Aridic Argiustoll) was irrigated at 50, 75, or 100% of potential evapotranspiration (ETp, i.e., turf water use when soil moisture is not limiting) on 2-, 4-, 7-, or 14-d intervals. Small weighing lysimeters adjacent to plot areas were used to obtain ETp rates. &lt;strong&gt;Both species performed best when irrigated every 2 or 4 d at 75 or 100% ETp.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2 to 4 days? That seems frequent to me.  More so than 7 to 14 anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Study #2&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://horttech.ashspublications.org/content/16/3/466.short&quot;&gt;http://horttech.ashspublications.org/content/16/3/466.short&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;'Aussie Green' and 'Celebration' produced the highest TQ rating (&gt;7) at week 4 when &lt;strong&gt;watered daily.&lt;/strong&gt; After 4 weeks of the 5-day irrigation interval, all cultivars showed unacceptable quality ratings (&amp;lt;7).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Based on these results, irrigating bermudagrass in 5-day intervals should be carefully monitored. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought bermudagrass is a weed... I can't kill it with fire, brimstone, a bottle of acid and a box of salt,,, yet the recommendation is to &quot;carefully monitor&quot; it with a 5-day irrigation schedule?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Study #3&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/aj/abstracts/58/6/AJ0580060559&quot;&gt;https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/aj/abstracts/58/6/AJ0580060559&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Dry matter yield was not markedly raised by regular nitrogen fertilization, unless irrigations were applied frequently&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Food without water = no growth?  Makes sense to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Infrequent irrigation of fertilized plots produced a lawn of only slightly reduced quality compared to that obtained when frequent irrigations were given in the absence of nitrogen&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if we fertilize and withhold water, the lawn will look &lt;strong&gt;not quite&lt;/strong&gt; as good as a lawn that is simply watered more frequently?  I guess that makes sense too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Study #4&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/aj/abstracts/73/1/AJ0730010085&quot;&gt;https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/aj/abstracts/73/1/AJ0730010085&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Delaying irrigation until the onset of temporary wilting, caused a significant decrease in water consumption and growth (up to 35%) in most grasses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That makes sense... grass that is half-dead from thirst probably will use less water and grow less.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Study #5&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1439-037X.1995.tb00216.x/abstract&quot;&gt;http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1439-037X.1995.tb00216.x/abstract&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In conclusion, hard fescue had a &lt;strong&gt;shallower root system&lt;/strong&gt;, shorter plant canopy, slower growth, and transpired less water to make it &lt;strong&gt;more drought tolerant.&lt;/strong&gt; Tall fescue, with a &lt;strong&gt;deeper root system&lt;/strong&gt;, longer plant canopy, faster growth, and greater water transpiration, is &lt;strong&gt;less drought tolerant&lt;/strong&gt; at medium and severe stresses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hmm... So who wants deep roots anyway?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In Conclusion&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;5 studies + MSU + the 3 studies MSU quoted = 9 studies showing benefits of frequent watering.  Frequent is a relative term, but I haven't seen any studies recommending a frequency greater than 2-4 days (most being daily).  Even if I have to drag the hose around every 2-4 days, to me, that still seems pretty frequent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can see no reason why this issue would open for further debate.  Every angle has been covered, from biology to observations in nature to real-world experimentation.  I have not discovered a substantiated reason to believe one should water lawns &quot;deep and infrequently&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recommendations&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the best lawn appearance, don't wait until the lawn is showing drought stress, because at that point, its not the best looking lawn, obviously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't water deeply.  By watering deeply you're washing soil nutrients deeper into the soil.  This is especially so with nitrates (NO3-), which have a minus charge and are easily leached into groundwater because the clay particles also have a minus charge and will not hold the nitrates in the soil.  So by watering deeply you're wasting nitrogen and you're polluting the environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/jeq/abstracts/20/3/JEQ0200030658&quot;&gt;https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/jeq/abstracts/20/3/JEQ0200030658&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Analysis of soil water from 15, 6-m continuous cores showed that as much as 95% of the NO3 applied in late August leached below the turfgrass root zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe the reason light frequent waterings makes grass grow better is the grass gets more nitrogen, instead of it leaching beyond the rootzone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever the reason, deep and infrequent watering is the absolute &lt;strong&gt;worst&lt;/strong&gt; way to water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Credibility of university extensions:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here we have two universities giving opposite advice:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.turf.msu.edu/irrigation-practices-to-preserve-water-quality&quot;&gt;http://www.turf.msu.edu/irrigation-practices-to-preserve-water-quality&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG2364.html&quot;&gt;http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG2364.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lesson: Always look for studies and read the studies.  Don't believe conjecture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="2404" LastEditDate="2013-07-04T09:40:18.383" LastActivityDate="2013-07-04T09:40:18.383" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7799" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5746" CreationDate="2013-06-27T11:08:12.537" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have branches that you want to go down anything more than a slight bend, there are better techniques than wiring and bending the branch. These techniques are for when you want significant or dramatic drops in your branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most basic technique is to have a wire wrapped around the branch and then anchored at a lower point. This could either be somewhere on the pot, a protruding root or the bade of the trunk. Make sure the wire is tort. As time goes by you can reanchor to tighten the wire. There are also devices which have use screw that can be used to tighten the wire over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For areas where the wire wraps around a branch you can place a piece of cloth or folder paper to prevent the wire biting into the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similar to the above technique you can use weights to weigh down branches. This is helpful in cases where wiring a branch is not useful due to the thickness of the branch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next technique can be used in combination with either wiring or anchoring. Select the area of the branch where the bend and pressure would be greatest. At this area, using a very sharp knife and take off the top layers from the branch. You shouldn't dig down further than 40% of the thickness of the branch and the shape you are cutting should be a rectangle. The area of the rectangle should be minimised to only the area necessary. Don't wire over this area and cover it with tape to prevent infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another advanced technique is best practiced several times on plants that you aren't worried about losing a branch or two. This involves physically snapping the branches. I've seen this also covered in bonsai books where for thicker branches they use a hammer to bash it until it breaks. This snapping or bashing should only be done from one side and avoid ripping or snapping so far that the branch snaps clean off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the snapping is done, the branch should be bandaged at the area of the break until there are signs of growth and confirmation the branch has survived. Then the wound can be tidied with as sharp knife.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These techniques should be researched further as there are more detailed explanations available with diagrams and images if you don't want to go for trial and error. This is just an intro to some of the techniques available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2013-06-27T11:08:12.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7791" CreationDate="2013-06-27T13:18:10.850" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look fine, and a mix of soil &amp;amp; compost is also what I usually use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree with others that the pots look too small. I usually plant all mine outside - but being in Texas, I can get a good double growing season before the frosts hit in December. Perthshire might not be so kind(!), so I think you're stuck with large pots. I find the pot size does limit the plant size. I suspect your extra fertilizer is helping to offset the small pot size (when I was in the UK a few weeks back, Gardener's World had someone who grew tomatoes in tiny pots but with great harvests - he basically fertilized them every day or so!). Personally fertilizer is not something I usually bother with - but again, I'm potting them in beds outside which have had compost mixed in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never hand-pollinated, but I agree with others that it might be necessary if you're not getting fruit from the flowers (*) and you're inside.&#xA;If it is a nice warm day, I would put the pots outside so they get a good decent dose of sunshine. Cayenne grow well here in Texas, so I suspect they'll appreciate good sun and heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(*) Another cause of no fruit from flowers is high heat levels - ie. Texas summer. This is where my double season comes from - I rarely get fruit in the height of summer, but plenty in September when it cools.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2013-06-27T13:18:10.850" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7802" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7780" CreationDate="2013-06-27T18:44:21.230" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are two issues here the container and the plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can try &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Phyllostachys%20bissetii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Phyllostachys bissetii&lt;/a&gt; which is a runner type that is hardy to around -20 degrees celsius. It is shallow rooted and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bamboogarden.com/Phyllostachys%20bissetii.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;suitable for containers&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;The main problem I see is that this plant wants to be 16' tall (~3.5 metres). Unless you have an unusual balcony the plant is likely to be thin at the base and have all it's foliage at the top. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Any plant grown in a container should be at least one zone hardier than your planting zone as the roots will get colder than if they were in the ground.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Your container is quite narrow as the esteemed Bamboo has pointed out and this will make it hard to keep moist enough. Most balcony plantings suffer from excessive winds which dry them out.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;moist wood rots, even cedar. You need to be sure that you have drainage holes at the bottom.  Pool liner would be a better choice than landscape fabric to line the container.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;containers are heavy. Be sure you will not be exceeding the load limits on your balcony.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when you water the plant where will the excess water go?  If it could go over the side and down onto your neighbour's balcony you have a problem.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a typical soil mix for a container would include a higher percentage of perlite to decrease weight but it promotes good drainage so more frequent watering will be in order&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-06-27T22:05:34.127" LastActivityDate="2013-06-27T22:05:34.127" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7806" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7808" CreationDate="2013-06-28T13:32:32.127" Score="3" ViewCount="1676" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am specifically asking this regarding a squash plant, but general advice would be useful. If I have dead leaves, which I assume I should remove, should I remove the whole stem that it is growing from, or just the leaf? The stem looks perfectly healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1885" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-28T20:43:25.457" LastActivityDate="2013-06-28T20:43:25.457" Title="How much to remove when trimming dead leaves on a squash plant?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7806" CreationDate="2013-06-28T16:18:00.677" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just remove dead parts is the general rule, provided the stem or branch is healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-06-28T16:18:00.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7809" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7791" CreationDate="2013-06-28T18:18:29.383" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few tricks I know to stabilize chilies (works with tomatoes also and possibly eggplants; same family but I have not tried eggplants). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I would not try these tricks now since the plants are flowering.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trick 1:&lt;/strong&gt; Bury the lower stalk in soil. It will promote a thicker, sturdier stem. Roots will start growing off the buried stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trick 2:&lt;/strong&gt; When the plants are starting to grow upward with the main stem producing new growth, top it (cut off the new growth by an inch or two). This will promote 2 or more new main growths making the chili plant more of a bush and sturdier. You will also have a bigger yield. You can continue to do this if you feel like making a huge bush out of it and/or keeping the chili in a container for indoor/outdoor continual growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2355" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-06-28T20:44:40.430" LastActivityDate="2013-06-28T20:44:40.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7810" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7817" CreationDate="2013-06-29T14:20:54.383" Score="6" ViewCount="301" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see some plants like chimney grows behind my sunflowers that you can see in picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1SpdS.png&quot; alt=&quot;chimney&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;location:western foothills of Iran&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are these and should I remove these from garden? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2440" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2013-07-01T15:25:12.203" LastActivityDate="2013-07-08T21:47:47.607" Title="Plants like chimney sprouting in Iran - what are they?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7811" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-29T17:28:20.753" Score="3" ViewCount="987" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read that &quot;pinching back&quot; or pruning basil plant (ocimum basilicum) will produce a bushier, less leggy, plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where on the plant do you cut?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When do you cut? How often? Does age of plant matter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="519" LastEditorUserId="519" LastEditDate="2013-07-03T03:37:45.163" LastActivityDate="2013-07-03T03:37:45.163" Title="Where and when to pinch back for bushy basil" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;pinching-out&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7812" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-29T23:24:22.317" Score="3" ViewCount="2651" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in central Alberta, Canada, Zone 3. I just moved into a house that has raised planting beds for a veggie garden but is COMPLETELY full of crab grass and various other lovely weeds and grasses. It is too late this season for a garden anyway, but want to have it ready for next year. Not sure if solarization would work here - it gets lots of sun and is hot right now, but generally cools off by end of August. I don't want to use chemicals since I will be  growing food I will eat. thanks! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2442" LastActivityDate="2013-07-02T15:16:04.200" Title="How do I get rid of Crab grass in an over grown garden that will be a veggie garden next season?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7812" CreationDate="2013-06-30T01:42:14.800" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would pull, cut, or somehow trim the grass/weeds to a low level, then pile on a THICK layer of FRESH grass clippings and cover the clippings with soil.  With this method, I can stop even most persistent bermuda grass, while at the same time fertilizing my soil with the protein and nitrogen rich grasses.  Next year at planting time the soil will be extremely rich and loose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also just lay a tarp or similar covering to hide the sunlight from the weeds.  This doesn't add much to the soil, but its easy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option is putting newspaper over the weeds (at least a few sheets), then cover the paper with grass clippings.  Cardboard will work too.  The newspaper and cardboard won't add much to the soil either, since they're cellulose (C6 H10 O5), they mainly break down to CO2 and water.  The plus side is newspaper and cardboard are free.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="2404" LastEditDate="2013-06-30T22:16:45.820" LastActivityDate="2013-06-30T22:16:45.820" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7814" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-06-30T17:26:56.370" Score="4" ViewCount="140" Body="&lt;p&gt;the stem is affected for about 1 inch normally near the tip.  The tip is dead/wilted and there seems to be a distinct patter of a ring at the top and bottom of the &quot;eaten&quot; area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cefCz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="23" LastActivityDate="2013-06-30T22:19:45.433" Title="What is the disease or organism that is causing this issue with my raspberry plants?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7815" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7814" CreationDate="2013-06-30T19:21:08.433" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably is Spur Blight. It's a fungal infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To avoid it, don't prune canes except to remove them completely. Remove pruned material from the property, elsewise burn it thoroughly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The infection pool comes from leaving old and diseased canes over winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Avoid watering methods that put water on the canes and foliage, it's especially active after late spring/early summer rains. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually the infection starts near a bud or a leaf base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Spur Blight fungus is controlled by Lime Sulfur application and certain Streptomyces bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-06-30T22:19:45.433" LastActivityDate="2013-06-30T22:19:45.433" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7816" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7811" CreationDate="2013-07-01T11:13:16.863" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are asking about &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsi&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Holy Basil&lt;/a&gt; then I have something for you.&#xA;In India, this plant is very religiously sacred and has potential medicinal uses, hence this plant is common at homes in India. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is sensitive one, so it need more than average attention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to have a bushy Basil, the best time to prune is when flowers have bloomed, you need to remove the upper part of stem having only flowers. Use a sharp scissor to make a cut. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut flowers whenever it blooms. As far as I know, age doesn't matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Removal of young blommed flowers will trigger for new growth. Also remove the dead leaves and dead stems till the living part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never over water, this will make its leaves turn black. keep in moderate sunlight. Try watering it on same time of the day (routine).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you see some insects\spiders around it, user Neem based pesticide (diluted with water) to get them away. or try using some organic one which is available near you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-07-01T11:13:16.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7817" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7810" CreationDate="2013-07-01T15:20:29.133" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look like small &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Asparagus&lt;/a&gt; spears.  The triangular leaves (like scales) on the stem and the slightly swollen tips of the stems are the characteristics that helped that identification.  An &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=Asparagus+spears&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;image search for &quot;Asparagus+spears&quot;&lt;/a&gt; will provide lots of other photos for comparison.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wikipedia says that they're native to your region (Iran), and that it even gets its name from a Persian word, so it could be either a cultivated or a wild specimen.  If you let them grow taller, the foliage will look feathery (image courtesy of Wikipedia):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nk3Psl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2013-07-01T15:20:29.133" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3729" CreationDate="2013-07-01T15:52:35.797" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have had the same issues. After conducting research, I thought it was cutworm as well. I put down cornmeal because cutworms like it but can't digest it, then die off. After a midnight look at my young bean plants, I am now sure it is the pill bugs. They were the only organisms covering my plants. I had found a website where the owners are growing organic. A few suggestions were to place out over-ripe fruit or tighly rolled-up wet newspaper. The pill bugs will go for the fruit or newpaper instead and in the morning you can throw out the fruit/paper which should be covered with the little guys. Also, the site suggested watering in the morning so that the soil is dryer at night when they feed. It may deter them more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2446" LastActivityDate="2013-07-01T15:52:35.797" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7819" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="224" CreationDate="2013-07-01T17:34:52.200" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to keep your grass healthy to help combat ground ivy. Water deeply and infrequently and fertilize properly. Have a soil test done at your local cooperative extension to see if there are any issues you need to correct and how much fertilizer you need to add. Ground ivy thrives in damp and insufficiently fertilized soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There have been university studies done on using Borax to kill ground ivy with some positive results but some tests didn't show any improvement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On my blog, I show how the best way I found to &lt;a href=&quot;http://diyorganiclawncare.blogspot.com/2009/06/removing-ground-ivy-from-lawn.html&quot;&gt;remove ground ivy&lt;/a&gt; is with a thatch rake. In the fall I use a manual thatch rake to dethatch my lawn. If necessary I follow up by overseeding with a good grass seed and spreading about 1/3&quot; layer of compost on top then water as directed for the seed. The way ground ivy grows and roots makes this very effective. It pulls up some other weeds too but not your grass as long as it's healthy. First time I tried it I was in shock how well it worked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-02T15:23:05.357" LastActivityDate="2013-07-02T15:23:05.357" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7761" CreationDate="2013-07-01T18:16:38.990" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Others have provided good links to research so I won't repeat that but let me address your questions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;1) Why would one want deep roots if one has to water so much to get&#xA;  water to the roots? Wouldn't a lawn with shallow roots then be easier&#xA;  to maintain, since not as much water is needed to get to the roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't need to water so much. In fact you water less when you water deeply and infrequently. Water in the soil is lost in a number of ways. First evaporation. The top inch or two of the soil will dry out rather quickly. If you only water enough so 1&quot; of soil is moist a lot of it will evaporate before the plant can absorb it which is another way soil loses moisture. Gravity also pulls the water down past where the roots can get to it. What you want is to have the root zone completely moist. Pretty soon the top of the soil will dry out but there will still be water if your roots are deep. This has the benefit of drying out shallow rooted weeds and preventing weed seeds on the surface from germinating but providing water to your deeper rooted grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;1a) If the answer to the above question is to develop a lawn that is&#xA;  drought resistant, then why is there a need to water deeply in&#xA;  non-drought weather? If there is water down there in droughts&#xA;  (otherwise, why train roots to grow deeply), certainly there would be&#xA;  water down there in non-droughts... and if there is already water down&#xA;  there... why water deeply? Wouldn't one just be forcing the water that&#xA;  is already deep, even deeper? Isn't that a waste of water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your lawn needs a certain amount of total water. Let's say you determine your lawn and soil conditions need 1.25&quot; of water every 8 days. That means a combination of rain water and supplemental water from irrigation. If it rained 1.5&quot; that week you don't need to water your lawn. If it rained .5&quot; you need to add .75&quot; of supplemental water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water is also lost to evapotranspiration. Basically like how our body's lose water when it's hot and we sweat. That's why in the hot summer months you need to water more frequently. Some sprinkler controllers can monitor precipitation and evapotranspiration rates and make adjustments automatically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;2) Oak trees are very deep-rooted plants, yet the vast majority of&#xA;  roots are in the top 6 inches of soil... Even trees that are 100s of&#xA;  years old. If the roots of oak trees haven't managed to figure out&#xA;  that they should grow deeply in 100 years, how then can grass be&#xA;  expected to?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apples and oranges. I think part of the difference is that grass plants are planted so close together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;3) I am under the impression roots will grow because that's what roots&#xA;  do, like plants themselves. They grow and press onwards. How is&#xA;  starving them from water, then flooding them with water going to make&#xA;  them grow any better?&#xA;  4) I am also under the impression that roots grow to find phosphorus,&#xA;  which is immobile in the soil. Wouldn't it logically follow then that&#xA;  roots will grow as deep as they need to in order to find the P they&#xA;  want?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roots grow to find water and nutrients. They don't just grow to find phosphorus though that is one of the nutrients plants uptake. Phosphorus actually helps promote root growth. A soil with sufficient phosphorus will have a lawn with larger root mass than a soil with insufficient phosphorus. The opposite would be implied by your statement &quot;roots grow to find phosphorus&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One interesting thing regarding phosphorus. When the soil is phosphorus deficient and there is mycchorhiza (a helpful soil fungus) presesnt, the roots will attract the mycchorhiza and they will colonize onn the roots effectively increasing the root mass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;5) Areas of the country (US) where grass grows best (naturally), have&#xA;  rainfall around 20-30 inches annually. Areas of the country having&#xA;  rainfall in excess of 50 inches annually, grass doesn't grow so well&#xA;  and trees dominate. 25 inches a year is 1/2 inch a week. That doesn't&#xA;  sound very deep to me. Additionally, many of those areas where grass&#xA;  grows naturally well, have drizzly weather. Areas getting 50+ inches,&#xA;  have monsterous storms with flooding downpours, while remaining sunny&#xA;  most of the time. Clearly, mothernature is not adhering to the &quot;deep&#xA;  and infrequent&quot; rule concerning her watering of the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know which areas you're talking about but lawns need water during the growing season and they need less water when the weather is cooler such as early spring and late fall. At least cool season grasses anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you're jumping to assumptions. It could be that areas with 50&quot; of rainfall have more trees and less grass because the trees do better with 50&quot; of rainfall and the trees compete for water and block sun from the grass. It's not necessarily that much water is detrimental to grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also have to remember that home lawns are not very natural.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of other reasons that you don't want your soil constantly moist. Some others are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Constant moist conditions promote pathogenic fungus (lawn disease.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wet soil compacts more easily than dry soil. So when people and pets walk and play on the grass the soil will get compacted which causes other problems.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many of the local university cooperative extensions have departments that focus exclusively on turfgrass. There have been numerous studies and all of them recommend deep and infrequent watering. If you search google scholar you'll find a ton.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A lot of people say you should water 1&quot; a week but that's just a rule of thumb and not very accurate. You should water down to your root zone and only water again when your lawn shows signs of drought stress. This is how Roger Cook of This Old House recommends watering lawns and this is what I try and follow. After you determine your root depth and figure out how much water you need to cover it based on your soils composition (percolation rate) looking for signs of drought stress takes care of the environmental variables of evaporation and evapotranspiration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-07-01T18:16:38.990" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7493" CreationDate="2013-07-01T18:30:10.347" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes rain gutters are run to underground dry wells. Basically a hole lined with a tub filled with gravel that allows the water to drain down into the soil. The ones I've seen have a popup overflow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never seen one that has holes like yours. My guess would be either someone didn't want to run the underground pipes and just put a drain cap. Or maybe that area of your lawn is lower than other areas and pools with water when it rains so they put a drywell with a drain there to get the water down into the soil so it doesn't get muddy. Or I could be wrong and it's a drywell connected to the downspouts with holes instead of a popup. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's most likely some sort of drywell but whether it's for your gutters or for drainage due to grading problems it's hard to tell without seeing photos that show it in context.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-02T16:28:31.320" LastActivityDate="2013-07-02T16:28:31.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7822" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7456" CreationDate="2013-07-01T18:40:45.303" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best thing to do would be to just create a mulched flower bed around the perimeter of your yard by the fence so you don't need to use your string trimmer up against the fence. It not only solves that one issue but it adds beauty, increases your property value and adds a little bit of isolation between you and your neighbors depending on what you plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option is to pick up a cordless string trimmer. They're not as powerful as gas ones and have thinner line. Might not do as much damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also try using a wide sheet of cardboard, plywood, or something to put up against your fence. It will slow you down since you'll need to keep moving it though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm hesitant to make this next section without knowing which trimmer you own so here's a warning. Do this in a way that's safe, follow safety instructions and always wear long pants, safety glasses and other recommended protective equipment. Is there another guard, possibly third party you can purchase, or a way to reposition the guard at the end of your trimmer so that the guard covers the side of your trimmer? That way you put the guard side up against the fence and the line never touches it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-07-01T18:40:45.303" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7429" CreationDate="2013-07-01T18:56:21.487" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rototilling causes a lot of issues. It's best to avoid it when possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the fall kill your existing lawn. If you're using round up many recommend spraying to kill it, then after it's dead, water the lawn to bring up any new weed seeds and RoundUP again after 2 weeks. After 2 weeks plant your grass seed. Apply a thin layer of compost on top and water water water water. Soil needs to be kept moist. 2-3 waterings a day for the first couple of weeks. Depending on the type of seed you may need to water for up to 6 weeks. Check the label.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On my blog, I describe some &lt;a href=&quot;http://diyorganiclawncare.blogspot.com/2012/08/organic-lawn-renovation-burnout-ii-vs.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;organic alternatives to RoundUP&lt;/a&gt; that I tested. They don't work the same way. RoundUP kills the plants down to the roots, the organic ones I tested basically kill the top growth which will kill a lot of the plants, especially if they're shallow rooted. Deeper rooted ones will start growing back once you start watering the new grass seed. Your killing a lot of the existing plants and stunting what didn't die long enough for the new grass to take hold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't like using chemicals you can &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;solarize&lt;/a&gt; the lawn. Starting in the late summer lay a 2mil sheet of plastic over the entire lawn and pin it down but first mow everything down very short. Let it sit like that for 4-6 weeks. It will not only kill the vegetation but the heat will kill weed seeds and pathogens in the soil. People will refer to you as the crazy lady that saran wrapped her grass though :) Although I had success with both products I tested and think they're great for spot treating weeds I'm probably going to try solarization when I do my backyard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-02T15:25:19.130" LastActivityDate="2013-07-02T15:25:19.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7824" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7347" CreationDate="2013-07-01T19:11:17.430" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bad grass is usually an indication of poor soil. Find your local university cooperative extension office and send them samples to find out what your soil needs. In addition to whatever lime (to change pH) and fertilizer that is recommended you will probably want to add some compost to increase the organic matter of the soil. May need to scrape out some of the rocky sections and add a compost/topsoil mixture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't bother trying to just kill off just the weeds. Your lawn is in very bad shape. Just kill off all the grass and weeds, amend your soil. Water and let any new weeds germinate then kill those, plant new grass, cover with 1/3&quot; of compost and water as directed for your seed. Best time to do this is in the fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you search there are plenty of instructions on how to do this. Most importantly fix the soil. I'm guessing that corner by your walkway is heavily compacted from people (mailman) cutting across the lawn there. You might want to core aerate your lawn as well. Maybe put a new bed in that corner so people don't walk through it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the new lawn is established look for good lawn care practices regarding watering, mowing, feeding etc and follow them. It's not hard and a little effort makes a big difference. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know you're thinking it's too much work but it's not that bad. Trust me on this. I tried doing what you're thinking, dealing with weeds and every year overseeding new grass. It's not that effective. You'll be much happier starting from scratch. I did part of my lawn last year and finally happy with that section of my lawn. I posted a few blog posts on my &lt;a href=&quot;http://diyorganiclawncare.blogspot.com/search/label/lawn%20renovation&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;organic lawn renovation&lt;/a&gt; if you're interested in what I did and why. Things have been hectic since last fall and I haven't had a chance to post the updated pictures I took but will hopefully find some time this week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't remove your existing mulch. Just cover it with new mulch. Mulch needs to be a few inches deep to help keep soil cool, retain moisture and block weeds. Only the top needs to be pretty :) so let the stuff you have there make up the bulk of it to save you money.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-08-26T23:22:47.690" LastActivityDate="2013-08-26T23:22:47.690" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7825" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7847" CreationDate="2013-07-01T20:31:15.927" Score="3" ViewCount="838" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our driveway cuts through the side of a hill. The 'uphill' side in parts is at a perhaps 65 degree angle so steep, and there's a bit of erosion... enough to expose some tree roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally we'd use some physical retaining wall solution (stone walls or gabion/reno mattresses) but given that we're broke at the moment, I thought I could at least maybe plant something to hold the soil together until we can afford bigger/better options.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The catch is that it's entirely shaded.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're in the Pacific Northwest coastal climates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any sort of spreading non-invasive ground control that we could get to take hole on the hill? Or should we just figure that mechanical retaining walls are the solution? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-25T17:41:19.163" LastActivityDate="2017-12-25T17:41:19.163" Title="Are there some plant-based erosion control ground cover options for Pacific Northwest US?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;erosion-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7826" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7617" CreationDate="2013-07-01T22:00:16.620" Score="1" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;And with a motorized spinning blade, I don't see how you could say&#xA;  that a blade of grass was cut &quot;this way,&quot; anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A couple of other people made reference to the spinning blade creating forces in multiple directions so it doesn't matter but that's not relevant. The only force that matters is the last force applied before the blade is clear of the mower deck. That will be the direction the grass will lay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Imagine you had an orbital polisher . You are polishing your car with a fairly coarse compound doing one horizontal stripe left to right and then just above it you are coming back from right to left. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bottom stripe will have noticeable swirl marks swirling up and the second row will have swirl marks swirling down. Except for the end where you stopped that strip which will have the front swirl marks match up with the front of the polisher.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to that when you're always walking along the same path you're going to be compacting the soil where you're walking and where the tires are rolling. I have a section of my lawn that's frequently crossed by foot because there should have been a pathway there but isn't. Over the years it developed a noticeable depression. Soil will compact worse when it's wet which is one of the reasons you shouldn't mow your lawn when the soil is very moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different varieties of grass will also be a factor. I noticed the fine bladed grass commonly used in shady mixes retain the swirl direction more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The length of the grass blade seems to also be a factor. In the summer when I have my mower set to cut at it's highest setting it seems even more important to vary the mowing directions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over time the grass can pick up a lean in one direction or the other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The advice is still applicable with rotary mowers and is worth following.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-07-01T22:00:16.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7827" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8495" CreationDate="2013-07-01T22:22:25.230" Score="6" ViewCount="238" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I create a cutting from my mint plant and begin to grow it in a container, about how long after it gets established should I wait before I create another cutting?  What is the minimum waiting period after the roots begin to become established that a cutting can be made without harming the health of the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assume that I am trying to create as many mint plants as fast as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2451" LastActivityDate="2013-10-01T21:04:17.967" Title="How often can you produce cuttings from mint?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7812" CreationDate="2013-07-02T00:20:35.070" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Crabgrass is an annual weed. It will die off on it's own when it gets cold. Unfortunately it will come back next year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would give solarization a shot for at least 6 weeks so you can kill any of the seeds to prevent them from coming up again next year. Chop or pull everything first so you don't have a lot of air under the plastic. On my blog, I describe my results with some &lt;a href=&quot;http://diyorganiclawncare.blogspot.com/2012/08/organic-lawn-renovation-burnout-ii-vs.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;organic weed killers&lt;/a&gt;. They worked well for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The UC Davis guide on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;solarization&lt;/a&gt; is one of the best I've read. If it gets too cold before you're done solarizing the soil I would do it again in early spring too. I'd probably do it again anyway just to kill off some more pathogens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-02T15:16:04.200" LastActivityDate="2013-07-02T15:16:04.200" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7830" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="939" CreationDate="2013-07-02T09:33:20.297" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know this has been answered and accepted, but I disagree strongly. If your Hydrangea is an H. macrophylla variety, deadheading isn't something you'd do, particularly not in your part of the world. The last thing you want to do is force any new growth in July, and the theory with the spent flowerheads is they're left on all winter to give added protection to any incipient buds present over winter. Just keep it watered as its newly planted, and next year, trim back dead flowerheads once spring arrives and green starts to appear on the stems, usually April. If its H. paniculata you've got, that's a different story. I am, by the way, in the UK too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having said all that, do remove any dead parts such as shrivelled leaves, especially if new growth is forming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-07-02T09:46:20.460" LastActivityDate="2013-07-02T09:46:20.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7831" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7811" CreationDate="2013-07-02T09:43:44.420" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're talking about Ocimum basilicum, or Sweet Basil, used as a culinary herb, its the leaves you want, so its usual to pinch off any flowers which form to stop it flowering. If you're cutting regularly for use, its advisable to cut right down some of the stems to promote new growth rather than just nipping leaves off the top couple of inches all the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-07-02T09:43:44.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7832" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-02T13:57:18.113" Score="7" ViewCount="4576" Body="&lt;p&gt;I woke to see my zucchini, yellow squash and sunflower leaves &quot;gone&quot;. Are there any proven suggestions on how to keep groundhogs away? I do have a 3 ft chicken wire fence around my garden area. I don't know where the groundhog's home is. I have a trap set but would like some suggestions on things to spray or put on leaves or in garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2456" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-02T16:30:34.220" LastActivityDate="2020-08-24T23:46:27.323" Title="How do I deter a pesky groundhog from eating my vegetables?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7833" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7592" CreationDate="2013-07-02T14:44:52.970" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you don't want weeds - ever - to grow somewhere, then it seems to me you should change the nutrient levels in the dirt to make it so nothing can grow.  Otherwise you're just going to have to keep killing things forever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Healthy soil nutrients are Ca++, Mg++, K+ mainly and without these, no plant is going to grow.  So if you apply bleach (NaClO) and/or table salt (NaCl), you will bath the soil in Cl- and Na+.  The Cl- will bind with a lot of the Ca++, Mg++, and K+ while the Na+ takes their places.  You'll have soil composed mainly of Na+ (sodic soil) and nothing will grow.  No harmful chemicals have been applied and to reverse the process, you simply add lime (CaCO3), epsom salts (MgSO4), and potassium chloride (KCl) from any ole cheap fertilzer at walmart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flame-thrower idea is more fun, but using it on galvanized steel (ie chicken wire) could burn off the zinc and allow the steel to rust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-07-02T14:44:52.970" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7834" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7592" CreationDate="2013-07-02T15:57:30.700" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not very familiar with bermuda but all the organic weed and grass killers I've come across basically work by desicating the plant. None seem to kill the plant down to the root. Eventually though it's claimed that the plant will use up it's energy reserves in the root and it won't come back. Have you tried applications of vinegar or flame weeding on a regular basis?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I only spray my driveway and walks once or twice a season but I understand that bermuda is very aggressive and you might need to spray more often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-07-02T15:57:30.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7835" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7832" CreationDate="2013-07-02T16:08:49.427" Score="4" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;No products are currently registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency&#xA;  (EPA) for use as woodchuck repellents. Studies in Connecticut have shown that&#xA;  some commercial deer and rabbit repellents, as well as some insecticides thought&#xA;  to have repellent properties, were generally ineffective at preventing woodchuck&#xA;  feeding on crops. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Predator odors may be a useful repellent for woodchucks. For example, bobcat urine sprayed on the base of apple trees has been shown to reduce woodchuck gnawing by 98 percent relative to untreated trees. In addition, bobcat urine used in combination with electric or rope fences reduced damage to cabbage fields in New York. In this study, electric fences alone or electric fences with cloth strips sprayed with bobcat urine were nearly 100 percent effective at reducing woodchuck damage to cabbage. A single-strand rope fence sprayed with bobcat urine reduced woodchuck damage by 90 percent and is a simple, low-cost approach for homeowners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://wildlifecontrol.info/pubs/Documents/Woodchucks/Woodchuck_factsheet.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://wildlifecontrol.info/pubs/Documents/Woodchucks/Woodchuck_factsheet.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Experiment l.—Consumption of leaves of acorn and zucchini squash treated with HotSauce Animal Repellent decreased 16.2 and 20.2% respectively, relative to pretreatment levels. However, these reductions were not statistically significant, and &gt;2/3 of treated foliage was eaten (Table 1).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Experiment 2.--Consumption of Romaine lettuce was not reduced by application of Hinder, Cygon, or Sevin (Table 2). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~rswihart/pdf/91JWM_woodchchuck%20repellents.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~rswihart/pdf/91JWM_woodchchuck%20repellents.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears the best bet may be predator urine, such as bobcat.  I wonder if domestic cat urine in used cat litter would work?  There are also various recipes online containing cayenne, garlic, mustard, urine, soap, etc claiming to repel critters, but nothing that is proven to work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A search around youtube revealed a news broadcast with tips on controlling groundhogs &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlGFcyl4J4s&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlGFcyl4J4s&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that its illegal to trap and relocate in many states.  Check your state laws.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-07-02T16:08:49.427" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7836" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7926" CreationDate="2013-07-03T08:49:56.967" Score="7" ViewCount="845" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have cleared a lot of bindweed from various parts of my garden. I'd like to keep it better controlled from now on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read that it's a good idea not to compost the &lt;em&gt;roots&lt;/em&gt;, because they'll survive and grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, can new growth develop from leaves and stalks?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is, should I quarantine all bindweed material for burning and/or hot composting by my council? Or is OK to cold-compost the leaves and stalks?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2444" LastActivityDate="2015-06-13T20:25:21.153" Title="Should I compost bindweed leaves?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7838" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7836" CreationDate="2013-07-03T12:13:54.957" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well I wouldn't risk it, not in a cold compost system. Hot compost, fine, but if yours isn't, then no. Technically, if you just compost the leaves without any stem at all attached, it should be fine, but the opportunistic propensity of this plant to survive under all and any conditions means I'd be reluctant to risk it. To sum up, if you want to strip off the leaves and compost those, and dispose of the stems and other parts elsewhere, that will probably be safe, even in a cold system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-07-03T12:13:54.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7839" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4297" CreationDate="2013-07-03T21:21:59.807" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mycorrhizae fungus do provide benefits to plants. They colonize on the root hairs of plants and effectively increase the root mass aiding in nutrient absorption.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As @psusi mentioned Mycorrhizae are generally present in most soils. In addition I read that plants &lt;a href=&quot;http://puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20chalker-scott/horticultural%20myths_files/Myths/Bonemeal.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;secrete organic acids&lt;/a&gt; (Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott) to attract the mycorrhizae when they need it. They don't need to when the soil is nutrient-rich. Phosphorous seems to be a big determinant of whether or not mycorrhizae will colonize on the plant's roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the addition of mycorrhizae is overhyped and aggressively marketed but there are instances where it can be beneficial. In soil that has been previously managed with synthetic chemicals there is little biological activity and innoculating the soil with different beneficial bacteria and fungi seemed to work well for me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few years ago I did some digging into mycorrhizae when I was reviewing an &lt;a href=&quot;http://diyorganiclawncare.blogspot.com/2009/10/organic-starter-fertilizer.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;organic starter fertilizer&lt;/a&gt; on my website. I used it a couple of times before overseeding. Good fertilizer and I like the other microorganisms they add but I don't think the mycorrhizae is a big deal considering the fertilizer is high in phosphorous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have good healthy soil with good microbiological activity and don't use fungicides that will kill the beneficial fungi in your soil you probably don't need to add mycorrhizae to your plantings. If you're still cultivating your soil ecology, inoculating with various microorganisms might speed things up but adding organic matter (compost) along with the microorganisms in it is more important for sustainable results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These presentation slides from Dr. Curtis Swift of the Colorodo State University Cooperative Extension titled &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/Mycorrhiza_Fact_Fiction.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Micorrhyza and its uses: Fact or Fiction&lt;/a&gt; is a good read with lots of references to studies. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-07-03T21:21:59.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7840" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="425" CreationDate="2013-07-03T21:31:15.133" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try neem oil. My peonies get infected with powdery mildew every year and this is the only organic solution that seems to really work. It works immediately but you have to start applying it before the mildew sets in. Spray the whole plant liberally from all directions making sure to get the undersides of leaves. The powdery mildew washes right off. Follow the instructions on the bottle regarding dilution and not applying when it's very hot and sunny. A follow up treatment may be necessary a week later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I say liberally i mean drench the plant with spray and dig around to make sure you have every surface treated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After that if you hose them off from time to time you'll wash away the spores that haven't attached firmly to the leaves and as mentioned previously wet conditions discourage powdery mildew as counter intuitive as that may sound.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-07-03T21:31:15.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7841" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7742" CreationDate="2013-07-03T22:13:28.390" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Straight distilled white vinegar has worked fine for me but I think straight apple cider vinegar may be more effective. Haven't tried ACV yet. It is non-selective so it will kill or damage any plants it contacts. Only spray it where you want to kill everything. You don't need to mix it with anything else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The vinegar doesn't directly kill the plant. It strips the protective coating off the leaves from what I understand then the sun and heat dries the plant  out. It doesn't kill the root of the plant but repeated use followed by putting a weed barrier/mulch or filling in with grass in a lawn should help prevent the weeds from returning. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to spray when it's hot and sunny outside to get the best results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-07-03T22:13:28.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7842" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-03T22:19:23.247" Score="4" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ent.uga.edu/peach/peachhbk/fungal/brownrot.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ent.uga.edu/peach/peachhbk/fungal/brownrot.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Wild plum thickets are an important source of spores for both primary and secondary infections. Wild plums bloom&#xA;  before and during peach bloom, and the fruit mature continuously from early to late in the season, providing a&#xA;  continuing source of inoculum. Removal of wild plums adjacent to a peach orchard is an important sanitation&#xA;  procedure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, I have lots of wild plums which are providing privacy for a place which I sometimes have fires.  I waited 5 years for these plums to get tall and thick enough to provide this cover, now I learn I have to remove them if I'm ever to expect a decent peach harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything economical enough to spray on lots of trees for the sake of a few peach trees?  And that isn't going to kill my fish and frogs in the pond I have 500ft downhill from the trees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't expect to ever be rid of the fungus, I just want to make it as uncomfortable for the fungus as I can and without spending much or going to much effort.  Ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-09-11T12:22:12.200" Title="Peaches, plums, and brown rot" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7843" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7718" CreationDate="2013-07-03T22:49:08.307" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had overseeded and dormant seeded for many years before I finally bit the bullet, killed my own lawn and reseeded with new seed. It was well worth the effort. Overseeding isn't a one year deal. It will usually take more than 3 years for the new seed to significantly overtake the old seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without sufficient irrigation the weed seeds will dry out and your germination rate will drop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to try and recreate the conditions of dormant seeding keep the seed in a freezer in an airtight container, cut your lawn very short, apply your seed, roll it with a lawn roller, cover with a 1/4&quot; layer of compost and roll again. I haven't tried this exact technique but I did something similar once involving freezing the seed and then let it sit in a can with moist used coffee grounds so it can start the germination process. I used this to patch a damaged section.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No idea how much rain you get and even meteorologists have trouble predicting... all I can say is try and plan to water as frequently as you can. At least two times a day is recommended. The compost will help keep the seed moist but will eventually dry out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have a sprinkler system but I picked up some components including a &lt;a href=&quot;http://diyorganiclawncare.blogspot.com/2008/07/lawn-sprinklers-for-small-lawns.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sprinkler timer that attaches to the outdoor hose bib&lt;/a&gt; (link to my site with opinions on products I bought and looked into) that I used when overseeding. They work well, are cheap and you can remove them when you're done. Your water flow and pressure will determine how many heads can run at once. There are timers that have multiple zones to be able to operate multiple heads. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You said it's your home and not an investment property so it shouldn't be too hard to water it. There are all sorts of hose end sprinklers you can use. I started out with impact sprinklers but they were too noisy. I figured out I could replace the spike base &lt;a href=&quot;http://diyorganiclawncare.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-to-mount-rotor-sprinkler-on-spike.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;impact sprinklers with rotor sprinklers that are quieter&lt;/a&gt; (link to my instructions and video) and provide similar precipitation. I run my sprinklers early in the morning and didn't want to annoy the neighbors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're killing the lawn you can also add a covering of straw to help retain moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clover in the lawn usually indicates low nitrogen. Send a sample of your soil to your local university cooperative extension office to check pH and fertility, doing an organic matter test would be good too. It's a small fee but will help you improve your soil which will take care of a lot of problems. The test results should tell you exactly what you need to do in terms of dealing with the pH and fertilizing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-07-04T19:18:32.517" LastActivityDate="2013-07-04T19:18:32.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7844" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7589" CreationDate="2013-07-03T23:20:17.747" Score="2" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;How do I avoid overfilling raised beds if I'm adding substantial&#xA;  manure annually?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Easy. Don't add &quot;substantial manure&quot; annually. Straight composted manure is very nutrient rich and your plants will only use a small portion of it and much of it will not leach out so only add enough to bring your beds back up to the appropriate level. Use whatever you have left over in the rest of your yard. Give some to family, friends, neighbors, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You called it &quot;rotted manure&quot; I hope you mean composted manure. Manure needs to be properly hot composted in a pile with the addition of a little bit of plant material so that the heat kills pathogens and weed seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems like this is your first year. My guess based on my experience with straight composted manure is that it won't be as friable after some time. Mixing some peat moss in your beds will help it retain its texture. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.squarefootgardening.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Square Foot Gardening&lt;/a&gt; is based on growing vegetables in raised beds with a mixture of compost (mix of composted manure and plant based compost), peat moss and vermiculite and is practiced by many gardeners. You might want to look into that. Even if you don't use the square foot gardening method there is a lot of useful information for raised bed gardening in general.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-07-04T01:20:08.337" LastActivityDate="2013-07-04T01:20:08.337" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7845" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7481" CreationDate="2013-07-03T23:31:48.943" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The correct cutting height has substantial more to do with the type of grass you have and the season rather than with the type of mower. Some grasses tolerate being cut short but most do better when they're cut longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can't answer the question without knowing what type of grass you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-07-03T23:31:48.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7846" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4665" CreationDate="2013-07-04T19:51:09.977" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wait until they fall from the plant. You'll want to avoid eating them if they are unripe, because I have read on several forums now that they are toxic until they ripen,and contain solanine, the chemical that makes green potatoes poisonous. My husbands grandpa told him that, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2462" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-19T19:23:21.057" LastActivityDate="2014-09-19T19:23:21.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7847" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7825" CreationDate="2013-07-05T16:31:51.313" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem is that the plants that will spread fast in shade are ones that you may not wish to have indefinitely. Also if the slope only exposes subsoil then you would need to provide better soil to get a decent growth so you are back at terracing to retain topsoil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These ones work to retain soil and grow in shade but are not cheap to buy in quantity and require good soil and adequate water to do their job. More details &lt;a href=&quot;https://green.kingcounty.gov/gonative/Article.aspx?Act=view&amp;amp;ArticleID=10&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/pubs/93-30/table3.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pachysandra terminalis Japanese Spurge - commercially available&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Evergreen, thrives in dry, shady areas, produces attractive white berries in fall.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Insignificant fragrant white flower spikes in summer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Partial shade to full shade, Acidic, organically rich, moist soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hardy to -25°C (-11°F) Zone 5 USDA&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Height: 20cm (8 in), Spread: Indefinite but slow&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Linnaea borealis (Twinflower) is an evergreen low ground cover&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mahonia nervosa (Cascade barberry) or Oregon grape is evergreen, picky leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Achlys triphylla (Vanilla leaf) creeping rhizomes help retain soil but needs moisture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Asarum canadense (Canadian wild ginger) we grow it and it is a nicely behaved ground cover, no flowers to speak of but requires good soil and adequate moisture to get established&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cornus unalaschkensis or Cornus Canadensis(Bunchberry) although not evergreen, it is perennial with rhizomes that will aid in erosion control. Charming plant but not a fast grower&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Polystichum munitum (Western swordfern) is evergreen and grows to 3 feet. Probably your best bet for fast growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-07-05T16:31:51.313" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7848" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-05T16:45:22.370" Score="7" ViewCount="12570" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been noticing the older leaves on my bell pepper plant have started to turn yellow.  I'm growing them from a 1 gallon pot.  Any ideas or solutions how to keep them healthy if this is a cause for concern?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2464" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-06T01:42:28.033" LastActivityDate="2015-01-06T01:42:28.033" Title="Why are the leaves on my bell pepper plant starting to turn yellow?" Tags="&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7850" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7848" CreationDate="2013-07-05T19:51:45.287" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peppers tend to like things on the hotter and dryer side. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm having this same problem right now, and was told it was probably nutrient deficiency caused by over watering.  I'm trying those fertilizer stakes at the moment since it's been really rainy where I am for the past 6 weeks and doesn't appear to be stopping anytime soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What has your rain/watering situation been like?  what sort of soil are they planted in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1356" LastActivityDate="2013-07-05T19:51:45.287" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7851" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7868" CreationDate="2013-07-05T21:26:29.323" Score="4" ViewCount="785" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this shrub (of 3 meters height) in my garden and only realized now that its berry might be an elder. I saw some images when searching the internet and the leave and the fruit resembles but it might be a false friend. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this an elder? If not, what is it and is it edible? (&lt;strong&gt;click of a larger version of the images&lt;/strong&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pb7nZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pb7nZm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S2s6f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S2s6fm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ha9yu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ha9yul.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2013-07-08T12:13:47.003" Title="Is this an elder or what is the shrub with red berries?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7853" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7848" CreationDate="2013-07-06T14:01:46.610" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A nitrogen deficiency can be indicated by the yellowing of older leaves because nitrogen is mobile in the plant.  A sulfur deficiency can be indicated by the yellowing of newer leaves because sulfur is immobile in the plant.  The two elements most likely to be leached from soil by excess water is N and S because of the negative charge they have, NO3- and SO4--.  Therefore, I would 'think' if over-watering was causing leaching, the whole plant would be yellow (though its hard to make a generalization about every possible soil type).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the majority of the plant looks healthy and there are just a few yellow leaves at the bottom, its possible there is nothing wrong at all or maybe the soil is slightly low on nitrogen.  If there are pieces of wood or leaves in the soil, they could be robbing nitrogen from the soil that the plant might otherwise use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I had reason to believe I had a nutrient deficiency in my soil, I would add a fairly dilute water-soluble fertilzer (miracle-gro, etc).  I'd expect to see much darker greens in the next day or so after.  If it continued to worsen, then I'd suspect some problem with the soil, such as compaction starving the roots of oxygen (water-logging can do the same thing).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe Joel is right that peppers are accustomed to arid heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-07-06T14:01:46.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7855" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1039" CreationDate="2013-07-06T18:55:51.647" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have found only one solution to mosquito larvae. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Drain&lt;/strong&gt; your fountain once.  Use a shop vac to remove leaves, debris and dirt.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Let it dry&lt;/strong&gt; in the sun for one day (if you are patient). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On day two, &lt;strong&gt;refill with water&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;strong&gt;place a jacuzzi chlorine float in the basin&lt;/strong&gt;. Close the chlorination vents so your chlorine is not dispensed too fast.  Chlorine tablets are the size of wine bottle corks (available at big box home improvement store, or pool supply).  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Set your fountain timer to operate at least a few hours a day to cycle the water (I run ours from noon to 10pm for ambiance).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Once a month, top off the chlorine float.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will never have mosquito larvae again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I keep my chlorine levels high enough where you can smell the chlorine on your wet hand.    I would rather have a sparkling clean fountain and replace my pump and parts once every five years, rather than change my water once a month because of larvae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2470" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-06T21:37:06.240" LastActivityDate="2013-07-06T21:37:06.240" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7856" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3122" CreationDate="2013-07-06T19:24:16.127" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Buy habanero sauce and spray the corn with a solution of water and hot sauce.  Bait a few corn cobs with full strength sauce, then pull the corn husks back up and lay them where the raccoons enter the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2471" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-07T15:08:07.913" LastActivityDate="2013-07-07T15:08:07.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7857" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="224" CreationDate="2013-07-06T22:53:43.937" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can kill ivy with storm windows/glass. I got rid of a big patch after all else failed with several 4'x6' storm windows. I laid the glass out on the ivy and it fried it in a couple hours. I moved the windows around for a week and killed a 30 foot x 45 foot area of ivy. Cook it and kill it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2472" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-07T15:06:29.173" LastActivityDate="2013-07-07T15:06:29.173" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7858" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-07T02:32:20.733" Score="4" ViewCount="142" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a creeper, grows very fast, orange color flowers, leaves like little bit sticky paper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SjkuZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1973" LastActivityDate="2013-07-11T21:35:29.083" Title="help me identify this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7858" CreationDate="2013-07-07T03:21:59.707" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks very much like cucumber to me. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=cucumber+plant&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot;&gt;https://www.google.com/search?q=cucumber+plant&amp;amp;tbm=isch&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-07-07T03:21:59.707" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7860" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7862" CreationDate="2013-07-07T04:54:06.043" Score="8" ViewCount="3819" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have weeds in my grass lawn. Not an uncommon situation, I understand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a few types of weeds. One type grows like &amp;mdash; well, like weeds: quickly and tall. And unsightly. Then there's clover, which is neither tall nor, to my mind, unsightly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking of spreading the clover throughout my lawn in order to crowd out the other weeds. It will, I know, also crowd out my grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will this work? That is, will the clover crowd out the other weeds, eradicating them?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will it be self-defeating in that the clover, if so plentiful, will grow tall?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will such a large amount of clover attract many &lt;del&gt;cows&lt;/del&gt; bees? (We're not too fond of bees.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How can I go about doing this?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Related: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/727&quot;&gt;Do clovers cause any problems?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2360" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2013-07-07T15:10:11.500" Title="Forcing a clover takeover of my lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;clover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7861" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-07T07:18:46.623" Score="3" ViewCount="412" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for a plant which :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is small, growing to atmost 1.5 feet (the smaller, the better)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Requires minimal sunlight (at most, 1-2 hours of direct sunlight per day)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Low risk of attracting pests&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does not release pollen into the air (basically doesnt affect pollen allergies)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can survive from 4 degrees C to 48 degrees C&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in India, so any suggestions for plants that I have a reasonable chance of finding here would be great. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I am not looking for cacti, or anything with needles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2473" LastActivityDate="2013-07-26T20:44:05.883" Title="Looking for an small indoor desk plant" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7860" CreationDate="2013-07-07T10:40:56.507" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The clover (assuming white clover) is spreading on its own because, most likely, the soil is low on nitrogen, which favors the clover instead of the grass.  Clover can fix nitrogen from the air, so it thrives in the low-N soil where other things have a hard time competing with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to this: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1356/do-legumes-provide-nitrogen-to-their-companions&quot;&gt;Do legumes provide nitrogen to their companions?&lt;/a&gt;  Clover will provide N to other plants (weeds) as it spreads, so you will probably never have a monostand of clover unless you kill everything and sow only clover.  Also, the clover will never get tall enough to shade-out other established weeds.  It competes by growing in places other plants won't.  If other plants are absolutely thriving, its hard to see clover out-competing them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many weeds favor certain soil conditions.  Like, for instance, yarrow will out-compete other plants in low potassium soils.  What you have growing in your soil is what is favored to grow in your soil in its current condition.  If you want to change the population of plants, change the composition of the soil to make it more favorable to one and less to the other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a stand of clover, mow low to keep the tall weeds in check.  Clover thrives when mowed.  Bag the clippings to keep the nitrogen low in the soil.  Water deeply to wash away nitrogen.  If you can, provide shade to shade-out other plants in favor of the clover, which likes shade (plant a tree to provide shade and use up N).  All these things favor the clover and doesn't favor fast growing weeds (which need lots of N and light to grow fast).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is nothing wrong with having a clover lawn.  Some people prefer them (on the basis the clover adds nitrogen to the soil rather than removing it like grass would).  Though, usually those interested in clover lawns are also interested in growing wild flowers and attracting a population of bees for their gardens.  So, you have a fairly unique combination of requirements.  I'm not sure how bees respond to clover flowers, but a lawn mower would chop the flowers off anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a site with more info on white clover: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Books/Managing-Cover-Crops-Profitably-3rd-Edition/Text-Version/Legume-Cover-Crops/White-Clover&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Books/Managing-Cover-Crops-Profitably-3rd-Edition/Text-Version/Legume-Cover-Crops/White-Clover&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That site says &quot;beneficial insect attraction&quot;, but I can't say to what degree from experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2013-07-07T10:40:56.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7863" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7861" CreationDate="2013-07-07T11:59:07.620" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Common and successful one is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_braunii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lucky Bamboo&lt;/a&gt;, you can get this at any gift shop or malls or at any plant store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BYx3x.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image Courtesy Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also check more plants &lt;a href=&quot;http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/grow-office-plants.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-07-07T11:59:07.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7864" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7869" CreationDate="2013-07-07T12:11:57.237" Score="2" ViewCount="381" Body="&lt;p&gt;When harvesting some of my lovage I noticed that some foilage has dried out or has large yellow spots. In one of the leave I saw an inhabitant - see below. This maggot was inside the leave: on both side there was still a layer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this maggot and how can I prevent its parents to infiltrate my the leaves? Preferably in an organic way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The maggot is located in the yellow bubble in the center of the leave on the right side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pHnQN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After I ejected the maggot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HQQAQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2013-07-08T12:22:38.123" Title="What are and how to prevent these maggots in my lovage?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7865" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7867" CreationDate="2013-07-08T09:26:03.477" Score="4" ViewCount="67" Body="&lt;p&gt;Help!  I am a new gardener and am trying to grow Brussel sprouts in the VA mountains.  My plants are being eaten by some very hungry bugs. I have not found any cabbage worms but i see a bunch of bugs shaped like stink bugs that are orange and black.  Any ideas what these are?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2476" LastActivityDate="2013-07-08T10:54:57.653" Title="Brussel sprouts pest" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7866" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7217" CreationDate="2013-07-08T10:05:20.647" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;OK it's food, green leaves at the top, leaves yellowing at the bottom and working its way up, until the leaf goes brown, drops off or you cut it off because it looks ugly and makes the plant look sick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;THE CURE &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Magnesium sulphate 100% in Epsom salts from your chemists, 2 tablespoons full in 1 gallon of water, soak the leaves in it, not using a watering can, but not when the sun is on the leaves, because cucumber plants like heat but &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; direct sunlight, which is why they are usually grown in greenhouses, in their own container, then pour some onto the soil and the plant will store it for later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2478" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-08T19:51:07.747" LastActivityDate="2013-07-08T19:51:07.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7865" CreationDate="2013-07-08T10:54:57.653" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is likely to be the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlequin_cabbage_bug&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Harlequin Bug&lt;/a&gt; (Murgantia histrionica). They are &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/leaf/harlequin_bug.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;stink bugs&lt;/a&gt; and cause serious damage to a number of plants species including the brassica (broccoli, brussels, cauliflower).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are tough bugs and you need determination to deal with them. All controls should be practiced to break the cycle:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;clean beds after harvest removing debris where the adults will overwinter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;strong solution of soap and water sprayed every other day to knock down the population&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;try floating row covers next year to prevent them from getting at the crop&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;as the second link indicates try &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;the use of trap crops of turnip, kale, or mustard in the very early&#xA;  spring or late in the fall after the main crop has been harvested.&#xA;  Once the pests have concentrated in these areas, they can be killed by&#xA;  applying insecticides or by covering the trap crop with straw and&#xA;  burning. Trap crops should never be used unless they can be given&#xA;  careful attention to destroy the bugs attracted to them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-07-08T10:54:57.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7868" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7851" CreationDate="2013-07-08T12:13:47.003" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like a Juneberry (Amelanchier). The berries will become a deep purple, and they are edible. Some trees/shrubs have fruit that is absolutely delicious and tastes a bit like a blueberry - others have fruit that is not so tasty. Hope yours is a tasty one and that you're able to try the fruit before the birds get them. I have two shrubs in my yard and have been outwitted by the birds for two years in a row now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-07-08T12:13:47.003" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7869" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7864" CreationDate="2013-07-08T12:22:38.123" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its the larval form of a leaf mining insect - control of these, even with pesticides, isn't very effective, and as you don't want to use pesticides anyway, the only thing you can do is pick off affected leaves as soon as you see them. If the problem becomes widespread, then a cover over the crop is about the only way to keep the flying leaf miner from leaving its eggs inside the leaves. Lovage is often affected by these pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-07-08T12:22:38.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7870" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7842" CreationDate="2013-07-08T12:28:41.430" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't think of anything particularly effective to prevent brown rot, but, if you are only growing the wild plum as cover, is there a possibility you can coppice or pollard them before the fruit forms on a yearly basis? It's the fruits that get brown rot, so if you are able to stop fruits forming, that will solve the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Brown rot is a term applied specifically to rotting of fruits on trees, and has nothing to do with any fungal growths occurring in other parts of the tree. The cause of that will be different, so identifying quite what it is could be very helpful, because with any luck, it might be something treatable rather than a sign of decay or serious problem in your trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-08-12T11:38:00.263" LastActivityDate="2013-08-12T11:38:00.263" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7217" CreationDate="2013-07-08T15:11:19.283" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you have is classic Chlorosis. Leaves dark near the veins, yellowing in the areas between.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, it's the equivalent of anemia. The chlorophyll in plants is related to hemoglobin in blood in that it requires iron.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant needs to be in a much larger pot with some actual soil in it. Potting soil while fluffy and great for getting plants started, is often nutrient poor when the plant is past the stage where it's expended its seed nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants displaying Chlorosis in new growth leaves can be recovered with the use of iron sulphate solution which gives off enough free iron to give the plant what it needs. In the case of cucumbers, not a whole lot as having too much iron can bind other nutrients. Chlorosis can, in plants like blueberries be an indicator of both magnesium and iron lack, the acid soil they love harbors bacteria that release these elements from the soil particles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In older leaves, chlorosis is an indication that the leaf is spent and occurs as sugars and starches build up that the aging leaf cannot move to the plant. These being older leaves, probably are a good indicator that a transplant into a pot with healthy soil is more likely to be the ultimate cure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2013-07-08T15:11:19.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7872" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7832" CreationDate="2013-07-08T15:16:02.763" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;We struggled with groundhogs at our local community garden for several years. We were not able to remove them, as the land owner would not allow it. We tried every solution we could find on the internet including cayenne pepper spray, creating a perimeter for the garden with ammonia and used kitty litter, shiny pinwheels and other moving objects to scare them, fences including an underground barrier. We even tried feeding the groundhogs outside their burrows with discarded produce, thinking they might take the easy food and not bother getting around the fence. No deal. Honestly, I think removal is the best, and maybe only, option. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-07-08T15:16:02.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7873" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-08T17:00:50.260" Score="3" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine has a little plantation in Argentina, Misiones. It's kind of a small rain forrest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to bring him some seed that would grow there and that he can't get there from every florist. I was thinking of a tree, medical plants or vegetables. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2480" LastActivityDate="2013-07-08T17:00:50.260" Title="Uncommon Plants in Northern Argentina (Misiones)" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-07-24T01:54:02.977" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7874" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3122" CreationDate="2013-07-08T17:55:18.593" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my favorite methods is to lay strips of aluminum foil around the entrance to the garden or around the plant. When stepped on, it scares off the animals. I also plant hot peppers, marigolds, and sprinkle cayenne pepper. I'm not letting then win!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2481" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-08T19:28:29.243" LastActivityDate="2013-07-08T19:28:29.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7810" CreationDate="2013-07-08T21:47:47.607" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Harvest when they are a thickness of a pencil. Once the asparagus starts shooting up thiner stocks, just let them go for the rest of the season with out harvesting any more. When they become dorment, you can dig the rhizomes up to spread them out by replanting them further apart or relocate them to a different part of the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The asparagus might of been hibernating until it got the right nutrients or water indirectly by how you take care of your sunflower. It looks like it was a mature rhizome because durring the first few years the asparagus will only fern out and shoot up very thin spears.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2355" LastActivityDate="2013-07-08T21:47:47.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7876" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-09T17:28:23.257" Score="4" ViewCount="284" Body="&lt;p&gt;A fire destroyed about 40cm of the upper part of my Thuja hedge. I have 2 questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I cut off the burnt branches to help regrowth or can I leave it as it is?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How long will it take to grow the 40cm back again?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2487" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-23T05:22:00.767" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T21:31:14.567" Title="How fast does a Thuja hedge grow after being burnt?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7877" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-10T19:06:45.487" Score="5" ViewCount="93138" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you please tell me why my chilli pepper plant leaves are curling.  The plant has grown to about 15&quot; tall and has produced some chilli peppers.  The peppers are already maturing but new flowers are falling off and the leaves are curling. I don't think the sun is too much because it's in the direct sun for only a few hours; it doesn't have any pests etc. on the leaves; it doesn't seem to be overwatering as the soil is just moist.  What am I missing?  I have checked a lot of sites but I can't find anything concrete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2492" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-11T01:21:01.510" LastActivityDate="2017-12-24T16:25:48.483" Title="Why are my chilli pepper leaves curling and new flowers are falling off?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7878" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-11T02:21:28.373" Score="6" ViewCount="4314" Body="&lt;p&gt;We bought a Nepenthes pitcher plant 3 months ago. It is growing beautifully but not producing any new pitchers (it has two small ones from when we bought it).  The new leaves that come out and grow then turn brown on the ends. We live in Northwest Florida, and it is outside on a covered deck getting morning sun. We keep it wet with distilled or rain water and we have repotted it in a hanging coconut liner with sphagnum moss, clean sand and perlite. Any help to be given here? We are perplexed!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2493" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-11T15:59:58.080" LastActivityDate="2020-07-01T16:43:07.193" Title="Why are my pitcher plant's leaves turning brown on the ends?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;nepenthes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7879" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7877" CreationDate="2013-07-11T04:22:37.133" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Curling as in cupped and deformed? Or curling as in wilting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Calcium is needed for the construction of cell walls.  If calcium is missing when cell construction occurs, you get something that looks like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v9hX3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Extreme Calcium Deficiency&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's a fairly extreme example, but illustrates the cupping and curling of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil is likely to be deficient in calcium in high rainfall areas and where soil is acid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have reason to believe your soil is low in calcium, your options for replenishment are limited. Calcium compounds are rarely soluble in water, such as lime (CaCO3).  Lime simply wouldn't break down in time to do the plant much good, plus it would increase soil ph.  Water soluble fertilizers (miracle-gro, etc) usually don't contain calcium, since its so hard to make it dissolve and stay dissolved without producing salts.  The best option would be calcium nitrate.  Its very soluble in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience with calcium deficiency in plants, the plant continues to grow and produce just fine (except for deformed leaves).  Tomatoes will have &quot;blossom end rot&quot;.  I believe melons will too.  Maybe an increased susceptibility to disease will be noticed, but the plant doesn't die or stop producing.  So if flowers are dropping, maybe calcium isn't the only mineral lacking.  If that were the case, then something like miracle-gro and calcium nitrate would be the treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That should save this year's crop of peppers, but next year you should start with calcium rich soil.  It would be wise to research soil calcium more, since its such an important part of human health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-07-11T04:22:37.133" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7880" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7878" CreationDate="2013-07-11T04:51:50.910" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your problem could be in giving it distilled water, which has a ph of 7.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The pH of rain varies, especially due to its origin. On America's East Coast, rain that is derived from the Atlantic Ocean typically has a pH of 5.0-5.6; rain that comes across the continental from the west has a pH of 3.8-4.8; and local thunderstorms can have a pH as low as 2.0.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to me this plant needs an acid soil, which you're diluting with the distilled water.  Try only rain water and see if that helps.  Fresh rain water would be ideal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-07-11T04:51:50.910" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7881" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7878" CreationDate="2013-07-11T13:12:00.190" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Nepenthes&lt;/em&gt; is a rainforest plant. It expects hot, humid conditions. Most people who grow them have to use terrariums. I doubt even in Florida you have the humid rainforest-like conditions outdoors. I suspect direct sunlight will not be good either. Rainforests tend to be very shady places.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may have more luck growing &lt;em&gt;Sarracenia&lt;/em&gt; (&quot;Trumpet&quot; Pitcher Plant) which is native to the Eastern US (E.Texas to the Carolinas, and at least as far north as Illinois). &lt;em&gt;Sarracenia&lt;/em&gt; is not a creeper though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other pitcher plant in captivity is &lt;em&gt;Darlingtonia&lt;/em&gt;. Impressive looking but has the reputation of being difficult to grow. (native to N.California/Oregon)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2013-07-11T13:12:00.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4134" CreationDate="2013-07-11T21:14:58.683" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are way too hot in the greenhouse: try to regulate it better and more evenly throughout the greenhouse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your house was made of glass or plastic and you hardly ever opened a door or window you would wilt like your cucumber plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not try to compensate with watering because cucumber plants don't like to stand in water. If you have them in a tray and water the soil, not the plants' leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And please remember cucumber plants like HEAT not sunlight; you will burn the leaves and they will go crispy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2495" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-13T04:25:31.983" LastActivityDate="2013-07-13T04:25:31.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7884" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-12T02:29:24.387" Score="8" ViewCount="7291" Body="&lt;p&gt;This year I revamped about half of my garden space using the biodynamic method found in John Jeavon's material. I now have the other half and after seeing the &lt;em&gt;Back to Eden&lt;/em&gt; film I am really intrigued by using this method. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have already tracked down some suppliers for recycled newspaper and (free) woodchips, now I just wanted to know if anyone has given this a try and if they have been able to emulate the almost too perfect to be true results that Paul Gautschi is getting as shown in the movie.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="55" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2018-06-03T04:03:59.300" LastActivityDate="2018-06-03T04:03:59.300" Title="Effectiveness of Using Wood Chips (a la &quot;Back to Eden&quot;) as a garden mulch/covering?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;back-to-eden&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7885" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="355" CreationDate="2013-07-12T02:33:53.467" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should Google &quot;Back to Eden&quot; film and see the results from the gardener in that documentary. While some may not be able to get past his religious views, the gardening results speak for themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="55" LastActivityDate="2013-07-12T02:33:53.467" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7886" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-12T03:53:12.613" Score="4" ViewCount="155" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had two wonderful red fleshed apples in Birch Bay, Washington.  We've moved to St. Helens, Oregon and I can't find any here.  I'd love to replace them.  Does anyone know where I might find these and which ones would be the most hardy for this area?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2496" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-23T03:59:07.690" LastActivityDate="2014-09-25T13:24:28.560" Title="What's the most hardy red fleshed apple for the Pacific Northwest?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7887" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7884" CreationDate="2013-07-12T04:44:20.307" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It really matters what kind of wood chips you're trying to use. The wrong sort can doom your gardening project.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Wood Chips, Sawdust and Bark Chips&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wood chips and sawdust from large diameter limbs, trunks and Evergreen trees kind of suck the nitrogen out of any environment they're used in. Their Carbon/Nitrogen ratio can run from 400:1 to 750:1. It has to do with the decomposition process and the bacteria and fungi that decompose wood. They need nitrogen to create protein and will remove it from the soil to try digesting the woody materials. Evergreen content also introduces a lot of tannins, substances that are used by these trees and shrubs to control plant growth underneath their drip-line and can stop plant growth till they've been broken down by soil bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually composting wood chips works best if you take something with so much nitrogen content it will burn plants (chicken manure) and mix the two together to compost both into a usable soil amendment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a mulch, wood chips can be effective, just don't till them into the soil for the above reason. Rake off at the end of the year, sow your cover crop for over wintering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Ramial Wood Chips&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;True Ramial Wood Chips are supposed to be new growth, small branches and tree top wood from deciduous brush and trees with the diameter not to exceed 7cm/2.75&quot;. The name comes from the Quebecois term &lt;strong&gt;&quot;bois raméal fragmenté&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; or in English, &lt;strong&gt;&quot;chipped branch wood&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;. This is all from the parts of the trees and brush that are still growing, contain soluable unpolymerized lignins and high quantities of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium in the cambium and bud tissues. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because of the Carbon/Nitrogen ratio in Ramial Wood which averages 30:1 and if larger diameter branches are included can go up to around 170:1, we're dealing with a much different product from wood chips. The various studies in Ramial Wood agriculture often add Blood Meal (about 13% Nitrogen) to add a little extra nitrogen to the mix to make up for the higher Carbon/Nitrogen ratio in the larger branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why Ramial Wood Chips work:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are starting off with a nutrient rich mulch that has a high content of unpolymerized lignins and enough nitrogen to not deplete the soil. The unpolymerized lignins require no breaking down to become a ready food source for soil fungi that quickly absorb it and proceed to break the rest of the wood content down into soil humus. This also starts liberating the nutrients that beneficial soil bacteria require.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're growing fruit trees you will find Ramial Wood Chips to be a ground mulch that also provides nitrogen in an ammonia based process due to the soil environment it creates, a source of nitrogen better adapted to tree growth. Shrubs and trees prefer ammonia, not nitrates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-07-27T18:35:30.957" LastActivityDate="2014-07-27T18:35:30.957" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7888" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-12T05:10:32.447" Score="9" ViewCount="1516" Body="&lt;p&gt;First insect question: When I turned our compost pile yesterday, there was a lot of very rich smelling black soil, semi composted vegetables/plant/oak leaf matter, and a LOT of pill bugs. My wife said, &quot;They're doing their job well.&quot; Are pill bugs good for the compost pile?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second insect question: I've read in so many places online, and in Robert Rodale Press organic gardening books about; &quot;Anything that was once alive - is organic.&quot; Would that include the hordes of grasshoppers we have here in Texas? If so, would there be a benefit to me throwing a few hundred of them (dead) into my compost pile?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not put anything inorganic, diseased, or with pesticides in our compost pile. Our compost pile/bin is 5'x5' and 36 inches tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2378" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-13T05:24:23.993" LastActivityDate="2013-07-19T03:11:03.827" Title="Compost pile and bugs (2 questions)" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7884" CreationDate="2013-07-12T06:10:55.387" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't seen the movie, but there are no shortage of studies or &quot;studies&quot; singing the praises of ramial wood chips.  Here's one: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mofga.org/Default.aspx?tabid=850&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.mofga.org/Default.aspx?tabid=850&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Trees seemed to grow tallest and soil organic matter increased most when RCW was used both as a mulch and was incorporated into the soil. The increase in organic matter is most encouraging. This sandy loam has been extremely low in organic matter, and cover cropping, adding manure and compost have not changed the organic matter as much as two years of RWC applications did.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's another: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/Pubs/Wood%20Chips%20in%20Vegetable%20Production.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/Pubs/Wood%20Chips%20in%20Vegetable%20Production.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wood, really, is just cellulose (C6 H10 O5) which turns into CO2 and H20 in time. Wood has a few minerals.  I can only speculate on why wood seems to work so well.  Humus is probably one reason.  Wood is a buffer for water (soaks up excess and is a source of water in dry periods).  Wood is dense, so it breaks down slowly, which is less of a nitrogen leach than leaves would be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my personal experience I have found bulldozed piles of topsoil containing trees which rotted down for almost 10yrs to be excellent soil.  Basil planted in that soil is 3 or 4 times bigger than that planted in plain topsoil.  The soil is also loose and light, instead of the normal heavy sticky clay I have natively.  This indicates (to me) that the soil has been replenished with calcium... apparently from the wood.  Wood ashes are roughly 30% Ca, 10-15% K, and 7% Mg for pine and oak.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf1993/misra93a.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf1993/misra93a.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-07-12T06:10:55.387" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7890" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3122" CreationDate="2013-07-12T13:39:46.670" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trap them with cages, shoot them when you trap them.  Throw their carcasses out where your woods are as a warning to all that try and mess with your corn crop.  Racoons are not an endangered species and you will save yourself from further problems by their young next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2499" LastActivityDate="2013-07-12T13:39:46.670" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7891" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7884" CreationDate="2013-07-12T18:01:07.973" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bark chips make a good mulch, but in densely planted areas, best to add some nitrogen to the soil beneath before spreading the mulch if you are not using a membrane, and in particular if the mulch is applied during spring or early summer. Woodchips are best composted, certainly for a year or so before use, unless you're prepared to rake them off every few months and reapply nitrogen to the ground so that your plants do not go short. If the area isn't planted, and the woodchips are just being used to suppress weeds, then nitrogen shortage won't be such an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-07-12T18:01:07.973" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7893" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7896" CreationDate="2013-07-12T18:12:15.827" Score="0" ViewCount="186" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a pretty common houseplant I think. I have a bunch of these all over the house, growing hydroponically and in soil. I'd like to learn more about these but don't know their name, any insight would be great.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Thanks!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/Jh2jXhh&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Jh2jXhhl.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Hosted by imgur.com&quot;/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2501" LastActivityDate="2013-07-12T22:04:33.287" Title="What's the name of this common houseplant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2013-07-13T04:35:39.243" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7848" CreationDate="2013-07-12T19:32:46.740" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may also want to try a compost tea to but back the nutrients the plant may have lost due to the rain. This method has help my yellowing plants turn green again and beef up flower production.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Materials:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2 5 gallon buckets&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;5 cups of Chicken or cow manure compost -OR- worm castings&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Steps:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fill a 5 gallon bucket (I use a homedepot orange one) with water and&#xA;let it sit over night to dechlorinate it. Do not seal the bucket.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The next day, aerate the water by throwing the dechlorinated water&#xA;between buckets (like you are making beer).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add a shovel full of compost or worm castings (about 1 cup per&#xA;gallon if you want measurements). Adding this to the water wakes up&#xA;the dorment micro organisms up.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Every 2 hours or so, throw the buckets again to aerate and keep the&#xA;micro organisms alive.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;After 8 hours, water the plants with the compost tea.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NOTE:&lt;/strong&gt; Any of the aeration steps can be skipped if you would rather buy an aerator to stick in the bucket.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2355" LastActivityDate="2013-07-12T19:32:46.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7896" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7893" CreationDate="2013-07-12T22:04:33.287" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is pothos or Epipremnum aureum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More details can be found in these answers &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7081/help-identifying-this-plant/7083#7083&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7555/what-is-this-plant-and-does-it-require-a-lot-of-sunshine/7582#7582&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7082/received-a-plant-need-help-identifying-it/7084#7084&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2013-07-12T22:04:33.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7897" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13642" CreationDate="2013-07-12T23:21:05.017" Score="8" ViewCount="416" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Mission Olive tree, and I've read in several places that Sevillano and Ascolano will both increase fruit set as these 3 are good cross pollinators of each other. Unfortunately I cannot find any Sevillano or Ascolano in my area, all that seems to be available locally is Arbequina, Frantoio, Manzanillo, which from what I've read are either poor cross pollinators or not compatible at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is would buying a 2nd Mission Olive increase pollination rates? Is it just a matter of a greater amount of compatible pollen available in the area or is there something about the genetics of cross compatible varieties pollinating each other that gives better results than just having multiple trees of the same type?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I know I could order a Sevillano or Ascolano online but I've been very disappointed in my previous mail orders, most arriving near death or disappointingly smaller than advertised, so I'm focusing on local trees I can inspect and approve of prior to purchase)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2080" LastEditorUserId="2080" LastEditDate="2013-07-12T23:30:49.047" LastActivityDate="2016-04-15T22:44:35.020" Title="Increasing Olive Pollination" Tags="&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;olive&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7898" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2908" CreationDate="2013-07-13T04:58:26.463" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since it's a permanent summer installation, it shades out the soil, kills the grass and the sod basically rots away so there is no ability for regrowth. You're not going to ever have a lawn under there, grass cannot establish itself well enough during the part of the year you don't have the pool installed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could do what farmers do for the off season, plant cover crop. A mixture of barley, crimson clover and short bean fava scratched into the soil would provide cover protection. When you're ready to bring out the pool, mow the cover crop down and throw it on your compost heap for the garden. These mixtures are made up of plants that will readily take root in bare soil, but aren't perniciously durable once their purpose is finished.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2013-07-13T04:58:26.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7899" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7888" CreationDate="2013-07-13T05:19:49.403" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seems like pillbugs are good for the compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Pillbugs form an important component of the larger decomposer fauna, along with earthworms, snails, and millipedes. All of &#xA;  these animals return organic matter to the soil where it is further digested by fungi, protozoans, and bacteria, hence making &#xA;  nitrates, phosphates, and other vital nutrients available to plants. Although they may occasionally feed on roots, pillbugs do &#xA;  minimal damage to live vegetation and should not be regarded as pests. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ref: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www3.northern.edu/natsource/INVERT1/Pillbu1.htm&quot;&gt;http://www3.northern.edu/natsource/INVERT1/Pillbu1.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the 2nd question, yes, insects would make a fine contribution to the pile.  Insects are a rich source of protein, which contains nitrogen.  I've seen guys composting large animals (hogs) with frontend loaders to insert them into the pile, though, I wouldn't recommend composting animals for the average gardener.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I couldn't find anything specific to composting insects, but if we work on the assumption that chickens are harder to compost...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Research at the University of Maryland, and field application in other poultry states, have shown that normal mortality can be handled efficiently and safely by composting dead poultry. Composting is a natural process in which beneficial organisms--bacteria and fungi--reduce and transform organic wastes into a useful end product--compost--which can be used as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Although simple in concept and design, dead poultry composters require attention to detail and careful management. Effective July 1, 1992 properly constructed and properly managed dead bird composters are an acceptable method of handling normal flock mortality in Virginia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ref: &lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/442/442-037/442-037.html&quot;&gt;http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/442/442-037/442-037.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just think how much easier composting a grasshopper would be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The recommendation from the Hopper Stopper is: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;When the grasshoppers die, simply unclip the lid and throw the dead grasshoppers in the trash or compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ref: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hopperstopper.com/id67.html&quot;&gt;http://www.hopperstopper.com/id67.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-07-13T05:19:49.403" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7900" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7901" CreationDate="2013-07-13T08:38:48.343" Score="6" ViewCount="47568" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bunch of raised garden bed frames, and I'm considering putting them on a slab of concrete that I have in my back yard. I wanted to avoid putting them on the grass, as when I've done this previously the grass has grown up through the soil in the raised bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plan on growing vegetables, however I'm concerned that there won't be adequate drainage. I also don't know what sort of soil layering I should use since this is on concrete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like some advice on how I should proceed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0LO5j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;concrete with garden bed frames&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="107" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-23T18:44:41.400" LastActivityDate="2020-03-07T01:13:34.797" Title="What should I consider when putting raised garden beds on concrete?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7900" CreationDate="2013-07-13T11:18:13.730" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears your beds are pretty deep. At least a foot deep by my estimation. Most edibles you'll plant won't need to be that deep. 4-6&quot; is enough for a lot of plants except for root vegetables but you can always add an extension in those areas. You don't have to make the whole bed deep just for a few potatoes or carrots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you have that much depth what I think might work is to do what people do with plants in pots. Provide drainage at the bottom of the beds and poke some holes on the sides, along the bottom to let the water escape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe 1-2&quot; of gravel, landscape fabric, then your soil mix on top of that? That's what I would try if I absolutely had to put the beds on concrete. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for what to fill the beds with. There's an active community of gardeners that practice and modify Mel Bartholomew's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.squarefootgardening.org/&quot;&gt;Square Foot Gardening&lt;/a&gt; which recommends equal parts of compost, vermiculite and peat moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But you said you're doing this mainly because the grass grows up through your beds. Have you tried &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html&quot;&gt;solarizing&lt;/a&gt; the area to kill off vegetation and seeds, putting down some landscape fabric then your beds and growing medium?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-07-13T11:18:13.730" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7902" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5848" CreationDate="2013-07-13T11:45:51.343" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants can be affected by so many different things from disease, over/under fertilization, weather, humidity, air flow, etc., and you haven't provided enough information for anyone to give any useful feedback.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What part of the world were the tomatoes planted? Different areas have different problems. Country, region, city...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What &quot;chemicals&quot; were used in the water? Was it bleach? That would definitely kill the plants :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What was previously grown in that area? Was it previously uncultivated? Were there tomatoes? Beets? Corn? Grass? Tomatoes in particular can benefit from proper crop rotation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the soil like? Send samples to a lab. In the US a local university extension office can provide all sorts of tests on the soil to let you know what needs to be improved and how. Make sure you indicate what you plan to grow when you submit samples to get the right kind of recommendations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What actually killed the plants? Was it disease? Was it insects? Was it improper feeding or watering? Was it from lack of sunlight? Did you try and grow the tomatoes on a football field and they were trampled to death? What symptoms did they exhibit? Lots of extension offices can also analyze the plants and determine what's wrong with them and can identify the pathogens that are affecting it. They'll be able to provide guidance as to what you can do to help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know who you're &quot;local expert&quot; is but I would go through legitimate university extension offices and labs (not their Master Gardeners) to get a good prognosis. Especially if I were trying to raise tomatoes to sell which sounds like what your uncle is doing based on your language.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-07-13T11:45:51.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7903" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-13T16:41:31.307" Score="5" ViewCount="413" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berberis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Berberis&lt;/a&gt; shrubs growing inside a hedge of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Thujas&lt;/a&gt;.  They are very difficult to access.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any efficient chemical method of eradicating just those Berberis shrubs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2506" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-29T06:14:06.773" LastActivityDate="2017-11-29T06:14:06.773" Title="How to eradicate Berberis growing in a Thuja hedge?" Tags="&lt;herbicide&gt;&lt;chemicals&gt;&lt;barberry&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7904" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7907" CreationDate="2013-07-13T16:43:57.187" Score="2" ViewCount="549" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just planted my first Minnesota hardy hibiscus/rose mallow. Should I cut it back in fall or overwinter it intact?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2507" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-15T14:22:54.413" LastActivityDate="2013-07-15T14:22:54.413" Title="Should I cut back hibiscus/rose mallow for winter in Minnesota?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7905" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7903" CreationDate="2013-07-13T16:47:12.153" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't tried it on barberry but &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/templates/index.jsp?pageUrl=roundupLanding&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;round-up&lt;/a&gt; is typically a good candidate for targeting a specific individual. Apply it to the leaves, it kills the roots but breaks down quickly in the soil. So if you keep it off of neighboring plants as you apply, it won't harm them. Depending on the size of the plant and the density of the neighbors I will either spray or carefully brush it on the leaves. This works well for European buckthorn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2507" LastEditorUserId="2507" LastEditDate="2013-07-13T17:29:01.050" LastActivityDate="2013-07-13T17:29:01.050" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7904" CreationDate="2013-07-13T19:43:32.750" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a similar climate to yours and have a hibiscus.  The directions from the nursery were to cut it back to the ground and cover with several inches of mulch in the fall.  I have followed these instructions and had no problems.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The hardy hibiscus varieties start slow in the spring so I can plant crocus or scilla in the same area and they are over and down with before the hibiscus shows up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you decide not to cut it back the stems will die back to the ground anyway.  It will act to collect snow and act as a perch for winter birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-07-13T19:43:32.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7908" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7921" CreationDate="2013-07-13T20:06:59.013" Score="7" ViewCount="244" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased my first bonsai about 4 years ago but haven't taken regular care of it, mainly just watering it occasionally in the summer and rarely during the other months. I've been too afraid to trim it. During the last few months I've kept it by the window and watered it regularly and it began growing much more rapidly than in the past.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First question is, can anyone identify the type of tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, any tips on where and how far down to trim? The tallest branch is beginning to fall over from its own weight. I've watched a bunch of bonsai trimming videos on youtube, but the trees they trim are in much better shape than this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i6L0f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bonsai&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0KF1v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bonsai&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2508" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-02T21:35:13.897" LastActivityDate="2021-02-02T21:35:13.897" Title="Bonsai identification and pruning tips" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7909" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-13T21:57:51.143" Score="16" ViewCount="35963" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother was in a panic this morning. She called me over to help her with her garden because many of her tomato plants had suddenly developed yellow leaves, many of which (but not all) also have brown spots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the facts and observations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Developed almost overnight (few if any were yellow the previous day)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;All of them are potted (with drainage holes)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;About half of them have the problem&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some have no brown spots, some have one, some have many&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some have a lot of yellow leaves, some only a few&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Most of the plants are clustered together, but one on the other side of the garden also had yellow leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Her eggplant and strawberry plants also have one or two new yellow leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Her pot of shamrocks has many yellow leaves, most with brown spots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It has rained a &lt;em&gt;lot&lt;/em&gt; this past week&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I didn’t make a note at the time, but I believe that most of the affected ones were on the outer row of the garden while most of the inner row was affected less so, if at all (i.e., they could have been shielded from the rain by the outer row if it came down at an angle)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It has been pretty hot, humid, and muggy recently (whenever it wasn’t raining that is)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Worrying that it was a disease, she pruned every yellow or even yellowish leaf that she could find on all of the tomato plants as well as the eggplant, strawberry, and shamrocks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I pointed out that it rained a lot recently and that it seems to have happened to different kinds of unrelated plants, and so could be hyponatremia (like with blossom-end-rot).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using this information, I managed to find a few web pages that seem to indicate that it could indeed be too much rain, but the same symptoms (well, at least the yellow leaves/brown spots) were indicated for several other things (&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/244/why-have-my-tomato-leaves-started-yellowing-at-the-base&quot;&gt;this similar sounding question&lt;/a&gt; didn’t even mention over-watering as possible cause).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what this is? Can anyone confirm if it is over-watering and whether they can recover if she can find a way to prevent them from getting soaked the next time it rains?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qr1iB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of a yellow leaf&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Szbc9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of leaf cluster with brown spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="920" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2021-05-04T03:27:01.213" Title="Sudden Outbreak of Yellow Leaves on Tomato (and Other) Plants" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;rain&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7910" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28894" CreationDate="2013-07-14T04:04:33.490" Score="10" ViewCount="1302" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a flourishing crop of raspberries (I live on Long Island, NY) but last year and now this year I am seeing tiny little worms or caterpillars inside the raspberries.  The insects are white and much, much smaller than the berry. I think the berries infected by these pests become very mushy, not to mention rather gross.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I sprayed the raspberry vines with an insecticidal soap, but it had no affect. I have a more powerful insecticide, but the directions say you cannot harvest fruit for 14 days after application. If I need to go that route I will, because last year these little worms spread to the whole crop and right now they are confined to one area. But since the vines are yielding a bowl of good fruit per day, I would rather not have to waste two weeks worth of fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could these little worms be? How can I get rid of them? Would food-grade DE be a good option? Should I just use more of insecticidal soap since it is fairly safe?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Related question: I recently discovered a large number of small flying beetles around the vines and on the berries. Could this be the same species as the little white caterpillars?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2509" LastActivityDate="2016-08-22T15:09:57.677" Title="How to safely protect my raspberries from pests" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7909" CreationDate="2013-07-14T07:11:18.900" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've just described my weather and tomato plants.  The best I can figure, all the rain and humidity has provided the perfect conditions for fungus to thrive.  I'm thinking Septoria lycopersici.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From: &lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/450/450-711/450-711.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/450/450-711/450-711.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Septoria leaf spot of tomato, caused by the fungus Septoria lycopersici, is one of the most common and destructive diseases of tomato in Virginia. The fungus can cause severe leaf spotting and defoliation is common following severe infection. Heavy leaf loss during wet seasons leads to sun scalding of fruit and failure of fruit to mature properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Symptoms&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Numerous, small, water-soaked spots, which are the first noticeable characteristic of Septoria leaf spot, appear on the lower leaves after fruit set. Spots enlarge to a uniform size of approximately 1/16 to 1/4 inch in diameter. They have dark brown borders and tan or light colored centers. Yellow halos often surround the spots. Severely infected leaves die and drop off. Septoria leaf spot is easily distinguished from early blight, another foliar disease of tomato, by the uniform, small size of the spots and the lack of concentric rings in the spots; however, Septoria leaf spot is sometimes confused with bacterial spot of tomato. The presence of fruiting bodies of the fungus, visible as tiny black specks in the centers of the spots, confirms Septoria leaf spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Favorable weather permits infection to move up the stem, causing a progressive loss of foliage from the bottom of the plant upward. Plants appear to wither from the bottom up. Loss of foliage causes a decrease in the size of the fruits and exposes fruit to sunscald. Spotting of the stem and blossoms may also occur.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Chemical Control&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Apply fungicides on a preventative schedule before the disease first appears on the lower leaves. Begin sprays when the first fruits of the first cluster are visible after blossom drop. Apply fungicides every 7 to 10 days or more often when the weather is warm and wet. In home gardens the fungicides, chlorothalonil (e.g. Daconil 2787) or maneb (e.g. Maneb), can be used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After weighing my options of copper sulfate mix, ferrous sulfate, or a chemical fungicide, I quickly ruled out copper because I don't want to cause a copper imbalance in my soil... that and copper is toxic to everything (plants, fungi, bacteria).  I didn't want to be burdened by wondering if I'm applying too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I went to lowes and reviewed the selection of fungicides.  Many were neem oil based and seem to treat more trivial infections, which excludes septoria.  Only one treated seemingly everything fungal, Daconil.  So I bought it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After reading the label and considering the degree to which I had to protect myself from the chemical, and after using it once and feeling a little trepidatious to work around the tomato plants, I decided to shelve the Daconil pending further research into its safety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I settled on ferrous sulfate (Its called Copperas, its about $5 for 5lbs). Its safe for me and the plants, yet it makes things uncomfortable for fungi.  Additionally, the iron and sulfate will help green the leaves.  Due to heavy rain, sulfate will be one of the first nutrients depleted in soil because of its negative charge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;To enhance fungicidal activity and correct possible iron chlorosis of the grass, Cutting recommends adding ferrous sulfate to the tank mixture at a rate of 1/2 oz./1,000 square feet of turf area. Ferrous sulfate is an inorganic chemical of iron and sulfate, and iron is an important component of photosynthesis. &quot;We've been using ferrous sulfate with our fungicides since the early 1950s to increase the green of grass and improve the finish of turf,&quot; he explains. Data show that when turf is under stress, particularly during hot summer months, the grass plants have difficulty absorbing iron from the soil. When applied as a spray, iron can be foliarly absorbed through the leaf tissue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ref: &lt;a href=&quot;http://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/holen/article/1982may4.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/holen/article/1982may4.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a study comparing 16 mixtures of fungicides for the control of early blight in celery: &lt;a href=&quot;http://fshs.org/proceedings-o/1957-vol-70/134-136%20(DARBY).pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://fshs.org/proceedings-o/1957-vol-70/134-136%20(DARBY).pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The result was Ferbam (sodium dimethyl dithiocarbamate + ferrous sulfate) is an excellent fungicide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not going to claim the ferrous sulfate by itself is an excellent fungicide, but it does have some fungicidal properties.  I mix about a teaspoon in a squirt bottle with water.  While out pruning off branches having yellow stems or clusters of yellow leaves, I keep the bottle with me and give the plant a good squirting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its important to remove the dead and dying branches, thereby eliminating some of the innoculum, and increasing airflow around the plant.  I've even considered setting up a box fan in my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also prune branches growing in the middle of the plant or those which never receive sunlight.  The idea is to open up the interior to airflow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is important to keep the plant healthy.  This includes fertilizer with plenty of potassium and calcium.  Lack of calcium causes blossom end rot.  Lack of potassium generally produces brown spots (necrosis) and necrosis at leaf margins in a wide array of plant species.  A good fertilizer blend for tomatoes would be 30% N, 5% P, 40% K, 20% Ca, 5% Mg.  I'll leave you to decide how to mix your favorite water soluble fertilizer with potassium sulfate, calcium nitrate, and epsom salts to arrive at those percentages :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The distinction between overwatering and too much rain is that overwatering is drowning the roots producing a condition of suffocation to oxygen and starvation of nutrients a plant needs, while too much rain washes soil nutrients out of the root zone, starting with the anions (NO3, SO4) and then affecting the cations (Ca, K, Mg, etc).  If you have well-draining soil, you can water a lot and not produce root-suffocation, yet you'll wash away nutrients.  If you have heavy clay soil, you can water a little and still manage to suffocate the roots.  Root suffocation would be similar to yanking the plant out and tossing it on the ground... the whole plant will suffer.  Rather, in this case we have healthy plants with the exception of yellow leaves on the bottom.  This wouldn't be root-suffocation or overwatering, though, it could be that the rain leached away enough nutrients to leave the plant in a malnourished state, weak enough to succumb to a fungal infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The more I contend with these sickly tomato plants, the more I think the cause is nutritional.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consider this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Why doesn't it affect the upper limbs until the plant has been severely weakened by the loss of lower limbs?&#xA;2) Why doesn't it affect fruiting limbs?&#xA;3) Why do symptoms only show after fruit-set?&#xA;4) Why does a fungus, which is naturally present in the air all the time, only attack sometimes and only some plants?  Can a fungus be specific to only the tomato plant?&#xA;5) Septoria strikes after a wet season, which is conducive to fungal growth, but leached soil is also associated with increased rainfall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My Theory&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Heavy rains leach soil of calcium, sulfur, magnesium, and potassium (in that order - per The Nature and Properties of Soils – Harry Oliver Buckman, Nyle C. Brady).  The leached soil leaves the plant vulnerable to disease while, at the same time, the increased humidity favors fungal infestation.  This explains why lower limbs, the limbs less defended by the plant, are attacked first.  It also explains why limbs not containing fruit are attacked first, the plant defends the fruit, not the leaves.  And it also explains why the disease strikes most often after fruit-set, since the plant is having to divide its nutrition with the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore the cause would be nutritional.  The mechanism (fungus or bacteria) for decay isn't important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My Treatment&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I applied lime everywhere.  I dusted the plants as well as covered the ground in liberal amounts.  I want to accomplish 2 things with this.  1) To add calcium to the soil and plant (if possible). 2) Rain can have quite a low ph, therefore I want to neutralize that acid before it hits the soil.  The acid rain will also break the calcium loose in the lime.  A possible third effect may be to raise the ph on the leaves, making it uncomfortable for the fungus (if so, I would consider this more of a side-effect than the main idea).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I started fertilizing with calcium nitrate, potassium sulfate, and magnesium sulfate (epsom salts).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also found this page to be interesting: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aglabs.com/newletters/tomatoes.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.aglabs.com/newletters/tomatoes.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The bottom line is that if you are having disease and insects in your tomatoes, something is out of balance. The first things to check are your calcium and phosphate levels. For quick fixes, liquid calcium nitrate and liquid phosphoric acid can prove to be valuable aids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will update this answer as I discover more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-02T16:49:20.383" LastActivityDate="2014-08-02T16:49:20.383" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7912" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-14T08:10:06.630" Score="11" ViewCount="1552" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Parents are currently living on a small pacific &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atoll&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;coral atoll&lt;/a&gt;. Coral atolls, for the most part don't have much soil. Mostly they just have coral sands. These &quot;soils&quot; are very well drained (and they get hot during the day), and highly alkaline, with very little carbon or nitrogen. There's some salinity too, but even just 10 meters back from the coast, the water table is fresh enough to drink. Getting anything to grow other than native plants is pretty difficult, although my mum has succeeded with some things, including egg plants, tomatoes, and pumpkins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any recommendations for quick improvement of such soils? Compost is the obvious one, but the source material is somewhat limited (by how much we eat). Mum is also mulching with leaves of a native that grows pretty fast. I'm also going to try making some charcoal, although &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1314/charcoal-as-soil-amendment&quot;&gt;the answers here are somewhat discouraging&lt;/a&gt;. Are there any other things we could try?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2510" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2019-08-09T05:48:35.590" Title="How can the &quot;soils&quot; be improved on coral atolls." Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;carbon-nitrogen-ratio&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7912" CreationDate="2013-07-14T11:40:54.297" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could try seaweed which has been used as a soil additive.  Just chop it up and wash it with freshwater or compost it before using.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on where you are you should find varieties of palm trees.  The fibre found between the hard outer shell and the inner nut is also used as a soil additive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Animal manure from goats, pigs, sheep or chickens is also used once it has been composted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Really it's all about organic matter. Increase that enough and you should have success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I should also note that the Polynesians &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynesian_culture&quot;&gt;colonized the Pacific&lt;/a&gt; from 1800 BC to ~700 AD. They brought with them or spread the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taro&quot;&gt;taro plant&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breadfruit_tree&quot;&gt;breadfruit tree&lt;/a&gt; and possibly the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato&quot;&gt;sweet potato&lt;/a&gt;.  These plants should grow well in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-07-14T11:40:54.297" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5341" CreationDate="2013-07-14T12:26:29.750" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The two plants can be placed near each other, but you may want to place some barrier underground to keep the raspberries from expanding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have blueberries growing about 3 feet from my raspberries, with a small patch of grass between them. Both plants seem to be doing fine, but I regularly need to pull out little raspberry shoots that come up right next to blueberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2509" LastActivityDate="2013-07-14T12:26:29.750" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7915" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-14T17:58:16.537" Score="5" ViewCount="1984" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been told I should prune my fig tree before the end of the Summer (Northern Hemisphere) so that it can recover before winter.  I'm in Ireland.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it late enough in the summer by July?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1906" LastActivityDate="2013-11-10T18:21:31.323" Title="When should I prune my Fig Tree?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7916" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7900" CreationDate="2013-07-14T20:16:51.080" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its pretty well known how plowpan reduces crop yields and is why many farmers subsoil their fields.  Plowpan is the hard layer of soil 6-7 inches down caused by the repeated plowing at the same depth.  Subsoiling breaks up that layer &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VKsK3u_JWE&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VKsK3u_JWE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/axVtr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Roots&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image taken from: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0302hsted/030201/03020100frame.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0302hsted/030201/03020100frame.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that the units are in feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roots can go deeper than you would think.  Plants can do ok in pots, but do better when their roots are allowed plenty of space to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See here and click on the crop of your choice: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010137veg.roots/010137toc.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010137veg.roots/010137toc.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is fairly difficult to find a vegetable with roots only occupying the top 6 inches of soil.  Most can easily go down 2ft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, as far as drainage goes... If you dug a hole in the yard as big and deep as those frames are and filled the hole with water, I bet the frames on the concrete would drain faster than the hole in the yard.  So drainage on the concrete is probably not a big deal unless the frames make a fairly water-tight seal.  If in doubt, stick a 1/4 inch shim under each corner of the boxes, or drill big holes.  One good thing about the concrete, it will never become water-logged.  It will drain the same no matter where your water table is and no matter how long it rains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a test, fill as many buckets as you can and then dump all the buckets in the frames at the same time and see how long it takes to drain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vermiculite is good stuff.  Compost and moss will decay and disappear, so you will have to add it as the level drops.  Alternatively, there could be someone in your area who sells a nice garden soil.  The price here is $20-$35 a pickup truck load for some nice black soil.  I'd check craigslist.  As an illustration, here's an ad in my area &lt;a href=&quot;http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/grd/3924301730.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/grd/3924301730.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It reads:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vegetable Garden Soil - $26&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We sell Blk Gld known as Windwood's Premium Planting Mix at Windwood Bulk Center on 5342 Battlefield Pkwy in Ringgold. Windwood's Premium Planting Mix is great for vegetables, flowers and shrubs. &lt;strong&gt;Just put down 6 sheets of white newspaper then 8 inches of Windwood's Premium Planting Mix and you have a flower garden right on top of your grass, no digging required.&lt;/strong&gt; For a vegetable garden just put down 6 sheets of white newspaper then 12 inches of Windwood's Premium Planting Mix and plant your vegetables. Windwood's Premium Planting Mix is available with 6 months slow relaease fertilizer or organic with no fertilizer it is a weed free planting mix We can load your pick up or trailer or deliver.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many ways to go about this, it just depends what you want to accomplish.  My only issue with the concrete is root depth.  If you're ok with that, then go for it.  The worst that will happen is you'll decide to drag the frames onto the grass later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-07-14T20:16:51.080" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7917" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8698" CreationDate="2013-07-14T20:37:13.310" Score="1" ViewCount="252" Body="&lt;p&gt;I brought a piece of an &lt;a href=&quot;http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Launaea_arborescens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Launaea Arborescens&lt;/a&gt; (see also &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7285/hexagonal-bush&quot;&gt;my other question&lt;/a&gt;) with me from Gran Canaria. The plant is part of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteraceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Asteraceae/Compositae&lt;/a&gt; family, according to Wikipedia &lt;em&gt;&quot;commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, or sunflower family&quot;&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before transportation, I kept the piece for some days in earth with only little water, trying to replicate the rather dry soil in which these plants prosper. When I carefully packaged the piece, I realized that no roots whatsoever had been developed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Is it somehow possible to grow the plant from that piece? Should I better get another piece? Or - more broadly - what is a good method of growing plants from the aster/daisy/sunflower family, taking some piece of a plant?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, today, someone accidentally put the piece in garbage. When I recovered it, it was covered with some milky grease, possibly yogurt, which I removed with water. I hope this didn't damage the plant. The picture was made &lt;em&gt;after&lt;/em&gt; the accident.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; I now cut the piece just below the lowest node and put that in water, according to an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_8317860_root-bush-daisy.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;article on bush daisies&lt;/a&gt;, which are of the same family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2:&lt;/strong&gt; After some weeks, the piece had cached fungus, and I threw it into garbage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8y3qu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of piece&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2201" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2013-11-17T20:40:16.183" Title="How to grow plants from the aster/daisy/sunflower family? (by example of Launaea Arborescens)" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7918" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7923" CreationDate="2013-07-14T21:47:00.110" Score="5" ViewCount="5706" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just moved into a new home in Phoenix, AZ, and now have a lot of cacti to tend to.  I do not know their care history, or how much/how often they are watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the largest Prickly Pear cacti is dropping its leaves (pads?) at a seemingly high rate.  Is this a sign of over watering, under watering, a lack of pruning, or something else entirely?  Some of the pads look wrinkled, which I'm told can mean either over or under-watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a photo of the cactus&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tmPZpl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Here is a photo of the cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a photo of the place where the most recent leaf-bunch detached&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RBwq6l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Here is a photo of the place where the most recent leaf-bunch detached&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a photo of the broken segment on the ground&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3WFdDl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Here is a photo of the broken segment on the ground&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This most recent break (the one pictured here) occurred about 24 hours ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2512" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-15T14:39:51.750" LastActivityDate="2013-07-15T14:39:51.750" Title="Why are leaves falling off of my Prickly Pear cactus?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7919" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7915" CreationDate="2013-07-15T01:46:53.813" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you prune before end of summer, you're pruning off fruit that could develop in the fall.  I've never heard of pruning in summer so a tree could recover before winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning should done in the dormant season, as figs bleed a latex sap if pruned during the growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ucanr.edu/sites/scmg/The_Kitchen_Garden/Feature_Vegetables/Figs,_Figs_-_More_Figs/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning of fig trees should be done during cold weather if possible. Slow circulation allows wounds to “cauterize” rather than continue to bleed as they often do during warm weather. Bleeding is normally harmless, but may be unsightly as it stains stems and often molds. Winter pruning of fig trees is not as critical as it is for other fruit trees and often only performed to promote structural stability. Because the first set of “summer” figs appears on growth from the previous summer, their production is inversely proportionate to the quantity of new stems removed during pruning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Production of summer figs may be totally eliminated in favor of autumn figs by complete pruning. The autumn figs eventually appear on new growth of the immediately preceding summer. Type of pruning, if any, is determined by the type of fruit desired. (Autumn figs are smaller, firmer and more abundant; the most  desirable for drying. Summer figs are not as abundant, but large and succulent; excellent when fresh.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.asktonythegardener.com/Article/tabid/55/smid/370/ArticleID/104/reftab/98/t/Fig-Tree-Pruning/Default.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.asktonythegardener.com/Article/tabid/55/smid/370/ArticleID/104/reftab/98/t/Fig-Tree-Pruning/Default.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-07-15T01:46:53.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7920" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7925" CreationDate="2013-07-15T02:10:50.027" Score="6" ViewCount="191" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm beginning to see adult Japanese beetles on my dahlias and other flowers. It doesn't look like a heavy infestation but I am wondering what are some non-chemical control methods. I've read that nematodes are one option.&#xA;Are they effective? Are there others?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2507" LastActivityDate="2013-07-15T14:52:54.463" Title="what are effective, non-chemical, ways to control japanese beetles?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7908" CreationDate="2013-07-15T04:26:11.927" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a type of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_plant&quot;&gt;jade plant&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to preface my advice by saying that bonsai die, it's what they do best and if you want your plant to look like a bonsai you are going to need to prune it hard which may kill your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it were my personal plant, I would cut that thing right down so that each branch only had an inch still remaining so that I would get nice compact growth. Making each cut just above a node where new growth can occur. I would then put it closer to a light source because this plant is growing long and thin because it is reaching for light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are less brave, I suggest you pick one branch and then prune that back and then see the result and then replicate it next year on the other branches if you are happy with the result.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the timid: cut the branch back so that there are at least one set of leaves on the branch and wait until next sprouting season for when a lower branch or lower leaves grow and each growing season cut back to the lowest set of leaves until you get your desired result.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2013-07-15T04:26:11.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7922" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7912" CreationDate="2013-07-15T04:51:13.653" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you need is a fast growing, fast spreading ground cover which is suitable to your environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A suitable ground cover has the following benefits:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lock in moisture and nutrients at ground level&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Provide habitat for beneficial insects (think moist and decomposing versus hot dry and sandy, bugs are going to prefer to stay underground if there is little or no cover)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Provide shade, moisture and protection for new plants while they establish&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can work to cover a large area with little human intervention to act as a kind of place holder until you are ready to utilise the space&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://permaculturenews.org/2013/06/28/geoff-lawtons-zaytuna-farm-video-tour-part-ii/&quot;&gt;This permaculture video&lt;/a&gt; (watch from the 27 minute mark) shows how they are using a type of weed (Singapore Daisy) as a rampant ground cover to do the things I mentioned above. Given it is a different environment and I am not recommending you use Singapore Daisy, but it shows you how you should use a resilient, fast growing ground cover to condition and protect the soil while plants develop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2013-07-15T04:51:13.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7918" CreationDate="2013-07-15T13:23:39.013" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;My experience with the prickly pears I have here in Texas (natives and cultivars) is that the wrinkling is typically due to under-watering. The seed pods (tunas) will also wither in low water conditions (I have yet to get my own tunas). Under-watered pads will appear thin. Over-watered are going to appear fat. I have yet to over-water prickly pears.&#xA;I don't think it is possible in a well draining soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also see structural failure - groups of pads falling off. In my cases it is due to overgrowth. Overgrowth like this is probably quite natural - pads will readily grow as new plants - they're by far the easiest cuttings I've tried. Ie. pads get broken off or &quot;branches&quot; break, put out roots, and you have a new plant!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also have corking which indicates some age, although I've seen this on some varieties after only a year or two. I don't think I've seen spotty corking like you have though. I don't think it is due to disease (the rest of the plant looks fine). Could be due to sunlight watering, or insect bites in the distant past (the cork would be a natural healing response).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;re. pads or leaves. Botanically speaking, the pads are actually elongated stems. The true leaves are the spines!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2013-07-15T13:23:39.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7924" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-15T14:51:52.080" Score="3" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an electric hover mower with a collector, similar to this one:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2pLKem.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have taken to using it without the collector attached, because I would rather the clippings mulch my lawn, than have to deal with large quantities of collected clippings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This has the pleasant side effect of making the mower much lighter and easier to manoeuvre, at first. But after a minute or so, the air inlet grating at the top gets blocked with grass sucked from the air, the hover effect ceases to work, and I have to stop, clear the blockage, continue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there an &quot;authorised&quot; method, or a hack (that's not expensive or hassly enough to outweigh just buying another mower) to bring the air inlet somewhere there's less grass flying around? My one idea is to somehow fix a piece of drainpipe or drier venting to bring the air inlet to, say, waist height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2444" LastActivityDate="2013-07-17T13:10:01.443" Title="Using a collecting hover mower without the collector" Tags="&lt;mowing&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7925" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7920" CreationDate="2013-07-15T14:52:54.463" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Milky Spore is another option. Apparently, it is very effective for some, not at all for others. I hear it is most effective if you can convince your neighbors to use it, as well, so a larger area is infected with the disease (which kills the grubs). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I put it down in my yard two years ago, as did a few of my neighbors, and I have noticed less beetles since, HOWEVER I put it down at the end of a boom season for the beetles (they almost completely defoliated all of the linden trees in the town I live in and the neighboring town, too), and I notice less damage all around. We had a record-breaking drought last year, too, which I'm sure killed a lot of the grubs. When I dig in my yard, I'm not finding many grubs at all, and have found none that appear to be infected, so I have no evidence that the milky spore is doing anything. I think we may be at in a &quot;bust cycle&quot; following the boom. I'll be interested to see how many beetles we have in a few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For smaller numbers of beetles, I hand pick into a bucket of soapy water. That seems to reduce the amount of damage I see in my yard, but during the boom year it was hopeless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-07-15T14:52:54.463" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7926" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7836" CreationDate="2013-07-15T16:09:39.983" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a book, which talks about this, so here's an answer to my own question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Persistent weeds like bindweed can grow in your compost bin, or sprout when you use the compost. One safe way to deal with bindweed roots, and other weeds, is to drown it in a bucket of water for a week or so until it begins to rot. At that point it is safe to add to the compost heap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2444" LastActivityDate="2013-07-15T16:09:39.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7927" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7928" CreationDate="2013-07-15T21:05:47.100" Score="5" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;The landscapers for my townhouse complex hit a saucer magnolia tree on our property with their truck while doing their work. My wife said that the tree was knocked off of its axis and the landscapers were trying to straighten it before they left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the president for the HOA, I need to talk to the owner of the landscaping company to get the tree replaced if this damage turns out to be fatal. It's a beautiful tree and also important for our property value.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree is located in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. The lamppost in the photo is roughly seven feet tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0RxmL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;magnolia damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7jUd7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;magnolia&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2515" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-03T21:12:01.380" LastActivityDate="2018-02-03T21:19:48.207" Title="Is the gash in this saucer magnolia likely to be a mortal wound?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;damage&gt;&lt;magnolia&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7927" CreationDate="2013-07-15T21:52:07.467" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Diagnosis from a picture is hard but I can make these observations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tree looks healthy with a reasonable branch structure&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no signs of previous trunk damage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;good practices have been followed by not letting grass grow up to the trunk&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it is mulched with a thin layer of pine needles, another good practice &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it is not staked which is another good practice and indicates it was firmly rooted&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the way the leaves are hanging indicates it is dry. (Not unusual at this time of year)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it is now leaning. I cannot say whether this is new or was existing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the bark has been removed or damaged to around half the circumference of the tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given what you have told us you can assume some fine feeder roots have been broken. This should not be too critical but the damage to the bark while the tree is dry and stressed could easily cause half the foliage to die back. The bark is somewhat inert cellulose but underneath it is the transport system for nutrients and water in the xylem and phloem tissue. Now that half of it is gone half the amount of water will be arriving at the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ambitious gardeners might suggest &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/98-003.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;bridge grafting&lt;/a&gt; and this would work if you could find someone who was qualified.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This appears to be a specimen tree in a highly visible location. Only you can decide if you want to try saving it with a grafting job and frequent watering over the next few months or whether other options are available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A quick survey of your local garden centres and landscapers will tell you if a similarly sized tree is available. Where I live many magnolia species are available as a  balled and burlapped specimen in a wire basket at heights up to 8' feet for less than $300 wholesale. Prices in your area may vary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-07-15T21:52:07.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7929" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4415" CreationDate="2013-07-15T22:42:39.237" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may plant Monkey grass around the tree to help dry up the soil. Add top soil around it and top with cork or rubber mulch instead of wood mulch (wood mulch attracts pests). Protect the bottom of the tree with an expandable wrap. Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2516" LastActivityDate="2013-07-15T22:42:39.237" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7930" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7931" CreationDate="2013-07-15T23:03:33.920" Score="8" ViewCount="19050" Body="&lt;p&gt;This guy has been growing like gang busters in a newly planted bed of ground covering sedums. It's actually kind of a nice ground cover but based on its rate of spread and the fact that I didn't plant it I'm thinking of yanking it all up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has oblong, almost jade-like leaves; grows from a ground hugging stem that sprouts radially from a rooted base. No flowers yet, but it spreads aggressively both in the garden and pavement cracks. Seems to prefer dry areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fvkfe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1TJOX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2507" LastActivityDate="2019-09-04T11:51:54.337" Title="What is this succulent weed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7931" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7930" CreationDate="2013-07-15T23:34:32.890" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Purslane (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Portulaca oleracea&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;).  Identifying characteristics are the ground-hugging branched stems that you mentioned, and in the photos, the paddle-shaped leaves in pairs along the stems, with the leaves clumped closer together at the ends of the stems.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's an annual weed that grows &lt;em&gt;extremely&lt;/em&gt; quickly once hot weather arrives.  When the flowers arrive, they'll be tiny and pale yellow in color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It responds well to weedkillers such as RoundUp, but I usually find it in my vegetable beds so I tend to control it by hand using a hoe to cut the stems just below ground level.  I also find it fairly easy to pull by hand if the ground is wet -- just grab the entire plant underneath the branching stems and pull straight up. It can re-root itself if you leave pieces lying around so be sure to remove them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(It can also be eaten as a leaf vegetable, but personally I don't like the taste.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-16T02:51:51.987" LastActivityDate="2013-07-16T02:51:51.987" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7933" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7912" CreationDate="2013-07-16T06:36:04.017" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The way to improve sandy soil is to add clay.  You can substitute organics and make it work for a time, but you're always going to be adding organics and struggling to keep up with the constant decay.  Compost and pretty much anything plant-like is mostly cellulose (C6 H10 O5), which decays to CO2 and H2O.  What few minerals that are contained in plant-life will just wash away with the rains since there is nothing for the minerals to adsorb to in the sand.  The decay is fast in sand because of the high amount of oxygen that can reach the organic matter contained in sand.  The amount of humus left is fairly small compared with the giant pile of compost you started with... and then, what holds the humus in the sand against the rains trying to leach it away?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Biochar is good, but consider how much of that you have to make.  Then you have to load it with minerals.  Biochar is an amendment to soil that is already decent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants need Ca, Mg, K, HPO4, NO3, NH4, SO4, B, Fe, Si, Cl, Mn, Zn, Cu, MoO4, Ni, Se, Na, and air, and water.  All of these elements need to be in the elemental form, atoms (except HPO4, NO3, NH4,SO4, and MoO4, which are simple compounds).  Clay has a surface area 17,600 times more than silt and 400,000 times more than sand.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0302hsted/030201/03020100frame.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;.  It's that surface area that retains water (water clings to surfaces) and supplies lots of places for ions to stick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;An ideal soil is composed of 45 percent mineral (sand, silt and clay), five percent organic material (humus or plant debris and soil organisms), 25 percent water and 25 percent air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.illinois.edu/gardendesign/assessment_soil.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of the 45% that is sand, silt, and clay, the mix should be 40% sand, 40% silt, 20% clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;must read&lt;/a&gt;:  It describes everything you want to know about soil and more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The most influential factor in stabilizing soil fertility are the soil colloidal particles, clay and humus, which behave as repositories of nutrients and moisture and act to buffer the variations of soil solution ions and moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A colloid is a small, insoluble, nondiffusible particle larger than a molecule but small enough to remain suspended in a fluid medium without settling. Most soils contain organic colloidal particles called humus as well as the inorganic colloidal particles of clays. The very high specific surface area of colloids and their net negative charges, gives soil its great ability to hold and release cations in what is referred to as cation exchange&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Humus&lt;/strong&gt; is the penultimate state of decomposition of organic matter; while it may linger for a thousand years, on the larger scale of the age of the other soil components, it is temporary. It is composed of the very stable lignins (30%) and complex sugars (polyuronides, 30%), proteins (30%), waxes, and fats. Its chemical assay is 60% carbon, 5% nitrogen, some oxygen and the remainder hydrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus. On a dry weight basis, the CEC of humus is many times greater than that of clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Most of the soil's CEC occurs on clay and humus colloids, and the lack of those in hot, humid, wet climates, due to leaching and decomposition respectively, &lt;strong&gt;explains the relative sterility of tropical soils.&lt;/strong&gt; Live plant roots also have some CEC.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I found myself on a tropical island wanting to grow vegetables, I would dig down below the sand in search of clay to add to my garden soil.  I would search for hardwood trees which manufacture protein and have lots of lignin to make humus.  Of course, I would take what wood I could find, chip it, and add it to a compost pile and the garden soil.  If I found grass growing anywhere on the island, I would harvest that soil for my garden (grass is high in protein and takes good soil to grow it).  I would construct something to limit rainfall to 1/2 inch a week (0.1 inches per day) on the soil.  Any more than 0.1 - 0.2 inches per day will result in leached nutrients, destroying all my hard work.  I would gather any source of calcium I could find... seashells, bones, fish (calcium is utmost importance).  Anything green (leaves, seaweed, etc) goes into the compost pile and garden soil as a source of nitrogen.  I would make biochar and add it to my compost pile first, then to my garden soil.  Any ash from any fires would be gathered into the garden soil (ash from hardwood trees is 30% Ca, 10-15% K, 7% Mg. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf1993/misra93a.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it can be done.  The first step is knowing exactly what you need to do and why.  The rest is just a matter of doing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might be easier to buy clay and water soluble fertilizer to supply all the nutrients in proper ratios for each specific plant.  Calcium, magnesium, and potassium will displace sodium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Al3+ replaces H+ replaces Ca2+ replaces Mg2+ replaces K+ same as NH4+ replaces Na+&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-25T22:00:39.613" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T22:00:39.613" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7934" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-16T18:57:19.840" Score="7" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a potted grape plant that I want to plant into the ground in Southern California (Mediterranean-desert).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What time of year should I do it, and what should I do regarding watering them then?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2519" LastEditorUserId="2519" LastEditDate="2013-07-16T20:06:34.333" LastActivityDate="2013-09-07T02:20:49.390" Title="When should I plant my grape?" Tags="&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7935" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-17T01:43:32.847" Score="6" ViewCount="6912" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a grape vine in southern California (only rains in winter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much water does it need?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen advice ranging from nothing to several gallons a day. Does anyone have any concrete numbers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2519" LastEditorUserId="2507" LastEditDate="2013-07-17T03:11:33.073" LastActivityDate="2013-08-08T01:51:09.597" Title="How much water does a grape vine need?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7151" CreationDate="2013-07-17T02:21:10.890" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had several mulberry trees over the years.  You can not kill them.  Prune when you have the time and concentrate more on the shape you want.  If you don't like the shape try again in a couple years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2521" LastActivityDate="2013-07-17T02:21:10.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3985" CreationDate="2013-07-17T04:02:22.583" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Place a pipe in your outlet drain and cut some slits at the level you want the water to rise to.  As the roots grow you can remove the pipe and drain as you are now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2522" LastActivityDate="2013-07-17T04:02:22.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7939" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7924" CreationDate="2013-07-17T13:10:01.443" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't own a hover mower but looking at the design of this mower and other flymo mowers I would try to cut a a discharge hole at the back of the collection box and possibly fashion some sort of chute to direct the clippings away from air inlet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want an authorized answer try contacting Flymo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-07-17T13:10:01.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7940" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7941" CreationDate="2013-07-17T15:39:21.597" Score="6" ViewCount="237" Body="&lt;p&gt;My county requires rainwater management to be incorporated into lot plans for new construction if a certain percentage of the lot is impervious. This seems a sensible measure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We are under the impression that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/nvswcd/raingardenbk.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;rain gardens&lt;/a&gt; are the only approved method for managing runoff (if a percolation study determines that the site's soil can support one). Rain gardens benefit the community by reducing erosion and filtering pollutants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to me that rain barrels can achieve the same benefits. The only significant differences between the mechanisms that I can think of are &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the storage capacity and &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;retention time. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rain gardens &quot;store&quot; water temporarily and have a much higher capacity; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/nvswcd/rainbarrels.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;rain barrels store only about 55 gallons&lt;/a&gt; but can hold that water indefinitely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thesplatteredapron.com/how-to-build-raised-garden-beds&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;I'm an avid gardener&lt;/a&gt;, I'd much rather have rainwater available for watering my garden and reduce my reliance on municipal water. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/nvswcd/raingardenstudy.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;There is also some concern that rain garden performance degrades over time unless well-maintained.&lt;/a&gt; I don't think there's a similar risk to rain barrels, but if there were I imagine it'd be much easier to rectify a failing rain barrel than a failing rain garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Can rain barrels be considered to be suitable substitutes for rain gardens? Why or why not? Under what conditions?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2525" OwnerDisplayName="Jeromy French" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-17T17:53:55.717" LastActivityDate="2013-07-18T01:47:50.807" Title="Could rain barrels be considered suitable substitutes for rain gardens?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;rain-barrel&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7941" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7940" CreationDate="2013-07-17T16:54:17.687" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would think not, for a few reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Water doesn't drain at a calculable rate from a rain barrel.&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A rain garden would have a fairly consistent drainage rate, whereas a rain barrel could theoretically be full indefinitely.  There is no guarantee that a homeowner who has a rain barrel, will use the water from the rain barrel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Rain barrels don't capture all the water.&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A rain barrel only captures the water from a structures roof, so only a portion of the water that falls on the property has the potential of being contained.  A rain garden can capture water that falls not only on the structures roof, but also water that has fallen to the ground.  The rain garden can also; theoretically, capture the overflow of other nearby rain gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Rain gardens are harder to remove.&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A rain barrel can easily be removed, either purposefully or accidentally. A rain garden would require quite a bit of effort to remove, and would not likely be removed accidentally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="337" OwnerDisplayName="Tester101" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-07-17T16:54:17.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7942" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7940" CreationDate="2013-07-17T18:37:40.557" Score="5" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Can rain barrels be considered to be suitable substitutes for rain&#xA;  gardens? Why or why not? Under what conditions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is something only your county can answer as they're the ones that make the rules you need to abide by.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'd have to have a pretty large array of rain barrels to handle as much water as you can with a rain garden as you noted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's no reason you can't mix the two. Your structure, if like most, will have multiple downspouts. See what the requirements are. You could have rain barrels on some downspouts, rain gardens on others. You can even combine the two and have the overflow from your rain barrel empty into a rain garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-07-17T18:37:40.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7943" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7940" CreationDate="2013-07-17T19:17:06.627" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As OrganicLawn mentioned, only your county can give you an answer for sure, but one reason I could see for them not being a good substitute would be the rainfall patterns where you live. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in the Great Lakes, and I suspect it is similar in VA, we get a lot of rainfall in spring and early summer. Our average precipitation days that time of year are 12/month, and it isn't unusual to have rain 2 or 3 days in a row. I have 1 rain barrel which pulls from less than 1/6th of my roof. It is overflowing by the end of one spring or early summer storm. I would need at least 2 rain barrels (maybe more) per downspout to capture the rain from a single storm, and the thing is, that time of year I am doing very little supplemental watering in my garden, because by the time the garden dries out, another shower is on the way, so really I would need enough barrels to capture the rain from many storms. Even if I hooked up 4,5,6 rain barrels to each downspout so I could capture all the rain from subsequent storms, I would never be able to use all that water before new storms came. And at that point, it would probably make more sense to put in a huge cistern. My rain garden, on the other hand, which captures runoff from my driveway, absorbs and incredible amount of rainfall and has never overfilled. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a reason permaculturists advocate for storing your water in the soil whenever possible - it really is the least expensive and most practical method for storage. But certainly, a combination of strategic rain barrels and rain gardens is a terrific solution for most of us. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-07-17T19:17:06.627" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7944" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7948" CreationDate="2013-07-17T20:54:08.760" Score="6" ViewCount="670" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help identify this climbing vine with purple flowers in our backyard? It was there when we moved in, and started blooming when it got nice out (and we gave it a little water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Someone said it might be a Rose of Sharon, but I looked at some pictures and I'm not convinced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We love the look of it, and would like to get a matching one for the other side of the trellis, or maybe get a cutting to grow it elsewhere too. Is this a good idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gbQzF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Vine with flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a close-up shot of a flower:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n0uRn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower close-up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1080" LastEditorUserId="1080" LastEditDate="2013-07-18T04:22:55.133" LastActivityDate="2013-07-18T18:19:05.617" Title="What is this vine (with purple flowers), and can I transplant/spread it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7945" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7940" CreationDate="2013-07-18T01:47:50.807" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The purpose of that requirement is probably to keep the rainwater onsite and out of the storm drains. Without knowing the details of the code, they probably require you to be able to retain all of the water from a 5-year peak storm or something like that. When designing your storm water system, that's the volume of water you need to deal with, whether you're doing a rain garden or some other system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would think that if you can demonstrate that your system can detain the same volume of water that it would be OK, but I agree that if you're just putting the water into regular barrels then once they're full you can't retain any more water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps you can work out a hybrid system where your barrels drain slowly into a smaller dry well. That would let you use the water in the day or two after a rainfall, while also allowing the system to function as required if nobody is around to use the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless of what you decide you want to do, you'll almost certainly want to get the advice from an engineer or water management specialist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2212" LastActivityDate="2013-07-18T01:47:50.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7946" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7947" CreationDate="2013-07-18T08:15:19.580" Score="2" ViewCount="1243" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a green roof covered with sedum plants and I noticed that in the late spring and summer many sedum plants turn red. The same plants placed in our garden (in the shade) stay green all summer. I suspect the cause of the sedum turning red is either a lack of nutrition (fertilizer?) or water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The red sedum does survive but I'm worried that it may cause problems in the long run. Can sedum turning red every summer become a problem, and if so what can I do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1916" LastActivityDate="2013-07-18T10:45:49.273" Title="Why does sedum turn red? Should I do something about it?" Tags="&lt;sedum&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7946" CreationDate="2013-07-18T10:45:49.273" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not a problem, just the reaction of the plant to sunny conditions. The best colour to absorb energy for photosynthesis is green.  If you are getting so much you cannot use it many xeriscape plants produce other pigments as a sunscreen.&#xA;As &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shade_tolerance&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; states&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In direct sunlight, plants face desiccation and exposure to UV rays,&#xA;  and must expend energy producing pigments to block UV light, and waxy&#xA;  coatings to prevent water loss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nothing to worry about and no reason to do anything unless the plant coverage on the roof is thinning. In this case conditions may not be optimal and you could consider different species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-07-18T10:45:49.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7944" CreationDate="2013-07-18T11:03:17.487" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clematis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;clematis&lt;/a&gt;, a climbing vine with hundreds of cultivars. I originally thought it was a Jackmannii cultivar but the colour is not quite right. To confirm the identification look for tendrils that come off the vine and help it cling and older stems that are thin but woody.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Propagation of the species is easy from seed, the cultivars may not be so vigorous. Cuttings &lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=97&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;can be taken&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.britishclematis.org.uk/Cutting.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;various methods&lt;/a&gt; are successful. To go from a cutting or seed to flowering plant can take three years or more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They do not transplant or divide well but most cultivars are available for about $10 to $20 dollars at your local nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-07-18T18:19:05.617" LastActivityDate="2013-07-18T18:19:05.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7949" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7950" CreationDate="2013-07-18T13:07:08.067" Score="3" ViewCount="904" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, my official zone is too cold (4B) for even hardy figs, but I have a patch of microclimate on the south side of my house that I would guess could be as much as a full zone higher than the rest of the yard. I can overwinter plants there that should not overwinter here. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would love to plant a fig for my husband. He grew up with one in his backyard and misses fresh figs. However, the spot where I think the tree would grow best is just a few feet from the foundation of my house. I understand fig roots can do a lot of damage, so in general the trees should not be planted near a foundation - but is that still true for trees that are on the far northern edge of their range and will be dying back to the ground every winter? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2015-09-11T03:16:18.350" LastActivityDate="2015-09-11T03:16:18.350" Title="Fig Tree Roots - Far Northern Edge of Range" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7950" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7949" CreationDate="2013-07-18T13:28:00.847" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The times when &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mortonarb.org/tree-plant-advice/article/16888/tree-roots-and-foundation-damage.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;tree roots damage poured concrete foundations are few and far between&lt;/a&gt;.  However tree roots will grow in search of water and grow into water pipes.  If your foundation does not have any cracks,water from gutters and eaves drains at least six feet (2 M) from the foundation and there are no water pipes near the planting area you should not have any problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you were still concerned you could waterproof the foundation near where the tree was to be planted by trenching and using plastic wrap.  It is quite a bit of work and beyond the scope of this forum but given the weather North America has been experiencing prevention is never a bad thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-07-18T13:28:00.847" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7951" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-18T14:36:29.873" Score="2" ViewCount="1164" Body="&lt;p&gt;I run a hose from my house and have one of these &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003VNAWIS/ref=s9_wish_co_d7_g86_ir06?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;colid=1JBARXHVZ2BO9&amp;amp;coliid=I2470QOMJQIXJY&amp;amp;pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&amp;amp;pf_rd_s=left-4&amp;amp;pf_rd_r=06Y3DV6WJBAHRVAH7QD6&amp;amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;amp;pf_rd_p=466496433&amp;amp;pf_rd_i=typ01&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;taps&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LWV2bm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a connector I can get to connect to the source part of the tap? It's really hard to search for as I can only find tap to hose connectors and not hose to tap fittings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2528" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-18T18:00:41.297" LastActivityDate="2013-07-18T19:56:05.923" Title="How can I connect a hose to this tap adapter?" Tags="&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7952" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-18T15:55:28.463" Score="8" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have autumn fruiting raspberries (Autumn Bliss) which I planted in late spring. The original fruit canes have just made a very small crop, but the old canes are yellowing and beginning to wither, while new shoots have come up. I have read that autumn raspberries should be pruned in late winter. Should I cut back the old canes, or just leave them alone?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2530" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-07-18T16:24:36.807" LastActivityDate="2013-10-01T21:16:53.567" Title="Should I prune my Autumn-fruiting raspberries?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7953" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7951" CreationDate="2013-07-18T17:55:58.887" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Confused a bit by your question. Here's the proper terminology and maybe you can come back and refine your question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;tap&quot; is the outside faucet where this unit gets attached to. The product you linked to is marketed as a &quot;tap adapter&quot; it is not a tap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The picture you posted is sold as one unit but is actually 3 separate components. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is a Y adapter that allows you to to connect three watering fixtures. The top part connects to the tap (hose bib) via a female hose threaded coupling. The two other ends have male hose threads.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are also 2 male quick release couplings. One end of the QR coupling has female hose threads that allow it to attach to the male hose threads on the Y adapter. The other end is the male quick release fitting. The small type with the black o-ring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;source&quot; part just screws onto the tap (hosebib) if you want to be able to quickly attach and detach it from the hose bib you can get a quick release coupling set. It will have a male and female in the set. One goes on the tap, the other screws onto the Y adapter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're asking how do you attach hoses to the Y adapter. You can unscrew the male quick connects and screw the hose on directly. Or you can buy female quick release fittings that attach onto the end of your hose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-07-18T19:56:05.923" LastActivityDate="2013-07-18T19:56:05.923" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7955" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-19T03:57:02.183" Score="5" ViewCount="122" Body="&lt;p&gt;My husband and father-in-law planted an almond tree 2 years ago. It is about 9 feet tall and was growing really well and was healthy. Lately it has been covered in beetles and the leaves have been getting chewed on. I am not a gardener by any means but I told my husband I used Dawn dish soap water mix on a rise plant I had, and it kept the bugs away and grew really nicely, so he tried it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The very next day, all the leaves were wilted and turning brown. Did my not so expert advice kill the tree, and is there anything that will help revive it? I Googled the mixture and it says that hot and sunny weather can overheat the soap and burn the tree. This has been the case in Wisconsin since he sprayed it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My father-in-law was pretty partial to this beloved tree! Can you please help me decide what to do next? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2531" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T20:29:00.553" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T20:29:00.553" Title="What can I do for my burned almond tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;nut-trees&gt;&lt;almond&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7956" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-19T05:36:24.080" Score="4" ViewCount="210" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need help to identify a plant which is almost growing wild in my garden. It's a large cactus type plant with long sword-like leaves and a central stem with lots of white bell shaped flowers. I suppose a lily type leaf but these are solid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2532" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-19T12:52:28.060" LastActivityDate="2013-07-19T12:52:28.060" Title="Can someone identify this plant please" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7958" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7956" CreationDate="2013-07-19T11:01:26.220" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Even without a picture I can tell it is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;yucca&lt;/a&gt;, most likely Yucca filamentosa.&#xA;This genus is native to Central and North America.  Members grow in Mexico and Yucca glauca as far north as USDA zone 4.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are adaptable but certainly look better in sunny well drained sites.  On moist soils or heavy clay I have seen the leaves get some dark spots indicative of a virus or fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-07-19T11:01:26.220" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7955" CreationDate="2013-07-19T11:09:42.210" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dish soap is a proven pest control method for soft bodied insects but if applied with too much soap and not enough water during hot temperatures will burn foliage. You can always spray with soap and water, wait ten minutes and wash it off.  Soap blocks the breathing tubes of insects so you only have to have it on for a few minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the almond, most healthy trees will recover from something like this. You can help by:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rinsing the tree down once&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;watering generously for the next few weeks until new foliage is established&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next spring is the time to start observing for pest activity.  Many pest controls are better controlled when the problem is just starting. Act as soon as the problem occurs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why not ask another question about what kind of pest it was?  Upload a picture to imgur.com&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-07-19T11:09:42.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7960" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7445" CreationDate="2013-07-20T12:59:54.583" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not an expert on bugs but this reminds me of something I encountered. I see some potting mix on the sides of the container. Did you recently pot them or transplant them? What did you use? I had mail ordered a bag of organic potting mix that was infested with fungus gnats. From what I read this is not an uncommon thing to find. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yours look very similar to the fungus gnat larvae I saw. Mine were mostly on the potting mix but a few did venture onto the grass I was growing in a container. I was recording a time lapse video at the time. You can check it out on my blog to see if they look the same at the following link:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://diyorganiclawncare.blogspot.com/2012/07/growing-grass-indoors-bugsneem.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://diyorganiclawncare.blogspot.com/2012/07/growing-grass-indoors-bugsneem.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used neem oil, which in this instance acts much like the soap solution kevinsky proposed. It's something I usually have on hand for dealing with insects and plant disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The larval stage of a few bugs look like what's in your picture. It may be something else but I thought I'd throw this out there in case it helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-07-20T12:59:54.583" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7961" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8185" CreationDate="2013-07-20T13:31:02.980" Score="6" ViewCount="5990" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this plant with long thin leaves with serrated edges and spikes of pink flowers at the tip of the stem? Is it a weed? Getting quite a few growing around my garden and not sure whether to pull them out or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4rGFf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2467" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-22T00:02:42.160" LastActivityDate="2013-08-19T13:48:01.410" Title="What is this plant with long thin leaves with serrated edges and spikes of pink flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7962" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8006" CreationDate="2013-07-20T20:34:07.690" Score="5" ViewCount="627" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a spruce tree growing in a park near my house. It has lumps like this on a lot of the branches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cnomc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Spruce picture healthy&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a while, some of the lumps look like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/61Fan.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Spruce picture dead-looking&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a disease, or just a part of the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2536" LastActivityDate="2013-07-27T19:02:14.047" Title="What are these weird lumps on this spruce tree?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7963" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7971" CreationDate="2013-07-20T22:01:21.497" Score="5" ViewCount="2382" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just noticed several clusters of red &quot;quills&quot; which sort of look like small buds on the main trunk and the two largest lower branches on my weeping willow tree.  The little growths are red and barely 1/4 inch long.  The tree appears to be healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FOsnB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2537" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-22T00:00:34.493" LastActivityDate="2013-07-22T11:51:18.520" Title="What are these red &quot;quills&quot; on my willow tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;weeping-willow&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7964" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-21T01:23:50.580" Score="5" ViewCount="4735" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a cement platform edged by wood next to the wall of my home (? purpose). I would like to create a raised bed to grow vegetables there by using cinder blocks (6x8x16) on the 27x60 in. platform. I will line it with 2 layers of landscape fabric to keep the dirt in, but I do not want to have to use any mortar. It is only going to be 2 levels of cinder blocks. Will this be structurally sound without joining the blocks with mortar? Because the platform is cement I can not drive stakes into the ground for added stability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2538" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-22T00:04:56.603" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T00:04:50.787" Title="Can I build a raised bed from cinder blocks without using mortar?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7961" CreationDate="2013-07-21T05:05:04.057" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Take a leave between two fingers and rub it - then smell your fingers. If it smells minty go and make yourself a tea or a put them into the salad. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like a kind of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mentha&lt;/a&gt;. But it could be something else which it resembles. I'm not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether you consider it a weed or not depends on you and your garden-desgin and feelings: Does this plant fit in your garden or not? Do you like it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a herb-garden a mentha is welcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2013-07-23T16:22:01.210" LastActivityDate="2013-07-23T16:22:01.210" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7966" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7998" CreationDate="2013-07-22T00:58:21.523" Score="7" ViewCount="856" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got my Flytrap from the Natural History Museum, there were lots and lots of kids, so it may very well have been stimulated to shut a bunch before I bought it.  I've had it for about 3 or 4 months, all of a sudden there are three traps wide open with flies in them and they won't close.  One has a fly in it and is closed.  I have it outside on my front porch on one of the stone pillars so it gets plenty of light.  I water it almost every other day with purified bottled water, I keep it in a ceramic bowl and put the water in the bowl so it stays nice and moist.  Any help would be appreciated.  I sure have grown to love the little guy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2542" LastActivityDate="2013-08-01T06:34:47.923" Title="Venus Flytrap Won't Close on Flies......?" Tags="&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7967" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-22T08:10:07.170" Score="4" ViewCount="1094" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just moved into a new house, and in the garden there's wonderful silver birch tree, about 25 feet tall (I'm guessing there).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears that it is/was a weeping variety, but it seems to have grown rather straight and perhaps taller than it was intended in recent years - perhaps due to bad maintenance, I'm not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some pictures of the tree here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/TDVV1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imgur.com/a/TDVV1&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rOT5n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;birch&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to know how I should look after it, and if possible, how to recover its weeping shape. It still does have lots of weeping branches, just some (stronger, likely newer) ones growing straight up now as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am no tree expert, but would like to know how to do this myself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance :-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2543" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-07-23T22:41:43.513" LastActivityDate="2013-07-26T16:12:46.340" Title="How to recover a weeping silver birch that's growing straight" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7969" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="425" CreationDate="2013-07-22T11:31:09.707" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is another non chemical treatment which should work, particularly for powdery mildew - 1 part milk to 9 parts water mixed in a sprayer, spray all leaves and stems, including under the leaves. Doesn't matter whether the milk is full fat or skimmed. The 'scientific' explanation as to why it works is there's something about the lactic acid which seems to destroy the fungal spores. Increasing the ratio of milk to water doesn't make it more efficacious, though 2 parts to 8 parts water will be okay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-07-22T11:31:09.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7970" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7967" CreationDate="2013-07-22T11:40:10.920" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to remove any and all straight growing branches from their point of origin, in other words, right at the base of where they're growing from. Without knowing the variety of Birch, its difficult to know whether yours is grafted or not - some are grafted onto a different root stock, some are grafted at the top of a long stem or trunk. In the latter case, you can see the graft, it looks like a lumpy bit at the top of the stem from which all growth arises. Even if your tree is a naturally weeping cultivar, these sometimes revert and produce straight growth, and any reverted growths like this need to be removed asap or they will grow faster and stronger than the weeping parts. Note that Birch should be cut in summer, or they have an inclination to 'bleed' profusely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Remove all straight growth if you want to restore the weeping habit, and do it as you describe, right at the graft point. There's really no choice if you want the tree to be weeping rather than upright.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-07-26T16:12:46.340" LastActivityDate="2013-07-26T16:12:46.340" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7963" CreationDate="2013-07-22T11:51:18.520" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;These look like adventitious roots, and the production of these in Willows is quite common, in particular if they are planted in a riparian setting (meaning near water). Sometimes the roots continue to grow outward and down, and will anchor themselves in the soil. They are also sometimes produced when conditions have not been advantageous, in other words, the tree is a little stressed and so puts out these roots to head off and seek whatever it is the tree requires, often just more water, though this production does not necessarily mean your tree is stressed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-07-22T11:51:18.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7972" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7961" CreationDate="2013-07-22T11:58:11.753" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a Salvia of some description, not sure which variety, there are so many. Height and spread will help with ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-07-22T11:58:11.753" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7973" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7964" CreationDate="2013-07-22T12:37:32.047" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just two levels of blocks will be ok without mortar. It's not going to suddenly come crashing down on someone. The only real downside is that you may need to occasionally reset the blocks if they get bumped out of place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, as DA mentioned in the comments, I think your main concern should be making sure that you have good drainage away from the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2013-07-22T12:37:32.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7974" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7900" CreationDate="2013-07-22T13:20:41.653" Score="3" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I wanted to avoid putting them on the grass, as when I've done this&#xA;  previously the grass has grown up through the soil in the raised bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I forgot to add one more thing. I think it's unlikely the grass is growing up through the beds given how high they are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More likely you're seeds are already in the medium you use to fill the beds or are being blown in from other sources.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-07-22T13:20:41.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7975" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7976" CreationDate="2013-07-22T18:10:12.617" Score="3" ViewCount="1566" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my kitchen cupboard I have the usual herbs and spices (e.g. coriander seeds, cardamom, dried chilies, celery seeds etc. - your typical collection of Schwartz jars) and I want to know if it's possible to grow plants from these - i.e. could I grow a successful crop of coriander from dried coriander seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is possible, what kind of store cupboard herbs spices can I use? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-16T06:11:56.357" LastActivityDate="2016-07-16T06:40:37.550" Title="Can plants be grown successfully from the seeds in a kitchen cupboard?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7975" CreationDate="2013-07-22T19:14:56.533" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your best bet would be to try germinating them using a damp paper towel.  If they sprout, you're good to go.  It probably varies based on how old the seeds are and how they were dried, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2545" LastActivityDate="2013-07-22T19:14:56.533" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7977" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-23T04:21:44.677" Score="2" ViewCount="49" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there any crawling plant that, when it's crawling among others of its species, will actually grow into one another and eventually share veins?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unrelated: this is for a project to provide a living shade canopy over a suburban street. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1172" LastActivityDate="2018-01-14T23:33:40.173" Title="Vine-like plant that eventually melds with others of its kind?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7978" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7980" CreationDate="2013-07-23T04:49:59.667" Score="4" ViewCount="2860" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have tried googling with no real answers without destroying the soil. I searched this forum and found &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4172/how-can-i-get-rid-of-mint&quot;&gt;this posting&lt;/a&gt; answered, but the answer suggests to mow the mint which is not an option for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had bought this house where it looks like the previous owners planted a bunch of plants including mint into this raised bed that is part of 2 beds that step up a hill side (bottom bed in &lt;a href=&quot;http://photos1.zillow.com/p_f/IS171h5v1kp0xib.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this picture&lt;/a&gt; from 2007). We tilled it about 2 years ago, got rid of all the mint roots we could find, and planted a bunch of vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After that year we left the bed to nature. This year we tilled the bed again, getting rid of all the mint roots we could find, and planted vegetables in April. Today I went to dig some holes to add additional vegetables and found a ton of mint roots everywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I eradicate the mint from this bed without damaging the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2355" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2013-09-01T05:30:05.870" Title="How do I eradicate Mint" Tags="&lt;mint&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7979" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7987" CreationDate="2013-07-23T06:03:06.763" Score="6" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;My brother-in-law gave me basil, rosemary and mint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted it in my window box and the basil and rosemary seem to be doing well. The mint dried up right away. I removed most of the dried leaves. Yesterday a couple of new mint leaves came out!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will my 3 plants cohabitate nicely together in my window box? The window box measures around approximately 24&quot; x 5&quot; x 5&quot;. It drains into a shallow trough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2547" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-03-17T21:19:25.127" LastActivityDate="2018-03-17T21:19:25.127" Title="What combination of herbs are good to plant in the same window box?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;companion-planting&gt;&lt;window-box&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7978" CreationDate="2013-07-23T14:02:17.167" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you've got veggies growing in the plot right now? I think then for this season, hand-pulling the mint is your best option. Once the veggies are out, I'd cover the area in sheets of plastic (either black or clear) And secure the edges so it is flat against the ground. It will take several months to kill the mint, but eventually it will be smothered. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-07-23T14:02:17.167" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7981" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2550" CreationDate="2013-07-23T16:00:06.193" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Key lime trees by nature look like a 'Charlie Brown' tree.  Kumquats are a fuller, more graceful tree.  It could be your tree is still too young to set fruit.  Even when it does, it will be a smallish size compared to a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_lime&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bearss  lime&lt;/a&gt;; smaller than a walnut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2549" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-25T02:18:33.793" LastActivityDate="2013-07-25T02:18:33.793" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7836" CreationDate="2013-07-23T18:21:10.820" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Letting the bindweed stems and leaves dry out in the sun would be an alternative to the drowning option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2550" LastActivityDate="2013-07-23T18:21:10.820" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7983" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5774" CreationDate="2013-07-23T18:29:33.020" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;An alternative approach that does not resort to herbicides would be to simply build the soil nutrition without tilling until it is no longer a good habitat for the opportunistic pioneer bindweed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From Toby Hemenway's book Gaia's Garden:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Two or three seasons of tedious excavation of seemingly endless root networks didn't faze the morning glories (bindweed). Deep mulch, even heavy wood chips merely delayed their exuberant eruption into daylight and rapid smothering of anything else I planted. It was the closest I've come to considering herbicide. &lt;strong&gt;Then, one year, the morning glories were pale and patchy, and in two more years they were gone, even though I hardly weeded them.&lt;/strong&gt; In the meantime, the soil in these beds had gone from red clay to luscious black loam after years of constant deep mulches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2550" LastActivityDate="2013-07-23T18:29:33.020" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7984" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7977" CreationDate="2013-07-23T22:37:16.043" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most trees have fungi that &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhizal_network&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;share nutrients with them&lt;/a&gt;. Trees can share nutrients through these underground networks of mycelia or can do so in a more direct manner by grafting branches together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you had a vine with a woody stem structure you could probably graft together different plants or they might naturally grow together in a process called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inosculation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;inosculation&lt;/a&gt; which is often found when you &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleaching&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pleach&lt;/a&gt; trees together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know of any crawling plant that you could use but many trees and some vines are potential candidates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-14T23:33:40.173" LastActivityDate="2018-01-14T23:33:40.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7719" CreationDate="2013-07-24T01:11:17.590" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry for the late answer but your tomato plant could have been cut off by a squirrel or rabbit, those sharp teeth nuisances. I am not sure if this relates to your problem but once I checked on my tomato plant and noticed it was wilting.  I thought it needed watering, but when I started watering I noticed my 18&quot; tall plant had been sharply cut from the bottom (about 2 inches from the soil). I knew both those animals were pests in my back-yard. I started sprinkling chilli powder over the soil and it seems like the problem is gone.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2492" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T21:21:10.050" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T21:21:10.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7986" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="7988" CreationDate="2013-07-24T06:33:47.003" Score="6" ViewCount="436" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there any plant architectures or permaculture schemes which can filter seawater and create fresh water?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I imagine a saline pond or bore, flowing down through a series of ponds to a lower freshwater pond.  Which plants would be best suited for this type of application?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd love some links or further information, but &quot;desalination plants&quot; brings up the wrong results on Google. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2520" LastEditorUserId="2520" LastEditDate="2013-07-24T06:57:42.720" LastActivityDate="2013-09-04T15:30:51.110" Title="Desalinating plants (the botanical kind) which create fresh water" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;permaculture&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7987" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7979" CreationDate="2013-07-24T14:00:29.750" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, they aren't the best companions. Basil really likes to be watered consistently, while Rosemary prefers to dry out in between waterings. And, as you noticed, mint can survive almost anything and once it recovers will be able to outcompete anything planted with it. If you can move them to separate planters, you could keep the basil in that planter (and add a second basil plant, or parsley, or cilantro, or another herb that likes being kept well-watered) and move the other two to different pots. If this is the only spot you have, you can give it a shot - you may be able to make it work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-07-24T14:00:29.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7988" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7986" CreationDate="2013-07-24T14:39:42.880" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This isn't exactly what you are looking for, but I remember seeing not too long ago an article on a concept design for a greenhouse that used mangrove plants to desalinate water. The mangroves took up brackish water, then transpired (fresh) water vapor. The water vapor was collected off sides of the greenhouse. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know mangroves have also been planted in coastal areas which have seen desertification, to help improve the environment. I think you'd find some useful info by searching for mangroves and desalination. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-07-24T14:39:42.880" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7989" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7986" CreationDate="2013-07-24T15:10:34.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm also not aware of any plants or other natural processes other than evaporation that can desalinate water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is another &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seawatergreenhouse.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; title=&quot;Seawater Greenouse&quot;&gt;green house that uses seawater&lt;/a&gt;. It pumps in salt water, uses solar energy to evaporate it and collects the condensate. The condensers are cooled by seawater as well. Some of the humid air escapes the greenhouse through the ventilation and according to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seawater_greenhouse&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wikipedia entry&lt;/a&gt; it can help support the growth of plants in the surrounding area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-07-24T15:10:34.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7991" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7486" CreationDate="2013-07-25T12:06:14.643" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes have two sets of roots. The roots near the surface take in nutrients, and the deeper roots bring in more water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the purpose of burying bottles, or pipes, is usually not to slow-release water, but simply to deliver water to the deeper soil where the lower roots are. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A common approach is to cut the bottom off a 2 litre drink bottle, then bury that neck-down (lid off!) its full depth, so it acts as a funnel carrying water to the bottom. I've seen other people use perforated drainage tubing, cutting it to 16&quot; lengths and burying vertically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't worry too much about water draining away. Deep roots are a good thing. Even sand will hold in a fair amount of water, and the plants will slurp up water before it drains away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't add feed to the water you deliver this way. Water with feed at the surface, or add a compost mulch, because it's those shallower roots that take in nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2444" LastActivityDate="2013-07-25T12:06:14.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7992" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1187" CreationDate="2013-07-25T12:16:15.147" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a little late to the party but I'll throw in my two cents.  I have had amazing luck with planting marigolds around the perimeter of my gardens.  Squirrels, rabbits, and other rodents apparently hate the smell, so it has kept all the pests at bay, at least in my yard.  Squirrels are hit or miss though, some have been known to actually eat the marigolds.  But if that happens, they hopefully will leave the tomatoes alone!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2545" LastActivityDate="2013-07-25T12:16:15.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7994" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-26T09:35:23.137" Score="4" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've inherited a loganberry bush, and failed to harvest a crop of berries before they shriveled up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do now? Is there any benefit in picking them anyway? Would that encourage a new crop? Or should I just leave them for the birds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2444" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-23T04:17:47.917" LastActivityDate="2014-07-23T04:17:47.917" Title="What should I do with unharvested berries on my loganberry plant?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7995" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3888" CreationDate="2013-07-26T12:36:03.080" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a willow at my old house. From time to time we would just prune from the ground, reaching up as high as we could and clipping whatever branches (thin whips really) were hanging down. We did not notice thicker growth at that level from doing that. It looked nice, we could walk under it, and because it was on the front lawn, keeping the branches from dangling right to the ground meant more light in our house, and we could see the street.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We used to joke that the willow was self pruning because in any kind of storm it would shed branches onto the lawn like crazy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2013-07-26T12:36:03.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7998" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7966" CreationDate="2013-07-26T20:34:08.397" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you are following the proper way of growing venus fly trap. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first year i started to grow venus fly traps it happened the same to me, traps were lazy and they began to close very slowly, next year I repotted my plant 50% turf 50% perlite and they got better, anyway I needed another year to start to have nice plants again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did you try to stimulate one of the three hair inside the trap? &#xA;These marvelous plants have a memory, so if you stimulate only once the trap won't close, but if you stimulate the hair a second time within 30 seconds it closes, if you stimulate again it will restart counting down to 30 seconds and wait for the second stimulation.&#xA;Of course stimulation it should be made very seldom in order not to stress the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some source on Venus Fly Trap (aka Dionea Muscipula):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.carnivorousplants.org/howto/GrowingGuides/Dionaea.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.carnivorousplants.org/howto/GrowingGuides/Dionaea.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2454" LastEditorUserId="2454" LastEditDate="2013-08-01T06:34:47.923" LastActivityDate="2013-08-01T06:34:47.923" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="7999" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7861" CreationDate="2013-07-26T20:44:05.883" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suggest you hatiora salicornioides. It's a very interesting succulent plant, easy to grow and gives a lot of satisfaction!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhipsalis_salicornioides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia - Hatiora Salicornioides&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2454" LastActivityDate="2013-07-26T20:44:05.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7961" CreationDate="2013-07-26T20:45:46.727" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stachys_officinalis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Betony&lt;/a&gt;. We have some in our Southern Ontario lawn that escaped from a flower bed. We mow around it, because it's nice, but it sure will spread if you let it. Plenty of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=betony&amp;amp;go=&amp;amp;qs=bs&amp;amp;form=QBIR&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pictures&lt;/a&gt; online you can compare to, to be sure. The leaves of ours do not smell minty at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2013-07-26T20:45:46.727" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8002" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-27T06:37:47.950" Score="7" ViewCount="5672" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for an indoor hydroponic system and I've found the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aerogarden.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;AeroGarden&lt;/a&gt; family which looks great but I'd like to check the alternatives. Are there systems similar to this? Important features for me:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Relatively compact size&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Adjustable lamp height&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Adjustable light cycle&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Automatic pump cycle&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Silent pump&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="75" LastEditorUserId="75" LastEditDate="2014-01-04T10:36:08.443" LastActivityDate="2019-01-12T21:32:21.593" Title="What are the alternatives to AeroGarden" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8003" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8009" CreationDate="2013-07-27T15:13:27.810" Score="3" ViewCount="411" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to get rid of aphids in my garden in a non-chemical way. I know that certain bugs can help a lot by eating aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One such example are ladybugs, but unfortunately I can't find big populations of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I have heard that this bug also eats aphids:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tbikp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GTk7K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QWxMJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does any one know its name and whether it eats aphids?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1186" LastEditorUserId="2512" LastEditDate="2013-07-27T18:08:20.537" LastActivityDate="2013-07-28T02:39:22.470" Title="What kind of bug is this &amp; does it eat aphids?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8004" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8835" CreationDate="2013-07-27T18:09:17.080" Score="3" ViewCount="315" Body="&lt;p&gt;After pruning cacti, I am left with many fallen pieces on the ground which, depending on the cactus type, have varying degrees of difficulty in picking up and disposing of.  Is there a standard tool that is recommended for this type of work?  I am told 'tongs' are often of us, but I'm not sure what type of tongs to purchase.  So far I have been jabbing them with a sharp tool, and using that, but depending on the size of the cactus piece, that has limited use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2512" LastActivityDate="2018-10-29T15:33:12.477" Title="What tools are available to deal with fallen cacti and cactus pieces?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8005" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-27T18:15:30.213" Score="2" ViewCount="309" Body="&lt;p&gt;What type of gloves should be worn when dealing with cacti?  Standard gardening gloves seem to offer little protection.  Leather work gloves offer more protection, but end up attracting and collecting smaller spines that might cause skin irritation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2512" LastActivityDate="2013-07-29T22:26:02.977" Title="What type of gloves should be worn when dealing with cacti?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;gloves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8006" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7962" CreationDate="2013-07-27T19:02:14.047" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As the comment says, these are spruce galls, caused by tiny insects.  For more information:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall_adelgid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall_adelgid&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2512" LastActivityDate="2013-07-27T19:02:14.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8003" CreationDate="2013-07-28T02:10:53.237" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This bug is newly arrived in the United States, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firebug&quot;&gt;firebug&lt;/a&gt;. Native to Europe they eat seeds there.  As they are new in North America their behaviour could change but it is likely they do not eat aphids. See the &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/red-fire-bug08.pdf&quot;&gt;Utah State University extension fact sheet&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are not hazardous to people. There have been reports of them eating other insects in North America but I would not rely on them to eat aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-28T02:39:22.470" LastActivityDate="2013-07-28T02:39:22.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8010" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-28T13:04:21.373" Score="6" ViewCount="1580" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there reasons to select hedge shears vs electric trimmers when trimming a conifer hedge? I have about 30 meters to trim, and haven't purchased either of these yet. Which option would you choose for this situation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W8ffk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;electric trimmer&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jk66U.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hedge shears&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2487" OwnerDisplayName="drake035" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T15:09:47.967" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T15:09:47.967" Title="Should I trim my conifer hedge with shears or an electric trimmer?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8011" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-28T15:16:52.157" Score="4" ViewCount="568" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in western Arkansas / eastern Oklahoma. There are generally mild winters with snow and hot, humid summers where the temperature is often over 90 °F&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the past year I have been growing an Avocado that I started from a seed. About 6 months ago the original stem lost its leaves and turned brown, but it is still there in the pot. Right after this happened another &quot;plant&quot; started growing in the same pot. Since we moved a couple of months ago, I moved the entire contents of the pot to a much larger 20&quot; pot and kept it outside for the summer. I've already looked at many of the other posts about avocados but none of them look like what is now growing in my pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/99487497@N07/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Link to pictures&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is this plant still an Avocado or is it something totally different?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to prune it back or should I continue to let it grow?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2561" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2016-09-13T06:53:23.507" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T06:53:23.507" Title="Pruning an Avocado Plant/Tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8012" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-28T17:18:17.070" Score="4" ViewCount="3088" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted Early Nantes V earlier in the year and am just starting to harvest them.  Some are orange but some are white.  Why is this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2562" LastActivityDate="2013-07-31T19:49:24.087" Title="Why are my carrots white?" Tags="&lt;carrots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8013" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7966" CreationDate="2013-07-29T01:34:31.313" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;For me, the youngest traps snap closed the best, but the older traps become convex and seem to loose interest in feeding.  I have a lot of Venus Flytraps which I grew from seed.  It is fun to see the differences between seed grown plants. You said you are using &quot;purified water&quot;.  You should be using distilled water since &quot;purified&quot; can mean many things, for example sterilized spring water which can contain many minerals harmful to flytraps.  If you want to keep your plant for more than one year you should search the web for their winter dormancy requirements since this is essential for long bug eating lives.  The web has many great sites explaining how to care for your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2563" LastEditorUserId="2563" LastEditDate="2013-07-29T01:48:11.913" LastActivityDate="2013-07-29T01:48:11.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8014" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-07-29T04:15:15.703" Score="8" ViewCount="630" Body="&lt;p&gt;We planted White Pine trees 4 years ago they now stand 3 foot high. The city would like us to remove them because they are 6 foot from the street and sewer lines. We feel these trees will never obstruct views or lines. Are we wrong? We live in Eldon, Iowa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2564" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2013-07-29T09:45:34.420" LastActivityDate="2014-07-24T03:04:05.010" Title="City wants to remove our White Pines - how should we respond?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8015" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8014" CreationDate="2013-07-29T04:42:07.483" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The city may have a point&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KPRXF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The current tallest eastern white pines reach between 50–57.55 m (160–188.81 ft), as determined by the ENTS—Eastern Native Tree Society.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_strobus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_strobus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Arborday says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Grows 50'- 80' with a 20-40' spread in the landscape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.arborday.org/treeguide/treeDetail.cfm?ID=42&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.arborday.org/treeguide/treeDetail.cfm?ID=42&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-07-29T04:42:07.483" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8016" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8030" CreationDate="2013-07-29T06:25:45.060" Score="2" ViewCount="3211" Body="&lt;p&gt;My glads are blooming but the majority of the flowers are opening withered like they are already fading. They are wrinkled with grayish discoloring. The blooms pictured below are newly opened or opening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N0QJb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N0QJbl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;withered blooms&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What disease is causing this?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How can I prevent it in the future?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Since I live in USDA zone 4 I dig up glads. Are these corms worth saving for next year?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2507" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-07-30T03:16:08.513" LastActivityDate="2013-07-30T03:16:08.513" Title="What is causing my Gladiolus blooms to open withered?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8017" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8010" CreationDate="2013-07-29T06:59:01.570" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would be easy to make 30m of hedge look like one long hedge with the electric trimmer.  It would also be easy to get carried away and trim too much with the electric model.  I would get both.  I'd rough-cut a general shape with the electric and do detail work with the hand shears.  In my experience with electric trimmers, they tend to be underpowered and dull easy, so I would buy something top-notch with plenty of power.  The hand trimmer I would get from the dollar store, but I wouldn't skimp on the electric trimmer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-07-29T06:59:01.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8014" CreationDate="2013-07-29T07:40:10.530" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trees are a long term item that can grow into power lines, break up sidewalks, cause general obstruction or create extreme hazard and mess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Always check with your local municipal planning department for allowed species and location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have one location where a person planted a Sequoia which many decades later has ripped out the sidewalk, taken up a quarter the yard and is breaking up the street pavement. It probably was cute when planted, is a very impressive tree now and will probably disburse the sewer and water mains in the street and a nearby house foundation in the next couple decades as its root system expands to support the massive trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another street and sidewalk has oil slick and smell issues from Ginko fruit from six trees lining the sidewalk when they ripen and drop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At one time, Catalpa were highly popular. Their seeds get everywhere, clogging gutters, drifting in roof valleys and generally creating a major fire hazard. Since our town has a lot of wildland interface, they've become persona non-grata per fire insurance rules.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mimosa are a near desert tree that grows immensely in the presence of water with very heavy and extremely brittle branches that can decimate any structure when they break off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are some of the reasons that ordinances come about that put strictures on species and placement. As Randy points out, you've planted a forest tree in a location that it will outgrow in 10-20 years. These things start out small but their growth at a certain point becomes exponential until they mature out at their normal height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why Sequoia and Redwood are not a good planter tree. Another tree from around here...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rqBJk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;View straight down the sidewalk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z8F6g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;View straight down the curb&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hRLN0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One full parking lot worth of tree at curbside&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4OeLA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-07-24T03:04:05.010" LastActivityDate="2014-07-24T03:04:05.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8019" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8020" CreationDate="2013-07-29T10:42:13.670" Score="10" ViewCount="7247" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found a white grub about an inch long, in my soil.  At first I thought it looked like a wide, white prawn.  It's not the long thin one with the brown head that I've seen online.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm having trouble identifying it, or working out how to go about identifying it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is in the South of England if that helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dXtAY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;White Grub&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2566" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-30T23:14:34.380" LastActivityDate="2019-08-05T23:29:51.563" Title="What is this white grub I found in my soil in southern England?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8020" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8019" CreationDate="2013-07-29T12:16:40.343" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a chafer grub, specifically a cockchafer. These can cause significant problems in lawns, and more occasionally, flower beds. Once they're adult like this, insecticides are relatively ineffectual, so when you find any whilst rootling around, kill them yourself. If it becomes a major problem (plants suddenly wilting or dying in numbers) then it might be worth looking for a nematode solution. These can be found online by googling Nemesys - there are products for all kinds of pests, so make sure you select the right one. The solution is usually watered into the ground and in the case of chafer grubs, September is the optimum time. Certain insecticides applied to the soil much earlier in the year may kill off any juvenile chafers, but one or two of the most effective are no longer available for non professional use in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER Feb 2017&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ID in my answer given above is incorrect - the information given which relates to chafer grubs is accurate, including description of their habits and treatments available for them, but now rendered irrelevant to the question. Having seen Jackbug's answer below and done some research, his ID is correct - this is a third stage larvae of the Stag Beetle, which is, indeed, protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, UK. Link with photos of larval stages and all information here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.arkive.org/stag-beetle/lucanus-cervus/image-A19506.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.arkive.org/stag-beetle/lucanus-cervus/image-A19506.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-21T18:37:43.053" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T18:37:43.053" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8021" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1382" CreationDate="2013-07-29T13:07:22.343" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have no fear my friend, I have your solution: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greencastonline.com/TenacityHerbicide/Residential/index.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tenacity&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been able to battle the horrible lawn in my foreclosure, located in Ohio, with weed-b-gone fairly well.  Winning that battle, along with dormant overseeding with the wet springs here, I turned my lawn into a gem of the subdivision.  However, the crabgrass and quackgrass is nuts.  The big box store herbicides were just not cutting it, but then I found this new product.  It is cleared for residential use now and it appears to be safer to animals and the environment being it is a synthetic version of a chemical found in bottlebrush plant.  It prevents unwanted turf grasses from producing chlorophyll, thus starving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had amazing results with this stuff.  I found it at a local John Deere Landscaping store here for $50 per 8 oz bottle which is 48 gallons for spot treatments.  WAY cheaper than buying gallons of inferior products elsewhere.  This comes highly recommended.  It has taken care of my quackgrass (you think you got issues with crabgrass, think again), nibbleweed, bentgrass, and poa annua infestations in my yard with this stuff.  It is truly a revolutionary product that I expect to turn the industry on its head.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neighbors have told me that my lawn was out of control for several years as the old owner gave up on life, so with the amount of crabgrass seeds in my lawn, I have given up on the pre-emergent angle and I figure I will let them all germinate over the years and then kill them as they do so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit for photo request:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I only spot treated a few small spots in my yard about 5 weeks ago.  Those weeds have died and dried up.  The quackgrass has come up again (deep, deep rhizomes / nasty stuff) but it has diminished.  After a few rounds, I expect to eradicate it.  I spot treated my entire lawn (7,000 sqft) with 2 gallon of this stuff.  These photos are showing the 4/5 day mark.  They are starting to turn white, while the turf grass of Kentucky Blue Grass and Tall Fescue is fine.  The bleach white clover looks pretty neat actually.  I thought the large patch of grass growing with above ground stolons was Bent Grass, but now I think it is Nibblewill.  This stuff is working great on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a2qD6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Crabgrass&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JdAt1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Clover&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yUWOO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Nibblewill&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NFK9c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Quackgrass&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do some research on this new stuff, professional landscapers are rejoicing.  Not only do they not have to kill the entire area for lawns with Quackgrass, then come back for a second time to seed, they can just spray it and be gone.  Customers like it because the white weeds make it really show how the weed &quot;killer&quot; is working.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastEditorUserId="2174" LastEditDate="2013-08-02T12:30:14.590" LastActivityDate="2013-08-02T12:30:14.590" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8012" CreationDate="2013-07-29T13:23:54.443" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did you buy the seeds? My best guess would be that there were some white carrot seeds mixed in by accident. If you save your own seed, I'd suspect cross pollination. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-07-29T13:23:54.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8023" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8029" CreationDate="2013-07-29T14:46:28.213" Score="6" ViewCount="29114" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a bonsai beginner; I purchased a 15-year-old tea tree 2 weeks ago. It began losing a few leaves each day since. I keep it by a window and keep the soil damp. Today I turned it 180 degrees and noticed the window-facing side looked much healthier. Small white flowers have been blossoming over the last 5 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any explanation as to why the leaves are dropping off and is this natural or is the tree looking not-too-healthy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just read &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaiboy.com/catalog/fukiencare.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.bonsaiboy.com/catalog/fukiencare.html&lt;/a&gt;. Should I try moving it outdoors until it gets colder?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I'm in Billings, MT. Temperatures have been 55-95 this summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jVnND.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;side facing sun&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qKQ7y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;side facing away from sun&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2508" LastEditorUserId="2508" LastEditDate="2013-07-29T15:25:25.427" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T18:44:52.027" Title="Bonsai losing leaves" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8024" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8023" CreationDate="2013-07-29T15:14:53.273" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the photos, I assume you are keeping the soil adequately watered, so your assumption about a lack of sunlight is probably correct.  Let us know where you live and we can probably provide a better answer as to if your outdoor climate is appropriate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2512" LastActivityDate="2013-07-29T15:14:53.273" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8025" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8033" CreationDate="2013-07-29T21:34:33.367" Score="4" ViewCount="513" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have made quite a comprehensive research about the topic but I still cannot determine the variety of the tomato that I grew and which is dead by now. But I have started a new one from its seeds so in order to determine its necessities, first of all one needs to determine the plant's variety. It is definitely a cherry tomato variety and since there are lots of cherry tomato varieties it is impossible for me to know. I have a list of cherry tomatoes if it will help:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thompson-morgan.com/tomato-selector-guide#cherrytomato&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cherry Tomato Varieties&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mDIq5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I forgot to say that I bought this from IKEA as a plant, not as a seed and there was no variety name on the label. I am not even sure that this is a hybrid or heirloom. I hope it is the latter...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2485" LastActivityDate="2013-07-31T19:44:33.867" Title="Which tomato variety is this?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8027" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8005" CreationDate="2013-07-29T22:26:02.977" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on the size of the cacti, I would consider Rose Gardening gloves.  They have a much longer guard and protect well against spines.  The smoother goatskin gloves would probably not collect the smaller spines. They are usually washable, but I would suggest not washing them in your clothes washer... that could get really uncomfortable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2567" LastActivityDate="2013-07-29T22:26:02.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8028" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8031" CreationDate="2013-07-29T22:36:59.387" Score="2" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several plants (some flowers, some shrubs) in 1 and 2 gallon buckets.  I want to know how to plant them correctly.  I intend to spread mulch of some sort over the planting area afterward, so I think the top should stick out a little.  The ground is pretty flat as well, so no surprises there.  What do I need to do to make sure they survive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2567" LastEditorUserId="2567" LastEditDate="2013-07-30T01:11:29.050" LastActivityDate="2013-08-05T13:13:20.440" Title="How do properly I plant small shrubs or flowers from a bucket?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8029" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8023" CreationDate="2013-07-30T00:14:02.593" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;My father in law taught me there are three things a bonsai needs in order to be happy: sunlight, water and wind. The problem with keeping a bonsai indoors is that it suffers when it comes to those three things. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peoples perception of bonsai are skewed because of the media where they see film or pictures of bonsai inside. Bonsai can be displayed inside, but this is usually done for a brief period of time. For example, when you have guests coming and you want to show off your plant, but then it should be moved outside again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of hardiness, my father in law's attitude was that if it couldn't take the scorching heat or survive in the snow the plant wasn't going to be hardy enough to last several lifetimes. You may be more cautious about looking after your plants, I know some people do winter their plants, but the approach is to place them inside a wintering box or greenhouse outdoors. Not to bring them indoors for the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondary to environment issues, I would be concerned about the roots rotting, which can happen when bonsai are kept indoors because evaporation happens much slower indoors and the soil can stay damp for extended periods of time. Although, after two weeks I guess this is not the case here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like the plant has some flowers. This indicates to me that the plant was very healthy up until recently. Typically if the plant is in shock or dying it won't go to the effort to make flowers at the same time it is dropping leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My suggestion is to move it outdoors where it is getting a reasonable amount of sunlight and follow a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1617/what-is-a-good-watering-routine-for-a-bonsai?rq=1&quot;&gt;good watering routine&lt;/a&gt;. I suggest putting it somewhere partly shaded because you may scorch it going from being indoors to directly out in the sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully it will stop dropping leaves and settle in to its new position. I wouldn't expect it to start growing leaves again until early Fall. There are typically two growth spurts Spring and Fall and if a plant has gone into shock, they usually will not regrow a large number of leaves until one of these periods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-07-30T00:14:02.593" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8030" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8016" CreationDate="2013-07-30T03:14:04.177" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Damage like that is often caused by Gladiolus Thrips (&lt;em&gt;Thrips simplex&lt;/em&gt;). These are tiny insects that scrape the surface of the leaf or flower and drink the sap inside.  The damaged areas are silver or brown in color; in a heavy infestation, the plant can be stunted or die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They tend to hide under the leaves or in the flowers, so you can identify them by picking an affected flower and shaking it over a sheet of paper to dislodge them.  A magnifying glass will help because they're tiny -- about 1/16&quot; long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VXJzB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;(Image from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues/inter/inmine/Thriph.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;University of Minnesota Center for Urban Ecology and Sustainability&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control can be naturally with ladybugs (if you can find them), or using chemical insecticides, but they produce several generations in a year so multiple applications will probably be necessary.  Cold weather will kill them, but in your climate, leaving them outside will probably kill the Gladioli as well. If you had room in a refrigerator, you could store the corms in it: some searching indicates that 8 weeks at 40&amp;deg;F will kill them. Another method I see is to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oldhousegardens.com/thrips.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;soak the corms for 6 hours in a dilute mixture of 4 tablespoons of Lysol per gallon of water&lt;/a&gt; immediately prior to planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding saving the plants you have for next year, I don't think they look too far gone.  If you can control the current population and stop them from overwintering either by cold storage or soaking in Lysol, then keep an eye on the plants as they're growing next year and treating them if you see signs of damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2013-07-30T03:14:04.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8031" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8028" CreationDate="2013-07-30T05:40:52.437" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the time to prepare the soil in the ground to match the soil in the bucket.  There could be large ph or drainage differences between the soils.  I made this mistake a couple of times worth noting:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted a goji berry tree in native acid soil and discovered afterwards that goji requires an alkaline soil, so I tried in vain to apply lime and save the tree, but it was too late.  Lime takes considerable time to change the ph of the soil and should be applied well ahead of planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another example of a mistake in planting was with a stella cherry where I failed to give it a raised bed in the heavy clay soil we have.  Heavy rains followed the planting and drowned the cherry's roots.  I learned afterwards that cherries don't like wet feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So now is the time to be sure the soil doesn't need more prep before transplanting is done.  Another thing to consider is sun/shade tolerances, though shrubs and flowers seem like they would be very forgiving in this area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the soil type and drainage and the amount of light matches the plant's requirements, the plant should survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be sure to untangle any roots and dig a hole much larger in diameter than the bucket, then spread the roots out.  Don't put leaves or mulch in the hole to compete with the roots for nitrogen.  Put the mulch on top.  The raised look should be fine, but may require more watering because of the increased drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-07-30T05:40:52.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8032" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8014" CreationDate="2013-07-30T13:17:35.303" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks cute and funny right now, but a pine is a full blown tree that takes a lot of space both above and below ground when it matures. It was a really bad idea to plant it near the road and especially near underground communications. The tree will need removal sooner or later - at some point the city will get rid of that tree. The difference is that now, when the tree is small, it can be transplanted to some other more suitable place, but when the tree is large it will be too late and cutting the tree down will be the only option. If you can't find the place where you would relocate the tree you can try selling it, your tree on someone else's property is definitely nicer than a removed tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently observed a 20-meters mostly dead poplar being removed from a narrow space between two houses - that was a real pain and required a professional arborist and he was paid about half monthly minimum wage of that jurisdiction and that was the best offer the owners could find. Someone thought it was cute when the tree was young but it became a serious problem when the tree grew larger. If you keep the tree you have good chances to pay full expenses of removing it which will definitely not be cheap in the city.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your best option is have the tree transplanted before it is too late. Next time you should pay close attention to maximum height of the plants you select - for example certain flavors of thuja grow to no more than several meters and look great, they may be a good option for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastEditorUserId="562" LastEditDate="2013-07-30T13:22:53.607" LastActivityDate="2013-07-30T13:22:53.607" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8033" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8025" CreationDate="2013-07-30T16:48:53.210" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it would be impossible for any of us to say for sure what the variety is without finding out from IKEA directly, but it does look a bit like a Patio Princess Hybrid. It is a very small tomato plant bred specifically to do well and produce in a container. The size of the plant and of the tomatoes looks about right. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-07-30T16:48:53.210" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8034" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8036" CreationDate="2013-07-30T21:28:18.857" Score="7" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a dead tree on my HOA grounds that needs to be replaced. I love trees but I'm far from an expert. It would be awesome if there was a database I could search against, where I could specify things like location, light amount, root spread pattern (deep vs shallow), and branch spread pattern, and get recommendations from that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know if such a resource exists? I tried a few Google queries without success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2515" LastActivityDate="2013-07-31T13:32:59.240" Title="Is there a tree database or tree suggestion engine out there?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8036" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8034" CreationDate="2013-07-31T01:38:21.700" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Arborday is what you want.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.arborday.org/trees/treeGuide/advancedsearch.cfm&quot;&gt;http://www.arborday.org/trees/treeGuide/advancedsearch.cfm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also have a forum.  You can sign up and ask questions of arborists and tree lovers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-07-31T01:38:21.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8037" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8034" CreationDate="2013-07-31T13:32:59.240" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another thing to consider - if this is near a street or utilities, many municipalities keep lists of trees they recommend for placement in those areas. These would be trees that have proven to deal well with your climate and with the particular stressors of your area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-07-31T13:32:59.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8038" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8045" CreationDate="2013-07-31T18:57:48.443" Score="3" ViewCount="399" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Toro push lawnmower with a &quot;Ready Start&quot; engine (similar to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.toro.com/en-ca/Homeowner/Mowers/Walk-Power-Mowers/Pages/Model.aspx?pid=20332-Personal-Pace&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt;); I just pull the cord and it starts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was halfway through mowing the lawn when suddenly a ton of white smoke came billowing out of it. I read that this could be due to the air filter being clogged, so I cleaned it out as best I could. Now, the mower won't start at all, no matter how many times I try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has oil, it has gas, the air filter is now cleaned (or at least, cleaner than it was)...what could the issue be? I've had the mower for three years and this is the first time I've ever had it not start.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I tried it again later and got it to start. But here's what it does: it'll run for about 5 to 10 minutes with no problem, and then a ton of white smoke will start coming out of it again. If I turn it off, wait a minute, and start it back up, the smoke will clear up. Then it'll run for another 5 to 10 minutes before doing the same thing again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the comments here, it sounds like oil is getting in, but why would it happen on and off like that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless, I think I'll take it in for servicing since it probably needed it at this point anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2375" LastEditorUserId="2375" LastEditDate="2013-08-01T13:34:19.337" LastActivityDate="2013-08-01T13:34:19.337" Title="Toro lawnmower won't start" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;small-engine&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8039" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="355" CreationDate="2013-07-31T19:22:54.420" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fresh wood mulch is not a good idea for garden mulch for two reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It ties up nitrogen from the soil, negatively impacting it's availability for plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It harbors fungi that may be damaging to plants and nearby structures (one common problem with wood mulch is cannon fungi which literally shoot little black balls of tar up to 30 feet away).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other problems as well such as chemically treated wood or the natural plant retardent known as juglone that exists in certain trees such as black walnut.  If its not wood you are chipping yourself, I would not use it.  Chipped wood mulch would actually be on the bottom of my list to use.  It would be better off in the compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are much better mulch options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pine straw.  This stuff is cheap and awesome.  It will last about two years and will naturally break down into the soil.  This is my choice.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shredded leaves are a great mulch, but better as the main ingredient of a good compost pile. Leaves encourage A LOT of worm traffic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Newspaper covered with #1 or #2.  If you are looking to kill pesky weeds, a few sheets of newsprint covered by pine straw or mulch will do the trick.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Straw (not HAY!!!).  Regular old straw works well, but it has gone up in price and is not always clearly labeled as straw.  You do NOT want hay as hay includes all of the seed heads alongside the plant stalks which will result in a massive weed invasion if used.  Straw breaks down faster than pine straw.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plastic/fabric mulch.  There are a lot of synthetic garden covers now a days that allow you to plant through them and that allow water and air to exchange seemlessly.  The downside is expense and they aren't easily applied to large areas without special equipment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2572" LastActivityDate="2013-07-31T19:22:54.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8040" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8038" CreationDate="2013-07-31T19:33:16.210" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you tried replacing the spark plug?  Also make sure to double check your manual to make sure your air filter is not meant to be soaked in oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2572" LastActivityDate="2013-07-31T19:33:16.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8011" CreationDate="2013-07-31T19:38:21.953" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some details needed.  What type of avocado is it?  Generally one started from seed is not going to grow true to it's parent plant and it will be 7-10 years before you know whether it will even produce fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant in the pictures looks right in line with an avocado tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your general Avocado trees are very finicky as far as weather.  The slightest cold spell can kill them.  If you get snow, your climate is too cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are truly interested in growing avocado, have you looked at maybe getting what is referred to as a &quot;hardy&quot; avocado variety that can succeed in your climate?  It will also have been started from a graft which means the end adult plant will be exactly what you expect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2572" LastActivityDate="2013-07-31T19:38:21.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8025" CreationDate="2013-07-31T19:44:33.867" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the most popular dwarf cherry tomatoes that would be the most likely candidates is Micro Tom.  Considering you got it from Ikea it would have to be a widely available tomato seed which Micro Tom is.  More info: &lt;a href=&quot;http://t.tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Micro_Tom&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://t.tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Micro_Tom&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2572" LastActivityDate="2013-07-31T19:44:33.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8043" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8012" CreationDate="2013-07-31T19:49:24.087" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;White carrots are a result of cross pollination with their native cousin Queen Anne's Lace.  If you are saving carrot seed yourself you have to isolate the plants as Queen Anne's Lace is a widespread (and very beneficial) wild plant (some may say weed).  If this was seed you bought, I would not hesitate to report the issue and the batch/lot information off the seed packet.  A reputable seed seller should take action on the issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2572" LastActivityDate="2013-07-31T19:49:24.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8044" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7909" CreationDate="2013-07-31T20:07:48.413" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking closely at the last picture, there are clear dark concentric circles around the black spots which is textbook early blight.  It is a trademark of the disease.  Blight has been bad, really bad this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your best chance is unfortunately to pull the plants and save any remaining healthy plants.  Then going forward there are some key cultural practices to help avoid this situation (though you can never truly escape these problems which tomatoes are very susceptible to these diseases). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant tomatoes far enough apart to promote good airflow between plants.  If two plants are touching, they are too close.  If you have to plant them close together, restrict them to a single vine by pinching out the suckers that grow from the elbows of the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;MULCH underneath the plants.  The diseases are most often in the soil and get onto the plant due to splash back during rain or overhead watering.  Mulch eliminates soil splash.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water in the morning and water only the base of the plant.  A good trick is to bury a 4&quot; plastic pot next to the base of each plant.  When you water, only water into that pot which will then drain out directly into the soil.  Or another neat trick is to slice a few cuts into the bottom of a gallon milk jug.  Fill the jug with water and set it on the soil near the plant.  Over an hour or two the water will slowly leak out of the slits and gently water into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rotate organic fungicides such as Actinovate and Greencure.  Spray BEFORE there are problems and continue to keep on spraying on a regular schedule.  As soon as the plant goes in the ground, start spraying.  If it rains, get out and spray.  Both of these products are cost effective and work best as a preventative instead of reactionary solution.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rotate crops.  DO NOT plant tomatoes in the same soil year after year.  If you cannot rotate locations, dig up as much of the soil as possible and discard under ornamental shrubs.  Replace with a good mix of compost and new top soil.  Consider container gardening for tomatoes where you can then easily replace the soil every year in the pots and really start out with a near-sterile growing environment.  Containers also allow you to quickly move diseased plants out of the area of the rest of your tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get your soil tested and make sure the PH level is correct for tomatoes; generally between 6.4 and 7.0.  Make sure there are significant enough levels of nutrients.  Consider a fertilization program that meets the needs identified in the test.  Stronger plants will stay healthier longer.  At a minimum start using rock dust (such as Azomite) that will add micro-nutrients to your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant resistant varieties such as Roma VF.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2572" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-03T03:56:15.537" LastActivityDate="2014-08-03T03:56:15.537" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8038" CreationDate="2013-08-01T11:17:26.017" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is probably a better question for the folks on the stack motor vehicle maintenance site.  But, if you're mowing along and suddenly a ton of white smoke comes out, it seems like something inside broke and let oil into the combustion chamber. I'd pull out the spark plug and see if there is evidence of oil burning. If so, maybe it ran too hot and broke a piston ring. Briggs engines aren't what they used to be.  I've had to rebuild a few of them.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the air filter was clogged, you'd have black smoke, if any smoke.  Most likely, it would just not run before emitting clouds of black smoke.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-01T11:17:26.017" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8046" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7827" CreationDate="2013-08-01T12:28:44.500" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It should be safe when there is new growth from the cutting you planted.  Wait for a new shoot to get large enough to transplant.  Mint is a very prolific grower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2572" LastActivityDate="2013-08-01T12:28:44.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8048" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7592" CreationDate="2013-08-01T18:11:33.097" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;What acidity was the vinegar that you used? They now sell horticultural strength vinger that is up to 20% acidity which will do a much more potent job than white vinegar from the cupboard which is 5% acidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've yet to come up with any surefire solution.  Even before I went 100% organic, I could not keep weeds out of the cracks using Round Up or other &quot;kill everything&quot; sprays.  Now I employ the following practices:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spot treat with a vinegar spray for big broadleaf weeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Manually clean the cracks every so often&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spread corn gluten meal in the spring and fall.  Corn gluten meal inhibits root formation after a seed sprouts.  It is not 100% but I have a noticeable decrease in weeds since I've started using it.  It takes a year or two to really have a cumulative effect.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2572" LastActivityDate="2013-08-01T18:11:33.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8049" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8059" CreationDate="2013-08-01T18:23:49.223" Score="2" ViewCount="876" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've planted ranunculus for the first time this year in Minnesota (USDA zone 4). I beleive that these are not winter hardy here but can these be dug up, stored and replanted like dahlias, callas, gladiolus and the like?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2507" LastActivityDate="2013-08-03T15:32:03.740" Title="Can Ranunculus bulbs be re-used in cold climates?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;storage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4396" CreationDate="2013-08-01T19:24:33.590" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the first time planting, buy a male and female tree at the nursery.  The male doesn't produce nuts, but produces a lot of pollen.  Dig a hole in moderately crappy soils containing gravel, caliche (small), humus, good compost, triple(8-8-8) fertilizer, phosphorus.  the hole should be about 2 feet across, and 2-3 feet deep.  Mix the fertilizer in with everything.  Fill the hole with water, let drain, then obtain some liquid dishwashing soap and make about 3 passes around the hole. Water this in as well (the soap is a wetting agent), 3 times over the course of a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The water cycle should be about 8 waterings over the course of the first year, and maybe 4-6 waterings in the years after that.  This is native plant originating in the deserts of Afghanistan, and doesn't like wet soil. It can grow in a lawn, and produces a lot of shade, but do best where there is good drainage &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the female tree starts producing nuts, at the end of the growing year and starting in the fall, it'll be harvest time.  Pinch the nuts with your fingers and if they pop out of the hull, it'll be harvest time.  not all nut mature at the same time, so get a ghetto blaster and a decent chair, along with some 5-gallon buckets, salt, and lath in which to dry the nuts while keeping the birds away from your stash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And nuts that fall from the tree an onto the ground have the potential to sprout a new seedling.  Of course, you won't know if it's male or female until the tree matures a bit.  Seedling females can start producing nuts the 3rd or 4th year.  The hard part about transplanting is that when the tree is 4 years old, its tap root is pretty fixed in place.  You could always let the seedlings grow to nut stage, and then thin out the ones you don't want with a chainsaw.  Its only real pest in the leaf footed bug, that injects a virus into the seed pod.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also contact nurseries to see if they would buy the extra unwanted seedlings from you, but again, no one quite knows the sex of the seedlings.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2573" LastActivityDate="2013-08-01T19:24:33.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8051" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8053" CreationDate="2013-08-02T01:35:11.963" Score="2" ViewCount="130" Body="&lt;p&gt;After reading the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/4718/2575&quot;&gt;accepted answer&lt;/a&gt; on the question &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/4716/2575&quot;&gt;Is something wrong with my zucchini plant?&lt;/a&gt;&quot;, I've come to the conclusion that it is in fact a vine borer which has invaded my zucchini. Based on the following pictures, does this seem like the correct conclusion?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it too late to save this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mnqbv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mnqbvl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TAvWu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TAvWul.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2575" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2013-08-06T16:09:10.060" Title="Does it look like a vine borer caused this damage to my zucchini?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8052" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7484" CreationDate="2013-08-02T07:34:44.783" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Clay in a compost can be good. Really good. Never in the form of clods or massed around the roots of a plant though. Clay holds on to the nutrients a plant needs really well. Thats why sandy soils need regular feeding but heavier ones keep pumping longer.&#xA;If you wet all your compost ingredients with water which has clay suspended in it then the compost may take a little longer to &quot;cook&quot; itself but when it's done you'll be very impressed with the end product. Your compost will be well on the way to becoming humus. Much of the  organic carbon and nutrients will have formed complex bonds with the clay [stuck to it] and in that form will last for decades in the soil, keeping that carbon in the soil instead of in the atmosphere, which is where it ends up otherwise. Clay used in this way makes your compost into a long term soil improver.&#xA;Look for a clay which shrinks a lot when it dries right out, so that cracks appear.&#xA;Dig some up. break up the lumps as small as you easily can and throw them in a drum with water.. leave soak a couple of days then mix it up with a hoe and a spade or tread it underfoot! Whatever it takes, And wet all your ingredients with it. Easy  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2576" LastActivityDate="2013-08-02T07:34:44.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8053" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8051" CreationDate="2013-08-02T11:47:33.380" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks quite bad and I would say it will continue to spread and eventually kill your plant.&#xA;There are sprays which you can buy, but it looks like it may be too far gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rather than nothing, I would suggest as a last resort, try cutting as much of the affected plant back as possible and place soil around any new roots shooting off from the unaffected areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a long shot, but worth a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good Luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2577" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-06T16:09:10.060" LastActivityDate="2013-08-06T16:09:10.060" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8054" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8055" CreationDate="2013-08-02T16:46:55.713" Score="7" ViewCount="4421" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wasn't paying close enough attention to my artichoke this past week, and it flowered on me before I could get a chance to harvest the bud. Disappointing that I didn't get to eat it, but at least I get the consolation prize of a really neat looking flower. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I'm wondering now do I cut it off (and if so how far down from the flower) or do I just let it go? Not sure if the flowering is eating up resources that could be put towards vegetative growth, or if its good to let it go to help further develop the main stalk?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TYKmA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowering Artichoke&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2080" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T16:05:01.713" Title="My Artichoke Flowered, Now What?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8055" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8054" CreationDate="2013-08-02T21:01:00.070" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a small possibility that if you cut it off now, it may form more buds before the end of the growing season. If you're harvesting them to eat, you generally cut a couple of inches down the stem from the bottom of the bud; I don't see any reason to do it differently in your situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, the plant has already put energy into growing this flower so you could just enjoy it while it's in bloom. It will take some energy to maintain the flower, but artichokes are vigorous growers in the right conditions, so I doubt it will hurt the plant to leave it.  My neighbors leave theirs to flower and they keep coming back year after year. If you do leave the flower, you should remove it once it starts to wither, so that the plant won't try to put more energy into making seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I think the single best thing you could do for that plant is to put it in the ground.  Artichokes develop long tap roots, typically growing as deep as the plant is tall, so if it's being confined to that pot, it's never going to reach its full potential. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-11-16T00:27:40.643" LastActivityDate="2016-11-16T00:27:40.643" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8056" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3434" CreationDate="2013-08-03T02:08:08.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A home-made remedy from my home country that have always worked for me is to use coffee dregs (what remains of ground coffee after being brewed) to chase them away. However I do not have an explanation of why this works other than my own experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1581" LastActivityDate="2013-08-03T02:08:08.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8057" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8147" CreationDate="2013-08-03T13:57:25.313" Score="5" ViewCount="1135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just got eggplants starting to grow, with some flowers too. But I'm not sure if I should put a cage around it, like a small tomato cage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2579" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-06T16:07:03.133" LastActivityDate="2018-10-02T05:56:00.647" Title="Should eggplants be caged?" Tags="&lt;support&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8058" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="331" CreationDate="2013-08-03T14:51:15.760" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You will get more yield (total season fruit weight) if you don't prune.  You might get bigger fruit (but less of them) if you do prune.  By pruning, you're effectively thinning the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tomato Cultivar Trial and Pruning Observation&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The most striking difference at harvest was larger&#xA;  fruit size (.69 lb vs. .55 lb) from pruned plots. However, pruning also reduced the number of fruit harvested&#xA;  by 32% and total marketable weight by 15%.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.public.iastate.edu/~taber/Extension/Progress%20Rpt%2000/tomato.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.public.iastate.edu/~taber/Extension/Progress%20Rpt%2000/tomato.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its possible to get bigger fruit by pruning, but its not guaranteed.  I've read studies saying there was no significant difference between fruit size of pruned and unpruned plants.  Though there is always a significant difference in total yield.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Removing side shoots may reduce overall tomato harvest. In fact, in a study by Purdue University, and published in Organic Gardening Magazine, scientists found that removing side shoots was shown to increase the average fruit weight some of the time but did not increase the total harvest for each individual plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.grow-tomato-sauce.com/pruning.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.grow-tomato-sauce.com/pruning.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the fruit size you have now is not big enough, you might try pruning.  If the size is acceptable, I wouldn't suggest pruning... I would suggest a more sturdy trellis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-03T14:51:15.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8059" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8049" CreationDate="2013-08-03T15:32:03.740" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most Ranunculus do not have tuberous roots, so I'm assuming you've planted Ranunculus asiaticus, usually bought as small, clawed tubers. If that's the variety you have, yes, you can keep them over winter. In the UK, they're dug up in early October, the top foliage is removed if there's any left, and they're left to dry out a bit on a bed of sand in a tray or something, then they're planted in a sandy, dry mix and kept in a cool, darkish place, out of frost over winter, and started into growth in pots indoors the following early Spring (early March here). If your weather gets cold from September on, you may need to lift them in September instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-08-03T15:32:03.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8061" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8063" CreationDate="2013-08-03T15:51:24.023" Score="4" ViewCount="7555" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed these things on my tomato plants.  What are they and how can I safely get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xia6I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bugs&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2068" LastActivityDate="2019-07-03T16:55:57.183" Title="What are these white bugs on my tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8063" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8061" CreationDate="2013-08-03T17:02:50.930" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look more like whitefly to me.  The way to tell is to gently shake the plant. If you see insects flying around then they are whitefly.  Only some adult aphids can fly but all whitefly can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neem oil will work but 5 to 10 ml of dish soap to one litre of water will also control them and is cheaper. See this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/76/what-is-an-effective-organic-pesticide-to-use-against-aphids-or-cabbage-loopers&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1914/what-are-the-teeny-tiny-white-bugs-on-my-tomatoes/1929#1929&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; for details on control. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2013-08-03T17:02:50.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8064" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8057" CreationDate="2013-08-03T17:32:55.710" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some support won't hurt, especially if it is a large fruited variety. Consider... even if the plant can support the fruit, can it support the fruit in the wind?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Eggplants get fairly woody, but keeping the fruit off of the ground keeps them from going bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-06T16:19:23.873" LastActivityDate="2013-08-06T16:19:23.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8066" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7453" CreationDate="2013-08-04T07:33:52.983" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;For what its worth, I conducted an experiment to determine the best way to sow grass seed before reseeding my lawn with $200 worth of KBG seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In pot #1, I just sprinkled seed on the dirt.  Nothing else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pot #2, I sprinkled seed and covered with a light covering of dried grass clippings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pot #3, I sprinkled seed and then rubbed my hand overtop lightly to similate &quot;raking in&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of the 3 pots, and to this day, pot #1 is the densest.  Pot #2 has the tallest grass, but not as dense as pot #1.  Pot #3 had the poorest germination rate and has the shortest grass.  Actually, pot #3 is quite pathetic looking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems the worst way to sow KBG is to cover the seed with dirt.  This may be different with a variety having larger seed, but KBG seed is very small and seems to lack the strength to emerge from under the dirt... or maybe the seed rotted in the ground.  Its hard to be certain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The dirt used in the pots is the same dirt as my lawn, which was mixed and sifted, then distributed to the 3 pots.  The pots were kept in the same location and were watered by rain, so watering was even between the 3.  The soil had a loose texture on the surface and was in no way compacted when the seeds were sown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, conditions prevented me from just throwing the seed on bare dirt, fearing the seed may dry before germination or the rains would wash it away.  It takes a full 7 days before KBG seed sprouts.  So, my lawn got the pot #2 treatment since pot #2 had an acceptable appearance and seemed to give the best odds for at least a decent germination rate in unpredictable weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no regrets and mulching seed lightly with grass clippings seems to be an acceptable way to sow grass seed as this most closely replicates nature where seeds fall to the ground in the thatch between grass blades.  Grass seeds in nature are not generally covered with soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-04T07:33:52.983" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8067" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3821" CreationDate="2013-08-04T08:08:37.377" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Moss loves acid, compacted soil.  Ph is merely a measure of H+ ions in the soil.  Rain will leach other cations from the soil, such as Ca++, Mg++, and K+ in about that order and with Ca++ being mostly leached.  When this happens, H+ takes their places.  This produces an acid soil.  Also, the presence of Ca++ in abundance in soil will cause the clay particles to flocculate, or draw close together.  Having the clay particles close together actually does the opposite of what you'd guess... it makes the soil looser and resistant to compaction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the solution to a moss problem is extremely easy.  Just add calcium.  The Ca++ will displace H+ ions and reduce acidity.  The Ca++ will flocculate the soil and reduce compaction.  Grass will again want to grow in the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aeration does very little.  The soil will fill in the little holes and go right back to its compacted nature since the cause of the compaction has not been addressed, namely, lack of Ca++.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-04T08:08:37.377" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8068" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8072" CreationDate="2013-08-04T14:32:54.957" Score="6" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning to grow grapes on the roof of my house. I am living in rainy environment and also with cloudy weather. Is it possible to cultivate grape in such kind of environment?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2584" LastEditorUserId="1948" LastEditDate="2013-08-04T16:10:16.783" LastActivityDate="2013-08-08T01:41:23.943" Title="Is it possible to cultivate grape in rainy weather?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8069" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13685" CreationDate="2013-08-04T15:05:07.177" Score="5" ViewCount="10313" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to grow a lavender plant on the windowsill of my apartment in Brooklyn. I got this more succulent lavender after some more delicate french lavender had died on the same sill. This plant has lasted longer, but some of the leaves have gone silver and wizened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am trying to water it quite infrequently, as I believe the last lavenders died from overwatering. We've oscillated between very hot dry weather and cooler damp weather in Brooklyn over the past month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have three questions about it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is causing the leaf damage? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How can I mitigate it? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I remove the wizened leaves? (By cutting them off at the stalk, I assume?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TW3M8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;most withering at the bottom of the plant&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4EZwl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;wizened leaves curl back in on themselves&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fDSuJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;some leaves are only partially wizened&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2583" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-13T03:15:58.560" LastActivityDate="2019-03-07T18:14:01.663" Title="What is causing my lavender's leaves to turn grey and wizen?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8070" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-04T15:52:14.327" Score="4" ViewCount="2112" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning an above-ground system for a very small lot. I am trying ot do most of it with drip irigation, but I also have small lawn to the side, and I was wondering if I could combine the drip and lawn irrigation in one zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For instance, I have a section of the yard along the porch that has a 0.5 m strip of shrubs, vines, flowers, ground cover, and small decorative trees, and also about 3 m (10 feet) narrow section of lawn that is maybe 5 or 6 m long. I could theoretically run two lines alongside each other — one for drip, another for the lawn, but that would mean twice the tubing, twice the timers, filters etc., and twice the clutter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I’ve found the stakes that work with standard 1/2&quot; (13 mm) drip irrigation main, that has 1/2&quot; threaded outlet, on which any regular sprinkler can be attached, either directly or via the riser:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kkYnH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1/2&amp;quot; flow-through stake&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And so I could run my drip main along the edge of the lawn, interrupted by few of these stakes. And I could use those small 180° sprinkler heads, such as shrub sprinklers which are the same heads that are used in small pop-up lawn sprinklers for narrow lawns. But my two major concerns are water pressure and flow, and watering time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For instance, those pop/up shrub sprinkler heads are recommended by the manufacturer to be used at four per zone at 30 psi (~207 kPa) based on the “average” rate of flow of 1.6 U.S. gallons per minute (6L/min) in a larger main pipe (such as 3/4&quot;). At the same time, drip irrigation, as I understand, runs in 1/2&quot; pipe at 25 psi (~172 kPa), and I am not sure it would produce enough flow for those shrub heads. That said, I am going to run them at the low end of their range, so that might help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for watering time, I wonder if they would saturate the lawn too fast (ideally, I am thinking in investing in moisture sensor to cut them off when it’s good enough, or to delay the watering after the rain), and it would cut the watering time too short for some full-size grape vines or decorative small trees, such as Japanese maple. At the same time the lawn is possibly the one part of the garden that receives a lot of sun most of the day (the rest is covered by catalpa, peach and cherry trees), so it would need longer watering as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I need recommendation as to whether my idea is feasible (pending accurate flow measurement), or to direct me towards possible alternatives, keeping in mind budget constraints and water conservation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1948" LastActivityDate="2013-09-11T20:11:49.807" Title="Combining drip irrigation with small shrub/lawn sprinklers" Tags="&lt;drip-system&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8071" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1975" CreationDate="2013-08-04T18:19:31.400" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves have to be jagged and &quot;must&quot; be slightly ruffled. Those plants in your photo are definitely holy basil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Thai cooking it is used in stir fry with all kinds of meat (most popular with pork or chicken) with a little bit of chili and garlic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2586" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-05T03:03:33.423" LastActivityDate="2013-08-05T03:03:33.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8068" CreationDate="2013-08-04T21:04:15.707" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My grapes appear to be thriving and we've had more rain than 90 year old men can remember ever seeing.  We're averaging 10 inches per month and in July we received 15 inches.  My Pink Reliance and Concords are packed with grapes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cloudy weather may affect the sweetness of the grapes since sunlight is needed to make sugars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But to ask is it possible to grow them, yes, its possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With increased rainfall its important to monitor calcium levels in the soil since rain heavily leaches calcium and grapes do appreciate a fair amount of calcium.  I fertilize with calcium nitrate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-04T21:04:15.707" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8073" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8074" CreationDate="2013-08-04T23:03:43.460" Score="6" ViewCount="729" Body="&lt;p&gt;My backyard is pretty much a weed garden. I have the following concurrent problems:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Poor soil (mostly hard clay)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lots of weeds (mostly bull thistle and some dandelions)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dead grass (around 30-50% of it is brown and dead)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A few small bare patches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure which of these problems I should address first. For example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I remove weeds, they'll just come back because of poor grass and bare spots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I try to seed/reseed/overseed the grass, it won't remain  because of the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I try to fix the soil, weeds will flourish even more&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One piece of advice I got so far was to blanket it with weed killers and then try to fix the grass. I don't think that fixes the root problem (poor/clay soil), and to make it worse, I have a small vegetable patch growing that I don't want to contaminate with weed killer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What approach should I take to fix this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="606" LastEditDate="2013-08-04T23:24:39.083" LastActivityDate="2013-08-06T11:39:26.777" Title="Weeds, Grass, Soil: What to fix first?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;clay&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8074" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8073" CreationDate="2013-08-04T23:55:45.763" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;One should always address the soil before tackling weed and plant issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a firm believer that good soil = healthy plants = few diseases and little need for chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every plant has a place in which it likes to grow, due to soil composition and climate.  Once we understand and accept this principle, its a matter of deciding how to modify conditions to favor the plants we want while making it uncomfortable on the plants we don't want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, firstly, you need to discover what your soil is missing.  You can either send a sample to a lab for a soil test or you can use your best judgement based on weeds you see that are thriving and a general knowledge of weather and soil conditions in your area.  For instance, if you know you get more than 30-40 inches of rain per year, its very likely your soil is acidic and deficient in calcium.  Moss is a great indicator of acid soil because it grows where nothing else will.  Moss can grow equally well on the top of a brick, which is about what acidic, compacted soil amounts to.  Other weeds can indicate other conditions: Yarrow can indicate potassium deficiency.  Clover indicates nitrogen deficiency (since clover can fix its own nitrogen from the air).  A simple search on google will generate many lists of indicator weeds and their theoretical meanings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A soil test can help you determine what needs to be fixed, but a soil test is only as good as the sample you send in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, if you fix the soil, the weeds may flourish more, however if you've designed the soil composition properly, the grass you sow will out-compete the weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blanketing with weed killers will not address the underlying cause, which is nutritional, therefore the weeds will come right back once the toxin is gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See my answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3821/how-can-i-remove-the-moss-growing-on-my-lawn/8067#8067&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more info about calcium, compaction, and moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7860/forcing-a-clover-takeover-of-my-lawn/7862#7862&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more info about competition between lawn species, particularly clover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-08-04T23:55:45.763" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8076" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3434" CreationDate="2013-08-05T01:45:48.477" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;We discovered another great solution. This solution includes carefully pouring boiling hot water on the fire ant mounds. Make sure the plants roots are not nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="290" LastEditorUserId="290" LastEditDate="2013-08-05T16:43:16.240" LastActivityDate="2013-08-05T16:43:16.240" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8077" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8078" CreationDate="2013-08-05T02:41:36.080" Score="2" ViewCount="215" Body="&lt;p&gt;Friends, we are doing &lt;strong&gt;pepper&lt;/strong&gt; cultivation. we are getting good profit when three years back in that pepper making process. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;this is one kind of disease we are facing in its leaves&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ocP3d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;The problem is nowadays our &lt;strong&gt;climate changed&lt;/strong&gt;, there is no usual &lt;strong&gt;rainfall&lt;/strong&gt;.   don't know the reason some of my peppers plants are dead. later, after find its roots are dead. I got some information from agricultural farms. but the problem still exists. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;some other trees also going to dead. how to avoid that. I heard in website, if we want to cultivate we need to maintain &lt;strong&gt;pH level 4.0-6.0&lt;/strong&gt;.  how to maintain it and how to avoid &lt;strong&gt;root dead&lt;/strong&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2584" LastEditorUserId="2584" LastEditDate="2013-08-05T02:57:24.257" LastActivityDate="2013-08-05T04:39:36.117" Title="How to maintain PH level 4.0-6.0 to avoid root disease in pepper cultivation?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8077" CreationDate="2013-08-05T04:39:36.117" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watch this video to understand what ph is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YOeqRiG-3Y&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YOeqRiG-3Y&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ph is simply a measure of H+ ions in the soil solution.  If you have a lot of H+ ions, then you have an acid soil.  If you have a lot of H+ ions, then you have little Ca++, Mg++, K+, NH4+, etc, etc because H+ has displaced them.  So, acid soil really means deficient soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is true that having a low ph in the soil can discourage some root diseases (particularly in potatoes), but also having low ph means you have little nutrients for plant growth unless the plant has evolved in an acid soil (blueberries, azaleas, etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have the proper amounts of Ca++, Mg++, K+, etc in the soil, then ph is not something you'd ever have to worry about.  Ph is the effect of cation combinations in the soil, not the cause.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a couple good articles explaining why the ideal soil should be around 70% Ca, 10% Mg, 5% K&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilminerals.com/Cation_Exchange_Simplified.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.soilminerals.com/Cation_Exchange_Simplified.htm&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/Feb07_CationAnionConnection.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/Feb07_CationAnionConnection.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to how to maintain the ph at a certain level... if you wish to lower ph, you would add H+ ions.  Organic matter does this, as does many fertilizer salts.  If you wish to raise ph, then you use lime or simply add the Ca++, Mg++, and K+ back to the soil that the H+ ions displaced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Calcium is used by plants to build cell walls.  Potassium is associated with disease resistance.  Having leaves which look as those do, one may question the availability of calcium and potassium in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That disease on your leaves looks similar to the fire blight disease on my pear trees which I've successfully used calcium to treat.  I am of the opinion that most diseases are caused by nutritional deficiencies in the soil, though the mechanism for decay may be bacterial or fungal, the cause is actually something missing from the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-05T04:39:36.117" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8079" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8081" CreationDate="2013-08-04T12:31:48.997" Score="3" ViewCount="955" Body="&lt;p&gt;Actually I am a software developer, eager to do cultivation. We are cultivating tea as a family profession. I want to know, what kind of soil and environment or needed to cultivate apples?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2584" OwnerDisplayName="Dineshcool" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-11-18T16:13:29.973" LastActivityDate="2013-11-18T16:13:29.973" Title="What kind of land and weather is required to cultivate apples?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8081" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8079" CreationDate="2013-08-05T09:05:15.570" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Much of the soil type and environment depend on the selection of apple variety, but I can tell you from experience that apples appreciate calcium in the soil.  Often hydrated lime (calcium) is used for the control of apple diseases.  Some apples will do quite well in an acid soil.  Mainly, they are the tart apples which are good for pies.  But even they would prefer a soil more stocked with calcium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want sweet apples, be sure to lime the soil to a ph around 6.5 and give the tree plenty of sun.  Sun is need to make sugars in the apples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that most fruit trees need a certain amount of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.raintreenursery.com/chill_hours.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Chill Hours&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilling_requirement&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The chilling requirement of a fruit is the minimum period of cold weather after which a fruit-bearing tree will blossom. It is often expressed in chill hours, which can be calculated in different ways, all of which essentially involve adding up the total amount of time in a winter spent at certain temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apples have the highest chilling requirements of all fruit trees, followed by apricots and, lastly, peaches. Apple cultivars have a diverse range of permissible minimum chilling: most have been bred for temperate weather, but &lt;strong&gt;Gala and Fuji can be successfully grown in subtropic Bakersfield, California.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know your climate in India, but without sufficient chill, maybe Gala and Fuji are a good bet.  Those are nice apples anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a good publication for the selection of and care for apple trees: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.caes.uga.edu/publications/pubDetail.cfm?pk_id=6364&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.caes.uga.edu/publications/pubDetail.cfm?pk_id=6364&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The southern part of Georgia is very warm and doesn't get many chill hours.  The soil is sandy too.  The north is temperate with mild winters and a heavy clay soil.  The entire state gets around 50 inches of rainfall annually, which leaves the soil on the acid side.  You should be able to pick from the zones shown for Georgia to compare with your weather and soil and choose a tree best suited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-08-05T09:05:15.570" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8082" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8073" CreationDate="2013-08-05T11:54:03.050" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lots of organic matter added to the soil, particularly where you're not growing grass but other plants is the first thing to do. You haven't said what kind of grass you have or want to grow, so that's something I can't address. If its sod and its in a dreadful state, probably best to remove it and then dig the area over and add organic materials to that too. While you're adding organic material (composted materials from your own heap, any kind of composted materials for addition to the soil from your garden supplier, such as animal manures (but not for root vegetables). While you're adding this to the ground, you can also dig out any of the persistent, deep rooted weeds which are present. The addition of humus rich materials (of organic origin) increases bio diversity in the soil, assists in water retention, improves fertility for plants, discourages some weeds (because they like poor soil), helps to make sandy soil heavier and helps to lighten up heavy soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&#xA;I know clay soil is very difficult, have dealt with it myself, seems there's only a couple of days in the year where it can be dug - it's either too wet so it sticks in clumps on your fork or so dry its like concrete and needs a pickaxe. Digging with a fork, by the way, is the only way to go, not a spade (or shovel if that's what you call it where you are). If you can't find a day when its diggable, then the lazy man's way will work, but it'll take longer - you just spread organic humus rich materials over the top and wait for nature to do its work. But however you do it, humus rich materials added frequently is the only answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-08-06T11:39:26.777" LastActivityDate="2013-08-06T11:39:26.777" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8083" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8028" CreationDate="2013-08-05T12:48:46.003" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the azalea, the soil needs to be acidic, not alkaline, and they usually prefer a little shade during the hottest part of the day. If you haven't yet dug over where you want to plant, you should take the chance to do this now, incorporating humus rich materials (organic material, well composted, so things like composted animal manures or even your own compost heap material). Let the soil settle for a week, then dig holes larger than the containers you have. Plant what's in the containers at the right distance apart to allow room for spread of each plant, at the SAME depth they're in currently, in other words, don't leave the rootball sitting proud of the ground, it should be level with it or just fractionally below, so you can't see any root. If the plants are root solid, by which I mean the roots have curled round and round tightly, tease these out, and plant without cramping the roots into the hole. If they are not in that state, then just scratch down the outside of the rootball lightly and then plant. Water in well, then put your mulch over the top, making sure you put less than an inch directly against the base of the trunk/stem of the plants, or leave a little space around the mainstem clear of mulch. The reason I say to plant level with the existing soil is that the mulch (assuming its organic and not inorganic) will gradually rot down, and if you've planted the rootballs proud of the existing soil, these will eventually be sitting in open air, and that isn't something your plants will enjoy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-08-05T13:13:20.440" LastActivityDate="2013-08-05T13:13:20.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8086" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8087" CreationDate="2013-08-05T21:32:58.510" Score="2" ViewCount="2447" Body="&lt;p&gt;While removing weeds, I noticed this strange vine-like growth. It has some distinct features (all visible in the picture below):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tall, vine-like growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Small greenish fruit that turn red&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lilac flowers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a weed that I should whack, or is this some sort of &quot;useful&quot; plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0eBrd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(View in a new tab/window to see the full size version.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastActivityDate="2013-08-05T21:42:24.150" Title="Vine-like weed growth with lilac flowers and small reddish fruit" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8086" CreationDate="2013-08-05T21:42:24.150" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's woody nightshade. An inedible relative of the potato/tomato family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Contains solanine which is the stuff in green potatoes that's poisonous, though in a lot less quantity except the berries which are quite full of it. Can be phototoxic (chemical burn after sunlight exposure) if you get the juice on your skin, so wash it off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_dulcamara&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_dulcamara&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2013-08-05T21:42:24.150" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8088" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-06T02:46:01.430" Score="6" ViewCount="624" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Texas, and my back yard is on the bottom of a hill; thus it gets lots of run-off from other houses in the subdivision.  The run-off causes problems you'd normally expect:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soft, boggy lawn especially in the shallow &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swale_%28landform%29&quot;&gt;drainage swales&lt;/a&gt; that were put around the house to deflect downhill run-off&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tough to keep grass looking good because foot traffic easily flattens it (due to high moisture content in the clay).  We have a young child, and it would be nice to have BBQs / backyard kiddie-pool parties that didn't cause lawn damage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have considered planting St Augustine, which has a good reputation in hot, boggy soil, but there is another problem.  St Augustine requires a lot of water, and our area of Texas has had problems with &lt;a href=&quot;http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/&quot;&gt;drought&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any other grass that will accomplish all of the following?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tolerate drought without a lot of water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Stabilize persistently-damp clay soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our house faces south, so the lawn is on the north side of the property (if that matters).  We do have a mature Spanish Oak on one side of the lawn (the tree gives some shade to a corner).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="359" LastActivityDate="2013-10-28T22:05:59.223" Title="Drought-tolerant grass for sunny, wet Texas clay" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;clay&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8089" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-06T03:34:54.487" Score="3" ViewCount="66" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pulling up the mulch and fiber around my house from the previous owners. It was poorly laid and it turned into a big weed issue. Some parts they only put mulch down and no fiber/plastic. I've sprayed RoundUp a couple of times and there are still some small weeds coming up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would tilling around the house help or would breaking loose the top inch or 2 of soil be enough? I'm going to be putting down fiber again with washed river rock. I'm not putting any plants in the rock this year. Possibly next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2590" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-06T16:11:00.993" LastActivityDate="2013-08-06T16:11:00.993" Title="Should I till the area around the house where I'm going to relandscape?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8090" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8089" CreationDate="2013-08-06T04:05:07.723" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, don't till.  Tilling will stir up more weed seeds and you'll have more weeds to contend with.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, just in case you want to plant something, tilling will mix the best soil at the top few inches with the not-so-good soil under it to produce a mediocre soil mixture.  Tilling will also expose your organic matter to oxygen and accelerate its breakdown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only reason to till is if you need to mix in lime or maybe some compost or similar.  But for what you're doing, the last thing you want to do is till.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-06T04:05:07.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8092" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8094" CreationDate="2013-08-06T15:52:24.717" Score="8" ViewCount="8797" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a friend who occasionally brings us vegetable plants, as she has her own garden/farm thing where she cultivates plants to sell to restaurants. This time around, she brought us some tiny red and yellow tomatoes as well as some cucumbers. The tomatoes were easy to work with, the cucumbers less so. We're currently at the point where we're trying to figure out when it's time to pick them. Unlike &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1642/do-peppers-change-color-when-left-on-the-plant&quot;&gt;store-bought plants we've dealt with in the past&lt;/a&gt;, our friend did not leave us any seed cards or other kind of information that could help us.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is that they're particularly prickly. The largest one, on the left, is probably ready by size alone. The picture on the right is one of several smaller ones. You can probably see a fair amount of spines, mostly near the bottom, but the entire fruits are positively covered in shiny barbs. It's not limited to the fruits themselves, though. The stalks and the leaves of the plant are also covered in coarse hairs that can even puncture our gardening gloves. If there was such thing as a cactus cucumber these may very well be it, haha, but I've actually heard of spiny cucumbers for a long time. Mom says these are worse than dealing with rosebushes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A quick search online has shown up mostly ways of checking if a cucumber is ready to pick is by the firmness of grasp. This is decidedly not an option as I enjoy my hands being relatively smooth and hole-free, and thicker gloves mean I won't even be able to feel the fruit. Resources I've found on dealing with spiny cucumbers all seem to be about how to cook and peel them, not how to harvest them off the plant in the first place. So I ask, how might I ascertain that a cucumber is ready if it is too spiny to feel? With touch out of the question (lest there's a means to touch them without needle death), what means can we use to check on them and decide to snip them off the plant for eventual cookery?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt; &lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for larger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4s9UJm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4s9UJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Probably ready by size alone&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MJKHcm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MJKHcm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;One of several small ones&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="520" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-03-01T17:08:43.860" Title="How can I determine when to pick a spiny cucumber, without touching it?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8093" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-06T18:15:34.560" Score="5" ViewCount="863" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought a new house and I want to program the irrigation system. I don't know anything about the lawn or the system because I just moved in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to know how often I should water the lawn, both on which days of the week and how long to water per zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume that I am not giving enough information to answer these questions, so I guess what I'm really asking is what do I need to find out and how do I find it out? If I need to know what type of grass I have, how do I do that? Where do I find the resources that will help me figure out the best watering plan?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2591" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-06T20:33:15.337" LastActivityDate="2013-08-07T18:20:11.340" Title="How Do I Determine The Best Watering Schedule For My Lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8092" CreationDate="2013-08-06T18:48:20.097" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple of things to look for &lt;em&gt;other than&lt;/em&gt; the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.veggiegardener.com/how-and-when-to-pick-cucumbers/&quot;&gt;feel&lt;/a&gt; (they should be firm if you can find a spot to squeeze them where they aren't too prickly). Some amount of spines are normal on all cucumbers, but this one looks especially spiny.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Color: they should be medium to dark green. this depends on the cultivar though, some of them will be different colors. from the looks of it, the medium to dark green color is a good test here.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Length: This is sort of up to preference, the article I linked above suggests 5-6&quot; but some folks let them grow a lot longer (like 10-12&quot;), they will continue to grow longer if you do not pick them. At this point the one in the first photo should be plenty ready to pick and use (it's already on the longer side). &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overall a combination of these three methods (squeeze, if you can find a good spot, the color, and the length) should give you a good idea of when to pick it. But I think if you can't manage to squeeze it relying on color and size should be a pretty good indicator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2013-08-06T18:48:20.097" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8095" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8093" CreationDate="2013-08-06T19:45:11.403" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a subject that is almost political in nature.  Most regard a &quot;Deep and infrequent&quot; plan of watering to be the best approach.  The idea is that deep watering promotes deep roots, which in turn enables the lawn to sustain droughts.  The evidence supporting this idea is spotty, and the logic doesn't make sense to me.  For a full explanation, see my question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7761/is-there-evidence-that-a-deeply-watered-lawn-will-develop-deeper-roots&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best counter argument for the deep watering schedule is that much water applied at one time will leach nutrients (calcium, sulfate, magnesium, potassium, nitrates) out of the rootzone, and at the least, cost you more money in lime and fertilzer, and at the worst, harm the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However Los Angeles receives 15 inches of rain per year, which is quite under the 20-30 inches where grass grows best naturally.  It also seems water conservation should be a high priority in your area.  Therefore, in your particular case, maybe watering more at one time would lead to less evaporative losses than watering at multiple times.  Also, your ground shouldn't be subject to much leaching because of the low rainfall (unless you have a fairly sandy soil. A sandy soil will negate everything and require a more frequent watering regardless of evaporation and leaching will be a huge concern).  If you have loam soil and little rainfall, maybe it doesn't matter that the lawn is watered deep and infrequently since leaching isn't a big issue and less would be lost through evaporation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The species of the grass could affect the amount of water required.  It stands to reason that faster growing species use more water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you really need to determine is the rainfall pattern, the soil type (how much Ca, Mg, K do you have?) and drainage of the soil (is it sandy or clay?) and how much water you have at your disposal.  From this you can determine how to keep your soil moist enough, but without any leaching, and without using more water than is necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then you need to make you mind up on whether you're a member of the &quot;deep and infrequent&quot; camp or the &quot;light and frequent&quot; camp.  You also need to decide what time of day is best for watering.  Some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.garden4less.co.uk/watering-the-lawn-at-night.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sites&lt;/a&gt; suggest watering at night, claiming less evaporative losses and that the water washes the nutrient rich dew off the plants on which the fungi thrive.  Others claim watering at night will surely lead to disease.  I feel if a lawn is healthy, it will not be subject to disease. Fungi spores are in the air constantly.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conidium#Health_issues&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The average person inhales 40 spores per day.&lt;/a&gt;  Only the weak succumb to them.  And then, some recommend noon-time watering.  Others say the morning is best.  Some recommend the evening.  Personally, I feel its best to water when the grass is thirsty.  Don't make the grass suffer in hopes of building more drought tolerance.  I don't believe weakness leads to strength... or that sickness leads to health.  If the grass is thirsty, give it a drink.  Of course, this would be the time of day evaporative losses would be highest, so it would also be the least efficient use of water.  That's a judgement call you're going to have to make.  The most efficient use of water would be at night, but that's probably when the grass needs a drink the least.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you really want to get to the bottom of it, you're going to have to do some research and decide for yourself.  Its almost like asking whether it makes more sense to be democrat or republican.  There is just no consensus on the matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to ask more specific questions, like how much calcium is leached from the ground in relation to other cations?  That we can answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2013-08-06T19:45:11.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8099" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="81" CreationDate="2013-08-07T02:35:17.483" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some things I've noticed about basil:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Basil is deep-rooted.&lt;/strong&gt;  I have medium size basil plants in fairly large pots (pots which originally contained 5ft pears trees).  The basil roots have grown out of the drain holes and anchored the pots to the ground.  Basil roots can easily exceed 1ft of depth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Basil can root from the stem like tomatoes.&lt;/strong&gt;  I discovered this while observing a sprout which had a dead spot in the stem which dried to a thread and cut off the root system from the leaves.  Yet, the leaves looked healthy.  It was confounding.  Figuring the leaves must be drawing nutrients from the stem which was touching the ground, I covered the stem with soil and now its a full-size basil plant.  Since this discovery, I hill-up my basil plants like I do tomato and potato plants.  It may be possible to propagate basil by cutting off a stem and sticking it directly into the ground.  Tomato plants will grow this way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Like tomatoes, basil doesn't care much for an overly acid soil&lt;/strong&gt; and appreciates a good supply of calcium for strong cell development and magnesium for the abundance of chlorophyll it produces.  My basil responds well to lime, calcium nitrate, magnesium sulfate, and potassium sulfate (calcium, sulfate, magnesium, and potassium are the minerals most leached by rain, in that order).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&amp;amp;dbid=85&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The World's Healthiest Foods&lt;/a&gt; we can see basil has a &amp;quot;very good&amp;quot; rating next to calcium and iron and a &amp;quot;good&amp;quot; rating next to magnesium and potassium.  The 59 mg Ca + 12 mg Mg + 96 mg K must come from somewhere.  Minerals aren't manufactured.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Any suggestion that basil doesn't like water is absolutely false.&lt;/strong&gt;  We've had record breaking amounts of rain this year.  April, May, and June were 10 inches each and we had 15 inches for July.  That's a year's worth of rain in 4 months and double or triple the annual rainfall of western or mid-western states.  In spite of all this water, a few days I ago I had to add 1 liter to each plant in response to wilting.  The plants perked up the next day and resumed growing gangbusters.  The basil was the only plant I observed wilting due to lack of water, leading me to believe basil is particularly fond of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Basil is salt-sensitive.&lt;/strong&gt;  Too much KCl can wipe out a stand.  The big bags of 10-10-10 and 13-13-13 are not worth much as fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, there is not a night that passes without my basil being sopping wet... either from rain, dew, or me spraying with a water hose.  If basil doesn't like to be wet at night, its hard to tell from the overwhelming production of leaves occurring on Genovese, Sweet, and Large-Leaf basil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If basil doesn't like to grow indoors, its probably because of a small pot, lack of light, not enough water, and lack of humidity (central air and heat dries the air).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-28T12:42:54.260" LastActivityDate="2021-01-28T12:42:54.260" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="8100" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16355" CreationDate="2013-08-07T05:04:12.917" Score="6" ViewCount="620" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a fruit cocktail tree that I planted on 1 June 2013, around 9 to 10 weeks ago, and one of the 3 grafted branches appears to have died. The tree originated from Dave Wilson Nursery. Here is an image of what it looks like now:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wrJvh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see that the left branch that is sticking out has no leaves on it. This happened in the last 2 weeks. The tree is a cocktail of Apricot/Nectarine/Peach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has this branch died for good or is there a chance that it will recover? Will this branch dying have any impact on the other branches? What could have caused one of the branches to die (the other two branches have new growth).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-07T23:28:33.923" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T23:28:33.923" Title="Part of fruit cocktail tree has died" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;dead-branch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8101" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8100" CreationDate="2013-08-07T07:45:26.337" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I love to watch Tom Spellman with Dave Wilson Nursey on youtube.  He knows his stuff!  Therefore, I would contact him and ask these questions.  You may even get a new tree out of it.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.davewilson.com/retail-nurseries/contact-us&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.davewilson.com/retail-nurseries/contact-us&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a collection of his videos &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/user/DaveWilsonTrees/videos&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/user/DaveWilsonTrees/videos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's how they graft the trees &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTtXmBVsolY&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTtXmBVsolY&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's the follow up &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjb4N83YG5k&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjb4N83YG5k&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing something went wrong with the graft on that branch.  No one is going to know more about it than Tom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-07T07:45:26.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7148" CreationDate="2013-08-07T12:18:44.857" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As I had been researching my own system set up, after I’ve read this question I started to try to note any timer with the delay feature, and had found that it is indeed a feature that is often absent. However, I did find couple products that have it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Timers with delay feature&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.digcorp.com/homeowner-irrigation-products/9001ez-3-4-fht-hose-end-timer-with-two-dials&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dig 9001EZ 3/4&quot; FHT Hose End Timer&lt;/a&gt; (which seems to be provided by Galcon, and could be available under that marque worldwide). It has two simple dials and a start button, which simplifies its operation, but also limits it, as the run times are preset in 2, 5, 10, 15, 30 or 45 minutes to 1, 3, 5 or 9 hours (so no 2.5 hours etc.). It runs off of 9V battery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iTnaL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dig 9001EZ&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may not be ideal, as it is limited to 5 U.S. gallons per minute (19 L/min) flow (which would be enough for drip irrigation or a single or couple manual sprinklers), there are limited run time options, and without using it I am not sure that re-programming the timer is easy, judging by the manual.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here’s the example of using the delay feature as quoted from the manual:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;For example: a 3 Hr irrigation, once every 3 days program, programmed to start 6 Hr later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ol&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Set the irrigation time selector to 3 Hr.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Set the irrigation cycle time selector to “Delay”.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Press and hold the “START” switch until you hear 6 clicks, including the first click. (The number of clicks corresponds to the number of delay hours before the controller opens the faucet/tap for the first time.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Set the irrigation cycle time selector to “3 Days”.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;When you set an odd number of delay hours you will hear an additional click a few seconds after releasing the switch. This click keeps the faucet/tap closed until its first opening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;To change the opening hour, remove the batteries for 3 minutes. Program the controller from the start after replacing the batteries.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last part baffles me, because I do not see why cannot I just reset the program by setting new one, as you described in your question, every time. Maybe one can, but it is not clear from the manual. I would call the manufacturer, or at least try the timer and return it to the retailer if it didn’t work as needed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardena.com/int/water-management/water-controls/t-1030-plus/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gardena Water Timer T 1030 plus&lt;/a&gt; (Art. 1860). This one is on the pricey side, and only limited at two hours duration, but it has easy reset setting, and a separate “+1 hour” delay button (older models do not have that, specific newer article is 01860-29) that lets you to delay set time in one-hour increments. German quality is a plus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For your application you would need to set some arbitrary frequency (say, seven days), then press “+1 hour” button so many times, then set the required duration, and program is started. To reset the program, set the duration knob to “Reset” position, wait two seconds, and the program start time would reset itself to the current time when the new duration is selected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L7HxA.png&quot; alt=&quot;Water Timer T 1030 plus&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also runs off 9V battery, and has low battery indicator. Has Gardena rain or moisture sensor connection. Also options include adapter for their older sensors, and a metal bracket that allows chaining the timer to prevent theft.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Alternatives&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While the above timer may alleviate some of your problems, I would seriously consider automation. First of all, with nine hose bibs you’d run the bill up to $300 on timers alone. Not to say that automated system of this size would come cheap, but it would introduce tremendous labour savings, and much greater water efficiency, and unless you are getting paid by the hour running around with hoses and sprinklers, I would invest into some combination of drip and above-ground (if digging is out of the question) sprinkler irrigation. I’ve even seen several timers that can use hose-end electric valves so you could make do with, say, two timers and four valves for each timer, given that your water supply is not spread over the wide area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I would not shy away from advanced controllers and solenoid-operated valves, because many of those, even running off of AC electricity, are still using transformers, and there is a wide variety of components that run off 9, 18 or 24 VDC, so one could even set up simple solar system to supply power without inverter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I doubt your climate situation is so unique, that it cannot be tackled with available sensing technologies. There are simple devices available, such as rain (and corresponding rain delay feature of the controller) and moisture sensors that would shut off the water delivery once the proper level of moisture is achieved. There are also more advanced weather sensors for advanced controllers that take into account wind, temperature, and amount of unobstructed sunlight received (full sun and wind, obviously, increase evaporation rates), and help adjust watering durations and intervals accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The more advanced the solution the more expensive it gets, but even the simplest of suggested would increase quality of life, if anything, by saving ample amount of time, and water savings can pay off as well. And even if you do not pay your water utility by the amount used, features such as sensors or drip irrigation may reduce or eliminate the drought restrictions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1948" LastEditorUserId="1948" LastEditDate="2013-08-16T15:36:36.947" LastActivityDate="2013-08-16T15:36:36.947" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8103" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-07T17:12:49.263" Score="8" ViewCount="5211" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few plants that have cobwebs on them. Should I clear these cobwebs and discourage the spiders that live there, as they may cause damage to the plants, or should I leave them, as they might take care of a few airborne pests?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This answer could depend on the type of plant the cobwebs are on, so as an example, I find them on my lavender plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2013-08-07T23:25:59.237" LastActivityDate="2013-08-12T01:39:39.953" Title="Should I clear my plants of cobwebs?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7934" CreationDate="2013-08-07T17:36:12.353" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant it during the coolest time of the year. That will let the roots get a good start before the warmer temps put stress on the plant. Grape vines - like my muscadine vines - like plenty of water. Also fertilize throughout the year. For a more in depth read, go to www.isons.com and look at their guides for grapes and muscadines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2596" LastActivityDate="2013-08-07T17:36:12.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7572" CreationDate="2013-08-07T18:00:33.837" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had exactly the same problem several years ago with neglected grape and muscadine vines. I used a pruning saw and loppers on mine. The first year I cut them back by about 30-40%. The next year, about 30-40% of what was left. The third year they were easily trained to a trellis and produced really great fruit. Best time to prune is when they are dormant in late winter or early spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2596" LastActivityDate="2013-08-07T18:00:33.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8106" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8093" CreationDate="2013-08-07T18:20:11.340" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had written a lengthy article on &lt;a href=&quot;http://diyorganiclawncare.blogspot.com/2009/06/1-of-water-per-week-and-other-watering.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;how to water your lawn&lt;/a&gt; on my blog a few years ago that you might find useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The short version is it will depend on your soils percolation rate and composition of your soil, the type of grass you have, your local climate, the precipitation rate of your sprinklers and other factors such as how much/frequently you fertilize. Even how sharp your mower blade can make a difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every 3-4 days with enough volume to compensate for the loss through evapotranspiration should be sufficient. There are irrigation controllers that receive evapotranspiration data through local weather stations and adjust accordingly for you or you can monitor the data yourself. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check out the &lt;a href=&quot;http://wwwcimis.water.ca.gov/cimis/welcome.jsp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;California Irrigation Management Information System website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-08-07T18:20:11.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2536" CreationDate="2013-08-07T18:43:59.880" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've used different software in the past. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.punchsoftware.com/c-14-landscape-design.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Punch Landscape Architect&lt;/a&gt; which was pretty decent. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3D Home Design Deluxe which has a great plant encyclopedia that gives you a lot of information regarding the plants including how to care for them. The plant encyclopedia I believe is a third party tool that may be available from other software as well. You can even see how your garden will look at different times of the year and plant growth over time. With the plant encylcopedia you can filter based on your USDA hardiness zone, soil type, sunlight, watering and other criteria to help select the best plants. (Edit: looks like punch and 3d home architect are now owned by same company and merged?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was looking for something that could make those cool looking landscape plans that you have in your question and came across Realtime Landscape architect which I reviewed on my blog at &lt;a href=&quot;http://diyorganiclawncare.blogspot.com/2009/05/realtime-landscape-architect.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://diyorganiclawncare.blogspot.com/2009/05/realtime-landscape-architect.html&lt;/a&gt; where I have more details including some screenshots and walkthrough videos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trial version I used didn't have an extensive library of plants, materials or plan design styles so I couldn't get the look I wanted but according to other pictures I've seen it's possible. I think it has the nicest looking plan views from all the software I've run across so far. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of them had ways to render photorealistic scenes, create walkthrough movies but Realtime Landscape architect was the fastest rendering. You could actually walk through a rendered scene in realtime, hence the name. It's not photo realistic but it beats waiting all day for a rendered movie to generate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something with a large plant database and good plant encyclopedia would be my first choice though. It makes garden planning faster. All of the dedicated landscape design software will be better than using Sketchup, which I use extensively for other projects and have tried for landscape planning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-08-10T18:18:58.100" LastActivityDate="2013-08-10T18:18:58.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8108" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="167" CreationDate="2013-08-08T01:14:26.893" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always wash my vegetables before I prepare them.  However, many years ago a neighbor gave me tomates watered with washing machine water.  I washed it and ate it and got sick as a dog!&#xA;Seriously, just thinking about it makes me gag still after many years.  My very good neighbors just gave me beautiful yellow onions..but they have been watered with grey water.&#xA;I don't even know if I made onion soup that would help me.  Intellectually I know they would me fine, but the old memory is still there.   Just be very careful! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2598" LastActivityDate="2013-08-08T01:14:26.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8109" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8068" CreationDate="2013-08-08T01:41:23.943" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bordeaux, France is surprisingly rainy but produces excellent wines. Though, their 'better' year's are often in times of lower than average rainfall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grapes do not require much in the way of mineral nutrition, with the exception of some initial nitrogen amendments, but this really is dependent upon your soil type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2599" LastActivityDate="2013-08-08T01:41:23.943" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7935" CreationDate="2013-08-08T01:51:09.597" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do not give your grapes gallons of water. Think of them like weeds because they're really resilient. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without specialized equipment for measuring the water content (water potentials), you won't know exactly how stressed your vines are. But, you can gauge how vigorously they are growing by looking at the canopy and specifically the the growing ends of the tendrils. Have they shriveled up and turned black? If so, you should put on some water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The vines in my vineyard generally receive 2-4 hours of water a week, from 1gph drip embitters. They are watered throughout the growing season. Generally, I water them heavily one last time following harvest or preceding a frost. You really don't want them investing too much energy into growing a larger canopy at that point, and want to force the vines to invest in root formation. Though, this may not be much of an issue for you being in Southern Cali. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2599" LastActivityDate="2013-08-08T01:51:09.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7934" CreationDate="2013-08-08T02:01:55.477" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did an experiment last season where I was replacing vines in part of my vineyard, over the course of the growing season (summer). These were vines in pots that had been propagated in my greenhouse, so I did not want to plant them too early in the season out of fear of any late frosts (these were growing vines and not dormant hard-cuttings). Regardless of when the vines were planted, I ensured each plant had been properly acclimated to the outside light levels. In this case, we're worried about too much UV exposure, as these vines have not produced the necessary 'sunscreen' components (e.g. carotenoids) within their leaves that aid in survival. Ever try bringing a houseplant outside for too long in the dead of summer? Not a good idea if you do not want burning to occur on your leaves. I usually took about a week to acclimate plants by bringing them outside for an hour or so the first day and then building upon that over the remaining days of the week. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would caution against fertilizing too much beyond initial soil amendments, but that really all depends on the quality of your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2599" LastActivityDate="2013-08-08T02:01:55.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8112" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8116" CreationDate="2013-08-08T02:36:24.463" Score="2" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some basil plants and a tomato plant (which is hanging upside down and growing well) however their leaves seem to be burned. I live in Florida and they are out on my balcony but I'm not too sure what to do for them is that ends up being the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2600" LastActivityDate="2013-08-08T12:28:28.300" Title="Leaves seem burnt" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8103" CreationDate="2013-08-08T03:13:03.567" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spiders eat meat (bugs), hence the web to trap them, and have no interest in eating plants.  If you're seeing spiders, you probably have bugs that they're eating.  If you remove the spiders, the bugs are free to eat the plants unencumbered.  I would leave them.  The caveat to this would be if the spider is a black widow, though its hard to imagine a black widow on a plant since they tend to like dark places (cellars, basements, sheds, behind things, etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore, I would leave the spiders alone unless the webs were a visual nuisance or were on leaves I intended to harvest, such as basil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-08T03:13:03.567" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8115" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8122" CreationDate="2013-08-08T11:19:10.157" Score="4" ViewCount="1742" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am from India.    I  have few tomato trees &lt;code&gt;since two years&lt;/code&gt;. but I didn't get more tomatoes in that tree. actually I am getting maximum &lt;code&gt;8-10 tomatoes.&lt;/code&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found some &lt;code&gt;best tomato tree&lt;/code&gt; in website. it may give more than &lt;code&gt;40-60 tomatoes&lt;/code&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Here is a image of that tree.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0cWMv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Here is another one:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ILobj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;my question is, how to &lt;strong&gt;get more tomatoes from single tree&lt;/strong&gt; like above image.?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2584" LastEditorUserId="2584" LastEditDate="2013-08-08T11:57:05.420" LastActivityDate="2013-08-08T19:11:13.067" Title="How to get more tomatoes in single tree?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8116" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8112" CreationDate="2013-08-08T12:28:28.300" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the most likely cause is that they are not getting enough water. You should be watering your plants every day, especially if they are getting a lot of sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moreover, depending on the size of your container, the sun can really heat up smaller containers and create an oven-like effect on your plants, causing extreme heat and rapid evaporation that damages/dries up the roots. You may consider a bigger container in the future. I'm not sure it would be wise to transplant them at this point, but I'm betting your soil is getting really hot. You may consider watering in the heat of the day to cool the soil so as to give the roots a break.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, although less likely, you may have over-fertilized your plants. I don't think this is the case since you did not mention fertilizing them recently, but I am throwing that out there since burnt leaves can be a result of over-fertilization.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1647" LastActivityDate="2013-08-08T12:28:28.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8117" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8103" CreationDate="2013-08-08T12:53:44.343" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spider mites make a webbing on indoor plants that are heavily infested.  These kind of webs should be treated with soap and water repeated at five to six day intervals for at least three repetitions. They look like this (Thanks for the link Randy!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pWnbn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Spider mites&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plants are outside and the webs are from spiders I don't see a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-08-12T01:39:39.953" LastActivityDate="2013-08-12T01:39:39.953" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8118" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-08T16:42:39.817" Score="5" ViewCount="4042" Body="&lt;p&gt;While trying to solve the same problem I’ve inquired before — using &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/8070/1948&quot;&gt;shrub sprinkler heads in drip-irrigation system&lt;/a&gt; to water narrow side lawn — I am coming to realisation that even if pressure is enough to use them, 13 mm mainline drip tubing could simply not be able to provide enough flow to supply three or four of those at once. So I am looking at alternatives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One such alternative I am considering is to use drip-system micro-sprinkler heads. They seem to be able to provide enough coverage (some of them can do up to 6 m (20 ft) radius), and with flow rates of 50 to a 120 litres per hour (14‒32 U.S. gph) should be able to deliver water at a rate of quarter to a half that of a shrub sprayer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In theory it seems like a viable solution, if I simply set them to run, say, three-four times longer than conventional sprinklers to provide enough water. But I had been reading books, brochures and articles on micro-irrigation for a few days now, and hadn’t seen any specific recommendations for that application. I’ve seen some questions like that been asked on gardening forums, but either links were broken, or no useful information were present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, is it possible to use above-ground micro-sprinklers to irrigate small sections of turf lawn? Is there limitations on soil penetration by this method of water delivery? Are those sprinklers sturdy enough to withstand relatively heavy use over at least few seasons? Would more drought/resistant grass species be required? How does grass hight affect this type of irrigation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1948" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2013-09-13T10:38:10.590" Title="Is it possible to use micro-sprinklers to irrigate the lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7445" CreationDate="2013-08-08T17:29:15.827" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another important step in succulent cultivation is to top dress the soil with a good layer of sharp fine gravel ( I use fish store river gravel).  This makes it harder for some pests to lay their eggs in the soil as well as keeping the leaves of the plant away from the post-watering wet soil thus reducing the risk of leaf rot or mold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also keep sundews near my succulents - while they don't 'eat' the smaller flying pests as they are too small to trigger the leaf curling (which requires that they stimulate multiple hairs) they do still get stuck to the individual hairs of the sundews and die.  However, it is important to keep in mind that sundews can attract pests as well - I use them in a controlled environment where the pests are only ones that I've probably inadvertently introduced through the introduction of infested plants.  In an less controlled environment like an open-door greenhouse or a home with unscreened windows you may end up recruiting more pests than you catch with carnivorous plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="618" LastActivityDate="2013-08-08T17:29:15.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8120" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7025" CreationDate="2013-08-08T17:41:13.770" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You really want to match the potting mix to the natural habitat of the plant you are growing and to your watering habits.  Some growers go with completely inorganic pumice or fired clay mixes for things like haworthia and gasterias and water more frequently and with special fertilizers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you use sand make sure it is not Builder's sand which is a type of sand that is supposed to compact down.  You need sharp sand.  These are two different things.  Builder's sand will pack hard and eventually result in root death because roots need oxygen and the sand density will suffocate them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An excellent and cheap additive for succulent potting mixes is Napa Auto Parts Oil Dry #8822.  This is a porous fired clay that doesn't break down or clump.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="618" LastActivityDate="2013-08-08T17:41:13.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8115" CreationDate="2013-08-08T19:11:13.067" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are some fantastic images!  Proof that growing tomatoes can be an art in more ways than one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some tomatoes are hybrids.  Hybrids take the fruit characteristics of one plant and combine it with the high-yield characteristics of another.  Then when grown in a greenhouse where conditions are absolutely controlled, images like those can be presented.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This man, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/user/mhpgardener/videos&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/user/mhpgardener/videos&lt;/a&gt; has produced some impressive videos of tomatoes and seems to enjoy showing everyone how to do it.  Scrolling through his list of videos will show tomatoes almost as nice as the ones you posted.  He also responds to all comments to his videos, should you have a question for him.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to get MORE tomatoes (not bigger tomatoes) from a single tree:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cultivar Selection&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cultivar selection will affect the number of tomatoes more than anything.  Some varieties yield many fruits (the cherry tomatoes can produce 100s per plant per season, but the fruit are small) and other varieties produce large fruit, but few of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tomato Cultivar Trial and Pruning Observation&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will get more yield (total season fruit weight) if you don't prune.  You might get bigger fruit (but less of them) if you do prune.  By pruning, you're effectively thinning the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The most striking difference at harvest was larger&#xA;  fruit size (.69 lb vs. .55 lb) from pruned plots. However, pruning also reduced the number of fruit harvested&#xA;  by 32% and total marketable weight by 15%.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.public.iastate.edu/~taber/Extension/Progress%20Rpt%2000/tomato.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.public.iastate.edu/~taber/Extension/Progress%20Rpt%2000/tomato.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its possible to get bigger fruit by pruning, but its not guaranteed.  I've read studies saying there was no significant difference between fruit size of pruned and unpruned plants.  Though there is always a significant difference in total yield.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Removing side shoots may reduce overall tomato harvest. In fact, in a study by Purdue University, and published in Organic Gardening Magazine, scientists found that removing side shoots was shown to increase the average fruit weight some of the time but did not increase the total harvest for each individual plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.grow-tomato-sauce.com/pruning.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.grow-tomato-sauce.com/pruning.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So with selection of the proper variety, having good conditions for growth of tomatoes, and not pruning too much, you can have large yields from a single tomato tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-08T19:11:13.067" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8123" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-09T00:14:52.207" Score="7" ViewCount="2154" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have heard this mentioned many times that at the base of a tree or plant you need to leave the surface uncovered so that air can get into the soil. How true is this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The idea is that if you are laying down decorative pebbles or a thick ground cover you need to leave a reasonable space around the base of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was looking at the picture below &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8100/part-of-fruit-cocktail-tree-has-died&quot;&gt;in this question&lt;/a&gt; and thought about telling the person, but I'm not sure that what I understand is fact or just something many people assume is true.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wrJvh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2013-08-12T12:17:07.947" Title="Do I need to leave space at the base of a plant so that air can get into the soil?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8124" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8123" CreationDate="2013-08-09T00:44:57.617" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this is more true with trees.  The idea is you do not want mulch piled up against the trunk of the tree.  If mulch is covering tree bark, the bark will stay moist and provide good conditions for fungi and bacteria which could cause disease in the tree.  Also, the nitrogen in the rain that is responsible for &quot;composting&quot; the mulch, could also compost the tree bark as if it were mulch.  You could actually compost an entire, small live tree if you pile enough compostable material on top of it and add nitrogen.  All that is necessary is the right conditions of moisture, fuel (carbon), and nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to prevent things like this from happening, its standard practice to rake-back the mulch a number of inches from the trunks of trees.  With pebbles, plastic, or rubber mulches, composting may not be an issue, but moisure and fungal growth would be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plants, like tomatoes, you can pile dirt around the stems to initiate new roots to grow from the stems.  Most trees won't behave this way and what you'd actually accomplish is to bury to roots under more soil and could harm the tree.  But even with tomatoes, if you pile mulch too thickly around the stems, you still may compost (maybe digest is a better word... or rot) the stem.  The green tomato stem is a good source of nitrogen.  Lay a pile of wet dead leaves against it and there is a possibility of composting.  So, its particularly important to keep dead, carbon material away from the living parts of plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-09T00:44:57.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8127" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-09T15:14:12.357" Score="2" ViewCount="235" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read about the &quot;Yellow shoulder disorder&quot; in tomatoes, and I was wondering if I have something similar going on with my cherry tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of them do indeed seem a little less colourful on top,&#xA;but the most annoying part is this bit of green in the middle:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sVk1j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cherry tomatoe with green in center&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it because of this disorder?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2064" LastEditorUserId="2512" LastEditDate="2013-08-09T22:56:51.987" LastActivityDate="2013-08-12T12:13:03.273" Title="Is green tissue in the center of cherry tomatoes related to 'Yellow Shoulder Disorder'?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8128" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-11T03:00:00.173" Score="5" ViewCount="427" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our new house has 2 apple trees that have obviously seen better days. They appear to never have been properly pruned and are now scraggly and about 30' tall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, one of the two trees didn't produce apples this year. Is there a reason an tree would skip a season of making apples? Diseased? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm debating if it's worth saving these two trees at all. I doubt I can prune back into any salvageable form but am willing to try. But if the tree isn't producing apples anyways, I'm thinking it might be better off as firewood and we start over with a new tree (and properly take care of it). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastActivityDate="2013-08-11T22:06:12.807" Title="What are some reasons that our apple tree has no apples?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8129" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-11T04:26:59.163" Score="2" ViewCount="1536" Body="&lt;p&gt;So lawnmowers &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2967/does-using-a-gasoline-powered-lawn-mower-produce-as-much-pollution-as-driving-an-suv-300-miles&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pollute significantly more than cars&lt;/a&gt;. Thus, using a lawnmower is basically the equivalent of breathing in auto exhaust (if not worse).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I'm wondering - is there a way to minimize the negative health effects from using a lawnmower? Are there certain types of lawnmower gasoline that are cleaner than other types? What about high-octane gasoline?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, what about protecting oneself from all the particulate matter in the gasoline? And what about some of the emissions from the lawnmower like VOCs, nitrogen dioxide, and benzene? I'm not too concerned about carbon monoxide as it doesn't really have chronic health effects. The others do, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I live under parents, so many of the options don't really exist&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="684" LastEditorUserId="684" LastEditDate="2013-08-11T06:28:15.920" LastActivityDate="2018-10-28T11:36:51.060" Title="How can someone minimize negative health effects from using a lawnmower?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8130" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3492" CreationDate="2013-08-11T06:12:40.487" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say, if it was a cold time like winter, cutting the plant back so only a few nodes are above soil, and topdressing with some mulch could help same as winwaed suggested, as it gets colder and nutrition levels fall, some chili plants will purge their leaves and fruits. Another thing, if you left the fruit on the chili for a long time and it started to look like that, what we call &quot;parent plant&quot; is building up to die as it has fruited and viable seed created (healthy large pods), that would make its life cycle complete. After cutting back your plant, take some scissors or secateurs and lightly scrape back the bark on the lower area of the stem to look for any green or moist growth which would indicate your plant has instead become dormant. If dormant, keep an eye on it, water it every other week and it should spring back during fruiting season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2605" LastActivityDate="2013-08-11T06:12:40.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8132" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8128" CreationDate="2013-08-11T13:42:19.490" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apples will produce much less fruit when:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they are not pruned so the branches shade each other&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a late spring frost when the tree is in bloom can &lt;a href=&quot;http://saratogian.com/articles/2013/08/10/news/doc5206d3048b377979159565.txt&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;reduce yields by 80 to 90 percent&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some trees &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=10049&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;produce more fruit in one year&lt;/a&gt; and much less in the following year.  On that forum page, user &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showpost.php?p=26849&amp;amp;postcount=3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mr.shep lists some other reasons for a tree not to produce fruit&lt;/a&gt; (list formatting and grammar/spelling edits mine):&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;rainfall when the tree was in bloom to prevent bee pollination,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;no Apple tree nearby to aid in pollination&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;a severe pruning to force out too much new growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;for spur type Apples the cutting off of the spurs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;too much Nitrogen which can cause too much vegetative growth at the expense of flower production&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;a growth regulator applied when the trees were in bloom,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;an herbicide applied to the ground when the tree was about to bloom which can make the&#xA;  flowers fall off the tree.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other aspects to your choice of rejuvenate the existing trees or plant new.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;newer varieties might have resistance to pests and diseases that older ones do not&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you can prune a 30' tall tree down to 15 or 20' feet.  You still need a ladder to harvest. Or you can plant a fully dwarf tree which will grow 6 to 10' tall.  Less ladder work, easier to net and prevent bird damage, easier to apply control measures.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the existing location might not be optimal anymore if other plants have grown up that will shade it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-11T22:06:12.807" LastActivityDate="2013-08-11T22:06:12.807" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8123" CreationDate="2013-08-12T11:50:31.643" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hmm, well I've never heard that one before, keeping the ground clear so air can get into it. That is not the reason clear space should be left round some plants. There is a reason you keep clear space, particularly around some trees when they are first planted, which is to reduce competition for water and nutrients in the immediate area, until the tree has settled in and put out larger roots and is therefore capable of finding its own sources of both. This is not really an issue with smaller plants, such as new shrubs or perennials, though, but primarily with trees. Some trees (such as dwarf or small fruit trees) are grafted onto a dwarfing rootstock - this means the roots will never get huge, so keeping a space of about 3 feet clear all round the trunk is a good idea. That, though, does not mean you cannot put a mulch in that spot, in fact, if the ground is already damp, adding mulch to the top helps to retain moisture, and if the mulch is organic, will break down gradually over time and add humus to the soil above the roots, which is also a good thing. The important thing with mulch is that it should not be sitting against the main stem or trunk of a plant, so reducing the layer at that central point is important, or leaving an inch or three clear of mulch all round so that the level is not higher around the base of the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-08-12T12:17:07.947" LastActivityDate="2013-08-12T12:17:07.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8134" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-12T12:03:39.160" Score="5" ViewCount="1948" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just as an example, Stihl FS130 grass trimmer can be equipped with Autocut 25-2 cutting head that can hold either 2.4 mm or 2.7 mm cutting line - so within the same trimmer and the same head I can choose which line to use. It looks like the thicker line is stronger so won't wear out that fast and so I should prefer thicker line whenever possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why would I not use the thickest cutting line possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastActivityDate="2013-08-12T23:16:03.523" Title="Do I always use the thickest possible line in grass trimmer?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8135" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-12T12:06:21.513" Score="4" ViewCount="3248" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grass trimmer cutting line looks pretty much like very thick fishing line. So it looks like if I find fishing line of exactly the same diameter that is accepted by my grass trimmer head it should be okay. Meanwhile the grass trimmer manufacturers only recommend specially crafted cutting line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any difference? What happens if I use fishing line in a grass trimmer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-21T17:16:32.513" LastActivityDate="2018-05-31T08:36:37.513" Title="What happens if I use fishing line in a grass trimmer?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;string-trimmer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8136" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8127" CreationDate="2013-08-12T12:13:03.273" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only thing I can think of that might cause this is something called (believe it or not) Tomato Blotchy Ripening. Patches of harder, green bits occur almost anywhere in the fruit, often visible on the outside, sometimes restricted to the inside, as with yours. The cause of this isn't fully known, but it is believed to be a disorder caused by malnutrition, possibly of potassium, or a poor root system, or excessive heat in a greenhouse. Usually, the worst affected fruits are towards the bottom of the plant, but not always. I don't know how you've grown your tomatoes (in pots, or the ground, or greenhouse) nor how you have fed/watered them, so can't comment further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-08-12T12:13:03.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8137" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8157" CreationDate="2013-08-12T17:15:22.740" Score="5" ViewCount="461" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been trying to take over a completely overgrown lawn at a house I purchased since the beginning of April. We removed several trees, bushes and shrubs to the best of our ability and sodded the entire yard with St. Augustine grass. For the most part, the St. Augustine has been thick enough to choke out the other plants from coming back. It's also worth mentioning, that any of the overgrowth that had a root or stump larger than about 1/2&quot; I drilled and poured RoundUp into the hole to hopefully kill off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the plant picture below is popping up in the most random places in my yard. I don't actually remember removing anything that looked like this, so I'm guessing it was dormant back in April. I live in the Dallas, TX area so it's a hot, dry climate right now. These plants have started coming up in the cracks in my concrete, around my pool equipment and along my deck drains. They grow at insanely fast rates, the one pictured was cut down last time I mowed which was less than 2 weeks back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ones along my deck drain get just as big and ugly, I even removed my deck drains about a week and half ago and dug out as much dirt and roots as I could in an attempt to kill them and they're already back. Roundup knocks them out for a few days, but they always come right back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this plant and help come up with a plan to kill them off for good?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w8eqz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Rogue Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2150" LastActivityDate="2016-03-05T17:23:59.330" Title="Identification and Removal of Rogue Plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8138" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-12T18:50:47.023" Score="6" ViewCount="1218" Body="&lt;p&gt;If grass grows near a black walnut tree, will they absorb the infamous &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglone&quot;&gt;juglone&lt;/a&gt;? If so, would it it be a lot or would plants near them be okay to eat/feed still?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1105" LastActivityDate="2013-08-13T01:33:00.723" Title="Does grass absorb juglone from black walnut trees?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;walnut&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8134" CreationDate="2013-08-12T23:16:03.523" Score="2" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Why would I not use the thickest cutting line possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because thinner line cuts thinner things like grass better.  I am toying with the idea of buying a 2nd trimmer or 2nd trimmer head for the thinner line so I don't have to switch between thick and thin line on the same spool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The thick line is suitable for thick vegetation, but the thick line doesn't cut grass very well... it just blows it down against the ground.  The thin line cuts grass, but isn't thick enough to handle the stalky vegetation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-12T23:16:03.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8140" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8135" CreationDate="2013-08-12T23:21:16.937" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know what happens, but it sounds like an idea I might try.  The only issue I can think is the line may not have enough mass or stiffness to fly-out against the air and have enough mass to slice the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The difference in fishing line and trimmer line is the fishing line is designed to be reeled up on a reel and to be cast off the reel and not remain in coils.  So the fishing line is pliable.  The trimmer line is stiff and doesn't like to be coiled up as much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-12T23:21:16.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8142" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-13T01:23:57.273" Score="9" ViewCount="5248" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a mulberry tree which has been in my garden for 4 years. I bought it at a market and I think it was a seedling. It has grown to a height of 4 metres and is thriving. Each year it has flowered and the bees are in abundance. After it has flowered the flower part shrivels, goes brown and drops off. I have not had one single mulberry from it. It has been fertilized with organic fertilizer and is always watered. Our climate is ideal for mulberries. Our neighbour's tree produces heaps of fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2610" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-11T01:49:00.680" LastActivityDate="2020-09-15T03:19:54.380" Title="Why won't my mulberry tree set fruit?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8143" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8138" CreationDate="2013-08-13T01:33:00.723" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't know why I'm being told my answer was deleted, but I'll try adding another one since I was in the process of editing it when it was deleted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut my neighbor's grass and its a pain to ride the mower under the low-hanging limbs of the black walnut trees to cut the &lt;strong&gt;thick, tall&lt;/strong&gt; grass which grows robustly under them.  If juglone has any negative effects on grass, I am not witness to them.  The pines and oaks (to lesser extent) are a different story.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the comment:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I'm asking if plants absorb and retain the juglone. Basically, does it poison stuff that does grow in it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1148.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Many trees, vines, shrubs, groundcovers, annuals and perennials will grow in close proximity to a walnut tree. Certain cultivars of &quot;resistant&quot; species are reported to do poorly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This seems to indicate that even if a plant is resistant, its still affected and must be taking it up to some degree. Although I have a fair understanding how plants exchange H+ ions for other cations in the soil solution, I don't have an understanding how plants take up complex compounds.... but I know they do.  The articles I have read on the matter, mostly repeat what I just said... they don't know either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Interestingly enough, kentucky bluegrass appears to grow better under black walnut trees:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The beneficial effect of black walnut on pastures in encouraging the growth of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) and other grasses appears to be valid as long as there is sufficient sunlight and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, it seems likely that plants readily absorb juglone.. whether its toxic to them or beneficical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other quotes of interest may include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Juglone is poorly soluble in water and does not move very far in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Walnut leaves can be composted because the toxin breaks down when exposed to air, water and bacteria. The toxic effect can be degraded in two to four weeks. In soil, breakdown may take up to two months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Black walnut leaves may be composted separately, and the finished compost tested for toxicity by planting tomato seedlings in it. Sawdust mulch, fresh sawdust or chips from street tree prunings from black walnut are not suggested for plants sensitive to juglone, such as blueberry or other plants that are sensitive to juglone. However, composting of bark for a minimum of six months provides a safe mulch even for plants sensitive to juglone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be interesting to see a study where bluegrass grown under walnut trees and then used as mulch for tomato plants would inhibit the growth of the tomato plants. Unfortunately, I can find no such study.  My guess is yes, there would be some effects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In light of this, I'm going to save the grass I cut from under my neighbor's trees and use it to fertilize my bluegrass lawn.  Hopefully the juglone in the grass will help my grass grow and hinder the growth of the weeds.  Perfect! :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-13T01:33:00.723" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8142" CreationDate="2013-08-13T02:12:10.930" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;One possibility is that you have been sold a male tree which also flowers but doesn't bear fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Commercial varieties sold from nurseries are typically self pollinating so you only need a single tree (although you should check the label). However, in the wild you will see male and female trees and only the female bearing fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I just thought, one option you could consider is grafting a branch or two from your neighbours tree onto your tree and you should be right to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I won't go into details on how to do this as there are thousands of articles online that describe how to do this. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My suggestion is to maintain one or two strong branches from your existing tree and then graft on a couple from the fruiting tree at a stable position.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="160" LastEditDate="2013-08-14T23:30:22.237" LastActivityDate="2013-08-14T23:30:22.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8145" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8146" CreationDate="2013-08-13T09:37:52.090" Score="5" ViewCount="2147" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just moved to a new house. The which previous owner used to take good care of his garden. A few days ago I was pruning the hedge and which I believe is a Leyland Cypress. I found some brown patches and now I am worried. ( will take some pix later and update this post).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A fire destroyed a good portion of it, and regarding this I have 2 questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I cut off the burnt branches to help regrowth or can I leave it as it is?&#xA;How long will it take to grow again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks very much in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Burnt area&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DIlTZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;burnt hedge&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2611" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2013-08-13T13:19:54.497" LastActivityDate="2017-11-03T17:18:09.077" Title="A fire burnt my Leylandii hedge, what should I do?" Tags="&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;leylandii&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8146" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8145" CreationDate="2013-08-13T19:10:42.863" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As @winwaed has pointed out the Leyland cypress grows fast. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyland_Cypress&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; describes it as&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The plant's rapid growth (up to a metre per year) and great potential&#xA;  height (often over 20 metres (66 ft) tall, sometimes as high as 35&#xA;  metres (115 ft)) can become a serious problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wait it should regrow but might be a little distorted as the main stems have been damaged. For this approach cut back the growth until you get to live tissue. If you replant you will end with a more uniform appearance but you have to wait for it to get to a height that gives privacy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this were my choice I would build a fence.  Instant privacy with less maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-08-13T19:10:42.863" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8147" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8057" CreationDate="2013-08-13T21:03:38.107" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Support is good for eggplants as the fruit may become heavy and can even break the branches.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have used tomato cages successfully, making sure the fruit are not trapped &quot;inside&quot; the cage, and ensuring there is good airflow through the plant.  This is for pest control access, and so the plant does not rot, especially in hot, humid and/or rainy weather. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also just use a stake and tie the plant loosely to the stake to support the branches with the flowers (that will become the fruit)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use tomato cages on my pepper plants as well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2615" LastActivityDate="2013-08-13T21:03:38.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8148" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1184" CreationDate="2013-08-13T22:01:42.610" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a master gardener, so let me just say for the future (or if you're comfortable transplanting your Lilac) always, always use a clay pot with drainage. If you aren't comfortable trying to transplant your Lilac you need to put in some drainage holes. The plant will not survive without them. Good luck, happy gardening:)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2616" LastActivityDate="2013-08-13T22:01:42.610" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8149" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11004" CreationDate="2013-08-14T07:01:51.297" Score="4" ViewCount="912" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the first week of August (2013) I started my first attempt at growing potatoes, in grow bags. Actually got the miracle-gro root vegetable bags from garden centre and seed potatoes, so the mix should be ideal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seed potatoes are Maris Peers in one and Charlotte's in the other. For Christmas cropping it is advised that you protect against frost, I was wondering if placing the grow bags in something like the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.co.uk/GARDMAN-TOMATO-GROWBAG-GROWHOUSE-GREENHOUSE/dp/B00562GRO0/ref=pd_sxp_f_pt&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardman tomato growhouses&lt;/a&gt; would be a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would the extra warmth throughout the end of the summer be OK? is this likely to offer enough warmth in winter? It should get around 4 hours of sun in mid winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location is East Lothian, Scotland. Just north of the border on the east coast. I believe on the US hardiness scale it is &lt;strong&gt;8b&lt;/strong&gt; according to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.trebrown.com/hrdzone.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;trebrown&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2381" LastEditorUserId="2381" LastEditDate="2014-06-12T09:51:09.963" LastActivityDate="2014-06-12T09:51:09.963" Title="Protecting winter potatoes from frost with a growhouse" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8151" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8135" CreationDate="2013-08-14T13:25:07.677" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The manual that came with my string trimmer recommended a specific thickness of line.  Then it said if thine was line too thin will have lower aerodynamic drag allowing the motor to spin to fast and overheat the motor.  If the line was to thick the motor would not be able to spin it fast enough to cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="193" LastActivityDate="2013-08-14T13:25:07.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2908" CreationDate="2013-08-14T16:17:30.527" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lay a circle of artificial lawn in its place, then put the pool on top of that next summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2621" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-14T17:33:55.960" LastActivityDate="2013-08-14T17:33:55.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8153" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8183" CreationDate="2013-08-14T20:25:11.753" Score="2" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;Normally we plant tomatoes and cucumber in our greenhouse during the summer here in the UK. We didn't do so this year, but I was wondering what could be planted in a greenhouse, if there is anything, for the winter months? The greenhouse isn't heated, it's just a glass structure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2013-08-20T17:18:04.750" LastActivityDate="2013-08-20T18:06:52.543" Title="What can be planted at this time of year in a greenhouse (in the UK)?" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8154" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-15T16:31:00.067" Score="3" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some time in the next couple of years, I hope to buy some land, and settle down.  I have no physical ties to any particular place, except that I wish to stay within Central or North America.  Most likely, the U.S. or Mexico.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of my top goals in buying land will be growing as much of my own food as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With this goal in mind, how can I determine which region(s) offer a climate suitable to the most diverse variety of fruits, vegetables, and other edible plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="705" LastActivityDate="2013-08-16T03:34:51.347" Title="What Central or North American region is suitable to the most diverse variety of edible plants?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;climate&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5212" CreationDate="2013-08-15T23:54:08.133" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have heard that using dried molasses can feed the beneficial microbes and they, then consume the rhizomes. I imagine the treatment must be repeated over month or two until it's eradicated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2625" LastActivityDate="2013-08-15T23:54:08.133" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2908" CreationDate="2013-08-16T00:03:49.840" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might have some luck by building an elevated platform of a couple feet, but the net result is the same under the pool. Lack of sun stops the growth. Of course, you might need a safety net getting down since it'd be so high!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2625" LastActivityDate="2013-08-16T00:03:49.840" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8157" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8137" CreationDate="2013-08-16T00:08:52.200" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pre-emergents can help a lot in preventing them from showing up at all. Use it every 4 months. or at least before the rainy season a couple times a year. The seeds might be carried to your place by the birds and their droppings&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2625" LastActivityDate="2013-08-16T00:08:52.200" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8158" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-16T00:11:03.777" Score="8" ViewCount="7236" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small area of 15 feet by 10 feet and am thinking of doing three 3 foot by 8 foot beds with about 2 feet in between each.  But I could also do two large beds instead like two 5 foot by 8 foot beds.  Are there any advantages to either?  I just want to make sure that the space is usable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2626" LastActivityDate="2019-05-23T23:56:49.750" Title="Is a 3 foot wide raised bed versatile enough?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;planning&gt;&lt;layout-planning&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8129" CreationDate="2013-08-16T00:22:32.263" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get one of those spiral push manual mowers. Bonus - &#xA;Burn some calories instead of gas!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2625" LastEditorUserId="2625" LastEditDate="2013-08-16T13:17:43.703" LastActivityDate="2013-08-16T13:17:43.703" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8160" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8154" CreationDate="2013-08-16T03:34:51.347" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should select a climate with 20-30 inches of annual rainfall.  Less rain is not enough water for the plants and the soil is under-developed.  More rain leaches nutrients from the soil and leaves the soil in an acid, overly-developed condition. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010141.soil.fertility.animal.health/010146.albrecht.animal.health.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010141.soil.fertility.animal.health/010146.albrecht.animal.health.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dr. William Albrecht noticed that men enlisting in the military were rejected 30% if from the midwest while 70% if from the southeast.  Large herds of buffalo thrived off the protein rich grasses of the midwest (while small groups of small deer populated the east).  Higher protein content wheat can be grown in the midwest compared to the east.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilandhealth.org/copyform.asp?bookcode=010143price&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.soilandhealth.org/copyform.asp?bookcode=010143price&lt;/a&gt;  Its a free article, you just have to sign for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've found this document to be an excellent read, as well, for the general knowledge of soils &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Albrecht devoted his life to the study of health as related to the fertility of soils.  I would read anything by him if you're shopping for soil on which to live and be healthy.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Albrecht&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Albrecht&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may also be wise to select a climate which has a long growing season, but also has a winter.  Many fruit trees require a certain cold period.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilling_requirement&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilling_requirement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't consider fruit to be such a concentrated nutrient food &lt;a href=&quot;http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list&lt;/a&gt;  Whole grains, nuts, meats, and leafy greens seem to be at the top of the list in nutritional density.  However, fruit does taste good and has antioxidants not listed on the USDA's site. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may be easier to select what you want to eat and then move to the place on which it grows best.  Albrecht also noticed plants grow naturally in the soils they specifically like best.  He recommeneded against crop rotation, pointing to evidence that crop rotation reduced soil fertility faster, additionally, that plants grow better in soils that happened to naturally be &quot;tuned&quot; to the specific plant.  Moving the plant from its ideal location to another location for the sake of rotation wasn't optimal.  I'd love to post the reference, but with the vastness of his writings and much of it being copyrighted (no google search), I am unable to find it.  When I do, I'll edit to include.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All this being said, technology can provide means to live in an area of the country where the climate isn't ideal.  Lime and fertilizers can be applied to bring acid soils up to par, should you choose to live in a higher rainfall area.  If you want to be totally unreliant on technology, then you will have to seek out soil to provide you with the health you require.  Even then, working the land and removing crops will require you to add something back to the soil.  Technology certainly makes this easier, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, it may behoove you to study future climate trends in light of global warming. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nzwJg4Ebzo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nzwJg4Ebzo&lt;/a&gt;  The changes in the jet stream have produced prolonged drought or prolonged heavy rains in some areas of the country.  This makes gardening especially challenging.  Selecting the best place to garden based on past data can be misleading.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have any other questions on this topic, or need me to elaborate on something specifically, let me know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-16T03:34:51.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8161" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8158" CreationDate="2013-08-16T04:34:50.470" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it depends what you're wanting to plant.  For instance a package of bush beans I happen to have next to me says &quot;Plant in rows 24 inches apart&quot;.  So if you have 3 rows, 36 inches wide, I think you could get 3 rows of beans.  But if you had 2 rows 60 inches wide, I think you could get 4 rows of beans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you planted pole beans, the instructions say &quot;Plant in rows 48 inches apart&quot;.  In that case, I don't see more than one row per bed.  So, you'd get more rows if the beds were 3 ft wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My tomato pack also says rows 48 inches apart.  Cucumbers says rows 60 inches apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basil is 12 inches apart.  Corn rows are 24 inches.  Peppers rows are 24-36 inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Onions are 2-4 inches apart, so then it would be an area calculation. 2x5x8 = 80 compared to 3x3x8 = 72.  You have 8 more sq ft to plant onions if you had 5x8 beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're going to be planting tomatoes and cucumbers mostly, I'd go with the 3 rows 3x8. You'd also have more room to work between them.  You'd have room for a wheel barrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you did three 3 ft beds, you could push the 2 outter rows all the way to the sides of the area and increase the path-width to 3 ft.  If you did two 5 ft beds, you will need a path on both sides of the bed, which reduces the path size to 5/3 = 1ft 8 in.  That's not very wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-16T04:34:50.470" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8162" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8169" CreationDate="2013-08-16T12:06:54.610" Score="6" ViewCount="4593" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a closed-bin compost bin (because of location/equipment, I don't have anything open and I can't tolerate the smell). My compost is almost entirely greens, now black and rotting (I didn't put enough browns).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even though I'm starting to add browns, what confuses me is the water quantity. I put fresh greens (eg. orange peels) every day or two, and every time I look, I can see the bottom portion of the bin has liquid in it. I can &lt;em&gt;see&lt;/em&gt; the liquid in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to compensate temporary by adding more browns (shredded newspaper, dried-out weeds), but is there a deeper problem here? Is this normal to see water collecting at the bottom of my closed bin?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(It's a ~13 gallon dark blue plastic garbage can that I leave outside. I can move it into the garage if indoors is better for composting.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="606" LastEditDate="2013-08-16T14:51:51.540" LastActivityDate="2013-08-18T14:20:42.570" Title="Closed bin compost collecting water at the bottom" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8163" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8164" CreationDate="2013-08-16T15:24:05.650" Score="3" ViewCount="5189" Body="&lt;p&gt;My landscaper (I use this term very loosely) planted some hostas in my front yard.  The soil there is very heavy clay and also covered with mulch. Some of the bulbs seem to be doing alright, others are alive but definitely not thriving.  Clearly they should have done something to correct the soil before planting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's there anything I can do now that they have been planted? They've been in the ground about 3 months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These poor bulbs also get Sun from about 11 to 5 each day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2628" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-16T16:46:07.623" LastActivityDate="2013-08-16T18:14:32.387" Title="What should I do with Hostas planted in heavy clay soil?" Tags="&lt;clay&gt;&lt;hosta&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8163" CreationDate="2013-08-16T16:27:18.700" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hostas are incredibly tough.  One of the few perennials that you can transplant without any shock any time even when they are flowering.&#xA;Some varieties are tougher than others but most will take a few years to really get going.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clay soil is not the optimum condition for them.  As described &lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1239.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Hostas will grow best in rich organic soil. A loamy soil type may not&#xA;  need the addition of organic matter, but few of us are so lucky to&#xA;  garden in ideal soil and will need to add organic amendments. The&#xA;  recommended soil is well drained, has a slightly acidic pH, and is&#xA;  enriched both with nutrients and organic matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The amount of light they get (6 hours) is enough and even with the clay soil they should do well if you encourage them. Water regularly during the first year of planting or if your area is experiencing a drought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most common problem is slugs who will eat holes in the leaves.  Some varieties with thicker leaves are resistant and sunnier locations are better for this.  If you see this kind of damage consider:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;slug bait or copper strips around the hosta&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;replacing the hosta with a slug resistant variety&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-08-16T18:14:32.387" LastActivityDate="2013-08-16T18:14:32.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8165" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-16T16:52:57.317" Score="6" ViewCount="123" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bunch of young tomato plants (grown from seed since the beginning of May)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But if I'm not mistaken it's too late to plant them out into the yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;August is halfway through and it's not uncommon to get the first frost at the end of September/beginning of October. I'm in Belgium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what should I do with them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep them inside? Grow them under some special light?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Llzxv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2064" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-02T00:42:34.137" LastActivityDate="2015-01-02T10:55:16.897" Title="What should I do with these young tomato plants in the middle of august?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8166" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8137" CreationDate="2013-08-17T07:00:29.483" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That would be purslane. No amount of herbicde seems to kill these based on the various reports I've read over the years. It's edible, even the wild variant. It has a slightly sour taste and it's used in salads a lot in Greece. It's incredibly health. It does spread vigorously though, so you will want to keep up with chemical treatment. Some people claim to have success with glyophosate (Roundup) but it won't really work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2631" LastActivityDate="2013-08-17T07:00:29.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8167" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-17T12:06:08.647" Score="4" ViewCount="1474" Body="&lt;p&gt;We moved into our new house in late March and started with mud. The builder put down seed with a hand spreader and put straw down on the sloped parts of the yard. He then told me to only water it every few days but not if it rains. I moved from a condo so I took him at his word. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My lawn is a wreck now, and despite doing a ton of research, I don't feel 100% confident in a good plan on how to deal with it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The parts of the yard that did not have the straw down are seemingly 98% crabgrass. It's horrible. There are also lots of weeds, which I think are categorized as &quot;broadleaf weeds&quot; all over. From what I understand, weeds are common when you have soil brought in, and crabgrass when there's a low density of good grass and high heat and/or no shade. I've been cutting the grass at 3&quot; for the last few months to give the grass a chance to survive, but it means I only have a non-embarrassing yard for 3 or 4 days and I've been mowing weekly throughout the summer just to keep the crabgrass length down. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My yard has zero trees, is pretty flat in the front and back, and slopes down maybe a total of 8-10 feet as it goes from the front of the house to the back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After I bury some irrigation pipe for drainage from my downspouts next weekend, here's my plan:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;[power]rake to clear up debris (straw is everywhere!) from the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rent an aerator and run it over the yard and dump in new seed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water aggressively for a few days, then daily for a couple weeks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fertilize in mid to late September&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;continue watering regularly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fertilize in November&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no idea if this will be effective. I also don't know if I should aerate and seed again in the spring or if that would just damage the new seedlings. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What advice would you give to me?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;TL;DR - new lawn is a mess of crabgrass an broadleaf weeds. What's the best strategy heading into the fall and next spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2632" LastActivityDate="2013-08-18T14:50:55.967" Title="New construction, horrible lawn" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;crabgrass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8168" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8167" CreationDate="2013-08-17T12:56:36.057" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wonder if you topsoil was removed?  Possibly even sold to someone else.  Regardless, it seems as though your topsoil is not what topsoil should be.  You may start with a soil test.  Here is an especially bad report I found online that I'll use for illustration purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lv6LK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not much of anything would grow on this &quot;lawn&quot;, except a few weeds here and there.  It was a newly constructed house in the Atlanta area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The 1st thing we notice is the &quot;total exchange capacity&quot; is far to low to support life.  In the southeastern states, a 10-15 number would be good.  In the midwest, you could double that.  This soil could greatly benefit from some organic matter as the humus would raise the TEC number significantly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The 2nd thing is the ph is far too low.  5.5 can be considered low for many grass species, but 4.6 is crazy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next we skip down to the &quot;base satuation&quot; category and see there is 23% Ca where there should be 60-70%.  And then, there is 53% H where there should be 10% (hence all the acidity).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is an extreme example, but might not be too different from what you're dealing with.  To put grass seed on this soil would be a total waste of time and money.  Aeration will do nothing to fix the problem.  The 1st and most important thing to do here is lime, lime, lime and more lime.  Then after a few months of that, get another test and see where the other cations are lining up.  H should go down and Ca will go up.  If Mg is low, switch to dolomite lime.  It often takes a year or so before lime works down into the soil, so if tilling or somehow mechanically mixing the lime into the soil is an option, that will speed up the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, its difficult to know what you're dealing with for sure, but almost certainly you're missing Ca.  Especially if you live in an area that receives more than 20-30 inches of rainfall annually.  Calcium is by far the most leached nutrient from soils.  A soil test may be the wisest thing you could do at this point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-17T12:56:36.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8162" CreationDate="2013-08-17T18:11:25.957" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Green plant material contains a lot of water that is released as it decomposes. The liquid in the bottom of your container is called &quot;leachate&quot;. You can try drilling or cutting some holes in the bottom of your container to let the leachate drain out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to add browns. Greens have more water and the nitrogen makes them compost faster. If you don't have enough browns you can try letting some of your greens sit out in the sun for a couple of days so they brown out before adding them to your bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Composting also needs air. If the compost bin doesn't get enough air the composting becomes anaerobic and starts to smell.  If you insist on using a closed bin you should turn it to aerate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-08-17T18:11:25.957" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8165" CreationDate="2013-08-17T22:37:51.170" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can grow them under grow-lights in your garage. Tomato plants can be grown up to 24 months provided they receive the necessary light and nutrients, infestation and growing zone withstanding. After your last frost date, slowly introduce them to the outside weather to prevent transplant shock. Do not feed your tomatoes nitrogen rich fertilizer; it will result in lush foliage with little flower production. If possible, avoid fertilizer; the faster a vegetable or fruit plan matures, the shorter its fruit production period. If you must, use fish emulsion. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2631" LastActivityDate="2013-08-17T22:37:51.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8171" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8390" CreationDate="2013-08-17T23:34:36.213" Score="8" ViewCount="3909" Body="&lt;p&gt;Location: Maine&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruit: very small - blue/purple, small, oblong&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blooms: small, white&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves: small&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tree:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;more bush like - no single trunk, 4-5 main branches split off at base at ground&#xA;10' tall/wide&#xA;round shape&#xA;bark rough&#xA;branches brittle&#xA;reddish color to wood&#xA;tree has appearance of apple tree, contorted, rough, brittle&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Due to the small number of fruit produced (only around 10 each season), I'm thinking this can't be a self-pollinating tree, so that rules out most of the Japanese plums (I think, from what I've read). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to buy another one, so that they can pollinate each other, so any help would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2mr0f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plum tree&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9fEDr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plum&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IWoPt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plum size reference&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on this picture alone (found on the interwebs) it looks like it could be a Beach Plum (although the beach plum appears to have a rounder fruit). Thoughts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YQS6R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Beach plum&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2245" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-05T03:54:27.200" LastActivityDate="2017-11-05T03:54:27.200" Title="Need some help identifying a plum tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8172" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8158" CreationDate="2013-08-18T05:56:32.503" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Think about what you're going to plant and how much you want to plant. Come up with a list of everything you want to put in your garden and sketch it out roughly to scale to see if the design will work better for you. It's easier to make changes on paper before you build your beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few years ago I read up on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.squarefootgardening.org/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Square Foot Gardening&lt;/a&gt; by Mel Bartholomew but never implemented it. The book has consistently been one of the most popular books on gardening since it first came out and it's practiced by many home gardeners around the world. I reread the book and might build my raised beds this fall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the SFG System everything based is on a 1 square foot planting area. He recommends planting beds to be 4'x4' because you can easily reach into them and walk around them. 3'x3' is a good size for kids. Some people build longer beds but it's important to have one dimension not be bigger than 4' so that you can comfortably reach any plant. If the bed is only accessible from one side it shouldn't be more than 2' wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the length, having it too long means you have to walk a long way around to get to the other side. Aisles are a very important part of SFG and the new book emphasizes that. You need comfortable space to not only walk around but to work around. You'll be spending time kneeling and squatting and need space to do so without disturbing the plants. He recommends 3 feet for aisles but for years in the beginning he had his beds spaced 12&quot; apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the reasons Bartholomew came up with the SFG system decades ago was because conventional row gardening was so wasteful. For example, seed packets have instructions like plant rows 3' apart and thin to 6&quot;. The row spacing is an artifact of production farming that uses heavy equipment. When working in raised beds you don't have to think about rows. If plants are thinned to 6&quot; they only need 6&quot; around them which means you can plant 4 in one square foot. Plants that are thinned to 4&quot; can fit 9 in a square foot. Thinned to 3&quot; you can fit 12 in a square foot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Large plants take up the whole square foot. A few plants need more than 1 square foot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vining tomatoes fit in 1 sq ft provided it is trellised and side shoots are pruned weekly so only the main stem is left. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would recommend the book even if you don't follow the whole square foot gardening system as you can still learn a lot from it for raised bed gardening in general. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also... Don't limit yourself to having all your beds the same size and shape. Be creative and your vegetable garden can be a very attractive part of your landscape. Here's one example from &lt;a href=&quot;http://blog.kittykono.com/2013/06/my-little-raised-bed-garden.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://blog.kittykono.com/2013/06/my-little-raised-bed-garden.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4KsPR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've always liked vegetable garden designs that become little outdoor rooms. Here's something I quickly threw together in a 15'x10' space. There's more square footage of beds than the 2 or 3 rows you had mentioned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qieDK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-08-18T16:29:20.030" LastActivityDate="2013-08-18T16:29:20.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8173" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8188" CreationDate="2013-08-18T07:55:17.057" Score="6" ViewCount="752" Body="&lt;p&gt;My tomato fruits are going bad before they have a chance to go from green to red.&#xA;Can anything be done this year to the plants I have?  I have same problem with every new fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m7zhD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tomatos&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1243" LastEditorUserId="2512" LastEditDate="2013-08-24T02:58:43.363" LastActivityDate="2013-08-24T02:58:43.363" Title="Why are my tomato fruits developing black, mushy spots before they can ripen?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="544" CreationDate="2013-08-18T07:55:35.647" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ants do spread aphids around. Small black ants was seen around/in my pots starting spring. By July potted plants, even geranium, was affected - ants brought aphids,  mildew spots appeared, plants was stressed and not healthy. Ants was noticed during watering - they was running from under the pots, closer look revealed ants in almost every pot. Insect killers did not really help, aphids damage was already done (to annuals), small bushes in the pots showed yellow leaves, black spots and all other pleasures. To the end of summer almost all annuals was destroyed. Next spring all pot`s soil was replaced, ants seen around. Sprayed top/sides + around pots with ants killer (safe for pets), used ants protector (spray) every month around the house and pots. No aphids, no ants, no problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2635" LastActivityDate="2013-08-18T07:55:35.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8175" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8162" CreationDate="2013-08-18T13:40:46.397" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/library/maps/circumpolar/download/119.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here is where some of the water is coming from&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;C6 H12 O6 (organic matter) + 6O2 ---&gt; 6H2O + 6CO2 + energy&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Browns would slow the breakdown process, giving evaporation a fighting chance at reducing water accumulation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is where the smell is coming from&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;C6 H12 O6 ---&gt; 3CH4 + 3CO2&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without oxygen, you get methane (CH4), which stinks.  Browns would slow the breakdown process, therefore requiring less oxygen per hour.  Browns would also increase &quot;fluff&quot;, absorb moisture, and let the pile breathe more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How often to turn the pile?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;According to their experiment, microbes can strip out the oxygen in compost within 15 minutes, there must be a constant flow of air through the compost, and far more than provided by passive aeration by convection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Compost_pile&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Compost_pile&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It's been well established that most of the oxygen added to a pile during turning is used up by the microbial populations within hours, or even minutes of turning. Therefore, unless additional oxygen is being provided under pressure (ie. via &quot;forced aeration&quot;) or a pile is turned hourly, the purpose of turning is NOT to add oxygen but rather to restore pile porosity which allows oxygen and carbon dioxide to naturally move into and out of a pile through a process called &quot;passive aeration&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cvcompost.com/in-defense-of-the-pile-less-turned.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.cvcompost.com/in-defense-of-the-pile-less-turned.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-18T13:40:46.397" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8176" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8187" CreationDate="2013-08-18T13:57:44.990" Score="5" ViewCount="259" Body="&lt;p&gt;We moved into a new house in SW FL (the Cape Coral area) a couple of months ago, and the front was landscaped with 5 hibiscus plants. All of them are flowering nicely (a nice, fuchsia color), but 2 of the plants have begun to have more and more yellow leaves. They all have gotten the same fertilizer, and get the same amount of water from the irrigation system, and probably were planted at the same time when the house was rehabbed. The only difference is that the 2 plants on the end get an extra hour of direct sun. Can this extra sun be causing the yellowing leaves? Can anything be done to help bring these plants back looking like their cousins?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2359" LastActivityDate="2013-08-19T18:38:56.700" Title="Yellowing leaves on some hibiscus plants" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8162" CreationDate="2013-08-18T14:20:42.570" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is ironic that closing up your compost because you don't want the smell is precisely what is causing the smell. You can compost in just a heap - a little pile of stuff in the far corner of your yard. If you want to confine things a mesh walled container with no floor lets air in and liquid can drain away. If you are worried about varmints, a mesh or slatted lid can keep them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At a minimum, make a bunch of holes in your garbage can - in the bottom to let the liquid out and in the sides to let air in. Aerobic composting smells musty and earthy. Perhaps not entirely pleasant (it's not like chocolate, coffee, baking bread, fresh roses) but not disgusting. Our bodies reserve disgusting for anaerobic decomp - sliminess, sourness, acrid smells.  So if your compost smells wrong, get more air to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing with composting is to ask yourself why you are doing it. Are you trying to make fertilizer for a garden, or to reduce the amount of garbage you send to the landfill/incinerator? Which is the primary motivation? If the latter, don't get too worked up about greens/browns, balancing things, adding stuff just for the sake of the composter etc. In our mesh bins (scaled down versions of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/9516/the-victory-garden-composter&quot;&gt;the bins&lt;/a&gt; from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0316161217&quot;&gt;Victory Garden book&lt;/a&gt;) we put peelings and the like from the kitchen, carrot greens and other parts of plants we don't eat, weeds we have just pulled, and fireplace ashes when we happen to have emptied the fireplace, all without a plan: just as stuff becomes available, it goes in. We have never (20+ years) measured its temperature or chemistry in any way, unless you count smelling it. The only turning we do is that described in the book - you take compost from bin 3 whenever you need it, and when bin 3 is empty or bin 2 is full, you turn 2 into 3. Meanwhile when 2 is empty or 1 is full, you turn 1 into 2. 1 is where you add new stuff. Sometimes we toss a little dirt (or bin 2 or 3 contents) over the top of 1 if it's smelly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This super hands off approach works great for us. We get compost for rhubarb, the veg garden, and the flower beds. We throw out almost no garbage. And we don't fuss about our compost. If you can adopt something similar, I think you will prefer it to a single closed bin that needs babysitting and looking after.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2013-08-18T14:20:42.570" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8178" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8167" CreationDate="2013-08-18T14:50:55.967" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Randy that a soil test is essential but a few simple tests now will help guide your decision:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;go to your lawn and dig a few holes and take a cup sized sample from each&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when the soil is neither really dry or really wet take the sample in your hand and make a ball of it.  Does the ball crumble apart when you open your hand ( sandy) or sit like a lump of....clay?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;get a transparent jar and fill half to two thirds with water. Add a soil sample, shake and let sit overnight.  Do you observe any layers in the soil?  Rich soil will have the heavier clay type particles at the bottom, sand and silt on top with organic matter floating at the very top.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most likely problem is an absence of organic matter because the developer has given you subsoil to work with. Other possible issues are that there is a heavily compacted layer of soil underneath the soil the developer added.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get nice looking turf you need sunlight, a good soil profile, water, grass or mixture of grasses adapted to your area and good lawn care practices.  Here are some solutions from previous questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3417/how-do-i-restore-my-lawn-without-having-to-re-sod-the-property/3453#3453&quot;&gt;quickly improve the lawn by removing existing soil, add new, roll and lay sod&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1390/whats-an-organic-way-to-discourage-crabgrass-from-a-large-lawn/1391#1391&quot;&gt;slowly improve the lawn and outgrow the crabgrass&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3688/how-can-we-grow-grass-in-our-heavy-clay-yard/3691#3691&quot;&gt;slowly improve the lawn by seeding and better care&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2013-08-18T14:50:55.967" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8179" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8184" CreationDate="2013-08-18T18:30:56.890" Score="7" ViewCount="1220" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I should avoid (or encourage) adding to compost that I am going to make to grow blueberries?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastEditorUserId="1011" LastEditDate="2013-08-19T19:50:59.810" LastActivityDate="2013-08-21T06:12:12.560" Title="Is there anything I should avoid putting in compost that I am going to use for blueberries?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8180" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8181" CreationDate="2013-08-18T19:46:24.133" Score="2" ViewCount="656" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently bought at 90+ year old house. While a plumber was going through our first punch list of issues, he replaced the main pressure regulator to stop both our toilets leaking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then first time DIY homeowner turned to the sprinklers. I replaced all the heads that weren't popping up. Now I had many heads that weren't putting out enough water to cover the areas they were suppose to. I capped a few that were putting water in stupid locations, put larger heads in some areas, and smaller heads in others. I had the system pretty much doing what I wanted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a couple years, we had low flow issues with the showers which led to replacing the very old 3/4&quot; main water line with the now standard 1&quot; line. Now, my garden and lawn sprinklers are out of control! They spray on the house, and onto cars in the driveway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've uncapped what I had capped, changed some head sizes, and dialed down others to the smallest radius but I can't get it under control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there something simple I can do to fix this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="571" LastEditorUserId="571" LastEditDate="2013-08-22T16:04:51.317" LastActivityDate="2013-08-22T16:04:51.317" Title="How can stop my sprinklers from spraying the house after replacing house main?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8180" CreationDate="2013-08-18T20:31:15.293" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think you've gained pressure. Pressure is usually constant throughout the system. The biggest change when increasing the size of your water pipes is an increase in water flow. If you knew your water pressure before and can check it now with a pressure gauge on a hose bib it would help determine what it was.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The size of your main water supply line, incoming pressure and water flow are the main variables used when designing a sprinkler system. When you change the main water line, your sprinkler system goes out of whack.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're not able to dial down the nozzles further you can replace the nozzles with ones that have a smaller radius. They're fairly cheap and easy to replace. You don't need to dig out the body, just pull up the pop out stem, unscrew the old nozzle and screw in the new one. Most come in standard sizes but I have seen some orbit ones that are larger. Some have female threads others male threads so be sure you know which ones you'll need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Replacing the main water supply line isn't something people look forward to doing. I'm guessing you had some issues at some point with low flow/pressure caused by damage/corrosion to the main. The previous owner might have had the same issue and decided to replace the original nozzles with ones that have a larger arc to compensate. Now that the water issues have been fixed they need to be changed again. Just a guess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have my own system but help a relative maintain his. If I ever do install one the main reason will be to use these Hunter &lt;a href=&quot;http://diyorganiclawncare.blogspot.com/2012/07/hunter-mp-rotator-review.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;MP Rotator Nozzles&lt;/a&gt; which I posted some info and vids of on my blog. I think they're really cool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also be able to install some sort of flow restrictor before your main valve box but I'm not even sure such a product even exists or is easy to find. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Forgot to add... If you want to learn how to design, install and maintain your sprinkler system read everything at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/&lt;/a&gt; I read it virtual cover to cover because I wanted to install my own sprinkler system after seeing the MP Rotator nozzles. (Seriously, for me it's like they shoot out little streams of happiness :)  I never wound up installing one but I learned enough that when my relative has a problem with his I can go over, identify the problem, find the right parts and fix it. If you want to learn everything there is to know about your sprinkler system. Read the articles on that site.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-08-21T06:45:41.180" LastActivityDate="2013-08-21T06:45:41.180" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8182" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4274" CreationDate="2013-08-18T21:56:29.820" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have to cut down the flowers: this will force the plant to send out more leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also make sure to contain the plant, because when it grows above 18&quot; it tends to lean to the side. It will eventually touch the ground and will not produce so many leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2637" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-20T20:33:17.700" LastActivityDate="2013-08-20T20:33:17.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8183" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8153" CreationDate="2013-08-19T13:37:14.423" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Quite a bit of stuff actually, even in Scotland, but a lot of it will need to be sown inside or somewhere heated at this time of year up there, it being that much cooler than us here in London. Also, some vegetable crops can be germinated and started into growth now, but will simply sit, protected, in the greenhouse, until spring, when the weather warms up and light levels increase.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have a look at this: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/vegetables-grow-winter-how-guide&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Vegetables to grow in winter: a how-to guide&lt;/a&gt;. (Janet Renouf-Miller, via permaculture.co.uk, 2010).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bear in mind that things like spinach, land cress and lambs lettuce will grow outside all winter too, but you’ll get more growth under cover, specially if you use polypropylene floating mulch in the pots. The article I’m directing you to is actually written by someone who lives in Scotland.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2013-08-20T18:06:52.543" LastActivityDate="2013-08-20T18:06:52.543" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8184" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8179" CreationDate="2013-08-19T13:47:08.210" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not entirely clear from your question whether you intend to use your own, home made compost in pots, or whether you're asking about adding something to commercially produced ericaceous potting compost, nor whether you're actually intending to use either of these for pot culture, so this answer may not be entirely appropriate, for it assumes you're making your own compost for use in containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blueberries require acidic soil, so any compost you've made yourself should, first, be sterile (that is, produced using a hot, aerobic method) and second, may need adjustment when it's ready to correct the ph balance. That, of course, implies you'd need to test the ph before using it, and then correct it by adding sulphur dust to make it more acidic. You can also use aluminium sulphate or ferrous sulphate - these work faster and better in cold temperatures, but do sometimes cause a problem with phosphorus availability for plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think there's much point in only adding acidifying materials to your compost heap - breakdown of the constituents will be much slower for one thing, and it may become unpleasantly smelly. It's much better to add a mixture of materials and then check the ph at the end, when it's ready for use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-08-19T14:00:50.323" LastActivityDate="2013-08-19T14:00:50.323" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7961" CreationDate="2013-08-19T13:48:01.410" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is &lt;a href=&quot;http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Stachys_palustris&quot;&gt;Stachys palustris&lt;/a&gt;: marsh woundwort or marsh hedgenettle. It is related to wood betony or heal-all (&lt;a href=&quot;http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Stachys_officinalis&quot;&gt;Stachys officinalis&lt;/a&gt;). We have several colonies growing in the wet meadow areas along a local creek. I live in Denmark, where the plant isn't a problem, but it's regarded as a 'noxious weed' in Maine (USA). See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?312174&quot;&gt;http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?312174&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="721" LastActivityDate="2013-08-19T13:48:01.410" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8187" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8176" CreationDate="2013-08-19T18:38:56.700" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;These plants like a sunny, sheltered spot, so the extra sunlight on its own isn't the cause - what might be, though, is that 2 hours extra sunlight means those plants and the soil they're in dry out more and require more water, so your irrigation, which is adequate for the others, may not be for these two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-08-19T18:38:56.700" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8173" CreationDate="2013-08-20T05:29:30.157" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I assume, this is a BER - Blossom End Rot. &#xA;I had this issue last year in my plants - This can happen for various reasons, I am no expert in this subject but I like to share what I know. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Excess watering can cause this problem - check the moisture level of your soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fluctuation in watering - i.e Many days without watering and ending up with excessive watering in one day&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Calcium/Magnesium deficiency in the soil, this was the case in my tomato plants. I used equal mix of Epsom and Gypsum salt on the surface of the soil and water the plants.  However, this only helps the new fruits and not the already rotten ones. If you feel its lot of hassle to get the mix right - you can find one like &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B002R1MDQE&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; online - and mix it with water as suggested on the label. Remember this is one time activity - Don't repeat it until you see the problem again.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2642" LastEditorUserId="1011" LastEditDate="2013-08-21T23:36:04.810" LastActivityDate="2013-08-21T23:36:04.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8189" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8307" CreationDate="2013-08-20T05:41:35.967" Score="3" ViewCount="2140" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was just wondering, for fast results in plants, which would you prefer: applying worm castings on the top soil or using worm casting tea, and why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2642" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-22T18:25:07.570" LastActivityDate="2019-06-11T05:42:36.930" Title="Which is preferred: worm castings or worm casting tea?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;worms&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;&lt;compost-tea&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8179" CreationDate="2013-08-20T08:59:40.960" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not all aluminum is created equal. So, not all aluminum is toxic to plants. It really depends on the source and the structure of the aluminum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aluminum is in the soil anyway and may be used by micro-organisms to benefit the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also therefore that adjusting the micro-organisms is much more beneficial to  plants than just adding things to the compost. Micro-organisms interact with the plant, nutrients don't. Micro-organisms interact with each other and with the soil to make it acidic or alkaline. It's dynamic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Micro-organisms are dependent on enough water and enough oxygen. Stimulate these and the right organisms will end up in the neighbourhood of the right plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might as well look into 'bokashi' for this purpose. And to get some interest in micro-organisms I suggest to read the book &quot;Teaming with microbes&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1069" LastActivityDate="2013-08-20T08:59:40.960" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8191" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8207" CreationDate="2013-08-20T15:26:40.323" Score="8" ViewCount="859" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chances are this will be a duplicate, and I can't post photos yet, so apologies in advance...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a small tree in our new backyard in SW FL. It's partially hidden behind a sea grape plant that will be removed as soon as I can. The tree in question is maybe 10 feet tall, fairly stringy (for lack of a better word). There are two main trunks, but each is only a couple of inches (if that) in diameter. The branches are long and thin, the leaves about 1 1/2&quot; long, smooth and shiny. At the end of many branches is a single red flower. From a distance, it looks like a parachutist hanging around - there is a single long stamen (I think) about 3 inches long, and the petals are feathery, and curving back up towards the sky. There have been flowers since I think at least around June when we moved here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you, Niall C, for the photo tip. Here's a photo of the flower and the main trunk of the tree:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n7L9s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n7L9s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2359" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T12:56:40.820" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T12:56:40.820" Title="Help identifying a tree in Southwest Florida" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8192" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-20T16:40:02.590" Score="4" ViewCount="767" Body="&lt;p&gt;After some help with what I should do with this plant, I've neglected to check its roots of for some time. I believe it to be a species of asparagus grass, though if someone wants to correct that belief feel free.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see from the images, I may have left the roots alone for too long (in fact I had to literally cut the old plant pot away from the bottom of it, because they'd grown through and formed a circle underneath it The plant itself seems to be fine (in-fact flowered for the first time in the 6-ish years I've had it, though they were very small, and dropped off at the slightest touch).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the answer to the question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2968/how-do-i-prune-the-roots-of-a-rootbound-plant&quot;&gt;&quot;How do I prune the roots of a rootbound plant?&quot;&lt;/a&gt; still appropriate with such a root-locked plant? What's the next size up pot to put it in? It was in a 6' (I think, the next up is a 7' at any rate) pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h3wU8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Root Shot&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AbmlH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full plant Shot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2643" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-09-03T14:15:41.497" Title="What's the next action I should take with this rootbound plant?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8193" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8192" CreationDate="2013-08-20T17:22:04.430" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer you mention is a very detailed one and is still appropriate. Keep in mind that many houseplants, like your &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus_plumosus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;asparagus fern&lt;/a&gt;, will only flower when they are pot bound.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With a healthy plant like yours you can take some quick action with a sharp knife and be done in minutes and still be friends afterwards....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut off the bottom one third to one quarter of the root ball.  For the remaining root ball make three or four vertical cuts to a depth of about one inch (two cm).  Place fresh soil in the bottom of the pot to make up for what you cut away and replant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When selecting a new pot pick the same size or one size up.  A heavily pot bound plant will require some attention to watering after treatment.  The new soil will stay wetter longer until the roots grow into it.  Ensure you water the complete root ball not just the new soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This recommendation will work on healthy plants with good exposure to sunlight. It would be a little harsh for plants without a well developed root system or ones in low light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-08-21T12:09:53.587" LastActivityDate="2013-08-21T12:09:53.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8194" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-20T18:20:41.057" Score="6" ViewCount="932" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've built a raised garden bed and would like to know what types of soil or mix I should use to fill it with?  Should it be a mixture of top soil and compost?  I'm looking for an affordable option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Birmingham, Alabama and the bed is 3' x 6' x 16&quot;.  I have 3 of these beds.  Mostly growing veggies (spinach, beans, carrots, etc) and herbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2627" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-20T20:32:30.117" LastActivityDate="2013-08-21T19:36:53.077" Title="What products should I fill raised garden beds with?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8195" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-20T20:05:07.800" Score="3" ViewCount="1812" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night-blooming_cereus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;night-blooming Cereus&lt;/a&gt; for several years and it has yet to bloom. A friend has one and it blooms no problem. This plant is indoors and keeps growing, but no blooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to make it bloom?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2186" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-13T03:17:08.960" LastActivityDate="2014-08-19T03:18:15.860" Title="Why doesn't my night-blooming Cereus produce flowers?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8196" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3683" CreationDate="2013-08-20T20:08:52.340" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wanted to use cedar but didn't want to pay the premium.  I found a good article about using cedar pickets, so I built mine like this: &lt;a href=&quot;http://ana-white.com/2010/05/hack-natural-rustic-cedar-raised-beds.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;$10 Cedar Raised Garden Beds&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2627" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-10-02T16:22:10.970" LastActivityDate="2016-10-02T16:22:10.970" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8197" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-20T20:17:01.413" Score="5" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you deadhead yarrow? If you do, do you just tear of the tops, or do you cut them all the way down the stem? Or do you simply save seeds somehow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2186" LastEditorUserId="2512" LastEditDate="2013-08-22T17:58:03.903" LastActivityDate="2013-08-22T17:58:03.903" Title="What should I do with yarrow once it has stopped blooming?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8198" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8197" CreationDate="2013-08-20T21:35:34.913" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you do deadhead &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achillea_millefolium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;yarrow (Achillea millefolium)&lt;/a&gt; as some of the smaller plants tend to die back to the ground. If you deadhead early enough in the summer it will rebloom. I cut it with sequiteurs just below the flower as it is faster.  If you try tearing the heads off you take your chances with ripping the whole plant out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given it's tendencies to seed even in the cracks between tight set flagstone I have never wanted to collect seed but you could do so by deadheading and shaking the dried flower into an envelope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-08-20T21:35:34.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8194" CreationDate="2013-08-20T23:10:51.710" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The reason most people build raised garden beds is because their existing top soil isn't good enough to grow in. So definitely don't use your existing soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;People that follow &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.squarefootgardening.org&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Square Foot Gardening&lt;/a&gt; tend to use Mel's mix which is 1/3 Vermiculite, 1/3 Peat Moss and 1/3 Compost from varied sources. This seems to be the best mix if you're doing square foot gardening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people use just straight compost. Others heavily amend their existing soil with compost and other additives. Some garden centers and other suppliers sell bulk &quot;garden soil&quot; which can mean different things to different people. There's also bagged &quot;garden soil&quot; from local and national suppliers. A lot of them seem to be mixes of topsoil and compost with other additives. The bags usually mostly compost and peat based.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also things like &lt;a href=&quot;http://growingyourpassion.com/en/pro-mix-ultimate-organic-vegetable-herb-mix/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pro-Mix Organic Vegetable and Herb Mix&lt;/a&gt; and other similar products from other brands. This is the type of stuff commercial greenhouses seem to use. A lot of them are peat moss based it seems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;People will have different opinions but basically you don't want to add &quot;soil&quot;. Other growing mediums will give you more benefits in terms of tilth, water handling and nutrition. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been considering this same question and it looks like I'm going to go with Mel's Mix as I'm planning on doing SFG. Even if I wasn't I'd probably use something similar which would be mostly compost, peat and either vermiculite or perlite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are you currently using in your other raised beds and how are the plants doing in them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also consider &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0715241330846.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;coconut coir instead of peat moss&lt;/a&gt;. People have issues with the sustainability of peat moss &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-08-21T06:33:12.733" LastActivityDate="2013-08-21T06:33:12.733" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4427" CreationDate="2013-08-20T23:38:14.240" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the perspective that healthy soil depends on lots of beneficial bacteria and other creatures in the soil food web, and that healthy plants depend on healthy soil, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/4773/2448&quot;&gt;this quote above&lt;/a&gt; by yoda:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Chlorine and monochloramine can also prevent the growth of beneficial bacteria that are necessary for healthy fish tanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;would imply that both chlorine and chloramine can harm healthy soil, which is what we and other local Texas gardeners have experienced with chlorine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2644" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2013-09-12T18:58:06.073" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8201" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8179" CreationDate="2013-08-21T06:12:12.560" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This isn't an answer to the question, but I couldn't leave the issue of aluminum toxicity unaddressed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few months ago I called my local nursery to ask if they carried ammonium sulfate.  He said &quot;Oh, you want aluminum sulfate to acidify the soil for blueberries.&quot;  I cringed in horror that this advice is being dispensed so regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_nutrition&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aluminum is not known to be a nutrient for plant growth in any quantity&lt;/a&gt; and is actually more well-known for being a toxin.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Aluminum (Al) is the most abundant metal in the earth's crust, comprising about 7% of its mass. Since many plant species are sensitive to micromolar concentrations of Al, &#xA;  the potential for soils to be Al toxic is considerable. Fortunately, most of the Al is bound by ligands or occurs in other nonphytotoxic forms such as aluminosilicates and precipitates. However, solubilization of this Al is enhanced by low pH and Al toxicity is a major factor limiting plant production on acid soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/107/2/315.full.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/107/2/315.full.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why would you want to add more of this to your soil?  Aluminum doesn't acidify the soil, but aluminum becomes more readily available to plants as the soil becomes more acid.  &lt;strong&gt;Ph is a measure of H+ ions in the soil.  It has nothing to do with aluminum.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In technical terms, pH is the negative logarithm of the activity of the (solvated) hydronium ion, more often expressed as the measure of the hydronium ion concentration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The exact meaning of the &quot;p&quot; in &quot;pH&quot; is disputed, but according to the Carlsberg Foundation pH stands for &quot;power of hydrogen&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Actually, &lt;strong&gt;what blueberries like is Magnesium&lt;/strong&gt;.  They grow well in acid soils because calcium is low, which lowers the Ca:Mg ratio and provides the plant with more access to Mg with less competition from Ca.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;pH is a measure of free Hydrogen ions in water. It measures Hydrogen ion concentration, H+ and OH-, and that’s all it does. One can change the soil pH with any acid or alkali. You can raise the pH with sodium hydroxide, which is lye, drain cleaner, or lower it with hydrochloric acid, for instance, but they aren’t going to give you much growth stimulus. They will probably kill the plant. A slightly acid pH of about 6 or 6.5 is ideal, because it gives just the right amount of electrical conductivity in the soil, but plants aren’t nearly as finicky about pH as they are about having the right balance of soil minerals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rhododendrons, for instance, are supposed to require an acid soil. What they really prefer is a high Magnesium soil. Experimenters in Scotland raised the pH of soil from 5.0 to nearly 8.0 with Magnesium Carbonate, and the rhodies grew better and better as the soil pH went up because the Magnesium level was going up. pH had little to do with it.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;So, this is a good thing to know if you are trying to grow rhododendrons in New Mexico, for instance, where the soil is frequently alkaline to start with, although there you would want to use an acid form of Magnesium like Magnesium sulfate, Epsom salts. But your garden, your farm crops and your fruits and berries wouldn’t necessarily like it (except the blueberries). High levels of Magnesium in relation to Calcium are common in Organic gardening and farming, though, because people are told to lime their soils with dolomite lime, which is high in Magnesium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilminerals.com/AgricolaII.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.soilminerals.com/AgricolaII.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, &lt;strong&gt;its not ph that matters as much as its the right nutrient combination for the plant.&lt;/strong&gt;  It just so happens that the right nutrient combination is most often found in a naturally acid soil.  That observation doesn't necessarily mean that the soil must be acid and in no way infers anything about aluminum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aluminum sulfate acidifies the soil because of the sulfate, not the aluminum.&lt;/strong&gt;  Actually, its possible aluminum, being Al+++, could take the place of 3 hydrogen ions (H+), though more likely is it would take the place of a Ca++ and 1 H+.  Anyway, its the sulfate which causes acidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;SO4 + 2 H2O = 2 H2SO4 + O2&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sulfate + water = sulfuric acid + oxygen&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ammonium sulfate is NH4 + SO4, so not only will the sulfate make sulfuric acid, but the NH4 (ammonium) will break down to NO3 (nitrate) and release extra H+ into the soil, which makes the soil more acid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Same thing with epsom salts.  Mg + SO4.  Sulfate when added to water takes the hydrogen out of water and make an acid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, &lt;strong&gt;blueberries have sensitive roots.&lt;/strong&gt;  The application of nitrates is known to &quot;burn&quot; blueberry roots and could kill the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/pdf/Fertilizing%20Blueberries.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; and take note on page 9 of the pic of blueberry roots with NH4 and NO3.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Blueberries, and their relatives’ cranberries, lingonberries, and bilberries have somewhat unique N requirements. They are not able to use nitrate forms of N (NO3-N) effectively. These plants have evolved in soil conditions that do not naturally contain a significant amount of NO3-N and they depend more on ammonium-N (NH4-N). Blueberries take up both forms of N, but they have limited nitrate reductase activity. Nitrate reductase is an enzyme that is needed to convert nitrate to amino acids and proteins. The limited nitrate reductase system in blueberries means that they cannot efficiently utilize nitrate forms of N. Some reports also state that excessive nitrate fertilization can lead to leaf burn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I'm pretty sure &quot;leaf burn&quot; is a misprint, it should probably be &quot;root burn&quot;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also consider from the 1st page:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Blueberries have fine, fibrous roots that do not develop root-hairs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Going back to the first &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/107/2/315.full.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; I posted:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The most easily recognized symptom of Al toxicity is the inhibition of root growth, and this has become a widely accepted measure of A1 stress in plants. In simple nutrient &#xA;  solutions micromolar concentrations of Al can begin to inhibit root growth within 60 min.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So if Al harms roots and blueberries have fine, sensitive roots, why would you want to add aluminum to your soil for the benefit of blueberries?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Furthermore, aluminum sulfate dissolves in water and becomes immediately available to plants (as a toxin).  As opposed to the aluminum in soil that is locked-up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, from page 45 of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/pdf/Fertilizing%20Blueberries.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;spectrum analytics site&lt;/a&gt; which contained the root pics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aluminum deserves special attention with blueberries because of the very acid soil pH which the crop requires.&lt;/strong&gt; At &#xA;  these acid pH’s, there is often a considerable amount of soluble Al in the soil solution. This can cause several &#xA;  negative results. First, soluble Al has a strong affinity for soluble P. This is the same form of P that the blueberries &#xA;  require. The result of the excess soluble Al can be the requirement for a higher soil P test than suggested by us and &#xA;  other authorities. Another potential problem is the cation competition caused by excessive soluble Al. The likely &#xA;  result of this cation competition is reduced uptake of one or more of the cation micronutrients (Cu, Mn, Fe, and &#xA;  Zn). About the only way to identify either of these potential problems is with leaf analysis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And then from page 117 &lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/AGRS097h.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do not use aluminum sulfate to lower the soil pH because aluminum is toxic to blueberries&lt;/strong&gt; and is already present in many soils in the region in quantities that can negatively impact blueberry plants once the pH is lowered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully one day nurseries will stop recommending aluminum sulfate for anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-21T06:12:12.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8202" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8206" CreationDate="2013-08-21T12:56:41.960" Score="6" ViewCount="189" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am thinking of putting in a raised garden bed in our back yard here in south-west Florida. The soil here is rocky and sandy, and I've been told by more than one person that some things don't grow so well in this kind of soil. We love fresh blueberries, but that is one of the things that doesn't grow as well or as sweet in this soil as they can up north. Can blueberry plants be grown in a raised garden, and if so, what would the minimum depth of the raised garden need to be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2359" LastEditorUserId="2512" LastEditDate="2013-08-22T17:58:17.577" LastActivityDate="2013-08-22T17:58:17.577" Title="Can blueberries be grown in a raised garden bed?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8203" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8208" CreationDate="2013-08-21T18:40:06.517" Score="9" ViewCount="343" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Chile where the land slopes up into the hills just a few meters from the coast. I have a garage at sea level with the back wall in the ground and there's a little river flowing inside it. I am told it's from leaking sewage tanks above and a normal phenomena. It's like a liter of water per hour - it's significant, not just a wet wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Knowing that some plants require a significant amount of water and considering behind the garage is just a lawn, would it be possible to remedy the problem with plants? There's around 10 square meters of space and it's pretty sunny. The roots would need to go 2-3 meters down. Are there plants suitable for this? Which plants evaporate most water? Does it even make sense? :-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: A bad vertical panorama of the location from above:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iDF7k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;garage and hill slope&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not ground water, it's leakage from sewage water tanks on the hills above. Or so I'm told, but it can't be ground water, the levels aren't that high here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt; Late revelation: It actually IS ground water. The slope was artificially created and apparently they dug a bit too deep. I guess it's time for a pond. :-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2646" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2014-12-07T23:04:44.463" LastActivityDate="2014-12-07T23:04:44.463" Title="What plants can I use to reduce soil humidity?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8194" CreationDate="2013-08-21T19:30:18.483" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I would start new soil, I would take a few things into account:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Moist&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oxygen&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Micro-organisms&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These things work together and makes the soil balanced. Nature does it out of the box, so trying to mimic nature is a good start.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moist (water) is used to transport nutrients deeper into the soil. It also transports micro-organisms further around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oxygen keeps everything alive. The soil needs oxygen too. It's for the micro-organisms to multiply and to 'burn'. No processing is going on without the oxygen. Cell division thrives on oxygen. Micro-organisms have cells too, they want to spread!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, with that being said... What to choose? In the answer above Mel's Mix is mentioned. Very good choice! There are other comparible mixes or alternative ingredients available. Look around for a mix of dirt, clay and compost. The dirt can be somewhat coarse for the oxygen. Clay is good for the moist. The compost is for starting up with the micro-organisms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest to watch &quot;Back to Eden&quot; about topping off the soil with wood chips. Organic, clean, mixed wood chips. This is very natural coverage of the soil. It will keep it moist when needed and give of water in times of hot weather. It will also soak up excessive water. Further it will be coarse enough to let even more excessive water seep through to the deeper soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can add wood chips later too. Or add additional every (other) year, so it will build up natural layered structure. This is awesome for healthy soil. After a while you don't have to do anything anymore than just let nature do the work. Not tilling, no chemicals, no plowing, no fertilizers. The &quot;do-nothing&quot; method like Masanobu Fukuoka calls it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also suggest to read the book &quot;Teaming with microbes&quot;. This will give you an idea about what lives in the soil, how to support it and how it enhances your plants and trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For advanced soil, I would look into the mycelium/mycorrhiza and things like bokashi. This way your plants will grow strong and healthy!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1069" LastEditorUserId="1069" LastEditDate="2013-08-21T19:36:53.077" LastActivityDate="2013-08-21T19:36:53.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8189" CreationDate="2013-08-21T20:15:10.967" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it doesn't really matter. Both are full of nutrients and micro-organisms (beneficial bacteria).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pick the one that feels most natural to you or what suits best for your way of gardening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1069" LastActivityDate="2013-08-21T20:15:10.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8202" CreationDate="2013-08-22T06:56:36.007" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The main advantage to a raised bed is drainage. If your soil is sandy, it should drain very well without being raised.  If you want to build a raised bed for the visual appeal, that would be ok, but having a raised bed isn't necessary and could possibly be a disadvantage if it would make the water table too low for the shallow roots of the blueberry to access.  Blueberries like loose soil without standing water where air can reach the roots, but they do need access to water as well (frequent rain/irrigation or high enough water table).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blueberries actually grow very well in rocky, sandy soils (like mountains would have) and have more trouble growing in heavy, clay soils.  It is true that some things won't grow in sandy soil, but blueberries isn't one of them.  If the berries aren't sweet as they are up north, I would pay attention to the variety.  There are more varieties than I can count and each one tastes different.  Some are sweet, some are citrusy, some are gritty, some are so sour that I can't tolerate them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read where magnesium can affect the taste of berries (as well as tomatoes and melons).  This could be true in that magnesium is required for chlorophyll, which is what makes the sugars from sunlight.  So, fertilizing blueberries with magnesium sulfate (epsom salts) could be a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, blueberries love organic matter.  They evolved as an understory bush where the leaves from larger trees kept the ground thickly covered with leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a site which talks about blueberries in FL &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/Blueberries.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/Blueberries.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is their facts sheet &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/JF%20Blueberry.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/JF%20Blueberry.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-22T06:56:36.007" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8191" CreationDate="2013-08-22T13:05:26.603" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a hardy &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hibiscus&lt;/a&gt; which grows throughout Florida and is described in some detail &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep245&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. A definitive way to identify it is that the flowers only last one day and then collapse and drop off several days later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant is most likely to be a hybrid and it is difficult to identify the cultivar. They are relatively trouble free and tolerate wetter soils than many other flowering shrubs will.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: @unkfrank you can't go wrong with removing one third of the old growth this year. Either at the base to encourage new growth from there or somewhere along the existing stems to get it to bud out. Try this out and observe what happens in the spring. It is a very common habit for newer growth to flower more.  The confusion over when and what to prune is due to the many cultivars and species. The best way is to investigate....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-08-22T18:09:46.240" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8203" CreationDate="2013-08-22T14:46:50.983" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I'm understanding this one properly, you're asking if plants can significantly lower the water table.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vWSq9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/63xph.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6kqCm.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't think plants could make a significant difference with volumes of water this large.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncsu.edu/project/treesofstrength/treefact.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;I found some stats online:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;One large tree can lift up to 100 gallons of water out of the ground and discharge it into the air in a day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But it takes half a lifetime to grow a large tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Coast redwood habitat receives less summer rain than in the winter but nearly every day is foggy. According to a 1998 report in the journal Oecologia, redwoods use more than 600 quarts of water each day in the summer and up to 40 percent of it is from the fog.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read more: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/info_10022268_much-water-giant-redwood-tree-need.html#ixzz2ci204jd3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.ehow.com/info_10022268_much-water-giant-redwood-tree-need.html#ixzz2ci204jd3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants do remove water from the ground, but I think you'd be better served by cutting a deep trench behind the garage and forming a streaming going around your garage, rather than through it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-22T14:46:50.983" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8209" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-22T18:24:30.113" Score="14" ViewCount="60606" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is often recommended online or by nurseries to apply aluminum sulfate to plants like blueberries, rhododendrons, azaleas and to hydrangeas to make the flowers blue.  Is this advice I should follow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2019-07-26T08:23:43.620" Title="Should I use aluminum sulfate (sulphate) to acidify my soil?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8210" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8209" CreationDate="2013-08-22T18:24:30.113" Score="21" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few months ago I called my local nursery to ask if they carried ammonium sulfate.  He said &amp;quot;Oh, you want aluminum sulfate to acidify the soil for blueberries.&amp;quot;  I cringed in horror that this advice is being dispensed so regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is aluminum a nutrient or do plants use aluminum in any way?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_nutrition&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aluminum is not known to be a nutrient for plant growth in any quantity&lt;/a&gt; and is actually more well-known for being a &lt;strong&gt;toxin.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aluminum (Al) is the most abundant metal in the earth's crust, comprising about 7% of its mass. Since many plant species are sensitive to micromolar concentrations of Al,&#xA;the potential for soils to be Al toxic is considerable. Fortunately, most of the Al is bound by ligands or occurs in other nonphytotoxic forms such as aluminosilicates and precipitates. However, solubilization of this Al is enhanced by low pH and &lt;strong&gt;Al toxicity is a major factor limiting plant production on acid soils.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/107/2/315.full.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/107/2/315.full.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why would you want to add more of this to your soil?  Aluminum doesn't acidify the soil, but aluminum becomes more readily available to plants as the soil becomes more acid.  &lt;strong&gt;Ph is a measure of H+ ions in the soil.  It has nothing to do with aluminum.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What does Ph mean?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In technical terms, pH is the negative logarithm of the activity of the (solvated) hydronium ion, more often expressed as the measure of the hydronium ion concentration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The exact meaning of the &amp;quot;p&amp;quot; in &amp;quot;pH&amp;quot; is disputed, but according to the Carlsberg Foundation pH stands for &amp;quot;power of hydrogen&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What do acid-loving plants actually need?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Actually, what blueberries like is Magnesium.  They grow well in acid soils because calcium is low, which lowers the Ca:Mg ratio and provides the plant with more access to Mg with less competition from Ca.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;pH is a measure of free Hydrogen ions in water. It measures Hydrogen ion concentration, H+ and OH-, and that’s all it does. One can change the soil pH with any acid or alkali. You can raise the pH with sodium hydroxide, which is lye, drain cleaner, or lower it with hydrochloric acid, for instance, but they aren’t going to give you much growth stimulus. They will probably kill the plant. A slightly acid pH of about 6 or 6.5 is ideal, because it gives just the right amount of electrical conductivity in the soil, but plants aren’t nearly as finicky about pH as they are about having the right balance of soil minerals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rhododendrons, for instance, are supposed to require an acid soil. What they really prefer is a high Magnesium soil. Experimenters in Scotland raised the pH of soil from 5.0 to nearly 8.0 with Magnesium Carbonate, and the rhodies grew better and better as the soil pH went up because the Magnesium level was going up. pH had little to do with it.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, this is a good thing to know if you are trying to grow rhododendrons in New Mexico, for instance, where the soil is frequently alkaline to start with, although there you would want to use an acid form of Magnesium like Magnesium sulfate, Epsom salts. But your garden, your farm crops and your fruits and berries wouldn’t necessarily like it (except the blueberries). High levels of Magnesium in relation to Calcium are common in Organic gardening and farming, though, because people are told to lime their soils with dolomite lime, which is high in Magnesium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilminerals.com/AgricolaII.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.soilminerals.com/AgricolaII.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, &lt;strong&gt;its not ph that matters as much as its the right nutrient combination for the plant.&lt;/strong&gt;  It just so happens that the right nutrient combination is most often found in a naturally acid soil.  That observation doesn't necessarily mean that the soil must be acid and in no way infers anything about aluminum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How do sulfates acidify the soil?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aluminum sulfate acidifies the soil because of the sulfate, not the aluminum.  Actually, its possible aluminum, being Al+++, could take the place of 3 hydrogen ions (H+), though more likely is it would take the place of a Ca++ and 1 H+.  Anyway, its the sulfate which causes acidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;SO4 + 2 H2O = 2 H2SO4 + O2&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sulfate + water = sulfuric acid + oxygen&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ammonium sulfate is NH4 + SO4, so not only will the sulfate make sulfuric acid, but the NH4 (ammonium) will break down to NO3 (nitrate) and release extra H+ into the soil, which makes the soil more acid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Same thing with epsom salts.  Mg + SO4.  Sulfate when added to water takes the hydrogen out of water and makes an acid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why is aluminum sulfate especially harmful to blueberries?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blueberries have sensitive roots which lack root hairs found on most plants.  The application of nitrates is known to &amp;quot;burn&amp;quot; blueberry roots and could kill the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/pdf/Fertilizing%20Blueberries.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; and take note on page 9 of the pic of blueberry roots with NH4 and NO3.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blueberries, and their relatives’ cranberries, lingonberries, and bilberries have somewhat unique N requirements. They are not able to use nitrate forms of N (NO3-N) effectively. These plants have evolved in soil conditions that do not naturally contain a significant amount of NO3-N and they depend more on ammonium-N (NH4-N). Blueberries take up both forms of N, but they have limited nitrate reductase activity. Nitrate reductase is an enzyme that is needed to convert nitrate to amino acids and proteins. The limited nitrate reductase system in blueberries means that they cannot efficiently utilize nitrate forms of N. Some reports also state that excessive nitrate fertilization can lead to leaf burn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I'm pretty sure &amp;quot;leaf burn&amp;quot; is a misprint, it should probably be &amp;quot;root burn&amp;quot;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also consider from the 1st page:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blueberries have fine, fibrous roots that do not develop root-hairs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Going back to the first &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/107/2/315.full.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; I posted:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most easily recognized symptom of Al toxicity is the inhibition of root growth, and this has become a widely accepted measure of Al stress in plants. In simple nutrient&#xA;solutions micromolar concentrations of Al can begin to inhibit root growth within 60 min.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So if Al harms roots and blueberries have fine, sensitive roots, why would you want to add aluminum to your soil for the benefit of blueberries?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Furthermore, aluminum sulfate dissolves in water and becomes immediately available to plants (as a toxin).  As opposed to the aluminum in soil that is locked-up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, from page 45 of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/pdf/Fertilizing%20Blueberries.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;spectrum analytics site&lt;/a&gt; which contained the root pics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aluminum deserves special attention with blueberries because of the very acid soil pH which the crop requires.&lt;/strong&gt; At&#xA;these acid pH’s, there is often a considerable amount of soluble Al in the soil solution. This can cause several&#xA;negative results. First, soluble Al has a strong affinity for soluble P. This is the same form of P that the blueberries&#xA;require. The result of the excess soluble Al can be the requirement for a higher soil P test than suggested by us and&#xA;other authorities. Another potential problem is the cation competition caused by excessive soluble Al. The likely&#xA;result of this cation competition is reduced uptake of one or more of the cation micronutrients (Cu, Mn, Fe, and&#xA;Zn). About the only way to identify either of these potential problems is with leaf analysis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And then from page 117 &lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/AGRS097h.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do not use aluminum sulfate to lower the soil pH because aluminum is toxic to blueberries&lt;/strong&gt; and is already present in many soils in the region in quantities that can negatively impact blueberry plants once the pH is lowered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From page 2 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/JF%20Blueberry.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do NOT use aluminum sulfate, as this material is toxic to blueberries.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully one day nurseries will stop recommending aluminum sulfate for anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-08-22T18:24:30.113" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8211" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1337" CreationDate="2013-08-22T19:37:56.857" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a very similar problem with my Japanese box plants. What I did is: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;completely remove all the mulch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;add some Monoammonium Phosphate (MAP) fertilizer, and &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;check the soil every other day, checking for the moisture content, not too dry, nor too wet. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not a gardener but these tricks fixed my problem. Now my plants are beautiful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2648" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-23T04:12:06.067" LastActivityDate="2013-08-23T04:12:06.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8212" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8219" CreationDate="2013-08-22T22:19:49.333" Score="5" ViewCount="443" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a house and there is a bush I would like to know the name.&#xA;It has pink flowers in it but I think they appear late summer.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone help identify the name please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zka27.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xRfu6.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1693" LastActivityDate="2013-08-23T13:28:09.597" Title="Can someone help me identify this bush?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8213" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8214" CreationDate="2013-08-23T01:40:29.537" Score="5" ViewCount="3024" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to have a compost bin but my wife is (quite validly) concerned that it will be a bug factory. We already have a lot of gnats that drive her crazy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2649" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-23T04:09:07.363" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T20:24:28.850" Title="How do I keep my compost bin from breeding bugs?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8214" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8213" CreationDate="2013-08-23T02:32:50.917" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't avoid bugs in compost. They're an important part of the process but there are a few things you can do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/slow-cool-composting-easy-way&quot;&gt;passive, cold composting&lt;/a&gt;, where you just throw in material and let things decay on their own over the course of months then you'll have an environment that is better for bugs. You can still do some things to deter nuisance bugs such as making sure any kitchen scraps you put in the bin are pushed deep into the pile or are covered with something like dry grass clippings, thatch or fall leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're doing &lt;a href=&quot;http://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/compost_rapidcompost.pdf&quot;&gt;active, hot composting&lt;/a&gt; which is a little more involved in terms of getting the right carbon to nitrogen ratio, making sure the pile has good air flow and turning it on a regular basis, the heat in the initial phases will kill not only weed seeds and some soil borne pathogens but also eggs of any insects that have been laid in the pile. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the hot, active phase is over, some bugs may be attracted to the pile. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Insects aren't that big of a deal though in my experience. They like the pile so they don't venture too far away from it. If you put your compost pile in an out of the way location you'll barely notice them unless you're going to add something to the pile or going to turn it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since they're so content in the pile they're not in other places in the yard. The only ones I notice are a half dozen or so flying ones when I check the bin if I forgot to bury kitchen scraps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-08-23T02:32:50.917" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8215" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8220" CreationDate="2013-08-23T08:47:02.093" Score="1" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a book that helps me understand the basics of botanic and horticulture. I'm mostly interested in trees but if treats other kinds of plants that's great too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I'm looking for is not a reference of different species but something more general. It could include advice over some topics but it should come with a scientific explanation justifying it. Some of the topics that it could include are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do seeds work? How are they triggered to germinate?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do roots develop and interact with the soil?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How are different nutrients used?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do plants react to pruning?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What triggers the creation of flowers and fruits?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do plants interact with pests (insects, fungi, etc)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Interaction of annual seasons&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, I'm completely OK with a technical book, as long as it doesn't presume a lot of previous knowledge in the field. I am also OK with recommendations that don't cover the full range of topics, focusing on some of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions? Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2647" LastActivityDate="2013-08-23T13:06:51.997" Title="Book to understand how plants work" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;resources&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2013-08-23T13:41:37.903" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8216" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8218" CreationDate="2013-08-23T08:50:56.140" Score="6" ViewCount="1837" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bDflc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this mushroom or animal? I can remove the black dots by slightly scratching the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2650" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-22T12:32:44.010" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T12:32:44.010" Title="What is this black spotted disease on my orange tree?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8217" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8261" CreationDate="2013-08-23T09:10:47.843" Score="5" ViewCount="1790" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5PIYP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;description&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I press these little dots, there is a white cream-like substance inside.  Some leaves are completely eaten, but I am not sure if it is linked. This plant, a rose tree,  had fallen on the ground when I arrived in the garden, hence lot of insects could eat it.&#xA;This photo was taken in Singapore.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2650" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-20T18:23:57.513" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T17:07:48.697" Title="What are these black spots on my rose tree?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8218" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8216" CreationDate="2013-08-23T10:55:46.403" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can remove them from the leave then they are scale.  Due to the dark colour I believe they are Black Scale (Saissetia oleae). They suck juices from the plant and excrete a sugary sap.  Look for sticky leaves.  Ants are sometimes seen in close company with these pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For small plants some control can be done with soap and water but a complete answer is &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4548/can-anyone-identify-this-abnormality-that-is-on-my-dwarf-citrus&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are described &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r107301411.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and an excellent answer on maintenance of citrus is &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5633/what-care-should-i-give-my-lemon-and-orange-tree-after-8-months-neglect/5635#5635&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit @RockScience feels they are a different species of scale for which a reference can be found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.invasive.org/browse/subinfo.cfm?sub=9295&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. Either way soap and water and possibly a toothbrush for &quot;hands on&quot; pest control will work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-08-23T19:31:15.290" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8219" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8212" CreationDate="2013-08-23T12:21:34.657" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euonymus_alatus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Euonymus alatus&lt;/a&gt;, the burning bush or spindle tree. Look for the leaves to turn a bright red in fall and older branches to have corky &quot;wings&quot;. It is possible that this is the dwarf cultivar &quot;compactus&quot; as the plant pictured is about the right size of three to four feet (1 to 1.5 M).  The species is sold as a shrub in North America but can grow to be a tree of eight feet tall (2 to 3 M).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although this plant is popular Wikipedia notes it is considered an invasive species in&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Eastern North America, and its importation and sale is prohibited in&#xA;  the states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is easy to grow but can be subject to scale attacks which can be treated with soap and water.  A native North American plant that will fulfill the same function in the landscape is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_verticillata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Winterberry&lt;/a&gt; or Ilex verticillata.  It too has good fall colour, red berries and is adaptable to a wide range of soil and light conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-08-23T13:28:09.597" LastActivityDate="2013-08-23T13:28:09.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8220" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8215" CreationDate="2013-08-23T13:06:51.997" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Phew, the list of things you mention that you'd like covered constitute half the syllabus of a senior horticultural course lasting three years, so it's very difficult to single out something. I guess you could start with something like David Attenborough's The Private Life of Plants, which is a BBC publication. Doesn't deal too much with science (as in the Krebs cycle and gas exchange, etc.,) but it would be a starting point. If you want something more serious with more science, then &quot;Botany - An Introduction to Plant Biology&quot; ISBN 0-471-86840 by Weier/Stocking/Barbour/Rost might be more suitable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-08-23T13:06:51.997" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8221" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4366" CreationDate="2013-08-23T13:08:45.983" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had/have the same problem -as they never go away, keep coming back once they get used to one solution. Check if there are no chipmunks, they might also be digging and making a mess. I have used moth balls and it worked for a while. When they came back to a different area -I have a very small flower bed area- now I'm using the pepper solution w/o jalapenos yet. I just spread a mix of pepper, onion and garlic, and so far it seems it is working! My next step would be trying the bucket with water and sunflower seeds -I'm sick of them- I read they go in and drown in the water as they cannot come out. I will let you know when that comes around...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2652" LastActivityDate="2013-08-23T13:08:45.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8209" CreationDate="2013-08-23T13:18:48.270" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you just want to use it to keep hydrangeas blue, then fine, but sequestered iron is more useful for rhododenrons, usually. Also works on the hydrangeas, in my experience. Sold in the UK as Sequestrene Iron Tonic, but other companies produce it with added ingredients such as magnesium or seaweed extracts. A useful remedy for chlorotic lime hating plants, and useful for blueberries too, because they, like all the other lime haters, have trouble taking up iron in alkaline conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-08-23T13:18:48.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8203" CreationDate="2013-08-23T21:25:41.703" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only thing I think you can do in your situation is install &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_drain&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;exterior drains&lt;/a&gt; to divert water around the structure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-08-23T21:25:41.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8225" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3801" CreationDate="2013-08-23T23:44:50.217" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not all Nepenthes will work as house plants. I have tried N. alata with no luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;N. miranda is a hybrid that I have had good luck with. I bought it at Lowest as an adult larger plant 5 years ago. It is a fussy plant as far as repotting. Taking several months to start growing well. Despite this it gets used to normal New England conditions. I grow it in a bay window and water it when the top of the bark mix gets dry. It sees winter humidity of 20 percent  and strong summer sun. At most I mist once a week and under these conditions this Nepenthes has about 10 traps and 5 growths. The longest vine is about 5 feet long and has 4, and counting, upper pitchers. It has flowered twice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So some nepenthes can be like a big bug eating house plant with no extra care. This plant has solved an ant problem in the house also. In my green house I have around 20 more Nepenthes. Not sure if any would do well in the house. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of my plants are hybrids crosses with truncata/merrilanna/maximal etc. So these plants get very large and will someday have two foot pitchers. As of now only 12 inch on some. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All these plants will have to go to my basement for the winter. It is too costly to heat the greenhouse but rather than going into wood boxes with lights they will go into a 6 x 8 greenhouse in the basement With lights. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have rooted N. alata and grown it for a year in wet sand. In other words some things work for some and not for others. A plant that pitchers is happy having the light, humidity and soil mix/ water that it needs. N. miranda for me is a house plant and very easy to care for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2654" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-08-24T12:25:06.660" LastActivityDate="2013-08-24T12:25:06.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8226" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8129" CreationDate="2013-08-24T00:25:35.453" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use an electric lawnmower, which I actually am quite happy with now that I have learned to manage the extension cord.  I've found it is much more reliable than gas mowers I have used in the past, and I enjoy not having to store/buy/refill/mix gas for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cord does limit the effective range of the lawnmower, so if you have a large lawn, it may not be an option.  Additionally, it takes some time to learn to manage the cord, similarly to how one might manage the cord while vacuuming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a smaller yard though, I do recommend an electric lawn mower.  Look for good reviews before buying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2512" LastActivityDate="2013-08-24T00:25:35.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8227" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2473" CreationDate="2013-08-24T10:22:52.210" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The basic main assembly would fit without modification. One of my assemblies even with Y-splitter is measured at 25 cm (10&quot;) vertically, and includes a timer, back-flow preventer, pressure regulator and a simple screen filter:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1lxAk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Basic main assembly&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More elaborate set-up with a larger Y-filter, brass back-flow preventer, proportioner or other type of fertilizer injector may require more space indeed. Placing the whole assembly on the board to hang on the post or the wall and connect to it via short hose is a good idea, and it can be easily taken off as a whole for storage, but it can have its drawbacks, as it can be considered unsightly, and is exposed to the sun damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option is to place it at or below the ground level for concealment. Below are two illustrations from 1992 edition of Robert Kourik’s &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2326632.Drip_Irrigation_for_Every_Landscape_and_All_Climates&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Drip Irrigation for Every Landscape and All Climates&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; that show the main assembly set-ups below the ground in the box, and above the ground. For above the ground option author recommends letting the ground cover grow around it for protection and concealment (keep in mind the ability to remove it for winter storage — don’t let vines tangle it all up). Likewise, the box can be placed above the ground as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The illustrations present more professional assemblies cutting into water supply, and generally a little convoluted and complicated-looking (keep in mind, the book is also over 20 years old), but the basic principle applies for a simpler modern assembly, and the short length of hose from the bib can also be used to route into the box or to the ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iInYJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Below the ground main assembly&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dvh0m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ground level main assembly&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, important point to consider is that simple plastic atmospheric back-flow preventer may not work correctly if placed too low in relation to the rest of the system (some recommend 30 cm (12&quot;) above the highest point in the system), so you could screw it onto the bib itself before the length of hose, or use more expensive brass-type preventer and check-valve combination (check the local building codes for requirements — generally, check-valve alone is not enough) to place closer to the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1948" LastActivityDate="2013-08-24T10:22:52.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8228" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2473" CreationDate="2013-08-24T11:30:28.610" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can get short garden hoses anywhere from 6' to 15' in length. They also make shorter lengths about 6&quot; long that are usually sold as &quot;Kink Protectors&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-08-24T11:30:28.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8229" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9057" CreationDate="2013-08-24T12:30:27.153" Score="2" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;What should I do to care for an olive tree when it gets cold (here in the UK)? The tree is about 3 feet tall and I have access to a greenhouse (unheated).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastEditorUserId="1948" LastEditDate="2013-08-24T16:53:36.503" LastActivityDate="2014-03-03T10:26:15.873" Title="What should I do to care for a small olive tree in the winter (South Wales)?" Tags="&lt;winter-gardening&gt;&lt;olive&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8231" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-25T00:11:55.850" Score="8" ViewCount="122" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to propagate an apple tree? I'm thinking the best way might be to cut off a small twig and splice into another tree, but what kind of tree would be good for this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2656" LastActivityDate="2013-10-01T20:58:25.923" Title="Propagate an apple tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8232" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8258" CreationDate="2013-08-25T00:43:10.160" Score="7" ViewCount="20727" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend gave me some mint, and didn't mention what type it is. How can I tell if it's spearmint, peppermint, apple mint, lemon mint, or some other variety?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I googled some pictures, but quite frankly, all the pictures look very similar -- four leaves growing from the center which a textured leaf and a rich, green colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it helps, I see what appears to be a purplish stolon making it's way across the surface of the soil (my soil is clay so I have this planted in maybe 3-4&quot; deep soil right now).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZG7P7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Overall plant)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8judE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Close-up of leaves and flower. I picked alternatingly, so the plant originally has groups of four leaves.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q4xwW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over-ground purplish stolon)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="606" LastEditDate="2013-08-31T22:21:44.330" LastActivityDate="2015-12-08T15:03:30.623" Title="Identifying the type of mint" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1904" CreationDate="2013-08-25T13:01:47.817" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you need to know in order to properly design and install an irrigation system for your landscape is more than can be covered in an answer on this site. (Though Mike Perry did a great job of covering the broad strokes.) The information would fill up an entire website. Luckily someone has created such a site. If you're serious about doing this yourself you must read &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.irrigationtutorials.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Irrigation Tutorials&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mike mentioned this site but I just wanted to add my endorsement for it. It is the most thorough collection of articles on the topic I have read and it is from an independent source who doesn't just pitch their own products. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you start reading it all the different factors and calculations may seem a bit overwhelming but as you continue to read and learn it makes more sense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the sketches you provided your sprinkler head placements would result in uneven watering. I made the same mistake when trying to plan an irrigation system before I started reading. Proper head placement and spacing is covered on Irrigation Tutorials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-08-25T13:01:47.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8235" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8259" CreationDate="2013-08-25T13:14:04.813" Score="3" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to propagate my mint plant, intending to eventually transplant the main growth (maybe next year). For now, I've taken some cuttings and I'm waiting for them to root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As of writing, it's now end of August. According to my local area notes, early frost is the first couple of days of October.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How close to early frost can I plant something like mint, which is generally hardy and resilient? Or rather, what is the right combination of age and time to early frost that will make my mint survive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastActivityDate="2013-08-28T11:43:58.190" Title="Will mint die if planted within a month of early frost?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;frost&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8236" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3683" CreationDate="2013-08-25T13:17:05.607" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cypress hasn't been mentioned so I thought I'd throw that out there. It has very good decay and insect resistance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cypress has the approval of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burton_Guster&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Burton Guster II&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Henry Spencer:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; So what kind of wood are we gonna use for these&#xA;  bookshelves, Gus?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Burton 'Gus' Guster:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; Uhhh... cypress.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Shawn Spencer:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; Cypress? Really?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Burton 'Gus' Guster:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; It's a good wood. It's what Noah's Ark was made of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;:)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also the wood that is currently being used to make raised garden bed kits sold by &lt;a href=&quot;http://squarefootgardening.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Square Foot Gardening&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also want to look into concrete block. Smaller blocks such as 4x8x16 seem to be the right size as do some of the concrete edging. Cost per linear foot is cheaper than the expensive, naturally decay resistant wood and it lasts a lot longer. Cons are it's a little harder to install properly it might not be as pretty depending on your tastes, skill level and ultimate design.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some concerns about using concrete due to the additives. I've read conflicting information on the subject so I encourage you to do a search and come to your own conclusion if you use cement blocks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-08-25T13:17:05.607" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8237" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-25T18:08:17.957" Score="3" ViewCount="185" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a twisted /contorted / japanese/ willow tree (it is I'd say about 20ft high at the moment )next to my small garden pond. My son planted it (from a cutting) over the resting place of a deceased pet 14 or so years ago. It has grown very fast has no main trunk but four main parts, predictably perhaps, growing outwards rather than straight up. It has now been pollarded back twice. I am now wondering as the garden is small whether I ought soon to think of cutting it down and somehow stopping the root growth (chemically?) but I would prefer to retain the body of the tree in order to; a) to install a platform- balcony affair where I can sit, and b) thus to provide some shade and cover for the pond and it's inhabitants. Is this even possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2658" LastActivityDate="2013-08-25T18:08:17.957" Title="How to halt the growth but leave the tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;pond&gt;&lt;weeping-willow&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2013-09-19T14:14:48.253" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="58" CreationDate="2013-08-25T21:16:38.327" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to suggest you take the advice of those who are local to you, they will have more first hand experience than those who might suggest that non-native varieties are too difficult.  So, many people, myself included, have successfully grown fruiting mango trees in Phoenix.  The suggestion not to grow from a seed is a good one, you should get a grafted variety because it's unlikely that a seed from even a tasty mango will produce a fruit that's good eating, due to the nature of the seeds.  Make sure it gets plenty of water.  Mangos can handle all the Phoenix summer sun you can throw at it.  In the wintertime, when it drops under 40 degrees, water it and lay a cover over it at night so it'll stay warm.  A little luck and a little elbow grease is all that's needed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2659" LastActivityDate="2013-08-25T21:16:38.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8239" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8240" CreationDate="2013-08-26T14:01:19.590" Score="3" ViewCount="302" Body="&lt;p&gt;This moving from a rental to owning a home and having lawn care is certainly a learning experience... We're working to have a lawn of St. Augustine grass here in Southwest Florida. I've successfully helped out an area using plugs, but have much of the yard (probably around 40%) with areas where there grow up a few days after cutting. Are these weeds or a type of grass? I tried uploading an image to Google Image search but didn't get any help. Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unkfrank.com/images/StackExchange/GrassWeedSeed.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lawn Weed or Seed http://www.unkfrank.com/images/StackExchange/GrassWeedSeed.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2359" LastActivityDate="2013-08-26T19:14:32.007" Title="What is this growing in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8240" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8239" CreationDate="2013-08-26T15:37:53.243" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sedge or more commonly known around here as Sawgrass for the nasty cuts you can get off the leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's found in swamps and overly wet areas in your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Catch the seed heads before they mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A2xKT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2013-08-26T19:14:32.007" LastActivityDate="2013-08-26T19:14:32.007" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8241" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-26T16:10:31.783" Score="5" ViewCount="3275" Body="&lt;p&gt;I trimmed my Leylandii hedge some weeks ago. And one day I went outside and found this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CTU1Al.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HHHR1l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VkFSpl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bAWuGl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another part of the hedge...&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do? I am new at gardening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2611" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-26T18:07:30.997" LastActivityDate="2014-09-28T12:01:16.250" Title="How should I do about dry patches in my Leylandii hedge?" Tags="&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;leylandii&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8244" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-26T18:16:27.747" Score="2" ViewCount="288" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have one lemon plant in my house. I have seen a small leaf eater insect on my plant (picture attached)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3a7DY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;soft bodied insect on a leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How I remove this insect from my plant. Please give suggestions. Thanks in advance.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2079" LastEditorUserId="2079" LastEditDate="2018-06-20T17:46:12.053" LastActivityDate="2018-06-20T17:46:12.053" Title="How Can I remove leaf eater insect from the lemon plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="8245" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8253" CreationDate="2013-08-26T18:39:25.267" Score="2" ViewCount="2394" Body="&lt;p&gt;In relation to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7347/how-do-i-fix-the-worst-lawn-on-the-street&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; question, I have leveled a big portion of my lawn and am looking into laying sod now as opposed to seed, mostly b/c I don't want to wait for the seed to fully grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, it will only be portion of the lawn, in which case part of the lawn will probably look brand new, and the other portions will look worn (until next year when I do the rest!) My question is, is this common practice? Or is sod only used for small patches or an entire lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2162" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-08-26T22:58:27.423" Title="Is it common to only sod a portion of a lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8247" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-26T19:13:44.327" Score="1" ViewCount="5898" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm doing a science fair project for 8th grade and I'm trying to decide my hypothesis but I'm oblivious .&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2665" LastActivityDate="2013-08-26T22:00:50.037" Title="Does soap mixed with water kill plants??" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2014-08-30T14:18:13.707" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8248" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7595" CreationDate="2013-08-26T21:09:01.427" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what the weed is, but you should definitely remove it as it is not allowing the prune tree to get the sunlight it needs, and the weed is competing with the prune tree for water and nutrients in the soil.  Be sure to remove the weed carefully so as not to damage the roots of your prune tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2615" LastActivityDate="2013-08-26T21:09:01.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8247" CreationDate="2013-08-26T22:00:50.037" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not unless you mix a lot of soap with a little bit of water.  Soap is a fatty acid and when applied in a thick coat and left on the leaves and stems will burn soft plant tissue.&#xA;Your project could easily test this if you can find ten or twelve plants that are all alike (end of season sales anyone?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leave three as a control and do nothing, take three and apply soap and water at the recommended rate of 10 ml per liter. For the other two groups apply soap at a much increased concentration.&#xA;Spray and observe...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-08-26T22:00:50.037" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8250" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8245" CreationDate="2013-08-26T22:02:27.823" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can mix and match.  Sod from a sod farm may not be the same mix of grass types as you have in your lawn but if you over seed in the spring with more grass seed by late spring you won't know the difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-08-26T22:02:27.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8244" CreationDate="2013-08-26T22:05:45.870" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know what the insect is but it looks like a soft bodied insect and should respond well to 10 ml of dish soap added to one liter of water and sprayed on the entire plant.  Repeat the applications at five to seven day intervals at least twice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Success lies with getting good coverage of the tops and undersides of the leaves and stems.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In areas of the world with intense sun you may wish to rinse the plant off after five minutes to prevent a buildup of soap on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-08-26T22:05:45.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8252" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-26T22:05:58.507" Score="3" ViewCount="240" Body="&lt;p&gt;My poblano peppers are still producing a lot of flowers and I think they will not have time to form mature peppers. Would it help the plant to cut those flowers off now to help speed up the growth of the present smaller peppers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2666" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-08-28T14:32:18.817" LastActivityDate="2013-08-28T14:32:46.083" Title="Will removing flowers at the end of the season make peppers ripen faster?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8245" CreationDate="2013-08-26T22:58:27.423" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;First some background.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can get a fairly uniform look once everything settles but it's important to realize that there are hundreds, or thousands of cultivars of seed that have slight differences in appearance. Everything from color, texture, growth rate can vary as can other factors such as resistance to drought and disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few main families of commercially sold grass seed which most people shopping for lawn seed will have heard of. Kentucky Bluegrass, Tall Fescue, Fine Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass, Bermuda, St Augustine, Zoysia, etc. These are the main species of grass and what you'll normally find in big letters on the front of the grass seed package.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not all seed bags contain a single type of grass seed. Some contain a mix. For example a mix of tall fescue and kentucky bluegrass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the back of the bag you will find a certification label that shows the exact cultivars of grass seed in the mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get a decent match you need to identify the type of grass that is currently in your lawn. You won't be able to know the exact cultivars unless you know what the grass had been seeded with but figuring out if it's tall fescue, bluegrass, bermuda, etc is possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you go to get sod buy the same type of grass that is growing in your yard. Best way to accomplish that is cut out a section of turn from your lawn and bring it to the sod farm for comparison and advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-08-26T22:58:27.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8254" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2861" CreationDate="2013-08-26T23:10:06.367" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are hand or sprinkler watering, place some empty tuna fish cans in the area.  The resulting water standing in the tins will tell you how much you have given. For container plants, check to see that water is draining out 15 minutes later.  Never let containers dry out. Small containers may need water every 1-2 days. Use 2&quot; of fine mulch on the top of the container.  I use 2 year old hose manure composted with pine sawdust.  It looks fine and crumbly and retains moisture but drains well.  Bottom 1- 2&quot; of pots do well with tree chips from an arborist ~ fir or pine is best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2667" LastActivityDate="2013-08-26T23:10:06.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8255" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7347" CreationDate="2013-08-27T06:09:33.250" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;MDMoore,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's too much info I want to share to post as a comment so I'm starting another answer. I'm also going to link to some sections of my blog for further reading when you have some time. I've been in your shoes before. There's no easy fix. Some of the things you're saying, questions you're asking remind me of me when I first got started. People told me you can't just do a little something and expect great results. They were right. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of my advice is going to be with organic products because that's what I have the most experience with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I split my lawn up into public/private. Public being the front/side lawn that is most visible and the private is the not so visible mainly consisting of the backyard. I renovated the entire public section last fall. I broke it up into sections because each section had different characteristics that I wanted to monitor but I did all the sections at the same time. Each section is it's own little island of grass surrounded by concrete paths, driveway or garden beds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just to clarify so we're on the same page. I would never sod or seed just a portion of a section as I had defined it. As I mentioned in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8245/is-it-common-to-only-sod-a-portion-of-a-lawn&quot;&gt;other thread&lt;/a&gt; there are so many different types of grass seed that if you don't know what you have chances are there will be a noticeable difference in the two. If you can't do the whole thing I would recommend splitting it up like I did, front and back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were you, I wouldn't sod this year. As I stated in my previous answer, you need to figure out why you have problems in those areas where you have problems. Laying new sod without solving the problem is likely going to result in the sod just dying next year. Sod is more expensive than seed and it could just be a waste of time and money.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is what I would do instead. If you plan on doing this you need to get started soon. Right now is the ideal time to plant new grass&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would spot spray some of the weeds to kill them. People commonly use RoundUp or some other glyphosate based herbicide. I used a couple of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2012/08/organic-lawn-renovation-burnout-ii-vs.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;organic roundup alternatives&lt;/a&gt; to kill my whole lawn but you can use them just to spot treat areas which I am doing this year in my backyard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Give it a few days to kill the weeds then mow the lawn on the lowest setting you can on your mower. This is going to harm the grass and stunt it's growth. Normally a bad thing but this is what we want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next, dethatch the lawn to help get rid of built up thatch and expose the soil. You can rent a gas powered dethatcher at most tool rental places. I like to use a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2009/06/removing-ground-ivy-from-lawn.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;manual thatch rake&lt;/a&gt;. I don't mind the work and its a different way to get some exercise outdoors on a nice day. Pile up all the thatch in a corner to start a compost pile if you don't have one. It also makes a good mulch for vegetable gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spread some fertilizer around using a spreader. I like organics because you don't have to be too precise. They won't burn your lawn and they're good for the soil, not just for the plants. There's an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2009/10/organic-starter-fertilizer.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;organic starter fertilizer&lt;/a&gt; available from Espoma that has some added microbes which help the soil. The first time I used it I had to mail order it but I've been seeing it more at local garden center. If you don't find the starter fertilizer go with any organic fertilizer as long as it does not contain Corn Gluten Meal. Corn Gluten Meal can prevent weed and grass seeds from germinating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spread some decent grass seed at 1/2 the recommended rates throughout the lawn following the instructions on the package.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might be too late for a soil test but you can try one of those little DIY pH test kits to check yourself. If your soil needs lime add some to help correct it. I have some general information on liming your lawn as part of my review for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2009/05/encap-fast-acting-lime-review.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Encap Fast Acting Lime&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get some compost. A lot of it. You want around 1 cubic yard for every 1,000 sq ft of lawn. If you can get it delivered in bulk it's cheaper. Lay a tarp on your driveway and they'll dump it on there. Then use a wheelbarrow and stiff tine rake like a bowrake to help spread it around evenly throughout your lawn. Not cheap but improving the soil is going to be comparable to buying sod. It's going to be better for your lawn and easier to apply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The compost step is the only big time and money expense. If you want to skip it this year if you're too busy or not ready to commit to that at least get a few bags to spread over the really bad areas. Getting a bulk deliver is usually much cheaper so it probably won't save much money but might save some labor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next spread the remaining grass seed at 1/2 the recommended rate over the compost. Go over it lightly with a rake and start watering as per instructions for your grass seed. Give it one good soak to settle everything then 3-4 times a day depending on your weather give it a light sprinkling so the seed and soil around it stay moist. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the end of fall/beginning of winter give the lawn one more shot of fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may sound like a lot of work but this is actually easier and cheaper than doing sod the right way. You can't just lay sod without preparing the soil first and that's the hardest part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next year you should have at least a half way decent lawn and that may be good enough for you. If not, you have time to do some soil tests for your problem areas and come up with a better plan.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Learn about properly maintaining your lawn for next year. Proper mowing and watering can make a huge difference. Mulch mow your clippings helps return fertilizer and water back to the lawn. All the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2008/08/no-and-low-cost-lawn-care.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;no and low cost lawn care tips&lt;/a&gt; I posted on my blog were basically all I did to take care of my lawn when I was first staring. Not much in the way of fertilizer. It made a noticeable difference in the quality of my lawn right away. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One more time to be annoying and add emphasis... :) Sod is a living thing. It's not carpet. If you lay it without fixing the conditions that caused the old lawn to die, the new sod will die too resulting in a waste of time and money. If you insist on sodding instead of seeding, do all the steps I mentioned above except you need to kill and remove all the old grass and weeds using a sod cutter. The sod needs to come into contact with the soil and you need to properly amend and prepare the soil. If you lay sod over your old grass it won't come in contact with the soil and will die.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to get this done within the next couple weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-08-27T06:09:33.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8213" CreationDate="2013-08-27T08:10:14.343" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would suggest to look at bokashi. This is not composting but fermenting the kitchen litter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will reduce the amount of bugs because it will smell less interesting to them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There still will be critters that love to eat this bokashi: worms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Empty a bokashi bucket into the soil and the worms will do the rest. Happy plants, happy critters, happy people. Win-win-win.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And it's way easier than active or passive composting too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1069" LastActivityDate="2013-08-27T08:10:14.343" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8257" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8268" CreationDate="2013-08-27T11:15:30.103" Score="5" ViewCount="311" Body="&lt;p&gt;I successfully created several composts over the last two years using, what I believe is the &quot;cold compost method&quot;. I have an open heap which I turn from time to time during the initial year. I used it in the second year for all kind of things mainly for enriching the soil, compost tea and for a seed-starting-mix (I even used it pure). In my eyes it works well in these three kinds of applications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However there is one thing which I'd like to improve. Especially for the seed-starting-process I noticed that there is plenty unwanted germination most likely coming from unwanted seeds in the compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to clear, posterior, the compost from weed-seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read somewhere that putting the soil into the microwave helps. With that I assume that the applied heat will kill at least the seeds and maybe other unwanted &quot;things&quot;. Can I use an oven as well? Is cooking the compost-soil over an open fire a possibility? What would be the highest temperature allowed? In other words, is there a risk of reducing the quality of the compost when it gets too hot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2013-08-27T14:49:27.950" LastActivityDate="2013-08-28T12:19:39.280" Title="Clearing composted matter from weed seeds by using heat" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8232" CreationDate="2013-08-27T11:39:57.240" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just to confuse the picture even more, there is a chocolate mint which has purplish stolons. There are, in fact, hundreds of varieties of mint, some of which are commercially grown for oil extraction or for leaf drying, and a lot of which haven't even been given names, being known as Mint 341, etc. There is a big difference in taste between spearmint and peppermint, but detecting the difference in other varieties is difficult for lots of people because it's subtle, so unless the appearance is different, it's hard to tell. I certainly can't detect any chocolate taste in chocolate mint, but then it may be called that because it has a chocolatey colour in parts. In the end, whether you use it for culinary purposes or not is down to personal taste, but all varieties are, in growth, extremely invasive plants in open ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Doesn't look like chocolate mint - the leaves are slightly longer and more pointed on that one, and often flushed with a brownish tinge near the leaf stalk. I note it does have dark stems though (top picture) and the leaves don't look shiny, so I'm assuming they're slightly fuzzy or hairy. Knowing what colour the flowers are might help with ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-09-01T11:09:40.067" LastActivityDate="2013-09-01T11:09:40.067" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8259" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8235" CreationDate="2013-08-27T12:59:01.033" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Now we come back to your other question, which mint have you got. All mint varieties commonly available are hardy in your USDA zone, except one, which is Mentha x piperita vulgaris, common name Black Stem Peppermint, which is hardy from Zone 6 upwards. This one has almost purple stems with dark green, oval leaves which have a small, toothed margin. If you decide yours is not this one, then the next slightly more vulnerable one is any fruit scented mint (pineapple mint, etc.), which are hardy from Zone 5 upwards, but might mean it's better being planted in Spring rather than now. All the others should be fine if planted now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: If you're not able to decide whether its the slightly more tender variety, plant some and keep a couple inside - that way, if you lose those outside, you've got some stock left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-08-28T11:43:58.190" LastActivityDate="2013-08-28T11:43:58.190" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8252" CreationDate="2013-08-27T13:21:15.440" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, just like tomatoes, it should help redirect the plant's energy into ripening what's there rather than growing on burgeoning fruits from flowers. You can remove the leaves and stems above the existing fruits you want to keep as well, which also helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-08-27T13:21:15.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8261" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8217" CreationDate="2013-08-27T14:50:33.170" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having magnified the picture, I can see what looks like a white, cottony area extruding round the edges of the black 'dots', which would strongly suggest some kind of scale infestation. I don't know where you are in the world, so it's hard to confirm exactly what it is and what the treatment might be for your area. Rose scale infestation is not that uncommon, but they usually inhabit the stems rather than backs of leaves; even so, scale infestation would be my best answer without more information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: What I know about insect infestation in Singapore could be written on the head of a pin, frankly, but it occurs to me that this is a rose, which, of course, will need pruning, probably in Autumn if it's not a rambler, which it doesn't appear to be. Because it was laying on the ground initially, that would likely explain the holes in the leaves, but if these pests are just on the leaves, then I'd ensure to prune  out the affected parts, then check the whole plant for other evidence of infestation, and treat accordingly if necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-08-28T11:39:04.953" LastActivityDate="2013-08-28T11:39:04.953" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8262" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8308" CreationDate="2013-08-27T17:36:04.110" Score="11" ViewCount="38433" Body="&lt;p&gt;After sawing a lot of wood, we're left with quite a lot of sawdust. I have been using it during composting to ensure that the compost doesn't get too green and wet, but is there something else I can use it for in the garden - and is it ok to use the sawdust in the compost, as I've been doing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sawdust is from natural and untreated wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastEditorUserId="1011" LastEditDate="2013-08-28T21:16:44.020" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T15:48:17.303" Title="What can I use sawdust for in a garden?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8263" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-27T22:18:58.163" Score="4" ViewCount="8305" Body="&lt;p&gt;My second Bonsai (first one met its doom with a similar problem)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just recently received this plant (a couple of weeks ago) it was shipped.  Its a Chinese Elm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All the existing leaves seem to be falling off of the existing branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am getting a lot of growth on new shoots (circled in yellow in the reference photo)&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s3cEE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my bonsai&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do I do?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wait for the existing branches to grow back and then trim the new ones?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Change light / watering to foster growth i want?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ignore and let these new shoots take hold and embrace it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2671" LastActivityDate="2019-05-17T18:44:15.083" Title="Bonsai Leaves on new shoots rather than existing branches" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8264" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8262" CreationDate="2013-08-28T01:32:41.437" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't use the sawdust if the wood has been treated with any chemicals.  I wouldn't use it in a food garden anyway.  It won't hurt the plants, but who knows what chemicals are on the wood and if they will get in your food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, you can use them however you want to use them.  In compost is fine or on the ground as mulch or mixed into the soil.  If you're worried about sawdust competing with plants for nitrogen, then compost them first or use as mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-28T01:32:41.437" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8257" CreationDate="2013-08-28T01:52:42.900" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my mind, the effects of the application of heat would be similar to that of what you'd expect to see from cooking your food.  Some chemical reactions will speed up, others will halt.  When you cook a potato, you convert starches to sugars.  When you blanch green beans, you stop the enzymes from converting sugar to starch.  So it seems that cooking compost would reduce starches to sugars and make the result easier for microbes to break down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although it seems to be much more work to sterilze the compost than to remove the weeds as they germinate, I don't see a problem with cooking the compost from a soil-amendment point of view.  The composting process is actually an oxidative reduction of plant material similar to burning, with the end result being humus, which is resistant to further degradation for 100s of years.  Humus, being organic, will of course burn (ie oxidize), but cooking is not burning.  I think the humus would be stable enough at high temps so long as it's below burning temps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-28T01:52:42.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8266" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4756" CreationDate="2013-08-28T03:20:21.387" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;White clover is a good green manure for shade and will grow in low nitrogen, compacted soil.  Generally, compacted soil is lacking in calcium and will need lime or gypsum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-28T03:20:21.387" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4756" CreationDate="2013-08-28T12:18:36.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My favorite ground cover to use is Vinca, but it is invasive so I would need to be contained, either by hand trimming or spraying the edges as it encroaches unwanted areas.  If you mow over it, each tiny cutting has the ability to root, in your lawn.  Ivy would work, without the invasive trait; you could cut it back without collecting the cuttings.  Coriscan mint?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thebloomingauction.com/uploaded/radD3ACBCORSICAN%20MINT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://thebloomingauction.com/uploaded/radD3ACBCORSICAN%20MINT.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2013-08-28T12:18:36.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8257" CreationDate="2013-08-28T12:19:39.280" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, there is a possibility of reducing the quality of the compost if it gets too hot. The optimum temperature range for production of compost is between 57 and 65 degrees C, which is enough to destroy seeds (with the possible/occasional exception of tomato seeds) and various pathogens. Much more than that and you destroy everything, rendering your compost completely inert. If you can find a method of detecting how hot your compost is getting if you, as you suggest, heat it over a fire or put it in the microwave, then fine, but I can't think how you would do that in practice. It would be better to produce your compost using an aerobic, hot system in the first place, which would mean the end result is humus rich with a good level of bio diversity, although I realise that would be a lot of work, given the average temperatures where you live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-08-28T12:19:39.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8269" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8241" CreationDate="2013-08-28T12:34:32.010" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are several possibilities. This might be cultural, that is, when you trimmed it, you cut that browned area too far back, into old wood, and these trees don't regenerate from old wood. If the weather was hot and dry for a couple of weeks after you trimmed it, then some patches may have had trouble regenerating, even if you didn't cut too far back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check whether the browning is all on one tree/plant by examining it. If it is just one, then it may have a problem with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/rot/phytophthora-root-rot-of-trees-and-shrubs.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;phytopthera root rot&lt;/a&gt;. If it's not just one plant, then Cypress aphid could be the culprit, and they will have long gone by now. You might, though be able to find evidence of them by examining the hedge closely - you're looking for cast aphid skins or evidence of sooty mould. If it is &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=492&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cypress aphid&lt;/a&gt;, then you need to keep an eye on the trees from next Spring, and treat by spraying at the first sign of infestation. Trees damaged in this way usually recover, but any browned parts do not regrow, so the best you can hope for is, as the hedge thickens up, new growth from around the browned areas may disguise the dead parts. This is also true if its been cut badly, as described initially. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I note you have grass growing right up to the base of the trees, or that's how it looks in the photo, but next Spring, you should topdress the ground around the hedge by raking in a basic feed, such as Growmore. Applying a mulch of organic material, but not so that it is touching the trunks or woody parts, after applying the feed (onto already damp soil) will also help, but I'm not sure you can manage this without removing some of the grass. Keep well watered during dry spells, in particular if you have recently cut back the hedge, and avoid, if possible, trimming past the end of September.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, check for &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pestalotiopsis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pestalotiopsis&lt;/a&gt; - the signs are tiny, black fruiting bodies, but this infection is much more common in wet summers. Of all the problems described, the most likely cause is Cypress aphid, followed by poor trimming. Also note that, when trimming, you should aim to get the top of the hedge narrower than the bottom, so that it makes a wedge shape with the widest part at the bottom. This is to prevent too much shade being cast by the upper growth over the lower parts of the hedge, for this in itself can cause browning and dieback.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-28T12:01:16.250" LastActivityDate="2014-09-28T12:01:16.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8270" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8280" CreationDate="2013-08-28T13:05:26.120" Score="4" ViewCount="457" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted a deciduous native hedge (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euonymus_europaeus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Euonymus Europaeus&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum_lantana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Viburnum lantana&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_campestre&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Acer campestre&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum_opulus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Viburnum opulus&lt;/a&gt;, plus an existing full-size sycamore) along the south-eastern boundary of my back garden in southern England (Gloucestershire).  The soil is clay, but dry and shaded because of the tree and hedge, and the area is exposed to cold wind parallel to the hedge in the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At present, the area in front of the hedge is planted with cornus with green stems, and looks particularly uninteresting all year round (apart from spring when there are some  crocus and bluebells in among the cornus).  What can I plant in front of the hedge to provide more interest, especially in the spring summer and winter (the hedge should be the star in autumn)? It needs to be fully hardy in a Gloucestershire winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user2153" LastEditorDisplayName="user2153" LastEditDate="2013-08-29T17:36:07.950" LastActivityDate="2013-11-01T22:47:57.323" Title="What can I plant in dry shade at the base of a deciduous hedge?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8252" CreationDate="2013-08-28T13:45:04.920" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, below is quite a speculative answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants are smart. Although it happens slowly, they detect changes in their environment and act accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this train of thought, if you emulate autumn conditions, this should signal the plants to stop growing/flowering and make fruits instead. Just as tree fruits ripen quickly when a worm is eating them - in order to be able to soon fall to the ground serve their purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Easier said than done, this is probably possible only with indoor plants. &lt;strong&gt;Move the pots to a darker and colder place.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1316" LastEditorUserId="2441" LastEditDate="2013-08-28T14:32:46.083" LastActivityDate="2013-08-28T14:32:46.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8272" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8278" CreationDate="2013-08-28T17:13:18.503" Score="5" ViewCount="932" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm having a hard time identifying the weed pictured below.  I live in southwest Connecticut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o8zy4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a smallish flat area behind my house where this was rampant.  I dug up all of it that I could find, turned over all the soil and planted new grass.  Since then, the weeds have come back up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I should also mention they flower bluish-purple in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's quite a bit of it and it spreads fast, so I'm hoping there's a topical treatment or something I can use to get rid of it.  I've been pulling it by hand but it keeps coming back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="767" LastEditorUserId="767" LastEditDate="2013-08-28T20:43:59.827" LastActivityDate="2013-09-01T04:48:30.677" Title="What is this weed and how can I kill it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8274" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8272" CreationDate="2013-08-28T20:39:57.777" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Updated answer after question was edited to state that the flowers are bluish purple:  This is not garlic mustard, which has white flowers.  It does not look like any violets I've seen, and not exactly like the creeping charlie we have here either.  Sorry I am not able to help after all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Previous answwer:  This looks an awful lot like garlic-mustard, which we also have here in the Fingerlakes region of NY.  It is a noxious weed and hard to eradicate.  I have had some luck pulling it up, but it's a constant battle.  The real key is keeping it from going to seed, which happens during the 2nd year.  If you can hand pull the 1st year plants (make sure you get all of the root), they won't go to seed, but it sounds like you probably have a bunch of seeds already in your soil, so you'll be pulling plants from the old seeds for a while :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a link to a WA state website I found with photos &amp;amp; info that may be helpful to you.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsAndPlants/noxious-weeds/weed-identification/garlic-mustard.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsAndPlants/noxious-weeds/weed-identification/garlic-mustard.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you look at the photos there and think this is what you have, you can search for other methods of control if hand pulling is not practical.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2615" LastEditorUserId="2615" LastEditDate="2013-08-29T20:07:54.757" LastActivityDate="2013-08-29T20:07:54.757" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8275" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8263" CreationDate="2013-08-29T01:53:55.217" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a couple of things it could be. Usually dropping leaves en masse is an indication of a larger health problem. It's hard to tell with just a single picture, but based on my experience I think this is part of the standard annual cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weather has been crazy in recent years, but looking at my own yard fruit trees have started flowering etc. etc. so Spring has already arrived here in the Southern hemisphere. I am guessing in the north the season is also turning into Fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During Fall trees have a secondary growth spurt similar to what is seen at the beginning of Spring. With Elm trees this is typically expressed as new branches growing. An Elm tree typically grows a bunch of these new thinner branches with new leaf growth and during the dormant period over winter about 50% of these new thinner branches die off. So when shaping a bonsai you end up having to shape and train every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I am trying to say is, with an Elm you get more branches and need to do more work with training as opposed to other trees where you get less new branches and more of a typical hierarchy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, with a happy healthy tree at the beginning of Fall I would be expecting to see a secondary burst of new thin branches with leaves and a gradual dying off of existing leaves which were born during the previous Spring. Also, as Elm trees are deciduous, by the end of Fall your tree will appear to be completely dead with no leaves left on its branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The typical cycle for an Elm would be as follows:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spring arrives: New growth comes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mid-Spring: Wait until majority of growth period has finished then trim away any dead branches. Re-shape and prune as necessary to get the shape you want. Note, you can prune as you like, but do not prune major branches and if you are pruning branches with leaves on them you have wasted all this energy, these branches should have already been considered in Winter pruning&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Late Sprint: Growth should have finished and like a person a couple of weeks after a good haircut the plant should be looking at its best. Now is the time to put the plant on display&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Summer: Plant retains its shape, no major growth. Enjoy looking at your plant and ensure it has sufficient water and doesn't get scorched.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early Autumn: Second growth spurt begins. Start to notice signs of yellowing. Do NOT trim new growth or shape at this time as your plant will be bare in a few weeks and you are wasting your time trying to make your plant look nice. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mid Autumn: Second growth spurt stops and plant will have dropped about 50% of its leaves. Remove plant from display.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Winter: All leaves will have dropped and plant should be dormant. Reduce watering. Now is the time to plan what you expect your plant will look like when it comes back to life and consider what branches need the chop. Prune your plant as necessary. Now is a good time to do any repotting or structural rewiring.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an aside, you can actually trim new Fall growth, but you may not get much redirection of resources. This is personal preference if you think that you may get growth to appear elsewhere, but IMO it's not worthwhile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the above aside, maybe you think I'm wrong and you think there is actually a health problem and it's not part of the natural cycle. That may be the case, I didn't go there because this answer is already long enough, so let me know if you think I am not right and I will go down the other path and what that means. In a separate answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last thing I would like to mention is about the location of your plant. I am not sure if you are keeping it inside permanently or just for taking this picture. If you are considering keeping it inside I suggest you check out &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/8029/160&quot;&gt;my answer in another question here&lt;/a&gt; as I suggest you reconsider keeping it inside all the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2013-08-29T01:53:55.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8278" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8272" CreationDate="2013-08-29T18:39:37.680" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves look like violets especially if they flower purple, white, or yellow. I have a bunch in my yard and they usually grow in full to partial shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_%28plant%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia Link to the genus Viola for more information and variations&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bfBLr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Common wild Violets&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2355" LastEditorUserId="2355" LastEditDate="2013-08-29T18:45:29.967" LastActivityDate="2013-08-29T18:45:29.967" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="970" CreationDate="2013-08-29T20:16:30.290" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another thing to keep in mind about supermarket potatoes is that they are typically treated with a chemical retardant to slow down the production of &quot;eyes,&quot; which are what become the stems of the potato plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And you should try to cut the potato so that you have at least 1 if not several &quot;eyes&quot; on each piece that you intend to plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2615" LastActivityDate="2013-08-29T20:16:30.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8280" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8270" CreationDate="2013-08-30T12:59:52.530" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a bit of a tall order, wanting plants that perform best in spring, summer and winter and not autumn, but I've had a go! Check out Ruscus aculeatus, the variety 'Sparkler' if you can get it, because that one's hermaphrodite and will produce red berries which last well into Winter. Otherwise, you'd need a mix of male and female to get berries. It's evergreen, gets about 3 x 3 feet and will provide winter interest - flowers are relatively insignificant in Spring/early Summer. Mahonia aquifolium is another evergreen which reaches 6 feet eventually. often producing reddish leaves in winter - slow to get going initially though, but can be pruned back after flowering. Flowers late Winter/Spring with yellow clusters - the variety 'Apollo' is slightly less tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You say it is shaded, but if there's any sun at all, say half a day or at least 4 hours, then Senecio Sunshine is worth planting - it's now known by the unlovely name of Brachyglottis 'Sunshine' though often is still available under the original name. Can (and should as far as I'm concerned) be pruned back to shape around May. This one produces yellow daisy flowers in mid summer, is evergreen with grey foliage. I'd like to suggest Berberis thunbergii, which is deciduous, but has purplish/brown foliage all summer IF it gets enough sun - flowers insignificant, but the colour of the leaves gives it value.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For added Spring colour, have a look at Allium, in particular, Allium aflatuense (now sold as Purple Sensation) and Allium christophii. These should work provided the hedge isn't in full throttle by the time they flower, so that they're getting a little sun. Foxgloves are worth planting (Digitalis purpurea) for later Spring colour too. For summer flowering 'bulbs' (they're actually corms) then Crocosmia 'Lucifer', but again, these may not do too well if there's no sun at all. Lamium maculatum varieties make good evergreen ground cover in shade - 'Beacon Silver' (white flowers) and 'White Nancy' (lilac flowers) are two of the best. Trim occasionally to stop them becoming invasive. If you can find Campanula portenschlagiana (previously C. muralis) then that's a good evergreen ground cover, makes a nice green mound in winter and is covered in purple bells early to midsummer. I'd avoid C. carpatica though, it's a messy grower. Verbena bonariensis is a useful flowering plant to pop in between larger plants - they take up no room at all, but get tall. The drawback is they do need some sun, and usually die over winter, but I find they produce lots of seedlings by the following late Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wanted to use the shrubs proposed, I suggest you widen the border and plant in groups, so that it doesn't look like a second, smaller, mixed hedge in a single row. Improve the soil by digging well and adding humus rich material (home made compost, composted animal manure, etc.) prior to planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED RESPONSE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your partner won't need to prune the Berberis at all, it doesn't get that big, and there's a smaller version anyway, B. thunbergii atropurpureum 'nana'. As for pruning the Mahonia, that won't be necessary for at least 5 years, and only then if you think it's got too tall or wide - but note I'm talking about M. aquifolium, NOT japonica or media.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-08-30T19:59:06.300" LastActivityDate="2013-08-30T19:59:06.300" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8281" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8282" CreationDate="2013-08-30T14:11:17.573" Score="5" ViewCount="2949" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some Fine Wine Weigela shrubs last fall. They seemed to be doing OK over spring then in the summer they took a turn in the wrong direction. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They lost their color and are a light green. Many of the leaves have torn edges. One is doing worse than the other and there's also a siberian iris planted nearby with similar damage to the edges and stunted growth while others do not have that problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I first noticed it after a heat spell in the summer. Thought it might be a lack of water but due to the heat but the damaged leaf edges made me think it might be insects. I haven't seen any bugs on the tops or bottoms of the leaves. I sprayed with neem oil just in case. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pics. I boosted the contrast and sharpness a bit because it's hard to see the plants against the mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TNfZo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nFTyK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This unwanted grass plant was growing right by the stem of the plant. I pulled it out and inspected the roots. There were a few white round things attached to the roots. I thought they might be grubs but I poked them with a stick and they crumbled into powder. The area has been treated with milky spore disease for grubs if that makes a difference. Here's a picture of the grass roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I think I'm seeing things. This is most likely the perlite from the soil the weigela came in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qp28t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-08-30T18:44:15.920" LastActivityDate="2016-09-29T21:33:06.887" Title="What's eating this Weigela Shrub?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8282" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8281" CreationDate="2013-08-30T16:08:58.067" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I normally associate that kind of damage with beetles or caterpillars. The leaves have been eaten so much they look like oak leaves!&#xA;None of the usual pest suspects like scale, mealybug or galls make damage like this so I cannot identify the species.&#xA;However you can do some quick detective work yourself.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Poke around in the mulch at the base of the plant and see if anyone has made a home for themselves. Many pests don't like to go too far for a bite to eat.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;go out a night with a flashlight and see if the pest is active at night&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;are there any other plants nearby that have similar damage?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is there anything on the underside of the leaf.  ( a favorite hide out for insects)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let us know...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: the white stuff on the roots is mycorrhizae which are helping the plant utilize the nutrients in the soil and compost. Not a problem there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: after your observations that you could not see anything in action you are probably right to assume the cause has moved on.  The key to prevention next spring is to make observation a regular part of your gardening.  Once a week have a look at the plant and try preventive measures as soon as damage shows up.  The presence of a pest one year does not mean they will return next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-08-31T15:07:06.443" LastActivityDate="2013-08-31T15:07:06.443" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8283" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-30T17:39:08.707" Score="7" ViewCount="190" Body="&lt;p&gt;Someone suggested Bokash composting of non meat kitchen scraps b/c it doesn't attract insects nor does it smell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the easiest way to get started?&#xA;Do I need to buy more  bokashi &quot;microbes&quot; everytime the compost bin is full?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2649" LastActivityDate="2015-06-16T17:49:34.177" Title="What is the easiest way to get started with Bokashi (japanese &quot;fermenting&quot; composting)?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8284" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8288" CreationDate="2013-08-30T21:26:09.990" Score="4" ViewCount="3896" Body="&lt;p&gt;My cherry tree is wilting (has been for about 2 months now) and I have tried putting fungicide and pesticide on it (Ortho) and feed it miracle grow every 10 days. It is really hot in Tennessee right now so I just started watering it every other day, but it is not showing any change. It is in full sun, should I move it to partial shade?!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v88Kr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2677" LastEditorUserId="606" LastEditDate="2013-08-31T04:09:33.363" LastActivityDate="2013-08-31T04:09:33.363" Title="What is wrong with my Bing cherry tree?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8285" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-30T23:01:21.917" Score="7" ViewCount="136" Body="&lt;p&gt;If my cucumber vine had a fungal infection, do I need to disinfect my trellis before using again, and if so, how?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2678" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-30T03:55:16.423" LastActivityDate="2017-11-30T03:55:16.423" Title="Do I need to disinfect my trellis?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;trellis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8286" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-30T23:59:50.460" Score="5" ViewCount="5222" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this Schefflera three weeks ago.  I changed its pot from the plastic tub it came in to a ceramic one.  Last week, one branch died completely; all the leaves withered.  I thought I might be overwatering, so I cut back.  Now the other two branches have begun to have leaf issues similar to the dead one (the white spots are dust from the store where I bought it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I continue to not water this guy, or should I look for some other cause?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/flUmB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/flUmBl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf example&quot; title=&quot;Click photograph for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2679" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-03T14:51:33.000" LastActivityDate="2020-11-05T14:20:34.780" Title="Is this Schefflera overwatered?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8284" CreationDate="2013-08-31T00:29:36.833" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Add mulch and water if the soil is dry to the touch. Add one gallon per day to the root area with a 5 gallon bucket. Stop fertilizing and adding other chemicals. The tree may survive, but it is in transplant shock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2680" LastActivityDate="2013-08-31T00:29:36.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8288" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8284" CreationDate="2013-08-31T01:00:57.023" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've had a LOT of rain in TN this year and cherries do not like wet feet.  They also don't care much for the acid soil you also have, which the rain made much worse.  If you want this tree to live, you have to get it out of that acid TN dirt and into some decent soil that isn't as acid and drains much better than TN clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Start by purchasing some dirt.  Look on craiglist.  It usually sells for about $30 a truck load.  Pile the new dirt on top of the TN dirt, making a raised bed.  You could probably add some lime as well ($3.50 from lowes for 40 lb bag).  Mix the lime with the soil real good and plant your tree in that.  The raised bed will allow for good drainage and root aeration while the lime will add calcium for a healthy tree, as well as stopping the effects of acid soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't put the tree in full full sun, it only needs about 6hrs of direct sun per day.  Cherry is a small tree and would spend its life under the canopy of bigger trees naturally.  It does need some sun to develop sweet fruit.  I'd aim for 6hrs or so of sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep the area under the tree mulched with some fall leaves and maybe throw some grass clippings under as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fungicides and pesticides aren't helping.  You shouldn't need those with a healthy tree.  The miracle-gro is fine, but it doesn't contain calcium and calcium is the #1 thing you need living in TN and growing things like cherries, pears, apples, grapes, tomatoes.  The exception to that would be blueberries and blackberries, which happen to like native TN dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-31T01:00:57.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8285" CreationDate="2013-08-31T01:13:10.090" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your cucumber vine had a fungal infection, the cause was probably too much rain and too acid of a soil.  Fungi spores are everywhere and blow around like dust in the wind.  Plants survive this by being healthy, if they're not healthy, they don't survive it.  Rather than trying to fight the fungi, I would focus my energy into fixing the soil for next year by adding lime right now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can disinfect the trellis if you want, but I wouldn't see much use in it unless you can also disinfect the garden, your yard, the neighbor's yard and probably much of your county from where the fungus originated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-31T01:13:10.090" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8290" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8291" CreationDate="2013-08-31T04:07:23.073" Score="9" ViewCount="21710" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just built a new home and the back yard has quite a bit of clay in it. We are planning on seeding the yard in the next month (September). I'm trying to decide between topsoil (4-6 inches) or tilling in organic matter. The advantage of the organic matter is that I don't have to take soil away from the edges of the sidewalk to make room for the topsoil. Topsoil is also pretty expensive. I've heard that the mulch can burn the seeds though and I don't want to do something that will force me to do sod (see expensive).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice would be much appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2681" LastActivityDate="2016-09-02T10:43:09.110" Title="Is mulch or topsoil better for new lawn in clay soil?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;clay&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8291" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8290" CreationDate="2013-08-31T05:42:58.430" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not sure where you're from but in the USA you can send a soil sample to your local university extension office and for a nominal fee they will give you a report on the soil that you can use to improve it for your intended purpose. Two key things to look for is the existing organic matter content and cation exchange capacity. This is always a good thing to do before doing major work for a lawn or garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you say &quot;mulch&quot; I assume you're talking &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compost&quot;&gt;compost&lt;/a&gt; and this is what it's called in your area?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost is pretty much the closest thing to a silver bullet when it comes to improving your soil. It can fix all sorts of problems. The only time compost will burn the seed or the seedlings is if it has not been composted properly. This is more of a problem with composted manures which are &quot;hotter&quot; or more nutrient rich. A good blend of compost from different sources such as manures, leaves and other plant materials that has been composted completely shouldn't be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tilling your soil causes problems but if you need to seriously amend your soil it's the quickest option. A couple of issues are tilling will wind up leaving your lawn uneven and you'll need to fill in areas in the future to level it. Tilling will also bring up a ton of weed seeds that were buried too deep to germinate before so before you plant your grass seed water the soil and give the weeds a couple of weeks to germinate then deal with them before putting down your grass seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clay soil isn't that bad for your lawn as long as you have a decent amount of organic matter already in the soil. You may not want to go to the expensive and effort of tilling in a lot of organic matter (2-6&quot;) into your soil all at once. Another option if your soil has at least 5% organic matter and decent cation exchange capacity you can just top dress with about a 1/4&quot; layer of compost. This would require 1 cubic yard of compost per 1,000 sq ft. Do this every year for the next 3 years or so and then start doing it less frequently if you are happy with what you're seeing. Time, worms and other organisms will help work it further into the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should also do a percolation test to see how well the water drains. See:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/126137-test-soil-percolation.html&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenguides.com/126137-test-soil-percolation.html&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping/soil-percolation-rate/&quot;&gt;http://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping/soil-percolation-rate/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-08-31T05:42:58.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8292" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8286" CreationDate="2013-08-31T12:36:44.070" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just a note on the &quot;dust&quot;. Dust will easily wash away with water. The appearance and damage to the leaves and stems makes me think it might be powdery mildew, a fungal disease that appears as a white powdery coating on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My experience and reading on powdery mildew is that much of it can be just washed off the plant if caught early. Once the spores attach themselves to the leaves you need something else that will help. I've found that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2013/08/controlling-powdery-mildew-with-neem-oil.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;neem oil is effective against powdery mildew&lt;/a&gt; and posted some more information on my site.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option is a diluted milk spray (1 part milk 9 parts water). I've used this as well and it does a pretty good job against powdery mildew but seems to be best to use on a regular basis before the you see signs of the disease. It's been something I've used and looked into over the years and have published some more info regarding &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2013/08/how-milk-treats-plant-disease.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;what makes milk a good fungicide&lt;/a&gt; on my blog.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lots of people have seen positive effects of using diluted milk as a foliar spray to control disease. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://yougrowgirl.com/tomatoes-like-milk/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tomatoes Like Milk&lt;/a&gt;. In recent years there have been a number of studies regarding milk and plant pathogens to figure out how milk helps. It was first thought to be that the calcium strengthened the immune system in plants but now it looks like it's the probiotics in milk that are the key. Various bacteria that have been identified in milk are effective against a wide range of plant pathogens including powdery mildew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-08-31T12:36:44.070" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8286" CreationDate="2013-08-31T13:52:17.897" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The white spots are not powdery mildew.  They are a mixture of pesticide residue and hard water stains from overhead watering in the grower's greenhouse. Powdery mildew is usually &quot;fuzzy&quot; and residue is flat on the leaf.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way wiping the leaves with a cloth is sufficient as a first stage.  If it is powdery mildew it will return, residue will not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The necrotic (dead) spots on the leaves are typical of root rot but can also happen if the plant has other types of fungus/virus/bacterial infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that you have repotted it the best solution is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wipe off the residue and see if it returns&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;place the plant in high light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove all dead leaves and stems from the soil at the base of plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when the top inch of the soil has dried, apply water until it comes out the base of the pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not let it sit in water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plant continues to deteriorate you should return it to the store as it may have been sold to you with a fungus/virus/bacteria. A healthy plant under good conditions can outgrow minor issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-16T18:38:35.803" LastActivityDate="2016-03-16T18:38:35.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8294" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-08-31T14:13:08.443" Score="3" ViewCount="714" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like help identifying this pink flowering plant that I was told is native to Denmark. It has leaves that almost look like geraniums and flower stamins that reminiscent to hibiscus or rose of sharons. The petals are pink and quite delicate, almost like a cross between a sweet pea and a rose of sharon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/trIXZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/004xA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2683" LastEditorDisplayName="user2692" LastEditDate="2013-09-05T06:35:03.247" LastActivityDate="2019-08-31T07:09:54.443" Title="Help identifying this pink flowering plant native to Denmark" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8295" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8294" CreationDate="2013-08-31T14:24:04.847" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it's the mallow family, so a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavatera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lavatera&lt;/a&gt;, but as to which variety, I'm not at all sure. Tree mallows become woody shrubs, but there is also &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavatera_trimestris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lavatera trimestris&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and its many cultivars, which are annuals. Native to Europe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-09T20:53:23.930" LastActivityDate="2014-07-09T20:53:23.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8290" CreationDate="2013-08-31T16:05:22.627" Score="5" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Is mulch or topsoil better for new lawn in clay soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming the new topsoil is decent topsoil, the topsoil is &quot;better&quot;.  Even if you had outstanding topsoil now, additional topsoil would still be better because it would be a thicker layer of good topsoil.  You simply can't have too much topsoil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to imagine what you have now and I'm picturing a muddy mess with tracks from heavy equipment and probably much of the topsoil is gone.  Since it's described as &quot;clay&quot;, I'm also picturing a high-rainfall area (40-50 inches annually).  If my guesses are true, then the dirt is acidic, lacking in calcium, low in organics and will take a long time to bring up to par.  Lime takes at minimum 6 months and most likely 1-1.5 years to add calcium in useable form to the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm having to make a lot of assumptions to make a recommendation, but a soil test is a prudent place to begin, as OrganicLawnDIY said.  In addition to CEC (or TEC which should be at absolute bare minimum 10-15), pay particular attention to calcium % and hydrogen % in the base saturation table.  If calcium is low and hydrogen is high, you may as well get new topsoil.  Even with the new topsoil, I'd still apply lime to the soil you have now, then cover with the new soil.  Lime is fairly cheap.  If you look on craiglist, topsoil isn't too expensive... about $30 a pickup truck load in my area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also agree that tilling is going to be a lot of work with little gain and will result in humps and bump and lots of weeds.  It will break up the soil for a while, but it will go right back to its compacted nature since the problem of compaction is due to lack of calcium, which tilling won't fix and neither will mulch.  Mulch (or compost) will add friability to the soil until the mulch decays, then you're right back where you started in terms of compaction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-08-31T16:05:22.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8283" CreationDate="2013-08-31T17:16:11.997" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As I understand it, you'll need at least two bins. You fill one of them with your nastiest kitchen scraps (meat, fish, mouldy cheese, peelings, whatever) and then you add a sprinkle or small handful of the bokashi bran and leave it to cook for a couple of weeks, by which time it should be ready for use, although that varies slightly depending on the size of the bin and air temperatures. In the meantime you start filling the other bin, and once that's full, you add the bran mix and leave for two weeks. You do have to keep buying the bacterial bran, because you need some for every binful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-08-31T18:26:20.960" LastActivityDate="2013-08-31T18:26:20.960" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8298" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-01T01:51:08.297" Score="4" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Marin Co. California, where summers have been mostly hot and dry, winters mild with rain.  All my plants are in pots, excepting the trees that were already here when we moved in 15 years ago. This year my tomato plants again look pale and scraggly, with strange tunnel-like marks on the leaves.  Tomatoes taste fine, mostly cherries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My roses and fuschias also look like hell, leaves look spotted or purple-y, and few to no blooms.  I've given the 3 roses 3-in-one fungicide/insecticide twice this season.  My rhodie has a fungus again, and my Japanese maple up and died! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd love to know if this is related to global warming (it has been 95 or so most days this summer) or something about the soil in the pots maybe?  I'm giving some fertilizer, not a lot -- regular but not frequent watering. Other plants are doing all right, but some not blooming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2684" LastActivityDate="2013-09-11T20:56:40.627" Title="Why are my plants doing badly for the 2nd year in a row?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8272" CreationDate="2013-09-01T04:48:30.677" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;We call it Creeping Charlie here. I pull it up by hand when it gets out of control in the garden, it comes out very easily. Usually it grows in the shadier parts of the yard with poorer soil and I leave it because I like the purple flowers in the spring. It also makes a good ground cover on a hillside where it is difficult to mow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2685" LastActivityDate="2013-09-01T04:48:30.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8300" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8262" CreationDate="2013-09-01T04:55:54.317" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have used it as a mulch for the path ways. A thick layer does a good job of keeping out grass and weeds, if they do grow they are easily pulled off the top of the sawdust. If used on pathways you don't have to worry about it taking nitrogen from your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2685" LastActivityDate="2013-09-01T04:55:54.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8302" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7978" CreationDate="2013-09-01T05:30:05.870" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the fall hand pull as much as you can. Every little piece of root grows new plants so tilling just makes thousands of babies. Then mulch with plastic but be aware that if there are any pieces of root left underneath they may spread and grow outside the plastic. I have one type of fuzzy mint that has roots running 3-5 feet under everything in the garden. Remove any bits that grow outside the plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2685" LastActivityDate="2013-09-01T05:30:05.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8305" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-01T15:40:46.067" Score="5" ViewCount="928" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in an apartment on the 10th floor &amp;amp; facing a major road. As a result fine dust and pollen make their way into my bedroom easily at night when I keep the window open.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have allergic bronchitis and am allergic to these fine particles. I am suffering a lot due to this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So as a solution I was thinking of planting a creeping plant which will absorb these particles. I live in Maharashtra, India. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to have recommendations from you people for this, maybe if somebody has already faced this problem. So can you please recommend plants which grow in my climate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2045" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-03T14:18:43.097" LastActivityDate="2013-10-21T13:20:00.600" Title="Is there a creeping plant that will absorb pollen, dust and pollutants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8306" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8305" CreationDate="2013-09-01T16:10:08.477" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know of any plants that absorb pollen but I did recently hear of a window screen that can filter pollen. Check out &lt;a href=&quot;http://pollentec.com/&quot;&gt;http://pollentec.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NASA did a Clean Air Study to try and identify plants that could be used to purify the air in enclosed spaces such as space craft. Here's a list of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_air-filtering_plants&quot;&gt;air filtering plants&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For pollen, dust and other particles I think you'll want to look into a good HEPA air purifier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-09-01T16:10:08.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8307" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8189" CreationDate="2013-09-01T17:35:02.623" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're talking about &lt;em&gt;leachate&lt;/em&gt; (worm castings steeped in water), some gardeners say that this tea will have approximately the same benefit to plant growth as the pure composted worm castings themselves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;But&lt;/strong&gt; studies have shown that, in the long run, &lt;strong&gt;using the castings directly in the soil will produce better plant growth&lt;/strong&gt;, often far better, than does &lt;em&gt;leachate&lt;/em&gt; obtained by steeping the castings in water. Some of those studies were carried out by Ohio State University, Mississippi State University, Colorado State University, Cornell and others. &lt;sup&gt;(citation needed)&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;But if your main objective is &lt;em&gt;speed&lt;/em&gt; of results,&lt;/strong&gt; then the teas solution will find their way into the plant’s system more quickly than waiting for the dried casting to be &quot;watered in&quot; over time. Castings tea can also be used as a foliar spray/wash for even faster results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But &quot;tea&quot; production methods vary &amp;mdash; so consider, if your tea is &quot;aerobically brewed&quot;, you're also increasing the diversity of beneficial microbes and adding to the soil the environment needed to keep the beneficial organisms alive and multiplying in your soil; more so than can be typically obtained from the castings themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best solution to this argument is to do both &amp;mdash; to receive the full benefits of worm casting, apply it directly to the soil as both as an admendment and an occasional top dressing around the base of the plants. Then give them a good drink of tea however often as you see fit &amp;mdash; weekly would be ideal, depending on your supply &amp;mdash; neither the tea nor the castings will burn your plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2013-09-01T17:40:40.333" LastActivityDate="2013-09-01T17:40:40.333" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8308" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8262" CreationDate="2013-09-01T18:10:28.540" Score="12" Body="&lt;h3&gt;Sawdust for Composting&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First I would make sure the wood has not been chemically treated. Check a cross section of the wood for the distinctive ring of green color around the first half inch or so. If it has been chemically treated, it will contain chemicals like arsenic, chromium, and copper — not suitable for composting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure sawdust (and other carbon-rich &amp;quot;brown&amp;quot; materials) isn't more than about 80% of the material you are composting. That's just a basic guideline. You need some nitrogen-rich &amp;quot;green&amp;quot; material (living organics like leaves, fresh grass clippings, and other kitchen scraps) for decomposition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally, add the green materials and then spread sawdust on top of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Sawdust for Mulch&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sawdust is sometime recommended as an effective mulch for acid-loving plants (e.g. rhododendrons, begonias, impatiens, blueberries, etc), but for anything else, you will have to manage the acidifying effect as the sawdust decomposes. Wood chips and saw dust will rob soil of nitrogen as it decomposes, but since saw dust will decompose a lot faster, you may have to compensate the addition of nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that saw dust can also compact severely over a single season, so you have to be sure to break it up periodically. Some people recommend a combination of straw &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; saw dust, but you have to &lt;strong&gt;watch for excessive water runoff&lt;/strong&gt; nonetheless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-09-04T17:38:09.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8309" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8262" CreationDate="2013-09-01T19:59:17.523" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read something recently about using wood chips as mulch that might be concern for some people. Since sawdust is just really, really small wood chips I thought it might be worth pointing out in case the same applies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems wood chips used as mulch can attract &lt;em&gt;shotgun fungus&lt;/em&gt; which can shoot these tar like spores on nearby houses and cars. The spores are very difficult to remove. One university webpage I read on it compared them to super-glue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never run into or even heard of this problem before. I've only used bark mulch. Just something to consider.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=760&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wood mulch, rubber mulch and other bad ideas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://personal.psu.edu/faculty/d/d/ddd2/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Artillery Fungus - Frequently Asked Questions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Was looking for other info and came across this page that talks about sawdust (among other materials) as mulch.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weekendgardener.net/garden-plants/mulch-060806.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.weekendgardener.net/garden-plants/mulch-060806.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cliffs: Sawdust can be acidic so it's good for acid loving plants. As sawdust decomposes it can use up the nitrogen in the soil so you need to make allowances for that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-09-05T13:30:47.000" LastActivityDate="2013-09-05T13:30:47.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8310" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8321" CreationDate="2013-09-02T02:30:19.887" Score="5" ViewCount="1929" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this in my home. I am interested in getting more information about it, particularly what time it opens in the day and what time it closes. The interesting thing I noticed, it opens up with the daylight and it closes during daylight in the evening. Here is a picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YQwU2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2689" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-03T14:19:35.630" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T03:58:29.507" Title="What is the name of the purple flower that opens in the morning and closes in the evening?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8311" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8312" CreationDate="2013-09-02T05:07:23.500" Score="7" ViewCount="6818" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to cover a large area that is on a steep slope with ground cover. There is absolutely no soil at all, it's all pure clay: hard rock when dry and soft when wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking of putting a large pipe (20cm to 40cm diameter) in a hole and filling it with good soil as shown on the picture below. I will also add a small pipe that goes out of the bottom end to drain the excess water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UhOm0.png&quot; alt=&quot;Schema&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will a 20cm diameter x 40cm deep pipe be enough for the roots? My goal is to plant a Trailing Rosemary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone has a better way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the Trailing Rosemary:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iWjJm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iWjJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trailing rosemary&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nzplantpics.com/pics_ground_cover/rosmarinus_officinalis_prostratus_02_groundcover.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;source: nzplantpics.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2690" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-01-07T11:17:59.990" LastActivityDate="2020-10-25T01:04:03.290" Title="How to grow Trailing Rosemary as a ground cover in very heavy clay?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;clay&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="8312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8311" CreationDate="2013-09-02T15:58:48.457" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is similar to what I did a few years ago.  I needed dirt for the back of a building foundation I was constructing, so I dug up the hard clay from 10ft down and used it to level the foundation which sat on a bit of a hill.  At the end, I was left with a fairly steep slope of ground on which nothing would grow except some ragweed, pokeweed, and some briars.  So I dug out holes like what you're suggesting and filled them with decent soil, then planted strawberries.  I didn't use any pipes.  Its been 3 years and the strawberries are doing great.  On the eastern side, the strawberries have completely filled in with dense vegetation.  On the south and western sides, not as much, but they are spreading some.  I'm not sure if there is a difference in the dirt from the east to the south or if the strawberries like morning sun rather than evening sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I think what you're doing is a great idea, but I don't see much need for the pipes.  If you want to measure drainage, you could dig the 40cm hole then fill with water and see how fast it drains.  I think you'd be surprised.  I think 40cm is a good depth, but I would make the diameter a little larger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit in reply to comment:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roots typically look like this and can go wider and deeper than you would guess: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/axVtr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roots don't absolutely have to go that wide or deep, I'm just pointing out that they can if the soil permits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I made the holes about the size of a flower pot... maybe 30cm across and about that deep. The bigger you make the holes and the more good soil you add, the better the plants will grow. The strawberries send out &quot;daughter&quot; plants about 30-50cm away from the mother.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/seEV4.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uco08.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wouldn't you like your hill to look like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QUnSC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EbslY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought strawberries would make a good ground cover, but I like your Rosemary idea too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="2404" LastEditDate="2013-09-03T02:03:16.430" LastActivityDate="2013-09-03T02:03:16.430" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8313" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-02T17:26:49.227" Score="3" ViewCount="7525" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have tried sowing onto loose soil and covering with grass clippings, but the rain floats the seed and the clippings into piles and the pounding action of the water buries the seed in the mud.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried spreading compost then sowing seed onto that, then covering with grass clippings, but the result is the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some have suggested I try straw, since the straw is physically large enough to resist the water. I hate to use straw because it would take so long to decay and the grass I am planting is very small compared to the straw.  I wouldn't think the grass could grow very well from under the straw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some have suggest grow mats, but this is costly and the mats take a long time to decay as well.  Further, if animals claw at the mats, it could uproot an entire section of grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some have suggested the mulch made from recycled newspaper, which once saturated, doesn't float.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some have suggested sand.  The sand doesn't float and doesn't provide much resistance to seedlings trying to grow through it.  Sand is also very cheap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is impossible to time the weather so that I can get a guaranteed 2 weeks without rain.  It takes 7 days for the seed to germinate and another week for the grass to grow big enough to resist severe thunderstorms.  We don't get light showers.  If it rains, it is always a heavy downpour of 3+ inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, the question is: What is the best method to sow grass seed in this environment?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="2404" LastEditDate="2013-09-03T20:42:11.097" LastActivityDate="2013-09-03T21:44:27.810" Title="What is the best way to sow grass seed in high rainfall areas?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8314" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-02T18:07:58.717" Score="2" ViewCount="1685" Body="&lt;p&gt;My backyard has grasshoppers. Lots and lots of grasshoppers. I tend to ignore them, because it's currently a weed garden more than anything else. I tried planting a raised bed this year with some beans, chillies, cilantro, mint, and grapes, and didn't see any insect-related problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reading online, it appears that grasshoppers are considered a pest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I'm interested in is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are they a sign of a deeper problem (just like clover indicates low-nitrogen lawns), and&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I do anything about them?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of species, I'm not sure what type they are; they appear greenish-brownish, with very tiny, bright-green young.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastActivityDate="2013-09-03T03:19:22.617" Title="Lots of grasshoppers in the backyard" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8314" CreationDate="2013-09-02T19:38:53.737" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This link might be useful to you. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.co.missoula.mt.us/extension/plantdata/PESTS/grasshoppers/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.co.missoula.mt.us/extension/plantdata/PESTS/grasshoppers/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the article they say:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Grasshoppers breed and grow in weedy, undisturbed areas like roadside&#xA;  ditches, fence rows, untilled pastures, and in crops that continue&#xA;  longer than a single growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You said: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I tend to ignore them, because it's currently a weed garden more than&#xA;  anything else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-09-02T19:38:53.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8313" CreationDate="2013-09-02T21:44:39.260" Score="3" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;You're answering every question except the one I'm asking&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because everything you've said and the pictures you've posted lead me to believe that the problem you're having is not because of high rainfall in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your big issue is establishing grass in that section around your house. You've managed to get the grass seed to establish in other areas of your lawn, that receive the same amount of rain, even though you planted a grass seed that does not typically do well in your climate and you planted it at the peak of summer which is the worst time to plant a cool season lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The issue you're having is clearly something localized to the area you're having problems with. People manage to grow grass successfully in areas with as much rain as you get. It's not like Georgia is devoid of lawns and you're the first one to ever try and plant grass seed nor the first one to try and plant KBG. I get a similar amount of rain and people in my area don't have problems getting grass seed to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The house has been here since 1941 with no gutters. I added gutters&#xA;  after I saw that grass wouldn't grow with the flow from the roof.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This explains a lot! All the problems you ascribe to heavy rain fall... leaching of nitrogen, calcium and other nutrients, compaction, etc.... multiply them many times over. That's what's happening around the perimeter of your home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To give you an idea why... assume you had a 20' x 50' home with the roof covering 1,000 sq ft of ground. You'd have 140 linear feet perimeter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it rained 1&quot; you'd have close to 625 gallons of water falling on your roof. That water sheets off your roof and lets assume sprays over a 1' wide path along the perimeter of your home (assume it's equal to make the math easier, some parts may get more or less depending on your roof design.) 625 gallons divided by the 140 sq ft perimeter means you have about 4.5 gallons of water per square foot hitting the soil around your house with every inch of rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the open areas of your yard the soil will only get about 0.625 gallons of water per inch of rain. The area around your home is getting about 7 times that and it's not simply little droplets it's pouring on it. The force of the water likely severely compacted your clay soil around your house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without knowing the design of your roof and how far the water was actually coming down from the roof the numbers aren't accurate and I don't mean them to be anything other than an example to illustrate that without gutters the soil around your home received considerably more rain per square foot than other areas of your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is clear from the photos that the soil around your house is very poorly draining resulting in a lot of standing water when it rains. You need to address those drainage issues.  Not only to get grass to grow but because it's a nuisance and potentially damaging to the house structure to have that much water pooling there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if someone were to answer your question regarding keeping the seed in place during heavy downpours when the area gets flooded, the issues with the poor drainage would lead to other problems once your lawn was established. You need to deal with the drainage and soil issues if you want to have healthy lawn growing in those areas. Even if you were to put sod down the excessive water and poor draining soil would eventually damage it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to dealing with the drainage issues I would recommend sending a sample of soil from that area to your local extension office for analysis because there are probably significant deficiencies in the soil due to how much water it received compared to other parts of your yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the only answer I can come up with (other than to plant swamp grass) as far as why you're grass isn't growing in that area based on the information you provided. Other issues such as too much sun and heat (plus what's reflected from the white siding). It's interesting that the pictures you took show that there is no grass in the areas of your houses shadow. That could be a factor but poor drainage is a big problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't seem to be happy with it so maybe someone else will come along and provide a different answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-09-03T18:16:11.873" LastActivityDate="2013-09-03T18:16:11.873" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8318" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8314" CreationDate="2013-09-03T03:19:22.617" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;grasshoppers absolutely can be a huge problem, haven't you ever heard the term &quot;plague of locusts&quot;?  if you haven't noticed damage, it doesn't mean they aren't feasting.. immature grasshoppers nymphs eat small amounts and large grasshoppers eat large amounts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;what will probably happen is that you will suddenly notice you have no cilantro, or your beans have no leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;grasshoppers are also kind of cyclic, one year will be a big year then you will hardly see one for a few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know that you can really do anything about them directly though... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;they do make great fishing bait...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;once you tame your arid weedy landscape the grasshoppers will just disappear for the most part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2013-09-03T03:19:22.617" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8319" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8305" CreationDate="2013-09-03T04:26:08.410" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general the air quality in Pune is not so good especially in the central areas. I would agree with &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/8306/2691&quot;&gt;OrganicLawnDIY's suggestion&lt;/a&gt; that you get a air purifier. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also try closing the windows while sleeping, as that will reduce the dust getting in. My experience living in Pune has been that the dust mostly accumulates during the day time, so make sure you close the windows during day time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2691" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-09-03T14:26:51.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8320" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8311" CreationDate="2013-09-03T12:46:34.400" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on your sketch it looks like you're building a little retaining wall too. I wouldn't count on the plastic pipe to hold up to the weight of the soil and uv rays for a long time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How about building the wall out of cinder blocks to the appropriate specs to be able to hold back the clay. Then fill in the voids in the middle of the blocks with good soil and plant whatever you decide on using in that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-09-03T12:46:34.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8321" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8310" CreationDate="2013-09-03T13:44:38.447" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well I suppose I'm obliged to post it as an official answer, or it remains technically unanswered. Okay, it's &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ipomoea&lt;/a&gt; of some variety - as to which, could be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea_indica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;I. indica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea_purpurea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;I. purpurea&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Usually, the flowers open in the morning (hence the common name Morning Glory) and close by the afternoon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-11T03:58:29.507" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T03:58:29.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8322" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8313" CreationDate="2013-09-03T21:44:27.810" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears the best solution may be this: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.profileevs.com/products/rolled-erosion-control/temporary-erosion-control-blankets-ecb/futerra-f4-netless&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.profileevs.com/products/rolled-erosion-control/temporary-erosion-control-blankets-ecb/futerra-f4-netless&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Futerra F4 Netless&#xA;  Futerra F4 Netless: Starting a blanket revolution!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Futerra® F4 Netless® employs a lightweight, yet lofty matrix that provides high levels of slope protection and rapid vegetative establishment. It is &lt;strong&gt;particularly well-suited for fine turf&lt;/strong&gt; and environmentally sensitive areas. All weeds and pathogens are removed from its recycled wood fibers during a patented Thermally Refined® process. It also &lt;strong&gt;comes without nets or threads that could otherwise entangle animals&lt;/strong&gt; or maintenance equipment. It is yet another Earth-Friendly Solution for Sustainable Results™—the product of Green Design Engineering™.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is well-suited for fine-bladed grass and won't uproot a whole mat of grass if an animal claws at it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pics taken from this forum thread: &lt;a href=&quot;http://aroundtheyard.com/renovations/fall-2011-renovation-t4029-60.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://aroundtheyard.com/renovations/fall-2011-renovation-t4029-60.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cmNYl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The material is the same size as a KBG sprout, so it is unlikely to hinder growth from under the material.  This is in contrast to straw, which is several times larger in diameter than a grass sprout.  The material is also fluffy and resists matting that could hinder grass growing from under it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yQd6V.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The material is intertwined enough to hold together, but not so much that an animal could remove a large sheet of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lBk2A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At 5 weeks:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5hd1x.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;8 weeks:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/edGIp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All images owned by Bernstem of aroundtheyard.com&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I also like about this material is that it's made of wood, which is high in lignin, which is the precursor of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil#Organic_colloids&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;humus&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Humus is the penultimate state of decomposition of organic matter; while it may linger for a thousand years, on the larger scale of the age of the other soil components, it is temporary. It is composed of the very stable lignins (30%) and complex sugars (polyuronides, 30%), proteins (30%), waxes, and fats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lignin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lignin is a complex chemical compound most commonly derived from wood ... from the Latin word lignum, meaning wood.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot think of a better method of sowing grass seed in a high rainfall area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-09-03T21:44:27.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8323" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8298" CreationDate="2013-09-03T22:26:46.383" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will bet you are not watering enough.  In that sort of weather tomatoes in pots probably need to be watered every day.  Maybe more often than that if the pots are standard clay pots, not plastic which doesn't dry out quite as fast.  The tunnel-like marks could be leaf miner but I will bet that is related to the lack of water.  Leaf miner is not that common for tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might think about investing in an inexpensive drip irrigation system.  They are easy to set and completely take the drudgery out of growing things that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2013-09-03T22:26:46.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8324" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7087" CreationDate="2013-09-04T01:08:15.997" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been looking into something similar. I did a quick search for studies and didn't find much on Cicatrene. What I did find wasn't in English.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lately I've been reading more on using hydrogen peroxide for the same purpose. It appears to be beneficial. Here's a link to a related abstract. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?SEQ_NO_115=207538&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?SEQ_NO_115=207538&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the non-scientific info I've seen seems a bit exaggerated but there are some benefits shown in studies. The solution is very dilute and cost effective. It's also a product that's generally approved for organic farming. Might be worth a look.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-09-04T01:08:15.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8325" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-04T03:34:57.867" Score="4" ViewCount="975" Body="&lt;p&gt;Everyone talks about acid soil, but what does it mean when someone says my soil is acid?  How does soil get that way?  Is it a good thing?  Is it a bad thing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2019-02-17T05:46:47.350" Title="What is acid soil?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8326" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8325" CreationDate="2013-09-04T03:34:57.867" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let's start with a definition of acid.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;An acid is any subtance which can act as a proton donor.&lt;/a&gt;  Protons in this case are hydrogen ions (H+).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, an acid soil would have to be a substance which can donate H+ ions, therefore it is a substance which has lots of H+ ions to give.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Notice that the H+ ion has a positive charge.  Things with positive charges like to stick to things with negative charges.... like clay or humus particles in your soil.  It's like static cling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A particle of soil can only hold so many things with a positive charge.  Let's call &quot;the things with positive charges&quot; cations (cat-eye-ons).  Cations found stuck to particles of soil include: H+, K+, Ca++, Mg++, Na+, NH4+, Fe++, Mn++, Cu++, Zn++, Al+++ and some other elements and compounds.  Now if a particle can only hold so many of these things with positive charges, and many of them are H+, that must mean that there is less, say, Ca++ (calcium) being stored than what there could be if there wasn't so much H+.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PTNC2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants take up cations, which the plant uses for nutrition, by releasing H+ ions from its roots.  One H+ ion may dislodge a potassium (K+) from the clay particle, which the plant can then take up.  But if the soil is so acid that the released H+ simply replaces another H+ on the clay particle, the plant can't get its nutrition.  In this way you can say that acid soil is really malnourishing soil... or depleted soil.  This doesn't seem like a good thing to have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, it's not that simple.  A slightly acidic soil can &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/agriculture/pests-diseases-and-weeds/plant-diseases/vegetable-diseases/potato-diseases/common-scab-of-potatoes&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;prevent potato scab&lt;/a&gt; as the bacteria doesn't care much for the acidity.  Slight acidity can also make iron absorption easier.  Soil acidity has been put forth as the reason &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.apsnet.org/publications/phytopathology/backissues/Documents/1975Articles/Phyto65n10_1120.PDF&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;fusarium fungus isn't found in pine forests.&lt;/a&gt;  So, as it turns out, the most nourishing soil isn't the most nourishing soil in most cases:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M3OoQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Very acidic soils, in addition to be non-nourishing, make aluminum and manganese so readily available that they become toxic to plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that we know what it means to have an acid soil, how does a soil become acidic?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well, as we can see from the above picture, plant roots give off H+ ions which contribute to acidity.  The decay of organic matter also releases H+ ions, which contributes to acidity.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain#Acidity&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rain is also very acidic:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The pH of rain varies, especially due to its origin. On America's East Coast, rain that is derived from the Atlantic Ocean typically has a pH of 5.0-5.6; rain that comes across the continental from the west has a pH of 3.8-4.8; and local thunderstorms can have a pH as low as 2.0. Rain becomes acidic primarily due to the presence of two strong acids, sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and nitric acid (HNO3). Sulfuric acid is derived from natural sources such as volcanoes, and wetlands (sulfate reducing bacteria); and anthropogenic sources such as the combustion of fossil fuels, and mining where H2S is present. Nitric acid is produced by natural sources such as lightning, soil bacteria, and natural fires; while also produced anthropogenically by the combustion of fossil fuels and from power plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not only is rain a source of acid, but the water itself also leaches many of the cations that compete with H+ in the soil solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;There is a hierarchy in the process of cation exchange on colloids, as they differ in the strength of adsorption by the colloid and hence their ability to replace one another. If present in equal amounts in the soil water solution:&#xA;  Al3+ replaces H+ replaces Ca2+ replaces Mg2+ replaces K+ same as NH4+ replaces Na+&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil#Cation_and_anion_exchange&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil#Cation_and_anion_exchange&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We see that Al+++ and H+ replace everything else on the soil particle, which leaves all the nutrients free to be carried away by the rain water.  The result is a soil high in H+ concentration and low in nutrients (Al+++ is not a nutrient, but a toxin that becomes more available to plants in more acidic soils).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The amount of rainfall is the main way soils become acidic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In high rainfall areas, soils tend to acidity as the basic cations are forced off the soil colloids by the mass action of hydrogen ions from the rain as those attach to the colloids. High rainfall rates can then wash the nutrients out, leaving the soil sterile. Once the colloids are saturated with H+, the addition of any more hydrogen ions or aluminum hydroxyl cations drives the pH even lower (more acidic) as the soil has been left with no buffering capacity. In areas of extreme rainfall and high temperatures, the clay and humus may be washed out, further reducing the buffering capacity of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil#Soil_reaction_.28pH.29&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil#Soil_reaction_.28pH.29&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you see anything I can add or change, please leave a comment and I'll edit to include.  I put this here as a service to the community so that we all have a clear understanding of what acid soil means and a reference for when explanation is necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-09-04T03:34:57.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8327" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8329" CreationDate="2013-09-04T04:15:59.957" Score="2" ViewCount="9311" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a temperate climate zone. I have plants on a west facing balcony- they get full  sun from about midday till sunset. I don't have a tap on this balcony, but have put an extender on my hose and we can bring the hose through the apartment to reach this balcony. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have   &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syzygium_smithii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Syzygium smithii&lt;/a&gt;, lilly pillys native to Australia, planted in timber plantars. The planters are imitations of a half wine barrel, where the timber slats are held into place with metal strapping. They are a bit bigger than 2 foot diameter, a little less than 2 foot tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil is &quot;light&quot; and the water passes through it quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I am having trouble keeping them watered through dry spells, winter or summer. What can I do to make the soil retain more water?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3XFmd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lillypilly&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user14008" LastEditorDisplayName="user14008" LastActivityDate="2013-09-05T14:27:51.907" Title="Improving water retention in potted plants" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8328" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8330" CreationDate="2013-09-04T04:30:50.643" Score="6" ViewCount="250" Body="&lt;p&gt;I asked &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8327/improving-water-retention-in-potted-plants&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; about my potted lilly pillys. I have another separate question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in a temperate climate zone. I have plants on a east facing balcony- they get  sun from about sunrise till the middle of the day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have Syzygium smithii, lilly pillys native to Australia, planted in square concrete planters. They are approx 2.5 foot wide and deep, and  2.5 foot tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are unpainted (I had wanted to paint them before they were planted and was talked out of it).. they dry out very quickly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Would painting the outside help conserve water, and if, so would an oil based paint be the best?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Would it have been better to paint them on the inside?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What sort of material is good to retain water, ie terracotta, concrete?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s2qBb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;liyylpilly&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user14008" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2013-09-04T22:52:52.650" Title="Painting concrete pots to help conserve water" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;pots&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8329" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8327" CreationDate="2013-09-04T05:13:23.417" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;One good thing you can do is to increase organic matter.  Organics, such as compost, act as sponges to absorb and hold moisture.  Organics do break down over time, so you will have to monitor the level of OM in your soil and replenish as necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing you can do is to add clay.  Clay is the very small particles in soil that is responsible for the dust you see when you drive on a gravelly road.  Clay particles are so small, that the surface area of the combined amount of clay is huge.  And surface area holds water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0302hsted/030201/03020100frame.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;here&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; for a full explanation and some charts, as well as advice on dry-gardening in general.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil is capable of holding on to quite a bit of water, mostly by adhesion. For example, I'm sure that at one time or another you have picked up a wet stone from a river or by the sea. A thin film of water clings to its surface. This is adhesion. The more surface area there is, the greater the amount of moisture that can be held by adhesion. If we crushed that stone into dust, we would greatly increase the amount of water that could adhere to the original material. Clay particles, it should be noted, are so small that clay's ability to hold water is not as great as its mathematically computed surface area would indicate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This direct relationship between particle size, surface area, and water-holding capacity is so essential to understanding plant growth that the surface areas presented by various sizes of soil particles have been calculated. Soils are not composed of a single size of particle. If the mix is primarily sand, we call it a sandy soil. If the mix is primarily clay, we call it a clay soil. If the soil is a relatively equal mix of all three, containing no more than 35 percent clay, we call it a loam.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clayey soil can provide plants with three times as much available water as sand, six times as much as a very coarse sandy soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The downside of clay is it can restrict the amount of oxygen to the roots, so careful adding too much clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another type of clay, apart from the dusty stuff blowing around, is vermiculite.  Vermiculite will soak up water like a sponge.  Here is a fairly good article on verminculite vs perlite in potting soil: &lt;a href=&quot;http://worldseedsupply.org/blog/?p=113&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://worldseedsupply.org/blog/?p=113&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vermiculite is some pretty good stuff.  It's exceeded only by humus in holding onto plant nutrients in the soil. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil#Cation_exchange_capacity_.28CEC.29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil#Cation_exchange_capacity_.28CEC.29&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vermiculite also swells and shrinks as it soaks up or loses water, thereby aerating the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-09-04T05:13:23.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8328" CreationDate="2013-09-04T05:30:06.923" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hmm... I'm not sure water can flow through concrete.  I found a study titled &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1126&amp;amp;context=cenv_fac&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Permeability study of cracked concrete&lt;/a&gt;&quot; which says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Most researchers believe that a well designed and manufactured concrete is originally water-tight, containing discontinuous pores and microcracks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although concrete seems porous at first, the pores actually don't connect with other pores or go all the way through the concrete, so the concrete won't pass water unless it is cracked.  If there is a crack, then paint isn't what's needed... you need a crack repair product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can still paint it for asthetic reasons if you want.  As far as which paint type to go with, I'd let the guys on the home improvement site make a recommendation &lt;a href=&quot;https://diy.stackexchange.com/&quot;&gt;https://diy.stackexchange.com/&lt;/a&gt;  It appears from a google search that water-based latex and oil are acceptable for concrete, as well as polyurethane or epoxies.  Whichever you choose, make sure it's at least &quot;exterior&quot; grade paint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:22:11.787" LastActivityDate="2013-09-04T05:30:06.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8331" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8327" CreationDate="2013-09-04T09:09:58.100" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a number of watering solutions for container plants. Gravity fed drip systems, pump operated drip systems, watering globes and diy equivalents, these siphoning ceramic water probes, watering spikes you attach water or wine bottles to, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of different options and they all have their pros and cons. Different products will work better for different situations so look into all of them, read customer reviews and decide which ones will work best for you. Here's my thoughts on some of the ones I mentioned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The glass watering globes are attractive but can be a pain to work with and they're glass so they can break.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like the drip systems. The gravity fed ones are nice because you don't need a water supply or electricity but the ones with a pump give you greater control over watering times if you use a timer. You have more options as to where to put the water reservoir since it doesn't need to hang above the level of the plants. With drip systems you can also see that they're working.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They ceramic soil probes look interesting and have good reviews. They siphon water up from a reservoir so you don't have to have a big, unsightly plastic water bag or tote in a conspicuous location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-09-04T10:05:40.437" LastActivityDate="2013-09-04T10:05:40.437" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8325" CreationDate="2013-09-04T09:11:18.087" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Randy's given a very scientific explanation of the causes and what it means, but in simple terms, it refers to soil ph, which runs on a scale from 0 - 14, the lowest number being highly acidic, and the highest alkaline, and 7 being neutral. If your soil is acidic, then certain plants will do very well in it, things like rhododendrons, pieris, blueberries, most heathers and heaths, but other plants which prefer alkaline soil will do very badly. Japanese Acer (palmatum varieties) is an interesting one - they don't like limey (alkaline) soils, but are perfectly happy in neutral or acid soil conditions. Other Acers, along with many other plants, aren't at all fussy about their ph conditions, although an extreme of 1 or 13 might cause some problems. So the only reason you might want to know your soil ph is to work out what you can grow in it well, or whether you need to make some emendment to it in order to grow a wider range of plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is one plant which is a very useful guide to soil ph without doing a sample ph test - Hydrangea macrophylla hortensia varieties (those with the large, rounded, mophead flowers). Plant a pink one in alkaline soil and the flowers will come out pink - put the same plant in acid soil and the flowers will be blue. Around neutral will give flowers that are mixed between the two colours or a rather faded, unpleasant lilacy shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Broader causes of soil ph are the local geology, that is, what kind of bedrock or stone is under the soil, or whether the soil was originally alluvial (such as in old river courses). So, to answer your question fully, acidic soil is neither good nor bad, although you may consider it bad if you want to grow a lime loving plant in acid soil, or the other way around. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might be interested to know that the ph scale applies to human beings as well - the body expends a lot of effort to keep the blood at 7.39 on the ph scale - illness results very quickly if that alters. Ph of the body, just like soil, changes depending what you put into it regularly, although effecting a permanent change from, say, acid to alkaline in soil is almost impossible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-09-04T10:07:47.383" LastActivityDate="2013-09-04T10:07:47.383" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8333" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8294" CreationDate="2013-09-04T11:49:23.217" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Alcea&lt;/a&gt;. That one doesn't look exactly like the wild ones I have seen, but it's close.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2694" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-04T14:10:58.823" LastActivityDate="2013-09-04T14:10:58.823" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8334" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8328" CreationDate="2013-09-04T13:37:15.360" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Theoretically, painting the pots with reflective white paint, could reduce the heat absorbed from the sun, and thus the evaporated water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Who knows if the practical effect would be measurable. You could try calculating it or asking the guys over at Physics.SE.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1316" LastActivityDate="2013-09-04T13:37:15.360" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8335" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8328" CreationDate="2013-09-04T15:20:38.370" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can put more clay in the soil composition: it retains a lot of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2695" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-04T22:52:52.650" LastActivityDate="2013-09-04T22:52:52.650" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7986" CreationDate="2013-09-04T15:30:51.110" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did you this article on farming with seawater on CNN recently? &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/17/world/meast/qatar-sahara-forest-project/index.html?iid=article_sidebar&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/17/world/meast/qatar-sahara-forest-project/index.html?iid=article_sidebar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They mention another plant that can be used to desalinate water, Limonium axillare. I think you might find the entire project interesting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-09-04T15:30:51.110" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8327" CreationDate="2013-09-05T14:27:51.907" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could also get plastic pots that fit inside your timber planters and put the plants in those.  Use the half barrels for show.  The nursery pots that commercial nurseries sell small trees in might work.  As a bonus you timer barrels will last a lot longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2013-09-05T14:27:51.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8338" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8372" CreationDate="2013-09-05T16:12:18.637" Score="4" ViewCount="1711" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm having a hard time finding anything through search and I'm hoping others here might have experience or opinions doing what I want to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really like the look of black mulch (hardwood mulch dyed black commonly used in the USA) but dying my existing mulch is not practical and I'm not too keen on adding dye in the first place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have some garden beds that are currently mulched with cedar bark mulch. I'd like to start mulching with compost instead for a number of reasons, not just color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want to have to go through the hassle of removing the old mulch first and was hoping I could just start applying compost over top of the existing mulch (maybe 2-3&quot; of existing mulch). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone done anything similar to this and has info on how it worked out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm specifically looking for any information from people who have tried this such as will the compost help the cedar break down faster? Will the compost seep down between the bark after a few few rains and look nasty? Will the combination cause problems such as poor water infiltration?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like I might be doing a little small scale test as a critter decided to dig up a shrub I recently planted and scattered the compost that was in the whole around the mulched area. :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-09-09T21:32:37.397" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T01:23:49.797" Title="Opinions on combining shredded bark and compost as mulch" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8340" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1909" CreationDate="2013-09-05T23:28:28.290" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nobody touched on a few points to help control dandelion and thistle so I thought I'd add my 2cents even though this is an old thread. Also I'm curious how you made out since this is an old thread.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dandelions grow well in alkaline soil which most grasses do not. If your soil is alkaline your grass could be thinning leaving room for dandelion to grow. Do a soil test with your local university cooperative extension and make any changes to pH and fertility. It will do a lot to help thicken your grass to help prevent weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Set your lawn mower to the highest setting to help shade out new seedlings. It's also good for the grass. Water and fertilize appropriately. There are other things that might be keeping your lawn from growing thick such as dull mower blade or disease. Try to figure out what the problem is and correct it. A healthy, thick lawn is a big factor in controlling weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One popular weeding tool that works well for dandelions and other weeds that have a long tap root is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2009/10/new-weed-hound-elite-size-does-matter.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Weed Hound Elite&lt;/a&gt; (check the link for my thoughts on it on my site). It's nice because you don't have to get on the ground to weed and it works very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can spot spray the weeds in the fall using an organic herbicide such as vinegar. Spray them, wait a week, if they start coming back spray them again a week later. Do this for 2-3 weeks and you'll drain a lot of the reserves from the roots. A combo of the weed hound and spraying works well. Then reseed those areas of the lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check out &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.richsoil.com/lawn-care.jsp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Organic Lawn Care for the Cheap and Lazy&lt;/a&gt;. There's more info on proper mowing, fertilizing and watering and specific info on dandelions and thistle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-09-05T23:28:28.290" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3683" CreationDate="2013-09-06T05:34:40.900" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could also use stacked cinder blocks if you don't want to worry about the wood rotting away. Plus you get extra pockets for plants on the side if you stack the cinder blocks with the holes up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2355" LastActivityDate="2013-09-06T05:34:40.900" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8342" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1909" CreationDate="2013-09-06T06:40:16.240" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know it seems like I'm carrying the &amp;quot;calcium&amp;quot; flag on this site as it seems calcium is the answer to almost any problem, but once again, if you want to be rid of dandelions, check your calcium levels:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iocS8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;quot;The lawn on the left received applications of high-calcium limestone and gypsum; the lawn on the right did not.&amp;quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read more at: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.safelawns.org/blog/2010/11/guest-blog-to-reduce-weeds-and-improve-lawn-apply-calcium/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.safelawns.org/blog/2010/11/guest-blog-to-reduce-weeds-and-improve-lawn-apply-calcium/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another testimonial from a credible source can be found here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://aroundtheyard.com/soil/calcium-works-not-single-dandelion-t438.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Calcium Works! Not A Single Dandelion!!!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a believer that each plant has its perfect soil conditions where it competes well with other plants.  Clover competes well with other plants in a low-N soil.  When the N levels are raised, clover doesn't compete as well as grass and the clover goes away over time.  Likewise, dandelion competes in low-calcium soils.  Or maybe it's better to say dandelion competes in high-potassium soils... which is really saying the same thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lvi7o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image taken from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010141.soil.fertility.animal.health/010106ch02.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010141.soil.fertility.animal.health/010106ch02.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What this image is saying is simply when rainfall has leached calcium to the point that it is no longer the dominant mineral, then potassium becomes the dominant mineral in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why am I bothering to tell you this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/1051-0761%281999%29009%5B0103:BWCVNC%5D2.0.CO;2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;BIOLOGICAL WEED CONTROL VIA NUTRIENT COMPETITION: POTASSIUM LIMITATION OF DANDELIONS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weedy plants are often controlled by the application of herbicides. Here we explore an alternative method of control. We suggest that the abundance of an undesired plant species (&lt;strong&gt;here dandelions: Taraxacum officinale&lt;/strong&gt;) may be controlled by modifying interspecific competition via changes in resource supply rates. This hypothesis is supported by several lines of evidence. First, analyses of effects of different patterns of fertilization on plant-species abundances in the 140-yr-old Park Grass Experiment at Rothamsted, England, show that &lt;strong&gt;Taraxacum abundances were highly dependent on potassium fertilization&lt;/strong&gt; and on liming, but not on addition of other nutrients. Potassium fertilization led to a 17- to 20-fold increase in Taraxacum abundances in the classical Park Grass data, and to a 4- to 7-fold increase in the modern data. Liming led to a 2- to 3-fold increase for classical data and to a 3- to 4-fold increase for modern data.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, in a greenhouse study in Minnesota, Taraxacum had a higher requirement for potassium and had its biomass more limited by potassium than any of five common grass species of Park Grass. This suggests that &lt;strong&gt;Taraxacum may be a poorer competitor for potassium&lt;/strong&gt; than these grasses, but this mechanism has not yet been tested. Third, in a series of Minnesota lawns that had not received fertilizer or herbicides, both &lt;strong&gt;Taraxacum density and abundance were significantly positively correlated with its tissue potassium levels&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This demonstration that desired and weedy plant species can differ in their resource requirements suggests that adjustments in resource supply rates may determine the outcome of interspecific competition, allowing desired species to competitively control weedy species. In particular, for soils with low potassium levels, the use of potassium-free lawn fertilizer is predicted to decrease Taraxacum because of competition from grasses like Festuca rubra.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to lower potassium levels in the soil is by raising calcium levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusion&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you raise calcium, it will dilute potassium in the soil and make it very uncomfortable for the dandelions, but the grass will love it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-09-06T06:40:16.240" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8343" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-06T15:55:06.510" Score="8" ViewCount="1193" Body="&lt;p&gt;First time grower in Michigan, partial shade and probably not the best soil.  The red potatoes I got out first were very hard.  Why?  What can I do to prevent this with the rest of them before they are harvested?  Anything I can do for these dears?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2701" LastActivityDate="2013-09-07T03:00:20.220" Title="Hard potatoes harvested" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8344" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-06T18:30:20.650" Score="5" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;This one has proven to be a real mystery, even when we asked a Master Gardener.&#xA;Serrated edges, each cup 2-3 inches in width, about a foot in height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1a9XE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;serrated edge&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2702" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-09-06T22:45:46.990" LastActivityDate="2013-09-06T22:45:46.990" Title="Mystery in Pennsylvania garden" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8345" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8344" CreationDate="2013-09-06T18:42:18.347" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks to me like a Sedum.  The closest of the many varieties might be Sedum ellacombianum&#xA;(also called Sedum kamtschaticum ssp ellacombianum)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fresh green leaves and star-shaped yellow flowers in summer. 6” X 18”.   Full sun, well drained soil.   Very vigorous, almost weedy, drought and cold tolerant. A native of Asia and hardy to –30 degrees F or about (-30 deg C) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is described in more detail &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/f550/sedum-kamtschaticum-var.-ellacombeanum.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I'm right it will have little yellow flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-09-06T18:42:18.347" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8346" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="483" CreationDate="2013-09-06T23:22:21.533" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had several aloe plants derived from one tiny plant 29 years ago! I am in Michigan and they live on my window sill facing east so they get the morning sun. They have thrived so much that I have repotted several of the pups for centerpieces at a wedding shower and a baby shower. I did pot some to put on my outdoor deck one summer and the direct sun killed it! I was surprised as the original plant came from Florida. So they seem to do well as long as there is a pane off glass separating them from the sun, they are a beautiful lime green and very hardy. I found this site because I was wondering if I could put one on my desk at work under flourescent light and if it would be okay with no direct sunlight coming in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2703" LastActivityDate="2013-09-06T23:22:21.533" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8347" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8343" CreationDate="2013-09-07T03:00:20.220" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some potatoes are harder than others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The Andean people of South America had many different names for potatoes. Red potatoes were called “weep blood for the Inca” and hard potatoes were called “knife breaker.”&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://academics.hamilton.edu/foodforthought/Our_Research_files/potatoes.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://academics.hamilton.edu/foodforthought/Our_Research_files/potatoes.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The proper way to grow potatoes is in a high potassium soil with ph of 5.5-6 and the soil must be loose enough to allow the tubers to form without too much pressure from the soil squeezing back on them.  Hard potatoes could come from hard soil, but small potatoes definitely do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you should wait until the vine has died back all the way.  It's possible you could be harvesting them too early, like with apples or pears that would be hard when picked too early.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there is something about the soil or growing conditions which has resulted in abnormally hard potatoes, it's probably too late to fix the problem in time for harvest this year.  But you can learn what to do for a better crop next year :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-09-07T03:00:20.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8348" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-07T07:13:29.260" Score="9" ViewCount="37543" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been seeing a lot of conflicting information online about chemical fertilizers being poisonous and was wondering if there are any trustworthy sources of information to definitely answer this question?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2018-05-12T15:54:28.710" Title="Are chemical fertilizers poisonous to people or animals?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8349" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8348" CreationDate="2013-09-07T07:13:29.260" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's important to note that synthetic fertilizers are often salts which are sometimes produced by a chemical reaction, hence the &amp;quot;chemical fertilizer&amp;quot; name.  They are no more &amp;quot;chemical&amp;quot; than table salt.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_%28chemistry%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Salts are simply ionic compounds.&lt;/a&gt;  And that simply means two things stuck together by &amp;quot;static cling&amp;quot;.  Table salt is Na+ and Cl-.  The plus and minus stick together and you get table salt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can think of no more definitive source of information than the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Material_safety_data_sheet&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;MSDS&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;10-10-10&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you went to the big box store and picked up a bag of 10-10-10 general-purpose fertilizer, what you will likely find inside the bag are ammonium nitrate and/or urea, potassium chloride, and ammonium phosphate and/or rock phosphate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking at the MSDS for each, we find toxicity levels of common fertilizer ingredients in rats (mg/kg) compared to table salt: (the bigger the number, the more a rat can eat without dying)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927593&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Table Salt&lt;/a&gt; 3000&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927336&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ammonium Nitrate&lt;/a&gt; 2217&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.esciencelabs.com/files/safety_sheets/Potassium%20Chloride.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Potassium Chloride&lt;/a&gt; 2600&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927337&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ammonium Phosphate&lt;/a&gt; 3000&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927317&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Urea&lt;/a&gt; 8471&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agrian.com/pdfs/Rock_Phosphate_0-3-0_MSDS.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rock Phosphate&lt;/a&gt; No data available since, apparently, it's a rock and not considered toxic enough to bother with a rating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are a 70kg (150lb) rat, you would have to eat at least 6 oz of table salt or fertilizer to expect to have a 50% likelihood of dying. (ie. If you fed 6 oz of fertilizer to ten 70kg rats, 5 would die, 5 would not).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Miracle-Gro&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How about and more complete fertilizer like Miracle-Gro All Purpose Plant Food?  The ingredients are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927078&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ammonium Sulfate&lt;/a&gt; 2840&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927235&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Potassium Phosphate&lt;/a&gt; 4640&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potassium Chloride 2600&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Urea 8471&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growforce.com.au/MSDS_Sheets/Soluble%20Fertilisers%20MSDS/Kemira/Magnum%20P44%20MSDS.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Urea Phosphate&lt;/a&gt; 5840&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927105&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Boric Acid&lt;/a&gt; 2660&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cen.iitb.ac.in/cen/usage-policies/msds/CopSulOBFeeGra-m.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Copper Sulfate&lt;/a&gt; 472&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9923976&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Iron EDTA&lt;/a&gt; 5000&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.yara.us/images/SDS_DissolvineE-MN-13_tcm362-56495.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Manganese EDTA&lt;/a&gt; 2000&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.melpat.com.au/documents/SodiumMolybdenum_MSDS_000.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sodium Molybdate&lt;/a&gt; 4000&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cancer.rutgers.edu/stg_lab/protocols/MSDS/zinc%20sulfate.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Zinc Sulfate&lt;/a&gt; 1260&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears copper sulfate is the most toxic, at 472 mg/kg, but luckily Miracle-Gro only contains 0.07% copper, so you would have to consume an extremely large amount of this fertilizer to get a toxic dose of copper sulfate.  Likewise with zinc sulfate since the product contains only 0.06% zinc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/miracle-gro-plant-food/prod70342/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;From the Miracle-Gro website&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This product poses minimal risks to humans or animals so exposure is not a significant concern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Others&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other fertilizers which haven't been mentioned so far:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927232&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Potassium Nitrate&lt;/a&gt; 3750&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salts) Oddly, I can't find data on this, but people have been soaking their body parts in solutions of it for a long time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927479&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Calcium Nitrate&lt;/a&gt; 3900&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9923277&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Calcium Sulfate&lt;/a&gt; (Gypsum) : The probable lethal oral human dose has been estimated to be 500 to 5000 mg/kg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hillbrothers.com/msds/pdf/n/ferrous-sulfate.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ferrous Sulfate&lt;/a&gt; 1520&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kochfertilizer.com/pdf/KFB_TSP_GHS_EN_09Nov2012.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Triple Super Phosphate&lt;/a&gt; 1530&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927119&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Calcium Carbonate&lt;/a&gt; (Lime) Main ingredient in calcium supplements in the vitamin aisle and in anti-acid tablets like Tums. 6450&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This isn't a complete list of every salt possible for agricultural use, but definitely contains the more popular ones... and if you're savvy enough to desire and purchase those not listed here, it's unlikely you'll ever be reading this anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In conclusion, what is poisonous is relative to the amount.  Water can be poisonous in large enough amounts, but from what I've seen so far, there is nothing here that is particularly scary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Contaminants&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One caveat to this may be the contamination with heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, barium, lead, etc.  It has been alleged that zinc is a waste product of the steel industry and thus could contain &amp;quot;who knows what&amp;quot; in addition to zinc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Websites such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pirg.org/toxics/reports/wastelands/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;these&lt;/a&gt; exaggerate claims and seek to scare an uneducated public by suggesting copper, iron, selenium, manganese, chromium and many others are &amp;quot;toxic heavy metals&amp;quot; while you can find them in any multi-vitamin.  Most of the list are, in fact, plant nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, how many of these are naturally occurring in soils?  And what levels are considered toxic?  As already stated, Miracle-Gro contains 0.06% zinc, which isn't much, and if the zinc is 1% contaminated, I wouldn't expect the overall Miracle-Gro product to have much at all in percentage terms (0.0006%).  Of course, 10-10-10 has no zinc at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll have to research this more, but it's beyond the scope of this answer.  Anything can be contaminated.. from food to medicine, so it wouldn't be exclusive to synthetic fertilizers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Organic fertilizers are no exception:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;George Kuepper, an agriculture specialist with the National Center for Appropriate Technology, observed in a 2003 report that &lt;strong&gt;composting manure actually concentrates the fertilizer's metal content&lt;/strong&gt;, which could lead to greater levels of the contaminants in organic soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recent studies have lent Kuepper's concern tentative support. For example, in 2007, researchers conducted an analysis of wheat grown on various farms in Belgium; based on the results, they estimate that &lt;strong&gt;consumers of organically grown wheat take in more than twice as much lead, slightly more cadmium, and nearly equivalent levels of mercury as consumers of wheat grown on conventional farms.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/green_room/2008/09/rusted_roots.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/green_room/2008/09/rusted_roots.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00747683#page-1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00747683#page-1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-09-11T23:52:56.720" CommentCount="17" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8350" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7917" CreationDate="2013-09-07T13:09:59.677" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are one or two golden rules if you want to try to strike a cutting from a plant - the first is, choose a piece without any flowers, preferably between 6-10 inches in length, usually a side shoot. The second is, you must keep the cutting from drying out, so if it cannot be immediately dealt with, then it should be kept in a sealed plastic bag to prevent it drying out. However, the chances of even a sealed plastic bag retaining enough life for several hours or days is low.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have so far been unable to find any information on taking cuttings from this particular plant - seed is available, and that might be your best option if you want to grow it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Having checked, where I thought seed was available, it isn't - it's actually listed on their Wanted list. As its more or less continuously flowering, this plant, next time you're there, try to find a ripe seed pod or two. I can't tell from the picture whether that's a shrivelled flower in the centre towards the top, or whether its a seedcase that has split open, but it's certainly worth pulling apart the dead flowers to see if there's any seed anywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-09-07T13:58:20.997" LastActivityDate="2013-09-07T13:58:20.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8351" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8338" CreationDate="2013-09-07T14:00:14.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This article gives step by step instructions of how to create black mulch; it takes about 8 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.doityourself.com/stry/make-your-own-black-mulch#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Make Your Own Black Mulch&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An overview involves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spreading manure over dampened cardboard layers &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;adding a layer of vegetation (scraps and cuttings)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;adding a layer of peat moss (which I, personally, like)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;then repeating the layers (ensuring it is kept damp throughout the process)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;covering the pile with tarp, ensuring it remains moist&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;after 9 weeks the pile is ready to be mixed and used as black mulch&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There instructions are more detailed if you follow the link; it specifies the thickness of specific layers, and safety precautions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I see no value in dying mulch. I have used cedar; as @Randy noted in the comments, it does turn grey. It takes a long time to break down. I would not use it again, as I suspect &lt;em&gt;(and this is my own opinion, from experience)&lt;/em&gt; that, as it breaks down, the by products are not the best for creating a healthy garden). I wouldn't think it is such a bad thing if you are improving the soil by adding good quality mulch on top. It sounds like you already have a reasonably thick layer of mulch there. I would be reluctant to add another 2 inches straight over this; having said this it really depends on the types and stages of development of the plants that you are in the garden bed you are mulching. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plants can cope with a rising soil levels, some will die. I live in Australia and many of our natives are robust and cope with a variety of conditions so over-mulching would not be a problem for established natives. For any young plants, I think am excessive layer of mulch can be counterproductive. The best way to ensure plants are not damaged is to ensure that the base of the plants are cleared of a deep layer of mulch; so that they don't risk rotting. When I have used excessive mulch, I clear a &quot;dish&quot; around the plant of at least  4-5 inches, where the mulch is only an inch or so thick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can purchase prepared black mulch (at least in Australia); the problem is knowing whether or not is has been dyed, as not all vendors are honest in their dealings about this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user14008" LastEditorDisplayName="user14008" LastActivityDate="2013-09-07T14:00:14.843" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8354" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8356" CreationDate="2013-09-07T20:24:07.543" Score="7" ViewCount="1813" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are common causes of these burnt tips? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over/under fertilization? Too much/little light? Nutrient deficiency?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is Korean shiso/perilla growing in a deep water culture. I've also seen it on basil grown in soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UqRsi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Burnt tips on shiso&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="519" LastActivityDate="2013-09-11T01:43:59.993" Title="Common causes of burnt tips on herbs" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8355" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-07T20:29:10.373" Score="6" ViewCount="2910" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a seed that has already germinated. I've had it in water for a day and it has already grown some in the water.  One end has a slight purple color to it, the other one is long and white. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which end should be pointing up when I bury it in the potting soil in a container?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2705" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-10T14:10:23.667" LastActivityDate="2013-12-18T20:09:58.213" Title="Which end is up when planting a mango seed?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8354" CreationDate="2013-09-08T01:09:09.583" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like nitrogen and potassium deficiency to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/a0443e/a0443e02.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Chapter 4, &lt;em&gt;Soil fertility and crop production&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; of the book &lt;a href=&quot;ftp://ftp.fao.org/agl/agll/docs/fpnb16.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Plant Nutrition for Food Security - A guide for integrated nutrient management&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; published by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fao.org/home/en/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;h2&gt;Deficiencies indicated by symptoms appearing first on older leaves&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;chlorosis starting from leaf tips, later leaves turn yellowish-brown: N&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;reddish/purple discoloration on green leaves or stalks: P&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;leaves with brown necrotic margins and/or spots: K&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;stripe chlorosis, mainly between veins, while veins remain green: Mg&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;spot necrosis: greyish-brown stripe-form spots in oats (grey-speck disease): Mn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;dark-brown spots in oats and barley, whitish spots in rye and wheat: Mn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;h2&gt;Deficiencies indicated by symptoms appearing first on younger leaves:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;completely yellowish-green leaves with yellowish veins: S&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;yellow or pale yellow to white leaves with green veins: Fe&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;youngest leaf with white, withered and twisted tip: Cu&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;yellowish leaves with brownish spots and/or leaf deformed (part of acidity syndrome): Ca&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-11T01:43:59.993" LastActivityDate="2013-09-11T01:43:59.993" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8357" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-08T02:28:36.783" Score="6" ViewCount="24364" Body="&lt;p&gt;Often times we cna look at the leaves of a plant to determine what nutrients are missing in the soil which the plants need.  It would be nice to have a repository of images with accompanying deficiency information.  Is there anywhere I can find such?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-09-08T02:28:36.783" Title="A visual reference to nutrient deficiencies in plants" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ClosedDate="2013-09-12T14:28:23.187" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8357" CreationDate="2013-09-08T02:28:36.783" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is the general rule-of-thumb I use to identify nutrient deficiences in plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Deficiencies indicated by symptoms appearing first on older leaves&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;chlorosis starting from leaf tips, later leaves turn yellowish-brown: N&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;reddish/purple discoloration on green leaves or stalks: P&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leaves with brown necrotic margins and/or spots: K&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stripe chlorosis, mainly between veins, while veins remain green: Mg&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spot necrosis: greyish-brown stripe-form spots in oats (grey-speck disease): Mn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dark-brown spots in oats and barley, whitish spots in rye and wheat: Mn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Deficiencies indicated by symptoms appearing first on younger leaves:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;completely yellowish-green leaves with yellowish veins: S&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;yellow or pale yellow to white leaves with green veins: Fe&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;youngest leaf with white, withered and twisted tip: Cu&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;yellowish leaves with brownish spots and/or leaf deformed (part of acidity syndrome): Ca&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VOdt2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Nitrogen Deficiency&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dMBEe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://extension.udel.edu/kentagextension/2009/06/15/nitrogen-deficiency-in-corn/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://extension.udel.edu/kentagextension/2009/06/15/nitrogen-deficiency-in-corn/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x93OT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.huntingtonbotanical.org/Rose/resources/diseases.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.huntingtonbotanical.org/Rose/resources/diseases.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uyQMd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mofga.org/Publications/MaineOrganicFarmerGardener/Spring2011/Nitrogen/tabid/1871/Default.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.mofga.org/Publications/MaineOrganicFarmerGardener/Spring2011/Nitrogen/tabid/1871/Default.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Potassium Deficiency&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FeeYL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://vasat.icrisat.org/crops/pigeonpea/prod_practices/Nutrient%20Deficiency/potassium.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://vasat.icrisat.org/crops/pigeonpea/prod_practices/Nutrient%20Deficiency/potassium.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cg1gR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/database/nutdef/pic83.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/database/nutdef/pic83.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OdXMf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hazerainc.com/deficiencies-in-tomatoes-crops/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://hazerainc.com/deficiencies-in-tomatoes-crops/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Magnesium Deficiency&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hQHXO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plantdoctor.pbworks.com/w/page/17167380/Tomato&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://plantdoctor.pbworks.com/w/page/17167380/Tomato&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/an21e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://enst2.umd.edu/enst411/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://enst2.umd.edu/enst411/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Sulfur Deficiency&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LcS12.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agroservicesinternational.com/photos/Sulfur%20deficiency%20in%20Chinese%20cabbage.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.agroservicesinternational.com/photos/Sulfur%20deficiency%20in%20Chinese%20cabbage.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9R9C9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.org/pages/9862/sulfur-s#.UivZJDbBN14&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.extension.org/pages/9862/sulfur-s#.UivZJDbBN14&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Iron Deficiency&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ht0al.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.org/pages/9868/iron-fe#.UivZZjbBN14&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.extension.org/pages/9868/iron-fe#.UivZZjbBN14&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kQPbZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thebestgardening.com/plant-nutrition-needs-and-deficiencies/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://thebestgardening.com/plant-nutrition-needs-and-deficiencies/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Calcium Deficiency&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qZS4D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.smart-fertilizer.com/articles/calcium-in-plants&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.smart-fertilizer.com/articles/calcium-in-plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/53jMv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://enst2.umd.edu/enst411/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://enst2.umd.edu/enst411/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2R5H4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1874&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1874&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Phosphorus Deficiency&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nk9sH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://msucares.com/crops/corn/corn20.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://msucares.com/crops/corn/corn20.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DvmXy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thebestgardening.com/plant-nutrition-needs-and-deficiencies/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://thebestgardening.com/plant-nutrition-needs-and-deficiencies/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Manganese Deficiency&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xx7Wy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/database/nutdef/pic27.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/database/nutdef/pic27.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BVoTK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://eap.mcgill.ca/CPSO_2.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://eap.mcgill.ca/CPSO_2.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Manganese Toxicity&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SJzcu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~blpprt/acid2.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~blpprt/acid2.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xURcn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&amp;amp;pid=S0103-90162010000300006&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&amp;amp;pid=S0103-90162010000300006&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll notice that manganese toxicity and calcium deficiency look the same.  It's because when calcium is low, ph is also low and when ph is low, manganese in the soil becomes too readily available to the plant (as well as aluminum) and produces toxicity symptoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, just because something is missing from the plant, doesn't mean it's missing from the soil.  It could be tied up by ph (as iron is unavailable at high ph) or tied up by excess of some other nutrient.  Periods of floods can result in short manganese toxicity problems.  Droughts can result in a broad spectrum of deficiencies as roots have no soil solution from which to draw nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-09-08T02:28:36.783" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8359" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-08T04:17:54.180" Score="2" ViewCount="1922" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seattle&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got a whole string of french lavenders that I've sort of 'trained' to be sort of like short hedges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, they've fought back by getting woody and leggy. How hard can I/should I cut them back to re-shape them properly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-Sometimes- they seem get new growth from the wood, but mostly not. How do I tell what new growth will come from and what won't?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, is now the time of year to consider this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2706" LastActivityDate="2013-09-09T11:14:42.980" Title="Cutting Back Leggy French Lavender" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8359" CreationDate="2013-09-08T11:02:33.520" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Like all lavenders, they do not regenerate from old wood, which means they should be pruned back 2 or 3 times a year, after a main flowering, to keep them bushy. Clipping over involves removing all the spent flower stems, plus about an inch, but no more, of leafy growth, unless there isn't an inch of new, soft growth, in which case, take less. Lavender also becomes leggy and woody with age, so it's usual to replace plants roughly every five years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what your climate's like (I think Seattle is very, very wet, but could be wrong) but I think you're in Fall now and if your winters are usually hard, then a light clipping now is about all you should do, particularly with French lavender, which is slightly less hardy than other varieties such as Dutch or English lavender. Clipping a lot off might encourage new growth which will not have time to harden off properly before cold temperatures arrive, IF you get those around November time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:  Old and new wood is a bit of a misnomer - the new growth isn't really woody, its grey and soft or softish. Any woody parts are old really. I'm trying to think when Thanskgiving is - around 21st December, maybe? I don't know when Autumn officially starts where you are - in the UK, it's September, when the days are noticeably shortening and nights are cooler, but we wouldn't expect frost before November most years.I would, now in the UK, clip over the bushes very lightly; since you can't cut into woody parts anyway, you can do the same if your weather patterns are similar and definitely if your Autumn is later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-09-09T11:14:42.980" LastActivityDate="2013-09-09T11:14:42.980" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8361" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8348" CreationDate="2013-09-08T12:59:02.080" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The overriding concern is not if chemical fertilizers are safe but if the use of chemical fertilizers is the best option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you sit down for breakfast you might have a cheese omelet with whole wheat toast. You don't scoop out 23g of protein, 28g of carbohydrates and 20g of fat from your nutri-tubs.  We need a balanced diet consisting of both macro and micro nutrients as well as other components. Plants are the same way. What we feed the plants we use to feed ourselves should be an important consideration. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil is also the same way. A healthy soil is &lt;a href=&quot;http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/concepts/soil_biology/bacteria.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;full of microorganisms&lt;/a&gt; that help create a healthy environment for plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If we provide plants with good, nutrient rich, healthy soil the plants will do well with little need for external inputs of fertilizer, insecticides and fungicides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When it comes to organic gardening and farming, it's not about finding replacements to chemical fertilizers, it's about taking a wider approach to plant management that includes building a healthy soil ecology. Synthetic fertilizers focus on providing nutrients to plants. While organic fertilizers are still labeled with a guaranteed analysis (N-P-K) like traditional fertilizers, the way they primarily work is by feeding the soil microorganisms which in turn feed the plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A lot of organic fertilizers also come from more sustainable sources such as waste products from other industries. Compost is entirely made up of waste material. Corn gluten meal, which is a fertilizer that has some pre-emergant herbicidal qualities, is a waste product of the manufacture of corn syrup and cornstarch. Compare that to ammonium nitrate which is made using the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haber_process&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Haber Process&lt;/a&gt; which requires natural gas. We should all be aware of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2010/06/fracking-in-pennsylvania-201006&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;detrimental issues surrounding trying to extract more natural gas&lt;/a&gt; by now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, while in low concentrations synthetic fertilizers may be considered safe, those products can have serious risks in the concentrated forms they are transported and stored in prior to use. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fss.txstate.edu/ehsrm/safetymanual/agsafe/fertilize.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.fss.txstate.edu/ehsrm/safetymanual/agsafe/fertilize.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This material is very harmful if accidentally spilled or sprayed onto&#xA;  body surfaces. It can cause blindness if it gets into the eyes. Also,&#xA;  high concentrations of ammonia gas in the air are very irritating to&#xA;  the lungs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I accidentally spill corn gluten meal on myself, I don't have to go through a hazmat shower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Taking the organic approach helps nature help our plants so we don't need to use synthetic herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, some of which are known to cause serious health problems in humans. With an organic approach you minimize the need for insecticides and fungicides. Insecticides for example not only kill the insects we don't want, but also the insects we do want. Only &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growingagreenerworld.com/episode-403-controlling-pests-organically/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;3% of the insects in a garden are considered pests&lt;/a&gt;. That's why &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/factsheets/ipm.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Integrated Pest Management&lt;/a&gt; (IPM) is becoming more popular with commercial growers. It reduces the use of unhealthy chemicals and can reduce costs while producing healthier plants. When soil biology becomes unbalanced and pathogenic microorganisms start infecting plants with disease other methods can be used to control disease including &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2012/07/how-to-treat-lawn-disease-organically.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;corn meal&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2013/08/how-milk-treats-plant-disease.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;milk sprays&lt;/a&gt; and bio-fungicides such as bacillus subtilis and trichoderma harzianum. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are chemical fertilizers safe? That's not really the most important concern. Is managing gardens, lawns, crops organically or synthetically an overall better approach is what most people think about when they decide to switch to organic practices. Is everything labeled organic safe? Do we fully understand how to make the most effective use of organic practices? The answer to both those questions is no. There is still a lot of research going on and practices are evolving as we learn more. That doesn't make it the wrong approach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/green_room/2008/09/rusted_roots.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Slate article&lt;/a&gt; you quote you left out some important qualifiers. It is not as one sided as your quote implies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;No one is saying that organic soil has higher heavy-metal counts than&#xA;  conventional soil as a rule—scientists have not conducted enough&#xA;  research to make such a determination. Still, some evidence indicates&#xA;  that organic soil can, in some cases, be more contaminated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Similarly, a 2007 study of Greek produce found that organic&#xA;  agriculture does not necessarily reduce the cadmium and lead levels in&#xA;  crops. &lt;strong&gt;As it turned out, &quot;certified&quot; organic cereals, leafy greens,&#xA;  pulses, and alcoholic beverages had slightly less heavy-metal&#xA;  contamination than conventional products&lt;/strong&gt;, but &quot;uncertified&quot; organic&#xA;  products had &quot;far larger concentrations&quot; than conventional ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-09-08T14:55:46.233" LastActivityDate="2013-09-08T14:55:46.233" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8362" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3075" CreationDate="2013-09-08T15:12:51.367" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a univent and left it in the garage over the winter and had to replace the cylinder. Something happens to the gel when it freezes &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2707" LastActivityDate="2013-09-08T15:12:51.367" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8363" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8371" CreationDate="2013-09-08T19:02:56.273" Score="7" ViewCount="47409" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just moved into a new house. There was a sickly looking tree in the backyard. I cut it down but now there are little branches coming out of the ground in the area the tree use to be. I think it is the old root system trying to stay alive. I really liked the location of the tree, one of the neighbors said it was an apple tree. I cut it down in the winter, had no idea what it was. My question is if I wanted the tree to come back could I let one of these branches keep growing and it would turn into a tree again or is this just some sort of last ditch effort of the tree trying to stay alive but would not turn into a tree again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2708" LastActivityDate="2019-11-08T19:06:44.460" Title="Tree growing back after being cut down" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8364" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8363" CreationDate="2013-09-08T21:05:43.690" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would grow back into a tree again.  By cutting it down in winter, all the energy was stored in the roots.  So when spring came, a flush of new growth happened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you have done is called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppicing&quot;&gt;Coppicing&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which takes advantage of the fact that many trees make new growth from the stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, young tree stems are repeatedly cut down to near ground level. In subsequent growth years, many new shoots will emerge, and, after a number of years the coppiced tree, or stool, is ready to be harvested, and the cycle begins again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Coppicing maintains trees at a juvenile stage, and a regularly coppiced tree will never die of old age—some coppice stools may therefore reach immense ages. The age of a stool may be estimated from its diameter, and some are so large—perhaps as much as 5.4 metres (18 ft) across—that they are thought to have been continuously coppiced for centuries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollarding&quot;&gt;Pollarding&lt;/a&gt; is similar:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Pollarding is a pruning system in which the upper branches of a tree are removed, promoting a dense head of foliage and branches. It has been common in Europe since medieval times and is practised today in urban areas worldwide, primarily to maintain trees at a predetermined height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-09-08T21:05:43.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8365" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8366" CreationDate="2013-09-08T22:12:50.783" Score="4" ViewCount="3146" Body="&lt;p&gt;The previous owner of my house grew a citrus tree less than 1 foot away from the house. I don't know the exact species of this tree, but it produces orange-colored tangerine-sized fruits that are sour. It is about 8 feet tall now. I'm worried that the roots will continue growing and damage the foundation of my house or rupture water pipes. What do you suggest me do with this tree? Kill it? If so, how? With pesticide or with a chainsaw?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z4zc0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2013-09-08T22:31:40.863" Title="Should a citrus tree growing very close to the house be killed?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8365" CreationDate="2013-09-08T22:31:40.863" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have a basement that tree is definitely too close.  If your house is on a concrete slab it is probably still too close. Tree roots &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mortonarb.org/tree-plant-advice/article/16888/tree-roots-and-foundation-damage.html&quot;&gt;rarely damage concrete foundations&lt;/a&gt; but you are right to worry about them growing towards water sources. The consequences of leaving it could be cracks in the concrete slab or foundation of your house. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree should come down and the best way is the hard way: a shovel and you....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would not consider putting herbicides next to my house and if you have water pipes in the area hand digging is the best solution. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-09-08T22:31:40.863" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8367" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8370" CreationDate="2013-09-08T23:00:01.280" Score="4" ViewCount="2729" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have hard clay soil and live in hardiness zone 5. I planted some mint in a garden bed, which did well for a few months. Now, I moved it into the clay soil itself, and the leaves yellowed at the bottom. I removed them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I probably over-watered it, and the clay soil retained the water. I piled on a bunch of soil on top, and moved to a more moderate watering schedule, but I still see new yellow leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I diagnose (and hopefully fix) the problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastActivityDate="2013-09-09T06:59:50.250" Title="Mint leaves yellow after transplant" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8369" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7137" CreationDate="2013-09-09T00:18:42.690" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This might help you find more information. The toxicity you're referring to when one plant secretes a substance that is toxic to other plants is called &quot;allelopathy&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did a quick search for allelopthic forsythia and it turns out it is. This page lists some info and some of the plants that won't work well with forsythia. &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenproblems/a/What-Is-Allelopathy.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenproblems/a/What-Is-Allelopathy.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not a complete list so you might want to look for specific plants you want to add. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: Out of curiosity I did some specific searches trying to find any info regarding how forsythia might impact vegetables and I can't find much. It makes sense. Landscape plants are usually not planted with vegetable crops so it would be unlikely for a researcher to have the incentive to look into it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may want to look into the families of plants that forsythia can deter and compare it to the family of vegetables you plan to plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example goldenrod is affected by forsythia. It is in the aseraceae family. So is lettuce, sunflower, artichokes and marigold (not edible but good companion plant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Black cherry is in the rosaceae family as are strawberries, apples, plums and peaches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I'm curious. Hope you can post an update on how things went.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-09-10T14:54:30.670" LastActivityDate="2013-09-10T14:54:30.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8367" CreationDate="2013-09-09T06:59:50.250" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the older leaves are yellow on a plant, I would suspect nitrogen first.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_nutrition&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Nitrogen is mobile in a plant.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Nutrients are moved inside a plant to where they are most needed. For example, a plant will try to supply more nutrients to its younger leaves than its older ones. So when nutrients are mobile, the lack of nutrients is first visible on older leaves. However, not all nutrients are equally mobile. When a less mobile nutrient is lacking, the younger leaves suffer because the nutrient does not move up to them but stays lower in the older leaves. &lt;strong&gt;Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are mobile nutrients&lt;/strong&gt;, while the others have varying degrees of mobility. This phenomenon is helpful in determining what nutrients a plant may be lacking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mint is a leafy plant which responds well to nitrogen.  Roots may have been damaged in the transplant process and it will take time for the plant to regrow the fine feeder roots which supply the nitrogen to the plant.  If the nitrogen deficiency is caused by root damage, the problem should resolve itself in a couple weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the problem is a deficiency in the soil, it won't resolve itself. I would add a spoon of miracle-gro all-purpose to a 2-liter bottle of water, then pour about half of that on the root zone.  I would expect to see improvement in a day or two.  If you don't want to use miracle-gro, you could soak fresh grass clippings in water until the water is green (overnight or so), then pour this water on the root zone.  This is a nitrogen solution and not a complete fertilizer like miracle-gro, but I'd still expect to see some kind of improvement in the next day or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest removing the extra dirt you applied, then adding fresh grass clippings around the mint, then covering the clippings with the extra dirt.  This will trap the nitrogen in the ground which the mint can use.  It will also add organic matter to the soil, add aeration, and fight dehydration.  Every now and then you can add more grass and more soil.  After a while of doing this, you'll have some really nice soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2404" LastActivityDate="2013-09-09T06:59:50.250" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8371" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8363" CreationDate="2013-09-09T11:20:28.503" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is one possible problem. If it is an apple tree, and if you cut it really low down, close to the ground, the growth you're getting may be off the rootstock itself, rather than the original, grafted apple variety. If the stems you get turn out to be thorny as they mature, then you'll have a wild apple rather than a variety that you might actually want to use. Some apples are grafted much higher up on the stem or trunk, so even if you didn't cut low down, you may find all you've got is a wild apple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd be inclined to poison the stump with a stump killer, together with any major roots you can find, or else bore out the stump to a depth of 18 inches, taking some of the major roots too. And then plant an apple tree of your choice, if that's what you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-09-09T11:20:28.503" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8372" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8338" CreationDate="2013-09-09T13:38:55.217" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not familiar with black mulch, but this year, I covered my existing cedar mulch with 2-3 inches of leaf mold. The plants in the beds with the added mulch did wonderfully. The cedar mulch is breaking down under the leaf mulch, but I'm not sure whether it is doing so any more quickly than it did before or not. I think I'd try adding it over the top, personally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Editing to add a picture. The leaf mold breaks down quickly, so at this point in the year, it is looking a little rough! It was much fluffier in spring and even in mid summer. If you look, you can see some of the cedar mulch poking through:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1K03D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image 1&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bCbFB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2013-09-12T14:56:06.730" LastActivityDate="2013-09-12T14:56:06.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8348" CreationDate="2013-09-09T14:33:15.573" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I feel my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/8361/2448&quot;&gt;previous answer&lt;/a&gt; covers everything that I wanted to say as far as answering the question in regards to the use of synthetic fertilizers in gardening but the asker has issues with it so I'll try to make it more direct and address some of the concerns.This may be boring to some, I think my previous answer is still more useful in terms of gardening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a subject I have been interested and informally studied for years and have had many discussions about. I sometimes forget that not everyone has the same level of experience so I'll try and be more thorough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First regarding bias. My background is in engineering and I am a computer programmer. I began researching different ways to care for my lawn and was impressed with how effective organic practices were that I decided to start an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;organic lawn care blog&lt;/a&gt; to share what I was learning and the experiences I had for the benefit of others. Other than that site I don't have any financial ties to the horticultural industry. I do have some affiliate links on my site but people generally don't buy 50lb bags of fertilizer online because shipping can be expensive. If people buy more organic fertilizer based on anything I say it likely won't be through my links and I will receive little or no money for it. I share the info because it's what I believe in based on my research and experiences.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I brought up the comparison of organic fertilizers because the comparison was previously made in an answer by the asker in a way I felt was misleading.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;The Question&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Are chemical fertilizers poisonous to people or animals?&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;I've been seeing a lot of conflicting information online about chemical fertilizers being poisonous and was wondering if there are any trustworthy sources of information to definitely answer this question?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;What does it mean to be &quot;poisonous&quot;?&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Definitions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/poisonous&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Poisonous&lt;/a&gt;: &quot;Relating to or caused by a poison.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/poison&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Poison&lt;/a&gt;: The relevant definition is &quot;A substance taken internally or applied externally that is injurious to health or dangerous to life.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another way to rephrase the question would then be:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Are chemical fertilizers injurious to health or dangerous to human or animal life if taken internally or applied externally?&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is an overly broad question which would take too long to answer in detail. Bottom line... Some are and some aren't. Some are more toxic than others. Some may or may not have acute or chronic toxicity concerns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example if we look at the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927232&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;MSDS for potassium nitrate&lt;/a&gt; we see:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Routes of Entry:&lt;/strong&gt; Inhalation. Ingestion.&#xA;  &lt;strong&gt;Toxicity to Animals:&lt;/strong&gt; Acute oral toxicity (LD50): 1901 mg/kg [Rabbit].&#xA;  &lt;strong&gt;Chronic Effects on Humans:&lt;/strong&gt; May cause damage to the following organs: blood, kidneys, central nervous system (CNS).&#xA;  &lt;strong&gt;Other Toxic Effects on Humans:&lt;/strong&gt; Hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation (lung irritant).&#xA;  &lt;strong&gt;Special Remarks on Toxicity to Animals:&lt;/strong&gt; Not available.&#xA;  &lt;strong&gt;Special Remarks on Chronic Effects on Humans:&lt;/strong&gt; May cause adverse reproductive effects based on animal test data. May affect genetic&#xA;  material (mutagenic)&#xA;  &lt;strong&gt;Special Remarks on other Toxic Effects on Humans:&lt;/strong&gt; Acute Potential Health Effects: Skin: Causes skin irritation. Eyes: Causes eye&#xA;  irritation Inhalation: Breathing Potassium Nitrate can irritate the&#xA;  nose and throat causing sneezing and coughing. High levels can&#xA;  interfere with the ability of the blood to carry oxygen causing&#xA;  headache, dizziness and a blue color to the skin and lips&#xA;  (methemoglobinemia), and other symtoms of methemoglobinemia (see other&#xA;  symptoms under ingestion). Higher levels can cause trouble breathing,&#xA;  circulatory collapse and even death. Ingestion: Ingestion of large&#xA;  quantities may cause violent gastroenteritis with nausea, vomiting,&#xA;  severe abdominal pain. It may also cause colic and diarrhea. Acute&#xA;  toxicity of nitrate occurs as a result of reduction to nitrite. The&#xA;  nitrite acts in the blood to oxidize hemoglobin to methemoglobin which&#xA;  does not perform as an oxygen carrier to tissues causing&#xA;  Methenoglobinemia. Symptoms may include vertigo, muscular weakness,&#xA;  syncope, irregular pulse, convulsions,p. 5 anoxia, coma, fall in blood&#xA;  pressure, roaring sound in the ears, a persistant throbbing headache,&#xA;  generalized tingling sensation, heart palpitations, visual&#xA;  disturbances caused by increased intraocular tension and intracranial&#xA;  pressure, flushed and perspiring skin, which is later cold and&#xA;  cyanotic. Circulatory collapse and death may occur. Chronic Potential&#xA;  Health Effects: Ingestion and Inhalation: Repeated or prolonged&#xA;  exposure to small amounts may affect the blood, respiration and&#xA;  kidneys and produce anemia, Methenoglobinemia with attendant cyanosis&#xA;  and anoxia, hyperpnea and later dyspnea, and nephritis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That sure sounds like it would be &quot;injurious to the health of humans and animals&quot; (both acutely and chronically) to me which means it would be poisonous to humans and animals by definition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Smaller doses are less injurious than larger doses in most cases and some poisons have beneficial uses for humans. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warfarin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;warfarin&lt;/a&gt; (a rat poison) and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botulinum_toxin#Medical_and_cosmetic_uses&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;botox&lt;/a&gt; (a lethal neurotoxin). That doesn't mean they're not &quot;poisonous&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's important for users of these products to understand the products and use them as directed to minimize risks. That is why there are laws concerning labeling and use of these products. Many states have begun enacting regulations that require commercial applicators of garden fertilizers and pesticides to receive a license that requires passing a test. The misuse of some of these products (organic products included) can lead to potential health and environmental problems. If someone on the Internet says he mixes these chemicals with their bare arm, that doesn't mean it's a good practice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to reading the labels consumers who want to be informed should refer to the MSDS and independent research that has been published in peer reviewed journals or distributed by recognized entities such as government agencies for the given products they intend to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Some other clarifications I feel are necessary that have been brought up in discussion:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;What is an MSDS&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;MSDS is an acronym for Material Safety Data Sheet. For full information see &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Msds&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;. In summary it is a document required to be provided by manufacturers and/or importers that highlights some important information as it relates to the occupational safety of workers who handle or are otherwise exposed to the product, emergency responders that may have to deal with spills, fires, explosions, contamination and medical personnel that may have to treat patients that have been exposed to these materials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is not the be-all and end-all to information about the safety of a material. For that, independent research is very important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some MSDS will include the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFPA_704&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;NFPA 704 diamond&lt;/a&gt; which is a quick way to analyze the hazards of the substance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;What is LD50&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the metric Randy used in answering his own question to determine whether the products were poisonous or not. LD50 is short for &quot;lethal dose, 50%&quot; usually referred to as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LD50&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mean lethal dose&lt;/a&gt;. This is provided in the MSDS to indicate acute oral toxicity. It can also be labelled in other ways. This is just one example of a component's toxicity and is not the only way to define the toxicity of a substance which is why I feel his answer is fundamentally flawed and dangerous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general we don't willingly expose fellow humans to every substance we think might kill us in order to determine the safety so animals are used instead. A given population of an animal is administered doses of the material orally and observed over a set period of time. When the administered dosage is enough to kill 50% of the sample that dose is considered the mean lethal dose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A proper LD50 indicates what the dose is as a ratio of mass of dose to mass of subject for the given species. You'll see something like 100 mg/k [rabbit]. The lower the LD50 the less toxic it is. The dosage can be administered a number of different ways including orally and intravenously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given a smaller dose, you would assume that a smaller percentage of the species would die but the metric used is when 50% of the sample dies. It's not like everything is fine until the mean lethal dose is reached. If you're one of the ones that dies with a smaller dose, well I guess it sucks for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The species is specified because LD50 varies by species. If we look at the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hillbrothers.com/msds/pdf/n/ferrous-sulfate.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;MSDS for ferrous sulphate&lt;/a&gt; it lists a number of different LD50's for it's components administered to different species in different ways:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Ferrous Sulfate Heptahydrate (7782-63-0): LD50 (Oral-Mouse) 1520&#xA;  mg/kg; LD50 (Intraperitoneal-Mouse) 245 mg/kg; LD50&#xA;  (Intravenous-Mouse) 51 mg/kg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;LD50 can even vary within a species. See this article on &lt;a href=&quot;http://blogs.plos.org/speakeasyscience/2012/02/14/the-curious-toxic-chemistry-of-chocolate/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;chocolate toxicity in dogs&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless specific data is available for humans, we can only guess at how it will affect us by looking at how it affects other animals but it does provide some useful information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Long term exposure&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to acute toxicity, compounds can potentially adversely affect health with repeated exposure. &quot;What doesn't kill me only makes me stronger&quot; is not always true. Sometimes things will slowly cause injury that over time develops into serious health problems. These may be listed in the MSDS for a product. When these issues are present it's important to follow recommended guidelines in the use and handling of the product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is probably the most important toxicity information to look at concerning fertilizers as we're not normally ingesting them but are exposed to small amounts as they are applied in our environment. The toxicity varies by compound and the question is too broad to cover all synthetic fertilizers individually. There are also issues with some organic fertilizers as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Indirect adverse effects on health.&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I addressed this in my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/8361/2448&quot;&gt;original answer&lt;/a&gt; and in a comment so let me just connect some of the dots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some synthetic fertilizers are known to be harmful to microorganisms (see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929139301001871&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Organic and synthetic fertility amendments influence soil microbial, physical and chemical properties on organic and conventional farms&lt;/a&gt;). For example &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927105&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;boric acid&lt;/a&gt; (which Randy indicated is an ingredient in one common fertilizer) is  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutagen&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mutagenic&lt;/a&gt; for bacteria and yeast according to the MSDS. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other fertilizers also have adverse effects to soil biology. Referencing LD50, if the dose we apply to a garden is so small we don't have to worry about it, maybe a little strong for a rat, likely harmful to an ant, how does that dose affect the bacteria which are orders of magnitude less mass than the subjects that are tested? What do they do to insects? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The microbiology of the soil as well as the insects are important for the health of the plants. When good microorganisms die we can be left with pathogenic species or insects that are pests. The chemical approach to dealing with these is to apply synthetic insecticides and fungicides. These are more hazardous chemicals in general. So if the use of some synthetic chemicals necessitates the use of other hazardous chemicals it doesn't necessarily make them poisonous but it does indirectly affect human health adversely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The health of the plants we consume contributes to our overall health. There have been a number of studies on this. Some of the most notable and earliest were done by &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Albrecht&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;William Abrecht&lt;/a&gt; who believed there was a link between &lt;a href=&quot;http://web.missouri.edu/~ikerdj/papers/Albrecht%20Lecture%20-%20Healthy%20Soils%20Healthy%20People.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;poor soil and poor human health&lt;/a&gt;. He conducted many studies and published many papers on that hypothesis. He also believed that synthetic fertilizers were contributing to creating poor soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;His contemporaries have also conducted similar research. Some of his work and theories are contested, some have been disproved but the notion of good soil=good produce=healthy people is one of the foundations of organic production. Some of these are not new ideas. Organic production uses a lot of old techniques. They are just being researched and formalized more these days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I specifically mention Albrecht because Randy has referenced Albrect's work in other parts of the site and thought he would be aware of one of his fundamental views as it pertains to this question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2013-09-10T11:53:03.473" CommentCount="15" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8374" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-09T18:07:52.943" Score="2" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing 3 avocado trees. They are about 2 years old and they were doing really well, they have spent winters indoors and summer out side. They are currently inside and I will be moving them outside soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have noticed the youngest leaves are drying or dying out. They aren't going brown. I am not sure what the problem is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please can some one give me a little advice on this problem?!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2714" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2013-09-10T15:03:04.603" LastActivityDate="2013-09-10T15:03:04.603" Title="My avocado trees are having a really hard time" Tags="&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2013-09-19T14:29:12.360" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8375" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2698" CreationDate="2013-09-09T22:21:22.610" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is an old question but I'm curious what you wound up doing and how it worked out for you as I did something similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I documented in detail on my site my &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2013/08/organic-lawn-renovation-results.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;organic lawn renovation&lt;/a&gt; which I did last fall. I also used and reviewed some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2012/08/organic-lawn-renovation-burnout-ii-vs.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;organic herbicides&lt;/a&gt; which worked pretty well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My initial plan was to apply the herbicides in two rounds. Once to kill the existing grass and weeds, and another application to kill new weeds that germinated. I changed my plan based on manufacturer recommendations and I got some weeds during germination. I should have gone with my initial plan.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;soil solarization&lt;/a&gt; which has the benefit of killing some pathogens as well but must be done when it's hot out. Usually summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was unaware of the false seed bed technique. That seems like a viable option. Whatever you do, do something to kill the existing lawn and weeds, resurface the soil, then water to let the new weed seeds that have been exposed germinate, kill the weed seedlings somehow and then seed your lawn. Similar sequence as using roundup but use organic methods. I liked the organic herbicides but next time I might try combination of different techniques that would include them and possibly solarization. Spraying is easier than hoeing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-09-09T22:21:22.610" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7137" CreationDate="2013-09-10T11:00:09.603" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sustland.umn.edu/implement/trees_turf.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; indicates that Forsythia has alleopathic effects on these plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black Cherry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Goldenrod &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kentucky bluegrass &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sugar Maple&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tulip Poplar&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also see an &lt;a href=&quot;http://joa.isa-arbor.com/request.asp?JournalID=1&amp;amp;ArticleID=2816&amp;amp;Type=2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;an article&lt;/a&gt; saying &lt;a href=&quot;http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/36/6/1047.full.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;kentucky bluegrass&lt;/a&gt; inhibits forsythia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to be very competitive in the plant kingdom.  The results of these studies are also based on particular soil types and climate and they don't indicate how much growth is inhibited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have the same opinion as @bstpierre and @Bamboo that as long as the forsythia is not shading the garden and it's pruned back it should not be a problem for vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-09-10T12:22:10.067" LastActivityDate="2013-09-10T12:22:10.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8378" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7137" CreationDate="2013-09-10T19:56:35.073" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a vegetable garden with forsythia growing within a foot or so of the edge of the garden on the west side.  I have grown all kinds of vegetables in this garden for the past 15 years with no issue - at least not related to the forsythia :)  They provide a very pretty backdrop to the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You just have to keep the forsythia cut back so it don't shade the garden too much, and also so that no low-hanging branches take root in your garden.  I take advantage of the shade by growing lettuce, spinach and other plants that like a little shade in the row closest to the forsythia so they get some relief from the hot afternoon sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2615" LastActivityDate="2013-09-10T19:56:35.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8379" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8381" CreationDate="2013-09-11T11:54:58.767" Score="6" ViewCount="6126" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a cheap grow house with 4 shelves for growing herbs but the wind has knocked it about and it is starting to lean to one side a bit more than it should.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plan to build a wooden frame, to remount the shelves on and use twinwall polycarbonate for the panels, instead of the plastic that was over the grow-house frame.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The final unit will be 1.8m high and 40cm by 60cm shelf size. I was wondering what thickness twinwall polycarbonate to use for the panels, the local DIY shop only had 1 thickness but when checking online there is quite a variety: 4mm, 6mm, 10mm, 16mm, 25mm, 32mm and 35mm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will likely use the same material to build some cold frames later on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2381" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-11T15:46:33.937" LastActivityDate="2017-09-18T18:52:40.243" Title="What thickness of twinwall polycarbonate should I use for my greenhouse?" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;cold-frame&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8380" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8379" CreationDate="2013-09-11T12:34:56.507" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just like double paned, insulated glass, different thicknesses provide different &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-value_%28insulation%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;R-Values&lt;/a&gt;. Manufacturers/retails will sometimes list the R-value for their products. Here you can find some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/guide.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;R-Values for twinwall&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The greater the thickness, the more effective it is as an insulator. Determining which thickness to get will be based on your climate, what you plan to use the green house for (ex growing in the winter) and any heating you may provide to the greenhouse. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first link also contains R-values for 4mil and 6mil poly sheeting, which is what your original greenhouse likely used. You can compare that to the R-Values of twinwall. If the greenhouse you were using provided sufficient insulation, even the thinnest twinwall will  work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-09-11T12:34:56.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8379" CreationDate="2013-09-11T12:35:32.290" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;4mm twinwall polycarbonate is the best choice, for reasons which I'll explain. Where you live in Edinburgh, Scotland, the days are shorter and the light less bright - 4mm twinwall polycarbonate allows 80-84% light through, compared to single wall polycarbonate, which allows 94-96% (note that 3mm glass allows 97-98% light). This might sound like a big reduction in light transmission, but it is diffused by the polycarbonate, which means light reaches what would be darker areas were you using glass in your greenhouse. It's also obvious that if you used even 6mm, never mind 10mm, the light transition would be even less, and where you are, you don't want that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The thermal ('R') value of 4mm twin polycarbonate is 1.42, compared to 0.83 for single, so its insulating properties are pretty good - 4mm is the one most commonly used in Germany, where it gets pretty cold. A higher mm would give more insulation, but you'd lose more light, so on balance, 4mm seems the best choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that you will need to tape over the cut ends of the sheeting to prevent moisture infiltration and subsequent algal proliferation. Note also that it excludes harmful uv light, so you won't get sunburnt if you spend a lot of time in there, and neither will your plants!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-11T15:47:42.973" LastActivityDate="2013-09-11T15:47:42.973" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8382" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8396" CreationDate="2013-09-11T15:53:48.787" Score="3" ViewCount="518" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few months ago, I toppled a heavy bamboo trunk on top of a small (6') citrus sapling, snapping it completely in half. I basically grafted the broken trunk back in place and wrapped it in tape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Surprise, it survived and is flourishing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my question is, &lt;strong&gt;how long should I leave this wrap in place to allow this load-bearing repair to heal?&lt;/strong&gt; The trunk is about 1/2&quot; in diameter at the break, and the remaining portion weighs maybe 2 lbs. The tree is subject to high winds (typical Florida summer).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastActivityDate="2013-09-12T14:51:24.837" Title="How long to leave wrap around major tree repair?" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8383" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8118" CreationDate="2013-09-11T17:32:12.973" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They make special sprinkler nozzles for dealing with narrow strips. They're called end strip and side strip. They have a more or less rectangular spray pattern. All major manufacturer's I've seen have them and they're designed to provide the same precipitation rate as other sprinkler nozzles in the same line so you can keep them on the same zone provided they design and spacing is correct. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/sprinkler-coverage-nozzle-selection-sprinkler-spacings/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Irrigation Tutorials&lt;/a&gt; indicates the side strips have a better pattern than the end strips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ok, now I understand. There's reasons that irrigation designers separate shrub and lawn areas. They have different irrigation needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most drip line and drip emitters (which you said you'd like to combine) need to run at a lower pressure than sprays. The micro sprays you're talking about will function at lower PSI but the radius is going to be less. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get even head to head coverage in your 19'x10' area you're going to need 6 spray heads. One 90deg on each corner and 1 180deg in the middle of each 19' side. That's provided you can get 10' radius out of them at the pressure you're running the system at. You said specs indicated you can only get 4 on a line to run at a time. If you don't have 6 you're going to have a dry spot in the center of the lawn area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Go through the irrigation tutorial link I sent if you're serious about trying this. It shows you how to do all the calculations. There are a lot of factors that go into this. You have the specs for the devices you'd like to use. Do the math and see if it works out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you planned out the drip area you should know what pressure it's going to run at. You'll need a pressure reducing fitting in most cases. From what I remember most of his examples use 3/4&quot; or 1&quot; main lines but if you can find the appropriate specs for the 1/2&quot; line you can use the same formulas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding grass height, as long as the streams of water are high enough so that they don't get blocked by the grass you should be fine. I'd be more worried about mowing around the sprinklers without damaging them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-09-11T19:30:26.213" LastActivityDate="2013-09-11T19:30:26.213" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8384" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8070" CreationDate="2013-09-11T20:11:49.807" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was concerned about the flow in this application, because for my set-up four spray heads would need at least 360 U.S. gallons per hour (1.5 gpm × 4 × 60 min, 1365 L/hr), and the 1/2&quot; tubing allows for much lesser flow. For instance, Dig Corporation’s &lt;em&gt;Drip Irrigation Installation Guide&lt;/em&gt; specifies that the maximum flow rate in their 1/2&quot; (0.600&quot; to be exact, or 15.24 mm) tubing (one I am using right now) is only 220 gph (~830 L/hr) or 3.(6) gpm or around 40% less than necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I decided to try it out, and see what happens. I’ve purchased the stakes, four spray heads, and short lengths of cut tubing (so that I can return it back to the shop, instead cutting up my own tubing). I had rigged up the following structure via the basic main assembly (back-flow preventer, filter, and pressure regulator), and decent length of the pipe to account for the internal friction losses in real-world application:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pDrAn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To my surprise, all four heads gave solid spray and decent reach with last drops getting to the distance of 3.6 m (12'). Obviously, the effective coverage may be somewhat lower, but still close to the specified maximum range of the spray heads. This looks like viable option for my application, and while I still am considering drip micro-sprinklers, it is nice to know that in that particular case the empirical evidence is more optimistic than basic theory.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1948" LastActivityDate="2013-09-11T20:11:49.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8298" CreationDate="2013-09-11T20:56:40.627" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on the hardness of your water, you might also consider whether you are getting built up &quot;salts&quot; in your pot's soil.  This could possibly cause some of the problems you are seeing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might want to re-pot some of the perennials once they have gone dormant, and see if bringing fresh soil into the planter helps them out next spring.  You can also spring for a soil test to see if any of your main nutrients or the pH is significantly off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, are your plants in regular soil, or potting soil?  Regular soil can be a real problem in pots because the structure and composition really isn't made for that kind of environment.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-09-11T20:56:40.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8386" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-11T21:09:46.220" Score="6" ViewCount="2290" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I leave a light on at night, does this help or hurt the grass?  No particular kind of grass, just grass.  I'm using CFL light bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2719" LastActivityDate="2013-10-14T20:32:19.117" Title="Do porch lights affect how grass grows?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8387" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-11T22:21:54.487" Score="16" ViewCount="51065" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;arborvitae&lt;/a&gt; a year ago that died (five total). I replanted all of them (new trees) this year and three of them are now dying again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Soil Conditions&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The dirt up here is practically just sand and clay once you get 3-4 inches down. According to a geographical survey, soil in my geographic region is &quot;clayey till, and sandy and loamy till, with areas of sand and gravel. Other deposits include lake clay, silt, and alluvium.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;How I &lt;del&gt;Planted&lt;/del&gt; Killed Them All The First Time&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I dug a trench for them that was 12-16 inches deep (so the entire base of each tree would be below the ground). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I figured that since my soil was horrible I would need to give them fresh dirt in order to survive. So each tree was planted in and surrounded by fresh potting soil (with MiracleGro in it because I know nothing about trees!).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I watered them almost daily (I even paid a neighbor's daughter to water them while I was away for a short period of time).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Reflections on Death (Round One)&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was very surprised that &lt;em&gt;all&lt;/em&gt; of the trees died in round one. So I talked to a landscaper and she told me that I made two major mistakes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I drowned the trees in water (12-16 inches is too deep for these trees).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I 'shell-shocked' them with good soil as this was not their natural habitat (I should have let them grow into the natural soil from the start).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Round Two&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not having time to give my arborvitae swimming lessons, I created a berm and planted the trees on the berm so that only the bulb/tip of each trees' roots would be below ground level (at the recommendation of the previously mentioned landscaper).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I used mostly natural soil (I had to use some fresh dirt for berming, but I bought the cheap stuff which smelled like manure).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have been watering every other day or so, but three of them (one on the end and one in the middle of two other trees) are starting to turn brown. I've exhausted my knowledge (which is zilch).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The berm soil has been eroding unfortunately.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Photos&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All the trees:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xBrBx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trees&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A closeup of one of the browning ones:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fYQnb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A dying tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Questions&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Did the landscaper give me good advice? If not, what do you recommend?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there any hope for my browning trees in round two?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;UPDATE&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;All&lt;/em&gt; the trees in round two have since died. I also found out that my neighbor had planted his &lt;em&gt;four&lt;/em&gt; times and they died every time, so I'm wondering if our soil conditions are the culprit here. Anyways, both my neighbor and I have given up on arborvitae and he planted bushes (I just covered my holes with dirt and am actually now trying to sell the home&amp;mdash;so I'll probably just put down grass seed). It's really unfortunate, because I have a warranty for five new trees&amp;mdash;I just don't have time nor the patience to kill another batch. Unfortunately the advice I received here conflicted and no one fully answered my questions. If anyone knows how to make these grow in my soil conditions and can offer an authoritative and canonical response that &lt;em&gt;fully&lt;/em&gt; answers my initial questions, I'll gladly accept the answer. But until then, I hope this post and its answers help someone else....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2720" LastEditorUserId="2720" LastEditDate="2014-05-28T18:46:57.757" LastActivityDate="2016-10-15T20:49:11.583" Title="Why do my newly planted arborvitae keep dying?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="8" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8388" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8386" CreationDate="2013-09-11T22:28:36.257" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your porch light is going to be at least 4-5' away from the grass. It should have very little effect on it one way or the other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you probably know, light is very important to plants. Light helps them make their food which they need to grow and thrive. It's so important that plants will actually grow towards the light. This phenomenon is called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phototropism&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;phototropism&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With some plants phototropism is easy to spot. If you pay attention to a sunflower throughout the day, the flower part will always try and face the sun as it moves throughout the sky.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With grass it's not as easy to spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have some direct experience observing the effects of small, artificial light sources on grass that reinforces my answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year I wanted to test some grass I was interested in and decided to record the grass growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see the phototropism of grass in the first 42 seconds of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2012/08/grass-indoors-time-lapse-video.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;time-lapse video&lt;/a&gt; I posted on my site. During time I didn't have a light on the plant. In the morning it would get light from a nearby window and it would grow towards the side where the window was. It was in my office so when I would come in and turn on the overhead lights it would then grow straight up towards the overhead light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Eventually I placed a 25w incandescent bulb to take better pictures for the video. I left it on continuously. It was about 1' away from the nearest blades of grass. The grass seedlings were no longer waving back and forth with changes in light but overall they did have a distinct lean towards the light. There was more of a lean in the grass plants closest to the light than there was furthest away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you get further away from light the intensity is less. It is not linear meaning 2' away from a light is not 1/2 as much light as 1' away. It follows the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse-square_law&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;inverse-square law&lt;/a&gt; so 2' away is actually 1/4 of the light that 1' away gets, at 4' it will be 1/16th. So there won't be much light getting to the grass unless you have a very powerful lightbulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Light is good for plants but your porch light isn't going to be providing a significant amount of light to make a noticeable difference. I also can't find any information that indicates plants require darkness. In parts of Alaska where the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_sun&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sun can be up for months at a time&lt;/a&gt; plants seem to grow just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-09-14T19:35:54.853" LastActivityDate="2013-09-14T19:35:54.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8389" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8118" CreationDate="2013-09-12T02:06:08.257" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've established native grass meadows in full sun in hot dry New Mexico with drip micro sprayers.  They're cheaper, easier to install, easier to maintenance and don't seem to require  an astronomical flow rate.  The only concern would be if you have a rogue yard maintenance man who mows over them, or kids playing soccer etc.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2721" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-09-13T10:38:10.590" LastActivityDate="2013-09-13T10:38:10.590" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8390" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8171" CreationDate="2013-09-12T02:32:32.860" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is so much genetic variation in the genus Prunus that each seed will produce a different tree and the only way to be sure of the outcome of the fruit is to grow clones from a mother plant.  Based on the size of those fruits I'd say it's probably a seed grown individual and you won't find any like it.  The good news, however, is that anything in the genus Prunus (apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines, almonds etc can potentially pollinate your tree as long as they are blooming around the same time, and bees will travel for miles to pollinate them in early spring.  So what we can deduce from this is that if you live in an isolated or rural area where other plants in this genus are rare, you can boost pollination by planting anything from that genus that blooms around the same time (especially another plum.)  If you live in a  city, odds are there is plenty of pollen all over the place and the tree is not fruiting either because of environmental stresses, or just because that particular genetic individual is not a heavy fruit setter.  Based on the apparent health of the tree and the size of those fruits, I would assume the latter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2721" LastActivityDate="2013-09-12T02:32:32.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8391" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8387" CreationDate="2013-09-12T02:45:48.693" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have a complete answer to your question but I do see that you planted them with the burlap sack that they came with.  I know that mature trees or large specimens are often planted this way  (B &amp;amp; B = Ball and burlapped) but......&#xA;with smaller plants the  burlap can prevent the roots from growing out and even act as a wick to move water up and around the root ball rather than into it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next time:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;either purchase potted specimens, remove from pot and scarify or scratch open the outer surface of the root ball&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;or purchase B &amp;amp; B and remove the burlap ball and rough up the exterior&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;examine the root ball: good health is thick reddish roots and new growth has white roots.  Plants that have been previously waterlogged at the retailer or nursery will have soft black roots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;judge your watering by what happens when you add water to a freshly dug hole.  If you pour in a gallon of water does it drain freely or sit there?  If it sits for a while then less frequent but deep watering would be advisable.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: on second thought the only time I have seen stock this small packed in burlap was when my supplier was sourcing from a grower who grew in a very sandy soil.  The grower had to use burlap just to hold the root ball together. Arborvitae have a root system with a good mix of thick and thin roots and normally a healthy plant in soil with a good amount of organic matter does not need burlap to hold the root ball.&#xA;I recommend you remove one or all of the dead cedar (and dead they are, they are not coming back) and have a look at the root ball.  If the soil is sandy and the root ball is dry then that explains why they dried out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-09-12T12:24:56.747" LastActivityDate="2013-09-12T12:24:56.747" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8387" CreationDate="2013-09-12T03:19:09.583" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Never remove the burlap or a wire cage from your new plant's root ball!  You run a tremendous risk of killing the plant by destroying the root ball itself or worse hurting your back while trying to do so. Do cut any strings off the trunk and fold the burlap back off the top surface of the root ball.   Another piece of advice: try a pH test from a reputable nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2722" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-12T16:22:38.953" LastActivityDate="2013-09-12T16:22:38.953" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8393" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7364" CreationDate="2013-09-12T10:36:15.487" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've frequently used 3 different &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2012/06/organic-roundup-alternatives.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;organic herbicides&lt;/a&gt; (link to my site) in the past with good results. They work by drying out the plant foliage. How it was explained to me by one of the manufacturers when I tested 2 of them on my lawn is: Plants need their leaves to create energy. If you keep removing their leaves they will use reserves from their roots to grow back but repeated application eventually depletes the reserves in the roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.specialtycrops.colostate.edu/techniques/flame_weed.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Flame weeding&lt;/a&gt; is another option. You're not trying to burn the weed, just damage it's leaves so that the leaves dry out. That might be a better option since you can't access the area by road.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or you can just keep cutting it like you are but you need to do it every week or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Smilax Aspera is also known as rough bindweed. You might be interested in reading this document on &lt;a href=&quot;https://michiganorganic.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/fieldbindweed.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;organic control of field bindweed&lt;/a&gt;. Different family but similar name and characteristics. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This article on &lt;a href=&quot;http://blog.al.com/living-press-register/2010/07/killing_vines_thorny_smilax_ca.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;killing thorny smilax&lt;/a&gt; indicates using chemical controls is also difficult and timing is critical. It also recommends digging out or cutting down frequently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-01-10T00:26:50.727" LastActivityDate="2016-01-10T00:26:50.727" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="94" CreationDate="2013-09-12T12:29:04.040" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;For reference... &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The USDA's National Organic Program&lt;/a&gt; has a regulation (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/7/205.202&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;205.202&lt;/a&gt;) which doesn't allow any land to qualify as &quot;organic&quot; unless it hasn't had any prohibited substances applied for 3 years. Synthetic fertilizers are in the prohibited substances category.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-09-12T12:29:04.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8387" CreationDate="2013-09-12T12:44:02.113" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two axioms that have been drilled into my head are &quot;plant it high - it won't die, plant it low - it won't grow&quot; and &quot;$1 plant, $10 hole&quot;. They seem to work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the landscaper's advice was decent but you might not have implemented it correctly. If I was going to ask anyone, I would ask someone where I purchased the trees. There might have even been an issue with circling roots in the root ball.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant it high means plant it so that the top of the root ball is about 1-2&quot; above the current grade. Berms don't count as you figured out. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nothing you spread on new plantings should smell like manure. Only thing I would add would be some compost or composted manure. Composted manure should smell earthy, like dirt. If it still smells like manure it is too &quot;hot&quot; and can damage the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most experts think you should &lt;a href=&quot;http://forestry.usu.edu/htm/city-and-town/tree-planting/do-i-remove-root-ball-packing-materials/&quot;&gt;remove the burlap from the tree&lt;/a&gt;. At the very least trim it back. Do it after placing the tree in the hole and making sure the root ball won't crumble apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bigger you dig the hole the better. Some people even like to dig long trenches that radiate out from the hole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes/633.htmlv&quot;&gt;The Science of Planting Trees&lt;/a&gt;. It covers a variety of different conditions you may face. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also check out &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/asktoh/question/0,,20560910,00.html&quot;&gt;Dying Arborvitae&lt;/a&gt; to see if it helps. It has some info on planting, watering and using an antitranspirant to help the tree retain water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-09-12T14:22:10.577" LastActivityDate="2013-09-12T14:22:10.577" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8396" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8382" CreationDate="2013-09-12T14:51:24.837" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a 'suck it and see' type thing. If the top of the tree is growing away nicely, and looking healthy, chances are the wound has completely healed. I'd remove the tape, carefully, but have more at the ready. Have a good look at it - if it looks healed, then chance leaving it, but if you're worried at all, reapply more tape. Removing what's there and then replacing will mean the tape hasn't got too tight, which would cause a bulge to develop either side of it as the tree continues to grow. Then remove the tape in, say, 3 months or so, and check again. I'm surprised you didn't need to 'splint' it - last time I did this, I needed a stick to keep the branch join straight. Took about a year before removing the tape and stick completely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-09-12T14:51:24.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8398" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8387" CreationDate="2013-09-12T16:37:08.143" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm  not sure you're using the right plant either - the conditions Thuja likes are well drained, but moist (yea, I know a contradiction there), fertile, acidic soil. Quite often, sandy soil is anything but acidic, so it might be worth checking the ph before replanting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, if you're going to plant with the burlap in place, you should not be able to see much of the burlap, other than possibly some of the top, above where it's tied. The amount of burlap I can see in the photo makes it look as if half the roots weren't actually buried in the ground. It's actually a lot easier to plant pot grown specimens because its easier to tell if you're planting at exactly the same level, that is, the soil you've planted in is no higher or lower up the trunk than it was in the pot, whilst still ensuring all roots are not visible. If you plant a tree with all its trunk buried, it will die - if you leave some roots exposed on the surface after planting (even in a burlap wrap) they will die. The best way to plant them is to dig over the area, incorporate humus rich material (composted, organic materials), then plant into that, rather than surrounding with soil which is bought in and totally different from what is there already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the 'drowning', provided your soil is well drained (and if it's sandy, it probably is) then it wouldn't really be possible to drown them - all trees, for their first two years, need regular and plentiful supplies of water, and coniferous varieties more so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, I agree entirely with Kevinsky's answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-09-12T16:42:29.133" LastActivityDate="2013-09-12T16:42:29.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2508" CreationDate="2013-09-13T06:19:41.783" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had mixed results with sun flower seeds this year. I work in over 6 gardens: 3 Boys and Girls Club, 2 elementary school, and my home gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sun flowers need bees, butterflies, beetles or moths to pollinate. They do not have the self pollinating flowers like tomatoes &amp;amp; peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you lack insects, buy or build a Mason Bee habitat. They do not make honey, do not swarm, defend their hives or act aggressively. They get their name because they use mud to build their homes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Amazing fact: Mason Bees Are Prolific Pollinators  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adult mason bees sip nectar as they gather pollen from a wide assortment of flowers, but they prefer to find good pollen sources within 300 feet of their nests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Up to 1,500 blossoms per day must be visited to gather enough pollen to provide for the next generation, so mason bees can be phenomenally efficient pollinators of fruits. Only three female mason bees are needed to serve the pollination needs of a mature apple tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read more about Mason bees in this article from Mother Earth News:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/how-to-attract-mason-bees-zw0z1302zkin.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;How to Attract Mason Bees: A Beneficial Pollinator&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2729" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-13T16:21:52.777" LastActivityDate="2013-09-13T16:21:52.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8404" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8406" CreationDate="2013-09-13T07:57:44.957" Score="3" ViewCount="425" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am currently planning on building some grow-houses/cold frames. Actually mostly raised beds 18&quot; (45cm) high, with the ability to fit panels over it in winter turning them into cold frames.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rear wall will be north facing and against the neighbours 6 foot fence. This means that the sunlight will never come from this direction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will be using twinwall polycarbonate for the window panels. I have thought that the rear panel may be permanent and use a thicker, and therefore more insulating panel for this. The rear panel being around 30% of the surface and I can reduce heat loss through this section without effecting the light reaching plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would it be better to leave the rear panel clear, make it white to aid light reflecting on to plants or make it black to aid heat capture?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in East Lothian, Scotland. During summer it will receive 11 hours of direct sunlight, during Autumn around 4 hours. In Winter there will likely be no direct sunlight but it will be light for 8 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My intention is to extend the growing season, maximising crop production as well as protecting from frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I mentioned raised beds which could have panels over the top, I was referring to some thing &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardenlogblog.wordpress.com/2010/04/26/diy-raised-bed-cold-frames/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;like this&lt;/a&gt;, to work with the square foot/meter garden. An alternative mentioned by @bamboo which I had not thought of would be 2 panels leaning on each other to make a cloche type arrangement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2381" LastEditorUserId="2381" LastEditDate="2013-09-16T11:51:36.783" LastActivityDate="2013-09-16T11:51:36.783" Title="Improving heat retention and light availability of coldframes" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;cold-frame&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8405" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8404" CreationDate="2013-09-13T11:28:45.060" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cold frames and cloche type arrangements are not the same thing. I'd leave the cloche ones clear, probably make the whole thing out of twin polycarbonate. It has insulating properties of its own anyway, and although you think no light will get to the plants because of the fence, that isn't always true. For instance, if the fence were white, or a pale colour, then light will be reflected. Cloches and the like are always clear sided as well as clear on the top, thus maximising any available light, ambient or direct. Cold frames, on the other hand, usually just have a clear top, but the local horticultural college here has some which are clear all round, apart from where they join the wall at the back. Cold frames are usually fixed, meaning that they're not moved around, usually being too unwieldy for that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Other thoughts on extending the growing season (imported from Chat with Organic Lawn)&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could extend your growing season simply by pegging thick black plastic sheeting onto the soil early in the year, then remove it to plant in at least 4 weeks earlier than you'd normally be able to. I've discovered you can buy water filled cloches (who knew!) and they look interesting - they don't need ventilating. The water increases the R-Value and helps retain heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know how much space you have, but if you have a couple of very good, contained compost heaps which get hot, I once saw a guy who made himself movable 'beds' about 9 inches deep, out of wood, filled with soil, which he'd rest over wood supports on the compost heap, and grow things out of season (lettuce etc) which thrived on the heat from the heap beneath, despite the cold air temps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-09-15T12:12:30.333" LastActivityDate="2013-09-15T12:12:30.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8404" CreationDate="2013-09-13T12:46:49.867" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;One thing you left out of your question is where the heat is coming from. Understanding this might help you come up with a better design. Please bear with me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A cold frame extends the growing season by keeping the local environment within the cold frame more comfortable for the plants than the colder outside environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To retain heat, there has to be a source of heat. In a cold frame, the source of heat is going to be the little bit of heat generated by the plants themselves and the heat stored in the air and soil. Air escapes easily but the soil stays put and has a high thermal mass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During the day, the transparent areas allow light in, which the plants need. The light also heats up air and soil in the cold frame. The soil will also have heat stored from warmer seasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At night, when it gets colder, the cold frame's insulation slows the transfer of heat from the inside to the outside. Heat is also lost through the bottom of the bed as well as the sides. More from the sides than the bottom. The taller you make the sides of your bed the more easily heat will transfer between the soil in the beds and the air surrounding them. The soil in taller beds will heat up faster in the spring but also cool down faster in the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/8381/2448&quot;&gt;Bamboo indicated&lt;/a&gt; in the answer to your previous question, when you go with higher insulated twinwall, you reduce the amount of light that comes in so you need to get the right balance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your cold frame cover will have 5 sides (1 top, 4 sides). To maximize heat retention make as many of those sides out of 2x lumber as you can. Wood has a higher thermal mass than air and plastic (twinwall). It will store heat during the day and release it at night. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To let the most amount of light in, make the sides that receive the most light out of twinwall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, yes, don't use clear twinwall for sides that won't receive light but use wood instead of plastic to increase insulation and thermal mass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2013-09-13T15:55:33.520" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8407" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-13T13:20:11.317" Score="1" ViewCount="251" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree is very tall and huge, and has many branches. I want to know the name of it, and I need to know the basic features of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mV0am.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Big huge tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2731" LastEditorUserId="1948" LastEditDate="2013-09-13T15:21:47.320" LastActivityDate="2013-09-13T15:22:10.510" Title="What is the name of this big tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2013-09-16T22:53:44.947" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8408" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7903" CreationDate="2013-09-13T23:17:34.867" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have removed quite large berberis with just a shovel.  They do not have a thick tap root system like junipers.  If you trench around the plant and dig down you should be able to pop it out.  A pair of secateurs or bypass pruner will help you cut any thick roots from the cedar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Backfill the hole with compost or topsoil to finish the job and water the area well for a week to make up for broken roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-09-13T23:17:34.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8410" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8413" CreationDate="2013-09-15T16:09:37.533" Score="4" ViewCount="123" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been trying to attract hummingbirds for a few years by planting flowers that they like.  Two of these are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobelia_cardinalis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lobelia cardinalis&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LOSI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lobelia siphilitica&lt;/a&gt;. They are both said to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;be perennial&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;need constant access to water but not to be sitting in water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've grown the species them from seed, bought the cultivars at nurseries and in all cases their performance is the same.  They grow quickly, flower profusely and fail to return the following spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The growing conditions are in a tussock of soil just above water level with morning sun and some afternoon shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I get these plants to overwinter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;USDA zone 4 with lows to  minus 30 deg celsius&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-09-16T05:27:47.807" Title="What are the ideal conditions for Lobelia cardinalis" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8411" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-16T01:42:10.713" Score="6" ViewCount="3731" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a fig tree but it hasn't had any fruits on it yet. I don't know which variety it is, I got it when it was only a few inches high. It's planted on a West facing wall of my bungalow,  but like I said has never had any fruit on it, not even any sign that they are going to form. I have seen plenty of other fig trees. It's over 7 feet tall and growing very healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2734" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-16T03:50:28.793" LastActivityDate="2019-07-17T13:41:02.427" Title="Why doesn't my fig tree produce fruit?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8412" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9449" CreationDate="2013-09-16T04:14:12.920" Score="5" ViewCount="1572" Body="&lt;p&gt;This succulent was purchased at a grocery store with out a tag. It is fairly quick growing, going from one inch to eight inches in a month and a half. Can anyone identify it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/seeOT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/seeOTm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown Succulent&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8BWAY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8BWAYm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown Succulent&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[Note: There is a jade plant in the foreground of the first picture. The plant I am interested in is the single stemmed thing with grayish foliage. The plant has been grown in bright light inside the house.]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2013-10-01T00:49:00.767" LastActivityDate="2014-04-26T02:16:56.843" Title="What is this succulent?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8410" CreationDate="2013-09-16T05:14:15.027" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lobelia cardinalis is a characteristic species of hardwood swamps and Lobelia siphilitica is a characteristic species of fens in Minnesota and Wisconsin [1]. So both plants are native in USDA hardiness zone 4 and portions of zone 3. Yet, when I grew both plants in St. Paul Minnesota, I found they wintered inconsistently. I think there are a few issues involved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First and most importantly, both plants have a huge range: &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=LOSI&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;L. siphilitica's range&lt;/a&gt; goes to Texas and  &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=LOCA2&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;L. cardinalis's range&lt;/a&gt; goes into Mexico. Plants from seeds collected in the southern portion of the range are likely not hardy at the northern edge of the range. My success with L. cardinalis was better when grown from a local seed source. Even so, the plants only lasted three years. The plants are probably naturally short lived. After a strong flowering and good seed set, the plant may die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, I think the plants can be overwatered. Neither plant is commonly found in areas that flood, but rather areas with high water tables. Moreover, the soil were the plants are found is typically moist but organic and well aerated (with pH 6.5 or higher) [1]. If the plant gets flooded with too little oxygen available to the roots late in the season, it may not winter well. This last bit is speculation, but it correlates well with my successes and failures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[1] &lt;a href=&quot;http://uwpress.wisc.edu/books/0467.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Vegetation of Wisconsin&lt;/a&gt;, John T. Curtis (1959)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="620" LastEditDate="2013-09-16T05:27:47.807" LastActivityDate="2013-09-16T05:27:47.807" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8414" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8411" CreationDate="2013-09-16T11:07:30.797" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Figs are pollinated by species specific wasps. Figs have an inconspicuous flower and if the wasps are not present you will not get fruit set.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;are there other figs in the neighbourhood that are flowering?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;figs require a spell of cool weather when their soil is kept drier. Does this happen where you live?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;also see this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/509/what-is-the-proper-way-to-prune-a-fig-tree?rq=1&quot;&gt;excellent answer&lt;/a&gt; on pruning&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2013-09-16T21:31:27.580" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8418" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8541" CreationDate="2013-09-17T13:21:55.967" Score="6" ViewCount="314" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 2 bamboo trees (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllostachys_nigra&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Phyllostachys nigra&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) approximately 1 meter in height each. I would like to  propagate new bamboo plants from cuttings. Is this possible? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2737" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-18T14:18:42.300" LastActivityDate="2013-10-10T16:49:15.270" Title="Can you propagate a bamboo plant from cuttings?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8421" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8426" CreationDate="2013-09-17T15:34:56.457" Score="3" ViewCount="1464" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a trampoline in our garden where the trampoline itself is made from a dark mesh material that lets through light. This means that the lawn underneath grows fine (perhaps a bit slower?). So I was wondering if this would provide good growing conditions for some kind of plant - i.e. one that would need some shade, not too tall. So what &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; you plant under a trampoline?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2013-09-17T19:15:30.063" LastActivityDate="2013-09-18T15:01:49.913" Title="What would grow well under a trampoline?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8421" CreationDate="2013-09-18T12:13:47.533" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nothing useful really. Lamium maculatum varieties, Vinca, but both of these can become invasive, so in a lawn, you wouldn't risk it. Ajuga reptans if it doesn't dry out regularly, but you'd probably have less coloration on the leaves. If the grass is growing and healthy, that's probably the best option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-09-18T12:13:47.533" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8423" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8412" CreationDate="2013-09-18T12:20:32.067" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks more like &quot;annual seablite&quot; from Suaeda Genus.These grow on salty and Marshy areas and are well known for their rapid growth with little care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2742" LastActivityDate="2013-09-18T12:20:32.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8424" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-18T13:33:45.967" Score="4" ViewCount="233" Body="&lt;p&gt;We bought this plant some days ago, but are unable to identify it correctly. Earlier I thought it to be Eucalyptus but it doesn't look like one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fm7I3.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2742" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-06T09:44:00.840" LastActivityDate="2018-03-06T09:45:21.203" Title="Can anyone help in identifying this plant that I bought some days ago?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8426" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8421" CreationDate="2013-09-18T15:01:49.913" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd be tempted to try lettuce. I haven't a shady spot in my yard to grow lettuce in the heat of summer, but under the trampoline it would be under shade cloth. Where you thinking of something perennial? I would think you could also try a mix of hostas, wild geraniums, bleeding hearts, and dwarf astilbe. They all like shade and if you picked shorter varieties, they might work...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-09-18T15:01:49.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8427" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-19T09:21:55.927" Score="0" ViewCount="244" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this plant at my office, where it is having a lot of children. Every time that I get some leaves from the plant and put them in a bottle with water, the leaves get some roots and don't die after more than a month without soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nJJO6m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LYnnxm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EPfKXm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vMn45m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant has small flowers that are open very few time and roll over themselves in a spiral. It also has seeds that are directly growing in a bundle of three. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2745" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-19T14:51:54.023" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T04:18:45.527" Title="What is the name of this hydroponic plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2013-09-19T14:04:44.957" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8428" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8427" CreationDate="2013-09-19T10:11:27.250" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophytum_comosum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chlorophytum comosum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, commonly known as Spider Plant. It's not a 'hydroponic' plant though - the fact that it survives in water when you're getting it to grow roots is true of many plants. It will, though, prefer to be potted up into a growing medium eventually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-11T04:18:45.527" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T04:18:45.527" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8433" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8434" CreationDate="2013-09-19T21:14:19.640" Score="5" ViewCount="1474" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yesterday we accidentally put too much fertilizer into our pots. Today the leaves start to turn brown. Is there any way to save them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some details:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We have two pots - one with basil, one with Aloysia. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The fertilizer contains: 12% Nitrogen, 6.1% Nitrati, 5% Amonicali, 0.9% Urea, 8% P2O5, 21% K2O, 8% Sulfur, 3.5% MgO.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The label on the fertilizer says: 30 gram per square meter. We put 200 gram in a flowerpot whose dimensions are 1x0.25 meters.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2748" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T11:59:25.893" Title="How to save my plants after fertilizer overdose" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;pots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8433" CreationDate="2013-09-19T22:11:41.500" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Water the pots thoroughly with distilled water. Most distillation processes remove the dissolved elements in water.  As this water flows through the soil that is saturated with fertilizer ions it will attract and remove them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course you are still left with a stressed plant with leaf burn. Success is not guaranteed....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-09-19T22:11:41.500" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8436" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2635" CreationDate="2013-09-20T10:42:08.967" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had the same problem sometime back; it finally turned out to be that the pump pipe has air sucked in, which creates reverse pressure and so the water could not be drawn/sucked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your pump is accessible you can follow the steps below to remove the air:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Search for a small cylindrical metal cap on the top of your pump. This cap can be opened/closed just like a bottle cap with hands.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Open the cap with hand or pliers and pour some water into it, around a glass full. Then close the cap.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Turn on your pump and wait for a minute. If the problem was with air in the pipe it should start working immediately.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try it out, and see if that works.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2742" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-20T14:09:10.823" LastActivityDate="2013-09-20T14:09:10.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8437" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8438" CreationDate="2013-09-20T11:43:22.353" Score="5" ViewCount="6597" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know what the name of this plant is. I came across it on 9Gag and found it really interesting:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/azgvw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;http://d24w6bsrhbeh9d.cloudfront.net/photo/adN9nD9_460s.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It closes all the leaves as soon as you touch it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2737" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-20T18:24:09.853" LastActivityDate="2013-09-20T18:24:09.853" Title="What is this plant that closes its leaves when you touch it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8437" CreationDate="2013-09-20T13:05:01.043" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is called the sensitive plant or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_pudica&quot;&gt;Mimosa pudica&lt;/a&gt;.  If you want a new word to use to amaze your friends the word is &quot;thigmonasty&quot; or touch-induced movement. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://plantsinmotion.bio.indiana.edu/plantmotion/movements/nastic/mimosa/mimosa.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In the sensitive plant, the leaves respond to being touched, shaken,&#xA;  heated or rapidly cooled. The speed of the response depends on the&#xA;  magnitude of the stimulus. Hitting the leaf hard with the flick of a&#xA;  finger will cause the leaf to close in the blink of an eye whereas a&#xA;  gentle touch or modest heat source applied to leaflets at the tip of a&#xA;  leaf will result in a slower response and the propagation of the&#xA;  stimulus along the leaf can be observed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-09-20T13:36:12.333" LastActivityDate="2013-09-20T13:36:12.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8439" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8437" CreationDate="2013-09-20T13:10:47.077" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like it might be a Mimosa, particularly &lt;em&gt;Mimosa Pudica&lt;/em&gt;. The leaves look right, as does the leaf closing description - however the way the compound leaf comes from the stem looks a little odd - perhaps this is specific to the species, stems are overlapping, or it has lost a lot of leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mimosa&lt;/em&gt; is a new world plant with well over 70 species. There are at least three native species here in Texas. Some (and not all) will close their compound leaves when touched. Usually the stem holding the leaf will also appear to wilt. This appears to be a defence mechanism against being eaten.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flowers are usually small purple/pink puff-ball looking things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mimosa Pudica&lt;/em&gt; ( &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_pudica&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_pudica&lt;/a&gt; ) is the most well known &quot;sensitive&quot; species and is often known as the &quot;Sensitive Plant&quot;. Seeds are often sold for kids as a novelty flower to grow. Native to South America, it has now become an invasive plant on many tropical islands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2013-09-20T13:10:47.077" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8440" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8433" CreationDate="2013-09-20T19:01:57.387" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might consider taking cuttings of the basil to try to stop the progression of the fertilizer burn and save something to start over with.  Not familiar with the aloysia, or whether it can be propagated in that manner. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-09-20T19:01:57.387" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8441" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8442" CreationDate="2013-09-20T22:50:24.263" Score="2" ViewCount="125" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just planted plum seeds. All the instructions I found suggested one of two approaches:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put it in a bag in the fridge for 10-12 weeks, or&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant it in cold soil outdoors in late fall or early winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both approaches suggested a clean (no plum flesh), dry seed. So I scrubbed and washed them, and refridgerated them for 24 hours to get 'em dry. I didn't crack them though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, I've planted it in the backyard under some soil (technically, compost). What do I do now? I didn't find anything other than &quot;water it when it grows, it doesn't like wet roots.&quot; Am I supposed to water the &lt;em&gt;seed?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The root rot is a bit troubling since I have clay soil and buried it close to that. I don't want to risk over-watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What now? How do I care for it until (and after) it germinates and starts growing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastActivityDate="2013-09-21T14:00:01.997" Title="Planted plum seeds, now what?" Tags="&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8442" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8441" CreationDate="2013-09-20T23:12:11.423" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You live in an area where the fall typically has a few weeks of rain and night time temperatures get gradually colder. You don't have to do anything now except watch out for any squirrels who may think you have buried some large nuts.  A clay pot or some chicken wire will stop them from investigating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the spring watch for sprouts.  At this time I would dig them up and pot them in a four inch pot.  Water regularly and they should be ready to be planted, pot and all, in the ground next fall. Dig up the following spring, repot one size up and repeat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After three years you should have a small sapling ranging from twelve to twenty four inches tall in a six to eight inch diameter pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seedlings may not follow their parents in the type of fruit they could bear and you would do well to cull your collection of the less vigorous ones. Some plum varieties require other plums to pollinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A detailed article &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.almanac.com/plant/plums&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; is summarized below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Planting &#xA;  Be prepared to plant more than one type of plum tree because&#xA;  many types require cross-pollination to produce fruit, although there&#xA;  are some varieties that can produce fruit on their own. It is also&#xA;  important to choose a type that will work with your location. There&#xA;  are three categories of plum trees: European, Japanese, and Damson.&#xA;  Hardy European types work in most regions across the U.S. The Japanese&#xA;  types flourish where peach trees flourish. There are also American&#xA;  hybrids that work well in regions where neither European or Japanese&#xA;  types flourish. Plant plum trees in well-drained, moderately fertile&#xA;  soil in full sun. Avoid planting in low areas where frost may settle,&#xA;  as the frost will damage your trees. If possible, find sheltered&#xA;  position, such as a south- or west-facing spot out of the wind. This&#xA;  will help the plum tree set fruit.  Space standard-size trees 20&#xA;  to 25 feet apart. Space dwarf trees 15 to 20 feet apart. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Care &#xA;  Thinning plum trees is important to prevent branches breaking under the weight&#xA;  of the trees. If branches do break, prune them back into the undamaged&#xA;  wood, ideally cutting back to a natural fork to avoid leaving stubs.&#xA;  Be sure to water the young trees heavily every week during the first&#xA;  growing season to help promote growth. Then, water regularly. It's&#xA;  best to water the plant deeply at the soil line, then let the soil dry&#xA;  out (though not completely), and then water again. Water your tree&#xA;  well into mid-October to give it plenty of moisture through the winter&#xA;  months. Do not fertilize young fruit trees unti they have set a crop.&#xA;  Once established, fruit production requires regular fertilizing all&#xA;  year long. If there’s good fruit set, fertilize with one pound calcium&#xA;  nitrate per tree or 1½ lb. 10-10-10. Cut back the nitrogen in fall and&#xA;  winter to avoid encouraging new growth in those seasons. In the fall,&#xA;  rake away all debris and fallen trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Prune early spring or mid-summer to avoid infection. The best time for pruning is &#xA;  usually spring for young trees and mid-summer for established ones. Do NOT&#xA;  prune in the fall or winter injury or infection may occur. Consider a tree wrap&#xA;  or guard around the lower trunk, especially for a young plum tree.&#xA;  Keep an eye on the lower bark and branches for mice or rabbit injury;&#xA;  if this could be a problem, you may need to install tree guards or&#xA;  fence in young trees with chicken wire for the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Pruning:&#xA;  Japanese Plum If you have a Japanese type of tree, the best pruning&#xA;  method is to create an open center shape. In the summer of the first&#xA;  year, cut the vigorous shoots that form on the top of the tree by two&#xA;  or three buds. After about a month, check the tree. As soon as you&#xA;  have three wide-angled branches, spaced equally apart, cut back any&#xA;  other branches so that these three are the main branches. In the early&#xA;  summer of the second year, cut back the branches in the middle of the&#xA;  tree to short stubs and prune any shoots developing below the three&#xA;  main branches. After the third year, remove any shoots in the center&#xA;  of the tree to keep its shape. Japanese types require heavy pruning to&#xA;  help keep them in shape and to produce better fruit. It is also good&#xA;  to thin out the fruit on these types of trees. You should space the&#xA;  plums about 3 to 4 inches apart on each branch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Pruning: European Plum&#xA;  If you have a European type of tree, the best pruning method is to&#xA;  create a central leader. This shape features a central trunk with&#xA;  branches that spiral out every 5 to 8 inches, making sure that no&#xA;  branch is directly above another. The training for such a system&#xA;  begins in the early summer of the first year, during which time you&#xA;  should remove any shoots that form within 18 inches of the ground. The&#xA;  end result should resemble a Christmas tree. European types do not&#xA;  require fruit thinning because they do not produce as much fruit as&#xA;  Japanese types. However, the fruit on these types should be spaced&#xA;  about 2 inches apart on each branch. To help control pests and&#xA;  diseases, remember to prune your trees to keep them open. You can also&#xA;  mulch around the trees in the spring to help control weeds, but be&#xA;  sure to remove the mulch in the late fall so that no pests use it over&#xA;  the winter. You can also lightly cultivate the soil around your trees&#xA;  in late spring to eliminate any pests in the soil. Pests Plum trees&#xA;  can suffer from silver leaf disease, honey fungus, bacterial canker,&#xA;  pocket plum, plum aphids and plum moth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Harvest/Storage &#xA;  Harvest have the best flavor when left to ripen on the&#xA;  tree. You can tell when plums are ripe by applying gentle pressure&#xA;  with your fingers. If the skin of the fruit feels soft, then it is&#xA;  ready to be picked. Plums should come off the tree easily when you're&#xA;  using only a slight twist. Unfortunately, the fruit does not store for&#xA;  long, so must be eaten or preserved. You can also pick the fruit when&#xA;  they are still slightly firm and store them in a cool place to fully&#xA;  ripen. The best place to store plums is in the refrigerator. The best&#xA;  temperature for storing plums is about 31° - 32°F with relative&#xA;  humidity around 90% - 95%; if kept at this temperature, plums may last&#xA;  for 2 to 4 weeks. You can also store plums by making jams or jellies.&#xA;  Plums can also be stored by freezing or drying them (dried plums are&#xA;  prunes). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Recommended Varieties For a Japanese type, try the 'Satsuma',&#xA;  which produces large, dark-red plums. This kind is good for eating&#xA;  fresh and canning because of its sweet taste. For a European type, try&#xA;  the 'Stanley'. This type is works great for the eastern regions and&#xA;  some of the northwest regions of the U.S. It is self-fertile, meaning&#xA;  no cross-pollination is necessary. It produces medium to large plums&#xA;  and is great for cooking, canning, or eating fresh. American hybrid&#xA;  trees, such as 'Alderman', 'Superior', and 'Underwood', also make good&#xA;  choices. These trees combine the taste of the Japanese variety with&#xA;  the hardiness of the European variety. These types work well for&#xA;  regional extremes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:@ashes999 asks &quot;Why re pot?&quot; If you re pot and grow them on you can select the strongest seedlings and plant them where you want them when they are ready.  Even if you plant them where you want them and do not intend to move them one accident with wildlife or a pruner will ruin all your hard work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just as a note seedlings are not guaranteed to come true to form.  Size, fruit and vigor can all change dramatically if the parent was a hybrid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-09-21T14:00:01.997" LastActivityDate="2013-09-21T14:00:01.997" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8443" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-20T23:27:32.600" Score="3" ViewCount="4848" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to plant some tall grasses about 3 feet from an electrical pad transformer in my yard.  Do I need to call the utility companies before digging?  I will only be digging one foot down.  Are the electrical lines that close to it in a conduit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-07T00:35:03.760" LastActivityDate="2014-09-07T00:35:03.760" Title="How deep are electrical lines near pad transformers?" Tags="&lt;safety&gt;&lt;electric&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8444" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8424" CreationDate="2013-09-21T09:20:24.450" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This appears to be a ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to the product info page from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.logees.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.logees.com&lt;/a&gt;, the ZZ plant was named Houseplant of the Year and has the following description,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The ZZ plant is ideal for low light conditions where few other plants thrive. The dark green, shiny, alternate leaves grow on stout, fleshy stalks that are swollen at the base. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Growing from an underground rhizome that stores water, the ZZ Plant is extremely tolerant to drought and low light conditions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This indestructible houseplant has an almost prehistoric appearance! &#xA;      It’s an excellent container plant for interiorscapes and was named “Houseplant of the Year” for its ease of growing and unusual beauty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2751" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-04T17:58:42.130" LastActivityDate="2016-09-04T17:58:42.130" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8445" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8443" CreationDate="2013-09-21T14:02:54.710" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have to call the utility to get a locate on the lines.  Every electrical utility can have different standards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Practically speaking, if you gently hand dig you should not have a problem.  If you do so you take all the potential risk for accidents and mishaps so this is why I recommend using the free locate services that many utilities offer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:digging near lines is a job worthy of some thought. My experience in Ontario has been:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;phone lines: can be found anywhere, on the ground, in the ground, hidden, in plain view&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;natural gas lines: usually three to six feet down and strong enough that hand digging will not break them.  If you do break a line you take your chances at blowing up your house and, possibly, every house connected to that line on the block.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sewer or drain: usually six feet down or under the frost line and strong enough that you need to be using power tools or machinery to break them.  If you break them you could be liable for the repair costs or more.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hydro/electrical: lines are usually encased in three inch diameter PVC pipe and are usually buried under the frost line. Depending on where you live this could be as little as two feet to three feet. They rise to the surface where they connect to box or house.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cable lines: usually buried in three inch diameter PVC pipe and buried underground or run on phone poles.  Anywhere is a possibility.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-09-21T21:36:56.583" LastActivityDate="2013-09-21T21:36:56.583" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8446" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8450" CreationDate="2013-09-21T16:20:00.620" Score="4" ViewCount="231" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can I use a bokashi system to make mushroom compost? if it is possible, what is the recipe?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2752" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-09-22T00:12:48.973" LastActivityDate="2013-09-22T14:02:28.957" Title="Can i use a bokashi system to make mushroom compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8448" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-21T22:16:57.550" Score="9" ViewCount="660" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a plant we found for the first time today. We live near an area that contains a vernal pool and frequently floods but never drains out. In 10 years, I've never seen this plant before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help identify it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SijBdl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2754" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-01T03:01:28.970" LastActivityDate="2018-09-09T11:38:04.590" Title="What is this wetland plant with small white flowers in a spiral around the stalk?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8450" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8446" CreationDate="2013-09-22T14:02:28.957" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, not really. Mushroom compost is always based on manure (horse, preferably) and a source of carbohydrate, with, if it's a good compost, bloodmeal. Bokashi composting is a fermenting process which deals well with kitchen/food waste and scraps, none of which (I hope!) will be manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-09-22T14:02:28.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8451" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31128" CreationDate="2013-09-22T20:45:25.833" Score="9" ViewCount="3686" Body="&lt;p&gt;We planted a cedar hedge this spring (4 months or so ago).  The trees were fine this summer, some of them had one or two dried branches; nothing out of ordinary.  At the end of the summer, some trees started to have yellow foliage.  A quick search online lead me to believe this was the cold hardening process.  Although, lately, we had a lot of rain and the foliage started to dry from the center of the tree toward the outside. (Inner foliage is mostly affected right now.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Almost every day I check the soil's humidity and it is humid at less than one inch dept. I'm starting to think that they have too much water and maybe not enough air.  My parents planted a cedar hedge before and I don't remember the trees drying like that on first year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there something I can do about this or am I simply over protecting my cedar hedge?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As requested, here's a few pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the overall look, there's a lot of dried areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lKO6R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;General look&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one is the worst of the group.  As you can see, the inside is almost all dried out; only the outer foliage is still green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LPe7n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Most dried out&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The average one...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rnD19.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another dried&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one has some yellow foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FQlVo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This one has yellow&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Update - Oct 2014&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year, the same thing happen at about the same time (sep-oct).  Over the summer, everything was fine.  By the end of September, I added some autumn lawn fertilizer.  The week after trees started to dry form the inside again.  I think the autumn lawn fertilizer is the culprit.  Next year, I won't put any fertilizer on my lawn after July.  If my cedar hedge doesn't dry out, it will confirm my doubts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried the pH test and it was about 6.5ish, which seems to be normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2759" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-03-12T12:57:39.877" Title="Cedar Hedge drying from the inside" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8452" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-22T22:24:07.343" Score="4" ViewCount="188" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to provide my houseplants with as much natural light as possible inside my 2nd floor apartment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have 2 large bay windows that face north, and can put my plants directly by the window/on the sill. Here they're very close to the window but almost never get direct sunlight, due to facing north. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I could instead put plants in rooms with a large east or west facing window, where they'd have access to more direct light depending on the time of day, but in each case the plants would need to be significantly farther away from the window itself (6-9ft). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know which would offer more/better light to my plants? I'm sure there are other factors to consider (my latitude, size of window, perhaps even paint color/reflective surfaces in room) but I'm curious if there's a more general principle/formula at play, with proximity to window trumping light direction or the other way around. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would an exposure/light meter help me figure this out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2760" LastActivityDate="2013-09-24T14:19:00.670" Title="Is light direction or proximity more important when considering indoor natural light for plants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8453" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8452" CreationDate="2013-09-23T00:48:28.723" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The intensity of light drops off by the square of the distance.  To compare a north exposure to an east or west exposure is challenging as it also depends on adjacent buildings and trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More importantly it depends on the plant.  Where I live a Norfolk Island Pine is better off with indirect sunlight than right up against the window.  A hoya or palm will take as much light as your exposure can deliver. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A light meter might help you decide but the type of plants and availability of artificial lights are just as important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: @OrganicLawnDIY is quite correct when they point out the intensity drops by the square of the distance from the &lt;strong&gt;source&lt;/strong&gt;, not the window.  However, I agree with Bamboo that the type of plant is just as important as the location.  High light plants need to be close to a window, lower light plants can be farther away.  The presence of blinds or sheers on windows also has a big effect on the intensity as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-09-24T14:19:00.670" LastActivityDate="2013-09-24T14:19:00.670" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8454" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8461" CreationDate="2013-09-23T01:49:19.227" Score="8" ViewCount="223" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are working on this bonsai and would like some expert advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should we cut more sub-branches?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it ok if the main branch is bending towards one side? Or should we cut it to make it straight?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any other tips based on these pictures?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photograph for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aSuKJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aSuKJl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IqVtC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IqVtCl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2761" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-24T18:56:28.290" LastActivityDate="2014-11-22T07:40:09.870" Title="Shaping my new bonsai" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;dead-branch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8452" CreationDate="2013-09-23T10:48:46.303" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having given Kevinsky a vote, because he's spot on, I want to add something. Do it the other way around, that is, consider the plant first. What plant is it, and what are its requirements in terms of warmth, humidity and light, then work out where's the best spot for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-09-23T10:48:46.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8457" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8448" CreationDate="2013-09-23T12:32:03.520" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiranthes&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lady's tresses orchid (&lt;em&gt;Spiranthes&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; of some sort. Perhaps &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/ls_ladytress.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;S. ovalis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-27T00:14:13.560" LastActivityDate="2014-08-27T00:14:13.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8458" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-23T13:48:23.800" Score="5" ViewCount="482" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you help me identify the big plant in the center right of the photograph? I planted a lot of different seeds but I don't think this is one of them, I think it's a weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photograph for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WmQxF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WmQxFl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2763" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-07T00:34:48.830" LastActivityDate="2014-09-07T00:34:48.830" Title="Can you help me identify this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8458" CreationDate="2013-09-23T16:52:24.570" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely a weed - I must have pulled out thousands of these. If memory serves, they eventually produce small, pale pink flowers, and they prefer to grow where the soil is either uncultivated, or damp, or has poor drainage. I have never yet managed to work out precisely which plant it is though, hopefully someone else might know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-09-23T16:52:24.570" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8461" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8454" CreationDate="2013-09-24T00:27:45.123" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;My suggestion is to begin by finding a picture of a bonsai that you would like to copy. You should find one with the same type, size and structure as the one you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless of the size of bonsai you have, the idea is to make it give the feeling of a tree in the wild. Just like art, it doesn't have to look exactly like a tree in the wild, it just has to convey the feeling. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said, you need to be careful about lopping off lower branches as new branches tend to grow from above the trunk, if you remove branches too far down and you realise it was a mistake then you may be waiting a long time for another branch to grow back in its place. What I do is bend the branch I am considering removing behind the tree or cover it with my palm so I can get a feel for what the tree would look like without it before I make the big cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether or not you want to remove sub branches really depends on the look you are trying to achieve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With this type of tree the top is very supple, it grows like a new branch and it is common to see this floppy top in trees that haven't been trimmed or trained yet. Because of this, you will quite often see this type of tree done in a cascade style. With older larger trees the trunk firms, usually straight as it gets older.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not saying this is you, but many people get sentimental about their first tree and this can often lead to rage or tears if something goes wrong with wiring or cutting. If you want to make art you need to break a few eggs. My local bonsai nursery (non-commercial, reasonably priced) sells starters for $3 each, I started learning by killing about 20 of these over a period of time. If you are still really attached to this plant then trim rather than cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Trimming vs. Cutting&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trimming is where you take a pair of sharp scissors and remove minor branches and leaves to attain a desired shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutting is where you prune branches and also remove minor branches to attain a desired shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Larger size bonsai require regular cutting due new growth to maintain their shape. For smaller sized bonsai it may be preferred to only use the trimming approach because you are only dealing with thinner branches and it may look too sparse if you cut out any woody branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are several reasons why you would choose trimming for a smaller sized bonsai, but I don't have enough space here to go too detailed. To make things easy our reason is going to be because it is a small sized bonsai and because we don't want to make major cuts because you are still learning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can always change your approach later by leaving the tree to grow out once you are more confident and then going for major shaping / cutting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;How can you trim this specific tree&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note, this goes against my previous suggestion of shaping this tree to be cascade style. If you would like information on how to make this tree into a cascade style I would appreciate you post a new question because it covers new ground and my answer would become too long as I need to go into pot choice and wiring etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This section goes into how to use the trimming approach to improve the overall shape of this tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also please note that I am providing this advice based upon two pictures over the internet. Please keep your criticisms to yourself. I am providing one possible style and there are many ways you could do this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before I shape any tree I typically decide which side would be the display side of the tree and then I would remove the tree from the pot, turn it until I was happy with the displaying side and then repot. Because I don't want to torment the tree I would disturb as little of the soil as possible, I don't want to trim / prune a tree on the same day I repot (replace the soil).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would then decide on the shape I would give the tree and then begin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you are trimming or pruning a tree you usually will need to make the tree smaller than your desired size and then wait until it grows to the right shape. Why? Because you need to cut the tree to get the right shape and the right shape is always less than the current incorrect shape so you end up with a smaller tree than you started out with that now has the right structure to regrow in to a larger tree with the right shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you will notice from the picture below you have a tree with a new definite structure that will expand into a nice looking tree. As the tree grows you won't need to trim back to the smaller size, but trim to maintain the shape. Think of an expanding triangle, so you only need to trim the parts that grow outside of the triangle and let the tree slowly expand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This shape is very basic and will allow you to get a feel for trimming and you can watch to see how it regrows and trim to maintain or let it grow out and then experiment with other styles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QrkdE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="160" LastEditDate="2013-09-30T05:05:10.497" LastActivityDate="2013-09-30T05:05:10.497" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8463" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8443" CreationDate="2013-09-24T17:52:01.840" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've planted right over the top of mine, and many people in my neighborhood do. For my plantings near the lovely green box, I hand dug down about a foot and never saw any sign of wires. For the foundation plantings I put in near my house, I accidentally unburied a pvc pipe with wires that was about 2 inches under the surface. Since I was digging with a hand trowel, I didn't do any damage to it. I just reburied it and moved on to another spot. Your mileage, of course, may vary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-09-24T17:52:01.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8464" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8465" CreationDate="2013-09-25T07:28:34.550" Score="2" ViewCount="884" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought coir for my pot plants, after I saw many other pot plants (in the garden centre) containing a handful. I would like to know the benefits for pot plants if you add coir above the soil? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Coir (n): Fiber from the outer husk of the coconut, used for making ropes and matting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2737" LastActivityDate="2013-09-25T12:12:04.970" Title="The benefits of coir for pot plants?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8464" CreationDate="2013-09-25T12:06:14.413" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually, when you see coir in the soil around pot plants, it's not just on the top, it's actually a component of the soil/potting compost. It's used because it's an organic waste product, cuts down on the use of peat, has excellent water retaining properties and contains a mixture of coarse and fine fibres to hold a little air in its pore spaces, making a lighter, more aerated compost. It is, though, poor at holding nutrients, so is usually mixed with other materials to make a growing medium. It's used more often for some plants than others - palms often have a coir mix compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose it's possible that the plants you saw, which appeared to have a coir 'topping', may have had one just for decorative purposes and possibly to slightly reduce the need for watering. Often, though, in the UK, a topping or mulch on top of a pot is done in commercial enterprise to cover up the fact that the soil beneath isn't quite right - maybe the plant's been around a while and has grown moss and lichen on top of the compost, and a mulch covers all that up. It's quicker and cheaper to apply a handful of something to the top of the pot than it is to pay someone to clean up the pots properly. This does not apply to alpines, though, which are almost always sold with a top dressing of chippings or grit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-09-25T12:12:04.970" LastActivityDate="2013-09-25T12:12:04.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8466" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8623" CreationDate="2013-09-25T12:36:13.540" Score="2" ViewCount="285" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Chamomile lawn that in its 2nd year is beginning to look the business.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Was wondering if there is a recommended 'feed' for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also wondering how much care i should take regarding winter and frost danger?&#xA;(is it hardy enough to survive?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2769" LastActivityDate="2013-12-01T02:50:19.103" Title="Chamomile lawn feed &amp; winter care" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8469" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-25T14:23:45.783" Score="2" ViewCount="922" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a huge lawn infront and behind my house. I have thought of weed killers but am in Halifax, and there is a law or something about weed killers. It is irritating and I can barely even see the grass anymore. Please am desperately seeking advice, and what I can do, especially now that the cold season is fast approaching. SOS.....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2772" LastActivityDate="2013-09-25T22:38:53.233" Title="my lawn has been over taken by weeds" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2013-10-17T18:01:26.643" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8470" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-25T15:02:37.373" Score="3" ViewCount="326" Body="&lt;p&gt;It was found in the Toronto area in Ontario, Canada. Here's a picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yUAxu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Weed Picture&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2773" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-04-05T01:08:39.470" Title="Can anyone identify this weed seen near Toronto?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8470" CreationDate="2013-09-25T15:10:40.097" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like an immature dandelion to me.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-09-25T15:10:40.097" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8472" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8469" CreationDate="2013-09-25T15:16:04.157" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are you allowed to use pre-emergents?  Most lawn weeds are annuals, which means that if you can get a jump on them before they sprout in the spring, then you can cut way back on how many show up that year.  That won't help much this year, but if you can't use broadleaf herbicides, the only thing that would probably help this year is a lot of hand-weeding.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you aren't allowed to use industrial pre-emergent products, there is a corn-based pre-emergent (Cornmeal gluten) that has some marginal effect on broadleaf weeds.  Every bit of help counts, I would imagine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, that many weeds probably means you have a soil imbalance and your grass isn't doing as well as it ought to be.  A good thick healthy lawn will out-compete a lot of annual weeds.  You might look into improving your soil or your lawn care program to help your grass help you keep the weeds down.  Some basic soil testing would be a good beginning to help you plan your campaign for next year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-09-25T15:16:04.157" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8474" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1562" CreationDate="2013-09-25T19:52:58.273" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The issue you are having is from the type of soil you are using. Try Miracle-Gro planting soil for indoor plants and less watering. You can water your plant with 2 - 3 ice cubes every 4 days. There is no need to soak the soil; you just need to get water to the roots. Over watering will cause root rot and mold. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2775" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-29T13:37:56.870" LastActivityDate="2013-09-29T13:37:56.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8475" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8469" CreationDate="2013-09-25T22:38:53.233" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I take it you're in Halifax Nova Scotia? As that's the only Halifax I can find with a ban on herbicides. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I understand you are allowed to use some types of herbicides. In Canada there are country wide, province wide and regional regulations. Any herbicides you would typically find in a store in your area I think are going to be approved for you to use as recommended on the label. The only exception is Scott's new EcoSense chelated iron herbicide which &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.news957.com/2011/05/25/city-bans-herbicide-already-approved-by-province/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Halifax banned&lt;/a&gt; but the rest of the province and country did not. You can find more info for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gov.ns.ca/nse/pests/faqs.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Novascotia pesticide regulations&lt;/a&gt;. There are some numbers you might want to call if you have any questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have so many weeds you can't even see the grass anymore it's best to start over. Kill all the existing vegetation (grass and weeds), improve your soil and plant new grass. I did that last year to part of my lawn and you can see the results on my blog here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2013/08/organic-lawn-renovation-results.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2013/08/organic-lawn-renovation-results.html&lt;/a&gt; Other posts have more details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not too familiar with your area but it's getting pretty late and my quick look at your weather forcast makes me think it might be too cold. Fall is generally the best time to put down new grass. If it's getting cold in your area (below 70) you might not be able to do much. If the soil temp isn't 65degF or higher you'll have a hard time getting seed to germinate and some of the herbicides do best when it's hot and sunny.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think right now the best you can do is find a local lab to do a soil test to see what's going on with your soil. Making improvements to your soil will help the grass grow healthier and help it out-compete the weeds. Have the test done now or sometime next year and plan on doing a major overhaul of your lawn next fall before it gets too cold. Maybe late summer in your region?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a number of options to killing your existing grass and weeds including some organic herbicides like I used (which I believe are allowed in your area), &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;solarization&lt;/a&gt; which needs to be done in summer but may be difficult if you have a large lawn, you can use a flame weeder, you can use the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stale_seed_bed&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;false seed bed technique&lt;/a&gt; by doing something like renting a sod cutter, removing all the sod, adding ammendments (compost, fertilizer, lime, etc) waiting a couple of weeks for anything to grow back then spraying organic herbicides to kill anything that grew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were you, this year I might try:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Test the soil pH if it's low add the appropriate amount of lime. A soil test will give you an accurate pH measurement but if you're not doing a soil test this year those home pH test kits have been pretty accurate if used right. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mow the lawn very short.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aerate the lawn. You can rent a core aerator that will pull out soil cores, leaving little holes in your lawn. You will need to make multiple passes from different directions so that you wind up getting about 18 holes per square foot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Topdress with about 1/4-1/3&quot; of good compost. You'll need 1 cubic yard per 1,000 sq feet. It will help improve your soil by adding nutrients, organic matter and improve the soil's ability to hold on to nutrients.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spread some good grass seed and hope something comes up. If not, spread more seed after the first hard frost. The seed will lay dormant and germinate in the spring.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then, in the early spring, if you get grass seed to germinate this year, apply a corn gluten meal fertilizer. It will help prevent some of the annual weed seeds from germinating. If you didn't get grass to grow this year and did the dormant seeding, then don't use corn gluten meal since it will inhibit the grass seed from germinating as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It won't get you a perfect, weed free lawn but it should get you a better lawn than you have now and hold you off until you do a soil test, kill it all and start over. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-09-25T22:38:53.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8478" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8481" CreationDate="2013-09-26T22:39:48.387" Score="13" ViewCount="4380" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soon my tomato harvest is done and I wonder whether I can leave the roots in the ground for rotting or whether I should get them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I heard that for some other annuals leaving the root in the ground as adding nitrogen to it. Does this apply to tomatoes as well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any risks? Are there any benefits?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;UPDATE&lt;/em&gt;: Thanks to a comment I forgot to mention that I assume that the roots won't survive my -10 °C winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2013-09-27T07:08:45.743" LastActivityDate="2015-10-28T21:28:55.970" Title="Leaving tomato roots in the ground" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8479" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8483" CreationDate="2013-09-27T01:52:47.810" Score="5" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you help me identify this type of caterpillar and what is the solution to eradicate them? i keep removing them from the tree but after a few days I find them again...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0J7rY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SaiMb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2650" LastActivityDate="2013-09-27T10:43:32.207" Title="caterpillar identification and eradication" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8480" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-27T02:04:22.267" Score="6" ViewCount="246" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a well experienced gardener and farmer with a growing interest in alternative methods of using herbal plants instead of chemicals for pest management and have came across a notoriously bad rep plant called common &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tansy_ragwort&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ragwort tansy&lt;/a&gt;. I have done a lot of research into this plant and have not found any information on the plant used as a mild pesticide spray for common insects like cabbage moth caterpillars and aphids. My question arose from observing that no insects or animals go near it due to its unpleasant smell and poisonous alkaloids. I am wondering if a person can use such a plant for such purposes? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2779" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-29T14:30:23.417" LastActivityDate="2014-05-12T22:42:36.667" Title="Can I use ragwort tansy as an alternative pest control?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8481" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8478" CreationDate="2013-09-27T09:12:02.540" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say pull the whole plants if they will not survive the winter, just in case they became infected with something like Verticillium Wilt in their weakened state prior to dying, which might then build up and overwinter in the soil and infect your new plants next spring. Plus think about gophers or insects that might feed on the roots, you're providing these pests a free meal, inviting them to come back to your garden later, while not really providing any benefit to yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure how much nitrogen they would give back, but I suspect you'd be better off composting the spent plants in a dedicated bin or pile than leaving them in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2080" LastActivityDate="2013-09-27T09:12:02.540" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8482" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-27T09:33:58.787" Score="4" ViewCount="1278" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Wisteria has been growing well in its current spot for about 13 years but has become too large for the fence that first supported it.  It measures about 6ft and I would like to re-position it to the front garden where it can climb the front of the house.  At present, it grows happily in a flower bed and and would be transplanted into a large tub or enclosure.  Is any of this possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2780" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-29T14:35:08.873" LastActivityDate="2013-09-29T14:35:08.873" Title="Can I move a 13 year old Wisteria from the ground to a container?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8483" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8479" CreationDate="2013-09-27T10:43:32.207" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A general approach to pest removal is to spray them with soap water. Just mix a bit of soap with some water, and spray the entire plant (leaves and all). The soap is harmless enough to the plant, and annoying enough to most critters to persuade them to leave.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This approach is useful in cases of some level of infestation (since you suspect eggs). I would suggest try this first, although it may not solve your problem entirely (or at all).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastActivityDate="2013-09-27T10:43:32.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8484" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8482" CreationDate="2013-09-27T11:07:37.633" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;After 13 years, very difficult, not to say impossible. The root spread will be enormous by now, so without heavy lifting gear (crane and tarpaulin or a grab of the sort used for trees), you'll lose most of the roots, which means you're likely to lose the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-09-27T11:07:37.633" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8486" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8458" CreationDate="2013-09-28T07:25:28.287" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's almost certainly an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilobium&quot;&gt;Epilobium&lt;/a&gt; (willowherb), probably &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilobium_ciliatum&quot;&gt;E. ciliatum&lt;/a&gt; (common willowherb,&#xA;northern willowherb, fringed willowherb, etc., etc.). It's one of the most common garden&#xA;weeds in my own area (Seattle).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1180" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-09-28T17:58:45.790" LastActivityDate="2013-09-28T17:58:45.790" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8488" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8492" CreationDate="2013-09-29T16:21:25.210" Score="5" ViewCount="578" Body="&lt;p&gt;My friend showed me this picture of a cactus and we would like to buy one. The problem is we don't know the name. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anybody recognize it? Does it produce flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ReXi5l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2784" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-10-01T14:04:09.600" LastActivityDate="2013-10-01T19:54:02.617" Title="identify the type of cactus" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8489" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8499" CreationDate="2013-09-29T16:30:11.953" Score="5" ViewCount="5220" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a  30 year old &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilia_cordata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Little leaf linden (Tilia cordata)&lt;/a&gt; on the north side of the property.  Although it is apparently healthy every year it gets galls on the leaves and aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The aphids secrete a sticky sap which covers the car from June through September and attracts wasps and flies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few years I have tried a dormant oil spray in late winter to try and control the aphid eggs which are probably in the bark of the tree.  My results were mixed as my hand sprayer will not reach to the top of the tree which is now around 30 feet (10 M) tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any other methods to control or reduce the aphid population on the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: The situation got worse every year. Yellow jackets were attracted to the sap or the aphids.  They established a nest in the siding of the house.  There were so many they were flying into the car or the house when the doors were opened. An exterminator got rid of the wasps but new ones moved in to feed on the sap.&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;Solution:  we had the tree removed and stumped.  The rooms were brighter, I don't have to clean out the gutters every year and other shrubs and flowers are doing much better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-03-08T01:41:00.490" Title="Control aphids on a linden tree" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8490" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-09-30T16:04:47.717" Score="3" ViewCount="1736" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to achieve a Cascade looking shape for my bonsai and would appreciate advice as per how to trim my current tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Chnmt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zN5BR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2761" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-02T21:34:11.453" LastActivityDate="2021-02-02T21:34:11.453" Title="How to make a bonsai into cascade style" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2017-05-02T15:57:43.257" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8492" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8488" CreationDate="2013-10-01T19:54:02.617" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to be a young &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammillaria_longimamma&quot;&gt;Mammillaria longimamma&lt;/a&gt;, which can produce yellow flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2080" LastActivityDate="2013-10-01T19:54:02.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8493" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7503" CreationDate="2013-10-01T20:46:06.840" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like a Cayenne pepper variant (there are many, many types of Cayenne: some thick, some thin, some hot, some not as hot, some that ripen red, purple, yellow, etc.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on culture, time of year, and variety, some so-called &quot;hot&quot; peppers may just not get all that hot.  I've even had wildly different levels of heat from two peppers on the same plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-10-01T20:46:06.840" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8494" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8231" CreationDate="2013-10-01T20:58:25.923" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can splice your twig right onto another established apple tree, cutting it back enough to give the twig room to grow.  Then you will have two types of apples on that one tree - this is one way they make multi-variety trees in the retail trade and is probably the easiest way to get started with your new acquisition.  You can also buy apple &quot;rootstocks&quot; (small apple trees grown not for their own fruit, but as a base for grafting other varieties onto) from some fruit tree nurseries online or there might be a place near you that sells them. The kind of apple rootstock you purchase will determine the height and vigor of the new tree - some make smaller trees than others (dwarfing rootstocks.)   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If decide to propagate this tree by grafting, then be sure to graft several twigs, not just one, because sometimes they don't &quot;take.&quot;  If there is a county extension service near you, you might ask if they have a handout you can use to help you decide what type of graft to use and how best to care for your new tree (or new apple branch) post-grafting.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-10-01T20:58:25.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8495" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7827" CreationDate="2013-10-01T21:04:17.967" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;When taking cuttings from a plant, I try not to take more than 1/3 of the current healthy growth.  For some plants, you shouldn't take even that much.  As has been mentioned, mint is very prolific and a fast grower, so you should be just fine taking around 1/3 of the currently growing, healthy young branches each time you cut.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, mint can be propagated from the roots.  After your plant has become well established, remove it from its pot and look for thick, pale root-like stems lying just under the soil surface. Many of these will have growing tips already starting to come out of the jointed areas.  Carefully cut a few of these roots from the mother plant, then cut them into 2-4  inch pieces, and place them horizontally just under the surface of a flat or pot of moist soil. Give them a bit of time to send out new growth before transplanting them into their own pots.  Most of them should &quot;take&quot; and this will enable you to get your mint propagated out just a bit faster.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-10-01T21:04:17.967" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8496" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7515" CreationDate="2013-10-01T21:07:58.747" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The humidity of the air may be a bit too low, and your flowers also may not be getting properly pollinated.  The plant looks pretty healthy from what little I can see of it, so I'd try to increase the humidity a bit and look up the best way to hand-pollinate your future flowers and see if that helps it set fruit.  Many solanums just need to be &quot;jostled&quot; a bit now and then to cause the pollen to fall from the stamens onto the pistil.  If your pepper has exposed stamens and pistils, then you will probably want to use a Q-tip or a small soft brush to move the pollen around.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-10-01T21:07:58.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8497" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4598" CreationDate="2013-10-01T21:12:23.483" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;IF all else fails, and you still have sort of healthy looking tips on some of the branches, then you can take a cutting of a few of them and try to start over.  Tomatoes will root green tips in a glass of water or placed into moist soil with a perforated plastic bag over the rest of the cutting to keep the humidity high.  Make your cuttings at least 4 inches long and strip off the lower set or two of leaves.  Keep it in bright, but not direct light, until you see new growth, then give it a bit more light.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-10-01T21:12:23.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8498" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7952" CreationDate="2013-10-01T21:16:53.567" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've grown Autumn Bliss for years - it's a great variety!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, you should be able to prune now.  Once a cane has fruited and you have taken all the fruit you want from it, cut it down to near the ground. It will not fruit properly again, and will probably die on its own over the winter anyway, so you aren't really losing anything, especially once the new tips start to emerge.  Leaving the old canes till spring just crowds the new ones and allows pests and disease to overwinter, which you do not want. So remove them and either burn them or compost them, but don't leave them hanging around your new shoots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-10-01T21:16:53.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8489" CreationDate="2013-10-02T13:46:43.580" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most effective and safest solution would be to call a tree service. They will have the equipment to reach and cover the tree in its entirety which is essential for proper control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise you need to get yourself higher (ladder or get on the roof) or find a more powerful sprayer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My Ortho Dial-N-Spray sprays farther than my pump sprayer but I don't think that will be high enough. I can get about 12-15' with it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a pressure washer you can pick up a an injector for it and that might be able to give you a little more reach. That still might not be enough but in combination with a ladder might do the trick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternately, have you considered purchasing and releasing &lt;a href=&quot;http://cagardenweb.ucdavis.edu/?blogpost=10411&amp;amp;blogasset=42184&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lady bugs&lt;/a&gt; as a biological aphid control? Sounds like they'd love that tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One more option I haven't used myself but claims to reach 30' high is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d49GSS0YC1U&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;trombone sprayer&lt;/a&gt;. They cost around $60+.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of my direct experience with tree spraying was for adelgid but I had to look into the same types of dormant and horticultural oils as well as insecticidal soaps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your biggest issue seems to be not getting total coverage with the dormant oil. It sounds like the trombone sprayer will be the best option and costs less than a single visit from a tree service in my area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the weather gets warmer, if you still have an issue you can use an insecticidal soap/horticultural oil or just regularly spray with a hose to knock the aphids off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You said the honeydew gets on the car so I would think that would mean the tree is close to your home. If you can have someone throw a hose up at you while you're at an upstairs window (if you have one near the tree) you might be able to cover a decent amount. Either that or get on the roof or prop a ladder up near the garage wall. That's the cheapest, least toxic way to deal with it but you have to be careful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the past I used Volck Oil. Depending on the dilution it can be used as either a dormant or horticultural oil. The next year I still had some adelgid and I switched to this combination Neem/potassium fatty acid spray that is no longer made. It worked just as well as did plain neem oil but things weren't as bad by that point. I haven't sprayed in a few years. I just hose down the tree from time to time with water and haven't noticed a reinfestation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most important thing when spraying with a horticultural oil is to mind the weather and do a small test to make sure it won't damage the tree. I used to get up before the sun on a day that was supposed to be cloudy. A day when it's supposed to rain is great since the oil/soap kills instantly so it doesn't matter if it gets washed off after spraying. If you have an infestation and a heat wave I would just spray as much of the tree as possible with plain water in the early morning. At least over the car.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-10-05T00:05:35.117" LastActivityDate="2013-10-05T00:05:35.117" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8500" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8489" CreationDate="2013-10-02T17:22:57.920" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've used a non-spray product in the past that has controlled aphids to some degree on one of our ornamental trees.  It is produced by Bayer, and is a granule or liquid product you pour at the base of the tree where it is absorbed by the entire tree system over time.  It protects against several common insect pests, including aphids, and also feeds the tree as well.  It is called &quot;12 Month Tree &amp;amp; Shrub Protect &amp;amp; Feed II.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since this method does not require spraying on the ornamental trees (with all the associated issues that go with that method, ie, need for special equipment and accidental overspray risks) then it might be easier to get approval for using it where you live.  Good luck!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-10-02T17:22:57.920" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8501" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-02T21:14:13.653" Score="6" ViewCount="1600" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Northern California. I have found that Bermuda grass is extremely invasive and am ready to give up the lawn.  We want to move to a native plant garden instead.  I have been reading about Bermuda grass and the fact that the roots go down many inches.  And that even just a small piece can regenerate and start invading again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In looking on line many people suggest round up and multiple applications of it.  I would prefer not to use round up as there are several people in the area raising bees in the area and there is some evidence that round up may impact insects in a negative way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I visited a Master Gardener, trained by University of California at Berkeley. She suggested robbing the Bermuda grass of light for several months.  She said to put down layers of newspaper (10 or so sheets thick) or use cardboard.  Then top with several inches of compost and then repeat.  She thought this approach would kill the Bermuda grass.  She said to cut through the cardboard or newspaper when I go to plant in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone actually used this method successfully?  In this area there are underground termites.  Will the cardboard or newspaper attract them to my yard and house?  Is this the best way to kill the Bermuda grass under these circumstances?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2792" LastActivityDate="2020-02-10T02:28:30.123" Title="How to get rid of bermuda grass without using chemicals" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8502" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="904" CreationDate="2013-10-02T22:19:20.220" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the same issue.  I've tried mulch -- the suckers eventually come through.  I put down river rocks at the base of the tree -- the suckers grow between the rocks too.  I trim them, pull them out, and occasionally I have used roundup when they are out of control, but nothing I have found eliminates them.  The only way to control the suckers is to constantly pull, trim, cut as they grow.  I hate this tree!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2793" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-10-09T16:42:52.200" LastActivityDate="2013-10-09T16:42:52.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4669" CreationDate="2013-10-03T06:03:14.283" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems that your lawn is full of weeds and it's more difficult to control. So, Here I would like to suggest you that - you must have to re-establish new lawn as suggested by Bamboo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You must have to take some precaution while maintaining and establishing the perfect lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tips to Maintain a Perfect Lawn:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do research before selecting a lawn turf for to ensure that it's&#xA;   right turf for to grow green and healthy lawn &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perform a soil test to ensure that it supports new turf provided by&#xA;turf suppliers e.g. village green turf, Kikuyu, common buffalo etc. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make a decision on seeding or sodding &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water regularly &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Take precautions to control weeds&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2789" LastEditorUserId="2789" LastEditDate="2013-10-03T06:09:24.863" LastActivityDate="2013-10-03T06:09:24.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8504" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1759" CreationDate="2013-10-03T11:38:24.720" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use &lt;a href=&quot;http://landscapeandgardenblogs.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/get-a-better-yield-from-your-plants-using-coco-peat/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;coco peat&lt;/a&gt; - It's an organic soil derived from coconut husks for garden vegetables and plants which is Eco-friendly. It has many benefits with long lasting good effects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Benefits of using coco Peat in Garden Soil:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It holds water for a longer time&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Provide required ingredients to vegetables and plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Maintain soil pH&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Maintain low salt in soil which is more beneficial for better plant growth  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No fertilizers required&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2794" LastActivityDate="2013-10-03T11:38:24.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8506" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8507" CreationDate="2013-10-03T16:32:43.517" Score="7" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing what I was told was banana peppers; however, it's now fall and starting to cool off, but the peppers are not yet yellow. Rather than ripen yellow, they appear to be turning red. Is this an intermediate stage between green and yellow, or do I have a non-yellow variety?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/86xs1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My plant, containing green-red peppers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="744" LastActivityDate="2013-10-03T16:50:20.553" Title="Are my peppers underripe or just a different variety?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8506" CreationDate="2013-10-03T16:50:20.553" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Red is generally a final ripening stage for most peppers, indicating they are fully mature. There are many different kinds of mild chilis, however, referred to as &quot;banana peppers&quot; and some of them eventually become red instead of golden yellow.  It is also definitely possible you have something other than a true banana pepper growing - through mislabeling or cross-pollination of the seed used to produce the plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd go by taste rather than by appearance in deciding which is the most likely case - unless these are &quot;Hungarian&quot; Banana Peppers, they should be mild, slightly sweet, and slightly tangy in taste.  If they are hot, then you definitely have something that's not your regular banana pepper.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-10-03T16:50:20.553" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8508" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8501" CreationDate="2013-10-03T17:02:03.257" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have used newspapers and mulch in the past to try to control Bermuda grass.  In my experience, while it cuts back on the vigor of it, you still will get pieces working their way through the layers of newspaper and coming up out of the mulch and around the edges.  Bermuda grass, as you noted, has an extensive and deep root system that stores enough energy for multiple assaults on your barrier of choice.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had some success eradicating it in vegetable gardens in the South using solarization for a growing season or two.  This is where you cut the grass back heavily (scalping it, in effect), water it well, then place heavy clear plastic sheeting over it during the hottest part of the summer and into the fall.  This raises temperatures throughout the first few inches of soil enough to kill off a lot of things - including Bermuda grass roots.  It might take more than one attempt, though, and if you have sidewalks or driveways nearby, roots can hide under there and then creep back out again once the plastic is gone.  But, solarization can knock it back pretty well if done correctly, and you may be able to keep up with the rest manually or with the newspaper-and-mulch method while your new native plants get established.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't really speak to the termite issue except to say that I've read they don't really go for cardboard.  Someone else more knowledgeable about their habits would need to chip in here. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-10-03T17:02:03.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8509" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8510" CreationDate="2013-10-03T17:18:59.953" Score="4" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;i've found a lot of detail online about the fastest vegetables to grow in terms of time from planting to producing (radishes!) however i'm wondering what are the fastest vegetables to grow from a fully matured plant? (not sure if that's the correct term)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;i.e. if i already have a a tomato plant which is fully grown, how long would it take for a tomato to grow on it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;weird question and i've probably used horrendous terminology so apologies!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2797" LastActivityDate="2013-10-03T18:10:49.233" Title="What Are The Fastest Vegetables to Grow" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8510" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8509" CreationDate="2013-10-03T18:10:49.233" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let me see if I understand what you are asking... you want to know what kind of traditionally grown vegetable plants put out a regular harvest of edible produce the fastest once mature?  If so, here is my input.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A mature summer squash plant can push out a new squash every week when it's in full production. If you have a small patch growing, you can probably pick squash from it a couple of times a week. Greens, like spinach, kales and collards, also push out new leaves pretty continually once they reach a certain size.  You can cut from a small patch every few days when they are in full growth.  Beans also are pretty fast and pretty prolific in production once they are mature. So, if I wanted continual produce, as quickly as possible, then I'd go for these three:  squash, beans and greens.  They also have the benefit of not taking long to get to maturity from seed - somewhere around 6 weeks in the case of squash and beans.  A bit longer for kale and collards, but if you plant them thickly then you can eat the thinnings while you wait.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, a lot of this depends on how rich your soil is, whether the plants are getting enough sun and enough water, and what season you are in and whether it is that plant's preferred season of growth.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, the very fastest &quot;vegetable&quot; from start to finish (as little as three days)  with the capacity to produce a harvest every day once you get a routine started, are sprouts!  ;-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-10-03T18:10:49.233" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8511" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-03T20:32:55.663" Score="3" ViewCount="4485" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was recently given this beautiful bonsai and I water until the soil is moist nearly every day. But recently it has started dropping leaves and these little white dots are appearing. Why is this happening and what can I do? This was given to me for my birthday (25th August ) but this has only just started to happen.&#xA;Any help is appreciated! Thanks&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dltJS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2799" LastActivityDate="2013-10-04T06:28:11.710" Title="Why is my bonsai losing brown/yellow leaves and developing white dots" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8512" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8511" CreationDate="2013-10-04T06:06:01.960" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is an elm bonsai and as mentioned in an &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/8275/160&quot;&gt;answer I provided to another question&lt;/a&gt; now is the time of year when elm trees drop all of their leaves because they are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deciduous&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;deciduous&lt;/a&gt;. So this is normal for this time of year and expect your plant to have no leaves by the end of Fall / Autumn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There may be another problem here if you are keeping the plant indoors all the time and watering heavily. I'm not sure if the white is bugs or mildew, but either way, if you are keeping the plant indoors and there is too much moisture you are going to have problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are keeping it indoors, it belongs outdoors. In the case where you have serious amounts of snow during winter you can keep it inside a box with a glass lid to winter the plant. If you are already keeping it outdoors, I suggest you review my other &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1617/what-is-a-good-watering-routine-for-a-bonsai&quot;&gt;question about watering routine&lt;/a&gt;. Don't forget your plant needs occasional watering even when dormant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are getting mildew, mold or bugs I suggest you clear the leaves around the base of the tree which can provide a place for any of the above to hide. Especially at this time of year when your leaves are going to be falling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, regardless of what the problem is I would be preparing the plant for winter because you are going to lose all of the leaves anyway. Make sure your plant is outdoors in an area where it won't be sitting in heavy snow and clean all of the leaves and other stuff away from the base. Keeping the plant clean is key to it not being reinfected when new growth comes back in Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, quarantine the plant. Don't sit it next to other plants that are going to pass this around and when cleaning the leaves dispose of them in a garbage bin rather than sweep them off into an area where this could spread to other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2013-10-04T06:28:11.710" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8513" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8478" CreationDate="2013-10-04T16:13:16.833" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like volunteer tomato plants better than ones planted from seed. They seem to grow more and better tasting tomatoes. When we get the first freeze of fall, I would pull the old tomato plants (including any fruit still on them) and place them on the ground where I'd like to have tomatoes next year and put compost over them for the winter. Tomatoes can deplete the soil so I try to put back as much as possible using compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2800" LastActivityDate="2013-10-04T16:13:16.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8514" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-04T21:35:10.693" Score="3" ViewCount="353" Body="&lt;p&gt;What plant could this possibly be? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fOSUl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2801" LastActivityDate="2013-10-07T18:08:18.463" Title="What plant is this: yellow/orange berries" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8515" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8514" CreationDate="2013-10-04T23:53:10.830" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like rose hips.  I found &lt;a href=&quot;http://petalena.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/rose_hips.jpg&quot;&gt;this picture&lt;/a&gt; of rose hips that are a similar color.  Most rose hips images I found show them as being red however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2751" LastActivityDate="2013-10-04T23:53:10.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8514" CreationDate="2013-10-05T11:29:58.883" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The total absence of leaves makes ID much more difficult, so if you have any leaves, put those on in a picture. If the plant was prickly, it could be Pyracantha, otherwise a Cotoneaster variety, or it could be Sea Buckthorn (less likely), or a rose, or even a tree. Some Sorbus varieties have orange berries. Given the absence of any foliage at all, it might well be rosehips, though these are rather small and, as Timothy Martin says, are usually red, but it's possible the ones you have there weren't fully ripe when collected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-10-05T11:29:58.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8517" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8520" CreationDate="2013-10-06T09:30:14.360" Score="2" ViewCount="149" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had a cactus named eddy and he died, he had a stretched body with a sphere on top as a head and two little spheres attached to it like eyes. He looked like Echinocereus triglochidiatus but with more smaller spines. Not taller then 25cm with a diameter of about 6cm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We just found him with his body, the stretched bottom part all dried out. He was just fine two days ago. We watered him once a week with about 25cl. He did not get that much sun light since he was pretty far away from any windows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We are very sad our eddy has left us but we would like to know the cause of death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2802" LastActivityDate="2013-10-06T15:39:25.723" Title="Why did our cactus die?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8518" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8519" CreationDate="2013-10-06T11:09:07.243" Score="7" ViewCount="355" Body="&lt;p&gt;This spring I purchased an indoor tree and I think it is a ficus. It has recently, over the last month, lost many leaves, and does not look as good as before. It looks rather bald. Is there something wrong with it? Do I have to cut it back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a2Y8Dl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2803" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-04T18:31:48.287" LastActivityDate="2017-03-04T18:31:48.287" Title="Why is my Ficus losing its leaves?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8519" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8518" CreationDate="2013-10-06T12:15:19.180" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, don't cut this one back,it'll ruin its structure, and anyway, they bleed like crazy if you cut them. The thing to remember about any Ficus is they're fussy - they absolutely hate a change in conditions, and in particular, a draught. Indoors, most will drop leaves when the seasons change, so in spring and again in autumn, and mostly because the heating has started up in autumn and then goes off at nights, or has been turned off when the weather warms up, and it may be you have more windows and doors open in spring. They don't really like direct sunlight, but will tolerate winter sunlight through a window, otherwise they need reasonably bright conditions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Situate it where it gets the least amount of draught possible (not near a window you open regularly) but where it gets sufficient light, and well away from heat sources such as radiators and other electrical equipment which might generate heat (computer, etc). In other words, it needs a spot where there's the least change possible throughout the year in terms of warmth/cold/moving air. Water when the surface of the compost is just about dry to the touch, but not shrunken from the sides of the pot, and empty out any water in the tray at the bottom after 30 minutes, and again later if more collects. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the leaf loss is not excessive, it might just be normal leaf drop - they do drop a leaf or three quite naturally over time, as they grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-10-06T12:21:06.610" LastActivityDate="2013-10-06T12:21:06.610" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8517" CreationDate="2013-10-06T15:39:25.723" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to do diagnosis even with a picture but a few things are clear from your description:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the plant had a grafted cactus on top  (the &quot;Sphere&quot;). These plants depend on the health of the cactus at the base to supply water and nutrients to the graft on the top.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if the amount of light was low then it probably did not require that much water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cacti can die from the inside out so they look fine until all the roots and tissue are dead and it's all over&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest there was too little light and too much water for a plant that requires lots of light and less water due to it being a graft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-10-06T15:39:25.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5235" CreationDate="2013-10-06T22:43:12.530" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe I have the same problem. I am at a loss for the name, but these black spots can be caused by small wormy creatures that live inside of the leaves. They're easy enough to check for, just pull off a leaf with a spot on it and tear a line that is more or less tangent to the spotted area, and try to open the leaf like an envelope. There should be one or two tiny caterpillar-looking punks trying to escape their freshly excavated home. I know that these bugs exist, but short of tearing every leaf off my basil plant, I've no idea what to do about them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2804" LastActivityDate="2013-10-06T22:43:12.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8501" CreationDate="2013-10-07T03:51:45.053" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Northern California, too, and have been trying different ways to get rid of Bermuda grass around the yard. This is what has worked best so far: improve the soil. Bermuda grass is a pioneer plant. It grows in hardpan/roadway clay substrate where all top soil has been removed. Starting in the spring, first step is to weed out just enough Bermuda grass to handicap its growth in warm weather. Next you need at least a couple of inches of compost and mulch (mulch to keep water in the soil). Then thickly sow a cover crop seed that will leave no room for the Bermuda grass to get started. I have had very good results with buckwheat and cowpeas. More mulch over the seeds to hold in the water. And more compost to feed the cover crop. Buckwheat grows very quickly and cowpeas will drill into the hardpan. As the buckwheat and cowpeas die back towards the end of summer I've tossed zinnia and marigold seeds in the soil and have had compliments from the neighbors. I've only seen a little Bermuda grass come up at the edges--and it came out easily because the rhizomes didn't have any hard dirt to lodge them. I should also add that I sprayed compost tea every week over the area to enhance the soil building process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2805" LastActivityDate="2013-10-07T03:51:45.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8523" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-07T12:01:42.030" Score="1" ViewCount="4627" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have two cats (both female, 6 &amp;amp; 4 yrs old). The older one is becoming less mobile (can't get over the fence), and has started taking to digging up the lawn to do her business. Whenever I see her do it I run and shoo her away, which seems to work for a day or two, but then she starts again. There is a border along the edge which we don't particularly care about, and I've seen her use that before. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I saw a related question for dogs: &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5443/is-there-anything-i-can-put-on-my-lawn-to-prevent-my-dog-from-digging&quot;&gt;Is there anything I can put on my lawn to prevent my dog from digging?&lt;/a&gt; but I don't think that answer would work for our cat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We could go back to using a litter tray but that seems an awful pain. Does anyone have any ideas on ways to encourage her to go elsewhere? I saw this article &lt;a href=&quot;http://landscaping.about.com/od/pestcontrol/a/cat_repellents_2.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Natural Cat Repellents&lt;/a&gt; which suggests growing catnip plants and/or a sandbox. But how healthy would a catnip solution be in the long term for the cat? And I'm not sure about a sandbox, since we have a young child (and another on the way!) who would probably make a beeline for that as soon as our backs are turned!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2806" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2013-10-08T08:49:52.293" Title="Our cat is digging up our lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;domestic-animals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8514" CreationDate="2013-10-07T18:08:18.463" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a chinaberry plant, cousin of the Neem I believe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2807" LastActivityDate="2013-10-07T18:08:18.463" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8525" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-07T22:30:03.337" Score="2" ViewCount="1449" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spring onions (or scallions) can be &lt;a href=&quot;http://cooks.ndtv.com/article/show/quick-tip-don-t-throw-away-spring-onion-roots-351358&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;re-grown in water&lt;/a&gt; by saving the roots and placing them in water and, as the article in the link suggests, these re-grow in to full spring onions within a matter of days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions are: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are spring onions grown in this way as nutritious as those grown in the ground (because they may have less access to nutrients as they are not grown in soil)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are they thought of as being as tasty?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastActivityDate="2013-10-14T21:40:09.893" Title="Are (water) re-grown spring onions worth it?" Tags="&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;spring-onions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8527" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-08T02:18:46.677" Score="1" ViewCount="1375" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am just now finding out that I should probably dethatch and seed my lawn. I moved into the house in the middle of summer and not much lawn care was done by the previous owner, so there is some thatch in the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now it is early October and, I live in Kansas City. I just read &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1351/lawn-dethatching-tools&quot;&gt;this SE post&lt;/a&gt; that says around Labor Day is the ideal time to dethatch cool season lawns. My neighbors have all dethatched their lawns in the last month or so. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it too late for me to do it now if I can get it done by mid October? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2808" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2013-10-08T21:10:58.837" Title="Is it too late to dethatch my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8523" CreationDate="2013-10-08T08:49:52.293" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tdc, at 6 years old, your cat should still be running about like a 2 year old. Cats are middle aged to old when they get to 9 years and onwards, so if your cat is having difficulty moving about, I suggest a trip to the vets or the local RSPCA/PDSA clinic.&#xA;It's also very odd for any cat to scratch in grass - they always prefer loose material to do their business in because it's easier to move around. Tom cats sometimes use long, uncut grass as a toilet, but female cats, never. In the meantime, if its been a while since you turned the soil over in the border, give it a dig now to loosen it up - this might be enough to persuade the cat to go there instead of the grass, once she discovers how much easier it is. But I still can't help thinking the poor cat has an underlying health issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-10-08T08:49:52.293" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8529" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-08T13:00:45.697" Score="3" ViewCount="282" Body="&lt;p&gt;I understand that if a person uses seed from a hybrid plant that they raised and plant these, that the resulting plant will very likely not be the same as the hybrid.  I would like to know how the hybrid plant seeds were produced that we buy at the store that are able to create the desired hybrid plant.  Said another way, how do seed companies get the perfect hybrid seed if it is true that planting the seed from a hybrid plant won't result in getting the same hybrid?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2811" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2013-10-12T03:59:40.740" LastActivityDate="2013-10-12T03:59:40.740" Title="How do companies produce seeds for hybrid plants?" Tags="&lt;hybrids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8530" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8529" CreationDate="2013-10-08T14:27:47.697" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a reasonably complicated thing, but put simply, the way the seed companies produce seed is to grow them exclusively, often in a greenhouse, without any other plants nearby, so that cross pollination does not occur. That's assuming the hybrids produce seed at all, because many don't, many have to be vegetatively propagated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-10-08T14:27:47.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8531" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8527" CreationDate="2013-10-08T21:10:58.837" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Along with dethatching usually comes overseeding. The seeding is the important thing to time. It's a good time to put down more grass seed to fill in bare/thin spots now that you've opened up the soil. Ideally you want the soil temperature to be above 65 degF for cool season grasses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's going to depend on what type of grass you currently have and what type of grass seed you plan on putting down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perennial ryegrass is one of the quickest to establish. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tall fescues and fine fescues are a little slower but fairly quick. 1-2 weeks you'll have full germination and the lawn will be pretty well established for winter in about 4 weeks total.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kentucky bluegrass takes longer to fully germinate. Up to 4 weeks and then needs time to establish as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your in Kansas City, KS it looks like you should have enough time to get perennial rye or fescue to establish before winter if you put it down soon. see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weather.com/weather/monthly/USKS0298&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.weather.com/weather/monthly/USKS0298&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember, the soil temperature usually stays warmer longer than air temperature. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may not even need to dethatch. 1/2&quot; of thatch is OK but it sounds like your lawn needs improvment and dethatching and overseeding will help improve the appearance. If you can spread a 1/4&quot; layer of compost over the lawn when you put down the seed after you dethatch that will also help. You need about 1 cubic yard of screened compost per 1,000 sq ft of lawn. If you have a truck you can pick it up cheap or have it delivered in bulk. Spread it around in piles across the yard and use a rake to spread it out evenly across the lawn.It'll help keep the seeds moist too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-10-08T21:10:58.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8532" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-09T02:44:46.697" Score="4" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have an 1895 home that we have now lived in for 2 spring/summer seasons.  The first season, the apple tree bore about 4 fruit.  This season, literally hundreds of apples!  Delicious ones, too.  We did remove a lot of the brush and about 8 trees in the yard.  It's possible that is't getting more sun and water, but this is dramatic!  Also, wondering about the variety.  Small, very little to no core, and juicy...is this what they call a 'baking' apple?  thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2814" LastActivityDate="2013-10-14T02:27:29.737" Title="Can apples fruit every other year?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;heirloom&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8533" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8490" CreationDate="2013-10-09T05:03:35.627" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is cascade style and what are the basic steps involved?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cascade style is where your tree trails down over the side of its pot. The overall most basic shape of a bonsai is a triangle, in order for your bonsai to maintain a nice shape you should be able to shape the tree around the idea of a triangle from the viewing side. The viewing side is the side of the plant that is on display.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking at the image below you can see the pot represented by the blue rectangle and the shape of the tree by the green triangle. This triangle is just representative of one type of cascade, but based upon the tree you have to work on, the three points would shift to suit. However, the idea with cascade style is that the lower most corner is placed below the top of the container and this point being the furthest away from the center.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5MzRb.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also notice that there should be three parts to our triangle in order for the tree to have a triangle shape. This is usually achieved by having two side branches to be the back and top and the main trunk of the tree to produce the cascade. This can also be achieved by using three branches if the main trunk is already too rigid or old by selecting a long branch to cascade and removing the main trunk or significantly shortening it show that new growth coming from the top can be the top of our triangle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See the image below for an example of the main branch structure underlying the cascade shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Hequ.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When creating the cascade shape if there are more main branches than necessary these should be removed to encourage growth to the other branches. Other main branches would be any branch that is coming off the main trunk which do not fit well within our triangle shape. If you are unsure about which branches to remove then wait until your tree has been wired and you can see exactly where everything sits and then remove anything that looks wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because we have a trailing branch / trunk going over the side of the pot you will need to have a pot which is a vertical rectangle rather than horizontal rectangle. Some large cascades can cascade for over a metre from the top of the pot. In this case a plant is sometimes displayed on a stand (kind of like a small bar stool).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, in summary we need to have a vertical pot, a tree which has one long branch or a soft enough trunk and some side branches to make the top and back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What equipment should I have before I begin shaping my tree?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thick wire and thin wire (how thick is not an answerable question, it depends on the tree, your understanding of wiring and personal preference) - what wire to get is a whole new topic, if you want to find out quickly then the easiest way is to go to a bonsai nursery or online supplier and get some thin and thick annealed copper wire. It really is personal preference and you may end up with something slightly to thick or thin, but there isn't much you can do about it, it's like an artist with paint brushes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A good pair of needle nose pliers which can also cut wire&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bonsai scissors are best if you are happy to spend the money, but you can also any scissors that dont have a thick rounded end, rounded ends are hard to get into tiny areas&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Secateurs if you need to remove any thick branches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hand shovel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not essential, but I always have a hand brush and newspaper&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not essential, but I always have a small plastic tub to place rocks, pebbles, moss or anything that was sitting on the surface of my plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Extra soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Crushed roof tile / crush terracotta / crushed house brick pieces - needed to assist with drainage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Begin by repotting the tree&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In most cases if you are transforming an existing tree into cascade style or if you just bought a new tree from a nursery you will need to move it into a new vertical pot. At the base of the pot place the crushed tile (or similar material) and fill about 1/5 to 1/4 of the pot. This step is not necessary if your tree is small, the idea is to assist with draining but for small pots the water should easily drain freely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On top of the crushed tile fill the rest of the pot with a good soil mix (search on the internet for what mix you should use or buy something suitable from a nursery) making sure you leave enough room for the soil attached to the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remove the tree from its existing pot keeping as much of the existing soil as possible. Because we are already going to disturb the plant by shaping it, it is best not to replace the soil and do significant pruning / wiring / shaping at the same time. You may be able to tease some of the roots out at the base of the root ball depending on the size of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Place the tree on top of the new pot at a suitable angle (refer to the picture below). Firmly press down so the base of the trunk is near level with the top of the pot. The back side of the plant that is now sit on the angled up side of the root ball needs to be push down so that it secures the tree firmly inside the pot (refer to picture below). If you leave some of these roots exposed they will die off if they are not getting enough moisture. If you feel necessary you can cover these roots with extra soil to maintain plant health until more deeper roots have grown. If you have a sufficient number of roots you can trim off some extra roots at the back to get the right aesthetic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the picture below the green triangle is only shown in the first part, but this doesn't mean that you need to remove leaves, it is just easier to show branch structure rather than the shape of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ijdrw.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wiring the tree&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not going to go into detail on the general techniques for wiring a tree. Again, that is another topic and you can either ask another question here on general wiring practices or search the net for how to wire a bonsai tree (someone may have already added this info to this site or asked since I wrote this). Beside some main techniques it mainly comes down to trial and error and practice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The idea with wiring our tree is that we want to achieve the main strucutre mentioned above, one long trailing branch, two smaller branches for the top and back. Once you have selected the three branches you are going to wire prune any larger branches that will not be needed as part of our structure prior to wiring to create space for yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My preference is to wiring the long, main, cascading branch first because we know roughly the direction this is going to go and it will allow you to consider the structure of the rest of the tree in relation to the cascade once it is done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you have wired the main cascade, wire the top and back branches to suit and you are nearly done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next wire side branches and trim any other side branches which you will no longer need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shaping and trimming&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest you leave shaping and trimming the tree until the following season after the plant has been allowed to recover and go through another spring/summer growth cycle. This will allow your tree a greater chance of survival and it's not going to look its best if you try and trim it now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the following winter when the plant is dormant make some adjustments to the overall shape and rewire any branches as needed. Then during the summer after shape and trim your tree to make it look its best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zKzyN.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2013-10-09T05:03:35.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8535" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8532" CreationDate="2013-10-09T15:49:35.043" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, some varieties of apples and pears are (in)famous for fruiting well only every other year, especially in some parts of the country.  Removing excess fruit set in early summer and judicious pruning and better care of the tree overall can help these to bear more reliably.  The extra care you gave your tree may be why you are seeing much more fruit this year.  However, if it only bears lightly next year, then you may indeed have an every-other-year fruit bearing apple.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's hard to tell what type of apple you may have from just the description you gave in your question, though.  Do you have a picture you can show us, or can you give more information on the color, markings, ripening time and flavor?  Baking apples, btw, tend to be a bit more firm and on the tart side than &quot;dessert apples&quot; although many apple varieties that are great for eating are also good for baking as well.  The small size of your apples may be due to not being thinned enough to allow each to develop to a normal size, and may not have much to do with the variety.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-10-09T15:49:35.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8536" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8529" CreationDate="2013-10-09T15:58:47.723" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;How hybrid seed is produced depends a lot on what type of plant is being hybridized.  For example, with corn, the farmer may grow two kinds of corn in alternating rows or blocks, and remove the tassels (pollen making parts) from one corn variety so that it cannot pollinate itself, and has to rely on wind-blown pollen from the second variety nearby for pollination.  In that way you would get a fairly pure hybrid seed set in the no-tassel rows.  For tomatoes, I understand that the main way to hybridize them has been to do it by hand, plant by plant, by dissecting the flowers and putting the pollen of one type directly onto the pistil of another. Very intensive work. You get pure seed this way because tomatoes generally self-fertilize, so if you do that for them the chances of unwanted cross pollination is pretty low.  But, again, how hybridization is done depends a lot on the type of plants being hybridized and how their flowers are constructed and how they normally pollinate when left to their own devices.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As was already mentioned, this has to be done every year by crossing the same varieties in order to continue to offer that type of hybrid seed, or the resulting hybrid plants will need to be vegetatively propagated, which these days for mass commercial production generally means cloning on a large scale in a special laboratory.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-10-09T15:58:47.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8537" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1645" CreationDate="2013-10-09T19:09:17.917" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe the jalapenos start to turn black because of the season changing.  My plants have produced beautiful peppers green and red for 6 mths.  Every year the new peppers that start to grow in Oct., (on the same plants with exactly the same routine and care ) start to get a black glow to the skin. It does not seem to damage the flavor of the pepper but I do stuff these rather than can just because they are not as attractive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2816" LastEditorUserId="2816" LastEditDate="2013-10-09T19:15:02.587" LastActivityDate="2013-10-09T19:15:02.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8539" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8540" CreationDate="2013-10-10T11:52:04.027" Score="2" ViewCount="966" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since spring started around 2 weeks ago, I noticed increasing amounts of ants around my pot plants. Sometimes they like to march over the pots themselves, not sure if they are actually digging into the ground or not at this stage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I have a vegetable garden as well, they tend to be around the wooden outlines, I never see them inside my garden (above the ground at least). So in the vegetable garden they appear harmless. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: I give my pot plants kelp fertilizer (organic) which smells a bit, so it might be an a(n)ttraction. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pot plants consist of:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Garlic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Peppers &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bamboo &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bonsai &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Coffee &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Succulents &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flytraps  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nepenthes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2737" LastActivityDate="2013-10-10T13:02:46.610" Title="Are ants damaging pot plants? If they are, how badly?" Tags="&lt;pots&gt;&lt;ants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8540" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8539" CreationDate="2013-10-10T12:51:58.173" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since you mention Spring beginning, you must be in the southern hemisphere, which means I know less about the kinds of ants you get there. Ants in general though do not all eat plants, though its true to say ants eat almost anything - their preference is for sweet stuff, and where you are, you may have ants that do like certain plants. Usually, they are present on plants because of the presence of scale insect or aphid infestation on the plants (ants like the honeydew these insects produce) and sometimes they choose to create a nest inside the pot if the pot is in contact with the ground on, say, a patio. If they do nest inside, they can and will eat through roots when they need more space, but from your description, it seems the ants aren't lingering around your pot plants, but walking over/through them to get somewhere else, so working out where they're going and what for is probably the best thing to do. Sounds like they're creating a nest or have created one - watching them closely would be useful if you have the time, to see if they're carrying anything. That said, it might be wise to raise the pots off the ground, and to check they aren't going into them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-10-10T13:02:46.610" LastActivityDate="2013-10-10T13:02:46.610" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8541" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8418" CreationDate="2013-10-10T14:24:46.857" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bamboo cuttings (both cases) can be kept in water for a few days until new roots begin to appear. The cuttings can then be transplanted to potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="1011" LastEditDate="2013-10-10T16:49:15.270" LastActivityDate="2013-10-10T16:49:15.270" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8543" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2918" CreationDate="2013-10-13T02:51:04.660" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What worked from me given a newly-established (less than six month old) plant was:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Find an area with new growth (small, new leaves).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut about an inch of stem from this area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove all leaves, except for the top two.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place in a glass of water (without submerging the leaves) for about a week. (You can change the water daily or every other day.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;After a week, plant in soil, and water daily (but with a small amount of water).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted three cuttings like this. One got mysteriously avalanched in clay soil; of the other two, one survived (lots of leaves). The other didn't (leaves got eaten).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="606" LastEditDate="2017-09-17T11:02:44.663" LastActivityDate="2017-09-17T11:02:44.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8545" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-14T02:23:54.177" Score="3" ViewCount="2227" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a small grove of Cedars (quite large...perhaps 80' tall) that has perfect space underneath them for a small shed. We're looking at putting a small one (less than 10x10') underneath them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would this in any way hurt the cedars? It's well within the drip edge, so it's usually pretty dry under them so assume that this wouldn't hinder water intake for the trees, and the root diameter (if it matches the branches) is at least 25' so the shed footprint would be fairly small in comparison. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd plan on using a loose rock foundation or, if preferable, some concrete post blocks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;BUT...we certainly don't want to put the health of the trees at risk, either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="785" LastEditorUserId="785" LastEditDate="2013-10-14T04:19:26.280" LastActivityDate="2013-10-28T23:21:13.143" Title="Would placing a small shed inside the drip line of a cedar hurt it?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8532" CreationDate="2013-10-14T02:27:29.737" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;it's possible that it's a variety that does it every other year but, could be because of &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/plants/tree-fruit/publications/factsheets/why-is-there-no-fruit-on-my-tree&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;a myriad of reasons&lt;/a&gt; something just isn't right for a particular year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2827" LastActivityDate="2013-10-14T02:27:29.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8547" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8525" CreationDate="2013-10-14T04:00:11.290" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't speak about regrowing these in water, but I will share what I do which is similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I regrow these by cutting them off about half an inch above where the white section ends and planting them directly into the ground. This might solve the issue you mention in point 1.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once planted in the ground you can continue to harvest by cutting back and take what you need leaving the plant in the ground to grow. However, one problem with doing this is that the new growth will not grow back to the same size as the original plant so you gradually get less and less from the plant. I would suggest you can only harvest another 3 or 4 times like this until the regrowth is too small and thin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another problem with using the root for replanting is that the root has the strongest flavour. So from the first use you are already discarding the best part. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Considering that a bunch of these costs about $1 you are not doing much in terms of sustainability. I would suggest if you wanted to save money then I would go out and buy a packet of seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you can be bothered to put in the effort, it is actually worthwhile if you can get 100 of these planted in the ground together. It uses very limited space and it is very convenient to be able to take these as needed rather than going to the store if you run out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="160" LastActivityDate="2013-10-14T04:00:11.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8545" CreationDate="2013-10-14T10:52:06.777" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't foresee any problem to the trees by putting a shed beneath - there's probably more risk to the shed than to the trees over time from further root growth, but it should be just fine. I've always sited sheds under trees wherever possible, though usually at least 4 feet away from the main trunk, and even used a solid concrete slab as a base for small sheds without any problem to the tree/s.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-10-14T10:52:06.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8549" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8551" CreationDate="2013-10-14T13:31:04.367" Score="3" ViewCount="5643" Body="&lt;h2&gt;Introduction&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a plum tree that is not doing well. It is situated alongside a dirt road which gets regular (but not heavy) traffic. There's not a lot of wind, and the sun shines on it for about half the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the last 4 or 5 years, the branches on my plum tree have been growing in a strange pattern. Every year, there are three zones:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ivbu0.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bottom zone (red line in the picture above)&lt;/strong&gt;: The lowest thick branches have no twigs or leaves.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Middle zone (yellow line in the picture above)&lt;/strong&gt;: Branches in the middle (about 6-10 feet above the ground) have sick twigs and few leaves. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Top zone (green line in the picture above)&lt;/strong&gt;: The top of the tree (about 10-15 feet above the ground) has lots of healthier-looking twigs and leaves.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sparse nature of the middle zone is hard to see in this picture due to the background trees and the poor camera/photographer (I include a close-up below). In reality the tree looks pretty goofy, because the majority of the leaves are very high off the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every year it seems the bottom zone gets taller, and the middle and top zones start a little higher off the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a description of the three zones:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Bottom zone&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trunk and the thick branches in the bottom zone have lots of lichen. They also have some cracks in the bark which expose orange/yellowish streaks, like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AMIhh.jpg&quot; height=&quot;200&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Middle zone&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the middle zone, there are a lot of twigs. Some of the twigs have no leaves on them (but did have leaves in previous years). Some twigs have small, dead, shriveled-up leaves. And some twigs have a few, leaves at the ends. Here's a close-up picture of some twigs from the middle zone, where you can see the typical distribution of leaves. There are also some of the dark, shriveled-up leaves in this picture. (In the full-tree picture above, the angle and background trees make it hard to tell the nature of the 'middle zone'.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TWOOS.jpg&quot; height=&quot;200&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year (and some previous years), the leaves have holes in them, like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/meiQo.jpg&quot; height=&quot;200&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Top zone&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All the good twigs and leaves are at the top of the tree. They're not great, but they're good and they're the best the tree has. They are packed with flowers every year, and some years I get an occasional small fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They grow tall and there's little or no lichen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I say they're &quot;good not great&quot; because by this time of year, those top leaves also have lots of holes in them (see leaf close-up above) and the fruit-production is almost non-existent. (I've only got one plum tree, so maybe that's why there's almost no fruit.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Summary&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's causing the slow die-off of this tree from the bottom up, and how do I promote healthy growth on the lower branches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have not taken good care of this tree. This means little to no fertilizing and pruning in the last few years. I know I need to feed and prune it, but at this point I'd like to integrate the feeding and pruning with a broader approach to solving the three-zone problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've thought about grafting top branches onto the lower parts of the tree (but I don't have experience grafting), I've thought about severely pruning the top to tree to force growth on the lower branches (feels too risky!), and I've thought about just removing the tree (too passive).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance for your ideas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2829" LastActivityDate="2013-10-15T14:32:01.650" Title="How to remedy die-off of lower and middle branches on my plum tree?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8550" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-14T17:30:19.817" Score="5" ViewCount="1555" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DcWMx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dark-rimmed grey/white lesions or plaques on omurayama japanese maple&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are dark-rimmed grey/white patches on my recently gifted Omurayama Japanese maple.  Is this due to disease, or simply sun damage?  There is the uncommon hole on leaves rimmed with the same grey-white color, as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2830" LastActivityDate="2014-06-29T03:14:15.123" Title="Is this disease or sun damage on my Japanese maple?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8551" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8549" CreationDate="2013-10-14T18:16:37.597" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The top and outside of the leaf canopy on most trees is what gets the most sunlight, so those are the areas that normally do the best, while the lower areas slowly become &quot;over topped&quot; by the more vigorously growing branches in what you've labeled the &quot;top zone.&quot;  This is how most trees end up with the typical tree form of bare trunks and bare larger branches, but a wide canopy of leaves, instead of just becoming ever-denser balls of leaves all the way from the top to the ground. However, in the case of your tree it sounds like it's also not getting enough of something it needs so this is making this normal pattern seem more obvious and more intense.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, in order to prevent more damage from insects or diseases getting into the dead areas, I would suggest pruning back all the dead branches and twigs (do it properly, don't leave stubs and don't cut into the growing &quot;collar&quot; area at the tree trunk juncture - see this link for how to go about it right:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/text/pruning.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/text/pruning.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, I'd suggest &quot;opening up the crown&quot; of the tree to let some more light into the middle. (This means thinning out some of the branches in the top zone to allow light to penetrate through the leaves into the middle zone.) This &lt;em&gt;may&lt;/em&gt; have the result of causing new growth to form in the middle zone of the tree, making the canopy appear fuller and healthier. It will also help any fruit that forms in later years to ripen better and will reduce the chance of fungal diseases in the inner core of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Third, I'd look into whether it is possible to expose the tree to more sun.  Most fruit trees in particular need full sun or pretty close to it to produce good fruit yearly.  If you can move something that's shading it, or cut back larger tree branches from nearby trees to let in more light, this would likely help a fair bit.  The more sun, the more energy your tree will have for making leaves and fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fourth, have someone there who is familiar with your local bugs and diseases check to make sure it isn't infested, and if it is, treat the infestation.  Also, feed the tree an appropriate type of food yearly, or twice yearly, at the proper time of the year.  Mulch around it to keep weeds back and also keep it from having a dry root zone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do all of this, you &lt;em&gt;should&lt;/em&gt; see a significant improvement in your tree's shape and growth in a year or two.  If not, you may have an issue with the soil its planted in, and perhaps a soil test would be a good idea.  Or you may have hard pan under the root ball (layer of impermeable rock) that is preventing the tree from spreading its roots out wide enough to support more growth as it gets older. Or, the tree you've chosen just isn't a good fit for your area's climate.  It's hard to diagnose this sort of thing from afar, but I think this covers the basics of good fruit tree care and gives you some ideas to try to help it get past this awkward scrawny stage.     &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2013-10-15T14:32:01.650" LastActivityDate="2013-10-15T14:32:01.650" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8552" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8563" CreationDate="2013-10-14T20:18:10.550" Score="5" ViewCount="233" Body="&lt;p&gt;Saw this plant growing to heights of three to four feet (one to one and a half metres) in a mixed pine and deciduous forest in Algonquin Park (USDA zone 3).  The berries or drupes are black.  The leaf is almost ready to drop and is pictured on the left.  The leaf on the right is from Viburnum trilobum &quot;Wentworth&quot; from my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this plant?  It looks like a native viburnum but I don't know which species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lnUN6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Viburnum?&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-10-17T02:34:36.053" Title="What is this flowering shrub from Algonquin Park?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8553" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8525" CreationDate="2013-10-14T21:40:09.893" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've grown them both ways.  I've never had any problems with them not growing well in the ground, no matter how much I cut them back. In fact, they grew so well, I actually decided to mow them down, and compost them over the summer.  One nice thing, is they will flower and you can then harvest the seeds if you want to keep growing more.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never noticed a flavor issue with them being grown in water either.  I regrew them twice in water, then planted them in the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2353" LastActivityDate="2013-10-14T21:40:09.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8545" CreationDate="2013-10-15T12:57:42.703" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general trees like it just the way it is and do not like changes in grade or the ability to exchange air and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The issue is that roots absorb air as well as water and are close to the surface.  If you cover more than one third of the root area, which is from the base of the tree to the drip line, then you could see some die back when the roots no longer have enough access to air.  This is more likely if you use concrete slabs and less likely if you use large diameter round stones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some ways around this are to put the shed on posts or on a frame to minimize the surface area you are blocking.  This does create a perfect place for small animals to live which may not be in your plans...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;take no chances&quot; approach would be to build a frame using 4&quot; x 4&quot; cedar for the walls to sit on.  Place and level the frame on a thin bed of stone dust so the wood does not touch earth. Depending on the type of shed you may need further support for the floor. The best solution is to keep the floor supports integral to the frame or the shed so you don't have to worry about the ground settling over time and the floor sinking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will also get cedar duff coming down on the roof of the shed so what you gain in dryness you loose in the maintenance of keeping the roof clean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-10-15T12:57:42.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8555" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8556" CreationDate="2013-10-15T14:51:27.820" Score="2" ViewCount="1245" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a clump of three birch trees.  Do the trunks need to be trained to get the desired spacing or angle as they grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-10-15T16:41:17.597" LastActivityDate="2013-11-14T19:05:50.247" Title="Does a birch clump need to be trained?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8555" CreationDate="2013-10-15T16:40:40.720" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is more of an esthetic issue. Only you know what the right look is.  If this was a bonsai you would be justified in any amount of wiring, wrapping and pruning to achieve one of the many styles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For outdoor plants beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The less staking and wiring you have to do to a tree the better. As &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.isa-arbor.com/education/onlineResources/cad/resources/educ_CAD_DevelopingPlantingSpecifications.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this ISA publication&lt;/a&gt; clearly states &quot;Stake or guy a tree only when necessary for the specific conditions encountered.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may wish to do corrective pruning for broken or crossing branches or if the canopy is very thick at the expense of foliage at the lower levels.  My experience with birches is that they cast a light shade and do not tend to get too thick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is more likely to be an issue in urban areas is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birch_leafminer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;birch leafminer&lt;/a&gt; and the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_birch_borer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bronze birch borer&lt;/a&gt;.  Between the two of these many birches in urban areas have died and it is almost impossible to grow European or Asian birches in North America due to them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Long term success with birches is enhanced by planting them in an area that mimics their natural environment &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Birch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;on flood plains or close to water&lt;/a&gt;. The dry, compacted soils with competition from grass that are typical of urban areas are not a good fit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some ideas that may help:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if the area is dry divert downspout water or water during drought conditions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove all grass for at least a three foot ( one meter) diameter from the base of the trunk&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;top dress from the trunk to the drip line twice yearly with compost or similar to enhance the organic matter of the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not plant near a heavy traffic are. Compacted soil is hard on trees.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;observe similar birches in your neighborhood. Do you see birches dying from the top downwards in a single season?  If so, the leaf miner and borer are present in your area and might attack your birch depending on species and stress levels. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-10-15T18:35:48.973" LastActivityDate="2013-10-15T18:35:48.973" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8557" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-15T17:45:54.533" Score="2" ViewCount="356" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to grow a tiny tree in a flower pot that can produce fruits in house environment? Specifically, I'm interested in tangerines, pomegranates, bananas and lemons. How do I turn their fruits into growing plants? Even if some or all of them can't produce fruits in a flower pot, I'm still interested.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2273" LastActivityDate="2013-11-01T01:31:50.747" Title="Can tiny fruit bearing trees be grown in flower pots?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8559" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8557" CreationDate="2013-10-16T00:49:46.633" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are some dwarf varieties that can be grown in pots. One I've been looking into is a Meyer lemon. If you buy it old enough it will be able to fruit. I've read of people keeping it indoors all year round but most seem to bring it out during the summer. If indoors. It still needs adequate sunlight. I'm still looking into how much light is adequate. If you look around you should be able to find some other dwarf fruiting trees that can be grown in containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-10-16T00:49:46.633" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8560" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-16T10:18:18.420" Score="3" ViewCount="151" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a tomato plant in a nursery bag. The bag's dimensions are approximately 25cm diameter and 40cm height. Is this correct or not?  My plants have started to give tomatoes (10 tomatoes per plant every 2 days).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2833" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-10-17T00:26:48.010" LastActivityDate="2013-10-17T22:15:54.223" Title="Is a 25cm by 40cm nursery bag big enough for a tomato plant?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8561" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8557" CreationDate="2013-10-16T13:25:57.030" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes you will need a dwarf variety or dwarf rooting stock to keep them small and &quot;pot sized&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might also want to look at similar but more obscure plants. Eg. kumquats instead of oranges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, think you will be out of luck with bananas. These are technically herbs and not trees, so dwarf rooting stocks aren't available. They are large plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2013-10-16T13:25:57.030" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8562" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8560" CreationDate="2013-10-16T19:29:36.950" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;How large a container your tomato plant requires depends on the eventual expected size of the plant. (Tomatoes can grow to be anywhere from 8-10&quot; tall to 10 feet tall or more!)  So the optimal size of the container will vary quite a bit from variety to variety. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are growing a miniature or dwarf variety of tomato in a regular soil-based system (ie, not hydroponics) then the very smallest pot I'd personally put one of those in would be a 5 gallon pot, which would be a bit larger than the one you say you are using.  A ten to fifteen gallon pot would be even better for small to medium size varieties that were expected to grow up to four feet tall during the season.  Larger varieties would need even larger pots to stay healthy and produce well.  In fact, the most productive potted tomato I ever grew topped out at over 7 feet tall and was actually planted in a (new) 33 gallon plastic trash can.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bottom line is, your pot is &lt;em&gt;probably&lt;/em&gt; too small for the variety you have planted, and if you have a larger pot or other kind of planting container available you might consider transplanting your tomato into it now if the plant is still a manageable size.  If you can't transplant it, cross your fingers and be prepared to keep a very close eye on it as it grows, especially in warmer or windy weather.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2013-10-17T22:15:54.223" LastActivityDate="2013-10-17T22:15:54.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8552" CreationDate="2013-10-17T02:34:36.053" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was concerned that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VIAC&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Viburnum acerifolium&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Dockmackie) did not appear to extend into Canada. Upon doing a bit more research, it does appear that &lt;em&gt;V. acerifolium&lt;/em&gt; is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum_acerifolium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;found in S.E. Quebec and Ontario&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=viac&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;USDA link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Viburnum_acerifolium.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;*V. acerifolium*&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Deciduous shrub to 6 ft., ... &lt;strong&gt;lvs. maple-like, 3-lobed, 2-5 in. long, coarsely dentate, with acuminate lobes&lt;/strong&gt;, pubescent or at length almost glabrous ... in &lt;strong&gt;long-stalked cymes 2-3 in. across&lt;/strong&gt;: fr. oval, 1/3in. long, red changing to &lt;strong&gt;purple_black&lt;/strong&gt;. N.B. to Minn. south to N.C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Description from L.H. Bailey's &lt;em&gt;Manual of Cultivated Plants&lt;/em&gt; (emphasis added)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1676" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:36.727" LastActivityDate="2013-10-17T02:34:36.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8564" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8566" CreationDate="2013-10-17T12:32:25.390" Score="6" ViewCount="5550" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always have some ash left in the barbecue. Would mixing it in the potting soil be a good or a bad thing for my pot plants? The ash is only from charcoal so nothing nasty in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2835" LastEditorUserId="397" LastEditDate="2013-10-17T23:38:58.813" LastActivityDate="2013-10-17T23:38:58.813" Title="Does mixing ash with your potting soil make a difference?" Tags="&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8565" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8557" CreationDate="2013-10-17T20:50:50.453" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've successfully kept a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plant-care.com/calamondin-citrus.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;calamondin&lt;/a&gt; tree indoors (which I bought when it was already at a fruiting stage). They look wonderful and the fruit tastes pretty good too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastActivityDate="2013-10-17T20:50:50.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8566" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8564" CreationDate="2013-10-17T23:36:51.897" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will definitely make a difference if you add enough, but probably not a useful one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ash is high in potash (compounds of potassium) and usually also high in calcium salts. This invariably raises the pH of soil. Ash unfortunately does not contain nitrogen, which is a more important plant nutrient than potassium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that potassium is the third major plant and crop nutrient after nitrogen and phosphorus, ash is an excellent fertiliser in cases where you have a potassium deficiency and/or soil that is too acidic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't use it in potting mix because usually potting mix, by definition, already contains optimal nutrients to nurture young plants. I would consider using the ash for other purposes in the garden. There are several, given the key properties of ash, but I won't go into that here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="397" LastActivityDate="2013-10-17T23:36:51.897" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8567" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8568" CreationDate="2013-10-18T11:22:11.250" Score="4" ViewCount="2547" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below is a picture of my lemon tree, which now have some sticky web infection. See left corner on the first picture. On the second picture is a close up of something that is being spread from the infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone tell me what it is, and what I should do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YrZrm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7PEpT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2837" LastActivityDate="2013-10-18T13:58:00.233" Title="What is wrong with my lemon tree?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2013-10-21T16:58:46.413" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8568" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8567" CreationDate="2013-10-18T13:06:28.120" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a bad case of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_mites&quot;&gt;spider mites&lt;/a&gt;.  Check the link to a similar question. The good news is that you can control the situation easily and safely with soap and water and a cloth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mix up a solution of a teaspoon of dish soap to a quart of water and stir.  Soak the cloth in the solution and wipe down every surface of the plant, top and bottom, stems, everything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wait five minutes and then rinse or spray the plant with water to wash off the soap.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Spider mite eggs that are left will hatch in approximately five to seven days at room temperature.  You will have to repeat the treatment at least twice and continue watching for them to return.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I reviewed the picture and it's possible that you have mealy bug as well. There are some white cottony tufts in the upper left of the first photo.  Soap and water will help control them too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The damage to the leaves from the spider mites is permanent.  If the plant was in good health you could consider waiting until things are under control and then pruning it back and removing the damaged foliage.  This should cause new growth which will be healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Sandra asks where do spider mites come from?  For new plant purchases it is most likely that spider mites were present in the grower's greenhouse or holding area but were being controlled by pesticide sprays. After you bought the plant the population started increasing.  For an established plant spider mites can transfer from other plants in the immediate vicinity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Citrus plants are known to be tasty to spider mites and the low humidity conditions found indoors are a low stress condition for most houseplants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another solution, if you live in a warmer area, is to put the plant outside, under shade and hose it down.  This will provide a rapid take down of the population and make it easier for subsequent applications of soap and water to control the population.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-10-18T13:58:00.233" LastActivityDate="2013-10-18T13:58:00.233" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8569" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5883" CreationDate="2013-10-19T01:46:55.173" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe that what you're describing is a type of &lt;em&gt;citrus medica&lt;/em&gt; commonly known under many names such as &lt;em&gt;Citron, Etrog, Esrog, Turanj, Bara Nimbu&lt;/em&gt;, e.t.c. and I'd guess they also come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. I've seen really odd octopus-like looking &lt;em&gt;fingered etrog&lt;/em&gt; ones with their bottom half split into many arms or fingers, but most would look like enormous lemon, some with rougher bumpy skin and some smoother. Here's a photograph comparing one of them to a few more common lemon varieties:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gt8lC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;citrus medica&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;sup&gt;Citrus medica, Citron, Etrog, or Esrog. Photograph source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.geethaskitchen.com/2010/07/citron-etrog-or-esrog-citrus-medica.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Geetha's Kitchen (inc. description and more photographs of the fruit)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is the fruit that satisfies all the criteria you've listed (which also describes it pretty good, that's why I immediately thought of it). Borrowing from your text, I'll add a few observations in parentheses to this freeform quote:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The taste is similar to citrus fruits, it's a local citrus &lt;em&gt;[indeed, there are many&#xA;  different local varieties]&lt;/em&gt;, unlike citrus fruits, it is very dry to eat and&#xA;  has a very dry, melon texture &lt;em&gt;[its white inner skin part does, which is a large part of the fruit]&lt;/em&gt;, it is&#xA;  big between 15 and 25 cm &lt;em&gt;[can grow even bigger]&lt;/em&gt;, its shape was somehow&#xA;  similar to that of a long papaya. Its color was yellow-green outside&#xA;  and white inside, it had a thick and rough, orange-like peel, local&#xA;  people called it Turungu &lt;em&gt;[perhaps, and Turunj sounds similar too,&#xA;  which is definitely one of its names]&lt;/em&gt;, the tree it was growing on was&#xA;  a &lt;em&gt;normal&lt;/em&gt; branched tree with medium sized leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etrog&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia page&lt;/a&gt; further describing this &lt;em&gt;citrus medica&lt;/em&gt; fruit and if you check &lt;a href=&quot;https://encrypted.google.com/search?source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;q=turanj%20fruit&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;image results on Google&lt;/a&gt; you can also appreciate what I meant that they can grow in rather odd shapes, vary in size and the tree they grow on does look &lt;em&gt;normal&lt;/em&gt; and branched out similar to other citrus trees:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PAP4z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;etrog tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;sup&gt;Smaller etrog or &lt;em&gt;citrus medica&lt;/em&gt; tree (Source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://blog.4ziononline.org/uncategorized/celebrating-tu-bshvat-the-new-year-for-trees/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Celebrating Tu B’Shvat – The “New Year for Trees”&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2838" LastActivityDate="2013-10-19T01:46:55.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8571" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8572" CreationDate="2013-10-19T18:33:47.350" Score="3" ViewCount="214" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am repotting my houseplants. When I took an areca palm out of the pot, I noticed that its roots are planted in what looks like loam. I can't identify it well, but it is very different from the normal houseplant earth I use. It is greyish-yellow, grainy and dense. It doesn't crumble at all, it smears. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I inherited the plant years ago from a neighbour who moved, and I have no idea whether it has been planted in this soil on purpose, or whether somebody without a clue has planted it in any old soil years ago. Is this good for the plant? Should I leave the roots in it and just put some new earth around as usual, or should I try to remove most of it and plant it in soft earth? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2842" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-28T20:09:43.720" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T20:09:43.720" Title="Should I leave an indoor areca palm in dense, thick soil, or change it to regular potting soil?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8572" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8571" CreationDate="2013-10-19T21:37:30.353" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is the plant healthy and growing?  If so then leave it alone.  You can top dress with a soil less mix or just add some on top. If you are potting it to a larger size then put some new soil in the bottom of the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although tropical plant growers use soil less mix because it is consistent and weed free a clay or loam based mix will do just fine and may have more longevity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the longest lived tropical plants I cared for were planted in a rock hard clay mix. After twenty years they were still going strong.  A soil less mix does not last that long in my experience and needs to be refreshed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-10-19T21:37:30.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8574" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-20T00:04:06.143" Score="4" ViewCount="1445" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a large roof-fed rain cistern, approximately 1500 gallons. Make, model, and material were not obvious to me, though I can look harder if needed. It looks similar to &lt;a href=&quot;http://east40.wordpress.com/2012/03/18/ready-for-the-rain/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bpvq2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be nice to use it for collection of snowmelt, as some of our trees need water over the winter. Also, springtime can be very dry here, so I would like to collect in late winter / early spring for use in late spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't mind if it freezes solid for a while. However, I &lt;em&gt;do&lt;/em&gt; mind if it is &lt;em&gt;broken&lt;/em&gt; by freezing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore, my questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I need to winterize it at all?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If yes, when would it need to be winterized? (For example, I could winterize when the average temperature goes below freezing, and un-winterize as soon as it rises above.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's in a fairly shady spot in our yard. On the coldest day of the year in our climate (northern New Mexico), the average low is 23°F and the average high is 36. Record low is 6 below. Almost all winter days are sunny.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="22261" OwnerDisplayName="Reid" LastActivityDate="2013-10-30T04:03:40.053" Title="Do I need to winterize my large rain cistern, and if so when?" Tags="&lt;rain&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8575" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8574" CreationDate="2013-10-21T03:51:01.723" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;For sub-zero cold climate conditions, polyethylene can get brittle and the disc of ice can expand radially and exert enough force to split it. The usual recommendation is to insulate the tank and provide a heat source such as a submersion heater, heat tape or an earth heat loop buried below the frost line and a circulator pump. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this case, it sounds like you have solar available, you just have to get warm water to the tank. At 23 degrees, as long as you take care that the pipes themselves don't freeze and the tank is partially full, you might not have that much to worry about. The pipes and fittings attaching to the tank will be the weak points.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2013-10-21T04:04:02.283" LastActivityDate="2013-10-21T04:04:02.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8578" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-21T16:03:16.997" Score="1" ViewCount="368" Body="&lt;p&gt;How far can I cut back the roots on my Ficus trees and maintain their life? Is this even possible? They are approximately 20 ft in height and 10 yrs old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2849" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-10-21T16:22:35.920" LastActivityDate="2014-05-30T04:26:33.593" Title="How do I prevent Ficus tree roots from invading other areas?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8579" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23371" CreationDate="2013-10-21T17:48:35.077" Score="3" ViewCount="622" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am located in southern Louisiana. I moved into this house in June 2013, and the sod was put in around Jan-Feb 2013. I usually make sure that my lawn gets about inch of water a week, but my lawn keeps dying! My soil PH is around 6.5, but I dont think it would kill my grass this quickly.. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone tell me what is killing my centipede grass? I'm struggling to figure out what is wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xhjNR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;[Picture 1](http://i.imgur.com/zoPr5IA.jpg)&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IXzKf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;[Picture 2](http://i.imgur.com/jxHF8Ma.jpg)&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2850" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-10-21T20:07:35.880" LastActivityDate="2016-03-02T19:34:56.890" Title="My Lawn Keeps Dying" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8580" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-21T18:22:58.393" Score="4" ViewCount="600" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a home greenhouse attached to our home. I was thinking about removing the existing shade cloth and replacing it with sunblock film on the upper glass panels. I grow a variety of foliage plants and it is partially shaded by trees as well. Most of these products block 99 percent of the UV light. Does this matter and what percent sun block should it get? I now have about 40 per cent blocked plus the trees. I live in the Atlanta, Georgia area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2851" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-03-07T17:52:14.030" LastActivityDate="2014-04-06T17:59:19.630" Title="How much UV light should I block when shading my greenhouse?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8581" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-21T22:27:57.077" Score="3" ViewCount="259" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3UP19.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this crabgrass or thatch-whatever it is how do I get rid of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2853" LastActivityDate="2013-12-23T18:30:50.453" Title="Crabgrass or thatch?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8583" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-22T01:21:41.560" Score="1" ViewCount="1563" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have made the same mistake as the person who asked the question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1566/26&quot;&gt;Can I save my damaged Aloe vera plant?&lt;/a&gt;: my &lt;em&gt;Aloe vera&lt;/em&gt; plant fell off of its stand and all of the leaves bent and broke off except for a tiny new one on top. The stem didn't break though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will my Aloe survive? Will it grow new leaves again? How should I care for it at this point?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2854" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2013-10-22T02:09:11.613" Title="Will my Aloe vera plant survive after all of the leaves broke off?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2015-01-01T01:30:55.193" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8584" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8583" CreationDate="2013-10-22T01:41:11.330" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Care for it normally.  It should grow leaves again given time, although some of them may grow out as side shoots from the main branch.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-10-22T01:41:11.330" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8585" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8592" CreationDate="2013-10-22T13:57:53.130" Score="5" ViewCount="140" Body="&lt;p&gt;This Chili was a present and i am not really good with plants actually they keep dying. But I want this one to stay alive. So I have the following questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ykBN8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is this plant? (I know a Chili, but I guess there are different kinds of them)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How to handle this plant?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do I know when I can harvest the Chilis?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was told to water it twice a week. Still the leaves don't look healthy to me. Plus I put it into a new/bigger pot with fresh soil, maybe the pot is to big?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2856" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2013-10-24T13:08:47.763" LastActivityDate="2013-10-24T13:08:47.763" Title="How to handle this chili plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4605" CreationDate="2013-10-22T18:20:17.443" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I gave my mother an Explorer Rose &quot;John Cabot' for mother's day, 1993. She lived on the Northumberland coast of Nova Scotia. Even though Mom passed away in 2003, that rose is still going strong to this day ... she whacked off a little of the unruly or dead bits every once in awhile no matter the season and it just keeps on blooming head to toe ... it's about 5 to 6 ft tall and it spread about 12 feet across her deck on the southern side. She never had much water in the well in July and August, so she watered it with her dishwater every day! Amazing .... sorry I don't have a picture but every summer neighbours and especially tourists would turn into her driveway and ask what is the name of that rose and where did you get it? She loved all the attention that rose brought her. It was and still is a beauty. Don't worry about roses too much ... they're like true friends and usually love you no matter what you do to them! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2857" LastActivityDate="2013-10-22T18:20:17.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8587" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8589" CreationDate="2013-10-22T18:26:51.130" Score="3" ViewCount="281" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in the UK, midlands. Have these seedlings in a greenhouse and they were doing quite well. Almost getting ready to stick them in the ground for winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Almost overnight they have died. Can anyone note what the problem could be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To much water? Not enough? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Temperature has been reasonable in the greenhouse, 16'C overnight. Warm days it can get up in the 30's but I open it up when its sunny to avoid it getting to hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been using a general feed for veg once a week. There is also a lot of slugs :/&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some pics, one thing that is strange is that it only seems to be the Brassicaceae family that is affected. The carrots in the second pic are still fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The third image is the same plants as the second image a couple days before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/txMfm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Exhibit A&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/61UXt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Exhibit B&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/K0x24hw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Exhibit C&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2855" LastActivityDate="2013-10-22T19:14:36.880" Title="Cause of plants dying" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8588" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-22T18:30:30.663" Score="5" ViewCount="1957" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a beautiful weeping willow that is wreaking havoc everywhere.  It grew incredibly fast and its roots are traveling into neighbors yards, which makes them very unhappy.  We lose a lot of limbs in storms.  Our 2 choices, remove beautiful tree which will cost close to $1800, or have roots cut back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2858" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-10-22T19:50:25.577" LastActivityDate="2013-10-22T19:50:25.577" Title="Remove beautiful Weeping Willow or grind the roots?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;weeping-willow&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8589" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8587" CreationDate="2013-10-22T19:14:36.880" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking at your pics, I believe there are two things happening. I think you're overwatering ... they look long and leggy ... the plants collapse due to a small root system, caused by overwatering. When you overwater, the roots don't have to work hard so they stay close to the surface...watering less means the roots have to strive and grow deeper to find water. You want good strong growth above and below the soil. While water is crucial, don't throw water on them until the soil appears dry on top ... if you have good compost in the soil which retains water, you will not have to water as often. When you try seeds again, pinch off the top leaves once the seedling has three or four sets of leaves. This will encourage branching or widening of the plant.  Another thing about good root development, the pics of your seedlings look like they should have been put in their own pots to get their roots established well, prior to putting them in the garden or containers. ... to transplant, you need strong roots, and that happens when the seedling has to push its roots down well into the soil to find water. Hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2857" LastActivityDate="2013-10-22T19:14:36.880" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8590" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8588" CreationDate="2013-10-22T19:49:50.933" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Willows &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow&quot;&gt;are noted&lt;/a&gt; for fast growth, brittle branches, vigorous root systems and being attacked by many diseases and insects. They will grow new branches from old wood and their roots will seek water where ever they can grow.  You cannot change these characteristics but managing them brings it's own issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can get it removed and consider replanting with a more suitable tree which is another question or you can manage it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Management would consist of yearly root and branch pruning.  In fact, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppicing&quot;&gt;coppicing&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollarding&quot;&gt;pollarding&lt;/a&gt; would work quite well. Get the tree cut down to the ground or down to four or five feet and then every year prune the new growth back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To control the roots you need to cut a trench about a foot deep along your property line and line it with an impervious membrane like an EPDM 60 mm pool liner.  Back fill the trench and inspect yearly to see if any roots are going under it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This could be more work on a yearly basis than just cutting it down but it depends how much you want to keep the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-10-22T19:49:50.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8592" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8585" CreationDate="2013-10-23T13:22:17.863" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pot looks fine to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peppers love the sun - so I would put it in a sunny window. (I live in Texas so I keep all mine outside, and plant most in the garden). If it is in a sunny location you might need to water it more often if it dries out.  A common symptom of erratic watering is &quot;blossom end rot&quot; where you get spots of rot on the fruit - you don't have any, but something to watch for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally the leaves look fine - dark rich colour is good. Maybe some concern for the leaves that are slightly curled - sun &amp;amp; regular watering should fix any problems there (and twice a week sounds fine if it isn't drying out).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Variety: There are about 4 species and many hundreds of cultivars. You may never know. The upward pointing nature of the fruits hints at something like a &lt;em&gt;C.frutescens&lt;/em&gt; cultivar (eg. like many ornamentals) but I don't think this matches the leaves, and most &lt;em&gt;C.frutescens&lt;/em&gt; fruit are small. The majority of cultivars are bred from &lt;em&gt;C.annuum&lt;/em&gt; (including bells and jalapenos). Pepper shape looks like many jalapenos and there are varieties of jalapenos with different colours.&#xA;Try one. If it is hot, then I would go for &quot;probably a variety of jalepeno&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can eat a pepper whenever you want. There are different colour varieties but a typical pepper forms as green and is ripe when red - but you can eat it when it is green.  The vast majority of green peppers in the grocers (including bells and jalapenos) aren't ripe! A ripe pepper will tend to be sweeter, but obviously people cook with unripe peppers for a slightly different taste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you have a few green and lots of orange, I think the orange are ripe. I would pick those soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaving too many peppers on a plant will inhibit further fruit formation. So I would pick them soon so you get more fruit, and before any pests come along and eat them for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2013-10-23T13:22:17.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5757" CreationDate="2013-10-24T08:43:50.607" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to the information I have, fig trees do not need to be pruned except in order to be turned into the desired shape when young. If you don't particularly have a desired shape, then you wouldn't need to prune it - which would solve that part of the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the tree is not dormant, don't put it outside in the cold weather - without experiencing the change of the seasons and going dormant, it is not prepared for the cold. Wait until the warm weather so that the temperature is in tune with the stage that the tree is at.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See this other question for general young-fig-tree care:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2466/how-do-i-care-for-a-young-fig-tree?rq=1&quot;&gt;How do I care for a young fig tree?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1339" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2013-10-24T08:43:50.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8594" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8596" CreationDate="2013-10-24T11:41:45.523" Score="3" ViewCount="689" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Su48.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dahlia&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cQn9e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Marigold&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RLiRV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Nasturtium&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are photographs of my dahlia, marigold, and nasturtiums.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. But my plants are dying, and I'm unsure why. I've tried giving them a good wash previously, and cutting off diseased foliage, but it doesn't seem to have helped a great deal. There's also some flying black things, kind of like midges, I guess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants sit on a south-facing windowsill, which is fairly sunny, with a radiator below and to the side. I am usually fairly careful with making sure they are kept watered, and I trim dead leaves and such once or twice a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I treat this? Would it be easier to just start again, given I have no real facilities to properly isolate the plants? How do I prevent this from happening again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2863" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-10-24T16:09:35.040" Title="What are the black flying things and why do the leaves look like this?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8596" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8594" CreationDate="2013-10-24T16:09:35.040" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not certain, but it sounds as if you're saying these plants are inside your home, on the windowsill, rather than on an outside windowsill. If that's not right, and they are outside and you are in the UK, then aphid infestation appears to be a problem (check the underside of the nasturtium leaves for signs). Blackfly particularly like marigolds and nasturtiums, but I wouldn't normally expect such terrible damage to dahlias from those, in which case, it might just be the time of year. If they're outside, they're on their last legs and about to keel over anyway, although the dahlia should be cut down, the tuber cleaned of soil and left to dry on newspaper or a tray full of sand, with the stems facing the paper/sand, then stored somewhere frost free till early spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they're inside, then any heat from a nearby radiator will be a big problem for them, and aphid infestation can still occur if the window has been open at some time. It's unlikely the nasturtium and marigold will carry on throughout winter, even inside, and the dahlia needs a good rest between now and next spring. The other possibility that might be causing trouble is fungus gnats - these are attracted to pot plants in compost with a high organic content, and which is wet for a lot of the time. If it's those, then you should take the plants outside, away from other plants if possible, empty the pots out and get rid of much compost as possible whilst retaining the plant roots, scrub the pots so they're thoroughly clean, then use a sterile potting compost and repot. It's not actually worth doing that with the plants you've got though, given the time of year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-10-24T16:09:35.040" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8597" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8581" CreationDate="2013-10-24T17:47:56.723" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not a great photo so it's hard to be certain but you don't normally see thatch. It's on the surface of the soil and partly embedded in it. What you most likely have is some sort of dead grass like plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since crabgrass is an annual that dies off in winter that would be my first guess since it's starting to get cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-10-24T17:47:56.723" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8598" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-24T19:27:02.487" Score="6" ViewCount="13846" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have just finished building a grey water biological filter and would love to hear the different ideas and concepts others might have. I know there are other concepts that can be added such as a gravel/sand filter. But in my design, I did not want to increase the costs and preferred to let the Banana/plantains do the necessary work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Factors to take into considerations&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tropical country (6 months rain / 6 months dry)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Appropriate technology = low tech&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gravity fed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rural area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grey water from the kitchen&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My Setup&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The grey water is coming from the kitchen. The kitchen is aware to limit the amounts of solids and grease/fats to throw in the kitchen sink. The grey water pvc pipe flows downwards to the first 3 plastic tanks (right to left) that act as grease traps. See picture below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ih3Lh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the first grease trap the oils/grease float to the top and then flows to tank #2 and #3. You can see that there is less and less oil/grease.  First tank at the bottom of the picture is where the kitchen grey water enters. The 3 tanks at the top of the picture are the 3 plastic tanks that fill up with water that contains almost no grease/oils. This water will flow to the banana plants. The grease traps function in order to prevent the grease and oils to clog the soil. Note: The grease in the grease traps are removed on a daily basis. See picture below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BJK7T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The 3 nutrient filled water tanks without grease look clean a significantly cleaner than the 3 grease traps. These 3 water tanks also equalise and fill up at the same time. At the bottom of the middle blue coloured tank is where the water flows to the banana plants as soon as I open a pvc valve. As a way to prevent overflow in these 3 tanks I have added on top an overflow that runs to some ornamental tubers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/02Orc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the tanks are full we open the valves that we need. See picture below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1LgDk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This water flows through perforated 1/2 inch pvc pipes to water the banana/plantain trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xHv43.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: the banana plants have just been planted but this is not shown on the current pictures. I'll update those with time and growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any conceptual and practical ideas or errors that may be suggested?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2846" LastEditorUserId="2846" LastEditDate="2013-10-24T19:41:31.677" LastActivityDate="2014-12-20T12:38:16.370" Title="Can my DIY grey water bio filter system be improved?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;permaculture&gt;&lt;greywater&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8598" CreationDate="2013-10-24T19:53:33.207" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In no order of importance:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;are small insects or animals going to find inside the pipes to be a nice place to nest or otherwise obstruct?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;are larger animals or people going to step on/trip/break the pipes?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if it is dry for six months of the year wouldn't it be better to store even larger quantities of water? Yet this requires some kind of treatment or the greywater will go off. And conversely, in the wet season will the system be adding even more water into the planting beds than is required?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;larger scale projects usually have an organic component like a reed bed which does a great job of removing traces of grease and contaminants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.letsgogreen.com/greywater-recycling.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; raises some pertinent issues&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you don't use greywater within 24 hours then it can become unusable as bacteria multiply very rapidly in it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;don't apply untreated greywater onto plants which have fruit or vegetables that are eaten raw. This is a precautionary health and food safety issue.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;don't apply greywater onto saturated soils as it will runoff. What happens during the rainy season?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-10-24T19:53:33.207" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8600" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-25T11:41:34.063" Score="3" ViewCount="257" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother bought this plant and has no idea about it's characteristics and the name, she would love some help in identifying it so that she could care for it correctly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would really appreciate any help!&#xA;Thanks so much in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ix30c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5gm0N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rqVNp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RQopB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wTOau.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2042" LastActivityDate="2014-04-02T04:04:40.703" Title="Could anyone identify this plant for me?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8602" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8604" CreationDate="2013-10-27T13:28:05.373" Score="4" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Northern Australia, which is a subtropical zone. We always have temperatures above 20&amp;deg;C. We have two seasons: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a dry season with no rain and temperatures ranging between 21&amp;deg;C and 32&amp;deg;C and with humidity around 60%.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a wet season with lots of rain and temperatures ranging from 25&amp;deg;C to 33&amp;deg;C, and humidity over 80%.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am thinking of growing some fruit trees. What can you guys recommend for this conditions? I am looking for something that is easy to grow as I am a newbie and can grow in large pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2868" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-10-28T14:16:27.747" LastActivityDate="2013-10-31T21:35:20.710" Title="What fruit trees are suitable for growing in containers in a subtropical zone?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;pots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8603" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8609" CreationDate="2013-10-27T22:46:39.040" Score="5" ViewCount="6806" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted a couple herbs 2 - 3 weeks ago and this is the result.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems the wild rocket has pretty much all come up, the others had similar number of seeds planted but not making a show.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2x basil, 1x mint, 1x sage, 1x rocket.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its been on a windows sill, no direct sun but good light (for the UK at this time of year). Also been keeping it under a lamp when its been overly cloudy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are the rest a lost cause? Is this usual when growing from seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I get the rest to either come up, or the next batch work well. The seeds are new, purchased from a seemingly reputable (20k+ good feedback) organic seller on ebay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/eMWIh4J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2855" LastEditorUserId="2737" LastEditDate="2013-10-28T13:41:49.523" LastActivityDate="2013-10-28T21:31:06.497" Title="Seeds not germinating" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-starting&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8604" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8602" CreationDate="2013-10-28T02:01:13.137" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want something a little different taste wise, then Guavas/Fejoas might be something to look into. They grow very quickly and produce a lot of fruit. They are tolerant of different soils (acid/alkaline, sandy/clay) so suitable for a beginner. They are pretty hungry so they do need fertilising, but that's all you would need to do with the soil. Many varieties would fruit twice a year in your climate. The major downside is that they are very susceptible to Queensland Fruit Fly, so you would need to net while the fruit is on the tree. If you are keeping the tree relatively short in a pot that might make it easier to do this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1580" LastActivityDate="2013-10-28T02:01:13.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8605" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8603" CreationDate="2013-10-28T02:03:31.577" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Different seeds take different amounts of time to come up.  Also, some of the seeds you planted may require more warmth than you are providing - the basil, for example.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd put the containers in a warmer spot if possible, and give them more light as well for the sprouts you already have (as you can see, your rocket is not getting enough light, that is why it is so long in the stem) This can be a fluorescent light placed just a few inches above the seed flats and on for 12-14 hours a day if you don't have good light in your windows.  If you don't see any new growth within the next couple of weeks, then the seeds may have not been good (not likely if bought from a reputable source, but it does occasionally happen) or they may have rotted in the moist cool soil before they could sprout.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-10-28T02:03:31.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8606" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8608" CreationDate="2013-10-28T18:43:01.067" Score="5" ViewCount="856" Body="&lt;p&gt;At our new house in southwest Florida, we have a few bushes growing outside one side of our pool cage. Each plant has a single main trunk/stem, which looks like a tree or bush trunk, and they are about 3 - 3.5' tall. The leave sprout out at the top of the plant (so the bottom 2/3 are just trunk).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't noticed them recently around here to purchase, so I am not sure what to ask for when I'm shopping. Having only been here since May, we haven't noticed any flowers, just the leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could thy be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unkfrank.com/images/StackExchange/Pool_Plant.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pool Plant http://www.unkfrank.com/images/StackExchange/Pool_Plant.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2359" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-09-02T22:38:51.287" LastActivityDate="2014-09-02T22:38:51.287" Title="What are these 3-foot tall plants in southwest Florida?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8608" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8606" CreationDate="2013-10-28T19:40:09.550" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is a common ornamental called the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codiaeum_variegatum&quot;&gt;croton&lt;/a&gt; or Codiaeum variegatum.  It is often sold as a multi stemmed plant to consumers as an indoor plant but in warmer climates where it does not go below 10 degrees celsius it can be used as hedging or a specimen plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When grown indoors these plants can be attacked by &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_mites&quot;&gt;spider mites&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealy_bug&quot;&gt;mealy bug&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect&quot;&gt;scale&lt;/a&gt;. Fortunately soap and water offers good control but care must be taken to wash the soap solution off the leaves after a few minutes or the fatty acids can burn the leaves in outdoor conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are hundreds of cultivars so it could be challenging to find more that are exactly the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However these plants can be cut back and you can use the stems to propagate more of them yourself. Propagation involves cutting a stem with at least three sets of leaves. A wound is created by removing the bottom set of leaves, and new roots form at the wound site. The stem is planted in a container filled with a light soil less mixture, and then covered with plastic to create a greenhouse atmosphere.  Any sunny window or outside in some shade will do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-10-28T19:40:09.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8603" CreationDate="2013-10-28T21:31:06.497" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, different seeds require different treatment. Some seeds require warm soil, some cool soil.  Some seeds need to be covered, some cannot be covered and need light to germinate.  What is the temperature of your soil?  Most seeds need some soil warmth but do not need light until they have germinated, however, that is not a rule for all seeds. My first suggestion is that you will need to separate the seeds into like-germination types and sow the seeds or at least the types separately. Additionally, sowing seeds separately allows you to move them into a stronger light after germination (which would prematurely dry the soil prior to germination) to allow for proper growth and to eliminate legginess like that of your wild rocket seedlings in the photograph.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mint&lt;/strong&gt; requires light to germinate. If you buried the seeds or even covered them lightly, they might not germinate. Likes soil temp approx 70°F/20-22C°.  Mints also generally do not transplant very well, and do better direct seeded into the garden or pot where they will remain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rosemary&lt;/strong&gt; likes warm soil, aim for 70-75°F/21-24C°.  However, they will generally not germinate until they have gone through a winter season.  Fake winter (cold stratify) by putting seeds in covered moist planting medium in refrigerator at least 4 to 6 weeks or freezing the seed for 3-5 days before sowing. Cover seeds lightly in rich soil, darkness will help in germination, however, germination is normally low and growth of seedlings is slow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sage&lt;/strong&gt; likes soil temp approx 65-70°F/18-21C°. Germination approx 15 days. Cold stratify before sowing like Rosemary above. Cover seeds lightly/Pat down into light/well-drained soil. Darkness will help in germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cilantro&lt;/strong&gt; (Corriander) likes soil temp approx 60°F/15-17C°. Germination in approx 10-12 days. Cover seeds lightly after sowing. Darkness will help germination. Direct seeding is suggested, into light well draining soil, as cilantro/corriander does not transplant well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Basil&lt;/strong&gt; likes soil temp approx 70°F/20-22C°. Cover seeds lightly/Pat down into soil.  Germination approx 10 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wild Rocket&lt;/strong&gt;  (Arugula) likes soil temperature 65-20°F/18-22C°.  I have not personally grown this, but found this study on wild rocket germination from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=2&amp;amp;ved=0CDAQFjAB&amp;amp;url=http://www.ejobios.com/pdf/EJOB-9-27-3-14-107-112.pdf&amp;amp;ei=KMduUtfUIOnuiQK8tYHYBg&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFunG6omIuOMxKODClnUD9aQhUrOg&amp;amp;bvm=bv.55123115,d.cGE&quot;&gt;Seed germination behaviour of Diplotaxis tenuifolia(pdf)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The seed germination increased under daylight conditions&#xA;  reaching a level of 80 percent but decreased in dark and continuous&#xA;  light. A remarkable increase was recorded (60%) in the germination of&#xA;  seeds subjected to +4°C shock for a week or two before left for&#xA;  germination. Pre-hydration followed by re-drying increased the&#xA;  germination to some extent (28%). These findings reveal that the&#xA;  storage conditions are important for establishing a seed bank of D.&#xA;  tenuifolia, in order to get highest germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did your seed packets come with planting instructions?  Most reputable seed companies will provide you with good guidelines for their seeds.&#xA;See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenmedicinals.com/pages/herb_seed_f-q.html&quot;&gt;Garden Medicinals Herb Planting Instructions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2871" LastActivityDate="2013-10-28T21:31:06.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8610" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8088" CreationDate="2013-10-28T22:05:59.223" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Of course, the best solutions to a drainage problem is to divert water, re-grade the slope, and/or improve the soil.  That said, these solutions are not always possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My suggestion for suitable plants would be to try Carex praegracilis:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qVUsT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Carex praegracilis at San Marcos Growers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A short, rich-green sedge selected by John Greenlee as an alternative&#xA;  to turf grass. Growing to 6-8 inches tall and spreading by rhizomes to&#xA;  form a carpet that tolerates moderate foot traffic. A good plant as a&#xA;  solid ground cover, between and around stepping stones or mixed with&#xA;  other bulbs, perennials and grasses to create a natural meadow look.&#xA;  It tolerates full sun to partial shade but has a period of summer&#xA;  dormancy in warmer, drier climates. Moderate water requirements make&#xA;  this plant not quite drought tolerant but certainly lower than most&#xA;  lawn grasses. It is hardy to at least 10 F and likely to come back&#xA;  from the underground rhizomes after lower temperatures.&#xA;  from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=2370&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;San Marcos Growers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another possibility is Carex divulsa [C. tumulicola, Hort.]:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OFqkh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Carex divulsa at San Marcos Growers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It is a very versatile plant for use in coastal full sun to fairly&#xA;  deep shade. It tolerates boggy wet soils but is also fairly drought&#xA;  tolerant once established.&#xA;  from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=352&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;San Marcos Growers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2871" LastActivityDate="2013-10-28T22:05:59.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8611" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8545" CreationDate="2013-10-28T23:21:13.143" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;What type of Cedar are you talking about?  Where are you located? Is it a native species?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that native cedars in my area (Incense Cedar, Sierra Nevada foothills) are incredibly hardy, and will take just about anything that you can throw at them once they are established (I live in a mixed oak/conifer woodland).  Also, Deodor Cedars in this climate, while not native, are very resilient (my mother did major grading work and a retaining wall five feet from a mature Deodor Cedar 15 years ago and it is still very healthy and happy).  However, there are many of the Cypress Cedars (not native to this area) which are much more picky about their treatment, and a neighbor just had a large grove of them turn brown and die for no apparent reason.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My suggestion: go to your local nursery and ask about that particular species in your local area, and if they grow very well in your area (i.e. if they are a native species or are well adapted to your climate) then you are probably pretty safe with your idea of a small shed footprint and a non-intrusive foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2871" LastActivityDate="2013-10-28T23:21:13.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8612" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4547" CreationDate="2013-10-29T00:02:14.897" Score="4" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;So, some design questions are:&#xA;  What would make a good mesh? Chicken wire with 1/4&quot; squares? Large chicken &#xA;  wire + large-mesh burlap? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would say that mesh would adequately hold the soil from caving in; small mesh would be best (worms can move in and out of pretty small places!). You could use a nursery pot to form a &quot;mesh pot&quot; and place the mesh pot in the hole - this might keep voles from munching on your redworms.  This mesh pot idea is the same as what I use to keep gophers from eating my tree/shrub roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Will the worms be able to eat from this resevoir and readily go back into&#xA;  the soil? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh yes, definitely, but will they leave the food to romp around in your soil?  Probably not.  The truth is, the plant roots will probably seek the most nutrients of your vermi-hole, and you will likely end up with a hole full of castings, worms, and roots!  [see below, my reference to Bentley's trenches - he discovered that a trench running the length of his beds worked great, the plants roots just reached in as far as they needed for the nutrients and moisture they wanted!]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Do I need to cover the hole or place soil on top of the fresh food? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Covering foodscraps is a very good idea, unless you want every neighborhood critter digging stuff up to eat!  If you cover with straw (gardening straw; no seeds), it will not attract many rodents (if any) and then you can simply pull back the straw to add more kitchen waste, which to me sounds like a lot less work than trying to uncover the hole from a soil cover.  Also, adding straw acts as bedding (carbon) to keep the high nitrogen wet foods from becoming too wet (anaerobic) for the worms. Think lasagna - food, straw, food, straw, etc. the worms will mix the lower layers up for you, just keep straw on top at all times!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Rectangular prism or circular prism hole? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either, or try a trench like described by Bentley in the link below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;What else to consider?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bentley over at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.redwormcomposting.com/large-scale-vermicomposting/vermicomposting-trenches-revisited/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;RedWormComposting.com&lt;/a&gt; uses in situ vermicomposting trenches (as well as many other methods) and is a wonderful resource for all things vermicompost.  The above link goes to a summary of his vermicomposting trenches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2871" LastActivityDate="2013-10-29T00:02:14.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7258" CreationDate="2013-10-29T11:25:23.707" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://pgohort.co.nz/resources/1/crop%20data/Basil%20data.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;PDF&lt;/a&gt; gives a good breakdown &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;ppm Mineral levels for specific CF ranges for Basil&#xA;&#xA;            CF10        CF12        CF18&#xA;NITROGEN    33-100      40-120      60-180&#xA;PHOSPHOROUS 8-25        10-30       15-45&#xA;POTASSIUM   50-150      60-180      90-270&#xA;SULPHUR     13-40       16-48       24-72&#xA;CALCIUM     33-118      40-142      60-210&#xA;MAGNESIUM   8-25        10-30       15-45&#xA;SODIUM      3-35        3-35        3-35&#xA;CHLORIDE    3-35        3-35        3-35&#xA;IRON        0.7-3.6     0.8-3.6     1.2-5.0&#xA;MANGANESE   0.13-1.6    0.16-1.9    0.24-3.0&#xA;BORON       0.07-0.5    0.08-0.6    0.12-0.9&#xA;ZINC        0.03-1.0    0.04-1.0    0.06-1.0&#xA;COPPER      0.03-0.33   0.04-0.36   0.06-0.5&#xA;pH RANGE    6.0-6.5     6.0-6.5     6.0-6.5&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on that you are looking for high Nitrogen, Potassium and Calcium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2855" LastActivityDate="2013-10-29T11:25:23.707" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8614" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-29T22:27:14.553" Score="9" ViewCount="17601" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently opened my cabinet and noticed that a clove of garlic that I had was sprouting some roots. In my infinite need to experiment, I decided &quot;Hey, I'll toss this in a mason jar with a little bit of water and see what happens!&quot; Well much to my surprise, it's been a week since I did that and now the stalk of the garlic is shooting out the top of the jar and the little &quot;tentacle&quot; looking things, which I assume are roots are about an inch long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to my question: If I leave the garlic in the jar with no soil and just a little bit of water (about an inch), will I end up with usable garlic?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2873" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-10-30T13:54:41.413" LastActivityDate="2019-08-27T21:06:40.120" Title="Can garlic grow without soil?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8615" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8614" CreationDate="2013-10-29T23:24:40.213" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Garlic can be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jhortscib.org/Vol85/85_2/13.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;grown hydroponically&lt;/a&gt; with artificial light and a substrate. However you have to work against the normal life cycle of a bulb which is to grow, flower and have a dormant period.  I planted garlic bulbs from the fridge and they grew very quickly, so quickly, they exhausted their stored reserves in the bulb and died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To actually get a harvest from a bulblet you need good light, a hydroponic fertilizer in the water solution and a substrate for it to grow in.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good hydroponic store can help you with this.  If you were hoping to grow garlic without a strong light source or some preparation I think you will be disappointed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-10-30T16:19:00.333" LastActivityDate="2013-10-30T16:19:00.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8617" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8614" CreationDate="2013-10-31T15:31:19.770" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&quot;If I leave the garlic in the jar with no soil and just a little bit of water (about an inch), will I end up with usable garlic?&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a word - NO.  There is only enough energy stored in a typical garlic clove to get the new plant off to a good start on producing its first set of leaves and roots.  If you do not give it access to more nutrients, either hydroponically or by planting the clove into good garden soil, then the garlic clove will use up its small store of sugars in short order and will not have enough &quot;oomph&quot; to go on to produce a full-size set of healthy leaves and roots, and then later on, a new head of garlic.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can be nice, however, to have garlic greens to snip now and then for seasoning, so if you don't want to bother with planting it, you might consider enjoying it in that manner for however long it lasts.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-10-31T15:31:19.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8618" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8387" CreationDate="2013-10-31T17:02:01.050" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always remove the burlap, once buried it takes a longgggg time for it to decompose.  I removed trees that had been in the ground for 8 years at my old house and the burlap was still intact and was not allowing the roots to grow.&#xA;Landscapers leave it on to save time, it simply does not make sense to leave it on. if the tree is large you should cut all the twine after it's in the hole and peel back the burlap and trim it off as best you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2876" LastActivityDate="2013-10-31T17:02:01.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8619" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-10-31T17:07:23.590" Score="8" ViewCount="704" Body="&lt;p&gt;We got a bouquet of cut flowers from someone attending a party we were hosting. It included this thing which I assume is a seed pod of some sorts.  It feels sort of like a baloon in that it is obviously hollow inside.  It is covered with small spines.  It has also lasted a really long time - longer than any of the flowers in the bouquet by far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone tell me what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/484if.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2013-11-01T14:42:48.777" Title="Identify this seed pod" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8620" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8602" CreationDate="2013-10-31T21:35:20.710" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found citrus trees very easy to grow in containers. It's fun to get a 'Buddah's Hand' lemon and make pickles out of the fruit which has a lot of rind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other nice varieties are Meyer lemon and the Kaffir and key limes for cooking related use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Avocado and fig are other fine choices&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1292" LastActivityDate="2013-10-31T21:35:20.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8621" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8578" CreationDate="2013-11-01T00:47:41.267" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general, the top grows in proportion to the bottom. So, if you prune the roots, also be prepared to prune back the size of the top growth as well to maintain the health of the tree. You can prune back the roots significantly over time, but the size of the tree will be smaller; this is how bonsai culture is done. Note how these small trees develop thick trunks and main limbs over time, even as the size of the plant is very limited from its unbounded state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is best to prune back roots over a period of years to avoid shocking the plant. Guesstimate the outer diameter of the roots and make the initial cut maybe 10% in from there (make sure to mark where this cut was made). After a year passes, make another cut inward from the first, letting your observations of the tree's growth/health over the previous year since the initial cut guide how much you take.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do the pruning after the tree has entered a dormant period and suggest taking a conservative attitude for best long-term results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1292" LastActivityDate="2013-11-01T00:47:41.267" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8622" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8557" CreationDate="2013-11-01T01:31:50.747" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew potted citrus trees in Connecticut and it was very easy. I grew regular varieties, not dwarf or semi-dwarf. I kept up-sizing the pots on a yearly basis, but with yearly root pruning, you could keep them smaller. I also moved them outside in the summer months, which they appreciated since they really like sunshine. Some varieties, like key limes are smaller in stature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I grew ornamental bananas in pots. Banana plants are less well-suited to container culture in my opinion. Two problems come to mind. One, a non-dwarf variety will quickly outgrow the pot due to the baby &quot;sucker&quot; plants that come up around the base and aggressive root system. One could prune those off, but unlike a tree, a banana plant is somewhat unwieldy to be trying root pruning that frequently. Secondly, due to the thin leaf structure they seem to be somewhat susceptible to spider-mites in the dryer winter months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1292" LastActivityDate="2013-11-01T01:31:50.747" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8623" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8466" CreationDate="2013-11-01T02:40:27.540" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;All the chamomile I've ever seen in my lifetime really seemed to appreciate growing in nutrient-poor and well-drained conditions, often poking up in the middle of a rocky-dirt roadway. It always seemed very hardy in nature to me, but definitely something that prefers abundant sunshine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It must be a very nice and low-maintenance ground cover as well as having that nice smell and pretty little yellow flowers :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1292" LastActivityDate="2013-11-01T02:40:27.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8624" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8619" CreationDate="2013-11-01T14:42:48.777" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe I answered my own question.  As luck would have it one of the pods split open the day I posted the question above.  The seeds inside were brown and had &quot;parachutes&quot; attached.  It looked a lot like some variety of asclepias (milkweed).  A little googling this morning and I think I found it...a milkweed native to Africa that goes by a variety of common names that refer to the balloon-like nature of the seed pods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_physocarpa&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_physocarpa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2013-11-01T14:42:48.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8625" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7389" CreationDate="2013-11-01T15:01:06.927" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can think of four possibilities:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You aren't feeding your plants enough during the growing season so they are slowly starving to death.  Asparagus needs adequate nutrition to keep producing well.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You are picking them too heavily in the spring, and not giving the plants enough time and resources to recover.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your bed is slowly being choked out by female plants due to uncontrolled reseeding every year, and the more productive (but infertile) male plants are being out-numbered.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your bed isn't getting enough sun.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do any of these strike a chord?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-11-01T15:01:06.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8626" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7910" CreationDate="2013-11-01T22:35:02.257" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A light spunbonded poly agricultural fabric, placed over the patch after pollination, might keep some of these insects off of your ripening fruit.  It acts as a physical barrier without weighing down the plants.  Rain and most of the light pass right on through.  I've used it in this manner to keep aphids off my coles and other greens.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-11-01T22:35:02.257" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8627" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8411" CreationDate="2013-11-01T22:42:47.310" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;By the way, not all figs require wasps for pollination.  In fact, most grown here in the US do not. Some varieties commonly grown without pollination include LSU Gold, Hollier, Sal's, Excell, Negronne, Brown Turkeys, Deanna, Hardy Chicago, Atreano, Paradiso, Black Spanish, Verte, Osborne Prolific, Conadria, and Lattarula.  If yours is one of these, or another type of &quot;common&quot; fig, then pollination is not your problem.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you could give more information, then we might be able to help you narrow down the issue that's causing your fig to not produce fruit.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-11-01T22:42:47.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8628" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8270" CreationDate="2013-11-01T22:47:57.323" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had great luck in dry shade with a ground cover of Sweet Woodruff.  It is attractive even when not in bloom, smells good, and in the spring and early summer is covered with tiny white flowers.  It spreads quickly, likes shade and can tolerate drier conditions once you get it going. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-11-01T22:47:57.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8629" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8631" CreationDate="2013-11-02T18:55:40.113" Score="2" ViewCount="1152" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichondra&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dichondra&lt;/a&gt; seeds online to plant in my large reptile's enclosure. There was no mention of the seeds being treated - but when I received them I noticed that the seeds were coated and listed as pre-inoculated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not generally one to be overly paranoid about pesticides &amp;amp; fungicides but reptiles tend to be pretty sensitive to such things so I absolutely can't risk planting treated seeds. Is there any way to tell if the seeds in question are fungicide/pesticide treated? The seller didn't know, and while I'd assume there are some labeling laws for treated seeds I can't find any information on what those are. Does anyone have any idea as to what the seed coating is and whether or not it poses a risk to my lizard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2878" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-11-03T04:12:25.920" LastActivityDate="2013-11-03T15:40:46.987" Title="How can I tell if a seed coating contains pesticides or fungicides?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8630" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-03T10:31:00.320" Score="3" ViewCount="1326" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given a gardenia in a pot as a parting gift from a fellow house-sharer a few years ago. I keep it as a houseplant on a bedroom windowsill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's looked increasingly sickly since then, but it's bounced back a few times as well. But lately, nothing I do seems to stop it shedding leaves and withering away. It now only has a few left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have noticed that there are crawling bugs in the compost - tiny ones. Since I'm sure I've solved all the other problems it might have had with its environment (soil fertility, acidity, humidity, temperature) I have a feeling these bugs are probably eating its roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;edit #1:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding a picture of the plant as it currently survives. A sorry state indeed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w4LkA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note the streak of yellow along the veins of the leaf in the foreground; that came on &lt;em&gt;extremely&lt;/em&gt; fast; a matter of days. Furthermore, after the dunking treatment I described yesterday, the same discolouration has noticeably receded on some of the other remaining leaves; this is in under 24 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2881" LastEditorUserId="2881" LastEditDate="2013-11-07T21:14:57.863" LastActivityDate="2013-11-18T22:40:36.970" Title="Soil insects in potted gardenia" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;gardenias&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8631" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8629" CreationDate="2013-11-03T15:40:46.987" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In Canada, seeds that have a poisonous coating (pesticide, fungicide etc) are always bright pink. A quick search appears to imply that this is also true in the US. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F4hKP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This picture from &lt;a href=&quot;http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xM9KTJg2T4OvmJHH5vqVVg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ray Weil&lt;/a&gt; demonstrates a typical difference between treated and untreated. The source of the seed is not mentioned but the picture was taken in Mexico.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2013-11-03T15:40:46.987" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8632" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8644" CreationDate="2013-11-03T16:08:49.100" Score="4" ViewCount="187" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a been vine in the backyard, and are wondering if it's good to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ruler is in cm, not inches.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eGwOP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bean pod and leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LgFU5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;top of vine&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wMTLj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;middle of vine&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/egH8W.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bottom of vine&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2882" LastEditorUserId="2882" LastEditDate="2013-11-08T16:54:28.607" LastActivityDate="2013-11-08T16:54:28.607" Title="Can someone identify this bean vine?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8633" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-04T09:29:45.000" Score="9" ViewCount="8492" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an avocado plant in my outdoors balcony. It's been growing nicely, but there are small brown dots/holes in the leaves for some time now. I don't see anything in the underside of the leaves, and up until now new, healthy looking leaves have continued to sprout, but I'm concerned that it will not stay healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What does it have? What can I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/poj59.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The avocado tree from above&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k5pmB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A closeup of the leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's been months since I asked this question. The avocado's leaves continue to look bad, but it continues to put out new ones. I've attached a new picture of the current state as well as the trunk, in case the brown things on the trunk aren't harmless or natural (I hadn't noticed them before, because I was preoccupied with the leaves)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mvu4G.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;another close up of the leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the trunk, April 2014.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/19rUc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The trunk&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1239" LastEditorUserId="1239" LastEditDate="2014-04-16T11:02:55.840" LastActivityDate="2019-12-01T18:29:20.573" Title="What is happening to the leaves of my avocado?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8634" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8647" CreationDate="2013-11-04T10:21:01.193" Score="2" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;To have hyacinths grow and flower indoors in pots (also known as: to force a bulb) you have to get special bulbs: they are called prepared or treated. I was not able to find out with a simple internet search what this special treatment is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my novice mind I would guess it has something to do with freezing or coldness?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone enlighten me? Is it possible to do this &quot;treatment&quot; at home? For example to bulbs from the garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2013-11-05T21:52:17.380" LastActivityDate="2013-11-05T21:52:17.380" Title="What is the treatment done to so-called prepared / treated hyacinth-bulbs for forcing in pots?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;hyacinth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8635" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8656" CreationDate="2013-11-04T15:38:05.887" Score="6" ViewCount="144" Body="&lt;p&gt;My tomatoes succumbed to blight, and I have now uprooted the mouldy remains of the plants and put them in my council green waste bin. There are currently rotten green tomatoes scattered on the ground where the wildlife is feasting on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't intend to plant tomatoes in the same spot next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to do anything to contain the blight spores now - or if I dig the patch over in preparation for a different crop next year, will things be OK?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2444" LastActivityDate="2014-08-06T01:07:36.443" Title="Tomato blight clear-up" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;blight&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8636" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-04T16:42:09.090" Score="1" ViewCount="1425" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have just moved to Berkshire in the UK and this is the first house I have had with a garden. I've been trying google search to try and identify these plants, but I'm not having any luck so I hope this forum can help me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No1 is a plant with large leaves (bigger than my hand), with serrated edges. It stands about 1m tall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af86/Caidan_Trubel/Garden%20plants/Photo04-11-2013153845_zps515a6cb7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;IMG&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stems are green but some of them appear to have spots on. There are also little red (buds?) where the leaf is attached to the stem.&#xA;Close up of the leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af86/Caidan_Trubel/Garden%20plants/Photo04-11-2013153859_zps2b28e700.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;IMG&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No. 2 is a tall plant with green leaves turning yellow/orange. It is over 6ft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af86/Caidan_Trubel/Garden%20plants/Photo04-11-2013153956_zpsb9adc202.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;IMG&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No 3 Is a climber. It has small green leaves and small white round buds/berries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af86/Caidan_Trubel/Garden%20plants/Photo04-11-2013154018_zpsf0b7bb9b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;IMG&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No.4 I think is a Rhododendon?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af86/Caidan_Trubel/Garden%20plants/Photo04-11-2013153929_zpsc05dc397.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;IMG&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No 5 Is a tall shrub with dark green leaves and is already over 6ft - seems to have the potential for a large spread too.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af86/Caidan_Trubel/Garden%20plants/Photo04-11-2013153835_zps35524d57.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;IMG&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the first time i have posted to the forum so i hope the images work ok. If they don't here is a link to the album with all the plant photos. &lt;a href=&quot;http://s996.photobucket.com/user/Caidan_Trubel/library/Garden%20plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://s996.photobucket.com/user/Caidan_Trubel/library/Garden%20plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2883" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:36.757" LastActivityDate="2014-09-07T00:31:02.493" Title="Can you help identify these plants in my new garden?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ClosedDate="2013-11-05T04:36:52.447" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8637" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8636" CreationDate="2013-11-04T18:13:16.983" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Number 3 &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euonymus_fortunei&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Euonymus fortunei&lt;/a&gt; or one of it's hundreds of cultivars. If I'm right the flowers will match the Wikipedia description of &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;The flowers are inconspicuous, 5 mm in diameter, with four small&#xA;  greenish-yellow petals. The fruit is a four-lobed pale green pod-like&#xA;  berry, which splits open to reveal the fleshy-coated orange seeds, one&#xA;  seed in each lobe&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes described as a jewel among evergreens it is also considered an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.invadingspecies.com/invaders/plants-terrestrial/winged-euonymus/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;invasive species&lt;/a&gt; in parts of North America. It originates in East Asia. Often attacked by scale it is a vigorous sprawling climber whose main attraction is the glossy leaves.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Number 4 A rhododendron, with the hundreds of cultivars it's difficult to identify it further&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-11-04T18:24:00.663" LastActivityDate="2013-11-04T18:24:00.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8638" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8682" CreationDate="2013-11-04T18:43:58.247" Score="3" ViewCount="2560" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to grow moss for my paludarium, and there's a certain type of moss that is very common (especially during fall) that you can see growing in hard-packed dirt, trees, and bricks -- (at least where I'm from, Houston, TX, US). It is very common, and looks like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Moss.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Moss.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a certain name for this? I don't think it's java moss or sphagnum, it looks quite different and doesn't get as big. I've tried everywhere and it appears that this is just &quot;moss&quot;, but is there at least some type of scientific classification?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Edit&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After doing some research, I found two possible classifications: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?site=&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;source=hp&amp;amp;biw=1366&amp;amp;bih=667&amp;amp;q=oedipodiopsida&amp;amp;oq=oedipodiopsida&amp;amp;gs_l=img.3..0i5i10j0i10i24.5238.5503.0.5834.2.2.0.0.0.0.142.259.0j2.2.0....0...1ac.1.30.img..0.2.258.R11yZtuMctk&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Bryophyta oedipodium&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=bryopsida&amp;amp;espv=210&amp;amp;es_sm=93&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=DPN3Utf4NaTi2gXHg4CoCg&amp;amp;ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&amp;amp;biw=1366&amp;amp;bih=667&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Bryophyta bryopsida&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (true moss). Is it either of these? I am by no means an expert on plant life, I'm doing this for my amphibians, so if anyone is familiar with mosses, any help would be much appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2884" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:36.790" LastActivityDate="2013-11-13T00:10:41.983" Title="What is the type of moss that commonly grows in dirt, trees, and bricks?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8639" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-03T18:11:52.527" Score="11" ViewCount="7054" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought a house that has a backyard, but much of it is taken up by a concrete pad that connects the driveway to the garage.  I was thinking about having the pad removed because I want to put some sort of grass or soft foliage there so my dog has more space to play, but I want to know if it is possible to put down dirt/grass on top of the pad so that I don't have to dig it up and possibly replace it when I sell down the line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, since the garage comes up to the side of the pad, what would be the best strategy to keep soil/dirt away from getting everywhere inside the garage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="daveg" LastActivityDate="2014-10-28T19:21:29.953" Title="How can I temporarily grow grass on concrete?" Tags="&lt;concrete&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8639" CreationDate="2013-11-04T16:17:14.057" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;They sell &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_turf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;artificial turf&lt;/a&gt; at Lowes, Home Depot, and online.  Check the carpet section of your local big box store. Then you won't have to worry about getting dirt in the garage, or house.  The newer stuff is far more realistic than the old &quot;Brady Bunch&quot; style artificial grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a6dLe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="337" OwnerDisplayName="Tester101" LastActivityDate="2013-11-04T16:17:14.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8641" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8639" CreationDate="2013-11-04T16:40:51.607" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You only need about 4 inches of topsoil for grass to grow - with probably 6 being the optimal.  You could easily backfill dirt on the pad and taper off into regular yard with just a small bump.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would put some landscaping fabric (that is sold as waterproof) on top of the concrete.  If you don't it will be ruined after a couple years and might as well give the next owners the opportunity to decide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2189" OwnerDisplayName="DMoore" LastActivityDate="2013-11-04T16:40:51.607" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8642" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8639" CreationDate="2013-11-04T22:33:01.993" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could add six inches of topsoil on top of concrete and add sod on top but this may not work as well as you would like.  The key question is where does the water go when it rains? After you have raised the grade six inches the results could be unpredictable. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think artificial turf is the best option.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-11-04T22:33:01.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8643" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8654" CreationDate="2013-11-05T10:43:20.767" Score="5" ViewCount="240" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in the use of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guano&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Guano&lt;/a&gt; as a plant fertilizer. Are there only specific plants to give this to? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, how much and often is it necessary? I mix organic compost every 2 - 3 months for my vegetable garden and give them &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seagro.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Seagro&lt;/a&gt; every other week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2737" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-13T16:03:38.310" LastActivityDate="2016-10-13T16:03:38.310" Title="How does Guano improve plant life?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8632" CreationDate="2013-11-05T17:25:17.277" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant looks like wisteria to me. Hard to tell since the plant has mostly lost its leaves in the picture and doesn't have flowers. You may want to look at wisteria pictures online and compare them to what your plant looks like in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, wisteria beans are poisonous, so don't eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisteria_sinensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisteria_sinensis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2886" LastActivityDate="2013-11-05T17:25:17.277" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8645" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8643" CreationDate="2013-11-05T18:08:15.757" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Guano is a rich source of nitrogen, phosphates and potassium, all of which are essential plant nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless sterilised, guano also contains microbes which can serve as a compost activator (encouraging decomposition), a fungicide and a nematocide (killing nematode worms, although often nematode are beneficial).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can use guano in many ways. You can just sprinkle it onto the soil around plants as a top dressing. You can dig it into soil to prepare it. You can make guano tea to water plants with by leaving guano in a bucket of water overnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The amount to use depends on the plant and on the guano. If you buy guano, you should be able to find out its NPK concentrations from the package. If you get it some other way, you can test it with a kit, or just take your chances. Gardening books, and the care labels on bought plants, tend to advise you on how much fertiliser a particular plant needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2444" LastActivityDate="2013-11-05T18:08:15.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8646" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8651" CreationDate="2013-11-05T20:20:35.877" Score="2" ViewCount="186" Body="&lt;p&gt;In terms of pot plants, how effective would it be to put back into soil dried out or broken parts of a plant? Is it worth the effort? It would seem logical, but I don't know how much of the actual plant (sans water) are substances suitable for use as fertilizer and if it's even a significant amount. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2273" LastActivityDate="2013-11-06T12:57:09.333" Title="Does it make sense to chop up dead branches and leaves for use as fertilizer?" Tags="&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8647" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8634" CreationDate="2013-11-05T21:34:06.990" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hardy bulbs, such as hyacinth, require a number of hours of cold in order to properly set blooms for the spring.  If they are planted outdoors in a suitable climate,  this happens naturally during the course of the fall and winter.  If you want to have them bloom ahead of schedule in pots, you have to simulate this winter rest by &quot;cold treating&quot; them in some way- generally by either potting them up and putting them outside for a few weeks in a protected area or by leaving the bulbs in your refrigerator crisper for an appropriate amount of time.  Cold treating does not mean freezing the bulbs, temperatures in the low 40s will generally work fine.  Different kinds of hardy bulbs require different lengths of cold treatment, so before attempting this you should probably read up on it a bit first.  Btw, the correct term for what you are wanting to do is &quot;forcing&quot; bulbs.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2013-11-05T21:39:52.660" LastActivityDate="2013-11-05T21:39:52.660" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8649" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8633" CreationDate="2013-11-05T23:29:56.127" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants live in an uneasy balance with fungus, virus and bacteria. Sometimes they coexist, sometimes one attacks the other.  The symptoms I see look like a soil borne infection caused by a stress to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One possible cause for this is overwatering. Underwatering tends to produce large areas of dead tissue in the leaves which I don't see here.  If you think overwatering is possible just try a drier watering regime and see if the new growth is healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Eyal asks about spider mites.  This answer&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4210/why-are-these-white-dots-appearing-on-my-citrus-and-avocado-trees-and-the-leaves/4213#4213&quot;&gt;Why are these white dots appearing on my citrus and avocado trees and the leaves getting pale?&lt;/a&gt;&#xA; is about avocados and citrus and has more detail about identification and control&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-04-17T18:22:05.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8650" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8657" CreationDate="2013-11-06T05:07:05.170" Score="4" ViewCount="617" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dahlias.com/hulinscarnival-item237.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hulin's Carnival&lt;/a&gt; dahlias in my garden, whose flowers are normally white with flecks or large patches of wine:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EKtBVl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year, one of them has put out a stalk that has pink flowers instead of white, keeping the wine flecks:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4NMF1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to preserve this color variation and propagate it if possible. Since it's now fall, I don't think stem cuttings would work (but would be happy to hear differently). These particular dahlias are under an overhang from my porch, so I've been able to leave them in the ground over the winter. If I do that this winter, is a pink flowering stem likely to grow from the same place on the tuber next year? Would digging up the tuber and dividing off the pink-flowering part give me a better chance for success?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2013-11-06T15:14:12.560" Title="How can I preserve and propagate a color sport in my dahlias?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;dahlias&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8651" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8646" CreationDate="2013-11-06T12:57:09.333" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not a good idea really - although leaves contain nitrogen when they're green, as they break down, nitrogen is robbed from the planting medium by the organisms which assist the break down process, which means your plant will have less nitrogen available. This effect is even worse with woodier parts of a plant, even if you have chopped them up. In the garden, the thing to do with green/woody parts is to compost them separately, then once the compost is ready, spread or dig that back onto the ground. I wouldn't even recommend that for house or potted plants unless the compost so produced had been created using a hot, aerobic system, which will kill off various pathogens (which can remain in cold, anaerobicly produced compost).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-11-06T12:57:09.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8652" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8639" CreationDate="2013-11-06T13:04:43.743" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd go for the artificial turf option - even if you put six inches of topsoil down, the drainage will be very poor, and any turf laid will start to look very sad indeed within a few months, and particularly after/during winter. I've given a point to Tester's answer because he's right when he says there's been a dramatic improvement in the appearance and quality of artificial turf, so much so that some was even used at the RHS Chelsea flower show this year, and the garden got a silver medal. I certainly had trouble distinguishing it from turf without very close inspection. Using this product will also solve the problem of dirt getting into/around the garage, but you will need to be careful about dropping hot things on it (like barbecue coals) and, as with real turf, will also need to clean it up regularly if your dog uses it as a toilet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-11-06T13:04:43.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8630" CreationDate="2013-11-06T13:17:16.893" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I note you are in the UK, so the likeliest explanation is either root aphids or fungus gnats (if you notice black specks flying about as well). Either way, there isn't much available to treat these with any more, so it's going to have to be the old fashioned method. It's a pity it's winter now, because really you need to do this outside, but what you do is get a bucket of water, about half full, take the plant out of its pot, shake off or remove as much compost as you possibly can, then put the rootball into the bucket (without immersing the foliage). Leave it for a while, then go back and give it a shake - what you're trying to do is get off all the compost, preferably without losing roots, leaving just root material, which often means a couple of changes of water and 2 or 3 hours. Once you've managed it, repot into a clean, sterile pot using new ericaceous compost. It would actually be better to do this in Spring, but if the plant is sickly, then it probably can't wait. In the meantime, check any other houseplants you have to make sure they are not similarly affected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I've only just noticed how you're drowning the plant - that isn't what I'd call drowning, immersion in a bucket up to the stem base is what I'd call drowning. If you've noticed an improvement already, that's much more likely to be the plant taking up water - it may have been too dry throughout most of the rootball. It does look a very sorry state, I must say.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-11-09T13:04:35.767" LastActivityDate="2013-11-09T13:04:35.767" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8643" CreationDate="2013-11-06T13:31:02.420" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Guano works principally by improving the soil, and it does that by increasing micro bio diversity and certain synergistic chemical processes, all of which enables your plants to take up more nutrients more easily; it also improves soil structure. Depending on the guano NPK, it may also feed plants directly. The only thing you have to be careful of is that it burns plant roots if applied neat, particularly near young plants, so it often needs to be 'slacked' before you use it, unless you're applying to empty ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-11-06T13:31:02.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8655" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-06T14:15:40.767" Score="8" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_cabbage&quot;&gt;pak choi&lt;/a&gt; can be grown as a &quot;cut and keep&quot; plant, but can I regrow it from the base of the plant, as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.17apart.com/2012/02/growing-celery-indoors-never-buy-celery.html&quot;&gt;can be done with celery&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If so, how?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-04T20:25:13.933" LastActivityDate="2014-06-04T20:25:13.933" Title="Can pak choi be re-grown?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8656" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8635" CreationDate="2013-11-06T15:04:33.193" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best way to deal with blighted tomato is to burn them as soon as they succumb, assuming  its late in the season. Hopefully your council uses a hot composting system which should kill off spores, so it won't be a problem. You need to remove all and any debris from the tomatoes asap, including rotten tomatoes on the ground. As you say, dig over and plant a different crop there next year. There isn't much that can be done to prevent blight in tomatoes particularly - late blight in the UK is a problem if the weather is damp, not a problem otherwise, and the spores are windborne. Spraying the crop with a suitable fungicide if the weather turns damp in summer may help to prevent it, but what's available to non commercial growers isn't that effective, so it's up to you whether you try it or not. I don't think I'd bother, frankly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-11-06T15:04:33.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8657" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8650" CreationDate="2013-11-06T15:14:12.560" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hmm, well I'm in two minds on this one. You've said its only one stem that's produced this sport, so I think I'd be inclined to leave the plant alone this year, then wait and see what it produces next year, which should give more time for the tuber which has produced these to get bigger and have more eyes (from which growth comes). You can take cuttings from dahlias, and it might be worth doing this when growth has begun and the plant is about 8 inches high. They are best taken with a little bit of tuber attached at the base, leaves removed apart from the very top two, and potted in a free draining mix, in an enclosed environment to keep the humidity up. 4 bits of stick and a plastic bag over the top, with a rubber band to keep it in place, will do this job. The obvious problem with that is, you won't know which stems are producing these sports. The alternative is to leave it alone this year, wait and see how many of the sports are produced next year, mark the spot and then dig up the tubers at the end of the season and remove the one you know is producing these, which should be much bigger next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-11-06T15:14:12.560" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8658" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="224" CreationDate="2013-11-06T17:55:44.377" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've effectively killed it with a 20% horticultural vinegar using a pump sprayer.  The grass around it will look like it died but actually goes dormant like it does in a drought. If you water it the day after you spray the vinegar, it will turn green.  With the ground ivy, you have to be vigilant because if you leave one runner...the problem comes back.  A week after a spray, I'll look for more and do it again.  Also, look to see from where it's coming.  If your neighbors have it and don't do anything about it, the problem will be endless. I recommend attacking the problem together if possible. Raising the pH with lime, spraying with a bacterial based compost tea and adding calcium and magnesium will help.  Sweetening your soil will also help keep out dandelions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2887" LastActivityDate="2013-11-06T17:55:44.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8659" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-07T09:29:50.903" Score="6" ViewCount="155" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vj107l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I know, this plant belongs to a temperate herbaceous species, it lives outdoors in the Netherlands. Does anybody know its Latin name?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2891" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-05T22:26:26.747" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T22:26:26.747" Title="Does anybody know this plant's Latin name?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8660" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-08T19:10:20.603" Score="4" ViewCount="15500" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have rocks laid down on my drive way and it clearly has some problems in the plastic layer below. Weeds have been popping out since we moved in. How do I go about getting this rock driveway redone in the cheapest and most effective way possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2892" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-11-09T21:13:36.023" LastActivityDate="2018-09-18T23:34:20.370" Title="How to separate rocks and dirt?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;hard-landscape&gt;&lt;rock-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8661" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8663" CreationDate="2013-11-08T19:26:00.663" Score="3" ViewCount="221" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to grow rosemary from starters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am based in In California, San Francisco Bay Area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I dug up an area about what people are recommending on the other rosemary answers here. 30cm x 30cm wide + 30cm down, and combined the area for 6 of them. The soil had some clay about 20cm down or so, but this didn't seem to get in the way too much when I checked the other day. I sprinkled a few quarts of Kellogg organic Amend (.3% Nitrogen, mostly insoluble; .1% potash, .1% phosphor something; 1% calcium. w/gypsum, poultry manure, and compost) and mixed it in pretty well, then planted the starters like a foot apart. It's been about a week, and the rosemary seems to be slowly burning or drying, despite lots of watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did I burn them with too much nitrogen in the additive? Or maybe I didn't break up the root clusters sufficiently and water is just bouncing off them? Could the compost be too old/dried up? We used half of it a couple years ago, and though it's been out of the sun, either in the garage mostly, it does warm up. It was never really moist, but what do I know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2638" LastEditorUserId="1906" LastEditDate="2013-11-11T13:57:58.273" LastActivityDate="2013-11-11T13:57:58.273" Title="Was my rosemary burnt by nitrogen, or something else?" Tags="&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8662" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-08T19:27:42.573" Score="3" ViewCount="4240" Body="&lt;p&gt;A family member wants to put up a fence behind her condominium and the plans state that the fence will be 3 foot away from a small maple tree in the back yard. The association members say that this is too close to the tree and it will do harm to the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the perfect distance away from the tree to dig to put in the fence post?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2893" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-11-08T20:34:20.327" LastActivityDate="2013-11-09T07:57:17.363" Title="How far do you dig from a maple tree so as not to cause damage to the tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;fence&gt;&lt;digging&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8663" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8661" CreationDate="2013-11-08T19:54:28.360" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering where you are in the world for one thing, but Rosemary is a mediterranean plant used to growing on dry, impoverished soils. It's not too keen on over fertilised environments, so that might well be the cause of the problem. I note you mention poulty manure - if this was pelleted or neat, it needs to be 'slacked' before use if you're applying to planted areas - young plants particularly are prone to root burn if this material is in close contact. If you're in the Northern hemisphere, adding feed when planting at this time of year isn't something you'd do, but perhaps you're in the southern hemisphere anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED RESPONSE: I'd leave them alone for now and see what happens. If you wait six to eight weeks, most of the fertilizers will have dissipated anyway, and if the plants haven't recovered, plant new then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-11-09T13:00:54.403" LastActivityDate="2013-11-09T13:00:54.403" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8664" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8662" CreationDate="2013-11-08T20:21:35.797" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;For a well established tree you can use the distance from the drip line. This is the point at which the tree's branches and leaves extend to.  However this area is likely to only include half the tree's roots.  As &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/text/tree_anatomy.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this publication&lt;/a&gt; advises:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roots normally grow outward to about &lt;strong&gt;three&lt;/strong&gt; times the branch spread.&#xA;Only 50 percent of the trees root system occurs between the trunk and&#xA;the dripline. Roots on one side of the tree normally supply the&#xA;foliage on the same side of the tree. When the roots on one side of&#xA;the tree are injured the branches on that side of the tree may die&#xA;back or drop. With some trees, such as maple, the effect may develop&#xA;anywhere in the tree canopy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And as Bamboo points out this can all be influenced by the age and type of tree and the soil conditions.  A tree that is already stressed will react poorly to root loss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Digging three feet from a tree is definitely too close. Damage is likely.  What cannot be determined is the extent of the die back and if subsequent regrowth will hide it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-11-08T20:21:35.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8665" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-09T00:14:10.553" Score="4" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any other rich-flavoured, white dry bean would do as well.  I'm in zone 5a or 5b, ample growing season.  I grew a few types of dry bush beans this year and even got a second crop off some of them.  Next year I want to do only pole beans. I would prefer an open-pollinated variety.  I have found white runner beans, but I don't think they have the flavour I'm thinking of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2894" LastEditorUserId="2894" LastEditDate="2013-11-13T02:01:09.083" LastActivityDate="2014-07-29T03:56:35.917" Title="Is there a pole version of marrow beans?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8666" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8662" CreationDate="2013-11-09T07:57:17.363" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please don't repeat the dripline myth - as a landscape architect I'm continually trying to to protect (and repair damage to) trees where the roots have been cut back to the dripline. The system I use is called the Critical Root Zone system (a utility standard in the UK) and is quite simple to work out:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Measure tree trunk diameter at 1.3metres (52 inches) above ground and multiply this figure by 29.5, the answer is the &lt;strong&gt;radius of protection&lt;/strong&gt; you should allow for (this works for most tree types from narrow to broad canopies). If the tree has plenty of lawn space on one or more sides you might get away with cutting some roots, but where does the dominant wind blow from? because if you cut off all the roots on the windward side of a tree you risk it blowing over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should think about varying the spacing of fence posts in the vicinity of the tree, and digging the hole carefully by hand. Also what season is it where you live, autumn is the best time for this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And finally you should consider the tree's monetary value - how much value is the tree adding to the total property value? Can you afford to lose this tree or will it chop $10,000 off your house price - just a few thoughts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2044" LastActivityDate="2013-11-09T07:57:17.363" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8667" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-09T15:44:31.463" Score="1" ViewCount="49" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a Christmas gift for my girlfriend, and I thought of a nice plant she could keep in her room. We live in Baltimore. I'm looking for something that would be beautiful, but not take a whole lot of effort, and would be able to live in the Atlantic winter, with not too much light and warmth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2896" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-11-09T18:05:33.543" LastActivityDate="2013-11-09T18:05:33.543" Title="What would be a beautiful house plant suited to the Atlantic winter?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2013-12-16T01:09:21.723" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8668" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8674" CreationDate="2013-11-09T16:31:11.937" Score="1" ViewCount="14628" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received some sort of green chilli pepper plant from a friend. (I don't know which kind; the flowers are small, white, and five-petalled.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually, when the chillies are around a handspan in length, I harvest them. Since early frost is October 1st, I harvested the remaining few and left the plant to &quot;hibernate.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two days ago, I noticed a single, bright red chilli pepper growing on the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What makes chillies turn red/yellow/orange? Is it simply a function of ripening time, after some length is achieved?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="1906" LastEditDate="2013-11-11T13:57:50.350" LastActivityDate="2013-11-11T16:41:45.040" Title="Why are my Green Chillies Turning Red" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8669" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8660" CreationDate="2013-11-09T18:11:56.023" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A sieve. You should be able to find some at your local hardware, generally they stock various sizes. If the material is not very sturdy you could build a frame out of some lumber.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something like chicken mesh might also work depending on the size of the rock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZW89h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2855" LastActivityDate="2013-11-09T18:11:56.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8670" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7515" CreationDate="2013-11-09T20:19:41.093" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;those are just aborts, they happen, usually at the start of the fruiting season, better pollination helps. there is also a commercial spray for tomatoes you could try &quot;Bonide 543 Ready-to-Use Tom/Blossom Set&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2013-11-09T20:19:41.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8671" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8660" CreationDate="2013-11-09T21:32:33.090" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have a crate with small enough holes in the bottom, you could shovel the dirt and rocks into the crate, then sift the dirt out.  It does get dusty though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2897" LastActivityDate="2013-11-09T21:32:33.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8672" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-10T07:18:42.570" Score="3" ViewCount="177" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've recently moved, and while traveling to our new home all my house plants have turned brown. But importantly my jade has stopped growing. It is down to two leaves that are very loose in soil. I'm not sure what to do now. Any help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2898" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-11-10T14:22:25.107" LastActivityDate="2014-03-05T19:36:00.087" Title="How do I get my Jade plant to grow again?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-07-17T22:04:24.937" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8674" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8668" CreationDate="2013-11-10T23:15:16.590" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A red chilli is just a ripe green chilli, or a green chilli is just an under-ripe red or yellow chilli.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1906" LastEditorUserId="1906" LastEditDate="2013-11-11T16:41:45.040" LastActivityDate="2013-11-11T16:41:45.040" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8676" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-11T04:16:07.307" Score="4" ViewCount="660" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have access to painted metal garage doors ( panels) and wondered if I can make them safe to use as a raised garden bed. What should I use to paint the inside to make it safe for growing vegetables? &#xA;I know in water tanks they use a bitumen based paint, to seal the inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2902" LastActivityDate="2013-11-16T07:03:05.597" Title="Gardening / Growing Vegetables in raised metal containers" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8678" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8684" CreationDate="2013-11-11T14:00:17.470" Score="3" ViewCount="5425" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an indoor jalapeno, cayenne and birds eye chillies which I planted from seed and moved indoors at the end of summer. They have become infested with tiny bugs which live on the bottoms of the leaves mostly (see pic):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OQgVD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This happened before, and after I sprayed the plants with soapy water they seemed to disappear only to reappear a month later! Any advice on what they are and how to get rid of them would be greatly appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also the jalapeno plant has been developing brown/purple patches (see pic):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ve4xt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been using Chilli Focus Plant since last week, and prior to that was using a tomato plant feed that apparently matched chilli requirements quite well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2903" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-11-11T15:13:57.320" LastActivityDate="2020-10-30T14:07:27.680" Title="Chilli Plant Bugs/Brown-Purple Staining" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8679" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8680" CreationDate="2013-11-11T16:27:11.397" Score="3" ViewCount="350" Body="&lt;p&gt;When is the best time to move a fern? It's a deciduous species, maybe a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matteuccia_struthiopteris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;shuttlecock fern&lt;/a&gt;. Also can I divide the plant while I'm doing it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2904" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-11-11T17:01:26.777" LastActivityDate="2013-11-12T17:25:15.413" Title="When and how should I move deciduous ferns?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8680" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8679" CreationDate="2013-11-12T17:25:15.413" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Once the fern has gone dormant for the season, you can both move and take divisions from it.  It would be best to do this, however, well before the ground freezes, so you can immediately replant the mother plant and your divisions and they have time to recover a bit before the really cold weather sets in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-11-12T17:25:15.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8681" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8676" CreationDate="2013-11-12T17:30:32.340" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;One option is to have them lightly sandblasted on the soil side to remove all the paint first, if you are concerned it may have lead or other leach-able toxins in it and the metal the doors are made of can handle exposure to the air and moisture.  You could also line the resulting bed with pond liner or other inert or water/food safe plastic to keep the soil inside from contacting the metal and the paint at all.  I don't think I'd use bitumen, as it's basically a type of road tar and is made from petrochemicals that are not necessarily meant to be food - or plant - safe.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-11-12T17:30:32.340" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8682" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8638" CreationDate="2013-11-13T00:10:41.983" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could it be Cushion Moss (Leucobryum)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry, not trying to advertise for them, but the Moss Acres picture seems very similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mossacres.com/product_cushion_moss.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.mossacres.com/product_cushion_moss.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2905" LastActivityDate="2013-11-13T00:10:41.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8684" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8678" CreationDate="2013-11-13T17:36:18.953" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are aphids.  An insecticidal soap (available at the garden center) should be effective in controlling them. You will probably have to apply it often, one application would not be expected to control them forever.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing you can do depending on how large the plants are is to simply to put the plant in the kitchen sink and use the hose sprayer to physically remove the bugs.  Then use the insecticidal soap after it is dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2013-11-13T17:36:18.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8686" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8687" CreationDate="2013-11-14T17:11:17.690" Score="4" ViewCount="1187" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do not know the name of the plant and I have battled brown scales on my ficus before at my office.  What is attacking this plant?  Could it be some type of white scale?  It is not mealybugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/77PJn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dWI4u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-22T12:29:36.867" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T12:29:36.867" Title="Identify this Insect or Fungus. Possible Scale" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8686" CreationDate="2013-11-14T17:57:52.067" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strelitzia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Strelitzia&lt;/a&gt; and it has a soft scale.  Most likely this is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues/inter/inmine/Scaleb.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Boisduval scale&lt;/a&gt;.  It is most likely that the scale came with the plant from the greenhouse.  It would have been under control and not visible due to the growers pest control program but after you received it they would have started spreading from their hiding places in the leaf sheaths.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Strelitzia grows new leaves from a central point and the growth is wrapped in a leaf sheath until it is ready.  Unfortunately this makes an excellent place for pests to hide out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While I was an interior landscaper I was never able to successfully control these pests with soap and water but you could certainly try this method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make a mixture of 5 to 10 ml of dish soap of any brand and one liter of water. Mix but do not make it too frothy.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get a soft toothbrush or soft scrub pad and dip it in the solution and rub off the scale rinsing on a regular basis.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Once you are done, wait a few minutes and wipe all the areas you have covered with a clean cloth to remove the soap.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Repeat at least twice at six to seven day intervals to catch the ones you missed. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Consider repeating this process as required as this scale is hard to control.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have no patience for this you could also try buying a systemic insecticide like Cygon 2E, read the instructions, put on impermeable gloves and appropriate safety gear, prepare a two liter solution according to the instructions and pour it into the soil. A solution that is more dilute than recommended should be tried for the first application to see how the plant responds. As most pesticides smell you probably want to do this outside and catch the water that flows through the pot for safe disposal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I live you cannot buy this anymore so you are encouraged to check your local greenhouse/plant stores for local regulations on systemic pesticides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-11-14T18:40:54.913" LastActivityDate="2013-11-14T18:40:54.913" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8688" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8692" CreationDate="2013-11-14T21:07:31.297" Score="6" ViewCount="349" Body="&lt;p&gt;The story: I have bought a few sacks of &quot;Plagron Royal Mix&quot; here in Chile. This soil is supposed to be sufficient for my &quot;tomatoes&quot; for roughly six weeks. After four weeks in the soil I noticed problems, which seem to point to under-fertilization. Since it was time to repot anyway, the plants received roughly 50% fresh soil in a bigger pot, but the symptoms are worsening. Over-fertilization, while not impossible, seems unlikely. Before repotting, I rinsed the soil to remove excess fertilizer. (As recommended by the manufacturer)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now considering the trip from Holland to Chile and that it's not really a hot product here, I cannot rule out that the soil was stored for a significant amount of time possibly even under adverse conditions. There are no dates on the sack.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If an organically pre-fertilized soil (peat, fibre, worm castings, etc.) is stored for a longer period of time, how does it change? Will it reduce the potency of the fertilizer? Can it have other harmful effects on plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2646" LastActivityDate="2013-11-16T06:44:54.250" Title="What exactly happens to potting soil if it is stored for a long period of time?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;storage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8690" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-15T18:32:50.407" Score="5" ViewCount="12011" Body="&lt;p&gt;Was wondering if you could put non-water plants onto a fish tank so that their roots grow inside the fish tank. What are the chances of the plants being dangerous to the fish?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read that the fish and plants are beneficial to each other and if it would be good for them why not?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS: I do have real water plants in the tanks too, just figured it might be interesting to do and my rooting plants love my fish tank water :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2911" LastActivityDate="2018-05-30T21:07:46.233" Title="Can you grow plant roots in fish tank?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8691" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8690" CreationDate="2013-11-15T18:56:49.130" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Numerous pet shops will be happy to sell you plants which are growing in water for which their normal habitat is dry land.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Species I have seen for sale as &quot;water plants&quot; include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_braunii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dracaena&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pothos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathiphyllum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Peace lily or spath&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants do not pose a danger to most fish.  Goldfish and other aggressive diggers may be an exception.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My opinion is that when you put vigorous adaptable land plants in an environment that they do not normally grow in they do not thrive, they just get by and try and grow their leaves and stems above water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an experiment with common tropical fish it can't hurt.  Still I would rather use real aquatic plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-11-16T00:17:23.873" LastActivityDate="2013-11-16T00:17:23.873" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8692" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8688" CreationDate="2013-11-16T06:44:54.250" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The main problem with long-term storage of potting type mixes is that they can dry out to the point where they're almost impossible to re-wet, this can also result in nutrients becoming locked up and unavailable to plants. And tomatoes are hungry things, also none of the ingredients you mention (apart from to some extent - the worm castings) contain significant nutrients - you'll benefit from a foliar feed being sprayed or applied with a water-can onto your plants about weekly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;rewetting potting mixtures are best done before planting into them, one way is to slowly soak the mix in water with a little dishwash added (then let it drain) - this breaks down the wetting resistant agents in the 'soil' particles. Ideally next time you would obtain some clean, weed-free real soil and mix it 50:50 with your dishwash wetted potting mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2044" LastActivityDate="2013-11-16T06:44:54.250" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8693" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8676" CreationDate="2013-11-16T07:03:05.597" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always recommend painting the insides of anything dodgy with a product called Mulseal (a bitumen/latex compound) (official name is Fosroc® Mulseal DP) and available at least in much of the English-speaking world, just wash the doors first with soapy water, lightly sand to help the Mulseal bind and away you go - I normally use Mulseal to paint concrete edges where I might want to plant erica and Rhododendrons which are very sensitive to lime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2044" LastActivityDate="2013-11-16T07:03:05.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8694" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-16T20:20:57.453" Score="3" ViewCount="214" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I want to grow:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cherry tomatoes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Iceberg &amp;amp; Romaine lettuce &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Green/Yellow peppers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Strawberries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Room information:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;55-75% RH, can be vented to the outside once a day manually (via a dryer pipe and a computer fan)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;15 to 20 degrees celsius from night to day&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;200-400W of T5 high output fixtures &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Question&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would hydro or aquaponics be a more suitable solution and what style, In media, Raft, PCV Pipe?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do those 4 plants play nicely together or should I do a media/PVC setup to separate some?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2912" LastEditorUserId="2912" LastEditDate="2013-11-22T23:44:02.923" LastActivityDate="2013-12-12T20:10:34.160" Title="Basement hydro or aquaponics?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;aquaponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8695" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4441" CreationDate="2013-11-16T21:31:40.543" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a redwood in our backyard; we also live in the Bay Area (San Mateo).  Ours is probably about 100 ft (8 stories) high, which is still not particularly big for a redwood.  I am not a gardening expert, but here are a few things I do know:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;depending upon where you live in the Bay Area, redwoods do quite well, and are actually planted quite commonly even nowadays in the suburbs even by the cities themselves, where I suspect they know a good deal about proper indigenous plants these days.  (E.g., no cities in the Bay Area plant Eucalyptus anymore.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;at the size that you mention, while the tree is still small for redwood standards, it's large enough that you can assume it merely needs continuing good conditions.  So it should be easy to maintain.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you've already highlighted maintenance you will need to do for considerations beyond the health of the tree (cutting back branches hitting the tree, etc.).  So I'll focus only on those for the tree itself:&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;redwoods typically have a lot of foliage underneath them, but little competition:  they prefer / need acidic conditions, as mentioned.  Few other plants do, and the redwoods like having their &quot;space&quot; (roots tend to be low-ish and wide, not super-deep).  So underneath your redwood little will grow well, but that's good for it.  Just let leaves &amp;amp; other &quot;junk&quot; stay there so that it provides mulch for the tree.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;also, you may want to / need to trim back all of the tiny redwoods that will grow nearby it.  My tree is in the back corner, so it does not get much foot traffic, but at times it becomes a dense thicket of tiny redwood tree shoots if I don't trim it back.  This is how they grow:  redwoods tend to grow in small clumps.  But I suspect you don't want more than 1 tree in your yard.  :)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kevin mentions insurance &amp;amp; what could happen if the tree falls.  I have also wondered about that:  in our case, it is more likely to land on a neighbor than on our house, which I'm especially worried about (can I even get insurance for a neighbor?).  But then I realize that the tree will likely live far longer than I will, and certainly longer than I'll live in the house.  That's not a great answer, but in the lifespan of a decently well-maintained redwood, we are but a glimpse.  Not sure the right answer, on this front.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2913" LastActivityDate="2013-11-16T21:31:40.543" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8697" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8690" CreationDate="2013-11-17T00:09:34.830" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not sure you mean by this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Was wondering if you could put non-water plants onto a fish tank so that their roots grow inside the fish tank. What are the chances of the plants being dangerous to the fish?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also wasn't really sure you meant by &quot;non-water&quot;. All plants require some amount of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Aquaponics&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for your other question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I read that the fish and plants are beneficial to each other and if it would be good for them why not?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TLDR;&lt;/strong&gt; Simply plants can grow roots in your a fish tank.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless, plants and fish often share a symbiotic relationship with each other. If you are't familiar with aquaponics, i would recommend doing a quick google search. You'll find throngs of articles on this subject.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a google search myself, I discovered this helpful overview by Colorado Aquaponics: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/adams/gh/pdf/Intro_Aquaponics.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/adams/gh/pdf/Intro_Aquaponics.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;How Aquaponics works:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/adams/gh/pdf/Intro_Aquaponics.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;slide 4&lt;/a&gt;, there is a diagram describing this particular system of growing plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MaerU.png&quot; alt=&quot;How Aquaponics Works&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Examples of Aquaponics&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you review &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/adams/gh/pdf/Intro_Aquaponics.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;slide 16&lt;/a&gt; they provide some photos and examples of the example you are speaking about (small fishtank aquaponic systems):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SPicd.png&quot; alt=&quot;Tank Aquaponics&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="290" LastEditorUserId="290" LastEditDate="2013-11-17T00:20:26.480" LastActivityDate="2013-11-17T00:20:26.480" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8698" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7917" CreationDate="2013-11-17T19:26:53.797" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I collected seeds from Launaea arborescens when I was on Fuerteventura 2 years ago. I sowed 20 seeds in a transparent plastic container. In the cover plate I drilled some holes for ventilation. 50% of the seeds germinated. The plants grew quickly, but surprisingly, they looked like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leontodon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hawkbit&lt;/a&gt; rather than Launaea arborescens. When I separated the plants after 3 weeks I was stunned that some of the plants died within 2 hours outside a closed (high humidity) atmosphere. 4 plants survived and were distributed to different places. In the glasshouse one died due to temperatures &gt;40°C. Another died in the glasshouse due to dryness. My daughter and I have shared the last 2 plants. We are living 50 km away from each other. In summer our plants are outside and are regularly watered. In winter they are in the living rooms at the window. Still the plants do not look like the plants on Fuerteventura. Both have thin lignified stems and many leaves. Now, in year 2 they are building thin hexagonal stems. Simultaneously, several branches dried out and died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was overjoyed when this strange plant suddenly started to bloom. I counted more than 30 flowers over the summer. 5 of them were fertilized so that I could collect some new seeds. My daughter's plant had about 20 flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil I used from the beginning on was a mixture of 40% potting soil, 40% vermiculite, 10% sand, and 10% clay. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the new plants I am planning a high tech small scale glasshouse with ventilation, temperature control and UV-light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2914" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-11-17T20:40:16.183" LastActivityDate="2013-11-17T20:40:16.183" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8699" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-17T20:04:34.323" Score="4" ViewCount="4406" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answers provided to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3602&quot;&gt;Does anyone know of a somewhat comprehensive plant database available online?&lt;/a&gt; didn't prove to be much useful for someone that is getting into vegetable gardening. The USDA's database contains information more suitable for identification/taxonomic purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best online source I was able to find was &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/98630/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dave's Garden&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;But it still lacks information on things like diseases, and more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I'm asking again for a concise database or encyclopedia/reference-book that gives summarized information on how to grow vegetables only, with things like necessary soil nutrients, diseases that can affect each variety, etc. I wish there were like a Wikipedia but for vegetables only, with one page for each plant... easy to lookup. It hasn't to be online; a big good tome would be suitable too. Note that I'm not asking here for basic gardening information (example: how to water plants)... I'm actually asking for &quot;profiles&quot; of vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably, if I didn't find one such reference after searching online, then perhaps there isn't one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2880" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2019-09-27T22:43:10.263" Title="Concise database/reference for vegetable gardening?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8700" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8726" CreationDate="2013-11-17T20:12:08.933" Score="8" ViewCount="472" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have used Neem oil (Fertilome's 3-in-1) on some tomato plants twice since I began getting into vegetable gardening. The thing is that I have heard/read, on one hand, that it is not toxic and quite &quot;natural&quot;, but on the other hand, I have heard/read people claiming that it is toxic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most online searches I have done show a lot of subjective accounts that just contribute to the ambiguity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am looking for answers that provide information that is as unambiguous as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2880" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-20T15:28:35.600" LastActivityDate="2015-04-20T15:28:35.600" Title="What evidence is there for the toxicity of Neem oil to humans?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8701" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8708" CreationDate="2013-11-18T06:33:00.697" Score="3" ViewCount="722" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a house where the previous owner had planted 3 trees within inches of each other. They are all 5 feet tall now. As this is the first time I've ever seen multiple trunks crowded together, I would like to know the purpose of this positioning. Or if there is no purpose and it is actually detrimental to each tree, please let me know. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following illustrates the blueberry-sized fruit that the trees are currently producing. Perhaps this photo can help someone identify the exact species of fruit. I was told by a construction worker that this is guava, however the variant is unknown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JzDin.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following illustrates how two trunks are growing out of the ground within 2 inches of each other. The third trunk in the back is much thinner. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vLLfu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2013-11-19T17:36:47.530" Title="Why are there three guava trees grown within inches of each other?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;guavas&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8702" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8699" CreationDate="2013-11-18T09:33:29.827" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could try PFAF - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/default.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.pfaf.org/user/default.aspx&lt;/a&gt; - Plants for a future, it's a volunteer site with (I think) university of Sheffield assistance - it's focus is permaculture/organics&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the best dead tree sources is Vegetables by Roger Phillips &amp;amp; Martin Rix, Pan Garden Plants Series, published 1993.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's plenty of info out there but it would help to know roughly where you are (latitude and altitude would do)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2044" LastActivityDate="2013-11-18T09:33:29.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8705" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8701" CreationDate="2013-11-18T21:49:39.010" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I'm aware, this is detrimental to each tree and you should cut off 2 of them to focus the available light, moisture, and nutrients to the one tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trees may be sprouts from a larger single tree that was cut down for some reason or they may be sprouts from guava seeds that were dropped there naturally by birds or as part of a compost heap or just spit there and rooted naturally.  It's hard to tell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the leaves in the pictures you provided do not look entirely healthy and you might consider taking them to your county extension agent to make sure they're not diseased or otherwise unhealthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best course of action may be to dig up all 3 trees, purchase a single healthy new tree, and plant that in their place.  That would be what I'd do in your situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2916" LastActivityDate="2013-11-18T21:49:39.010" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8630" CreationDate="2013-11-18T22:10:10.200" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;My recommendation is to throw that plant away.  The bugs are just a symptom of a much larger issue.  If I had to guess, I would say that the root system has died from over watering and it has been starved of energy from lack of adequate light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you decide to try to salvage it (which I don't recommend) here are the steps that I would take.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take the plant outside and remove it entirely from its pot.  Wash all of the dirt off of the plant.  Trim off all dead portions of the plant back to living tissue.  If you don't see any living roots then throw the plant away.  Seriously, it's dead already and these are just its death throes.  If you do see living roots (probably white and fuzzy) then repot the plant in a new pot larger than the old one with brand new potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once it's repotted, water it well and place it in an area where it gets filtered sunlight for a minimum of 4 hours per day.  That should give the plant the conditions it needs to recover.  Once it has produced green, healthy growth then I'd move it to a location where it gets a minimum of 6 hours of direct sun a day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do that and it will thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2916" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-11-18T22:40:36.970" LastActivityDate="2013-11-18T22:40:36.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8707" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7128" CreationDate="2013-11-18T22:49:14.710" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had great success growing ginger offsets with just a bowl of water.  We took a fresh ginger and put it in a small bowl with a half inch ( one cm) of water that we kept topped up.  Only one end of the root was in the bowl. We left it like that for four or five weeks and roots and, eventually leaves, sprouted from a small area at the side.  After six weeks we cut it off and left the parent in the bowl.  It proceeded to grow another offset.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The offsets had roots and leaves so we just potted them up and they are one foot (30 cm) tall now after twelve weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-11-18T22:49:14.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8701" CreationDate="2013-11-19T17:36:47.530" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe guava can be grown as a multi-stemmed tree, and this is probably what you have. I'm not familiar with growing guava outside, but other fruit trees are sometimes planted close together to a) provide pollinators without taking up a lot of space and b) to stunt the growth of the trees, so they stay a reasonable size. It is also possible that this is what the original gardener was going for, although those look rather closer than you'd want them ideally. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way, I agree that it doesn't look terribly healthy, and having a county extension agent check out a cutting would be a good idea. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2013-11-19T17:36:47.530" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8709" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3602" CreationDate="2013-11-20T07:02:28.173" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check out Gardenforms Landscape Plant Guide on Amazon.  It's a book, but setup like a plant database, but portable....a must buy for all landscape designers!!!  It has the plant information I couldn't locate in the Sunset Western Garden Book, like that of heights, widths, growth rates to where I can actually purchase the plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope Gardenforms creates an Internet plant info database, that would be awesome and a must someday.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2919" LastActivityDate="2013-11-20T07:02:28.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8711" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-21T00:24:29.340" Score="6" ViewCount="294" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in West Texas. The white fluffy plant is taking over mostly in Bermuda areas. But it is starting to move into st. Augustine areas. We have BIG, decorative plants that have the same type of white fluffy blooms. I'm thinking these could be offshoots of those&#xA;Please identify this and give any help on how to control it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for ANY help you can give!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SjvzS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aGe5z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2921" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-06T20:41:13.303" LastActivityDate="2014-08-06T20:41:13.303" Title="Please identify and give suggestions on how to get rid of it" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8712" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9034" CreationDate="2013-11-21T12:48:44.950" Score="2" ViewCount="1770" Body="&lt;p&gt;My chilli plants appear to have developed rust after a bad attack from aphids! See photo below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hOAnG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Rust?&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves have also gone curly:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z0J3C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Curly Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plan is to repot the plants, washing away the old soil and replacing it with compost I bought. Would this help the plants? Or would the new compost just be infected with the disease?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for any help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2903" LastActivityDate="2021-02-07T18:32:59.997" Title="Repotting diseased chilli plants - possibly rust" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;rust&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8713" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-21T18:40:05.353" Score="5" ViewCount="2948" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DLcwU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;houseplant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This was gifted from work but no one here or at the local nursery can identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2923" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2014-01-31T16:40:50.610" LastActivityDate="2019-05-07T20:57:31.157" Title="What is this large houseplant with long oval leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8714" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1562" CreationDate="2013-11-21T20:12:43.703" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't help you with your soil problem, but that plant is a type of spider plant. It comes in many different shades. I have two a solid green one like yours and a green one with a white stripe down the center. That one is a curly spider plant. I'm not sure of the solid green types name though. I got my cuttings from my moms plants. I hope this helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2924" LastActivityDate="2013-11-21T20:12:43.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8715" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-21T22:15:49.683" Score="6" ViewCount="5061" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the best picture I can find.  I had one of these at my old apartment and want to get another.  It grew pretty large - from maybe one foot in diameter to a few feet high and 4 feet in diameter - in less than a year.  It did well both outside in the summer, and inside in colder weather.  The leaves look like glossy &quot;fingers.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fWwiP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="143" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-07T00:29:56.983" LastActivityDate="2021-02-28T09:16:59.167" Title="What kind of a plant is this (with large, glossy &quot;finger-like&quot; leaves)?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8716" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8719" CreationDate="2013-11-21T23:18:01.530" Score="7" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;To prepare for a tear-down rebuild, I had to remove &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thesplatteredapron.com/how-to-build-raised-garden-beds&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;our raised garden beds&lt;/a&gt;. Given the effort that went into building them, there was no way I was going to lose those beds to the gears of progress--though I was much more concerned about the soil than the Cypress boxes!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While removing the soil from the beds I noticed that I wasn't seeing any worms. &lt;strong&gt;Is this lack of worms a sign of unhealthy soil, or perhaps just a result of looking in October?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil was built through blending approximately equal parts of native soil (clay), humus, manure and vermiculite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2525" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-11-22T13:51:02.117" Title="Where'd the worms go?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8715" CreationDate="2013-11-22T01:22:34.963" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monstera_deliciosa&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Monstera deliciosa&lt;/a&gt; also called Philodendron monstera.  It is a vigorous climber with aerial roots.  It can be bought as a potted house plant but this stage of it's life does not reveal it's talents as a climber.  It can grow brown barky roots which can stick to concrete or help support it as it climbs up a tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have many funny stories about plants but it happens I do about this one.&#xA;I was doing the interior maintenance of tropical plants for a new and distinguished hotel.  This one had an atrium that had good light and above the dining area was a long bed of the Monstera deliciosa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We got an emergency call from the client one morning to come on over immediately and remove an infestation of &amp;quot;snakes&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was spring and almost overnight the Monstera's had grown long brown roots over the edge of the concrete planter that were making for the dining area below.  Diners were a little nervous looking up and we were told to remove them immediately. Seeing as it was breakfast we had to rip the roots off the concrete without dropping anything onto the hotel patrons below.  Tricky work!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2013-11-22T11:43:53.070" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8718" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8721" CreationDate="2013-11-22T13:31:16.413" Score="6" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've made Autumn sowings of peas for the first time this year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted the seeds in small pots in the (unheated) greenhouse like I'd normally do for spring sowings. It was a bit speculative as I wasn't sure anything would show up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However every pot now has a small but strong looking pea poking out. They're 2-3cm high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It this was spring I'd let them grow on a bit longer and then get them transplanted outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But what about these Autumn sown shoots? Do I leave them where they are (presumably they'll shortly stop growing as winter sets in so won't outgrow their 8cm pots till spring? Or transplant outside shortly and cover with fleece/plastic? Or something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location is UK south coast and we're just getting our first frosts about now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2013-11-24T14:41:50.707" LastActivityDate="2013-11-28T09:12:19.420" Title="What to do with Autumn sown peas now they're showing?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;peas&gt;&lt;fall-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8719" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8716" CreationDate="2013-11-22T13:51:02.117" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;As I'm in the UK and my geographical knowledge is appalling, I'm not sure what kind of winters you get where you are. If you get cold winters, and you have Fall (autumn) starting around September, then certainly in the UK, by the end of October, worms have burrowed down  much deeper to get away from the cold. If October is very mild with no overnight frosts and overnight temps of above 12 deg C, they are usually still active, but the soil cools from the end of October onwards, and night time frosts certainly appear here by early November, earlier in the north of the UK. If you've had frosts or cold weather, then the worms have retreated more than a spade's depth, and that's the most likely explanation as to why you've not found them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your temperatures are still warm and this explanation doesn't fit, then it's possible the humus content of the soil in the raised beds has dropped dramatically and/or they have been very dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-11-22T13:51:02.117" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8720" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8713" CreationDate="2013-11-23T22:32:21.207" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an avocado plant and this looks like it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2927" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-11-23T23:22:42.380" LastActivityDate="2013-11-23T23:22:42.380" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8721" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8718" CreationDate="2013-11-25T01:36:58.580" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whether these pea sprouts will overwinter in their pots depends a lot on how warm it tends to stay in your greenhouse. If they are already sprouting and happily growing, it may not get cold quickly enough in there for them to go dormant, as peas are fairly frost hardy overall.  Peas really don't like transplanting after a certain time either, so if they were to outgrow their pots over the winter, it might set them back a lot to be transplanted at a much larger size in the spring.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it were me, I'd probably go ahead and plant them out, but put them under a cloche cover or if you have room, plant them in a planting bed in the greenhouse. A large pot or two might do as well, but unless your temps only rarely dip well below freezing outside, I'd keep them covered in some fashion.  Another thing you could do if you wanted to, seeing as this was mostly an experiment anyway, is to transplant a few of them somewhere that they can continue to grow to full size now, and keep the rest in pots to see what they do over the winter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-11-25T01:36:58.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8722" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5489" CreationDate="2013-11-25T09:50:41.663" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaves curling may occur due to viral attack. Please ensure that how many plants are infected with leaf curl.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And also check under side of the each curling leaves and find out any presence of insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you share some picture both upper and lower sides of the curling leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2930" LastActivityDate="2013-11-25T09:50:41.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8723" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8724" CreationDate="2013-11-25T10:09:13.237" Score="5" ViewCount="132" Body="&lt;p&gt;People made compost from different components but they cannot realize about nutrient amount in the compost. So it is essential for selecting appropriate components. It is very important for organic vegetable cultivation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am mentioning some ingredients for compost:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water Hyacinth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cow Dung&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Banana Tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rice Straw&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is ok for getting the appropriate amount of N, P, K ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2930" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2013-11-25T13:09:02.170" LastActivityDate="2013-11-26T12:42:12.230" Title="What are the best components for producing compost which supply maximum nutrients?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8724" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8723" CreationDate="2013-11-25T13:12:43.563" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The NPK of any home made compost is usually impossible to tell, but that's not the point of making compost, Alchemist. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Composted materials, once well rotted, provide high levels of humus for the soil. This improves the soil environment, which means you have greater levels of soil bio diversity and fertility, thus improving any plant's accessibility to available nutrients. Feeding with NPK balanced fertilisers (usually shop bought) is intended for feeding plants directly rather than improving the soil. They're usually delivered in a form which makes it easy for plants to take up (watered on or granules sprinkled around which dissolve slowly, releasing the nutrients directly around the plants, that kind of thing). Some fertilisers do a bit of both (adding to soil fertility and feeding directly), such as blood, fish and bone, which has a labelled NPK, but also contains organic material, though the NPK and humus levels themselves aren't very high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To sum up, composted materials feed the &lt;strong&gt;soil&lt;/strong&gt;; NPK labelled fertilisers feed &lt;strong&gt;plants&lt;/strong&gt;, so the best solution is to use a combined approach, unless you're totally organic, in which case you'd only use certain composted materials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for what materials are best for your purposes, it's hard to say without writing a book, other than pointing out that any kind of manure is not suitable for use with any kind of root crop, that onions prefer an alkaline soil, whereas other vegetables don't, etc. Consideration should be given to which crops you're growing and what soil conditions they prefer, and for creating compost, whether or not you're using a hot aerobic system or an anaerobic one helps decide which materials you might choose to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;In response to your question (posted as a comment) I'd refer you to the first sentence in this answer, and reiterate, as far as I know, there is no way to measure the NPK of home made compost. I suppose a laboratory might be able to, but it would be an imperfect guide, because the compost you've produced is probably not the same throughout. Compost made from organic materials is &lt;strong&gt;NOT&lt;/strong&gt; a fertilizer as such, it's a soil improver, which is why you don't really need to know the NPK. More important is whether it's alkaline or acidic, and that you can tell with a ph tester.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-11-26T12:42:12.230" LastActivityDate="2013-11-26T12:42:12.230" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8725" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8700" CreationDate="2013-11-26T16:57:34.663" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The main insecticide component of this oil is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azadirachtin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Azadirachtin&lt;/a&gt;. It said to be almost non-toxic to mammals. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2933" LastActivityDate="2013-11-26T16:57:34.663" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8726" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8700" CreationDate="2013-11-27T10:41:25.993" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15261960&quot;&gt;This paper&lt;/a&gt; reviews toxicological data from human and animal studies regarding neem derived pesticides. I don't have access to the full paper but in the abstract it says that&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The non-aqueous extracts appear to be the most toxic neem-based products, with an estimated safe dose (ESD) of 0.002 and 12.5 microg/kg bw/day. Less toxic are the unprocessed materials seed oil and the aqueous extracts (ESD 0.26 and 0.3 mg/kg bw/day, 2 microl/kg bw/day respectively). Most of the pure compounds show a relatively low toxicity (ESD azadirachtin 15 mg/kg bw/day).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This leads to the conclusion that, if applied with care, use of neem derived pesticides as an insecticide should not be discouraged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, in very large doses neem oil can be toxic.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23353547&quot;&gt;According to this recent paper&lt;/a&gt; the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_lethal_dose&quot;&gt;LD50 value&lt;/a&gt; of neem oil is 31.95g/kg but the abstract doesn't say if this is for humans or a specific type of animal. &#xA;However, since &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3419203&quot;&gt;this old paper&lt;/a&gt; says that &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The 24-h LD50 was established as 14 ml/kg in rats and 24 ml/kg in rabbits&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;so I am assuming that the first LD50 is for humans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1916" LastActivityDate="2013-11-27T10:41:25.993" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8728" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-11-28T03:21:37.343" Score="6" ViewCount="296" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small setup ready to go but I need to know how to get all the good bacteria and nitrites up before planting anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My local suppliers do not carry anything for aqua/hydroponics and online shipping is quite pricy. I can get a bag or two of aquarium water from the pet store when I get my fish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is my best way to get things started?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2912" LastActivityDate="2016-01-08T09:28:42.227" Title="Starting bacteria in aquaponics" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;aquaponic&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8730" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-12-01T20:11:04.223" Score="5" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a garden in san mateo, ca that is only 5x9 and we have 5 large tomato plants, herbs, broccoli and lettuce.  We have an automatic water sprinkler that goes off every other day.  I want to know if I should arrange the time of watering to late morning or noon, it's set for 3am now.  How low can the temperature go before covering and for how long do I do this?  All winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2940" LastActivityDate="2013-12-04T23:26:18.223" Title="Winter Watering time of day? At what temperature do I cover any of the plants with plastic tarp?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8731" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-12-02T13:31:48.387" Score="5" ViewCount="1022" Body="&lt;p&gt;I plan on using some of these drainage bricks to build a retaining wall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kjlDE.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The installation of the drainage bricks recommends that a drainage layer is used to route the water away from the base of the inner wall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am thinking to lay a very wide drainage layer, however my concern is that I &quot;Dry Up&quot; my garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;is it possible for me to over-drain my garden, whereby any moisture absorbed into the ground is routed away too quickly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;is there any drainage guide which i can apply?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2944" OwnerDisplayName="Hightower" LastActivityDate="2014-03-16T07:36:17.463" Title="Can you have too much drainage in a garden?" Tags="&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8732" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4048" CreationDate="2013-12-02T15:58:27.057" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why try to eradicate it? Make tea! Bindweed extract has been shown to be helpful for numerous cancers, including prostate cancer, lung cancer, liver cancers, and more. It is so helpful, in fact, that it completely destroyed ‘virulent’ cancer tumors in laboratory mice. &#xA;The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center reports that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;“Recent in vitro and animal studies show that the water extracts from the plant’s aerial parts, rich in proteoglycans, have anti-angiogenic and immune-stimulating effects. Other studies found that these constituents also increased vasodilation and circulatory function, and lowered blood pressure in animals.”&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As quoted directly from the study:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;“Water extract from the aerial parts of C. arvensis [Bindweed] is thought to be rich in proteoglycans. It has immunostimulatory effects in animals by increasing total leukocyte and lymphocyte counts as well as increasing serum lysosome activity. The lipophilic glycoside constituents have cytotoxic effects in human tumor cell lines. High molecular weight extract from C. arvensis inhibits tumor growth in a dose-dependent manner probably due to its ability to inhibit growth of blood vessels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2943" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-02-09T23:57:57.930" LastActivityDate="2014-02-09T23:57:57.930" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8735" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8736" CreationDate="2013-12-03T09:23:31.727" Score="7" ViewCount="547" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am interested in building a small - scale hydro system just to get more familiar with how it works. I plan to grow some basic easy-to-grow vegetables at first. So I have the container, an old fish tank pump,  organic fertilizer and now I need the rocks for my setup. As the title suggests, what are these rocks called and where would they be available to buy most likely?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is an example of the rocks:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NMSP8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2737" LastEditorUserId="2737" LastEditDate="2013-12-05T08:23:59.340" LastActivityDate="2018-05-16T00:30:50.230" Title="What are the rocks called they use in hydroponic / aquaponic growing containers?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;rocks&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8736" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8735" CreationDate="2013-12-03T13:41:10.460" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you are referring to a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expanded_clay_aggregate&quot;&gt;hydroponic clay aggregate&lt;/a&gt; known in Europe as Hydroton where it is manufactured in Sweden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may also be called Geolite, HydroKorrels, Hydroleca or &quot;grow rocks&quot;. Other products such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growstones&quot;&gt;growstones&lt;/a&gt;, which are made of glass, tout themselves as a superior products.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Commercial growers often use rockwool cubes or trays to start hydroponic plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Judging by the ads I see listing it for sale on Ebay, Amazon, Sears and numerous other sites there is no shortage of it. Just search for hydroponic clay aggregate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-12-03T13:41:10.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8737" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8738" CreationDate="2013-12-04T10:52:18.467" Score="9" ViewCount="1707" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galangal&quot;&gt;galangal&lt;/a&gt; a couple of years ago, which is now thriving in my garden. Is there a best time/season to harvest galangal, and can one just retrieve a small portion of the rhizome as required, or is it best to dig the whole lot up and replant at the same time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2948" OwnerDisplayName="long" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-12-04T15:54:14.427" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T07:01:01.673" Title="When and how should I harvest galangal?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;spices&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8737" CreationDate="2013-12-04T10:57:41.277" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;After some searching, it appears that you shouldn't harvest galangal until it is at least 4 years old. When it gets to that age, you should harvest in autumn or winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2950" OwnerDisplayName="ElendilTheTall" LastActivityDate="2013-12-04T10:57:41.277" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8739" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8730" CreationDate="2013-12-04T23:26:18.223" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would begin watering the garden in the morning this late in the season.  The reason for this is the cooler temperatures and moister air of fall and winter tend to favor fungal growth, so watering in the middle of the night, as you are now, keeps the plants wet for hours before the warmer temps in the day can dry them out. This increases your risk of losing them to blight or mold.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes are heat-loving plants, and begin to fade and sulk when consistently exposed to temperatures in the 40s.  So, if your nighttime temps there are hitting those kind of lows, I'd cover them soon and keep them well covered. I don't know what your winter lows are there or how well you plan to protect the tomatoes, but at some point this winter the plants may begin to become damaged by the cold even if covered.  I'd keep an eye on your expected low temperatures and harvest any full size (or close to full size) tomatoes before any hard freezes.  You can then ripen them at room temperature in the house.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cooler temps won't upset the broccoli or lettuce - they actually like cooler temperatures anyway, but if you expect hard freezes then they should be covered as well for leaf protection.  On how to treat the herbs, it really depends on what types of herbs you are growing.  Basil, for instance, hates cool temps and will turn brown and be more susceptible to various wilts and rots once the night time lows begin to dip into the 40s.  Parsley and cilantro, however, like cool temps and will do fine with just light protection during much of the winter.  Thyme, sage and many other woody herbs are perennial and fairly hardy, so don't really need to be covered.  Rosemary can be marginal in some areas, but if you are Zone 8 or warmer, it should be fine outside in the open uncovered.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-12-04T23:26:18.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8740" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8748" CreationDate="2013-12-05T16:39:48.590" Score="5" ViewCount="1101" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please Identify this plant: &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: &lt;strong&gt;Mumbai, India&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br&gt;&#xA;Height: &lt;strong&gt;About 1 meter&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br&gt;&#xA;Fragrance in Flower: &lt;strong&gt;No&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YxN9Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2013-12-09T15:14:29.490" Title="Identify this long leaved plant having big orange flowers" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8741" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8740" CreationDate="2013-12-05T17:37:28.500" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strelitzia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Strelitzia&lt;/a&gt;.  A similar question was asked &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8686/identify-this-insect-or-fungus-possible-scale/8687#8687&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  It is also known as the bird of paradise and is comparatively easy to grow in full sun to semi shade.  It flowers on a seasonal basis and is drought tolerant once established. A rich loamy soil and regular feeding with compost or fertilizer will encourage flowering. This plant does not tolerate frost but will benefit from cooler night temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The guides say this plant is wind resistant but indoors where I saw it the leaves tended to look a bit tattered as people going by it would cause tears in the leaf.  Susceptible to mealy bug and false scale.  The large leaves make pest control easier unless the pest can hide in the axils of the leave sheathes.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers are the key identification feature here: 3 brilliant orange sepals and 3 bright blue petals which make a good cut flower.  When not in flower this can be mistaken for a banana plant which has similar leaves that are not as dark a green or as thick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2013-12-05T17:37:28.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8742" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8766" CreationDate="2013-12-06T22:58:15.180" Score="9" ViewCount="14781" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had some less than stellar workmen do some work a few weeks ago, and one of them spilled a substantial amount of petrol onto our front lawn. There is now an area about 100cm in diameter where the grass is completely dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was not able to do anything about it until now (about 3 weeks later), so I have dug up the entire dead area, down to about 30cm. This is as far as I can reasonably dig, because we live in a clay area (Sydney Australia - almost all of the west is just clay).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The clay still stinks of petrol though, as did all of the dirt and grass I dug up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any way I can repair this? Do I just leave it dug out for a few weeks to &quot;dry&quot;? (It's summer at the moment, so lots of long, hot 30&amp;deg;C days and hotter)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I throw some fresh dirt from another part of the yard into the hole and plant new grass seeds, will the petrol that's in the clay just re-contaminate it? Or is that area going to be dead forever?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2953" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-12-06T23:57:02.190" LastActivityDate="2018-08-08T00:35:24.643" Title="What should I do to rescue grass from a petrol spill?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5055" CreationDate="2013-12-07T03:03:40.150" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The top image is of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iewf.org/weedid/modiola_caroliniana.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Carolina Mallow (&lt;em&gt;Modiola caroliniana&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; and the bottom picture is of &lt;a href=&quot;http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&amp;amp;lvl=sp&amp;amp;name=Gamochaeta~americana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cudweed (&lt;em&gt;Gamochaeta americana&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1544" LastEditorUserId="1544" LastEditDate="2016-01-11T02:04:39.910" LastActivityDate="2016-01-11T02:04:39.910" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8744" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8745" CreationDate="2013-12-08T02:50:17.393" Score="8" ViewCount="16165" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have just harvested some of the ripest berries from a row of 6 blueberries of different varieties. They all have a slightly odd taste that I have never detected in store bought blueberries. It is difficult to describe. My wife suggested it almost tastes like a hint of basil, or some similar 'grassy' note. I have read they can taste sour if you pick them too soon, but I wouldn't call this a sour taste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this possibly just what these varieties taste like? Unfortunately I don't have the exact names of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could cause blueberries to taste like this? Could this be a soil, watering or fertilising issue?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1580" LastActivityDate="2019-02-24T12:47:50.403" Title="What could be causing my blueberries to have a funny taste?" Tags="&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8745" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8744" CreationDate="2013-12-08T14:14:01.537" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blueberries do have slightly varying tastes depending on the variety, but you seem to be suggesting you have several different varieties anyway. The other thing that happens, as they get very ripe, is the taste develops and changes slightly. I'd ask you to collect some of the others which are ripe, but perhaps not quite as ripe as the ones you've already picked, just to see if they taste different. Your question contains no information about growing conditions, soil emendment, feeding regime, amount of sun/water, etc., but given you've grown them successfully, I'm assuming they get enough sun/water, the soil ph is correct and they do have a cold period, or you'd be reporting problems with the plants generally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bear in mind that the ones you buy in the store have usually not been picked when bordering on over ripe; if they have been, they're often quite mushy compared to ones picked a little sooner. They can be picked when blue and when they come off the bush easily, so try a few which fit this description; they do not continue to ripen after picking (although legend has it that placing under ripe ones in a bag with a ripe apple will work).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-12-08T14:23:06.230" LastActivityDate="2013-12-08T14:23:06.230" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8746" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8750" CreationDate="2013-12-08T18:56:58.920" Score="4" ViewCount="489" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a 50 year old apple tree and two 5 year old espaliered pear/ nashi trees on our property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The beginning of summer has been alternating between sunny with rainy days so everything in our garden is growing vigorously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pip fruit trees have all put up &quot;runners&quot; - large amounts of long thin branches coming off existing branches at right angles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it okay to prune these runners back at this time of the year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Nelson, New Zealand so we're currently at the beginning of summer. Historical weather data is below:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uLqBK.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2955" LastActivityDate="2013-12-10T23:17:36.727" Title="Should I prune apple/ pear/ nashi tree runners in early summer?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8742" CreationDate="2013-12-09T12:33:57.397" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't really answer this other than to say that you probably need to remove more depth of soil, and it would obviously have been best to deal with it when it happened rather than this much time later. Soil treatment with hydrated lime reduces leaching of hydrocarbons, but it still means you'd have to wait a good while before attempting to plant, because it's not just the grass that's been killed, there will be knock on effects on soil organisms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know about Australia, but I imagine you must have some kind of Environmental Health department of the local authority, or a separate department, who might be able to give you some advice as to how to deal with this. They may, though, want to know exactly how much petrol was involved to determine whether it will affect the groundwater or local water table. Really, the builders who caused the problem are responsible for effecting remedial works, and I'd talk to the Environmental people about that too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-12-09T12:33:57.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8748" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8740" CreationDate="2013-12-09T15:14:29.490" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I disagree.  It is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.heliconiasocietypr.org/&quot;&gt;heliconia&lt;/a&gt;.  Related to Strelitzia but not the same genus.  Unlike strelitzia there are hundreds of heliconia species and even more cultivars and hybrids so an exact identification is going to be more difficult but it might be a cultivar of H. psittacorum.  It looks a lot like the cultivar 'Choconiana' a picture of which can be found at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.heliconiasocietypr.org/heliconia_psittacorum_choconiana_small.JPG&quot;&gt;http://www.heliconiasocietypr.org/heliconia_psittacorum_choconiana_small.JPG&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More psittacorum cultivars can be found at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.heliconiasocietypr.org/heliconia_cultivars5.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.heliconiasocietypr.org/heliconia_cultivars5.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2013-12-09T15:14:29.490" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8749" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-12-09T19:16:16.250" Score="3" ViewCount="423" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently got this plant from a friend, but I never got the name of it. I think from the looks of it, it might be in the carnivore family. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BubJf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/88ZRj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RRkOD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2737" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-09-05T04:17:17.750" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T17:30:58.450" Title="What is this possibly carnivorous plant with small purple flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8750" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8746" CreationDate="2013-12-10T23:17:36.727" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Summer pruning of fruit trees is an established practice for those who want to exercise more control over the shape of their fruit trees.  Pruning in the summer helps to control rampant growth on some trees, and also directs branches to where you want them to grow.  Some trees, such as apricot and cherry, are often pruned only in the summer, to take advantage of the drier, warmer weather and prevent rain from introducing disease to the newly pruned limbs. Espaliered trees of all kinds are also generally pruned in the summer to control their growth and shape.  So the answer to your question is yes - summer is a great time to prune excessive growth from your fruit trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-12-10T23:17:36.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8742" CreationDate="2013-12-11T00:52:30.623" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems reasonable to wait a 6 months for the petrol to further wash away, dig as much more soil around the site as you would like and fill with new topsoil. Grass should grow back on the new soil. Spilled petrol isn't good for the groundwater but that small quantity is likely bound in the surrounding clays.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2958" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-12-11T21:51:48.083" LastActivityDate="2013-12-11T21:51:48.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8752" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-12-11T12:17:44.660" Score="2" ViewCount="113" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've found this in my neighbourhood, near a trash trolley:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sGcvK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Container with label&quot;&gt;&#xA;The handwriting can be unambiguously translated from Hebrew as &quot;Green Salt&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My best bet is that it is some kind of fertiliser because that would be cheap enough to throw away once you're done with and I found it outside a newly renovated garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what it looks like inside:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6IOw5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Inside view&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here's a closer look:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YI8F8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closer look&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has a definitely organic smell. I'm not sure what of, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Google suggests this is either Uranium tetrafluoride or Magnus' green salt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do you think it may be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why was it used for and why was it thrown away?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would it be useful to me in any way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it toxic?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it flammable?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it a fertiliser?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it sell-able?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2960" LastEditorUserId="2960" LastEditDate="2013-12-11T19:19:01.363" LastActivityDate="2013-12-17T07:41:50.937" Title="I've found about 40 kilograms of beige powder labelled &quot;Green Salt&quot; - what is it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8752" CreationDate="2013-12-11T15:21:31.190" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think it can be either of the things you've discovered on Google - for a start, what's in that bag isn't green, and both the chemicals you mention are green in colour when in this condition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why its labelled green salt is a mystery, but if you're feeling brave, see if there's any aroma to the contents of the bag, in case its a fertiliser such as fish, blood and bone. From its appearance in the picture, it just looks like soft sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, I certainly wouldn't use it, as Kevinski says - I'd be more concerned to find out how to get rid of it, so I'd probably wheel it right back to where it came from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-12-11T15:21:31.190" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8754" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8752" CreationDate="2013-12-11T17:05:37.457" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible the stuff is actually &quot;GreenSAND?&quot;  If so, that is a legit organic soil amendment.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensand&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensand&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I agree with those who say don't put it in your garden unless you are absolutely certain of what it is.  Not worth the risk, imo. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-12-11T17:05:37.457" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8755" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-12-12T13:52:26.327" Score="5" ViewCount="897" Body="&lt;p&gt;I performed dormant overseeding last year with amazing results in Ohio.  All I did in late December was walk my spreader over my yard.  The freeze/thaw cycle pulled the seeds deeper into the frozen cracks throughout the winter and the wet spring we always have here germinated a ton of the seed for me.  This year, I am set to do it again.  My front lawn if great looking, but the back is still a little behind it; I have two kids and a dog.  I have some bare spots that the overseeding simply does not work well with.  The seeds just washes away with the melting of the snow.  I wanted to mix some medium and seeds together to spread over these bare areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having a dog, I want to prevent his paws from tracking mud into the house come spring.  Is there an alternative medium to top soil I could use that would be easier on the carpet in my home?  I was thinking maybe vermiculite, but it would probably just wash away.  Any ideas would be great to hear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2014-05-28T19:14:03.920" Title="Is there a clean alternative to top soil as lawn topdressing?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8756" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8755" CreationDate="2013-12-12T18:14:39.667" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Clean sand?  It would still be tracked in some, but should also come off your dog's paws a lot more easily on his way in, especially if you put out a nice big outdoor door mat in front of all house entrances.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-12-12T18:14:39.667" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8757" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8755" CreationDate="2013-12-12T20:02:33.230" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cover it with hay. That'll keep some from getting on feet/paws.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, just get some flexible green/orange fencing and prevent the dog from getting in that area.  I did a 50 foot roll plus a few 3' ground-stakes for under $30. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2311" LastActivityDate="2013-12-12T20:02:33.230" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8758" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8694" CreationDate="2013-12-12T20:10:34.160" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;How many plants? 400w is fine for a 3x3 area but not for a larger setup, especially if you have different heights of plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;T5 will struggle to get tomatoes the level of light required. I would figure a 400-600w HPS or MH light in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Factor in support for the tall plants, either up to the basement ceiling or some caging/netting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2311" LastActivityDate="2013-12-12T20:10:34.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8759" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4565" CreationDate="2013-12-13T04:01:34.110" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends what comes out as fruit and also the cross. If you get an heirloom variety it will come out the same. If it is a F1 cross you have a chance of getting some recessive traits or some good traits from the parent. Growing from seeds and selecting out healthy plants is good for improving the plant variety for your conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2968" LastActivityDate="2013-12-13T04:01:34.110" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8760" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-12-13T08:06:16.807" Score="11" ViewCount="1522" Body="&lt;p&gt;Three years ago i moved into a new house.  In the garden was a lovely apple tree.  The first year we harvested 10 buckets of fruit. I'm not talking small buckets, there was lots of fruit.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I could tell the tree hadn't been pruned in years so I set about pruning the tree.  I have done so every year since cutting off the new spindly shoots that make it look like a tree hedgehog.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is I haven't gotten more than 10 apples off the tree in the last two years.  They were apples the size of my hand and tasted great.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is how much pruning is too much pruning?  I have no idea what type of apple it is. They are pale yellow in color, ready in early September and don't keep well.   It's definitely not a cooking apple as they shrink a lot when I make apple pie from them.  They were great for apple sauce the first year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-----------Edit to add info on how I read you should prune the tree-----&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My apple tree had a lot of long thin branches coming off the main trunk / branches.  I read that in the first year you should cut those back to 4 spurs. (Spurs are the little nubs where next year’s growth will come off of.)  The following year a bunch of new long thin branches will appear out of the 4 spurs you left behind.  Those you cut down to 3 spurs.   The following year you cut the new spurs down to 2.   This should give you a fruiting cluster. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a lovely artwork example of what I mean.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UXuPV.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;First year is red, it has 4 green spurs coming off of it.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Second year the green spurs sprout giving you the light blue ones. Cut them back to 3.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Third year the light blue spurs sprout giving you the purple ones. Cut them back to 2.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fourth year keep purple ones to 1 spur forever.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This should give you 24 spurs for fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2694" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-29T19:58:29.413" LastActivityDate="2017-01-30T08:00:36.853" Title="What's a good method for pruning an apple tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8761" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8760" CreationDate="2013-12-13T15:29:11.303" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many apples fruit from multi-year-old &quot;spurs&quot; - specialized branches that mostly grow the clusters of flower buds.  It sounds to me like you may have accidentally pruned a lot of your fruiting spurs off with the water sprouts and other extra branches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-12-13T15:29:11.303" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8480" CreationDate="2013-12-13T17:36:19.823" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can use it as a pesticide since it has alkaloids just like you can use plants with nicotine. But I would advise against it because you do not know if you or other animals accidentally ingest it. Livestock can get liver damage from ingestion a lots of it and there is no known cure for poisioning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2968" LastActivityDate="2013-12-13T17:36:19.823" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8764" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3927" CreationDate="2013-12-13T17:45:52.360" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes it does. Just add a small amount to water and do a light mist over the leaves when it is not sunny. If it is sunny your spray will cause black spots on the leaves. The result would be leaves that are a little bit larger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most foliar fertilizers should be rich in micronutrients, Nitrogen(N) and Phosphorus(K). &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agry.purdue.edu/CCA/2007/2007/Proceedings/Derrick%20Oosterhuis.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is a powerpoint that explains how foliar feeding works&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2968" LastActivityDate="2013-12-13T17:45:52.360" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8765" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3051" CreationDate="2013-12-13T17:54:01.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That depends where you are and your soil conditions. Since Skimmia japonica is in USDA zone 7-9 and is from low elevation forest in east asia. I would say water it about every three days to once a week when it is established and water when the soil seems kind of dry during hot weather (80F and above). If you have mulch you can water less, since it keeps the ground moist for longer periods&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2968" LastActivityDate="2013-12-13T17:54:01.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8742" CreationDate="2013-12-14T19:50:57.307" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can dig out the soil and get rid of it but it's considered hazardous waste so you need to find a suitable place to dispose of it. For a fairly small area like this that's probably the best way to go though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're going to have a really hard time planting grass and keeping it alive (even sod) with the heat you're having. Wait until the fall to repair the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're probably going to leave some fuel behind though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are microorganisms in compost that break down petroleum hydrocarbons. See this publication from the US EPA on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epa.gov/compost/pubs/bioremed.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bioremediation and Pollution Prevention&lt;/a&gt; (pdf). One application metioned was of an Air Force Base. They used to haul off the contaminated dirt to be incinerated but then started to mix the contaminated soil with yard trimmings and turkey manure and then compost the whole mix. That got rid of the contamination and saved them a lot of money.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would at least fill the hole up with either straight compost or a mix that's 50% of more compost and wait until temps are better for establishing grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a quick list on my site showing some of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2013/09/compost-silver-bullet.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;problems compost can solve&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2013-12-14T22:20:08.933" LastActivityDate="2013-12-14T22:20:08.933" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8767" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3111" CreationDate="2013-12-16T02:17:33.727" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My backyard compost bin is plastic, about 3 feet deep, about 3 feet wide at the bottom, with an opening about 2 feet wide at the top. I think a fairly common design. The narrow opening makes it difficult to get a fork in for &quot;flipping&quot; the compost, and the narrow handle on a fork gives no leverage to &quot;stab &amp;amp; twist&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I considered the turners with the movable arms but moving parts tend to jam or break so ruled them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was leaning toward the auger style turner described by Amanda, my only concern was that the grips you hold to turn them are quite close to the center shaft so I didn't think they would provide much leverage. I haven't used one though and since they drill into the compost there may not be much resistance anyway. The auger would have been my choice if I hadn't found ...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The hand cultivator. This is intended for soil cultivation but I found it works well for turning compost. It is about 3 feet long and the business end has 4 long spikes and 2 shorter ones. The other end has a wide T handle so you can get plenty of leverage when turning it. I use the &quot;stab &amp;amp; twist&quot; approach - stab into the compost then pull upward while giving the handle a bit of a twist. The twist causes it to grip a bundle of compost which gets pulled to the top, similar to the auger. If the compost is tightly packed you might have to repeat a few times to get depth - as you turn it the compost gets looser and you can stab deeper. If the compost is deep and tightly packed then the auger may be better, but for my purposes the cultivator does the job. It doesn't take much effort, and when you're not turning compost you can use it for cultivating the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DtVy6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hand cultivator&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="134" LastActivityDate="2013-12-16T02:17:33.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8768" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8771" CreationDate="2013-12-16T14:25:30.270" Score="6" ViewCount="6228" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two mint plants that have grown without much fanfare. Occasionally I do notice the odd leaf with very dark brown edges, almost black. Some leaves also appear to have a powdery white substance on their leaves, leaving them pale in appearance. It does not rub off on my fingers, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've watered my plants consistently every day except on wet or overcast days. The frequency of blackened leaves has increased recently, although, yesterday, I forgot to water the plant and I noticed all it's leaves had wilted heavily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants get a full day's sun, save for morning time. The weather is generally sunny and mild year round (São Paulo, Brazil).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I may have been too generous with fertiliser than needed when I repotted them about six weeks ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MUj0H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MUj0Hm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mint plant with brown leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oH1SJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oH1SJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Brown mint leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2972" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-12-17T18:28:30.823" LastActivityDate="2013-12-17T18:28:30.823" Title="Is this mint fungus, or over/under watering my plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8769" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8770" CreationDate="2013-12-16T14:33:24.317" Score="7" ViewCount="12723" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew coriander from seeds and the plant has done marvellously well until the last week or two where it appears to have stagnated a little. I noticed that some leaves have began to brown entirely, while others have brown tips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a potted plant in heavy soil. I was very generous with fertiliser, and I do water on most days save for overcast and rainy days. I notice that the water takes a while to be absorbed into the soil. The soil is constantly wet too. I'm afraid I might have planted it in too heavy soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is drainage below the plant. I used a bed of stones in a plastic pot with two holes. But I think the sand might be too heavy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant gets at least five hours of sun, maybe more, on on sunny days, and the weather is sunny and mild year round (São Paulo, Brazil).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VcVr2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2972" LastEditorUserId="2972" LastEditDate="2013-12-16T19:43:35.270" LastActivityDate="2013-12-16T22:35:59.940" Title="What could cause my coriander plant to start browning?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;cilantro&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8770" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8769" CreationDate="2013-12-16T22:35:59.940" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may be watering too much if your soil is wet all the time.  The top inch of soil should be allowed to dry out before you water your plants again, and the pot should be allowed to drain freely in between and not sit constantly in water.  Constantly wet soil for most plants means you will get rotted roots. Rotting roots below will produce brown leaves above, because the rotten roots can't properly take up water and nutrients for the foliage and the plant eventually has to start cutting back on how many leaves it can support. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-12-16T22:35:59.940" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8771" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8768" CreationDate="2013-12-16T22:40:28.027" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Like your coriander, you may be overwatering your mint as well.  Although mint likes moist soil, the key here is &quot;moist&quot; and not &quot;wet.&quot;  Unless you are experiencing very high temps and very low humidity there, then every day is probably too often to be watering your plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-12-16T22:40:28.027" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8772" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8752" CreationDate="2013-12-17T07:41:50.937" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it was abandoned and looks suspicious i think you should report it to local police or environmental authorities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2691" LastActivityDate="2013-12-17T07:41:50.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8773" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8778" CreationDate="2013-12-17T14:30:52.883" Score="2" ViewCount="214" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some tomato plants in August in pots with 70% soil and 30% organic vermicompost. Plants started to fruit from mid November, but even today those tomatoes are very small and green (and hard). It has been 1 month and they are not turning into mature ones. Are the plants missing something? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is 30% vermicompost not enough or should I use some NPK fertiliser? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the usual time for tomatoes to turn red and mature?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2818" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-12-17T18:26:33.617" LastActivityDate="2013-12-21T12:26:24.487" Title="How much time do tomatoes take to ripen?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8774" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8773" CreationDate="2013-12-17T15:28:46.473" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where are you located?  What kind of temperatures are your plants growing in?  Tomatoes like temps in the 60-80 degree range (60s or better at night, 80s during the day) for best growth.  If temps are very far outside this range on either side, it may have problems ripening fruit.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-12-17T15:28:46.473" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8775" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5242" CreationDate="2013-12-17T16:59:45.173" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some white non-supersweet corn varieties I know of that regularly get high marks for flavor when picked in the milk stage are Stowell's Evergreen and Country Gentleman.  I've grown these at one time or another and thought they were very tasty (I also don't like the new super sweet varieties - they just don't taste like corn to me...)  These varieties are also open pollinated, meaning you can save seed from them for next year if you only grow one variety or if you isolate the plants in some fashion (look up seed saving, corn, for details - I think Seedsavers.org has a good set of tutorials.)  Silver Queen is an older hybrid type that is sweeter than many older open pollinated types, but not nearly as sweet as the new super sweet sugary hybrids, so you might try that one as well, even though the seed won't save true.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-12-17T16:59:45.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8776" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8579" CreationDate="2013-12-17T17:02:27.123" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you had the roots checked for grub damage?  If not, that might be a good idea - it can cause whole patches to look like your pictures, because the grubs eat the grass roots and the tops eventually die.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-12-17T17:02:27.123" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8777" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5313" CreationDate="2013-12-17T17:04:29.270" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like incomplete pollination to me.  Early spring with its irregular cold snaps can sometimes interfere with pollination, even for plants that are self-fertile. There may be enough seed set to trigger fruit formation, but not enough to warrant the plant putting energy into making a full-size fruit for just a few seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-12-17T17:04:29.270" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8778" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8773" CreationDate="2013-12-17T17:14:25.347" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should be using NPK fertiliser, preferably a commercially produced tomato food, or at least something with an NPK roughly approaching 10-10-18 for a liquid feed, or 18-18-21 for a foliar spray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your average temperatures and hours of sunlight also make a difference - in the UK, in summer, average ripening time from swelling of the fruit to full ripeness probably 2-4 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATED RESPONSE&lt;/strong&gt;: No, your NPK fertiliser isn't quite right - if you look at the numbers I gave in the first paragraph, the 'K' part is much higher than the other two figures. This is the formulation for tomato food, in other words, the nitrogen and phosphorus (N and P) are lower than the potassium (K).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-12-21T12:26:24.487" LastActivityDate="2013-12-21T12:26:24.487" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8579" CreationDate="2013-12-17T22:22:41.140" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on your most recent edit the sandy soil is draining quickly and water is not retained in the organic matter. The traditional way to deal with this is top dressing with one quarter to one half inch of topsoil/compost/peat moss in the spring and fall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also consider overseeding your existing grass with a similar but drought resistant variety in the spring and fall as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Varieties suitable for Louisiana are Bermuda grass hybrids and Zoysia which are described in some detail &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lsuagcenter.com/NR/rdonlyres/E670306F-ACFB-4BAB-88FA-DF856315A0A7/38097/pub2230turfgrassesHIGHRES1.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be worth your time to go to a local nursery or sod supplier with a sample of your grass and get local suggestions for maintenance and varieties that work in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-12-17T22:22:41.140" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8355" CreationDate="2013-12-18T20:09:58.213" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The end of your seed with a lighter area on top is called the eye, place the seed with its eye facing up.  Cover the seed with half an inch (1.27 centimeters) of soil. The seed should sprout within a few weeks.  Water your plant with lukewarm water whenever you see the soil is a bit dry. &lt;br&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mangos don't need a lot of water.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2974" LastActivityDate="2013-12-18T20:09:58.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8781" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8728" CreationDate="2013-12-18T22:56:16.480" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The bacteria for quick cycling a tank you might be able to find at your local fish store, you will find some aquarists who don't trust that, though, and it'll be expensive for a larger scale pond.  You probably are dealing with heartier fish, so you may be willing to risk more.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're not in a hurry, though, you can do a fishless cycle using just ammonia.  If you set your tank up with sufficient oxygen (bubblers, filters  and such) and ammonia (4-5 ppm) and monitor it the bacteria will grow, you'll be able to tell by monitoring your ammonia levels and watching them drop more rapidly.  In place of buying pure ammonia you can use fish food, it will break down into the needed components.  Don't forget to provide places for the bacteria to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people use actual fish to speed up the process as well.  If your fish are inexpensive you may try that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And always the best thing:  if you have a friend beg him for some used filter media!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(P.S. Are you setting this up in the winter?  Fish have a lowered immune system in cold water- the shock of a new environment in the cold can kill them.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2976" LastActivityDate="2013-12-18T22:56:16.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8782" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-12-18T23:05:21.890" Score="14" ViewCount="1895" Body="&lt;p&gt;Being a layman who is thinking of starting to garden in the yard I have a question in mind. Why does one need to buy potting mix and why not use natural soil for  gardening? I live in Melbourne Australia and I cannot understand why mostly smaller plants or seeds are in potting mix but on the other hand I saw trees and many other small to medium plants planted in soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your guidance will help me growing more greenery on earth :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your guidance, help and time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2977" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-12-24T14:28:16.037" LastActivityDate="2014-02-01T18:28:36.040" Title="Why use potting mix instead of natural soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8783" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8782" CreationDate="2013-12-19T01:25:33.230" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;An artificial soil mix offers advantages to growers and some advantages to the people who buy the plants.&#xA;For the grower:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consistent artificial soil quality and mix across multiple batches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;free of pathogens and the crowd of bacteria/virus/fungi that live in soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;different mixes are designed for seedlings, acid loving plants or plants that benefit from &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endophyte&quot;&gt;endophytes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the major cause of death for indoor plants is over watering. By adding vermiculite and perlite drainage is increased and the chance of soggy roots is decreased&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the new plant owner:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil less or artificial mixes are lighter than top soil. Easier to carry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the long run I have seen these issues with artificial soil:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a much larger percentage of the soil is organic matter. Great for retaining water and air but it tends to dry out and diminish in volume over time.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;as it is lacking in the flora and fauna of a soil mix if something does get established due to over watering or a pre existing virus/fungi/bacteria then there is nothing aside from chemical controls to stop it's spread&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;large plants like dracaena massangea or ficus benjamina do not get enough support and will lean in an artificial mix&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when a soil less mix dries out it physically contracts in size from around the rim of the pot. When you try and water this the water runs off the side and it is hard to rewet the root ball without a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfactant&quot;&gt;surfactant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;once the initial charge of fertilizer is used up heavy feeders like flowering plants need supplementary feeding to keep flowering. This is sort of a moot point in most cases as the majority of indoor plants never receive enough light to require additional nitrogen. Micro nutrients are another matter. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After maintaining tropical plants for over ten years the longest lived healthiest dracaena massangea I saw were potted in some kind of clay soil.  They weighed a ton and even after fifteen or twenty years in an office were still growing and flowering without any leaf spotting. Not a large enough sample for research grade study but interesting...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://urbanext.illinois.edu/containergardening/soil.cfm&quot;&gt;Some&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mofga.org/Publications/MaineOrganicFarmerGardener/Spring2005/SoillessMixes/tabid/1233/Default.aspx&quot;&gt;further&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www2.ca.uky.edu/HLA/Dunwell/SoillessSubstratemgt.html&quot;&gt;references&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-12-20T01:41:10.937" LastActivityDate="2013-12-20T01:41:10.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8784" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8786" CreationDate="2013-12-19T21:55:36.253" Score="5" ViewCount="203" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the Netherlands, where the climate is very unstable. Whilst I love my coffee and love doing a lot of stuff myself, the urge to grow my own coffee had risen. I was wondering if the Dutch climate makes for good coffee / coffee plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2986" OwnerDisplayName="Nkciy84" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-12-20T01:32:07.463" LastActivityDate="2013-12-20T03:06:53.093" Title="Can I grow coffee plants in my garden?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8784" CreationDate="2013-12-19T22:16:06.530" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;While you can &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gurneys.com/grow_your_own_coffee&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;grow coffee at home&lt;/a&gt;, you are almost certainly not going to be able to grow it outdoors in the Netherlands. Coffee tends to only &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nationalgeographic.com/coffee/map.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;grow well&lt;/a&gt; in fairly mountainous equatorial regions with moderate temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="sourd'oh" LastActivityDate="2013-12-19T22:16:06.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8786" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8784" CreationDate="2013-12-20T01:28:52.057" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Coffee is considered a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffea&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;tropical plant&lt;/a&gt; and is not going to overwinter in the Netherlands.  It makes a good house plant but there are some obstacles between you and a cup of coffee you grew and processed yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a plant capable of fruiting is two to three meters tall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it is usually three to five years old before flowering and producing beans&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the beans can take nine months to ripen on the plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;under good cultivation one tree can produce one to two kilograms of beans a year depending on variety&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More notes about cultivation are found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.justaboutcoffee.com/?file=coffeetree&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Important growing factors are: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Avoiding excessive cold and heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;1200-1500mm of rain per annum. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A few hours of light per day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;No strong winds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Altitude - The higher the better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last might be the most challenging for growing coffee in the Netherlands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-12-20T01:28:52.057" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8787" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8784" CreationDate="2013-12-20T03:06:53.093" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why not start seeds and grow them in a container this year? You can bring it inside before cold weather threatens and take it with you when you move. I am pretty sure coffee plants are zone 10. I saw one in the Logee's Greenhouse catalog the other day and thought it would be cool to grow one, but then came to my senses and decided I wouldn't want one more plant that I had to overwinter inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've linked the coffee plant page from Logee's because it tells you a tiny bit about the temps and conditions the coffee plants need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a link that might be useful: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.logees.com/Coffea-arabica-Coffee/productinfo/R1180-2/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Coffee Plant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2985" LastActivityDate="2013-12-20T03:06:53.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8789" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8800" CreationDate="2013-12-20T09:44:29.520" Score="5" ViewCount="985" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just moved a neglected grape vine plant to a place where I want to espalier it properly. It's summer at the moment (Australia) so I know I can't do any heavy pruning at the moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I want to begin tying the plant up and training it properly but am unsure of where to start. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are three main branches/arms coming off the trunk. Each of the three have healthy full growth on them with multiple smaller branches, plenty of green leaves and heaps of sprouts. The middle one which ideally should've been trained upwards is bent over. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideal scenario is for this to grow one main branch upwards and have three arms coming off in each direction (6 arms in total, or three stacked T-shapes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How would I go about approaching this over summer and then again once winter has ended? How would I select which branch to bend to train upwards?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iofh2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Wide view of the vine&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MHUuE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of the three branches&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2987" LastActivityDate="2013-12-24T20:15:45.557" Title="Pruning this grape vine during summer" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8790" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-12-20T16:36:07.267" Score="3" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently, I found some parts of the lawn and some areas quite near to the house itself were in a mess. I suspect that some animals like opossums may be the reason. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any ways to keep them away from the lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user785099" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-12-20T17:44:45.863" LastActivityDate="2013-12-20T17:56:12.600" Title="How do I keep opossums away from my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8791" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8790" CreationDate="2013-12-20T17:56:12.600" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A picture would assist but wild animals are pretty consistent in one thing. They go where the food is.  Is it possible your lawn has an infestation of white grubs?  Skunks and crows will go after a lawn to eat the grubs but they make a mess doing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What part of the country do you live in and what season is it there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2013-12-20T17:56:12.600" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8792" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="608" CreationDate="2013-12-21T04:05:44.813" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been mowing them really small for about three years now and turning half into the garden and putting the other half into a compost pile along with grass clippings, kitchen scraps and of I'm lucky enough to be given some manure I mix some of it in there too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2988" LastActivityDate="2013-12-21T04:05:44.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8782" CreationDate="2013-12-21T12:59:39.573" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just for interest's sake, I'll add something, though Kevinsky has given a comprehensive answer already. The reason you don't just dig up a bit of soil from your garden, put it in a pot and then plant something in it is simple - any pathogens present are now contained in that pot and multiplying, rather than being diluted in open ground, which means there's a risk your potted plant will be killed. Certainly, I've known people do just this, and the plant's been fine, but there is still a risk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing to note is that some potting composts are loam based, which makes them look more like 'ordinary' soil and which are very heavy when wet. These are the most suitable for large trees and shrubs in pots, so John Innes No. 3 is the one of choice for large, permanent potted subjects - unless the weight is an issue (in a roof garden, for instance).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a further point, many people can and do make their own potting composts - they use a hot, aerobic composting system for garden waste, and when that is ready, they add other materials (sand, vermiculite, grit, peat, etc) in various ratios to get the potting medium they want for various plants. A hot, aerobic composting system kills off the majority of pathogens and most weed seeds too, which is why that system needs to be used if you want to make your own potting medium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2013-12-21T13:04:55.163" LastActivityDate="2013-12-21T13:04:55.163" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8795" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3111" CreationDate="2013-12-21T14:34:56.947" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use a GeoBin composter and have a somewhat similar device to aerate the pile. It works well for a contained bin like I have but I still turn the pile once or twice by lifting up the composter and moving the contents into it's new location, turning the pile inside out in the process. You can read more details on my post about &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2013/10/how-to-turn-compost-in-geobin.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;how to turn compost in a GeoBin&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can do something similar if you can remove your compost enclosure or if you're just using piles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's best if you can have the pile aerate itself and then just manually aerate it from time to time. You can do this by placing large, bulky items in the bottom like thick branches or rocks. They won't compost completely but they allow air to come in the bottom through the sides and rise up through the pile. A perforated pipe sticking up in the center helps too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2013-12-21T14:34:56.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8798" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-12-24T14:45:56.937" Score="4" ViewCount="1548" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone please identify this plant? I salvaged it from work but have no idea what it is other than it is an outdoor climbing plant, with thin green hardy stems and little yellow flowers produced during wintertime. I live in Birmingham, England.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lBYFp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2994" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2013-12-27T15:25:33.390" LastActivityDate="2013-12-27T15:25:33.390" Title="What is this plant with thin green stems and little yellow flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8789" CreationDate="2013-12-24T19:46:00.160" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ok, here is how I would proceed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the middle trunk bent and hardened so badly that it cannot be straightened up again with slow training and patience?  If so, then I'd trim the grape vine back to just one main trunk next spring (one of the side branches that is still semi-flexible) and start with that as my main central leader, while selecting three nice branches on each side of the chosen branch at three different levels to use for main scaffolds.  Then I'd follow standard pruning instructions for a three tiered espalier from that point forward.  In the meantime, take the branch you are expecting to use and tie it upright to a stake asap so it will be easier to work with next year and won't harden into a kinked trunk shape like the other one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you think that central leader CAN be fixed, then do what you can with it this summer and fall.  You might tie the bent section to a stout straight piece of branch, and then attempt over the next few months to slowly bend it up into a straighter profile using the stout branch as a splint.  Then next spring use the two side trunks as your first tier of espaliered scaffolding branches and select two more nice ones on each side of the central trunk for the upper level scaffolds, prune the rest back, and press on.  In the meantime, tie the whole thing to a stake and a low cross wire with the main trunk in the middle as straight as you can make it without breaking it, and stretch the two other leaders out to the side as straight as you can so they don't become unmanageable or break in the interim.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this isn't clear, I can try to draw you something to illustrate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edited to add:  Another option for this vine might be to grow it as a fan-shaped espalier.  You would still have the issue of what to do with that bent central trunk, but it would be less critical to the overall success of the espalier-ation than it would be if you did a strict three-tier vertical system.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2013-12-24T20:15:45.557" LastActivityDate="2013-12-24T20:15:45.557" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8801" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8633" CreationDate="2013-12-26T05:01:26.550" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It can be several things. I have to look at the back of the leaves to know for sure. My guess is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spider mites  if there are red dots &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thrips or whiteflies if there are white dots on the back&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can be sun burn from misting if the back looks the same&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2968" LastActivityDate="2013-12-26T05:01:26.550" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8798" CreationDate="2013-12-26T22:51:42.010" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasminum_nudiflorum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Jasmine nudiflorum&lt;/a&gt; - because it's been so mild, that's why its flowering now - in colder years, it still flowers early, but around February/March. Can be hard pruned immediately after flowering is over, but should have flowered stems pruned out anyway at that time. Best tied in to a trellis or support because it's not actually a climber, or planted somewhere you don't mind it flopping and trailing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-12-26T23:46:02.337" LastActivityDate="2013-12-26T23:46:02.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8804" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-12-27T15:54:37.450" Score="7" ViewCount="3438" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a type of crab grass in my yard, I live in a warm climate, Latin American to be exact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's always been a pain to keep the grass out of the walkways and out of the garden in a neat fashion. What I have done in the past is to dig trenches around the walk ways and between the grass and the timbers separating the garden from the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This actually makes it a bit easy to keep up on. For the most part the Lawn Mower gets most of it. Then a quick run with the weed whacker and I get the rest. The problem is it's an underground creeper type grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We recently went away for a month and came back and it was the rainy season. The grass grew a foot over all walkways again. It wasn't just a quick weed whack process this time, once again, as it had crept underground through the trenches and I had to dig them out again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to keep the trenches from being overtaken? So I can just weed whack it and that's that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking, but I don't know if it works or not, digging a 4 to 6 inch trench around everything. Lining that trench with Lime then filling it with either white or yellow sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm just not sure if that keeps grass at bay or not. I also want an easy clean out when I whack it as the grass fly's into the trench of course. Hence why I thought of the sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures of the grass and what I'm trying to accomplish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8mvgC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sidewalk and Driveway Edge&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9muGP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Garden Edge&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3001" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T22:18:22.320" Title="Lawn border to stop grass growth" Tags="&lt;crabgrass&gt;&lt;border&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8808" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-12-28T23:47:32.383" Score="5" ViewCount="1390" Body="&lt;p&gt;We're looking at making our first backyard pond in the edge of our garden. I have read a LOT of pages through searching on Google and they seem to make it so hard to get started. I don't think it's this hard so I need some advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our pond is going to be sort of round, mostly. Then it will elongate the last part maybe 3 to 4 feet long under our walkway as a mini under the bridge type deal. The round part of the pond will only be 4 to 6 feet in circumference. So a very small pond really.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;First thing is can I just use either the dirt itself as the liner or line it with lime? (Lime: From what I have read through articles I have found, helps starting a pond with pH levels, bacteria, etc.) We live in Guatemala in Central America so pond liners are not easy to find, I would have to import it and that gets expensive, no point in it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;We live in the tropics, so no need for worries of freezing or anything of the sorts. The temperature is normally from 70&amp;deg;F to 90&amp;deg;F with no humidity, very nice all day long and all year long. Rainy season is a bit wild, but only 4 months long, just a lot of rain during those months.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of fish would be good for this size of a pond and climate? I love Koi but they seem very work intensive and take a lot from what I have read. But I don't believe everything I read as the McDonalds down the road has Koi outside in a small around the building pond made of cement, so they can't be that big of a pain ha ha.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or would Goldfish be better? That being said how many would be the max of a given fish, or better yet a good number of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I do &quot;not&quot; want a filter and a bunch of pumps etc. in our pond. I would like to have a still water pond. I know it will be a bit muggy, that's fine mostly as it won't be horribly deep in the elongated part under the walkway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said, what are the suggestions for still water ponds to keep them clearer? Can we not buy a couple bottom sucker fish for it? We had one in our fish tank years ago that grew to 7 inches long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or is there another fish to keep them clean?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there some plants that would be suggested as water plants to help keep it clear water?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Would turtles be good to have to help keep it clean?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What do the fish eat? I know that for aquarium fish you get fish food, but wouldn't the mosquito larvae (a lot during rainy season as I had Tilapia tanks once) and other natural things be good food for the fish?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We really want this pond to be 100% natural and still without mechanics of any sorts. Electricity is hugely expensive in Guatemala, so we don't want pumps running year round.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any other advice that can be given would be greatly appreciated for a first timer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3001" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-01-03T17:40:27.707" LastActivityDate="2014-12-19T08:22:58.500" Title="Can you advise me on a still-water garden pond in tropical Central America?" Tags="&lt;aquaponic&gt;&lt;pond&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8809" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8808" CreationDate="2013-12-29T00:31:37.073" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure you can have everything you want with this project. While this is not a complete answer you may find some of these points to be relevant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;turtles eat fish, frogs and just about anything they can ambush.  Not a good mix with many other animals.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you want a still pond you will have an ideal environment for mosquitoes.  If you think a few more won't hurt then you could stock the pond with fish that will eat the larvae.  I am sure there are local fish species that would rise to the challenge.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in order to compare lime vs pond liner you should check out other ponds in the area.  Pond liners are good for at least 25 years. Subsidence in the earth or earthquakes could easily cause leaks in a compacted lime liner. If you want this to last then use 40 or 60 mil food grade pond liner.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;once you have a pond you want a bigger one.  Why not go big now?  The larger the pond the more stable an ecosystem it can have&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sadly you are not building an ecosystem that can thrive without external inputs.  It is more like a watery compost heap.  Let me expand on that:&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plants absorb the nitrogen that fish and turtles excrete.  If they are not present then algae will be happy to make your pond into a green soup&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;decaying plant material releases nitrogen.  Every leaf that settles to the bottom of the pond slowly decomposes and releases nitrogen.  Even potting a plant in topsoil and putting it in the water releases nitrogen.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;algae! More than an aesthetic problem they can fill the top six inches of the pond and choke out plants.  It does provide some cover for fish fry so some is good. Algae thrives in conditions where plants will just get by.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;oxygen levels: still water does not absorb as much as moving water.  Low oxygen levels mean only tougher fish can survive at the top of the pond.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it is a good practice to remove the sludge that accumulates in the bottom of the tank. Sophisticated designs use a pond liner and a bottom drain.  Or you can vacuum your pond yearly with hobbyist tools.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;without a filter sludge will accumulate faster and nitrogen levels will be hard to maintain at a stable level&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;koi: they are like watery lawnmowers. They will eat other fish, plants and anything that will fit in their mouths. They need better water quality than goldfish.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;goldfish: just as hungry as koi but no regrets if they die.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you have fish eating birds in your area they will visit your pond and eat the most expensive fish first.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keep in mind that fish like a variety of depths to live in and more water plants can be found that need to sit six to twelve inches underwater.  You need ledges for the plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you need to have a stable edge for the pond.  People like to walk up to the edge and look in.  If their weight collapses the edge and they fall in.....&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what are the local laws about ponds and pools? Where I live if you can drown in it you have to fence around it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;there is one way to have a still pond that does not need a filter or a pump or much maintenance.  Just add some bleach. How much depends on the volume in the pond but doing this would ensure no algae or mosquitoes.  However you could not have plants or fish. You could start with &lt;a href=&quot;http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/disinfectants.cfm&quot;&gt;1 - 2 mg/litre&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-12-29T02:54:20.377" LastActivityDate="2013-12-29T02:54:20.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8811" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-12-29T15:16:52.263" Score="7" ViewCount="122" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am basically setting up a new office and I believe placing some plants will smoothen the work there and help get rid off boredom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you guys suggest some plants or setups that could make my office lively? Any common or useful tips would be warmly welcomed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Office information:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The office is at Kerala, India mild moderate climate and facing east.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It got large windows and doors made of glass and sunlight is plenty available through out the day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is windy there most of the time and gets enough air throughout the day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for small plants that could be placed on desks and windows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3006" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T13:16:36.257" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T13:16:36.257" Title="Can you recommend some small plants for my new office?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8812" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8813" CreationDate="2013-12-29T20:52:56.323" Score="4" ViewCount="147" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a rose I bought 3 days ago, I think it really grows fast, it produce a new flower every 1-2 days!&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HKTXa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MuC69.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;BTW, is there something wrong with the flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3007" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2013-12-30T16:47:31.527" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T23:32:57.257" Title="Help identifying a plant with pink flowers" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8812" CreationDate="2013-12-30T11:01:50.873" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is most definitely not a rose. As for what it is, I suspect it's &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarkia_amoena&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Clarkia amoena&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, previously named Godetia. These come in various colours and bi colours, usually in the deep pink through to whitish pink range, and are annuals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-06T23:32:57.257" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T23:32:57.257" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8814" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2013-12-30T20:00:01.750" Score="8" ViewCount="5133" Body="&lt;p&gt;The pest control professional told me that there may be moles in my yard. Some parts of the lawn were torn up, especially in small areas where the lawn did not grow well and was bare. They told me that removing moles can be quite expensive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there effective ways that I can remove moles by myself?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3010" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-01-03T17:01:34.710" LastActivityDate="2016-10-14T21:57:35.620" Title="How can I remove moles from my lawn?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="10" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8815" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8811" CreationDate="2013-12-30T23:30:25.463" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have African Violets and Phalaenopsis orchids currently blooming in my south facing office window.  They prefer a more diffused light, however, so unless it is cloudy I keep the blinds somewhat closed - up to 75% closed. Since I work in the greater Seattle area, however, most of the time I don't have to worry about them getting too much sun.  ;-) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other plants to consider for an office environment, depending on available light levels, might be something in the philodendron or pothos families. I've seen some nice specimens indoors thriving on fluorescent lighting alone.  A nice choice for an indoor hanging plant is the &quot;Spider Plant (chlorophytum).&quot;  If your office workers do not all have green thumbs, there are indoor plants that are considered very sturdy and even almost &quot;fail proof&quot; for most indoor garden areas, for example &quot;Peace Lily (spathyphyllum)&quot; and various variegated aloes, or the ever-popular &quot;Cast Iron Plant (apidistra)&quot; or &quot;Mother in Law's Tongue (Sansevieria).&quot;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2013-12-30T23:30:25.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8816" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8811" CreationDate="2013-12-31T11:13:44.510" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Given that half a day's sun will be available, and that you need easy care, small growing plants which don't droop and trail, I'd recommend the following, in order of preference for your situation:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sansevieria hahnii (not to be confused with S. trifasciata laurentii) and Sansevieria golden hahnii. Easy care, tolerates dryness if you forget to water, doesn't get large, remains neat and tidy, doesn't mind shade nor a bit of sun.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Peperomia caperata and Peperomia hederaefolia - neat growers, but do not appreciate direct sunlight for any length of time, particularly in summer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Iresine herbstii and Iresine aureoreticulata - needs as much sunlight as possible, but not very hot sun for any length of time. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether you can get any of these where you are, I don't know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-09T20:21:41.930" LastActivityDate="2017-03-09T20:21:41.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8817" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8804" CreationDate="2013-12-31T11:22:05.210" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't think of any easy solution to this problem - what you're doing already, that is, trenching and keeping the trench clear, is probably the best idea. Laying lime and adding sand on top just means the sand will blow everywhere if you use any kind of hover mower, and you'd have to very carefully collect any clippings off the top of that loose sand whenever you cut back. Grass, all grass, also has a habit of butting up and then growing over any solid obstruction such as a concrete path, so adding a concrete trench won't make any difference either. Crabgrass particularly, as you know, spreads underground quite rapidly, so using this type of grass will mean regular trenching as you're doing now, unfortunately. Less of a problem with 'sod' or turf, that only needs trimming back from hard edges with a half moon edger once or twice a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2013-12-31T11:22:05.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8814" CreationDate="2013-12-31T15:06:15.630" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You did the right thing in hiring a professional with local expertise. However it is also a good idea to check that the answer you received covers all the symptoms you mention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why your lawn?&lt;/strong&gt;:  They are there for the food: Moles eat grubs, insects and their primary food, worms. Voles eat a wide variety of plant material and seeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Identification&lt;/strong&gt;: &#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Here is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iowawildlifecontrol.com/facts/moles/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;a site&lt;/a&gt; with a picture of typical mole damage. If you see long lines of dead grass and little mounds of earth you can be fairly certain you have moles. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You might have voles which are smaller and can damage plant material.  Their runs are commonly found in the grass at surface level. There are various species but none of them make little mounds of earth. More detailed description is found &lt;a href=&quot;http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/live/g887/build/g887.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Solutions&lt;/strong&gt;: trapping is the most effective way.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Voles can be trapped using mouse traps. Bait with peanut butter and cover with a little box with an entrance hole to prevent squirrels and birds from setting off the trap.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Moles are larger, chipmunk size,  and require special mole traps placed over their main runs.  If you can rent or buy mole traps and identify the runs they use everyday you can do this yourself. I see that the renowned pest control manufacturer,&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.victorpest.com/store/mole-and-gopher-control&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Victor&lt;/a&gt; sells mole traps but you still need to identify the best spots to trap. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do not bother trying these ineffective and possibly dangerous remedies from the Ohio State &lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/w-fact/0011.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt; mentioned above: &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Pickle juice, broken glass, red pepper, razor blades, bleach, moth&#xA;  balls, rose branches, human hair balls, vibrators, ultrasonic devices,&#xA;  castor bean derivatives (Castor Oil), and explosives may relieve&#xA;  frustrations, but they have little value in controlling moles and may&#xA;  harm you or the environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-01-17T11:46:34.650" LastActivityDate="2014-01-17T11:46:34.650" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8819" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-01T09:02:53.840" Score="6" ViewCount="144" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife remembers a shrub(?) that grew in the Azores that was called a bee melon or Melão de abelha.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;She describes it as growing from a bush that produced small white flowers, and then a pale whitish fruit that tasted sweet and floral.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know anything about this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3011" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-02-03T17:12:04.143" LastActivityDate="2014-06-03T19:29:43.797" Title="Where can I find a &quot;bee melon&quot;?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8820" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-01T12:04:21.317" Score="11" ViewCount="96171" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't quite understand why so many tutorials, photos and videos show people planting a bunch of seeds together in one hole. Is there some benefit to this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have very little experience with gardening, but common sense tells me that planting just one seed per hole is the efficient thing to do. Somewhere I heard that plants grow better in distance from other plants because they get more water, sun and minerals from earth that way, which totally makes sense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can totally understand the desire to ensure that at least one seed grows into a healthy plant from a hole by putting multiple seeds in it, but that doesn't seem like a rational use of seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any other benefits to putting multiple seeds in a hole besides that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2273" LastActivityDate="2020-05-10T22:14:45.253" Title="Is it better to plant many seeds in one hole or few?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="8" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8820" CreationDate="2014-01-01T12:56:42.773" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hmm, well I'm desperately trying to think of any time I've seen a whole bunch of seeds shoved into one small hole, and I can't. Generally, with larger seeds, they are planted individually, though possibly close together if in a seed tray just for germination and growth initiation purposes, and smaller seeds are broadcast across the top of the growing medium. Planting straight into the ground with larger seeds (like nasturtium) you may put 2 seeds to a hole and remove one plant later if they both grow, but smaller seeds are either sprinkled lightly in pre prepared furrows or just broadcast onto friable ground, depending on what it is you're growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know where these tutorials, videos and photos are showing this method of sowing, because in all my 35 years of being in horticulture, I've never seen it nor been advised to do it, so I'm wondering what on earth the purpose of this might be, and curious as to whether it's something useful that I don't know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-01-01T12:56:42.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="608" CreationDate="2014-01-01T15:34:45.167" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know the answer has already been accepted, but feel the need to add this - piles of leaves are best composted separately from everything else, because they break down in a different way from most other stuff. If you've got room, and plenty of black bags, it's easy - just collect them up, stuff them in the bags, as many as you can in each bag and still be able to tie the top. If they are dry, water them, poke a few holes in the bottom of the bag, tie it shut and leave it somewhere out of sight and preferably not on a surface that stains, for up to 2 years. After this time, the leaves will have turned into rich, black 'soil' and can be used as compost in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-01-01T15:34:45.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8824" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8820" CreationDate="2014-01-01T23:06:39.473" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Eliot Coleman talks about planting multiple onions, beets, or similar other crops in the same planting hole. The end result is that you get multiple small plants from the same place -- e.g. three or four mini beets instead of one large beet, which may be more enjoyable or more marketable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As @Bamboo's answer said, another reason might be that you are going to thin plants if more than one comes up. I've also done this with old &quot;last chance&quot; seed that I was pretty sure was going to have a poor germination rate. I was pretty sure that not all of the seeds were going to come up, so I just put a few seeds into each planting hole. This makes it so that there aren't gaps in the planting area, and it didn't matter that I was &quot;wasting&quot; seed since I'd have thrown it out anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2014-01-01T23:06:39.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8825" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8836" CreationDate="2014-01-02T07:48:50.970" Score="4" ViewCount="6113" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple bags of grass shavings leftover from mowing the lawn and was wondering if I work the grass into the soil would that accomplish anything meaningful?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2835" LastActivityDate="2014-01-05T19:40:42.710" Title="Does working leftover grass into your soil do anything?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8826" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7090" CreationDate="2014-01-02T09:57:21.327" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suggest planting them each into a 1 gallon then later a 5 gallon and wait until it fruits (~3-5 years). Keep them at a height of 6-8feet. If you like the fruit buy an m111 rootsock and graft it on and discard the plant. The reason for this is that we do not know how high your tree can get or how tolerant it is to wooly aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2968" LastActivityDate="2014-01-02T09:57:21.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8827" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4055" CreationDate="2014-01-02T10:06:16.987" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it is not soft and squishy it has a chance of resprouting. Even if the roots are chopped off it still can sprout from the nodes given warmth. The color would usually be yellow, brown, to black. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not recommend you sprayed the cymbidium with water because most of them require a dry rest between watering (about 3 -14 days depending on where you are and how dry it gets). Spraying them will increase the chance of rotting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sprouting from bulbs only work for the majority of standard store brought cymbidium hybrids but not species with no pseudobulbs and it seldomly works for species from the Jensoa subgenera.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2968" LastActivityDate="2014-01-02T10:06:16.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8820" CreationDate="2014-01-02T10:15:07.570" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You determine how many you want to put based on the germination rate. You should perform a germination test to what percent of the seeds sprout. If half of the ones you sow sprout. Then you plant multiple seeds into a hole. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally if you plant multiple seeds into a hole, if both plants grow out you will have to cut, kill or transplant the secondary (usually weaker) plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A third reason to plant multiple seeds into a hole is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companion_planting&quot;&gt;companion planting&lt;/a&gt; where plants that are next to each other provide some benefit (such as repelling pest, fixating nitrogen, or providing a climbing stalk) for their neighbors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2968" LastActivityDate="2014-01-02T10:15:07.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8829" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8808" CreationDate="2014-01-02T10:42:25.400" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can have most of what you want but it will cost you in space. I would look into &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_swimming_pool&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;natural pools&lt;/a&gt; The water will be filtered by the plants taking up the nutrients. They are also somewhat low maintenance depending on what plants you and fish you put in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I disagree with kevinsky that turtles will eat fish. It will depend on what type of turtle you get. Birds will not eat your fish depending on the size of fish you get.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you can choose from pond liner or concrete and cement. If you have natural dirt you have to check if any problems will occur when the water seeps into the ground.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;To clear mosquitos Gambusia species is a common choice for their low maintenance. Dragon fly larvae and frogs will also eat mosquito.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For fish you have to determine how deep your pond is, if it is too shallow the water will heat up too quickly before it can be cooled off and your fish will cook in the high temperatures. Secondly you have to limit the amount of fish you have if you want to do not want a pump or the water to be cloudy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since there are no filters you will need lots of water plants see &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisms_used_in_water_purification&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; Lava rock and coarse gravel can serve as a bedding area for these plants. The Plants will absorb phosphorus and nitrogen which can cause growth of algae. You will have to trim and divide them every so often but the rate they absorb is faster than the rate decaying plants can release nitrogen to cloud the water.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2968" LastEditorUserId="2968" LastEditDate="2014-01-03T00:55:51.927" LastActivityDate="2014-01-03T00:55:51.927" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8831" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8825" CreationDate="2014-01-02T13:00:55.717" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, it sounds like you've had them in a bag for a while and depending on temperatures where you are, they may already be slimy and smelly. Otherwise, it will add to the organic content in the soil, but you can get the same result by applying it as a layer over the top and letting it rot down if the clippings are fresh. Doesn't look very attractive after a week or so, and shouldn't be applied more than about an inch deep, but it saves digging in. Safer to dig it in on unplanted ground - benefits to actively growing plants vary - can be beneficial or deleterious, depending on what you're growing and whether its during the growing season or not. Certainly, working grass clippings into an empty vegetable bed a few weeks before planting can be useful, but not massively. One caveat though - if you have used chemicals on your lawn and these are the clippings from it, best composted and not added to the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, layer the clippings into your compost heap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-01-02T13:00:55.717" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8832" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8819" CreationDate="2014-01-02T16:07:34.707" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know what it might have been, but would hazard a guess at some kind of Vaccinium - this is the group that includes blueberries, but there are white flowered and berried forms, though I've never actually come across one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-01-02T16:07:34.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8834" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7492" CreationDate="2014-01-03T16:37:03.987" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;English Ivy might be an option for you since you are concerned about air quality.  English Ivy removes formaldehyde and many other chemicals from the air.  Its leaves are poisonous, however, so if you have house pets that may be a problem.  It may need supplemental light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grape Ivy is another good option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2512" LastActivityDate="2014-01-03T16:37:03.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8835" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8004" CreationDate="2014-01-03T16:45:56.243" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;After several months of experimentation, here is what I have found:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gloves are helpful to avoid small, hair-like spines that occur in clusters on some types of cacti such as prickly-pear, but are of little use against larger spines on cacti such as Saguaro.  These little spines do tend to stick to the gloves, however, making the outside of them hazardous for storage and contact with skin, so I advise avoiding them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hardware stores sell pinch-style pick-up tools that are sometimes used for picking up garbage.  These are useful for picking up fallen pieces of cacti after pruning or after storm damage.  While they can't be used to pick up larger pieces, they can be used to grip and drag a fallen cacti segment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most cacti readily cling to a piece of cloth if you attempt to wrap it around them, which can then be used to carry them to compost or trash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2512" LastActivityDate="2014-01-03T16:45:56.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8825" CreationDate="2014-01-04T15:39:58.933" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soil: Do Not Disturb!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, chemical free grass clippings left on top of the soil are a great mulch for your garden.  Don't till or dig.  Let the natural micro organisms found in soil do their job. In healthy soil, earthworms help decompose the grass clippings.  When you use a tiller or dig, you destroy the macro pores and the strands of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbuscular_mycorrhiza&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;arbuscular micorrhizal fungi&lt;/a&gt;.  Anyway, do not disturb the soil in your garden and discover the benefits of mulch!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Learn more at the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nrcs.usda.gov&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/soils/health/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Soil Health Information Center&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3019" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-01-05T19:40:42.710" LastActivityDate="2014-01-05T19:40:42.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8837" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-04T16:47:44.493" Score="8" ViewCount="432" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my area, we get municipal composting. In the winter, we can leave a bin (around 5L) out, and once a week, they pick it up and compost it in their giant compost bins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is now that our temperatures dropped; anywhere from -2C to -25C. Even if I leave the compost bin out early morning the day of (although I usually do it the night before), the compost freezes solid. I'm not sure why; I suspect it's water from the denaturing organic material (greens).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried leaving the bin in the sunlit areas in higher temperatures (-2C), but to no avail. I tried leaving it in the garage, but that's also ice-cold. I intended to salt it, but I think that will destroy the compost value of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any way to thaw/defrost the compost, other than leaving it in our house? It will stink. Right now, the bin is 50% full with a solid, frozen block of material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastActivityDate="2015-01-01T01:34:29.343" Title="Municipality compost frozen" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8838" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8837" CreationDate="2014-01-04T17:48:06.690" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have leaf and yard waste paper bags and a pair of scissors you could trim one of these disposable and recyclable bags to fit inside your bin as a liner. This mostly keeps things from sticking to the edges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Small animal bedding or kitty litter&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; have low water content. It will bulk up your compost and soak up your compost liquid.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; In my city, fresh or used animal bedding and kitty litter are acceptable in our green bin.  As always consult your local city guidelines for the last word in what can go in the bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-01-01T01:34:29.343" LastActivityDate="2015-01-01T01:34:29.343" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8840" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-06T11:31:20.723" Score="4" ViewCount="168" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia_cyanea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tillandsia cyanea&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; was watered too much, and when I touched it, the top part with the leaves separated from the roots. I've found that some types of Tillandsia don't need roots, but is this it? Should I put it in the soil again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3022" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-03-01T15:32:22.537" LastActivityDate="2016-03-01T15:32:22.537" Title="What should I do about a Tillandsia cyanea with accidentally removed roots?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;tillandsia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8841" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8837" CreationDate="2014-01-06T12:34:34.827" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since your bin is already frozen and 1/2 full, I would suggest a spade or pick to break up the block into manageable sizes that you can then remove from the container and transfer into a paper bag. Wood shavings for caged pets or barn animals, as well as non-colored and/or non-glossy newsprint will also do a fine job of absorption. You must mix it in thoroughly during the collection process though. Unfortunately there is no way to stop something wet from freezing in sub 0 temps. Your best bet is to reduce or dissipate the moisture content. Avoid cat litter (unless it  is wood or corn based) and &lt;strong&gt;never ever&lt;/strong&gt; use soiled cat/animal litter of any type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-01-06T15:24:16.347" LastActivityDate="2014-01-06T15:24:16.347" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8843" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8840" CreationDate="2014-01-06T13:48:16.267" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It may not need soil as it is an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphyte&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;epiphyte&lt;/a&gt; but it does need daily misting with distilled water or water that has had municipal chlorine/chloramine removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try physically attaching it with rubber bands or wire to a porous medium:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a bit of cork as sold in pet stores&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some nurseries sell material for orchids, a dense root like block which drains well&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a slab of bark&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then provide bright diffuse light and mist daily.  This will duplicate as close as possible the native environment in the rain forests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-01-06T13:48:16.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8845" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4970" CreationDate="2014-01-07T14:22:44.863" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am an avid golfer and there seems to be some confusion.  Let me clarify.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, to keep good drainage and oxygen supply to the roots of the turf, it is aerated regularly.  Then greens are top-dressed with sand to fill the voids and encourage more growth.  Sand is used to prevent compaction and maintain moisture levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sand can be used on greens grown from bent grass because every little piece of bent grass that is cut and left on the ground can root and become a new plant.  There is no need for sand but I have seen some golf courses add seed to the sand that is used to replace divots on par 3 tee boxes.  I imagine this is to speed up the process since they aren't mowed quite as often as the greens, and thus less bits to root on themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2014-01-07T14:22:44.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8846" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8837" CreationDate="2014-01-07T15:40:31.900" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;So the concern is just that the municipality can't empty your bin because the contents are frozen solid, correct? How long does it take you to fill half a bin? I would leave it outside and keep filling it until it is full. Like most others, we are in a deep freeze here, too -- -11F currently. A warm up is coming, though, and the compost will unfreeze then. I wouldn't go through the trouble of chipping it out at this point - it will thaw next week for you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-01-07T15:40:31.900" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8847" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8848" CreationDate="2014-01-07T16:42:37.143" Score="6" ViewCount="8070" Body="&lt;p&gt;My cut Dracaena (houseplant) has become very tall, and now one of the &quot;branches&quot; has flowered. What is the typical way a Dracaena is maintained as a household specimen plant as it outgrows the configuration as seen in the example below? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My Dracaena is currently about 6 feet tall total (1.6 meters). The main trunk &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meristem&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;meristems&lt;/a&gt; were cut between 3 and 4 feet (0.9 - 1.2 meters). So as it continues to grow, do you typically top off the secondary side shoots (producing more side shoots?) or do you cut them off completely (promoting &lt;em&gt;new&lt;/em&gt; sideshoots) or can you cut the &lt;em&gt;main&lt;/em&gt; trunk (below the original offshoots) to start afresh?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What about the stem that has already flowered? (see the second example picture below) Is that branch's growth terminated by the flower? What do I do there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are my options in keeping this plant going long term?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;(example photos below, not my actual plant)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://experimentalmom27.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/img_1056.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fv41Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-01-08T19:37:35.537" LastActivityDate="2019-01-08T19:37:35.537" Title="How to prune an overgrown (and now flowering) Dracaena?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="8848" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8847" CreationDate="2014-01-07T17:15:54.460" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;These plants can be very long lived and rejuvenate readily.  Check &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5335/how-tall-will-my-dracaena-fragrans-grow/5337#5337&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more information on how it was grown before you acquired it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have successfully propagated and kept these plants at size by any one of these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cutting the stems where they are still green and propagating them in water or even just sticking them in a soil less mix.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cutting all the side shoots off the main brown woody stem.  The main stem will produce new buds and, eventually, leaves.  Keep the plant in strong diffuse sunlight and reduce watering until new growth appears if you do this.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you could cut the main woody trunk back but this has the most stored energy and will bud out new growth readily&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the stems that flower will continue to grow after the flower has died back.  You can cut or twist the flower off at any time and the stem will resume growth out of a bud from the top&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that all the above methods require a viable main stem.  Mass canes have the unfortunate habit of dying from over watering from the roots up. You can verify that your plant is healthy by holding the trunk in your hand.  If the bark is firm you are good to go.  If the bark has separated from the trunk then your only option is to cut the stems at the top where they are still green and pot them or root them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:Linda L asks if cutting the thick woody stem back works.  I have done this. All you need is a sharp pruning saw.  Cut one of the stems back at a time and wait until it buds out before doing the next. There is no need to seal the end with wax as indoor humidity is much lower.  But....this should only be done with a well established plant that has a good root system.  It can take three to six weeks to bud out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-01-10T11:41:08.620" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8849" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-08T18:02:59.267" Score="5" ViewCount="327" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are January and February good months to repot evergreen bonsai Juniper. This would be my first time repotting it and the plant is doing great so far, but I don't want to kill it: I want to make sure that I do it at the right time of year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3026" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-01-08T18:54:06.710" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T22:04:14.230" Title="When should I start repotting bonsai Juniper?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8850" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8851" CreationDate="2014-01-09T17:22:37.907" Score="4" ViewCount="1282" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very interesting set up and had questions about the differences across our factory floor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have three columns of Golden Pothos that are numbered about 96 plants (unless the irrigation failed on one and I removed the plant before it died) per column:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/42YrL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Three Golden Pothos Column&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The irrigation is set up for a hose to connect to about my chest height.  The water travels through the plastic hose to the top of the column.  From here the water gets distributed through regulators to each plant.  There is a regulator every two rows.  It's kind of a nightmare.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Previously the pots were self-watering, but we had huge issues with proper drainage and we lost almost every plant.  This time we made sure each plant had a large amount of drainage.  This also has the effect of the higher plants draining into the lower plants.  This set up seems to work well, to ensure more even watering across the board.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I am regularly finding about 4 to 6 leaves that are dead per plant, about every two weeks.  Is this volume normal?  I know this question was asked before, but my set up is atypical.  We have other plants in the area that seem to be doing &lt;strong&gt;much&lt;/strong&gt; better as far as die-off is concerned.  I only remove one or two leaves per two or three plants.  They are also pictured:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QFPrv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cart&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hdxqY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Archway&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other plants are watered by hand.  I also water the columns by hand every week I don't water using the irrigation (every other week)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So why what appears to be a significant difference?  What can I do to help the columned plants grow better?  Is there anything that we're doing wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3030" LastActivityDate="2014-01-10T11:41:55.937" Title="Golden Pothos Leaves Are Regularly Dying" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8851" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8850" CreationDate="2014-01-09T20:15:13.133" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;First of all, thank you for posting a detailed explanation and such numerous and helpful photos. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The appearance of the leaves in most of plantings is indicative of over watering and root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Symptoms:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the leaf is a dull green rather than shiny&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the leaf lacks &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turgor_pressure&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;turgor&lt;/a&gt;.  The leaf is limp even though the soil appears moist.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it appears that the plants on the top of the columns are in better shape than the bottom&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I work they have a &quot;living wall&quot; as seen &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greenster.com/magazine/7-living-walls-to-inspire/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; which has a similar system with water at the top and trickle down to the base.  They too have had issues with the soil being too moist at the bottom which encourages root rot and spots appearing on the leaves which I believe indicate a secondary infection by some virus/bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The issues are that the plants at the bottom get more water and less light than the ones at the top. This is a horticultural challenge!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To verify my diagnosis:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove a plant from the bottom row&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;take it out of the pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;open the root ball&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;examine the roots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;New healthy roots are firm and white.  Roots with rot are brown and mushy.  Pot bound will have the complete perimeter of the pot covered in old,brown and firm roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Solutions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;watering by hand will work but is very time consuming&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;or do not water by schedule.  Use your irrigation system only when the plants on the top are at the point of wilt and test the ones at the bottom to see that they are dry enough.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;or only use the irrigation system on the plants that you cannot reach and water the rest by hand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;or consider potting the plants with problems in a different way&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the current method is to fill the planter with soil and let the pothos use the entire root mass.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;for the problematic plants on the bottom you want them to get less water or only enough.  Repot the ones with problems in four inch pots with a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3985/how-do-i-make-the-water-reach-the-roots-on-a-pvc-aquaponics-system/4002#4002&quot;&gt;wicking system&lt;/a&gt; and let them absorb water as required. Also see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5642/why-the-leaf-tips-of-my-spathiphyllum-look-burned/5644#5644&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  This approach minimizes manual work and allows different amounts of moisture for each plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-01-10T11:41:55.937" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8852" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8849" CreationDate="2014-01-10T08:11:02.863" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In winter around the end just before spring is a very good time to repot your bonsai.  Repotting at this time can make space for the roots' growth in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2694" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-01-10T11:43:24.863" LastActivityDate="2014-01-10T11:43:24.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8853" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3917" CreationDate="2014-01-10T13:06:59.543" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;My husband has been urinating on a tree that has born acorns for the squirrels for 20 yrs. The tree no longer bears nuts and big limbs falls off and I can see severe decay inside the limbs. It killed the tree&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3031" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-01-11T18:58:30.740" LastActivityDate="2014-01-11T18:58:30.740" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8854" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-10T14:17:44.083" Score="4" ViewCount="793" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know it's a wax plant vine; there were quite a few types on Google and the leaves look pretty similar. The leaves are just green with no white spots, just green, on them and the mature leaves are more in a circular shape not a long oval. The 2&lt;sup&gt;nd&lt;/sup&gt; photo is of new growth on it. We are doing a regeneration of bushland where people ages ago had a nursery so help would be great. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click any photo for full size version&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M9DNO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M9DNOl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/304X0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/304X0l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZEWVX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZEWVXl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3032" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-05T22:26:14.037" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T22:26:14.037" Title="What type of wax plant is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8857" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8854" CreationDate="2014-01-11T07:32:49.687" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://vermonthoyascom.fatcow.com/hoyas-n-z/hoya-obovata/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hoya obovata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not really sure though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2968" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-27T00:08:28.123" LastActivityDate="2014-08-27T00:08:28.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8859" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8866" CreationDate="2014-01-11T08:11:49.893" Score="4" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing vegetables. I need soil and compost testing kits for soil Ph, soil EC and compost nutrients test. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone suggest which instruments will be good and have a reasonable price?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2930" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2017-10-29T18:40:11.350" LastActivityDate="2017-10-29T18:40:11.350" Title="Portable soil and compost testing kit" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8860" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8854" CreationDate="2014-01-11T14:31:03.883" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found the name. it's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoya_australis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Waxvine or Common waxflower, &lt;em&gt;Hoya australis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It doesn't have spots on the leaves like the others so took me a while to find the answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3032" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-27T00:07:12.143" LastActivityDate="2014-08-27T00:07:12.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8861" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-12T04:13:51.783" Score="2" ViewCount="172" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where can I download (or scrape) a structured dataset (such that I could, after some initial massaging, use it in a NodeJS app for example) of plants with identification keys?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a dataset with the largest set of plants but I'd like to see any such dataset so I can at least start playing around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1172" LastActivityDate="2014-01-18T01:34:26.530" Title="Plant identification keys dataset" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8861" CreationDate="2014-01-12T15:06:21.130" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A website I formerly worked on, Learn2Grow.com, has licensing programs for their plant database (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants&lt;/a&gt;).  They might be able to help you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="771" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-01-18T01:34:26.530" LastActivityDate="2014-01-18T01:34:26.530" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8865" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8814" CreationDate="2014-01-15T12:28:06.143" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never used it on moles but predator pee has worked for me in the past, in the case of other unwanted animals.  I believe the one you want is bobcat urine.  Moles may not be your problem but if you use bobcat urine properly you should be able to get rid of any rodents in the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3043" LastActivityDate="2014-01-15T12:28:06.143" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8866" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8859" CreationDate="2014-01-15T16:49:51.150" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have enough points to comment.  I know this isn't the answer you're looking for but I've always used hanna pens. hannainst.com&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look around their website and see what they have that would suit you and is in your price range.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3043" LastActivityDate="2014-01-15T16:49:51.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8859" CreationDate="2014-01-16T05:18:48.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I picked up a decent soil test kit at a big box store and it seemed to work fine for me. Got a great crop that year too. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ferry-Morse-40-Test-Soil-Test-Kit-920/202819850#.UtdrmbSxGtU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Link to kit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastActivityDate="2014-01-16T05:18:48.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8868" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8814" CreationDate="2014-01-16T05:21:37.760" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This may sound unreasonable and ridiculous.. but it worked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got two &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farm_cat&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;barn cats&lt;/a&gt; and they hunted like CRAZY.. I used to have a mouse and chipmunk problem... HAD the problem. Cats took care of them within the first month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-10-02T12:15:12.500" LastActivityDate="2014-10-02T12:15:12.500" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8869" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4344" CreationDate="2014-01-16T05:31:38.753" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I spent 6 years as a stone worker installing and repairing numerous types of stone patios. &lt;strong&gt;The best solution&lt;/strong&gt; I have used on numerous client's stone installations to inhibit weed growth is to MANUALLY scrape them and the topmost layer of soil/dirt that has collected within the cracks. Removing all of the jointing sand from between them down about 1/4 - 1/2 inch. This is a time consuming task, but one that prepares for the best &quot;next step&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/SAKRETE-60-lb-Polymeric-Sand-Paver-Set-100039640/100632097#.UtdtfLSxGtU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Polymeric sand.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Polymeric sand is a polymer-based jointing agent that replaces the typical sand/stone dust finish coat. Though stonedust and sand work as a great binding agent for the stone/brick, it also is easy for roots of weeds to work into. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Polymeric sand is swept into the cracks of the patio area as a finish coat, and then a GENTLE LIGHT SPRINKLE of water is applied to it to &quot;bond&quot; the fine particles together into a spongey, rubber like jointing material. It sheds water beautifully after is sets up, and inhibits weed growth for nearly two seasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A reapply is needed, but at a 1/3 of the rate of sand/stonedust solutions. And best of all... it is not a chemical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastActivityDate="2014-01-16T05:31:38.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8870" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8871" CreationDate="2014-01-16T20:19:13.350" Score="6" ViewCount="152" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought some Arabica Nana seeds and I would like to know what the best / most successful way would be to germinate them. I've tried putting them in pots in normal potting soil, but they failed. Any advice?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2737" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-01-16T22:04:19.670" LastActivityDate="2018-03-06T03:50:37.010" Title="How do germinate the seed of a coffee plant?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8870" CreationDate="2014-01-16T22:17:47.030" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This method has worked well for me for various types of seeds and is outlined in more detail &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coffeeresearch.org/coffee/homegrowing.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Material:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ziploc or polyethylene bag with a sealable closure&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;damp paper towel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Procedure:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place the beans on the paper towel. Fold it over so that the seed is in contact with the moist paper towel top and bottom.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place the paper towel and seeds in the bag, close and wait. Place the bag in a warm but not sunny area and check until they germinate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant the seedlings out in a small pot and grow on until they are ready for repotting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A more technical discussion is found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/ae939e/ae939e04.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  You must be sure that your beans are not roasted and still have the parchment hull attached.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also note their caution that&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The moisture content of the seeds should not fall below 10%, otherwise&#xA;  the viability will be seriously affected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the seed is commercially purchased and does not germinate it may not be your fault.  The seed may be too dry to germinate but will still make a decent cup of coffee.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2017-07-31T15:27:43.763" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T15:27:43.763" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8872" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8478" CreationDate="2014-01-17T04:15:04.777" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's best to clean up all plants at the end of the season to prevent any pest or fungal disease for next season.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3049" LastActivityDate="2014-01-17T04:15:04.777" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8874" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8876" CreationDate="2014-01-17T21:28:47.433" Score="7" ViewCount="598" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm new to composting (and cleverly started in the winter ;-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard (and seen) that a thin layer of leaves on top of vegetable scraps keeps the bugs off. However, I recently watched a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9OhxKlrWwc&amp;amp;feature=youtu.be&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;TED Video on Composting&lt;/a&gt; that suggested you compost the kitchen scraps separately because that's done mostly by worms, whereas the leaves compost differently. And a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/104/how-do-i-keep-red-wiggler-worms-alive-overwinter-in-the-northeastern-usa&quot;&gt;post on StackExchange&lt;/a&gt; indicates that the leaves will &quot;hot compost&quot; and be too hot for the worms&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2649" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-01-18T18:12:38.313" Title="Should I compost my leaves separate from my vegetable kitchen waste?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8875" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-18T00:46:13.157" Score="5" ViewCount="118" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am new to growing tomatoes.  I have a plant outside that is about 3ft high but the tomatoes themselves aren't growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone give me some tips please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please note I am the southern hemisphere and it's currently summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants have flowered &amp;amp; I have fruit but they do not seem to be getting any bigger.  I have fertilized the plant.  I wondered if I needed to nip out new growth so all the growth now goes into the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant has been in the ground over 4 weeks.  Temperatures haven't been what you'd call summery, but it hasn't been much below 13 degrees celcius.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3051" LastEditorUserId="3051" LastEditDate="2014-01-22T03:58:50.247" LastActivityDate="2014-02-21T13:32:31.087" Title="Getting tomatoes to grow" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8876" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8874" CreationDate="2014-01-18T07:06:58.993" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Currently, I have a 6' x 6' compost heap 4 feet high layered up from last year's compost, the Maple leaves and Mulberry leaves from our back yard, garden green waste cleanup, etc. Using a pitch fork, I slit into the top of the pile down a foot to make a trench that the kitchen bucket goes into.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This time of year, with the cold, the compost gets hot enough to gently steam, but the worms move out of the warm areas to consume leaf matter and kitchen waste. As long as there's warmth, they have the mobility to take care of themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've turned the pile twice since September and have a quite heavy worm population consisting of angle worms (yellow banded), standard earth worms and night crawlers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Maple leaves have quite a bit of sugar which the bacteria likes (heat), the Mulberry leaves promote quite a bit of fungal growth, you can see the mycelium strands. Night crawlers eat leaves, bore into Kale and Cabbage stalks and do a number on anything they can ingest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically the amount of heat depends on the leaves and the grass content. Something like Sycamore creates a pretty cold pile that needs quite a bit of fungal growth to break down unless you shred them and layer in greens. In the spring, this can produce a pretty hot pile that would be a worm killer with 2 inch leaf to 3 inch grass layers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The coldest pile I ever put together was Oak and Sycamore stacked about 4 feet high. The leaves got wet and compressed so tightly together that it resembled the &quot;Shoe Event Horizon&quot; per one of the Hitchhiker's Guide skits. Trying to turn it did nothing. After two years, I had to sharpen a shovel and chop into it to break up the leaf matter so it would start to break down at which point it went into the main pile as a grass mix and got so hot it cooked everything out. Not worm friendly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basic decomposition process: Green or high color sugar bearing with protein, eaten by bacteria with lots of heat. Brown, mostly cellulose and lignins, eaten at a cooler temperature by fungi. Once the rot sets in, worms will eat everything that still has food content.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, depending on managing the content, yes you can toss it all in the same pile and have a broad range of stuff the worms will eat. They're omnivorous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-01-18T07:19:28.980" LastActivityDate="2014-01-18T07:19:28.980" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8877" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8874" CreationDate="2014-01-18T16:25:33.430" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the assumption you're talking about broadleaf tree leaves which have been shed in autumn/fall, yes, you should compost them separately because, as you've found out, they break down differently. I've given this advice before on here, but I can't remember/find where it is, so I'll repeat it here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully you've got enough space to do this - you need black plastic bags, the sort you put rubbish in will do. Get the leaves up, cram them into the black bags - if they're dry when you bag them, chuck some water in to get them damp (just use a can with a rose, put in about half if its a 5 gallon can, depending how dry the leaves are, you don't want them swimming about). Tie the tops tight shut and get a trowel or a knife and just poke a few holes in the bottom of the bags. Store them somewhere out of the way, on soil if possible or something that won't stain (and preferably out of sight) and leave them to sit - in the UK, it takes up to two years, but in warmer countries, it can be a year. You'll know when its ready for use - the bags will look saggy and only have something heavyish in the bottom - when you open and look, you should see what seems like rich, black soil. It ain't called black gold for nothing - it's a humus rich mix and improves your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-01-18T16:25:33.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8878" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8874" CreationDate="2014-01-18T18:12:38.313" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you're talking about two different kinds of composting.  Vermicomposting and what everyone knows as just composting.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In vermicomposting you're adding waste like kitchen scraps.  This is high nitrogen stuff.  If you added carbon material to it, like dried oak or maple leaves, you're going to start &quot;hot composting.&quot;  This obviously isn't good for the worms so you only add the high nitrogen material. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In &quot;hot composting&quot; you aim for a 50/50 ratio of  &quot;green/brown&quot; or N/C or nitrogen to carbon. Then you make sure it gets enough air and the right amount of moisture/humidity and a little of the right species of aerobic bacteria and you've got the ideal conditions for breaking down compost fast but not ideal conditions for worms.  Worms will go to parts of the pile with conditions that suit their preferences or leave the pile, if it's on the ground/ they have somewhere to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to TED I avoid them now.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naturalnews.com/042112_ted_conferences_pseudoscience_gmo.html/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; title=&quot;They've aligned with Monsanto&quot;&gt;They've aligned with Monsanto&lt;/a&gt; and lost all credibility in my mind.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3043" LastActivityDate="2014-01-18T18:12:38.313" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8879" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8885" CreationDate="2014-01-19T18:24:32.730" Score="1" ViewCount="2404" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a new lawn that is infested with moles. The new sod must be prime real estate for them. I'm looking for peoples' advice on how to get rid of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I've tried so far:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A pesticide to remove their food. After about a month, that does not seem to have had any effect.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Setting rat and mouse traps with pepperoni (yes I read that somewhere). Trap is tripped every day but it could be from anything.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read many things about what to do when you catch the mole in the act. I've never seen them active and I'm not confident that I will. My life isn't such that I can spend the day staring at the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone share something that's worked for them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT (4 years later): I wanted to let people know how I eventually got rid of them for good. Whenever I saw a mound, I'd first root around with a hose until I found the burrow and got the water running smoothly down the hole. My theory was this ensured the burrow was open and not blocked off. If I could not get water flowing I'd abort. Then I just used some of those off the shelf smoke sticks. After doing that 4-5 times they were gone for good. This solution is so easy and cheap I'd recommend anyone give it a try. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1120" LastEditorUserId="1120" LastEditDate="2018-04-24T00:08:20.623" LastActivityDate="2018-04-24T00:08:20.623" Title="New lawn infested with moles" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2014-01-22T13:06:23.923" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8880" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-20T05:29:05.503" Score="7" ViewCount="13594" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZpZP4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought a Black Pearl Wax Apple tree to grow in the Bay Area in California. This fruit is popular in tropical areas of Asia, but it virtually impossible to find in supermarkets outside of Asia. I've scoured Google for how to grow Wax Apple, but could not find any useful information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What kind of soil does it like?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it self-fruitful or do I need to cross-pollinate?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does it like to be pruned?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it deciduous and can it withstand winters of 45 degrees Fahrenheit at night?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much light does it prefer?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2020-11-04T15:13:46.903" Title="How to grow wax apple / jambu (Syzygium samarangense)?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8881" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8879" CreationDate="2014-01-20T06:36:01.430" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've always caught and released them with a modified trap I received from the local animal control. I also tamp down their hills, which sometimes (admittedly rarely) encourages them to dig further below ground. Honestly, I welcome them. They aerate the soil, deposit some nutrients, and don't harm anything. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, that's probably not the answer you're looking for, especially if you just put some money into sod. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My grandfather tries to flood them out, but occasionally to the opposite effect; Moles love moist soil so flooding their runs might actually be a welcomed remodel. My great dane and hound have caught them, but only after weeks of trying. There are some really gimmicky solutions out there (vibration, supersonic so-and-so, predator hair, etc.) that simply do not work. &lt;em&gt;Mole&lt;/em&gt; traps, not rat traps, are the only sure way to get rid of them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2951" LastActivityDate="2014-01-20T06:36:01.430" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1765" CreationDate="2014-01-20T22:38:15.010" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I patched and filled several areas this fall, in New England, with great success. First, I removed all the debris; someone had turned wire fencing under the ground from a garden of the original owner, about 8 years ago, along with wooden posts.  Every time I started to rake the existing soil smooth, my rake caught something else. I finally just dug it all up by hand, and then smoothed it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In area where there was existing grass that I was going to cover, I burned it with a propane blow torch; the kind that attaches to a grill tank.  I then covered it with a mixture of top soil, peat moss, grass seed, and starter fertilizer; all together.  I would mix the top soil and peat in a wheelbarrow, and then add the proper proportions of seed and fertilizer.  I put down about an inch or two of that and raked it lightly to smooth it out. I did not tamp it down.  I watered it every day to keep it moist, and with the sunny an cool weather we had in September, the grass all came up in a week; and I mowed it twice before it stopped growing for the season.  This was not the first time I had used this approach, but it turned out better than ever before because of the cooperative weather. I actually did that previous garden area in early October, and the weather was a bit cooler.  That area sprouted in about 10 days, but never got to reach full height; yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The backyard of this house we bought 2 years ago must have been filled when the house was built, as it has settled more since we moved in.  I filled some of it to correct that, but some of those areas, 1 to 2 feet in diameter, continue to sink.  So, I just sprinkle soil over them without completely covering the grass. and let the grass do whatever it need to to adjust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2014-01-20T22:38:15.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8885" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8879" CreationDate="2014-01-21T05:33:10.570" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Moles are desirable to the extent that they eat grubs and other lawn pests.  You might want to eliminate those with milky spore.  This is a natural bacteria that should reduce the populations if you release it at the right time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Voles are a real problem because in addition to their tunnels they eat the roots of plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A simple and immediate cost effective solution would be &quot;predator pee.&quot;  A search should get you what you're looking for.  I believe the bobcat is the natural predator of these rodents and that should scare a number of them off if you use it properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to catch and release most experts believe that's just a death sentence for the animal in one form or another.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some things I've found after your response.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;...and a mole rarely stays in the same area for any length of time. Once it has eaten the local soil insects, it moves on.&quot; &#xA;&quot;Most species of moles are not gregarious. In fact, they are highly territorial and will fight to the death other moles attempting to enter their own burrow system.&quot; &#xA;&quot;Various folk remedies have been repeatedly recommended for removing moles from the garden. If they appear to work, it is largely by coincidence, &lt;strong&gt;since moles don’t stay long in an area&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; &#xA;source - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/4311/much-ado-about-moles&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/4311/much-ado-about-moles&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3043" LastEditorUserId="3043" LastEditDate="2014-01-23T05:05:04.533" LastActivityDate="2014-01-23T05:05:04.533" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8887" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8579" CreationDate="2014-01-21T18:33:23.620" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had that same problem two years ago and no matter what watering and fertilizer I put on it..it was still dying. A neighbor who has beautiful lawn every single day of the year and never had any lawn service come to his grass told me that I have to start putting Lime on my Lawn quarterly every year. I did put lime on my lawn and water it, after one week I followed it with Scott's fertilizer, or any fertilizer for that matter since all are nitrogen based. And voila after just one or two months my lawn is dark green and holding it's color even though I just water it once a week. There is no harm in trying this. I just want to share my experience with my lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3058" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-01-21T20:00:47.140" LastActivityDate="2014-01-21T20:00:47.140" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8888" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8889" CreationDate="2014-01-21T20:53:31.453" Score="2" ViewCount="5085" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on my previously asked question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8850/golden-pothos-leaves-are-regularly-dying&quot;&gt;Golden Pothos Leaves Are Regularly Dying&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took one plant apart to examine the root structure.  The soil seemed dry enough, and almost no moisture was felt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BNq5E.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sickly?  Golden Pothos&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil came out in larger chunks, but said clumps were easy to break apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s7H7Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;About this size, not too solid.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictured is the root structure.  They seem solid enough, although the entire structure seems small.  What's going on here? Are they over-watered?  Are they under?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1DiDq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;Appreciate the help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3030" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-01-22T01:52:26.113" Title="Are these Golden Pothos roots overwatered?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;protection&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8888" CreationDate="2014-01-22T01:52:26.113" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;First of all thank you for the detailed pictures. Even with the detail that can be observed here we may not be able to come up with a definitive answer.  This is what I notice:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;from the first picture the plants appear to have been started from cuttings as is the usual practice but the stems of the cuttings look a little short. Depending on the time taken to grow them on they may not have had a well developed root system when you got them. This means the roots would have been close to the surface and would not have taken well to a normal &quot;water thoroughly and let dry&quot; cycle as the roots might not have grown down to the soil area lower down in the pot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the roots I see are a mixture of healthy (firm and white in the bottom picture) and less healthy (brown and papery in the middle picture)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the soil moisture level seems to be moister at the top and bone dry at the bottom.  This is the opposite of what a thorough watering should yield.  You would expect the bottom of the root ball to be moist and the top to dry out first.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your next question would be what's going on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the watering regime is off.  Possibilities that you can test yourself are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;instead of enough water to wet the entire root ball and then let the top third dry out it may be that only enough water to wet the top of the root ball is being applied. A sequence of: a little bit of water, roots grow at top where water is, soil dries out, plant wilts more than it should if the roots were vigorous throughout the entire root ball could be happening. You would expect to see better root growth at the top, less new healthy roots in the bottom part of the root ball.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;or it could be too much water causing stress. If there was no drainage and so much water was applied that the base of the root ball was awash then you would see dead roots in the bottom and weak roots at the top and, likely, you could see opportunistic fungal/viral spotting on the leaves as they attack a weakened plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I still think a wicking system will solve most of the issues.  With a capillary wick and putting the plant in a pot it can draw up as much water as it needs but not too much.  You can also see if the plant is sitting in water or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be pretty easy to do this for one trial plant.  Other tests would be to take some cuttings from the healthiest plants, root them in water and then pot them up. If, by some chance, your plants have a fungus/virus/bacteria they will continue to spot on the leaves even as cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Inevitably this is speculation so I encourage you to experiment.  Try other easy tropical such as a trailing small leaved philodendron or a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria_trifasciata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sansevieria compacta Hahnia&lt;/a&gt; for a drier area&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-01-22T01:52:26.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8890" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8875" CreationDate="2014-01-22T12:13:18.720" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the problem you are having is the temprature.  Tomatoes like it warm and sunny they need about 10 hours of light.  The optimal growing thempurature is 27/22 c (day/night)  13 is to cold they arnt going to grow very well.   I normaly have mine against a south faceing brick wall in the summer.  Where I live tomatoes are normaly only grown in green houses its just not warm enough here in the summer.  But we can get some speical kinds that have been bred to grow outside in at a cooler temprature, these are the ones that i have had most sucess with growing against the wall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They wont die at 13c but they arnt going to thrive either.  Is there a chance it will start getting warmer soon?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2694" LastActivityDate="2014-01-22T12:13:18.720" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8891" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8875" CreationDate="2014-01-22T13:04:05.640" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You haven't said which variety of tomato you're growing - most of the larger tomatoes do need nipping out, and the usual procedure is to pinch out new growth and new trusses once you've got 5 or 6 trusses present. This is not the case with smaller tomatoes, such as 'cherry' varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes also do much better if they're fed at least weekly with a proprietary tomato food, usually diluted and watered directly round the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, its not clear whether 13 degC has been your day or night time temperatures - so long as the temperature isn't falling below 13 deg C &lt;strong&gt;overnight&lt;/strong&gt; and daytime temperatures are at least 20 deg C, temperature isn't the problem. If, though, you're saying that's the daytime temperature, then it's simply not warm enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-01-22T13:04:05.640" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8892" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8814" CreationDate="2014-01-22T13:53:38.237" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something people in germany do to get rid of moles is to bury empty bottles (e.g. beer bottles) so that only the neck of the bottle sticks out of the ground. The wind blowing over the opening will create a sound the moles apparently do not like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3060" LastActivityDate="2014-01-22T13:53:38.237" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8814" CreationDate="2014-01-23T02:57:12.010" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've done a bit of research, and this is what I've learned,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vibration devices don't work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Poison can work &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B003K2RYAY&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;(Talprid Mole Bait on Amazon)&lt;/a&gt;. It's expensive and requires you to get the bait into an active run.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Traps can work &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00004RAMY&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;(Victor Mole Trap on Amazon)&lt;/a&gt;. Cheap and reusable, but requires quite a bit of trial and error to get it setup right. The amazon page has a user-supplied video that is very helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Castor oil and other &quot;natural&quot; solutions don't work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you can catch them tunneling, you can plug a hose down into their run. The water can overwhelm them and they'll come to the surface. I remember my dad doing this when I was a kid. Personally I've never caught them tunneling. Not sure if it isn't apparent to me or if I just haven't been lucky. Regardless, if you pour 50 gallons of water down through their mounds (which indicate the deeper tunnels where they live), seems like it'd give them a pretty hard time. Just speculation on my part though.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of all, I learned there's no easy fix. The only solutions that work require a lot of time and patience devoted to the task. Not like setting out a mousetrap with cheese.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Happy hunting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt; Finally, I found a method that solved the problem fairly easily. There's a product called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amdro.com/All-Products/gopher-gasser/Overview&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;gopher gasser&quot;&lt;/a&gt;. They are basically flare-like sticks that burn and produce sulphur smoke. There are probably similar products.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you see the mole mounds, start by flushing them with water. Jam a running hose into the center of the mound until the water starts draining easily into the burrow. Now stop with the water. You just cleared a path into the mole's inner sanctum. Light the gopher gasser, and wait until it's spewing smoke well. The smoke it produces is heavier than air so it sinks into the burrow, and suffocates the moles. Be careful not to extinguish the gasser as the hole will of course be wet. If you did it right, all of the smoke should be flowing down the hole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Repeat this for every mound you find where you can flush to open a clear path into the burrow. If you can't get water freely flowing, don't bother. I have about a 75% success rate getting the water draining. You want to push a running hose into the middle of the mound. Sometimes you have to fish around with the hose to get it flowing. That kind of makes a mess of your lawn, but it's worth it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did this over 2-3 weeks, using about 6-8 gopher gasser sticks, repeating every time I found a mound. Moles are completely gone for 2+ months now, after a year of them wreaking havoc with my lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is by far the simplest removal method I've found. Way easier than trying to set traps. The gopher gasser sticks cost around $6-8 for a pack of six. I found them at my local Lowe's. Looks like Home Depot carries them also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1120" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-28T18:22:28.517" LastActivityDate="2014-09-28T18:22:28.517" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8895" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-23T12:32:33.120" Score="7" ViewCount="1598" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am an avid grower and like most I have spent much time and money on various lights and techniques. Take a look at this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/1519924202/High_lumen_phospher_100w_380_840nm.html&quot;&gt;http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/1519924202/High_lumen_phospher_100w_380_840nm.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now even if it was crap, it is cheap and makes bold statements on its performance. So why aren't growers testing it and sharing their results? Why are there no journals online? Why is nobody even attempting to test this technology even though it is a very advanced white led technology? It has everything a led grower want from a light, full spectrum with UV+ IR. Could someone please give me a full detailed opinion on this as it has been available for over a year and still not a single journal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3062" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-01-23T14:35:53.273" LastActivityDate="2014-01-27T01:45:25.157" Title="Is a full spectrum 380-840nm white phosphor LED suitable for growing plants?" Tags="&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8896" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8895" CreationDate="2014-01-23T13:32:15.567" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you look on the spectrum further down, you will see it is nothing like &quot;full spectrum&quot; but two peaks that probably look to the human eye like decent white light. I would want more information before trying to use them for growing plants. Note also that this is a manufacturer selling them wholesale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After all that, this week's New Scientist (Jan 18-24, 2014) has an item on pg17-18 about vertical farms. Even though the operational costs of LEDs (~28% efficiency) are far better than incandescent and even fluorescent lamps, they are still one of the largest costs for the latest generation of vertical farms. So much so that vertical farms still try to use natural sunlight when they can. Hence most are still found in high population tropical cities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A Kyoto, Japan company (Nuvege) is quoted as using a windowless vertical farm with &quot;&lt;em&gt;LED lighting tuned to two types of chlorophyll, one preferring red light and the other blue&lt;/em&gt;&quot;. This could well match the spectrum for the LEDs you link to. As I said, I would want to find more, but yes LEDs are being used in specialized commercial settings where sunlight is not practical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2014-01-23T13:32:15.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8897" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-23T16:24:11.407" Score="4" ViewCount="2940" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree was found on a nature path in the Fort Myers area in Florida. The leaves are compound, most are 5 compound but some are 7.  They are similar to a buckeye tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a picture of the tree's bark. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VMBBPl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3063" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-01-26T17:40:37.983" LastActivityDate="2014-01-26T17:40:37.983" Title="What is this tree with pointed bumps on its bark?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8898" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8897" CreationDate="2014-01-23T19:25:01.893" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess would be the &lt;em&gt;Ceiba speciosa&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;Chrorisia speciosa&lt;/em&gt;. It's commonly called the silk floss tree and is a species found in Florida. The one you're looking at has bunches of conical &quot;spikes&quot; and appears to be quite aged or possibly diseased. Not easy to tell from a single photo. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can read about them &lt;a href=&quot;http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/GardenPubsAZ/BombaxCeibaRedSilkCottonTree.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, from the University of Florida. Notice the middle photo on page 2. Also, the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceiba_speciosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wiki&lt;/a&gt; article. We had one at my college and it's quite messy when the pods open. And the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantconservatory.calpoly.edu/Tree/images/ceiba_leaves_s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;leaves&lt;/a&gt; from a Southern California variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2951" LastEditorUserId="2951" LastEditDate="2014-01-23T19:33:48.190" LastActivityDate="2014-01-23T19:33:48.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8899" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8900" CreationDate="2014-01-24T14:09:13.590" Score="3" ViewCount="911" Body="&lt;p&gt;How can &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physalis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Physalis, or Cape Gooseberry&lt;/a&gt;, be propagated using a method other than seed propagation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-01-24T15:38:11.780" LastActivityDate="2014-01-24T15:38:11.780" Title="Can Physalis be propagated in any way other than seed?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8900" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8899" CreationDate="2014-01-24T14:27:22.393" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is another way - they're perennial, and can be divided during the dormant season, which is, in the UK, winter and early spring, so about now would be good. Always assuming you're not under 6 feet of water, that is, given the weather we've had this year...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-01-24T14:27:22.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8899" CreationDate="2014-01-24T15:27:52.340" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can also apparently grow them from stem cuttings.  The link below from the rare fruit society says to use semi-mature material from the middle of the one year old shoot, and to dust it with rooting hormone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/cape-gooseberry.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/cape-gooseberry.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-01-24T15:27:52.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8902" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8903" CreationDate="2014-01-24T17:43:51.657" Score="3" ViewCount="4015" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a 16'' wide plastic pot with a built-in saucer. The saucer is removable. On the inside of the pot, there are 4 holes where the saucer connects with the pot and 4 other tiny holes that appear to be drainage holes. How should I prepare this pot for proper drainage for a tropical fruit tree? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My first concern is the proper size of drainage holes - the 4 tiny ones seem like they can clog up easily. How much should I widen each hole?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My second concern is that the drainage holes are currently not at the lowest point of the pot. The center of the pot is the lowest point, but it sits directly on the saucer, so drilling a hole there would not help. My limited understanding of physics is that water will try to flow to the lowest point of any container, so holes that are slightly elevated don't help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TR0vq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LEzVu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bPeNy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-01-24T18:24:42.023" Title="How to get proper drainage in a pot with a built-in saucer?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;pots&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8903" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8902" CreationDate="2014-01-24T18:24:42.023" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This kind of pot seems designed to overfill and spill onto your nice floor. To answer some of your questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The reason the drainage holes are a little above the lowest point is to minimize the chance of water overflowing the teeny tiny saucer at the bottom which is not likely to hold more than half a cup of water. The amount of soil that will get wet and stay wet does not represent enough volume to cause issues with most tropical plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you drill out the holes to a larger size the water will drain faster. For a plant that likes a drier soil this would be fine.  For most tropicals it is unnecessary.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The drainage holes will become clogged with soil and roots over time.  You could put a layer of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geotextile&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;geotextile&lt;/a&gt; which would slow down the root growth but not stop it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;for most tropicals by the time the roots have clogged up the drainage holes it needs to be re potted.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless you feel lucky every time you water the plant I would put another saucer underneath this to catch any overflow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-01-24T18:24:42.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8904" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8910" CreationDate="2014-01-25T10:02:20.207" Score="3" ViewCount="661" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Bristol, UK, and I have received this locally grown leaf vegetable, but I don't know what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/75tIf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown vegetable&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3066" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-01-26T17:44:21.410" LastActivityDate="2014-01-26T17:44:21.410" Title="What is this leaf vegetable with red veins and leaf tips?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8905" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8913" CreationDate="2014-01-25T17:31:23.243" Score="3" ViewCount="36403" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a bouquet of flowers today (Saturday) but I must give them on Monday&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I preserve them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in water? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in closed room without sun? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in a fresh room ? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;at what temperature ? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3067" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-19T01:43:40.260" LastActivityDate="2019-11-15T00:50:20.337" Title="How can I preserve a bouquet of flowers for two days before gifting them?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8906" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8907" CreationDate="2014-01-25T17:39:12.083" Score="5" ViewCount="2969" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just received a Wonderful Pomegranate sapling in the mail. It is 18 inches tall. Its single trunk is so thin and tall that it can't stand up by itself. I believe the gardening vernacular to describe this is &amp;quot;leggy&amp;quot;. How do I strengthen it to be self-dependent?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kvyLh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an aside, pomegranates naturally grow as shrubs (multiple trunks). I think the nursery trained this one as a single trunk as evidenced by thinning cuts at the very bottom of the tree, causing the weird zigzag shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Update March 26, 2015&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted the pomegranate plant in the ground last year. It's still leggy. You can see many branches arching over. On the other hand, the foliage is lush and the vertical growth rate is stupendous. I thought planting it outdoors would help. It's put in a sunny spot. The wind was supposed to make the limbs grow stronger, but it didn't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xCEGA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-03-27T18:29:44.740" Title="How to strengthen a leggy pomegranate sapling?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pomegranate&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8906" CreationDate="2014-01-25T18:27:37.650" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a few things you could do for this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the pot is way oversized for the amount of foliage.  With this ratio of pot to leaves the plant will spend a lot of time growing roots at the expense of foliage. Repot to a size no more than four to six inches in diameter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;staking is intended to provide a temporary support. For outdoor plants if left &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/eng-treecare-guide.pdf/$FILE/eng-treecare-guide.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;on too long&lt;/a&gt; it can &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.treestaple.com/news.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hinder their growth&lt;/a&gt;. Remove the existing stake and either do not stake or stake with two smaller ones that do not penetrate the core of the root ball&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider cutting it back as the existing growth is floppy and indicative of growth under low light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;provide more light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Edit: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pomegranatesdirect.com/farming-practices/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; provides a good overview of commercial production practices. Do not try the fertilization levels they recommend for outdoor mature plants or you could burn the roots out with a high salt level&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;These points on pruning seem to be relevant.  Prune to just above a bud&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;• Fruitful and differentiated buds are located at the distal portion&#xA;  of the branches&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;• Pruning of terminal portion of a branch lowers down &#xA;  the total flower production &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;• Fruit size and yield of higher grade fruits are&#xA;  more with high intensity pruning &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;• Minimizes the bending of branches&#xA;  and staking&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You added a new picture of your plant.  The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/vegetables/tree_fruits_nuts/hgic1359.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;Wonderful&quot; variety&lt;/a&gt; is supposed to grow to at least six, if not eight feet tall (2 M +) but it is a shrubby plant rather than having one strong stem.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend full sun as much as possible and regular side pruning to encourage  top growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-03-27T16:25:40.660" LastActivityDate="2015-03-27T16:25:40.660" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8908" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-25T20:01:31.053" Score="2" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can plants utilize the calcium that sediments in the kettle when water is boiled? Should we be &quot;feeding&quot; it to them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3068" LastActivityDate="2014-01-26T14:21:00.467" Title="Is the calcium deposit in my kettle utilized?" Tags="&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8909" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-25T22:34:08.060" Score="2" ViewCount="1065" Body="&lt;p&gt;My young lemon tree has yellow blotches on some of its leaves, even though the leaves are quite newly grown. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.yates.com.au/garden-expert/answers/fruit-citrus/7843-manganese-deficiency-lime-tree&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This advice&lt;/a&gt; suggests that it's likely to be deficient in Manganese, rather than Magnesium, as the older leaves look ok.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whenever possible, I use organic methods in the garden, so I would really appreciate advice consistent with organic gardening principles. How likely is it that some regular (home made) garden compost could help resolve this? Is there a mulch of some particular plant high in Manganese that I could apply?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any other suggestions would be appreciated too&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/96DeS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;manganese deficient lemon tree leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="715" LastActivityDate="2014-01-26T14:09:00.493" Title="Organic method of helping a Manganese deficient lemon tree" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8904" CreationDate="2014-01-26T04:06:36.890" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The red spine and red tint on the fringe of the leaves lead me to either &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenbetty.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/2011-02-21-02.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Russian Red/Ragged  Kale&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildgardenseed.com/images/WinterRedKale.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Winter Red Kale&lt;/a&gt;. From what I can tell, it's almost certainly a hybridized kale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2951" LastActivityDate="2014-01-26T04:06:36.890" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8909" CreationDate="2014-01-26T14:09:00.493" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lack of water can cause this - if the soil drains freely and dries out, any available manganese is rendered unavailable, so that's one factor to consider, because it means that the soil might not be deficient, it's just your plant can't access it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As Kevinsky says, ph is important too - if the soil is very acid, manganese won't be taken up, causing this kind of chlorosis. Optimum ph levels for citrus plants is roughly between 6-8.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Garden compost is always a good thing to use on the soil, but how high or not it is in manganese is impossible to say, plus there are synergistic events which mean supplementing with just one mineral won't necessarily correct the problem. The first and usual treatment for these problems is to test/correct the soil ph (adjustment is difficult in open ground), or, less likely, to adjust water availability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-01-26T14:09:00.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8912" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8908" CreationDate="2014-01-26T14:21:00.467" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not really - limescale is mostly calcium carbonate, which, in large amounts, might have a mildy alkalising effect on soil, but won't contribute much else other than releasing carbon as it degrades, which isn't necessarily a useful side effect. For the tiny amounts you'll be using, it won't make much impact. If you're dedicated enough to extract and crush the stuff, it might be of some use applied round an alkaline loving plant, say, a single onion growing in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-01-26T14:21:00.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8905" CreationDate="2014-01-26T15:38:52.037" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Florists keep cut flowers &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in water with some sugar or commercial floral preservative added&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in a room with light that is chilled to zero to two degrees celsius.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;with a relative humidity of ninety to 100 percent.  (However if fungus starts developing on the leaves because of the humidity reduce it)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long flowers keep depends on how fresh they were when you received them and the species. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-1115/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-01-27T11:08:25.357" LastActivityDate="2014-01-27T11:08:25.357" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8895" CreationDate="2014-01-27T01:45:25.157" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Truly detailed and accurate tests on various plant lights are sorely needed and currently lacking for many setups.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sure you could get some plants to grow under those lights but they are far from optimal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're looking for optimal growth then I would target an led system that is tuned specifically to service the wavelengths used by plants.  The measurement that you should be looking for here is Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthetically_active_radiation&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthetically_active_radiation&lt;/a&gt;.  That measures specifically how much light is being produced that plants can use for photosynthesis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best location for reviews that include PAR reading that I've found is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growershouse.com&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.growershouse.com&lt;/a&gt;.  While they are a commercial shop, I've found their grow light reviews to be more fact based than the marketing brochures of the manufacturers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Btw, if you're looking for a decent led light for a small area I reccommend this one &lt;a href=&quot;http://growershouse.com/kessil-h150-led-grow-light-purple&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://growershouse.com/kessil-h150-led-grow-light-purple&lt;/a&gt;.  I'm using it myself to grow high light plants and they're doing very well under it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope that helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2916" LastActivityDate="2014-01-27T01:45:25.157" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8915" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-27T07:40:17.670" Score="2" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hi i have started a tomato plantation on my balcony and its flowering but the flowers are falling without fruiting, i am using cocopeat and natural fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3070" LastActivityDate="2014-01-28T21:24:26.657" Title="Tomato plant flowering but falling before fruiting" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8916" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8915" CreationDate="2014-01-27T17:52:28.377" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be a pollination/fertilisation issue, as Evil Elf comments, but if each flower is dropping off at the knuckle (that is, where the short stem joins the rest, breaking and leaving the short bit on the dropped flower) then this is usually caused by dryness, both at the root and in the air. Increase watering and spray the plants first thing in the morning (preferably not in full sun, but if its very early in the morning, it'll be okay) if you think this is an issue. Also, tap the flowers gently - this aids in pollination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-01-27T17:52:28.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8917" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3729" CreationDate="2014-01-27T18:51:08.467" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best way I have found to save young plants from pill bugs is to cut the bottom out of those plastic party cups. Bury the cup about an inch deep in dirt around what ever you planted and leave it till the end of the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3071" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-08-08T02:40:27.100" LastActivityDate="2014-08-08T02:40:27.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8918" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-27T19:05:17.060" Score="3" ViewCount="198" Body="&lt;p&gt;While visiting Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary on January 19, 2014, I found this shrub or small tree with a few flower clusters in bloom along the boardwalk in the bald cypress forest. It was the only specimen that I saw, so the plant might be blooming outside its normal flowering season. I would appreciate help in identifying the species. I don't know how well some of the key features will show in the image, but the leaves are alternate, lanceolate, and finely toothed. The inflorescence is a terminal raceme. Individual flowers have 5 pure white petals, 5 stamens, and 1 pistil. The sepals and short flower stalks are red/pink.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2DVjk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3072" LastEditorUserId="3072" LastEditDate="2014-01-27T20:47:54.730" LastActivityDate="2014-01-30T01:25:20.967" Title="Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary plant ID query" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8919" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8915" CreationDate="2014-01-28T21:24:26.657" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;How are your temperatures there?  If it's over 90 or so during the day, tomatoes will generally refuse to set fruit.  I believe it is because high temps damage the pollen.  And, as mentioned, extremely low humidity will also render the pollen sterile and cause pollination to fail and flowers to drop off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pollination is generally not an issue with tomatoes as long as you have a bit of a breeze going where the plant is - tomato flowers are almost all closed up and are therefore mostly self pollinating. Insect pollination is not the normal mode for tomatoes, so you don't have to use a brush or q-tip on the flowers.  If you are concerned about pollination problems all you have to do is wiggle the tomato cage or &lt;em&gt;gently&lt;/em&gt; tap the blossom clusters once or twice a day to trigger the pollen to fall down from the anthers to the pistil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-01-28T21:24:26.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8920" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8905" CreationDate="2014-01-28T21:26:53.353" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the flowers are not too tall, or if you are willing to rearrange your fridge, some flower bouquets (especially spring bulbs like tulips or daffodils) keep well in the refrigerator.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-01-28T21:26:53.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8921" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8941" CreationDate="2014-01-28T22:42:39.140" Score="3" ViewCount="618" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the middle of the chihuahuan desert, where we have clay soils in the Ph range of 8.5.  I don't mind fertilizing and turning the soil, but I want to take advantage of the natural soils around me as much as possible without buying potting soils, peat moss, or composting.  I've read &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/824/what-plants-take-easily-to-clay-soils&quot;&gt;this post&lt;/a&gt;, but I'm more interested in planting things I can eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any edible plants I can grow in this type of soil (aside from the obvious prickly pear and mesquites)?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1260" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-02-05T15:29:16.510" Title="What edible plants grow well in alkaline clay soils?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;desert&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8922" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-29T13:02:09.670" Score="0" ViewCount="278" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was told soil needs good aeration to allow oxygen to enter the roots. If the soil is waterlogged, the plant will drown due to oxygen deprivation. Is this true and how is it possible for hydroponics?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3077" LastActivityDate="2014-01-29T14:27:58.473" Title="How do roots absorb oxygen in hyrdroculture/hydroponics?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-01-29T14:49:43.727" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8922" CreationDate="2014-01-29T14:27:58.473" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You would need to have airation I believe like those ones in fish tanks? Also you will need to have constant water moving around for best results with pumps and such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3075" LastActivityDate="2014-01-29T14:27:58.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8924" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8925" CreationDate="2014-01-29T15:21:40.600" Score="3" ViewCount="406" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have these orchids that I bought three years ago, and they are not flowering. At the beginning they almost died because of insufficient light in my home. I moved them next to an always-on artificial source of light and they came back to life. Even a couple of new leaves appeared but they have never produced flowers. What can I do to make them make flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are is a kitchen, no natural light. However the natural light in winter conditions is worse than what they have in the kitchen. The pots are on the top of my fridge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture (click to enlarge).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eWgQB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eWgQBl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-10T15:43:10.170" LastActivityDate="2014-11-10T15:43:10.170" Title="Orchids not flowering" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8925" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8924" CreationDate="2014-01-29T20:37:10.737" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay, from your picture, those are Phalaenopsis orchids.  They seem to be doing well in the light level you are giving them, although I don't think they need to be under a light 24 hours a day.  In order to re-bloom a Phalaenopsis orchid, they need a rest where they are watered very sparingly, followed by a time of lower light levels until the new growth begins.  I think this is where you are at currently.  After the new leaves begin to grow, you can give them more light and initiate blooming by placing the plant in a cool spot - 60 degrees F/ 15 degrees C - until the new bloom stalks begin to form.  Once the flower stalks have definitely begun to form, you should put them back into their happy, slightly warmer, growing spot for the duration.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-01-29T20:37:10.737" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8918" CreationDate="2014-01-30T01:25:20.967" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably Itea virginica, Saxifragaceae Family. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A native throughout the state of Florida. Known as Sweetspire or Virginia Willow. A deciduous (semi decid. in south florida) shrub growing to six feet tall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Simple alternate leaves, finely toothed, acuminate pointed tips. Flowering February to April. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Petal / stamen count matches both itea and clethra alnifolia, but the latter being sweet scented and not ranging as far south as Naples, Fl.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Habitat is streambanks, wetlands and swamps.  Matching Corkscrew sanctuary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some citation from: Gil Nelson 'Shrubs and Woody vines of Florida'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3079" LastActivityDate="2014-01-30T01:25:20.967" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8929" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-01-30T07:32:38.180" Score="5" ViewCount="163" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dgz4H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;My Tomato leaves are getting Yellow. I assume it some sort of disease. Until now I just tried to spray garlic on them, but it does not help. How can I treat it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3081" LastEditorUserId="3081" LastEditDate="2014-02-28T13:38:01.110" LastActivityDate="2014-04-29T14:39:20.603" Title="Tomato Disease treatment" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8930" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8931" CreationDate="2014-01-30T11:58:42.357" Score="2" ViewCount="496" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some Arum Lilies that are getting pretty big. Is there some sort of general consensus on when a plant should be moved to a bigger pot. I would like for them to get as big as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2835" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-01-30T21:51:56.660" LastActivityDate="2014-01-30T21:51:56.660" Title="Moving your Arum Lilies" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8931" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8930" CreationDate="2014-01-30T13:12:17.057" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had first better establish which plant you mean - Arum lily applies both to Arum (a bog plant usually grown outdoors) and Zantedeschia. If this is a houseplant, I'll assume it's Zantedeschia of some variety - these are rhizomatomous, and the usual time to divide these will be July/August. In terms of simply potting on to a larger pot, this can be done in Spring if the plant has outgrown its current container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-01-30T13:12:17.057" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8933" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8934" CreationDate="2014-01-31T00:39:06.600" Score="6" ViewCount="373" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could someone identify this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aK9lp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3085" LastActivityDate="2014-01-31T16:27:57.427" Title="Identity of this plant (yellow snap-dragon looking flower)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8934" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8933" CreationDate="2014-01-31T16:27:57.427" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's difficult to be sure, because we don't have a close-up of the flowers, but it looks like Oncidium flexuosum to me.  Here is an overall picture of the flowers, and a flower close up.  You can compare these to yours and let us know if it fits.  This is a species of orchid, by the way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overall plant:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dzYEC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant view&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flower close-up:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4ppEj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower close-up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-01-31T16:27:57.427" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8935" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8600" CreationDate="2014-02-01T03:44:41.963" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maybe Conocarpus erectus v sericeus. Silver Buttonwood. Where was the plant purchased? Silver Buttonwood is native to south florida. Typically a small-medium sized tree to 25', often pruned to a 3-6' hedge. Prefers full sun, tolerant of light shade, fairly easy to maintain. Fruit is a cone like. Check link, &lt;a href=&quot;http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/GardenPubsAZ/Buttonwood.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/GardenPubsAZ/Buttonwood.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3079" LastActivityDate="2014-02-01T03:44:41.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8936" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8937" CreationDate="2014-02-01T07:24:32.363" Score="4" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was watching a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lianwu.com.tw/all-videos/video/25&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;video&lt;/a&gt; on how to grow Wax Apples (Jambu) and the farmer said that wrapping his fruit in paper bags would increase the temperature by 2 degrees Celcius. Can someone scientifically explain this? I understand how a mammal has warm blood running through its veins and clothes keep the warmth from dissipating into the air, but I do not know what is generating heat on a fruit. And these bags are not air tight - wouldn't any cold air get into the bag after a matter of seconds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wGxIk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-03T00:41:54.830" LastActivityDate="2016-12-03T00:41:54.830" Title="Does wrapping fruit increase its temperature?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;frost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8936" CreationDate="2014-02-01T17:27:24.787" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nothing is generating heat on or within the fruit - the paper bag acts as an insulator so that if/when the temperature drops (possibly overnight or whatever) the fruit is more protected than it would otherwise be if it were not bagged. Paper is a very good insulator, sealed at the top or not, and in this case, there's a gap between the fruit and the bag which also adds to the insulating effect. When the temperature outside the bag drops, the temperature within will be higher, though whether that will be by 1 or 2 degrees I can't say.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to your comment, it depends which fruit you're talking about, really. Bagging fruits at a certain point in their development, often after thinning out a bit, has most usually been done on tropical type fruits, and not just to keep them warm. Loquats, for instance, are better bagged because then they're on the tree long enough to get properly ripe (orange). If they're not bagged, by the time they're yellow, they're being pecked and nibbled to death by birds and insects, and bagging stops that happening. Most bags intended for this purpose come with a wire in the top to close it, and drainage holes in the bottom, and the paper itself is permeable and lasts well. The requirement for sun isn't an issue, the fruit will be warmer in the bag, and, as already stated, the bags are permeable, but the timing is important - bags are only used at a certain stage of development, depending on the variety of fruit being bagged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-02-04T12:16:44.627" LastActivityDate="2014-02-04T12:16:44.627" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8939" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3729" CreationDate="2014-02-01T21:15:25.373" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant sunflowers!  FLOWERS next to your veggie gardens!  These plants will in turn attract wasp and insect predator.  These insect meat eating insects act like security guards over your veggie gardens.  They eat insect meat, don't care about your veggies.  P.S.  The slugs come out at night and eat everything in sight!  So do the grasshoppers!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3091" LastActivityDate="2014-02-01T21:15:25.373" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8941" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8921" CreationDate="2014-02-05T15:29:16.510" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, I'd still highly recommend composting. You don't have to improve the soil all at once, but most common edibles just have not evolved to grow in poor soil - they've been bred over generations and generations to be pampered a bit. I'm not sure what your motivation is for choosing fertilizer over compost, but you'll actually be kinder on your native soil by composting than by adding fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, I live in a very different climate than yours (Upper Midwest) and have way more rainfall, but I do have alkaline clay. The plants that do best in areas of my soil that I've not improved yet are herbs - mints, thyme, oregano, sage, chives, winter savory and dill are all very happy without any changes to the soil. French sorrel also does great and can be used as a vegetable. Kale would be worth trying - it comes up happily in my garden paths where the soil is poor. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beyond that, I think I'd see if there are any old-time gardeners in your area who save seed from their own gardens. You're more likely to find strains that do well in your native soils and climates if you can find seed that has been selected for it. Good luck! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-02-05T15:29:16.510" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8942" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8989" CreationDate="2014-02-05T22:02:39.010" Score="5" ViewCount="4207" Body="&lt;p&gt;Long story short, I have stale ground coffee (whoops vacation whoops) and two spider plants growing in pure water. Can I combine the two, or is that too acidic? I know that spider plants like acid, but... perhaps that's too much. Or perhaps there's not enough in the ground coffee to feed them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For context: I am a student living in university housing, so I can't easily access potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;[EDIT]&lt;/strong&gt; To be clear, I mean to use the coffee in lieu of soil, not as a liquid growing medium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3103" LastEditorUserId="3103" LastEditDate="2014-02-05T22:39:13.803" LastActivityDate="2015-07-22T20:35:13.270" Title="Can I grow spider plants in coffee?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;aquaponic&gt;&lt;coffee-grounds&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8943" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8942" CreationDate="2014-02-06T05:42:45.813" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say it depends on entirely upon 1) the coffee and 2) whether you plan on using the brewed coffee grounds or the coffee itself. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to a few books I have here at home, spider plants really only tolerate slightly acidic (range 5.5-7.5 on pH scale) environments. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If these sites(&lt;a href=&quot;http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/soil/2002015354019975.html&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;)(&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/sites/default/files/documents/cffee07.pdf&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;) are accurate and the pH of coffee grounds are neutral to ever-so-slightly acidic, I wouldn't be afraid of adding &lt;em&gt;brewed&lt;/em&gt; coffee grounds to the plants. The coffee itself may be another story.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As someone who appreciates coffee, I can attest that the pH for coffee varies greatly depending upon brewing method, origin, type, roasting, and other factors. For example, cold-brewing or French pressing a decent quality coffee would likely result in the appropriate pH for adding significant amounts to plants. The coffee in your university dining hall, or a quickly-brewed cheap coffee, will probably have to be diluted to be used. I've seen some articles that compare an acidity of 4.5 for &quot;traditional freeze-dried crystal coffee&quot; to 6.5 for &quot;gourmet French press coffee.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I regularly throw an old pot of coffee into the planter or mix grounds with compost without problem. But I personally think transplanting the plants from water to a soil of coffee grounds or a bowl of coffee would be a mistake; I've always only known coffee to be used as an additive and not a replacement. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of this is to say, &quot;try it and see.&quot; I would say spider plants are fairly hardy and will show signs of over-use of coffee. Add a portion at a time and wait a week to see how the plants adjust. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2951" LastActivityDate="2014-02-06T05:42:45.813" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8945" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-06T13:47:00.510" Score="3" ViewCount="289" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a beginner in farming. I would like to learn on self sustainable and self reliant farming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice on best way to start, sites or books that I can look into. I am hoping to learn basic farming from small garden to small live stock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3106" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2014-02-06T19:02:13.593" LastActivityDate="2014-02-14T14:46:24.980" Title="Self Sustainable farm for Beginner" Tags="&lt;sustainability&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-11-14T02:59:16.150" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8946" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8945" CreationDate="2014-02-06T15:04:24.370" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You say you are a beginner at farming - do you have any experience gardening? I really like John Jeavons for sustainability (try &lt;em&gt;How to Grow More Vegetables&lt;/em&gt; if you have some experience gardening already or &lt;em&gt;The Sustainable Vegetable Garden&lt;/em&gt; if you do not). Jeavons advocates a vegetarian diet, though, so won't help you with small live stock questions at all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are in a temperate climate, Toby Hemenway's &lt;em&gt;Gaia's Garden&lt;/em&gt; would be a great book to read before you start planning out your land. He is a permaculturist, and has great ideas for setting up sustainable systems in your garden and your home. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2014-02-06T18:09:26.880" LastActivityDate="2014-02-06T18:09:26.880" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8942" CreationDate="2014-02-06T15:08:56.717" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd caution against planting in straight grounds. Like jboneca, I've added used grounds to my potted plants, but if I do not mix them in well with the soil that is already there, I notice that they grow mold. Regardless of whether the plants did well growing in the grounds, I think you'd be at risk for a real mold issue if you were using straight grounds. Are you certain you could not find a bit of potting soil somewhere? I just purchased a small bag at my local grocery store for under $2. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-02-06T15:08:56.717" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8948" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-07T13:33:02.597" Score="3" ViewCount="289" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the Square Foot Gardening book, they suggest sprouting seeds in pure vermiculite and then moving those to seed trays w/ Mel's Mix until they're ready to be transplanted outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The vermiculite-seed-sprouting step seems like a lot of hassle, so is there any real reason not to just start seeds directly in seed trays using Mel's Mix?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the pro's/con's of skipping the first step?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="86" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-15T17:58:37.133" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T17:58:37.133" Title="For square foot gardening: Can I skip vermiculite seed sprouting, and plant straight in Mel's Mix?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;square-foot-gardening&gt;&lt;vermiculite&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8949" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-07T16:06:52.370" Score="4" ViewCount="604" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large oak tree with above ground roots that grow towards my house and the other way. Will removing the roots endanger the safety of the tree in case of heavy storms. Part of the tree overhangs my roof.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3111" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-02-07T19:33:21.063" LastActivityDate="2014-02-07T20:36:22.083" Title="Will removing the above-ground roots of an oak tree compromise its safety?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8950" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8949" CreationDate="2014-02-07T18:18:30.950" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you cut the roots you are increasing the danger that the tree will pose a safety issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;roots act as a mechanical support for the tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;roots provide nutrients and air to a tree. Research has shown that roots are intricately linked to specific branches.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you cut the roots then branches on that side of the tree are likely to die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best solution is to hire an arborist to do some maintenance pruning:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove dead and crossing branches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;inspect for cavities and dead areas in the trunk&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;look for signs of disease or insect infestation&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;thin the canopy to reduce the weight of the limbs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;reduce the amount of branches overhanging your roof&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said oaks are not known for toppling over unless there are local conditions such as:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;thin soil over rock&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;weather that includes storms of unusual power&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ice storms in winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;existing damage in terms of insects, dead branches or disease&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See here for more &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg089&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;detail&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-02-07T20:36:22.083" LastActivityDate="2014-02-07T20:36:22.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8953" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4940" CreationDate="2014-02-07T21:21:20.333" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I remember my Mom would 'white wash' our trees in Kentucky in the spring with a mixture of lime and water.  My brother and I would 'help.'  She told us it would keep the bugs away.  We had four maple trees in the front yard.  We did the same with the apple trees in the small orchard we had.  She would also use small pieces of lye soap and put them in the forks of the branches of some of the trees where she saw ants.  The white washed trees really looked pretty in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3113" LastActivityDate="2014-02-07T21:21:20.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8954" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-08T09:51:44.520" Score="1" ViewCount="193" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BH4aE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8nrX1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have this plant growing in my garden and I am unable to guess what plant it is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3114" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-02-10T00:01:37.210" LastActivityDate="2014-02-10T00:01:37.210" Title="What is this plant with oval leaflets in a compound leaf?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-06-30T18:46:41.140" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8955" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-08T16:34:19.143" Score="6" ViewCount="253" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 16 Emerald ash trees that have been hit with the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_ash_borer&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;emerald ash borer&lt;/a&gt;. While I have seen the ash borer's bore holes and the epicormic sprouting of branches in random places, I question whether or not these trees can be treated or if they indeed have to come down. I've had four experts come out and give me estimates, all of whom have said that all 16 trees need to come down, that simply treating them will just cost even more money because the treatment will be an ongoing thing. Removing all trees will cost anywhere from $6,000 to $9,000 depending on the company while treatment will only be a few thousand. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I know these experts are genuine in their assessments that the trees need to be removed and not just treated, especially when all they've done is walk up and down the lot and do little more than look at them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3115" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-02-10T00:09:44.097" LastActivityDate="2015-09-22T20:06:59.460" Title="How do I know if an ash tree can be treated for emerald ash borer or needs to be removed?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8956" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8955" CreationDate="2014-02-08T18:17:54.030" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Updated September 2015&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Where is it found&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://emeraldashborer.info/files/MultiState_EABpos.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;pdf&lt;/a&gt; shows where Emerald Ash borer is found in the United States.  It is also found in Ontario and Quebec in Canada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How bad can the damage get&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/fire-insects-disturbances/top-insects/13377&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:  If you can see damage from the beetle then&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Surveys have shown that the emerald ash borer damages and kills trees&#xA;in stands within one to four years of infestation. Typically, within&#xA;six years of an infestation arriving in a woodlot, more than 99% of&#xA;the ash trees have been killed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What can a homeowner do&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/EAB/pdf/NABB_DecisionGuide.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;This decision guide&lt;/a&gt; indicates that if your trees do not show damage and are less than 20&amp;quot; diameter you can treat them yourself with a range of pesticides or with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bioforest.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=content&amp;amp;menuid=12&amp;amp;pageid=1012&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;TreeAzin&lt;/a&gt;. This is preventative rather than curative.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can observe signs of the emerald ash borer in your ash trees then it's over for them and quick removal is the best solution.  The longer you delay the more likely that the ash borers will multiply and spread to other ash trees in your neighbourhood. Delaying means additional costs comes out of your neighbor's and your city's pockets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the signs to look for that will confirm whether removal is the best solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;D shaped holes in the trunk that are one eighth of an inch in diameter. Native borers make larger circular holes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;frass or sawdust below the exit holes confirm that a local or emerald borer is present&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;two to five inch vertical splits in the bark&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;heavy woodpecker activity indicates pest activity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dieback from the top of the tree indicates pest activity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;does your local city/municipality have information on the emerald borer? Are there maps indicating if the borer is present?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2049.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't see any of these then get one of the companies back and have them justify their opinion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may choose to treat the trees but this has to be done regularly and will be an ongoing cost for many years. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://emeraldashborer.info/files/HiringanArborist.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for details about hiring an arborist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once a tree shows signs of more than 20% dieback due to EAB,&#xA;treatments may not be successful. Treatment should be considered&#xA;primarily to prevent the infestation of healthy trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the available insecticide treatments need to be repeated every&#xA;year&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are no guarantees that available treatment options will work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many trees that are not attacked by emerald ash borer.  One that is most resistant to everything is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo_biloba#Cultivation_and_uses&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gingko tree&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-09-22T20:06:59.460" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8958" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5886" CreationDate="2014-02-09T00:59:37.933" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haemanthus_coccineus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Haemanthus coccineus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, is the label on mine. I have also seen a white one. They have large leaves almost a 1/2 meter long during winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3116" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-02-09T23:56:28.187" LastActivityDate="2014-02-09T23:56:28.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8959" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-09T23:50:31.687" Score="4" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;Over the years of planting tomatoes I have had a problem with a lot of the fruit cracking. I need some advice as to how to eliminate that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3120" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-02-10T00:12:19.200" LastActivityDate="2014-02-10T12:27:16.810" Title="How do I eliminate tomato cracking?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8960" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8959" CreationDate="2014-02-10T12:27:16.810" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tomato fruit splitting, assuming it occurs as the fruits are growing/ripening, is caused by uneven or irregular water supply, or wildly fluctuating temperatures. If they're in a heated greenhouse, check that the temperature remains fairly even night and day - a temperature drop at night is fine, but not if it's dropping by a lot. Equally, if the greenhouse heats up in the sun during the day, the temperatures reached may be excessive, so shading and ventilation are important. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, keep them well watered on a regular basis. If the plants get a bit dry and are then given plenty of water, what tends to happen is the fruit swells rapidly, and the skin can't keep up - regular supply of water prevents this by steadying the growth rate. By watering regularly, I don't mean keeping them waterlogged though, there should be good drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-02-10T12:27:16.810" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8962" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-10T17:08:43.263" Score="2" ViewCount="496" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I found a really pretty herb called Amaranth. It turns out it's edible and super healthy. Sadly I'm not sure how to grow it and what I can and can't grow near it. And I am talking about the edible plant not its sister plant which is an invasive weed. Should I build a raised box and tarp it under the soil to keep it from rooting elsewhere?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3123" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-02-10T19:02:42.773" LastActivityDate="2014-02-11T13:59:18.830" Title="How do I grow Amaranth successfully without it becoming invasive?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8964" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-11T00:17:41.757" Score="5" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;We planted a grapefruit tree in our yard about 3 years ago. It was probably about 2 feet at the time. It is now about 6 feet and looks healthy, gets plenty of water and hubby has fertilized it some, but it has not flowered or bore any fruit. We are obviously not gardeners! But we would like to bring this tree to fruit-bearing. Any suggestions? Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3125" LastActivityDate="2014-02-11T18:48:31.323" Title="Getting a grapefruit tree to bear fruit in Phoenix, AZ?" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8962" CreationDate="2014-02-11T13:45:28.993" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hmm, well I'm a bit confused, so let's clear a couple of things up. First, all Amaranths are edible, including Dicentra spectabilis (an amaranth) and pigweed. Second, most are just annuals or short lived perennials, in particular the leafy kinds you want to grow for their leaves, such as Amaranth dubius, so the only reason they might be 'invasive' is because, in the wild as pigweed, they flower and set seed, and the seed germinates and therefore there are more plants over a wider area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given you'll be growing it to eat, for salad use, the leaves are best cut when young, so you can remove the whole stalk when it gets to about 10 inches and use all the leaves, or 'cut and come again' at a smaller size. If you want the seeds, collect them once they're ripe, and to get seed, you'll need to leave some of the plants to flower - and at that point is when you need to be careful - get that seed before it distributes itself naturally. If you don't want the seed, then just keep cutting off the flowered stems - you can't eat the flowers, but you can eat the buds (apparently, I don't know, I've never tried them).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most varieties are better off in a soil that's nearer to average than rich, so reasonable, ordinary garden soil should do just fine, but it will grow better in moist but well drained ground. Also prefers (for leaf crops) about 5 hours of sun a day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-02-11T13:59:18.830" LastActivityDate="2014-02-11T13:59:18.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8966" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8964" CreationDate="2014-02-11T18:48:31.323" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you just need to give it time. 3 years would be very early to bear. I know some of the nursery catalogs out there claim you'll get fruit that fast, but in my experience, their windows are usually a tad (or a lot) optimistic. The wait is hard, but there really isn't much you can do. The tree will flower when it is old enough and mature enough. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is year 6 waiting for a pair of plum trees in my yard to bear. Last year I got 3 fruit which fell off before they were mature. I am hopeful that this will finally be my year. The nursery I got them from claimed I'd have fruit in 3 or 4 years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-02-11T18:48:31.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8967" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-11T22:32:56.183" Score="2" ViewCount="209" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a house plant that has grown tall (3'), It has a single stem with large elliptical green leaves.  On the perimeter of these leaves are what looks like round green seed pods about the size of a small pea with probably 20-30 pods on the perimeter edge of each leaf.  The color of the plant is a light green.  The plant seems to be very hardy.  I keep it indoors where it gets lots of odd looks.  I really don't know if this is an outdoor or indoor plant.  The seed pods that have fallen off the leaves into the pot below have sprouted and are growing so this plant seems to reproduce easily.  Any help in identifying this plant would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3126" LastActivityDate="2014-06-29T03:51:02.840" Title="I have a house plant no one has been able to identify," Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2014-07-15T20:17:19.660" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8968" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-12T18:08:45.803" Score="3" ViewCount="1156" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm considering using a triclopyr based herbicide to defeat some clover in my lawn (dwarf fescue) in San Francisco, CA. For example, there is this product:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ortho-Weed-B-Gon-16-oz-Concentrate-Chickweed-Clover-and-Oxalis-Killer-for-Lawns-0394560/100355767?N=5yc1vZbx89&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ortho-Weed-B-Gon-16-oz-Concentrate-Chickweed-Clover-and-Oxalis-Killer-for-Lawns-0394560/100355767?N=5yc1vZbx89&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But it's not available anywhere (that I can find) in California. I asked Scotts why not, and they couldnt answer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One possibility is that it's banned, but I dont see any references to that online. Another possibility is that its ineffective against California variants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone know why it's so hard to get triclopyr in CA?&#xA;(I can order it online from out of state, but I want to know &lt;em&gt;why&lt;/em&gt; it's unavailable)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3127" LastActivityDate="2014-03-05T11:47:23.697" Title="Why is triclopyr not available in California?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8970" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8983" CreationDate="2014-02-13T17:59:43.077" Score="3" ViewCount="510" Body="&lt;p&gt;The dwarf white pine has mealy bug which hide in the bark scales as well as living on the needles.  It is only five feet tall so I can reach all the branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will soap and water harm the waxy cuticle on the needles?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will a dormant oil spray harm the needles? If not should this be done in late winter, early spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any other ideas given that systemic insecticides are not available to homeowners in Ontario?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&#xA;The plant kept going downhill even after soap and water.  When there was substantial foliage die back after a winter I pulled it out and found very few roots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-12T16:10:13.487" LastActivityDate="2016-05-12T16:10:13.487" Title="best control method for mealy bug on dwarf white pine" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8971" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8982" CreationDate="2014-02-13T18:33:29.473" Score="4" ViewCount="39230" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm building a house right know and there is some thick grass that I need to cut down. Since I'm going to need to maintain about 100 m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; (about 1000 sq ft) after the house is completed, I thought about buying a string trimmer like the GH1000 from Black &amp;amp; Decker.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can it be used for the thick grass during construction and for general maintenance after the grass is installed? I'm also thinking about buying a reel mower (since the area isn't that big) for a better result with the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3129" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-21T17:14:49.607" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T14:53:03.197" Title="Can a string trimmer be used for a whole yard or thick grass?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;string-trimmer&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8972" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1027" CreationDate="2014-02-14T04:25:37.670" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your lawn is stressed after mowing, you may need to sharpen your blade. Or you're cutting it too short.  A lot factors into how often you need to mow. It should grow enough so that when you mow, you cut &amp;frac13; of its length, leaving 3&amp;frac12; inches. Regardless, I cut my grass every 2 weeks on my mower's highest setting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3131" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-02-14T14:44:32.223" LastActivityDate="2014-02-14T14:44:32.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8973" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8955" CreationDate="2014-02-14T04:49:45.290" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Contact your county's local agriculture extension that works with your land grant university.  They won't have the financial interest of a tree service and so you can feel comfortable that their answer is honest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3043" LastActivityDate="2014-02-14T04:49:45.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8929" CreationDate="2014-02-14T04:58:05.637" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess would be a nitrogen or magnesium deficiency but without more information or pictures it is very difficult to say.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3043" LastActivityDate="2014-02-14T04:58:05.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4097" CreationDate="2014-02-14T05:01:01.693" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many trees do this.  This may be their natural habit.  If you'd prefer a single trunk the thing to do is prune the shoots as soon as you're aware of them so that the roots aren't wasting too much energy on them instead of your main trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3043" LastActivityDate="2014-02-14T05:01:01.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8978" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8002" CreationDate="2014-02-14T05:03:26.890" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well with a little research you could relatively easily build/customize your own.  There are plans online for things like that.  Are you planning on growing the typical aerogarden plants?  I'd check the hydroponic websites and if there's a store in your area go talk to the owner.  They usually carry catalogues for all the things they don't carry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3043" LastActivityDate="2014-02-14T05:03:26.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8979" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8451" CreationDate="2014-02-14T05:06:34.060" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is something related to your soil.  I'd get the soil tested and see what the results are.  It's very possible that it is just over watering but that looks like a decent investment and a soil test is relatively cheap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a university near by that does horticulture type work they probably provide cheap soil tests and advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3043" LastActivityDate="2014-02-14T05:06:34.060" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8731" CreationDate="2014-02-14T05:08:38.613" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes it is possible to have too much drainage.  If you have a good soil though that will retain enough moisture to reduce your watering frequency. If you have sandy soil you might find yourself having to water frequently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3043" LastActivityDate="2014-02-14T05:08:38.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8971" CreationDate="2014-02-14T16:43:56.820" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;String trimmers tend to leave the cut edges of grass rough and ragged, which is unsightly as well as not good for the grass plants. The strings on the trimmer are also generally not good for more than just a few yards of heavy cutting before they become weak and start to break off, requiring more string be let out of the reel to continue working. This can make mowing with a string trimmer rather frustrating.  Because of these issues, I believe string trimmers are not the best thing to use for mowing whole swaths, so personally I'd go with the reel mower for doing more than just spot clean up of the lawn areas.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-02-14T16:43:56.820" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8983" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8970" CreationDate="2014-02-14T17:13:05.193" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since the tree is small, if you have the time, you can kill the bugs by taking a cotton swab or cotton ball dipped in pure rubbing alcohol and giving each of the critters a good swabbing drench with it.  This should kill them pretty much immediately, although it may not make them drop from the plant.  A nice blast of water to all the sides of the branches and leaves this spring should help dislodge their carcasses once they have died.  (Cleaning the dead bugs off the tree will help you find any you missed and help you keep watch for new infestations.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-02-14T17:13:05.193" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8984" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8971" CreationDate="2014-02-15T16:54:11.433" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;For dealing with particularly thick grass, there are a number of companies that make 'brush cutting' heads that use replaceable blades (plastic or metal) instead of spools of string.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, they don't work with all string trimmers.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't believe that any of them state they'll work with electric string trimmers, and I many state that they should be used only on straight (not curved) trimmers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="505" LastActivityDate="2014-02-15T16:54:11.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8985" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-15T17:13:40.693" Score="5" ViewCount="4023" Body="&lt;p&gt;I let my neighbors dump their vegetable trimmings in my compost pile, and it's worked well for many years.  I don't tend to actively maintain my compost pile and only turn it once a year.  (screen the stuff from the bottom when I'm turning over the garden in the spring, then throw all of the rest of it back in to sit 'til next year).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, last year my neighbors broke the container they had been using in their kitchen for compost, and I got them a new &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B004XWGS1G&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;indoor compost container&lt;/a&gt;.  I bought it online and didn't realize that it used bags.  They've been using it, and my outdoor compost pile is overflowing with the bags.  I've looked at the store, and the refills all seem to say variants of 'for municipal composting'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there some way of dealing with compostable bags in a personal compost pile?  Do I just have to break them open?  Heat them up sufficiently?  Or do I need to go through and attempt to remove them all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;update&lt;/strong&gt; : I took at look at the box, and there's text on it that says :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Bags are certified to meet ASTM D6400 standards. This means they will break down in an industrial composting facility.  Please dispose of bags properly.  Bags may take more time to degrade in a home composting environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bags themselves say they're made from cornstarch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="505" LastEditorUserId="505" LastEditDate="2014-02-21T14:16:39.397" LastActivityDate="2014-03-03T08:02:45.820" Title="How do I deal with 'compostable' bags?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-07-04T16:01:02.533" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8987" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="8993" CreationDate="2014-02-16T14:02:36.587" Score="7" ViewCount="2348" Body="&lt;p&gt;During the dead of winter when the temperature was hovering consistently around 32F I took 3/4 gallon of milk that had gone bad and pored it on the grass near the back porch. To my amazement the grass sprouted up like it was summer time in a matter of days. It was dark green and some of it reached about 12 inches before slowing down. Its still chilly out and I started dumping my left over milk from cereal bowls in the same area and the grass turns even darker green within a single day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's in milk that my grass loves so much?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3136" LastActivityDate="2014-02-18T16:56:03.937" Title="What ingredients in milk make it a good fertilizer?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8988" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8968" CreationDate="2014-02-16T22:21:34.097" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Triclopyr is considered to be one of the more toxic pesticides.  California has stricter environmental laws than most states, especially when it comes to carcinogens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.alternatives2toxics.org/tox_profile-triclopyr.htmhttp://www.alternatives2toxics.org/tox_profile-triclopyr.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.alternatives2toxics.org/tox_profile-triclopyr.htmhttp://www.alternatives2toxics.org/tox_profile-triclopyr.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3043" LastActivityDate="2014-02-16T22:21:34.097" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8989" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8942" CreationDate="2014-02-17T00:39:29.583" Score="7" Body="&lt;h1&gt;The Verdict&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For this experiment, I took four different spider plants that were roughly the same health/size at the beginning of the experiment, and waited approximately ten days to note any differences. They each had roughly the same amount of light/fluid in their tubes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I attempted three trials, with one Control:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Control&lt;/strong&gt; Water (original state of all four)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sample 1: Water with unbrewed ground coffee&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sample 2: Water with brewed ground coffee&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sample 3: Brewed coffee&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;The Control&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The control grew predictably, with no pronounced damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Sample 1&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The grounds were added dry, and floated briefly before becoming water-logged and sinking. The water remained the color of brewed coffee even after the grounds settled out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sample did not grow perceptibly, though it also showed no signs of damage or sickness. The root system seems to have expanded at roughly the same rate as that of the control, though clearly this is all estimated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Sample 2&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The water here too became 'dark-tea' colored after adding grounds, though obviously not as dark as that of Sample 1. The root system and leaves grew at the same rate as that of the control; presumably, this was the healthiest of the non-control specimens, and was possibly even healthier than the Control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Sample 3&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The coffee was allowed to cool to room temperature before being added to the sample. This sample exhibited identical behavior to the first sample: Increased root system, diminished growth of the exposed greenery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Thoughts&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems as though the caffeine &lt;em&gt;did&lt;/em&gt; stunt the growth of the plants, just as &lt;code&gt;S. Albano&lt;/code&gt; proposed. However, it is possible these effects are temporary. I haven't followed it long enough to conclusively determine any long-lasting benefits/risks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Conclusion&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Add some used coffee-grounds to whatever growth medium (soil, water, etc) you're already using; but don't replace it entirely. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Further Thoughts&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps if watered with coffee in normal potting soil, this would be a healthier setup? Additionally, I'd like to see what happens over a longer period of time, or with diluted coffee — or, indeed, with decaf grounds. I'll keep you posted if I find anything else out!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3103" LastActivityDate="2014-02-17T00:39:29.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8987" CreationDate="2014-02-17T12:52:45.890" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nitrogen - milk contains roughly about 5% nitrogen as part of its protein content. Human urine, on the other hand, contains (roughly, it varies on time of day and the particular human) about 15% nitrogen - I leave you to draw your own conclusions as to which will cause more green growth, though the most effective and cleanest use for the latter is adding it to the compost heap occasionally. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless of milk's nitrogen content, I wouldn't describe it as a 'good' fertiliser because it's not balanced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATED ANSWER (in response to both comments)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, I am serious about urine on the compost heap. The first one in the morning contains the most nitrogen, so collect that and use it, if your heap is a bit short on nitrogen giving materials (such as green leaves). I used it for years, used to collect it from my kids, saved money on compost activators, but I didn't use it every day, probably about once a week during spring and early summer particularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stranded Pirate: I know that human urine does contain nitrogen, not only from the scientific point of view, but from experience, and not the one I'm  mentioning above. I had a client some years ago, an older couple, and she was puzzled as to why the grass nearest the french windows, just beyond the path outside, was lush, long and green in February and March when the rest of the lawn wasn't. I took the husband aside and he confessed - his arthritis made it difficult to get upstairs, so when his wife went to bed, he'd stay up and watch tv, and if he needed to, he used to nip outside to pee instead, without her knowledge. I never told her, just suggested he might want to spread it around a bit more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-02-18T16:56:03.937" LastActivityDate="2014-02-18T16:56:03.937" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8991" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8971" CreationDate="2014-02-17T20:34:19.733" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a Ryobi trimmer many years ago that allowed several different attachments to be used.  I have replaced the power head twice since then, but still have all the original attachments, along with two new ones I bought with the new Sears 4 cycle head.  The attachments I have are: bump out string trimmer, heavy duty string trimmer, Brush cutter with blunt blade, cultivator, hedge trimmer, and blower.  I use them all. The 4 cycle head works much better than the original because it is more powerful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All that said, I agree that using a trimmer to mow does not leave a clean result. Typically, I trim first and then mulch mow.  Unless you plan to use it as a lawn, in a small area of 1000 sq ft, you might want to plant something that does not require maintenance, like: ivy, pachysandra, or juniper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2014-02-17T20:34:19.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8992" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-18T03:27:43.583" Score="7" ViewCount="1852" Body="&lt;p&gt;I hear that most kinds of berries need trellises like the one pictured below. I believe that the trellis keeps the stalks growing upright. Beyond the aesthetics, would anything bad happen if I grew berries without a trellis - just let them grow to whichever direction that they want? I'm just growing blackberries and blueberries for the taste and don't really care about the appearance of the bush. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JkglC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-02-18T15:20:41.957" Title="What happens if you don't use a trellis for berries?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;&lt;trellis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8993" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8987" CreationDate="2014-02-18T07:07:24.610" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you look at the label of any fertilizer, you will see three numbers (N-P-K). The first number is Nitrogen, which especially promotes leafy growth. Phosphorus promotes root growth and Potassium promotes overall strength, if you're wondering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Milk contains a decent amount of protein, not just for humans, but also for plants. That's because out of all the macronutrients (fat, carbohydrates, and protein), protein is the only one that contains an additional nitrogen molecule. This nitrogen from the proteins of milk will promote the green leafy growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Milk has been legitimately used by a famous wax apple grower Lian Wu Hsiung (蓮霧雄) in Taiwan. He has used &lt;a href=&quot;http://cc3.tajen.edu.tw/~tajendmd/englishserviceinpt/english/shop/shop10.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;soybean milk and expired cow milk&lt;/a&gt; to make his fruit bigger and sweeter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-02-18T07:07:24.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8968" CreationDate="2014-02-18T13:55:31.747" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If getting the triclopyr is the problem, you can order it on Amazon.  I didn't see any immediate shipping restrictions.  I had a big problem with tall grass growing in my lawn in 2012, and I used the following to get rid of it.  Very little came back last year.  I don't know if it works for clover, but it is worth investigating, because if mixed and applied correctly, it does not affect the lawn at all. You need a surficant, like the one listed, to spread it properly too. You can get both on Amazon, although I ordered the Drive 75 from ePestSolutions.  Maybe they can answer your CA question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;DRIVE 75 DF HERBICIDE WEED CONTROL CRABGRASS Quinclorac &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonide Products 097 8OZ Concentrate or Concentrated or Concrete Turbo Sticker&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2014-02-18T13:55:31.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8995" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8992" CreationDate="2014-02-18T15:20:41.957" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never trellised my berries, personally. I've thought of doing it, but never quite get around to it. If you don't trellis blackberries and raspberries, they kind of sprawl all over and spread to make a thicket in whatever area you are willing to give them. It can make it more difficult (and painful) to pick, but isn't a problem otherwise. I just put on long pants and long sleeves to pick. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-02-18T15:20:41.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8996" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-18T16:54:34.220" Score="7" ViewCount="16006" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have evergreen trees that are approx. 55 feet tall.  I am not sure the name of this type of evergreen, but is has short needles and the branches fall like a canopy and produce very small pinecones.  Next door to our property they are intending to build right next to our property line where the trees are and we are concerned about damage to their root system.  We have been here for 30 plus years and love our trees.  The questions are:  (a) how far does the root system extend?; (b) what can be done to protect the root system? (c) if they dig so close to the trees would it be likely that they will die?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The area the new trees would be planted face north, they get some early morning light and afternoon light.  Not sure about the soil, but there are scattered trees in this area already but not as a border, so there are quite a bit of root system in the area, but the new trees should be planted a couple of feet away from the existing trees.  The trees would be along the back of the lot and our lot is approx 63 ft wide.  Also, if we would request 2 lines of trees for privacy/noise levels, do you think that is feasible or how far do such big trees need to survive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other question I have is if we want to plant additional trees to line the property line, are there fast growing columnar evergreens for privacy that we can plant or what type of tree could we plant for privacy as they are building a 3 storey, 36 foot tall building right beside our property line which apparently will be 40 foot wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3140" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-02-19T21:32:51.820" LastActivityDate="2014-02-26T19:36:27.327" Title="Root system of an evergreen tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="8999" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8996" CreationDate="2014-02-18T17:50:01.620" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;For many years it was thought that the majority of roots extended as far as the drip line, that is, the point where water falls off the foliage that is furthest from the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.isa-arbor.com/education/resources/educ_Portal_RootGrowth_AN.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;research&lt;/a&gt; has shown that the answer is &quot;it depends&quot;.  Soil profile, urban or rural area, species, density of trees, age of trees all play a part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if we knew the type of tree, age of tree, soil profile and spacing it is difficult to tell as roots do not grow uniformly around a tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About the only thing you can say with certainty is that the closer to trunk the more roots there are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can do some fieldwork yourself by getting out a shovel and making a series of sharp cuts in the turf on your property line.  When you dig down six inches do you see tree roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to whether your trees will die it depends on the percentage of the root area that will be disturbed. If more than half of the root area will be disturbed then there is a good chance that the health will suffer.  Most trees don't take well to the compaction that is common with construction.  If possible ask the neighbour to use construction fencing to ensure that the root area on their property is not driven over by machinery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding selecting a new type of tree we need more details as to your location, amount of light, soil type and size of the planting area in order to assist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-02-18T17:50:01.620" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9000" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-18T22:25:57.190" Score="3" ViewCount="281" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a house in a rainforest and the garden is almost completely covered in morning glory. It pulls off relatively easily but I'm conscious that I'm not getting the roots and it will only grow back. Is there any way I can get rid of it without fire bombing the whole area?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1538" LastActivityDate="2014-03-05T08:14:29.283" Title="How do I eradicate morning glory?" Tags="&lt;morning-glory&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9001" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9003" CreationDate="2014-02-18T22:54:33.907" Score="6" ViewCount="615" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently found this plant hiding behind a bush. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could someone please identify it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0iz5T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3142" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-05T22:26:50.030" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T22:26:50.030" Title="What is the name of this bamboo looking plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9002" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9004" CreationDate="2014-02-19T00:05:34.920" Score="4" ViewCount="4931" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you can see in these pictures our &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_reflexa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Song of India (&lt;em&gt;Dracaena reflexa&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; is having some problems. I say it is too much water, while my wife says not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do you say?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click any photo  for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xdQkX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xdQkXl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sedy4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sedy4l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture2 &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-27T18:22:19.237" LastActivityDate="2014-07-27T18:22:19.237" Title="What could cause brown spots on the leaves of a Song of India plant (Dracaena reflexa)?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9003" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9001" CreationDate="2014-02-19T00:08:17.603" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is called the Mass Cane or Dracaena Massangea also known as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_fragrans&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dracaena fragrans&lt;/a&gt; .  See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=mass%20cane&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for other answers which expand on this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From my previous answer&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It is a very popular tropical plant from Africa. In the wild this&#xA;  plant reaches 15 m (49 ft) but specimens grown indoors can be easily&#xA;  kept at ceiling height (about 2 m or 6 to 8 ft).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Your plant has a red waxy substance on the end of the cane due to how&#xA;  it is grown. A typical production cycle for this plant is for it to be&#xA;  grown outside in Central America, Costa Rica is a common origin. The&#xA;  plant is allowed to grow to twenty or thirty feet and then chain sawed&#xA;  into various lengths. The trunks are then shipped to Florida in&#xA;  containers and potted up. Growers will pack three or four trunks of&#xA;  varying lengths into one pot and a sealant is put on the end of each&#xA;  trunk to prevent rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-02-19T12:04:51.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9002" CreationDate="2014-02-19T00:15:21.587" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This does look like overwatering to me.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/GardenPubsAZ/Dracaena_Reflexa_Fact_Sheet.pdf&quot;&gt;This publication&lt;/a&gt; describes the cultivation requirements in Florida as having high drought tolerance but should not be exposed to salt spray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When overwatering occurs you get some leaf drop but you also stress the plant so it is vulnerable to bacterial/fungal/viral infections which are the source of the spotting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can reduce the spotting by increasing the light levels and decreasing the amount of water.  Let the plant get healthy and it should outgrow the disease.  Repotting will not affect the disease as it is inside the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A watering schedule should reflect how much light, how pot bound the plant is and the type of soil.  For a plant that is in very high light (unobstructed south exposure), moderately pot bound and a soil less mix no more than once a week with enough water to wet the entire root ball.  It is more likely that watering every ten to fourteen days would meet the plant's needs.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-02-19T12:09:36.650" LastActivityDate="2014-02-19T12:09:36.650" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9005" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-19T15:10:17.863" Score="5" ViewCount="1103" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-bellied_Woodpecker&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Red-bellied woodpeckers&lt;/a&gt; have been paying regular visitors to my pecan tree this winter. Is this an indication of possible insect infestation on the tree? Is it possible they could damage the tree themselves? I have bird feeders there too and they seem to spend a lot of time there as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3144" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-02-19T16:24:30.737" LastActivityDate="2014-02-19T21:10:39.363" Title="Can woodpeckers damage a pecan tree enough that it won't produce?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9006" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8996" CreationDate="2014-02-19T16:54:54.853" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;10-12 inches of course mulching protect roots from equipment. In some states there are laws which protect a tree from destruction by a neighbor. For instance, the neighbor can prune branches over their property, but not so much that the tree dies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3145" LastActivityDate="2014-02-19T16:54:54.853" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9007" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9005" CreationDate="2014-02-19T21:10:39.363" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are they &quot;pecking&quot; the tree trunk, or just roosting, hanging around and eating from the bird feeder?  If they are spending time actually pecking holes in the trunk, then yes, most likely you have some sort of bug at work under the bark.  Look for rows of holes in the side of the tree, and if you find any, check with your local Ag extension or a good nursery in town to find out what sort of bug you may be dealing with, and treat it appropriately.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While it certainly doesn't do any tree any good to have dozens (or hundreds) of weeping holes in it's trunk, the bigger problem is the chance that a fungus or other pests will inhabit the holes they have created while removing the beetle larvae or other pest they are digging out under the bark of the afflicted tree. The woodpeckers are actually doing a small good by removing the larvae, although if you do have a lot of action on a particular tree it can weaken it.  However, if you get rid of whatever pest it is that they are eating, the birds should move on and find another tree to drill for food.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-02-19T21:10:39.363" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9008" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9000" CreationDate="2014-02-19T21:19:54.257" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you mean the wild type of morning glory (aka, bindweed) you are definitely in for a battle.  However, I have had success in the past by removing as many of the plants and their roots as I could, then covering the ground with a dark mulch (many layers of newspaper, cardboard, or a good thick layer or two of heavy landscaping fabric) and after that, piling several inches of mulch on top.  You can dig holes and plant a garden into this, but be aware that every place you punch a hole to plant, the bindweed will come up, climb your plants, and attempt to blanket the area once again.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can take years to knock bindweed back this way.  There may be chemical controls that will knock it back (the roots go very deep, so even chemicals may not get it all) but I haven't used those because most of my experience has been with it in the vegetable garden.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-02-19T21:19:54.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9009" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-20T00:56:06.633" Score="3" ViewCount="339" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a brand new house and garden plot; it is currently sod so I have to dig it this first year and amend the soil. I have run into a section that seems like it used to be a rock path or drive way, just smallish 1&quot;d river rock about five inches down and up to one foot deep, some are big fist sized guys. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that &quot;sometimes the problem is the solution,&quot; so I am wondering if I really need to pull all of these out and sift the soil? If I don't will they add to my drainage and water storage under the garden? What if they are all mixed into the soil? How deep should they be under the growing strata?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3147" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-13T03:16:32.020" LastActivityDate="2014-08-13T21:55:33.080" Title="What should I do about landscape rocks in my garden plot?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;rocks&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9010" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-20T04:23:41.253" Score="8" ViewCount="13502" Body="&lt;p&gt;After my kids have a bath, I want to be able to pump the water out into the garden. They usually just have a bath in water without soap etc. so it's still relatively clean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually I just try to siphon the water out with a hose but this doesn't work very well as the bath level is very close to the level of the garden. The hose also has to go up and out the bathroom window which makes starting the siphon difficult.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any suggestions on what might be a good way to achieve getting the water out of the bath into the garden without spending heaps on a water pump?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT&#xA;I haven't spent any more time on this yet however my thoughts are to see if I can salvage a water pump from on old washing machine and wire it up to pump the water out...thanks for your suggestions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3149" LastEditorUserId="3149" LastEditDate="2014-03-19T22:39:49.073" LastActivityDate="2017-07-28T15:09:31.347" Title="How do I pump my bath water to my garden for watering?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9011" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-20T06:35:18.877" Score="4" ViewCount="447" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the past, I've tried peat pots, the puff-up peat tablets, the cheap flimsy trays for doing starts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peat pots don't really let the roots through.&#xA;The tablet things are a recurring cost (so are the peat pots, but I made the mistake of buying a big case of them)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to invest in something that will last.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see a couple of options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Block makers. I like the idea of easy step-ups.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Air pruning trays.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rootmaker, speedling, star shaped (no brand)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm  trying hydroponic pots. They work OK if I cut out the solid circle on the bottom, and enables me to push the seedling out.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the trade-offs? The block makers have good reviews in other questions, but I haven't seen much mention of the fancier, air-pruning, trays.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3150" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-02-23T15:41:55.370" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T19:49:47.670" Title="what are the trade-offs between soil blocks and air-pruning trays?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9012" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8985" CreationDate="2014-02-20T10:02:39.017" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TL;DR:&lt;/strong&gt; Generally it's best not to add compostable plastics to your compost pile because most plastic types do not break down in home compost piles. If the bag has a genuine 'compostable' logo then give it 90 days to see if this bag is compostable in your pile or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem with compostable plastics is that many plastic manufacturers use a different definition of compostable than you'd expect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;That which is capable of undergoing biological decomposition in a compost site such that the material is not visually distinguishable and breaks down into carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and biomass at a rate consistent with known compostable materials. (source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Biodegrade/Compostability-Degradable-Plastics1mar02.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ASTM D6002 standard&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This definition says nothing about the needed temperatures in the composting process nor does it say anything about the toxicity of the resulting substances. The only criterium is the speed at which the plastic breaks down. Luckily there are stricter and better standards; the &lt;a href=&quot;http://greenplastics.com/wiki/ASTM_D6400&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;US ASTM D6400&lt;/a&gt;, the &lt;a href=&quot;http://greenplastics.com/wiki/EN_13432&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;European EN 13432&lt;/a&gt; and the &lt;a href=&quot;http://bioplastics.org.au/faq/what-is-the-as4736-standard-for-biodegradable-plastics&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Australian AS4736&lt;/a&gt;. These standards have a very low limit for the amount of heavy metals and toxic substances that are allowed in the resulting compost (but this limit isn't zero). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The result of all these different standards is that most compostable plastics can be broken down, but usually only in industrial recycling centers where the plastics are heated to very high temperatures for several days. If you put compostable plastics on your compost heap you'll find that it won't break down because the temperatures aren't high enough. The resulting 'compost' from industrial recycling centers usually is fairly safe, but it depends on how strict the definition of compostable is where you live and which standard applies. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only standard that guarantees that a product can be home composted is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://bioplastics.org.au/news/home-composting-standard-as-5810-2010-verify-your-product-conforms-now&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Australian AS 5810&lt;/a&gt;. There are also some marks that guarantee this, but so far I haven't seen them in real life so they are probably scarce. More info about this in &lt;a href=&quot;https://sustainability.stackexchange.com/q/2594/99&quot;&gt;this question about home compostable plastics&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that there is a difference between compostable and biodegradable plastics. For biodegradable plastics there are no maximum levels of toxic chemicals or heavy metals, they just need to break down much faster than traditional plastics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodegradable_plastic#Controversy&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia - Biodegradable plastics controversy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://compostingcouncil.org/admin/wp-content/plugins/wp-pdfupload/pdf/8095/Compostable%20Plastics%20101%20Paper.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Compostable Plastics 101&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt; I did some research; &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B008207BIY&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; it says that the particular bags you are referring to are ASTM-D6400 certified. This means that 60% of the material should break down within 180 days. The question remains under which circumstances. There is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/review/R1TM8HZUQJPERT/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;ASIN=B008207BIY&amp;amp;linkCode=&amp;amp;nodeID=&amp;amp;tag=&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;one review&lt;/a&gt; that says that &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;... they break down in my compost 30-60 days after mixing in depending on the temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;so these bags may be really compostable in your compost pile. I'd suggest you give it 90 days to see if this is the case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1916" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:49:27.957" LastActivityDate="2014-03-03T08:02:45.820" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9013" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-20T13:02:42.410" Score="4" ViewCount="4546" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a hyacinth plant which bloomed and then the flowers died. So once the flowers have died but the greenery still looks fine, is there anything I can do to coax more flowers out of the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3152" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-02-21T04:53:21.230" LastActivityDate="2014-02-21T04:53:21.230" Title="What should I do to encourage my Hyacinth to flower again?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;hyacinth&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9014" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9013" CreationDate="2014-02-20T15:18:32.573" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spring bulbs like hyacinths only bloom once a year.  Now that this year's blooms have died back, keep the plant in a sunny spot and make sure it doesn't get too dry.  Feed it now and then with a weak fertilizer solution when you water.  In other words, treat it as a houseplant until you can plant it outside.  When the leaves start to yellow and die back this spring or summer, that means the bulb is going dormant for the rest of the year.  Once that happens you should plant it in one of your flower beds somewhere in the fall, so it can settle in over the winter.  It will send up leaves again in the spring, but &lt;em&gt;may not&lt;/em&gt; flower again next year. (Flowering a bulb in a pot generally weakens it somewhat.) If you care for it well next year, as you do other outside flowering plants, it should definitely bloom the next year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing to remember with spring bulbs - never cut a bulb's leaves back until they start to yellow.  The leaves are what energizes the bulb so that it has enough oomph to flower again the next season and if you cut them back too soon, the bulb probably won't flower well the next year, if at all, and may eventually weaken enough to die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-02-20T15:18:32.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9015" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9013" CreationDate="2014-02-20T16:09:48.720" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is potted, yes? It will not bloom again this year. Bulbs generally build up enough energy to put out a single flowering. Once that is over, you need to wait for next year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your bulb was forced, it may not bloom next year, either. Forcing takes a lot out of the plant, and they need time to recover. Many people throw them away after they are done. I've always thought that is a bit of a shame. I plant them out in my garden. They never seem to look quite as showy as they did the first time, but they are still pretty and brighten up the garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do be sure to let the plant die back on its own if you want to replant it. Now is the time when it is storing the energy for next year's blooms. If you cut off the green foliage, it won't get a chance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-02-20T16:09:48.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9016" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9010" CreationDate="2014-02-20T16:59:56.883" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perhaps you could enlist the help of your kids - fill up some water guns and let them loose on the garden! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3124" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2014-02-20T18:09:27.727" LastActivityDate="2014-02-20T18:09:27.727" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9017" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9010" CreationDate="2014-02-20T18:25:35.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A &lt;em&gt;relatively&lt;/em&gt; low cost (~$100), and multipurpose solution is to purchase a Shop Vac style vacuum with a water pump feature. I have one that I use when my basement floods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically it's a standard canister vac that has a water pump attachment that goes on instead of an air filter and bag. Then you attach a garden hose to a port in the lid and run the hose to your garden. Turn your vac on then put the nozzle right into the tub (careful of toys :)). These are relatively limited capacity, so you may have to let it drain, but if you suck relatively slowly, you shouldn't have a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought mine from a big box hardware store, but you can find them on amazon. They aren't cheap, but they are multipurpose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="36" LastActivityDate="2014-02-20T18:25:35.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9018" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9021" CreationDate="2014-02-20T21:16:54.507" Score="4" ViewCount="8424" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a minimum age, height, or trunk girth before I can start training  or pruning a seedling / young tree? I am concerned that starting too early would be detrimental to its early growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Specifically, I have a wax apple tree that is just 8'' tall. Its leaves are growing much faster than its branches. Some leaves seem to be pushing into the frail branches. Can I cut off these overly strong leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another specific problem I have is a Wonderful Pomegranate seedling about 1 foot tall. Unexpectedly, All its branches are growing away from my South facing window. I want to make some heading cuts to promote a more balanced structure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T23:07:15.863" Title="How soon can I start training or pruning a seedling?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9019" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9010" CreationDate="2014-02-21T16:51:16.537" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Water pumps aren't very expensive if you know where to look -- the submersible pumps for water fountains or hydroponics are often under $20.  You may need an adaptor to attach it to a garden hose, or just buy a length of tubing for the pump if you're not going too far with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only issue is that they won't drain 100% of the water.  They typically have feet to raise them a little bit off the bottom of their tank, and won't drain 100% of the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not as versatile as a wet/dry vaccuum, but they're so small you can more easily keep it in the bathroom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You generally pay more for larger pumps ... they're rated by GPH (gallons per hour), generally the low end (sub $10) ones are under 100GPH (~1.5 gallons per minute) and you can often get 200-300GPH for $20-$30.  You just have to decide how fast you want the tub to drain ... but I'd also look to make sure the pump had an appropriately sized outlet to try to couple a garden hose to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also check hardware &amp;amp; automotive stores for 'siphon pumps'.  They're inexpensive (about $15), but they're often either hand-powered or battery powered though, as they're frequently used for draining gas cans or automotive fuel tanks ... but they will drain to the bottom, or at least further than most submersible pumps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="505" LastActivityDate="2014-02-21T16:51:16.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9020" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8996" CreationDate="2014-02-21T19:48:05.423" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Will the next door building be piled or have a ground floor slab foundation? If it's piled, there can be less ground disturbance - as long as the contractor has been made aware to disturb minimally. If piling is the method - would you be able to discuss this with the neighbour?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even with a slab there are (cost effective) ways of protecting your trees but only if the neighbour is a little flexible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I start trees jobs I use this as a protection basis (adapted from a British Standard)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Measure tree diameter at breast height (dbh) and divide sum by 25,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For every 25mm increment of trunk diameter increase the protection radius by 450mm from the centre of the trunk&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thus a 1200mm trunk yields a 21.6m diameter protection zone&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And yes where do you live (roughly)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2044" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2014-02-26T19:36:27.327" LastActivityDate="2014-02-26T19:36:27.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9021" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9018" CreationDate="2014-02-21T22:16:43.453" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trees are generally not pruned a lot in their first year. This means they are usually just unbranched sticks (whips) at the end of their first year. In the second year, the whip's tip is pruned to force it to start branching.  The next year, the three to five best branches from what has grown in year two are selected as the main scaffolding branches for the developing tree.  Everything else above and below the height desired for the scaffold is pruned off, and in that way new growth is directed out to the young main branches for the duration.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pomegranates are generally bushes and not trees, and I believe they fruit on 2 year old wood.  So your pruning for shape on that could probably begin now if you wanted it to, but be aware that if you don't let some of the branches become mature it will take longer for it to begin fruiting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-02-21T22:16:43.453" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1260" CreationDate="2014-02-21T23:29:05.477" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most research seems to conclude that watering the leaves themselves has little benefit and can in some instance cause some risk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Applying specific types of &quot;feed&quot; to the leaves seems to be noted as a separate process and has been shown to be beneficial especially amongst fruiting plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One query I have had in regards to the idea however was brought about by watching my garden's reaction to summer rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have wondered if the first small shower on the leaves somehow triggers more effective feeding from the root system as the rain continues to come down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3154" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-02-23T15:37:36.680" LastActivityDate="2014-02-23T15:37:36.680" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9024" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9026" CreationDate="2014-02-23T03:20:00.647" Score="6" ViewCount="202" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure if the berries change colour or not. Right now they are the size of peas and look like little watermelons. As you can see, the leaves are weird and look like sea urchins. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone tell me what plant this is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BCdcF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2lXpi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gu6t4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3032" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-09-02T22:38:34.003" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T07:59:01.243" Title="What is this 3 metre tall shrub whose bottom comes from lots of thick stems?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9024" CreationDate="2014-02-23T12:22:45.837" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's an Asparagus, maybe &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus_densiflorus&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Asparagus densiflorus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3160" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-02-23T15:22:28.330" LastActivityDate="2014-02-23T15:22:28.330" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9027" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9030" CreationDate="2014-02-23T18:39:50.577" Score="4" ViewCount="147" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planning to boost my tired raised beds this year with green manure based on peas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The idea is to seed the peas as soon as weather allows it. Once they have grown I would dig them under.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are my three questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When is the right moment to dig them under? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can I profit from the peas and the manure-effect?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there a variety which I should prefer over others?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2014-02-24T12:02:22.963" LastActivityDate="2014-04-11T21:19:18.737" Title="Peas as green manure" Tags="&lt;peas&gt;&lt;green-manure&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9028" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="707" CreationDate="2014-02-24T00:21:04.950" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It needs cold weather during the year.  Indoor conditions all year will eventually kill the plant (or colony).  It's a zone 4-8 plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3161" LastActivityDate="2014-02-24T00:21:04.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9029" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9027" CreationDate="2014-02-24T05:03:26.883" Score="4" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Short Bean Fava, aka Bell Bean or Horse Bean&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Austrian Field Peas&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Common Vetch&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Buckwheat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may have issues with vines winding around the tines on that &lt;strong&gt;Universal Gardener Agravator Device&amp;trade;&lt;/strong&gt; some people call a rototiller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A BCS rotary plow chops right through cover crop, rototillers try to make rope or straw bundles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So basically for timing, small, fragile, green and fresh is good. Matured, fibrous and woody bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it matures out too much, it's sickle time and put it all in the compost heap. The root systems become your manure and the rest becomes compost fodder to reapply by different means.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Scarlet Clover straw is the worst for fouling a rototiller something ferocious. As is ryegrass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-11T21:19:18.737" LastActivityDate="2014-04-11T21:19:18.737" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9030" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9027" CreationDate="2014-02-24T13:54:50.090" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do this every year in a portion of my raised beds (I rotate them in and out of production). It works well. I grow a mix of fava beans, oats and an annual vetch. Here's the kicker, though - for your soil to get the nitrogen boost from the legumes, you are supposed to till them under before they produce, so you really wouldn't benefit from the peas at all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see you are planning to fork dig them in. That is what I do as well, and it works fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-02-24T13:54:50.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9031" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3391" CreationDate="2014-02-25T00:28:37.150" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, for root crops, you need a substrate, and of suffient depth, to support the roots. Root crops are very nicely grown in an &quot;ebb and flow&quot; system. This set up alternately floods and drains the growing media on cycles. The cycle times are matched to the rate of development of the plants so they have enough water, but enough air-time for the roots as well. The ideal substrate is somewhat moisture re-tentive: not a soggy mass (remember the need for airation of the roots- gotta breathe!) but rather having a lot of surface area and air spaces that take a while to dry out. Options could be well- draining soiless mizes, some of the smaller-sized clay marble-type substrates. Maybe sand - it's cheap of course- but old school. You could experiment with it though. Amazon.com has some good DIY books to do it on the cheap. DO NOT SPEND THOUSANDS FOR A SET UP (unless you have tons of dough- in which case why not? :)- you can make nice, much larger setups for less than $200.00. Hydro is exceedingly cool - Have Fun!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3165" LastActivityDate="2014-02-25T00:28:37.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9032" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-25T08:39:33.907" Score="3" ViewCount="263" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassia_fistula&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;fowering plant&lt;/a&gt; is in its early developing stage, but these tiny soldiers are carving it upside down(the leaves). Take a look:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SWtGZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bug&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Another lovely plant, that is fully grown, just next to it.&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mOwAj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another fully grown plant in the backyard&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;This is the smallest of all, now they've grown in to pinky-sized pirates! &#xA;What can I do? Any home-made remedies (there are huge amounts of these, 2 per leaf)&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3159" LastActivityDate="2014-05-25T23:35:54.547" Title="Green long caterpiller like bugs [pics included] on my Cassia fistula" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9033" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9957" CreationDate="2014-02-25T11:48:51.257" Score="3" ViewCount="848" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's the best N-P-K ratio for fertilizing &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucaria_heterophylla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Norfolk Island Pine&lt;/a&gt;? According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_12093357_grow-norfolk-pine-decoration.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; I should go with 10-10-10.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it a good combination?&#xA;Also, how should I apply it? Should I spray it on, or give it with water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Jaipur, India. Current temperature ranging between 15-25 degree centigrade. Soil is mixture of 30% vermiculture and 70% sand. I didn't get it tested because I don't have a soil testing center nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought this plant around 6 months ago, but there are no new leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2818" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-06-08T03:01:31.523" Title="What's the best N-P-K ratio for Norfolk Island Pine?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9034" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8712" CreationDate="2014-02-26T07:43:48.703" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chillis don't like you touching their roots, don't change the compost. Also it looks like you may have thrips as well, unless the leaf deformation is due to the aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3167" LastActivityDate="2014-02-26T07:43:48.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9035" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-26T14:54:35.260" Score="2" ViewCount="1453" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this plant yesterday, but there was no identification tag. The leaves are large, thick, and waxy (succulent-like) and about 7 inches long by 4 inches wide. I don't think it is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peperomia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Peperomia&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoya&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hoya&lt;/a&gt;, which are the closest guesses I have been able to make. I hope to be able to get help identifying it so that I can take care of it properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vzbTH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dwqC8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3168" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-02-26T18:08:04.063" LastActivityDate="2014-04-28T00:20:47.203" Title="What is this plant with waxy, variegated, 7&quot; by 4&quot; oval leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9038" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9039" CreationDate="2014-02-26T17:15:51.183" Score="3" ViewCount="1163" Body="&lt;p&gt;On my tangelo tree, I have a lot of tan branches that are dried and don't have vegetation. What is causing this and should it be thinned off? I'm wondering if it has any relation to the desired tan branches of grape vines - those are the two year old branches that can grow fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GeMCE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-02-26T17:56:36.903" Title="What is this tan dried wood on my citrus tree?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;dead-branch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9039" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9038" CreationDate="2014-02-26T17:56:36.903" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The tan brown branches on your tree are dead twigs and limbs.  If you will look towards the bottom of each, you will see a bit of an enlarged green area where it joins the main branch.  You should gently prune each of those dead twigs off to just above that.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Besides these dead branches, your tree looks pretty sparse on the foliage.  You need to figure out why it is suffering die-back and what is keeping it from growing well.  Check to make sure it doesn't have an insect infestation, and that you are giving it enough water (but not letting it sit in a puddle) and that it has enough sunlight (full sun is what citrus prefers in most areas) and feed it monthly with a dilute citrus specific fertilizer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-02-26T17:56:36.903" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9040" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-26T18:14:20.683" Score="5" ViewCount="7062" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing cucumbers in Central Florida.  I have cucumbers that are rapidly growing and just starting to bear fruit. I read you should remove suckers or the growth branch off the main branch.  How exactly do I need to prune cucumbers? Do I do this over the entire plant from the base to the top?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3169" LastEditorUserId="3169" LastEditDate="2014-03-04T19:20:48.440" LastActivityDate="2014-03-10T16:26:07.807" Title="How do I prune cucumbers?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9035" CreationDate="2014-02-26T23:47:17.627" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is Peperomia obtusifolia 'variegata' based on the thick stems and waxy leaves. More details are found &lt;a href=&quot;http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=1409&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it normally reaches a height of 10 to 50 cm&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prefers moist soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it grows well part shade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;normally trouble free but I have seen hard scale attack this plant if they are already present on other plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;buds off old stems so can be cut back if it gets a bit leggy&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the flower is a curious stalk that is usually seen in mid summer.  It will drop pollen&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-02-26T23:47:17.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9042" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-27T00:46:59.363" Score="4" ViewCount="1202" Body="&lt;p&gt;How deep do the roots of Dwarf Southern Magnolia tree go? I understand they are quite shallow. Is this correct?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3170" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-07T20:13:19.180" LastActivityDate="2018-01-07T20:13:19.180" Title="How deep are the roots of a Dwarf Southern Magnolia tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;magnolia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9043" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9044" CreationDate="2014-02-27T01:05:37.397" Score="7" ViewCount="730" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just received a small plant in a tiny pot. I read somewhere that you should not repot in an enormous pot but in one that's a bit bigger. This makes no sense to me. Why wouldn't I just pick the pot that will accommodate the full size that the plant will grow to (in a few years) and immediately put the plant in this sized pot to avoid future repots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2014-02-27T15:10:15.757" Title="Transfering a plant to a larger pot" Tags="&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9044" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9043" CreationDate="2014-02-27T13:44:10.817" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The reasoning behind this advice to only use the right sized pot is that if you put a very small plant into a large pot filled with potting medium, most of the medium (potting compost) will not be occupied by anything except bacteria and other life forms, some of which may not be desirable. The compost may 'sour' and become toxic to the plant, so if your plant is very small, I do recommend you pot on into a slightly larger pot, though quite what size you chance using is really down to which plant you're talking about, you haven't said. Some plants have a rapid growth rate, others don't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-02-27T13:44:10.817" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9042" CreationDate="2014-02-27T13:49:34.293" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well yes and no. Magnolias generally have their feeder roots spread out not far beneath the soil, usually out to the edge of the drip line (where the rain drips from the leaves), though they may spread out further. They do not like root disturbance either, and that's something to bear in mind if you want to plant anything under its canopy, but there will be other, stabilisation roots that will grow in order to keep the tree upright and to help it resist wind - these usually go down into the ground. How far into the ground is hard to say - any tall plant in a windy position, for instance, will produce these roots where it needs them, and as far down as it needs to, so the large root depth can vary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-02-27T14:36:05.957" LastActivityDate="2014-02-27T14:36:05.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9046" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9043" CreationDate="2014-02-27T15:10:15.757" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to the reasons Bamboo offered, some plants - like Jade plants - do better a little potbound. This means they like to have their roots crowded in the soil. Also, houseplants generally need to be replanted from time to time anyway - they aren't in a natural environment where new soil is being generated and worms and other critters are aerating the soil. Repotting from time to time helps make up for that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-02-27T15:10:15.757" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9047" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9040" CreationDate="2014-02-27T18:38:28.540" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't say where you are growing your cucumbers. (IE, greenhouse, outside, covered bed, etc.) If you could give more information it would be helpful.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The kind of intense pruning you are talking about is generally only done for cucumbers being grown intensively, and especially those grown in greenhouses where growing space is very expensive and diseases more prevalent.  Pruning these cucumber plants allows more air and light to reach the growing parts and keeps extra foliage out of the way so small fruits can be easily checked and thinned if necessary or removed if they become diseased.  It also makes picking easier. However, although it can increase the quality of individual fruits, overall yields per vine are generally reduced by intensive pruning. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many different styles of cultivation/pruning for greenhouse cucumbers. Here is a publication by Oregon State University that gives their preferred method:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://nwrec.hort.oregonstate.edu/greenhouse.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Greenhouse Cucumbers&lt;/a&gt;. An excerpt:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;When the plant reaches the support wire, several pruning options are used. The most common is to allow the plant to grow along the support wire about 12 inches, or two leaf nodes, toward the next plant. Allow a lateral to grow at each leaf node. The terminal and each of the laterals are allowed to grow another 30 inches, hanging from the wire, then pinched to terminate growth. When the fruit from the terminal and each of the laterals is harvested, remove these three hanging branches in turn, and allow three new terminals to grow from the main stem at the support wire. Repeat the process until the crop is terminated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are growing cucumbers outside then you really don't need to prune intensively.  All outside cucumber vines need are some stakes and some string or wide net trellis to twin their tendrils around and a little bit of redirection now and then when a vine starts to stray from the trellis.  If you want to just stake your cucumbers and dispense with trellis, then yes, I'd also tie them as well, because once they start fruiting the vines will be much heavier and they may begin to fall off or slide down the stake. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-03-10T16:26:07.807" LastActivityDate="2014-03-10T16:26:07.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9048" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3656" CreationDate="2014-02-28T04:32:39.363" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a pool and twice a year ducks try to nest around it.  They make a mess of the pool.&#xA;  My solution was hi-tech. I went to Leslie's and bought a battery operated boat.  I rigged up the battery wires to a home made motion sensor.  When the ducks landed in the pool the waves started up the boat and scared them away.   Hee hee.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3172" LastActivityDate="2014-02-28T04:32:39.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9049" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-02-28T13:48:21.177" Score="3" ViewCount="1463" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Raspberry has got some disease. Please see the picture. Can anyone advise me on what is this and how to treat it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e9myB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3081" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-03-03T20:26:29.680" Title="Raspberry disease" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9050" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-01T12:04:24.020" Score="6" ViewCount="1868" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend has this thorny green tree. It has some sort of yellow fruit but there are no leaves at all on the thing and it has thorns all over it and it's getting bigger. She lives in the Algarve in Portugal, and she would like to know what it is so she can decide whether to leave it or take it down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2mFqdl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3177" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-03-07T17:44:50.797" LastActivityDate="2014-03-07T17:44:50.797" Title="What is this thorny leafless tree with lumpy yellow fruit?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9051" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9050" CreationDate="2014-03-01T16:40:48.480" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Possibly Maclura pomifera, but seeing the leaves should confirm or deny. Otherwise, cut one of the fruits open - should be whitish stuff like latex inside with seeds ringing the edge towards the outside, though some changes to the interior appearance may have taken place given they're old fruits now. The fruits start out green, but turn this shade of yellow in winter. If it's that, seeds are edible, much liked by squirrels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-01T16:40:48.480" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9052" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="6" CreationDate="2014-03-02T03:33:29.667" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;For a completely different approach have you considered planting a hop (humulus lupulus) a half-hardy perennial, grows VERY rapidly to about 8metres and then dies away to nothing in fall, and then comes away again in the spring - you do have to clean up the mess, but it composts easily - you would need a frame for it to climb on but this is not difficult.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2044" LastActivityDate="2014-03-02T03:33:29.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9053" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8968" CreationDate="2014-03-02T03:49:09.097" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Consider 'tuning' your lawns' pH (acidity) for the fescue - do or get a soil test. Dwarf fescue's optimum pH is around 5.8, whereas clover's ideal pH ranges up from about 6.0. So ask you garden store for the right fertiliser to pull the down to this level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seconding low N as a likely cause. I used to be a weed control contractor, but nowadays try to solve the problem rather than the symptoms (clover).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a pity the whole 245-T / Triclopyr / Grazon issue became so irrational and political though - there are much worse herbicides very readily available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2044" LastActivityDate="2014-03-02T03:49:09.097" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9050" CreationDate="2014-03-02T14:35:22.290" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's probably trifoliate orange/hardy orange (&lt;em&gt;Poncirus trifoliata&lt;/em&gt;, or, depending on which plant taxonomist you talk to, &lt;em&gt;Citrus trifoliata&lt;/em&gt;), although the fruit looks rather weird, so perhaps it's a hybrid with another &lt;em&gt;Citrus&lt;/em&gt; species. Have your friend cut open a fruit -- it should &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homecitrusgrowers.co.uk/poncirustrifoliata/PoncFruitGnhseCutxat_1_.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;look like&lt;/a&gt; what you'd expect a citrus fruit to look like inside)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trifoliate orange can be pruned into a somewhat attractive specimen plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XY0g2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ediblelandscaping.com/products/tropicals/Citrus/TrifoliateOrange.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;but it's likely to be extremely nasty work, as you can see from your photo, and typically it just grows into a great blob of horrific thorns:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c0NzN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agrumes-passion.com/poncirus-citranges-porte-greffes-rustiques-f67/topic3673.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trifoliate orange is native to eastern China and Korea, and, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mdinvasivesp.org/archived_invaders/archived_invaders_2010_08.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;at least in the southeastern United States&lt;/a&gt;, it spreads relatively well by seed and can sprout into dense thickets, and it is becoming somewhat of a pest (and by dense thickets, I mean &quot;can replace fences around highly secure areas such as airports and nuclear facilities&quot; thickets). I'm not sure how it grows in a hot, dry Mediterranean climate, so maybe it is better behaved there. Still, if it was on my property, I'd collect a bunch of the fruit and try to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=poncirus%20marmalade&amp;amp;oq=poncirus%20mar&amp;amp;aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l3.5996j0j1&amp;amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8#q=poncirus%20trifoliata%20marmalade%20recipe&amp;amp;safe=off&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;make marmalade&lt;/a&gt;, maybe keep a sprout or two to experiments with as a potted tree, then dig up the rest with extreme prejudice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastEditorUserId="392" LastEditDate="2014-03-02T14:42:56.813" LastActivityDate="2014-03-02T14:42:56.813" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9055" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8655" CreationDate="2014-03-03T10:10:41.897" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think this is possible: Pak Choy is a plant containing much water, and it will dry out faster than roots and leaves can start to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe it is possible to harvest only the outer leaves, while letting the central small ones at the plant, leaving the plant in the soil. We are doing this with chard (&lt;em&gt;Beta vulgaris&lt;/em&gt; subsp. &lt;em&gt;vulgaris&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="792" LastActivityDate="2014-03-03T10:10:41.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9056" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8580" CreationDate="2014-03-03T10:14:32.053" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plants need the UV light, so blocking 99% of it will be too much. You should stay at around 50-60%.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="792" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-03-07T17:45:15.147" LastActivityDate="2014-03-07T17:45:15.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8229" CreationDate="2014-03-03T10:26:15.873" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should transfer your tree into your greenhouse, but try to select a shady but not dark place. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Irrigate the tree only a little bit, the substrate in the pot should not dry out.&#xA;Check the temperature in your greenhouse regulary, it should not go below 10°C the whole day for a long period (f.e. in december/january/february), and you should ventilate your glasshouse once a week. If the temperature goes down too much, you can use jute-textiles or similar to wrap the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="792" LastActivityDate="2014-03-03T10:26:15.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9058" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9049" CreationDate="2014-03-03T20:26:29.680" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Following your response to my comment, I'd suggest that your raspberry suffered some drought, but is still healthy, evidenced by the new growth appearing at the leaf joint above, so I don't think you need to worry about its being diseased.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-03T20:26:29.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9059" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9078" CreationDate="2014-03-04T20:29:04.503" Score="6" ViewCount="2024" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've tried all the tree identifiers I could find and can't figure out what this tree is.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Key terms:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;medium tree, perhaps 15 ft tall?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;deciduous (sheds leaves in winter)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;opposite leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;compound leaves &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bi-pinnate&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;either serrated, crenated, or indented edges&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;green leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sharp pointed leaf ends&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I haven't seen it flower or fruit, haven't been here long enough to say if it does, and even then it may not have because of tree distress&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please excuse the poor quality pictures. The tree is in Arizona. I have seen one or two other trees in my city like it, but I feel quite confident it is not native to Arizona. Also, the tree is recovering from &lt;a href=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/MistletoeInSilverBirch.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mistletoe&lt;/a&gt;, a parasitic plant that tries to grow from the tree, I believe that's what the strange nodules are. The nodules look like nuts, but are growing directly from the bark (there is no stem).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help is appreciated, even if a best guess at its continent or country!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on any picture for full size.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UtPLe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UtPLem.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7lXqb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7lXqbm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Mw9W.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Mw9Wm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE!&#xA;The tree is well enough to bloom! My camera phone is really bad, but here are some more pictures. The flowers have five white petals in a star pattern, and a purple trumpet-neck that doesn't open containing yellow stamen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AMl6H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AMl6Hm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D9Kb8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D9Kb8m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BNZdY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BNZdYm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3182" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-29T22:31:38.283" LastActivityDate="2020-06-08T07:35:05.307" Title="What is this deciduous tree with sharp edged leaves and clusters of small flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9060" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9059" CreationDate="2014-03-05T08:01:43.193" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Possibly (most likely) Fraxinus (ash), although I couldn't hazard a species - can you break off two leaves and scan them (back and front) - usually gives a good result and at least then we can see some leaf detail&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2044" LastActivityDate="2014-03-05T08:01:43.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9061" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9000" CreationDate="2014-03-05T08:14:29.283" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've used Grazon (trichlopyr but DON'T use Tordon as it will kill the other plants too) -  in the past to kill roots by putting the mix in a container, cutting off the plant about a foot above the ground and feeding the cut end into the container - let it have a good drink, do probably twice for each square metre.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you spray it I wouldn't advise Roundup as it messes with soil, especially phosphate chemistry and can make growing other things difficult. Instead use Grazon and some detergent to break down the leaf waxes to help herbicide uptake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have time, wait and see if the bindweed dies back a bit at the end of the season (assuming it's not evergreen where you are) - some herbicides can be carried back into the roots as a plant dies back for the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2044" LastActivityDate="2014-03-05T08:14:29.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9063" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9070" CreationDate="2014-03-05T16:11:34.873" Score="8" ViewCount="6540" Body="&lt;p&gt;As spring approaches I keep trying to convince my friends that it is time to start thinking about germination.  Their philosophy is to wait:  we live in USDA zone 5 (coastal southern Maine) and traditionally (according to them - I'm from the southern USA) you start planting outdoors after Memorial Day (the last Monday in May).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think this shortens the growing season more than is necessary, and giving things more of a start indoors would help when it comes time to transplant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a certain &quot;point of no return&quot; for transplanting from indoors to outside for common vegetable-garden varieties (cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, etc) or can a plant be transplanted if it is older than about 2 months?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3184" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-03-07T17:42:54.377" LastActivityDate="2014-03-07T17:42:54.377" Title="Can a plant be too mature to transplant?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9064" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-05T17:29:38.460" Score="2" ViewCount="2901" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a well established avocado tree of probably 30-40 years in San Jose, CA 95112. It is about 25 feet tall. I believe this is a Bacon or a Zutano variety (elongated pear shape with green thin skin).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This years crop looks exactly like previous years, however there are beige lumps (about the size of an apple seed) in the avocado meat that are kind of papery. This is similar to the strings that you sometimes get especially in very ripe avocados, but they are not attached to anything. This makes them quite unpleasant to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what this might be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year I fertilized the plant with citrus/avocado fertilizer like I have done before. Also I didn't water as much as I have in previous years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="943" LastActivityDate="2014-03-05T17:29:38.460" Title="Papery lumps in avocado fruit" Tags="&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2014-07-16T03:22:21.463" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9065" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9059" CreationDate="2014-03-05T18:11:25.900" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was thinking golden rain tree at first, but GRT doesn't have bipinnate leaves. Then, oh wait. There are other species of golden rain tree, including...&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://selectree.calpoly.edu/treedetail.lasso?rid=776&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Koelreuteria bipinnata&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;. I'm not certain it is that particular species, but it looks sort of like a &lt;em&gt;Koelreuteria&lt;/em&gt; of some kind or another. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;edit: or maybe a &lt;a href=&quot;http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=328&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;chinaberry&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Melia azedarach&lt;/em&gt;)? Both golden rain tree and chinaberry have alternate leaves, though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastEditorUserId="392" LastEditDate="2014-03-05T18:34:57.400" LastActivityDate="2014-03-05T18:34:57.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9066" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8672" CreationDate="2014-03-05T19:16:04.070" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try replacing the soil and giving it some fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3186" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-03-05T19:36:00.087" LastActivityDate="2014-03-05T19:36:00.087" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9067" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9063" CreationDate="2014-03-05T20:22:45.210" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a plant gets bigger it gets more roots - when you move a plant, especially when you remove it from a pot, even very carefully, you destroy many of the roots. This shocks the plant and can put it back / /kill it. Also some plants develop a tap root and obviously they can't do this in a pot. In this situation I would use a larger peat / paper pot and move the whole unit to it's new location in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get yourself a copy of Northern Gardener by Jennifer Bennet (Harrowsmith, 1982), it has a lot of this info for higher latitudes - I find it very useful at 46°South Zone 7-8.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2044" LastActivityDate="2014-03-05T20:22:45.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9068" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9071" CreationDate="2014-03-06T00:49:47.770" Score="3" ViewCount="250" Body="&lt;p&gt;How long does a Miracle Fruit Tree (Synsepalum dulcificum) take to grow to (say) 2 feet?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've just got one that's 5 inches tall and has 6 leaves and was wondering (1) how long it would take to grow to a reasonable size and (2) how long will it take before I see fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2014-03-07T13:46:03.830" Title="Miracle Fruit grow rate" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9069" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13471" CreationDate="2014-03-06T17:25:31.793" Score="5" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 6 raised beds filled with topsoil and compost, and am looking for a tiller. They total about 200 sq.ft. I see a lot of electric tillers on the market and wonder how they perform compared to gas tillers? They seem to be very inexpensive which I like but will they do the job?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3144" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T04:48:01.700" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T04:48:01.700" Title="How do electric tillers compare with gas powered ones?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;tilling&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9070" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9063" CreationDate="2014-03-06T18:05:55.797" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I gardened for many years in Zone 4b/5a at 9/10ths of a mile elevation before moving to Zone 8a last summer.  For many of the plants you mentioned, age of the transplant is not a huge issue, as long as while you are growing them out inside you move them to larger pots as their root balls fill the old ones, plus you are careful with the roots and make sure to fill each new pot with a good soil mix so they have every incentive to continue growing well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In fact, the way we used to get around the short season problem was to start our garden transplants in soil blocks, then move them to progressively larger grow bags as the season progressed until conditions outside were good enough for transplanting. Most years our tomatoes ended up in 2 gallon grow bags (with a plant that was about 16 to 18 inches tall and wide) before being transplanted out in late May/early June.  As a result of this practice, we almost always had ripe tomatoes on some of our fastest varieties by mid-July. If there was a setback, you would hardly notice it, and it was more than outweighed by having larger and older transplants to start with. The only issue we encountered with transplants that old and that large was it was a lot more work to get them into the ground!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could treat peppers and eggplants this way and do fine as well, although they likely wouldn't grow large enough to need a 2 gallon grow bag in the same amount of time, as they grow a fair bit slower than tomatoes do. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Things that would NOT do well with this method... cucumbers, melons and squash.  These resent being transplanted much past 3 weeks after germination, so only start those a couple or three weeks before you are confident conditions outside will be warm enough to keep them happy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, I personally do not like peat pot products.  My experience with them has been that they do not disintegrate anywhere fast enough to keep from stunting the root system of whatever is grown in them, even if you follow the standard advice to tear the top edge off, crack the rest of the pot, and then bury it deeply.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are interested in trying the soil blocks mentioned above, you can get block makers from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.johnnyseeds.com&quot;&gt;Johnny's Select Seeds&lt;/a&gt; for about $25.00 US on up, depending on the size block and block maker configuration.  I have used them since the late 80s, and am a big fan. They take a bit of practice, but the results I've had were great. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-03-06T20:12:32.320" LastActivityDate="2014-03-06T20:12:32.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9071" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9068" CreationDate="2014-03-07T13:46:03.830" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's slow growing, and will take 3-4 years to reach 2 feet, depending on conditions, at which point it should start producing some fruit. Bear in mind if likes a soil ph between 4.5 and 6, is best watered with rainwater (not tap water) and should never be exposed to temperatures of 50 deg. F or below. It likes to be kept at 70-80 deg F, with high humidity, around 80%. Dappled sunlight is best, as much as anything to stop the plant getting too dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-07T13:46:03.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9072" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-07T17:44:48.290" Score="6" ViewCount="121" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing an indoor garden in my basement apartment on a racking system I built. I have two shelves 2' deep, 4' long and 2' high with two 4' T5 flouresants for light. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question I have is for the containers of the garden, how deep should this containers be to accommodate full grown plant root? I am thinking of growing basil, parsley, mint, oregano, chives, green onions, arugala and maybe another lettuce. It is hard to find information on root length for plants online or else I would just look there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any and all help would be REALLY appreciated! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3194" LastActivityDate="2014-03-08T19:30:26.870" Title="Depth of containers for indoor gardens" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;pots&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9074" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3801" CreationDate="2014-03-08T01:24:44.487" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fertiliser was a huge mistake, carnivorous plants hate root nutrients, so if you added any fertilizer, it would have to be extremely diluted, and apply it to the pitcher.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water it more often, try misting it, too, with a cleaned spray-bottle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Only use pure water; don't use tap water because it will kill the plant.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3197" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2015-04-10T14:08:11.993" LastActivityDate="2015-04-10T14:08:11.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9075" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-08T15:10:02.370" Score="5" ViewCount="196" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several raised beds for vegetables and I don't walk on them but they still compact over time from watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I add to the soil to keep it from compacting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3144" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T04:44:09.507" LastActivityDate="2015-03-02T18:03:49.797" Title="How do I prevent my soil from compacting?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9076" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9075" CreationDate="2014-03-08T19:22:50.233" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watering does create a pan on the top of the soil, and this needs to be broken up from time to time. Usually this is simply done by forking over the ground, lightly if there's stuff growing in it already. Do it as soon as you see a pan forming - quite often it will form after one lot of watering if that watering is done with a can, especially one without a rose. Work off boards laid on the soil rather than walking all over it if you can, otherwise, fork up where you've walked as you back off the bed rather than leaving compacted footprints.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-08T19:22:50.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9077" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9072" CreationDate="2014-03-08T19:30:26.870" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aim for a minimum depth of 8 inches - 10-12 inches would be better for mint and the onions. Mint, though, will start to get a bit manky after a year or so, because it likes its roots to be able to penetrate over a foot into the ground, and to spread sideways, so you may need to turn it out and replant some of the fresher root runners in its second or third year. It will also need a container entirely to itself, because it'll crowd out anything else you try to grow with it. Oregano, if it likes where its growing, spreads like mad, so be prepared to turf it out and split it up and replant a section when it gets out of hand. I'm assuming your fluorescent T5s are proper growlights and not just the T5s commonly used for under cabinet kitchen lighting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-08T19:30:26.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9059" CreationDate="2014-03-09T03:46:49.517" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Difficult to say with these pictures. Bi pinnate leaves exclude Fraxinus or Golden rain (Laburnum anagyroides) and Pterocarya fraxinifolia, which has a comparable bark and the habit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like the leaves are alternating and not opposite (within the leaf the pinnate are opposite), which make Melia azedarach possible. Looking at the bark and the twigs I feel like it could be this, but the leaflets are of. Which brings us at the Koelreuteria. I don't know to much about this species, but google tells me that the mistletoe avoids Koelreuteria. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3198" LastActivityDate="2014-03-09T03:46:49.517" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9079" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9075" CreationDate="2014-03-09T05:18:38.790" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Elliot Coleman used a broadfork for this.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://meadowcreature.com/broadforks/&quot;&gt;I'm adding this link for the pictures not because I endorse the product&lt;/a&gt;  You can make your own there are DIY tutorials online for that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What might help would be using drip irrigation and a heavy layer of mulch.  I'd also work in as much organic matter as I could acquire every year or two.  This will help prevent the soil compaction... Also avoid chemical fertilizers and pesticides that might harm the soil life.  These critters aerate your soil for you but can't if you're bypassing their purpose with chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3043" LastActivityDate="2014-03-09T05:18:38.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9080" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9033" CreationDate="2014-03-09T05:25:27.530" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you have this plant in a container or in the ground?  If in the ground I'd be more concerned with maintaining a pH range that satisfies this plant's needs and I'd fertilize organically by topdressing with compost or watering with compost tea regularly.  I believe but might be mistaken that this plant prefers soil slightly more acidic than the average plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Knowing what nutrition the plant needs is based on what your soil lacks and what is there but unavailable to the plant.  For this reason this question is tough to answer without a soil test.  You usually can do soil tests by mail, and a university might help you with that.  Even give you recommendations as to what the plant will need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can test the pH of the soil with very cheap do it yourself test kits.  I'd start there and with compost and then look for signs of nutrient deficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3043" LastActivityDate="2014-03-09T05:25:27.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9081" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-09T23:29:17.767" Score="2" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our garden backs onto a playing field for a school, with a ~15 foot chainlink fence separating the two. We have some vines growing up the fence, but they will likely take a few years to grow sufficiently to block someone seeing from the field into the garden and vice versa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While we wait for the vines to grow, is there something nice-looking we can use to block line of sight from the field to our garden? The previous owner of the house used something like bamboo fencing to do it, but when we moved in it was a) ratty and horrible looking and b) had big holes in it anyway, so we took it down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there something less offensive we can put up while we wait for the vines to cover the fence? We'd need something 20-30 feet long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3199" LastActivityDate="2014-05-25T23:25:48.700" Title="How to block line of sight while vines grow?" Tags="&lt;fence&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9082" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9095" CreationDate="2014-03-10T01:34:42.540" Score="5" ViewCount="1381" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some Raspberry and Blackberry plants I'm propagating by tip layering into new containers so I can give them to friends. The tips have been potted for at least 2 months, and now that a few baby leaves have poked their way up through the soil, I'm wondering if that means they have enough of a root system to stand strong on their own or if they still need to be attached to the mother plant for a little while longer? I don't want them sapping away energy from the mother plant if they can survive on their own...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I do cut them, should I leave a decent length of the cane attached, or cut it at the soil line? Will it grow back out from the cut point as if it were a new cane of the daughter plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NO2WN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tip Layered Raspberry&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KABqn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tip Layered Blackberry&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2080" LastActivityDate="2014-03-11T14:24:54.160" Title="When to cut tip layered raspberry &amp; blackberry" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9083" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-10T02:36:16.147" Score="1" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm making a  &quot;device&quot; to plant some vegetables, and I would find more than useful to know what growth/time equation plants follow. It is linear?, or do some plants growth exponentially?.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure where to ask this question, any links will be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3200" LastActivityDate="2014-03-10T02:36:16.147" Title="Plants growth rate" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="8" ClosedDate="2014-06-30T18:19:40.143" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9085" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-10T20:37:05.567" Score="1" ViewCount="162" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NqnDv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;What is wrong with this plant?&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been like that for quite a while it looks like something upset her. What is wrong with it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-01T01:32:36.157" LastActivityDate="2014-07-01T01:32:36.157" Title="What is wrong with this plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9086" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9087" CreationDate="2014-02-28T22:47:44.070" Score="1" ViewCount="1394" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a soaker hose that waters our bushes.  It's on one of the zones of sprinkler timer.   Somehow (probably helped by our puppy when he was younger) one spot has developed too much of a leak, and the water all sprays out of that one spot and makes a small lake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We tried wrapping it in various types of tape, aided with hose clamps, but only managed to slow it down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the hose repair options I can find seem to involve cutting the hose.  We have to be careful about this because the ends are both buried and I can't easily get more slack in the line, so I can't just cut out a big chunk.  I'm thinking of trying this next, but wanted to find out if there is a better way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Orbit-5-8-in-Inline-Male-Metal-Mender-27945/100659290&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Orbit-5-8-in-Inline-Male-Metal-Mender-27945/100659290&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3209" OwnerDisplayName="janineanne" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-03-10T20:37:46.030" LastActivityDate="2014-03-10T20:37:46.030" Title="Best way to repair a soaker hose?" Tags="&lt;repair&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-03-10T20:42:13.223" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9086" CreationDate="2014-03-01T16:05:58.380" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Buy two ordinary hose repair fittings and a section of hose (soaker or not.) Cut out a section, replace with the new section and two repair couplings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" OwnerDisplayName="Ecnerwal" LastActivityDate="2014-03-01T16:05:58.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9088" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-09T20:57:46.643" Score="5" ViewCount="3242" Body="&lt;p&gt;I asked &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9086/best-way-to-repair-a-soaker-hose&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; a few weeks ago about repairing a hole in a soaker hose, and finally got around to doing it this weekend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The initial repair went fine:  I spliced in a section of regular hose and it is working great.  However, when I turned the water on to test, I found a second hole. :(  This one is&amp;mdash;so far&amp;mdash;resisting my efforts to repair it despite using the same method and parts. I'm getting leaks galore.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These hoses were put in by a landscaper about eight years ago.  They were totally buried originally, but some areas have worked their way to the surface.  Others are still buried and held down by roots that have grown over them. We've had a puppy for the last year who has dug up the hose in a few spots and probably made both of the holes.  They look suspiciously like tooth marks - he probably bit the hose in such a way that one of his canine teeth lined up with a hole that was already there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, should I keep trying to fix it, or is this hose at the end of its life anyway?  It looks fine, and I would have to cut through a lot of roots to get it out, so I would rather not.  But I also don't want to keep messing with this if the hose is about to give up the ghost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3209" OwnerDisplayName="janineanne" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-09-16T01:14:44.043" Title="Soaker hose - repair or replace" Tags="&lt;repair&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9089" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9088" CreationDate="2014-03-09T21:41:58.133" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not sure where you are, but if a soaker hose were left buried for one season here, in the Pacific Northwet, it would be crumbling bits not worth saving.  If it has been eight years and you can still identify the hose, you must be somewhere very dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Brand new, medium duty soaker hoses are about &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/WaterWorks-1-2-in-x-50-ft-Soaker-Water-Hose-WP12050FM/100327811&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;$12 for 50 feet&lt;/a&gt;.  It would be instructive to figure out what your time is worth when repairing that hose.  My guess it is a &lt;em&gt;lot less&lt;/em&gt; than you make at your day job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11104" OwnerDisplayName="wallyk" LastActivityDate="2014-03-09T21:41:58.133" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9090" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9088" CreationDate="2014-03-09T23:33:48.517" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Replace it with drip emitter tubing. Soaker hoses suck. They put out more water in the start of the hose than they do at the end, leading to inconsistent watering that can hurt your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With drip emitter tubing, drip emitters are molded into the tubing. The emitters should be pressure compensating which ensures that you get even distribution throughout the length of the hose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/products/drip/EmitterTubing.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;rainbird 1/2&quot; drip emitter tubing&lt;/a&gt; also are designed to prevent clogs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're not much more than soaker hoses, especially if you need a lot of feet. You have to get a drip kit that fits on your faucet. Contains a pressure regulator valve and filter. They have these for sprinkler heads too. You should really be using a pressure regulator with your soaker hose too. Might be part of the reason why it needs repair.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" OwnerDisplayName="OrganicLawnDIY" LastActivityDate="2014-03-09T23:33:48.517" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9091" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-11T03:34:15.450" Score="7" ViewCount="1731" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a mango seed in a pot, after it germinated in a damp paper towel. It produced a stem, but has not done anything since for at least a month. Is it a faulty seed? Do I need to replant? Or is there something that can be done to rescue this seed? I live in Saskatchewan, so I realize that planting it outside is not an option, and it will likely never produce fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since this picture was taken in mid-March, the sprout has not grown at all. It still appears to be alive, but has not done anything. I believe it is getting sufficient sunlight. It sits in my window each day, and gets sunlight during the entire morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click on photo for full size&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W216C.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W216Cm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PiSVc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PiSVcm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3202" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-17T03:24:45.263" LastActivityDate="2015-06-21T16:06:53.253" Title="Mango seed growing, but not producing leaves" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9092" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-11T07:34:37.923" Score="6" ViewCount="171" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got a few roses from my friends and I keep them in my office. I've changed their fresh water for three days but they won't stop fading. What can I do to extend their flowering? Some people tell me to put a little salt in the water, would this work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3206" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-27T22:34:20.797" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T22:34:20.797" Title="How to keep my roses fresh?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5740" CreationDate="2014-03-11T14:03:59.943" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've grown onions in containers for several summers. They do grow quite well, but I have noticed that they don't grow near as large as they do if grown in the ground. The pots I've used are about 15&quot; in diameter, and I've grown about 4 -5 onions in them, depending on how large you want the onions to get. It's nice too, because you can use the onion tops for salads and such! I've also grown them around a pepper plant (with the pepper plant in the middle) and it doesn't seem to affect the growth of either, so it's a win/win situation!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3202" LastActivityDate="2014-03-11T14:03:59.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9095" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9082" CreationDate="2014-03-11T14:24:54.160" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The standard advice for checking on a cutting is to tug gently on it and see if it resists being pulled from the soil. If it doesn't come right up, then it has likely rooted.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this case, if these tip layers have been potted over the winter and are now putting out leaves, I think it is pretty safe to say that they have enough roots to survive.  What you might do is dig down with your finger a bit and see if you can tell how big the roots are.  Then, cut one of the babies from its mother vine and see how it does.  If it continues to grow and look healthy, then you are probably safe to cut all the other babies loose as well.  Keep them well watered and not in full sun for a week or two after cutting them loose, just so their small root systems can adapt to being on their own.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would leave a small piece of stem (maybe a couple of inches or so) on the plantlet when you release it from the mother cane, not because it requires it to grow, but because if you cut too close to the new plant you may accidentally damage it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-03-11T14:24:54.160" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9096" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9085" CreationDate="2014-03-11T15:19:05.713" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is called Dracaena marginata or the dragon tree. It can be distinguished by it's yellow roots.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_marginata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; are some pictures of these plants when grown in high light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The appearance of your plant is consistent with a plant grown in low light. When this happens leaves fall towards the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should also check the undersides of the leaves for spider mites. They look like little grains of salt. They will cause leaf drop, usually from the bottom up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can perk the plant up by providing more light, either artificial or natural.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-06-30T22:19:33.870" LastActivityDate="2014-06-30T22:19:33.870" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9097" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9121" CreationDate="2014-03-11T20:24:09.973" Score="4" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine gave me well-established lime and lemon trees. They're about four years old, two or three feet tall. She's moving and can't take them with her. The lemon tree is doing relatively well: it's lost two leaves in the last ten days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the lime tree isn't doing well at all. It's dropped more than half its leaves. They seem fine, nicely green and healthy, but then just drop off. It has the same light conditions (we both have windows facing the same direction), and I'm watering it on the same schedule as she was.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could the stress from the move (about ten blocks, walking) be causing this? How can I help it recover? I'd really like to see it healthy again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3204" LastActivityDate="2014-03-17T11:53:01.437" Title="Relocated lime tree not doing well" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9099" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9101" CreationDate="2014-03-12T06:07:16.063" Score="2" ViewCount="2849" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to start a vegetable garden. The problem is I've planted so many fruit trees in the ground that there's no more room for vegetables. The only way I can start my vegetable garden is to place it over the concrete in my back yard. The natural choice for gardening on hard land would be elevated planters:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4ZIXP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But these elevated planters are just so darn small and darn expensive (~ $200). On the other hand, normal garden beds are usually much bigger and cheaper. I'm considering getting this behemoth:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5XqKJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem with garden beds is that they don't have a bottom. What precautions, if any, should I take with the bottom if I were to put this garden bed over my concrete? Will drainage be poor? Will I need to cover the bottom with something? Do vegetable roots not like hitting into the concrete?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-03-13T11:58:13.353" Title="Any concerns on putting a garden bed over concrete?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9100" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9102" CreationDate="2014-03-12T08:57:22.260" Score="5" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are &lt;a href=&quot;https://sustainability.stackexchange.com/q/2594/99&quot;&gt;types of compostable plastic&lt;/a&gt; that you can compost yourself at home (as opposed to compostable plastic that can only be composted in industrial composting facilities). I was wondering if there would be any benefit in doing this, other than getting rid of the plastic? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I understood correctly, during composting microorganisms consume the carbon in the plastic and produce mainly CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; and water. I don't think there is any NPK in the plastic, so I suspect there is no benefit for plants. Is this true? Or do the microorganisms produce something else that is useful?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1916" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:49:27.957" LastActivityDate="2014-03-12T17:27:06.303" Title="Nutritional value of home-compostable plastic?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9101" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9099" CreationDate="2014-03-12T16:56:45.943" Score="2" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yes drainage will be poor&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No plant likes its roots to be hitting concrete&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Whether you'll have any success rather depends on what vegetables you want to grow. Root crops won't cope at all with the arrangement you're proposing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to use something like the pictured arrangement, you'd need to put a bottom on it, with drainage holes, and stand the whole thing on some kind of support - it only needs to be an inch or so off the concrete beneath. This would enable proper drainage, but again, you're restricted as to what vegetables you can grow with such a small amount of root depth. If the arrangement had planting boxes 8-12 inches deep, that would make the whole thing do-able, provided you're not growing root crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER FOLLOWING COMMENT:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Jojo, that presumably means the top tier extends right to the bottom of the structure, and isn't separate from the soil in the lower levels, which would enable you to grow tomatoes, as shown in the picture, certainly. You haven't said which veg you want to grow, of course, but I wouldn't try, for instance, potatoes in it. If you can get a bottom on it and raise it slightly, it's quite an attractive bit of kit, but it does depend on what you're thinking of growing as to how useful it will actually be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-03-13T11:58:13.353" LastActivityDate="2014-03-13T11:58:13.353" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9100" CreationDate="2014-03-12T17:11:54.930" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends on the plastic to some extent - those made from cellulose may leave some NPK residue, but will also leave other, possibly more noxious residues. The term 'compostable' is a loose one with regard to plastics - the definition of 'home compostable' means the product breaks down into '...carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and biomass...', which is all very well, but that covers just about everything in the universe, so it certainly doesn't rule out toxins being left behind, and when composted at home, methane will be produced. The term 'inorganic compounds' alone starts my alarm bells ringing, it's all terribly non specific.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you were thinking of getting a load of 'compostable' plastic and having a dedicated heap with the expectation of using it on the garden, I'd strongly recommend you leave it just as a thought and not carry it out. Also bear in mind that 'biodegradable' does not mean the same as 'compostable' - some plastics are biodegradable, but that doesn't mean they'd be welcome additions to your compost heap. By and large, and as you suspected, biodegradable or compostable plastic is simply about disposing of the plastic rather than any useful by products from the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-03-12T17:27:06.303" LastActivityDate="2014-03-12T17:27:06.303" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9103" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9104" CreationDate="2014-03-12T18:02:17.197" Score="8" ViewCount="632" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Seattle WA and am looking for some ideas on what type of hedge/shrub to grow near my fence to increase privacy. Some requirements:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grow fast (to about 10' or so)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Stay pretty even in winter (evergreenish)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Something bluish would be preferable&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know one option is Laurel, but I was hoping there would be something more interesting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2824" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-06T01:36:55.250" LastActivityDate="2015-01-06T01:36:55.250" Title="What is a good shrub for privacy for the Pacific Northwest USA?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9103" CreationDate="2014-03-12T18:26:41.500" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bamboo might be a good option as they are evergreen, grow fairly tall and also grow pretty fast here. There are clumping varieties available that don't attempt to escape your yard, but a root barrier is probably your best bet just to be sure. Bamboo come in some interesting colors besides just plain green. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd normally suggest rhododendrons or evergreen huckleberry, but both of these can be rather slow growing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-03-12T18:26:41.500" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9105" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9129" CreationDate="2014-03-12T22:23:35.093" Score="4" ViewCount="171" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a Wisteria growing along the vertical beams (with some horizontal support) of our Veranda to provide shade. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Veranda is now up for extension/ renovation. We like the Wisteria so would like to save as much as possible of it and / or enable it to grow back as quickly as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is possible / worth it so save it, and if yes, what is the best approach?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[Edit] Images added&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T6M39.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Front&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qOeOB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Other Side&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="292" LastEditorUserId="292" LastEditDate="2014-03-18T03:41:42.143" LastActivityDate="2014-03-18T14:23:06.070" Title="Save Wisteria during Veranda renovation" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9106" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9103" CreationDate="2014-03-13T11:50:31.640" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The trouble with fast growing plants is they keep on growing, mostly, so I'd concur with Teresa's recommendation of Bamboo for fairly rapid cover, but also concur that you'd need a root rhizome barrier, not just to protect next door, but to stop the bamboo appearing 10 to 20 feet away in the middle of your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was wondering about Berberis darwinii, but that usually only reaches about 8 feet and isn't fast growing. Seattle seems to be in Zone 8/8b, so Pyracantha could be another option - it's not a slow grower and can usually be bought at a height of 1-2 feet for a reasonable price, well, in the UK anyway, can't see why it'd be different there. Both are evergreen and produce berries, but both are prickly - thorns on Pyracantha, prickles on the leaves of the Berberis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-13T11:50:31.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9092" CreationDate="2014-03-13T13:48:43.287" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another thing that I've been told is that you should cut their stems every couple of days. They should be cut on an angle, and under running water to avoid oxygen getting into the stem. This helps to extend their life, but one other option is to dry the flowers to keep for your enjoyment later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3202" LastActivityDate="2014-03-13T13:48:43.287" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9109" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9113" CreationDate="2014-03-13T21:52:11.233" Score="4" ViewCount="598" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a young wisteria plant in a large wooden sided container in my sunken courtyard. It should get pretty good sun on the wall it's climbing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most wisteria info seems to say you can't grow ANYTHING underneath them as it will strangle them. How about heather?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If not any recommendations for ground cover that will grow under wisteria in a container?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3214" LastActivityDate="2014-03-14T16:36:23.527" Title="Can I plant heather under wisteria?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9109" CreationDate="2014-03-13T22:11:16.957" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Heather is a very low-growing and well behaved sub-shrub.  It doesn't spread or climb, so I think that as long as you don't crowd the pot the wisteria is in with too many of them, and make sure the wisteria still gets plenty of water, then it should be fine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some other ideas for ground cover under the wisteria, since it gets plenty of sun, might be thyme, or trailing rosemary, or short and spreading annual flowers like petunias.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-03-13T22:11:16.957" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9111" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9112" CreationDate="2014-03-14T12:03:32.353" Score="3" ViewCount="1063" Body="&lt;p&gt;I sow some Adenium seeds few weeks ago.. some were germinated and looking really very good. But one plant have pink and white leaves.. initially I thought this is some kind of disease and new leaves will grow with green color. But I was wrong new leaves are also pink white.. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it something like albino? because I have never heard of anything liek plants are also albino. &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bp6UL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/trOKN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Someone with more points (150+) please create &quot;adenium&quot; &quot;albino&quot; &quot;color&quot; tags and please add these tags in this post. Not able to create new tag .. just have 113 reps :(&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2818" LastEditorUserId="2818" LastEditDate="2014-03-14T12:11:12.643" LastActivityDate="2014-03-14T16:16:54.210" Title="White pink leaves of Adenium? Albino?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9111" CreationDate="2014-03-14T12:11:19.157" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, not albino, but variegated. There are varieties of Adenium which have variegated leaves, some of which have pink edges or pink tints, others have yellow variegation or whitish yellow. Sounds like you just happen to have a seed germinated which is from a variegated variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I see you've added pictures - that 'seedling' (showing white with a pink tinge) which is growing looks like a case of mutation/fasciation/proliferation. At the very least, it seems to be lacking chlorophyll, so maybe there's an issue with its chloroplasts. You'll have to wait and see what happens with it, it almost looks like a flower... I'll be interested to see more pics of its progress. And yes, 'albino' would be a good word to use at this stage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-03-14T16:16:54.210" LastActivityDate="2014-03-14T16:16:54.210" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9109" CreationDate="2014-03-14T16:36:23.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to give a different opinion - wisteria in a tub will be a problem for anything else, particularly another shrub, trying to grow in the same tub, not because of light levels, but because of root room. The wisteria will take up all the available space and choke out anything trying to grow there. I'd look for something decorative to put on top of the soil - pebbles, chippings, whatever, or use something like Ajuga reptans (fine in shade), one of the prettier variegated leaf ones, as ground cover in the meantime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-14T16:36:23.527" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9114" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-15T09:10:26.697" Score="3" ViewCount="1392" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two very young zuchinnis that are starting to grow flowers, they barely have 4 or 5 little leaves so I think they're very small to allow them to have fruits. Should I prune the flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SLE7p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3217" LastActivityDate="2014-03-18T15:47:35.800" Title="Should I prune my Zucchini's flowers?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9115" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9122" CreationDate="2014-03-15T20:40:28.783" Score="2" ViewCount="136" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a hyacinth at the grocery store in a water-only pot with the bulb suspended over the water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers have now died, and the roots have started to break off of the bulb, although there are a few new roots coming out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I noticed &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9013/what-should-i-do-to-encourage-my-hyacinth-to-flower-again&quot;&gt;this question about hyacinths&lt;/a&gt;, but it wasn't clear they were talking about this setup. Since I live in an apartment, I'd rather keep the bulb in a pot if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way forward for this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3216" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T01:18:13.177" Title="How should a forced Hyacinth bulb be cared for after flowering?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pots&gt;&lt;hyacinth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9116" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="497" CreationDate="2014-03-15T20:47:12.343" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is merely my experience with Phalaenopsis, so take it with a grain of salt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've built up a collection of orchids bought at the grocery store on discount after their flowers died off, so they cost next to nothing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many I have just kept in the pots they came in, but so far two (I believe they are the oldest two I have) have gotten enough runners (or whatever the root-like things are called) that I've decided to repot them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first one I repotted in regular potting soil. I've learned since then that you aren't supposed to do that, but the plant is alive and making flowers today despite everything I've read.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second one I repotted in my used tea. Again, from everything I read, that is a horrible idea, but the plant is doing fine. Both have flowered multiple times since I repotted them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen orchid mixture at the store, but it always seems pretty pricy to me (says the guy buying $5 manager special orchids).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3216" LastActivityDate="2014-03-15T20:47:12.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9117" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9124" CreationDate="2014-03-16T14:58:40.027" Score="3" ViewCount="153" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering what is causing my lawn to apparently change colors... this a small segment of approximately a 3' x 6' area. There is another smaller area, about 2' x 4' nearby, and while I was mowing yesterday, it looks like some other areas are starting to show.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The blades (leaves?) are actually a little more reddish in color than the image shows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in Southwest Florida (Ft. Myers area).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what this is and what to do about it (if anything)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Frank&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unkfrank.com/images/StackExchange/lawn031614.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;red-brown lawn http://www.unkfrank.com/images/StackExchange/lawn031614.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2359" LastActivityDate="2014-03-18T02:05:18.870" Title="Why is my lawn changing colors?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9118" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9123" CreationDate="2014-03-16T16:17:43.437" Score="3" ViewCount="132" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started growing some sweet peppers plants about 2 weeks ago.  Yesterday I was moving them out of the window to get them away from the cold and I accidentally dropped one of the containers and spilled the dirt everywhere (the seedling hadn't come through the dirt yet).  I managed to find the seedling in the mess. The root seemed intact, so I pulled off the seed coat which was stuck and put it back in the dirt.  The cotyledon leaves are out, but they're not pointing straight up, they're kinda flopped down towards the dirt.  Any chance this thing is going to survive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a visual&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SRElR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3218" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T01:15:28.393" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T01:15:28.393" Title="Will this pepper seedling survive being spilled from it's pot?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9119" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-17T04:47:40.660" Score="4" ViewCount="163" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is a photo of the plant I wish to have identified&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/60GN2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3220" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T23:30:51.227" Title="Can someone please help identify this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9120" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9119" CreationDate="2014-03-17T11:45:45.230" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's an epiphytic fern called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asplenium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Asplenium&lt;/a&gt;, possibly &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asplenium_nidus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Asplenium nidus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-06T23:30:51.227" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T23:30:51.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9121" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9097" CreationDate="2014-03-17T11:53:01.437" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might be transition shock from being walked outside for a while, but inspect the leaves closely, preferably with a magnifying glass, undersides particularly, but look at the top as well. It might have citrus mite and you can't see the mites without a magnifying glass, or scale insect is another possible problem, though these are easier to see with the naked eye.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the lime tree is larger than the lemon, it might be it needs a new pot, or the watering regime isn't quite appropriate for it - water thoroughly when the top of the compost feels slightly dry to touch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-17T11:53:01.437" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9115" CreationDate="2014-03-17T14:18:05.403" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Honestly, I don't know that it would be worth going forward with the bulb if you are only interested in keeping it in a pot. Its next step will be to slowly die back and then go dormant until next spring. In a garden bed situation, you would have it nestled in amongst other plants which will cover the dying foliage for the next month or month and a half, because it is going to look very raggedy now that it is done blooming. Then you would not see it at all until it reemerged next spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have it in a pot by itself, you'll have to accept the fact that it is going to look awful for awhile and then the pot will be empty for most of the year until it emerges again. If that is ok with you, go for it. If not, find a spot to bury it outside or toss it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-03-17T14:18:05.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9123" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9118" CreationDate="2014-03-17T14:27:48.477" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a chance; I've had worse happen to things I've started which went on to flourish, though not bell-peppers specifically. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3216" LastActivityDate="2014-03-17T14:27:48.477" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9124" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9117" CreationDate="2014-03-17T16:50:48.130" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a form of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=Digitaria%20sanguinalis%20L&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=G4w&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla%3aen-US%3aofficial&amp;amp;channel=fflb&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=gycnU8G4I4iF2QXitoG4Cg&amp;amp;ved=0CCcQsAQ&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=1011&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;crab grass&lt;/a&gt;( Digitaria sanguinalis ) or &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=Paspalum%20dilatatum&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=k3w&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla%3aen-US%3aofficial&amp;amp;channel=fflb&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=YycnU4I-6KbYBemkgMAG&amp;amp;ved=0CCkQsAQ&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=1011&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dallisgrass&lt;/a&gt;  ( Paspalum dilatatum ) which can sometimes turn reddish based on many external growth factors (sunlight, water, temp etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good resource is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.floridalawncare.org/101.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; based on your location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastActivityDate="2014-03-17T16:50:48.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9125" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-17T19:26:42.290" Score="4" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will soon be making florariums (a garden in the bottle). I wish to include violets, but I've heard that violets will die in an enclosed space. Does anyone know why this happens? Is it lack of oxygen, or CO2, or moisture control issues?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3222" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-03-18T15:40:17.790" LastActivityDate="2014-03-21T11:07:15.740" Title="Do violets die in closed space?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;african-violets&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9126" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-17T23:15:51.690" Score="4" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;This picture shows a home made cloche I knocked up in 5 minutes with a spare bit of plastic and the remains of a pallet (a &quot;proper&quot; cloche is behind it in the background).&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3mA5d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see my cloche doesn't have any sides and is really just a roof.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of the heat, light etc, and the scientific properties of a cloche how adequate is my home made version? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sure &quot;better than nothing but not as good as a sealed in cloche&quot; would be a rough answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But can anyone answer more fully about the importance (or otherwise) of sealing in your seedlings properly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2014-03-18T15:39:18.263" Title="Does a cloche need to have sides?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;protection&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9117" CreationDate="2014-03-18T02:05:18.870" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a paspalum sp. Common native lawn weed in southwest Florida. Typical to turn red color during drought conditions in winter/spring South Florida. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3079" LastActivityDate="2014-03-18T02:05:18.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9128" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9125" CreationDate="2014-03-18T13:14:51.283" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't think they make good subjects for a terrarium for the following, various reasons:- they like very bright light (which they may not get inside something), there's a need to nip off side shoots on mature plants to encourage flowering, (which will be difficult/impossible), and although they like high humidity, they do have a tendency to develop mould on the flowers and sometimes the leaves, and are susceptible to crown rot caused by botrytis, a condition which will thrive in a closed, humid environment. They also prefer to be slightly pot bound, and that'd be difficult to achieve too. Even on an open windowsill, a plant which has a leaf touching the glass may succumb to disease, never mind inside a glass container. Note: this information pertains to Saintpaulia, or African violet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-03-21T11:07:15.740" LastActivityDate="2014-03-21T11:07:15.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9129" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9105" CreationDate="2014-03-18T13:24:12.810" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the assumption that the main trunk/roots where it was planted is not in the way of any renovation work, then yes, it is worth trying to save it. First, see if you can extract/unwind any main stems which are in the way, and lay them on the ground directed away from where the work will be (although that may not be possible, given that builders trample everything). If you can't do that, then just cut it off wherever you need to - it would be better to do this whilst the plant is dormant, but I'm assuming its dying back now, for surely it must be autumn where you are, as its spring here the northern hemisphere. I also don't know how cold it gets where you are - if it doesn't get really cold, there might be a problem with the hard cutting back forcing new growth, which you don't want at this time of year, but so be it, it's better than ditching the whole thing. It's certainly worth giving the plant a chance - they are extremely resilient, and will come back very lively indeed even if you cut it all back to a main trunk. The only chance you'll lose it is because it hasn't become dormant, and the weather remains warm long enough for new growth to appear, but even if that gets killed back, on a very mature plant, it should survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will not flower for at least next year, possibly/probably longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-03-18T14:23:06.070" LastActivityDate="2014-03-18T14:23:06.070" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9130" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9126" CreationDate="2014-03-18T14:20:35.213" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well as you're talking about seedlings, these would often be planted in a cold frame - this has sides and a back and front, but a glass lid that can be left open during the day and closed before night falls to keep the seedlings warmer. A cloche is often removed during the day for a period of time if the weather is fair, and replaced before nightfall, in the same way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cloche you've made won't achieve that - your 'better than nothing but not as good as a sealed cloche' statement about fits the bill really. To illustrate, imagine a cold, windy night - your semi cloche is over your seedlings, but it won't stop the wind and cold getting in at the ends. And being open at the ends means it won't retain ground heat as effectively as a closed in one would. It will, though, prevent ground frost settling on the seedlings on cold, still nights. If possible, add something at the ends which more or less seals it off, even if not tightly, to make it more effective, or take a chance with it as it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-18T14:20:35.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9132" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9126" CreationDate="2014-03-18T15:38:05.127" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another thing your cloche might help with is preventing rain from getting to the seedlings or plants underneath it.  Which is actually a useful thing if you are getting too much rain during the rainy season and wish to cut down on the chances of root rot or mold on the leaves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-03-18T15:38:05.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9126" CreationDate="2014-03-18T15:39:18.263" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could put some material on the sides which are open to block cold winds and trap heat better, but it strikes me that your cloche is very low to the ground, too, so it won't be useful for terribly long. Once the seedlings are on their second set of leaves, they'll already be too tall for it. Is it worthwhile to create a cloche that can only provide protection for the first couple weeks? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you'd like to make your own home made cloches from found materials, plastic bottles work very well. You just need to cut off the bottom of the bottle and remove the cap. They are the perfect shape and the open top provides ventilation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-03-18T15:39:18.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9134" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9125" CreationDate="2014-03-18T15:41:44.653" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;African violets (saintpaulia species, not viola species) often do well in terrariums, especially the minis and micro-minis.  They flower well, and come in many different colors.  You might consider substituting these for the violets you were hoping to use.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-03-18T15:41:44.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9135" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9114" CreationDate="2014-03-18T15:47:35.800" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most likely these first flowers will all be male (carrying only pollen, but not able to form a fruit) so you won't need to worry about your tiny plants attempting to carry fruit.  I would not attempt to prune them at this point because it will be very difficult to cut off the tiny flower buds and not injure the main plant.  If it turns out that any of these buds are actually female flowers (those with a miniature fruit at the bottom of the petals) then you can cut them off when they are large enough to do so easily without damaging the rest of the plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-03-18T15:47:35.800" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9136" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-19T13:05:39.107" Score="6" ViewCount="314" Body="&lt;p&gt;Within the span of a few days, my &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_%28fruit%29&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Citrus sinensis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; started to display what looks like dandruff on the back of the leaves. As of now, many leaves have dried up and some have fallen on the ground. What is the name of this condition and what can I do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4qG6s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;top of the tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RKTrA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3227" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-03-19T18:36:59.310" LastActivityDate="2014-03-19T18:36:59.310" Title="What kind of disease does my orange tree have?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9137" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9136" CreationDate="2014-03-19T14:39:57.770" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those look like citrus mites to me.  But it also looks like your tree may have been suffering from heat and/or moisture stress. This makes it much more susceptible to infestations of this sort, so as you treat this you need to check your cultivation practices and correct anything that is amiss.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are chemical treatments for citrus mites.  You can also try insecticidal soap spray following a thorough warm spray bath with a significant amount of water being directed under the leaves to wash the pests away.  The aim is to knock them off the underside of the leaves.  You can also wipe the leaves after spraying with a paper towel to try to remove even more of the pests.  Unfortunately, this will likely take several treatment sessions, a few days apart, to make a good dent in their population.  And, as mentioned, if your tree remains stressed, it will likely attract pests again in short order. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-03-19T14:39:57.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9138" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9144" CreationDate="2014-03-19T18:25:13.457" Score="3" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves of the my Aloysia plant developed brown spots. Initially I thought they were tiny insects, so I washed the leaves and indeed some of the spots were removed, but other spots could not be removed. The brown spots look and feel like dry leaves in the autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut all the branches with the leaves with brown spots, and a day or two later, I noticed tiny sprouts of fresh clean leaves starting to grow. Now my questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are these brown spots only a sign of old age, so that the new leaves will be OK? Or, are they a sign of some illness that might infect the new leaves?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What can I do with all the branches that I cut, with the brown-spotted leaves? After washing them well, can I use them for tea?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2748" LastActivityDate="2014-03-21T12:56:24.240" Title="Is Aloysia with brown spots drinkable?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9139" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9140" CreationDate="2014-03-19T22:12:36.163" Score="2" ViewCount="198" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got this at a Lowes in the clearance rack. Included is the slightly cryptic (to me) plant tag. I'm guessing the flower will be purple. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W6lvw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3216" LastActivityDate="2014-12-01T03:48:32.390" Title="What kind of orchid is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9140" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9139" CreationDate="2014-03-19T22:46:32.927" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a hybrid cattleya orchid named Joy Sakabe &quot;Shining&quot; - more specifically a Rhyncholaeliocattleya (Rlc.) Here is a link to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhyncholaeliocattleya&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;a Wikipedia article&lt;/a&gt; explaining the naming a little bit more.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.akatsukaorchid.com/store/p/289-Rlc-Joy-Sokabe-Shining.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;It is indeed purple&lt;/a&gt;, and quite attractive.   Cattleyas are fairly easy to care for, for the most part, requiring a fair bit more light than many other genera, but rewarding the grower with some pretty spectacular blooms.  Here is a link to an article on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aos.org/Default.aspx?id=449&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;basic care of cattleyas&lt;/a&gt; from the American Orchid Society.  Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-03-20T15:30:15.393" LastActivityDate="2014-03-20T15:30:15.393" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9141" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-20T11:18:59.397" Score="5" ViewCount="125" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cut down my Blue Dawn Morning Glory and brought the pot inside before the freeze this winter. I put it back outside about one month ago. The one inch piece that's poking out where I cut it looks alive, but I see no signs of growth. Is this normal this time of year? Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3230" LastActivityDate="2014-08-01T01:16:08.400" Title="When should I see growth on my Morning Glory?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;morning-glory&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9138" CreationDate="2014-03-20T15:34:36.000" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant in the picture you linked to looks to be suffering from a combination infestation of both aphids and whitefly. If yours looks just like this, then I'd treat it with a lukewarm water spray wash and some insecticidal soap.  Treat it several times, a few days apart, ending with a good spray wash to remove any sticky aphid residue and any insecticidal soap remaining.  You might also try some whitefly traps nearby to catch them before they spread.  Lastly, try to keep the plant in its happy place as far as temperature and moisture goes, because stressed plants tend to attract more pests.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-03-20T15:34:36.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9143" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9177" CreationDate="2014-03-20T22:46:17.237" Score="4" ViewCount="2250" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would really like to get a couple citrus trees (lemon and/or lime). The problem is I live in an apartment. I &lt;em&gt;hope&lt;/em&gt; to move at some point such that I will have some land that I can put these in.  My question is, should I get the trees now and leave them in the pot on my apartment balcony which gets half sun? Or should I just wait until I have the land to put it in and get the trees then?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know not to expect a significant yield, if any, on year one regardless. But I would expect a bunch of fruit in a few years in good conditions.  Suppose two situations, (1) a tree in the ground, (2) a tree in a pot at my apartment.  What are they going to be like at the 3 year mark? Would a tree in a pot for three years have it's growth significantly stunted such that I should just buy the tree in three years when I have the land?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2155" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T01:10:31.853" LastActivityDate="2014-08-02T02:00:25.777" Title="Are citrus trees better grown using containers or in the ground?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9138" CreationDate="2014-03-21T12:56:24.240" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the brown spots cannot be removed, then they are in the tissue of the leaf. The cause is hard to determine without pictures - leaf spot (either bacterial or fungal) can cause this type of damage, or insects grazing on the leaf surface can produce dry, brown areas. As far as I've been able to establish (information I found was for Aloysia citrodora, I don't know which variety you're growing), if you cut out the brown areas, you can use the remainder of the leaves for infusion purposes, provided the rest of the leaf area is healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-21T12:56:24.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9145" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-21T13:15:58.840" Score="2" ViewCount="419" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was walking in the woods behind my house yesterday. It had rained in the morning but was pretty dry when I went out. I put my hand up to a large pine tree (without touching it) and to my surprise, it &quot;spit&quot; something out at me. It looked like lots of small bubbles. I repeated this with a stick (moving it close to the tree) and the same thing happened. Lots of tiny bubble-looking things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have any idea what this could have been?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3234" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T01:08:09.990" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T01:08:09.990" Title="Pine tree spitting something when I get close" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9146" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-21T14:40:22.667" Score="7" ViewCount="263" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a mason bee house from gardener's supply and I am wondering when should I hang it up?&#xA;I am in Berks county, PA.&#xA;Here is the link : &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeners.com/Mason-Bee-House/37-481,default,pd.html&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeners.com/Mason-Bee-House/37-481,default,pd.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3235" LastEditorUserId="3235" LastEditDate="2014-03-21T20:01:39.280" LastActivityDate="2014-03-22T00:55:06.150" Title="When should I hang my mason bee house?" Tags="&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9147" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-21T15:30:59.290" Score="5" ViewCount="1217" Body="&lt;p&gt;I acquired 3 amaryllis bulbs and planted them cozily in pots kept near my south-facing window (where there is also a radiator). I didn't give them fertilizer, and not one of them sent up a flower stalk. They only have the leaves. Was it because I didn't fertilize? How can I get them to flower in the future?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3124" LastActivityDate="2014-03-23T11:16:10.940" Title="Why didn't my amaryllis send up a flower stalk? Will it ever?" Tags="&lt;amaryllis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9148" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9153" CreationDate="2014-03-21T16:40:42.837" Score="3" ViewCount="2286" Body="&lt;p&gt;A rose I bought at a florist is sending off a shoot, and it seems to be doing quite well. Should I plant the entire rose stem or only this shoot? How can I ensure it will survive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry for the blurry picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c9Y6h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rose shoot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3124" LastActivityDate="2018-07-09T02:48:30.700" Title="Can I plant this rose shoot?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9149" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9146" CreationDate="2014-03-22T00:55:06.150" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;February is a good time for putting these up. February-March is when they're intensely active. Depending on where you are, you may be hitting the end of the season if you wait much longer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally when the fruit trees have dropped all their petals is when they've finished nesting. They will have mudded the larvae in soon after and will be dormant till next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One nice thing about Mason Bees is you don't have to worry about flight path, we keep their nests in the green-house eaves and they come out in an uncaring swarm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2014-03-22T00:55:06.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9150" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9152" CreationDate="2014-03-22T01:19:31.117" Score="5" ViewCount="5158" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a cross-section of a container. Most containers have a drainage hole on the bottom. I've marked that hole with an asterisk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;|         |&#xA;|         |&#xA;|         |&#xA; \___*___/&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem with this position is that you have to elevate the pot with a stand and put a saucer under it or else water flow will be blocked by the pot's bottom forming a seal with the floor. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I drill the holes on the sides near the bottom so that I don't need a stand and saucer? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;|         |&#xA;|         |&#xA;|         |&#xA;*\_______/*&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a reason why nobody does this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-03-22T13:37:12.407" Title="Can I drill drainage holes on the side of the container?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9151" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-22T02:56:58.837" Score="4" ViewCount="70" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small but steep backyard (20 ft deep, a gradual 4 or 5ft incline)where the base of the hill turns to gravel and leads under our deck and up against the back of our house. I assume this is for drainage but was not able to ask the original builder. We'd like to look into doing two things &#xA;1) making a small planting terrace in the backyard, and by doing so leveling out this tiny hill&#xA;2) changing out or reducing some of this terrible looking stone in the backyard&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where would be a good place to start collecting information? We don't have the money to spend on a landscape architect but don't want to cause flooding behind our house either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3238" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T01:05:29.963" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T01:05:29.963" Title="Where can I get info on rescapeing my small backyard?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9150" CreationDate="2014-03-22T13:37:12.407" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, there is a reason, and its a pretty obvious one. Holes in the bottom of the pot ensure that no water is left sitting at the bottom - holes in the side, even if you get really close to the base, will inevitably leave a millimetre or so undrained. You could probably get round that by using horticultural grit or gravel at the bottom of the pot though, it would certainly help, but the water in the last millimetre or two will always sit there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd just like to add that you don't need to have only one drainage hole in the bottom, you usually only see that in ceramic or terracotta pots, most pots made of other materials have several, smaller holes in the base, and the water will drain out even if the pot is sitting on a solid surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-22T13:37:12.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9153" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9148" CreationDate="2014-03-22T13:50:56.087" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wish the picture was clearer, but that side shoot looks a bit thin and weak. Roses root easily from cuttings, but you need a stem that either hasn't flowered, or all the flowers have gone, and it should be a young shoot, feeling firm and turgid and usually a bit thicker than that side shoot, more the thickness of the main stem in the picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also root better if they have some leaf left - I can't see the top of the mainstem in the picture, so don't know how long it is, but I think you're more likely to have success rooting the thicker stem than that thin, weak one, though you could try both. For the larger one, shorten it at the bottom a bit, wound the stem, either by scraping down the sides for the bottom inch, or cut into the stem vertically, dip it in rooting hormone if you have any, if not, don't worry, pot up either in sand (not builders sand, silver sand will be fine) or a seed and cutting potting medium or a mix of the two. Water it well. Then you'd need either a plastic bottle with the bottom cut off to pop over the top to keep the cutting humid, or a plastic bag and an elastic band - if you use the bag, you'll need to insert sticks round the edges of the compost to keep the plastic off the cutting. Now stand in a warmish, bright spot, but not in full sun. If its going to root, it should do so within 2-4 weeks, but it may be that the stem has been cut too long for this to work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it does root, be prepared for the possibility that it may not be a vigorous grower - many roses are on grafted rootstock, which makes them more vigorous and stronger, so growing some roses on their own roots means you may get a slow to grow, weakish plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-19T00:26:36.287" LastActivityDate="2016-07-19T00:26:36.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9154" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9145" CreationDate="2014-03-22T14:00:59.830" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know where in the world you are, but if you're in USA, this would be called spittlebug or pine tree spittlebug. It's actually the nymphs of froghoppers - they feed on the sap of the tree and emit what looks like bubbly spit, which covers their bodies and keeps them invisible and cool. I can't explain why it happened when you got near the tree - not sure it would be a deliberate act on the part of the froghopper nymph! Next time you're there, wipe off the spittle and see if you can see the nymph... also check that the spittle isn't sticky - if it is, it's not spittlebug.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-22T14:00:59.830" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9155" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-22T15:32:55.920" Score="2" ViewCount="357" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to overseed my lawn to thicken it up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a lot of quicklawn grass seed, which is designed for new lawns grown from scratch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to me that, in the most part, a seed is a seed and this stuff will do just fine.&#xA;My question is, is there anything wrong with using this seed for over seeding, rather than a 'designed for purpose' overseeding seed pack? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2296" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T01:02:42.867" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T01:02:42.867" Title="Can quick lawn grass seed be used for overseeding?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9156" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-22T15:53:56.457" Score="4" ViewCount="948" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need help to identify the following tree. It is commonly seen in Hong Kong. However，I can't find it when searching for it under the common trees in Hong Kong. What is the name of the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q42Iu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree identification&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3240" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T00:56:22.177" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T00:59:12.387" Title="What is the name of this flowering tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9157" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9192" CreationDate="2014-03-22T16:30:56.623" Score="7" ViewCount="7113" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year, I got a chilli plant sapling from a family friend. It planted and grew quite well, yielding around three batches during the summer; the chillies are long, green, and turn a bright red if left long enough on the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The family friend suggested &quot;save some seeds,&quot; but it was too late in the season and I didn't save any.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Research online suggests that many (most?) of these plants are annual. How can I be sure if mine is annual or perennial?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I left the plant in the soil throughout winter (-20 to -30C). Now that it's thawed out (mostly), I can see the stalks look okay. I pruned the tallest ones down to a few inches, and removed all the hanging dead leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to grow the same thing, so I need to figure out as quickly as possible if I should wait/watch (and is it worth the extra effort?) the current one, or yank it out and replace it with a new one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastActivityDate="2014-03-26T14:46:26.207" Title="How can I tell if my chilli plant is perennial?" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-04-03T18:51:15.990" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9158" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9185" CreationDate="2014-03-22T16:44:31.620" Score="7" ViewCount="184" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in an urban area, but have some space in the back for an apple tree.  Last fall I picked up two trees on sale at the end of the season on a whim.  They've been completely destroyed by rabbits and it's time to start thinking about another tree.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am considering the following options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Self pollinating variety with more than 1 type of tree grafted to the root stock. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get a more established crab apple tree and graft apple scions to it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get a single variety and hope the nearby trees* are enough to pollinate it.  There are some other apple trees within a couple of hundred feet of my property.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't plan on spending the rest of my life here, so I'd like the shortest path towards a tree that will bear fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is my best bet?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1530" LastActivityDate="2014-03-25T22:03:57.063" Title="Apple trees for an urban backyard" Tags="&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5016" CreationDate="2014-03-22T17:41:37.920" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely Pumpkin. But it is also known as Winter squash. It is known as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Curcubita&lt;/a&gt;, botanically. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ash_gourd&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ash gourd&lt;/a&gt; is different from this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3241" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-03-22T20:01:34.533" LastActivityDate="2014-03-22T20:01:34.533" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9160" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9157" CreationDate="2014-03-22T17:46:38.040" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peppers are tropical plants that originated in South America, so it's pretty unlikely that your plants survived the winter given those cold temperatures.  Peppers are typically considered perennials if they're grown south of the equator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.happynews.com/living/cooking/chilis-perennials-annuals.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.happynews.com/living/cooking/chilis-perennials-annuals.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1530" LastActivityDate="2014-03-22T17:46:38.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9161" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9155" CreationDate="2014-03-22T17:59:01.560" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The quick lawn seed contains mostly fast growing annual grass.  The purpose of that grass is to protect the perennial grass and help it take hold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can look at the back of the seed bag and it will tell you which types of grass are in the mix.  Most quick mixtures have a mix of rye grass and perennial grass (blue grass, fescue, etc).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For overseeding, there are mixtures specifically deigned for the purpose.  You can also get sunny/shady blends that have grasses that are better suited for those growing conditions so you'd be better off using one of those or mixing it with your quick lawn.  My feeling is that if the lawn is already well established, throwing the quick lawn on there is probably a waste of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1530" LastActivityDate="2014-03-22T17:59:01.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9163" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9156" CreationDate="2014-03-22T19:38:54.100" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like Bougainvillea sp. from the picture. It's a common ornamental vine in the sub-tropics. The pink leak-like bracts are not the flowers. The true flowers are the small button like tips in the middle. Hundreds of varieties in different sizes and colors are available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3079" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T00:59:12.387" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T00:59:12.387" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4097" CreationDate="2014-03-22T19:55:48.517" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds like a clumping Senegal date palm, Pheonix reclinata, or hybrid variety. Which will always have bottom growth. If that is the case, trimming as previously answered is your best bet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3079" LastActivityDate="2014-03-22T19:55:48.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9165" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9198" CreationDate="2014-03-22T22:19:06.070" Score="6" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am building an led light for my indoor hydroponic / aeroponic / foggaponic hybrid herb garden. I am currently using a 100W warm white LED module. It works fine but I am also building another RGB light and that got me thinking that since plants do not use green light I am wasting 33% of the light / electricity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to get a comparison between different light spectra and the efficiency that I can gain / loose by using different lights. Since white (normal or warm) LED modules are significantly cheaper than special grow lights with multiple spectra I would calculate whether it is worth paying an x amount more for non white modules or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the lights I am considering ( assume they all have 100W output for simplicity ):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;White - 6000~6500K color temperature&#xA;Warm white - 6000~7000K color temperature&#xA;Red + blue only&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally I could use an RGB LED and customize the color to anything I wanted even changing during the day / season. Would this option be of any benefit compared to reg+blue only? I would generally want to keep my plants in vegetative stage so changing spectrum to force flowering is not really useful for me, this leaves only plant efficiency when it comes to different light spectra.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3244" LastActivityDate="2014-03-27T15:58:23.677" Title="Comparison of efficiency of different light colors / spectrums" Tags="&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9166" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9168" CreationDate="2014-03-23T00:04:08.550" Score="6" ViewCount="1340" Body="&lt;p&gt;I keep on hearing advice about putting mulch around the base of a tree to &quot;help it.&quot; What is mulch and how does it &quot;work&quot; to improve/help trees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2015-11-26T11:08:09.407" Title="What is mulch and how does it work?" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9167" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5073" CreationDate="2014-03-23T08:03:18.730" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are digging out of the ground into a container I would suggest trimming the root ball down quite a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have trimmed the foliage the plant will not require a huge amount of root. Peppers are pretty tough once established so I wouldn't worry about transplant shock too much&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Give it a good hair cut - pop it in a medium size pot then next spring up-pot it again and you should be good to go. The main issue is keeping it warm over winter and into enough light in the spring&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3246" LastActivityDate="2014-03-23T08:03:18.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9168" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9166" CreationDate="2014-03-23T10:52:18.527" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mulch is a term used to describe any layer of material on the top of soil. This can include leaf litter (naturally occurring in woodlands, for instance), stone, slate, chippings, paper, coca shell, bark chips, garden compost, soil conditioning compost and well rotted manures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main benefit of any substance placed on top of the ground is moisture conservation and, to a lesser extent, weed suppression. The most beneficial to any plant, though, are the organic ones - composts such as garden, soil conditioning or manure based, coca shell and bark chips (though there are other possible drawbacks to the latter, because they can carry infective spores). These will rot down over time and the nutrients from it will end up in the soil, improving bio diversity and environmental conditions, and so enabling whatever plant it is to take up any nutrients more readily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main reason for suggesting using it around young trees is water conservation - young, new planted trees need a lot of water during their first three years, and in the first couple of years, they may be relying on you to provide it during dry spells. Care must be exercised when applying mulch around trees though - the mulch must not be up around the base of the trunk, but rather, spread around over the top of the ground for a couple of feet all round, with the base of the trunk left clear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-23T10:52:18.527" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9147" CreationDate="2014-03-23T11:16:10.940" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you say you 'acquired' the bulbs, does that mean they were not bought brand new from a store or garden centre? If they were previously owned by somebody, they may not have been fed whilst the foliage was present on the plant - this is the only time you can fertilize bulbs, because while the foliage is present is when they're building their incipient flowers for the following year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may also be that being over a radiator didn't help them - no plant likes to be above a direct heat source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Third, there is a  lot of confusion between Amaryllis and Hippeastrum - what people usually call Amaryllis is actually Hippeastrum, which flowers late winter early spring in the house - Amaryllis, which has smaller flowers, produces its blooms in autumn/fall. Therefore, if what you've got there is actually a true Amaryllis, then it won't bloom now (assuming you're in the northern hemisphere).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-23T11:16:10.940" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9170" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9184" CreationDate="2014-03-23T13:51:07.207" Score="11" ViewCount="111" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing green onions from cuttings but have been dissatisfied with the outcome. My green onions are scrawny. Even when I've added some compost from decayed leaf cuttings, the green onions haven't reached the same size as grocery-bought ones.  What can I do to make them grow larger?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3248" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-19T02:13:26.107" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T02:13:26.107" Title="What can I do to grow larger green onions?" Tags="&lt;onions&gt;&lt;spring-onions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9075" CreationDate="2014-03-23T13:59:21.513" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adding a layer of mulch such as dry leaves is the first thing you can do right away. I did this for my raised hills of squash, and beds for garlic and sweet potatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3248" LastActivityDate="2014-03-23T13:59:21.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9172" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8713" CreationDate="2014-03-23T14:33:38.580" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could this be a garden croton? We have one at home that has narrow leaves attached to the woody stem in this way. It tends to stay dark green when grown in a shady area/does not get any full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3248" LastActivityDate="2014-03-23T14:33:38.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9173" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7413" CreationDate="2014-03-23T15:39:35.987" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been using detergents like Dawn dish soap to wash my vehicles and even went as far as using bleach water to clean the siding of my home right next to a big hedge bush. So far I haven't seen any ill effects from doing so. Of course I do use things in moderation, a little Dawn as well a little bleach goes a long way in a bucket of water, but I guess if it bothers you then maybe a bottle of &quot;Simple Green&quot; would be a great thing to keep around the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3249" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-29T15:09:42.167" LastActivityDate="2014-07-29T15:09:42.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2979" CreationDate="2014-03-23T20:33:41.057" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;my amaryllis bulb is now 21 years old I leave it in a pot year round in the house some years it blooms twice&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3250" LastActivityDate="2014-03-23T20:33:41.057" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9175" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-23T22:17:23.740" Score="9" ViewCount="722" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in an apartment with a porch that is one story off of the ground.  I plan on container gardening on the porch, but I don't have a spigot outside to connect a hose.  There is, however, a gutter drain near the porch at ground level that I could attach to a rain barrel to collect rain water.  The challenge with this will be pumping the water up one story to the porch to use in a timer based irrigation system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone done this before? If so, what were the challenges with this setup, how did you go about doing it and do you have any recommendations for a pump method?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3251" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-19T02:12:36.147" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T02:12:36.147" Title="How can I pump water from a rain barrel to my balcony?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;rain-barrel&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9176" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9166" CreationDate="2014-03-24T13:19:13.207" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;To Bamboo's post, I'd just add that if the tree is planted in a lawn, mulching around the tree has two additional benefits. First the tree and the grass are not competing for nutrients. Second, you do not need to mow over the exposed roots of the tree, so there is less of a chance of damaging the tree with your mower. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-03-24T13:19:13.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9143" CreationDate="2014-03-24T18:09:48.833" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen many citrus trees in pots.  In fact where I live that is all I see since they'd have to come inside during the winter.  I'd think that the trees would do fine in a pot.  If you get a decent size pot they will grow to fill that pot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what you mean by stunted by being in a pot.  The tree size will be limited because of the pot, but if removed from the pot it should grow like normal.  So it will not be permanently affected. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2014-03-24T18:09:48.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9178" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9182" CreationDate="2014-03-24T20:03:12.287" Score="7" ViewCount="1198" Body="&lt;p&gt;My friends have these flowers on their kitchen windowsill and they have been there in not too much direct sun for at least a year now. Does anyone know what flower this is? The purple has stayed around for a long time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t8eAv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3216" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-19T02:11:26.643" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T02:11:26.643" Title="What is this purple dried flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9179" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-24T23:11:04.933" Score="10" ViewCount="4020" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our redwood is about 30 years old and about 4 stories high. I would like to shape and top it to keep under control. Would it be fine to top off about 10 or 15 feet and also shape it? A tree trimmer told me it would be a good idea but years ago another trimmer told me not to top because the top would split in two and continue growing that way. Sounds awful. Any advice? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3257" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-19T02:07:50.973" LastActivityDate="2020-09-09T20:39:53.117" Title="Is it okay to top a redwood tree?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9180" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9183" CreationDate="2014-03-24T23:31:05.500" Score="8" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;How effective is basil as a companion plant for pest control? Would the benefits outweigh the ease of mono-cropping, such as being able to use cat's cradle trellis for tomatoes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3248" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-19T02:09:54.480" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T02:09:54.480" Title="What is the effectiveness of using companion plants for pest control?" Tags="&lt;companion-planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9179" CreationDate="2014-03-25T10:04:50.347" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's unfortunate the you have received conflicting advice on such a basic question.&#xA;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/topping.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-458/430-458.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20chalker-scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/Myths/Tree%20topping.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Topping is perhaps the most harmful tree pruning practice known. Yet,&#xA;  despite more than 25 years of literature and seminars explaining its&#xA;  harmful effects, topping remains a common practice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Topping a tree can cause a cascade of problems&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sun damage to previously shielded branches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;insect damage when they move in to the large cut&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;nutrient stress&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;poor growth habit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is the last that is the most relevant to you when you have a large tree.  Should you get the tree topped the new growth at the top will be weakly attached.  Sooner or later a wind storm will tear the new branches off.  As the owner of the tree you are liable for anything the tree falls on. Your or your neighbour's insurance could have a field day with any claims if it can be shown that poor pruning contributed to any incidents.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check out this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4441/how-to-care-for-a-large-redwood/4445#4445&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; to another redwood question for what your tree really needs.  If the tree is too big or poorly placed then don't prune it, remove it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-03-25T10:04:50.347" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9182" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9178" CreationDate="2014-03-25T12:21:12.997" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like Statice and yes, it does last a very long time dried! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-03-25T12:21:12.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9183" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9180" CreationDate="2014-03-25T14:47:17.153" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;See the herb section on &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; large table of companion plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Basil... is said to make tomatoes taste better&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tomatodirt.com/companion-plants.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;This other site&lt;/a&gt; seems to be more informative and lists the specific pests basil will deter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Repels whiteflies, mosquitoes, spider mites, aphids, hornworms&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3124" LastEditorUserId="3124" LastEditDate="2014-03-25T14:53:32.763" LastActivityDate="2014-03-25T14:53:32.763" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9184" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9170" CreationDate="2014-03-25T15:43:31.797" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;How much sun are they getting?  Onions need close to full sun in order to do really well.  Onions are also considered moderately heavy feeders - this means that the compost you are using may not contain enough nitrogen to meet the needs of your onion starts.  If you want to stay organic, there are plenty of granular or liquid organic fertilizers that are fine for food plants that you can try one to see if this boosts the growth of your plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Onions also are rather shallow-rooted and do not like, nor well tolerate, competition from weeds.  If you have any weeds in the onion bed, you should remove them and keep them removed for the growing season.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another question - what is the weather like now where you are?  If it is very hot and dry, your onions will not grow well.  If it is cold, they will grow more slowly.  They like to make the majority of their green growth when the weather is cool-to-mildly-warm and moist but not soggy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edited to add:  Oh, also, just to be sure - you are growing green salad onions, not chives, correct?  I'm asking because green salad onions are generally not started &quot;from cuttings&quot; but chives &lt;em&gt;are&lt;/em&gt; often divided and passed around as starts, which is kind of the same thing.  If you indeed have chives, they will never get as big as grocery store green onions.  They will, however, divide and live for a long time and in my opinion, taste just as nice.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-03-25T19:46:09.030" LastActivityDate="2014-03-25T19:46:09.030" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9158" CreationDate="2014-03-25T15:54:03.917" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A larger caliper (larger-trunked) apple tree with spur-type growth habit will likely yield fruit sooner than the other options you've mentioned. Most commercially available apple trees will have been grafted onto a compatible root stock. Some of these root stocks will produce trees that fruit sooner - in particular, the dwarfing root stocks will cause a tree to produce fruit a couple of years sooner than a non-dwarfing root stock. You will probably have to pay a bit more for one of these trees because of the extra care involved in their propagation, but if speed is your goal, it is probably worth it in the long run. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can find out what kind of apple trees are growing nearby, that information will enable you to discover 1.) what grows well in your area already and 2.) which types of apples are available for cross pollination of the variety you decide to try.  Not all apples are able to cross pollinate other apple trees, though, so be sure to do the research before you pick your next tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The grafted multi-fruit trees are okay, but to me they never seem to do as well as a well chosen single-variety tree.  Personally, I'd stick with a single variety dwarf or semi-dwarf spur-type apple tree compatible with whatever you have in the neighborhood. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-03-25T22:03:57.063" LastActivityDate="2014-03-25T22:03:57.063" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9186" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9157" CreationDate="2014-03-25T16:00:51.140" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree - it's dead. Peppers only survive over winter in warm winter climates or in heated greenhouses.  However, if you can do some research to try to figure out what type of pepper it was, you may be able to replace it this year with one of the same kind.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, saving seeds from peppers is extremely simple - simply take a ripe pepper or two and open them up, scrape the seeds from the inside onto a plate, and let them dry for several days in a warm, dry spot.  Put the seeds into a paper envelope, mark it, and you're set for next year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-03-25T22:05:41.980" LastActivityDate="2014-03-25T22:05:41.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9187" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9151" CreationDate="2014-03-25T16:07:29.013" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Permaculture sites in particular will have a lot of educational information on how to terrace and create &quot;swales&quot; on sloped sites.  The trick to landscaping a slope is to fully utilize and store the water that falls during the year, while not allowing it to pool up where you don't want it to, or to dig erosion channels and cause issues in your new planting beds.  This kind of work is very doable for the amateur landscaper, even if only working with hand tools, if the area is not too large.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=terracing%20swales%20permaculture&amp;amp;sm=3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;YouTube videos on swaling and terracing planting areas.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the slope you mentioned leads directly to your house foundation, then proper swaling is essential to slow the runoff water down, sink it into the soil where it belongs and control where any excess water goes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-03-25T16:07:29.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9165" CreationDate="2014-03-25T19:43:24.493" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dominic, This discussion &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5977/are-household-led-bulbs-suitable-as-supplemental-light-for-plants/5980#5980&quot;&gt;LED spectra&lt;/a&gt;(and links from the paper) should be right on the money - also the linked paper has some useful info on green light use by young growing plants &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2044" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-03-25T19:43:24.493" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9189" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9191" CreationDate="2014-03-26T11:20:05.253" Score="4" ViewCount="3021" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had this question throughout the time that I have been gardening. Where exactly does the carbon that goes into the plant structure? Is it like the nitrogen cycle? Does it come from the air? Is it from the ground? Is it a combination? I recently saw a presentation on soil where the roots go between the soil particles. Does it get some carbon there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3259" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-19T02:16:10.503" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T02:16:10.503" Title="Where does the carbon that makes up a plant come from?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9157" CreationDate="2014-03-26T11:30:21.350" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;All peppers are perennial in their native habitat. They are grown as annuals elsewhere. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can technically overwinter peppers indoors, and given the right conditions they will survive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peppers are like tomatoes in that they can't survive a hard freeze, so consider it gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3260" LastActivityDate="2014-03-26T11:30:21.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9189" CreationDate="2014-03-26T11:35:16.680" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally, carbon dioxide enters a plant through stomata on the leaves - these are like small pores on the underside of the leaf with two guard cells which allow CO2 to enter, and oxygen to leave. Part of the photosynthetic process, and there's a formula for it - six molecules of C02 plus six molecules of water turns into 1 molecule of sugar (which the plant utilises) and 6 molecules of oxygen (which it emits from the stomata). The water comes from root uptake in the soil, but some water loss is inevitable through the stomata too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants without proper leaves have stomata placed elsewhere (stems, for instance).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-03-26T11:53:56.057" LastActivityDate="2014-03-26T11:53:56.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9192" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9157" CreationDate="2014-03-26T14:46:26.207" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The correct answer to this is &quot;it depends.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most or all chilli peppers are actually perennial (see other answers). The problem is, this depends on exactly where you live; if your climate is warm enough, you're cool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since I'm obviously in a winter climate, the question is: how do I make my chilli peppers survive, given that all of them are perennial?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's where &quot;it depends&quot; comes into place. Generally, you need extra prep-work in the fall to over-winter them successfully; but this takes a lot of effort (and it's too late now, since I'm asking in early spring).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given this, the best approach would have been to save some dry seeds from the plant for next year. I'll do that this year, if I can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastActivityDate="2014-03-26T14:46:26.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9193" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9175" CreationDate="2014-03-26T18:42:41.470" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Flotech has a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flotecpump.com/residentialpage_resource_starthere_ftn_Sizing.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;guide on their site for sizing fountain pumps&lt;/a&gt;, which mentions :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Step Two - Look for the maximum head height rating&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;  This is how high (vertically) the pump can lift the water. Water pumped to its maximum height by a given pump doesn't necessarily mean the flow will be very strong at that maximum height. In fact, it might be only a trickle. Therefore, choose a pump whose maximum height is higher than the height at which the water emerges from your fountain feature to ensure a strong stream of water. A discharge flow reducer (valve) can be used to adjust the flow to your needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flow rate is inversely related to how high you're attempting to lift the water -- so you'll end up with the rated GPH (gallons per hour) when there's almost no lift (I think they measure it at 1' lift, typically), and nothing at the full height rating.  If you lift for 3/4 of the max height, you'll get around 1/4 of the max flow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But that still doesn't mean that you need to go out and get some $200+ pump ... You just have to lift it in two stages, which you can do with a bucket, some rope, tubing, and two pumps rated for around 8' of lift:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place a submersible pump in a bucket, and run the pump's hose to the area you want watered.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Take a second piece of tubing, and attach it (without crushing it) onto the side of the bucket (exiting inside the bucket)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hang the bucket about mid-way between your balcony height and the ground level.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Connect the piece of tubing attached to the bucket to the second pump, and lower it into the rain barrel.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Turn on both pumps.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main thing that I'd be concerned with is that you'd have to make a hole in the rain barrel such that you could put in the pump ... which means the possibilities for mosquitos to come in to breed.  You may need to treat the barrel with a larvacide, or find a way so that you can secure a screen over the hole that you'll be using.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="505" LastActivityDate="2014-03-26T18:42:41.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9194" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9197" CreationDate="2014-03-27T06:19:35.483" Score="5" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;I understand that propagation by seed does not produce trees that resemble its parent. However, I am forced to propagate by seed some rare fruit that are prohibitively expensive to ship to my home. How would I increase the likelihood that a seed would produce good fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do seeds from sweet fruit have a higher chance of also producing sweet fruit? Or is there no correlation?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there any visual characteristics of a seed (size, color) that make predict how good the fruit will be?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-03-27T14:56:21.410" Title="Increase chances of good fruit from seed propagation" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9195" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9200" CreationDate="2014-03-27T06:26:24.033" Score="4" ViewCount="219" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apparently my state, California, has stricter restrictions of shipping plants. Many online nurseries say that I must pay extra money for a phytosanitary certificate to ship to California or else the plant may be rejected by the post office. Are phytosanitary certificates only necessary when crossing state lines or are they also necessary interstate? I live in Northern California and want to buy plants from a nursery in Southern California. I'm wondering if they can legally ship the plants to me without paying for the certificate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2015-06-05T14:41:00.483" LastActivityDate="2015-06-05T14:41:00.483" Title="Are phytosanitary certificates needed to ship a plant within a state?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9196" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9199" CreationDate="2014-03-27T13:17:35.993" Score="7" ViewCount="9084" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every year in early March it seems I have a ton of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium_amplexicaule&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;henbit&lt;/a&gt;, (lamium amplexicaule), in my yard (Southern US, zone 7, bermuda grass).  Not just around the edges, it's all over the yard.  By May/June it dies off, but it amazes me that the yards next to mine don't have the same &quot;infestation&quot; of the weed.  I end up being the first house around me having to mow to cut it down and make the lawn look presentable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The local various lawn services say they can get rid of it and make my lawn beautiful, but I'm still not willing to pay $55/application for something that I can probably do myself for $25.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a proven method that I can use to get rid of henbit fast and not see them ever again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3263" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-19T22:59:52.073" LastActivityDate="2017-01-19T22:59:52.073" Title="How can I really get rid of henbit?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9194" CreationDate="2014-03-27T14:56:21.410" Score="3" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is no correlation with sweet or sour fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You could try peeling off the outer and inner coats of the seed to see if they're polyembryonic or monoembryonic (you'll see one embryo with a couple of cotyledons, tiny of course) - if the latter, it won't come true, if the former, it MIGHT come true. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are fruits which more often than not come true, mostly citrus - sweet orange,  key lime, grapefruit, tangerine, tangelo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trouble is, even if you got whatever fruit it is to come true, that's not the only consideration - most fruit bearing trees are not growing on their own roots, but on a selected rootstock, often for vigour or hardiness, or for reducing the overall size of the tree. You may need to graft anything you get that's suitable onto an appropriate rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-27T14:56:21.410" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9198" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9165" CreationDate="2014-03-27T15:58:23.677" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.illumitex.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Surexi-Spectra-Guide.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Surexi Spectra Guide&lt;/a&gt; document. It has very useful info on what light is required for what stage of plant growth. It's not ideal since it's not an independent organisation but a company that makes LED lights. Still, the spectra used in commercial led lights should certainly be a good starting point for building my lights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a summary of the document - red:blue (ratio):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;5.4 : 1 (+ ~0.2 green &amp;amp; yellow) - Germination of seeds requiring light to germinate, flowering plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3.5 : 5 - Vegetative plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1.5 : 6.5 - Seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3244" LastActivityDate="2014-03-27T15:58:23.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9196" CreationDate="2014-03-27T19:48:11.493" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to keep henbit out of your lawn, you will need to apply a pre-emergent very early in the season (in the south, as early as February) to prevent it from germinating. An organic option may be &quot;corn gluten&quot; which also inhibits the germination of annual seeds.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many commonly used chemical lawn fertilizers already contain pre-emergents to fight annual weeds - they are called &quot;weed and feed&quot; products.  This may be why your neighbors are not having the same issues with the henbit that you are having - they may be using one of these. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the meantime, you can probably spray a broadleaf weed killer, or spot treat with something less noxious, to cut back the amount of henbit seed that your already growing henbit plants will be leaving behind this growing season.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-03-27T19:48:11.493" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9195" CreationDate="2014-03-27T22:15:55.590" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A phytosanitary certificate should only be necessary when plants are shipped between states or countries.  I've never heard of one being required to ship inside a state.  However, you can always call the nursery to confirm that they don't need one to ship your order inside the state of California.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-03-27T22:15:55.590" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9201" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8412" CreationDate="2014-03-27T23:32:28.910" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm quite confident it's a kind of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.succulent-plant.com/thumbnails.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Succulent plant&lt;/a&gt;  . Some guesses:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Adromischus filicaulis ssp marlothii   &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantegrassefrontignan.fr/plantes%20grasses%20mediterranennes/images/plantes%20grasses%20diverses/Adromischus%20filicaulis%20ssp%20marlothii.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;[pic]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Adromischus halesowensis &lt;a href=&quot;http://kaktusmert.tripod.com/sukkulent/Adromischus/Adromischus_halezowensis.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;[pic]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Othonna capensis  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3182" LastActivityDate="2014-03-27T23:32:28.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9202" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9217" CreationDate="2014-03-28T05:23:07.610" Score="6" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know if a fertilizer management web site is available?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a site where I can enter my plant/tree collection and the fertilizer that I use on each and let it know when I last fertilized the plant and then I receive an email when I should next apply fertilizer etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2014-03-31T17:19:52.357" Title="Is there fertilizer management web site available?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9203" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9204" CreationDate="2014-03-28T06:27:06.080" Score="4" ViewCount="714" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the choice between buying a Kohala Longan tree that was either propagated by cutting or by air layer. They are both successfully rooted, but I would like to know the advantages of each technique that affect the later life of the tree. For instance, would one method cause the tree to fruit earlier or make it stronger?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-03-28T13:16:43.743" Title="Choice between a cutting and an air layer" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;air-layer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9203" CreationDate="2014-03-28T13:16:43.743" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nope, won't make a difference - roots are roots, however they're encouraged to form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-28T13:16:43.743" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9205" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9207" CreationDate="2014-03-29T01:59:27.517" Score="12" ViewCount="14275" Body="&lt;p&gt;I neglected an aloe plant for about a year without water but by the window. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was still alive!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Quite curious about how hardy this plant is. How long can it really last without water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3265" LastActivityDate="2020-02-01T12:13:50.430" Title="How long can aloe last without water?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9206" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9808" CreationDate="2014-03-30T03:21:48.040" Score="9" ViewCount="257" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have St. Augustine grass. What exactly is the process of dethatching? &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1499/tips-on-lawn-maintenance-and-weed-control&quot;&gt;This question&lt;/a&gt; went into a brief discussion regarding dethatching. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there benefits to dethatching? When is the latest time of the year to dethatch one's lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="290" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T19:54:07.450" Title="What are the benefits of dethatching your lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9205" CreationDate="2014-03-30T05:32:46.513" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is no &quot;exact&quot; answer to this question, but it appears you already know the minimum it can last without water by your own unintended experiment. Though not a perfect answer, I hope the following can help you out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Succulents need water&lt;/strong&gt; - it's commonly known (almost to the point of being an exaggerated myth) that succulents and cacti need very little water. This is true, but all plants need water. The amount and frequency, especially for succulents and cacti, depend on a wide variety of factors including light exposure, medium and substrates, soil, drainage. Regardless, they need to be watered occasionally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;But think about their natural habitat&lt;/strong&gt; - Consider the natural habitat of succulents. Dry and arid, these environments often go weeks, months, and (very rarely) years without a good watering. But when it rains, it pours and saturates the soil, allowing a replenishing of the succulent's stores of water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So...&lt;/strong&gt; As imperfect as it is, I would propose that &lt;em&gt;the duration a succulent can last without water is positively correlated with soil saturation and inversely correlated with drainage and evaporation rate&lt;/em&gt;. I never water my succulents or aloe, and they're perfectly healthy. The rainfall, which has recently been rare in drought-stricken California, soaks the soil periodically and since mine are in partial shade that moisture stays. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My personal record, 1.5 years for a cactus that fell behind a planter out of sight, and was healthy and growing when I found it a few seasons later. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/how-cacti-survive-in-the-dry-desert/66.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's&lt;/a&gt; a really cool video on the topic, where an &quot;expert&quot; says they can last years. The fact that he doesn't peg a specific time makes me think it's never been accurately documented. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2951" LastEditorUserId="2951" LastEditDate="2014-03-30T16:47:25.463" LastActivityDate="2014-03-30T16:47:25.463" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9208" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9209" CreationDate="2014-03-30T09:45:35.943" Score="5" ViewCount="161" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll confess to being fairly clueless about plants, and have been trying to find what type this is (present from son to wife for mother's day, with no label or anything to say what it is). Is it better suited to indoors in the pot, or outdoors in the garden (UK location)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bKWhM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3267" LastActivityDate="2014-04-05T00:00:21.383" Title="House Plant identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9209" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9208" CreationDate="2014-03-30T13:04:57.300" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Brian, It's a Primula. Here is a link to the Wikipedia entry that should explain all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primula&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primula&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3268" LastActivityDate="2014-03-30T13:04:57.300" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9210" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-30T23:39:34.803" Score="10" ViewCount="1911" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lemon tree leaves are deformed and some have holes (see pictures).&#xA;Any idea what is causing it, and how I can stop it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VWv6z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vf0nR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3272" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-07T23:31:29.203" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T23:31:29.203" Title="Lemon tree leaf deformation" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9211" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9215" CreationDate="2014-03-31T02:08:36.797" Score="4" ViewCount="1332" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a young Apache Blackberry plant in a 4'' container. I transferred it to a gallon glazed clay pot. I use wood chip mulch. It has been around 2 months and the leaves are getting much bigger, but there has been hardly any vertical growth. It is 6'' tall now. It sits outside (zone 10) and gets 10 hours of sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I noticed that dark purple spots are showing up on half of the leaves. I see no insect pests. Is this discoloration a cause for my Apache Blackberry's slow growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uyt0Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-05-28T14:39:23.133" Title="What is this dark purple discoloration on my Apache Blackberry?" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9212" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-03-31T02:35:46.103" Score="5" ViewCount="1522" Body="&lt;p&gt;My aloe plant broke at the stem, all leaves and about 1 inch of stem remain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I re-plant the broken section and will it grow again from the broken stem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3273" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-02T15:36:46.767" LastActivityDate="2014-09-02T15:36:46.767" Title="How to save my 1-meter-high Aloe Vera plant which broke off at the stem?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-07-03T03:52:20.977" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9213" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9219" CreationDate="2014-03-31T02:43:28.373" Score="5" ViewCount="7426" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first time I tried sprouting an avocado, I got a tree that lived in a pot for about 4 years. Ever since then I have not been able to get a pit to sprout.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have 5 pits that someone saved for me last year and I'm going to give them a try. However they are completely dried out. They now look like little black walnuts once I removed the brown papery covering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these worth even trying to sprout, or once they've dried out is there no hope?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3216" LastEditorUserId="3216" LastEditDate="2014-04-02T15:52:38.933" LastActivityDate="2018-02-28T23:40:30.743" Title="Sprouting dried avocado pit" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9214" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3462" CreationDate="2014-03-31T02:49:20.757" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew an avocado from a pit for about 4 years in a 6&quot; pot before I lost it trying to repot it. I kept it indoors during the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It grew quite tall, probably 6' or close to it. You will need to figure out how you want to deal with trying to keep it short. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3216" LastActivityDate="2014-03-31T02:49:20.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9215" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9211" CreationDate="2014-03-31T04:13:44.970" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Supposing it's just a few of the larger leaves, I wouldn't be too concerned. In fact, there are some seasons when my raspberry bush will grow clusters of purple leaves or tint some of the newer-growth leaves a dark-red. I've been told that it can be attributed to a) nutrient deficiencies (typically of phosphorous, magnesium, or iron) or b) changes in temperature. I did notice that after adjusting some of the soil nutrients that the plants returned to all green leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nutrient problems are tough to diagnose, but thankfully they're unlikely to wreck a complete plant if treated quickly. I would first look to phosphorous, then magnesium. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there is some texture that differentiates the spots from the rest of the leaves, you should look out for something called &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/20491/Blackberry_Rust.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;blackberry/raspberry rust&lt;/a&gt;. It's not terribly common, but it too will cause discoloration of leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2951" LastActivityDate="2014-03-31T04:13:44.970" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9210" CreationDate="2014-03-31T17:16:28.380" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I strongly suspect this is early infection with citrus leaf miner - the moth that causes this is an import from Asia and is now very active in the USA. There is evidence of leaf miner infestation in the second photograph, top leaf, to the left of the dead area in the leaf, which itself is probably where a former leafminer was present. That, coupled with the deformation and slight rolling, points to citrus leaf miner. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might want to google citrus leaf miner for added information, but there is no real treatment, though you will need to do something, it can't be ignored. Because the crop is edible, you're restricted as to what you can use - there are pheremone traps for this problem, these attract the males, but the other treatment which is reasonably effective is a combination of spinosad and horticultural oil (such as Bonide All Seasons Oil), mixed together (at the recommended ratio on each of the containers) in a spray. Spray every three weeks, usually from June through to end of October, but it looks like you may have to start now. New leaves are particularly vulnerable, so make sure these get a good dose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try to avoid spraying the flowers, particularly open ones - this mixture isn't good for pollinating insects like bees either. Spray only on still days to prevent spray drift.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-03-31T17:22:57.233" LastActivityDate="2014-03-31T17:22:57.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9202" CreationDate="2014-03-31T17:19:52.357" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I'm aware, there is currently no such thing available. It should be possible to set up your own system on your internet device (Iphone, pad, whatever) and have that 'remind' you when its necessary, I'd have thought, but it may take some time to set it up in the way you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-03-31T17:19:52.357" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9218" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9221" CreationDate="2014-03-31T21:29:12.263" Score="7" ViewCount="6903" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 4 formerly great-looking gardenia bushes in my yard, but this past winter has been brutal on them (I live in the DC area, where it was still snowing as of yesterday). The plants are still alive, but in terrible shape. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand (from internet research) that I should prune them back to the healthy parts so that they can grow back. But, how can I tell where that is? There seem to be leaf buds even on the bad parts, though I don't know if those buds are dead. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there something in particular that could help me gauge how far to prune them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A photo of one of the plants is below. Thanks in advance for any advice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vVb0t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3277" LastActivityDate="2014-05-09T03:34:40.540" Title="How Far Back To Prune Frost-Damaged Gardenias?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;frost&gt;&lt;gardenias&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9219" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9213" CreationDate="2014-04-01T02:31:33.387" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If they are all dried out then they are dead.  Avocado pits need to be planted pretty quickly after being removed from their fruit.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On your first success, how did you start the pit?  The method I've had the most luck with was suspending the fresh and thoroughly washed pit over a glass of water using toothpicks stuck into the seed in several spots, with the bottom of the pit kept just barely under the water and the top (more pointed part) kept out of the water and dry.  Especially if you can find a slightly overripe avocado as a subject, this generally will yield a sprout in just a few weeks. After it has a decent root system, you can move it to a regular pot with a light but moist potting soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are not familiar with the toothpick method, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=avocado%20pit%20toothpicks&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=IFM&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla%3aen-US%3aofficial&amp;amp;channel=np&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=PdA6U-OLOsekyQGzooCgBg&amp;amp;ved=0CEwQsAQ&amp;amp;biw=1314&amp;amp;bih=627&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here are some pictures&lt;/a&gt; that illustrate it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-04-01T14:40:10.667" LastActivityDate="2014-04-01T14:40:10.667" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9220" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9212" CreationDate="2014-04-01T02:35:07.557" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have many times planted a broken off piece of aloe vera and had it root and grow on into a new plant.  Find some sandy soil, water it well but let it drain completely, stick the stem of the broken off part into the soil and give it a couple or three weeks.  Keep it in bright but not direct light, and water it &lt;em&gt;sparingly&lt;/em&gt;.  You can be pretty sure it has rooted when you try to gently tug it out of the soil but it resists, and almost certain of rooting when it begins to put on new growth.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-01T02:35:07.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9221" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9218" CreationDate="2014-04-01T12:19:16.603" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, your comment that its still snowing - don't even think about cutting back the gardenias until you are more or less certain that winter, and its cold temperatures, has passed, so don't do it now. You need to wait till spring starts properly, whenever that will be, without the risk of sudden cold snaps recurring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you've got to that point, check the bushes over again. You're right when you say to cut back to healthy growth, but sometimes these shrubs can be killed right back to the ground. There seems to be dead growth all the way down, with evidence of new growth higher up the stems, so you have a choice - you either cut them right down, or cut back to where you see new growth coming, as low down as possible. This unfortunately does mean no flowers this year, but there's not much you can do about that, other than be thankful they're still alive after such severe cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have to cut right down near the base, or fairly close to it, make sure you give them a good feed as often as recommended on the product you use, but do not feed past the end of June or early July. Feeding after that time just encourages new growth to form, making the plant more vulnerable to cold weather, because that growth won't be hardened sufficiently if winter arrives early, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-01T12:19:16.603" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9222" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9804" CreationDate="2014-04-01T13:10:43.907" Score="3" ViewCount="2345" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planning on buying a BDPH400 from Black&amp;amp;Decker, looking to get more than just painting out of it, can it be used to spray herbicides like Roundup?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3129" LastActivityDate="2014-05-26T01:34:42.610" Title="Can I use a HVLP spray gun to spray weed killer?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9223" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9224" CreationDate="2014-04-01T17:55:26.767" Score="4" ViewCount="541" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I had to cut down a red maple tree. I was able to save three of its offspring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One is ~2' tall and I moved it from where it volunteered behind a bush to the middle of the yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another is ~8&quot; tall and spent most of last year in a pot. Buried the pot in the ground in early fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last one is a pure untouched volunteer, ~6&quot; tall growing right up against the stump of the old tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I tell if these saplings survived the winter? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see very small buds on all of them. Should these buds be hard or soft?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What other signs indicate a healthy, young red maple sapling?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="486" LastEditorUserId="486" LastEditDate="2014-04-01T18:41:11.080" LastActivityDate="2014-04-01T19:55:24.903" Title="What do healthy red maple saplings look like?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9223" CreationDate="2014-04-01T19:55:24.903" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can pull a bud apart and it is still green inside, then things are looking good.  If the buds are dry and brittle and don't show any life inside, then you may have a dead sapling.  On the saplings that have branches, if the buds are not looking good, you can gently scrape a bit of bark off of the branch and look for a green layer.  In any case, since it will soon be spring, you can always wait a few weeks and see which ones begin to leaf out, and that will be a definitive answer about which are healthy and survived the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-01T19:55:24.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9225" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9262" CreationDate="2014-04-01T20:04:47.910" Score="7" ViewCount="223" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planting some Dutch white clover in my yard from seed. The seeds came already inoculated. We generally have weeks where it rains several times a day for at least a week during the spring, can I just sow the seeds and let them sit for a week or two until we get a lot of rain, or is there some risk of either drying out the seeds or having the inoculant damaged by heat/dryness?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3237" LastActivityDate="2014-04-07T21:32:02.897" Title="Watering clover seeds" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;clover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9226" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-01T22:47:29.263" Score="2" ViewCount="205" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw it next to a parking lot recently, and took this picture. The plant isn't very tall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qrPLA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3282" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-28T06:31:08.133" LastActivityDate="2014-07-28T06:31:08.133" Title="What's the name of this five petaled flowering shrub?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2014-10-31T13:50:35.513" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9227" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9230" CreationDate="2014-04-02T05:02:11.333" Score="14" ViewCount="2592" Body="&lt;p&gt;They say that strawberry plants don't produce good fruit as they become a few years old. Let's say a 5 year old strawberry plant starts a new plant via a runner. Does this runner have its biological clock reset back to zero or is it considered the same age as its parent? That is, will the runner produce good fruit or will it produce bad fruit like its senile parent? What I'm trying to see is if I can infinitely extend my years of harvesting strawberries by constantly rejuvenating my strawberry patch by propagating via runners every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These spindly horizontal vines are runners. I have Quinalt strawberries, if that matters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DSKGJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;strawberry runner&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2018-02-07T18:49:01.163" Title="Do strawberry runners start from age zero?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9228" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9231" CreationDate="2014-04-02T06:22:54.463" Score="3" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I looked up my town on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-california-usda-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this website&lt;/a&gt; and it says that I'm in zone 9b (25F - 30F average minimum temperature). However, the historical data shows that the temperature never dropped below 41F in the winter. I can also attest from living here for a year that it has never dropped to freezing temperatures. I live a block away from the bay, so the water should keep the weather more temperate. So why does my zone not match the historical weather?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rg4BS.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-04-02T18:50:45.677" Title="Why does my hardiness zone not match the historical weather?" Tags="&lt;cold-weather&gt;&lt;weather&gt;&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9229" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9228" CreationDate="2014-04-02T11:09:22.653" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;USDA zones are reviewed from time to time, but the fact you're zoned as 9b should mean that, historically (I don't know how far back you went) it was possible for temperatures to drop that low. The point of zoning is knowing what the temperature you're likely to encounter in any given area will be, in particular, the coldest. There is, though, a problem with the USDA map in the west, where it fails to reflect accurately what the weather actually does (according to the National Gardening Association). Tucson and Seattle are both Zone 8, but coastal Seattle has far different growing conditions from Tucson.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weather is unpredictable (more so in the UK) but even in 'settled' weather zones, changes are now taking place, many of which can't accurately be predicted. The chances of anyone's weather continuing to conform to any zoning map are growing less with each decade - climate change is bringing different weather to many areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-02T11:09:22.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9230" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9227" CreationDate="2014-04-02T16:30:45.117" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;A &lt;em&gt;healthy&lt;/em&gt; strawberry runner is considered to be a &quot;new&quot; plant.  Many of the long-term strawberry beds I've read about use runners as a way of renewing the beds every year or every other year, and as a result, the bed itself produces for quite a long time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;To maintain the quality and productivity of the berry&#xA;  patch, the planting must be renovated each year. This&#xA;  allows new runner plants to replace old plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This quote is taken from Purdue University's publication titled &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ag.purdue.edu/hla/pubs/HO/HO-46.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growing Strawberries&lt;/a&gt;.&quot; It basically states that the typical method of renewal for strawberry beds is to let the new runners take over from the old.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-07T18:49:01.163" LastActivityDate="2018-02-07T18:49:01.163" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9231" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9228" CreationDate="2014-04-02T18:50:45.677" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just looking at weatherunderground for your location, it shows the temps for your city dipping down into the mid 30's early this January, and even colder temps last January. It may not happen often that the temps drop that low, but the hardiness zone is accounting for the worst case scenario.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, hardiness zones really only tell you about your macroclimate, and in a coastal region like you're in, that can be deceiving. It could very well be that since you are so close to the ocean, your yard never does see the low temps that someone living a few miles inland would. It is very possible that you could get away with planting something that should be a half a zone (or possibly even a full zone) warmer than what your hardiness zone says. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My yard is in zone 4B, but I have a spot on the south side of my house where I can get away with 5B plants most years. I say most years, because we had a terribly cold winter this year and my garden has yet to wake up - I won't be sure for another month whether the marginal plants made it through this time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-04-02T18:50:45.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9232" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-03T03:33:57.977" Score="2" ViewCount="118" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm an amateur gardener planning a future garden in an extremely dry area. The soil is fertile, but I understand you need to water artificially in order to grow anything significant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to experiment with species and varieties that aren't traditionally used in the area. When selecting  species to try out, their estimated &quot;thirstiness&quot; is going to be a major factor, as water isn't going to be cheap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do any canonical resources on plant species' water consumption exist? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If not - what general characteristics should I look out for in order to determine how thirsty they are going to be? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastActivityDate="2014-04-03T14:58:18.837" Title="How do I predict a plant species' water intake?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9233" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-03T05:48:08.280" Score="4" ViewCount="156" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very nice drosera/sundew - but it's overgrown it's little container and needs to be repotted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What should I use as the potting soil?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plan on separating it into two or three new containers. Why should I use as containers? Right now it's in the really cheap plastic container it came in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I use a glass or ceramic pot?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any other advice for repotting drosera would be very appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3204" LastActivityDate="2014-06-01T19:15:31.700" Title="subdividing and repotting drosera/sundew" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9232" CreationDate="2014-04-03T13:19:08.703" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There isn't really a formula for how much water you need to supply a particular plant in, say, a year or six months because so much depends on the environment and weather. You can certainly try googling descriptive things like 'plants for dry places', to get ideas about which plants would cope better in your situation, there are certainly books that advise on planting for specific areas. Otherwise, I'm afraid you're going to have to do it the hard way, the other way around - first, decide what plant/s you're interested in, then read about their cultural requirements, including moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, a few general rules are: You can be sure that bog plants require not only water, but to be permanently damp or wet, that willows will suck up every drop of moisture for miles around (they're thirsty), succulent leafed plants can cope a lot longer with drought, along with Yucca, and to some extent, Phormium. Be careful if using plants loosely called 'grasses' - that group includes the sedges and rushes, both of which prefer damper soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need also to bear in mind that there are other requirements that plants have which may not be met by your soil and local weather conditions - things like soil ph, whether its sandy, shale or rocky, winter temperatures are too low, summer temperatures too high, too windy...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-04-03T13:26:17.923" LastActivityDate="2014-04-03T13:26:17.923" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9235" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9232" CreationDate="2014-04-03T14:04:41.963" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem with finding a resource that will tell you how much water an individual veggie needs is that it will depend so much on where you live. The temperature, the wind, the angle of the sun will all affect the plants water needs. That said, Corn needs a lot, cool season veggies like lettuces need a lot. Cucumbers need a fair amount, or they'll get bitter. Plants that typically thrive in the heat of summer can get away with a little less - beans, tomatoes, peppers, some zucchini, okra. Are there specific veggies you are thinking of trying?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should also consider using some methods for creating a garden that requires less supplemental watering. That could be as easy as amending the soil so it contains a lot of organic matter, using ollas (or buried plastic bottles with holes in them) for underground watering and adding a rain barrel to your garden. If you wanted to put a little more effort in, you could think about building swales, doing hugelkultur, or creating a Zuni waffle garden. All are designed to make the most of the water you do get. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2014-04-03T14:20:15.177" LastActivityDate="2014-04-03T14:20:15.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9236" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9238" CreationDate="2014-04-03T14:38:52.547" Score="3" ViewCount="1022" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a house and am new to gardening and lawn care. Some guys stopped by and asked me if I need &quot;aeration service.&quot; I was wondering if I need it for my new lawn/sod. I still don't see the grass coming up yet. It's still dry. I bought my house last winter around November. Could some one shed some light on this question please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3283" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-03T18:50:00.540" LastActivityDate="2014-04-03T22:25:09.817" Title="Does new lawn/sod need aeration?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9237" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9232" CreationDate="2014-04-03T14:58:18.837" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;How much water you need, especially when it comes to vegetables, will definitely vary from species to species - but it is also highly dependent upon your cultivation practices.  For example, if you grow your vegetables in single file rows and leave the soil bare otherwise, you will lose a lot of water due to evaporation and have to replace that water more often.  If you use a block planting method, and then mulch heavily between blocks, you will reduce your watering needs significantly compared to the first scenario.  The more organic matter you have in your soil, the greater its capacity to hold water during wet spells (or during irrigation) and then release that water to your plants during the drier times, so that's another factor to consider.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your best bet is to read as much as you can, then plant what you think will do well and keep some good records.  In the end, gardening is mostly experimentation.  Many gardeners, however, consider the experimentation part to be a lot of fun!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-03T14:58:18.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9236" CreationDate="2014-04-03T15:09:02.510" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Aeration&quot; is where the lawn service folks use a machine to poke &quot;holes&quot; in thick grass sod, in order to let the air and moisture penetrate beneath it.  While a lot of people do this as a regular part of lawn maintenance, I don't believe it is helpful under all circumstances.  If you don't even &lt;strong&gt;have&lt;/strong&gt; a lawn growing yet, I can't see how it could be of any benefit to you.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, if your lawn is newly seeded, you need to keep it moist during the germination time for your grass seed or it may never sprout and grow.  So if it is dry, you should definitely get some water on that.  If it has been weeks or months since it was seeded, and you don't see any new growth yet, you may need to reseed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edited to add:  Ah, I misread.  Looks like you have sod.  I stand by what I said, though, if it's a new lawn (whether sodded or seeded) it shouldn't need aeration services.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-04-03T22:25:09.817" LastActivityDate="2014-04-03T22:25:09.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9239" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9236" CreationDate="2014-04-03T17:50:02.187" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your question asks about &quot;aeration&quot; for your &quot;new sod/lawn&quot;... did you have a lawn installed already? Sod is basically &quot;insta-lawn&quot; and you would see the results immediately. I have never done aeration on sod lawns I have installed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My experience is that Aeration is a way to help promote the growth and rejuvenation of older, existing lawns. As mentioned in another answer, it allows the soil to absorb moisture easier (bypassing the &quot;thatch&quot; problem most older lawns have).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastActivityDate="2014-04-03T17:50:02.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9240" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9241" CreationDate="2014-04-03T18:04:25.017" Score="3" ViewCount="141" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Maine (USDA hardiness zone 5).  My lawn has a 5-10' deep mostly-dead area along most of the curb.  It stretches maybe 50 or 60 feet.  Last year I attempted to get grass to grow there without much success.  I'm interested in alternative ideas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The area gets a lot of salt and sand during the winter as the plows pile snow upon it, and after the snow melts I need to rake the sand back down onto the road (the town eventually sweeps the streets).  It's on the south side and is in full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions for plants that can take a beating like that and come back happily year after year?  I have some hostas around that seem pretty durable.  Daylilies?  Ideally, something that looks nice that I don't have to put in a lot of work to make it grow (though I don't mind &lt;i&gt;some&lt;/i&gt; maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3285" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-03T18:48:35.123" LastActivityDate="2014-04-04T11:29:03.967" Title="What are good plants for salty, sandy roadside conditions in Maine?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9241" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9240" CreationDate="2014-04-04T11:19:04.310" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Phew, bit of a tall order really. Your day lilies, if they survive in your garden already, are worth a try - they are, to some extent, salt resistant. Yucca glauca is worth a look too, but the trouble is, they don't like sitting in wet soil in winter, or any time really. I guess I don't need to tell you you have the most difficult situation possible there - very cold in winter with lots of added salt heaped over leaves means there are very few plants, if any, that will tolerate those circumstances. There are other plants that might have done, but not in Zone 5, unfortunately. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your only other option is to choose summer plants which you take out when winter arrives, but even those would need some salt resistance because the soil will contain it. Lampranthus spectabilis, Pelargoniums and Carpobrotus chilensis should cope, but it doesn't exactly fit the bill from a low maintenance point of view, because you'd have to plant yearly. Otherwise, I can only suggest laying some paving along there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-04-04T11:29:03.967" LastActivityDate="2014-04-04T11:29:03.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9242" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-04T15:56:59.333" Score="9" ViewCount="13486" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a cherry tree, and neighbours, which is only about 4 years old, and I would say about 5 metres high. Neighbours are worried that its roots might eventually damage supply/drainage pipes in front of the house, which are possibly about 6 6 -8 metres away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I have to worry?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I keep the tree pruned to a height of about 4 metres in order to slow or stop root growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3292" LastActivityDate="2018-03-17T18:48:13.713" Title="Does pruning the tree slow root growth?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9243" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-04T16:02:47.657" Score="3" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;We need to ask a gardener to apply an insecticide to a CHERRY tree. Neighbours have complained about the tree being infested by insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For reasons I cannot go into, there is no regular access to the tree. So we want to ask someone to come once and apply some kind of insecticide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We want it to be organic – so no adverse effects on other wildlife and humans. What would be a sensible option in this scenario, i.e. what should we ask the gardener to do/apply?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3292" LastActivityDate="2014-04-09T06:32:25.453" Title="One-off (organic?) aphids control" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9243" CreationDate="2014-04-04T16:17:32.130" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hmm, that's impossible I'm afraid. Anything 'organic' isn't usually systemic, and you'd need a systemic pesticide for any lasting effect, and even then, depending on the product used, the average length of time for the product to still be having an effect will be around a fortnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for which product to choose, rather depends on a few things, that is, what part of the world you're in, which insects are infesting it (cherry aphid?) and whether the cherry tree is a fruiting one, producing edible fruit, or a purely ornamental one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-04T16:17:32.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9245" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9242" CreationDate="2014-04-04T20:47:10.663" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tree pruning will not necessarily slow root growth. The best way to deal with the possibility of roots getting into things they shouldn't is to &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dig a trench about six to eight inches deep between you and your neighbours at a convenient location.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Then go to your hardware store and buy some 40 or 60 millimeter pool liner. Usually food grade for ornamental ponds is best.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut the liner into strips that are the depth of the trench.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;insert liner&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;backfill&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;job done!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This takes advantage of the fact that most tree roots are within six inches of the surface.  An impermeable membrane like the pool liner will provide peace of mind at minimal cost.  You can put paving stones or sod over the trench and you won't even know it's there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-04-04T20:47:10.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9246" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9208" CreationDate="2014-04-05T00:00:21.383" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a primrose. I work at a greenhouse and we got a few of these in this past year. I can tell you that they are most commonly kept as indoor plants, though they can be planted outside and do well in shady areas with proper water drainage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They don't like to get a lot of sun, so try not to let it get a lot of direct sunlight. Also, make sure that it stays fairly dry and be especially careful to keep water off the blooms when watering or they will rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3287" LastActivityDate="2014-04-05T00:00:21.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9247" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9024" CreationDate="2014-04-05T00:04:45.167" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is an asparagus fern. They grow little white flowers which turn into the berries in your picture. I prefer to grow them in hanging baskets instead of letting them droop on the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3287" LastActivityDate="2014-04-05T00:04:45.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9248" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9272" CreationDate="2014-04-05T00:38:09.307" Score="4" ViewCount="3323" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are looking to plant some fruit trees in an open space with rocky soil which gets direct, and sometimes harsh sunlight. We hope that getting some trees in this area to provide shade will help to also increase the humidity the ground holds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We are looking to at least grow some apple trees. Any suggestions on varieties that grow well in Missouri? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What other fruit trees do well in Missouri?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3287" LastEditorUserId="3216" LastEditDate="2014-04-05T17:15:52.597" LastActivityDate="2015-09-02T21:34:23.940" Title="Does anyone know what types of fruit trees grow well in southern Missouri?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8470" CreationDate="2014-04-05T01:08:39.470" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is most definitely a dandelion. It has just not begun to sprout a blossom yet. I have a lot of these in my yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3287" LastActivityDate="2014-04-05T01:08:39.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9250" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="731" CreationDate="2014-04-05T05:45:50.140" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Clear pots can be great for plants, especially transplants. Plants vary a lot, but in general, the roots reach the edge of a clear container, feel the sun, and stop growing. This prevents them from getting root bound. Once transplanted into the ground the root start growing with a minimum of transplant shock. Broccoli is an example of a traditionally transplanted crop that can really root bind and benefits from clear containers. Better yet is soil blocks...no pot. Blocks work great for large operations. Gardeners may find clear cups more convenient and economical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3295" LastActivityDate="2014-04-05T05:45:50.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9242" CreationDate="2014-04-05T11:07:28.407" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You will need to do something, as its a cherry tree, and a fruiting one at that, particularly if you haven't bought one on a dwarfing rootstock. Otherwise, I agree with Kevinsky's answer, its worth a try. The problem with cherry in particular is that they are known to be surface rooters, and do have a tendency to put out long roots just below the ground. Often, after some time, those roots are quite visible on the surface, and may in fact start producing growth themselves, so your neighbours are right to be a bit concerned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-05T11:07:28.407" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9252" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-05T15:37:26.220" Score="5" ViewCount="1153" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of jade and dwarf jades on my windowsill, and I think they've been infested with mealy bugs - &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7729/what-is-this-plant-what-is-the-white-stuff-on-it&quot;&gt;I had an infestation about a year ago, on a different plant, and I think it spread to the jades.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mealy bugs have spread to a couple of plants, but on most of them I spray with water and dish soap and it seems to have killed all of them. But on the jades on the window sill, it looks like ants are tending the mealy bugs, and because the jade's leaves are so close together, I can't really get at them with the dish-soap-and-water spray like I could on the other plants. What do you do in such cases?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I have to say, I'm worried that what I have might not even be mealy bugs- I've included a few pictures, so tell me if it's something else that just happens to be white and similar-looking. I'll try to add better pictures as soon as I succeed in getting them in focus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This picture is of the jade, with what I think are the mealy bugs hiding in between the leaves (it got worse when they flowered):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/26ov7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;jade with little white mealy bugs?&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This picture is of a different plant (I don't know what it's called) in which the same pest appears only sporadically and can be more-or-less controlled by a soap-and-water spray. You can see one in the very center:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hkN2j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Different plant with only a few of the white pests on the leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's another shot of a jade with them on it. You can see the ones that are exposed, on the leaves, but there are more beneath those which are the ones I've been having trouble with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1zpxU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another jade with bugs on it, and more we can&amp;#39;t see beneath the top leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1239" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-26T03:09:19.877" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T03:09:19.877" Title="Dealing with mealy bug infestation on jades" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;mealybugs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9253" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-06T03:53:03.613" Score="4" ViewCount="717" Body="&lt;p&gt;My aunt has several varieties of store-bought Phalaenopsis orchids which were blooming when she bought them last spring. However, after the blooms fell off, they did not bloom again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Throughout the summer she continued to water them using the ice cube method. She kept them on a screened porch in an area where they only received morning sunlight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tags don't explain anything except how to water them. She has some small ones (about 4-5 inches tall when they had a flowering stalk) and some large ones (12-15 inches tall when they had a flowering stalk). They were mixed variety which she bought at the local Kroger store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The roots still appear to be healthy and several of the plants have grown new leaves but still there have been no further blooms. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;She has even tried using the &quot;orchid food&quot; fertilizers. Any ideas on how to help the orchids flower again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3287" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-10T15:10:53.133" LastActivityDate="2014-11-10T15:10:53.133" Title="How can you get orchids to bloom again?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-11-14T02:59:04.323" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9254" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9255" CreationDate="2014-04-06T11:13:20.663" Score="3" ViewCount="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a little &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anredera_cordifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;madeira vine&lt;/a&gt; plant in my room. How often do you recommend to water it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3297" LastActivityDate="2014-04-06T11:24:29.917" Title="Madeira vine watering" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9255" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9254" CreationDate="2014-04-06T11:24:29.917" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It prefers moist soil, but that doesn't mean it likes to be wet all the time - it's the usual thing 'moist but well drained'. It's also a succulent so tolerates drought quite well, so I suggest you water when the surface of the potting medium feels just dry to the touch, but not shrunken from the sides of the pot, water it well and don't let it stand in water in any outer container or tray, so empty it after 30 minutes if water has collected. How often that's going to be is hard to say, depends on the temperature and conditions in your room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-06T11:24:29.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9253" CreationDate="2014-04-06T13:04:30.953" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have occasionally had luck getting my phalaenopsis orchids to bloom by putting them in the fridge over-night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know empirically that this works, but when an orchid has been not blooming for a while I give it a try and sometimes it seems to bloom afterwards. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They definitely don't need the cold to get them to bloom, because I have plants that start blooming all the time without a cold night. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3216" LastActivityDate="2014-04-06T13:04:30.953" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9257" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9248" CreationDate="2014-04-06T21:12:53.637" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think planting trees is a worthwhile endeavor for any reason, but keep in mind that though all will provide decent shade, they may not all offer the ease of pollination, cultivation, harvest that you may want to deal with. Some self-pollinate, some cross. Others take many seasons to produce viable fruit, and others have their fruit eaten by animals before you can get your hands on them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The harsh sunlight shouldn't be much trouble with mature trees, but you should be wary of winter. Once established the rocky soil will become less of an issue as trees are generally hardy once they've taken root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would look at the following fruit and nut trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pecan&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Persimmon&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black (or any) cherry (possible, but I wouldn't recommend)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Orange (Osage is a common variety)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mulberry (messy)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plum (especially adapted for full sun)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apple (Enterprise and Liberty are common cultivar recommendations)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apricots and Peaches (most varieties should be fine)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pears&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant a variety to keep pests to a minimum. I'd recommend buying mature trees, otherwise you'll be waiting years for a harvest of any sort and will certainly be without shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2951" LastActivityDate="2014-04-06T21:12:53.637" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9258" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-07T05:13:48.210" Score="1" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;What unit of photometry is used to assess plant growth? Is there a catalog that lists plants and the required light exposure? I'm looking at more detailed indicators than &quot;a lot of light&quot; or &quot;not too much light&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="80" LastActivityDate="2014-04-07T05:13:48.210" Title="Photometry and plant growth" Tags="&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-06-30T18:12:46.730" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9259" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-05T15:12:11.073" Score="6" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been looking at companion planting and it's very confusing. People say &quot;plant cucumber with beans, peas, lettuce or corn&quot;, but then somewhere else they say &quot;don't plant beans and peas together&quot;. So what I'd really like to find is not a list of or grid of plants but someone who has figured out already which ones can grow together and made a model.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far I've organized one bed with tomatoes, peppers, garlic and basil, my Italian plot. Another with carrot, parsnip, onions, celery and parsley; my stew pot plot. And I need to figure out where to put the spinach, radish, beans, peas, fruit bushes, rhubarb, squash and cucumber....never mind the herbs! and medicinal herbs. Ok I'm being over ambitious this year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also I have a walled garden so only one half will have full sun and only one quarter full sun all day so I'm hoping some of these plants will like a little shade in the evening as I'm running out of wall space for the trailing plants. Anyone who can direct me to a useful website please do as I'm over confused at this point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="horacethecheese" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-07T11:59:48.810" LastActivityDate="2014-04-07T16:13:27.577" Title="Is there a model out there for companion planting" Tags="&lt;companion-planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9260" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-07T00:26:08.627" Score="6" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had my irrigation system installed about 8 years ago.  The guy who did it was a landscaper but did it as a friend on the side, and as such I have no idea what corners he may have cut to save me some money.  He's kind of a bandaid-and-baling wire kinda guy, though I didn't quite realize that until after the fact.  He doesn't respond to email anymore, so now that I'm having some trouble with the system I'm on my own to figure it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The system has three zones - sprinklers, drip hose for shrubs, and drip line for planters and hanging baskets.  It's all controlled by a Rainbird timer in the garage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I know the sprinklers are fine.  We covered over the grass with bark mulch about 4 years ago so I haven't used them since, but they were working then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first area to develop a problem was the drip line.  Some of the lines just stopped dripping.  Water would run from the drip head (if that's the right word for it) if I pulled off the line, but when I replaced it with new line, still no water.  That was as far as I went with trying to fix that;  I haven't had baskets for a few years anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The more pressing issue is the drip hose for the shrubs. Our puppy bit a couple of holes in it, or so I suspect, and I need to repair a couple of places.  I have tried that, first with the kind of fittings that you slip inside the hose, and then with compression fittings.  Leaks, leaks everywhere.  I found out from the person I bought the supplies from that what I have is .710 hose made by Fiskars, which is no longer available.  From her I bought some .700 hose and some .710 compression fittings, and attempted to make a repair, but the ends of the fittings with the smaller hose in it always leak.  Not even wrapping the hose with gaffer's tape to make the connection tighter is solving the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;She thinks the problem is too much water pressure;  I sent her some pictures of my system and she doesn't see a pressure regulator.  She wants me to cut off the fitting that the hose comes out of to install a pressure regulator.  I may have to do that, but first I want to know more about the system before I start hacking into it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, my questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;what are the right resources to read to learn more about drip irrigation in general?  There's so much info out there but no way of knowing if any of it is correct.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;it seems unlikely to me that the system has no pressure regulators already in it - wouldn't the city water pressure have blown out the drip lines long before now?  I sent her this picture, which to me seems to show the three zones - sprinklers with no regulator, two drip zones with regulators - but she didn't seem to think I have any.  Can anyone else give an opinion?  What are those black things if not pressure regulators?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dropbox.com/s/jnt0dwqcc66m2j5/IMG_1067.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.dropbox.com/s/jnt0dwqcc66m2j5/IMG_1067.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;one option is to just replace all of the drip hose with the new smaller stuff, but I'm not sure how to hook it into the system.  There's a 1&quot; pipe coming up out of the ground in the shrub bed with an elbow on it, and the other end of the elbow has hose leading to a T. The elbow has a nut-looking attachment which is glued on.  There doesn't seem to be any way to switch from .710 sizing to .700 without running into the same leaking issue I already have. Picture of this:&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dropbox.com/s/3i8ctarxvdgpjul/IMG_1073.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.dropbox.com/s/3i8ctarxvdgpjul/IMG_1073.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the fitting she wants me to cut off and add in a pressure regulator, but it's very close to the ground and I don't want to do any cutting (losing more height) until I'm really sure of what I'm doing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice/insight will be appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  one argument against just replacing the hose is that the Fiskars stuff seems to be much studier than the new.  I have a post elsewhere on here about the attempted repair and people were amazed that my hose is still intact at all after 8 years in the PNW - now I understand why.  Every time I tried to pull the new hose out of the compression fitting it tore - the old hose is much thicker and seems much less like it's made from barely-held-together bits of something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3209" OwnerDisplayName="janineanne" LastEditorUserId="4664" LastEditDate="2014-07-23T18:46:00.930" LastActivityDate="2014-10-02T18:40:56.883" Title="Looking for basic info/resources for drip irrigation" Tags="&lt;drip-system&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9261" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9259" CreationDate="2014-04-07T16:13:27.577" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yep, there's more than one, particularly in encyclopaedic or book form, but also some on line, so take your pick. Suggest you Google this specific term:- &quot;definitive guide to companion planting&quot; - should throw up the most useful and reliable ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for differing advice, that's usually either because no one's tested it scientifically, or its just word of mouth/anecdotal, and word of mouth differs depending on the perception of the speaker.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-07T16:13:27.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9262" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9225" CreationDate="2014-04-07T21:32:02.897" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted Palestine Strawberry clover in my yard (Phoenix, AZ) this past fall. My clover seems extraordinarily resilient so far (with the exception of falling prey to our local quail population). Considering clover is considered a difficult-to-remove lawn pest by many, I don't expect you'll have too much trouble getting them established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I sowed mine, I covered them in a thin layer of composted mulch to retain moisture. Since it's dry out here (read: no rain for three months), I did water every day to keep it moist. Provided you get a good ground-soaking with rain and you mulch, you may not need to water that much (if at all).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3174" LastActivityDate="2014-04-07T21:32:02.897" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9264" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-08T01:33:10.760" Score="5" ViewCount="5468" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need help identifying some plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k5jdR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;Unknown Basil 1&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RZOIK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;Unknown Basil 2&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ECKSD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;Potential Holy Basil 1&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uhl6m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;Potential Holy Basil 2&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I purchased these two types of basil online. They both claim to be holy basil but they are clearly two different types.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I noticed that the basil in the blue container is not hairy, which means it cannot be holy basil as that is one of the characteristics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The basil in the red container does have the hairy characteristic, but I am not sure if the leaves are the correct colour or if it is even a basil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had a look at two youtube videos, but it seems basil quickly cross-pollinates and thus Ocimum tenuiflorum may change quickly and become another species, but for most of the seeds to change, I am not so sure if that is possible. I would have thought cross-pollination only result in a few seeds changing rather than most or all of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pJLLVVTty8&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pJLLVVTty8&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ATGpbNMFfY&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ATGpbNMFfY&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, what plants am I actually growing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: I thought the blue container might be Thai Basil, but some of the stems aren't purple...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3304" LastActivityDate="2014-04-09T12:18:37.433" Title="How to identify real holy basil?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9265" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9266" CreationDate="2014-04-08T03:27:53.353" Score="6" ViewCount="59714" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglaonema&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Aglaonema&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (also commonly known as a Chinese Evergreen) at my desk at work. Over the past month or so, its leaves have been yellowing and dying rapidly. This is how it looked today, a Monday; last Thursday, I removed the dead and dying leaves, so the yellowing you see in the photograph happened over four days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E85AD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of Aglaonema&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My desk has a southwest facing window high up on the wall; the plant is on a level with the window and is a few feet from it. There are tall trees near the building, but they're not in leaf yet, so it gets some indirect sunlight every day. I've been sitting at this desk for 1½ years, and my plant wasn't like this last year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is causing this, and how can I help my plant recover?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-26T21:37:57.683" LastActivityDate="2021-01-26T21:37:57.683" Title="Why are my Aglaonema's leaves turning yellow rapidly?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="9266" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9265" CreationDate="2014-04-08T10:09:21.277" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is a brief symptoms guide which may aid you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;not enough water: older leaves die and are dry and papery&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;mealybug&lt;/a&gt; infestation: white cottony tufts in the axils of the leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;natural aging: older leaves close to the base of the stem yellow and dry, rarely more than one or two at once&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;too much water: many leaves yellow, oldest ones first, leaves retain their &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turgor_pressure&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;turgor&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This looks like overwatering to me.  This is the most common cause of stress or death for houseplants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Solutions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;reduce watering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;move closer to light or increase lights&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider rejuvenation: cut one third of the stems off leaving six inches of bare stem and root in water. Once they are rooting cut another third of the stems off the parent plant and root in water.  Aglos readily bud from old stems.  With this method you can rejuvenate the old plant and have a backup in the form of cuttings you can pot up in six to eight weeks.  Reduce watering for the parent plant after you have cut back the foliage to make cuttings.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Michelle suggests repotting which can be helpful. It depends on the extent of the overwatering.  If the plant is potbound and a little bit overwatered, then yes, repot.  Severe overwatering is quite a stress on a plant and repotting would just add more stress.  In this case taking cuttings as suggested is a better idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check the roots in the soil.  New roots are firm and white. Old roots are brownish.  Dead roots can be soft and mushy or papery if they have dried out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-04-08T19:37:56.750" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9268" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9271" CreationDate="2014-04-08T17:58:53.280" Score="8" ViewCount="40118" Body="&lt;p&gt;This Spring there seem to be grubs all over my garden, in just about any handful of dirt you flip over. There are lots of articles about how to handle grubs in your lawn, but I don't have a lawn, just a vegetable garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/fMzRahK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Reference Grub Worm&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/vNL0qgW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My insect&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;(Left image is public domain from &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jblarva.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;. Right is from my garden.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of raised beds, currently empty, where I'm planning on planting tomatoes and artichokes. Are grubs damaging to those plants? If so, what can I do about them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also have a half-barrel with a Valencia orange tree in it. The soil seems to be full of grubs. If I turn over a handful with a small trowel I find a grub about 1 in 3 tries. I don't want to dig down and risk harming the roots, so I can only see the grubs near the top. They never come above the soil, and I haven't seen any beetles on or near the tree. The tree seems to be doing fine, but I'm concerned. Will the grubs be a problem? What can I do about them without harming the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3306" LastEditorUserId="3306" LastEditDate="2014-04-09T18:56:53.587" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T21:08:11.373" Title="What to do about grubs in vegetable garden and potted tree?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9269" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9268" CreationDate="2014-04-08T18:09:56.870" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience, the grubs will not be a problem in the veggie garden. That said, once they go through metamorphosis, they very well may damage your plants. So, when I loosen the soil in my veggie garden in the spring, I leave the grubs on the surface for the birds to get.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for your potted orange, what do you mean when you say it is totally infested? How are you seeing them? (Are they on the surface? Are you digging and finding them?) If it truly is infested, I'd be inclined to repot it with new soil, removing as many of the grubs as I could in the process. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2014-04-08T18:52:34.207" LastActivityDate="2014-04-08T18:52:34.207" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9270" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9252" CreationDate="2014-04-08T18:44:31.330" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had several jade plants attacked by identical looking bugs.  I set them outside in a shady location.  My local spiders ate all of them over the course a summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That may not work for you :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plan B&lt;/strong&gt;: &#xA;If your soil surface is firm enough (*) you can try holding the jade plant pot and all upside down and dunking the leaves and stem to the soil surface into a tub of the same soapy water that you used before.  Then spray with fresh water to cleanup.  This should clear out unreachable nooks and crannies&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(*)To stabilize the soil surface press nylon hose into the soil surface when you water.  After a few water/press in/dry cycles the soil should stay put even when inverted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="193" LastEditorUserId="193" LastEditDate="2014-04-22T20:19:33.967" LastActivityDate="2014-04-22T20:19:33.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9268" CreationDate="2014-04-08T18:57:43.083" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grubs like the one you've pictured feed on plant roots.  If there are a lot of them, then yes, they are doing damage. You may just not be noticing it yet. The worst part is they will eventually pupate into adult beetles, and those will work on damaging the above-ground parts of your plants.  If they are Japanese Beetles (hard to say without more info but the grub you pictured looks like one) then they can really devastate certain plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/japanese-beetles&quot;&gt;an article on Japanese Beetle control from Organic Gardening&lt;/a&gt;.  Basically, control of Japanese and similar beetles is a three-fold fight - you need to try to reduce the numbers of grubs in your soil by using some sort of grub killing control measure (some organic options are listed in the linked article) eliminating as many adult beetles as you can during the year and then blocking them from your plants so they do not lay more eggs into the soil to bother your garden next year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-08T18:57:43.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9272" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9248" CreationDate="2014-04-08T19:29:55.343" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This sounds like a job for the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderSearch.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Missouri Botanical Garden's PlantFinder&lt;/a&gt;! Using that tool, you can search for &quot;shade tree&quot; and &quot;edible fruit&quot;, and the site will return 28 plant descriptions, including specifics on how each variety does in Missouri.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of the edible-fruit trees, it looks like most of the natives like Hackberry, Hardy Pecan, and Black Walnut prefer moister soils; it's possible you might have more success with exotics like Turkish Hazel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll notice that if you uncheck &quot;edible fruit&quot; and choose &quot;shade tree&quot; and &quot;shallow/rocky soils&quot;, one of the suggested trees is the native Post Oak, which although not exactly a fruit tree would provide shade and acorns for your wildlife.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3307" LastEditorUserId="3307" LastEditDate="2014-04-08T19:38:20.697" LastActivityDate="2014-04-08T19:38:20.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9273" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5894" CreationDate="2014-04-08T19:30:30.120" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;How long are you storing your chainsaw fuel?&lt;/em&gt;  My saw refuses to start if it has been more than 2 &lt;em&gt;weeks&lt;/em&gt; since I mixed the oil and gasoline.  Shaking up the fuel before use does not make any difference.  So, I always dump out all the remaining fuel before putting the chainsaw away.  That way I am always starting on fresh fuel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gasoline blended with ethanol seems to have an even shorter shelf life.  Stabil, sea foam or other fuel stabilizer can extend the fuel life out to a month or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have taken to buying fresh chainsaw gas in 1/2 gallon quantities.  Any that that is not used within a month goes in into the lawnmower.  (I swear old that old thing will run on swamp water :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="193" LastActivityDate="2014-04-08T19:30:30.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9274" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9275" CreationDate="2014-04-09T02:56:39.107" Score="3" ViewCount="450" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a wooded area which is home to many local squirrels. They are constantly digging up plants in my garden and in my pots. They never eat anything, they just dig holes everywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is an organic way that I can deter them from digging up my plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3287" LastActivityDate="2014-04-09T15:14:25.533" Title="How can I keep squirrels from digging in my pots and gardens?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;digging&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9275" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9274" CreationDate="2014-04-09T06:13:44.557" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can use a hot pepper repellent spray, which uses the active ingredient, &lt;em&gt;capsaicin&lt;/em&gt; (the compound extracted from hot peppers).  There are commercial pepper sprays available, or you can mix up your own.  There are a number of recipes available online, which use &lt;em&gt;capsaicin&lt;/em&gt;, in some form (eg. cayenne, hot sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wear gloves and goggles when applying pepper spray, because it is a skin and eye irritant.  Also avoid spraying on windy days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It won't harm the animal, unless you spray it directly onto the animal.  It is suppose to serve as a repellent, and the animal won't want to go near it.  Of course, you will likely need to reapply, as needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3308" LastActivityDate="2014-04-09T06:13:44.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9276" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9243" CreationDate="2014-04-09T06:32:25.453" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually around this time of the year, many gardening/nursery stores carry and sell beneficial insects, such as ladybugs and praying mantises.  You can even order them online.  Adult ladybugs can eat up to a 1000 aphids a day and as a larvae, about half as many.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Release some of them around the base of the tree after the sun goes down, so they stay put, because they only fly during the day.  You mentioned only being able to apply once, but for better results, release some over the course of a few days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When stored in your refrigerator, ladybugs can last weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3308" LastActivityDate="2014-04-09T06:32:25.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9277" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-09T08:09:46.210" Score="4" ViewCount="294" Body="&lt;p&gt;I reside in Pune (India). I am trying to get a list of native trees which can be planted on a hill near our house. I tried to google the list but couldnt find one. Can somebody please help with it?&#xA;The trees can be flowering or fruit bearing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2691" LastActivityDate="2014-04-10T12:35:53.630" Title="List of Native trees" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;native-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-04-09T17:45:22.630" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9278" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-09T08:14:48.843" Score="6" ViewCount="1411" Body="&lt;p&gt;Me and couple of my mates are trying to plant few trees on a hill slope before the wet season (monsoon) sets in India (early June). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The hill has been devoid of trees due to excessive felling in last few decades. &#xA;Should I take specific care so that most of the saplings survive and grow into large trees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2691" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-18T21:28:11.983" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T21:28:11.983" Title="How should I care for newly planted saplings on a slope?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9268" CreationDate="2014-04-09T10:47:32.127" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;That picture shows what looks remarkably like a chafer grub, commonest in lawns, but also found in borders and vegetable beds, where it particularly likes root crops. Japanese beetle grubs are similar, but have, if you look closely, a sort of hairy spine - small, fine hairs that stick up, which I cannot see in the picture, so closer examination would be good to make sure exactly what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given you've used the term 'dirt' and not soil, I assume you're in the USA and not the UK, so I can't recommend a treatment if it is chafer, but you need to look for something which will treat for chafers (sometimes called cockchafers) but which will still enable you to grow edible crops. There are nematode solutions which can be used, but as I said, I'm not sure what's available where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-04-09T10:52:56.990" LastActivityDate="2014-04-09T10:52:56.990" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9280" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9277" CreationDate="2014-04-09T12:17:47.700" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not the whole list of plants, but I can suggest a few names: Neem, Chickoo, Mango, Banana will grow well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;However a generic solution is below:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being in Maharashtra, India, according to average temperature here, those plants who can grow in heat greater than 12.8 Celsius. i.e. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone#USDA_hardiness_zones&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hardiness&lt;/a&gt; zone &lt;strong&gt;12b&lt;/strong&gt; can grow well in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if you search over internet for plants having Hardiness of 12b, you can get the names of plants that can grow well in your area. &lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt;You can do the reverse as well, if you know the names of plants, then before you plant it, its better to check their hardiness zone, if it matches to the your area's Hardiness zone i.e. then you can plant it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; Plants belonging to different hardiness zone may not grow well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Happy Gardening!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-04-09T12:17:47.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9281" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9264" CreationDate="2014-04-09T12:18:37.433" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The one in red container is the Holy Basil (called Tulsi in Hindi).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The younger stem has slightly brownish+purple color. Once it grows about a foot high you will see flowering and seed formation at the top branches. The leaves taste slightly spicy and fresh. &#xA;For more information - &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsi&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;tulsi/holybasil&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want your Holy Basil to grow in to a large bush, i would suggest you pinch off the top leaves that will ensure lot of branching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2691" LastActivityDate="2014-04-09T12:18:37.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9282" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9278" CreationDate="2014-04-09T12:32:56.883" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;ViSu, You reminded me of the same experience I and my friends had before. In our college days, we planted a number of saplings on a barren land\hill slope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you are going to plant in a hilly area (which could be really hot these days), &lt;strong&gt;you need to take care of few things:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ensure your saplings are not very small. (Small plants can be eaten by local animals)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You have to regularly water them for at least a month. (We planted many saplings, but we didn't water them, and at last all plants died. We had to plant them again.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If possible, give them fertilizer (dried manure is also fine) &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;(Only if required) use a pesticide to keep insects under control (diluted neem oil spray).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If possible, guard the saplings physically, such as with mesh protectors or vinyl tree guards. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-18T21:22:31.480" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T21:22:31.480" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9283" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9274" CreationDate="2014-04-09T15:14:25.533" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mulching with largish rocks (3-4 inches in diameter or better) can help keep them out of your potted plants.  If you pick rounded river rocks or other interesting stones, it can also create an attractive accent for your containers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-09T15:14:25.533" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9277" CreationDate="2014-04-09T16:25:21.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You won't find a list because 'indiginous' or 'native' trees often weren't originally - there's been so much import/export of tree species that sometimes, trees considered native weren't really in the first place, so it depends on your definition of 'native'. These days, 'native' is usually taken to mean grown in the country for over 100 years, or longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is an article in The Times of India (August 29, 2011) regarding indigenous tree planting in the Puna area, encouraging planting with financial reward for doing so, and for tending the trees, which I'd guess you already know about. In that article, they include a shortlist of the following 'indigenous' trees which might be part of the scheme: moha, mango, neem, shisha, sandalwood, anjan, suru, teak, tiwas, hurda, ain, babul, tamarind, bahida and bija. I should imagine by now there's a definite, possibly more extensive list available, if the recommendation to the Government was actually accepted and passed. Even if it wasn't, the list I've given may be of use in making your choices.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-04-10T12:35:53.630" LastActivityDate="2014-04-10T12:35:53.630" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9285" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9287" CreationDate="2014-04-09T19:12:52.600" Score="5" ViewCount="3782" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an artichoke planted in a raised bed in southern California, USA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The new leaves at the core look healthy and happy, but the biggest, oldest, outermost leaves develop white squiggly lines. At first it's just a few, but eventually the leaf becomes covered with them, dies, dries out, and falls down to lay in the dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lines are not deposits on the surface of the leaf. They appear to be dead spots within the leaf, visible from both sides. It looks almost like something has been crawling on or inside the leaves and scraping them, but I never find any visible pests on the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is causing these lines and what can I do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/usdlVu2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Damaged artichoke leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3306" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-20T19:37:28.400" LastActivityDate="2016-11-20T19:37:28.400" Title="What should I do about squiggly white lines on my artichoke leaves?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9286" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7090" CreationDate="2014-04-09T20:56:02.500" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The seed starting mix could be used, but depending on how big the plant is, it is probably ready for some nutrients that seed starting mix wouldn't have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seed starting mix typically is just a sterile, light mix that is easy for delicate, new roots to grow through, and it usually lacks nutrients.  You would typically transplant seedlings to a potting or transplant mix that already has some additional nutrients, because the growing plant has growing nutrient demands to support it, but you can certainly supplement the seed starting mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3308" LastActivityDate="2014-04-09T20:56:02.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9285" CreationDate="2014-04-09T21:10:53.943" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree - it's leafminers.  There are several kinds of insects with larvae that do this sort of damage, but one thing they all have in common is they are rapidly becoming resistant to the usual chemical controls.  Non-chemical controls consist of removing infected leaves, and/or plants, keeping dead leaves and debris scrupulously picked up, rotation of crops, trapping and killing the adults before they can lay eggs, picking off eggs from underneath the leaves, and trying to make the area more attractive for the leafminer's predators so they can do a better job of keeping them in check.  Identifying the type of leafminer may be of some value - most likely the one you are seeing on your artichokes is the Chrysanthemum Leafminer.  A &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r6301011.html&quot;&gt;pest management publication by UC Davis&lt;/a&gt; says it is rarely a cause for treatment, but it depends on how much damage you are experiencing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-09T21:10:53.943" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9288" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9290" CreationDate="2014-04-09T23:37:15.570" Score="5" ViewCount="1757" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two years ago we planted some bee balm. We trimmed it back in early March last year and it never bloomed, though the plant was otherwise healthy and bushy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We trimmed it back again this year. Is there a deficiency that may have caused the bee balm to not bloom?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3287" LastActivityDate="2018-06-05T18:45:12.967" Title="When should Bee Balm bloom in Zone 6 (it did not bloom last year)?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9289" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9291" CreationDate="2014-04-09T23:39:32.870" Score="5" ViewCount="381" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm getting approval from my wife to build a raised vegetable garden in our front yard which gets full sun from mid morning throughout the evening.  She'd prefer it to be near the sidewalk (spot #1) but we're both concerned with the number of dogs in our neighborhood and of them relieving themselves on our veggies!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question 1:  How detrimental is doggie pee-pee to our tomatoes and to us?  Or what can I do to prevent that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question 2:  Does anyone else with a sidewalk veggie garden have problems with passerby helping themselves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're also considering spot #2.  And spot #3 I'm already planting veggies in, but it's in the shade most of the day due to the fence.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l3vjd.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;edit&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We live in the pacific nw, winters are pretty mild, our street doesn't get treated/plowed at all.  That's our drive way on the left.  A little worried about theft, and dog pee.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;** &lt;strong&gt;update&lt;/strong&gt; **&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I ended up building the raised garden right next to the side walk.  Has been working out great, if anything, a bit too much sun, and some of the plants on the west side get a little burnt.  A few people have stopped by and asked if they could pick from it :D&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Built from 1&quot;x5&quot;x6' ceder fencing boards, it's holding up well, only going into it's second season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6JS9r.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6JS9r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3310" LastEditorUserId="3310" LastEditDate="2017-02-23T21:16:11.963" LastActivityDate="2017-02-23T21:16:11.963" Title="Placement of a front yard raised vegetable garden" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9288" CreationDate="2014-04-10T11:24:56.553" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Monarda (bee balm) likes damp, enriched soil, but also likes a lot of sun. They often don't flower in their first year, but I'd have expected flowers in its second year, certainly. If it dries out frequently, you may not get flowers, and depending on which variety you're growing, it might not be getting enough sun. If the soil it's growing in is poor and thin, then it might be wise to mulch with something humus rich (well rotted manure or garden compost). Most varieties should be in flower for most of the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-10T11:24:56.553" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9291" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9289" CreationDate="2014-04-10T16:39:28.497" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dog pee once in a while on the ground won't hurt anything, especially with the amount of rain you likely get - but if it's happening a lot then it can &quot;burn&quot; your plants with the excess nitrogen and alkalinity.  And, if you have low hanging fruit and the dog pees on that, well, I think none of us would find that appetizing, even if it wasn't necessarily toxic!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you make the raised beds with wooden or brick walls that are high enough (18 inches, perhaps) and add a &quot;lip&quot; to the top of it that sticks out a few inches around the edge, the dogs probably won't be able to get their legs high enough to actually get their urine stream into the bed or onto the plants.  I would do that whether you choose site #1 or site #2, as both look pretty accessible to wandering dogs, to me.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't speak to the issue of theft, as I've never had an exposed vegetable garden.  I would expect that whether it is a problem or not depends to some degree upon the general attitude and safety of your neighborhood, and how many kids might be walking past your house. Have you had things stolen from your front yard in the past, or had someone vandalize your car or yard?  If not, that may mean you won't have a huge problem with it, but then again, I've noticed that people in general seem to not equate things like tomatoes on a vine with &quot;personal property&quot; so that may or may not indicate whether you are in danger of losing your garden produce. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-04-10T16:47:03.630" LastActivityDate="2014-04-10T16:47:03.630" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9292" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9297" CreationDate="2014-04-10T17:25:32.017" Score="4" ViewCount="197" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted 2 seeds per Jiffy peat pellet, incidentally, every single pellet has had both seeds germinate. Right now, they are on average about 2 to 2.5 inches tall and only have their cotyledon leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering when I should cull the weak-looking sprouts to allow for the stronger ones to thrive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3312" LastEditorUserId="3216" LastEditDate="2014-04-10T19:39:30.240" LastActivityDate="2014-04-11T18:32:08.433" Title="Peat Pellet Tomatoes: When to cut the weaklings?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;peat&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9293" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13790" CreationDate="2014-04-10T20:24:49.840" Score="3" ViewCount="214" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nrNUr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vKJZN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like know what these tree are. They are located in San Diego county California. The trees may not be native. Thanks, Jon. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3314" LastActivityDate="2014-08-21T22:51:22.373" Title="Can these two trees be identified by photo." Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9294" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9292" CreationDate="2014-04-10T21:09:42.093" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally, one will cut off the unwanted seedlings once at least one of the seedlings in the group has 2-3 real leaves showing.  If there is a good reason to cut the culls off before that (for example, some of the seedlings are much weaker than the others, or diseased or damaged or so many have sprouted in the same cell that there is no room to grow) then go ahead, but try to leave a couple or three viable plants in the group until they have grown enough leaves to be able to tell the winners from the losers.  The reason for this is if you cut too soon and then something happens to the remaining seedling, then you will have nothing to transplant from that set. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Btw:  I say &quot;cutting&quot; above because cutting the culls at the soil line or just above is less disturbing to the remaining seedling(s) than pulling them out by the roots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-04-11T18:32:08.433" LastActivityDate="2014-04-11T18:32:08.433" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9296" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9298" CreationDate="2014-04-11T12:56:34.423" Score="4" ViewCount="369" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've sprouted kumquat from seed and planted it a small flowerpot. Now I have a stem and two pretty leaves. When do I transfer it to a bigger flowerpot? How big is big enough to have a flourishing tree? Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3309" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-12T03:04:21.550" LastActivityDate="2014-04-12T03:04:21.550" Title="How do I know it's time to transfer my citrus (kumquat) to a bigger flowerpot?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9292" CreationDate="2014-04-11T13:28:01.473" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know what size peat pellets you're using, but if they're the small square ones, you should pull out one of the seedlings from each now, or pot them on into something else once they've got their first pair of true leaves. Those tiny pots (around 40mm) won't have enough room for two tomato seedlings to develop proper roots, so its not wise to leave them in situ. If you've used the bigger peat pots that are flower pot shaped, you can wait a bit longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-11T13:28:01.473" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9296" CreationDate="2014-04-11T13:38:23.593" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you only have two leaves, those will be the cotyledons, and aren't true leaves. The second pair of leaves will be though, but you need to wait to pot it on until a good root system has been formed. You then move it to a pot that's a bit bigger, then later a bigger one again, till after a few years, it ends up in a 15 gallon pot. While its in the pot it's in now, check the bottom to see if roots are appearing at the drainage holes, or, once its got a few leaves, you can turn it out of its pot to see how its roots are doing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've grown this tree from a seed of fruit you've bought, that's fine, but if you want a good fruit bearing tree, it's better to buy one already growing from a nursery or supplier. Kumquats are grafted onto another rootstock to make them stronger and better fruiting, usually. You may get fruits on your seedling in 7 years or so though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-11T13:38:23.593" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9299" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9300" CreationDate="2014-04-11T14:17:03.810" Score="3" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9296/how-do-i-know-its-time-to-transfer-my-citrus-kumquat-to-a-bigger-flowerpot&quot;&gt;sprouted&lt;/a&gt; two kumquat seeds from the same tree. One sprout looks very green and &quot;healthy&quot;, with considerable &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotyledon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cotyledons&lt;/a&gt;, while the other is very pale, with tiny cotyledons, that aren't growing any more. What could be the reason for the difference? The soil and location are the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3309" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-04-11T15:55:58.367" Title="Why seeds from the same citrus (kumquat) tree produce different sprouts?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9300" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9299" CreationDate="2014-04-11T15:50:33.737" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure if they're in the same pot or container - if not, then something about the other container and its soil isn't quite right, or the seedling itself is just weak. It happens...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-11T15:50:33.737" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9302" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9330" CreationDate="2014-04-11T17:54:09.687" Score="3" ViewCount="210" Body="&lt;p&gt;After the seeds have sprouted, should the initial stem and cotyledons be kept under direct sunlight or indirect sunlight, assuming watering once a day?&#xA;At what stage should they be moved to direct sunlight, if at all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3309" LastActivityDate="2014-04-14T17:33:44.787" Title="Should young citrus (kumquat) seedlings be kept under direct sunlight or indirect sunlight?" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9303" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9312" CreationDate="2014-04-11T18:40:09.070" Score="4" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in an apartment building and would like to have an indoor composter (not vermicomposter). &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-make-your-own-indoor-co-138645&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This&lt;/a&gt; idea is not addressing drainage, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naturemill.net/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; looks promising but expensive and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokashi_composting#Bokashi&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bokashi&lt;/a&gt; mixture is not sold in my area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have once tried a &lt;a href=&quot;http://image.made-in-china.com/4f0j00qBoEtCpdZhGA/Window-Box-Flower-Pot-KD1180-.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;window box flowerpot&lt;/a&gt;, but the contents dried-out pretty fast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3309" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-15T13:46:12.767" LastActivityDate="2014-05-03T22:03:08.320" Title="How can I make indoor composting a success?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9304" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9308" CreationDate="2014-04-11T22:07:43.683" Score="6" ViewCount="157" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this plant in a rooftop garden in Pittsburgh, PA. Any ideas as to what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D58kw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3287" LastActivityDate="2016-01-01T05:48:31.423" Title="Can anyone identify this plant found in a rooftop garden?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9305" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9317" CreationDate="2014-04-11T22:16:45.753" Score="7" ViewCount="186" Body="&lt;p&gt;These flowers grow wild on the hill at my grandparents' place in Zone 6 in Missouri. The bees certainly did love them last summer. Does anyone know what they are?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3IruJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NaFy5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3287" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T23:22:00.530" Title="Does anyone know what this wildflower is?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9306" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32745" CreationDate="2014-04-11T22:22:46.610" Score="7" ViewCount="5078" Body="&lt;p&gt;These flowering trees are found in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. Can anyone identify what they are?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gkv68.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unidentified tree&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PiuJM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3287" LastActivityDate="2021-03-20T13:50:42.417" Title="What kind of flowering tree is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9307" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-12T01:15:27.033" Score="1" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to grow some vegetation and flowers in my apartment's small courtyard which is located in the north of Sydney. What kind of common plants could be easily grown for a family and don't have many pest issues? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The weather condition of Autumn and Winter in Sydney will be wet, sometimes showers and cloudy. However, my courtyard is faced to the north, which can have more sunshine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or are there any resources from which can find some relevant information for a new learner?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3320" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-12T03:02:34.807" LastActivityDate="2014-04-16T08:39:07.233" Title="What kind of plants are suitable to grow in Sydney's North Shore?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-07-24T01:55:17.373" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9308" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9304" CreationDate="2014-04-12T11:23:44.800" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't see the leaves, but if the picture was taken at the end of summer/autumn, it's probably &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aster_amellus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Michaelmas Daisy&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="3325" LastEditDate="2014-04-13T02:31:01.357" LastActivityDate="2014-04-13T02:31:01.357" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9309" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="661" CreationDate="2014-04-12T11:57:03.257" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering which Cornus (dogwood) you've bought to replace the old one. There is a dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) which naturally grows in graceful, horizontal tiers - Cornus kousa, as it ages, tends to do the same thing, but much later on in maturity. It seems likely you had Cornus alternifolia, and the wisest thing might be to replace it with another one, which would mean a totally natural, layered look without the need for regular shaping and pruning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-12T11:57:03.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9310" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9314" CreationDate="2014-04-12T12:52:59.503" Score="6" ViewCount="2191" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a northern climate and won't be planting my garden for 4-6 weeks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will burning sticks in my garden negatively effect the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3322" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T05:10:15.757" LastActivityDate="2019-12-15T12:39:44.520" Title="Will burning sticks in my garden affect the soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9306" CreationDate="2014-04-12T12:54:02.833" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think these are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_serrulata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese cherries&lt;/a&gt; of the group of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossom&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cherry blossoms&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2014-04-12T19:52:27.620" LastActivityDate="2014-04-12T19:52:27.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9303" CreationDate="2014-04-12T13:02:37.803" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yep, we are back to your original question! I reckon bokashi is the best way to go, but you'd have to order the bokashi bran on line, and it's not particularly cheap. Otherwise, your first suggestion, the one where you thought drainage might be a problem, has to be the cheapest, easiest way to go. You just need to get a large tray beneath and dispose of any fluid that builds up. There always is fluid with composting, but of course, outside, on open ground, it doesn't matter, and any form of composting requires a fair bit of attention, unless you've just got a heap in the corner of the garden on which you chuck stuff occasionally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-12T13:02:37.803" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9313" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9092" CreationDate="2014-04-12T14:22:30.153" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A &lt;strong&gt;few&lt;/strong&gt; drops of vodka and a teaspoon of sugar every other day with fresh water does the trick for all my cut flowers... Vodka to stop bacterial growth, and sugar to nourish the flowers. I originally come from a former USSR country, and this trick is very popular there. Once I got 16 days out of cut roses which has been an unbroken record in my house!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3323" LastActivityDate="2014-04-12T14:22:30.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9314" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9310" CreationDate="2014-04-12T16:52:46.783" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it doesn't contain manufactured materials, plastics or anti-rot pressure treatment, burnt woody material when thoroughly consumed will leave behind the wood mineral content and charcoal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're burning off carbohydrates, cellulose and lignins which are complex molecules of mostly hydrogen, carbon and with any protein content nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course all the gaseous material that is liberated is Carbon Dioxide, Water and various Nitrogen Oxides along with unburned particulates. Air quality might be an issue .&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Charcoal is a non-issue, however; the ash left behind will be highly alkaline with potash being a major component. Potash is a mixture of various potassium salts, potassium being one of the big three, something you will be testing as to soil content.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As long as you spread the ash around and &lt;strong&gt;test for P levels and pH&lt;/strong&gt; in your soil, you are merely adding a soil amendment. On Alkaline soils or soils with too much potassium due to over generous soil amendment (proper level for crop good, too much poisonous to growth), you will have to be careful as you will be doing a tremendous multi-year Ryegrass cover crop operation, with cut at full stand and removal of said growth to the dump till the potassium level is depleted to healthy levels. Or an acidification program if Potassium is not at issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our garden area was used as the woodstove ash dump by previous owners. I will attest to finding sections that had bad vegetable growth and P testing readily showed the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also save some of that ash in a couple three pound coffee cans for your car's trunk. In that northern climate you can find it to be an amazing traction aide on ice slick surfaces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Average pH 10.4&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Average wood ash content&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Calcium 15%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Potassium 2.6%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aluminum 1.6%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Magnesium 1.0%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Iron 0.84% &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Phosphorus 0.53%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Manganese 0.41%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sodium 0.19%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nitrogen 0.15%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trace Elements (dependent on soil content in your area, some Madrone wood in our area generates Paris Green clinker in the ash ( a copper arsenite compound - yipes!))&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Arsenic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Boron &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cadmium&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chromium&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Copper&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lead&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mercury&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Molybdenum&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nickel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Selenium&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zinc&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-04-12T17:31:25.510" LastActivityDate="2014-04-12T17:31:25.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9315" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-12T20:30:07.290" Score="4" ViewCount="740" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm working with a group of artists, educators and engineers to develop new methods for STEM teaching in classrooms and museums. Right now, we are trying to design a room-sized model of the carbon cycle that illustrates the relationship between oceans, biosphere and atmosphere. As part of this, we want to have a tree growing hydroponically (tree will not be very large, aiming for more sapling-scale).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know whether it is possible to grow larger plants hydroponically, and if so, what the biggest challenges do doing this are?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3324" LastActivityDate="2014-05-22T13:31:35.523" Title="What are the limits to growing plants hydroponically?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9316" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9335" CreationDate="2014-04-12T21:08:47.723" Score="4" ViewCount="111" Body="&lt;p&gt;Due to the fact that quinoa, bought in shops here, cost a lot and because of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/16/vegans-stomach-unpalatable-truth-quinoa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ethical implications of buying quinoa&lt;/a&gt; (and also just for the hell of it), I'd like to know if it's possible to grow quinoa in the UK?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is possible, what are the ideal conditions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastEditorUserId="1011" LastEditDate="2014-04-13T20:36:43.203" LastActivityDate="2014-04-14T17:28:28.413" Title="Can quinoa be grown in the UK?" Tags="&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;native-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9305" CreationDate="2014-04-13T02:13:04.453" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunaria_annua&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lunaria annua&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Honesty, Money Plant, etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1180" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-26T23:22:00.530" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T23:22:00.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9318" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-13T14:56:17.770" Score="2" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the name of the seed/fruit in this image? It was obtained from a bush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ICCp8l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fruit, next to a 1 Euro coin and measure for comparison.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3326" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-13T21:29:31.170" LastActivityDate="2014-04-13T21:29:31.170" Title="What is the name of this seed/fruit?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2014-07-15T13:29:40.710" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9319" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9323" CreationDate="2014-04-13T22:37:30.920" Score="11" ViewCount="2728" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought a Fall Gold Raspberry plant. It came with instructions to prune away canes that have already fruited because only new canes can fruit. What If I were to leave the old canes there? Do the canes serve any other purpose to the plant holistically other than fruiting? Will leaving the old canes there harm the plant, or even benefit the plant, or not affect the plant at all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vJqaT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="2709" LastEditDate="2014-04-13T22:45:28.023" LastActivityDate="2014-07-26T02:13:24.547" Title="Are old raspberry canes required to be chopped off?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9320" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-13T23:45:18.423" Score="5" ViewCount="1086" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an older installation of .710 drip irrigation hose which has sprung some leaks, and I'm trying to patch it with .700 hose (because .710 isn't available anymore).  This means I'm using .710 fittings with .700 hose, and the resulting joint is pretty leaky.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've mostly fixed it by wrapping a couple of layers of gaffer's tape around the ends of the smaller hose, but am dubious as to how long that is going to remain effective.  Is there a better way to handle this situation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3209" LastActivityDate="2014-04-14T03:28:32.367" Title="Fixing leaks from drip irrigation compression fittings" Tags="&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9321" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-13T23:53:18.320" Score="5" ViewCount="47" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an older drip/soaker hose setup that I'm attempting to patch.  I've had leak troubles which means I have pulled the hoses from the compression fittings several times while attempting to fix it.  The old hose deals with this just fine but the new stuff tears every time. The older hose is also smoother, while the new one has a pebbled surface and seems like it might be made of recycled bits of something else. Is this normal with newer product or did I get a poor quality hose?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3209" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-23T03:28:40.390" LastActivityDate="2014-08-13T01:40:44.540" Title="Is it normal for drip hose to tear when pulled from compression fitting?" Tags="&lt;drip-system&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9322" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9320" CreationDate="2014-04-14T03:28:32.367" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;First off, for cases where the fitting goes inside the hose, I often boil water in a kettle, and briefly dip the hose in the hot water before pushing it onto the fitting. This ensures it goes all the way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, when there is a chance that a fitting may pop off, for instance because the pressure might be too high or things don't fit quite right, I use stainless steel ring clamps. These are not hugely inexpensive and they do a great job. They have a ratchet system, and you tighten them with a small socket wrench. They compress beautifully around the pipe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="844" LastActivityDate="2014-04-14T03:28:32.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9323" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9319" CreationDate="2014-04-14T03:31:18.397" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trim the old canes close to the ground. First, you don't want the plant to invest any of its energy into maintaining these old canes. You want the energy to go into the new canes. Second, if you leave them, they will dry out and may rot in wet weather. With decreased air circulation, the rot may spread to the healthy young canes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="844" LastActivityDate="2014-04-14T03:31:18.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9324" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1761" CreationDate="2014-04-14T03:37:12.250" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you live near a hydro grow shop they will carry a product called Mighty wash. It's like 20 bucks but if you spray every 3 days for 2 weeks it will clear it up, I had the same problem. And your plant will look green and heathy again. It's worth a try. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3328" LastActivityDate="2014-04-14T03:37:12.250" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9325" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1401" CreationDate="2014-04-14T03:44:15.740" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I dug an oak up 5 years ago and placed it in a gallon size container and have had much success keeping it at its original height (2 feet tall for 5 years). This spring I took it out of the one gallon container, trimmed 1/3 of the root ball off, and placed it in a larger 5 gallon container. One month later and we have leaves! Relieved that it took to the new container I will not trim any new shoots until fall. My goal is to keep it under 4 feet tall with a huge trunk. So far, so good! It has gone from a small sapling to a large trunk tree that is still 2 feet tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3329" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-30T03:46:41.390" LastActivityDate="2014-04-30T03:46:41.390" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9326" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9319" CreationDate="2014-04-14T05:42:51.560" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;First year canes grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second year canes develop side shoots with flower buds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Third year canes may develop side shoots in a lot less quantity (diminished crop), but in domesticated Raspberries usually die. Removal is the best policy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless you're dealing with wild black cap Rasberries, this is the standard growth cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can propagate by letting the canes bend over in a U till the tip touches the ground in the second year. They react by creating a &quot;dragon head&quot; which roots and clones the plant. The new growth from this follows the same routine, but may allow for new growth off the attached cane to produce berries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Domesticated Raspberries are prone to various fungal diseases and depending on the cultivar also do not tolerate Anthracnose virus. Dispose of the trimmings, you don't want either to be serving as mulch for your new canes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-04-14T05:48:17.580" LastActivityDate="2014-04-14T05:48:17.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9327" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9328" CreationDate="2014-04-14T06:01:53.230" Score="3" ViewCount="188" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently discovered this shrub in an overgrown section of the garden which is now free to breath. It is about 2.5m high and has 2m in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most significant attribute I can associate with it, is its light-brown bark which it throws of every years or so. Foliage is about to appear and it does great red colors in autumn, I can't remember having it seen flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click for a hi-res version&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EYfoZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EYfoZm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/djmTh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/djmThm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2014-04-14T06:35:28.873" Title="What is the shrubs which loses its brown bark every year?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9328" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9327" CreationDate="2014-04-14T06:35:28.873" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagerstroemia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Crepe Myrtle&lt;/a&gt; to me. There is a nice picture of it here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/crepe-myrtle/bark-shedding-crepe-myrtle.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Is Bark Shedding From A Crepe Myrtle Tree Normal?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q7I5L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2694" LastActivityDate="2014-04-14T06:35:28.873" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9329" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9346" CreationDate="2014-04-14T12:55:24.513" Score="5" ViewCount="308" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this Lucky Bamboo plant for almost 4 years. It has got two shoots coming out of the main stem, the longer of which is now unable to support itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had a very dry winter and I had a hard time with a lot of my plants; it got really bad when I had to go away for a week. I came back and my bamboo was yellowing and the branch bent over and sagging. This bamboo seems to be healthy now, but that large shoot continues to sag. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its been this way for a couple months now. I have to keep it next to something to support the shoot. I can tell that if I support the base of the shoot (about an inch above the main stem) with my fingers, the whole shoot stands up fine - so I guess it's the base of the shoot that is the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to get the shoot to support its own weight? Or is there some thing I should put in the shoot to help it do so?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3330" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-14T16:31:53.840" LastActivityDate="2014-04-16T16:21:40.040" Title="Lucky Bamboo stem sags but seems healthy, how do I fix this?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;support&gt;&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9302" CreationDate="2014-04-14T15:17:51.607" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In a bright place, but not direct sun - no tiny seedling likes direct sun much. Direct sun should be fine once they've got going, been individually potted and got 10 sets of leaves as a minimum, but not if you're in the tropics and the midday sun is extremely hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-14T15:17:51.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9331" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9310" CreationDate="2014-04-14T15:20:53.107" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What do you hope to accomplish by burning the sticks? And will you be burning the sticks directly in the garden, or burning the sticks in a central location, then moving the ash to the garden? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are just hoping to get rid of the brush without carting it off site, burning might be an option. You could also try hugelkulture (essentially, burying it with a ton of nitrogen-rich waste), but in my experience, you really do need a ton of organic waste to bury with it or it does not help your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I would advise against burning the sticks directly in the garden. The heat of the fire will kill off the microbes in the soil, which really isn't what you want to do. You might consider creating your own biocar in a pit near your garden, then moving the charcoal into the garden. The science doesn't seem to support most of the positive claims about biochar, but plenty of people report good results using it, so it probably wouldn't hurt to try. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-04-14T15:20:53.107" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9302" CreationDate="2014-04-14T15:27:35.507" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two pots of citrus seedlings going right now (pomelo and key lime), and am finding that in my location near the US/Canadian border, they are very happy in a south-facing window with direct sunlight. As Bamboo mentioned, your latitude is going to be a consideration. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2014-04-14T17:33:44.787" LastActivityDate="2014-04-14T17:33:44.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9333" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-14T15:37:39.510" Score="2" ViewCount="117" Body="&lt;p&gt;My aloe plant broke off from its root in the pot.  It looked healthy and I have it sitting in water at the moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will it get a new root started in the water, or it is best to try repotting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user3331" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T13:55:17.463" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T13:55:17.463" Title="How to fix an aloe plant broken off from its root?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-04-14T16:09:29.487" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9334" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9319" CreationDate="2014-04-14T16:26:01.360" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another thing to keep in mind is older canes may harbor insect pests (borers, for example) and allow them to overwinter in your raspberry patch, making the next year's fight against infestation a lot harder. So, not only prune the old canes, but REMOVE them far away from the growing site. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-14T16:26:01.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9335" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9316" CreationDate="2014-04-14T16:34:20.130" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Quinoa, unlike Amaranth, likes cool summers, so it should grow fine in the UK.  There are some new selections that are bred to grow in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, which is a maritime climate similar to much of the UK.  You should start it about now, direct sowing where it is to grow, then thin to the desired spacing after it's well up and growing.  It likes loamy soil in full sun with a neutral pH.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.westcoastseeds.com/how-to-grow/Vegetable-Seeds/Quinoa/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cultivation information for Quinoa&lt;/a&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.westcoastseeds.com/product/Vegetable-Seeds/Quinoa/#sthash.LRyKH7ME.dpbs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;some varieties currently being grown or tested in the PNW&lt;/a&gt;. We will be growing Brightest Brilliant Quinoa this coming season here in western Washington state.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-14T16:34:20.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9336" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9342" CreationDate="2014-04-14T16:53:48.007" Score="6" ViewCount="5155" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a small aloe plant for my office and it came in a small pot (around 8cm). I've only seen the aloes that get quite large, but I would like to keep this guy small since it's just sitting on my desk. Will it get out of control unless I keep an eye on it or is this just a different kind of plant than the larger variety?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BNbOR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3332" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-04T10:11:36.233" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T10:11:36.233" Title="Small aloe vera in small pot - will it get too big?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9338" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9316" CreationDate="2014-04-14T17:28:28.413" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Real Seed Catalogue (online) sells quinoa seeds of various types for growing in the UK - they need to be started off in trays or pots I think, but they give you instructions. I'm assuming you only want small scale growing in your garden or allotment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-14T17:28:28.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9339" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9365" CreationDate="2014-04-14T23:01:22.817" Score="3" ViewCount="131" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone recommend a tall, quick growing tree that's not overly invasive that would serve well to plant around a backyard to help break the line of sight of neighbors into my pool / backyard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13691" OwnerDisplayName="Chris W." LastActivityDate="2020-04-21T14:49:21.277" Title="Tall, quick growing privacy tree species" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9340" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9341" CreationDate="2014-04-15T12:18:06.507" Score="4" ViewCount="7607" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it bad to give my dog a bath on our lawn?  Will the soap residue end up killing our grass? I never had a second thought about this but I've recently come across some natural weed killer suggestions that use soap as an herbicide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3335" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-15T14:06:28.200" LastActivityDate="2014-04-21T19:21:49.920" Title="Can I wash my dog on my lawn without damaging the grass?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9340" CreationDate="2014-04-15T12:49:33.127" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's all about ratios - the ratio of soap to water, and the type of soap. I shouldn't imagine you're using anything too noxious to wash your dog, and I assume you will be rinsing him off in the same area, which will dilute any soapy solution on the lawn. Just use the hose or something to wash the lawn off a bit more after you're done - so long as you're not doing it very frequently, it should be okay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-15T12:49:33.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9342" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9336" CreationDate="2014-04-15T17:07:56.493" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it is a true aloe vera, then it will eventually need a larger pot, because it will create &quot;pups&quot; (small offshoots) around its base, which will then grow to full size (maybe as tall as 18&quot;) and then produce pups of their own, which will then grow to full size...  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The smallest pot I'd try to keep a true aloe vera plant in would be a 12&quot; (30 cm) pot.  And even in that size pot you will need to divide it now and then in order to keep it healthy, because when they are happy they can grow pretty quickly to fill that space.  Dividing will give you new plants to keep or give away.  Rooting new plants is pretty easy.  Basically, you pull off side shoots, and stick the stems into a free draining, sandy soil, and water very sparingly until you see new growth.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-15T17:07:56.493" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9343" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9339" CreationDate="2014-04-16T05:33:52.617" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not sure if Palm trees grow in your area. Palm trees grow quickly and are very bushy. they work as a good curtain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2691" LastActivityDate="2014-04-16T05:33:52.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9344" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3977" CreationDate="2014-04-16T06:05:54.960" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is a good infographic that describes using scraps to regrow onions, celery, ginger, garlic, mushroom, potatoes, and pineapple:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://realfarmacy.com/food-that-magically-regrows-itself-from-kitchen-scraps/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://realfarmacy.com/food-that-magically-regrows-itself-from-kitchen-scraps/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1096" LastEditorUserId="1096" LastEditDate="2018-02-01T20:30:23.893" LastActivityDate="2018-02-01T20:30:23.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9346" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9329" CreationDate="2014-04-16T16:21:40.040" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds to me like your bamboo isn't getting enough light, and because of that the stems are not growing stout enough to support themselves after they get to a certain height.  You likely need to increase the light you are giving the plant, and if the larger stem won't support itself, you can always cut it off near the base and root it into a new plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-16T16:21:40.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9347" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11035" CreationDate="2014-04-17T01:03:54.830" Score="5" ViewCount="334" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Kangaroo Paw var. &quot;Amber Velvet&quot; (an &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anigozanthos&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Anizoganthos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; hybrid), that I will have to grow as a container plant because it's not hardy in my climate (USDA Zone 8a) and must be brought indoors in the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some Internet research tells me that it will spread horizontally rapidly, so the container should be fairly wide. Also that it likes sandy, well drained soils. What I haven't been able to find out is how deep that soil should be when they're grown as a container plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since it will have to be moved a couple of times a year (at least), and also because it'll be taking up space in my house for much of the time, I'd like to minimize the size of the container it's in, while still giving the plant enough room to thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How deep a container should it have?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-17T14:57:49.570" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T01:28:43.280" Title="How deep a container do I need for my Kangaroo Paw?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9348" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-17T09:44:10.117" Score="3" ViewCount="1134" Body="&lt;p&gt;which plants is it? My mumma says it's a tree. Please help me identify.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've this plant from over one year now. This plant came randomly, I think because of birds might have bought the seed of this. In one entire year this plant has only grown this much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the base steam is very strong, in a very windy condition only leaves wave with breeze, plant is stiff at its position.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this plant is a tree, can I bonsai?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/03gXJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1973" LastActivityDate="2014-04-17T13:37:41.317" Title="which plants is it? small in size, long thin leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9349" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9348" CreationDate="2014-04-17T12:39:23.317" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like an avocado-tree to my eyes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2014-04-17T12:39:23.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9350" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9348" CreationDate="2014-04-17T13:19:15.067" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not so sure but at first sight it looks like &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyalthia_longifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Polyalthia longifolia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; to me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3344" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-17T13:37:41.317" LastActivityDate="2014-04-17T13:37:41.317" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9351" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9354" CreationDate="2014-04-17T16:39:01.097" Score="4" ViewCount="1946" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a wooden fence that is 20 feet away from my house. Right next to this fence, I have planted various types of berries. I would like to mulch these berries with wood chip mulch because it is organic and it is cheaper than stone pebbles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read that one should avoid putting wood mulch directly next to a wooden fence because it could attract termites. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this true? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Isn't the fence already wooden? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;So how would introducing wooden mulch cause termites to appear?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="9745" LastEditDate="2015-06-05T13:53:13.177" LastActivityDate="2015-06-05T13:53:13.177" Title="Should I put wood mulch around my wooden fence?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;fence&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9352" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9390" CreationDate="2014-04-17T16:48:57.713" Score="4" ViewCount="1454" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen light tan, medium tan, and darkish brown moonflower (Ipomoea Alba) seeds. Is there any difference? Does one plant only make one color of seed? My packet this year only came with light tan ones, so I do not have a picture of the different colors. In the past, my packets have come with a mix of seed colors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3237" LastActivityDate="2014-04-21T17:20:34.720" Title="What is the difference between light and dark moonflower seeds?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;morning-glory&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9353" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9091" CreationDate="2014-04-17T16:57:57.753" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to one person's experience on &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tropical/msg0418420213071.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this gardenweb thread&lt;/a&gt; the sprout will get pretty tall before any leaves appear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3237" LastActivityDate="2014-04-17T16:57:57.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9354" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9351" CreationDate="2014-04-17T21:02:28.577" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Termites, ey? Sounds like you might be in Australia?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're probably aware of this, but termites don't travel out in the open. Instead, they dig tunnels through timber. That's why around sheds and timber buildings in Australia, you'll see that the timber footings and posts often sit on metal stirrups set into the concrete. Occasionally termites will find a way to make a mound next to one of those metal stirrups, and when the mound reaches the level of the timber, they can go in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your case, if the posts are already in the ground and the cement is not kept clean of debris, I don't imagine that the mulch would make much of a difference. But it will make a difference to the plants—our blueberries and black currants love bark mulch. But let's see what the others have to say. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="844" LastActivityDate="2014-04-17T21:02:28.577" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9355" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9356" CreationDate="2014-04-18T12:58:08.360" Score="7" ViewCount="631" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently found this flower on a north facing, shady bank in woodland (UK) with sandy soil. I've never seen anything like it before, a small, white flower sprouting out of a single, large leaf. What is it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://imgur.com/WjV07xT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://imgur.com/GLlUHux.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3346" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2014-04-18T22:36:54.143" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T23:17:22.963" Title="What is this small white flower, sprouting out of a single large leaf?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9355" CreationDate="2014-04-18T13:44:41.860" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claytonia_perfoliata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Claytonia perfoliata&lt;/em&gt;,&lt;/a&gt; known as Miner's Lettuce in the US.  It's often used as a salad green in winter lettuce mixes.  It's extraordinarily cold hardy.  Not much flavor though (at least in my opinion).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-26T23:17:22.963" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T23:17:22.963" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9357" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9358" CreationDate="2014-04-18T15:16:13.647" Score="5" ViewCount="494" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in North Carolina and a couple of these plants just sprouted in my garden. It is currently about 3 feet tall after at most a month of growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because of the leaves my intuition is these are brussels sprouts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for closer view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mGr83.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mGr83m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CSwlx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CSwlxm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3216" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-27T18:15:12.600" LastActivityDate="2016-02-27T18:15:12.600" Title="Is this a brussels sprout plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9357" CreationDate="2014-04-18T15:37:55.533" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd concur that its a brassica of some sort, present from the birds I expect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-18T15:37:55.533" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9359" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-18T15:42:04.177" Score="3" ViewCount="9085" Body="&lt;p&gt;What kind of plant is this and how hardy is it? Can it be planted outside and if so in what zones?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant is as seen in attached photo. Do not have any further information. Would also like to be advised about watering? Light and location? Plant indoors or out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3pyA4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3348" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-18T20:04:02.733" LastActivityDate="2014-04-18T20:04:02.733" Title="What is this plant with purple daisy-like flowers and what hardiness zones will it grow in?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9359" CreationDate="2014-04-18T16:57:08.410" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves look like from the Cineraria genus and with these flowers it looks like a Pericallis x hybrida 'Senetti Deep Blue'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know the plant, but look at next two links for more info;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.armstronggarden.com/senetti-deep-blue.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.armstronggarden.com/senetti-deep-blue.html&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenharvestsupply.com/productcart/pc/senetti-deep-blue-pericallis-plant-p5205.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenharvestsupply.com/productcart/pc/senetti-deep-blue-pericallis-plant-p5205.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3198" LastEditorUserId="3198" LastEditDate="2014-04-18T17:21:25.393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-18T17:21:25.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9362" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9359" CreationDate="2014-04-18T19:26:08.087" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you followed Laurens link, you'll have found out a bit. I have this at the moment in my sitting room - its frost sensitive, but can be placed outside when risk of frost is past. Don't expect it to survive long though - these plants are purely temporary visitors, and you'll be lucky to get a second flowering out of them, despite what the sales blurb says. You can certainly give it a try though, by cutting down and feeding, see if it works.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-18T19:26:08.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9363" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9395" CreationDate="2014-04-18T20:54:55.097" Score="3" ViewCount="4978" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a little greenhouse to get seedlings started and to protect potted vegetables until a bigger, albeit temporary hoop greenhouse can be built (happening now...).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last night I lost a dozen seedlings...the green, seed leaves were eaten.  I spent hours looking at the bottom of the flats, pots...nothing. Only the seedlings on top of my potting bench were accosted so far...weird.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in a hostile place for gardens...have been here for only 6 months but see that a greenhouse is the ONLY way to grow anything. I am in the same zone as most of Alaska!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My first thought was slugs...baby ones, yet no sign.  No slime trails...cleaned up debris under and around my seedling flats and put in bucket with water to see if anything crawls out.  So looked up the millipedes, no sign, and now I think maybe tiny 'army worms'?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Central Oregon.  Freezing every night getting up to 70 degrees or more in the daytime. Also, finding lots of tiny chunks of recently eaten seedling leaves in the debris.  Confusing. I am very high in the gardening professional arena...but this is new, this place is new and I want to find the culprit before I decide how to deal with this.  Bought expensive, non-gmo seed and get attached to my 'babies'. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2014-04-18T22:27:43.420" LastActivityDate="2014-04-29T21:55:16.993" Title="What might be eating my seedlings (no sign of slugs or millipedes)?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9364" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9367" CreationDate="2014-04-18T22:32:30.207" Score="2" ViewCount="534" Body="&lt;p&gt;At the back of my greenhouse I have a bag of pale brown crumbly earth labelled &quot;Sterilised Loam&quot;. I'm not really sure what sterilised loam is. I never bought the stuff and I can't remember where it came from. It must have been there for years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What use can it be put to, within the greenhouse? Is it any use for seedlings, pots etc? Does it matter that it's been hanging around so long?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2014-04-19T12:27:06.553" Title="What can I use a bag of sterilised loam for?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9365" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9339" CreationDate="2014-04-19T03:01:50.990" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try a beech hedge. The leaves stay over the winter (they go brown and are rather pretty) and they go rights down to the ground. Trim it at the top to the height you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3352" LastActivityDate="2014-04-19T03:01:50.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9366" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-19T09:15:12.257" Score="5" ViewCount="451" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large ornamental tree in my garden. (I have just bought the bungalow). While I was out a large root (about a foot diameter) which was causing a wall to fall over was cut off. The leaves started to curl at the top of the tree and now further down. It was well watered that day-about a week ago. What else can I do? Will it survive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3354" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-03T21:25:06.273" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T21:25:06.273" Title="Will my tree survive after have a section of root cut off?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9367" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9364" CreationDate="2014-04-19T12:27:06.553" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might matter that it's old, or it might not. Sterilized loam is never fully sterilized, or it would be inert and useless to grow anything in. Its main use is to mix with other materials to create your own recipe compost, or for using around ponds with fish or other aquatic life that might be harmed by pathogens on non sterile loam. What you don't know is whether it's had any feed added originally, and what form that might have taken. It's unlikely it had fertiliser added, but there is a risk that any nitrogen present may now have turned to nitrites - this won't be a problem on open ground, but might be in pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I'd test it by adding organic fertilizer (something like fish, blood and bone) to it and using it in pots for a few test subjects, plants you don't mind losing if it all goes wrong, preferably different varieties of plants. If the plants are fine, then it's okay to use in pots or on the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-19T12:27:06.553" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9368" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9366" CreationDate="2014-04-19T12:31:11.467" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;All you can do is keep it well watered and keep your fingers crossed. Cutting off a major root from a living tree is always a risk, and only time will tell whether the tree will recover or die, I'm afraid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-19T12:31:11.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9369" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9352" CreationDate="2014-04-19T12:36:47.167" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because you've bought only one variety of Ipomea seeds, they will all be the same colour, because they'll only produce a particular colour flower. Generally, if an Ipomea seed is dark, the flowers it produces will be dark (say, purple) and if they're light (peanut butter coloured) they're likely to be pale (pink, possibly). So your suggestion is accurate - the seed colour, to some extent, hints at the colour of the flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-19T12:36:47.167" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9370" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-19T15:17:40.730" Score="4" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;My 40-year-old orange tree, originally bought by my mother's friend at the local grocery store as a tiny house plant, has been looking very sad for a while.  the main problem is that the leaves are turning brown on the edges.  I've been making sure it gets enough water, but that doesn't seem to have helped.  Does anyone have any suggestions of how to remedy this?  I'm thinking of cutting it way back and hoping that might help but I'm a little scared.  thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3355" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-04-19T20:17:26.433" LastActivityDate="2014-05-25T00:14:28.513" Title="Trouble with old ornamental orange tree" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9371" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9268" CreationDate="2014-04-19T20:37:29.330" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_spore&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Milky spore&lt;/a&gt; will help get rid of the grubs, though it may take a little while to work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3071" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-19T20:52:29.833" LastActivityDate="2014-04-19T20:52:29.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9372" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9304" CreationDate="2014-04-19T23:28:24.820" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aster Azureus, A native aster. This would make a good roof-top plant because it tolerates very dry soil in full sun.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.prairienursery.com/store/native-plants/sky-blue-aster-aster-azureus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.prairienursery.com/store/native-plants/sky-blue-aster-aster-azureus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3356" LastActivityDate="2014-04-19T23:28:24.820" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9268" CreationDate="2014-04-20T00:07:24.897" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I apply predatory nematodes every year for these and wireworm. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do it while the soil is still slightly damp so the nematodes can work their way down into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Treat both your lawns and garden area as you don't want any sort of &quot;reservoir&quot; that allows them to transfer back into either area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They tend to go after carrots, I can tell how effective the treatment is by checking in spring for munched trails. I missed application one year, the nematodes definitely help quell the population.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2014-04-20T00:07:24.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9374" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-20T05:48:38.493" Score="2" ViewCount="793" Body="&lt;p&gt;The flower has 14 yellow petals and a brown center:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yd9nT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm hoping someone can identify it. It was by a pond in southern Utah. I thought it was a Brown-eyed Susan, but the stems are not hairy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3357" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2014-05-20T16:04:02.610" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T23:13:53.873" Title="What is this yellow-petaled, dark-eyed flower with hairless stems?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9375" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9374" CreationDate="2014-04-20T11:26:42.873" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Possibly &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus_debilis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Helianthus debilis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, but without sight of the leaves, overall growth habit, together with height, it's hard to ID correctly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-26T23:13:53.873" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T23:13:53.873" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8387" CreationDate="2014-04-20T18:02:47.057" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on your photo of the trees on the &quot;berm&quot;, there almost is no berm. It looks like root balls are almost just sitting on the ground surface with a little bit of soil around otherwise completely exposed root balls. No, you don't want to plant your trees too deep, but you also don't want your root balls to be exposed to the atmosphere.  If your berm has eroded, it means you need to take more care in constructing your berm: build up your berm such that soil completely covers the root balls, and compact the soil with a tamper. It MUST be compacted sufficiently otherwise it will disappear after a few rainstorms. After you have compacted the berm soil, making sure that all the root balls are fully embedded in your berm soil, mulch the berm soil with wood chips. This will help 1) keep the soil moist and 2) protect the berm soil from getting eroded by rainfall. I agree with what others above have said about peeling some of the burlap back.  Good luck if you are planning a round 3.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3359" LastActivityDate="2014-04-20T18:02:47.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9378" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-20T21:37:52.933" Score="2" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted 2 apple trees and 2 pear trees into espaliers (horizontal lines, simple shape). I picked the perfect branches for the first bottom lines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, two of the trees have long flexible tops and I was wondering: can I bend the top of the tree onto the top espalier line? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don´t want to cut it if I can use it. I have always seen and read that people cut off the tops, but is this absolutely necessary?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3361" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-21T20:16:02.147" LastActivityDate="2014-06-01T13:31:27.367" Title="Can the top of a tree be trained to form an espalier-line?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9379" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-21T00:10:55.717" Score="4" ViewCount="2181" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Night-blooming Jasmine (cestrum nocturnum) leaves are being eatin by something. Anyone know what it could be and how to avoid this?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2q665.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xDqss.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Night-blooming Jasmine (cestrum nocturnum) leaves are being eatin by something&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2464" LastActivityDate="2016-01-12T19:31:22.367" Title="Night-blooming Jasmine (cestrum nocturnum) leaves are being eatin by something!" Tags="&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9380" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9363" CreationDate="2014-04-21T01:43:47.553" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might help to take a look at your plants at night with a flashlight, because it sounds like it could be pill bugs and these are often more active at night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3071" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-04-29T21:55:16.993" LastActivityDate="2014-04-29T21:55:16.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3977" CreationDate="2014-04-21T01:55:45.460" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just put the seed in the ground, and if they turn out to be really good I save the seed. I have store bought garlic I have been growing for 20 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3071" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-31T01:34:14.190" LastActivityDate="2015-12-31T01:34:14.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9383" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4467" CreationDate="2014-04-21T06:37:48.543" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't tried this out myself, yet. However, some sites say that spiders do not like the smell of mint and lavender very much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not like lavender over the summer very much, so my strategy would (actually &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt;) be to plant a few mints outdoors and behind the entry-points, and possibly I will crumble some mint and apply it around those entry points as a kind of defence fence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will see how it works out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some sources:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.herbsandoilsworld.com/how-to-keep-spiders-out-of-your-home-with-peppermint-oil/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.herbsandoilsworld.com/how-to-keep-spiders-out-of-your-home-with-peppermint-oil/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.stepintomygreenworld.com/healthyliving/around-the-home/spider-repellent-recipe/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.stepintomygreenworld.com/healthyliving/around-the-home/spider-repellent-recipe/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But reactions are mixed:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091001071346AAoGi3Z&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091001071346AAoGi3Z&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3363" LastActivityDate="2014-04-21T06:37:48.543" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9384" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-21T09:19:26.843" Score="5" ViewCount="1007" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some time ago I found a plant on Depok Beach (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogyakarta&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yogyakarta, Indonesia&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is what it looks like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jIYoK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like spiky leaves that grow from its branches. The leaves are actually quite hard: you could hurt your finger if you touch the end point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know it's not aloe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know what it is called but I haven't found the answer, yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3358" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-18T02:50:10.480" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T21:52:01.993" Title="What is this plant with spiky leaves found on a beach in Indonesia?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3396" CreationDate="2014-04-21T09:28:00.223" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are quite a few benefits that comes with growing plants in soil-less culture, for example&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Less space required &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Less growing time required  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Labor and garden maintenance is reduced  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water conservation Nutrients are recyclable &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Save money by recycling nutrients  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pest, weed, and disease problems can be controlled easier  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plants grown hydroponically avoids soil borne pests  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;More control over the plants rooting environment (Easily manipulate the root&lt;br&gt;&#xA; zone's temperature,humidity, darkness, etc.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Higher and better quality Yields&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although hydroponics is probably the future norm of plant cultivation, it still has its disadvantages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i3aXH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MlroA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hydroponics&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q4bez.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fMwWQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3364" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-04-29T21:58:39.883" LastActivityDate="2014-04-29T21:58:39.883" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9363" CreationDate="2014-04-21T11:00:31.373" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is very curious - you say you found lots of 'recently eaten seedling leaves in the debris'. It strikes me that if something had actually eaten and digested the seedling leaves, anything processed through a creature's digestive system won't be recognisable as a bit of a seedling leaf when it comes out of the other end and is deposited. That sort of implies that something is nipping the leaves off but not actually eating them... Also, what was the debris that you cleared away, exactly? Is there any more debris lurking in the area? If so, all should be swept and cleaned away. The trouble with a greenhouse is, there are all kinds of creatures which will like that environment that may not survive outside, so the range of possible pests is much larger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the meantime, it might be worth hanging fly papers or sticky traps from the roof to see if any flying insect gets trapped on them. Also follow Roach's suggestion of going in there with a torch after dark to see if there's anything going on...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-21T11:00:31.373" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9387" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9379" CreationDate="2014-04-21T11:54:20.463" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks remarkably like caterpillar damage - check the plant all over for signs of them, or leaf hoppers, and take a torch out at night and check then. Also inspect the backs of the leaves for signs of invaders resident there, though they won't be caterpillars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-21T11:54:20.463" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9388" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9378" CreationDate="2014-04-21T13:17:34.650" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry, this answer is, it depends.  Normally only current year's growth is flexible enough to be bent into the direction you want. If this is last year's growth and you can still bend it to shape then you can use it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With espalier the important thing to keep in mind is that although fruiting spurs come and go the framework lasts a long time.  If these branches suit your arrangement then use them.  If not then there's always this years growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/espalier-training-fruit-trees-fun-demanding&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; from Oregon State is helpful.  Note one practice which is different in North America than in Europe is that espalier are not often grown against stone walls in North America as the summer temperatures and radiated heat from the stone can bake the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-04-21T13:17:34.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9389" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-21T16:55:55.893" Score="9" ViewCount="41994" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a Bosch strimmer a couple of years ago - it is a Bosch 3600H78G71 &quot;EasyTrim&quot;.  There is now no nylon fibre line (which is the bit used for cutting grass) protruding from the spinning part at the bottom.  I presume this is because it has all been worn off (please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that these lines are designed to wear off after a while and be replaced by more of the nylon fibre line inside).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The thing is, I can't seem to find much on the web about replacing this nylon fibre line.  Do I really have to buy a whole new strimmer because of this?  Apart from this, the thing works fine.  What I want is just to install a new nylon fibre line for cutting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried taking the mechanism apart, and the housing for the fibre line has this notch in it:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZCKAV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this look broken?  I have tried feeding the wire through as the instruction booklet says:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r65kW.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But every time I try to use the strimmer, the thread seems to break inside the spool; there is no thread coming out of the hole, so it looks like it is being cut at that notch in the white housing (weird, because it's not sharp; I tried pulling the thread against it hard and it didn't break).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The insturction manual obviously shows this as a horizontal slit so the vertical slit that is there, could that be something that has developed over time with use?  And could that be what is causing the thread to snap internally each time I use the strimmer (it happens almost immediately when I try to cut some grass)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I tried again and the thread didn't break at the spool this time, but interestingly, the thread seems to be breaking very easily.  Although I can't break it just by pulling it with my hands, almost every time I cut some grass or something with it, I hear the pitch of the motor change up, indicating that the thread has snapped and sure enough, it is significantly shorter than it was when it had been cut by the blade; about half the length, usually.  I'm wondering whether the thread material has become &quot;brittle&quot; or weak in some way that makes it unable to withstand cutting things without snapping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1210" LastEditorUserId="1210" LastEditDate="2014-04-22T14:50:57.470" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T16:37:19.880" Title="Replacing a strimmer's nylon fibre line?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;string-trimmer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9390" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9352" CreationDate="2014-04-21T17:20:34.720" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll share what I'm aware of regarding the seed color and flower color of Ipomoea alba.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am aware of only 2 seed colors that relate to different strains with somewhat different characteristics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The typical white flowered form produces light , medium and some darker brown seeds and these typically produce heart shaped leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a black seeded form of Ipomoea alba which produces white flowers and typically multi-lobed leaves and the black seeded form seems to be somewhat more cold hardy...the pedicel surface is rough as compared to the smooth surface of the pedicel produced by the light seeded form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The dark seeded form was available many years ago and was offered in the 1932 Park (?) seed catalog and is still available from some veteran Morning Glory enthusiasts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There seems to have been a light blue form of Ipomoea alba offered years ago by the seed companies as it is described in some old catalogs , on seed packets and visible on some rare photographs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been trying to track down the missing blue colored form of Ipomoea alba...it seems to have been growing in Texas a few decades ago and in Florida...the blue form of Ipomoea alba was reported to be sensitive to cold , perhaps even more so than the white flowered form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree that the seed color is a general indicator of the flower color in that light seeds tend to produce light flowers and dark seeds tend to produce darker colored flowers , but not always.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I responded to an e-mail request to post here, although I'm usually more often found on the GW and my own 2 groups devoted to all Morning Glories (i.e.,Convolvulaceae).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope the info I shared is of some help...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;regards,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ron&#xA;(Ron_Convolvulaceae)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3365" LastActivityDate="2014-04-21T17:20:34.720" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9391" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9363" CreationDate="2014-04-21T18:38:58.323" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a similar problem. I've identified the issue as cutworms for me. Food grade diatomaceous earth sprinkled in a small circle around each plant seemed to have done the trick after three or four days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Slugs are still also a possibility; even if you don't see trails, that doesn't mean they aren't there. You can use a beer trap or place an hollowed half of an orange/grapefruit upside down close by. Turn the peel over in the morning and see what sort of local night dwellers moved in. Might find slugs (or pillbugs too, as others have mentioned).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3174" LastActivityDate="2014-04-21T18:38:58.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9252" CreationDate="2014-04-21T18:55:14.570" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your succulent looks like it could use some cleaning up of dead flowers...what I see is too much wetness between those leaves, maybe some botrytis as wet plant material decomposes.  It is hard to see 'mealy bugs' from your photos.  White fly? I would provide more aeration by cutting off flowers as they decline and before they drop into the plant and soil.  I would use NEEM oil to get rid of insects.  Great product but please read label and check to see if neem oil is ok to use on specific plants.  The other plant you've included is a Coleus. It does better with a moister soil but the succulent should completely dry out before watering. I water my indoor plants in the shower, let them drip dry and put them back where they belong.  Cleans off insects, dust and I don't water until the soil has dried out. Neem oil is also used as a leaf shine, possibly adding a measure of protection for transplanting stress but I only use it for infestations of soft-bodied insects...hope this helps!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-04-21T18:55:14.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9393" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9389" CreationDate="2014-04-21T19:03:54.193" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you consult the manual, you find that the part the line comes out of comes apart to expose a bobbin inside of the housing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to find out what the recommended diameter of the line is for the trimmer and get a spool of replacement line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hand rewind the bobbin in the proper direction, usually they have an arrow on them to tell you this. Poke the tail out of the hole in the housing when you insert the bobbin, allow about six inches, clip the lid back in place, fasten per manual directions and proceed to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5AGJy.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2014-04-21T19:03:54.193" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9340" CreationDate="2014-04-21T19:21:49.920" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Too much water will drown the lawn and squeeze the life out of it.  I put a Slip N' Slide out on my back lawn for a party and, of course, the lawn turned brown under where it had been all day, but also it browned where just the runoff was nearby.  I decided it was because the kids were running all over that area and &quot;squeezed the life&quot; out of the grass.  That said, I just drove my pickup up the inclined part of my lawn with about 800 lbs of dirt and stone in it. Tomorrow it will be fully loaded with soil, weighing at least 1500 lbs; and Thursday comes the mulch.  But I am careful to never drive on the lawn when it is wet. I also use 4 wheel drive to clime the incline so the wheels don't spin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2014-04-21T19:21:49.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9363" CreationDate="2014-04-21T19:43:03.617" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am having the same issue in my greenhouse.  I believe in our case it is rodents.  They are digging holes in the seed flats as well and taking off with larger seeds. They even dig up freshly germinated seeds to nip off and carry away the seed cotyledons!  We found a cache of seeds and seed husks inside a folded up chair earlier, so we know it's not all slugs or insect predators. They are not field mice, because the typical mouse traps do not attract them, but the way the debris is being &quot;stashed&quot; leads me to believe they are rodents, all the same.  We are new to western Washington, so we haven't been able to pinpoint exactly what kind of rodent they ARE though...  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, the only way we've found to prevent the damage is to cover seed flats until the plants are old enough to no longer be attractive.  We use inverted, perforated seed trays, but agro-bond fabric tucked all the way around the flat may also work.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-04-22T01:21:33.310" LastActivityDate="2014-04-22T01:21:33.310" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9396" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-21T21:43:58.440" Score="3" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;Past couple of years I've been getting skunks digging in the yard. Not a lot but I've had to deal with sprayed pets which is no fun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I applied Milky Spore past 2 falls but I was doing a little digging and ran across this guy. Any idea what type of grub it might be? I'm thinking it might not be a japanese beetle grub since the milky spore has had no effect on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HflCL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Grub pic 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EYE00.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Grub pic 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-04-22T12:05:22.610" Title="Can you identify this grub?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4940" CreationDate="2014-04-21T22:13:29.260" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use a flat latex white  paint. helps keep the tree cooler and most bugs off the tree. I paint up to the y on citrus trees or other trees. You can get a paint called tree trunk white that preserves your citrus as well as other trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3366" LastActivityDate="2014-04-21T22:13:29.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9398" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9396" CreationDate="2014-04-22T12:05:22.610" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chafer grub if its not Japanese beetle, but I'm afraid I think it IS Japanese beetle because of the fine hairs - chafer grubs don't have those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-22T12:05:22.610" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9399" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-22T12:13:43.650" Score="8" ViewCount="456" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very nice oak tree in my backyard that is about 100-150 years old. The tree is in a good visual shape and we trim it about every two years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, there is a wound on tree's stem, about 25 feet up from the ground. We hired an arborist who performed &quot;resistograph&quot; testing and says there is over 35% decay at this place and it needs to be removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Resistograph results are attached in the picture. Does it really need to be removed? Or should we get a second opinion?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(click on the image to get the fullres version for readability)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sK7Tp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sK7Tp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3367" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-04-22T14:25:59.933" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T01:35:53.880" Title="Oak tree - arborist says needs to be removed?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9400" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9399" CreationDate="2014-04-22T13:31:28.567" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;As it's such an old tree, I'd be inclined to get someone to carry out a Picus or sonic tomograph test as well - if the Resistograph results are echoed by the Picus, then you might need to do something, even if that's removing the tree above the point where it's weak. It's probably sensible to get another person to do more testing, then you get a second opinion as well, and in cases like this, with such an ancient tree, both tests should really be carried out to give a more complete picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the wound you mention is weeping at all, it's likely the tree will need to have something done to it, and that might mean removal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-22T13:31:28.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9389" CreationDate="2014-04-22T15:14:40.057" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A lot of people recommend soaking the trimmer line in water for a couple of days so that it's more pliable and breaks less. I've even seen it recommended from manufacturers of trimmer and trimmer line. Some lawn professionals I've seen buy a big spool of line and keep it in a 5 gallon bucket of water all the time. Nylon is hygroscopic and does absorb water. Try soaking the line for a couple of days to see if it breaks less.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I've seen of your trimmer you buy replacement cartridges with spool and line already wound on it rather than buying separate line and winding the spool. You may be able to buy the same thickness of line in bulk and rewind the spools yourself to save some money.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-04-22T15:14:40.057" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9402" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9403" CreationDate="2014-04-22T16:11:38.213" Score="6" ViewCount="262" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm new to vegetable gardening and am just beginning to plant a few seeds into raised beds. On every seed packet, and in almost every other guide or reference I've found, on- and off-line, instructions are given on the correct spacing in two perpendicular dimensions, yet none offers any explanation whatsoever of the reasoning or implementation details of this mysterious practice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So for example I'm told that for carrots I should aim for final spacing of 4 inches on the x-axis and 12 inches on the y-axis. In keeping with tradition I hope to produce a carrot which is approximately circular about the horizontal plane, so I'm at a loss to see why its space requirements should be any greater in one dimension than the other. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The larger given distance isn't typically wide enough to offer walk-in access, so what on earth could the reasoning be? And how am I supposed to be orienting these axes with respect to their natural environment anyway? Should one or other axis be aligned to the midday sun? The magnetic pole? Ley lines? I wouldn't want to think I'd planted my whole garden at right angles to its proper orientation... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3368" LastActivityDate="2014-04-22T19:18:56.120" Title="Two-dimensional plant spacing" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9402" CreationDate="2014-04-22T16:53:06.150" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The planting instructions on seed packets are just a rough guideline to help people plan for the amount of room a mature plant will take up.  (Many gardeners, especially new ones, tend to plant their seeds far too closely in the garden and the resulting plants generally don't live up to their potential as a result.)  The packet instructions are also generally intended for those who like to plant their vegetables in rows - hence, the 4&quot; apart in the row, with 12&quot; between rows.  The 4&quot; measurements gives the carrot's top enough room to spread to a mature width, which is necessary if the carrot root is to receive the nutrients it needs to grow properly.  The 12&quot; is the closest that the seed company recommends you place your rows, to allow for hoeing weeds from between the rows without too much chance of damaging the roots of your crop. Other plants will have different suggested spacings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However - if you want to plant your carrots 4&quot; apart each way in solid blocks, that will work also. This is called &quot;block planting,&quot; and is a way to grow more food in less space.  You will still need to have spacing between your blocks to allow you to care for the carrot bed, but the amount of cultivation space required is much less than if you were to plant the same number of carrots all in multiple straight file rows.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/713.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;an article on block planting&lt;/a&gt; - and they even are using carrots as their example!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Garden beds or rows are generally oriented perpendicular to the sun's path in the sky so that the full solar arc passes over the planting area during the day.  In other words, this would require a north-south orientation, although this is not a hard and fast rule.   If you have more than one crop in the bed and your crops have different heights or light requirements, you may choose to orient your beds differently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-04-22T19:18:56.120" LastActivityDate="2014-04-22T19:18:56.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9404" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9402" CreationDate="2014-04-22T16:54:15.450" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The spacing given on packets is for a traditional row garden, where the 12&quot; space would indeed be the space you would walk in. Generally, the orientation does not matter too terribly much, except when it comes to tall plants which might shade the others as the sun moves through the sky. I am in the Northern Hemisphere and when I still planted in rows, I liked my rows to run east/west, and I planted my tallest plants on the north end of the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to plant your garden in beds rather than rows, you can do a quick internet search on &quot;square foot garden spacing&quot; or &quot;intensive bed spacing&quot; and you will get spacing advice that is more regular on each side. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-04-22T16:54:15.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9405" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-22T20:13:57.127" Score="2" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some rockcress (aubrieta) seedlings that I started to try to harden off. I put them outside in the shade and brought them back in at night. On the first day, everything was fine. When I brought them in the second evening, they appeared wilted. On both days, temps were in the fifties. I kept them inside on third day and they still are wilted. Is there any way to save them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3369" LastActivityDate="2014-04-22T23:06:33.487" Title="Can My Seedlings Be Saved?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;rock-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9406" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9425" CreationDate="2014-04-22T22:52:22.453" Score="3" ViewCount="2029" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was wondering what might be eating away at my hibiscus and how do I protect my poor little plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't visually see any bugs on or under the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: This plant is in a pot. Location: North Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pxE25.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jdhOg.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="474" LastEditorUserId="474" LastEditDate="2014-04-23T19:08:39.187" LastActivityDate="2014-04-24T18:11:28.897" Title="How do I find out &amp; treat what is eating my hibiscus leaves" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9407" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9405" CreationDate="2014-04-22T23:06:33.487" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They'll be fine, though the transition may be a tough one if all they know is indoors. It will just take some patience and closer attention to get them acclimated. Here's what I would do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1a) Make sure it's getting enough water. I would poke holes into the surface of the soil with your finger before watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Try to match the humidity while your plant adjusts to the temperature. Plants lose moisture through their leaves, even if it isn't scorching hot. If there is less moisture in the outdoor atmosphere than there is in its typical environment, transpiration will occur more quickly. Consider winterizing it, even during the day until you see that it's managing alright. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) Once it's fine with the temperature, take off the winterization and let it get used to the temperature. As a hardy species it should be able to withstand 50 degrees, but you might want to watch out if it dips lower. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) Let it be. Moving it in and out is not what you want to do. There are too many variables to consider between indoor and outdoor. Set it outside, and maybe put it in more sun than you have been to match what it was receiving indoors. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wilting is always normal when moving a plant. Sometimes I'll move cilantro into a bit more shade and the next day it'll be drooping and pathetic. After waiting 48 hours it's back to normal. Aubrieta is much sturdier (though I'm not sure how it'll do in Maryland winters).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2951" LastActivityDate="2014-04-22T23:06:33.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9409" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-23T00:34:03.883" Score="0" ViewCount="2676" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wanted to buy and plant some trees myself and want to copy my neighbor's tree. I'm having a hard time identifying what type of tree it is. Does anyone know by looking at it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GDHmE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yXwdq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3370" OwnerDisplayName="Kirk" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-23T03:49:22.543" LastActivityDate="2014-04-23T15:01:56.850" Title="Identifying a Tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9410" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9409" CreationDate="2014-04-23T03:36:42.603" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks more &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=bradford%20pear&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=gH&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla%3aen-US%3aofficial&amp;amp;channel=sb&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=ITRXU_iVM6js2wXDn4HACQ&amp;amp;ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&amp;amp;biw=1217&amp;amp;bih=672&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bradford Pear&lt;/a&gt; like than cherry or crabapple. Leaves are a little funny, and there are a &lt;em&gt;lot&lt;/em&gt; of trees covered in white flowers this time of year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This question might be better suited for the Gardening &amp;amp; Landscaping  stack.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" OwnerDisplayName="Wayfaring Stranger" LastActivityDate="2014-04-23T03:36:42.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9409" CreationDate="2014-04-23T04:03:00.733" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a Bradford Pear. Since you haven't purchased yet, I'll just throw out there that they are considered invasive in many areas of the Eastern US and there are beautiful alternatives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-04-23T04:03:00.733" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9412" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9414" CreationDate="2014-04-23T05:44:30.160" Score="2" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tilling the soil with a small bolo is part of the conventional gardening practice in my locality, and I have been told repeatedly that I should till the soil regularly around the base of plants to encourage growth. This advice is contrary to what I have read in &lt;em&gt;A Natural Farming System for Sustainable Agriculture in the Tropics&lt;/em&gt; where minimal tillage is listed as a fundamental principle. Based on your experience or readings, which practice is more beneficial to plant growth? Thanks in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3248" LastActivityDate="2014-04-23T10:22:35.833" Title="Is tilling or turning the soil frequently beneficial to plant growth?" Tags="&lt;tilling&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9413" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-23T08:13:37.620" Score="6" ViewCount="1960" Body="&lt;p&gt;Today preparing a mango for breakfast, I retrieved the mango seed. The mango somehow just split in the middle and the inner seed was free. That never happened before. I am now wondering, whether I could plant this seed. It looks somehow damaged. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I plant it, which side goes up. How deep do I plant it,  and what else do I need to consider? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4lL1l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mango Seed Photo&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2803" LastEditorUserId="2803" LastEditDate="2014-04-23T11:04:20.833" LastActivityDate="2014-06-04T00:36:54.573" Title="Can I plant this mango seed" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9414" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9412" CreationDate="2014-04-23T10:22:35.833" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not tilling. Turning or tilling the soil too frequently eventually causes soil structure breakdown, and disturbs the fragile eco system of the life forms within it. After years, soil erosion starts to take place (as in the prairie plains in the States decades ago).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is, though, necessary to dig or till occasionally, usually in order to grow new plants, or maybe to remove unwanted plant growth, but it is better to leave the soil alone as much as possible, and certainly to add appropriate-for-crop organic origin humus rich material to it whenever possible;  applying it as a mulch rather than digging it in also helps to reduce disturbance of the soil profile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I've said is about keeping the soil in good condition - we need good soil to grow good plants, but following what's been said here does not necessarily mean your plants will noticeably grow better, its just you'll have better soil for longer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-23T10:22:35.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9415" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-23T11:19:08.640" Score="3" ViewCount="5081" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spring has just come here in Virginia and my front lawn is a mess. I have more crab grass and weeds than grass! I need some help as to what should I be putting in my lawn? Should I just buy Scott's spring treatment or is there someone better out there that I can use? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NhcV1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2098" LastActivityDate="2014-04-24T22:10:28.147" Title="How to get rid of crab grass and weeds from my lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;crabgrass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-06-26T04:31:15.330" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9416" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-23T13:00:30.833" Score="7" ViewCount="1549" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am doing a bit of work around our garden, part of which will involve surfacing a largeish area with bark mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of cats around our area, and they are already frequently in our garden.  I'd like to avoid accidentally creating a large litter tray, and I was wondering if anybody could recommend some plants that may help us to deter the cats from coming in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3371" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T03:15:10.860" Title="Planting to deter cats" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9417" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9415" CreationDate="2014-04-23T13:11:40.563" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nothing can beat a thick lawn, mowed high, to choke out and starve weed seedlings from growing, but it can take a while to get your lawn to that point.  Overseeding is a great way to do this.  I dormant overseed here in Ohio in late December and let the freeze thaw cycle help pull the seeds into cracks in the soil so that when springs arrives, I get good germination rates.  But, you have to deal with the weeds that are already present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using a broadcast weed-b-gone product that you hook up to the hose works well.  I just did this for the first year I was in my new home.  The lawn was hideous.  Thistle, clover, and crabgrass was insane.  I did this every other month or so to get it under control.  Now I spot spray with Tenacity.  Look it up.  It prevent the weeds from producing chlorophyll and they starve.  $50 for a bottle but it only takes a 1/2 tsp per gallon.  And it is a natural occurring chemical in the bottlebrush plant.  It was approved for residential use in the last couple of years.  Amazing product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2014-04-23T13:11:40.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9418" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9416" CreationDate="2014-04-23T14:31:40.903" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ooh dear, I'm veering between being absolutely truthful or coming out with the usual PR nonsense about some plants being 'scaredy cat plants'. I think I'll opt for truth...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No, there are no plants which will deter cats from coming in your garden, and they may well view your bark chips as slightly chunky cat litter, unfortunately. There are plants they don't like much (pelargoniums) but certainly not enough to put them off coming into the garden. What they don't like are stones - not pea shingle, that's too small in size, more like cat litter, but small pebbles. Using those instead of bark will mean they won't attempt to use the area as a toilet because they're too uncomfortable for the cats to push around. Your other option is to use bark chips, but scatter bits of thorny branches over the top (berberis, holly, etc), but only if the area isn't regularly used by children. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know why you're having such a large bark chipped area, there may be a very good reason, but another option is ground cover plants which spread and cover all the soil. Finally, get your own cat - it may well use the garden as a toilet at certain times of year, but will usually prevent other cats from coming in too frequently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-04-23T14:38:27.283" LastActivityDate="2014-04-23T14:38:27.283" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9419" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9416" CreationDate="2014-04-23T14:36:36.667" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cats will also &lt;em&gt;generally&lt;/em&gt; avoid the largest sizes of bark mulch - say, 3-4 inches in diameter or larger. They have a hard time standing on it because it is &quot;tippy&quot; and an even harder time scratching in it, so they tend to find other places to do their business when they can.  So if you will use this size, or put a layer of the largest size bark mulch you can find on the top of what you do use, this should at least cut the behavior down.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've used this method for years (I currently have three cats of my own) even in my potted plants, and found it nearly eliminated the litterboxing behavior.  Your mileage may vary, however, because as mentioned in the other note, this is not an easy problem to solve.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, fist size or larger cobbles/rocks scattered throughout the planting will help as well.  If you can get enough to place them no more than just a few inches apart in the mulch, then there will no longer be a large enough clear area for the cat to do their business.  They also won't be able to scratch in the mulch as they prefer to do, so that will be a deterrent to the behavior as well.  I've used largish cobbles as another way of keeping cats out of my potted plants.  If you can cover enough of the soil with them, this can be very effective.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-04-23T14:47:39.190" LastActivityDate="2014-04-23T14:47:39.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9420" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9409" CreationDate="2014-04-23T14:56:47.913" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to break with the pack here and say I don't think it's a Bradford Pear.  Pears generally hold their blossoms in clusters, so the tree looks like it's covered with &quot;popcorn&quot; - and these seem to be pretty evenly and densely spaced along the branches.  The leaf also &lt;a href=&quot;http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/images/prunus-lvs3.jpg&quot;&gt;looks more of a &quot;prunus&quot; type leaf&lt;/a&gt; than a pear leaf, as &lt;a href=&quot;http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/epantha/epantha1007/epantha100700038/7423989-bradford-pear-pyrus-calleryana-leaves-and-fruit-isolated-on-white-background.jpg&quot;&gt;pear leaves are generally more broad than lance-shaped, and have a different veining pattern&lt;/a&gt;.  So I'm going to say it's either an ornamental flowering cherry or plum. (Of which there are many scores of varieties so it is rather difficult to say exactly which of those it may be, especially since cherries and plums are not that distantly related and share some characteristics.) However, because the blossoms seem to be rather small, a flowering plum of some type is my best guess, as flowering cherries tend to have larger blossoms that are often also held in loose clusters.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When it sets fruit, if it does, then we can more easily figure out what exactly it is.  You can also take a branch or a picture to your local nursery or agricultural extension office for a more local and on the spot opinion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-04-23T15:01:56.850" LastActivityDate="2014-04-23T15:01:56.850" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9422" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9423" CreationDate="2014-04-23T16:28:49.477" Score="5" ViewCount="4485" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 4 cherry varieties grafted onto one rootstock. They are Royal Ann, Bing, Black Tartarian, and Lapins. It was planted in a dormant state in January 2014 in zone 9. It gets at least 8 hours of sunlight every day. I give it 2 gallons of water every weekend. I have not fertilized it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It now is flourishing with leaves, but all of them are droopy. Is this the natural tendency of cherry leaves? If not, how do I fix it? The majority of leaves are blemish free. There's only 2 leaves that have been chewed through by an unknown insect. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PPGs4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-04-24T13:18:22.640" Title="Are cherry leaves naturally droopy?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9423" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9422" CreationDate="2014-04-23T16:59:00.393" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, they do tend to point downwards, although if your weather is very warm and dry, it may need a couple of gallons twice a week for the first year. Looks pretty healthy to me, but keep up the watering - if it flowers this year, then remember to increase watering when/if fruit starts to form, particularly during dry spells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: If it flowered, its ready to fruit. The flowers it had either weren't fertilised and fell naturally, or there was a water shortage and they just shrivelled, though sometimes heavy cold can shrivel them before fertilisation. I don't see any signs of flowers remaining on the tree indicating other problems, and everything looks pretty healthy from the picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-04-24T13:18:22.640" LastActivityDate="2014-04-24T13:18:22.640" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9424" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9428" CreationDate="2014-04-23T20:16:41.963" Score="4" ViewCount="163" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a two container vermicomposting system with the bottom container having a tap to drain the leachate. I think I am maintaining my worm bin correctly as material feels damp but I cannot wring any water out of it. I spray some water on it very rarely if the top portion feels very dry.  My worms do look happy - at least they are consuming the expected amount of food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do get a small amount of leachate (maybe quarter of an inch in depth) in the bottom bin. Sometimes I also see a few worms in the bottom bin, but I do know that they keep moving upwards when they need to.  I am wondering if I can just pour the leachate back into the worm bin?  I think the water should have bacteria and other stuff that might help decomposition a little more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3373" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-04-23T21:48:40.953" LastActivityDate="2020-10-04T01:30:18.163" Title="Can I use vermicomposting leachate to moisturize my worm bin?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;worms&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9425" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9406" CreationDate="2014-04-23T20:28:31.577" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Look where insects live.  In this case:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;look on the underside of the leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;look in the soil at the base of the plant &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;go out at night with a flashlight and see who has shown up for dinner&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that some insects arrive and stay and others just pass through.  If you don't see any and there is no new damage then they might have been eaten!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-04-23T20:28:31.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9426" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9413" CreationDate="2014-04-23T20:32:36.173" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would just throw it in a pot with 2 to 3 inches of potting soil, with the pointy end up, to see if it grows. It either will or it won't, but at least you've given it a chance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3071" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-04T00:35:34.800" LastActivityDate="2014-06-04T00:35:34.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9427" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9416" CreationDate="2014-04-23T20:38:32.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can always put some chicken wire under your mulch,they do not like too walk on it and they wont be able too scratch it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3071" LastActivityDate="2014-04-23T20:38:32.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9428" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9424" CreationDate="2014-04-23T21:45:34.497" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If there is just a little water in the bottom, then the next time you moisten your worm bin you should be able to just pour it back over the top.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermicompost&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia says&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The dark brown waste liquid, or leachate, that drains into the bottom of some vermicomposting systems as water-rich foods break down, is best applied back to the bin when added moisture is needed due to the possibility of phytotoxin content and organic acids that may be toxic to plants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, that having been said, I have heard many folks do use the leachate as a liquid organic fertilizer and don't have problems with it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-23T21:45:34.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9429" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9406" CreationDate="2014-04-24T13:15:03.387" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I reckon its vine weevil; the black variety seems to be endemic where you are. The damage is certainly typical of vine weevil and plants in pots are their favourites. Not sure what pesticides are available where you are to treat them with - in the UK, we tend to use nematodes which are watered onto the soil in the pot at certain times of year. Provado makes a drench for use in pots specifically against vine weevil, again to be used at the right time, but that contains neonicotinoids which destroy bee colonies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to find the vine weevils, taking a flashlight out at night and having a good look should reveal some, as Kevinsky suggests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-04-24T18:11:28.897" LastActivityDate="2014-04-24T18:11:28.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9430" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9435" CreationDate="2014-04-24T13:18:20.950" Score="4" ViewCount="93" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well the recent winter was pretty bad for the bananas, so I cut them down to ground level, and new shoots are coming up. Great (although that means no flowers or bananas this year).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem now is that I have a shoot coming up in the lawn! I can easily cut that back, but it will keep growing. Banana 'trunks' are just leaves wrapped around each other. Even if I cut the shoot, the inner leaf will keep growing. So how can I kill this one shoot but not kill the entire plant/clump?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-28T00:53:40.360" LastActivityDate="2014-10-28T00:53:40.360" Title="What is the best way to kill a banana shoot but not the entire plant?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9431" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-24T15:10:54.580" Score="6" ViewCount="285" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently purchased a tree from a local nursery. It was originally in a 15-20 gal pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trunk of the tree was not centered in the pot. Instead its was an inch or two away from the edge. As a result, the root system has all grown to one side of the tree trunk. When the wind blows the tree I can see the root ball moving up and down on that rootless side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My first and only remedy has been to stake the tree on that side to prevent movement. My hope is that this additional stability will allow it to grow roots on that weaker side. The stake is about 3 ft away and I used an old rubber hose where the twine wraps the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What additional measures should I take to stabilize the tree and/or roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3377" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-19T17:35:59.483" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T17:35:59.483" Title="How should I stabilize a tree with a malformed root ball?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9432" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9431" CreationDate="2014-04-24T15:33:16.990" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The right way to stake a tree is to use two or three stakes, spaced equally around the tree, and outside of the tree's root system. If you have just one stake, the tree can freely move toward the stake, or it can swing from side to side like a pendulum at the end of the support line. With two stakes at opposite sides, you only allow as much motion to or away from either stake as there is slack in the support lines, and you've reduced the amount it can swing laterally. With three stakes, you reduce the possible motion even more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stakes should go in the undisturbed ground outside of the hole you dug for the tree. Secure the stakes to the tree with twine, tying a loop around the trunk and a separate loop around the stake; the loops should be tight enough to stay in place, but not so tight that they choke the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leave the stakes in place for a couple of years (you may find they're rotting off at ground level by that time anyway) so that your tree has time to settle in before having to stand on its own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You often see trees supported with just one stake that's right beside the tree. This can be harmful in two ways:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the tree had a normal root ball, you'd be driving the stake right through the roots, damaging any that happened to be on that side.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In your case, there's now an obstacle right next to the tree, preventing it from growing new roots in that direction.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-24T16:43:36.283" LastActivityDate="2014-04-24T16:43:36.283" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9433" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9434" CreationDate="2014-04-24T16:12:20.353" Score="5" ViewCount="13599" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in an apartment with a balcony and I'm having issues figuring out the best way to handle my drainage. I have a neighbor below me and don't want any water dripping down on her patio. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any suggestions that you can make to efficiently water my plants? I have some saucers but I feel like they don't always allow for adequate drainage. Would an earth box or a DIY version of that be a better system? Perhaps raising my plants on something to get them off the ground? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Curious if anyone else has any suggestions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3378" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-25T00:58:14.840" LastActivityDate="2020-04-11T23:09:00.487" Title="How can I water the plants on my balcony without dripping water on my downstairs neighbor?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9433" CreationDate="2014-04-24T18:08:04.043" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not easy - I also have a balcony with 3 others beneath. Frankly, I don't worry about it too much, I just water and let it run, but I am careful to water only in the evening, preferably just before dusk, when its unlikely anyone else will be on their balconies. I'm also careful with the amount - if the pot is very large and bone dry, I'll water with 2 litres, then come back half and hour later and give it more, so that water does not flood straight out of the bottom but actually gets retained in the compost. If its not bone dry, it'll get about 2.5 litres, but that's for a pot 2 feet deep and 12 inches wide containing a couple of climbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do use trays underneath pots, particularly in summer when smaller pots dry out so quickly in hot sunshine, but I don't have anything beneath the very large pots or troughs. The bore with trays is you have to go back and empty them out after 30 minutes, and remember that they will collect water when the weather is cool and wet, and very few plants like standing in water. Standing pots on earth trays isn't a good idea - the roots of any plant in the pots will go through the bottom and root into the earth tray. Equally, standing them on something to raise them off the ground will not prevent water running out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-24T18:08:04.043" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9430" CreationDate="2014-04-24T18:10:20.587" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't very easily - I'd dig around the base of the actual plant and isolate the root/shoot that goes into the lawn and cut that off below ground, together with any others which are straying where you don't want them too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-24T18:10:20.587" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9436" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9433" CreationDate="2014-04-24T20:45:01.197" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A &quot;self-watering&quot; container like an Earth Box would probably be a great solution to your problem.  There are also self watering containers in smaller sizes.  Besides keeping the drainage under control, it would allow your plants to take up only the amount of water they need, when they need it - and allow you to be away from home for a few days without worrying that your plants would die for lack of water while you are gone.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many tutorials for &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=tutorial%20home%20made%20earthbox&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=33ZZU-SxO6SuyQHW-4GIBQ&amp;amp;ved=0CDQQsAQ&amp;amp;biw=1233&amp;amp;bih=533#q=tutorial%20homemade%20earthbox&amp;amp;spell=1&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;creating your own self-watering planters&lt;/a&gt; online. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cultivatingconscience.com/2011/03/earthbox-diy/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This one&lt;/a&gt;, in particular, seems like a good homemade version.  You can find even more options &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/#q=tutorial+home+made+earthbox&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-24T20:45:01.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9437" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9415" CreationDate="2014-04-24T22:10:28.147" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had years of experience with 'lawns'...the grasses I am familiar with are lawn grasses that do well in the northwest.  From your picture, which looks oh-so-familiar, I would do one of two things: #1.  Aerate, pulling plugs of soil out of your lawn and leave the plugs on the lawn; edge your lawn using a weedwacker or metal-blade edger between concrete and lawn; fertilize with 'Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer'...it is 'organic' and thus extended release...follow directions, it takes more but lasts a lot longer than 'Scott's' or other inorganic fertilizers (I was amazed at the results with Dr. Earth).  Be patient, it takes a week or two to begin to see results.  Mow so that the grass is NO SHORTER THAN 3&quot;.  The NW grasses have huge root systems that NEED the 3&quot; of top growth to support properly and become vigorous to compete with your weeds so I am assuming that your grasses are similar to the NW's.  Water deeply and do not water again until dry...you should be able to see your footprint, the grass blades stay down when you step on them when the grasses need a deep watering again.  The water should reach at least 6&quot; deep into your soil.  Your goal is to create a drought-tolerant grass as the roots are forced to grow deep to get at the water.  Maintenance will be 1&quot; of water per week (place cat food cans or other straight sided containers around your lawn while you irrigate, use a shovel to see the depth of water into the soil.  Never water everyday, never by hand). If you have automatic irrigation, hopefully your lawn is irrigated separately from your planting beds, check each zone with your cans...15 minutes should yield 1/4&quot;.  If your soil is wet to 6&quot; 15 minutes per zone will do.  Don't water until the soil is dry and your grass provides footprints.  Your goal is 1&quot; of water once per week.  You can see that you will have to be vigilant.  You want your grass to get deep roots but not be water-stressed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check the pH of your soil.  Use your cooperative extension service for an accurate reading.  If below 6.5 or whatever your service recommends, use lime to raise the pH to 6.5 - 7.0.  This takes time to happen.  Test again.  Never add lime without KNOWING your soil pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your grasses should be thriving (as well as some of the weeds...shallow rooted weeds will be stressed by the deep watering/drying out and the grass is strong enough to compete with the rest), here I would use broad-leaf herbicide.  You need to dampen the grass and weeds so that the herbicide can cling to the weed-leaves.  Don't fertilize with herbicide.  You shouldn't need another application for months...I think you will want to stay with extended release, organic fertilizer anyhoo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For crabgrass, in a small lawn, I would dig the stuff out and/or use glyphosate. Use rubber gloves and hold a small amount of glyphosate (Roundup) in a dixie cup.  Wet your thumb and a finger in the glyphosate, don't DRIP, and wet a few leaves of crabgrass by pulling them through your glyphosate-dampened fingers.  Be patient.  It takes 2-3 weeks for the product to kill the roots.  You WANT the crabgrass to be growing in order for the glyphosate to be able to kill the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, our eyes SEE the edges of a lawn, not the stuff that makes it green.  Make sure your edges stay trimmed.  Don't mow or weedwack the grass along your edges shorter than the 3&quot;.  Other than the edges by your sidewalks/driveway, your edges for your lawn should have a set radius that only changes when the edge goes the opposite direction.  Like a highway...no changing the radius until forced to go another direction. Use a smallish, flat bladed shovel to clean up your edging, make a trench to collect water and throw the soil back onto your plant beds (hopefully they are 6&quot; to 1' above your lawn).  If you've got bark on your beds (please, I hope there's no 'landscape fabric' beneath), think about raking it up a get rid of it in your greenbelt or an older, established part of your garden.  If you've used plastic, GET RID OF IT.  Find a place that makes DECOMPOSED organic mulch from human poo.  It is beautiful, dark taupe, fine-grained, no rocks, sticks, no weed-seeds, no pesticide residue...and smells wonderful, HONEST. It is also, the only organic, decomposed compost that is TESTED. Not for your vegey garden because of heavy metals, this recycled human poo and sawdust is thoroughly decomposed, tested at least 5 times and no longer resembles in anyway the stuff it started out as. This stuff feeds your soil, encouraging micro and macro-organisms that your ornamental plants need for uptake of nutrients, drainage, pH stabilization...healthy, live soil is essential for plants. Place 2&quot; deep, keep away from bases of trees and shrubs and keep to a depth of only 1/2&quot; on top of shallow-rooted shrubs (examples: azaleas, rhododendrons, daphnes). In my career, I refuse to use non-decomposed bark. It is creating deserts in our urban landscapes.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing (#2 solution) I would do would be to rent a sod-cutter and get rid of your front lawn completely. (Now is a great time to make a new plant bed...use old sod, turn upside down, top with good topsoil, rake smooth, plant trees and shrubs or let decompose, settle and plant the next year...use human poo mulch to prevent weed growth). Get decent top soil delivered, spread it (1-2&quot;) on your lawn area, roll it with a water drum (crucial), lay new sod (keep moist until rooted about 2 weeks), mow on high (3&quot;), fertilize with Dr. Earth or other organic lawn fertilizer with michorrhyza and bacterias, water deeply and allowing to dry out training your new grass to develop deep roots.  Your grass will be able to out-compete any weed and all you will have to do other than water deeply, mow high, fertilize with organic, slow-release fertilizer, edge with line trimmer (weed-wacker) is aerate once per year. And be humble as the compliments come in...grin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this helps...if you have a bad thatch problem (+1&quot; of non-decomposing grass matter between blades of grass and soil), the #2 solution would make total sense.  Cut out your sod as deep as you are able. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-04-24T22:10:28.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9438" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-24T23:03:08.580" Score="10" ViewCount="417" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lawn, but I limit my mowing. Plants do not grow well in the sandy soil. Weeds grow extremely well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The climate is moist, humid spring, summer and fall. Winter is snow and ice. There is lots of sunshine during the noon hours of the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Groundcover is an option.  Expensive groundcover is not what I want. Evergreen trees surround the yard, and pine-needles and bare spots accent many locations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not a gardener, but I would like to grow lavender and herbs.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3379" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-24T00:55:12.237" LastActivityDate="2018-01-24T00:55:12.237" Title="I do not want to mow the lawn, how can I have a lawn without having to mow?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;mowing&gt;&lt;clover&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9439" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9443" CreationDate="2014-04-25T02:00:32.773" Score="6" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased a house 2 years ago that had a young (1-2 years?) raspberry patch. Last year it had a lot of growth but only produced fruit on a few bushes.  I have been waiting until spring to  determine which canes are dead and should be pruned but all canes, even those that produced fruit have new growth. Does that mean they will produce fruit again this year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My bushes also have a lot of canes, approx 30 per plant, should I reduce this number to maximize the amount of fruit?  What is a good amount of canes per plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-25T17:56:23.193" Title="Harvested cane with new growth?" Tags="&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9440" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9455" CreationDate="2014-04-25T02:36:57.173" Score="5" ViewCount="235" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a policy of letting unknown plants in my garden grow until I can identify them --- it makes it easier to know weeds when they're young if I can see what they grow into. The following has me stumped; details:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's grown into a 6' behemoth with extremely fuzzy/furry leaves and stem/trunk&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It sprouted tiny purple flowers last week&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is maybe nine months old, but most of the growth has taken place in the last month or so&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I live near downtown Los Angeles&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on its general structure I'm guessing it's some sort of tropical, but I have no solid knowledge one way or the other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hk1A3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant profile; approximately 6 feet tall with large leaves; entire plant is fuzzy&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9NHKy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My hands are on the small side of average for a guy; these leaves are huge&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Othnf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tiny purple inflorescence; this is the only one on the plant, at the top; apologies for focus issues&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3381" LastActivityDate="2014-04-27T13:38:38.290" Title="Help identifying tropical[?] plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9441" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7259" CreationDate="2014-04-25T13:40:01.000" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you tried spraying soap on them? Shouldn't harm the vine. Thats what i'm going to try. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3382" LastActivityDate="2014-04-25T13:40:01.000" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9442" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9438" CreationDate="2014-04-25T14:27:18.407" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll provide some suggestions and options but you'll need to dig into them further as not having a nice grass lawn is complete anathema to me. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A lot is going to depend on other factors like do you want the area available to walk through or to have kids or pets play on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Infrequent mowing&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fine Fescues&lt;/strong&gt; Fine fescues grow in many different types of soil and light conditions. They are frequently used in places like highway medians that don't get fertilized or mowed often. There may be some certain varieties that are better suited to no-mow than others. The grass doesn't need much fertilizing and can be mowed very infrequently. Once a month mowing is recommended but I've seen people just leave it and never mow it. It doesn't grow very tall and it lays over after a certain height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Clover&lt;/strong&gt; Some people consider this a weed but Dutch White Clover was frequently incorporated in grass seed mixes in the past because it helps fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil which fertilizes itself and the grass around it. It tends to stay  low to the ground but will need to be mowed from time to time. Very little maintenance. Bees are attracted to the flowers which may be a good or bad thing depending.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A mix of fine fescues and clover is also an option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;No Mow&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gravel&lt;/strong&gt; you can cover the area with gravel and landscaping rock. Weeds may still grow up through the gravel which will need to be dealt with and this is a difficult option to reverse. You can make it decorative. Create some paths with pavers and edging and use different colors of gravel as fill to create visual interest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Artificial Grass&lt;/strong&gt; This is becoming more popular and I've even seen it available at a local home center. Looks kinda like grass and you can use it like grass but it doesn't need to be fertilized or mowed. Doesn't need to be &quot;watered&quot; per se but hosed off from time to time to keep it clean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Moss&lt;/strong&gt; Not sure if it will work in sandy soil but some people like a moss lawn. From a distance it looks like it might be grass but it requires no mowing. I've had moss in my lawn in shady areas that had poor drainage so it may not work for you but worth looking into.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wild Flowers&lt;/strong&gt; If you don't care about having a grassy area for walking through or playing you can just seed the entire with wild flowers and have a meadow look. Find flowers that are native to your area so they have no problem establishing themselves. Some home owner associations and even some local laws and codes (or just officials) may not like this and I've read of people being fined and/or have the governing body send landscapers in to clean up the mess. People are worried of how it looks when all the flowers have died after the season is over and what might be lurking underneath since you can't see where you're walking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do an image search and you'll see great examples that are taken at the perfect time of year from a low angle, close up which really flatters. Follow this link for more information and an example of what it looks like when &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.junescott.net/the-meadows-story/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;nothing is in bloom&lt;/a&gt; at the bottom. It's not everyone's taste but more people are showing interest in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-04-25T14:27:18.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9443" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9439" CreationDate="2014-04-25T17:56:23.193" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;General practice with raspberries is to remove all of the canes that have already fruited by cutting them to the ground, so that new more vigorous canes can take their place. Canes that arise this year will fruit next year, and last year's brand new canes will fruit this year, so be sure to retain those. Older canes on some varieties might fruit again, but if they do the fruit will be sparse and have a greater chance of getting hit by some pest or disease.  For this reason, be sure to remove the pruned out spent canes from the garden area so that pests can't use them to overwinter or multiply. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect that your cane count will be much lighter after you've pruned out all the old fruited canes, but if it still seems like too many canes per clump, then you can do a second pruning to remove thinner, less vigorous canes from the group. If you do this, be sure to retain a mix of this year's new canes, and last year's new canes that have not yet fruited.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-25T17:56:23.193" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9444" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-25T20:11:28.233" Score="3" ViewCount="401" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any successful methods for germinating these seeds? I've tried soaking and keeping them warm, wet, dry, on the surface, buried and I've never yet managed to get them to germinate (even with different seed packets bought).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;also I'm aware they're invasive pest plants in some regions, but they're fine to grow here apparently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3383" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T17:45:45.113" Title="Germination of Bassia/Kochia scoparia (burning bush)" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9445" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9438" CreationDate="2014-04-25T20:53:46.687" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want grass, there are several commercially available grasses that are advertized as &quot;no mow.&quot;  They are generally fine textured dwarf grasses that grow between 2 and 6 inches in height.  There are also native grasses for warm areas, like Blue Grama and Buffalo Grass, that stay short.  The most important thing is to find a species that does well in your area, and with the amount of water you intend to give it, or whatever rainfall your area provides. These are also available as seed, which takes longer to establish, but is a lot cheaper than trying to sod or plug a larger lawn.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is an example of a typical no mow dwarf grass mix, from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.highcountrygardens.com/sustainable-lawns/grass-seed/no-mow-lawn-grass-seed&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;High Country Gardens&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-25T20:53:46.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9446" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-25T22:31:43.400" Score="3" ViewCount="181" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've made this picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qsdcl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and I like to know what this flower is called. The picture was taken in Patagonia, Chile. I assume it could be &lt;em&gt;Calceolaria Uniflora&lt;/em&gt;, but I'm not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3385" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2014-05-26T14:19:13.303" LastActivityDate="2014-05-26T14:19:13.303" Title="Is this yellow flower I saw in Patagonia Calceolaria Uniflora?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9447" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8804" CreationDate="2014-04-25T22:37:40.720" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Bamboo. Aesthetics is &quot;...in the eye of the beholder...&quot;. What a lot of people think is 'what looks good...' is as individual as each person.  Not true...there are RULES artists, designers...Landscape Architects...follow to produce something that 'looks good'...to most of humans, to the average human.  RULES are made to be broken...of course but only someone who has mastered those rules can be successful breaking the rules...or very lucky. For example; the simplest rule in composition (of a work of art painted in oil, graphite, sculptured in stone...or sculptured in soil and plants...) is to keep MOST of the elements of composition (...rhythm, form, texture, color, line quality....) THE SAME.  Consciously choosing one or two elements to BE DIFFERENT in some way to 'drive the eye of the viewer' across the composition in a meaningful way eliciting memories and feelings...or whatever an artist can do to be...a memorable experience when seen, felt, smelt by another human. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edging between plant beds and lawns such as concrete, plastic, big river rock, white sand stands out strongly.  Best used by professionals otherwise these elements in a landscape aren't really functional and become distracting. Rock, concrete, plastic also provide 'housing' for lots of pests such as slugs, snails, millipedes, pill bugs, etc. Soil-colored trenches provide a crisp, natural and functional transition into beds. Your EYE sees the edges of a lawn, first. As long as the center is homogenous and fine-textured, and you follow the rules for delineating your lawn's edges...you can use finely crushed gravel instead of grass and the product will be beautiful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your time spent re-establishing your edges with a flat spade or half-moon edger once a year or every couple of years will be far less than any other solution that I know about.  Otherwise, I use PT 2x4's (scored to bend if you have curves) between any gravel paths or graveled flooring in your landscape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The 'rule' for designing edges of lawns is to use either straight runs with 90 degree angles or sweeping curves with radius sizes reflecting the size of your lawn; small radius for a small lawn and large radius sizes for large lawns.  This also is reflected in the size of plant beds in relation to the size of the property and lawn.  When a curve is made (use upside down paint and string attached to a stake at the center of the circle of which the radius is a part) make sure only ONE radius is used...as long as one keeps in-scale, you can change the length of radius for each curve separated by the center of the radius changing from 'inside' to 'outside' the circumference of your lawn  No 'compound' curves. Looks like a mistake...to a professional, anyway. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whenever one sees a curve in nature, there is a reason it changes direction such as a creek curves in a the opposite direction to get around a less-erosion-prone rock substrate or a huge boulder delivered in-place by a glacier or ancient volcano.  Even if we know nothing about geology or science, our subconscious gets 'nervous' when we see lines that don't make sense.  Same is true when our gardens have so much going on within the composition (for instance, too many textures, different colors, changing shapes within one composition). The human brain, as I was taught a long time ago so the details may have changed but still will help in understanding my point, can only 'multi-task' 3 chunks of dissimilar information at a time...comfortably...for the average person.  If there is too much information, our stress level increases (unless of course you are ADD where increased stimulation actually helps us focus) and we feel less comfortable than before experiencing a poorly composed and overly complicated garden.  Something I recognize when visiting nurseries.  The smarter nurseries 'group' plants which helps clients to reduce the stimulus of disparate objects...provide 'eddies' where plant material is planted in homogenous swaths and chairs, tables...familiar stuff so those that are less experienced with plants can reduce their input of stimulus and revive before going back out into the nursery. Another example of how one's environment affects us (subliminally) are stepping stones or concrete pavers or any other part of the 'hardscape' are situated in a way that our subconscious 'remembers' has been or could be...dangerous.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Imagine concrete pavers formed like a diamond.  Take a square shape and push two opposing corners towards one another.  That's a diamond shape.  If the long axis is laid parallel to the direction of the path we see a sharp point coming at us as we travel the path.  Most people will notice the novel shape and think it is clever.  A professional will appreciate this only if this was an attempt to make the person walking the path to look down and focus on the path for enough time to change the path's material for a finer textured, wider, safer path which causes this person to look back up and be surprised and awed by a breath-taking vista (immediate, intermediate as well as long distance 'views'). This manipulation is one of the hallmarks of 'Japanese Gardens'.  Curvey lines without apparent reasons for the curves will trigger 'snake' connotations in our minds.  Riding my horse and coming upon a group of willy-nilly curves at the edge of this lawn...actually spooked my horse into a 180 degree hind-end turn (ouch, I actually went back and fixed their lawn...).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Back to your yard...'edging' that one can readily notice because it's unusual color, texture, meaningless curves...will add unnatural elements to your yard.  If you are not a trained artist, designer or Landscape Architect who all are trained in 'artistic composition', I doubt installing anything other than hand-trenched edges, maintained with a line-trimmer and re-established once every other year will look...awful.  Feel even worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, edges along the drive and concrete walks, concrete planters or even along the 2X4's enclosing gravel...the grass should go right up to the edge.  No intermediate edge in-between.  What a lot of work the weeds must or will cause! Think like a weed seed parachuting around looking for a home to grow.  What could be better than a flat surface that gets fertilized, regularly watered, full sun and no other competition!? The main job of a lawn is to provide a green, living surface for us to use.  Vigorous lawns out-compete other plants, provide shade to eliminate germination of seeds and deep watering/drying out of the soil in-between watering intervals trains grass to root deeper, get at water and nutrients while baby weed seeds trying to germinate without moisture are thwarted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this was helpful, landscape as medium is so inter-connected with all the different branches of science, the answer to one question is never going to be 'simple'...grin. Maybe it's just hard for ME to make shorter answers...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-04-25T22:37:40.720" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9448" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9446" CreationDate="2014-04-25T22:44:28.133" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bingo, I think you've got it!  It looks exactly like Calceolaria Uniflora.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=Calceolaria%20Uniflora&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=DYq&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla%3aen-US%3aofficial&amp;amp;channel=np&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=GOVaU677HoTwyQHOsIGgDw&amp;amp;ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&amp;amp;biw=1291&amp;amp;bih=596&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;some images&lt;/a&gt; to confirm it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-25T22:44:28.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9449" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8412" CreationDate="2014-04-26T00:25:48.167" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am sure it is &lt;a href=&quot;http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Sedum_pachyphyllum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sedum pachyphyllum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. If you water a lot, it grows very quickly and too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3386" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-26T02:16:56.843" LastActivityDate="2014-04-26T02:16:56.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9450" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9457" CreationDate="2014-04-26T02:55:23.993" Score="2" ViewCount="1382" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a new succulent that I'm taking care of, but over the past couple of weeks it has been picking up some fluff that looks a bit like mould but that I believe is cobwebs of tiny spiders. I've read about spider mites, and so I'm wondering:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are these cobweb things, and do they appear dangerous to the health of the plant?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How can I get rid of them without harming the plant (it's about 2 inches across)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KvISy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="870" LastActivityDate="2014-04-28T15:47:51.500" Title="Are these cobwebs harmful?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9451" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-26T09:22:30.553" Score="1" ViewCount="159" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last June (10 months ago) I planted a Kesar Mango seed. After we cut of two leaves to stunt its growth, two branches grew (FYI).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, a very small red blob has appeared on top of it (see picture). A spiders web was on it, and brushed off (there for ~7 days). Is this blob a disease, or else what is it? Please could someone identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3387" LastActivityDate="2014-04-26T09:22:30.553" Title="Red blob on kesar mango tree (grown from seed in UK)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2014-07-15T13:35:03.463" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9450" CreationDate="2014-04-26T09:59:26.357" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't identify which plant that is, but it looks like some kind of succulent, do you have a botanical name for it? The white stuff you're describing as webbing looks more like fungal growth in this photograph - if the plant is a succulent, they do not like damp conditions, so I'd expect to see it going mouldy, so to speak...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-26T09:59:26.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9453" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-26T10:10:19.737" Score="5" ViewCount="2079" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my cactus turned red at its base about a year ago and it has since spread upwards. Some websites say it is a natural ageing process but I doubt so because it is still so small! Now another of my bigger cactus has turned red at its base! Please advise. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First picture attached refers to my first cactus that turned red. Second one is the one that I just noticed turning red. The third one has got a band of beige at its base. When I try to scrape it, nothing happens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The red parts are very hard, just as turgid as the green parts. I did not notice any rotting at the base. All my cacti feel turgid still, including the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[Second cactus that turned red&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yqyxo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;][1]&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yavim.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;First small cactus that turned red&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eIrCU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cactus with beige band at base&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3388" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-30T15:21:07.543" LastActivityDate="2014-04-30T15:21:07.543" Title="Why has my cactus has turned red/ beige at its base?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9444" CreationDate="2014-04-26T10:14:44.117" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;They should be sown onto seed and cutting compost, scattered on the surface, and not covered with more compost. They need gentle heat to germinate, and the compost should be damp but not wet. Covering the tray you're germinating them in can help - this should be a cover that lets light through, so a clear plastic cover of some sort, but the gentle heat is the most important thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-26T10:14:44.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9440" CreationDate="2014-04-26T10:16:50.997" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_mauritianum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Solanum mauritianum&lt;/a&gt;, commonly known as Bugweed. Its a nightshade, and as such, all parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-04-27T13:38:38.290" LastActivityDate="2014-04-27T13:38:38.290" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9457" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9450" CreationDate="2014-04-26T20:18:18.897" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it looks like botrytis...a gray mold.  You should take the plant out, wash off soil and mold.  Throw away all soil, gravel, rocks and bleach the glass bowl.  Get soil for succulents and replant.  I don't think your plant looks like it will make it.  Succulents in a non-draining medium can only be watered a tiny bit and only when the soil is completely dry.  Don't spray water for humidity either.  You might want to try spraying your plant with NEEM.  It acts as a fungicide and also coats the plant's leaves to prevent too much transpiration and thus reducing stress.  Use soil or infuse your new soil with michorrhyzae, bacteria.  Water with a little fish emulsion.  Otherwise don't fertilize with anything else.  Fish emulsion is 5-1-1 which adds a little of the nutrients the plant needs but fish emulsion seems to give plants more...strength.  Science hasn't figured out why, that I've heard about, but worth a try and can't hurt. Once the plant is healthy and doing well you can think about a proper fertilizing program.  It should be extended release and VERY light.  That plant has no where to grow, anyway. Consider it a 'long term perishable' unless you use another pot.  If you do, choose a short, squat, clay pot with companions that are also shallow-rooted, cactus-type plants.  During the summer, placing your indoor plants on a protected porch that gets a lot of light, little wind, no rain, little access by critters helps them rejuvenate and therefore last longer and look better.  Indoor plants are considered long-term perishables but this summer vacation helps them last almost indefinitely. Keep an eye out for insect infestations (get a 10X magnifying loop) and check the undersides of the leaves, carefully. For plants that have draining pots, give them a good shower in your shower, let dry and put them back out. Allow soil to dry out before watering.  Some plants need some moisture at all times others do not.  Get to know your plants, well. Also, re-pot your plants with new soil once a year, don't put rocks in the bottom supposedly to improve drainage...this does the exact opposite by causing a 'perched water table'...and never put a small plant in a large pot.  Upgrade your pot by making sure it is only a little, a few inches bigger than the old pot. Good luck...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-04-26T20:18:18.897" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9458" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-26T21:24:51.797" Score="5" ViewCount="985" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an apartment with a rooftop patio/garden on a five-story building. It is the tallest building in the area and gets fairly high winds which routinely knock over my patio furniture and damage my plants. I am looking for a solution to block the high winds, be it a plant or some kind of semi-permanent, possibly decorative, structure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The side of the patio (in the picture below) where the wind comes in is about 15' (4.57m) wide by 7' (2.13m) high with the wall itself about 3'6&quot; (1.06m). For a plant-based solution, it would either need to be able to cope with about 6&quot; (0.15m) of soil or be placed in a planter. I can do a raised bed to give more soil depth, but that I would rather not if I possible. Alternatively, some form of semi-permanent barrier could be attached to the wall so long as it can be removed and won't do any real damage to the wall, as I am renting and there are some HOA restrictions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/moRbj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Terrace&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-28T18:19:54.000" Title="Blocking Wind on a Rooftop Garden" Tags="&lt;wind-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7456" CreationDate="2014-04-26T22:48:35.230" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Great answers...I thought of something else.  Hey at one point in my life I thought about competing WITH my line-trimmer amongst other landscape maintenance personnel. We always got rid of the guard...I am not suggesting you do this.  But the guard makes it very hard to become accurate with your placement.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My thought was to tell you to make sure the line is at the proper length.  If it is too long you will have no accuracy at all and will eventually ruin your line trimmer.  I was also used to a single strand of line, looped through a head you can switch for your automatic line head.  So much easier.  I pull the line ends together above the center of the head and clip...then I always turn the trimmer on edge and using concrete I allow the line to be further cut by friction on the concrete.  This will ensure the lines are the perfect length. You'll hear the change in the motor as the line gets closer to perfect balance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gas tools are my preference.  If one keeps the engine clean by changing filters, using good gasoline (no ethanol!!) and MEASURING when adding the oil to the gas...shake often to keep mixed and don't forget the filter in the gas tank...your investment will last longer than you.  And don't LEND your family or friends your tools.  Big mistake.  20 years ago I bought a used red max line trimmer. It was and has been the smallest yet most powerful line trimmer I've used.  It still works well and it is over 30 years old.  Wear ear protection and safety glasses over your prescription glasses.  I've seen an eye lost because one of my guys took his glasses off when he went around the corner (he was new on my crew and it was some sort of macho-power-trip) and out of my sight...and I've taken out windows in 2 trucks...they were both mine.  Line trimmers are very powerful and dangerous.  Watch for hornets, grin!  They HATE the sound of gas engines and will come right for you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-04-26T22:48:35.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9460" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9467" CreationDate="2014-04-27T01:01:40.290" Score="5" ViewCount="7258" Body="&lt;p&gt;This question is just concerning the realm of landscaping for flowers around a house.  We need to add mulch again this year, as the previous mulch has broken down enough that there are some thin spots and some spots not covered at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We noticed that every place now carries rubber mulch.  Would this also be good to use in our various flower boxes around the house?  What would be the benefits and drawbacks?  If rubber mulch lasts indefinitely, how long does it keep its color?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1381" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-30T15:21:41.000" LastActivityDate="2014-04-30T15:21:41.000" Title="What are the pros and cons of rubber vs wood mulches?" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9461" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9462" CreationDate="2014-04-27T03:17:19.147" Score="8" ViewCount="89340" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm buying a bunch of these babies below to create a privacy screen in my backyard. I'm getting young ones and want them to grow as fast as I can make them grow. Is there anything I can do to make them grow extraordinarily fast?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a40gp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3370" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-14T15:42:30.423" LastActivityDate="2016-10-14T15:42:30.423" Title="How do I make Emerald Green Arborvitae grow as fast as biologically possible?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9462" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9461" CreationDate="2014-04-27T14:16:45.583" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The time you spend in preparation is as, or more, important than post planting time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;site location, cedars like access to water, not soggy and not dry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some shade is fine and full sun is tolerated if the soil is not too dry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a wide variety of soil types but I would avoid very sandy soils or soils low in organic matter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;protection from winter winds. Cedars that are sited where they are exposed to cold drying winter winds or bright winter sun can suffer &quot;burn&quot; which can take years for new growth to hide&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;protection from animals. Rabbits and deer will eat cedar if there is not much else about.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;proper spacing. These plants can be twelve feet tall and four feet wide at maturity. Allow space for them to reach these dimensions. Plant at least two feet away from fences.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;planting hole. For a hedge plant at two foot spacing. Dig a hole at least as deep as the root ball and about one and a half times as wide as the root ball.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Post planting&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lack of water is the most frequent cause of dieback.  Water frequently and thoroughly in the first year. In subsequent years water during the summer if it's dry and water thoroughly in the autumn if you have cold winters&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prune the top of the cedars back six inches spring or fall to get a bushier plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mulch the planting area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you don't need to do&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bonemeal does not cause faster growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fertilize more than once a year. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;add good soil to the planting hole.  Use the local soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-04-28T17:10:28.367" LastActivityDate="2014-04-28T17:10:28.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9463" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9461" CreationDate="2014-04-27T19:39:22.870" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thujas like a fair amount of &quot;food&quot; to jump start them after xfer/transplant. Purchase some sort of evergreen fertilizer product (&quot;M Roots&quot; is one name brand) that has a mycorrhiza element within it as these are the fungi that help with the nutrient transfer for a healthy plant. Also, we have used a 1:1:1 mixture of organic compost, loam, and peat moss for the process of back filling the root ball in the hole. Avoid &quot;dirt&quot; with a high rocky content...if the original dirt from the hole is good, you can use that with the compost and peat... but avoid clay heavy or rock heavy soil. Sandy soil is ok though...but add a bit less peat and a bit more loam if that is the case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastEditorUserId="3004" LastEditDate="2014-04-28T03:00:34.577" LastActivityDate="2014-04-28T03:00:34.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9461" CreationDate="2014-04-27T23:17:07.797" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on your space...STAGGER your plants making an equilateral triangle between 3 plants.  2' distance on each side or more (how high did you want to make this hedge?). 2'is great for a 6-8' hedge.  Leave more distance for a taller hedge. If you see one of your arborvitaes begin to 'flag', a particular branch versus all over, get it diagnosed (Cooperative Extension Service).  It might be a very virulent disease and you'll want to get it out of there...soil and all.  But if you lose one or two having planted in a staggered row, it won't be as noticeable if at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure that you do not dig the hole any deeper than the height of the root ball.  Trees and shrubs, woody plants, have a very distinctive line between ROOTS and STEM.  Only the roots get covered with soil, the woody stem cannot be covered with soil, mulch, paper, rocks...this allows bacteria needing moisture to start decomposing the bark/stem.  Very shortly this will effectively girdle your tree or shrub, a year or two.  I even plant leaving an inch or two of the rootball out of the soil so that I can add mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I once used Thuja plicata 'Virescens' for a screen.  I made a 'hedge' in a more natural way, grouping 3-4 at 5' oc making a break (a small grove of elderberry with dark purple leaves) then adding 2 more Virescens Cedars (thick, fast-growing, narrowly pyramidal tree), one staggered front, the other rear, another matching elderberry and then a grouping of 3 Virescens.  Just an example...within 2 years we had a dependable, low-maintenance privacy screen.  In 9 more years, we still did not have to prune the tops of the trees and we had an oasis.  Great for the wind, too.  At the time, the Virescens cedar was less expensive than the arborvitae for the same height.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-04-27T23:17:07.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9460" CreationDate="2014-04-27T23:50:56.847" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mulch should FEED the soil! Un-decomposed organic matter, rock, plastic, rubber...do nothing for your soil.  Your plants NEED a live, thriving, communal soil or they won't thrive.  Healthy soils have micro and macro organisms (the more the better) that need to be fed.  These critters eat decomposed organic material on the soil and digest it then poop it out in your soil profile.  This activity mixes organic material into your beds and aerating at the same time.  They also work with the plant roots to help plants uptake the nutrients they need to make their own food and be vigorous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These important soil organisms go to sleep if all there is is non-decomposed bark, wood chips, straw on top of the soil.  The decomposers get busy of course but they need a lot of nitrogen for their fuel to do the decomposing.  Making less available for use by plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I remember researching this rubber mulch (for a play lot) and found this material was FLAMMABLE. Maybe that has changed...but not a good solution for plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you need mulch for ornamental plant beds, not vegetables, the BEST mulch in my opinion is Gro-Co.  Human poo mixed with sawdust and completely decomposed.  It is tested by law, you can get test results, there are no WEED-SEEDS, no PESTICIDE RESIDUE. 2&quot; smothers existing weeds and weed seed and looks gorgeous.  A natural dark taupe, no rocks, no sticks, a very fine texture and...it smells NOTHING like what it came from...honest.  You have to check in your own city for who makes this product.  Gro-Co was just the name of this product in the Seattle, Washington area.  This stuff looks great, your plants will actually look better in one week (no kidding), it is better at weed suppression than bark, plastic...yet it also feeds your soil which helps your plants function with vigor in making their own food.  Kinda kills 3 birds with one stone? Grin.  Hope this helps...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-04-27T23:50:56.847" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9466" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-28T02:44:36.940" Score="2" ViewCount="722" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Dwarf Alberta Spruce which is showing signs of worse-than-normal winter burn. Not only have the needles on the south side of the tree browned, but the new buds on that side also appear to have died. I've heard that this was caused by our severe winter - when the trees should have started taking up water, the frost line was still 5 feet deep, and the plants dried out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to help the tree along other than just wait? Pruning will not help, correct? Usually I have some winter burn, but the new buds remain green and by early summer the tree is as beautiful as ever. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-15T23:41:33.530" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T23:41:33.530" Title="Dwarf Alberta Spruce Winter Burn" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-05-14T15:11:38.603" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9467" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9460" CreationDate="2014-04-28T02:47:13.627" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rubber mulch is a better insulator which may be important in very hot or very cold climates. It also doesn't absorb or retain water which helps keep it weed free since weed seeds won't germinate in it like they can in some other types of mulches. It will last a long time. Different agencies and labs have tested the use of rubber mulch in playgrounds and found it to be safe to people and the environment. I have seen some sources state that rubber mulch used approved for playgrounds may be safer but I'm not sure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will eventually break down in 20, 30 maybe more years. When/as it breaks down the stuff the tires are made from I guess would wind up in the soil which I can't imagine is good. Also, some chemicals used by some tire manufacturers may leach into the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did find this one account of &lt;a href=&quot;http://grilloservices.com/grillo-blog/buying-or-have-rubber-mulch-learn-the-dangers-of-this-seemingly-innocent-product/&quot;&gt;health issues from rubber mulch&lt;/a&gt; along with this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehhi.org/reports/turf/&quot;&gt;linked report&lt;/a&gt;. This other well-referenced document discusses some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.natureswayresources.com/DocsPdfs/RubberMulch.pdf&quot;&gt;issues with rubber mulch&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's still fairly new and I wonder if people are pushing it because they don't know what to do with all these used tires. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Natural mulches feed the soil and increase biodiversity. That's one of the main reasons I use it. I didn't use mulch in the past and I notice a big difference in the soil now compared to years ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people have an issue with &lt;a href=&quot;http://personal.psu.edu/faculty/d/d/ddd2/&quot;&gt;shotgun fungus&lt;/a&gt; (aka artillery fungus) with wood mulch. It appears to be more of a problem with wood instead of bark mulches and cedar, redwood and cypress do not appear to be affected because they decompose slower. I believe licorice root mulch is also less prone to shotgun fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like to use cedar mulch. It's a little more expensive but I like the look and smell plus it lasts longer Every spring I fluff it up and spread it out evenly. Every 2 or 3 years I may need to add a little more. After the first season it turns grey. I don't mind the color but I've been thinking about using mulch dyes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really want to switch to compost as mulch Looks like black dyed mulch (which I like) and is even better for the soil. I'm not quite making enough compost to use in the garden yet and have left over for mulch. I might have to buy the initial compost and then hopefully be able to replenish it with what I make.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2014-04-29T16:06:32.507" LastActivityDate="2014-04-29T16:06:32.507" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9468" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9563" CreationDate="2014-04-28T03:11:36.097" Score="14" ViewCount="59615" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm shopping for a greenhouse to protect my tropical fruit trees from winter frosts. While browsing, I noticed that greenhouses are predominantly green or clear. What are the advantages of each color? I don't quite see the advantage of a &lt;em&gt;green&lt;/em&gt; greenhouse. Wouldn't any color in the windows block parts of the light spectrum?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XHRNL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yp9In.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2019-07-16T03:08:08.953" Title="What color should a greenhouse be?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="12" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9469" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9480" CreationDate="2014-04-28T03:55:35.727" Score="5" ViewCount="4719" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a Century Guava (世紀芭樂) shipped over from Taiwan to zone 9 California. It is nearly 6 feet tall. I planted it in the biggest container that IKEA sold, 20 inches wide, 2 feet deep. I drilled many holes on the bottom and ensured that water drains out. While the nighttime temperature was below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, I kept the guava inside near a south facing porch door. When the nighttime temperature stabilized to 50 degrees, I moved it outside so that it would get 10 hours of sunlight everyday. Daytime temperatures are averaging 75 degrees. The lower leaves have been slowly becoming yellow. The yellow leaves are dropping slowly at the rate of 2 per week. There are no pests above ground level. However, there are many small black flies living underneath the mulch, which all my other potted plants have, but those flies seem innocuous to those other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At first, I thought I was underwatering it. Although the upper leaves were big and green, they had a crispy feeling, as if it would snap in half if I bent it. I increased watering to 1 gallon twice a week, enough to make water drip out of the drainage holes. However, I think tropical guava leaves are naturally drier than other fruit trees. I visited a local nursery and also felt the same dry crispiness on their tropical guava.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I only put a tiny bit of slow-release tea leaf fertilizer that my florist gave me. I also put a tiny sprinkling of Job's 4-4-4 organic powder fertilizer. I was scared of root burn on a newly planted tree, so I just put a dash of each.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v8r6q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's supposed to bear fruit like the photo below. The flesh is white and crispy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MCoJM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-30T15:25:15.497" LastActivityDate="2015-12-24T10:51:00.823" Title="Why are the lower leaves of my tropical Guava yellowing and dropping?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;guavas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9470" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9468" CreationDate="2014-04-28T10:45:59.150" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, the colour will block some light, but not too much. The only reason they sell these green plastic coverings on a frame is because they're thought to be more aesthetically pleasing than looking at clear plastic, and because the material they're made from is somewhat tougher than clear plastic. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-28T10:45:59.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9461" CreationDate="2014-04-28T11:11:06.293" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's an interesting piece of research online carried out in June 2005 at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, and published in the Horticultural Research Institute Journal; one of the subjects in the trial was Thuja Emerald Green. Under control conditions, they were planted with various amendments (bio gels, mycorrhizal fungi and various other products) with a control which had nothing added other than 3 inches of pine mulch at first planting, and a year later. Most were finger weeded in the immediate area during the two year trial period where necessary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The results show that the Thuja planted with nothing but the addition of a 3 inch layer of pine mulch on top of the soil did better than all the others - the mulch was applied at planting time, and then again a year later. The conclusion from the trial was that this worked best because the mulch retained moisture and kept down weed competition to the plants, though there is a caveat - it depends on the state of your soil currently as to whether they would benefit from other treatments. If your soil hasn't recently been brought in from elsewhere, or been graded or disturbed greatly, and it isn't particularly prone to drying out completely, then planting with the 3 inch mulch of pine would seem to be a good choice. If your soil tends to dry out rapidly, the addition of Soilmoist Gel into the planting hole, around the roots, will make a difference, but the mulch should still be applied.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, Kevinsky's answer gets a vote from me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-04-28T11:11:06.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9472" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9474" CreationDate="2014-04-28T14:27:14.140" Score="8" ViewCount="10943" Body="&lt;p&gt;A builder built a new home for us last year (2013) and put sod in the front, and a seed blanket in the back.  The seed blanket came up somewhat patchy, so we bought a few bags of seed and a spreader, to put down some additional seed to help the lawn grow.  Also, we don't have a sprinkler system, but I did move a single hose/sprinkler around the yard to help it grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fast forward to Spring 2014: the snow has melted, and the grass is starting to green.  The back yard still has lots of patches, and weeds are growing everywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What am I doing wrong?  What would be the best way to help thicken the back yard as I would imagine this is the key to a weed free yard.   Should I pull weeds manually or use an herbicide? Should I fertilize?  Should I aerate early in the year?  Should I put down more seed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  I wanted to include this wonderful article I found online as well: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.richsoil.com/lawn-care.jsp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.richsoil.com/lawn-care.jsp&lt;/a&gt; (both for my reference as well as for other visitors).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3394" OwnerDisplayName="Kyle B." LastEditorUserId="4664" LastEditDate="2014-07-23T10:40:39.653" LastActivityDate="2016-09-04T22:45:39.273" Title="What should I do to improve a lawn growing on a new construction lot?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9473" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9450" CreationDate="2014-04-28T15:47:51.500" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does this plant have roots? (Can you pick it up without digging?)&#xA;You may have an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphyte&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;air plant&lt;/a&gt; on your hands. In the future don't let it rest on water - they will rot when in direct contact with water over long periods of time. It will absorb humidity from the air, but you should soak it every now and then when it looks dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3124" LastActivityDate="2014-04-28T15:47:51.500" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9474" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9472" CreationDate="2014-04-28T16:25:19.440" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;ground prep is crucial for a new lawn. I assume sod was used in the front for appearance and cost, but the new lawn in the back was a starter blanket for lack of &quot;street view&quot; and return on the cost. Nothing beats sod. Period. I worked installs for landscape construction for nearly 7 years and the ROI on the sod was a bit more upfront for less hassle &amp;amp; chasing seed/weed/feed cycle in the years to come. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some tips to help you out:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prep the PATCHY/SPOTTY areas again. (Not the WHOLE backyard). Rough up the soil where you want the seed to grow better. Give the soil a good scratching and lay down&#xA;the seed. Make sure the soil has a good nutrient base. Dirt stinks...&#xA;add compost or loam if you can. Don't over-seed in this step though as it will&#xA;chock itself out. Do that later once your seeds have started to germinate and the grass-area-to-be is visibly &quot;green&quot; from a distance.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mulch it. We used &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://natseed.com/pennmulch-seed-accelerator.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Penn Mulch&lt;/a&gt;&quot; (most likely&#xA;available at you local agway/landscape plant supplier... may not be a box&#xA;store product. Too much penn mulch will also choke out the seed. (there is a fetrilizer component in it as a starter solution) Don't use hay. It's pointless. It makes a mess with the smallest amount of wind and doesn't really provide much of an evaporation barrier.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;WATER WATER WATER. If you don't germinate the grass won't grow. Make sure you continue to water thoroughly, but not so much you get rivers of water washing away the seed. Get enough to soak the surface and make the ground &lt;em&gt;moist&lt;/em&gt;... not &lt;strong&gt;wet.&lt;/strong&gt; And make sure you rotate the sprinklers to other areas as needed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There have been times where we have made a pre-germination batch of seed and soil. One of the best &quot;patch repair&quot; production steps we did to expedite the process. Depending on how much you need you may be able to do this in a wheelbarrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put 1-2 lbs of seed into a 1/2 full wheelbarrow of rich compost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mix the seed into the soil by hand, or with a small trowel.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lightly water and keep moist in a shady area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stir every day or so to mix the seed around within the compost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;after 5-6 days, add another 1-2 pounds of seed and another 1/4 wheelie of compost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;continue watering and stirring maintaining a decent moisture content.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when seeds have sprouts 1-2 inches long you can transfer the mix to the pre-scratched patch areas.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not &quot;pack&quot; down the soil as it will crush the new seeds. Rather spread it with a spade (shovel) and then use a spring rake to even out the areas. maintain water for the next few weeks until the patch area grows in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastEditorUserId="3004" LastEditDate="2014-04-29T14:47:30.403" LastActivityDate="2014-04-29T14:47:30.403" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9475" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9458" CreationDate="2014-04-28T18:19:54.000" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might consider bamboo in planters.  You can get evergreen varieties, and types that are not just plain green (variegated, golden, black, etc).  It will still let some sunlight in, and will do fine in a container.  The &quot;trunks&quot; and leaves will provide some gentle wind control.  If you are concerned that they may blow over, you can anchor them by stacking bricks around the base of the planters to create a sort of &quot;dry wall&quot; to prevent them from being tipped over.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also consider putting up a freestanding or easily removed lathe or lattice screen.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-28T18:19:54.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9476" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9453" CreationDate="2014-04-28T18:26:21.010" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first two pictures, where the base is red, do not look healthy at all to me.  I doubt this is natural aging.  It &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; be overwatering.  The second one looks to me as if it is collapsing from within, so I would say it will soon be dead if it isn't already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The third with beige on the bottom is likely just natural aging.  Older cacti will often form a sort of &quot;barky&quot; or &quot;corky&quot; areas on their bottom stems.  This one I believe is fine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-28T18:26:21.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9477" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9472" CreationDate="2014-04-28T21:58:49.487" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need good soil for grass to grow well. Find your local University Cooperative Extension Office and send them a couple of samples from your trouble spots. It will let you know more about your soil's composition, pH and what nutrients you need to add.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Add lime and other fertilizers as they recommend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lots of times in new construction they scrape away and remove the good soil before excavating and haul it away. Then they bring some lower quality soil. It's a good bet your soil is lacking in organic matter content. This is very important to help retain moisture, keep the soil from getting compacted and more. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would get some bulk compost delivered. You'll need about 1 cubic yard per 1,000 square feet. This will spread out to about 1/3&quot; over your entire lawn. Dump it out throughout your yard and spread it around using a rake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After you've topdressed with compost spread some more seed at the recommended rate for overseeding an existing lawn on the bag but go over the bare areas twice. Go over the seed lightly with a spring tine leaf rake to help get good seed to soil contact. Renting a lawn roller to help press everything down may help but you can do without it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering is very important. If the seed dries, it dies. If you don't keep the seeds  moist you will get very poor germination rates. The compost will help retain some of the moisture but you still need to water at least 2x a day but 3 is better. You only need to water enough to keep the top 1/4&quot; of soil damp. Once all your seed has germinated the roots are still small and need water frequently. Cut back your watering to 1x a day for a few days, then every other day for a few days, then every 3 days, etc... until you get to your normal watering schedule.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The compost will help retain water better than your soil but in some of the bare areas you may want to cover the seed with straw (not hay because it contains weed seeds). It will help retain moisture and shield the soil from the sun, preventing it from drying out a little more. The straw breaks down pretty quickly and you won't notice it once your grass has come in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-04-28T21:58:49.487" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9479" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9472" CreationDate="2014-04-28T22:37:39.133" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;After construction, very little of the original topsoil will be left.  Dirt is Dirt.  Doesn't matter what kind you have, you do have to know what kind and what proportion (clay, silt, sand...organic matter) you DO have.  Soil is basically tiny little rocks and you need to understand what their size means...Then you have to learn to manage whatever you have...right now you probably have a lot of subsoil with no organic matter (but few weed seeds!) Lawns can be grown in poor soils, as long as you know how to improve them over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully, the contractors brought in topsoil with organic matter before they sodded your lawn.  The front is what 'sells'...the back, is 'less important'...sigh.  Hopefully, the planting beds are mounded higher than the lawn and they installed edges by trenching around the edge of the lawn.  Hopefully, if you have automatic irrigation that the two areas (plant beds and lawn) are on different zones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If not, healthy plants HAVE TO HAVE HEALTHY SOIL.  The only way to improve ANY soil type is decomposed organic matter.  Bark, wood chips or other non-decomposed organic matter take time and lots of nitrogen to break down where soil organisms are then able to use it for food.  Micro and macro-organisms (those you can't see without a hand-lens or microscope (bacteria, nematodes, mychorrhysae...I've got to learn how to spell that word... and those you can see easily such as millipedes, earth worms) need DECOMPOSED organic matter that they ingest, go back down into your soil and poop out the organic debris responsible for water-retention, nutrient retention and aeration necessary for 'good' soil. Try to find a place that 'makes' mulch from human poo and sawdust...and is regularly tested.  This stuff is reliable, you know what is in it and what is not in it...no weed seeds, no pesticide residue, a little high in heavy metals from us humans taking prescriptions (so don't use in your vegetable gardens, sigh), beautiful, fine-textured, dark taupe in color.  You will notice a marked change in your plants after mulching with 'this stuff'!  Careful with fertilizing in conjunction mulching your beds with this stuff...in my area it was called &quot;Gro-Co&quot;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When your lawn is established next year, aerate your lawn pulling plugs and leaving the plugs to disintegrate, dump little piles of decomposed organic mulch all over your lawn, rake into the grass, top seed patchy areas (remember to KEEP MOIST until new grass plants can be mowed).  Repeat every other year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tilling is not good if you have a high percentage of clay...what is it that makes concrete?  Lime, gypsum, clay, gravel, water and mixing.  If your plant beds are not done, I would use a spade and fluff up my soil by double digging...once.  Soil organisms will do the work of mixing organic matter into your soils.  All you have to do is put the 'food' on top of your soil.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For now, using an organic lawn fertilizer with bacteria and michorrhyzae innoculants should produce a very healthy lawn.  Organic fertilizers take time versus the POW! you get from inorganic fertilizers.  That POW! in my opinion does not make for healthy plants.  Once you've begun mowing (about 1 week after sod, 2 weeks after seeding...or allow to wait until the second mowing if too sparse...) water deeply and only when the soil dries out to encourage your grass plants to grow deep roots.  Great way to eliminate weeds and shallow rooted weed grasses.  Use a line-trimmer to keep the grass from going any farther than the 2-4&quot; trench defining the edge of your lawn.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Test the pH of your soil...lawns need a higher pH in general than most plantings in your beds.  Make sure that you get a professional test and add lime if below 6.5.  If your soil has a pH of 6.0 for instance, I would do half the recommended amount of lime to raise the pH to 6.5 by the instructions and test again a month or two later.  I would then do a second application using what I learned about the results of the first application.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have moss, don't sweat it!  That is a good indication of where there is too much moisture, no competition or too much shade. Moss is a great opportunist, where there are bare areas and/or too much moisture, a pH that is more acid you will find moss.  It is not a serious competitor of grasses. Moss control uses sulfur and causes the pH to lower.  Moss won't grow if there are no bare spots, lots of sun and you allow your soil to dry out before the grass needs moisture again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have similar grass mix to those I am familiar in the Pacific Northwest, make sure you don't mow any lower than 3&quot;.  I've seen the difference between 2&quot;, 2 1/2&quot; and 3&quot;.  Huge.  Our grasses in the NW have huge root systems and need photosynthetic top growth to support the roots.  Once in balance you have a VIGOROUSLY growing plant that can shade out, out-compete and thrive even when the top few inches of soil are dry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure your mower blades are SHARP.  If not, you will see a dustiness on your very green, healthy grass where there is necrosis from 'ripping' by dull blades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A simple test I've used to tell if my lawn is dry enough to water, is to step on your grass and the blades don't bounce back leaving a footprint. Use a spade and make sure the water gets down to 4-6&quot;...you want to be able to use 1&quot; per week of water eventually.  That is the standard.  Depending on your location, humidity, rainfall, type of grasses...this might be entirely different for your needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mowing is important to lush lawns.  A minimum of once per week.  Twice a week is better.  At 3&quot; height the grasses grow at a slower rate, allowing once per week to be enough for that 'just mowed look' and possibly be able to not bag your clippings.  The proper organic fertilizer will have bacteria added that are responsible for decomposing thatch!  Organic fertilizers don't have to be applied as often and the 'wow' factor is amazing. Amazing deep green healthy grass over a period of weeks. Don't ever do synthetic fertilizers with broad-leaf herbicide, in MY opinion.  You shouldn't need any herbicide if you water deeply, infrequently, mow on high and feed your soil.  If you do, use spot herbicide. And make sure you use the right fertilizers (definitely organic) for the fall application!  Too much nitrogen at this time can cause major problems with fungus... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, if you have moles, voles, making piles of soil on your lawn...let them be.  They eat (mostly) grubs in the soil, aerate and top dress your lawn for free.  Just knock the hills down and rake into the soil.  Lower your 'expectations' just a bit and you won't need to control everything.  Anything that advertises fast results, complete kill...stay away from.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry if TMI!  I am working on this problem of mine...grin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-04-28T22:37:39.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9480" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9469" CreationDate="2014-04-29T11:56:49.510" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay, you say it was in a smaller pot and the roots hadn't filled that pot. I'm afraid putting it in a much larger pot was the worst thing you could have done if you wanted to keep the tree small. If the rootball that was present originally hadn't completely filled the pot, it would have been best to leave it in that pot until it actually needed repotting, then potted up one size, and again the following year until it ends up in the biggest pot you could find. Plants don't cope well in a pot that's much too large for them - the unoccupied planting medium tends to sour and the plant doesn't do well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I'd be inclined to turn it out of the pot and check the roots, see how they're progressing and if its possible, repot into something more appropriately sized. The trouble is, you may find it now has fewer, longer roots all over the place, so you'll have to see. I'd also not use that bark topping if its encouraging fungus gnats or whatever you've got going on with the insects. Take the mulch out of the equation altogether - this will also mean the plant gets a chance to dry out a bit between waterings - they like to be well watered, but do like to dry out between waterings, not such that the compost shrinks from the side of the pot, but it should feel a bit dry to the touch when it wants watering again, and when you do water, water thoroughly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you repot into something smaller, I'd cut it back by a quarter or third to encourage new growth lower down the stems. As an aside, I had no idea IKEA is in the States, we have the same pots out front here in the UK - but I think you're going to need a larger one later on, at least 3 feet deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-04-29T12:07:46.143" LastActivityDate="2014-04-29T12:07:46.143" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9460" CreationDate="2014-04-29T14:50:14.507" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Providing some links to some good material I found while doing my own basic research.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.natureswayresources.com/DocsPdfs/RubberMulch.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This document from Nature's Way Resources&lt;/a&gt; addresses each of the alleged benefits of rubber mulch, and provides all the references.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB121362884056577645&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This post at Wall Street Journal&lt;/a&gt; points out that rubber mulch from steel-belted tires (common) may still have some steel wire inside (processing uses magnets for removal, but not 100% effective), which hadn't occurred to me, making a bit of an unexpected hazard until it rusts fully away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm finding a lot of negativity toward rubber mulch (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bloomingarden.com/mulchGoodBadUgly.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;such as here&lt;/a&gt;), but not any (non-corporate) support for it.  I'd like to get both sides covered, however.  Will try to update here with more links, if I find anything helpful or decisive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1381" LastActivityDate="2014-04-29T14:50:14.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9483" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-29T15:26:28.623" Score="3" ViewCount="141" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could anyone identify this plant for me please.  It was spotted in a wooded gill, ancient woodland, amongst bluebells and wild garlic.  Not in a boggy situation.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ssSZC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3399" LastActivityDate="2014-05-01T06:26:40.643" Title="Identification of a plant" Tags="&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9484" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9431" CreationDate="2014-04-29T15:45:04.773" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would feed it regularly on the side where the roots are poorly developed, forcing it to develop roots to that side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2014-04-29T15:45:04.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9485" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9433" CreationDate="2014-04-29T15:47:14.127" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use a watering tray with a water level sensor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2014-04-29T15:47:14.127" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9486" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13382" CreationDate="2014-04-30T07:46:23.197" Score="7" ViewCount="4069" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of newish chili plants growing in pots on my windowsill, they're about 15cm or so tall and seemed to be doing well enough so far. However, this morning I've noticed that the stem at the base of one of these plants has split open from just above the soil to about 2cm up the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are shot of the whole plant with the split highlighted:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y30ma.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full plant shot with split stem highlighted&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And a close up image of the split (click for full size image):&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EK3Ll.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EK3Lll.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of the split stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why has this happened?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Can the plant survive and be healthy?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;If so, there anything I need to do to 'help' the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-16T04:28:31.333" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T05:47:13.707" Title="Why has the stem of my chili plant split?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9487" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9490" CreationDate="2014-04-30T09:01:33.120" Score="3" ViewCount="439" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone tell me the name of this indoor plant/tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mwNXH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3401" LastEditorUserId="332" LastEditDate="2016-07-05T09:52:58.067" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T09:52:58.067" Title="What is the name of this indoor plant/tree with big dark green leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9488" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="386" CreationDate="2014-04-30T10:02:00.530" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Disposal of knotweed is regulated in the UK. The best approach is to see if your neighbour will split the cost of control or removal by a professional contractor. If it is outside a 7m radius of your house you can employ a pesticide-licensed gardener with experience of control - he will have access to glyphosate in strengths not available to lay people, should know relevant disposal regulations (make sure he does and is prepared to guarantee their application) and will have access to tools such as stem guns. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is within a 7m radius you will have to contract a specialist knotweed firm, of which there are a number. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In all cases treatment will run over at least 3 seasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are advantages to employing professionals:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Obviously they have a degree of expertise and practical experience a lay person does not. This alone makes eradication or control more likely.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Herbicide treatment will not fully suppress growth in a single season, and the knotweed will grow back, but it will have been ravaged by herbicides and look stressed and different from normal knotweed. A professional knows what this stressed growth looks like so will be able to treat it until it's properly controlled - a lay person may not.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They will guarantee their work, especially firms who specialise in Knotweed removal, usually for 25 years.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no law I know of which says you cannot also treat it yourself, and this will be cheaper, but there are laws you can break easily through lack of knowledge if you go down that route. Japanese Knotweed plant material and contaminated topsoil is classed as a controlled waste, and stems, leaves, rhizomes and topsoil can only be disposed of at licensed landfill sites or burned in the contaminated area. It is advisable to read the latest environment agency advice and make sure you understand it before DIYing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you DIY give two treatments each season over several seasons in May and August. If the Knotweed is not near plants you wish to live then you can spray it from a knapsack with commercially available glyphosate at a concentration designed to kill tree stumps. Many of these will have specific instructions for use on Knotweed, so ask your garden centre for advice, but both Roundup and Bayer make brands which can be used on Knotweed. Try to get a good dose on the underside of the leaves, where uptake is better. Combine this with basal stem injection of glyphosate, near the crown, at the recommended manufacturer concentration for Knotweed. A stem gun costs about £130.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the knotweed is near plants you do not wish to kill, then you will have to combine stem injection with leaf wiping, which is much more laborious. Use a sponge such as you would use to clean dishes to wipe Glyphosate onto the upside and underside of the leaves then stem inject near the crown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wear protective clothing recommended by the herbicide manufacturer when you do this and choose a day when no rain is forecast because Glyphosate takes up to 6 hours to penetrate the leaf membrane.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can cut back the dead growth following treatment but it must be contained, dried and burned on site or sent to licensed landfill. Read the latest envinroment agency advice on this before you start.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever approach you choose, you must accept that you are in for at least 3 seasons of fun and games before you get it under control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, try not to get too stressed about it. I've dealt with it domestically and succesfully mixed DIY with professional help to control it - the problem is sometimes hyped and overstated. It can affect a house valuation, but that's not an immediate problem unless you're selling. If not you have time to get rid of or control it, and you will as long as you do the right thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most people won't end up with it growing through their floorboards - For sure it can do this if left, but don't forget it was an ornamental garden plant long before it was an invasive weed! The most immediate problem is that it crowds anything else in the garden so if you leave it you won't even have a lawn after a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3402" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-30T13:35:19.763" LastActivityDate="2014-04-30T13:35:19.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9489" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9534" CreationDate="2014-04-30T10:30:05.770" Score="2" ViewCount="692" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother just came back from a family trip and would like to purchase a plant like this one. Their owner didn't seem to know what this plant what, any help is most appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7YEwX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant in question&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3403" LastEditorUserId="3216" LastEditDate="2014-04-30T16:52:30.993" LastActivityDate="2014-05-03T23:01:09.077" Title="Help me identify this plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9490" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9487" CreationDate="2014-04-30T11:11:56.857" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_benjamina&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ficus benjamina&lt;/a&gt; and it looks like its suffered a bit of drought or sunburn judging by the yellow patches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-20T00:52:55.710" LastActivityDate="2014-06-20T00:52:55.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9491" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9483" CreationDate="2014-04-30T13:45:34.790" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a flower from the Arum family. The spadix (floral spike) is visible in the hole. The top part of the flower is missing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In England Arum maculatum will be the most common species. The &lt;a href=&quot;http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gefleckter_Aronstab&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;german wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; has some good pictures of the spadix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3198" LastEditorUserId="3198" LastEditDate="2014-05-01T06:26:40.643" LastActivityDate="2014-05-01T06:26:40.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9493" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9489" CreationDate="2014-04-30T14:19:47.743" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like it could be something in the Aglaonema family, but your picture is so blurry it is difficult to be sure.  Aglaonemas are popular houseplants with a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=Aglaonema&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=mir&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;channel=np&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=OwZhU_bfIsiIyAHe1IGQCA&amp;amp;ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&amp;amp;biw=1284&amp;amp;bih=630&amp;amp;dpr=1.25&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wide variety of different colors and varigated patterns&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Okay, after discussion and thinking about it some more, this is my new best guess.  Some type of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agristarts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/7/typeID/34/index.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;variegated ginger&lt;/a&gt;.  There seem to be dozens of varieties, if not a hundred or more.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures of various variegated shell gingers. I think these are a fairly close match to the height, leaf structure, stem structure and variegation patterns.  Be aware that the actual colors of the leaves can vary a fair bit depending on how much sunlight the plant is getting.  If this isn't it, or close to it, I'm all out of guesses.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NvF6L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DzHrD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0ujnz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have any more pictures of the plant, perhaps a closer shot of how the leaves and stems fit together?  Also, did you notice any flowers or flower buds on the plant?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-05-01T22:53:35.707" LastActivityDate="2014-05-01T22:53:35.707" CommentCount="16" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9494" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9499" CreationDate="2014-04-30T14:50:07.857" Score="1" ViewCount="23414" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I apologize if this seems a bit off topic but since I can't find a StackExchange site where this fits, I imagine experienced gardeners would probably know how to solve this problem.   So, I figured I'd ask here and take a chance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This past Easter I bought my wife some flowers which contained Easter lilies.  After the lilies bloomed, pollen fell onto a enamel-painted, white charger that the vase was sitting on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When my wife went to clean off the pollen, and wash the charger, the pollen stained the charger and she cannot get the pollen off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any old, tried-and-true tricks that we can use to get the pollen stain off of a hard, painted surface?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1444" LastActivityDate="2014-04-30T16:31:18.877" Title="How can I remove a lily pollen stain from a hard surface?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2014-06-21T03:09:56.497" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9495" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9497" CreationDate="2014-04-30T14:55:01.537" Score="6" ViewCount="20006" Body="&lt;p&gt;Following some advice from the web, I boiled vinegar and salt and applied it to some dandelions in our lawn. I probably should have used less of it though - I poured 2-3 tablespoons on the dandelions. Now the grass has yellowed around each dandelion - about a 3-inch radius.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will the grass come back in the future? Have I permanently ruined these spots? What's the best way to fix them up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3406" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-30T15:16:10.960" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T19:42:09.443" Title="How do I fix an area of grass that was ruined using a vinegar/salt treatment of dandelions?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;dandelions&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9497" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9495" CreationDate="2014-04-30T15:13:45.800" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Vinegar acts as a desiccant. It dissolves the protective coating on the leaves of the plant causing it to dry out and die if the temperatures are warm enough. It usually doesn't destroy the roots and sometimes the plant may come back if there is enough energy in the root system. Dandelions have a large taproot which makes them difficult to kill with something like vinegar. The effect of vinegar will not persist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Salt is also a desiccant. It either binds moisture up in the soil, preventing the plant from getting it or it draws the moisture out of the roots when in the soil. Without water the plant will die. Salt will persist in the soil for a long time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are non-selective methods that will kill any plants that they are applied to. That includes not just the weeds but also any non-target plants, such as your grass, that come in contact with the application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A better solution to remove dandelions from lawns is to use one of the weed pullers that are designed for weeds with long taproots such as dandelions. They're effective at pulling out the entire weed including the taproot and are easy to use. See my review of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2009/10/new-weed-hound-elite-size-does-matter.html&quot;&gt;Weed Hound Elite&lt;/a&gt; for an example.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to restoring the dead grass.... I would dig out the affected area to try and get as much of the salted soil as possible removed down to a depth of 6&quot; and fill in the hole with a mix of top soil and good compost (about 1:1 mix) and water it thoroughly to try and flush whatever salt may be left down below the root zone. It takes about 6&quot; of water to reduce the salt content by 50%, 12&quot; for 80% and 24&quot; for 90% reduction according to this Colorado State Extionsion paper on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/crops/00503.html&quot;&gt;Managing Saline Soils&lt;/a&gt;. Finally, sprinkle with new grass seed and lightly mix it into the top. Water as instructed for the seed you are using.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2014-05-01T03:00:43.570" LastActivityDate="2014-05-01T03:00:43.570" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9498" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9495" CreationDate="2014-04-30T15:18:23.303" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;How much salt did you use?  What was the ratio of salt to vinegar in your anti-dandelion solution?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grass in general likes neutral to alkaline soil, and salt is anathema to most plants in general (although not all) so these will need to be either 1) diluted until it is no longer an issue or 2) counteracted in some way before the grass will be able to grow back into those spots.  Since you added not just vinegar, but salt, to your lawn soil, I'm going to suggest that trying to correct the acidity using baking soda or some such is not going to be a good idea since it will just increase the amount of sodium (salts) in the soil, which would be bad.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My best advice is to be very generous with the water for the next few weeks in the hope that you can dilute out the vinegar/salt mixture you poured on the dandelions.  If you used a lot of salt in your vinegar solution, however, this may only work to spread the damage around.  Eventually things will stabilize with enough time and dilution (how long and how much depends on how much salt you used) but in at least the short term you are probably going to be looking at some ugly yellow spots where nothing will grow.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other option just occurred to me - if the spots are few and pretty small you might be able to take a spade and lift out a large divot of soil where each dead zone is and replace it with good non-damaged soil and see if that helps the grass regrow into that area faster.  This may be a practical solution if you only have a few dead spots to deal with.  Obviously, if you have several dozen or a hundred this is probably far too much work.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edited to add:  Looks like my post crossed with OrganicLawnDIY's post.  I think they are absolutely spot on and have a lot more info on how to go about removing the contaminated soil and reseeding the dead zones.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-04-30T15:18:23.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9494" CreationDate="2014-04-30T15:32:22.357" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the pollen has already been wetted with water or cleanser and wiped, then the stain is probably set now. It will likely require some kind of enzyme or chemical treatment to remove from the painted surface of your charger. I have heard that vinegar can help in some cases, so you might try that to see if it removes the stain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the future, use sticky tape to blot up the DRY pollen.  Or, if there is a lot, use the small nozzle attachment on your vacuum. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Btw, it is perfectly okay to take a small pair of scissors and just snip off the stamens in lilies (and other large flowers) so they don't drop pollen all over the place.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-04-30T16:31:18.877" LastActivityDate="2014-04-30T16:31:18.877" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9500" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-04-30T22:25:06.137" Score="2" ViewCount="1255" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got a Ginseng Ficus 3 months ago and up to the last couple of weeks its leaves have been turning yellow. Meanwhile the ones which have been healthy have developed white spots as if lining the outer edge of the leaf. It's spring going into summer and I don't know if it's a climate change problem (it's kept indoors). I have no idea, as it's my first time having a Ficus. I've been watering every so often when the soil gets dry. The weird thing is that it seems to be healthy enough; I have new leaves budding but they die shortly. Help? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3408" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-04-30T23:35:20.680" LastActivityDate="2014-05-01T10:52:09.600" Title="What is causing white spots on my Ginseng Ficus?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9501" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9514" CreationDate="2014-05-01T10:29:19.873" Score="5" ViewCount="1160" Body="&lt;p&gt;My kid got this from school, in South Korea. The leaves are about 3 inches long and are thick and stiff. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One leaf has fallen off and I re-potted it, but I don't know how to care for it or what to expect. It seems to be doing nothing at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XInd3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Small houseplant. Kind of thick stiff leaves.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3409" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-02T14:20:28.750" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T22:55:49.800" Title="What is this small plant with 3 inch long leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9502" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9500" CreationDate="2014-05-01T10:52:09.600" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Photos would be very useful, but in the meantime, find a position for it and leave it there - don't expose to sunlight, they don't like it. They like bright light, but not direct sun, nor do they like draughts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-01T10:52:09.600" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9503" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-01T12:14:40.223" Score="3" ViewCount="32" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some of my veggies in starter pods, and let them sit for a while without adequate sunlight.  The first ones to germinate first shot up way too fast and their stems are getting long and skinny.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I select only the shortest, or the last to germinate in the group, will I be introducing plants with less desirable traits into my garden?  Or is there something to be said about late bloomers, or germinaters in this case?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1361" LastActivityDate="2014-05-25T00:03:23.837" Title="Seedling selection and germination time" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9504" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13420" CreationDate="2014-05-01T12:15:31.483" Score="6" ViewCount="631" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will be spending four months on Lanzarote this year, an arid island off the African coast, and want to grow vegetables for home consumption there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The summer is sunny, hot, and dry; local agriculture (mostly potatoes, squash, carrots) is suspended until the winter months. Extreme temperatures during the summer have been known to reach 38-40°C (about 100-105°F). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There will be access to water, but it's expensive so water economy is an issue. I'm looking into things like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.resilience.org/stories/2011-05-31/bottom-diy-guide-wicking-beds&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wicking beds&lt;/a&gt; to minimize water use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year, I will be there between June and late September before moving there permanently next year. This June, I would like to start to get my bearings, build the soil, and try out some vegetables to see whether they are viable in summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because the climate is so different here, the usual seasonal growth charts you get for veggies don't seem to really apply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How would I determine what vegetables even have a faintest fighting chance in this climate, with June as a planting date? (or is that date completely unsuitable?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the average temperatures on the island:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vqd3M.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-18T02:55:16.720" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T03:36:03.437" Title="How do I determine what vegetables I can grow on a hot arid island in June?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9505" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9507" CreationDate="2014-05-01T13:24:02.687" Score="5" ViewCount="652" Body="&lt;p&gt;Simple question, how much (if any) soil is needed between the grass mat and the fleece barrier?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm building an enclosure for my tortoise and I want to place grass on trays for it to roam. The trays are 8 cm depth (3 in), I will have a bed of expanded clay with a fleece barrier on top for drainage that takes about 3 cm (1 in) leaving 5 cm (2 in) for the soil + grass. Is it enough?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How thick are grass mats? How much soil is needed? I plan on using Zoysia Emerald grass (it is short and readly available here).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3129" LastActivityDate="2014-05-01T14:22:08.203" Title="How much depth is needed for grass mats?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7259" CreationDate="2014-05-01T13:36:52.050" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is perfectly normal for grape and muscadine vines. During dormant season the roots continue to take up water. if you prune or damage a cane before foliage buds out, the water has to go somewhere, so it just drips out. Sometimes it may have a foamy  or slimy look. There is nothing wrong with it and you shouldn't do anything to try to stop it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2596" LastActivityDate="2014-05-01T13:36:52.050" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9505" CreationDate="2014-05-01T14:22:08.203" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends what you mean as far as &quot;grass mats&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you mean artificial grass mats then soil depth doesn't matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you mean mats that have seeds in them that you lay on soil to grow, or pregrown rolls of sod then the grass needs the same amount of soil depth as grass or installed with other methods. Minimum is about 3-4&quot; of good topsoil but roots tend to grow deeper into the subsoil. Zoysia supposedly has a very deep root system that can grow up to 2 feet deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the soil is shallow you'll have a hard time keeping the grass alive. You'll probably have to water it daily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-05-01T14:22:08.203" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9508" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9509" CreationDate="2014-05-01T23:59:32.040" Score="6" ViewCount="2701" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of a plant from a forest in Northern California. Is this poison oak? I’m guessing it’s not, though it does have leaves of three and a slightly longer middle stem. Can an expert identify this or tell me how you know what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A follow-up is that there is a second plant in the background, which might be the same. This plant is common near where I live. What is that plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v87vE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of shrub which might be poison oak&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3410" LastEditorUserId="3410" LastEditDate="2014-05-02T00:23:13.253" LastActivityDate="2014-05-12T00:57:04.820" Title="Is this poison oak?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9509" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9508" CreationDate="2014-05-02T00:47:07.670" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In all its beautiful greenyness, yep, tender spring leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Heck yeah, it's what Southern Oregon and Northern California grow best, more prolific than Wacky Terbaccy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It varies from minimal to deeply lobular edges, the veins from fairly smooth to quite deep valleys in the leaf surface and the green color is from this pleasant hue to a deep waxy green with a pretty deep red highlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It grows from tiny bushlets like this to 30 foot high, arm thick vines that grows up into trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In all the variations, one identifier holds true. --&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Leaves three, let it be!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Poison Ivy is a woody stemmed perennial that has similar toxicity with either smooth edged leaves or 2-4 sawtooth notches between stem and tip and the same three leaf cluster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Oregon state bush is the Oregon Grape, the State of Jefferson state bush would be Poison Oak. &lt;strong&gt;Image gallery below!&lt;/strong&gt; Between Southern Oregon and Northern California, if you grow up eating the local honey, you probably won't be very allergic to Poison Oak, though you still will get a chemical burn from over-exposure. Our dogs rolled in it and we were pretty cavalier about being around it. We found out which of our friends were allergic a couple hours after they petted our dogs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is dual active, allergic people will have some pretty awful reactions way overboard from the simple red, itchy dots that the chemical burn from urushiol causes in non-allergic people.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Non-residents have to be aware that the lithe, whiplike branches do not make for good wiener roasting sticks. Over my lifetime here 5 different campouts resulted in hospitalization.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A washdown with Fels-Naptha soap or dishwashing detergent is immediately indicated to absorb and remove the &lt;strong&gt;urushiol oil&lt;/strong&gt; which is the active ingredient.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I decided to take a walk for lunch and photograph the local flora...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PAF2i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Variety of foliage and coloration, it can be quite pretty...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IsTUi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kaBGA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iLKyo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zzBeO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And Poison Oak grows everywhere, here at the base of and up a 75 ft Jeffery Pine as both shrub and climbing vine. I have another location I hiked into once where it climbed into 50 ft scrub oak. The vines were 3-4 inches in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/89pmO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where &lt;strong&gt;&quot;I wish I'd Died Weiner Roasting Sticks&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; come from. The center ideal shoot is about 4 ft long, just ideal for the bonfire made from the local brush. Double deadly as you get your dose of Urushiol oil internally from the weiner and also breath it in vaporized from the smoke of the mix of brush you just built the bonfire out of... Not joking on this, it has happened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xYXxX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And an ending shot of how prolific this stuff is in Southern Oregon. We wandered through this stuff in the summer time shoeless and in shorts, getting the occasional brush across the leg and trodden ground hugger. There are far worse things here like the seed ticks in the area that carry Lyme Disease and other tick borne nasties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9HAkr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-05-12T00:57:04.820" LastActivityDate="2014-05-12T00:57:04.820" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9510" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-02T01:18:26.933" Score="3" ViewCount="473" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am very much a newbie gardener.  I found out the hard way that I was definitely over watering my pepper seedlings, which led to root rot and leaves falling off, as well as the main stem (the tip of it) looking dry.  I have recently transferred the plants into new soil, and although they look healthy, I have no idea if the main stem will repair itself and keep growing/producing leaves, or if the harm has been done and there is no chance for survival.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3411" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-02T14:21:23.937" LastActivityDate="2014-06-22T03:09:48.113" Title="Are pepper plants worth trying to save after root rot?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9511" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-02T04:37:34.653" Score="5" ViewCount="394" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been thinking about growing Comfrey in my garden but I came across several articles mentioning that once it is in your garden, it is there forever because if you cut the roots, it grows like a earthworm, doubling itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have Sweet Potato growing throughout my garden and I think it has a similar property with the roots. When I dig it up, it just comes back again, and grows throughout most of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found a list of dynamic accumulators that can be turned into compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://oregonbd.org/Class/accum.htm&quot;&gt;http://oregonbd.org/Class/accum.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any reason why legumes such as a sweet potato aren't listed? Where they listed on some websites, they are only considered Nitrogen sources. I'm not sure whether the root length is considered when categorising plants as dyanmic accumulators. Clovers don't appear to have a deep root system but are also dynamic accumulators. Could it be that &quot;Dynamic Accumulators&quot; are only weeds by definition?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a nutritional factsheet for Sweet Potato leaves.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2664/2&quot;&gt;http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2664/2&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Apparently it is high in Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Manganese. This is similar to the Comfrey's nutritional content. So, would it be advisable to use this rather than planting Comfrey which I don't believe I would use other than for creating an organic fertiliser?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some other weeds in my garden are Grass, Lemon Balm, Dandelions and Clover, but only the Dandelions would decompose to a rich compost high in trace elements and there aren't many of those growing in my garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also have Biden pilosa growing in my garden because of my neighbour, but I noticed that if I use it in my compost, it just grows faster, so I just place it in the bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3412" LastActivityDate="2014-05-02T13:26:39.383" Title="Can I use sweet potato leaves as a dynamic accumulator?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9512" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9513" CreationDate="2014-05-02T05:14:23.343" Score="8" ViewCount="471" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a red bell pepper seedling that I bought from a local nursery a couple weeks ago. It has been growing rapidly and upright. One of the egg-sized vegetables had suddenly developed a large tan splotch. Its leaves have suddenly curled up as well. The other vegetables on this plant are smaller and don't have this problem. I'm not entirely sure, but it might be correlated with my recent application of &lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B003SHEDQY&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;4-4-4 organic fertilizer&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://ecoscraps.com/shop/product/ecoscraps-compost-mix-8-quarts/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;store-bought poop-less compost&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zone 9&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Daytime: 70-80 Fahrenheit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nightime: This week it's been 60's. Earlier this month, it was 50's.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water twice a week&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1 gallon container&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LMsZi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Update&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was sun scald. I made some makeshift protection around each vegetable:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qmmZP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-01-06T23:09:04.840" Title="Why did my red bell pepper become tan colored?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9513" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9512" CreationDate="2014-05-02T09:23:12.840" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like it could be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/pepper/pepper-sunscald.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sun scalding&lt;/a&gt; to me.  I have seen it on one of my chili peppers as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Sunscald on peppers occurs in the high heat of summer when humidity is&#xA;  at a peak. Usually the foliage on the pepper plant will help shield it from the most intense rays of the sun but, in some cases, the leaves have defoliated partially due to insects or disease. This leaves the developing fruit vulnerable to the sun and the peppers burn just like you or I would in exposed conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2694" LastActivityDate="2014-05-02T09:23:12.840" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9514" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9501" CreationDate="2014-05-02T09:34:23.487" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am going to guess and say it looks like a non variegated &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54416/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Peperomia clusiifolia&lt;/em&gt;,&lt;/a&gt; or it could be &lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peperomia_claviformis_1-OB9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Peperomia claviformis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.  I can't decide. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9qghP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Peperomia-Clusiifolia&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peperomia-Clusiifolia &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/70UZr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Peperomia claviformis&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peperomia claviformis&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2694" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-26T22:55:49.800" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T22:55:49.800" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9515" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9523" CreationDate="2014-05-02T10:04:51.640" Score="2" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to build an automatic garden/lawn watering system based on a small computer. The system is connected to the Internet and is able to learn the current weather conditions and the short-term forecast. What I need for this project is the ability to determine the soil moisture content using only the readily available weather data.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One may argue that a set of humidity sensors buried into the ground would be the best choice, however the cost of such sensors is prohibitive for a small gardening project (around $300 each). Custom made sensors are cheap and easy to build, but the accuracy is low and it degrades over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/7/5197/2007/acp-7-5197-2007.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Chinese study&lt;/a&gt; but that is of limited help due to its large scale. Does anyone have a clue about how to calculate the moisture content?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3414" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-02T14:18:52.180" LastActivityDate="2014-05-02T14:53:43.747" Title="How do I determine soil moisture based on information from online weather systems?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9515" CreationDate="2014-05-02T12:30:02.703" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't see how its possible without sensors, frankly. A weather prediction is of limited value on its own, clearly, but what can't be accounted for are the various microclimates present within any single garden - some parts will be hotter and dryer than other parts, depending on various factors such as wind/sun exposure, humus content of the soil, rain shadow, and so on, so even if you could work out a general guide for watering for the whole area, there would still be inconsistencies. I'll be interested to read other answers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-02T12:30:02.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9517" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-02T12:51:44.327" Score="2" ViewCount="23167" Body="&lt;p&gt;The background for this is here. The short of it is that the sod guy laid this down last year, and I have a feeling he skimped on the job. Didn't prep the soil, just came and laid the crap down and left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G9yfm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;odd sod job 1&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QYKcE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;odd sod job 2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AoM9F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;odd sod job 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I talked with him immediately after I saw it. He informed me it needed time to settle. My lawn is clay with little to no nutrients, I doubt it's going to 'settle', but I don't do this for a living. These pictures were taken yesterday, the sod was put down just before winter, Oct. 2013. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is it best practice (or even &lt;em&gt;common&lt;/em&gt;) to lay sod higher than the height of the existing lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How can I (if possible) fix this? I'm thinking there's no way to tamp down this sod, so I may have to lay &lt;em&gt;more&lt;/em&gt; sod at the same height?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2162" LastEditorUserId="2162" LastEditDate="2014-05-02T14:04:54.203" LastActivityDate="2014-05-02T16:47:51.573" Title="Is laying sod higher than existing lawn best practice?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9518" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9512" CreationDate="2014-05-02T12:55:24.917" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's on the fruit certainly does look like sun scald, but I wouldn't expect drooping leaves in association with that unless your watering hasn't been sufficient, so not entirely sure that's the only thing going on here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I followed your link to the compost - that product isn't really suitable for adding to pots, its intended for use in open ground, where any pathogens present are diluted in soil. I note they also do a potting mix which is suitable for potting up. Adding composts not intended for potted plants is always a risk, but whether you have introduced something that is damaging the plant is hard to say at this stage until/unless further symptoms develop. The only other thing showing at the moment are the small black/brown areas at the stem/leaf nodes, and these may or may not be significant, only time will tell. In the meantime, I would remove the affected fruit in case rot sets in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-02T12:55:24.917" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9519" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9517" CreationDate="2014-05-02T13:06:21.443" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks a right mess, a bad job indeed. The usual procedure for laying sod is, as you mention, soil preparation first, so that would mean digging over, raking off any debris, removing any weed roots, levelling off, then walking all over it on your heels to get out soft spots, re rake/levelling and then laying the turf (sod, we call it turf here...). It is, though, very difficult to get turf added to existing lawn to be at the same height - naturally, after the preparation process, some settlement takes place, so its possible that the new turf will be laid slightly higher than the rest to allow for that. However, it seems your guy made no preparation - what he's done is just lay the turf on top of unprepared soil, and that is never going to match up with any other lawn you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't see the whole of the lawned area, but if the pre existing lawn isn't large, and if the sods he laid last year are growing healthily, then the easiest thing to do would be to import some topsoil from somewhere, spread it out over the area of the old lawn, till its at the height of the newer turf, then seed it with grass seed, assuming you can get that kind of seed wherever you are. Seed needs loose, friable soil to germinate, to a minimum depth of 2 inches, so if there are areas where the topsoil won't be 2 inches, you'd need to scratch up the surface of the existing lawn to create that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are problems with seeded lawns though - they need frequent watering after germination, must be cut with shears the first couple of times (though a hover mower you'll get away with, other mowers rip out the roots) and cannot be walked on or used normally for 3 months. This may not matter if the area is small, but may be an issue if its large - in which case, I'd take the lot up, dig it all over, doing proper preparation, buy more sod/turf and lay it properly... or take up and prepare the pre existing areas and lay new turf there, though then you've got the problem of trying to work out how much settlement will take place to get the whole lawn (new and the turf laid last year) at the same height. There's no quick, easy solution to this one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Already responded as a comment, but if you're able to, or know someone who can, it should be possible to cut out the new turf, lift and roll it, then prepare the areas beneath properly, and relay the turf at the right level. You'd need to do the job quickly, within a day or two, once the turf has been rolled, unless you have somewhere you can lay it out in the air and keep it watered till you need it. Again with the caveat that settlement might mean it's not level after a few months...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;P.S.&lt;/strong&gt;: If you're going to have a crack at it yourself, but not entirely sure how to do it, buy yourself a copy of The Lawn Expert by D. G. Hessayon - I just checked and its available via Amazon.com around $13... worth every penny (or cent, in your case!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-05-02T14:27:56.810" LastActivityDate="2014-05-02T14:27:56.810" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9511" CreationDate="2014-05-02T13:26:39.383" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, it wouldn't be the same, Sweet potato simply isn't a dynamic accumulator. That doesn't mean you can't grow it, its a useful crop plant, and then add the plants to your compost heap, you can, any nutrients they contain will be useful, but won't be the same as, say, comfrey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's said about comfrey being a life long companion is sort of true - I've found, if you watch the patch during the year, and remove the offset plants in spring when they arrive, at that stage, you can easily dig them out if you go down a spade's depth, and the same in autumn if more have appeared. Once they take hold after a year, then its practically impossible to get them out, so what I'm saying is it's possible to have a comfrey patch that does not get out of hand IF you are vigilant and rigorous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-02T13:26:39.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9515" CreationDate="2014-05-02T14:09:42.963" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Exactly what Bamboo said. Often it happens that rain is forecasted for a city, and it rains in one part of the city but skips the other side of town altogether. How could you account for this without some sort of sensor? You'd have no way of knowing whether rain actually fell in your garden. Also, if you are just working based on weather data, you aren't accounting for your soil. How much of the new moisture does your soil retain after a rain? Does it all wash down a hill before it has time to soak in? Does it drain away in sandy soil before the plants can soak it up? Or does the soil hold it a very long time? The weather patterns won't tell you any of that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to me you'd be better off with a less-than-accurate homemade soil sensor. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-05-02T14:09:42.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9517" CreationDate="2014-05-02T14:40:43.320" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few issues:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Will the sod settle down with the existing lawn?&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sod does settle a bit but it's normally rolled after installing which does most of the settling. It may settle a little more but not much considering it's already been down for months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The roots of the sod should already have worked themselves down into your existing soil. See if you can lift up a corner of the sod. If you can then the roots haven't grown into your soil and you may want to consider removing it, prepping the soil properly and putting it back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Did the installer do a poor job?&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's hard to answer and what really needs to be determined is if the installer did the job you paid/instructed him to do. Normally when you hire someone to install sod over existing grass they're supposed to remove the existing grass, amend the soil with organic matter (compost) and fertilizer, then install sod and roll it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on the pictures and updates in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7347/how-do-i-fix-the-worst-lawn-on-the-street&quot;&gt;previous thread&lt;/a&gt; it looks like you're the one that did the clearing. That may have led the installer to think the ground was completely prepped. Did you clarify what exactly you wanted him to do as far as soil prep? If all you told him to do was put down new sod then he did what you told him to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;What should you do now?&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have a few issues including the difference in height between the old and new lawn portions, the difference in color between the old and new grass and the poor appearance and thin spots in the old lawn portions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your previous question you asked about only sodding a portion of the lawn and I replied:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Just to clarify so we're on the same page. I would never sod or seed&#xA;  just a portion of a section as I had defined it. As I mentioned in the&#xA;  other thread there are so many different types of grass seed that if&#xA;  you don't know what you have chances are there will be a noticeable&#xA;  difference in the two. If you can't do the whole thing I would&#xA;  recommend splitting it up like I did, front and back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you had followed that advice you wouldn't have had the issues you're having now. I would have done the entire front lawn so everything was visually consistent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To give you an idea of how much the appearance can vary between different cultivars of KBG can differ, here is a photo of some different KBG test plots at Penn State (source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://turfgrass.cas.psu.edu/graduate/Agro851/Lesson09/L09_02.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Applied Plant Population Management&lt;/a&gt;). They're all Kentucky Bluegrass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tNaIj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Right now you can either rent a sod cutter and remove the rest of your front lawn and lay more sod purchased from the same sod farm that is the same type of grass or you can seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For seeding... Find out where the sod came from. Call the sod farm and find out what grass seeds they used were for the sod you have. Maybe they'll even sell you some. Spread some top soil in a 2-3' band where the new sod meets the old grass and use the back of a rake to smooth it out so that the transition isn't as drastic. Spread a 1/3&quot; layer of compost over the entire front lawn (1 cubic yard per 1,000 sq ft) then overseed the old lawn. That should help minimize the difference in appearance a little but you'll likely need to overseed a couple more times to really minimize the difference in color. Overseed again in the fall and next fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-05-02T16:47:51.573" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9523" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9515" CreationDate="2014-05-02T14:53:43.747" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do searches and read up on information on Evapotranspiration. Weather stations around the USA record local ET data. You'll want to water enough to restore the water lost to ET. This is a decent article to give you some info &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rainbird.com/landscape/resources/articles/Irrigation-Scheduling.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.rainbird.com/landscape/resources/articles/Irrigation-Scheduling.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On my site I also have some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2009/06/1-of-water-per-week-and-other-watering.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lawn watering tips&lt;/a&gt; which includes some info on ET.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil probes should give you more accurate info on your current soil conditions and would be easier to program because you won't need to find and interpret your local ET data (which may differ slightly from your actual conditions). It drastically reduces the number of variables you need to account for. Did a quick search for arduino soil moisture sensors and prices ranged from $2 to $8.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-05-02T14:53:43.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9524" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9526" CreationDate="2014-05-02T17:05:12.633" Score="12" ViewCount="10764" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this Venus Flytrap since about 6 months. It was in bloom when I got it (for some reason shops like to sell flowering plants). I read that flowers take a lot of energy from the plant, and since my Flytrap started deteriorating soon, I did cut out the flower, and the flowers that came after it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soon the Flytrap died back even more, it grew a few new traps, but then it was mostly gone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also read that they can do that in winter, so I didn't worry too much yet, and kept watering it (not too much) and waited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a while, it started to grow new leaves, but without traps. If you look very closely, you can see just a hint of a very tiny withered trap at the end of each leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot find any reference to this behavior. Is it normal? Is there something I can do to make it grow real, working traps again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In comparison, my sundew, which should have a sunny spot as well, was bought at the same time, and seems to be flourishing. It has nice sticky droplets and it catches many fruitflies and other small flies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5BEy5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flytrap&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;The flytrap, withering.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SwLUE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sundew&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;The sundew, doing fine, so it seems.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance for any insights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following the advice TeresaMcgH gave in her answer, I've investigated the lighting conditions, and although it is a very bright spot, the plants get hardly any direct sunlight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did some reading and apparently the Drosera thrives in lots of direct sunlight as well, and its leaves should be reddish. A Drosera that is mostly green is also a sign of too little light. Since mine was pretty green, I took that as an extra confirmation that Theresa was right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've moved both plants to the other side of the house, where they will have direct sunlight for about 5 hours until about 2PM and still a lot of daylight after that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let's see what happens... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2: Two weeks later&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well, it seemed that during spring (more light), the stub-traps were already slightly larger, but the first new leaf that unrolled since I moved the plant has grown an actual trap. It's not very big yet, but at least it's a complete trap that actually opened. I've got good hopes for the future! :-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VOEoc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Two weeks later: new trap&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 3: Seven weeks after moving&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I can consider my plant saved! The difference the new spot made is far greater than I could ever imagine, but look at this; A bunch of new traps, a couple of which caught some insects when I put the plant outside during a sunny day. Lots of new traps in the making. Instead of just pale green, the traps have hints of red on the inside and outside. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GM4Ba.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Seven weeks: a completely new plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I notice the same effect on the sundew. It's as full as it was before, but it completely changed colour. Now, the weather has been extremely sunny here in the past two months, but still I wouldn't have expected this to have this effect so soon. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8BykR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sundew, all red now&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope the updates don't bug you (this might have been the last one), but I think this case should convince anyone who would have any doubts about the effects of (more) sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 4: Summer's end&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've moved the plants outside a couple of months ago. At first I kept them in the same pots, which worked well and they flourished. But after a while I moved them together to bigger 'pot' of peat. I thought this would make it easier to keep them moist. By that time, both the fly trap and the drosera (Alice Sundew, I'm guessing now) were grown big enough to be divided. In the bottom-right of the picture you can see half of the fly trap. The other half is hiding at center top. The one on the left is a different plant I added later. The drosera is divided and individual rosettes are spread around the bin. I've added some other species as well (drosera binata, drosera albino (?), two types of sarracenia and a nepenthes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8eFJJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far they are doing well, and I hope they'll make it through winter. I'm not sure every one of these species can handle frost, so I think I'll move the whole thing indoors before that time. Anyway, it seems like the plants are doing even better outdoors. I'm saving up for a greenhouse, and I guess that will certainly unlock some new possibilities. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3317" LastEditorUserId="3317" LastEditDate="2014-11-02T15:31:22.853" LastActivityDate="2021-03-24T09:38:50.517" Title="Venus flytrap/Dionaea muscipula doesn't grow traps anymore" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;venus-fly-trap&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9525" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-02T17:10:02.070" Score="3" ViewCount="1607" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a plum tree that is meant to be self pollinating. I have had it for four years, but when I bought it it was 5 years old. The first two years I had an abundant crop of plums. But for the last two years there has been no sign of any blossom, and last year no plums at all. I have a column apple tree also and both years it has produced plenty of blossom and fruit, so the soil seems to be fine for that tree. The last two years the Winter has not been too bad, 3 and 4 years ago we had a huge amount of snow. This year it has been quite mild, so I do not think it is due to frost. What is going wrong, my 5 year old daughter misses picking fresh, delicious plums off the tree!?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a Plum Opal, Fan trained - definitely self fertile. The Rootstock is described as St Julien A and Pixy. The plum is positioned alongside a wooden fence and faces full sun for a large proportion of the day. It has never been allowed to dehydrate, but is also on the top of a slight incline, so not in standing water either. The leaves are healthy and there are plenty of small side shoots growing, just no evidence of blossom. I have not pruned it this year, but did so last June.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3415" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-03T13:31:43.777" LastActivityDate="2014-05-27T18:41:43.227" Title="Lack of Blossom and Fruit on my Plum Tree!" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9526" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9524" CreationDate="2014-05-02T17:28:32.817" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant doesn't look like it's happy in the conditions it is growing in.  For example, it definitely doesn't look like it is getting enough light.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flytrapcare.com/&quot;&gt;some tips for coaxing your plant back into healthy condition&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically it needs at least 4 hours of sun per day, well drained but moist growing conditions, and it is recommended to water it with rain water or other low mineral water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-05-02T17:33:45.047" LastActivityDate="2014-05-02T17:33:45.047" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9527" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-02T21:14:44.937" Score="2" ViewCount="593" Body="&lt;p&gt;So a few days ago I transplanted my pole beans and Zucchini plants into containers. I'm noticing a few things on the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We had a heavy rain and some wind a few days after I transplanted them and one of the pole beans leafs had fallen off. I'm now noticing browning on the stems. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YVIeJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pole bean&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;My zucchini leaves have big white spots on the leaves. I transplanted these 2-3 days ago. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RGuY7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot; zucchini leaves have big white spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;My other Zucchini plant has little tiny white specs forming on its leaves &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V3zCW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Zucchini&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure if its just over watering. Pests? Not enough food? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! thanks so much! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3378" LastEditorUserId="3378" LastEditDate="2014-05-02T21:20:20.293" LastActivityDate="2018-05-10T17:50:58.240" Title="Just transplated Zucchini and bean outside and noticing some white spots on leaves and brown stems" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9527" CreationDate="2014-05-02T21:41:17.017" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did you &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-harden-off-seedlings.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;harden off&quot; your transplants&lt;/a&gt; first?  I'm asking because this all looks like minor damage from not allowing your plants to gradually acclimate themselves to the outdoors, where the sun is stronger and the temperatures fluctuate and the wind blows, before being put outside all the time. The beige-brown patches on the Zucchini looks like sunburn.  The tiny white specs could also be sunburn, but it may be pests.  Keep an eye on the undersides of the leaves and treat with insecticidal soap if you find any creepy crawlies.  The browning of the stems on the beans may be sunburn as well, or a reaction to the higher level of light.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;None of what I see here looks like death-dealing damage, however.  My guess they will outgrow it.  Keep your new transplants moist, but not soggy wet.  If the sunburn damage spreads, move them into more of a dappled sunlight spot for a few days until they get a bit tougher.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-05-02T21:41:17.017" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9529" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9530" CreationDate="2014-05-03T09:48:08.393" Score="5" ViewCount="3436" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is an apple tree in western Germany that recently began to show some white fuzz on a couple of snags on the tree. Can you identify this by the shown picture? &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YtBAX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;apple tree with white fuzz&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does it any harm, shall I take any measures?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3417" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T13:39:28.460" Title="Identification of fungus like fuzz on apple tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9530" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9529" CreationDate="2014-05-03T10:51:37.043" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends - is there anything resembling this on other parts of the tree, perhaps on the leafed branches? This could be woolly aphid, it could be scale eggs (some scale insects lay their eggs under white cottony threads like this), but if it was either of those, I'd expect to see further evidence on the rest of the tree. Otherwise, it could be some kind of fungal growth, and its presence at a wound site might be troublesome, though it depends how long ago this particular branch was removed. Also, any fungal growths on trees which suggest a serious rotting problem are usually of the bracket kind, totally different from this. Suggest you inspect as much of the tree as you can, including undersides of leaves, to see what's there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-03T10:51:37.043" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9531" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9525" CreationDate="2014-05-03T16:59:37.790" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to ask how you pruned it - plums fruit on year old and older wood, so if you took off quite a lot of growth, you may well have removed the wood which would have flowered/fruited this year. Pruning of a fan trained plum is quite specific and rated as 'moderate' in the difficulty of pruning table, so is that a possible answer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if it is, that doesn't explain why it didn't flower the year before you pruned it, other than to say that because this particular plum flowers quite early, the flowers are very susceptible to frost damage, and last year in the UK (if that's where you are) we had a very cold and miserable spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-03T16:59:37.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9533" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9303" CreationDate="2014-05-03T22:03:08.320" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've not (yet) tried it myself, but recently I read about a 'worm bin', which seems to be a good solution for indoor composting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The idea is that you have a bin of multiple layers. You fill up a layer with materials, and the worms will do the composting for you. When the layer is full, you add new layers. The worms can travel between the layers because of holes in the bottom. This also makes sure that excess fluids will be drained. This fluid is very potent as well and can be used as a fertilizer when mixed with water (otherwise it's too strong).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a while, the bottom layer will be fully composted and you can use the contents from that layer, after which you can put it on top to fill it again with new material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can buy systems like this, but they appear to be pretty easy to make yourself too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Worm-Compost-System&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Worm-Compost-System&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3317" LastActivityDate="2014-05-03T22:03:08.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9534" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9489" CreationDate="2014-05-03T23:01:09.077" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant looks to be Stromanthe sanguinea 'triostar'. Family Marantaceae, along with calathea sp. Order ginger. From tropical south America. Cultivar sold by Monrovia in big box improvement stores in the gulf coast, mostly Florida. Zones 9-11. Prefers shade or part sun with moisture when outdoors. Used as indoor plant also. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/b/Marantaceae/none/none/cultivar/0/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/b/Marantaceae/none/none/cultivar/0/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3079" LastActivityDate="2014-05-03T23:01:09.077" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9535" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-03T23:30:11.967" Score="2" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have both columbine and myrtle (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinca_minor&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Vinca minor&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;) which I bought for the side of my property along the drip line (lead-contaminated soil so no edibles there). Can I plant them together or will the myrtle choke out the columbine (or vice versa)? Any guidelines for planting? (a few small bushes are already growing there and plenty of day lilies available for transplanting).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3422" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-04T04:03:08.347" LastActivityDate="2014-05-05T09:52:35.360" Title="Can wild columbine and myrtle (Vinca minor) be planted together?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9536" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9543" CreationDate="2014-05-04T09:57:59.790" Score="3" ViewCount="5403" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the borders on the front of my house, I have a number of shrubs and bulbs that come up every spring. Every year, once the bulbs have died off, I dig the soil and rid it of the weeds and grass. Every year, the grass comes back and by this time of year is entwined with the bulbs such that they look a right mess: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x9ZYI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x9ZYIl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sup&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, once the bulbs have died back, can I use weed killer to kill the grass and weeds off and will that solve the problem forever? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2467" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-05T14:12:44.443" LastActivityDate="2014-05-05T14:12:44.443" Title="Can I use weed killer to eliminate grass growing between my bulbs?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;border&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9537" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-04T14:34:15.103" Score="1" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a home, and now I am tired of watering the lawn every day. I considered under ground sprinkler system but they are very expensive. I thought to do my own diy on the on ground sprinkler system connecting each impact sprinkler with hoses, But I didn't find much luck online. I am wondering if there is any issue with having the system on the ground instead of underground? Also please let me know where can I find online design service to design my lawn. I am thinking to connect impact sprinklers with 25 foot hoses not more than 4 for a water line. I tried connecting 3 impact sprinklers and it worked very well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3283" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-06T01:11:07.287" LastActivityDate="2014-06-06T01:11:07.287" Title="Are there any issues with using an on ground sprinkler system with impact sprinklers?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9538" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9539" CreationDate="2014-05-04T15:18:29.020" Score="2" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the dog wood trees in my yard does not grow healthy.  The tree care professionals recommend the so-called deep root fertilization, and I agree to move on with this operation.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yesterday, after arriving home, I received a note placed in my mailbox .  The note states that they have applied  the deep root fertilization on the tree, and charged me $100.  I examined the surroundings of the trees, and could not find indication that is related to the operation, like a hole or a pile of fertilizer.  I am not clear how to ensure they have did the job of deep root fertilization or just put a note without doing anything since nobody is in the home at that time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3010" LastActivityDate="2014-05-04T19:57:42.240" Title="questions on deep root fertilization" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9539" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9538" CreationDate="2014-05-04T16:09:05.020" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Normally this is done by taking a long hollow spike that connects to a hose which sends water and fertilizer through the spike. The spike is then inserted into the soil maybe 1/2 way between the trunk and tree line. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're looking for evidence that the fertilizer was applied you can try looking for small holes under the tree canopy. They won't be very big, maybe 1/2&quot; in diameter. Since the fertilizer is liquid you won't see any signs of it. If there is grass around where the fertilizer was applied you may sometimes see a portion of the grass get much darker green in a small circle around the injection holes but not always. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Material cost and labor involved with the actual fertilization is very small. If they took the time to drive over there and put the notice on the door I don't see why they would not take the time to do the job and jeopardize their reputation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-05-04T19:57:42.240" LastActivityDate="2014-05-04T19:57:42.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9540" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-04T18:55:44.340" Score="3" ViewCount="339" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a plant that didn't list its name. I'd like to know what it is, since I've searched online but couldn't find anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5uO7u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant Picture #1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lLth3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant Picture #2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Brandon Jackson" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2014-05-17T14:57:26.253" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T22:45:32.433" Title="What is this teardrop-leafed houseplant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9541" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9540" CreationDate="2014-05-05T09:47:23.633" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Eric's comment - it reminds me strongly of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudbeckia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rudbeckia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, but until it does something else, i.e., flower, its hard to be definite other than to say I'm 99% sure its some kind of herbaceous perennial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-26T22:45:32.433" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T22:45:32.433" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9542" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9535" CreationDate="2014-05-05T09:52:35.360" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's no reason why you can't plant the two together, but a word of advice regarding the Vinca minor - every year, after its main flowering is over (in spring) pull all the growth up into the air and cut it off so that there's just a clump left about 3 inches long. This keeps the plant nice and bushy - if you don't do this, you'll finish up with long lengths of stem growing over bare ground with clumps of growth on the ends all over the place. Equally with the columbine (I assume you mean Aquilegia), keep any eye on any seedlings - they do tend to seed themselves prolifically and they're usually not the variety you actually bought. You can get round this by removing the flowered stems at their bases once they're finished, but even then, some will be missed and you'll find seedlings popping up. A few extra seedlings may be just fine - 20 or 30 might not be...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-05T09:52:35.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9543" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9536" CreationDate="2014-05-05T10:10:46.490" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;After all green growth on your bulbs has completely disappeared, you can spray the weeds and grass with glyphosate. I say glyphosate deliberately rather than Round Up - Round Up contains other ingredients which make it more dangerous in the environment, but you can buy a bottle of neat glyphosate from somewhere like Wilkos fairly cheaply, and mix it yourself, adding a little squirt of washing up liquid to the mixture. Works out much cheaper and is less likely to harm other life forms, including you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, that doesn't mean the grass won't be back, you may need to carry out more treatments during the summer and the year after to get rid of it. In the situation pictured in your photo, it's possible you have couch grass with roots under that wall, which is probably why digging it out has been unsuccessful - you can't get at those roots and it just spreads back out. Glyphosate works 'through the green' so to speak - the more strongly the plant is growing (grass, in this case), the more effective the treatment will be, so don't use it during periods of drought or very late autumn and winter. There is one caveat - glyphosate binds to soil particles and is present for some weeks, and there is some evidence that crops such as carrots did absorb glyphosate from treated ground post treatment. However, this is less likely with your bulbs - once the foliage has died back, the bulb is returning to dormancy, and by the time it starts growing again, any glyphosate in the soil should have disappeared. If, though, some of the bulbs are daffodils, their roots start growing in August, so I'd avoid treating that area much past the end of June, just in case they absorb the glyphosate. Other bulb roots start growing later in the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-05T10:10:46.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9544" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9546" CreationDate="2014-05-05T18:40:04.757" Score="7" ViewCount="418" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last summer I planted a maple sapling in my yard. I foolishly did this without calling 811. This month I have other work to do and had my utilities marked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the marking was done I discovered that my phone and cable lines were ~6 feet apart and my maple sapling was planted right in the middle of those two lines. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How far should my sapling be from these lines? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is too close should I transplant it or just kill it and start over with a new sapling in a better location?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="486" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T02:39:56.503" Title="How close should a maple tree sapling be to marked utilities?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;safety&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9545" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9864" CreationDate="2014-05-05T22:09:01.520" Score="3" ViewCount="111" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have eight or so phalaenopsis of varying colors. Except for my newest plants they have all bloomed multiple times under my stewardship. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant in question has at least twice, perhaps more times, put out blooms which are noticeably fewer in number (3-4) than all my other plants and also seem to last such a short time that it never has two open and not nearly dried up at the same time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this expected behavior for some plants based on their genes, or is it possible that I'm treating this plant differently without realizing it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3216" LastEditorUserId="3216" LastEditDate="2014-05-10T18:44:03.693" LastActivityDate="2014-06-04T20:12:18.627" Title="Do some phalaenopsis have naturally weak blooms?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9544" CreationDate="2014-05-05T23:25:29.043" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trouble now or trouble later would sum up the answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig the tree up and set back it's growth by a few years or take your chances that there will be substantial root damage later if the lines have to be relaid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I live cable and phone companies have a distressing tendency to bury their lines anywhere but usually close to the surface.  It's not like a water or natural gas line where they are buried below the frost line in northerly climates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The upside to this is, in the event that roots or other events cause your line to need replacing the odds are good that they will not dig up the area and &quot;fix&quot; the line.  They will just lay a new line from the nearest junction and hopefully you could ask them to dig around your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't say what kind of maple it is or where you live but many maples get to one hundred feet tall with a thirty to fifty foot crown diameter.  Digging around a tree at mature size within six feet of the trunk will cause damage but might not be a likely outcome if your utilities prefer to lay a new line if the old one is broken.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_rubrum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This reference&lt;/a&gt; from Wikipedia agrees with my own observations that the size and shape of red or silver maples is highly variable.  Trees grown in the open spread out a bit more, soil, climate and parentage do have an effect on mature height and spread.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let's take the best scenario:  Your tree grows to maturity over twenty or thirty years. At that point in time it could be about forty feet in diameter.  So you would want to plant this tree at least twenty feet from any utilities and twenty five would not be a bad idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-17T02:39:56.503" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T02:39:56.503" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9547" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9540" CreationDate="2014-05-05T23:48:45.280" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's an Echinacea - purple coneflower. E. purpurea is the most commonly planted species of Echinacea. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3424" LastActivityDate="2014-05-05T23:48:45.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9548" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-06T07:26:41.670" Score="4" ViewCount="701" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/POByg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;this is a evergreen indoor plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a house plant which has green leaves in the summer and the leaves turn pink and white at the tips in the autumn to spring. When cut at the tip it sprouts another growing shoot from the next leaf node.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3425" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-06T13:40:51.577" LastActivityDate="2014-06-20T02:31:48.660" Title="What is this evergreen houseplant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9549" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9548" CreationDate="2014-05-06T14:34:18.020" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It certainly seems to be a Tradescantia, specifically T. fluminensis; some varieties have leaves striped longitudinally with varying degrees of pink, or have the bottom halves pink. Most likely cultivar name is Tradescantia fluminensis 'Maiden's Blush' - if you increase its light levels, you might find you get more half pink or all pink leaves, but it doesn't like direct sun in high summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-05-06T15:10:13.403" LastActivityDate="2014-05-06T15:10:13.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9550" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9566" CreationDate="2014-05-06T15:39:38.043" Score="5" ViewCount="199" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had planned to start some plants indoors for the vegetable garden this year to try more disease resistant varieties but between being busy and the weather being cold for so long I completely forgot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to buy transplants but still want to want to do some plants from seeds. Namely some tomatoes and hot peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few days ago I planted some seeds in peat pellets and yesterday I noticed the tomato seedlings have already come up and are  now sitting by a south facing window with some artificial light to help them get a better head start.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone give me advice for late starts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Things like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Only doing a few. Should I not bother and just buy plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I start to harden them off early since the weather will be warmer or should I stick to the normal schedule?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I just direct sow? I have already sown some other seeds in a covered raised bed where I plan on putting some of the tomato and pepper starts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically what would you do if you were in my shoes and you normally plant transplants out in the next week or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Zone 6.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2014-05-06T21:23:47.970" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T22:17:17.060" Title="Advice for late tomato/pepper starts" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9551" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-06T16:04:08.200" Score="2" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a starter cutting for a blackcurrant bush - it's doing very well, looking healthy. The problem is that there are also some flowers developing, and a pamphlet that came with the cutting said I should trim any fruit that grows. Should I trim the flowers off so the young bush will put more energy into vegetative growth (nipping the fruit problem &quot;in the bud&quot;)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3124" LastActivityDate="2014-05-06T17:22:23.463" Title="Should I trim the flowers off a new blackcurrant bush?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9552" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9551" CreationDate="2014-05-06T17:22:23.463" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you mean a bare root or potted plant? Did you prune it when you planted it? Either way, I would prune each stem back to 4 or 5 buds. Then you can remove any flowers that are left, if there are any. Good luck with it! My black currants are some of my favorite plants in my garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-05-06T17:22:23.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9553" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9550" CreationDate="2014-05-06T17:26:25.153" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am hopeless at hardening off, so I don't have advice there, but it does sound like you are looking for other options. Have you thought of wintersowing some seeds outside to try? I am a zone or two colder than you, and planted a couple empty milk jugs with tomatoes within the past couple weeks. They are just starting to come up now, and seem to be taking the near freezing temps we've had some nights just fine with the protection that the jug gives them. I still have 3 1/2 weeks to go before the date we normally set our tomatoes out here. I would think you'd have no trouble getting some started this way in your zone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-05-06T17:26:25.153" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5728" CreationDate="2014-05-06T18:07:42.657" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just to update on this issue in case someone stumbles upon it: I did add the moss. However, the method that worked the best was to re-pot it in the same pot. I had this bonsai for more than two years, and as the roots are overgrowing the size of the pot, there is no space for the roots to suck water anymore. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1895" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-06T22:01:34.753" LastActivityDate="2014-05-06T22:01:34.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9555" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9560" CreationDate="2014-05-06T18:13:37.560" Score="5" ViewCount="136" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Cussonia bonsai suffers from these pests which I cannot recognize. I cleaned the leaves with a 90% alcohol solution, but they keep coming back, although I don't know if those are new pests or just eggs that are hatching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could you please help me to recognize those pests? I'd appreciate any advice on how to treat them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dYJZy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dYJZy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image of the pests&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1895" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-15T18:31:31.010" LastActivityDate="2016-02-15T18:31:31.010" Title="What are these pests on my Cussonia Bonsai?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9556" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-06T18:56:29.947" Score="6" ViewCount="760" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a perennial, growing in moist, shady conditions in northern California. Does anyone know what it is? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dNDkO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3429" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-02T00:37:37.660" LastActivityDate="2018-10-16T02:23:10.647" Title="What is this northern California perennial with variegated leaves with dark red lines on them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9557" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9556" CreationDate="2014-05-06T22:10:57.037" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this plant years ago, I am sure of it...this has been bugging me.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this guy alternate leaved, woody, how big is it, is it in sun or shade and have you gotten any flowers or buds? How long are those leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This really is bugging me.  I think it is a Polygonum, a Knot-weed.  Most are very invasive and a few have climbed to the tops of weeds-to-eradicate list.  Let me know 1) how high the plant is generally growing; 2) the general size of the leaves; 3) what the flowers look like...I am guessing Polygonum cuspidatum 'compactum'...a compact-growing Japanese Knot-weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The jointed stems with the base of the leaf wrapping around the stem is characteristic of Polygonums (sometimes listed as Persicaria).  The flowers should be spikes of pink to red.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-05-28T02:51:30.020" LastActivityDate="2014-05-28T02:51:30.020" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9558" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9555" CreationDate="2014-05-06T22:25:43.063" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think you should be using alcohol...could damage the leaves of your bonsai.  Aphids or whatever, they look like soft-bodied insects that NEEM would be able to handle, safely.  Great product in my opinion, so far. Still!!! Read the LABEL, 5X.  Indoor plants seem to need even more vigilance than outdoor where insect opportunists are concerned.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or, possibly a soap spray...even just water spray?  How long have you had your bonsai?  I used to put pot and plant in a water bath (or a shower in my shower) each time I watered.  Wash off dust as well as eggs, larvae and adult insects. Then allow to dry out (one or two days with a bonsai). You shouldn't have much trouble, the main thing is you are vigilant!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-06T22:25:43.063" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9559" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9537" CreationDate="2014-05-06T22:57:40.630" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;How large of an area do you need to water?  I've used oscillating sprinklers on whole nurseries and on my own landscapes with lots of success.  The cheaper the oscillating sprinkler, the better.  Weird, huh.  Do make sure how much you water (NOT every day) by putting out straight-sided cans like cat-food cans.  1&quot; deep once per week is the &lt;em&gt;average&lt;/em&gt; goal (can be done 1/4&quot; 4 days a week or 1/2&quot; twice per week...)  Use a shovel to make sure you water the soil down to 4-6&quot; in depth.  Then allow to dry out! Do not allow plants to stress or wilt but training your plants to grow deep roots helps with drought-tolerance.  Are you on city water or do you have your own well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've installed many, many irrigation systems and they work great IF you understand how plants thrive and if you understand how to program your system.  Most irrigation companies set timers to go off everyday for a few minutes each zone.  Bad idea.  You have to set out the cans, time your irrigation zones, each and every one.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Buying a 7 dollar oscillating sprinkler is what I've been doing forever.  I'll leave it going until my beds, lawns are SOAKED.  Half an hour...an hour...depends on your soil, slopes, drainage.  You want your soil WET down to 4-6&quot; and then you want to allow your soil to dry before you water again.  Check your sod's soil and your planting bed soil separately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sandy soils will need to be watered more often, clay a lot less often.  While you are at it, check the soil's pH.  Lawn's tend to be more alkaline, plant beds can be more acidic.  Don't forget to aerate your lawn areas at least once per year leaving the plugs on top of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you decide to get an automatic watering system, the best time is AFTER all your plants are planted and the lawns have definitive edges.  You won't be able to tell where the lines are installed...if done correctly.  Get to know your timer and how to program the thing.  Don't be afraid to call the company that installed your system for advice and if you live in areas with winters, to have the same company blow out your system and recharge it every fall and spring.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-06T22:57:40.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9560" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9555" CreationDate="2014-05-06T23:27:04.863" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are aphids and soap and water will deal with them effectively. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3734/what-are-these-white-bugs-all-over-my-lettuce/3746#3746&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more details. For a bonsai you do not want to take the risk of burning the leaves so be sure to rinse the leaves a few minutes after spraying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The key to control is to spray at least three times at five day intervals.  This will catch the newly hatched young of the next generation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: either method works well.  It depends on the number and size of leaves.  Many small leaves would make spraying easier.  Using a paper towel to rub the underside of the leaves does take care of the eggs as well but takes longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: to remove the soap I would spray it with water. If you want to remove it with a damp paper towel you will have to do it a number of times to reduce the residue level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just remember: only 5 ml of soap to a liter of water, a little goes a long way&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: it doesn't really matter what soap you use. As you are dealing with a soft bodied insect all kinds of soap will do the job.  All soaps are fatty acids and dish soap works just as well as &quot;Insecticidal soap&quot;.   Use the simplest plainest type you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-05-09T12:34:22.850" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9562" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2924" CreationDate="2014-05-07T01:37:22.937" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soil is nothing more than little rocks...plants do not have a problem with a few large rocks.  I've seen expensive, custom-made soils that were made with a significant percentage of pea-gravels.  My rule which was made by someone else is to toss any rock larger than my fist out of the garden. No matter what your soil composition is, the only way to improve it is to add DECOMPOSED organic matter...and just put the mulch ON TOP.  The soil organisms eat the stuff and crawl back into the soil profile, pooping matter out, mixing it into the soil for you.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gotta relax a bit...sifting soil is awfully un-fun and humans don't like repeats of un-fun things-to-do.  A few rocks is no big deal. You are going to need an awful lot of DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATER to mix into your soil...hopefully it isn't all rock and no true soil.  That would be another problem altogether.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-07T01:37:22.937" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9468" CreationDate="2014-05-07T06:03:28.300" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tools.woot.com/forums/viewpost.aspx?postid=5772193&amp;amp;ref=cnt_wp_4_disc&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;I received an answer&lt;/a&gt; from an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ogrow.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;OGrow&lt;/a&gt; representative. OGrow is a manufacturer of greenhouses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Me:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Can we get an official response on how to choose between the green and&#xA;  clear coverings? I'm mainly going to grow fruit trees and shrubs.&#xA;  Would fruit trees do better with the clear covering because bit&#xA;  provides full sun?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;OGrow:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;While we cannot determine which is better for the particular kind tree&#xA;  you are planting, we can advise you with some of the pros and cons&#xA;  regarding the Clear/PVC vs. PE greenhouse cover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;PVC: The plastic used on our clear covers generate extra heat and is&#xA;  better for cold climate area. Plants can be seen to add beauty to your&#xA;  garden!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;PE: Customers and greenhouse experts prefer PE over PVC claiming that&#xA;  the PVC material contains a toxic load that can be damaging to&#xA;  sensitive plants. The PE material is made out of stronger elements,&#xA;  and protects from sun, for plants that do better with less exposure to&#xA;  the sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wow! I had no idea that the clear covering could be poisonous. I guess that's why plastics smell bad when they're baking out in the sun. What fruit trees would benefit from shade though?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-24T01:06:56.007" LastActivityDate="2016-11-24T01:06:56.007" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9564" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9950" CreationDate="2014-05-07T10:23:18.287" Score="2" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the best time for gardening? How many times should we water the garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have grass and some plants (I don't know their names). I am just interested in nourishing the grass which is growing very slowly and not getting very green. I have supplied the grass and plants with vermicompost and NPK 17-17-17 complex fertilizers. I do not know these fertilizers well, I just did what the gardener requested.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The garden is in India and I am not sure how to describe the weather for you now.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3430" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-07T19:18:22.123" LastActivityDate="2014-06-07T11:25:36.457" Title="What is the best time to water the garden?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-03-05T13:51:35.747" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9565" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-07T13:23:15.303" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The sun rises in the east, swings south throughout the day, to set in the west. Depending on season, &quot;east&quot; may be slightly ESE in deep winter to E in mid summer to ENE in late fall (northern hemisphere). Of course it's the earth, not the sun, that is moving. Which side of your house gets the most sun is dependent on local geography and site layout (in a valley, on wide open plain, large shade trees, high on a hill) but the earth's rotation and season of year is constant. Simple explanation here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3077384/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/learn-scientific-reasons-behind-earths-seasons/#.U2oymHsU_X4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Learn the scientific reason behind Earth's seasons.&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3431" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-08-02T14:16:20.200" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T14:16:20.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9566" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9550" CreationDate="2014-05-07T13:26:33.727" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you start now with seeds indoors you can set them out in 2-3 weeks.  You'll get more rapid germination and stronger transplants for tomatoes and peppers if you start indoors.  Last frost date in zone 6 is around October 15th which is still ~150 days away though not much growing (though some ripening of already set fruits) occurs much past September 15th for me.  If you want to be on the safe side, look for varieties with shorter maturation dates for the plants you plan to raise from seed. There are lots of great tomatoes with maturation times in the 65-85 days range which should be plenty of time in your zone.  I'm in zone 4 and I tend not to set tomatoes and peppers out much before June 1st anyway and I still get good crops.  That is about three weeks away so you've got time...but get started.  I stay away from varieties with maturation dates above 85 days.  I have occasionally gotten away with 95-100 in some years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2014-05-07T13:26:33.727" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9567" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9468" CreationDate="2014-05-07T13:51:14.207" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Green filters, such as the green colored plastic, allows more green light than other wavelengths to pass through. For plants, the blue and red part of the spectrum are the most important. Since plant leaves are generally green, they reflect green light. I don't think the green color would be the best choice to grow plants under.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Red would probably be better. Some people like to use red colored plastic to cover the soil before planting tomatoes and claim that it helps improve yield.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the email you received... Plastic doesn't &quot;generate&quot; heat. It partially blocks light and heat and also helps retain it by not allowing cold air to enter and warmer air to leave. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All (most?) plastics leach some of their chemicals when in contact with water. Polyethelene may leach less or different substances I forget which but high density polyethelene (HDPE) I hear leaches less.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I hear those small greenhouses may not have UV stabilized plastic sheeting which means they will degrade faster under the sun's radiation. Maybe only lasting one season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are specific plastic films made to be used for outdoor greenhouses. I used one for my &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2013/10/winter-square-foot-garden-2013.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;raised bed cover&lt;/a&gt; for the square foot gardening box I built last year. It's a UV stabilized low density polyethelene. I believe since it breaks down slower it won't leach as much of it's chemicals as fast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-05-07T13:51:14.207" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9568" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9564" CreationDate="2014-05-07T15:55:44.933" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The question is very vague, but in general:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Slow watering for a long period (like with a soaker hose) will allow the water to percolate deeper in the soil, and plants will send roots downward seeking it out.  Not all plants have the ability to do this, so more details are necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering in the morning will give ample time for the water to soak, before the mid-day sun hits.  Watering in the middle of the day will cause the water to evaporate almost immediately (plants do not need &quot;cooling bursts of water&quot; as people do, they are more than capable of respiring given adequate water in the soil).  Watering at night may allow for mold growth overnight, given a long cool period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, 5 seconds on Google showed me the weather in India is currently hot and humid (there's a shocker).  Based on this, I would do the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Two hours of an oscillating sprinkler, watering from 6AM - 8AM to cover the grass, Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.  Run a soaker hose during this time in the garden.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1571" LastActivityDate="2014-05-07T15:55:44.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9569" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9571" CreationDate="2014-05-07T17:37:42.540" Score="2" ViewCount="1316" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there any plants, grass etc. that glow in the dark?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3430" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-07T19:16:46.053" LastActivityDate="2015-07-14T05:45:51.147" Title="Are there any plants that glow in the dark?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9570" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9572" CreationDate="2014-05-07T18:32:43.533" Score="3" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a plant which gives aroma in the night; I do not know its name but I have seen it somewhere. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any plants that give aroma day and night?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3430" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-07T19:19:28.467" LastActivityDate="2014-05-07T19:19:28.467" Title="Are there any plants that give aroma day and night?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9571" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9569" CreationDate="2014-05-07T18:39:31.187" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioluminescence&quot;&gt;Bioluminescence&lt;/a&gt; is more common in animals but algea and plankton do exhibit it.&#xA;A &lt;a href=&quot;http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2021975205_plantglowxml.html&quot;&gt;kickstarter project&lt;/a&gt; to make a plant that glows in the dark is in development.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/maldives-beach-becomes-sea-of-stars-thanks-to-bioluminescent-phytoplankton-9072197.html&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; shows a picture of a beach in the Maldives glowing at night due to the action of phytoplankton.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the moment there are no vascular or higher order plants like grass that glow in the dark naturally.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With a bit of genetic tinkering almost anything could glow in the dark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-05-07T18:39:31.187" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9572" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9570" CreationDate="2014-05-07T18:44:47.330" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No - some plants produce their perfume when its dark and others during the day. Some produce the most intense perfume as dusk falls, but not after dark. I can't think of any single plant which produces perfume 24 hours a day, other than one I can't recall the name of which apparently stinks rather than being pleasantly scented - that one may stink all the time the flower is present, I'm not sure. There wouldn't really be any advantage in their doing it - those which produce their perfume after dark do so as a 'lure', if you like, to encourage night insects to visit, either for the plant to consume or simply for pollination - they've just evolved that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-07T18:44:47.330" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9573" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9594" CreationDate="2014-05-07T19:55:50.187" Score="5" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some lawn in my backyard that I want to replace with something that consumes much less water. I have no problem with mowing or other maintenance but the replacement does have to handle reasonable foot traffic including kids running around dogs doing their thing (we pick up after both the kids and the dogs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clover is one option that I've seen suggested - gravel and fake turf have also been mentioned. I would prefer something alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3432" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-09T21:00:32.530" LastActivityDate="2014-05-09T21:11:28.320" Title="What would be a low- or no-irrigation lawn replacement for USDA zone 8B?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9574" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8023" CreationDate="2014-05-07T20:00:37.270" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perhaps you need to repot it. I have a Cussonia bonsai that was losing leaves. Apparently the roots grew so much that there was no space to suck the water. Repoting it, with trimming the excessive roots, helped my bonsai to revitalize. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a 15 years old bonsai - how long was it in the current pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1895" LastEditorUserId="1895" LastEditDate="2016-07-12T18:44:52.027" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T18:44:52.027" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9575" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="274" CreationDate="2014-05-07T20:55:40.407" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants in pots need every ounce of care we are able to provide.  Potting soil is pre-mixed and sterilized. Disease is a deal breaker.  Clean, fresh soil and a little bit bigger pot once a year is the best insurance I can imagine versus losing my plants(s) slowly but surely to death. In-door plants are long-term perishables.  Some longer than others...we can give our plants an 'edge'...it isn't a big deal to make your own soil.  I've done it. I've decided that it was much more cost effective to use a ready-made product. Sterilize your own and let me know how that works out! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potting soil now comes infused with important bacteria and mycorrhizae to incorporate life back into the sterilized soil. Lots of decomposed (and non-decomposed) organic matter fluff up the mineral content. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During the seasons, the organisms in the soil eat up the organic matter that once fluffed up the potting soil.  Top dressing with decomposed organic mulch every month or so would prevent the compaction that occurs as organic mulch is used up within the soil.  Otherwise your plants are trying to survive in depleted, brick-textured soil.  To top dress too late or to use non-decomposed organic matter might take longer than the plant can live to be useful to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I put my indoor plants outside during the summer on a protected porch.  Seems to rejuvenate my plants tremendously.  I also include new potting soil, no rocks 'for drainage', never add garden soil, put tiles beneath the pots to increase drainage.  I enjoy getting a new pot or two every year and my plants always look greenhouse-new.  Also, I use extended release fertilizer, sparingly and when I water everybody goes into the shower, gets drenched in cold water, drip dries then back out into their normal spot. They don't get water until each is as dry as the plant can get without undo stress.    Any sign of insects or disease I've got my handy-dandy loop and microscope to KNOW who my plants guest are...great tools!! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potted plants are prisoners OF their pot-world.  Using depleted or disease tainted soil is just a big NO-NO and a needless risk that doesn't pay for itself. Hope this helps! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-07-03T01:24:44.043" LastActivityDate="2014-07-03T01:24:44.043" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9576" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9578" CreationDate="2014-05-07T22:35:32.743" Score="11" ViewCount="39871" Body="&lt;p&gt;I feel stupid to ask this, as there are many posts on Google about this, and I can't tell, if people are writing these stories for fun or it is real.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some claim that if you have a many old lemon trees they can become orange trees if you are not &lt;em&gt;careful&lt;/em&gt;, whatever that means.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could it be that pollen from an orange tree could convert a lemon tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or is this whole thing a hoax?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3401" LastEditorUserId="3401" LastEditDate="2014-05-07T23:44:25.453" LastActivityDate="2016-01-19T17:52:45.630" Title="Can a lemon tree become an orange tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9577" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9576" CreationDate="2014-05-08T01:11:55.650" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not an expert on the subject, but here is my understanding. In nature, a lemon tree will never turn into an orange tree as they are completely different species:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lemon - Genus:  Citrus Species: C. × limon&#xA;Orange - Genus: Citrus Species: C. × sinensis&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There does exist a hybrid cross called a Meyer Lemon:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Meyer lemon - Genus:    Citrus Species: C. × meyeri&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With that said, it is partially possible due to the way many fruit trees are grown. Often fruit trees are grafted rather than grown from seed. During the grafting process a part of a tree is is cut off and grafted onto the other tree. They do this so that, for instance, a weaker orange tree can be grown on a stronger, healthier lemon root/trunk. It also allows them to make many more trees using branches from a single tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a tree that was grafted originally, it's possible under certain conditions for the tree to grow a branch or part on the top that is from the original base trunk (aka rootstock.) This is called graft-chimaera:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graft-chimaera&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graft-chimaera&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_%28plant%29#Plants&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_(plant)#Plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope that helps explain things!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3433" LastActivityDate="2014-05-08T01:11:55.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9578" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9576" CreationDate="2014-05-08T09:08:56.483" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most citrus trees are grafted onto a different rootstock, usually sweet orange these days, even if the fruit from the top graft is going to be lemon or lime. The only way a lemon tree can completely turn into an orange tree is if the grafted part has died and the rootstock then grows on its own, producing the fruit its programmed to produce, depending on the rootstock used. That might be sweet orange (most likely) or sour orange, or even, on older trees, rough lemon. The grafted part might die for various reasons - infection or even over rigorous pruning, right down to the base, which is likely to encourage the rootstock to take over instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other possibility for partial change is if a sucker arises from the rootstock (below the scion, or graft point, at the base of the plant, usually) and is allowed to grow - because rootstocks are generally more vigorous than the grafted parts, this may well grow strongly and produce its own, different fruit. More suckers may arise, and they take over the growing process, and the grafted part dies or fails to produce. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chimerism is somewhat different - this might be something that happens in very old trees, but citrus stock has, for some years, been produced by cloning, which means chimerism, unless it occurs naturally (rare), isn't really an issue via grafting. Even if it did occur, it wouldn't make the whole tree an orange instead of a lemon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-05-08T17:27:20.577" LastActivityDate="2014-05-08T17:27:20.577" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9579" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9569" CreationDate="2014-05-08T12:50:55.307" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Along the lines of kevinsky's answer, there are some bioluminescent mushrooms, but these are of course fungi, not plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-05-08T12:50:55.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9580" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-08T15:49:59.173" Score="6" ViewCount="55624" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am redoing the landscaping left by the previous owners of my house. When going to nurseries I find that everything comes planted in a pot. When thinking lazily about it, at one time I considered just putting the pots in the ground as is, but as I thought about it, it seems to make more sense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem with my landscaping is that most of the bushes have overgrown their plantings. Keeping the plant in a pot would stunt their growth. Also keeping plants in their pots would make removing them easier in the future if I wanted to, say when we lose our love of grasses or box shrubs. The only down side I see is that I would have to dig a much larger hole to put a retainer in and make sure that it was well drained so the pot could be used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the pros and cons of planting directly in the ground vs burying the pots when placing the plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3436" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-08T17:47:24.487" LastActivityDate="2020-05-02T15:41:57.923" Title="Can I place plants in the ground in the original pots they came from the nursery in?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9581" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-08T16:00:25.203" Score="4" ViewCount="510" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this growing in one of my pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RLZ7U.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mystery flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what it is? I think it might be a wild flower. The flowers only come out for one day and are replaced by another from the same stalk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3399" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2014-05-08T16:27:52.197" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T14:21:27.267" Title="What is this spiky-leaved plant with short lived yellow flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9582" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9569" CreationDate="2014-05-08T16:33:52.960" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I expect you read &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22229654.600-let-me-show-you-how-to-make-your-own-glowing-plant.html#.U2uxTHlOX8k&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this article in New Scientist&lt;/a&gt; or one similar to it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Kyle Taylor, a founder of Glowing Plant, splices firefly genes into plants and wants to demystify the process by showing you how to do it at home&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;. . .&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So how do you make these plants glow?&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;  Essentially we take genes from bioluminescent organisms – such as fireflies and bioluminescent bacteria – and insert them into the plant. So the plants have an eerie blue-green glow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How much light do the plants emit? Should I toss out all of my light bulbs?&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;  At this point, no. They are still pretty weak, but they are visible in a dark room. Plants didn't evolve to emit light, they evolved to absorb it. But you have to start somewhere, and this is our starting point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not really about the plants, it's about demystifying GMO. That said, they got their kickstarter funding and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.glowingplant.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;now say&lt;/a&gt; they will start to ship this fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2014-05-08T16:33:52.960" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9580" CreationDate="2014-05-08T17:34:33.957" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most major downside is that any plant in a pot surrounded by soil will push roots out through the bottom and grow through into the ground anyway, in particular with shrubs, trees and the medium to larger perennials. Ground cover plants probably won't do this, but they may well escape over the top and root in the surrounding area. Digging up a pot which has a large root or two protruding into the ground through the bottom is practically impossible without breaking the roots. Planting pots into soil with no drainage to get round this won't work either - the plant will be, at times, waterlogged, and possibly for long periods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best thing to do is choose your plants carefully, selecting only those which won't get larger than their designated areas. As in 'right plant, right place'...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-08T17:34:33.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9584" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9580" CreationDate="2014-05-08T17:58:29.170" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've planted some herbs in buried pots in my garden to keep them in bounds - mint, lemon balm, horseradish. I've cut the bottoms off of the pots, so the roots could spread downwards, but the plants couldn't spread out. Because I am a bit of a lazy gardener who forgets to deadhead her plants, the mints have still escaped. What I've found is that the mints growing outside of the containers are lush and healthy - those left in the pots get progressively weaker, unless I periodically dig them up and repot them with new soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I'd rather plant in the ground and pull the seedlings. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-05-08T17:58:29.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9585" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9581" CreationDate="2014-05-08T18:32:52.010" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agreed - definitely looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyrinchium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sisrynchium&lt;/a&gt;. Possibly Sisyrinchium californicum, although the petals on yours are more rounded than in the pictures of that variety that I've seen.  Sisrynchium are actually relatives of the iris, and can spread and naturalize well in many circumstances.  There is also a blue version, which is probably better known in the US than the yellow types.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-05-08T18:32:52.010" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9587" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9589" CreationDate="2014-05-08T20:55:40.073" Score="1" ViewCount="2579" Body="&lt;p&gt;What could be the cause of rust spots and holes on the leaves of my Pluot tree? Other trees nearby do not have this. I'm guessing that those rust spots on the left leaf turn into the holes seen on the right leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3UCJh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2019-06-08T21:15:36.407" Title="What could be the cause of rust spots and holes on leaves?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9569" CreationDate="2014-05-08T20:58:10.180" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't heard of or seen plants that glow in the dark naturally, though some species of mycelium do naturally glow in the dark:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=mycelium+glowing&quot;&gt;https://www.google.com/search?q=mycelium+glowing&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some many years ago while camping somewhere in Minnesota we setup camp and used a large rotting log for a seat. When it got dark I started noticing some light from below and to our surprise the whole log was glowing. The glowing species must be common in that area because we started finding it all over the place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3433" LastActivityDate="2014-05-08T20:58:10.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9589" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9587" CreationDate="2014-05-08T23:26:21.107" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The left looks like damage, like hail or possibly a fungus, the one on the right looks like ants or wasps are eating it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;you should mark a leaf and photograph it to see if that is the actual progression, also look for bugs around it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2014-05-08T23:26:21.107" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9590" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-08T23:40:36.517" Score="5" ViewCount="325" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read in a number of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hpfb.org/uploads/companionplanting.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;places&lt;/a&gt; that carrots and dill do not do well together.  There is no specific reason listed, so I am skeptical on this.  Looking for some hard evidence to back this up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1530" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-21T22:51:06.747" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T22:51:06.747" Title="Does dill negatively effect carrot growth?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;&lt;dill&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9591" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9573" CreationDate="2014-05-08T23:40:39.587" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The group of plants that I would think of first would be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sedums&lt;/a&gt;. There are a great variety of them, and some are resistant to some light occasional trampling (nothing is going to be as resilient to trampling as turf, which grows from an underground meristem), and they are soft and not generally toxic (unlike &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Euphorbias&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can do lots of other things, if you don't need a filled in look, like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Yuccas&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesperaloe&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hesperaloes&lt;/a&gt;, plenty of wildflowers and sub-shrubs. It kind of depends on what you want to use the area for you don't want it full of cactus if you want kids to be able to play in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_poppies&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;California Poppies&lt;/a&gt; are soft, fairly attractive, and pretty resilient once they are established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-09T21:11:28.320" LastActivityDate="2014-05-09T21:11:28.320" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9592" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9580" CreationDate="2014-05-09T01:33:11.653" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As Bamboo said, pick appropriately sized plants for your landscape. You can find info on the mature height and spread on the label or online.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're doing it to easily swap out plants I did see one neat trick once but I forget where. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For annuals or other seasonal plant you may wish to replace regularly... bury an empty container in the ground the same size as the pots of the plants you'll be putting in. Then when it's time to swap you just lift the old potted plant out, put in the new one. No digging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-05-09T01:33:11.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9590" CreationDate="2014-05-09T01:42:01.730" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Allelopathy is the ability of a plant to release substances which may inhibit the growth or germination of other plant species. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know specifically about the the interaction with dill and carrots but it is possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-05-09T01:42:01.730" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9573" CreationDate="2014-05-09T01:48:06.553" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you looked into native grasses? They're a popular choice for low maintenance lawns. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nativegrasses.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.nativegrasses.com/&lt;/a&gt; has different blends for different parts of the country (in the USA). You may want to examine the exact varieties in your local blend to see if the characteristics will suit your needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also check out this website. They research low growing groundcover that is tolerant of foot traffic. Use the search function to find plants for your zone and watering needs. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.stepables.com/3/Crepping_Perennial_Search.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.stepables.com/3/Crepping_Perennial_Search.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2014-05-09T20:03:44.383" LastActivityDate="2014-05-09T20:03:44.383" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9596" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-09T05:20:13.500" Score="4" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am an engineer and I want to put a garden inside my house. What I mean is indoor garden. However, I don't want any insects. I googled about this topic and found that water planting may be an option. How I could NOT use soil to grow plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3438" LastActivityDate="2020-06-17T21:21:02.097" Title="How to set up water planting system?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9597" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-08T17:53:38.727" Score="6" ViewCount="277" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UDYcY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone provide me with the family this tree belongs to? I have tried several tree ID keys, without success. It is located in Inglewood, California on a hospital campus planted next to &lt;em&gt;Melia azedarach&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Ligustrum sinense&lt;/em&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;Syzygium australe&lt;/em&gt; in bare soil surrounded by a lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are palmately compound with either 3, 4 or 5 leaflets. Margins are entire, green on both sides, smooth (not hairy), buds are above heart-shaped leaf scars. I didn't see any glands on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zJZPy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bark&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/22Ekg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bF9xf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunk&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user6652" LastActivityDate="2014-05-09T14:36:37.733" Title="Tree ID question from Los Angeles County, California" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9597" CreationDate="2014-05-09T14:36:37.733" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ok, have a look at this - &lt;a href=&quot;http://growerjim.blogspot.com/2010/07/white-sapote-casimiroa-edulis.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;White Sapote (Casimiroa edulis)&lt;/a&gt;.  It has palmate leaves, warty bark, flowers that look like the ones in your picture, and is hardy where ever citrus is able to be grown.  This would include most of the Southern California area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a link to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=warty%20bark%20tree&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=IXn&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla%3aen-US%3aofficial&amp;amp;channel=np&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=hOZsU5flCJD3oAT28YBA&amp;amp;ved=0CDEQsAQ&amp;amp;biw=1417&amp;amp;bih=649#channel=np&amp;amp;q=Casimiroa%20edulis&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla%3aen-US%3aofficial&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;more pictures of this variety of sapote&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-05-09T14:36:37.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9599" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9602" CreationDate="2014-05-09T16:37:42.017" Score="4" ViewCount="123" Body="&lt;p&gt;This little guy is suffering and I'm not sure how to help him out. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fE7tM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cb26l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2nfCm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3370" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-15T23:41:00.560" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T23:41:00.560" Title="How to heal this needled plant?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9600" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9606" CreationDate="2014-05-09T20:27:49.573" Score="9" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in an apartment and I want to have some indoor trees in my apartment.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a large window that faces to the north-east and has curtains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of trees can be kept in an apartment?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3439" LastEditorUserId="3439" LastEditDate="2014-05-10T06:35:58.613" LastActivityDate="2014-05-10T10:21:21.340" Title="What kind of trees can be kept in an apartment?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9601" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-09T21:30:19.000" Score="3" ViewCount="2275" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have ten acres and all of it is hillside. When you get to the top of the hill, it's wonderful! It flattens out, it's beautiful and I love spending time up there.  My house sits at the bottom of the hill and the problem I have is that the bottom of the hill is very steep due to hillside erosion. I would guess standing at ground level that the really steep part goes up in height to about six feet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been researching options on how to put together a ramp of some kind (for an ATV) and there seem to be a few options. I can't have one part of the hillside to become structurally unsound (by moving dirt from it) at the expense of a trying to create a decent slope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously I would love to find a cost effective way to put some sort of ramp and maybe there are options I just don't know about. I haven't priced out the cost of having someone to move bring in rocks and dirt for this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any ramp experts/excavators who could chime in on this or at least point me to some resources?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;J&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1670" LastActivityDate="2014-05-10T00:52:09.103" Title="Options for building a ramp on a steep hill" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9599" CreationDate="2014-05-10T00:36:03.177" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/3010/3010-1475/3010-1475_pdf.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;dwarf Alberta spruce&lt;/a&gt; (Picea glauca conica). They grow slowly and burn easily if sited so they are exposed to cold winter winds.  Sadly almost all of eastern North America was subject to very cold temperatures in the winter of 2013-2014.  Your spruce looks a lot better than many I have seen. Even my dwarf white pine suffered burn on the south side and they are tougher than Alberta Spruce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for what can you do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ensure adequate water supply in summer and fall before freeze up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fertilize lightly during the growth season  (spring to early summer)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;reduce exposure to cold winds by fences or other plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;check for spider mites as indicated in the link&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;top dress or mulch if possible with organic matter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: after reviewing the picture this plant is sited in a dry area.  Concrete foundations are porous and will absorb water and I believe this plant is located under the house eaves.  A drip irrigation system and a timer would go a long ways towards making it easy to water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-05-10T00:54:28.383" LastActivityDate="2014-05-10T00:54:28.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9603" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9601" CreationDate="2014-05-10T00:52:09.103" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;With ten acres you need a landscape plan to fit your needs. Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional the time/money you spend now will reward you in the years to come as the landscape grows into place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A site with slope is a huge advantage in creating a truly unique and wonderful experience but you need to know what you want. You could incorporate some of the principles of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;permaculture&lt;/a&gt; in your design to minimize energy inputs and maximize productivity. As an example grape vines grow well on slopes if they face the sun.  For more every day solutions to slopes check these excellent answers here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2380/how-can-i-control-erosion-on-a-steep-trail&quot;&gt;control erosion on a steep trail&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5755/how-can-i-control-erosion-and-weeds-on-a-rock-retaining-wall&quot;&gt;control weeds on a retaining wall&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4589/ground-cover-for-large-sloped-area/4592#4592&quot;&gt;ground covers for slopes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a how to on building steps and ramps I will shamelessly refer to my answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4340/building-natural-stone-steps/4341#4341&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; which gives you an idea of the labour involved for ramps. Not easy but classic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-05-10T00:52:09.103" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9604" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9607" CreationDate="2014-05-10T03:09:32.217" Score="3" ViewCount="2274" Body="&lt;p&gt;My potted bell pepper plants were looking healthy until recently: wide green leaves, thick stems. But now they have this &quot;droopy&quot; look. I've noticed red ants are always on the plant stems and leaves. Are they causing this? They also seem to be stunting the bell pepper's growth. What is the most eco-friendly way of getting rid of the ants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9zJvs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3248" LastActivityDate="2020-05-21T14:14:16.113" Title="Can red ants harm bell pepper plants?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9605" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9608" CreationDate="2014-05-10T03:15:24.673" Score="7" ViewCount="2278" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've also seen similar streaks on my basil's leaves but not as pronounced.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/STgWK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3248" LastActivityDate="2019-02-27T19:48:38.160" Title="What are these white streaks on my tomato plant?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9606" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9600" CreationDate="2014-05-10T10:15:58.587" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the assumption you mean treelike plants as opposed to smaller houseplants, have a look at these palms:  Chamaerops humilis (if you have room, they spread out a bit), Rhapis excelsa (little lady palm), Phoenix canariensis and Howea forsteriana - none of these likes very hot heated rooms, they prefer things a little cooler at around 16-22 deg C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, provided the plant can be put somewhere out of draughts, and where its environment doesn't really change much in terms of hot/cold, Ficus benjamina or one of its variegated relatives, F. benjamina variegata/F. benjamina Starlight. The classic Rubber plant, Ficus elastica decora or F. robusta or F. Black Prince (almost black leaves), are worth considering too - there are variegated versions available (F. tricolor, F. schrijvereana). These get pretty tall but are not quite so fussy in terms of environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bear in mind that all of these should only be watered when the surface of the potting medium seems dryish to the touch, that they should not be left standing in water in any outer tray or pot, should not be stood near a heat source such as a radiator, and most do not like direct sun in summer, though as your room is facing north east, morning sun will likely be all they get. Ficus benjamina varieties will tolerate a little morning sun, but prefer a bright spot without direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-05-10T10:21:21.340" LastActivityDate="2014-05-10T10:21:21.340" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9604" CreationDate="2014-05-10T10:31:45.640" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen your other question regarding your tomato plants too (they appear to be suffering attack from a leaf mining insect). Ants don't eat plants - they may crop bits of leaf for nest building and the like, but usually, if ants are present on plants, there's some other insect producing honeydew, and that's what the ants want. Insect infestations which produce honeydew are aphids or scale, though you may have other, local pests which do something similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally, though, having looked at the pictures in both your questions, hygiene appears to be an issue - there is dead leaf litter on the surface of your pots and they appear to be standing in leaf litter. The problem with that is, there will be myriads of insects, slugs, snails, bacteria and pathogens occupying the leaf litter, and some of those will be things that attack your potted plants. Clean up the pots and the growing area, removing all litter, then check backs of leaves, stems, etc., for obvious signs of infestation. Once you've decided what the problem is, there may not be a particularly eco friendly way of getting rid of them - leaf miner infestation is particularly difficult to deal with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also ask exactly what you're growing the plants in, in other words, what is the planting medium you have used - is it ordinary soil from the ground, or specially bought potting compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-05-10T11:32:20.023" LastActivityDate="2014-05-10T11:32:20.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9608" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9605" CreationDate="2014-05-10T10:34:00.727" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaf miner infestation. Leaf miners differ round the world, as does any possible treatment available, though most treatments are relatively ineffective because the miner is within the leaf. You may need to use a pesticide available where you are, though neem oil might offer some solution, not sure. Bear in mind that anything you do use should be appropriate for food plants. Otherwise, please see answer to your other question for further comment...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-10T10:34:00.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9609" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-10T15:29:28.790" Score="7" ViewCount="12607" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a fruiting cherry tree which is 18 months old.  It's planted quite close to the house.  Are the roots dangerous to the property?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3442" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-10T17:55:34.760" LastActivityDate="2018-08-15T08:30:32.863" Title="Are the roots of cherry trees dangerous to house foundations?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9610" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9619" CreationDate="2014-05-10T20:32:05.110" Score="3" ViewCount="961" Body="&lt;p&gt;I heard about hugel kultur beds, study a bit about it and I think it might help me fix my backyard. It is about 13x11 m that I want to be fertile (so far only weed grows in it). It is heavily packed and a pain to dig around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I make a long hugel bed (across the whole yard) let it do its thing and spread the resulting soil afterwards to the rest of the yard will it work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, how long does it take to break down pine wood (I have lots of left over pine boards from the construction)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3129" LastActivityDate="2014-05-11T14:49:01.300" Title="Can I fix clayey soil with hugel beds?" Tags="&lt;clay&gt;&lt;hugelkultur&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9611" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9609" CreationDate="2014-05-10T22:48:20.877" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wild cherry trees like the pin cherry and the bird cherry have quite surprising root systems.  The roots can extend out way past the drip line in search of water and nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your foundation is not in danger from the cherry tree.  I answered a similar question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/5787/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However a fruiting cherry tree can get quite large depending on the root stock.  I would not recommend planting a tree within 10 feet of a house, twenty if you have the room. You can have problems with&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tree branches rubbing on the house&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fruit attracting wasps or other animals&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;and wind storms could break off branches and cause damage to your house&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-05-10T22:48:20.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9612" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3591" CreationDate="2014-05-10T22:52:48.927" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I invented the Potta System - the frames make newspaper tubes of three different diameters at any depth very quickly. I've been using nothing but this for around ten years and the tubes don't fall apart and plants thrive as there is no bottom to the tubes. I found that making pots by wrapping newspaper round something and folding in the bottom resulted in thick bottoms that stopped the roots. Which is why I invented the system (as well as finding that making one pot at a time was too slow). I can assure you that plants grown in bottomless newspaper tubes are terrific. I grow show quality sweet peas and runner beans in trays of 6 inch deep tubes every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3446" LastActivityDate="2014-05-10T22:52:48.927" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="158" CreationDate="2014-05-11T00:17:28.150" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant identification IS tough! What you have to remember is to not get overwhelmed, learn the botanical names, not common names.  The plant world is a whole new language...in college they have big classes that teach you how to use a plant key...a big thick book pertinent to whatever area you live. Plant Key to the Pacific Northwest for example.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be able to use this key you will have to understand a lot of plant terminology.  I took this class and was very humbled.  We were given frozen 'flowers' to id the plant.&#xA;Almost all of our work was done on microscopes! Is this plant a monocot or a dicot? One cotyledon or two?  You answer the question and then there will be another question...like, are the leaves alternate or opposite?  Only one answer is correct. If you answer a question wrong, you'll find yourself wondering where you went wrong...great way to learn about plants if you don't get frustrated so badly you throw the book away.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take pictures and attach samples of buds, leaves, bark, flowers whatever you are able to get from your plants.  Ziplocs with samples and picture (s) of the plant stapled to the ziploc.  Do just a few plants at a time if you are new to gardens and plants.  Armed with 2 or 3 different plant samples with attached pictures. As many of the others have said, take to your favorite (closest) nursery.  Talk to a number of the employees, having real experience and/or knowledge.  Get at least 2 or 3 responses to match up, then look up for yourself.  Get to know your plants, including their botanical names (Genus, species...varieties).  Some nurseries, I know the ones that I worked for, will love to help you figure out your landscape inhabitants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not all employees of nurseries will know enough to help you.  Private Ma 'n Pa nurseries would be my preference.  The bigger corporations don't care about your problems.  Ma 'n Pa have to work harder to make a living competing against the corporations and welcome a way to earn your trust.     &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While you are trying to learn the names of your plants I highly recommend doing a scale drawing of YOUR landscape as is.  Get utilities in there (look for your 'as-built' that should be with your mortgage documents), wind, sun exposure, hardscapes (concrete, pavers, gravel, pergolas, arbors, sheds), water sources...lots of highly trained and knowledgeable plant people are now finding themselves watering plants at nurseries...GRIN! And would love to pass on knowledge just because...you just have to visit them and ask .  You'll find a place where you'll trust their knowledge and merchandise. Make them earn their money...and always question the information you are given.  Take notes.  Go back home, get on the internet and make sure you understand what you have learned.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Learning the LANGUAGE of plants opens a huge, exciting world to you...until we 'own' a landscape very few people find the time or inclination to learn about plants, soils, geology.  If you think you'd like to be a gardener, consider a virtually free class called 'Master Gardeners'...run by a University/College Cooperative Extension Service.  Now it is done via internet but you meet once per week with other gardener wannabes for a couple of months.  You learn all the basics very quickly, lots of field trips and are forced to talk the language right away.  You make friends, network and learn this stuff quickly!!! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you learn 'the name' of a plant your journey has begun.  Learn the botanical...scientific names.  Common names are a disaster. Just the name of a plant, not knowing another thing about the plant, will mean a lot.  Spelling is far more important than the correct pronunciation.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put your pics up on this site...I am new to the StackExchange but i am very impressed by their format and how they cultivate incredible minds/professional advice here...very impressed.  The more you know in this field the more you see you don't know.  The only way to be a gardener is to start asking questions, and know you'll never know everything. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But being a gardener is worth every minute you spend learning the language...truly!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-05-13T19:33:55.250" LastActivityDate="2014-05-13T19:33:55.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9614" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-11T01:21:47.877" Score="2" ViewCount="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;My patio does not have direct sunlight, but I want to build a hydroponic system. The vegetable that I want to plant requires a lot of light, so I also want to put lighting system outdoor for the vegetable. Does any product in the market do the task?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3438" LastActivityDate="2014-05-13T14:57:36.770" Title="How to be safely install light bulb for outdoor vegetable?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9615" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-11T02:18:24.807" Score="3" ViewCount="1398" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 3 mulberry trees that are over 30 years old and have never fruited.  They were purchased from a nursery in sets of 2 (one died within a year) and we were told at the time of purchase that there was one female and one male for cross pollination. Obviously we were misinformed since we have never gotten fruit from any of the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is does any one know where I can get some scions from fruiting trees so I can graft them onto my trees to eventually get some berries?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3447" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-13T19:05:28.333" LastActivityDate="2018-07-04T01:40:51.540" Title="Can I graft fruiting scions onto my thirty-year-old mulberry trees?" Tags="&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9610" CreationDate="2014-05-11T07:50:11.130" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;All plants do better in raised beds.  Don't need sides of wood or brick or concrete...just double-dug fluffy beds. Allows for soils to warm quicker in the spring, easier to pull weeds, more air gets into the soil and you can more easily monitor water requirements. At the foot of my raised beds (between the lawn and ornamental planting beds, between my vegetable garden beds and walkways) I create a trench that takes excess water away to protect both beds and walkways from eroding. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pictures that came up on hugel kultur were quite...interesting. I looked at the pictures then came back to finish this answer.  Then I'll go read about hugel kultur more closely, grin.  Improving your soil and doing bed preparation makes sense. It doesn't have to be expensive or back breaking.  Thought I'd get a few ideas off to you before I'm off to study.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whenever beds are being made I've found that dealing with the lawn at the same time saves time, money and work.  Use a sod cutter to redefine your lawn edges and remove sod that doesn't do well. Then, instead of hauling all that great dirt and organic matter off to the dump, use the old sod for building up your plant beds. I top the turned over sod with topsoil (from making my trenches between the plant bed and lawn and/or topsoil delivered with organic matter mixed in for you). I usually use at least 4-6&quot; of topsoil to shape my beds covering the old sod. Plants are planted and I leave a few inches of root ball uncovered to allow for 2&quot; of decomposed organic mulch. You can see that if you have a lawn that needs fixing, building up beds with old sod can sure save money and your back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As organic material is decomposed and used by the organisms in the soil the height of your bed reduces greatly. For example; during the fall, I had the electrical company who were cleaning debris, cutting down trees and pruning to maintain their power lines use my place to dump huge loads of wood chips.  These piles were easily 6 to 8' in height.  Underneath were blackberries!  The piles steamed all winter long and by summer they were only 6&quot; deep. I added alfalfa pellets (old-style kitty litter) to assist the decomposers with nitrogen. The horrid blackberries were GONE. All that was left was 6&quot; of decomposed organic mulch (thousands of sq. ft).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My vegetable garden of course had raised beds, 1-2' high, 3' wide. I grow cover crops during the winter.  So far my favorite is annual rye. The grass was dark green and 2-3' high...all winter long.  Turned that under in the spring and covered the soil with 2&quot; of the free decomposed organic mulch.  I gave my 'slaves' a month to do their thing and then, I was planting.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Raw wood, lawn-clippings, weeds (roots and tops), leaves, food scraps are all examples of un-decomposed organic mulch.  Depending on the material (pine scraps, cedar), the soil condition and the weather it can take YEARS to get raw wood decomposed. There is a whole world of microorganisms devoted to decomposing, the minute something dies the decomposers are on-the-job. These guys need NITROGEN to do the decomposing work.  If you use bark chips for mulch you can be assured that the decomposers are hard at work using up the nitrogen in the soil possibly compromising plants.  All the other micro and macro organisms (slaves) go...dormant, or find new homes until the un-decomposed mulch becomes decomposed and available as food.  These organisms, this life in the soil is all important to the health of plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clayey soils are just fine soils with proper management; no tilling when wet, double dig your beds by hand (just once), they hold onto water and nutrients better, top dress once a year or so with decomposed organic mulch to suppress weeds and feed all the (slaves) doing work for you.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ONLY way to improve soil, any soil, is to know what you have (send in samples to your cooperative extension service), know the pH, the amount of organic matter, how much in percentage of your soil is clay, silt, sand, amount of nutrients and then how to manage what you've got. Allow your 'slaves' do the work of mixing organic matter into your soil. Just feed them well...careful with pesticides.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finding decomposed organic mulch is not easy.  Horse, steer, chicken manures work well IF they are decomposed, not fresh.  They've got weed seeds of course and you have to be aware of what antibiotics, steroids, other medications with which the animals have been treated.  Composting your own is smart but takes time. Other mulches that come from garden waste people haul off their property are not dependable.  Weed seeds, disease, problem insects and pesticide residues are the norm.  My favorite mulch is human sewage mixed with sawdust and COMPLETELY decomposed. It truly is beautiful; dark taupe in color, fine texture. No sticks, lumps, stones, no weed seeds, no pesticide residue and NO SMELL!  It is the only mulch that is tested and monitored.  Unfortunately, it is a little high in heavy metals so not to be used on your vegetable garden or your rice paddies, grin.  But great for all your other plant beds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those free chips that year were the best deal.  I had to wait a year for them to decompose.  Otherwise, green cover crops grown during the winter for your vegetable beds is an inexpensive way to improve your soil.  Green cover crops out-compete weeds all winter, too.  Human poo/sawdust is the best mulch for all your other beds (decomposed).  I'll get back to you after I read about hugel kultur! Hope this helps...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-11T07:50:11.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9617" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9615" CreationDate="2014-05-11T12:08:52.530" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hmm, well I'm confused and clearly, so is the nursery you bought from. Mulberries are self fertile, in other words, they do not need a partner in order for pollination to take place, each tree carries both male and female flowers. These are rather inconspicuous, and may not even be noticed if there are few of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what part of the world you're in, but mulberries do require a sheltered, warm position, so against a wall, out of cold winds, and preferably not planted in colder regions at all, or they won't flower, or will flower but the cold/frost kills them before pollination and no fruit forms. Which might be what's happening with yours... have you ever seen any flowers on any of your trees? Come to that, are they actually Mulberry?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-11T12:08:52.530" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9618" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9620" CreationDate="2014-05-11T14:15:32.980" Score="1" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;We're about to begin our vegetable garden, and we have had some trouble in the past with a nettle that is particularly nasty.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our plan is to apply glyphosate based herbicide directly to the freshly gut green stalk of this nettle to attempt to kill the rhizomes.  The stalks of these nettles is somewhat woody.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should concentrated glyphosate applied by paintbrush directly to the green stalk kill the rhizomes of hardy nettles?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3184" LastActivityDate="2014-05-12T14:40:14.267" Title="Targeted Glyphosate use on hardy nettles" Tags="&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9619" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9610" CreationDate="2014-05-11T14:49:01.300" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hugel Kultur&lt;/a&gt; beds are basically underground compost heaps. The beds are filled with logs then covered with soil.  They provide nutrients, help retain water and as the logs decompose they help aerate the soil underneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will take a few years for the  logs to decompose. As they do the raised bed will get shorter so keep that in mind about how much volume you'll have to spread around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't see why your plan wouldn't work since you're basically going to compost the wood and the spread the compost/soil mix around your yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want immediate results you can buy compost by the dump truck full to incorporate into your soil instead of waiting a few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you already have the wood and don't mind waiting if you rent a chipper to break the wood down into smaller pieces, add an appropriate amount of plant material that is high in nitrogen and the equipment to regularly turn a compost to keep it hot you can make your own compost in as little as a month. If the pile is not actively managed it will take months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I would go with compost because it's faster and by ripping apart the hugel kultur bed you're going to destroy some of the benefits of that type of garden bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-05-11T14:49:01.300" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9620" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9618" CreationDate="2014-05-11T15:51:39.070" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, but maybe yes. Glyphosate works 'through the green', so the more leaves which are present, and the more strongly the plant is growing, the better, and all leaves and stems, apart from woody ones, should be treated/sprayed. If you only apply it to a woody stem, its unlikely to do much, though if you're using it neat, it might knock it back, depending on which version of glyphosate based product you're using. Round Up stump and root killer is glyphosate, but much more highly concentrated, so that might work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not, though, get it on the soil if you want to grow edible crops - glyphosate binds to soil particles and has been recorded as still present 200 days later, though the average is 56 days - there is also evidence that carrots grown in ground treated with glyphosate did take it up when they grew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-05-11T15:57:42.460" LastActivityDate="2014-05-11T15:57:42.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9621" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="904" CreationDate="2014-05-11T17:02:52.860" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The last comment I read is the best &quot;I hate this tree&quot;  It is a pain.  Don't buy one is the best recommendation.  I've trimmed them, I pulled them, I dug them out, I chopped the roots and I have mulched them.  They still come back. They are relentless.  They grow between the blocks in the wall.  They're everywhere.  What I'm doing now is just pulling the tops off by hand.  They come off quickly and easily. This seems to be the fastest way to get rid of them. It doesn't take long to clear the area.  All other methods don't seem to slow them down. I have to pull them every two or three weeks and it takes me a half hour.   This seems to be the least amount of time and effort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3452" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-11T23:02:00.247" LastActivityDate="2014-05-11T23:02:00.247" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9622" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-11T17:22:53.533" Score="3" ViewCount="12843" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this growing in my raised garden, where I had tomatoes, basil and geraniums last year.  It's approximately 2'X2' right now and growing.  It resembles parsley.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;Click on photo for full size&lt;/sup&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bNUNx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bNUNxl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mystery plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Volunteer plant that resembles flat-leaf parsley - and has a sibling, although a brighter green!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NWL6c.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NWL6cl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3453" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-13T00:33:44.277" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T00:00:25.587" Title="What is this volunteer plant that resembles flat-leaf parsley?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9623" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-11T17:42:08.457" Score="2" ViewCount="911" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E3Oq4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot; &quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found this plant growing in my raised bed, where watermelon and pumpkin were growing last year. It resembles Swiss Chard (has a red vein) but does not have a red stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3453" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-05-16T03:57:55.363" Title="Is this a type of swiss chard?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9624" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9623" CreationDate="2014-05-11T19:03:06.203" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks more like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex_obtusifolius&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;broad-leaved dock (&lt;em&gt;Rumex obtusifolius&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;, which also develops red veining on older leaves. Another hint that it's dock is that the leaves in your photo have slightly wrinkled edges, but are flat in the center of the leaf; chard's leaves are dimpled throughout the width of the leaf. Chard also has longer stems relative to the overall length of the leaf, and its leaves are held in a more upright position.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a perennial weed, and can be considered invasive, so you may be required by local law to eradicate it. I've only ever had young plants in my yard, and I've been able to control it by removing the above-ground part of the plant and digging up about 1' of the taproot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-11T19:14:04.683" LastActivityDate="2014-05-11T19:14:04.683" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9625" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="183" CreationDate="2014-05-11T22:17:28.857" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I MISS my clay soils! I've just moved to another state, Oregon, smack in the middle of cinder cones and my new soil is pumice and sand.  Easy to work but watering is going to be every day until I can get my 'slaves' (micro and macro organisms) to &lt;em&gt;find&lt;/em&gt; my garden, eat, make babies, do lots of pooping. I could use a tiller but I've gotten use to doing the work myself as I'll never use a tiller in clay, even dry.  I don't think clay ever gets dry unless baked into bricks, sigh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tilling clay is like rotating the concrete drum.  How is concrete made?  It is made with gypsum, lime, gravels, clay (portland cement), water and mixing.  Clay is a bit different than sand and silt particles.  Very small and FLAT particles of rock.  These rock faces have charges that attract other clay particles and the flat sides get together and stay together.  These charges are amplified by movement; tilling moist clay increases these charges.  A couple of decades ago, people routinely added gypsum, river gravels, to their clay soils (spraying them with water to 'soften' the clods) and with tiller in hand made...their new concrete patio! Or should have.  This would be a bummer for someone new to gardening. They probably never tried again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But clay has great properties; holds moisture, nutrients don't wash away each time you water and a little goes a long way. I manually (arghhh) mixed compost as I double dug my beds...half-heartedly...remember the less you manipulate clay, the better. And I never add gravel or sand or any other mineral (unless my soil tests show a deficiency). Double digging is the most work I do in my garden, I do it ONE TIME the first year.  Depending on the subsurface layers, I try to go down 18&quot; to 2' and if there are layers of blue clay, shale, old lumber, roots, garbage, rocks I'll pull them out or punch holes through them for better drainage.  The top 6&quot; usually has all the organic material so be careful you don't turn all that over and bury it 18&quot; below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant roots, something like 95% of all the roots in the world are within the top 6&quot; of soil. When adding mulch (hopefully decomposed mulch) to the top of your beds, after the plants are in the soil, be careful not to add more than 2-3&quot;. Too much will bury the plant's feeder roots and they won't get enough air and water.  Careful with shallow rooted plants such as Daphne, Rhododendrons and Azaleas.  Only use an 1&quot; of mulch for these plants.  And keep the mulch (and soil) away from the base of woody plants.  Mulch keeps moisture trapped in the bark and microorganisms will girdle (kill the vascular system just beneath the bark) and will slowly but surely kill the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My new garden soil has very little organic material, probably 1&quot; of the top soil otherwise it is 3' of uniform pumice and sand, blown from cinder cones 50 miles away.  I haven't dug any deeper.  In fact, I am only double digging down 1 foot so I don't lose any organic matter.  Sure doesn't fluff up like clay did.  If this soil were clay, I'd have 3' high beds which would reduce to 1' within a month or two.  The beds won't be compacted from being walked on and should last forever, IF you continually top dress with decomposed organic mulch. I also love green cover crops for the winter.  Keeps the weeds down, the roots keep the soil friable and when the plants turned over and chopped up in the spring before going to seed, these cover crops add a lot of food for your soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was able to find the local power company in need of places to dump their chips and had 40 yards or more dumped on our property.  I won't use any of it in my soil until it is decomposed.  Maybe for the walkways in my new greenhouse.  It will take years to break down.  Our climate is cold and the decomposers are sluggish, I guess.  I'll keep 5 or 10 yards to decompose, the rest for my horse's paddocks and the rest we've covered our driveway with 4&quot; to keep the dust down.  Works great.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And no, I won't use my horse manure.  I spray my horses poo with pyrethrins to reduce flies.  I want insects, worms, bacteria to thrive in my soil and my horse poo won't be decomposing properly and the pesticide I certainly don't want in my soil.  I till my paddocks and plant pasture seed in the fall.  Grass seems to do just fine in yucky soils as long as they get fertilized and watered.  One of my neighbors has decomposed horse manure (3 years old) but I need to find out what she gives her horses and what her pesticide practices are before I use any of it in my beds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I won't double dig again unless I enlarge my beds or move again! The most important thing I do besides watering is watching for nutrient deficiencies and keeping insect/rabbit/deer/fungus/virus/bacterial/mice/rats damage to a minimum.  Feed the good guys and the bad get fed too.  But a healthy ecosystem albeit made by me, takes both.  The good eat the bad.  If no bad guys what will the good guys eat? I always top dress my beds with decomposed organic mulch.  This keeps the good guys good, grin.  The good guys are your 'slaves' doing most of the work for you as they did in a natural ecosystem.  Checks and balances. Humans love to control everything. As a gardener, a lazy one to boot, knowledge is power.  A good manager delegates! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first year is the most difficult until you get the soil pH stabilized and full of organic matter.  I'll be sending in soil samples to our Cooperative Extension Service for testing once per year to help me figure out a fertilizer program.  The products for plant nutrients or fertilizers are quite high tech...grin.  They are mostly organic, more slowly taken up than the big blast of inorganic fertilizers and they now come infused with bacteria and mychorrizae! You can make compost 'teas' out of some of these products and water life back into the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my 'sandy' soil I am going to need to be vigilant with nutrients as they are leached out with every watering.  In clay soils you will need to be more careful about how much and what kind of nutrients to add.  Clay holds onto nutrients, some more than others.  Too much of one nutrient can cause deficiencies in others.  Too much fertilizer can kill plants, especially if the fertilizer is inorganic.  Once as a new nursery employee I was asked to fertilize. Unfortunately some of the plants had already been fertilized the month before and someone had forgotten.  The next day, toast.  Big shrubs, expensive trees gone.  I tried removing the soil, washing of plant roots and replanting but still casualties occurred. I felt awful. But even worse than that was when I led crews for landscape maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had a few landscape maintenance clients that thought if a little works, more is better! Maybe they were talked into it by the chemical company...&quot;Hey how about a 'deep root feeding'?&quot; Remember what I said about most plant roots?  Deep roots are for stabilizers, not for uptake of nutrients. The chemical company SAW the signs we put up saying what and when was fertilized. My client's entire landscape was killed, lawn, trees, shrubs, hanging baskets! Guess who got sued...not me! Or my company. Fertilizer is NOT PLANT FOOD.  Plants make their own food.  Nutrients in the soil are usually part of an elaborate ecosystem.  We have to add nutrients because we've 'mined' the original ecosystem...taken trees, indigenous plants, topsoil away leaving a sterile site to build a home or a parking lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can't plant trees to replace a forest.  Sometimes I wonder just how educated our 'leaders' are! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So us gardeners have to understand ecosystems, soils, geology, water, chemistry, climate, weather just to grow a tomato plant. Otherwise, you are just lucky.  A 'green thumb' is earned through study and experience.  No one is born with one... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-11T22:17:28.857" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9626" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-11T23:04:02.633" Score="2" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 2005 John Deere 115 19 HP automatic riding mower.  After leaving it in the garage all winter, I started the mower, drove it about 50 yards, engaged the blade.  After about 20 feet it made a loud boom and has not started since.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had a lawn mower repair guy come out who said that the engine was &quot;gone&quot;.  He didn't do really anything as far as I could tell other that listen to it and spin  the top if the engine.  He said the engine shouldn't spin like that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He said he would do research and see about options on a replacement.  He said it was going to be $450.00 US for a &quot;Short Block&quot; which he would charge an additional $200 US for labor.  He said that he would just bolt my existing parts (starter, muffler, etc) to the short block and it would be fixed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is whether or not I should put $650.00 US into a John Deere mower which is almost 10 years old and that I paid about 1,300.00 US for when I bought it brand new.  As far as I can tell, it will cost me about $1800.00 US for a similar replacement.  I'm really not sure if this &quot;short block&quot; solution is common and a good option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it worth the repair costs or should I just buy a new one?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3455" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-12T13:58:35.890" LastActivityDate="2014-05-12T15:50:26.570" Title="Should I repair 2005 John Deere or purchase a new mower?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9627" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-11T23:48:59.730" Score="3" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought a Pink Delight Dragon Fruit. I noticed that all of the cacti at the store had joints, dried flesh that tapers to small point. They seem like a weak point to me, a brittle point that can snap off. How are these joints formed, what purpose do they serve, and should they be prevented?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The joint is illustrated in the lower right of this photo. It is the tan portion on the right stalk. It looks as if it was severed at that point, but it's obviously not because the upper portion of the stalk is still green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dXvwU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-05-16T03:54:45.997" Title="What purpose do joints serve on a dragon fruit (pitaya)?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9628" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3899" CreationDate="2014-05-12T10:36:16.887" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is interesting! I took a magnifying glass to see if I could see thatch, grin! Thatch would make sense.  Look on the edge by your sidewalk, you should be able to see a 'mat' of roots, un-decomposed lawn debris and very little soil.  If it is more than an inch thick, it is time to de-thatch.  I am not familiar with your type of grasses but your observations about your neighbor's influence and the difference in vitality between your grass and theirs is excellent.  Seriously. I'm a Landscape Architect I thought I'd jump in and opine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is your home the brick home?  Just half of it or all of it? Why the chain-link fence? Is there more to your lot where you stood to take the pictures? Love to see your front yard as well.  Do you have ANY plants other than grass? Love to see your home, roof and all... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm just going to come out and tell you my thoughts and if I am wrong, just let me know.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A small yard like yours could be easily designed to be an extension of your home with outdoor 'rooms'...privacy, simple foundation planting, a small, simple water feature for sound or white noise, beautiful screen panels made with 2X2's, lap-jointed with 8&quot; thick posts staggered (versus a 'fence') allows the eye to stop at the screen defining your outdoor rooms while allowing air and neighbors to feel welcome. An arbor or small tree canopy, a bright and cheerful awning or a simple porch (and back door) would allow you to sit outside during a storm sipping on hot chocolate. Ha ha, how about a fire pit? A hot tub? A simple patio with groupings of potted plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A professionally designed landscape would vastly increase the value of your home. Far more than remodeling the kitchen or adding another bathroom...are you going to live in this home for the next 5 years, 10 years...or sell next year?  I see such possibility to improve your living experience, investing $4-5,000, easily increasing the value of your home by $40-50,000. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I see in your pictures is wasted space. Maintaining anything that you never enjoy is a waste, my opinion...are you interested in enlarging the living area of your very own home?  Do you have friends over?  Are you married?  Any pets? Kids someday? Would you like to grow your own food? Do you even like being outside during a storm?  Do you like to cook outdoors? Eat outdoors? Do you find you are disconnected from 'nature'?  Grin.  You would be amazed to see what I envision after seeing these few snapshots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope that you'll reconsider growing just grass (gees! Get a sod cutter, cut it all out, use it to make ornamental plant beds, put in a vegey garden...replace it with new sod, fertilize with an extended release organic fertilizer-some have bacteria that eat thatch), aerate once a year, water deeply and allow the soil to dry out to get your lawn to dig deep for water and become drought tolerant or...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Begin thinking of your home and landscape differently...small can be big!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA; - &#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-12T10:36:16.887" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9627" CreationDate="2014-05-12T13:37:48.057" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants grow in different patterns... most of a plant can't grow like an animal, because of the physiology of the cell, plants (with very few exceptions) have cell walls made of cellulose... so it is useful to think of an adult plant cell as a brick... and you can't easily expand a brick structure from the middle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;so plants grow in small regions call &quot;meristems&quot; these are the only places that a plant can grow... and basically any place you see a plant growing (not just expanding) is a meristem. the tips of the roots, buds, and the special meristem that is the main growth bud of a plant is called an &quot;apical meristem&quot;... so that is the background.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cactii only have a couple of growth patterns, a few like Organ Pipe, and Saguaro, and Barrel Cacti have a main meristem that just keeps growing indeterminately, but many, like Cholla, Easter Cactus, Christmas Cactus, and Prickly Pears will grow to some predetermined size then stop, and for further growth to occur it has to bud and create a new growth area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is just how they are, some cactus use this to spread, they can break off and become a new plant where they fall, others just grow this way to accommodate seasonal growth...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2014-05-12T13:37:48.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9630" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9626" CreationDate="2014-05-12T13:51:23.703" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try to have it repaired, it is less expensive and it is better for the environment and thus for the society in several ways. A longer discussion about those aspects are largly out of scope here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd be surprised that technology for lawn-mower in the past 10 years has evolved to justify a replacement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I'd were you I would see with another &quot;lawn mower repair guy&quot; which gives you better explanation of what needs to be done and especially why it has failed in the first place. Make sure that this guy is not selling those mowers, if he does he might do all to make the repair more expensive than needed to make you buy a new one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option is to sell the broken mower as a bargain as an alternative to throwing it away. I'm sure there are people who are willing to repair it &quot;on their own&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2014-05-12T15:50:26.570" LastActivityDate="2014-05-12T15:50:26.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9631" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9618" CreationDate="2014-05-12T14:40:14.267" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are stinging nettles? Another option is to start eating them. Especially in a veggie garden, it is kind of funny to eradicate an edible just to plant a different edible. They really are quite delicious when prepared like spinach. They sell for quite a bit at my local farmer's market. Of course, handle them with gloves and you do need to boil them briefly to neutralize the sting before eating them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-05-12T14:40:14.267" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9633" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-12T14:59:55.393" Score="4" ViewCount="1737" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing tomatoes and in accordance with all the advice I am pinching out side shoots, which I take to be the shoots which sprout out roughly bisecting the angle between the main stem and a 'branch'. By this definition I have side shoots growing out between the the main stem and the cotyledons. Are these side shoots to be pinched out, or rather the beginnings of branches which will later develop side shoots of their own?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Exhibit 1: One tomato plant with cotyledons; shoots in the vicinity thereof.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3lVky.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tomato cotyledons and shoots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question is simply, are these side shoots, or branches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3368" LastEditorUserId="3368" LastEditDate="2014-05-30T10:26:43.230" LastActivityDate="2014-05-30T13:12:14.790" Title="Should I remove tomato &quot;side shoots&quot; growing from cotyledons?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9635" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9633" CreationDate="2014-05-12T16:59:01.873" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think there might be some confusion about pinching out... the advice has always been, for tomatoes which produce fruits of a medium or large size, stop them by pinching out once 6-8 trusses have formed, and that means all over. It is not necessary to do this at all with smaller tomatoes, such as cherry tomato varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I made a comment below, but decided to add it to the answer with more detail - as I said, if you're growing a cordon variety, these are grown as a single stem, tied to a support, and only 4 trusses are allowed to develop. Side shoots are removed to keep the upright shape and limit the number of trusses. Examples of cordon tomatoes are Ailsa Craig, Alicante, Craigella, tumbler, Moneymaker - there are many more, so it rather depends on the variety you're growing as to how you treat them. Note that four trusses is usual in cooler climes with a shorter growing season - hotter parts of the world tend to restrict to around 6. The other group of bush varieties need no such treatment, though some of them may need staking (such as Pixie).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that cotyledon refers to seed leaves rather than lateral (side) shoots; laterals may also arise from existing branches, at the ends. All should be removed so that you just have leaves which arise from the main stem - beyond 4 (or whatever is appropriate for where you are) trusses, you 'stop' by taking the top off. Later in the growing season, towards the end, as ripening goes on, if there are a lot of leaves on the main stem, many can be removed to enable less shading of the fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-05-14T11:32:12.990" LastActivityDate="2014-05-14T11:32:12.990" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9636" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3683" CreationDate="2014-05-12T18:14:50.817" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W2qEE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;permanent raised beds without structure&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W2qEE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;1]]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0LrmO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;[2 year old beds out of pumice soil in a lodgepole jack pine association]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6OCiL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;3&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6OCiL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Concrete leaches lime into the soil around it raising the pH. Which might be a good thing depending on where you live.  You should know your pH of your soil, the ideal pH of each type of plant you plan to grow and how to manipulate it up or down in tiny increments.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was surprised no one mentioned 'TREKS'...I think that is the correct spelling...it is made out of recycled plastic jugs, never rots.  Comes in lots of colors but I always use dove gray as that is the natural color of exposed wood.  Great for edging gravel walkways and decks, too.  Easy to bend when warm (use a propane torch carefully if the weather is cool). It isn't as cheap as wood or cinderblock but you won't have to line it.  Saw it like wood.  You will need a drill bit to drill holes for your screws.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And you really don't need sides like one of your earlier answers.  I double dig my beds once at the beginning and never do it again.  I always have a trench at the bottom of my beds to direct extra water away from walkways and the beds to prevent erosion.  I do retrench once a year (looks so nice) throwing the soil on top of my beds, use a green cover crop every winter and topdress after planting with a decomposed organic mulch.  The soil organisms eat the mulch, go back down into the soil and poop it out doing the mixing and aerating for you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After double digging your beds, you'll see at least 2-4' of bed height.  I make my beds 3' wide with walkways on at least one side.  Rake the top so that it is level then I use a big piece of plywood, lay it on top, get up on it and jump up and down to firm the soil to a proper density. By now your beds will be 1 1/2' to 2' in height.  They will reduce a little more depending on the amount of organic matter that originally came with your topsoil and/or the decomposed organic matter you mix in while double digging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I never waste an inch of my beds...no straight single rows for me. I broadcast my salad bowl seeds, after soaking peas and beans I arrange them all over the top about 3&quot; apart and push them lightly into the soil and I stagger my corn, tomatoes, potatoes making triangles with equal sides.  For the seeds I'll use a rake and standing on one side of my bed to reach the opposite slope, I lightly rake up the sides and flip soil on top of my seeds.  You'll have plenty of practice while forming your beds and develop confidence you'll not bury your seeds too deeply.  Just pay attention to the directions on the seed packet or twice the thickness of your seed should be the depth...shoot, I think that ratio is correct.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then I take my rock rake the heavier one with study metal tines, turn it up on its head and tamp down the soil over my seeds.  Seeds need to have proper contact with the soil...just don't overdo the tamping thing, and maybe a bit more gentle over your soaked seeds.  Careful with fertilizer until you get sturdy plants. And don't forget the sides! I plant strawberries or other low-growing plants there...the north side is a good place for a second round of peas in the summer and the south side make sure the plants don't shade the rest of the bed. I also make big square beds...6'X6' (3' is the maximum comfortable distance from the walkway...) with walkways on each side for peas or corn...or squash and pumpkins. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep an eye out for disease and insects and critters of course.  I plant densely all the time.  I thin and prune to allow for as much ventilation as I can.  I have fans in my greenhouse and I'll even use them outside if it is humid and windless.  Remove any decaying material and remove spent plants after harvesting.  Put in your compost heap.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you get your soil tested otherwise you'll be guessing at whatever you add to the soil.  Then get to know the signs/symptoms in your plants of deficiency AND excess nutrients.  I like to use a cheap oscillating sprinkler to water my garden, make sure the moisture gets 6&quot; deep in your soil (hand water with a soaker while seedlings...have to keep the top of the soil with your seeds moist, not wet until they are established...then you train them by watering deeply and allowing to dry out before watering again).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't forget to put your beds away for the winter by growing a green cover crop.  In early spring turn those plants into the soil.  It feeds the soil and greatly reduces weeds! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, the salad bowl thing...I take all my seeds of lettuce, spinach, radishes, carrots mix them in a spice jar with holes on the top and cover the top of the salad bowl bed...thinly.  You'll love this...The first to come up are radishes, you eat those and it leaves more room for the lettuces which as you eat those you are thinning.  When you get through the season and there's plenty of room for all the plants just cut leaves off your lettuces instead of pulling the whole plant.  Michael Dirr taught me how to do this...He is my garden guru, grin!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a picture of my beds in this environment...ugh at least a 3 zone.  Colder and more unpredictable than Alaska, sigh.  This is how I prepare ALL of my garden beds.  One time only.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2019-03-16T06:35:04.950" LastActivityDate="2019-03-16T06:35:04.950" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="9638" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9622" CreationDate="2014-05-12T19:49:51.350" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something in the Fumaria family.  I have it too, and your post made me finally look it up. So thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1280821/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1280821/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2014-05-12T19:49:51.350" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7455" CreationDate="2014-05-13T00:03:04.363" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would be cheaper and easier for you to go to a local nursery and buy used black pots.  You have to start a small plant in a small pot...seedlings in pots or divided trays 1&quot;-3&quot; diameter.  When they get too big for the pot, roots coming out of the drainage holes and thick enough to block the holes, or you see more roots than soil when you slide the plant out of the pot...plant needs water all the time...re-pot the plant into a 6&quot; to 1 gallon size.  When it grows out of that, re-pot into a 2 or 3 gallon size...the proportion of roots to soil is important so that the plant is actively taking up water so that there is plenty of air being replaced in the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A lot of people plant seeds in the size pot they think the plant will need when it is mature.  Imagine a 5 gallon pot with a baby basil seed germinating. You might even know that soaking the soil is not a good idea and only water the seed/seedling a little bit each time.  The water you dribble in each time, 2 or 3 or 4 or 5X per day is being pulled away from the plant by the dry soil and capillary movement of water through the soil's pore spaces.  Might work but you can't miss a single watering or dribbling or you've lost your plant.  Never plant a plant in a too-big pot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Re-potting is a lot of work.  Nurseries have to use pots to sell plants individually and it is a huge job.  That is why big plants in large pots are expensive!  There is a lot of work to get that plant to that size! It also means you should always check out the roots on plants you want to purchase! A lot of nurseries, in order to keep the costs down, miss a number of these re-potting steps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I JUST built my greenhouse. I know I'm not going to be selling plants, how much work re-potting is and I don't want to have to purchase soil so I built my greenhouse over the best area for a garden.  I've got all my purchased, potted plants I want to grow in my beds secure in a heated greenhouse (that's what most plants in the nursery were from early in the spring and it is up to the customer to' harden' these plants, get them used to full sun, not so great soil, wind, rain and temperature changes.)  My seeds are started in grower's trays, re-potted into 2-3&quot; pots, some of the plants I bought that were in 1 gallon pots are now in 2-3 gallon pots. I am trying to get my beds prepared and get my potted plants planted in the garden beds before I have to re-pot again.  If my beds were already for plants, double dug to make raised fluffy beds, compost mixed in my very sandy low organic matter garden soil, trenches at the bottom of my beds so that water doesn't erode beds and walkways, raked smooth and firmed down...I could just plant seeds in my soil or my plants whatever size. But, sigh, I just learned that there is no 'last frost' here and I HAVE to have a greenhouse. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I understand you were building beds in 'pots.' What if you get a disease? You'll have to get rid of all the soil AND how would you sterilize your pots? The wood would probably have to be disposed of or you'd have to be careful when you rotate your plants each year. I'd either use your soil beneath your greenhouse (better harvests!) or get plastic pots and if they are used, wash well in bleach and water before putting potting soil in the pot.  Leave at least an inch but not more than 2&quot; for large pots so that you can water properly.  Get used to the weight of a well-watered pot, makes it easy to tell if you need to water again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And DO NOT Use rocks, gravel at the 'bottom' in hopes to improve drainage.  This actually makes drainage worse as you've created a 'perched water table' allowing water to move out of the soil ONLY after the soil is completely saturated. It would be good to put pots on wire shelves or use tiles so that they are off the ground, solid surfaces to increase drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My greenhouse needs opening up! I'll check back later...use those boxes upside down to lift plants up for better lighting...or air circulation! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-05-14T19:20:03.853" LastActivityDate="2014-05-14T19:20:03.853" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9641" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-13T05:03:18.000" Score="4" ViewCount="8995" Body="&lt;p&gt;We purchased 4mil polyethylene that was supposed to be 'clear' but it is opaque white.  We can not see through it at all. Is this normal? Will this work for one year? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-14T21:09:44.187" LastActivityDate="2014-05-23T06:30:11.000" Title="Is it OK that the polyethylene sheeting for our greenhouse is opaque, not clear?" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9642" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2941" CreationDate="2014-05-13T07:14:40.987" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you considered making your deck into a permanent 'outdoor' room? Something that will vastly increase the value of your home as well as saleability, be able to grow vegetables or exotic plants in beautiful pots and raised planters year 'round, add a few pieces of comfortable furniture so you can entertain or go hide from the world in an elegant, glass outdoor room that could be showcased in 'Sunset Magazine'? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think you are going to want to do anything temporary.  Putting a greenhouse up and taking it down (8'x20') every year will be a big pain.  Wood and water don't mix.  As a Landscape Architect/Project Manager for 30 years in the Pacific North Wet, grin, I always talked my clients OUT of wood decks attached to their home.  If they HAD to have a deck, we made it using 'Treks'...I think that is how it was spelled...which is recycled plastic bottles made into dimensional lumber.  A bit more costly to purchase and you have to pre-drill for all your screws...but! No Maintenance. Lower home insurance costs as wood gets slippery, dangerous. It comes in a lot of colors but PLEASE, please stay with dove gray!  Any other color will look like you have a moldy or dirty deck.  Dove gray is the best color to use for hardscape in Northwest gardens.  Same with pavers, concrete, CMU (concrete modular units) for garden walls, retaining walls...even wood arbors, screens, fences, walkway edging...gravel is wonderful especially in the PNW!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want the color in your landscape to be the colors in the forest, not Disney Land, grin! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How high off the ground IS your deck? Is it the same elevation as the main floor or do you have to step down from your home onto the deck? If you are only a few feet off the ground and/or the deck surface is not the same elevation as your home...I'd talk you into considering building an outdoor room, with garden walls, planters built right into the walls that are for sitting, potted plants and areas for raised beds big enough for trees or vegetable gardens.  Glass french doors opening from the home that can STAY open allowing the heat from your outdoor room, green house to heat your HOME. Lower your heating bills drastically. The flooring should be 7X9X2 inch dove gray 'Roman Cobble Pavers' or similar.  No mortar allowed.  Pavers are framed with dimensional lumber, PT The walls would be 18&quot; in height from the pavers to the top of the wall (which would include a 2&quot; thick concrete cap stone, about 2' in width).  The walls would be either REAL stone (in gray) and pretty expensive and not so DIY friendly...or CMU's.  Concrete lego blocks, big grin! Every year this product gets better and more natural looking.  I used an 'ashlar' pattern with 3 or 4 different sizes of blocks.  It takes a bit more IQ but worth it!  You should get bids from Landscape Design Build Companies to see what they'd charge.  Let me put it this way. It isn't something for DIY...this is your HOME, your investment.  Unless you've done this kind of thing before, now is NOT the time to learn.  Landscape companies are COMPETITIVE. You'll get more for every buck you spend with a good landscape company rather than using an Architect, Engineer, Electrician.  A good landscape company DOES IT ALL. Yes, even low voltage lighting (essential in the PNW...).  I could recommend a few depending on where you live.  Not sure if that is 'kosher' on this site but I could at least tell you what to look for in a landscape company.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An outdoor room that provides passive solar will vastly increase the value of your home.  Done in concrete, pavers, 6X6 posts, proper glazing, french doors or the big, big bi-fold doors that fold out of the way allowing the outdoor room to come inside. It should be designed so that the glazing is oriented to the sun, allows light and heat in, insulation so you don't lose heat, ventilation to release heat when necessary, a wood stove or open fireplace for sure...this would be more for human ambiance and comfort. A room-sized cadet heater for sure.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you need to think bigger.  Break it all into manageable chunks so you can afford it.  A wood deck in the PNW does nothing for your home. It has been shown to be a liability and actually reduces the value of your home.  Concrete and stone is the way to go in my experience with lots of glass and BIG, THICK POSTS. No 4X4's. (4X4's are in proportion maybe for a kid's play house but I won't use them if people can see them in connection with the home or landscape). I'll try to send a few pictures if you are interested.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh I just realized you just might be renting and that is why you want a portable 'greenhouse'...smack my forehead and grin.  Goodnight!   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-13T07:14:40.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9643" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9622" CreationDate="2014-05-13T14:22:37.047" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do the leaves for the one on the right smell like crysanthemums when they are crushed?  If so, this is probably &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thienemans.com/photos/index.php/Herbs/FEVERFEW&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Feverfew - Crysanthemum parthenium &lt;/a&gt;.  When it blooms, if you haven't already removed it, post another picture and we can confirm.  Feverfew has groups of small white flowers.  It is benign (except it can spread where it is &quot;happy&quot;) often perennial, and some folks use it for medicinal purposes.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant on the left is definitely an umbellifera - that is, it is a plant in the carrot and parsley family.  You can tell by the leaves, and the way they join to the stem, by clasping around it and forming a sort of swollen node.  It looks to be close to blooming, too - the main stem's internodes are beginning to lengthen into a blooming stalk.  The problem here is, members of this family can be very difficult to tell from one another, even for experienced gardeners and outdoors folk, but I agree this is NOT parsley.  My concern is it may be hemlock, which is poisonous, and also an invasive weed.  Here is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/environment/animalsAndPlants/noxious_weeds/imagesO_R/poison-hemlock-leaves-gloves-KCNW.ashx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;a picture&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsAndPlants/noxious-weeds/weed-identification/poison-hemlock.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;an identification page&lt;/a&gt; for poison hemlock.  Have a look and see if you agree it looks similar.  If you do agree, I'd definitely get rid of it now, before it blooms, and dispose of it in a way that pets, livestock and kids can't get to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Herkulesstaude_fg01.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Giant Hogweed has much broader leaves&lt;/a&gt;, so I don't believe that is the correct ID. If you ever do find any, btw, you may need to call the county to come pull it for you, as contact with any part of the plant's juices causes SEVERE dermatitis and, if you accidentally rub any in your eyes, blindness.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-05-13T14:33:47.673" LastActivityDate="2014-05-13T14:33:47.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9614" CreationDate="2014-05-13T14:57:36.770" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When it comes to lighting, you could probably get away with any type of fluorescent light but really, you want to be looking for a full spectrum light system as it comes the closest to natural light (it's right around 94% of the solar spectrum). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want the lights to be within a few inches of your plants as well or your plants will get too leggy so incandescent bulbs aren't a great choice as they give off too much heat and will burn your plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One last thing to note is the time the light is on. You want to maintain 14-16 hours of lighting with a rest period so you'll want to get some sort of timer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3460" LastActivityDate="2014-05-13T14:57:36.770" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9645" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9646" CreationDate="2014-05-13T14:58:36.620" Score="4" ViewCount="5904" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just transplanted 6 cucumber plants from one of those Burpee seed starting crates to a large outdoor planter (sits on my roof deck). They were doing great indoors, but within a day or so of going outdoors, developed these white areas, and some of the leaves have wilted off. I'm using an automatic irrigation controller for watering, the planter is 9&quot; of soil on top of ~3&quot; of packing peanuts, with drainage. Full sun. Any ideas on what this could be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oJHN3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cvqT2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3459" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-06T21:53:00.440" LastActivityDate="2021-05-18T09:23:41.830" Title="What are these white spots and wilting leaves on my cucumber seedling transplants?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9646" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9645" CreationDate="2014-05-13T16:35:16.780" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably transition shock - your description of what you did does not include a period of hardening off for the plants, so if they were under shelter or inside originally, then planting them straight out without hardening off means they've responded to the cooler/colder conditions by producing whitened areas and a bit of die off. The only thing is, when I look at the photos, those whitened areas do rather look more like white fungus, but that might just be a trick of the light off the wet leaves. If the whitened areas are within the leaf, and do not have a fungal fuzz over them, its transition shock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED EDIT: I came back on to make suggestions as to what you should do if it is transition shock, but you've confirmed it probably is. It'll be night time temperatures that are the issue - they may now have adjusted already, but otherwise, cover them with something (not something that will touch the leaves though) at dusk and remove it first thing in the morning for a week or so, or till overnight temperatures are good, then leave uncovered on a mild night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm still a bit concerned about fungal growth though - that compost looks to be pretty wet too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-05-13T17:04:59.037" LastActivityDate="2014-05-13T17:04:59.037" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9647" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9645" CreationDate="2014-05-13T17:10:47.000" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are sun burnt.  Full sun is far too strong for seedlings that haven't been &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burpee.com/perennials/hardening-off-your-seedlings-article10355.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hardened off&lt;/a&gt;&quot; to handle it.  You need to get these plants into a dappled shade situation, and then move them gradually over the next week or so back into full sun.  If you don't, they could die.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-16T03:38:51.647" LastActivityDate="2014-05-16T03:38:51.647" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9648" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-13T18:48:13.920" Score="3" ViewCount="3153" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Mulberry bush in my garden that I planted last year. I can see buds on it like the leaves are starting to grow.  The thing is every other tree in my garden has flowers now, even my apple tree.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why is my Mulberry bush so far behind everything else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2694" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-10T19:46:02.883" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T19:46:02.883" Title="Why is my Mulberry bush flowering later than all my other trees?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9649" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9466" CreationDate="2014-05-13T18:51:34.340" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was just looking for similar information when I ran across this link from Virginia Tech on &lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-500/426-500.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;managing winter injury to trees and shrubs&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest reading the link but in summary, prune obviously dead branches, water thoroughly and fertilize to promote new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-05-13T18:51:34.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9650" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9648" CreationDate="2014-05-13T19:29:34.363" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;How old is it and what size is it?  It is possible that it's just not large enough to flower yet.  Most trees (and mulberry is generally considered a tree, although dwarf varieties are available) take at least 3-5 years to begin to flower and set fruit.  If it's a small plant still and you just transplanted it last year, it would not be surprising at all if doesn't fruit this year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, not all trees flower first and then leaf out.  Some leaf out and flower at the same time, and some leaf out first and then flower.  Mulberries, if I recall correctly, generally bloom around the same time their leaves begin to grow out of the bud.  So it may still be early yet to judge whether it is going to flower this year or not. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-05-13T19:29:34.363" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9652" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9788" CreationDate="2014-05-14T00:04:58.777" Score="2" ViewCount="644" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a low light plant, that will grow under a pepper tree, and between two oleanders,&#xA;that grows about 3-5 feet tall, in southern California?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3464" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-14T03:45:57.753" LastActivityDate="2014-05-24T23:47:11.060" Title="What plant will grow to about 3' in the shade from a pepper tree and oleanders?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9622" CreationDate="2014-05-14T02:25:58.707" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Friends, after researching your suggestions/answers, and taking some more additional pix, I've come to the conclusion that this is most likely poison hemlock (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ars.usda.gov/services/docs.htm?docid=9975&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.ars.usda.gov/services/docs.htm?docid=9975&lt;/a&gt;).  As you can see from the additional pix I snapped today, it has smooth hollow stalks with purple blotches and no hairs on it's stems and now has many flower heads on the flower spike. How it arrived in my organic garden, one can only guess...perhaps through a bird dropping?  In any case, it will be eradicated this weekend (precariously!) and destroyed (&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/kill-hemlocks-30900.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/kill-hemlocks-30900.html&lt;/a&gt;). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's brighter green sibling does smell like chrysanthemums when crushing the leaves, so perhaps it is feverfew, but due to the close proximity to the poison hemlock, it will likely get pulled, as well.  Question:  can I now safely plant/consume my organic vegetables in this space, after having poison hemlock in the raised garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank-you again for all your educated responses!  I shudder to think what would've happened had we consumed this 'parsley'!  &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ldgQs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3453" LastActivityDate="2014-05-14T02:25:58.707" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9654" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9658" CreationDate="2014-05-14T06:46:44.983" Score="10" ViewCount="28426" Body="&lt;p&gt;If a leaf on a plant is shriveling or yellowing, should you cut it off or leave it there? If you do the former, should you only snip off the damaged parts or should you cut off the entire leaf? My question is pertinent to young plants that may have only around 15 leaves, so each leaf is relatively important. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2018-07-06T10:13:33.380" Title="How do you manage dying leaves on young plants?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9655" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9648" CreationDate="2014-05-14T11:43:01.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just checked where you are - as you're in a northerly climate, mulberry should be planted in the sunniest, most sheltered spot available, preferably in front of a wall which faces south, which will give it optimum conditions. It may be that you've had late frosts and that's why the mulberry has been reluctant to put on growth - hopefully, you dug over the area prior to planting and incorporated plenty of humus rich material such as garden compost, and you have kept it well watered during drier spells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Thanks to more research for another question, I've finally found the info I was looking for - I had an idea that Morus comes into leaf later than other fruiting trees, and it does, so it will/should be later than your other fruiting trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T10:49:40.130" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T10:49:40.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9656" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9657" CreationDate="2014-05-14T12:06:43.747" Score="8" ViewCount="3202" Body="&lt;p&gt;My plan is to keep garden fabric on my vegetable garden year round to keep the weeds down (especially in the spring before planting) but my in-laws claimed it's bad for the soil. I would put the new garden fabric down covering the whole garden in the spring, then cut holes where I plant. Then after harvesting I'd leave the fabric in place over the winter. Then in the spring throw away the old fabric and repeat. This would allow me to avoid rototilling also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3465" LastEditorUserId="3465" LastEditDate="2014-05-14T20:55:12.633" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T20:14:58.080" Title="Does soil need sunlight?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9657" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9656" CreationDate="2014-05-14T12:20:54.677" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, provided the 'garden fabric' is water and air permeable and not thick plastic. Geotextile fabrics are commonly used in areas with existing planting, usually with some kind of decorative mulch on top. If such a membrane were laid with stones on top and left for some years, it's likely that the area would need to be improved by digging over and incorporating humus rich materials before any planting takes place.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be much better for the soil, though, if you used organic mulches instead, a good two or three inches deep, without a fabric - these would break down over time and improve the soil, adding humus, whilst suppressing weed growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I note you have altered your question somewhat, so here's a bit more to respond to that. Sounds like a nice idea, doesn't, easy peasy, what you've suggested, but as others have said already, it's an imperfect solution. Persisent weeds will come up through thinner fabric, and others, grass particularly, may well root through the fabric into the soil beneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing to consider is this - if you are growing edible crops year on year, you will need to incorporate various nutrients in the soil annually, or your crops will be poor or nutrient poor. One tomato is not necessarily like another tomato - one grown in nutrient rich soil teeming with bio diversity, minerals and trace elements will provide much more nutrition to the human consuming it than will one grown in a soil that is depleted. (I use the term tomato loosely, it's just an example for any vegetable/fruit.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a labour light solution, then spend your money on organic origin mulches instead - this will break down into the soil and you won't even have to dig it in, if you add it yearly. At a depth of 3 inches, it will suppress weeds pretty well - which type of organic matter you use may vary depending on what you think you want to grow the following year though - root crops like carrots aren't keen on soil with a high animal manure content.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-05-15T12:36:35.197" LastActivityDate="2014-05-15T12:36:35.197" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9658" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9654" CreationDate="2014-05-14T12:25:27.597" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only time you usually remove leaves which are slightly damaged or part dead is if the plant is highly ornamental and it's detracting from its appearance, or the leaf is damaged by some kind of infection or invader. Otherwise, just wait for the leaf to shrivel and fall off naturally, or remove it when it's at that stage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-14T12:25:27.597" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9659" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9656" CreationDate="2014-05-14T17:54:49.137" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;What kind of plants are you thinking of growing? I ask, because you mention keeping the weeds down in spring &quot;before planting&quot;. If it is an annual bed or a vegetable bed that you will be replanting every year, landscape fabric may not be your best option. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is a vegetable garden, every veggie you plant will have different spacing requirements, and you should plan to rotate them around the garden to keep the soil healthy. This will be difficult to do with fabric, since you need to cut a hole for each plant in the garden (unless you are just using the fabric to cover the paths between rows). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is an annual ornamental garden, you'll need to find a way to keep track of where the holes in the fabric are, so you know where to plant each year - and you'll need to replant in the same spots, so you don't have holes all over the fabric.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In either case, I agree with bamboo that you should really consider several inches of organic mulch instead. From my own experience, I have some beds with high-quality contractor-grade landscape fabric, some with big-box &quot;contractor-grade&quot; fabric, and some with just layered cardboard. All of the beds are covered with organic mulch (some years I use woodchips, some I use leaf mold). I have slightly less weeding to do in the beds with the true contractor-grade fabric (purchased from a landscape supply company) than I do in the beds which were covered in cardboard and then mulched. The cardboard was free, so for all beds from now on, I'm going with cardboard. The worst beds are the ones in which I used the big-box store &quot;contractor-grade&quot; fabric. The weeds come up right through the stuff, and are very hard to pull, because their roots get all entangled in the fabric. I am in the process of ripping that fabric out completely - it was a total waste of time and money. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-05-14T17:54:49.137" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9660" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9663" CreationDate="2014-05-14T18:26:08.597" Score="4" ViewCount="143" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was planting my green bean seeds 1 - 2 inches as the package said, then I got tired and threw the rest on the ground and stepped on them to press them into the wet soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What happens to seeds that are sown too deep - do they germinate, but not reach the surface, or are they being deprived of something that prevents them from starting at all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3467" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-14T21:04:41.397" LastActivityDate="2014-05-16T03:09:13.010" Title="What are the consequences of seeds sown outside of their depth specifications?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9661" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3437" CreationDate="2014-05-14T19:58:11.490" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Newspaper works also: put down some newspaper, spread mulch on top, wait a bit and rototill it all in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Newspaper ink is soy based now so it's fine; prepare the soil and plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3469" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-14T20:18:17.347" LastActivityDate="2014-05-14T20:18:17.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9662" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-14T20:30:07.063" Score="3" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have read that tomatoes for greenhouse culture need to be varieties designed to be grown in greenhouse environments. What are the varieties, and where can I get them...just by mail? And what other plants should I look for that would grow better in a greenhouse than out in the garden? What about normal tomatoes planted in a greenhouse, not out-of-doors in the vegetable garden?  Will they produce well, or under-produce?  How about planting them near the south wall that I open for ventilation, where they'll get direct sun until they are over 3' in height?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-16T02:57:28.227" LastActivityDate="2014-06-15T01:09:53.920" Title="Why are there plants specifically designed for greenhouses?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9663" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9660" CreationDate="2014-05-14T20:54:12.623" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, seeds sown too deeply can be deprived of the light they need to germinate. That is why you will sometimes notice that when you turn the soil in a garden, a whole crop of weeds comes up immediately afterwards. You've just moved seeds which were too deep to germinate to the surface. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, your bean seeds are more likely to be too shallow than too deep with the planting method you've described. I think you are more likely to see them float to the surface of the soil with the next big rain. Luckily, beans are not very finicky, and they will probably do just fine. I usually just poke any seeds that float to the surface back in with my finger, and they do just fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-05-14T20:54:12.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9665" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9666" CreationDate="2014-05-15T15:47:23.213" Score="5" ViewCount="205" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple shrubs I want to plant on a slanted landscape; nothing severe, maybe 10 degrees.  Should I plant perpendicular to the ground, or perpendicular to an imaginary level surface?  If it makes a difference, if I plant it perpendicular to the ground, the top of the shrub will be angled directly east towards the sunrise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3467" LastActivityDate="2014-05-15T16:03:34.433" Title="Planting shrubs on a gently sloped landscape." Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9666" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9665" CreationDate="2014-05-15T16:03:34.433" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants will grow up to the light.  I recommend planting them perpendicular to the imaginary level surface. Anything else would look odd as the alternative is not seen in nature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What will help is building a small ring of soil on the downhill side of the shrub and applying a few inches of organic mulch all round.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;this will capture and retain rain or groundwater moving downhill&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;reduce chances of soil erosion and compaction&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the mulch will reduce weeding&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-05-15T16:03:34.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9667" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-15T16:59:36.830" Score="3" ViewCount="256" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant came in a tub with some other flowers 2 years ago and looked like a hosta. However this spring it has suddenly sprung up like a triffid and I have no clue as to what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v8k3R.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v8k3Rl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3471" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-15T20:18:39.150" LastActivityDate="2014-05-15T20:18:39.150" Title="What is this plant with spikes of purple flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9668" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9667" CreationDate="2014-05-15T17:57:11.587" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're talking about the plant in the center? It looks like foxglove (digitalis), but I'm not sure of the variety. Very pretty!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-05-15T17:57:11.587" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9669" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9662" CreationDate="2014-05-16T02:52:01.607" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants designed for greenhouse use are bred to work the most efficiently in the greenhouse environment, and resist pests and diseases that prefer greenhouse conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p1828.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; has a list of greenhouse suitable tomato varieties, including easy to find ones like Tropic, Laura, and trust. You can also find detailed information in every department of greenhouse tomato cuture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Greenhouses are an entirely different environment from outdoor beds, so it is highly advised that you use an adapted variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another plant that will grow much better in a greenhouse is European table cucumbers, which benefit from the uniform heat and humidity all season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-15T01:09:53.920" LastActivityDate="2014-06-15T01:09:53.920" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9670" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9660" CreationDate="2014-05-16T03:09:13.010" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The instructions on the seed package want you to plant them deep because bean seeds should not dry out during germination. In wet conditions, like your garden, shallow planting will work well, and the plants will emerge sooner. In fact, if you plant deep in wet soil, you will be likely to lose a good bit to rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-16T03:09:13.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9671" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9656" CreationDate="2014-05-16T03:21:27.677" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Organic mulch is very good stuff. a thick layer of grass clippings is good for keeping down weeds, and adds nitrogen to the soil for the growing plants. I use it for my broccoli plantings with insanely good results, even in hard, poor, untilled soil. It will also pull you right through droughts without trouble. The biggest drawback with grass clippings is appearance. You can cover it with a sprinkling of straw or wood chips or whatever blends well with the surrounding landscape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-16T03:21:27.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9672" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9654" CreationDate="2014-05-16T03:27:30.580" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is always a reason for shriveling and yellowing. Taking care of the cause is the best thing for your plants health. If the leaves are dying naturally of old age, on most plants, you can cut off the leaves when the last green fades out. If the plant is disease prone or bleeds badly, wait until the leaf is entirely dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-16T03:27:30.580" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9674" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9627" CreationDate="2014-05-16T03:54:45.997" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is handling damage. The stem was cut into some time ago. You can try to avoid damaged plants while shopping, and avoid further damage by careful handling. Your plant doesn't look too bad. It should grow just as well as another one, but again, try to avoid rough handling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-16T03:54:45.997" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9615" CreationDate="2014-05-16T04:06:18.980" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;With trees of that size, grafting will not bring good results. The trees will sucker around the new scions even after they take, and it will be a constant battle to keep them under control. If the nurseryman said they came in pairs of male and female trees  for pollination, I would assume that they are a monoecious species. Sexing young trees isn't always accurate, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if you have three male trees. You may have to have a certified arborist/tree care professional have a look at them to make sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other things that make Morus species flower less are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Low light levels (like being under large over-story trees, or between close buildings)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Way too much nitrogen (they will fruit in very nutrient-deprived soil, but don't like much nitrogen)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Very wet soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The bacterial blight &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudomonas_syringae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pseudomonas syringae&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;None of these things should completely stop a mature mulberry from fruiting. I think you probably purchased black mulberry (Morus nigra), which is a very common monoecious species. If you find that this is the case, your problem will be solved by replacing two of the male trees with females. Try to find a reputable grower that knows what he's doing. That will keep you from another thirty years of wasted time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T01:37:59.330" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9676" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9677" CreationDate="2014-05-16T15:20:17.353" Score="4" ViewCount="6674" Body="&lt;p&gt;On most store-bought soil, it gives instructions to mix the soil with equal parts of your native soil. Why should I create a mixture instead of using the store-bought soil purely? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually buy &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kellogggarden.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kellogg garden soil&lt;/a&gt;. The texture is quite coarse - like that of ground up wood chips. I have been mixing this garden soil with store-bought soil conditioner/amendments, but never with my native soil. My native soil is tough clay, so I was hesitant of mixing it in. Could this be the reason why I'm having such bad luck in my first year of gardening? My blackberry and strawberries shriveled after one week of planting. However, others such as raspberry and goji berry are thriving. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-14T17:07:12.937" LastActivityDate="2017-03-14T17:07:12.937" Title="What's the purpose of mixing native soil with store bought soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9677" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9676" CreationDate="2014-05-16T16:10:45.023" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Even though it's called Kellogg &quot;garden soil&quot;, it does not appear to actually be a &lt;em&gt;soil&lt;/em&gt;; it looks more like a soil amendment based on that video, product information and customer reviews.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;soil&lt;/a&gt; contains organic matter, nutrients, air, water, minerals, microorganisms, rocks and sediments like sand, silt and clay. Kellogg garden soil is a bag of compost and organic fertilizers intended to be mixed into your existing soil to increase its organic matter and nutrient content. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on reviews and customer photos I've seen, it doesn't appear to be a very good product. The compost is not composted fully or screened like it appears to be in the video but as you, and others, have described consists of a lot of uncomposted materials like wood chips. If you can find a good source of compost it will be cheaper. That's the bulk of what's (supposed to be) in the bag. Then add some organic fertilizers and you get the same thing except for less money. A lot less money if you're buying compost in bulk as opposed to bags.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a convenience product that has its place but it doesn't appear to be of very good quality.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-16T16:34:38.720" LastActivityDate="2014-05-16T16:34:38.720" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9678" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9676" CreationDate="2014-05-16T16:44:36.707" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I watched the video too - this product is intended for mixing with your garden soil at planting time, when you are planting out in the ground. It's meant to improve soil structure, assist with drainage, yet retain moisture, and also contains a small amount of feed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's an implication in your question that that's not how you've been using it - have you been using it for potting and not in the ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This Kellog stuff isn't causing a problem in your garden - I think what it means when it says 'mix' with your own soil is, it's just telling you, at planting time, when you've dug your hole, to mix the kellog stuff into the backfill soil you've just removed, and which you're going to replace around the rootball when its in position. In other words, don't just surround the rootball with the kellog stuff, but a mix of that and your own soil. That's certainly what I do with any soil amendment at planting time if its not already been dug in all over - that might be my own garden compost from the heap, or peat, or a little of something I've bought at the garden centre, such as soil conditioning compost. Whether it's got 'poop' in it or not, I can't say, but it wouldn't be a problem even if it had, unless you're growing carrots. And yes, it will become part of your own soil - it'll break down over time, creating more humus in the soil, which is a good thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is mostly wood chips, then the nitrogen already included in the mix will help offset the nitrogen loss once its in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-05-18T10:30:24.230" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T10:30:24.230" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9679" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-16T18:33:27.610" Score="5" ViewCount="3121" Body="&lt;p&gt;I own a mobile home in a very nice development. My yard is sinking and over the past 3 years the grass has died in that area.  The development owners say it's my responsibility to add topsoil to the low areas.  I can't afford to do that at this time.  Is there any grass that I can grow in areas that have standing water for up to a week at times? I appreciate any tips or suggestions anyone can offer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3476" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-16T18:37:43.450" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T00:03:55.140" Title="What grass types will survive in areas of standing water that last for up to a week?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9681" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9679" CreationDate="2014-05-16T21:52:12.950" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't seed a good lawn in standing water, but when it is dry, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/102724-grass-seeds-shady-wet-areas.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;these lawn grasses&lt;/a&gt; are likely your best choices. I used ryegrass and roughstalk bluegrass in similar areas with fair results. After the plants are established they will survive these conditions okay, but mowing and foot traffic will do a lot of damage. I am in a very low altitude valley and have lots of swampy areas. It would be best to level out the lawn with topsoil, and maybe add a drain system, although the latter is either time consuming or expensive. As you can see, my lawn is very wet also. It never dries out, so the ground is always wet. The grass grows well except in the areas where the mower blades actually cut below the water surface, and where the wheels push thm into the mud. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/poAGs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-11T00:03:55.140" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T00:03:55.140" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9683" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-17T01:35:28.323" Score="8" ViewCount="120951" Body="&lt;p&gt;What do I do for an indoor mint plant with dry leaves and stems which are falling over? Some leaves are brown or black.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3480" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-17T03:16:31.257" LastActivityDate="2018-07-27T10:47:10.430" Title="Why does my mint have dry, brown or black leaves and stems that are falling over?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9684" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11060" CreationDate="2014-05-17T05:53:10.027" Score="6" ViewCount="2330" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this plant in my garden in south India. It has spiky leaves, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fDHZg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers are white, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ALPRm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flowers&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And it has bulbs in the roots &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IZVdm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;roots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the name of this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3289" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2014-05-17T14:56:01.897" LastActivityDate="2014-06-21T01:10:40.890" Title="What is this spiky-leaved, white-flowered plant that grows from a bulb?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9686" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11041" CreationDate="2014-05-17T11:04:48.820" Score="6" ViewCount="43420" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For some reason lots of thick horrible coarse grass has started growing in lots of patches all over. Does anyone know why it would all of a sudden start to grow? Also, can anything be done about it? I have Green Thumb come 4 times a year....I would have hoped they would sort it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;: I've been informed that it's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=283&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;couch grass&lt;/a&gt;, and the reason for its prevalence this year is probably because of the very wet winter we had in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bdBbH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bdBbH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qv0sq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qv0sq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2467" LastEditorUserId="2467" LastEditDate="2014-06-15T09:17:04.833" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T12:52:32.597" Title="What should I do about coarse, thick grass growing in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9686" CreationDate="2014-05-17T13:54:23.597" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitaria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;crabgrass&lt;/a&gt;, a summer annual, or possibly &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quackgrass&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;quackgrass&lt;/a&gt; a cool season perennial. A close up picture of the stems would help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See these excellent answers for control methods&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;An extremely &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1391/499&quot;&gt;detailed answer&lt;/a&gt; on organic control&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Another &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/9417/499&quot;&gt;organic solution&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Look &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1382/how-do-i-quickly-remove-crabgrass-without-too-much-manual-labour&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more on how to remove without too much manual labour&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-05-17T13:54:23.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9688" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9777" CreationDate="2014-05-17T14:51:35.930" Score="3" ViewCount="12395" Body="&lt;p&gt;Newbie plant parent here.  Probably not doing the best job!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I purchased some Coleus plants from Home Depot for indoor houseplants.  I've raised them successfully indoors from seed before but have never tried buying seedlings from the store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I transplanted them to pots, and about three weeks in, the plants became limp and 1 or 2 started to die.  I chocked this up to overwatering from reading online and repotted the soil and went much easier on the water for the next week.  Now even the previous survivors are showing signs of the same and I'm a little panicked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've taken them outside for some extra sun, but at this point I'm trying everything and I'm not sure if this too is a good idea.  Perhaps someone could identify what's wrong with them and provide some advice?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hsZQ9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G60TG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U9Wsh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ei2oq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3482" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-19T00:42:01.207" LastActivityDate="2014-05-23T21:16:03.733" Title="Why are my Coleus plants wilting?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pots&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9689" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-17T14:57:31.067" Score="4" ViewCount="698" Body="&lt;p&gt;Same unfortunate newbie from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9688/wilting-coleus-plants&quot;&gt;this thread&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have some ivy plants that two weeks after transplant are yellowing of the leaves and starting to look rather sad.  These were purchased as full size plants that were being grown indoors in the nursery, so not much change in light was transitioned to my home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if perhaps I might be overwatering them?  Would a stint outside help?  Is this something I should worry about?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zBqBa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4R3jN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3482" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-06T00:14:37.547" LastActivityDate="2018-01-06T00:14:37.547" Title="What is causing the yellowing on my English Ivy's leaves?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;english-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9690" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-17T15:32:22.307" Score="4" ViewCount="4369" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small creek that runs through my yard.  The creek is more or less storm water control and run-off water from the area, so the water level varies greatly, going from completely dry to fast rushing &quot;river&quot; depending on the weather conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the current time, the creek bank, which borders my lawn, is mostly weed covered and is rather ratty looking.  I would like to being some planting there to help hold the soil when it does flood and to improve the visual appeal of the area.  I am looking for some flowers, tall (decorative) grasses, and shrubs for this area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the highlights:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil is generally very moist, even when the creek is dry, but is well drained&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil tends to have a lot of clay&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(Wild?) Daylilies do extremely well on the far side of the bank and I will likely plant some on the near side as well.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The area varies from full shade to 6-8 hours of sun in summer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plants need to be able to handle being submerged in a foot or more of fast moving water 1 or 2 times a summer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I am in Southeast Pennsylvania, the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone is 6b.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I would prefer not to block the view too much, so I would have a preference for shorter plants (1-2 feet in height), but a few taller plants or trees would be welcome.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3483" LastEditorUserId="3483" LastEditDate="2014-05-17T22:24:30.947" LastActivityDate="2014-05-17T22:24:30.947" Title="Shrub and Flower recommendations for creek bank prone to flooding" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9691" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-17T16:04:17.277" Score="1" ViewCount="292" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently moved into a house that has an older irrigation system. Picture of the unit below. I've found the manual online and I believe of got the unit to work. However, nothing happens at the fountains. Nothing. The machine's LCD status indicates that it's going but nothing happens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never had an irrigation system so I know nothing about them. What might I be doing wrong. Could it be that some tap is closed somewhere that means the system isn't getting any water supply? If so, are these taps usually inside or outside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help appreciated!&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s1SCM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Richdel irrigation control&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3484" LastActivityDate="2014-05-17T16:04:17.277" Title="Irrigation system not working" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2014-07-24T01:55:49.623" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9692" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-17T16:40:31.763" Score="3" ViewCount="1821" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it helpful to use silicone spray on a sprinkler head that does not retract?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3485" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-17T17:57:35.133" LastActivityDate="2014-05-23T01:00:34.043" Title="Is it safe to use silicone spray on sprinkler heads that do not retract?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9693" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9690" CreationDate="2014-05-17T20:06:27.610" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;What a lucky person to have an intermittent creek as part of their landscape. Are there restrictions, buffer zones attached to this creek...even though it is on your property I am pretty sure it's regulated with riparian restrictions.  First thing you do is look in your mortgage documents for legal stuff, call your city, county for their input...then find out what is happening upstream.  Are there golf courses upstream, Monsanto, dumps...does it flow through other yards? Do those residents understand and abide the rules?   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd assume the water flowing through your yard is unsafe to drink for sure, I'd probably have the water tested.  On the positive side there might be incentives available to you as well as money, grants and riparian professionals to help you, money to have rip-rapping (erosion control with rock), plant costs and even plants provided. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you have a dry creek bed part of the time, I'd definitely be thinking about boulders, river rock.  When it is dry, are you able to irrigate your plants while they get established? I don't know Pennsylvania at all, I am familiar with the Pacific Northwest. Your zone is...similar.  My recommendations are:  Salix purpurea 'nana' (my all time favorite skeleton...plants that tie your entire landscape together cohesively... shrub and you'd need to shear it 2x a year to look similar to an umbrella/funnel? Shear the top flat, then round it towards the ground so that the edge is wider than the top...like an umbrella. Still, very naturalistic looking but if you don't shear the shrub, even though it has a 'nana' tag can grow 20X20 and look rangy. Blue gray tiny foliage and cinnamon stems that move in the wind.  Stems are thin, easy to prune and they 'glow' cinnamon in the winter); Carex elata 'Bowles Golden' will grow in or out of water; a perennial that might work well is Ligularia dentata 'Othello' and Ligularia stenocephala 'The Rocket'...both would add great texture, color, height...you'll have to make sure they stay watered. Only the sedge I would plant in the water...does fine when creek is dry but you will have to water.  Ligularia and the Blue Arctic Willow...keep to the margins of the creek, not in it.  Keep the number of TYPES of plants to a maximum of 4-5.  Powerful views need framing!  Consider using a grove-type tree such as Amelanchier alnifolia, Serviceberry, with multiple stems and plant 3 or 5 or more.  It is a small tree, 4 season beautiful, few pests, but not to be used IN the creek.  Or consider one or three of Salix mansudana tortuosa 'Scarlet Curls'...prune to thin and aerate for light shade, can handle water and poor soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send a picture and let me know what you find out about the legal stuff on your creek!  Lucky, lucky you! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-17T20:06:27.610" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9694" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9695" CreationDate="2014-05-17T20:24:40.417" Score="3" ViewCount="4722" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two kinds of conifers in the front yard. They are in a spot with eastern exposure, but the sunlight is somewhat blocked by a big house on the south side of the yard. They get a lot of shade in the afternoon and evening, and the yellow is mostly on the part facing the house. However, last year, when planted they were green all over.&#xA;I live in Chicago (we had a very long winter this year).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why are they turning yellow and what can I do to make them healthy and green again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PnqEi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PnqEil.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Conifer 1, taller &amp;quot;pine&amp;quot; tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mFdRU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mFdRUl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Conifer 2, bushes&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3486" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T05:10:53.850" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T05:10:53.850" Title="Why are the leaves turning yellow on these conifers?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9695" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9694" CreationDate="2014-05-17T22:13:18.303" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-12-18/classified/ct-sun-1216-garden-qa-20121218_1_water-evergreens-water-vapor-winter&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;winter burn.&lt;/a&gt; It is caused by the dehydration of the foliage during abnormally long or cold winters. Evergreens let off water vapor throughout the winter through their leaves, but the roots cannot replenish the supply, while frozen. The yellow areas are dead, and you should follow each dead stem back to a live green shoot or bud, and trim it off neatly. Winter burn was a bad problem with the harsh 13-14 winter. It can be prevented somewhat by any wind-proof cover, which protects from the drying wind.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-17T22:13:18.303" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9696" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7090" CreationDate="2014-05-17T22:44:11.657" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are fertilizing the seedlings, you will be fine, but the ingredients in the mix you bought are basically just pH balanced &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.peatmoss.com/blog/using-peat-moss/home-gardeners-why/home-gardeners-what/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Canadian sphagnum peat moss&lt;/a&gt; and wood pulp (which have about zero usable nutrients), so you are definitely going to run into trouble without fertilizer. It is always good to find out whether or not your growing media is fortified with fertilizer before using it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually the biggest difference between potting mix and seed starting mix is porosity. The seed starting mix will generally be lighter and freer draining in comparison with bagged potting mix. This is not ways the case, though, and you can repot into seed starter if you want, you'll just have to possibly water and fertilize more often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apple seedlings tend to grow best in well fertilized soils, so use something with plenty of at least the 'main' three nutrients, or npk. Of course, if you can find a micronutrient complex and some minerals as well, that would be best (the mix doesn't contain many of those either). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-28T12:32:50.750" LastActivityDate="2014-08-28T12:32:50.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9697" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8711" CreationDate="2014-05-17T23:08:19.223" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/weeds/hgic2319.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;annual trampweed&lt;/a&gt;. You can culturally control it somewhat by providing close to ideal conditions for the turf (water, fertilizer, balanced ph) and mow the seed-heads into a bag, to prevent spreading. It grows best in dry, poor soil, and will not compete well in good conditions. You can also control it chemically with post-emergent broad-leaved plant herbicide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-17T23:08:19.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9698" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9699" CreationDate="2014-05-18T00:17:26.237" Score="4" ViewCount="3371" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just planted a Seascape Strawberry plant, which is day-neutral. According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-seascape-strawberries-42378.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Home Guides&lt;/a&gt;, day-neutral strawberries do not produce runners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Developed at the University of California, Seascape strawberry,&#xA;(Fragaria x ananassa) produces a high yield of large, firm, flavorful&#xA;berries. Seascape is a day-neutral variety, which means that unlike&#xA;June-bearing strawberries that produce berries in June and July,&#xA;day-neutral varieties produce fruit throughout summer and into autumn,&#xA;as long as temperatures are between 35 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;Day-neutral strawberries do not develop runners.&lt;/strong&gt; Seascape strawberry is suitable for growing in U.S. Department of Agriculture&#xA;growing zones 3 through 9.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How would I propagate my Seascape strawberries if the typical way of propagating via runners is not an option?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I looked at my plant and verified that it does not have runners. Since Seascape strawberry's leaves are humungous, it would be easy to spot the runners, which have small leaves at the tip. No small leaves were seen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EWxvo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo from &lt;a href=&quot;http://shop.sakumabros.com/seascape-strawberry-plant.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sakuma Bros&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Update&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My Seascape has been producing runners like crazy. This photo was taken just a week after asking my question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KArTm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have any recent photos, but since then I have been able to create around 10 new daughter plants. Even the daughters sent out their own runners, but I snipped theirs off. Don't want any teenage pregnancy, now do we?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I made the mistake of transplanting some of the daughters too soon. If I severed their runner when they were &amp;quot;4 inch pot nursery&amp;quot; size, they would shrivel within a day. It's best to leave the umbilical chord attached for a couple weeks. It actually doesn't do them any harm to leave them attached longer than necessary. I still have some daughters drinking mother's milk after a month - they're still lush looking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I learned that transplanting time should be well after runner severing time. If I severed the runner and immediately planted the daughter in my raised garden bed, it would shrivel within a day. However, if I sever the runner and let the daughter grow up in its container for another week or so, I could then transplant it to my garden bed without it shriveling. These daughters need time to adjust living away from Mother. It's not like a human where once they turn 18, you send them off to college without a transition phase. No, you have to hug them for a while and dry their tears.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-08-23T16:58:38.953" Title="How should I propagate day neutral strawberries which don't develop runners?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9698" CreationDate="2014-05-18T00:52:33.320" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Actually, Seascape strawberries &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/propagate-seascape-strawberries-42255.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;do produce runners&lt;/a&gt;, but not in quite the quantity that junebearers do. They put most of their growing energy into fruit production. The runners are still the main means of propagation for commercial growers, and are your best choice. I cut the flower stems off the plants before they bloom, to help divert the plant's energy sources into runner production. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T00:52:33.320" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9700" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5016" CreationDate="2014-05-18T04:38:53.320" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gourd&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gourds&lt;/a&gt; generally have a longer vine and smaller leaves than the related &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;squashes&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Curcurbita maxima&lt;/em&gt;, pumpkin and hubbard squash, &lt;em&gt;Curcurbita moschata&lt;/em&gt;, butternut squash and neck pumpkin, and &lt;em&gt;Curcurbita pepo&lt;/em&gt;, marrows and summer squash. But most cultivated gourds are in the same genus, so the identification of a volunteer like this has to be an educated guess. From the splotches on the leaves, and their appearance in general, I would say probably &lt;em&gt;c. pepo&lt;/em&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-13T04:00:56.997" LastActivityDate="2014-06-13T04:00:56.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9701" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9810" CreationDate="2014-05-18T11:25:26.457" Score="2" ViewCount="433" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had this Cussonia for couple of years. As you can see on the picture, the branches grew somewhat unevenly (I marked the branches with a blue line). I am thinking how to trim it, so the bonsai won't become unbalanced and overgrow the space I have for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was told by the store that I should trim it from time to time. However I am not sure how to do it. The main branch of the longest branch already developed a thick layer so no new branches can come out of it. I'm worried cutting it in the middle will cause this long branch to stop growing at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nVEdg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cussonia Bonsai &quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1895" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-08T20:53:23.430" LastActivityDate="2021-02-08T20:53:23.430" Title="How should I prune my Cussonia Bonsai?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="9702" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-18T19:13:15.680" Score="2" ViewCount="4315" Body="&lt;p&gt;My palm tree started to become yellow in the last couple of months and I don't see any improvement. I've tried with some spike fertilizers for palm trees, but didn't seem to help. Here are some pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://imgur.com/L1O3wmvl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://imgur.com/0ouOxxMl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://imgur.com/MJFhhr3l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://imgur.com/gcDRdJJl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it ok to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0LxJgQSFpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cut off the first 3&quot; at the top&lt;/a&gt; to remove the damaged area and promote new growth? What should I do to help? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in the Pacific Northwest, and the palm is outdoors, in open ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3489" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-06T01:44:41.313" LastActivityDate="2015-01-06T01:44:41.313" Title="How can I save my dying palm tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9704" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9709" CreationDate="2014-05-18T19:38:52.343" Score="3" ViewCount="1414" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree was planted in May 2011 in Dallas, Texas. Unfortunately the month or so following were some of the windiest we've had and all of the leaves it had at the time were blown off and the tree bent somewhat in the direction of the wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since then, the side of the tree that took the brunt of that wind has never grown its leaves back. Each year it has looked a little better, but it is still obviously flawed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can be done about this? Are the limbs dead and should they be pruned? Rotating it would give the bare side more light if that would help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PxVoh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;View 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lFBoT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;View 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1117" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2014-06-03T03:44:05.433" LastActivityDate="2014-06-03T18:32:31.940" Title="What should I do with a wind-harmed tree that will not regrow leaves?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;wind-damage&gt;&lt;dead-branch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9705" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9708" CreationDate="2014-05-18T20:06:31.277" Score="5" ViewCount="5529" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had a Senetti &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.floridagardener.com/misc/Pericallis.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;&amp;#40;more info&amp;#41;&quot;&gt;(more info)&lt;/a&gt; for about 18 months, and last year it was attacked by aphids. Initially the leaves had a worm like discolouration, as if something was attacking or eating them.&#xA;Are the two things linked?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some soapy water and some insect spray seemed to eliminate the aphids. I cut off many of the 'infected' leaves which almost killed the plant. I bought some new Senetti recently and they seem to have suddenly exhibited the same worm like attack. I want to save the plants from the same worm like attack&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/33AFT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;worm like attack&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it, and how do I get rid of them? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A couple of other things in case they're relevant &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Balcony is south facing and so I tend to give them a load of water every few days, depending upon weather&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I do put plant food into the soil to help them grow&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I seem to have a lot of very delicate spider's webs across some of my other plants (although I've not seen any spiders)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm on the 7th floor so a fair way up for small flies to come&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the bees keep coming all the way up, so the plants must be doing ok&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3491" LastEditorUserId="3491" LastEditDate="2014-05-19T19:46:48.900" LastActivityDate="2020-05-02T10:06:54.973" Title="How do I get rid of worm-like trails all over my Senetti plants' leaves?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9706" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9734" CreationDate="2014-05-18T22:42:27.213" Score="8" ViewCount="6859" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.  This Swiss Chard has been doing well so far this season, and all the largest leaves you see here were green and strong as recently as a few days ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had the hottest day of the season so far, a couple days ago- any chance that's related?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also noticed increased ant activity recently. Worth investigating possible colony near the roots?  I have an overactive imagination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KhIvK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Swiss Chard in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A. suddenly started wilting a few days ago&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The neighbors are happy: Cabbage, Arugula &amp;amp; Collards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LxYo9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The neighbors are happy: Cabbage, Arugula &amp;amp; Collards.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE&lt;/strong&gt; the answer is Leaf Miners.  Notice the white capsules on the leaves in the photographs below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4D9uM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf Miner larvae attached to the bottom of a Swiss Chard leaf&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n8pag.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf Miner larvae attached to the bottom of a Swiss Chard leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE&lt;/strong&gt; three days after I purged the initial infestation from the Swiss chard, I happened to notice a single leaf miner burrowing into the leaf of one of my cabbages right next to the infected site!  I popped the bugger like a zit right there in the leaf.  Haven't seen any more in the 2 days since.  Lesson: be vigilant!  Keep your eyes open.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ALSO&lt;/strong&gt; I've ordered some &quot;beneficial nematodes&quot; which many people recommend in order to help the ecosystem in your all-natural (read: pesticide-free) dirt good for plants, bad for little pest larvae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3475" LastEditorUserId="3475" LastEditDate="2014-05-23T06:02:51.220" LastActivityDate="2014-05-23T06:02:51.220" Title="Why is my Swiss chard suddenly wilting?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9707" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9018" CreationDate="2014-05-18T23:07:15.863" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are these seedlings in pots?  If they are outside, make sure they weren't planted too deeply. There is a line between the 'root ball' of the tree and where the bark begins. Any soil, bark chips, mulch, rocks that covers this bark will eventually kill the tree.  Bacteria eat at the bark if moist and just under the bark (scrape your fingernail and you will see bright green...) is the vascular system of the plant.  It is very thin and once this is compromised the tree will die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure that there is always a circle of bare soil/mulch around the base of the tree that is as wide as the root ball in this case and later as wide as the 'drip line'...if your tree were an umbrella the drip line is where the rain falls off the umbrella and onto the ground. The drip line can stay 4-5' in diameter once the tree is established enough to compete with a bit of lawn or plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not over-fertilize or under fertilize.  Either learn the symptoms of nutrient deficiency and excess or get a soil test done by your county extension service.  Or both. Slow release or organic fertilizers are best. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for pruning, yes, you can prune damaged branches, crossing branches and branches that angle towards the center of the scaffold of your tree.  Tiny branches that have very small diameters compared to the trunk of the tree (or main branches) from which it grows should be pruned.  The difference in diameter means that the leaves on the little diameter branches are not situated properly in relation to light to produce enough or efficiently for the tree.  The tree in turn is not supporting those branches and they will die naturally.  In this way you are helping the tree by cutting off non-productive branches and the energy that branch used albeit small is now being diverted to more productive branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leave the leaves alone.  If they come off with branches, fine.  Leave the tips of the branches alone. Pruning the tips of branches is called 'heading' and is used if you want dense shrubs.  Tree species have identifying shapes...to change this shape by heading, pollarding should be left to professionals and those that like to create a high-maintenance tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something to remember; when you have a branch on a tree it is AT the height it will always be...and as the diameter grows, it actually is lowered.  Don't worry about any major pruning until the tree is the height you need it to be.  Now it is all about optimum health and growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the end of a branch, the terminal bud, is where most of the energy in that whole branch resides.  We are talking about any branch.  When that bud gets removed all that energy is then diverted to the lateral buds down the length of that branch. Instead of the branch getting longer, it is now getting 'bushier.' More shading of the center of the tree, more non-productive branches and you'll end up with a bush on a stick. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you want to be doing right now is allowing your fruit trees to get big enough to begin to produce fruit.  Later on, you WILL want to control the size of your tree, prune to allow ventilation and maximize fruit production.  At 8&quot; I can't imagine what needs pruning.  DON'T prune the 'leader!'  Later on, you might have two or three branches vying for that position and you will have to decide which one and then one day you will remove the leader once it has reached the desired height for producing fruit you can reach. You'll learn how to prune for maximum fruit size and production.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leave the little branches that grow from the trunk...or at least a few of them.  They help to increase the trunk size for strength.  And while I am thinking about trunks, don't stake your trees!  The only time I ever stake trees is when I plant bare root trees or transplant mature trees with lots of canopy and have compromised root balls.  Trees need to MOVE in the wind.  This movement causes the tree to grow more root structure and thickens the trunk to protect against wind.  Staked trees are being set up for failure. With their movement restricted (in essence telling the tree that the wind is always going to be but a breeze) the trunk stays skinny, the energy goes into the canopy instead, the root system stays whimpy and when the stakes are removed and even if they aren't removed the weight of the canopy WILL cause the tree to break or pull up roots falling over. I am terrible...I walk through parking lots during the winter (roots grow all winter) and cut the ties to the trees if they are leafless and out of danger.  As well as those who have been forgotten and the ties are becoming part of the tree and will die from girdling or will break at the tie or will be blown over.  At least they get a chance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When planting a B&amp;amp;B tree, balled and burlapped tree from a nursery, the root ball is usually clay and all the roots that tree needs are all in that ball.  I ALWAYS take the burlap off...completely (burlap is usually treated with chemicals that inhibit decay), unwind any roots that have encircled or are in danger of encircling the root ball, disturb the clay ball as little as possible, plant on top of undisturbed subsoil the exact depth of the root ball or an inch or two shallower to allow for mulch.  If the soil is clay and it is planted in a more freely draining soil, I make a ring with soil around the circumference of the root ball and/or shove a piece of pvc pipe, 2&quot;-4&quot; diameter with holes drilled in the sides so that water gets into that root ball and isn't shed off the sides and into the native soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your trees must have come in a pot or bare root? Main thing is to help you see what is happening below the soil.  For now, only 'thin' to prune, fertilize sparingly, improve your soil by mulching with decomposed organic mulch within the drip line and past a few feet but NOT near the bark and to be patient for a couple of years.  You'll have plenty of time before you need to make any other decisions about your trees...I hope I've answered your question and I apologize if all the other information you already knew and didn't need.  Have fun...a few years go by awfully fast!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-18T23:07:15.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9705" CreationDate="2014-05-19T00:12:57.477" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf_miner&quot;&gt;leafminer&lt;/a&gt; damage. You can &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.about.com/od/insectpestid/qt/Leafminer.htm&quot;&gt;control&lt;/a&gt; leafminers by cutting off affected leaves, to improve appearance, and remove existing leafminers before they mature (for minor infestations) Spraying with neem oil for the adult insects early in the season before they lay their eggs (this is what I usually do), or using a stronger insecticide to knock out existing larvae. Leafminer damage is not usually very hard on the plant, but it is unsightly. From the picture, it seems that most of the leaves were hit, so I would not recommend cutting them all off. :) That would be worse than the infestation itself. The fastest way is a strong insecticide, but wait until the plant is through flowering, for the bees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T00:12:57.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9709" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9704" CreationDate="2014-05-19T00:25:50.987" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The areas without leaves are dead. If you want to save the tree, cut them back to green growing limbs. Oak trees can be very resilient, and it might pull through, but regrowth will be slow, and it will probably never catch up to a normal tree. Also, borers will be a concern, with all the wounds left by the saw. Rotating a tree of that size will put it in transplant shock, and not really help at all in the long-term health of the tree. This recovery could take some time, but is definitely possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T00:25:50.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9710" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9714" CreationDate="2014-05-19T04:50:19.137" Score="2" ViewCount="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have three indoor plants that I haven’t fed for over a year, since I repotted them. They have some yellow leaves and aren’t looking as healthy as they could. I am going to start feeding them with a liquid plant food. The instructions say to use 7 drops for 1 qt (approx 1 L) of water. If I do this, will it take quite a while to build nitrogen levels in the soil before they recover, or will they start looking good quickly? Is there any advantage if I increase the concentration? Is there any advantage if I run lots of food-laden water through them, rather than just filling until it can’t take any more?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually water them once a week by watering them until water runs freely out the bottom. This has kept the plants in a pretty good state for around four years, apart from this yellowing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3410" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-20T02:47:14.413" LastActivityDate="2014-05-20T02:47:14.413" Title="How should I start feeding an indoor plant after over a year's break?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9711" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9741" CreationDate="2014-05-19T05:06:20.717" Score="5" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;I repotted an areca palm, and unfortunately set it too high in the pot, so the top of the stems, which meet the roots, are slightly exposed at the top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What happens if I leave it as-is? Will the plant adapt?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3410" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-20T02:41:54.373" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T21:25:45.183" Title="How should I save a palm I repotted too high?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9712" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-19T08:54:16.320" Score="2" ViewCount="5927" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bIa6T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The attached photo of a weed or plant is one of two that is growing in the spare ground beside our house.We have lived here for 33 years and this has never appeared before. It has spikes on the stem and some on each leaf. There have not been any flowers to date.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3494" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-19T13:36:59.603" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T22:39:12.503" Title="What is this plant with spikes on its stem and leaves and is over 3 feet tall?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-09-23T14:47:22.440" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9713" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9711" CreationDate="2014-05-19T09:37:41.347" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, as Jaczjill says, you need to pot it again, this time making sure it's at the same level it was before. Those roots are used to being under the soil, and have a job to do - being exposed means they'll dry out at the very least.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-18T21:25:45.183" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T21:25:45.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9714" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9710" CreationDate="2014-05-19T09:41:34.493" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your watering regime sounds just fine, though you haven't said which plants they are. I wouldn't recommend you increase the dosage, just feed regularly, but it might be worth checking that these plants don't need potting up again, perhaps the yellowing is as much to do with being rootbound as lack of nutrients, unless they're acid lovers and growing in alkaline conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T09:41:34.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9689" CreationDate="2014-05-19T09:54:39.100" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The compost I can see in the pot in the top picture looks pretty dry, and having gone back to your Coleus question, one of the pictures shows a pot with dampish compost in the middle, but a dry portion over to one side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible you're just not watering enough? That certainly looks to be the problem with your ivy - freshly repotted plants should be thoroughly watered, so that the water runs out of the bottom and all the compost is wet, and any excess in an outer tray poured away so they're not standing in water. After that, its a thorough soaking when the surface of the compost feels a bit dry to the touch, but not shrunken from the sides of the pot. &#xA;I'm not sure whether that's one ivy plant in the pot or more than one, so have they got enough root room? Ivy is fine with sun so long as its roots aren't bone dry, but it's also fine in total shade, it's one of the most unfussy plants available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, could there be a problem with the potting medium you have used?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T09:54:39.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9716" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-19T12:00:25.503" Score="3" ViewCount="183" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the first year this plant has shown itself in my yard. I've searched but cannot find any information. I suspect it's a weed or poison species of some sort. It has only three green leaves and then three small burgundy colored leaves folded inward which gives the appearance of a flower.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have an idea what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9xGW2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3495" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-19T13:57:23.833" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T14:08:28.860" Title="What is this plant with variegated trifoliate leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9716" CreationDate="2014-05-19T14:08:28.860" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are you in North America? Then it's probably a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trillium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Trillium&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, possibly the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trillium_recurvatum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Prairie Trillium (&lt;em&gt;T. recurvatum&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;, which has the variegated foliage and reddish blossom that you describe.&#xA;It may be protected where you live, so check with your local jurisdiction before you consider removing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T14:08:28.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9718" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9712" CreationDate="2014-05-19T15:20:18.857" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;the single row of spines down the vein reminds me of teazle (teasel and other spellings) see: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipsacus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dipsacus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T15:20:18.857" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9719" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9751" CreationDate="2014-05-19T15:35:19.267" Score="2" ViewCount="745" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the best frequency at which to fertilize fruit trees? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first method is to dump a large amount of fertilizer to feed the plant one or two times per year. This method was the preferred method listed in my gardening book. The reason not specified. I question how this method is sustainable. Wouldn't the fertilizer seep out of the reach of the roots after a few good waterings?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second method is to either use slow release fertilizer or use small amounts of fertilizer every time you water. This second method was never discussed in my book. I realize this method is more tedious, but I do have the dedication to do it if it is beneficial to the plants. This more frequent method also seems to avoid burning the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it matters, I have various fruit trees: pomegranate, cherry, guava, lychee, wax apple, dragon fruit, goji berry, blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry. Most are young and in containers. The bigger ones are in the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-20T02:09:40.263" LastActivityDate="2014-05-21T00:51:16.167" Title="What is the best frequency to fertilize fruit trees?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9720" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9719" CreationDate="2014-05-19T16:58:27.873" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have never, ever heard 'dump' lots of fertilizer to last 1 or 2 years. This will kill or severely damage your trees, plants.  Extended release fertilizers preferably organic are the best way to fertilize. Inorganic fertilizer can produce immediate results but also can set your tree up for insect damage, frost damage as fast growth can make a weaker plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer is not plant food. Plants make their own food. In a natural, well-established ecosystem, nutrients are tied up in plant material...not in the soil.  It is dropped from the system onto the ground where it is then decomposed (keeping the decomposers healthy and thriving), the decomposed material is then available to micro and macro organisms to eat, take back down into the soil, excreted into the soil profile, nutrients are released that are immediately being taken up by plants who make more live, organic material...and give off by transpiring h20 and 02 until the plant material dies, falls on the ground and begins the cycle anew.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because we have broken these cycles in our human habitats, we are now required to keep the cycle going in very simplistic and often awkward fits and starts.  Testament to the resilience of plants. We can only try to imitate nature if we study how it works...all aspects; weather, climate, geology, soils, hydrology, chemistry, plant physiology, entomology...to list a few.  Everything is interconnected and knowing enough to get a feel for the big picture really helps us to recreate successful ecosystems we call gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get to know the symptoms in plants showing deficiencies as well as the signs of excess in different nutrients, the macro and micro nutrients. Get a soil test done by your extension service, know what you have before you add anything. The more we look, the more we see. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What garden book are you talking about?  I'd like to check this out, maybe I am missing something, grin. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T16:58:27.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9721" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9736" CreationDate="2014-05-19T16:59:50.833" Score="3" ViewCount="1384" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am designing a screen of narrow shrubs for a space between a sunken stairwell and an existing paver walkway.  The width of the area in question is 2.5' with a desired plant height of 5'.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As such, I've narrowed my search to one of Dee Runk or Green Tower Boxwoods; both of which I expect to grow 18&quot;-24&quot; wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With this proximity to the sidewalk, am I risking disruption/buckling of the existing paver walkway with the roots of these plants?  Any ideas what a safe &lt;em&gt;minimum&lt;/em&gt; distance would be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3496" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-19T17:44:27.990" LastActivityDate="2014-06-03T02:46:34.920" Title="What is a safe proximity for a Boxwood hedge to a paver walkway?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;&lt;pavers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9722" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9721" CreationDate="2014-05-19T17:53:08.353" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Green Tower Boxwood sounds like a good choice.  Make sure that there isn't a layer of concrete below the soil.  Lots of contractors dump concrete out close to projects and beside a stairwell I'd be suspicious (if I am reading you correctly.)  You need to double dig that soil anyway...if there is concrete and it is blocking the drainage I'd try punching through so water will drain freely. The tall, narrow spire-like form of these shrubs echo a handrail, are very 'architectural' in form and make a nice transition from the architecture of the building to the garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Boxwood won't bother your concrete if you keep it watered consistently.  Paver's are perfect because they can easily be pulled up, cut out wayward roots and replaced. Keep their size restrained with light shearing (keep top smaller than the base to keep foliage healthy and vigorous to the ground) and you'll keep their roots in proportion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T17:53:08.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9723" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-19T18:52:44.457" Score="3" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is our 5th year using about 160 square feet of garden space. We have never really played with companion planting though. We have several zucchini (16 squares, 4x4), squash (2x2), tomatoes (2x2), peppers (~2x2), etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you are companion planting in a square foot garden, are you able to plant the companion crop in the squares that are occupied by the larger plant - could I plant a bunch of radishes and nasturtiums in the 16 square feet taken up by the 4x4 of the zucchini? Can I plant carrots in the 4 squares taken up by a tomato plant with the tomato in the center?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This would seem to be correct way since beans were grown at the base of corn and use the stalks as a pole...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any feedback would be helpful. Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3497" LastActivityDate="2014-05-20T04:09:42.347" Title="Square foot garden companion planting - in occupied squares or not?" Tags="&lt;square-foot-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9724" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9656" CreationDate="2014-05-19T20:14:58.080" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have done the same thing for the first time this year. I prepped my new raised planting beds a month ago and covered them with landscape fabric until Memorial Day. I will add more soil and nutrients and turn it them over again when I uncover them. I don't expect there to be any problem.  After I plant the started veggie plants, I will use Preen for the summer. This will also be the first year I ever used Preen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T20:14:58.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9725" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-19T21:09:50.230" Score="2" ViewCount="1776" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most brass connectors contain lead. Can anyone point me to the most durable type of y-connector to buy to water my garden that will not inject any lead or harmful plastics into the water stream?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am setting up an automatic irrigation system, so I have no way of dumping the first 2 litres of lead water first and then using the rest for watering the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2824" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-20T01:43:57.950" LastActivityDate="2014-05-29T03:23:55.003" Title="Is there a drinksafe Y-connector for garden hoses?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9726" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9750" CreationDate="2014-05-19T21:20:49.040" Score="2" ViewCount="118" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bundle of branches from a North American Maple in my yard, just cut down while pruning the tree in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm contemplating whittling down some 2-foot-long sticks to use as simple trellises for foot-tall young tomato plants (one per plant, stuck into the soil at the base).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any risk of the Maple sprouting and/or sapping nutrients from the tomatoes?  Should I heat them?  What's the best temperature to heat wood, in order to sterilize but not burn it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3475" LastEditorUserId="3475" LastEditDate="2014-05-19T21:30:19.980" LastActivityDate="2014-05-20T23:58:45.233" Title="Should I treat freshly cut tree branches before using them as trellises?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;maple&gt;&lt;protection&gt;&lt;trellis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9728" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9731" CreationDate="2014-05-19T22:01:11.277" Score="5" ViewCount="2025" Body="&lt;p&gt;My understanding is that a real Bonsai tree is already very old living in a crevice somewhere, naturally tiny then transplanted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In 50 years living in these pots, what would these Maples look like (1-year-old children of the 20+ year-old Maple that grows out from under the concrete next to my yard, freakishly thriving in urban dirt/rubble.) with or without Bonsai-style pruning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OAvmh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1-year-old children of the 20+ year-old Maple that grows out from under the concrete next to my yard, freakishly thriving in urban dirt/rubble.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3475" LastActivityDate="2014-09-24T19:34:31.460" Title="Is it possible for a transplanted baby Maple to grow into a Bonsai tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9729" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9711" CreationDate="2014-05-19T22:09:53.400" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just take the time to re-pot it, however beware over-working the palm's especially sensitive root ball.  Palm tree roots are especially sensitive (to direct fertilization, as well as transplant shock).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3475" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T22:09:53.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9731" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9728" CreationDate="2014-05-19T23:10:14.557" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bonsai is many things to many people. It may have started as finding old plants dwarfed from a tough environment but it is also the practice of dwarfing plants to resemble old plants by restricting root growth, selective pruning and appropriate choice of species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The latter is the question you need to answer.  Some species have smaller leaves that are in proportion to the size of the trunk when grown in a restricted root run.  The amur maple is one of these.  Until you know what kind of maple you have it's hard to tell whether the leaves will look appropriately sized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try it and see.  In our backyard the best bonsai tool we have is the bunny. Any little amur maple seedlings look quite old when they have been nibbled down a few times. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-05-19T23:10:14.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9732" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9735" CreationDate="2014-05-19T23:18:58.923" Score="5" ViewCount="1357" Body="&lt;p&gt;When is the best time of the year to trim cedar hedges? Importantly, does choosing when to trim have any affect on encouraging growth in areas recovering from small bare spots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3500" LastEditorUserId="3500" LastEditDate="2014-08-29T15:01:56.397" LastActivityDate="2014-08-29T15:01:56.397" Title="When is the best time to trim cedar hedges?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9734" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9706" CreationDate="2014-05-19T23:45:07.910" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Look on the bottom of the leaves.  If you see small rows of tiny white capsules, you have &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegomya_hyoscyami&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;leaf miners&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These devastated spinach and chard for our garden.  They also infest beet greens but are not a problem unless you eat the tops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control is to remove infested plants, put screens over the plants to keep the flies from coming onto the plants, and eliminate host plants.  Also, they pupate in the top layer of soil, so if you can churn the soil it would be great, otherwise, break the cycle of host plants for a season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hS2xG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cxAbO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3501" LastEditorUserId="3501" LastEditDate="2014-05-20T06:01:04.937" LastActivityDate="2014-05-20T06:01:04.937" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9735" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9732" CreationDate="2014-05-20T01:37:30.607" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is best to prune cedar hedges more than once during the growing season, starting in the spring after the sap is running. This will prevent the plant from excessive dehydration. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/119519-trim-cedar-hedges.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here.&lt;/a&gt; To encourage growth in the bare spots, you can try cutting out all of the dead wood in the area. Cedars do not often sprout well from old wood, but if the bare spots are mostly superficial, the plants should flush out and fill the gaps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-20T01:37:30.607" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9736" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9721" CreationDate="2014-05-20T02:06:20.847" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Boxwoods will grow best if they are not being brushed past constantly while trying to grow. The safest minimum planting distance will be centered in the middle of the bed. This will leave a 3&quot; buffer space at the base of the mature plant on both sides. Green Tower boxwoods do not have a huge root system, but to be on the safe side, you can take a square shovel every spring, and edge along the walk 4-6&quot; deep, to sever the roots that grow out that far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-03T02:46:34.920" LastActivityDate="2014-06-03T02:46:34.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9737" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9712" CreationDate="2014-05-20T02:37:00.773" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a young plant of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipsacus_fullonum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;common teasel&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Dipsacus fullonum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It is a fairly common herbaceous biennial (occasionally short-lived perennial) in many temperate areas. It likes a good amount of sun, in semi- to disturbed places. It is sometimes purposefully grown for it's seed-heads, which are used in crafts, and it's leaves, as an herb. Here is a picture for comparison.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MhshU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-26T22:39:12.503" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T22:39:12.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9738" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-20T02:58:31.017" Score="2" ViewCount="212" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 3 navel orange trees in my backyard and the leaves are being eaten by something.  What is it that is eating the leaves, and what can I do to prevent this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3503" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-20T03:10:19.457" LastActivityDate="2014-05-20T03:10:19.457" Title="What is eating my orange trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-07-16T03:21:25.860" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9739" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9744" CreationDate="2014-05-20T04:04:16.180" Score="6" ViewCount="240" Body="&lt;p&gt;I applied moss killer and the moss turned black in numerous places on my lawn but especially in a couple of shady 3'x 3' patches. But I have read a couple of articles saying that moss isn't that bad and it's ok to leave it alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the patches are shady, moss probably is the best thing for them and grass probably won't grow easily there. So if I wanted to &quot;undo&quot; what I just did and have the moss come back, should I just leave it alone and wait for the moss to come back? I don't want dandelions and other weeds to appear there instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3406" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-04T23:46:24.500" LastActivityDate="2016-09-04T23:46:24.500" Title="Is there a way to undo the damage to moss after applying a moss killer?" Tags="&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9740" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9723" CreationDate="2014-05-20T04:09:42.347" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You absolutely can, but may need to play around with timing and spacing a bit. I often plant radishes around larger plants like zucchini in my raised beds. By the time the zuke is taking up most of the space allotted to it, the radishes are long gone. With plants like tomatoes and carrots, which both stay in most of the season, you may need to adjust the spacing a bit, to give them both enough space. That's all part of the fun, though - figuring out what adjustments work for you and your garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-05-20T04:09:42.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9741" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9711" CreationDate="2014-05-20T05:51:07.050" Score="5" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;What happens if I leave it as-is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your roots may get infected, that would ruin health of your plant. Also, insects\ants can start feeding on roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Will the plant adapt?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No. At least not this instance (your tree). You would be knowing that adapting to change of environment is ongoing process, may be if all the palm trees are treated like this, &lt;strong&gt;may be&lt;/strong&gt; they start adapting this thing, and built the capability to withstand the open roots in their future generations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bottom line: Its better you re-pot it again! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2014-05-20T05:51:07.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9742" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9760" CreationDate="2014-05-20T09:14:58.777" Score="13" ViewCount="24329" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are using a used steel drum barrel as a rainwater container. Someone else in our house brought it from work, and we haven't bothered replacing with a plastic one yet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Supposing that there is no harmful residue of the previous content in it:&#xA;It is rusting a bit on the inside, so the water doesn't look that clean. Is the iron oxide actually harmful for vegetables? We are using it to irrigate plants such as peppers, salad, strawberries and some herbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3505" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-27T19:25:40.203" LastActivityDate="2019-08-19T15:49:42.747" Title="Is rust from a steel rainwater barrel harmful to edible plants?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;rain-barrel&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9743" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-20T17:04:59.047" Score="7" ViewCount="1157" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/op7id.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Back yard&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am having problems with erosion and can not keep anything on it. I am looking for any ideas to help control this problem. I had a Landscaper come out to look at it and it will cost me up to $50,000 to fix. I just don't have that kind of money.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3507" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-25T17:44:28.337" LastActivityDate="2017-12-25T17:44:28.337" Title="What landscaping and erosion control ideas can I use on a hillside with sandy soil?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;erosion-control&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9739" CreationDate="2014-05-20T18:12:39.863" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you've treated the moss with ferrous sulphate, wait 4-6 weeks, rake out the dead moss, then I'd use grass seed, a shady mix (though I've no idea what kind of grass you're growing), scratch up the surface on the bare parts to give an inch of friable soil, then broadcast the seed. Keep watered - whether it grows well or not is irrelevant - the idea is to stop weeds colonizing it until moss reforms during wet spells/autumn/winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-20T18:12:39.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9745" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9747" CreationDate="2014-05-20T19:10:32.437" Score="3" ViewCount="143" Body="&lt;p&gt;These basil plants have been thriving steadily better and better since being transplanted as sprouts.  However every one of this group of 8 in the end of a planter is exhibiting a wilted leaf, and it's always the lowest one.  What's going on here?  Should I snip off these wilted leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cQbTM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Basil more or less thriving&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K4s05.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lowest leaf wilted on all my basil plants.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3475" LastActivityDate="2014-05-20T20:15:26.353" Title="Why is the lower leaf wilted on all of these plants? Should I remove them?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9746" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9743" CreationDate="2014-05-20T19:42:10.997" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to decide what you want the end result to look like.  The choices are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;retaining wall: expensive but permanent and yields usable flat area as opposed to sloped area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stabilize with shrubs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stabilize with grass or ground cover&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A quick and dirty solution would be to rake over the area to fill in the gullies. Sow grass seed and top dress. The final part of the solution is to buy a lot of burlap and stake it at the top and bottom. If you can get the grass growing before the summer dry period then you should stop most of the erosion and you still have the option of further stabilization with shrubs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let us know what you want out of it and your idea of the effort you want to invest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-20T23:46:38.940" LastActivityDate="2014-05-20T23:46:38.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9745" CreationDate="2014-05-20T20:15:26.353" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, those are just the oldest leaves and I'd just snip them off...otherwise, they look very healthy!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-20T20:15:26.353" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9748" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9739" CreationDate="2014-05-20T20:36:31.223" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Moss control, if it was ferrous sulphate, will bring your soil pH down...more acidic.  Lawns prefer a pH slightly more alkaline.  Do a soil test to show what the pH is and then add lime to raise the pH using the directions on your packages and whatever grass that you have find the best pH range for your type of grass.  I'd divide the total amount of lime by 2 or 3 and do separate applications, testing the pH each time.  There are also inexpensive kits but a soil test through your county extension service should be free or low-cost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't forget to aerate at least once per year...pull plugs and let them dry out on your lawn.  I've found organic fertilizers that although they take longer...they last longer and they also have bacteria included to assist in decomposing thatch.  Unless you have a true mulching mower, I'd bag my clippings.  Also, find out how high your grass should be cut for maximum health to be able to shade the soil, out compete weeds (moss is an opportunist...if there is bare ground and plenty of water...you'll get moss...you were right.  Moss doesn't have a chance competing in thick, vigorous grass).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water INFREQUENTLY, when you water SOAK the soil down to 6&quot; and allow the lawn to dry out until when you step on the grass the blades don't pop back up...then water again.  Depending on your type of soil this is about an inch of water per week.  Our grasses in the pacific northwest have huge root systems and without top growth of at least 3&quot;, the grass isn't able to support its own food storage system, the roots.  Watering infrequently but deeply trains your grasses to be drought tolerant.  In between waterings shallow weed grasses and moss have no chance to germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dr. Earth's lawn fertilizer was incredible.  I only fertilized twice a year and my lawn was the darkest green in town.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-20T20:36:31.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9749" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-20T20:57:16.153" Score="7" ViewCount="1325" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a doubt about what would be the minimum medium space a plant needs to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm making a hydroponic system, and I would need to know what is the dimensions of a plant's root required for it to growth without issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, let say lettuce, a lot of you know the typical rockwool cube, it is 2&quot; x 2&quot; normally, but, my doubt is, would a plant still grow if that cube is divided, and instead of being 2&quot; x 2&quot; becomes something like 3/4&quot; x 3/4&quot; or 1&quot; x 1&quot;?.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In theory, the roots go down and they have space to expand, but you know, if someone else tried this it would be great if you can share your experiences!.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3200" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-20T23:45:43.600" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T04:15:16.857" Title="What is the minimum hydroponic pot size?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9750" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9726" CreationDate="2014-05-20T23:58:45.233" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The stakes will dry out and die very soon after cutting. You do not really have anything to worry about. They do not leach enough nutrients out of the soil to make any difference to the tomato plants whatsoever. You can use them upside down like I do with branch stakes. The small end is easier to push or pound in anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-20T23:58:45.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9719" CreationDate="2014-05-21T00:51:16.167" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fruit trees should be fertilized in early spring before bud break. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.starkbros.com/blog/fruit-tree-care-watering-fertilizing/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://guilford.ces.ncsu.edu/2013/02/fertilizing-fruit-trees-and-blueberry-bushes/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.groworganic.com/organic-gardening/articles/when-and-how-to-fertilize-your-fruit-trees&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/fertilizingfruittrees.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here.&lt;/a&gt; This starts the trees off well for the new season. You can also &lt;a href=&quot;http://crfgsandiego.org/Documents/SPRING%20AND%20SUMMER%20CARE%20OF%20DECIDUOUS.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fertilize as needed throughout the growing season,&lt;/a&gt; but keep in mind that no tree should be fertilized in late summer/fall, in areas with a dormant period, because the trees may try to put on new growth late in the season, and it will not harden off well before winter. Where I am, the soil is poor enough that I must use large amounts of fertilizer for good fruit set. But I know someone who lives nearby who has such high amounts of nitrates in his soil he has problems even after using a 0-nitrogen custom fertilizer. If you aren't a soil &quot;expert&quot;, you may wan't to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.whyy.org/91FM/ybyg/soiltests2.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;get your soil tested.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-21T00:51:16.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9752" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9757" CreationDate="2014-05-21T04:05:23.160" Score="3" ViewCount="604" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm on day 5 of a hardening process for my seedlings. It's been mild (60s-70s during the day) here. I'm going out of town for a few days, during which the temp is supposed to be 50-60 night-day. Should I leave the seedlings outside for those few days (under an overhang, no direct sun or rain), or will 50F be too cold? This would be day 7 of the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3459" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2014-05-24T07:36:09.410" LastActivityDate="2014-05-24T07:36:09.410" Title="Hardening off cucumbers - will they be OK in 50ºF (10ºC)?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9739" CreationDate="2014-05-21T04:16:15.617" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any of the moss that has turned black has already been killed. There's a few different formulations of Moss Out. The one for lawns contains ferric sulfate as the active ingredient. It can persist in the soil for quite some time and I don't think you can leech it out with water. Other Moss Out formulations use either ammoniated soap of fatty acids or zinc sulfate. The ammoniated soap of fatty acids is the most biodegradeable but I think what's done is done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had some moss in a part of my lawn a while ago. A number of factors contribute to moss growing including compaction, not enough sunlight, low pH, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send a soil sample in for analysis, not too much money, to get a better sense of the fertility and pH of the soil and make appropriate corrections.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To deal with the compaction you should core aerate. You can hire someone to do it, rent a machine and do it your self or you can buy a manual core aerator. I have a review and instructions for the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2009/04/turf-hound-aerator-review.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Turf Hound Aerator&lt;/a&gt; on my site. It's what I used to deal with my compaction issues. It's good to have to hit trouble spots if you don't aerate every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After core aerating spread some compost over the area. About 1 cubic yard per 1,000 sq feet. Raising the organic matter of the compost will help alleviate compaction as well. If spreading around all the compost isn't appealing I've read and seen good results with regular compost tea sprays after aeration though don't have much experience with it myself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since it's shady, the soil won't dry out quickly after a rain. If you can keep people off of it during and a couple days after rain it would help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After topdressing with compost overseed with a good shady lawn mix that will be primarily composed of fine fescues. Make sure it has some creeping red fescue in it because it's a spreading type grass unlike other fine fescues. I have some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2009/06/how-to-get-grass-to-grow-in-shade.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;shade grass seed recommendations&lt;/a&gt; on my site as well. You're near Oregon where much seed is grown so you shouldn't have a hard time finding a good blend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe there's still time in your area to overseed before it gets too hot so you can try it since fine fescues germinate fairly quick. If it comes in patchy overseed again in the fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2014-05-21T04:35:40.163" LastActivityDate="2014-05-21T04:35:40.163" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9754" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="943" CreationDate="2014-05-21T04:58:00.877" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Convolvulus is the common name in New Zealand... creeps thru everything and so hard to get rid of... dont throw it in your compost!!!  Just keep digging it out as even the tiniest bit will regrow... basically you can only keep on top of it and sometimes never get rid of it!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3510" LastActivityDate="2014-05-21T04:58:00.877" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9756" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4903" CreationDate="2014-05-21T14:24:59.343" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're techie enough to mess with code, feel free to use mine. I built an arduino-based solar powered one that cues off soil moisture levels instead of timing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/kolosy/irrigation&quot;&gt;https://github.com/kolosy/irrigation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3459" LastActivityDate="2014-05-21T14:24:59.343" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9757" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9752" CreationDate="2014-05-21T16:28:19.730" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, yes, it will be a bit too cold - minimum temperature should really be 60 deg F. Perhaps you can arrange for someone to pop in and cover them in the evenings, otherwise you might have to rig up some sort of more enclosed, transparent shelter for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-21T16:28:19.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9758" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9752" CreationDate="2014-05-21T18:36:57.600" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I actually had my heater quit and all my tomatoes froze but my cucumber seedlings did fine. If anything cover them with row cover.  That will bring their ambient temperature up at least 10 degrees and they should be fine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-21T18:36:57.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9760" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9742" CreationDate="2014-05-22T02:44:04.753" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rust is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_oxide&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;iron oxide,&lt;/a&gt; which does not harm plants in moderate amounts, because it is not water soluble unless the soil ph is very low. In fact, oxidized iron is what &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kurdishscientist.com/ironoxides.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;gives most red subsoils their color&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering your plants with this water will not harm them at all. If you suppose there was nothing environmentally harmful in it before (which is NOT a good idea if you really don't know, because many things stored in steel barrels are not good for soil, and rust is very absorbent), then go ahead and use it. I would ask your friend if he/she wouldn't mind finding out what the barrel was used for.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-01T01:25:13.767" LastActivityDate="2014-08-01T01:25:13.767" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9761" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9702" CreationDate="2014-05-22T10:25:32.450" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whatever you do, don't cut off the top 3 inches of the palm - its equivalent to decapitation in an animal, and the plant will die. You can try removing anything that's dead though. This palm looks to be a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachycarpus_fortunei&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Trachycarpus fortunei&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, and they are pretty hardy, but you haven't said and I'm not 100% certain without seeing more of it. What's interesting is the fasciation that seems to be going on - have you had unusual cold in the last few months, such that the palm won't have experienced before?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can see some green leaves, but can't tell how many are left, so a picture of the whole plant might be useful - also check the base and trunk of the tree - you're looking for soft, soggy areas or weeping or rotting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-23T02:29:35.870" LastActivityDate="2014-05-23T02:29:35.870" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9641" CreationDate="2014-05-22T13:25:15.457" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on your environment and how much light is blocked. Basically opaque plastic might even let 70-90% of light true even though you can't see through it. This depends highly on the plastic. If you're in lowlight environment then that would be bad but if you're in environment where you have enough or too much light then this should not cause problems. It all comes down to what kind of plants are you growing and how much sunlight you receive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:&#xA;Usually manufacturer has the data about light passthrough. Photographers light meter will help assess the amount but spectrum is different thing and you just have to hope the plastic cuts everything evenly. Also photographers light meter is adjusted so that it takes into account the light that humans see so it's not good measure on how much plants actually get as these are different spectrums.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3515" LastEditorUserId="3515" LastEditDate="2014-05-23T06:30:11.000" LastActivityDate="2014-05-23T06:30:11.000" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9763" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9315" CreationDate="2014-05-22T13:31:35.523" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There shouldn't be any problems with it per se. However there will be some small problems that need to be countered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First most of the plants can grow few different type of roots depending on what's the environment. For example roots grown in hydroponics are usually white and fragile but roots grown in soil are harder. This means that when you take a tree and replant it to hydroponics it will get seriously stressed because the environment changes a lot. You can help this by cutting approx 30% of the roots (measured from the end of roots) which will make the plant start growing roots faster. Generally the younger the plant the better it will do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have myself replanted about 2.5m high areca palm in a kind of hydroponic system that we specialise in and it's been growing beautifully last year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3515" LastActivityDate="2014-05-22T13:31:35.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9764" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4633" CreationDate="2014-05-22T13:41:31.600" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could try and check this one: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.eurohydro.com/publications/publications/GENERAL%20INFORMATION/GB/CHART-GB-FS-ttes%20plantes.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.eurohydro.com/publications/publications/GENERAL%20INFORMATION/GB/CHART-GB-FS-ttes%20plantes.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Especially the pepper plants. However it seems that high nitrogen content with higher kalium content with low phosphorous content would be beneficial. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This would suggest that your citrus fertilizer has too low kalium contents and most likely a tad too high phosphorous content.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3515" LastActivityDate="2014-05-22T13:41:31.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9765" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9766" CreationDate="2014-05-22T19:50:24.273" Score="6" ViewCount="20654" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a plant that I don't know the name of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qCFnL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could you please help me identify this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3518" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2014-05-22T21:51:29.803" LastActivityDate="2018-06-07T07:43:28.283" Title="What is this thick-stemmed houseplant with variegated leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9765" CreationDate="2014-05-22T22:40:41.847" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieffenbachia&quot;&gt;Dieffenbachia&lt;/a&gt;.  The foliage patterns differ, but in the temperate climates, they are very popular house plants.  In the tropics, they can be grown outdoors.  I see a lot of them in atriums as well.  Here are &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=dieffenbachia&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=HhI&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla%3aen-US%3aofficial&amp;amp;channel=np&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=dHx-U-CrKJKcyASo1YGoBA&amp;amp;ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&amp;amp;biw=1282&amp;amp;bih=604&quot;&gt;more pictures&lt;/a&gt; showing the variety of foliage patterns and colorations. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, one of the common names for this plant is &quot;dumb cane&quot; because the sap can cause numbness and swelling in the mouth and throat if ingested.  So watch pets and small kids around it if you have such at home. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-05-22T22:40:41.847" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9767" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9692" CreationDate="2014-05-23T01:00:34.043" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it is safe if you do not spray into the water pipe. If you clean the dirt/debris out of all of the parts and spray only where needed there won't be any ill effects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-23T01:00:34.043" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9768" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9683" CreationDate="2014-05-23T01:46:31.077" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the question, it sounds like your mint plant is too dry. Mint plants in pots are very sensitive to the moisture content of the growing media. They prefer very moist, but not saturated soil while growing. Also, mint plants like lots of light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In low light conditions they will stretch and become weak, which would cause the falling over. Also, the lower leaves will dry out or rot, depending on the water level in the air and the soil. If this is the case, cut the stems individually back to 4-5 healthy leaves, and move the plant into a well-lit area (preferably outside). If the stem bases are black or soft and wet, your plant is dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mint plants also have a dormant period, and will start dieing back when ready to go dormant. In this case, cut the plant back to the base and move it to a cool dark place and water sparingly. It usually takes only two months before the plant is ready to grow again. You can then move it into a well lit area and start watering. You should also fertilize every other week with the watering, for good growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-23T01:46:31.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9769" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9510" CreationDate="2014-05-23T02:20:32.540" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is possible to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/100937-root-rot-peppers.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;save pepper seedlings from root rot&lt;/a&gt; if you catch it early on. Your plants were severely affected and most likely won't make it. I agree with @OrganicLawnDIY, start some new ones to stay on the safe side. If any of the diseased plants survive, they won't have the vigor of healthy seedlings. It is tricky to save plants from root rot, because once you can see the effects it is generally too late. I have saved an aloe vera from root rot, so I know it can be possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-23T02:20:32.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9770" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13818" CreationDate="2014-05-23T03:05:59.250" Score="4" ViewCount="412" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to figure out what type of weed this is. I was thinking horseweed but the more I look at it the less I think so. This is a picture of young plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is growing in New Hampshire in an area close to seasonal wetlands (muddy during spring but otherwise dry).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lu2hK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;id this week&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BYauJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LC7g9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qdJXE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3520" LastEditorUserId="3520" LastEditDate="2014-08-25T20:39:20.623" LastActivityDate="2014-08-25T20:53:36.220" Title="Is this a horseweed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9771" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4552" CreationDate="2014-05-23T03:13:20.083" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're best choices will include &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_%28apple%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Liberty,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://dspace.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/5117/1/FLS-103.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Freedom,&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/pri/coop30-3.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Enterprise.&lt;/a&gt; These trees are immune to scab, and resistant to fireblight and cedar apple rust. They are often recommended to organic growers because they are very low-spray  and perform well without pesticides, comparably.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-23T03:13:20.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9772" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9780" CreationDate="2014-05-23T14:22:12.830" Score="5" ViewCount="161" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/covzH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;grass!&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone tell me what kind of grass this is?  It's growing in my lawn in Central South Dakota in a partly shaded area.  I seeded the area with a sun/shade mix but the seed head does not look like the bluegrass/ryegrass/fescue that is supposed to be in the seed mix.  I believe it may be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uaex.edu/farm-ranch/resource-library/forage-id/grasses/downy-brome-seedhead.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Downy Brome&lt;/a&gt; but I'm no expert.  Is this a type of grass I want growing in my yard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3380" LastEditorUserId="3380" LastEditDate="2014-05-23T15:39:24.493" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T22:29:10.263" Title="What kind of grass is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9773" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9779" CreationDate="2014-05-23T15:58:55.027" Score="4" ViewCount="319" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am concerned about the quality of the water in my rain barrel, but I am not sure if it is harmful or helpful to plants - especially in my vegetable garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be pretty simple to clean it out - which would remove the smell and appearance, but is there a potential for improved qualities of the water from all the bacteria and gunk?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y1AFDl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;is this possibly The Stuff Plants Crave™&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3521" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-23T18:47:53.460" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T01:01:53.080" Title="Should I clean out my rain barrel before using the water on my vegetables?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;rain-barrel&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9775" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-23T18:32:10.343" Score="9" ViewCount="10151" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a raised bed that is on concrete. My local greenhouse told me I needed to replace ALL the dirt in there every year due to pollutants. Do you know if that is true as there is a lot of dirt and I don't think I could do that every year. The bed is probably 7'x3' and about 12-15&quot; deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3524" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-23T18:52:32.923" LastActivityDate="2017-01-06T23:58:49.357" Title="Should I replace the soil every year in a raised bed that's on top of concrete?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;concrete&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9776" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9775" CreationDate="2014-05-23T19:28:01.740" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there any way you could punch through the concrete. You HAVE to have drainage to grow anything.  Pollutants...the only thing I can think of is lime leaching into the soil and bringing the pH up, or alkaline. It is relatively easy to change the pH to favor whatever kind of plants you want to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get a pH test...a soil test from your extension service will give you the pH as well as nutrient deficiencies or excess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are they talking about pollutants from chemtrails? The test should give you a profile on the heavy metals present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig down to the concrete and use an iron bar or pick to break the concrete into pieces.  Pull out as much as you can.  Water it to see if the water drains.  If it does, use a good potting soil since you are essentially planting in a pot.  Potting soils come with mychorrizae fungi, bacteria...life that plants need to take up different nutrients. Don't use ordinary garden soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How is the lighting?  If it doesn't get sunlight at least 6 hours a day, you need to rethink what you want to plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-23T19:28:01.740" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9777" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9688" CreationDate="2014-05-23T21:16:03.733" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I would not put them in direct sun until I hardened them off.  They look like you did over-water and I am glad you re-potted them.  Did you clean the pots with a little bleach?  Was the potting soil new?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last ditch effort would be to get rooting hormone and cut off healthy leaves and stem.  Put them in new soil and cover with plastic. Do not put them in direct sunlight otherwise you will cook them. Keep moist, not soggy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure that you are using very small pots. When they are putting out new growth and roots take plastic off.  Re-pot when you see roots beginning to grow out of the bottom...better yet, slide plant out of pot and if there are a lot of white, healthy roots you can re-pot into a pot an inch or two larger.   Allow to dry out, in fact, I allow them to almost wilt before I water again.  Use clay pots, coleus seems to like the air they get from the porosity of the pot.  Make sure that you wash your pots and use a little bleach before adding potting soil.  Coleus do well on a shaded porch that gets a lot of ambient light bouncing off white walls, concrete.  Slowly, get them used to direct sun...half an hour a day two or three days ten an hour a day...they do well indoors if they get bright sunlight filtered by windows.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize with a slow release fertilizer, and if you see white patches on the outside of your clay pot (salts from conditioned tap water), soak, clean your pot and re-pot with fresh potting soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you water, water very, very well...then allow to dry out before you water again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not put stones, gravel in the bottom of your pot...the soil has to become saturated before it starts to move into the bigger pore spaces and your plants will have less air.  Just potting soil, lift the pot up off the deck, table, tray with tiles to increase the drainage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-23T21:16:03.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9778" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9775" CreationDate="2014-05-23T22:51:11.507" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;drainage doesn't have to be straight down, if your raised bed is 15&quot; deep and is made of stacked wood or block you probably have some drainage&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really wouldn't worry about it until you think you could have a problem, and then it would be just making drains in the bottom sides of your raised bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;as for replacing your soil every year: I would guess that the man at the garden center gets a commission on selling soil, because that just isn't how it works.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;if you are worried about a particular pollutant then you could test for that, but soil doesn't just get polluted without being exposed to pollution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If your soil does get polluted every 2 years to the extent that you can't eat tomatoes grown in it, do not eat tomatoes that are grown in soil that has 1 year's pollution, and also... MOVE FAR, FAR AWAY NOW!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2014-05-23T22:51:11.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9773" CreationDate="2014-05-24T00:39:59.023" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on what is making the water dirty. if it was organic debris (leaves, grass clippings, etc.) that fell in and rotted, you should be fine. There will be a possibility of disease spreading, depending what is decomposing in there. even bird droppings can carry disease. &#xA;if the barrel looked clean to begin with and nothing fell in, the color may be from a residue in th barrel. }n that case, you should clean it very thoroughly with a grease cutting cleaner, just in case.  Although it is probably safe to irrigate with scummy water, it is generally better to keep everything clean and tidy around plants. i always keep my watering supplies squeaky clean anyway, so I don't have to unclog watering cans, sprinklers, hose nozzles, etc.. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend you clean it thoroughly, and at least rinse it out once a month to keep things clear. Dirty water really won't help the plants anyway .&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-18T01:01:53.080" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T01:01:53.080" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9772" CreationDate="2014-05-24T01:16:29.053" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bromus_tectorum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Bromus tectorum&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We refer to it as Bronco Grass here and just hate the seed heads. They get in your socks, penetrate the seams in your shoes and jeans and generally make life highly unpleasant walking through fields where the stuff has matured. Only thing worse is Foxtail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard it called Downy Brome or Cheatgrass as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I root it out where ever I can, cut the seed tops off elsewhere till permanent removal can be scheduled and make sure it goes to the landfill. The area immediately gets fertilzed and seeded with Pasture grass mix and kept damp till the replacement grass takes hold as this stuff likes poor soil and dry areas on the property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should never be found in any grass mixture as it is an invasive weed, probably imported from Eurasia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-26T22:29:10.263" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T22:29:10.263" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9781" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1938" CreationDate="2014-05-24T15:09:52.863" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dandelions are a beneficial weed and will actually bring up nitrogen for your Citrus to use. Look up the positive effects of Dandelions. As long as you are not growing any type of leafy green that the Dandelion will overtake and push out, letting Dandelions grow around your trees and other shrubs, etc is actually beneficial and good for the soil. Plus you can eat the leaves. They actually have quite a lot of nutrients&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3527" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-25T00:51:26.973" LastActivityDate="2014-05-25T00:51:26.973" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9782" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9783" CreationDate="2014-05-24T17:16:09.420" Score="6" ViewCount="1816" Body="&lt;p&gt;First spring in our new home and I noticed some suspicious looking beasties out there.  Last year I had a terrible case of poison ivy so now I'm disturbingly aware of things that appear like poison ivy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's two areas that have something that looks suspicious to me.  One, I think/hope, are raspberry or blackberry etc bushes.  They are near the edge of a copse of trees and there are bent runners nearby with similar leave patterns on 2nd year looking woody branches with small prickers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second area though is very concerning and I'm staying right away from it for now.  It's a viny looking plant attached to my maple tree and has a lot of the characteristics of poison ivy.  I'm hoping it's not but I've already told my four year old to stay away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are - what is the best way to have this removed - having recently had such a fierce reaction I'm nervous about getting it all over again in the process of eradicating this unwelcomed invader.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T224F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Near some thorny runners that I assume are wild berries&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1pYhS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Same area as first picture&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A9Tfl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Climbing up a maple tree these ones scream poison ivy to me&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uaShg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Same cluster as&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OGZAN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Same cluster as 3 and 4&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3529" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-03T02:37:23.507" LastActivityDate="2014-06-03T02:37:23.507" Title="Which of these, if any, are poison ivy?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;poison-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9783" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9782" CreationDate="2014-05-24T19:46:11.380" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh yes. Top two pics are raspberries. Bottom one I'm not sure. But #3 and #4, the thing trying to climb a tree, sets off all my warning signs. Notice they are glossy and a little red. And you can see why it's called ivy, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the only thing we use Roundup on. In fact in Ontario that's the only reason you can buy it. DO NOT BURN POISON IVY! Even pulling it up and trying to dispose of it can be bad since now you have the oil on your gloves. Go with the Roundup just for this. And since you've had a reaction to it, get someone else (not the four year old) to spray it for you. Choose a hot day and spray right onto the leaves. I react badly and we kill it when we see it. They come back from time to time and we keep Roundup around for this purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(As a test, I showed your pictures to my husband, who kills our poison ivy for me, with the headline covered and said &quot;what is this?&quot; He read the pictures down as raspberry, raspberry, poison ivy, poison ivy, not sure. Then I showed him the headline and he laughed.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2014-05-24T19:46:11.380" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9784" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9785" CreationDate="2014-05-24T20:39:07.983" Score="5" ViewCount="3888" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help ID this shrub growing in Zone 6. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's about 5' tall and 3' spread after pruning in the fall. It grows fairly fast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves sort of look like a fan leafed hawthorne to me but not quite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has clusters of small white blooms with yellow centers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today I noticed some green colored aphids on the stems. On the underside of leaves there were small gnat looking bugs. Any idea what the bugs on the undersides might have been? Dark colored bodies and large clear wings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other narrow, simple leaved shrubs in that vicinity were bug free.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KYTLo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mun0y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2014-06-03T03:38:05.350" LastActivityDate="2014-06-03T03:38:05.350" Title="What is this shrub with fan shaped toothed leaves and small white blooms, and what are these small bugs?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9784" CreationDate="2014-05-24T21:16:07.100" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c293&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Spirea, probably Vanhouttei&lt;/a&gt;, also called  the bridal wreath spirea. Yes, those are aphids on the stems but need a picture to id the other ones you mention&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: a positive ID would be the smell of the flowers which I would not describe as pleasant.  Almost a burnt smell?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-05-25T04:38:51.437" LastActivityDate="2014-05-25T04:38:51.437" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9786" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1239" CreationDate="2014-05-24T23:09:59.557" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspidistra_elatior&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Aspidistra elatior&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, commonly called the Cast-Iron Plant; this plant lives up to its name!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-25T00:50:58.170" LastActivityDate="2014-05-25T00:50:58.170" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9787" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1670" CreationDate="2014-05-24T23:37:03.373" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;My opinion, based on decades of observation, experience and botany is only stake a tree if it was bare-root, purchased root-bound with a huge canopy or if you are trying to stand up a mature tree that was blown over and the roots were compromised.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees that aren't staked develop better root systems including roots for support and a stronger, thicker trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I always try to plant trees in the fall after they've lost their leaves.  Wind is only going to strengthen leafless trees.  Balled and burlapped trees have such heavy root systems that are purposely grown in clay.  If you've never tested the weight of these trees, try it.  You'll feel a lot more confident leaving the stakes off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, if the tree is huge, out of proportion with its root ball, has a full canopy, is being moved from one location to another then you will need to stake it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The difference between an unstaked tree and even those done loosely or low and allowed some movement...IS HUGE. The unstaked trees are easily 1/3 to 1/2 larger than the staked trees.  I have never had a tree blown over, broken or weirdly bent.  Never.  I've planted thousands of trees and have been able to follow their growth over decades.  Honest Injun! grin!! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;People stake baby trees without thinking things through.  These whips are planted, staked and left for a year or two (if they are lucky) and of course these trees without a root system and trunk (developed by the movement of the tree) go over, usually breaking where the stake was tied to the tree.  If stakes are removed they should be done during the winter (if deciduous) so all winter long the tree will be able to beef up its root system and trunk thickness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-24T23:37:03.373" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9788" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9652" CreationDate="2014-05-24T23:47:11.060" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I highly recommend Taxus baccata 'repandens', English Spreading Yew.  One of the few conifers that grows in shade! Does well in sun but in S. California I think you'd want this in the part-shade to shade and you want this to grow under your pepper tree. Don't prune this...it gets up to 3' with graceful, arching branches providing an excellent 'foundation' plant...or skeleton plant. These are plants that 'pull' your landscape together forming the 'bones' of your landscape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let me know if this isn't a good plant for your area. I've little experience with plants down there..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-24T23:47:11.060" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9789" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9503" CreationDate="2014-05-25T00:03:23.837" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is natural for any seedling to grow and elongate looking for light.  Get them hardened off before they stay outside or increase the power of your light.  Just bringing the lamp down to the seedlings might be enough to increase the light and thicken your seedlings.  Don't worry about genetics...all your seedlings will do fine when you get them in decent light.  Just don't ever put in the sun a plant grown indoors, a greenhouse, a shady porch without hardening it off.  Depends on the plant but basically you start with a few minutes the first day, a few more the next until it can stay out all day.  Otherwise the sun can burn and kill plants not hardened off...careful with fertilizer with seedlings.  Keep fertilizer to a bare minimum until the plant is out in decent lighting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-25T00:03:23.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9790" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9370" CreationDate="2014-05-25T00:14:28.513" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Allow the soil to dry out in between watering! The pot will feel very light versus its weight when soaked.  Get used to how this feels.  Repot it into a pot just a little bigger...2&quot;?  Use good potting soil, no rocks in the bottom (causes perched water table), water thoroughly and allow to dry (soil will be slightly moist).  The brown tips could be from overwatering or salt accumulation in the soil. Use an extended release fertilizer according to directions. Fertilizer IS NOT PLANT FOOD.  More is not better, especially when you have a plant that is under stress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-25T00:14:28.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9793" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-25T11:52:48.037" Score="5" ViewCount="713" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got these in my garden in the city of Innsbruck, Austria and I'm wondering what they are and if their flowers attract bees or other insects. They just popped up by themselves and feel really good there, would be a shame to remove them if they attract bees/butterflies as well. If they don't,  I'd like to use the spot for something that does.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify them? I hope the pictures are good enough. If not, tell me and I'll try to get better ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XsomO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yF727.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3533" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-04T00:40:36.980" LastActivityDate="2018-07-21T14:20:06.397" Title="What is this saw tooth leaved plant, and will it flower and attract bees?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9794" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9796" CreationDate="2014-05-25T16:25:01.180" Score="5" ViewCount="306" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ants in my garden seem to especially love this raspberry bush at the moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also notice these two little things that look like tiny flies sitting on the leaves- except they are not moving, like dead flies.  Ants seem to be hanging out around them, but I haven't seen them actually take a fly anywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just curious, should I take action on the flies?  Or the ants?  I'm keeping my eyes on the leaves for leaf miners, and on the ground for aphids, but otherwise just letting the ecosystem do it's thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEF1WSbY1GA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://img.youtube.com/vi/AEF1WSbY1GA/0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ants + ??? on my raspberry bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GSqSY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ants + ??? on my raspberry bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3475" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:36.823" LastActivityDate="2014-05-29T20:46:02.403" Title="Are ants/flies a threat to a raspberry bush?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;&lt;ants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9795" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1239" CreationDate="2014-05-25T16:28:39.697" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a beautiful rubber tree that's been living indoors with indirect sunlight for a while, and just can't stop thriving.  It's a peaceful and oxygen-adding addition to an apartment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3475" LastActivityDate="2014-05-25T16:28:39.697" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9796" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9794" CreationDate="2014-05-25T17:05:36.003" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aphids inhabit leaves and shoots, particularly new shoots - ants 'farm' them to collect their honeydew, so it might be that the tiny black flies are actually aphids. I've magnified the pictures, but can't see clearly what the little black thing is, but they are most likely aphids - they tend not to move because they're sucking sap from your plant. Seems odd that the ant is there tending only one or two aphids though, but ants don't eat plants - they might chew off a bit of leaf for other purposes in their nests, but that's it. Keep any eye on it and treat for aphids if it becomes necessary. Usually, once the aphids are gone, so are the ants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-25T17:05:36.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9797" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9775" CreationDate="2014-05-25T17:12:14.897" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;By 'pollutants' they probably mean pathogens as well as sourness of the soil, disregarding completely anything that might be in the air. Drainage is essential, as others have said - without it, soil can easily 'sour' and various pathogens build up, and it may even develop a noxious smell. The bio diversity in soil which drains is not the same as that existing in undrained situations, so I'd guess that's what they mean, but the best thing is to check whether there is drainage and if not, put that right. Punching holes through the concrete to soil beneath at regular intervals should do it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-25T17:12:14.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9798" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9222" CreationDate="2014-05-25T18:29:46.880" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spraying with high pressure will cause whatever you are spraying to form droplets that will float in the air.  You won't be able to control what is being sprayed.  No, I would not use it for pesticides.  Do you use a lot of roundup or glyphosate? When someone uses a pesticide it is usually for a 'bandaid' on a preventable problem. What do you see that needs spraying?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-25T18:29:46.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9799" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9081" CreationDate="2014-05-25T23:25:48.700" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try Golden Hops, Humulus lupulus 'Sunbeam'...this will cover that fence within a few months...it is beautiful, you can make beer from it and it dies back every year so you can clean up the old vines before the new ones take over...or you might have to periodically cut them to the ground, remove and allow to grow back. Plant this guy and stand back!  Keep track of your other vines but I think this plant is worth looking into for instant (almost) privacy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-25T23:25:48.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9800" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-25T23:26:26.600" Score="4" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a landscape gardening student and have been asked why the word landscaping is used and its origin. Does anyone know?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3537" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2014-05-26T14:17:41.230" LastActivityDate="2014-05-26T14:17:41.230" Title="Why is it called landscaping?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9801" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9032" CreationDate="2014-05-25T23:35:54.547" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try BT: Bacillus thuringiensis for caterpillars.  This bacteria produces a toxin when eaten by caterpillars makes them think they are full, they stop eating and starve to death.  Very specific pesticide. Rent a good sprayer from a tool rental place that can shoot up to the top of your trees.  Spray when there is no wind, read the directions 5X (honest, this is what we are taught in pesticide applicator licensing classes)...pretty safe pesticide.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-25T23:35:54.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9802" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9800" CreationDate="2014-05-25T23:57:30.163" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Landscape - The visible features of an area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Landscaping - changing the visible features of an area to be more pleasing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2014-05-25T23:57:30.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9800" CreationDate="2014-05-26T01:05:45.820" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wikipedia covers the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landscape&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;origin of the word landscape&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Land is fairly obvious and the Wikipedia entry goes on at length about the origin of &quot;scape&quot;. Here's a snippet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the suffix -scape:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;'Landscape' is distinguished from 'land' by the suffix -scape, which&#xA;  is equivalent to the more common English suffix -ship.[3] The roots of&#xA;  –ship are etymologically akin to Old English sceppan or scyppan,&#xA;  meaning to shape (Merriam-Webster dict.2000. This suffix designates&#xA;  &quot;something showing, exhibiting or embodying a quality or state&quot;; as&#xA;  such, it generates an abstraction upon the term landscape. The suffix&#xA;  -ship thus designates the abstract ‘‘nature’’, ‘‘state’’ or ‘‘constitution’’ of something; these words are interlinked both as&#xA;  abstract essences (e.g. the nature or constitution of something) and&#xA;  as concretized and institutionalized entities (e.g. nature, the state,&#xA;  a constitution). The suffix -shaft and the English -ship are cognate,&#xA;  meaning essentially &quot;creation, creature, constitution, condition).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-05-26T01:05:45.820" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9804" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9222" CreationDate="2014-05-26T01:34:42.610" Score="5" Body="&lt;h1&gt;Can you? Absolutely!&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An HVLP sprayer will spray any liquid that doesn't corrode the components and is not too thick. Herbicides aren't generally thick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THERE ARE HOWEVER SOME IMPORTANT PRECAUTIONS!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The force the  liquid comes out at and the fan shape of the sprayer means it will cover a large area so you'll need to lay a protective tarp over any non target plants within maybe 5 or more feet of the the area you're spraying depending on how windy it is. You'll also want to keep other people and animals a very safe distance away. Possibly erect some temporary plastic walls out of plastic sheeting to prevent overspray onto your neighbor's property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;HVLP sprayers atomize the liquid into fine droplets that can linger in the air for a little while and there's a decent amount of liquid that will bounce back off of any objects you're spraying so make sure to wear protective equipment that covers your head, face, eyes, arms, legs, hands, feet, well pretty much everything and also wear a good chemical respirator. This &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B007Z42GCY&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;hazmat suit&lt;/a&gt; should do the trick and only costs $1,699 US and the shipping is only 12 bucks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j5iku.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Should you? Absolutely Not!&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Invest in a good pump sprayer. They're not too expensive, certainly much cheaper than a hazmat suit, and easy to use. I use mine at least once a month during the growing season. I have a review of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2012/08/smith-2-gallon-max-contractor-sprayer.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;2-gallon pump sprayer&lt;/a&gt; I use on my website. A lot of them are crappy and break but that one is built well. A lot of times I keep it outside for long periods and haven't had any components fail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To cover large areas use a hose connected sprayer. They have a cup that you pour the concentrated liquid in and a dial to set the dilution rate (ex 2oz per gallon). As you spray the concentrate gets sucked out of the cup and mixed with the water from the hose before spraying out of the nozzle in a fan shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-05-26T01:34:42.610" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9800" CreationDate="2014-05-26T11:45:21.743" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The word landscape has been explained in the other two answers, but have a look at the work of Capability Brown - he changed landscapes on a major scale, creating hills, dales, lakes and suchlike, transforming the original landscape into something altogether different. He did, though, work mainly under the direction of a Landscape Architect - so that makes Capability the 'landscaper' because he carried out the works. That's landscaping on a major scale, but creating a rockery and planting, or terracing with hard materials changes the landscape to a degree. Landscape gardening is somewhat different from simply being a horticultural student, or a garden designer, although all may include landscaping aspects, in particular, designing. The official dictionary definition of landscape gardening is &quot;the art and practice of laying out grounds in a way which is ornamental or which imitates natural scenery&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-05-26T12:13:06.583" LastActivityDate="2014-05-26T12:13:06.583" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9806" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9816" CreationDate="2014-05-26T16:19:15.127" Score="5" ViewCount="3368" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had my Aloe for about 5 months now; it's doing a bit better than it was at the store (they had it in direct sunlight and it was getting damaged). I just got two stalks of Lucky Bamboo also and I was reading about the type of water to put with the rocks. Now I'm afraid I'm damaging my Aloe, here's why:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the site that talked about Lucky Bamboo it said tap water is okay as long as it's not softened, but other plants might be sensitive to tap water. I looked up about Aloes and there was a post by a lady who's growing crazy healthy Aloes where she talks about how tap water will kill an Aloe over time. Her suggestion is rain water or snow water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can leave a bucket out to collect rain, but it hasn't been raining much recently. And my cats will keep getting in to the water. &lt;strong&gt;What do I do? Is it okay to use water straight from the tap? Or should I boil it and let it sit over night?&lt;/strong&gt; HELP! I'm already late on watering my Aloe by a week or so and I'm paranoid to give it bad water :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3539" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-05-26T17:51:54.897" LastActivityDate="2014-05-27T06:17:26.367" Title="Should I use tap water for my Aloe and Lucky Bamboo?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;&lt;rain&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9806" CreationDate="2014-05-26T16:45:18.773" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can use tap water if you use a water filter. Even a portable filter as along as it has activated carbon in it.  That will soak up the chloramine and a few other compounds that some plants are sensitive to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Distilled water is not a good solution as it has no dissolved compounds and plants use some of the things in water, just not the chlorine levels found in tap water, even if it is delivered as chloramine where it is bound to ammonia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Boiling works too but is time consuming. Rain water, of course, is the best solution but not as easy for everyone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternately you could go to a pet store and buy a product for fish that deactivates the chloramine.  This works quickly but it's not cheap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: You can use bottled water but you need to examine the label to ensure that chlorine levels are less than tap water (0.04 to 2.0 mg/L) from here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/water-eau/chlorine-chlore/index-eng.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/water-eau/chlorine-chlore/index-eng.php&lt;/a&gt;  There is a subtle difference between &quot;Bottled water is the same as tap water&quot; and &quot;Bottled water has the same levels of dissolved salts as tap water&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-05-26T18:38:11.763" LastActivityDate="2014-05-26T18:38:11.763" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9206" CreationDate="2014-05-26T18:42:36.877" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thatch is an accumulation of dead organic debris that has not yet been decomposed that builds up between the soil and live grasses.  St. Augustine is known for thatch buildup. This buildup blocks water penetration and nutrients. If you can see a 'mat' below your grass and above your soil that is 1&quot; or more you need to use a power rake or manual rake to rip this mat up so that it is mixed with soil and oxygen. This mat will then be decomposed by the decomposers in the soil. In your climate, this should be done late spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After this is done fertilize with an organic lawn fertilizer containing bacteria that are responsible for decomposing thatch.  Dr. Earth makes an excellent fertilizer for lawns with this bacteria.  It costs more but you won't need to fertilize as often.  It will take longer than the fast release fertilizer to begin to notice but it works so very well and lasts for months! Worth the money! Hopefully you won't have to de-thatch and this fertilizer will prevent buildup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aerate once per year minimum.  This pulls up soil plugs that you leave on top of your lawn. Allow them to dry out and they disappear back into your lawn profile by themselves.  Meanwhile, the bacteria in the soil should be able to get to work on any thatch that is in the process of building up.  The bacteria in the fertilizer ensuring plenty of 'slaves' to do the thatching for you, grin!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-26T18:42:36.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9809" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9827" CreationDate="2014-05-26T18:45:59.273" Score="4" ViewCount="207" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an Apache Blackberry that has outgrown its pot. I am getting ready to transplant it into the ground. My concern is that the main cane has been growing diagonally in the pot. When I transplant it to the ground, may I tilt the plant so that the main stalk points upward? Or will doing so cause other problems?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/giKzT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the same blackberry plant from my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9211/what-is-this-dark-purple-discoloration-on-my-apache-blackberry&quot;&gt;previous question which I asked about brown spots&lt;/a&gt;. It did not grow for several months since bringing it home from the nursery. In this past month, it had a growth spurt (maybe due to cottonseed meal fertilizer or the eggshells). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-05-27T18:50:50.147" Title="Can I tilt a plant when transplanting it from a pot to the ground?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9810" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9701" CreationDate="2014-05-26T18:54:57.333" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut that tall branch about halfway up your blue line. I am sure there is a healthy leaf on the outside of that branch (you don't want branches that angle towards the center of the plant).  Use a pair of by-pass (not anvil-type) hand pruners, sterilize them with alcohol and cut 1/8&quot; above that leaf at an angle so water runs off away from the bud/leaf you are choosing as your new terminal bud.  This is a bonsai, it is important to keep roots and plant in proportion. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Later, there might be an even better leaf to choose that is a little lower. Don't go crazy as this cut is at least a 1/3 of the plant and it might get stressed a bit. Pruning on Bonsais must be done a little at a time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of the energy in that branch is at tip.  You are cutting off that energy expenditure and all that energy will be diverted to the rest of that branch to 'lateral buds' you can't see right now. This extra energy will tell that branch to wake up more lateral buds...they are there.  Careful and educated pruning will make your plant healthier.  Take a bonsai class!  They depend on you for everything.  One mistake and it'll die.  Bonsai are the furthest thing from 'natural'...learning to care for a bonsai will teach you an awful lot and humble you.  Plants are amazing lifeforms! Very different than animals!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-05-26T19:05:14.760" LastActivityDate="2014-05-26T19:05:14.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9811" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9809" CreationDate="2014-05-26T19:23:33.353" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I know blackberries are all vines. Just get a stake, poke it in the soil and train it by loosely tying it to the stake.  Apache must be a thornless blackberry which will become very bushy-looking. You said you were going to plant it outside in the garden.  Find a fence or make a trellis for it so that you can dictate how it grows.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I once pruned berry vines like this on a commercial garden.  They put up 6X6 posts, about 4' high (out of the ground) with thick wire attached through drilled holes.  There were two horizontal lines; one midway or two feet off the ground and the other at the top of the posts.  As the plant grows, wrap it around the wires, low wire then high wire then the low one then the high one.  Posts were 12' apart.  Whatever fits for your yard.  This helps with controlling the plant, easier to harvest, good ventilation and yearly pruning you'll have to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-26T19:23:33.353" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9812" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9815" CreationDate="2014-05-26T19:57:29.287" Score="3" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was cleaning out some gardens and am not sure what this is. Is it a weed or not?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wC1Kg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3541" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2018-02-11T01:51:00.077" LastActivityDate="2018-02-11T01:51:00.077" Title="Can somebody try to identify this potential perennial?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1027" CreationDate="2014-05-26T20:47:40.753" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with 3 - 3.35 inches, but that varies depending on whether, and weather, I can mow every week.  If rain interrupts the mowing and the lawn gets longer than normal, then I mow it longer to maintain the 1/3 rule; then I mow it again a few days later to bring it back to 3&quot; or so.  I say &quot;or so&quot; because my wife likes it shorter. I don't argue with her; I just cut it as close to 3&quot; as possible; although I would rather it be longer, even to 4&quot;, to shade the roots and because it also needs less water then and browns less. The only time I mow it shorter, to 2.5&quot; is on the last mow of the year; which in NE is sometimes into early December.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2014-05-26T20:47:40.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9814" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1027" CreationDate="2014-05-26T22:05:02.600" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As other's have stated, try not to  mow off more than 1/3rd of the length of the blade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most cool season grasses like to be mowed high. 2-3&quot; is a good mowing height. The blade is where it makes it's food (photosynthesis) so if you cut too much off it goes &quot;hungry&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A lot of times when people complain about the lawn looking bad after cutting it's because they're cutting it too short and letting it get too long before cutting. The top of the grass that gets ample sunlight is a darker green than the base of the plant. If you let it get too high you're then exposing the parts that didn't get much sun. Someone in my neighborhood lets their grass grow long between cutting it. It always looks dark and healthy before being cut. After cutting it the color is lighter and has yellow patches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't mow when temps are greater than 90 degrees and sunny. Or when the grass is wet. While the blade is damaged from being cut it loses more moisture and makes it more susceptible to disease. Making sure your mower blade is sharp helps produce a cleaner cut that heals faster. A reel mower, like you have, produces the cleanest cuts. I always swap my blades when the weather gets hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Waling on moist soil tends to compress it which causes other problems for the lawn so try not to walk on it when the soil is wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the spring and fall your grass will grow faster (cool season grasses at least) than it does in the summer so you'll need to mow more frequently unless you water regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It takes some thought to do it correctly. You have to monitor the weather. For example, if the grass doesn't really need to be cut right now but it's going to rain for the next 5 days you should cut it now rather than letting it get too long before you can cut it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-05-26T22:05:02.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9815" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9812" CreationDate="2014-05-26T22:15:36.870" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=asarum%20canadense&amp;amp;rlz=1C1CHFX_enCA540CA540&amp;amp;es_sm=122&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=YLyDU9SpO6jK8wG-0IDwCg&amp;amp;ved=0CI0BEIke&amp;amp;biw=1137&amp;amp;bih=527&amp;amp;dpr=0.9#facrc=_&amp;amp;imgdii=_&amp;amp;imgrc=Ddu12La2uuC1VM%253A;XPPN8d8HBM1LyM;http%253A%252F%252Fnewfs.s3.amazonaws.com%252Ftaxon-images-1000s1000%252FAristolochiaceae%252Fasarum-canadense-ha-ahaines-b.jpg;https%253A%252F%252Fgobotany.newenglandwild.org%252Fspecies%252Fasarum%252Fcanadense%252F;1000;862&quot;&gt;Asarum canadense&lt;/a&gt;,canada wild ginger. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Positive Id can be confirmed on the flowers of which two are just visible at the base of the stem. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Relatively common to most of eastern North America.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In my garden not a delicate wildflower but a slowly spreading groundcover that is fairly tough in hot and dry conditions as long as the soil is fairly rich&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pollinated by slugs, but don't hold this against it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-05-26T22:20:56.940" LastActivityDate="2014-05-26T22:20:56.940" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9816" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9806" CreationDate="2014-05-27T06:17:26.367" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very healthy Aloe Vera as well as giant Lucky Bamboo (potted in soil), I use regular tap water for them and they are growing well. (You can use normal drinking water if you want!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both of these plants are strong enough, hence you may not worry about them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some key points for these plants are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aloe Vera:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water it low to moderately.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep it in partial to full sunlight.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lucky Bamboo:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If potted in soil, Water it moderately.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If kept in water, weekly change half of the water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep it indoor or in partial shade. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastActivityDate="2014-05-27T06:17:26.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9819" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-27T07:03:32.800" Score="2" ViewCount="98" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two Sunny Knock-out rose trees that were transitioned from pots to sunny landscape areas in the front of my home. The trees appear to be in shock. If not for the Sucker roots extending above the ground I would have thought they were dead. Should I cut the sucker roots and the rose hips off or should I just leave the trees alone for now? The rose hips remain from last fall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3542" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-29T20:26:47.710" LastActivityDate="2014-05-29T20:26:47.710" Title="How do I treat a rose tree that appears to be in shock but still has rose hips and has plenty of root suckers?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9819" CreationDate="2014-05-27T12:32:49.887" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bit of clarification required here - are you saying that you had two (probably standards) rose trees, but there is nothing growing at the top, you just have a dead stick with no growth, but you have plenty of growth from below ground level, and that growth has hips from last year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If what I've said is correct, then your roses are dead - what's still alive is the rootstock they were grafted to, and that probably isn't something you want to keep at all, so best dig it out before it gets much bigger and becomes a tangled mess of dogrose and thorns....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-27T12:32:49.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9793" CreationDate="2014-05-27T12:43:54.790" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glebionis_segetum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Corn marigold, &lt;em&gt;Glebionis segetum&lt;/em&gt;,&lt;/a&gt; judging by the leaves, but ID should be easier once it flowers (which will be yellow, dandelion like ones if it is corn marigold) - it certainly looks like an opportunistic 'weed' plant, in which case, it's very likely to be highly attractive to bees and other insects. It might also, though, be very invasive, as most 'weed' plants are - might be wise to remove spent flowerheads before they turn to seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-21T01:29:10.913" LastActivityDate="2014-06-21T01:29:10.913" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9822" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9843" CreationDate="2014-05-27T16:28:47.810" Score="3" ViewCount="423" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed this plant last week. It started off with as a little stub, and grew straight up without branching and then at about 3 feet, created this branched structure. In about 2 weeks time, it grew from nothing to 6 feet now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone tell me what plant this is please? Should I kill it or let it be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fC7pY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant Id&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Country/Region - UK/London&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2420" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-02T15:34:23.107" LastActivityDate="2014-09-02T15:34:23.107" Title="What is this extremely fast growing plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;asparagus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="125" CreationDate="2014-05-27T17:39:51.750" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Go talk to your neighbor.  Tell them you've got plants that are poisonous to cats (Do you have daylillies, canna, iris, calla lilly...I just learned these are very toxic to cats) and ask that they keep their cat indoors.  Outdoor cats have very short lives.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise get a covered cat box, fill it with cat litter and put it close to your property line.  Clean it every time your neighbors are watching...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm kidding.  A squirt bottle with plain water works well.  They learn quickly and will find another spot.  The motion detector water-squirter would make more sense. Good luck...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-27T17:39:51.750" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9824" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9822" CreationDate="2014-05-27T18:24:02.487" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;an asparagus shoot&lt;/a&gt; to me.  Did the little stub look like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File%3aAsparagus_Tip.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; before it shot up?  If so, I think we can say pretty confidently that that's what it is.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there other shoots coming from the base, or just this one?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-05-27T18:24:02.487" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9825" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="544" CreationDate="2014-05-27T18:26:54.720" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whoa!  You guys obviously haven't watched 'Ants'...that animated movie with Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Stallone...grin!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never had problems with ants.  This new garden I've got is riddled with ants, all types of ants.  I know they domesticate aphids (isn't that cool?) but whenever I see aphids a spray of soap or neem takes care of them.  It takes awhile for aphids to damage a plant. As soon as I see them I think huh!  I'll wait until evening then I grab a pre-made sprayer with organic dishsoap or neem and spray. I don't like accidently spraying bees or beneficials.  I've heard that both are safe for bees, but I haven't been convinced.  And I don't have to worry about sun/water/chemical burns spraying in the sunlight either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got all kinds of plants in my greenhouses, all kinds of ants and no aphids, so far.  I'm glad we don't have fire ants! I like rsgoheen's live and let live attitude.  Those ants are so amazing, they work so hard, never think about themselves and I admire them...like bees and other hive insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you put ant bait down, the ants carry it back to the hive and it kills the entire hive.  I need to look it up to see if it would kill the sparrow that ate the ant.  I again side with rsgoheen...there are worse problems in the garden than ants.  Maybe my opinion will change as my gardens are going to be seriously ant-challenged here in central Oregon.  But so far...no problems.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use of pesticides is like putting a bandaid on a preventable problem.  They should be used only as a last-resort.  Gardening is a process where humans are the weak link.  Nature is teaching us how silly we are to think we can control everything when we know so little.  We gotta relax to be good gardeners.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-27T18:26:54.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9826" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9525" CreationDate="2014-05-27T18:41:43.227" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your tree is in your lawn perhaps the high nitrogen fertilizer used for the lawn has told your plum to put out vegetative growth versus reproductive growth...?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-27T18:41:43.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9827" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9809" CreationDate="2014-05-27T18:50:50.147" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plan how you're going to support and train your plant before you put it in the ground - it will need something in place to be tied/trained on. Second, no, don't tilt it in the ground, it's not necessary and will mean some of the rootball might be above soil level. Just plant it at the same height it is now - you can either just nip out the top of that cane, back to the next set of leaves, or back to a set of leaves lower down, and it will produce two new shoots at least from that area which you can then train onto your supports, or if its pliable enough, persuade what's there to become a little more upright over time by attaching it to your support/s.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-27T18:50:50.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4401" CreationDate="2014-05-27T19:08:44.667" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd leave some of that undergrowth and poison ivy.  Great protection from humans...find an area with a level surface or make one, remove the ivy (you'll never get rid of it all anyway) in the area you want to use.  Make a great comfy bench, lay down landscape fabric and cover with 4&quot; crushed gravel.  Understory plants to frame the area would be Taxus baccata reptans, Spreading Yew...a conifer that does well in shade.  If there is partial shade, some sun, use Salix purpurea 'nana', Blue Arctic Willow...a beautiful shrub that looks best with 2X/year shearing into an umbrella shape.  The yew needs no pruning.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try to carve a 'secret space' out of those woods instead of trying to change what nature has taken decades or longer to do.  Keep the privacy, protection, no maintenance in exchange for a small area you will use and be surrounded by a functioning ecosystem.  This is great stuff...learn to see...watch the changes...insects...tracks of animals...poison ivy will keep other humans out.  Why would you accept all the work of maintenance, replanting when you can't possibly make much use out of a steep slope?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, also Amelanchier alnifolia, Serviceberry.  Gorgeous understory tree...plant at least 3 of them...sort of a natural gazebo especially if you get multi-stemmed trees.  The gravel will preserve a floor space for you, the trees a roof, yews and willow the walls.  You could even drag a big concrete pot, potting soil down to set beside the bench (hammock) filled with shade-loving flowers...fuschias, impatiens, ligularia, a bird feeder, bird bath...cleaning out the 'green belt' means you are forever in-charge.  This way you can visit and enjoy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-05-27T19:19:43.637" LastActivityDate="2014-05-27T19:19:43.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9829" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9211" CreationDate="2014-05-27T19:33:41.777" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, no, no.  Don't spray to test for problems.  That isn't a fungus...probably sunburn. You have to &lt;em&gt;know&lt;/em&gt; the insect or bacteria or fungus before you decide to spray.  Get rid of the chunky non-decomposed mulch.  Slugs, decomposers, love that environment and you will need more nitrogen to satisfy the decomposers and your plant. Did you test your soils pH?  Always test before you attempt to change the pH.  Potting soil with slow release fertilizer should have been enough.  Was this plant purchased from a nursery?  Was it 'hardened' off before being put outside? What was the fertilizer you used?  What were the numbers...the NPK ratios?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-27T19:33:41.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9831" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9556" CreationDate="2014-05-28T04:04:53.460" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant pictured is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=z320&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Persicaria virginiana&lt;/em&gt; 'Painter's Palette'&lt;/a&gt;. The mottled green and white variegation, the leaf shape, and especially, the reddish chevrons make the identification unmistakable. The alternate leaves and stem appearance reinforce the id.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant will grow in full sun if it is provided adequate water, but is happier in part-shade. It is extremely hardy, growing from USDA zone 4 (probably zone 3 too) to zone 10. Typical height is 18-24&quot; and spreading, making an effective ground cover. It sends up attractive red flowers on slender stems in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be invasive in some locations. The green form of &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=povi2&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Persicaria virginiana&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; is native to eastern North America from Quebec to Florida.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xHiXk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="620" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-29T22:36:17.490" LastActivityDate="2014-05-29T22:36:17.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9832" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4401" CreationDate="2014-05-28T12:55:29.990" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=privet&amp;amp;ie=utf-8&amp;amp;oe=utf-8&amp;amp;aq=t&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;channel=fflb&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Privet.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pUnmX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Privet hedge row&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a perfect hedge row plant that is very hard for medium to large animals to pass through (yes, even humans)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;...OR &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=thuja&amp;amp;ie=utf-8&amp;amp;oe=utf-8&amp;amp;aq=t&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;channel=fflb&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thuja.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZQZYb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both provide excellent screening and can be maintained, or not, depending on your desired hedge row appearance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remove the PI regardless... and remember it's the OIL not the plant... so wash the oil off of everything. A shovel with the oil residue on it can give you Poison Ivy years later. If the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=urushiol&amp;amp;ie=utf-8&amp;amp;oe=utf-8&amp;amp;aq=t&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;channel=fflb&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;urushiol oil&lt;/a&gt; isn't removed it is still an active &quot;toxin&quot;. AND NEVER BURN POISON IVY.. you can inhale the urushiol vapors and get a serious poison ivy infection in your lungs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastActivityDate="2014-05-28T12:55:29.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9833" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9211" CreationDate="2014-05-28T14:39:23.133" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A gallon pot isn't big enough - this plant does much better in open ground, but put it in a much larger pot if planting out isn't possible. You also will need to think about how to support the topgrowth once it gets going if its in a pot...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The brown patches might be sunburn, but the slow rate of growth will be the lack of root room. All this might be a bit late now, though - I see your question was posted back in March...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-28T14:39:23.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9834" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-28T15:30:00.480" Score="0" ViewCount="1459" Body="&lt;p&gt;What plant resembles a tomato plant with thorns? The leaves are similar to watermelon, but the plant and flowers look like a tomato plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3548" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-02T15:34:01.993" LastActivityDate="2014-09-02T15:34:01.993" Title="What plant resembles a tomato plant with thorns?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9835" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9834" CreationDate="2014-05-28T18:18:16.643" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes are members of the &lt;em&gt;Solanum&lt;/em&gt; genus, which consists of ~ 1,500-2,000 species. Many of these species have thorns and flowers similar to a tomato. Do any of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=solanum%20thorns&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=9SaGU6vNGuvJsQSO_4HQBg&amp;amp;ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&amp;amp;biw=1262&amp;amp;bih=950&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;these&lt;/a&gt; look similar to the plant you saw?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2929" LastActivityDate="2014-05-28T18:18:16.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8755" CreationDate="2014-05-28T19:14:03.920" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try covering your bare soil areas with row cover.  It allows water and sunlight in and will protect the seedlings from wind and maybe a paw-step or two.  It is very inexpensive and you could hold it down with metal pins.  Remove it when the grass has germinated and is about an 1&quot; high. Leave some fluffiness when you pin it down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd get rid of any lawn that doesn't grow well...make a plant bed instead, or cover with gravel (4&quot; with landscape fabric beneath, use 3/8minus if you can find it, compact.  Edge with PT 2X4 or recycled plastic 'Treks' between lawn and planting beds to keep the gravel neat) making paths, eddies or patio flooring. Make nice edges to your lawn with straight edges or when curved, all edges should be curved, each curve is a maintained radius until you go the other way. Use a straight edge shovel and dig a trench 4&quot;- 6&quot; deep standing on your lawn and throwing the soil up on your planting beds. This edge lasts a long time if you use a lawn-trimmer. If the curve is too subtle, make the radius smaller or make straight edges in that area. Use a sod cutter to initially establish your edges, remove sod from new gravel walkway or patio and use the old sod to build up your plant beds by turning over and covering with the soil you need to dig out to allow 4&quot; of gravel. Just another idea...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-28T19:14:03.920" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9837" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9743" CreationDate="2014-05-28T20:02:18.343" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd call a grass-spraying company.  You can get grasses you don't have to mow (pasture grass, tall meadow, short meadow with or without wildflower mix), perhaps weedwack down once a year.  The stuff they spray on with the grass will help with erosion, fertilization while the grass is able to establish itself. What is this area used for, how is it related to the rest of your landscape?  Where does the water go? Where do you live?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am imagining this area being a thick meadow of bowing grasses mixed with wildflowers, a few well-placed boulders, a grove of Serviceberry and in the middle of the Serviceberry a small clearing with a gravel floor. A couple of funky and comfy chairs looking back at your home. An old piano chair to sit wine glasses upon. A gravel path takes you back down to the bottom of the ditch which has been filled with a fine, pea-gravel...small drain rock up a little higher from the 'water' of pea gravel, larger drain rock up a little higher than that and then mixed river cobble the highest.  The rock dumped, raked and then THROWN into these bands so that each band has larger and larger diameter rock rising from the bottom elevation without any unnatural lines.  No 'lines' or placed stones...this makes a beautiful 'dry' riverbed.  If this ditch actually carries a lot of water at different times of the year it would be a bit different in design. Under the pea-gravel you would install landscape fabric...if this was a dry ditch.  I never use landscape fabric for anything other than over soil and under gravel.  (It IS NOT WEED CONTROL...) The fabric stops the gravel from disappearing under the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the bottom of your 'dry creek' you wind your way back up the bank and sneak into the house by the bedroom patio...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kids? This is far more exciting than a flat lawn.  If the grass gets high enough the kids can crawl through this grass universe feeling like an ant.  The well-placed (partially buried) boulders make great spaceships, icebergs, islands...and pea gravel? What fun! Did I mention, no mowing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Inexpensive, low maintenance and if that IS a road above, some privacy.  It is absolutely true that a professional landscape installation will raise the value of your home more than remodeling your kitchen or adding a bathroom. But a professional design should factor affordability.  I can't imagine an easier, cheaper way to make that raw dirt become part of your home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-06-02T05:50:15.973" LastActivityDate="2014-06-02T05:50:15.973" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9838" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-29T03:07:41.617" Score="3" ViewCount="209" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was pulling out some weeds and must have touched something, because all of a sudden something was coming out of the ground. I thought it was a snake, but then it became like a white and black sphere. Then the black parts poofed one at time and made like small windows. I left it out in the garden and it shriveled up, but I found some more round ones growing out of the ground. I dug those out, and they were rubbery and actually looked like brains. Then they started to do the same as the first one. What was it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3552" LastEditorUserId="3216" LastEditDate="2014-05-29T20:30:15.987" LastActivityDate="2014-06-06T19:31:50.550" Title="A fungus was growing before my eyes when I was weeding. What was it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9839" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9725" CreationDate="2014-05-29T03:23:55.003" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are concerned about lead or plastifiers leaking into the water, use food-grade stainless steel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0078RZ92M&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.amazon.com/Thogus-Tee-In-303-SS/dp/B0078RZ92M/ref=sr_1_4&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3551" LastActivityDate="2014-05-29T03:23:55.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9840" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-29T11:11:34.823" Score="3" ViewCount="1612" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cut some old lotus leafs, and there was one stem from which many bubbles got out. I started to worry when I realized that it had been minutes and minutes (I would say at least 10) since the bubbles were getting out of it at a pretty high outflow.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was worried because I wondered from where does all this air came from, could it be from the roots (I heard that they are filled with air)? If this is the case, is it dangerous for the plant to have water on its roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3160" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-29T19:48:20.310" LastActivityDate="2014-05-29T19:48:20.310" Title="Why are lots of bubbles coming out of a freshly cut lotus stem?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9841" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9840" CreationDate="2014-05-29T14:07:30.557" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nelumbo nucifera then - the long stems on this plant contain air spaces to maintain buoyancy - you've obviously cut one that wasn't quite dead, and the air bubbles are coming out of the still live stem, possibly with some sap as well. Nothing you can do about it - it'll stop eventually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-29T14:07:30.557" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9838" CreationDate="2014-05-29T18:08:49.007" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen the same thing...it probably is a Sculptured Puffball mushroom or Calbovista subsculpta. Native mushroom in Western forests; Pacific Coast mountain ranges and the Rocky Mountains. Actually a good edible species while the inside is white. Once it matures and the interior darkens it loses its flavor. Nasty but efficient way to spread spores.  Amazing puff of black smoke-looking stuff.  But totally harmless. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is the same thing it should look like a wad of dough, no stem, wider than it is tall...warts? Warts have little brownish hairs coming out of their center...eeeyuuuu!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A note of caution about mushrooms.  I took wilderness survival classes and the last thing you should ever eat when lost in the wilderness are mushrooms. They do have nutrition but too few calories to take a risk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-06-06T19:31:50.550" LastActivityDate="2014-06-06T19:31:50.550" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9843" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9822" CreationDate="2014-05-29T20:22:40.713" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;garden asparagus.&lt;/a&gt; The female plants produce berries, which birds eat. The seeds are distributed through the droppings. That plant looks like a two to three year old one. If you want to keep it (many people do), you may want to move it to an area with more space. These things &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; get up to eight feet tall and wide in really good conditions, but even a normally sized plant (6 1/2' tall and wide) needs a good bit of room. I usually weed these out as seedlings before they get too established. I keep a small (75') row near the house so I have to pull a lot of seedlings in the landscaped beds.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q6z72.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-29T20:22:40.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9844" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9782" CreationDate="2014-05-29T21:07:05.503" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The bottom picture is also poison ivy. Use Roundup on the low plants, but if you have any tree-high stuff, put on long sleeves/pants, and wear gloves and goggles, and carefully cut it off at ground level. Do not touch the plant with your gloves. When it flushes out, use Roundup. I recently had to do this at a clients house, and the main stem was 7 1/2 &quot; in diameter. I don't get poison ivy, but I have to use the same precautions, so I don't wipe oil on things. My biggest mistake was fight ing poison ivy all day, and &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; washing my hands before going inside. The result-everyone got poison on their hands, from the door knob.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-29T21:07:05.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9846" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9850" CreationDate="2014-05-29T22:10:51.353" Score="5" ViewCount="1916" Body="&lt;p&gt;I asked a similar question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2299/how-do-i-keep-oak-trees-from-sprouting/2300#2300&quot;&gt;here,&lt;/a&gt; but something annoying is catching my attention. Almost all of the pin oak trees in my area are sprouting up and down the trunks like crazy this spring, many of them for the first time. Note: These are not root suckers. What conditions might be causing this? Does it have anything to do with the severe winter?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8UjiA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tRbqB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MD99R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mwbRZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oL1cZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cdXDO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Eof67.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-05-31T03:09:24.907" Title="What conditions cause trunk sprouts on oak trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9847" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-30T01:51:34.243" Score="3" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SmFw8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;I have lost all tag information for this cattleya alliance and need help identifying it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3557" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-05T01:43:16.200" LastActivityDate="2014-08-09T13:29:07.567" Title="Can anyone identify this cattleya alliance hybrid?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9848" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-30T10:59:27.017" Score="5" ViewCount="3859" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm studying permaculture and I would like to design before I start doing anything. Is there any software that could give me a map of my plot of land, like from Google maps or from sigpac in Spain? Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1595" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-05-31T02:48:56.720" LastActivityDate="2014-06-03T08:00:17.797" Title="How can I get a map of my plot of land for planning purposes?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;permaculture&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2017-11-12T22:11:11.443" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9849" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9863" CreationDate="2014-05-30T11:08:40.607" Score="5" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;A book I'm reading on creating hotbeds recommends mixing &quot;short litter&quot; with the fresh manure as the base of the beds. I've also seen websites recommending using grass cuttings or a good short litter as mulch. What materials are short litter in these contexts and is there any preparation required to make them into short litter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3435" LastActivityDate="2014-05-31T02:33:49.930" Title="What is short litter and how is it made?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9850" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9846" CreationDate="2014-05-30T12:07:08.707" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most likely, yes. Epicormic shoots are produced in greater numbers in Quercus palustris in particular if pruning is carried out - given your unusually low temperatures, it's likely this will have caused stress to the trees, and the epicormic shoots are a response. It's also possible that some of the topgrowth may be damaged because of the cold, again inducing more epicormic shooting. In other words, the shoots are an environmental stress response in this particular instance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-05-30T12:31:57.183" LastActivityDate="2014-05-30T12:31:57.183" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9851" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9848" CreationDate="2014-05-30T12:34:33.560" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know of any software that can do it for you but I have posted instructions on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2013/09/how-to-draw-landscape-plan-with-sketchup.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;designing your landscape with SketchUp&lt;/a&gt; on my site.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My tutorial suggests you have a property survey of your home that you import into SketchUp, scale to the appropriate size and then trace over the features. I don't know about Spain but in the USA it's common to have a property survey drawing done before purchasing a home. The local government will also have tax maps on file for each property that show the property boundaries but with less detail than a property survey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also done this using &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/earth/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Google Earth&lt;/a&gt; software. It's a desktop client for Google Maps that you install on your computer and has some more features. One of those features is a measuring tool. You can zoom into your home's satellite view and use the measuring tool to measure different features on your property then use those measurements to draw the property in SketchUp. It's not as precise as having a property survey but it gets you close if that's all you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I mentioned, it doesn't automatically create your landscape map but it makes it easier for you to measure without actually going out to measure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-05-30T12:34:33.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9852" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9633" CreationDate="2014-05-30T13:04:40.503" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to tell from your photo whether your tomato plant is in it's final container or you plan to transplant it again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When growing tomatoes, each time you transplant it you;'re supposed to trim off the bottom leaves and bury it deeper than it was before. Here's a study showing that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.actahort.org/books/537/537_92.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;deeper transplanting of tomatoes results in higher yield&lt;/a&gt;. When I plant my transplants outside I trim off all but the top 2 or three branches and bury it up until that point. Any part of the plant that is underground will start to grow roots. By the time a plant was old enough to have side shoots growing from the cotyledons, they would have already been pruned off and buried. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When planted, it's common to also trim off the bottom branches to keep the leaves up off the soil to prevent splashing which could let soil borne diseases onto the plant leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, to answer your question... Should you prune those side shoots? They should have already been pruned for the reasons mentioned above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Concerning pruning vining varieties to a single stem, I recently read a study that shows that &lt;a href=&quot;http://ggfjournals.com/assets/uploads/8.35-39_.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pruning to 2 shoots with 50cm spacing resulted in more yield&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2014-05-30T13:12:14.790" LastActivityDate="2014-05-30T13:12:14.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9853" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9862" CreationDate="2014-05-30T14:16:27.007" Score="3" ViewCount="721" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm gradually trying to get invasives removed from our property, replacing with natives to this area. I believe this is a tree seedling, and I think it's white oak (which would be good for this area). Can anyone confirm or advise what it really is? Can I safely move it (because I can't really leave it where it decided to grow). &lt;a href=&quot;http://naturalwonderlife.com/images/GH_Flora/Greenery_TreeSeedlingMaybeOakClosest.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Larger, close-up image click here&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;https://web.archive.org/web/20150920024313/http://naturalwonderlife.com/images/GH_Flora/Greenery_TreeSeedlingMaybeOakCloser.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://web.archive.org/web/20150920024313/http://naturalwonderlife.com/images/GH_Flora/Greenery_TreeSeedlingMaybeOakCloser.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;WhiteOakSeedling&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3431" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2019-07-14T23:30:36.740" Title="What is this tree seedling (White Oak, something else?) from Piedmont Region, MD?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="9854" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9859" CreationDate="2014-05-30T14:30:05.467" Score="2" ViewCount="723" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this plant growing in semi-shade along with the garlic mustard and grape vine. It has five elongated leaflets to each leaf. It is not evergreen, as it came up this spring. At first I thought it was &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podophyllum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mayapple&lt;/a&gt;, but then I found some Mayapple further into the woods and this isn't it. Then I thought maybe &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginseng&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ginseng&lt;/a&gt;, but I'm having doubts about that. I'm trying to remove invasive plants from this property, and encourage natives. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which is this please? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DLvHF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://naturalwonderlife.com/images/GH_Flora/LowGreenery5PointedLeatheryLeaves.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;sup&gt;source&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3431" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-08T15:44:24.767" LastActivityDate="2014-12-08T15:44:24.767" Title="What is this low, leathery serrated leaved plant from the Piedmont region of Maryland?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9855" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9857" CreationDate="2014-05-30T14:47:31.743" Score="3" ViewCount="685" Body="&lt;p&gt;It comes up in the spring, gets about 3.5 ft tall, never blooms &amp;amp; dies back in winter. I've pulled up a lot of it; it grows from an underground thick runner type root system. I think it's a general weed, but want to be sure before I kill it all. I'm trying to eliminate invasives and encourage natives on the property. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GOJU2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;PairedLeaf&quot;&gt; &lt;BR/&gt;&lt;BR/&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://naturalwonderlife.com/images/GH_Flora/Greenery_PairedLeafTallWeedTop2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Close-up of top click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Jul 22, 2014 - It is dog bane, a/k/a indian hemp &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=APCA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;with buds&lt;/a&gt;. It did &quot;bud up&quot; and finally bloomed but not large flowers, just barely open little bell-shaped blooms. See also &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.monarchwatch.org/milkweed/guide/index.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bottom right&lt;/a&gt; link on this page; branching near top, somewhat reddish stems. Dogbane is a nectar source for adult monarchs (and many others), but NOT host plant for the monarch caterpillar. It is hosting an unidentified communal web that produces a small green, becoming a fuzzy white caterpillar (growing larger over a couple weeks). I have not seen a cocoon to know what, if anything, it becomes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3431" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-01-10T11:31:35.567" LastActivityDate="2019-01-10T11:31:35.567" Title="What is this tall, alternate leaved plant from Piedmont region MD?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="9856" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9853" CreationDate="2014-05-30T16:44:22.010" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the shape of the lobes on the leaves, it should be a variety of White Oak&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;White Oak with rounded lobes&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ysCAs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Eastern Black Oak with spikes on sharply defined lobes&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/388dq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2014-05-30T16:44:22.010" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9857" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9855" CreationDate="2014-05-30T17:38:45.230" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Milkweed&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;You can positively id this species by breaking a leaf.  Sticky white sap will come from the break.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant could be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_tuberosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;asclepias tuberosa&lt;/a&gt; which is native or poke milkweed, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_exaltata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Asclepias exaltata&lt;/a&gt;, which is also native but you probably don't want in your garden as it is a bit invasive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves seem a bit narrow for the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_syriaca&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;common milkweed&lt;/a&gt; which is native and you definitely don't want in your garden.  This is the only perennial I have seen send roots six feet out under flagstone to find a place to sprout.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: GDD mentions that it has never bloomed.  It looks like this is planted under the eaves of a house.  This area could be dry and shady which is tough for any plant. The conditions needed to flower are lots of sun.  It does not transplant well due to the extensive tap root system.  You should consider planting named species in a better location to get flowers if this location lacks sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-05-31T01:44:09.357" LastActivityDate="2014-05-31T01:44:09.357" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9858" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9855" CreationDate="2014-05-30T18:33:57.430" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The easiest way to get rid of weeds like this is to 'starve' them.  You do this by cutting them off at the base, no photosynthetic growth, no root storage.  It'll take a few years but works well.  I've done this with blackberries, horsetail and Japanese Knotweed.  You can also try glyphosate while they are green and healthy to subdue the roots. Spray carefully or wet chemical resistant gloves and wipe onto the foliage.  Leave alone for 2-3 weeks, then start your chopping campaign.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-30T18:33:57.430" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9854" CreationDate="2014-05-30T18:38:41.690" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think that the plant with 5 fingered leaves smack in the middle is Rodgersia.  When it flowers, you'll be able to tell which species/variety. WONDERFUL perennial!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-30T18:38:41.690" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9860" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9848" CreationDate="2014-05-30T18:58:49.133" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, but! Doing the measuring yourself helps you to begin to really SEE your landscape.  Get a rolling tape...ruler?  About $30 and do it yourself.  If you want to design your own landscape this is the best way to start!  Also, in your mortgage documents, you should find an 'as-built' with property lines, orientation, septic, sewer lines and all buildings on your property when you purchased.  Get to know your property...where the wind prevails, big trees shade, neighbors, where you feel most private, what uses you'd like from your property (and are legal) such as a firepit, outdoor kitchen, garden walls, a vegetable garden, a hidden nook with a comfy bench, where you would need walkways, where the views from the windows of your home should be highlighted or downplayed or framed...when you are measuring this project becomes YOURS. You'll be taking mental pictures the entire time that you'll be able to pull up as you draw.  Get lots of 'bumwad' a transparent paper you can put over your BASE PLAN. Don't neglect drainage.  You should know where every drop of water on your site will go...if you have a flat topography, make elevations or depressions.  If you have steep slopes, figure out what they are and if you can live with them...or change them. The PROCESS is critical to getting a good design.  Don't make decisions, let your design come about by asking questions and make yourself give...at least 5 answers to each question.  You'll be surprised with what you discover...it is so very much fun!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-05-30T18:58:49.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9861" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9834" CreationDate="2014-05-30T22:54:32.493" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant from the Solanum genus with leaves similar to a watermelon plant, with thorns, and resembles a tomato would be a Silverleaf Nightshade.  It is a fairly common weed in the US.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Solanum_elaeagnifolium2.jpg/845px-Solanum_elaeagnifolium2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Silverleaf Nightshade&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3561" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:36.837" LastActivityDate="2014-05-30T22:54:32.493" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9853" CreationDate="2014-05-31T02:16:54.807" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_alba&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;White Oak, &lt;em&gt;Quercus alba&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4yw2J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can move it now, if you take it with a very large root ball, and water it well. Even at that size, It will have a large well developed root system. The ball should be at least 18&quot; deep and wide, and without cracks. Plant it in loosened soil in a hole at least a foot wider than the root ball.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had the best success with transplanting oaks in the fall after leaf drop (or leaf dieback). I take a sharp shovel and dig out the entire root system, and carefully loosen all of the soil and shake it out. I then plant it in a large hole by removing enough soil to contain all the roots with 6&quot; clearance at all points. I then carefully fill in around the roots with screened topsoil, being careful not to leave pockets. I tamp down as I go so there will be little settling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After planting, I water at 1/2 gpm for 15 minutes or so, until the soil is quite damp all the way down. This way of planting can be done in less than twenty minutes per tree with practice. The trees have always responded well to this and get off to a good start.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-31T02:16:54.807" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9863" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9849" CreationDate="2014-05-31T02:33:49.930" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the context &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1462110940&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;in this book,&lt;/a&gt; short litter is a carbonaceous composting material used to slow the heating of the manure in hotbeds. This would include shredded leaves, cut straw, wood chips, old grass clippings, etc.. It can also mean animal bedding mucked out before it it becomes very soiled, especially for chickens. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-05-31T02:33:49.930" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9864" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9545" CreationDate="2014-05-31T13:00:21.667" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many cultivars of Phalaeonopsis, with more being introduced all the time, but unless you bought from a specialist orchid grower, most cultivars aren't named other than as Phalaenopsis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless there's something particularly different about this plant (maybe generally smaller, flower form slightly different, etc) which would indicate a particular cultivar, it might be that you've just got a 'poor' grower because there's something not quite right with the plant, perhaps some genetic problem with vigour or something similar. This is not unknown with any variety of plant - sometimes, a plant just doesn't seem to be as vigorous and healthy as it's fellows, with no visible cause. Happens in all living things occasionally. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's unlikely you're treating it differently than the others, unless you're giving it more care and extra attention because it seems it's the 'runt of the litter'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-05-31T13:00:21.667" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9865" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-31T15:05:13.307" Score="6" ViewCount="4603" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some mysterious, herb-like plant growing in my backyard. Any idea what it is? The closest match I can find is Italian parsley, but the leaf shape is wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried crushing one leaf and smelling it. It has a distinct, sweetish smell, but I can't identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/7zT47ng.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Imgur&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some background:&lt;/strong&gt; my backyard is (literally) a dandelion/weed jungle. The breakdown is approximately:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;80% dandelions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;15% bull thistle&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;5% other (including clover)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't tended to it in a while. I noticed this growing in a pretty full-sun area. I don't know how old it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also present in the picture are two decapitated dandelion stems (the hollow ones), and some other weed thing that reminds me of wheat. (Brownie points if you know what that is.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it matters, I'm in a hardiness zone 5(a), and my soil composition is heavy clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I ended up mowing this down with a lawn-mower (along with the rest of the dandelions in my dandelion jungle), so this mystery will remain unsolved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wish I had taken Bamboo's suggestion and just uprooted+potted it first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2014-06-03T21:07:29.193" LastActivityDate="2019-01-19T14:51:12.493" Title="What is this sweet smelling herb-like plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9866" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9865" CreationDate="2014-05-31T15:50:13.877" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks remarkably like Feverfew - &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanacetum_parthenium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tanacetum parthenium&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; in particular. A medicinal rather than a culinary herb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-09T20:41:38.733" LastActivityDate="2014-07-09T20:41:38.733" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9865" CreationDate="2014-05-31T22:26:03.520" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Boy, I've spent hours on this, grin! I am going to guess &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranunculus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ranunculus&lt;/a&gt;...leaves are so very similar! This is good for me. I used to know these families so well and this is helping me to remember. What do the roots look like? Is it growing in wet, boggy soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-09T20:40:32.580" LastActivityDate="2014-07-09T20:40:32.580" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9868" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-05-31T23:58:34.957" Score="3" ViewCount="156" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started growing tomatoes inside my apartment. All over the internet, I noticed pictures of tomato plants that are really thick with lots of leaves and branches. Mine is tall, thin and has only a few branches. Maybe I'm a little paranoid, but does my plant look alright?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the pictures, the plant is ~35 days old, the pot is 12 inches and the plant is about 15 inch tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mH97z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W5s2x.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hPXt6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3566" LastActivityDate="2014-06-01T02:09:51.510" Title="Does this tomato plant look alright?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9869" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-01T00:27:08.517" Score="4" ViewCount="3787" Body="&lt;p&gt;My co-worker gave me  hostas two years ago.  In addition to how much I have enjoyed watching these grow, I have enjoyed getting all sorts of nice ground covers that came along for the ride.  This one, however, I have never seen before.  It might be a weed for all I know, but it looks like something I would see in a nursery.  I am in Maryland, to give you in idea of zones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qKesv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Added an additional picture showing the stem.  &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/csWH4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3565" LastEditorUserId="3565" LastEditDate="2014-06-04T00:14:53.037" LastActivityDate="2020-09-09T01:19:27.223" Title="What is this plant with broad, heart-shaped leaves and red veins?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9870" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-01T00:35:17.780" Score="2" ViewCount="445" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently noticed the internal needles on my cedar (pretty sure they're cedar) trees are turning brown and falling off. There's some sort of insect all over them too that looks like they're making nests out of spit. Are the bugs the cause of my trees' poor health? If so, what are they and how do I get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jaaEhl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1CfVB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6" LastActivityDate="2014-06-01T01:28:45.880" Title="What's killing my evergreens?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9870" CreationDate="2014-06-01T01:28:45.880" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not to worry, this guy does suck on your tree but they rarely do any damage. It is a Spittlebug or Froghopper.  Each of those globs is one insect, a nymph that manages to hide himself in...excrement by bubbling a viscous liquid.  This is great protection from predators and the elements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Easy to control, just spray with a hard stream of water.  Your tree should be fine unless they are in huge numbers and you can't spray high enough. I've never seen an infestation of these guys like that but if they are maybe a call to a tree company (they have the insurance to deal with trees and heights).  The strongest pesticide I'd allow would be soapy water or neem and make sure they have their current pesticide applicator license! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, no big deal!  Good news, huh!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-01T01:28:45.880" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9873" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9869" CreationDate="2014-06-01T01:48:54.063" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a begonia...it looks very happy there! That's my guess anyhoo until it flowers...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-01T01:48:54.063" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9874" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9868" CreationDate="2014-06-01T02:09:51.510" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks fine for a tomato plant indoors.  Is there anyway you can get that guy outside?  They grow well in pots, you'd be able to get a few yummy tomatoes but they need a heck of a lot more light.  Is that a grow light? Not strong enough, though.  It is long and leggy because it is searching for more light.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-01T02:09:51.510" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9875" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9877" CreationDate="2014-06-01T03:07:17.807" Score="5" ViewCount="1219" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm very new to gardening and am attempting to set up my first drip system for a potted plant I have on my deck since I travel quite a bit and want to make sure it's getting water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is my connection (I should note too that my pieces are all of the 'Raindrip' brand):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Faucet -&gt; Hose -&gt; Filter Washer -&gt; 3/4&quot; Hose Anti-Siphon -&gt; 3/4&quot; Preset Hose Pressure Regulator -&gt; Filter Washer -&gt; 3/4&quot; Hose Swivel Adapter (to 1/4&quot;) -&gt; 1/4&quot; tube with 4 0.5 GPH drippers in the line -&gt; End with tube clamp&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's super leaky, to the point where water is spraying out particularly hard at the 3/4&quot; Hose Swivel Adapter (where the hose is converted down to a 1/4&quot; tube). It's not just dripping, it's spraying everywhere. I thought the pressure regulator would fix it because it would keep the water from flowing too strongly but it only helped a little bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've Googled and can't seem to find any suggestions on this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3567" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-01T04:36:17.263" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T09:30:41.993" Title="How Can I Get a Watertight Seal on my Drip System?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9877" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9875" CreationDate="2014-06-01T11:47:40.687" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not an uncommon problem that appears to be chalked up to a design flaw (check out the amazon reviews).  Quite honestly, I can't say I'm surprised.  The website says no tools are required.  Few things involving residential water pressures are reliable with &quot;hand tight&quot; for very long, so I'm pretty skeptical.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is leaking from somewhere other than at the connections, you are out of luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if it is leaking from the connection, you might try some of the following:  Since it is plastic, teflon tape on the male end might help this problem, I'd definitely recommend trying this.  The tap itself is about $2.00 at Home Depot or Walmart.  Depending on what the fitting is, you should, generally, have a rubber gasket that sits at the inside-base of the female end as you do in a standard gardening hose, you might be able to re-purpose, or make your own (you can purchase rubber to make your own gasket from an auto store I believe, but that is a lot of work and will require careful measuring).  If you can't return it, and you are prepared to potentially destroy it, you could try using PVC plumber's glue (I can't find what kind of material it is, so this might not work either).  When making fittings that can handle water pressures, plumbers use a purple colored pipe cleaner and particularly noxious smelling glue/cement; I'm not sure it's worth a shot if you don't have the glue (~$12.00 at home depot).  Hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3565" LastEditorUserId="3565" LastEditDate="2016-05-05T09:30:41.993" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T09:30:41.993" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9880" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3174" CreationDate="2014-06-01T18:53:05.850" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Re-blooming Daylilies? The best Daylily I know is Stella d'Oro. It'll bloom continuously IF YOU REMOVE THE OLD FLOWERS before they go to seed. All plants want to reproduce themselves, especially annuals. Take the flowers off, the sooner the better and all the energy going into those flowers goes back to the plant making it bigger, more vigorous and producing even more flowers. This has to be done daily as daylily means just that, a flower blooms for just one day.  If you don't take the flowers off each day the plant is into making seed.  Once they've made seed they relax.  They've done their job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I've seen, lilacs do well (flowering profusely the next year) if you cut the flowers off, prune out old wood (careful with pruning too much), fertilize lightly with lower nitrogen and make sure the pH is closer to 7 (more alkaline). They like the pH of a lawn and more often than not they are in close proximity to a lawn which gets fertilized with high nitrogen.  Thus few blooms.  The reblooming lilacs I've seen do set out new buds and do pretty well if you've cut the other flowers off. I've seen them bloom all summer through late summer, but not profusely.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I am a foliage person.  Flowers are like the cherry on a sundae. Thrilling each and every one! But if the foliage isn't healthy there is no background on which to display the flowers.  Lots of flowers, to me, mean lots more work. Lush foliage can be better than flowers...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-01T18:53:05.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9881" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9233" CreationDate="2014-06-01T19:15:31.700" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;What a beautiful plant! Had to look it up and www.growsundews.com/sundews/drosera_nidiformis.html Grin, couldn't seem to copy it so I retyped it here...you'll have to find it again on search.  It talked about repotting, media, pots and propagation. After reading this I wouldn't divide it, just grow it from the seed it produces.  Roots sound pretty fragile where fungus is concerned.  Sterilize the new pot (it should only be a few inches larger!) and I'd use clay. Clay breathes, better for discouraging fungus. Thanks for introducing me to a new plant that is gorgeous!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-01T19:15:31.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9882" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-01T19:31:40.817" Score="3" ViewCount="580" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just planted onions in garden and I've found little birds trying to steal the small onions today. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I keep birds from stealing the onions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastActivityDate="2014-06-02T19:54:35.103" Title="How can I keep birds away from seed onions?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;onions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9883" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5701" CreationDate="2014-06-01T19:39:41.080" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Never heard of this before other than this is one of nature's way of watering plants.  I'm a little concerned about the water being able to get out of the pot.  Does the water just sit at the bottom until taken up by the plant? I don't like the idea of sitting water but I am still open.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is one thing I do understand and that is perched water-tables. It is contraindicated to put gravel in the bottom of a pot (the thought being to increase drainage through the bottom and to save money on soil and to make a pot heavier so that it isn't blown over by wind) because the difference in pore spaces is so great that the soil pore spaces have to be saturated with water before the water can move into the larger pore spaces of the gravel. Less air for the plant and diseases can proliferate while the soil is so wet.  I realize we are going the other way, from down to up.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the landscape I can see this subirrigation working well.  I'm a little concerned about enclosed pots like this.  I think you should try growing plants in this pot first before you invest in 20 or 30.  This is very interesting!  I hope this works well...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-01T19:39:41.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9884" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-01T20:29:24.070" Score="5" ViewCount="7004" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-tristar-strawberries-45860.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-tristar-strawberries-45860.html&lt;/a&gt; says that &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Strawberries grow as perennials in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9, depending on the cultivar and in zones 9 and 10 as cool-season annuals&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it the heat that kills the strawberries (tristar) and prevents it from being a perennial? What should I do save my strawberry? Should I bring it inside the house in the summer or winter (it's in a pot)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3574" LastActivityDate="2014-06-02T16:53:17.723" Title="What should I do to make my strawberry a perennial?" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9886" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9887" CreationDate="2014-06-01T20:41:28.527" Score="3" ViewCount="6313" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've noticed these black &quot;fruit fly&quot; looking bugs on my plant lately. They appear to fly and they are everywhere. I've taken a few pics. I can't tell if they're doing damage but I want them gone. Can anyone tell me what they are, and a natural remedy to get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zfSDx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ck6hn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3378" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-23T23:28:14.753" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T23:28:14.753" Title="What are these black bugs on my zucchini plant?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9887" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9886" CreationDate="2014-06-01T22:25:28.180" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to guess fungus gnats because I always think tiny black bodied winged bugs are fungus gnats but in this case I think I'm right. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like you have the plants in containers. Is that how you purchased them or did you pot them yourself? I had purchased a bag of organic potting mix once that was infested with fungus gnat eggs. Once I watered it they came to life. If your potting mix contains compost it's possible they came in the bag. I've only had the problem once with a bag I mail ordered (forget why I bothered to do that.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the time I was filming a time lapse video of some grass growing which is how I found them. You can see a portion of my video where I used &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2012/07/growing-grass-indoors-bugsneem.html&quot;&gt;neem oil to kill the fungus gnats and their larvae&lt;/a&gt; on my site. It was pretty effective. You can see the little white dots crawling around the container on the right for the first couple of seconds until I sprayed. Any insecticidal soap I believe will work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the adult flying gnats are harmless but the larvae can feed on the roots. You can also let the potting mix dry out which would kill the larvae as they need moisture. I hear bacillus thuringiensis works too. That's the bacteria they use in mosquito dunks. You &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cornucop/msg071307401955.html&quot;&gt;dissolve the dunk in your watering can then water the plants.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-06-01T22:25:28.180" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9892" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9743" CreationDate="2014-06-02T15:40:41.757" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am working with a similar issue on a pretty tight budget. So far, this has worked quite well for me:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Starting at the top of the slope, put down about 1/3 inch of new topsoil mixed with pine bark fines. About 3 parts soil to 1 part fines. I do about 100 square feet of slope at a time&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;seed with a mix of clover and a quick germinating grass, mulch with a thin layer of pine bark fines&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;block water flow with 2X2 lumber above the seeded area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keep moist&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the first time it rains, be ready to strategically place more 2X2s to prevent washout&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repeat after 3 weeks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far I have done two patches. I like the results, and my front yard is no longer brown and washing into the street.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I looked at your picture again, I think I may have misjudged the size of that slope, the color change in the dirt halfway up confused me. It is probably a lot larger than mine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3237" LastActivityDate="2014-06-02T15:40:41.757" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9884" CreationDate="2014-06-02T16:45:58.237" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Strawberries are perennials.  Only problem is they are good for only 2-3 years. They are subject to soil-borne fungus such as verticillium wilt and botrytis.  Viruses, aphids, slugs, snails and spidermites as well.  You can take the new plants at the end of the runners and use those if the parent plant is healthy for the next crop.  If your variety is an everbearing you need to replace every other year and June bearing every third year.  Chose resistant varieties for your area and plant in a different part of the garden than your first crop.  Or if in pots, clean pots with bleach and throw away the old potting soil! Repot with new potting soil, no gravel at the bottom! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure that the crowns are above the soil...burying them too deep will kill your plant. I made this mistake! Definitely an annual if this happens...if conditions kill a perennial they sometimes call the plant an annual.  Grin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Strawberries in pots should be taken out and planted in your garden for the winter.  The roots are the most vulnerable part of any plant.  They are protected planted in the garden but in a pot the roots are subjected to the cold and probably won't make it through the winter.  Mulching over the roots (careful not to bury the crown) helps keep soil moist and cool during hot weather, protects plants during the winter and keeps fruit and flowers off soil where fungus spores would infect your fruit.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-06-02T16:53:17.723" LastActivityDate="2014-06-02T16:53:17.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9882" CreationDate="2014-06-02T19:54:35.103" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try row cloth...great stuff for all kinds of reasons.  If you put up some little hoops or stakes you can keep them under the cloth all season.  Water, air and sunlight go through this very light material.  Great to hold in heat and extend the season at both ends.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have root crops, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, use row cloth on these guys to prevent pests laying eggs.  The larvae eat the roots.  Do be careful because when the weather gets warm it can be 30 degrees hotter beneath so remove covers during the day.  By the time the weather gets warmer you can leave the covers off as the plants are large enough to deal with pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Except for birds.  By making little hoop greenhouses you can open the ends of the row for ventilation and still protect your onions, berries from birds. This tool is one of the cheapest and most versatile in the gardener's tool box.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-02T19:54:35.103" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9895" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9848" CreationDate="2014-06-02T21:12:17.817" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your asbuilt should show that.  If you did not build the house, or you just don't have it, it should be on file with the town with either the building inspector or the assessor.  You can scan that in to help start with a planning program.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2014-06-02T21:12:17.817" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9896" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="140" CreationDate="2014-06-02T21:15:15.390" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not to sound too glib, but we had rabbits and voles in our yard when we moved in 2.5 years ago.  Then the foxes and owls came, and no more rabbits and voles. Maybe you can figure out some way to make that work for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2014-06-02T21:15:15.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9897" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9847" CreationDate="2014-06-02T21:17:34.463" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might find it among these pix.  Just Google some of the name for pictures and many of what comes up are identified. There's actually one in there that looks like it; maybe you posted that one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=cattleya+alliance&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=teG&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla%3aen-US%3aofficial&amp;amp;channel=sb&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=mOmMU4e8INCFqgbtgYGgBw&amp;amp;ved=0CEEQsAQ&amp;amp;biw=1361&amp;amp;bih=870&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.google.com/search?q=cattleya+alliance&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=teG&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;channel=sb&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=mOmMU4e8INCFqgbtgYGgBw&amp;amp;ved=0CEEQsAQ&amp;amp;biw=1361&amp;amp;bih=870&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This website appears to have a very similar picture, but without a real name.  Maybe you can email them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://journeysandjonquils.blogspot.com/2012/03/winter-travels-part-7-national-orchid.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://journeysandjonquils.blogspot.com/2012/03/winter-travels-part-7-national-orchid.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastEditorUserId="3054" LastEditDate="2014-06-02T21:25:54.710" LastActivityDate="2014-06-02T21:25:54.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9898" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="148" CreationDate="2014-06-02T21:36:01.427" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is one of my biggest pet-peeves. Sigh...moles, gophers, shrews are wonderful slaves for a garden...AND a lawn!  Problem is that they don't let you know in advance when they will be burrowing and present before your garden party...those hills of soil mean aeration!  Just rake or blow them down into your lawn.  And usually there is only one or two animals 'making this mess'...people paid me a lot of money to go dump piles of topsoil/gro-co on their lawns and to rake it in.  They do it for free.  Their main diet is grubs in the soil, not your plants.  Once in a while they might chew on your bulbs (especially if the bulb is full of larvae, grubs) or plant roots when low on the insects they'd prefer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Problems arise if the homeowner applies pesticide to their lawns/beds to kill grubs.  Kills their pantry and they'll nibble on plant roots, bulbs instead.  Voles especially can be a problem during the winter and early spring months.  They love to hang out in thick mulch to keep warm and if there are trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs nearby well they will eat roots and girdle stems.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stay with organic and minimal killing of animals and insects.  There is a nice, stable environment that will accommodate your plants, vegetables and these tiny mammals. Killing rodents or these soil burrowing mammals does absolutely no good.  There are always more to fill the niche.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do the screen beneath the soil to 2'...keep your plants in a hoop house or greenhouse to prevent rabbits, deer from eating your garden. The more you try to control with chemicals the more you open your environment up to even more problems.  Adopt a more relaxed attitude towards 'damage'...take this seriously.  If you don't you'll keep making more problems and soon will be an ex-gardener.  There is usually plenty for you and your homestead critters!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-02T21:36:01.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9899" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="140" CreationDate="2014-06-02T23:24:51.787" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Truly, having dogs around gets rid of rabbits, feral cats, deer, bobcat, fishers, voles, moles...etc.  You don't have to allow the dogs to kill them.  Helloooo! Rabies and all kinds of disease could be transferred.  It takes a few months but works just fine!  I have all of the above and more.  That and freezing temperatures at night any night of the year.  I just went with a greenhouse and solves most of those problems.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've shot one animal one time at 100 yards with a 22, it was a rabbit.  It screamed!  I'll never forget it.  Made myself eat the poor thing.  I have no problem with hunting and killing done correctly and humanely. I love my meat-sigh-but it'll be vegetarianism for me until I get hungry enough to kill.  Lots of meat around here! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This area is full of squirrels (I love them!!), rabbits, rodents, feral cats not to mention lots of coyote, bobcat and cougar. I've two dogs I don't allow freedom to roam.  My cats forever and always will be indoor cats.  Yup, I have to exercise to exercise my dogs.  Oh well! I've got two horses as well and I have to exercise them or be a heartless, self-centered and overweight person.  This is my first garden here and it is a tough place.  The greenhouses solved 90% of these problems.  Having dogs, just having them here, pooping, peeing and occasionally barking has scared away most of these animals.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The point is, if you kill one, there are thousands waiting in line to fill in the niche.  They do belong and it is up to us to figure out how to live together. That is why we have this so-called intelligence we think makes us so special.  Killing should only be done for food.  Period.  Period!! I've made it happen and most of my life I've been a single parent with all of the responsibilities and work.  It is not tough.  Killing and pesticides are a last, last resort.  They only make more trouble.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Think of it this way; you are training your environment (including your animals, varmints) to live in harmony with you.  You start killing them and then you have to teach the new guys the 'rules' all over again.  You allow your dogs to start killing and the next thing you know is they'll kill your neighbor's cats, little yappy dogs or bite kids.  You don't need that heartache nor the expense!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Relax! If you are going to be a gardener then you should know you can't control anything!!! Orchestrating harmony is vastly superior, humility and education is a must!  We are not more important nor more special than any other form of life.  Asking questions on this site, studying, researching, going to school are the best ways to show we humans have something going for us. Kudos to you!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-17T19:56:36.480" LastActivityDate="2016-08-17T19:56:36.480" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9901" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9906" CreationDate="2014-06-03T04:51:18.100" Score="3" ViewCount="855" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this plant from Ikea about 1 year ago. Everything was fine until I decided to move it to a larger pot. I used soil for vegetables and I don't think the she likes it... the leafs started getting yellow (sorry, they don't show on the picture) and in the last week it lost 6-7 leafs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what plant it is and what soil it needs. Can someone help? If you could suggest some soil from Amazon, that would be great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/opwGr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fUqaa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3566" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-06T01:48:44.520" LastActivityDate="2014-06-21T01:14:19.513" Title="What is this houseplant, and why has it been dropping leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9902" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9908" CreationDate="2014-06-03T07:40:40.853" Score="3" ViewCount="6026" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a cactus at work since the end of March. It is my first cactus and I don't really know if I was watering it correctly or if I missed something else, but now it's turned yellow and became softer. I googled around, but I can't tell if I'm identifying the problem correctly and if this is a case of overwatering, some sites say that all that's left is to dispose of the cactus, other say to just leave it for some days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question is, is there anything I can do to help it? And how can I prevent this from happening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some info: the cactus is on the table, about 2-2.5 meters from a window which more often than not has its blinds shut. Also, the last couple of weeks have been quite hot, so the window was often opened. There may have been draft from time to time, but not for long periods of time. I've been watering it two times a month, every other Friday, until I saw a drop or two of water come out of the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot. I don't know how much water it was precisely, but if I had to guess, I'd say about 100 ml each time. Nothing else has been done since I bought it. At the moment the ground it completely dry and I was going to water it again this Friday.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;edit: Also, I sprayed it with water two or three times during the time it was here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a67Wo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The cactus in question&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3583" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-06T01:46:28.527" LastActivityDate="2014-06-06T01:46:28.527" Title="Why has my cactus yellowed and softened, and how can I help it live?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9903" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9848" CreationDate="2014-06-03T08:00:17.797" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have a look at the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.openstreetmap.org/about&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;OpenStreetMap&lt;/a&gt; tools - if it doesn't currently include your garden then you can follow the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.openstreetmap.org/welcome&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;instructions&lt;/a&gt; on how to add it from the satellite imagery available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1830" LastActivityDate="2014-06-03T08:00:17.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9904" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9901" CreationDate="2014-06-03T09:59:59.343" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b592&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Dracaena marginata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.  See an answer to the same question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9085/what-is-wrong-with-this-plant/9096#9096&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. It needs a soil that drains better than vegetable soil which is most likely heavy on the peat moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also check for spider mites on the under sides of the leaves. They look like little grains of salt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:vegetable soil can mean pretty much anything from one supplier to another.  Here is a sample listing for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.ca/product/nature-mix-vegetable-gardens-and-herb-mix-30-litres/916868?gclid=CP6CzqrP8L4CFbRxMgodWGgAfQ&amp;amp;ef_id=UcA7pQAAATH@wna2:20140611005937:s&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;one product&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Contains a rich blend of compost, peat moss, humus and sand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My experience as an interior landscaper is that &lt;a href=&quot;https://byf.unl.edu/HousePlantWinterCare&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;most plants die from over watering&lt;/a&gt; and the marginata, with it's thick fleshy roots, benefits from a drier soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-06-21T01:14:19.513" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9905" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9901" CreationDate="2014-06-03T11:44:34.053" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I dunno what vegetable soil is, I'm in the UK and we don't have such a thing, so as it's Kevinsky who has said it isn't quite the right thing, I'd take his word for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, looking at your plant, it seems perfectly healthy - if the yellowing leaves were mostly at the bottom, and you pulled them off, that's perfectly normal - these plants do drop their lower leaves over time, as they get taller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-03T11:44:34.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9906" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9901" CreationDate="2014-06-03T17:13:52.483" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/9905/85&quot;&gt;@Bamboo's answer&lt;/a&gt;, I have this plant as well, and yours looks very healthy. This is a good size of a pot for this plant's size. When you water, water deeply and empty the drainage tray of water.  Allow the soil to dry out before you water again. Get used to the heft of the pot when it is full and when it is dry, or stick your finger a good 2&quot; into the soil. If it is dry, water it well so that water is coming out into your plastic dishes.&#xA;Then allow to dry out again...I water, more or less, once a week. Less so during the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With what are you fertilizing? I use good ole Osmocote, an extended release fertilizer, twice a year; once in the spring and once in the fall using half of the amount. During the winter they get even less light and you don't want to promote lots of growth without enough light. This could set them up for insect infestations and disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Was your 'vegetable soil' meant for potted plants? Was it sterilized for use in pots? If so, the soil is fine. When a plant is transplanted it goes through some stress and that is why it dropped leaves and perhaps looks a little droopy. When I had a covered porch and predictable weather...I'd take all my indoor plants and put them out on the porch making sure that no sun touched the plants.  They got lots more light and were able to store more FOOD that the plant makes for itself and stores in its roots. They come back in for the fall and winter looking lush...brand new. Once a year I repot all my indoor plants.  Next time you get soil look for soil with Mychorrizae and bacteria to add beneficial micro- organisms to live in your sterilized potting soil.  Try not to get soil with fertilizer included. You want to be able to make the decisions of what nutrients and when to fertilize or add nutrients your plant needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did your soil come with fertilizer? If so, do not fertilize it again until fall or whenever the instructions on the bag advises. I've gotten to the point where I don't fertilize until the plant is beginning to show signs of nutrient deficiencies. I think I'm able to know just by looking at a plant (or perhaps it whispers in my ear...) when and what it is needing. But this is based on decades of observing and working with plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant is healthy and perhaps needing water soon.  Be careful of anthropomorphic thoughts that your plant is a human or animal. They are so very different than us it would be better to imagine an alien from another world! Call IT Mork? Grin. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And one more thing, check to see if all of the stem is out of the soil! If you've got any soil on that stem the moisture on that stem will allow bacteria in the soil to start decomposing the stem, killing your plant. The roots should be the only part of this plant under the soil...same goes for most plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T13:40:47.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9413" CreationDate="2014-06-03T17:29:47.457" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;So here is what I did. I laid the seed horizontally in a small pot. About the same amount of soil above and below. And kept the soil moist. After about two weeks a root was visible under the pot.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/78kCf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;After another week or so, the plant catapulted it self out of the soil with already 4 leafs. I re potted the mango and saw, that it came out of the non pointy end of the seed. About 5-6 weeks later it looks like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8nvdu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Initially it had the leafs hanging. But it starts no to raise them. So I think everything is OK with the mango.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2803" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-04T00:36:54.573" LastActivityDate="2014-06-04T00:36:54.573" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9908" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9902" CreationDate="2014-06-03T17:42:15.490" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think you are overwatering at twice a month. What I DO see are salt deposits on top of your soil.  This is from softened tap water.  Not good.  Repot with soil made for cactus. Check the roots.  If any are mush, cut them off and wash them. In fact, if the roots supporting the yellowed barrel are mush, I'd probably get rid of that part of the plant. Make sure that just the roots are back in the soil and no soil is touching the cactus. Water lightly and wait to fertilize until the plant can acclimate to new conditions. You might lose the barrel in the middle, but the others will do fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the window opens, is the cactus getting direct sunlight? It could have even gotten sunburn without the protection of the glass...spraying with water is a good way to water a cactus or succulent.  Washes off dust, possible insects and their root system is so shallow that wet soil below the roots could cause problems...or in this case, if the pot the cactus pot is sitting in doesn't have a drain hole, sitting water will cause root rot. Get a new, shallow, clay pot with drain holes and use a tray to catch water (dump water out of tray).  Get distilled water and stop using tap water.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The little green barrels that still look healthy can be broken off the parent plant and placed, raw end down in the new soil (make sure you get sterilized potting soil just for cactus).  Use your sprayer to keep the top of the soil moist, not wet.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-03T17:42:15.490" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9909" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9704" CreationDate="2014-06-03T18:32:31.940" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;How long has that tree been staked? It looks like it has been years...The trunk actually thickens above the hoses...sigh.  I would unshackle the poor thing and prune out all dead branches as well as all small-diameter healthy branches. This will allow the wind to blow through the tree, otherwise, as long as this tree has been staked...a breeze will blow this tree over.  Take the leader down to the third healthy branch, making a healthy branch the new leader...perhaps facing the direction of the bare side.  It will straighten as it grows...is there a circle with mulch like your other little tree on the other side of the fire hydrant?  Make SURE you pull the mulch back off the bark of the tree! On all your trees and shrubs.  For good measure, get some mychorrizae from a nursery and put it in the soil under the drip line...grin, what's that here? A 2-4 foot circle?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise get rid of it.  If your home owner association allows, plant something different than oak, perhaps a Sunburst Honey Locust.  Please don't stake your new tree. If it comes with a full canopy, thin out branches that are small in diameter in relation to the trunk. Any branches that angle towards the center of the tree, any branch that crosses another (choose the one you want to keep) and of course any dead branches. Again, this allows the wind to blow through the tree without catching the canopy and pulling it over. Plant only as deep as the root ball.  If your tree has made a bigger hole, be sure to backfill to the correct height and TAMP FIRM. Otherwise when the soil settles, the tree will sink too low and once again the bark will be compromised. If your soil is sandy, make sure you get water in that clay root ball of the new tree! Use a temporary tree well the same diameter of the root ball or get a 2&quot; or 3&quot; pvc pipe, drill holes on the bottom foot or so that the holes can be inside the root ball. You water from the top of the pipe, and for the first month or more if it is warm weather water every other day until established.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it comes with burlap, get the tree in the hole and get that burlap off!  Completely.  If there are roots circling the ball, unwind them gently. Fertilize with low nitrogen complete fertilizer IF THE TREE WASN'T FERTILIZED AT THE NURSERY. Ask when and what was used...I hope this helps. I am having a hard time thinking that the wind blowing off leaves caused this mess.  Why didn't your neighbor's trees do the same?  That is why I am recommending another species other than oak. Oh! And make sure you clean your pruning tools with alcohol every time you prune a plant and do it again before you prune another...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-03T18:32:31.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9910" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9911" CreationDate="2014-06-03T18:35:20.533" Score="6" ViewCount="25450" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wondering why my zucchini flowers are closed? Should they be open? I know some flowers close at night and open during the day, however my flowers seem to be closed all the time. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xx7IG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uxT8A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kRpyP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jg4Dq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Updated june 19th 2 weeks+ after transplant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EpSYK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Updated june 19th 2 weeks+ after transplant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ahuey.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Updated june 19th 2 weeks+ after transplant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3378" LastEditorUserId="3378" LastEditDate="2014-06-19T13:55:13.583" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T04:15:42.443" Title="Why are my zucchini flowers closed?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9910" CreationDate="2014-06-03T19:37:49.240" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Edited to add: Ahhh! The pictures you added tell a lot. Your plants are further along than I assumed based on your original post. When the plants are as far along as yours are, flowers not opening can be a sign of stress. Sometimes it happens when you have a squash vine borer, but in your case, I think it is because the plants are much too close together. I plant my zucchini in raised beds, and each plant gets a 3' x 3' area to itself. They are huge plants and need space. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are closed still, they are not yet mature. They will open, and once they do you will notice them open during the day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your first flowers are likely to all be male flowers, so you will not get any fruit from them. After a flush of all male flowers, you'll start noticing a mix of male flowers and female flowers. The female flowers will have a small bulge in the stem at the base of the flower. This bulge will become the fruit once the flower is pollinated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck and enjoy the zucchini! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2014-06-04T15:53:20.430" LastActivityDate="2014-06-04T15:53:20.430" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9912" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-03T20:12:15.080" Score="3" ViewCount="977" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought house in central Oklahoma 4 years ago. It has a plum tree that sits alone in front yard. 2 years ago it produced the best plums I've ever had but none since. I've tried to find out why which brings me here, as I'm hoping to get help identifying it. It's approx 15 feet tall with green leaves, brownish red bark that's got spots and vein-like lines. The leaf stalk is light green. Also the leaves are simple, ovate, with toothed margins not overly sharp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3587" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-05T01:54:15.760" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T22:40:34.233" Title="What variety of plum tree do I have?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2014-07-19T13:42:34.403" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9913" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9914" CreationDate="2014-06-03T20:38:26.460" Score="3" ViewCount="9900" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some russet potatoes that seem to be doing well growing in a plastic tub.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ES2ho.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Russet potatoes growing in a plastic tub&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(This photo was taken near sunset; they do get 8+ hours open sun.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a choice between these three fertilizers, and was about to go for the 7-4-5 but figured I'd run it by.. the world.  which is the right one?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xtmtf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Choice of 3 fertilizers made by Happy Frog&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3475" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T11:13:27.647" Title="What are the optimal N-P-K levels for fertilizing potatoes?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9913" CreationDate="2014-06-04T00:16:53.033" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best fertilizer for potatoes in the choices listed above is the tomato and vegetable fertilizer. Generally, you should have the most phosphorous, then nitrogen, and the least potassium in the ratio. Potatoes are an underground crop, which means they need lots of phosphorous. In a container, they will require more nitrogen than in the ground, because it washes away easily during waterings, and most growing mixes do not contain much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much nitrogen is harmful to potatoes, causing lush top growth at the expense of tubers. In the above question, the tomato and vegetable fertilizer appears to have the closest to ideal ratio, because you have the plants in a tub. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you were growing them in the ground, the ideal ratio would be different, and it would also differ according to soil makeup and existing nutrient levels. Where I am, the best fertilizer seems to be a slow-release 6-3-8 potato fertilizer. I don't have the best soil around, but I average 2 1/2 lbs. of harvest per foot of row. That's quite good, actually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plants look as if they have gone without fertilizer for a long time. You should start fertilizing now if you want them to produce. Put on 1 1/2 times the rate which is instructed, because the plants are crowded. This will help them catch up a little. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-04T00:16:53.033" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9915" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4550" CreationDate="2014-06-04T01:06:53.243" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can start with a bigger tree. I'm assuming from the one inch diameter that the trees are not that bushy. Find the face of the tree with the most balanced lateral structure to put against the wall. By balanced I mean each side should have evenly spaced branches the whole way up, and the sides are fairly symmetrical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut away the branches that grow straight toward you and to the back. If one of the good sides has many more branches than the other, cut them out until you have an even structure. Then try to cut the remaining branches, taking out growth that goes directly front or back, until eventually you have a tree that is wide, flat (or flattenable), and looks evenly branched.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can then plant them and attach them to their support, being careful not to cross or touch branches together. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Starting with a bigger plant means more initial pruning, and perhaps a less ideal branching structure, but it definitely is worth the trouble once the trees begin to produce. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-04T01:06:53.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9916" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4565" CreationDate="2014-06-04T01:32:36.990" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gooseberries are always grown from cuttings commercially because this is very dependable, and the plants stay true to type. Since you aren't purposefully hybridizing for certain traits, the seedlings are likely to have a smaller fruit, and to produce in smaller quantities, but the actual fruit quality should be fairly good. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Europe, wild plants still grow from seed, and people gather their fruit regularly. There are also a few areas in the U.S. Where European gooseberries have naturalized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't mind less efficiency in fruiting, and possibly more thorns, it is worth a go. They should fruit at three to five years of age, and you can decide then whether or not they are keepers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-04T01:32:36.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9917" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9912" CreationDate="2014-06-04T05:32:25.440" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You said your tree is in your front yard. Is it near or in a lawn? It might be that you've been fertilizing your tree with lawn fertilizer. The high nitrogen for lawns might be suppressing reproductive growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two years ago you had plums. What happened last year? Have you done extensive pruning, fertilized or sprayed with anything...? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Identifying a plum and its variety will be tough. We need to have pictures of buds, leaves, and bark, but mainly the flowers and fruit. Do any of your neighbors have the same tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2014-07-16T22:40:34.233" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T22:40:34.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9918" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9920" CreationDate="2014-06-04T05:35:03.420" Score="2" ViewCount="88" Body="&lt;p&gt;Got it as a gift, and was told to water it every two days. Seems a little frequent to me, what plant is this?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ABXBt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3590" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2014-06-04T13:09:07.397" LastActivityDate="2014-06-21T01:27:23.247" Title="What is this small grass plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9920" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9918" CreationDate="2014-06-04T11:25:53.077" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Asparagus&lt;/a&gt; - &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1850/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Asparagus densiflorus&lt;/em&gt; 'sprengeri'&lt;/a&gt; is what it most resembles, but this plant usually becomes mound like, with the 'fronds' drooping over - this may happen as time goes by I guess. It's commonly known as the sprengerii fern - it's not actually a fern, but, although it doesn't like sitting in water, it doesn't like to dry out, which is why you've been advised to water it frequently. Watering should be reduced a bit in winter though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-21T01:27:23.247" LastActivityDate="2014-06-21T01:27:23.247" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9921" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9922" CreationDate="2014-06-04T17:40:20.917" Score="10" ViewCount="1322" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed that a copperhead has made his home under my front porch.  He has been spotted two days in a row, and, yesterday, I nearly stepped on him.  I prefer not to mess with him as I have read that most incidence of snake bites come from disturbing/attempting to kill these animals.  Additionally, I have a three year old son, who loves the outdoors and, although I can teach him to not touch these things, he is typically unobservant and is liable to be bitten due to the proximity of our homes (the snake's and our's).  Now, I can certainly wait for him to be spotted outside his home and block the access back into his pit.  But, my question is, what about my property, in particular, my garden, can I change to discourage this fellow from being attracted to the premises?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3565" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-06T03:26:28.107" LastActivityDate="2014-06-06T03:26:28.107" Title="How can I discourage venomous snakes from living in my property?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;safety&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9922" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9921" CreationDate="2014-06-04T18:33:32.537" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Snakes generally hang out where they can find food and shelter.  To discourage them, you need to remove both incentives.  Blocking out the porch is a good first step.  You also need to remove any brush or wood piles, or anything in the yard that looks like a home to a snake.  If you have a fence, keeping the grass cut short around it is a good idea.  If you have shrubs, trim them up a bit off the ground so you can see under them and they won't be as attractive to snakes.  Rock piles are also an attraction.  Snakes in particular love to sun on them to warm up their cold bodies in the mornings and cracks and crevices in between make good nighttime spots to hide in.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By removing the items listed above, you will also discourage rodents and other small animals that make up the majority of a snake's diet.  This will help encourage them to move along to somewhere else besides your yard.  Other things you can do is remove any food that rodents might be attracted to, because like snakes, they tend to hang out where they can find food and shelter.  Pet food and seeds should not be left out where they can reach it, nesting sites in sheds and garages should be removed (no piles or boxes of rags or old burlap sacks, no wood piles on the ground or floor, etc.)  If you are comfortable with it, rodent bait can also be used to reduce their numbers, and at the same time reduce the attraction your home and yard has for snakes.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doing these things will not guarantee you will not have snakes around your home, but it should reduce the chances of attracting them and encouraging them to hang around.  You will always need to very closely monitor kids and pets, and when your child is older, teach them NOT to turn over logs or rocks or reach into any area they cannot see clearly, or climb on anything where a snake could be sunning itself without looking to make sure the coast is clear, first.  Unfortunately, eternal vigilance is the cost of living in an area with venomous snakes.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-06-04T18:33:32.537" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9921" CreationDate="2014-06-04T19:53:15.490" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two things: First, I would hire a professional snaker &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aaanimalcontrol.com/snake-extermination.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;exterminator&lt;/a&gt; to kill, or more likely, remove this particular snake. Second, I would do a &quot;clean up&quot; of my porch, lawn, and gardens along the lines suggested by Teresa so that other snakes don't find them attractive in the future. The snake exterminator would also have additional clean up recommendations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3594" LastEditorUserId="3594" LastEditDate="2014-06-05T01:42:03.793" LastActivityDate="2014-06-05T01:42:03.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9924" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9545" CreationDate="2014-06-04T20:12:18.627" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have limited experience here, but my 2 cents for what's its worth. &#xA;If I am facing a plant that is struggling and I see one that is thriving I ask myself the following. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Light - what is the difference between where the healthy and less healthy plant is. &#xA;If one is one the left side and the other on the right side of a window you would be surprised impactful this can be. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Air flow - Vents, direct sunlight, near an oven etc. can impact plants as well.  Some will dry out much faster based on the environment.  Little differences can matter, especially with small pots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pot size - it does effect a lot of things such as soil. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water - not sure your watering process here, but replicate with both. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Attention - less means more, I find if I see any plant struggling I focus more on it and sometimes that becomes a detriment.  maybe I water a bit too much, or move it around too much.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;6 Finally soil - you did express the limited ones are newer, is the soil mixture roughly the same?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would not say that is the ranking I use but its close, the less impactful first to the most (move a plant a bit vs. repotting it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Orchids I generally have less success then others so I am hoping my thought process will help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3593" LastActivityDate="2014-06-04T20:12:18.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9925" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9929" CreationDate="2014-06-05T02:34:35.683" Score="6" ViewCount="153" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a small plant from a greenhouse.  The label on the plant said it was an &quot;Old Man of the Andes&quot;, but a quick google search shows that is a cactus, and this is clearly not a cactus.  Any help in identifying this would be appreciated, because I definitely don't want to kill it by accident! &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nrTwA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3597" LastActivityDate="2014-06-08T03:10:59.120" Title="What plant is this? It's definitely not a cactus" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9926" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9927" CreationDate="2014-06-05T08:07:50.847" Score="1" ViewCount="66" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found the below pictured plant not far from my home. I'm wondering whether this a comfrey variant or not. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My reasons for assuming it it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I found it in damp but sunny place close to a hedge&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The flower form and flower stem and arrangement looks like it &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Height matches as well&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My reasons for having doubts:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The leaves are not looking like the reference I find on the net&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The stems are not hairy.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Sorry for the low quality of the photos - click for a larger version)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mYmj7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mYmj7m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gH4Wu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gH4Wum.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2014-06-21T01:21:26.870" Title="Is this a comfrey species?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9927" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9926" CreationDate="2014-06-05T11:13:29.913" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nope, its not a comfrey. It appears to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malva_sylvestris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wild mallow, &lt;em&gt;Malva sylvestris&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, commonly known by all sorts of names in the UK - common mallow being one of them. Weed plant, pops up on its own. I can't see inside the flower, but it should be striped with a deeper pink to some degree. It usually grows fairly upright, but can be flattened by heavy rain or being caught up in the undergrowth (in this case, grass) or by animals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-21T01:21:26.870" LastActivityDate="2014-06-21T01:21:26.870" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9928" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-05T13:44:44.410" Score="2" ViewCount="680" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mini tree is around 4 years old now. It had a mass of blossoms in the spring but they have all dried up into dead clumps. In fact this happens most years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What am I doing wrong?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3598" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-05T14:13:27.103" LastActivityDate="2014-06-05T20:19:27.383" Title="Why does my plum tree never come into fruit?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9929" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9925" CreationDate="2014-06-05T14:48:09.080" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassula&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Crassula&lt;/a&gt; species. Probably a cultivar of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassula_ovata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Crassula ovata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, maybe  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/crassula-ovata-gollum/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Crassula ovata&lt;/em&gt; 'Gollum'&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3198" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-08T03:10:59.120" LastActivityDate="2014-06-08T03:10:59.120" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9930" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9931" CreationDate="2014-06-05T16:20:33.903" Score="2" ViewCount="3057" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tiny red bumps started appearing on my multi-variety cherry tree. They only appear on new terminal stems. They do not move.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At first, I thought it was scale pest, so I sprayed neem oil on them twice. That had no effect on them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just today, I tried to peel one off with my fingernail. It appears to be fused with the stem, unlike scale. The red peel was thin. Underneath, it was the same green color as the inner stem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are these red bumps? Are they pests or part of the tree? This is my first cherry tree, so I know nothing about their peculiarities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gEhnG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hz22o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-06-05T16:39:03.813" Title="What are these red bumps on my cherry tree stems?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-06-05T17:17:06.067" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9931" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9930" CreationDate="2014-06-05T16:39:03.813" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are a natural part of many cherries and are called glands. There is a good picture &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_avium#Description_and_ecology&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No action is necessary on your part. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4731/what-are-those-red-dots-on-the-leaf-stems-of-my-cherry-trees&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for the same question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-06-05T16:39:03.813" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9932" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9939" CreationDate="2014-06-05T17:38:15.360" Score="4" ViewCount="806" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's this gash on a Maple tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LpmxY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Gash on a Maple tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems almost &quot;infected&quot; compared to the &quot;normal&quot; splitting I see on the other Maple tree right now.  &lt;em&gt;NOTE: It's been raining all day.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uE3pP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Splitting bark of a Maple tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That second photo is showing sites where the tree was pruned, or cracked a bit from wind stressing the branches above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3475" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-07T00:55:29.587" LastActivityDate="2014-06-13T22:10:47.847" Title="What's this gash on a Maple tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9933" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9921" CreationDate="2014-06-05T19:37:27.903" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;We get copperheads here in central NC.  To discourage them, I do not allow wood or brush piles to accumulate on the property. I use a mulching mower to munch up fallen leaves in the woods where people are likely to walk, as well as on areas surrounding the house.  This eliminates cover prized by these fang-bearing pests.  Use this technique under the tall magnolias (southern variety) since snakes like living in their leaf litter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2014-06-05T19:37:27.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9934" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-05T20:00:18.970" Score="5" ViewCount="872" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4lqbI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant started growing in my flower garden out of nowhere and I hope that it is not poison ivy. Can anyone identify the low growing plant below the lily?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3600" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-05T21:16:50.023" LastActivityDate="2014-07-08T03:48:49.517" Title="What is this low growing plant with trifoliate leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9935" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9928" CreationDate="2014-06-05T20:19:27.383" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you've described the blossoms 'all dried up into dead clumps', I'm assuming those clumps remain on the tree. If that's the case, your tree is probably suffering from Blossom Wilt, a fungal infection. Treatment involves spraying with copper oxychloride (if that's available where you are) just before flowering - next year, now of course. In the meantime, prune out affected spurs (the branchlet behind the flowers) and inspect the leaves and stems closest to the blossoms - if they have pinprick sized buff coloured raised pustules, or there's die back, cut back beyond that point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the clumps of blossoms fall from the tree and don't remain withered there, this advice isn't relevant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-05T20:19:27.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9932" CreationDate="2014-06-06T00:49:06.327" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you look inside the gash, you will see a thick, rounded growth circling the wound. That is how trees heal over dead areas. It also tells me that the wound is at least three years old, but probably more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bark that is peeling off now was dead before, but remained in place so that the wound was not detected right away. I have seen this kind of dead patch after a borer infestation, so you may want to have your tree examined by a professional arborist. But whatever caused it, it still needs to be cleaned up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trim off all the dead bark from around the wound. Also, cut away the corky growths along the side and bottom of the wound, being sure  to stay clear of the cambium layer (the green layer under the bark). Those corky areas are what is holding in water, and causing the area to stay wet longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not wrap the wound, because that would cut the air supply and allow no water evaporation, welcoming in the rot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your tree is pretty far along in the healing process, and it should heal over completely in the next two-four years or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, if you want an expert diagnosis on the original cause, and possibly a way to prevent future attacks, you will need to have a professional look at it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-06T00:49:06.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9939" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9932" CreationDate="2014-06-06T03:08:23.653" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The long split probably is canker, Maples are susceptible to it. The full name of one variety that affects Maples is Eutypella Canker. There are other species specific fungal cankers as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a fungal oozing infection that gets into wounds and kills the cambium layer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would have a tree professional have a look at it as it will affect the future strength of the tree's trunk if allowed to continue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-06-06T03:13:50.960" LastActivityDate="2014-06-06T03:13:50.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9940" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9934" CreationDate="2014-06-06T10:45:51.857" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in the UK, so I've never actually seen poison oak or poison ivy - at first I thought this might be ground elder, but on closer inspection, and after doing some research, I'm now more convinced it's ground cover poison ivy rather than ground elder. The other two types of poison ivy or poison oak are vines and the leaves are not like this at all and obviously, they climb. This one doesn't. I can't think of any other plant it might be... as I understand it, this form of poison ivy deposits its toxin on surrounding surface areas, such as rocks and probably your fence.  Were it not for that, I'd suggest leaving it to see what it does, but in the circumstances, I'd be inclined to seek out whatever herbicide is available locally in order to kill it off without touching it. This answer assumes you live in a part of the USA where ground ivy is endemic. The following is a video called Poison Oak A Survival Guide - it shows what appears to be this form of poison ivy towards the end - deals first with the vine types.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipwER-ZbIuI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipwER-ZbIuI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-06T17:44:05.827" LastActivityDate="2014-06-06T17:44:05.827" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9941" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9932" CreationDate="2014-06-06T10:52:22.500" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Fiasco Labs, with one caveat - the top picture shows what appears to be an oozing wound, but in your text, you say it's been raining, so its hard to tell whether that damp area beneath the wound is bacterial ooze or just wet from rain. I incline to the view its oozing from the wound though because the rest of the wood appears to be dry, which would confirm Fiasco Lab's diagnosis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other areas in the succeeding photos don't seem to be infected, but it's hard to say because wood surrounding the area is wet from rain. I think inspection by an arboriculturalist is probably essential.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-06T10:52:22.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9942" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9943" CreationDate="2014-06-06T15:26:57.223" Score="7" ViewCount="2289" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am gardening for the first time, and so far so good! We have planted a few spinach plants, and have harvest three times from them in the last month. How long will the spinach continue to grow and produce in a climate of 80-90 degrees during the day, full sun, and the plants being well watered?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3586" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-06-06T19:04:08.147" LastActivityDate="2018-08-21T19:47:39.710" Title="How long does Spinach produce?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;spinach&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9943" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9942" CreationDate="2014-06-06T17:36:20.290" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spinach is a crop that likes the weather to be on the cooler side.  Spring sown spinach will generally begin to go to seed when the days become long and the temperatures are consistently in the upper 80s to 90s. It may also &quot;bolt&quot; (go to seed) if the plant is not getting enough moisture. You will be able to tell &quot;bolting&quot; is occurring when the central stem becomes taller and rougher and the spinach leaves become much smaller.  Once bolting occurs, the plant is pretty much done for the year.  However, you can plant spinach again in the late summer for a fall and possibly winter crop if your winters are not too harsh.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also other plants that provide the same sort of food which do not mind longer summer days and warmer temps - and even a bit of drought.  One of these is &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scenea6a1.html&quot;&gt;vegetable amaranth&lt;/a&gt;&quot; - a culinary relative of pigweed.  Another is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ediblewildfood.com/lambs-quarters.aspx&quot;&gt;lambs quarters&lt;/a&gt;, a common edible weed.  Then there are more exotic replacements, such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scene9529.html&quot;&gt;Malabar Spinach&lt;/a&gt;, a tender vine that just gets even more revved up and productive when the temperatures begin to rise.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-06-06T17:36:20.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9944" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9946" CreationDate="2014-06-06T19:40:03.603" Score="4" ViewCount="2625" Body="&lt;p&gt;A tree trust planted 2 trees for me along my fence-line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One hasn't budded at all this spring, the other tree has a few small leaves on one of the lowest branches.  I have a lot of aggressive-growing, mature vines along that area - I'm thinking maybe they were depriving the trees of water and/or nutrients.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have the same issue with 2 Douglas Fir trees I planted about 3 years ago.  Other than the fact that they've barely grown in the 3 years, this spring 2 of the 3 have lost all their needles.  I live in Minnesota, and since the trees are so short, they were completely submersed in snow for awhile.  In retrospect, I should have dug them out, but I'm a bit dense apparently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to figure out if I should wait it out and see if they recover, try an emergency transplant, or start shopping for headstones. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3467" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-08T03:14:12.520" LastActivityDate="2014-06-08T03:14:12.520" Title="How do you know when a tree has died?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9945" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9944" CreationDate="2014-06-06T20:40:38.590" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;One way to tell if a shrub or tree is dead is to scrape a bit of bark off of a branch to see if there is any green underneath.  You can start at the twig level, and move to the branch level, and then to the trunk level if you still don't see any signs of life. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Btw, if the evergreen trees have lost all of their needles, then most likely they are gone for good.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-06-06T20:40:38.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9946" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9944" CreationDate="2014-06-06T22:32:44.443" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;One hasn't budded at all this spring.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At this point, that one is probably dead. Depending on the species, green will show through the young bark when it is alive. If there is no green showing, scratch lightly through the bark on the trunk near the ground. If the cambium layer is wet and green or white, the tree is alive. If it is very dry, or brown to black, the tree is dead. If the terminal growth was alive, the tree would have begun to bud by now. This tree, even if not quite dead, won't survive well and should be removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The other tree has a few small leaves on one of the lowest branches.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That signifies that the rest of the branches are dead. If you want to try and save it, don't transplant it. that will put it in shock, and won't help the tree. You can cut back all of the dead from the tree, to help with appearances, but it should be for the most part left alone. This tree doesn't have an established enough root system to safely fertilize with most products yet, but water as necessary. This tree will not have a staight trunk if you keep it, because the small branch will be forced to form a new leader.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I have a lot of aggressive-growing, mature vines along that area - I'm thinking maybe they were depriving the trees of water and/or nutrients.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is probably not the main reason for your trees' poor health. The vines should be cut back if they attempt to climb the trees. It sounds like the trees were damaged in the winter, from the above ground parts of the trees drying out when the roots were frozen. There have been many similar cases this spring with newly planted trees, even in my area (zone 6b), because of the fairly harsh winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I have the same issue with 2 Douglas Fir trees I planted about 3 years ago. Other than the fact that they've barely grown in the 3 years, this spring 2 of the 3 have lost all their needles.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like the trees never came out of transplant shock. This can occur if the hole was too small, and the roots weren't spread out properly during planting. Also, compacted clay soil can do this, if the sides of the planting hole were not loosened. If the soil is shallow and nutrient-deprived, the trees will find it hard to put out root growth, and therefore top growth. Evergreens also need to be watered well before winter in dry areas, because they will let off moisture all winter, even when the roots cannot supply more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is what happened to the &quot;two of the three&quot; which &quot;have lost all their needles&quot;. Those two are dead and can be removed. If the remaining tree is growing, it should be mulched well and fertilized, and given a good bit of water if/when dry. If the tree is still green, but hasn't budded out, things look grim You can try transplanting if you have had any of the planting problems mentioned above. I'm assuming from: &quot;they were completely submersed in snow for awhile&quot; that they were not balled and burlapped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig the hole first, making sure to dig a good bit wider than the roots of the tree will be, spread out evenly. Make sure you have enough good fill soil nearby. You want to use a soft, free-draining, acidic soil with a high organic matter content. Dig the tree out carefully, to get out all the roots with as little damage as possible. Plant it as soon as you can, making sure the top of the root flare is even with the surface (even if it wasn't before). Do not let it dry out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-06T23:25:54.270" LastActivityDate="2014-06-06T23:25:54.270" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9947" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9951" CreationDate="2014-06-06T23:21:04.990" Score="5" ViewCount="2978" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to thicken some Roundup to form a drip-free paint for targeting weeds in groundcover beds. If I use &lt;a href=&quot;http://thickit.com/product/original-thick-it-thickener/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thick-It&lt;/a&gt; starch based food thickener, will I get the result I want? I would be watering down the Roundup 4-5 times normal, because of how thick it would go on. I could also add &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0002I5XCK&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;a wetting agent&lt;/a&gt; if it would help maximize contact. Does anyone see any problems with this idea? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-05T01:57:18.340" Title="Will glyphosate based herbicide work with a food thickener?" Tags="&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4641" CreationDate="2014-06-07T00:24:34.530" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a type of &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/causes-leaf-curl-green-peppers-75172.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;leaf curl,&lt;/a&gt; most likely viral. Here are some comparison photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CbwOo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sjhA5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You cannot treat viral infections in peppers. Destroy the plants, and rotate your garden so that the peppers are in another area next season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-07T00:24:34.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9949" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4649" CreationDate="2014-06-07T00:37:48.040" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've planted many Redbuds for people in semi shaded areas. If they are kept moist and the area does not have dense roots from another tree already occupying the area, they do great. Sometimes they don't even get direct sun. In the wild (where they came from) they are an understory tree in woodland, which pretty much fits your bill. Another good one is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_florida&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Eastern Dogwood, &lt;em&gt;Cornus florida&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/a&gt; This grows in the same conditions. There are many cultivars, some of which stay small. These bloom in mid-late spring, and have red/purple autumn foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-06-07T16:55:47.800" LastActivityDate="2014-06-07T16:55:47.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9950" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9564" CreationDate="2014-06-07T11:25:36.457" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without more information, probably Insta's answer on watering is the way to go, but I want to ask about your grass - you say you're feeding it with a 17-17-17 fertiliser - unless you want to encourage the grass to flower, that's not the right formulation - grass, if it needs any feed at all at this stage, should be a nitrogen rich formula, principally, something more like 12-4-8.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-07T11:25:36.457" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9951" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9947" CreationDate="2014-06-07T13:04:05.687" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know if it works with food thickener, but it does work with wallpaper paste - mix the wallpaper paste powder with straight Round Up or glyphosate only, no water (unless you're using a glyphosate concentrate which needs to be diluted), to the consistency you want. Adding a wetting agent might help too if you're using plain glyphosate, (in the UK, a squirt of washing up liquid is the commonest one used) but isn't necessary if it's Round up - it already has other ingredients that do this job, which incidentally render it more harmful to the environment. What also helps with tough leaved weeds is to lightly bruise or crush the leaves before applying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO COMMENTS:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;J Musser; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;the wallpaper paste is likely somewhat less dangerous in the environment than Round Up itself, if you're going to use Round up, but the quantity is small anyway&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what you're saying re dilution - if you want a thick mixture to paint onto leaves, why would you want to add water as well, if you don't have to - it just dilutes the glyphosate. As I've said, the usual course is to mix standard glyphosate directly with a bit of wallpaper paste powder till its the right consistency.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE 2: J. Musser - you've asked about toxicity of wallpaper paste in the outdoor environment. The type I'm talking about (traditional, old fashioned wall paper paste powder that you mix yourself, if you can find it) is fine to use, since the ingredients are only 3-10% solids and these comprise wheat paste, cellulose, potato, tapioca or other starches. It's the Round Up you want to worry about - that binds to soil particles and can still be present in the soil up to 200 days later, though more usually about 3 months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-12T15:31:57.473" LastActivityDate="2014-06-12T15:31:57.473" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9952" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9956" CreationDate="2014-06-07T18:00:31.997" Score="4" ViewCount="590" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, it's just past Memorial Day and we're working up to the 4th of July (in the USA, at least) ... I am looking for recommendations on a set of three complementary varieties in Red, White and Blue to plant in a medium-sized round pot (about 15&quot; wide).  The site gets full sun in the morning, and stays hot all day during the summer with reflected light/heat from the buildings across the street.  I've no real preference, just that I don't want a huge shrub.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm hoping for something like this (not necessarily these exact flowers, though):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HVBbp.png&quot; alt=&quot;flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.momtobedby8.com/diy-red-white-and-blue-flower-pot-combinations/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this site that offers the following suggestions&lt;/a&gt;, but it is not clear to me how to pick a species that will thrive in my environment and with my gardening skill level:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Red Geranium Combination&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Red geraniums are a great centerpiece for a fourth of July potted&#xA;  container because geraniums are a floral choice that keeps giving and&#xA;  giving. Geraniums, when deadheaded, can continue to bloom and bloom&#xA;  all summer long. Pair this flower with white alyssum with will drape&#xA;  over the side of your pot and also flower all summer, and purple or&#xA;  red salvia plants which add their own pop of color without dominating&#xA;  the combination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Red Celosia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;For a unique and interesting red flower, try Red Celosia, which&#xA;  slightly resembles the seeded head of bushy ornamental grass.  These&#xA;  plumes should be planted at the center or towards the back of the&#xA;  container because they can grow from two to three feet in height under&#xA;  the right conditions. Pair these with blue lobelia, which produces&#xA;  masses of tiny flowers that drape when planted near the edges of the&#xA;  pot and Silver Dusters, which are shorter than celosia and have a&#xA;  great white color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Red Petunias&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Red Petunias come in several different varieties, and each is a great&#xA;  base for your patriotic potted combination. If you opt for tall,&#xA;  traditional petunias, they should be the centerpiece. Wave petunias&#xA;  are long growers and will drape themselves over the side and down the&#xA;  length of pots. Pair red petunias with white snapdragons, which push&#xA;  up tall spikes and flowers along the stem and blue bachelor’s buttons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3604" LastActivityDate="2014-06-08T02:06:16.390" Title="Red, white and blue varieties for a medium pot in full sun" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9953" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="9954" CreationDate="2014-06-08T00:14:14.837" Score="3" ViewCount="215" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm fairly new to gardening and decided that I wanted to have some plants on my balcony this year. I bought these two plants at a local Lowe's, but there wasn't any information regarding what they were. I like how they look, and they seem to be doing well so far. All I've done so far is plant them in some miracle grow in clay pots, watering once every day or two. &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BiIsq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ww0Dt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify what they are, or if they need any sort of special care? Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3605" LastActivityDate="2014-06-08T00:45:24.213" Title="Plant identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-06-15T18:16:05.550" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9954" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9953" CreationDate="2014-06-08T00:35:45.757" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are a tender perennial called &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/5654/499&quot;&gt;Coleus&lt;/a&gt; originally from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/3321938/How-to-grow-Coleus.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Indonesia&lt;/a&gt;. They do not tolerate frost and can become leggy in low light.  In their favour though they can be brought indoors to overwinter and respond well to being cut back.  There are many cultivars but all have the same multi colored leaf.  If grown indoors there is a tendency for the colour to revert to a light lime green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They require full sun and good access to moisture. Whitefly is sometimes a problem and soap and water should be able to control this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They root readily in water so don't be afraid to cut them back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-06-08T00:40:49.543" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9955" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9953" CreationDate="2014-06-08T00:45:24.213" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe they are both coleus. The top one &lt;em&gt;may&lt;/em&gt; be the variety &quot;Firebrand&quot;. I'm not sure what variety the bottom one would be. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-06-08T00:45:24.213" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9956" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9952" CreationDate="2014-06-08T02:06:16.390" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to find a good blue flower that lasts all season, but here is a good combination, requiring very similar conditions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Red &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fleuroselect.com/ornamental-plants/arrabona&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Celosia argentea&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, white &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.benary.com/en/product/C2480&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Begonia semperflorens&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, blue &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.armstronggarden.com/petunia-ultra-blue.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Petunia&lt;/em&gt; 'Ultra Blue'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Celosia is tall, so it can take the center. The Begonia is shorter and can circle the Celosia, and the petunia can drape over the edge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KYFWs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vox36.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p4EQ5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-08T02:06:16.390" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="9957" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9033" CreationDate="2014-06-08T03:01:31.523" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because the soil you are using is mostly sand, I would recommend using more nitrogen than I otherwise would. I am assuming (because you know the ingredient ratio of the growing media) that it's in a pot. Use something like a 12-8-8 fertilizer every two weeks while the tree is growing. Do not fertilize during dormant periods. Norfolk Island Pines aren't too picky fertilizer-wise, and many people use 10-10-10 with okay results. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not spray it on the foliage, because these trees do not take it in very efficiently, and fertilizer residue could build up, slowing photosynthesis, eventually killing the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use it as a &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/ways-drench-soil-41465.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;root drench&lt;/a&gt; every 2 weeks when you water. This will be the most efficient way to apply it, and also spread the fertilizer evenly through the root system, so you don't burn the feeder roots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-08T03:01:31.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10958" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5010" CreationDate="2014-06-09T00:20:07.163" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, it's not that slow. I have 7 Ginkgo trees from seeds. One is 2.10 m in height after 10 years. The smallest one is about 1 m in height. If grown from seeds the hardest and slowest time are the first 4 to 8 years. But after that, they all grew about 30-40 cm per year!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4607" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-09T03:53:44.230" LastActivityDate="2014-06-09T03:53:44.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10960" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="10961" CreationDate="2014-06-09T10:31:03.097" Score="6" ViewCount="393" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant has been in my possession since last summer (I moved into a new, and otherwise empty, apartment one year ago). I wanted to keep it, but because there are no labels, I decided to water it only when the soil felt dry, which ended up being about once a week. Also, it gets bright indirect sunlight (in Western Europe, 47°N), and never direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This seems to have worked; new leaves are growing, and it generally looks healthy. Can anyone tell me what the plant is called?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some issues, though. Some leaves have “dead ends” (not easy to see in the picture), i.e. the tips of the leaves look dead (or at least not healthy). I assume this isn’t normal, so how can I fix it? Is it safe to prune those leaves, or in general?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JkCPs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2111" LastActivityDate="2016-12-22T20:17:26.857" Title="Which plant is this? “Dead ends,” pruning, watering tips" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10961" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10960" CreationDate="2014-06-09T11:04:35.667" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croton_%28plant%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;croton&lt;/a&gt;, a member of the euphorbia family. There is an amazing variation in leaf shape and colour as can be seen in this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=thin+leaved+croton&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=zJSVU7PvIqqD8QGxyYCYAg&amp;amp;ved=0CCcQsAQ&amp;amp;biw=1006&amp;amp;bih=447&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; so I am not able to identify the variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They need bright light and consistently moist soil or all the leaves will droop.  In indoor locations where the humidity is low the ends of the leaves will brown. You can take a pair of scissors and trim the dead material.  Ensure that you leave a small margin of dead tissue at the end of the leave or it will just die back some more.&#xA;Prevention is to raise the humidity level but this is not easy indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't see any signs of insect infestation but crotons are known to be attacked by spider mites, mealy bug and scale. As a test look at the underside of the leaves for small grains of salt  (spider mite) or white cottony tufts (mealy bug) or brown bumps (scale).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If caught early most of these pests can be controlled with soap and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: @Bernheim you can prune branches and leaves and it will bud off of newer wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-06-15T02:38:23.037" LastActivityDate="2014-06-15T02:38:23.037" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10962" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="10963" CreationDate="2014-06-09T11:18:28.710" Score="4" ViewCount="1343" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a neighbor with lots of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equisetum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;these&lt;/a&gt; horsetails in his yard. (Probaby  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equisetum_arvense&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Equisetum arvense&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;). Where possible I have put six inches of pool liner between his weeds and my garden but they seem unfazed.  They will send roots three feet in length under flagstone and come up through a well compacted bed of five/eighths gravel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One year I couldn't stand it any more and used some roundup or glyphosate.  I crushed the stems and then sprayed.  It killed the growth but not the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in eastern Canada (zone 5a) and have alkaline (ph 7+) soil due the amount of limestone around).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I spend a lot of time pulling the same plants over and over. Are there any effective control methods for horsetails?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-09T21:37:07.880" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T13:15:43.210" Title="How to control horsetails (equisetum)" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10963" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10962" CreationDate="2014-06-09T11:43:44.537" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You set me off on a research mission too.... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The word on glyphosate and equisitum is that you need to treat for several years, possibly, and do it frequently, bruising the growth every time you use it, so it may be that it does work eventually, but people who try it aren't persistent enough. At least 4 treatments a year are necessary, maybe up to seven, depending on growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is supposed to be an organic method of controlling it, which involves digging out, (not by mechanical means) as much as humanly possible, then hoeing off an inch below ground the green shoots that reappear when they're no more than 3 inches high. This is said to exhaust the main roots (at least 7 feet down) eventually, and they give up. Labour intensive, not a quick solution. Same theory applies to the 'grassing over' solution - constantly cutting the grass and the equisitum is said to weaken it over years till it gives up and dies back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or there's Kurtail (previously Kibosh), which isn't technically available to gardeners, is for professional use only, but seems to be freely available on E Bay.  This product, though, is the one responsible for contaminated horse manure, but so long as horses aren't grazing, or the resulting manure used before at least 3 years of composting has passed, it shouldn't be an issue. It's a contact herbicide, so careful use amongst other planting is necessary, as with glyphosate, but repeated applications are also required, though it is more effective than glyphosate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-09T12:34:23.297" LastActivityDate="2014-06-09T12:34:23.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10964" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4574" CreationDate="2014-06-09T19:48:50.143" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Interesting, if I understand correctly.  I once took on the onerous job of watering baskets 20' above me.  A very cool guy told me to get an old hot-water heater.  I could fill it, and with a short hose, sprayer unit I could easily spray into the baskets.  Those things hold the city water pressure of 60psi without being hooked up to the city.  And hot-water heaters are so very cheap.  All I had to do was fill from the city's water.  No need for drop to increase water pressure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for water features, I found the equation to compute evaporation on some of our large water-falls.  I don't have it with me but I saved our company from having to tear the whole waterfall system (the cost was phenomenal) out to discover if there were any leaks.  What we discovered is that if you are on city water don't even DREAM of a waterfall.  The evaporation was huge! Plant transpiration wasn't even in the equation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;'Dry' water features, dry water falls, dry ponds, dry streams worked well accompanied by 'stero' water sounds from 'artesian' wells.  We'd dig a big hole (5'deepX3'wide) line it twice with pond liner, fill with drain rock, 5 gallon pail to hold pump, blast water up to surface to bubble up 6&quot;, 1'or 1 1'2'...to fall back into its reservoir.  Used a sensor to detect height of reservoir to be refilled automatically.  Can't see why you'd need a timer for this, just a low-water sensor.  Some days the heat will be so intense you might have to add a gallon or two, other times maybe a gallon every other day.  Can't set a timer for that...an old toilet float would work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-06-10T00:33:22.153" LastActivityDate="2014-06-10T00:33:22.153" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4043" CreationDate="2014-06-09T20:00:34.153" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those plants will probably be screaming at you to water them when necessary.  Just make sure that when you water it is DEEP. I put my indoor plants in the shower once a month.  Not only to water deeply but to clean off the leaves, stems of dust and insects.  I set them outside on a covered porch during the summer to get even more light and nutrition stored in their roots to be able to thrive over the winter.  A splash of water is not enough.  A splash of water every day or every other day is a death sentence.  Except for a cactus...totally soak plants and then allow them to dry out in-between.  Critical methodology for plants...oh, except bonsai...need to be watered everyday, or every other day.  Outdoor plants, indoor plants this generality is important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-09T20:00:34.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10966" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10962" CreationDate="2014-06-09T22:24:02.773" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glufosinate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;glufosinate&lt;/a&gt; on horsetails, Kochia grass, Canada thistles, nutsedge, and whatever glyphosate won't take care of. It is a little slower, but works very well in the long run. I spray or brush this onto the leaves of the weed on a hot sunny day. I usually wait until the plants' stems are completely dead before pulling. If the plant is very established, it may regrow somewhat. Another application usually does the trick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Digging the plants out will not help if you are using this herbicide, as it is most effective when applied to the most foliage area, and left until the plant is dead. Also, digging could leave viable root pieces in the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; This herbicide is harmful to animals and people, and should be used with common sense, only when absolutely necessary. If you have dogs or children, maybe consider temporarily fencing in the area. I always cover treated areas with plastic mesh, to keep birds out until I pull the dead stems. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because you are probably not going to spray the neighbors weeds, make sure all the runners between your garden and his are cut, or the plants will not be controlled well. They'll be set back, but regrow from the untreated plants on his side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also suggest a more substantial barrier on the property line. A rigid plastic or galvanized steel edge, at least 12-15 inches (unless your topsoil goes farther than that :) ) should work well. I've seen people use &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.corrugatedmetal.com/corrugated-metal-panels/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;corrugated roofing panels&lt;/a&gt; with success, but you have to be sure they are fitted tightly together, so the runners don't find the cracks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-09T22:24:02.773" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10967" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7063" CreationDate="2014-06-09T23:01:47.643" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is caused by excessive drying. I have seen this happen when Morning Glory vines found their way into a house and grew up to the window. Even though the temperature didn't go under 65 degrees Fahrenheit (it was summer), every leaf inside the building developed the dead areas on the leaves, but outside they were fine. I thought it was a humidity issue, but discovered a few red spider mites on the plants. The drying effect of the mites plus the low humidity (they usually come together), causes the dry dead patches to form. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Note: The pictures below are of cold damage, not excessive drying.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cold damage on morning glories comes as a blackening leaf collapse. See the pictures below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BNmfK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5x1Ue.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-09T23:01:47.643" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10968" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="10990" CreationDate="2014-06-10T01:05:16.997" Score="4" ViewCount="1137" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my backyard, there is a flowering shrub resembling privet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's about 7' high and 9'wide&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's growing in dappled shade in open &quot;lawn&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lancaster, Pennsylvania&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Small, white four petaled trumpet flowers in small grape-cluster-like racemes,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ovate, opposite, glossy, leathery foliage &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Smooth gray bark&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Generally grows about 4&quot;/year&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Blooms anywhere between May 15 and June 15 (depending on the weather)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Semi evergreen (Loses 1/2 it's foliage on average, this winter almost all)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Makes a very small, blue berry that persists into winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Deep burgundy/purple winter foliage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fairly hairy new growth &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My reasons for doubting that this is privet:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The leaves are much smaller than I've ever seen on privet&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This shrub looks more like a focal planting and less like a hedge bush&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The flowers are in a very small cluster&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Privets are very fast-growing plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hairy new growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know what this is, so I can get more. See pics below. The picture with the hand is for scale. If you need another pic let me know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click any photo for full size&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ukLnT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ukLnTm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xppgU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xppgUm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9WJZo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9WJZom.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pEVBm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pEVBmm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gZhV6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gZhV6m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1bUiP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1bUiPm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZXKlj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZXKljm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0BEfe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0BEfem.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jlYcW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jlYcWm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VD3tW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VD3tWm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-08-04T04:25:29.347" LastActivityDate="2014-08-04T04:25:29.347" Title="Is this shrub a Privet?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10969" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3863" CreationDate="2014-06-10T11:58:30.000" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may not be able to make it do what you want - plants grow where they like the conditions, but there is something you can try. Remove the mulch and enrich the soil by digging over and adding humus rich material - leaf mould if possible, but any humus rich stuff will do. This, hopefully, will mean the soil holds onto moisture a lot longer, which will make it more likely that the Convallaria will want to grow there, because it likes deep, fairly rich soil and moist conditions. Deliberately plant some Convallaria in the area - it's usual to dig up and split existing plants anyway, so either do that or buy in some more. You haven't said what type of mulch you're using, but an organic one would be the most useful, so replace the mulch when you're done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This still may not work - Convallaria seems to like to grow 'under shelter' so to speak, so against shady walls, under other plants, and your strip may simply be too exposed for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-10T11:58:30.000" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10970" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-10T12:15:53.653" Score="6" ViewCount="5938" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have inherited a garden in a hot and arid climate with a half-dead bush of rosemary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see in the photo below, a part of the plant is dead, but another is doing okay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I deal with the plant to ensure the live part makes it? Should I simply cut away the dead parts? How should I deal with the roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HjHEN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastActivityDate="2014-06-10T19:57:11.377" Title="How should I prune a half-dead bush of rosemary?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10970" CreationDate="2014-06-10T12:18:30.270" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut off all dead wood at the base, leaving just the live stems - you don't need to do anything to the roots. You might, though, want to consider replacing the plant - it'll look pretty ugly once the dead stuff has been removed. This plant doesn't regenerate from old wood, so you won't get any new growth other than on the two existing live stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-10T12:18:30.270" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10972" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="10975" CreationDate="2014-06-10T12:53:00.283" Score="6" ViewCount="7117" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have inherited an avocado tree in a hot, arid climate in a very windy spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been watered well, but its leaves look like something is wrong with it - they have brown edges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LbPOq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps it's been watered &lt;em&gt;too&lt;/em&gt; well - the soil it's in appears to be a bit dense and loamy:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1eksD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I try to loosen the soil manually? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-10T19:59:51.180" LastActivityDate="2019-08-27T22:39:46.737" Title="Why do the leaves of my avocado tree have brown edges and spots?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10973" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-09T20:53:08.170" Score="3" ViewCount="430" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to identify this vine, so I can figure out how to kill it.  It actually looks kind of pretty, but it's filling a two foot wide gap between my garage and a brick fence, and I'm afraid it's a haven for critters.  Because the space is so narrow, it's hard to get into to work.  I've tried just pulling it out with my hands, but some pieces are very strong, and I can't break them.  I'm hoping there's some chemical I can just pour on to kill it.&#xA;The vine is completely filling the whole space, which is approximately two feet wide by twenty feet long, and six feet high.  It's mostly shaded, and located in Southern California.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've only been here for a week, but haven't seen any berries or flowers.  I don't want to use RoundUp or any other toxic chemicals.  Yesterday I wound up going in there and cutting all the stems.  Then I poured salt all over the ground, hoping that will stop anything from growing back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X9uCZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4621" OwnerDisplayName="Elliott B" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-28T02:08:53.907" LastActivityDate="2014-06-28T02:08:53.907" Title="What is this vine, and how should I kill it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10974" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="10979" CreationDate="2014-06-10T15:58:39.473" Score="8" ViewCount="5124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have Seascape Strawberry plants. They are day-neutral. Some squirrels and I have eaten the strawberries. What should I do with the stems that have been eaten from? Should they be cut away or will they grow into something useful (more leaves or more strawberries)? The eaten fruiting stems I speak of are the finer claw-like stems in the center of the following photo. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BjSBS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2019-07-23T09:09:29.830" Title="After picking strawberries, how should I prune the fruiting stems?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10975" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10972" CreationDate="2014-06-10T16:00:53.963" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen this same type of damage on an avocado in a pot that was allowed to go dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that your plant is outdoors in a hot and dry area this looks like stress caused by inadequate water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Avocados require a well aerated soil with water that is low in dissolved salts.  A soil depth of 1 metre is helpful in maintaining water levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The recommendations &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.californiaavocado.com/grow-your-own-avocado-tree/&quot;&gt;for California&lt;/a&gt; are to apply a mulch of organic material at least two inches deep.  You could also topdress first with good soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-06-10T20:56:06.810" LastActivityDate="2014-06-10T20:56:06.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10974" CreationDate="2014-06-10T17:15:14.247" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can prune the flowering stems now, cutting them back close to the ground. Don't pull on them to try to break them off or you might pull the whole plant up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or you can leave them on the plant for a while. Some of the older leaves on strawberries will die in the fall, and it's a good idea to remove them for hygiene so that you don't have decomposing strawberry leaves lying around your plants attracting diseases or pests. You can cut back the flower stems at that point too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-10T18:57:57.773" LastActivityDate="2014-06-10T18:57:57.773" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10970" CreationDate="2014-06-10T19:57:11.377" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;cut off the live branches and root them (put the base in water until roots come out) &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;remove the rest of the plant &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;plant the newly rooted branches where the old plant was.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3216" LastActivityDate="2014-06-10T19:57:11.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10978" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10973" CreationDate="2014-06-10T21:51:18.877" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus_setaceus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Asparagus setaceus,&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; commonly known as Common Asparagus Fern, Lace Fern, Climbing Asparagus, or Ferny Asparagus. This native to South Africa has naturalized and become invasive in many places. The stems may reach 4 yards in length, and are fibrous and tough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant spreads through the poisonous berries, and can quickly fill a large area. It has a deep, aggressive root system of thick, fleshy roots, which hold nutrients and water in case of drought. They also make digging the plant out very difficult, especially as the plant is often found in hard or rocky soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've recently had to dig out some of these at a house where they were being used as a foundation plant. Not fun. You can kill them with Roundup, but don't &quot;pour on&quot;. Make sure the plants are not climbing on any trees, shrubs, or other good plants, cutting back the vines if need be. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spray on a calm (not breezy) day, preferably hot and sunny. Try to spray at least 12 hrs. before rain, but preferably wait until the forecast predicts a few days of good weather. &#xA; Work your way backwards through the patch, so you don't get herbicide on your clothes or shoes. Spray the plants enough that they are evenly and uniformly wet, but not dripping. Also, spraying the ground/roots is not helpful in killing the plant. Keep all pets and/or children out of the area until the plants are removed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the plants have turned yellow/brown all the way to the stem bases, you can cut the vines off at the base and dispose of them. The plants may regrow somewhat, so this may have to be repeated up to three times (but usually only once). Each regrowth is much smaller and weaker than the one before. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-10T21:51:18.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10979" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10974" CreationDate="2014-06-10T22:28:00.967" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;After fruiting, the fruit stems of a strawberry plant stop drawing energy from the plant, and eventually die. They do not benefit or harm the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't like the appearance, you can cut the fruit stems only, back to the base (or as close as you can get). The old stem will not produce new leaves, fruit, or stems. Cutting them back will not encourage new growth after the fruit has ripened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most growers do what @NiallC described, giving the plants no pruning until plant dieback at the end of the season, cutting all the dead out of the plant for winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-10T22:28:00.967" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10980" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="10993" CreationDate="2014-06-10T23:43:32.320" Score="4" ViewCount="2735" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently received a small potted purple leaved barberry bush. I planted it in good topsoil with a ph of about 6.0. The area gets about 5 hours of direct sun per day. There is one large boxelder tree about 25' away. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two weeks after planting, the foliage has turned almost entirely green. Why has this happened, and is there a way to correct it?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BAELp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uHyG5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T13:50:44.150" Title="Why did the leaves on my purple leaved barberry turn green after planting?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;barberry&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10981" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="10989" CreationDate="2014-06-10T23:59:02.787" Score="5" ViewCount="176" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received some winter hardy prickly pear pads from a friend last fall. They rooted well, survived the winter well (better than many other plants around here), and are putting out new growth. On the new growth there are small growths slightly resembling swollen yew needles. Are these supposed to be there? Are they going to become thorns? The old pads don't have thorns anywhere near that size.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DPwEk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/byhj8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OxZg4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T16:08:32.093" Title="What are these growths on my winter hardy Opuntia?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10983" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="10994" CreationDate="2014-06-11T02:12:56.207" Score="5" ViewCount="905" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently discovered a very cool method of tree training in which saplings are trained to a rigid form, and fused (inosculated) at certain points, to become a desired shape. If I follow the basic methods I found on &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_shaping&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;, will I have good results? Do the trees require additional care? Is this a good idea to try out, or will it be a waste of time? See pics below for ideas I might consider trying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4ngj8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/11r8Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lhdx4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OlS2Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Utdxd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3o1qt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v08NM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bZx8C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T13:48:06.937" Title="Is inosculating trees for shape practical for the home garden?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10984" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-11T03:31:13.630" Score="3" ViewCount="862" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1909/how-do-i-remove-dandelions-and-bull-thistle-from-my-lawn&quot;&gt;asked a question&lt;/a&gt; about how to remove the dandelion and thistle invasion from my lawn, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1941/how-do-i-remove-dandelions-without-damaging-my-lawn&quot;&gt;saw a similar question&lt;/a&gt; which mentioned an excellent tool. So I went ahead and purchased the Fiskar thingymabobber for removing deep dandelion roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now the question is, how do I actually remove the dandelions/thistle without them coming back? I've tried, for a span of a couple of weeks each, strategies like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Random weed removal&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove weeds in a certain area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove weeds of a certain type&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I can tell, this is not really effective, because they're still &lt;em&gt;everywhere&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the right strategy to remove weeds without them re-infecting cleaned-up areas and coming back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt; I guess I need to be explicit about this: I'm not interested in any form of chemical control. This includes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Herbicides&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pesticides&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Anti-Weed fertilizers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have young kids, and some agriculture going on, so I cannot afford anything but my already picked hand-weeding approach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T17:02:42.107" Title="What is a practical strategy for removing dandelions and bull-thistle from my lawn without them returning?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4723" CreationDate="2014-06-11T03:48:10.360" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabilis_jalapa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Four o' clock flower, &lt;em&gt;Mirabilis jalapa&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/a&gt; It is native to tropical South America, and perennializes in frost free areas, grown as an ornamental annual elsewhere. The large, dark, round seeds fit your description &quot;black-pepper-like&quot;. See pictures below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HCbTO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H1jfN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FNWJq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-12T22:23:04.607" LastActivityDate="2014-06-12T22:23:04.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10984" CreationDate="2014-06-11T04:56:08.903" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to get rid of weeds for good (which I have never seen anyone actually do), The easiest way is to use herbicides. Dig out all the weeds, like you did before, then apply a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preemergent_herbicides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;preemergent herbicide,&lt;/a&gt; according to the directions on the product container. I use &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dowagro.com/turf/products/herbicides/snapshot.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Snapshot,&lt;/a&gt; even though it was made for landscaped beds. You may want to start with a lawn product. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After that, you can spot treat regrowth from old roots with Roundup, or use a selective herbicide. I use &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lowes.com/pd_165366-24182-704140_0__?productId=3332534&amp;amp;AID=10926682&amp;amp;PID=1089770&amp;amp;SID=lawn%20seed&amp;amp;cm_mmc=AFF_CJ-_-1089770-_-997014-_-10926682&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bayer Advanced.&lt;/a&gt; This will finish off the remaining established weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After these steps, It is easier to use organic methods, like &lt;a href=&quot;http://eartheasy.com/article_corn_gluten.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;corn gluten meal,&lt;/a&gt; a weed suppressor + plant food. Also &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensalive.com/-font-size-2-iron-x-selective-weed-killer-for-lawns-font-size-5-/p/3721/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Iron X!&lt;/a&gt; selective lawn herbicide is completely safe, but may need to be concentrated, depending on conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a few years of preemergents, the amount of weed seedlings will drop, and you will find it easier to keep things under control. I have seen untreated lawns with almost no weeds, but these generally have near ideal soil conditions (tilth, ph level, fertility, organic matter content, moisture content, etc.), and a good amount of sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is always easiest to keep weeds under control when you have a healthy, thick lawn. Mowing high also helps (it shades the ground more, and encourages deeper root growth, keeping the grass greener during dry spells.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, if you want to be completely natural, a clean lawn will be very hard work. I don't treat my lawn anymore, simply mowing whatever grows best.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T04:56:08.903" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10987" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1993" CreationDate="2014-06-11T07:29:34.343" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does your pot have drain holes? The begonia is very sensitive to wet feet. Allow the plant to dry out somewhat in-between watering. In most areas this plant is an annual.  I'm not sure where you live, if you can and if you have a covered patio, this plant would thrive outside.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut flowers off as soon as you can.  Annuals have one purpose in life and that is to produce seed.  Thus lots of flower display.  But once it's made seed the whole plant just starts relaxing.  It has done its job. To help the plant remain vigorous and produce flowers all season, cut the flowers off as soon as possible.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All that energy going into making flowers (seed) is diverted back to the plant.  If it hasn't already been fertilized by a greenhouse or the nursery (something else you should ask if you go back to the store is when was it fertilized last, what kind of fertilizer) fertilize it with a low-nitrogen fertilizer.  If you use a higher percentage of Nitrogen in relation to phosphorus and potassium you will get lots of vegetative growth and little or no blooms.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put it in indirect sunlight when indoors, but still a brightly lit area. For the summer it would love to go outside on the covered porch but protect from wind.  If you have winter, bring it back inside by gradually increasing the time inside.  It'll need to get used to the dry air again.  And keep an eye out for spider mite or other insects. Gray mold, too as Eric brought up! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T07:29:34.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10989" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10981" CreationDate="2014-06-11T13:09:13.307" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are the &lt;em&gt;spines&lt;/em&gt;. They will either go thin and hard to produce proper spines, or with the spineless varieties (which this looks to be) they will simply drop off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant has two new pads which you've correctly identified as new growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flowers are the third kind of &quot;new growth&quot; that you might see. These will appear as small round growths but without the spines, or proto-spines to coin a word.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The spines are actually the &quot;leaves&quot; or remnant/modified leaves - this might explain why you think they resemble yew needles. The pads are actually modified stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&#xA;I'm including kevinsky's deleted &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia#Growth_.28image_gallery.29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;link to images of pads growing&lt;/a&gt;. This shows how new pads could be mistaken for flowers as they both start off as round growths. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2014-06-11T16:08:32.093" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T16:08:32.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10968" CreationDate="2014-06-11T13:10:37.583" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not Ligustrum and not Lonicera nitida either! I think its &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Osmanthus%20x%20burkwoodii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Osmanthus burkwoodii&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Has downy new shoots, produces blue black berries (not sure they're edible, don't think they are), flowers have 4 petals, is evergreen, but will drop its leaves in severe winters, and can be used as hedging. The flowers should be fragrant, but how fragrant depends on your own sense of smell. Flowers usually held in small clusters, but sometimes the clusters extend along a branch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO COMMENT:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nope, leaf edges on O. burkwoodii are not coarsely toothed, they're smooth - Osmanthus heterophyllus, on the other hand, does have coarsely toothed leaves. Note also that Osmanthus varieties produce, variously, drupes or berries. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-18T00:36:28.293" LastActivityDate="2014-06-18T00:36:28.293" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10992" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10984" CreationDate="2014-06-11T13:14:59.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn is full of non-grass, and I'm fine with that. If it's green and doesn't mind being mowed, it's welcome. I actually avoid mowing the parts that are mostly strawberries at this time of year, and then starting mowing them again after we've eaten the strawberries. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But that doesn't mean everyone's welcome. There are some broad-leafed weeds I really don't want in my lawn. So we dig them up. It can take hours to do one small section of the lawn, and we have over an acre. Still, every year there are less and less of them. We work at home, so popping outside for ten minutes of digging up weeds is a great thing to do while waiting on a long build or just before a conference call when you don't want to start anything real. And get to know your weed - dig it up before it makes and spreads seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This strategy probably won't work in a small suburban garden that you want to be grass only, because it takes time. But I suppose if you're willing to put in 30 minutes a day, and your lawn is small, that you can eradicate the weeds you don't want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T13:14:59.587" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10993" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10980" CreationDate="2014-06-11T13:18:28.707" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Berberis are not particularly fussy about soil type, nor about soil ph. There's only one reason why the foliage on a coloured leaved berberis goes green - not enough direct sunlight. You've said it gets 5 hours of sun a day - maybe the sun's not actually out during those 5 hours, or it's more shaded by plants around than you realised. Best colour on the leaves is achieved with more than 6 hours of direct sun. This answer assumes your plant was definitely not green when you bought it, which you've said it wasn't. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-11T13:50:44.150" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T13:50:44.150" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10983" CreationDate="2014-06-11T13:48:06.937" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure it will work.  This is basically a form of espalier which is done in home gardens (including mine) all the time.  I don't do anything out of the ordinary in terms of care for the trees I treat this way.  It takes patience though.  I love that chair idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1674" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T13:48:06.937" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10995" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1484" CreationDate="2014-06-11T15:50:00.930" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Regarding your mention of marijuana growth in California:  yes, they do grow their plants under 24 hour light.  However this is only in the &quot;vegetative&quot; or growth stage of the plant.  Once the plant reaches ideal size, the light cycle is switched from 24 hrs to 12 hrs on/12 hrs off to begin the blooming stage of the plant's life (replicating the natural shortening of the days) .  So yes, you are correct in that you can grow a plant as big as it will want to get under 24 hrs light, but it will never start to bloom.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4616" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T15:50:00.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10996" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11000" CreationDate="2014-06-11T16:21:42.367" Score="8" ViewCount="8111" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a potted Sunshine Blueberry plant. I noticed suckers started appearing a few inches from the main trunk. Should I leave those suckers there or cut them off? I have read that suckers on big fruit trees don't produce good fruit. Is the same true for bushes like this Sunshine Blueberry?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sucker is emerging from the dirt on the right:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PDfTs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the whole plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GEfpT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-06-12T14:01:48.427" Title="Should blueberry suckers be removed?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;&lt;suckers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10997" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="10999" CreationDate="2014-06-11T16:37:11.620" Score="5" ViewCount="5052" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 5 foot tall Fall Gold Raspberry plant. I bought it as a 4 foot plant from the local nursery earlier this year. It has been producing quite a lot of berries. There are perhaps 20 growing on this plant at the moment. The problem is that the fruit shrivels before it reaches mature size. Here is someone else's photo to show what a mature Fall Gold raspberry looks like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o7Uvd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of my berries start shriveling at half that size. I have eaten them before they've shriveled and they are quite sweet and aromatic. However, I'd prefer to eat larger meatier berries. This is a photo of my my shriveled berries:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SX8ME.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a photo of the entire plant. It is planted along a southeast fence. It doesn't get sunlight in the morning because the fence blocks the southern sun, but starting at noon, it can start sunbathing. The plant looks green and lush to me. It seems that the few burnt leaves are the ones that receive the most sun. I've been putting a tad bit of cottonseed meal to slightly acidify the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JmFfu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Update&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's now the middle of summer and my Fall Gold is producing its second batch of berries. This time around, the berries have remained green before reaching full size. The previous batch would become gold far too soon. Temperatures have been a tad bit more comfortable - 60 F at night, under 80 F during the day. I still water it every 2 or 3 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lush cane closer to the camera is newer growth. It's producing some big berries. The sickly one in the background is the original cane from the nursery - the same cane that produced the immature shriveled berries. Even though it has become sickly, it's still producing a second batch of berries now. So I'll let it produce before sending it to the grave. As this is my first year gardening, I don't really know what pale and dried up leaves signify. I'm inclined to believe that it's a cane that's reached the end of its lifecycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HaN2H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-08-23T16:39:16.380" Title="How to prevent raspberries from shriveling before they've matured?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10998" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10984" CreationDate="2014-06-11T17:02:42.107" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Respecting organic is really hard!  We try, but with moderate success.  I can speak to Dandelions.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, though, you need to know that the variables you are trying to control may not be the contributing ones.  For example, what does you neighbor's yard look like?  Are you on a busy street?  Do you have few trees in your yard?  The principal mechanisms for spreading these evil plants are, in this order: wind and hosts carrying them in.  Under a microscope the dandelion seed looks like a mid-evil weapon built for cutting into whatever it touches and coasting through the air.  Foot traffic and windy, open, environments could make your endeavor futile.  All of these answers may not help you at all!  I'm sorry to say.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2YZWm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have found that once these fellow's flowers are withered, you're dangerously close to a locally incurred bloom.  Catching them when they still have small fresh flowers is key.  If your yard is like mine, I get about a week between first noticing a dandelion and being able to count 20; move quick!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend first heading off the flower before removing and bagging them.  It only takes one of these wonderful floating seeds to sprout another headache(s).  It's best to not jostle and lose the flower or risk spreading the seeds.  I personally pull these before mowing, because they don't need to mature on the plant to be effective.  I have found mulching these just adds to your troubles. Again, this is just what I have found.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to tread lightly with this suggestion.  Applying vinegar to the roots (post pulling) is a great way to put a road block on the pulled ones coming back.  While technically an herbicide it is organic and reasonably effective.  We put our 3 y/o to work spraying all of the &quot;yellow-flowers&quot; and he has been shown to be a lethal force, even if there is some friendly fire occasionally.  &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Gwzl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing you can do is grow thick long grasses.  This is not an end all be all, for sure, but it's one more thing to keep the pressure on.  I notice that the dandelions will do very well where there is any sort of sun.  It's more of a defense than anything else.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, there really isn't much for practical control of these guys given how good they are at spreading themselves.  You have to constantly fight them and incorporate treating them into your weekly maintenance if you want results.  Best of luck. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3565" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T17:02:42.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="10999" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10997" CreationDate="2014-06-11T17:03:45.503" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a water problem, specifically, not enough, evidenced by the browning edges on the leaves and the shrivelled fruits. Once the berries start forming, you need to keep the plant well supplied with water, or the fruit will atrophy on the stem. You say you bought the plant earlier this year, so the fact it's only been planted this year also means it has a higher water requirement. Increase your watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T17:03:45.503" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10996" CreationDate="2014-06-11T17:12:02.600" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless you know you bought a specially grafted plant, blueberries grow on their own roots, which means the sucker problem doesn't happen. A sucker is a shoot that grows from below the graft point on a plant which has been grafted to a different rootstock; the sucker is a shoot from that rootstock, and therefore not desirable because it takes over from the grafted plant on top, above the graft, which you do want. In this case, the new shoots you're seeing are just fresh blueberry growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER: in response to your comment, have a look at where its coming from, that shoot - its probably arising from the roots, because the roots have spread and grown and it's simply throwing up new growth because it can now it's got a larger pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-12T14:01:48.427" LastActivityDate="2014-06-12T14:01:48.427" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11001" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-11T19:07:33.837" Score="4" ViewCount="402" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's this hole I just discovered in the leaf of this otherwise very healthy Cabbage?  I've got yellow insect cards nearby, and beneficial nematodes in the soil, which have collectively done wonders for little flies.  Is this a chance visit from an insect?  A sun or chemical burn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1DD61.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hole I just discovered in the leaf of this otherwise very healthy Cabbage&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hYkQ3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hole I just discovered in the leaf of this otherwise very healthy Cabbage&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3475" LastActivityDate="2014-06-14T04:51:26.690" Title="What's this hole in the Cabbage leaf?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;cabbage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11002" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11001" CreationDate="2014-06-11T19:12:31.670" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a snail or a slug to me... caterpillars are also a common cabbage pest, but they usually start at the edges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T19:12:31.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8149" CreationDate="2014-06-11T22:43:20.143" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Potatoes should be there, since August?  Did you have lots of green growth and flowers? (Red potatoes the flowers are pink, white or gold are white flowers and blue potatoes are blue...).  My ancestors are from Scotland but I've never been and can only imagine a rugged place for growing anything other than heath and potatoes, grin. This is my first place that I've HAD to grow in a heated greenhouse.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting in pots, or bags means that the roots are in jeopardy.  If you'd grown them in the ground I think you'd have better luck.  Since, August 2013?? You should have potatoes, if not, I'd get them going in the ground and protected by a hoop house.  Those little greenhouses won't work.  Even using ROW cloth would be better.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fill me in on the zoning and what your neighbor's are doing.  Planting potatoes in the fall is good for subtropics, otherwise the seed potatoes and above ground potato plants  would freeze.  I've gardened in zones 5 - 6 USDA and wouldn't dream of planting potatoes until just before the last frost in...April, May.  I know that potatoes take up an awful lot of room but I love them so very much I am planting (JUNE) quite a few in my soon-to-be heated greenhouse.  It can freeze any night of the year here.  I don't think you should waste your money on those tiny greenhouses when you could do better with row cloth...let me know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-11T22:43:20.143" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11005" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11048" CreationDate="2014-06-12T01:59:10.777" Score="8" ViewCount="3154" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help me identify this plant.  I live in west-central Maryland.  These guys are growing in a full sun area.  It is about 3' high, stalky, has leafy long, slender, point leaves.  We planted a mixed bag of annual seeds last year in April that were aimed at attracting butterflies, so I'm not sure if I should cut them or leave them. They came up only a couple months ago. Anyone know if these are weeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vRIq6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vRIq6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3565" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-13T02:54:45.177" LastActivityDate="2014-06-16T07:19:12.103" Title="What is this 3ft high, stalky plant, with mid sized narrow leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11006" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11008" CreationDate="2014-06-12T06:55:11.470" Score="4" ViewCount="272" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EDgi1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have any idea what is this plant? Seems native here (Attica, Greece).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="73" LastActivityDate="2014-06-20T01:43:00.160" Title="Plant Identification (greece, attica)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11007" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11074" CreationDate="2014-06-12T10:38:46.603" Score="7" ViewCount="218" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been &lt;a href=&quot;https://pets.stackexchange.com/questions/4407&quot;&gt;involved in an event&lt;/a&gt; where the presumed diagnosis is botulism secondary to ingestion from hay from last year.  In this case the hay is second cutting timothy hay (making it 6 plus months old). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Three pet &lt;a href=&quot;http://rabbit.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;house rabbits&lt;/a&gt; appear to have been effected. with 2 dead and one recovering from a case of descending paralysis.  The three rabbits were widely separated with physical barriers and one being on a different floor.  Each of the dead bunnies has a surviving partner who shared the same space and food with them. All occurrences started within a 36 hour window, with death occurring in 1 - 2 hours after symptom onset. The living bunny started to show recovery (head control) about 5 days after first symptom onset.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Several tests are underway, but my understanding is that it may be difficult to conclusively show either the botulism in the rabbits, or significant presence of 'botulinum toxin' or 'Clostridium botulinum' in the hay (samples from the mangers of affected animals are being tested). I have posted a question at Biology &lt;a href=&quot;https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/19051&quot;&gt;Can botulinum toxin be grown or kept from denaturing in an UNWRAPPED 50 pound hay bale?&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While we are waiting for botulism to be ruled in, out, or unsure, it makes sense to look for other causes as well.  I have searched the web for anything that can cause Descending Paralysis (&lt;em&gt;Head, fore limbs and chest, followed by lower limbs, with recover in order of loss&lt;/em&gt;). Other than botulism and some shell fish toxins (which seem extremely unlikely) there is nothing else suggesting it could impact 3 rabbits as has happened here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We live in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area with our hay coming from a farm a few miles North East. We have been in contact with the vendor and multiple consumers of the hay and there are no other similar occurrences.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking for any plants or applications that could be in timothy hay from the region, that has the neurotoxin symptom 'Descending Paralysis'.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4622" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:59:16.827" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T20:17:55.110" Title="What plants or gardening additives might cause the specific neurotoxin symptom 'Descending Paralysis'?" Tags="&lt;poisons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11008" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11006" CreationDate="2014-06-12T11:00:00.347" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_oil_plant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ricinus communis&lt;/em&gt;, the castor oil or castor bean plant&lt;/a&gt;, - it's not frost hardy, but is indigenous in the mediterranean basin, where it can become treelike, reaching 12 feet or so. The seeds (beans) are crushed to make castor oil; the plant is somewhat toxic if ingested, the most toxic part being the beans themselves, in particular, the residue left after crushing to extract their oil, which contains ricin. Ingesting the beans causes severe vomiting, which usually means the toxin is expelled, though there have been some rare cases of death from ingestion, usually if the beans have been chewed rather than swallowed whole. An interesting plant with a bad reputation, often used as 'dot' ornamental plants here in the UK, where they die as soon as the first frost arrives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note there is no relationship between this plant and Fatsia japonica, which can look similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-20T01:43:00.160" LastActivityDate="2014-06-20T01:43:00.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11005" CreationDate="2014-06-12T11:54:38.320" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may just have to wait for some sort of flower to appear to decide whether you want to keep them or not; I don't know what they are currently, but bear in mind that 'wild flowers' often means 'weeds' in fact. The definition of a weed is a plant growing in the wrong place, but opportunistic weeds are also wild flowers in the sense they grow all by themselves wherever they choose without any human assistance. They may not be ones you want for various reasons, but they are still wild flowers. I'd like to see another pic when a flower does arrive though!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-12T11:54:38.320" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11010" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-12T13:39:16.400" Score="1" ViewCount="254" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a plant that has oval shaped leaves that are thickish and have hair. The edges are jagged cut when the leaves are small and grow less so as the leaf gets bigger. The stem is purple spotted and green. The stem on the two foot stems look like veins instead of spots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4623" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-06-12T15:34:11.227" LastActivityDate="2014-06-12T15:34:11.227" Title="identifing a plant with oval cut edge leaves and purple spotted green stems" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="9" ClosedDate="2014-07-15T13:34:07.503" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3148" CreationDate="2014-06-12T13:57:22.083" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Paper coffee filters do not break down quickly at all.  I've tried different brands: all natural, brown etc.  Those of you say they do have maybe never actually watched a coffee filter in a compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4624" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-12T14:24:17.270" LastActivityDate="2014-06-12T14:24:17.270" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11012" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11014" CreationDate="2014-06-12T19:34:55.620" Score="3" ViewCount="4150" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am seeing lots of small bugs in my compost as shown in the picture below.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PlkqB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture of my compost pile&quot;&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just want to make sure they are the larvae as said  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5011/compost-has-larva-or-maggots&quot;&gt;in this post&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are the larvae, then I've got a problem when they mature.There will be lot of flies that will threaten my garden. Please reply and tell me what these bugs are. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3468" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-06-13T02:37:22.023" Title="Bugs in compost - what are they?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11014" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11012" CreationDate="2014-06-13T02:37:22.023" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calliphoridae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Blowfly&lt;/a&gt; larvae. These are the most common maggot in compost heaps. They will usually appear when the pile is less aerobic than ideal, but will hit almost any compost heap, especially those with raw kitchen scraps or manure added. These will become flies if you don't stop them soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I had this problem, I spread out the pile to 1&quot; deep, on some tarps. They sat in the sun until completely dry. This of course brings the composting process to a standstill, but you can moisten and re-stack the pile after all the maggots are dead. Drying the heap in some way is probably your best option. Be creative.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have chickens, you can spread out your heap in their pen. They will eat out the maggots (free protein supplement), and add valuable manure. Re-stack, and add carbon accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most maggot infestations are caused by a heap which is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;too damp&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;too compacted&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;too large&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;too cold (a good hot heap will kill them)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mostly partially decomposed food scraps or manure&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and others. It could be any combination of these. Composting is complicated and these things happen to almost everyone. If neither of the suggested methods will work for you, and no one else gives input, you may have to wait this one out, and try to create a healthy, active heap which the flies won't lay eggs in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;....................Dirty maggots:............................................Clean maggots:....................&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3iKd5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dirty maggots&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IvFgm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;clean maggots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-13T02:37:22.023" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11016" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-13T18:50:42.040" Score="4" ViewCount="195" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is about 4 ft tall and I have no idea what it is can anyone help me?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qdnm2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Aapws.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4629" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-02T15:33:13.187" LastActivityDate="2014-09-02T15:33:13.187" Title="What is this in my garden" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2014-06-14T01:22:42.260" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11017" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11016" CreationDate="2014-06-13T19:51:51.460" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is Lonicera dioica 'glaucascens' or Wild Honeysuckle. This is actually a rare and endangered in Maine, under concern in Rhode Island. Hummingbirds love this plant. It should have red flowers and red berries, soon. Do you remember the flowers/fruits from last year? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-13T19:51:51.460" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11018" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11021" CreationDate="2014-06-13T20:50:40.657" Score="3" ViewCount="3238" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do I get rid of sand spurs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These suckers pop up all over my lawn around this time of year, and I'm not sure how to get rid of them other than constantly pulling them out. Obviously I can't use a broad-leaf herbicide or anything like that. What can I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wHXMy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4630" LastActivityDate="2016-09-11T20:46:15.037" Title="How do I get rid of sand spurs?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11019" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11001" CreationDate="2014-06-13T21:48:18.640" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a healthy, productive plant.  A few holes, tears or lost leaves won't ruin a plant's vigor. The inside holes are probably slugs, snails or flea beetles. The edges are probably being munched on by rodents, slugs. Plants are built to be rugged, hardy.  If the damage begins to increase, you'll have figured out what to expect and you'll be on top of things.  The cool thing is you are observant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Brassicas are beloved nurseries for flea beetles and root maggots, you should check around the base of the stalk down into the soil for signs of larvae, maggots. These look newly transplanted? Plenty of time to get row cloth, I hope, to keep insects away from plants. Actually, I just went out and got some row cloth to do the same thing. I remembered an old vegetable garden where I'd had huge, gorgeous cabbages/cauliflowers that were great one day and dying the next. What I learned is there's a fly (moth?) that lays its eggs in the dirt around the base of a cabbage or the Brassicas. The larva feed on the roots and it will take weeks to even notice there might be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I try not to run out of row cloth, great stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-06-14T04:51:26.690" LastActivityDate="2014-06-14T04:51:26.690" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11020" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9932" CreationDate="2014-06-13T22:10:47.847" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The moisture is definitely the cause of a recent rain.  I see an incredibly healthy chunk of tree in spite of the canker.  Which is totally normal.  I would like to know where the tree is located, what the top-growth looks like...and where the bark/root boundary line has been placed.  Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about your tree. Your vigilance has paid off. Still, having an expert look at it in its environment could buy your tree decades of life.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-13T22:10:47.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11021" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11018" CreationDate="2014-06-13T23:16:12.383" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is the seedhead of a sedge. You can control them with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fmcprosolutions.com/Portals/pest/Content/Docs/Labels/Dismiss%20CA%20Turf%20Herbicide%2011-01-12R%20Comm.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dismiss,&lt;/a&gt; a post-emergent selective herbicide with the active ingredient &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfentrazone&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sulfentrazone,&lt;/a&gt; which is compatible with the following lawn grasses:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zoisiagrass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Perennial Ryegrass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tall Fescue&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Centipedegrass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kentucky Bluegrass &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bermudagrass,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Creeping Bentgrass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bahia Grass &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or you can use &lt;a href=&quot;http://betterturf.basf.us/products/basagran-t-o-herbicide.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Basagran T/O,&lt;/a&gt; another good post-emergent, that has the active ingredient &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentazon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bentazon.&lt;/a&gt; This is compatible with the following grasses:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zoisiagrass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Perennial Ryegrass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tall Fescue&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Centipedegrass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kentucky Bluegrass &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bermudagrass,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Creeping Bentgrass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;St. Augustinegrass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bahia Grass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use as directed on the product label. I would suggest not using these if you are near a body of water, to avoid contamination. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also use a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glufosinate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;glufosinate&lt;/a&gt; based herbicide, to spot shoot plants in your lawn. This may leave a dead spots in you lawn, but will use much less chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-11T20:46:15.037" LastActivityDate="2016-09-11T20:46:15.037" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11022" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-13T23:42:23.823" Score="5" ViewCount="553" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've gotten into gardening recently and I have a lot of herbs and small plants on my balcony. I have a cabin about a 30 minute drive away with a decent amount of land. I was thinking about building some raised beds there and growing some vegetables. The only real issue is that I live in &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.odla.nu/inspiration/sveriges-odlingszoner&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sweden's Zone VI&lt;/a&gt;. Snow usually comes in late November/early December, and it usually melts in April/May. Bearing that in mind, am I too late to start growing vegetables this year? Should I wait until next year and get a head start on it then? It feels a bit depressing to wait, but at the same time, spending money and time pointlessly would feel bad too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="801" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-16T21:06:48.560" LastActivityDate="2016-03-16T21:06:48.560" Title="Is June too late to start growing vegetables in a northern/cold climate?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;&lt;climate&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11023" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11026" CreationDate="2014-06-14T00:03:03.957" Score="5" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;On a whim, I bought a pair of plants for my container garden. They were labelled raspberry and blackberry; however, I'm not certain about the blackberry plant. The blackberry that used to grow by my old house looked a lot more like the raspberry than the blackberry I just bought:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1aFyV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Now that I look at it again that's a terrible photo. I can take a better one if you want.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously that raspberry plant is going to want a trellis, and they'll both need bigger pots. But will the blackberry also want a trellis? Or will it grow into more of a bush shape?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="744" LastActivityDate="2014-06-15T00:18:16.037" Title="What will this blackberry need?" Tags="&lt;blackberry&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11024" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11016" CreationDate="2014-06-14T00:03:19.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As @NiallC guessed, this is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_lathyris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Caper Spurge, &lt;em&gt;Euphorbia lathyris&lt;/em&gt;,&lt;/a&gt; an invasive weed in many areas. I thought it was an annual, but apparently this is a biennial plant. It will grow in zones 5-9. All parts of the plant are poisonous, and handling may cause skin irritations. Care must be taken during removal. It should pull out fairly easily, but you can dig it out if your soil is hard and/or rocky. If the plant has mature seeds, do not add to a composting system unless it is very hot.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p5dMi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZXa1Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-15T00:16:03.200" LastActivityDate="2014-06-15T00:16:03.200" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11025" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11022" CreationDate="2014-06-14T00:22:48.170" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many of the brassica group will work. Late cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts can be direct seeded in early summer for a fall crop. I sometimes use bush beans, because they mature so fast. Root crops like beets, carrots, and turnips can be started now for fall use/storage. Even earlivee sweet corn will crop in 55 days. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are so many of these, you shouldn't have any trouble growing several good crops before winter. Just be sure the seeds are kept constantly moist, and use some kind of shade on the cool season seedlings during hot weather.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-14T00:22:48.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11023" CreationDate="2014-06-14T00:40:41.310" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you plant them, be sure that they are no deeper than they were before. Use a porous, well drained potting mix, and water deeply. The blackberry is going to need a trellis, as well as the raspberry. You should use no less than 25 gallons of soil for each plant in the permanent container, but you can gradually get there if you want, by repotting into a pot one size larger every couple months during the growing season until you reach full size. You should also fertilize every other week with a balanced fruit and flower fertilizer (like 12-14-10).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-15T00:18:16.037" LastActivityDate="2014-06-15T00:18:16.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11027" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11007" CreationDate="2014-06-14T01:06:53.117" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my former life growing up on a cow and a half dairy, having hay get damp is a major worry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the issues is mycotoxins from mold. Damped hay can be lethal to any animal that eats it and hazardous to humans that breath in the mold dust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2014-06-14T01:06:53.117" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11028" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4406" CreationDate="2014-06-14T01:09:17.733" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In this context, I use &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oryzalin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;oryzalin,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benfluralin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;benfluralin&lt;/a&gt;, or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dithiopyr&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;dithiopyr&lt;/a&gt; based pre-emergent herbicides. Use according to the instructions on the product label, and be aware of possible contamination of groundwater.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-14T01:09:17.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11029" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4814" CreationDate="2014-06-14T01:16:31.390" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Composting wood matter is broken down best by fungal activity. If you were to peel up that mulch, you would see hyphal growth that has consolidated into mycellium (white threadlike strands). It liberates nutrients from the wood mulch and feeds it to the surrounding plants, eventually producing short-lived fruiting bodies (puffballs, toad stools, etc.). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nothing to worry about unless you've managed to keep things too damp, at which point, its the dampness, not the fungi that are the issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I currently have a mass of it in the half whiskey barrel I grow my peppers in. Due to the compost, earth and chicken mulch (composted chicken manure and wood mulch), I have a mass of them growing under the grass straw I mulch with. They'll be gone in about 5 days and have had no effect on the Anaheims and Passillas growing in the tub.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-06-14T06:33:01.300" LastActivityDate="2014-06-14T06:33:01.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11030" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7761" CreationDate="2014-06-14T10:27:02.433" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I realize this is an old discussion but I feel the need to chime in for the &#xA;sake of others who find this the way I did. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been mentioned but not strongly enough: ornamental lawns are not natural. Comparing the growth of Kentucky Blue Grass to the patterns of grasslands and forests across a continent is ridiculous, especially from someone so insistent on empirical evidence. I can provide links to all sorts of empirical evidence about the negative health affects of smoking, the growing gulf in income inequality, and price sensitivity across different demographics, but none of that is relevant to your lawn. And neither are oak trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only evidence you need is to compare regions where no irrigation is needed to maintain a healthy ornamental lawn, along with the precipitation patterns there (and taking into account typical soil conditions). Having been raised in the West where knowing how to build and maintain an in-ground PVC irrigation system is all but prerequisite to home ownership, and later living in New York (Hudson River valley) and South Carolina, I was amazed to see that almost no one in those areas have sprinklers for their lawns. Home stores don't have whole aisles dedicated to the various parts needed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And they get DEEP, infrequent watering from nature. It can rain for two weeks without stopping. Then it can go a month without raining more than a momentary drizzle. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My neighbor waters his lawn for 5 or 10 minutes EVERY MORNING &quot;so the soil doesn't dry out&quot;. His lawn looks like crap. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is that you are interpreting &quot;frequent&quot; as meaning twice a week, or maybe more. What every university with an agricultural department advises is &quot;infrequent&quot; watering meaning once or twice per week in most interpretations. They are advising you to not water every day. But because they say infrequent and twice a week feels frequent to you, you're certain they're wrong. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What a bizarre way of looking for an argument, determined to go against the grain when it turns out you're just not very good at reading the grain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4632" LastActivityDate="2014-06-14T10:27:02.433" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11031" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11040" CreationDate="2014-06-14T16:30:47.047" Score="5" ViewCount="798" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know this is an odd one, but I know there is a special word that horticulturists use to describe soil that is so arid that it resists water.  So, when it rains, the water initially rushes off of the soil rather than soaking in; counter intuitive to what you would expect.  Please help me remember this word.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3565" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-14T17:13:45.657" LastActivityDate="2019-03-19T11:48:40.933" Title="What is the scientific term that describes soil that resists water?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11032" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11031" CreationDate="2014-06-14T17:13:12.713" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrophobic_soil&quot;&gt;Hydrophobic soils&lt;/a&gt; repel water or absorb it weakly. The opposite term is hydrophilic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2014-06-14T17:13:12.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11033" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9339" CreationDate="2014-06-14T19:50:54.077" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where I used to live everyone did Leyland Cypress.  The are fast but not as dense when young as I would have liked.  I found Thuya plicata 'virescens'. They provided screening instantly at 8'.  They are a variety of our Western Cedar that grows more narrow and yet very dense, very dark green.  They are much better in the wind than the Leyland oddly enough. In 5 years they were 15' and 5' to 7' wide some as close as 5-6' apart.  I never had to shear them and they stayed dense to the ground.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try not doing a straight line.  I like to offset them from each other, grouping them in a more natural-looking way.  If one dies, no one will be the wiser.  I even like getting a few smaller trees to mix as well as a few understory, deciduous trees such as Serviceberry or Elderberry (the dark purple was gorgeous)! Birds loved these trees. Don't stake your trees if you can possibly help it.  They will grow faster and stronger if you don't stake them. Try to dig up the whole bed you will be using for plants.  If you are removing grass for this bed use it to form the foundation of your bed just stack the chunks upside down and top with 6-8&quot; or more of good topsoil.  Plan it so that the rootballs of your plants sit on undisturbed soil and keep soil away from the bark of the tree.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-14T19:50:54.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11034" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11031" CreationDate="2014-06-14T20:03:50.533" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Impermeable soil... Meaning water can't flow through it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4634" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-15T00:21:11.253" LastActivityDate="2014-06-15T00:21:11.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11035" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9347" CreationDate="2014-06-15T00:44:09.117" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're right about this one spreading horizontally fast, so even though it's not necessary, you can go very wide with your pot. But to answer the question, you can get away with 1' deep (about 7.5 gallons per square foot) pots/planters. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is pretty deep, but necessary because this is a deep-rooted plant and shouldn't get too root-bound. Also, use very light, gritty, well-drained soil or mix, to simulate natural habitat. This will automatically lighten your pot (for moving in and out of the house). Of course, you will know to choose a lightweight container to begin with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on your house entrance and container choice, you can install castors on the base of the container to make it easier to move. I don't think it will be a big deal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-15T00:44:09.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11036" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9596" CreationDate="2014-06-15T01:50:06.733" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's called hydroponics. There are many sites that will help with installation plans/instructions &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homehydrosystems.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;(example 1,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hydroponics.eu/hydroponics-grow-room-setup_28-146.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;2,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Setup-and-Run-a-Hydroponics-System/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;3,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Homemade-Hydroponics-System&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;4)&lt;/a&gt;. There are may kinds of hydroponic setups, and you can choose the one that seems most suitable to your needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll need a reservoir for the water, submersible nutrient pump, timers (for lighting and possibly pump), nutrient delivery system, plant tray or pipe, water source, air pump, mounting hardware, piping, electricity source, and of course a lighting system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your only turn-off from indoor gardening with soil is the insects, you still have options there. For instance, you can sterilize your garden soil in an oven, or buy a sterile bagged soil/mix. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-15T01:50:06.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11037" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11039" CreationDate="2014-06-15T02:24:35.727" Score="6" ViewCount="1094" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been reading and watching planting techniques. Many people place fertilizer at the bottom of the planting hole before putting in the plant. The first example is from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/osmocote-outdoor-indoor-plant-food/prod70362/&quot;&gt;Osmocote's fertilizer instructions&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;When transplanting annuals from flats or when re-potting, mix into the&#xA;  soil and growing media at the bottom of the hole before planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second example is from this &lt;a href=&quot;http://youtu.be/vLlzI4SfzNE&quot;&gt;guy's guava planting video&lt;/a&gt;. He chucks a frozen cut of fish into the hole. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I always thought that nutrients would flow downward. Water can dissolve nutrients, and since water flows downward, the nutrients go along with it. So why then would one place fertilizer at the bottom of the planting hole? There's a chance that the roots can grow so fast that it can chase after the nutrients that are flowing downward, but why take that chance? Why not place nutrients at the top of the soil so it drains down into the roots? Unless, of course, nutrients can flow upward. Is that possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-15T03:38:00.497" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T11:08:12.463" Title="Do nutrients always flow downward in soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11038" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11046" CreationDate="2014-06-15T02:33:42.713" Score="4" ViewCount="133" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're a variety called 'yard long' I think. Could somebody confirm or let me know what else it could be? What's the best way to treat them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been a pretty wet spring. We're in zone 3/4.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oops - here are the images: &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://m.imgur.com/nqFAWkf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://m.imgur.com/nqFAWkf&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://m.imgur.com/cO3kXF5&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://m.imgur.com/cO3kXF5&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3541" LastEditorUserId="3541" LastEditDate="2014-06-15T07:30:19.217" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T01:53:46.993" Title="My bean plants appear to have rust" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11039" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11037" CreationDate="2014-06-15T04:17:06.247" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capillary_action&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;capillary action&lt;/a&gt; or wicking. The passages between soil particles are usually narrow enough to support this (if they weren't, you really couldn't call it soil). The water in the soil does flow downward during rainstorms or watering, but a lot is pulled back up during dry spells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally you do want to fertilize from the top, because nutrients do tend to spread out more evenly in the soil that way. I usually mix a weak slow release fertilizer with the fill dirt when planting things, so I don't have to worry about nutrient leaching so much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, from the Osmocote's fertilizer instructions, they were talking about planting annuals. These have such small root balls at planting time that the fertilizer at the bottom of the hole is usually quite near the surface, and the plants will quickly put out lots of new roots into the fertilized soil, utilizing it quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From: &quot;The second example is from this &lt;a href=&quot;http://youtu.be/vLlzI4SfzNE&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;guy's guava planting video&lt;/a&gt;. He chucks in a frozen cut of fish into the hole.&quot; This has to do mostly with convenience, and sanitary reasons. You do not want rotting fish on top of your soil or very near the surface for several reasons: 1) It would smell strongly of rotted fish. 2) This would attract flies and other insects that can carry harmful bacteria. 3) Wild and domestic animals will tent to eat this type of fertilizer. 4) as the proteins break down, more of the soluble nitrates that form will evaporate into the atmosphere. There are possibly more. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizing at the bottom of the planting hole on larger trees/shrubs is used by many people to encourage deeper root growth. I personally don't think it works as well as top-dressing methods, but I can't find any evidence to prove this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-16T04:20:10.393" LastActivityDate="2014-06-16T04:20:10.393" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11040" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11031" CreationDate="2014-06-15T05:20:12.940" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe the word you're looking for is &quot;dessicated,&quot; which is the term used to describe soil such as this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gEsnW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;photo of clay-rich soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4636" LastActivityDate="2014-06-15T05:20:12.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9686" CreationDate="2014-06-15T13:21:49.477" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hmm, well Phil Hawthorn, Greenthumb are really being pathetic! Couch grass in lawns is not a problem - stolons within lawn grass will die out within a year with regular lawn maintenance and cutting, so if yours is being cut frequently, and you've not had couch grass before, it won't be that. It's more likely something like Yorkshire Fog - it doesn't look like annual meadow grass, but there are other coarse leaved weed grasses that might have invaded. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Greenthumb should know how to treat these - you either dig out the clumps and reseed the patches, particularly if they are isolated, or slash into the stolons with a sharp knife before cutting. The other advice is to rake up the grass foliage, so it's standing up properly before mowing, and change the direction of the cut at each mowing. If Greenthumb suggests this is some kind of annual grass, then a grass box should be used, or all clippings collected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-15T13:21:49.477" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11037" CreationDate="2014-06-15T13:32:20.753" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are right, fertilisers are taken down into the soil by water, but there is a reason why you put fertiliser in the planting hole. Whenever I plant permanent items such as shrubs and herbaceous perennials, I always put the fertiliser I'm using in the planting hole, usually mixed with the soil at the bottom, and add some to the back fill soil I'll be replacing in a minute. I may also be mixing in humus rich organic material with the back fill soil too, though more usually this has been added when prior digging has taken place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's a good reason why this is done; nutrients in the fertiliser are taken up by roots, once they're wet - a granular fertiliser such as Growmore takes 6 weeks to break down completely, which means the plant's roots can access the nutrients more readily whilst they're spreading out and down into the soil, without waiting for fertiliser to percolate down from above. Placing fertiliser in the planting hole is the quickest way to allow your new planting to access nutrients whilst they get established, and it's the only time you'll be able to do that. Future applications of fertiliser, naturally, will be forked or raked into the topsoil around plants, and plants are then reliant on its percolating into the ground to reach the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The exception to this is planting in autumn/fall, when you don't really want to encourage plants to grow too rapidly by adding chemical fertilisers, to avoid the risk of sappy new growth which won't have time to harden off before winter sets in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for planting annuals, that's the one time I don't worry too much about adding fertiliser in the planting hole - most annuals are rabid growers anyway, a lot prefer poorer soil, and summer bedding type planting will be receiving a higher potassium feed than shrubs and other planting, often in soluble form. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I watched the guava planting video with interest, I'd heard of this practice but never seen it being done. He's put a fish in the bottom, presumably some that's been in the freezer too long or is out of date, because it will rot down quickly, and in the process provide a fairly quick shot of organic fertiliser to the roots, in the same way that chemical fertilisers would. Better than inorganic fertiliser, because it is humus material, which increases biodiversity in the soil, which in turn makes your plants better able to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-17T11:08:12.463" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T11:08:12.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11043" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="718" CreationDate="2014-06-15T17:40:09.927" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Out of ten seeds I have succesfully managed to grow 3 Trinidad Scorpion peppers plants &quot;the hottest chilli in the world&quot;, not bad considering I live in England. I started them off in the greenhouse in spring and moved them to the windowsill indoors in the winter. I don't give them plenty of water; I just make the soil moist. After a couple of months I feed them a little tomato grow in water. They are now about 3 feet tall. I hope that has helped a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4638" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-15T18:15:49.027" LastActivityDate="2014-06-15T18:15:49.027" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11044" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11065" CreationDate="2014-06-15T23:47:13.667" Score="6" ViewCount="247" Body="&lt;p&gt;I currently live in southern Massachusetts. When an apple tree in my backyard blossoms and the little apples begin to show, they all disappear and begin to fall on the ground. FYI, there are also inch-worms all over the tree. Why is this happening? What can I do to prevent it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;EDIT:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is about 6 years old and it has full sunlight, about 8 hours from morning (6 am) until late afternoon (4 PM). We have 3 of these trees and all these trees are in the same condition. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Pictures:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Full Image&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uUWkY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full Tree Image&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image of leaves&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AeJqw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The result of some-type of insect (probably inchworms):&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bzhbi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4639" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-17T01:31:44.227" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T01:31:44.227" Title="Why does my apple tree not bear fruit?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11046" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11038" CreationDate="2014-06-16T04:00:53.993" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many of the spots are actually just soil on the leaves, or places where the dirt sat too long, and killed a small portion of leaf. The soil is probably from splashing off the ground during rain. The soil dissipates throughout a droplet, then settles in a layer where the droplet was after drying off. The dirt should come off easily with a light rinse with ambient purified water. Also, cleaning the leaf undersides usually has more effect toward increasing plant health, because lots more dirt gets splashed on there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Real bean rust is easy to see, as it invariably develops a yellow patch around each infection. Here are some photos to compare against:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/43sV5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wp66C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plants actually look fairly healthy, and if you keep a good eye on them and catch disease early, you should get a good crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T01:53:46.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11047" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-16T06:10:27.277" Score="0" ViewCount="219" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this image&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HGOcY.jpg&quot; height=&quot;525&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am wondering what the flower is that's just above the groom's left breast (her left) and if the greenery with it is native to the flower (ie. if you cultivated the flower or found it in the wild, you'd see that greenery)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm also curious of the other flowers as at the moment i'm assuming the bride has roses on her dress and veil and the bouquet is made us of the same flower as what the groom has but i'm fine in just knowing the groom's flower&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4641" LastActivityDate="2014-06-16T12:01:53.750" Title="What is the flower just above the groom's left breast?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2014-09-03T03:31:32.437" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11048" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11005" CreationDate="2014-06-16T07:19:12.103" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure looks like goldenrod to me considering the leaf structure, dispersion of the leaves, and the fact that it looks like it may have spread from rhizomes&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://joebartok.blogspot.com/2011/09/getting-grip-on-goldenrods.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://joebartok.blogspot.com/2011/09/getting-grip-on-goldenrods.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They grow well in most parts of Maryland. They are easy to start from scattered seed, and also attract butterflies.  If they did come from your seed packet, they could still be mixed in with annual seeds even if they are perennials.  They could also have easily grown as weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3561" LastActivityDate="2014-06-16T07:19:12.103" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11049" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11047" CreationDate="2014-06-16T11:17:16.637" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll take a guesstimate by making some cultural assumptions seeing as this is not a picture of a real flower but an artist's rendering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilium_candidum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;madonna lily&lt;/a&gt; is claimed to be one of the oldest garden flowers from the Mediterranean area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the early days of Christianity it was dedicated by the Church to&#xA;the Madonna (hence its popular name), probably because its delicate&#xA;whiteness was considered a symbol of purity. It is employed on the 2nd&#xA;July, in connection with the celebration of the Visitation of the&#xA;Blessed Virgin&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/l/lilmad24.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c6DUo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;madonna lily courtesy of wikimedia.org&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what the other small flowers in the bouquet are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-06-16T11:17:16.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11047" CreationDate="2014-06-16T12:01:53.750" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Kevinsky, the Madonna lily is probably the model for this stylized flower - but in practice, you'd never use any kind of Lilium flower in a buttonhole unless you'd removed the pollen bearing stamens (unlikely anyone would bother) because the pollen stains clothing. If you look closely, the flowers in the bride's bouquet cannot be the same as the groom's flower because they have six petals, and the groom's only five, so botanically (if this were actually real and not an imagined flower) they wouldn't be the same flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-16T12:01:53.750" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11053" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11055" CreationDate="2014-06-16T14:25:27.417" Score="7" ViewCount="6535" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbor has a garden with plenty of nettles, and they're growing through my fence right where the kids' sandbox is. It must sadly be noted that the neighbor is only renting the place and doesn't give a damn, she won't lift a finger in the garden for any reason, so there's no point in discussing it with her. The whole place is very dilapidated, but at least the fence is mine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I effectively prevent this sort of creeping attack and get rid of any nettles permanently?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The solution doesn't need to be particularly organic, and it would be great if there's something I can throw over the fence too*.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;*I mean throw something against the nettles. Something at the neighbor is probably off-topic here :-)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="453" LastEditorUserId="9745" LastEditDate="2015-03-06T14:06:35.313" LastActivityDate="2015-03-06T14:06:35.313" Title="How can I prevent nettles creeping through my fence?" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9686" CreationDate="2014-06-16T15:01:36.297" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think that is crabgrass.  I think it is quackgrass.  A nightmare.  The more you read about it, the more it will frighten you.  Does the grass have the telltale auricles at the base of the leaf?  I believe Bamboo may have it right; it may be called couch grass is some areas as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/shYX8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a large patch I am battling.  Luckily it is isolated to an area surrounded by the street and the sidewalk.  The rhizomes are popping up through the asphalt!  Most landscapers will use Roundup several times and just scorch that area of the grass and repeat until they have exhausted the plants underground reserves.  Do not till it.  Every piece can become a new plant.  I am currently using &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greencastonline.com/tenacityherbicide/index.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tenacity&lt;/a&gt; to kill mine.  It is doing an amazing job.  I am year two into the war and now I think I am finally seeing the end.  Every generation that comes back up is weaker and smaller.  Of all weeds, this has proven to be a worth adversary; fun battle but stressful at first. Tenacity is the only herbicide I have found that will kill it but not my desired turf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastEditorUserId="2174" LastEditDate="2014-06-17T13:12:23.843" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T13:12:23.843" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11055" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11053" CreationDate="2014-06-16T15:10:20.510" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know what the rules are where you live, but in the UK, we're allowed to cut back and remove anything growing over our boundaries, but it is illegal to treat, damage or pull out any planting outside of our boundaries, so you might want to check where you stand, since your neighbour may well be the type to cause trouble if you're caught mucking about with their 'plants'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, I'd try a strong salt solution - mix a couple of tablespoonfuls of cooking salt or table salt in 2 or 3 litres of warm water, and water on to the base of the plants nearest your fence, and only those nearest. Then clip back anything that's poking through the fence currently. The salt should kill the nettles you apply it to, and prevent anything else growing for some time, because salt in the soil is toxic to most plants. Otherwise, spray with glyphosate - this should kill the nettles after a few treatments, but won't prevent eventual regrowth. Keep your children away from the area until the spray has dried. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE (in response to Slim's comment): Yep, you're right, and salt isn't usually ever something I'd recommend except possibly on a small area of waste ground. I have tried it once, just to see what happened, in a planted area, by applying it only to one plant, at the base. It killed that plant, but none of the others was affected, so I think you'd have to pretty much broadcast the salt solution to completely poison the soil in an area. I didn't, though, risk planting that spot again till the following spring, so around 5 months and a lot of rain later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also just want to add, I've only said that's what I'd do in these circumstances - what Torben actually does is his choice (just in case any legal issues arise!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-16T15:59:45.170" LastActivityDate="2014-06-16T15:59:45.170" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11056" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-16T15:25:04.277" Score="10" ViewCount="687" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have noticed a few toads in my garden, and would like to encourage them - they're welcome to my slugs. So I thought it might be nice to create a small pond.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However I don't want it to dominate the garden and I don't have all that much room. What's the smallest practical size for a pond to be attractive to wildlife?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in the British Midlands, so we get a couple of freezing weeks in a typical winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2444" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T00:13:10.373" Title="Smallest practical garden pond" Tags="&lt;pond&gt;&lt;wildlife&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11056" CreationDate="2014-06-16T16:30:03.100" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can attest from personal experience that if you build it, they will come.  Just not necessarily who you might expect...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Practically speaking the smaller the pond the more maintenance you have to do. Some of the factors that are in play:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;small ponds heat up and cool down faster due a smaller volume of water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;small ponds tend to go &quot;green&quot; with algae faster in the summer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;all the same requirements of a larger size pond: moving water, a pump, an electrical source&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In colder climates the shallower the pond the more likely it will freeze solid killing most fish and some amphibians&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For toads&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they do not require water to drink, only to breed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a suitable pond will have shallow edges to make it easy to get into to.  Half barrels or raised containers are not suitable&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when toads or frogs lay eggs they do not protect them. If you have fish in the pond, like a goldfish, it will eat the eggs before they spawn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are very tight on space and would like to have something enticing for animals you could do so with a seasonal pond or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fosc.org/VernalPool.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;vernal pool&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Find a low area in your garden &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dig out shallow area, say thirty to sixty cm deep&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;line with EPDM food grade pond liner, 60 millimeter thick is preferred, 45 mil will do&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;edge with flat stone. For a leak free experience place one layer of stone on the edge of the liner and then fold the liner over on top. Place a second layer of stone on top to hide the liner.  The &quot;U&quot; shape will prevent water loss by &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capillary_action&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;capillary action&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;divert downspout water into this area with piping or shallow trenches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fill partway with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_rock&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lava rock&lt;/a&gt;(often sold for barbeques) or &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00CE0M7EQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bio balls&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;then put some landscape fabric down and a mixture of organic matter and sphagnum moss&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant with bog plants or other water loving plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By doing this you will have an open water area in the spring when amphibians need somewhere to lay eggs.  If it dries out in the summer, no problems and no home for mosquitoes&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: corrected recommended liner thickness to millimeter. Thanks @jmusser&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-06-17T00:13:10.373" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T00:13:10.373" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11058" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11056" CreationDate="2014-06-16T16:41:32.147" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just read on one wildlife site that the smallest pond that will be attractive and the most successful to amphibians to lay their spawn will be 6 feet by 6 feet. They may sometimes place their spawn in small water features if that's all there is, but the spawn doesn't usually mature successfully because its too exposed and gets eaten. Even frogs don't stay in the pond all summer - they leave and lurk about in damp places in the garden, returning to spawn, like toads do. Frogs, though, may try to overwinter in the silt at the bottom of a pond. All amphibians will prefer still water to lay their spawn too, so no pump or anything that moves the water, which means you'll need aerating aquatic plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, Kevinsky's answer covers the rest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-16T16:41:32.147" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11059" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11053" CreationDate="2014-06-16T18:41:58.723" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to avoid of putting anything on their side of the fence, just start spraying all the vegetation that pokes through to your side with glyphosate, or a similar weed/grass killer.  It will, over time, damage the roots enough that the plants will not come back.  Spraying the tops with this will take 3-8 weeks before the chemical works through to the roots, but it will ultimately kill the root as well, and so may not require more than one long treatment per season to cut them back far enough for your needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option is to put landscape cloth or a similar impermeable membrane along the fenceline to keep the nettles on their side of the fence.  Once a month cut down anything close to the fence that could start hanging over it.  This would prevent having to use any chemicals, while reducing exposure.  If you bury the cloth along the fenceline, you may be able to discourage growth right next to the fence since they require a strong, large root system to grow to a significant height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, check your deed.  In many places fences must be built completely on one property, rather than right at the property line.  It could be that you own a foot on the outside of your fence, meaning you could treat that foot legally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4643" LastActivityDate="2014-06-16T18:41:58.723" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11060" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9684" CreationDate="2014-06-16T19:31:00.683" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is an asparagus fern, possibly &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iewf.org/weedid/Asparagus_aethiopicus.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Asparagus aethiopicus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (often confused with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus_densiflorus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Asparagus densiflorus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), though I wouldn't be surprised if it was another less documented species. Shatavari (शतावरी), &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus_racemosus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Asparagus racemosus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, is a common asparagus fern in India. It is also a likely species.  Accoring to wikipedia and inherent in the name Shatawari, the plant is used as herbal medicine. Asparagus ferns are not true ferns but are closely related to the asparagus we eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3561" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-21T01:10:40.890" LastActivityDate="2014-06-21T01:10:40.890" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11061" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4778" CreationDate="2014-06-16T20:29:25.523" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Artichokes are large and grow fast.  It appears in your photo that there are more than one plant in a pot? Are these just side shoots from one plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They can grow fine in a 10 gallon pot as an annual. If you live a zone (8-11 USDA) where the temperature never goes below 14 degrees F during the winter you can grow them out in the garden as a perennial.  The first year, you won't get buds. For winter cut them off a foot above ground and cover with organic mulch. To be extra careful, place an inverted basket over the top and more mulch...even a little blanket of burlap would work with mulch below and above it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first year, grown as a perennial they don't usually produce any buds.  The second you'll see buds in late summer and fall. They'll grow to 4' and be 5-6' wide and last up to 5 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In colder regions zones 5-7 and sometimes 4, you can get artichokes to make buds the first year by giving them 'the cold treatment'.  (Or find Imperial Star made to be grown as an annual in these zones)...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When your plants are around 6 weeks old, keep them between 35 degrees F to 50 degrees F for at least 250 continuous hours or 10 1/2 days.  If you can't keep below 50 degrees on some days just continue the cold treatment for 4-6 more weeks. It is easier to put them out in a cold frame, at least 6 weeks before last frost, opening the top during the day.&#xA;If the soil temperatures are 60 degrees and all chance of frost is past they should be planted out in the garden...minimum of 2' apart, best is 4' apart. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your soil should be rich with decomposed organic matter.  Use a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10. I continually top dress with decomposed organic matter (compost), use fish fertilizer about once a month.  I never allow my plants to dry out too much between watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As soon as a bud (usually the main terminal bud) is ready to eat, cut it off with a knife at the base.  This encourages other buds to form and/or ripen.  Keep harvesting as soon as a bud is ready to eat.  Artichokes can produce up to 5 years as a perennial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They require lots of water, soil that drains very well, a slightly more alkaline pH 6.5 - 8.0, regular applications of organic fertilizer, lots of room to grow, protection during the winters and vigilant harvesting for a good crop (4-7 buds is good).  I like to allow the last bud to flower before the first frost...stunning purple-blue flower that is great as a cut flower, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-16T20:29:25.523" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11062" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-16T22:15:41.917" Score="3" ViewCount="491" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most of them are coming back. 12 out of 15. Will these produce this year if I can keep them from freezing again?  They've been babied in a heated greenhouse ever since.  I know I'll have to harden them off before going into my unheated greenhouse but hate to spend anymore time or room on them if they won't produce well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll plant these tomatoes on the southside of my greenhouse where they can get direct sunlight when I pull the plastic up.  These particular tomatoes are the regular garden varieties, not meant to be grown in greenhouses.  Another reason I'm worried I'm wasting space...or would it be better to keep them in pots and just move in and out of the greenhouse to be able to get sunlight? And wait until my hothouse tomatoes come in the mail to be planted in my main greenhouse?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5tWxu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tomato plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-06-17T22:02:41.343" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T23:18:03.637" Title="My tomatoes got hit by a freeze" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-09-01T02:38:04.410" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11063" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11064" CreationDate="2014-06-16T22:20:10.930" Score="5" ViewCount="2045" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a dwarf white pine that suffered a fair bit of winter burn this last hard winter.  My horticulture courses said you could trim white pines for hedges.  I would just like to trim once for shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What will taking a pair of hedge shears do the eventual look and shape of a white pine?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I trim it once do I have to keep trimming it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-06-16T23:12:25.013" Title="Can white pines be sheared or trimmed?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11064" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11063" CreationDate="2014-06-16T23:12:25.013" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the burned branches are completely dead, your first step is to cut out the dead parts. Keep in mind that white pines do not regrow from old wood, so even if the base of a dead branch/branchlet is alive, you should cut it back to the next growing part (trunk, branch).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next step is the shearing. Be aware of where viable growth buds are located and do not cut back behind these, even if there are needles. There are usually a group of growth buds at the base of the current seasons growth. Cut the new growth halfway back if there are buds halfway up the new stems (there should be). Do not cut into the previous seasons growth, unless there is a very long, unbalanced shoot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is a specimen plant, I would do it with hand pruners rather than shears. This takes longer, but does a better, more accurate job and does not damage the needles. Also, if this is a one-time shaping, shearing won't be quite as attractive eventually, as the growth will all thicken at the same point, looking unnatural. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With hand pruners, you can make the cuts at varying points for a more natural look initially and in the long run. Now if you prefer the look of a formally sheared tree, you will want to shear it every year, to keep the tree looking good. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shearing should be done as soon as the newest growth is finished growing, before it hardens. Natural pruning is often done in two stages: Cutting out poorly placed candles in spring before they mature, and then after they are hardened, cutting back the remaining growth to the desired look, again, keeping in mind where next seasons growth is coming from. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are pictures of sheared versus naturally pruned white pines:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8wIax.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wYXhB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-16T23:12:25.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11065" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11044" CreationDate="2014-06-17T01:31:11.817" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears that your apple trees are getting too much nitrogen. Apple trees always prioritize what to do with their available nutrients, and too much nitrogen causes them to abort fruit crops in order to put out new growth with the nitrogen excess. Also, the unbalance caused by the nitrogen excess makes the tree put most of the other available nutrients (Potassium, Phosphorus, and the micronutrients) into the new growth. This also discourages fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also noted that your trees have never been properly pruned. The tree is very dense in the center where all the fruiting spurs are. Apples don't like growing in the dark. If you don't feel confident pruning your tree, maybe you could consider hiring a professional. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Putting a mulch of high carbon material soaks up nitrogen, especially if it has lots of surface area (like sawdust). Keep in mind the acidifying nature of many of these materials. When you fertilize, use a no-nitrogen fertilizer, like 0-21-15, that has a lot of potassium in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you prune it properly next winter, mulch, fertilize carefully, and keep an eye out for disease, you should meet with more success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see only minor damage from the inch-worms. You can spray with carbaryl if you think they will become an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T01:31:11.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11066" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9141" CreationDate="2014-06-17T03:13:59.770" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it hasn't put out any new growth by this time, the plant is probably dead. You may have let it get too dry during the dormant period, or the plant may have been too warm. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants like a climate change to go along with dormancy. The pot should have been kept at 45-55 degrees Fahrenheit until spring. These can be tricky to get from one season to the next in climates where it is necessary to bring them inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most people take cuttings or air-layer new growth to start new plants for the next year. The new plants grow slowly as houseplants all winter until planting out again in spring. This ensures new plants each year without having to worry about the old ones coming out of dormancy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have found that it is simplest to go with one of the older heirloom species of annual morning glories, and save seeds each year for the next seasons plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-01T01:16:08.400" LastActivityDate="2014-08-01T01:16:08.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11067" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-17T16:46:23.760" Score="7" ViewCount="4079" Body="&lt;p&gt;I still like my arugula, kale and some lettuce varieties after they are bolting.  A friend told me that those plants produce toxins when they bolt in order to ward off insects, and that we should never eat them.  Does anyone know about the truth of this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4650" LastActivityDate="2014-06-25T20:21:31.113" Title="Do bolting vegetables produce a toxin?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="718" CreationDate="2014-06-17T17:04:01.940" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Around here, we have high calcium soil, and the peppers take forever to get going unless I add magnesium. Epsom salts are cheap, and the effect is nothing short of astonishing.&#xA;Of course, your soil/results may vary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T17:04:01.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11069" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11072" CreationDate="2014-06-17T17:44:33.300" Score="4" ViewCount="113" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was reading this article on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mastergardeners.org/picks/extendlife.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Extending the Life of Cut Flowers&lt;/a&gt; and had a couple of questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As was also pointed out on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/9092/4651&quot;&gt;How to keep my roses fresh?&lt;/a&gt;, you should cut the stems at an angle under running water &lt;em&gt;to prevent air from getting in the stem&lt;/em&gt;.  Alternatively, some sites actually suggest cutting them &lt;strong&gt;under&lt;/strong&gt; water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Q1&lt;/strong&gt;: Isn't the stem exposed to oxygen when transferring it from the running water to the vase? Are you supposed to mitigate this somehow?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the article lists some additives to help extend flower life.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Here's a recipe to add to the water in your vase:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1 tsp. Sugar&lt;/strong&gt; - Feeds the plant which helps buds open and last longer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;/&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; tsp. Bleach&lt;/strong&gt; - Reduces growth of Bacteria and Fungi&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice&lt;/strong&gt; - Adds acidity which improves water flow to the stems&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Q2&lt;/strong&gt;: Using this recipe, can I premix a whole bottle and then add it as needed, or will the ingredients neutralize themselves over time?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Q3&lt;/strong&gt;: Should this be done in conjunction with replacing the water every couple days?  If so, should each fresh batch of water get it's own plant food cocktail?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4651" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T18:29:29.710" Title="Extending Life of Cut Flowers" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11070" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4366" CreationDate="2014-06-17T17:46:34.503" Score="-4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In most communities, it's illegal to fire a weapon, so shooting them is typically not an option.  I've heard that squirrels can find their way back to your place even if you drop them off several miles away.  I've also heard that releasing them outside of your own property is illegal in some states.  One effective solution is to trap the rodent, fill up a 30 gallon garbage can with water, and drop the trap in there for about 10 seconds.  Problem solved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4652" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T17:46:34.503" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11071" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11082" CreationDate="2014-06-17T18:12:31.197" Score="5" ViewCount="368" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to re-plant this plant, or help it to support itself?  The shoots are a bit too tall for the original stalk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0ENG8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4653" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-17T18:42:38.913" LastActivityDate="2014-06-18T02:21:57.080" Title="Should I re-plant my unbalanced indoor lucky bamboo plant, or will something else work?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;repair&gt;&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11069" CreationDate="2014-06-17T18:29:29.710" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It has been awhile but I used to be a floral shop manager for a large grocery store chain. My suppliers told me not to use those little 'packets' that always come with fresh cut flowers. I did some experiments and flowers lasted longer in just plain, cold water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As soon as you cut the stems of roses (under water is best) the vascular system has begun pulling water into the plant instead of air.  The reason you cut at all is to open the stem again as it has sealed since being cut at the floral shop.  If you don't do it under water the plant will fill with air...for roses that air bubble will stop the capillary action of the water as it gets near the head of the rose and the vascular system narrows.  As you take your newly cut rose out of the water it has already filled with water instead of air.  Sure a little air can get in as you transfer the stem from cutting water to vase water but the bolus of water that got in keeps the water moving upward.  It is that big air bubble that gets into the vascular system as you cut it out of water that causes rose heads to droop over.  No more water can now reach the rose and you might as well just dry them.  Most other flowers had no problem being cut or trimmed out of water.  There were a couple of other flowers I found needed to be cut under water as well but I don't remember at the moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For woody stems I just took a hammer and mashed the end of the stem (about 1-2&quot;), swished it in water to wash off the mushy debris and put it in my arrangement. I'm just adding that because most people didn't know how to keep their 'filler' alive and most 'filler' material has woody stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I change the water in my flowers everyday and give them a trim.  Remove all leaves from the stems before you put in water...Cut flowers can last weeks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T18:29:29.710" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11073" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11076" CreationDate="2014-06-17T19:11:38.597" Score="4" ViewCount="2603" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very old (about 120-125 yrs. old) lilac bush. It was cut almost to the ground 20 years ago. I had been told that this was how to control giant lilacs. It had formerly been 18' high and 25' across, and was hard to mow under. I regret this step, and the bush has never looked good since. The spruce tree behind it has really grown, and the lilac is growing at an angle, with thin, spindly stems. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The shrub is on foundation soil from the house&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It gets full sun from noon to about 7 pm&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I fertilize with compost and &lt;a href=&quot;https://spray-n-growgardening.com/perfect-blend-kits.html?SID=9sbk69tdl7cfqq3s27qimlkqp7&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spray-n-Grow&lt;/strong&gt; Perfect Blend&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I don't water it, but the soil stays moist most of the year&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've treated for hornets in the past when they were an issue chewing bark&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Most of the growth is root suckers-the old stumps are mostly rotted out&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like to keep as many 'historic' plants as possible on my property. Assuming I want this one to live and recover, what should I be doing to maintain it, or keep it from going downhill?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tMbEE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uzhpf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T20:04:23.307" Title="Can I rejuvenate a very old lilac bush that has regrown from the base?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;lilac&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11074" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11007" CreationDate="2014-06-17T19:22:13.023" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;None that I can find or know about - ingestion of, or repeated exposure to organo phosphates (used as pesticide) may cause ascending paralysis, and some plants might cause ascending paralysis, but descending paralysis strongly suggests botulism, which was most likely present in the hay, unless you can think of another source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-17T20:17:55.110" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T20:17:55.110" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11075" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11089" CreationDate="2014-06-17T19:31:43.777" Score="2" ViewCount="1566" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay, I have the big guy from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2600/what-conditions-are-necessary-to-make-a-potted-aloe-vera-bloom&quot;&gt;this question,&lt;/a&gt; and the little guy from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2601/why-are-there-kinks-in-my-aloe-vera-leaves&quot;&gt;this question.&lt;/a&gt; I believe, from their different growth habits, flowers, and mature sizes that these are different species. I have tried to pollinate the big one, without success. It is now putting up a new flower stalk. I think some of the bloom time on it will overlap the existing flower stalk (the first one for this plant) on my smaller plant. Can I successfully cross-pollinate these two different aloes? I this is entirely a waste of time, I won't try. If this is possible, how would I go about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures below of the two plants:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Zgv3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZBhUi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2019-01-03T19:12:59.500" Title="Can I successfully cross-pollinate different species of Aloe?" Tags="&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11076" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11073" CreationDate="2014-06-17T19:36:08.017" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tough one - for one thing, it may not even be the original lilac, it depends on whether the tree was grafted or not. Rootstock used in 1950 would most likely have been privet or syringia vulgaris - if you never had sucker growth before you cut the tree down, and because the tree was so old, it's likely it was on syringia vulgaris rootstock. On the other hand, if you did get lots of suckers, then it was on its own roots, in which case, the regrowth is actually your original lilac. The trouble is, as you can see, growth does not generate from heartwood in such an old and thick trunk, so any regrowth will always be around the outer edges, either from the cambium layer or straight off the roots below. This obviously means you'll always have a bare circle in the centre, so the best you can hope for is a sort of dense shrub which might cover that area up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of appearance, and as you cut the thing down in the first place, you might want to consider killing it off and replanting another tree further along.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE in response to comment:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Killing it off was just a suggestion and yes you can keep it, as I said previously, but only by growing it as a shrub, and it may never be particularly bushy or attractive, whatever you do. You're already doing everything you can, but I wouldn't let those shoots develop into individual trees, which they might try to do if left long enough, that'd be really ugly. Although one person's 'ugly' is another's delight, I suppose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-17T20:04:23.307" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T20:04:23.307" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11077" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3280" CreationDate="2014-06-17T23:02:50.937" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ortho Fire Ant killer is the poison orthene, which is widely used on crops.  So it shouldn't harm a tree.  I have had great success controlling fire ants by spreading bait like Amdro over a wide area, including my neighbor's yards.  It isn't fast, though.  The Ortho is an immediate killer at a particular mound.  Use Ortho on mounds that you can see and Amdro spread widely for all the mounds you can't see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4655" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T23:02:50.937" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11062" CreationDate="2014-06-17T23:18:03.637" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plants in your picture appear very healthy. They are recovering very well and have the potential to produce a good crop. I see you have the variety 'Better Boy', which has been successfully grown in heated greenhouses. However, it is day-length sensitive, so the productivity will drop in late October/early November, even inside a heated greenhouse. But this is an indeterminate variety, so the set-back will not affect potential yield. This variety also has been in the Guinness book of world records with 342 lbs from a single plant in one year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If all the plants are looking as good as the ones in the pics, and producing flower buds, they should be worth your time at least until the new plants coming in the mail start producing. They will do by far the best in the heated greenhouse, because big temperature fluctuations can cause blossom drop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are going into the unheated greenhouse, they won't be quite as worthwhile, because tomatoes like staying above 55 degrees Fahrenheit to produce. You mentioned before that in your area, it is possible to get a freeze at any time during the year, so even inside an unheated greenhouse, the plants will start getting night-chilled before they have produced much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for moving outside to receive sun during the day, this is a good idea as long as there isn't a big difference in temperature between the inside and outside air. Also, the plants will not grow or develop well if the stems and the leaves keep getting brushed against or moved around too much. These plants will get rather large (mine have reached over 6' in height before), so some kind of support is needed. If you will be moving the plants, the supports will have to be individual, and attached to the plants' pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants should produce under a film that lets through 70% or better of the sunlight. Below that, you will see a marked decrease in production. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd say you have at least a month until the plants start bearing, so if you think that's cuting it close, you can just dispose of the plants. I personally think they have a future, and you can get at least enough tomatoes to pay for the plants here, if not the pots/mix/fertilizer/heating fuel/water/time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-17T23:18:03.637" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11079" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13417" CreationDate="2014-06-18T00:20:04.767" Score="3" ViewCount="6517" Body="&lt;p&gt;This spring, I planted a weeping willow tree (salix x) in my yard, in an attempt to help dry things out. I'd heard they love wet conditions, and can grow up to 8' a year. Well, it has been almost two months, and my tree has not grown. It has turned yellow and developed dead areas on the leaves and stem-tips. My first thought is, maybe it was too much of a shock to move straight from the 16&quot; nursery pot into the saturated soil in my yard. The tree was a little over 6' tall. Is this the problem? How can I relieve the shock?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eT274.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DK6kx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nWAUs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gFveU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/foIfn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hTKAq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2018-06-01T22:26:28.720" Title="Is my newly planted weeping willow in shock?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;weeping-willow&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11081" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2932" CreationDate="2014-06-18T02:15:06.600" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_suberosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Passiflora suberosa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or corky stem passionflower. The fruits are edible when ripe. They can contain small amounts of cyanide when green. Note that this is an invasive weed in some areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1.&lt;/strong&gt; (cabi.org) &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/38805&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/38805&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.&lt;/strong&gt; (toptropicals.com) &lt;a href=&quot;http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/Passiflora_suberosa.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/Passiflora_suberosa.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3.&lt;/strong&gt; (weedyconnections.com) &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weedyconnection.com/database/corky_passionfruit.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.weedyconnection.com/database/corky_passionfruit.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4.&lt;/strong&gt; (hort.purdue.edu) &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/nexus/Passiflora_spp_nex.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/nexus/Passiflora_spp_nex.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5.&lt;/strong&gt; (regionalconservation.og) &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Passsube&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Passsube&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6.&lt;/strong&gt; (levypreserve.org) &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.levypreserve.org/Plant-Listings/Passiflora-suberosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.levypreserve.org/Plant-Listings/Passiflora-suberosa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;7.&lt;/strong&gt; (backyardnature.net) &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.backyardnature.net/yucatan/passion3.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.backyardnature.net/yucatan/passion3.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;8.&lt;/strong&gt; (beingplants.com) &lt;a href=&quot;http://beingplants.com/ocart/passiflora-suberosa-5-seeds-corky-passion-flower?search=suberosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://beingplants.com/ocart/passiflora-suberosa-5-seeds-corky-passion-flower?search=suberosa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9.&lt;/strong&gt; (onlineissues.wherewhenhow.com) &lt;a href=&quot;http://onlineissues.wherewhenhow.com/article/Our+Plants+Passion+For+Rain/1689071/205706/article.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://onlineissues.wherewhenhow.com/article/Our+Plants+Passion+For+Rain/1689071/205706/article.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;10.&lt;/strong&gt; (lepcurious.blogspot.com) &lt;a href=&quot;http://lepcurious.blogspot.com/2008/09/corky-stems.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://lepcurious.blogspot.com/2008/09/corky-stems.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-12T13:51:40.823" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T13:51:40.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11082" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11071" CreationDate="2014-06-18T02:21:57.080" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best way to deal with this plant is to grow it under higher light conditions so it does not get so &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiolation&quot;&gt;etiolated&lt;/a&gt; or leggy.  This species is robust so you can cut the stems back where they come out from the main stem and root them in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could probably cut the long stretched out stems into six inch chunks and root them in water even if they do not have leaves.  This plant is tough, it just needs light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-06-18T02:21:57.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11083" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11088" CreationDate="2014-06-18T18:39:26.510" Score="7" ViewCount="7898" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an Australian Tree Fern and its leaves are starting to turn 'crispy' at the tips. One branch looks like it's been burnt almost. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone tell me why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4612" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-18T19:05:29.820" LastActivityDate="2017-12-02T13:52:41.367" Title="Why is my Australian Tree Fern's leaves curling up at the ends and looking kind of burnt?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5650" CreationDate="2014-06-19T01:24:45.217" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Water.  Too much water.  It's soaked it all up and is rotting.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Succulents kept indoors should be left unwatered and in the best sunlight available.  You should really only water once a month or &quot;eyeball it&quot;. When the plant starts to shrivel a bit, that's when it needs water.  succulents store water in their leaves. They will literally use it up before drying out and you can see when they begin to do this by the shriveled leaves.  A regular plant gets droopy so we water it.  A succulent shrivels, so we water. T&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;he regular old house plant that droops will perk up in a few hours after watering, but the shriveled succulent will PLUMP back up in a few hours once the water reserves in its leaves are replenished.  Just leave it be.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best of my succulents are the ones I keep out of my &quot;traffic&quot; areas and have almost &quot;forgotten&quot; about.  They thrive where I have to stop myself from watering those I &quot;see&quot; most often. It's human nature.  We want to take care of it; in this case that's best done by doing nothing at all :) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4660" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-19T03:11:17.317" LastActivityDate="2014-06-19T03:11:17.317" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11085" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-19T01:36:52.227" Score="7" ViewCount="6971" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most of my tomato plants have started showing signs of what I think is &lt;code&gt;Cucumber Mosaic Virus&lt;/code&gt;. I have shoestring, fernleaf, and curling leaves. They also have a leathery appearance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At first I thought this was the plants reacting to being moved into the full sun, but the new growth continues to look like this and there's no signs of it getting better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of my plants are heirloom varieties but not all are effected. The varieties in question are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Blue Beauty&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Blue Berries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dester&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Goldman's Italian American&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hillbilly Potato Leaf&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mortgage Lifter (Halladay's strain)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More pictures, and higher resolution, can be &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/xt0rted/tags/tomatovirus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;seen here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 6/20/14:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;After talking to a local farmer, and as suggested below, this looks like it may be herbicide damage. Even though we don’t use herbicides that doesn't rule out drift from a neighbor using it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another possibility is they could have come in contact with algaecide, another pool chemical, or &lt;a href=&quot;http://simplegreen.com/pdfs/MSDS_EN-US_AllPurposeCleaner.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Simple Green&lt;/a&gt; while they were stored on the patio before being planted out in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 7/2/14:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;I've continued to observe the plants and have noticed the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Overall growth has been stunted, the plants are growing but much slower than normal&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The foliage looks green and healthy aside from being malformed, it’s showing no signs of yellowing, dropping, or black spots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Buds are continuing to form and show signs of fruit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On some plants the majority of the buds are turning brown and dropping by the time pea-sized fruit show up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;New top growth is showing signs of being affected, but in most cases it's not as severe as the initial leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;New suckers show signs of being affected but not as much as the main&#xA;plant, and in some cases it’s almost unnoticeable&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;New suckers below the affected area (the first 2-3 leaves) show little or no sign of&#xA;being affected&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After posting this I came across some blog posts from someone who had gotten contaminated soil, his plants show similar symptoms as mine. You can read those &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.marksvegplot.blogspot.com/2014/06/contaminated-compost.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.marksvegplot.blogspot.com/2014/06/chillis.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.marksvegplot.blogspot.com/2014/06/second-thoughts.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At this point I'm pretty confident that the issue is due to a chemical and not a virus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aWIpE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OFEoh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GiKbX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c7dvp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2014-07-02T19:31:28.237" LastActivityDate="2018-11-07T20:54:34.700" Title="Are my tomato plants damaged by a chemical or a disease?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;chemicals&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11086" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11085" CreationDate="2014-06-19T07:00:22.290" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This does look like a virus.  Probably Tobacco Mosaic Virus which is the most common for tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and tobacco.  Do you smoke? Have you had any friends over that do? If tobacco users come near your plants, insist they wash their hands first.  If your plants are in a greenhouse never allow any smoking in your greenhouse.  I wouldn't allow anyone who smokes anywhere near my greenhouse.  Make smokers scrub, put on a mask, wear booties over their shoes and latex gloves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing I've heard of that might work is milk...pour milk into the plants that are affected.  I'd get all the plants that have this isolated from your other plants to try this.  Milk is supposed to deactivate the virus.  I've never tried this myself but pretty reputable sources have mentioned this as 'possibly working'. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, the best thing you can do is get rid of all of the affected plants.  There is no cure for virus.  Dispose of the soil, if in pots.  Don't plant any of the tomato family in the soil if this is in your garden.  Sterilize your pots before using them again.  Don't compost these tomatoes.  Make sure you sterilize your pruning tools before using them again and in the future, if you are going to prune anything, always use alcohol on your tools before and after each plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look to see if the variety you want to grow is TMV resistant.  If you've got tomatoes that are still healthy (NO signs of virus) check to see if they are TMV resistant versus the tomatoes that got infected. Tough to lose nice plants like this but at least you can suss out what happened so it won't happen again. Keep a close eye on your healthy tomatoes.  If just one leaf looks like it is infected, the entire plant is infected.  Isolate and try the milk.  If that doesn't work you have to dispose of the entire plant.  Be aware the virus is now in your soil and any other tomato or plant in the tomato family will be susceptible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-19T07:00:22.290" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11087" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11092" CreationDate="2014-06-19T07:39:31.760" Score="4" ViewCount="733" Body="&lt;p&gt;Waking at 1 am, I get my shoes on to run out to my greenhouse.  I've had a heck of a time getting my garden in this year.  I've lost quite a few plants to 'pop' freezes and I'm probably getting paranoid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The weather report said the low would be 40 degrees F but the sky is clear and it feels very cold.  In the greenhouse the thermometer reads 39 degrees. My emergency heater is low on propane.  I've got no row cloth left.  I check the temperature again and now it says 37 degrees.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are squash, sweet potatoes, bean plants that are very vulnerable.  There are artichokes, salad stuff galore, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli that are huge and beautiful but a freeze will set them back.  What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-20T23:15:01.640" Title="How to protect plants from freezing" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11088" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11083" CreationDate="2014-06-19T09:22:04.633" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've checked where you are, and having watched CBN (or is it CNN) news last night, it seems you're having exceptionally hot weather at the moment. If your tree fern is exposed to any sun at all, specially the frond tips, that would explain what's happening - it's frazzling in strong sun. Otherwise, it's probably just the excessive heat. Not sure whether it's lack of humidity, the report I watched seemed to be saying it was not only hot, but humid, but keep it well watered and mist the trunk and fronds, try to give extra shade for any parts exposed to sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other cause of frazzled fronds is excessive wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-19T09:35:28.373" LastActivityDate="2014-06-19T09:35:28.373" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11089" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11075" CreationDate="2014-06-19T10:15:49.860" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, different varieties of aloes can be cross pollinated by hand - new varieties are produced by breeders this way. It's usually done under controlled conditions, that is, exposure to other aloes in the area is prevented, so that the resulting seed is a cross between the two plants they've used, and no others, and insects are not allowed access to the flowers. Resulting seedlings will be variable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for exactly how to hand pollinate with this genus, never done it, but as usual, you need to identify the anther (male) and the pistil (female) parts of the flower, though I guess it's possible, if there's enough pollen, to fluff it about from one to the other flower with a small paintbrush or make up brush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: just checked and it looks like aloe flowers mostly have septal nectaries, which means they're located in the ovary wall, if that helps to avoid picking up nectar on your brush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-19T11:03:12.730" LastActivityDate="2014-06-19T11:03:12.730" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11090" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11093" CreationDate="2014-06-19T15:37:07.260" Score="6" ViewCount="9218" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Two Years Ago&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About two years ago, the lawn in our back garden was full of dandelions. We decided to replace it with brand new turf, the kind you roll out into place. I tried my best to remove the dandelions, tap-root and all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Today&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking at it now, it's in a sorry state. The dandelions are back. I removed thirty a couple of weeks back, and there are probably twice as many left, if not more. There are large patches of clover, and another weed that produce rather nice and very tiny purple flowers. Where there is grass, most of it is dead (brown and straw-like), or it's twice the height of everything else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Questions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I accept that I will probably have to start over, but before I do that, I would like to know what I can do to reduce the chance of this happening again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read somewhere that weeds tend to grow in places where grasses find it hard to grow. Does that mean my soil needs treatment? If so, with what?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I dig up the soil, in places there's about 5cm of soil, and then nothing but sand. Is that a problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: I'm only interested in non-chemicals/organic solutions, though please feel free to explain that option as it might be useful for others :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 1 - photos&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some photos I just took. I suppose it looks greener than I led on, but it's very patchy. If I were to mow it, you'd see it better. The dandelion heads I've been picking off whenever I see them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r653Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the entire lawn&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5m7ux.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the purple flower&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jgeCR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;clovers&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/edvin.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;weeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2 - Location and habits&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in The Netherlands and not near the coast, just in case that makes a difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't mow that often because our lawn mower isn't adjustable, and tends to cut quite short. Moreover, when I laid the turf I ended up with bumps. Only a few, but as you can imagine, the mower takes them right off. Also, there are patches where what looks like grass grows really fast, while the rest stagnates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I laid the turf I actually pulled up the old turf as well - it was a lot of work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3534" LastEditorUserId="3534" LastEditDate="2014-06-20T16:51:43.773" LastActivityDate="2014-06-20T22:47:03.083" Title="Preparation for a new lawn to prevent weeds and encourage growth" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11091" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-19T18:12:34.513" Score="13" ViewCount="3587" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v8MNC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Nova Scotia, and I have been fighting with this weed for at least 7 years.  It is in my flower garden.  I have gone so far as to try to follow each of the white roots though the soil and remove them and still it comes back. It seems the more you break the roots, the more plants it grows.  I have tried Round-Up and other such killers and none have worked but its roots are through my Hostas and this makes it hard to get it all.  This year I was down with an operation and it got ahead of me and I need help.  I would love to get rid of it once and for all.  Thanks for any help you can offer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4662" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-20T00:34:11.133" LastActivityDate="2015-07-06T00:08:01.653" Title="What is this weed and how can I eliminate it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11092" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11087" CreationDate="2014-06-19T20:56:06.787" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Even if you cannot heat your greenhouse, there is a lot you can do to prevent freezing. On the other hand, though, there is a point after which effort is useless without a heat source. If it is just &quot;pop&quot; freezes, as you call them, and not generally not going below for more than a couple hours, there are several ideas you might like to try:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensalive.com/frost-patrol-font-size-3-font-plant-protector/p/3722/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Frost Patrol&lt;/strong&gt;® Plant Protector&lt;/a&gt; is a food-plant safe product I've used in the past, on late season tomatoes and peppers. You spray it over the plant, which absorbs it and put it to work within 24 hrs. The spray basically causes a change within the plant, which lowers the temperature at which the plants cells become damaged by 1 or 2 degrees. Spray it 48 hours before you expect frost (maybe every other day for you).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lightweight cotton bed sheets are insulating and catch frost well. I've used these in emergencies where a sudden unforcast frost slips up on me and my row cloths are on the row crops. They are also nice because they lay fast and stay where you put them. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In an emergency, if you have a long enough electric cable to get power into the greenhouse, you can try using a small inexpensive electric heater. I know a guy who did this, and he said you have to distribute the air quickly so you don't overheat the plants. He placed the heater directly behind a large fan, and aimed that at the ceiling. The entire thing was put on a small timer and set to go 15 minutes to the hour.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;As michelle said, high wattage incandescent bulbs will produce some heat. Do not install these within 3' of the plants, or damage may occur from inconsistent temperatures. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't know if this is an option, but I knew someone who would put a slow cooker full of water in their greenhouse on some nights, and simmer it all night.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can use a combination of these if you feel it would be helpful. Growing tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and beans in an unheated greenhouse in your climate is something of a gamble. As long as you catch each freeze as it comes, though, you'll probably pull through. Also, the healthier a plant is, the better it will cope with cold stress. Keeping your plants in top condition (which it sounds like you're doing) is something to keep in mind. Also, you mentioned being out of row cloth. That is something you can fix right away. Row cloth is something you never can get too much of (unless you're a kleptomaniac). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-19T20:56:06.787" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11093" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11090" CreationDate="2014-06-19T23:17:36.633" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let's start at the beginning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About two years ago, the lawn in our back garden was full of dandelions. We decided to replace it with brand new turf, the&#xA;kind you roll out into place. I tried my best to remove the&#xA;dandelions, tap-root and all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like the ground wasn't properly prepped. New sod should go onto a freshly worked bed of topsoil, with no living plant matter in it (this interferes with the new roots, and sometimes weeds will grow through the new sod, causing problems. As you wouldn't want to use an herbicide, you would have had to peel (or cut/dig, if there wasn't a good root system) off the existing lawn, leaving as much topsoil as possible on the ground. Or you can use an organic herbicide, however, these are expensive and most have mixed reviews. More than 1 application may be necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After that, you would want to work the ground, using a hand tool (spade or garden fork), or to save time and your back, a tiller. You should be able to rent one if you don't own one already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want to break up the top layer of ground very well, but not go too deep, because you are going to be walking on the new sod, and you don't want footprints or uneven settling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If all you did was remove dandelions, that explains why the sod did poorly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are large patches of clover, and another weed that produce rather nice and very tiny purple flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clover will only outcompete grass where there is a lack of nitrogen. In a healthy lawn, clover may come up, but even in a patch of it, there will be more grass than clover. This is because clover produces it's own nitrogen, and can fill out in the weakened grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the &amp;quot;weed that produce rather nice and very tiny purple flowers.&amp;quot; looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4118/what-is-this-purple-flowering-ground-cover/4131#4131&quot;&gt;this,&lt;/a&gt; it is creeping charlie, which signifies too low of a PH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where there is grass, most of it is dead (brown and straw-like), or it's twice the height of everything else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this occurred within 4 months of laying out the sod, it was from improper ground prep and/or watering, or from low mowing in dry weather. Lawn grass actually prefers higher to lower in mowing height. If some of the grass is twice the height of the other plants in your lawn, this suggests too infrequent of mowing. You should mow whenever the grass gets over 2 inches higher than your blades are set, for best results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I accept that I will probably have to start over, but before I do that, I would like to know what I can do to reduce the&#xA;chance of this happening again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are going to do this without chemicals, you should expect to put lots of time and effort into your lawn. To reduce the chance of this happening again, you will have to provide conditions in which the grass will thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are going to re-lay sod, you have to prep the ground as described above. Make sure there are no rocks larger than 2&amp;quot; across on the surface of the ground. Do not prep if the ground is wet enough to clump together. Even the ground out, so there are no dips where water could puddle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you roll out the sod, do not stretch it. Place the strips as close as possible to each other, but don't cause ripples. Once the sod is all laid, take a hose and water in the seams until the soil underneath becomes soft mud. Tamp firmly (but not violently) along the seams, so that the edges mesh together, and there are no air pockets under the sod.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then you should water down the rest of the sod, but don't make this quite so wet. Only enough that the sod will establish a full contact with the soil beneath, without air pockets. The entire lawn should then be pressed down, either by rolling (preferable), or by light tamping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lawn should not be allowed to dry after this, until the sod has rooted and took off growing. Foot traffic should be kept to a minimum, and if the grass grows before well rooted, mow carefully with the lightest weight lawn mower you have access to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will also want to use some type of fertilizer, if you don't want the weeds to take over. The best high-nitrogen fertilizer for an all-natural lawn is blood meal. You can start applying this when the sod has rooted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, in the future you will want to water your lawn whenever it gets dry, &lt;em&gt;before&lt;/em&gt; it turns brown/yellow. Mow your lawn frequently, and set the deck high. This reduces plant shock, and drought resistance. The roots mirror what the top-growth is doing, so a very short lawn = very short roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will also want to add soil helpers to the ground before laying sod. More on that under the next heading.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grass also performs best at a ph of between 6.5 and 7. Get your soil tested, and add lime to sweeten the soil to right level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read somewhere that weeds tend to grow in places where grasses find it hard to grow. Does that mean my soil needs treatment?&#xA;If so, with what?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is correct. A thriving lawn will out-compete most weeds. If your soil is really shallow and sandy, you will want to add to it for best results. You have a couple of options here. You can:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;get some high-quality topsoil dumped on your lawn, to create a suitable layer (at least 6&amp;quot;) for the grass-this includes the existing topsoil in your yard&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;try to build on the soil you have-buy lots of compost or similar product with a high organic matter content and dig them in, to a depth of at least 6&amp;quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I dig up the soil, in places there's about 5cm of soil, and then nothing but sand. Is that a problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, that is a big problem. You cannot grow a lawn on that shallow of soil. Also, sand is drying, and the lawn will constantly dry. Also, fertilizer will wash out quickly, before the grass can utilize it. You should have at least 6&amp;quot; of good topsoil on there, and 8-10 would be even closer to ideal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm only interested in non-chemicals/organic solutions&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will make a good lawn difficult, but not impossible. The main difficulty will be weed control. Even If the lawn is very healthy, you will almost inevitably find dandelions, clover, and other weeds in your lawn, and you will have do remove them the best you can by hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizing is another factor you can't miss. With your sand subsoil, nutrients will leach quickly, and you will have to fertilize often. There are many nutrients lawns need to thrive, but their biggest one is nitrogen. blood meal is a fast acting high nitrogen organic fertilizer, and hoof and horn meal is a slow acting high nitrogen fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may want to consider using one of the many pre-mixed, balanced all-natural lawn fertilizers available on the market today.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: I only used this method on lawns which were either extremely sloped, or got washed out easily, or there is going to be foot traffic from pets/wildlife. Sod discourages digging. Generally I will use seed under straw mats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update in response to updated question:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't mow that often because our lawn mower isn't adjustable, and tends to cut quite short.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will not be able to grow a vigorous, healthy lawn with a lawn mower like that. I would be surprised if there is really no way to raise the deck, but if that is the case, I would highly recommend looking for a new mower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, letting the lawn go for a while, then mowing short, is very hard on even a healthy lawn. Short term, I would be better for the grass to be kept too short, rather than growing out in between.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moreover, when I laid the turf I ended up with bumps. Only a few, but as you can imagine, the mower takes them right off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A properly prepped lawn will not be lumpy after the sod is laid. If you level out the ground properly, you should not have this problem. Here's one thing you can try. After working the ground/adding topsoil, but before laying sod, you can use a lawn roller to roll out lumps. Then it will be easier to see the low spots/ high spots, and these can be corrected with a garden rake. roll a second time, and then rake the surface lightly to loosen up the surface soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is your lawnmower a one blade walk-behind/push mower? If so, you can push down on the handlebar, to raise the deck slightly as you approach a lump/high spot. Or if you are able, you can do this over your entire lawn. From what I can see, this isn't a very large lawn. If you are using a riding mower, you will have to put up with a damaged lawn until you can get a new mower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, there are patches where what looks like grass grows really fast, while the rest stagnates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This could be caused by several factors, but the most common one is inconsistent soil depth, or fertility. It is also much more common in close-mowed lawns, because these grow much faster than higher lawns, and slight differences in the soil will cause big differences in growth. Areas of sod which did not root well originally will often grow poorly for a long time. Different types of lawn grass will grow at different rates as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, if you can find a way to mow higher, and if you fertilize properly, this symptom will go away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update in response to comments:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When is the best time to add topsoil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should add the topsoil soon before you lay the sod, so it doesn't get rained on. The best time to sod is in the spring after the frost is mostly out. It can be done in fall, but the results are not as good as fall-sown seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you add the topsoil, and it rains, you will have to wait until the ground dries, and then work the ground up a little, and re-level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I remove the current &amp;quot;grass&amp;quot; first, or just dump it on top?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are putting on more than 2 inches (5cm) of topsoil, you do not necessarily have to remove the existing &amp;quot;lawn&amp;quot;. However, If you don't remove the existing vegetation and work the ground a little before adding new topsoil, weeds growing through the new sod will be a little more of an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a string trimmer, 'trimming' the grass into the ground before adding new soil will help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it the same process for re-seeding?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The process for reseeding is very similar, regarding soil requirements. Neither one will do as well in soil worked extremely deeply, because this causes issues when settling, and later, when mowing or walking across the ground. New grass wants a firm soil, but which is loosened in the top 1-2 inches (about 2-5cm). This can be done with a garden rake after rolling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Your lawn is going to be a challenge, but you can definitely do it, and well at that. All it takes is patience, energy, time, and some $$. :)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-06-20T22:47:03.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11091" CreationDate="2014-06-20T00:04:59.770" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegopodium_podagraria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bishop's weed or Goutweed, &lt;em&gt;Aegopodium podagraria&lt;/em&gt;,&lt;/a&gt; an aggressively growing invasive perennial plant which spreads quickly by underground rhizomes. It is difficult to control, as it is able to quickly regrow from broken pieces of rhizomes left in the soil, as well as root fragments. I have found that &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glufosinate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;glufosinate&lt;/a&gt; based herbicides bring better long-term results than &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glyphosate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;glyphosate&lt;/a&gt; (Roundup). Neither of these is extremely potent on this weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use herbicides to weaken the plant, and when they begin to shrivel I cut them off at ground level. After that, I take some time to go out with a pair of scissors on my way to work, and snip off any new growth before it gets a chance to feed the roots. The plants will eventually die. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a wide space with nothing else planted, you can cover the area with 4-6mil black plastic sheeting. Leave this on the area for at least two months of hot weather. After that, turn over a small portion, and dig around a little. If there are any roots which are still alive, replace the cover. They will eventually die. If you feel confident that the roots are dead, you can remove the cover, and resume your gardening. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I'd recommend that you dig up infested hostas after they die back in the fall, and completely clean out their crowns, until you are sure you have left no goutweed roots. This will be easier when the soil is not very wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do not care about anything but destroying the weeds, you can mow over your entire bed(s), and spray with glufosinate. Every time you mow your lawn, go over the bed, and every other week spray with glufosinate until there is nothing green in the bed. After that, only spray when the bed looks like it's greening up. Eventually, the weeds will die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All methods of control will take time, probably more than a year. Also, you will want to watch for seedlings during the entire process. They are easy enough to control when they are that small. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-20T00:04:59.770" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11095" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9548" CreationDate="2014-06-20T00:41:03.037" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b958&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;spiderwort, &lt;em&gt;Tradescantia&lt;/em&gt; 'Blushing Bride'&lt;/a&gt;. When grown outdoors in zones 4-9, this plant will produce small white flowers from late spring into summer. The best variegation comes with the fastest growth, so during the cooler temps in spring and fall, they really show. If the plant becomes leggy or loses it's color, you can cut it back almost to the base. The new growth will have improved coloration, especially in higher light levels, as Bamboo mentioned. Grown indoors, this will be less showy, but still be a low maintenance plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are some pics. The light colored plant with the pale variegation was grown in a lower light level.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hoJ8N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nm3Nl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WEE49.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-20T02:31:48.660" LastActivityDate="2014-06-20T02:31:48.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11096" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11090" CreationDate="2014-06-20T03:45:54.333" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This question comes up frequently and the answer is always the same. Kill it all and start fresh. I did that and was very happy with the results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Start by getting a soil test done through either your local university cooperative extension office or through the UMass soil testing lab which is a popular choice. It will give you guidelines as how much fertilizer your soil will need for a healthy lawn. You can use organic fertilizers to get to their recommendations but may need to mix some different ones. Just remember the three numbers on fertilizer such as 20-10-10 are the percent of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (n-p-k). If they say you need to add 2lbs of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft and you have a 7-1-1 fertilizer you need 29lbs of that fertilizer per 1,000 sq ft to get your 2lbs. The 7-1-1 means it is 7% nitrogen and 1% each of phosphorous and potassium by weight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spring for the organic matter content test ($5 at umass I think). Sounds like your soil is low in organic matter and a test should confirm. Budget to get about 1-3 yards of compost delivered per 1,000 sq ft to help improve your soil. You can till it in to work it into the existing soil or just lay it on top (when you're done with the other prep) and it will work down into the soil slowly over time with rain and insects. If you do rototill you'll probably wind up with uneven soil after everything settles and will probably expose new weed seeds that were too deep to germinate previously&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dandelions are perennial weeds with a long taproot which makes it difficult to control. See my review of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2009/10/new-weed-hound-elite-size-does-matter.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Weed Hound Elite&lt;/a&gt; for a tool that can be used to pull out dandelions effectively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the rest just kill it all. I haven't done a full lawn with it but &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;solarization&lt;/a&gt; has a lot of benefits if you don't mind having your entire lawn covered in clear plastic for a few weeks over summer. Kills the lawn, the weeds, the weed seeds and many diseases. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also organic weed and grass killers that you can use to kill the grass and weeds. Some commercial ones as well as horticultural vinegar. When I did my lawn renovation I used the opportunity to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2012/08/organic-lawn-renovation-burnout-ii-vs.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;compare two commercial organic herbicides&lt;/a&gt; and you can see how well they worked on that link to my site. They both did a good job. If I did it again I might wait a couple more weeks to see if anything new germinates and then hit it again before applying the seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Traditionally you'd use something like RoundUp (glyphosate) to kill everything, wait 2 weeks after everything is water for 2 weeks to see if any new weeds come up and then spray again. Glyphosate is a systemic plant killer. It gets absorbed in the leaves and kills all the way down to the roots. The organic herbicides kill the leaves but the roots are in tact. Eventually the roots are depleted of enough energy to grow back. Not much of the old grass came back in the following years though even using the application method recommended by the manufacturers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now with the old lawn dead spread out some compost over the lawn area leaving about 1yard per 1k sq ft for later if you're seeding, apply it all if you're using sod. Apply the recommended fertilizer, lime, etc. Spread a good quality seed. (or you can go with sod) Don't skimp after all the work you've done so far. Look for cultivars that do well in your area and are resistant to the common diseases you may face. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you seeded, apply the remaining compost. You don't want to disturb the seed too much when you apply the final layer of compost. There are a number of different compost spreaders that you can buy, make or rent. The simplest is a wire cage roller, heavy duty broadcast spreaders if the compost isn't too wet and screened finely as well as topdressing machines. If those aren't options, for smaller lawns you can just broadcast it by hand or using a soil sifter to get a 1/4 - 1/3&quot; layer over the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a roller it's good to press everything together a bit but you can do with out it. The first watering will help things settle. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next water water water. If the seeds go dry they die. Sod needs to be watered daiy, or as recommended by your sod farmer, or it will have issues too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a lot of work, a decent amount of money but I was happy with the results. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After you get the new lawn established keep it fertilized and watered properly. Every 3 years or so overseed with new grass seed. If you see some weeds pop up take the time to pull them or spot spray and reseed. If you start with a clean slate it's easy to manage the few weeds you get. As long as the lawn stays thick and healthy there shouldn't be many.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-20T22:15:22.073" LastActivityDate="2014-06-20T22:15:22.073" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11091" CreationDate="2014-06-20T09:53:11.283" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the methods described above aren't any you want to do, there is something else to try, but again, it's not a quick, easy solution - it requires determination and persistence. This plant here in the UK has the common name of ground elder, and it is indeed a pernicious weed, but it is possible to get rid of it for good, other than the odd seedling that may attempt to regrow occasionally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The method which I found successful was to spray or water on glyphosate when the plant was growing strongly, usually in late spring/early summer, wait about 10-14 days, respray, wait a week, and then dig. It may look as if the ground elder topgrowth is dead, but what the glyphosate seems to do is kill off the fine, hairlike roots which are difficult to see and dig out, leaving behind the more visible root system, which can then be carefully and rigorously extracted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your problem is that the roots are in your hostas - that means you need to get the roots of the elder out, so treat the growth you can see amongst the hostas with a thick version of glyphosate (Round up makes a gel version). Then you need to dig up your hostas, preferably late summer, divide if they need it, which hopefully they do, and attempt to remove all and any ground elder root hidden in the rootball. Nova Scotia has various USDA zones - if yours is zone 8, I'd risk potting the hostas till you can see if there's any regrowth of the elder among them, but if your zone is 6, then it might not be possible to keep the hostas in pots over winter because of freeze risk. Otherwise, you can do it in spring, which is the other time that hostas can be divided, but the ground elder may not be in full growth at that time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can try this method in the ground now only if the ground elder is still growing strongly, when glyphosate works best on plants  - otherwise you will need to wait till next year, but I'd certainly make a start by dealing with the hostas this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-20T09:53:11.283" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11098" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11133" CreationDate="2014-06-20T14:13:41.193" Score="9" ViewCount="1636" Body="&lt;p&gt;Three years ago, I started trying to reduce the number of dandelions in my lawn with a household selective herbicide named &lt;em&gt;Scotts® EcoSense® Weed B Gon®&lt;/em&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scottsmsds.com/file.php?id=2604&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;MSDS&lt;/a&gt; and retailer &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.ca/product/scotts-ecosense-weed-b-gon-5-l-pull-n-spray/982870&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;product page&lt;/a&gt;). The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.ca/smg/gocat2/ecosense-weeds-in-the-lawn/cat10130002&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;manufacturer's web site&lt;/a&gt; says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Weed B Gon controls dandelions and other broadleaf weeds without harming the grass. It is made from iron, an ingredient found in the natural environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last time I treated the lawn with &lt;em&gt;Ecosense Weed B Gon&lt;/em&gt; was about one year ago. I still have all the dandelions, but this year my wife has said that she wants to try making food products from the dandelion roots in our lawn (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/nine-things-to-do-with-dandelions-zbcz1405.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;examples of dandelion foodstuffs&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it safe to consume dandelions from a lawn previously treated with a household selective iron herbicide? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4657" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-24T22:31:46.570" LastActivityDate="2020-05-07T22:15:31.920" Title="Is it safe to eat dandelions previously treated with a selective iron herbicide?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;&lt;dandelions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11100" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11087" CreationDate="2014-06-20T23:15:01.640" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might be a bit late, but in a pinch you can use a few candles to bump your internal temperature just a bit in a pinch. You would need to protect things from the open flame, but rigging a system with an unused clay pot with a hole in the top (so the candle gets air) and keeping it on a flat surface should work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you can consider trying to make use of the daytime heat that's generated by saving bottles of water in your greenhouse and letting them act as a small buffer. It won't make a huge difference, but could help you make it over a snap freeze.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4663" LastActivityDate="2014-06-20T23:15:01.640" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11101" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3174" CreationDate="2014-06-20T23:34:55.767" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have first-hand experience with either of these varieties, but reading around suggest that they can, under the right circumstances, perform as well as advertised. Thanks for asking, as it's given me something to suggest to my wife that we add to the garden in the next year!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Gardening/diggin-it/2011/0331/Reblooming-lilacs-The-hype-and-the-reality&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; suggests that Bloomerang appears a bit more tolerant of warmer climates, but that cooler climates like the Pacific NW or up into Canada are good for the Josee lilacs (you basically need a more cool summer time).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The thread at &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/shrubs/msg1208520114000.html?31&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/shrubs/msg1208520114000.html?31&lt;/a&gt; adds weight to the suggestion that these are for the zones with cooler summers, as those saying they both varieties show locations in zones 4-7a.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4664" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-21T00:49:11.987" LastActivityDate="2014-06-21T00:49:11.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4590" CreationDate="2014-06-21T05:44:31.840" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look to me like a member of the Cissus Genus, Vitacea (Grape) Family, probably something along the lines of Cissus trifoliata. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/39039456@N07/8055663181/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/39039456@N07/8055663181/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; flickr images look very similar to me. The Dave's Garden page &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/61655/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; also has more info and pictures that look about right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FWIW, ivies have more of a point on the tip of their foils but yours look to almost be round.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4664" LastEditorUserId="4664" LastEditDate="2014-06-24T23:15:56.577" LastActivityDate="2014-06-24T23:15:56.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11103" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11085" CreationDate="2014-06-21T09:46:41.527" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm gonna chance a sort of answer/query - I'm not certain it's viral because there is absolutely no evidence of mosaicing or yellow patching, even in the extra photos with higher resolution. What it smacks of to me is weedkiller damage, or at least chemical damage of some sort, but you say not all your plants are affected, so the big question is, were the affected plants all in the same area, away from the others, or were all your plants together? I ask this because if it's chemical or spray drift, you'd expect all the plants to be affected if they were in one place, but not necessarily if they weren't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing is, are they all planted in the same potting medium, both the healthy and unhealthy plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-22T10:17:26.783" LastActivityDate="2014-06-22T10:17:26.783" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11104" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11125" CreationDate="2014-06-21T18:13:32.430" Score="4" ViewCount="614" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what the name of this vine is, but about a week ago the flowers started to brown around the edges and then fall off completely. A couple of days ago the leaves began wilting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did fertilize the lawn about a week ago and I suppose some of it could have gotten on the vine, but I can't imagine it would be enough to do this... but maybe?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what is going on? I've attached a few pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8mUBn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/epH38.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YXbzv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PDPIO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5668" LastActivityDate="2014-08-15T04:27:21.067" Title="Is this flowering vine diseased?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11104" CreationDate="2014-06-21T20:11:11.583" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plants in the picture look like clematis to me. It doesn't appear to be disease. Now that you added the info on fertilizing the lawn it is possible that it might have some damage if fertilizer got on the leaves and blooms. Lawn fertilizers tend to be high in nitrogen and too much nitrogen I believe may cause blooms to drop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another issue may be inconsistent watering. If the plants are allowed to go dry for too long it will also cause blooms to drop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants do not appear to be suffering from clematis wilt, the most common disease for these plants. Some of the markings on the stems make me think there might have been some insect damage&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-06-21T20:11:11.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11106" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11104" CreationDate="2014-06-21T21:44:36.227" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clematis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;clematis.&lt;/a&gt; The flowers look as though they have sustained slug  earwig damage, but that isn't the reason for their fading/falling off. This clematis is almost finished blooming, and the petals should fall off naturally at this stage. Notice that the entire flower doesn't fall, but only the petals. This is natural. The center will continue to grow, and will eventually form a seed head.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the leaf damage looks like a curl rather than a wilt. This type of curl is generally caused by the piercing or sucking group of insects during plant growth. The first ones that come to mind are: spider mites, aphids, thrips, leafhoppers, scale insects, and tarnished plant bugs. Most general insecticides will be effective against these, but if you have scale, you will have to treat with a horticultural oil, in an attempt to suffocate the insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those insects could also make the plant wilt. The fertilizer isn't the issue here. Look for insects on the plant. They will be very small, and depending on the species, they will move deep inside the plant when you disturb the foliage. Some insects, though, will remain on the undersides of the leaves, where they feed. Once you find an insect, you can choose how to treat from there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the slugs, I would recommend a trap rather than a poison/bait, because some slug poisons are toxic to birds, which may eat the slugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, your plant looks rather dense, which explains why parasitic insects would be attracted. Next winter, you could try to thin out the weak and unnecessary vines, to thin it out a little and increase air flow. The rain (which these insects hate) will also penetrate the plant better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-15T04:27:21.067" LastActivityDate="2014-08-15T04:27:21.067" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11067" CreationDate="2014-06-22T01:25:58.953" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Never heard of toxins being produced by bolting plants. Looked this up and really...you shouldn't worry.  Vegetables 'bolting' get more bitter, pithy and thus less edible.  This is caused (by popular opinion) by cold-snaps.  Nothing you can do to stop bolting once the plant has been 'alerted' that its environmental conditions show an unpredictable pattern and the plant responds by using desperate measures to ensure it makes babies...seed. A few seeds are better than none.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants are gambling! They are immediately assessing risk versus success. No emotion, it is just their 'job' in life. Instead of enjoying the confidence of perfect conditions where the plant is allowed to get as big as it can before it needs to start procreating, one signal, showing the environment can't be trusted...and the plant throws the switch for 'making seeds'...All their energy goes into making seed.  Leaves aren't sweet because they had to get that energy to the seed-making and leaves just have to make-do...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is tough, not being scientific.  I am just trying to help to understand plants using terminology from us animals.  Just remember that plants are totally alien to us animals. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can remember where you got this information and are able to reconnect, please do so.  Let us know where this information is from...! Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-22T01:25:58.953" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11108" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5582" CreationDate="2014-06-22T01:28:23.173" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pitchers tend to die much earlier than leaves.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know this from personal experience. I've had pitchers die on leaves which last a month or more afterwards. I usually cut the pitchers off once they die (mostly because I think it looks better).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On another note, you do &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; need a terrarium to grow nepenthes. I have a N. maxima which I have been growing as a windowsill plant for a few months now, and it has been consistanly pitching. Just make sure that the medium is constantly moist and it's not getting burned by too much direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5669" LastActivityDate="2014-06-22T01:28:23.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11109" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11114" CreationDate="2014-06-22T01:33:08.713" Score="6" ViewCount="1901" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible or recommended to grow nepenthes outside of terrariums? Aren't nepenthes tropical plants needing constant high humidity? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5669" LastEditorUserId="5669" LastEditDate="2014-06-23T13:02:00.433" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T14:14:55.470" Title="Is it possible to grow nepenthes without a terrarium?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;nepenthes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11110" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-22T01:57:49.913" Score="2" ViewCount="1697" Body="&lt;p&gt;The new avocado tree that I bought isn't growing well since I planted it in the ground. Should I put more soil around it to build the ground up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5670" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-22T12:40:00.173" LastActivityDate="2014-06-22T12:40:00.173" Title="What should I do about a newly planted avocado tree that stopped growing?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11091" CreationDate="2014-06-22T10:04:05.480" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is commonly known as goutweed &lt;em&gt;(Aegopodium podagraria).&lt;/em&gt; Here in the Netherlands it is also called &quot;tuinmansverdriet&quot; (Gardener's Sorrow), and for good reason. I too have this stuff in my garden — a present from the previous home owner — and it's very hard to eliminate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my father's garden we got rid of it fairly effectively by excavating the top 30 cm of the soil with a pitchfork (instead of using a spade, in order to prevent cutting up the roots too much) and sifting it all; but even then the weed came back here and there, because even small parts of the root continued to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Currently I'm trying to root it out area by area in my own garden, keeping close track of the locations where I've dealt with it previously, trying to dig out any new growth that surfaces, and (as a minimum) picking off the leaves as soon as I can where uprooting it is impossible due to the presence of other plants nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the soil is loose, it is also easier to remove new plants that grow from leftover root fragments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems as if the plant can be at least be contained in this manner, but I doubt if I will be able to completely get rid of it like this, especially around shrubs. You can eliminate it by constantly picking off all its leaves (almost every plant will die eventually if you do this), but it's a really tough plant and this method will take a long time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if you are unable or unwilling to get down on your knees once or twice a week, you might need to use a herbicide, as has been suggested in the other answers. If you do this, glyphosate (Roundup) should work, but it is likely that it will grow back at least once after being treated with Roundup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Covering the soil, as @jmusser suggested, might also work, but my understanding is that you need to leave it covered for at least two &lt;em&gt;years&lt;/em&gt; for the plant to die off completely. This was something I was unwilling to do, so I haven't tried this control method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As long as you are stuck with this weed, try to make the best of it. The plant isn't too unattractive in appearance, and has pretty white flowers. It is also edible, and is actually quite tasty. It can substitute for spinach when cooked and parsley when raw, and it contains lots of minerals and vitamins — though I think it would be wise not to eat it if you have used herbicide on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another tip: if you dig out this plant, don't try to compost it. That would be a very good way to end up with a garden full of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I said, I had the same problem as the questioner, and although digging out small patches seems to work, I couldn't get rid of all of it with all the bushes (plus a hosta) still remaining in my garden. Since I &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/roundup-weed-killer-zmaz09djzraw.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;certainly don't want to use Roundup&lt;/a&gt;, I did what my dad had done before: digging up the whole border, I removed the plants and bushes I had there and threw them all out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fortunately, the infested area measured only about 10 m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;. I decided to sift all the soil, though I could just have discarded it and replaced it with new soil instead. It would not have been that expensive to replace, but removing soil is a tough job in itself, and I felt this would also be wasteful. So I sifted it using a piece of netting (or you can buy a soil sieve), removing at least the largest of the roots and other parts of the weed. I actually felt pretty zen after two days of sifting. :D&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I put back the by-now-finely-sifted soil, and added compost in order to maintain the loose consistency of the soil. I knew I had not removed all the roots. Small ones passed through the sieve, and sifting the soil again through a finer mesh would have taken too much time and still wouldn't have solved the problem completely. So I knew the remaining fragments would grow back; but having an empty garden full of loosened soil will allow me to easily dig out any new shoots that emerge. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O4X0I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's easy to recognise the plant. If it emerges from a seed, its first leaves are round seed leaves, but a piece of existing root that grows into a new plant exhibits the typical jagged-edged leaves right from the start. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So now I am able to spot these plants easily, and to dig them out as soon as I do. And that's how, less than two weeks after sifting the soil, I was able to dig up the plant in the picture. Only its first two centimeters consist of pre-existing root. The white stalk is all new (underground) growth, with only the green leaf showing above the surface of the soil. This is proof of the tremendous growing power of this weed, but if I just keep digging out any new sprouts for a couple of months it should be gone completely. Only then will I put in new plants. If I put them in now, the goutweed will certainly come back in places where I can't properly get at it to root it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like a lot of work, but it's not that bad, and not that arduous. You can do the sifting sitting on a chair or stool, and you can take as much time as you like, only doing small bits at a time. For me, the hard part was digging out the existing plants, but you may be able to get some help with that task. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3317" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2015-03-24T09:25:59.397" LastActivityDate="2015-03-24T09:25:59.397" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11110" CreationDate="2014-06-22T10:45:35.783" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, don't do that; that's something you might do as a temporary thing at the onset of winter in cold areas, to protect the roots, but not piling it up against the trunk of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Knowing where you are would be very useful, but generally, avocado trees, though not fussy about soil ph, do require free draining soil, they do not like having 'wet feet'. At the same time, any new tree requires water during drier spells for its first couple of years, and in the case of avocado, the recommended minimal amount is 1 inch per week, so it'll need a couple of gallons applied every few days, but if it's really hot, more frequently than that. As the tree grows more roots over a year or two, the best way to irrigate then is to give it more water but less often during hot dry weather, to encourage deeper rooting. If your weather has been dry, and you've not been watering as often as suggested here, that might be the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your soil is heavy, you can make a 'mound' by piling up soil in the area, about 2 or 3 feet high by 5 feet wide, and then plant into that, which will improve drainage round the roots. Also best to add a couple of inches of organic mulch (bark or similar), though again, a good 6 inches clear all round of the trunk base. If this is the case with you, provided the tree hasn't been in longer than a few weeks, you could dig it up, build the mound and then replant, but this isn't necessary if your soil is light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-22T10:45:35.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11114" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11109" CreationDate="2014-06-22T17:23:26.680" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nepenthes can be grown as windowsill plants as long as adequate conditions are provided.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are two main divisions for nepenthes, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.michaelkevinsmith.com/nepenthaceae/Nepenthes-Altitudinal-Distribution-Temperature-Chart.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;highland and lowland&lt;/a&gt; with some groups in between. Lowlanders tend to need high temperatures and very high humidity (imagine a rain forest). Highlanders need lower temperatures and usually do not require as much humidity (think &lt;a href=&quot;http://cdn2.arkive.org/media/83/83F613E9-E7EC-45B6-A9AD-2B36DC45538B/Presentation.Large/Nepenthes-muluensis-in-habitat.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;tropical mountainside&lt;/a&gt;). Highland and intermediate nepenthes are usually the best candidates for windowsill growing. I have grown one of mine (N. maxima) in a south-facing window for several months now, and it has been consistently producing pitchers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a few tips for growing without a terrarium:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Keep the medium moist&lt;/strong&gt; - it doesn't have to be visibly wet all the time, but it should be moist to the touch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Make sure the plant isn't getting Sunburnt&lt;/strong&gt; - If parts of the leaves are dying you might consider reducing the amount of light it gets. This can also occur if you neglect to water the plant for a day or too.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Make sure the plant is pitchering&lt;/strong&gt; - the presence of pitchers on a plant usually indicated the health of the plant. If it is not producing any, the plant might be unhappy with its conditions.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spray it occasionally&lt;/strong&gt; - Spraying nepenthes with a $1 spray bottle can help water the plant and gives it a little humidity boost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Make sure your conditions are not too hot&lt;/strong&gt; - If the area where your nepenthes is growing gets over 90° F during the day, the plant will not do very well, especially when growing pure highland species (not hybrids).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Water with distilled, RO or rain water if needed&lt;/strong&gt; - If your tap water is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_water&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hard&lt;/a&gt;, you will need to use an alternative water source. RO (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_osmosis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Reverse Osmosis&lt;/a&gt;) water is the best option if you have a filter, otherwise use rainwater or distilled. When using rainwater you should make sure the rain isn't polluted (acid rain etc.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some good candidates for windowsill growing for nepenthes are: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;N. Ventricosa, Maxima, Alata, Ventrata (Ventricosa x Alata), 'Miranda'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nepenthes hybrids tend to be more hardy and able to withstand windowsill conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5669" LastEditorUserId="5669" LastEditDate="2014-06-23T14:14:55.470" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T14:14:55.470" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11115" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5216" CreationDate="2014-06-22T17:44:44.330" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used to have a lot of weeds in my brick driveway and the graveled border around my house. I used to spend a fortune every year treating this with general high street brands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I then discovered using cooking salt as a weed killer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I spread it around neat 3 times a year (spring, summer,and autumn) which is much quicker than using a spray bottle amazingly this year I have had no weeds at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's the best and cheapest weed killer I have used and hopefully it has killed them permanently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5671" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-22T18:22:47.650" LastActivityDate="2014-06-22T18:22:47.650" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11116" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11123" CreationDate="2014-06-22T18:35:21.080" Score="5" ViewCount="2427" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L5JQl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZoZiS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;I have a pumpkin sprout that sprouted very nicely, but I woke up this morning and the sprout had two holes in it. The holes were yellowish and had scabbing around the outside. The pepper plant is riddled with holes. I'm not sure what the problem is and wanted to see if anyone else has had this issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5672" LastEditorUserId="5672" LastEditDate="2014-06-24T13:34:35.397" LastActivityDate="2014-06-24T23:51:23.680" Title="Pumpkin sprout and pepper plants have holes in leaves" Tags="&lt;pumpkins&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11117" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11122" CreationDate="2014-06-22T19:44:45.903" Score="6" ViewCount="693" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watering the lettuces, I spotted a Red Cabbage head leaning sideways on the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On close inspection, here's what I saw:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VM7xn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;red cabbage stalk eaten through by three worm-like bugs&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three little worm-like bugs&lt;/strong&gt; having a feast of the bottom of the stalk of this head of red cabbage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TBJJF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;red cabbage stalk eaten through by three worm-like bugs, cropped closer&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Their posse was crushed by hand.  The cabbage will be cooked tonight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Now what?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;two days later&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neighboring Mesclun, Red Sail, Collards, Arugula and the other three Red Cabbages are all basically well.  Photographed on a warm sunny day just before being watered:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tPjYd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photographed on a warm sunny day just before being watered, Mesclun, Red Sail, Collards, Arugula and Red Cabbages are growing in an above-ground planter built a couple of months ago in the backyard of a 3-family apartment building in Brooklyn, NY.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are growing in an above-ground planter built a couple of months ago in the backyard of a 3-family apartment building in Brooklyn, NY.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is heavy duty landscaping cloth under the planter. Worth noting, the wood I built the planters from was reclaimed, though I inspected each board thoroughly and (I believe) they were bug-free. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;But.. &lt;em&gt;see that yellow card?&lt;/em&gt;  It's a sticky trap to kill hatching larvae, placed there one month ago when &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9706/why-is-my-swiss-chard-suddenly-wilting&quot;&gt;A swiss chard planted in that exact location suddenly wilted&lt;/a&gt;!!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/3351/stormy&quot;&gt;Stormy&lt;/a&gt; points out, next season it would be advantageous for the lettuces overall to be dispersed throughout other locations, or with companion species besides cole crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll update this post as the cabbage root excavation continues. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;aha!&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/2197/fiasco-labs&quot;&gt;Fiasco Labs&lt;/a&gt; has ID'd the bugs as termites.  What an outright terrifying little species those are.  Confirmed watching spine-chilling YouTube videos, the motion of their &quot;feasting&quot; is very distinct.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Questions about Termites:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are Nematodes known to mitigate termites in soil?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Can termites just appear out of thin (local) air?  Might they have come from the wood in the planters?  From the ground?  Are termites just around, like mosquitoes?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;also&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few weeks ago, Nematodes were added to all of the soil in the various planters. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.biologicco.com/products/scanmask-2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Scanmask&lt;/a&gt; was used, and I did my best to not over- or under- populate my garden based on the instructions. We hope beneficial Nematodes put the hurt on all nefarious bugs!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3475" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-06-24T04:13:24.793" Title="What insects killed this red cabbage?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11118" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11124" CreationDate="2014-06-22T20:01:58.227" Score="7" ViewCount="4590" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a seed from a pomegranate, and it successfully started to grow. However, the seed's shell is still remaining on top of the sprout, stopping the leaves from opening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am worried that the sprout will not get enough sunlight (as its leaves cannot be fully exposed to sun).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So should or should I not manually remove the seed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been looking like this for 3 or 4 days now:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EDnrL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pomegranate sprout&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5673" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-22T21:00:08.303" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T02:32:06.487" Title="Should I remove what remains of a seed from the top of a sprout?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;pomegranate&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11119" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2014-06-22T20:46:37.610" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2014-06-22T20:46:37.610" LastActivityDate="2014-06-22T20:46:37.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11120" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2014-06-22T20:46:37.610" Score="0" Body="Nepenthes is a genus of carnivorous plants which captures its prey using a pitfall trap. Nepenthes are commonly called tropical pitcher plants." OwnerUserId="5669" LastEditorUserId="5669" LastEditDate="2014-06-23T02:55:01.283" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T02:55:01.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11121" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11118" CreationDate="2014-06-22T20:47:13.347" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That happens sometimes. I wet my thumb and forefinger and use them to squeeze the seed coating along the edge of the seed to open it up, then carefully pull it off. Think of how you would squeeze a sunflower seed open. After you remove it the seedling should grow normally from my experience. Even if it's been like that for a few days. If you don't remove it, it may stay like that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I had a pepper seedling come up where none of the cotyledons were exposed. It stayed like that for a week. Once I removed it the plant started to grow normally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some other seedlings had the same issue but not as bad. The cotyledons didn't open up completely because of it. Removing the seed husk doesn't damage the seedling if you're careful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2014-06-23T02:32:06.487" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T02:32:06.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11117" CreationDate="2014-06-23T00:22:15.970" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having learned the hard way I've seen this many times.  I think this is the cabbage maggot, hatched from eggs that a fly deposited at the bottom of your cabbage.  Although the guys in your picture look a little older and are getting ready to become adult flies. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of your cole crops such as cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, radishes, rutabaga, turnips, kohlrabi and kale are in danger of this fly.  The maggots simply eat the roots until they fly away.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next year, do not plant any of this family in the same place.  As soon as you plant seed or seedlings, early in the spring, cover them in row cloth.  Allow to bunch up to allow growing room and seal the sides and ends under your soil.  When the plants get big enough and start producing, you can uncover them. The time for flies to lay their eggs is pretty much over.  Even though it seems easier to plant all of the cole crops together so they can be covered try to space them in different places in your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year, applying beneficial nematodes might save some of your plants.  Maybe.  The roots may be so gone that all you'll be able to do is harvest and make sauerkraut.  Beneficial nematodes: Steinernema carpocapsai and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora are the two to look for.  They swim through the soil and enter through the insect's mouth or other natural orifice. Once there, they release a bacterium that lives in their gut.The bacteria kills the insect within 2 - 4 days.  The nematode continues to eat the insect from the inside out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Totally harmless for you. Even so, read the label, 5X! You'll be buying live, infective larvae suspended in a storage medium of moist peat, vermiculite or gel.  You'll have to be refrigerating the package until you can apply. Good luck!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T00:22:15.970" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11123" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11116" CreationDate="2014-06-23T02:07:39.923" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the holes are round, it may be flea beetles.  If the holes are irregular (and still in the middle of the leaf) it could be caterpillars.  You have to send pictures.  If the holes are round and cross-over the veins, it could be leaf-spot, a fungus. Happening overnight rules out leaf-spot, I think.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normally, this is nothing to worry about.  It is, however, a great observation on your part! Send pictures.  A little damage is not going to kill your plant.  It is a flag for you to start looking closer so that you can prevent irreversible damage.  Good for you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the picture! Based on what I can see I'd say earwigs could be your guest. There could also be sawflies and slugs.  Can you see any slime trails? You might have some bacterial damage as insects are good at transferring bacteria when they munch on your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good news is that this plant will probably be just fine.  I'd scrape the wood mulch off my beds first thing as this provides good cover for earwigs. Replace with well decomposed compost. You shouldn't be able to see chunks of wood or anything you can recognize when you purchase bales of compost.  It should be dark, crumbly and smell like the earth. Ask your nursery to open a bale for you to see, touch and smell. You'll have to continually add it to the top as soil organisms will be going up to the top, eating it and then taking it back into your soil and pooping it out.  They will be mixing the organic matter into your soil for you.  Wood chips aren't decomposed so they can't be used this way.  Instead, decomposers are at work.  The problem here is they need nitrogen to do this work robbing the nitrogen your plants could use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you scrape off this mulch look for insects.  This and going out at night with a flashlight can give you better ideas about who's coming to dinner.  Look under the leaves, around the roots (when they get older).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you've checked out the insect population and made sure they aren't still near your plants, cover your seedlings with row cloth.  Bury the edges in the soil allowing some puffiness to allow for growth of your plants.  Sun and water get through this fabric well. This will protect your plants from insects and slugs that aren't already amongst your plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This little guy looks like he could benefit from some fertilizer as well.  Try fish emulsion.  It isn't very strong and I don't use it exclusively but like to give my plants a boost once they start showing nitrogen deficiency...the color of green is light or yellowish.  Water regularly, squash and pumpkin soils shouldn't dry out too much. But do water deeply and try to not get the leaves wet.  Water earlier in the day so the leaves can dry off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is ok to lift the row cloth to check your plants.  When they get bigger and begin to put out flowers the row cloth can come off.  Always keep vigilant for new or worsening problems.  Let us know what else you've found and how your pumpkins or other vegetables are doing.  No problem is too small!  A few holes and spots aren't going to kill your pmlants but are good indicators of problems that might...could you post a picture of your pepper plants?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: Thanks for the pictures. Same insects maybe more flea beetle on your pepper plant.  Where are these plants?  Do you have them outside in a garden? Row cloth won't help at all unless all insects are gone.  Do get rid of the chunky mulch.  Add decomposed mulch to the top of the soil (good 1/2&quot;) around your plants and let's try &#xA;diatomaceous earth on top of that.  I've never used the stuff myself.  But to discourage insects crawling around on your soil eating your plants this might just be the perfect solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the equivalent to broken glass shards for us.  Clean off chunky mulch, fertilize with fish emulsion, apply 1/2&quot; decomposed mulch and then apply diatomaceous earth according to directions.  Please let us know what you do and how it is helping, or not...OK?  More pics of your garden, please.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-06-24T23:51:23.680" LastActivityDate="2014-06-24T23:51:23.680" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11124" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11118" CreationDate="2014-06-23T02:12:23.137" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leave it alone.  This plant is so tiny you might injure it.  This is a totally natural process.  Seriously.  Leave it alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T02:12:23.137" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11104" CreationDate="2014-06-23T02:17:11.607" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like earwig damage to me.  Earwigs would love that wood frame and rocks for hiding during the day.  Pull the wood or rock away and look. Go out at night. Build a trellis for this clematis...get them off the ground for sure.  Otherwise, they look perfectly healthy.  Earwigs love the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Earwigs can also be good guys.  They love to eat soft, new plant material  such as new growth and flowers.  As good guys they eat some of the bad insects.  All you need to do is get that plant off the ground, get rid of all the earwig condominiums; the rock, the plastic, the debris, the lumber to reduce your problem drastically. Get a good decomposed mulch to cover the soil and roots of this clematis.  I wouldn't use pesticide.  There are leaves that are distorted because of earlier damage, flower petals ruined but the rest of the plant looks very healthy. A good green color, glossy and it has supported a lot of flowers and seed to boot.  Are any of your other plants being eaten by this community of earwigs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To manage their population a bit further, get newspaper, rolled up and soaked in water. Lay it out around your property and in the mornings gather them up and discard.  I've cleaned up the debris and condominiums and the newspaper wasn't necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let us know and show a picture of what you've done with this information!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-06-24T23:29:41.427" LastActivityDate="2014-06-24T23:29:41.427" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11126" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11104" CreationDate="2014-06-23T11:40:30.433" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know you've accepted an answer, but here's a bit of extra information - clematis do much better if given a support to climb up. Because of the way they climb, they need something with thin struts, about the thickness of a pea stick, or use clematis mesh. There is a new range of shorter growing clematis (Boulevard group) which can be grown as front of border plants and left to scramble where they will, and maybe these are those, but there is a significant drawback; clematis left to scramble on the ground are highly prone to pest attack - earwigs, slugs, snails, and various other beasties. And that is what has happened here, as J. Musser says, the damage is unrelated to your fertilising the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T11:40:30.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11127" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2014-06-23T12:51:32.440" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2014-06-23T12:51:32.440" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T12:51:32.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11128" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2014-06-23T12:51:32.440" Score="0" Body="The venus fly trap, also called Dionaea is a genus of carnivorous plant which traps insects by luring them into their traps and snapping them closed." OwnerUserId="5669" LastEditorUserId="5669" LastEditDate="2014-06-23T13:40:25.247" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T13:40:25.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11129" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-23T14:20:14.860" Score="10" ViewCount="36456" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a low spot in the back of my yard that pools excessive water after a rain.  The only lower spot than that is my neighbor's yard (there is a brief upslope between my yard and his) so I cannot drain there.  The back of my yard faces a sidewalk which is actually higher than the low spot by nearly 6 inches.  The problem is the yards in this development were not properly graded. How do I drain this water? I don't think the classic French drain answer will work as all areas of the yard slope to this one spot, and I can't drain against the grade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5674" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-23T16:43:11.837" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T12:08:46.437" Title="How can I drain water from a low spot in my garden when I have no lower spot to drain to?" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11130" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11129" CreationDate="2014-06-23T16:05:33.847" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;All you need is a spade and a large plastic bucket like you buy drywall or paint in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a variation on a french drain and will not provide relief against the &quot;one in a hundred year storm&quot; but should work for most normal rainfalls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;get a clean bucket of about twelve inch (thirty centimeter) diameter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove the bottom&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mark and remove the top six inches of grass as a single unit the diameter of the bucket&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dig a hole the height of the bucket plus six to eight inches  ( fifteen centimeters)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;place the bucket in the hole and fill to the top with large diameter rocks( pea stone gravel in size of 5/8&quot; or 7/8' or larger)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;place a layer or two of good quality landscape fabric or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geotextile&quot;&gt;geotextile&lt;/a&gt; on top of the bucket so earth cannot fill the bucket&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;replace the plug of sod you removed back in the hole&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tamp and water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;job done!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T16:05:33.847" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11131" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11129" CreationDate="2014-06-23T16:38:56.007" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;One other option would be to work with what you have, rather than trying to drain the water away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could put in a tree or a bed of plants that can tolerate having wet feet after a rain. They will absorb the water faster than your turf could. I don't know where you live and what plants would be appropriate for your location, but birch, dogwood and iris are all examples of plants that could handle occasional standing water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also seen people put a pond in a spot like that. You would need to make sure you sized the pond properly to accommodate the volume of water you typically get after a rain, and you'd also have to design the edge of the pond to allow the rain water to drain into it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T16:38:56.007" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11132" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11129" CreationDate="2014-06-23T17:18:29.540" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;An idea of size and photos would be useful, but if the part that abutts the sidewalk isn't 50 yards long or more, I'd build in a small, raised brick wall, or concrete edging mortared together, a few inches above the level of the sidewalk, to keep the water off, if you're allowed to do that. I'm willing to bet that you're getting pooling there because of run off from the sidewalk surfacing, which is, as you say, 6 inches higher than your garden. This still leaves the fact that its the lowest point in your garden, and may still be pretty damp if all the rain ends up there eventually from surrounding soil. If it is, and the area's not too large, import topsoil and level off, or, as Michelle says, plant a willow, create a bog garden or make a pond.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T17:18:29.540" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11098" CreationDate="2014-06-23T17:59:12.353" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is difficult to answer the question of whether or not it is safe to eat dandelions or other plants that have been treated with this herbicide. You'd have to know how much iron the plant has actually absorbed in the part you intend to eat and whether that amount of iron would harm you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main ingredient is chelated iron. Chelated iron is sometimes recommended to take orally to treat anemia but there are risks and side effects. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-60389-Chelated+Iron+Oral.aspx?drugid=60389&amp;amp;drugname=Chelated+Iron+Oral&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-60389-Chelated+Iron+Oral.aspx?drugid=60389&amp;amp;drugname=Chelated+Iron+Oral&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other ingredients in the product that are not listed further making it difficult to asses safety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This product is not OMRI listed but other chelated iron products are for the purpose of treating plants that have an iron deficiency. I have not seen one listed that is intended for use as a weed killer. I would assume the dosage/concentration would be higher for killing weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your best bet would be to contact that manufacturer and see what they have to say. Considering this product is intended for use on lawns to kill weeds and not for food crops they're probably going to err on the safe side and tell you it's not intended to be used on plants you plan to consume. Even though this product appears to be safer than traditional Weed B Gon I would also advise to err on the safe side and not consume any plants that have been treated with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T17:59:12.353" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11134" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1335" CreationDate="2014-06-23T19:21:03.427" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can make up a small amount of general weedkiller in a jar and remember to wear gloves and not to get it on your mondo grass. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a small paint brush and paint the weeds with the weedkiller. Watch out for drops.&#xA;You can put a small amount of dye in the mix so that you can see were you have been but not too much or it might react with the weedkiller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5675" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-23T19:58:22.583" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T19:58:22.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11135" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11129" CreationDate="2014-06-23T20:02:05.520" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Standing water is always a concern, primarily for mosquitoes.  A dry well would be the best solution if you have the space. All you have to do is dig a big hole where the water is draining to and fill with drainrock. It should be deep enough to get through any blocking soil/rock/clay layers.  This gets the water away from plants and enough time to percolate back into the ground.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T20:02:05.520" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11136" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7909" CreationDate="2014-06-23T20:43:00.263" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My goodness...based on the two pictures, pruning would definitely help the air-flow. Make sure you clean your pruners with alcohol between each plant pruned.  FYI, it takes ONE fungal spore to infect a plant. The spores are in the soil and watering will splash the spore onto leaves. Once the plant has been infected there is not much one can do to stop the infection.  Fungicides are predominately a protective measure to prevent that one spore infecting the plant. Sort of a raincoat.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since this question/answer is a year old, what DID happen?  Did you ever do a pH test of your soil? What got planted where these tomatoes were?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you tried Bacillus subtillis as a fungicide?  I think that is in 'Serenade'...and would like to hear that it does more than the traditional 'raincoat' fungicides.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This doesn't look like nutrient deficiency.  That comes on much more slowly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T20:43:00.263" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11137" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11129" CreationDate="2014-06-23T22:29:57.210" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's really hard to say without knowing how much rain you get and the actual topology but dry wells and rain gardens are generally two good approaches to deal with this particular problem. A dry well is good if you don't want to fill up the space with plants. You'll just have a little drain in the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing to consider is why is the water running off and is there something you can do to keep it where it lands. Is your soil compacted or does it have poor water absorbing capacity? There's info here on how to do a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.todayshomeowner.com/diy-soil-drainage-perk-test-for-your-yard/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;percolation test&lt;/a&gt; to see how quickly your soil absorbs water. Also a video here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6VV6OU3ssA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6VV6OU3ssA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your soil doesn't absorb or retain enough water I would recommend doing a very heavy aeration (about 20 holes per sq ft) then topdressing with good compost in the fall. It's a good time to overseed then too. It should help retain some of the rain so that there is less runoff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2014-06-23T23:19:15.703" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T23:19:15.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11138" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3922" CreationDate="2014-06-23T23:20:14.357" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most weeds are opportunists.  If your grass is not doing well, weeds will proliferate.  Aerate your lawn by pulling plugs of soil out of your lawn.  Go over it as many times as you can.  Allow the plugs to disintegrate on top of your...lawn.  Get a soil test done.  Find out what nutrients are low, high, acceptable and what the pH of your soil is...do you have 1&quot; of thatch or more?  If so you might need to power rake up the thatch and remove it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the four weeks are up and you've gotten your tests back you will have the information you need to regrow your lawn.  The pH should be 6.5-7.0. If not, apply lime.  Use half the amount recommended.  You want to raise the pH slowly in stages if possible.  Buy the best lawn seed available.  On the label you should see 'weed seed = zero'...make sure this seed is for your area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before spreading seed, I'd put fertilizer down.  The absolute best stuff I have used is by Dr. Earth...lawn fertilizer.  I am sure there are other products similar by now but they should be organic, extended release, have the proper amounts of NPK for your lawn soil (according to your soil tests), micronutrients and bacteria (one of these bacteria will help decompose thatch) to innoculate your soil with beneficial life.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a spreader for the fertilizer and apply the correct amount.  It will be more than you are used to if you've been using inorganic fast release fertilizers.  I think it is 9# per 1000 versus 5# per 1000 sq.ft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've thatched and/or aerated, there should be enough soil to seed. You don't want too much soil or mulch dumped on top of your seed or it won't germinate.  You want your seed in contact with soil, not mulch. Your soil could probably use the organic matter but you can do that later when your lawn is more mature.  Also, test your soil again for pH.  If it is below 6.5, add more lime.  Never apply lime without testing first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apply the seed with your spreader, in the amount suggested on the package.  Don't throw it on by hand and don't over-apply, either. Rake lightly with a leaf rake and then roll.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep the top continually moist.  It might mean you water 2 or 3 times a day. Do not saturate. This takes almost 2 weeks.  Allow the soil to dry a bit before your first mowing.  Gradually allow the soil to dry out between waterings to train your lawn to have deep roots and becomes drought tolerant.  Aim for once per week watering.  When you water make sure the amount is enough to wet the soil 4-6&quot; deep.  Don't water again until your footprints in the grass are clear and the blades stay down.  Then water deeply. And water during the day so that your grass isn't wet at night.  This will prevent disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mowing.  Not sure where you live but if your grass is like ours in the Pacific Northwest, never mow below 3&quot;. These grasses have large root systems, genetically. If there isn't enough top growth to feed these roots, your grass will not thrive and the weeds will be back.  Always make sure your blades are sharp.  If you miss a week of mowing and the grass has gotten long, take it down in stages.  Don't cut more than 1/3 of the height in one cutting. And remove the clippings.  I haven't got much trust in mulching mowers.  If this were a huge pasture I wouldn't remove clippings, but if you've invested all this effort, I'd use the clippings in my compost, to be used after decomposed.s&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your lawn should look lush and dark green.  The 3&quot; height will shade out weed seeds and help to preserve moisture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize at least twice a year. The percentages of the nutrients are different from spring to summer and fall. Aerate once per year. Add a thin layer of compost after aeration. Water deeply and allow to dry out before watering again.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You shouldn't have to ever use an herbicide again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-23T23:20:14.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11117" CreationDate="2014-06-24T00:22:14.217" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Note that I agree with Stormy on this one, Cabbage Maggots likely are what ate the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2erCY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wasn't being facetious with the comment on your question though, as what is shown has a well defined head and legs, so it's not a grub. Section from your picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BaHwf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Makes me identify these as common Subterranian Termites which are also living in the planter. Note the well defined head, feelers, jaws and legs, which the grubs do not have. They are probably in there after woody and dead plant matter after the culprits pupated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SeKTZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2014-06-24T00:22:14.217" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11140" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="581" CreationDate="2014-06-24T01:59:54.437" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Edge your lawn by digging a trench. The edges should be defined as perfectly straight or if you are doing curves, keep the radius consistent until you change directions. If you use a string and stake, the stake is the center of your circle.  That radius stays the same until you have to move the stake either outside your lawn or back onto the lawn. Doesn't matter what what the radius of those circles are, they shouldn't be equal and large, sweeping arcs will look more natural. If you have your stake in the lawn, you paint your arc along that circumference until you have to place the stake outside the lawn and draw a new arc.  Then you'll keep going back and forth, inside the lawn, outside the lawn until you've connected with where you started. It looks more professional that way. After you are satisfied with where you want your edge, stand on the lawn with a flat spade and cutting through the edge of the lawn dig down at an angle about 4-6&quot;. Throw the soil back up onto your beds, picking out chunks of lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only mulch I use for ornamental plant beds and lawns is human sludge mixed with sawdust and completely decomposed.  You will have to call around to find who in your area makes this mulch.  It is called different names, the one I used was called 'Gro-Co'. This mulch is beautiful, fine textured, no lumps, sticks, rocks, no pesticide residue, no weed seed!, smells wonderful.  If not, find another supplier.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a dark taupe color and feeds your soil organisms.  Your plants will look healthier than ever (usually one week and the difference is remarkable)!  Put it on 2&quot; thick. As with any mulch/soil, keep it away from the base of woody shrubs and trees. If you have any shallow-rooted plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons...daphne, only put down 1/2 - 1&quot; of mulch within the plant's dripline.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will kill most weeds and prevent any weed seeds from germinating. If a weed grows through or a seed blows on top to germinate, they are very easy to pull out. Don't use any other barriers beneath this mulch as you want the organisms in the soil to be able to eat this stuff.  They then take it down into the soil and poop it out, aerating and mixing organic matter into the soil with no effort on your part.  You won't need anything else except this trench, a line trimmer and this mulch to keep the grass from germinating or growing into your beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every year or two you will need to replace this mulch.  It is disappearing into your soil, improving it!  Healthy soil, healthy plants, less water and few if any, weeds! How can you go wrong...you'll still need to fertilize, but not as much.  If you are good with a line-trimmer you won't need to re-edge your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This mulch is also great for your lawn.  My supplier could blow this stuff on beds/lawns and really saved a lot of work.  Although I have to say this stuff is light and fluffy and easy to work with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can't use it for the vegetable garden, sadly, as it is a little higher in heavy metals. Hope this helps...I've done this not only for my yards but for hundreds, maybe thousands of client's yards.  I won't use bark, wood chips...I tell my clients if they want that, they can find someone else.  If they already have bark, they have to allow me to remove it, especially if someone's put plastic underneath! I usually remove the bark and transfer it to their green-belt area where it works fine under established, native plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want my projects successful and clients happy.  That is how good this mulch is and I haven't found anything better, yet. Maybe this will help you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-24T01:59:54.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11141" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-24T04:26:45.290" Score="4" ViewCount="1348" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a Sweetheart Lychee air-layer a month ago. It is less than a foot tall. I immediately planted it in a plastic container whose diameter matched the canopy size. For the first week, I kept it inside by a window that only got 5 hours of sunlight. Then I transitioned it outside for a full 10 hours of sunlight. The weather has been consistently over 50 F at night and lower than 80 F during the day. I water it 3 times a week, letting water drain out from the bottom. I've only put one crushed eggshell and some tea leaf pellets on the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All the leaves eventually started browning from the edges and fell off. Some new leaves are sprouting, but they've shriveled before reaching full size. There's also a rusty color developing on the soil around the trunk. I had a similar experience with my Wax Apple (Jambu), but with only a third of the leaves getting scorched. That one recovered quite well by putting out new leaves without me adjusting anything. At one point, I moved the Lychee behind the posts of my porch to see if shade would help it, but it did not improve. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like some tips on how to revive this baby. It was $50 and it's not available in any local nurseries, so it would be a pity if it died. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cCaPr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To see the full resolution: Right click -&gt; View Image.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2018-10-11T19:15:39.610" Title="How do I revive an air-layer that has dropped all its leaves?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;air-layer&gt;&lt;lychee&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11142" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-24T12:48:11.667" Score="2" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let me start this question by saying there are a lot of unknowns and I can't provide them so please don't be mad or frustrated by this!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a green based work scheme each employee at my workplace has been given a cardboard tube about the size and dimensions of a coke can. Inside of this is some soil (it looks a bit odd, so presumably enriched with various things) and a bean seed to plant in it and grow in the office until large enough to plant.. somewhere. We all used the little plastic bag the soil came in to line the cardboard tube and prevent it becoming water damaged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given this what's the best educated guess about how much and often to water it please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5679" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-25T14:43:38.227" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T11:00:17.463" Title="How much and often should I water a bean seedling in a small plastic lined cardboard tube?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11143" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11158" CreationDate="2014-06-24T14:02:07.153" Score="6" ViewCount="2277" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am attempting to sprout some lychee pits using the moist paper towel in a ziplock method. So far it has resulted in mold on the towel and tops of the seeds. Is there a better method?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3216" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-06-24T22:00:26.353" LastActivityDate="2020-03-15T09:53:52.947" Title="What is the best way to sprout Lychee seeds?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;lychee&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11142" CreationDate="2014-06-24T14:16:33.047" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Impossible to say with any accuracy, other than these general guidelines - once you've planted your seed into the growing medium, water it well. If the seed is very small, then get the growing medium nice and damp before you plant, but not too damp or the carboard tube will disintegrate. Then sow the seed into the damp compost. Check it daily, feel the top with your finger - if the cardboard looks damp or wet, don't water, if it looks dry and the compost feels dryish to the touch at the top, then water gently, sufficient to moisten but not to soak or wash the seed out. As the seedling starts to grow, follow the same watering routine. The rate at which the compost dries out will vary according to temperature and humidity levels, but having it too wet can cause damping off disease, which will likely kill your seedling. As the seedling grows, if it is a large tree, it will very soon need potting up into something larger, but without knowing what it is you're growing, impossible to say much more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: You've said you've lined the tube with plastic - I hope its not like a bag in that it's sealed at the bottom, you will need drainage, so make some holes in the bag if its not open at the bottom already. I'm very curious as to how you're expected keep your tubes upright in the meantime, and without water leaking where you don't want it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE 2: A bean seed, well, not even remotely treelike then. keep the compost moist but not soaking - should germinate and need potting on within 9 days, they're rapid growers, although you've obviously not been told what variety of bean it is. I'm assuming its the runner bean type that kids get given to grow using blotting paper and a glass tube in school, so they can see root growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-26T11:00:17.463" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T11:00:17.463" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11145" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11146" CreationDate="2014-06-24T15:02:25.530" Score="2" ViewCount="94" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently purchased this banana tree in a flower pot. I've attached two photos with its label. Do you know if the bananas of this variety can be eaten? (Does the &quot;\&quot; icon over the fork and knife mean that they can't be eaten?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moreover, should I have it in full sun, or is it OK if it's in shade? Finally, how often should it be watered?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Oq3Wml.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8KE07l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5681" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-24T15:31:26.420" LastActivityDate="2014-06-24T15:35:02.363" Title="Can the bananas of this variety be eaten?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11146" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11145" CreationDate="2014-06-24T15:21:17.400" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, your questions are answered by the icons you posted a picture of. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The crossed out knife-and-fork icon suggests that you cannot eat it. (The circle with the diagonal line mimics the 'prohibited' sign, which can also be found in traffic signs or 'smoking prohibited' stickers.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Musa Nana (dwarf banana) is a often used as a synonym for Musa Acuminata. It should be edible (at least not poisonous), but some sources say it contains many seeds, so maybe that's why they regard it as inedible. It could also be that they've treated it with pesticides in such a way that the fruits of this specific specimen should not be eaten. I wouldn't know why else they put that icon up there, because under normal circumstances you could eat these fruits. Or maybe the icon applies to the plant in general, rather than the fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About the sunlight, the plant can (as the icons also suggest) be grown in full sunlight or half-shadow and it should be watered every 5 to 7 days. Bananas use quite a lot of water, so be sure to check if they are not too dry. You should fertize them once a month, even in winters, and in summer you might even want to fertilize more often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See also: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.backyardnature.net/yucatan/dwarfban.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.backyardnature.net/yucatan/dwarfban.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_Cavendish_banana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_Cavendish_banana&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3317" LastEditorUserId="3317" LastEditDate="2014-06-24T15:35:02.363" LastActivityDate="2014-06-24T15:35:02.363" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11147" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11148" CreationDate="2014-06-24T16:31:55.783" Score="4" ViewCount="404" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing some herbs in pots on my patio, and I've let things get away from me a bit: my cilantro and lemon basil are flowering. I  know it's considered bad to let my cilantro flower like that, and it'll not taste as good now, but is the same true for lemon basil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="744" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-25T00:27:31.783" LastActivityDate="2016-06-23T19:37:12.513" Title="Should I let lemon basil flower?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11148" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11147" CreationDate="2014-06-24T16:46:48.953" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure how it will taste, but letting it flower is a disaster for other reasons - this plant is a half hardy annual, which means its main purpose is to flower, set seed and die - flowering means it's on the way to setting seed, so clip those off immediately. I can't say I've noticed any deterioration in flavour in the leaves on ordinary Basil when I've missed a few flowers, but then I've never left them on the bush for too long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE ON CILANTRO:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to a comment below, another matter to clear up - the use of the word 'cilantro' is largely confined to America and spanish speaking countries. The plant concerned is Coriandum sativum, and in the UK, we call the plant coriander, including the leaves and seeds. In America, though, it seems you call the leaves and plant itself 'cilantro' (a Spanish word) but the seeds produced 'coriander'. Whatever local names are used, the plant is still Coriandum sativum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-22T21:13:17.650" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T21:13:17.650" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11149" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11129" CreationDate="2014-06-24T18:59:28.400" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Of course you can drain against the grade w/ a submerged French drain.  Mine is 6' down at the end of the run, and drains a whole acre just fine.  leave the soil on top of the drain porous--i.e. mixed w/ sand-- and it works fine.  a ditch or swale stays at the surface; a French drain works at any depth as long as the surface water can soak down to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5683" LastActivityDate="2014-06-24T18:59:28.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11150" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11143" CreationDate="2014-06-24T19:41:39.110" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm no expert on Lychee, but mold is usually a bad thing and indicates too much moisture or not enough fresh air getting to your germinating medium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/31/7/1187.full.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This&lt;/a&gt; paper has some results on Lychee seed germination that you might be interested in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4664" LastEditorUserId="4664" LastEditDate="2014-06-25T02:14:31.123" LastActivityDate="2014-06-25T02:14:31.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11151" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1878" CreationDate="2014-06-24T21:37:54.093" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you get blossoms but no fruit, I found with my cherry tree that this can be caused by sparrows pecking at the flower centers, stopping the tree from fruiting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I put sparkle tape around the branches and hung CDs off the branches. It has worked because I have tonnes of cherries every year; I made 24 jars of jam with them, nicest jam ever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm having the same trouble with my plum tree this year. I didn't get any blossoms, and it's normally the first thing to flower on my allotment. I'm not sure about the age of the plum tree. I was always told that fruit trees fruit after 2-3 years but if you move it at anytime it will stop that process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5686" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T20:35:11.933" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T20:35:11.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3534" CreationDate="2014-06-25T00:31:58.750" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;All you need is the equation; rise/run=slope.  For the bulk of my design work all I used was a 'pea-shooter'...grin. Using the height from the ground to your eye you can make very accurate readings in grade. Enough to compile a map of contours for your site. Use the main floor of your home as ZERO. Or whatever number makes sense to you.  You have to go across property lines for this to be useful.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A 'pea-shooter' is basically a level with a magnified eyepiece.  Find one at a surveying equipment store.  Grin.  Let us know if this makes any sense to you.  I have a feeling you'll get this right away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your numbers were about 1.5% slope...which is okay.  The devil is in the details; how much rain, what are your soil properties, what is happening on the other side of your property lines, what kind of plantings do you have and what kind of pervious/impervious surfaces are in play on your site and off...see if this makes sense, let me know if not. You'll be able to know where each drop of water landing on your site will go and be able to direct it where you want it to go!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-25T00:31:58.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11154" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11157" CreationDate="2014-06-25T01:38:31.100" Score="3" ViewCount="1893" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was thinking of building a trellis/vine-tunnel (not sure what it is called). Which I want to grow a variety of edibles (grapes, and maybe some northern kiwi vines) and flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every species seems to have its own recommended support spacing, but I was wondering what a good generic spacing is for Canada, Ontario (I am sure the tropics produce more dense foliage), as I do not know exactly what will be going on it. Speaking of being in Canada, do I need to worry about snow buildup? Will vines produce such a dense crosshatching that snow would build up in the winter? And what sort of weight should I expect per square foot / meter (are we talking hundreds of pounds per support or thousands of pounds)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;General dimensions might be around 15 feet wide by 14 feet high by 40 feet long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never gotten some of the extreme snows some places get in Ontario, but the ground can build up a few feet at times (but I have a few rickety roots with very little incline and have never gotten more than an inch or two build up).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Zone: 6b, I guess. I did not know what this was until a few minutes ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5687" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-26T04:29:29.117" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T04:29:29.117" Title="What size, and how far apart, should support posts for a trellis tunnel be?" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;&lt;trellis&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11147" CreationDate="2014-06-25T02:38:17.597" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just chop the flowering tops off your basil and it will grow new branches with perfectly tasty leaves on them. Towards the end of the summer, let a few plants go to seed so as to collect the seed for growing next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2014-06-25T02:38:17.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11154" CreationDate="2014-06-25T02:38:54.417" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are you thinking of a tunnel covered with foliage...with gourds hanging down, flowers?  I would call this a pergola.  Build a wood structure with pressure treated 6X6 posts even 8X8 posts. Horizontals should be just as massive. 2X2's lap jointed together are gorgeous. These make a lattice work for the plants to climb. Stain the wood with a dove-gray transparent stain. Colors and paint are high maintenance. 4X4's are just too thin, for aesthetic reasons. What do you imagine?  Fragrance, fruits, evergreen foliage? Your zone will dictate what you can grow and what you shouldn't grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To give you a couple of ideas, my favorite vine is Humulus lupulus 'Aureus'...Golden Hops Vine. Zone 6. This will die back in the winter making it easy to remove all the old vines and in the spring they come back with fresh vines and leaves.  Trust me, this plant will cover the dimensions you are thinking about easily.  Yes, if you've got females, they can be made into beer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An evergreen flowering vine would be Akebia quinata.  Very hardy for zone 5.  Very little pruning after flowering would be necessary.  The flowers are beautiful observed from below in a pergola.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A plant at every other post would be enough.  A good design of your structure should support snow and an evergreen plant.  Otherwise, most vines will die back during the winter and snow will not be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kiwi is an excellent idea.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send a picture of a structure you like and I can help make suggestions. Also where you plan to build this, wind and sun orientation, path material...your zone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: This is going to be a major structure in your landscape.  If you want kiwi and grapes, it should be quite substantial to support the weight all year.  Posts, 6-8' span.  I wouldn't use the field wire unless you have the dimensional lumber as the basic structure.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do make drawings to scale for this, otherwise it will look unprofessional? I wouldn't think of building something like this without using graph paper, considering the entire backyard and done to scale.  Kiwi and grapes would be all I would plant.  Actually, I'd do one or the other.  Pruning will be a big deal for both these plants and they are a bit different from each other.  Planting one species including males and females of the species for the kiwi will look spectacular.  Too many different kinds of vines will look chaotic and the maintenance will become a nightmare.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep the structure uniform around the arc of the semi-circle.  Allow a gap at the top of the semi-circle to open out onto a gravel patio, here you can build separately, an overhead structure with its own dimensions.  Curves, circles are fine but limit the curve to the path and try to make at least your wider, patio area to have 90 degree angles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are you good with carpentry?  If not, I would highly recommend getting bids from professionals on this project.  Done right, you will increase the value of your home and actually make money when you sell your home.  If you've got your ideas in your head, put it on paper, take a picture and send it to me.  Make it to scale.  Include your home, property lines, a few elevations to show high and low points, utilities, plant beds, lawn areas, North/South, scale, wind direction, fences outbuildings, views you like, views you don't, areas where you would like more privacy...it doesn't have to cost an arm or leg.  You just want whatever you spend to work for you.  Go on the internet and get ideas.  Send those as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Think about what you'd like if money were no object.  Adjusting to fit your budget later one usually gets far more and a better product.  You are going to have to do some homework here.  I can help you make good decisions.  This process is very enjoyable and will cost you less in the long run.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-06-25T19:54:29.120" LastActivityDate="2014-06-25T19:54:29.120" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11157" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11154" CreationDate="2014-06-25T15:58:57.980" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree, you certainly don't need a formal blueprint to construct a garden trellis.  What I'd do on spacing is take the recommended support spacing for hardy kiwi, and use that as your standard since it is likely to be the largest, heaviest vine you will be planting. If you do this, your structure should handle any of the other vines you plan to put on it with ease.  If you were to take some sort of average spacing, and then get a bumper crop of kiwi one year, your structure might not be able to handle it.  IMO, it's better to engineer on the stronger rather than weaker side, especially if you are expecting significant snow loads.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for competition - unless you plan to just let the vines run wild over the pergola/trellis, it shouldn't be an issue.  If the vines do intertwine a lot, however, it could make pruning more difficult.  If you plan to let things run a bit rampant, I'd either plan to only plant every other post with a vine, or change the plan to allow for  some pruning on a regular basis in the spring, summer and fall in order to keep the vines somewhat under control. As a plus, regular pruning is also your best practice for getting the best fruit from whatever you do plant.  Grapes, in particular, tend to put on a lot more bunches than the vines can support, so pruning rank growth to let in sunlight and reducing the number of bunches at the same time gives larger, sweeter grapes.  I suspect the kiwi may be in the same category. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-06-25T16:04:35.337" LastActivityDate="2014-06-25T16:04:35.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11158" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11143" CreationDate="2014-06-25T18:51:43.307" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Information overload! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes it does not matter if a seed grown fruit tree bears fruit, sometimes it's just nice to experience with new seeds or enjoy the foliage of plants nurseries usual do not carry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The steps:&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-Remove/brush all pulp from seeds - pulp=mold&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-Wash the seeds with warm water, add a few drops of dish liquid&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-Rinse seeds well&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-Wrap seed in a clean paper towel or coffee filter&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-Moisten with distilled water, rain water will do also, &lt;br&gt;(adding a few drops of H2O2/Hyrdogen peroxide assists with fungus control, but it's not a requirement)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-Keep at 70-75F in a zip lock bag.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-Change the dressing every other day, moisten&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-Keep damp but not wet - too much water=rot &lt;br&gt;&#xA;-Germination in 2-6 weeks&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5692" LastActivityDate="2014-06-25T18:51:43.307" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11067" CreationDate="2014-06-25T20:21:31.113" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe the &quot;toxins&quot; referred to by your friend are the bitter components that you will often find, especially in leafy plants, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/5044/why-lettuce-bolts-and-what-you-can-do-about-it&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;once they begin to go to seed (which is known as bolting&lt;/a&gt;.) In the linked article, there is mention of the specific compounds that cause the bitter taste, &quot;sesquiterpene lactones&quot; and some speculation that the bitterness conveys at least some insect resistance.  I was able to confirm that there are, indeed, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=sesquiterpene%20lactones%20in%20lettuce%20insect%20resistance&amp;amp;ie=utf-8&amp;amp;oe=utf-8&amp;amp;aq=t&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;studies online&lt;/a&gt; which look into this, so there is probably some evidence that providing protection for the next generation of seeds is at least one of the reasons for the increase in bitterness of greens as they mature. Collards, kale, cabbages, arugula, turnips, spinach and especially lettuce are all well-known for becoming less palatable as they begin to gear up to produce their seeds.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-06-25T20:21:31.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11160" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9495" CreationDate="2014-06-25T20:29:28.390" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The vinegar will persist in those spots as a lower pH soil.  Vinegar is used as an herbicide (a much higher percentage than what we use in salads) and prevents anything from being able to grow...great for driveways for instance.  All one has to do is add lime to get it back into the pH range to grow plants again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would dig out the dead grass and soil, replace with fresh soil, test your lawn for pH.  If it is below 6.5, use lime to raise the entire lawn's pH to between 6.5 and 7.0.  If you haven't aerated this year, now would be a good time. Leave the plugs on your lawn.  Use a hand spreader and reseed with a grass mix that says 'zero weed seed' on the grass seed list.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize (if you haven't fertilized for 2-3 months) with Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer.  Follow the directions. Use your hand spreader, not your hand to apply fertilizer. This stuff is worth the money, takes longer to show and lasts longer than the regular fast response inorganic fertilizers.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mow no lower than 3&quot;! This will prevent weeds from being able to germinate as the sunlight can't reach the soil. Also if your seed mix is like the Pacific Northwest's the grass plants have large root systems, genetically.  Without enough top growth (3&quot; minimum), the plant is not able to make enough food to support that root system and will be stressed. Stressed grass can not compete with weeds successfully.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Salt will be washed away.  Don't worry about this.  While the seeds are germinating (about 2 weeks after you over-seed) DO keep the surface of the soil moist, all day, every day.  After your lawn has filled back in, water deeply and do not water again until you can step on the lawn and the grass doesn't spring back. This is training your grass to get deep roots and become drought tolerant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Just thought I'd mention treating just the spots will cause the 'spots' to persist longer.  That is why my opinion includes treating the entire lawn to prevent the original problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Boiling water or boiled liquid will kill the top part of the plant. The vinegar changes the pH drastically and the salt I have no idea why they put that in your recipe.  Where did you get that recipe? Did they mean for this to kill dandelions in a lawn? I'm interested to see their thought process, truly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-06-26T17:23:57.770" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T17:23:57.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11161" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-26T01:06:54.100" Score="6" ViewCount="680" Body="&lt;p&gt;What happens to aphids after you spray them off a plant? Do they wander around until they find a new host, get rescued by ants, die, or something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I just moving them from one plant to another by spraying them off?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4657" LastActivityDate="2021-05-20T17:46:48.883" Title="Do aphids return to the host plant after being sprayed off?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11163" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11164" CreationDate="2014-06-26T12:41:12.177" Score="8" ViewCount="2175" Body="&lt;p&gt;My ginger plant is about 33 inches (85cm) tall now, and still plans to get taller. Is this normal? I'm afraid it will fall off and break its stem, and I really don't want to hurt the root down there by installing a support rod. Is it okay to chop off the top of the plant, so that it would stop growing taller?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IwIUul.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5696" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-06-26T15:20:11.850" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T16:08:10.017" Title="Ginger plant too tall for its own good" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11163" CreationDate="2014-06-26T14:42:33.840" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having seen the picture, your ginger plant has grown so tall because it's not getting enough light. The condition it's in is known as 'etiolated', which means it's lanky, with a thin weak stem and long gaps between leaves. Even if you reduce the height, its unlikely to produce more normal growth unless you can improve light conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Even a shadyish spot outside will give more light to this plant than where it is now. Gingers don't exactly dislike sun, but they definitely prefer partial shade, so dappled sunlight is fine, or a shadyish spot. Being outside also means its subjected to breezes, which means the stem will thicken up over time. The one proviso is that its warm enough outdoors, don't know where you are in the world, but if it is warm enough, you will need to harden this plant off before leaving out overnight. I'd chop it down by half at least, harden it off by leaving outside during the day for increasing periods over 5 days, til its out all night and can be left outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-26T16:08:10.017" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T16:08:10.017" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11165" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-26T15:35:52.303" Score="4" ViewCount="1426" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two years ago we thought we had bought a clematis 'Nelly Moser' - but when I look at the flower, it doesn't look at all how it should look. The petals are neither pink nor white but purple, and they're not dark in the centre and light at the edges but vice-versa. The flower's centre is yellow, while Nelly Moser has a purple centre, and the flower doesn't even have the same number of petals - ours has six, while Nelly Moser seems to have eight. Does anyone know which kind of clematis we might have instead?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pzrhp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Our cuckoo&amp;#39;s egg clematis&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LTVzj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The label that came with our clematis&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Edited to add:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wow, you guys are quick! I live in the Netherlands, which should be hardiness zone 10. The clematis started flowering in April, and is still flowering (I took the photo above this morning). I guess that would make it an early vine? And it flowers off new wood, not old wood. And I measured the diameter of the flower - it's about 6-7 cm (roughly 2,5-3 inches) which seems small to me, I think earlier flowers were larger. There are more flowers than this one, but they are too high up for me to reach! And I (very slightly) photoshopped the colour of the clematis to be a more accurate representation of it's real-life colours - and wouldn't be surprised though if you wouldn't really see a difference...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;2nd edit:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might be useful to add that I suspect it might be pruning group 3, not 2. We hardly pruned it this spring, and during these past few months it really grew a lot! It's now about 2-2.5 m high, and looks as if it's dying/drying out at the bottom, while all flowers but one are high above my head - we'll definitely prune it back hard next year!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5695" LastEditorUserId="5695" LastEditDate="2014-06-28T21:13:08.700" LastActivityDate="2016-11-17T01:10:22.503" Title="What variety of clematis is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11166" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11165" CreationDate="2014-06-26T16:18:27.480" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if this is Ville de Lyon, although it usually looks redder than your picture. If the stamens splay out over a day or so after the flower opens, and it is redder than it seems in your picture, then that's what it is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know where you are in the world, but Nelly Moser is an early, twice flowering variety - the first flowering is in mid to late spring, very large flowers, as illustrated on that packet in your picture, and then a second flowering around fall with smaller flowers. Depending where you are, and if this is the first flower on your clematis, then its likely this is one of the viticella group, which start flowering mid summer and go on for 6 - 8 weeks. The flowers on these varieties are never as large as the Nelly Moser type;- Ville de Lyon is in the viticella group, but there are a great many other varieties, so many now it's hard to keep up to date with them. Whichever one it is, it sure isn't Nelly Moser!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-26T16:26:38.470" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T16:26:38.470" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11167" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3080" CreationDate="2014-06-26T18:15:29.103" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Akebia would be the only one that might work with your specifications. Have you considered moving the arbor where there is more sun, better soil?  A better place for a plant to survive? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A woody, evergreen vine like the Akebia will get very heavy.  It is a slow grower, but in 3-5 years it would squash this arbor with its weight alone.  Snow will bring the plant and arbor down sooner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An arbor this delicate should be matched with a more delicate perennial vine such as clematis or a passion flower vine. Most vines that flower or produce a fruit need more sun to be healthy.  You might get one to grow in the shade but you'd get little flower, fruit and would have to be vigilant for insects and disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this arbor leading people into? What about moving it out to one of those paved nooks?  Use it as a backdrop for a bench? Can this arbor be anchored or supported better?&#xA;I think you should think about moving this arbor somewhere else more amenable for a vine giving you more choices.  Without adding any more support, choose one that dies back to the ground every winter.  Not hops.  My favorite vine! It would cover this little arbor so fast all you'd see would be a huge pile of leaves! Send a picture of your yard and let's reconsider its placement?!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T18:15:29.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11168" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11165" CreationDate="2014-06-26T18:51:50.693" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=clematis%20vines%20pictures&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;ei=y2WsU8HpH5KiyATEx4LQBg&amp;amp;ved=0CDYQ7Ak&amp;amp;biw=1142&amp;amp;bih=637#facrc=_&amp;amp;imgdii=_&amp;amp;imgrc=W8CW4rcOJzZcGM%253A%3Bupmlb_FMytIlaM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.gardenvines.com%252Fshop%252Fimages%252Fclematis_daniel_deronda.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.gardenvines.com%252Fshop%252Flarge-flowered-clematis-3%252Fclematis-daniel-deronda-73.html%3B335%3B335&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Daniel Derona Clematis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your last comment said it was more bluish purple than reddish purple.  There are more pictures of this clematis that are more purplish...this is the first time I've included a link, grin, so bear with me if I've made a boo-boo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=clematis%20vines%20pictures&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;ei=y2WsU8HpH5KiyATEx4LQBg&amp;amp;ved=0CDYQ7Ak&amp;amp;biw=1142&amp;amp;bih=637#facrc=_&amp;amp;imgdii=_&amp;amp;imgrc=xP8qD0IFXGrxnM%253A%3BZUlggt_JhSleKM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.directgardening.com%252Flarge%252F4952_l.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.botanical-journeys-plant-guides.com%252Fjackmanii-clematis.html%3B400%3B400&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Jackman Clematis&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=clematis%20vines%20pictures&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;ei=y2WsU8HpH5KiyATEx4LQBg&amp;amp;ved=0CDYQ7Ak&amp;amp;biw=1142&amp;amp;bih=637#facrc=_&amp;amp;imgdii=_&amp;amp;imgrc=H90ZHqn2oLkOjM%253A%3Bq8mGu96vVS2n8M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.rainyside.com%252Fimages%252Fvines%252FClematisElsaSpath1998.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.rainyside.com%252Fplant_gallery%252Fvines%252FClematisElsaSpath.html%3B350%3B236&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Elsa Spath ?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-06-29T18:17:11.477" LastActivityDate="2014-06-29T18:17:11.477" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11161" CreationDate="2014-06-26T20:33:52.223" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spraying aphids off plants with a jet of water forces at least some of them to wander on the ground where life is not as cozy as it is higher up in the leafy plants they like to feed upon.  Yes, they often do climb or fly back to your plants, which is why you are supposed to spray pretty much every day for several days.  The goal here is to weaken them enough that they either die of starvation or fungal infections or become easy prey for something else. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is definitely not a perfect solution - but if you want to limit your pesticide use, and your aphid infestation isn't too bad, it can knock their numbers back a fair bit and at the same time allow your plants to outgrow some of the damage that was done.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T20:33:52.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11141" CreationDate="2014-06-26T22:03:59.740" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like you jumped the gun on putting it outside, and have been treating it more like an already established plant, rather than the rooted cutting that it really is.  I agree with putting it back into semi-shade, and I'd go ahead and follow the grower's instructions to wrap it in plastic for a while.  The problem appears to be that the roots were not established well enough to provide for the canopy when it was not being given help by the higher humidity and lower moisture loss that is gained through putting it under plastic.  No amount of watering can help with that, the plant just needs to make a gradual adjustment and the root mass needs time to grow to meet the plant's needs.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T22:03:59.740" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11173" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11174" CreationDate="2014-06-26T23:00:32.183" Score="4" ViewCount="14905" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to get one of these for my back yard but I'm not sure what kind of tree it is... anybody know?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3X1Mu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fNiMx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5668" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-27T01:34:05.660" LastActivityDate="2018-09-18T16:27:45.067" Title="What is this small tree with purple leaves and small green fruits?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11173" CreationDate="2014-06-26T23:29:05.273" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.arborday.org/treeguide/treeDetail.cfm?ID=157&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Purple Leaf Plum, &lt;em&gt;Prunus cerasifera&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/a&gt; The fruits will drop after coloring, so this is classed as a messy tree, but I agree it is attractive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some comparison photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sVHL2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mxCq2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-26T23:29:05.273" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11175" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-27T00:39:08.437" Score="5" ViewCount="2885" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large sunny patio that I would like to shade with the largest potted trees that I can grow practically in the northeast of the U.S. (New England, 6a). What trees are suitable and how large can I expect to grow (or purchase) them? Ideally I would like a mixture of deciduous and evergreen trees. Trees that need to be taken inside are not practical (and would be too small anyway if they could fit inside).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5703" LastEditorUserId="5703" LastEditDate="2014-06-27T16:49:56.993" LastActivityDate="2014-06-27T22:51:06.700" Title="How large can potted patio trees grow in the US northeast?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;patio&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11176" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11177" CreationDate="2014-06-27T01:33:18.007" Score="6" ViewCount="503" Body="&lt;p&gt;So we planted a big new garden, and I think my wife sprinkled some assorted seeds (possibly wildflower?) and now we have three huge plants growing that don't seem to either produce flowers or fruit/vegetable of any kind. The stalks are quite thick for being at most 6 weeks old and they are a purplish color. Any ideas what it could be? Should I rip it out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jM5XXl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pnzeil.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5704" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T05:11:56.453" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T05:11:56.453" Title="What is this fast growing plant and should I rip it out?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11176" CreationDate="2014-06-27T01:55:56.437" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe that's an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;amaranth, &lt;em&gt;Amaranthus&lt;/em&gt; sp.&lt;/a&gt; I call them red root pigweed, and yours looks large and healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It did produce a flower (the large 'caterpillar' at the stem apex), which means soon there will be seed, and lots of it. I would recommend getting rid of the plants asap. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is the first time you've encountered this plant, controlling it now will stop the chances of it becoming a noxious weed at your place (like it is at mine). If it did come in the 'assorted seeds', you may get more seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They may not pull very easily, so you might want to dig them out, to get the entire root. At least you didn't get one of the spiny species (which I also have). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is also edible, as a green and a grain. if you are interested in eating the greens, cut the flowers off so it doesn't reseed the whole garden. You can harvest the younger, more tender leaves and prepare them like spinach. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to try and save some seed for grain (not that practical with only three plants), leave the flower heads until they mature into seed-heads. Then, when the plant starts drying out, tie a paper bag on the seed head and cut the stalk. Hang in a warm, dry place until completely dry. Then you can rub/shake the seeds off the plant, into the paper bag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-29T03:22:56.187" LastActivityDate="2014-06-29T03:22:56.187" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11178" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11175" CreationDate="2014-06-27T15:12:07.713" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You really need to find a specialist nursery that supplies large plants in large pots - I'm in the UK and we do have those here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You haven't said what USDA zone you're in, but I can see that New England doesn't get any higher than zone 7a,and that is an important factor. Many trees which are hardy in the ground are not so hardy when in pots, Laurus nobilis (bay laurel) being a good example; should the soil in the containers freeze in a particularly cold spell for longer than a fortnight, even trees with more resilient roots will be killed. In large enough containers, you could get a silver birch to grow to 12 feet easily, but once it reaches that size, that's it, it can't get any bigger, and over time will suffer from being contained. Acer negundo can be grown to a similar height, it's all down to how much root room the plant has, that's what limits growth. Usually, trees or large shrubs chosen for container growing are those which are naturally a bit smaller, so those I've mentioned already, plus plants like Amelanchier lamarckii, which is not enormous in the ground, and which should perhaps make half its mature size in a large container. There will certainly be coniferous plants that will grow in containers and get fairly large, but these don't usually cast much shade and may be blown over in high winds in winter. I'd suggest the advice of a specialist supplier in your area is essential.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: in response to your comment - there are complicated things such as root pruning, but that's a highly skilled job, not to mention extremely difficult with a tree that large. Getting an arboriculturalist to prune it back periodically might help to keep the roots in check a bit. Size of container for Birch should be a minimum of 36 inches wide by 48 inches deep, but with extreme winter temperatures of -17.8 to -15 deg C, I would be seriously concerned about root freeze. Topsoil in the ground will freeze at -12 deg C. The larger the container, the less likely to freeze, but even so, arranging pots in clusters will give added protection to roots, otherwise its chancing bubble wrap or several layers of horticultural fleece round the pot and over the surface at onset of winter, and I doubt any of that will be enough. Amelanchier should reach 10 feet in a container 36 inch wide by 16-24 inches deep too, but needs a sheltered spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would certainly check what's available in mature plants in containers in your area, there may be others that are better suited to your micro climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-06-27T18:06:34.957" LastActivityDate="2014-06-27T18:06:34.957" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11179" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9770" CreationDate="2014-06-27T15:55:41.283" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are the flowers in that second picture small and white and held in flat-ish clusters on plants 2-5 feet tall?  If so, it &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?channel=np&amp;amp;q=Ageratina%20adenophora&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla%3aen-US%3aofficial&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;ei=n5GtU76gFZLooASyn4HoCQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ageratina adenophora&lt;/a&gt;.  The leaves are a bit narrow for this plant, but the up close pictures are of young plants and they may be in a bit shadier habitat than Ageratina prefers, which would probably affect the leaf shape somewhat, but the veining is very similar.  Have a look at the pictures linked and see if any of them look like what you've seen.  It is a fairly common invasive weed in some places, and prefers moist soils in the woods or near a stream. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-06-27T15:55:41.283" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11180" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11182" CreationDate="2014-06-27T17:25:38.690" Score="5" ViewCount="2288" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this plant growing in my backyard near Houston, TX (UDSA Zone 9a). I been letting it grow because I have no idea what it is. It starting to look like just another weed. Can anyone identify this please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YykzC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5707" LastEditorUserId="5707" LastEditDate="2014-06-27T17:34:56.423" LastActivityDate="2015-06-30T19:35:53.030" Title="What is this plant growing in my backyard?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8880" CreationDate="2014-06-27T17:33:02.720" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I can see from my online research, it looks like you will need to find a way to give your wax apple tree more heat than it probably will be getting outside in the Bay Area, given that it's a tropical fruit and the Bay Area is more of a cool maritime climate.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-market-news-online-20130824-story.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here is a gentleman in Southern California who, rather cleverly, warms his wax apple tree orchard by planting the trees in holes drilled into a cement or asphalt courtyard&lt;/a&gt;, which is also surrounded by buildings that trap the day's warmth and reflect it back.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you could find or make a nice warm &quot;micro-climate&quot; for your tree, that would help a lot.  Otherwise, you are probably looking at constructing a small &quot;greenhouse&quot; of sorts to hold it and raise the temperatures up to where the tree will be able to grow properly.  The tree can grow to 50 feet tall, so the greenhouse option would only help it get started while young and small, and would not be practical after that.  Luckily, larger trees are often more tolerant of less than perfect conditions.  Overall, I think finding or creating a warmer microclimate, such as planting the tree in a south-facing courtyard, is your best bet.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for hardiness, it can withstand temps to freezing, but not for long periods.  So a low temp of 45 in the winter should not be a problem.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://books.google.com/books?id=cjHCoMQNkcgC&amp;amp;pg=PA555&amp;amp;lpg=PA555&amp;amp;dq=pruning%20Syzygium%20samarangense&amp;amp;source=bl&amp;amp;ots=u-WnbAZFUX&amp;amp;sig=DV-T-DzxBBcROZ5_105JEmKazpw&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=UamtU9bXD5L-oQSTpICwBA&amp;amp;ved=0CEcQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&amp;amp;q=pruning%20Syzygium%20samarangense&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The tree apparently can be pruned&lt;/a&gt;, but I would recommend against &quot;bald cutting&quot; or &quot;pollarding&quot; as it is harmful to the tree and unsightly as well.  If you will scroll to the next page in the book page  linked above, it actually has a fair bit of information on growing this species.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-06-27T17:33:02.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11182" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11180" CreationDate="2014-06-27T17:36:44.980" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oda.state.ok.us/images/archives/sorghum1.jpg&quot;&gt;grain sorghum&lt;/a&gt; to me, and probably arrived in your yard via the birds, as it is a popular component of commercially packaged bird feed.  The fact that it's near a fence would tend to give support to this theory!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-06-27T17:36:44.980" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11183" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11189" CreationDate="2014-06-27T17:55:01.450" Score="5" ViewCount="2382" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an orange tree growing in my backyard. I am not sure of the exact species. It has 4 oranges growing on it right now. Three of them appear to be very healthy. The other one is very small and stopped growing. When I inspected it I could see that most of its attachment to the branch was torn and this is probably why it was stunted. Is there something I can do for the other fruit to support them and prevent the same thing happening? This is a very small tree, less than 4 feet tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5707" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-27T18:41:08.717" LastActivityDate="2015-10-25T23:25:00.027" Title="How can I support oranges as they grow?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;support&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11184" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8880" CreationDate="2014-06-27T18:59:29.890" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the comment:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got a response from the seller. The English is not very good and it is not detailed. &lt;em&gt;&amp;quot;Hi no cross-pollinate. Winter need protect. Grown in 5g until 12 &amp;quot;high go the ground. Midday sun. Evergreen. any soil ok.&amp;quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trying to decipher this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hi&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A greeting. :)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;no cross-pollinate.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This species is self-pollinating.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Winter need protect&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;It may need winter protection in your area.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Grown in 5g until 12 &amp;quot;high go the ground.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The plant should be in a five gallon pot until 12 inches tall, at which time it can be planted in the ground.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Midday sun.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The plant needs a full day of sun.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Evergreen.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This plant is evergreen. If the leaves fall, you have a problem.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;any soil ok.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This plant does not have special soil requirements, and any healthy soil is fine.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would trust this information, because, as a grower, they know the best methods of growing a healthy looking plant (so people will buy it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-06-27T18:59:29.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11175" CreationDate="2014-06-27T19:20:05.607" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best pot to get are the sand-cast concrete.  Be sure to fill the entire pot with good potting soil. Look for soil that has mychorrizae and bacteria added. Mix into the soil Osmocote extended release fertilizer.  No rock or gravel in the bottom as that actually causes poor drainage.  You'll need 'pot feet' to get the bottom of the pot off the patio and increase the drainage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most vulnerable part of a plant are the roots and once a plant is in a pot, it loses the protection of a large body of soil.  I've done lots of trees in pots for long-term use outside.  To ensure the trees make it through the winter you can wrap the pots in burlap and christmas tree lights.  This can be done to look great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bamboo is correct about the evergreens.  Deciduous trees are often hardier because they are deciduous, the lose their leaves, the next most vulnerable part of a plant.  Wind can blow through them without pulling the whole plant and pot over.  Evergreens will get blown over, hold snow and break branches.  If you need screening, use architectural screens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Birch, however, you don't want on a patio! They get aphids, no-seeums, they drip honeydew quite badly.  Lovely as a grove out away from the home and cars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Amelanchier 'alnifolia' or 'arborea', Serviceberry would be a great choice.  I prefer the multi-stemmed varieties, there's more structure and you'd get a beautiful vase-shaped canopy for shade.  I would get at least 3 but 5 would be better.  Stay with just one type of tree and the effect will be powerful.  This is my favorite tree of all time.  Few, if any, insect or disease problems.  4 season beauty; first of the trees to bloom in the spring.  Beautiful clouds of white flowers that are easy to blow off the patio surface. Leaves are oval, small and a bluish dark green. Lots of blue-black berries that make great jam if you can keep the birds away.  I thought the berries would be messy but it is the rare berry that makes it to the ground. Lovely branching and smooth, gray bark are sculptural in a delicate yet powerful combination.  Fall color is neon rust reds, purples and flame orange.  One of the most unforgettable plants for fall color and easy to clean-up leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few other trees I'd recommend are: Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy', a purple-red leaved Red Bud;  Gleditsia triacanthos inermis moraine 'Ruby Lace' or 'Shademaster', a hardy tree with delicate foliage, tiny leaflets and light shade; Acer palmatum, upright Japanese Maple in either green or red foliage...variegated forms including Coral Bark Japanese Maples are less hardy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will be an investment, so I would put these trees on an automatic irrigation for pots with a timer.  Water deeply and allow time to dry out.  You should see water coming out of the planter when it's being watered.  Adjust the timer for the seasons.  Less water for the winter.  Adjust heating, wraps so that the soil isn't freezing solid.  They might even have pots, now, with heating coils available.  Still, you want the thick, heavy concrete pots if you want 12-15' trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mulch the top of the soil with 2-4&quot; of decomposed organic mulch to feed the soil organisms and protect the roots.  You won't need to re-pot if you keep mulching the top of the soil.  Make sure that no mulch touches the bark of the tree and that only the roots are under the soil.  Planting a tree too deeply where the bark of the stem is covered with soil or mulch will kill it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you buy a balled and burlapped tree, remove all burlap, wires, twine and tags before planting it.  Don't stake these trees if at all possible.  Purchase your trees at the same time getting the same size, same variety.  Prune out any broken branches, any branches growing toward the center of the tree, any crossing branches.  Cut to a main branch or trunk leaving no stumps. Purchase in the fall and you'll get a better price.  The trees won't have foliage, you don't have to worry about blowing over and they can spend the winter growing roots. Don't forget to always clean your pruners (by-pass, not anvil) with alcohol before, between different trees and after.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would consider making a patio out of gravel 3/8&quot; plus or granulithics, 4&quot; deep, compacted.  Landscape fabric should be laid on the subsoil beneath the gravel.  This way you will never lose your gravel.  The fine texture and light gray color would highlight your 'grove'.  A firepit and low garden walls made from CMU (concrete modular units) would be Sunset Magazine beautiful.  You might even consider building a few 'planters' for your trees using these walls capped with 2&quot; thick concrete pre-cast light gray caps.  I'd also make my firepit using this material as well.  Roman cobble pavers 2X7X9 concrete pavers are my favorite paver if you would like a more formal patio.  Look for CMU's that come in an 'Ashlar' pattern.  Try to keep your hardscape all the same color.  Light gray with bits of dark gray is the best color for your garden.  It looks natural, clean and shows off your plants.  Brown, red, greens...look like you need to get out a pressure washer and clean off moss, dirt and mold. Just a few suggestions...I really can't think of a better tree, this is my favorite.  Use the same thought process on other candidates and let us know if you have any other questions!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Find your trees first.  You'll be able to get pots to match.  If the trees are small to begin with, you don't want to swamp them in huge pots.  You can keep them in smaller, black plastic pots set into mulch or dried moss or straw sitting on turned over black plastic pots for height and upgrade as the trees grow.  Otherwise, figure a pot to begin with about 6&quot;-1' wider than the root ball. So, if you've purchased a tree with a 2&quot; caliper and the root ball is 1 1/2' wide, you'll use a pot that's 2 1/2' wide.  Keep the width and height close to equal.  Definitely don't get pots that are taller than the width as they will blow over easily.  The final pot size should be 4' X 4', minimum.  These will be heavy, but they aren't meant to be moved.  At the beginning, with a young tree, pots this size can be moved by tipping them onto an edge and 'rolling' the planter where you need it to go.  You can also use a tree dolly, a dolly with a rounded back and heavy duty wheels and meant for moving trees and pots. Years down the road you can use this dolly to root prune and refresh the potting soil. Simple plywood boxes could be constructed around each pot outfitted with light bulbs for heat and stored in the garage during winter for even better winter protection...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-06-27T21:24:41.680" LastActivityDate="2014-06-27T21:24:41.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11186" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11180" CreationDate="2014-06-27T20:58:04.397" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could also be millet, another common grain found in bird seed.&#xA;Both Sorgum and Millet are used to feed animals in the United States.   In some parts of the world they are eaten by humans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5709" LastActivityDate="2014-06-27T20:58:04.397" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11187" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11175" CreationDate="2014-06-27T22:51:06.700" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are some trees that will grow well in large planters given the right care:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/81735/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Canadian Hemlock, &lt;em&gt;Tsuga canadensis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Positives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;One of the only shady evergreens that will be winter hardy in a pot in New england&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is hardy to USDA Zone 3a: to -39.9 °C (-40 °F)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Year-round visual interest&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will take a heavy snow load&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grows fast&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;low maintenance&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Negatives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drops old needles yearly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;May bleed from wounds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Susceptible to certain diseases in some areas&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Requires special soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/937/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Corkscrew Hazel, &lt;em&gt;Corylus avellana&lt;/em&gt; 'Contorta'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Positives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Visually interesting year-round&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Available in a purple-leaved form&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is hardy to USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Low maintenance&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Negatives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not the fastest grower&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53021/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pussy willow, &lt;em&gt;Salix discolor&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Positives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fast growing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Visually interesting in late winter/early spring&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hardy to USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leaves out early&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Negatives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drops branches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not very long-lived&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Like lots of fertilizer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/64661/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Russian Olive, &lt;em&gt;Elaeagnus angustifolia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Positives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Likes root confinement&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grows fast&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Winter hardy to USDA Zone 3a: to -39.9 °C (-40 °F)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Visually interesting (foliage, bark)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Disease resistant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Attracts birds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Negatives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;May be considered invasive in your area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drops fruit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/89621/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese ZelKova, &lt;em&gt;Zelkova serrata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Positives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Interesting branching habit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Exceptionally shady&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fairly fast growing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hardy to USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fall color&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Negatives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Likes lots of fertilizer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/217/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Eastern Redbud, &lt;em&gt;Cercis canadensis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Positives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Very attractive, especially cultivars like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/498/lavender-twist-redbud/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;'Lavender Twist'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grows fast&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flowering tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nice habit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hardy to USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Negatives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drops twigs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Uses a lot of fertilizer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54678/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Corkskrew Willow, &lt;em&gt;Salix matsudana&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Positives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Visual interest in winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fast growing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leaves out early&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hardy to USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6 °C (-25 °F)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Negatives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Needs lots of fertilizer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drops branches in winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not very symmetrical&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not a long lived tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53587/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Paper Birch, &lt;em&gt;Betula papyrifera&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Positives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Visually interesting in winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nice habit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fast growing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hardy to USDA Zone 2b: to -42.7 °C (-45 °F)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shady&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Negatives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will drop honeydew, same as silver birch. See stormy's answer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Susceptible to several diseases&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1588/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;American Yellowwood, &lt;em&gt;Cladrastis lutea&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Positives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flowering tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nice habit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shady&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hardy to USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Disease resistant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Negatives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;May drop twigs in winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drops flowers in spring/summer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/55696/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Weeping Cherry, &lt;em&gt;Prunus subhirtella&lt;/em&gt; 'Pendula'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Positives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flowering tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Attractive year round&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shady&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hardy to USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6 °C (-25 °F)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grows fast&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Exceptional for a planter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Negatives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A messy tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Needs careful pruning every year&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1045/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Flowering Dogwood, &lt;em&gt;Cornus canadensis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Positives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flowering tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nice habit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hardy to USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Interesting branch structure (winter)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fall color&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spreading&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Negatives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;May drop fruit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;May drop some twigs in winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I only added the more major plusses and minuses. These trees are going to add a lot to your property, and you will want to keep them in top condition. You will probably want them to get a regular checkup (once a year or so) by a certified plant health expert, so you don't miss anything that could be fatal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of these trees are fairly common, and you should easily be able to find at least 6' specimens, most likely balled and burlapped. Make sure you have the planters and back-fill soil ready before you buy your trees. These trees will need large planters that will hold at least two yards of soil. The wider the planter the better. Also, you will get better drainage if you put an inch or two of pea gravel on the bottom of your planter, before adding any soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stormy's idea of using Christmas lights as winter protection is excellent. I usually install heating cables on a thermostat, but that is much more expensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-06-27T22:51:06.700" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11188" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11190" CreationDate="2014-06-27T23:52:21.020" Score="2" ViewCount="378" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've noticed these mushrooms growing in my backyard today. They are likely thriving on dead grass that my lawnmower has been leaving behind. Can anyone identify them? I am located in the Houston, Texas area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OOm2G.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mushroom(2)&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EgeiE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mushroom(1)&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5707" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-27T23:57:58.573" LastActivityDate="2014-06-28T10:05:39.287" Title="What kind of mushrooms are these?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11189" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11183" CreationDate="2014-06-28T01:23:52.633" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can make a hammock-type support out of plastic netting, and attach the ends to the stem carrying the fruit with a foam coated wire tie, or similar non-abrasive connector. This won't relieve stress on the branch, but will make it so that the fruit will pull the branch from more than one point, and relieve a little stress from the fruit stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-28T01:23:52.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11188" CreationDate="2014-06-28T10:05:39.287" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mushroomexpert.com/panaeolus_foenisecii.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;panaeolus foenisecii&lt;/a&gt;. Very common in lawns this time of year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-06-28T10:05:39.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11183" CreationDate="2014-06-28T12:06:13.770" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It isn't necessary to provide support for individual fruits on the tree for oranges. The one with the broken stem which stopped growing has probably suffered some kind of physical damage, something knocking against it perhaps, which has snapped the stem of the fruit. Sometimes dwarf orange trees need staking if they're overloaded with fruit, but that's to support the trunk rather than the individual fruits - the weight of the fruits might cause the bough or trunk to split otherwise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-28T12:06:13.770" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11193" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="220" CreationDate="2014-06-28T18:02:18.410" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are safe and effective ways to help deter wildlife. For example peppermint oil (soaked clothes wrapped in aluminum foil with little holes so smell can escape) works well with rodents. They can't stand it and you won't see any near it. You have to freshen it now and then - put it in containers that protect from rain but have open sides. Blood meal deters squirrels and is good for gardens. Take a little time to use prevention rather than harming animals that share our earth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5713" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-28T18:29:19.693" LastActivityDate="2014-06-28T18:29:19.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11194" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11083" CreationDate="2014-06-28T22:28:05.253" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;One more idea since learning this is an indoor plant, how long has this fern been in the same pot, same soil?  Are you watering with tap water?  Is your tap water softened? Is there white crust on top of the soil? If it is in a clay pot, is there white crusting on the outside of the pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main indicator of high salt in the soil is browning of the tips of leaves.  If this is the problem, you need to get fresh potting soil and repot this plant.  Use distilled water to water this fern.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-28T22:28:05.253" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11195" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-29T00:20:29.107" Score="2" ViewCount="268" Body="&lt;p&gt;My butterfly bush is not flowering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/d1OIa2b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Imgur&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had it for 3 years and every year was a little bit downhill from the previous one. Last fall, I gave it some compost and some new shoots emerged but no flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am located in Northern Virginia so it's the blooming season now. It's getting at least 2 hours of sunlight and I was hoping that the taller it gets the more sunlight it will get. The leaves seem twisted on top. What am I doing wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5714" LastActivityDate="2014-06-29T01:31:39.907" Title="What's wrong with my butterfly bush?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11196" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-29T01:11:08.783" Score="6" ViewCount="4348" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a row of watermelon seedlings, each separated by 2 inches, except that in several places two seedlings are growing together about half an inch apart (where I had sown two seeds in the same space). The plants are 3 inches tall.  How much space will these seedlings need?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have empty space in the garden where cantaloupe seeds did not germinate. How should I move the watermelon seedlings to the available space? East-central Wisconsin climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5715" LastEditorUserId="7047" LastEditDate="2014-09-28T23:25:58.753" LastActivityDate="2014-09-28T23:25:58.753" Title="How much space do watermelon plants need? What do I need to know to transplant seedlings?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;thinning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11195" CreationDate="2014-06-29T01:12:04.210" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yup, 2 hours of light is not enough for Buddelia.  It is still small enough that I would start a trench around the drip-line.  In this way you can get the bush to grow its roots within the ball and by this fall/winter, you'll be able to move it where it gets enough sunlight to flower.  Its leaves are wider than normal, showing it needs more light.  Is there a way to thin the tree above it to allow more light? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, have you been fertilizing, was the compost completely decomposed? Plants in shade require much less fertilizer, especially nitrogen.  Being in the shade plus too much nitrogen would be a double whammy towards flowering.  Nitrogen promotes vegetative growth (leaves), not reproductive growth (flowers). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And it is pretty common for aphids, for instance, to visit new growth in the garden to suck juices through tender, thin skin of the lamina.  The physical damage and/or the bacteria the aphid has injected into the leaf while eating will cause distortion.  But this is just aesthetic, very normal.  You don't want insects getting out of control, it's good to be vigilant.  If you see aphids, just spray with soap and water, or use Neem (use at night to avoid bees and beneficials).  Don't forget to spray beneath the leaves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-06-29T01:31:39.907" LastActivityDate="2014-06-29T01:31:39.907" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11198" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-29T01:38:54.977" Score="2" ViewCount="906" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qnsjp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;I have these plants popping up all over my 10x10ft garden in Wisconsin.  I think it may be some kind of flower. I think the leaves look like potato leaves.   I want to know what this is. Is it a weed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5716" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-29T02:11:54.590" LastActivityDate="2014-06-29T03:22:28.660" Title="Can you tell me the garden plant that is popping up all over my 10x10 garden plot in Wisconsin?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-06-30T18:46:52.817" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11198" CreationDate="2014-06-29T02:07:09.880" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;amaranth, &lt;em&gt;Amaranthus sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; This is a very common weed in the temperate U.S..&#xA;For control and uses of this plant, refer to this question: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/11176/what-is-this-fast-growing-plant-and-should-i-rip-it-out&quot;&gt;What is this fast growing plant and should I rip it out?&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-06-29T03:22:28.660" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11196" CreationDate="2014-06-29T02:27:05.380" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watermelon plants need lots of space to spread. For an early variety, like 85-95 day, a plant spacing of three feet apart in rows 8 feet apart should be sufficient. For hill planting, place the plants in a grid of squares at least 6 feet by 6 feet. For the later, larger varieties (over 100 day), plant the starts 5 feet apart in rows 10-12 feet apart. For hill plantings, use a grid of squares at least 8-10 feet each way, placing a plant at each intersection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is best done in the early spring as soon as all danger of frost has passed. Your plants are rather late, so you'll be on the line. Most watermelons take more than 90 days from transplant (to distinguish from by seed) to harvest, so unless you have an early (small) variety, you may have to protect the plants from frost at the end of the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watermelons do not like being transplanted, which is why the seeds are usually started in peat pots, or direct seeded under protection. When you transplant, get as large a root-ball as possible with each plant, and be careful not to break them. Keep the plants quite damp until active growth is apparent, after which you should keep the plants well watered, but not constantly damp, to prevent disease spreading. If you plant on black plastic, however, the plants will not have soil contact, and this factor won't be an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watermelons like a very high amount of humus (decomposed organic matter) in their soil, so if your soil is deficient, you will get much better results by creating a comfort zone for each plant before planting. Dig in a good amount of compost, or even mushroom soil is better than nothing. If the top 6-8 inches is half soil, half compost, that is good enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watermelons (being a tropical plant) also like a lot of heat. High heat will cause faster, healthier plant growth and earlier fruiting, which you will want at this point. I usually use 10 foot wide 6 mil black plastic sheeting, secured by earth staples. Do not use black landscaping fabric, or other products that let train through. Weeds will grow through these, and the soil underneath will crust and harden. Also, If you put down the plastic when the soil is moist, it will not evaporate, and the ground will stay soft and moist all season, so you won't have to water often. Also, mud will not splash up onto the undersides of the plants' leaves, and this helps in disease prevention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants that are growing half an inch apart should be treated as one plant until the plants become established in their new location. Then you can take out the weaker plant by cutting it off at ground level. Do not pull it, as this will further disturb the roots of the remaining plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are also fairly heavy feeders, and should be fertilized regularly with a balanced fertilizer high in potassium and nitrogen. (unless your soil is high in nitrates, in which case lots of nitrogen added will be detrimental. Watermelons like a ph of 6.5-7, but if all the other factors are close to ideal, they will put up with slightly lower/higher ph levels (like 6-7.5).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have any further questions as you grow these (or any other plants, for that matter), be sure to ask. Prevention is always better than cure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-29T02:27:05.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11201" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8550" CreationDate="2014-06-29T03:14:15.123" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am going to put an educated guess out that this is sun damage. Why? Notice that all of the dead spots are on the tops of the most exposed branches, but not the undersides, and not the protected branches. With a fungus attack, you should expect the worst areas to be where the exposure is lowest, and the air circulation is poorest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen this type of damage become infected, though, however, the damage was more extensive, and the tree was not growing fast enough to heal properly. With a proper leaf canopy for protection, I don't think this will happen. Eventually, as the tree grows, the young bark will begin to mature, and develop a light grey-brown cork layer. This may first appear as spots similar to the ones on your plant, but these are normal on a trunk/branch of increasing diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-29T03:14:15.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8665" CreationDate="2014-06-29T03:35:37.363" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;No. Marrow beans, as well as most shell/dry beans, were developed for field cultivation, and bush types were (and still are) more efficient. I can think of one variety that may interest you, and that is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seedaholic.com/bean-runner-bean-white-emergo-organic.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;'White Emergo' runner bean&lt;/a&gt;, Which can be used as a dry bean, with qualities described as similar to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cannellini.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cannellini&lt;/a&gt;. This pole veriety can climb up to 8-10 feet. It can be harvested green, or left to dry. If that isn't what your after, you may be out of options.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-29T03:35:37.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8967" CreationDate="2014-06-29T03:51:02.840" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the description, it sounds like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryophyllum_daigremontianum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Bryophyllum daigremontianum&lt;/em&gt;, or Mexican Hat Plant.&lt;/a&gt; This is a common succulent house plant, and the sprouts along the leaf edges are a special reproductive adaptation, as you've noted. Water it sparingly, and keep it in a sunny spot. As you've also noted, this is a resilient plant. It won't need much care if you supply the basics. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-29T03:51:02.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3982" CreationDate="2014-06-29T04:26:40.890" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you have &lt;a href=&quot;http://insects.about.com/od/butterfliesmoths/p/Mamericanum.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Eastern Tent Caterpillars, &lt;em&gt;Malacosoma americanum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. This is a very common pest in the U.S.. You can cut off affected branches, and destroy them. Make sure the caterpillars are killed. You can also use a broad-spectrum insecticide early in the season. This may not penetrate the web, so it isn't the most effective method of treatment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are certain parasitic wasps that will attack these worms, also. You may want to research that as an alternative control method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend using more than one control method, for better results. I have also found that Eastern Tent Caterpillars rarely become a serious issue on the same plant several years in a row. They'll generally be very bad one year, and only moderate or mild the next. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The shrub/tree you are having trouble with is probably in the rose family, because those are the main host plants for these pests, although they will attack other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are more resources on Eastern Tent Caterpillars:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://insects.about.com/od/insectpests/f/tentcaterpillar.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;About Insects, How to Control Eastern Tent Caterpillars&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://bugspray.com/catalog/products/page1896.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bugspray, Inc., Tent Caterpillar Control&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/tree-pests/tent-caterpillar-control/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Planet Natural Research Center, Tent Caterpillar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/insects/caterpillars/eastern-tent-caterpillar.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Missouri Botanical Garden, Eastern Tent Caterpillar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/tent-caterpillars&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rodale's Organic Life, Tent Caterpillar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/tent-worms-tent-caterpillar-home-remedy.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gardening Know-How, Home Remedy Tent Caterpillar Control&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-11T21:48:26.913" LastActivityDate="2016-11-11T21:48:26.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11205" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11206" CreationDate="2014-06-29T08:52:24.263" Score="8" ViewCount="1159" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live in Lahore , Pakistan where temperature in summers reach 45 degrees Centigrade. Our banana tree is drying out in the sun. What is the best way to ensure that it remains healthy? This banana tree is only for decorative purposes. It does not bear fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of our banana tree:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eZcFl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And our neighbours banana tree pic:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ccbmr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2839" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2014-07-01T09:58:15.247" LastActivityDate="2014-07-01T09:58:15.247" Title="How can I prevent my banana tree from drying out?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11205" CreationDate="2014-06-29T12:27:52.530" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bananas like to grow in temperatures between 26-30 deg C, in high humidity, which means your 45 degrees is a bit much for it, particularly if it's in an unshaded position. They grow best in 'jungle' conditions, meaning with other plants giving some relief and shade from hot midday and afternoon sun. They also don't like being exposed to a lot of wind, so in other words, your plant will do best if its surrounded and slightly shaded by other plants in such a hot climate as yours. If it is in the ground, then a thick mulch (on ground which is already damp) will help, but you do need to provide some shading for it during the hottest part of the day. Obviously, extra watering, possibly misting it with water as often as possible, will help, but that shading is the most essential thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-06-29T12:27:52.530" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11207" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11208" CreationDate="2014-06-29T18:41:47.787" Score="9" ViewCount="957" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live in a lodgepole pine forest and this plant is popping up everywhere. Is this a fungus of some kind?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YYF3l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-30T21:04:23.363" LastActivityDate="2020-09-08T03:10:16.143" Title="What is this plant with no leaves and a thick red stalk?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11207" CreationDate="2014-06-29T21:03:55.287" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterospora&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pterospora Andromeda&lt;/a&gt;. From wikipedia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Pterospora, commonly known as pinedrops, Albany beechdrops, or giant&#xA;  bird's nest is a monotypic genus in the subfamily Monotropoidiae of&#xA;  the blueberry family, the Ericaceae, and includes only the species&#xA;  Pterospora andromedea.&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterospora&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt; It grows in coniferous or mixed forests. It&#xA;  is native to North America from southern Canada to the mountains of&#xA;  Mexico and is most commonly found in the western half of the&#xA;  continent, though small isolated populations are found in the&#xA;  northeastern United States and eastern Canada. Along with Monotropa it&#xA;  is one of the more frequently encountered members of the&#xA;  Monotropoidiae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo that looks very much like yours:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XjiRi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-01T01:36:55.853" LastActivityDate="2014-07-01T01:36:55.853" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11209" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-30T01:29:43.667" Score="9" ViewCount="866" Body="&lt;p&gt;I moved into this house last year, so I've only seen this tree with leaves once and I do not know what kind of tree it is (I live in Iowa). I noticed this spring that the leaves didn't seem to come in very strong this year, and I noticed some suckers at the bottom that I trimmed. At this point there are no leaves on the branches, and it appears that there are new green branches coming in which look a lot like the suckers I cut out. I need to know if these new branches should be removed (the tree would have zero leaves if so) and if I should do anything else for the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/19wPJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The Tree&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ScBhg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup on new branch&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5718" LastActivityDate="2014-06-30T21:00:27.403" Title="How can I rescue my tree?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11211" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11216" CreationDate="2014-06-30T19:17:00.210" Score="4" ViewCount="4716" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bF1Lj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;I have these dark brown spots on my tomato leaves that appeared over the weekend. I'm only seeing them on one branch. The rest of the plant looks fine. The nearest I can tell, it looks like spotted wilt. The leaves are starting to draw up and die. Should I cut this branch to avoid spreading? If not, what's the best way to get rid of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5672" LastActivityDate="2014-06-30T21:40:08.407" Title="What are these dark brown spots on my tomato leaves?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11212" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11183" CreationDate="2014-06-30T19:24:31.797" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thinning oranges or other citrus is rarely (if at all) necessary. Citrus can usually support the weight of its fruits quite well when compared to stone fruits. Similarly, citrus does not need pruning or other shaping like other fruit trees do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3174" LastActivityDate="2014-06-30T19:24:31.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11213" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11209" CreationDate="2014-06-30T21:00:27.403" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree has had enough damage that you will probably want to start with a new tree. I doubt that this was entirely winter kill, but that may have helped. You mentioned cutting suckers from the base of the tree, and if the tree has growth in the crown (which it does), that usually means that there is damage at the ground level. This could be mechanical damage, like grass cutting equipment getting too close, and cutting/scraping through the bark. Or, it may be bacterial canker, or similar. Without pictures of the damage, I won't be quite sure what it is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also mentioned ants coming out of the tree. Unless there is a food source for the ants inside the tree (unlikely), This signifies at least the start of a nest. That means the inside of the tree is being hollowed out. Look for 'sawdust' around the ants' entry point if you want to be sure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The damage to the tree could have been prevented (as always), but it was most likely caused by (neglect from) the previous homeowner. Because these cases do not generally turn out well, I'd recommend starting with a new tree. Get a tree that is disease resistant in your area, and keep close track of any abnormal developments. If you are careful around the tree, and keep it fertilized and watered, you will be rewarded with a healthy tree that resists pest and diseases on it's own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do notice the start of what looks like disease, you can have it looked at right away, ideally by a certified plant health care professional. Most disease and pest problems are easy to take care of, if the tree is healthy and growing well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are not interested in starting anew, you will have to verify what the damage is, so you can prescribe proper treatment. A healthy tree has an unbroken layer of live cambium under the bark over the entire trunk and branch structure. Look for cracks, cuts, holes, dead patches, canker, etc. where disease might enter. Again, this tree (if it can recover) will never be very healthy or attractive, and it would be highly recommended that you start with a new tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-06-30T21:00:27.403" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11214" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11217" CreationDate="2014-06-30T21:12:13.720" Score="6" ViewCount="708" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anybody know what this plant is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wdET1l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When we bought it, it was very small, brown and closed up. With decent watering and light it's grown into what you can see here: several low-lying rosettes of long thin leaves and a single straggling stem with the same leaves whorled around it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5723" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-01T01:29:47.857" LastActivityDate="2015-09-23T18:35:53.023" Title="What is this succulent plant bought from a botanical garden?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11215" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11214" CreationDate="2014-06-30T21:37:42.287" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sempervivum_tectorum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sempervivum tectorum&lt;/a&gt;, or Hens n chicks, grown under low light. The long stalk is the flower.  Once the flower has finished the main part of the plant that the stalk came from will die and the &quot;chicks&quot; will take over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The particular cultivar is almost impossible to verify as &lt;a href=&quot;http://encyclopaedia.alpinegardensociety.net/plants/Sempervivum/CULTIVARS&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;there are hundreds of types.&lt;/a&gt;  The plant has been known or grown by people for thousands of years and is also known as houseleeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-02T16:15:07.430" LastActivityDate="2014-07-02T16:15:07.430" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11211" CreationDate="2014-06-30T21:40:08.407" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely, cut that branch off (clean your pruners with alcohol, before and after). Based on this picture, it looks like you had aphids first, then their honeydew and the terminal leaf looks like leaf spot, a fungus. The spots are going across the veins and there is a slight tan halo where the plant is cutting off nutrition to the areas where fungus is producing spores.  The plant does this on purpose to get rid of the fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's hard to believe that only this branch has been infected. Look carefully at new growth, under leaves and watch the stem.  If you get black spots on your stem, the plant is in trouble.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this plant outside in the garden? If it gets humid, provide your own wind with an electric fan.  If you plan to have more humidity, you might want to spray with Neem, at night to protect bees (some Neem brochures say it is hazardous to bees and others say it is not).  Neem is like a little raincoat that is pretty safe...read the directions before you leave the store.  Make sure the formulation is safe for edibles.  Not all Neem products are equal.  Don't water late in the day.  Start looking for Powdery Mildew, slight cupping, white dusting...this you will need to get on top of right away.  Spraying with Neem or even Serenade (bacillus subtilus, a bacteria that helps prevent fungal infections).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you start getting into fungal infections you might want to put up a roof to keep plants out of the rain.  Still need aeration, so keep the fans under the roofing material. Roof material could be clear plastic, a sort of partial greenhouse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you know what the difference between reproductive branches versus vegetative?  What you are holding is vegetative.  Meant to gather sunlight and do photosynthesis.  If you can see the difference, look for vegetative branches that don't get a lot of sunlight and prune those off to increase aeration.  Allowing air to flow through the plant and keep leaves dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please stay in touch, let us know what you find, what you decide to use and how things turn out.  Too-wet conditions can really mess up your garden.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-06-30T21:40:08.407" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11214" CreationDate="2014-06-30T21:46:02.433" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sempervivum_tectorum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Houseleek, &lt;em&gt;Sempervivum tectorum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, and it looks like it's going to flower. This is a succulent garden plant which grows with very low water and nutrition. It generally doesn't ever need to be watered in temperate climates when out of doors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant looks healthy, except for some signs of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14667/what-is-etiolation&quot;&gt;etiolation&lt;/a&gt; (growth deformed by insufficient light) and overwatering. Notice how the leaves become almost white at the bases, and on the flower stem, they are spaced widely. The plants will grow well in light shade, provided they stay very dry. When you keep them moist, and they aren't getting lots of sun, they will grow too fast, and become too soft, and pale. Your plant is mildly showing these signs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep the plant in the brightest location you have available, and water sparingly. You may want to move it gradually, over the course of a week or two, to prevent sunburn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are some pictures of what a healthy Sempervivum looks like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PtVs9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0FTAm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pf755.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-09-23T18:35:53.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11218" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-06-30T23:29:30.760" Score="2" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;I thought I had bought shishito pepper seeds and this grew.  What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pSdgj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5724" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-06-30T23:37:33.510" LastActivityDate="2014-07-02T01:13:45.523" Title="What is this plant that sprouted when I planted pepper seeds?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11219" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4000" CreationDate="2014-07-01T03:05:21.050" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You do have to dethatch a zoysia lawn whenever the thatch buildup gets too thick, and because of the growth habit of zoysia, the vertical mower or rake will naturally pull up stolons. Try not to dethatch more often than you have to. When you are done dethatching, you can mow off the ends that stick up, if they bother you. The lawn will quickly regrow any areas where the ground was exposed. You can minimize damage by trying not to dig in much, but some pulling up of runners is inevitable. This is normal and will self correct pretty fast. Lawns do benefit from a small amount of thatch, to maintain soil moisture, and build the organic matter content in the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not dethatch near the end of the growing season, or your lawn will not have time to recover. Also, fertilizing generously before and after dethatching will help the plants regrow and fill in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also environmentally healthy products that inoculate thatch with microbial digesters, which break down the thatch into soil-building humus. Applying a nitrogen fertilizer at the same time will help. Example product: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic&quot;&gt;earth smart thatch digester (estd)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some resources for further reading:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://blog.zoysiafarms.com/dethatching-your-zoysia-lawn/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Zoysia Farm Nurseries - &lt;em&gt;Dethatching Your Zoysia Lawn&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hpj.com/archives/2009/jun09/jun15/Zoysiagrasslawns.cfm#.U7IhovldW3R&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal - &lt;em&gt;Zoysia grass lawns may need dethatching in spring&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.walterreeves.com/lawn-care/zoysia-dethatching/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Walter Reeves - &lt;em&gt;Zoysia -Dethatching&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/dethatch-zoysia-lawn-22912.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Home Guides - &lt;em&gt;How to Dethatch a Zoysia Lawn&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_7507027_dethatch-zoysia-lawn.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ehow - &lt;em&gt;How to Dethatch a Zoysia Lawn&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T04:38:37.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11221" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-01T16:26:04.577" Score="4" ViewCount="304" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help me identify this? I live in Essex, England and it's in a border in my garden. Within 1 metre (three feet) is an ornamental Pear tree, other plants and grasses are close by too. Also near is a bird feedfeeder which I fill with general seed and peanuts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is one other instance of this 'plant' within 1 metre of the one photographed - I have not found any others .... yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously I'm concerned it may be invasive.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ig79w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All help much appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5729" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-07-01T16:50:57.427" LastActivityDate="2018-09-21T03:57:10.717" Title="Help needed to identify this monster" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11222" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11223" CreationDate="2014-07-01T16:46:53.510" Score="7" ViewCount="535" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a tropical Century Guava that will soon be putting out dozens of flowers. I would like the resulting fruit to be bigger, so I need to do some culling. Will the final fruit quality differ if I cull the flowers versus culling the small fruit that they become? I am hesitant to jump the gun and cull the flowers because I don't know how many will be pollinated and I don't want to abort potentially good fruit. If waiting to see their potential will sacrifice quality, then I may be forced to do that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JJmM8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, this is the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9469/why-are-the-lower-leaves-of-my-tropical-guava-yellowing-and-dropping&quot;&gt;same guava tree that almost died on me&lt;/a&gt;. It dropped 80% of all its leaves in the spring. It regrew new branches and leaves quite vigorously these past months. Now it's creating flower buds like crazy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-07-01T23:43:54.953" Title="Does it matter if I cull the flower or fruit for higher fruit quality?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;guavas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11222" CreationDate="2014-07-01T17:01:52.293" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You want to cull after fruit set for the reason you mentioned, pollination, and also because some of the fruits in a cluster will not be quite as strong as others. You won't be able to tell  which flowers will set, and which ones are the highest quality, until after pollination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most Guava varieties are self pollinating, but you may get a bigger harvest with pollination between two varieties. Guavas are generally pollinated by bees, but for off season fruit, when the bees aren't active, you have to use hand-pollination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some large orchards thin flower rather than fruit, because pollination is very high. For a person with only a few plants, pollination rates are lower, and fruit thinning gives better results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.banglajol.info/index.php/JESNR/article/view/14808&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here,&lt;/a&gt; a very interesting study showing the affects of thinning on guava production:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The study was carried out at the Germplasm Centre of Fruit Tree Improvement Programme (GPC-FTIP), Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period February, 2011 to March, 2012 to find out the effect of shoot bending and fruit thinning on productivity of guava.The treatments of the experiment were four varieties of guava..., Swarupkathi, BAU &#xA;  piyara-5, Chiang Mai (round) and Chiang Mai (long) and six different management practices..., (i) control (no shoot bending + no &#xA;  fruit thinning); (ii) shoot bending; (iii) 25% fruit thinning; (iv) 50% fruit thinning; (v) 75% fruit thinning and (vi) 100% fruit thinning. &#xA;  The ages of the plants were 4-5 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Different management practices had significant effect on all studied parameters in both season, 50% &#xA;  fruit thinning treatment showed the highest fruit yield (20.46 kg/plant) and 75% fruit thinning treatment performed height TSS (14.73%) &#xA;  during on-season but during off-season shoot bending performed highest fruit yield (13.50 kg/plant). In contrast, above studied &#xA;  parameters were recorded the lowest in control plant where no shoot bending and no fruit thinning were applied. In case of combined &#xA;  effect of variety and different management practices 50% fruit thinning treatment combined with Chiang Mai (round) produced highest &#xA;  yield (23.15 kg/plant) and 75% fruit thinning perform height TSS (15.83%) during on-season, but shoot bending treatment combined &#xA;  with Swarupkathi gave the highest yield (16.06 kg/plant) and 100% fruit thinning combined with Chiang Mai (round) showed highest &#xA;  TSS (17.94%) during off-season&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;50% Fruit thinning as described below will dramatically increase yield:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fruit thinning:&lt;/strong&gt; Total number of fruits per plant in each &#xA;  replication was counted after fruit set. Out of these &#xA;  according to treatment fruits were thinned randomly by &#xA;  hand when the average weight of individual fruit was 15-&#xA;  20 g. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shoot bending can help increase off season fruit production:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shoot bending:&lt;/strong&gt; The branches which were healthy and &#xA;  disease free lateral shoots were selected for shoot bending &#xA;  with care. Shoot bending was done in such a way that the &#xA;  bent branch did not broken down after bending. Shoots &#xA;  were bent at its antigrowth (at 90° angle) with the help of a &#xA;  piece of rope. Before shoot bending 3-5 leaves were kept &#xA;  at the upper portion of the branch to continue its &#xA;  photosynthesis and respiration process and rest leaves &#xA;  were removed off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A rule of thumb from &lt;a href=&quot;http://rfcarchives.org.au/Next/Fruits/Guava/ThinningGuavas3-86.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Archives of The Rare Fruit Council of Australia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;So here's a new 'rule of thumb' for the year of the guava: if you can touch two guavas with your thumb, they're too close (I favour the metric thumb).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://books.google.com/books?id=yX83AQAAMAAJ&amp;amp;pg=RA2-PA46&amp;amp;dq=thinning%20guava%20fruit&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=GjWzU-jbLZWiyASQ4oCgBQ&amp;amp;ved=0CEEQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&amp;amp;q=thinning%20guava%20fruit&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sunset &lt;em&gt;The Pacific Monthly&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;While the fruits are usually about one to one and a half inches in diameter, they may be much improved in size by proper cultivation and careful thinning, as the guava is extremely productive and sets an enormous quantity of fruit. Indeed, it is claimed to exceed in productiveness almost any known fruit-tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://books.google.com/books?id=98I2uKOjzn4C&amp;amp;pg=PT93&amp;amp;dq=2.2.7%20Pruning%20and%20Fruit%20Thinning&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=ODizU4ehLIahyATX4YDIAg&amp;amp;ved=0CDQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&amp;amp;q=2.2.7%20Pruning%20and%20Fruit%20Thinning&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here is another good resource that involves thinning guava fruit.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-01T23:43:54.953" LastActivityDate="2014-07-01T23:43:54.953" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11221" CreationDate="2014-07-01T17:14:10.217" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks remarkably like a flowering stem on &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acanthus_mollis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Acanthus mollis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; - but there are no leaves. Have you had this plant in the garden before, and thought you'd dug it out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, probably one of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathraea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lathraeas&lt;/a&gt;, maybe &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathraea_squamaria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;L. squamaria&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, seems a bit tall for &lt;em&gt;L. clandestina&lt;/em&gt;. Lathraeas are parasitic/symbiotic on roots and are usually produced in forested areas, but don't cause any harm to the trees. Common name is Broomrape or toothwort. Be interesting to see how it develops!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Been checking, but all the non agricultural information is to do with getting the stuff to grow, not trying to get rid of it, particularly &lt;em&gt;L. clandestina&lt;/em&gt;. I doubt you'll get rid of it altogether, as its parasitic on woody roots - most of its activity is underground, but you can try glyphosate if you want, or just dig out the flowering stems as much as possible when you see them. This plant can be a huge problem in agriculture, but not so much in our gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE 2: Yes, its actually &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broomrape&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Orobanche&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, probably &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/340823-Orobanche-purpurea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;O. purpurea&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, not Lathraea. Even so, it's not really an issue, its classed as a rare Wildflower. This one usually grows in association with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achillea_millefolium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Achillea millefolium&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, if it grows at all. Can be annual or possibly perennial, likes dryish, light soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-06T23:27:09.017" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T23:27:09.017" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11225" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5312" CreationDate="2014-07-01T17:31:47.597" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are also suffering from the same problem in India.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am from Shimla and I have an apple orchard. Every year these parrots destroy around 1 ton of apples in my farm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some expert advised me to put balloons on the trees with birds' eyes painted on them. This will scare off the parrots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am trying ths method in the hope it might work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5730" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-01T18:47:12.713" LastActivityDate="2014-07-01T18:47:12.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11226" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11247" CreationDate="2014-07-01T18:30:03.497" Score="6" ViewCount="41791" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a bunch of Arborvitae in my yard and last winter the deer ate the bottom portion of 2 or 3 of them.  I did some Googling to see if they'd grow back, and while most sources say that they will if there's any green left, none of them said whether they'd grow back to a normal shape or how long it would take.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone had success with Arborvitaes that have been chewed on growing back normal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Added some pictures.  Also, I'm planning on fencing in the yard, so I'm not so much worried about further damage as I am the trees not growing right.  I'd rather take them out now if I have to so they'll look at least half way close to the others in the row.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5p0Ek.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Normal&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iyWQp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jdolM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mjMJl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GApBZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5735" OwnerDisplayName="2 Left Thumbs" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-03T03:21:00.573" LastActivityDate="2019-08-30T00:12:08.090" Title="Will Arborvitae regrow to their usual shape after being partially eaten by deer?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11228" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-01T18:44:27.957" Score="5" ViewCount="5269" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an oak tree at the bottom of my garden and it has produced small trees due to fallen acorns in the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need to remove them. How do I do that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5731" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-01T19:26:22.003" LastActivityDate="2020-07-05T10:41:45.767" Title="How do I remove oak seedlings which sprouted in my garden?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11229" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11228" CreationDate="2014-07-01T18:48:08.463" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends how big they are - if the ground is damp and they're no taller than, say, 6-10 inches, you should be able to pull them up. If the ground isn't damp, make sure it is when you attempt this. If they've been there longer (since last year or more) then you need to dig them out and repair the grass afterwards. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they've been there much longer and are now saplings with thickish trunks, chop them down to the ground and apply stumpkiller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-07-01T18:48:08.463" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11230" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-01T19:13:18.797" Score="1" ViewCount="109" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given a portion of a flat that has starts that resemble tomato plants, except that they have dark veins on their leaves and the base of their stems is the same dark color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could they be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5733" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-01T20:09:50.910" LastActivityDate="2014-07-01T20:09:50.910" Title="What is this plant that resembles a tomato with dark veins and stem base?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2014-07-15T13:34:36.850" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11231" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11226" CreationDate="2014-07-01T20:29:03.847" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cedars or arborvitae can take a lot of damage by pruning or being eaten.  As you have found on the web even severely damaged trees will grow back but the question is how long will it take.&#xA;I see cedar hedges that have been topped, about the worst thing you could do to an evergreen, after two or three years you would not know. &#xA;The real question is what can you do that prevents further damage again in the future?&#xA;Deer are hungry in the winter and where they have had a snack once they will return.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check this answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3945/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for methods to control deer.  Usually a fence of some sort is needed.  If you can fence the area then by simply watering and fertilizing your cedars most of them will come back in two or three years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-07-01T20:29:03.847" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11232" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11218" CreationDate="2014-07-02T01:05:14.550" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;First thing that jumped out were the 'spots'...this is Persicaria...same family as knotweed.  This is called or at least its cousins, Lady's Thumb.  Thus the thumb print in the middle of the leaf. This is a normal weed, edible, actually. Prettiest one I've ever seen...grin! Can you provide another picture, a close-up of one of the joints? It'd help identify the species/variety.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/lady_thumb.htm://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Persicaria vulgaris&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-07-02T01:13:45.523" LastActivityDate="2014-07-02T01:13:45.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11233" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9934" CreationDate="2014-07-02T01:50:39.167" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/cardamine/diphylla/?pile=alternate-remaining-non-monocots&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Two leafed toothwort&lt;/a&gt;How about Cardamine diphyla, Two leafed Toothwort...?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-07-08T03:48:49.517" LastActivityDate="2014-07-08T03:48:49.517" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11234" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-02T07:35:12.167" Score="11" ViewCount="11632" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received a package of 50 mint seeds. They seemed small so I just planted all of them in a wide 10 liter pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Was that too many seeds in too small of an area? How much is too much?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5736" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2014-07-02T12:07:32.940" LastActivityDate="2014-07-02T22:28:24.883" Title="How many mint seeds should you plant?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11235" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11234" CreationDate="2014-07-02T10:19:32.160" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, seems you'll have a lot of thinning and pricking out to do if they all germinate. If you imagine each seed as a single mint plant, which needs 18-24 inches of space around it as it grows on, if all 50 of your seeds germinate, you will need to transplant each one into individual pots, so in theory, that's 50 pots. If you sow too thickly, or too many in too small a space, it's quite difficult to separate out individual seedlings without damage; if they're left too long in a crowded state, you risk fungal infections because of lack of air flow round them, but if you try to prick them out too early, the roots will be too fragile to cope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just wait till they germinate - then you'll need to remove some if they come up as a thick mat; just pull out any you don't want, but make sure the soil in the pot is damp first, and ease them out with as little disturbance as possible. Once those left get their second set of leaves (true leaves, not the cotyledons, the first set) then you'll need to prick them out, as many as you need, into individual pots, then pot on into larger ones until they're large enough to either put outside or in a much larger container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wanted, say, 2 mint plants, then sowing 20 seeds on a seed tray or pot would be slight overkill, but after germination, you'd just select say 5 of the best, biggest, healthiest looking ones for potting on and bin the rest, then bin what you don't want of the 5 later on, once they're growing properly and you can see which are the bushiest, liveliest plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-07-02T10:30:25.550" LastActivityDate="2014-07-02T10:30:25.550" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11237" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11234" CreationDate="2014-07-02T15:06:50.367" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you'll be fine as long as you transplant the resulting plants into clumps of say, three to five seedlings per pot. By tranplanting seedlings as clumps instead of individuals you will keep root disruption to a minimum. The multi-seedling transplant technique works fine for plants that normally grow in clumps - as many herbs do. (This, btw, is how commercial nurseries create those nice, full-looking pots of herbs to sell.)   Using this technique would not be a good way to raise other things like tomatoes, however.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Btw, I just reread your post - if you scattered them all across the top of the soil in a 10 litre pot, then you will not need to transplant for a long time, maybe never.  All the seeds that sprout (all 50 probably won't grow...) should have plenty of room to grow, and all that will happen is your pot of mint will become fuller sooner than it would have otherwise.  Once it fills the pot, you may want to divide it and give some away, or if you are a real mint lover, start some new pots!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-07-02T22:28:24.883" LastActivityDate="2014-07-02T22:28:24.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9934" CreationDate="2014-07-02T15:53:02.537" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could be &lt;em&gt;Aegopodium podagraria&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegopodium_podagraria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ground elder / Bishop's weed&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;There's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=ground%20elder&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=w9i&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla%3aen-US%3aofficial&amp;amp;channel=sb&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=PCm0U_qUE4KXqAb75YCQAQ&amp;amp;ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&amp;amp;biw=1165&amp;amp;bih=590&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lot of leaf variation in the species&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;If it's not exactly where you want it, it's a weed you want to deal with, as it's pretty good at crowding other plants out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2014-07-02T15:53:02.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11239" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-02T18:29:53.727" Score="4" ViewCount="3407" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbor has a tall very leafy tree.  The leaves are kind of heart-shaped, or larger at the top than at the bottom.  They are arranged on the stem.  I am finding little mini trees growing all over my side yard where his tree grows even though we are separated by a fence.  I try to pull them out but they are obviously rooted to his tree.  They come up between my stone sidewalks and, I'm worried that they could damage my pool.  How can I kill these root suckers growing in my yard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5741" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-03T03:18:18.810" LastActivityDate="2014-07-13T06:12:53.590" Title="How do I get rid of root suckers in my yard from my neighbor's big tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;suckers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11240" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11239" CreationDate="2014-07-02T19:35:54.153" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This sounds like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus_tremuloides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Quaking Aspen, &lt;em&gt;Populus tremuloides&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or other type of suckering tree.  You might have to dig a trench between the neighbor's tree and your yard.  It should be 18&quot; to 2' deep.  Install metal siding or plastic vertically in the trench and backfill. Just pull up the little trees.  They won't survive, the roots won't survive without the main tree and any photosynthetic growth to make food.  You might have to do this all summer but by next year you shouldn't have a problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is far easier and cheaper than using chemicals.  In fact, without the trench, chemicals wouldn't work at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send pictures of the tree, of your yard and the baby trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-13T06:12:53.590" LastActivityDate="2014-07-13T06:12:53.590" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11242" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-02T23:00:53.030" Score="6" ViewCount="3013" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do I remove the dead flowers on my Hydrangea? Do I just cut them off at the bottom of the dead flower bloom? Please advise what and how I should handle the hydrangea flowers after they turn brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5743" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-03T03:21:23.373" LastActivityDate="2014-07-08T01:12:54.690" Title="How should I deadhead a Hydrangea?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;&lt;deadheading&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11243" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-03T01:14:21.750" Score="4" ViewCount="792" Body="&lt;p&gt;The developer in my neighboorhood was so kind as to plant trees in everyone's yard.  But after 3 or 4 years all but one or two (so probably 180 or so) look scrawny and pathetic.  I know nothing of horticulture, so I was wondering if  anyone knows what kind of tree this is.  Also, it looks like it's diseased as do all of the others.  Is there a way to fix this, or are they all doomed to be terrible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pNeom.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fZihF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5735" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-04T18:56:45.470" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T03:49:14.843" Title="What kind of tree is this and what's wrong with it?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11243" CreationDate="2014-07-03T02:29:04.523" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this is Acer rubrum.  Red Maple.  There are a couple of things you should check:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How deep this tree was buried.  A very common contractor thing. Make sure that the bark is out of the soil and mulch.  Only the roots should be buried. Your picture tells me the mulch is up too high on the bark of this tree.  Pull it away, 6&quot; or more.  Moisture being held next to the bark of woody plants will encourage bacteria.  They will kill the vascular system within a year or two.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Have you ever fertilized this tree?  Your tree and lawn shows nutrient deficiency.  Contractors pretty much strip the good soil away and you need to get organic matter into your soil. Fertilizer alone won't work. Get decomposed organic matter and spread 1/2&quot; over your lawn, aerate (pull soil plugs out of lawn and allow to disintegrate), get rid of the chunky wood  mulch around the tree and elsewhere.  Use Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer...incredible stuff. Also puts bacteria into your soil. Get mycorrhizal fungi to add to your soil.  It might come in that fertilizer, I know soil bacteria is added.  If not, you can get it separately.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't worry about the spots on your leaves.  It is fungus and the plant itself, is killing the infected tissues causing the spots.  Don't water late in the day or at night.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best mulch is human poo mixed with sawdust.  Completely decomposed, it won't smell the same, it is a fine-textured dark taupe, no rocks, no weed seeds, no pesticide residues and no funky smell! Completely different product!  If you can find this stuff, use it on your lawn, all your plant beds.  I wouldn't even weed.  Just put this on your lawn (1/2&quot;) and 2&quot; on your plant beds.  For shallow rooted plants like rhododendrons, azaleas, daphne...only 1&quot; around their drip line.  Keep away from the base of trees, shrubs.  Not recommended for vegetable gardens as a little high in heavy metals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mow your lawn no shorter than 3&quot;.  Trust me, try this.  When you water, water deep!!! 4 - 6&quot;!!! Then allow soil to dry out.  Your footprints should be clear when you step on the grass.  The blades don't bounce back up.  Then! Water deeply. Check the depth.  If you are watering everyday, your lawn, your plants, your tree have shallow roots and are stressed and are in danger of dying.  You will actually save money watering this way. Mow once a week or twice is better.  Sharp blades! No shorter than 3&quot;....no shorter than 3&quot;. Aerate once a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally, we treat plants separately from lawn.  This tree should thrive taking care of your lawn correctly.  Get a test of the pH of your lawn. It should be 6.5-7.0.  If not, apply lime but stay away from the drip line of your tree.  It likes slightly more acidic than a lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This should get your tree growing and your lawn lush.  Let us know what you decide and send another picture, same spot, taken a couple of months from now? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-07-03T02:29:04.523" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11245" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11243" CreationDate="2014-07-03T02:40:37.593" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_rubrum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Red Maple, &lt;em&gt;Acer rubrum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. The damage resembles fungal leaf spot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They were obviously planted at near the same size they are at now. They were probably 5-7 years old at planting, and planted as a balled and burlapped tree. You can see the last year of growth from when they were at the nursery. It is about the top 1/4-1/5 of the tree. When a tree growing that fast is dug, more than half of the root system is removed. If the top isn't pruned properly, the plant will not be able to grow well, and will only put out leaves with very little terminal growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cases like this are very common where I live. Here's what you can do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prune the whips of the last nursery-years growth by about two-thirds. This will put the tree back into (somewhat) proportion root-wise. Always cut back to a comparatively healthy outward facing twig/growth bud.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Start giving some growth stimulaters. The tree hasn't got many roots in the lawn, which obviously has had some nitrogen. Use a balanced, but fairly high nitrogen slow release fertilizer. This will give the tree something to build with. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Again, the tree doesn't have a great root system. Water very deeply if the ground has been dry for two weeks or more. If it doesn't rain, water deeply &lt;em&gt;only&lt;/em&gt; once per week. If the ground is constantly moist, the tree will grow a shallow root system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You should be able to easily see the root flare of a tree. Pull the mulch/soil away from the base of the tree until you find where it widens, and lateral roots appear. When a tree is planted too deeply, the roots will start circling the trunk of the tree, and can cause lots of damage that way. This is one of the biggest problems I run into on new properties that had a less than ideal landscaping job. Keep the mulch a couple inches from the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stake you're tree. The tree will benefit from some support, as rocking at ground level will cause major root severing and will greatly set back even an otherwise healthy tree. I would use two 6' 2x2&quot; stakes, pounded at least 18 inches into the ground, placed opposite each other, with the tree directly centered. Do not pound the into the root ball. The edge of the mulch should be fine. Use wire to hold the tree up, but allow some play. Measure the distance between the stake and the tree, and multiply that by 21/2 times, for your wire length. Put some form of padding in the center to protect the trunk. I use 8&quot; pieces of cut hose. Put the wire in place and wind the ends around the stakes. You can tighten these by inserting your pruners or similar between the wire strands and spinning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-06T03:49:14.843" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T03:49:14.843" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11246" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11242" CreationDate="2014-07-03T02:48:16.090" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut them at the leaf joint below the lowest point that the flower branches from. These leaves have viable growth buds at their bases. It's good not to take off more leaves than you have to, especially when the plant recently put so much energy into flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-03T02:48:16.090" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11247" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11226" CreationDate="2014-07-03T03:07:39.587" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The pictures help a lot. These trees were eaten back, but not too far for a good recovery. The fastest way to get them looking normal will be shearing. Shear back the areas the deer didn't hit, and while you're at it, you can do the others, to match. Do not cut past the growth line, where there are plenty of green stems to regrow from. Also, don't cut the terminal growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will put the plant into 'grow-back' mode, and it will grow from the newly sheared parts as well as the deer-sheared parts. Shearing will also make the hedge denser and stronger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt; Most coniferous evergreens have a growth line. It is characterized, by a noticeable drop in green vegetation, and a thicker stem diameter.  This is the point on the branches where the viable growth buds are. Inside that line, the branches will not regrow well, if at all, when cut. It is safe to shear from the growth line out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The terminal growth is the apex, or top of the plant. Most conifers do not like this growth to be cut, unless you know what you are doing and go back to the right bud.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-04T19:20:31.353" LastActivityDate="2014-07-04T19:20:31.353" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11248" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11242" CreationDate="2014-07-03T11:14:34.847" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer to this depends on two things - where you are in the world, and what variety of Hydrangea it is. If you're in the Northern hemisphere, or have cold winters, and you're growing an H. macrophylla variety, then you don't deadhead at all - you leave the flowers on the bush over winter for added frost protection to the buds below the flowers which will grow next year. Deadheading in this case is done in late spring, when growth begins, when you remove all dead material, including flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, though, you're growing something like Hydrangea paniculata, deadhead as soon as the flowers fade and cut back as necessary, even in autumn/fall, it'll still flower next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-07-03T11:14:34.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11243" CreationDate="2014-07-03T11:22:43.983" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is definitely an Acer, but what you're seeing there is a case of Rhytisma acerinum, commonly known as Tar Spot of Acer, or Acer Leaf Spot. It's a fungal infection, and in the UK, there is no effective fungicide treatment available, though you may find there is something you can use where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This infection doesn't kill the tree, but it can make it look unsightly (as you've discovered). Some control can be effected by removing fallen leaves, particularly in Fall, because the spores over winter on the leaves. Removing the worst affected leaves might help, but I'm not convinced it makes any difference other than to reduce the aesthetic effect a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Regarding sun burn from water spots, this isn't possible. I was shocked when I found out it was a myth, been warning people about it for years, but the original tests for this theory were performed with water droplet sized glass placed on leaves - the leaves burned. But when the same tests were performed with real water droplets, on both smooth and non smooth leaves, no damage could be reproduced. Water droplets have a different refractive index from glass, and don't maintain their shape, which isn't true of glass droplets - the water also cools the leaf surface generally. Further, I've tested it myself when the temperature on my very sheltered balcony has been 55 deg C in direct sun by placing droplets on a Foxglove leaf, which is ridged and not smooth. No damage resulted. Reference: www.AmericanScientist.org/issues/pub/sunburned-ferns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Laughing-Jack may well be right when he mentions Phyllosticta - I jumped to Tar Spot, but actually, looking at it again, it might not be, but I'm 100% convinced this IS a fungal leaf spot - whether its phyllosticta or another type. I suggest you check to see if there are any fungal sprays or treatments you can use in your area - the UK is very short on effective anti fungal treatments, but maybe its better there. Point given, LaughingJack, though I'm not sure that counts for a comment - post as an answer!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-07-04T11:44:05.640" LastActivityDate="2014-07-04T11:44:05.640" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11250" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11253" CreationDate="2014-07-03T23:51:48.620" Score="4" ViewCount="2476" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted about a dozen Snow in Summer flowers about 2 months ago and most of them are turning brown in the center. I don't think this is a water issue, but perhaps... the ground doesn't drain very well. Any thoughts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KfIfT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nVvt7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5668" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-04T18:58:13.907" LastActivityDate="2021-05-27T14:46:49.113" Title="What's going on with these Snow in Summer plants?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11251" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11252" CreationDate="2014-07-03T23:56:54.480" Score="3" ViewCount="5088" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a bunch of annuals and they aren't doing very well. The leaves and flowers are turning brown and purple. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/STAOR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5668" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-04T18:56:21.297" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T02:49:25.510" Title="Why are the leaves on my annuals turning purple?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11251" CreationDate="2014-07-04T01:46:55.580" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks to me like nutrient deficiency; Phosphorus in particular plus a few of the micronutrients. If you've never used compost (decomposed organic matter) now would be a good time. In addition, try fish emulsion for fertilizer.  It is a slower release, organic product 5-1-1. Makes plants hardier, more vigorous, more healthier.  Then in a week or two give them Osmocote 14-14-14.  They won't ever need more (the annuals in your picture, I mean).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, when growing annuals, the best thing you can do is cut the flowers off.  Annuals have but one job in life and that is to make babies, seed.  Once they set seed, it is time to die.  The more brutal you are with cutting flowers off, the more vigorous, bud-producing, large, healthy the plant becomes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used to do entrance color install and maintenance for homeowner associations.  I would cut off every! flower.  I had lots of horrified homeowners perplexed.  I told them to come back next week, same time.  They did and were blown away by the profusion of flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see seeds on your plants, so part of the problem could be your plants have done their job and they are dying quietly.  The fish fertilizer might help, definitely the compost will help.  (Evil grin) Cut flowers off!  Cut all those seed heads off! All that energy goes back into the plant to use to make itself bigger, stronger and more likely to produce lots of potential seeds. I hope this helps extend your plants' lives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-07-06T02:49:25.510" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T02:49:25.510" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11250" CreationDate="2014-07-04T02:10:59.633" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From your pictures I am going to say too little sun and too much water.  Have these plants bloomed at all this year? Doesn't look like they have.  I'd move these plants to a sunnier location and allow the soil to dry out in-between waterings.  Best place for this plant is on top of a rock wall, rockery.  In case you have a one lying around somewhere? Grin...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once Cerastium tomentosum, Snow in Summer, blooms (should be early summer), cut off all the flowers, shear this plant.  Needs great drainage, can deal with partial shade, a bit of a short-lived ground-cover, has to be sheared to keep dense. Use Osmocote 14-14-14, extended release fertilizer twice during the growth season.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please let me know if my assumptions were correct, I'll correct the best I am able! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-07-04T02:10:59.633" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11254" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11256" CreationDate="2014-07-04T03:58:28.760" Score="7" ViewCount="3969" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a house that had a garden, and this plant popped up by itself.  It's growing quickly and starting to produce soft green pods that are full of white seeds. The pods are shrouded in a papery flower.  I live in eastern California in the high desert.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B4CwK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5750" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-04T18:46:44.723" LastActivityDate="2014-07-04T18:46:44.723" Title="What is this bushy plant with serrated leaves and small yellow flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11254" CreationDate="2014-07-04T07:43:21.377" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the papery husk has a green berry-like fruit (tomatillo = little tomato) inside it full of white seeds, you probably have a tomatillo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wEe1y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves can be smooth edged or serrate like these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PnqD9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers are downward facing and on pollination, develop the husk with the fruit growing inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ChquV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fruit (right) varies from green to black when ripe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WlPC3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you have a good ident on it, you have a good source for green-sauce or green salsa. This is one fruit that you pick while green just before it completely fills the husk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you toss any of the fruit in your compost heap, I guarantee that you will have them everywhere, they are very hardy against even a hot heap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yqkry.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some compost added to the barrel to grow Bell Peppers had some hitchhikers. Hadn't the heart to pull them up, more green salsa and paella mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TuqBN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-07-04T14:12:18.233" LastActivityDate="2014-07-04T14:12:18.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11257" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11260" CreationDate="2014-07-04T08:26:13.263" Score="3" ViewCount="2746" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_7523110_dry-cherry-seeds-plant.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this website&lt;/a&gt; that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Store the jar of cherry seeds in your refrigerator for 8 to 12 weeks. Cherry seeds, and trees, require a period of cold, usually 90 to 150 days each winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The article concludes with planting the seeds after the requisite 12 weeks:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Leave the cherry seeds in the refrigerator until the last hard frost of spring has occurred. Plant the cherry seeds [...]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, my seeds are now dry, so 12 weeks will put me in early October; 150 days will put me in November.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will these seeds survive, dry, for an additional 5-6 months? Should I simply hold them dry (not refrigerated) until I'm 12 weeks from the last frost (eg. mid-Feb)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastActivityDate="2014-07-04T16:31:36.020" Title="How long do cherry seeds store for?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11250" CreationDate="2014-07-04T11:58:57.537" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;More or less in agreement with previous answer, but for one thing. As said, this appearance is normal for this plant if you don't shear it back to 2 inches after its flowered, I'm afraid, and particularly if grown in less than full sun in dampish soil. Here's the disagreement - it doesn't appreciate being fed very much, grows much better in poor soil, so I wouldn't feed it at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-07-04T13:53:50.460" LastActivityDate="2014-07-04T13:53:50.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11257" CreationDate="2014-07-04T15:47:33.450" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ah good, reliably low winter temperatures. There's another way to do it - find a container you can punch holes in the top of and fill it with sand and peat, or just sand if that's all you've got (silver or horticultural sand, preferably), moisten if it needs it,you want it nice and damp but not sodden, mix in the cherry stones. You could use a plastic bag, but leave the top slightly open. Now put those in your fridge (temperature must be below 6 deg C) and leave them there for eight weeks. In the meantime, prepare an area outside where you're going to plant them - you're using it as a sort of germination bed, the intention is to move the trees once they've got at least 3 sets of leaves, and you need to space the cherry stones 6 inches apart and half an inch deep. If your weather is still warm after eight weeks, leave them in the fridge for longer, until daytime temperatures aren't higher 8-10 deg C, - then plant your cherry stones in the prepared area. The continuing cold of winter will complete the stratification process, and they should then germinate next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I guess you already know you won't know what cherries you'll get, and that they won't fruit for years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-07-04T16:31:36.020" LastActivityDate="2014-07-04T16:31:36.020" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11261" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-04T17:01:38.417" Score="2" ViewCount="397" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm considering planting &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachysandra_terminalis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pachysandra terminalis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; around the base of a few shrub/tree stands, but am concerned it may negatively effect the growth of the existing trees/shrubs.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The first area is around the base of 4 established 8-10' Emerald Green Arborvitae.   &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The second is around a mixture of 2-3' &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.usna.usda.gov/Newintro/grgiant.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Green Giant Thuja, &lt;em&gt;Thuja (standishii x plicata)&lt;/em&gt; 'Green Giant'&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyland_cypress&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Leyland Cyprus, &lt;em&gt;Cupressus × leylandii&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptomeria_japonica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Japenese Cedar, &lt;em&gt;Cryptomeria japonica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; that were planted this spring.    &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you think it's safe to plant the Pachysandra this fall without jeopardizing the existing plantings?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3496" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-04T18:59:59.213" LastActivityDate="2014-07-04T18:59:59.213" Title="Will planting Pachysandra terminalis affect existing shrubs?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11262" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11261" CreationDate="2014-07-04T17:35:01.637" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Pachysandra itself won't negatively affect growth - what might, though, is if you break a lot of roots when digging to plant it if you attempt to plant too close to your trees. Most conifers produce a mat of roots fairly near the surface, with a taproot going deep down, so you'll need to plant far enough away that the roots of the trees aren't compromised, particularly with the 4 established Thuja - won't be so difficult round the more recently planted ones, but even so, you will need to take account of any root spread and plant a distance away, not least so that the two plants aren't competing too much for nutrients and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-07-04T17:35:01.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11263" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11267" CreationDate="2014-07-04T18:42:29.867" Score="7" ViewCount="4218" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have two identical big trees right behind our property in Southern California that just started dropping their pods and seeds into our yard and we're having a hard time to keep our two-year-old daughter from tasting them. I've spent the last hour or so on Google and various tree identification websites, but I can't for the life of me (or my daughter?) find out what this tree is called so I can check whether it is poisonous. I don't even know why this is hard, since the seeds alone are quite unique and should provide a lot of good keywords for a Google search: It has 3 seeds per pod. The seeds are very black and covered by a bright red waxy skin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of the leaves and pods lying on a letter sized sheet of paper (the pods are about 3/4&quot; wide and the leaves around 4&quot; long):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ns1mH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of just the seeds in the pod:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jj53b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here is the whole tree:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nf14T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing that I've found that has even remotely similar looking fruits is the Ackee, but its fruits are much bigger and the skin is a white flesh, not red and waxy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what this tree might be, and whether its fruits are poisonous?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5755" LastEditorUserId="5755" LastEditDate="2014-07-04T19:49:02.163" LastActivityDate="2018-06-14T20:32:32.267" Title="What is the name of this tree and is it dangerous for our daughter?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11264" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2014-07-04T19:19:06.597" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A fence is an artificial physical barrier used to separate areas of land. Use this tag for questions about how a fence impacts a garden, or your activities in the garden, for example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7456/how-can-i-weed-trim-without-damaging-a-fence&quot;&gt;How can I weed trim without damaging a fence?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9351/should-i-put-wood-mulch-around-my-wooden-fence&quot;&gt;Should I put wood mulch around my wooden fence?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions about construction or repair of fences should go to our sister site, &lt;a href=&quot;http://diy.stackexchange.com&quot;&gt;Home Improvement Stack Exchange&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See also:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/hedge&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;hedge&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;hedge&lt;/a&gt;, closely spaced shrubs or trees used as a barrier between areas of land.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-04T19:19:06.597" LastActivityDate="2014-07-04T19:19:06.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11265" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2014-07-04T19:19:06.597" Score="0" Body="An artificial physical barrier used to separate sections of land. Use this tag for questions about how a fence impacts a garden, or your activities in the garden." OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-04T19:19:06.597" LastActivityDate="2014-07-04T19:19:06.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11263" CreationDate="2014-07-04T22:02:49.330" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st221&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Carrot Wood, &lt;em&gt;Cupaniopsis anacardioides&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; tree - I also have one in my backyard.  A quick Google search gave a couple of hits that say that, while it is an invasive species, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=3994&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;it does not appear to be poisonous.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5757" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-06T03:43:12.847" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T03:43:12.847" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11269" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-05T05:31:56.107" Score="9" ViewCount="4539" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought 31 &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;thujas&lt;/a&gt; a couple of months ago and some of them are really struggling. I installed a drip line a week ago, but am wondering if these trees are completely dead. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a bunch of pictures. Click on them to see larger views. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uKLzy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uKLzym.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/71AqX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/71AqXm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VU2jZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VU2jZm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4TrRv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4TrRvm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7laLb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7laLbm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qYI42.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qYI42m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any way to bring these back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3370" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-26T20:47:12.633" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T16:54:55.103" Title="Are my Emerald Arborvitaes recoverable?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;damage&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11270" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11263" CreationDate="2014-07-05T09:54:21.747" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Point given to user2676699, I agree with the ID given. I wanted to add this is a marvellous opportunity to teach your child never to eat any seed, berry, leaf or plant part without checking with an adult first - more than 50% of plants grown in gardens are toxic if ingested, either mildly or highly toxic, but fine so long as you don't make a salad of them. Some have toxic parts, but other parts we eat (rhubarb, for example). Given the extent of toxic material easily available to children, having an opportunity like this to instruct on not eating these dropped parts in your yard is almost heaven sent, specially given there's no evidence this particular plant is toxic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-07-05T10:07:43.430" LastActivityDate="2014-07-05T10:07:43.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11269" CreationDate="2014-07-05T13:09:06.837" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Of the eight pictures only the third picture shows a cedar that will look good.  The rest are either dead or so badly damaged it would take years before they looked good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This kind of dieback is often seen when they are not adequately watered after planting or when stock is planted late in the fall and doesn't have a chance to root before winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Arborvitae or cedars prefer a soil rich in organic matter that is not dry. A thick mulch of two to four inches (up to eight cm) will make a huge difference in the success of the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you happened to have a downspout nearby you could divert the rain that would normally drain off to the street and water the cedars. By using a four inch drain pipe with sleeve in a trench next to the cedars you can water your cedars while sitting in your house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-07-05T13:09:06.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11272" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11279" CreationDate="2014-07-05T13:18:47.217" Score="3" ViewCount="694" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is some pollen more likely to provoke an allergic reaction than others? We are thinking of planting a tree or shrub like a smoke bush &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotinus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cotinus&lt;/a&gt; and would like to know if this means more sniffing in our house when it flowers? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-03T21:30:35.837" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T21:30:35.837" Title="What zone 5 trees and shrubs produce the most pollen?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11273" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11272" CreationDate="2014-07-05T14:09:50.477" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well technically, anything that flowers and has pollen could be an issue - it would be safer to choose something with double flowers and avoid the pollen altogether, since double flowers either don't produce pollen, or it can't get out or be got at. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was told the commonest pollen reaction is to grass when it flowers, followed by some trees like birch, but reactions to different pollens seem to be quite individual in some ways, meaning that some people seem to react to any pollen, but lots of others only to very specific ones. Unfortunately, I can attest to that fact myself - I have a significant problem when Tilia is in flower, but not otherwise, unless you count pollution related 'hay fever' affecting nose and eyes, which I find is a problem almost year round here. And you won't find out if Cotinus causes a significant problem when in flower unless you try, its certainly no worse or better than anything else. You could plant the Royal Purple version of this shrub instead - it produces fewer flowers and is a thing of beauty when in leaf, but doesn't have that hazy, smokey effect of the plain green version when in flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Really, its down to whether pollen is transported by the wind from particular plants, or whether it sits tight inside the flower unless disturbed by an insect - that's a bit of a big research project!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-07-05T14:17:47.883" LastActivityDate="2014-07-05T14:17:47.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11274" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11228" CreationDate="2014-07-05T15:00:20.013" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If they are very small (under 3 inches) then just hoe them.   If they are a little larger you can pull them up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise a glyphosate based weed killer can work well, if there are other plant close buy you wish to keep, then use a Gel, otherwise a spray works out cheaper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="231" LastActivityDate="2014-07-05T15:00:20.013" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11275" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1941" CreationDate="2014-07-05T15:12:29.067" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Begin&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Repeat Until&#xA;&#xA;   Dig out plant;&#xA;   pour boiling water in plant hole ;&#xA;   fill hole with peat;&#xA;   sow seed on top;&#xA;   wait for new growth;&#xA;&#xA;All dandelions gone;&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;End&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5761" LastActivityDate="2014-07-05T15:12:29.067" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11276" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22" CreationDate="2014-07-05T15:32:52.943" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Glyphosate breaks down in &lt;strong&gt;normal&lt;/strong&gt; soil within a few days, or even quicker.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can be rapidly bound to soil particles and be inactivated, unbound&#xA;glyphosate can be degraded by bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if your soil is very poor and does not have a good level of active bacteria then the glyphosate may remain active for a lot longer.   (Many agricultural soils have few active bacteria as they have not seen any real compost for the last 30 years!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also newly spouted seeds are a lot more sensitive then established plants.  So you can kill of the weeks with glyphosate and safely plant out pre grown plants once the weeds starts to die.   But if you try to sow seeds and hit the weeks with glyphosate just before the seed germinate you may get more issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I expect that a lot of the time when people claim issues from repeated glyphosate usage, it is more down to having “dead” soil that has not seen any compost for a long time with little plants left growing it in, therefore few of the bacterias and fungus that plants need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Other weed killers are design to remain active for many months.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Often more than one weed killer will be mixed when sold under a brand name.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="231" LastEditorUserId="231" LastEditDate="2020-12-20T10:53:02.343" LastActivityDate="2020-12-20T10:53:02.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="11278" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11269" CreationDate="2014-07-06T02:47:17.760" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your trees are in very bad shape. Most of them will take quite a while to recover, if they do. At this point it would be suggested that you replace them. It's always best to plant these in the spring, before new growth begins, and the sun is less intense. The cooler temperatures and shorter days will relieve some of the stress. Make sure the plants stay well watered until established. These trees are resilient, but can't dry out before being established. Also, fertilizer will induce some growth, and cause faster root growth, to speed establishment. Pretty much, if you can see more than half brown on a conifer, replacement is the fastest road to success. A couple of your plants look fine, and you could save those to be easier on your checkbook.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T02:47:17.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11272" CreationDate="2014-07-06T03:35:56.403" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's one list &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20352313_2,00.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(source)&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;10 worst plants for your allergies:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ragweed,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mountain cedar,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ryegrass,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;maple,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;elm,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mulberry,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pecan,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;oak,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pigweed/tumbleweed,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Arizona cypress.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And from &lt;a href=&quot;http://allergyware.wordpress.com/2006/04/08/which-flowers-and-trees-cause-the-most-allergies/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; (See below for more from this source):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;almond&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ash (male)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Arizona cypress&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;aspen (male)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bald cypress&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;black acacia&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;catalpa&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chinese elm&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cottonwood&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;elm&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;eucalyptus&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fringe tree (male)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kentucky coffee (male)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mango&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mountain laurel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mulberry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;oaks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;olive&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Osage orange (male)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pecan&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;poplar (male)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;privet (male)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;red cedar&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Russian olive&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;silver maple (male)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;smoke tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sumac (male)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sycamore&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;walnut&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;willows (male)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;zelkova&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This list does include smoke tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I thought was interesting was that most (but not all) of these are inconspicuous flowering wind pollinated plants. Most trees that get insect pollinated don't produce allergies as much because not so much pollen is drifting off the plant. One good seach before buying a plant is how it gets pollinated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently, at least American &lt;a href=&quot;http://bernheim.org/explore/arboretum/bernheim-select/american-smoketree/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;smoke trees are insect pollinated, but dioecious.&lt;/a&gt; I haven't found anything yet on the pink smoke tree. Again, from &lt;a href=&quot;http://allergyware.wordpress.com/2006/04/08/which-flowers-and-trees-cause-the-most-allergies/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here,&lt;/a&gt; dioecious trees will cause more allergies because the pollen must be transported farther. If the people at your house suffer from pollen allergies, you might want to plant the trees a good way from the house, although &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pollenlibrary.com/Genus/Cotinus/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; page says it shouldn't be an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is copied information from the allergyware.wordpress.com site for those who cannot access the page.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Only male plants produce pollen, which means that only male plants can produce the symptoms associated with pollen allergies. It's not always easy to identify male and female plants, and in many cases there's no real way of knowing what sex your plant/tree is, since gender is rarely indicated on nursery tags. To further complicate the matter, you can't always tell the sex of a plant just by looking. Here are a few general guidelines to help you sort it out:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Within the world of gardening there are male plants, female plants and plants that are both male and female.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Monoecious plants have separate male and female flowers on the same plant–examples include oak trees (figure A) and corn. The male tassels at the top of the corn plant (figure B) contain the pollen that floats down to pollinate the female ears of corn. Because monoecious plants often rely on the wind to move pollen from the male portion of the plant to the female portion, they are notorious for causing allergies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dioecious plants–plants that are either all male or all female–also rely on wind to transfer pollen from a male plant to a female plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many plants, such as roses (figure C), have what's called perfect flowers, which means they contain both male and female parts; as a result, the pollen doesn't have to travel far–this means that these plants rarely cause allergies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only way to know the sex of a given plant is to consult references, but there are clues to look for that will give you an idea about whether or not a plant is likely to cause allergies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Small flowers with little color tend to cause more allergies than large, brightly-colored flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Off-white and greenish-colored flowers cause more allergies than all the other flower colors combined (figure D).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trumpet-shaped flowers (figure E) seldom cause allergies because their pollen is held deep within the flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fragrant plants–as a rule–don't produce as many pollen allergies, but they may cause an allergic reaction in people who are sensitive to certain odors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T22:27:39.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11280" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1941" CreationDate="2014-07-06T07:40:34.147" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;To understand why you have dandelions in the first place goes a long way into preventing them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A dandelion is not a &quot;weed&quot; it is what is known as a &lt;code&gt;Pioneer Plant&lt;/code&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Pioneer species are hardy species which are the first to colonize&#xA;  previously disrupted or damaged ecosystems, beginning a chain of&#xA;  ecological succession that ultimately leads to a more biodiverse&#xA;  steady-state ecosystem.&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_species&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt; Since some uncolonized land may have thin,&#xA;  poor quality soils with few nutrients, pioneer species are often hardy&#xA;  plants with adaptations such as long roots, root nodes containing&#xA;  nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and leaves that employ transpiration.&#xA;  Pioneer species will die creating plant litter, and break down as&#xA;  &quot;leaf mold&quot; after some time, making new soil for secondary succession&#xA;  (see below), and nutrients for small fish and aquatic plants in&#xA;  adjacent bodies of water. &#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_species&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Full Description&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When a home is constructed there is something that happens that causes all lawns/soil to be low quality. The construction company comes to the plot of land and before constructing the house they scrap away all the top soil and sell it. Most people don't know that their humus layer of soil is stolen and sold [Though this is besides the point :)].&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because the soil is now super bad quality very little can grow there. The pioneer plants are the plants that are first adopters and will work to fix the soil till things become bio-diverse. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dandelions love acidic, low nutrient soil. They will continue to grow in this environment until it is no longer acidic and has an over abundance of nutrients to support an array of plant life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So your options for really taking it to your dandelion problem include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Balance the pH and add nutrients of your entire yard via composting additions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leave the dandelions alone, until they do it for you. Every time you pull them up or kill them you make the environment for dandelions even better for them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5763" LastEditorUserId="5763" LastEditDate="2014-07-22T22:02:48.200" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T22:02:48.200" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11281" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3927" CreationDate="2014-07-06T14:25:32.057" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Foliar applications of fish emulsion, or pretty much any foliar nutrient application, is effective because the nutrients enter the plant directly through the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stomata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;stomata&lt;/a&gt;, or pores, of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/126323-evergreens-keep-leaves.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Evergreens have fewer stomata&lt;/a&gt; than deciduous trees but even needles contain stomata therefor foliar applications should also be effective. I couldn't find any specific research on fish emulsion and conifers but there are other studies showing foliar application of urea with positive results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2014-07-06T15:35:10.147" LastActivityDate="2014-07-06T15:35:10.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11282" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11283" CreationDate="2014-07-06T17:38:33.250" Score="4" ViewCount="3119" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wanting to plant a blueberry bush now so hopefully It'll be established by next spring. I don't know if it's good to plant them in July. I'm in zone 7 (Northern Mississippi). Does anyone know if this is a good idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5672" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-06T22:18:30.187" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T05:00:48.950" Title="Is it a good idea to plant blueberries in July in USDA hardiness zone 7b?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11283" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11282" CreationDate="2014-07-06T22:14:07.963" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can plant potted blueberry plants in July, but make sure the following conditions are met for best results:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shade.&lt;/strong&gt; When you plant a new plant in summer, especially a shallow rooted plant like blueberry, provide a light shade on extremely hot, sunny days to prevent drying and sunburn on the new plants. This is only necessary during the first year when the plants are still becoming established. You can use a light row cover, or a small frame covered in cheesecloth (or similar), or wooden slats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Water.&lt;/strong&gt; Blueberry plants have shallow roots, and prefer light soil. This combination calls for regular watering in dry periods. During the first year, don't let the ground dry completely between watering. A two to four inch acidic organic mulch like sawdust or shredded leaves will greatly increase moisture retention in the soil, and improve the texture over time, as they decompose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil pH.&lt;/strong&gt; This is important for success with blueberries. They prefer a pH of between 4.1 and 5.3. Above that, you are going to start having problems. If you don't know what your soil pH is, you can send your  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;local extension office&lt;/a&gt; a sample and get accurate results, or you can buy a do-it-yourself kit. You can use &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_sulfate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;aluminium sulphate&lt;/a&gt; to lower the pH in your soil, if it is too high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Organic matter in the soil&lt;/strong&gt; is one thing that blueberry plants really struggle without. Most soils are less than ideal in organic matter content, so adding more will help a lot. You can use milled sphagnum peat moss (also useful because of its acidic qualities) or coir (ground coconut husk), and and mix them half and half with the native soil at least 10-12 inches down, and at least two feet out from the plant all around. You will want to test for the pH after this step. Now, if you have enough compost to do this step, that would be the best, because compost adds a lot more than just organic matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fertilizer.&lt;/strong&gt; At this time of year, you don't want the plant to put out much top growth, so it can completely harden off before winter, but you do want as much root growth as possible. This means you should find a fertilizer high in phosphorus, and low in nitrogen. Something like 5-10-5 is good. If you can find something natural, that's always a plus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the top of the root ball is at the level with the soil line at planting. Like most shrubs, blueberries shouldn't be planted too deep. Dig the hole wider than the root ball, leaving plenty of room for back fill around the sides. This helps with air pockets. When it's planted, tamp firmly around the edges of the hole, but don't get carried away and smash the root ball.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In zone 7b, you should be able to choose almost any variety. The average range is 4-7. However, many people in Mississippi plant southern highbush and rabbiteye varieties, which are better adapted to a milder winter. All varieties of blueberries require certain amounts of chill hours in winter in order to flower the next spring, and although northern blueberry bushes can thrive in higher zones, they won't fruit well. A chill hour is any hour when the temperature stays below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. &lt;a href=&quot;http://blueberrycroft.com/blog/2012/02/blueberry-plants-chilling-requirements-for-blueberry-production/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; has some valuable information regarding blueberry chill hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting in early spring is preferable, but there's nothing wrong with late planting, if it's done properly. It just means a little more effort on your part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;In-ground vs. container cultivation&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've already bought the plant, definitely plant it as soon as possible. The statement about spring planting being preferable assumes you want the plant in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Only small varieties are suitable for growing in pots, and the pots have to be fairly large. The plants will have to come out of their nursery pots either way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;How to properly plant/care for a container-grown blueberry bush&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blueberry bushes grown in pots require similar car to those in the ground, but ther are some big differences. Below is some information solely for container-grown blueberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Variety.&lt;/strong&gt; Because a container will greatly restrict root growth on a normal blueberry variety, best results are gained when you use a dwarf variety. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.logees.com/blueberry-top-hat-vaccinium-angustifolium.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Top Hat&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gurneys.com/product/dwarf_northsky_blueberry/blueberry-plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dwarf Northsky&lt;/a&gt; are some good choices, with Top Hat being the most popular blueberry for growing in containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Growing medium.&lt;/strong&gt; This needs to be free-draining and acidic. Here is a recipe I have used in the past with good results: 5/8 topsoil, 2/8 peat moss, 1/16 vermiculite, and 1/16 coarse sand. (See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3623/what-are-the-best-soil-amendments-for-container-grown-blueberries&quot;&gt;here.&lt;/a&gt;) If your native topsoil is extremely poor, or low in organic matter, use more peat moss and less soil. It is good to have some mineral based soil for the plants to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Container.&lt;/strong&gt; Blueberries don't like cramped roots, so if you get a Top Hat blueberry bush, you shouldn't use anything smaller than 18&amp;quot; in diameter and deep for a mature plant. Blueberries prefer to root shallowly, so if you go by soil volume, a more shallow container is better than a deeper one. Preferably, use a container about 20-24 inches wide, by about a foot deep. The container must have plenty of drainage holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Watering.&lt;/strong&gt; One big mistake many people make who try this for the first time is overwatering. Blueberries don't like wet feet. On the other hand, they like to stay moist. You should wait until the top couple inches of soil is fairly dry before watering. Some people put a small portal in the side of the pot so they can open it lower to test soil moisture. Do not water if it rains frequently enough to keep the soil moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil pH.&lt;/strong&gt; Same as for ground planted plants. See above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fertilizer.&lt;/strong&gt; Because nutrients leach constantly in a container, best results are gained by an extended-release fertilizer, so that the plants have a steady supply of nutrients. A micro-nutrient/mineral mix will also improve results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Light.&lt;/strong&gt; Blueberries like at least six hours of uninterrupted sunlight per day. Less than that and the fruit production will drop. If your container is black, consider putting a decorative covering on the sides to keep the pot from overheating. Blueberry roots prefer not to get too hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Repotting.&lt;/strong&gt; This generally doesn't have to be done if you replace the top 1-3&amp;quot; layer of soil every few years. If the plant does become root-bound, carefully remove the plant from it's pot, carefully remove the dirt off the roots, and cleanly cut the longest roots back by about 1/3. Repot in new soil as soon as possible, and make sure the roots are well spread, and there are no air pockets in the soil. Water well. Prune about 1/3 of the top growth, to balance the plant. Try to take out mostly old, weak, or crossed branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T05:00:48.950" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1878" CreationDate="2014-07-07T11:15:18.680" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Twisted, you've said some of the blossom remains, withered, on the tree, even with some of it starting to produce fruitlets - the likely cause of this problem is Blossom Wilt, a fungal infection, which may overwinter on the tree in infected stems or foliage. By this time you may (or may not) have a little dieback on some leaves, twigs and branches here and there, and close inspection may reveal buff coloured fungal pustules on infected areas, usually directly behind where the blossom was, though these are not always evident, and may only be seen in damp weather. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prune off anything that looks dead or withered now, and hereon in, as soon as you see it, and next year, spray with copper oxychloride just before flowering (Bayer Fruit and Veg Disease Control is one). Clear away any fallen leaves, fruit and anything else on the ground around the tree, particularly in autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-07-07T11:15:18.680" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11282" CreationDate="2014-07-07T12:35:22.663" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would recommend waiting until Fall, when the weather begins to cool.  Planting in the summer is problematic because high temperatures cause a high rate of water transpiration through the leaves.  Fall  planting gives the plants time to establish themselves before winter, and you don't have to be quite as zealous about watering. This summer is shaping up to be quite dry here in the southeast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2014-07-07T12:35:22.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11286" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-07T14:38:10.863" Score="2" ViewCount="5086" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had an indoor avocado tree for a couple of months, but it doesn't look like the pictures on Google. One leaf is almost touching the tree. The new leaves on top are fine but when others appear the old ones droop and touching the tree trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why is this happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5768" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-07T15:15:10.433" LastActivityDate="2014-07-07T21:18:02.450" Title="Why is the leaf on my avocado tree drooping?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2014-07-16T03:23:15.650" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11286" CreationDate="2014-07-07T21:18:02.450" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You really need to send pictures. Think about being in our place  If this is an old leaf, no big deal. What is the lighting?  What kind of pot do you have this plant in? Avocados need lots of light, some humidity (boil water on top of your stove, simmer all day and night to keep humidity between 40 and 60%), use Osmocote for fertilizer, make sure your pot isn't too huge for the size of plant, good, sterilized potting soil, no rocks or gravel beneath the soil, a drainage hole, keep the saucer below free of water, get mycorrhizae and bacteria for your soil if they weren't included in the soil or fertilizer you used and when you water, soak the soil and then allow to dry out somewhat between waterings.  Put the whole plant in the shower to water and drain...once a week.  Don't overwater! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send pictures so we can see what is really going on. Indoor plants suffer from too little light, too little humidity and too much water. Especially tap water high in salts. Lower leafs get old and it is normal to have them die off.  Without being able to see your plant and know more details, this is the best we can do...Send pictures and more information.  We can help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-07-07T21:18:02.450" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11288" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11269" CreationDate="2014-07-07T21:31:32.113" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ouch! What an investment you've made.  I am sorry.  All but the totally green ones will  not make it.  What kind of soil is in your terraced beds?  What is your irrigation schedule? What did you use for fertilizer, soil ammendments? What is the orientation of these beds. Did you buy these in pots or b&amp;amp;b? Let us help you to not make this mistake again.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send pictures of the entire project.  Arborvitaes will not live long in such a small area, there are better plants that would do similar growth habits but thrive better than arborvitae in such a small area. Much better plants than good ole overused arborvitae!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-07-07T21:31:32.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11242" CreationDate="2014-07-07T22:04:16.277" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am currently experimenting with three mopheads in our backyard.  I dead-headed and cut one back last fall. Right now it is hardly blooming, but the other 2 are about half bloomed.  Unless you don;t like looking at the &quot;dead heads&quot; you can just leave them alone. Cutting back the plant doesn't do much because it will grow back to its normal size again within a couple years. Ours are about 5ft. half spheres.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We also have one lace cap in our front yard. I mistakenly cut it back with a hedge trimmer 2 years ago, and it didn't bloom at all last year. I fed it and left it alone last year and it is looking great right now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-08T01:12:54.690" LastActivityDate="2014-07-08T01:12:54.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11290" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13675" CreationDate="2014-07-07T22:22:39.137" Score="5" ViewCount="837" Body="&lt;p&gt;I usually see these pop up around August in north New Jersey along a hiking trail. The picture doesn't do the color justice. They have a very vibrant color that makes them stand out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Until I examined them closely they always just looked very much like bright green ball shaped plants as I'm running along the trail. Every fall they pop up and I've been curious as to what they are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AoCzk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T11:20:05.567" Title="What are these little intense colored green plants with needles?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11291" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11290" CreationDate="2014-07-08T00:18:33.390" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like some species of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycopodium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lycopodium&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From Wikipedia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Lycopodium (from Greek lukos, wolf and podion, diminutive of pous, foot) is a genus of clubmosses, also known as ground pines or creeping cedar, in the family Lycopodiaceae, a family of fern-allies (see Pteridophyta). They are flowerless, vascular, terrestrial or epiphytic plants, with widely branched, erect, prostrate or creeping stems, with small, simple, needle-like or scale-like leaves that cover the stem and branches thickly. The leaves contain a single, unbranched vascular strand and are microphylls by definition. The kidney-shaped or reniform spore-cases (sporangia) contain spores of one kind only (isosporous, homosporous) and are borne on the upper surface of the leaf blade of specialized leaves (sporophylls) arranged in a cone-like strobilus at the end of upright stems. The club-shaped appearance of these fertile stems gives the clubmosses their common name.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-23T11:20:05.567" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T11:20:05.567" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11292" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2014-07-08T01:33:10.367" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Deadheading is the process of removing flower heads from a plant after it has finished blooming. This is done for a number of reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;to prevent the plant from putting energy into creating seeds;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;to encourage the plant to produce more flowers, thus lengthening the flowering season;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;to improve the appearance of the plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-08T01:33:10.367" LastActivityDate="2014-07-08T01:33:10.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11293" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2014-07-08T01:33:10.367" Score="0" Body="Tools and techniques for removing flower heads once they've finished blooming." OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-08T01:33:10.367" LastActivityDate="2014-07-08T01:33:10.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11294" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11296" CreationDate="2014-07-08T02:14:25.650" Score="4" ViewCount="161" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have rather a lot of partially flat liters, and wonder if I could use it as a drink for my house plants. Will purified carbonated water harm plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-08T12:12:28.587" Title="Will I run into trouble if I water houseplants with carbonated water?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11295" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11228" CreationDate="2014-07-08T07:24:13.393" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used to suffer from this when the squirrels buried acorns in my lawn.  I found that just mowing them down regularly (with routine lawn maintenance) kept them from becoming established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1830" LastActivityDate="2014-07-08T07:24:13.393" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11294" CreationDate="2014-07-08T12:12:28.587" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends on whether, and how much, alkali salts have been added - Schweppes Club soda has sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate and potassium sulfate added to it. I'd use it on the garden instead, unless you want to do a trial on a couple of plants and see what the results are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-07-08T12:12:28.587" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11298" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11299" CreationDate="2014-07-09T13:44:01.223" Score="6" ViewCount="549" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oops, planted it and lost the tag. It's growing quite happily in zone 5A (USDA zone 4) in light shade and clay soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TP8nm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Yba2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-13T03:34:13.480" LastActivityDate="2014-07-13T03:34:13.480" Title="What is this native North American ground cover?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11298" CreationDate="2014-07-09T14:55:19.213" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=Chrysogonum+virginianum&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=NFi9U-jPHMfYoAS-y4HACQ&amp;amp;ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&amp;amp;biw=1426&amp;amp;bih=658&quot;&gt;Chrysogonum virginianum.&lt;/a&gt;  Here is an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.viette.com/v.php?pg=721&quot;&gt;excerpt from a nursery site&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Commonly known as Goldenstar or Green and Gold, Chrysogonum virginianum is a beautiful wildflower that is native to the eastern United States. It is one of the finest flowering ground covers for the sun or shade garden, bearing bright yellow star-shaped flowers that will lighten up even a patch of deep shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-07-09T14:55:19.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11300" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-09T15:35:34.330" Score="4" ViewCount="976" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn is slowly being taken over by clover, I would be ok with this if the clover and the grass embraced diversity, but instead there are patches of one or the other.  I understand clover likes soil with low nitrogen levels which probably explains the voracious spreading.  I also understand it replenishes nitrogen back into the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is,  if I let the clover take over, and let it naturally replenish the soils nitrogen level, will the clover recede once the nitrogen levels rise?  I am ok with the next year or two (our first kid was just born) letting this process happen, but only if I know I can eventually get back to grass with little effort.  I am not ok letting the clover consume my lawn if in a year or two I need to rototill and reseed everything. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this approach ok for someone who doesn't have a lot of time to focus on his lawn?  If another approach would be to get nitrogen back into the soil, what is a good method?  I went to starbucks twice and got big bags of used coffee grounds and spread them over my lawn (pre clover attack) but judging on the current situation, I don't think it did much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3593" LastActivityDate="2014-07-09T22:07:35.240" Title="Improving soil for grass" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11301" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11300" CreationDate="2014-07-09T15:49:27.000" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry to say that the clover will continue to grow and spread in your lawn over time. One of the issues with clover in lawn if you have young children is that it flowers - bees like the flowers, and its really easy to stand on one with a bare foot in summer, and only realise once you've been stung.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't say where you are, so I can't say whether there are any effective lawn treatments which will kill clover, other than to state that the only one that did work well in the UK for this was withdrawn from sale 20 years ago. That's probably true for Europe generally too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your only other option is to dig it out, patch by patch, and reseed those areas, but in the meantime, applying a high nitrogen feed to the whole area in spring should help to restrain its spread a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-07-09T16:19:58.893" LastActivityDate="2014-07-09T16:19:58.893" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11302" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11300" CreationDate="2014-07-09T16:08:31.600" Score="5" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;My question is, if I let the clover take over, and let it naturally&#xA;  replenish the soils nitrogen level, will the clover recede once the&#xA;  nitrogen levels rise?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately no. Clover is a very tough weed to control and cannot be controlled by fertilization.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should do a soil test and determine how much fertilizer your soil needs. Depending on your soil and lawn management you will need to add about 4lbs of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet each year. Preferably split into 4 applications, 2 in the spring, 2 in the fall. Unless your soil test indicates otherwise keep phosphorous low. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the clover flowers, try to mow those areas at a height that will cut the flowers off. Bag them and dispose of them because the seeds are very tough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the fall you can dethatch then spray to kill the clover, I used some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2012/06/organic-roundup-alternatives.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;organic herbicides&lt;/a&gt;, then overseed the lawn to fill in thin areas. Keeping a healthy, well fed, and irrigated, disease free lawn will minimize the chances for weeds to germinate and take over the lawn. Proper mowing such as mulch mowing, mowing high, mowing frequently so you never cut off more than 1/3 of the grass as well as proper watering go a long way to control weeds. See my &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2008/08/no-and-low-cost-lawn-care.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;low and no cost lawn care tips&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After you rid your lawn of clover, if you see any knew clover coming up it's easy to pull when young but once established that's very difficult.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people don't mind clover in their lawn and in the 50's it was common to include clover seeds in grass seed blends but it has a different texture and color than many grasses. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7490.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;UC Davis article on clover&lt;/a&gt; might be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-07-09T16:08:31.600" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11303" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="11304" CreationDate="2014-07-09T19:00:13.733" Score="5" ViewCount="188" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have no idea what this is. I've never seen one before. My first guess is that is that it is a slug, but image searching didn't turn up anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wxYK5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These were in shaded hardwood forest in northern New Hampshire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5772" LastActivityDate="2014-07-09T19:33:20.293" Title="Slug, Fungus, or other?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11303" CreationDate="2014-07-09T19:33:20.293" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe that's an immature &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phallus_rubicundus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;stinkhorn, &lt;em&gt;Phallus rubicundus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a common fungus in rotting wood litter (including mulch) in the eastern and southern United States.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The immature specimens will not have the pitted cap on the end, and resemble your picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are some pictures for comparison:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YYfde.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1eHyz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;.................immature specemins......................................mature specemins.................................................&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-09T19:33:20.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11305" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11300" CreationDate="2014-07-09T20:27:33.307" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay, this is only useful for those who are not averse to using chemicals. Most selective broad-leaf herbicides are effective with only one treatment, but may take two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicamba&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dicamba&lt;/a&gt; (3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid), Often used as a three-way with 2,4-D and Mecoprop. Do not use under the driplines of trees and shrubs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluroxypyr&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Fluroxypyr,&lt;/a&gt; often used in a three-way with 2,4-D and Dicamba.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clopyralid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Clopyralid&lt;/a&gt; (3,6-dichloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid) , the active ingredient in &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dowagro.com/turf/products/herbicides/lontrel.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lontrel&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecoprop&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mecoprop&lt;/a&gt; (methylchlorophenoxypropionic acid), often used as a three-way with Dicambe and 2,4-D&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic_acid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;2,4-D&lt;/a&gt; (2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), The third most used herbicide in the United States, and used in may herbicide combinations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MCPA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;MCPA&lt;/a&gt;  (2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid), a very potent herbicide, usually used in pastures, but also in lawns where other weed killers have failed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never underestimate the toxicity of these chemicals, and always wear proper protection when applying them. Generally it is best to keep kids/pets off the lawn for at least a week of application. Do not use in waterways/swales, to help prevent ground-water contamination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been using these for years, with good results, but there are also other steps you can take, and they really help keep down clover (and other weeds, for that matter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mow high. Lawn grass generally likes being taller than white clover does. Also, the grass will do better in dry periods, which helps them stay thick.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Reseed bare spots when the clover is out. Weeds germinate best in open spots. Maintaining a thick lawn goes a long way in prevention.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hand-pull seedlings you see, once the initial control has been done. This also goes a long way in weed prevention, and if you aren't using a pre-emergent, can save you a lot of money later from herbicide applications.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize regularly. There are many all-natural lawn fertilizers out there, and these will help your lawn grow thick and strong. Grass (of course) doesn't make it's own nitrogen like clover can, so providing this gives the lawn an advantage. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water the lawn before the grass dies. Clover is more drought resistant than most turf grasses and gets a head start during dry spells when the grass stops growing. I've had too many customers who wanted weed control only, and complained when their grass died during a drought, from low mowing, no fertilizing, and no watering.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many weeds will grow at a lower pH level than lawn grass prefers. Get your lawn tested, and adjust if necessary to 6.0-6.5.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maintaining a decent lawn means work, but it doesn't have to be back-breaking if you don't mind the occasional use of chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-09T20:27:33.307" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11306" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2575" CreationDate="2014-07-09T21:27:53.120" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a beautiful window box of portulaca growing right now that came up from the plants that I never dug out last year!  It was quite a surprise, but they must have gone to seed and wintered well outside.  Of course the plants that came up were not in any orderly fashion, so when they got large enough, I dug up the plant plugs and replanted them in a tidier way.  It looks great now.  Best box I've ever had.  I only have a handful of blooms so far, but heaps of buds ready to pop!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5774" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-07-10T10:37:17.750" LastActivityDate="2014-07-10T10:37:17.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11307" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11300" CreationDate="2014-07-09T22:07:35.240" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use glyphosate, Roundup and spray on the clover. Let it work for 3 weeks. Scalp your lawn, mowing it down to 1 1/2&quot;.  The last time you'll be mowing it that short...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thatch if there is an 1&quot; of compacted roots, rake up the debris.  If you haven't aerated, do so.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use an aerator that pulls plugs of soil out of the ground and leave them on top to disintegrate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can find a place that makes, sells and delivers this compost made from human poo and sawdust, get enough to cover your lawn one half to one inch.  It shouldn't smell or look anything like the original products. Rake this into your lawn, mixing it in with the plugs and soil. The people you purchase this from should be able to come out and spray it on your lawn for you quite quickly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get a roller that you fill with water and roll over your lawn, raking when necessary to make a firm, smooth bed for your new lawn.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then reseed with the best lawn seed for your area you can find.  On the label it should say zero weed seed. Spread the seed with a rotary hand spreader. Keep going over it in all directions until you've used the amount of seed stated in the directions on your seed package.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using a metal leaf rake, lightly rake the seed into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roll your lawn again to get good contact of seed and soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water with a fine sprinkler so that just the top inch or so is moist. Don't soak at this point.  Do this 3 or 4 times a day or whatever it takes to keep the top moist, continually.  When the grass is 3 1/2 &quot; to 4&quot; tall (this should take 2 weeks of watering), allow the soil to dry a bit and mow to 3&quot;.  No shorter! Make sure your blades are sharp. At this point, use your bagger and put the clippings in your compost.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize with an organic, extended release fertilizer.  I use Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer because it is incredible.  Worth the money and lasts longer. Comes with beneficial bacteria that will prevent thatch. Fertilize at least twice per season.  Fertilize in the fall with a fertilizer lower in nitrogen than the phosphorus and potassium. Maybe Dr. Earth has a late season fertilizer for lawns by now.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've redone so many lawns in my career, this was the least expensive, but lots of manual labor and religious watering. The hardest thing was getting people used to the idea of 3&quot; lawns instead of 1&quot; lawns.  If your grass seed is like ours in the Pacific Northwest, it grows grass that has, genetically, large root systems.  To feed these root systems, the grass needs a minimum of 3&quot; top-growth. I used to use 2 1/2&quot;, but 3&quot; made the difference.  Any shorter and the grass is stressed.  Stressed plants aren't able to compete with weeds. 3&quot; shades the soil, keeping seeds from germinating that are deposited by birds and wind and also keeps the roots cooler, the soil from baking into bricks.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you've begun mowing you now need to train these roots to grow deep.  This will save water in the long run and make your lawn drought-tolerant.  Water so that the water soaks in down to 3&quot; the first week.  Allow to dry out.  Don't water until your footprints on the grass stay down.  Then water deeply, this time to 4&quot;, allow to dry until your footprints stay down. Allow to dry out before watering again. Keep doing this until you are watering 6&quot; deep.  Note the time it takes to water this deeply. It should take a whole week before you need to water again.  Your lawn will be lush, cool to walk upon, no bees pollinating the clover and a deep, healthy green.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never miss a week's mowing.  In fact, mow twice a week if you can.  If your blades aren't sharp you'll notice a 'haze' caused by the torn ends of your grass.  Get a second set of blades you can sharpen and easily change out for the dull ones on your mower. Make sure the edges of your grass are the same 3&quot; thickness, no lower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a few months, you'll notice your grass isn't growing as fast (grass slows its growth past 3&quot; so you shouldn't be taking off much every week anyway) and the color isn't quite as green. Fertilize again just before you water.  Use your hand spreader!! No throwing of fertilizer by hand! Blow it off your concrete walks, curbs back onto the grass so you don't risk iron-staining. You shouldn't have to bag your clippings unless you've missed a mowing.  If you have, just don't take more than 1/3 of the blade off at a time.  This will be tough as your mower will probably be on its highest setting already! I'd use my line trimmer to take off a little at a time with a few days in-between until I could use my mower.  I'd definitely use my bagger to suck up the dead grass my weed wacker (line-trimmer)left behind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aerate once per year.  Water deeply (early in the day as night watering will cause fungus amungus in grass and plaunts) and allow to dry out before watering again.  Keep the length of grass at 3&quot;.  Fertilize with extended release, organic fertilizer 2 - 3X per year. Let it go into winter at 3&quot;.  Don' t walk on your lawn when it is frosted or frozen.  Snow is O.K. If you do walk on your frozen grass it will kill it and you'll have to reseed your footprints in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How are your edges? Send a picture and I can give you information on how to do your edges, which are pretty important, visually. Also, if you can find that compost, use that on your plant beds instead of bark.  You'll be blown away by your plants' health! Don't use coffee grinds! Too acidic! Lawns like a pH of 6.5-7.0.  Get a soil test done to find the pH of your soil.  If it is too low, use lime and the directions on the package to raise your pH.  Do this while you are waiting for the glyphosate to kill the roots of your clover.  You should have a second test done anyway after you get your grass growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And lastly, you could rent a sod-cutter (all these tools can be rented by the way) get rid of your entire lawn, weeds and grass.  Then lime, compost, rake, roll, seed, fertilize, rake, roll and then re-sod. I'd check to see how expensive everything  is either way.  If you can't find the human sludge/sawdust that is completely decomposed, get bags of the best decomposed compost you can find.  No peat moss, too acidic and sheds water.  Decomposed means that you shouldn't be able to recognize anything in the mixture.  No bad smells, no sticks, stones, chunks of plants. It should be crumbly and uniform in texture.  Ask to be allowed to see, feel and smell the stuff before you buy it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you've got a healthy lawn, all that work will have been worthwhile.  Let us know what you decide to do and send before and AFTER pictures! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-07-09T22:07:35.240" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11308" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13406" CreationDate="2014-07-10T00:15:45.333" Score="6" ViewCount="395" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone tell what's wrong with this tomato plant? Is it disease or deficiency? My areas been having issues with late blight the last few years. One spot seems to have a concentric circle around it but otherwise doesn't look like early blight to me. I'm not very good at determining diseases though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also noticed a couple of small black bugs on some of the leaves but don't show well in the photo. Look like flea beetles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The picture isn't great but it shows the yellowing of some of the lower leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zl9GN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-17T03:14:31.100" LastActivityDate="2014-07-17T03:14:31.100" Title="What's affecting this tomato plant?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-08-06T18:29:39.770" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="11309" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="12309" CreationDate="2014-07-10T03:33:49.987" Score="6" ViewCount="1579" Body="&lt;p&gt;I plan on starting growing some herbs (for exemple parsley) inside. I'm worried about 2 things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bugs: I think that having potted herbs inside will attract bugs in my appartment. Am I worried about nothing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Time of the year: I live in Canada, so should I wait for a particular time to start growing or can I start that at any point in the year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5776" LastActivityDate="2014-07-14T03:55:03.567" Title="Starting growing herbs inside, is there anything I should worry about?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="12309" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11309" CreationDate="2014-07-10T04:29:28.070" Score="5" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think that having potted herbs inside will attract bugs in my apartment. Am I worried about nothing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your plants are blooming by an open window, they will attract bugs, but you generally won't have a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Canada, so should I wait for a particular time to start growing or can I start that at any point in the year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a lighting system set up, and your apartment is heated :), it won't matter what time you plant. If you have a sunny window, starting in spring will be the most natural to the plants (some plants determine when to flower by changes in day length, so sometimes fall seedlings bolt right away).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some things you need to know before growing herbs indoors:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Light.&lt;/strong&gt; Most herbs like at least 4 hours (but often more) of direct sunlight daily. If you do not have a window with that kind of exposure, you will need to use &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grow_light&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;grow lights&lt;/a&gt;, placed less than two feet from the plants' tops. Most people overestimate the potency of grow lights, but what looks bright indoors is usually dark in comparison with direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Air conditioning&lt;/strong&gt; can be very hard on indoor herbs. The dry air and low temperatures can cause drying and premature bolting. Low humidity will also encourage spider mites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Atmosphere.&lt;/strong&gt; If you have a gas range, this can cause sudden deaths to your plants. Most herbs will not tolerate propane gas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Watering&lt;/strong&gt; indoor plants is different from watering outdoor plants. The biggest difference is the lack of rain indoors. Most people tend to water too often, and keep the mix constantly moist. You will get better results if you wait until the top layer is dry, and then water to make it count.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dust&lt;/strong&gt; in nature is washed off by rain. Indoors, you can use a mist sprayer, like a well cleaned out cleaner bottle. Failing to clean off dust can eventually lead to etiolation from blocked photosynthesis, but is generally seen as a general lack of vigor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Heat vents&lt;/strong&gt; in winter will circulate very hot, dry air, which can damage plants. The plants should be placed where the air circulation from these vents is minimum. Radiator heat is ideal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some more resources on growing herbs indoors:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/568/what-are-some-herbs-and-spices-that-are-easy-to-grow-indoors?rq=1&quot;&gt;What are some herbs and spices that are easy to grow indoors?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/453/how-do-i-help-my-kitchen-window-herb-garden-thrive?rq=1&quot;&gt;How do I help my kitchen window herb garden thrive?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1402/what-type-of-potting-soil-is-most-suitable-for-indoor-herbs?rq=1&quot;&gt;What type of potting soil is most suitable for indoor herbs?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2249/how-long-will-my-basil-plants-live-inside?rq=1&quot;&gt;How long will my basil plants live inside?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3478/how-can-i-grow-herbs-in-my-kitchen?rq=1&quot;&gt;How can I grow herbs in my kitchen?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-07-14T03:55:03.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13309" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-10T08:32:47.753" Score="2" ViewCount="97" Body="&lt;p&gt;I picked up these plants from various people when I moved here (Chengdu, China). I was wondering if anyone knows what plants these are (5 unidentified plants in total). I've linked it to my blog post since I can't seem to upload them. Scroll all the way down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant 1:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wmObz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant 2:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S3p8K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;https://travelhomelive.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/img_1008.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6777" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-07-10T10:44:15.303" LastActivityDate="2014-07-10T21:09:26.377" Title="Plant Identification in China" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13311" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13315" CreationDate="2014-07-10T16:55:15.750" Score="2" ViewCount="147" Body="&lt;p&gt;In Arizona, USA, it is monsoon season, meaning that our dry, arid, and rainless state suddenly gets a lot of rain over the period of about two months. This sort of flooding is perfect for spreading seeds and germinating weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My yard has horrible drainage, so when it rains, the yard becomes a flood pool two inches deep, including around our fruit trees and non-weed bushes. Optimally, the solution is to hire a landscaper to fix this drainage issue (it isn't good for the house, either), but right now my finances cannot afford it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Problem: The monsoon is sprouting all the weeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question: What can I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I feel like my only solution is to futile hoe the entire yard every week.  I am worried if I put down herbicide spray or pellets, the next rain will make the yard a pool again, diluting the poisons and spreading them to my non-weed plants and trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another way of approaching the question might be &quot;Herbicides are rainproof, but are they flood proof?&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3182" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-11T01:50:48.987" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T22:00:40.230" Title="Can I use herbicides in flood conditions without harming good plants?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13309" CreationDate="2014-07-10T21:09:26.377" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;First plant looks like some kind of heart-leafed bushy type philodendron.  The stem looks &quot;dieffenbachia-ish&quot; but I don't recall any &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=schefflera&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=fe2&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;channel=np&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=eAC_U7WGK8XvoATz14GwBg&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&amp;amp;biw=1315&amp;amp;bih=658#channel=np&amp;amp;q=dieffenbachia&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;dieffenbachias&lt;/a&gt; with heart shaped leaves like the one in your picture.  If it is a philodendron, it is difficult to say what the variety might be, as the plant you have pictured is not in very good shape and there are probably hundreds of philodendron house plant varieties.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second plant is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=schefflera&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=fe2&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;channel=np&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=eAC_U7WGK8XvoATz14GwBg&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&amp;amp;biw=1315&amp;amp;bih=658&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Schefflera&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-07-10T21:09:26.377" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13313" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-11T00:45:26.170" Score="2" ViewCount="559" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some fruit seeds last year, but I cannot recall whether they were mangosteen, pomelo, pomegranate, plum or something else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried to compare the leaves of against some online images but I am still confused as what this seedling could be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WclR9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WclR9l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tropical Fruit Seedling&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6780" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-11T01:52:42.533" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T13:43:52.183" Title="What is this unusual fruit seedling?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13314" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-11T01:45:54.603" Score="3" ViewCount="135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I decided to start a garden of my own this summer and I got seeds from all areas to plant. No sooner had I put the seeds in the ground, but there came some critter at night, which dug up the seeds and ate as much as it could find. I have never seen this vermin before but when I go to look in my garden in the morning, I find something has dug holes in my planters, and in some places uprooted some of my plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have right now tried three netting sizes and think it may be best to take the plants all indoors for the meantime cause I don't seem to understand what it is I am up against. No matter what I put up against it, it not only keeps coming back but seems able to bypass them all. I am right now considering building a netting shed around my garden area but since I am new to work work, I expect this to take me some time. I intend to move my seedlings and other plants indoors until my netting is ready and tested. Does anyone know what this vermin could be, and what I do to get rid of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-11T01:55:29.707" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T22:42:01.050" Title="How can I save my garden from an unknown critter that destroys everything?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;rodents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13315" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13311" CreationDate="2014-07-11T01:46:26.110" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming from your reference to hoeing that this is not lawn, so you can use a broad spectrum weed and grass herbicide. The best one in your situation would be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.roundup.com/smg/gosite/RUP/home&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Roundup (glyphosate)&lt;/a&gt; a systematic herbicide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roundup is absorbed by the plant it is sprayed on in less than two hours (advertised 30 minutes), so flooding will not decrease the effectiveness on treated plants. It also becomes deactivated within three days of spraying (references &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.todayshomeowner.com/when-to-plant-after-using-roundup-glyphosate-weed-killer/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;1,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/long-should-wait-plant-plants-after-applying-roundup-79033.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;2,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://roundup.ca/en/faq&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;3&lt;/a&gt;), so if you wait for a break in your monsooning, you will not have an issue with damage to your ornamentals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, there will be partially broken down roundup that will mix into your flood water, and soak into the soil, and may linger for quite a while, given your long dry season and less than ideal soil. You shouldn't use roundup on waterways, which sounds like it fits with you (re. drainage). After the initial kill, you could consider a pre-emergent herbicide, which will prevent weeds from germinating, and won't harm your ornamentals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update in response to comment:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;My concern with the pre-emergent was that I'd lay it down. And then the next time it rained and flooded the yard a few inches, the places I treated would become diluted, reducing its effectiveness severely. Will this be an issue?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your yard is sloped, this may be an issue. If it is flat for the most part, the pre-em will at least help. You can just stick to post-em control if you feel like it would work better for the money spent. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-11T22:00:40.230" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T22:00:40.230" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13311" CreationDate="2014-07-11T01:53:09.213" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can take a line trimmer and chop the top off the seedlings, pretty easily. Burns calories and it is the least expensive thing you can do.  You can even take a rake and rake the little seedlings spreading them out in the sun.  I know Arizona a little bit and it is mighty tough for anything to become invasive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your instincts are good...don't use herbicides.  Your water table down there is in big trouble and a little herbicide is a big deal for water quality.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weeds are nothing more than a plant out of place.  They do happen to be less demanding and can survive better than...ornamentals.  If you can stay vigilant, go out once or twice a week to chop the tops off or using a 'hula hoe' disrupt the roots, that is all it will take to keep them in check. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing I would do would be to find a facility that composts human sludge and sawdust. They should be testing 4 - 5 X and be able to give you a printout on test results. The final product should smell wonderful, like the earth.  Be dark taupe in color, fine textured, no sticks, no rocks...this is all I use for my lawns and plant beds.  This will turn your sandy soil into water holding, nutrient holding, organism rich soil.  All you have to do is dump it on your soil and the organisms see a virtual neon sign saying &quot;Best grub in AZ! For Free!&quot;...they will come, eat this decomposed organic compost and take it back into your soil profile, mixing it for you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not only will this improve your AZ soils, hold moisture longer, hold nutrients longer, add nutrients and soil beneficial organisms...but it is the best stuff to smother seeds you don't want germinating.  2&quot; on top of these seedlings will turn them into compost AND you'll be vastly improving your soil for the plants you want to prosper. Can't use it for vegetable gardening as it IS a little high in heavy metals. Of course 3/4 of our world uses human poo for fertilizer (rice paddies, etc.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doesn't matter what kind of soil one has, the ONLY way to improve any soil is by adding decomposed organic matter. That is a fact.  The worst soil one can imagine can become totally productive with just the addition of decomposed organic matter.  Maybe adding fertilizer...but fertilizer won't be used well by plants without the pH stabilizing, micro and macro-organisms that are there only because there is readily available food of decomposed organic matter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Killing two birds with one stone:  Smother your weeds, weed seed while feeding your soil.  Let me know if you are able to find a supplier! My kids live down there and I could pass the info along.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where in AZ are you? Please send pictures, we could help you with drainage issues as well which you should address soon.  Are you buying this home?  Send  a base plan of your home and property with property lines, utilities, outbuildings, neighbors, fences, drive way, walkways, vehicle access, North orientation, plants that exist and please include at least 3 - 6 elevations.  This means the height at 6 different spots in relation to...the elevation of your home.  You can get a transit, laser to do this.  Ask a friend in construction to do this for you in exchange for washing their car, making dinner and washing dishes.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look through your mortgage documents for an 'As-Built'...most of this should already be accomplished.  Find out if you're foundation is 'slab', 'pier', foundation with crawl space or basement.  What did they do for drainage when they built your home? Foundation drainage, asphalt emulsion, anything you can find about what you own and how it was constructed. Take pictures of your basement, foundation, your property with high and low points. Use graph paper, 1/4&quot; to one foot or whatever scale makes sense to you.  Take a picture of your drawing and send it.  Let us see what we can do with that information.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-07-11T18:00:32.563" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T18:00:32.563" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13314" CreationDate="2014-07-11T02:26:19.840" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I had this problem, the culprit was a family of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meadow_vole&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;meadow voles&lt;/a&gt;. The first thing you need to know when dealing with these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;The best way to deal with voles is some method of extermination.&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I e, netting really doesn't work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had success with traps, and because I live across from a meadow, I've had plenty of chances to use them. I am a little leery of baits/poisons, partly because of the local cat population, which may not relate to you, and partly because I had to pull up someones porch in order to remove some poisoned stench-bombs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually use mouse traps, and have had excellent results. They like peanut buttered apples. I usually use at least six traps, and try to place them in obviously frequented places, where plants will not blow in the wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live on the second floor of an apartment not too far from downtown so I am even shocked that an animal like that could exist out here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In that case, this is not voles. The only large critter that digs up and eats seeds two stories up are squirrels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not certain the squirrels around here are that vicious as I am not sure squirrels like to dig around in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Um... squirrels love to dig around in the soil. They are always messing up my mulching jobs, and love to dig out tulips as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did suspect a cat but I don't think cats are vegetarians cause the culprit seems to love going after my yams and no matter what I do, it continues to go for it as it destroys other things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cats don't dig for yams (but nice visual). These are not your problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am against poison but I don't think traps will do good here given I have neighbors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have watched squirrels chew their way through netting, wire, wood siding, and various other barriers. Would you consider a small live trap (I use one door &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.havahart.com/store/live-animal-traps/bb1083&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Havahart®&lt;/a&gt; traps with success)? These do not harm the squirrel, and you can release them into the wild (far away).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also use repellents. I've successfully used &lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B005NJMNNU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hot Pepper Wax&lt;/a&gt; on garden plants, reapplying every week or so. My neighbor recently started using &lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B005VZYCQM&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Shake Away&lt;/a&gt; fox urine powder, with very good results. Also, using more than one repellent can be useful, in case your particular squirrel doesn't mind one as much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just tried the hot pepper idea. I liquified about 30 harbenero peppers and put generous scoops of the liquid on my plants. I hope that deters the critters from wanting any of my plants or seeds. I also hope it does not kill my seeds/plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know how long the Capsaicin (hot chemical in peppers) will last in a homemade mix. You may have to reapply frequently. That is one plus for the hot pepper wax, it is has concentrated levels of capsaicin in a wax spray, so it lingers for quite a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you put your mixture on in a thin layer, you will be fine, but don't put it on so thick the plant looks less green, because that will cut photosynthesis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, put something on the soil as well, to prevent digging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T22:42:01.050" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13318" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13314" CreationDate="2014-07-11T13:31:25.343" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had this exact problem this summer, when I moved from a third story balcony apartment to a rental house.  (I was especially confused, because I have a dog who is a pretty aggressive rodent hunter.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After consulting with the neighbors, I determined that it is a squirrel problem.  Growing up I never saw squirrels doing this to our family vegetable garden, and we made no effort to prevent it.  The fundamental difference I've noticed: bird feeders.  I now live in an urban area with a lot of rental houses.  It's obvious that the previous tenants were filling up a bird feeder in the back, and that the squirrels were the ones getting the seed.  Now that those tenants are gone, their main source of food is gone, and they are getting desperate, digging up all kinds of things you wouldn't expect squirrels to care about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I decided that, hey, I'm going to be here a year and my main concern is to preserve my garden, so I have started filling the feeder with peanuts, and so far I haven't had any new damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6783" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-11T13:55:41.050" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T13:55:41.050" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13319" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13320" CreationDate="2014-07-11T15:29:56.090" Score="3" ViewCount="494" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in London and am designing a growth room in my garage (1m (W) by 1m (L) by 2m (H)), for a &lt;em&gt;vanilla planfolia&lt;/em&gt; orchid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There will be one or two, and I am wondering how many of what wattage growth lights I should install, what heaters I should put in, and I was wondering where to place these items.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will not receive &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;any&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; external light, and the room temperature is ~16˚C. However, it will be in a heatproof box, with heat reflectors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know this about vanilla:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rainfall: 2000mm per year (evenly spread)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Temperature: 20-30˚C&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, it will be pruned to be 20ft long (and I shall loop it around).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, does anyone know about the amount of growth lights or heaters please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6786" LastEditorUserId="6786" LastEditDate="2014-07-12T05:06:56.590" LastActivityDate="2014-12-01T03:36:23.293" Title="Tropical Growth Room for Vanilla Planfolia" Tags="&lt;light&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13320" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13319" CreationDate="2014-07-11T17:25:16.883" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The environment you describe sounds quite challenging for most plants. You might find some of these points to be relevant to the design of your enclosure:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plants do not need any terrestrial soil to grow but they need a substrate to cling to&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they grow best in high humidity indicating a sealed environment with air circulation&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they do not flower until the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla_planifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;plant is at least 10 feet&lt;/a&gt; (3 meters) tall but you can grow it up and down an enclosure&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/vanilla-planifolia-vanilla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;minimum winter temperature&lt;/a&gt; of 18 deg C&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To duplicate the light levels found in the tropic in the shade is usually done with a combination of &lt;a href=&quot;http://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/articles/techno/lamps/lighting.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;high pressure sodium, mercury and metal halide lamps&lt;/a&gt;.  What you use will be constrained by what is available in your area and the electrical supply. You probably need to supply  10,000 to 20,000 lux over the entire height of the plant, more if you want a lot of flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For your design you will probably want to use reflective material on two or three sides to get as much light as possible.  This reflective material is probably better off outside the enclosure so it doesn't suffer from the humidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you were to use a 1000 watt high pressure sodium and a mercury vapour light with an enclosed growing area (one of each so you have backup in case of failure) you would not need a heater as the mercury light units will give off enough &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.silversunproducts.com/grow-lighting-what-bulb-to-use-when/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;heat&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even with the details you supply it's not possible to provide a complete answer as we don't know if you will be using reflective material or what you can buy.  You need to test the setup with a light meter and a minimum/maximum thermometer.  You may require multiple timers, one for a fan, one for each light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This kind of project lends itself to some automation so if you are handy with electronics a temperature sensor linked to a control board which can turn lights and fans on and off depending on how hot it is inside is a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-07-11T22:48:02.900" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T22:48:02.900" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13321" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13330" CreationDate="2014-07-11T20:29:52.553" Score="12" ViewCount="146779" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a small red Acer and moved it into a more permanent pot. It's about 2 1/2  feet tall and since I've moved it, the leaves have started to brown and shrivel like a dead leaf would in autumn. The pot is about 1 foot in diameter and 2 feet tall, and has a drainage hole in the bottom about 1 1/2 inch in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the UK and it's been very warm the last few weeks but we've also had a few downpours. I've watered it a few times but not every night. It's in direct sun from about 10 am to 2 pm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I re-potted it I put some large stones in the bottom of the pot for drainage, some sods of grass from tidying the lawn, then some spare soil from the garden, then some compost. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why is this happening, what have I done wrong and what can I do to fix it?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following pictures are of the tree in its pot; some shriveled leaves; and also the trunk and lower branches, which look sort of dead, although that part may have been like that originally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on any picture to see a close-up view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TWWvM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TWWvMm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The tree in its pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MjpLl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MjpLlm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;One leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IcWLp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IcWLpm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Some leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A0O3Q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A0O3Qm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The trunk&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;update 08/16/2014&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I moved the tree out of the wind and re-potted in potting compost. All the &quot;burned&quot; leaves have fallen off and new buds seem to be appearing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/27j4f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/27j4fm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the relocated tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ljskD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ljskDm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;New buds!&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6788" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-08T10:06:59.853" LastActivityDate="2020-06-16T12:42:31.193" Title="Why is my new Acer tree dying?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13322" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13321" CreationDate="2014-07-11T20:41:34.500" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your pot does not have drainage holes, then it's possible the soil in your pot has become waterlogged and &quot;sour.&quot;  Adding rocks and sod to the bottom is not enough to provide consistent and proper drainage. Using compost and garden soil in planting pots is also less than optimal, as the structure tends to become either soggy or rock-hard in such a confined area.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first thing I'd do, is tip the pot on its side and see if water runs out.  If it does, water-logging is likely to be your problem.  If no water runs out, then you should check the condition of the soil within the pot to see if it has become case-hardened, which prevents water from soaking in as it should.  Case hardening often happens when you use garden soil in pots, when the soil ball becomes so hardened and impermeable that water applied to the top of it runs &lt;em&gt;around&lt;/em&gt; the root ball instead of soaking in where the roots can get to it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, at some point you are going to need to either drill holes in your pot, or find another pot of a suitable size that already has them drilled (if your current pot does not have adequate drainage holes already) and then re-pot your tree using some kind of commercial potting mix.  If the tree seems to be in dire straits, I'd do it sooner rather than later, and if it was waterlogged, you will also need to trim off any roots that appear to have rotted.  If it had a case-hardened soil root ball, then you will need to gently wash the hardened garden soil off of the roots and then replant the tree - again, in a pot with holes using commercial potting mix.  In either instance, water the transplanted tree well, and then let it dry out a bit before watering it again.  The top inch or so of the soil should feel dry to the touch.  Also, keep the tree in a semi-shaded area for a few weeks, to give the roots time to reconnect with the soil and re-establish proper capillary action (the ability to draw water from the spaces within the soil particles into the root system.)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just to be clear - this is not the best time to be transplanting a small potted tree as a &quot;bare root&quot; and there is a significant risk that the tree may not survive being transplanted this late in the season, but if it's already well on the road to dying, you may have no choice but to risk it.  Good luck. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-07-11T20:46:58.947" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T20:46:58.947" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13323" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13321" CreationDate="2014-07-11T21:53:30.957" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yep, that is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_palmatum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese Maple, &lt;em&gt;Acer palmatum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Here's how to plant/grow a Japanese maple tree in a pot:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Prep:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The preparation necessary before attempting to plant. Make sure all of these steps are done/ready before you begin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you have a pot large enough to accommodate the plant for at least a year. They will need at least 6 cubic feet (38 US gallons) of potting mix once mature. The pot should have at least one inch's diameter worth of drainage per square foot of container space. More, smaller holes are preferable to one large one. Black pots should be avoided because of heat problems in the sun. Also, trees tend to prefer a shallow rooting, so a pot higher than it is wide will be beneficial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Have the full amount of backfill mix ready before you plant. In a large container, it is useful to have a very free-draining mix. A base of coir (ground coconut husk) is ideal, because of improved fertilizer retention and lower acidity, as compared with peat-based mixtures. There should be at least 5-10 percent drainage helpers, such as coarse sand or perlite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is best to plant on a day which is overcast, so that the plant will not transipre too fast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the plant is potted, the roots may have circled the perimeter of the pot. in this case, it is best to score straight down the sides of the root ball in 3-4 evenly spaced places to about 1/2 - 1&amp;quot; deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Planting:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Getting the tree in the pot - here are the basics you need to know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill the pot with potting mix , up to the level of where the bottom of the root ball will sit. tamp firmly, to remove air pockets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place the tree in position in the center of the pot. Fill the rest of the way with potting mix, and tamp again. add more soil if necessary to level it off. Remember that the beginning of the root flare should be visible at all times. Do not bury it. Also, in a container it is not useful to plant high. The top of the potting mix should be level and even.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water well, giving the tree a good soaking. The mix will be a little loose, so don't aim a heavy stream at it. Rather, water with a trickle, and let it soak in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put some slow release fertilizer on top of the soil, so it can seep into the mix during rain. I've also had success using tree spikes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Care/Maintenance:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the established plant. This is the basic care required for general tree health. This does not cover pest/disease management, which will need to be taken care of case by case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Never water if you can feel moisture when you stick your finger an inch or two into the mix. Overwatering and too much moisture are the biggest reasons I've seen these fail. If the soil is dry finger deep, give it a good soaking, and leave it to dry again. Constant dampness is not what you're looking for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep it in at least 6 hours of sunlight for best growth and leaf color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizing can remain as replacing the extended release fertilizer when it runs out. I usually read the label, to find how long it was designed to last, and reapply about a week before that date is hit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In winter, wrapping the pot in an insulator, and if you're in a very windy location, putting a big box (large enough not to cramp the branches) over the tree will help prevent freeze damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pruning isn't usually necessary on these plants, but if you see a dead area, or a branch that is going way out of proportion, some light trimming will be necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the plant becomes root bound, which could take some time, if you can't move it into a larger container, you will have to clean the roots off, and prune them lightly, enough that they will easily spread out in the pot. You can also take this opportunity to replace the potting soil. Do the root pruning and replant as fast as possible, but don't go so fast you do a messy job. Cut back the top to mirror what you did to the roots, taking out only the branges with the worst placement. Try not to suddenly ex[ose a large area of bark, or you may get sun burn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your tree has a few issues. First of all, you should repot into a proper potting medium as soon as possible. The soil isn't drying out properly between waterings, and the tree is showing signs of this (it can cause drying around leaf edges, while the plant remains unwilted). Also, the tree has been planted too deep for healthy growth. When you replant, make sure you can see the root flare.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because of the time of year, you should keep the plant out of full sun for the first couple weeks after replanting. This will keep the tree from over-drying while it regrows some roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your tree looks completely recoverable, it only needs a little proper care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have any questions, or wish for me to expand on something or cover another topic, please let me know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-07-11T22:37:31.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13324" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13329" CreationDate="2014-07-11T23:21:39.050" Score="3" ViewCount="1908" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am repurposing a fire pit into a raised garden bed. From my readings, it seems like the popular soil mixes for raised garden beds include peat moss, compost, topsoil, and vermiculite. I have the first three ingredients, but I am lacking the vermiculite. However, I do have a bag of perlite laying around. Since perlite aids in aeration while peat moss aids in moisture retention, would mixing the two together cancel their respective attributes? Or would their attributes coexist to create a moist soil that drains well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="2709" LastEditDate="2014-07-12T04:10:00.667" LastActivityDate="2014-07-12T12:46:58.460" Title="Does peat moss negate the effects of perlite?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;vermiculite&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13325" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-12T01:07:32.727" Score="5" ViewCount="4237" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small area which I would like to fill with (hopefully perennial) foliage plants, to green it up. I was thinking a variety of different hostas would fit the bill. If this was your  bed, what do you think would look best?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some of the conditions in the bed:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lots of roots from the trees&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A pH of about 5.8&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Less than 1 hour of direct sun each day, but plenty of light (except for under the steps)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;About 8&quot; of good topsoil, over a hard clay base&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I can irrigate&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;During a heavy rain, I would expect some overpouring from the gutter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Possible chemical content from cleaning the deck&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like recommendations from as many people as possible. The more input I get the better. I'll post back eventually what I end up doing. If you had this in front of your house, what would you plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: I'm mainly looking for plant recommendations. If you want to give an opinion on improving the conditions, etc. that's fine, but please do not make that the main part of your answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are pictures of the area:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SbJb3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vYo1J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ys4ec.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kcH1J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J5UvB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; Would it be possible to grow a vine (on a support of course) like climbing hydrangea up the non too attractive deck support posts?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-02T14:32:51.677" LastActivityDate="2014-08-02T14:32:51.677" Title="What are some recommended perennials to grow under large spruce trees in an area of about 350 sq. feet?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13326" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13324" CreationDate="2014-07-12T01:13:12.710" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perlite is used in many potting mixes that contain peat moss so I don't see a problem with mixing the two together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both perlite and vermiculite serve the same purpose. To help with aeration and moisture retention. Vermiculite holds water better than perlite though. For soils you want to retain moisture vermiculite would be better. In cases where you want the soil to dry out more, like for succulents, perlite would be better. Perlite also has a tendency to float up in the mix after a heavy rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is an interesting video of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IA8T3GXqBU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;vermiculite vs perlite&lt;/a&gt;. He grew bean plants in perlite and vermiculite together with compost in mixes of 100%, 50% and 0% of either perlite and vermiculite. The ones in vermiculite did better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a raised garden I would try to get vermiculite. It's recommended for &lt;a href=&quot;http://squarefootgardening.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Square Foot Gardening&lt;/a&gt; and the author doesn't like perlite in his soil mixes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-07-12T01:13:12.710" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13327" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-12T01:41:46.360" Score="13" ViewCount="203" Body="&lt;h3&gt;Background:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did an experiment where I put the cut seed potatoes directly onto a live lawn, and then covered with 4&amp;quot; of premium bark mulch. The plants did exceptionally well, and I noticed that a large number of the flowers successfully set fruit. I have an estimated 450 fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Questions:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to save the seeds, and try to start some new varieties (just for showing off).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How can I make sure the fruits don't drop?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What differences should I look for when the fruits are ripened?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do I store the seeds?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Pictures:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TJ7xO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1jFoN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As of 8/8/14, the plants have dropped the fruits, which are darker, more purple, and they have started drying out. The seeds inside are still soft and white.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-10-30T03:02:31.650" Title="How can I ensure a crop of potato seeds?" Tags="&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13328" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13628" CreationDate="2014-07-12T02:07:26.570" Score="3" ViewCount="118" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant was definitely not there last year. It is about 10&quot; tall, and has only two leaves. It looks a lot like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathiphyllum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;peace lily&lt;/a&gt;, but obviously, those aren't naturalized in my area. I would like to know firstly, what is is, and secondly, is it under protection? Many native araceae are. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y6xUl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/muM6f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AUWUQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V0giv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-07T23:26:14.820" Title="What is this small white spathed plant in southeast Pennsylvania woodland?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;&lt;woodland&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13329" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13324" CreationDate="2014-07-12T03:04:42.283" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perfectly fine to use both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Everybody and his brother has a soil mix they prefer, even if it is just the bagged &quot;topsoil&quot; or &quot;topsoil/compost blend&quot; bags that one can get at the local big box stores.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a few different mixes that I use based on the purpose.  Usually it involves a mixture of something that'll hold onto some moisture (peat, for instance), something to provide some aeration in the soil (typically vermiculite but perlite would be OK too - I buy vermiculite in large bags that hold several cubic feet as it is more economical), something that has actual nutrients in it such as compost (we've got 5 compost bins made from free pallets) or well aged horse/goat/chicken manure (I live on a small farm) and sometimes some topsoil if I happen to have it but often not.  For seed starting I don't put much compost or manure in the mix for the seeds but I do add it later when the plants grow a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ultimately what you're looking for is a soil that&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;provides drainage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;holds onto moisture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;encourages good root growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is weed-free, or nearly weed-free&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;has an average pH value that is appropriate for the plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So with a pH of 7 being &quot;neutral&quot; - neither acidic nor alkaline - and many garden plants (but certainly not all) do quite well in a slightly acidic (pH values around 6.0 - 6.5 work well for many), it is important to watch how much peat ends up in the soil mix.  It'll lower the pH value - the pH of peat varies but is maybe in the low 5's if I remember correctly.  Some plants love a more acidic soil - blueberries, for instance, do much better in the range of maybe 4.0 - 5.0.  Just wanted to add this bit about pH because the soil composition can affect how things grow (or don't) and pH is one of the considerations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I'd save the perlite for seed starting and use perlite outside.  It looks better and blends better in the mixture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2014-07-12T12:46:58.460" LastActivityDate="2014-07-12T12:46:58.460" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13321" CreationDate="2014-07-12T11:26:06.977" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, your Acer is not dying, it's just very unhappy. This is a common problem on Acer palmatum varieties here in the UK- usually, the cause is wind, that is, you've placed the plant in a spot which isn't sheltered enough. They hate windy areas, and they don't like hot midday sun in high summer either. What they do like is dappled sunlight, or morning sun, or afternoon sun, just not roasting hot sun in the middle of the day, but a sheltered, non windy spot is critical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree with other's comments about drainage - you may have been watering more to obviate the shrivelled leaves, thinking drought was causing that; that would explain why the soil in the pot looks very damp, but if you have no drainage holes in your pot, it's critical that you make some, or change the pot. If there's a single hole in the bottom, and you've crocked it, that's fine as it is. Water copiously when you see or feel the compost on the top is slightly dry to the touch - but don't wait till it's shrunken from the sides of the pot. It will take a while for your tree to put out roots well into the compost to pick up moisture, so in the meantime, it's a small rootball surrounded by soil which shouldn't be allowed to dry out too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A word about compost though - Acer palmatum varieties do not like limey or alkaline growing mediums, and you don't say what you used to pot it up. It doesn't look like there's a compost problem, I'm 100% sure this is a 'not sheltered enough' problem, but if you used something that was alkaline, change the compost. Use ericaceous - they don't really need high acid, but at least you'll know it's not alkaline, and it won't do any harm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-19T14:31:27.910" LastActivityDate="2016-09-19T14:31:27.910" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13325" CreationDate="2014-07-12T12:25:33.173" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hmm, well I'd be surprised if you managed to get anything much at all growing there, and I wouldn't pick hostas either - they prefer rich soil that isn't too acid and damp conditions. Growing beneath conifers, the acidity may rise/fluctuate under certain conditions, although 5.8 (as you say it is currently) is fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What may be successful are the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lamiums&lt;/a&gt;, such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium_maculatum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lamium maculatum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d720&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;L. maculatum&lt;/em&gt; 'White Nancy'&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.perennials.com/plants/lamium-maculatum-beacon-silver.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;'Beacon Silver'&lt;/a&gt;, or the taller &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d710&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lamium galeobdolen&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; for instance. They tolerate dryness quite well once established, aren't that fussy about conditions because they're pretty resilient, but you may find you need to water, given they're growing so close amongst roots of large trees, and to fertilise in spring each year, although usually it's not necessary to feed them at all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for 'chemical content', depending what that is, no plant will appreciate being doused in strong chemicals, but I expect you know that already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-13T02:53:26.967" LastActivityDate="2014-07-13T02:53:26.967" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13334" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-13T01:30:00.090" Score="4" ViewCount="2618" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am new to growing rhubarb. I live in Michigan and it is mid July. I found some clearance rhubarb roots and decided to give them a try. Can I plant them now, so they will come up next year? Also can I start them inside until they get bigger and then plant them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6794" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-13T01:55:57.847" LastActivityDate="2014-07-14T15:09:08.537" Title="Can I plant rhubarb roots in mid July, in Michigan?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;rhubarb&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13335" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13325" CreationDate="2014-07-13T02:19:17.413" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A beautiful space.  I'd consider a foundation plant like &lt;a href=&quot;http://plantfinder.sunset.com/plant-details.jsp?id=2834&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Taxus baccata 'Repandens'&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/perennial/hosta/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hostas&lt;/a&gt; would work well, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c990&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Heleborus niger&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligularia_sibirica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ligularia sibirica&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b168&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'&lt;/a&gt; (zone 6?)...This is the front of your home? When you clean your deck cover these beds with plastic!  From what I can see, these beds could be much larger with big consistent radius.  Trenches for edging to separate bed from lawn would be great. Have fun but as you know us gardeners put too many species together.  Big swaths of the same plant are powerful. Dying to see what you do decide to put in there!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-13T02:36:05.983" LastActivityDate="2014-07-13T02:36:05.983" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13334" CreationDate="2014-07-13T02:26:40.327" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since you did get the roots, their best chance of survival will be planting them in the ground, and trying to get them as far along as possible by winter. Ideally, spring or fall planting is best. Rhubarb roots do not have extremely large energy reserves, so storing your root until fall may not work well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some good points to note when planting bareroot rhubarb in summer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do not let full sun reach the soil or newly emerged plants. Try to mimic spring conditions as far as possible, so try not to let it get hot. Use some kind of shade to protect the soil and the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep the soil very moist. Do not let it dry out, even for a short time. This is critical to success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do not put manure or fertilizer in the planting hole. This can burn the roots. Finished compost is okay, and slow release fertilizer on top of the soil is okay. Rhubarb likes a very rich soil to start with, so  fertilizing isn't usually needed during the first season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you plant them now, they will come up this year, and (hopefully) become partly established before winter. I wouldn't start them inside, mostly because that will mean either another transplant before the year's end, or trying to overwinter the rhubarb indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some of the conditions that will help your rhubarb plants succeed:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;They like very deep and very rich soil, high in organic matter and nitrogen&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;They don't like drying out, and in the ideal rhubarb soil, this won't be a problem, especially if you mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Established plants need as much sun as possible, even in summer in your area. The more photosynthesis occurs in the plant, the better it will grow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;An organic mulch helps conserve moisture, and keeps down weeds, while slowly building the soil. I use a shredded mix of lawn clippings and mushroom soil, because a plain straw or wood chip mulch will pull nitrogen from the soil while decomposing (although they release it again once decomposition is complete).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-13T03:28:14.197" LastActivityDate="2014-07-13T03:28:14.197" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13313" CreationDate="2014-07-13T04:35:10.290" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a possibility that this is a pomegranate seedling. If it's not that, it must be something you didn't plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This does not readily appear to be any of the fruits listed in your question. It may be pomegranate, if the leaves are extremely sub-opposite. The leaf shape, margin, color, size, and pubescence fit with pomegranate. It could be a weed, or a volunteer species that you didn't mean to plant, or may have been planted by something else. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the major points on why this isn't on the list you gave:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_mangosteen&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mangosteen&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/mangosteen.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The leaves are placed opposite each other&lt;/a&gt;. On your plant the leaves appear &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amnh.org/learn/biodiversity_counts/ident_help/Parts_Plants/leaf_arrangment.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;alternate&lt;/a&gt;, and circle the seedling. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomelo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pomelo&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://eol.org/pages/488254/details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;These have winged petioles&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4122/4743672308_0ecc31aede_z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;(see photo&lt;/a&gt;), which are unapparent on your plant. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomegranate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pomegranate&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg056&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The leaves are placed opposite (or sub-opposite) each other.&lt;/a&gt; Your plant appears to have &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amnh.org/learn/biodiversity_counts/ident_help/Parts_Plants/leaf_arrangment.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;alternate&lt;/a&gt; leaves. This is only possibility I see here. The leaf arrangement might be extremely sub-opposite.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Plum&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_6758945_identify-plum-tree-leaves.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;have leaves with serrated margins, and are pubescent.&lt;/a&gt; Your seedling has &lt;a href=&quot;http://cite.nwmissouri.edu/nworc/files/agriculture/leafid_margin/leafid_margin_print.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;entire leaf margins&lt;/a&gt;, and the leaves are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.difain.com/gardening/glabrous.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;glabrous&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-12T13:43:52.183" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T13:43:52.183" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13338" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13340" CreationDate="2014-07-13T05:04:18.723" Score="2" ViewCount="1133" Body="&lt;p&gt;As part of my creation of a tropical growth room to grow some vanilla orchids, I was wondering if anybody knew the optimal conditions to grow this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would need:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Humidity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Temperature&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Watering levels&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Daylight hours&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you very much,&#xA;Tropical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6786" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-01T21:16:05.507" LastActivityDate="2015-01-02T00:10:37.660" Title="What are the best growing conditions for Vanilla planfolia?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13340" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13338" CreationDate="2014-07-13T06:05:44.240" Score="3" Body="&lt;h1&gt;On the care and requirements of &lt;em&gt;Vanilla planfolia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Humidity:&lt;/strong&gt; Over 50% is optimal. These plants thrive in very high humidity. However, steam is a little much. Try to keep it between 50 and 90% rh. 65-70% is ideal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Temperature:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Vanilla planfolia&lt;/em&gt; likes a daytime temperature of 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit, while at night, they prefer a temperature of 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Watering levels:&lt;/strong&gt; If the plant is in a potting medium, keep it moist at all times, if growing on a substrate, the plants roots and areal roots should be sprayed often, and never allowed to dry out. The leaves can occasionally be sprayed also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Daylight hours:&lt;/strong&gt; The plant requires 1500-3000 foot-candles all day, and in nature this will be 12-16 hours per day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;References:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Home Guides: &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-vanilla-bean-orchid-54771.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-vanilla-bean-orchid-54771.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Orchid Flowers: &lt;a href=&quot;http://orchidflowers.wordpress.com/2011/05/23/tips-to-grow-vanilla-plant/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://orchidflowers.wordpress.com/2011/05/23/tips-to-grow-vanilla-plant/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Akatsuka Orchid Gardens: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.akatsukaorchid.com/store/pg/51-Vanilla-Orchid-Care.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.akatsukaorchid.com/store/pg/51-Vanilla-Orchid-Care.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Carter and Holmes Orchids: &lt;a href=&quot;http://carterandholmes.com/vanillacare.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://carterandholmes.com/vanillacare.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;OrchidTalk Forum: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchidtalk/general-orchid-culture/11473-growing-vanilla-planifolia.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchidtalk/general-orchid-culture/11473-growing-vanilla-planifolia.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;About.com: &lt;a href=&quot;http://flowers.about.com/od/OrchidFlowers/p/Vanilla-Orchid-Care-The-Vanilla-Bean-Plant.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://flowers.about.com/od/OrchidFlowers/p/Vanilla-Orchid-Care-The-Vanilla-Bean-Plant.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Doityourself.com: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.doityourself.com/stry/caring-for-your-vanilla-bean-plant#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.doityourself.com/stry/caring-for-your-vanilla-bean-plant#b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fairchildgarden.org/livingcollections/tropicalfruitprogram/jackfruit/vanilla-Orchild/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.fairchildgarden.org/livingcollections/tropicalfruitprogram/jackfruit/vanilla-Orchild/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Everything Orchids: &lt;a href=&quot;http://everything-orchids.com/types-of-orchids/vanilla-orchid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://everything-orchids.com/types-of-orchids/vanilla-orchid&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Orchid Care Tips: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orchid-care-tips.com/vanilla-orchid.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.orchid-care-tips.com/vanilla-orchid.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;OrchidCareLady.com: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orchidcarelady.com/orchids-care-and-maintenance-tips-vanilla-orchids/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.orchidcarelady.com/orchids-care-and-maintenance-tips-vanilla-orchids/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wikipedia: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;vanillaplantations.com: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vanillaplantations.com/cultivation.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.vanillaplantations.com/cultivation.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Orchids Made Easy: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orchidsmadeeasy.com/vanilla-orchid/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.orchidsmadeeasy.com/vanilla-orchid/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Vegetable Gardener: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/12993/the-vanilla-bean-orchid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/12993/the-vanilla-bean-orchid&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gardening Know How: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/orchids/grow-vanilla-orchid.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/orchids/grow-vanilla-orchid.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-01-02T00:10:37.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13341" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-13T08:59:35.073" Score="4" ViewCount="225" Body="&lt;p&gt;I built two large raised beds in my new garden, but couldn't manage to fill them to the top. The bottom is closed with cardboard and has a layer of prunings and hay 1-3 cm deep. I planted anyway 10 young cabbage plants, 10 kales, 10 broccoli plants. I tried to gather the compost around the points where I would put the small plants. In their actual state, they have an available depth to root of about 7-8 inches, and space on the side about 50cm. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Would that result in any problem for the plant growth?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If I am to add some more soil later on, should I replant everything, or I can add directly on the top of the actual &quot;small mountains&quot; on which the plants are?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Notice: I live in Bristol, UK, and here it rains quite a lot throughout the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uHGau.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Broccoli and Cabbages&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wUxCi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Beds depth&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m31CU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Kales&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-13T21:26:27.407" LastActivityDate="2014-07-14T03:54:08.783" Title="What is the optimal raised bed depth for Brassicas?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13344" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13334" CreationDate="2014-07-13T11:58:57.357" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Michigan is a great area for rhubarb - the only thing I don't know is how soon your winter kicks in, because, as you suspected, it is a bit late to start new plants off. I suggest you pot them up in good size pots immediately, so that any root material isn't cramped, water well, stand them outside and then prepare an area where you want to grow them. This plant doesn't do too well contained in a pot over time, so you're aiming to plant a bit later, once you can see if they're growing or not. Rhubarb spreads quite a bit, so if you want more than one plant, you'll need to prepare a large area, so an average of, say, 4 x 4 feet per plant as an absolute minimum. Improve the ground by thoroughly digging, removing any roots, weeds, rubble and particularly pernicious weed roots, then digging in well rotted animal manure. Let that settle for at least a couple of weeks; in the meantime, keep your potted plants watered. If they start growing and look healthy enough, plant them in your newly prepared bed as summer comes to an end, or in fall. Water well and keep them watered up to late fall. Do not crop from the plants for the first year - they need that time to develop good sized crowns, and should be left alone to do so for that time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remove any dying leaves as winter approaches, apply an organic mulch for extra protection during winter, as they're young plants. Fertilise next spring, once growth begins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-13T12:44:50.683" LastActivityDate="2014-07-13T12:44:50.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13345" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13357" CreationDate="2014-07-13T12:11:22.890" Score="3" ViewCount="325" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect this is a native North American lily that I grew from seed and the label was lost over the years they take to flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's quite happy in full sun in USDA zone 4 in Ottawa.  It has a nodding flower which hangs downward. For the picture I held the flower up. Any ideas on which species?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z2617.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-14T22:21:36.340" LastActivityDate="2014-07-14T22:21:36.340" Title="What is this native North American lily with a downward facing speckled orange flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13346" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13347" CreationDate="2014-07-13T13:21:41.110" Score="5" ViewCount="105" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard that it's a practice to cool strawberry plants to a low temperature (~2 °C/~35 °F) for some time before planting them. Supposedly this results in an increased growth tempo of the plants in good weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this method called (so I can learn more about it) and why is it useful?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6798" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-13T19:44:40.587" LastActivityDate="2014-07-13T19:44:40.587" Title="Why are strawberries cooled before planting, and what is a term for this procedure?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13347" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13346" CreationDate="2014-07-13T18:41:47.030" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chill conditioning or chill requirement. Certain plants need certain hours of chill time to increase production. For those plants you need to get the right amount to strike a good balance between vegetative growth and fruit production. Good info on &lt;a href=&quot;http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=722&quot;&gt;chill conditioning strawberries here&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2014-07-13T18:41:47.030" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13348" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-13T18:53:23.000" Score="4" ViewCount="244" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can I use a grass seed on an existing lawn that has some crabgrass and Bermuda grass problems, to help thicken up the lawn to prevent crab/Bermuda grass from growing?  I live in Sacramento, Ca.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user6800" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-13T19:39:35.003" LastActivityDate="2014-07-13T20:33:18.720" Title="Will grass seeding on an existing lawn help prevent/control weed grasses?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13350" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13352" CreationDate="2014-07-13T20:30:24.370" Score="4" ViewCount="1262" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant showed up in our garden this spring. It just began blooming a couple days ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lHxDd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are buds, getting ready.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b6rep.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this some kind of phlox? The plant itself is about 2 1/2 feet tall and looks quite civilized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zF0gi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5772" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-14T05:55:21.073" LastActivityDate="2014-07-14T05:55:21.073" Title="What is this pink flowered volunteer plant that appeared this spring?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13351" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13348" CreationDate="2014-07-13T20:33:18.720" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Reseeding is for thin, old lawns, not for existing bermudagrass/crabgrass control. Reseeding can help prevent these weeds, but when they are actively growing, they will outcompete the new grass seedlings. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To completely control Bermuda grass, you will need to get completely rid of it before you seed. Bermuda grass is a perennial, and the best non-chemical control method is tarping. Put  thick, waterproof plastic tarps over the entire are, and leave in the hot sun for about 2-4 weeks (in my experience), maybe more. You will need to completely reseed the entire area. Digging doesn't work well. If you don't mind using chemicals, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bayeradvanced.com/lawn-care/products/bermudagrass-control-for-lawns&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bayer Advanced Bermudagrass Control for Lawns&lt;/a&gt; is selective, and does not harm bluegrass, ryegrass, or fescue lawns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crab grass, as an annual, is only difficult to control because it reseeds very efficiently. You can control it with overseeding somewhat, if you get the new grass established as far as possible during the dormant period of the crab grass. Crabgrass likes bare spots, so if these are minimized, crabgrass germination is much lower. If you don't mind using chemicals, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bayeradvanced.com/lawn-care/products/all-in-one-lawn-weed-crabgrass-killer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bayer Advanced All-In-One Lawn Weed &amp;amp; Crabgrass Killer&lt;/a&gt; won't harm your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-13T20:33:18.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13350" CreationDate="2014-07-13T20:54:14.757" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You guessed right! This is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlox_paniculata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Phlox paniculata&lt;/em&gt;, or tall phlox&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Characteristics:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Opposite leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Slightly pubescent stems/leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lance-shaped (lanceolata) leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Inflorescence: cyme&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;5 petals&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rotate/stellate petal placement&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Herbaceous perennial&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Height (2-3 1/2 feet)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Habit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Everything else :)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These grow wild in my woods, but there are many cultivars developed for garden use. That is a very nice volunteer plant, and I know a good many people who would be envious of such a healthy volunteer specimen in their garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/imyKU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-07-13T21:07:23.613" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13353" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13341" CreationDate="2014-07-13T21:08:41.187" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the depth of the beds, that is very shallow. Fortunately, you can add compost as the plants grow, hilling it up around the stems. The plants will grow roots into the new compost, building plant strength.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because that is a possibility, I'd recommend it over replanting the starts, as that will set them back a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What looks like a bigger issue is the amount of light in the area. Those stone walls are very protective, and will help during hot summer months, but during spring and fall, they may cause some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiolation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;etiolation&lt;/a&gt; on the vegetables. The trees all around don't help either. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-14T03:54:08.783" LastActivityDate="2014-07-14T03:54:08.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13354" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13355" CreationDate="2014-07-14T01:56:07.523" Score="3" ViewCount="2603" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had a snake plant growing indoors for about a year. Twice now in the last month I've had to remove some fungus that sprouted over the surface.  The planter is located next to a patio door, which was open (we also have a screen door) for most of the spring, but is kept closed in the summer/winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this bad? Should I get rid of the plant, or perhaps re-pot it? What kind of fungus is this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w6g2q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3605" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-14T06:02:16.067" LastActivityDate="2014-07-14T06:02:16.067" Title="What is this fungus in my indoor snake plant's pot, and is it harmful?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13355" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13354" CreationDate="2014-07-14T03:52:57.700" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fungus is digesting partly decomposed organic matter in the potting mix. They do not harm the plant. Also, the parts above the ground is only the reproductive body, you can remove them if you don't like the look, and the mycelia will still work on the medium. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Throwing away or repotting the plant is unnecessary, the fungus is beneficial if anything, because it breaks down the unusable material in the pot into something the plant can access.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not certain what species that is. The picture is not very clear. This isn't very important, but if you want, post closeup picture of the fungus so we can try for a positive id.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria_trifasciata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sansevieria trifasciata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; cultivar is showing slight signs of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiolation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;etiolation&lt;/a&gt;. They tolerate dense shade, but dense shade looks a lot brighter indoors than out. Also, they (unusual) like to be root-bound. From the picture, it looks like you are doing a good job keeping the mix dry, but I'd provide just a little more light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-14T03:52:57.700" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7910" CreationDate="2014-07-14T04:23:45.350" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Everything I tried last season (when I posted this question) failed to eliminate the fruit worm. I tried a few different insecticides and nothing seemed to bother the worms. I didn't try the fabric because the flying insects are VERY small, the raspberry patch is fairly large,  and the berries continue to fruit non-stop for months and bees frequent the berries daily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A local garden store recommended &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonide.com/products/product.php?category_id=252&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Captain Jack's Deadbug Brew&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is an organic product that kills pests when they eat the plant. So far it seems to be working. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2509" LastActivityDate="2014-07-14T04:23:45.350" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13357" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13345" CreationDate="2014-07-14T10:47:27.497" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think its Lilium superbum - the petals are much more reflexed on that plant, curling back so far as to almost touch the trumpet at the back. Much more likely it's Lilium canadense, or the Canada Lily - can be yellow, orange or red, usually found growing in damper places.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-07-14T10:47:27.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13334" CreationDate="2014-07-14T15:09:08.537" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted rhubarb in central Michigan in early August.  It did great - just water liberally in the evening until it's established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6783" LastActivityDate="2014-07-14T15:09:08.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13361" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13363" CreationDate="2014-07-14T15:10:18.223" Score="3" ViewCount="278" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Max&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Big Max&lt;/a&gt; pumpkin that sprouted a little over a month ago. It's looking good and producing lots of leaves, but I haven't seen the first sign of buds anywhere. I've never done pumpkins before, so I'm not sure when I should expect to start seeing blooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5672" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-14T19:15:56.300" LastActivityDate="2014-07-14T19:52:31.917" Title="When do Big Max pumpkins start to produce?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13362" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-14T17:02:10.093" Score="5" ViewCount="1698" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an outdoor container garden in Southern Illinois. The pepper plant is on a raised level, surrounded by untouched tomatoes, carrots, spinach, onions, and squash. I have never seen anything like it. The stems and leaves are all gone. This took place overnight during a 12 hour period, give or take. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DTFJk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6805" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-14T21:03:04.167" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T22:49:55.187" Title="What is eating my Sweet Pepper plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13363" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13361" CreationDate="2014-07-14T17:49:35.673" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know about Big Max, specifically, but I believe that 40-55 days is the general time from pollination to fruit maturity for pumpkins. Extrapolating on that and the 110-day time to maturity for Big Max, I would assume that you would expect pollination to happen around 7-8 weeks after seed germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you look at the vines, you should be able to see the little flower buds that will develop into flowers along the main vine, close to the base of a leaf. My pumpkins (Jack be Quick this year) first started showing buds around the 28 day mark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&#xA;If you want to read more about the effects of fertilisation on pumpkins, &lt;a href=&quot;http://journal.ashspublications.org/content/119/3/414.full.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; paper on the subject is one I found helpful. It has some excellent information, but be sure to note that they were dealing with commercial-size plots and were using a fairly rigourous fertilisation schedule. As such, their anthesis/fruit dates should be expected to come sooner than a garden that isn't as closely monitored. Also, the paper uses data based on the Libby Select variety, which has an average maturation time of 105 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4664" LastEditorUserId="4664" LastEditDate="2014-07-14T19:52:31.917" LastActivityDate="2014-07-14T19:52:31.917" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13364" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13362" CreationDate="2014-07-14T23:43:19.923" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;At this point all I can offer is that this looks like bunny rabbits, rats or...deer.  Maybe they ate a pepper and it burned and they left.  My guess would be rodents, rats. Keep an eye on tomatoes and eggplant.  If they leave the fruit and all you see are chunks taken out, it'll be rats.  If the fruit is gone, then deer.  Let us know where you live, are you near greenbelts? You can get cheap deer fencing, actually a plastic, woven mesh.  Rats are another story.  Try traps I guess but where one dies there will be 10 to replace it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also gadgets that when their sensors detect movement they will cause sprinklers to suddenly go off, scaring the critter away.  These are great for deer but I am not familiar with these things working on smaller bodies like rats.  They can do a lot of damage, I know!  Do any of your neighbors have cats they allow outside?  Perhaps you could talk to them and tell them you'll start feeding their cat at night, set up a little bed...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let us know if you have anymore problems...more pictures?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-15T00:10:46.033" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T00:10:46.033" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13365" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13366" CreationDate="2014-07-14T22:42:56.803" Score="8" ViewCount="4082" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use a riding mower to cut my grass. My yard has a short but somewhat steep slope on one side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The instructions for my lawn tractor say to only cut up or down a hill, not across it, but doesn't explain why. The mower can make it up the hill but it's clearly struggling and I'm worried about needlessly stressing the powertrain. Is there some technical reason I can't mow across the hill, or are they just worried about the mower tipping over? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems like it would be a lot easier on the mower to go across it, and I'm confidant it wouldn't tip over, but I don't want the engine to seize up or something else dramatic. Does it make a difference if the engine is splash-lubricated or has a pressurized oil system (and if so, how can I tell?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2212" OwnerDisplayName="Henry Jackson" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-23T02:32:17.743" LastActivityDate="2014-11-12T14:33:31.260" Title="What is the best mowing direction on a hill?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13365" CreationDate="2014-07-15T00:19:12.610" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rollover is, indeed, the major concern. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.asse.org/professionalsafety/pastissues/054/05/f4myers_0509.pdf&quot;&gt;And it's one that kills a number of people each year&lt;/a&gt;, all of whom were probably just as sure as you are that it wouldn't happen to them...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't be a statistic. If the maker of your mower recommends mowing up and down the slope, it's for a reason.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" OwnerDisplayName="Ecnerwal" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T00:19:12.610" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13367" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13365" CreationDate="2014-07-15T02:42:48.097" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The reason is potential for roll-over like Fiasco and Ecnerwal say. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps you should invest in a used smaller hydraulic walk-behind mower.  That is what professionals do.  Match the mower to the job. You can find them almost free. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Slopes are tricky to mow properly, have you considered making the sloped area into a planting bed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lawns should be mowed in a different pattern each mowing.  Otherwise, you will get ruts, then the mower's wheels get in a rut and your grass gets scalped. Very evident on slopes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T02:42:48.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13368" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13325" CreationDate="2014-07-15T04:12:30.027" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You wouldn't get much fruit (if any) with that little light, but &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueberry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;blueberries&lt;/a&gt; would probably still make a nice bush - I have many doing exactly that in the deep woods, waiting for a tree to fall over so they can set fruit - you can have ones of differing heights via what you choose to buy. If you provide some strings and don't consider their bristly nature a detriment, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humulus_lupulus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hops (&lt;em&gt;humulus lupulus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; climbs well - but it does need strings. I know it does fine in acid conditions (whether or not the books agree) since my best one is growing in MY blueberry bed with overhanging pine tree. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clematis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Clematis&lt;/a&gt; climb nicely but supposedly want a less acid environment. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosta&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hostas&lt;/a&gt; (IME) vary a great deal more than the conventional wisdom seems to think in light level acceptance - but some types (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d340&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hosta sieboldiana&lt;/em&gt; 'Elegans'&lt;/a&gt;, for one) should do fine - I have very happy specimens under a pine tree, beside a porch, beside the steps...a variegated variety (no name known) died out in the same place and really seems to want much more light in general.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachysandra&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pachysandra&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinca_minor&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;myrtle&lt;/a&gt; are what the &quot;Old Italian Gardener&quot; put in place under the spruces at one place I know, and he's been gone to the garden in the sky for 30 years or so, but they are still there (in some places with weed problems from ferns - but ferns can be a non-weed if you like them in a spot, of course, or you remove them if they are a weed.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-15T23:49:02.560" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T23:49:02.560" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1761" CreationDate="2014-07-15T12:14:17.950" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are scale insects; spray the plant with summer oil mixed with systemic insecticide (Acitamiprid or Imidacloprid) according to the concentration mentioned in the label. Then do a repeat spraying after two weeks. It is better to add some foliar fertilizers to the solution sprayed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; do not use winter oil instead of summer oil. If you have not found the oil mentioned, spray only the insecticide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6811" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-15T13:28:48.210" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T13:28:48.210" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13371" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13325" CreationDate="2014-07-15T14:15:31.353" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what your zone is, but I have a zone 4 garden around a spruce tree, as well, and the plants that have done well there are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueberry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Blueberries, &lt;em&gt;Vaccinium sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquilegia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Columbine, &lt;em&gt;Aquilegia sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (which supposedly likes alkaline soil, but is thriving next to my spruce and blueberries)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearberry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Kinnikinnick, &lt;em&gt;Arctostaphylos sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamprocapnos_spectabilis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bleeding heart, &lt;em&gt;Dicentra&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;Lamprocapnos sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astilbe&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Astilbe, &lt;em&gt;Astilbe sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaultheria_procumbens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wintergreen, &lt;em&gt;Gaultheria procumbens&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They'd all be able to take the shade you have there, too - except the blueberries might not fruit well. They're a pretty little shrub, anyway, so it still might be worth it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-15T23:59:37.220" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T23:59:37.220" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13372" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5806" CreationDate="2014-07-15T17:35:28.967" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Swamp oak trees like a cold dormant period, preferably below freezing. For this reason, and also because of light, most people start the acorns outside. But because your trees were started inside and it was February when you asked the question, it would have best to plant them in spring, after danger of frost is passed. Planting tree seedlings is fairly straight-forward: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't put them deep enough to bury the root flare. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dig a wide enough hole that the root ball is not squeezed.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't let the root ball break. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tamp the soil well after planting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water well until established in the new ground. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Try to locate them in an area with as much sun as possible&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From comment:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I have now transferred them to 6 gallon buckets using potting soil with Miracle grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trees will not do well in six gallon pots long term for these reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Unless you made holes in the bottom, the buckets won't drain. Even a swamp oak will eventually die in a bucket of mud.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Oak trees build a large root system very fast. It is best to plant them into the ground quickly, rather than to move them into larger containers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used to raise and sell oak trees (small nursery). I started them in flats, and when they were 6-10&quot; tall, I would pull them apart and plant in 3 gal. pots, or a deep nursery bed (for bareroot trees). I gave them about twenty supplemental inches of rain (I naturally get 40-60&quot; of natural precipitation/year), spaced evenly through the dry periods. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oak trees are resilient, especially the small ones. I would recommend that you get those trees into the ground as soon as possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T17:35:28.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7539" CreationDate="2014-07-15T17:42:30.680" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The original poster says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It seems the yellow stuff is simply some discoloration, and does not cause any problems in itself. I have however stopped using cotton wool entirely, as is has some major drawbacks. In a DWC, it gets completely soaked all the time, and the roots within will not get any air. Even if the DWC is aerated. So for me I changed completely to rockwool cubes, and I have not seen the discoloration since.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which implies that this discoloration only affects appearance, and does not detract from the performance of the cotton-wool. Cotton is not the ideal growing medium for a water culture system, as it will quickly become saturated, and decomposes quickly. Switching to rockwool was a good option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T17:42:30.680" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13374" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8948" CreationDate="2014-07-15T17:58:01.910" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think transplanting young seedlings is unnecessary, but is mostly used because you can start more seedlings at once, and transplant them rather than thin them, at a very young age. For this purpose, a very free draining material that also retains some moisture (like vermiculite)  is necessary. What I do to avoid this step is: Space the seeds well, or start them in separate pots to start out with. So far, I haven't had any problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T17:58:01.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13375" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13376" CreationDate="2014-07-15T20:55:18.240" Score="6" ViewCount="1052" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Fiesta apple tree being trained as an espalier. I snapped the main stem, all growth in fact, above the first tier. The young tree is effectively now a T, a step-over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will it form new shoots from near the T junction, either from the main stem or somewhere along the side branches, but close enough to the main stem for me to take it up as a new leader?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My fear is that the tree won't ever form new shoots suitable to re-train.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6814" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-15T21:28:36.397" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T21:28:36.397" Title="How can I repair an apple espalier that broke off above the first lateral tier?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;espalier&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13375" CreationDate="2014-07-15T21:26:24.383" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A healthy apple tree will produce a profusion of new shoots in an area where much growth has been removed. This will be even more apparent if you fertilize with a nitrogen rich fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your case, without a picture of the damage, here's what I'd recommend:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Take the stump back to the last lateral branch, with a smooth cut. A shoot from the base of the last lateral(s) is preferred to a shoot from the stump for structural strength, because the weight will be placed almost directly centered under the new shoot, rather than sideways onto the vertical stem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Watch for new shoots, and rub out all but the three strongest shoots that come out closest to the old stump. This keeps the energy supply per shoot high, while leaving you the final choice of which shoot has the best form and placement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remember that for the first few years, the shoot will have a relatively weak anchor to the plant. Do not pull, bend, or otherwise unnecessarily abuse the new shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I would wait until next spring before the buds break to choose the best new shoot. Look for a balance between size, placement, form, and overall health.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nutrients are most effectively move vertically in a plant, so the competition from the existing laterals shouldn't be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can start training the new shoot next year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the case that your tree does not flush out this year, it will almost certainly do so next spring, and the previous information is applicable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had apple espaliers successfully shoot out even from a severed lower lateral, so your tree should give you a good show, if you fertilize and water regularly, and keep an eye out for pests and diseases, treating as needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T21:26:24.383" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13377" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13378" CreationDate="2014-07-15T23:03:37.040" Score="8" ViewCount="5613" Body="&lt;p&gt;My tomato plant's leaves are turning brown in some places (photo).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WGKLn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tomato leaves in various stages&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WGKLn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Zoom in&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to affect mostly older leaves, but not all of them, as you can see in the image. It starts with a few small brown spots that grow larger over the space of a week or two and eventually most of the leaf turns brown, as shown in the upper left. The plant is otherwise fine, blooming, yielding fruit and producing new shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This particular plant is kept indoors on a windowsill, and therefore not exposed to rain and shielded from many parasites and diseases (this particular window doesn't even open).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The symptoms don't seem to match &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternaria_solani&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;early blight&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytophthora_infestans&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;late blight&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could this be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2823" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-16T00:49:55.320" LastActivityDate="2019-03-08T04:45:10.153" Title="What is causing the leaves to develop brownish patches between the veins on my tomato plant?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13378" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13377" CreationDate="2014-07-15T23:18:59.377" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is magnesium deficiency. It can also cause yellowing between leaf veins. Treat by watering Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) at a rate of 1 cup per every two gallons, with every watering until the symptoms leave.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See a comparison pic:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MaDUm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-15T23:18:59.377" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8002" CreationDate="2014-07-16T00:48:59.650" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've built my own aero tank from an Ikea storage box and a 24V pond fogger. I started with &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjWLyA-w4Bo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;these instructions&lt;/a&gt; and made a few tweaks and refinements over time, and the thing works quite well. Since there is no pump, and the fogger is perfectly quiet, all you can hear is a soft tinkling of water drops (the fogger knocks up a spray as well as fog). Add a grow lamp of your choosing (or sunlight), and done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8kTwt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Selfmade aeroponics&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing I added was a styrofoam float to keep the fogger at ideal depth no matter the water level (which you can either make yourself or find on eBay).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rTwjY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fogger float&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The whole setup costs around £30 to build and has worked very well. The fogger lasts for about 6-9 months before it needs replacing (at about £12).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2823" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-01-12T21:32:21.593" LastActivityDate="2019-01-12T21:32:21.593" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="13380" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3211" CreationDate="2014-07-16T04:01:59.987" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No. I bought a small Sochi tea plant in the spring of '12, and it took some serious damage that winter, even though it only dropped to 5 degrees Fahrenheit that winter. This past winter, the plant died, even though I protected it with a bushel basket covered in hay. It dropped to -4 degrees, and everything froze almost 2' deep. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently, the advertisement was being optimistic. Sometimes, it matters more &lt;em&gt;how long&lt;/em&gt; your winter is rather than &lt;em&gt;how cold&lt;/em&gt; it gets. Often broad-leaved evergreens like tea have a difficult time in long, cold winters. In an area where it dropped low for only a month or so, I suspect these would be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T04:01:59.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9749" CreationDate="2014-07-16T04:15:16.857" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The main reason for using rockwool in hydroponics is anchoring the plant crown. The plant can survive without the rockwool (The plant doesn't obtain many materials from it), but cannot hold itself up. You will start running into the same problem if you use an extremely small root hold for the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on your tray, or whatever support you are using, and the plant you intend to grow, I think you could get away with a 1&quot; cube, but I haven't done it myself. Also note that even in smaller cubes, you will want to use the same plant spacing, so the only thing saved would be a little rockwool. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T04:15:16.857" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9486" CreationDate="2014-07-16T04:27:05.280" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This can happen when the stem is still quite soft, with a thin skin, and the cells are full of water. It happens more often on fruits (tomatoes, cherries, grapes, etc.) and is known as cracking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant will have a shorter, sturdier stem and smaller, less heavy leaves if grown under stronger light. Your plant is top-heavy and leaning, and that, combined with the condition of the stem (thin watery, soft) is what caused the crack to form. Other than that, the plant looks quite happy, and as Deirdra Strangio pointed out, you can build the soil up around the stem, to help support the plant, which in turn will root into the new soil, becoming more robust. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T04:27:05.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13383" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9486" CreationDate="2014-07-16T05:47:13.707" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was always told that building soil up around the bottom of the stem on nightshades was something one should do anyway, so add about an inch or so of soil there. Not only does this better support the rest of the plant, but it also adds roots that will further help provide nutrients. If you add just a touch of root enhancer to the split it would encourage the roots, but you don't need to really worry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I would suggest that you provide a bit more support via the use of a small bamboo cane or similar. You don't need a full cage, but caning the pepper is something I've found useful in the past.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4664" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T05:47:13.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13384" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13385" CreationDate="2014-07-16T12:56:20.787" Score="13" ViewCount="4528" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you can see from the pictures the blooms look as if they just release themselves and leave the beheaded stalk. There doesn't seem to be any fruit growing at all. Is there something that I am doing that could cause this? Is there something that I could do to keep it from happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WdrhN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Zucchini 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yLn9i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Zucchini 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OLKsj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Zucchini 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6817" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-16T19:24:41.883" LastActivityDate="2020-07-25T07:53:58.677" Title="Why are the blooms dropping off my zucchini without fruiting?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13384" CreationDate="2014-07-16T13:00:24.793" Score="20" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are male flowers, so what you're experiencing (no fruit) is absolutely normal. Female flowers have a mini fruit underneath, and usually appear when the plant is a little older. Look for a miniature fruit under the flower. The shape will depend on your variety. It looks like you may already have 1 or 2. It is normal for a young squash plant of any kind (except for some parthenocarpic varieties) to start out with only male flowers, and produce the female flowers later when the plant is strong enough to support fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-16T19:28:48.853" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T19:28:48.853" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13386" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13388" CreationDate="2014-07-16T13:17:40.530" Score="6" ViewCount="367" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to plant blackberries, raspberries, and a vegetable garden in the heavy clay soil in my backyard. So, I plan to heavily amend it by spreading 3&quot; expanded shale and 6&quot; of compost and working that 12&quot; or more down by double digging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since I don't know this soil's history, I think a soil test is a good idea so I can learn what other deficiencies I need to correct via fertilizer or pH adjustments. Should I send in soil samples before or after I amend the soil? And if after, how long do I need to wait after mixing all the soil up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;I don't think it matters for this question, but I live in a suburban house around Dallas. Zone 8a.&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastActivityDate="2014-11-21T15:22:19.917" Title="Should I do a soil test before or after amending soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;clay&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13387" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13389" CreationDate="2014-07-16T13:27:22.650" Score="5" ViewCount="4839" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There are no tree roots or moles around to worry about.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I am young and don't mind bending over the extra 6-12 inches.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the advantage of building a raised bed vs just heavily amending your base soil until it's almost as high quality as a raised bed and just using that to garden in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastEditorUserId="4664" LastEditDate="2014-07-16T23:09:11.590" LastActivityDate="2014-07-17T01:45:53.933" Title="What is the advantage of a raised bed over clay soil vs just amending the clay soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;clay&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13388" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13386" CreationDate="2014-07-16T13:36:36.703" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In this case, because you already decided what you will put down, if you don't want to do two tests, test after. The reason? You will know what your soils current condition is, whether you need to apply lime, and what the nutrient concentrations are. All this is outdated when you add that big of a load of amendments. Also, if you mix them in properly, you will not have to wait before testing, but you will get a more accurate reading if you take several samples from throughout the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T13:36:36.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13389" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13387" CreationDate="2014-07-16T13:48:52.573" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I find that raised beds are best for:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;early spring production&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;drainage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;square foot garden (limited space)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;older people&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I have also found that I can grow more per plant in the ground beds, but they start a bit later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have the time and energy to heavily amend a ground bed, I think you will like the reults better. That is just my experience. I have about 6000 sq. ft. of veggies, and have been working in ground beds since I was 3.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T13:48:52.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13390" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13387" CreationDate="2014-07-16T18:18:02.623" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The advantages of raised bed vs. ground bed are pretty much the same regardless of your native ground soil, so you can take any of the comparison lists that pop up from your favourite search engine. &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.cfm?number=C1027-3&quot;&gt;This&lt;/a&gt; UGA extension page discusses some of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In particular with a clay soil, you'll want to keep in mind that compaction, slower warming and decreased drainage are typical difficulties you'll have to deal with. Also, clay soils are generally more alkaline, and many veggies prefer mildly acidic or neutral soil. As such, you could be looking at a fairly large amount of work to just amend your existing soil for your needs. Also, doing so would take quite a bit of time and high-clay soils are, generally, among the harder soils to work with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing you might want to consider is that raised beds don't necessarily need to compete with ground beds. I've known some people to put in beds that were only raised about 6&quot; and built with recycled wood, then tore the wood from the beds out a couple of years later and left themselves with just raised mounds. Basically, they used the raised beds to act as a heavy top-dressing for getting good organics going in their garden. They planted shallower rooting veg in the first few years, then after they determined that the underlying soil was ready to just be used, they took advantage of the higher nutrient retaining qualities of the clay underneath and loved it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4664" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T18:18:02.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13392" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-16T18:30:28.273" Score="2" ViewCount="55" Body="&lt;p&gt;This year I decided to try trellising my pumpkins and am wondering about the impact this might have on the fruit, since the vines won't be putting down roots as they run. Does anyone have experience with this, or know how much fertiliser I should add to compensate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have good quality soil, but was planning to amend my fertilising schedule to compensate. Is this even needed? I'm not looking for huge fruits, but will still be limiting vines to 1 fruit per vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4664" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-16T19:03:54.107" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T19:03:54.107" Title="When trellising pumpkins, do I need to fertilise more heavily?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;&lt;trellis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13393" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13392" CreationDate="2014-07-16T18:45:14.847" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;No. Fertilizing too heavily promotes the wrong kind of growth. I've found that pumpkins grow better on black plastic than on a compost mulch (both growing in the same soil). This may have something to do with my untropical climate, but it shows that the node roots are not absolutely necessary for good growth. The only pumpkin I've grown on a trellis was Jack-Be-Little, but the vines produced at least as much, if not more than the ground grown plants, with the same fertilizing schedule. I also had no squash vine borers on the climbing vines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="4664" LastEditDate="2014-07-16T18:54:08.673" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T18:54:08.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13387" CreationDate="2014-07-16T19:05:18.727" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only way one can amend any soil is by adding decomposed organic matter. I actually now have sandy soil and miss my clay.  You can't use a rototiller on clay, you could but you'll be making things worse.  Clay is made of tiny, tiny pieces of rock that are flat. These flat surfaces have electrostatic charges and these pieces are 'glued' to each other.  By agitating the soil, mixing, you only increase these charges.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Think about how concrete is made.  The ingredients are gravels, clay (Portland Cement), gypsum, lime and water.  All thrown into a big drum and kept agitating until poured.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've worked clay soils my whole life and it is a bit of work the first time you set up your garden. First, map out where your beds will be and walkways.  You never want to walk on plant beds. For this answer, I'll be talking about vegetable beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My beds are 3' across or an arm's length from a walkway.  If you have plenty of room, 3-4' wide beds bordered on both sides by 3' walkways is ideal.  In my green house, I've reduced my walkways to 18&quot; and my beds are 5' across with trenches all the way around so that water doesn't sit on walkways. Start digging by removing the soil from one end of the bed down 18&quot; up to 2'. Dump this soil outside the bed temporarily.  Then continue down your bed dumping the soil in the hole you've just dug.  As you dig, have a wheelbarrow of decomposed organic compost and throw a bunch in on top of the soil you've just dug out.  Don't worry about chunks. Chop a little but don't get carried away.  You'll notice that clay is usually moist.  I've tried drying it out and end up having to need a jack hammer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your 'fluffed' up soil will get a good 3-4' high, it will eventually settle down to 1 - 1 1/2 foot.  I also throw in handfuls of 5-7-3 fertilizer that includes bacteria and mycorrhizae as I throw the compost on the virgin soil.  The main thing is the bacteria and mycorrhizae which are essential for plant roots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rake and smooth this mound of soil and compost. Dig trenches or leave trenches 6&quot;X6&quot; all along the sides and ends, throwing the soil on top of your new bed.  This will keep your beds draining and walkways dry. Don't try mixing any more, soil organisms will do that for you. Get a big piece of plywood lay it on top of the bed, get on top and jump up and down.  This is to remove big air pockets.  Your bed is now ready to plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't do 'rows' of anything.  I have a salad bowl row where I put all my radishes seeds, all kinds of gourmet lettuce seed, carrot seed in a shaker (like the one you find at pizza joints that hold hot pepper flakes).  I mix all the seeds together  and very lightly shake seed on the top of my bed. Very, very thinly. I take a rake and standing on the opposite side of the bed I rake into the trench and sides to pull a thin blanket of soil on top of these seeds.  It is a quick 'flip' that you'll get right away.  Then I turn the rake (this one is the bow rake for raking rock) on it's head and lightly tap down on top of the soil and seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise I like to plant in triangles...I also make hills and squares for things like peas, pole beans, squash that need support. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After your plants get established, you can fertilize according to different plants'needs and always keep the soil covered with decomposed organic compost (DOC), not mulch that isn't decomposed. (Soil organisms will constantly be eating this stuff, taking back down into the soil profile, pooping it out, mixing this into your soil for you)!  Make your nursery allow you to open bags to see, touch and smell the compost.  Every batch is different.  If you can see chunks of sticks, bark it isn't decomposed, don't buy it.  Well, at least make sure that 3/4 or the material is dark, crumbly and smells like earth...not bark.  The best way is to make your own compost so that you know what is in it...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the fall as each of your beds are done producing, replant using a 'green compost' such as annual rye, buckwheat...they even have great mixes.  They grow all fall and winter.  This keeps weeds at bay and in the spring, all you have to do is turn the plants back into your bed.  Clean your trenches and you are ready for the new season with great soil! You could make your walkways lawn, gravel, bark chips or leave as soil (clay is slippery when wet...).  This even looks professional...don't forget to rotate your crops every year.  Hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T19:05:18.727" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13395" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13397" CreationDate="2014-07-16T19:05:18.937" Score="11" ViewCount="2716" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the assumption that plants grow more foliage towards the arc of the sun. With containerized plants, I assumed I could rotate it every week to help it develop more balanced foliage. Are the assumptions correct? Is rotating plants beneficial or harmful to the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T20:22:55.797" Title="Should containerized plants be periodically rotated relative to the sun?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13396" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13395" CreationDate="2014-07-16T19:15:12.170" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Absolutely...this will help them get a more symmetrical structure.  But ideally, there should be enough light that plants don't have to bend.  One way to do this is to make white screens that can free-stand and are placed behind your plants.  This will bounce light back to their dark side and will help keep the house or patio cooler.  Make panels with twoXtwo's and hinges.  Find beautiful light-reflecting fabrics and staple material to your panels. Cover with veneer strips. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T19:15:12.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13395" CreationDate="2014-07-16T19:15:33.313" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rotating some plants while in bud may cause flower stem weakening and bud drop, as in Schlumbergeras. but generally, if the light source tends to be one sided, it is a good idea to rotate the pot. You can do this at any time, but if you use a schedule, you get the most balanced growth. I've even made my own rotators for my small windowsill plants, equipped with silent clock motors, that did one rotation per day. They ate batteries, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T19:15:33.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13398" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13387" CreationDate="2014-07-16T19:43:51.377" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In many parts of Michigan, we have about 6-12&quot; of good quality soil and then BAM! pure clay.  I've found that raised beds are great for growing plants with deep root systems, such as carrots.  Even with aggressive tilling and soil amendment, without raised beds my carrots would always take a 90 degree turn and knot up into balls when they hit that depth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6783" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T19:43:51.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13399" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13395" CreationDate="2014-07-16T20:22:55.797" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A suggestion for larger plants - get a roll-around plant stand or tray.  It makes the job a LOT easier. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T20:22:55.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13400" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-16T23:13:26.963" Score="2" ViewCount="349" Body="&lt;p&gt;Should I pull out the tree? It stands at roughly 10 feet tall. With green colored branches. The stem of the tree is indeed brown and wooden. I have no clue how deep the roots are. Will the roots damage my home?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6822" LastActivityDate="2014-07-17T01:49:56.493" Title="Small Baby tree growing its roots right next to the base of my house. Should I be worried?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-07-17T04:41:58.130" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13400" CreationDate="2014-07-16T23:18:40.733" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you should get rid of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree roots will go under your home and that &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; cause some trouble with the home's foundation and pipes as the tree gets much bigger. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the more important reason is because if there is a storm, the wind can knock the tree over and into your home, causing some serious damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3182" LastActivityDate="2014-07-16T23:18:40.733" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13402" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13400" CreationDate="2014-07-17T00:27:01.067" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well...don't get rid of it.  Won't hurt anything this year.  I would dig a trench about a foot deep now, around it's 'drip line' and fill it with straw.  This winter I would dig it out and move it to a better location.  You could even  wait until next year, keeping the roots trimmed and growing within it's new 'root ball'...make sure that you keep this root ball well-watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't do this when the ground is frozen and unworkable.  Anytime during the dormant season where you can work the soil is fine. Plant it at a level where the top of the root ball or where the roots stop and the bark begins IS OUT OF THE SOIL.  Keep soil, mulch, rocks, wraps off of the bark.  This will eventually girdle a tree.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't stake this tree.  Without leaves the wind will not push it over.  It will grow a thicker trunk and better supporting roots without being staked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where do you live?  What kind of a tree is this?  Send more information and/or pictures and we can help you decide what to do.  If this is a good tree, the cost to replace it is very high.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-07-17T00:27:01.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13403" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13410" CreationDate="2014-07-17T00:49:03.400" Score="2" ViewCount="3863" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just dead headed all my salvias about a week ago and they aren't looking so good. Also, it's been raining like crazy the past week.. maybe this has something to do with it? The leaves are turning brown and whole stems are dying. Any ideas as to what's going on with them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2u4K8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eK9N5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5668" LastEditorUserId="4664" LastEditDate="2014-07-17T15:02:19.150" LastActivityDate="2016-02-28T18:55:54.360" Title="Are my Salvia flowers dying?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13404" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13387" CreationDate="2014-07-17T01:45:53.933" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having done plenty of garden beds, both raised and amended rows and hills, here on our farm, I can say that my experience is that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Raised beds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tend to dry out more quickly (which is both bad and good)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tend to have less weeds initially (assuming this is all &quot;new&quot; soil) as tilling up the existing soil can unearth weed seeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cost more to construct (between the border, assuming there is one, and the soil)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Amending the ground:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is more labor intensive, particularly with clay soil unless you've got a tractor&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can be less expensive&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the soil's going to retain water longer but might pool more due to the clay&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The old farmers down the road always do traditional rows and their gardens are amazing.  I've had good gardens both ways but I tire from wood raised beds rotting out over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've just dismantled 4 old raised beds to relocate things.  The wood was rotted out and had ants and termites throughout... I'm done putting dimensional lumber in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm also putting in a strawberry bed for next season, about 12 x 50 and will put about 6-8&quot; of soil/compost atop the existing soil (solarized to kill the existing weeds/grass).  It'll have beans on it first, then buckwheat and then winter rye.  I considered plowing up the existing clay but there's really no point I think in doing that.  I've got locust logs to line the bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Carrots have done better in the raised beds due to the 8-16&quot; of soil I've had in them... it doesn't compact too much.  In the ground they've not done as well for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-07-17T01:45:53.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13405" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13400" CreationDate="2014-07-17T01:49:56.493" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Like small weeds that one leaves in the ground instead of pulling, the situation with this small tree won't improve by delaying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general I avoid trees near the house, the well, the septic lines and near anything I don't want the roots ruining.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pull it up... or try to relocate it... the roots might be considerable though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-07-17T01:49:56.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11308" CreationDate="2014-07-17T03:12:03.993" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant is indeed in the beginning stage of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternaria_solani&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Early Blight, &lt;em&gt;Alternaria solani&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It looks like your plants will pull through fine if you start treating now. The earlier you treat, the better the control, as a strong infection will build up resistance to the fungicide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what to do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove all leaves showing sings of early blight (yellowing, dry margin, large round dead spot,)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do not touch the other leaves with the removed portions, or you hands until they are thoroughly washed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spray with a copper fungicide (like &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000UJVDXY&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;BONIDE© Liquid Copper Fungicide&lt;/a&gt;). Apply once every 5 days, and after any rain. Continue for 3-4 weeks, or until the plant stops developing the symptoms. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some preventative measures you can take. To lessen the chances of future attacks, you can try to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Minimize soil-foliage contact&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the plants get good air circulation (including proper spacing)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you water, try not to wet the foliage, or splash soil onto the leaf undersides. The fungus spreads faster in wet conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;To go along with that, an organic mulch will help keep soil from splashing, and is also useful for many other reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the plants have a support to climb on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rotate the plantings each year, to stop pathogens from inhabiting the soil. Remember that potatoes are also vulnerable to early blight, so plan accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some comparison pics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vgqft.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2wrXl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/btV7O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-17T03:12:03.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13407" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13409" CreationDate="2014-07-17T06:02:36.670" Score="5" ViewCount="201" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my first year growing chili peppers in pots. I would like to know if chili peppers blossom constantly during their fertile growing period, or do they blossom in &quot;waves&quot; all the time or sometimes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My peppers were blossoming nicely, but they stopped recently. They have several blossoms now (mid Jun). Can I expect more blossoms during this summer? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6825" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-17T22:56:39.783" LastActivityDate="2014-07-17T22:56:39.783" Title="What is the blossom strategy of chili peppers?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13408" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-17T06:07:03.797" Score="2" ViewCount="6077" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaeagnus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;elaegnus&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutzia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;deutzia&lt;/a&gt; bushes are 3 or 4 meters tall.&#xA;They are bare for the first 2.5 meters, and above that is the foliage &amp;amp; some shoots&#xA;that appeared this year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I cut all the stems back to about 0.5&#xA;meters (18″) from the ground now, in mid July on the south coast near Brighton (UK),&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Will I get new growth this year?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What do you think the result will be next year?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should I expect any flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6826" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-17T23:08:02.863" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T03:19:51.253" Title="How can I rejuvenate my overgrown Elaegnus &amp; Deutzia?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13409" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13407" CreationDate="2014-07-17T06:45:47.030" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants will generally blossom in fits and starts, not necessarily because of their type, per se, but more because the mechanisms that determine blossoming are reliant on quite a few factors. Think of things like temperature, watering schedule, soil fertility, potential pests, current fruit load, etc. Depending on how much these things vary, your blossoming and fruiting can vary as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said, I've not seen that my peppers are really any more variable or not than other plants like tomatoes or squash. The biggest factors for me have always been watering schedules and temperature. As more fruit is on, plants tend to want a bit more water and as temperatures go up the ground loses more moisture to evaporation. However, be careful about over watering. I tend to only fertilise at the start of a season and focus on keeping organic mulches going, so don't end up with much in that variable, other than possible tail off at the end of the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would say you should almost definitely expect more blossoms this summer, unless your plants are highly stressed or you get a pest problem that basically kills the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4664" LastActivityDate="2014-07-17T06:45:47.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13410" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13403" CreationDate="2014-07-17T07:07:20.250" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a start, it is highly unlikely that the plants will die from this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is something that I've seen very frequently with members of the mint family and shouldn't be a huge concern. Growing up, our various mints would get something like this on occasion and they still grew like weeds year in and year out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the one hand, I don't think the exact cause of the brown leaves is known, but it is usually associated with a highly stressed plant that is trying to protect itself. Some of the leaves look like they might have been attacked by a pest and others look like it's just the plant reacting to a potential infection vector. If you recently got a surprising wet surge in your weather, it might have given various bacteria a boost in strength, or with the dead heading it might have decided to put energy into new shoots. However, one thing that I'd be a little bit careful of is root rot, as you mentioned the rain. If your soil isn't draining properly it can also cause symptoms akin to this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a bit more reading about salvias in general, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; has some excellent information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4664" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-28T18:55:54.360" LastActivityDate="2016-02-28T18:55:54.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13411" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13462" CreationDate="2014-07-17T10:25:23.130" Score="4" ViewCount="133" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in the process of getting hold of a standard style UK allotment, 10 poles or about 10x25m (2722.5 sq. ft., .052 acres) The plot will be covered mostly in wild tall grasses, and is likely to have been that way at least 6 months to a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plot is the Bucks area, which is South Central England and the climate is temperate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will wild grasses have an impact (positive or negative) on the quality of the soil and it's minerals/nitrogen? By the time I've cleared out areas ready for planting it will be autumn. I'm thinking perhaps the best thing would be to plant a cover crop, like clover, over the majority of the plot and turn it over ready for planting in earnest in spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would this make sense, or is the soil as good as it's going to get (using natural nitrogen fixing methods) right now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts? My aim is to fertilize the soil naturally using cover crops, compost and liquid feed (hopefully from a wormery). I will be growing squashes, root veggies and salad greens for the most part. Nothing too difficult, just simple vegetables that I would actually eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6830" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-22T03:48:59.963" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T03:48:59.963" Title="How can I improve the soil in a new allotment, which is covered in wild grass?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13412" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13408" CreationDate="2014-07-17T14:36:56.713" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Decided to answer anyway, despite my comment. Yes, you will get new growth this year, no you won't get flowers next year on your Deutzia, possibly not the year after either. Elaeagnus is not grown for its flowers, but that is also unlikely to flower next year if you proceed with your plan.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both these shrubs sound ripe for renovation treatment, because it sounds as if they've been allowed to grow untrammelled, and have now become unproductive in parts, congested and overgrown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the Elaeagnus, you should really wait till winter, when the plant is more or less dormant, then saw down the branches at an angle to allow rain to run off, taking it down to around 2 feet to create a basic framework for the shrub, and at the same time removing any dead parts. In Spring, feed with a fertiliser such as Growmore, and then remove any thin and weak shoots, or shoots that you don't need or want, as the plant grows again next year. Doing this type of pruning now may force new, sappy growth which won't have time to harden off before winter sets in, and there may be excessive bleeding of sap from the cut areas, which will make the plant vulnerable to infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the Deutzia, which flowers on the previous season's growth,  you've got two choices - leave it as it is now, but in winter, (though you could do this now if you don't mind risking damage to new growth if winter sets in early) remove any dead parts and cut down a third of the healthy shoots to ground level, leaving the rest in place. This will mean you do get some flowers next year, and you should then prune immediately after flowering, removing any excess growth at the same time that you didn't take in winter. The other option is complete renovation - cut the whole thing down in winter, taking out all dead parts, and shape as growth appears next year, removing any unwanted growths, done around the time the plant would have finished flowering most years. You may need to repeat this the second year, for there may be no flowers then either. Thereafter, prune immediately after flowering each year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-07-17T14:42:56.203" LastActivityDate="2014-07-17T14:42:56.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="700" CreationDate="2014-07-17T22:09:17.027" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rain water has a neutral pH. It's usually softer than tap water and soaks in the ground deeper than a hose watering; people don't water long enough to equal the soak of a good rain. There are particles picked up in the atmosphere during a rain which offer nutrients to the soil that tap water does not have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6832" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-17T22:26:55.430" LastActivityDate="2014-07-17T22:26:55.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13414" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13407" CreationDate="2014-07-17T22:55:26.647" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peppers should bloom without stopping once they start until frost. When a pepper plant stops blooming, assuming it has been blooming before, isn't necessarily a sign of stress. As an example, I've seen pepper plants stop blooming after a heavy dose of nitrogen, but remain healthy. Sometimes, under close to ideal conditions, the plants don't put many resources toward reproduction. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, at times, slight stress will cause a surge of flowers, because the plant senses a possible near end to it's future. For example, around here (southeast Pennsylvania), pepper plants (and tomatoes) produce an unnaturally huge amount of fruit right before frost. Not because the plants liked near freezing temperatures, but because they naturally try to self replicate under those conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because you cannot control all of the factors in your garden, you should expect some fluctuations. This is normal. And you should expect flowers during most of the summer. They may drop in poor weather, but they should appear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-17T22:55:26.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13408" CreationDate="2014-07-17T23:38:20.570" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have to prune now (it would be better to wait until winter), be careful, and hold on to the branches as you cut, so you don't strip the bark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To answer your question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Will I get new growth this year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elaegnus:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yes, the plant will flush out quickly, and need to be watered heavily during this period.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If any branch does not flush out when the others do, cut it back to the ground, or the last growing point.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Deutzia:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Same as for elaegnus. The plant will flush out quickly, and need to be watered heavily during this period. &lt;em&gt;Tip: pinch out the growing tips of the shoots after 1 foot, for better form.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Same as for elaegnus. If any branch does not flush out when the others do, cut it back to the ground, or the last growing point.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;What do you think the result will be next year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elaegnus:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;This depends on several factors. If the new growth hardens off before winter, you should expect heavy growth from this years shoots. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the new shoots don't harden off, expect spotty regrowth from these, and a heavier growth from the old branches. You will want to prune out all dead growth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Deutzia:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Same as for elaegnus&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Should I expect any flowers?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elaegnus:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There won't be any flowers next year. The plant will concentrate energy into regrowing the removed growth. Don't expect flowers for the next few (2-5) years.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Deutzia:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Same as elaegnus. Any shrub that blooms on old wood will exhibit this. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-17T23:38:20.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13416" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11085" CreationDate="2014-07-18T01:26:33.737" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think I have it. That looks a lot like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato_yellow_leaf_curl_virus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;tomato yellow leaf curl virus&lt;/a&gt;. This can cause curling without yellowing (see matching pics). It is spread by adult silverleaf whiteflies, which makes sense in your case (enclosed). It also explains why only the tomatoes have been affected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately there is no cure, so if the plants don't recover on their own (rare), they should be destroyed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XJcCN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LRw2Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fp31b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T01:26:33.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13417" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11079" CreationDate="2014-07-18T01:46:37.903" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apparently, it was transplant shock caused by the big change in soil moisture content. The ground has now dried partly (still very damp, but not saturated in the top 4 inches anymore). As soon as that happened, the tree grew quickly (4-10 inches, in different areas), and the new growth doesn't show dead tips/leaf spots. It also has increased leaf size, and is a couple shades darker green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees should ideally not be planted directly into saturated soil. Trees that can grow in these conditions should be adjusted slowly, sort of like hardening off. (And I know the tree should be staked. I'll get around to it. The stake in the question was placed there by the kids, and was removed for girdling reasons.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F4J2e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Shp5i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PdJix.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T01:46:37.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13418" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13431" CreationDate="2014-07-18T02:43:53.270" Score="3" ViewCount="169" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant grows in my vegetable gardens, and recently abandoned garden plots, but I haven't seen it at all on the rest of the property, including the landscaped beds. This indicates a preference to disturbed soil. It can root anywhere on the stem, and grow from cutting easily. It seems to have an indeterminate growth habit, flowering and seeding all year, until frost, which instantly kills it. It gets 10-24&quot; high in my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nqLf0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kzrtD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ctj91.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WGl8b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uEp2e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BFKU7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T22:13:00.227" Title="What is this annual vegetable garden weed with minute daisy-like flowerheads?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2014-12-04T18:23:32.057" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13419" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13408" CreationDate="2014-07-18T03:19:51.253" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This answer is just to add information to what my cohorts have said.  Pruning any shrub one needs to keep the bottom branch tips wider than the top.  This has to do with how much food the leaves of the plant produce for the plant.  Leaves that get less light produce less food, those that get the most light produce the most food for the plant and are supported by the plant in return.  Those that produce less food are eventually 'turned off' by the plant causing bare and dead branches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For formal hedges this is easy.  Always make sure the bottom is slightly wider than the top. For informal shrubs it is still necessary to head and shape.  Think of a big salad bowl.  Turned upside down.  I flatten the top of a shrub (most shrubs not all) to get the height and then take my shears to form a rounded slope to the bottom most branches.  In this way you allow the lower branches to get as much sunlight as the top. It is the relative amount of light the branches/leaves of an individual plant are receiving. If lower leaves are shaded by upper leaves the plant will eventually get rid of leaves and branches not producing as much food as other leaves that get more light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a grouping of shrubs it is fine to them to merge yet each one has its own 'dome'...I have no idea how you have been pruning these shrubs. Both Eleagnus and Deutzia can be done this way but after shearing to the proper upside down salad bowl, one needs to take pruners and individually cut each branch back to a bud to look the best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers will come back.  You probably have just created shrubs that are bigger than what the now productive upper growth can support.  Rule of thumb is to keep the height to width ratio a minimum of 1 to 1 1/2.  Ideal is 1 to 2.  So if your shrub is 4 X 2 chop it in half and work at keeping it 2' in height as you coax the bottom to be 3-4' in width.  A plant that is 4' high should be 6 - 8' in width.  This means the leaves of the lower branches will be getting enough light to be productive enough that the plant will continue to support these lower branches.  This allows the plant to use its full potential and live longer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this makes sense.  Let me know and I'll try to add pictures if not.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Add compost to the top of your soil.  Decomposed organic matter.  If you are using bark or other mulch that is not decomposed this causes even more stress on your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T03:19:51.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13420" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9504" CreationDate="2014-07-18T03:36:03.437" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;No vegetable is going to grow well in that climate, without a lot of water. There are several veggies that can take that climate, though. I've compiled a list:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumber&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cucumber&lt;/a&gt; - Most varieties like extremely high temperatures, but need moisture.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melon&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Melon&lt;/a&gt; - These came from hot, arid climates, and were adapted for temperate climates. They still prefer hot temps.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsicum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Peppers&lt;/a&gt; - These originated in the arid central/south Americas. They can take heat. &lt;em&gt;Capiscum&lt;/em&gt; 'Perennial' will live up to five years in warm regions.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taro&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Taro&lt;/a&gt; - Most people haven't encountered this vegetable, as it's &lt;em&gt;only&lt;/em&gt; grown in hot climates.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sweet potato&lt;/a&gt; - These do best in hot climates&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okra&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Okra&lt;/a&gt; - From Mexico. It can take the heat.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Purslane&lt;/a&gt; - one of the few palatable greens that will thrive with your heat.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(vegetable)&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yam&lt;/a&gt; - (not sweet potato) This unusual monocot vegetable will grow in hot weather.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luffa&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Luffa&lt;/a&gt; - Not that tasty, but grows easily.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachyrhizus_erosus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Jicama&lt;/a&gt; Rather nice tasting tuber.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_melon&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wax gourd&lt;/a&gt; - Very large edible fruits.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calabash&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Calabash&lt;/a&gt; - related to squash. Grown for it's fruit.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T03:36:03.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13421" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-18T09:28:08.660" Score="2" ViewCount="146" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a new large back garden with about 1/5 acre of grass. At the moment, the neighbor comes in and cuts for us on her ride-on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had electricity points put in all up the garden and would like an electric mower, I prefer electric.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We like stripey lawns :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To mow the largish area, should I go for the widest cylinder mower I can find or should I get a get something that's fast (like a hover style) but doesn't stripe, and then whiz around with a nice wide roller afterwards?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like the roller idea since I'd also be flattening (it's an old farm field).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6814" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-18T22:29:38.417" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T22:29:38.417" Title="Does a Hover mower with roller or a cylinder mower with roller better fit with my requirements?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13421" CreationDate="2014-07-18T11:33:48.940" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A sit and ride mower is absolutely the best for flattening out a field like area - over time, it'll be good enough to practice golf on. However, if you really want an electric solution, all I can tell you are the advantages and disadvantages for each method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cylinder mowers with a small roller on the back won't 'flatten' out bumpy areas, the roller's not heavy enough, and it also won't cut well if you've left the grass for too long - it leaves any extra long growths uncut, just flattens them as you go over them. It will, though, produce a stiped effect by mowing in strips, one up and one down. A hover mower will cut anything and everything, including wet and fairly long, but it tends to leave slightly 'chewed' ends to each blade of grass rather than the clean cut you get with a cylinder (though this is not obvious without a magnifying glass), and obviously, no stripes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding rollers, these are meant to firm the surface of an already smooth lawn,  they are not meant to iron out bumpy areas - this kind of use usually makes things worse by depressing the hollows even further. They are also not intended for frequent and regular use on established home lawns, rather, they are used in early spring to reconsolidate any turf which has been lifted by frost. You can do the same thing with a cylinder mower with a roller on the back - you set the blades high and go round with the roller in contact with the turf, if it is necessary. Frequent use of a separate, heavy roller will also result in compaction, which you don't want if you require a good lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All in all, you should choose an electric cylinder if you really want a striped effect, but to avoid washboarding, change the direction of cut each time you mow, so one time straight up and down, the next from side to side. If possible, I suggest you buy both a hover and a cylinder - you can't beat a hover when the grass is long and damp. If you have lots of bumps and hollows, you will need to do some work to address this problem by either filling in and seeding the hollows, or peeling back the turf on bumps, removing some soil, and replacing the turf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-07-18T11:53:54.543" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T11:53:54.543" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13423" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9384" CreationDate="2014-07-18T17:50:44.817" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most likely &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Ravan&amp;#39;s%20Moustache.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Spinifex littoreus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; - this plant is well adapted to growing in sand dunes or sand beaches. The leaves are reduced to spiny projections as protection against high temperatures and dry conditions in sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-18T21:52:01.993" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T21:52:01.993" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13424" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13426" CreationDate="2014-07-18T18:18:33.090" Score="4" ViewCount="863" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just moved into a new apartment (in Brooklyn, NY) with my own backyard. My girlfriend and I are very excited. However, my backyard is overgrown with that vine-looking-green-stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My current plan is to go to Home Depot, get a pair of gardening scissors and a bottle Round Up. I'm thinking of cutting down the plants, put them in plastic bags to throw away, and spray the whole bottle of Round Up all over the backyard. I am not looking to put lawn or anything - just hard soil to put a table and a couple of chairs will be good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I go ahead? It's not poison ivy, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4i3RT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Be1Yx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6835" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-18T22:25:05.833" LastActivityDate="2014-07-25T23:42:10.650" Title="What are these 3' to 5' tall plants from my new back yard, and how should I remove them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13425" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13424" CreationDate="2014-07-18T19:01:30.847" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Firstly, it's generally a good idea to wear gloves and maybe long sleeves when dealing with a plant you don't recognize.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's hard to tell what this plant is without a closer picture of the leaves but you can look out for distinct features of the leaves and, if present, flowers or fruit. A quick search online should provide you with comparison images and guides on poison ivy's distinguishing features but if in doubt it does no harm to wear protective clothing anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of the cutting down and round up option, I would first see how easy it is to uproot the plants as weedkiller can be pretty expensive (certainly is where I live). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6836" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T19:01:30.847" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13426" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13424" CreationDate="2014-07-18T19:10:54.550" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like stinging nettles. Wear long pants, gloves and long-sleeved shirt to weed wack down to a manageable level.  Rake out and put in your compost. Or bag in heavy black contractor bags. Don't allow those flowers to go to seed!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll probably have to use glyphosate or brush-killer to get rid of blackberries.  It might be good to try solarization to kill your weeds.  Purchase a big roll of clear plastic and allow the heat to work.  Leave the plastic on for the rest of the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stinging nettles are wonderful cooked like spinach.  The stingers are on the underside of the leaves.  You can grab a leaf by the top, fold it over and over squishing the stingers and then pop the ball into your mouth and eat it! This is a party pleaser, especially with those who have been stung before.  I've done this and was famous for a day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send close-ups of the plants to more closely identify them. Or touch the bottom of a leaf to feel. Use vinegar to get rid of the sting...I think, grin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T19:10:54.550" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13427" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13430" CreationDate="2014-07-18T19:46:49.080" Score="4" ViewCount="8075" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have one courgette plant in my bed and it seems to work well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We just had 2 super hot days (35 C) and I just saw the the stem (which has become really dark recently) has split open very close to where the stem is coming out of the ground. It must have happened either last night (slug damage?) or during the day (heat?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant does not show any negative signs as I would expect from such a hungry species even only after a short time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can/need to do avoid problems?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could have caused this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;EDIT&lt;/em&gt;: Added some pictures. Click to zoom in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x9dBX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x9dBXm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i361h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i361hm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2014-07-19T11:22:12.253" LastActivityDate="2014-07-19T23:30:34.127" Title="What should I do when a courgette-plant's stem has split open?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13428" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11022" CreationDate="2014-07-18T21:01:09.290" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think it's too late if you buy the plants at a garden center. With the sun out for so long during the summer, plants grow extraordinarily fast (compared to my hometown in California, for instance). Most garden centers now sell larger vegetables, so it won't take long to catch up with people that's grown them from seed. If you plant at a sunny location and add compost, you should be good. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only risk is drying out, but that goes for planting anything during the summer. Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6838" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T21:01:09.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13429" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13427" CreationDate="2014-07-18T21:15:54.553" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This can happen if the plant experiences more extreme conditions like if it suddenly takes in a lot of water. If the plant seems otherwise unaffected then you probably don't need to worry.&#xA;Some people will pile soil around the split area or provide extra support for the plant if you think it's been weakened by the split.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6836" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T21:15:54.553" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13430" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13427" CreationDate="2014-07-18T21:35:47.750" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the stem has softened, and there is a small amount of sawdust-like frass by the split, you have &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_vine_borer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;squash vine borer&lt;/a&gt;. These pests are the larvae of a moth, and feed on the inside of the zucchini stem by the base of the plant. To control, slit the stem open carefully along the main stem until you locate the worm (it is usually not far from the slit it made). Extract and destroy the worm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that isn't the case, then it is most likely caused by too much water. Squash plants crack sometimes, right after a heavy rain. This can't really be avoided, but watch for disease in the slit until it callouses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another way that a bush-type squash (because of the thicker stems) can crack, is rotating the stem to point another direction. This stresses the stem base, and it may crack. To avoid this, try not to move the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the picture, this looks like &lt;em&gt;tension&lt;/em&gt; splitting, where the stem has a high enough tension in itself to split open. It shouldn't affect growth/production. This isn't a big deal concerning plant health, and you can mound soil around the stem if you want. Do not try to fix with wire, because this will not really help, but may damage the stem itself. Also, this will only happen when the stem 'ripens', or hardens, which sounds like what your plant has done. The stem hardens from the base out, and becomes darker in color - like you've described.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-19T23:30:34.127" LastActivityDate="2014-07-19T23:30:34.127" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13431" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13418" CreationDate="2014-07-18T22:13:00.227" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;After some more research, I believe I've found it! &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=GAQU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Quickweed, &lt;em&gt;Galinsoga quadriradiata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, in the sunflower family. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-18T22:13:00.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13433" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-19T01:14:26.773" Score="5" ViewCount="5037" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please identify this plant. It is about two feet tall and thriving in the shade of large trees near the edge of a small street.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UachY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6840" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-19T01:56:08.180" LastActivityDate="2014-07-19T01:56:08.180" Title="What is this 2' high plant with curved spikes of white flowers, growing in eastern Massachusetts?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13433" CreationDate="2014-07-19T01:45:52.267" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=e100&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gooseneck Loosestrife, &lt;em&gt;Lysimachia clethroides&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. The common name comes from the shape of the flower spike, which somewhat resembles a goose's neck curve. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-19T01:45:52.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13435" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13470" CreationDate="2014-07-19T02:33:16.710" Score="4" ViewCount="3320" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in New Mexico and bought house with a yard that is absolutely and totally completely infested with goathead plants (For those unfamiliar, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=goat+head+sticker&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here's what their seedpods look like&lt;/a&gt;--should be pretty obvious why you don't want them in your yard!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a week of heavy rains, here's what sections of the yard look like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vgKPt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pretty grim. Thankfully, they die in the winter, but not before growing little stickers to reproduce with that fall off and nestle into the dirt. So I &lt;em&gt;think&lt;/em&gt; I may be able to kill them all off in a few years by simply killing the larger plants before they grow any stickers. Without a new supply of stickers, eventually the ones already in the ground should stop sprouting--I hope. Then again, they are perennials, so that may take a loooong time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this sound like it will work? Has anybody else defeated a goathead invasion? I'd like to avoid poisoning the yard if at all possible because there's a lot of nice wildlife in the area. I anticipate living here for a while and can be patient about it, so I'd like to avoid simply covering the whole yard in plastic and putting gravel over it as many in the area do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-23T02:15:49.950" LastActivityDate="2014-07-24T01:48:41.373" Title="What is a long-term solution to a goathead infestation?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13436" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-19T10:48:39.790" Score="4" ViewCount="192" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P4oPM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you tell me what this plant is? It is native here in Attica, Greece. It comes out every summer and goes away at winter.&#xA;It is very aromatic to the touch. That is if you pass your hand over it, it gets a nice smell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="73" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-20T00:29:01.777" LastActivityDate="2014-07-21T16:46:16.910" Title="What is this narrow leaved, aromatic plant native to Attica, Greece?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13437" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13424" CreationDate="2014-07-19T11:47:37.420" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A word about Round up - this is a systemic herbicide which works 'through the green', which means it needs plants to be growing strongly, with plenty of leaves and growth, to be most effective. If you want to kill these plants with it, you will need to spray all the leaves and stems, and NOT cut them down first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure what they are, picture's a bit fuzzy (cell phone picture?) except to say they're definitely not stinging nettles, but as someone else has said, I'd check and see how easy they are to dig up or pull out before using weedkiller of any description.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also recommend you get some secateurs/shears to cut back the ivy vine (I think you guys call it English Ivy) that's growing over the fence, and apparently up various walls, preferably before what's coming over the fence ends up rooting in the ground your side. Round Up treatment will not kill it - it'll shrivel the leaves temporarily, but it'll be back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-07-19T11:47:37.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11022" CreationDate="2014-07-19T11:55:22.743" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless you want to grow brassicas or a bit of lettuce, yes it is too late - things like tomatoes won't have time to ripen properly. You'd probably be better off concentrating on preparing the beds - planning and getting the land ready for planting can be time consuming, but you do have enough time to do that before winter sets in. Bear in mind, if you use any manures, root crops do not like manured ground, so consider which vegetables you're likely to want to grow and prepare the ground accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I only just realised you asked this question in June, not July... which rather renders my response irrelevant, sorry!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-07-19T11:55:22.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13439" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13435" CreationDate="2014-07-19T16:39:52.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I assume you are talking about &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribulus_terrestris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tribulus terrestris&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, we have them all over Utah where I live, and they are horrible - they aren't that hard to eliminate, you can dig them before the seedpods ripen, they are pretty easy to pull up by hand, you just have to follow a vine back to the center and pull it out... also they are pretty easy to kill with roundup... the trick is you have to do it before they have fruit, so with roundup you would need to spray by the time you see the first flower, you should have the eliminated in 2-3 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;edit&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I guess in Mexico it grows as an actual perennial, so digging may be more difficult, because they don't actually die in the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-20T00:46:41.590" LastActivityDate="2014-07-20T00:46:41.590" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13440" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13443" CreationDate="2014-07-19T17:08:21.557" Score="6" ViewCount="2331" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have recently had to move, and we have a lawn that has not been taken care of for some time. Due to this it's about 30% grass, with the rest being assorted weeds/wildflowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've managed to identify most of them but I'm having trouble with this one, and want to know if it's something I need to take care of now, or if it's harmless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It branches outwards from a central point, has a tap root and when the flowers are open they have 5 sepals, 5 petals and are a deep pink-purple color. They may have flowered before in late May, but due to the mix of plants it's possible it was something else.&#xA;The soil here is very loose and sandy and the plant is growing in full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C9nPN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery weed&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: after some rain the flowers all seem to have come out nicely so here's an example. The camera I used seems to have changed the hue to be a bit less pink though. I don't know how noticeable it is in the picture but for every flower two petals seem to have a dark spot near the base and a deeper color than the other three. I have also included a branch with the leaves less clustered so that you can see the alternating pattern of the leaves.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Eh2lw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowers&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m4BOW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6836" LastEditorUserId="6836" LastEditDate="2014-07-20T11:54:49.860" LastActivityDate="2014-07-20T15:02:35.407" Title="What is this lawn weed with cut-edged leaves and five petaled pink-purple flowers, found in Belgium?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13442" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13424" CreationDate="2014-07-20T01:48:29.840" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note, this is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/11740/what-are-community-wiki-posts&quot;&gt;community wiki&lt;/a&gt; answer:&lt;/strong&gt; Everyone, please feel free to improve this answer with your own findings/knowledge. This is an attempt to identify all of the plant species pictured. If you find what you think is a match, please enter it under the corresponding list no., with common and latin names, and a wiki link. If you are unsure, but have a guess, use 'possibly'. If you see an unnumbered species, please add a number, or if you don't know how, notify us in a comment below the post. To post info on the other aspects of the question, please use the answer box below, to post your own answer. This post deals solely with the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/identification&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;identification&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;identification&lt;/a&gt; part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t35WF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3wkrm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No. 1: &lt;em&gt;Unknown&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No. 2: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pokeberry, &lt;em&gt;Phytolacca americana&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No. 3: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_tricuspidata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Boston Ivy, &lt;em&gt;Parthenocissus tricuspidata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No. 4: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_quinquefolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Virginia creeper, &lt;em&gt;Parthenocissus quinquefolia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No. 5: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_radicans&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Poison ivy, &lt;em&gt;Toxicodendron radicans&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No. 6: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_strawberry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mock strawberry, &lt;em&gt;Duchesnea indica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No. 7: Possibly &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goosefoot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Goosefoot, &lt;em&gt;Chenopodium sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No. 8: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis_stricta&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yellow woodsorrel, &lt;em&gt;Oxalis stricta&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No. 9: &lt;em&gt;Unknown&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No. 10: &lt;em&gt;Unknown&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No. 11: &lt;em&gt;Unknown&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-20T10:32:31.197" LastActivityDate="2014-07-20T05:37:00.323" CommentCount="1" CommunityOwnedDate="2014-07-20T01:48:29.840" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13443" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13440" CreationDate="2014-07-20T13:06:30.200" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've found it, or something very similar: Erodium cicutarium, known here as reigersbek (heron's beak) but storks bill in English. It seems that the main danger here is from the seeds as they are quite easy to pull up.&#xA;(Found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildebloemen.info/pages%20bloemen/R/reigersbek.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6836" LastEditorUserId="6836" LastEditDate="2014-07-20T15:02:35.407" LastActivityDate="2014-07-20T15:02:35.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13444" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1115" CreationDate="2014-07-20T21:55:24.113" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a bare root tree.  Hopefully you made sure that the soil is in contact with your roots and there are no air spaces.  In this instance, I would lightly stake this tree.  Put your stake upwind of the tree and a loop of soft material around the trunk above the midpoint.  There should be plenty of room to move in the wind.  Leave the stake until the next dormant season when the leaves fall off and then remove the stake altogether.  You will need to keep the root ball quite moist.  I would also get mycorrhizae to help those roots uptake nutrients.  Keep decomposed organic mulch on top of the soil way past the drip line but keep it away from the trunk.  Primary objective this season is a good set of roots. Use a fertilizer that is extended release and all three major nutrients are even or allow the nitrogen to be a little less than the phosphorus and potassium.  Prune any crossing branches, branches that go towards the center, diseased or injured branches.  Prune all the way back to the main trunk.  Leave all the other branches including those that feed the trunk.  These young trees are very tough, the main thing is moisture right now.  Oh! Make sure you clean your pruners before doing any pruning of your tree with alcohol.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-07-20T21:55:24.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="928" CreationDate="2014-07-20T22:55:22.497" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've tried everything in the above answers.  I detest killing.  BUT, the only way I was able to make a difference in my garden was to get a flashlight and go out at night while slugs were out of their hiding spots and cut them in half.  Hundreds every night for 3 or 4 nights and then it drastically began to reduce.  I'd go out every other night, every third or fourth night.  I left the poor things with their guts all over my lawn.  Someone said that they didn't like being near their dead relatives.  I think that is bunk.  But my goodness if I didn't have to worry about slugs in a few weeks of this grisly task.  It is quick and humane...enough.  I also would recommend getting rid of big chunks of wood, rocks around the edges of your planting beds and tall weeds.  These are their homes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I once had two muscovi ducks that gobbled up slugs and snails.  Sigh.  Then they shat them out on my back doorstep and that was worse...grin, good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For your garden you need to install sheets of plexiglass or metal roofing around the perimeter, a foot high.  A foot deep to secure.  Beer traps, slug bait none of those work at all.  Diatomaceous earth sort of works but the best way I have found is to go out at night with a flash light and scissors and chop chop slugs languishing on the lawn.  They love to go out on the lawn at night, I don't know why but they do.  Chop chop.  Do for 3 or 4 nights.  Doesn't have to be in succession.  You'll see great results.  The best you can hope for.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A slick barrier is the next best.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is if you have already removed the condos with neon signs saying 'HOMES FOR SLUGS next to easy food'...No rocks, discarded lumber, lumber pieces for dividing, plastic is the worst possible solution.  Beer is like neon signage, not a great idea and certainly ineffective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Slug bait is dangerous for cats and dogs and I have never seen any interest in slug bait by slugs.  Remember the word 'bait' means to attract.  Similar to those electric fly zappers.  They attract flying insects up to 5 miles away just to find  themselves zapped into a zillion pieces all over the picnic table with thousands of viruses.  Nuts. You do not want to attract pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nematodes I've not tried...beneficial nematodes.  Possibly a great addition to chop chop nights.  Let us know if you go that route.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-06-11T02:28:11.623" LastActivityDate="2018-06-11T02:28:11.623" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="13447" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-21T15:07:59.243" Score="5" ViewCount="661" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in relatively cold, rainy Manchester in the north of England and have been experimenting with growing chillies and tomatoes. I've found that they are fine indoors, but die quite quickly outdoors, presumably form the cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have an output from my house's gas combi boiler next to my small plastic greenhouse, which outputs steam. Would there be any advantage in hooking up a pipe between this and my greenhouse to increase the temperature and humidity? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6848" LastEditorUserId="6848" LastEditDate="2014-07-21T15:39:19.347" LastActivityDate="2014-07-21T19:03:53.367" Title="Can I use the output from a house boiler to heat a greenhouse?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13448" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13436" CreationDate="2014-07-21T16:46:16.910" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rather than an absolute answer, it might be best to let you identify it yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, it appears closest to a Rosemary, Tarragon or Savory. The things I would suggest to look for in each of the three are: scent, flowers and leaf patterns&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rosemary has an almost sage-like or kind of piney scent to it. It is rather pungent. The leaves on rosemary are kind of scaly when you look at them up close and have smooth edges. They are also opposite or sub-opposite, meaning that they come out opposite of each other along the stem. They flower pretty much over the length of the plant and are generally blue/purple in colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tarragon is more of a sort of sweet smell and has a taste similar to anise or fennel. &quot;True&quot; tarragon rarely flowers, but there are Russian varieties that flower/seed and which could be what you're seeing. Flowers are yellow and show only at the top/end of the stem. They have alternate leaves that have an almost smooth look, though they are veiny.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Savory has a mildly peppery/sweet taste to it and the smell is similar. It also has simple, opposite leaves. Also, they have a smooth edge to them. Flowers are lavender to white in colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4664" LastActivityDate="2014-07-21T16:46:16.910" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13449" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13447" CreationDate="2014-07-21T17:07:07.760" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would take expert advice from a boiler person/heating installer, frankly - the steam condensate produced by these boilers contains nitrites.which are produced by the gas burning process. The pipe carrying the steam outdoors (I assume you had yours fitted more than 2 years ago) is prone to freezing in very cold weather, and if the condensate flows over a wall, or onto concrete, or just ends up dripping constantly onto soil, it will eat through mortar and concrete, including the house foundations, something which wasn't realised when these boilers first started being fitted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regulations regarding condensate these days include gravity drain pipes straight into the foul water system wherever possible, rather than exuding steam outdoors, to avoid some of these problems. Any pipe outside a house must be well insulated, and clearly, the longer you make that pipe, the more vulnerable it is, and all must be insulated, together with either arrangements to disperse the condensate safely, or using one of the neutralisation systems. If it's a gravity pipe, it needs to be pointing downwards, there's a risk of feedback to the boiler if it isn't. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the steam which is exuded contains nitrites and has a ph of bwteen 2 and 4, if you were intending to just extend the pipe into your greenhouse and allow the steam to be expelled within it, that's what'll be going all over your plants. All in all, it doesn't sound like such a good idea, more from compromising your boiler than anything, but as I said, seek the advice of a boiler expert.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-07-21T17:15:14.060" LastActivityDate="2014-07-21T17:15:14.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13450" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13447" CreationDate="2014-07-21T19:03:53.367" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some boilers can have a flue gases heat recovery system (e.g &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.zenexenergy.co.uk/Zenex1/index.php?option=com_content&amp;amp;view=article&amp;amp;id=9&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;GasSaver&lt;/a&gt;) fitted, it is normal used to preheat the DHW, but I don’t see why it could not be used to heat a green house if a pump was added.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="231" LastActivityDate="2014-07-21T19:03:53.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3891" CreationDate="2014-07-21T20:20:45.050" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It was quite a revelation when I discovered an earwig in my basil plants. The leaves had been developing &quot;holes&quot; overnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since then, I've been spraying the basil plants twice daily with a 10% solution of dish soap and water. I'm partial to the Dollar store brand -- don't ask what that brand may be. I know  that its an amber colored soap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I give my plants a thorough spraying both on the upper and lower side of the leaves. The nymphs are similar in color to the plant stems and difficult to see. The eggs are dark green and brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I spray them all and leave a soapy, foamy residue around the stems and leaves -- as much as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure if the soap kills them outright, so when they fall from the plant, I try to remove them all from the vicinity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soaping makes the leaves nice and shiny, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6849" LastActivityDate="2014-07-21T20:20:45.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13453" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-21T21:56:05.957" Score="2" ViewCount="1007" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.brighterblooms.com/planting-directions/rose-glow-barberry-care/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rosy Glow Barberries&lt;/a&gt; that I bought when they were little. I live in a very hot and humid area, so I put them under 60% shade cloth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well, they turned green, so that told me that they needed more sunlight, but the leaves are also curling under.  Is that also from lack of sunlight or is that something else?  I put them out in full sun now, and the color is changing (for the good I hope), but I have not seen an improvement in the curling.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ggMbp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6850" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-22T00:09:47.570" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T00:09:47.570" Title="What is causing curling leaves on my potted Rosy Glow barberry bushes?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;barberry&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13454" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13456" CreationDate="2014-07-21T22:26:11.680" Score="5" ViewCount="15165" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two questions regarding the sunflower seedlings in the picture below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I think my sunflowers are too close together. How much should I thin them and based on their height, does now seem like a good time or should I wait?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some of them have sort of a burgundy stem (circled in blue) instead of a green one. What does this mean, if anything (They were all planted from the same seeds packet)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UCjAw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="474" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-21T23:48:32.097" LastActivityDate="2015-05-19T01:33:01.803" Title="Do these sunflower seedlings need to be thinned?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;thinning&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13454" CreationDate="2014-07-21T22:46:31.580" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is suggested that sunflowers be thinned when the first true leaves (the second set, which appears to be about now from your picture) to 1 plant every 2 feet, give or take. 2 feet is the suggested ideal spacing for bigger plants. If you don't care about size or specifically want them smaller you can keep a bit smaller spacing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the purple stems, some sunflower stems have that colour/tint to them, depending on the variety. However, some plants will also show these kinds of symptoms from a Phosphorus deficiency. In extreme cases of Nitrogen deficiency you will see purple leaves/stems as evidence of chlorosis, but I believe that's usually seen is older plants than this. Look at the seed packet to determine if it's a normal colour or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4664" LastActivityDate="2014-07-21T22:46:31.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13456" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13454" CreationDate="2014-07-21T23:45:21.357" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will help to find what variety you have, as some varieties need much wider spacing than others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is an idea of what you are looking for via spacing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2-3' tall matured: Space 10-14&quot; apart&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;3-4' tall matured: Space 12-18&quot; apart&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;4-6' tall matured: Space 14-24&quot; apart&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;6-8' tall matured: Space 16-30&quot; apart&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;8-12' tall matured: Space 20-36&quot; apart&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;12'-up: Space at least 30&quot; apart&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The wider spacings are better for branching varieties. Sunflowers can be grown tighter, but the result may be unnaturally small heads, on top of very long stems. The wider you space, the shorter the stems you will get, and also larger heads. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can thin them anytime at this point, but I often wait until the plants are 4-6 inches tall, so that I can be more sure of the vigor levels of the young plants. When you are thinning the seedlings that are very close, place a finger on each side of the seedling you wish to keep, to hold the soil in place while you pull the surrounding plants with your other hand. This may not be necessary, but safe is always better than sorry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The burgundy color on a sunflower stalk, if it is surrounded by normal green sunflower plants, usually indicates a reddish tinged to full dark purple flower. However, some yellow flowered specimens have a burgundy stalk. If you didn't plant a blend, and are looking for uniform color, you may want to cull these. If this is from a blend, try to leave as many different growth types as you can. This is easier when the plants are a little older.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-21T23:45:21.357" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13457" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13453" CreationDate="2014-07-22T00:05:24.760" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are several things that can cause curling on Barberries, but the most common two in my experience are aphids and stress. Aphids should be fairly easily apparent if they are causing the curling. You can control them with insecticidal soap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think this may be some form of stress symptom. It may have been caused by heat, overwatering (what happened to some of mine), underwatering, or something else. The best thing you can do for these plants is to get them in the ground. Once they are planted, they should improve, although the curled leaves may remain that way. Judge by looking at new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I planted one in my yard, it was too wet, and the leaves curled. They remained that way all year, until summer when the ground dried a little. The new growth after that wasn't curled. Ever since then, the plant had been great, except for powdery mildew one time, which also curled the leaves. (I removed it in '06 because of the size.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T00:05:24.760" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13458" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13460" CreationDate="2014-07-22T01:15:09.183" Score="4" ViewCount="1014" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two of these bushes -I'm not sure what they are, maybe somebody knows? It looks like they might be sun damaged. I know that there used to be a tree nearby that provided some shade, which makes me think they are getting too much sun. They have small white flowers in the spring. Also, I see them around a lot so I think they are pretty common landscape bushes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ep7rN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4RLvA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5668" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T02:14:22.500" Title="Are these bushes sun damaged?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13458" CreationDate="2014-07-22T01:49:22.147" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe these are the shrub called Burning Bush or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euonymus_alatus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Euonymus alatus&lt;/a&gt;. It might be the misnamed cultivar 'Compactus' which can still get quite large with time. The identifying keys are the paired leaves with a light sawtooth shape on the perimeter of each leaf.  A more definitive identification would be the corky wings that are seen on older growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This shrub is native to to central and northern China, Japan, and Korea and was introduced to North America in the 1860's. If left alone it often grows into a plant up to eight feet (2.5 Meters) wide and tall.  It is very popular due to it's good red colour in the fall if correctly located and bright pink or orange fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a tough and hardy shrub, so much so, that it is considered &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.invasiveplantatlas.org/subject.html?sub=3023&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;invasive&lt;/a&gt; in eastern North America and sale is prohibited in a few states. Consider the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aronia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;black chokecherry&lt;/a&gt;, particularly some of the cultivars such as Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima' instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The red colour on the new growth could indicate a premature colour change due to stress or even cool temperatures given the odd summer we have had so far in Eastern North America.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-07-22T01:55:00.270" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T01:55:00.270" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13460" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13458" CreationDate="2014-07-22T02:14:22.500" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree that this is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euonymus_alatus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Euonomys alatus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. The red color showing on the leaves is chlorosis. The red color is always underlying, but comes out when the chlorophyll loses concentration. That is what causes the red fall color. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The red on your plant might be caused by several factors, but too much sun isn't one of them. It looks like the shrub is suffering from nutrient (probably nitrogen) deprivation. Try fertilizing with a balanced fertilizer every couple weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing you could check is the soil pH. This often affects leaf color. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T02:14:22.500" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13461" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13454" CreationDate="2014-07-22T02:18:01.010" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can do it now.  They look tall enough to thin but it won't hurt things to wait a week or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will depend on the variety as to the spacing.  As J.Musser stated quite thoroughly, the height at maturity is a factor in the spacing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I avoid disturbing roots by taking my garden shears and snipping the seedlings off at ground level rather than pulling them.  The &quot;thinned&quot; plants will die off and provide the needed space.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing you might just have a variety of seeds.  It'll be more evident if that's the case once you can see the flower head.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought a gallon bag stuffed full of sunflower seeds.  They are allegedly all from the same variety of sunflower but there's some variation among the plants - could be genetic variation.  Could be that it's really just a variety of seeds.  They are similar enough that I think it's the former.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T02:18:01.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13462" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13411" CreationDate="2014-07-22T03:23:01.100" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wild grasses will add to the soil while decomposing, so the effect will be beneficial. The minerals in the soil will not be negatively impacted, because the grass absorbed the minerals they add back to the soil from the soil in the first place. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also good to note: Decomposing organic matter produces humic acid, which breaks minerals from rocks into forms available to plants. I've found that mineral mixes will go twice as far with the same effect when spread with compost, for this reason. Soils with a high rate of decomposition will be much better in available mineral content. That is another plus for green manuring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The nitrogen impact on the soil will vary with the condition of the grass going into the soil. Green grass will have a carbon/nitrogen ratio of 12-25/1, which is high in nitrogen and will add to the soil. If the grass is dry, the ratio will be around 50/1, which is slightly lower than the ideal decomposition ratio (30/1). Dry grass may pull some nitrogen out of the spoil for a short time while decomposing, but will release it back slowly once decomposition is complete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some grass will have a allelopathic effect on germinating seedlings, acting as a pre-emergent. For this reason, wait 2-3 weeks before sowing a cover crop. Row crops are a good idea, and will build your soil faster than you might think. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On 'is the soil as good as it's going to get (using natural nitrogen fixing methods) right now?'. There are very few cases where soil is that close to ideal. The more you can give your soil, the better. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I have done in a very similar case to yours is: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Green manure on the off season. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Throw a layer of compost on each spring. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dig a trench for row crops, and a hole for hill crops, and fill with 1/3rd soil and 2/3rd's compost, well blended. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water the vermicompost tea as available.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This worked very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T03:23:01.100" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13463" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4655" CreationDate="2014-07-22T03:56:45.350" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As Lisa pointed out, the cause of beans failing to pollinate is often caused by a lack of water. The plant cannot support a growing fruit with that low of a water level, and aborts the crop. Sweet corn will do the same thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T03:56:45.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4466" CreationDate="2014-07-22T04:08:17.377" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanterelle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Chanterelle mushroom&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhiza&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mycorrhizal&lt;/a&gt; fungus, which means it has a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbiosis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;symbiotic&lt;/a&gt; relation with specific plants. This will make it impossible to grow without it's associated plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From Wikipedia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cantharellus species are found throughout the world in association with mycorrhizal host plants, including Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and Australia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chanterelles are associated with either conifers or hardwood trees, depending on species. They are often found with oaks in California and Texas. In Scotland, chanterelles grow in mixed forests of silver birch and Scots pine, especially when the forest has plenty of moist, mossy undergrowth. In Fife they are common under beech. They are usually (but not always) found in the same places as wild blueberries. In Spain they associate with sweet chestnut. A walk in the woods after rain should prove fruitful from late July through the Autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T04:08:17.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4701" CreationDate="2014-07-22T11:25:20.410" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As the conditions between the two sets of plants are totally different, it could be anything. Since the most significant difference is the light source, test that first:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place one tank so at least half of it is exposed to sunlight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover the other half so it is never exposed to sunlight (a large piece of cardboard taped between the halves should do)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Set your grow lamp up so it lights the dark half&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Move a set of fresh seedlings into each half (you want several to get any meaningful result)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now they should have the same conditiions apart from the light source. Let them grow for a few weeks and you should see under which light conditions they thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it isn't that, rule out the other factors with similar tests (change only one condition at a time).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the question if it is too late for those tomatoes, no - they look healthy to me, so apart from growing slower, they're fine. You could move them out like the others, or just accept the slower development.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2823" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T11:25:20.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13466" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13468" CreationDate="2014-07-22T13:24:06.090" Score="11" ViewCount="2613" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that blueberries need soil in the range of ph 4-5, but no one ever says why they need the pH in that range. I've heard that it may be because of a lack of available iron at higher pH, and that other plants emit acidic in their root zone to create iron that they can use. So is it all about the iron? This chart of nutrients avaiable by pH is also interesting...it looks like the only nutrient available at low pH is iron. But if iron is the limiting factor, it looks like it is available up to pH 6.5. So why the pH 4-5?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1SWpZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6856" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T15:27:41.757" Title="Why do blueberries need acidic soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13467" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13365" CreationDate="2014-07-22T15:09:33.810" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;How about splitting the difference and mowing on a diagonal? I mow my slope with a hand mower that adjusts its speed based upon how hard I push. I tend to mow the slope exactly the same all the time, but &quot;exactly&quot; is a relative term here. I don't worry about ruts and such, because I never really mow exactly the same twice in a row.  But in the case of diagonal mowing, you could reverse the diagonal direction each time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T15:09:33.810" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13468" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13466" CreationDate="2014-07-22T15:27:41.757" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blueberries have a rudimentary root system that doesn't have the finer root hairs found on most plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They grow best in forest duff (lots of acidic, organic matter). The acidic nature of the soil causes bacteria and fungi to thrive that release minerals and ammonia that blueberry bushes thrive on and that their roots can readily absorb. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In plant root systems it's more about symbiosis and the nutrient pool it creates than the measurable byproducts (acidity, nitrogen, etc.). The main difference between woodlands and gardens is the method of nitrogen uptake (ammonia vs. nitrates).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neutral to very slightly acidic soil tends to be a nitrate rich source of nitrogen, with mostly bacterial activity (the rest of your garden), whereas acidic soil favors more fungal activity and an ammonia rich environment for the nitrogen source. Acidic soil also hosts acid loving bacteria (which that chart doesn't address) that directly attack mineral in the soil to release phosphates, iron, magnesium which your blueberries love. The iron particularly is needed to prevent chlorosis so the leaves can create enough chlorophyll.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T15:27:41.757" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13469" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13365" CreationDate="2014-07-22T16:31:58.153" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the approximate square footage of the area and what is the &quot;curb appeal&quot; of this section of your lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I ask this because as a possible solution to the problem (struggling mower + rollover risk) would be to purchase/rent a trimmer and do the area manually with that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T16:31:58.153" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13470" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13435" CreationDate="2014-07-22T21:46:26.460" Score="3" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Has anybody else defeated a goathead invasion?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had these nasty horrible things all over our front yard in Texas when my kids were small.  It took us about three years or so, but we finally got rid of them.  Here's what we did:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clipped the lawn grass low and kept it low.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilized the lawn, which was perennial Bermuda grass, and put out some pre-emergent a couple of times in the spring and early summer to strengthen the lawn and help it out-compete the goat heads.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Had frequent &quot;goat head pulling parties&quot; where each person took a large paper grocery sack out to the yard and spent as long as it took to fill it by pulling off the newest crop of green goat head sticker stems.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Repeat every week during growing season for the next three years.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It finally worked - my kids were eventually even able to walk in the front yard barefoot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edited to add:  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=goat%20head%20sticker&amp;amp;tbm=isch#q=grass%20burrs&amp;amp;revid=1083621164&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;imgdii=_&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here is the type of goathead we were dealing with&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-07-22T22:21:07.550" LastActivityDate="2014-07-22T22:21:07.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9069" CreationDate="2014-07-23T03:36:44.723" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In 200 sq. feet, if you have decent soil, an electric tiller will work, but you may have to recharge halfway through. I have found that it is much less of a hassle to use a small 2 cycle gas tiller in a bed like that. They are much more powerful, never need recharging (refueling is way faster), and if something breaks, repairs are a lot cheaper. There are a lot of small engine mechanics out there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-23T03:36:44.723" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13473" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7886" CreationDate="2014-07-23T03:58:08.083" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;St. Helens, Oregon is in USDA hardiness zone 8, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://tooleystrees.com/product/77/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Winter Red Flesh&lt;/a&gt; crabapple will grow well up to zone 9, and will grow well in your area with irrigation. This is a very attractive small tree, with bronze leaves, and lots of pink/purple flowers in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-25T01:47:20.460" LastActivityDate="2014-09-25T01:47:20.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13474" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7994" CreationDate="2014-07-23T04:16:34.040" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As the astute comments above point out, leaving the berries on the plant can contribute to the  spread of pests and disease. Remove all the fruit, whether or not they are edible. And, the plants will not grow another crop when the dead berries are removed. Another thing to consider is potential seed germination, from unharvested berries that end up on the ground. These can be very annoying. Basically, there are no benefits to leaving the fruit on the plant, but there are several disadvantages. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-23T04:16:34.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13475" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7876" CreationDate="2014-07-23T04:40:35.660" Score="2" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Should I cut off the burnt branches to help regrowth or can I leave it as it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes. Cut the burned and dead branches back to the last growing point (branch, trunk). This will open up the dead area for the new growth to fill in, and also let in light to stimulate growth in dormant buds (if any are there).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;How long will it take to grow 40cm again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is really hard to answer, because it varies considerably and is dependent on many factors, but generally, a healthy thuja should make it in less than two years. Some varieties grow faster than others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you leave the dead parts on, the plant will not regrow properly. Fire is hard on any tree. If there is a way to prevent future occurrences, I'd recommend that you take those steps. If you have a burn-barrel or the like nearby, move it, and so on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-12T21:31:14.567" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T21:31:14.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13477" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-23T12:13:15.157" Score="4" ViewCount="3609" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is low to the ground and is all over the borders.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fvs89.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6861" LastEditorUserId="3535" LastEditDate="2014-08-24T23:30:30.590" LastActivityDate="2014-08-24T23:30:30.590" Title="Can anyone tell me what this red stemmed weed is?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13478" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13477" CreationDate="2014-07-23T13:25:03.660" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As Kevinsky says, photo's too small really, but here's a guess - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/plants/plant-portraits/Saxifraga+fortunei+plant+of+the+month+Nov+/111/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Saxifrage fortunei&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; of some variety (something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/saxifraga-blackberry-and-apple-pie-fortunei&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;S. fortunei&lt;/em&gt; 'Blackberry and Apple Pie'&lt;/a&gt;, though the leaf coloration isn't right for that one) but really need a larger picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-24T00:01:16.850" LastActivityDate="2014-07-24T00:01:16.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13479" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-23T15:53:28.760" Score="4" ViewCount="747" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Canby raspberry plant. One cane is showing some form of nutrient deficiency. On other hand, the other stalk is is flourishing and even budding fruit. What would cause this, seeing as the two cane's root systems are right next to each other?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lNmE3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-07-27T11:00:35.210" Title="What would cause only one cane of a raspberry plant to show nutrient defficiency?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13480" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13479" CreationDate="2014-07-23T16:07:34.010" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not a nutrient deficiency, more like a drought problem, or that cane is an original one on the plant when you got it, possibly last year's or the year before's cane. The taller, bushy one is newer and younger. Otherwise, some sort of damage or problem with the stem on that one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Oh dear, Jojo, never mind, not much you can do now. That brown growth at the base must be from where you originally didn't water enough (I remember an earlier query on your raspberries). Valuable lesson though - in future, always check where the stem not only comes from, but goes to...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE 2: Re your comment on nutrient deficiency - if you look at the rest of the plant, it's fine. The fact that one stem shows some problems cannot mean deficiency, because the whole plant would carry a similar appearance. I recall your earlier question this year, and if I recall correctly, the plant had browning edges on quite a lot of leaves, not just one area. Presumably you increased watering and the problem resolved itself, apart from this one stem, although clearly, the topgrowth on that stem must have been fine and was in fact producing fruit, so a recovery occurred on that stem too - just not at the base. Once leaves have acquired dead, brown areas, these areas will not recover because those parts are dead. In the end, it's not whether a whole stem of something seems healthy - if the rest of the plant is healthy, and the top part of any single stem is growing healthily and fruiting, there clearly has been a problem, but the whole plant has recovered, despite dead or damaged areas. The most essential element, particularly for new and fruiting plants, is sufficient and frequent availability of water - its that which enables take up of nutrients as well as the obvious moisture it requires.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-07-27T11:00:35.210" LastActivityDate="2014-07-27T11:00:35.210" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13481" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13477" CreationDate="2014-07-23T16:45:25.967" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure it's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.luontoportti.com/suomi/en/kukkakasvit/shining-cranesbill&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Geranium Lucidum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, commonly called Shiny Geranium or Shining Cranesbill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's native to some parts of Europe, Asia and Africa, but classified as a noxious weed in various locations of the US, most particularly in the Pacific Northwest. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nwcb.wa.gov/detail.asp?weed=56&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This&lt;/a&gt; page by the Washington Noxious Weed Control Board has more info with a more in depth pdf of their findings from 2008 being found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nwcb.wa.gov/siteFiles/Geranium_lucidum.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It usually flowers in May/June around where I live, with seeds being readily transferable and commonly with a high viability. They like damp shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as control goes, young plants can be picked in the spring time before flowering or they can be chemically treated with either something like glyphosate or with something that targets broadleaf plants. I believe that general seed viability is in the 4-5 year range.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4664" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-24T00:04:23.483" LastActivityDate="2014-07-24T00:04:23.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13435" CreationDate="2014-07-23T18:13:43.523" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wow, what an awful weed! I've never had the pleasure of meeting this plant.  I am one of  these weirdos that hardly ever wear shoes!  You mentioned that your neighbors have plasticized and graveled their yards. One way to kill weeds is to solarize the ground and plants by covering with clear plastic for a few months. Then pull the plastic off and rake up all debris and seeds.  I loved Teresa's solution for the parties!  She must be incredibly popular to have everyone come over once a week for three years!! Perhaps you could have at least one party at the 'unveiling'...this is truly a neighborhood project as everyone is 'sharing' the seeds.  Please let us know what you have decided to do and how this turns out. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weekendgardener.net/organic-weed-killer/solarization-100710.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Solarization of soil&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="4664" LastEditDate="2014-07-24T01:48:41.373" LastActivityDate="2014-07-24T01:48:41.373" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13483" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13485" CreationDate="2014-07-23T18:40:09.760" Score="5" ViewCount="219" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got 3 Jersey blueberry shrubs planted in my greenhouse, in the ground.  They are 3' wide and 2' tall, producing berries nicely.  They'll be bigger in the years to come but this year I planted squash in the soil between them that are very healthy. The blueberries are showing signs of nutrient deficiency (rosy colored leaves) I'd like to lower the pH (it is 7 in this bed, the rest of my beds are 6.5) just around the blueberries themselves.  What would be some ways of doing this?  Can I use a very diluted amount of vinegar.  If I lower the pH to 6.5 just for this year will that be O.K.? What is a good compromise that satisfies both plants? What other vegetables enjoy acidic soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-07-23T21:45:44.443" Title="I want to lower the pH of my soil around my blueberries without changing the pH of the entire bed" Tags="&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13484" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13490" CreationDate="2014-07-23T20:32:32.567" Score="4" ViewCount="144" Body="&lt;p&gt;My context: I have a basil in a pot which is unfortunately not very big. I like to cook with basil and sometimes I cut some leafs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question: Is there a way to cut the leafs in order to maximize the regeneration of the plant? E.g. cut the buds or cut only half of the leafs...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6866" LastEditorUserId="4664" LastEditDate="2014-07-23T21:48:49.043" LastActivityDate="2014-07-24T15:39:27.350" Title="How to cut optimally the basil on my balcony?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13485" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13483" CreationDate="2014-07-23T21:45:44.443" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best way to decrease the pH of your soil is to add organic matter that the acid producing microbes like, though that also takes time. To increase the acidity in soil more quickly than that it's usually recommended that you add sulfur (elemental sulfur or a sulfate) or ammonium phosphate. Vinegar will change the pH, but it is a very short-lived benefit and you have to be careful that you don't overdo it. In particular, if you have water-starved plants and you add a lot of vinegar the plants will tend to suck up more vinegar than you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might try to incorporate a combination of things so that your short-term problems are addressed while still adding the sulfur that would feed for medium term and organics for the longer term. Exactly what you do would be determined by the type of sulfur you have available and also what organics you can use. Consult the fertilisers to see how long their uptake is to determine when to stop using vinegar. For organics, I usually just plan on 1 year before they start affecting my soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The concentration that I've seen around for vinegar is about 2 Tbsp per gallon of water when you water the plants, though you might want to go with a slightly weaker concentration initially. If you have a home tester for pH, even one that doesn't normally give you 'correct' results, it would be beneficial to test the soil just after watering with just water, then just after watering with the vinegar added the next time. You'll be looking for the change here in pH, not the absolute number, so most any tester that measures it at all would be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4664" LastActivityDate="2014-07-23T21:45:44.443" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13486" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5309" CreationDate="2014-07-23T23:24:31.657" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm now in a position where I can answer my somewhat old question. As anticipated, the Queensland Fruit Fly (Bactrocera tryoni) completely destroyed my fruit crops for two years in a row. I attempted to control this by using baited traps as well as foliage lure/poison sprays and while this probably controlled the population somewhat, in an urban setting you can't do anything about the fruit flies breeding in your neighbours trees then coming and destroying your own. It is clear to me that the only tenable control method in Sydney is to exclude the flies from the fruit with netting. This accords with the view of other more experienced backyard gardeners I've discussed this with in the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1580" LastActivityDate="2014-07-23T23:24:31.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13487" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-24T00:43:12.720" Score="5" ViewCount="655" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know the name of this plant? I live in North Georgia. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wfatQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6867" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-22T01:12:32.683" LastActivityDate="2019-09-03T13:37:22.877" Title="What is this plant with white bracts around the inflorescence?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13488" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-24T12:17:31.273" Score="4" ViewCount="380" Body="&lt;p&gt;My parents had two 40 year-old douglas firs in their garden in Berlin-area in Germany. One has died in a process of 3 years and has now been removed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It all started with some resin bleedings in 6 meters high 3 years ago. Then the needles got brown. This year the tree did not recover at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While removing the tree we found an insect and we are wondering whether they are the cause and what can be done to prevent the other tree from dying the same way (it has just started to bleed as well). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately we did not take a picture and so we can only a drawing to help identification. The insect measures 15mm long and 2mm large. It was all black and connected to its head it had a kind of shovel. Which might have been used to dig into the tree and making the wholes which lead to the bleeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n2mi9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;schwarz&quot; means black, whether it had 6 or more legs we are not sure anymore. Two of them had been kept in a box for about 4 week without dying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;EDIT&lt;/em&gt;: I got the information that the tree stopped growing already 5 years ago (no new top growth has been observed since, whereas the neighbor tree continued normally (up to now).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No black sap has been observed coming out of the wounds. Only clear resin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture of the sad moment (click for a full-size version), right is the still active tree now showing the same symptoms apart from the growing stop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FjPfm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FjPfmm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2014-07-26T07:51:25.337" LastActivityDate="2014-07-26T10:26:19.643" Title="What is this pest attacking and killing a douglas fir?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13489" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13488" CreationDate="2014-07-24T15:26:31.300" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;While the drawing you have uploaded doesn't match any Douglas Fir specific beetles I've been able to locate online, the damage you described sounds very much exactly like the kind of damage a bark beetle infestation would produce.  Beetles that attack trees generally lay eggs just under the bark, and their larvae will then eat their way through the living part of the tree, the cambium, until the damage becomes so great that the tree can no longer transport enough sap to all of its branches - and then the tree begins to die. The dying may take a few seasons to finalize. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the beetles do their damage under the bark, woodpeckers of various types will bore holes through the bark covering to get to the larvae under it, which is a large part of their natural diet.  The holes you were seeing may have been from the beetles, but if they were lined up in rows part the way up the tree trunk, they were more likely made by woodpeckers.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wish I could give you more information, but without actual pictures it is more difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of your parent's tree's death.  Plus, the types of bark beetles that are prevalent in Germany are likely different than those which attack Douglas Fir here in the states.  Even so, the damage is the same as is the result.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/resources/health/field-guide/bb/douglas.shtml&quot;&gt;a link to the type of beetle that most often infests Doug Fir&lt;/a&gt; here. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-07-24T15:26:31.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13490" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13484" CreationDate="2014-07-24T15:34:03.970" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;When we harvest basil, we usually take about half of the current top growth, then fertilize and wait for it to regrow before harvesting again. We can often get 3-4 cuttings from each plant this way during the season, and since we have several plants growing at one time, we can usually have a nice bunch of basil any time we like since we don't cut them all at once. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, it is true that when harvesting a perennial herb, you don't want to take more than 10-20 percent of the top growth at a time - but basil is an annual and by midsummer it is always trying to go to seed. Once the plant begins to flower, more energy goes towards the process of setting seed and much less into producing leaves, which is what you want it to do. Cutting basil back hard usually results in the plant going back into vegetative growth mode for a while, and staves off flowering for that much longer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't need that much basil at a time, then on the branches you do cut, cut them back by about half.  Be sure you leave some leaves to keep the plant going while it recovers.  If you do this all over the plant as you harvest for kitchen use, it will help the plant to stay in vegetative mode.  How often you do this depends entirely on how well your plant is growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-07-24T15:39:27.350" LastActivityDate="2014-07-24T15:39:27.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13493" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-25T04:59:20.737" Score="2" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm staying in an apartment which has no balcony (it's a single bedroom house). I want some flowers/houseplants which do not require much sunlight or space. Can some one suggest any plants? The temperature is fairly cool. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Updated: Can I get plants suggestions which is suitable for Indian climate where i don't get few plants which are mentioned in this &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1239/low-maintenance-plant-choices-for-apartment-indoor-living&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5727" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-08-03T01:31:43.253" Title="What are some good plant suggestions for a cool climate in an apartment?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="3" ClosedDate="2014-08-13T14:25:47.470" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13494" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-25T08:45:00.137" Score="4" ViewCount="369" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted around a month ago several small plants of cabbage, broccoli, kales, and arranged also a raised beds for herbs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Pests.&lt;/strong&gt; Lately, I noticed that most of the plants had been bitten, some of them almost destroyed. I took some measures to keep slugs away, having caught at night many slugs hanging around. &#xA;Now, it seems that slugs are not as numerous as before, but little holes still appear on the leaves. I uploaded some photos. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How to figure out what is attacking the plants? What should I try in order to get rid of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The big damages you see in the photo has been produced before the slugs were kept away, the little holes came up later. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2: Fungi.&lt;/strong&gt; Another strange issue is that this morning some clusters of fungi appeared on  top of the compost in my raised beds. Is that any good? Should I get rid of them? How?&#xA;It can be of help knowing that my beds are filled with cardboards at the bottom, a layer of prunings (mainly small tree branches) and hay, also there is some nettle and on the top some coffee-grounds have been crumbled now and then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q2eU2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Basil leaves&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zz4AD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Broccoli&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/stsSX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cabbage&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GmMDK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fungi&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/elSMP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fungi2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T18:11:07.280" Title="Cabbage and Broccoli Pests" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;&lt;cabbage&gt;&lt;slugs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13495" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13488" CreationDate="2014-07-25T09:35:18.440" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's likely that the beetle/s you saw are unrelated to the death of these Douglas firs - it's far more likely to be phytophthera ramorum infection, currently a spreading and big problem in Europe and the UK. As yet, I am not aware of any serious borer beetles, particularly not on softwood trees like fir, in Europe - Douglas Fir is susceptible to P. ramorum, there are many so affected in the UK, though the commonest victim so far is Japanese Larch. The symptoms you describe fit with phytophthera infection - lesions appear which exude or weep, often black exudate, sometimes clear and resinous in conifers, needles brown and die, branches die back as the infection spreads. Withered shoot tips occur, though if the infection started high up, you may not have noticed those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no idea whether P. ramorum is notifiable in Germany, it is in the UK, but the second affected tree should be removed as soon as possible and the wood disposed of safely to try to prevent further spread. There may be local advice about disposal if it is P. ramorum - as a point of interest, Larch forests have been and currently are being ripped out in various parts of the UK (and I believe other countries) to try to contain the spread, along with large areas of wild growing rhododendron, a host plant for phytophthera.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER: Plant death will occur, but the time that takes is variable - depends on size and susceptibility, and the fact that it may have been present for longer than the owner of a plant has realised, particularly on large trees. Once a diagnosis has been made, removal of plants is, or should be, prompt, without waiting for them to die on their own. Inspection of interior wood from a branch you've removed often reveals dark streaking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE 2: I don't suppose you still have any wood left from the previous tree, if it's been removed, which you could inspect for signs of infection. The pattern of its dying would certainly hint at phytophthera of some description (there's more than one variety), but if you want certainty, the inspection by and advice of a qualified tree surgeon or arboriculturalist should be sought. Unless you have some local service who might be interested - in the UK, that would be the Forestry Commission Pathology Disease Diagnosis Service, or directly to DEFRA. I imagine you must have some equivalent there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other possibility is simple canker which has set in for some reason - either way, the end result is the same, but its quite important to establish whether or not it's a case of phytophthera of some sort. If its P. ramorum, other shrubs in your parents' garden may well be at risk, and it's still a quarantine pathogen (I just checked). Interestingly, I discover it's now becoming a major problem in the USA, where it's more difficult to establish the cause because there, they have various borer beetles that we don't have in Europe (yet, at least) which may cause similar symptoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-07-26T10:26:19.643" LastActivityDate="2014-07-26T10:26:19.643" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13496" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13424" CreationDate="2014-07-25T13:23:49.247" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;From a fellow Brooklyn resident- A few of these are actually massive underground weeds whose root systems (some believe) span multiple city blocks in a single plant!  Throwing pesticide at something like that really only pollutes our back yards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our yard looked very similar to that 3 years ago, and the solution was simply a huge amount of manual labor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3475" LastEditorUserId="3475" LastEditDate="2014-07-25T23:42:10.650" LastActivityDate="2014-07-25T23:42:10.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13497" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13499" CreationDate="2014-07-25T18:01:57.450" Score="6" ViewCount="1227" Body="&lt;p&gt;+1 for manual pest control.  I just snipped these infected leaves off a butterfly flower plant growing in a bucket in the yard.  What are these? (besides now ashes)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uFr7o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Insects and ashes on underside of butterfly flower leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3475" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-07-03T21:14:18.667" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T21:14:18.667" Title="What are these insects laying eggs on the underside of this butterfly flower leaf?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13498" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9319" CreationDate="2014-07-25T18:29:01.870" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where you specifically noted your everbearing variety of berry, I think some of the previous answers are missing something important. While you won't get fruit a second time on the end of previous year's canes, you don't have to cut the canes to the ground after their fruiting season. There are some situations where it's pretty much a must, but that depends on your local climate and when you want next year's crop harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a July fruiting (note that it will not be as full of fruit as your Fall fruiting) you can cut back the canes to just below where they fruited in the previous Fall. The same cane will produce fruit its second year from below where fruit was produced in the first year. After that fruiting, cut the cane to within 2&quot; of the ground. This will delay your Fall fruiting by 1-2 weeks, so you have to be careful if you live in an area with early/cool/wet Fall seasons that it doesn't mean that you miss your Fall harvest due to things like fruit rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For more info, you can read &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/factsheets/PruningRaspberries.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; page by UConn Extension or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/how-grow-raspberries&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; article by Fine Gardening. The pruning-specific part of the Fine Gardening article is on page 4.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4664" LastActivityDate="2014-07-25T18:29:01.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13497" CreationDate="2014-07-25T18:54:21.317" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are aphids which are easily controlled with soap and water. Three applications of soap and water at five to seven day intervals should do the job.  They are quite variable in colour.  I have seen green, black and orange ones.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Adults can have wings and this is how they spread to other plants. Ants also farm them so controlling them may help as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a common garden pest, see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=aphid&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-07-25T18:54:21.317" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13500" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13497" CreationDate="2014-07-25T18:55:07.170" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;These look like some kind of aphids to me. It wouldn't hurt to check other nearby plants for these, especially if there are also ants (sometimes ants protect and 'farm' them).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6836" LastActivityDate="2014-07-25T18:55:07.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13501" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13494" CreationDate="2014-07-25T19:17:55.973" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fungus is just part of a healthy ecosystem.  I think it should be fine, but you can pull them if you choose.  They live on decaying material in the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bugs can be anything.  I would think slugs still, but it could be grasshoppers.  You didn't mention where you were located or the climate right now.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had the same problem with cabbage a few years ago, and it was the grasshoppers that were destroying them.  It was a very hot, dry summer.  Conditions that they love. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2353" LastActivityDate="2014-07-25T19:17:55.973" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13502" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13497" CreationDate="2014-07-25T22:06:03.960" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphis_nerii&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;milkweed aphids, &lt;em&gt;Aphis nerii&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. As kevinsky notes, these can be controlled with soap and water. Below I magnified your image to better view detail, and took a comparison photo from online:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your aphids:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HrF9D.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Someone else's aphids:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kOnAI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-25T22:06:03.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="167" CreationDate="2014-07-26T01:34:07.817" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some experience watering with grey-water collected directly from our household kitchen sink that I'd like to share. First, I'd like to comment that the bacteria from the grey-water should not be any more of an issue than worm, bird, insect or other feces that are a natural part of the soil content, so long at the fruits/veggies are adequately rinsed prior to consumption and no human feces, or otherwise toxic substances find their way into your grey water. In fact, we were pouring the soapy grey water directly onto out strawberry plants, and eating them without washing first, and never got sick from this, although I would not recommend it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To note: we are using Dr. Bronner's Castile Liquid Soap Concentrates.  At first we were hand washing all of our dishes, and we were capturing 100% of the soil rinsed/washed from the dishes as well as the soap, and pouring directly onto our plants. After about 10 days, 15% of our plants, including Great Basin Rye, Columbine and a several other varieties of plants began to succumb to the grey water/Dr. Bronner's Soap mixture. We also found a dead bumblebee in our grass for the first time. I'm not positive, but quite sure that it was due to the over-abundance of Dr. Bronner's soap in the grey-water, and the bee probably died due to its application to a blooming flower.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since discovering this, we now only collect grey-water by rinsing (no soap) dishes prior to placing in an efficient dish-washer. Then, we use this water (which contains plenty of food waste) to apply directly to our plants, and it's been working great.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will also want to be careful when rinsing oily pans into your grey-water bucket, as an over-abundance of these oils can also harm many plants.  If you are beginning to use grey-water to water your plants, please do so cautiously, while paying close attention to any changes in plant health, and if you notice any, immediately discontinue using grey-water and gently flush the plants in question with abundant fresh water (without drowning them) to help dilute the potentially plant-toxic mixture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grey water is a great way to offset water usage, and full grey-water systems with built in bio-remediators/filters that help break down the grey-water prior to being taken up by plants are wonderful, effective way to irrigate lawn-scapes and permaculture gardens, however hand-watering with grey-water, due to its direct nature, can be another story.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To keep it safe, avoid the use of soap and oil in your grey water collecting bucket, and avoid pouring on to blooming flowers, and you should be just fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6877" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-26T01:53:04.493" LastActivityDate="2014-07-26T01:53:04.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13504" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9319" CreationDate="2014-07-26T02:13:24.547" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got Primocane raspberries there.  Those produce on &lt;em&gt;this&lt;/em&gt; year's canes - as opposed to Floricanes which produce on the canes from last year.  Technically, there is no requirement to prune them back.  You could most definitely allow them to fruit next summer but I believe the general consensus is that Primocane-fruiting raspberries are chopped back to the ground.  Here in Virginia, I'd cut the Primocanes back in January and I'd cut them back to the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you choose &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; to prune those canes, you'll get some fruit on those canes next year but I don't think that's a common practice and it, frankly, complicates an otherwise simple raspberry growing experience.  I think Primocanes are a great choice for the home raspberry grower from the simplicity standpoint.   The raspberry canes grow and fruit in the same year then you wait until it's dormant and cut it back.  Next spring it'll send up new canes the process repeats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-07-26T02:13:24.547" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13505" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13522" CreationDate="2014-07-26T09:57:26.067" Score="8" ViewCount="5141" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm very new to this field, and these plants are all I have so far. A few days ago I bought them from IKEA and left them in the kitchen. My bad, I know and I apologize for it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I'd like to save these plants, if it is not too late. I've read that basil likes sun and, it is not so good for it to live in the indoor environment. I live in south Poland so I'll keep them outside of my kitchen window. I'll water them in mid-day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For now I don't know what to do in order to save them, so I have some questions:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Does the basil on the left side have any chances of survival? It doesn't seem likely, but there is still some green on the leaves.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The one from the right has some leaves with black spots. Should I remove them entirely or only the black spots?  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I live on the second floor of a big building. My apartment has windows facing east and west. Is it recommended to move the plant during the day in order to have more sun, or is it recommended to leave it in the same place?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cCVWt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my basil plants :(&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6878" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-28T05:36:26.087" LastActivityDate="2014-07-28T05:36:26.087" Title="Can I save this basil?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13506" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-26T10:28:48.770" Score="8" ViewCount="221" Body="&lt;p&gt;My grandpa lives in a retirement home. I visit him on every Friday, so after browsing on this site, I was thinking to buy a plant or two for his room. Do you have any recommendations? Which is the most recommended plant for a bed room in order to purify the air, which doesn't require too much care? Of course I can ask some of the nurses to water his plants. If the weekly schedule is not good maybe I can buy an automated system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He lives in South Poland and his room has a window to the west side. Because he is living in a retirement home, I don't think that climbing plants are a good choice. Can you recommend to me   the names of some plants that will filter his room air? I'm interested about filtration, because care problem can be solved (I think).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6878" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-28T01:05:15.990" LastActivityDate="2019-08-01T12:42:26.233" Title="What houseplants will best filter the air for a retirement home?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13506" CreationDate="2014-07-26T10:53:51.633" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are plants that improve air quality - some remove chemicals from the air, formaldehyde for example, but as for removing smells, I can't say I've noticed they're too good at that, though claims are made that some do. There is a list of 19 plants I know about from research done by NASA, but some of those have barbs or thorns, or are very fussy about their growing conditions, or have toxic sap or leaves, or get too large, so the following are ones I would recommend which are worth a try:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dracaena fragrans &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;English Ivy (Hedera helix varieties) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spathiphyllum (though this does require quite frequent watering) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Golden pothos (Epipremnum varieties)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All these tolerate low light conditions, although golden pothos, if it is variegated, does require some sunlight to keep its colour. Given your grandpa's room faces west, it's likely to get sun in the afternoons, and that should be fine. Spathiphyllum though, does best without direct sun, but likes a bright position.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should maybe check with his care home that they will allow you to place plants in his room first though - and that they're prepared to water once a week or more if you cannot visit yourself occasionally. Note that plants should not be left standing in water for longer than 30 minutes, so that means someone will need to check and empty any outer pot or tray of water after this time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to a request for a link to the NASA study - I found something else recently which sort of negates that, but here's the NASA results via Wikipedia  &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Clean_Air_Study&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Clean_Air_Study&lt;/a&gt;.  And here's the other thing I found recently regarding how effective (or not) plants actually are at cleaning the air in the average home &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardenmyths.com/garden-myth-born-plants-dont-purify-air/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardenmyths.com/garden-myth-born-plants-dont-purify-air/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2019-08-01T12:42:26.233" LastActivityDate="2019-08-01T12:42:26.233" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="13509" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13510" CreationDate="2014-07-26T15:59:31.513" Score="4" ViewCount="1064" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've slowly been bringing this tree back from some devastating summers 5 years ago where several large branches died.  I've been diligent about pruning and feeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For lack of a better description, the leaves now have holes along the edges, burn marks, and yellow spots that have &quot;hair-like&quot; growth on the underside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a type of apple tree that has had several large branches die or break several years ago and many small branches die. Years ago it would flower in the spring but it hasn't flowered in at least 4 years since it had all the damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We live outside New York City on Long Island if that matters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/hMj5f#0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; are some pictures in addition to the photo below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/71zsB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6880" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2014-08-04T02:44:48.857" LastActivityDate="2014-08-04T02:44:48.857" Title="What is causing yellow spots with 'hair growth' on the underside of the leaves on my tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13510" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13509" CreationDate="2014-07-26T21:56:21.280" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe you might be dealing with Apple Rust disease. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hort.uconn.edu/ipm/homegrnd/htms/20aprust.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Apple Rust Disease&lt;/a&gt; Please read this link and let us know if this sounds correct.  This link also has species vulnerability notes and what to spray with to prevent this disease.  I don't think there is anything to 'cure' it now.  The host plant are junipers...have any nearby?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="6880" LastEditDate="2014-07-27T14:24:14.357" LastActivityDate="2014-07-27T14:24:14.357" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13511" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13514" CreationDate="2014-07-27T08:23:16.183" Score="7" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;When potatoes are exposed to the sun they turn green and become toxic. I wanted to try to chit a potato tuber but I'm scared that when it turns green I will end up harvesting green tubers as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6881" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-07-27T13:38:55.787" LastActivityDate="2014-07-27T16:06:00.773" Title="Should I still continue to plant a potato that turned green?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13512" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13487" CreationDate="2014-07-27T11:45:57.053" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.abnativeplants.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantdetail&amp;amp;plant_id=72&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Short Toothed Mountain Mint, &lt;em&gt;Pycnanthemum muticum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AdcaO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CJepa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture from my yard&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6882" LastEditorUserId="6882" LastEditDate="2014-07-28T13:24:43.657" LastActivityDate="2014-07-28T13:24:43.657" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13513" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-27T14:29:24.837" Score="3" ViewCount="1300" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_reflexa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Song of India (&lt;em&gt;Dracaena reflexa&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; has brown spots but I certainly am NOT overwatering it. It has 2 hours of direct sun and 10 hours of artificial lighting. I water it about every 9 days, or when the soil is 2&quot; dry to the touch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6883" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-27T17:32:15.413" LastActivityDate="2016-01-31T01:45:37.977" Title="What would be the symptoms of a Song of India plant with too little water?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13514" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13511" CreationDate="2014-07-27T16:06:00.773" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Potato tubers turn green as a response to sun exposure to help protect themselves from being eaten so they can reproduce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant it and it will proceed naturally to do what was intended, grow a new plant and shrivel up as it delivers the stored energy to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep the ground mulched under the plant so no new tubers are exposed to the sun and all the new tubers will be their natural, non-sun exposed selves in whatever color the variety produces, ready to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2014-07-27T16:06:00.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13515" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13513" CreationDate="2014-07-27T17:25:46.903" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chances are very good that it has been over watered in the past or is currently getting too much water.  Check this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/9002/499&quot;&gt;question and answer&lt;/a&gt; for more details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Song of India has moved around in its classification from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleomele_(genus)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pleomele&lt;/a&gt; to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_reflexa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dracaena genus&lt;/a&gt;.  All the Dracaena have thick fleshy roots and are able to withstand dry situations. In an indoor location it needs bright filtered light. You may think the 10 hours a day of artificial lighting is sufficient but without a light meter it is hard to tell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The symptoms of too little water would be the leaves lying flat against the stem and the entire leaf gradually turning brown and papery from the bottom of the stem up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spotting on the leaves is usually an opportunistic fungus/bacteria. The telltale identification of fungal action is the centre of initial spot is lighter than the periphery and the spot spreads out.  This is the growth pattern of the fungus at work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Increase the light levels and intensity and decrease the watering. Fertilize very lightly every other watering and the plant should be able to outgrow the fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you have new growth you can remove the diseased leaves. Also remove any dead leaves from the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-07-27T18:17:47.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13516" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16191" CreationDate="2014-07-27T20:37:08.253" Score="8" ViewCount="6354" Body="&lt;p&gt;The front yard of my New Mexico (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-new-mexico-usda-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;USDA zone&lt;/a&gt; 7a) house has a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarix_ramosissima&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;salt cedar &lt;em&gt;(Tamarix ramosissima)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, which is growing like a huge bush. Its salt uptake appears to be preventing anything else in the vicinity from growing. I would like to kill it so that other things can grow in the front yard, and also so I can replace it with a large fruit-bearing shade tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut it down to a stump this spring, but to my horror, while I was puzzling over what to do after that, it has grown back to its full 6-foot-tall size by now. I am amazed by its growth!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people recommend drilling the stump and dumping glyphosate into the holes. Other people recommend burning out the stump and roots. What would work? For stumps in general, and for an incredibly tenacious salt cedar in particular?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-28T03:48:43.030" LastActivityDate="2015-01-26T23:08:42.107" Title="How do I kill this salt cedar?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13517" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13521" CreationDate="2014-07-27T23:47:12.257" Score="4" ViewCount="3303" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got this bush and I'd like to get a few more but I'm not sure what it's called. It has white flowers in early June. I'm in Colorado and it gets full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CGOv8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H0Nl8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5668" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-28T04:33:02.577" LastActivityDate="2014-07-28T04:46:05.497" Title="What is this shrub in Colorado with white flowers and closely spaced small ovate leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13518" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13516" CreationDate="2014-07-28T00:57:58.737" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Firstly, you will probably want to cut the plant off at stump level again. I don't think burning stumps is very effective, or practical. I usually remove the crown, and kill the roots, but there are options.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I deal with this type of thing, I find that I get great results (but use a lot of energy) using a stump grinder and some full-strength glyphosate. (Note: you shouldn't 'dump' herbicides on stumps. The chemicals are toxic to the environment, and should only be used when called for, and then used as sparingly as possible, only treating where necessary.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I grind the stump out, dig and remove the chips, drill holes in all the roots larger than 1 1/2 in., and fill with &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B007XZ90QA&quot;&gt;50% glyphosate&lt;/a&gt;. I then (optional) plug the holes with tight-fitting twigs, to minimize soil contamination. Then I put a thick layer of brown corrugated cardboard over the area (just in case) and refill with topsoil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you cannot use a stump grinder, and aren't apposed to some physical work, I would dig around the stump, to a level below the crown, and chop it off at the roots (I use an axe). The rest follows as above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't mind the stump, you can treat with glyphosate and cover with 6-8 mil black contractors plastic. I usually cover that with a mulch, for appearance, but that isn't necessary. If you treat with roundup, the stump will die within a couple months, and don't forget to remove the layer of plastic. You can also leave out the glyphosate, but in that case, the stump may remain alive for more than a season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the stump is dead, you can remove the plastic and cover with organic mulch. This will aid in decomposition (which can take quite a while in salt cedars). Drilling holes in the stump, and applying organic nitrogen also help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option is to spray roundup (not concentrate) on the foliage before cutting, wait until there is complete death, and cut to a stump. The plant, if it regrows, will be very weak. You can put plastic on he stump to stop emergence. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-28T00:57:58.737" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13519" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13520" CreationDate="2014-07-28T02:55:33.640" Score="12" ViewCount="51337" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in southern Illinois, and earlier today I noticed this small red fruit in my yard. It looks kind of like a strawberry, but it's the size of a small raspberry (about 1/4 inches in diameter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2RSlP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Small red fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any idea what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-28T03:50:35.030" LastActivityDate="2018-05-23T00:25:39.863" Title="What is this tiny strawberry-like fruit found in a Southern Illinois lawn?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13519" CreationDate="2014-07-28T03:04:06.433" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_strawberry&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mock Strawberry, &lt;em&gt;Duchesnea indica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. The fruits are edible, but rather tasteless. This is a common weed in much of the United States. Look for small, strawberry-like plants in your lawn, with long stolons connecting the individual crowns. These plants have five petaled yellow flowers. See comparison photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SxNeW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tysym.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k9yHu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-28T03:18:05.330" LastActivityDate="2014-07-28T03:18:05.330" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13517" CreationDate="2014-07-28T04:46:05.497" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;At this point, my guess is some kind of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiraea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Spirea&lt;/a&gt;. This extremely variable genus has some plants with a very similar growth habit, inflorescence, bloom time, leaf shape, and leaf placement of your shrub. If the shrub looked similar to the one pictured below when in bloom, you have a spirea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eXqR1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-28T04:46:05.497" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13505" CreationDate="2014-07-28T05:35:37.740" Score="7" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Does the basil on the left side have any chances of survival? It doesn't seem likely, but there is still some green on the leaves.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant on the left side is too far gone. It will never fully recover, and should be disposed of. The plant looks like it either took some cold, or got basil fusarium wilt. I think the latter is unlikely, but I'd keep that plant away from the other, just in case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol start=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;The one from the right has some leaves with black spots. Should I remove them entirely or only the black spots?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is probably cold damage. There is a slight chance that the spots are infected, so to be safe, remove the leaves with black spots, or if the spotting is all at the end, you can cut the spots off and leave a portion of leaf on the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol start=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;I live on the second floor of a big building. My apartment has windows facing east and west. Is it recommended to move the plan during the day in order to have more sun, or is it recommended to leave it in the same place?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basil likes as much sun as it can get, especially indoors (and even more especially in Poland). It will benefit the plants if you can move them to whichever window has the most light at the time, but be gentle. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant looks fairly healthy, but there are some good points to know, for a beginner trying to grow herbs indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do not overwater. This is probably the number one reason indoor herbs fail. Indoors, the plants don't grow as fast, and the potting mix doesn't dry out as fast. water only when the top layer of mix dries out, becoming several shades lighter in color.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Provide as much light as possible. Move to the sunniest windows whenever possible. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gas ranges can put fumes into the air which will kill plants. Be aware that even if you can't smell the fumes, they can still kill plants. If you have a gas range, keep the plants as far from it as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Basil likes humidity, so spraying with pure water now and then will benefit the plant, while cleaning off the accumulated dust. Air conditioning will cause a loss of vigor, and maybe eventual death.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The temperature matters to basil. The warmer the better, indoors. As long as it stays above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, they should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are links to more information on this subject which may be helpful in your case:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/11309/starting-growing-herbs-inside-is-there-anything-i-should-worry-about&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Starting growing herbs inside, is there anything I should worry about?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/453/how-do-i-help-my-kitchen-window-herb-garden-thrive?rq=1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How do I help my kitchen window herb garden thrive?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2249/how-long-will-my-basil-plants-live-inside?rq=1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How long will my basil plants live inside?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3478/how-can-i-grow-herbs-in-my-kitchen?rq=1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How can I grow herbs in my kitchen?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-07-28T05:35:37.740" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13523" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13516" CreationDate="2014-07-29T03:04:29.003" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a bit confused.  I'm pretty sure that the Salt Cedar or Tamarisk chinensis and that no other plant (that I know) 'eats salt' and most plants do poorly with any salt in their environment.  This plant is one of the few plants that can thrive in salty soils!! It's only problem is that it can have aggressive roots, proliferates and is pushing out native species, because it is so very hardy and very little competition. Spring through summer flowering period, sounds like a dream of a tree in an environment I imagine is pretty tough? Or do you have an oasis where you live?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-07-29T03:04:29.003" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7413" CreationDate="2014-07-29T05:31:34.180" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;the soap really harm plants, but actually if you will make soap out from the wood ash, it will never harm the plants and it can kill pests that are destroying your plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;for now, that's our investigatory project... but as soon as it will be finished, I will share it to you guys! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6885" LastActivityDate="2014-07-29T05:31:34.180" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13527" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13528" CreationDate="2014-07-29T19:27:38.237" Score="3" ViewCount="5761" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GkGjb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ClNGD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Besides the random yellowing and dropping off of leaves and buds, the plant is otherwise putting out new buds and flowers pretty well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What might be causing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is in partial shade (3-4 hours of full direct sun, partial otherwise) and is watered every day. I fertilized and added some new soil few weeks ago, but have been noticing this problem since before that event.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The picture showing the 3 flowers was taken a couple weeks ago, and the other one yesterday.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="474" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-07-29T20:19:57.570" LastActivityDate="2014-07-29T22:30:59.173" Title="Why are my hibiscus buds &amp; leaves randomly turning yellow and dropping off?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13527" CreationDate="2014-07-29T19:45:47.197" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two possibilities:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;too dry, causing bud drop.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spider mites.  You can check on the underside of the leaves for small dots like grains of salt.  If they are found then apply a spray of 5 ml dish soap to 1 litre of water three times at five to seven day intervals.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: by spraying at these intervals you catch the next generation of spider mites as they hatch from eggs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest increasing your watering as potted outdoor plants dry out easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-07-29T22:30:59.173" LastActivityDate="2014-07-29T22:30:59.173" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13529" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13527" CreationDate="2014-07-29T20:44:43.833" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;How are you watering?  You should water your plant slowly and deeply until water begins to run out of the bottom of the pot.  If you water by just sprinkling a little on the top every day, then the root ball will eventually become dry and &quot;case hardened&quot; and the water will not soak in properly. This is especially a problem in hot, dry climates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are concerned that this may be part of the problem, then the way to treat that is to put the pot into a larger tub or a deep tray and keep adding water to the tub or tray until the top of the pot has soaked up enough to become saturated.  Afterwards, let the plant drain, and from then on make sure you water it enough to keep the entire root ball moist.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-07-29T20:44:43.833" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13530" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13531" CreationDate="2014-07-29T21:15:20.050" Score="7" ViewCount="878" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can easily get my hands on horse manure from bedding locally. I might be able to collect the pure one with a little bit of patience (I don't need large quantities).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering whether I should prefer the one or the other? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a difference regarding composting time having in mind that the pure one is right the result of horses eating fresh stuff on the meadow and the bedding one is mixed up with straw? - Straw which, according to local people, will take ages to compost because it has been treated with fungicides (and other evil stuff) during its growth and this will inhibit the composting process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-07-30T04:15:41.710" LastActivityDate="2014-10-25T23:35:55.173" Title="What is the difference between pure horse manure and bedding manure?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13531" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13530" CreationDate="2014-07-30T02:39:09.933" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hmm... well, I don't know the particulars about the straw bedding you've got there but I can tell you the experience here on our farm and what I know about composting horse manure, having done it for the past 10 years or so.  We also compost rabbit, chicken and goat manures here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Horse manure definitely needs to be composted.  A horse's digestive system is pretty simple and weed seeds &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; survive it, though I honestly don't see a lot of weeds germinating in our horse and donkey manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The manure itself has a good carbon to nitrogen ratio and composts well on its own. Left to its own, it breaks down really well without much other than keeping it moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bedding will generally increase the carbon part of the equation and require additional nitrogen source.  We sometimes add grasses, chicken manure (which is really &quot;hot&quot;, meaning it's got a high nitrogen content and definitely needs to be composted) and kitchen scraps to it to boost the nitrogen.  Anytime I've got manures mixed with bedding - wood shavings, sawdust or straw, I always ensure that I add a lot of nitrogen to help things move along more quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can do the lazy composting method - no turning, relying on more anaerobic composting and it'll take longer for both the manure by itself and the manure/bedding to break down or you can engage in what I call my &quot;farm workout&quot; by turning the pile to introduce oxygen into the pile and it'll be aerobic and typically break down faster - that's been my experience.  Keeping it moist and turning it often - weekly or a couple times a month might be fine - will speed things up in both cases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moisture helps to encourage the decomposition process.  If it dries out, it takes longer, particularly with the bedding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think my local source of straw uses fungicides and it breaks down reasonably fast.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I try to get my compost bins and piles to contain at least a cubic yard of material as that tends to encourage things to heat up more quickly  but it isn't always possible.  I'd shoot for something in that quantity (or more!) and see how that bedding breaks down.  You might be surprised to see that it does so quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-07-30T02:39:09.933" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13532" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1668" CreationDate="2014-07-30T12:40:06.167" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Corsican mint but you would have to water it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2014-07-30T12:40:06.167" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13534" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-30T20:09:27.537" Score="2" ViewCount="218" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did not find any information on the web about this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am currently thinking about protecting the soil of several pots on my west Germany southside balcony before the sun and any kind of stranger plant or vermins with a layer of low-nutrient soil, and topping it with a layer of Stone or Granite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The idea roots back to an earlier idea in spring, when I used this technique to maximize solar radiation on my Tomato and Chili freshmen (this idea itself is based on my Computer Graphics / Illumination interest).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am just beginning with my adventures in gardening, so experience with this experimentation is pretty low, and I wonder if anyone has tried this out, too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I've found out is that you can pour faster, as the mass of the stones will decelerate and spread the falling water enough, such that it does not nuzzle up the soil so much anymore. But this question is more about the protection part of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3363" LastActivityDate="2014-07-31T00:50:24.273" Title="Protecting the soil with a layer of Granite or Stone" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;protection&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13535" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-30T20:28:17.410" Score="3" ViewCount="141" Body="&lt;p&gt;How can I maximize solar radiation for sun lovers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, in central Germany, you'll have some summers that won't have a lot of sun and/or heat, yet you want big peppers and good grapes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3363" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-03T03:46:30.800" LastActivityDate="2014-08-07T00:15:21.320" Title="What are the most effective ways to maximize solar radiation?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;heat&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13536" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13534" CreationDate="2014-07-30T20:50:06.870" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't see that the layer of low nutrient soil will help much, but crushed rock can be beneficial. I have used them in a 3&quot; layer on larger pots, with good results. The biggest problem with it is repotting, but that is only a minor nuisance.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've found the same thing regarding watering. Rocks also keep the plants cleaner, by minimizing soil splashing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-07-30T20:50:06.870" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13538" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13534" CreationDate="2014-07-31T00:50:24.273" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another programmer/gardener here. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard what you're describing referred to as &quot;non-organic mulch.&quot;  It doesn't decompose and enrich the soil the way organic mulch would, but that also means it's lower maintenance.  Like organic mulch, it can help retain soil moisture and reduce wind-blown dust.  It also helps keep small animals from digging in container plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6898" LastActivityDate="2014-07-31T00:50:24.273" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13539" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13552" CreationDate="2014-07-31T04:12:23.993" Score="5" ViewCount="407" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was thinking about growing &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_beet&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sugar beets&lt;/a&gt; on my London roof terrace, so I was wondering what temperature it needs. I also have access to a greenhouse should it be necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6786" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-23T17:50:46.010" LastActivityDate="2016-10-23T17:50:46.010" Title="What are the optimal growing conditions for sugar beet?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13540" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-31T04:20:40.273" Score="4" ViewCount="178" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am eying some of the fox grapes that volunteer in my yard as a solution for a brick &amp;amp; wood south wall that heats the house up a little too much in the summer. The intention would be to shade the 1st story brick, running vines near the top of the brick. The 2nd story wood siding is already mostly shaded by a 2 foot roof overhang.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How far from the wood would I need to keep the vines &amp;amp; their trellis (or thin arbor) to avoid creating pest &amp;amp; moisture problems? I live in southeast Michigan.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6900" LastEditorUserId="6900" LastEditDate="2014-08-01T02:58:06.670" LastActivityDate="2014-08-01T21:30:00.567" Title="What is a good distance to keep grapevines from the house when using them for shading?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13541" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="162" CreationDate="2014-07-31T04:26:30.663" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many sources of desert-adapted heirloom seeds.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nativeseeds.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Native Seeds/SEARCH&lt;/a&gt; just happens to be the one I'm familiar with in southern Arizona.  My goal is for everything in my dirt patch in Tucson to be edible!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can grow peppers, of course.  Tomato varieties with small leaves.  Squash, beans, and corn.  The Tohono O'odham have a bean called the tepary that is one of the most drought-tolerant crops in the world.  There are desert-adapted varieties of wheat, like Sonoran White.  And don't forget edible native vegetation.  As mentioned in another answer, you can eat parts of many cacti.  You can also eat the seeds of palo verdes, either steamed like edamame or cooked like beans after they dry out.  You can eat the entire seed pod of certain varieties of mesquite.  Many non-native fruit trees also do well in the desert.  There are even rumors of avocado trees surviving in Phoenix!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6898" LastActivityDate="2014-07-31T04:26:30.663" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13543" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13544" CreationDate="2014-07-31T07:36:52.693" Score="5" ViewCount="4673" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a couple of these bushes next to my house. I tried to identify them, but can't find them. Leaves are elongated, alternating and unlobed. They are ever so slightly serrated. You can see that a little in the second picture. The berries are almost black when ripe, or red when not. The shrub is located in Germany.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QqUvE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shrub with berries&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I2SpY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6902" LastActivityDate="2018-02-24T00:36:22.873" Title="What kind of shrub or bush is this, black berries, elongated leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13544" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13543" CreationDate="2014-07-31T10:57:19.403" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The shrub is definitely a Prunus and I'm trying to decide whether its Prunus lusitanica or P. laurocerasus - the leaves seem a little too narrow for the latter, unless this is a small variety such as 'Otto Luyken', which I can't tell from the photo. The berries do dangle in this way, and they are red to start with, turning black when ripe. The leaves on this plant are toxic, but the berries not so much, though they are not at all pleasant to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-07-31T10:57:19.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13545" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-07-31T15:34:34.953" Score="4" ViewCount="264" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was told it was an almond tree, but after looking almond trees up, I don't think that's what it is. The green drupes turn yellowish/brownish and partially split open and drop. When I open them, there are 2 seed cavities that contain black smooth seeds. And they aren't shaped like almonds either. I would appreciate any help you can give. Apparently the tree was given as a gift to my landlords several years ago and they were told it was an almond tree. It's about 8 ft. tall.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B8Hyn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6905" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-03T03:50:22.383" LastActivityDate="2014-08-03T03:50:22.383" Title="What is this tree with alternate leaves, and large green fruits?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13546" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-01T11:42:20.827" Score="8" ViewCount="2280" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking it could be Chamomile, but I'm not quite sure. This was found in Washington. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/irMuZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;???&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6909" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-02T15:30:58.130" LastActivityDate="2014-09-02T15:30:58.130" Title="What type of plant is this? It looks like Chamomile" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13547" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13546" CreationDate="2014-08-01T13:55:56.450" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pacific Northwest, it's either Mayweed Chamomile, or Pineapple Chamomile, both members of the fennel family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As kids, we'd pull the flower heads off and chew on them for the flavor. We grew up with the Mayweed variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery-weeds/feature_articles/mayweed_pineapple/anthemis_cotula_vs_matricaria_matricarioidies.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;OSU Identification - Mayweed &amp;amp; Mountain Pineapple&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-08-02T01:49:09.437" LastActivityDate="2014-08-02T01:49:09.437" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13546" CreationDate="2014-08-01T14:07:46.280" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your picture is blurred but looks like &lt;em&gt;Chamaemelum nobile&lt;/em&gt; (L.) All. from &lt;em&gt;Asteraceae&lt;/em&gt; family. It can grow on poor soils and the flowering time is between june and july (maybe september on cold places) on the northen hemisphere.  If your picture was taken recently... you have a positive match!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;References:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botanicayjardines.com/chamaemelum-nobile/&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chamaemelum nobile&lt;/em&gt; (L.) All.&lt;/a&gt; (Spanish)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b144&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chamaemelum nobile&lt;/em&gt; (L.) All.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastActivityDate="2014-08-01T14:07:46.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13549" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13550" CreationDate="2014-08-01T16:16:47.473" Score="6" ViewCount="2152" Body="&lt;p&gt;I inherited a plum tree in my garden. I haven't yet been able to get a healthy looking plum from it. All the plums that turn to a ripe purple colour seem to have the following problem - &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pVrZV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Problem Plums&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify the problem and what I need to do to prevent it? I have just gone and removed all the plums left on the tree that are showing these symptoms. I've still got a good crop left and would love to get some healthy ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6912" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-03T03:48:41.997" LastActivityDate="2014-08-15T10:17:27.677" Title="What is causing the rotting/brown spots on my plum fruit?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13550" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13549" CreationDate="2014-08-01T16:29:36.273" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like &lt;em&gt;Monilinia laxa&lt;/em&gt; but it can be &lt;em&gt;M. fructicola&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;M. fructigena&lt;/em&gt; (all from fungi kingdom).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why I opted for &lt;em&gt;M. laxa&lt;/em&gt;?:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Because the gummy secretions in your picture.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;By geographical location.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not familiar with the common english names of diseases... but I have been reading about &quot;brown rot&quot; quoted by Bamboo in her &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/13551/6910&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; and basically there are two variants: european (M. laxa) and american (M. fructicola). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bamboo also comments the following in her answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This is commonly known as brown rot in the UK, and is pretty common -&#xA;  sets in usually as a secondary infection following damage to the&#xA;  fruits, usually from plum moth or birds pecking at them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That makes sense because &lt;em&gt;M. laxa&lt;/em&gt; affects mostly the fruits with damaged tissues but it is not a must because it can also be established on flowers. Either way, you can be sure that the powdery circles are caused by the fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Disease control:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove all infected parts from tree and ground and burn them in a suitable place.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use fungicides when first petals falls and/or in summer to protect the fruit. Please, contact a local professional who can help you with the right products.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoid intensive cultural practices.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoid nutritional imbalances.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-08-05T16:17:13.853" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13551" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13549" CreationDate="2014-08-01T18:17:00.297" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you're not in the States, you won't have a 'phytosanitary seller'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is commonly known as brown rot in the UK, and is pretty common - sets in usually as a secondary infection following damage to the fruits, usually from plum moth or birds pecking at them. Select one of the less affected fruits, cut it in half and see if you can find a sort of tunnel with bits of brown excrement, and if you're really lucky, you'll see a little pink larvae in there, towards the centre. If you do find that, its plum moth, and you need to use a pheromone trap for next year, and spray at certain times. The RHS has a page on plum moth which tells you when to spray and what with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other causes of brown rot are too many fruits all touching one another in damp weather, but unless you're in a wet region, this year, that won't be the cause because of the hot weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO COMMENTS:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No criticism of your language intended ondoteam, I thought you were speaking about some local authority to contact - I understand now you are talking about using a fungicidal treatment/spray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Duncan Morris; to reiterate, this infection is common, and there is no treatment once it's taken hold. To avoid this problem in future years, establish what has caused the original damage to the fruits to allow this secondary infection to set in - as this summer has been hot and dry, the cause won't be damp weather, which may, in some years, cause this trouble, but rarely. My money's on Plum Moth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER 6/8/14 - You've confirmed you think Plum Moth is an issue - you'll need to take action next year or you'll end up with no plums again. Get a pheremone trap appropriate for Plum Moth, hang it in the tree at the indicated time (see packaging). You'll also need to spray (Bayer Sprayday greenfly Killer or Westland Plant Rescue Fruit and Veg Bugkiller) beginning to end of June I think, check instructions on the pack. The pheremone trap might be enough to protect most of the fruits if you have only one plum tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE 2 15th August: I appear to have been downvoted on this answer, but given the answer is entirely accurate, I'm somewhat puzzled as to why, so will whoever marked it down please give an explanation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-15T10:17:27.677" LastActivityDate="2014-08-15T10:17:27.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13552" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13539" CreationDate="2014-08-01T21:05:13.023" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In regard to the temperature requirements of sugar beets&lt;/strong&gt;, they prefer an even 65°-80° Fahrenheit (warmer daytime temp) for the first 90 days of growth, at which point the roots begin to swell, and the plant will prefer to stay within 5° on either side of 75° Fahrenheit daytime temps, and the same for a 45° nighttime temp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for other optimal conditions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil pH&lt;/strong&gt; - Test your soil. The pH should read between 6.5 &amp;amp; 6.8. Sugar beets will produce poorly under that level, so if your soil reads lower than 6.5, apply lime.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Water&lt;/strong&gt; -  Sugar beets need at least 16&quot; of rain to mature, but more is better. I have used about 35&quot; over the entire season (counting rain) with success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fertilizer&lt;/strong&gt; - These are heavy feeders. Give them plenty of nitrogen, in a balanced fertilizer, all season for the largest roots and highest sucrose levels.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil Type&lt;/strong&gt; - They are adaptive, but do best in a sandy loam with a high organic matter content. It must be water retentive but free draining. I have grown them successfully in a range of soils, but still recommend sandy loam, even over bagged mix (no soil).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Other points of interest:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sugar beets can take 100-180 days from seed to maturity, depending on conditions and variety. Some may take only 90.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In limited root space, go with a smaller beet. They take less space and mature faster, too!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Watch for weeds, which are the first reason for failure at first attempts on growing this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I've noted that there is almost zero pest/disease problems when grown under close to ideal conditions, but watch for slugs, flea beetles, earwigs, and the like.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References/Further reading:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.southernstates.com/index.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Southern States&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.southernstates.com/articles/growing-sugar-beets.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.southernstates.com/articles/growing-sugar-beets.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.purdue.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Purdue University&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/sugarbeet.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/sugarbeet.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_beet&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_beet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://heartlandoutdoors.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Heartland Outdoors&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.heartlandoutdoors.com/food_plotting/story/up_for_a_challenge_grow_sugar_beets/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.heartlandoutdoors.com/food_plotting/story/up_for_a_challenge_grow_sugar_beets/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.qdma.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;QDMA&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.qdma.com/articles/food-plot-species-profile-sugar-beets&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.qdma.com/articles/food-plot-species-profile-sugar-beets&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-02T02:14:49.147" LastActivityDate="2014-08-02T02:14:49.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13553" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13540" CreationDate="2014-08-01T21:30:00.567" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grape vines climb by tendrils, and won't cling to a normal brick wall. If the wall is facing south(east/west), and getting full/almost full sun, you can put the vines right up against the wall. They won't damage it, or hold in moisture, like some vines do, because they are less dense, and can't cling to brick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They will grow over the trellis, and extend out into the air up to 6' from the trellis. The vines could also possibly extend up to 8 feet up the wall, using that as a support, before that shoot falls. I would say end the trellis 3' below the wood, and you should be fine. there may be an occasional shoot that finds a foothold in the wood, but that won't cause any problem the first year, and you can do a yearly trim with a stepladder. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing about grapevines is their tendency to look messy if you don't prune regularly. As a substitute, you could plant hops, which do not cling to walls, and dies down to the ground in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-01T21:30:00.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13545" CreationDate="2014-08-01T21:44:44.620" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without further information, I'll guess Ficus. Here's why:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leaf venation matches&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leaves are alternate&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Large fruit with multiple seeds&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;8' height works with many ficus&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Slight pubescence &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leaf shape matches&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This isn't a confirmatory answer, but an educated guess. If more information is provide, a more solid answer can be made.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-01T21:44:44.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13555" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13564" CreationDate="2014-08-02T00:47:18.587" Score="3" ViewCount="878" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a house and have found this plant in a hanging basket in the back yard.  Can anyone identify it for me?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gnW0p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hanging plant&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MiOor.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of stem&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yVBJR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of top&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6918" LastEditorUserId="6918" LastEditDate="2014-08-02T17:38:52.703" LastActivityDate="2014-08-03T03:53:42.923" Title="What kind of plant is this with a single, tall stem and alternate, carrot-like leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9143" CreationDate="2014-08-02T02:00:25.777" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I currently live in a condominium (on the second floor!).  I own about a dozen citrus of different varieties, most small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some live indoors and some live outside on my patio (except for really hard winter nights when I bring everything in).  Here are some observations (sorry about length):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Light-stressed citrus tend to compensate by growing very large leaves.  Leaves budded after they are moved to a higher-light environment will be normal-sized.  However, the larger leaves will (generally) stick around for a while.  This can lead to a moderately uneven appearance, if you're concerned about that sort of thing.  The lifespan of an individual leaf on a citrus tree seems to be about a year and a half.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have some outdoor space available (like a patio), it will be much better for the citrus than almost anyplace you can put them indoors.  You mention you have an apartment balcony; I would describe my balcony as &quot;full shade&quot; (it faces northeast and is surrounded by taller trees), but my citrus aren't showing signs of light stress (see (2)).  They just aren't producing much fruit.  On the other hand, my indoor citrus are definitely light-stressed, and the larger ones were when they were indoors over the winter - even though I had them under a light!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Container growing has some surprising advantages for citrus.  Most notably, you can bring container citrus indoors if you have a cold night, and you can isolate plants which develop pest problems if you catch them early.  So you're not at as much of a disadvantage as you might think.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Transitioning citrus, especially really young ones, from a shaded balcony to a sunny field requires a bit of care - otherwise the trees will drop their leaves and grow new ones better suited to the new light conditions.  This doesn't really harm the tree in the long run, but can cause it to lose young fruit and may cause you to lose sleep as well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different varieties of citrus, and even different specimens of a given variety, have different tolerances for low light.  I have a few Meyer lemons and they are rather displeased when they don't have sun.  At the other end of the spectrum, I have a Kieffer lime which has doubled in size in the last few months, after first doubling in size in the several months before that.  Obviously my Seattle abode reminds it of its native tropics (?!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, everything I have has grown at least somewhat.  My largest, which I brought home from the nursery in the back of my little car, are now too large to fit back in through my patio door.  (That'll be fun come winter.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So IMO, if you're getting reasonably-sized starters and you're willing to fertilize them a little, you should be less concerned about whether they'll be stunted than how you're going to transport them to a new home in three years - you can't really throw a tree in the back of a moving truck without some risk to its structural integrity...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6917" LastActivityDate="2014-08-02T02:00:25.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13557" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4083" CreationDate="2014-08-02T13:40:16.253" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a very similar problem with beetles 5 years ago with my grape vine.  I eventually cut it down because the Japanese beetles would eat every last leaf and it was ugly.  Anyhow shortly after I cut it down I noticed that I had them in my organic vegetable garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I decided to try a product called Milky Spore.  It worked!  It's only one application for life.  It is definitely something you should look into.  It is very safe to use in my organic garden.  I now have grapes growing beautifully and the leaves are all in tact!  Japanese beetles are different but Milky Spore I believe is for all beetles.  It comes in a can as a powder and you have to apply it in a grid-like pattern anywhere you have beetle problems.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really don't think I would have a garden at all if it weren't for Milky Spore.  It was about $40 for one can and I ordered it online.  It was more than enough.  I shared it with my neighbors who also had the beetles, and other friends.  Goes a long way.  Good luck with your vines!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6920" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-03T03:55:15.513" LastActivityDate="2014-08-03T03:55:15.513" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13558" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-02T14:46:34.827" Score="3" ViewCount="1810" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am building a terrarium for some ex-Oregon family members. I really want to capture Oregon with its moss, ferns, trees and of course pine trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know of really any small pine trees that would work in a terrarium. Does any one know of any varieties out there and/or maybe have some alternatives to use?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in some small deciduous trees as well. Any thoughts out there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I&quot;m taking inspiration from a few photos I've found.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KEhg2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The rocks and moss here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zF3Zc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The woodlandscape here as well&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3514" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-02T15:48:47.110" LastActivityDate="2014-08-05T17:27:26.867" Title="What small pines and deciduous trees are suitable for terrarium culture?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;moss&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;&lt;woodland&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13559" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13558" CreationDate="2014-08-02T15:10:56.973" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Firstly, you will need a large terrarium for even dwarf trees, and secondly, even dwarf trees will outgrow a large terrarium given enough time. If your family members are bonsai experts, this shouldn't be an issue. Also note that most trees native to Oregon are accustomed to a colder period during winter, often dropping below freezing. Without this treatment the trees will not develop properly, and may not survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may be able to use small &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ficus&lt;/a&gt; trees as deciduous, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucaria_heterophylla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Norfolk Island Pines&lt;/a&gt; for evergreen, but the look wouldn't be the same as your inspirational photos. Both of those trees will benefit from the humidity and heat in a terrarium. But then, they also will outgrow it given time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The easiest thing will be the moss. Moss doesn't have a root system, so transplanting is easy, if you keep it shady and moist. Growing moss on the trees trunks will be difficult unless the trees already have corky bark. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-02T15:10:56.973" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13560" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4083" CreationDate="2014-08-02T15:44:46.453" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are correct, they are flea beetles. The black spots are feces, not eggs. The larvae grow on plant roots in the soil. The adults eat a wide variety of plant foliage. They can be an evil pest, and severely stunt plants. However, I've taken care of them in my property and haven't had an issue for years. Here are some tips on control, leaving out covers, as per the question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stressed plants are the most attractive to flea beetles. Improving conditions has been shown to drastically lower attack.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Organic fertilizer usually as micro-nutrients and makes the plants more pest resistant as compared with conventional fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chinese southern giant mustard is very attractive to flea beetles, and is often planted near affected plants to draw them off.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sticky traps (white or yellow) trap quite a few, but should be used along with another control method.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adult beetles overwinter in the litter/plant growth on the soil, under the host plants. ploughing and rototilling has been used successfully, but may not be a good idea under grape vines.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Microcotonus vittage&lt;/em&gt; is a braconid wasp that controls adult beetles.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem_oil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Neem oil&lt;/a&gt; is what I personally use.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotenone&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Rotenone&lt;/a&gt; is another natural control.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrethrin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pyrethrin&lt;/a&gt; is a common and effective natural insecticide that I've used in the past.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kaolin clay controls beetles, but may stick on the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Diatomaceous earth can be effective.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Herbicidal soaps are effective, but also kill all the beneficials.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Garlic oil is a good deterrent.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-02T18:32:34.010" LastActivityDate="2014-08-02T18:32:34.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13561" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7909" CreationDate="2014-08-02T16:47:51.033" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternaria_solani&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Early Blight, &lt;em&gt;Alternaria solani&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.  The earlier you treat, the better the control, as a strong infection will build up resistance to the fungicide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Here's what to do:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remove all leaves showing signs&lt;/strong&gt; of early blight (yellowing, dry margin, large to small round dead spots.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do not touch the unaffected leaves&lt;/strong&gt; with the removed portions, or your hands until they are thoroughly washed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spray with a copper fungicide&lt;/strong&gt; (like BONIDE© Liquid Copper Fungicide). Apply once every 5 days, and after any rain. Continue for 3-4 weeks, or until the plant stops developing the symptoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some preventative measures you can take. To lessen the chances of future attacks, you can try to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Minimize soil-foliage contact&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the plants get good &lt;strong&gt;air circulation&lt;/strong&gt; (including proper spacing)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you water, &lt;strong&gt;try not to wet the foliage&lt;/strong&gt;, or splash soil onto the leaf undersides. The fungus spreads faster in wet conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;To go along with that, an organic &lt;strong&gt;mulch&lt;/strong&gt; will help keep soil from splashing, and is also useful for many other reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the plants have a &lt;strong&gt;support&lt;/strong&gt; to climb on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rotate&lt;/strong&gt; the plantings each year, to stop pathogens from inhabiting the soil. Remember that potatoes are also vulnerable to early blight, so plan accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the other nearby plants showing the same signs&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternaria&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Alternaria&lt;/a&gt; contains many species, which attack multiple plants. The hot, muggy weather and lots of rain are what helped the disease spread like that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Below are pictures of early blight that match those in the original question:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2W04P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bnX8Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;References/further reading:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tomatodirt.com/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tomato dirt:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tomatodirt.com/tomato-blight-early.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tomato Blight: How to Identify and Treat Early Blight in Tomatoes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;University of California:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r783100311.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;UC Pest Management Guidelines&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mother Earth News:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/preventive-pruning-for-tomato-early-blight-control.aspx#axzz39Fh7lVaG&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Try This Technique: Preventive Pruning for Tomato Early Blight&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.apsnet.org/Pages/default.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;APS:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/lessons/fungi/ascomycetes/Pages/PotatoTomato.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Early blight of potato and tomato&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Missouri Botanical Garden:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/fungal-spots/early-blight-of-tomato.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Early Blight of Tomato&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.about.com/homegarden&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Spruce.com:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.about.com/od/problemspest1/ss/Identifying-And-Controlling-Early-Blight-On-Tomato-Plants.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Identifying and Controlling Early Blight on Tomato Plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternaria_solani&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Alternaria solani&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternaria&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Alternaria&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.umaine.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;University of Maine:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.umaine.edu/ipm/ipddl/publications/5087e/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Early Blight of Tomato&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/&quot;&gt;Gardening and Landscaping Stackexchange:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/11308/whats-affecting-this-tomato-plant&quot;&gt;What's affecting this tomato plant?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2018-01-12T02:33:49.817" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13562" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13563" CreationDate="2014-08-02T17:39:36.430" Score="3" ViewCount="5719" Body="&lt;p&gt;My tomatoes have caught a case of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7909/sudden-outbreak-of-yellow-leaves-on-tomato-and-other-plants&quot;&gt;early blight&lt;/a&gt;. Is it safe to eat the them? The fruit themselves look fine, but I don't want to feed my family anything that's potentially dangerous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3535" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-08-25T15:00:46.373" Title="Is it safe to eat tomatoes affected by early blight?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;blight&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13562" CreationDate="2014-08-02T19:40:03.690" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Disclaimer:&lt;/strong&gt; I haven't found any scientific studies confirming the following information.&lt;/em&gt; However, years of personal experience with this disease, and the reports of everyone who has done this, suggest that the following information is correct:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.umaine.edu/ipm/ipddl/publications/5087e/&quot;&gt;Early blight&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Localized_disease&quot;&gt;localized&lt;/a&gt; disease&lt;/strong&gt;, which means it is not &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phloem&quot;&gt;translocated&lt;/a&gt; in the plant, but affects only the areas where it has spread externally. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/Gardennotes/718.html&quot;&gt;The fungus can attack the fruit&lt;/a&gt;, in which case the fruit is generally inedible, and is disposed of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The parts of the plant that aren't affected should grow naturally, unless a &lt;strong&gt;blight spot attacks the lower main stem&lt;/strong&gt;, in which case you may see stunted growth, and this &lt;strong&gt;will affect fruit production/quality&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there aren't any infections in the fruits themselves, &lt;strong&gt;they can be used as normal&lt;/strong&gt;, because the fungus doesn't translocate, or enter the fruit internally. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-02T19:40:03.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13564" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13555" CreationDate="2014-08-02T19:59:58.823" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not 100% sure because I never seen the plant other than illustrations and pictures... but I think that it is &lt;em&gt;Eupatorium capillifolium&lt;/em&gt; (Lam.) Small ex Porter &amp;amp; Britton from the Asteraceae family. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not comfortable with technical English and I have only Spanish literature but you can read more about that plant in the links below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://extension.umass.edu/landscape/weeds/eupatorium-capillifolium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;UMass E. capillifolium&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botanicayjardines.com/eupatorium-capillifolium/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Botánica Y Jardines (Spanish)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-03T03:53:42.923" LastActivityDate="2014-08-03T03:53:42.923" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13567" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13493" CreationDate="2014-08-03T01:31:43.253" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll give you a list of some very easy houseplants for your conditions. I will not be able to find sources for you, you'll have to work that out yourself. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sansevieria sp.&lt;/em&gt;, or snake plant.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; This plant requires little soil, water, fertilizer, and light, and can take hot dry temps. One of the easiest plants for beginners.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophytum_comosum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chlorophytum comosum&lt;/em&gt;, or Spider plant.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Very low care plant. I've seen them survive in the same pot without fertilizer for over 15 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglaonema&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Aglaonema sp.&lt;/em&gt;, or Chinese evergreen.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; This will grow in very low light conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Epipremnum aureum&lt;/em&gt;, or Golden Pothos&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/a&gt; My first plant when I was a kid. Very easy to grow. Takes a very low light level, but in that condition, don't water too much.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathiphyllum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Spathiphyllum sp.&lt;/em&gt;, or Peace Lily.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; This one likes some humidity, and moist soil, but is easy to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_braunii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Dracaena braunii&lt;/em&gt;, or Lucky Bamboo.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; This is a fun plant to grow and is fairly low care.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-03T01:31:43.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13569" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-03T16:26:35.417" Score="3" ViewCount="995" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am seeing scratch like marks on bottoms of my tomatoes.&#xA; What is causing this? Possibly chipmunks?&#xA;I have tried eight solutions with no results. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2456" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-04T01:28:51.210" LastActivityDate="2014-08-04T17:03:43.757" Title="What are the scratch marks on the undersides of my tomato fruits?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13570" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13578" CreationDate="2014-08-03T19:31:23.757" Score="6" ViewCount="553" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know you can graft like trees to like trees, but my question is: Can I graft an orange tree to a northern hardy root stock like a peach tree, and have it still grow and maybe produce an orange or two? I live in Buffalo, New York, USDA hardiness zone 6a.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6925" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-04T01:26:01.877" LastActivityDate="2014-08-04T01:26:01.877" Title="Can I graft an orange tree to a hardier northern root stock?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13571" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-03T19:43:59.033" Score="10" ViewCount="109702" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently had a large tree removed and the company also did the stump grinding.  They covered the hole with the mulch from the stump.  My question is what should I do next considering I am wanting to eventually seed grass in this area?  Should I remove the chips or let them sit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6926" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-03T23:34:29.343" LastActivityDate="2019-06-29T18:11:52.300" Title="What should I do after a tree removal and stump grinding to prepare for grass?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;&lt;stump-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13572" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13574" CreationDate="2014-08-03T20:42:37.413" Score="2" ViewCount="1548" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to grow some herbs (basil, coriander, and chives) in pots on my kitchen windowsill. This seems to work pretty well for a while, but usually they die after a little bit (well, the basil doesn't, but I'm pretty sure basil would survive a nuclear war).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having done some reading, it seems that I need to learn how to prune, as well as invest in some fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing I was wondering though, do I need to periodically entirely replace the soil that the herbs are potted in, or does the fertilizer take care of that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6927" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-03T23:15:54.347" LastActivityDate="2014-08-03T23:32:02.720" Title="Do herbs grown in containers need to be repotted?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13571" CreationDate="2014-08-03T21:47:27.270" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The chips can take years to fully decompose and this process will take the nitrogen in the surrounding substrate. The more nitrogen, the faster decomposition of the chips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My advice:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove all the chips (if you like store it for later use as mulch).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover the hole with a very similar substrate to which surrounds (this is to maintain the same water holding capacity in all the place and avoid differents colors, among other possible problems, in your grass).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you decide to keep the chips, put them in a bright, dry place for a few months to &quot;mature it&quot; (the mature wood chips will not steal as much nitrogen as new ones).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Read about grass and their needs :)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastActivityDate="2014-08-03T21:47:27.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13574" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13572" CreationDate="2014-08-03T22:42:26.193" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Typically the substrate is not completely replaced. The usual procedure is to fill with new substrate or to transplant to a pot 4 cm. longer (in diameter). By the way, this is not applicable to all herbs because some of them are annuals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Basil [&lt;em&gt;Ocimum basilicum&lt;/em&gt; L.]:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is an annual plant, so you don't need to repot. Instead, store some seeds and grow them the following spring. &lt;em&gt;O. basilicum&lt;/em&gt; need a sunny position, moist but well drained soil (loam type is best) and some fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My advice to get the best taste and to have a very long-lived plant: Remove the inflorescences.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Coriander [&lt;em&gt;Coriandrum sativum&lt;/em&gt; L.]:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is another annual plant. They need full to partial sun, moist but very very well drained soil (sandy-loamy type is best). Please do not overwater. It will kill the plant... let the soil to dry before next irrigation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want green leaves and long-lived plant, remove the inflorescences... but take in mind that yellowish leaves after flowering are the most flavored (in my opinion at least).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chives [&lt;em&gt;Allium schoenoprasum&lt;/em&gt; L.]:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not very familiar with common names in English, so I choose &lt;em&gt;A. schoenoprasum&lt;/em&gt; as reference. They need full sun (maybe not as much as basil), moist sandy-&lt;strong&gt;clay&lt;/strong&gt; soils. Please do not flood the soil, but do not leave it dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Last thing:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can not be sure.. but I think that your plants are dying due to overwatering. If you update your questions with pictures or descriptions about what happen until the plant die I will update this point. Do not forget to change your substrate every year and wash your pots to eliminate rest of salts, fungi, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botanicayjardines.com/ocimum-basilicum/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ocimum basilicum&lt;/em&gt; L.&lt;/a&gt; (Spanish)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botanicayjardines.com/coriandrum-sativum/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Coriandrum sativum&lt;/em&gt; L.&lt;/a&gt; (Spanish)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botanicayjardines.com/allium-schoenoprasum-subsp-schoenoprasum/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Allium schoenoprasum&lt;/em&gt; subsp. &lt;em&gt;schoenoprasum&lt;/em&gt; L.&lt;/a&gt; (Spanish)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-03T23:29:43.890" LastActivityDate="2014-08-03T23:29:43.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13576" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13572" CreationDate="2014-08-03T23:24:19.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You do not need to repot annual herbs, but you do have to fertilize them, especially in you want to harvest hard/often. The coriander and basil are annuals, and the chives are perennial.&#xA;Indoors, growing chives as an annual is much more convenient, because you don't have to try to  overwinter them or repot each year. For convenience, treat them as an annual.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize all your herbs in a root drench every two weeks. Find a high nitrogen soluble fertilizer. Also, as ondoteam pointed out, do not overwater. This will eventually kill the plant.The basil and coriander will also benefit from the regular removing of all the flowerheads that appear, as any seed-setting brings growth to a halt. Chives rarely flower indoors, but if they do, it shouldn't seriosly affect growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-03T23:32:02.720" LastActivityDate="2014-08-03T23:32:02.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13577" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13571" CreationDate="2014-08-04T00:11:18.867" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is one job that I get to do quite often each year. Grass doesn't grow as well in wood chips as it does in topsoil, so &lt;strong&gt;be prepared for some digging&lt;/strong&gt;. I find that a pitchfork is often easier to use than a spade shovel. Tree stumps often have a surprisingly high quantity of chips once ground out. Be prepared to take more than an hours work on just this part. The chips can be used as mulch or composted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the chips are out, it's time to &lt;strong&gt;add topsoil&lt;/strong&gt;. If you have a clay based soil, don't fill with sandy soil, and vice versa. The closer the soil you use the better, in terms of lawn uniformity and the soil's moisture holding capabilities. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the hole is large, which I'm assuming is the case, &lt;strong&gt;fill about 12&quot; and pack it down&lt;/strong&gt;. You can use a tamper, tamping iron, sledge hammer (use the top of the head, not the actual hammer), or do some kind of maniac dance. Once it's pretty solid, &lt;strong&gt;fill another 12 inches, or to the surface&lt;/strong&gt; level if you get there first. &lt;strong&gt;Tamp again&lt;/strong&gt;. You want the surface to be slightly higher (1/2 inch or so) than the surrounding area, to allow for some natural settling, and be careful not to leave it lower in the middle, or it will cause lawn appearance issues and collect water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now it's time to &lt;strong&gt;rake the surface smooth&lt;/strong&gt;. I use a garden/dirt rake. You want it to look natural, to blend in with the surroundings. Look at it while imagining how it would look as lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next step is the grass. &lt;strong&gt;Sow grass seed&lt;/strong&gt; onto the smooth loose surface. I usually get best results using quite a bit more seed than is recommended, sometimes like 200%. Once the seed is down, lightly &lt;strong&gt;rake it in&lt;/strong&gt; to the surface. I use the back of a plastic lawn rake. You don't want the seed to be buried too deeply. Just covered is ideal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Optional) It is best to &lt;strong&gt;put down moisture retaining erosion control&lt;/strong&gt;. Put down a straw mat on a large area, or use loose straw in a thin covering. I often use the product &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.preferredseed.com/detail/index.cfm?nPID=105&quot;&gt;Seed Aide&lt;/a&gt; with excellent results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Keep the area watered&lt;/strong&gt; well until the seedlings become established like the rest of the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-04T00:11:18.867" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13578" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13570" CreationDate="2014-08-04T00:40:44.983" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grafting compatibility depends on genetic similarity. Because of this, the most successful grafts are between species, within the genera. Inter-generic grafts are usually not successful, but in some cases where the genera are genetically similar, grafting is rather reliable (like the practice of grafting pear cultivars onto the hardier and more resilient quince rootstock). As far as I'm aware, no graft between families has ever been successful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because oranges are in the family &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutaceae&quot;&gt;Rutaceae&lt;/a&gt;, and peaches are in the family &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosaceae&quot;&gt;Rosaceae&lt;/a&gt;, the graft will not take. On another note, grafting a warm-climate scion onto a cold-hardy rootstock helps a little, but the scion will not be comparably hardy to the rootstock. For instance, navel oranges are often grafted onto &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifoliate_orange&quot;&gt;Trifoliate Orange, &lt;em&gt;Poncirus trifoliata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (inter-generic), which is hardy to -20 degrees Fahrenheit, to improve hardiness on the orange trees. The trees are hardier than ungrafted trees, but not nearly so hardy as the rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-04T00:40:44.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13579" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13569" CreationDate="2014-08-04T00:51:24.483" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are likely seeing either stretch marks from the fruits swelling, which is normal, or flower scars on the underside, which are very apparent on large tomatoes as thin, brown lines which criss-cross or star on the bottom of the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neither of these drastically affects fruit quality, and are untreatable. Almost all large tomatoes have these marks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-04T00:51:24.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13580" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13581" CreationDate="2014-08-04T02:51:55.883" Score="5" ViewCount="4138" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are the differences in early and late blight of tomatoes?  Can you cut off affected areas of one or both to prolong the life of the plant? What can one do to prevent this disease, what can one do to stop the infection, what can one do to prevent the disease the next season?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-06T19:52:36.960" LastActivityDate="2020-04-12T06:07:43.080" Title="Tomatoes...what is the difference between early blight and late blight?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13581" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13580" CreationDate="2014-08-04T05:17:57.127" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's the biggest difference: &lt;strong&gt;Late blight is caused by the pathogen &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytophthora_infestans&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Phytophthora infestans&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, while early blight is caused by &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternaria_solani&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Alternaria solani&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Phytophthora infestans&lt;/em&gt; is an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oomycete&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;oomycete&lt;/a&gt;, a fungus-like eukaryotic microorganism. It is similar to &lt;em&gt;Alternaria solani&lt;/em&gt; (a fungus) in that it is a &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Localized_disease&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;localized disease&lt;/a&gt;, and doesn't spread internally&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;em&gt;P. infestans&lt;/em&gt; is a more aggressive disease, and spreads much faster than &lt;em&gt;A. solani&lt;/em&gt;. It also kills all infected material, causing dark, watery spots to form. these eventually become hard and brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Control of &lt;em&gt;P. infestans&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; is very difficult. There is no cure for badly infected plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you notice signs of infection, &lt;strong&gt;remove all affected parts&lt;/strong&gt; and destroy them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If the disease spreads anyway, destroy the entire plant.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You can prevent it to some extent by:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rotating your crops&lt;/strong&gt; every year, remembering that both tomatoes and potatoes are susceptible to &lt;em&gt;P. infestans&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destroying all affected crops as soon as possible.&lt;/strong&gt; Remove them from the site, and burn them, or place in air-tight bags and send to the landfill. Do not compost.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Growing resistant varieties&lt;/strong&gt; like 'Defiant', 'Plum Regal', 'Mountain Magic 'and 'Mountain Merit'&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Control of &lt;em&gt;A. solani&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; is easier, but it's best to prevent the disease, or catch it early. From: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7909/sudden-outbreak-of-yellow-leaves-on-tomato-and-other-plants/13561#13561&quot;&gt;Sudden Outbreak of Yellow Leaves on Tomato (and Other) Plants&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remove all leaves showing signs&lt;/strong&gt; of early blight (yellowing, dry margin, large to small round dead spots.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do not touch the unaffected leaves&lt;/strong&gt; with the removed portions, or your hands until they are thoroughly washed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spray with a copper fungicide&lt;/strong&gt; (like BONIDE© Liquid Copper Fungicide). Apply once every 5 days, and after any rain. Continue for 3-4 weeks, or until the plant stops developing the symptoms. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To prevent future attacks, you can try to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Minimize soil-foliage contact&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the plants get good &lt;strong&gt;air circulation&lt;/strong&gt; (including proper spacing)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you water, &lt;strong&gt;try not to wet the foliage&lt;/strong&gt;, or splash soil onto the leaf undersides. The fungus spreads faster in wet conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;To go along with that, an organic &lt;strong&gt;mulch&lt;/strong&gt; will help keep soil from splashing, and is also useful for many other reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the plants have a &lt;strong&gt;support&lt;/strong&gt; to climb on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rotate&lt;/strong&gt; the plantings each year, to stop pathogens from inhabiting the soil. Remember that potatoes are also vulnerable to early blight, so plan accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-08-04T05:17:57.127" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13582" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13591" CreationDate="2014-08-04T16:20:00.763" Score="3" ViewCount="157" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watching the level around here, I think I can not provide good answers without knowing the technical terms used in English for botany and gardening like the back of my hand. So I ask for advice on a good book with technical definitions. I do not want anything about gardening procedures rather something like a dictionary. I do not like webpages, just paper books.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The accepted answer should contain:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A brief description of the contents of the book.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The ISBN number or a link to Amazon.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastEditorUserId="6910" LastEditDate="2014-08-09T19:45:12.223" LastActivityDate="2014-08-09T19:45:12.223" Title="What are some good books with definitions of technical words used in botany/gardening?" Tags="&lt;resources&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13569" CreationDate="2014-08-04T17:03:43.757" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you better describe the scratch marks?  Do they go through the skin into the fruit or are they just surface, cosmetic damage only?  Are they two parallel gouges or scratches, or multiple lines of scratches? How large are the scratches? If you are seeing two parallel gouge-type scratches that go into the fruit, you are almost assuredly looking at rodent damage.  It could be anything from voles, to chipmunks or squirrels, or woodchucks, or field mice or rats, depending on what you have wild there and how big the scratches are. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Birds will also attack ripening tomatoes, but the damage they do is usually more along the lines of making holes in the fruit, rather than just creating scratches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the damage is cosmetic only, confined to the bottom of the fruits and does not penetrate to the inside, then you are probably looking at the stretch marks mentioned in the other post.  Some varieties of tomatoes are more prone to those than others are as they mature, especially in the summer when the heat makes the skins tougher.  When it rains or the garden is watered, the fruit will soak up the extra moisture, but because the skin is tough, it will cause minor cracks and marks due to a lack of elasticity to hold the expansion of the &quot;meat&quot; of the fruit inside.  Sometimes the fruit will even crack open for the same reason.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures would definitely help all of us do a better job of guessing what you are dealing with.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-08-04T17:03:43.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13584" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13589" CreationDate="2014-08-04T17:12:15.500" Score="8" ViewCount="484" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's my first time growing carrots and the leaves don't seem to have grown in the last fortnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm worried that there's something wrong but there're no obvious problems as the leaves are still green and there's no wilting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil is mostly loose and sandy with no stones so the only potential issue there may be nutrients but I read that adding some would cause forking if I wasn't careful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants are about 9cm apart from each other, which I'm told is enough (and I've read that transplanting them can cause some problems at this point anyway).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible that all the energy is going into the roots? Can I check for pests attacking the carrot itself without digging it up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: It has indeed been hot for quite a while here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6836" LastEditorUserId="6836" LastEditDate="2014-08-05T07:03:14.137" LastActivityDate="2014-08-05T07:03:14.137" Title="What to do about carrots that don't seem to be growing?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13585" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13535" CreationDate="2014-08-04T17:12:27.180" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a spot with short but hot summers, so it is possible the solutions that work here will be less effective where you live, but here is what I'd suggest:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have space to do so, you could try building a solar trap. This&#xA;is a u-shaped garden that opens to the south. At the north end of the&#xA;'U' are the tallest plants. Form the sides of the U with plants that&#xA;get progressively shorter. Plant your sun-loving veggies along the&#xA;north side of the U, but south of the tall plants that form the&#xA;bottom of the U. Does that make sense?&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have a brick or stone wall that faces south, you could plant the heat-lovers right up against the wall to take advantage of the&#xA;thermal mass. The wall will absorb heat and radiate it back at your&#xA;plants. If you do not have this, but have access to boulders or&#xA;bricks, you could build a little stone wall or alcove behind your&#xA;plants to do the same. Or if you have a light-colored wood fence or&#xA;wall that faces south you could do the same, as the light will&#xA;reflect off the wall and back at the plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You could mulch with plastic sheeting. From what I understand, red plastic works the best, but any plastic will raise the temperature of&#xA;the soil around the plants and help your heat-lovers out.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2014-08-04T19:55:35.753" LastActivityDate="2014-08-04T19:55:35.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13586" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13600" CreationDate="2014-08-04T17:58:18.643" Score="7" ViewCount="6879" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing scotch bonnet, jalapeno and cayenne pepper plants indoors from seed. The scotch bonnet plants have what looks like white fur growing around the veins on the underside of their leaves. This is accompanied on some leaves by small hard white spots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is not visible on all plants, the plants that do show this fur seem to be suffering, some of their leaves have become soft and are rolling up. Neither the fur or the small white specs move when I rub them with my fingers, they remain on the leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help me identify the problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rDoPU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lsXkH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update: 04/08/14 20:42&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More pictures, the same leaf top and bottom:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6lVoO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/57zEl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6934" LastEditorUserId="4664" LastEditDate="2014-08-05T00:53:23.187" LastActivityDate="2014-08-06T04:11:12.827" Title="White, fur like strands and spots on underside of chilli plant leaves" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13587" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13590" CreationDate="2014-08-04T18:21:54.263" Score="4" ViewCount="213" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something is killing my plant. The leaves are loosing their colour. On the branches, there is a white, stripy discharge that's slowly taking over the entire plant. Can someone identify this and tell me what I can do to heal my plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some photo's (for scale: the branch is about a finger thick):&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z3NyP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The leaves&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bgT1D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The infested bark&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vssQh.png&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up of the leaves&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4BmFV.png&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up from the bark&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1480" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-23T22:22:05.440" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T22:22:05.440" Title="White stripy things on trunk are killing my plant" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1200" CreationDate="2014-08-04T18:50:56.640" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When my red leaf lettuce bolted this year it tasted very bitter, to the point of making me gag; and I like Arugula. When the Romaine bolted, the higher the leaf the more bitter it tasted. I have pulled all our lettuce plants now, and will try to replant some soon. This is my first year with a vegetable garden in about 5 years; and at a new house and in new planting beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2014-08-04T18:50:56.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13589" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13584" CreationDate="2014-08-04T19:35:08.303" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can think of a couple of possible issues that could cause otherwise healthy carrots to not grow well or to appear not to be growing well. One, carrots prefer cooler temperatures for maximum growth.  Not cold, but cooler as it is in the spring and early fall.  If it is hot where you are right now, they may simply be &quot;on pause&quot; while they wait for better weather to finish up.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, carrots often are larger under the soil than the greens above the soil would lead you to believe.  Many popular carrot varieties are &quot;short top&quot; carrots, and these especially can be deceiving.  To find out how your carrot roots are actually doing, using your finger, gently scrape a bit of soil from around the area where the tops meet the roots and see how big the root appears to be.  Depending on variety, you can pull carrots for eating any time the top of the root is 1/2 to 2/3rds of an inch (12-16mm or so) on up.  If your carrots were a bit too thickly planted, it's actually a good idea to thin some of them out and use them for early snacks to give the rest a bit more room to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You really should never transplant carrots, btw, or pretty much any other plant with a huge tap root - they almost always never do well after that kind of disturbance. If you have to do it, do it in the early seedling stages and transplant clumps instead of individuals to give the greatest chance of at least one plant per clump making it through the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-08-04T19:35:08.303" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13590" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13587" CreationDate="2014-08-04T23:16:00.100" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Edit:  After a tip from Bamboo and a close up picture this looks like a scale insect.  Most likely this is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05513.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;oyster shell scale&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control can be done in a number of ways which I list below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;take a soft scrub brush soaked in 5 ml of soap to 1 litre of water and scrub them off the affected areas.  Repeat  three times at 7 to 10 day intervals.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;or prune the affected areas off the shrub. Dip your cutting instrument in alcohol afterwards and wipe off.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;or during the winter apply a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05569.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;dormant oil spray&lt;/a&gt; to the entire tree or shrub.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;my least favorite control method may not be available to you depending on pesticide control regulations where you live. A systemic insecticide applied as a soil drench to the root of the tree will help control scale. Applications may have to be repeated yearly.  Specific products that are available depend on where you live.  I find the products are smelly, require protective gear, are environmentally unfriendly and can stress an already weakened plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Stormy is correct that the white areas on the leaves look like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powdery_mildew&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;powdery mildew&lt;/a&gt;, an airborne fungus. There are a number of control methods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prune the tree or shrub to promote more air circulation.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spray with Neem oil or any number of home made recipes such as water and baking soda, dechlorinated water and milk or hydrogen peroxide.  None of these home made recipes have worked for me but you may have more success. Repeated sprayings are necessary to continue control.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-08-06T11:53:32.160" LastActivityDate="2014-08-06T11:53:32.160" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13591" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13582" CreationDate="2014-08-05T01:26:58.790" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know of any book that completely answers your question, but there are a few generally helpful books that cover some of the terminology. Some also, however, contain some info on how-to's, which parts will not be of use. My recommendations concerning terminology definitions: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0395876060&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Taylor's Dictionary for Gardeners&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; covers some oft-used terminology. From Amazon:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;From everyday gardening terms to essential botanical Latin, this illustrated book is truly a dictionary of horticultural literacy for gardeners of every level of interest and experience. With 2,000 entries and 275 illustrations, Taylor's Dictionary for Gardeners defines and clearly explains the terminology of horticulture, including:The botanical names of common species, or how to read a plant label, Horticultural terms - the difference between genus,species, cultivar, and hybrid, Garden techniques, such as what it means to scarify seeds and distress roots, The anatomy and physiology of plants, including the everyday significance of apical dominance, Historical gardening terms and styles, from ha-ha to bedding out. The book also includes names and descriptions of garden tools and insect pests, brief biographies of famous gardeners, and listings of botanical gardens and institutions in the world of horticulture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-kew-plant-glossary-henk-j-beentje/1102993109?cm_mmc=googlepla-_-book_25to44-_-q000000633-_-9781842464229&amp;amp;ean=9781842464229&amp;amp;isbn=9781842464229&amp;amp;r=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Kew Plant Glossary: An Illustrated Dictionary of Plant Terms&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; is also a good one, but also contains something of a field guide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This accessible, comprehensive glossary covers all the descriptive terms for plants that one is likely to encounter in botanical writing, including everything from magazine articles to plant field guides, scientific papers, and monographs. An essential companion, it presents 3,600 botanical terms, accompanied by full definitions and detailed illustrations to aid in identification, all laid out in a clear, easy-to-use fashion. It will be indispensable for plant scientists, conservationists, horticulturists, gardeners, writers, and anyone working with plant descriptions, plant identification keys, floras, or field guides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0521794013&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Is more in-depth, and contains many terms even most avid gardeners don't know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This beautifully illustrated glossary constitutes an extraordinary collection of the specialist terms used in many botanical works. The book is arranged in two sections: the glossary, which provides clear definitions for over 2400 of the most commonly used botanical and horticultural terms, and illustrations, which can be cross-referenced to the glossary. The illustrations section comprises over 120 large format pages packed with accurate, well labelled line drawings that complement the definitions. The illustrations are grouped according to specific features, allowing quick comparisons of different forms. This outstanding reference will be welcomed by all readers grappling with botanical terms, whether student, professional, or hobbyist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0964022168&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Covers the terminology useful when one is trying to identify a plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Plant identification employs an extensive and complex terminology. Professional botanists often need several years in the field to master this terminology, and it presents a daunting obstacle to the student of botany.&#xA;  The meaning of most botanical terms, however, is immediately apparent when an illustration is available. That is the purpose of this volume. Plant Identification Terminology provides over nineteen hundred clear illustrations of terms used in plant identification keys and descriptions. It also includes definitions for more than twenty-seven hundred taxonomic terms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dictionary-of-botanical-terms-john-stevens-henslow/1100941212?cm_mmc=googlepla-_-textbook_notinstock_under26_pt99-_-q000000633-_-9781108001311&amp;amp;ean=9781108001311&amp;amp;isbn=9781108001311&amp;amp;r=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Dictionary of Botanical Terms&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Is an older one, but I think a staple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;John Stevens Henslow (1796-1861) was a botanist and geologist. As teacher, mentor and friend to Charles Darwin, it was his introduction that secured for Darwin the post of naturalist on the voyage of the Beagle. While Professor of Botany, Henslow established the Cambridge University Botanic Garden as a resource for teaching and research. Students were encouraged to examine plant specimens carefully, and to record the characteristics of their structures. Henslow would have known how daunting they found the task of becoming proficient with botanical vocabulary, and produced this volume to provide a secure foundation for scientific investigations. This meticulous glossary, originally published as a single volume in 1857 but drawing on contributions he made earlier to issues of The Botanist and Maund's Botanic Garden, is a testament to Henslow's scholarship. It is liberally illustrated with delightful woodcuts that clarify the meaning of selected terms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-05T01:32:43.213" LastActivityDate="2014-08-05T01:32:43.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13592" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9947" CreationDate="2014-08-05T01:57:18.340" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a followup, I tried my idea, and it worked quite well. The reason for this post is to point out that you can get away with .75% glyphosate on most weeds. I also used some pre-mixed glufosinate on some Canada thistles, and applied similarly, with success. Also, @Bamboo's idea, using wall paper paste, works well too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-05T01:57:18.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13582" CreationDate="2014-08-05T09:52:46.860" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might find Longman Botany Handbook by Andrew Sugden(ISBN 0-582-09965-X) useful - doesn't have any 'how to' parts, but does contain a significant amount of purely botanical terminology, with explanation, so it's much more like a dictionary, just with more information and illustrations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just checked - it seems it's now only available second hand, and the ISBN number on mine appears to have changed - suggest you Google 'Longman Botany Handbook'. It's an A5 size glossy paperback, and I note that Amazon has one for £97, which must surely be an error; I paid about £5.99 for mine 20 years ago, but there are other sellers with much more reasonable prices. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-08-05T09:52:46.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13595" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13558" CreationDate="2014-08-05T17:27:26.867" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can use the very varieties you enjoy, or varieties that look similar if you establish &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bonsai&lt;/a&gt; trees.  I have seen brilliant stands of miniature pines done before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6783" LastActivityDate="2014-08-05T17:27:26.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13596" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2299" CreationDate="2014-08-05T19:41:47.207" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oak runners can be stopped by stripping off the leaves; check them weekly and rub off any new sprouts. It takes a few months, longer for Red Oak than Live Oak. Do not cut them, because they will come back thicker. If you notice in nature you do not find many trees with sprouts. That is because deer, goats, cattle etc. eat the new sprouts. Once the sprouts become brittle, break them off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6941" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T20:11:23.873" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T20:11:23.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8635" CreationDate="2014-08-06T01:07:36.443" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best way to prevent late tomato blight is to make SURE that no water splashes up from the soil onto your plants.  This is more difficult than it sounds...you've got spores everywhere now since you allowed the tomatoes to be eaten.  Doesn't matter that you've planted tomatoes in a different spot, consider all your soil (and your neighbor's) now have spores.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would mulch the top of the soil beneath your tomatoes (with soil-less mulch, ie. straw), build a mini-hoop house over the top and prune all leaves that are 12&quot; or less from the ground.  Minimum.  All it takes is ONE spore, ONE drop of water landing on the leaves (last I read the stem is 50/50) and the entire plant is infected and unusable. Have no idea if the fruit is toxic, I doubt it, but it will continue to blacken even if preserved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, I appreciate you allowing the tomatoes to be eaten by the wildlife!! I grew tomatoes in soil no one had grown a garden much less tomatoes for miles.  And I lost at least 30 huge plants full of tomatoes.  From the very first spots to totally black...3 days!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fungicides only work if you've sprayed them PRIOR to infection.  But although I've tried this, using NEEM, can't stand the smell much less the thought of eating them. Think of fungicides acting as a sort of raincoat.  But once the tomatoes have been infected, there is NOTHING you can do to stop the infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bamboo's advice is correct, just thought I'd add a few more thoughts...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-08-06T01:07:36.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9010" CreationDate="2014-08-06T02:27:04.377" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you don't mind doing the siphon thing, you can easily get the siphon action going by putting a valve on one end of a hose and submerging the hose into the tub water to purge the air from the hose.  Then close the valve (to keep the water in the hose) and put the valve end out the window to a bucket/container outside.  Once it is in position (non-valve end is in the water in the tub and valve end is lower outside), opening the valve will start the siphoning going.  I imagine you probably already know how that all works but the point I wanted to make is that filling the hose up ahead of time and shutting the valve keeps the water in the hose and makes siphoning the tub a breeze.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got a small submersible pump - the kind one might use for hydroponics - that will move maybe 120 gallons per hour.  It's not terrible fast but it works quite well.  Might have paid $25 for it.  My pump will attach to a standard hose.  If you didn't want to put a pump like this directly in the tub, you could put it in a 5 gallon bucket and then fill up the bucket in the tub.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen folks use a gray water setup where the tub water drains not down to the septic field or sewer but rather outside to be used in the garden.  Probably not easily retrofitted into old construction but the idea is neat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-08-06T02:27:04.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13600" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13586" CreationDate="2014-08-06T04:11:12.827" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those white hairs (marked in green) are &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichome&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;trichomes&lt;/a&gt;, which are a perfectly normal part of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The little spots (marked in red) however look like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edema#In_plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;edema&lt;/a&gt;, which &lt;a href=&quot;http://pure-sauce.com/pests-problems-diseases/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;indicate too much moisture or over-watering&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RuVsq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trichomes and Edema&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try watering them less, or less often (mine do well with being watered only every other day) and since you're growing indoors, air the room regularly (a hygrometer can be useful too).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2823" LastActivityDate="2014-08-06T04:11:12.827" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13601" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-06T05:37:42.453" Score="8" ViewCount="30922" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some large, old lilacs that seem to be dying. They start out great in the season, then leaves on individual branches start to get a variegated look, then curl, then brown, then finally die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have many lilacs, but three in particular seem to be suffering. They are situated in a row, north to south. I moved into this house in 2012 and the three were doing great. I sprayed a bit of herbicide on the brick pathway near the lilacs at that time, being careful not to hit any lilac shoots. Maybe the timing was uncanny, but about two weeks later, the south lilac began to curl and brown and finally the entire plant was dead in about 6 weeks. I chalked it up to bad luck with the herbicide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next year, the two remaining plants did great and had no issue. The south plant even grew back a little, but only about five percent of what it was. Again, I just figured it was bad luck with the herbicide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year the same thing is happening with the middle plant and slightly with the north plant. I have sprayed no herbicides and asked my neighbor if she had sprayed any. She had not. It is not bad luck with the herbicide. The south plant came back a bit more than the previous year, but it is also dying in the same fashion again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I've done some research to find out what it is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've learned about a bacterial blight, but a description I read of how the leaves look when dying does not fit. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've learned that lilacs are susceptible to over watering, but that is not a problem, because I rarely water them and I don't think runoff is a problem for their location. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've learned that under watering can be a problem, but I doubt it because my other lilacs in other locations are doing fine with the same watering attention.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've learned that over fertilizing can be a problem, but I don't fertilize much and didn't the first year when the south plant died (but the previous owner might have).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in the inland Northwest USA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what to do and would be very saddened if I lost the other two. Here are my pictures of the plants. Click on them to see a larger view.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M9r88.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M9r88m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KaLPa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KaLPam.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cuwHM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cuwHMm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TSH6q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TSH6qm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OCEGk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OCEGkm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jqeIp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jqeIpm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SpGPJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SpGPJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HfHpe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HfHpem.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6937" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-05T20:55:40.047" LastActivityDate="2020-06-05T07:17:51.897" Title="Why are my lilacs dying and what can I do about it?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;lilac&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13601" CreationDate="2014-08-06T08:51:17.963" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You ruled out all the possibilities in your question :) by the way:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've learned about a bacterial blight, but a description I read of how&#xA;the leaves look when dying does not fit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bearing in mind that you have under control irrigation and fertilization... a bacterium is the first possible cause. Specifically &lt;em&gt;Xylella fastidiosa&lt;/em&gt; Wells et al. that causes variegated chlorosis like in your pictures. To make matters worse: several specimens that are not exactly in the same place have been affected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Symptoms:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leaf scorch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sudden drying of part of green leaf, then turns brown with yellow/red adjacent tissues.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The desiccation spreads and the whole leaf may shrivel and drop, leaving only the petiole attached.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No potassium assimilation.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Literature: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.eppo.int/QUARANTINE/bacteria/Xylella_fastidiosa/XYLEFA_ds.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;EPPO&lt;/a&gt; - &lt;a href=&quot;http://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/plant_sciences/documents/xylella-fastidiosa-in-chitalpa3-compatibility-mode.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;NMSU&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I know there is no know treatment other than remove affected specimens to prevent future infections.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GHOMD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;John Hartman, University of Kentucky, Bugwood.org&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've learned that lilacs are susceptible to over watering, but that is&#xA;not a problem, because I rarely water them and I don't think runoff is&#xA;a problem for their location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've learned that under watering can be&#xA;a problem, but I doubt it because my other lilacs in other locations&#xA;are doing fine with the same watering attention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember that a slight variation in soil composition can mean a large increase or decrease in the water holding capacity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've learned that over fertilizing can be a problem, but I don't&#xA;fertilize much and didn't the first year when the south plant died&#xA;(but the previous owner might have).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember that concentrated solid fertilizers can cause damage if applied in seasons with heavy but intermittent rains, especially if the soil does not drain well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-08-06T23:57:47.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13603" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-06T09:03:26.753" Score="9" ViewCount="9562" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an out of control clover infestation in my flower bed, but every time I dig out a batch of clover, it just springs back up within a month.  The native grasses also seems to love the flowerbed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's my understanding that the broad leaf herbicides that kill clover will also kill the flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have tips or suggestions on how to keep a neat flowerbed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6944" LastActivityDate="2017-10-04T05:24:56.993" Title="Any suggestions on how to control clover and grass in a flowerbed?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;clover&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13604" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="123" CreationDate="2014-08-06T09:07:31.170" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fresh manure also can transfer E. Coli to garden vegetables, so you should always make sure your manure is well composted, for around 3-4 months.  If it's still smells very strongly, it's probably too fresh. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6944" LastActivityDate="2014-08-06T09:07:31.170" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13605" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13603" CreationDate="2014-08-06T10:36:38.753" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Composting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pros:&lt;/em&gt; germicide.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cons:&lt;/em&gt; it take times, some clover seeds can germinate after composting and it is not suitable for large gardens.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Herbicides (Postemergent)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pros:&lt;/em&gt; As per @J. Musser 's suggestion &gt; quick; especially on rocky and hard soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cons:&lt;/em&gt; all derivated from herbicide use and clovers may regrow.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Herbicides (Preemergent )&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pros:&lt;/em&gt; quick method and some herbicide formulas does not affect plants well established.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cons:&lt;/em&gt; all derivated from herbicide use and clovers may regrow.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mulch:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pros:&lt;/em&gt; easy and innocuous.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cons:&lt;/em&gt; none?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Solarization&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pros:&lt;/em&gt; germicide, fungicide, bactericide, microbicide.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cons:&lt;/em&gt; it take time (45 - 90 days), it is season dependant, some clover seeds can germinate after solarization and you have to remove all the plants you have in the field.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;What solarization is?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_solarization&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;From Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;:&#xA;  Soil solarization is an environmentally friendly method of using solar&#xA;  power for controlling pests such as soilborne plant pathogens&#xA;  including fungi, bacteria, nematodes, and insect and mite pests along&#xA;  with weed seed and seedlings in the soil by mulching the soil and&#xA;  covering it with tarp, usually with a transparent polyethylene cover,&#xA;  to trap solar energy. It may also describe methods of decontaminating&#xA;  soil using sunlight or solar power. This energy causes physical,&#xA;  chemical, and biological changes in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Solarization may kill clovers?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, it will kill clovers, but seeds may remain intact (especially large seeds). Remeber that clovers seed can survive for years in dry soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Solarization may have many side effects on the bulbs?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure, bulbs may be destroyed by heat or may be rotten for the high soil humidity...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;My experience with solarization&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I made two solarizations time ago. One of them to kill a very invasive species of &lt;em&gt;Ipomoea&lt;/em&gt; and the other to remove a fungus in the soil. Both were very effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I made the solarization against fungi, I noticed a decrease in the number of clovers and weeds in general (maybe 60% or 70% less).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastEditorUserId="6910" LastEditDate="2014-08-12T13:58:54.520" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T13:58:54.520" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13606" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13631" CreationDate="2014-08-06T13:45:10.903" Score="7" ViewCount="9217" Body="&lt;p&gt;Has anyone had success with any form of goose deterrent? I currently have a small flock of about 10 geese that like to leave their scat all over my driveway and lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have about 2 acres of lawn and a half acre pond on the property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6946" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-08-06T20:18:56.590" LastActivityDate="2019-04-04T16:38:44.877" Title="Is there a way I can deter geese from visiting my yard and pond?" Tags="&lt;wildlife&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13601" CreationDate="2014-08-06T13:45:39.443" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not convinced this is bacterial blight - I can't see any evidence of blackened shoots which you'd expect with bacterial blights. I would ask,though, whether you've noticed any 'shepherd's crook' drooping at the tops of affected shoots and branches (so called because the top of the shoot droops in the shape of a crook). There's no evidence of this in the photos. I also can't detect any signs of canker in the woody parts shown in the pictures. The unhealthy leaves seem to be showing signs of nutrient deficiency, potassium in particular.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants themselves look pretty old, and the wood in the lower parts has deposits of orange material which is probably lichen. This is harmless in and of itself, but does indicate age. You say you don't water very much - large, fairly neglected lilacs may suffer dieback as the season progresses if they are short of water, and this does look like dieback.  They also look quite congested in the woody parts, so I'd give them another chance by doing some radical pruning when the trees are dormant, reducing them down to 4 main stems per plant, sawn off about 2 or 3 feet above the ground. Feed with a good compound fertiliser in Spring, apply an organic mulch (not bark chips, too acid) to the soil at the base when the soil is moist after feeding, keep watered if necessary and trim off any growth you don't want to keep the plants a good shape, with fewer main branches. There are two unfortunate side effects with this treatment - you will not have any flowers for at least three years, and assuming the plants are Syringia vulgaris, there will be much more sucker growth, which will need to be removed. As long as the cause is not one of the phytophtheras or a foot and butt rot or canker, this might rejuvenate them and solve the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-06T13:56:24.483" LastActivityDate="2014-08-06T13:56:24.483" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13608" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13603" CreationDate="2014-08-06T14:10:11.870" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The likelihood is your clover and grasses are rooted in with the plants you want to keep. Couch grass is difficult to eradicate by any means, clover you can get rid of - but it requires effort. You need to dig out as much of the roots as possible, preferably when the soil is nice and moist, loosening the soil around the clover then extracting it carefully with its roots. After that, frequent hoeing and removing the hoed off parts will deal with it, but, at the right time of year (autumn) I usually clear the bed if the colonization of weeds is extensive - I dig up everything that can be dug up, all the ornamental plants as well so long as they're not large, established shrubs. Then I inspect the rootballs of the ones I want to keep, extracting anything that shouldn't be there (couch grass roots, clover roots and anything else I don't want), thoroughly dig over the area removing any roots, then replant the newly cleaned ornamental ones you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If possible, it would be good to know what part of the world you're in and to see a couple of photos of the problem, showing the clover in particular. If you're in the USA, the area you're talking about might the size of a field for all I know, which would render the solution I've suggested so far irrelevant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I've just noticed one of your responses in a comment above says that all the flowers are daffodils. Well, no problem then, if you're in the northern hemisphere - dig 'em all out now and thoroughly dig the bed over, removing all roots. You will need to have those daffs back in place by end of this month though. You might also want to consider planting properly in the bed, that is, plants which at least give ground cover during the time the daffodils are dormant - if you don't plant something in bare soil, nature will, as you've discovered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-06T17:46:31.480" LastActivityDate="2014-08-06T17:46:31.480" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13609" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13610" CreationDate="2014-08-06T15:52:33.753" Score="20" ViewCount="114983" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was reading through some of the questions on fruit trees, because I've been thinking about getting some blueberry bushes and cherry trees, and I see a lot of people mentioning that the trees don't self-pollinate, and that you need a male and a female tree to get fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought that flowers had both male and female parts, and that the pollination was just from bees transferring pollen to other parts of the flowers. But to me, that sounds like there are trees that have flowers with only female parts, and trees with flowers that have only male parts. And then trees that self-pollinate that have both flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are trees that are only male or female, then how do you tell what sex of tree you have? Do you have to look at the flowers to know?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T16:14:41.520" Title="How do you tell if a tree is male or female?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13610" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13609" CreationDate="2014-08-06T16:29:35.647" Score="21" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some trees have a single &quot;gender&quot; but many do not.  The way to tell is to see if the male (pollen) parts are present on separate flowers on different trees from the &quot;female&quot; (ovary - ie, infant fruit) parts.  Also, you should be aware that issues with pollination may not always be related to needing both &quot;male&quot; and &quot;female&quot; trees around - sometimes a tree has what is called a &quot;perfect&quot; flower (with both male and female parts) but because the pollen from the male portion does not ripen at the same time or is in some other way incompatible with the female portion, it may require others of its kind around with different pollination times in order to set fruit.  Apples are that way, sometimes, as are hazelnuts.  This is why you often see recommended pollinators listed for certain apple varieties.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bushes are the same way - some have only one gender as well.  So do some fruiting vines, like Kiwi, which for the most part require one male kiwi for every 8 females.  There is at least one self-fruitful variety - Issai.  But even those fruiting plants that are self-fruitful will often be even more productive with additional pollinators.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A little research on the type of fruit trees you have should turn up any issues of flower gender and suggestions for providing the best pollinators/pollinating environment so that your trees can be as productive as possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-05-02T22:09:50.597" LastActivityDate="2015-05-02T22:09:50.597" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13612" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13603" CreationDate="2014-08-06T17:52:26.900" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would suggest using mulch. The trick is to use a very thick layer - about 6 inches. This should take care of clover. Grass will get trough the first year. But mulch will not allow for the grass to reseed itself, so once you weed the current one, new one will not settle in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6948" LastActivityDate="2014-08-06T17:52:26.900" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13603" CreationDate="2014-08-06T18:58:50.267" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Might as well add my own method, to add onto the other valuable input you've gotten so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If all you have in the beds are daffodils, here's what I'd do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dig all the grass and clover you can. If you have heavy or wet soil, don't chop it up. Go through and try to dig out the main crowns first. After the bed is cleared of the biggest stuff, go through again, and pull up along any rooted stems by hand, and quickly dig out the roots as you go. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The bed should now appear free of grass and clover, but there are generally still some roots. Wait one week. If any leaves come through, dig out the roots supporting them. You can repeat this step if you want.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put down a layer of mulch. Dyed wood chips or premium bark mulch are good for appearance. Don't add more than 2&quot;. Make sure there are no piles, and the surface is even. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;There will likely be some roots you missed. They will use lots of energy emerging, and will be weakened. Use a probe, or digging knife, and walk through now and then popping up any clover you see. I reckon this should take less than 15 minutes every couple weeks, per 1000 sq. feet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;As an alternative to the last step, When you see weeds emerging, walk through and spray them with Roundup (glyphosate). This will kill the roots. Clover may take more than one application. After the roots are dead, all you might find will be seedlings, which may be removed by the root easily enough.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Add a covering of new mulch each year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you want, you can apply a pre-emergent herbicide before you lay the mulch. This will greatly decrease the seedling count that you'll get.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also start by spraying the entire bed with Roundup, but I always recommend using the least possible amount of pesticides. In the case that you do this, wait 1 week, if there is any green lefty spray again. Wait two days, cut to surface level, and mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-06T18:58:50.267" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13614" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="430" CreationDate="2014-08-06T19:06:25.343" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check the pH of the soil.  Concrete can add too much lime and make the soil too alkaline for your tree.  Tree roots are primarily the top 6&quot; of soil so depth isn't a problem unless the concrete is stopping drainage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't advocate peat moss but the use of peat moss probably brought the pH down to a level the tree needed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try to never plant plants in a straight line.  Staggering helps tremendously.  This also gives them more room to grow while providing the look you want (fence).  Those pears in your picture are too close! Ok for a nursery but if they had been staggered (triangle formation) they'd be healthier and you wouldn't notice if one or two died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-08-06T19:06:25.343" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13615" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-06T19:52:00.017" Score="3" ViewCount="1271" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought some Hydrangeas in pots in full flower. They were then left un-watered. They are now suffering from dead flowers but the leaves look OK. It is now August in North Yorkshire. Any ideas what I should do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6950" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-06T20:11:13.123" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T00:36:55.363" Title="Why are my hydrangea flowers dying, but the leaves look OK?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13615" CreationDate="2014-08-06T20:09:43.127" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the leaves look fine, it was probably caused by dehydration. Mine did that recently, as well. Cut the flower heads off, and keep the plant well watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-05T00:36:55.363" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T00:36:55.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13617" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13625" CreationDate="2014-08-06T20:21:31.677" Score="4" ViewCount="2013" Body="&lt;p&gt;Earlier today I asked this question: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/13609/2984&quot;&gt;How do you tell if a tree is male or female?&lt;/a&gt; because I've been looking into fruit trees and learning about what is needed for them to bear fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So based on this new knowledge that some trees need a male and a female tree to bear fruit, I was wondering if it would be possible to graft a branch from a male cherry tree onto a female cherry tree. That way, instead of having two cherry trees in my yard, I could have one tree that would pollinate itself with the grafted branch. Would something like that be possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2019-06-10T11:41:47.970" Title="Is it possible to graft together a self-pollinating cherry tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13618" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13606" CreationDate="2014-08-06T22:13:25.907" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Canada geese are a big problem all over Eastern North America. Some of the solutions that have worked but may not work for you are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not mow areas adjacent to water.  They are not too mobile through thick tall grass and like to access the water easily.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant trees and shrubs or fence next to the water to limit access&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant emergent aquatics next to the shore to limit access&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a few government departments where I live have hired a service that uses trained Border Collies to scare the geese away.  As they are herders they can be trained to sneak up and scare the geese without harming them.  You mileage may vary depending on the dog and the effort you put into training them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/wild_neighbors/canada_goose_guide.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;way&lt;/a&gt; for our members from the United States&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Federal law protects Canada geese. It is illegal to harm geese, their &#xA;  eggs, or their nests in the United States without permission from  the&#xA;  U.S. Fish and Wild Service (USFWS). Geese may be harassed or  scared&#xA;  away without a permit as long as the geese, goslings, eggs,  and nests&#xA;  are not harmed. USFWS allows resident Canada goose  eggs to be treated&#xA;  to prevent hatching....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-08-06T23:09:55.707" LastActivityDate="2014-08-06T23:09:55.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13619" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13535" CreationDate="2014-08-07T00:15:21.320" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your goal is season extension (start earlier in the spring, extend it later in the fall) then solutions such as a hoop house, high tunnel hoop or cold frames are helpful.  Here in Virginia (zone 7a) I have about 6 months of frost-free growing but the hoop house helps by keeping the cold, dry wind off of the young plants in the early spring.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A south-facing brick or concrete wall will heat up from the sun and slowly release that heat later.  That may help grapes grow better if they were planted on a trellis next to the brick wall.  Similarly, it would create a &quot;micro climate&quot; for other plants (e.g., those peppers) that specifically like the warmer conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While I haven't done &quot;hot house&quot; tomatoes (yet), the local PYO (pick your own) farm we frequent does this and the tomatoes are &lt;em&gt;much&lt;/em&gt; farther along than mine which are started under the lights in the garage and moved outside later.  Their greenhouses create a very warm environment that causes those tomatoes (and a few other plants) to thrive.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my hoop house, I position a mylar sheet along the inside of the hoops on the north side to reflect light back at my plants within.  The sun &lt;em&gt;never&lt;/em&gt; shines inward from the north side (since I'm at 37 degrees North) and so I don't block any direct sunlight by doing this.  Instead, it uses that light which would otherwise pass through the north side plastic.  That's the theory anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in VA we have (generally) sunny, warm summers that are great for growing peppers and other heat-loving plants.  In an environment where things are cooler, containing some of that solar energy helps to effectively push the &quot;hardiness zone&quot; southward - I think Europe has hardiness zones like we do in the States.  So trapping some of that heat in a plastic tunnel can help to improve conditions for heat-loving plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, when you are using a plastic tunnel you've got to be aware of overheating and conditions being too dry (due to rain water being blocked), but that is manageable. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other thing - in my hoop house I have black weed fabric on the floor which helps to warm the soil under it.  That &lt;em&gt;definitely&lt;/em&gt; helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just some numbers - and while you're not specifically asking about winter planting in a greenhouse or hoop house, I think it might be useful info: on average my winter nighttime temperatures were 5-12 degrees F warmer than the outside ambient temperature.  My soil temperature inside the hoop house &lt;em&gt;never&lt;/em&gt; got below the mid-40's despite the fact that we had lots of near-zero F nights.  Daytime temperatures would be 15 degrees warmer on overcast days on average and 35-40 degrees warmer during the day.  On one sunny day when it didn't make it out of the 20's degrees outside, it was a balmy 68 degrees inside.  Certain plants loved that.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyhow, enough rambling.  Containment of the warmer air and thermal mass such as bricks and stones help create warmer conditions.  Even in the summer, hoops can be used to heat things up.  It just requires close monitoring of the temperature and moisture levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-08-07T00:15:21.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13620" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9092" CreationDate="2014-08-07T01:42:47.970" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soft water:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if &quot;soft water&quot; is the correct translation. I mean non calcareous water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A good cut:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have to avoid crushing the xylem. Use precision scissors or an scalpel (cutter). If your really want a long lasting rose, make a new cut every day (or at least three days) to make sure the xylem remain open.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9MIma.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A good cut&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Removes what is not necessary:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remove all decorative objects (paper, plastics, etc.) and leaves which are below the water level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Preservatives:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best option is to buy some ready to use preservatives. But this is not a must. I will list some products that will help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sugar: it contains a lot of glucose (involved in cellular respiration) [1% per volume of water].&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aspirin: it works because it contains acids that help in water circulation on cuts [3 quarters per liter of water].&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bleach: to prevent water putrefaction [1 milliliter per liter of water].&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can read the full article (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botanicayjardines.com/como-hacer-que-la-flor-cortada-dure-mas/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Spanish&lt;/a&gt; - &lt;a href=&quot;https://translate.google.es/translate?sl=es&amp;amp;tl=en&amp;amp;js=y&amp;amp;prev=_t&amp;amp;hl=es&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.botanicayjardines.com%2Fcomo-hacer-que-la-flor-cortada-dure-mas%2F&amp;amp;edit-text=&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;English&lt;/a&gt;) on our web.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastActivityDate="2014-08-07T01:42:47.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13622" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13624" CreationDate="2014-08-07T16:39:45.293" Score="4" ViewCount="1332" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two arborvitae trees that are near the front entrance to our house. Many years ago they were planted way to close and now they need to be removed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have decided to simple plant perennials there instead, like a big batch of black eyed susans or something similar.  Our goal is lower and more color.   my question is can I just cut the arborvitae at ground level and let nature takes its course with the roots?  Or do I need to remove the root ball? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over time I would assume the roots would decompose was hoping patience and nature could replace an aching back and blisters.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3593" LastActivityDate="2014-08-07T23:17:46.253" Title="Root removal when removing shrubs" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13623" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3099" CreationDate="2014-08-07T17:12:32.917" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cattle will not eat Beautyberry (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callicarpa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Callicarpa&lt;/a&gt;) or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythrina_herbacea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Erythrina herbacea&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6960" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-08-07T18:20:17.027" LastActivityDate="2014-08-07T18:20:17.027" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13624" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13622" CreationDate="2014-08-07T18:58:46.217" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it were me, I would remove the stumps as much as possible before replanting the bed.  Arborvitae can sometimes re-sprout even after being cut back severely, and the wood, while soft, is fairly resistant to decay.  This means you may be waiting quite a while for nature to take care of the problem for you, even if it doesn't manage to regrow its top.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-08-07T18:58:46.217" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13625" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13617" CreationDate="2014-08-07T22:28:06.670" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's how grafted a black gold cherry tree onto an overgrown Gisela 6 plant. I used to graft fruit trees fairly often for the (now nonexistent) nursery. So I had this one Gisela 6 rootstock plant, which had grown to about 7' high. I cut all the branches off at 1&quot; diameter (there were three main ones). I used variant on spliced side (more on that below) to add the three scions. I used grafting tape to seal them. The tree is now about 15' tall, and, if it weren't for the fact that I didn't spray it yet this year, it has been doing quite well. Grafting is an art. Don't expect to be as good as a professional on your first try. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Here are some points that you need to know before starting&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is a thin green layer under the bark, called cambium. This must be in full contact in a graft, with the scion and the stock fitting like a puzzle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Air in the graft will dry it out, and it will fail. Make sure your cuts are flat, and wrk as fast as possible to get the scion on the stock.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Grafting is usually done before growth starts in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is a good idea to practice on something easy, like a willow tree, before starting on something serious.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't bother the plant once t has been grafted. Even after a few weeks, when growth shows, the attachment can easily be severed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;What you need&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grafting knife&lt;/strong&gt; You need a sharp, small blade that will cut with no mashing or tearing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pAMPu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grafting Wax&lt;/strong&gt; You need this to seal many kinds of graft, to keep out air and pathogens.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/adxVp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grafting Tape&lt;/strong&gt; seals the wound, while giving support.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QrA68.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Methods&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The kind of graft you use will depend on the size of the branch you are going to use. below are details on three different grafting methods, which I think will be most applicable in your case:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Spliced Side Graft&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is usually done in early spring before bud break. I use it on stem diameters of up to 1/2 inch. It is very reliable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Find a scion of the plant you want to grow. It should be about 6&quot; long. Put in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The plant or branch to be used as stock should be cut to between 6 and 4&quot; from the base. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;About one inch from the end of the stock, make a small straight, downward, inward cut, going in about a quarter of the way, and twice as far down. Then make another cut from 12&quot; higher up on the stock. Cut straight to the point where your other cut stopped. Remove the chip.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;With you're knife in the groove you've created, cut straight upward and back, out to the back of the stem, at the top.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the scion, cut a slanted, level cut from one inch of the base, through to the other side of the stem, at the end. Then make a smaller cut slanting up on the other side, to match what you did on the stock. Immediately fit the pieces together. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coat in grafting wax.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Diagram:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BRTJC.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Whip and Tongue Graft&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is one that I used on ornamentals, particularly those with the same diameter in the scion and the stock. It is rather easy, because it takes advantage of the elasticity of green wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Take a seven inch scion from a healthy plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut the end off the stock, leaving at least 3&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make a slanted cut (I do about 25-30 degrees) from the end of the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make a 'tongue' on the middle of the cut, by taking your knife straight down the middle of the stem. Don't go too far, though.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make an identical cut on the scion, the slanted cut and the tongue must be the same length as the ones you made on the rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Push the stems together, making sure there is no air between them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wrap in grafting tape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Diagram:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/67yVT.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Apical Wedge Graft&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one is also very good for the beginner. It is limited in that it doesn't work well on stems over 1&quot; in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut a scion up to 1' long.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut the stock, leaving yourself at least 3&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut straight down the center of the stock, about 1 1/2&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut an even 'V' on the end of the scion. Make it as long as the stock incision is deep.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Push the scion into the stock. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coat in grafting wax.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Diagram:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8NrAp.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-07T22:42:10.660" LastActivityDate="2014-08-07T22:42:10.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13626" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-07T22:29:47.700" Score="7" ViewCount="386" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given this seed/fruit by a friend who found it on a walk through the countryside. I have no clue what plant it is from and want to plant it. I'm from Ireland but I'm pretty sure it is not a native species, Ireland has a lot of old plantations with many imported trees growing there. One thing I'm certain of is that it is evergreen and has piney needles as you can see from the top of the seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone know what tree it is from?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2KWII.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6961" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-08-08T16:42:34.687" LastActivityDate="2015-11-10T15:09:59.697" Title="Can anyone identify this seed/fruit and what tree it has come from?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13627" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13622" CreationDate="2014-08-07T23:17:46.253" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the method you choose will somewhat depend on the size of the trees. If the trees were less than 3&quot; in diameter, I'd pop out the root ball. If the tree is over that, I might consider grinding it out. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13516/how-do-i-kill-this-salt-cedar/13518#13518&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more detailed info on stump removal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Letting them rot is a possibility you could get old on. I've seen 'em stick around for over ten years. You could leave them, but they won't go away fast without help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With a sharp shovel, I can pop the average arborvitae stump out in less than 5 minutes. Dig a trench around the stump spade deep, cutting all roots that get in the way. then cut a circle around the base, at the bottom of the trench. Slant this inward. Pry out the stump. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-08-07T23:17:46.253" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13628" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13328" CreationDate="2014-08-07T23:26:14.820" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a &lt;em&gt;Spathiphyllum wallisii&lt;/em&gt; Regel from &lt;em&gt;Araceae&lt;/em&gt;. It is a South America native evergreen herbaceous plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sfQvv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;botanicayjardines.com&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We were talking about this plant in one of our videos ... you can use it perfectly as an indoor plant. How did it get there? The ways of the Lord are inscrutable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastActivityDate="2014-08-07T23:26:14.820" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13630" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13647" CreationDate="2014-08-08T01:32:02.163" Score="4" ViewCount="311" Body="&lt;p&gt;I hastily bought a bouquet of pink roses yesterday, but they haven't bloomed yet. The flowers are in my room right now, and I'm wondering if there's anything I can do to make them bloom?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6963" LastActivityDate="2014-08-10T09:48:51.470" Title="Bouquet of pink roses not blooming" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13631" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13606" CreationDate="2014-08-08T01:36:06.823" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Luckily it sounds like you just have to make your yard/pond less attractive than the other yards/ponds nearby. It's a fairly common problem for people with water features such as ponds on their property, and as such there are several different ways that people have discovered to discourage geese from visiting. Your mileage may vary with these methods, and some of them might not even be an option for you. So use your discretion to choose which method you think will work for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Discourage access to water&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Geese are lazy, and prefer to walk into the water from the shore rather than fly in and out like ducks do. So if you're mowing to the edge of your pond, you might want to consider doing some landscaping to make it less convenient for them to visit your pond, than the other ponds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How you landscape the area by the water is up to you, but the goal is that the geese won't easily be able to walk into the water from the land. It could be something like not mowing the area at all and letting the area by the water grow unchecked, or you could even plant some decorative plants or grasses by the water if the unkempt grass sounds like it would be an eyesore, even large decorative rocks that would be difficult for geese to walk across could do the trick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other options that might not be as attractive, I think, are: Making the slope to the water steeper, as that would also make it more difficult for geese to access. Or, you could run a wire around the pond, about 6 inches off the ground, right by the water's edge. That acts as a fence of sorts that makes it inconvenient for the geese to get in and out of the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the other ponds are easier to access than your pond, the geese will most likely visit those ponds instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don't feed them&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Definitely stop feeding them directly if you are doing so. Offering handouts is a good way to get geese to return for more. But there are also ways you might be offering geese easy meals on your property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Geese like to eat the short, manicured grass, along with the new shoots that come with it. An easy way to make your lawn less palatable to geese is to keep your lawn at a higher length than normal. I would say you should try to avoid mowing it shorter than 3-4 inches minimum. That should help keep the grass mature and tougher than the geese will prefer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might also want to consider cutting out using fertilizer for a while, to make your grass less nutritious than they need as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some grasses that attract geese as well. Kentucky Bluegrass is a well loved favorite of geese. I've heard that they don't like Fescue, but I don't know if that's true or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know much about it as I haven't had any desire to use it, but I've heard that Methyl anthranilate is effective. All it is is a bitter flavoring that you would sprinkle in your yard and it would make it taste bad. There was &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/pubs/az1252-1a.pdf&quot;&gt;a study&lt;/a&gt; done on it's effectiveness though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Scare the geese away&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, be sure not to do the scaring yourself, as geese are ornery creatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Decoys:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes a good old scarecrow and/or strips of mylar tape can be enough to do the trick. Part of the problem with geese being such large birds, is that they aren't scared of the usual decoys you might normally use for pests, such as owls, and might not be so scared of humans either (especially ones that don't really move).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One decoy that might work depending on where you live, is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://smile.amazon.com/Alligator-Decoy-Reflective-Canada-Control/dp/B00550XX68/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1407459611&amp;amp;sr=8-3&amp;amp;keywords=alligator%20head&quot;&gt;floating gator decoy&lt;/a&gt;. It's simply a decoy that you can float in your pond, and it's meant to keep away larger birds such as geese or herons that might be a hindrance to ponds with fish in them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option might be &lt;a href=&quot;http://smile.amazon.com/Flambeau-5889LO-Floating-Swan-2-Pack/dp/B00JFJ7RPS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1407460049&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;keywords=swan%20decoy&quot;&gt;swan decoys&lt;/a&gt;. This is give or take I think. Swans are more aggressive and territorial than geese, so having swans in your pond could deter geese from visiting just so they can avoid the possible confrontation. The problem is that the geese could take it to mean that your pond has a good source of food since there are swans there, and be attracted to it. I've seen it go both ways.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise I would suggest a &lt;a href=&quot;http://smile.amazon.com/Edge-Innovative-Hunting-Coyote-Decoy/dp/B0016SCIJ6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1407460560&amp;amp;sr=8-2&amp;amp;keywords=coyote%20decoy&quot;&gt;coyote decoy&lt;/a&gt;, as coyotes would be the most common natural predator of geese, and should make any of them uneasy being in your yard.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chasing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other people have devised more hands-on methods of scaring the geese away like the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.goosinator.com/get-rid-of-geese.html&quot;&gt;goosinator&lt;/a&gt;. Which really any model airplane or remote control car should be effective enough to chase the geese away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a medium to large sized dogs, it might be worth letting it loose to chase the geese for you. Herding dogs work best, as geese get put off by the herding methods. Sometimes you can hire goose-herding services depending on where you live.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don't let them sleep&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The geese will want to sleep in or around the pond at night. The best thing you can do here is to make your pond the one that they can't sleep in, and they'll be more likely to move on to a neighboring pond to spend their time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a couple different ways to do this, the most common is placing a flashing light in an around the water. The ones you can find on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.awaywithgeese.com/products/&quot;&gt;AwayWithGeese.Com&lt;/a&gt; are pretty pricey, but they give you an idea of what you would want. A couple lights in the yard, and some on buoys in the ponds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In combination with lights, or just an alternative to, would be something that makes noise at certain intervals throughout the night. Just something that doesn't allow the geese to get a good night's sleep while they're staying on your property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastActivityDate="2014-08-08T01:36:06.823" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13632" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13639" CreationDate="2014-08-08T04:49:32.743" Score="3" ViewCount="282" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone tell me if they know what type of bug this is?  If so, how do I get rid of it as it seems to be eating the leaves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click any photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PIV6d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PIV6dl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f3J5s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f3J5sl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2464" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-08-08T20:36:35.067" LastActivityDate="2014-08-21T21:47:36.803" Title="What is this bug and how do I keep it from eating my plants' leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13633" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-08T07:42:57.637" Score="6" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just moved into a relative's house in Sydney and the backyard is a disaster. There is some unusual grass that is invading that I haven't seen before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kGUIK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y499/evilgrasscorporation/EvilGrass3_zps45d0d552.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I looked at &lt;a href=&quot;http://thelawnguide.com.au/lawn-care/lawn-varieties.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://thelawnguide.com.au/lawn-care/lawn-varieties.html&lt;/a&gt; but it doesn't appear that the grass is similar to anything listed. I don't think it is a lawn grass, but some weed that has grown thickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently it has not been raining for a few months now and I noticed that the pest is drying up. How do I go about removing it as the roots seem to be very deep from my experience with a large shovel. You can find some extra photos at &lt;a href=&quot;http://s1277.photobucket.com/user/evilgrasscorporation/library/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://s1277.photobucket.com/user/evilgrasscorporation/library/&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;I'm not what types of photos I need to post but I might add to it later if requested.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also found it weird but there are whole patches where my relatives have been growing vegetables and those patches seem to be immune.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6780" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-08-11T15:01:39.087" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T13:47:36.420" Title="Identify this grass and provide hints on removal" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13634" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13632" CreationDate="2014-08-08T10:28:44.380" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is hard to see clearly, but it looks as if the body is shaped rather like an elongated leaf, with the back end narrowing down almost to a point. The eyes are definitely yellowish with black centres, it should have six legs, jointed in the manner of the two I can see in the picture - if I'm seeing it properly, this is a green katydid, and its one of those that does eat plants - usually sticks around on whatever plant it likes most and eats that. Presumably there is some local treatment appropriate for these if you have a heavy infestation, I'm in the UK, so don't know what you'd use - maybe someone else can advise on a suitable pesticide, if its necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-09T10:08:55.980" LastActivityDate="2014-08-09T10:08:55.980" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13636" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13626" CreationDate="2014-08-08T11:01:09.407" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it's an unripe pine cone, much more mundane than the exciting suggestion of 'a pineapple grown near a nuclear power plant', sadly - though not necessarily from the Pinus family. The trouble is, to be absolutely sure what tree it is, you'd need to examine the foliage closely and to look at the overall growth habit. This cone is obviously very fresh, it hasn't even quite finished forming properly, and the colour does change as it matures; there's also no point of reference to determine its overall size. Even without those definite pointers though, because of its barrel shape and patterning, I'm fairly sure it's a Cedrus (Cedar), possibly Cedrus atlantica 'glauca'. Because its not fully mature, the seeds inside likely won't be either - best go back and get another one when they fall naturally, or have lost any hint of green. They take up to two years from growth initiation to full maturity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I just read that air drying under cover might allow the seeds to ripen - when its ready, the cone should disintegrate, or start to disintegrate, allowing access to the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-09T10:32:32.363" LastActivityDate="2014-08-09T10:32:32.363" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13637" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5271" CreationDate="2014-08-08T12:52:57.360" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had excellent indoor results with two T5 fluorescent tubes per 8 heads. The most important thing about the lights is that you &lt;strong&gt;must&lt;/strong&gt; get 6400 Kelvin (+/- 300) wavelength lights. They are not the most common you will find.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Place the lights about 10-20 cm from the plants (&lt;strong&gt;only&lt;/strong&gt; do this with fluo or LED lights, not Metal Halide or HPS bulbs)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the plants are germinating from seed (until they get their first &lt;em&gt;true leaf&lt;/em&gt;, most often the third one), I run the lights about 6 hours per day. Once they get their true leaves, I run the lights 10-12 hours per day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also severely cut down on the amount of light (and electrcity) you need to use, by putting highly reflective material around the lights, so it bounces back on the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope it helps a little :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About the 6400K (how it will often be listed) lights, they are also known as &quot;day light&quot; or &quot;natural&quot;, but you can not trust these descriptions. Always be sure to find a Kelvin. They &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; be found in your local hardwa re store if you're lucky. I found some for only 6 USD in my local store here in Berlin. Bought 11 right away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2730" LastEditorUserId="2730" LastEditDate="2014-08-09T07:17:42.207" LastActivityDate="2014-08-09T07:17:42.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13639" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13632" CreationDate="2014-08-08T23:03:37.160" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a katydid, which is any insect in the family &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tettigoniidae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tettigoniidae&lt;/a&gt;. Yours is from the  sub-family &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaneropterinae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Phaneropterinae&lt;/a&gt;. It's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugguide.net/node/view/336585&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;California Anglewing, &lt;em&gt;Microcentrum californicum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It's probably not causing much damage on your plants, but you can control it with a general insecticide. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a comparison picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/biIEs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-21T21:47:36.803" LastActivityDate="2014-08-21T21:47:36.803" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9847" CreationDate="2014-08-09T13:29:07.567" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is an intergeneric hybrid named &lt;em&gt;Laeliocattleya&lt;/em&gt; Purple Cascade 'Fragrance Beauty'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found no photograph without copyright, but &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/shaggy67/8116331082/in/photolist-6WajnC-krYhvz-7QJfeM-7QJh4c-dndjsN-9Cnsze-9CqnMd&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here you can see one&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastActivityDate="2014-08-09T13:29:07.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13641" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-09T14:58:18.350" Score="4" ViewCount="121" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to start a vegetable garden now (late summer). Which vegetables will do best with fall weather approaching? I am in southern California.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also I would like to plant some herbs, which ones are perennial?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6969" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T16:27:38.287" Title="Late summer vegetable garden in SoCal?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13642" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7897" CreationDate="2014-08-09T19:19:03.420" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The short answer to your question is &lt;strong&gt;yes&lt;/strong&gt;. In olive trees, mostly pollination is anemophilous, that also means that environmental conditions affect pollination (Lavee, 1986; Dimassi et al, 1999.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Is it just a matter of a greater amount of compatible pollen available&#xA;  in the area or is there something about the genetics of cross&#xA;  compatible varieties pollinating each other that gives better results&#xA;  than just having multiple trees of the same type?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is much more complicated than that. For example, it is known that some self-fertile cultivars in Spain, are not in the United States (that is, among other reasons, due to weather conditions). I think that you have to keep in mind the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fruit set is usually higher in cross-pollination than self-pollination (Rallo et al., 1990). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use cultivars that bloom at the same time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use cultivars with proven results in your area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastEditorUserId="6910" LastEditDate="2014-08-09T19:33:49.887" LastActivityDate="2014-08-09T19:33:49.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13643" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4574" CreationDate="2014-08-09T23:54:10.363" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;To recap the problem:&#xA;Rainwater that is collected in barrels that is four feet (1.1 meter) off the ground comes out of the pipe at about 10 psi using gravity.  Most water timers either require 60 to 100 psi (city tap pressure) or an electrical outlet to power the valve and timer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In order to water plants or top up ponds I needed a water timer that would work with water at 10 psi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=63122&amp;amp;cat=2,2280,33160&amp;amp;ap=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;product&lt;/a&gt; from Lee Valley has been in use for two years and has performed flawlessly.  It takes a 9 volt battery and has two outlets with separate programs. The only issue I have found is that the pressure of the water from the rain barrels changes depending on how much water is in the barrels.  When they are full more water comes out than when they are emptier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-08-09T23:54:10.363" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13641" CreationDate="2014-08-10T02:19:48.170" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was in Ojai time ago and the weather is similar to the Canary Islands (with pronounced season, of course). This would be a list to get started:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The easy one (throughout the year):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chard [&lt;em&gt;Beta vulgaris&lt;/em&gt; L.]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Garlic [&lt;em&gt;Allium sativum&lt;/em&gt; L.]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Radish [&lt;em&gt;Raphanus raphanistrum&lt;/em&gt; subsp. &lt;em&gt;sativus&lt;/em&gt; (L.) Domin]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lettuce [&lt;em&gt;Lactuca sativa&lt;/em&gt; L.]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Late Summer:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fennel [&lt;em&gt;Foeniculum vulgare&lt;/em&gt; Mill.]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Onion [&lt;em&gt;Allium cepa&lt;/em&gt; L.]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Brussels sprout [&lt;em&gt;Brassica oleracea&lt;/em&gt; L.]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Endive [&lt;em&gt;Cichorium endivia&lt;/em&gt; L.]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Early Autumn&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Coriander [&lt;em&gt;Coriandrum sativum&lt;/em&gt; L.]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thyme [&lt;em&gt;Thymus vulgaris&lt;/em&gt; L.]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chives [&lt;em&gt;Allium schoenoprasum&lt;/em&gt; L.]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastActivityDate="2014-08-10T02:19:48.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13647" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13630" CreationDate="2014-08-10T09:48:51.470" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut at least 1-2&quot; off the ends, at an angle but DO IT UNDERWATER!  Then quickly put into the vase filled with PLAIN water, no additives.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, you will probably get air bubbles in the stem just below the rose head and the rose will wilt.  No biggie.  I'd just dry the roses and make a dried arrangement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't see any wilting you should see the rose heads open.  Using your thumb and a finger, squeeze the head of a rose.  It should feel very firm, hard and substantial.  If it feels empty, soft, squishy...it might not open, or it will open briefly then fall apart quickly.  When you shop for roses always give them this little test before you buy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As soon as you get them home, cut the ends UNDER WATER and arrange in a vase with pure water.  I never let my roses bloom completely or rather get to the point the petals are falling off.  Dried roses are wonderful and can last for years. Dry them and keep them out of direct sunlight.  You can spray with hairspray to make them last longer and/or clean/refresh the dried rose.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these spray roses or tea roses?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-08-10T09:48:51.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13648" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-10T14:04:37.130" Score="4" ViewCount="5199" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Note: I have posted a previous question regarding my chilli plants, its details may help in diagnosing this new issue. You can see it here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13586/white-fur-like-strands-and-spots-on-underside-of-chilli-plant-leaves&quot;&gt;White, fur like strands and spots on underside of chilli plant leaves&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some leaves on one of my cayenne chilli plants have begun to show dry brown patches, some of which have tiny black dots covering the affected area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help diagnose the problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e2Vlc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G3O1I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bJrFf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1lOCp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H5w92.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6934" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-10-03T13:53:18.597" Title="Dry brown patches on cayenne chilli plant leaves, leaves starting to curl, tiny black spots" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13649" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-10T14:59:52.523" Score="4" ViewCount="317" Body="&lt;p&gt;For some reason my yellow bell pepper plant is dying very quickly. When I first got the plant it was thriving putting out peppers like no end. Now the branches are turning brown leaves falling off. The plant is still in a pot. So I wondered if the roots were ballin up too much but I think something is eating it slowly. The leaves are chewed on before they turn yellow and fall. As I look on the inside if the broken plants it seems to have been chewed on everyplace the stalk is turning brown&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BBUNT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dead branches falling off&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BBUNT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;more&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;so maybe someone just bknow what kind of bug or disease would do this kind of damage by the photos. Ive tried coffee grounds Epsom salt I also tried a few things to ward off ants cause I see the little black ants on it, but I think they are cleaning up the dead. So far plant is steady dying. :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6974" LastEditorUserId="4664" LastEditDate="2014-08-12T10:33:17.170" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T20:28:32.267" Title="Bugs eating my yellow bell pepper" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13651" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13652" CreationDate="2014-08-10T17:12:32.137" Score="4" ViewCount="837" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been pulling these all summer but this was the first one that made me pause - the roots were very rhizome-y?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wondering if this is a weed or something that may have been left there by the previous owners (this is my first growing season here)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eFk6B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TCp2r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wRvwb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3529" LastActivityDate="2014-08-10T18:01:59.937" Title="What is this vigorous plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-08-13T19:33:46.997" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13652" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13651" CreationDate="2014-08-10T17:55:59.363" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokeweed&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pokeweed, &lt;em&gt;Phytolacca americana&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It is a weed, the previous owner (hopefully) didn't plant it. That specimen looks to be at least 2 years old. They spread by means of the dark purple staining berries which fall or are spread by birds. It is best to control them early, so that they don't disturb existing ornamental during removal. I've seen someone use a stump grinder on large plants (overkill IMHO). I usually pull them at three inches, enough to give you a handle, but before they develop huge roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2609/what-is-this-fast-growing-plant-with-blue-black-berries/2610#2610&quot;&gt;What is this fast growing plant with blue/black berries?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-08-10T18:01:59.937" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13653" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13656" CreationDate="2014-08-10T19:37:02.083" Score="16" ViewCount="385" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been replanting my garlic every year from some seed cloves I purchased 10 years ago. Every year, I replant cloves from the largest, nicest heads and use the smaller ones in the kitchen. Despite this, I've noticed that I get fewer and fewer nice, large heads every year. Is there a better way to select the best heads for replanting so the size of my garlic doesn't decrease over time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-04-14T20:35:18.560" LastActivityDate="2017-02-11T20:45:17.497" Title="How do I select garlic which will continue to produce large heads in future replantings?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13654" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13658" CreationDate="2014-08-11T00:45:20.143" Score="8" ViewCount="4658" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a speckled, dry brown patch on my lawn that won't go away:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5575/14694763078_7acda1fc74_h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;brown spots on lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I first noticed it a month or so ago while mowing the lawn, when it was isolated to a single area of several square feet. I figured that it might be due to something random like animal urine or a spilled chemical, so I dismissed it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next time I mowed (three weeks later), it had grown in size and had taken on a spotted/blotchy appearance. The brown areas are dry, dead, and crumbly - I can clear out the grass and expose the soil pretty easily with my hands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adjacent areas of the lawn are still mostly green, but appear to be taking on the same appearance at the base of grass near the soil. Areas farther out still seem to be healthy and unaffected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some other info that may help:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I live in central Texas, where it's very hot and humid.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We've had drought (often severe) for the past few years, but this season has seen plenty of rain. It rained a lot before this patch appeared, and has rained a bit since it began to spread, though it's been about three weeks since the last rainfall. I haven't noticed the patch spread significantly since then.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have awful clay soil that doesn't retain moisture well.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;My &quot;lawn&quot; wasn't seeded or sodded; it's basically whatever will grow in this soil, which is about half grass and half weeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The area of grass that seems to be most - if not entirely - affected by this is pretty lush St. Augustine, at the bottom of a downslope, adjacent to a small creek that keeps the soil moist.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kids play in the creek and do all kinds of destructive stuff - burning plastic, pouring out paint cans, and other stuff that bleeds over into my lawn and certainly isn't good for it. I didn't notice anything that would have obviously caused this, though.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More photos in this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/69220055@N08/sets/72157645933668658/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Flickr gallery&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this, and recommend how to get rid of it? Please let me know if you have any questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few interesting things to report.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like my memory failed me - the dead grass isn't white or ashy. It's a light straw color, and of a similar tone and appearance to some clippings I left on my driveway that have since dried out. In other words, at a distance, it just looks like normal dried-out grass clippings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, on close inspection, I did notice that the dead blades do have some dark speckling that I didn't find on the healthy grass clippings:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ol9Is.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close-up of dead blades&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The speckles have a sort of faint graphite appearance - medium gray and slightly shiny. They're very small, and vary in density; some leaves have a few, and some leaves are completely covered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Per @Bamboo's feedback, I looked around for insects, and I did discover numerous &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugguide.net/node/view/251478/bgimage&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;big-eyed bugs&lt;/a&gt;. I couldn't find any chinch bugs, but per the article that @Bamboo linked to, big-eyed bugs prey on chinch bugs. Maybe that explains why the patch seems to have slowed its growth? Maybe the chinch bugs came first and did their damage to the St. Augustine grass, and now the big-eyed bugs are clearing out the chinch bugs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Per @ondoteam's feedback, I should also note that I don't have the best lawn care habits; I do mow on a pretty regular schedule, but not as frequently as I should (every 3 weeks during the growing season). I mow very high - about 3.5 to 4 inches, as I understand that improves root growth - but I'm reading now that that's about an inch too high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't control the temperature or humidity, and I can probably only have a limited effect on the poor soil drainage, but it sounds like I need to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mow more frequently (weekly, at least during the growth season)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;confirm the ideal grass height&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dethatch (I own a light-duty electric dethatcher, so I'll give that a shot)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;aerate (I can rent a power aerator at Home Depot)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keep the mower blade sharp (I just sharpened it, but that was the first time in a couple of years)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anything else I should do? Will the big-eyed bugs serve to limit further damage from the chinch bugs? Should I just let them roam uncontrolled? It seems likely now that the damage was due to chinch bugs, but since the damage has slowed/stopped, and I'm currently seeing only big-eyed bugs, is it safe to assume that I can bypass pesticide treatment for the chinch bugs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for all the feedback!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6977" LastEditorUserId="4664" LastEditDate="2014-08-12T21:15:53.943" LastActivityDate="2018-05-05T01:06:33.170" Title="What is this dead light brown patch on my lawn, and how do I get rid of it?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13655" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13664" CreationDate="2014-08-11T02:10:36.073" Score="7" ViewCount="5122" Body="&lt;p&gt;Asking from northeast New Jersey. Sorry I couldn't get a better picture of it - I'm hoping this is enough to identify it. These pictures were taken from below the tree branches. The tree is in the front yard, is a little taller than the one-story house it's in front of and I think is wider than it is tall (hard to tell because a portion of it is getting crowded out by a large pine tree). It currently has small round berries growing on it that are various shades of green and yellow at the moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zuSrL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree in color&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GOJry.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree silhouette&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Here are pictures of the bark and trunk as well as the top of the tree. When I went out to take these new pictures, I realized this isn't the tree I thought I was talking about - this particular tree is growing next to the side of the house, and there appears to be an identical one growing right next to it. It has some ivy and virginia creeper climbing on it as you will see. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jpeSj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bark&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GYAfU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;there are two of them&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/osukU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6978" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-17T18:35:32.903" LastActivityDate="2014-11-17T18:35:32.903" Title="What is this tree with ovate-elliptical, serrate leaves, and racemes of small berries?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13656" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13653" CreationDate="2014-08-11T10:56:47.167" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few thoughts that might be germane to your situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is a hard-necked variety of garlic, do you cut the scape (the flower stalk that shoots up) off of it?  That will produce a larger bulb - at least that has been my observance of the situation.  The theory is that cutting off the scape allows (forces?) the plant to put its energy into bulb development rather than in growing that flower stalk.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What about soil amendment?  Over the years are you amending the soil where you plant your garlic?  I've seen a &lt;em&gt;significant&lt;/em&gt; difference in the health and size of my garlic (and all plants, really) when I've focused on soil health.  Garlic, like many plants, is a heavy feeder and needs a healthy soil.  And check the pH of the soil.  I think you're going to want to shoot for something in the 6.5 - 7.0 range.  Plants like garlic &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt; grow in less than ideal soil but getting the pH right is a good step in getting them to thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you rotate the garlic between beds or always plant in the same place?  I believe that crop rotation is important and think that a good rule of thumb is that you don't plant garlic (or anything planted annually) in the same place two years in a row.  If space is available, consider rotating the garlic among maybe 3 locations.  My rotational plan is to move everything around yearly and end up back at square one after 3 or 4 years.  This may or may not be feasible depending upon the space you have available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking, I think your choosing of the best bulbs is the right approach - it is time-tested and encourages those traits in the future.  Not knowing anything more about your particular situation that what's in your question, I'd guess that it's likely the soil/soil conditions that are the culprit.  That's generally been my conclusion here on our farm when plants perform below my expectations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2014-08-11T11:43:17.637" LastActivityDate="2014-08-11T11:43:17.637" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13657" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13654" CreationDate="2014-08-11T11:34:10.420" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Considering that the &lt;em&gt;patches are gray&lt;/em&gt;, the issue of &lt;em&gt;high temperatures&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;high humidity&lt;/em&gt;, the &lt;em&gt;clay soil&lt;/em&gt; and what look like &lt;em&gt;black dots on dead leaves&lt;/em&gt;, it may be &lt;strong&gt;&quot;barley powdery mildew&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; - &lt;em&gt;Blumeria graminis&lt;/em&gt; (DC.) Speer (=&lt;em&gt;Erysiphe graminis&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Symptoms:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leaves covered with a white powdery that turns grayish (sometimes light brown).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some leaves with small black dots (peritheca).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;May produce decreases in root development.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Causes:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;High temperatures.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;High humidity.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Both above, especially, if they are on alternate days.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Poorly drained soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Poorly aerated soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shadows.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wrong grass height.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What to do?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as possible, try to avoid the above points. For example: try to scarify more often (it will improve drainage and aeration), cut the grass at the proper height, try to avoid lingering shadows along the day (by prunning shrubs around the affected area) and finally use fungicides preventively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you should contact a professional to do the job of replacing the grass. However, althought I am not an expert on grass, I think it is common sense to apply fugincides to kill the fungus and then replace all affected parts. Unfortunately I do not know fungicides sold in your country... but maybe some community member can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;P.S.: Too much English at one time. If you do not understand something, let me know and I will try to write better. Sorry.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastActivityDate="2014-08-11T11:34:10.420" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13658" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13654" CreationDate="2014-08-11T11:50:51.167" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;At first glance, it looks like a slime mould problem, which does make the blades of grass look ashy and white, but you say it's killing the grass because you can pull it out easily, and slime mould doesn't kill grass. The other thing that springs to mind is an insect infestation in the grass, but I'm in the UK, so the only one I can find that might be causing the problem where you are is Chinch bugs, which particularly like St. Augustine lawns, and would cause the grass to die. Checking whether it's those or not is not easy, you need to get down on the grass and have a look for small insects moving about. There's another bug that's beneficial though, the 'big eyed bug' which you don't want to kill because they predate on chinch bugs, and the two can be confused - here's a link I found at Discover Entomology at Texas A&amp;amp;M that might be useful to help you determine whether it's those or not:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://insects.tamu.edu/extension/publications/epubs/e-420.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://insects.tamu.edu/extension/publications/epubs/e-420.cfm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's only one picture there of an affected lawn, and it does look a similar colour to your dying patches. I'm much better at gardening than I am at technology, so I'm hoping someone will turn that address into a proper link - I just Googled 'insect infestation causing dead, ashy patches on St. Augustine grass in Texas' and that's how I found the information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER: I would have expected you to find some chinch bugs if they really were the problem - in that link above, if you read all of it, it does tell you to do something with an old coffee can to test whether it's chinch bugs or not, and I'd certainly do it, because it may not be chinch after all. The other alternative possible problem is white grub - the link below does mention them, though isn't hugely informative as to how to detect them other than giving symptoms, which do fit with your problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu./archives/parsons/turf/publications/staug.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu./archives/parsons/turf/publications/staug.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and this one&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://suite.io/barbara-brown/3stx2r1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://suite.io/barbara-brown/3stx2r1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looks like the best time to treat for white grub is July, so you may have missed the window of opportunity, but have a good read and see what you think. Recommendations for treatments included in the links.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, Google white grub on St. Augustine grass, Texas - there are other links. One thing you will note is that, with either of these problems, dead thatch in the grass isn't good, because it encourages these problems and prevents any treatments you use being so effective. Which means you will need to do more lawn maintenance than you've been doing, in particular dethatching or scarifying, which I think is called 'vertical mowing' in your part of the world. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="6977" LastEditDate="2014-08-12T16:48:25.647" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T16:48:25.647" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13659" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13660" CreationDate="2014-08-11T11:51:10.627" Score="4" ViewCount="526" Body="&lt;p&gt;In most instructions I've read about growing an avocado plant, it says things like the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In 2-6 weeks, roots and a stem will sprout from the seed. When the stem is about six inches long, trim it in half.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the purpose of doing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6980" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-08-11T14:00:26.717" LastActivityDate="2014-08-11T14:00:26.717" Title="Why should I prune my avocado plant already when only two weeks old?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13660" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13659" CreationDate="2014-08-11T12:34:06.840" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trim the roots, yes. This will encourage a denser root system.  Trim the stem? I can't see why.  An avocado is a tree and no amount of trimming on the stem will make it grow like a bush. Avocado's exhibit &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apical_dominance&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;apical dominance&lt;/a&gt; although not to the same degree as an evergreen. One stem will be more dominant and grow more than the others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See these other &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/avocado&quot;&gt;questions&lt;/a&gt; here for more information about growing avocados and what &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/3052/499&quot;&gt;they look like&lt;/a&gt; after they have been potted up for a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-08-11T12:34:06.840" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13661" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13662" CreationDate="2014-08-11T16:12:20.303" Score="4" ViewCount="612" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just built a nice planter in my garden,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QOCwA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and would like to plant some flowers and edible vegetables (i.e. corn, tomatoes and more). Should I treat the wood and how?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let me add a few details:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's made of heart redwood&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I live in San Gabriel, CA. Not very rainy or cold all year through.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been talking to different people and finding info on the internet but none seem to converge to a standard and recognized practice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some say that redwood does not rot and the only reason to treat it is to prevent it from freezing and cracking once it absorbs water.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Others say that you should treat it otherwise it will rot and stain.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Another option I was suggested was to use a plastic liner, especially if I want to plant edibles I shouldn't treat it and the plastic liner will prevent it from rot and stain. (But I feel that putting a liner inside would defeat purpose...)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anybody please help me figure out which, between all these options (or others if you have any), is the most reasonable thing to do? Considering I would like it to last at least 2/3 yrs and have vegetables growing in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your assistance! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6982" LastEditorUserId="6982" LastEditDate="2014-08-11T21:19:51.697" LastActivityDate="2014-08-11T21:19:51.697" Title="Redwood planter - Should I treat it and how?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13662" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13661" CreationDate="2014-08-11T19:33:04.300" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends to some extent which grade of redwood you bought - heart redwood is the most resistant to rot and mould, and I'm assuming the wood you've used has been cured (not green wood). I can see why you're confused - it seems you can, if you want to, varnish the wood, but this isn't essential, though an excessive number of knots might mean you'd be better off varnishing it. Lining it with plastic not only won't stop it rotting as quickly, it may exacerbate the process, so I wouldn't recommend that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More important is whether there's drainage at the bottom of the bed, that is, it's not standing on an unbroken hard surface which will mean poorer drainage. You've described it as a 'planter' and a 'bed', so I'm not sure which you mean - a raised bed is a structure placed on soil, or with access to some soil at the bottom, whereas a planter has a bottom, hopefully with good drainage holes and slightly raised off the ground beneath to allow free drainage. Nice looking structure you've made!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-08-11T19:33:04.300" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13663" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13653" CreationDate="2014-08-11T22:33:03.737" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few observations from a long-time garlic grower (just harvested today, actually): You may simply have varieties that don't do all that well in your microclimate - I finally gave up on the garlic I had been growing (which was diminishing noticeably over time) and bought some new, known seed (Spanish Roja) a few years back, and also got a seed head from someone else that had heirloom (grandma's) garlic that was doing better here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3&quot; apart is WAY too close, IMPE. Mine are 8&quot; apart and I might go 9&quot; next year. Perhaps you are in rows, but even so, way too close (mine are grid-planted 8x8, considering 9x9)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Large bulbs is good. Saving enough large bulbs that you can plant only the large cloves from the large bulbs is better - eat the smaller ones. Resulting head size has been tied to clove size more strongly than head size. I've finally gone and tracked down some links (and then one died, so here's one link, anyway): &lt;a href=&quot;http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/39/6/1272.full.pdf+html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/39/6/1272.full.pdf+html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nutrition counts. The &quot;new heirloom&quot; variety came to me as an impressively large bulb. In the second year I've grown it, it has large bulbs that match the Spanish Roja, but overall the bulbs are smaller - it happened to get the less-well-treated of the two beds, and it showed at harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My personal experiments with scaping/not scaping lead me to scape everything this year as there was a small but noticeable effect on size. Some literature does suggest that leaving a few scapes and growing out seed bulbils from the top may be beneficial to break some soil-borne disease cycles, but it takes a year or two to get from scape bulbil to regular head of garlic (possibly longer with varieties that make smaller scape bulbils.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also used to wait until most of the leaves were brown. My heads never had a proper wrapper. This is related. I now try to harvest when 3-4 leaves are still green (often tinged with brown) which results in more of a wrapper on the head, and less dirt inside. If collecting scape bulbils, literature claims you should let them go longer (i.e., full brown) to help mature the bulbils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is your depth of planting? I used to put mine way too deep - recommendations are pretty much twice the depth of the clove, and paying attention to the clove orientation (base down, tip up.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-02-11T20:45:17.497" LastActivityDate="2017-02-11T20:45:17.497" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13664" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13655" CreationDate="2014-08-12T01:03:34.213" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_serotina&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wild black cherry, &lt;em&gt;Prunus serotina&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/a&gt; I recognized it at once from the bark, and then the cherries and leaves. I have more of these on my property than all the other tree species combined. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is not a good tree for near houses, as it drops tons of small staining fruit (poisonous in large quantities), and also quite a few sticks. I also find that the roots aren't very supportive, and large ones tend to blow over in hurricanes and such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The wood is quite tough, although it rots fast. It is good for furniture, because it is durable and well colored. The young bark and roots have a distinctive smell when cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some more pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hL2st.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JThOK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cTeN9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kUahN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T01:03:34.213" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13665" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13667" CreationDate="2014-08-12T12:33:17.277" Score="4" ViewCount="131" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just got this cutting. I know I have seen before, but I can not remember what species it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see from pictures there are no flower nor buds that may help to identify it. Since I don't know if roots are well established, I do not like to take picture of them. By the way I think that leaves show a nutritional deficit (maybe due to a small root system) and therefore its natural color could be different.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cutting was a gift. The original owner has not watered it and apparently died (as you can see in first picture there is a dry stem). Later it sprouted again. Neither the original owner nor who gifted it... know what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bHzNq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;general/detail&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0sAJW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;general&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7dfnx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;upside/leaves&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H6HRE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;downside/leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastEditorUserId="6910" LastEditDate="2014-08-12T13:01:50.403" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T14:25:14.907" Title="Help to identify this imparipinnated cutting" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13667" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13665" CreationDate="2014-08-12T14:25:14.907" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It reminds me strongly of Jasminum humile 'revolutum', though the leaves seem a little too short and a little pale, though that could be the deficiency you mention. The slightly square look of the stem and its 'grooved' appearance are the same though, along with the leaf arrangement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T14:25:14.907" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13668" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13641" CreationDate="2014-08-12T15:35:56.080" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In southern California, you can pretty much grow the same things in the fall that you can in the spring.  For example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anything in the crucifera family - cabbages, kales, turnips, collards, radishes (including any of the fall Asian types) bok choi, napa cabbage, kohlrabi, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Onions - green onions, chives, garlic chives, leeks, shallots and garlic (for next summer harvest, and for greens over the winter)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hardy salad greens:  butterhead and buttercrunch lettuces, romaine lettuce, miner's lettuce (claytonia), corn salad, spinaches, chard, leafy herbs like dill, parsley, cutting celery  and cilantro&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've even heard some folks grow potatoes over the winter in some places. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Everything I've listed above can stand a bit of light frost.  If you expect more than that over the winter, invest in some spun-bonded row cover or create a frame of the appropriate height and give it a removeable cover of clear drop cloth plastic from the hardware store or if you want to invest in something that will last longer, some greenhouse plastic.  Just be careful that you don't let the temps inside get too high, because while all of the plants mentioned above actually LIKE the cool weather, having them exposed to summer time temperatures during their over-the-winter growing season can cause them to bolt to seed and become tough and bitter - or even die.  So only use solid covers (sheet plastics) when you absolutely need them and pull them back to allow the planting beds to cool when you do not.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, and to clarify - start all of these just as soon as the weather permits - while all of the plants I've listed will live and even grow some over the winter, their growth is likely to be slow during midwinter.  You want them to make good growth during the better part of the season so they will still have time to get large enough to give you a harvest during the slower growing part of the season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-08-12T16:27:38.287" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T16:27:38.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13669" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13670" CreationDate="2014-08-12T15:47:06.630" Score="7" ViewCount="1893" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have always used black tarps for this purpose, because weeds grow under the clear stuff for me. I may not have pinned it down close enough though. Others say clear is faster. Does this have anything to do with climate variation? Does one method work better in hot, sunny climates, and the other in a cooler, shadier place?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some opinions from users on this site:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In comments to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3437/is-it-possible-to-kill-a-large-area-of-weeds-organically-naturally/3440#3440&quot;&gt;user923's answer to the question 'Is it possible to kill a large area of weeds organically/naturally?'&lt;/a&gt;, user923, as well as &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/505/joe&quot;&gt;Joe&lt;/a&gt;, recommend using black. In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/243/chris&quot;&gt;chris&lt;/a&gt;'s &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3437/is-it-possible-to-kill-a-large-area-of-weeds-organically-naturally/3439#3439&quot;&gt;answer to that question&lt;/a&gt;, he recommends using black. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/48/trip0d199&quot;&gt;trip0d199&lt;/a&gt;'s &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/224/what-are-some-natural-ways-of-killing-ground-ivy-creeping-charlie/238#238&quot;&gt;answer to the question 'What are some natural ways of killing ground ivy (creeping charlie)?'&lt;/a&gt;, he/she recommends using a dark tarp. In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/2448/organiclawndiy&quot;&gt;OrganicLawnDIY&lt;/a&gt;'s comment to that answer, he recommends using clear.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/2404/randy&quot;&gt;Randy&lt;/a&gt;'s &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7812/how-do-i-get-rid-of-crab-grass-in-an-over-grown-garden-that-will-be-a-veggie-gar/7813#7813&quot;&gt;answer to the question 'How do I get rid of Crab grass in an over grown garden that will be a veggie garden next season?'&lt;/a&gt;, he recommends using a 'covering to hide the sunlight'&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/3351/stormy&quot;&gt;stormy&lt;/a&gt;'s &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13435/what-is-a-long-term-solution-to-a-goathead-infestation/13482#13482&quot;&gt;answer to the question 'What is a long-term solution to a goathead infestation?'&lt;/a&gt;, she recommends using clear.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/85/robert-cartaino&quot;&gt;Robert Cartaino ♦&lt;/a&gt;'s &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5766/how-do-i-kill-a-butterfly-bush-so-it-stays-dead/5775#5775&quot;&gt;answer to the question 'How do I kill a butterfly bush so it stays dead?'&lt;/a&gt; he recommends using black. In my comment on that answer, I (&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/419/j-musser&quot;&gt;J. Musser&lt;/a&gt;) recommended using black.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a comment to the question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13516/how-do-i-kill-this-salt-cedar&quot;&gt;'How do I kill this salt cedar?'&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/2393/teresamcgh&quot;&gt;TeresaMcgH&lt;/a&gt; says both will work (sounds very reasonable to me). &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is somewhat confusing. Have there been any 'scientific', unbiased studies showing that one is better than the other? I'm not really looking for personal opinions, although they may be helpful. I am looking for evidence from an authoritative source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2018-05-03T02:35:01.330" Title="Are clear or opaque tarps better for solarization?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13670" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13669" CreationDate="2014-08-12T17:14:14.753" Score="5" Body="&lt;h1&gt;Solarization:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a practice that can kill most soil organisms, included the good ones. Solarization basically consists in the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Release the soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove big weeds and big rocks.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Irrigate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seal the soil with tarps.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wait a little bit (four to twelve weeks).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the tarp.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add compost to the solarizated soil in order to restore beneficial organisms.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In the documents linked at the bottom, you can read in detail about the entire procedure. The documents also include some advices for the tarp thickness&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;How it works?&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tarps allow short wave radation (&lt;strong&gt;infrared&lt;/strong&gt;) to enter. Once light let in and it is reflected by soil: the wave change to a longer one and can not go out (heating the soil). Currently there are some tarps which also let in ultraviolet light (very good for sterilization too).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Transparent tarps or not?&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Always transparent. This is because, for example, black tarps will &lt;strong&gt;absorb and radiate&lt;/strong&gt; the solar light back to the air and not inside, so it will heat the soil too, but just by contact with the tarp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*Thanks to @Laughing_Jack for the correction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Literature:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/IN/IN82400.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Solarization - University of Florida&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/soil_solarization.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Solarization - University of California&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastEditorUserId="6910" LastEditDate="2014-08-12T18:09:40.927" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T18:09:40.927" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13671" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13669" CreationDate="2014-08-12T17:16:33.553" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's what you don't really want - an informed opinion without scientific references (for now, anyway). I think it depends what you mean by the term 'solarization' - it actually means using transparent plastic or tarpaulin or whatever, pegged over soil, in order that the heat from the sun will bake, fry, kill off and generally 'burn' out &lt;strong&gt;soil pathogens&lt;/strong&gt; and weeds. This obviously works much better in places where there's a reliable amount of strong direct uv (sun) light on a daily basis - if you tried it in the UK, unless you struck lucky for a week or so in high summer, it wouldn't be that effective, or would take an awfully long time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Much more commonly used here is thick black plastic or tarpaulin, tightly pegged down onto an area of soil for at least a year, in order that weed/plant roots are starved of air, water and light to kill them off. It probably also kills some pathogens because they're deprived of moisture, but won't be so effective in that arena as the heat generated by direct, strong uv light on clear plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if you what you really want is solarization, then clear plastic/tarpaulin is the thing to use - it's faster for one thing, and more effective at clearing pathogens. But if you just want to get rid of plant roots, then black plastic pegged down tight will work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T17:16:33.553" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13672" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13327" CreationDate="2014-08-12T19:29:10.837" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can save potato seeds just like you save tomato seeds.  Crush the fully ripened fruits into a cup, add a bit of water, and let it all ferment in a warm spot for several days.  (This imitates the natural process of seed release, cuts back on the transmission of seed borne diseases, and also primes the seeds for better germination the following season.)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stir the resulting fermented mush a couple of times a day, and when you see that seeds have fallen to the bottom of the cup, pour off all of the floating stuff and then add a bit more water, agitate, pour off, rinse and repeat a few more times.  Once you have only seeds remaining at the bottom of the cup, pour off as much water as you can, and then dump the seeds onto a ceramic plate to dry in a warm and light spot where they won't be knocked over. Every now and then, give the seeds on the plate a stir to make sure they are not sticking together too badly and can dry more evenly. Once the seeds are thoroughly dry (very hard to bend or break) pour them into a paper envelope, label with any information about them you wish to save, and then put it into a jar in the refrigerator or freezer.  The seeds should keep for at least 5 years in this manner, and probably longer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, there are alkaloids in the green parts of potatoes, but unless you are overtly sensitive to them, you shouldn't need to wear protective gear.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T19:29:10.837" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13673" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9011" CreationDate="2014-08-12T19:41:41.623" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have used soil blocks for starting transplants since the late 80s. For me, they are close to ideal for the following reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is &quot;green&quot; because except for what is used in the manufacturing of&#xA;the soil block tool, there are no plastic or disposable parts&#xA;involved. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I can set up an automatic wicked watering system simply by setting the &#xA;new blocks on a wicking mat, so they can water themselves for the most part&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There are gaps between the soil blocks which allow for natural root pruning &#xA;of the seedling growing in it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I can make and use my own soil block mix, which cuts down on the cost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plant's roots can go directly from growing in the soil block to&#xA;growing directly in the soil without any of the barriers found in&#xA;peat pots or pellets. No matter what the manufacturer says, the nets and the pots&#xA;do not simply disappear into the garden soil in one season and will restrict plant&#xA;growth in most gardens&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;My whole seed starting setup can be easily nested and stored for the&#xA;next season, without having to find room for tons of small pots and&#xA;easily broken plastic seed starting trays and pots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Disadvantages of soil blocks include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The soil blocks need to be properly packed into the tool when being created, &#xA;and that takes a bit of practice to learn to do well&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The blocks can be a bit fragile at first, but within a couple of weeks or so &#xA;will strengthen up to where you can lift them and move them around without any&#xA;major catastrophes occurring&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seed blocks may dry out a bit faster than seedlings in plastic pots, because the &#xA;air flow is greater on all sides - this is why watering from the bottom and using&#xA;a wicking mat is a good idea&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The root pruning plastic seed starting cells have many of the same advantages as the soil blocks, except they will require storage in between seasons, are subject to tears and cracks if not handled very gently and stored in a protected way, and involve an ongoing use of plastic as they age and need replacement.  This means that they will eventually be a more expensive and less &quot;sustainable&quot; option than soil blocks.  (As an example, my first soil block maker tool - bought in the 80s - is still going strong.)  They may require a bit less watering, because only the tops and bottoms are open, but they will still require more attention than a traditional plastic seedling pot setup.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-08-12T19:49:47.670" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T19:49:47.670" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13674" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13649" CreationDate="2014-08-12T20:28:32.267" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you have slugs in your area? We do, and I've seen that kind of &quot;slug scrape&quot; damage on some of our plants before. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since these are in pots, remove any dead material from the top of the soil and check under the mulch, and under the pots themselves for hidden slugs. If the pots have a rim, run your finger under it to see if you have slimy pepper eaters lurking there during the day time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is slug damage, you may need to take action in order to save your plants.  With our super heavy slug load, I've had to (unhappily) resort to sprinkling Sluggo under our more vulnerable plants in order to have anything left above the soil at all.  (Pacific Northwest rainforest) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T20:28:32.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11290" CreationDate="2014-08-12T21:03:37.163" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks just like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytrichum_commune&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;common haircap moss, &lt;em&gt;Polytrichum commune&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Of course, because I don't know where you are located, this may not be correct. It is very bright green, as you've described.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From Wikipedia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It is widely distributed throughout temperate and boreal latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is a comparison pic:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H1IO6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T21:03:37.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13676" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13679" CreationDate="2014-08-12T21:08:28.817" Score="6" ViewCount="816" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was looking into testing the soil in my yard so I knew how much I needed to prepare it for blueberry plants. I came across a method I hadn't heard of before, that I thought was interesting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It involved boiling cabbage leaves in distilled water, then placing the soil in the juice. Then supposedly the juice will change colors based on the soil's pH level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds pretty easy, but I was wondering if that's an accurate method for testing the pH of soil? Is it accurate enough for a general idea of where the pH is at, or should I not use that method at all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-08-12T21:27:58.203" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T19:58:50.743" Title="Is testing the pH of soil with cabbage juice accurate?" Tags="&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13678" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9321" CreationDate="2014-08-12T21:12:05.337" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you must have got a cheap hose. In my experience, you should be able to pull them apart without trouble. It sounds like you got a hose molded from shredded rubber or something, which explains wht they are ripping. That stuff isn't very strong. When looking for a drip hose, I tend to get the most expensive hose in the style I like. Quality does differ a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-13T01:40:44.540" LastActivityDate="2014-08-13T01:40:44.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13679" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13676" CreationDate="2014-08-12T21:21:44.007" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will tell you whether your soil is above or below a pH of 7.0, turning green or red, respectively. It will not tell you the exact number, which is why a real test is required.&#xA;Anthocyanin is the coloring agent in red cabbage, and turns red at a pH of less than 7.0. The best way to test your soil is to either buy a test kit, or digital meter, or if you don't have much time, like me, and want a complete soil profile, send some soil to a lab (I use my county extension agency).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=jas.2011.2406.2410&amp;amp;org=11&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here is a good article&lt;/a&gt; on the subject of anthocyanin and pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-07-31T19:27:37.417" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T19:27:37.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13680" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2014-08-12T21:23:27.650" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are two other tools I would never, ever be able to be without!  A gas blower and a gas line-trimmer.  These two tools save so much work and produce such instant gratification I could go on why they are worth every cent to purchase and every minute cleaning/caring for.  They will last as long as fossil fuels.  Forget electric stuff, trust me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another tool would be a set of hedging shears.  Learn how to sharpen with a simple file.  Shovel, rakes, wheelbarrow, hose to water, good lawn mower and you can do anything!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-08-12T21:23:27.650" CommentCount="2" CommunityOwnedDate="2014-08-12T21:23:27.650" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13681" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-12T22:39:49.267" Score="7" ViewCount="735" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the Pacific Northwest (Portland), and I have a small urban back yard (20'x30').  In the decade I have owned the house, I have never really done much with it, and it has ranged from boring but reasonably maintained grass lawn to complete weedlot, and everything in between.  Its current state is weedlot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to transform it into a beautiful garden...but one that's as low maintenance as possible (I am returning to grad school while working full-time: time is the scarcest resource).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Earlier this year, I planted two trees I like (a Stewartia and a Ash Cimmaron), but I am at a loss as to what to do with the rest of the yard, and I don't know where to start.  I am not in love with grass, and I like the idea of lusher, wilder-looking gardens.  I also love moss gardens, and there are parts of the yard that are mostly in shade all day long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Various people have offered to help and, as well-intentioned as they have been, no one has really been able to see anything through, and I've realized that this is on me to do right.  So, here are my questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What book(s) should I read?  Katie Elzer-Peters' &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1591865336&quot;&gt;intro book on gardening&lt;/a&gt; seems like a safe bet for fundamentals, but the TOC doesn't indicate there's much there about planning a garden, or starting from scratch.  Any recommendations would be welcome.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Given that I want to essentially start from scratch, what is the most effective way to start from ground zero?  I understand that an effective way to kill everything and start from scratch is to cover the entire lawn with something that blocks the sun for an extended period of time.  Is there a book or article that describes this technique, and is that my best bet?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is there a book, article, or website that covers budgeting for this kind of project?  While time is more critical than money, grad school isn't cheap, so I do have to budget: money is not not unlimited.  It would also be helpful to know in advance when I can expect large expenses so I can plan my budget accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am not adverse to seeking professional help, but I don't even know the right questions to ask, or whether I should be looking for a landscaper or gardener.  And, as I mentioned, money is not unlimited, so if I were to hire someone to do all or part of this project, I would have to be mindful of that expense.  Should I consider a professional and, if so, what should I look for and what questions should I ask?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is currently mid-summer, and it would be nice if this project were well underway within a year.  What should I be doing now to start seeing results next year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6987" LastActivityDate="2014-08-15T08:15:00.050" Title="Beginner Starting from Scratch: Weedlot to Enjoyable Garden" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-10-10T20:50:54.823" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13682" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13681" CreationDate="2014-08-12T23:02:45.667" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are newly settled on a piece of land in the PNW, and our goals are similar to yours, except we are also interested in creating food systems.  Is that one of your goals as well, or will you be concentrating mainly on ornamental plantings?  Whether you hire a professional or not, once you decide your path, you should have no reason to not begin your garden this late summer/early fall.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The phrase that springs to mind when I read your post is &quot;forest gardening.&quot;  This is a philosophy and a practice of gardening in such a way as to emulate as many of the typical &quot;niches&quot; found in a natural forest, but in a garden setting.  In other words, you will have large trees, smaller understory trees, large shrubs, low shrubs, herbs/forbs/perennial flowers, groundcover and vines.  This gives a lush effect, lower maintenance (especially if you choose wisely and include plants that will fix nitrogen and help conserve water in the summer) and better control over your water resources.  Most forest gardens are designed to also give the garden owner food, but they do not have to be.  The same principles can be applied to purely ornamental plantings.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other key phrase that springs to mind when I read your post is &quot;lasagna gardening.&quot; Lasagna gardening is often combined with forest gardening in order to allow the forest garden to be planted in stages and grow together more naturally over time.  Lasagna gardening is a type of gardening that begins, as you mentioned, with layering compostable items like cardboard, wood chips, compost, straw, onto the area where you plan to garden.  This can be planted sparingly right away (for instance, with a few of the trees or shrubs you wish to use for your garden's backbone) or it can be left to rot the weeds and lawn underneath and mellow into compost and new soil over the fall and winter, and then fully planted in the spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lasagna gardening, combined with forest gardening, can result in a fairly low maintenance, lush and varied garden that can provide fruit, wood, flowers, herbs, water storage and control, plus wildlife cover and feed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Books I would recommend are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0875969623&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lasagna Gardening&lt;/a&gt;, all about Lasagna Gardening &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0615873790&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist&lt;/a&gt; - very accessible book with&#xA;several examples of how to put together a forest garden in stages&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1603580298&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gaia's Garden&lt;/a&gt; - rapidly becoming a classic - a higher level book&#xA;that tries to examine the why as well as the how, of permaculture and&#xA;forest gardening &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether to hire a professional or not depends on your physical condition, how much heavy work needs to be done on the property you wish to transform, and how much spare time you have vs how much spare money you have. The techniques mentioned above do not require either a professional designer or professional landscape help, unless you get pretty ambitious.  Even so, renting some heavier equipment for a day or a week can get a LOT of prep work done in a short amount of time, and the cost is pretty reasonable.  You can also hire someone to do the heavy leveling and land shaping if needed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also many sites and blogs online that can help you get started.  Just google &quot;forest gardening pacific northwest&quot; and &quot;lasagna gardening&quot; and you should have some good ideas for your climate.  Good luck! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="6987" LastEditDate="2014-08-13T01:59:14.317" LastActivityDate="2014-08-13T01:59:14.317" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13683" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13684" CreationDate="2014-08-13T00:53:20.940" Score="2" ViewCount="194" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am interested in knowing what is a known close relative to citrus, that is known to grow in the northeast US, such as western New York. Does anyone have any recommendations?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6925" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-13T01:32:53.927" LastActivityDate="2014-08-13T01:32:53.927" Title="Is there a close relative to citrus trees, which can grow in the northeast US?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13684" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13683" CreationDate="2014-08-13T01:28:53.833" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The coldest area in western New York gets down to about -25° Fahrenheit, so no true citrus will survive. The closest you'll get is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifoliate_orange&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Trifoliate Orange, &lt;em&gt;Poncirus trifoliata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. This plant can inter-graft and hybridize with &lt;em&gt;Citrus&lt;/em&gt; species, but is inedibly bitter. It is an extremely thorny plant. It's leaves are compound and deciduous. It is hardy to -22° Fahrenheit. They can get up to about 25 feet tall in warmer areas, up to 8-10 feet in the coldest parts of it's range.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-13T01:28:53.833" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13685" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8069" CreationDate="2014-08-13T02:12:13.700" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;First of all, this is definitely not a lavender, but the related &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perovskia_atriplicifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Russian Sage, &lt;em&gt;Perovskia atriplicifolia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; secondly, this is a cold-hardy perennial plant, not suitable for growing indoors. The growing points on your plant are extremely etiolated, and the plant is showing signs of overwatering. Plant it in the ground as quickly as possible, in a sunny patch of rich garden soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are supposed to be large plants, and if you keep it in a pot, especially a tiny one like that, You'll have no end of health issues. You don't need to chop off the leaves, if you plant it outside. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-13T02:12:13.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8195" CreationDate="2014-08-13T02:53:31.353" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used to have one of these, and they sometimes are tricky to coax into bloom. My plant I got at about three feet tall, and it took off from there, blooming at 5 1/2 feet and on to eight feet tall. I didn't have space, eventually, and gave it away. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found that they tend to bloom most in July. Here's what I did, for conditions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Light.&lt;/strong&gt; In the summer, they stayed out-of-doors. I had it in mostly shade, with some dappled sun in the mornings. In the winter, it got 14 hours of fluorescent grow lights per day. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Water.&lt;/strong&gt; In summer, I would water every other day during dry periods, and skip rainy periods. In winter, I watered lightly, once a week (I didn't want much growth at that time, as it wasn't as good as summer growth).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Temperature.&lt;/strong&gt; It took the variable outside temperatures quite well, and I brought it inside when the temps started dropping below fifty degrees Fahrenheit. Inside, I kept it an even sixty degrees. That was to give it a break from heavy growth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil.&lt;/strong&gt; I actually didn't use soil, but a mix of mostly coir, with some perlite. They require good drainage, but also enjoy water retention. Make sure the pH of the mix is around neutral (7.0) &lt;em&gt;before&lt;/em&gt; planting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pot.&lt;/strong&gt; This changed a lot (with the growth of the plant). They don't need a huge pot, even when quite large. I used plastic pots inside more attractive square wooden (to attatch support) decorative planter. I had a small reservoir inside the planter, and 6 locking castors underneath, to roll with.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Support.&lt;/strong&gt; The plant will sprawl over everything if care isn't taken in providing a strong support. I used a four-legged tiered steel piping structure (painted to look like bamboo), which I built to fit onto my wooden planter. Each tier was removable, and reasonably attractive. The tiers themselves were crafted from bamboo. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Humidity.&lt;/strong&gt; Outside, placement is necesary for humidity. On my property, this isn't a problem, but if you live in a dry area, you'll have to spray the plants with mist daily. Indoors, my old plant room stayed about 55% rh on it's own which was suitable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fertilizer.&lt;/strong&gt; I was kind of cheap here - I used a basic 10-10-10 soluble fertilizer as a root drench once every two weeks while the plant was outside. Now and then I gave a micro-nutrient infusion, or sometimes tea from my vermicomposter, to keep things balanced.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a side note, the plant died in less than a year after it left my hands. I'm not sure whether it was just spoiled, or the new owners just didn't have a green thumb...                                     &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-19T03:18:15.860" LastActivityDate="2014-08-19T03:18:15.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9009" CreationDate="2014-08-13T03:13:09.533" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There was one time, when I was working in a very good, rich perennial bed, which I had been hired on for three years. The plants loved the organic soil, and showed exceptional pest and drought tolerance. The one day, While I was digging out some peonies, I found a hard, lumpy surface. I dug around a little, and to my astonishment, the majority of the bed, plus quite a bit of lawn, was growing in about 1 1/2' of soil, on top of an extensively cracked, old concrete bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what the original purpose of the concrete was, possibly a small parking lot, but I was astonished by how productive the soil was. Of course, I made no effort to remove it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your case, I'm thinking it would be wise to leave it in place, and put at least a foot of good topsoil over it. If you want, you could also dig out the rock, but you will be surprised how long and hard that will be. Another option is to hire someone with a dump truck and excavator, to dig it for you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the rock is part of a drain system, you don't want to mess with it. If the house is 'brand new', it may be possible to contact the folks who shaped your yard, and ask them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-13T03:13:09.533" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13688" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-13T08:01:58.470" Score="6" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am at Southern California. I need ground cover for 2000 sq.ft. with 60º slope and help for choosing the right flowering low ground cover. There are 30 rose plants at present, so prefer ground cover which does not compete with roses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6988" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-08-13T14:08:28.910" LastActivityDate="2014-08-17T21:52:15.023" Title="Ground cover for 2000 sq.ft (half full sun / half partial shade) with 60º slope" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13689" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5774" CreationDate="2014-08-13T10:04:16.680" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Back in the 1950's when gardeners were real gardeners (!) I remember my father successfully eliminated convolvulus from our suburban garden which was on heavy clay soil. He dug about five foot down along the fence and inserted galvanised sheeting where the convolvulus had come through from a neighbours garden and he then dug over the entire garden to about the same depth picking out every piece by hand also being careful not to mix the subsoil which was pure red clay (there was a brickworks not far away) with the topsoil. If you leave even a 1&quot; piece of root in the ground it can grow into another plant and you are back where you started.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6989" LastActivityDate="2014-08-13T10:04:16.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13690" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13681" CreationDate="2014-08-13T11:00:56.443" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good answer from Teresa, but I've got a something to add, in particular regarding design, which is something I've been doing in the UK for some years. What you should expect from a professional is for them to view the area, measure up, then come up with a drawing/plan and a list of plants, with images, then consult with you regarding that plan, so you know what its going to look like before you agree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to tackle it yourself, have a look at as many garden books with pictures of different gardens as you can find, or look online at maybe small garden designs for your area. This is just about getting ideas for the style of garden you want - once you've a clear idea of how you want it to look and whether you want food plants (more work than ornamentals), think then about the space and what you'd like to do in it. Children (sandbox?) play area, barbecue area, paving, paths, sunbathing (or not), shade for when its hot, what about any pets and their requirements, storage outside in the garden, pond or water feature anywhere, that kind of thing. Work out where the best place is for any of these requirements, then work your design around that. Also work out which way it faces - whether its north, south, whatever, and work out the track of the sun, so you know which areas will be in shade and when, and how long for. Shade areas will not be so dry as sunny areas, which means you can and possibly should use different plants in that area. I think you're in USDA Zone 8, but check that - it's another important factor for choosing plants. It's actually easier to work out a design if you measure up and make a scale drawing of your space and mark on it features which cannot be changed, then fill in what you want, again to scale. If you're computer savvy, you can probably use a programme to do this, otherwise, a pencil, ruler and some graph paper work well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably the most difficult part for you will be knowing which plants to use, which is something that a professional will/should have expert knowledge about. Given the space is small, as you've already planted two trees, one of which (the Ash) will reach 60 feet in a fairly short space of time, with a spread of 30 feet at maturity, you can see that your garden will be very shaded indeed once it grows, though it depends to some extent which variety you chose. Perhaps a smaller tree might have been a better choice for such a small area, if you didn't pick a columnar (upright) variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Low maintenance gardens have a classic formula - large, medium and small shrubs to create the skeleton or framework for the garden which is 'to scale' with the size of the area,  with some perennials, grasses and groundcovers in between to create a layered effect. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I'm really saying is, the first place to start is to research and then decide exactly what you want, then work out how you're going to do it, starting with clearance of existing planting, then soil improvement/amendment as necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-14T14:46:46.503" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T14:46:46.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13691" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13688" CreationDate="2014-08-13T15:00:59.597" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;With your zone of 8-9 this page offers some excellent choices: &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/evergreen-ground-covers-zone-8-34125.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/evergreen-ground-covers-zone-8-34125.html&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;the &quot;Blueberry Muffin&quot; carpet bugle (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=Ajuga%20%22Blueberry%20Muffin&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=OWw&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;channel=fflb&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=733rU4b9LoykyATGqIH4Dw&amp;amp;ved=0CCoQ7Ak&amp;amp;biw=1434&amp;amp;bih=986&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ajuga&lt;/em&gt; 'Blueberry Muffin'&lt;/a&gt;) is&#xA;  a fast-growing ground cover that produces blue blooms protruding above&#xA;  the evergreen foliage on 8-inch spikes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The common name of iceplant (as mentioned in the comment) are not all bad. For example, the &lt;em&gt;Delosperma cooperi&lt;/em&gt; (Hook.f.) L.Bolus (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b464&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b464&lt;/a&gt;) is an excellent flowering choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastEditorUserId="6910" LastEditDate="2014-08-13T18:33:29.097" LastActivityDate="2014-08-13T18:33:29.097" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13692" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13694" CreationDate="2014-08-13T16:06:44.207" Score="6" ViewCount="487" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few days ago I saw a locust standing still in my little vegetable garden. I was really surprised that even though I went close it wouldn't jump away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After looking closer I figured that it was actually &quot;pumping&quot; eggs into the soil (check this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCR_dnB9BUs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; for more details).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This morning just before watering I found find this pattern of holes, of similar size of the one that the locust left the previous time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UgUHCl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a few questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since they are 1 day recent and I guess not really visible, how deep should I dig to make sure all eggs are removed?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How can I make sure that all eggs die, if in the process of digging I miss some? Should I spray the ground with something? And if yes what do you suggest (considering I also grow edible vegetables)?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How can I stop this locust from coming back and laying eggs in my garden? Is there any natural product that will keep it away? If not natural what should I use (again considering I grow edible vegetables)?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6982" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T05:15:37.523" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T05:15:37.523" Title="How can I remove locust eggs from the soil, and prevent future infestations?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13693" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-13T18:07:22.857" Score="5" ViewCount="1251" Body="&lt;p&gt;We recently noticed a small geyser in our landscape and found that the connector had been broken from the 1/2&quot; line to the 1/4&quot; drip line. I replaced it with a similar 1/4&quot; barbed connector. Now instead of water dripping it is coming out in a full force stream. What am I doing wrong? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6992" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-13T19:47:22.917" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T03:22:20.757" Title="Why is my drip line spraying, not dripping?" Tags="&lt;drip-system&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13694" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13692" CreationDate="2014-08-13T20:07:40.193" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Locusts are only capable of digging 2-3 cm. deep, to lay eggs. I would dig out the soil in a two inch deep trench, along that little row. The eggs are shaped like fat rice grains, and are usually encased in a dirt capsule (see picture). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG271/forages/grasshoppers.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Grasshopper eggs occur in oval, elongate or curved pods made out of soil particles. Often the size of kernels of rice, eggs may be white, yellow green, tan, or various shades of brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the eggs don't change size. They remain the same until hatching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PlPl7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you go slowly and carefully, you probably won't miss many; I wouldn't suggest spraying the ground with anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've found that keeping them away doesn't usually work as well as controling them once they appear. For me, they only do minimal damage, so I only spray them when they become concentrated in one area. Next time you see a locust laying eggs, consider killing it right then. That will save you some time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-14T02:02:56.987" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T02:02:56.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13695" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9009" CreationDate="2014-08-13T21:55:33.080" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Step one&lt;/strong&gt; is determine the purpose of the stone that is there.  As others have mentioned, it could be for a number of reasons.  It could be there for no particular reason at all or left over from some previous owner's purpose.  It was unclear to me if this was a new house or new to you.  It very well might be part of a drainage system - sometimes drainage around a house is pretty challenging if there's not much of a slope to be had - and so digging out the stone would be a big mistake.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, depending upon what you're going to grow there, it might not matter much if you leave the rock there. Many plants are quite capable of pushing their roots around/between rocks.  You stated that the rock is 5&quot; down or so.  If I were planting carrots directly in that soil, particularly long carrot varieties, I'd be more concerned about the rocks than if I were planting, say, strawberries or lettuce or flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, removing rock is a pain and when I can avoid it, I do.  Where I'll be digging often, I'm likely to sift would the stone more.  But over where my grapes are, I don't bother at all.  They won't be affected by the stones in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd deal with the existing sod, add soil - personally I'd add a compost/soil mix - atop the existing soil and opt for a raised bed of some type, assuming you'll be growing annuals or a veggie garden.  A good soil/compost mix will cost a bit, assuming you don't have it handy, but save you a lot of headache dealing with that stone.  I've found that shoveling soil is &lt;em&gt;way&lt;/em&gt; easier than removing rock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, step one is to make sure you understand why the rock is there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-08-13T21:55:33.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13696" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13697" CreationDate="2014-08-14T00:53:29.287" Score="3" ViewCount="256" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is a bush, but I'm not sure. It has orange flowers that bloomed in July. Hummingbirds love it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hQCrI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5668" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T01:52:21.867" Title="Can somebody identify this flowering bush?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13697" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13696" CreationDate="2014-08-14T01:52:21.867" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is Agastache rupestris, Threadleaf Giant Hyssop. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=lamiaceae&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=TRPsU5DOL4jxiwKW8YDwDA&amp;amp;ved=0CKcBEIke&amp;amp;biw=1333&amp;amp;bih=658#facrc=_&amp;amp;imgdii=_&amp;amp;imgrc=1X9W8PnWYwcYXM%253A%3BDbkGV6KmmTMxeM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.alamy.com%252Fthumbs%252F85d754b71cf44a74a298b43de5c7c548%252FThreadleaf-Giant-Hyssop-Agastache-rupestris-Lamiaceae-Aka-Licorice-D2GACH.jpg%253Fnoiptc%253Dtrue%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.alamy.com%252Fstock-photo-Threadleaf-Giant-Hyssop-Agastache-rupestris-Lamiaceae-Aka-Licorice-53219841.html%3B300%3B470&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Threadleaf Giant Hyssop&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T01:52:21.867" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13698" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13681" CreationDate="2014-08-14T07:06:09.847" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ethan, I am a Landscape Architect and I'm kinda retired and I've been waiting for a question such as yours.  I'd like to try to communicate via this site to show the process of designing the landscape.  A low-maintenance landscape is one that is well designed.  A poor design is simply going to be high-maintenance.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are interested I'd like to ask you to invest a bit more time.  Make a sketch of your property lines, where your home is situated, roads, orientation, wind direction, existing plants, what is happening with the neighboring properties, measure lengths, widths, try to get a sense of elevations such as where and what the high point is, same with low point of your property, the height of your main floor of your home.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now highlight the area you'd like to focus first.  What would you like to be doing in this area? Do you have a dog? Do you want to grow vegetables...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take pictures.  We can whip out a base plan and go from there.  We'll make it very simple but this will get you started in the right direction.  What do you think?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T07:06:09.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8203" CreationDate="2014-08-14T11:19:10.450" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may use Eucalyptus spp. for lowering the water table. It can also be used for planting in arable land near marshy areas to dry them up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6998" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-08-14T13:47:34.540" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T13:47:34.540" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13700" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13688" CreationDate="2014-08-14T12:51:02.707" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've mentioned 30 rose plants, but not said what type of roses, (HT, floribunda, shrub, ramblers) so its quite difficult to suggest ground covers that won't interfere with them. You'll have to work that out for yourself, given the lack of info on that issue. The fact the plants are on a slope probably means it's quite a dry area, particularly at the top, so careful selection should be made between plants on the following list which are drought tolerant and those which prefer shadier, damper locations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Arctostaphylos 'Pacific Mist'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (needs shade and a bit more moisture)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Radiant Manzanita (needs shade, as above)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ceanothus gloriousus 'Heart's Desire'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ceanothus prostratus&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Deschampsia caespitosa&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stachys byzantina Silver Carpet&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mahonia aquifolium 'Compacta'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Zauchsnerias - 'californica' and septentrionalis varieties&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Salvia somonensis varieties&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Eriogonum umbellatum and ursinum&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Salvia 'Bees Bliss' and S. gracias&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are native to Southern California, but some do better right on the coast, others inland, and you haven't said if you're close to the coast or not - the list mostly excludes those that prefer beach conditions. If the area is going to be irrigated, other plants can be included - note that Ajuga (mentioned elsewhere) prefers shady or dampish conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-14T13:11:06.507" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T13:11:06.507" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13701" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13711" CreationDate="2014-08-14T14:46:51.013" Score="6" ViewCount="1161" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently moved into a house with a yard, and am eager to start getting a garden started. The ground here isn't really clay, but it's not really dirt that I would want to use for gardening. It's really heavy and compact, and there are gravel-like rocks everywhere that I'm going to want to pick out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking about tilling the ground, then spending a few weekends picking out the rocks, then mixing in some compost and topsoil to turn it into some nice garden soil. I might also add a border around it, possibly raising it a bit. Then in the spring I could maybe add more soil then plant everything as early as possible for early vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I looked up advice on tilling gardens, and I read advice saying two different things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;That it's not a good idea to till the garden in the fall, because the snow would compact the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(I do live in southern Illinois, where we don't really get much for snow, maybe a couple inches through January. So maybe that isn't something I have to worry about?)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;That it is a good idea to till the garden in the fall, because it gives the soil time to prepare the nutrients from the added compost.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a significant benefit over doing it one way or the other? Should I do it now so the compost has time to spread nutrients into the soil? Or is it better to leave it as it is until spring, so the soil isn't exposed over the winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T05:16:57.790" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T05:16:57.790" Title="Would it be better for me to set up my garden in the fall, or wait until spring?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;tilling&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13702" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13701" CreationDate="2014-08-14T15:07:37.263" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think you need to wait until spring if you can get the soil fully prepped before this fall.  Allowing the soil to sit fallow over the winter isn't necessary, since it sounds like you will be mixing the compost into the soil during your preparation phase.  If the compost is &quot;finished&quot; compost, the nutrients in it will be ready more or less immediately to feed your plants. As for tilling, as you have already surmised, if you don't get a lot of snow or heavy rains, it shouldn't affect your soil structure much over the winter - especially since you will be augmenting your native soil pretty heavily with compost and better topsoil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fall gardening can actually be pretty wonderful because the temperatures are generally more stable than in the spring.  If you are growing greens, because of the extended cooler temperatures in the fall they may be more tender and sweet than spring grown greens often are.  Even if you only plant part of your new garden area, I'd encourage you to try some fall planting this year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't plant your entire new garden area this fall, you can cover the unused soil with a compost-able mulch (straw, shredded fall leaves) in order to add more nutrients to the new bed and keep weeds down over the winter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T15:07:37.263" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13701" CreationDate="2014-08-14T15:09:13.157" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds like your snow risk is about the same as the UK then - here, we'd prepare uncultivated or neglected ground by rough digging or tilling, incorporating lots of humus rich material (chuck it over the top and spread it out before tilling) and leave it to get frosted by winter - heavy frosts break down soil lumps, particularly lumpy, sticky clay soil, so if you have a reliable level of frost/freezing in the winter, do it in Fall, then you can think about digging it over again to get it even more friable and check its condition before planting in early Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-14T15:25:33.540" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T15:25:33.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13704" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13705" CreationDate="2014-08-14T16:53:34.417" Score="6" ViewCount="97" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last night I started putting together a mixture of soil for blueberry plants. This mixture includes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;top-soil&#xA;  &lt;br /&gt; &#xA;  garden soil&#xA;  &lt;br /&gt; &#xA;  organic mushroom compost&#xA;  &lt;br /&gt;&#xA;  sphagnum moss&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I also have pine bark mulch to help keep the acidity of the soil)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have some soil acidifier that I can add. So I want to test the mixture to have an idea of how much I would need to add.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what I'm wondering, is if I test this soil mixture, how accurate would the results be? I can't imagine that I would be able to get an equal parts of each soil when I test it. Is the only answer to test the mixture several times and average the results out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-08-14T17:21:28.117" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T22:07:55.710" Title="Is there an accurate way to test a mixture of multiple soils?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13705" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13704" CreationDate="2014-08-14T19:17:43.843" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's my take on it for what it is worth:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil is (hopefully) a living, dynamic system whose composition is anything by homogeneous.  The pH of one scoop of soil from one part of my garden is likely to have a slightly different pH than that of a scoop from another part of the garden.  Similarly, other metrics I might collect on the soil will likely differ as well, though probably not significantly unless I'm purposefully trying to push the pH in one bed toward the more acidic side of the scale or toward the base side of the scale.  Variation, probably slight, is to be expected though it is possible that the testing conducted might not indicate much of a difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The thing is that &lt;em&gt;anytime&lt;/em&gt; you do a pH analysis (or any analysis for that matter) of the soil, you are taking a &lt;strong&gt;representative sampling&lt;/strong&gt; of the overall soil.  You're &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; checking the entire bed.  The idea is that the sampling will provide you with adequate information to determine what, if any, changes need to be made to effect a desired change in the soil composition.  So, if I am concerned about a pasture's health, I'll collected samples from several sites in the pasture and send it off to the Virginia Ag extension folks and they'll test those samples and provide guidance based on their findings.  This is based &lt;em&gt;only&lt;/em&gt; off the samples collected but the point is that those samples will provide a pretty clear picture of the whole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My advice is to mix your soil well and then test and trust that the testing will provide you with accurate information for the bed as a whole.  The soil &lt;em&gt;isn't&lt;/em&gt; homogeneous but it &lt;em&gt;doesn't need to be&lt;/em&gt; either.  As long as you are thorough in your mixing of those components, any sampling you do will be good enough for the entire bed.  If you doubt that, then take several samples from various positions and average.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's what I do, when I concern myself with soil pH.  With blueberries, which thrive in the more acidic range, pH is important but getting the components mixed will yield you samples that are accurate enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One more thing to remember - everything that you put in the garden may vary itself in its pH a bit - peat is a natural product and it will vary a bit.  The good thing is that plants are resilient and as long as you are in the pH range, everything will work out great. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T19:17:43.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13706" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13708" CreationDate="2014-08-14T21:09:10.327" Score="6" ViewCount="55272" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted some tomatoes in my garden.  The plants have started showing white lines as shown in the picture. Is this some disease? If yes, What kind of disease is this? Is it safe to eat tomatoes from this plant?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zuRDp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tomato plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3468" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-14T21:53:58.667" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T22:13:25.230" Title="What are these lines on tomato leaves?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-08-15T03:29:32.553" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13707" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13709" CreationDate="2014-08-14T21:19:31.740" Score="6" ViewCount="697" Body="&lt;p&gt;The previous home owner has planted these in my backyard in Austin, Texas. They are blooming currently. What are these beautiful flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9ULws.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3468" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-15T01:19:21.753" LastActivityDate="2014-08-15T01:19:21.753" Title="What is this pink/lavender flowering shrub?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13706" CreationDate="2014-08-14T21:33:41.420" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf_miner&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;leaf miner&lt;/a&gt; damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually don't have this pest, but I did before I went on strike against it. I pretty much did what was described below. To control the adults, I used neem oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaf miners do not affect the fruit quality unless the infestation is very bad. The tomatoes are entirely safe to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found some very good advice on prevention and control, from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/houseplant-pests/leafminer-control/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Monitor plant leaves closely. At the first sign of tunneling, squeeze the leaf at the tunnel between two fingers to crush any larvae. Done soon enough, this killing larvae can allow plants to survive minor outbreaks. Pick off and destroy badly infested leaves in small gardens.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;The more healthy the plant, the less chance that leafminers will hurt it. Maintain plant health with organic fertilizers and proper watering to allow plants to outgrow and tolerate pest damage. Keep your soil alive by using compost and other soil amendments.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Use floating row covers to prevent fly stage from laying eggs on leaves.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;The parasitic wasp Diglyphus isaea is a commercially available beneficial insect that will kill leafminer larva in the mine. The wasp is especially beneficial to indoor growers of ornamentals and vegetables.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Use yellow sticky traps to catch egg laying adults. Cover soil under infested plants with plastic mulches to prevent larvae from reaching the ground and pupating.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Organic neem oil will break the pests’ life-cycle by preventing larva from reaching maturity. Neem oil may also have repellent qualities and interfere with egg laying activities.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Botanical insecticides can be used to knock down adult insects but have little effect on the protected larval stage feeding inside the leaf.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-14T22:13:25.230" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T22:13:25.230" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13709" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13707" CreationDate="2014-08-14T21:40:53.380" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagerstroemia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;crepe myrtle, &lt;em&gt;Lagerstroemia&lt;/em&gt; sp.&lt;/a&gt; Possibly &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/38082/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;L. fauriei&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a genus of flowering shubs and trees in the loosestrife family. Most of them are hardy in zones 8 and up, but &lt;em&gt;L. fauriei&lt;/em&gt; is hardy to zone 6b.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See comparison pics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A8kE4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0QeT3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-14T21:51:50.337" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T21:51:50.337" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13710" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13704" CreationDate="2014-08-14T22:07:55.710" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This question has a very simple answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you mixed the soil well, take small samples from several spots in the soil, and mix them well for testing. The results will be accurate. I usually take 1-2 samples per 100 sq. ft., but you can do more if you want the most accurate average. Using multiple samples per test can also be done before laying down the soil, but I don't see that that's necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-14T22:07:55.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13711" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13701" CreationDate="2014-08-14T23:29:32.597" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could certainly wait until spring and things would probably be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But personally, I'd get going right now with bed preparation.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Till it, clean out the rocks mostly and the weeds and clumps.  The tiller will help break everything into smaller chunks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To rid yourself of most of those rocks, take a piece of 1/4&quot; or 1/2&quot; hardware cloth, nailed to a frame (or not) and use it to separate the rocks from the soil.  I lay the hardware cloth down on a spot in the garden, pick an area of comparable size right next to it and then shovel maybe a couple inches of the topmost soil onto it from that area.  I shake the frame to sift the soil through it and then take the stones and dump them in my wheelbarrow.  Then I put the frame where I just dug and repeat the process, always moving the frame where I just dug and replacing that soil with the newly sifted soil from the next section.  It actually goes by quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are in the mood, plant something &lt;em&gt;now&lt;/em&gt; and take advantage of the space and the fall weather.  My suggestion?   Bush beans.  They are 50-55 days until harvest generally and so you should be able to get a harvest in before the average first frost date in your area.  I believe you are probably zone 7A like we are here in my neck of the woods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The beans, by the way, will help the soil by adding nitrogen from the air.  I think the fancy folks call that &quot;fixing&quot; the nitrogen.  Regardless, they work well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I'd harvest the beans and mow them up right there and let the plants break down in the soil over the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next, I'd plant a winter cover crop... you could do any number of cover crops like winter rye.  This is a &quot;green manure&quot; and it works pretty well.  You just till that stuff into the soil early in the spring before planting.  It adds complexity and organic material your soil - like the bean plants would.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is, of course, just one way to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Come springtime, I'd add compost - your own if you have it.  Vermicompost (worm castings) are great if you have them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then, you've got yourself a nice prepared bed and can get things going in the spring without all the bed prep.  Plus, you've got several months of improvement already in place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aside:  I generally only till the area the first time and then never bother after that.  I will fork open the soil a bit but I don't run my tiller through it year after year.  I can't see that it really helps things all that much, but that's me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2014-08-15T01:36:16.943" LastActivityDate="2014-08-15T01:36:16.943" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13701" CreationDate="2014-08-15T02:06:32.797" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I'd do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think preparation in the fall is preferable. Even in my area, which can get over 7' of snow over the winter months, I work some of the ground in the fall. It is often compacted in the spring, but the organic material can better decompose underground, even in winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I add all the organic matter I can, turn it under (usually with my mold-board plow, but in tight spaces I will use a spade or fork), and seed some winter rye. It will germinate at 33 degrees Fahrenheit. It won't put on much during the winter, but when things warm up, they quickly go over waist high. That's when I mow it off and turn it under (as soon as I can see seed-heads peeking out). Two weeks later it's ready to plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I think there are benefits to working it now, even if you don't green-manure. You may have to work it some next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the rocks, I usually get what I can with the garden rake, but leave the rest. If you get your soil in good shape, a few tiny stones won't hurt. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing I've done successfully:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try tilling in the compost, then adding a good 8&quot; straw mulch over the winter. This will keep the soil very soft, and you can reuse the partly rotted straw as a compost additive, or for mulching veggies later in the season. Hay would be even better, if you can get something with few seeds. It will decompose faster, and add more to the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-15T02:06:32.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13713" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="425" CreationDate="2014-08-15T02:45:50.633" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've found some useful information from Colorado State University:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prevention:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Avoid late-summer applications of nitrogen fertilizer to limit the production of succulent tissue, which is more susceptible to infection.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Avoid overhead watering to help reduce the relative humidity.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Selectively prune overcrowded plant material to help increase air circulation. This helps reduce relative humidity and infection.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Remove and destroy all infected plant parts (leaves, etc.). For infected vegetables and other annuals, remove as much of the plant and its debris in the fall as possible. This decreases the ability of the fungus to survive the winter. Do not compost infected plant debris. Temperatures often are not hot enough to kill the fungus.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you can kill it with:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;sulfur fungicide&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.groworganic.com/weed-pest-control/organic-fungicide.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;From here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Sulfur is broad-spectrum with little detrimental environmental effects. Can be irritating to the eyes, ears, and nose during application. Used for the control of powdery mildew on grapes and other crops, it is effective against most species of pest mites, brown rot, rust, and scab. Often used in the dormant season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;neem oil&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.groworganic.com/weed-pest-control/organic-fungicide.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;From here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Neem oil is best as a preventative, or in low-disease-pressure situations, for fungus problems. Use it to control diseases such as powdery mildew, anthracnose, botrytis, rust, leaf spot, or flower blight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;copper fungicide&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.groworganic.com/weed-pest-control/organic-fungicide.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;From here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The strongest and most broad-spectrum (organic) fungus control... . Use only when other techniques have failed. Copper can be detrimental to plants and soil when applied in rates above the recommended amounts. Often used in the dormant season. Read the label!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-15T02:45:50.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13714" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13701" CreationDate="2014-08-15T08:08:07.263" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Firstly I would not pick out the rocks as I don’t think it will be worthwhile if they are gravel sized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is what I would do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kill of as many weeds as you can with glyphosate,  NOW.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spread as much compost over the ground as you can get, without doing any digging etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Be very glad that the worms are now working hard for you.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove any weeks that come up by hand unless there are enough at a time to use glyphosate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chosen a small area and dig it over with a fork mixing in the compost.&#xA;(I have found that a tilling machine does not work well on compacted ground, but is great for breaking up the big lamps of soil you get once you have done a rough digging by hand.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add more top soil if needed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant the area up as soon as the conditions allow – sooner you see plants growing the better motivation you will have.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Choose you next small area to dig over.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="231" LastActivityDate="2014-08-15T08:08:07.263" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13681" CreationDate="2014-08-15T08:15:00.050" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Given that you have little time, and &lt;strong&gt;will soon have even less time&lt;/strong&gt; I would&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kill of all the weed with gypsophile&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover the ground with a weed control membrane&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover the membrane with gravel or large wood chips.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pull up &lt;strong&gt;ALL&lt;/strong&gt; weeds you see in the grave/wood chips.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Whenever you wish to put a plant in&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Move the gravel to the side&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut a cross in the membrane&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pull the membrane away from the centre of the cross&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove some soil and add lots of compost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant the plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put the membrane back&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put the gravel back.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="231" LastActivityDate="2014-08-15T08:15:00.050" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13717" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13718" CreationDate="2014-08-15T13:28:25.993" Score="8" ViewCount="48903" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our house is in need of mulch around bushes, trees etc.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;We are finally getting around to address this, and have calculated we need two yards to get around 2 inches of mulch onto everything. We live in the northeast and get a lot of snow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it best to wait until next spring? If we choose black mulch, will it degrade too much where we just need more next spring?  Or does it last a couple of seasons and only requires &quot;sprucing&quot; up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We accept the previous owners did not do much and the landscape requires a lot of work and maintenance, but we also do not want to put in all the work of covering everything in mulch only to have to do it again in 6 months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone enlighten me to how long mulch roughly lasts? &#xA;Also is 2 inches a good amount, too much? too little? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3593" LastActivityDate="2014-08-20T01:40:47.160" Title="How long does mulch last?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13718" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13717" CreationDate="2014-08-15T17:20:05.403" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A good layer of mulch should still be apparent after one year of laying. If the mulch is gone after one year, you'll need to add more next time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being a busy landscaper myself, I don't have time to get everyone covered in spring, and pretty much mulch whenever it's not freezing out. I find that the mulch generally lasts about the same, no matter when you lay it, but when laid in fall, it will be comparatively faded by spring, and although still there, it won't be as attractive as 'everyone else's' new jobs. Some people don't care, some want it freshened up. This I do by top-dressing, or sprinkling new mulch on for appearance, not wanting to change the depth too much. This is just for color. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or you can use premium bark mulch, which fades some, but doesn't as badly as black dyed chips. Those two mulches are the most common in my area, followed by brown dyed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About when to lay it, it doesn't really matter, as far as the plants are concerned. I'll give a list of pros and cons for your case:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;spreading mulch this fall&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pros: it will last until next fall, it will help suppress spring sprouting weeds, it will protect plants better&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cons: It will look more faded, when everyone else's spring laid stuff is looking sharp&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;spreading mulch next spring&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pros: it will look sharp when everyone else's do, it will last until next spring, it will better suppress fall-germinating weeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cons: it is usually getting thin by the next year when spring weeds start germinating&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've met quite a few people who swear by fall spreading, and quite a few others who mulch 2-3 times per year (or worse, pay me to do it). It's pretty much up to you and what you like. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depthwise, I usually go by what is already there. On an unmulched bed, or nearly so, I often use more than two inches, but if there's a good, full layer of mulch from the year before, I'll basically add only a covering for cover. Especially under eaves, look for undecomposed mulch piling up, and remove that before you add new.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much mulch cakes up, creates a moisture barrier, and can harm plants. Premium bark can be laid initially thicker than dyed chips, because 1), it packs down a lot more and 2), it tends to decompose faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-15T17:20:05.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13719" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13721" CreationDate="2014-08-15T21:08:37.217" Score="8" ViewCount="3329" Body="&lt;p&gt;I keep quite a lot of potted plants around my house, and usually I just move them to a bigger pot when I notice that they're looking like they need more space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be kind of nice to be able to judge the size of pot I need as soon as I'm getting a plant, so I was wondering if there was a sort of rule of thumb for what size pot might be needed for a plant based on it's size it grows to?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="6910" LastEditDate="2014-08-15T22:56:26.453" LastActivityDate="2016-02-23T04:36:36.753" Title="Is there a rule of thumb for what size of a pot you need to keep a plant in?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;pots&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13720" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13719" CreationDate="2014-08-15T22:04:03.063" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Firstly, this varies so much between different species that you could almost ask a separate question for each one (for instance, most cacti like abnormally tiny pots, while most vegetables like huge pots) but there are some good 'rules of thumb' you might like to know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, pots generally come in sizes, and you generally want to go one size up when repotting a pot-bound plant. Don't go by the size of the top, go by the roots. They shouldn't be circling the pot inside. If you see more roots than soil, definitely use a bigger pot next time. Otherwise, just trim the roots a little, and repot in the same container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't put a houseplant into a pot which is far too big. This can cause rot, and/or kill the plant. Use a pot the next size up, or if you don't have it, something only a little (like 2&quot; diameter) bigger. You generally only have to repot once a year. On round bushy plants, the pot is often half the diameter of the branches. It varies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On most plants, I will slice a thin layer from the edge of the rootball before planting in the new pot. This takes off the unhealthy, circling roots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-15T22:04:03.063" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13721" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13719" CreationDate="2014-08-15T22:29:26.133" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think there is no easy rules beyond knowing the size of the adult plant. However, there are rules that can help you know when you have to change the pot with a larger one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you can see many roots coming out of the drainage holes of pots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If the soil dries out very soon.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If the plant has stopped growing and you know for sure that can become larger.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing: there are many studies showing that plants adapts to the size of the pots. The problem is that many of those studies... only have one common point &quot;photosynthesis reduction&quot;. One of the last I have read suggest that photosynthesis is reduced by the lack of nutrients in small masses of substrates (thats mean less nitrogen and phosphorus). Obviously photosynthesis is one of the factors to consider in growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps you are wondering why I wrote the previous paragraph. It is to say that a plant do not need to be repoted indefinitely. Simply fertilize, prune, maintain adequate root density / substrate mass (to avoid root asphyxia) and renew the substrate from time to time (pruning roots if necessary).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: Normally when you repot, you will need a four centimeters of diameter more bigger pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastEditorUserId="6910" LastEditDate="2014-08-15T22:35:40.697" LastActivityDate="2014-08-15T22:35:40.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13722" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13723" CreationDate="2014-08-15T23:01:08.770" Score="6" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;This was found growing wild in my friend's backyard in western Massachusetts. It's very fragrant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/irLnP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5SGSg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7006" LastEditorUserId="6910" LastEditDate="2014-08-16T04:13:29.510" LastActivityDate="2014-08-17T06:08:53.283" Title="What is the name of this plant with purplish-brown and scented flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13723" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13722" CreationDate="2014-08-16T01:37:25.293" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apios_americana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Apios americana&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Medik from &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fabaceae&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; family. The plant is also know as groundnut. If you are interested in this plant you can reproduce it by rhizomes and seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-17T06:08:53.283" LastActivityDate="2014-08-17T06:08:53.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13724" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-16T02:16:32.137" Score="2" ViewCount="615" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large pot of basil growing in my yard. The other day, I was cutting leaves for pesto, the first few minutes were ok, then a small black and silver (grey?) bee-like insect accompanied me (like it was overseeing my work). Within a few minutes there must have been about 20 of them flying around, landing on stems I had cut, as if inspecting the damage I caused. I finally left when two wasps joined them (unrelated To the &quot;bees,&quot; but I'm deathly afraid of them). The &quot;bees&quot; didn't seem to be bothered by me, rather the work I was doing. Any ideas on what they might be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7008" LastActivityDate="2014-08-19T21:30:16.587" Title="What's flying around my basil?" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-10-21T15:06:12.387" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13725" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13726" CreationDate="2014-08-16T02:25:09.783" Score="3" ViewCount="3621" Body="&lt;p&gt;It has very large leaves and does not flower (at least I have never seen mine flower).&#xA;It grows very wide, with thin stems (seen in picture below). The young leaves will start without any holes in them, and as time goes they split and leaf has openings on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to know what the name of this plant is, as I though it was Elephant Ears plant, but further research showed that it is not the case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NwYGy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0IiGE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2322" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-08-18T22:07:54.333" LastActivityDate="2019-10-02T02:27:33.617" Title="What is the name of this plant with wide green leaves that develop splits/holes as they grow?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13726" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13725" CreationDate="2014-08-16T03:05:20.443" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monstera_deliciosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Monstera deliciosa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Liebm. from &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Araceae&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; family. The flowers usually appear within three years. The plant has a fruit too that is edible &lt;strong&gt;only&lt;/strong&gt; when fully mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VgBbh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Karl Wimmi - &quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-17T04:40:48.763" LastActivityDate="2014-08-17T04:40:48.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13727" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3729" CreationDate="2014-08-16T06:56:08.163" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have also had a big problem with pill bugs eating my plants. They have really been feasting on my beans and I have photos to prove it. What I found worked was sinking a little cup or can into the ground so that the top of the can is ground level and filling it with beer. The bugs are attracted to the beer and fall in. That really seemed to help control them a great deal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7010" LastActivityDate="2014-08-16T06:56:08.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13728" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13733" CreationDate="2014-08-16T10:58:27.907" Score="4" ViewCount="359" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our Eggplant got infected by some yellow pests &lt;strong&gt;(see image)&lt;/strong&gt;. &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MzGjQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;That yellow PEST stealing my Eggplant&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cHzKE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Gotcha! Intruder ALERT&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify what they are? I try to avoid using pesticides whenever possible. What can be possible solutions to get rid of these pests without causing an environmental hazard? I reside in Lahore, Pakistan.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Eggplant says Thanks in advance.. !&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2839" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-08-18T22:08:01.633" LastActivityDate="2014-08-19T20:37:14.350" Title="What are these small yellow bugs that are attacking my eggplant, and how can I stop them?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13729" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13740" CreationDate="2014-08-16T11:20:35.033" Score="4" ViewCount="296" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you can see in the picture, my Orange tree is developing plenty of beautiful looking oranges. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/edQS2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The Orange Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, I'd really like to enjoy these oranges as soon as they ripe, so I have a few questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How can I ensure that they grow up all nice and healthy? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Suggestions to improve the overall flavour of the orange? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I be worried about pests? If so, What pest control measures can I&#xA;use that are environmentally safe?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cheers!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree is in Lahore, Pakistan.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2839" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-17T06:16:10.437" LastActivityDate="2014-08-17T06:16:10.437" Title="How to secure my orange tree" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13731" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13719" CreationDate="2014-08-16T11:52:24.537" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first two answers tell you most everything you need to know, but from reading your question, you seem to be asking, if you could work out what size pot the plant will eventually need, you could maybe use that initially. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason you don't is that you'll have a small rootball (presumably) surrounded by a large area of compost which will be more or less unoccupied for a significant period until the plant grows sufficient root material to take it all up. Unoccupied compost which is watered tends to 'sour' over time, and pathogens may build up which will cause your plant ill health or death. In a pot of the right size, the plant's roots will spread densely into the surrounding compost until they can't spread any more, so gas exchanges and nutrient/water take up are happening in all the compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you are currently doing is absolutely the right thing to do, i.e., moving up a pot size when it's necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And a word on watering - root rot usually occurs because the plant has been left standing in water, often contained inside an outer pot or tray. There should be drainage holes in the pot, and most plants should be watered when the surface of the compost is just dry to the touch, but not shrunken from the sides of the pot. Water thoroughly, let stand and then empty out any water left in the outer container after 30 minutes. If there's a lot of water, you'll need to check the container again 30 minutes later and empty any further excess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-08-16T11:52:24.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13732" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13728" CreationDate="2014-08-16T13:05:57.387" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;em&gt;Epilachna varivestis&lt;/em&gt; Mulsant (Mexican bean beetle larva) from &lt;em&gt;Coccinellidae&lt;/em&gt; family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3oTVp.png&quot; alt=&quot;Epilachna varivestis - USDA&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cultural Control:&lt;/strong&gt; Cultural control efforts may include destruction of overwintering locations and late planting of the soybean crop. The&#xA;destruction of overwintering locations increases exposure to inclement&#xA;weather conditions and can greatly reduce adult numbers the following&#xA;spring. Under certain conditions, a combination of a trap crop with&#xA;delayed planting of a portion of the field might be used to advantage.&#xA;Since overwintering beetles actively forage upon emergence in the&#xA;spring, beans planted early will attract a disproportionate number of&#xA;beetles feeding during their preoviposition period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Biological Control:&lt;/strong&gt; Natural control organisms include at least 17 species of predators. They feed on bean beetle eggs, larvae and pupae.&#xA;The beetles are protected by hard wing covers and by an offensive,&#xA;yellow liquid which is secreted in small drops from the leg joints&#xA;when the insects are disturbed. Ten species of parasitoids are prevalent in soybeans&#xA;during the vegetative stages, but only the tachinid fly Paradexodes&#xA;epilachnae and the eulophid wasp Pediobius foveolatus seem to be&#xA;promising in reducing the number of bean beetles. Because P.&#xA;epilachnae is not native, it is necessary to import it when the&#xA;Mexican bean beetle is an important pest. P. foveolatus is a&#xA;parasitoid of epilachnine beetles from India. It parasitizes Mexican&#xA;bean beetle larvae during the growing season, but fails to overwinter&#xA;for lack of diapause capability and/or available host material. The&#xA;annual inoculative releases of this insect, if conducted early enough&#xA;and in conjunction with establishment of nurse plot areas of snap&#xA;beans in a widespread manner, are capable of suppression of the&#xA;Mexican bean beetle on soybeans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Insecticides:&lt;/strong&gt; For curative control in outbreak circumstances, several insecticides are currently available. Selection of an&#xA;appropriate insecticide and timing of its application are very&#xA;important. Studies of residual efficacy have dealt primarily with&#xA;soil-applied insecticides for Mexican bean beetle control. Certain&#xA;systemic insecticides can provide control for 70 days when applied at&#xA;planting or as a side-dress treatment during midseason cultivation;&#xA;these materials only provide control for half a season. The foliar&#xA;insecticides suppress Mexican bean beetle larvae for up to two weeks&#xA;posttreatment in garden beans and soybeans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reference:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/bean/mexican_bean_beetle.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;University of Florida&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Quoted website talks about this pest in other plant species, but the tips can also be applied to &lt;em&gt;Solanum melongena&lt;/em&gt; L. About biological control I can say that where I live we do not suffer this pest, in fact we use other species of the family Coccinellidae to combat aphids (and I know by experience that &lt;em&gt;Podisus&lt;/em&gt; spp. may reduce population of Anatis ocellata L.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-08-16T13:05:57.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13733" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13728" CreationDate="2014-08-16T17:09:48.413" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agree with BYJ's ID of the pest. Try neem oil concentrate, mixed appropriately, that should do the job - you'll probably need to spray every 14 days, otherwise, it's handpicking them all off, which whilst tedious, is certainly the most organic way to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-19T20:37:14.350" LastActivityDate="2014-08-19T20:37:14.350" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13735" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13321" CreationDate="2014-08-17T00:25:43.483" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that adding rocks to the bottom of a pot does not improve drainage. Instead, it simply reduces the volume of soil available to the roots, and raises the perched water table. If your objective is to reduce soil volume that's fine, otherwise it could increase the chance of root rot. I know that goes against conventional wisdom, but there's a great writeup of it here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0918361520140.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0918361520140.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7012" LastActivityDate="2014-08-17T00:25:43.483" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13736" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13717" CreationDate="2014-08-17T00:50:15.160" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here in Northern CA (SF Bay Area) we usually do 3-4 inches of total depth for bark mulch. I do a little less around plants that have shallow roots, such as camellias and rhododendrons. It typically lasts a couple years, but our weather isn't as harsh as yours. Mulch breaks down over time (which is good for the soil) so obviously if you use less you'll have to refresh it sooner. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I prefer not to use colored mulches because I have no idea what goes into the dye that's used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The formula for figuring out how many yards to order is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(sq feet) * (mulch depth in feet) / 27&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example if you have 200sf to cover and you're mulching with 3 inches, you need&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;200 * .25 / 27 = 1.85 cubic yards&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7012" LastActivityDate="2014-08-17T00:50:15.160" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13737" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-17T02:10:07.367" Score="10" ViewCount="16713" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been gone a few weeks. Now my mint has all flowered. Can I still use the leaves? I want to make a batch of mint jelly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7013" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-17T06:14:46.077" LastActivityDate="2020-09-25T16:46:15.660" Title="Can I still use the mint leaves after the plant has flowered?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13737" CreationDate="2014-08-17T03:23:54.077" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mint leaves are just fine to use any time, including after the plant has flowered.  The flavor may not be quite as strong as it was before it flowered, so you may need to add more leaves to your jelly infusion to get the same taste.  Be sure to cut the flowering stems back when you harvest.  Cutting the flowering stems back may even encourage your mint to put out a new set of fresh leaves for later. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-08-17T03:23:54.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13739" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13737" CreationDate="2014-08-17T04:24:51.420" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mint leaves can be used at any time when green, but they have a stronger flavor before flowering. This is true of many related plants. I usually let my mint flower, to attract bees and butterflies, and remove the flowerheads before they set seed, but you can cut the flowers at any time. If your plants seem to be developing seeds, cutting the plants back further (than just clipping off the flowerheads) may help coax out a new flush of growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As TeresaMcgH points out, because the mint has flowered, you may have to use more mint than usual for good flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-17T04:24:51.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13740" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13729" CreationDate="2014-08-17T05:47:05.450" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like your tree is heading in the right direction, and has some great-looking fruit on it. If you keep the tree watered and fertilized, all the fruit should mature. That's the way oranges are, but they may not get huge unless you thin them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Citrus trees respond well to lots of organic matter and minerals. Once your soil is in good shape, pests won't be an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some relevant material, from one of my long favorite books, '&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;the Complete Book of Composting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;by J. I. Rodale and staff&lt;/em&gt;' Mine's the seventeenth printing, from 1974.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(H. J. Kuppers tells this story of another grove:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;In years gone by it was the ambition of nearly every business and professional man in the citrus area of Florida to own a grove. True to this tradition, a former postmaster had acquired a grove of about 15 acres about 5 miles from New Smyrna Beach, Florida. He engaged the usual caretakers who follow the accepted methods from fertilization to spraying. Had this procedure been a success, he should have had a comfortable income in his declining years. His health and income failed and for about 7 years the grove stood in complete lack of care and deteriorated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;This grove came to the attention of Mr. and Mrs. George Brenzel of Milwaukee, who had been spending their winters in New Smyrna Beach. In the spring of 1948 they bought the grove. They disked the grove lightly and sowed a cover crop before going north for the summer. In the fall this cover crop was disked in lightly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;In the spring of 1949 they applied an organic mixture (made of citrus pulp, tobacco stems, castor pumice and peat moss) around the trees at a rate of 6 tons for the grove. This application was repeated annually and has created a healthy, dark sandy loam around each tree. In 1952 they applied 10 tons colloidal phosphate and 10 tons pulverized granite. this caused cover crops to grow where none had grown before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;In 1953 they found greensand available in Florida and at that time they applied another 10 tons colloidal phosphate and 10 tons greensand. Mr. Brenzel reports that this treatment has brought the following results:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;More juice and better colored fruit.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fruit matures earlier.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Trees grow faster and look better.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;At the time of my visit, May 14, 1954, Mr. Brenzel was preparing to disk in lightly a mixture of weeds and leguminous plants with the intention of sowing Hairy Indigo (&lt;em&gt;Indigofera Hirsuta&lt;/em&gt;) for the summer leguminous cover crop to be disked in lightly next fall. These cover crops grow from 4 to 5 feet high where formerly none would grow. The soil directly under the trees is worked with hand hoes each year, so as not to injure the roots. The grove has not been sprayed since 1942. There is no sign of insects (pests) or of diseases. All trees have very dark green leaves indicating the highest degree of health and vitality.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;The fruit production of the grove has increased about 3 times the amount it produced in 1949. An analysis of a sample of the oranges in December, 1953, shows the following values over the average of Florida oranges:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;14.8 per cent more minerals (food value)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;37 percent more juice.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;67 per cent more sugar (flavor).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-08-17T06:00:27.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13741" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13744" CreationDate="2014-08-17T13:08:28.647" Score="7" ViewCount="2583" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some sort of scale infestation on a small bush on my lawn. I'm not sure what sort of infestation it is - possibly Boisduval scale, but I'm not certain. Here are some photos:&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6xZk2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Underside of infested leaf&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CVytt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Top of infested leaf&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fZtWh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The troubled bush&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zxi7s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Scaly branches&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any clue as to what it really is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And any tips on how to handle it? The branches on the bush still appear viable, but is this bush a gonner? And an adjacent shrub is partially affected - how far will it spread?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help most appreciated.!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7014" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-21T16:16:46.057" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T16:16:46.057" Title="Scale infestation (Euonymus scale)" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13742" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13743" CreationDate="2014-08-17T13:38:15.680" Score="5" ViewCount="7412" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have read about the &lt;em&gt;Sansevieria trifasciata&lt;/em&gt;, commonly called &quot;snake plant&quot;, in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria_trifasciata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; (which doesn't suggest any specific snake repellent property). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/HomesandProperty/Plants-which-repel-snakes/-/689858/1916640/-/11q4i54z/-/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this link&lt;/a&gt; suggests that the snakes don't like the appearance of S. trifasciata and they will start avoiding it the moment you plant it in your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can this plant be helpful, and to what point can we can rely on a plant to keep snakes away? Are there other plants that repel snakes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7015" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-08-18T14:49:26.457" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T04:39:07.780" Title="Is there a snake repellent plant that can prevent snakes from entering a backyard or house?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13742" CreationDate="2014-08-17T14:16:48.113" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, it's really not that useful in preventing snakes (some people even use snake plant in snake terrariums), so unless you like the look, I wouldn't go planting them all over your yard. It would be better to use a specialized product, like Snake-Be-Gone. Also, try to reduce/remove heaps, piles, or areas of brush, rocks, firewood, trash, or anywhere else they could shelter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I live, there are mostly black rat snakes and garter snakes, both harmless to people and great rodent/insect control, so I leave them alone. I only get the occasional copperhead (last one... maybe 6 years ago?), which I dispatch, but you could also try controlling their food source, as suggested in itsmatt's answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-18T03:31:23.650" LastActivityDate="2014-08-18T03:31:23.650" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13741" CreationDate="2014-08-17T16:38:45.803" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Euonymus scale, so called because it loves Euonymus plants, as you've discovered, in particular, evergreen varieties. I don't know what part of the world you're in, but you need to seek out a pesticide which treats for these, or they will completely decimate the shrub/s. These are the male scales you're seeing - there will be female ones (which I can see, causing that mottled appearance on the branches) that are fixed firmly to the woody parts which are oyster shell coloured scales. The best way of tackling them is to treat the males on the leaves - once the females are fixed on the stems, they're fairly impervious, but you should spray the whole shrub, tops and undersides of leaves and stems. I'd recommend Provado Ultimate Bug Killer or Scotts Bugclear Ultra in the UK, not sure if they're available where you are. I'm not at all certain that the plant shown in the picture is recoverable, it's obviously had a problem for a significant period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're interested in the name of the particular scale species, its unaspis euonymi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Regarding cutting back, yes, you will need to do that, but if you're in the northern hemisphere, hard cutting back now is not advisable, unfortunately, unless you know you're in a warmer region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-17T17:50:03.227" LastActivityDate="2014-08-17T17:50:03.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13745" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13741" CreationDate="2014-08-17T17:40:06.260" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition as per @Bamboo &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/13744/6910&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; I would do the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make a severe pruning. That means to prune half of shoots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Burn the prunnings in a suitable location. Do not forget to move the prunings in a bag to avoid spreading the plague.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Buy some insecticide for scale insects.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Read the insecticide label.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Reread the insecticide label.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Follow the safety tips.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apply the insecticide. It is a good idea to apply it in the ground too (maybe some insects were detached during the prune).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Reapply the insecticide according to the manufacturer's instructions.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-08-17T17:40:06.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13746" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13747" CreationDate="2014-08-17T21:19:29.457" Score="5" ViewCount="1553" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a hummingbird feeder hanging from the side of my carport, and I noticed today that ants had discovered it. Since it's right next to my house, I don't really want the ants learning that there's food around, and they keep drowning in the nectar which seems to be driving the hummingbirds away as I've seen less of them around since the ants discovered it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I placed some tape around the hook that the feeder is hanging from, thinking that maybe they would stick to it then stop coming, but it's not sticky enough for them I guess because they walked right over it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do have another hook a couple feet away that's holding a bird feeder, so would it work if I just switched them every few weeks you think? How can I keep the ants away?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e4Cfg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hummingbird feeder&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-09-04T22:16:04.403" LastActivityDate="2015-07-02T00:01:11.727" Title="How can I keep ants off of my hummingbird feeder?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;hummingbirds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13746" CreationDate="2014-08-17T21:39:19.073" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use an ant moat.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could build one yourself but the ones you can purchase are inexpensive and essentially consist of a cup that holds water and creates a barrier between the shepherd's hook and the hummingbird feeder.  The ants won't be able to cross the barrier - at least they don't on ours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That style - same style I have - can leak a bit and if the ants know it is there, then they're apt to try to reach it.  Some other feeder types are a bit less prone to leak, but I like the look of the type we have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thought - you &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; sprinkle some diatomaceous earth around the base of the hummingbird feeder hook and that might also discourage ants as they don't fare too well when walking through it.  It's not an immediate fix and D.E. is something that you'll need to reapply after a hard rain as it washes away rather easily, but it might work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use D.E. sparingly around plants and directly on ant infestations that show up around the house if they're bad.  It's quite effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2014-08-17T23:06:03.147" LastActivityDate="2014-08-17T23:06:03.147" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13748" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13688" CreationDate="2014-08-17T21:52:15.023" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need a ground cover that is higher to help shade the soil to minimize weeds.  Lonicera pileata or Privet Honeysuckle has strong horizontal branching, green, glossy privet like leaves and is 18-24&quot; up to 3' in height equal or more in width.  To show off your roses you should only plant one type of plant so as not to detract from your roses and tie everything together in a pleasing composition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've used this plant in similar situations and was thrilled by its effect. Plant in staggered rows or triangles keeping the roses with 3-5' radius distance.  Mulch after planting with 2-3&quot; decomposed organic mulch, NOT BARK and NO PLASTIC. At 60% slope it will be necessary to terrace and berm each plant to catch and hold any irrigation/rain until established. Keep mulch away from the graft and wood stems of your roses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-08-17T21:52:15.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13749" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13742" CreationDate="2014-08-17T21:54:54.947" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Elimination of any food source (mice are typical) is key and making the area unattractive to snakes goes a &lt;em&gt;long&lt;/em&gt; way toward eliminating the problem.  If they don't have places to hide or a ready food source, they're not likely to stick around.  I'm not aware of any plants that actually prevent snakes from showing up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be able to keep them out of the yard - say, the back yard - by putting up fencing that keeps them out, typically using hardware cloth to make it difficult/impossible for them to get into the yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mothballs don't do anything despite the persistent rumor that they'll keep the snakes away.  Long ago I tried this and it doesn't work.  We backed to woods and &lt;em&gt;still&lt;/em&gt; had snakes in the yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, if you make the area less attractive to snakes, they're not likely to stick around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-08-17T21:54:54.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13750" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1881" CreationDate="2014-08-17T22:14:44.040" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Landscape fabric should NEVER be used for weeds.  What it was designed for was to place between soil and gravel so that the gravel doesn't sink down into the soil and disappear.  Plastic or this fabric under mulch stops all the processes between plants and soil and organisms.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best thing I've found for weed control that also feeds your soil is decomposed organic mulch.  2-3&quot; every other year does better than bark and fabric combined to  control weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The absolute best decomposed organic mulch is human poo, mixed with sawdust and completely decomposed.  Fine, uniform textured, dark taupe, no weed seeds, no pesticide residues and the soil and plants love it.  I don't even pull weeds, just dump this right on top.  Keep away from the base of woody plants.  Gorgeous, easy and what nature would do in your place.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not for vegetables but everything else...check with your local sewer companies.  The only decomposed organic mulch that is tested, 5X, and you can trust unless you make your own mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is NOTHING like the original material. If it smells at all it has not been composted properly.  Find another source.  Using undecomposed mulch robs the soil of nutrients and causes the soil organisms necessary for plant health to go dormant until there is decomposed organic mulch to eat.  If I got the chance, I'd ban plastics, fabric, bark and chips being used as weed control.  They are turning our urban areas into deserts!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-08-17T22:14:44.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13751" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13772" CreationDate="2014-08-17T22:15:57.777" Score="4" ViewCount="465" Body="&lt;p&gt;So in my new allotment, I have a large mound (approx 2.5m diameter, 1m high) of turf sods which has over time become a solid hill of dry, reasonably fine soil with grass and weeds covering it. It's taking up good space on the allotment, so I wanted to see if I can make it worthwhile otherwise I will just level it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's oval shaped, with oval aligned East/West facing so there is good slope exposed to sun. As it is so raised, it's quite dry from sun and wind. Since it's sunny and dry, I was thinking perhaps I could create a rockery (that and the allotment has more flint than soil) but I'm not sure what edible plants I could grow on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of edible, and worth eating, plants (veg, fruit or herbs) would grow well in these conditions, or is any suggestion going to be a compromise and leveling it out always the better option? I'm guessing herbs like rosemary, lavender?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thoughts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: There is another hidden benefit in that the mound is also partially hollow (people stealing the good, sifted soil). The hollow section could be a great place to grow mushrooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6830" LastActivityDate="2014-08-19T16:44:05.970" Title="Edible Plants for Rockery" Tags="&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;rock-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13752" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13746" CreationDate="2014-08-18T03:16:43.403" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's the trick that worked for me. Use some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_jelly&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;petroleum jelly&lt;/a&gt;, a cheap, easily acquired substance which is the base for many lotions and ointments, and is of course non-toxic. Ants can't walk through it, so a ring of it applied to the hummingbird feeder pole, just wider than the length of the longest ants you expect, will keep them off. Reapply whenever necessary. Also see my answer to &lt;a href=&quot;https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/19707/is-there-a-durable-surface-that-ants-cant-pass/19710#19710&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; on biology.se.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:48:10.153" LastActivityDate="2014-08-18T03:16:43.403" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13753" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13755" CreationDate="2014-08-18T14:55:53.033" Score="8" ViewCount="9525" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read a couple answers that have mentioned soil going sour. I've gathered that it's a bad thing, but what does it mean when soil goes sour? What causes it to sour?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-09-09T23:27:14.757" LastActivityDate="2018-09-09T23:27:14.757" Title="What do people mean when they talk about soil going sour?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13754" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13757" CreationDate="2014-08-18T15:38:21.410" Score="5" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in the UK (so hardiness zone 8/9), and my local garden centre is selling Chrysanthemums and Michaelmas daisies, labelled as &quot;one season only&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sure as a kid my gran had (the same) Chrysanthemums year after year, and my dad has some Michaelmas daisy that he says are perennial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these different types, or is the garden centre just trying to get extra sales for next year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7018" LastActivityDate="2014-08-18T17:34:52.030" Title="Why does my garden centre say these plants are annuals?" Tags="&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;&lt;plant-hardiness&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13753" CreationDate="2014-08-18T16:53:10.673" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sour and sweet are different words for acid and alkaline, respectively. Going sour is usually a bad thing, but some plants (such as azaleas, blueberries, most conifers, etc) prefer sour soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people also refer to soil as sour when it lies unused and gets a putrid, or fishy smell, often caused by too much water and rotting organic matter, but can happen in simply unused soil that stays damp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://encap.net/why-does-soil-become-acidic/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;From here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over time, soil pH is naturally lowered for a variety of reasons. Rainfall naturally leaches Calcium out of the soil, lowering the pH, and increasing the soil acidity. This is especially true with acid rain, particularly in the Midwest and Northeastern United States, because the acid rain adds Hydrogen to the soil, lowering soil pH, and increasing soil acidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil acidity is also increased from fertilizer applications. Though it might sound strange, the main ingredients in fertilizer are acidic by nature, and can aid in lowering soil pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even without rain or fertilizer applications, soil acidity naturally increases over time due to the decomposition of organic matter. Because soil is a living environment, it is constantly breaking down organic matter, naturally adding acid to the soil. So, whether you’ve got the most beautiful lawn on the block, or you’ve let your front yard become a field, unless you live in the desert, your soil is becoming more acidic all the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Btw, the acid from decomposing organic matter is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humic_acid&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;humic acid&lt;/a&gt;, which causes a big drop in pH especially in potting soil, which is often mostly comprised of organic matter. So even if your garden is on a chalk bed, and isn't likely to go sour, the soil in your pots may still drop in pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-08-18T17:53:44.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13757" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13754" CreationDate="2014-08-18T17:34:52.030" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually when I see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/button%20chrysanthemum&quot;&gt;button chrysanthemums&lt;/a&gt; (the most common kind) and &lt;a href=&quot;http://portlandnursery.com/plants/perennials/aster.shtml&quot;&gt;Michaelmas daisies&lt;/a&gt; (Asters) labelled as annuals, which they are not, it's because they've been treated with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carvacrol&quot;&gt;carvacrol (C6H3CH3(OH)(C3H7))&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24414777&quot;&gt;phosphon-D (tributyl-2, 4-dichlorobenzylphosphonium chloride)&lt;/a&gt;, or a similar dwarfing agent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, this treatment doesn't last forever, so when the plants return the next year, they're likely to be a good bit taller and thinner (less bushy) than they were when bought. Of course, you can still pinch them back, to promote heavy branching, but they will still be larger. So they were labeled as annuals because they won't be the same plant next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also noted that in my area, mums have a hard time perennializing in clayey soils, and often die overwinter. So around here, everyone buys a new set of mums each fall, unless they have a sandy soil, or one with a high amount of organic matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are also marked as annuals so that people will have it in the backs of their heads that they will need to purchase more next season, so there is some marketing incentive to mark them as annuals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-18T17:34:52.030" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13758" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13753" CreationDate="2014-08-18T17:48:58.600" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;People often talk about &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2008/my-composter-has-developed-a-sour-smell-and-a-lot-of-bugs-what-am-i-doing-wrong&quot;&gt;compost going sour&lt;/a&gt; when you have too much nitrogen and it starts smelling and rotting instead of composting because the bacteria release ammonia. Or, it could be caused by too much water and not enough oxygen so anaerobic bacteria start dominating the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The same phrase can apply to soil if it stays wet for a long period of time and the organic matter starts smelling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-08-18T17:55:30.340" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13760" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13762" CreationDate="2014-08-18T18:52:22.920" Score="8" ViewCount="3698" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagerstroemia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;crape myrtle&lt;/a&gt; that I attempted to transplant last spring. Unfortunately, it didn't do so well (I damaged more of the roots than I intended), and while it did leaf out last year, after a long cold winter I thought for sure it was dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, to my surprise, around June of this year, it started to leaf out &lt;em&gt;just a little,&lt;/em&gt; and we even got some flowers! I've trimmed off all the dead wood (which, unfortunately, was most of the plant), and I'm hoping and praying for the best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It occurred to me that every pruning wound, or place that I cut off deadwood, is a potential avenue for bugs or pathogens to invade the plant, which would be bad news in its already weakened state. Is it a good idea to seal off the ends somehow? If so, with what? I have a wax sealant intended for use on hardwood decking. Is that, or another product, a good idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7020" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-06T18:56:11.693" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T16:14:52.757" Title="Should I seal the wounds where limbs were removed on a crape myrtle?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;protection&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13761" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13760" CreationDate="2014-08-18T21:42:35.983" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whilst it was once considered essential to paint wounds on trees with a protective/preventive treatment (Arbrex, for instance), this practice has long since fallen out of favour - turns out it often caused more trouble than leaving the sites untreated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you've only removed dead parts anyway, so there's much less risk of any infection gaining access.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-08-18T21:42:35.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13760" CreationDate="2014-08-18T21:42:57.750" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to Wayne K. Clatterbuck in the article &lt;a href=&quot;http://agrilife.org/treecarekit/after-the-storm/tree-wounds/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tree Wounds&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://agrilife.org/treecarekit/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Texas A&amp;amp;M AgriLife Extension Tree Care Kit&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Research indicates that wound dressings (materials such as tar or paint) do not prevent decay and may even interfere with wound closure. Wound dressings can have the following detrimental effects:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prevent drying and encourage fungal growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Interfere with formation of wound wood or callus tissue&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Inhibit compartmentalization&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Possibly serve as a food source for pathogens&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So don't treat the wounds. The only thing that the plant needs is a good, clean cut to heal over. If you already cut out the dead, you did the right thing, and it would be best to leave it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T16:14:52.757" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13763" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13771" CreationDate="2014-08-18T22:36:26.167" Score="3" ViewCount="1499" Body="&lt;p&gt;September's coming up, time to start getting ready for clover control. I have always used &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clopyralid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Clopyralid&lt;/a&gt; (3,6-dichloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid). The brand I use is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dowagro.com/turf/products/herbicides/lontrel.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lontrel&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, how well does it compare to the similar &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicamba&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dicamba&lt;/a&gt; (3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid)? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because I can get 40% dicamba concentrate for $1.28 an ounce, while the 90% clopyralid concentrate is $5.62 an ounce, I'm wondering whether it will work quite as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-19T10:54:34.613" Title="Is Clopyralid or Dicamba more effective in the control of clover in lawns?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13764" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13770" CreationDate="2014-08-19T00:17:16.680" Score="5" ViewCount="513" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cannot for the life of me track down the name of this flower.  Google image search wasn't much help either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ryQS2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U9wpu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stem(s)&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7021" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-19T01:29:32.957" LastActivityDate="2014-08-19T20:31:27.803" Title="What is this double pink/purple flower growing from a small potted plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13765" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13768" CreationDate="2014-08-19T00:35:37.603" Score="3" ViewCount="10132" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some blue berries (I don't know any better, so maybe blueberries?) growing in my yard. The bush is around 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide. The berries are very bitter, and have a hard seed inside them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in southern New Hampshire, and the bushes are directly next to a pond.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XZ48d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V2Upj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6946" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-19T01:08:11.123" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T21:27:11.633" Title="What is this shrub with clusters of bitter blue berries in southern NH?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13764" CreationDate="2014-08-19T00:44:58.787" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a miniature &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahlia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dahlia&lt;/a&gt;. Possibly the Decorative Dahlia Seduction. See BJY's answer for the details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-19T20:31:27.803" LastActivityDate="2014-08-19T20:31:27.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13767" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8905" CreationDate="2014-08-19T00:46:47.020" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd better jump in here...do not use anything in your water.  Two days is no big deal.  Cold water, no direct sun and a cool place is perfect.  Do not put in your refrigerator.  Especially if you have ever had apples stored there!  They give off a gas that will definitely age your flowers quickly.  What kind of flowers are we discussing? Did you cut your stems when you got home and put them in water?  Your florist would be more than happy to hold them for you for two days (if you make nice) in a walk-in frig that has never seen an apple. If they are roses, hopefully you've made your cuts under water before putting them in fresh, unadulterated water.  Otherwise, there will be air bubbles that will block water to the flower and causes the heads to droop.  That stuff they give you to 'prolong' the life of flowers is a scam.  I know because I've been a florist and thought that was a horrid way to get return clients!  Grin!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-08-19T00:46:47.020" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13768" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13765" CreationDate="2014-08-19T00:56:23.837" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=28&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;silky dogwood, &lt;em&gt;Cornus amomum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://edible.wikidot.com/edible-plant:136&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; suggests the fruits are edible and nutritious, albeit bad tasting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Silk Dogwood is also known as Silky Cornel and Swamp Dogwood. I acquired this based on the description in the Oikos catalog. It says &quot;Fruit has high amounts of calcium –excellent for good skeletal growth in wildlife and high amounts of fat energy.&quot; I thought it would be interesting to have a fruit with fat in the pulp, like an avocado. That is probably a stretch because I can't find any modern facts about human edible uses of Silky Dogwood, but I want to try. Like other dogwoods, if it tastes bad fresh, it may taste good after frost. Since I can't find the facts I need with Google, I will make this page the authoritive resource for the human use of Silky Dogwood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HfqTV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-19T01:02:53.993" LastActivityDate="2014-08-19T01:02:53.993" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13770" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13764" CreationDate="2014-08-19T02:45:18.110" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Possibly &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naturehills.com/dahlia-decorative-seduction&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Dahlia&lt;/em&gt; cv. Seduction&lt;/a&gt; from group 5 (decorative).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Decorative dahlias have fully double blooms showing no disc. The ray&#xA;  florets are generally broad and flat and may be involute for no more&#xA;  than 75% of their length (longitudinal axis) or slightly twisted, and&#xA;  usually bluntly pointed&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reference: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dahliaworld.co.uk/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;dahliaworld&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastActivityDate="2014-08-19T02:45:18.110" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13771" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13763" CreationDate="2014-08-19T10:27:51.973" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends to some extent what you mean by 'clover'. White clover or Dutch clover (Trifolium repens) and red clover (Trifolium pratense) are very susceptible to treatments containing dicamba, dichlorprop-P and mecoprop-P, or 2,4-D and mecoprop-P. Other, clover like lawn weeds are more susceptible to formulations containing fluroxpyr, MCPA and clopyralid, although these will also have some impact on Trifolium varieties. You'll note that the most effective treatments contain more than one ingredient. Any and all chemical treatments aimed at killing or lessening clovers work better in early to mid summer, and are less effective from August (or late summer/early fall) onwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-19T10:54:34.613" LastActivityDate="2014-08-19T10:54:34.613" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13772" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13751" CreationDate="2014-08-19T16:44:05.970" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As I said in the comment, suggest you dig it into your allotment - the reason people are taking it is because they know it's valuable either as an addition to making potting compost, or simply using it to add to their own plots. Paradoxically, it wouldn't be great for growing lavender or rosemary - most herb type plants prefer poorer, less nutrient rich soil conditions. It does mean more digging, yes - but you were probably going to do that anyway in preparation for winter, either sowing winter crops or rough digging to allow the frost to get at the clods of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-08-19T16:44:05.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13773" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13724" CreationDate="2014-08-19T21:30:16.587" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I doubt the 'bees' were going to harm your basil. More likely, they were attracted to the juice at the ends of the cut stems. If that's the case, they were probably one of the solitary living bees/flies that subsists on nectar, and was getting a quick drink of juice. I've seen this on grape-vines, but it can happen to other plants as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This doesn't harm the plant, unless the flies were on a diseased basil plant recently (unlikely). I would leave them alone, and they should leave when the cut stems dry over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My guess as to the flies themselves is some sort of adult root maggot. See pic below, and let me know if that's not it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/afObe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-19T21:30:16.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13774" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13775" CreationDate="2014-08-19T22:09:56.453" Score="21" ViewCount="15046" Body="&lt;p&gt;In gardening, especially container gardening, you will run into the phenomenon called a 'Perched Water Table' (PWT). What is a perched water table, and how does it work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-24T20:15:09.203" LastActivityDate="2017-01-28T12:11:16.740" Title="What is a 'Perched Water Table'?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13775" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13774" CreationDate="2014-08-19T22:09:56.453" Score="24" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, basically, the perched table is the saturation point, where the capillary action in the soil is canceled out by the force of gravity. Every type of growing media has a different perched table. Capillary action will pull water up from a certain point, and below that point, gravity keeps the water from moving up. The size of the container does not affect the height at which the perched table occurs. See the figure below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PnhHC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pwk.resteddoginn.ca/soilmix.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is, in every pot, what is called a &amp;quot;perched water table&amp;quot; (PWT). This is water that occupies a layer of soil that is always saturated and will not drain at the bottom of the pot. It can evaporate or be used by the plant, but physical forces will not allow it to drain. It is there because the capillary pull of the soil at some point will equal the GFP; therefore, the water does not drain, it is &amp;quot;perched&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If we fill five cylinders of varying heights and diameters with the same soil mix and provide each cylinder with a drainage hole, the PWT will be exactly the same height in each container. This is the area of the pot where roots seldom penetrate &amp;amp; where root problems begin due to a lack of aeration. From this we can draw the conclusion that tall growing containers are a superior choice over squat containers when using the same soil mix. The reason: the level of the PWT will be the same in each container, with the taller container providing more usable, air holding soil above the PWT.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery-weeds/feature_articles/physical_properties/physical_properties.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water is not distributed evenly throughout the container.  Adhesion, cohesion, and capillary action attract water to particles and resist gravity.  The ability of media to ‘hold’ water through adhesion and cohesion is referred to as matric potential.  Matric potential is the same throughout the container.  Gravity pulls water down through the container and out of the drainage holes.  While gravity is constant throughout the container, gravitational potential is greater at the top of the container and lower at the bottom.  Because of this gradual decrease in gravitational potential towards the container bottom, matric potential is higher at the container bottom and media particles are able to hold more water.  This causes water to form a perched water table at the container bottom.  The perched water table is a layer of saturation on the container bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Container height affects the relative amount of water versus air.  With the same media, the perched water table occurs at the same height, regardless of the container size.  Short containers will have the same perched water table as large containers, thus a greater percentage of container volume is filled with water.  This explains why a 5-gallon container hold less water than a 5-gallon squat container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should you use gravel at the bottom of a plant's pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not usually. Soil is like a sponge, and won't drip down into most gravel unless it becomes fully saturated. That doesn't mean that there is no air space in the soil, it means that as it is, the soil can't hold more water without it running out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I only occasionally use gravel, but I use small pea gravel in a thin layer, to keep the drainage hole from getting clogged, in large planters (in my case they were 6x6', you shouldn't use it in small pots/planters) that will not be disturbed for a while. Generally, the growing media will drain better without any gravel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-01-28T12:11:16.740" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13776" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13717" CreationDate="2014-08-20T01:40:47.160" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The purpose of mulch is to keep weeds down, feed the organisms of the soil, retain moisture and improve whatever soil it is that you have.  Ideally, it should look beautiful.  Bare soil is not a natural thing, but covered with a great mulch it'll be beneficial to the ecosystem of which even you are a part of and your plants will not flourish without.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Un-decomposed mulch will not feed your soil organisms.  Bark and chips and plastic are un-decomposed mulch.  They help with moisture retention, not so much with weed suppression. Soil organisms are critical to the health of plants.  A good soil is full of organisms both micro and macro.  Bacteria is an example of micro organisms, earth worms macro.  Without a thriving community in your soil your plants will suffer.  They will survive but continue to die slowly.  Plants and soil organisms are absolutely necessary for each to survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the best things you can do for your landscape is to use DECOMPOSED organic mulch.  If you make your own, you can probably trust the product.  Decomposed organic mulch (not rock, not bark, chips and certainly not plastic) is what feeds both micro and macro organisms in your soil. It is like putting up big neon sign saying, &quot;Great Eats Right Here&quot;...They'll come to you and they'll reproduce...these organisms come up out of the soil and eat decomposed organic material, return into your soil profile, poop the stuff out and in doing so they are aerating your soil, mixing organic matter into your soil and improve your soil.  More importantly there is an important symbiotic relationship between your plants and these organisms.  The plants actually 'pay' or provide these organisms with up to 40% of the carbon they produce.  The organisms do mining, aeration and get nutrients to the plant roots so the plants get the chemicals they need to make their own food. With which they give back to these organisms.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without decomposed mulch and small amounts of added nutrients, this process takes a nosedive.  Urban areas and suburbs are becoming deserts because of the use of bark and plastic.  There is nothing for birds and beneficial insects to eat.  The cycle is stopped.  Your plants will linger, your soil will become compacted and it will take more water to reach the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most people are unable to see the difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bad news is that a source of dependable decomposed mulch is hard to find.  Most are full of pesticides from homeowner use and weed seeds.  There is one I have found that I trust and am trying to get even experienced gardeners to try and that is decomposed human poop mixed with sawdust and professionally decomposed.  The final product is NOTHING like the original ingredients.  No smell, no sticks, no rocks, no weed seeds, no pesticides and it is beautiful! Dark taupe in color (not black, how natural is that?) and fine, fine textured, smells like earth as it should.  It is also tested, 5X!!  A reputable place will be able to give you a current test to show exactly what it is composed of.  No other mulch that I am aware is like this.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The companies producing this stuff can deliver it, you can pick it up in a truck or they can even blow it onto your beds or lawn.  It is not expensive but whatever the cost it is the cheapest, most intelligent way to care for your soil and plants.  Install 2&quot; (I might go and chop down big weeds but I like to reserve my energies and body) right on top of all bare soil and weeds.  No weed seeds are included and the multitudes of weed seeds in your soil will never be able to germinate.  Any weeds that do make it through are easy to pull up.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This stuff will be promptly eaten and mixed into your soil by the very happy organisms.  This helps to stabilize pH, adds nitrogen, helps retain moisture.  Within a week, I am so very serious, you will see your plants start looking like they should, greener, stronger growth, more able to deal with disease/insects.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had blue clay and inside of one season watched as black streaks colored the blue with organic matter and air.  All I had to do was put a couple of inches of this mulch on top of the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Besides tasks like mowing correctly and at the correct height (PNW grasses no shorter ever than 3&quot;), aerating your lawn, fertilizing properly for lawns and plants (under fertilizing is better than over fertilizing...well, over fertilizing will make the plants reduce their carbon donations to the organisms because they are getting more than enough nutrients and a little more fertilizer than that will KILL your plants), watering deeply after allowing your soil to dry out (to train your plants roots to grow deep and become drought tolerant)...&lt;strong&gt;the best practice one can do&lt;/strong&gt; is to mulch your soil with decomposed organic mulch. This aerates your soil (plant roots need air), adds organic matter into the soil which stabilizes the pH, adds nutrients, helps to retain moisture, nutrients aren't leached away into the water table, keeps roots protected from extremes of temperature, feeds the organisms plants need to uptake nutrients and to bring them nutrients, stop germination of weed seeds that would compete with nutrients and water, your plants will be able to fight disease and insects that come their way, they will be vigorous and beautiful, your soil whether clay or sand will continue to get better and better...all you have to do is replace this mulch as it does disappear into your soil and cause all this other stuff to get done without anymore effort on your part.  And every other year is what I am used to for myself and my clients.  If your soil is particularly poor, you might have to replace it the next year after the initial coat as the starving organisms gobble it up and drag it into your deficient soil. This only shows your soil is coming back to life, the mulch is being incorporated into your soil and not being washed away! If it stays, your soil was in a better condition.  It uses what it needs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one practice, feeding your soil with decomposed organic mulch by just dumping it on top solves so many other problems it is worth the little time, effort and money invested.  It is like killing 4 birds with one stone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Call your sewage treatment plant to see who and where they produce this stuff.  Up in the Seattle area it is called Gro-Co.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is only one down side.  It has higher levels of heavy metals (from our medications) so you shouldn't use them on vegetable gardens.  I won't mention that most of the world outside the U.S. uses human manure for most of their agricultural production.  Yet these other countries won't accept our GMO crops...A lot of our tap water has higher levels of heavy metals than does this stuff.  I still don't use it in my vegetable garden...but tempted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is tough to change your paradigm when so many people use bark and plastic for mulch.  It is simply wrong and doesn't reduce weeds...it makes soils that weeds themselves chose not to grow in.  This answer was long, I apologize.  Even people that are well-educated and experienced gardeners have a hard time not using the oh so popular bark and plastics.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do try to find this stuff in your area and do your own research...and try using this, please let us know if you could tell the difference, how it was with weeds, could you tell the difference in your landscape plants and how long it took to see how much more beautiful it was than bark.  Finer texture and a more dirt-like color should really highlight your plants versus detract. Did you notice more birds and wildlife? We humans do best by copying nature to get what we want instead of trying to force natural things to do our bidding. Bark will eventually be in the same category as astroturf and polyester. Grin. I truly hope this makes sense to you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-08-20T01:40:47.160" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13777" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-20T04:02:39.777" Score="8" ViewCount="7767" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know there will be differing opinions on this subject, from different people. I, for one, have always used bark mulch, and can attest to the fact that when used properly, it will build soil and grow healthier plants (ime).I have also heard that a layer of plastic, covered by gravel, is the best mulch. To me, it seems that this can only depreciate, and doesn't build soil at all, and may even leach chemicals out of the plastic into the ground. And then there are those who think that undecomposed mulches are bad, and you should go with compost. imo, compost is one of the best things you can add to soil, but doesn't take the place of mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, why are there differing opinions from experts? Shouldn't people with experience come to a similar conclusion? Or do different ways work comparatively well enough that it's pretty much whatever you like better?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please don't answer if you feel like arguing with someone, just lay out what your reasons are for why you use the mulch you use, and your experience with that mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-24T20:55:55.410" Title="What are the pros/cons of different mulches?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13778" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13777" CreationDate="2014-08-20T15:08:29.990" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have never heard of anyone recommending a layer of plastic with something over the top, gravel or anything else. Plastic will stop water permeating the ground, and any gravel on the top would be floating! A layer of permeable membrane (geotextile fabric) with an ornamental mulch (pebbles, gravel, limestone chippings, slate, pea shingle) keeps weeds down, moisture in and can give a decorative finish in certain types of garden, particularly urban environments, but does not contribute to the soil, as you've said. It's also not exactly a permanent solution to weed growth either, despite what everyone says - soil particles inevitably end up in the topping, allowing weeds to germinate, and if left, some of those weeds will actually root through the membrane (couch grass in particular).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because most of the ornamental gardens I've worked on are small in comparison to many in the USA, my personal preference is always an organic mulch, usually composted animal manures or good home made garden compost or composted leaf mould rather than bark. These break down quicker than bark, yet if laid 2-3 inches thick on damp soil in spring, will do a good job of keeping down weeds throughout the growing season, and keep moisture in. It's also humus rich, so as it breaks down, the soil will be enriched without the need for digging, which is a bonus both from the point of view of my back, and the structure of the soil, which will not then be constantly disturbed by frequent tilling/digging to remove weeds and break up any panning which may occur after irrigation. I'd usually replenish the mulch annually or biennially.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bark chips I reserve for wilder areas, or very large gardens, particularly around large, mature shrubs where there is little groundcover in terms of plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-20T15:21:05.750" LastActivityDate="2014-08-20T15:21:05.750" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13779" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-20T16:15:12.807" Score="2" ViewCount="4162" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just took over an allotment and in it there's this plant that has long black pods that contain what appear to be seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7NP4e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MJXxy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YQl1F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="801" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-20T21:08:06.287" LastActivityDate="2014-08-21T00:49:18.933" Title="What's this plant with long black seed pods?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13779" CreationDate="2014-08-20T16:48:10.407" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had a look at the picture, but its pretty hard to tell for sure what it is, the leaves are sort of buried in with lots of other foliage, mostly grass by the looks of it. Most likely its one of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptisia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Baptisias&lt;/a&gt; though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-20T21:09:27.810" LastActivityDate="2014-08-20T21:09:27.810" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13781" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13777" CreationDate="2014-08-20T16:52:57.800" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have gone through a number of mulches with various results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;geotextile landscape fabric and peastone gravel. Looks good, if a good quality fabric is used, resists weeds for many years.  Very hard to plant things in and almost impossible to improve the soil underneath and leave the fabric/stone in place&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bark chips: not as cheap as they used to be, popular with earwigs, you need to wear gloves when working with it as bark splinters in your hands are painful. Fades over the years and needs to be renewed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leaves mulched with a lawnmower work great.  After being cut up they break down in one or two seasons and stop weeds quite well.  Has to be renewed and does not have that crisp aesthetic look some people like&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;white marble chips:  some people like them but they get dirty with a green algae growing on them &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pine needles: our current favourite, available for free from most people who have a lawn with a mature pine tree.  Nice orange colour fading to a light brown with time.  Slowly breaks down and may make the soil more acidic. When newly applied a strong wind will blow some around but as it packs down this is not a problem.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cedar mulch: when on sale at the garden centres this is a cheap and long lasting mulch which keeps the weeds down and has a nice neutral colour&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-08-20T20:27:43.553" LastActivityDate="2014-08-20T20:27:43.553" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13782" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13777" CreationDate="2014-08-20T22:46:32.960" Score="5" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;My absolute favorite mulch, feared by some (only legitimate if you&#xA;go too thick at once, when it will start to heat and slime) is lawn&#xA;clippings, about 2-3&quot; deep. Looks very tidy, breaks down well, stops&#xA;weeds fairly well. It's robbing the lawn to feed the garden, but that's an OK trade in  many households. Dead easy if you have a bagging mower. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;My blueberry/acid bed is mulched with pine needles - lots of pines&#xA;and a large deck handy, so they are easy to get with a broom - you can also import&#xA;&quot;pine straw&quot; in bales, but I suspect that runs to money quickly. Any&#xA;tendency to acidity is desireable here. They could stand to break&#xA;down a little quicker than they do, from the POV of soil nutrition,&#xA;honestly. For a non-acid bed you could lime under them; I toss sulfur into the blueberry bed from time to time for the opposite effect. If you wanted to build nutrition faster (dubious in a blueberry bed, which are sensitive to over-fertilization) you could fork most of them off, add compost (&amp;amp; lime if wanted), and fork them back on. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've had the misfortune to have a bed done with landscape fabric and&#xA;bark mulch thrust upon me - it was horrid, from a plant point of&#xA;view, under that plastic layer. I ripped it out within a year or two. Rarely have I seen such dead soil, and there is no way to do anything for it with the fabric in place.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I use shredded paper and sheet newspaper in the vegetable garden for keeping weeds down, especially on paths. The shreds are OK around plants. While there is some concern for robbing nitrogen while it breaks down, IMHO it's limited if the material is ON TOP rather than mixed into the soil. I think I have read of folks using rolled brown kraft paper (thicker than newsprint, no seams) in the same manner that rolled plastic mulches are generally used, but without the plastic disposal issue at the end of season. Have not tried that one personally yet. Newspaper does NOT look good unless you have enough of something else to bury it out of sight.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cocoa hull mulch smelled wonderful, looked great for a little while, was expensive and imported, and proceeded to mold in short order&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not really a fan of bark mulch, as it's trending towards stuff that breaks down far too slowly; and I find the dyed colors somewhat over the top, really. Straight woodchips make a nice path if you have a supply, and renew them occasionally. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Straw is nice if you can afford it (expensive and imported here) - hay tends to have too many weed seeds to be much fun.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-08-20T22:46:32.960" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13783" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13779" CreationDate="2014-08-21T00:49:18.933" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hard to say because of pictures. But maybe it is &lt;a href=&quot;http://navarraenflorymas.blogspot.com.es/2012/11/vicia-sativa-l-subsp-nigra-l-ehrh-v.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Vicia sativa&lt;/em&gt; subsp. &lt;em&gt;nigra&lt;/em&gt; (L.) Ehrh.&lt;/a&gt;. This plant is present in Europe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6910" LastActivityDate="2014-08-21T00:49:18.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13784" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13777" CreationDate="2014-08-21T01:34:42.040" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am particularly fond of organic solutions for most everything we do on our farm.  What I'm ultimately trying to do is improve the fertility of our soil and add as much organic matter to this otherwise heavy, red Virginia clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I lean toward mulches that I have here on the farm - grasses and shredded leaves.  These are &quot;free&quot; to me and are quite effective at suppressing weeds and they break down readily - this is of primary importance to me because at the end of the day, it's all about the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Straw is something we import onto the farm.  I'm a big fan of this for keeping weeds under control in the veggie garden.  I mulch heavily around the tomato  plants and the straw holds in the moisture - I've watered my tomatoes only 4 times this season after they went in the ground and the straw has kept things moist.  I put several inches of straw down and it works swimmingly well.  It is not free but its cost is well worth it as it frees me from doing any weeding among the tomatoes.  Straw runs perhaps $5 per small bale so it can get expensive quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spent hay is a good substitute for straw mulch - I use it sometimes and there are no weed seeds by the time I'm using it.  It breaks down quickly though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've used kraft paper - it works OK - and newspaper but we generally shred the newspaper to mix with wood shavings for our rabbit hutch.  So we don't use newspaper much as a mulch.  And kraft paper isn't free so I tend to use that sparingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Around my beehives I use spun poly weed fabric, pinned to the ground.  It does a reasonable job at keeping weeds and grasses from growing up around my hives and that cuts down on the pests causing problems in my hives.  I have used it as walkways some but primarily I use it as a floor covering in my high tunnel hoop house for the walkways.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We compost everything we can here.  I have four large bins made from pallets and wire fencing.  This compost is a key ingredient in my soil improvement efforts and it is very useful as a mulch in some places.  The price is right and that, for me, is very important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bark mulch breaks down slowly - which is good or bad depending upon one's view and intended use.  For paths it works well but I don't like it in the veggie garden - that's just my POV and I know some folks swear by it.  The big negative for me with bark mulch is that I have to purchase it and I'm not fond of that.  We &lt;em&gt;do&lt;/em&gt; buy some for the rose bed but that's it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-08-21T01:34:42.040" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13777" CreationDate="2014-08-21T03:38:04.620" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For ornamental use&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In my area, the most common mulch for landscaped ornamental beds is premium shredded bark mulch &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mtairylumber.com/mulch/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(my source)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/66vAs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's very nice to work with, is partially decomposed (usually very hot when I get it), decomposes in about a year (when I reapply), and adds to the organic matter content of the soil. The earthworms appear to love it, and will go up through a pile that cooled off, and turn it into compost. It does keep weeds down exceptionally well. It is a byproduct of the sawmill. The biggest cons are that it fades within two months, and forms a moisture barrier when laid too thick.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The second most common mulch for ornamental purposes is black dyed mulch. Because the dyed mulches are so similar, I'll cram them all in here. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mtairylumber.com/mulch/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(my source)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vXPvg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hate this stuff. it's so unnatural, looks poisonous, and takes way too long to break down. I think they make the dye by burning coal tar, to get 'carbon black'. I never use this on my own property, and only use on others properties if they can't accept something else. Is does go on easily though (one pro) :/.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The last one used locally as ornamental is cocoa mulch. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/c/SF_GC_PD_Mulch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(my source)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uqWYZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This stuff is extremely expensive, and doesn't last long, but it builds soil and adds OM. I usually have to apply twice a year, to keep a good weed barrier, making this even more expensive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil building/Edibles&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Grass clippings are big soil builders, and I use all the grass clippings I can find.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ziteu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Besides going into the soil quickly, adding lots of nitrogen and OM, they form a mat that seals in moisture, prevents weed germination, and keeps the soil temperature even. It is a great mulch for most vegetable garden plants. The only cons - It burns when piled too deep, not a problem for me. And, depending where you source, there may be pesticide residue on them. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Straw is a good carbon mulch, which I use more for winter protection and composting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GNJQM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I get this very cheap from local horse farmers that it spoiled on. Mold isn't good for horses, but it's one step closer to where I want it. It's great for strawberries, veggies, even fruit trees. It pulls a little nitrogen while decomposing, but no big deal, the nitrogen is suspended in the new humus for future plant use. The same goes for all carbonaceous mulches. Cons? Not many. It can be hard to lay if you're not used to it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I live right in the middle of mushroom country, so mushroom soil (byproduct) is cheap and valuable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dylnr.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This has a high nitrogen level, and is a great addition to soil, compost piles, or used as mulch. It is cheap, brings OM from outside, so you build fast. It basically starts as a horse manure compost pile, and the mushrooms break it down into what you buy. Great for mulching, or adding directly to soil, as a conditioner. Cons: It smells like crazy a day or two after spreading (because of the nitrogen content).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hay is a good mulch, with a balanced c/n ratio for compost (around 30/1).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fPHJQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spoiled hay can be used as straw, and is usually free/almost free in my area. It goes down easily, and builds soil fast. I usually use alfalfa hay, cause it has a higher N content. The biggest con is that badly grown hay (the cheap stuff) is likely to have weed seeds, possibly weeds that aren't currently in your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shredded leaves are higher carbon, and last longer. They work well for root protection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yk21A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves should be shredded before use as mulch, so they don't mat down. I use them for invasives control on the woods edge, and under shrubs. Evergreen needles can be used as well. Leaves take a long time to decompose, so they should not be stirred into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I use composted animal manure as a mulch in my vegetable gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yg4XK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is costly in my area (I don't have time for many animals anymore), but IMO entirely worth it. This is about the best soil builder there is. It is balanced, rich, high in OM, and basically good for plants. Composted properly, there is no smell or weed seeds. There are no cons.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Inorganic mulches&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;White marble pebbles on geotextile fabric&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RP9YS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is one of the only cases of non-organic mulches in my area. I find this mostly around newer commercial complexes with a few shrubs growing through. It really looks good for only the first couple years, before the pebbles get green and dirty, and weeds find their way through. Also, taking this stuff out is a mess. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;White marble pebbles on black contractors plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hT0Yj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a very bad idea, because is completely cuts the soil off from air, water, and light. I've only seen these a few times, and they were a mess. Don't ever do it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;1/2 inch landscaping gravel on geotextile bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qx9HG.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This lasts well, and I've seen good results when used in walkways, but it is bloody hard to get under, without getting some in the soil. I usually use/see this around buidings and in walkways. It also costs quite a bit initially.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mulches listed above are the main ones in their category that I worked with a lot. Obviously, the mulches in the soil building/edibles section is limited by imagination, and there are many good suitable mulches. I've listed the few that I use a lot, and left out some that are too localized, or are generally horrid ideas. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-21T21:24:50.450" LastActivityDate="2014-08-21T21:24:50.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13787" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-21T18:11:08.143" Score="5" ViewCount="628" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm starting to see holes and some black spots on some leaves.  Anyone know what this is and how I can treat this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9IMag.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2464" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-21T22:07:50.180" LastActivityDate="2014-08-21T22:07:50.180" Title="What's wrong with my dwarf cherry tree's leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13788" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13787" CreationDate="2014-08-21T22:02:47.453" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_cherry_disease&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Little cherry disease, or LChD&lt;/a&gt;. The holes are unrelated, and look like insect damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From Wikipedia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A viral infectious disease that affects cherry trees, most notably sweet cherries (&lt;em&gt;Prunus avium&lt;/em&gt;) and sour cherries (&lt;em&gt;Prunus cerasus&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sugar and acid levels of the cherries are severely impacted, resulting in tasteless fruits, lacking both sweetness and flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Typically, dark-fruited cultivars show more severe fruit symptoms than cultivars with red or yellow fruit.The ability to recover is also dependent on cultivar, with some able to return to fruit sizes and coloring comparable to uninfected trees. The taste, however, never recovers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no known cure for little cherry disease and tolerance breeding programs have not yielded any cultivars able to withstand the effects of the disease for more than a few seasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You really can't do anything about it. I'd cut it down and destroy it, to help prevent the virus spreading. Don't plant another cherry tree in the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some comparison pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QngfC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6ywWi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-08-21T22:02:47.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13789" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13791" CreationDate="2014-08-21T22:48:30.483" Score="17" ViewCount="11107" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/4DMG/Soil/fallsoil.htm&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; from Colorado State University states that&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;alkaline soils resist change but several years of heavy pine needle&#xA;  applications would create a somewhat more acid soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildlifegardeners.org/forum/feature-articles/4905-pine-straw-pine-needle-mulch-acidity-separating-fact-fiction-through-analytical-testing.html&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; states&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Freshly fallen needles, the type that are normally used as mulch, are&#xA;  slightly acidic when fresh, but within approximately three weeks of&#xA;  falling from the trees, leach a solution that is about the equivalent&#xA;  of rainwater&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does the answer depend on the local soil chemistry or the species of pine needles or something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-09T01:27:38.117" LastActivityDate="2016-11-01T02:30:45.407" Title="Does a pine needle mulch make your soil acidic?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13790" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9293" CreationDate="2014-08-21T22:51:22.373" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first tree looks like some variety of apricot to me.  The leaves are young, so have not quite reached their full size and shape, but here is a picture of mature leaves to compare.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://carbonpilgrim.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/apricot.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mature apricot leaves and fruit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree with WheelerWonka that the second tree is some form of Avocado.  The leaves are darker on your photo, &lt;a href=&quot;http://plant.daleysfruit.com.au/l/avocado-flowering-8948.jpeg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;but the flowers look to be very similar&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's been a while since you asked this question - have either of the trees put on any fruit since your post that could help us be sure we have identified them correctly?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-08-21T22:51:22.373" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13791" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13789" CreationDate="2014-08-22T00:13:35.313" Score="21" Body="&lt;h3&gt;No, in your lifetime, normal amounts of pine needles will not measurably acidify your soil.&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are somewhat acidic, and acidify soil over long periods of time, unless the soil base is extremely alkaline. They don't acidify soil more than other deciduous tree leaves, and oak leaves in particular (they have a pH of 4.5 to 4.7). Rain does leach the acid out, but the amount that is contained in the leaves isn't that much in comparison to the amount of acid produced during the decomposition process. Basically, if the only source of OM is pine needles, yes, they will build an acidic soil (the topsoil in most old coniferous forests), but not more acidic than that which was created by a hardwood forest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It usually takes a very concentrated acid to usefully change the pH of soil in garden beds. Pine needles just aren't that effective, and while they build the soil and make a great mulch, even for acid loving plants, they don't change the pH fast enough to be of any use to that end.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also of note: My neighbor mulches his blueberries with lawn clippings, has been doing so for years, and has some of the healthiest blueberry plants in the area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenmyths.com/pine-needles-acidify-your-soil/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; (no scientific backup, but or the most part accurate)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;h2&gt;Are pine needles acidic?&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It turns out that fresh pine needles taken from a tree are “acidic”. By the time a pine needle gets old and is ready to drop off the tree it is barely acidic. After a few days on the ground, it loses its acidity completely. The brown pine needles you will likely collect from the forest are not acidic&lt;sup&gt;(1)&lt;/sup&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;But, but , but, you say – surely over many years, the acidity must build up. This seems very reasonable and so some scientists tested this theory. They collected soil samples from underneath 50 year old pines. They also collected nearby soil samples where no pines had been growing during the same time period. They found that the pH of both soil samples were the same. The growing pines did NOT acidify the soil even after 50 years&lt;sup&gt;(2)&lt;/sup&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;h2&gt;Why does acid rain not acidify the soil?&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Southern Ontario can be considered to be a large limestone rock. Our soil has been created over millions of years from this limestone. Limestone is alkaline and so our soil is also alkaline. Mine has pH of about 7.4.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Consider this. Rain that has no pollution in it has a pH of 5.6. You might expect it to have a pH of 7.0 since that is the pH of pure water. However, as rain falls, it absorbs CO2 from the air. When you add CO2 to water you create a weak acid (carbonic acid) and that acid has a pH of about 5.6. Keep in mind that this is taking place without pollution. Add in the pollution and we get acid rain. The rain falling in central Ontario is about 4.5.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;For millions of years, Ontario has had rain fall with a pH of at 5.6. In all that time this amount of acid has not been enough to neutralize the alkalinity of our limestone rock. As the acidic rain hits the ground, it neutralizes (dissolves) a bit of limestone, but the amount is extremely small. It will take another billion or so years before it changes the soil pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I have used Ontario as an example, because I know it best. The same principle applies to most soils. It takes huge amounts of acid to change the pH of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Before I close, let me say that adding pine needles to your garden is a good thing. They are organic and will help enrich your soil. They just won’t make it acidic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;(1)&lt;/sup&gt; Pine needles actually retain their acidity, but the misinformation does not detract from the message.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;(2)&lt;/sup&gt; This is why almost any land that has been turned over to cultivation was initially heavily limed. It mostly started out acidic. There are exceptions, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.about.com/b/2011/03/30/do-pine-needles-acidify-soil.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Some gardeners shy away from using pine needles as a mulch or in their compost. The needles have a relatively acidic pH and  we worry that they will alter the pH of the soil.  According to soil scientist Lee Reich, pine needles  will indeed  probably lower the pH, but only temporarily.  Soil pH may trend slightly acidic no matter what organic material is decomposing, but it eventually moves back into the neutral range, as the decomposition process completes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I entirely agree with the part 'soil pH may trend slightly acidic no matter what organic material is decomposing'. It's very true. Decomposition causes acidity, and most plant matter starts as acidic. It just takes far too much acid to cause a big change, that pine needles don't need to be treated as more acidic than other leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/pine-needles-vs-peat-moss-33689.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Although pine needles are very acidic, they do not necessarily lower soil pH. As noted in the Columbus Telegram, pine needles actually have very little effect on the pH levels of surrounding soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/leavesneedles-dont-acidify-soil/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q: I've heard that pine needles and oak leaves cause soil to be acid. Is this true?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A: This is a gardening myth that should be put to rest. While needles and leaves from all trees may be acidic initially, they do no acidify the soil as they break down. Soil has a natural ability to buffer changes in pH. Soil acidity might increase slightly for a few weeks after leaves fall but the acidity will go away after a few months. It’s true that pines can grow in poor soil, but they didn't make the soil poor to begin with. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/Soil/ChangingpHinSoil.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/Soil/ChangingpHinSoil.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/leavesneedles-dont-acidify-soil/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/leavesneedles-dont-acidify-soil/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenmyths.com/pine-needles-acidify-your-soil/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenmyths.com/pine-needles-acidify-your-soil/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2702/#b&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2702/#b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.about.com/b/2011/03/30/do-pine-needles-acidify-soil.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://gardening.about.com/b/2011/03/30/do-pine-needles-acidify-soil.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/pine-needles-vs-peat-moss-33689.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/pine-needles-vs-peat-moss-33689.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildlifegardeners.org/forum/feature-articles/4905-pine-straw-pine-needle-mulch-acidity-separating-fact-fiction-through-analytical-testing.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.wildlifegardeners.org/forum/feature-articles/4905-pine-straw-pine-needle-mulch-acidity-separating-fact-fiction-through-analytical-testing.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plus years of personal experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-01T02:30:45.407" LastActivityDate="2016-11-01T02:30:45.407" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13792" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13794" CreationDate="2014-08-22T03:57:28.893" Score="7" ViewCount="535" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw this beautiful flower on flickr: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B2FHs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;beautiful flower&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could someone please let me know the name of this flower?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7032" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-22T19:18:51.907" LastActivityDate="2015-07-27T00:29:52.273" Title="What is the name of symmetrical, orange/red flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13793" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13795" CreationDate="2014-08-22T06:58:06.243" Score="4" ViewCount="414" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing spearmint and flat-leaved parsley in two 10” round containers. I water the plants a couple of times a week, and every 2 weeks or so water them thoroughly until the water drains out the bottom. The plants are not super healthy but they are ok. I keep them outside in an area with a significant amount of sun, but don’t have many locations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My primary question is: when I water the parsley, very dark water comes out the bottom. Yet the mint the water runs almost clear. Why the difference? Both have been treated similarly, were planted in the same mix, and were only planted around 4 months ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondary questions: why might the mint be very spindly, and why might neither plant be flourishing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo (note that I’ve removed most of the damaged/unhealthy foliage):&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JMnke.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pots do have a small hole in the bottom, so they do drain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3410" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-22T22:29:24.720" LastActivityDate="2014-08-22T22:29:24.720" Title="Why aren't my potted herbs healthy, and water runs dark out of the parsley container?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13792" CreationDate="2014-08-22T18:34:13.980" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a partially opened &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lantana&lt;/a&gt; flower. See comparison pics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xabjA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C52f3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantana_camara&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lantana camara&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. See picture of &lt;em&gt;L camara&lt;/em&gt; below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Kj86.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-26T16:27:49.397" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T16:27:49.397" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13795" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13793" CreationDate="2014-08-22T18:51:59.473" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wow, that potting mix is far too wet, and while that's probably what's causing most of the trouble, the plants also look like they could stand a good bit more sun. Don't water the plants unless the soil is dry, at least an inch in. Overwatering kills, eventually. You can already see the yellowing and leaf drop. So cut back on the watering, move to the sunniest location you can find, and you should have that taken care of. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing that is good to note is that although herbs don't like super-rich soil, most potting soil has almost zero fertilizing nutrients, so some fertilizing is required for best results. You could use extended release fertilizer, which will last a long time, or you can use multiple applications of soluble fertilizer with some of the waterings. There are also organic fertilizers for potted plants, such as vermicompost tea and fish emulsion, but they may not be as potent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I see you've tagged you're question &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/houseplants&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;houseplants&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;houseplants&lt;/a&gt;. If they are indoors, they require some different care than if they are out. Without direct sun. the soil is likely to retain moisture even longer, so watch it carefully and don't overwater. Also, light levels indoors are often too low. Try sitting by a bright window, under a strong cfl bulb, or moving outside for better success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-22T19:04:01.770" LastActivityDate="2014-08-22T19:04:01.770" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13796" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13798" CreationDate="2014-08-22T19:37:26.300" Score="6" ViewCount="17151" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are several sites that suggest using coffee grounds in the garden, to keep out cats. I haven't tried it, but there are some beds on my property which could do without cats digging around and occasionally attacking plants (beats me why they do that). I guess the best way to find out is to try it myself, but before I go around sprinkling coffee grounds on the beds, does anyone here know:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are coffee grounds really effective at deterring cats from living in garden beds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T05:18:32.073" LastActivityDate="2017-03-04T14:06:23.880" Title="Do coffee grounds in gardens deter cats?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;coffee-grounds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13797" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7413" CreationDate="2014-08-22T22:11:43.647" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;YES!!! Unfortunately it has taken me nearly killing two hibiscus plants to figure it out.  I used Dawn diluted in a small spray bottle when I noticed aphids on my first plant.  Within a couple of days all the leaves began to yellow and die off.  I did not make the connection, however, until several weeks later I noticed aphids on the other plant and repeated the procedure.  Of course within two days all those leaves began to yellow and fall off.  I used approx. 2 Tbsp. dawn with an 8 oz spray bottle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7037" LastActivityDate="2014-08-22T22:11:43.647" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13798" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13796" CreationDate="2014-08-23T01:13:50.027" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It &lt;em&gt;may&lt;/em&gt; work but anecdotally I have watched my barn cats lay in the compost bin that has had bags of coffee shop grounds dumped atop it.  They don't seem to be deterred by the coffee grounds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cats can be a pain in the garden.  My one barn cat will think nothing of laying down on a bunch of seedlings if it is deemed a nice place to nap.  Mine don't attack plants directly but they also don't go out of their way to avoid them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I &lt;em&gt;do&lt;/em&gt; know works to deter them is the solar-charged electric wire we use for our pastures.  They'll avoid that after being shocked once or twice.  Not recommending you use that but it does work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; have success by spreading dog hair - I imagine a dog groomer will have plenty of it - around the beds.  I used to do this along the back of our property to deter deer.  Seemed to work but I might have been lucky.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-08-23T01:13:50.027" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13799" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13800" CreationDate="2014-08-23T05:56:50.450" Score="5" ViewCount="3044" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have decided to get a few plants for my office desk. However, one thing still eludes me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant pots usually have a drainage hole to allow excess water to escape. If I keep the plant on my desk, how do I water it without making a mess?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought of putting another container (like a saucer) under the pot with gravel or pebbles to raise it up. But then, excess water would just remain in the saucer and maybe cause fungal growth. There is very little moving air in the office so I doubt whether it will all evaporate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will I need to regularly move my plant to drain/clean the outer container? That may be impractical given our &quot;open&quot; office plan and messy desks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I missing something? Is there a better way that I haven't thought of?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7039" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-21T18:06:04.887" LastActivityDate="2020-12-04T10:19:05.007" Title="How do I water a desk plant at my office without making a mess?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13799" CreationDate="2014-08-23T08:07:06.053" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I assume that you yourself will be the only one watering the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most people use a saucer under the pot (without gravel) and avoid too much water build up by watering the plant only as needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do over water the plant you can carefully empty the saucer or leave it until the excess has soaked into the soil (it's very unlikely that you will get fungus or mould issues from just water).&#xA;You can normally tell if a plant will need more water because the soil will be dry to the touch. Loamy soils will retain water better than sandy ones but most pot plants use potting soil which is nice and water retentive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different plants will need different amounts of water so if you are unsure how much to give a plant, start off pouring very slowly and evenly over the soil surface and stop when water begins to appear in the saucer. After a couple of times you'll get a feel for how much. You may have to water the plant anywhere from once a day to once a week depending on the size and water requirement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of having to regularly move your plant, you may need to upgrade it to a larger pot or prune it from time to time but otherwise as long as it has enough light you shouldn't need to do much with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6836" LastEditorUserId="6836" LastEditDate="2014-08-23T08:13:43.610" LastActivityDate="2014-08-23T08:13:43.610" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13801" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13805" CreationDate="2014-08-23T15:29:38.437" Score="7" ViewCount="5178" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in the UK and my cucumber and melon plants have started wilting. I used to water them twice a week and increased the frequency to once every two days since they started fruiting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/smDoG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of cucumber leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xqdcV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Melon&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2mh6V.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Zoomed out view of the plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They were planted in May and were growing well until two weeks ago when they started wilting. I am not sure if it is due to over watering or bacterial. I have reduced the frequency of watering since Friday last week, but there hasn't been a change in a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing I've noticed is that the branch of the cucumber that is climbing up the bamboo has wilted in the top half of the plant, while the one that is creeping across the bed looks fine (Picture 3).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone help me please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it helps, the weather changed quite suddenly in London about the time the plants started wilting. The last week has been a lot colder with less sunshine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2420" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-23T23:55:50.167" LastActivityDate="2014-08-23T23:55:50.167" Title="What's causing my cucumber &amp; melon vines to wither away?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13802" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13804" CreationDate="2014-08-23T17:23:54.833" Score="3" ViewCount="200" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am fighting a terrible infestation of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribulus_terrestris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tribulus Terrestris&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (goathead) weeds. On my daily weed patrol, I discovered that several plants were absolutely crawling with tiny black insects. They appeared to be clustering on the underside of the leaves and on the seedpods. I've heard of a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.goatheads.com/home/gh1/page_37/meet_the_weevils.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;species of weevil&lt;/a&gt; that feeds on these things. I can't quite tell if the insects I'm seeing match the pictures given there. Is there a chance these could be those beneficial weevils? In which case, I'd be better off leaving those plants alone, so I'd like to know before I dig 'em up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/lmrFLgj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(Larger version available here)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DQNZ3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-23T23:49:48.240" LastActivityDate="2015-01-14T18:00:19.217" Title="What are these insects that are swarming all over my Tribulus Terrestris weeds?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13804" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13802" CreationDate="2014-08-23T17:35:19.187" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microlarinus_lareynii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;puncture vine seed weevil, &lt;em&gt;Microlarinus lareynii&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It is native to interior regions of Italy, France and Rajasthan in India.&#xA;  Microlarinus lareynii feeds on the seeds of the puncturevine, Tribulus terrestris. Together with Microlarinus lypriformis, which feeds on the stems of the puncturevine, it has been introduced as a biological control agent in the United States of America and Canada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I'd destroy the weeds myself. The weevils are good, but won't necessarily be as thorough as you  will be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-23T17:47:41.267" LastActivityDate="2014-08-23T17:47:41.267" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13801" CreationDate="2014-08-23T18:03:42.893" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think that's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/bacterial-spots/bacterial-wilt-of-cucumber.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bacterial Wilt, &lt;em&gt;Erwinia tracheiphila&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cucumber bacterial wilt is caused by the bacterium, Erwinia tracheiphila, and is characterized initially by wilting and drying of individual leaves, especially those exhibiting cucumber beetle injury. Cucumbers and muskmelons are more susceptible than pumpkins or squash; the disease is rarely a problem on watermelons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Infected plants initially show wilting and drying of individual leaves. As the leaves wilt and shrivel, stems may dry out suddenly. Later, wilting spreads to entire branches and vines. Wilting will occur during the middle of the day during periods with high water stress. The vine may recover at night. Eventually, however, the entire vine will wither, collapse, and die. In partially resistant plants, symptoms appear as dwarfing, excessive blooms, and branching. A good diagnostic test for this wilt is to cut a wilted stem near the base. Touch a knife blade to the cut and draw away from the cut. White to clear strings of the bacterial ooze will be strung out from the cut made on the infected plant to the knife blade. This diagnostic test is not 100% reliable. Further investigation may be necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This means you've had at least one striped cucumber beetle around. Unfortunately, you cannot cure the disease. It's best to destroy the infected plants asap, to prevent spreading.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can prevent it somewhat if you rotate your crops each year, grow tolerant varieties, and deter the beetles (the disease carriers) from landing on your plants, with an insecticidal dust, or netting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y532X.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/odhLq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-08-23T18:03:42.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13806" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13807" CreationDate="2014-08-23T18:43:41.610" Score="4" ViewCount="1911" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was looking through some DIY/Organic gardening ideas, and saw one that mentioned using eggshell powder as an organic pest control. Supposedly grinding dried eggshells with a coffee grinder works to keep beetles away if you sprinkle it on leaves, and slugs away if you sprinkle it around the base of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought eggshells were used for putting calcium in the soil, which I think is why it's used in compost, but does eggshell powder actually work as pest control?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-08-23T21:40:26.430" LastActivityDate="2019-02-15T03:35:06.610" Title="Does eggshell dust work as pest control?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13806" CreationDate="2014-08-23T19:36:02.473" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, after a fashion, yes, it should do. Even crushed rather than ground eggshells deter slugs and snails, the eggshells have sharp edges that they don't like, but in my experience, they're not that effective. If you grind them to a dusty mixture, then that will stick and dry out slugs and snails (they don't really like any surface that's sharp or very, very dry) and I can't see why it wouldn't work on beetles, directly applied. It's quite difficult to breath if you're heavily doused in powder, and in the case of beetles, it will work its way into any gaps between thorax and abdomen. I suspect you'd get the same results if you used talcum powder, which is just magnesium silicate with some perfume added. In other words, it's not the fact they're eggshells that counts, its that they're ground down into a fine and possibly slightly gritty dust, but it is one way of using up an otherwise waste product, unless you're someone who regularly crushes them a bit and puts them on the compost heap anyway. Using them as an organic pesticidal treatment sounds good, so long as you're around most of the time waiting to shower some unsuspecting beetle as soon as you spot one, but it's not going to work when you're not around other than for gastropods, and only then if you've applied a thick enough layer to prevent them reaching particular plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're trying to be organic and eco friendly, the use of an electric grinder needs to be taken into account - much more ecologically sound to add them to a compost heap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-23T19:56:17.457" LastActivityDate="2014-08-23T19:56:17.457" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13808" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13809" CreationDate="2014-08-24T16:49:19.310" Score="5" ViewCount="308" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it okay to plant my vegetable garden on top of my septic drain field, or will that pose a health issue?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7044" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T05:20:01.777" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T05:20:01.777" Title="Is it okay to locate a garden on top of a septic drain field?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13809" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13808" CreationDate="2014-08-24T17:30:57.483" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;With edibles, there is a risk of pathogenic contamination, so I wouldn't recommend it. It &lt;em&gt;does&lt;/em&gt; pose a health issue, and although people do/have done it it is not a good idea. You can plant other things, like herbaceous perennials, if you want to fill in the area, but don't plant trees in the area, or most woody shrubs within ten feet, to keep the roots from damaging/clogging the system. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/other/landscaping/hgic1726.html&quot;&gt;Here is a detailed article&lt;/a&gt; on the subject. Here is an paragraph from that article, concerning edibles: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Although the drain field may seem to be the ideal place to have a vegetable garden, it is not recommended. Even though different soil types differ in their ability to filter contaminants out of the effluent, there is no way to be absolutely sure that everything is being filtered out. Therefore it is not recommended to plant vegetables in a septic drain field because of the health risks associated with bacterial contamination. Also, vegetable gardening requires frequent cultivation of the soil, supplemental watering and fertilization. None of these practices are recommended for a drain field. Using a raised bed is also not recommended. The additional soil over the drain field reduces the effectiveness of the system to filter the effluent because it interferes with evaporation of soil moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-24T17:30:57.483" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13810" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-24T17:33:50.233" Score="6" ViewCount="3801" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if it makes sense to plant a cover crop in my raised beds over winter. If so, what plant would you recommend for south-central Ohio. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have three 4'x8' double dug beds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3535" LastActivityDate="2014-08-25T12:50:46.500" Title="Does it make sense to plant a cover crop in raised beds?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;cover-crop&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13811" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13810" CreationDate="2014-08-24T17:58:57.193" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've done it. Basically, the hardest part is turning it under in such limited space, I used a spade.  In a raised bed, there are easier ways to improve the soil, like turning in finished compost. Also, the allelopathic effect of most over-winter cover crops means that you'll have to wait 2-3 weeks after turning under for unaffected germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are in south-central Ohio, which has a hardiness zone from 6a-6b. I'm in southeastern Pennsylvania, with an almost identical climate, and a hardiness zone of 6b. I've found that winter rye is the best grower early in spring. I sowed in October, and the seed germinated quickly, growing to the three leaf stage before winter. In late winter, it was about 4&quot; high, and had 6-7 leaves. By mid April, it was 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 feet high, and showing heads, and I cut it with a string trimmer and dug it into the soil. I planted May 5.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now winter rye adds organic matter, and holds nitrogen over winter (so it doesn't leach out), but it doesn't add nitrogen. There are legumes you can use as a cover crop, such as vetch, but they often need a longer time to grow, delaying your planting. They actually add nitrogen, but they don't have the tonnage per acre (or poundage per sq. foot, in a raised bed) that rye produces.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-24T17:58:57.193" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13812" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13777" CreationDate="2014-08-24T20:46:01.183" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As humans build developments, homes, malls, roads and parking lots, they strip off the topsoil leaving the top of our urban and suburban areas virtually sterile.  Deserts have more life in their soils than our cities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In order to sell properties after homes and offices were built, contractors simply used the cheapest path to landscaping.  Bought the cheapest plants, plants on sale by nurseries because they'd been in a pot too long, stuck them in by the foundations and front doors, put sod down in front yards and worse, installed bark to cover the bare subsoil and 'keep the weeds down'.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;People learn aesthetics.  Most people relate bark with a new home, a new development. This look is popular and well-known.  After purchasing their home they continue keeping bark on their soil 'to keep the weeds down' and because it looks 'new'.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few contractors out there that put back some topsoil.  They are rare.  This practice has literally turned our urban landscapes into deserts.  Some people who understand plants and soil know they need to improve their soil and do a little composting, or throw coffee grounds around but that is about the extent of undoing the sterilizing our development practices have caused.  The timber companies make money, the fertilizer companies make money, sod companies make money and plant nurseries make money as we continue to replace dead or dying plants and lawns and dump non-decomposed materials on top of 'starving' soils just 'to keep the weeds down'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, there is a plentiful product out there that can turn soils back into thriving communities, bring our birds back to our neighborhoods and make our landscapes lush with healthy plant life AND 'keep the weeds down'...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This renewable and plentiful product is human manure.  We already know steer manure and chicken manure but although these products are great for our soils they also have a lot of weed seeds, are in differing states of composition, have varying amounts and types of medications and antibiotics and aren't tested.  They don't look very uniform and aren't used for top dressing.  Mostly used for vegetable gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Human manure is mixed with a fine sawdust and decomposed under strict guidelines by our government.  It is tested 5X. When it is completely decomposed the final product is NOTHING like its original ingredients.  Chemically totally different.  For one thing, it smells wonderful. (If it doesn't someone has by-passed the government somehow and it is not completely decomposed, don't buy it, don't use it!) The properly composted stuff is high in nutrients (you have to reduce your fertilizing routines a bit), a gorgeous NATURAL dark taupe color that is very fine in texture.  No sticks, no stones, no pesticide residues (a huge problem found in mulches using homeowner lawn clippings and landscape debris), no weed seeds!!  Maybe Grizzly Adams's manure has weed seeds but highly unlikely in our societies' manure.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All one has to do is install 2 inches on top of their soil and weeds, keep away from the trunks of trees and woody stems as you should do with any mulch and one's job is done.  Soon organisms make a home in your soil and proliferate.  Organisms in the soil have a symbiotic relationship with plants.  They bring nutrients to the roots and the plant gives back carbon.  Instead of waiting for hundreds of years or longer for topsoil to be made it is done within a year.  Even non-gardeners will be able to see the difference in plants after just one week.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anything that blocks the light from seeds will stop germination.  Still weed seeds are blown onto our properties, bird droppings are full of seeds.  There will be weeds growing on the top of any mulch.  Not from beneath unless the mulch was thin.  But oh so easy to pull out.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tests show, no surprise, that it has a higher level of heavy metals so it should not be used on vegetable gardens.  Of course most of the rest of the world has always used human manure, raw, to fertilize their crops.  They have been spraying our skies with heavy metals for over 60 years playing with changing the weather. News to you?  Look it up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally, this stuff should be replaced every year.  Every other year even every third year works just fine. The companies that make this stuff usually have a service where it can be blown in on your beds.  They are very neat and tidy! The more sterile your soil the faster it disappears as the soil organisms eat this stuff, take it down into the soil and poop it out.  They do all the mixing and aerating a healthy soil needs.  No need of any help from us humans.  In fact, the tilling of our soils is an enormous CO2 source in our atmosphere. Don't believe me?  Check it out. Being lazy in this case, albeit smart, is the best way we can improve our environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Admittedly I was spoiled. I used this stuff exclusively for 30 years.  I had to do a lot of re-education and still most my clients were hesitant.  But, when their neighbors saw the difference they'd try it.  No one to my knowledge went back to the out-of-fashion, ugly (too coarse of texture and unnatural color detract from the look of a landscape), and does nothing for the soil except deplete nitrogen but it does 'keep the weeds down' as good as any mulch would.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The use of plastic beneath mulch is the worst sin a landowner or landscraper can commit under the guise of 'gardening'...in my opinion. Unless one is purposefully solarizing with plastic this practice should be illegal.  For reasons of cruelty to our domesticated plants and harming the environment! It is purely ignorance.  Landscape Fabric was never meant as 'weed control'.  It was designed to keep gravel from disappearing into the soil. They just found another way to get people who don't know any better to give away more of their money and called it Weed Control Fabric.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, until we get everyone to understand the basics of our natural world and start to demand this human manure plus sawdust decomposed organic mulch, I have found it isn't that available.  I did learn that they were drilling holes in our agricultural lands and pouring the raw human sewage UNDER the top soils and into our water tables.  Why didn't we wonder what was happening with this stuff?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well, we should start demanding this mulch be made available as decomposed mulch, NOT hidden in our water like they have already done with the poisonous Fluoride they told us was for preventing dental caries (BLATANT LIES). It won't happen over night.  As more of us try this stuff and get the word out, it will happen.  We have to put life back into our soils.  Anything that is organic and completely decomposed will work.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Rome they used lead in their pipes and in their cooking tools.  This may sound like a small thing but the use of lead in the pipes of Rome is what they think caused The Fall of Rome. These weren't stupid people but they had got to a point where everyone became specialized. They didn't have anything else that was affordable and worked so well.  They must have known lead was poisonous but didn't know that it accumulated in bodies. Similar things happen still today.  Heck, we used leaded gasoline! Lead in paint! Still have Fluoride in our water.  We can't afford to lead such specialized lives that others who just want to make money use our ignorance and could care less about the health of our bodies and more importantly, our environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll include a copy of a brochure from the company that produces 'Gro-Co' (their name for this mulch) in Seattle, Washington, soon.  We've just relocated to Oregon and as yet to find someone that produces a similar product.  If anyone reading this uses this stuff, please let us know your thoughts and experiences with composted human poo as well as your source!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am horribly allergic to bark but that isn't the reason I won't use it.  I hope you understand why I won't use it and that you will question your use of bark for mulch or any other non-decomposed mulch.  Do your own research!  Prove me wrong!  Bark is Bad!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-08-24T20:55:55.410" LastActivityDate="2014-08-24T20:55:55.410" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4382" CreationDate="2014-08-24T23:25:21.493" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;First off, if its grown from seed you may want to consider grafting while its still a manageable size.  If it frosts in your area this may be a consideration in getting a suitable graft, in the comments it mentions some mexican varieties that may be more frost resistant.  You can always graft individual branches later.  Fruit from ungrafted plants (from seed) can be unpredictable.  There is no way to know until it starts fruiting.  Grafted branches usually fruit sooner, as soon as 18 months where I am (Colombian Andes, 1840msnm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is used to the shade, consider some polisombra, or mesh that lets some but not all light through.  A square of mesh on four posts is far short of building a green house, and may allow you to adjust the light overtime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will need water, as mentioned in a comment.  If you have a site thats semi protected from the wind and close to a grey water or other water outlet, consider putting it out for progressively longer times, and then planting it.  Planting it will allow it to begin to change its own soil structure, with lots of help from you of course (water, some compost probably).  If possible, locate it near other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7047" LastActivityDate="2014-08-24T23:25:21.493" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13814" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13810" CreationDate="2014-08-25T12:50:46.500" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple of alternate options: plant a cover crop that winterkills (assuming you have adequate time to get it grown a bit before winterkill - you might actually provide the bed with a cover to try and extend the time of growth) which will protect the soil surface, suppress weeds and tie up nitrogen in decomposing the cover crop, but be less trouble to turn under in the spring than something that's actively growing. Buckwheat comes to mind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or, following that thought in a direction that requires less fall growing time, apply mulch, or compost (or simply compost materials to sheet-compost in place) and mulch heavily to the bed for more-or-less the same effect as a winterkilled cover crop lying on the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-08-25T12:50:46.500" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13815" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13562" CreationDate="2014-08-25T15:00:46.373" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just wanted to come back and add my personal experience and anecdotal evidence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, it is safe to eat the fruit of plants infected with early blight. We've eaten many of the tomatoes from these plants. We simply threw away any that were squishy and undesirable (which we would have done anyway) and have eaten the rest without any ill effects what so ever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3535" LastActivityDate="2014-08-25T15:00:46.373" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13816" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13817" CreationDate="2014-08-25T15:52:55.247" Score="8" ViewCount="777" Body="&lt;p&gt;I ran across someone mentioning a list of plants that could be trellised to save space in the garden. The list included plants I think make sense, like peas and tomatoes and beans. But melons were included in that list, which I thought was kind of strange.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that they're a vine plant, but there's no way it could support the fruit hanging from it. So how would you trellis a melon plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-29T15:08:13.677" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T15:08:13.677" Title="How would you trellis a melon plant?" Tags="&lt;trellis&gt;&lt;melons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13817" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13816" CreationDate="2014-08-25T16:01:11.097" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Slings made out of nylons appear to work.&#xA;For more information, you may want to read this article from &lt;a href=&quot;http://squarefootabundance.com/growing-watermelon-on-trellises/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Square Foot Abundance&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DLnD1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;melon sling made out of nylons&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, there are some important things to consider. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Melons are &lt;em&gt;heavy&lt;/em&gt;, so they will require a very sturdy trellis. This means you'll need to sink the posts deeper than usual and also use a thicker material for the vines to climb. The article recommends livestock panel, which is a steel grid with roughly a 1/4-3/8&quot; diameter. I suspect you could make one with some small rebar and a welder as well. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Melons are water intensive to begin with, raising them off the ground will intensify this. Just like any other trellised plant, the distance from the ground means they'll need more water than they would otherwise. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Melons won't want to climb the trellis on their own like pole beans would. It will take some gentle training to get them to climb. (If they will climb at all, you may need to tie the vines to the trellis.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3535" LastEditorUserId="3535" LastEditDate="2014-08-25T16:29:25.400" LastActivityDate="2014-08-25T16:29:25.400" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9770" CreationDate="2014-08-25T20:53:36.220" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check out &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/doellingeriaumbe.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Flat Topped White Aster, &lt;em&gt;Doellingeria umbellata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. They are native in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See some comparison pics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gIrD6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x9Nbq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/84R7i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-25T20:53:36.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13819" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13820" CreationDate="2014-08-25T23:14:51.303" Score="6" ViewCount="63439" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this yellow looking patch underneath the branches of my rosemary plant. I did not see it near either of the other 2 plants in the container. I dug the yellow stuff up, it seemed surface level, but the soil underneath where it was seemed very light in color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am a total newb gardener here. What is this thing and how do I make sure it doesn't come back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mVUrc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This is to give you an idea of where it is located, that&amp;#39;s a rosemary plant and I had to really pull back the plant to see this yellow stuff&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h9vIJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This is a close up image of the yellow stuff&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7055" LastActivityDate="2016-12-10T19:29:28.013" Title="What is this yellow mold or fungus in my container?" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;mold&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13819" CreationDate="2014-08-25T23:46:37.317" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a fungus digesting the organic matter in the soil underneath the plant, and it is, if anything, beneficial. See the bark chips in the soil? They are what the fungus is breaking down. The white stuff you saw under the surface is mycelia. The part on the top is the reproductive material.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It really only eats the undecomposed material, rendering it into something the plant can access. If the look bothers you, it would be fine to remove the patch, but it won't harm the plant. As stormy notes, this type of fungus usually only appears when the soil surface doesn't get much time to dry out. This constant damp is hard on a potted plant. Make sure the top 1-2&quot; of soil dry out in between waterings. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But from what I can see, the rosemary looks fairly healthy. I also see a little sprout (weed?) coming out, usually a sign that the surface soil isn't drying out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-26T02:28:13.940" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T02:28:13.940" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5202" CreationDate="2014-08-26T01:41:42.593" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to me that you've got more than one thing going on here.  &quot;Corking&quot; for sure and in the lowest photo of spots, that looks like physical damage. I've found a great site for you to pursue and more closely identify your problems/questions.  Other general information I think all cactus owners should know.  Let us know what you decided and what you plan to do, before you do it and we'll be better able to help. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cactiguide.com/cactipests/#fungus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cactus fungus and disease&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-26T02:34:23.523" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T02:34:23.523" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13822" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-26T08:02:07.047" Score="7" ViewCount="7084" Body="&lt;p&gt;The seeds pictured below fall around my neighbourhood every Autumn (Southern Hemisphere - New Zealand). The seeds are blown over quite a vast area and I haven't been able to identify the tree(s) they're coming from (possibly on private property where I can't get near).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect they're either sycamore or maple seeds but Google Images show them to both look very similar. I was hoping someone might be able to give me a more definitive suggestion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5BMci.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5BMcil.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sycamore? Maple? Other?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7057" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-08-27T01:57:56.907" LastActivityDate="2017-10-18T18:51:30.593" Title="What's this seed? Maple? Sycamore?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13823" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-26T09:02:19.120" Score="3" ViewCount="155" Body="&lt;p&gt;One that is lawn clipping compost with a pH 6.0 where everything grows pretty well. The other garden is 40cm deep of supposedly &lt;em&gt;Rich Organic Garden Soil&lt;/em&gt; but has a pH of 7.0. The only things that grow well in this one is Shallots, Parsnip and Carrot. What is not growing well are Tomatoes, Bell Pepper, Chili and Coriander.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is an image of what my Chili looks like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8ohiC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;chili&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's wrong with my soil? Here is a photo of what it looks like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lrg0F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it looks pretty rich. Could it be the pH is too high? How could I lower it if it's the case?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT1:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is what the Parsnip looks like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ufh3D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Parsnip&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT2:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Parsley:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yj7yF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Parsley&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chili:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JMUDJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Chili&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XegXH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Chili&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bell Pepper:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IcRlp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bell Pepper&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mtsME.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bell Pepper&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;16/09/2014 EDIT:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tested the soil and it gave me some very interesting results:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;N: Depleted&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P: Adequate&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;K: Surplus&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looks like the main issue would be the lack of Nitrogen in my soil.&#xA;Second issue could be a drainage problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2690" LastEditorUserId="2690" LastEditDate="2014-09-16T03:06:33.940" LastActivityDate="2014-09-16T03:06:33.940" Title="What soil problem would cause fruit and vegetable to grow very small?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;&lt;cilantro&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13824" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13819" CreationDate="2014-08-26T11:23:23.030" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Fuligo septica, one of the slime moulds, also known charmingly as dog vomit slime mould. Harmless, but not attractive, and very common where there are bark chips within the compost mix or on top of the soil. Allowing it to dry out between waterings might help a bit, but you might find it returns, so if it does and you really hate it, you may need to change the potting compost, this time using something without woody residue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T11:23:23.030" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13825" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13822" CreationDate="2014-08-26T11:32:02.800" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A sycamore is a common name for an Acer, (except in America), Acer pseudoplatanus to be precise. Given that the sycamore tends to produce an inordinate number of seeds compared to other Acers, it's most likely that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: You can certainly try growing one or two, but in my experience, if your garden is covered in these, you will inevitably miss some and they will inevitably germinate... and then you'll know for sure. You could have another wander round the neighbourhood looking specifically for an Acer pseudoplatanus, but these seeds are windblown, and can come from a fair distance away when there's a strong wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-26T16:35:52.867" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T16:35:52.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13826" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13633" CreationDate="2014-08-26T13:47:36.420" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The easiest way to get rid of grass is roundup.  I personally don't use poisons, but they can be very effective on a small scale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whenever I try to get rid of a grass, I first ask myself, why?  What do I want to put here?  Why cant the grass stay?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Often you can bypass the grass roots (with a shovel) in localized areas to replace the grass with something else like a tree or bushes.  This is a transitional method, overtime replacing small portions of the grass with what you want there, even clovers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you just kill the grass, who knows what will replace it.  Could be more grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7047" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T13:47:36.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13828" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13829" CreationDate="2014-08-26T14:37:10.267" Score="4" ViewCount="217" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two blueberry bushes and some raspberry bushes that are suppose to be delivered next month. I was planning on planting them in the ground, but it doesn't seem like it will be a whole lot of time after for them to get established before winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Zone six, and our winter is usually pretty late, it will get cold in december and snow in January.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was wondering if there was a way I could make sure they're protected over the winter, so that the frost and cold wouldn't be so much of a worry for them. Or maybe it's not a worry at all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking about making a little greenhouse type structure with some scrap wood and painter's plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T16:19:29.473" Title="How can I protect small fruit plants that were planted in the fall to survive the winter?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13829" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13828" CreationDate="2014-08-26T14:43:04.800" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience here on the edge of zones 4 and 5, fall is a fine time to plant perennials and small fruits. I've planted as late as early October with no winter protection other than a few inches of mulch and the plants do just fine. You're a zone warmer planting a month earlier, so it seems it will be even less of a worry for you. I'd just mulch them normally. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T14:43:04.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13830" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8659" CreationDate="2014-08-26T15:35:50.233" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Following up with michelle's comment, it definitely appears to be in the rumex genus.  Take a look at some of the different species.  I followed stormy's link to wikipedia.  Here's another, although the stem is redder: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex_obtusifolius&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rumex obtusifolius&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7047" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-26T16:01:13.347" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T16:01:13.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13831" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13822" CreationDate="2014-08-26T15:58:30.107" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Only one &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Acer&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; can be classed as a sycamore, and that is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_pseudoplatanus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Acer pseudoplatanus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of the seeds of &lt;em&gt;A. pseudoplatanus&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Lh5m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Very similar to your picture, but with a slightly narrower blade, and slightly longer seed. This may be because of locality, or variation within species, but there are other maple species that this could possibly be. I'm not in New Zealand, so I won't know which species to expect there, but if it is &lt;em&gt;A. pseudoplatanus&lt;/em&gt;, look for a tree something like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/arTuc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;with bark something like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gimDm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and leaves something like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HM8WT.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T15:58:30.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13832" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13828" CreationDate="2014-08-26T16:19:29.473" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think that as long as there is no new growth after planting, before winter, you'll be absolutely fine. I'm in zone six too, and I think fall planting is even better than spring planting, as it allows the plants to establish the root system a little before it has to put out top growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only time I wasn't completely successful was when I planted an almond tree in September. It put out growth right away, which didn't have time to harden off, and was winter killed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, seeing that all you've ordered were blueberries and raspberries, it looks like you will be fine. As @michelle says, just add a little mulch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T16:19:29.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13833" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13834" CreationDate="2014-08-26T16:33:26.367" Score="4" ViewCount="3136" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen this argument go back and forth, but I love the look of ivy covered walls and I've heard it's great &quot;natural insulation&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will English ivy destroy the stucco and if so, is there one that will climb that won't destroy the stucco? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FWIW: I'm in zone 11&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="485" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T16:41:24.350" Title="Can ivy damage stucco?" Tags="&lt;english-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13834" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13833" CreationDate="2014-08-26T16:41:24.350" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it will destroy the stucco - Hedera varieties root into whatever they're on, so bricks, wood, mortar, stucco, they'll root into it. This doesn't necessarily mean serious problems unless and until you want to remove excess growth, at which point it will pull the stucco off the wall. Parthenocissus varieties (P. henryana, P. tricuspidata and the like) won't cause similar damage, provided the mortar or bricks or stucco are, preferably, newly finished (as in new build homes) or are in extremely good repair.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T16:41:24.350" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13835" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13850" CreationDate="2014-08-26T16:48:29.117" Score="5" ViewCount="960" Body="&lt;p&gt;At the back of our property we have a 2 foot rock wall, made primary of just big rocks and boulders.  Its really cool, however behind it is a thick forest and so due to the trees in our yard as well as the thick woods, it gets very little sun.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I love phlox and rock cress, and think they look awesome as they over flow over rocks and brick.  However I doubt either will successfully grow or flower due to the heavy shade. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts and while I accept little sun means little chance of bright colors for flowers, I want a creeping plant that can flower occasionally  to add some color.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts on low shade ground cover/ creeping varieties? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3593" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-26T16:59:34.173" LastActivityDate="2014-08-30T19:40:18.983" Title="What's a good ground cover to cover a rock wall in heavy shade in Massachusetts?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13835" CreationDate="2014-08-26T16:58:48.230" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lamium varieties would probably fit the bill - they come in various leaf colours, some striped, some spotted, some yellow or variegated, some almost white, and all flower, mostly lilac flowers but also yellow or white.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following are ones worth investigating:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lamium maculatum 'Anne Greenaway', L. 'White Nancy', L. Beacon Silver, L. maculatum 'Brocade', Lamium galeobdolen 'Herman's Pride', L. 'Jade Frost'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using ones with different coloured leaves will also add interest to the area - they do pretty well in shade, but would really prefer occasional sun, and they cope very well with drought conditions once established. Generally unfussy about soil conditions and fully hardy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: A comment below mentions Lamiums looking a bit sad in late summer - I'd agree with that, it's usually after they've finished flowering, at which point, it's wise to cut them back, looks better and keeps them bushy, though by no means is this treatment essential. Would be good to have something other than Lamium in the mix, but I can't think of anything else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-27T12:47:51.310" LastActivityDate="2014-08-27T12:47:51.310" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13837" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13835" CreationDate="2014-08-26T19:24:07.903" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is another option:  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=Chrysogonum+virginianum&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=NFi9U-jPHMfYoAS-y4HACQ&amp;amp;ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&amp;amp;biw=1426&amp;amp;bih=658&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Chrysogonum virginianum&lt;/a&gt; from an earlier post titled  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/11298/what-is-this-native-north-american-ground-cover?rq=1&quot;&gt;What is this native North American ground cover?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T19:24:07.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13838" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13839" CreationDate="2014-08-26T19:58:18.953" Score="2" ViewCount="2924" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing Batavian 'Arianna' lettuce in a container on my balcony. I'm in San Francisco, so it gets some sun, but it's not all day, and it gets a lot of shade too. I noticed that the tips of some of the leaves appear dark and feel brittle. Is this a lack of water thing or too much sun?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4cwex.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Arianna lettuce with burnt looking tips&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g4AQE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7055" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-26T21:34:11.350" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T21:34:11.350" Title="Why do the tips of my lettuce leaves look dark/burnt and feel brittle?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13839" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13838" CreationDate="2014-08-26T21:16:14.713" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ok, a few questions... did you grow these from seed, or from transplant, how windy has it been, and how hot has it been there lately?  These appear to be older leaves that have been distressed at some point in the past, perhaps by being exposed to lower humidity from drying winds or heat or perhaps by having just been transplanted from, say, a greenhouse environment where the humidity was higher.  Lettuce likes sun when in full growth, so I doubt it is getting too much.  But if it was sunburn, I'd expect to see damage on the inner, more tender leaves as well as the outer, more mature leaves, and sunburn looks different - more like the leaves have semi-transparent &quot;windows&quot; burned into them. I don't think it's salt spray damage, either, because again, the younger leaves look fine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I am correct about the moisture stress, and the plants have recently put on several new leaves and don't show any signs of continued damage, you may be over the worst.  I would perhaps give it a bit more water, but be sure not to soak it because you don't want to encourage rot.  I'd also look for a way to temporarily increase the humidity around the plants, perhaps by misting them lightly a couple of times a day (not while the sun is on it, but at other times when it is warm and has time to dry out before dark) until you are sure they have been able to adjust.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T21:16:14.713" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13840" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13838" CreationDate="2014-08-26T21:17:49.900" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, your lettuce looks very good for the middle of summer, especially for somewhere as hot and dry as San Francisco. The dry tips on the older leaves look like they were caused by heat and/or a lack of humidity. Giving it lots of shade is good, and it looks like it's been watered well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you can do about heat is limited, but you could screen it during times of direct sun. Even when it's in shade most of the day, direct summer sun in California is hard on lettuce. On the humidity, I'd spray the leaves with mist fairly often, and keep the plants from drying out. If there is any wind, protecting the plants from that will help also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T21:17:49.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13841" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13842" CreationDate="2014-08-26T21:41:45.687" Score="8" ViewCount="364" Body="&lt;p&gt;For strawberry plants, I know you're supposed to take the flowers off of them for the first year (pinch them) so that they focus on developing the plants rather than the fruits. Then the fruits following will be better because of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I plant strawberries in the fall, would that be enough time for them to get established, and then they would be able to produce fruit in the following summer? Or would it still be better to pinch the flowers for that first year? They're june-bearing strawberries if that matters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastActivityDate="2014-08-28T11:42:30.053" Title="If I plant strawberry plants in the fall, would I still need to pinch the flowers for the first year?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13841" CreationDate="2014-08-26T22:02:23.340" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, technically, yes. You should always give them their first growing season free of fruiting. This encourages the plant to become more established than if you (like me) let them fruit the first year. Even if they grow roots in the fall, and some more in the spring, that's not the same as being established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It gives them a good head start to plant them in the fall, as with most fruits. Some people want you to pinch the flowers for the first two years, usually one, and this is good common sense, and there is a noticeable difference between plants that were not allowed to flower, as compared with those that were allowed to flower. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've done both. Spring and fall planting, and letting the flowers go versus pinching them. Also, junebearing versus everbearing is something to consider, everbearing varieties usually being allowed to fruit in the fall, but pinched back earlier, in the spring and summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do let them flower the first year, you'll be behind somewhat the next year, and the plants won't be so vigorous and productive. The same goes for many other plants as well, like asparagus, for instance, which shouldn't be harvested the first 3 years after planting, or it will interfere with the establishment of the new plant. Now, I've disobeyed that rule too, but that's not a good excuse for doing it yourself. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-26T22:11:33.260" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T22:11:33.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13843" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13823" CreationDate="2014-08-26T23:46:44.717" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like you may be experiencing problems from a nitrogen deficiency. I'm guessing that, because the soil isn't entirely decomposed, so the undecomposed organic matter will still be pulling nitrogen from the soil. I've noticed that soil you buy at nurseries isn't necessarily the most nutrient rich, although it is usually dark, with plenty of organic matter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd get the soil tested. You can buy a kit and do it yourself, but I prefer to pay a lab. They usually are more accurate and can give you exact amounts of many minerals, nutrients, and other important aspects of soil structure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil in your picture looks clumpy and a little heavy, and you mentioned water puddling after rain. All plants have their own reactions to poorly drained soil, and it's mostly not good. But then, there are the parsnips, which did well, and hate wet feet. But they would, along with the carrots and shallots, enjoy low nitrogen soil, so that comes up again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, the best way to go is to get your soil tested, and troubleshoot from there.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-26T23:46:44.717" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13844" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-27T03:32:39.353" Score="4" ViewCount="151" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry for the pun, couldn't resist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently with all the rain (wish I could send some to Cali, they need it more than we do) I've had a mushroom issue in the back yard. There's a big discolored circle in the middle of the yard, with mushroom caps that grow and sprout on the perimeter of this circle after a heavy rain. The grass in the circle is a few shades darker than the surrounding grass, and the circle seems to be growing slightly larger month by month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some quick searches online didn't give me much hope. So far I've just been pulling the mushrooms that sprout to not give more spores any chance, but I realizing I'm only &quot;treating&quot; one very small symptom.  Spiked shoes to aerate? Antifungal application?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7064" OwnerDisplayName="Rich Homolka" LastActivityDate="2014-08-29T04:29:52.143" Title="How may I quell the fungus among-us?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13845" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13846" CreationDate="2014-08-27T05:01:28.280" Score="4" ViewCount="6575" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athyrium_niponicum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese painted fern&lt;/a&gt; several weeks ago. It was on the store's &quot;reduced price&quot; shelf, so it wasn't in perfect shape, but I figured I could try to nurse it back to health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far, though, it seems to be struggling. All but one of the original fronts have died off. It does have five new fronds emerging, two of which are nearly 6&quot; long at this point, but now one of those seems to be starting to fade as well, only about a week after emerging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The environment the plant's been living in thus far is as follows:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I live in an apartment with only north-facing windows. It's been positioned about 6-8 feet from a north-facing window.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When I got the plant, I moved it into a very generic orange clay pot, with a 50/50 perlite / peat moss mix.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've been watering the plant until water just barely starts to drain from the bottom every five days. I do dump any excess water out of the saucer, so it hasn't just been sitting in there.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's being grown indoors, so the temperature has been between 73 and 78 degrees (F) the entire time it's been with me. I have made sure not to position it near any central air vents.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The area I live in is (relatively speaking) quite dry. According to some weather statistics online, the average relative afternoon humidity in August is only 23%.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture of my plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XxQGZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My Japanese painted fern&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over the past several weeks, I've tried moving the plant closer or farther away from the window, as well as watering it a bit more or less frequently, but nothing seems to change the fact that it's slowly fading away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read that this type of fern is deciduous, so I wasn't too worried about the old fronds dying, but now that the new ones are having trouble as well I'm wondering what I need to change in order to make my plant thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7063" LastEditorUserId="2393" LastEditDate="2014-08-27T15:32:29.790" LastActivityDate="2015-06-06T19:34:12.947" Title="Why is my Japanese painted fern struggling?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13846" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13845" CreationDate="2014-08-27T10:03:26.783" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Firstly, the 50/50 peat moss perlite mix contains absolutely &lt;strong&gt;zero&lt;/strong&gt; nutrients. That means the plant isn't getting the building blocks necessary to grow. Start fertilizing with your watering every other week, with a balanced fertilizer. Miracle-Gro is fine. That may not be the best mix for a fern (it isn't, actually), and I'd repot it into something more suitable, as soon as possible. Even a pre-fertilized bagged &lt;em&gt;potting&lt;/em&gt; mix will do (not a seed-starting mix-I've had people mix them up before).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may not be watering enough. Ferns don't like drying out. make sure the soil is thoroughly moist after each watering, and don't let it dry out completely between waterings. Only the top 1/2 inch of mix should dry out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Humidity is another big thing for ferns. They like as much humidity as they can get. being indoors makes it even worse. Try setting the plant on a tray of pebbles, filled with water. You can also mist the plant every day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Japanese painted ferns aren't really houseplants, and although they will live in a large pot, the best spot for them is a shady corner of a garden, enriched with plenty of organic matter. It may not be very long-lived as a houseplant. Because you're in an apartment, you'll either have to do your best indoors, or give it to someone with a garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-27T11:19:08.767" LastActivityDate="2014-08-27T11:19:08.767" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13847" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13844" CreationDate="2014-08-27T10:17:01.143" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_ring&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;fairy ring&lt;/a&gt; (possibly the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_bonnet_(mushroom)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Scotch Bonnet Mushroom, &lt;em&gt;Marasmius oreades&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, but there are quite a few mushrooms with this growth habit).  This is a common lawn trouble, which can be treated several ways. The easiest is to apply a fungicide like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azoxystrobin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;azoxystrobin&lt;/a&gt;, but this provides mixed results, and is not completely reliable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could dig out the entire ring, and replace the soil therein, but I don't recommend doing that, it's a lot of work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you should fertilize the lawn in the center of the ring, or it will burn out on the quick energy supplied by the fungus, and die in the center. Give it some nitrogen for a while, and wean it back to normal conditions. Spiked shoes are generally good for the lawn, and fun to use, but not very effective against fairy ring. However, a plugger will be very beneficial, as it will force holes through the top layer of mycelium, letting water through, and helping keep the grass from browning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/TOOLS/TURF/PESTS/disfairy.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here is some relevant information&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Hosts&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All turfgrass species&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Symptoms&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fairy ring symptoms vary depending on the species of fungus. A dark green band of turf may develop in a circle or semi-circle, or a ring of brown, dying grass may occur. Mushrooms may or may not be present. White, fungal mycelia may be observed under the thatch layer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Conditions favoring disease&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soils with a thick thatch layer or undecomposed organic matter favor disease development. Lawns with low fertility or insufficient water tend to have more damage than lawns with adequate fertilizer and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Prevention and management&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apply adequate nitrogen to mask symptoms and increase activity of beneficial soil organisms. To improve water penetration, aerate and water heavily in holes for several days. Dethatch the lawn if the thatch layer is more than 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) thick. Rake mushrooms to improve the appearance of the turf. Dig out the turf and root zone that contains a white, cottony mass to a depth of 12 inches (30 cm) and 2 ft (60 cm) beyond the outer edge of the ring. Refill the area with clean soil and reseed or re-sod. Fungicides are available but they have not been observed to reliably control fairy ring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are some pictures of some of the common visible symptoms of fairy ring:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Neb1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QGyDn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vdXwq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eTGq2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JKipJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mycelia will be just as active when the fruiting bodies aren't emerging, and it's commonly seen in that form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-08-29T04:29:52.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13848" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13845" CreationDate="2014-08-27T11:04:50.703" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;All good points from J. Musser.&#xA;This plant is in a pot that appears to be too large. A good rule is to move one pot size up.  So if there is more than a finger width of new soil between the old root ball and the side of the pot the new soil will remain damp while the old root ball dries out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The location is too far from the window.  It should be right up against the window given that it is an outdoor plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-08-27T11:04:50.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13849" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13844" CreationDate="2014-08-27T12:21:44.890" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hopefully it's not Marasmius oreades - that would make it a Grade I fairy ring, which is really not good news. You can tell if it is though - you'll see what appears to be a double ring - an inner green ring, with a yellowish deadish looking ring next, with a greener ring round the outside which contains the mushrooms themselves. The yellow deadish ring is where the mycelium from the fungus waterproof the soil, so rain can't penetrate, which also means any watered on treatments won't work. There is no real cure for any fairy ring, but in the case of Marasmius oreades, if you are so inclined, you can dig out to a foot deep and a foot outside the inner and outer edges of the ring, remove all the earth well away from the garden and replace with clean topsoil and resow the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've just got darker grass in the centre, then its a Grade II ring, caused by other varieties of fungi. That doesn't have a cure either, but it is more manageable because you don't get the dead area. When the mushrooms are present, it may be unsightly, but you can obviate the different green coloured areas by regularly feeding the rest of the grass to keep it greener.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-08-27T12:21:44.890" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13850" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13835" CreationDate="2014-08-27T14:07:57.293" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinca&quot;&gt;Vinca&lt;/a&gt; is a great ground cover vine that flowers, and creeps. Makes for a nice &quot;ivy&quot; type of look...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=vinca%20plant&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=vzK&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;channel=fflb&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=0OX9U-eEJIaeyASYsIGQCA&amp;amp;ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=1005#channel=fflb&amp;amp;q=vinca%20ground%20cover&amp;amp;revid=1846631572&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;imgdii=_&quot;&gt;Ground cover images&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info on the plant &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=u760&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastActivityDate="2014-08-27T14:07:57.293" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13852" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-27T20:13:00.590" Score="3" ViewCount="1080" Body="&lt;p&gt;We lost an old Mimosa to borers and it fell over in a wind storm. This spring it started a new growth out of the cut stump.It looks healthy but is growing RAPIDLY and it does not have much space. We put a wire fence around it to hold it in place and tied some of the branches together to keep it steady. It is a parkway tree and butts into the sidewalk now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a losing battle? How can I prune this tree to survive in this space and when do I trim?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm located in Southern California.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7066" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-27T21:00:35.677" LastActivityDate="2014-08-27T21:00:35.677" Title="How should I care for a new Mimosa tree growing out of an old Mimosa stump?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13853" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13852" CreationDate="2014-08-27T20:55:49.923" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the original tree was lost to borers, it is likely that the regrowth will as well, but in some time. But mimosas are very resilient, and put up with a lot. That old stump has a huge root system and is using it's big supply of stored nutrients to put out top growth. If you want to keep the tree, the best thing to do it to cut back o one new 'trunk'. Find a straight, healthy-looking stem and cut the rest off as low as possible. You may want to find a stem which emerges on the other side of the stump than the sidewalk's on, for obvious reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one stem will need to be staked, or it will tend to lean. Use 2-3 stakes, and don't tie the tree too tightly, or wind the string/wire around it; instead, put a protector (like a segment of hose, for instance) on the part of the wire that will be up against the tree. As the tree gets older, you're going to want to keep the tree's crown up above head level. You can usually take 1/4-1/3 of the top growth off from the bottom each year, until the crown is about 7 feet up. Mimosas branches usually arch, so that should be good for quite some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Expect suckers from the base to be a constant problem on this tree, and cut them to the ground whenever it's convenient. The rest of the pruning should be done when the tree is actively growing, so it can heal over quickly. In the spring after active growth starts is usually best, because the spring wood grows very quickly, and you can still see the branch framework fairly well (versus midsummer pruning).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I personally would do is kill that stump and start anew with a higher quality tree. You would have to kill the old stump, which may take a while, and you may not be able to get it ground out properly with that proximity to the sidewalk. You could drill holes in the stump and carefully fill them with concentrated glyphosate. If you do choose to get a new tree, find a species that is resistant to pests and diseases that are the most common in your area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-27T20:55:49.923" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13854" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13855" CreationDate="2014-08-28T04:43:52.090" Score="3" ViewCount="671" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently discovered upon close examination of these strange, small, brown-reddish growths on the stems of my plant (picture below). This was a recent occurrence, after I placed the plant on the windowsill in my kitchen (close to where a lot of greasy cooking occurs, unfortunately).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was wondering if anyone happens to know what these growths are called, and if so whether they are endangering the plant. And if it is indeed harmful, how should I try to remove them and also prevent further growths?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HXUx4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7067" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-08-28T13:39:23.213" LastActivityDate="2014-08-28T13:39:23.213" Title="What are these reddish-brown growths on my succulent plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13855" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13854" CreationDate="2014-08-28T10:25:10.447" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Scale infestation - brown scale in fact, not that it matters. If you've got some rubbing alcohol or some methylated spirits, dip a cotton bud (Q tip) in and rub off the scale from the stems, being careful not to douse the stems or leaves in the spirit solution. The immature ones on the back of the leaves (paler, smaller) are susceptible to oil sprays such as Neem oil, or you may find you can wipe them off, so inspect all backs of leaves and stems and try to clear them all away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: No, not really, no prevention, just inspect the plant occasionally once you think you've got rid of them all. They can produce a lot of generations a year on houseplants, and their eggs are usually covered with a sort of white fluff (if you look closely, you can see white fluff extruding from the mature scales in the picture). The nymphs (those lighter ones on the backs of the leaves) hatch out and as they mature, attach themselves to the thicker stems, where they remain permanently. There are insecticidal sprays you can use (check what's available where you are) which might be easier for recurrent infection. Also check the pot - sometimes mature scales settle there too, on the lip of the pot and even on the outside occasionally. These can be removed with the alcohol method described above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-28T11:24:09.383" LastActivityDate="2014-08-28T11:24:09.383" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13856" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13799" CreationDate="2014-08-28T11:03:50.113" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are pots for indoor plants, they don't have a hole at the bottom and can be put on a desk. When planting in such a pot you have to put something on the bottom to provide a space for any exess water - I use pieces of broken ceramic pots (many garden centres give them for free) and/or pebbles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7069" LastActivityDate="2014-08-28T11:03:50.113" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13857" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13841" CreationDate="2014-08-28T11:42:30.053" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My advice is to allow the strawberry bed to become established and go find a great &quot;pick your own&quot; strawberry patch next year instead of trying to coax new plants to produce berries for you.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your patience will be rewarded, particularly if you invest a bit of time in providing those young plants the best environment possible - keeping it weed free, making sure it has enough water and also has good drainage, ensuring that the soil is fertile, protecting the plants from pests/maladies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Strawberries &lt;em&gt;really do&lt;/em&gt; benefit from having time to put down roots and establish themselves.  It can be tempting to get strawberries right away - and you'd get a few, no doubt - but you'll get &lt;em&gt;considerably more&lt;/em&gt; in years 2 and afterward if you &lt;em&gt;focus on the long term&lt;/em&gt; and let those plants concentrate their energy on root/plant growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you &lt;em&gt;haven't&lt;/em&gt; acquired the strawberry plants yet and don't have a well-established bed for them, I might even suggest that you delay planting them this fall and instead work on getting that bed established by increasing the organic matter in the soil, perhaps with a cover crop (&quot;green manure&quot;) this winter.  Just a thought.  The plants are probably only getting a couple month's worth of growth this fall and then will be dormant until spring (you're in zone 6, right?) so that 2-3 months of missed growth wouldn't adversely affect the 2016 berry output in my opinion.  Again, I'd probably personally do that if I didn't have an established bed for the berries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I've been impatient, I've ended up picking a few berries in year 1 but when I've been disciplined and followed the time-tested advice to pinch in year 1 and pick in year 2, I've had considerably better yields.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-08-28T11:42:30.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13861" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13862" CreationDate="2014-08-29T00:45:11.677" Score="3" ViewCount="1474" Body="&lt;p&gt;As anyone who has ever had to tend to a pool painfully discovered, aerating water causes the oxygen to react with something and raise the pH. From what I have read it converts contents of the water that are considered micro nutrients for some plants, like manganese and iron. Now when watering plants, it may be necessary to raise the pH of the nutrient solution. Can aeration be a tool for this or will it deprive the water of some nutrients?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, in good soil the water will be in contact with air anyway, so aerating the water could more accurately reflect the final pH of the solution in the soil. Is that an accurate assumption?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2646" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-29T03:08:22.740" LastActivityDate="2014-08-29T04:00:17.723" Title="Does aerating water to raise the pH in nutrient solutions work well?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;aeration&gt;&lt;ph&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13861" CreationDate="2014-08-29T02:42:38.923" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Carbon dioxide easily dissolves in water, creating carbonic acid: H&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O + CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; &amp;lt;===&gt; H&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;CO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;. This will soon reverse the effect of aeration, relowering the pH. So it's best to wait until the water pH is stabilized in the particular environment. After the mixture is ready, test the pH and let it sit for ten minutes. If it stays the same, there is no necessary action. If it drops, wait another 10-15 minutes, and test again. Repeat until the mixture has stabilized.  If the mixture has dropped in pH to  a level below where you need it for highest efficiency, you should treat it with a soluble alkali. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most mixtures are not this sensitive; nutrient solutions are usually stabilized before being sold, to keep that from happening, so that you don't have to worry about it. Another thing to realize is that the pH will vary depending on how compacted and wet the soil is. The more loose and the drier the soil, the higher the natural H&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O pH will be. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, basically, water aeration isn't as stable, so raising the pH with an alkali will work better. I rarely have trouble with nutrient solution inefficacy from a low pH, under normal conditions. I wouldn't worry about it, unless you are actually seeing problems coming up with this. Another thing you can do is treat the soil, rather than the solution, because the soil will affect the mixture greatly when it's applied. Alter the pH only if necessary, to fit with the needs of the plants growing therein. The nutrient solution for the plants you are fertilizing should be compatible with the pH of the soil the plants are adapted to. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-29T04:00:17.723" LastActivityDate="2014-08-29T04:00:17.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13863" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13870" CreationDate="2014-08-29T07:49:44.443" Score="3" ViewCount="1694" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had a kumquat tree on two different balconies for about three years. It's put out a few kumquats over the years, and lately started to again. Recently I noticed this white substance growing on some leaves, something I've never seen before. What is it? Is it dangerous - the tree has been looking fine for months, better than ever, even. If dangerous, what can I do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click any photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0cd1b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0cd1bl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;general picture of kumquat with white growth&quot; title=&quot;Click photo for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see it on the bottom right of the picture, below the flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a close up:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NVxzj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NVxzjl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot; title=&quot;Click photo for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1239" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-08-29T14:13:58.743" LastActivityDate="2014-08-30T00:03:41.863" Title="What is this white substance growing on a kumquat tree?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13864" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="162" CreationDate="2014-08-29T10:23:32.330" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the Riverland of South Australia we experience 40&amp;deg;C through the summer down to -5&amp;deg;C in winter. My experience is that many common edibles can be grown given the right position within the available environment. I extend my Brassica season by erecting temporary shade structures towards summer, using existing shaded areas for cooler-climate varieties, such as trees and vined fencelines. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nearly all vegetable types have cultivars suitable from one extreme to the other, so either choose carefully, or do as I do and try all- you may be surprised at the varieties that adapt! A good example of this is the Chinese cabbage from snow-clad regions that was adapted to the harsh Australian climate by early Chinese gold-miners. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As another example, a friend had an open drain from the wash-basin in his shearing shed. Over the years many varieties of tomato seed were flushed through from the boys washing up their smoko (meal break) plates. The result was a hedge of year-round tomatoes. Medium sized and bright red. All you needed to do was crash in towards the middle and pick some. They formed their own micro-climate and once established thrived perpetually, in a 12 inch rainfall area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mulberry trees, once established, also create havens from the heat, as do Carobs. Our equivalent to Mesquite is Mulga, and many annuals will utilise its shade to extend their season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7078" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-08-29T13:37:36.823" LastActivityDate="2014-08-29T13:37:36.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13865" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14000" CreationDate="2014-08-29T15:56:28.333" Score="5" ViewCount="28408" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple bird feeders set up in my yard. I enjoy almost all of the birds that visit, cardinals, finches, even the occasional bluebird. But about every other day I'll walk outside to be greeted by an entire flock of blackbirds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They'll not only chase away all of the other birds, but they'll seriously eat all the birdseed in a day. I'm afraid that once my garden is established next year, they'll continue eating through all my berries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there something I could do to discourage the flocks of blackbirds from visiting my yard. Or  would it be best for me to just take away the bird feeders now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are what my bird feeders look like, in case that's important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tD7YW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lantern Bird Feeder&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VjECh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Glass Jar Bird Feeder&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;Photos from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lowes.com/Outdoors/Garden-Decor/Bird-Wildlife/Bird-Squirrel-Feeders/Bird-Feeders/_/N-1z0wen9/pl#!&amp;amp;rpp=32&amp;amp;page=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lowes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-08-29T16:32:34.990" LastActivityDate="2021-05-24T14:09:08.687" Title="Is there a way to discourage blackbirds, but not other birds, from visiting my yard?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13866" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13865" CreationDate="2014-08-29T16:23:01.650" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only thing you can do is change the container for the seed - blackbirds are essentially ground feeders, they won't, for instance, hang from a suspended nut dispenser or seed dispenser. It's likely, though, that other ground feeders that you do want won't be able to feed either. This answer assumes you mean blackbird to be the same blackbird (turdus merula) we have in the UK - if you're in the States, it's possible the term doesn't mean the same bird.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE - now you've posted pics of the feeders, it's less likely we're talking about the same bird (though not impossible) in which case, ignore this answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE 2: Just checked, and in the States 'blackbird' can refer to 36 different birds, seems to be a sort of catch all term for any bird with a bit of black on it, from raven through to a painted redstart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-29T16:39:35.800" LastActivityDate="2014-08-29T16:39:35.800" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13865" CreationDate="2014-08-29T16:42:13.017" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had this same problem and after trying multiple solutions the one that worked was to upgrade to a more expensive feeder.  You can find them from various suppliers in the United States and Canada.  A sample product is shown &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.birdsforever.com/squirrelproofbirdfeeders.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They all work from the same idea: finches, goldfinches, chickadees and cardinals weigh much less than blackbirds, starlings, grackles and pigeons.  By some clever engineering you can adjust the feeder so when a heavy bird sits on the perch the feeder ports close. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This has the unintended consequence of deterring the common sparrow from sitting and eating your birdseed in large flocks.  Only one or two birds can feed at a time, any more and the feeder ports close.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-08-29T16:42:13.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13868" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13865" CreationDate="2014-08-29T17:35:31.753" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless I'm mistaken, you're almost certainly wrangling with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_grackle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;grackles&lt;/a&gt;. I've battled these myself in our backyard and they're quite a pain to get rid of, as the Wikipedia article notes. We had success with two different methodologies. First, a number of companies market bird seed that's specifically designed to attract songbirds, but to be unpalatable to grackles. We had some success putting this in the bird feeders, but the grackles still liked to chase other birds out of the yard, off the bird bath, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know how drastic you're willing to be, but the most effective thing we found was investing in an air rifle. Grackles are remarkably intelligent and, according to some recent studies, may be able to identify individual humans by face. We found that, after killing one grackle, the entire flock would avoid our yard for quite some time. We continued using their air rifle over the years, and a few things happened. 1) We only actually killed about 3 grackles in maybe a 10-year span. This wasn't a large butchering operation. 2) The grackles seemed to avoid our yard after one would be killed, especially if we left the carcass out for a while. 3) It got to the point where I could simply stick my head out a door or around the corner of the fence, and they'd all fly away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7080" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-30T20:03:35.453" LastActivityDate="2014-08-30T20:03:35.453" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13869" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13865" CreationDate="2014-08-29T19:14:03.497" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There isn't much you can do to &lt;em&gt;prevent&lt;/em&gt; them flying into your yard. anything that keeps them away will usually scare off the birds you want, as well. About them eating your berries, that can be an issue. The thing that worked best for me was bird netting over a hoop frame. It's some work, but it looks better and is easier to get into than laying the mesh directly on the bushes. It can also help to plant some berries for the birds, like mulberries (they love them) to keep them from trying to get through the mesh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/elF0g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't had too much success with aluminum foil pie tins (meant to wave around in the wind, making noise and reflections) or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.absolutebirdcontrol.com/products/visual-bird-deterrents/bird-b-gone-flash-tape?gclid=CN-H0duRucACFaTm7Aodo1cA2Q&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;reflective bird tape&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have some rather generic bird feeders (aren't they all), and they support a lot of range in bird sizes. You can't really stop the unwanted birds from hanging around by changing the feeder, but you can make it so they can't get anything. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some styles of feeder that work:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My favorite; the big birds can't even get in, And another I've used, and can work well:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8l2Pn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NMUya.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first one is really handy, and looks cool too. It keeps birds bigger than a certain size from getting through. You can buy different shapes, sizes of cage-hole sizes. The second (I think it's the same type of thing kevinsky uses) one worked well for a while, but then got gunked up (somehow) and I had to clean it out (the part with the closing mechanism) before it would work again. That winter, there was a lot of ice and snow, and the poor thing was stuck over and over, until it cracked. Next time I get one, it's going to overwinter indoors, and I'll use something foolproof out in the ice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You said,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Is there something I could do to discourage the flocks of blackbirds from visiting my yard. Or would it be best for me to just take away the bird feeders now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The birds are going to fly into your yard even if you don't have feeders up, and especially if you have ripening berries. Even 'good' birds will eat those. I wouldn't try to keep them away by removing feeders, but as I stated above, using a protector over the berries. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-29T19:14:03.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13870" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13863" CreationDate="2014-08-29T19:36:24.350" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just found a picture of woolly aphids on an avocado branch:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hSLIf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is the case, look for individual insects something like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AcpPg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you pull the mass apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aphids are easier to control than mealybugs, and you can simply apply a detergent solution, or spray with neem oil. Be sure you properly identify the pest before choosing a control method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Older diagnosis, still a possibility:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mealy bug&lt;/a&gt; infestation. You should confirm this before treating, by picking off some, and locating the insect bodies, which look &lt;a href=&quot;http://entoweb.okstate.edu/ddd/images/mealybugs.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;like this&lt;/a&gt;. Yours seem to have quite a lot of 'cotton', which is common, but it hides the insects so identification from photo is more difficult. But I'm pretty sure by the groupings and placement that this is what you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are several ways you can control them, but I use an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropyl_alcohol&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;isopropyl&lt;/a&gt; alcohol mixture, which dissolves the waxy coating, and then I treat with neem oil, which kills them. It's a one-two punch that has been around for some time. You can apply it with a paint brush or a cotton swab.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard that a detergent solution will both dissolve the wax and kill the pest, but I fell that in that concentration, it's likely to leave burn marks on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a small infestation, one thing you can do :) is wipe them off with a damp cloth, and dispose of them. It's very simple, and works well, with a plant with thick, leathery leaves like a kumquat. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-30T00:03:41.863" LastActivityDate="2014-08-30T00:03:41.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13865" CreationDate="2014-08-29T23:07:14.173" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on the type of blackbird, you may be dealing with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crow#Intelligence&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;one of the most intelligent animals&lt;/a&gt; on the planet.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Many Blackbirds:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://content.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,490943046001_2009877,00.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;make and use tools&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_mind&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;may have theory of mind&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nwf.org/news-and-magazines/national-wildlife/birds/archives/2013/crows-recognizing-faces.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;recognize individual people&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;communicate details of their experiences to others&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2010/06/30/distressed-ravens-show-consola/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;show empathy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://news.discovery.com/animals/zoo-animals/angry-crows-memory-life-threatening-behavior-110628.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hold grudges&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Passively Scare Them Away&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Scarecrow&lt;/strong&gt; (may scare other birds away too)&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;human&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mock predator&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mock dead blackbird &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Distress call&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Actually identify the type of blackbirds you are dealing with.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Search for recordings of that bird's distress call.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Play that recording several times a day until they stop showing up.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This may result in scaring away some other birds when played, but most will not &lt;em&gt;learn to avoid&lt;/em&gt; your yard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kill one&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;I do not actually recommend doing this&lt;/em&gt;, but as @John Chrysostom suggests in another answer, killing one will likely result in the others spreading the word to stay away from you.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Before you decide to go this route:&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Be sure you are really OK with taking the life of an animal likely more intelligent than your family pet, or your five year old that may well be missed by the others of its kind.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some of these birds are protected, check your local laws.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do so anonymously!&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Facial recognition + communication + grudges = long lasting consequences.&#xA;If they identify &lt;em&gt;you&lt;/em&gt; as responsible for the loss of their friend, and you are seen without the weapon, you may very well be attacked. I can't find it now, but I once read the story of a farmer that killed a raven and was attacked for years afterward.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7083" LastEditorUserId="7083" LastEditDate="2014-08-29T23:18:41.623" LastActivityDate="2014-08-29T23:18:41.623" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13872" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3201" CreationDate="2014-08-30T02:48:49.630" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just two thoughts on this.  First, if we're wanting to arrive at a 30:1 C to N ratio and we're, say, using coffee grounds (20:1) and leaves (50:1), then we can calculate this like so:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let &lt;strong&gt;N&lt;/strong&gt; be the percentage of of the total that will be coffee grounds.&#xA;Therefore &lt;strong&gt;100 - N&lt;/strong&gt; is the percentage of the total that will be leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, the math is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;N x 20 + (100 - N) x 50 = 100 * 30&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;20N + 5000 - 50N = 3000&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-30N + 5000 = 3000&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-30N = -2000&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;30N = 2000&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;N = 2000/30 = 66.67&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, we'll want 66.67 percent of the final compost inputs to come from coffee grounds and 33.33 percent of them to come from leaves.  This is by weight, not by volume, though I imagine that finely chopped leaves wouldn't be considerably different in weight per unit volume than coffee grounds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe this math is correct - basically for every 2 pounds of coffee grounds you'd want to add a pound of chopped up leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's the math part to arrive at the &quot;ideal&quot; 30:1 ratio.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second thought I have is based on the work done by Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D., an associate professor at Washington State University and a horticulturalist, suggests that the overall percentage of coffee grounds in a compost pile should be in the 20% range (by volume here, not by weight) and not above 30% by volume.  Dr. Chalker-Scott wrote that &quot;A diverse feedstock will ensure a diversity of microorganisms.&quot; in an article in the Winter 2009 edition of Master Gardener.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With that in mind, I strive to provide the compost bins here on our farm with a wide variety of inputs and certainly coffee grounds are one of them.  &lt;strong&gt;But&lt;/strong&gt; I personally don't worry too much about weighing anything out.  The &quot;nose knows&quot; about these things and if things are &quot;cooking&quot; along well, predominately by aerobic decomposition, it won't smell badly.  At certain times of the year I have a surplus of the &quot;greens&quot; and at other times of the year I have a surplus of the &quot;browns&quot; - I don't lose any sleep over this.  It'll all break down eventually.                &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-30T21:24:46.110" LastActivityDate="2014-08-30T21:24:46.110" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13874" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13835" CreationDate="2014-08-30T11:21:09.463" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another possibility is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymbalaria_muralis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cymbalaria muralis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, aka Ivy-Leaved Toadflax, Kenilworth Ivy, Climbing Sailor, Colisseum Ivy or Devil's Ribbon.&#xA;Note that this plant can be considered invasive in some areas of the US.&#xA;Dave's Garden has &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1330/#ixzz3Bs6Dayox&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;some good information&lt;/a&gt;, including assesments, positive, negative and neutral, from people who have experience with this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen it growing on the retaining wall around our local church/churchyard. (Denmark, zones 6a - 6b) It's a subtle, delicate looking plant, and the contrast with large stones is very pretty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="721" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-30T19:40:18.983" LastActivityDate="2014-08-30T19:40:18.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13876" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-30T16:17:21.197" Score="3" ViewCount="266" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's a photo of my Canby raspberry plant. The new stalks are only growing near the original stalk. My Fall Gold raspberry plant is also doing the same thing. Is this caused by my mulching? I would actually prefer the new stalks to grow away from the main stalk so that there's better airflow. A row of plants would be more aesthetically appealing also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mJtz1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a side question: are red raspberry's supposed to be yellow before they're ripe? My Fall Gold (yellow) is nearby and maybe the cross pollination caused my Canby to become yellow too. Can cross pollination even do that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2019-04-14T19:12:52.163" Title="How to encourage new raspberry stalks to grow away from the main stalk?" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;&lt;air-flow&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13877" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13876" CreationDate="2014-08-30T16:21:27.250" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's because raspberry plants grow from a crown, which stays small, and the stems grow up and out from that point. It's entirely healthy. The new canes will emerge near where the old ones did, but they will arch away or can be trained outward. For a row of plants, you will need to either buy new plants, or with some varieties, such as regular raspberries (yours are primocanes) the stem tips will layer in the soil, forming new plants which can be moved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Raspberries do not sucker, but blackberries can. They'll sometimes send out underground stems and come up in new places. Given time, these new plants can be detached and moved.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the yellow coloring, red raspberries don't usually become that yellow while ripening; I think your plant was mislabeled. They will probably stay yellow. Canby and fall Gold are both primocane raspberries, but cross-pollination doesn't cause a change in fruit color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-30T16:29:46.330" LastActivityDate="2014-08-30T16:29:46.330" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13878" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13885" CreationDate="2014-08-30T16:23:13.987" Score="4" ViewCount="937" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an ant infestation in my garden. Whenever I water my containerized plants or in-ground plants, most of the time, ants emerge to the surface. I think they do that because they don't want to drown. First of all, do ants cause problems when they dig near your plants. If so, how do I get rid of them? I've sprayed Raid on my containers, but they keep coming back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's an example of the ants emerging from my blackberry plant. This time in particular, each of them was carrying something white. Most of the time, they're not carrying anything. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kaeYt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-08-30T17:35:54.270" Title="How to prevent ants from digging near my plants?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;ants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13879" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-30T16:31:14.550" Score="6" ViewCount="8285" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a corkscrew willow, and the bark appears to be falling off around the base of its trunk. It seems as if something could be causing it, but I'm not sure as I haven't see anything obvious.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is our favorite tree, and I want to make sure it isn't dying, and if something IS wrong, I need to know what can be done to help it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tree is about four years old. Can't remember exactly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leaves and everything else looks fine (additional pictures provided)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We have two riders (Craftsman and a Toro Zero turn).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We have ~4 acres of mow-able lawn (family property, multiple lots) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;To my knowledge, this is the only &quot;Corkscrew&quot; willow, although we have some other willows&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;To my knowledge, this is the only tree with this type of damage - I'll be weed eating this weekend and I'll check elsewhere &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qnWdv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree with damage&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZWy18.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full Tree&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2kFuY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closer to tree&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jp6X8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Up close&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="421" LastEditorUserId="421" LastEditDate="2014-08-30T17:26:24.893" LastActivityDate="2017-10-16T16:23:10.327" Title="Why is the bark falling off the base of my Corkscrew Willow's trunk?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;weeping-willow&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13880" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13879" CreationDate="2014-08-30T16:47:41.047" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is severe long term damage typical of the trunk being banged with something hard. For example enthusiastic work with a lawn mower or even rough handling when it was planted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I considered some of the fungal diseases that willows are subject to like &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=Inonotus%20heart%20rot&amp;amp;rlz=1C1CHFX_enCA540CA540&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=Lf8BVNCuMMfwgwTIrIKQDg&amp;amp;ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&amp;amp;biw=1137&amp;amp;bih=527&amp;amp;dpr=0.9&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Inonotus heart rot&lt;/a&gt; but the damage is not consistent with the picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Willows are tough and grow fast.  Their 'lifestyle' is to outgrow infections and damage. There is no need to consider &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/98-003.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bridge grafting&lt;/a&gt; as the willow will recover if you give it a helping hand with these simple steps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;roll back the grass in a three foot (1 Meter) diameter around the trunk.  Apply one to three inches of compost or mulch. Reapply yearly to keep the layer one to three inches thick. If weeds become a problem apply a commercial grade landscape fabric and top with compost.  This will reduce competition from the grass and reduce the chance of further damage from lawn mowing equipment.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider doing some regrading to direct water from down spouts or run off towards the tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-08-31T00:51:34.303" LastActivityDate="2014-08-31T00:51:34.303" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13881" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-30T16:56:37.863" Score="4" ViewCount="1157" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are having trees trimmed and the branches put through a wood chipper. Can we use the resulting mulch to cover exposed roots on mature trees as soon as the come out of the chipper?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7089" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-30T22:01:23.780" LastActivityDate="2014-08-31T12:17:59.097" Title="Can I cover mature tree roots with fresh wood chips?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13878" CreationDate="2014-08-30T17:18:27.527" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most species of ants generally don't cause a problem in gardens. They do tunnel, and if too excessively there can be trouble, and they can farm aphids on your plants, and protect them from possible predators. But on your plants, I don't see that they're an issue. They will clean up fallen fruit, if any, eat some bugs (mostly the herbivorous bugs), and generally not be a problem. They tend to nest where it's dry, so if they seem to be more concentrated under your plants, they may be too dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the ant populations get out of control, you can use pyrethrum, or if you don't mind chemicals, something like Carbaryl.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Ants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's an article that has relevance.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For most species, control is only necessary in the garden if the population gets out of hand. Garden varieties do not actually eat plants or actively destroy any plant matter. Their main source of food is sugar, usually found in nectar, sap, or the honeydew excrement from aphids. In some cases, garden ants can actually be a beneficial insect as they will kill off more destructive pests like caterpillars. They are also natural soil aerators through their extensive tunneling systems. As food for beneficial animals such as birds, lizards, and toads, they will also encourage wildlife to flourish in your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No matter what types you want to reduce, the control methods are similar. As any species can hurt plants by mining nests around roots, if they are excessive in your garden, you will want to reduce the population. They are most problematic to new plants with young roots and lawns. In lawns, you know they are present when you see nest mounds that smother the grass and create unsightly patches. An easy solution to this problem is to grow your grass longer to hide the patches and live with the ants. If this is not your preference, you will have to treat the nests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to their nesting structures, they have another characteristic that can quickly create a problem in your garden - farming other insects. Certain varieties actually farm aphids for their honeydew. This can quickly create a rather significant aphid problem in your yard as the ants will kill off their natural predators.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-08-30T17:18:27.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13883" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13881" CreationDate="2014-08-30T17:26:09.657" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can, though you've not said what variety of tree you're thinking of using it round, nor what trees are being chipped. Don't, though, put a layer more than 2-3 inches thick as a maximum, and if you have plants in that area too, they will need feeding in spring with nitrogenous fertilizer to compensate for the woodchips robbing nitrogen from the soil as they break down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-08-30T17:26:09.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13884" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13881" CreationDate="2014-08-30T17:27:55.317" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If there is a good quantity of leaves and small twigs in that mix that adds nitrogen content, you have Ramial Wood Chips which are a good nourishing mulch for fruit trees. Ramial Wood Chips are made from growth material (branches 2 3/4&quot; dia. and smaller along with the leaves).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's mostly from larger branches, you'll need to watch the nitrogen uptake as the wood rots. It's all in the Carbon/Nitrogen ratio. The more wood, the more it will take up nitrogen in order to decompose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2014-08-30T17:27:55.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13885" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13878" CreationDate="2014-08-30T17:35:54.270" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not too much of a problem in open ground, but they certainly can be if they're nesting in your containers or pots. They don't eat plant roots, but they can and do break them up in order to extend their nest within the container. If they're already in there, you need to take remedial action, the first part of which is to thoroughly soak the pots to encourage the ants to leave before you start. Then the pots should be emptied out, the plants decanted and inspected to make sure there's no nesting ants within and set aside temporarily, preferably into something with water in the bottom to stop them drying out. You may have to wait for the ants to disappear before proceeding - usually, when they appear after a dousing of water carrying white things, those are eggs, and they're moving them to keep them from being drowned or wetted too much. If they have eggs, they will be panicking and trying to rescue them from your piles of cast aside potting medium, and soldier ants will be looking to punish the cause of this disruption - even in the UK, ants can give painful bites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next thing is to refill your pots, but put a layer of something like a Jey cloth in the bottom first, across the exit holes, or a piece of weed membrane fabric, then add the potting medium, replant the plants and, most important of all, stand the pots on something. Anything, pot feet, broken bits of slate, half bricks, anything that raises them off the ground a bit. This should prevent any further invasion into your containers - dusting beneath the containers with ant powder occasionally does no harm either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-08-30T17:35:54.270" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13886" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13888" CreationDate="2014-08-30T17:43:29.853" Score="4" ViewCount="325" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had a 3 foot tall Parfianka Pomegranate tree planted in the ground for several months. It gets about 7 hours of direct sunlight per day. It's been fertilized with compost, mycorrhizae enriched 10-10-10 fertilizer, and slow release fertilizer (In different months). I'm watering it deeply once a week. The leaves aren't browning, so I didn't think it needed that more water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has barely grown - just a few leaves here and there. I noticed that the color of the leaves are pale green, even white on the tips. Many of the leaves also have faint gray dots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IdQel.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GOOsr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, I have a Wonderful pomegranate of the same age growning nearby that has been doing stupendously. It's leaves are a deep forest green, it's creating many thick branches, and it's even flowering. The difference in care is that the Wonderful was grown in a pot in the beginning, whereas the Parfianka was immediately planted in the ground upon receiving it. The Wonderful is using Miracle-Gro soil, which is was more &quot;soil-like&quot; (dark black and mushy), while the Parfianka is using Kellogg soil (less composted, wood chippy).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a photo of the Wonderful. It's a little hard to compare because the lighting is different, but the Wonderful is definitely bushier, greener, and thicker.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ag07X.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="2709" LastEditDate="2014-08-30T17:56:23.440" LastActivityDate="2014-08-31T13:06:55.223" Title="What is this disease or nutrient difficiency on my Parfianka Pomegranate?" Tags="&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;pomegranate&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13887" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13881" CreationDate="2014-08-30T17:45:03.930" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can. Some types of green wood have slightly toxic effects to tender new growth, so only apply under mature trees. Make sure you don''t pile it up around the trunk; leave the root flare visible. Wood chips rob the soil of nitrogen while decomposing, so adding something with plenty of nitrogen will benefit the trees. Cottonseed meal, blood meal, fish meal, and hoof and horn meal (slow release) are good. Lawn clippings, like @Bob Jarvis notes, will work also, as well as many fresh manures. These do better when mixed with the chips before laying, or stirred in later. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you renew the source of nitrogen now and then, to keep the chips actively decomposing, you're basically making a sheet of compost under the trees, which is very healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing to note: If any of the limbs you are chipping came from &lt;strong&gt;black walnut trees&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;em&gt;do not&lt;/em&gt; apply them until you have found from a reliable source that the trees you are mulching tolerate &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglone&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;juglone&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the mulch goes down no more than 3&quot;, or you may suffocate the tree. Any less than that is fine, also. And make sure you aren't piling it deeper in some areas. Go by the ground, not with level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-08-31T12:17:59.097" LastActivityDate="2014-08-31T12:17:59.097" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13888" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13886" CreationDate="2014-08-30T18:06:59.630" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's probably that horrid Kellog stuff - I seem to recall you had problems with another plant growing in it. Optimum ph for pomegranate is 6.5-7, but they will grow in more acidic and less acidic soils too, they're not too fussy, but what they can't stand is poorly drained soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has the appearance of nutrient shortage, maybe nitrogen, but you've said you've been fertilising. Cercospora fruit spot can cause greyish spotting on leaves, but inspect the plant for signs of other problems such as thrips, whitefly, mealybug or scale insect. The other possibility is trouble at the roots if the soil is not free draining, but if you can't find anything obvious, I'd be inclined to dig it up and pot it in something decent until its got bigger and to see if it recovers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-08-31T13:06:55.223" LastActivityDate="2014-08-31T13:06:55.223" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13879" CreationDate="2014-08-30T18:15:55.960" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with @kevinsky that it looks like mechanical damage. Other causes might be:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;sun scald - I've had willow trees do this and they looked similar to yours, but yours must have been there the year before, so if it is this, it must have started during extreme cold last winter (when it happens most easily). It can happen to one tree, and not others, for some reason.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are some borers that kill off areas of bark.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;fungal diseases - but they usually leave a mycelium layer under the bark.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see that there is a narrower, older strip down the tree, showing where the bark died during the previous season, and it's surrounded by this years damage. Both damages are on the same side, so winter sun scald might be the issue. You can wrap the tree in winter, with a light-blocking, but breathable material like burlap, to shade the bark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever the case, this is a willow, so it's not likely to die. It will probably heal over in time, and the center will probably get heart rot (common in willows). If it does need to be cut down, it will surely regrow from the stump. Do not treat the area with protective paint, or tar. They will do more harm than good, trapping in moisture and possibly pathogens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-08-30T18:15:55.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13890" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13967" CreationDate="2014-08-30T21:34:39.127" Score="4" ViewCount="155" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mostly for future reference, is it helpful to add sugar or other things to the water meant for cut flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There seems to be conflicting data from different sources. See &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8905/how-can-i-preserve-a-bouquet-of-flowers-for-two-days-before-gifting-them/13767#13767&quot;&gt;How can I preserve a bouquet of flowers for two days before gifting them?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard that the sugar:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;feeds beneficial bacteria&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;feeds the plant (which I know to be wrong, plants don't metabolize sucrose) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;helps prevent air bubbles&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But none of this has been satisfactorily been shown true for me. My experience says 'use plain water', and then &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mastergardeners.org/picks/extendlife.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;masteragardeners.org&lt;/a&gt; tells you to add all kinds of things to the water. Some people even say a copper penny helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let's get this straight once and for all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-09-06T00:41:52.573" Title="Is it a good idea to add sugar or other things to the water for cut flowers?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13891" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13903" CreationDate="2014-08-31T01:34:51.933" Score="8" ViewCount="295" Body="&lt;p&gt;We tried planting Blueberries last year, and went 0 for 3.  We tried to follow the instructions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Planted in a mix of 50/50 mulch and organic gardening soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Watered infrequently but heavily (1/week, skipping if heavy rain)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Planted three bushes/trees about 10 feet apart (20 feet total, 3 different varieties)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Made sure the soil was somewhat acidic (though we didn't know about Magnesium, which we now do)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Planted them where they're in 3/4 or so sun - they should have direct sun at least 4-6 hours a day, more in the summer, and when they grow to their full 4-5 feet (the varieties I'm getting grow that high) will have closer to full sun.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two of the three were smaller (probably about a year old when bought, maybe 12&quot; tall) and didn't ever really do anything, and this year didn't produce leaves (so are presumed dead).  The third was more like 2-3 years old (2' tall or so) and did make some baby berries that year, but never really made it back this year - it had some leaves, but it was very weak, to the point that a relative removed it by accident while weeding (but it clearly was too spindly and dry to make it anyway).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year, we bought two more, hoping to plant them with more success.  What should we do differently?  The general soil in our yard is fairly dense and lower quality (just grass for years and years), so one consideration is removing a much larger amount - but how much?  And replace it with gardening soil, or a sandier soil, or mulch/compost?  And what else can we do to encourage root growth so the bushes can make it through winter - if that's realistic at this point in the year (or should we try wintering them indoors and plant them in spring).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We live in  zone 5a/5b, which is supposed to be a good area for blueberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7052" LastEditorUserId="7052" LastEditDate="2014-08-31T03:46:39.997" LastActivityDate="2014-09-01T15:42:56.120" Title="Requirements for successful Blueberry bush planting" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13892" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13946" CreationDate="2014-08-31T07:43:32.773" Score="6" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in a situation where its a waste of time, effort and money to take care of our many little gardens (Different separate gardens ranging between 20-90 meters square). Briefly, we rarely visit them and its is nearly impossible to be available to take care of them the whole year. We could be available only a few weeks a year !!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also we don't have access to good water. But we can use underground water which is very bad for the grass so we mainly use for other purposes. It's a rainy area during winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically these gardens are in coastal-desert areas so in summer its extremely hot and dry during day and very nice during night and in winter its extremely cold during night and very nice during day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm mentioning these conditions because I'm looking to replace these gardens with something that could be useful or at least not harmful to cope with during very hot and dry conditions or very cold conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully I was clear enough. Thank you for your time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7092" LastActivityDate="2014-09-04T16:59:54.960" Title="What can I replace my garden with?" Tags="&lt;cold-weather&gt;&lt;desert&gt;&lt;hot-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13890" CreationDate="2014-08-31T12:48:19.347" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Completely anecdotal, but I've always had great success with adding an aspirin tablet to the flower vase. I've also done without it, and it seems to me that they definitely stay longer with it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just did a little research, and it seems this works because flowering plants tend to like slightly acidic soils. Aspirin is an acid. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Aspirin is the drug name for acetylsalicylic acid, a powerful painkiller. The soil that most flowering plants prefer is acidic, as it makes certain nutrients more readily available to them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/aspirin-affect-life-cut-flowers-vases-64662.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;source&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to the same article, a small amount of sugar would also be beneficial as it adds nutrients to the water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;All plant cells need nutritional sustenance to survive, and this is normally provided by the sugars produced by photosynthesis, the method by which plants use the sun's energy for food production. The process stops once the flowers are cut and moved out of direct sunlight; adding sugar to the water keeps their cells fed a little longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While certainly not a scientific journal, this is some common sense stuff here. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the copper penny, that is your anti-bacterial. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial_properties_of_copper&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Copper has anti-microbial properties&lt;/a&gt; and will stave off our little friends that want to decompose the flowers for a little while. Note that it has to be a &lt;em&gt;copper&lt;/em&gt; penny, so &lt;a href=&quot;http://coins.about.com/od/uscoins/f/copper_to_zinc.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pennies made after 1982&lt;/a&gt; won't work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3535" LastEditorUserId="3535" LastEditDate="2014-08-31T12:57:45.267" LastActivityDate="2014-08-31T12:57:45.267" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13894" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13899" CreationDate="2014-08-31T13:25:22.123" Score="6" ViewCount="464" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in central Ohio, zone 6a. Last year I harvested my carrots right after Labor Day (first Monday of September) and they were pretty nice. I've been picking them as needed this year, but I'm wondering when I should go ahead and harvest all of them for freezing. They're already mature, but I'd like to let them grow as long as possible before pulling them to maximize the harvest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When is the best time to pull them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3535" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2014-10-23T16:30:24.013" LastActivityDate="2014-10-23T16:30:24.013" Title="When should I harvest my carrots?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13895" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13894" CreationDate="2014-08-31T13:54:54.997" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends when you want them. They should last until winter in the ground without bolting. Carrots are normally biennial, and will bolt during season 2. You can harvest them at any time while growing, and can leave them until a hard freeze. They take frost, but not a hard freeze. There is another thing you can try: Put haybales end to end down both sides of the row, and another row to lid it off. Place bales on the ends to seal everything off. This can be done when the first hard freeze is forecast. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will keep it from freezing, even up to zone three. You can go out and harvest very crisp, sweet carrots all winter, by lifting a bale.  They'll even keep up the quality into spring, if you haven't eaten them all. They're far superior to frozen or cellared carrots. You can also use the hay as the next seasons mulch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2014-10-23T16:28:48.633" LastActivityDate="2014-10-23T16:28:48.633" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13896" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13902" CreationDate="2014-08-31T19:08:31.917" Score="5" ViewCount="3592" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to decorate our living room with a strip of grass. Which type should I grow? The requirements are as following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;should be a perennial or at least grow for a year or so&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;slow growing, consequently pruning required only occasionally (once a month or less)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grows well indoors with no direct sunlight (although bright room with lots of windows)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;little attention required&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;straight, green leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;BONUS: health benefits when consumed (I assume this could contradict with the first requirement, since you usually plant new seeds for each portion?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheatgrass&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wheatgrass&lt;/a&gt; is tempting, but it grows too fast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XOF7g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Wheatgrass&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7096" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-01T04:21:10.327" LastActivityDate="2018-04-03T07:57:52.080" Title="Which grass is best suited as an indoor perennial?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13897" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-08-31T19:24:23.333" Score="1" ViewCount="1132" Body="&lt;p&gt;For our anniversary, my wife gave me a ficus bonsai tree. About 2 months ago, it suddenly lost all its leaves. We took it to a garden store that specializes in bonsais, and we were told that it had root rot. They helped us trim it back and replant it, with the hope that it would start to thrive again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It did not recover. I took it back again today, and confirmed it is officially dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since this was an anniversary gift, I'm not inclined to just put it in the compost or trash. Since it is wood (albeit small), is there anything that I could do to somehow preserve it for sentimental reasons? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, something crafty or decorative, such as putting small silk flowers on the remaining branches and putting it in a small vase. The branches are so thin and brittle that most snap off when they are touched, which would make this difficult.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7097" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-01T04:32:12.813" LastActivityDate="2014-09-01T04:32:12.813" Title="What can I do with a dead bonsai that was an anniversary gift?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;disposal&gt;&lt;dead-branch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2014-09-01T04:39:59.447" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13898" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13915" CreationDate="2014-08-31T23:56:15.547" Score="4" ViewCount="337" Body="&lt;p&gt;This particular disease is totally vexing!  I admit, I love cramming plants together, especially in a garden.  I hate bare soil.  I do prune for aeration.  I do use free water to wash off leaves early in the day so they can dry by evening.  I have used milk; to water plants for more strength (seems to work well) against fungus and virus.  I have sprayed with milk.  No difference that I could see.  I do use mega fans all day and night for aeration.  This is a virgin garden and typically all the squash, summer and winter, the cucumbers and tomatoes are always infected.  As soon as I see any sign (usually the first cool nights of the summer) I spray with neem oil.  It does not stop powdery mildew.  Just slows it a bit. I wash vegetables to get rid of any Neem, I hope! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there an expert out there that has figured out how to control this fungus?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-01T23:13:35.967" LastActivityDate="2015-05-22T10:14:19.190" Title="What are all the methods to control powdery mildew?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="11" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13899" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13894" CreationDate="2014-09-01T01:31:43.300" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you are going to eat them. Mulch heavily over the row when frost comes to keep the ground from freezing too much, and dig as needed through the winter. Tastiest and best storage. If you have a root cellar (not a modern heated basement) your second-best storage option (or best if you have problems with them being eaten in place in the garden) is in a bucket of damp sand in the root cellar. But digging them up as you need them really is the best. Just leave yourself a marker you can find for when you need to get where you stopped digging the last time after a snowstorm buries it all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2014-09-01T01:42:00.190" LastActivityDate="2014-09-01T01:42:00.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13900" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13897" CreationDate="2014-09-01T01:56:22.200" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut some slices from the trunk, polish them up, carve or don't or hire that out, hang on wires, give your wife earrings for the next anniversary. Or beads, or (if there's enough wood) make pocketknife handle slabs, cufflinks etc... much nicer than a dead stick collecting dust in a vase, IMHO.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know how much wood you have, but &quot;jewelry items&quot; don't take much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's an example: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/gallery_item/Grahtoestudio/110477&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/gallery_item/Grahtoestudio/110477&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wooden pens are another option, with a bit larger wood requirement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-09-01T01:56:22.200" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13898" CreationDate="2014-09-01T01:57:11.777" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That time of year and inevitable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For summer squash, you can cut the worst affected leaves off, leaving the stem. We make sure all the cucumbers grow up on frames so they're well off the ground and ventilated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Foliar spraying a baking soda solution of 1 Tsp per Quart of water can help raise the pH and hold it off. Potassium bicarbonate will actually be more effective if you can get it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, milk whey has an active ingredient that will attack powdery mildew. It's a byproduct of making cheese. Applied as a foliar spray as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the end, you will only delay it as it's an end-of-season issue where plants slow down with less heat, are less able to defend themselves and succumb to changes into fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Addendum: Final harvest, November 7. Back in September, the mildew started in earnest so we clipped the worst affected leaves off one by one. Longest squash is 12 inches, enough for there for a final couple of squash dinners. Between the four plants, we couldn't give them away fast enough during the height of the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RY2WO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-11-09T22:55:09.020" LastActivityDate="2014-11-09T22:55:09.020" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13902" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13896" CreationDate="2014-09-01T04:04:52.143" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Firstly, most grasses won’t do well indoors, so you’ll probably have to go along with a look-alike. Secondly, I don’t have edibility info on the plants I will recommend. Do not ingest any parts of those plants until you have it from a reliable source that the part is edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants listed below should last indefinitely with proper care, rarely need trimming, and do not require full sun. They may require weekly attention, depending on how often you find you must water. They all have straight, green leaves, which usually arch some as they mature. Many of these plants are more commonly seen in their variegated forms. All of them should make a nice, green strip of wavy ‘grass’ in your living room, given good care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;My top 5 recommendations:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b870&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Carex morrowii&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or Japanese sedge grass, can be unvariegated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not an actual grass. Easy to grow and contrasts well with broad-leaved foliage plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tRoPS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of Japanese sedge grass, unvariegated, outdoors&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;light:&lt;/strong&gt; bright filtered light &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;temperature:&lt;/strong&gt; 65-70° Fahrenheit, 50-60° in winter, if possible&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;humidity:&lt;/strong&gt; high, especially during warm spells&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;watering:&lt;/strong&gt; thorough, allowing top 1&quot; of mixture to dry completely in between&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;feeding:&lt;/strong&gt; standard liquid fertilizer every 4 weeks, only during spring and summer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophytum_comosum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chlorophytum cosmosum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or Spider Plant, can be unvariegated&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can be hard to come by. Very, very easy to grow. Good beginners plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6aYfY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of Spider Plant, indoors&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;light:&lt;/strong&gt; bright filtered light. Avoid direct summer sun.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;temperature:&lt;/strong&gt; normal room temperatures&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;humidity:&lt;/strong&gt; not too picky, but higher humidity is beneficial&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;watering:&lt;/strong&gt; in spring and summer, keep thoroughly moist. In winter, allow top 1/2&quot; to dry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;feeding:&lt;/strong&gt; standard balanced fertilizer, every two weeks while actively growing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.denverplants.com/foliage/html/liriope.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Liriope muscari&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or lily-turf&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually seen as a groundcover/border plant in outdoor beds; recently becoming a popular houseplant. Usually easy-care plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AQJxu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of lilly-turf, on patio&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;light:&lt;/strong&gt; will flower if given bright light. Tolerant of a fair amount of shade.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;temperature:&lt;/strong&gt; tolerates fluctuations well, but needs 50-55°F during winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;humidity:&lt;/strong&gt; higher is beneficial, but tolerant of low humidity for periods of time&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;watering:&lt;/strong&gt; In summer, allow top 1/2&quot; to dry between waterings; keep from drying completely in winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;feeding:&lt;/strong&gt; standard balanced fertilizer, every two weeks while actively growing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://indoor-plants.net/ophiopogon-jaburan/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ophiopogon jaburan&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, another lily-turf&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Uncommon. I’ve had success with this, in large shallow pots, but that may not be necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TjKjq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of this lilly-turf, indoors&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;light:&lt;/strong&gt; will flower if given bright light. Tolerant of a fair amount of shade.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;temperature:&lt;/strong&gt; tolerates up to 75°F in high humidity; likes 60-68°F if possible&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;humidity:&lt;/strong&gt; likes a high humidity, stand on a tray of pebbles&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;watering:&lt;/strong&gt; In summer, allow top 1/2&quot; to dry between waterings; keep from drying completely in winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;feeding:&lt;/strong&gt; standard balanced fertilizer, every two weeks while actively growing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/AGPC/doc/Gbase/data/pf000329.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Stenotaphrum secundatum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or Buffalo Grass&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not a common indoor plant, but rather easy. May need occasional trimming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mhyup.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of Buffalo Grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;light:&lt;/strong&gt; as bright as possible&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;temperature:&lt;/strong&gt; no lower than 55°F&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;humidity:&lt;/strong&gt; likes a high humidity: stand on a tray of pebbles&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;watering:&lt;/strong&gt; in summer, keep thoroughly moist; in winter rest, keep from drying completely&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;feeding:&lt;/strong&gt; do not overfeed; standard balanced fertilizer once every 4-5 weeks while actively growing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="1876" LastEditDate="2018-04-03T07:57:52.080" LastActivityDate="2018-04-03T07:57:52.080" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13903" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13891" CreationDate="2014-09-01T15:36:29.877" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Somewhat acidic is not nearly acidic enough for blueberries to be happy, for a start - pH between 4 and 5 is the recommended range for them. Bamboo &amp;amp; J. Musser are probably onto something with the drainage, as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't find blueberries particularly troublesome - they do like very acid soil, they are shallow-rooted, and they can be done in by over-feeding (probably more often than by under-feeding - the wild plants live in some rather challenging locations, plant-nutrition-wise.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have plants now, they are much more likely to die inside than out over the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had to relocate most of my established bed &quot;suddenly&quot; several years after planting. Sewage line needed to be replaced. Calling our soil heavy is an understatement - you could throw pots from it once you get beyond active growth. When the plants were dug up and the soil they were in, and they, moved elsewhere for the duration, you could still see the holes I'd hacked into the clay  years before when I planted them - and they certainly hadn't put any roots to speak of into it. I just moved the regular soil off a section of garden, moved some of the acid soil, the plants, and the rest of the acid soil, and the heavy pine needle mulch over there - they all lived through the experience, and being moved back. I'm actually thinking I might do that again (or that I should have left them there, but hindsight is 20/20) since they will get more sun and be easier to net off out there than in their &quot;edible landscaping&quot; location near the deck, so we might actually get more edible out of them. If I net them now it just means the rodents get more of them .vs. the birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd be dubious about following &quot;water heavily and rarely&quot; advice soon after transplanting - the methods used for making new rooted cuttings are essentially to mist them whenever they get dry on the leaves; since transplanting upsets the roots, drying out excessively is a major concern (but not as much as for cuttings with no roots, of course)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Build your bed with a base of your soil, shaped to gently move water away - then build up a layer of nice humusy and quite acidic (add sulfur if needed) soil which is where the shallow blueberry roots will grow, and top off with a heavy mulch of something that will decompose and make more humus. Add more mulch and sulfur and some fully-finished compost (nothing remotely fresh and hot) each year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.blueberry.org/gardening.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this from the US Highbush blueberry council&lt;/a&gt;, but they are ammonium sulphate fans, which puts me off a bit. Personal prejudice and all that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2014-09-01T15:42:56.120" LastActivityDate="2014-09-01T15:42:56.120" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13904" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-01T15:42:08.230" Score="3" ViewCount="2560" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got a small &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumeria_alba&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Plumeria alba&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; tree in my office, right next to a very sunny window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At first, it was growing brand new leaves and looked great. Over time, however, the leaves got black dots and fell off and the entire plant looks &quot;sad&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what is going on? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1mavL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1mavLl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; title=&quot;Click photo for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7099" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-04T14:29:17.703" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T14:29:17.703" Title="Why did the leaves on my Plumeria alba develop black spots and fall off?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13905" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13907" CreationDate="2014-09-01T15:44:18.200" Score="10" ViewCount="14872" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 4 foot tall Goji Berry plant that has been prolifically producing flowers all year long. None of the flowers ever become fruit. I've witnessed hummingbirds poke into each flower because they love purple flowers more than any other color. That means they should be pollinated, right? The dozen other fruit trees in my garden have no problem pollinating naturally - I have many wasps and bumble bees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be diseased. Most of the time, it has what appears like talcum powder on its leaves. I sprayed it down with neem oil once and it went away, but came back within a week. Maybe the powderiness is natural to its leaves??? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZxS3f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-01T23:11:31.433" LastActivityDate="2020-05-30T04:05:15.533" Title="Why does my Goji Berry produce many flowers but never bear fruit?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="8" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13906" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13905" CreationDate="2014-09-01T16:39:59.363" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never grown Goji berry but have read a bit about them and recall a couple of things from the reading.  First, I recall that some other folks mentioned that they could not get their Goji berry plants to fruit either.  It was speculated that it might be a particular variety of the plant and that certain ones were more likely to fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second thing I recall is that at least two writers mentioned that it took a few years for their Goji berry plants to produce fruit although they flowered each year.  The pictures I saw - again, going from memory here - were not unlike the one you posted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is possible that you've got some sort of disease but often when plants are diseased they don't flower all that well.  I'm certainly no expert on this plant, though, so it is entirely speculation on my part.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps your plant just needs time - as did the ones I mentioned - to start producing fruit and it might not happen this year.  The plant is self-pollinating (I looked that up, wasn't sure) so that's not the issue.  I imagine there will be someone with more knowledge than I on this who can speak about it though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-09-01T16:39:59.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13905" CreationDate="2014-09-01T16:40:06.503" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Goji berry vines are highly susceptible to Powdery Mildew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In fact, I wouldn't recommend trying to grow them in the Pacific Northwest as it's too damp here. In 10 years of trying, they leaf out lushly, and about a month later start mildewing. Nothing you do will get rid of the mildew as it's a systemic problem with the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've only ever gotten about five rather bad tasting berries off of them. In the same growing area we could have harvested a couple gallons of Blueberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We finally just uprooted them all, sent the stumps to the dump and tossed the rest into the compost heap as a failed experiment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2014-09-01T16:40:06.503" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13908" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13909" CreationDate="2014-09-01T17:02:54.833" Score="5" ViewCount="7549" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fqiq5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fqiq5l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; title=&quot;Click photo for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants are growing all around my new house. I am wondering if this burr infested plant is anything that is worth keeping or if it is just a weed that sticks itself to everything (including my cat)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to go about removing this nuisance (all 20/30 of them) if it is a weed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(The location is in eastern Iowa.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7100" LastEditorUserId="7100" LastEditDate="2014-09-02T15:26:08.303" LastActivityDate="2020-10-02T02:15:30.463" Title="What is this burr covered plant (weed?)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13909" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13908" CreationDate="2014-09-01T18:09:39.107" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you mean burr in the usual &quot;comes off the plant and sticks to clothing/animal fur&quot; sense, that charming behavior tends to class them as weeds in the minds of anyone who isn't of the &quot;but there's no such thing as a weed&quot; camp. They don't look exactly like the tiny green  (later brown) burrs (latin name unknown by me) that plague my yard and animals and socks, but they are similar in aspect. Remove and burn or remove and place in trash, digging out as much root as possible and trying to not lose too many of the burrs, which will add to the seeds that are probably already in your soil to make the next several years annoying. Also try to learn what they look like when smaller (before they fruit) so you can pull them out earlier next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not burdock - that's pretty easy to spot/identify (and eventually easy to spot even the year before it flowers, since it's biennial.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Might be &lt;em&gt;Hackelia virginiana&lt;/em&gt;, aka beggarslice or stickseed. Also a biennial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/virginia-stickseed&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/virginia-stickseed&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/stickseed.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/stickseed.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/hackelia/virginiana/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/hackelia/virginiana/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=HAVI2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=HAVI2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2014-09-03T11:46:50.090" LastActivityDate="2014-09-03T11:46:50.090" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13910" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-01T22:14:55.943" Score="5" ViewCount="388" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Heavenly Blue Morning Glory was pruned last week just as it began to bloom.  Today is September 1. What can I do to save the blooming season?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7101" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-02T03:48:50.007" LastActivityDate="2016-04-22T20:18:49.397" Title="How can I get a Morning Glory that was cut back to flower before the season's end?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;morning-glory&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13910" CreationDate="2014-09-01T22:37:43.540" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on where you are located, your first frost will be anytime from now till mid-November. In any case, This is an annual morning glory, so it will do it's best to flower and go to seed before frost kills it. These plants sense seasonal changes by day-length, temperature changes, and a couple other things. These things tell the plant Fall is coming, and they don't have much time left to live, so they will grow quickly, and put out as many flowers as possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Things you can do to extend the season are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover the plant overnight once frost is predicted. If you don't have row cloth, bed sheets will work fine.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensalive.com/frost-patrol-font-size-3-font-plant-protector/p/3722/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Frost Patrol&lt;/strong&gt;® Plant Protector&lt;/a&gt; basically causes a change within the plant, which lowers the temperature at which the plants cells become damaged by 1 or 2 degrees. Spray it 48 hours before you expect frost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And it will depend partly also on how far back it was pruned. If it was cut back less than 1/3, that's the best case, and you should get flowers again in a couple weeks. If it was cut back by 1/2 or more, it is going to try to regrow that before flowering much, so if that's the case, don't expect too much from them. But as I said before, flowering is a high priority now for the plant, so don't lose hope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-22T20:18:49.397" LastActivityDate="2016-04-22T20:18:49.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13912" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13914" CreationDate="2014-09-01T23:29:34.023" Score="4" ViewCount="16539" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, this has been my first year with a yard that I need to tend myself, and I have dutifully mowed it every Saturday morning. The problem I'm finding is that, while I've always heard it's better to just let the cut grass decompose into the yard, it's not decomposing fast enough, I wind up with pretty little lines of dead grass that clog up and try to choke out the mower the following week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not interested in having the greenest lawn on the block, and will probably never fertilize the grass unless it just gets horribly brown, so I'm hesitant to bag up the grass and remove the nutrients from the yard, but it's getting tougher and tougher to mow as the season goes on and the rows of dead grass grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have a suggestion on how to handle this conundrum?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7103" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-01T23:43:49.280" LastActivityDate="2017-08-29T06:17:11.590" Title="How can I stop dead grass clippings from accumulating on top of the live grass, and clogging the mower?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;mowing&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13912" CreationDate="2014-09-01T23:42:01.673" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mow higher. Grass grows much slower when mowed high, so the volume of clipping generated is drastically dropped, and what is produced will fall down through the grass better. Plus, the height of the grass mirrors the root system somewhat. The longer blades support deeper roots, and your lawn will not suffer as badly from drought. I usually don't mow lower than four inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's better to go by the grass and weather than a strict weekly schedule. Some weeks the grass may grow faster, and require being mowed twice, while some other weeks, if it's really dry, it may not really grow. Also, don't mow on wet, rainy days. It's better to mow the day before, or wait until it dries off, or the next day. As itsmatt says, and personally strives to avoid, wet clippings are clumpy and clog mowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you get a mulcher mower, it will cut the clippings into small pieces, which will not lie on the top of the grass as much. Another thing I've seen done is bagging a seasons clippings, composting them (carefully, they're high in nitrogen), and raking the compost back into the lawn. The soil was quite nice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also microbial thatch decomposers you could try, which will really speed up the decomposition of thatch and lawn clippings in your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-02T14:54:23.463" LastActivityDate="2014-09-02T14:54:23.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13912" CreationDate="2014-09-02T01:46:28.957" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;What height are you cutting your lawn?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are you cutting it when it is damp?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has it been a mild summer in your neck of the woods?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're cutting it less than 3&quot;, it's too short.  The amount that gets clipped off should be just a small fraction of the overall height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're cutting it when it is damp (like in the morning), it'll be prone to clump up, particularly if it is being mowed with a side-discharge mower.  I personally strive to avoid cutting the lawn until after the dew's dried off the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your mower can mulch - mine has a removable side-discharge piece and turns into a mulching mower - you should try using it.  That'll cut the grass into smaller pieces, which will break down more quickly. Again, don't cut the grass when it's wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been cutting grass week after week since the spring because the weather here in VA has been &lt;em&gt;considerably&lt;/em&gt; cooler than in past summers. Normally I'd have to mow very little in August (since the hot weather slows down the growth) but not this year.   It can be a real challenge to keep it cut here on my farm.  Maybe the weather has been similar where you live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; cut it and bag/rake all that off the lawn and start fresh - depending on your lawn size, that could be a workout.  Then, set the mower to &lt;em&gt;at least&lt;/em&gt; 3&quot; in height and cut it only when the grass is dry (i.e., not first thing in the morning).  I've you've got a lot of dead grass on the lawn, I'd probably do that.  The goal is to only do this once and afterwards rely upon shorter clippings breaking down more quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-09-02T01:46:28.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13915" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13898" CreationDate="2014-09-02T11:33:08.707" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stormy, you've said you used a quarter of a cup of milk to one gallon of water - I've no idea how that works out, but the ratio of milk to water is 1 part milk to 9 parts water, at a push, 2 parts milk to 8 parts water, though there is no benefit in using a higher milk ratio. I suspect even a cup of milk doesn't work out at one part - if you're making a gallon mix, you'd need more milk than a quarter cup (assuming a gallon in America is 8 pints, as it is here, though I don't know what your 'cup' holds. Milk spray is very effective for powdery mildew particularly (if you've got the ratios right), though you need to spray under and on top of the leaves and all stems, till run off, as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-09-02T11:39:37.003" LastActivityDate="2014-09-02T11:39:37.003" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13916" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13912" CreationDate="2014-09-02T13:00:50.743" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just wanted to add that you can try to mow in a different pattern each week.  So one week mow diagonally, the next horizontally.  This way the dried grass from the prior week will be chopped up again.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3593" LastEditorUserId="3593" LastEditDate="2014-09-02T14:35:10.987" LastActivityDate="2014-09-02T14:35:10.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13917" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13918" CreationDate="2014-09-02T14:40:01.420" Score="2" ViewCount="706" Body="&lt;p&gt;This seems like a silly question, but I'm struggling to find an answer on google. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When does red clover go to seed? I am planting it now, in combination with Italian Rye, as a cover crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When do I need to turn it over by to prevent it going to seed, or is it likely to die over winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6830" LastActivityDate="2014-09-02T15:05:53.997" Title="When does red clover (cover crop) go to seed?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;cover-crop&gt;&lt;green-manure&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13918" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13917" CreationDate="2014-09-02T15:05:53.997" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's likely to go dormant over winter, but not die all the way. Around here (southeastern Pennsylvania), it goes back to 4-6 inches over winter. Red clover is extremely variable as to when it goes to seed, even in my own yard, but definitely more over the entire range of where it can grow, so there isn't really a 'time' when it will go to seed. But it should be next spring, not this fall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For me, it usually ends up being in late April to late May, depending on the winter. Plow it under when the first flowers fade. Any later and they'll form seeds. The higher the nitrogen content in your soil, the longer the plant will put off flowering, and put it's energy into getting bigger. It can get up over waist height before flowering, in good conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you don't seed too thickly, because rye is a very aggressive early spring grower, and will outpace the clover for a while. Make sure there is plenty of space for the clover to fill in. The clover can fill in sideways lots more than rye can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-02T15:05:53.997" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13919" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13920" CreationDate="2014-09-02T19:42:59.407" Score="4" ViewCount="4620" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know you're supposed to pinch strawberry plants for their first year. That way you have higher yields of strawberries the following years because the roots have been able to fully develop during that first year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does the same hold true with blueberry plants? Would I need to pinch off the blossoms during the first year I've planted them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-09-08T19:55:12.377" LastActivityDate="2014-09-08T19:55:12.377" Title="Should I pinch my blueberry bushes for the first year?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13920" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13919" CreationDate="2014-09-02T20:48:58.343" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blueberry plants don't always flower much the first year, and I usually leave them. However, like strawberry plants, blueberries are establishing a root system during the first year or so, and it is beneficial to remove flowers to divert the energy sources toward something that will benefit the plant. There are some cases where I've had to start pinching flowers because the plants weren't growing at all, but loaded with berries from year 1.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if you don't have a huge plantation or something huge, I'd recommend pinching the flowers the first year. Blueberries are a longer term plant than strawberries, so anything you can do for them in the beginning will greatly help the plant later on. Under good conditions, in 5 years or so, you might have a 6 1/2' giant bush producing over 20 quarts per plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've found that in less than ideal conditions, potted blueberries adapt a &lt;em&gt;lot&lt;/em&gt; better than bareroot plants. Actively growing potted plants with leaves aren't going to flower, dormant stock might. Look for a significantly wider bud. Or if you're planting in the fall, which is a good idea, you could get flowers from bed or pot grown plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-02T20:48:58.343" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13921" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13923" CreationDate="2014-09-02T21:05:25.853" Score="5" ViewCount="5243" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure if this is normal? Not every leaf has this but lots of them do&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8R4p0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Parsley white tips&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7055" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-02T21:42:03.080" LastActivityDate="2014-09-03T03:43:02.620" Title="Why do many of my parsley leaves have white tips?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;parsley&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13922" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13940" CreationDate="2014-09-02T22:19:48.683" Score="12" ViewCount="152101" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every year it seems my cukes will go gang busters then suddenly the leaves turn yellow (starting with yellow spots), then turn brown, wilt and slowly die off.  This all happens from the root crown and works its way out.  I have pictures of early producing growth from about 2 weeks ago (mid-August 2014) and how they look now....Sept. 2 2014.  The pictures may be most helpful.  I see no insect activity, but I do have voles/moles in the area, but not every year. I live in Southwest PA, near Johnstown.  Anything else I can answer please ask...Thanks Bill!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update...planted in early June...the 2nd picture (should have been first) is the same plant about 3 weeks ago.  I have added some pictures....yellow spots were scattered over the leaves but did not turn into holes and I see nothing that I think would be powdery mildew.  This area is fairly wet, not the best drainage but it doesn't seem overly wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an aside, what is that weed in the last few pictures?  (My Mom called it the portulaca weed, don't know why), but I can't eradicate from my garden, seems to be self-rooting!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click any photo for full size&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oXhH5.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oXhH5.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8e3X8.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8e3X8.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I36sG.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I36sG.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9UPY6.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9UPY6.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4CUtB.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4CUtB.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wiqxX.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wiqxX.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5afin.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5afin.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Skadw.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Skadw.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xf6mX.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xf6mX.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oSTqb.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oSTqb.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7106" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-30T16:30:27.530" LastActivityDate="2018-07-07T18:08:28.303" Title="What causes cucumber leaves to turn yellow, brown, wilt, die, and the plants to stop producing?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13921" CreationDate="2014-09-03T03:43:02.620" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a little wind. It won't affect the quality for culinary use, but possibly aesthetically as a garnish. Looks like Italian parsley, so not generally used as a garnish anyway. The plant looks quite healthy otherwise, so I wouldn't worry about it, but for next time, keep in mind that leaf tips on the outermost leaves are the most liable to sustain wind burn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is normal for many plants, not just parsley. To prevent it, you'll need to come up with a way to block the worst of the wind. Also, harvesting the oldest leaves first (the ones emerging from the outside of the rosette) will keep the plant growing, and keep the leaves fresh. There won't be as many blemished or yellowing leaves, and the plant will produce much more than if the plant is harvested all at once, even if allowed to regrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-03T03:43:02.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13924" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13922" CreationDate="2014-09-03T10:04:01.107" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect an infection - what's important is the precise nature of the yellow spots when they appear - you've said it starts on the crown of the plant, which I take to mean the oldest leaves - if the spots are pale yellow, followed by grey fuzz or felt which might cover the leaves, it's powdery mildew. Left untreated, it will cause the results you show in some of your pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, though, the spots appear near leaf veins, roughly circular but not necessarily, and those 'spots' turn into holes, it's anthracnose, but there's no evidence of that from the pics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, scab is a possibility - the spots which you see initially are grey with a yellow halo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following might be useful to you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/vegetable/cucumber/leavesspots.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/vegetable/cucumber/leavesspots.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This answer assumes a contributory cause of the problem isn't lack of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE - I don't think it's any of the ones listing symptoms with holes in the leaves either, there aren't any holes to see in your pictures - more likely to be powdery mildew/drought than anything else on the list - dryness at the roots encourages powdery mildew. However, the extra pictures don't suggest typical powdery mildew either - what they do suggest is Downy Mildew rather than cucumber mosaic virus, there's no wrinkling, bubbling or torsion going on, which I'd normally expect to see with a virus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to sum up, I still think it's mildew - the one you get as a problem where you are is actually known as Downy Mildew, and it starts with this yellow patterning I can see on your added pics. Google Cucumber Downy Mildew and check the Images, or check out below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/plantpath/extension/fact_sheets/Cucurbits_-_Downy_Mildew.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/plantpath/extension/fact_sheets/Cucurbits_-_Downy_Mildew.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-25T13:32:37.190" LastActivityDate="2014-09-25T13:32:37.190" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13925" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13930" CreationDate="2014-09-03T16:42:01.893" Score="2" ViewCount="1916" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking at grape plants, I noticed that they all say the height is variable, or only list the spread of the plant. Does that mean that as long as I provide a tall enough trellis, I could grow a grape plant as high as I wanted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T18:35:47.333" Title="How tall can grape plants get?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13926" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13932" CreationDate="2014-09-03T16:45:32.867" Score="3" ViewCount="1066" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some grape plants coming in next year. My plan is to make a sort of trellis-fence to partly break up the view of the road from my yard, and of course help the grape plants vine out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the ratio for post that's buried in the ground vs post that's showing above ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Zone 6, so we have some pretty mild winters (rarely gets below 0, never below -10 I think). I was thinking of using just 4x4 posts with about 8 feet above the ground. I was thinking maybe I would put 3 feet in the ground and have 8 feet above. Would that be enough?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ground here is made of about half dirt and half clay. So I would imagine it would hold the posts pretty well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-09-03T17:54:37.503" LastActivityDate="2020-04-06T23:43:16.160" Title="How deep should a post be in the ground, compared to how tall it's going to be above?" Tags="&lt;fence&gt;&lt;trellis&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13927" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13942" CreationDate="2014-09-03T17:09:31.947" Score="7" ViewCount="252" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since my garden is outside, and I live next to a heavily wooded area, there are quite a few mosquitoes that greet me everytime I go outside to work in my yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there something I can do to keep my yard mosquito free? Or am I doomed to using bug spray every time I step outside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-24T13:03:45.470" LastActivityDate="2018-03-24T17:18:25.880" Title="How can I keep mosquitoes out of my yard?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;mosquito&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13928" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13941" CreationDate="2014-09-03T17:53:22.203" Score="3" ViewCount="766" Body="&lt;p&gt;Would it be possible, if I kept it pruned, to keep a grape plant in a container? I have 23 inch containers that I could use to keep them in, but would that be enough? What would I need to consider if it's possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastActivityDate="2014-09-04T03:51:51.323" Title="Is it possible to grow a grape plant in a container?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13929" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13931" CreationDate="2014-09-03T19:33:38.583" Score="5" ViewCount="1261" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in an apartment building, and all my plants grow in pots or small flower beds. Since I moved here, 7 years ago, I have only watered the pots and revolved the &quot;soil&quot;, eventually adding more vegetable compost to fill the pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe that a splash of NPK fertilizer would be good, but I am concerned about poisoning the plants. Is there a possibility to overdo the amount of such nutrients? What kind of damage could happen? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7108" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-04T04:59:08.257" LastActivityDate="2014-09-04T04:59:08.257" Title="Can excess NPK fertilizer damage my container-grown plants?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;pots&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13930" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13925" CreationDate="2014-09-03T20:50:58.993" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the wild, grapes are a canopy vine, meaning the reach the tops of the forest trees for sunlight. I've seen them go up 85', but apparently they can go a lot farther. Of, course, it takes quite some time for them to reach that height. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So basically, yes. A grapevine will grow as high as any support you can provide. Here are some good things to note:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Grape vines are very heavy, and the taller the support, the more reinforced it must be. I've seen grape vines take down some very strong looking supports.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A horizontal support is better than a vertical one, for a few reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The stems and leaves will grow up, and the fruit will grow down. Sometimes a disease will affect the fruit only, or the leaves only. It's good to be able to spray only one of them, if necessary&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The aeration is better than on a fence type trellis. You are less likely to encounter diseases such as powdery and downy mildew. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The area underneath is great for shade-loving plants, or if big enough, a great place for a picnic table.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The leaves are all high off the ground, so there is no soil-foliage contact.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The grapes hang down, and are really easy to pick.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Grapes can be kept small if necessary, but the major pruning is done in spring, so at the end of the season there is quite a bit of vines, weighting down the trellis. Make the trellis bigger than you think will be necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;With any kind of support, it's good to keep the lowest part at least 2' from the ground, to prevent rain from splashing from the ground onto the foliage/fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming you mean american grapes, the hardiest by far in this climate. Otherwise, this answer may not apply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-03T20:50:58.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13931" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13929" CreationDate="2014-09-03T20:56:37.343" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes excess NPK can damage plants, although how much N, P, or K is too much depends on the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, you shouldn't add too much N to the soil for radishes and carrots because that will causes them to grow lots of leaves and small vegetables. Conversely, grass-type plants, like corn, and vegetables you grow for their leaves, like kale and lettuce, will use a ton of Nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For general knowledge, I recommend you read all the questions tagged &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fertilizer&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fertilizer&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fertilizer&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastEditorUserId="3473" LastEditDate="2014-09-03T21:02:37.033" LastActivityDate="2014-09-03T21:02:37.033" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13932" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13926" CreationDate="2014-09-03T20:59:58.880" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you are going that high, I'd use at least a 6x6. I'm in zone six, with similar soil, and the frost line has never gone below 2', so I usually go 2 1/2-3' down. There isn't really a ratio, but grape vines once mature can pull down some serious supports. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you really brace the outside posts, or they will pull in. I'd also recommend attaching planks along the top of the support to keep the posts from pulling together, and to protect the ends of the posts. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-03T20:59:58.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13933" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13928" CreationDate="2014-09-03T21:09:28.030" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes it is possible.  The biggest hurdle would be keeping it trimmed to a manageable size. The link below has some good information. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pallensmith.com/articles/growing-grapes-in-a-small-space&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.pallensmith.com/articles/growing-grapes-in-a-small-space&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2353" LastActivityDate="2014-09-03T21:09:28.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13934" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13879" CreationDate="2014-09-03T22:39:49.257" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with these guys...get a circle around all of your trees that is without grass.  Mulch with decomposed organic mulch or a thin layer of (arghh)bark.  You are hitting the trunks with your mowers.  If you are using weedwackers/linetrimmers make sure you do not touch the trunks!  DO NOT USE FABRIC, JUST MULCH!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd pull off the loose bark so that the rest of the trunk can dry.  Moisture allows bacteria and insects to gorge.  Make those circles as big as their drip line (the outside diameter of the foliage cap).  Easy to maintain, never ever use fabric unless it is under gravel.  Really screws up the natural processes and if you've ever gotten fabric caught in your blades, you'd remember!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-09-03T22:39:49.257" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13938" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-04T00:32:32.440" Score="2" ViewCount="318" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have replaced these Arborvitae trees 4 times.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;They keep turning brown. I cut out parts of the trees behind them, so they would get more sunlight. I Am watering them. Could it be a fungus?&#xA;How can I keep this from happening?   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7109" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-04T02:53:06.667" LastActivityDate="2014-09-04T02:53:06.667" Title="How can I prevent my arborvitae trees from turning brown and dying every time I plant them?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2014-09-04T05:12:06.337" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13940" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13922" CreationDate="2014-09-04T02:43:23.437" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you have &lt;a href=&quot;https://ipm.illinois.edu/diseases/rpds/926.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cucumber mosaic virus&lt;/a&gt;, because of the mosaicing, curling, and drying of the leaves, and the stop in production, plus the time frame of infection matches perfectly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no cure. What you can do is try to keep it from spreading, which is done by removing affected plants from the environment. Burn or seal them in bags to prevent the virus spreading. Do not add to your composting system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is spread by any insect that feeds on cucumber family plants. When they land on an infected plant, and then land on another one, the disease will spread. I would suggest that you remove the affected plant immediately, and keep an eye on the remaining one. If the other one hasn't contracted the disease, yet, hopefully removing the mosaiced one will greatly decrease the likelihood of contraction. Another thing that reduces (but not eliminates) the chances of catching the virus is laying out an insect barrier early in the season. This keeps away most contact with virus carrying insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the brown spots at the base of the stem appear to be corking, which is when an herbaceous plant builds up corky material on older stems when they increase in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Symptoms&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cucurbit plants may become infected at any stage of growth, from emergence of the seedling to near&#xA;maturity. External symptoms may develop within four or five days after young plants become infected,&#xA;but may take up to 14 days to develop when the foliage is older and more mature. Symptoms develop&#xA;more rapidly at 79° to 89°F (26° to 32°C) than at 61° to 75°F (16° to 24°C). The severity of symptoms&#xA;is at least partially related to the virus concentration. CMV symptoms in cucumber are more severe on&#xA;plants exposed to short days or reduced light than on plants exposed to long days and bright light.&#xA;Cucurbit plants rarely become infected in the seedling stage. When this happens, the cotyledons may turn&#xA;yellow and wilt. New leaves are slightly mottled a yellowish green, remain small, wrinkled, and distorted.&#xA;Plants infected in the seedling stage remain dwarfed or may die, and seldom produce fruit. &lt;a href=&quot;https://ipm.illinois.edu/diseases/rpds/926.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Source&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the weed you wondered about, that's &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7930/what-is-this-succulent-weed&quot;&gt;purslane&lt;/a&gt;. Your mom was right, it is in the Portulaca family. It is edible and nutritious, albeit bad tasting to many.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-09-25T13:42:21.893" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13941" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13928" CreationDate="2014-09-04T03:51:51.323" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can grow grapes in containers. But the smaller they are, the more time and energy it will take to get them to flourish. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Smaller containers mean repotting and root pruning more often. In a large container, say, 4'x4', this will not be necessary on a regular basis. Your 23&quot; containers are rather small, and yearly root pruning will be best in that case. Grapes naturally grow very long viney roots, and will circle the pot. In spring, when pruning the vines, it will be highly beneficial for you to remove the plant from the pot, remove the potting mix, and prune back the roots about as hard as you took back the top, taking out all the long roots. You can then add new potting mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't expect very big vines from potted plants. They shouldn't be allowed to get too large, or the root system will be crowded. Another issue is that the support will need to be able to move with the pot, so it won't work well with all support systems. Also, potted grapes don't like their root-balls frozen solid too often, and it can kill them, especially if their mix is wet. I've seen this happen to a patio gardener who forgot to protect the pots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think that grapevines are a small enough investment that it's generally better, if possible, to plant them in the ground, and count on starting anew if you have to move. However, if you foresee yourself moving in the next 5 years or so, you may want to try to keep them in containers for that period of time, and taking them with you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-04T03:51:51.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13942" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13927" CreationDate="2014-09-04T08:15:23.553" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a number of ways you can try and control mosquitoes.I've listed them in order of effectiveness&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Prevent them having a breeding ground and/or kill existing larvae.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically most still water is perfect for mosquito larvae. We had some breeding in an old barrel full of rain and fixed the problem with a bit of washing up liquid; we noticed a huge difference within a couple of days. Bleach would also work.&#xA;If you don't want to put contaminants in the water you may be able to get them with a fine net.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Try and encourage mosquito predators&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bats, tadpoles, dragonflies/damselflies and some small fish will all eat them as either larvae or adults. Of these, dragon/damselflies/frogs/toads and their young will probably do the most damage to the local mozzie population.&#xA;This will probably take a lot of work so unless you already have a small pond or somewhere to shelter bats it's probably not viable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plant strong smelling mosquito repellent plant species.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The citronella geranium is probably the most well known one but there are a lot of plants that will help, particulary as mosquitoes find you by smell so having a generally fragrant garden may be a big help.&#xA;There is a list &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pest-repelling_plants&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; that may help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an aside I've found a product by Avon called skin-so-soft to be particularly effective at repelling mosquitoes (as well as good for your skin).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Addition: Apparently different types of mosquitoes are affected differently by various smells so some plants commonly purported to deter mosquitoes may not necessarily be effective. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8723261&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;This study&lt;/a&gt; suggests that citronella may not even work at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6836" LastEditorUserId="6836" LastEditDate="2014-09-04T11:24:07.080" LastActivityDate="2014-09-04T11:24:07.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13943" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13944" CreationDate="2014-09-04T12:41:21.973" Score="4" ViewCount="3197" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a nice Calathea Medallion in my living room, and it has flowered, and now I'd like to try and plant the seeds. However the flower is a little... funny looking, so to speak, and I wouldn't know what part to plant and under what conditions. So please, how to plant Calathea Medallion seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7112" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-04T21:04:49.027" LastActivityDate="2014-09-04T21:04:49.027" Title="How should I plant Calathea Medallion seeds?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13944" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13943" CreationDate="2014-09-04T13:33:47.977" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can only plant seeds if the flowers produce seeds or seed pods, and they'll only do that if they're pollinated by bees or other insects, and that's unlikely to happen indoors. If the flowers just die off and don't produce any kind of seed or seed capsule, then obviously you won't have any seeds to plant. You could try division, to increase your stock, but it's not easy to do with these particular plants, and there's a high risk of losing the plant altogether. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-04T13:33:47.977" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13946" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13892" CreationDate="2014-09-04T16:47:11.777" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are going for a low-maintenance garden that will not require humans to be there to care for them, I think your best bet is to go with a native plant garden. It will need care while you are establishing it, but once the plants have developed a strong root system, they will require almost no care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you seen the Project Noah? There is a page on Native Flora and Fauna of the Sinai. It might give you some ideas of plants you could use:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.projectnoah.org/missions/11481015&quot;&gt;https://www.projectnoah.org/missions/11481015&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another resource that might be helpful is the Royal Botanic Garden of Jordan. They're doing really interesting work in habitat recreation. When I look on their website, they are currently really focused on the forest habitats which occur in Northern and Eastern Jordan, but they do mention the acacia and sand dune habitats that occur in the south of Jordan near Aqaba and may be close to your native habitat, depending on where exactly you live. You might be able to get more information from them on appropriate plants to use:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://royalbotanicgarden.org/page/investing-people&quot;&gt;http://royalbotanicgarden.org/page/investing-people&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2014-09-04T16:59:54.960" LastActivityDate="2014-09-04T16:59:54.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13943" CreationDate="2014-09-04T20:52:10.773" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Only a few &lt;em&gt;Calathea&lt;/em&gt; species are fertile, and I don't think 'Medallion' is one of them. Of course, if you have a seed capsule, not only a funny flower, post a picture of it. We'll be able to tell which part to plant better. Professionals use cuttings, not seeds, to multiply their stock. This is a very involved process, and I wouldn't recommend you try it until you have a lot more experience in that field.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking the best route will be to leave the plant alone. You can easily but a new plant if you want more.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-04T20:52:10.773" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13948" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13955" CreationDate="2014-09-04T22:12:48.567" Score="7" ViewCount="381" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking through plants, I've started noticing that all the flowers marked that they attract hummingbirds have flowers with deep, tube-like, petals. Meanwhile, it seems like the plants that are marked that they attract butterflies have clusters of tiny, star-shaped flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this just a correlation I've noticed, or do butterflies and hummingbirds actually have a preference for the shape of flowers they visit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's an example of a plant for hummingbirds:&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fc7S4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flame Honeysuckle&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;sup&gt;(&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.delange.org/HoneySuckleFlame/HoneySuckleFlame.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's an example of a plant for butterflies:&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/azick.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Orange Butterfly Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;sup&gt;(&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gurneys.com/product/orange_butterfly_plant/perennials&amp;amp;sid=501681&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastActivityDate="2021-02-05T02:30:02.217" Title="Is it possible to tell by shape of the flower if it will attract butterflies or hummingbirds?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;hummingbirds&gt;&lt;butterflies&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13949" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13956" CreationDate="2014-09-04T23:11:38.560" Score="9" ViewCount="17162" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are having a drought in California, so I'm just wondering if I could reuse salted pasta water (after it cools) to keep the plants hydrated. Is this a good idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7055" LastEditorDisplayName="user7123" LastEditDate="2014-09-07T02:48:07.057" LastActivityDate="2016-01-11T18:30:14.210" Title="Is it okay to use left-over pasta water to water plants, including edibles?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;greywater&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13950" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13949" CreationDate="2014-09-05T02:23:53.567" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're like me, and use some vegetable oil in the water to keep the noodles from sticking together, you'll want to be careful not to get it on the plant itself. The oil will heat up in the sun and burn the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the soil, as long as there is good drainage, I think you should be fine. I might consider not doing so if it's in a container. I'm not sure what effects the oil might have if it sits around the roots, but I would imagine it would suffocate them if it was allowed to collect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T02:23:53.567" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13951" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2014-09-05T02:33:47.480" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the wild, hummingbirds visit flowers for food, extracting nectar, which is 55% sucrose, 24% glucose and 21% fructose.[64] Hummingbirds will also take sugar-water from bird feeders. Such feeders allow people to observe and enjoy hummingbirds up close while providing the birds with a reliable source of energy, especially when flower blossoms are less abundant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22458209&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;negative aspect&lt;/a&gt; of artificial feeders, however, is that the birds may seek less flower nectar for food, and so reduce the amount of pollination their feeding naturally provides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummingbird&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-09-05T02:33:47.480" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T02:33:47.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13952" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2014-09-05T02:33:47.480" Score="0" Body="Hummingbirds are New World birds that are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm (3–5 in) range. &#xD;&#xA;They are known as hummingbirds because of the humming sound created by their beating wings which flap at high frequencies audible to humans. " OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-09-05T02:33:47.480" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T02:33:47.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13953" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2014-09-05T02:43:07.923" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Butterflies feed primarily on nectar from &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/flowers&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;flowers&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;flowers&lt;/a&gt;. Some also derive nourishment from pollen, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/tree&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;tree&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;tree&lt;/a&gt; sap, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/rot&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;rot&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;rot&lt;/a&gt;ting &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/fruits&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;fruits&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;fruits&lt;/a&gt;, dung, decaying flesh, and dissolved minerals in wet sand or dirt. Butterflies are important as pollinators for some species of plants although in general they do not carry as much pollen load as bees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Eggs are almost invariably laid on plants. Each species of butterfly has its own host plant range and while some species of butterfly are restricted to just one species of plant, others use a range of plant species, often including members of a common family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Butterfly larvae, or caterpillars, consume plant &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/leaves&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;leaves&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;leaves&lt;/a&gt; and spend practically all of their time in search of food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-16T18:53:23.593" LastActivityDate="2021-02-16T18:53:23.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="13954" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2014-09-05T02:43:07.923" Score="0" Body="Butterflies are part of the class of Insects in the order Lepidoptera. Moths are also included in this order. Adults butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight." OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-09-05T02:43:07.923" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T02:43:07.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13955" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13948" CreationDate="2014-09-05T03:15:54.543" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you are correct. Hummingbirds have adapted to sip nectar from longer, tubular flowers. You'll notice this when you look at their bill, which is elongated, and often curved to better match the shape of the flowers. Their vision is also adapted to their food source, and they only see black, white, and red. So flowers that are in the orange-pink-purple range will stand out, with red the brightest. So the best hummingbird flowers are red, tubular, and have plenty of nectar (so the birds don't expend as much energy moving from flower to flower).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Butterflies are a little different. They have a proboscis that helps, but they just can't reach that deep into flowers. The flowers butterflies are most comfortable with are shallower than the flowers hummingbirds like. If the flowers are strong enough to support the weight, that's a plus for butterflies, as they don't hover. The most efficient flowers for butterflies will come in groups, like heads or spikes, so that the butterflies don't have to travel so far to get each sip. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And there is some overlap. For instance, out back, we have a large &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campsis_radicans&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;trumpet vine&lt;/a&gt;, which attracts many hummingbirds, some &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddleja&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;butterfly bushes&lt;/a&gt;, which the monarchs and swallowtails cover, and some &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agastache&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;agastache&lt;/a&gt;, which attracts the majority of the smaller skippers and cabbage butterflies. What was interesting is that the hummingbirds would often come down and visit a few purple butterfly bush flowers, but not the lavender agastache. The small butterflies/skippers will visit the butterfly bushes when the agastache was getting crowded. The bigger butterflies would sometimes attempt the agastache, but not often, and no butterflies actually landed on the trumpet vine flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-01T23:56:50.417" LastActivityDate="2016-11-01T23:56:50.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13956" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13949" CreationDate="2014-09-05T03:29:31.110" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're having a drought, I'd say you'll be fine using it for a short period of time. You mentioned adding salt; this will build up in containers every day you use it, and eventually will harm the plant. Don't use for prolonged periods, and dilute it if possible, as far as possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pasta water contains residue full of carbohydrates, so the bacterial activity in the soil will benefit, but it may cause a layer on top of the soil. Also, be sure the water was well strained, because it's not best to leave pieces of pasta in the plants' pots. The fact that the plants are edibles shouldn't be a problem. The pasta water is non-toxic to humans, so safe to use on edibles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="13670" LastEditDate="2016-01-11T18:30:14.210" LastActivityDate="2016-01-11T18:30:14.210" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13957" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13949" CreationDate="2014-09-05T04:11:26.963" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;oil and salt in it might indeed be an issue if you are using just this water and in a container or a place where the drainage is poor. I would not do it personally. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the gain is low considering that you will need to make a pot dirty to gather the water and let it cool down, the water you saved is lost when washing that pot...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7110" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T04:11:26.963" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13958" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13904" CreationDate="2014-09-05T04:13:25.690" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did you have scale, or other insignificant insect pests on the leaves? It could have been &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sooty_mold&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sooty mold&lt;/a&gt;. This mold eats the honeydew and sap that the insects leave, but don't eat the plant itself. If this is the case, the leaf drop was caused by the pests, not the mold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a pic:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G4OfP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sooty mold is not a good sign, and shows that you have an insect problem. You can usually control the pests with neem oil, but if it is scale, you'll have to wipe them with alcohol, such as methylated spirit, or suffocate them with summer oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For now, I'd keep the plant in normal temperature, and give it a weak fertilizer solution, to encourage new growth. Keep it watered, and don't let it dry out. remove and dispose of the leaves that fell. When the plant puts out new leaves, watch it carefully, and treat pests as you find them. Don't use insecticidal soap on new leaves/growth. They may be damaged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-23T04:43:10.463" LastActivityDate="2014-09-23T04:43:10.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13949" CreationDate="2014-09-05T10:43:59.547" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't recommend it long term but in the short term, it should be fine EXCEPT it's salted. Cook your pasta without salt while there's a drought and then use the water. It doesn't really need salt to cook anyway, usually any kind of sauce you're using on the pasta is salted, so its not essential. If you notice a difference in the pasta, return to using salt when the drought is over. Best used on open ground rather than pots, but won't do any harm in pots in the short term (minus the salt). I'm intrigued that you use salt at all when you cook pasta, frankly, I never do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T10:43:59.547" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13960" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13799" CreationDate="2014-09-05T18:02:47.460" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get a cactus :)  I water mine about once a month.  there are some varieties that aren't too prickly.  With literal rocks in the soil, there's virtually no over-flow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7117" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T18:02:47.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13961" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4647" CreationDate="2014-09-05T18:06:10.927" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your soil stays wet for too long, it can lead to root decay and even some fungus problems on the surface of the dirt, moving up to your leaves on your plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a similar problem as my garden is on a slight slope, and it all collects in a bottom corner.  What I did was plant very thirsty plants in the collection areas, such as watermelon to drink it all up.  They love it and it keeps the soil from being a mud pit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7117" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T18:06:10.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13963" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13925" CreationDate="2014-09-05T18:15:34.247" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow a couple vines in my yard.  They are NOT mature plants by any means having been in for 3 seasons now, but still, they grew about 10-15 feet this year after a very aggressive spring pruning.&#xA;you will get the best fruit out of a well-pruned plant.  The new growth encourages it to reproduce, and hence, grapes.&#xA;If you're looking into it for privacy or shade, let it run rampant and you'll have some big vines in a couple years.   After 3 years now, if i didn't prune, i bet the runs would be 40 feet when starting from a 1' plating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7117" LastEditorUserId="7117" LastEditDate="2014-09-05T18:35:47.333" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T18:35:47.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13965" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13966" CreationDate="2014-09-05T21:36:43.253" Score="7" ViewCount="316" Body="&lt;p&gt;I put a mint plant inside a small container, and then proceeded to plant spinach seeds inside it. I have since learned that mint grows rampantly and should be confined.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My poor seedlings! I already thinned them once, they've been in there a little over 2 weeks. Should I transplant the seedlings, or the mint? How and when? I'd love to save them, I'm assuming the mint is going to hog all the nutrients in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vvpmn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7055" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-14T23:24:43.750" LastActivityDate="2017-03-14T23:24:43.750" Title="How can I save spinach seedlings I planted in a pot with mint?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;mint&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;spinach&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13966" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13965" CreationDate="2014-09-05T22:22:08.047" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The spinach seedlings are far more fragile; I'd recommend moving the mint. You can do it anytime, but the sooner the better. As you have just planted the mint, it should come out fairly easily. Be as careful as possible, and don't disturb the spinach seedlings. Repot the mint normally in a new container, and refill the hole in the mix for the spinach. I'd hold down the mix on both sides of the mint, and lift it out. Then I'd clean off the excess soil, until the root ball was it's original planting size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're right about mint being rampant. It should always go in a container on it's own, because it sends out underground runners. And because spinach prefers not to be transplanted, especially at that stage, moving the mint is the right thing to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-05T22:22:08.047" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13967" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13890" CreationDate="2014-09-06T00:41:52.573" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fine folks over at UMass have some information on this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.umass.edu/floriculture/fact-sheets/sugar-and-acidity-preservative-solutions-field-grown-cut-flowers&quot;&gt;http://extension.umass.edu/floriculture/fact-sheets/sugar-and-acidity-preservative-solutions-field-grown-cut-flowers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And similarly, Scientific American had an article back in 2007 quoting several professors on the subject:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-vodka-citrus-sodas-keep-flowers-fresh/&quot;&gt;http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-vodka-citrus-sodas-keep-flowers-fresh/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To summarize these - there's a need to provide &lt;em&gt;some&lt;/em&gt; flowers with a bit of sugar to help feed the flowers.  The acidic component (citric acid, usually) helps to lower the pH which allows the water to travel up the flower more easily.  Adding a little bleach to the water helps to combat the bacterial growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think that the UMass information in particular is useful, particularly the table in the later part of the article where it provides information for a variety of flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The studies they cite indicate that the amount of sugar (if any) needed varies.  Tulips, for instance, don't really benefit from the sugar but would benefit from a little bleach in the water.  Interesting stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-09-06T00:41:52.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13970" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-06T20:01:01.427" Score="4" ViewCount="1206" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not a gardening question per-se, but I believe this is the best exchange for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It had been my observation here in the northern temperate zone that trees growing in low-lying, wet areas change to autumnal colors earlier than nearby woods with better drainage. I have observed the same for pond side trees that aren’t in the midst of a boggy area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First question: Is this observation correct? (i.e., not an example of confirmation bias) and assuming it is...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second question: Why does this happen?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5772" LastActivityDate="2014-09-06T20:58:14.637" Title="Why Do Trees In Swampy or Wet Areas Change Color Earlier?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13970" CreationDate="2014-09-06T20:58:14.637" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, many trees in wetland areas - Maples like Red Maple and Silver Maple as well as Black Gum trees - often change earlier than other areas.  Red Maples in particular can turn rather early.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, I'm not a tree expert but I would say that there isn't a causal relationship here - i.e., the trees turn early &lt;em&gt;because&lt;/em&gt; they are in the wetlands - but rather that some of the trees that do well around the wetlands (Red Maples, sometimes called &quot;Swamp Maples&quot; are chief here) happen to turn color earlier than others.  Those Maples will grow just as well atop my hill here on the farm and they change early here too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sumac is another wetland tree that turns a beautiful reddish orange early.  It will also change early away from the wetlands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other wetlands trees - Tupelo, for instance, doesn't turn or drop its leaves nearly as early as the Red Maple.  Different tree species, same environment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another reason that trees can change color is due to stress.  I had a few trees here on the farm turn earlier than normal a few years ago due to extreme weather.  It &lt;em&gt;probably&lt;/em&gt; doesn't have anything to do with most of those trees though.  It might, but probably not.  Usually the stress is a yearly thing.  Trees that won't grow well in swampy/wet areas don't, well, grow well there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyhow, that's my two cents on it.  Again, I'm no tree expert. I do kayak a lot on lakes and expect to see the Maples changing earlier there than some of the other trees - Oaks and such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-09-06T20:58:14.637" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13972" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13973" CreationDate="2014-09-07T11:23:30.320" Score="5" ViewCount="1175" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm deciding where to put my indoor vegetable garden for the winter. I will use grow lights as the primary light source but part of my decision decision is based on the value of indirect sunlight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is a place that gets several hours of indirect sunlight of any value or should this not be a factor in deciding on a location? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The window faces exactly East. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2628" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-09T17:57:10.640" LastActivityDate="2015-01-24T00:13:42.497" Title="How will indirect sunlight affect indoor tomatoes under grow lights?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13973" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13972" CreationDate="2014-09-07T13:21:51.047" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't go wrong with extra light but the real problem is that the plants will grow towards the light. If you are able to turn the grow area once a week or so then yes, take advantage of the natural light.&#xA;If you cannot turn the grow area then the natural light will cause the plants to lean towards the window and it's a pain and you might as well not bother.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These details are outside the scope of your question but may help you do some planning:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Outside light levels are commonly over &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.leoindustries.com/light_level_recommendations.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;10,000 lux&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;One T-8 will put out &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/NLPIP/lightinganswers/pdf/view/LAT8.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;from 2600 to 3100 Lumen&lt;/a&gt;, this will decrease with time&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Commercial T-8 do not approximate all the needs of growing plants.  A mixture of warm white and cool white bulbs should do but specialized tubes for plant growth can be purchased&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-09-07T13:21:51.047" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13974" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13978" CreationDate="2014-09-07T17:17:35.100" Score="4" ViewCount="645" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbor's vine is poking through the fence. I first caught it trying to choke one of my roses. I cut it away and it's now poking through the fence again. The leaves are heart shaped when you uncurl them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What vine am I looking at?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z2knO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Vine poking through neighbor&amp;#39;s fence. The leaves are heart shaped when uncurled.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7115" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-09-09T14:24:00.940" LastActivityDate="2014-10-07T06:03:04.397" Title="What is this vine with heart-shaped leaves found in Northern California?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13975" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14450" CreationDate="2014-09-07T17:46:32.110" Score="5" ViewCount="985" Body="&lt;p&gt;What kind of Mushrooms are these? I found them growing in my yard near Houston, Texas (UDSA Zone 9a).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on any picture for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zJMCy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zJMCy.jpg&quot; height=&quot;216&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XmZN4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XmZN4.jpg&quot; height=&quot;216&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zPEEU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zPEEU.jpg&quot; height=&quot;216&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L62Jn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L62Jn.jpg&quot; height=&quot;216&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5707" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-21T23:54:05.723" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T22:24:20.553" Title="What are these mushrooms growing in the shade in Houston, Texas?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8728" CreationDate="2014-09-08T05:28:28.223" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are basically 2 steps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Introduce bacteria&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can do so by adding some from a shop, or&#xA;if you have none available put some sand from a running aquarium in&#xA;your pond/fish tank. Just get a small jar of it and put it in the&#xA;tank. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Another solution would be to put a sponge in a running&#xA;aquarium, let it there for few days, then put in your tank. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Another solution is to take the sponge from the filter of a running aquarium and&#xA;&quot;wash&quot; it in your new tank. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the above will give you an&#xA;initial colony.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grow the bacteria&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You will need to feed them. Just drop a bit of&#xA;fish food in the tank, like if you were feeding a single goldfish. You can also add a spoon of sugar (just a teaspoon, not too much) to boost the process.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then monitor your nitrites, they will stay stable for a while, then&#xA;suddenly rise, then drop to an acceptable level. You'll be fine by&#xA;then. But be careful when populating, not to start a second nitrites&#xA;peak.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7110" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-09T00:34:20.510" LastActivityDate="2014-09-09T00:34:20.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13978" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13974" CreationDate="2014-09-08T12:36:39.670" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;it appears to be Fallopia baldschuanica, commonly known as Russian Vine and, most aptly, Mile a Minute vine, because it does grow extremely fast. It is deciduous, with a height and spread of 12 metres by 4 metres. I reckon that 'height' figure is a conservative estimate, I once found one in a derelict garden which had grown through an underground pipe 10 metres long, having entered the garden concerned through the old fence from the garden behind, then penetrating into the pipe and out the other end, where it had rampaged across the whole garden. Generally, people who plant this vine have no idea that they should have bought a machete at the same time, and if they've planted it somewhere within 50 feet of another garden, it will rapidly become a very unwelcome guest there. It's probably time to have a word with your neighbours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-08T12:36:39.670" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13979" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14001" CreationDate="2014-09-08T16:14:57.543" Score="5" ViewCount="22531" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are these little black things on my cucumber plants that have started appearing recently.&#xA;They are more concentrated towards the 'top' of the plant.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;They don't seem to be eating away the leaves or anything like that at the moment but they don't look benign.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tomatoes, zinnias, lettuce and eggplants nearby and the only other plant I see them on are the eggplants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nlpda.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QO1ZR.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A0SZA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried Neem spray (I used &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bayeradvanced.com/insects-pests/products/natria-neem-oil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bayer Advanced - Natria Neem ready to use spray&lt;/a&gt;) but it had no effect whatsoever:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DXhjV.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions on what they are and how to treat them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="474" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-10T14:56:23.407" LastActivityDate="2019-06-23T17:03:30.540" Title="What are these small black things appearing on my cucumber leaves, and are they harmful?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13980" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13982" CreationDate="2014-09-08T16:48:59.830" Score="7" ViewCount="1865" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pothos plant&lt;/a&gt; for my work desk. Right now it's a standard a 5 inch diameter pot. I'd like to raise the plant up some, above the surface of the desk, maybe 12 to 24 inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want to use an obtrusive stand (one with lots of decorations decoration), I'm looking for something that has a small footprint, so that it takes up as little desk space as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any products or homemade solutions that would accomplish this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7132" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-09-08T19:45:14.267" LastActivityDate="2014-09-10T16:44:58.790" Title="Is there a way I can keep my plant off of my desk?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13981" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13980" CreationDate="2014-09-08T17:09:40.023" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;At an 18-24&quot; height, you will expect some stands to be somewhat wider at the base. The least obtrusive material you can use is probably going to be steel, as it can be sufficiently strong without taking up much space. So a simple style like one of these might be useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RIA3I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/945G2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want wood, expect a more bulky stand, but possibly with a shelf which could be useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xjS74.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q39KE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are so many pot stands, they should be easy to find. there is some worry if you're clumsy and tend to knock stuff over, because most of the weight will be on top, unless the pothos is very heavy with long vines. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-08T17:09:40.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13980" CreationDate="2014-09-08T17:49:53.890" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's the solution I went with. A local plastic company custom-made this clear acrylic &quot;display riser&quot; for me. It's 12 inches high with an 8 inch square base. Cost about $20.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZyFcN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Please excuse the shaky camera.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These display risers are the things you usually see in stores that raise merchandise off of a table (think a jewelry department, for example).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One great advantage of this shape is the available space below the stand. The clear acrylic also doesn't visually darken my desk space like a dark metal stand would.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7132" LastEditorUserId="7132" LastEditDate="2014-09-10T16:44:58.790" LastActivityDate="2014-09-10T16:44:58.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13983" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13984" CreationDate="2014-09-08T19:02:44.403" Score="4" ViewCount="939" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to be amending my garden soil soon, after I take care of all the rocks, so I'll be dumping in a lot of compost to fix the horrible clay soil I'm left with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I be worried about adding too much compost, or should I just add as much as I possibly can?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastActivityDate="2014-09-08T19:35:54.490" Title="Is it possible to add too much compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13984" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13983" CreationDate="2014-09-08T19:35:54.490" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is very hard to add too much good compost, I don't think you will have that problem. But, a healthy soil does have a good amount of mineral content. If what you are amending is mostly subsoil, the ratio of compost/soil can be very high. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When organic matter decomposes, it makes humic acid, which is commonly used in labs to break apart minerals. Subsoil is almost all mineral, but soil tests often show a very small part of those minerals are available to plants. This makes most people want to add powdered minerals to the soil, to bring up the number to where it should be, not realizing that all the minerals are there, all they need is to apply organic matter, especially with some that is still actively decomposing. This will drastically increase the amount of available minerals in the existing soil. The humus rich material will also aid in drainage and water retaining capacity, as well as providing the plants with the ideal root zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it's important that there is still some mineral soil mixed in, at least for most plants. And it helps to have decomposing plant matter on the soil at all times, like quickly decomposing mulches (grass clippings come to mind), to keep the available mineral content up where it needs to be for best plant health. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, as decomposing plant matter produces acid, compost is often acidic, so I'd test the soil after the compost has been added, to see if it is at a good level for the growth of the plants you intend to cultivate in that area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-08T19:35:54.490" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13985" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13987" CreationDate="2014-09-08T21:53:02.693" Score="4" ViewCount="335" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ts4Xs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3or7b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think this is happening because this lettuce is ready to harvest and it's been sitting in there too long?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I discovered one slug (is that a slug?) which I can remove... but there are also all these black dots (I'm assuming someone's excrement) all over the lettuce. Questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;a) Why did this happen?&#xA;b) Should I still eat the lettuce?&#xA;c) How do I actually harvest Batavian lettuce?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7055" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-14T23:21:23.073" LastActivityDate="2017-03-14T23:21:23.073" Title="What to do about a slug and excrement on my Batavian lettuce?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13980" CreationDate="2014-09-08T23:07:23.213" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hang it from the ceiling, or a bracket mounted to the wall or your partition. If the space is available, get an even larger stand for the floor. Also, be wary of using the desk space below a bucket of dirt you pour water into often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7134" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-09T02:36:47.933" LastActivityDate="2014-09-09T02:36:47.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13987" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13985" CreationDate="2014-09-08T23:14:30.423" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That doesn't look like a slug, because it looks like it has segments. I think it's a caterpillar. And that looks more like caterpillar excrement. But if it is an unusually marked slug, it will be slimy. Caterpillars are dry, and have legs. Whatever the case, good job finding it. Getting rid of it is easy and disgusting. You should pick it off (you don't have to use your skin if that bothers you), and kill it (squash, cut in half, etc). That may be the only one you have. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, to answer your questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;a) Why did this happen?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is pest damage. You found the pest and control will be easy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;b) Should I still eat the lettuce?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can. Make sure it is thoroughly washed first, but it is still edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;c) How do I actually harvest Batavian lettuce?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can harvest in whatever way is convenient. The most efficient way, total production wise, is to harvest on a regular basis, removing a few of the oldest leaves (the ones on the outside of the rosette) at each harvest. This keeps the plants productive, and the leaves fresh. Alternatively, you can wait until the plant has formed a somewhat denser head, and cut it off at soil level. This way, you'll get it all at once, and the plant may not grow back from the base, if you cut the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-08T23:14:30.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13988" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13980" CreationDate="2014-09-09T02:50:02.667" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd use a floor standing adjustable height wrought iron sheperd's hook, like this one&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.save-on-crafts.com/hookadjustable.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.save-on-crafts.com/hookadjustable.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can set it up next to your desk, it completely frees up your desk space, has no decoration, and is adjustable as your plant grows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the product description&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Great for hanging lanterns, wreaths, or planters, the adjustable black&#xA;  iron shepherds hook is made of sturdy wrought iron. The height is&#xA;  adjustable, from 34&quot; to 55&quot; and it stands on a 10&quot; wide base. The hook&#xA;  holds 40 lbs. Made from tough materials, the hook it is weather&#xA;  resistant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DdlMn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7136" LastEditorUserId="7136" LastEditDate="2014-09-09T02:57:26.167" LastActivityDate="2014-09-09T02:57:26.167" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13989" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-09T12:35:31.603" Score="7" ViewCount="4413" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently purchased a small cactus plant from my local store for about $5.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been giving the cactus lots of sunlight and a good watering every week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've noticed that since I bought it, the other cactii at the store have sprouted long and deadly looking spikes of at least 2 inches in length. My cactus has extra little clones growing out of it but its spikes are stunted and disappointing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why won't my cactus grow spikes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My cactus is of this variety:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BmR4I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;opuntia&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Update&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well it's been about 8 months and my cactus has finally started to grow spines!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I stopped watering it altogether, but instead gave it a good misting every day. Once I increased the frequency of the misting, it grew a new head with spines of the sharp variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7137" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-01-21T00:39:18.740" Title="Why Hasn't my Cactus Grown Deadly Spines?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13989" CreationDate="2014-09-09T13:41:25.640" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are they like the ones in the photo?  Those are the &quot;juvenile&quot; spines. Depending on the variety they will fall off, or they will develop in to proper spines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cactus is an &lt;em&gt;Opuntia&lt;/em&gt; or prickly pear. These hybridize easily and they are the most diverse type of cactus. They are also very easy to grow. Not all of the classic &quot;pad&quot; Opuntia (like yours) develop spines. There are spineless varieties which have been bred for gardens (or I assume so - I see them in garden centers but never seen a proper species name associated with them in books/etc). These develop the &quot;juvenile&quot; soft spines which drop off. A few of the hairs might be left behind, so you don't want to blindly run your hand over the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also &quot;furry&quot; types which are technically spineless. These don't develop spines but develop a lot more hairs than usual. Look very pretty but the hairs are a lot more painful than the spines! &quot;Cinnamon Bunny Ears&quot; is a common name for one of these varieties that you often see for sale here in Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2014-09-09T13:41:25.640" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13991" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-09T15:09:27.617" Score="5" ViewCount="22760" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have strange plants growing among my redcurrant/raspberries and close to cobnut trees . They have a single fleshy stem, no foliage, are about a foot tall and have a cluster of bright red berries at the top 2-3 inches of the stem. I had thought that they were some sort of fungus, however they have roots like a small rhizome and are also in clusters. What are they and could they be harmful to the other plants nearby? The redcurrants have been poor this summer, and one bush has had to be dug up and destroyed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7138" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-09T17:05:21.153" LastActivityDate="2020-06-04T16:01:44.080" Title="What plant has no foliage and clusters of red berries on top of a fleshy 1' stem?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13992" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-09T15:26:41.897" Score="5" ViewCount="296" Body="&lt;p&gt;We grow cacti indoors due to the weather (UK).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should we look for when selecting lights? We have had mixed results with a new lighting system and have started to lose some.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hYseU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;See one of the old guys clearly dying/dead and my precious Euphorbia Obesa beginning to bolt&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See one of the old guys clearly dying/dead and my precious Euphorbia Obesa beginning to bolt&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7139" LastEditorUserId="7139" LastEditDate="2014-09-16T23:02:24.077" LastActivityDate="2014-09-17T02:40:27.787" Title="What should I look for when selecting lights for indoor cacti?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13993" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4493" CreationDate="2014-09-09T15:59:10.650" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peace Lilies can be very melodramatic when it comes to a watering schedule. Even when the plant is drooping all over the place, it can often be saved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The drooping leaves indicates that it's not getting enough water. This can be caused by three things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;1. The soil is not moist&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the soil is not moist, then water until water comes out of the bottom of the pot, and let sit for 24 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;2. The soil is not aerated&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roots actually require air in order to absorb water. If your pot does not have a hole at the bottom for water to drain out of, then the water will pool around the roots, and as strange as it sounds, drown them. The best pots, in my opinion, are the ones that have a hole at the bottom, and a small saucer to catch over flowing water. This keeps your floor clean, and your soil healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before you repot, you can take a skewer, hard plastic drinking straw, or pen, and just stab them deep into the soil to aerate it a bit. This'll temporarily revive a plant that isn't getting enough oxygen in the soil, and allow you to analyze the conditions further. For example, if it seems to be more root than soil, your plant is rootbound. If there are puddle of water, it's drowning. If there is soggy, brown, stringy bits, then it probably has root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;3. The roots are dying, and cannot take up water&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your plant has root rot, then when you remove it from the pot, and gently soak the roots, many of them will be brown, wilted, and dying. Generally, if a plant has root rot, it's going to be more difficult to save than it is to get a new one. However, I know that peace lilies are common gifts at funerals, and if this is the case it may not &lt;strong&gt;be&lt;/strong&gt; replaceable. You can cut off all of the brown rotting materials, or anything fuzzy, soak the roots in warm water for a few minutes, and repot the plant.&#xA;&lt;em&gt;Root rot is commonly caused by overwatering, or standing water.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your plant is rootbound, then you'll see more root than soil, and big thick white/tan roots. If it's rootbound, it just needs a bigger pot, and to have the outer roots broken. Typically, you just kindof rub the outside of the pot shaped soil, and poke it with your fingers, until it's no longer pot shaped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's two different guides on repotting Peace Lillies.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/repot-huge-peace-lily-68569.html&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/repot-huge-peace-lily-68569.html&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_2330181_repot-peace-lily.html&quot;&gt;http://www.ehow.com/how_2330181_repot-peace-lily.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7140" LastActivityDate="2014-09-09T15:59:10.650" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13991" CreationDate="2014-09-09T16:05:12.203" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most likely Arum - &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arum_maculatum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Arum maculatum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arum_italicum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Arum italicum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; in particular. Common names include Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies in the UK, with other common names in other parts of the world. They do have leaves earlier in the year, which you may not have noticed, but by the time the berries form, the leaves have all died back. Contact with any part of the plant may cause an allergic reaction in some people, but only the berries are toxic - said to be highly so if ingested, though there is some argument about that. The berries contain something that makes consuming them like eating needles, so most people never eat enough to be killed, though swelling of the mouth and tongue might mean they asphyxiate.  They're commonly found in association with trees, and in disturbed soil (disturbed can mean simply cultivated). The only thing that gives me pause is the height - usually, the stalks with the berries clustered around are about 6-8 inches in height. Be good to see a photograph. There is no evidence that they are allelopathic, though the presence of this plant in quantity could mean deprivation of nutrients and water to your other plants in the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures of &lt;em&gt;A. italicum&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruits:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NPFIw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zGFR1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures of &lt;em&gt;A. maculatum&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruits:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8gRa9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rrd6p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-09T17:34:06.977" LastActivityDate="2014-09-09T17:34:06.977" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13995" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="13997" CreationDate="2014-09-09T18:25:03.103" Score="3" ViewCount="991" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in zone six. The coldest it gets in the winter here is something like -10 degrees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a couple plants in pots that will need to make it through the winter. They're all cold hardy plants, so they should be fine outside. But I was thinking that since they're in pots, their roots will be more exposed to cold, as opposed to if they were in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this something I should worry about? Do I need to bring potted plants inside during the winter to keep their roots from getting cold? Or is there something I can do to protect them outside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-11-19T22:47:48.593" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T20:00:46.860" Title="Do I have to bring my potted plants inside during the winter?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13996" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13995" CreationDate="2014-09-09T18:56:37.490" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As long as the pots aren't overly wet when they freeze, they should be fine. Shallow rooted plants like blueberries are used to their entire root system freezing anyway. If they're hardy in the ground, then with proper care, they'll be hardy in pots as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The biggest problem I've seen with these is that the bottom of the pot will be the last thing to thaw, and this leads to moisture buildup in the pot. Say the pot is frozen, and you get 8&quot; of snow. The next day, the sun comes out and the snow melts, and drains into the top of the potting mix, which has thawed, and fills the side of the container that the sun is shining on. That night, it refreezes. If this repeats all winter, the results won't be good. I always put a waterproof light-colored covering over the top of soil before winter, to keep that from happening. There won't be much evaporation in winter, so it's better to err on the side of too dry than too wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing to keep in mind is that dark pots, such as black or dark green (very common) heat up a lot in sunlight, so that in winter, the roots at the edges of the pots may warm up to over 70°F., while the core of the pot is still frozen solid. Not good for the plant at all. So I often insulate the outsides of the pots, and cover that with something light in color, like canvas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On bringing the pots inside, that is usually a bad idea. Most cold hardy plants use winter as a dormant rest period. Having it be room temperature, or even 50°, will be confusing to the plant. It may try to put out growth too early, and harm itself that way, not having fully recuperated from the previous season's growth. It's also possible, if you are dealing with fruiting plants, that they require the cold period to form flower buds. When a flowering plant is labeled 'zones 4-8', chances are they will survive in higher zones, but won't flower and fruit properly, or may not go completely dormant, and lose vigor that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I recommend protecting them outside, and not trying to overwinter them indoors.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-19T20:00:46.860" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T20:00:46.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13997" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13995" CreationDate="2014-09-09T19:01:00.597" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The general rule is that if the plants are hardy two zones colder than where you live, they'll be fine outside in pots. So for you that would mean they'll be fine if the plants are hardy to zone 4. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are not hardy down to zone 4 or you just want a little extra insurance there are still a few things you could try:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clustering the pots and then covering them with mulch. Strawbales or fallen leaves held in by chicken wire both work for this.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Heeling the pots in. I sometimes do this in my vegetable garden, where I don't mind digging a big hole to bury a pot or two. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Overwintering in the garage. If you have space, this will give them some protection from the cold. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-09T19:03:51.733" LastActivityDate="2014-09-09T19:03:51.733" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13998" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13965" CreationDate="2014-09-09T22:06:36.333" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As long as you've fertilized and the soil was sterilized potting soil, I wouldn't touch anything.  Make sure that your seedlings get enough SUN.  You'll have spinach way before the mint takes over.  Plants LOVE being cuddled up with other plants and spinach will grow just fine with the mint.  Maybe not next year but right now everything is fine.  As long as they are getting enough light your spinach will thrive!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mint will take over the entire pot next year.  Chop it back (cut back to nubs with a few leaves)in the spring and the year following you should probably get a bigger container for the mint. Bare soil just begs for something to grow in it. Spinach doesn't like transplanting.  Again, as long as you have fertilized (or use Osmocote 14-14-14) neither the spinach or mint will suffer this year! Maybe find a place in your garden where the mint can grow with abandon...very pretty tall ground cover.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No big deal! Plants love growing together. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-09-09T22:06:36.333" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="13999" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14015" CreationDate="2014-09-09T22:44:14.283" Score="5" ViewCount="664" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mushroom #1:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NIAwj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mushroom #2:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4jG5z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mushroom #1:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fy2fu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mushroom #2:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z1Mo1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mushroom #2:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KRH3m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mushroom #1:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zEkOz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lower left is #2 and center, upper right is #1:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EmTUj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried and tried over the internet to find out what these mushrooms are that I have growing out in my horse paddock.  I'll provide pictures soon but I have to go out and pull them up every other day.  I fill a 5 gallon bucket each time.  The last time I decided to go to bed and clean them up the next morning my quarter horse jumped the 4.5' electric fence before I cleaned up the mushrooms. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am thinking he ate the dang mushrooms and went nuts. There are two different 'srooms; one is white capped, not a parasol, a bullet shape, with tan colored mottling, black gills and forms in groups and gets about 2&quot; H X 1&quot; W...also white stalks with no skirts or bands.  All of this is in the horse's poop...(sprayed with pyrethrins for flies).  The other is a bright white with a dusty coat, enlarging to a slight parasol with grey gills also forming groups of bullet shaped caps at first.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have gotten headaches trying to ID these mushrooms off the internet.  Fill a 5 gallon bucket every other day. Any ideas?  Let me know if you need any more pictures. The mushroom #2 has pitch black gills, I can add more if necessary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-11T21:39:47.840" LastActivityDate="2014-09-12T15:44:58.513" Title="What are these mushrooms?" Tags="&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13865" CreationDate="2014-09-10T00:16:27.250" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wanted to try one more thing before getting new bird feeders, so I looked at changing the seed instead. Reading about it, it was suggested that nyjer(thistle) seed would be attractive to finches, but not larger birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I filled the taller bird feeder with nothing but nyjer seed, and the lantern feeder with a mix of seeds meant for finches which contains mostly milo seeds, millet, and wheat. The nyjer seed seems to be helping in that it doesn't get knocked off the feeder and onto the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was trying to avoid sunflower seeds, because those are what I think was attracting the larger birds so much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's been a little over a week and I haven't seen any blackbirds around. I also haven't seen any cardinals, but that's okay with me. Now I regularly see house finches and chickadees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastActivityDate="2014-09-10T00:16:27.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14001" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13979" CreationDate="2014-09-10T03:12:18.957" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe those are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flea_beetle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;flea beetles&lt;/a&gt;, from the family Chrysomelidae. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They can be a bad pest, but I have successfully ridded them from my property, and haven't seen one here for some time. I've successfully used neem oil, but I use  2% mix, which is twice as strong as what you used. Maybe that explains why it worked so well for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some of the ideas I've tried that worked for me. I apologize for the length of this list. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stressed plants are the most attractive to flea beetles. Improving conditions has been shown to drastically lower attack.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Organic fertilizers usually contain micro-nutrients and makes the plants more pest resistant as compared with conventional fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chinese southern giant mustard is very attractive to flea beetles, and is often planted near affected plants to draw them off.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sticky traps (white or yellow) trap quite a few, but should be used along with another control method.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adult beetles overwinter in the litter/plant growth on the soil, under the host plants. ploughing and rototilling has been used successfully, to work up the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Microcotonus vittage&lt;/em&gt; is a braconid wasp that controls adult beetles.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem_oil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Neem oil&lt;/a&gt; is what I personally use.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotenone&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rotenone&lt;/a&gt; is another natural control.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrethrin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pyrethrin&lt;/a&gt; is a common and effective natural insecticide that I've used in the past.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kaolin clay controls beetles, but may stick on the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Diatomaceous earth can be effective.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Herbicidal soaps are effective, but also kill all the beneficials.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Garlic oil is a good deterrent.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also see:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4083/how-can-i-deal-with-the-beetles-eating-my-grapevine&quot;&gt;How can I deal with the beetles eating my grapevine?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/11116/pumpkin-sprout-and-pepper-plants-have-holes-in-leaves/11123#11123&quot;&gt;Pumpkin sprout and pepper plants have holes in leaves&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-09-11T01:05:20.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14002" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14003" CreationDate="2014-09-10T04:10:35.303" Score="4" ViewCount="795" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few clumps of umbrella grass that are getting very overgrown.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;They are planted at the edge of my court yard (pictures below).  I live in Houston TX.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my first house and I inherited a fantastic landscape in the courtyard, but I'm still trying to figure out how to take care of all these plants. I browsed through &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2532/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;dave's garden's&lt;/a&gt; entry on the umbrella plant but I can't seem to find any direction on how I'm supposed to control the growth of this grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the looks of some of the posts, it seems like even if I completely cut down all the grass at the stalks, the roots should allow it to regrow. Just to be clear, I'm &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; trying to kill/get rid the grass, i'm just trying to &lt;strong&gt;keep them from growing so big&lt;/strong&gt; (the bigger clumps are 6 feet tall and have a ground covering diameter even wider, taking up all the walk space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e9cu8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u7EKH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7142" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2014-09-11T15:26:13.520" LastActivityDate="2014-09-11T15:26:13.520" Title="How should I control the growth of my umbrella grass?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14003" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14002" CreationDate="2014-09-10T04:25:19.450" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_alternifolius&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cyperus alternifolius&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, so not really a grass at all. What you're trying to do will probably be accomplished best by division.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is best done in winter in your area, because there'll be a good deal less heat stress on the plants. I would use a sharp spade. The easiest way would be to pry up the entire clump, and then cut out sections that are at least 8&quot; in diameter. Cut about half the leaves from each segment, taking out the longest ones first, back to the plant crown. Replant as soon as possible, spacing as desired. Water very, very well for a long time. Do not let the starts dry out. Any leftover plants can be given away or disposed of. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also leave the clump in the ground, and dig out pieces from around the clump you wish to leave. This is harder, but leaves a plant with an established root system. This will leave a trench around the plant, which will need to be backfilled with good topsoil. Remember to keep the plant watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-10T04:25:19.450" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13979" CreationDate="2014-09-10T13:18:18.860" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree they're most likely flea beetles - close examination of the pics shows very small holes appearing in leaves. You can try this to control them: 2 parts rubbing alcohol, 5 parts water and 1 tablespoon of liquid soap, mixed in a sprayer, spray all leaves, including the backs, till run off. This 'recipe' is from the Old Farmers Almanac - the only thing that troubles me about it is, it doesn't specify what kind of liquid soap, but I'm guessing an eco dishwashing liquid might be fine, or horticultural soap solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flea beetles will be present in the ground over winter - dig over the soil in autumn/fall to unearth them a bit, then again in spring. Try to delay planting your crops for a couple of weeks after the time you'd normally put them out - this will deprive the beetles of a food source for longer, and delay their laying of eggs, which they do at the base of food plants. Remove your existing crops as soon as they're over, don't leave them in the soil over winter - flea beetle larvae feed at the roots. This is a good time to dig over the area too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flea beetles aren't much of a threat in terms of devouring leaves on mature plants, but they can spread bacterial diseases from plant to plant, and are much more of a threat to young plants or seedlings. Treat any crops as soon as you notice anything next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-09-10T13:33:20.100" LastActivityDate="2014-09-10T13:33:20.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14005" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-10T18:51:52.347" Score="7" ViewCount="77803" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn which is a combination of clover, moss, crabgrass, dandelions and occasionally some grass is going to be aerated in two weeks.  I want to know the immediate steps to take after the cores are pulled.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read the two best things to do are to leave the cores and to water the lawn because this will help the roots.  I have also read NOT to water because it will just re-encouraged the ground to become compacted.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone have insights?   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&#xA;My goal is to eventually get the soil prepped and ready for growing a healthier thicker lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3593" LastEditorUserId="3593" LastEditDate="2014-09-15T16:09:07.853" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T17:05:32.397" Title="What immediate steps should I take after my lawn is aerated?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;aeration&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="13" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14006" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14007" CreationDate="2014-09-11T07:23:11.210" Score="4" ViewCount="1486" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some wooden wine boxes that I am going to use for lettuces. I am using Danish Oil to finish the boxes (two coats) so they can be a bit waterproofed. I might also add some corner reinforcements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I line the boxes with something, so the wood is separated from the soil? I could use a heavy felt or burlap perhaps. I am asking out of concern for both the wood rotting, as well as contaminating the soil by bringing it into contact with the Danish Oil (even though to my knowledge this is a fairly weak varnish).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7055" LastActivityDate="2014-09-12T02:04:29.197" Title="Wooden containers finished with Danish Oil- should I line them?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14007" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14006" CreationDate="2014-09-11T10:20:16.620" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wood will last longer when it is not wet. Lining the boxes with thick plastic or even pool liner will extend the life of the boxes. You must have drainage holes in the bottom for the water to go somewhere. Felt or burlap will break down. If your project is only expected to last a few years then they are good choices.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil is heavy, wet soil even more so.  Please give thought to where you put them as the weight, when wet, can be more than you anticipated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I looked up Danish varnish.  There are numerous formulations. Here is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?c=&amp;amp;cat=1,190,42942&amp;amp;p=45105&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;one&lt;/a&gt; which specifically says &quot;Food safe&quot;. If the manufacturer chooses to add other ingredients they can still call it Danish Varnish but it might not be food safe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Becky asks about what size of drainage holes. The larger they are the more you need a screen of piece of landscape fabric to prevent the soil from washing out. You could make four x one inch diameter holes with a spade bit and an electric drill or make eight x half inch diameter with a regular bit and drill or sixteen x one quarter inch.....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A piece of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geotextile&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;geotextile&lt;/a&gt; or landscape fabric which covers the holes is a small investment of great utility.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-09-12T02:04:29.197" LastActivityDate="2014-09-12T02:04:29.197" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14008" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14010" CreationDate="2014-09-11T17:14:43.983" Score="2" ViewCount="907" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just purchased a home with a great big bag yard with a connecting courtyard, which is so rare in a city like Houston, TX. I've consulted most mosquito control websites which usually recommend prevention in the form of getting rid of standing water and keeping the grass and weeds under control.  I'm still identifying my plants to see which ones encourage mosquito habitat and such. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now to the meat of my question. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have one water feature which is directly across my porch. Its a small fountain with a pump to pull water from the lower basin to the smaller top basin to make the water flow down. The birds love it, so I'm hoping that will contribute to keeping the pests down. I'm also thinking about planting chrysanthemum around the fountain to help with the mosquito issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought of the idea when I saw an add for mosquito spraying which contained Pyrethrum. Research showed that it came from chrysanthemums. So why not just plant chrysanthemums? The thing is I don't understand how just planting the chrysanthemums will help at all? Its not like mosquitoes eat them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7142" LastActivityDate="2014-09-11T17:34:30.050" Title="Will chrysanthemums help with my mosquito problems?" Tags="&lt;mosquito&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14006" CreationDate="2014-09-11T17:14:51.603" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Kevinsky is correct, you'll need to line them to extend their lives. And they still need drainage. I think using varnish will help in any case, but what I'd do is a little different. I'd plant the plants in other pots, and place them in the wine box, so that it looks like they are growing from the box. This will make the result a lot lighter to lift, as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That way, you can use a few bigger plants, or more smaller ones. You can arrange them, and remove individual plants if necessary (say, if one gets a disease). You can also use straw or Spanish moss or something similar to fill in between the pots, making it look like a single planting. That'll also help with stability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But you will still want it lined, to keep anything damp from remaining in contact with the wood. This will help even varnished wood last longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also find a close-fitting insert pot, if you want one large pot. Usually, all though it's attractive, wood isn't the ideal pot material. It's a popular style, though, and although there are alternatives, people always seem to want wood. You could make your own wine box from heart redwood (very rot resistant), and varnish that. That would last a long time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-11T17:14:51.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14010" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14008" CreationDate="2014-09-11T17:34:30.050" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, we live in a wet area, and we also plant chrysanthemums. They will not keep the mosquitoes away, or even help. Not just any plants from the genus &lt;em&gt;Chrysanthemum&lt;/em&gt; will do. People derive the insecticide 'pyrethrin' from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/chrysanthemum-cinerariifolium-pyrethrum-seeds&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chrysanthemum Cinerariifolium&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, which isn't the common garden chrysanthemum, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.outsidepride.com/seed/flower-seed/chrysanthemum/chrysanthemum-robinsons-red.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chrysanthemum Coccineum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or painted daisy. Even planting one of these won't keep away the mosquitoes, much less planting one of the more common button chrysanthemums for fall decoration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For more information on mosquito control, see:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/367/what-plants-will-deter-mosquitoes&quot;&gt;What plants will deter mosquitoes?&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4326/what-is-this-allegedly-mosquito-repellent-trailing-plant-with-dark-green-heart&quot;&gt;What is this (allegedly) mosquito-repellent trailing plant with dark green heart-shaped leaves?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1039/how-do-i-keep-mosquitos-out-of-my-fountain&quot;&gt;How do I keep mosquitos out of my fountain?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13927/how-can-i-keep-mosquitoes-out-of-my-yard&quot;&gt;How can I keep mosquitoes out of my yard?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-09-11T17:34:30.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14011" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14012" CreationDate="2014-09-12T01:04:14.750" Score="4" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, again being a newb as I am...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted some spinach seeds in these black plastic pots that I transplanted other plants from. There is a good 3 inches of height in the planter with no soil. It's been over 10 days at this point, and I've seen nothing make its way up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could this be happening because the seeds aren't getting enough light because they were planted too shallow in the pot? For more context, I've got another container with spinach right next to these that are doing just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/znxiO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7055" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-12T03:22:36.353" LastActivityDate="2014-09-12T03:22:36.353" Title="Would spinach seeds not sprout because they are planted too low in the pot?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;spinach&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14012" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14011" CreationDate="2014-09-12T03:05:57.413" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That seems very unlikely. Seeds actually don't generally need that much light to sprout.  They need warmth and moisture. If they've been on your deck as they are now, they are almost certainly getting enough light. And, actually, 10 days isn't that long to wait for spinach to sprout. It tends to take a bit longer than some of the other garden seeds. I'm impressed that you have one pot that is already sprouting. That said, there are a few things which could cause them to take longer than your other pot:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Did you plant them at the same depth under the soil? If they are buried deeper in the soil, they will take longer to emerge.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are the seeds from the same packet? If you mixed seeds from different packets, it could be that some are fresher or have better viability than the others. If you still have extra seeds from the packet, you can test their viability by placing a few in a wet paper towel and then keeping them in the towel in a ziplock bag. Do they all spout or do you have a high number that do not sprout? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are the pots kept at the same temperature/moisture level? I know you said the pot that sprouted is next to these, but is it possible that it has a spot that gets a little more sunlight or is a little closer to a source of heat (the house, a dryer vent, etc.)? Is it getting a different amount of water than these two? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Did you pre-treat any of the seeds? Spinach has a very thick seed coat, which is why it tends to take a bit longer than other seeds to sprout. People sometimes soak the seeds before planting to help the seed coat split easier. If you soaked some but not all of your seeds, this could explain why some sprouted earlier.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-09-12T03:05:57.413" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14013" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14014" CreationDate="2014-09-12T06:22:42.500" Score="5" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been searching the web online, and the ideas are all conflicting. Some websites would say cacti are unable to grow in glass jars because the heat trapped will cook the cactus, and other websites say that it is possible to grow cacti in glass jars as long as the soil composition and drainage is right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With that being said, how does one go about growing a cactus in a terrarium, assuming that it can be grown in one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7144" LastActivityDate="2014-09-12T18:01:31.737" Title="How does one go about growing a cactus in a terrarium?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14014" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14013" CreationDate="2014-09-12T11:35:06.743" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, maybe you could also explain why you'd prefer a terrarium. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A Cactus can easily be happy out of the terrarium in a room, there is no need for a terrarium, Terrarium gets hot and humid exactly opposite what a cactus is used to&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They are used to hot and dry lands, and their fleshy organs will fail in humid or cold weathers, bacteria and diseases will kill them in such situations.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if you still need to grow one in a terrarium:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Be sure it doesn't get sultry, proper air conditioning, with different holes up and down the terrarium so that cool air comes from bottom and hot air moves out from top holes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;you need to be very careful about watering the cactus, if it receives water and gets only a little warm, it's gonna get swollen and get a bad shape or even die. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A bigger terrarium, would be easier to control &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;And I don't know if it's possible for you or not, but I saw a guy who had hooked up an &lt;a href=&quot;http://arduino.cc/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;arduino&lt;/a&gt; with some sensors and fans to control the humidity and temperature of his terrarium, well since a cactus is very sensitive in a terrarium, maybe you could use one like that as a big help.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7146" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-12T18:01:31.737" LastActivityDate="2014-09-12T18:01:31.737" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14015" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13999" CreationDate="2014-09-12T15:13:10.437" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Firstly let me say that mushroom identification is a precise art and that many fungi require a whole host of things to identify them 100%, sometimes including microscopes. Therefore take my identification with a pinch of salt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure mushroom #2 is a snowy ink cap (coprinopsis nivea/niveus), which is known for its preference of growing on manure. It's debated how toxic it is as it has both edible and toxic relatives but I would assume that eating it would not make you feel well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another close candidate for #2 is a shaggy ink cap (Coprinus comatus; also known as lawyers wig or shaggy mane), which is edible as long as you stay away from alcohol (don't try eating any of them though unless you're 100% sure it's a shaggy ink cap).&#xA;The easy way to tell the difference between the two is by the texture of the caps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't got as good a guess for mushroom #1 but Panaeolus Semiovatus (a.k.a. separatus, possible edible) looks promising as it has similar coloring, likes dung and has a volva (there seems to be either a ring or volva on your third photo). Panaeolus antillarum (edible) is also worth a look. I will update my post if I find anything else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also worth noting that horses may have different reactions to eating things than we would so whilst the edibility of fungi for humans is a good guideline it's probably not 100%.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6836" LastEditorUserId="6836" LastEditDate="2014-09-12T15:44:58.513" LastActivityDate="2014-09-12T15:44:58.513" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14017" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3324" CreationDate="2014-09-12T20:53:32.203" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;First and foremost, the tree is getting way too much water. The soil must dry out between waterings. Water should be on a regular schedule so the roots can depend on it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For fertilizer, simply use a 15-15-15 fertilizer broadcast around the tree. I have had trees like this, and I now mulch around the tree and water once a month during the summer (I'm in So. Cal), and not at all during the winter unless the leaves begin to curl or I am fertilizing. To fertilize I use a gloved hand filled with fertilizer and throw it in the darkened wet area (turn on the sprinklers to see where to put the fertilizer.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I still have those trees but the problems you are suffering no longer exist (the bark damage does but is not a problem.) The bark may grow back some but not much. The amount of (vertical) bark that will support the crown is surprisingly small. The mulch will reduce evaporation and minimize temperature swings. The feeder roots will neither drown nor dry up and wither so the tree will need water less frequently and to a lesser extent. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other remarks above about the Ph are interesting since the lemon trees I have drop all kinds of fruit and the alkaline soil gets really doused with a ph lower than vinegar. I should test it I suppose but this approach works to greatly reduce watering from 5 hours every two weeks to an hour a month in the summer and none the rest of the time. As a PS to reducing watering trimming the tree back will make it healthier too, for many reasons as, well as lessening the weight of the fruit causing limbs to break.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7152" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-12T21:39:23.017" LastActivityDate="2014-09-12T21:39:23.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14005" CreationDate="2014-09-12T21:39:42.027" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leave the cores on the grass!  Water deeply only when you are able to see your footprints left on your lawn/grass.  Great indicator.  Use a spade to see how deep the water reached into the soil profile after 15 minutes.  It should be a minimum of 4&quot;.  6&quot; is better depending on the porosity of the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Allow the lawn to dry out and don't water again until you leave footprints on your grass!  Watering a few minutes once every day is promoting shallow roots and the first time you forget to water might stress your grass to the point it will go dormant.  Stressed grass can not compete with highly competitive weeds!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another common mistake is to cut your lawn too short.  2 1/2&quot; is too short for the grasses I am familiar with, here in the Pacific Northwest.  I'll go look up your profile to see what types of grass with which you might be dealing.  Raise your deck up as high as you can to see if you can cut your lawn no lower than 3&quot;.  The soil stays shaded preserving moisture and weed seeds don't get enough light to germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have the same types of lawn grasses (bluegrass, fescue...) these species genetically have huge root systems.  If there is not at least 3&quot; of photosynthetic top growth the plant can't make enough food to feed the roots and you have stressed, whimpy grass allowing weeds to get started in the sparse lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a tip that will make a humongous difference: Fertilize at least twice a year with a slow release organic fertilizer.  I used Dr. Earth Lawn Fertilizer and was blown away with the difference in my lawns!  A bit more expensive but it lasts longer, adds bacteria that aid thatch-breakdown, and beneficial fungi that help the plant uptake nutrients, water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't mess with moss-killer, that will lower your pH and lawns love a bit higher pH (6.5-6.8).  If you want a beautiful lawn you should definitely get your soil tested.  Only add lime if the  pH is below 6.5 and follow the instructions!  Moss is an opportunist...if you water everyday, if you have any bare spots, shade with sparse grass, moss will grow!  If you get your grass healthy, mow high and allow to dry out in between watering (about 1&quot; per week...you'll have to train your grass in steps to get deep roots to last a whole week)!  I only watered my 'trained' lawns, once per week and they were thick, cool, soft and no weeds.  Aerate once per year minimum.  You might want to up it to a second aeration for a few years.  If you have more than 1&quot; thatch you will need to do it and then reseed, mulch, roll...etc.  Lot of work but really is for drastic measures as it ruins your lawn thus having to start over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps, there are more things one needs to learn in order to have a beautiful and healthy lawn! Stay away from herbicides, pesticides and quick fix instant fertilizers that call themselves 'plant food.' Plants make their own food only needing us to add certain nutrients because we start with poor soil, compacted during construction, poor mowing practices.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a bunch of great question/answers concerning lawns on this site that will give you even more knowledge and tools that will help you achieve mastery over this 'beast', the lawn.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-12T23:04:30.860" LastActivityDate="2014-09-12T23:04:30.860" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14019" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14028" CreationDate="2014-09-12T23:40:38.747" Score="2" ViewCount="1460" Body="&lt;p&gt;This grows wild behind my house. It has many yellow flowers per &quot;branch&quot;, and many branches. The flowers bloom after each other. The flowers have 4 petals. Each seed pod has a flower on top of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uLRhG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yLWFt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="38" LastEditorUserId="38" LastEditDate="2014-09-17T19:11:23.550" LastActivityDate="2020-04-27T12:25:37.510" Title="What is this yellow, four-petal flowering plant in Lynchburg, VA?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14020" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14023" CreationDate="2014-09-12T23:46:17.143" Score="2" ViewCount="2093" Body="&lt;p&gt;It has small, white flowers with 5 petals.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YKrOX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;berries&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DihVM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="38" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-13T01:40:21.050" LastActivityDate="2014-09-13T01:40:21.050" Title="What is this purple stalked, berry producing plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-09-13T02:36:14.540" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14021" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14027" CreationDate="2014-09-12T23:50:17.933" Score="5" ViewCount="244" Body="&lt;p&gt;The flowers have slender petals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My honey bees seem to like it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PeqrE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="38" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-13T01:39:45.093" LastActivityDate="2015-07-27T14:24:02.543" Title="What is this yellow ray flowering plant, found in Lynchburg, VA, that honey bees like?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14022" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14024" CreationDate="2014-09-12T23:58:34.983" Score="3" ViewCount="1048" Body="&lt;p&gt;The honey bees like this one. &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QtwpL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant and bee&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each branch has many small flowers that bloom consecutively.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8DeMg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="38" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-13T13:22:29.477" LastActivityDate="2014-09-13T13:22:29.477" Title="What is this mint-family plant with small, pink flowers in Lynchburg, VA?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14023" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14020" CreationDate="2014-09-13T00:41:10.883" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokeweed&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pokeweed, &lt;em&gt;Phytolacca americana&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;a large semi-succulent herbaceous perennial plant growing up to 10 feet (3 metres) in height. It is native to eastern North America, the Midwest, and the Gulf Coast, with more scattered populations in the far West. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also see:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13651/what-is-this-vigorous-plant&quot;&gt;What is this vigorous plant [duplicate]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2609/what-is-this-fast-growing-plant-with-blue-black-berries&quot;&gt;What is this fast growing plant with blue/black berries?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/19612/what-is-the-name-of-this-plant&quot;&gt;What is the name of this plant?&lt;/a&gt; (from Biology)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/20675/what-is-the-name-of-this-big-plant-with-a-purple-trunk-and-green-to-purple-berri&quot;&gt;What is the name of this big plant with a purple trunk and green to purple berries? [duplicate]&lt;/a&gt; (from Biology)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This question has been asked a few times before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;So clearly we need to start pokeweedID.stackexchange.com, where the only correct answer to any question will be &quot;Phytolacca&quot;... –  &lt;a href=&quot;https://biology.stackexchange.com/users/3952/oreotrephes&quot;&gt;Oreotrephes&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/20675/what-is-the-name-of-this-big-plant-with-a-purple-trunk-and-green-to-purple-berri#comment32249_20675&quot;&gt;Aug 22 at 11:10&lt;/a&gt; (On Biology)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:48:10.153" LastActivityDate="2014-09-13T00:56:08.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14024" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14022" CreationDate="2014-09-13T01:10:05.187" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like one of the naturalized strains of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perilla&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Perilla frutescens&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Perilla frutescens has been widely naturalized in parts of the United States and Canada, from Texas and Florida north to Connecticut and into Ontario, and west to Nebraska. It can be weedy or invasive in some of these regions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It certainly is a weed here, and although it is edible, I find the flavor repulsive. It tolerates poor and dry soil, and I see it more in the open woods than in my veggie garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See Comparison pics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qg1Cw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XHd2I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nXnls.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-13T01:10:05.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14025" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14019" CreationDate="2014-09-13T01:23:21.457" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Reminds me strongly of some species of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erysimum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Erysimum&lt;/a&gt;. This genus contains the common wallflower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the flowers, buds, seedpods, growth habit, and leaves match, but your picture isn't the greatest. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found a comparison picture that looks very similar:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h2Hk9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-13T20:37:29.173" LastActivityDate="2014-09-13T20:37:29.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14019" CreationDate="2014-09-13T11:19:05.987" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ec6Yk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That looks like an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oenothera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;evening primrose&lt;/a&gt; in the second photograph. If those green pods form after the blossom is pollinated, that would be a clue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5772" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-13T20:03:49.747" LastActivityDate="2014-09-13T20:03:49.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14027" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14021" CreationDate="2014-09-13T12:30:47.983" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think its &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=VEAL&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Verbesina alternifolia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, commonly known as Wingstem or Yellow Iron Weed. It appears to be native to your area, particularly around and in woods, and has become naturalized in other areas in Central North America.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LCFO9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-13T13:28:35.717" LastActivityDate="2014-09-13T13:28:35.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14028" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14019" CreationDate="2014-09-13T12:36:28.327" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As the previous answer suggests (vote given), its Evening Primrose, also known as Sundrop or Evening Star - Oenethera biennis to be precise - seeds itself freely. This native, naturally occurring one has 4 bi lobed petals, as in your picture, although these days, it's possible to buy 'new and improved' varieties created by breeders.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pods left behind by spent flowers are tapered towards the end, three quarters to one and a half inches long, with 8 tiny erect lobes at the tip, black seeds inside if it's this plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seed pods, green and dry, and ripe seeds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T8mii.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3cu1e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YRbMF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flowers, and entire plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HRotO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FRyNu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-13T20:29:54.327" LastActivityDate="2014-09-13T20:29:54.327" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14029" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-13T12:59:16.580" Score="4" ViewCount="6885" Body="&lt;p&gt;Both sides of our property have newly planted 6 foot arborvitaes planted. One side has about 55 and the other side has about 25 all spaced 2.5 feet from center in straight lines in a 5 foot wide bed that we are getting blown in mulch next week and will make sure the mulch doesn't touch the tree center.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We know drip irrigation is the way to go for the first year or two but from searching we don't see a clear answer on what type to get.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is there are different widths 1/4 5/8 1/2 and so on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also there are soaker hoses with holes through out which will soak the whole path. This seems to make sense since it would encourage roots to spread out and we would weave in between each tree along the path.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or there is the tubing where we would presumably cut a hole at each tree and have a device that would going into the ground for each tree which makes a lot less water waste but sounds like a lot of work and that may be worse for this time of tree setup anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We also bought two timers to attach to the faucets on the outside of the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does any one have recommendation on what size, type, setup to use? Will keep searching all the garden forums in the mean time to hopefully find an answer before going to Lowes or Home Depot. Thank you!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7154" LastActivityDate="2014-09-13T23:25:00.323" Title="Drip Irrigation for Row of Long Arborvitae Hedge" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14031" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-13T20:36:33.160" Score="5" ViewCount="843" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got three &lt;em&gt;Photinia fraseri&lt;/em&gt; trees in my yard in Tucson, Arizona.  They were planted last May (2013) and now in September (2014), one of them is turning entirely brown and losing all its leaves (over the course of the past month or two).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The branches are still soft, so I don't think it's dead (yet). Is this a disease? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other two trees seem to be doing much better and they're all on the same irrigation schedule, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(The black marks on the bark are from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.spectracide.com/Products-and-Solutions/All-Products/Spectracide-Pruning-Seal.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Spectracide pruning sealer&lt;/a&gt; applied after planting because the support post had damaged some of the trunk/branches prior to planting.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever happened to that first tree looks like it's starting to slowly happen to the tree next to it.  I used a cheap soil test-kit -- and it appeared as if the pH was slightly high -- so I've been trying to flush the soil with some long, deep waterings (although it doesn't seem to be helping).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Um, what is up with moderators coming in and changing the content of our posts?  That change mis-characterized the time frame I was describing -- not 4 months, but 16 months.   Please refrain from the gratuitous grammar corrections (&quot;3&quot; vs &quot;three&quot;, really?).  There's already an exchange for that: &lt;a href=&quot;http://english.stackexchange.com&quot;&gt;http://english.stackexchange.com&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pQ5ZVl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BJaVil.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R9gsgl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Here&amp;#39;s the Pruning Sealer I used just after planting -- after I discovered the support-post damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7158" LastEditorUserId="7158" LastEditDate="2014-10-10T21:10:57.830" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T21:10:57.830" Title="What's wrong with this Photinia fraseri tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14032" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14035" CreationDate="2014-09-13T20:49:46.137" Score="6" ViewCount="1013" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant was given to me earlier this year and was said to be an herb - nutmeg I think they said.  I don't think it is a nutmeg.   I have looked all over the web to no avail - no clue what it is. 11 palmate leaflets on each cluster, even the smallest ones.   It has grown quite a bit since June here in Southwest FL and just put out the little red flower on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1Ieuv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7159" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-14T01:52:38.420" LastActivityDate="2014-09-14T02:34:36.090" Title="What is this plant with small red flowers and palmate leaves with 11 leaflets?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14034" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14029" CreationDate="2014-09-13T23:25:00.323" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Following comments above - I'd use proper leaky pipe, not a soaker hose, that is, the greyish fibrous looking pipe that's meant to be buried 3 inches below the soil level. These don't get clogged because they don't have holes which drip as such, they seep into the soil along the entire length. The drawback is if you frequently want to dig the area or plant other stuff, when it's a pain because you inevitably damage it when turning the soil. In your circumstances though, seems unlikely you'll want to do that, and it's the most efficient way of getting water to the roots. A mulch can be placed on top to a depth of 2 inches which will help keep the moisture in anyway, but also won't mean any water being supplied has to penetrate through the mulch to get to the roots - it's already below that level. Any kind of drip system on top of the soil won't be as efficient through a mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience (in the UK), it's also much cheaper to buy leaky pipe from a specialist supplier rather than places like your Home Depot (I'm guessing that's some kind of DIY chain) or Amazon - you can order the exact lengths and fittings you need rather than having to buy what the store sells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-13T23:25:00.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14035" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14032" CreationDate="2014-09-13T23:46:59.663" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jatropha&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Jatropha multifida&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, common name Coral Plant. Hardy in Zones 10-12, frost sensitive otherwise. Can be stood outside during summer in colder regions. Note that all parts contain milky sap which is poisonous if ingested, and like a lot of plants in its Family (Euphorbiaceae, the spurges), the sap can be a skin irritant to sensitive individuals, so wear gloves when handling it just in case. It  also has the common name Physic Nut, which might be why you were told it's a nutmeg - it absolutely isn't and I wouldn't recommend you attempt to consume any of the seeds or grate them into your hot milk or whatever. 'Physic Nut' comes from its Latin name literally translated, but Coral Plant is a much safer common name for obvious reasons!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-14T02:34:36.090" LastActivityDate="2014-09-14T02:34:36.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14036" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14039" CreationDate="2014-09-14T00:32:23.187" Score="3" ViewCount="364" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbour has some &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_canariensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Phoenix canariensis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; in his garden. And, despite reading many times that this plant does not do that, some of them have produced vegetative offshoots from basal portions of their stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I want to know, how can I make them root to develop new saplings? Is this possible? Or could these palms be, not &lt;em&gt;Phoenix canariensis&lt;/em&gt;, but another similar palm tree, because they really never ever produce vegetative offshoots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can take some photos if that helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7163" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-14T01:43:27.653" LastActivityDate="2018-08-03T10:01:45.783" Title="How can I propagate Phoenix canariensis with vegetative offshoots?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14037" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-14T01:11:05.463" Score="6" ViewCount="744" Body="&lt;p&gt;This mushroom grows in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Desert_(Oregon)&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Oregon's high desert&lt;/a&gt; in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_contorta&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;lodgepole pine&lt;/a&gt; forest.  It is big, 4-6&quot; high and wide.  Bright orange with yellow meat.  Definitely a parasol type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tk9yx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;orange mushroom&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8QYhc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;orange mushroom&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-14T02:06:45.387" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T08:46:27.400" Title="What is this large orange mushroom found in lodgepole pine forest in Oregon's high desert?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14039" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14036" CreationDate="2014-09-14T10:05:49.080" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's likely its not Phoenix canariensis, but Phoenix dactylifera, which does produce suckers or offshoots in either its fourth year or tenth year, or both. They can be used as new plants, but need to be arising from the base, and left attached to the mother plant for 3-5 years, till they've formed a good root system of their own, at which point they can be detached and grown on separately. Offshoots sometimes arise higher up the mainstem, but they don't produce roots and survival, if they are removed, is poor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-14T10:05:49.080" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14040" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14050" CreationDate="2014-09-14T14:54:07.287" Score="5" ViewCount="1138" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just did a major pruning of a wisteria. I don't look forward to bagging all the clippings and hauling them to the town site for yard waste. Could I simply gather them up and dump them in the compost pile in the woods behind my house or is there any danger that the wisteria clippings will take root? I don't want to risk the woods being taken over by wisteria. If there &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; risk, I wonder if it decreases if I leave the clippings drying in the sun for a few days to make sure they're dead?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7167" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-14T15:26:05.020" LastActivityDate="2020-05-30T16:28:54.110" Title="Will wisteria clippings take root in a compost pile?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5114" CreationDate="2014-09-14T16:41:12.517" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spider plants in nature ARE ground covers ... Mother Nature never made anything such as a house plant ..... they are very easy to care for and to maintain ... just snip off the pups when they have enough root.. to control where you want them to grow and use the pups for hanging baskets or start a new bed somewhere else .... they do not harm the soil ... I love the spider plants as a ground cover ... I have them in the ground and in pots .... and it works out great in the ground because you can make as many hanging baskets as you want .... I sell some of mine .. it makes you a few extra bucks ... they are very easy to dig up .. I use a pitch fork to pull them out of the ground ...I am a Florida State certified Horticulturist who has been in the Business for 30 yrs ... hopes this helps you out ..they do prefer morning sun to partial shade .. they do not like the hot afternoon sun ... and they are somewhat Arid ... so you don't have to worry about rushing out to water them ...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7169" LastActivityDate="2014-09-14T16:41:12.517" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14042" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14045" CreationDate="2014-09-14T21:22:24.767" Score="5" ViewCount="330" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could anyone identify this white-flowered tree please (planted in the UK), I was told the name and I think it begins with an 'S' but I can't remember it&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ogYPv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7170" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-15T04:08:07.067" LastActivityDate="2014-09-16T23:36:27.840" Title="What is this white flowered tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14043" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14051" CreationDate="2014-09-14T21:48:19.777" Score="5" ViewCount="188" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it too late to plant potatoes in Dorset, UK now (Mid-September) ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7170" LastActivityDate="2014-09-15T17:49:00.353" Title="Is it too late to plant potatoes in Dorset, UK in Mid -september?" Tags="&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14044" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14040" CreationDate="2014-09-15T10:37:37.097" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is your compost pile just an open pile without any enclosing? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much do you need to get rid of? Is it just green parts, or did you cut off wood as well?&#xA;Leaving the clippings to dry and wilt in the sun will definitely lessen the risk, but it's hard to be sure it will be 100% safe. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the plants will not jump off the pile and overgrow the whole forest on one day. Can you check the compost regularly to see if anything has survived?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7172" LastActivityDate="2014-09-15T10:37:37.097" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14042" CreationDate="2014-09-15T10:46:41.007" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a bit confused by your description of 'white flowered tree'. This appears to be a very attractive example of Salix integra hakuro-nishiki, commonly known as Flamingo Willow, not to be confused (as it often is when only using the common names) with Flamingo tree, which is Acer negundo 'Flamingo'. It does not have white flowers, but leaves which are streaked with white, pink and green - the extent of this variegation varies between specimens. If it flowers at all, they will be brownish catkins, early in the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your Salix should be clipped over at the top to prevent it becoming top heavy - this is best done in Spring, after it flowers. It may not flower at all though, flowering is not reliable; these shrubs are grown for their leaves. When pruning back, never prune beyond the graft point at the top of the standard stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-09-15T10:53:39.690" LastActivityDate="2014-09-15T10:53:39.690" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14046" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14048" CreationDate="2014-09-15T14:44:26.200" Score="7" ViewCount="755" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this seed on the beach on &lt;a href=&quot;//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_Jum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Koh Jum&lt;/a&gt;, an island on the &lt;a href=&quot;//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andaman_Sea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Andaman Sea&lt;/a&gt;. The islands nearby are mostly populated by &lt;a href=&quot;//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avicennia_germinans&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;black mangroves (Avicennia germinans)&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hevea_brasiliensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/meEjV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;seed in hand&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D4FTW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;seed by scale&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7173" LastEditorUserId="7173" LastEditDate="2014-09-15T17:13:49.853" LastActivityDate="2014-09-15T17:19:09.540" Title="What is this 3 cm brown seed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14047" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14046" CreationDate="2014-09-15T15:12:39.247" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;After doing some research it appears to be some sort of &lt;a href=&quot;//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucuna&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sea bean&lt;/a&gt;. From &lt;a href=&quot;//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucuna&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;[…] common names like &lt;strong&gt;deer-eye beans&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;ox-eye beans&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;hamburger seed&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;//www.google.rs/search?q=sea+bean+seed&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Google image search&lt;/a&gt; confirms that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7173" LastActivityDate="2014-09-15T15:12:39.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14048" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14046" CreationDate="2014-09-15T15:22:51.587" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's definitely a sea bean - as to which, most likely because of its vaguely 'hamburger' appearance (apart from reversing the colours) it's Dioclea reflexa, usually grows in rainforests, but its seeds wash up on tropical beaches all over the world. The link below contains some interesting information and illustrations regarding all kinds of sea beans. If you want to find this particular seed, scroll down to the end - there's a small photograph insert on the right showing various seabeans with ID letters and plant names beneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://waynesword.palomar.edu/mucuna.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://waynesword.palomar.edu/mucuna.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-09-15T17:19:09.540" LastActivityDate="2014-09-15T17:19:09.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14049" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14053" CreationDate="2014-09-15T15:48:22.633" Score="4" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planning to plant some leafy greens for a tortoise I'm going to get soon. I want the basic directions for planting and caring for the greens provided I have attained the seeds. The greens I'm planning to plant include endive, mustard greens, bok choy, and kale. I am a complete beginner to planting so if planting some of these is rather challenging then please notify me. I'd also like to know if some would only grow at a specific time of the year. Our weather here is Mediterranean. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm planning on separating the greens from each other. My basic idea for the enclosure would be a large container into which I put smaller containers I fill with sand and plant in, all of the same height. I'd like to know what kind of soil is preferably used (it seems to be that calcium rich soil discourages the excess presence of oxalic acid, oxalic acid can bind up calcium, adversely affecting the tortoise's shell strength.) I also want to know how much soil I should have, and if possible, a rule of thumb to how many seeds per quantity of soil (size of container). I'm also wondering how often I should water it (Perhaps in relevance to temperature conditions), provided the plants will get sun exposure. I also want to know the time they're expected to take to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7174" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-15T17:09:15.340" LastActivityDate="2014-09-15T18:24:21.460" Title="What are the basic directions to planting leafy greens?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14040" CreationDate="2014-09-15T17:35:55.723" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a big 'compost pile', where truckloads of trimmings and weeds that aren't shredded/shreddable go. it is a larger scale, most likely, than what you have, but if you turn it over on a regular basis, like every few weeks, the ones that start will likely die after a few turns. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, wisteria is easy to grow from semi-ripe cuttings, and I used to raise them for nursery. If the compost in your pile is finished, or almost so, they may take root, if the lower part of the stem is under some compost and the top is out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I've done to keep weeds/prunings from growing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pile it by itself for a few days, until the clippings are dry/brown. They will be dead, and cannot root and grow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you don't have a compost shredder, run over them with a lawnmower until they are chopped up into small pieces. Anything less than 6&quot; is unlikely to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hot compost. Mix into a new batch of composting horse manure. They will decompose quickly, after the heat produced kills all stems and weed seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cover the pile with black plastic for a week or so after adding the clippings. This traps in the heat from the pile, and the sun, and cuts the light supply, causing the stems to die rather fast. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-15T17:35:55.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14051" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14043" CreationDate="2014-09-15T17:38:53.903" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Way too late is the answer - potatoes aren't frost hardy for one thing. You've got two choices in the UK with potatoes - early crop or main crop. Earlies are chitted before planting in late March, maincrop are planted early to mid April - chitting for these is useful, but not as critical for early plantings. There is a way to grow them though, which is in a polytunnel, then you can plant now and with luck have your own potatoes for Christmas Day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-15T17:38:53.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14052" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14043" CreationDate="2014-09-15T17:49:00.353" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Early potatoes will mature in about 90 days, or about three months. From now, that will be about december 15, if you can provide normal growing conditions, such as temperatures over 60 Fahrenheit, even at night. Later varieties may take up to 150 days or so, which would make them mature in mid February, in normal conditions. Lower temperature will only make the plants take longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where you are, this isn't practical at all, and the capital you'd need would be more than the crop is worth, because potatoes perform best when planted in spring, and retain their quality well in storage. It's not worth the trouble, seriously. I'd wait for spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-15T17:49:00.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14053" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14049" CreationDate="2014-09-15T18:24:21.460" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;All of them you listed, except bok choi, are going to be fairly basic. First of all, you will need to know that they have to grow to maturity outside the tortoise's enclosure. If you leave the plant in the enclosure, it will likely not get enough light, but more importantly, the tortoise won't graze nicely, but keep eating the plant off at the ground level. You will need to grow them outside, or in a special environment indoors, until they're mature. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Greens usually like cool temperatures, such as between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, as well as a lot of light. Full sun (at least 6 straight hours, the more the better) is best. They also require a pH balanced soil rich in organic matter, and fertilized with plenty of nitrogen (can be organic, or chemical, but organic is more healthy). The other nutrients are also important. Calcium can be supplied in many forms, but I often use forms of lime, which contain lots of calcium, but raise the pH. There is also a soluble form, which is used to treat blossom end rot in tomatoes, and other plants that are showing signs of calcium deficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to plant the seeds shallowly, like 1/4&quot; or less, for good germination. After that, keep the pots moist continuously, but not soaking wet. Once the plants have 5 leaves, I'd allow the top layer (1/4&quot;, in a small pot) of soil to dry completely between waterings, to promote strong, deep root growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for how many seeds per pot, a mature plant will need at least a gallon of soil at maturity, so unless you intend to grow as baby greens, one plant per container should be good. I'd plant three seeds in the middle, and thin to one plant when they are 1-2&quot; tall, and you can see which one is strongest. You can also plant on a 3x3&quot; grid, and grow them as baby greens, which will never reach maturity, but will grow fast, and fill the pots well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should expect to wait 5 days to a week for germination, and another 3-4 weeks before they produce harvestable baby greens. They can take up to 60 days to grow fully mature. I think you'll get more per plant if you harvest yourself, and give the tortoise cut leaves.  If you do, you can harvest 1/2 of each plant each time, taking away only the oldest outer leaves, and waiting for the plant to fully regrow, before harvesting again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-15T18:24:21.460" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14054" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14056" CreationDate="2014-09-15T19:13:25.137" Score="5" ViewCount="958" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some flamingo plants, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thegardenhelper.com/anthurium.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Anthurium&lt;/em&gt; sp.&lt;/a&gt;, growing in my 60x100x60 cm rainforest terrarium.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;My problem is about this big one here&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AKpeH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;big anthurium flamingo plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's about 60cm in height, and I want it to keep it a bit smaller and growing more, but smaller leaves (both the green leaves and the spadices).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is growing on a mixture of orchid and plain clay granules. Lightning is a very natural (and powerful) sun spectrum, and the plant is fully exposed to the lights. The permanent daylight schedule is 13/11 (on/off), which I've chosen mainly for my pets (madagascar daylight geckos) living there. The actual lighting setup is a 50W HID lamp (directly above this plant), and a 150W HQI lamp, that produces most of the required sunlight spectrum.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Also watering is almost completely automated, I've got a rainfall (misting) simulator, that runs 5 times a day (the atmospheric humidity is pretty high ~75-80%).&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I have other, smaller flamingo plants growing in this terrarium, and they are more appropriate within my conceptions. Though the plant I'm talking of, already was big from the beginning (~35cm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;What can I do (how to cut down) to give this plant a more smaller (ca. 40cm height), and more bushy shape?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To elaborate on my concerns:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I'm afraid of just clipping all of the big leaf and spadix sprouts, could I actually kill the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any hints appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7175" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-23T19:27:40.340" LastActivityDate="2017-11-23T19:27:40.340" Title="How can I keep my flamingo plants small for a terrarium?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;terrarium&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14055" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14060" CreationDate="2014-09-15T19:49:22.620" Score="5" ViewCount="2000" Body="&lt;p&gt;All of my rosemary plants are infected with rosemary mites, which are some kind of variety of spider mite.  These invisibly tiny insects cause unsightly yellow mottling on the leaves of the rosemary, and (more importantly to me) are detrimental to the flavor of the rosemary.  Oddly, though, they don't prevent the rosemary from continuing to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since I use this rosemary for culinary purposes, I do not want to use any toxic pesticides, or anything which is hard to wash off (like pepper wax or cinnamon oil).  There are three solutions I've seen recommended for this and I wanted to ask if anyone had tried them and what your results were:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Neem Oil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rosemary Oil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ladybugs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second solution seems ideal.  However, I've had trouble locating rosemary oil in pesticide quantities; everywhere I've seen it has been in the neighborhood of 4oz for $14, which won't work for the applications I need to do.  My second issue with applying oils is that it's hard for me to get good coverage on a 4' tall, 4' diameter rosemary bush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, here's the answers I'm looking for:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the best method you've &lt;em&gt;tested&lt;/em&gt; for removing spider mites from rosemary&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;advice on finding rosemary oil in pesticide quantities (e.g. 32oz) and prices&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;advice on oil application for a large rosemary plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1431" LastActivityDate="2014-10-02T15:42:33.830" Title="Best way to combat Rosemary Mites?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14056" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14054" CreationDate="2014-09-15T20:01:10.393" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You appear to have set up a perfect environment for your anthuriums so keeping them smaller will be challenging.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;One very simple approach is removing the largest leaf at the base of the plant on a regular basis.  New growth will continue and fill in the empty spot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;EDIT: your light levels look fine. Your plants may be experiencing lower light levels than you think due to condensation on the glass blocking light. Increasing the amount of light might help keep them smaller.  Many plants will stretch out or etiolate in response to lower light levels.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;another approach would be to restrict the root growth.  Theoretically a plant with a smaller area to grow roots will stay smaller.  In this case I am not sure how effective it would be as moisture, light and a substrate are all available.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-09-15T22:42:30.007" LastActivityDate="2014-09-15T22:42:30.007" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14005" CreationDate="2014-09-15T20:54:01.943" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Purists I once knew would rake up all the cores and then fill the holes with sand; but that was starting with a pristine lawn. I wouldn't even bother to spend the time and money aerating a grungy lawn until you get the grass to grow. I just bought a pull behind aerator for my new lawn tractor; both of which I had owned before at a previous house. I always just let the cores melt back into the soil naturally: no special watering, seeding, or fertilizing. And to keep the need for aerating to a minimum make sure there are plenty of worms in the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2014-09-15T20:54:01.943" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14058" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-15T21:01:03.483" Score="10" ViewCount="3750" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please can you help me identify this plant. The flowers are soft to touch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SHYUF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7177" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-15T23:27:29.497" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T01:20:23.573" Title="What is this tall plant with large leaves and long bunches of soft pink flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14059" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14058" CreationDate="2014-09-15T22:41:22.457" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Edit: I retract my opinion on the ID. I think it is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/sceneb320.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Persicaria orientalis&lt;/a&gt; as stated in the newer answers. Good catch&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Actually, it's not a tree at all, but an herbaceous annual, called Love Lies Bleeding. It's &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranthus_caudatus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Amaranthus caudatus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a common ornamental plant that lasts only a year, but will frequently reseed itself, and return year after year that way. It can even become an obnoxious weed. It originated in South America, but has spread throughout the many parts of the world.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All parts of the plant are edible, and the leaves can be used as spinach. The seeds can be used in baking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are comparison pics of similar plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n5iYy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pSrcn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-02T01:20:23.573" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T01:20:23.573" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14060" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14055" CreationDate="2014-09-15T23:21:20.647" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a type of ladybug that specializes in spider mite control. It's called a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/NE/spider_mite_destroyer.html&quot;&gt;spider mite destroyer lady beetle, or &lt;em&gt;Stethorus picipes&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. They work well, but regular ladybugs just fly off. However, they weren't the most thorough, so I usually use neem oil, or insecticidal soap. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soap and water is very effective, but more damaging to the plant, than neem oil, but both generally bring good results. I don't know about rosemary oil, but it seems to be very variable pricewise. I see a lot for about $2 an ounce. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not use chemicals like sevin. They were shown to speed reproduction, and aren't very effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the application of insecticidal oil, I usually mix it with water at about 2%, and spray the entire plant until runoff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-15T23:21:20.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14062" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14064" CreationDate="2014-09-16T07:37:46.297" Score="4" ViewCount="12144" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple of weeks ago we had some brick-pavings re-cemented around our driveway.  Now all of the grass on the lawn that runs alongside the bricks has gone very orange.  I assume it was where the cement/sand mix was brushed onto the grass to clear up after the work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read that &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkali%E2%80%93silica_reaction&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cement is high in alkaline&lt;/a&gt;.  Would that have been the cause, and can grass recover naturally or should I purchase some kind of &lt;em&gt;treatment&lt;/em&gt;, as opposed to scarifying it out and re-seeding?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7180" LastEditorUserId="7180" LastEditDate="2014-09-16T10:16:42.990" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T17:08:38.743" Title="Did cement mix damage my grass?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14063" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14055" CreationDate="2014-09-16T10:56:28.757" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you not suffer with Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina americana) in San Francisco? Maybe not, we have it here in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, just a word about Rosemary Oil - it's expensive because it's difficult to produce without it being infected with botulism, but even if you found a cheap source, it's unlikely to work on whatever pest is troubling your plant because it obviously likes rosemary and won't be repelled by the oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-16T10:56:28.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14064" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14062" CreationDate="2014-09-16T11:06:39.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suggest you wait and see - the other risk with brushing a cement sand mix onto grass is the sand itself might be high in salts, particularly if it wasn't washed sand. If it is a salt problem, that will sit in the soil for a while, possibly some months depending on quantity, until there's been sufficient rain to flush it all away. Given the type of work you've had done though, its unlikely there's a large amount of salt in the soil; even so any attempt at reseeding won't work till the salt's disappeared, so wait and see for a while seems to be the best option. YOu might even find the grass recovers on its own eventually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-16T11:06:39.527" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14065" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14066" CreationDate="2014-09-16T15:03:35.423" Score="4" ViewCount="140" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking at setting up some soft fruit beds in my allotment, and looking around it seems like I can either buy canes or large potted plants (~3L pots). The only difference I can appreciate so far is the cost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In particular, I will be growing Rasberries, Blueberries and Blackcurrants. They will be planted in the ground, in a line and supported as required. Soil will be prepared as required (Blueberries, acidic etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are the main differences between the two? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Would you expect a better yield from the large potted plant in year 1?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What a line of smaller cane plants produce a better shaped bush (easier to coax into a line than a round bush) than fewer of the large plants?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When do you plant them (dormant season, winter?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thoughts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6830" LastActivityDate="2014-09-16T15:38:22.573" Title="Soft Fruit - Canes or Large Potted Plants?" Tags="&lt;soft-fruit&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14066" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14065" CreationDate="2014-09-16T15:21:06.550" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know where you are, but in the UK, bare root plants (any bare root plant, including fruits) will only be supplied in early winter through to late winter/very early spring (February/March) for planting, starting around October/November, though you can often order them in advance. There is a reason - bare root plants then have the cold season to settle in before spring/growth begins, but planted bare root in, say, late spring or summer, they are highly likely to die. If you want to plant at any other time of year, then you will need to buy pot grown plants which will have a more developed and fully functioning root system and are, as you've discovered, more expensive. The other advantage with potted plants is you don't have to immediately plant them out, they will be fine in their pots till you're ready to do so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you live in a region with very cold winters, then some varieties of fruits are better planted in spring, bare root or not, because of the weather conditions - they will need extra care if planted in spring in the form of water as and when necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-09-16T15:38:22.573" LastActivityDate="2014-09-16T15:38:22.573" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14067" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14068" CreationDate="2014-09-16T18:45:10.163" Score="6" ViewCount="500" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently posted a question about raising a few leafy greens, and turns out quite a few favor cold temperatures and will turn sour (bolt?) when exposed to heat. Our temperatures here should vary between 70-90 F. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like a list of heat tolerant greens that are both nutritious and relatively basic in care requirements. I need high fiber and calcium, low protein and oxalic acid greens, so if you can also list them based on the most nutritious then that'd be great. Other than that I'd like to know the basic care requirements for these greens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7174" LastActivityDate="2014-09-17T03:55:15.043" Title="What are some heat tolerant nutritious greens I could plant for a tortoise?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;&lt;heat&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14067" CreationDate="2014-09-16T19:30:15.567" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wonder whether turtles mind bitter greens? What we find unpalatable might be just fine with them. And some of the most nutritious greens out there aren't the ones we tend to prefer the taste of. Also, from what little I understand of tortoise diets, getting the proper balance of nutrients through appropriate foods for your particular type of tortoise is very important. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Molokhia (Corchorus species) is a common green in the Middle East, is high in calcium and iron, and grows very well in the heat. It gets rather slimy when you cook it, so is an acquired taste for humans, but raw for a turtle? It may taste just fine.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kale tastes better to us after a frost, but it grows just fine in the heat. I keep kale plants growing all summer without any trouble. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Amaranth leaves are also high in Calcium and vitamins C and A. It's also easy to grow and can take the heat. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dandelions have a ton of nutritional value, and I think it goes without saying how easy they are to grow.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-09-16T19:30:15.567" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14069" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-16T19:31:48.243" Score="1" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for a fast growing Leucaena leucocephala seeds. Now, I am cultivating Leucaena leucocephala which can grow 6.00 Meters in a year. But I am looking for a genetically improved seeds which can grow upto 10.00 Meters in a year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If any one the best verity of seeds, please post your answer&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6906" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T12:02:41.300" Title="looking for a fast growing Leucaena leucocephala seeds" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2014-09-18T15:13:47.570" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14070" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14071" CreationDate="2014-09-16T23:12:07.880" Score="4" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small planter box with spinach seedlings. I can see the wind really knocks them around. Sometimes they are lopsided to one side, almost lying on the dirt. When this happens, I firm up the soil around them to stick them up a bit more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wanted to attach them to a planter box off the deck railing to save some space (as shown in picture), but it seems like the wind would be even worse up there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to protect them from the wind, or should I not be concerned about this? And is putting them on the deck railing a bad idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EmxH9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7055" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-14T23:17:37.977" LastActivityDate="2017-03-14T23:17:37.977" Title="Should I be concerned about the wind and my spinach seedlings?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;wind-damage&gt;&lt;spinach&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14071" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14070" CreationDate="2014-09-16T23:23:05.467" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a fine location. I would bring the soil line up to the level of the cotyledons (seed leaves). That will give them a good foundation, and help with the wind problem. Soon they will be more established, and the wind may burn them, but won't push them around anymore.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the biggest problem I can see with placing them on the railing is potential bird damage (birds love spinach seedlings). They look healthy so far, so again, I'd add new soil to the planter, and watch for birds. Adding new soil also helps with root space. The more the better, with many vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-16T23:23:05.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14042" CreationDate="2014-09-16T23:36:27.840" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yup, this is the willow shrub (pink, white and green) called Salix hakuru nishiki...all plants flower, some are un-noticeable like this plant.  Grown for the foliage and usually grafted to make a 'tree form'...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning is maybe twice per year minimum.  Easy to do.  Cut top at height you want to maintain straight across.  Using pruning shears, gather bottom and point tips at edge of flattened top, then chop.  This should give you a nice upside down salad bowl shape giving all foliage left a chance to produce food for the plant.  This willow, similar to Salix purpurea 'nana' will have an open umbrella shape.  Make sure the angle to the crown is a very small angle, slightly rounded.  Aim for an umbrella shape, not round, not square.  The bottom is always wider than the crown.  Brush the entire shrub with your hand to get rid of pruned branches and allow branch tips not pruned to pop up.  Do this quite often as you prune. Try to achieve a ratio of 1:2.  1 high to 2 wide...for this  plant just the canopy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-09-16T23:36:27.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14073" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-17T00:35:33.423" Score="7" ViewCount="202" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general, when is the right time to feed new edible plants fertilizer that you've planted from seed? After they've sprouted a bit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7055" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-17T19:54:16.713" LastActivityDate="2014-09-17T19:54:16.713" Title="When should I first use fertilizer on new plants?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14074" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13992" CreationDate="2014-09-17T02:40:27.787" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;With a north facing window in a northern climate you effectively have no outside light source as far as cacti are concerned.  Your primary light source must be artificial and lots of it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4438/what-kind-of-light-is-needed-for-moss-and-ferns/4440#4440&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt;.  It's about moss but the light requirements are the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14054/how-can-i-keep-my-flamingo-plants-small-for-a-terrarium&quot;&gt;This gardener&lt;/a&gt; is having good luck indoors with &quot;a 50W HID lamp (directly above this plant), and a 150W HQI lamp&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5680/what-is-the-best-light-spectrum-for-growing-chili-peppers/5681#5681&quot;&gt;question&lt;/a&gt; about growing chili peppers indoors is also relevant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To sum up, you need:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lots of light &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;positioned close to the plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you use HID lights you will probably need a fan to distribute the heat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a mixture of HID, fluorescent and high pressure sodium will work&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;be prepared for the electrical bills as the lights should be on about 16 hours a day&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;for HID or high pressure sodium they draw a considerable amount of power. Ensure that your household circuitry can take it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cheapest and coolest solution is lots of fluorescents suspended twelve to eighteen inches from the plants but this will not match the light output of the other types&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;LED lights do not seem to provide enough illumination&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-09-17T02:40:27.787" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14075" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14067" CreationDate="2014-09-17T03:55:15.043" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My desert tortoise loves bean leaves, and will eat kale if he's hungry enough.  But I prefer to feed him native plants.  I let him go for walks in the yard and observe what he eats, then tend those plants and try to propagate them.  I don't actually know the names of all the plants he likes, but one of his favorites is globe mallow.  I let one globe mallow take root in my irrigated garden, and it keeps him fed when other food sources are scarce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6898" LastActivityDate="2014-09-17T03:55:15.043" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14076" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14078" CreationDate="2014-09-17T08:06:23.633" Score="10" ViewCount="14996" Body="&lt;p&gt;My allotment has a lot of flint stone (UK, Bucks area). I am preparing the beds for the first time, and have been reducing the amount of stone as much as possible by raking and removing stones as I can. I have been told that there is a virtually limitless amount of stone further down that rises up over winter (I guess when the soil is wet enough, the larger stone rises to the surface?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much truth is there in the rumour that they keep resurfacing? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any where to reduce or stop them rising up? If I were to dig down a good way and put a weed membrane would it stop the stones, or is it likely to cause issues with the soil structure/roots etc?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or do I need to just keep pulling stones out, and expect to repeat the exercise every year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6830" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-17T19:28:36.650" LastActivityDate="2020-02-20T15:47:36.793" Title="How can I prevent stones from rising to the soil surface each year?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;rocks&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14077" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14073" CreationDate="2014-09-17T10:15:39.203" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;On most crop plants, I give them the first fertilizing at the three-leaf stage. This is when the first three leaves (not counting the cotyledons) reach full size. By this time, the root system has matured enough to handle the fertilizer, and the plant has also used up the reserves from the seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I generally use a lighter feeding at first maybe a 2/3's strength, to make sure I don't burn the young plants. After they shoot up, and have 6 or more leaves, I begin giving full-strength doses. So far this has worked well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-17T10:15:39.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14076" CreationDate="2014-09-17T10:35:47.617" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, in my area, unless you add about 6&quot; of soil every year, the stones will rise to the surface each spring. Around here, we call it the 'crop'. I've heard it is frost action working on the stones in the subsoil, but I'm not sure that's the cause. In any case, it's a chore you can expect to have each spring, and eventually you'll get a system down to do it efficiently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am leery of putting a substantial amount of anything man-made into the soil, I wouldn't recommend doing the weed membrane thing. While it may help with the rocks, it may also do something you don't expect, and it will be a big pain to remove, even more so than to install. Around here, we have a ton of night crawlers that like going down a lot further than that, so it would seal a good bit of them under, and keep the rest shallow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you remove rocks, it leaves a void, which the soil refills. eventually, the soil level will be lower than it was before, by a good margin. To compensate, I always count how many barrow/trailer loads of rocks I'd raked out, and replace them with at least their weight in decomposed organic matter (compost). This is less dense, but will settle and pack down considerably overtime. This will keep the ground at least level, and improve the soil at the same time. It is better for a garden bed to be humped up, rather than inverted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-17T10:35:47.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14079" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14076" CreationDate="2014-09-17T12:42:09.637" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agree with J Musser's answer - where I lived, the soil was very stoney, and yes, they do surface every year, and you notice them particularly after winter. I used to wonder if it was the rotation of the planet that brought them up (you know how if you shake a container of nuts, the largest ones come to the top) but however it happens, it does happen. Initially there were an awful lot of stones and I riddled frequently - I used the stones as hardcore beneath my patio when I laid that, and the more decorative ones got inserted in the mortar between stones. After the first 2-3 years they were a bit less, and I didn't worry about it too much, raking off the ones on the top when necessary, then digging over, and maybe riddling certain areas if I wanted to plant seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As yours is an allotment, you will probably be emending the soil every year with humus rich materials anyway - smaller pieces of stone in the soil aren't an issue unless you're growing root crops, which may fork much more in stoney ground. And I, too, wouldn't recommend the membrane idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also bear in mind that a degree of stoniness isn't necessarily a bad thing - it's very good for drainage, and over a very long time, stones contribute minerals to the soil as they gradually erode.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-17T12:42:09.637" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14080" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14076" CreationDate="2014-09-17T12:53:28.817" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's called &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granular_convection&quot;&gt;granular convection&lt;/a&gt;&quot; and there's really nothing you can do about it except continue to remove the stones as they come up.  The winter cold and the water in the soil help this along - I'm forever removing stones - some rather large - from our garden beds and pastures.  I pulled a stone out that was easily 7 inches long and 5 inches across a few weeks ago.  It hadn't been at the surface last year.  Such is life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree with the others - pull the stones, add organic matter.  Rinse and repeat.  Save the stones for a rock garden or border.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd absolutely avoid adding that membrane to try to deal with the rocks.  It would work for weed suppression (probably) but it'll be a pain otherwise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stones are just a reality of life.  I don't worry much about them.  I pick them out, pile them up and move on.  That would be my suggestion to you.  As long as the soil otherwise is rich in organic matter (not all clay like my pastures) it won't be hard to remove them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-17T16:01:18.273" LastActivityDate="2014-09-17T16:01:18.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14081" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-17T13:13:48.043" Score="3" ViewCount="408" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an hydrangea in a «self watering» vase (a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lechuza.us/trend/cube-color-14-slate/13384.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lechuza Cube&lt;/a&gt;) and I use a &lt;a href=&quot;http://global.parrot.com/au/products/flower-power/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Parrot Flower Power&lt;/a&gt; to monitor soil moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil moisture level sensor stays constant (17%-18%), watering the vase generates a peak for a very short time, but then the moisture level drops to the usual value (17%-18%)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nh6KY.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A similar sensor  works as expected in a «normal» vase.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Parrot Flower Power application is continuously telling me to add water, as the action has no effect on the measured moisture level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are similar values normal in a self watering vase?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is the soil too dry for an hydrangea?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="778" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-10T13:34:58.123" LastActivityDate="2018-02-10T13:34:58.123" Title="Is the moisture sensor reading correct in my self-watering vase?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14082" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14073" CreationDate="2014-09-17T15:55:39.070" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I take a bit of a different approach than J. Musser does (and here I am making an assumption based on the answer), but I agree with that approach when adding commercial fertilizer.  Bagged fertilizer (e.g., 10-10-10) can be quite hard on young seedlings.  J. Musser didn't specifically state the use of commercial fertilizer in that answer, but I believe that is the case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On our farm we only use &quot;organic&quot; fertilizers.  I use the quotes because I think the term is way overused and loaded and has been co-opted for marketing reasons.  What I specifically mean is that on our farm I use compost, compost tea and worm castings and worm tea when I have it.  I will use composted/aged manures as well (horse, donkey, goat, chicken, rabbit) and leaf mold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In our case I am less concerned about damaging the young seedlings with these because I tend to start seeds in soil blocks or sometimes trays or small pots with a fairly neutral soil mix and then move that seedling block to a bed where I will put a handful of the compost/castings/manure/leaf mold down in the hold and put the block atop that.  Later it will get side-dressed with the compost/castings/manure/leaf mold once it has been couple of weeks.  I've not had any issues doing things this way and I think it is because the amendments I'm using aren't nearly as concentrated as the bagged stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, if you're going to use commercially available mixes, I'd follow what J. Musser said.  It is sound advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Addendum:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For container gardening I would leverage the power of the compost/worm tea and (limited) side-dressing with quality compost.  As J. Musser points out, it is a bit more of a challenge to use the organic stuff with containers but I think that there is considerable value in compost/worm tea and in side-dressing with compost.  Whereas in the garden bed, there's always room to add a little more compost/manure, in containers it is more of a challenge.  Definitely consider compost/worm tea for containers.  The N-P-K values will be lower than the commercial stuff but there is considerable benefit otherwise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2014-09-17T19:39:04.040" LastActivityDate="2014-09-17T19:39:04.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14083" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14081" CreationDate="2014-09-17T18:33:17.867" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soil humidity is not the term to use.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humidity&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Humidity&lt;/a&gt; is the amount of water vapour in the air. Moisture level is what you are measuring.  The tool you are using likely measures conductivity which increases when more water ions are present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A self watering container uses &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-watering_container&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;capillary action&lt;/a&gt; to maintain a steady amount of water in the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on the amount of dissolved salts in the water and the length of time the container has been in use the soluble salt level could be a little higher and throwing off the tool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would just use my finger to determine the wetness of the soil. As a low tech reliable tool you can't beat it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-09-17T18:33:17.867" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14076" CreationDate="2014-09-18T01:43:56.790" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in New England and harvest a fresh crop of stones every spring.  I've heard that this is why settlers headed out west when the Ohio River Valley was &quot;discovered&quot; by the Europeans.  There may be other factors at work, but for us, it is largely a consequence of freezing (we call it frost heave).  When the ground freezes it expands, however, the rocks do not, they just get pushed in the direction of least resistance which is obviously up unless they are at the frost boundary.  Theoretically, you'd eventually get all of the rocks above that boundary if you replaced the volume of the rocks with soil every year and got your rock-free layer as deep as the frost boundary.  This phenomenon is why we have to build footings for our houses that extend below the frost boundary, which explains why almost everyone has a basement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7185" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T01:43:56.790" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14085" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14076" CreationDate="2014-09-18T01:46:47.597" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience, it is the larger stones/gravel that sink into the soil while the fines come up!  The only reason to ever use landscape fabric is to save your graveled areas that are normally walked upon.  If you make 'beds' for your plants raising them by double digging and you don't walk on them, you shouldn't have rocks rising to the top.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main thing to worry about is drainage and that you don't have a solid layer of stone that prevents good drainage.  Double digging to make planting beds is the best way to discover what is happening beneath the top few inches of soil.  I even use weeds, old sod turned upside down and fill my beds with that covering with a few more inches of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil IS basically just tiny rocks.  Healthy top soil includes decomposed organic matter that attracts micro and macro organisms.  After I double dig a plant bed it is at least a few feet higher, if not up to 4' high.  Very soon this bed is only 12&quot; or less but I never dig in it again except to plant plants.  I just keep topping it with decomposed organic mulch that keeps weeds down and feeds all the organisms that continue to do the aerating/mixing of soil and organic matter FOR YOU. I pull out any rock that is bigger than my fist and relax about the rest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is important to find out if you have a layer of clay or rock that prevents drainage.  I dig down at least 2 to 3' periodically while I make plant beds with double digging.  If there is clay or rock I bust through it.  This combined with the raised, fluffy beds and a trench all around the plant bed (vegetable row) gives all the drainage necessary.  The trench also prevents erosion from torrential downpours...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, all these answers are excellent.  Except don't use rocks for borders.  That is like providing condominiums for slugs, pillbugs, earwigs or whatever.  Looks terrible in my opinion...grin!  They are great to use for 'dry wells' if you need to direct surface water to somewhere it can get back into the water table without erosion...or around the foundation of your home if you don't have gutters to collect water.  Stops the splashing of soil on your siding.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T01:46:47.597" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14086" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14129" CreationDate="2014-09-18T11:31:05.100" Score="5" ViewCount="555" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9413/can-i-plant-this-mango-seed&quot;&gt;I planted a mango seed this spring.&lt;/a&gt; And it went good. But growth stagnated after a while and totally stopped. Then I noticed some bulgy excrescence on the top, with a very dark almost black color. I did nothing there, just left it on my balcony. Recently I noticed that its leafs started to get brown. Two already fell to the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took it into the living room, onto the window bank. I thought maybe it was too could outside. So now there are 3 new shoots. Two at the very bottom of the stem. And one a little bit under the first leafs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I include two photos to show these. But how do I proceed? I definitely don't want separate stems growing, so should I cut those new ones? And what about the shoot at the top? should I keep it, cut the rest of the plant off?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, you can still see the mango seed looking out of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tj8gW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mango bottom&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5KyIg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mango top&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2803" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2021-05-29T14:53:03.250" Title="What is wrong with my Mango plant?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14087" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14089" CreationDate="2014-09-18T12:01:41.530" Score="6" ViewCount="3766" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have created a small compost pit and i have putting lot of garden cuttings and kitchen waste in it for last 12 weeks. The whole thing has turned into nice dark brown humus. It smells very nice and I am planning to spread it in my garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Though I noticed that some of the twigs and peanut shells have not completely decomposed. Am I just being impatient in using the humus or should I wait for few more weeks till every single twig is decomposed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is being done in Pune (India).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2691" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-18T17:06:55.217" LastActivityDate="2014-09-25T03:29:25.900" Title="Should I wait for twigs in compost to fully decompose before adding it to the soil?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14088" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14069" CreationDate="2014-09-18T12:02:41.300" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I am aware, there are no new hybrid varieties of this plant available - unless some breeder is busy crossing varieties or generally tinkering to try to produce one with  increased growth rates, there's nothing currently available. It's not impossible that someone somewhere is trying though, there's been a fair amount of research into this Genus in the last few years, and this particular variety is widely used for timber, but as to who might be doing that, no idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T12:02:41.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14089" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14087" CreationDate="2014-09-18T12:13:29.280" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds as if the bulk of your compost is ready to use, so no don't wait, they could take a lot longer than you think. The best thing to do is riddle the compost so that the twigs and shells are removed, or simply pick them out as you spread it if its not a huge amount, and you can add those to your next pile. Twigs do take a long time to break down - it's much quicker if you can cut or shred them before adding to the pile in the first place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T12:13:29.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14090" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14087" CreationDate="2014-09-18T12:24:24.717" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, there's no reason to wait to use the compost that is ready to use now.  Different inputs to the compost pile take different amounts of time to break down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've been actively composting pretty much everything that can be composted here on our farm for the past 10 years or so and about the only thing that I'll do to twigs is cut them down a bit to make them more manageable in the compost pile (easier to turn with a fork) and to increase the surface area of the material.  I don't have a chipper-shredder but I might be inclined to use one if I did.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For inputs which are slow to decompose, I'll just leave them in the compost bin and, over time, they'll break down.  Our bins are dynamic things that are always &quot;cooking away&quot; at something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To simplify this process, I use a coarse screen (1/2 inch hardware cloth or maybe some chicken wire) to screen out the larger chunks.  I don't worry particularly too much about uniformity in size of the compost, other than to screen out the pieces that need more time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can increase the decomposition rate by decreasing the size of the carbon-rich materials like twigs by chipping them up or breaking them up.  Again, it's about surface area.  Chipped/shredded twigs will break down faster, all things otherwise being equal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you've said that much of the compost has broken down nicely, it is clear that the decomposition process is working well.  Again, the carbon-heavy materials take time sometimes, particularly dense materials.  I've got one bin that has pruned twigs from last winter in it and they are partially broken down.  I just sift those out and throw them back into the bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aside:  It wouldn't be terribly awful if the twigs/shells weren't completely broken down and they ended up in the garden.  They'll break down there too.  But I tend to leave the materials that aren't quite done yet in the piles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2014-09-18T12:37:31.290" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T12:37:31.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14091" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-18T13:45:40.700" Score="3" ViewCount="5143" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ma1yO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;One of my brown eggplants&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Right now I have 3 eggplant plants of the same variety (I think Ichiban, but I may have that confused) growing fruit, two of them are growing golden brown fruits, as pictured above, the other's growing normal colored purple. All the veggies on my garden have been putting out small or no fruit. I definitely overcrowded them (my yard is tiny) but would that make for brown egg plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5kPea.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3 plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7183" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-18T15:07:05.870" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T16:51:00.030" Title="Why are my eggplants golden brown?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14092" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3596" CreationDate="2014-09-18T13:45:52.743" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Companion cropping vegetables with mushrooms is not that uncommon. One pair that I've implemented with success is asparagus with King Strophoria, or winecap, mushrooms. This &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq1fLandtYA&amp;amp;feature=youtu.be&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; title=&quot;Wine cap identification&quot;&gt;video&lt;/a&gt; illustrates the practice. This mushroom can be paired with any crop that will provide moderate shade throughout the growing season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't be too concerned about competition for nitrogen (N) as typically fungi of this sort tend to do best in low N situations - they are able to decompose materials with significantly higher C:N ratios that bacteria. If there's enough N, bacteria and molds tend to out-compete the desired mushroom species. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The benefits of growing mushrooms amongst your vegetables include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Maximize production in limited space&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;addition of organic matter to the soil as straw is decomposed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yummy mushrooms for breakfast&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;presence of desired fungi can prevent undesirable soil fungi from establishing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Straw on soil will help hold moisture and even out water availability &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Winecap mycelia have been shown to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1449000/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;kill nematodes&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T13:45:52.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14093" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14091" CreationDate="2014-09-18T14:47:22.027" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it might, actually - eggplants require rich, moist soil conditions so they can take up plenty of moisture and nutrients, and that may well have been difficult in crowded circumstances, especially if you didn't add plenty of humus rich materials to the soil beforehand. When the fruits go brown, it's usually because they're well past maturity, and as your fruits are small AND brown, it can be assumed that the lack of proper nutrition/moisture means this happened much earlier. What I'm not clear about is whether these brown fruits started out brown or not, in other words, were they ever purple at any point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T14:47:22.027" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14091" CreationDate="2014-09-18T16:51:00.030" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the picture, the plant with the smaller, brown fruits is far thinner, and taller, and has small yellowish leaves. It gives me the impression of nutrition lack. So Bamboo is probably right. Do you have access to manure? Side-dressing with that will improve the health of the plant. If not, you can apply a balanced fertilizer as a side-dressing, following the directions on the product label. Or if you have a soluble fertilizer, like Miracle Gro, mix according to the label, and water it in once every two weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the soil/plant is healthier (depends whether you use manure/bagged fertilizer) the fruit should become normal. If it doesn't, hat means that the other plants actually are different varieties. There are many kinds of eggplant, and people make mistakes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also take the weeds out back past the area, at least as far as the plants are tall, preferably more, and add mulch (not woody mulch, like bark or chips). Something like straw, or grass clippings will do. Apply in a layer light can't get through, to help block the weeds and preserve soil moisture. Keep the plants watered, very necessary for a fruiting plant, and be sure to pick fruits as they ripen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T16:51:00.030" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14095" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14087" CreationDate="2014-09-18T16:58:53.623" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Actually, it is beneficial to the soil to have some amount of undecomposed organic matter, because as it decomposes, it makes humic acid, which breaks up the soil particles into minerals the plants can use. I often add compost that is not completely done on purpose, for this reason. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But sticks are high in carbon, and so rob the soil of nitrogen when added in significant amounts. In your case, I think you'll be fine. I often use a different 'slow' pile for composting woody materials, because they are very valuable, but often take a lot longer to decompose than the other things commonly added to compost piles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T16:58:53.623" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14096" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14062" CreationDate="2014-09-18T17:08:38.743" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree that the caustic lime used in masonry is likely the culprit. Depending on how much was washed onto the grass, it could kill the grass, rather than just cause a temporary die-back. However over time it will react with CO2 in the air and turn into calcium carbonate, which is alkaline, but not caustic. A pH test will tell you if you need to make any adjustments. Depending on what kind of grass you have growing, you are looking for soil pH in the 5.0 - 7.0 range. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T17:08:38.743" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14097" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14098" CreationDate="2014-09-18T19:26:06.670" Score="5" ViewCount="1085" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in North Carolina, USA and I never did aeration before. The size of the lawn is 0.37 acre. Recently I got a letter from a lawn-care company offering the following services about aeration:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Aeration only: $262.00, or $243.66 if paid before 9/15/2014&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Aeration &amp;amp; Seeding: $462.00, or $429.66 if paid before 9/15/2014&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Organic Soil Enhancement: $200.00, or $186.00 if paid before 9/15/2014&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The significantly higher charge for aeration and seed is due to the cost of the seed plus the time spent preparing the seed bed. Problem areas are gone over to the point of &quot;roto-tilling&quot;. Seed is applied in multiple applications to layer or to mix it into the top layer of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't call the company because I am not a rich man and I want to do it by myself. Perhaps it can save me some lovely US dollars. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What tools will I have to buy? I saw there is &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00BFRB6BY&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;one&lt;/a&gt; which is very cheap and small. Not sure if it is suitable?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;After aeration, how do I seed the lawn? What are the steps? Do I need to cover the seeds with something?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it a good time to begin with? The lawn-care company is still in the cycle of the services. It has done 5 services, there are two remaining for this year.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1454" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-08T03:00:24.167" LastActivityDate="2016-03-08T20:14:39.493" Title="Should I aerate, or aerate and seed, my lawn? Can I do it myself?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;aeration&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14098" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14097" CreationDate="2014-09-18T20:15:00.383" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;With only a 1/3 of an acre of land I personally would aerate it myself, many rental shops allow you to rent a machine for a day for less than $100.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stay away from the &quot;aeration shoes&quot; though as they only poke a hole into the ground and then compact the soil more. The trick is to remove a plug of sod so that air and water can penetrate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The machine you are showing is really a tiller, it will chew the hell out of your lawn. I use the &quot;Mantis&quot; as a mini rototiller in my smaller beds in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try something like this as a rental:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/c/lawn_and_garden_equipment_rental#aerators&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Big Box store rental page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the seeding... check out my answer to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9472/what-should-i-do-to-improve-a-lawn-growing-on-a-new-construction-lot/9474#9474&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; other question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-03-08T20:14:39.493" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14099" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14097" CreationDate="2014-09-18T20:32:13.503" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, that looks cheap, to me. I would expect at that price to be getting a half-job, not a high quality one. I think doing it yourself is far better. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As Phlume says (rightly), The machine you linked to is a tiller. it will kill the grass that is already there. I use a &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0089ELKH6&quot;&gt;Plugr Aerator&lt;/a&gt;, which will cost over $4500 new. I'd recommend renting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for whether or not to seed, look at your lawn. Does the grass look healthy? Or is it spotty with bare areas in between plants? Because you don't want to waste seed (which is getting expensive) on a lawn that doesn't need it. If you do decide to seed, don't rototill. Rather, mow the law very short, and rake it to loosen up the top layer of soil. This is so the seed can be raked in better later. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use an overseeder (a &lt;a href=&quot;http://sleequipment.com/ryan-mataway-overseeder-544873d.html?gclid=CPCunubM68ACFZTm7Aod7GEAmg&quot;&gt;Ryan Mataway Overseeder&lt;/a&gt;, actually), which plants the seed without the need for the other prep. These are pricey too ($6500 new), so if you wanted to go that route, I'd rent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, don't overseed unless you have to. Aerating sounds like a good idea though, and I think you definitely should do that. Renting one should be a lot cheaper than paying the lawn care folks, and you can also be as thorough as you want, and go over some paces again if you think it necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T20:32:13.503" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14101" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14102" CreationDate="2014-09-18T23:30:05.500" Score="4" ViewCount="10572" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to start growing microgreens indoors. Why do I need to buy specific microgreen seeds? Why can't I use seeds that I'd plant in my garden? It seems like a marketing gimmick to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7197" LastActivityDate="2014-09-19T00:13:18.653" Title="Why do I need special microgreen seeds?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14101" CreationDate="2014-09-18T23:59:54.757" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At least that's one person's opinion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I've seen &quot;microgreen mixes&quot; for sale before but here's the deal - they are just a variety of seeds that are commonly used for growing sprouts.  I believe this is all a convenience thing, but I'm not a &quot;microgreen expert&quot; and &lt;em&gt;perhaps&lt;/em&gt; there's a legitimate reason one would need to buy a special mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I doubt this seriously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sprouts are just that - the sprouts of plants that, if given time, would grow into a mature plant, whether that plant is arugula, beet greens, peas, lettuce, tatsoi, endive or a variety of other plants, spinach for instance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, for the sake of convenience, I'd grab a Mesclun mix.  They're tasty (in my opinion) and will all generally sprout at the same time, making it very convenient.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But again, I think there's nothing &quot;special&quot; about the mixes, except that they tend to contain greens that work well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other thing - I like the idea of growing mesclun or baby greens because you can generally do the &quot;cut and come again&quot; thing with them.  Sprouts, once you snip them off, which I believe is the way this is generally done, will not grow back.  Those mesclun mixes and baby greens will generally grow back, at least that's been my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-09-18T23:59:54.757" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14103" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14101" CreationDate="2014-09-19T00:13:18.653" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seeds that are for garden use often require multiple tests and such in order to meet performance standards. They have a much bigger job ahead of them, so a high germination rate, uniform growth, uniform looking plants, uniform maturity,  uniform looking harvests, and a number of other things are all necessities. For microgreens, all you need them to do is sprout. This makes the seed-production process a lot simpler, and make it easier to produce a higher number of seeds for lower cost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take radishes for example. Good gardening varieties need to be mild, fast, round, and uniformly colored. This means a hybrid is going to bring best results, and can be improved. But the sprouts from hybrid seed, if any, are very variable in comparison to those from heirloom seed. Most microgreen seeds are heirloom for this reason.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing - seeds for garden use are often - but not always - treated with different things, sometimes fungicides, sometimes seed protectant/germination enhancers, so you will need to read the labels of these seeds if you intend to use them as microgreens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-19T00:13:18.653" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3729" CreationDate="2014-09-19T04:04:40.413" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Goodness! It's strange to see all these people saying that &quot;pillbugs&quot; do not eat live plants. I don't know if pillbugs (we call them slaters) are tougher in Australia, but they certainly look exactly the same and are definitely the same species. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have raised beds... several years old, with no mulch but lots of potting mix and I have an absolute slater/pillbug infestation!!! My spinach and beetroot are doing fine, but when I put new cucumber, zucchini or pea seedlings in, the slaters have swarmed them and eaten the entire plant overnight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I absolutely know for a fact that it is slaters/pillbugs because if you go out there at night each plant has at least 10-20 slaters all over it busily eating. Often they chew through the stem at the bottom first and chop the seedling down like you would chainsaw down a tree, and then they simply cover it and eat the whole thing!! They obviously exhibit this behaviour if they are in plague proportions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think they are so bad in raised beds as there are no natural predators in there. The next time I catch a bobtail/bluetongue/shingleback lizard in my garden I am going to pop him in the raised bed to have a good feed before releasing him! :-D&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have to put a chopped off clear plastic bottle over each seedling until they are tough enough to withstand slater attack. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also remove 100's and 1000's of them by hand and my kids do too, and we throw them to the chooks (hens) who love to eat them, but there are 1000's more that I can't keep up with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also put down vegetable cuttings, wet newspaper etc and then remove them in bulk when they are covering the newspaper/vegetable peelings. It's such constant work and they seem to multiply overnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7198" LastActivityDate="2014-09-19T04:04:40.413" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2668" CreationDate="2014-09-19T07:40:43.293" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can use a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokashi_composting#Bokashi&quot;&gt;bokashi bin&lt;/a&gt; to preprocess all left-overs including meat, fish and dairy. It's a closed bin so it doesn't smell and after about 2 weeks the bin contents can be mixed in on your compost heap. Tips on how to do this can be found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bokashicompostinghq.com/using-bokashi-compost-in-a-compost-pile/&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. The downside is that you'll need the buy EM microorganisms regularly, and  you still have to remove bones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1916" LastActivityDate="2014-09-19T07:40:43.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14106" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14109" CreationDate="2014-09-19T16:27:57.537" Score="4" ViewCount="142" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to try to overwinter some tomato plants which I planted in a container and have worked well. I will have a hard winter and thus I need to stock them inside the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What do I need to consider before, during and after the winter? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I need to cut now or do I need to wait for the spring? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Where do I have to expect the new growth to happen?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What about light and temperature?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it worth the efforts knowing how easy it is to have them prospering from seeds?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-19T19:07:48.600" LastActivityDate="2014-09-19T19:07:48.600" Title="How should I prepare a containerized tomato-plant for overwintering?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14107" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14111" CreationDate="2014-09-19T16:33:00.577" Score="4" ViewCount="24517" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a problem with my strawberry, see the photos&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7FgPv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IPmDn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's been growing in this container for about four months. It grows indoors. I have fed it recently, after that the leaves started to turn brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the plant sick? What can be done about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7201" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-19T21:16:32.527" LastActivityDate="2014-09-20T01:44:01.370" Title="Why are my indoor strawberry's leaves turning brown?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14108" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14114" CreationDate="2014-09-19T16:57:07.723" Score="5" ViewCount="1645" Body="&lt;p&gt;This shrub is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;found growing wild in a field&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in New Hampshire, USA; USDA Zone 5&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;about 1m (3') tall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;alternate, smooth edged, ~6cm (2.5&quot;) long leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;growing on a hillside in gravelly, acidic (pH ~5), nutrient-poor soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fruit is small (&amp;lt;1cm) and red, containing a single seed ~6mm (1/4&quot;) long; it's September (beginning autumn here) and the berries are on the bush -- I'm not sure how long they've been there&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the area was completely cleared (i.e. with a bulldozer) about 5 years ago so the plant is not very old&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Close-up of fruit:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/yJutqfR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Twig detail:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/NC9tuk3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overall:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/tmgFCHV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Closer:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/fsBhAPz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My hand in the shot for size reference on leaves.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/okbqIYH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seed detail:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nEnQQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bud detail:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ncFtR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2014-09-21T14:36:39.377" LastActivityDate="2014-09-23T14:37:25.730" Title="What is this small shrub with small red berries, and lanceolate, alternate entire leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14109" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14106" CreationDate="2014-09-19T17:56:24.130" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is worth the effort, maybe if only for show and tell, but also so you can judge for yourself whether or not &lt;em&gt;you&lt;/em&gt; think it's worth it. It is kind of neat to have a fully productive, mature plant first thing in spring. Now to answer the questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You will need a substantial amount of space for each plant; don't crowd them. They can still get fungal infections indoors, and very easily at that. You don't want the humidity to be constantly over 70%, but then the plants will be stressed if it stays under 30%. Somewhere in the middle is fine. You will need a very good lighting system, unless you have lots of large south/west facing windows, with good sun exposure. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut the plants back before overwintering them. This makes them more manageable, and also reduces the surface area of the leaves, so the roots won't have to support as much through the stressful transition. I take them back about 2/3's. Make sure it is a healthy, green leaf you cut back to. Cut out any weaker, thinner stems, to improve circulation. You want only good, sturdy, green growth on the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can expect new growth to show within a week, from the bases of the leaves. The goal is to get the plants through the winter as fast as possible, and with as little growth as possible. The growth indoors will be inferior to what forms outside, so try to make the winter as short as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you don't get a substantial amount of direct sun indoors, you could go with some bright cfl bulbs - the brighter the better; you won't get too bright for tomatoes. As for temperature, this is a temporary position, and you want the plants to grow as little as possible. Therefore 55°-60° F. will be the best, preferable the temperature will not be above 70° Fahrenheit. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the plants aren't located on or near a heating vent. Also, if you have a gas range in your kitchen, don't put tomato plants in there. They are sensitive to fumes. I knew someone who did just that (brightest place in his house) and the results were dead tomato plants in less than a month. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a fun project, and good for testing your 'green thumb' abilities. :) In the spring, move outside as soon as possible. The same goes for these big mature plants as the younger ones. You have to harden them off, for best results. I usually started this when the daytime temperature was over 55°F outside, even if it dipped below freezing at night. They would go out in the sun for a n increasing number of hours each day, until the last frost. By then, they were hardy enough to plant/move out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They may not fruit right away after wintering, but they will begin to produce far before others' plants will. They take a little time establishing themselves, getting used to things, and then they will produce, often better than the year before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-19T17:56:24.130" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14110" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14112" CreationDate="2014-09-19T18:00:55.290" Score="5" ViewCount="404" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a few chilli pepper plants (I'm afraid I don't know what kind as the seed packet was unfortunately lost) but I don't know when the best time is to pick them so that they will be as spicy as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1642/&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; that all peppers start green and should eventually turn red and that the &lt;em&gt;flavor&lt;/em&gt; will be better the longer I leave it but I haven't found much information about spiciness. (Certainly nothing cited.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is some debate over whether green or red peppers are hotter and I know that smaller chillies tend to be hotter but I assume that is according to ripened size rather than that an immature pepper will be hotter than a fully grown one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When can I best harvest the peppers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6836" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-09-19T18:56:26.287" Title="Is there a way to harvest my chilli peppers for the best possible heat?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14107" CreationDate="2014-09-19T18:17:30.090" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are overwatering. I can see a line on the pot, in the saucer, where the water level usually is. The soil also looks very wet. That is far too much water for a strawberry plant. The leaves are also showing signs of nitrogen burn. It may be too late, but you can give it another shot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should immediately dump out that saucer, and repot the plant as soon as possible. Remove the plant from the pot, and clean the roots well, trying not to damage them. Cut off any rotten/dead roots. Be thorough. There may not be many healthy roots left. I usually dust very lightly with a fungicide powder/rooting hormone to keep it from spreading, and promote regrowth. Then, cut off all leaves that have the brown rot on them. Dispose of all old soil and plant cuttings far from the plant, and its new soil and pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Time to repot. Use a high quality &lt;em&gt;unfertilized&lt;/em&gt; potting mix (the plant isn't in good enough shape to handle the amount of n-p-k found in fertilized mix. I'd use a different, similarly sized pot (the old one may contain disease), and plant the plant in it, making sure the roots are spread well, not cramped together at all. Plant it a little higher than it is now (it's somewhat too low). The crown should emerge from the soil, almost as much as it sinks in. Then water, enough to get the potting soil moist, but not soaked. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep the soil slightly damp until the plant shows signs of recovery, if it does. This will be seen as new green leaves emerging from the crown. If you see this, change your watering schedule. You want to water until it runs from the pot, and then leave it until the top 1/4-1/2&quot; of mix has completely dried. Then repeat. Do not ever let it sit in a saucer of water. If you water, and there is a significant amount of water in the saucer, dump it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Only after the plant is starting to pick it up, and grow well, should you begin fertilizing again. Try giving it half strength solutions at first, every other week, until the plant is much stronger. Then you can feed as normal. It will eventually need a larger pot (that one isn't big enough for a full sized strawberry plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: I didn't notice an &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/indoors&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;indoors&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;indoors&lt;/a&gt; tag on the question (added now). This explains some other symptoms. Regular strawberry plants don't make the best houseplants. They like lots of light, and most kinds want a dormant rest period over winter. Yours is showing some signs of real etiolation. The stems are long, the leaves are small and pale. It needs more light. They depend on daylight length for the most part, to determine seasons. Now, indoors, they will need to have very bright supplemental lighting in order to be healthy. This will have to be set, or manually turned on at sunrise/off at sunset for the most natural growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over winter, the plant will need to rest, or go dormant. Warm temperatures will confuse the plant, and it needs cold temperatures. Over winter, it shouldn't get much over 45 degrees Fahrenheit if possible. That's the biggest reason why they (as well as many other temperate perennials) make poor houseplants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-20T01:44:01.370" LastActivityDate="2014-09-20T01:44:01.370" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14110" CreationDate="2014-09-19T18:56:26.287" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Red peppers are usually considered hotter, but sweeter, than green fruits. &lt;a href=&quot;http://thehotpepper.com/topic/24750-green-or-red-jalapeno/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is a thread where everyone agrees on that point. But the heat level often goes along with the stress level of the plant. most of the people on &lt;a href=&quot;http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=627374&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this thread&lt;/a&gt; also think red is hotter. If you water only minimally, grow the plant in scorching sun, and are skimpy on the fertilizer, you will end up with some very hot peppers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/how-can-you-tell-if-your-jalapeno-pepper-is-going-to-be-hot/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; even says that fruit can get hotter after picking, even when green. Therefore you can choose peppers to use according to the heat needs of the food you are making. &lt;a href=&quot;http://answers.ifood.tv/question/are-red-jalapenos-hotter-than-green&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is a good paragraph to go along with that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Yes, red jalapeno are hotter than green. Jalapeno chilies progressively get hotter the older they get, eventually turning bright red. As they age, they develop white lines and flecks, like stretch marks running in the direction of the length of the pepper. The smoother the pepper, the younger, and milder it is. The more white lines, the older and hotter. Red jalapeños can be pretty hot, if they have a lot of striations, but they are also sweeter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I just found what you could consider almost a duplicate of this post, over on &lt;a href=&quot;https://cooking.stackexchange.com/&quot;&gt;cooking.stackexchange.com:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/23604/are-chillies-hotter-when-theyre-ripe&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Are chillies hotter when they're ripe?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The answers to that question correlate to this one, agreeing that the red ones are hotter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I would wait until the peppers have colored fully, if you want the most heat possible. The longer you leave them on the plant, the hotter they'll get.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:33:29.830" LastActivityDate="2014-09-19T18:56:26.287" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4682" CreationDate="2014-09-20T00:32:59.500" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perhaps pre-paving prevention is (or should be) the best plan in the first place. Speaking from experience, about my own weedy paving problem (which has occurred after a lot of hard work paving a large area a few years ago), a base-mix of dry sand and cement would have done  a lot to prevent all the weed-seeds in the soil growing into problem weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A half and half sand and cement mix wet-down after paving would have considerably lessened the likelihood of weeds growing willy-nilly in an area which unfortunately, is right at my front gate - and therefore noticed by myself and everyone coming and going, morning, noon and night!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7202" LastEditorUserId="7202" LastEditDate="2014-09-20T00:40:11.903" LastActivityDate="2014-09-20T00:40:11.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14114" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14108" CreationDate="2014-09-20T00:59:03.890" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, I am going to suggest &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaeagnus_umbellata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Elaeagnus umbellata&lt;/a&gt;, Autumn Olive.  Alternate, entire, lanceolate,  red fleshy berries, New Hampshire and is also a nitrogen fixer which helps it to grow in tough environments.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-21T14:45:58.060" LastActivityDate="2014-09-21T14:45:58.060" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14116" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14118" CreationDate="2014-09-21T05:33:29.190" Score="3" ViewCount="1945" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just watched a YouTube video on how to top dress your lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M77S86Sib1I&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M77S86Sib1I&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The guy who does the video is in Australia. He has a handy tool that he calls a soil leveler. I found a link to one:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bunnings.com.au/cyclone-top-soil-spreader_p3361061&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.bunnings.com.au/cyclone-top-soil-spreader_p3361061&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I can't find one for sale here. Do we have these in the U.S.? And if so, what are they called and where can I get one?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7204" LastActivityDate="2015-06-01T13:18:39.443" Title="What is a soil spreader called in the U.S? Are they available here?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14117" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14119" CreationDate="2014-09-21T09:19:04.037" Score="6" ViewCount="380" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since water is scarce here, I would like to water my pots with used water. I guess that it is not a good idea to use water with soap, but what about water with food remnants? For example, I washed the trays of my food dehydrator with water only. The water is now full of vegetable remnants and no soap. Is it safe to give this water to my plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2748" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-21T12:25:11.827" LastActivityDate="2014-09-21T12:36:51.010" Title="What unclean water can I give to my plants?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;greywater&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14116" CreationDate="2014-09-21T10:41:40.003" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trulutes or soil levellers are similar - they're primarily intended for top dressing lawns, but are similar to the one in your link and can be used for spreading out materials. I can't seem to find any available in the States though, so they're either not available, or called something else. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ah, just found something - they're called Gravel leveler/Easy spreaders in the States. Not sure where you are, but Rittenhouse, a supplier in CA is, where I found that out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-21T10:41:40.003" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14117" CreationDate="2014-09-21T12:36:51.010" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the greywater is from food preparation, it's fine to use if it doesn't contain salt, oil, or big pieces of food. I'd use a strainer, to get all the pieces. I think the water from the food dehydrator is fine, if it was used only for plant matter, not animal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So no animal, no salt, no oil, and I'd say if you were baking in the kitchen, don't use rinse water from the dry mix bowl or the wet one. both of these will contain too much material for good health, and possibly even are unsuitable (baking soda/powder, eggs, so on would be bad). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't use it if you can't clearly see through it, you want it to be as clear as possible. If you have some that is too concentrated, mix it with more clean water, until it is clear enough to see through properly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-21T12:36:51.010" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14120" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14126" CreationDate="2014-09-21T16:59:26.983" Score="5" ViewCount="1713" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 2 or 3 types of mushrooms growing in the mulch around my orange tree near Houston, Texas (UDSA Zone 9a). What are they? The the last picture is actually 3 clustered, I haven't pulled it up yet because the bugs on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kvj0f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cd8HL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O6Kq3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TK6pY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vWACR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IFiiO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pA7ca.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5707" LastEditorUserId="5707" LastEditDate="2014-09-22T15:21:24.330" LastActivityDate="2014-09-22T15:21:24.330" Title="What are these mushrooms growing in the mulch around my orange tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14121" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14127" CreationDate="2014-09-21T22:27:03.310" Score="4" ViewCount="327" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since I was able to purchase NON-GMO seed, I'd like to harvest seed from my vegetable garden this year.  How do you tell when the seed is ready for harvest?  Lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, celery, beets, squash?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-23T02:52:40.923" LastActivityDate="2015-09-21T21:35:30.230" Title="What are the basics to collect seed from the vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14122" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14123" CreationDate="2014-09-22T06:45:55.270" Score="6" ViewCount="622" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the name of this plant? The picture was taken in Central Europe this September. The plant is more than 50 cm high and grew from seeds in a single season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YbKW9.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-23T04:13:56.930" LastActivityDate="2014-10-13T21:44:13.570" Title="What is this white-and-purple, five-petaled flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14123" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14122" CreationDate="2014-09-22T08:59:25.577" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.waysidegardens.com/zebrina-hollyhock-mallow/p/43931/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Malva sylvestris&lt;/em&gt; 'Zebrina'&lt;/a&gt;, commonly known as Mallow Zebrina - these are perennials that happen to flower in their first year, hardy in &lt;a href=&quot;http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/InteractiveMap.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;USDA hardiness zones&lt;/a&gt; 4-8. Easily raised from seed, the streaking on the petals can be deep pink, pale pink, maroon - there is considerable variation in the coloration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-13T21:44:13.570" LastActivityDate="2014-10-13T21:44:13.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14124" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14121" CreationDate="2014-09-22T13:03:05.140" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to &lt;em&gt;assume&lt;/em&gt; that you're wanting to save open pollinated seeds. There's a difference between GMO, &quot;hybrid&quot; and &quot;open pollinated&quot; seeds.  While you &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; save hybrid seeds, you're getting an &lt;em&gt;intentionally&lt;/em&gt; cross-pollinated plant seed initially but if you save seeds from that, you'll not get the same plant from those seeds.  But you can save them if you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't grow beets.  Never met a beet I liked. =)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't grow celery but it's a biennial.  Can't speak to saving either of those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I imagine someone else can talk about those two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lettuces are pretty easy.  You might need to concern yourself with cross-pollination - there are techniques for this - row covers, etc. but more to the question you asked, they'll bolt when it gets too warm, create a flower and then after it blooms it's maybe 2-3 weeks before the seeds are ready to harvest.  There's some wiggle room there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For squash seed saving I let the squash fruit ripen past the point where I'd harvest them to actually eat.  The fruit gets a bit harder at this point and then the seeds are good to go.  Honestly, I'd say I give them a week past the point where I'd harvest to eat.  I suppose you could wait longer but I never do. I cut the squash open, scrape out the seed and rinse them off in a colander.  I do the same thing with pumpkin seeds.  I run water over then and move them around in the colander to remove the pulp and stuff off of them and then I spread them out to dry.  Very easy to save them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cauliflower is a brassica and so is a biennial plant - it seeds in the second year, like carrots do.  I'm assuming you already knew this but anyway.  They get tall - 3 feet or more - and when those pods brown up, they're ready.  They need to overwinter safely though for year two.  Folks in colder climates need to save them from freezing hard - digging them up and storing them until spring is common.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cabbage is a brassica too and a biennial.  Similar thing going here.  Note, however, that brassicas will readily cross-pollinate and so unless you've isolated them well, you run the risk of your brassicas cross-pollinating and producing some cabbage/cauliflower cross.  Interesting, but not likely what you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-09-22T13:03:05.140" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14108" CreationDate="2014-09-22T13:13:19.490" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe it's an Elaeagenus multiflora Goumi. It could be a twin of the one I have in my backyard. The only difference is the fruiting time - mine fruits midsummer here in Wisconsin. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The berries are edible, but they are better if you rub them on your slacks a bit before eating to remove the little whitish raised dots on them. As you noticed, they also have a rather large seed, so aren't a berry you'll probably be eating a ton of. Their flavor does grow on you, though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ETA - bstpierre, here's what I've heard about telling the difference between them (and I've only seen the goumi in person, so I'm not certain): &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Goumi have a mature height of 6-8 feet. Autumn olive are larger at 12-18 feet.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Goumi berries are larger than autumn olives. Fruit can be up to 2.5 cm long (so, 1/2&quot;-1&quot; long), vs 3/8&quot; for autumn olives.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Goumi berries fruit mid summer, vs fall for Autumn Olives&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Goumi berries are distributed along the stem, while Autumn Olives tend to hang in clusters.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are so similar though - it really is quite hard to tell the difference! The fruit size and distribution made me think Goumi, but fruiting time looks like Autumn Olive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2014-09-23T14:37:25.730" LastActivityDate="2014-09-23T14:37:25.730" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14126" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14120" CreationDate="2014-09-22T15:11:05.857" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;All these appear to be growing out of soil which has a quite woody, fibrous mulch - which is where the mycelium have come from, and these are the fruiting bodies. I'm by no means even vaguely a mycologist, but the penultimate and last pictures may be Macrolepiota rhacodes, Shaggy Parasol - they start out one shape and end up another, and the white gills beneath become tinged with red as it ages. They may not be that at all, perhaps someone else can give a definite ID, so I wouldn't recommend you eat them without being 100% sure. You also mention something growing out of your lawn, but I see no lawn in the pics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-22T15:11:05.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14121" CreationDate="2014-09-22T19:21:16.530" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why are heirloom varieties best for saving seed? They aren't hybridized, so their offspring will be very similar genetically, to the original stock, if good techniques are implemented.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, for the basic answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We'll first go into pollination. There are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Self-pollinated plants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Insect-pollinated plants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;wind pollinated plants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let's look at &lt;strong&gt;self pollinated plants&lt;/strong&gt; first. These have functional male and female parts within the same flower (or have both flower types on the same plant). This makes setting seed easy, but some can cross-pollinated by insects as well, which means you'll have to use isolation techniques with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Insect pollinated plants&lt;/strong&gt;, on the other hand, always require varietal purity techniques in order to maintain a specific variety. There are many insects that pollinate plants, but the most common efficient one is the honeybee. These are great, because they will only visit one type of flower during a trip, so they are far less random than bumblebees, sweat bees, isolated bees, etc. Moths and butterflies, though they visit flowers often, are not efficient at pollination. Wasps don't have the type of hair to transfer pollen well, so they aren't good, either. Flies, though random, will pollinate flowers that have open, exposed nectaries, such as various individuals in the Umbelliferae and Brassicaceae families.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wind pollinated plants&lt;/strong&gt; (such as corn or spinach) are easy to keep pure, if you live alone. All they need is isolation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Maintaining Varietal Purity&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;distance isolation:&lt;/strong&gt; This is the technique of growing the seed plants far enough from potential pollinator plants (either wind- or insect-pollinated) that the pollination is almost pure. The distances change from plant to plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;time isolation:&lt;/strong&gt; This is the technique of sowing and raising plants at a far enough time from the potential pollinators that the seed remains almost pure. The times, of course, vary from plant to plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;mechanical isolation:&lt;/strong&gt; This is the use of a physical barrier to keep the plants from being pollinated by other strains. There are a few ways of doing this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bagging:&lt;/strong&gt; This is used to isolate only the flowering portion of a plant, especially where only a small amount of seeds are needed. Like on tomatoes, you can cover an individual cluster with a bag, so that the only pollination is self-pollination. Paper bags are the most common. Never use plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Caging:&lt;/strong&gt; This is often a wood, plastic, pvc or wire frame, covered in screening or lightweight row cloth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alternate day caging:&lt;/strong&gt; This is to maintain purity when raising two varieties together. You plant the two varieties together, and when they start flowering, cage &lt;em&gt;only&lt;/em&gt; one variety. The insects pollinate the others all day. That night switch the cages over to the other variety, and the originally caged plants get pollinated the next day. This is used for insect pollinated plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Caging with introduced pollinators:&lt;/strong&gt; This is using rapped or newly emerged pollinators (flies or bees) to pollinate the plants inside the cages. They need to be large enough to allow flying room around the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hand pollination:&lt;/strong&gt; This is often used for plants that are insect or wind pollinated, to maintain pure seed. This is often done in conjunction with caging, for plants that are naturally insect pollinated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Selection and Population Size&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vegetable seeds are constantly changing (slowly) due to either environmental factors or genetic factors, and you have to learn how to maintain a variety using certain techniques. You have to learn to look at the entire plant, and develop for specific traits. Characteristics to consider will include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;earliness&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;disease resistance&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;insect resistance&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;drought resistance&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stockiness&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;vigor&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;color&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lateness to bolt&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hardiness&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;uniformity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;trueness to type&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;flavor&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;overall health&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How is this accomplished? Each year, seed savers must grow a good amount of each plant they want to save. The more plants the better, to maintain genetic diversity, and plant vigor. Once the plants are planted, watch the new plants. Cull any which differ from the original plants. Like being noticeably smaller, a different shape, bug bitten, etc. Every off-type is to be removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do you tell when the seed is ready for harvest? Lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, celery, beets, squash?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lettuce&lt;/strong&gt; seeds ripen irregularly and are ready to harvest from 12-24 days after flowering. The seeds should be harvested daily during that time, by shaking the seedheads into a large grocery bag and storing in a dry place in between.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cauliflower&lt;/strong&gt; is usually a biennial, and requires vernalization in order to flower. This means that if the plants are in an area where is gets colder than 28 degrees F., the plants will need to be dug up and stored overwinter at between 32 and 40 degrees F., at 90-95% relative humidity, and planted out again in the spring. Cut the stalks when the pods have turned brown, but before they shatter. Hang in a dry place to continue drying, and tie a paper bag on the end, to catch the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cabbage&lt;/strong&gt; is the same as cauliflower, except that when planted out in spring, you need to cut a shallow 'X' in the middle of the cabbage, to allow the stalk to emerge. Otherwise, see the cauliflower section.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Same as for the brassicas, &lt;strong&gt;celery&lt;/strong&gt; needs to be overwintered and replanted in the spring. Celery doesn't like being disturbed, rootwise, so dig them carefully. They will then grow a seed stalk. Celery seed stalks are comprised of several umbels, some of which ripen before others. It is best to harvest the umbels one at a time, as they mature, but before they shatter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Beets&lt;/strong&gt; These are also biennial, and must be dug and stored in damp sand (in a 90-95% relative humidity environment) overwinter in most areas. Harvest when the seed clusters on the 4' stalk have turned light brown. Once the stalks are completely dry, thresh them with a flail, and winnow to remove chaff (I have used the wind method).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Squash&lt;/strong&gt; Harvest when completely ripe, and let them sit at least a month before removing the seed. Pick the seed from the pulp, and rinse in a colander, removing all debris. Drain and dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seed saving is a very time-consuming and involved process, which is why it has become less and less common over the past years. There are still many interested in the process, and you can find tutorials and videos online, demonstrating how to do any of the numerous tasks you will need to accomplish. It is an art form, and so many people find it more convenient to simply buy new seeds each year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The book that has helped me most, and I highly recommend to anyone with an interest in this topic (also my main reference for this answer), is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seed-to-seed-suzanne-ashworth/1100013064?cm_mmc=google%20product%20search-_-q000000633-_-9781882424580pla-_-book_15to24-_-q000000633-_-9781882424580&amp;amp;ean=9781882424580&amp;amp;isbn=9781882424580&amp;amp;kpid=9781882424580&amp;amp;r=1&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;'Seed to Seed' by Suzanne Ashworth&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-09-21T21:35:30.230" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14128" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-23T03:17:17.270" Score="5" ViewCount="105" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PXJHc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;First image&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/logQY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Second image&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have this plant at my new place which I assume is a Cissus of some type from googling. I noticed some of the leaves started yellowing and falling off when the flower buds started appearing. Is this normal, or is there something I can/should be doing (trimming the flower buds?)? I'm just worried it might be dying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm located in Western Australia, so it gets plenty of sunshine, and has been receiving winter rain for the past couple of months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Sorry about the formatting, I'm trying to post the pictures from my tablet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7207" LastEditorUserId="7207" LastEditDate="2014-09-23T03:26:30.607" LastActivityDate="2014-09-23T11:04:21.327" Title="Should my plant be shedding leaves when it's flowering?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14129" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14086" CreationDate="2014-09-23T10:34:50.377" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like some kind of fungal infection - cut the main stem back down to where that new shoot is on the right (in the picture), at an angle away from the shoot, in hopes the trouble does not spread down the plant and kill it. Leave the new ones at the bottom until you see how the plant fares once cut back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-23T10:34:50.377" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14130" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14128" CreationDate="2014-09-23T10:49:21.373" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think its a Cissus - it looks remarkably like Trachelospermum jasminoides, but I can't see any evidence of twining at the top of the plant (it often twines round itself at the top of a support) and this would normally flower mid summer - I think it's spring where you are now, though different climates may produce different flowering times. If it is Trachelospermum, it should have fragrant flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does appear to be evergreen, and some leaf loss takes place year round on evergreen plants, which you may notice more in spring/early summer because, as new leaf growth starts happening, more older ones may decide it's time to drop off. Don't remove the flowers, particularly if they're fragrant, but do give it a feed with a compound fertiliser of some sort (Growmore, that sort of thing, not sure what you've got available there, but Growmore has an NPK of 7-7-7, so something balanced) because some of the leaves look a little chlorotic, though that could be just the result of coming out of winter, or insufficient water if its been dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-09-23T11:04:21.327" LastActivityDate="2014-09-23T11:04:21.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14131" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4366" CreationDate="2014-09-23T15:31:26.593" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They hate the smell of bleach. Put bleach on rags and hang them round the garden fence but do keep the rags damp!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7208" LastActivityDate="2014-09-23T15:31:26.593" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14132" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14134" CreationDate="2014-09-23T19:10:25.073" Score="8" ViewCount="716" Body="&lt;p&gt;We need to remove a number of trees that have been killed by some kind of pine beetle - presumably black turpentine beetle - on eastern Long Island. These trees had suffered injury from salt spray during superstorm Sandy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are wetland permitting issues involved, and so we need to revegetate to keep everyone happy. Our original thought was to plant some oaks suitable for the site as we feared the beetles in the area would kill any pitch pines we planted. However we were told that we should replant &quot;in-kind,&quot; and that the new, healthy seedlings would not be bothered by the beetles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any input would be welcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-24T00:14:14.370" LastActivityDate="2014-09-24T23:37:35.433" Title="Do pine beetles kill healthy pitch pines, or is it safe to plant seedlings to replace trees killed by them?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14132" CreationDate="2014-09-23T19:58:10.843" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ccesuffolk.org/assets/Horticulture-Leaflets/Black-Turpentine-Beetle.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Turpentine beetle&lt;/a&gt;I don't think that replanting plants that have got a community of insects feeding off of them would be a good idea. Granted the storm weakened them, but healthy plants are going to be feeding the beetle larvae that have found the original pines.  I'd find a good indigenous tree that hasn't had any problems with insects, now or in the past. &lt;em&gt;Amelanchier alnifolia&lt;/em&gt; (Serviceberry) is one I can't believe hasn't been planted more. It's a great understory plant that won't be bothered by a little shade while the remaining pines return.  Oaks have had many problems, be careful which variety you choose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I looked up a few sites and planting new pines (Rigida or Pitch, Scot Pine or Japanese Black Pine) is not a good idea.  When insect populations go up they will attack healthy pines.  Unless you want to baby the new trees with pesticides, just plant non-pine indigenous stuff.  I am sure they should have a list of recommendations at your extension service in your state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-09-24T23:37:35.433" LastActivityDate="2014-09-24T23:37:35.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14134" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14132" CreationDate="2014-09-23T20:30:40.810" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another point of view.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The beetles usually only attack trees that are compromised healthwise. They don't generally attack small trees. By the time the trees are large enough to attack, the beetles will have moved on, looking for new food sources, and the trees are going to be no more susceptible than any others. The trees should be kept healthy; the healthier the trees, the less likely they will be attacked. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you were allowed, planting deciduous trees would be good, but in the situation you're in, planting new pines will be fine.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-23T20:30:40.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14135" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14136" CreationDate="2014-09-23T20:37:55.740" Score="8" ViewCount="1217" Body="&lt;p&gt;Need help identifying these little &lt;del&gt;monsters&lt;/del&gt; creatures on my cucumber plants. It doesn't look like a beetle but working along side beetles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DekTX.png&quot; alt=&quot;Need help identifying these little monsters&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="474" LastEditorUserId="474" LastEditDate="2014-09-24T20:39:43.387" LastActivityDate="2014-09-24T20:39:43.387" Title="What is this little insect larvae on my cucumbers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14136" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14135" CreationDate="2014-09-23T22:38:33.687" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccinellidae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ladybug larvae&lt;/a&gt; - don't kill it. It is eating pests, and is a beneficial insect. Are the beetles they were found with ladybugs? that would make sense. But &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilachna_varivestis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mexican bean beetles&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumber_beetle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cucumber beetles&lt;/a&gt; also look like ladybugs, I'll include a side by side comparison picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From left to right, ladybug, mexican bean beetle, and cucumber beetle:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MI6zS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oTEv2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From left to right, ladybug larva and mexican bean beetle larvae:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QcTyl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AnySc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cucumber beetle larva:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SxZHX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see, the larvae are much easier to distinguish between than the adults are. I would leave the ladybug larvae on the plant, unless you want to spray it. In that case, carefully transport them to a new location, infested with aphids (one without ant farmers is preferable).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-23T22:51:44.140" LastActivityDate="2014-09-23T22:51:44.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14137" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3207" CreationDate="2014-09-23T23:17:12.427" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on where you live you can harvest potatoes anytime.  When I lived in zone 5 for example, I'd leave the potatoes in their (raised) beds all winter.  I had silt-loam soil and lived near the ocean.  It was such a treat to go out and cram my hands into the beds to pull out potatoes in the middle of winter; large or small...by spring I'd pulled them all inside to keep cool in shredded newspaper.  Buried in the soil protects potatoes an awful lot.  In zone 4 or lower, I'd get them pulled up and nestled in shredded newspaper or sawdust.  They'll be fine in a dark garage or root cellar or cool basement stored in this manner for the entire winter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potatoes were one of the first things to 'die back' in the vegetable garden.  There were white flowers (white potatoes), pink flowers (reds) and blue flowers (blue potatoes). But they started dying back before anything else. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the plants start dying the potatoes won't be getting any larger.  I've always grabbed new potatoes whenever I wanted and there were always the huge ones.  Which I don't think are as good as the 'new' potatoes.  Potatoes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow and harvest!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just one caveat...don't eat any 'green' potato.  They are the ones that are sort of exposed on the top of the soil and get sunlight.  When you see potatoes exposed grab a handful of soil and cover them.  They are starting to produce chlorophyll and as their genus proves, becoming toxic.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potatoes are one of the best most forgiving vegetables to grow!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2014-09-23T23:39:11.857" LastActivityDate="2014-09-23T23:39:11.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14138" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14142" CreationDate="2014-09-24T02:17:06.640" Score="4" ViewCount="1073" Body="&lt;p&gt;In hard-to-mow areas, I use a string trimmer to occasionally cut back the weeds. I recently found a tool for sale which could potentially be used in a similar fashion, but without any gas. It's called a Bow-Knife Weed Cutter. I found it &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.lehmans.com/p-393-bow-knife-weed-cutter.aspx?show=all&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, but other people sell similar tools. It looks like this: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w4V6G.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The spring blade can be released for storage, and sits straight. I realize it may take more energy (which I don't mind) but it is also considerably lighter in weight than a commercial grade string trimmer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How long (hours) can it be used before needing to be sharpened? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How does it compare to a gas powered string trimmer in regards to the cutting speed? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How well does it handle small woody plants (ie, roses or blackberries) that I may run across?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The customer reviews I've read seemed fairly contented, but there weren't many.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-24T02:36:21.280" LastActivityDate="2020-04-23T19:42:17.013" Title="How does a bow-knife weed cutter compare with a string trimmer?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14139" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14140" CreationDate="2014-09-24T05:54:09.727" Score="10" ViewCount="26966" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a cactus (pictured) which I bought about a month or so ago. It has been slowly drooping, although the tag said to keep it dry in winter and I have only watered it once when I re-potted it. The stems seem to have gone all soft. Does anyone know what might be wrong with it and how I can save it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0kVAml.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;little indoor cactus looking droopy&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7212" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-24T16:39:38.670" LastActivityDate="2020-06-05T19:11:09.460" Title="Why is my cactus droopy?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14140" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14139" CreationDate="2014-09-24T06:13:12.113" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check the stems. Are they just limp, or are they decaying at the base? And check the soil. Is it dry all the way through? What I suspect to be the case is: Cacti need water too, just not as much. If the mix is dry all the way through, that is too dry. If that's the case, give it a good watering right away. The limpness, if there are no signs of rot, is simply wilt from moisture lack. Keep the mix barely moist throughout winter, not bone-dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, cacti need smaller containers. Planting in a container that size will lead to different problems, like dry center, where the original soil remains dry even after watering. A pot 1/4 that size should be plenty. If the bases of the stems are rotting, there is nothing you can do but take cuttings from the remainder, or graft them onto new rootstocks (easier than it may sound). Also, the plant seems to have leaned towards the window. In warm temperatures (70 degrees F. and higher), desert cacti need full sun for best health. If you can't provide that, I'd suggest that you look into a lighting system that will work for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a note, cacti do best with a winter rest period, when you let them dry most of the way, but they need lower temperatures (between 55 and 65 degrees F.) and shorter, but not too much less intense lightwise, days in order to go dormant properly. If you can't provide the cooler temperatures, don't dry the plant out. It will wilt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plant is healthy, I'd repot it back into a smaller container as well. Here's what the Reader's Digest book '&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1168830.Success_with_House_Plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Success with House Plants&lt;/a&gt;' (highly recommended, by the way) has to say about the potting requirements of cacti:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In the wild most desert cacti have a widespread root system. The roots of a plant 6 inches tall can extend, just below the soil surface, for a square yard. This enables them to collect a good supply of surface water in the form of dew. The roots of plants grown in pots are much more compact and the potting mixture must have especially good drainage in order to avoid the risk of rotting. Apart from the drainage requirement, desert cacti have no special potting-mixture needs. A suitable mixture consists of about one part of coarse sand or perlite to two parts of either soil-based or peat-based mixture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This correlates well my my personal experience with the cacti. The book then goes on to describe the repotting process in good detail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-24T16:42:55.553" LastActivityDate="2014-09-24T16:42:55.553" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14141" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14132" CreationDate="2014-09-24T09:06:36.817" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Replanting trees in this environment will likely result in weakened plants and simply feed the insect population. As J. Musser above mentions, establishing a base of hardy shrubbery is necessary first. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7215" LastActivityDate="2014-09-24T09:06:36.817" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14138" CreationDate="2014-09-24T12:23:19.030" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't used this tool specifically but I've used similar tools.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The scythe is a similar tool and the bush blade scythe is built to handle similar conditions as this tool.  Typically the blade is sharpened with a whetstone every 5 minutes or so and then less frequently it is peened.  Keeping these tools sharp is critical or they aren't going to work well at all.  A neighbor was using a similar tool last week and it was clear that he doesn't sharpen it often... looked very tiring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's not all that long a blade, compared to a scythe, and while you're not swinging a heavy tool (thankfully), you are doing the high swing technique which means that most of the time the blade is not in contact with grass/brush but rather in the air.  Cutting through brambles is a pain in the rear with a standard string trimmer but is reasonably easy to do with a brush cutter (DR makes one as do other vendors).  So with a standard string trimmer you'd need the cutting head (there are several types - blades, single blade, etc.) to make any progress with brush greater than, say, a drinking straw's diameter.  My brush cutter has a floating head and two wheels and thick line.  It cuts through brambles well though not above maybe the thickness of my index finger.  That tool you're looking at &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt; cut through most of that but you'll be swinging often - good workout but it takes time.  A bush blade scythe might be more effective and less tiring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd probably opt for the properly sized scythe with the light bush blade for work like this.  They are, though, about 3-4x more expensive. For small areas, this tool you've asked about looks like it would work reasonably well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-09-24T12:23:19.030" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14143" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14144" CreationDate="2014-09-24T14:43:32.620" Score="2" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;3 mature (8-10') Crepe Myrtles (var. Raspberry Sundae) were installed approximately 4 years ago on a property on the south fork of Long Island. They seem to be thriving, and grow well each year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However only one of the plants has ever produced any flowers, and that one only produced a single flower cluster. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there something that we can do to encourage flowering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: &#xA;Location - eastern Long Island, NY. Within 0.5 Kilometers from ocean, but not exposed.&#xA;Soils - well drained, silt-loam.&#xA;The plants are irrigated.&#xA;The plants receive light, insoluble fertilization in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-24T16:44:21.053" LastActivityDate="2014-09-24T16:44:21.053" Title="What could be keeping Crepe Myrtles from flowering?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14143" CreationDate="2014-09-24T15:16:29.093" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience, slight stress best promotes flowers in Crepe myrtles. They are used to warm, arid climates (like Texas), and grow best in those regions. Up north, such as in New York, where you are, they won't bloom as easily, without certain conditions being met. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13707/what-is-this-pink-lavender-flowering-shrub/13709#comment15187_13709&quot;&gt;Here's another instance&lt;/a&gt; of a northern gardener not being able to get their crepe myrtles to bloom. Here's what I'd try:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stop irrigating. In their natural habitat, they often get along quite well naturalized, without trouble. Watering makes the plant grow more lushly, at the expense of flowers, similar to fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Only fertilize with potassium and phosphorus, not nitrogen. Something like 0-10-5 or similar. This promotes flowering. Nitrogen promotes greenery, but not flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The soil sounds good, even if it's low in nutrients. Crepe myrtles do well in poor soils. The healthiest ones I've ever seen here in Pennsylvania were growing in a dry sandy soil so dry and poor the weeds weren't even growing well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't prune much; it encourages vegetative growth, often at the expense of flowers in northern climates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For what it's worth, I transplanted a similarly sized one this spring, after it almost died over winter (I was replacing it with a dogwood for a customer, and thought it was worth salvaging) and it flowered right away. But it didn't grow much (maybe up to 6&quot;) before flowering. It is now on a very dry slope, similar to where it was before, and is recovering well. I expect full recovery within 3-4 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-09-24T15:16:29.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14145" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8660" CreationDate="2014-09-24T17:02:30.657" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in the process of sifting gravel out of my backyard where I want a garden and by far, the absolutely best way to sift gravel out, is with a hardware mesh slide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uvLSl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sifting rocks out of the soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This method was an upgrade from the box with a hardware mesh bottom that I would shake back and forth to separate the rocks from the dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The biggest advantage of the slide over the box, is that gravity is doing all the work for me. All I have to do is shovel dirt to the top of the slide, and as it runs down, the dirt will fall through the mesh, while the rocks run to the bottom (into the box that I had been using previously).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not only does this mean I'm not breaking my back sifting through dirt, but I'm skipping an entire step in the process. Rather than filling up the box, then sifting the dirt, I go straight into sifting the dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do want to note that I have seen people make a dirt-sifter using the box method, but putting a motor on the box so that it shakes on it's own. So there is that option, but it didn't seem like something I would want to do, I'm not going to want to keep the sifter after I'm finished, and I didn't want to spend a whole lot on doing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For this method I used:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;2, 4-inch boards.&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;  1, 2-inch board.&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;  2, 2x4 wall studs.&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;  1 roll of 1/4-inch hardware mesh.&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;  Staples to attach the hardware mesh to the wood.&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;  1 1/2-inch screws.&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;  2 small corner brackets.&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;  2 straight brackets.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;All I did was I rolled out the hardware mesh and stapled each side to one of the 4-inch boards. Then, I cut the 2-inch boards, and screwed them over the hardware mesh to provide support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Note:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; I placed the middle piece one-third of the way from the bottom. This creates a lip that will keep large sections of dirt, or dirt that's mixed in with plants and just isn't sifting through on it's own from reaching the bottom. All I have to do then, is run a flat shovel up through the dirt a couple times and it will all sort itself out. If you do it right, the plants will end of on the top and you can grab them for compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once that piece is together, then just use something to prop it at about a 45 degree angle. That's what I used the wall studs for, since I had them lying around as scrap. It's also where I used the brackets to attach them together. I only used them because I had them next to me and didn't feel like going to dig out longer screws. You could easily use longer screws and skip the brackets if you prefer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's really all there is to that design. Just be sure keep an eye out for worms as the dirt runs down the slide,  you don't want to sift those guys out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastActivityDate="2014-09-24T17:02:30.657" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14146" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14147" CreationDate="2014-09-24T18:43:26.373" Score="5" ViewCount="478" Body="&lt;p&gt;(This is a follow-up to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14108/what-is-this-small-shrub-with-small-red-berries-and-lanceolate-alternate-entir&quot;&gt;this identification question&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can one distinguish between &lt;em&gt;Elaeagnus umbellata&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;E. multiflora&lt;/em&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see some minor differences in the descriptions e.g. on Wikipedia, but I'm not sure which differences are definitive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was convinced by the first answer that I have an umbellata, but when the second answer arrived I realized that I have no clue how to be sure which is which.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-09-24T19:20:00.410" Title="How to distinguish between Elaeagnus umbellata and E. multiflora?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14147" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14146" CreationDate="2014-09-24T19:20:00.410" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I usually distinguish between them by the drupes. There is some overlap here, but less than there is on leaf size, width, color etc. The fruits (drupes) are usually more consistent. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaeagnus_umbellata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Elaeagnus umbellata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; has darker, rounder fruit on a shorter stem. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaeagnus_multiflora&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Elaeagnus multiflora&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; has slightly elongated, slightly more orangish fruits hanging from longer stems. Fruit size is variable. See comparison pictures below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Left: Berries of &lt;em&gt;Elaeagnus umbellata&lt;/em&gt;. Right: Berries of &lt;em&gt;Elaeagnus multiflora&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CsTfJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K1390.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ncFtR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this picture&lt;/a&gt; on your &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14108/what-is-this-small-shrub-with-small-red-berries-and-lanceolate-alternate-entir&quot;&gt;previous question&lt;/a&gt;, I believe the plant you have is &lt;em&gt;Elaeagnus umbellata&lt;/em&gt;, as suggested in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14108/what-is-this-small-shrub-with-small-red-berries-and-lanceolate-alternate-entir/14114#14114&quot;&gt;this accepted answer&lt;/a&gt; (vote given).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-09-24T19:20:00.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14148" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9728" CreationDate="2014-09-24T19:34:31.460" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I second some of @kevinsky's answer, but would add that most North American or European Maples probably won't make good bonsai due to their relatively enormous leaves. What looks like a bonsai is relative, but for most people it's making a small plant look like a large tree. There aren't very many large trees with 50-foot leaves on them, which is the look you'd get by using those species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, growing them in a pot will take a long time for them to develop enough biomass to give them that &quot;small tree&quot; look. It won't grow leaves it can't support with its root system, and it can't grow a large root system in a small pot, so it'll typically stay at the size it is when you pot it. I've seen some people grow bonsai in pots...sometimes indoors no less, but this can take decades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most real bonsai are first grown in the ground for several years until they get a good trunk size (a few inches). Given the species, they may get up to a dozen feet tall or more. Then they're drastically chopped back during early spring/late winter, sometimes almost to a few inches from the ground, and left there to again grow back smaller branches. This is repeated a few more years until the branches look &quot;ramified&quot; as they would on a full-sized mature tree and only then is it finally dug up and grown in a pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1270" LastActivityDate="2014-09-24T19:34:31.460" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14149" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-24T19:47:46.290" Score="1" ViewCount="1063" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do you prune/pinch/wire a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptomeria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cryptomeria japonica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; to shape it into the formal upright &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaiempire.com/images/bonsai-styles.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;chokkan&lt;/a&gt;&quot; style, like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.marinhomestead.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/cryptojap.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://crataegus.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/img_6458_32411.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;? Whenever I've tried this with other evergreen species, I've never been able to get the foliage to separate into those distinctive &quot;clumps&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sHY4p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Added picture. It's actually a &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=cryptomeria%20japonica%20Birodo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Birodo&lt;/a&gt;&quot; dwarf variety that I bought at a local nursery. It's only about 6&quot; tall and not much to look at. I have it in a small planter with a couple of other dwarf species (a maple and holly) that will be wintering together. Come spring, I'll relocate it to its own planter and let it get bigger before I start any work on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1270" LastEditorUserId="1270" LastEditDate="2014-09-26T13:41:58.753" LastActivityDate="2014-09-26T13:41:58.753" Title="How do I shape a Cryptomeria bonsai into the chokkan style?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14150" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14149" CreationDate="2014-09-24T21:06:12.340" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's what the Sunset's Bonsai handbook says about the chokan style:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture a plant with a perfectly straight, virtually cylindrical trunk that tapers gradually as it rises vertically from the soil, and you are likely visualizing a Formal Upright. The trunk base splays outward just enough to indicate that radiating roots give good support. An example in nature is the majestic tree that stands alone in a field or lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lowest and longest branch should appear about a third of the way up the trunk, and perhaps angle slightly toward the front of the plant. The next branch as you proceed upward should be a bit smaller and extend toward the opposite side of the bonsai, angling slightly forward. The third branch will be smaller yet, extending toward the back of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This ascending spiral pattern repeats as you progress up the trunk to the apex, the branches getting smaller and more closely spaced as they approach the tp. A finished Formal Upright specimen will be nearly cone shaped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ordinarily, large branches that point toward the front of the plant are undesirable because they obscure the structure rather than enhance it, but small branches in the in the upper third of the plant may project forward slightly if they fit the overall design pattern. To determine which branches to keep, remember that branches on opposite sides of the trunk should not be at the same level, and no branch should be directly above another one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you need to first select and keep the permanent branches, pruning out the others. This is the first step toward proper shaping. After that, you will have to pinch out new growth on the branches, to encourage bushiness, and keep them contained. This is also how you get the &amp;quot;clumpy&amp;quot; look you are looking for. Don't let the branches grow together. You also want to pinch at a few different levels, so you don't end up with a mini topiary. Perform this at any time, as needed throughout the growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For wiring, make sure wires are in place in winter, so that they are in place during the next seasons growth. Only wire ripened wood. Wire only if you need to redirect the direction some of the growth is pointing. You may not need to wire all the branches, if some are in naturally good spots. On areas with thin bark, wrap with raffia before applying wire. I use aluminum wire, but many folks use copper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some branches, if they only need to be brought down, can be weighted instead of wiring. Use properly heavy bonsai weights. If a branch is too stiff to wire, you can tie it down to the container, so that it grows where it is needed. If one branch is higher than another, which is too low, you can protect the stems with raffia, and tie the stems together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-09-24T21:06:12.340" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14151" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14155" CreationDate="2014-09-24T22:42:32.850" Score="3" ViewCount="1757" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been growing a cloned Christmas Cactus now for a few months, and it has been doing quite well. I moved to university 4 days ago (from Swindon, England to Bristol, England) and today I notice that since yesterday the leaves have mostly changed colour! The leaves were quite light green and suddenly they have adopted a much darker green colour and the leaves appear waxier. Is there anything wrong with it, or is this natural (for instance preparing to flower)? It also isn't absorbing water as fast as it was a few weeks ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture to highlight the colour difference between a new and old leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Vyltl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7218" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-25T13:28:32.520" LastActivityDate="2018-09-08T01:48:53.893" Title="Why did the leaves on my Christmas cactus suddenly change texture and colour?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14153" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14087" CreationDate="2014-09-25T03:29:25.900" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can also bury your woody items under the &quot;active growth&quot; level of the garden and let them break down in situ there. Unchipped, they break down slowly, so they don't have as much of a nitrogen-robbing effect (and at a level below normal tillage, where you put them to have them out of the way when working the soil, that's less immediately relevant anyway.) Some folks I know have tried this in filling raised beds, and it appears to be working, at least in the sense that the crops don't seem to be nitrogen-starved &quot;due to rotting wood&quot; even though the lower half of the bed is pretty well full of wood, with dirt/compost on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-09-25T03:29:25.900" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14154" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-25T05:03:25.993" Score="4" ViewCount="1268" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to stop my pear tree roots from invading and sucking the life out of my flower bed that is planted under it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7219" LastEditorUserId="259" LastEditDate="2014-09-25T12:29:15.487" LastActivityDate="2014-09-25T12:29:15.487" Title="How do you block tree roots from affecting your garden?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14151" CreationDate="2014-09-25T09:23:23.863" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Several possibilities - it may have been exposed to very cool outside temperatures during the move if it was night time, or experienced much hotter than usual temperatures whilst being moved (in a car during a sunny day, for instance), so transition shock is a possibility. Swindon to Bristol is a fairly short journey though, so not sure that's the explanation. It may be getting ready to flower, and if it is, watering should be reduced and the plant kept cool, optimally between 12 and 15 deg C, until the flower buds appear - once they do, temperature should be increased to 18-21 degrees and watering increased. Not sure how you're going to manage that in your room, but getting ready to flower might explain its sudden lack of interest in taking up water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep it in the coolest spot you can manage, away from any heat source and sunlight, don't water other than sparingly, and let it recover (or start budding).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-25T09:23:23.863" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14154" CreationDate="2014-09-25T10:23:07.423" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually, I don't try to keep trees out of landscaped beds. But if you are going to garden under a tree (pear trees aren't the worst), you'll want to plant a shade garden. Probably a dry shade garden. There are a lot of good ornamentals that will tolerate growing under a tree. I'm not sure where you're located, that would help me recommend something specific. Usually it's also safe to go with a dry woodland plant that's native to the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, if the tree has not yet grown roots into the area, you can block many of the roots by installing a root control landscape fabric barrier. This usually goes about 12&quot; into the soil, so doesn't control below that level. I rarely use the stuff, as you can very easily work with nature when dealing with trees over beds. You can also use something more substantial, as described by &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/10962/how-to-control-horsetails-equisetum/10966#10966&quot;&gt;this answer on horsetail control.&lt;/a&gt; Again, I don't like intervening where I don't have to. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees don't suck the life from flower beds. They use water and nutrients, but both these thing are readded to the soil for orchard/ornamental trees anyway. If you aren't watering, or adding compost or fertilizer, that's another thing you could do. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-09-25T10:23:07.423" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14157" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7886" CreationDate="2014-09-25T13:24:28.560" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want an actual apple rather than a crabapple, check out Pink Pearl (pink fleshed not red), good in low chill areas. Zone 8 isn't high chill, but its not exactly low chill either, so it might be worth trying Xmas Pearman or Grenadine, both with red flesh, though they do require cold winters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-25T13:24:28.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14158" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14160" CreationDate="2014-09-25T19:19:52.857" Score="4" ViewCount="817" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought chives from a fruit and vegetables store that had them imported from somewhere in Europe. It wasn't exposed to sunlight at the place. I brought it home, cleaned it up, repotted into a bigger pot with healthy soil. 5 days in, almost all the chives are limp and fallen down. Today, I bought rosemary and I was wondering if I should directly put it outside as I did with the chives or if I should keep it indoors for a while. Also, what can I do to my chives to help it; should I cut the ones falling down? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also later intend to bring them indoors during winter, is there a specific process for that as well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7220" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-25T20:36:38.023" LastActivityDate="2014-09-26T11:33:45.447" Title="How to acclimate a store bought plant to a home-outdoors?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14158" CreationDate="2014-09-25T19:46:40.033" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant your rosemary outside.  It does horribly inside.  There should be enough time for it to acclimate and put down some roots before it freezes.  Don't fertilize it with a product high in nitrogen! Make sure the first number is lower than the last two.  NPK, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium; you'll see 3 numbers on the package.  The first number should be lower than the second two such as 5-10-10 or 3-4-7.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best time to plant new plants is in the fall.  They can grow roots, store food for the winter and then they go dormant (depending on where you live).  While they are sleeping the roots still grow so when spring comes you'll see a very healthy plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant your outdoor plants in raised beds, done simply by fluffing up the soil or double digging.  In this manner the roots will be protected from drowning in too much water.  Make a trench along the perimeter of the bed so that water can collect and be drained away where you want the water to go.  Mulch with decomposed organic mulch to discourage weeds, feed your soil (organisms) and protect the roots of your new plants even more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-09-25T19:46:40.033" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14160" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14158" CreationDate="2014-09-25T20:31:46.830" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The little starts you buy at the grocery store have recently undergone a huge amount of stress, and wilting after being brought home is relatively common. They are usually grown fast in a greenhouse, sometimes with supplementary CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; to promote fast growth. They are then packed and shipped (ground or air and ground) for hours, sometimes over a day. This causes a huge amount of stress, and they are often kept metabolically slowed by refrigeration. Once they finally are through shipping, they are watered and placed in the store, where the lighting is lower than ideal, and often they are damaged somewhat by the output of ethylene from ripening fruits nearby. As a whole, the entire process is extremely stressful. The plants usually have to be replaced in less than 5 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above is to explain part of why the chives are not adapting well. But to answer your question: When you are adapting any plant to a new environment, it is best done in a number of progressing steps, over a short period of time. This is called hardening off. For the new rosemary plant, I'd put it in a new pot, only slightly larger than what it's in now, with fresh potting mix without fertilizer. Keep it moist, and put it in a shady, protected area outdoors to start out. If you are expecting a big temperature drop, you can  move it into the coolest part of your house or garage for a short time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each day, sit it in the area where you want it to stay later, in a fully sunny location, and leave it for a couple hours. Sit it out a little longer each day so that in a week or week and a half, the plant will be used to the sun and can stay there permanently. Once you see any new growth showing at the apex, you can begin fertilizing with a half strength soluble balanced fertilizer every other week, for a few weeks. The plant will eventually have to go dormant for winter, and you shouldn't promote new growth at that time. The goal is to have the plant grow some roots and become adapted before winter. If the plant puts on a good bit of growth, plant it in a garden bed or large pot before winter. Planting directly in the ground is preferable, as it's more natural, and in a large pot you must be much more careful about watering, etc, as large planters that aren't populated with plant roots tend to retain water longer, and there are other issues involved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the chives, Now that they're repotted, I'd keep the mix moist and wait it out. It may be that they are already going dormant for the winter (mine have been over the past couple weeks), and there is nothing to worry about. Don't cut them unless they go entirely yellow, a sign of going dormant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About overwintering indoors, these are temperate perennials, and will do very poorly indoors, especially overwinter. I would keep them in the ground, or large planters outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-25T21:30:09.553" LastActivityDate="2014-09-25T21:30:09.553" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14162" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-26T08:52:29.057" Score="1" ViewCount="151" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are anecdotes and articles where one kind of tree fruit scion has been grafted to the stock of another kind, perhaps with an interstock, and properties like flavour and shape have been affected (I have not linked to any, as I don't have enough rep yet).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In one case, a pear grafted to an apple has resulted in an apple shaped pear with a flavour in between.  And in another case, peach stock grafted to an almond interstock, grafted to a peach scion, resulted consistently in oval shaped peaches - and in the accompanying trees where the almond interstock failed normal round fruit as expected from the scion cultivar.  And one last study documented how reliably leaf colour of the stock combined with the leaf colour of the scion, to appear in the seedlings of the scion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then there is what is described as the old French technique of grafting &quot;in and in&quot;.  This is where a scion is grafted to an existing tree, and as the scion fruit exhibits desirable properties of the stock tree, a further scion is taken from the growth of that scion, and grafted to the stock tree.  The process is repeated, with all scions of different stages available for comparison on the tree, in theory.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I would like to know, is whether there is significantly more benefit to grafting a scion to a young new rootstock, as compared to grafting to a grown stock tree, in terms of the likelihood of more evident graft hybridisation effects?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7223" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-26T10:12:05.760" LastActivityDate="2014-09-26T10:28:15.940" Title="In graft hybridisation does a younger stock facilitate more extensive hybrid effects in the scion?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14163" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14164" CreationDate="2014-09-26T09:38:19.017" Score="3" ViewCount="1393" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a follow-up question concerning &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14122/what-is-this-white-and-purple-five-petaled-flower&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Malva sylvestris&lt;/em&gt; 'Zebrina'&lt;/a&gt;. The plant has grown from seeds to more than 50 cm in height. I did not expect such a large specimen and would like to keep it around but in a different place in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way for moving this very plant (or its descendents) given that freezing will start in approx. a month? Should I just dig it up &lt;strong&gt;(1)&lt;/strong&gt; this autumn or &lt;strong&gt;(2)&lt;/strong&gt; next spring and transplant it, or can I &lt;strong&gt;(3)&lt;/strong&gt; somehow obtain seeds from it that could be reused for next season?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-09-26T10:10:37.677" Title="What's the best way to transplant Malva sylvestris Zebrina?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14163" CreationDate="2014-09-26T10:10:37.677" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would transplant it now. Fall is a great time to move perennials around, as it gives them a little time to grow some roots before the next season's growth. That said, you could also be very successful moving the plant next spring, and that would be fine too. The more important part is getting the entire rootball, as this plant can have quite a good, deep root system. Try to dig it with at least a 12x12&quot; rootball, and be sure it doesn't fall apart. Plant it no higher than it was before, but don't put it lower either. Keep it watered until it starts freezing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To save the seed, look for seed pods something like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fqzM8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qyF1n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the pods are dry, e. g., in the second picture, you can harvest them, dry them inside, and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator until spring, when they can be sown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pictures are from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.smith.edu/gardens/bgilib/web/imageFrameset.php?latin_name=Malva%20sylvestris%20%27Zebrina%27&amp;amp;cat=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Smith College Botanic Garden Image Directory&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-26T10:10:37.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14165" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14162" CreationDate="2014-09-26T10:28:15.940" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience this does not happen to people. The fruit is of course altered somewhat by the different rootstock, but the reason for grafting is to get a better, more resilient, hardier rootstock. Not to change the fruit. I grafted pears onto quince rootstocks many times, not once did the pears taste even any closer to quince fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even so, there are slight changes in the scion, especially habitwise, when grafting. The vigor is often lower (as in a dwarf tree) and the fruit &lt;em&gt;size&lt;/em&gt; can differ, but overall quality stays about the same. And when one takes a scion off of a grafted dwarf apple, and grafts it onto a new standard rootstock, it will still retain its own genetic structure, and perform to the limits of the new rootstock. It will not retain any dwarf-ness from its prior time growing off of a dwarfing rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And when you said, &quot;in the accompanying trees where the almond interstock failed normal round fruit as expected from the scion cultivar&quot;, I had to laugh. the interstock is between the scion and the rootstock, usually used when a cultivar of something, say a pear, isn't compatible with the necessary rootstock (say, a quince), and you have to use a compatible pear interstock in between. Now, if the interstock fails, everything above that point dies. That's why your above statement cannot make sense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for your question, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;What I would like to know, is whether there is significantly more benefit to grafting a scion to a young new rootstock, as compared to grafting to a grown stock tree, in terms of the likelihood of more evident graft hybridisation effects?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can only say that in my experience, you get only minimal changes to the scion genewise, and any changes will have to do more with the rootstock cultivar than to the age of the rootstock. And don't believe every article out there, many of them are hogwash or stories.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-26T10:28:15.940" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14166" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14158" CreationDate="2014-09-26T11:33:45.447" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The temperatures you describe for where you are are absolutely fine for both plants - rosemary is hardy in the UK where winter temps may go to -10 deg C, so even a pot, where you are, there won't be an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chives, of course, disappear in the winter if it gets cold enough, so you might want to consider moving those inside, or snipping and freezing some in small foil packets for use in winter, although given your winter temperatures, the leaves may remain on the plant anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Agree with J. Musser's description for 'hardening off', though in this case, its more acclimatizing to the sun and heat! One query though in reference to the chives - you say you 'cleaned it up' - what exactly does that mean?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-09-26T11:33:45.447" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14167" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14151" CreationDate="2014-09-26T12:44:42.067" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;i believe every new leaves are always clearer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At growth stages, chlorophyll pigments are abundant in the cells,&#xA; the green chlorophyll molecules dominates the color and mask any other pigment which may be present in the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7225" LastActivityDate="2014-09-26T12:44:42.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14168" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14170" CreationDate="2014-09-26T13:45:48.577" Score="4" ViewCount="1026" Body="&lt;p&gt;4 weeks ago I purchased Chinese Juniper Seeds. The intructions which came with the seeds said to keep the seeds in boiling hot water for 48 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore everytime the water cooled I would boil more water and move the seeds into the hot water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I then planted the seeds in soil, which is where they've remained since.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However the seeds are not germinating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I have boiled the seeds prior to planting? Would this have potentially ruined them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7226" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T21:08:15.233" Title="Boiling before germinating Chinese Juniper Seeds" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4757" CreationDate="2014-09-26T14:32:14.900" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have goats on our farm.  Larger ones and small, Dwarf Nigerian ones.  One things is true about animals in a fence, they'll test the fences.  Horse, donkey, pig, goat... they'll test the fence and if the fence has a weakness, they'll likely find it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We use goat/sheep fence to keep the goats within their fields.  This is a woven wire fence with 4&quot; x 4&quot; openings.  The woven wire is more expensive than the welded wire but it is considerably more durable.  Our goat fence is 4' high and that is certainly sufficient to contain a goat as long as there is nothing nearby upon which it can climb.  We utilize electric tape to encourage the larger animals to respect the fence (a horse can put tremendous pressure on fence posts) but the goats tend to be happy with their pasture.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To keep them off of a particular area, I'd think step-in posts with electric netting and a sufficiently powerful solar charger would be a good choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-09-26T14:32:14.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14168" CreationDate="2014-09-26T15:08:58.083" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Interesting.  Most of the instructions I've seen for these say to do something such as &quot;bring water to a boil&quot; then take water off heat, add seeds and then allow the seeds to soak in the water as it cools down to room temperature&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have any firsthand knowledge of growing these but 48 hours of boiling seems like it would be certainly enough time to kill the seed rather than preparing it to germinate.  That's a lot of heat for a long time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-09-26T15:08:58.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14031" CreationDate="2014-09-26T18:43:25.590" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a long-shot, but it almost looks like it has been burned. Does that section of the brick get more sunlight throughout the day than where the other trees are? Are there buildings or trees partially shading the other trees? Is there a window that reflects light onto that spot for a period of the day? If so, it could be that the bricks there heated up to the point that they baked the plant. I've seen examples of plants in a single pot being scorched by sunlight reflected from a large window while their neighbors in nearby pots did just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, do you know what is on the other side of that wall? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2014-09-26T18:43:25.590" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14172" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14005" CreationDate="2014-09-26T20:12:18.247" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As stated above, any lawn renovation should start with a comprehensive soil test (available &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;) for $30 or so. For that money they'll even tell you how much of what soil ammendments you deed to apply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But IF you are going in blind, it seems almost a wast to aerate and stop at that. When we do lawn rejuvenations, we start with good core aeration (covering areas in two directions), leave the plugs in place, and then seed and topdress with 1/4&quot; - 1/2&quot; of screened, finished compost. The seed needs to be appropriate to your conditions. But again, if you are going in blind, go with a sun/shade mix of bluegrasses and fescues to hedge your bets. Then provide enough irrigation to keep the soil, compost, and seed from drying out until the grass has sprouted and a more standard irrigation regime can help it get established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2014-09-26T20:12:18.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14168" CreationDate="2014-09-27T13:07:10.460" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well that's very odd - I wonder if something has been lost in translation, so to speak. The usual method with these, if they are not already fully prepared, is to soak them in 'very hot' (rather than actually boiling) water for six hours, changing the water as it cools so that the seeds remain hot. Once the six hours are up, they should be planted in starter mix (seed compost in the UK) and some sand which has been pre moistened. They then need a temperature of 75 deg F (24 deg C) for 3 months, usually achieved by a propagator with bottom heat. After that, the tray should be moved outdoors in a lightly shaded, sheltered spot, ideally in temperatures of around 40 deg F (5 deg C), and watered as necessary. They may still take a year to germinate, usually doing so in Spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The method the instructions gave may possibly be a way of getting round the 3 months at 75 deg. F, though it's not one of I've heard of. It'll be interesting to see if they do actually germinate eventually. If you actually did boil the seeds, they might be non viable, but given the extremely long germination times that they can take, it's likely worth just waiting to see what happens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-14T21:08:15.233" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T21:08:15.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14175" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14176" CreationDate="2014-09-27T14:25:06.853" Score="5" ViewCount="829" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in climate zone 7a in New Mexico, and I planted a pear tree in my backyard three days ago. Following the directions on the tag, I dug a hole twice the diameter and depth of the root ball and filled it with potting soil, topping it off with purchased topsoil with fertilizer in it and cedar mulch, figuring this was sensible advice because we have really bad soil here that very little grows in without heavy amendment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I'm reading online that you should fill the hole mostly with native soil, to train the roots to grow beyond the hole you dug. Did I do the wrong thing? And if so, is it too late to dig out the potting soil and replace it with native soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2014-09-27T17:25:52.083" Title="May have planted my tree wrong... is it too late to dig it up and replant it?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14176" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14175" CreationDate="2014-09-27T14:36:33.420" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, it's not too late to 'unplant' it, it won't yet have started to put out roots from the pot shaped rootball. The best way when planting a tree is to prepare the ground beforehand by digging it over in as wide an area as possible and adding humus rich material (garden compost, composted animal manure, whatever you can get hold of), then letting it settle for about 10 days, then digging your hole and actually planting, at which point, you won't be including anything in the planting hole other than fertilizer, and then only if it's spring or early summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given you've got the tree already, and haven't prepared the ground, the best thing to do is unplant it, put it back in the pot in which it came, remove the potting compost and new topsoil as far as possible, dig the area over again, preferably bigger than twice the size of the rootball, this time including something decent as mentioned above rather than potting compost, walk heavily on the area on your heels to compress it and get out air pockets, then dig your hole and plant your tree. Rake up the area you've walked on around the tree so there's loose soil on the top, not solid, compressed ground. If you haven't any garden compost or humus rich materials available, you have time to go and get some before you dig up and replant the tree, it'll be fine as it is for a few days, you'll still be able to do it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-09-27T17:25:52.083" LastActivityDate="2014-09-27T17:25:52.083" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14175" CreationDate="2014-09-27T17:21:42.323" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Bamboo. It's still safe to replant. There are a few reasons why you should. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like you mentioned in the question, the tree will grow through the potting soil more easily, and will often treat the walls of the hole as boundaries. This won't let it reach it's full potential.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are drainage issues involved. If you replace a void in heavy clay or other very poor soil with almost pure organic matter, it will soak up water and tend to get very waterlogged. It won't drain properly into the completely different surrounding soil. This may not be a problem, though, in New Mexico.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The tree will often have a poor anchorage and the roots will be prone to wind damage. Potting soil never firms well, and if the tree doesn't grow roots into the surrounding soil, this will be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In potting soil, the tree will need fertilizer a lot more. Potting soil doesn't naturally contain any fertilizer, and barely any minerals (available in the surrounding subsoil). Especially peat-based mixes are notorious for 'running dry' on fertilizer far too quickly. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The more time, energy, and materials you put into the hole (properly) the better the tree will do. The saying, &quot;1 dollar tree, ten dollar hole&quot; is good, unless you get a big 30 dollar tree. Then you have to dig a 300 dollar hole :). Follow Bamboo's instructions on digging the new hole. The bigger you make it the better, and you can add a good bit of compost. Be careful in fertilizing, though. I can't tell you how many dead trees I've looked at, and once dug up, the soil was full of fertilizer that's all I could smell. And they claimed to have followed the instructions. I use less, or none, when planting a new tree, and simply top-dress once the tree catches on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-27T17:21:42.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14178" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14183" CreationDate="2014-09-27T20:27:47.187" Score="5" ViewCount="551" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard of coppicing apple trees, but if you coppice a pear tree, will it grow back (and does the variety matter)? This is with regard to standard-sized pear trees (without a different rootstock). I'm not talking about pollarding (although that would be interesting to know, too).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-28T00:30:38.687" LastActivityDate="2014-09-28T00:30:38.687" Title="Can you coppice a pear tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14179" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14187" CreationDate="2014-09-27T20:39:41.097" Score="3" ViewCount="333" Body="&lt;p&gt;Will &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppicing&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;coppicing&lt;/a&gt; a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_pumila&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Siberian elm&lt;/a&gt; tree cure it of &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/pests/plant-diseases/all-fact-sheets/wetwood-or-slime-flux&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bacterial wetwood or slime flux&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know you can coppice Siberian elm trees and they will grow back (if what I've read about people trying to kill the trees is true). However, I'm wanting to know if the bacterial wetwood would appear on the new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our tree has a pretty massive infection, primarily higher up, but the disease goes down to a foot or two off the ground. If we cut at or just above ground level, I'm thinking that might cut off all the diseased parts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to have other diseases, too (leaf diseases and/or pests). I don't know if coppicing would help for any of them or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-27T23:54:59.570" LastActivityDate="2014-09-28T00:14:00.877" Title="Will coppicing a Siberian elm tree get rid of bacterial wetwood (slime flux)?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14180" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14188" CreationDate="2014-09-27T20:54:56.190" Score="5" ViewCount="536" Body="&lt;p&gt;People don't always realise but you can eat a certain amount of blackberry leaves (and use them as herbs to make tea for diarrhea and stuff). The tea usually tastes and smells pretty good (kind of like blackberries do, but much milder).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the past, I had made tea from lots of our thornless blackberry plants' leaves, and it tasted great. However, the last times I tried it, it smelled and tasted like sulfur and was not pleasant. It was the leaves (not the water). I think the plants may have been transplanted, and this affected the taste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could be causing the sulfur smell/taste? What is it about the soil or environment that could be doing it? Is it actually a high sulfur content in the soil or something else? How could this be remedied (without transplanting)? Do you supposed it will go away over time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fruit seems to taste fine. There might be a stronger sulfur taste in the fruit than before, but it's not very noticeable, if so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2014-10-03T16:14:48.883" LastActivityDate="2016-08-04T18:04:34.080" Title="Why are my blackberry leaves tasting like sulfur?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14181" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14189" CreationDate="2014-09-27T21:11:35.937" Score="4" ViewCount="1609" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are eastern prickly pear (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_humifusa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Opuntia humifusa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) cacti pads as edible as the kind you find in the grocery store (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_ficus-indica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Opuntia ficus-indica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;)? I know the fruit is edible, if everything across the Internet I've read is correct, but I'm not so sure about the pads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, it looks like we can grow them in our zone (I don't believe the regular ones that are largely known to be edible grow in my zone). I would like to grow them for food (not just the fruit, but the pads). I don't want to grow them if they're toxic, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen one source that says all members of the opuntia genus have both edible pads and edible fruit. However, it was only one source, and I'm kind of suspicious, because I've heard of one species that might cause issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone here eat eastern prickly pear pads?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, if you can tell me a productive and definitely edible opuntia that will grow in zone 4 (even if it's not the eastern prickly pear), that would be great, too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-03T20:28:17.020" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T20:29:35.713" Title="Are eastern prickly pear cacti pads edible?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14182" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14227" CreationDate="2014-09-27T21:49:40.373" Score="9" ViewCount="26239" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rockdust is powdered rock that helps give plants extra minerals (such as silica for strong leaves and stems), trace minerals, calcium, iron etc. They can increase the soil pH somewhat, too. Rockdust is not fertilizer, as it does not directly contain the required amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus. However, it is said to contribute to soil bacteria that does make the soil more fertile, and whether or not it's fertilizer, it still helps plants to get bigger, stronger and healthier (it also helps to increase yields)—at least if all the reviews and articles I've read are correct.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rock dusts of which I am familiar include Azomite, Agrowinn, basalt rock dust, glacial rock dust and diatomaceous earth (which usually isn't thought of as rockdust, but it kind of classifies). If you know any others, please add them to the list.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what I know already:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Azomite: It has a fair amount of silica (more than basalt rock dust, but probably less than diatomaceous earth; it's not the same kind of silica that is in sand, however, but I think silicon dioxide): about 65% silica. It has lots of positive reviews online, and it is probably the most popular rockdust with conventional gardeners. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.permies.com/t/15724/soil/AZOMITE-rock-dust-stuff-radioactive&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;A post I saw on a forum (and its comments)&lt;/a&gt; indicates that it might be radioactive (gamma); the Azomite website has tested the alpha and beta (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.azomite.com/faq.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;and claims it's not radioactive&lt;/a&gt;), but they have not tested for gamma radiation. Azomite comes from a unique source (volcanic ash) in Utah, unlike any other area in the world, they say. I believe I've heard that Azomite (if not rockdust at large) is good for helping to revive suffering trees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Agrowinn: This is another commercial rockdust. It has some claims over Azomite, but I don't really know much about it. I've seen it recommended that you reapply it regularly (which seems against the grain of other rock dusts—tell me if I'm wrong).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Glacial rock dust: This is said to have more pollutants than volcanic rock dust (such as basalt), but a lot of people seem to like it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Basalt rock dust: Some sources say basalt rock dust is the optimal kind of rockdust, and I've never heard anyone deny that directly. It has less silica than Azomite and diatomaceous earth, for sure. It is higher in other minerals, however. It is said to be high in ferrous minerals. I've seen differing compositions listed for basalt rockdust. The silica content is probably (not sure) between &lt;a href=&quot;http://djsgrowers.blogspot.com/2009/04/volcanic-rock-dust.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;20&lt;/a&gt; to 50% of its composition, which means it must have a lot more of something else if it has so much less silica. Basalt can be significantly different colors. I imagine the darker basalts probably have more iron or something than the lighter ones.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Food grade diatomaceous earth: It's about 85% amorphous silica (the amount depends on what brand you get). It has some trace elements, aluminum and such. It's the only thing like a rockdust that I've actually used. I'm guessing that other than the silica, most other rockdusts are better for plants. However, the silica is not to be underestimated (however, other rockdusts have lots of silica, too; just not usually as much). I've personally used this more for other purposes than gardening (like eating it to cure food intolerances; yes, it actually worked for me there, although it had a negative affect on my short-term memory for a while, and made me constipated, probably due to heavy metal chelation). I've used it a little as an insecticide in an attempt to keep cutworms off my tomatoes. It helped some, but not all the time (perhaps it didn't when wet). Aphids didn't seem bothered by it, particularly. I'm speculating here, but rather than sprinkling it on the plant base, mixing a larger amount with the soil might be more helpful for cutworms. However, another solution (such as beneficial predatory insects) could probably be much better (for cutworms and aphids, that is).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Granite rockdust: I've heard you can get this for free from a local rock quarry. The same might be true for certain other kinds of rockdust. If you get it from a quarry, make sure they haven't been using harmful chemicals and stuff in their work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Agricultural lime: This isn't thought of as rockdust, really. It's mostly to increase soil PH (or lower acidity). It has lots of calcium in it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Greensand: This isn't really thought of as rockdust, either. I think it applies a lot of a few certain minerals. I think this increases potassium in the soil. It contains glauconite (which by itself may lower soil PH, but I don't know if greensand does, particularly).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hornfels rockdust: I've only barely heard of this.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I'm not looking for someone to say, &quot;This rockdust is the best kind, or this is better than that.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are some more attributes of various rock dusts and what are the pros and cons? I'm sure they all have pros and cons. That's what I want to know. I know I've listed a lot already, but I'd like to know more. I will probably pick the most thorough and informative answer (unless it's just a really good one that surprises me).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: This question only pertains to rockdust (not other remineralizers or soil amendments). If it's powdered rock of any kind, I'll count that (whether or not it's commonly referred to as rockdust).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-01-20T01:18:25.730" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T13:24:57.590" Title="What are the pros and cons of different rock dusts?" Tags="&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;rocks&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14183" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14178" CreationDate="2014-09-27T21:51:26.843" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not healthy, but I've seen it be successful (pollarding also) on fireblight infested pear trees, so long as you cut above the graft (most trees, not yours). Otherwise you get rootstock fruit. keep in mind that this isn't always successful and may kill the tree. It is best performed in early spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-27T21:51:26.843" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14184" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14223" CreationDate="2014-09-27T22:42:18.383" Score="4" ViewCount="292" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read that you can send electric currents through plants and seeds with (low currents using DC power) and that this can increase yields and all-in-all improve the plants (provided you use the right kinds and levels of electricity). It is supposed to be ineffective on certain kinds of plants, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone here actually tried it? What have been the results?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not looking to debunk this as a myth, because there's enough variation with electricity to make a general dismissal undesirable (voltage, frequency, offset, amps, etc.) I'm just looking for results (good or bad) and what they were.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not asking about lightning bolts. Of course those would destroy plants, normally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm talking about low currents (not high ones).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-09-30T03:20:56.180" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T06:10:05.403" Title="Using electricity to improve plants" Tags="&lt;electric&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14185" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14190" CreationDate="2014-09-27T23:05:02.947" Score="4" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to find a good leguminous cover crop that sprouts quickly, and grows fast, especially the roots. &lt;strong&gt;What are the best ones for this purpose (and the pros/cons of those you mention)?&lt;/strong&gt; Disease/pest resistance is a major plus, but not strictly required. We've got a lot of aphids, whiteflies and stuff at the moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I'm curious if some leguminous crops attract more of the good bacteria than others. Feel free to comment on that as an aside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm new to cover crops. I've only tried pinto beans so far (they were the legumes I had on hand). They must have been old, because only a few of them sprouted, though. They took a long time to germinate, and they attracted aphids and white flies like crazy, as well as something that's been eating large portions of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking lentils would sprout a lot faster (they sprout well as sprouts you eat, anyway). Is clover a lot better than lentils, maybe?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-28T01:23:35.017" LastActivityDate="2014-09-28T01:42:12.470" Title="What is the quickest germinating leguminous cover crop?" Tags="&lt;nitrogen&gt;&lt;cover-crop&gt;&lt;clover&gt;&lt;legumes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14186" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-27T23:57:40.407" Score="4" ViewCount="1450" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this plant growing in my garden in the crack between two retaining wall blocks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it's currently about 14&amp;quot; (35cm) tall and has grown this year.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it seems to branch freely; the one pictured has two branches in addition to the main stem, with no sign of damage to the main stem to encourage branching.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leaves are opposite, ovate, with crenate margins. The largest leaves are about 5½&amp;quot; (13cm) long.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the tips of the growing stems are a dark reddish-purple but turn woody just a couple of inches from the tip. The woodiness is the reason I think it will grow up to be a shrub.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it's growing in Portland, Oregon, USA (USDA Zone 8a).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click any photo for full size&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;The whole plant&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MJLEW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MJLEWl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Close-up of the leaf&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ny85O.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ny85Ol.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Close-up of the growing tip of the main stem&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7apXe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7apXel.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2018-05-19T07:28:55.177" Title="What is this young shrub with opposite ovate, crenate leaves and reddish stems?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14187" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14179" CreationDate="2014-09-28T00:14:00.877" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because bacterial wetwood is not fatal, and most trees tolerate it quite well, it is usually more of an aesthetic thing. Coppicing, while it may not kill the tree, will cause a good deal more stress. For your information, siberian elms are very resilient, and will likely survive, but this won't decrease the chances of them getting bacterial wetwood in the future, as it is a sap infection. It won't go away if you cut the tree. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/pests/plant-diseases/all-fact-sheets/wetwood-or-slime-flux&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Bacteria, commonly found in soil and water, take up residence in young trees or gain entrance to older trees through wounds. The bacteria, including species of Clostridium, Bacillus, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, and Pseudomonas, grow within the tree using the sap as a nutrient source. As the sap is used, oxygen in the heartwood is depleted (creating anaerobic conditions), methane is produced, the pH of the sap is increased (pH 6 in healthy trees to pH 7 to 8 in wetwood), and a high pressure develops in the wood (60 psi in affected trees vs. 5-10 psi in wetwood-free trees).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can be avoided, by minimizing damage to the adult uninfected trees. This will keep bacterial introduction at a minimum. On an adult tree, you will have to live with it, or replace the tree. If you replace it, I'd choose something resistant, like an evergreen, or an oak, or a walnut, anything slow and hard, or coniferous, will be more resistant to the disease. Mulberry, willow, cottonwood, ash, elm, and some maples are more prone Avoid these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-28T00:14:00.877" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14180" CreationDate="2014-09-28T00:19:49.627" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It may have been caused by drifting of sulphur based fungicide. You said you may have treated your nectarine tree, which is ten yards away. This easily could have affected the flavor of the blackberry leaves. Especially as they have lots of flat area, and hardly any mass, it would be much more noticeable on the leaves than the berries. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-28T00:19:49.627" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14189" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14181" CreationDate="2014-09-28T01:05:52.783" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Opuntia humifusa&lt;/em&gt; pads are edible.     &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a few of the pages that name &lt;em&gt;O. humfusa&lt;/em&gt; as edible:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ozarkedgewildflowers.com/summer-wildflowers/prickly-pear-cactus-opuntia-humifusa/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ozarkedgewildflowers.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-garden/2009/07/prickly-pear-cactus-and-nopales/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;chicagonow.com&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Live-EASTERN-PRICKLY-PEAR-Opuntia-Humifusa-Cactus-Pad-edible-pads-amp-fruit-/271202505777?&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;www.ebay.com&lt;/a&gt; (um)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.everwilde.com/Opuntia-humifusa-WildFlower-Seed.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;everwilde.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/opuntia-humifusa/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;learn2grow.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the list goes on. Of course, it is possible for some people to have reactions to foods others are fine with. If you often have allergic reactions to things, I'd be more careful. That goes for anything new you are going to try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-03T20:29:35.713" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T20:29:35.713" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14185" CreationDate="2014-09-28T01:42:12.470" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the summer, soybeans are usually my first choice, as they sprout and grow fast, and add about 30-50 lbs of nitrogen per acre. Red clover grows a little slower, but holds the soil together and adds about 70 lbs of nitrogen/acre in a year, if plowed under. Alfalfa and vetch are slower, but can add over 100 lbs Sometimes over 150 lbs) of nitrogen per acre in a year. In my area, these plants don't need to be babied, and don't have any major insect pests. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why exactly do you need fast germination? in the long run, this doesn't really help the nitrogen fixation. For that purpose, I look for plants with widespread root systems. Alfalfa and vetch came to mind first. Usually the perennials add more nitrogen, and the annuals add more biomass. So clover will be more beneficial than lentils will.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.groworganic.com/media/pdfs/legume-l.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;innoculate&lt;/a&gt; the seed first, for legumes, if you want good insect resistance and growth/plant success rates. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over winter, vetch is the best, as it puts on a good amount of growth soon after germinating, and then again when it warms up in spring. Red clover can be used similarly. I use them in a mix with winter rye seed, and sometimes winter radishes (the last only in very poor soil, to help break it up).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-28T01:42:12.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14192" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14193" CreationDate="2014-09-28T16:50:38.660" Score="5" ViewCount="2878" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two crabapple trees that drop crabapples down every year. They get awfully gooey and sticky and make walking through my yard barefoot a terrible ordeal. Is there some sort of enzyme or chemical compound that I can put on them to speed up the rotting process and therefore get them out of my yard quicker?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7230" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-28T18:24:19.940" LastActivityDate="2014-09-30T16:32:26.873" Title="Is there an enzyme/compound I can use to quickly rot fallen fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;chemicals&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14193" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14192" CreationDate="2014-09-28T19:57:46.757" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, not really.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruit trees will drop fruit and if you don't want the fruit on the ground, you'll need to pick them up if you don't have animals that will eat them.  Here on my farm the chickens would eat those up, assuming the deer didn't get to them first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I'd collect them and compost them - [crab]apples break down pretty well in the pile.  Composting is so easy to do that everyone ought to consider doing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here on the farm we use stall forks - like a pitchfork but with closer-spaced tines - to pick up things like this.  But raking them into a pike and shoveling them would work too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-09-28T19:57:46.757" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14194" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14205" CreationDate="2014-09-28T20:56:39.033" Score="5" ViewCount="770" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambucus_peruviana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sambucus Peruviana&lt;/a&gt;, which gives a beautiful white flower that I boil to make a soothing drink for sore throats.  It also gives a nice berry that can be snacked on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see online that there are many species of Sambucus worldwide with different flowers and fruit, could I graft other interesting varieties onto my native sambucus?  I live in the Andean Tropics at 1800m above sea level, could I just plant cuttings of other species?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7047" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-30T01:55:39.177" LastActivityDate="2017-03-02T14:31:53.053" Title="Can I graft elderberries (Sambucus)?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14195" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-28T21:09:12.567" Score="5" ViewCount="2127" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can I leave tap water to stand outside in order for the fluorine and other baddies in tap water to evaporate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could I boil it for the same result?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7236" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-28T23:28:32.250" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T12:20:05.507" Title="Can I use tap water as an alternative to rain water on my Venus fly trap?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14196" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-28T21:15:49.903" Score="2" ViewCount="167" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kvkp3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot find out what this plant is called. It blooms bright red leaves that eventually turn green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7237" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T02:51:57.867" Title="Can anyone tell me what this plant is?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-09-29T13:38:08.703" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14197" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14201" CreationDate="2014-09-28T21:16:07.573" Score="10" ViewCount="1423" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Venus Flytrap is quite crowded, there are traps under traps and I've noticed one clamped over the stems of another.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I prune it?  Will it digest itself?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7236" LastEditorUserId="7236" LastEditDate="2014-09-28T23:57:39.770" LastActivityDate="2015-06-05T03:44:43.420" Title="Should I prune a Venus Flytrap to prevent it from digesting itself?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;venus-fly-trap&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14198" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14203" CreationDate="2014-09-28T22:11:46.607" Score="4" ViewCount="843" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the San Juan Islands in the US Pacific N.W. and planted my Sunshine Blue this spring in a container.  It only had 10 or so berries which I understand is OK for a first year plant. It is flowering now (late Sept.).  Should I remove the white flowers or let them be?  I can't understand why it's flowering now.  Any advice would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7239" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-09-28T23:36:02.090" LastActivityDate="2015-09-27T12:43:17.923" Title="Why is my Sunshine Blue blueberry bush flowering in the fall?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14195" CreationDate="2014-09-28T23:40:02.737" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming by &quot;baddies&quot; you mean intentionally added chemicals such as chlorine.  Boiling it - or just leaving it out for a day or so - will remove/reduce the chlorine content of water but I don't think it does anything for the fluoride content.  There are some filtration methods that can be used to remove fluoride but I'm not sure it's worthwhile to do that or necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd suggest just setting the pitcher out for a day and it should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Follow-up:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on the complete change of the question - from a general one about chemicals in water to one about the watering of a Venus Fly Trap - and the comments (and down-votes), I'd like to follow up with this opinion on the issue:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;If&lt;/em&gt; your locality is using Chlorine (not Chloramine), it can be remove/reduced (as I stated above) by setting it out or boiling it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Boiling isn't an effective method to remove Chloramines from the water.  There are filtration systems that can be used to help this process.  Apparently this is important for VFT plants (and probably others like it) but is considerably LESS of an issue for other plants - indoor plants in offices I've worked at have been watered for YEARS on treated &quot;city&quot; water and done quite well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For systems using aquaculture or for fish tanks, Chloramine needs to be addressed as it is harmful to the fish but for most plants, at least according to the data I've looked at by the EPA and my locality, the Chloramine-treated water isn't a problem.  Personally, this isn't an issue as we're on a well but folks should do research themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There was another question like this here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4427/chlorine-vs-chloramine-both-harmful&quot;&gt;Chlorine vs Chloramine: Both harmful?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T12:20:05.507" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14196" CreationDate="2014-09-29T02:51:57.867" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's an old philodendron.  Possibly the Congo variety or 'Prince of Orange' .  There are many varieties but they all behave similarly.  Check this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4865/what-is-this-houseplant-with-large-waxy-leaves-and-a-reddish-base/4866#4866&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T02:51:57.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14201" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14197" CreationDate="2014-09-29T02:52:00.640" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;It won't digest live plant matter. Venus flytraps secrete the enzymes phosphatase, proteinase, nuclease and amylase. These enzymes target insect prey, which have high levels of protein. They do not digest plant matter. When a leaf closes on a bug, it (the bug) will often secrete chemicals such as uric acid, which keep the leaf closed. Otherwise (such as if the leaf should close upon plant matter), the leaf should soon reopen. You don't generally prune a &lt;em&gt;Dionaea&lt;/em&gt;, as that often promotes new growth which may not have properly formed traps on the leaf ends. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further reading:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.butbn.cas.cz/adamec/Plachno3.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.butbn.cas.cz/adamec/Plachno3.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC396093/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC396093/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-does-the-venus-flytra/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-does-the-venus-flytra/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-06-05T03:44:43.420" LastActivityDate="2015-06-05T03:44:43.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14195" CreationDate="2014-09-29T02:58:14.167" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;No and no, unfortunately.  Chlorine will boil out in a few hours but fluoride needs a carbon filter.  There are other dissolved salts in most tap water that are fine for consumption but not good for a venus fly trap. If your filtration plant uses chloramine you could boil the water all day and there would still be a detectable level of chloramine in the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try a carbon filter with silver to remove most of the problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-09-29T11:15:03.253" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T11:15:03.253" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14198" CreationDate="2014-09-29T03:08:49.983" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fall flowering usually accompanies a warm spell, and some rain. You are in &lt;a href=&quot;http://sanjuanislandscd.org/native-plants/usda-plant-hardiness-zone-8/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;USDA hardiness zone 8&lt;/a&gt;, which is suitable for Sunshine Blue blueberry. It doesn't require the chill hours most blueberries do. That means that in autumn, if conditions simulate those in spring, the bushes will be prone to flower. This can decrease the productivity of the plant the next year, but removing them won't help. The more buds open now, the less you'll have next year. This is the worst in areas that consistently have long, warm falls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There really isn't anything you can do about it. It's why all the major blueberry plantations are farther north. You will have to wait out this one, and hope for better luck in the future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T03:08:49.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14195" CreationDate="2014-09-29T03:32:02.117" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to go against the grain here, and say NO.  I don't know what the lowest TDS of the water in your area is (average is 350ppm -- &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tdsmeter.com/education?id=0018&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.tdsmeter.com/education?id=0018&lt;/a&gt;), but 350ppm is entirely too high for VFTs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A VFT requires 50ppm or lower of TDS (&lt;a href=&quot;http://venusflytrap.info/gloss-tds.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://venusflytrap.info/gloss-tds.html&lt;/a&gt;).  If your water is above this, regardless of chlorine or fluoride, you are going to kill the plant after awhile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is where the recommendation for distilled, RO, or rainwater comes from.  Those sources have very low amounts of dissolved solids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1571" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-09-29T11:13:04.753" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T11:13:04.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14194" CreationDate="2014-09-29T03:32:52.477" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because of the large pith cavity in elderberry stems, grafting is tricky and good grafts are rare. It's better to grow them from cuttings. Spliced side grafting onto one-year-old seedlings may be successful. semi-ripe or softwood cuttings (best done when new shoots are not yet ripened) should have the stems plugged at the end (I use rose thorns) to help prevent rot (or you can try nodal cuttings). There may be a highish mortality rate as compared with other cuttings, but those that take usually do quite well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best type of cuttings will be hardwood cuttings taken with a heel. This will help prevent rot from taking over the large vacancy where the pith is, and ruining the cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T03:32:52.477" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14206" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14208" CreationDate="2014-09-29T10:19:30.887" Score="7" ViewCount="1434" Body="&lt;p&gt;Once a lawn has been treated with  Spectracide® Weed Stop® for Lawns how long are the active ingredients 'active'?  Do some decay faster then others?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following the links from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.spectracide.com/Products-and-Solutions/Lawn-Weed-Killers/Spectracide-Weed-Stop-for-Lawns-Concentrate.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Manufactures site&lt;/a&gt; it looks like the active ingredients are&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2,4-d, dimethylamine salt&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Quinclorac&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dicamba, dimethlyamine salt&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sulfentranzone&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is companion question for related question on &lt;a href=&quot;https://pets.stackexchange.com/questions/6382/&quot;&gt;Pets.SE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4622" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:59:16.827" LastActivityDate="2014-10-15T18:21:36.133" Title="What are the uptake and decay rates for Spectracide® Weed Stop® for Lawns?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;&lt;safety&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14206" CreationDate="2014-09-29T12:41:51.210" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having checked the question on Pets.SE, you seem to want to know when it will be safe for rabbits to graze the treated area. As with all liquid lawn weedkillers, once the spray or solution has dried, it's safe for animals and children to use the lawn, though 24 hours elapse is safest. For grazing animals though, it is not safe if that is their only food source on a daily basis. Looking at the Q &amp;amp; A section for this product displayed on the link you provided, re-application can be made 3 weeks later, which strongly suggests a minimum of 3 weeks, but usually, the time elapse between treatment with a product of this nature and the grass itself being safe to consume is 6 weeks. It may be longer if the weather is very dry and the rate of grass growth is slow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're still not sure, if you click on the Question and Answer tab lower down their page, you are able to post a question there directly to the manufacturer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-09-29T14:07:04.610" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T14:07:04.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14206" CreationDate="2014-09-29T15:24:16.910" Score="7" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic_acid&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;2,4-D&lt;/a&gt;: 10 days, up to 333 in wet areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;2,4-D degrades fairly quickly in soils (half-life about 10 days for acid, salt and ester forms), with microbial degradation considered to be the major route in the breakdown of the chemical in soil.It is, however, relatively persistent in anaerobic (low oxygen) aquatic environments (half-life ranges from 41 to 333 days). This has implications for fragile wetland areas, especially those under conservation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.beyondpesticides.org/pesticides/factsheets/2-4-D.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;(source)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinclorac&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Quinclorac&lt;/a&gt;: from 18 to over 500 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Quinclorac is not expected to dissipate into the air or breakdown with interaction with water (hydrolysis). In sterile water it is resistent to breakdown by &#xA;  sunlight but in muddy water it degrades much faster (5-10 days). In soil, quinclorac has dissipation values that range from 18 days to over 500 days. Because quinclorac does not bind well to soil, some dissipation noted in field testing could be due to chemical leaching. The &#xA;  persistence hazard of quinclorac is rated high (likely to take over 60 days to degrade to half of the applied concentration)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/Health/ehipm/pdf_terr/terrestrial%20actives/quinclorac.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;(source)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicamba&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dicamba&lt;/a&gt;: 7 to 42 days, depending on soil texture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Under aerobic conditions in soil dicamba degrades with half-lives&#xA;  ranging from 1-6 weeks, depending on soil texture. Degradation&#xA;  rates are slowed by decreasing temperatures (&amp;lt;20 degrees C) and&#xA;  decreasing soil moisture below field capacity. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/herb-growthreg/dalapon-ethephon/dicamba/herb-prof-dicamba.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;(source)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfentrazone&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sulfentrazone&lt;/a&gt;:  24 to 113 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Sulfentrazone dissipation in soil was examined in field experiments in 1995, 1996, and 1997 at Knoxville, TN, on a Sequatchie loam soil. Sulfentrazone 50% disappearance time (DT50) varied from 24 to 113 d.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wssajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1614/0890-037X%282000%29014%5B0100%3ASDIATS%5D2.0.CO%3B2&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;(source)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T15:24:16.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14209" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14212" CreationDate="2014-09-29T16:53:13.463" Score="3" ViewCount="113" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple young cherry trees in pots that seem to have a shothole fungus problem, which I'm told I can clear up by treating with a dormant spray after all the leaves fall off. I would also like to paint the trunks white to help protect them from sunburn, as I need to move them to a new location that will give them a lot more direct sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is can I apply both in the same winter season? Should I spray the dormant oil before or after painting them white? If I spray the dormant oil first, will that cause any issues with the paint job adhering? Or, can the dormant spray solution be mixed into the white latex paint mix to apply both at once?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2080" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T17:49:45.983" Title="Dormant Spray and Whitewash" Tags="&lt;cherries&gt;&lt;winter&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14210" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14211" CreationDate="2014-09-29T16:59:16.577" Score="5" ViewCount="801" Body="&lt;p&gt;My front yard (in Northern New Mexico, zone 7a) is in desperate need of a shade tree. The soil is relatively poor and there's not a lot of water. I'm making a list of trees that I think would work in these conditions and one that's bubbled to the top is the Common Hackberry &lt;em&gt;(Celtis occidentalis)&lt;/em&gt;. There are a ton of big ones in my neighborhood, so I know they grow well around here. And they provide good shade. I like they they grow fast, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen sources conflict about their lifespan; some say 150-200 years, others say 20-30 years. Which is right? Is this a tree that could make sense for my situation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FWIW, other &quot;finalists&quot; in my list of potentials are Velvet Mesquite and Desert Willow. But feel free to suggest others that could work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T17:29:24.417" Title="Should I plant a Common Hackberry tree in my front yard for shade?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14211" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14210" CreationDate="2014-09-29T17:29:24.417" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In climates that promote fast growth, the trees will have a shorter lifespan than in areas where the tree has to work to grow. In my area In your area, I'd expect it to be a good, longer lived tree (not 20-30 years). The other large specimens in the area are a good sign. I'd go ahead and plant one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are a good tree, the biggest downside in my area is the production of berries. They can leave a mess. If you are okay with that, I think you should plant it. Good choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T17:29:24.417" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14212" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14209" CreationDate="2014-09-29T17:49:45.983" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because paint has the possible effect of interfering with gas exchanges through the bark, I wouldn't recommend doing it until the bark breaks, and roughens with age. I wouldn't expect much trouble though. You could also use trunk wraps. I would spray the oil on first, so that it will affect the fungus that will otherwise be covered by paint. If you wait until the dormant spray dries, the paint won't have any adherence issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you rake up and remove all the fallen leaves, as they will be carrying the disease. When you spray, be sure you get all sides of all the branches. People tend to underspray dormant sprays, and the diseases won't die if you miss. I never tried mixing spray and paint. I wouldn't, because usually paint mixes become unbalanced easily, and you might case it not to stick/dry well. If you try it, use a small amount first, and apply to a small area. Use spray concentrate. If it sets well, it should be just as effective as spray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T17:49:45.983" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14213" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-29T21:04:53.827" Score="4" ViewCount="1414" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a really uneven property, but I'm not a big fan of clean fill. Can I use cedar hog fuel instead of the fill? My plan is put around 12&quot;- 24&quot; of cedar hog fuel and put on the top about 6&quot;-12&quot; of topsoil, and just plant grass on it. Is this a good idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7246" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-29T21:48:46.550" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T23:15:10.073" Title="Can I use cedar hog fuel instead of clean fill to bring up my soil line?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14214" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14216" CreationDate="2014-09-29T21:13:59.250" Score="7" ViewCount="9282" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a mung bean plant I'm growing in my home that's about 10 centimeters tall now. How much water should I be giving the plant each day in order for it to grow? I would like to know the amount in cubic centimeters if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7247" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-09-29T21:47:36.203" LastActivityDate="2018-03-19T20:55:50.330" Title="How much water should I give a mung bean each day?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14215" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14213" CreationDate="2014-09-29T21:34:02.070" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can, use only topsoil. If you have to use wood chips, cedar hog fuel is about the worst. It takes many years to break down fully. I don't think this is a good idea. You could use fill subsoil to bring up the soil line to 1' of where it needs to be, and use quality topsoil for the rest. 12-24&quot; of any wood chips will require huge amounts of nitrogen to properly break down, and when they do, they will also shrink a good deal, often unevenly. This will not be good for lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a similar idea to &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/hugelkultur&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;hugelkultur&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;hugelkultur&lt;/a&gt;, and would work in some situations, but not as a substitute for soil in a lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T21:34:02.070" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14214" CreationDate="2014-09-29T22:17:15.323" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's dangerous to use a set amount of water per day, when watering potted plants. This is because they may use different quantities as they get older, and also because it is very easy to overwater, which could be fatal. It's better to water until the mix is wet, and then leave it until the top &amp;frac12;&quot; of soil becomes dry. Use your finger to test this. You can then water again. This ensures that you aren't overwatering. Make sure the water drains well from the bottom of the pot, and that you don't let the pot sit in a saucer containing sitting water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mung beans will do much better outside, if you can find a place for them, so long as it's warm out. They require lots of light, so you may need additional lighting indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T22:17:15.323" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14213" CreationDate="2014-09-29T23:15:10.073" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd do something else, personally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Topsoil&quot; is expensive, at least in my neck of the woods, and so I can see the attraction to laying down &lt;em&gt;something&lt;/em&gt; else first to help with the required volume to bring about the desired grade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anything &lt;em&gt;with&lt;/em&gt; topsoil or compost in it is going to be expensive.  I think locally topsoil runs maybe $20/yard and various combinations of topsoil and compost go up from there.  It can get quite expensive quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can understand your thought about hog fuel - it's much cheaper than topsoil but while it would work in a hugelkultur scenario, I don't think it's likely to work well when you're trying to end up with something that is level or at least not uneven.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here on my farm, hog fuel would work well as a bedding, particularly for my chickens, and in a season or so would break down considerably to the point where I could use it as an amendment to the soil.  But it wouldn't produce &lt;em&gt;that&lt;/em&gt; much volume.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Decomposition ends up reducing the volume of the inputs dramatically and while it would take time for those wood chips to break down under your topsoil, they &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt; break down.  Your ground wouldn't end up being even when it had decomposed.  You could add more topsoil but that's not ideal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;If&lt;/em&gt; you could obtain hog fuel cheaply and &lt;em&gt;if&lt;/em&gt; you had access to a load of chicken manure you &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt;, assuming you had the desire, space and the equipment, mix that manure into the hog fuel, keep it moist and turn it periodically and you would see that Cedar break down - if you can keep the compost pile hot.  Chicken manure is maybe 10:1 C:N while the hog fuel is... perhaps 100:1.  A hot manure would break it down quite well.  But most folks don't have a tractor with a front end loader or a Bobcat to do all the heavy lifting that such a pile would require and doing that by hand would be ridiculously labor intensive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At least around here, fill dirt (mostly clay and rocks) is the cheapest thing in town.  It's got the advantage that it won't setting nearly as much as something like hog fuel that will &lt;em&gt;eventually&lt;/em&gt; decompose.  If you had a foot of topsoil atop this fill dirt, you'd be doing better than most yards which have a scant amount of topsoil atop clay.  I can appreciate not wanting to bring in fill dirt but it is usually one of the cheapest materials to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A friend had an uneven, sloped yard and he ended up terracing it, using landscaping timbers.  He brought in topsoil but not that much of it.  It turned out quite well and was a &lt;em&gt;considerably&lt;/em&gt; less expensive route to go.  Perhaps that would be an option for you.  I offer it up as an alternative to what could be, depending upon the size of your yard, an expensive affair.  Honestly, I liked the finished terrace look quite a bit and it &lt;em&gt;would&lt;/em&gt; significantly reduce the volume of material you'd need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-09-29T23:15:10.073" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14218" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-30T00:04:02.193" Score="5" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perhaps 10 years ago I planted several apple trees on my farm.  These may have been bought at the local blue or orange store and I've long since forgotten the varieties planted.  I didn't keep such good records back then.  One tree in particular has never produced fruit and has only flowered in the last year or so.  I've identified the others as likely Gala as they've produced fruit that resembles Gala.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than perhaps shipping off a sample of the tree to some Ag school for &lt;em&gt;possible&lt;/em&gt; identification, is there any way that &lt;em&gt;I&lt;/em&gt; can make an identification of this tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-30T01:15:29.520" LastActivityDate="2014-09-30T01:15:29.520" Title="How can I determine the variety of an apple tree that hasn't fruited?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14219" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14218" CreationDate="2014-09-30T00:49:29.470" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The common apple tree (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Malus domestica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, descended from &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malus_sieversii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Malus sieversii&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; of Asia) is so visually similar between cultivars, that if you don't have fruit to compare, you will be very unlikely to get anywhere without a some kind of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_analysis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;genetic analysis&lt;/a&gt; such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_sequencing&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;DNA sequencing&lt;/a&gt;. This can be expensive, even if you find a lab willing to perform this for you. They will also need the genetic identities of the cultivars they wish to compare.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would wait for fruit (you may want to troubleshoot as to why it hasn't been producing - which brings to mind &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/11044/why-does-my-apple-tree-not-bear-fruit&quot;&gt;this q/a&lt;/a&gt;). If you can't get it to fruit in a reasonable amount of time, I would buy various different stock plants and graft scions from the mystery tree onto them. Different rootstocks will bear fruit earlier than others. I know the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/articles/in-praise-of-the-m27-apple-rootstock&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;M27&lt;/a&gt; stock will often support fruit 2 years after grafting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-09-30T00:49:29.470" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14220" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14192" CreationDate="2014-09-30T12:54:56.397" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am with J Musser, chickens are the best way.  With portable fencing you could corral them all day under the tree, which they will fertilize in return.  A pig would work too, but since they are such destructive root hunters, most people bring the food to them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are thinking of picking them up, you might place a tarp under the tree just before the fruit starts to fall.  This will be detrimental to whatever is under the tarp, but if its just a bit of grass it might be worth it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7047" LastActivityDate="2014-09-30T12:54:56.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14221" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14285" CreationDate="2014-09-30T13:09:20.583" Score="6" ViewCount="804" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this large plant with spikes of hot pink bracts and lavender, trumpet shaped flowers, that's growing in South Africa?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xcerp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This photo was taken mid-April in the Southern hemisphere, so Autumn.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This photo was taken mid-April in the Southern hemisphere, so Autumn. It's about 2m tall, growing in full sun, and is in Pretoria, South Africa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7249" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T17:16:19.193" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T17:16:19.193" Title="What is this large plant with spikes of hot pink bracts, growing in South Africa?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14184" CreationDate="2014-09-30T14:09:35.073" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Electroculture&lt;/strong&gt; is the keyword you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was big in the 70's. As you already know, there were positive and negative results.&#xA;Relevant searches:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?num=20&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;hs=87e&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;channel=sb&amp;amp;q=plant%20growth%20electroculture&amp;amp;spell=1&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=XLcqVPEmx5zIBO3ngugB&amp;amp;ved=0CBwQvwUoAA&amp;amp;biw=996&amp;amp;bih=537&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;plant growth electroculture&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=plant%20growth%20electroculture&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;as_sdt=0&amp;amp;as_vis=1&amp;amp;oi=scholart&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=X7cqVO7qEMyNyATb8YGACA&amp;amp;ved=0CB0QgQMwAA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Google Scholar plant growth electroculture&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never tried it, so can't address the question of 'what really works, and for what plants?', but this should let you find the information you're looking for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2014-09-30T14:09:35.073" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14224" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14764" CreationDate="2014-09-30T14:37:16.547" Score="6" ViewCount="630" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click any image for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dXTXT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dXTXT.jpg&quot; width=&quot;330&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CbtfD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CbtfD.jpg&quot; width=&quot;330&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZSc9d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZSc9d.jpg&quot; width=&quot;180&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OkWPc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OkWPc.jpg&quot; width=&quot;330&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8hAhJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8hAhJ.jpg&quot; width=&quot;330&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nkoyu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nkoyu.jpg&quot; width=&quot;330&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*The flowers that can be seen in photo 3 are not from this plant, but from a neighbouring tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is growing outside our offices in Johannesburg, South Africa.  I friend of mine dug one up in the wild some years ago.  It has a bulbous root.  That one was growing in full sun, those shown here are in mostly shade.  The berries ripen to a bright red.&#xA;These photos were all taken today, which is a bright, sunny Spring day here.  The plant is about 80cm tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are broad and waxy.  The plant has spots on the stem as can be seen in photo 4.  It does not die off in the Winter (at least not that I've seen), but if it is cut down, it grows to the size seen here very quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7249" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-30T15:20:20.760" LastActivityDate="2014-12-03T16:17:40.440" Title="What is this South African plant with broad, waxy leaves and shiny berries that ripen to red?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14225" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14192" CreationDate="2014-09-30T15:38:55.930" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Technically, the answer here is &quot;ethylene&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wiki&lt;/a&gt;: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Ethylene is also an important natural plant hormone, used in agriculture to force the ripening of fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But obviously its not practical to put some lighter-than-air and explosive gas onto your lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's one thought though... Can't you just run the lawn mower over them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7250" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-09-30T16:32:26.873" LastActivityDate="2014-09-30T16:32:26.873" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14226" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8814" CreationDate="2014-09-30T19:01:28.477" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rodenator.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rodenator&lt;/a&gt; should take care of your problem. This device fills tunnels with propane and oxygen and then detonates the mix. The shock wave kills all tunneling or burrowing animals. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YguNi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2014-09-30T20:41:22.430" LastActivityDate="2014-09-30T20:41:22.430" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14227" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14182" CreationDate="2014-09-30T22:24:26.647" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I have to say that many of these are so similar, you really won't find a lot of pros and cons between them. They are very similar, and though some might do better than others in certain situations, I haven't really found a reason to differentiate when using as a soil helper, and they all work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.azomite.com/faq.html&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Azomite:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Can cost over twice what basalt or glacial rock dusts do. It comes from a specific volcanic ash deposit in Utah, so it won't be as sustainable as other dusts can be. It is easy to use in spreaders. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.azomite.com/resources/coa.pdf&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for the mineral analysis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fertilizeronline.com/rockdust.php&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Agrowinn&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/a&gt; Only one company sells it, and it is very expensive. It has far lower mineral count than azomite (except for Mg). Scroll to the bottom of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fertilizeronline.com/rockdust.php&quot;&gt;this page&lt;/a&gt; for the analysis. It is still a good mineral source.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naturesfootprint.com/glacial-rock-dust&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Glacial Rock Dust:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Much cheaper than the above minerals. You can use it on a larger application, as it's far more affordable. See the analysis &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gaiagreen.com/rockdust.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. It isn't necessarily ground as finely, so it can clog some spreaders.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://biodynamics.net.au/about-biodynamics/biodynamic-preparations/basaltrock-dusts/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Basalt Rock Dust:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Great mineral content for the price. I prefer it over glacial because it's less likely to contain heavy metals (which you'll find in alluvial and glacial dusts) and is more consistent in mineral analysis. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www-odp.tamu.edu/publications/142_SR/VOLUME/CHAPTERS/sr142_10.pdf&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for analysis. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rockdustlocal.com/faqs.html&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is a FAQ page that compares basalt and glacial rock dusts. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those are all the dusts you listed. (EDIT: More have been added to the list since.) Any others will also be similar in the way these are. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may like to know that while these have high mineral counts, they aren't all available to the plant. They have to break apart even more, which is most easily accomplished using an acid, such as humic acid. The cool thing is, humic acid is the acid produced when organic matter decomposes. So adding rock dust with compost (especially compost that's not &lt;em&gt;quite&lt;/em&gt; finished) can increase availability by over 200%. You will also have better results adding the dust to soils high in organic matter, for the same reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-10-01T23:37:49.690" LastActivityDate="2014-10-01T23:37:49.690" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14228" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-09-30T23:47:07.853" Score="3" ViewCount="30501" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several large tree ferns that are dying. The leaves are turning brown, not one at a time, all together, and then dying. It seems to be spreading to other ferns in my yard. They have been here forever. I only water, and do not fertilize. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7252" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-01T00:15:59.250" LastActivityDate="2018-04-12T15:18:03.443" Title="Why are my tree ferns' leaves drying out and dying?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14229" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14231" CreationDate="2014-10-01T00:25:09.777" Score="5" ViewCount="4885" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just demolished an old shed (we recently bought the house) and we found old rotten tree roots hidden under this shed. (it is the main root and its ramifications)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do with it? My target is to regrade the yard, and this root will stick out so I will need to remove it. The soil composition seems to me closer to clay than to sand, if this detail is of any help. The real question is: Should I just chop it to small pieces and leave it there (mix it with the soil) or should I remove it as much as possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-01T00:47:11.870" LastActivityDate="2015-06-08T17:05:11.467" Title="Should I remove old rotten tree roots or leave them in place when I regrade my yard?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14230" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14229" CreationDate="2014-10-01T00:37:39.687" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Primarily a question of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to regrade the yard and have it stay put, you need to remove the whole stump &amp;amp; roots, since they will shrink as they rot and (gradually) leave a hole in the yard. If you don't mind refilling the hole as it develops, you don't need to bother with removing the stump.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being a low-effort, not too fussy gardener, I prefer to &quot;remove stumps&quot; by covering them with horse manure, give it a couple of years, and breaking up the rotten wood until I can mow over the area or plant flowers there. But I don't mind filling in the hole gradually as it develops gradually, and I don't mind having a mound of compost there for a while until I get to that point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, when I was building a driveway, I ripped the things out with a backhoe. That's a bit different than a stump in a lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-10-01T00:37:39.687" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14231" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14229" CreationDate="2014-10-01T00:42:34.647" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Remove it. If it is soft, you can do it by hand, otherwise use a stump grinder. Replace it with topsoil. The wood, if left in the soil, will rob it from nitrogen, and also sink in once decomposition takes place. I always try to be thorough, because if you don't, you will end up with sunken patches and possibly non uniform lawn coloring from different nitrogen levels in different areas. You can add the root material you remove to the compost pile, as it contains valuable organic matter, you can take advantage of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Refer to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13571/what-should-i-do-after-a-tree-removal-and-stump-grinding-to-prepare-for-grass/13577#13577&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; for details on filling in, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13516/how-do-i-kill-this-salt-cedar/13518#13518&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt; for details on removing the stump/roots. They don't entirely pertain to this situation, but they should be helpful as guidelines for the removal and cleanup of stumps/roots. If you are regrading, you might as well fill in when you do the rest of the work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also try &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3815/should-i-burn-out-my-tree-stumps/5276#5276&quot;&gt;burning it out&lt;/a&gt;, but this isn't the best idea as it kills the soil organisms and doesn't improve soil health. Composting in place (by piling high nitrogen matter on the stump/roots until they decompose) is a healthy method environment-wise, but has the potential to take years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-10-01T00:42:34.647" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14232" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14233" CreationDate="2014-10-01T02:27:16.417" Score="5" ViewCount="266" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am doing some experimentation with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_oil_plant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ricinus communis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, which I know contains the toxin Ricin. Through my own experience and research I am not concerned with interacting with the plant or touching it. Do I need to worry about a build-up of toxicity in my soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried to research the topic, but my knowledge of chemistry isn't enough to be able to understand the information I am getting back. This chemical formulation should just decompose back into available non-toxic organic matter, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7047" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-10-01T11:15:03.520" LastActivityDate="2014-10-01T11:15:03.520" Title="Can the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) build up toxicity in my soils?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;toxicity&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14233" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14232" CreationDate="2014-10-01T02:50:36.010" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it will break down. The toxin &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricin&quot;&gt;ricin&lt;/a&gt; is a type of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein&quot;&gt;protein&lt;/a&gt; called a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lectin&quot;&gt;lectin&lt;/a&gt;, which is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.krispin.com/lectin.html&quot;&gt;disabled by carbohydrates&lt;/a&gt;, specifically &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosaccharide&quot;&gt;mono-&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligosaccharide&quot;&gt;oligosaccharides&lt;/a&gt;. And even if there is some in your soil, don't worry. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.eurohydro.com/pdf/articles/gb_plant-food4.pdf&quot;&gt;Plants don't uptake protein&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ias.ac.in/resonance/Volumes/03/07/0045-0052.pdf&quot;&gt;(second source)&lt;/a&gt; through their roots, so you won't have to worry if you grow food crops in the same area you are growing castor beans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-01T02:50:36.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14228" CreationDate="2014-10-01T03:54:05.917" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/1380/bamboo&quot;&gt;Bamboo&lt;/a&gt;'s &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/11083/why-is-my-australian-tree-ferns-leaves-curling-up-at-the-ends-and-looking-kind/11088#11088&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/11083/why-is-my-australian-tree-ferns-leaves-curling-up-at-the-ends-and-looking-kind&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;, she says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your tree fern is exposed to any sun at all, specially the frond tips, that would explain what's happening - it's frazzling in strong sun. Otherwise, it's probably just the excessive heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other cause of frazzled fronds is excessive wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is good overall advice. Humidity can be an issue as well. Try watering frequently enough that the soil never dries out. You can't do too much against the wind, but depending on the height, you could cover it with a row cloth when the sun is brightest, to cut the amount that hits the leaves. The temperature will be slightly higher, but the relief from full sun will be beneficial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizing is healthy, but too much causes excessive new growth, which will be more susceptible to burn. If you fertilize, carefully read the instructions provided with the product, and never add more than directed. If you can, using an organic fertilizer/soil amendment like compost will be very healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-10-01T03:54:05.917" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14235" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14228" CreationDate="2014-10-01T12:25:48.270" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's odd that the fronds are all dying back at once in mature tree ferns, so unless you've had extremely windy conditions that are unusual, or something drastic has changed in the environment, I suspect there's a wider problem. Knowing where you are in the world would have been useful, but two things spring to mind. The first is root rot - tree ferns do better if the soil around the top is allowed to dry out a little, and then the ferns are watered deeply. If you've had plenty of wet weather, it might be root rot. Symptoms are sudden die back, as you're describing, and sometimes, mushrooms or toadstools can be seen around the base of the tree or nearby in the soil. There is, unfortunately, no effective treatment once die back has occurred - the tree either recovers or it doesn't, though you could try watering in a fungicide at the base and fertlising the trees if you suspect this might the issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're in Australia, there is something new causing sudden dieback - the cause is not 100% certain, but it's suspected to be caused by infestation with scolypopa australis, or the Passionvine Hopper, which penetrates the trunk and sucks the sap, introducing an unknown pathogen causing sudden dieback and killing the tree. It's not clear whether this really is the disease vector though, because other countries are also experiencing sudden dieback in tree ferns. Given that the pathogen is so far unknown, there is no treatment, though it certainly wouldn't do any harm to feed the trees to see if that helps them resist whatever the problem is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-10-01T12:38:38.967" LastActivityDate="2014-10-01T12:38:38.967" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14236" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14238" CreationDate="2014-10-01T19:22:53.153" Score="4" ViewCount="558" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall_wasp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gall wasps&lt;/a&gt; are a common problem here on the east end of Long Island. Oaks are a dominant species around here, and many clients rely on them for shade around their houses and yards. What should be done about trees that are found to be infested with gall wasps?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-02T01:16:53.097" LastActivityDate="2014-10-04T16:06:46.567" Title="Is it important to deal with gall wasps on oak trees? If so, what is the best method?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14236" CreationDate="2014-10-01T20:58:12.580" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've found that trees can put up with a lot. Oak trees are seldom affected by galls unless there is a heavy infestation. Galls on the leaves are not a worry, and oak trees will tolerate them quite well. You can rake up and destroy the leaves when they fall, if they are causing aesthetic issues. Pesticides are rarely effective. The kind that can be damaging is the galls that form on the branches. These aren't a problem if they don't get out of hand (there were only 3 cases I can think of where I actually had to do something about them), but if they seem to be in damaging quantities, prune out and destroy all galls as you see them form. If you get them before the wasps emerge, this will help control them for the next season. Continue this practice until the infestation is under control. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spraying is expensive, and not very effective (you only get the wasps that are flying - in the earlier stages of growth the insects are protected by the galls). I don't recommend it. It is possible for an infestation of gall wasps to eventually kill a healthy tree, but in small numbers, these insects are not a big problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/galls-oak&quot;&gt;Here is a page&lt;/a&gt; I just found that supports the above information and has lot's of good detail in matters concerning gall wasps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-01T20:58:12.580" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14239" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14240" CreationDate="2014-10-02T01:00:12.367" Score="3" ViewCount="285" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have lots of large twisted galls on our lombardy poplar trees' leaf stems. I've heard that twisted galls on poplar trees are not a threat to the tree. So, I'm not worried about them killing the trees or anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do the galls in the fallen leaves contain insects or their eggs that will promote more galls in future generations? Will picking up the leaves help to reduce the problem the next year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I looked inside a gall, and found that it appeared to be full of some powdery fungus or something. Is that normal? Was it really fungus? Could the insects causing the galls be attracting other pests or diseases to my yard? I hear the things that cause twisted galls are related to aphids, and we have a big aphid problem. It could be a coincidence, but I thought I'd ask, just in case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year, our poplar trees were covered in what looked like house flies (and this was rather disturbing), but after some research, I think they were a certain kind of fly that eats whatever causes the galls. There aren't as many flies this year, but there are even more galls (and there were a lot last year). I've heard that they are supposed to be less frequent after a severe year. This does not seem to have been the case, so far. I'm kind of concerned that the contents of the galls could be bad for the yard, or my health. I've heard about tree fungi causing issues in the past.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-10-02T06:12:08.113" LastActivityDate="2014-10-02T06:12:08.113" Title="Should I be concerned about twisted galls on my lombardy poplar trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14240" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14239" CreationDate="2014-10-02T01:51:16.180" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/insects/poplar-petiole-gall-aphid.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Poplar Petiole Gall Aphids, &lt;em&gt;Pemphigus populitransversus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. The galls have slits in them, in which the immature aphids can go in and out. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/insects/poplar-petiole-gall-aphid.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;From here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The aphids secrete a white, waxy material which coats their body and the inside of the gall&lt;sup&gt;(1)&lt;/sup&gt;. They feed for about two weeks and the females bear live young that mature into winged aphids. These winged females will leave the gall through the slit that is apparent on the side of the gall and fly to an alternate host.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The alternate hosts are in the Brassica family so typically mustard or canola&lt;sup&gt;(2)&lt;/sup&gt;. They spend the remainder of the summer on the alternate host before flying back to the trees in the fall to lay eggs that spend the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;(1) This would be the 'fungus' you were seeing.&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;(2) Other crops such as cabbage, broccoli, turnips, etc will be affected, and they can be damaging to root crops in the family, as it is the roots they feed on.&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are two forms, the sexually reproductive form and the parthenogenetic form. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/science-and-innovation/agricultural-practices/agroforestry/diseases-and-pests/poplar-petiole-gall-aphid/?id=1367421211283&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In the spring, the overwintering eggs hatch producing wingless females known as stem mothers. Stem mothers are parthenogenetic (can reproduce without mating), and give birth to a generation of wingless, parthenogenetic females inside the galls they create. Several generations are produced, until late summer when the galls become overcrowded. At that time, the females produce a generation of winged, parthenogenetic females which migrate to a secondary host&lt;sup&gt;(3)&lt;/sup&gt;. Several generations of winged and wingless parthenogenetic females are produced. The winged females return to the poplars where they give birth to sexually reproductive male and female aphids. After mating, the females lay overwintering eggs in cracks and crevices, completing the life cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;(3) The alternative host is various species from the genus &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Brassica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is not a major pest, and you don't have to worry about it. Some fallen leaves will contain aphids, in either form, but most of the aphids will have flown by the time most of the leaf drop has occurred. If you want to get rid of the aphids, picking leaves as they form galls will be the most effective means. Spraying with insecticides is largely ineffective and can be counterproductive by killing potentially beneficial insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-02T02:21:37.773" LastActivityDate="2014-10-02T02:21:37.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14241" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-02T03:40:25.127" Score="6" ViewCount="55031" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know the norm is to use rock phosphate or bone meal but I can't find rock phosphate in my area and it's expensive to ship because of the weight.   I'm not able to use an animal product like bone or fish emulsion. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's there anything else that is readily available? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2628" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-03T19:46:07.013" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T17:30:31.937" Title="What are good organic phosphorus sources for fruiting plants, other than rock phosphate or animal products?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14242" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-02T11:00:16.827" Score="3" ViewCount="1037" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found this plant in a nursery around Central India. Not sure whether this is an indoor or outdoor plant. Want to know the species and tips about its upkeep&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gEv3D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7255" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-10-02T13:52:02.380" LastActivityDate="2018-03-04T17:20:39.030" Title="Which is this plant with purple flowers and elongated, opposite leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14242" CreationDate="2014-10-02T11:27:18.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melastoma_malabathricum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Melastoma malabathricum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, commonly known as the Indian Rhododendron, or Tibouchina is another name used mostly in the West, though it is synonymous with Melastoma. It's considered a tropical plant because it won't tolerate temperatures below about 5 deg C very well, though it copes with a bit of light frost. Does well outside provided temperatures are suitable. Prefers not to be in full, very hot sun, morning sun is fine, though it will adapt gradually to full sun if it has to - it is evergreen. This particular example looks as if its suffered from heat/direct sun or a bit of drought in its pot. USDA hardiness zones are listed as 8-12, but in zone 8, they may die back and regrow in spring. Even so, in my experience in the UK (mostly Zone 8) these are easily killed in winter outside, particularly in pots. Needs fertile, moist soil that drains freely, but doesn't constantly dry out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I can tell, Central India, if that's where you are rather than just where you found the plant, does not experience temperatures below 5 deg C, so this plant should be fine planted outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-10-02T13:51:34.027" LastActivityDate="2014-10-02T13:51:34.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8814" CreationDate="2014-10-02T14:05:14.717" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A neighbour recommended that I plant wild garlic (Tulbaghia violacea) along the borders to my garden.  Apparently moles hate the smell of it and it chases them away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantzafrica.com/planttuv/tulbaghviol.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.plantzafrica.com/planttuv/tulbaghviol.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's the plant I'm talking about, and on the site, they even mention using it as a mole repellant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like this solution.  Not only is it natural and does not kill the moles, but it's an attractive and useful plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for efficacy, I can't comment on that. I moved away from where the mole problem was before I could effect this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7249" LastActivityDate="2014-10-02T14:05:14.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14245" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16204" CreationDate="2014-10-02T15:01:19.870" Score="4" ViewCount="232" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing 36 carrots in a 18&quot; square container that is 14&quot; deep. I know I have enough room for them but am more worried about whether there will be enough nutrition in the soil to carry them through until harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a certain soil blend or configuration (amendments) that would allow me to set it and forget it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some sources say to do a light liquid fertilization every 2 weeks or so about halfway through the grow cycle (35-40 days) of &lt;a href=&quot;http://foxfarmfertilizer.com/index.php/item/big-bloom-liquid-plant-food.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;FoxFarm Big Bloom&lt;/a&gt;. Is there a more apt liquid fertilizer for carrots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've since moved to a ~20 carrot per container setup and thus far a single grow does not need any added fertilizer but if I keep growing carrots in the same containers, after how many harvests would I need to start fertilizing. Do I need to let the soil settle on it's own at some point?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-29T02:43:35.523" LastActivityDate="2015-01-29T02:43:35.523" Title="Is this a good organic soil/fertilizer setup for container carrots?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14246" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14241" CreationDate="2014-10-02T15:26:17.320" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Starting your own compost is one option for cultivating your own high P fertilizer. Adding egg yolks, animal bones, fish waste, and anything that has a higher P ratio will increase the P ratio of the compost. When dealing with material prone to disease, it's best to use a high heat composting approach to sterilize the end product. There are various yard tumblers that make this rather easy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Primary purchasable sources from (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.grow-it-organically.com/organic-phosphorus-fertilizers.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.grow-it-organically.com/organic-phosphorus-fertilizers.html&lt;/a&gt;):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soft Rock Phosphate  0-18-0&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bat Guano (High-P)   3-10-1&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Steamed Bone Meal    3-15-0&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fish Bone Meal   3-18-0&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rock Phosphate   0-33-0&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rock Dust (Crushed Granite)  0—3-5—0, trace minerals&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional composting sources for P:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Some food sources have pretty high levels of phosphorus naturally -&#xA;  &lt;strong&gt;banana peels, crab shells, shrimp peelings, most grains and nuts&lt;/strong&gt; - and&#xA;  these should all be added to compost when available. &lt;strong&gt;Meats, poultry,&#xA;  eggs and dairy products are also phosphorus-rich&lt;/strong&gt;, but you'd want to&#xA;  avoid adding those to your compost. (&lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/organic/msg0216391932711.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason they mention avoiding the disease prone materials is because there isn't necessarily an easy way to verify that the end product is indeed disease-free. A heat thermometer should be enough to confirm that the center is at least cooking adequately however you will need to be sure that the entirety of the batch is mixed and turned so that every bit of it is cooked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you can't use animal products or fish emulsion (do however note the above paragraph on compost heat-sterilizing), and you don't want to spend more on shipping, your left with:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;banana peels&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;most grains and nuts&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Extended looser definition of animal products would additionally include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;egg shells&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;crab shells&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;shrimp peelings&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bat guano&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fish bone meal&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="7256" LastEditDate="2014-10-02T21:28:07.280" LastActivityDate="2014-10-02T21:28:07.280" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14248" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14252" CreationDate="2014-10-02T16:10:26.987" Score="16" ViewCount="51583" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't found anything stating that the plant dies off after producing fruit and it is my understanding that if I keep the environmental conditions correct, continue manual pollination, and add fertilizer to the soil every few weeks/month that the pepper plant should continue to produce fruit on an ongoing basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone done this in practice? If it is possible, is it in fact good/okay? It most likely isn't a natural phenomenon but I wouldn't expect degradation of the fruit provided the plant still had good soil health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would it die off if I stopped pollinating it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a difference in this regard across the various types of pepper plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I may not have made this clear enough but the pepper plant I'm growing is indoors 24/7/365 in a regulated environment. ie overwintering doesn't apply at least in my situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="7256" LastEditDate="2015-02-12T17:31:19.507" LastActivityDate="2021-03-24T11:56:54.320" Title="How long can a bell pepper plant thrive while maintained indoors?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="12" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14249" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-02T17:01:44.883" Score="5" ViewCount="748" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it OK to use human waste or spent cat litter directly into the soil where you grow fruits and vegetables?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7257" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-02T21:32:53.930" LastActivityDate="2016-01-18T05:24:09.987" Title="Is it OK to use human waste or spent cat litter for fertilizing edibles?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14250" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14249" CreationDate="2014-10-02T17:21:23.700" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not unless you particularly fancy a dose of e-coli, worms, parasites and a host of other enteric nasties you could be infected with from using it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking, manures from herbivores are okay, but even those must be composted prior to use, so composted animal manures are fine - but only if you're not growing root crops such as carrots or parsnips, which will fork if they're in manure enriched soil. And a word about 'fertiliser' - there are two approaches used to feeding plants in the ground, often used in combination. When you apply humus rich, composted materials (such as animal manure or leaf mould or spent mushroom compost or garden compost, anything like that) you're actually improving the soil, and the bio diversity within it, and its general mineral content, depending what you use, thus enabling your plants to access the nutrients they need themselves. You can also feed plants directly by using proprietary 'chemical' feeds such as Growmore or fish blood and bone or any of the other hundreds of proprietary fertilisers. You may, for instance, choose to use tomato food on tomatoes, even if you're growing in the ground, and the ground has been enriched with humus materials beforehand, because that tomato food supplies nutrients tomatoes particularly need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In some parts of the world, human excrement is used as fertiliser, but not without processing first, usually using high temperatures to kill off the nasties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-10-02T17:21:23.700" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9260" CreationDate="2014-10-02T18:40:56.883" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not a complete answer but may help with a few of your problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Instead of replacing the whole hose, you can cut out the bad part(s), refit each end with threaded pieces, and get a small inline hose piece (of any size really) so long as the threading is the same.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The drippers might have been jammed up with iron/calcium buildup.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastActivityDate="2014-10-02T18:40:56.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14248" CreationDate="2014-10-02T18:41:28.517" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm revising my answer again, but this time with an opinion based on my observations of peppers (not bell types specifically):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My opinion is that they'll continue to live as long as they're healthy and pruned. If they're in a small container and not pruned, they might die after they produce ripe fruit the first or second time, but if you prune them afterward and keep them healthy, you should be able to get the plant to live for a very long time, even in a small container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A general rule I go by is that if the leaves are starting to fall off, or if the plant isn't growing anymore, then prune it. (Provided it's otherwise healthy.) It should grow new leaves/branches, and flowers, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picking the fruit when they're still green may encourage more fruit to develop in the long run. The plants may be more prone to dying directly after the fruit is all ripe than beforehand. Interrupting this process seems to be healthy for the plant (although if you're taking good care of the plant, this may not be much of a concern).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peppers use nutrients fast, though, and they have a lot of pests. So, keeping them healthy can be a challenge, since they require regular maintenance. Knowing what nutrients to give them can also be a challenge. I've personally found that indoor peppers seem to improve with the addition of a little wood ash and other stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bell types will need larger containers, maybe more light, and probably different care, but I imagine the principles are similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;(Old answer)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm revising my answer significantly (my old answer is at the bottom, after the divide).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe you're looking for bell peppers that '&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hotpepperseeds.com/OverWinteringPeppers.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;overwinter&lt;/a&gt;' well (probably more than once). Overwintering is usually when you pot your pepper and take it inside for the winter (or just keep it in a pot it's already in for the winter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Originally, I thought that indeterminate peppers were peppers that would continue to grow and produce fruit indefinitely, and that any indeterminate sweet pepper would suffice in answering your question. However, some people have different definitions of what indeterminate means, apparently. Some say it just means that the plants produce flowers all throughout a single season, and then die like other annuals regardless of the climate (this largely comes from my contacting &lt;a href=&quot;http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$Department/deptdocs.nsf/all/opp2873&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a Canadian website&lt;/a&gt; that spoke of greenhouse and field peppers, and their response to me, as well as Seed Savers Exchange—those who responded may not have had a great knowledge on the topic of the article, though, but seemed to have some good general knowledge about plants—but it's also a general observation that not everyone thinks it has anything to do with longevity or size, but rather bloom frequency only).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people say that all sweet peppers are indeterminate. Some say field peppers are determinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some say &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pepper/msg0615422925006.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;all peppers are perennials&lt;/a&gt;, provided the climate is right. Some say all peppers are annuals (of course, they're wrong, but they might be right in that some peppers are annuals).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what I've concluded (which may or may not be entirely accurate):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most peppers are capable of surviving longer than one season (at least up until December), whether or not they do very well afterward. Some of them will survive up to 5+ years. One of the comments to your question, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://articles.latimes.com/2013/may/07/news/la-lh-rocoto-manzano-chile-20130507&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;another source&lt;/a&gt; (15 years of fruit; 10+ feet tall), speak of 10–15 year old peppers, but I haven’t specifically heard of anyone growing one in-doors for that long, yet (although I personally believe it can happen). Some varieties of peppers are easier to grow for longer periods than others. Some peppers lose their leaves in the winter, and some don't (although how you treat them may or may not influence whether they lose their leaves). They say at least some habaneros don't lose their leaves in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to me that peppers that live longer probably produce better on the second and third years (but thereafter, I'm not so sure). I've heard this from two or three locations, but I don't have the sources, currently (I found them via web searches, probably in forums). However, I'm not referring to every pepper that can overwinter at least once as 'peppers that live longer'. Not all peppers that overwinter will thrive in this fashion, I hear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people think &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pepper/msg0708132917589.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;most sweet peppers don't live that long&lt;/a&gt;, especially the hybrids, although if you take proper care of them, they might last somewhat longer and do better. However, I've read that at least big Bertha peppers, which are sweet, will do well on at least one subsequent year (in at least &lt;a href=&quot;http://bonnieplants.com/products/review/product/list/id/1827/category/28/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;one person's experience&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I could be wrong, but it really seems like the peppers that overwinter indoors the best are those that tolerate cold the best. Even houses can get pretty cold for some peppers. So, that's good to take into consideration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peppers are notorious for dying when it gets cold. Most people think all peppers die at the slightest freeze. However, I have heard an account of someone in Beijing, China who had some wild peppers outside that survived snow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the more &lt;a href=&quot;http://thehotpepper.com/topic/33656-any-cold-peppers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cold-tolerant peppers&lt;/a&gt; (and though they are all hot varieties, they just might survive mildly freezing temperatures) include these (although even the hardiest of these, with the possible exception of capsicum flexuosum, would probably die at 30 to 23°F (-1 to &lt;a href=&quot;http://thehotpepper.com/topic/33656-any-cold-peppers/?p=684024&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;-5°C&lt;/a&gt;) and colder:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thehotpepper.com/topic/33656-any-cold-peppers/?p=684092&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;capsicum flexuosum&lt;/a&gt; (I think this needs a pollinator, but it's supposed to tolerate cold well; &lt;a href=&quot;http://thehotpepper.com/topic/33656-any-cold-peppers/?p=683811&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;it is said to be able to stay green and vibrant through at least 20°F nights&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thehotpepper.com/topic/33656-any-cold-peppers/?p=684092&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cumari pollux&lt;/a&gt; (I'm not sure which kind this refers to; I've heard the name does not always refer to the same kind of plant.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thehotpepper.com/topic/33656-any-cold-peppers/?p=684024&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;capsicum annuum 'goats weed'&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardener.wikia.com/wiki/Capsicum_annuum_&amp;#39;Goat&amp;#39;s_weed&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this is said to overwinter well&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thehotpepper.com/topic/33656-any-cold-peppers/?p=683903&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;capsicum baccatum (a kind of habanero: probably Aji Habanero)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thehotpepper.com/topic/33656-any-cold-peppers/?p=683816&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;capsicum chinese 'datil'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thehotpepper.com/topic/33656-any-cold-peppers/?p=683807&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;capsicum pubescens&lt;/a&gt; (rocoto, manzano, etc. these may or may not tolerate a frost, but are said to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://articles.latimes.com/2013/may/07/news/la-lh-rocoto-manzano-chile-20130507&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;more cold hardy than most peppers&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of the cold-hardy hot peppers listed above, goats weed is the most closely related to sweet peppers. So, it might be possible to get a hybrid going there, with a certain amount of cold tolerance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[Edit: Having grown red Peruvian Rocoto pepper plants, Black Cobra, and Chocolate Habanero, and observing them in a frost down at at least 28° F. I should note that each variety suffered from the frost. Some random plants didn't suffer much, though, but I'm not convinced it was due to cold-tolerance, since the same was true for other kinds of plants. In short, I'm not convinced they're any more cold-tolerant than other peppers. However, they do seem somewhat more cold-tolerant than my tomatoes, which suffered much more. Black Cobra is similar to Goat's Weed; so, that's why I mentioned it. I'm trying to start true Goat's Weed, now, though. So, maybe I'll see about it next year.]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure how cold-hardy it is, but this very hot pepper also can be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seedman.com/pepper.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;overwintered&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pequin_pepper&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;capsicum annuum 'pequin'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing peppers that people call determinate may also be perennials, at least some of the time, and that they probably just have greater intervals without flowers (or else are better at flowering at other seasons than those people are normally used to). This is, however, just a guess. They could really die at the end of the season regardless of frost or care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There do seem to be very few peppers that people say are determinate, with the exception of commercial field peppers (whatever varieties those are), but if you grow the seeds from a store pepper, the seedlings will probably resemble one of the parents of the hybrid instead of the hybrid itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Really, the only varieties of sweet pepper that I’ve specifically heard can overwinter indoors well (at least once) are &lt;a href=&quot;http://bonnieplants.com/products/review/product/list/id/1827/category/28/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;big Bertha&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pepper/msg0708132917589.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;potentially&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://all-americaselections.org/winners/details.cfm?WinID=427&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pepper 'Carmen' F1&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pepper/msg0708132917589.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;overwintered at least once&lt;/a&gt;). I've also heard of some &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pepper/msg0708132917589.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;orange bell peppers that overwinter well&lt;/a&gt;, but I don't know what varieties they are. More than one person has mentioned orange bell peppers in this regard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people say pruning peppers is good (and some think it may be necessary to keep them alive), while others think this should not be done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard of a fertilizer (&lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pepper/msg0615422925006.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bloom builder plant food&lt;/a&gt;) that is supposed to help at least cayenne peppers to fruit well even in the middle of winter. That might work for sweet peppers, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't remember where I read it, but I hear nitrogen will help pepper plants to get big, while phosphorus will help them to develop fruit. Too much nitrogen may result in a huge plant without much fruit. However, if you're overwintering, that may be exactly what you want (a plant focusing on growing larger may thrive better than a plant focusing on growing fruit), for I hear you can switch the fertilizer later on to get more fruit after the plant has already gotten large. I think I read that you want equal parts nitrogen and phosphorus (or a little bit less phosphorus) if you want fruit, and less phosphorus (though I'm unsure how much less) if you want growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never heard of bell peppers (or any plants) dying if they don't get pollinated. The flowers may not turn into fruit, but that should be it. If you're worried about it, you can always remove the flowers. Some plants that are annuals, such as amaranth, will die after they flower and seed (and pruning off the flowers may extend the life of the plant somewhat, although it may not be aesthetically appealing). I don't believe this applies to peppers, but if there are determinate annual peppers, it just might be possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were experimenting with new peppers to see if they could live a long time and produce well, I would personally want to try peppers with one or more of these qualities first:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Above average cold tolerance&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Takes a long time before it produces its initial batch of fruit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Known to grow to be about 5' tall or more&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Orange color&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hierloom or wild varieties&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Originate from South America or somewhere else warm.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also be more concerned with leaves than fruit until the plant got big. I would also want to keep the soil and air warm (they say if it's too cold for you, it's too cold for your peppers), and give it a nice grow light, such as &lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00GNWK2XO&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt; (I haven't personally tried it, but I like the reviews).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you happen to get a large and old pepper plant and are worried that it might die some day, I have some advice for you. Take cuttings and when they have roots, pot them. If you prune your pepper, you might as well try it with the clippings. Yes, you can take cuttings of peppers and root them (although they say it's somewhat more difficult than with tomatoes). &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fatalii.net/Growing_chile_peppers/Cuttings/Soil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's one way to do it&lt;/a&gt; (this way is said to work for many fruit trees and roses, too, although for roses I've also seen a recommendation to rip some of the skin off near the bottom, which might also work for other plants), and &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-chili-peppers-cuttings-35697.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here's another&lt;/a&gt;, although if you have clippings to spare, I'd say test it with the plain water method too, just to see if it works (so you can save on hormone rooting powder). When you take cuttings, even if you have a hybrid pepper that doesn't produce seeds, you can still get more plants that produce exactly the same kind of pepper. People often recommend only taking small cuttings (for just about any kind of plant), but I would recommend experimenting beyond that advice if you have lots of clippings to try. When I did large cuttings with tomatoes, it worked well. Having roots that will be buried deep in the soil seems to be an advantage that makes it so you have to water less.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-chili-peppers-cuttings-35697.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the link above&lt;/a&gt; mentions, taking cuttings to grow and overwinter can sometimes be a better way to overwinter a pepper than digging it up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;(Older answer):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of bell peppers would suit your purpose (greenhouse production of bell peppers uses indeterminate cultivars, but field pepper cultivars are determinate), according to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$Department/deptdocs.nsf/all/opp2873&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this website&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.howardresh.com/hydroponic-culture-peppers1.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt;. If you stop pollinating, the plant will stop producing fruit, but it won't stop the vegetative growth. Indoors it is good to do this on an occasional regular basis, to give the plant a break period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Indeterminate is what you want. Most people probably don't think of peppers as determinate and indeterminate (it's probably a tomato-thing to most people). &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58190&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's a forum post&lt;/a&gt; with people discussing it. Peppers and tomatoes are in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;same family&lt;/a&gt;. At least some indeterminate peppers are supposed to be good for hydroponic gardening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Indeterminate plants grow and produce fruit indefinitely, I hear. Determinate plants do for a season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some examples of indeterminate sweet peppers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.semena.org/sort/pepper/Albatrosz-e.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Albatros F1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/capsicum-annuum-aruba-grossum-group/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aruba&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/capsicum-annuum-big-bertha-grossum-group/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Big bertha&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://bonnieplants.com/products/review/product/list/id/1827/category/28/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a customer review&lt;/a&gt; testifies of its indeterminate nature)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/capsicum-annuum-blushing-beauty-grossum-group/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Blushing beauty&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/search-plants-for/q=bonnie-bell&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bonnie bell&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/capsicum-annuum-california-wonder-300-grossum-group/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;California Wonder 300&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/capsicum-annuum-classic-grossum-group/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Classic&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cubico&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/82264/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Eagle&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/capsicum-annuum-early-bell-grossum-group/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Early bell&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/capsicum-annuum-elisa-grossum-group/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Elisa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fellini&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/82266/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fiesta&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/capsicum-annuum-giant-marconi-grossum-group/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Giant Marconi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gold flame&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/capsicum-annuum-hershey-grossum-group/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hershey&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/86145/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kelvin&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lesley&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/capsicum-annuum-mandarin-grossum-group/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mandarin&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.semena.org/sort/pepper/maradonna-e.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Maradonna F1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mazurka&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/capsicum-annuum-mohawk-grossum-group/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mohawk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Narobi&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/capsicum-annuum-pinot-noir-grossum-group/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pinot Noir&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Samantha&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/capsicum-annuum-snapper-grossum-group/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Snapper&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/capsicum-annuum-sunray-grossum-group/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sunray&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/capsicum-annuum-tangerine-pimiento-grossum-group/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tangerine Pimiento&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/capsicum-annuum-yankee-bell-grossum-group/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yankee bell&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/search-plants-for/q=capsicum-annuum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;A lot of the ones here claim to be indeterminate&lt;/a&gt; (Many of the links above are from this site; it should be noted, though that it says capsicum annuum, or the entire species, is indeterminate; however, it seems that this is not the case. When it doubt, I would experiment with the ones that are said to grow five feet tall, or more, first.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing your peppers indoors, I would recommend a grow light, if you want your peppers to flourish. I'm not really sure how well they do without them, but I'm about to find out, as I just planted some less than a week ago. Also, make sure they're not in a cold room. They are said to like warm soil. I notice my seed roots grow faster when the room is warm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen it written that you want at least five gallons of dirt, but that's more than square foot gardening would require (although some things, such as watermelon, prefer deep soil). If you have room and light (as well as pots), I'd use a bigger pot for bigger and stronger plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-08-04T01:18:21.837" LastActivityDate="2018-08-04T01:18:21.837" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="14253" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14255" CreationDate="2014-10-02T19:30:56.437" Score="5" ViewCount="2863" Body="&lt;p&gt;I plan on topping it to keep the canopy wide. I am most concerned with getting an LED fixture that doesn't fully activate photosynthesis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Granted I know that wattage isn't the best way to determine light output and quality of light but it is a good estimator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clearance height will be minimal so anything too high powered is likely going to cause adverse effects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a comparison for an LED light that produces 'full sun' lighting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much of a concern is sunscald with LED lights?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-03T20:09:00.000" LastActivityDate="2017-01-04T14:26:27.807" Title="What is the optimal LED wattage for a single bell pepper plant?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14254" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14256" CreationDate="2014-10-02T23:34:26.813" Score="5" ViewCount="1292" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does a luxmeter provide an accurate measurement of usable light?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What values constitute equivalents of 'shade', 'part sun/shade', 'full sun', etc?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastActivityDate="2014-10-03T00:02:24.730" Title="Does a luxmeter provide an accurate measurement of usable light?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14255" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14253" CreationDate="2014-10-02T23:40:37.140" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Shade, in full daylight, is about 10,000 to 25,000 lux (1 lx = 1 lm/m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;, or 1 lux equals 1 lumen divided by 1 square meter.) so assuming the plant will be in an area of about 1m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;, and the average led light puts out 80-100 lumens per watt, you will want something in the 250 watt range. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems kind of bright indoors, but much less than that, and the pepper plant will rapidly decline. There will be no sun scalding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-01-04T04:13:55.967" LastActivityDate="2017-01-04T04:13:55.967" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14254" CreationDate="2014-10-03T00:02:24.730" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, low end (less than $100 US) lux meters will work for most measurements, and is a useful tool. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Deep shade (too low for the average plant to thrive) is about 1,000 lux.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Normal house lighting is about 60-100 lux.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Full daylight (not full sun) (good for shade loving plants) is about 10,000–25,000 lux.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Direct sunlight (ideal for most plants) is about 32,000–100,000 lux.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-03T00:02:24.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14257" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7409" CreationDate="2014-10-03T00:04:53.410" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe the white flower in the second picture is some species of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myoporum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Myoporum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7259" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-03T00:10:08.163" LastActivityDate="2014-10-03T00:10:08.163" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14249" CreationDate="2014-10-03T03:38:19.550" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are going to do what you ask, use human and pet wastes to fertilize your 'fruits and vegetables', there are a couple of things to keep in mind:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Processing waste material&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Human wastes can and have been used to fertilize crops.  The city of Milwaukee sells &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milorganite.com/&quot;&gt;Milorganite&lt;/a&gt; to farmers, which is just processed human waste from the city.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good minimum for home preparation of human solid wastes is layered with a substance like sawdust or ash, left 2 full years sealed off, then composted with other organic matter for another year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Application types&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To apply organic fertilizer to fruit trees or bushes, you can spread out the fully composted mix in a radius around, but removed from the trunk.  Lightly incorporate into the soil, then cover dry organic material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Incorporating your fertilizer into soil for vegetable crops (like roots, but even lettuces, less so vines) is where you are going to want to be careful.  Human wastes contain harmful microlife, so you will want to be &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; confident in your process (maybe even going a bit too far).  The risks are high so it really is recommended not to use this home mixture for direct application on annual vegetable crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7047" LastActivityDate="2014-10-03T03:38:19.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14259" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14241" CreationDate="2014-10-03T12:44:19.953" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www2.buildinggreen.com/blogs/urine-collection-beats-composting-toilets-nutrient-recycling&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt;, urine contains 2/3 of the phosporous expelled from the body and it is also high in nitrogen:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gkgv9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a healthy population, just dilute and distribute, if there are infections (UTIs are specifically mentioned) you will want to sterilize further.  This is a lesser concern for applications around trees and bushes vs annual vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7047" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-03T19:36:02.177" LastActivityDate="2014-10-03T19:36:02.177" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13648" CreationDate="2014-10-03T13:53:18.597" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any time you are growing in a container, you have a higher chance of running into nutrient lockouts, nutrient deficiency, and nutrient overloading. Depending on the severity (and this looks pretty minor), drenching the plant with water and letting it dry is usually recommended to help clean the root area out. This is usually only recommended if you have been adding more nutrients than what was already in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I would recommend is capturing the run-off water from a normal watering (maybe more than normal just so you can a decent amount of run-off to test) and then checking the PH and PPM to narrow in on a possible issue. Sometimes the PH is out of whack and that results in some nutrients in the soil being unusable by some plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trouble with diagnosing it based on pictures alone is that both nutrient deficiencies and excess nutrient symptoms are usually very similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you been adding any additional liquid fertilizer when watering? What was the soil originally (NPK)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastActivityDate="2014-10-03T13:53:18.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14261" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14265" CreationDate="2014-10-03T14:21:00.190" Score="7" ViewCount="249" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to have an odorless/near odorless indoor vermicompost system?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Somewhere in the range of 3-7 gallons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What about purposing something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B004QKU0MS&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; on the scale of 65 gallons? Does size have an impact on odor? (That particular one may not be well oxygenated but imagine if it were aerated on all sides)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="7256" LastEditDate="2014-10-03T16:48:28.453" LastActivityDate="2015-03-28T15:08:31.907" Title="Is it possible to have an odorless/near odorless indoor vermicompost?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14262" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14268" CreationDate="2014-10-03T14:27:18.167" Score="7" ViewCount="4051" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maybe it isn't worth much in smaller containers but at what size might this become beneficial? How many worms?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would I need to layer the bottom with additional food for them to eat? Would what the worms excrete actually be usable by the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Earthworms might eat slowly enough that it becomes more practical to use them over red wrigglers if the speed matters here - not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How useful/successful might this setup be for providing long-term nutrients to the plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="7256" LastEditDate="2016-01-19T15:19:56.370" LastActivityDate="2016-01-19T15:19:56.370" Title="Is it beneficial to drop earthworms or red wrigglers into container plants?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;worms&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14263" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-03T16:38:40.430" Score="4" ViewCount="372" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the second season in a row, a number of our clients in one particular neighborhood are plagued by non-biting midges. We are talking virtually complete coverage on some surfaces, and when disturbed the clouds of insects are a choking hazard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Due to the proximity of wetlands and our insistence on organic landscape care, we are considering cultural or other non-chemical controls &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/midges.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;as outlined by NC State&lt;/a&gt;. The one that interests us most it the use of &quot;bait lights&quot; to draw the flying adults away from activity areas on the property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But how well do these work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2014-10-03T17:11:47.047" Title="How effective are non-chemical controls for non-biting midges?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14264" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-03T16:44:21.097" Score="2" ViewCount="170" Body="&lt;p&gt;As an example of what I am asking I provided one answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Lettuce/spinach grow well in the empty spaces around the base of&#xA;  pepper plants. Pepper plants don't grow too tall and aren't&#xA;  particularly dense so light does pass though. In addition, the pepper&#xA;  roots like to go deep while lettuce/spinach typically do not (until&#xA;  they start to flower anyways). The height of the pepper plant also serves to shield the&#xA;  lettuce from heat, which is often desirable (to avoid early flowering).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there other combinations that make the most use of available soil and act as good 'partners'?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there other dynamics at play that might be useful in making the most of a raised bed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastActivityDate="2014-10-06T10:25:21.380" Title="What are some good combinations of plants &amp; practices for raised beds to maximize efficiency/output?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14261" CreationDate="2014-10-03T16:44:21.380" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes.  Decomposition smell comes from anaerobic decomposition.  Keeping your compost oxygenated should eliminate odors.  For my normal compost I do this by flipping it regularly, more at first (every 2 weeks) tapering off to every other month.  Slimy sections are an indicator of anaerobic decomposition.  Aerobic decomposition should produce no (low) smell, but it will produce heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7047" LastActivityDate="2014-10-03T16:44:21.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14266" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14264" CreationDate="2014-10-03T16:44:44.610" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lettuce/spinach grow well in the empty spaces around the base of pepper plants. Pepper plants don't grow too tall and aren't particularly dense so light does pass though. In addition, the pepper roots like to go deep while lettuce/spinach typically do not (until they start to flower anyways). The height of the pepper plant also serves to shield the lettuce from heat, which is often desirable (to avoid early flowering).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastActivityDate="2014-10-03T16:44:44.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14263" CreationDate="2014-10-03T17:01:54.117" Score="5" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Predatory fish.&lt;/strong&gt; Chironomid midges are a major component of the diet of&#xA;  many fish species. In particular, bottom-feeding fishes, such as&#xA;  catfish and carp, consume large numbers of midge larvae. However, the&#xA;  feeding of these fishes has, generally, not been shown to reduce adult&#xA;  midge populations below nuisance levels adjacent to habitats where&#xA;  there were large larval populations. You might want to contact your&#xA;  local &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncwildlife.org/fs_index_03_fishing.htm&quot;&gt;NC Wildlife Resources Commission&lt;/a&gt; office for advice on stocking&#xA;  ponds. (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/midges.htm&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The effectiveness of this approach is going to depend entirely on the habitat in which the fish are introduced and if it is large enough to sustain them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other options to deal with the existing adult population might include bats or dragon flies (I have no sourced reference of the effectiveness of either of those for this use).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bait lights will work to the degree you scale it to. By that I mean, if the neighborhood continues using flood lights/yard illumination, you will likely be proportionally splitting off some of the horde from where they normally group up. If you can gain the cooperation of the neighborhood in shutting off most of their lights for a few nights while you bait them, you should get more of a turnout.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lighting Issues.&lt;/strong&gt; If you live in a near a pond or in a lakeside&#xA;  community, you might try getting advice from your local government or&#xA;  from a lighting consultant concerning the type of public lighting in&#xA;  your neighborhood. It may be possible to reduce lighting or switch&#xA;  from the typical metal halide streetlight to one that is less&#xA;  attractive to midges, such as the use of high-pressure sodium lamps.&#xA;  There might be a situation where you would use brighter lights in an&#xA;  non-occupied area to attract them away from houses or where people are&#xA;  active outdoors. On the personal front, reduce or eliminate exterior&#xA;  lighting at night around your house. Close window shades. Use subdued&#xA;  walkway/landscape type lighting if you wish. Don’t burn lampposts or&#xA;  floodlights except when needed. (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/midges.htm&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After having successfully baited the mass of them away from the neighborhood, you will still need some way to deal with the overgrown population (capture/kill) or else they will likely return to the neighborhood after the situation normalizes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="7256" LastEditDate="2014-10-03T17:11:47.047" LastActivityDate="2014-10-03T17:11:47.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14262" CreationDate="2014-10-03T17:19:24.743" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You shouldn't trouble yourself too much to add worms - red wigglers, called brandlings in the UK, are primarily a worm you find in compost heaps and mostly not in containers with plants; earthworms will arrive all on their own in containers if conditions are right. If the conditions aren't right, adding them means they'll be on the next bus out anyway, or gone within a day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to try, the smallest container where they might be able to function is about a gallon; benefits for plants might include better aeration for the plants, less soil compaction, maintenance of acidic conditions, and a slightly higher nutrient availability. If you make your own potting medium, there's usually 'seed' worms within that anyway, so they'll automatically be in the pots for as long as conditions are appropriate. By 'appropriate conditions' I mean damp enough and not freezing cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-10-03T17:24:46.337" LastActivityDate="2014-10-03T17:24:46.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14269" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14270" CreationDate="2014-10-03T17:19:53.553" Score="7" ViewCount="859" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sharing knowledge here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since I live in the San Francisco Fog Belt, I suffer from a variety of soil-borne funguses, including mint rust.  In fact, mint rust is so severe that in the past I've had to rip out my mint every year and replant it from scratch in sterile soil and containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried copper-based fungicides, but (a) they don't work very well and (b) they're toxic so not good for a culinary herb like mint.  What can I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1431" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-03T19:47:59.940" LastActivityDate="2014-10-08T02:12:53.453" Title="How can I control mint rust?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14270" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14269" CreationDate="2014-10-03T17:19:53.553" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought some Neem Oil to control spider mites, a task for which it has been largely ineffective.  However, on trying it on the mint, the mint rust went away almost immediately ... within 4 days the mint pot was sending out new shoots and leaves and looking healthier than it had all year.  Plus Neem Oil is non-toxic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I apply Neem Oil using a hand-sprayer, mixed 1 tsp / 1 L of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED based on comment below: Neem Oil is not non-toxic, but Generally Recognized as Safe.  As a result, mint treated with Neem Oil should be washed before consumption, especially if being fed to young children.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1431" LastEditorUserId="1431" LastEditDate="2014-10-08T02:12:53.453" LastActivityDate="2014-10-08T02:12:53.453" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14261" CreationDate="2014-10-03T17:40:23.310" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it is possible. The kind I use in the house (for cooked food, which worms eat better than raw) is called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naturesfootprint.com/worm-factory&quot;&gt;'The Worm Factory&lt;sup&gt;®&lt;/sup&gt;'&lt;/a&gt;. It is a good prototype. The worms start in the bottom tray, and you add food on top until the tray is nearly full of worms, compost, and bedding, then you add the next tray with bedding and some food. By the time the top tray is used, the bottom tray (which will have few worms by that time) will be fully composted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no smell whatsoever, except for a faint smell of earth, and sometimes the current food sources (especially apple cores, I've noticed - they can smell like cider for a bit).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On a larger scale, tumblers are not best; they are for mixing/aerating the ingredients of regular (non-vermicultural) compost so that they decompose properly. This is most useful while the compost is hot. Once it cools, it is piled so that it can cure and finish the decomposition process. This is entirely wrong for worms, which require a bedding material (where they spend their time when not eating) and an area where the food goes (they do best when this remains the same, so they don't have to search). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So for that much volume, people generally use a bin, with drainage of course, with openings at the bottom to remove the compost from. The food is placed on the top, under a layer of bedding material, and the worms build the compost up slowly until some is removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any method, the biggest thing I see people running into is overfeeding. Worms only eat a certain amount per day. You should give them as much each day as they will eat, or add more, and wait until i is nearly gone before adding more. Even if there is enough bedding material for a good ratio for regular compost, don't go adding lots of food. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-03T17:40:23.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14272" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14262" CreationDate="2014-10-03T17:56:18.627" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If there isn't a mineral part in the mix (perlite is fine) like vermiculite, sand, etc, the worms will die. I've kept worms in pots of plants. The biggest issue was feeding (wrigglers are particularly voracious). The worms were hungry if I didn't add food, and if I did (and had to cover it to keep bugs out) the mix mould build up far faster than I wanted to keep up with. The worms will not survive without food. This can be done, but the larger the container, the better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You wouldn't want to layer the food on the bottom, because decomposing food can harm the plants' roots (they can't go anywhere else, when confined in a pot). I haven't tried using regular earthworms from the soil outside, and they do have a much lower metabolism, and I haven't found any reliable reports, but I suspect that these worms will not thrive in such abnormal conditions, the biggest one of which will be the shallowness. So they may be okay in a large planter, but I think it would e a lot less trouble to leave regular earthworms in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-03T17:56:18.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14273" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14264" CreationDate="2014-10-03T18:10:12.143" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I find that sowing radishes down the onion row when the plants are first planted work well. The two crops produce quite as much as they would on their own, and the radishes come out long before the onions need the space. I tried planting them with corn, but corn soil has too much nitrogen, and the radishes grew huge tops with almost no roundness in the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also found that peas have big beneficial effects for spinach, because the roots of peas are very extensive compared to most vegetable roots, and when the peas are out, the roots decompose and I've noticed spinach especially thriving when planted in the area. Peas are also a legume.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-03T18:10:12.143" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14274" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14275" CreationDate="2014-10-03T18:10:32.060" Score="14" ViewCount="13139" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems reasonable that there ought to be at least a few symbiotic plant varieties that benefit from improving soil condition for other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If not that, are there plants that essentially improve soil conditions if not by improving land fertility?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Improve may be relative as certain plants do have different requirements so I am imagining a sort of 'balancing' plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe the answer is something like 'most non-fruiting plants' but I'd think most of those still are about getting what they need and not improving it for others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the sake of argument, say you have a near-barren lawn that only has little bits of scattered grasses. Aside from manually adding the fertile soil, can plant-life improve it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-03T21:54:21.973" LastActivityDate="2020-01-28T07:58:09.593" Title="Do any plants add nutrients back into the soil as they grow?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="9" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14275" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14274" CreationDate="2014-10-03T18:36:40.483" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legume&quot;&gt;Legumes&lt;/a&gt; are often used for this purpose. From Wikipedia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Legumes are notable in that most of them have symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in structures called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_nodule&quot;&gt;root nodules&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Within legume nodules, nitrogen gas from the atmosphere is converted into &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonia&quot;&gt;ammonia&lt;/a&gt;, which is then assimilated into &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amino_acid&quot;&gt;amino acids&lt;/a&gt; (the building blocks of proteins), &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucleotide&quot;&gt;nucleotides&lt;/a&gt; (the building blocks of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA&quot;&gt;DNA&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RNA&quot;&gt;RNA&lt;/a&gt; as well as the important energy molecule &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenosine_triphosphate&quot;&gt;ATP&lt;/a&gt;), and other cellular constituents such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin&quot;&gt;vitamins&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavones&quot;&gt;flavones&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_hormone&quot;&gt;hormones&lt;/a&gt;. Their ability to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_fixation&quot;&gt;fix&lt;/a&gt; gaseous nitrogen makes legumes an ideal agricultural organism as their requirement for nitrogen fertilizer is reduced. Indeed high nitrogen content blocks nodule development as there is no benefit for the plant of forming the symbiosis. The energy for splitting the nitrogen gas in the nodule comes from sugar that is translocated from the leaf (a product of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis&quot;&gt;photosynthesis&lt;/a&gt;). &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malic_acid&quot;&gt;Malate&lt;/a&gt; as a breakdown product of sucrose is the direct carbon source for the bacteroid. Nitrogen fixation in the nodule is very oxygen sensitive. Legume nodules harbor an iron containing protein called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leghemoglobin&quot;&gt;leghaemoglobin&lt;/a&gt;, closely related to animal &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myoglobin&quot;&gt;myoglobin&lt;/a&gt;, to facilitate the conversion of nitrogen gas to ammonia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But in a lawn, there isn't really a way to improve conditions (naturally) without amending the soil. Adding decomposed organic matter in bulk is the way to go. It takes years, but you can also go from barren land to lawn with the use of intensive green manuring, where nitrogen fixers and mass growers are grown and plowed under for the specific purpose of improving the soil. In good soil, rye (in winter) and buckwheat (in summer) will add biomass fast. Good nitrogen fixers will include vetch (in winter) and red clover or alfalfa (in summer). There are many, many more, but these are the reliable ones I've tried that come to mind right away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So green manuring with balances of leguminous/non-leguminous plants is the most effective means of plants building soil. In nature, what you see as topsoil is darker than the subsoil because of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humus&quot;&gt;humus&lt;/a&gt;, which is amorphous decomposed organic matter. You will not get much more than a very small fraction of an inch of new humus per year in nature. Topsoil took a very, very long time to form.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-03T18:36:40.483" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14276" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14304" CreationDate="2014-10-03T19:59:41.210" Score="7" ViewCount="2121" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with using praying mantises for pest control, and what kinds of pests could be managed with them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-10-03T20:41:08.187" LastActivityDate="2014-10-07T18:13:34.880" Title="How effective are praying mantis in keeping a garden clear of pests?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14277" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14274" CreationDate="2014-10-04T10:56:24.157" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is evidence that nitrogen fixing plants such as clover and some beans do improve &lt;strong&gt;nitrogen&lt;/strong&gt; levels if the roots are left in place, but generally speaking, plants don't improve the soil while they're growing - they improve the soil when they're dying, hence a green crop, ploughed in, works in that way. Biomass or humus rich materials added to soil keep the general fertility up rather than just improving nitrogen levels alone, improve bio diversity within the soil, and increase mycorrhizal activity, but this is in the process of breaking down, not while they're actually growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-10-04T11:02:44.427" LastActivityDate="2014-10-04T11:02:44.427" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14278" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14279" CreationDate="2014-10-04T11:26:28.263" Score="1" ViewCount="1471" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to know the name of these two plants and how to care for them?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u8e2I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cPzwU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7235" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-10-05T15:31:52.200" LastActivityDate="2014-10-05T22:23:45.440" Title="What are the names of these two succulent plants?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2015-02-08T15:53:24.043" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14278" CreationDate="2014-10-04T15:09:54.143" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The second plant has many common names of which one is &quot;Mother of Thousands&quot;, or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryophyllum_daigremontianum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bryophyllum daigremontianum&lt;/a&gt;. It is a succulent native to Madagascar. Some things to note:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;all parts of the plant are poisonous&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it is not tolerant of frost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it is extremely drought tolerant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;little &quot;baby&quot; plants form at the margins of the leaves and can drop off and form new plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tolerant a wide range of light, it does best in high light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a free draining soil is preferred but, again, tolerant of wide soil range&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-10-04T15:09:54.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14280" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14281" CreationDate="2014-10-04T15:41:18.857" Score="4" ViewCount="4629" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a new tree this summer. Lately I've been seeing this little sprouts coming out of the very base of the tree. Should I chop them off or leave them? What will happen to them over time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9VPQ7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the guys who installed the tree used this stick with ties on it. When should I remove the supporting stick?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/alRgK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3370" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-04T18:54:50.047" LastActivityDate="2014-10-05T02:20:45.987" Title="Should I remove the suckers from the base of my new tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14281" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14280" CreationDate="2014-10-04T15:57:57.707" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do not cut the suckers or you will just get more  of them. Instead hold it at the base and pull down and get the whole thing. If the suckers are coming from under the ground dig around it and then pull the sucker out. Buy cutting them you leave a node for others to grow. The suckers weaken the tree. It's possible to root the suckers and start a new tree. As for the stake you should not leave it there more than 6 months. Like children, if you do the work for them they don't learn to do it for themselves. Staked trees will not put down deep roots. Shake a young tree gently from time to time. The simulation of wind will tell the tree it needs to put down deeper roots. If you have a deep root watering stick use it to water below the root ball. The roots will have to go down to reach the water. If you don't have one make sure you water deeply and then let the top dry out before you water again. The roots will go where the water is. The first few years will make the difference between a well rooted healthy tree and an unhealthy one. After 3 years it's to late to train it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7259" LastActivityDate="2014-10-04T15:57:57.707" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14283" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14292" CreationDate="2014-10-04T16:08:30.160" Score="4" ViewCount="293" Body="&lt;p&gt;I seeded some &quot;atlantic giant&quot; pumpkins in april, in a big lawn at full sun for all day long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They started to grow and to flower, and after some time they started to produce some pumpkins. They grew until they became as big as a football. Then the plants started to produce some more fruits. While the first fruits were continuing to grow, the second set become as big as football. Then their skin became wrinkled and they just &quot;collapsed&quot; due to rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been removing fruits as soon as they start to rot, and the plants remain alive. Their first fruits became bigger and continued to produce some more pumpkins after some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could have been the cause of those fruits rotting?&#xA;Is it possible to avoid it next time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Notes: I've been supplying water every morning and every evening to the plants (about 2 liters per plant each time) until the first rotten fruits appeared, then I stopped. I didn't noticed any particular desease on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7262" LastEditorUserId="7256" LastEditDate="2014-10-04T20:28:46.663" LastActivityDate="2014-10-05T11:22:02.767" Title="Pumpkins survive and continue to produce but fruit went rotten after some development" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;&lt;rot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14278" CreationDate="2014-10-04T16:10:26.280" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first one is called an ice plant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7259" LastActivityDate="2014-10-04T16:10:26.280" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14221" CreationDate="2014-10-04T16:13:55.113" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In Ca. they call it a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justicia_brandegeeana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;shrimp plant, &lt;em&gt;Justicia brandegeeana&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7259" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-04T17:22:55.513" LastActivityDate="2014-10-04T17:22:55.513" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14286" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14031" CreationDate="2014-10-04T16:48:14.387" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like sooty mold on the trunk. The tree should be taken out and replaced as to not infect the other trees. I am assuming they are less than a year old since they are still staked. Many nurseries have a 1 yr. guarantee so I would take it back for a replacement. If they are more than a year old those stakes should be removed.&#xA;  There is salt in the water as you can see by the wall but salt damage looks different that what I see. I've seen salt damage on a lot of plants but not on Photinia. They seem to take salt well but to be on the safe side flush now and then with a deep water&#xA;ing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7259" LastActivityDate="2014-10-04T16:48:14.387" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14280" CreationDate="2014-10-04T17:19:56.413" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whether the tree is grafted or not, I'd remove the suckers. On a grafted tree, they will drain the energy from the scion and form a multi trunked rootstock tree. If not grafted, the suckers will form new trunks, and the tree will lose it's 'natural' single-stemmed appearance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the suckers are emerging from the trunk above the soil line, cut them off as close as possible. If they are emerging from the ground, dig under and try to find the bases. Cut them off as low as you can without damaging the root system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the stake on your tree, I'd remove that. It looks like the ties are getting tight, and that stick isn't really capable of helping the tree anyway. Refer to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9431/how-should-i-stabilize-a-tree-with-a-malformed-root-ball/9432#9432&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; for info on how to stake your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-10-04T17:19:56.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14288" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-04T23:03:14.627" Score="6" ViewCount="253" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have two compost bins, roughly 1m x 1m x 1m each. We fill the &quot;primary&quot; bin and then turn it into the &quot;secondary&quot; bin. We stopped catching our lawn clippings about a year ago so we're having to turn the bins less frequently with the reduced volume.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last week, I topped off the primary bin with a load of weeds and then, yesterday, I turned it into the secondary bin. By the time I got to the bottom, I discovered the compost was ready to use but I wasn't surprised because of the longer timeframe. However, it meant I was dumping about half a cubic metre of ready compost on top of totally fresh material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if having such a heap on top is going to inhibit the composting of the fresh material? We had bountiful tiger worms in the upper portion of the primary bin but these are now buried. We also had loads of other insects, including slaters, operating in that upper later which is now buried.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I remove some of that top layer? Or is it fine to leave it for now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7057" LastActivityDate="2014-10-05T02:16:54.400" Title="Compost bins: how deep is too deep?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14288" CreationDate="2014-10-05T01:00:03.200" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A little finished compost is a beneficial addition to the compost pile, as it aids in the decomposition (introduces large amounts of microbes that make things speed up considerably). When using worms, more is helpful. Worms prefer the finished compost (where they hang out) at the bottom, and the new material (the food) at the top. In any case, I don't see why you'd need more than a 1/3 ratio of finished/unfinished compost. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd remove and use a good bit of the finished stuff, but there won't really be any bad effects if you leave it in (I would remove it because I like using compost and I'd be impatient :P). So either way, you get compost. The worms only need enough to retreat into when not eating, so it's up to you; you can remove it now or later. If you don't need it now, removing it won't speed up the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-05T01:00:03.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14288" CreationDate="2014-10-05T02:16:54.400" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only real limit to &quot;too deep&quot; is how difficult it's going to be to work with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Municipal composters make rather large heaps or windrows, but they've got heavy machinery at their disposal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had a compost pile of horse+chicken manure+bedding as well as kitchen scraps that has been as big as 2-3m wide x 1-2m tall x 1-2m deep, but I turned it with the loader on my tractor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your pile gets to be much larger than 1m cubed, it will be harder for oxygen to penetrate to the center, and thus it will become more important to turn it. Turning a pile much bigger than 1m cubed with a pitchfork is a lot of work. You can choose not to aerate it, in which case you'll just have to wait a long time for the compost to be finished, and the end product will be of uneven quality.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your case, leaving the extra finished compost on top isn't going to hurt anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastActivityDate="2014-10-05T02:16:54.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14291" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14280" CreationDate="2014-10-05T02:20:45.987" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer really depends upon the type of tree. Some trees sucker on the bottom, and it's not a problem. Some are grafted, and if they sucker on the bottom, it's likely the root stock suckering (this should be trimmed off).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also depends on your location. In really hot areas, suckering can be the plant's way to shade itself from the heat. Eliminating the shade could cause the stem to burn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the stake, to properly plant a sapling, if the plant is too flimsy to support itself, you should have three stakes forming a triangle. This allows the plant to move within a narrow area. Movement is required for the plant to build up good strength. If you leave it staked like that, there is no flexing, and the plant is weaker than if it is allowed to bend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just make sure the amount of motion allowed does not cause the roots to move around, or they won't get established. Speaking of the roots, you should always spread out the roots and inspect for girdling roots when planting a tree from a pot. Circling roots is very common in potted trees, and if not corrected, your tree is very likely to have stunted growth or even die from strangling itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7264" LastActivityDate="2014-10-05T02:20:45.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14292" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14283" CreationDate="2014-10-05T11:10:01.113" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you left the fruits in contact with the soil as they matured, it's possible that rot has set in because of contact with damp soil. It's best to insert something under the pumpkin to provide a barrier between it and the ground as they ripen, usually a piece of card or cardboard which you replace frequently, and when you water, water the central part of the plant, where the main stem is, rather than broadcasting all over or around it, to try to avoid the soil being too wet beneath the ripening pumpkins. This does not mean that the plant itself has a fungal infection, merely that the fruits have started rotting, in the same way that strawberries do if they're not sitting on straw or something to keep them off the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-10-05T11:22:02.767" LastActivityDate="2014-10-05T11:22:02.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14293" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14296" CreationDate="2014-10-05T19:47:44.503" Score="4" ViewCount="431" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently acquired a nice-sized &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudbeckia_hirta&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Black eyed Susan (&lt;em&gt;Rudbeckia hirta&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; plant. But unfortunately I've only got one, when I would like to have several. How would I go about multiplying this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3TBv0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Black-eyed Susan&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-06T01:13:56.113" LastActivityDate="2014-10-06T01:13:56.113" Title="How do I breed Black eyed Susans?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14294" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-05T20:55:55.473" Score="6" ViewCount="3718" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Sunset zone 17. I purchased a pair of blueberries in February. I transplanted them into five gallon pots, and used a mix of potting soil and coconut coir that drains pretty well. I also amended with sulfur to make the soil more acidic, and have given them an E.B. Stone fruit tree/bush fertilizer once every couple of months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One, a sunshine blue, has been doing great the whole time. It is still producing nice healthy growth. The other is an earliblue, and it has been getting steadily sicker. Initially, the leaves curled down, but were mostly still a nice green. They started browning (and becoming brittle) from the center of the leaves. Some of the newer growth is also looking chlorotic. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought the bush might be getting root bound, so I transplanted both blueberries into a single large oak barrel with roughly the same soil mix. The sunshine blue is still looking happy, but the earliblue symptoms continue to get worse. The picture shows some of the worst leaves on the bush (I've been removed leaves as I notice them). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think my watering is not the problem. I have not let the soil dry out completely, but it is never soggy either. I would appreciate any help figuring out what is going on. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PB4gs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;damaged blueberry leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3288" LastActivityDate="2020-07-02T03:32:38.597" Title="Blueberry leaves that curl and then brown" Tags="&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14295" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14278" CreationDate="2014-10-05T22:23:45.440" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant 1 is indeed &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpobrotus_edulis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Carpobrotus edulis&lt;/a&gt; (ice plant). It grows on sand dunes near the ocean in temperate climates. It is considered an invasive species which grows rapidly covering large areas and reducing bio-diversity. Removing it once it is in place is also considered risky as it causes instability on the sandy soils during the rain season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7266" LastActivityDate="2014-10-05T22:23:45.440" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14293" CreationDate="2014-10-06T01:12:24.050" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The easiest way is to use division. Every year, the plant crown diameter will increase. After a few years, you can dig the crown out, split it into several evenly sized pieces (all over 8&quot; in diameter, for lowest maintenance - you can do smaller, but they dry out more easily). This is best done in fall, after the tops are cut back, or in spring, right after the frost is out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also save seed. It is a very similar process to saving sunflower seeds, but on a much smaller scale. When the flower stems are dry, take the flowerheads and rub them, over a tray to catch the seeds. You can clean out some of the debris, and put them in a paper bag. Store them in a dry, cool place with consistent temperatures until planting. The seeds look like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LQbq0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They can be sprinkled over a well prepped, very fine natural soil bed and raked in very lightly, barely enough to cover them. They should begin to emerge in a couple weeks, and you will need to keep them weeded until they are moved to their permanent locations. They won't always bloom in their first year. Using seed is longer, but gives you rather a lot more plants than division.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-06T01:12:24.050" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14294" CreationDate="2014-10-06T10:14:13.317" Score="4" Body="&lt;h3&gt;Two suggestions:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As it seems you are aware blueberries like acid soil, it may be a good idea to check the soil ph and make sure it's correct, the incorrect ph may be causing a nutrient deficiency.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It could also be a fungus (which may result indirectly from the incorrect ph).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the best place to start is by testing the soils ph.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;These may be useful to read:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/soil_test_before_you_plant_blueberries&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/soil_test_before_you_plant_blueberries&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/Soil/ChangingpHinSoil.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/Soil/ChangingpHinSoil.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your Blueberries are potted, the easiest way would be to buy acid potting soil from the nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1658" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-10-06T10:14:13.317" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14264" CreationDate="2014-10-06T10:25:21.380" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Two useful links to better understand companion planting:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.permaculturenews.org/resources_files/Poster_GDN_Com_Plant.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;companion planting chart&lt;/a&gt; that you might like to save.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A useful &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;list of companion plants&lt;/a&gt; from wikipedia.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you avoid planting antagonistic plants together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1658" LastActivityDate="2014-10-06T10:25:21.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14299" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14303" CreationDate="2014-10-06T13:13:08.383" Score="3" ViewCount="5831" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a plant of habanero chocolate.&#xA;In August it had very beautiful leaves, with an intense green color:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1gcZB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Green leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was in a tiny pot, so I decided to transplant it in a bigger vase, filled with a mix of about 50% topsoil and 50% sand.&#xA;Now, at the beginning of October, after having produced about 20 fruits, its leaves start to become of sad yellow color and most of them dropped. The whole plant looks suffering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OQavX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yellow leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could I do to make it acquire a healthy green color again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7262" LastActivityDate="2014-10-07T02:23:22.363" Title="Chili leaves yellowing" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14300" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14302" CreationDate="2014-10-06T14:11:25.107" Score="6" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pussy willow that has rooted. It was part of a floral arrangement that I used to stage my condo while I was selling it. Now I have moved to a house with a garden so I would love to plant the rooted pussy willow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it too late to plant it outside (right now it is Oct 6th and I live in Toronto)? Will it have time to get accustomed to the ground before it freezes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is too late, can I overwinter it until springtime planting it on a pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7271" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-19T19:53:14.147" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T19:53:14.147" Title="Is early October too late to plant a Pussy Willow in southern Ontario?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;&lt;fall-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14301" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14031" CreationDate="2014-10-06T15:00:34.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm curious about something - you say you planted these shrubs in May, 2013, which would make it only 16 months in your garden, but the size they are suggests they're much older than that, so you maybe bought them as mature shrubs, is that correct? If you did, mature plantings often don't do so well, not having the same lively urge to grow as younger plants, so any hint of dryness at any time, or anything that's not perfect for them, and that could have been enough to make them suffer and possibly die altogether.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other possibility that comes to mind is fireblight - this particular one does have a somewhat 'burned' appearance, and that's not uncommon with fireblight infection. While the disease is actively spreading, you can peel back the bark on a recently affected area and you should see a foxy brown staining insde the branch. The fact that its spreading to another of the plants might indicate fireblight - or it might simply indicate the 'prima donna' nature of transplanted mature shrubs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the pruning sealer, although I couldn't access a full leaflet for it, nor establish quite what the ingredients actually are, it does say quite clearly on the back that it's for use as a pruning sealant, so I doubt its caused a problem - I was merely concerned you might have chosen to use something less suitable (I've known people use creosote and then wonder why the plant's died).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-10-06T15:00:34.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14302" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14300" CreationDate="2014-10-06T15:08:38.703" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just checked the weather forecast for your area for the next few days, which does not show any really cold temperatures - if you have not yet had freezing temperatures, and day time temperatures have been around 12-15 deg C, the soil should still be holding some warmth, so now is absolutely the time to plant your willow. Water well after planting, and during any prolonged dry spells during October. Get it in as soon as possible though, not sure when you expect really cold weather where you are - in the UK, our temps are currently remarkably similar to yours, and I'd expect it to start being really cold in November, not October.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This answer assumes that your 'pussy willow' is actually hardy in your area - I don't know which willow you actually mean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE; You've said its Salix discolor, fully hardy where you are, plant somewhere that doesn't dry out too much and bear in mind its eventual size - 20 feet tall by 12-16 feet wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-10-06T17:23:05.617" LastActivityDate="2014-10-06T17:23:05.617" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14303" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14299" CreationDate="2014-10-06T15:29:36.780" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be due to over watering. Make sure the soil drains well and is not water logged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume you are in the northern hemisphere (it would be useful to state the climate in your location when posting a question, if you're in the US this might help &lt;a href=&quot;http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm from a Mediterranean climate in the southern hemisphere and my chillies tend to go dormant in winter, loose some of their leaves and go slightly yellow. So it could be seasonal change.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1658" LastActivityDate="2014-10-06T15:29:36.780" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14276" CreationDate="2014-10-06T19:00:48.857" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mantids are not spectacular for pest control because they're very indiscriminate in choosing their prey. They readily attack other beneficial insects as well as harmful or pest insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I always get a few each year, usually around something that is blooming. In my area, they like to sit and wait for pollinators.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They like to attack larger prey and tend to stay away from the tiny insects like whiteflies or aphids. If you're looking for a good pest control solution for smaller insects like those, green lacewing larvae are an excellent choice (not ladybugs!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a cucumber beetle, Japanese beetle, squash vine borer, or squash bug problem, mantids may be beneficial for you, especially as these pests are often resistant to pesticides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3174" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-10-06T19:43:35.330" LastActivityDate="2014-10-06T19:43:35.330" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14308" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14299" CreationDate="2014-10-07T02:23:22.363" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14299/chili-leaves-yellowing/14303#14303&quot;&gt;stemie said&lt;/a&gt;, this is likely partly caused by overwatering. What struck me most in your question was the statement, &quot;filled with a mix of about 50% topsoil and 50% sand&quot;. This is completely unsuitable for potted peppers. No wonder it is showing chlorosis. Always use designated potting soil, or follow the basic guidelines for building your own.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And when you are expecting a plant to produce, you should fertilize it. The easy way is to use a commercial water soluble balanced fertilizer, and give it with the water once every two weeks. Don't use any higher a rate than is specified by the product label, or you may harm/kill the plant. Or, you can try to be natural, and use compost tea, a side dressing of compost, or other natural fertilizers (see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14073/when-should-i-first-use-fertilizer-on-new-plants/14082#14082&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; for more info). Either way, you'll be helping the plant make food to support the production required of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the watering, you have to watch the moisture level in a large pot carefully, as overwatering is very easy. Never water unless the top &amp;frac12;&quot; of potting mix is dry. Then water thoroughly (until water runs from the drainage holes). Too wet of a condition, even if it doesn't give rot pathogens a foothold, will cause the plant to have serious issues taking up nutrient, and there will be a huge lack of oxygen in the root system. That alone can kill a plant in time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would suggest repotting into a suitable mix, which can be pre-fertilized, or you can fertilize yourself. Try to clean the sand/soil from the roots as well as possible, while leaving them intact. It the mix in the previous pot was suitable, leave as much as possible in the root ball. Make sure they are well spread in the new mix, and water the first time until damp, not soaking wet. Expect a little leaf drop from the transplant shock. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-10-07T02:23:22.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14310" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14316" CreationDate="2014-10-07T07:57:53.183" Score="4" ViewCount="540" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have plenty of out-of-date milk powder for automatic coffee machines (powdered skimmed milk obtained through hot air drying followed by agglomeration process; sole ingredient: powdered skimmed milk).&#xA;After having read the thread: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/8987/7262&quot;&gt;What ingredients in milk make it a good fertilizer?&lt;/a&gt; , I wonder if it could be used as fertilizer as well as normal milk, for flowers or eatable fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7262" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-10-08T08:42:55.473" Title="Milk powder (for automatic coffee machines) as fertilizer?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14294" CreationDate="2014-10-07T14:10:19.607" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple things to check for, aside from the pH levels, would be the Nitrogen and the Nitrates. The Nitrogen content should be fairly high, and the Nitrate content low. It's possible that high nitrates could be causing the burn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing to watch out for, is when you water, don't water the leaves of the plant, as it increases the likeliness of fungus growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastActivityDate="2014-10-07T14:10:19.607" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14276" CreationDate="2014-10-07T15:06:22.947" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are best utilized when purchased young as they will grow up eating small things and will eat larger things eventually as the grow. It is important to space them out when they are young as they tend to resort to cannibalism if left hungry for too long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some kinds of mantis will actually roam around hunting prey rather than waiting to ambush it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pest control uses&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Organic gardeners who avoid pesticides may encourage mantises as a&#xA;form of biological pest control. During fall in temperate regions,&#xA;mantis females typically deposit an ootheca on the underside of a leaf&#xA;or on a twig, and in some species these are harvested commercially. If&#xA;the egg case survives winter, the offspring, called nymphs, emerge in&#xA;late spring or early summer. The nymphs have voracious appetites and&#xA;typically cannibalize each other if they cannot find an adequate&#xA;supply of aphids and other small insects. Tens of thousands of mantis&#xA;egg cases are sold each year in some garden stores for this purpose.&#xA;However, mantises prey on neutral and beneficial insects as well,&#xA;basically eating anything they can successfully capture and devour. (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Diet changes over lifetime&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Insects form their primary prey, but the diet of a mantis changes as&#xA;it grows larger. In its first instar a mantis eats small insects such&#xA;as tiny flies or its own siblings. In later instars it does not or&#xA;cannot profitably pursue such small prey. In the final instar as a&#xA;rule the diet still includes more insects than anything else, but&#xA;large species of mantis have been known to prey on small scorpions,&#xA;lizards, frogs, birds, snakes, fish, and even rodents; they feed on&#xA;any species small enough for them to capture, but large enough to&#xA;engage their attention. For example, a large mantis feeding on a bee&#xA;or bug might be pestered with impunity by jackal flies and biting&#xA;midges that it would readily have eaten in its first instar. Large&#xA;prey tends to increase in value with the cube of its size: a blowfly&#xA;four times as long as a jackal fly represents a meal about 64 times as&#xA;massive. (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-10-07T18:13:34.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14313" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14315" CreationDate="2014-10-08T00:29:06.133" Score="4" ViewCount="5497" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently made my annual visit to my grandparents' graves. While there, I couldn't help but notice that the plant that my great-aunt had planted by my great-grandparents' grave was overgrown to the point of having moved the (insanely heavy) grave marker. I think it's time for this bush to go, and my dad agrees with me.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;My dad removed a lot of the small branches with a hedge clipper, removed all the small branches at the top; however, we could not hack through the heavy, thick &quot;trunk&quot; of the bush. (see picture)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, we have to find some way to get rid of this overgrown trunk. The logical thing to do (I assume) would be to dig under the thing, and take it out from the roots. However, Jewish law proscribes digging into the ground under a grave (besides for the fact that I don't really want to.....).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What can I do to get rid of this plant, without digging?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DU2z1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;this is the plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7282" LastActivityDate="2014-10-08T01:46:24.513" Title="How can I get rid of a bush, without digging into the ground?" Tags="&lt;tree-removal&gt;&lt;stump-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14314" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14274" CreationDate="2014-10-08T01:32:05.500" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many potential problems that could exist in poor soil and there are endless types of plants that can help repair poor soil.  In your example of &quot;near-barren lawn&quot;, one potentially serious problem you are likely to have is soil compaction. If that is the case, then all solutions you attempt may fail until you directly address that issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have some time, here is an excellent video that goes over 6 no-till options for building healthy soil (wood chips, straw bales, soil/compost bombing, sheet mulching, Ruth Stout method, living mulch, and hugelkultur):&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV6sbGWE0E4&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV6sbGWE0E4&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;In each other these methods the soil can improve year over year without needing to import fertilizer to do it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if your interest is more around lawns. Here is an excellent approach called &quot;Organic Lawn Care For the Cheap and Lazy&quot;: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.richsoil.com/lawn-care.jsp&quot;&gt;http://www.richsoil.com/lawn-care.jsp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1096" LastActivityDate="2014-10-08T01:32:05.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14315" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14313" CreationDate="2014-10-08T01:46:24.513" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can't dig it out, your best luck will be had using a pruning saw and taking it off at ground level. To keep it from coming back, drill small holes straight into the stems, going in at least an inch, but not going through the wood into soil. You can then use a 50% glyphosate mixture and fill the holes, being careful not to spill much on the surrounding soil/plants. This will kill the plant. Then you can cover the stump in a layer of decomposed plant matter (like compost) to speed decomposition. An addition of nitrogen-rich material, such as blood or hoof and horn meal, or even commercial lawn fertilizer, will speed the process up even further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-08T01:46:24.513" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14310" CreationDate="2014-10-08T08:42:55.473" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Someone's already queried whether it's a dairy product or non dairy, and that's an important point. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as using milk as a fertiliser, all it's going to provide is a small percentage of nitrogen. As fertilisers go, it's not that useful frankly, but if it is dairy based and you just want to get rid of it but want to avoid simply binning it, you could mix it with water and apply around plants, but preferably not potted plants. If it's got cream in it, you might find it gets a bit smelly as it goes rancid in the ground, depending on your temperatures there. Best not used now if you are in the northern hemisphere - plants are closing down in preparation for winter, so shouldn't be given nitrogen at this stage, although a small amount probably won't make much difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-10-08T08:42:55.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14318" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14319" CreationDate="2014-10-08T12:10:12.077" Score="7" ViewCount="1387" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have about 12-14 healthy tomato plants that I have uprooted and chopped up to till back in for their nutrients, but I'm wondering if I can do anything with the 20+ green (unripe) tomatoes that happen to fall off as the cages were removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7285" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-10-08T13:42:53.640" LastActivityDate="2014-10-09T15:03:51.577" Title="What can I do with unripe tomatoes when prepping a bed for winter?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14319" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14318" CreationDate="2014-10-08T13:03:00.383" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the tomatoes have any red on them, you can set them out on the counter or a windowsill and they may still ripen. If they are all green, your best bet is to use them for fried green tomatoes or green tomato relish. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you've already tilled the tomato plants in to your garden, you could also compost them if you aren't interested in eating them. Some people choose not to compost tomatoes or tomato plants because there are several pathogens that affect the plants which can live for years in the soil. Since you've already composted the plants, it wouldn't hurt to add the fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-10-08T13:03:00.383" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14320" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14318" CreationDate="2014-10-08T15:21:30.643" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I usually bring green / yellow tomatoes indoors, and store them at room temperature, or even better a little below room temperature. They will normally turn into good red tomatoes after a few weeks. If the tomatoes are a little yellow, this should work. If they are very green, they may not turn red.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7289" LastActivityDate="2014-10-08T15:21:30.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14321" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14318" CreationDate="2014-10-08T16:18:51.370" Score="6" Body="&lt;h1&gt;Food, Not Waste&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's food you've got, not waste. Eat them before they get frostbite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Green Tomato Pie&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=green+tomato+pie+recipe&quot;&gt;https://www.google.com/search?q=green+tomato+pie+recipe&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Surprisingly, when cooked as a pie they do not go mushy and cook down like tomato sauce. Instead, they cook like apples, softened but retain their shape. Indeed, the recipes are basically the same as Apple Pie. Tip: Add some sliced apple along with the tomato in your pie, perhaps 50/50.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Fried Green Tomato&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An old-fashioned Southern dish in the United States. As seen in the famous novel by &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fannie_Flagg&quot;&gt;Fannie Flagg&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fried_Green_Tomatoes_at_the_Whistle_Stop_Cafe&quot;&gt;Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Café&lt;/a&gt;, and the movie, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fried_Green_Tomatoes&quot;&gt;Fried Green Tomatoes&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7290" LastActivityDate="2014-10-08T16:18:51.370" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14324" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14318" CreationDate="2014-10-08T17:31:04.563" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Green tomatoes will generally (not always) ripen after you pick them, if you wait (whether or not there is any red on them). Sometimes it'll take a day. Sometimes it'll take much longer. Immature tomatoes may just dry or shrivel up, however. Whatever the case, I would recommend taking all of those tomatoes and putting them in storage (not in the refrigerator) until they turn red. Room temperature is fine (I think it'll ripen faster at room temperature than in a cool storage room, although I could be wrong).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This works well with my early girl and lemon boy tomatoes, as well as whatever else we have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In fact, I hear most store-bought tomatoes were picked green (so as to extend their shelf life or something) and allowed to ripen off the vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may have heard the term, 'vine-ripened tomatoes'. There are also tomatoes that were not ripened on the vine (picked green).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-10-08T17:43:15.123" LastActivityDate="2014-10-08T17:43:15.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14325" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14318" CreationDate="2014-10-08T18:54:19.417" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unripe tomatoes can be turned into delicious &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.simplycanning.com/pickled-green-tomatoes.html&quot;&gt;pickles&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also make &lt;a href=&quot;http://southernfood.about.com/od/greentomatoes/r/bl30322v.htm&quot;&gt;ketchup&lt;/a&gt; out of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried both (not necessarily the linked recipes, just generic home-made green tomato pickles and ketchup), they are excellent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7291" LastActivityDate="2014-10-08T18:54:19.417" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14326" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17359" CreationDate="2014-10-08T20:41:41.763" Score="4" ViewCount="1304" Body="&lt;p&gt;Emerald Spire crabapple is produced by grafting onto Dolgo crabapple stock.  I know that apples are commonly grafted onto crabapple rootstocks to dwarf them. On a Dolgo root stock the tree nominally gets to be 15 feet high x 6 feet wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you do the opposite: graft crabapple scion wood to a full size apple rootstock to get a larger tree? I would like to get a 30 foot high tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-10-26T23:09:33.987" LastActivityDate="2015-02-17T14:24:07.137" Title="Is dolgo crabapple a dwarfing rootstock?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;crabapples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14327" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14274" CreationDate="2014-10-08T20:50:57.553" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, living plants do provide for bacteria and fungi and other soil organisms while they are alive and thriving.  Plants need bacteria, fungi and bacteria, fungi need plants.  They've got a symbiotic relationship as well as a biotrophic and necrotrophic relationship.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few reports I've read give plants credit for a 40% addition of carbon around the roots to attract bacteria/fungi!  While they are alive and thriving. Plants need help to take up the nutrients critical to their survival.  When we till or disturb the topsoil a lot of this carbon is released into the atmosphere as CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;.  Supposedly a huge contributor of CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless, live plants feed their soil organisms.  Nitrogen fixing plants as well as nitrogen fixing bacteria help the crop and soil but gets complicated.  Planting legumes won't necessarily negate the need for additional nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/54380530/2011090185.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This report&lt;/a&gt; about symbiosis of plants and animal/bacteria/fungi is pretty good.  Dry, but to the point (pages 191-192).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using decomposed organic mulch is the best way to improve any soil! In fact, the only way.  Just applying it to the top (controls germination of weed seeds) of the soil is all that is necessary and it makes a huge difference in one season.  No mixing/digging on your part.  In fact, it is better that you 'till' the soil as little as possible.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I double dig my garden beds and planting beds one time only at the very beginning.  Keeping plants thriving in the soil, improves the soil.  Mulch on top keeps improving the soil (decomposed organic mulch), immediately.  During the winter a green cover crop is powerful!  Plant in the fall after cleaning up old vegetable plants.  In the spring just use a spade to turn the (clover, buckwheat, annual rye...etc.) over before the plants can go to seed, dig out drainage trenches around the bed tossing the soil on top of the turned under cover crop and allowing a good month to decompose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A bed of soil that has been raised (due to double digging and no traffic to compact) with live plants, good decomposed organic mulch, extended release organic fertilizer and an avenue (trench) for excess water is all one needs for 'improving' the soil and having a complex, healthy ecosystem! And deep, infrequent watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-09T00:10:00.117" LastActivityDate="2014-10-09T00:10:00.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14328" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-09T04:41:10.950" Score="5" ViewCount="122" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is anyone familiar on the name of this plant?&#xA;I seem to have problems with it wilting during the day, with or without sunlight.&#xA;I water this regularly during the day and started applying complete fertilizer when I noticed watering it regularly does not help it from wilting down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestion on proper caring for this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N5u2x.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7295" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-09T10:39:32.303" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T14:40:48.607" Title="How should I care for this houseplant to prevent wilting?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14329" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14328" CreationDate="2014-10-09T10:02:14.527" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dracaena.com/dracaena-fragrans-massangeana.php&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Dracaena fragrans&lt;/em&gt; 'Massangeana'&lt;/a&gt; - one that hasn't formed a woody trunk yet. The reason it's wilting during the day is the sunlight - these plants do not appreciate direct sun. Dappled sunlight (like that beneath a tree canopy) is okay, but not full on sunlight. If you can, move it somewhere it gets bright daylight, but no direct sun, or very little sun, maybe just an hour at the end of the day. If you have no place out of direct sun, then try to arrange some shading for it. The other possible causes are temperature fluctuation, they prefer a stable temperature always above 17 deg C, and possibly excessive wind exposure. Hopefully there's a drainage hole in the bottom of that pot too...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-10-09T10:49:02.960" LastActivityDate="2014-10-09T10:49:02.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14333" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14334" CreationDate="2014-10-09T10:26:24.183" Score="4" ViewCount="33294" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.exoticangel.com/plant-library/species/dracaena/item/221-lemon-lime&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Dracaena deremensis&lt;/em&gt; 'Lemon Lime'&lt;/a&gt; in my office. Several month ago it began to show leaf scorches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The gardener that sold it suggested it could be a symptom of sun burns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I then moved the plant to a spot where no direct sunlight is coming in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant also shows some yellowish spots (see pictures).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could it be? What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6BwVG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nzxzp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dagce.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="778" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T18:06:21.113" LastActivityDate="2018-08-27T10:29:59.723" Title="What caused the leaf scorch on my Dracaena deremensis 'Lemon Lime' and what should I do about it?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14334" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14333" CreationDate="2014-10-09T10:42:38.177" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, check for red spider mite infestation, which sometimes causes these yellow spots - they are quite difficult to see. Spray with an appropriate pesticide spray if you find them. Second, these plants are said to be sensitive to fluoride in water, so if your tapwater is fluoridated and you've been using that, this might cause those brown tips, though usually the brown tips have a yellow band on the 'live' end so to speak.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other possible cause of the yellow spots is poor drainage - do you leave the plant standing in any outer container which collects water? If so, ensure you empty the container 30 minutes after watering. Water only when the surface of the compost is slightly dry to the touch, but not so dry it's shrunken from the sides of the pot, and water thoroughly. Despite not liking sitting in water, these plants don't like to dry out and do like high humidity in the air - keep away from direct heat sources, and add a pebble tray if you think it's necessary. (Pebble tray - an outer tray larger than the pot, filled with pebbles, that you keep half full of water, so the bottom of the pot is on the pebbles but above the water - the water evaporates and keeps the air round the plant more humid). Keep the plant in an even temperature as far as possible, never below 65 deg F, and, as you've already done, out of direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, check whether its pot bound - I have one of these and mine's developed dry brown patches on the leaves, largely because I haven't repotted it and the pot's way too small, so it can't hang on to enough water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-10-09T11:05:23.880" LastActivityDate="2014-10-09T11:05:23.880" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14335" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14318" CreationDate="2014-10-09T15:03:51.577" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is too late now, but for next year, pull up the plants, roots and all, and hang them upside down in your garage. Most of the tomatoes will ripen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7302" LastActivityDate="2014-10-09T15:03:51.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14336" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-09T17:00:58.807" Score="6" ViewCount="1099" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to try turning human manure (humanure) into compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much time does it take to become compost?&#xA;Or how much time it takes the compost to become humus, ready to be used as a fertilizer? Maybe this is a better phrased question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Spain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And what's the best carbon material to use? Straw (hay)? Sawdust? Autumn leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7284" LastEditorUserId="7284" LastEditDate="2014-10-09T17:08:14.433" LastActivityDate="2020-10-02T05:42:10.357" Title="How fast does human manure turn into compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14333" CreationDate="2014-10-09T17:46:28.300" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is more to it than just over watering. I have seen these symptoms over and over again with dracaena.  The top picture with it's growth rings is symptomatic of a &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/pests/plant-diseases/all-fact-sheets/dracaena-diseases&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fungus or bacterial&lt;/a&gt; disease.  The triggering factor for this is normally a period of &lt;a href=&quot;http://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/dracaena-leaf-spots&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;over watering&lt;/a&gt;.  This stresses the plants and provides the right environment in the soil for the fungus or bacteria to take hold.  As long as wet conditions continue you will see dead or necrotic spots start and grow in semi circular areas or up and down a leaf vein.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other factors which can stress the plant include fluoride levels in the water which gradually build up and cause similar dead areas on the leaf. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Solution:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keep the plant drier, as @Bamboo says do not let sit in water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;give the plant more light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;this suggestion goes against the grain but I find soil less mixes based on peat have a shorter life than top soil mixes.  As the organic matter is used up the mix is unable to buffer the dissolved salts in the tap water most people use.  If you have access to topsoil that is free of weeds and pathogens consider top dressing the plant with it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Edit: a fungicide might help but further reading of the safety data sheet would be in order&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-10-10T11:10:29.210" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T11:10:29.210" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14338" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-09T19:34:37.003" Score="3" ViewCount="3101" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large (80 years old) Redwood Tree in my front yard, approximately 10 feet from the house.  My house is a ranch style house and I can see the roots of the tree go under the house in the front and come out on the other side.  How much do roots grow in thickness, as opposed to length, and do I need to worry about them lifting up the house at some point?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7304" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T02:56:55.103" Title="Can the roots of a Redwood tree lift up the foundation of my house?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14339" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-09T21:33:31.287" Score="7" ViewCount="9897" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a backyard that was mostly a wooded area up until 2 years ago. It now completely consists of a lawn and a decent sized mulch area on a hill with some ground plants that are supposed to eventually spread across the mulched area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is that this hilly area used to be infested with this incredibly fast growing incredibly large broad leaf weed that looks like a type of skunk cabbage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Repeated attempts to pull these from the root have proven pointless as more little ones crop up where there weren't any before and left unheeded become enormous broad leaf plants in a matter of a few months.  They are a real eye sore.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there an easy way to get rid of these permanently so they won't show up anymore?  I tried pulling them when they are small but they are too weak to get the root out at that size.  I have to wait until they are fully grown before I can pull them completely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1285" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-09T16:17:56.750" LastActivityDate="2014-12-09T16:17:56.750" Title="How can I eradicate skunk cabbage from my yard?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14340" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-09T22:07:37.700" Score="10" ViewCount="68192" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several piles of commercial, bagged top soil and potting mix that have been lying in my garage for at least 10 years. I'm doing some renovations and can really use some extra soil for some new garden beds and filling some pots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there such a thing as this soil being past its prime? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a typical garage in Central Florida: hot and humid all summer, typically dark, not too cold in the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if I'm working with suboptimal materials trying to make use of this stuff in my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T01:05:51.953" Title="Does commercial (bagged) soil eventually expire/die?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14340" CreationDate="2014-10-09T23:48:44.153" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If this is topsoil, not a bagged potting mix, it will contain lots of soil microbes. These can sour the soil if it is stored damp. I've used 14 yr. old bagged soil before, and most of it was fine. I did a smell test. Some of the bags were still damp inside (completely sealed), and a couple of them smelled sour. The others, including what dried, smelled normal (compared with healthy topsoil from my garden) when moistened. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think of topsoil as living, compared to potting mix, which I think of more as a substrate. Topsoil will slowly decline without maintenance, especially if damp. Dry topsoil will last a long time, but all insect/earthworm life (which may not be present in bagged topsoil anyway) will die, leaving only dormant microbes. Also see &lt;a href=&quot;http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2011/the-undead-may-influence-biodiversity-greenhouse-gas-emissions/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt;, which has relevant info.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Dormancy is a reversible state of low metabolic activity that organisms enter when they encounter hard times, such as freezing temperatures or starvation. Unlike plants that follow predictable growth cycles, microbes don't have to follow a linear progression. They could be growing, experience distress and go back to sleep. Once conditions change, they could start growing again without having to go through a full cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the soil smells fine, I'd use it. You shouldn't run into any problems. If it doesn't smell fine, it may have &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13753/what-do-people-mean-when-they-talk-about-soil-going-sour&quot;&gt;gone sour&lt;/a&gt;. I'd let it breath outdoors in the sun for a while (maybe a month) before use, and possibly get some analysed so I can see what's wrong with it (only if it was some quantity). Otherwise I'd use it in small amounts to fill holes in the lawn, or something like that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-10-09T23:48:44.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14342" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-10T00:03:56.017" Score="3" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a seedless kishu mandarin at the beginning of the year and it's produced around 20 mandarins. I've just tried a couple and the flesh inside is very dry: desiccated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The skin still hasn't turned fully orange yet, still some green on it. However, I would have expected it to be juicier inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Arizona so it's hot and dry but I've diligently made sure that it's had plenty of water all summer. Edit: I've been giving it about 2 to 5 gallons per day in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my first Kishu tree so not sure what to expect. Is this normal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="1110" LastEditDate="2014-10-10T16:40:45.453" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T16:40:45.453" Title="Flesh of Kishu is dry" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14343" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14340" CreationDate="2014-10-10T01:05:51.953" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd go a bit simpler than @J. Musser - just set aside an area (where you want it, or on the driveway, or on a tarp on the lawn - depends what you have available for space and how you want to use it) and unbag it. Let it get some air and water, then use it. Anything &quot;bad&quot; that may have happened in the bags will self-revert on exposure to air and water for a week or two, IMHO. Potting mixes with bark materials will have broken down a bit (more humus, less bark chunks - progress by my lights) if they are moist, and it all may be a bit dusty if it's dried out, but that should be fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If an excessively well-sealed bag has gone anaerobic and &quot;soured&quot; the anaerobes will die in the face of air exposure and aerobic bacterial will take over again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To have an excess of caution, I'd let it air out (spread 6-8 inches or less thick) for a day or two and then toss some finished, more recent compost on there and stir it about, as a &quot;good bacteria source.&quot; Hose it a bit if the rain doesn't do the job. Then get something growing in it (even if just a cover crop) to really reintegrate it to the land of living soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T01:05:51.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14344" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14338" CreationDate="2014-10-10T01:44:22.283" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, they can lift and break the foundation. I had similar issues with a London Plane tree root starting to do damage, it was 6 inches in diameter. Some work with an axe and exploratory trenching eliminated the issue. Feeder roots will have to be searched out every so often and chopped out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The root system on a Redwood is huge so I'd get a tree surgeon in for some quality consulting time, along with a foundation expert before something gives way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/8018/2197&quot;&gt;Damage to sidewalk and part of road from Sequoia.&lt;/a&gt; Not pictured are the sinuous lumps out in the street where the blacktop is being broken up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T01:44:22.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14347" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14248" CreationDate="2014-10-10T03:01:55.080" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;For what it's worth we have a local greenhouse that grows bell peppers and tomatoes year round.  They use plants for 2 years.  I think they trash them after that because the amount of woody stems starts to get out of hand.  Since an individual grower isn't as concerned about production per square foot, you can probably extend this by at least another year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you find a variety you like, you can take a cutting and root it fairly easily.  This is best done at a time when the parent plant is growing well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes at least come in determinate and indeterminate varieties.  The former grow until they reach a certain height, or daylength, then pour all their energy into fruit.  The latter keep growing and producing fruit at a longer rate.  Determinate plants I think are good or only one season&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastEditorUserId="2067" LastEditDate="2015-02-11T22:44:55.597" LastActivityDate="2015-02-11T22:44:55.597" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14348" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14300" CreationDate="2014-10-10T03:16:04.310" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do it.  Pussywillows are tough.  If you can dig the hole, you can plant the tree.  Roots will stay active until the ground freezes hard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be even with your packing.  Late fall planting results in non-consolidated soil when it freezes.  This is more likely to heave.  Now you don't really care that it heaves, but you do want the tree to stay plumb.  With a shrub this isn't as big a concern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T03:16:04.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14349" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8749" CreationDate="2014-10-10T03:19:47.783" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do NOT fertilize it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you think it's a carnivore, then it needs very acid, very low nutrient soil.  All the ones I'm familiar with grow in bogs -- damp sphagnum moss and peat.  They are tough to keep happy in modern dry houses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T03:19:47.783" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14350" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13693" CreationDate="2014-10-10T03:22:20.757" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds to me like you have replaced a dripper with a simple connector.  In my tree farm I use a lot of drippers on the pipe, then run a piece of spaghetti tube to where I want the water.  You may have lost the dripper part of this assembly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures would help.  Take one of what you put in, and one next door to what is working correctly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T03:22:20.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14351" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14359" CreationDate="2014-10-10T07:51:24.000" Score="8" ViewCount="21714" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to have a plant in my bathroom, that can absorb the humidity when I shower, so that no attention to irrigation would be required. The bathroom however doesn't have direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3309" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-11T19:28:48.703" LastActivityDate="2015-01-03T23:25:01.653" Title="What plants can grow in bathroom humidity with no direct sunlight?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;humidity&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14342" CreationDate="2014-10-10T11:43:01.883" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The explanation is probably to do with insufficient water - the fruits are a source of moisture for the tree, so if there's not enough water around, the tree will take the moisture from the fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't specify how much water you gave the tree, but in desert type areas, they need a lot (as a rough guide, 63 gallons &lt;strong&gt;per day&lt;/strong&gt; in May, 74 a day in June and July, 61 in August, for example, though it depends on local weather conditions). In what's called 'riverside' areas, less water will be needed (28 gallons in May, 32, 37, 37 in June, July and August) for comparison purposes. Figures from the University of California, County of Riverside Cooperative Extension/US Department for Agriculture. That seems like an awful lot of water though - it is not clear whether the information given refers to individual trees, but may mean over a sized area, though that piece of information is missing or impossible to find in the documentation. Even so, it is a guide to just how much water your fruiting tree will require.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-10-10T11:49:20.710" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T11:49:20.710" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14353" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14351" CreationDate="2014-10-10T13:07:23.343" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Would there be indirect light from a window or would the only light be from a bathroom light fixture?  Some light is important.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pothos come to mind because they can handle higher humidity and do not require a lot of light.  The an survive in a small pot with some dirt but grow quite long and large.  Look for dark rich green leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Orchids also love humidity and warmer temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3593" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T13:07:23.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14354" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8749" CreationDate="2014-10-10T17:30:58.450" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am guessing wildly here, but it looks like a pitcher plant, and not a &lt;em&gt;Nepenthes&lt;/em&gt; (because their pitchers are sort of recurved extensions to the leaf rather than the whole leaf themselves), so something in Sarraceniaceae... the flowers don't look &quot;wrong&quot; to me, but I am not an expert...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T17:30:58.450" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14355" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14351" CreationDate="2014-10-10T17:46:39.467" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If there is no natural light of any description in your bathroom, I'm afraid that means a plastic plant - all living plants need light, even shade loving plants, so unless you substitute a growlight in your bathroom and leave it on for the required number of hours, fake plant it is. Which also, of course, won't need watering...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T17:46:39.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14351" CreationDate="2014-10-10T18:16:44.770" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;(merging @Bamboo's, @J-Musser's and @treeNinja's answers to a community wiki)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;With growlight&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plants suitable for high humidity:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pothos&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Orchids&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bromeliads&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lighting:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;UV light source should be timed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.imexbb.com/waterproof-led-grow-light-11408737.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Water-proof LED&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Placing suggestions:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;The plants should be placed within close proximity to the UV source, to avoid using high power lighting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On top of a cupboard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A small shelf hanging from the ceiling.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Between the sink and the mirror.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On the edge of the bath next to the wall are interesting locations.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Without growlight&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plastic plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wallpaper&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3309" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T18:16:44.770" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2014-10-10T18:16:44.770" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14357" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-10T19:00:38.000" Score="4" ViewCount="727" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was recently given some decorative &quot;lucky bamboo&quot;. It came with four shoots approximately 6-8 inches tall and 1/4' thick. They sit in a glass jar with a diameter of 4' and a height of 6'. The jar looks to be filled 3/4 with sand and 1/4 with rocks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just curious how much water I should be giving my lucky bamboo?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7287" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-11T04:15:54.883" LastActivityDate="2014-10-12T23:54:49.123" Title="How much water does lucky bamboo need?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14357" CreationDate="2014-10-10T19:48:52.513" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;How much water was in the jar when you received it? Because lucky bamboo can adapt to grow in  straight water, sometimes with sand/rocks as a root anchorage/substrate. In that case, keep it filled to near the level of the top of the sand/rocks. You can't really overwater, when the plant is adapted to these conditions, except to fill it until it spills :), which of course you wouldn't do. Keep the plant in bright, filtered light (not direct sun, or low light) for best longevity, and keep it cool if possible (under 75 degrees F.) to keep the growth rate at a minimum. You want it to look good as long as possible, so slow, steady, healthy growth is the kind you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T19:48:52.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14359" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14351" CreationDate="2014-10-10T20:44:54.840" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only plants that can live and grow without being directly watered are called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphyte&quot;&gt;epiphytes&lt;/a&gt;. Some common ones grown as houseplants include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern&quot;&gt;Ferns&lt;/a&gt;, especially &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platycerium&quot;&gt;Staghorn ferns&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bromeliaceae&quot;&gt;Bromeliads&lt;/a&gt;, especially &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_moss&quot;&gt;Spanish moss&lt;/a&gt;,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://adamsjunglecacti.com.au/&quot;&gt;Jungle cacti&lt;/a&gt;, like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhipsalis&quot;&gt;Rhipsalis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchidaceae&quot;&gt;Orchids&lt;/a&gt;, (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattleya&quot;&gt;Cattleya&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymbidium&quot;&gt;Cymbidium&lt;/a&gt; come to mind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of these plants, however, require light, preferably right filtered light out of direct sun. This means that they will suffer and decline in even a normally bright bathroom, when all the other conditions are met. You need supplemental lighting, especially as you don't have windows. A 150-300 watt led grow light at a 3-4' range should work. These plants are all equatorial, so daylength (how long you need to leave the light on) will be about 12 hours per day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering shouldn't be necessary, but they require high humidity at all times, and a daily/twice daily misting of the stems, root area, and leaves is beneficial. The temperature should stay over 65 degrees F. at all times, but if it goes over 80, the high humidity is even more important. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About pothos. It is a very resilient plant, and can take a lot, but it needs to be watered regularly, as it grows in soil as other plants do. Unfortunately, there is no plant that will be entirely independent with watering, so if you really can't pay attention to your plant, then do as Bamboo suggests, and get a fake plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-10T20:44:54.840" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14361" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14362" CreationDate="2014-10-12T01:07:48.933" Score="4" ViewCount="856" Body="&lt;p&gt;I literally just sprinkled some chilli seeds into an unused pot with potting mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have all started sprouting. I didn't really know what I was doing, so I think they are too close together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am only looking to get 1-2 plants. There are over 20 sprouts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I start culling the plants I am not interested in?&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GhfKG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastActivityDate="2014-10-12T01:23:19.653" Title="Chilli sprouts are too close together. Should I start culling them?" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14362" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14361" CreationDate="2014-10-12T01:23:19.653" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's what I would do - thin that pot out a bit.  Often I just snip the seedlings off with a pair of scissors rather than pulling them out.  That helps to avoid disturbing the tender roots of the seedlings you wish to keep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd resist going down to 1 or 2 yet, instead I would thin it out a bit to perhaps the 4-6 strongest looking seedlings that aren't right next to one another and give those a bit more time to grow.  Then, after another week or so, you can thin them again, choosing the seedlings that are the strongest.  In this way you'll more likely choose the strongest plants.  It has been my experience that the plants that start from the most vigorous seedlings generally develop into the stronger plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can always thin more but you cannot thin less once you've snipped/pulled them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2014-10-12T01:23:19.653" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14363" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14365" CreationDate="2014-10-12T10:27:55.930" Score="6" ViewCount="2339" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently got access to a piece of land including a spring and a pond. Since the terrain is slightly sloping after the pond´s drain, I thought on using the water flow to power a small hydro station.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without having to consult some people from surveying and mapping or use their equipment I want to roughly guess the height difference between the pond´s water level and the intended location of the hydro station. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Horizontally the hydro station will be about 200 meters downstream, and there is no clear line of sight between the pond and the hydro station´s location due to trees and certain terrain features.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How to best make a rough guess (+- 2 meters) at the height difference? (I estimate it to be somewhere between 10 to 25 meters.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7315" LastActivityDate="2017-10-25T23:42:12.107" Title="Measuring height difference over 200 meters without clear line of sight?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14364" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-12T18:05:33.023" Score="3" ViewCount="832" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Utah and the weather is getting a bit colder. About a month ago all my of trees were going very strong, all green throughout, but now they are starting to yellow from the inside out. This makes me so sad. They are getting plenty of water from a drip line I installed this summer. Is there anything I can do for them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's the weather for my zip code:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=weather%2084601&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.google.com/search?q=weather%2084601&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And a picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/skmKpGL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And a video:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBGoQvLfJSI&amp;amp;feature=youtu.be&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBGoQvLfJSI&amp;amp;feature=youtu.be&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3370" LastActivityDate="2014-10-13T14:29:03.230" Title="My Emerald Arborvitaes are Yellowing on the Inside!" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2014-10-13T22:02:01.327" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14365" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14363" CreationDate="2014-10-12T18:13:24.360" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are moderately careful you can do it by eye with a regular level. If you happen to have a laser level easily available, you can use that, it's easier. In either case, the method is the same - pick your starting point, and set the level on a stick (or tripod) above it. Measure the distance from the ground to the level, write it down, then use your eye on the level or the laser to mark a spot on the ground that is at the same height as the level. Go to that spot and repeat. Add up all the &quot;height above ground&quot; measurements and there is your rough estimate. This is (almost, but not quite) the same procedure that has been used by surveyors (with &quot;better than average&quot; care and tools) for centuries up until the recent introduction of &quot;total stations&quot; which allow them to get away with faster methods these days (and make &quot;merely old&quot; surveying equipment quite cheap, at least until it passes into the &quot;expensive antique&quot; era.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you actually have a rise of 10 meters in 200 meters, you won't need much range on your laser, as your &quot;average&quot; distance in that case would be ~40 meters or so (if you were as high as 2 meters off the ground - 1.5 meters is often more comfortable to work with unless you are very tall.) Working on an overcast day or in the early morning/late evening also increases the effective range of a laser over what you can spot in bright sunlight. One way to cheat is to use a white card and walk away from the laser holding the card in the beam - you can often see the beam that way when you cannot simply pick it out amid trees and foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: per comment on @Peter's answer, an example of a google earth elevation profile (complete with mythical cliff) - this may be the quickest method, if not of stunning accuracy:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wqx5i.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-16T05:05:05.517" LastActivityDate="2014-10-16T05:05:05.517" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14366" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-12T21:39:05.943" Score="1" ViewCount="29" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am making an online shop that sells seeds. I am wanting to know what seeds i am able to sell. Right now all i have is jack-o-lantern pumpkins,swan gourds, and tiger strip pumpkin. What else am i able to sell. Please answer soon! Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7317" LastEditorUserId="69" LastEditDate="2014-10-13T12:59:12.103" LastActivityDate="2014-10-13T12:59:12.103" Title="What Items Can i sell at my seed website i am making that isn't patented?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-10-12T23:41:25.563" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14367" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14357" CreationDate="2014-10-12T21:41:41.273" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had one several years back and I would water mine once a week and it would be fine. It died when I moved, but it did fine with that much. I would water it about 1 cup and let it drain through the holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7317" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-10-12T23:54:49.123" LastActivityDate="2014-10-12T23:54:49.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14369" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-13T10:03:00.110" Score="6" ViewCount="1441" Body="&lt;p&gt;The city has cut down my dead ash tree and are coming to remove the stump (I believe by grinding). They have advised me to &quot;remove landscaping features&quot; so they aren't destroyed in the process. How far out from the tree do I need to clear? How soon will I be able to replant there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7319" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-13T19:55:53.827" LastActivityDate="2014-10-14T23:18:43.743" Title="How do I get ready for a stump grinding, and how long afterwards should I wait to replant?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;stump-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14364" CreationDate="2014-10-13T14:29:03.230" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is undoubtedly an issue with watering - you say you have a dripline installed, but its possible that the rootballs of the plants did not receive sufficient water, even though the soil around them might be damp. If you want to check that's the problem, dig one up and inspect the rootball; it may have put out a few roots further than the rootball, but they're unlikely to be many, particularly if the rootball was dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, once a part of these plants has gone brown, it will not regenerate in that area, and will remain brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-10-13T14:29:03.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14371" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3808" CreationDate="2014-10-13T15:06:52.827" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's tough without a name, but internet image searches have gotten a &lt;em&gt;lot&lt;/em&gt; better since the question was asked in 2012.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can find a name, check to see if it's trademarked (&lt;a href=&quot;http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=tess&amp;amp;state=4806:569htv.1.1&quot;&gt;US trademark site&lt;/a&gt;). Easier to get than patents, they can still can get you in trouble.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the US, plant patents are covered by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_Patent_Act_of_1930&quot;&gt;Plant Patent Act of 1930&lt;/a&gt;. Here's an &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/patents/USPP1041?dq=patent:PP1041&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=IeI7VMjaGYmTgwTawIGwDg&amp;amp;ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA&quot;&gt;early example of one&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;Here's general information (US) on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uspto.gov/patents/resources/types/plant_patents.jsp&quot;&gt;what it takes to get a plant patent&lt;/a&gt;, and what benefits derive from having one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant patents are mixed in with general patents at the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uspto.gov/patents/process/search/index.jsp&quot;&gt;USPTO search site&lt;/a&gt;. However, all plant patents seem to start with the letters 'PP'. The proper name of a plant, &lt;em&gt;if you can find it&lt;/em&gt;, seems to be sufficient to ferret out any related plant patents.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2014-10-13T15:06:52.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14372" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14369" CreationDate="2014-10-13T15:53:41.557" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In terms of replanting, once you've cleared away any debris left behind (there's usually a fair bit, and if you haven't requested they take all debris away, there'll be a lot), dug the area over and added something humus rich, a week later and you can replant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for 'landscaping features' I'm not sure what they mean by that, and that's something you ought to ask them, really. If they're bringing in a stump grinder, that's a piece of machinery, and they'll use whatever access they can to get it in the garden, then they'll probably work in an area of, say, 6 x 6 feet at most. They may also bring in a chipping machine to grind up any larger bits of wood, so again, an area might be damaged by that (lawns particularly) but you really need to check with them precisely what they mean. If you have any pots or statuary or lighting nearby, its probably safest to move those out of the way, but otherwise, unless they're suggesting you dig up any plants within the vicinity, it's hard to guess what they mean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-10-13T15:53:41.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14369" CreationDate="2014-10-13T19:53:29.077" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Landscaping features are anything decorative in the vicinity that could be damaged by all the equipment. This includes things like rocks, bird feeders/houses/baths, edging, statues, that type of thing. Even small shrubs and perennials can be temporarily moved. Also, if you happen to have landscape fabric down around the area where they will be grinding, move that. Is is a mess when grinder blades find it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How far out from the tree to clear will really depend on the size of the tree. An ash tree doesn't generally have lots of large diameter surface roots (some do, most don't) and that will partially determine the area they will need to grind - They often follow out a big surface root and grind it out, so if you see any, clear everything away from them at east 2' on both sides. Also, if the stump is big (2' or more in diameter) I'd clear at least 6-8' on all sides, if possible. It's nice to be able to maneuver around the stump easily without being afraid of crushing something. It also depends on their grinder - what size it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When they are done, there will be a rather large amount of chips mixed with soil, even if they clean up some if possible. What you want, before you plant, is to clean out &lt;em&gt;everything&lt;/em&gt; the grinder cut out, even the soil (because it will be mixed with grindings). Then you want to fill the hole with quality topsoil and tamp it well. Follow &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13571/what-should-i-do-after-a-tree-removal-and-stump-grinding-to-prepare-for-grass/13577#13577&quot;&gt;this link&lt;/a&gt; for a more detailed guide on how to clean up stump grindings. If the stump is in a mulched bed, disregard the part about sowing grass seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have tamped the new soil in well, you can plant right away. If you aren't able to, wait until it rains, and topdress with more soil if necessary. After it's planted, mulch it to build the soil, keep weeds out, and conserve soil moisture. Whatever the case, give yourself plenty of time. Some stumps take even me half a day to properly clean out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-10-14T23:18:43.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14374" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14375" CreationDate="2014-10-13T22:11:37.190" Score="5" ViewCount="2683" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have three Shamel Ashes in my yard, all planted at roughly the same time and all irrigated in the same way. Despite professional care they haven't shown any substantial growth in over a year. If anything, they have thinned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eeRXC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.garden.org/regional/report/description/full/5&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Phoenix, Arizona (US)&lt;/a&gt;. My research leads me to believe that the tree may struggle a bit in the hot weather but are still a viable choice for the region. I don't believe that they have been substantially under/over-watered though I could certainly be wrong. A small number (&amp;lt; 10%) of leaves have brown tips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each tree is currently watered with four drip lines located a short distance from the trunk. They are shown uncovered (normally they are buried) in the picture below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kNiwH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The water has been on for an hour in this picture. Even if it soaks to an appropriate depth, it doesn't look like the water is well-distributed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I add more drip lines?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Change the irrigation method entirely?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Or should I be investigating other problems?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7320" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-14T02:07:47.177" LastActivityDate="2014-10-14T12:04:35.423" Title="Do I need to change the irrigation for my Shamel Ash trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14375" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14374" CreationDate="2014-10-14T02:05:51.750" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This does likely have something to do with watering, but there are several issues here. When watering, it is better to give the water all at one time, ideally over a period of &amp;frac12; hour, and make sure it soaks in well. Then let it dry for a time before watering again. The time will depend on environmental factors, such as temperature, precipitation, and cloudiness. Making a shallow trench around the trees will keep the water where it should be, and help keep precipitation in place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mulch with a layer of organic matter to a depth of between 2 and 4 inches. This will conserve soil moisture, keep the soil temperature more even, and add organic matter as soil microbes work it in. Keep it away from the trunk, though, in a 6&quot; diameter circle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those trees are on the larger end of those that are regularly transplanted. On trees this size, the first 2-3 years are often spent rebuilding the root system, which was severely damaged during transplanting. What you should do is make it as easy as possible for the tree, by watering properly, fertilizing very lightly, or with an organic fertilizer high in phosphorus, mulching, and even cutting back crowded top growth (which is possibly pulling more energy than is well sustainable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From your picture, the trees look OK. Again, water more, in the style described above, fertilize, and mulch. Also, that wall will be very reflective, so that may have some affect on the leaves drying. If you can cover it with something less reflecting that will be beneficial. In any case, plan on at least a couple years before any major growth above ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-14T02:26:31.540" LastActivityDate="2014-10-14T02:26:31.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14376" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14395" CreationDate="2014-10-14T10:10:53.033" Score="5" ViewCount="184" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are the trees I'm wondering about:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7RVjh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture of trees&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are growing in Hong Kong. They have moderate length leaves pointing downwards, and are twice as tall as road signs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They look like young palm trees, but I'm not certain of that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are they?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7131" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-10-14T13:32:08.420" LastActivityDate="2014-10-16T14:12:38.277" Title="What are these trees in the front of the picture?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14377" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14374" CreationDate="2014-10-14T12:04:35.423" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the picture it doesn't look like the drip irrigation extends beyond the root ball. It helps to not only give the tree what it needs in the root ball, but also to make conditions outside the root ball hospitable. If the soil outside the root ball is dry (or otherwise unfavorable), roots will tend to stay within the root ball - limiting growth potential. Also, if the soil outside the root ball is too compacted, the roots might not penetrate outside the hole. In such cases it can help to dig trenches away from the ball like spokes. Fill these trenches with high quality compost to serve as avenues for root growth outside the root ball.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2014-10-14T12:04:35.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14378" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14385" CreationDate="2014-10-14T12:29:30.913" Score="3" ViewCount="7277" Body="&lt;p&gt;My yard work has been delayed this year. This past weekend, I finished spreading the topsoil (which has been on the driveway since May) to rebuild an area of my lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it too late to spread grass seed this year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If so, what's the best way to control weeds until the spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7322" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-14T23:03:12.160" LastActivityDate="2014-10-16T13:05:08.060" Title="Is mid-October too late to seed a lawn in Ottawa, Canada?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14379" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14386" CreationDate="2014-10-14T14:13:41.783" Score="5" ViewCount="3028" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most people with large landscaping investments around here fence their property with 8' deer fence. This can be hidden from view in most cases. In certain situations, however, 8' fencing would detract too much from the view, and I've heard professionals recommend the installation of two parallel 4' fences 4' apart. The outer fence is typically some kind of wire mesh, while the inner one is described as merely two horizontal wires about 2' apart, running from post to post. The theory is not only that the deer can see the horizontal wires and fear that they can't jump across the distance, but that they also will not jump into the narrow space contained between the fences.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have done some research online on the effectiveness of such a setup, but have been disappointed in how little info I've found. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, does this setup work, or not? And are there specifications for setting up an effective double fence? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-14T23:04:54.830" LastActivityDate="2014-10-14T23:04:54.830" Title="Are low double deer fences effective in keeping deer out?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;fence&gt;&lt;wildlife&gt;&lt;deer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14380" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14382" CreationDate="2014-10-14T14:47:13.050" Score="7" ViewCount="653" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got this tree down in my back yard and I cannot figure out what type it is. The bark looks like Oak but the leaves I'm not sure about. There have been no nuts/acorns drop from it that have been noticeable the past year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2MvVp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Up Close Bark&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PtmQy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Up Close Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7324" LastActivityDate="2016-02-26T18:36:14.253" Title="Is this an Oak Tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14380" CreationDate="2014-10-14T15:10:05.833" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check it for flowers in the spring. Looks like a Tuliptree (aka yellow poplar)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-10-14T15:10:05.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14380" CreationDate="2014-10-14T15:26:25.423" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/liriodendron/tulipifera.htm&quot;&gt;Liriodentron tulipifera&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;  - Tulip poplar, yellow poplar among other names.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-10-14T17:55:00.427" LastActivityDate="2014-10-14T17:55:00.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14383" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-14T16:32:13.140" Score="6" ViewCount="2051" Body="&lt;p&gt;about a two month ago, I planted my first mango plant.&#xA;It was growing nicely and it looked gorgeous.&#xA;Then week ago purple-red-brownish spots started to appear on the leaves (coincidence or not, only on the leaves that are facing the sun).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The climate where I live is rather cold during the Winter and Autumn, and even though my mango plant is facing the south, during these periods of the year, sunny and warm days are very rare.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought I was over watering it, so I planted it in a new (plastic) pot with dry soil, also I bought a fertilizer for plant growing in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do? Should I cut the leaves? &#xA;Is there something I can do, or its just impossible to grow these kinds of tropical plants without the appropriate weather?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/roNLl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7325" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-06T19:58:41.380" LastActivityDate="2015-01-04T20:58:36.673" Title="What's wrong with my mango plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14384" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14363" CreationDate="2014-10-14T18:40:21.443" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get a friend with an iPhone 6 (or an Android phone with barometer). You should be able to get within 2 meters accuracy if you measure the pressure at point A, then compare it (as soon as possible) to the pressure at point B. You can then go back to point A and see if it has wandered at all. If you do it within a few minutes, you should be able to get better than 1 meter accuracy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3410" LastActivityDate="2014-10-14T18:40:21.443" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14378" CreationDate="2014-10-14T22:45:51.197" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you use a mix containing mostly perennial ryegrass, you still have some time. This will germinate whenever the temperature is over 32 degrees F., but takes longer (up to three weeks or more in cold weather) than it would if planted sooner. If your mix contains Kentucky Bluegrass and/or fescue, these will not germinate well, and you will have to sow thickly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the soil is moist, and that the top inch or so (not too deep) is worked to a fine tilth. Rake the seed in lightly, don't let the seed go very deep, as this causes much of it to rot before germinating in cold weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for weeds, you really have to take care of them as they appear, as obviously you don't want to apply a pre-emergent to newly sown grass seed. After the grass is up, but before it freezes, you may be able to get in a treatment, but I think you'll have better results in spring. Don't try to control weeds right before winter if large amounts of precipitation are expected. If your grass germinates long enough before the ground begins to freeze, and you see some broadleaved weeds coming up, you can apply a general broadleaf control such as clopyralid, dicamba, 2,4-D, mecoprop, quinclorac, etc, or a three-way. It's possible that some of these aren't available to residential people.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But again, control will be better if you wait until spring, and the grass will be more ready to fill in and cover the soil, which will help inhibit further weed development.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-14T22:45:51.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14379" CreationDate="2014-10-14T23:00:58.300" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, this works quite well. It's more work to put in, but if as you say it is necessary for aesthetic reasons not to have an 8' fence, go ahead. The specifications you have are good, but I'd like to add that using aluminum wire for the inside is far better than other things, as it never rusts, and is much easier for deer to see even than galvanized steel. It doesn't have to be much guage-wise, but it is important that these lines are highly visible to the deer. Using bright colored wire won't help, as deer are colorblind. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will also be important to keep vegetation off both fences, for the same reason, and keep the inner lines in good repair, because it it comes down, and the deer get in the habit of jumping in that area, and then you put it back, you're likely to have it taken down by a flying deer (not to mention the effects this can have on the deer).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-14T23:00:58.300" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14387" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-14T23:21:22.580" Score="5" ViewCount="299" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click for original picture context&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xH7yW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KKJjm.jpg&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone please tell me what type of honeysuckles these are? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7330" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-31T20:34:40.657" LastActivityDate="2018-01-31T20:34:40.657" Title="Can someone identify this honeysuckle plant by the flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;honeysuckle&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14388" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14387" CreationDate="2014-10-14T23:26:32.423" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonicera_japonica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lonicera japonica&lt;/em&gt;, Japanese Honeysuckle&lt;/a&gt;. Of course, I can't see the entire plant so I have to go entirely by the flower form and from what I can see of the leaves. &lt;em&gt;Lonicera japonica&lt;/em&gt; is considered invasive in much of North America.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="6930" LastEditDate="2014-10-14T23:32:58.563" LastActivityDate="2014-10-14T23:32:58.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14389" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-15T13:24:46.963" Score="5" ViewCount="292" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click for original picture context&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PQ4tF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1RwN1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; &gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone help me identify this plant that resembles honeysuckle? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7330" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-15T16:58:34.080" LastActivityDate="2014-10-18T13:23:41.050" Title="Can someone identify this white flowering plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14390" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-15T14:31:23.927" Score="4" ViewCount="4454" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple of my succulents have bent as they've grown over the past year or so. I suspect they're &quot;reaching&quot; for sunlight (they're next to a window, bending southward, and I live in the northern hemisphere -- though it's possible this is just a coincidence). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if it's ok to rotate these plants (spin them 90 degrees) to encourage them to grow straight again. I don't suspect doing so would immediately kill these little guys, but I don't think such a readjustment would ever happen in nature, either. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is moving houseplants unhealthy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="491" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-15T16:41:01.797" LastActivityDate="2014-10-15T16:41:01.797" Title="Is it unhealthy to rotate houseplants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-10-15T16:44:23.123" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14391" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14390" CreationDate="2014-10-15T16:14:35.393" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Houseplants should be turned regularly to enable all parts to receive daylight at various times, so no, it won't kill your plants. If you're talking about moving them to a different room or another position entirely in a room, for some plants, that might be a problem. Ficus benjamina, for instance, hates draughts, so moving it elsewhere from where it's happy might cause a problem with that particular plant, but for what you're intending to do, and the plants you're speaking of, no problem, in fact, its advantageous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-10-15T16:14:35.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14393" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14389" CreationDate="2014-10-15T16:23:09.717" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not a honeysuckle (Lonicera) - judging by the leaves and the shape of the flowers, plus the 'bobbles' on the stamens, it's most likely a Rhododendron (in particular, those formerly known as Azalea) hybrid, probably a fragrant one, but I don't know which one - there are hundreds, if not thousands, many of which are not named.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The site you got that picture from is, in fact, a fragrance/perfumery site - 'honeysuckle fragrance' does not mean the scent necessarily came from a honeysuckle plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE 18/10/14: This plant is, in fact, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhododendron_arborescens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rhododendron arborescens&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, commonly known as sweet azalea. It's strongly fragranced, said to be similar to heliotrope, and is deciduous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-18T13:23:41.050" LastActivityDate="2014-10-18T13:23:41.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14376" CreationDate="2014-10-16T12:07:52.243" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_roebelenii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Phoenix roebelenii&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;,  a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;species&lt;/a&gt; of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_(palm)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;date palm&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_plant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;native&lt;/a&gt; to southeastern Asia. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_roebelenii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Phoenix roebelenii&lt;/em&gt;, is a popular &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornamental_plant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ornamental plant&lt;/a&gt; in gardens in tropical to warm temperate climate areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Phoenix roebelenii&lt;/em&gt; is a small to medium sized, slow-growing slender &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;tree&lt;/a&gt; growing to 2–3 metres (6.6–9.8 ft) tall. The &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;leaves&lt;/a&gt; are 60–120 cm (24–47 in) long, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinnation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pinnate&lt;/a&gt;, with around 100 leaflets arranged in a single plane (unlike the related &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_loureiroi&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;P. loureiroi&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; where the leaflets are in two planes). Each leaflet is 15–25 cm (6–10 in)15-25 cm long and 1 cm broad, slightly drooping, and grey-green in colour with scurfy pubescence below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7337" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-10-16T14:12:38.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14396" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14389" CreationDate="2014-10-16T12:09:56.793" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's definitely an ericaceous shrub.  looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RHVI2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rhododendron viscosum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, commonly known as swamp azalea.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7337" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-16T14:00:16.033" LastActivityDate="2014-10-16T14:00:16.033" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14363" CreationDate="2014-10-16T13:01:31.277" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The solution is almost certainly in your pocket in the form of your smartphone. Perhaps it has a GPS that will tell you the exact elevation of both points. If not, install some sort of exercise tracker (designed for runners and bike riders) and start your &quot;run&quot; at one point, then get to the other somehow and end your &quot;run&quot; - the app should then tell you your net elevation gain or loss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used the GPS approach to work out some information about the height of a ridge that might have interfered with an antenna and it worked beautifully. But not all phones make it simple to get this information, so use an app to help you if need be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2014-10-16T13:01:31.277" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14398" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14378" CreationDate="2014-10-16T13:05:08.060" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My father in law always said the best way to plant grass seed was on the first snow. It's easy to see how you're covering the ground, and when the snow melts that seed will get started a little, before the real serious winter shows up. In Ottawa right now you may have had a hard frost already but I doubt you've had snow yet, so according to him you're not late. Certainly I've done a little patch filling at this time of year (between Ottawa and Toronto) without regretting it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2014-10-16T13:05:08.060" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14399" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-16T21:34:54.517" Score="2" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you help me identify what this is on my tomato plant leaves? It's like &lt;em&gt;inside&lt;/em&gt; the leaf..you can't feel it by touching the leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the info helps, the plants are in a container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MfPHe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="474" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-10-16T21:37:15.643" LastActivityDate="2014-10-16T21:37:15.643" Title="What's happening to my tomato plant leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-10-16T21:36:38.560" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14400" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14402" CreationDate="2014-10-17T03:10:04.117" Score="4" ViewCount="405" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are a few pictures of some trees in my yard. I am trying to determine what type they are. I'm fairly certain they are some type of poplar tree. But I am not sure of the specific type. This is in New Hampshire and it is fairly close to some seasonal wet lands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click any picture for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rl92O.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rl92O.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P2HIi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P2HIi.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4V7SC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4V7SC.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EaiA9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EaiA9.jpg&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T9bel.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T9bel.jpg&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3520" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-18T21:35:18.810" LastActivityDate="2018-05-26T15:04:57.853" Title="Are these trees some type of poplar?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14401" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-17T03:37:48.360" Score="5" ViewCount="2228" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a moisture meter that registers readings from 0.0 to 9.9 (driest to wettest). I cannot find a listing for a potted avocado tree. Can you give me info as to what percentage is optimal for the plant?  I'm not that good at pressing on the soil and figuring it out from there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7340" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-17T21:37:06.087" LastActivityDate="2016-03-07T05:39:29.657" Title="How much should I water an avocado plant guided by a moisture meter?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14402" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14400" CreationDate="2014-10-17T16:14:26.343" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe those are young-ish specimens of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus_deltoides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Populus deltoides&lt;/em&gt;, or eastern cottonwood.&lt;/a&gt; So you did guess in the right genus. This is a very common tree in your area of the US, as well as many others. Here's a map of where it is distributed:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jyl1Z.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-17T16:14:26.343" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14403" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-17T21:23:10.700" Score="3" ViewCount="14453" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our apartment in Tenerife has palm trees surrounding it and these trees are continuously dripping a brown gummy substance, we presume from their leaves, onto our tiled floor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We are informed that this is normal for these trees - is this the case?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7343" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-10-18T00:51:44.243" LastActivityDate="2021-03-02T00:35:53.757" Title="Is it normal for palm trees to drip a brown gummy sap?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;palm&gt;&lt;sap&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14404" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-17T22:33:52.530" Score="2" ViewCount="134" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was browsing &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensalive.com/product/purple-beautyberry/other-fruits-berries&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;a gardening store online, and I came across a berry that it advertised as 'deer resistant'&lt;/a&gt; (the purple beautyberry). This made me laugh (gladly; not mockingly), because nothing seems to deter deer from what I've heard, and I've never seen a fruiting plant (or any plant) marketed as deer resistant before. We don't have deer problems where I live, but just for the record, what are some more deer resistant edible plants? (Some might not consider the beautyberry berries to be edible, but they technically are supposed to be, and I've read they make great jelly. It should be noted that beautyberry is not squirrel or mockingbird resistant, however, but it's supposed to repel mosquitos and the leaves may stun fish.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T19:36:15.653" Title="What are some deer resistant edible plants?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;deer&gt;&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14405" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14404" CreationDate="2014-10-18T00:18:24.323" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Garlic has done OK outside the fence, as have chives. Neighboring garden had apparent success with potatoes outside the fence (makes sense, the plant is poisonous.) Raspberries (and other bramble fruit) are generally OK. They have not hassled my blueberries as far as I recall, though plenty of smaller beasties go for the fruit. I've had no noticeable trouble with currants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-10-18T00:18:24.323" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14406" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-18T01:45:45.320" Score="2" ViewCount="73" Body="&lt;p&gt;We're slowly losing our fight against Aegopodium (snow on the mountains). The specific name is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegopodium_podagraria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Aegopodium podagraria&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, though we think of it as &lt;em&gt;Aegopodium obnoxiosio&lt;/em&gt;. Tilling the bejabbers out of it only breaks up the roots and leads to a vigorous regrowth. Burning it out only wastes propane. In desperation, we tried herbicides on a test patch, but it seems to treat Roundup as fertilizer. Covering it with a plastic barrier doesn't seem to work, at least for two years of coverage. We don't have access to nuclear weapons, so that's out (and probably wouldn't work anyway). I suppose we could overplant it with kudzu, but that just trades one problem for another.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry for the rant, but does anyone have a suggestion we've missed? I can't believe people actually recommend it as a groundcover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6899" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-10-18T02:08:55.797" LastActivityDate="2014-10-18T02:08:55.797" Title="How can I kill Aegapodium for good?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-10-19T04:55:38.673" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14407" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14403" CreationDate="2014-10-18T11:14:16.643" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only cause of dripping 'gummy' stuff is usually an infestation or bacterial infection. Pest infestation such as Palm Scale particularly can cause dripping of sticky stuff, but if the dripping is coming from the trunks and not the leaves, that's more likely to be a bacterial infection. If its that, you should be able to see evidence of the problem because the trunk/s will show obvious signs of something oozing and dripping downwards, often with a dark area running all the way down the trunk where the ooze travels downwards. Otherwise, if the palms are small enough, inspect leaves and stems to see if there's an infestation - it may be that this happens every year and people just live with it, so it's become 'normal', either out of ignorance or because the problem is quite difficult to treat in very tall palm trees. If you can't see the leaves and stems because they're too high up, you need to wrench or cut off a leaf for inspection purposes, or consult a horticulturalist or whoever deals with that kind of thing over there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other possibility, and its a fairly remote one, is that the trees have been 'tapped' in order to make Palm honey, but this is now a rare practice and I believe is only done in one area of Gran Canaria, so it's not likely, and you would have seen people climbing the trunks in order to carry out the tapping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-10-18T11:14:16.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14408" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14410" CreationDate="2014-10-18T17:37:17.483" Score="3" ViewCount="3906" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been working on controlling the edge of my backyard, since it borders a wooded area, and there's a bunch of invasive vines growing everywhere. While I was chopping back some of the underbrush, I noticed that on one of the bushes there was a vine that has berries on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought it was a shrub at first, but when I looked at it again, I noticed that it was actually a vine running around the shrub. The vine has pairs of rounded leaves running along each side of if, with clusters of small black berries running along it at about 4-inch intervals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Southern Illinois, Zone 6.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures (Click for full-size):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rx3Jr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rx3Jr.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &amp;nbsp;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7NKzG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7NKzG.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if this view helps at all. It's kind of in the mix of a bunch of vines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oxOE3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oxOE3.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-18T21:11:24.623" LastActivityDate="2014-10-19T00:28:45.620" Title="What is this vine with clusters of black berries, found in Southern Illinois?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14409" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14413" CreationDate="2014-10-18T20:30:31.977" Score="3" ViewCount="1074" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a coffee plant which lives indoors. Our house is reasonably dark so every now and then we take it outside when the sun isn't very bright. A week or so ago, the sun suddenly came out while we weren't home and the plant got quite badly burned. The leaves are now dropping and I'm quite concerned about whether it'll recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to promote new leaf growth? Or will the plant recover on its own, given time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OoMwI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The tree&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yftKp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup of a leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7057" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-19T02:57:07.847" LastActivityDate="2014-10-19T02:57:07.847" Title="How should I care for a sunburned coffee plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14410" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14408" CreationDate="2014-10-18T21:09:27.533" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe that's Japanese honeysuckle, or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonicera_japonica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lonicera japonica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It's a very common invasive vine that spreads by the black berries, and by runner above and below ground. Here are pictures of the flowers and berries:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8mDxF.jpg&quot; height=&quot;252&quot; /&gt;&#xA;  &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B1LdJ.jpg&quot; height=&quot;252&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-19T00:28:45.620" LastActivityDate="2014-10-19T00:28:45.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14411" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14414" CreationDate="2014-10-19T00:41:13.497" Score="3" ViewCount="467" Body="&lt;p&gt;My property (New Mexico, climate zone 7a) has a patch of ground between my driveway and a fence that's begging for a tree to be there. It's about 11 feet wide. Apparently a tree was there before, as its stump is still visible (you can see it at &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/32ob6&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://imgur.com/a/32ob6&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to plant something whose roots won't eventually heave the concrete driveway slab. It would be planted about 5 or 6 feet from the driveway. Shade doesn't matter to me because it's on the north part of the lot. Trees that grow well in the neighborhood are Hackberry, Juniper, Cypress, various Pines, and some Oaks. Do any of these stand out as being especially safe to plant in this strip?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastEditorUserId="2874" LastEditDate="2014-10-20T16:07:12.833" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T16:07:12.833" Title="Which high-desert-friendly tree should I plant beside my driveway?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;concrete&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14409" CreationDate="2014-10-19T01:23:25.323" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basically, if there are no pests involved (there often are), what you want to do is provide as 'comfortable' of conditions as possible while the plant recovers. Water normally, don't over- or under-water. Keep it in bright, filtered light out of direct sun, and keep the humidity as high as possible. Fertilize lightly with a balanced all-purpose fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant should recover nicely given time. Don't stimulate super fast growth, or it will be leggy and have bad form. Potted coffee plants seem to drop leaves for the smallest reasons, ime, but usually recover well. Your plant looks rather OK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-19T01:23:25.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14414" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14411" CreationDate="2014-10-19T02:41:26.160" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I'll mention that if there was a tree there before, it was taken down for a reason. If the reason was disease, you'll want to know the species, so that you don't accidentally replant the same thing. Of course, id-ing stumps is hard, especially once the bark is off. You may have to ask around, or just chance it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, here are some trees you may find to be of interest, in no particular order:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/7336/%C9%B9%C7%9Dssnw-%C5%BF&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hackberry&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Celtis occidentalis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pda_2909.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Arizona Ash&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Fraxinus velutina&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/koebipa.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chinese Flame-Tree&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Koelreuteria bipinnata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/chilopsis-linearis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Desert Willow&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Chilopsis linearis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melia_azedarach&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Persian Lilac&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Melia azedarach&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_locust&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Honeylocust&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Gleditsia triacanthos&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_aristata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;bristlecone pine&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Pinus aristata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_white_pine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Western White Pine&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Pinus monticola&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_flexilis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Limber Pine&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Pinus flexilis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyon_pine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pinyon&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Pinus monophylla&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupressus_arizonica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Arizona Cypress&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Cupressus arizonica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_monosperma&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;One Seed Juniper&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Juniperus monosperma&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_osteosperma&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Utah Juniper&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Juniperus osteosperma&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coloradotrees.org/feature_trees/cottonwood_narrow.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Narrowleaf Cottonwood&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Populus angustifolia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the list goes on. These trees should behave rootwise, the most vigorous in this respect listed here being honeylocust. I've purposefully left out Oaks, and some others, as they will tend to move concrete slabs, given time :P. The conifers should be fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Disclaimer: I live in a temperate area&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-10-19T02:41:26.160" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14415" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14416" CreationDate="2014-10-18T21:38:13.257" Score="3" ViewCount="205" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am new to overseeding. I just spread the seed on the lawn, and am watering it. Is that okay? Should I do something differently?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jX5QC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xDU3U.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1454" OwnerDisplayName="Love" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-19T12:07:33.583" LastActivityDate="2014-10-19T12:07:33.583" Title="Am I overseeding my lawn properly? Should I do something differently?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14416" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14415" CreationDate="2014-10-19T12:03:32.403" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The soil quality looks okay. Because you already seeded, I'd say just keep it damp until germination. It's pretty simple. If you want, you can fertilize with something suitable for young grass before winter (lower nitrogen requirement, and preferably accessible calcium). I use &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.solu-cal.com/media/pdf/product-labels/13030%20Solu-Cal%202014%20Label%206-12-6%20Coarse%20SGN%20210.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;6-12-6 + Solu-Cal&lt;/a&gt;. This step isn't entirely necessary, but gets the new grass established much faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the seeding job looks okay, knowing that you really can't work the soil much before overseeding. But it looks like you've top dressed with topsoil, so you probably could've worked out more of the lumps first. That way you can lightly rake in the seed, and it will germinate more uniformly. But as I said, as the job is done, watering, and possibly fertilizing, is all that's necessary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-19T12:03:32.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14417" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-19T18:49:24.743" Score="5" ViewCount="216" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two trees in my backyard that I need help identifying. My home is in Port Saint Lucie, which is on the eastern coast of the southern half of Florida.  Hardiness zone 10a. My home backs into a drainage canal, and the two trees are on the edge of the canal:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pe61D.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pe61D.jpg&quot; height=&quot;210&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HxCte.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HxCte.jpg&quot; height=&quot;210&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/01rEP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/01rEP.jpg&quot; height=&quot;210&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tIDvs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tIDvs.jpg&quot; height=&quot;215&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S9iuS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S9iuS.jpg&quot; height=&quot;215&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RoHQK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RoHQK.jpg&quot; height=&quot;215&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R7rFU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R7rFU.jpg&quot; height=&quot;215&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HxCte.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HxCte.jpg&quot; height=&quot;215&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fQnlg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fQnlg.jpg&quot; height=&quot;215&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dUgcm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dUgcm.jpg&quot; height=&quot;215&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7344" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-20T03:51:42.463" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T21:10:43.740" Title="Help me to identify these two trees in my back yard?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14418" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14452" CreationDate="2014-10-19T20:48:14.367" Score="6" ViewCount="1945" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm still working on sifting through an area of my backyard in order to make a garden for next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure it used to be a gravel lot, since all the rocks are the ones found in gravel roads, and I've found various building materials like bricks and crowbars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to plant root vegetables like radishes and carrots, so I'd like to be sure that I have the soil fixed deep enough for those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How deep do I need to go in order to have a healthy garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uX8Fo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uX8Fo.jpg&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T05:21:13.350" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T05:21:13.350" Title="How far down do I need to dig when sifting out rocks from a garden?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;rocks&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14419" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14425" CreationDate="2014-10-19T20:56:12.580" Score="5" ViewCount="822" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sifting out rocks in my garden, which I'm pretty sure used to be a gravel lot. I'm wanting to grow root vegetables like radishes and carrots, so I don't want them having to push rocks out of the way as they grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard that you shouldn't worry about rocks under an inch in diameter, so according to that, I should be sifting these rocks out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But.. I've also heard not to worry about rocks smaller than an egg, so according to that, I shouldn't worry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What size rocks are worth sifting out of a garden, and which ones aren't?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T00:18:36.350" Title="What size of rocks are worth sifting out of a garden?" Tags="&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;rocks&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14420" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14419" CreationDate="2014-10-19T21:50:48.227" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the active growing area of the beds, I prefer 1/4&quot; screen if I'm bothering to screen for garden purposes. Given the choice of unscreened or 1&quot; screened, I'd prefer the 1&quot;, but if &lt;strong&gt;I'm the guy screening it&lt;/strong&gt;, I'd rather go through 1/4&quot; and get a nice fine soil, especially for root vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, much of my garden has not actually been screened, so I just toss rocks when I run into them, at which point large enough to hear (as an implement strikes it) and large enough to bother picking up rule the equation. That is somewhat variable by what I am doing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Screening is a lot of labor - screening a bit finer does not add too much labor if you use a self-sifting long angled screen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-10-19T21:50:48.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14421" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14422" CreationDate="2014-10-19T22:24:23.000" Score="4" ViewCount="211" Body="&lt;p&gt;My parents have had this plant probably around 15-20 years now, during which it has spent its time slowly growing upwards while the bottom leaves drop off and don't regrow. It's traditionally been kept indoors during winter and moved to an enclosed atrium during the summer, the latter of which may have encouraged the upwards growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, this past year they did not move it into the atrium as it has too unwieldy to move, and also to attempt to remove the suspected atrium's upwards encouragement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the basic questions are  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is this plant?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there a way to encourage it to regrow lower leaves / stop only growing upwards?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If not, can a cutting be taken to start fresh? And if so, what would discourage this type of growth pattern?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does look like theres another issue here - new leaves being curled/withered - but I think that's a symptom of lack of direct sunlight due to its incessant need to grow upwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s8er8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tall plant&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;This image was taken from above the plant from the stairs.&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7345" LastActivityDate="2014-10-19T23:19:34.600" Title="Identify potted plant growing too tall (&gt;8-9 ft)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14421" CreationDate="2014-10-19T23:19:34.600" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schefflera_actinophylla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Scheffelera actinophylla&lt;/a&gt;, the botanical name for umbrella tree, a species of evergreen tree native to northern Australia which is a common house plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5462/what-is-this-south-florida-tree/5469#5469&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; for a complete description and how to prune it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason it looks so spindly is due to low light levels over an extended period of time. This plant will do well in unobstructed east or south east windows.  West or south windows can be hot and encourage spider mites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't recommend taking cuttings as the plant is weak, better to cut back and grow under better light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-10-19T23:19:34.600" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14423" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14417" CreationDate="2014-10-19T23:35:12.553" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I added a picture from your drive. The acorn is an unmistakable sign of an oak. There are many oaks that grow in Florida but the shiny leaves without lobes indicate to me that this is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_oak&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;live oak&lt;/a&gt; (Quercus virginia) as described &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FR/FR00400.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Unlike most other oaks, the live oak retains its  leaves until after&#xA;  the following year's leaves have  appeared. This habit results in an&#xA;  &quot;evergreen&quot; tree.  Leaves are unlobed and rarely toothed: lustrous&#xA;  green  above and pale-pubescent on the underside. Leaf  length varies&#xA;  from 2-to-5 inches with width ranging  from 1/2-to-2-1/2 inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-10-20T03:07:14.717" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T03:07:14.717" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14424" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14411" CreationDate="2014-10-19T23:59:12.253" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;With regards to preventing the tree from lifting the concrete slab, I would consider installing a root barrier. A root barrier could be thought of as a &quot;well&quot; to prevent root growth towards the slab. The wall of the well would extend from above the soil line down to whatever depth the roots would grow. The depth would depend on the species and the conditions of the soil. For example, if you have hardpan at 18 inches down, the roots aren't going to go down further. Once you have settled on a particular species, I suggest driving around to see if you can spot mature trees growing near sidewalks or driveways. You may spot an example of someone who installed a root barrier at the time of planting, and thus prevented some of the usual problems of planting a tree near a driveway. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you also considered shrubs? Many shrubs can be pruned in a tree-like form, and this would  extend the possible candidates. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7347" LastActivityDate="2014-10-19T23:59:12.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14425" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14419" CreationDate="2014-10-20T00:18:36.350" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The contradictory advice that you received about what size of rocks to remove relates to what you are growing. For tomatoes, I wouldn't be concerned with rocks the size of a baseball. If I was growing carrots, parsnips or potatoes, I would want to get any rock out that is larger than a quarter. Radishes grow so abundantly that I would just compost any that were split when they encountered a rock, and harvest the rest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7347" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T00:18:36.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14426" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14418" CreationDate="2014-10-20T00:30:19.080" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you will only be planting carrots in the spot, then you would remove rocks down to the level where the root would grow. Removing rocks further down would not be of any benefit to the carrots. If you plan to clear a large area all at once, and you will be planting things that require removal of rocks down to, say, two feet, then you will be screening the soil based on the requirements of your most affected crop such as the carrots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the ground originally sloped, then it is possible that the previous owner filled the lower parts of the lot with construction debris such as concrete blocks and siding. If so, you may find that you have quite a lot of material to remove. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option would be to create raised beds for your carrots on top of the existing soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7347" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T00:30:19.080" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14427" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3148" CreationDate="2014-10-20T00:47:41.497" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree that coffee filters do not break down quickly. However, I simply move any uncomposted material such as the coffee filters to a new compost pile, and let the composting complete there. I always screen the compost to catch any twigs, etc., that did not break down sufficiently. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7347" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T00:47:41.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14428" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8338" CreationDate="2014-10-20T01:23:49.797" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;While adding compost on top of a bark mulch is possible, I find that the compost, since it consists of finer particles, fills in the gaps between the pieces of bark, with the result that I still see the bark after a few good rains. The compost will also degrade faster than the bark, so you are going to see the bark that is there now for the next several years. If the appearance of the bark is an issue, I would rake it away from the front of the beds and other areas where it is particularly visible, and replace it with compost only. You can redistribute the bark that you raked to areas that are not so visible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With regard to water infiltration problems, I have not seen as obvious a problem with compost as with a peat moss mulch. With a peat moss mulch, the water beads on the surface. Compost is not as uniform in particle size as a peat moss mulch, which makes it more porous. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7347" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T01:23:49.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14429" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-19T20:40:09.280" Score="2" ViewCount="127" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in California where we have a drought. Both my front and back yard seem to be holding with watering twice a week but both have odd yellow dead areas while the rest is green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The contrast with the green areas is striking. The green areas have tall grass but the dead areas look like someone tossed gas &amp;amp; lit it. Its yellow &amp;amp; barren in parts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I checked the sprinklers &amp;amp; the entire area is covered when they come on early in the morning. Today I walked around poking the soil to determine whether it was hard &amp;amp; found it to be soft &amp;amp; moist still.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have recently moved into this house so I only know the drought though the grass was evenly green when I first moved in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What else should I be looking for to account for the dead spots? I cant toss new seeds since I cannot water it often enough yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are good resources to revive the lawns?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7352" OwnerDisplayName="Ivo" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T15:08:22.303" Title="Why are there yellow patches on yard?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14430" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="916" CreationDate="2014-10-20T01:30:27.427" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some gardeners intentionally mound soil against the base of a tomato plant as it grows to encourage the production of additional roots. I have done this but I have not observed any obvious benefits in terms of overall plant health or the number of tomatoes produced. Another approach is to plant the seedling in a slight depression, and then to mound the soil against the base as the plant grows. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7347" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T01:30:27.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14431" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1275" CreationDate="2014-10-20T01:50:10.543" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have areas in my garden that are shaded where I have dug trenches 18 inches deep. I have put the cat litter in the trench, and then covered with soil. Because the area is shaded, it is unlikely to be used later by any subsequent owner for vegetable production. Also, the pathogens are unlikely to persist after two years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7347" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T01:50:10.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14432" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14433" CreationDate="2014-10-20T02:27:07.743" Score="3" ViewCount="121" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a pretty typically barren New Mexico (zone 7a) yard, and I'm thinking of trying some intensive amendment to control weeds, improve the soil, and add some visual interest.  What I've read here as well as some other places has led me down the path of putting a zillion cubic yards of compost from the city water treatment plant over the existing totally barren desert ground. It's very cheap and made up of a great-looking mix of biosolids, yard trimmings, and animal stable bedding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My next thought was that the weeds will love this stuff, and so I ought to cover all this compost with a cardboard weed barrier. But I'd need to anchor the cardboard down somehow, and it will look ugly. So I'd better put a top layer of maybe some nice-looking bark mulch over it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But this all now sounds very complicated, and the engineer in me doesn't like the inefficiency of using two additional layers simply to facilitate weed control. And acquiring enough cardboard will be tough. Is there any way I can stop the weeds using just the compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a few years of this, I'd like to plant a southwestern-friendly groundcover, but I'm not sure what yet (Current thoughts are Blue Grama grass or hardy Ice Plant). Should I maybe plant whatever groundcover plants I want right into the compost and use them to out-compete the weeds and block the sun?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-20T03:08:02.977" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T03:08:02.977" Title="Amending a barren yard with compost: dedicated weed barrier or no?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14433" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14432" CreationDate="2014-10-20T03:06:56.063" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Actually, what would be ideal is to get short-term cover crops on the area soon after amending, and either till them in when mature, or dump new compost on them, whichever come first. They will help keep the weeds down, and help keep the available nitrogen in cycle (so it doesn't leach). Any fast growing annual cover crop will do. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I actually think it would be better to have a weed cover than covering with cardboard and bark. Your idea is great, getting all this new organic matter down, and will really improve your gardening experience.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T03:06:56.063" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14434" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-20T05:51:15.190" Score="4" ViewCount="185" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my friends gave me this plant as present about two weeks ago. Now it`s starting to dry out, while retaining green leaves (without yellowing). At first I watered it every day, but now water it every two days. What is the name of this plant and how can I save it?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ub8rG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7235" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-20T10:19:27.697" LastActivityDate="2015-03-20T16:15:02.667" Title="What is the name of this houseplant, and how can I prevent it from drying out?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14429" CreationDate="2014-10-20T09:50:10.367" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;First off, where in California do you live and what type of grass? Is it St.  Augustine (has runners and thick blades) or thin blades?  Since the patches started in a drought, are they or are most of them adjacent to concrete or pavement? If so,  it may be chinch bugs. See here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r785301211.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r785301211.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are very common here in Florida where I live in summer.  You can tell because the spots usually spread out from the center next to concrete or pavement. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this looks to be the case,  go about a half foot to foot from the edge of where the spot stops on the green grass.  Slit it about a foot,  put a white sheet of paper under it and shake the grass. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If small black bugs,  round and with wings drop out,  it is probably cinch bugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the grass is spotty on blades before dying it may be a fungus. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please give us more info so we can help you better.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7348" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-10-20T15:08:22.303" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T15:08:22.303" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14436" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-20T10:44:12.010" Score="8" ViewCount="9930" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming any of the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;there's an unnoticed steel nail in a log used in some structure or&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;there's an unnoticed steel nail in a tree body (often happens when people attach illegal ads to trees)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And let's assume the nail is rather thick - 3 millimeters or thicker.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What happens if I cut such a tree or log with a chainsaw and the chainsaw meets the nail? Would it likely cut no problem or will any damage likely happen?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-20T22:09:27.480" LastActivityDate="2019-10-31T13:42:43.470" Title="What happens when a chainsaw chain meets a nail or piece of steel wire when cutting through wood?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;protection&gt;&lt;chainsaw&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14437" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14436" CreationDate="2014-10-20T12:55:44.160" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you tried? Basically a good, sharp chainsaw will pretty much chew through nails and wire embedded in timber. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That doesn't mean you want to do it! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want to ensure your saw avoids contact - even briefly - with metal obstacles in your wood. Because such contact will very very quickly blunt your saw. And if you value your time at all, you don't want to be chainsawing with a blunt saw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An expert (which I am not) may be able to give you a fuller answer, involving safety issues, and damage to the saw itself ... but basically your number one problem is that you will blunt the teeth on your saw. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T12:55:44.160" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14438" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-20T16:28:01.360" Score="1" ViewCount="70" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking on the internet, I see a lot of plans for an underground dog waste composting systems. They basically all consist of a well drained barrel like container, buried underground, with a small access pipe to the surface. You throw the waste in there, and it breaks down and oozes into the subsoil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone ever tried something like this, and did it work well for you?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the city, with a small lot, and have 2 medium-large sized dogs, so they produce quite a lot of waste. I'm not really interested in using any of the compost for gardening at this time, instead I'm just more interested in having an easier method to dispose of it rather than having to bag it up and deal with it that way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="67" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T16:28:01.360" Title="In ground dog composters, are they effective?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;dog&gt;&lt;yard&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2014-10-21T15:06:20.547" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14439" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14441" CreationDate="2014-10-20T18:04:37.260" Score="7" ViewCount="470" Body="&lt;p&gt;I love the idea of edible landscapes, and asparagus is a nice early season treat that can wind up looking great in certain areas. BUT I don't want to waste time planting it all over if the deer are just going to eat it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have experience with this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-20T21:43:05.680" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T00:01:14.257" Title="Is asparagus deer resistant?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;asparagus&gt;&lt;wildlife&gt;&lt;deer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14440" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14454" CreationDate="2014-10-20T20:01:57.643" Score="6" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have great moss growing between and on the bricks on a patio on the north side of our house. It always seems to do well. This fall I slipped on what I thought was mud, but actually appears to be rotting moss - it's like a dark brown, slippery, slime:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vo7I1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been happening for the past few weeks, starting before the leaves on the trees started to fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what's going on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-10-22T17:13:16.317" LastActivityDate="2014-10-22T17:14:07.423" Title="What is killing my moss?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;moss&gt;&lt;rot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14441" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14439" CreationDate="2014-10-20T21:41:59.417" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, asparagus is listed as deer resistant &lt;sup&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;1,&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wirelessdeerfence.com/lp/deer-resistant-vegetables/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;2,&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.almanac.com/content/deer-resistant-plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;3,&lt;/a&gt; etc&lt;/sup&gt;, but in my experience, they love the new shoots, and can be almost as bad in this respect as groundhogs, at least in my yard. They do seem to avoid adult plants when possible. So, if you can't fence, it may get eaten as it emerges, as it sounds like your local deer are widening their menus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-09T00:01:14.257" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T00:01:14.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14442" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14436" CreationDate="2014-10-20T22:05:39.960" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;To add on to what Tea Drinker says, which is what happens on contact with metal, I don't ever use a chainsaw without wearing goggles, a helmet with mesh visor, protective chaps, heavy-duty gloves (make sure they don't go up past your wrist, or they will be easy to catch onto), and tight-fitting heavy-duty long sleeve shirt. I've never had any accidents. I think safe is better than sorry, especially when working on clients' properties, to give them a feeling of security. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will go dull within seconds of hitting steel. I haven't had a chain fly off for this reason, but it is possible, so always dress prepared, and don't let yourself get comfortable. It's very inefficient time and money wise to have to happen chainsaw blades every few minutes, so if you have a tree which is riddled with steel, it's best to leave it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also of note: in areas like where I am, where hunting is a big thing, it's common to find lead bullets buried in the tree, and they can be anywhere in the diameter, depending on how long ago the shot was fired. These will dull the blades, but not nearly as much as steel. Just note that lead poisoning is not fun, so watch that you don't inhale the sawdust or rub it into your skin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-20T22:05:39.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14445" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14434" CreationDate="2014-10-21T11:58:07.327" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This may seem a bit obvious, but maybe go back to watering it everyday? ! Is the soil most or dry when you water it? If it is dry (no moisture, crumbles apart) you need to water it more often or give it more water when you do). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7348" LastEditorUserId="7348" LastEditDate="2014-10-21T13:16:29.280" LastActivityDate="2014-10-21T13:16:29.280" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14434" CreationDate="2014-10-21T13:00:01.900" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sadly I cannot identify the plant, but I would start by repotting the plant.  If the plant looks to be root bound, spread up the roots and place into a larger pot.  If it is not root bound something about the same size should do fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3593" LastActivityDate="2014-10-21T13:00:01.900" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14447" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14448" CreationDate="2014-10-21T17:36:38.827" Score="6" ViewCount="760" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's the name of this plant and where can one find it? The picture is taken in the Austrian Alps in maybe 2500m.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click image for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EcWlL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EcWlL.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7353" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-21T20:28:15.367" LastActivityDate="2014-10-21T20:28:15.367" Title="What is this pink flowering alpine shrub?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14448" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14447" CreationDate="2014-10-21T17:43:13.903" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhododendron_ferrugineum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rhododendron ferrugineum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or alpenrose. This plant can be found in European mountain ranges in high altitudes, mainly above the tree line. Here's a similar picture I've found, for comparison:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R5SEa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-21T17:48:42.787" LastActivityDate="2014-10-21T17:48:42.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14449" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14483" CreationDate="2014-10-21T18:01:51.947" Score="5" ViewCount="637" Body="&lt;p&gt;The picture was taken in the German Alps in about 1500m. What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VXtXr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VXtXr.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;Click for full-size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7353" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-10-21T20:22:39.057" LastActivityDate="2014-10-26T17:35:37.593" Title="What is this plant with white flowers found in the German Alps?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14450" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13975" CreationDate="2014-10-21T23:47:19.767" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think @Alpar is on to something, and I'll guess his suggestion of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/lepista-flaccida.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lepista flaccida&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; is correct, as it is widespread throughout Europe and North America, and both the color and form are variable, to the point where people have tried to distinguish individual spores.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Many people have difficulty identifying the Tawny Funnel, and this is hardly surprising because in both shape and colour it is very variable. Many authors have tried to separate it into a number of distinct taxa, either at species or variety level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lepista flaccida&lt;/em&gt; is edible, although of poor flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-21T22:24:20.553" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T22:24:20.553" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14451" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14326" CreationDate="2014-10-22T00:50:25.153" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dolgo is considered a semi-dwarfing stock. I believe grafting a crabapple tree onto a standard apple rootstock will produce a larger, but not full-sized tree. I haven't found any sources from people who have done it, but logically, evening out the characteristics (the smaller growth habit of the crab, and the bigger supply from the standard apple, which has the potential to give more energy than the crab can utilize, especially under ideal conditions), the tree will be sturdy, bigger, but not standard size. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crabapples are usually more disease resistant and poor condition tolerant than standard apples, which is why standard apples are often grafted onto crab apple rootstocks. Reverse this, and I'd expect reversed performance as well, in these regards. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, standard apples are often healthy seedlings, but seedlings will be slightly variable in all respects, because of genetics. If you want to go higher quality, you can clone a disease resistant and vigorous tree for use as a rootstock, by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oldbookillustrations.com/pages/mound-layering.php?lng=en&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mound layering&lt;/a&gt;. You basically cut the original stem down (coppice), and then when the new shoots are a suitable height, mound soil up around the, to promote new root growth. The process is summed up in the picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AaSuf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-22T00:50:25.153" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14418" CreationDate="2014-10-22T13:11:18.570" Score="7" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Although much root activity occupies the top 6 inches of soil, many vegetables need 2 feet of soil or more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/soil-depth-planting-vegetables-raised-bed-47491.html&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Janet Beal&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The depth of your bed will be determined by what you want to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shallow roots  - 12-18&quot; - Leafy greens, broccoli, cabbage, raddish&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Medium roots - 18-24&quot; -  beans, cantaloupe, cucumbers, summer squash and &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;carrots&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Deep roots - 24-36&quot; -  pumpkins, winter squash, watermelons, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, asparagus, and rhubarb &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend a double dug bed. Which means, digging down one shovel length, setting the soil aside, and then digging down one more shovel length. The length of a spade shovel is roughly between 8 and 12 inches, so this results in a 16-24&quot; depth. &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Never&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; have I actually dug down 3 feet for a garden. 2 feet is plenty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like that is going to be a &lt;em&gt;ton&lt;/em&gt; of work though. (I know, I've tilled up land just like you describe by hand. I ended up with a pile of bricks chest high and several feet in diameter.) So, with that in mind, you may want to dig down just one shovel length (12&quot;) and build a raised bed on top of that. It's a little more pricey to go that route, but you'll save yourself hours upon hours of labor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3535" LastActivityDate="2014-10-22T13:11:18.570" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14440" CreationDate="2014-10-22T16:54:47.960" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like slime mould and I'm pretty sure it is - it's possible for this to grow over and in moss if the area has been pretty wet for a while, the same way it can on lawns. You could try blasting the affected areas with a high pressure hose, or at least with the tap turned on full. If that doesn't work, what will work is mosskiller - which of course you don't want to use because it'll kill the moss too. On the other hand, it's pretty dangerous and slippy as it is. If you can bear to leave it, it should just pass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-10-22T17:14:07.423" LastActivityDate="2014-10-22T17:14:07.423" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14455" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-23T06:58:38.320" Score="1" ViewCount="32" Body="&lt;p&gt;Starting from which temperature it doesn't make sense anymore to keep carrots in the ground if their final destination is consumption?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in the midst of autumn here and last week we had still 20 °C. Now it has drop to 10-15.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When do they stop growing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2014-10-23T06:58:38.320" Title="When to dig out carrots for consumption at the latest in autumn?" Tags="&lt;carrots&gt;&lt;fall-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-10-23T16:40:17.690" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14457" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-23T15:42:12.540" Score="5" ViewCount="418" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just moved to a new house and I have noticed a nice patch of columbines. I love columbines so I would love to have them back next spring. I live in Toronto (Zone 5-6). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was wondering what should I do with them before winter. Should I cut them down to the ground or should I leave the foliage as it is? I know they strive in the wild so probably they don't need to be protected like roses. Are they perennials or do they just reseed? If they just reseed then I rather cut them right to the ground because they have leaf miners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7271" LastActivityDate="2014-10-23T18:21:41.180" Title="How to care for columbines before winter (Zone 5-6)?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14458" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14457" CreationDate="2014-10-23T18:21:41.180" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No need to do anything special with them in your zone. I prefer to leave mine stand through the winter, and then cut them back in the spring just as everything is starting to green up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the leaf miner damage you are seeing, how much damage is there? My columbine almost all show some leaf miner activity, but never enough to bother them. And by this point in the season, most likely the damage you are seeing is from miners that are long gone. Unless you have an unusual problem, I'd be inclined not to worry about it and leave the plants stand over winter. Standing perennials do tend to collect and hold snow a bit better, and this will protect the roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2014-10-23T18:21:41.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14221" CreationDate="2014-10-23T18:47:54.530" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you've already found, this is actually &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=e966&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Megaskepasma Erythrochlamys&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or Brazilian Red Cloak, not a shrimp plant, &lt;em&gt;Justicia brandegeana&lt;/em&gt;. This plant is native to Venezuela.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's, a comparison pic, from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.devonstorknursery.com.au/gallery4.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e57y9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-11T23:34:29.767" LastActivityDate="2015-02-11T23:34:29.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14460" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5319" CreationDate="2014-10-23T18:50:54.123" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am quite sure but not positive that this plant is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixora_coccinea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ixora coccinea&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It is very commonly used as an ornamental flowering shrub in tropical and subtropical landscapes. As a houseplant, it will require direct sunlight- a south facing window and as close to the window as possible.  In nature they prefer full blasting sun. Keep the night temps above 50 degrees F.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will not bloom heavily in the depth of the winter- day length too short. Due to lack of natural predators, it will be susceptible to many insect problem kept as a houseplant including scale, mealy bug, and white fly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will benefit greatly from being kept outside in warm weather months and fertilized regularly during the active growth periods of May-September.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7337" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-23T18:58:03.290" LastActivityDate="2014-10-23T18:58:03.290" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14461" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14505" CreationDate="2014-10-23T20:44:28.067" Score="2" ViewCount="1000" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant (in the foreground of the picture) appears to be dying after a storm last tuesday. The leaves has got a darkish colour, and the flowers are turning brownish. They are supposed to be bright red and white respectively, like the other one in the background of the picture. I'm located in Sydney, Australia. How I can revive it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3qDxX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;: Updated the species of the plant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="723" LastEditorUserId="723" LastEditDate="2014-11-01T08:12:33.037" LastActivityDate="2014-11-01T08:12:33.037" Title="Hedge plant (Photinia Robusta) looks like it is dying. Is there anything I can do?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14462" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14463" CreationDate="2014-10-23T22:03:12.430" Score="6" ViewCount="2451" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know what kind of bird seed would be good for the birds in the Houston area without attracting pests or creating a harmful environment for my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried going to the local pet store, but they usually have very specialized bird seed for pets, rather then for wild birds. Other research has indicated that many packaged bird seed will include fillers which are harmful to the environment and the birds by becoming bacteria factories. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't really have a preference about which birds I attract. I don't know which birds are good or bad, but I'd just like to have more of them around. Omnivorous birds that also eat the skeeters would be nice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems sunflower seeds will work for a wide variety of birds, but will also attract squirrels, which will take all the seeds and leave none for the birds. What solutions do I have?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7142" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-23T23:17:28.917" LastActivityDate="2014-10-24T02:32:53.483" Title="What birdseed can I use to attract native birds in Houston, TX, that won't attract squirrels?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;birds&gt;&lt;wildlife&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14463" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14462" CreationDate="2014-10-23T23:15:23.367" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Squirrels will eat just about any kind of bird seed. However, they don't prefer safflower seed. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wbu.com/education/safflowersolution.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are squirrels driving you nuts? Do blackbirds and grackles crowd your feeder chasing away the birds you want to see?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If so, you can try the safflower solution! Safflower is a small, white seed that is high in protein and fat. Many favorite backyard birds - including jays, cardinals, chickadees, House Finches, doves, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, titmice and White-breasted Nuthatches - savor safflower. Blackbirds, grackles and squirrels typically do not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They avoid safflower seeds, but these are expensive, and squirrels will eat it too, if they are hungry enough. This doesn't work for everyone, and if you have red squirrels, it may not work at all. What I would do is use mess-free food, and use squirrel-proof feeders.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would use a hulled mix. This is basically the same as other seed, but doesn't have the seed hulls, so it's about 100% digestible. Other pluses: It doesn't start growing if it lands in a garden or lawn, and the birds don't leave the hulls all over the ground, as they will especially with sunflower seeds. About fillers, you should read the ingredient list. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.petco.com/product/6091/Kaytee-Waste-Free-Wild-Bird-Food.aspx#description-tab&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt;'s an example of one that I might use. The ingredient list reads:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hulled sunflower, millet, cracked corn, peanuts, red millet, canary seed, calcium carbonate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now all of these seeds &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt; attract squirrels, so you may have to look into a caged-in squirrel-proof feeder like &lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B001BSDB6A&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;, even though that may limit the size of the birds you can feed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-10-23T23:15:23.367" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14464" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-23T23:36:27.370" Score="11" ViewCount="595" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have taken a recent interest in gardening, particularly growing herbs and vegetables.&#xA;I don't know much, but I'm going to wing it and learn from trial and error. &#xA;I have a few questions that I really need answered in order to advance with my new future hobby: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What are the easiest and quickest vegetable plants to grow, that are self-sustaining so that I don't have to be constantly buying new seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What should I look for when searching for safe and quality seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are micro-greens worth it? And what are some alternatives? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7360" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-23T23:55:47.280" LastActivityDate="2014-11-04T02:47:20.353" Title="What are some good vegetables for a beginner, and how do I find quality seeds?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14462" CreationDate="2014-10-23T23:56:47.123" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, maybe my comment lead to an answer after all. After researching bird peppers a little, I found that they sell spicy bird seed (protected by habaneros) to keep squirrels out! I don't think it's made from peppers, but it uses peppers to protect the seed or something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's a variety of Texas bird pepper, too. So, I imagine that might attract local birds, if it's native to that area (I think it's the only pepper native to North America, anyway, whether or not from Texas).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B005DQHHJI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here's an example of the aforementioned bird seed (Cole's BH05 Blazing Hot Blend Bird Seed, 5-Pound on Amazon.com)&lt;/a&gt;. It specifically states &quot;Say no to squirrels!&quot; on the package. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2014-10-23T23:56:47.123" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14466" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14464" CreationDate="2014-10-24T00:00:00.327" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know you asked about vegetables, but I see you mentioned herbs too. I've found that basil is the easiest thing to grow. It's practically a weed and you'll get plenty of seed from it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for vegetables, I've had a lot of success with green beans. In particular, I find &lt;a href=&quot;http://myfolia.com/plants/35-bean-phaseolus-vulgaris/varieties/131347-ejote-silvestre&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ejote Silvestre&lt;/a&gt; quite easy to grow. They're not real picky and you'll also get plenty of seed from them at the end of the year. Fall clean up can be a bit of work though. I also like carrots. They're fairly maintenance free as well, although, they won't seed until the second year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what you mean by &quot;safe&quot; seed, but since you want to save the seed, stay away from anything that says &quot;hybrid&quot; on the package. Hybrids are crossbreed for specific traits. Often they're infertile. Other times, the child plants just don't grow or fruit like their parents. Personally, I like Burpee's organic line, but there are many &quot;mail order&quot; seed providers out there. I recommend doing some of your own online research to find a company you like. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3535" LastEditorUserId="3535" LastEditDate="2014-10-24T09:58:40.420" LastActivityDate="2014-10-24T09:58:40.420" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14467" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14464" CreationDate="2014-10-24T01:44:23.650" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably the easiest and most self-sustaining plants to grow are the invasive ones, although you have to be careful, because they are invasive. You may or may not have neighbors that care about this, and there may or may not be laws you’ll need to consider for certain kinds of plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might consider growing the following (not all of which are invasive):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/purslane-green/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Purslane&lt;/a&gt; is pretty nice stuff nutritionally. It’s very easy to grow and can be invasive. It has a lot of omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin A and other nutrients. It should be easily self-sustaining, but it may pop up all over your yard, on occasion.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/wild-rocket-arugula/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wild rocket arugula&lt;/a&gt; (diplotaxis tenuifolia) is supposed to be very productive, tasty and can be very sustainable.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/arugula/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Arugula&lt;/a&gt; (eruca sativa) is said to be really easy to grow, and tasty. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/arugula-pronto/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here's a link to another variety&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/mulukhiyah/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mulukhiya&lt;/a&gt; is supposed to be easy to grow in hot and humid climates.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I read somewhere that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/milk-thistle/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;milk thistle&lt;/a&gt; is supposed to be edible (and it’s great for your liver and bile flow, too). It’s also very easy to grow and invasive. However, it is a thistle. It has very deep roots and can be tough to pull up. You might never get rid of it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You might consider wild tomatoes (like the &lt;a href=&quot;http://store.underwoodgardens.com/Wild-Galapagos-Tomato/productinfo/V1182/#.VEmqGYyLKOw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;galapagos tomato&lt;/a&gt;, which has &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120912084751.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;whitefly resistance&lt;/a&gt;) instead of domestic ones, as they're hardier and tend to grow huge from what I hear. Wild tomatoes are not in the same species as domestic tomatoes (so, calling them tomatoes is perhaps somewhat of a misnomer, but they look and taste like tomatoes, and can hybridize with them). I would recommend solanum cheesmaniae (Galapagos tomato), solanum galapagense (another kind of Galapagos tomato) or solanum pimpinellifolium (wild Florida Everglades tomato). Texas wild is another option, but it may or may not just be a feral domestic tomato (although it should have similar attributes to wild ones). Wild tomatoes tend to be more disease-resistant. They tend to be cherry or grape tomatoes in size and they may crawl all over your other plants if they want the sun. They are said to reseed themselves (although there's some controversy about whether the Galapagos tomato does without going through a certain kind of tortoise first (although they grow on islands where that tortoise doesn't exist, apparently; this discrepancy is probably due to the fact that there are two wild Galapagos tomatoes that used to be considered the same species); whatever the case, the kind they sell claiming that it's a Galapagos tomato seems to reseed, and should work fine).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zucchini is very easy to grow. Some people have trouble with squash bugs killing their plants. Though we’ve had squash bugs, they’ve never killed our plants. If you can deal with the bugs, you should be able to have zucchini without problems. It grows fast and early. You can try other summer squash varieties, too, as some of them are more insect resistant. I'm guessing zucchini does pretty well in clay soils, since it has done well in our clay soils. I don't know how it works in soils generally regarded as better than clay, but probably well.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/mammoth-grey-sunflower/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mammoth sunflowers&lt;/a&gt; are also a good option. They reseed themselves. You may, however, want to put the seeds where you want them instead of letting them take over your yard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/amaranth/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Amaranth&lt;/a&gt; is edible, can look very nice, and is very easy to grow, from what I hear. The weed form of this is probably invasive, but I’m not sure about the kinds you buy for food and for show. Some of them probably are, and some probably aren’t.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mint is pretty easy to grow (you can even take cuttings). You might consider unusual kinds like orange mint, lime mint, lemon mint, grapefruit mint, apple mint, pineapple mint, lavender mint and such instead of just spearmint and peppermint, too, for variety. You can root spearmint cuttings in water, and they tend to grow roots quickly, in my experience. You’ll want to know that peppermint is a hybrid of spearmint and watermint, however, and is said to be sterile (so it may not be as self-sustaining as spearmint). Mint tends to spread out and take over. So, if you plant some borders around the mint to keep it from growing out of bounds, that might help, if that concerns you. They say you can mow the mint over after it gets established and it will regrow better than ever. Mint is supposed to be good for attracting beneficial insects and for masking the smell of nearby plants from bad insects. It seems to enjoy fertilizer, but some people say it weakens the mint taste (I don’t know that this is true, however).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Currant bushes seem to be pretty easy to grow (from seed, too, if the fact that they're springing up in places we didn't plant them is an indicator). They also spread. There are very different kinds of bushes, though, and some of them are much easier to pick, it seems (small bushes with clusters of currants, rather than spread all over the place, spaced apart). I'm not sure how easy other varieties are to grow, but our black currants are kind of like wild ones (and currants grow wild where I'm from, too).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chives are a pretty good option. They grow back every year (without needing to reseed) and they require next to nothing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hens and chicks (sempervivum) are an excellent option. They are low-maintenance, and edible, too. They have lots of good herbal properties. I usually eat them on pizza or plain. The flavor can vary (from astringent to sour). I think ours is sempervivum tectorum, but I could be wrong. It is my personal opinion that they add a mild artichoke-like flavor to pizza, but I have not had anyone second me on this, yet. You do not need to worry about saving seeds, because they send out new chicks a lot, and spread. You can save seeds, but I am not sure how difficult it is.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pumpkins are pretty easy to grow. Saving seeds is easy, too. Make sure you either plant them early enough or get a kind that gets ripe in time (if you get the wrong kind for a short growing season, they won't get ripe in time unless you start them inside early or something). You will probably want an heirloom variety (if you're going to save seeds). If you plant it next to spaghetti squash (which is also pretty easy to grow) you will probably get stringy pumpkins. My advice is not to plant spaghetti squash and pumpkins in the same year. Other squashes are probably reasonably easy to grow, but I have not tried many, yet. Squash bugs can be a problem on pumpkins, sometimes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Our tarragon requires no attention and grows huge every year. Tarragon is good in chicken. My sister really prefers the French tarragon, though. That's not what ours is. I read that the French kind is sterile, but it's a perennial. Root division should work, I believe, for propagation. French tarragon is probably more difficult to grow than Russian. Ours is probably the Russian kind, which is said to be hardier and not as tasty. However, it still gives chicken a nice texture, in my experience. It's interesting how a herb can seem to affect meat texture. I don't know how easy tarragon is to get started.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cucumis metuliferus: AKA Jelly melon, Kiwano, African Horned Cucumber, hedged gourd, melano, blowfish fruit. If you have a long growing season, these should be really easy. If you don't, maybe start them early inside. I was fascinated by this melon, because it grows in a desert in Africa. I watched an animal documentary about elephants and other animals that relied on it for water and food, and so I searched it out to find out what kind it was. Customer reviews say it requires very little attention and grows huge. The melons are often hidden in the growth and you may not notice them until way later. For a lot of people, they may not get ripe in time. So, if you don't have a long growing season, consider planting inside early (although I've never tried it to see if it works).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Citron watermelon: This isn't your regular watermelon, and it doesn't taste like it either. However, it is supposed to be easy to grow. It's also a wild African melon and it's said that it might be an ancestor of modern watermelons. Seeds may grow out of the melon itself if you leave it in the pantry too long, according to one customer review I read (that's what they do in the wild). You usually eat the flesh cooked. It's not an early melon, but it's not ridiculously long, either. You may want to start it indoors.&#xA;** I don't recommend regular watermelon to you, though, unless you want to grow it (go ahead), but, I like ranting, so I'll give you some information. Just know that watermelon generally needs watering enough, and the roots can be sensitive (and up to a meter deep). Disturbing them isn't a good idea, especially, I hear, if you want large melons. Some say it's good to make sure there isn't anything in the way of the taproot on its way down (so, maybe dig a meter and make sure no rocks are in the way, and loosen up the soil). You don't want to plant watermelons in a raised bed with black plastic underneath it unless the soil is deep enough (at least a meter), or else you just might get small and potentially soft melons. Desert king looks like a great regular heirloom watermelon that withstands drought and heat. It might be a consideration if you want to try regular watermelons instead of the wild kind, but I don't know how easy it is to grow aside from that. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some plants you might want to consider, but that may be more difficult to get started. Once started, you shouldn't have to worry about them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Comfrey, while lightly toxic, once it gets established it’s hard to get rid of it. It may or may not be difficult to get it established. Its roots are supposed to be great for treating sprained ankles. It attracts bumblebees like no other plant I’ve seen. Grasshoppers love eating the leaves. It can be an attractive plant. It enjoys sun and if properly established, has no trouble with dry soil that is never watered. If it’s not well-established, yet, it may need more pampering.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When blackberries really get established, they can be pretty low maintenance (although you may or may not want to prune them). They are not the easiest plants to get established, though. Blackberries taste great and their leaves are an awesome herb. It's my personal opinion that blackberries don't require as much maintenance as raspberries, but some people may or may not argue the point.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some you may want to consider, but that don't quite meet your criteria:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have not tried it yet, but I think the eastern prickly pear might be pretty easy to grow, so long as you don't over-water it or plant it in the wrong kind of soil. They are supposed to be edible (the pads and the fruits). They can handle cold as far as zone 4, at least, I believe.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cantaloupe, though maybe not the easiest to grow, is easy to save seed from. Choose an heirloom variety if you want the same kind of cantaloupe. Make sure you either plant them early enough or get a kind that gets ripe in time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sometimes spinach may be pretty easy, but I wouldn't count on it all the time, and some kinds of it will reseed themselves. Not all of them seem to, however. So, find someone who has some that is growing well, and reseeding, and get some from them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Domestic heirloom tomatoes are not that difficult to grow and save seeds from, but sometimes pests may cause problems. The wild ones are generally supposed to be a lot easier and more pest-resistant, though. Some people have a hard time with tomatoes, but some people think they're the easiest thing they can grow. I recommend at least trying them to see how they work for you.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Similarly, peppers are not terribly difficult as long as you take care of them and get them started right. Some peppers are probably easier than others. A lot of what is easy depends on your climate, hardiness zone, soil and pests, though.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don’t know a lot about microgreens, but I think some peas are supposed to be good for them. Peas are actually relatively easy to grow, and fast. You can eat the peas and the shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for looking for quality and safe seeds, I would be careful about seeds from China. I’ve read reviews for seeds of various plants shipped from China on Amazon.com, and they’re often the wrong plant, or they don’t germinate well or something. I think most of your well-known seed catalogs probably have good seeds most of the time. Check the reviews if you’re concerned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Saving seeds yourself is often a good idea. There are different processes for different kinds of seeds. A lot of the processes might sound complicated, but if you’re only saving them for next year, you probably don’t have to go through as much to preserve them, depending on the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-11-04T02:47:20.353" LastActivityDate="2014-11-04T02:47:20.353" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14468" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14464" CreationDate="2014-10-24T01:59:19.920" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Garlic. About as fool-proof and reliable about making &quot;seed&quot; as they come.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potatoes. As with garlic, if you can grow the crop, you have your &quot;seed.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No fuss about hybrids, cross breeding intentional or not, etc. with the above as it's not an actual seed - you are growing clones. Unlike seed-producing crops, you need to save a significant portion of the harvest for next year's seed material. Use the BEST for seed and eat what's left to improve your stock, rather than eating the biggest and best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Lemon&quot; cucumber. (but you can't grow other cucumbers or various type of squash nearby or you'll get hybrids.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, &quot;open-pollinated&quot; varieties of seed are what you want if you are producing your own seed, and you have to raise the seed-producing stock (at least) in isolation from other varieties of the same vegetable or you get unintentional hybrids that may be good or bad, but in either case are not the plant you started with. Without getting into specific vendor recommendations, you'll notice that some vendors are very clear about what is and is not open pollinated, and have many open pollinated varieties in stock, and others don't. There is also the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seedsavers.org&quot;&gt;Seed Savers Exchange&lt;/a&gt; (not precisely a vendor) and sometimes you will find SSE varieties available from vendors if they have proved popular.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The very classic &quot;easy to grow and quick&quot; (but I don't know about seed production as I have not tried) would have to be radishes. 3-4 weeks to harvest in most cases. I wish I liked eating them better than I actually do, since they are so easy and generally reliable to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also want to consider perennial crops, such as rhubarb, asparagus and (possibly crossing the line to &quot;could be a weed&quot;) Jerusalem Artichoke (also marketed as Sunchokes - and in either case more palatable after they have had a good freeze.) Various berries, vines, shrubs and fruit trees also have the potential of long production from one purchase of &quot;seed&quot; material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the third hand, other than far-fetched scenarios that certain vendors (including some seed vendors, but none I'd purchase from) and political splinter groups like to promote, seed is not that big of an expense, and many hybrids have real advantages that outweigh the small cost of seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2014-10-24T02:38:56.307" LastActivityDate="2014-10-24T02:38:56.307" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14469" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14462" CreationDate="2014-10-24T02:32:53.483" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm extremely doubtful that there is ANY food source for birds (other than sugar-water for hummingbirds, so far anyway) that squirrels won't adapt to exploiting. You can have a fine old time trying to squirrel-proof your feeder, and then step back and see what the squirrels think up to bypass it. If you can move past being irritated by it you can be impressed by what the little demons think up. I have heard good things about but not personally tried &lt;a href=&quot;http://drollyankees.com/product/yankee-flipper/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this latest entry (that I recall anyway) in the war&lt;/a&gt;, which spins the feeder to kick them off; at least until the batteries wear down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;IMPE millet is a filler that most birds don't eat, they just toss it on the ground as they dig for a seed they want, and if you fill a feeder with nothing but millet it will sit there untouched once they figure out there's no good stuff in it. Cracked corn is not much better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you fill a feeder with nothing but hulled sunflower you'll have customers stacked in every bush or tree for quite a distance around (unhulled also works, but makes much more of a mess.) Some of your customers will be squirrels, though (and possibly flying squirrels at night, who are not affected by most of the &quot;exclude by size&quot; &quot;exclude by weight&quot; and &quot;exclude by not able fly&quot; methods that are attempted against gray and red squirrels.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-10-24T02:32:53.483" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14470" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-25T07:12:15.883" Score="1" ViewCount="315" Body="&lt;p&gt;Someone in US gave this plant to my friend who lives in Vietnam, to cure his cancer. It was grown in the US. What is this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f7jEq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7364" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-25T23:09:16.493" LastActivityDate="2014-10-26T01:46:42.747" Title="What is this vine with cordate, alternate leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13530" CreationDate="2014-10-25T17:41:05.263" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Locally a horse-keeper uses sawdust in his stables instead of straw. While I don't know whether this is better or worse for horses it actually solved my problem of &quot;purity&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The horse-owner just scrapes away the &quot;produce&quot; of the horse including a small amount of sawdust instead of replacing huge amounts of straw. Turns out that the resulting manure is purer than straw-based manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got ~0.6 cube-meter fresh product for the moment and there was absolutely no smell (neither in hot nor rainy weather) for 3 months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there is no downside for the horses kept on sawdust I would recommend this as the ideal source of manure for hobby-gardener.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2014-10-25T17:41:05.263" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14473" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14470" CreationDate="2014-10-25T20:04:01.303" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kava&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;kava, &lt;em&gt;Piper methysticum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, to me, or more likely Betel (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Piper betle&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), due to the part where the leaf meets the leaf-stem. I could be wrong. I searched for cancer-curing plants, and it popped up. It looks like it. Whether it may help with cancer, I can't say, but there's probably a reason for the association, whether or not it's an all-out cure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A plant an American sends isn't guaranteed to be an American plant, especially in the realm of alternative medicine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-10-26T01:46:42.747" LastActivityDate="2014-10-26T01:46:42.747" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14474" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14475" CreationDate="2014-10-25T20:41:08.887" Score="5" ViewCount="4228" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I can tell it's a pretty invasive plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's been growing in my New York backyard for decades. It has not come to my attention until recently, now that I have picked up gardening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has light green, glossy, spade shaped (ovate), entire, opposite, and white edged variegated evergreen leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click the image for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Jp8WTrQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Jp8WTrQ.jpg&quot; height=&quot;228&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7360" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-25T21:34:50.977" LastActivityDate="2017-12-09T05:55:51.697" Title="What is this invasive vine/creeper with round, variegated leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14475" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14474" CreationDate="2014-10-25T20:56:35.420" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/variegated-greater-periwinkle-vinca-major-variegata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Vinca major&lt;/em&gt; 'Variegata'&lt;/a&gt;, or variegated &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinca_major&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;greater periwinkle&lt;/a&gt;. And it is an invasive. Here's a picture to compare leaves.:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z74au.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-25T20:56:35.420" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14476" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14477" CreationDate="2014-10-25T21:33:21.667" Score="4" ViewCount="2124" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anyone know what plant this is? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was planted in a large pot a long time ago by a friend. The dirt in the pot has not been changed for years! It blooms around the summer time and stays till mid winter. It is located in New York. It also has a poke berry vine &#xA;growing on the side of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click the images for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/CSWw3zS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/CSWw3zS.jpg&quot; height=&quot;430&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/d4JoaBm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/d4JoaBm.jpg&quot; height=&quot;430&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7360" LastEditorUserId="7360" LastEditDate="2014-10-26T17:44:48.133" LastActivityDate="2014-10-26T17:44:48.133" Title="What is this carefree succulent flowering potted plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14477" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14476" CreationDate="2014-10-25T21:43:52.430" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hylotelephium_spectabile&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sedum spectabile&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, aka &lt;em&gt;Hylotelephium spectabile&lt;/em&gt;. The common name is stonecrop. It is a succulent perennial hardy in all temperate regions, and has been introduced to many of these areas as an ornamental. The flowers attract lots of pollinators, as well as a variety of butterflies. The plant in your picture has finished flowering, and is developing seedheads. Here's a comparison pic:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9zSYP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-26T01:59:17.140" LastActivityDate="2014-10-26T01:59:17.140" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14478" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13530" CreationDate="2014-10-25T23:35:55.173" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can get straw-bedded manure, it's a good thing, IME. The only time the local farms spend on straw tends to be around foaling time - otherwise it's all shavings/wood-chips, which break down considerably slower. Straw has good mechanical aspects for compost aeration (lots of little tubes.) I suspect the &quot;fungicide&quot; argument is a stalking-horse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-10-25T23:35:55.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14479" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-25T23:57:34.973" Score="2" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been looking into organic gardening recently and I remember seeing something that I found very interesting. It had to do with the soil being in perfect balance with bacteria, insects, and the like living in a symbiotic relationship that helps plants thrive. The soil was said to be in a &quot;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;something&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; state&quot; if I remember correctly. Does anyone know the name?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7365" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-26T00:04:52.563" LastActivityDate="2014-10-26T11:46:21.510" Title="What is the ideal state of symbiotic balance in soil called?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14480" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14481" CreationDate="2014-10-26T00:12:53.760" Score="5" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just had our sprinklers blown out, and are starting to suspect the quality of the work we got.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Within 5 minutes of discovering that we had a blowout scheduled, our fee was charged and the guy left. The backyard was wet, but the frontyard was not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to check our sprinklers to see if they have been properly blown out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7366" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-26T00:42:24.703" LastActivityDate="2014-11-07T21:42:16.170" Title="How can I check quality of sprinkler blowouts?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14481" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14480" CreationDate="2014-10-26T00:40:56.047" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If there was no sign of dampness 5 minutes after, if I understood your question properly, then they did not blow out that sprinkler. Look at both sprinklers and compare. If these are retractable, you can't look for grass clippings, and will have to go by how they look. They aren't usually too dirty to start with, so this can be difficult. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also possible that they missed the front (accidentally), but they (or most folks, sadly) will tend to deny all accusations/insinuations toward possible unfinished or lazy work. I think the best thing to do is find someone else to do this for you in the future, and be there when they are working. You can look at their work before they leave.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-26T01:25:30.427" LastActivityDate="2014-10-26T01:25:30.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14479" CreationDate="2014-10-26T11:46:21.510" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;'Perfect ecological balance' is the term usually used - bit of a misnomer really, because even if the symbiotic and ecological processes are 'perfect' at one point, they will fluctuate and alter over time. The basis of organic gardening (other than the non use of pesticides/herbicides and chemical feeds) is that you put back into the soil what's been taken out by adding composted, humus rich materials frequently. These 'inoculate' exhausted soils and encourage a good diversity of bacteria, fungal spores and micro bio diversity generally, all of which enables plants to grow well, without the need to add chemical feeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-10-26T11:46:21.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14483" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14449" CreationDate="2014-10-26T15:52:18.340" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not familiar with European plants, and I can't find a checklist of the flora of Germany, but this looks very much like a cinquefoil (&lt;em&gt;Potentilla&lt;/em&gt;). &lt;em&gt;P. caulescens&lt;/em&gt; looks to be a common species of rocky alpine areas in western Europe ( &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.biome-explorer.net/Mountains/Alpine%20Mountain%20Vegetation.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;In the Alps&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;Potentilla caulescens&lt;/em&gt; is often the main character species of carbonate rock in the true alpine zone&quot;).   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tluJK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Potentilla_caulescens_(Kalkfelsen-Fingerkraut)_IMG_28242.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastEditorUserId="392" LastEditDate="2014-10-26T17:35:37.593" LastActivityDate="2014-10-26T17:35:37.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14484" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14486" CreationDate="2014-10-26T17:07:22.957" Score="4" ViewCount="909" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the first year, my cycad was a stout and aesthetic little plant. But then its annual fronds shot out. And they kept shooting out. And today the plant looks like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Oeywd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;out of control cycad&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each frond is about 2 feet long. That makes for a big footprint in a small NYC apartment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to manage the directionality of its fronds and the plant's overall growth? (Is it too late?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="491" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-27T03:53:54.713" LastActivityDate="2014-11-07T21:10:32.197" Title="How can I keep my cycad from growing too large?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14485" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14488" CreationDate="2014-10-26T17:29:12.073" Score="7" ViewCount="11189" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my apple trees recently started to look like it's dying (leaves dying when they shouldn't, bark peeling, lack of fruit, new branches growing and then quickly dying). My neighbor looked at it and noticed lots of small holes, pointing out that borers were living in it and that's what was killing the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I then noticed the same thing in several other of my currently healthy trees, and I have a wide range of trees with them (pine, pecan, almond, lemon, orange, peach, cherry, grapefruit, and much more).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, are there are any tips on treating this? I hear they sell treatments at some of the local stores, though I'm really trying to stay away from chemical treatments whenever possible. Any tips, commercial treatments, or homegrown solutions? I'm completely new to having all these trees too (came with a property I bought) so you're helping a complete beginner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7368" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-27T17:48:42.213" LastActivityDate="2014-10-27T17:48:42.213" Title="How do I treat and care for trees infested with borers?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14486" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14484" CreationDate="2014-10-26T22:51:34.600" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a very interesting looking plant! It looks like it has been repotted into a larger pot than the original. Cycads like root space, so all the new soil promoted lots of root growth, which can support lots of top growth. That (I'm pretty sure) is what happened here. Cycads can grow large. I'm guessing that you have &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41933/0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Encephalartos lanatus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, which can easily get over 4 1/2' high and wide. They will grow fast (relatively) in a large pot, so to keep them slower, you have to keep them root-bound in a smaller pot. They tolerate this, and grow much slower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yours has very long leaf stems and is kind of scrawny, which is a sign of etiolation (the adverse effects of low light on plant growth). If you need to keep it small, I'd take it from it's pot, remove the soil, and put it in a smaller pot, that holds the roots, but not with much extra space. The idea is something like bonsai, but not to that extent. When the plant puts out some new smaller leaves, you can cut the long ones out (one at a time). Giving them strong light will also promote strong but compact growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For now, using a support to keep the floppy fronds up and out of the way is a good idea, as long as you ensure that they still get good lighting. Overhead lighting won't provide full coverage when the fronds are arranged vertically. Side lighting may be beneficial. This will not harm the plant, and it will still be able to put out new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-27T21:00:11.903" LastActivityDate="2014-10-27T21:00:11.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14487" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5463" CreationDate="2014-10-27T09:19:25.307" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;So just to clarify, with my Rudbeckia I can just leave them in the pots for the winter, dead head them only!! I am planning to move the pots closer to the house, and to the fence, as I do every year with my potted plants, I find it protects them from the full force of the elements. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7371" LastActivityDate="2014-10-27T09:19:25.307" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14488" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14485" CreationDate="2014-10-27T17:44:01.110" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, there are many types of borers these could be. Here are a few groups:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longhorn_beetle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Longhorned Beetles/Roundheaded Borers (Cerambycidae)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buprestidae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Metallic Wood Borers/Flatheaded Borers (Buprestidae)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curculionidae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Weevils (Curculionidae)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesiidae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Clearwing Borers (Sessiidae)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cossidae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Carpenterworms (Cossidae)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horntail&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Horntails (Siricidae)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bark_beetle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bark Beetles (Scolytidae)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Knowing when the adults are active and flying/laying eggs will help with control. &lt;a href=&quot;https://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/b-5086.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is some useful information on prevention:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Prevention&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since most wood-boring insects are considered secondary invaders, the first line of defense against infestation is to keep plants healthy. Proper care of trees and shrubs discourages many borer pests and helps infested plants survive. Good sap f low from healthy, vigorously growing trees, for example, defends the plant from damage by many borer pests. Good horticultural practices include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Selecting well adapted species of trees and shrubs that are not commonly attacked by wood borers in your area. Arizona ash, birch, cottonwood, locust, soft maple, flowering stone fruits (such as peaches and plums), slash pines (in west Texas), willow and poplar are especially prone to borer attack.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Choosing and preparing a good planting site to avoid plant stress, freeze damage, sun scald and wind burn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Minimizing plant stress and stimulating growth by using proper watering and fertilization practices.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoiding injury to tree trunks from lawn mowers, weed trimmers or construction.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Properly thinning and pruning during [proper] months.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Removing and destroying infested, dying or dead plants or plant parts, including fallen limbs.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, the borers will go for the weakest trees around, so the more ideal of conditions you can provide, like plenty of organic matter, water, proper fertilization, the better your trees chances are against borers (or almost every other pest problem, actually).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, for control, that can be hard. Again, from the same source, here are some methods of control:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Non-chemical control for infested plants&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once trees and shrubs are infested, non chemical options for borer control are limited. One option is to remove and destroy heavily infested or injured plants. Damage sites also can be inspected closely to determine if the larvae stages can be extracted from the plant with a pocket knife, wire or other suitable tool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Chemical control&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is important to remember that stressed, unhealthy trees can be attacked repeatedly and will need repeated applications of insecticide indefinitely. In most cases this is neither economical nor environmentally justified. When chemical treatments are used, efforts always should be made to improve overall tree health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of these products are applied as sprays to the trunks and branches, and are non-systemic, residual insecticides (e.g., bendiocarb, carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, endosulfan, es-fenvalerate, f luvalinate, lin-dane, methoxychlor, sumithion). While these products do not kill larvae that have already penetrated the sap-wood or heartwood, they will kill adult and larval stages tunneling through the treated bark layer. These are primarily a preventive treatment. Some products (those containing paradichlorobenzene and ethylene dichloride) act as fumigants to repel egg-laying adults or kill accessible larvae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, chemical sprays are ineffective against borers once they are inside the tree. They will be effective against adult around and laying eggs on the tree at the time of spraying, and also newly emerged larvae before they enter the bark. Some adult borers, such as metallic wood borers, and longhorned beetles, will feed on the leaves of host trees, so canopy sprays can be effective where these are noticed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This table will also be of use, although localized to Colorado. The flight periods may differ by location:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kf1Vf.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-10-27T17:44:01.110" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14489" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3824" CreationDate="2014-10-28T09:07:25.903" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on your local laws it might be forbidden to burn so-called &quot;garden waste&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;IMO for good reason: keep in mind, burning any organic material does not only produce CO2. CO2 is invisible, so all the smoke is &quot;something else&quot;. There is stream of course, steam is white. The gray/dark part is what should worry people. This is the stuff creating sour rain and that smell. Of course some of the toxic parts are invisible as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should consider every alternative. Composting, Creating leaf-mold in plastic bags, giving it to your neighbors who know of the value of leaves, bringing it to the dump yard/composting yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should never burn grass. Ever. It is even worse than leaves regarding the toxic emissions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just don't burn mother nature's fruits. Sorry for getting too romantic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2014-10-28T12:16:23.167" LastActivityDate="2014-10-28T12:16:23.167" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14490" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3824" CreationDate="2014-10-28T13:10:10.333" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only things you should be burning would be &lt;strong&gt;specifically diseased materials&lt;/strong&gt; where composting them could perpetuate disease. Otherwise, &lt;strong&gt;don't burn the materials, period.&lt;/strong&gt; Grass clippings make a wonderful mulch and compost easily, for instance. Leaves turn into leaf mold, one of the nicest materials you can introduce your garden to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using a bucket to burn in does not increase safety significantly on a windy day, as embers and lightweight burning material can be blown out of the bucket by wind passing over the top and start fires. A bucket is also not a particularly effective combustor as there is only one way for oxygen (air) to get into it - through the open top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, and only if, you have a mass of &lt;strong&gt;diseased&lt;/strong&gt; plant material to dispose of and for some reason (what, I can't imagine) needed to do so on a windy day without simply waiting for a non-windy day, then you would need &lt;strong&gt;a stove or incinerator with screening to contain sparks&lt;/strong&gt;, (also known as a &quot;spark arrestor&quot; on the exhaust side, but you need to contain sparks from the intake side as well) so the materials could be burned without the possibility of sparks, embers or entire flaming bits of material being picked up by the wind (or sucked/blown out the stove-pipe) and causing a fire elsewhere. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And indeed, in many cases the local authorities will take a dim view of ANY burning on a windy day, and un-needed burning on any day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2014-10-28T15:02:45.130" LastActivityDate="2014-10-28T15:02:45.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14491" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8639" CreationDate="2014-10-28T19:21:29.953" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Treat it like a green roof. Use one of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jamacsales.com/dt_portfolio/soprema-sopradrain-15-g/&quot;&gt;green roof products&lt;/a&gt; as your base layer on the concrete and build something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.charlestongreenroofs.com/what_are_green_roofs&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; - minus the insulating layers. There are even growing mediums specifically designed for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rooflitesoil.com/lawn-roof&quot;&gt;turf&lt;/a&gt;. The soil is engineered to drain well, and the drainboard will carry water to the extremities of the concrete area. This is likely to cost a lot more than a dog play area warrants, but it can be done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2014-10-28T19:21:29.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14492" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-10-28T19:22:31.897" Score="7" ViewCount="271" Body="&lt;p&gt;We noticed some seedlings emerging from the flower head of an unidentified grass flower head yesterday. None of us had seen this before and we wondered how common it was and if it is more prevalent under certain conditions. How common is this? Also are these sprouts, which would either drop singularly or attached to the seed head when it drops, as vigorous as seed germinating in or on the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are photos for anyone who thinks they might be able to ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kEBpX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;vivivaporous grass flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O2I37.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;viviparous grass plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tfKlO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;grasses&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2014-10-31T15:20:25.400" LastActivityDate="2017-11-03T04:20:05.633" Title="What is this grass and how prevalent is vivipary in grasses?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14493" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14496" CreationDate="2014-10-28T22:33:11.270" Score="4" ViewCount="202" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts and have some begonias that have been very happy all summer planted in a mostly shady area of my garden. The recent cold nights have caused the flowers to fall and the leaves to wilt, however they're still alive. I know begonias can be houseplants, but my question is whether or not I can successfully uproot them and expect them to survive the transition to a container and a warm house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T11:43:31.387" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T11:43:31.387" Title="Can I dig up a wilting Begonia in the garden and turn it into a houseplant?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;begonia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14494" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14495" CreationDate="2014-10-29T01:35:17.740" Score="11" ViewCount="899" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since pumpkins are organic material, I'm assuming it would be okay to add them to a composting pile. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any reason as to why pumpkins shouldn't be composted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-29T03:12:06.847" LastActivityDate="2014-12-02T04:29:40.437" Title="Is it possible to recycle a Jack-o'-lantern into compost?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14495" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14494" CreationDate="2014-10-29T02:35:42.520" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pumpkins are easy to compost. If they were used for crafts/decoration, it's possible that they contain inorganic matter such as paint, ribbon, candle wax, plastic twine, foil, etc. Make sure all such material (if any) is removed. The seeds will survive all but the hottest compost heaps, and can be a nuisance later. I don't usually worry about it, and pull pumpkin seedlings with the weeds, but you &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; roast and eat them, save them for next years seed (they may be from hybrids, so don't expect much uniformity), or run them through a food processor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pumpkins are a green (high nitrogen) material, so leaving them whole will cause improper initial decomposition, and you may lose valuable nitrogen content by evaporation and anaerobic decomposition. The ideal way to go about this is to chop them into small pieces, the smaller the better, to increase surface area, and mix/layer them well with carbonaceous material. Put a layer of carbon/soil over the top to hold in moisture, and to keep insects off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stem and the rind are the parts that take the longest to break down (excluding the seed hulls), so again, chop everything into as small of pieces as you think is practical. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-29T10:45:18.717" LastActivityDate="2014-10-29T10:45:18.717" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14496" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14493" CreationDate="2014-10-29T03:10:45.650" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it's possible. Begonias are tender perennials, so if you bring them into suitable conditions for the winter, they can live for years in temperate zones. Here's what to do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prepare the area indoors. It must be well lit. If you don't have any large unobstructed (on both sides) windows to set them by (In winter, west or south facing is best due to the lower energy available from the sun), you will have to set up a grow light. LED lighting systems are expensive, but are the most efficient and long lasting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get the pots ready. The pot size will vary depending on the plant size, but you can try to get one that is about 2/3's the diameter of the plants' leaf spread. Get some high quality prefertilized potting mix, which will conveniently hold the plant over to the next season. Do not use garden soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dig out the plants. Dig straight down amount the perimeter of the plant, in a circle about as big around as the pot. Pop the plant out of the ground. Carefully, remove the soil from the roots. Do not remove it all, and don't damage the roots. The goal is to have all the roots loose, but still coated in soil. Any lumps of original soil left in the pot will either become far drier or wetter than the surrounding mix, and can lead to disease and/or issues with soil acidity/nutrient uptake.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put a layer of mix at the bottom of the pot, in a layer of about one inch. You don't yet want the roots to be in contact with the pot edge. Now, hold the plant with it's crown (where the roots meet the stems) about an inch below the top of the pot, with one hand. With the other, arrange the roots to radiate around the plant evenly, and move bunches of roots apart. Grab a handful of mix and sprinkle it into the pot, working it between the roots. Repeat until the soil is up to the plant's crown. While still holding the plant's crown at the right level, lightly tamp the mix, so that it will not settle later when watering. Add new mix as necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water the plant. Use distilled or spring water if you can, as tap water has properties which can eventually lead to health problems in potted plants. Water until all the mix is thoroughly moist, and water begins to run from the bottom of the pot. Then sit it in it's saucer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place the plant indoors. Do not set it by a heating vent, or a stove, or a frequently opened door to outside. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After this, some wilting is normal, but shouldn't last. Water the plant whenever the top 1/2&quot; of mix dries out, and make sure to give it lots of light. If a heavy layer of dust accumulates on the leaves, you can clean them gently using a damp papaer towel, tissue, cotton ball, or cotton swab. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-20T03:04:48.813" LastActivityDate="2014-11-20T03:04:48.813" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14498" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14499" CreationDate="2014-10-29T16:40:17.053" Score="5" ViewCount="3343" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am building a fire pit out of Square driveway type stones. I am trying to figure out at what degree I need to cut them to make them fit together in a circle tight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The squares are 9.75&quot; Sq.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I figure out at what degree they need cutting, or is there a standard degree say 45?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3001" LastActivityDate="2018-05-02T14:57:17.047" Title="Stone Degree Cut for Fire Pit" Tags="&lt;hard-landscape&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14498" CreationDate="2014-10-29T17:40:36.573" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Decide what SIZE circle you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do the math. 360 degrees in a circle divided by the angle of cut = number of stones&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you leave the wide side full-size, 9.75 x number of stones = circumference in inches&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;inches / 12 circumference in feet&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;circumference / Pi (3.1415...) = diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A 1 degree cut will get you a circle (technically a polygon) of 360 stones about 93 feet across.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;5 . 72 . 18.6&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;10 . 36 . 9.3&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you make a cut on BOTH sides to make the stones symmetrical, the effective angle is doubled (10 degrees on both sides = 20 degrees = 18 stones = outside diameter is 4.65 feet)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ie /_\ .vs. |__\ for stone shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;45 degree cuts on one side will get you an octagon (roughly) pinwheel with no place to put a fire in the middle, while both sides would get you a 9.75&quot; square, still with no place to put a fire in the middle. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A hint from other media - try it with paper  or cardboard before you commit to cutting stone. The circle formula gets increasingly incorrect as you use fewer and fewer stones which approximate a circle less well. The effect of one side or two side cutting also increases with fewer stones/greater angles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-10-31T03:50:00.730" LastActivityDate="2014-10-31T03:50:00.730" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14500" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14502" CreationDate="2014-10-29T19:29:04.827" Score="6" ViewCount="823" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have recently bought a house and I was planning a small tulip patch. I dug my ideal area on the backyard, 6&quot; deep, just to discover I had chosen the spot where an old foundation had been covered with soil :(. It is right at the 6&quot; depth that the tulips need to be planted at.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I plant them on top of this concrete foundation, maybe less deep (5&quot; or so) with a bit of soil under them (1&quot;)? Or should I just get over it and choose a different spot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How about daffodils?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Toronto, Canada, in USDA hardiness zones 5/6&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oIR60.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7271" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-30T00:02:16.663" LastActivityDate="2014-10-30T12:34:04.460" Title="Can I plant tulip or daffodil bulbs in 6&quot; of soil, over a concrete foundation?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;fall-gardening&gt;&lt;tulips&gt;&lt;daffodils&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14501" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14500" CreationDate="2014-10-29T20:04:02.330" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The bulbs will need more root space than just planting them above the concrete will allow.  Can you raise the bed more?  If so, then this might work.  If not, then another spot would be far more suitable.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2014-10-29T20:04:02.330" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14502" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14500" CreationDate="2014-10-29T20:18:55.600" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tulips do best when planted deep, like 8 inches, for best perennialization. Daffodils, on the other hand, will spread much faster when planted at 3-4&quot; deep. Now, this is for the purpose of perennialization, to make sure the plants return each year. Bulbs need root space as much as other plants, long term. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's a one season thing you are doing, They will be fine planted as you have depicted in your question, about one inch from the bottom. Flowering size tulip and daffodil bulbs contain enough food for one successful flowering period, in confined conditions, but will not build up the stores to the point where they will maintain themselves/multiply in coming seasons, unless they have a normally deep garden soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I would say, if this is one season, go ahead and plant (keeping in mind shallow soil will dry out fast, and need to be watered very frequently), but if you want them to come back, choose a suitable spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-29T20:18:55.600" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14503" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14504" CreationDate="2014-10-29T21:19:39.850" Score="11" ViewCount="5597" Body="&lt;p&gt;This has been blooming in the sun in my yard in Massachusetts for the past two weeks. We've only lived here since last spring and since I didn't plant it, I'm guessing it's a  perennial. What's intriguing is that the flower smells like it's been sprayed by a skunk. The leaves have no odor. Can anyone tell me what it is? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YcAjZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-29T22:25:17.417" LastActivityDate="2017-10-06T20:34:40.900" Title="What is this flower that smells like a skunk?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14504" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14503" CreationDate="2014-10-29T22:06:31.047" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleome_hassleriana&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cleome hassleriana&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, commonly known as spider flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Identifying characteristics are the compound leaves with seven leaflets, the long petioles (leaf stalks), the way that the individual flowers are held tightly furled around the flower head, and the long stamens visible on the older flowers lower down on the head.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's an annual, and spreads easily, so you may end up with more of it next year if you don't remove the seed heads when they form (if they even will, this late in the year).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-10-29T22:18:47.137" LastActivityDate="2014-10-29T22:18:47.137" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14505" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14461" CreationDate="2014-10-30T01:26:54.487" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lot of lilly pilly hedges (Acmena species) and the ones growing facing north are doing well and the ones growing facing south have not bushed as much as I would have liked, but I bought some Confidor tablets (a packet of 8 ball shapes) and I put the handle of a tablespoon into the soil (to make a deepish hole) on one side of the Lilly Pilly and put one Confidor ball into the hole (made by the handle of the tablespoon).  I then did the same on the other side of the Lilly Pilly.  Ideally, before planting your lilly pillies you should put one Confidor ball tablet into the centre of the hole dug to put your lilly pilly into.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The confidor balls are fantastic (especially for Syzygium smithii) as they fix any physillids and they also feed and nourish the roots of the lilly pilly hedge. After putting the Confidor ball tablets into the soil, I then watered the lilly pilly hedges and I did notice a difference in a short space of time.  I usually repeat putting the Confidor ball tablets every 3 or 4 months just for nourishment and protection.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had one lilly pilly (facing south) that got burnt due to extreme hot weather and I had to cut a lot off the top and it took a long time to catch up to the other hedges next to it, but I persevered and even though it looked uneven and silly, I just kept watering it and eventually when I cut the tops of all the hedges, I noticed that the burnt one had caught up and now it is looking so much better and they are all nice and high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also spray my hedges with Confidor pest spray (whenever I remember) and now I have lots of white butterflies flying around.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't be afraid to cut the tops and the faces of the lilly pilly hedges because it does help them to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this has helped you in a small way.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7386" LastActivityDate="2014-10-30T01:26:54.487" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14500" CreationDate="2014-10-30T12:34:04.460" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Put them somewhere else - another factor that's very important, apart from the ones already mentioned in other answers, is drainage - bulbs rot where drainage is poor, so I wouldn't even plant them there for one year. Tulips particularly dislike wet soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-10-30T12:34:04.460" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14461" CreationDate="2014-10-31T02:56:41.157" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this plant pictured looks like it has not been trimmed top and face when younger/on regular basis.  If it had been, it would look more filled out which it doesn't.  I honestly think it could do with more good soil, the confidor ball tablets and a good trim (top and face) to help it grow more fuller.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is harder when the lilly pilly is already established but the one I have, I have been using the confidor tablets, adding good soil, plenty of water and trimming it (top and face, but not too much) every 6 - 12 weeks, or when it starts looking untidy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes depending on the type of lilly pilly you may need to plant a smaller lilly pilly plant in between the existing lilly pilly to make it look fuller.  I have one lilly pilly that I am thinking of doing this with.  This was also suggested to me by a landscape gardner who said it is easier to do this than pulling the existing lilly pilly out and starting over.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this addresses the question better. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7387" LastActivityDate="2014-10-31T02:56:41.157" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14508" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14511" CreationDate="2014-10-31T10:06:04.120" Score="6" ViewCount="18585" Body="&lt;p&gt;6 days ago, I repotted some chilli seedlings after they started showing their 3rd pair of leaves. They were the biggest seedlings at the time. Since then they seemed to have stopped growing. These are the ones in the green planters in the picture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I left some of the slightly smaller seedlings in their original planter. These are the 4 seedlings in the black planter in the bottom left of the picture. You can see that they are doing much better than the ones in the green planters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found a question about stunted seedlings, but mine don't look malnourished:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7506/why-have-my-lemon-seedlings-stopped-growing-and-turned-yellow&quot;&gt;Why have my lemon seedlings stopped growing and turned yellow?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to get the green planter seedlings growing again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It took a while, but my chilli seedlings have started growing again. I have been lightly fertilising as suggested, I can't say that it definitely helped, but it certainly didn't hurt the seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NyDb5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stunted chilli plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-05-30T05:48:02.037" Title="Why have my chilli seedlings stopped growing?" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14509" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14508" CreationDate="2014-10-31T11:35:25.910" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without knowing where you are, and basing my answer on where I am (eastern Long Island, NY), I'd guess they got cold. Cold sensitivities vary, but growth will slow dramatically if they've been exposed to temps in the low 40's for a night or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2014-10-31T11:35:25.910" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14511" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14508" CreationDate="2014-10-31T12:27:28.297" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd say the stress of replanting is causing this non-growth. Small damages to roots and new type of soil. The seedlings need to recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd be patient.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2014-10-31T12:27:28.297" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14512" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14515" CreationDate="2014-10-31T17:32:33.850" Score="6" ViewCount="770" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read a recommendation that espalier should be performed with trees grafted onto dwarf roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What challenges or problems can I expect if I don't use a dwarf tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it makes a difference, I'm considering apples and pears.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4643" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-31T20:58:57.420" LastActivityDate="2014-10-31T20:58:57.420" Title="What are the consequences of espalier on a non dwarf tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;pear&gt;&lt;espalier&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14513" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14498" CreationDate="2014-10-31T17:55:09.980" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something to mention that has possibly not been considered... not all manufactured stones are intended for fire pits. Many of the concrete-based pavers used in driveways applications will &quot;pop&quot; and/or explode under prolonged exposure to heat (as within a firepit). This is in part because they are reelatively pourous and will &quot;absorb&quot; moisture and water. they will retain this water content, that will eventually turn to steam and contents under pressure. Review this SE answer: &lt;a href=&quot;https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/questions/801/how-to-avoid-exploding-rocks&quot;&gt;https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/questions/801/how-to-avoid-exploding-rocks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An important thing to consider it to make certain you have a fire ring insert to protect the bare stone from the direct heat source. Many of these manufactured metal inserts come in a variety of set sizes and this will help you to determine the exact measurement for the cut as needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In fact, to save you some time, and possibly money (unless the stones are leftovers from another job, or were gifted to you) There are fire pit kits available at many box stores. ie: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Outdoor-Heating-Fire-Pits/N-5yc1vZc6na&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Outdoor-Heating-Fire-Pits/N-5yc1vZc6na&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These include the metal insert, as well as the pre-cut cast stones for ease of installation. You can put one together for as little as a few hundred dollars and an hour of time on a prepped flat surface. maybe a half day if you start from scratch in a lawn area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't want that route, and want to go with a natural stone look, try granite or basalt or any type of igneous rock...as opposed to a sedimentary (sandstone, limestone, slate, etc)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A sedimentary style rock settles during creation into layers (as opposed to the process of cooling the &quot;liquid hot Mag-ma&quot;). The settling of these layers can end up allowing water/moisture to seep in and create fissures which allow moisture to turn to steam and create pressure then a face full of stone as opposed to s'mores.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:48:01.673" LastActivityDate="2014-10-31T17:55:09.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14514" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14512" CreationDate="2014-10-31T20:33:49.010" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suppose it might depend on the scale of the desired espailer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mind you, I have managed to notice that the drawings of espailered trees always look much nicer than the actual thing, in most cases. But I haven't pulled myself together far enough to make any of the things in 30-odd years of gardening, despite finding them attractive in books.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would guess one aspect of working with non-dwarfing rootstock would be &quot;excess vigor&quot; expressed as a larger number of shoots. I suppose another might be refusing to fruit until a certain mass of tree is grown, which might be never if the thing is constantly pruned to a small size. Some of the &quot;covering the whole end of a house&quot; espailers seen in books might get big enough to cover that issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I reiterate - NO practical experience here. I should find the time one of these years, but so far I have not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-10-31T20:33:49.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14515" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14512" CreationDate="2014-10-31T20:57:25.847" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apples and pears are very similar, so that makes this answer much simpler. You want a tree with moderated growth, because otherwise you end up with huge amounts of growth and very little fruit. You have a certain amount of space. A standard tree may fill the space quickly, but then it will put out dozens of long watersprouts all over each year, and won't grow budwood. &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/plants/gardening/fphg/pome/flowering-habits-of-apples-and-pears&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Apples and Pears bear fruit on spurs&lt;/a&gt;, which are the result of slow, steady growth on a maturing tree, and the production of these spurs gets better as the tree gets older, and require pruning techniques that do not promote rapid growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And because most espaliers are to make production and maintenance/harvesting easier (as well as aestheticity), they are usually kept within human reach, sometimes with the use of a small stepladder. This calls for a tree that matures small. Bud 9 is on the larger end of dwarfing stock, and M27 is on the smaller end. If you can choose a stock to go with your setup, that's best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's better to use a tree that matures smaller than the required area, rather than larger, production wise. Another aspect is this: many dwarfing stocks have a non-aggressive root system, and so need staking even when grown naturally. These are better for use along walls, where trees that grow larger can hurt foundations. Another consideration is trunk diameter. A tree that maxes at 6-8&quot; in diameter will be much easier to support, and less likely to damage the support than one that maxes at over 1.5' in diameter (I have seen much wider than that, but not on an espalier).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another useful feature that dwarfing rootstock promotes is far closer leaf spacing, which makes for a much more exact branch placement. This can be the difference between a trim, symmetrical piece of art and a messy looking flat tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-10-31T20:57:25.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14516" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14517" CreationDate="2014-10-31T22:02:35.910" Score="3" ViewCount="188" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased &quot;Earthgro potting soil&quot; today and I noticed something odd.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When i was patting down the soil, I looked at my hands and saw what seemed to be like crystal specs. They look like small tiny snowflakes or tiny broken glass. I took a closer look at the soil and noticed these specs all over it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this normal and what is it? Also why is the soil clumped up into small balls rather then ground up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7360" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-31T22:31:07.553" LastActivityDate="2014-11-01T04:00:21.900" Title="What are these crystal specs on/in my Earthgro potting soil?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14517" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14516" CreationDate="2014-10-31T22:29:23.813" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Someone else has noticed this before. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://irregulartimes.com/2013/06/17/dangerous-earthgro-pottting-soil-from-scotts/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Do shards of glass and ceramic sherds count as organic and natural? That’s what I found in the Earthgro potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This product has very, &lt;a href=&quot;http://reviews.scotts.com/4814-en_us/prod100070/other-brands-earthgro-potting-soil-reviews/reviews.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;very poor reviews&lt;/a&gt;, and reviews are a good thing to look at before purchasing any product. I haven't been able to find a list of possible ingredient sources, but these are easy to pollute with glass, and without proper testing it will end up in the finished product. Others have also noted the lumpy consistency, and sometimes high levels of sticks, sand, and small stones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would go to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://answers.scotts.com/answers/4814-en_us/product/prod100070/other-brands-earthgro-potting-soil-questions-answers/questions.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;company's question page&lt;/a&gt; and request an ingredient/source list.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-10-31T22:35:08.907" LastActivityDate="2014-10-31T22:35:08.907" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14518" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14516" CreationDate="2014-11-01T04:00:21.900" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;While it certainly could be contamination I would also consider the possibility it's water absorbing crystals.  Something like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0051V40AO&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.amazon.com/Medium-absorbing-crystal-polymer-Insect/dp/B0051V40AO&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7240" LastActivityDate="2014-11-01T04:00:21.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14519" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14520" CreationDate="2014-11-01T10:41:25.783" Score="4" ViewCount="346" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are some snapshots of hydroponic basil growing in Thailand. Within a week I've had some pest, it looks like some tiny dark-red arachnids, spinning web on young leaves and crawling mostly on the underside of leaves. Their size is perhaps 1/4 mm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you help me identify these? And how can I remove them in a health and environment friendly manner?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cWSmc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CDbf2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="80" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-01T15:54:17.497" LastActivityDate="2014-11-03T15:41:57.057" Title="What is this pest on my hydroponic basil and how can I remove it?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14519" CreationDate="2014-11-01T11:24:25.983" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most likely a form of red spider mite, although these prefer hot, dry conditions, and you say you're growing hydroponically; this often means moist air, although not necessarily. Assuming it is spider mite, neem oil in a spray should do the trick, but it would be best to spray only one plant, or a few leaves, to see how the plant responds to the treatment. Neem oil spray can sometimes cause a problem for plants, especially if temperatures are high. It can also be used as a soil drench, but you're growing in water, and I'm not at all sure how the plants would respond if you added it to their nutrient solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER: What spider mites do is pierce individual cells in the leaf surface to feed on the contents - this causes a brown speckled effect, and if penetrated often enough, the leaf yellows, curls and falls off. Given you're growing Basil, where you want to use the leaves, it's not particularly desirable to leave the mites alone. You can certainly try keeping the air damp and humid because they hate that, and a few spider mites won't kill an entire plant - the trouble is, they overwinter off the plants anywhere they can find, such as cracks in brickwork, etc, and come back with renewed vigour the following year; they are a real pest in greenhouses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-11-03T15:41:57.057" LastActivityDate="2014-11-03T15:41:57.057" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="224" CreationDate="2014-11-01T12:44:56.710" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with the above comment about the structure of your lawn - I live in New Hampshire and typically have acidic soil - creeping Charlie likes damp acidic soil - typically in mulched areas, and it spreads to the lawn area. I've been putting down heavy amounts of lime to raise the alkaline level, but will try thatching this fall and borax in the spring!! (it takes a bit if time for the lime to break down into the soil). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7393" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-02T16:43:17.563" LastActivityDate="2014-11-02T16:43:17.563" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14522" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14524" CreationDate="2014-11-01T12:47:17.017" Score="3" ViewCount="4474" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some galangal, ginger and turmeric that have been sitting in the fridge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it still possible to get them to grow, and if so, how?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried &lt;em&gt;ginger&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;tumeric&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;galangal&lt;/em&gt;.&#xA;Initially I tried potting pieces of the rhizomes. After 2 weeks not much happened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I took them out and placed them in a container with very shallow water. Less than 2mm deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also bought fresh samples from my local market and placed them in an identical container with shallow water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got this idea from Melvin Wei on Youtube.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results after 8 days&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fridge Samples:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ginger: Green buds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tumeric: very little change (I think they are growing though).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Galangal: Greenbuds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fresh Samples:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ginger: Green buds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tumeric: Whiteish green buds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Galangal: Green buds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took the best pieces and placed them into pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastEditorUserId="7313" LastEditDate="2014-11-19T05:50:43.370" LastActivityDate="2014-11-19T05:50:43.370" Title="Will rhizomes that have been in the fridge still grow?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;storage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14523" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14522" CreationDate="2014-11-01T15:02:21.253" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends how long it's been in the fridge and what condition it's in. Only way to &lt;strong&gt;know&lt;/strong&gt; is to &lt;strong&gt;try.&lt;/strong&gt; Friend of mine offered me three kinds of hops (&lt;em&gt;Humulus Lupus&lt;/em&gt;) once - unfortunately, he'd only planted the Fuggles, and had tossed the other two in the fridge for a Looooooong time. So, I have a Fuggles from him, and the other two were moldy masses of festering decay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-11-01T15:02:21.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14522" CreationDate="2014-11-01T15:51:33.323" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it's possible, if the roots are still live, not dried out, frozen, or partly decayed. Also, some people spray food-grade roots with a growth suppressor to keep them from sprouting in the store. If this is the case, growth may be non-existent, slow, or stunted. you just have to try it. Here's what to do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galangal&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Galangal (&lt;em&gt;Alpinia galanga&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;As a Houseplant:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a pot at least 10&amp;quot; wide, and 12&amp;quot; deep. Use a non-soil potting mix, and plant them with the top slightly emerging from the mix. Water well, and place in a warm, humid environment. When new growth appears, keep it in bright filtered light, such as near a large east facing window. Use a weak fertilizer solution, such as half-strength 10-10-10, every other week after the plant has put out top growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;As a garden plant:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prepare some well worked loamy soil in a shady area, preferably away from large trees. Mound the loose soil into mounds 10&amp;quot; high, and 18&amp;quot; wide. Plant the roots 10-12&amp;quot; apart, and right below the soil surface. Keep the soil damp. Harvest when the tops are killed by frost, in temperate areas, or when needed otherwise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ginger (&lt;em&gt;Zingiber officinale&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;As a houseplant:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a pot at least 10&amp;quot; wide, and 12&amp;quot; deep. Use a very well draining non-soil potting mix, and plant them with the top slightly under the surface of the mix. Water well, and place in a warm, humid environment. When new growth appears, keep it in bright filtered light, such as near a large east facing window. Use a weak fertilizer solution, such as half-strength 10-10-10, every other week after the plant has put out top growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;As a garden plant:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prepare some well worked loamy soil in a shady, well drained area, preferably away from large trees. Make sure the soil is worked at least 6-8&amp;quot; down, and free of debris. Plant the roots about 12&amp;quot; apart, and right below the surface. Water well. You can mulch with leaves, grass clippings, or another good organic mulch after the top growth emerges, to help keep in the moisture. Harvest when the top growth is killed by frost in temperate areas, in other areas harves lightly as needed through the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turmeric&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Turmeric (&lt;em&gt;Curcuma longa&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;As a houseplant:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a container at least 12&amp;quot; wide, and 14&amp;quot; deep. Fill it with a well drained organic potting mix. Bury the rhizomes right below the surface. Water well. Place in the brightest location possible, full sun is ideal. Fertilize when new growth appears (in about 2-4 weeks from planting time). Do this every other week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;As a garden plant:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a well drained, sunny area, with deep, good soil, work up the top 8&amp;quot; and remove debris. Plant the rhizomes about 2&amp;quot; deep, and 12&amp;quot; apart. Water well during the entire growing season, and control weeds by hand pulling or an organic mulch. Cultivation may damage growing roots. Harvest in 7-10 months, or after the top growth is killed off by frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-11-01T15:51:33.323" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14525" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14527" CreationDate="2014-11-01T20:13:37.397" Score="4" ViewCount="2373" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although the area where I live is famed for it's white pine they grow in sandy soils. My garden has a thin skim of topsoil over six feet of compact alkaline (ph 7) clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/8970/499&quot;&gt;dwarf white pine&lt;/a&gt; is doing so poorly I think I may have to replace it.  Are there any evergreens aside from cedar that will tolerate alkaline clay with full sun?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Climate USDA zone 4 with lows to -30 degree Celsius and highs of +30 deg Celsius, full sun, large greedy cedar hedge close by, southern exposure&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-11-02T01:28:40.730" Title="What evergreens will tolerate alkaline clay soil in USDA zone 4?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;clay&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14526" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14548" CreationDate="2014-11-01T20:35:23.877" Score="4" ViewCount="155" Body="&lt;p&gt;This  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a700#AllImages&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pinus strobus nana&lt;/a&gt; is about four years old and has done very poorly this year. Alkaline clay base soil with a full sun, south exposure and a mulch of pine needles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil has a ph of a little over 7. There are no signs of fungal/bacterial disease&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree was planted four years ago.  There was a lot of dieback this spring but this is the first year the needles have been so yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can add more organic soil and use acid fertilizer but changing the ph of the soil radically is a daunting prospect.  Sulfur might do the job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Symptoms: The mealy bug problems referred to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8970/best-control-method-for-mealy-bug-on-dwarf-white-pine&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; seem to be gone but the colour is chlorotic and the interior branches are black rather than the usual brown bark colour. USDA zone 4 with lows to -30 Deg C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AypIk.png&quot; alt=&quot;dwarf white pine&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aCkeu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;interior of white pine&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-11-06T04:10:06.960" Title="What's wrong with this dwarf white pine?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14527" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14525" CreationDate="2014-11-02T01:02:11.993" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not many conifers apart from junipers/arborvitae that will thrive in alkaline soil. There are some broad-leaved evergreens that will live. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The alkalinity of your subsoil means more maintenance, but doesn't mean you can't successfully grow acid loving plants on top. Acid loving plants have an underdeveloped root system, and obtain nutrients from symbiotic bacteria/fungi that thrive in acid soil, so these plants don't do well in too high  pH, and show signs of nutrient deprivation, even when fertilized. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And also of note: most acid-loving evergreens have very shallow root systems, so if you can provide a highly organic, acidic layer in the top 6&quot; of soil, and feed it with compost, and/or fertilizer (organic is more effective in this case), you can grow very nice conifers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13466/why-do-blueberries-need-acidic-soil&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more info.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you aren't able to do this, I'll make a list of evergreens that will grow in a soil pH of 7.0, in zone 4. There aren't many that come to mind.:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buxus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Boxwood, &lt;em&gt;Buxus sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euonymus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Spindle, &lt;em&gt;Euonymus sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniper&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Juniper, &lt;em&gt;Juniperus sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Arborvitae, &lt;em&gt;Thuja sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've left out the cedars (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedrus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;genus &lt;em&gt;Cedrus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) as per your question. However, these do not grow quite as well as &lt;em&gt;Thuja&lt;/em&gt; in alkaline conditions anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your soil are wrong for most coniferous evergreens, and the hardiness zone is wrong for most broadleaved ones. If none of the listed plants will work, and you cannot work on the conditions as described above, you may have to leave evergreens and plant deciduous shrubs/trees instead. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-11-02T01:28:40.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14528" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14529" CreationDate="2014-11-02T06:38:01.947" Score="2" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;My two potted grapevines and I  just moved to a new apartment with a roof terrace.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The terrace has an acrylic glass roof with metal pillars and I want the vine to grow up the pillars and along/under this roof.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My options are: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put the pots in the edges of the terrace &lt;strong&gt;under&lt;/strong&gt; the roof.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Built something to hang the pots &lt;strong&gt;outside the roof&lt;/strong&gt; next to the terrace.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which will be better for the plants and lower maintenance in regard to watering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We live in a vine area (southern  germany), so the amount of rain falling here seems to be suitable for non-potted grapevines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1587" LastEditorUserId="1587" LastEditDate="2014-11-03T19:24:45.540" LastActivityDate="2014-11-03T19:24:45.540" Title="Is a potted grapevine better put under or outside a roof?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14529" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14528" CreationDate="2014-11-02T12:49:01.757" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think it'll make much difference - you live in an area where there's good rainfall, which is good for plants in the ground, but plants in containers still need watering, regardless. Marginally, a plant in a pot outside the roof will remain damper in winter than one under the roof, but during the growing season, you will need to water regularly whether the pots are in or outside. If they are under the roof, you will need to check them during winter to see whether they need water or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-11-02T12:49:01.757" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14530" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-02T14:28:14.730" Score="4" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have used dynascape as a program when drawing for a non profit organization.  Since I volunteer my time and do not use the program for commercial or profit I simply can't afford the cost of the program and subscription.  I have used the student version for the past two years.  Any recommendations on what I could use.  My drawings are simple and in no need of color or 3D.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7397" LastActivityDate="2014-11-03T15:52:39.163" Title="Landscape 2D CADD program" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14531" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14532" CreationDate="2014-11-02T14:56:17.197" Score="5" ViewCount="285" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you please help me with identifying the following plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a tiny one, smaller than a forefinger. It has multiple dark green leaves, with small white tubercles scattered over each leaf. The tubercles are prominent on the lower (outer) side of the leaves, but the upper (inner) side of leaves have less clear tubercles, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nqlpk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cactus-like plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7398" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-02T23:02:27.997" LastActivityDate="2014-11-02T23:02:27.997" Title="What is this tiny plant with multiple leaves and small white tubercles scattered over its leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14532" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14531" CreationDate="2014-11-02T17:52:55.037" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haworthia_attenuata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Haworthia attenuata var. radula&lt;/a&gt; – Hankey Dwarf Aloe or one of it's cultivars. A native of South Africa it is stemless and propagated by removing small offsets that grow out from the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant looks very similar to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_aristata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aloe aristata&lt;/a&gt; and definitive identification depends on examining a more mature specimen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-11-02T18:03:41.530" LastActivityDate="2014-11-02T18:03:41.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14533" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-02T18:10:31.690" Score="9" ViewCount="221" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was out hiking today, and, as I often do, I absentmindedly chewed on twigs that I broke off from around shoulder height. I noticed that one twig had a spicy, citrus flavor. It reminded me of mandarin orange. Unfortunately, I had walked away from the plant I took the twig from before I noticed the taste. I saved a bit of the twig, and I took a picture of it. I live in Connecticut. Can anybody help me identify the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GAewE.png&quot; alt=&quot;Connecticut Twig&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Zach Effman" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-03T15:30:13.530" LastActivityDate="2014-11-03T15:30:13.530" Title="What is this woody plant with spicy, citrus flavored twigs?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14534" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14533" CreationDate="2014-11-03T15:27:16.923" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could have been &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassafras&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sassafras (&lt;em&gt;Sassafras albidum&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;. All parts of the plant are aromatic and spicy. This citrusy quality has made it popular as a culinary flavoring, but the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_oil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;essential oil&lt;/a&gt;, which contains a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenylpropene&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;phenylpropene&lt;/a&gt; called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safrole&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;safrole&lt;/a&gt;, has &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10496370&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;been found&lt;/a&gt; to be a weak &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatocellular_carcinoma&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hepatocarcinogen&lt;/a&gt; in rats. Thus culinary sassafras oil is now for the most part devoid of safrole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the bark, color (interior and exterior) looks right, as well as the branching habit. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1yWP0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's&lt;/a&gt; the range map. Pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nUz1k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nUz1k.jpg&quot; height=&quot;228&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;   &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4LZAh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4LZAh.jpg&quot; height=&quot;228&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;   &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VfY9X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VfY9X.jpg&quot; height=&quot;228&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tKngk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tKngk.jpg&quot; height=&quot;228&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-03T15:27:16.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14535" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14530" CreationDate="2014-11-03T15:52:39.163" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you feel comfortable using vector editing software, which is quite similar to CAD software (such as Adobe Illustrator or Corel) you could give Inkscape a try. It is free. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have never tried, though, because being a professional designer I have a paid subscription of Adobe Illustrator. I use Adobe Illustrator to plan my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7271" LastActivityDate="2014-11-03T15:52:39.163" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14536" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14538" CreationDate="2014-11-03T17:43:37.983" Score="5" ViewCount="1671" Body="&lt;p&gt;When pruning trees, most notably conifers, you must be aware of a phenomenon known as 'apical dominance', when choosing your pruning technique, and selecting shoots for the permanent structure. What is apical dominance, and what does it look like in plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-24T20:00:07.943" LastActivityDate="2019-01-10T23:04:52.050" Title="What is 'Apical Dominance'?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14537" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14539" CreationDate="2014-11-03T18:18:56.187" Score="5" ViewCount="50667" Body="&lt;p&gt;Before deciding whether to purchase a plant, and how best to plan where to place it, the basic knowledge of how long it lives and how often it blooms is a necessity. What's the difference between annuals, biennials and perennials?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2014-11-03T23:26:12.197" LastActivityDate="2020-03-30T15:38:53.367" Title="What's the difference between annual, biennial, and perennial plants?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14538" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14536" CreationDate="2014-11-03T19:56:05.563" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apical dominance is a type of growth habit in woody and herbaceous plants where an apical bud (or a bud at the apex typically the top) secretes growth hormones down into the plant that dictates the growth habit for the entire plant.  The best example is seen in Firs and Spruces that naturally grow in a conical formation.  The apical bud is controlling the breadth or spread of the lateral branches.  The further away from the apical bud the branch is, the wider it can grow because the hormones are not reaching it in a high enough concentration.  In some species, when the apical bud is damaged or removed, it can send the tree into crazy growth patterns.  Most often the plant produces another apical bud and continues its normal growth habit.  Grafted evergreen can sometimes take a while to regain their apical bud and grow for a few season with out a nice shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7337" LastActivityDate="2014-11-03T19:56:05.563" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14539" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14537" CreationDate="2014-11-03T22:11:49.067" Score="8" Body="&lt;h3&gt;Annual means that the plant has a full life cycle (seed-to-seed cycle) in at most one year.&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will germinate, bloom and die that year. This is not a calendar year per se. Some species germinate in autumn, survive through the winter and bloom next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good example is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagetes_patula&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;French Marigold&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;A biennial plant takes two years to complete it's life cycle.&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will germinate and grow, survive through one winter, and in the second year it will grow more, bloom, and die. Biennials are less common than both annuals and perennials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A well-known example is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsley&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;parsley&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Perennials are plants that live more than two years.&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By this definition, many plants including trees are perennial, although the term is more commonly used for herbaceous plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good example is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucanthemum_%C3%97_superbum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;shasta daisy&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lots of vegetables are grown as annuals, while they are actually biennials or perennials. For example parsley will be harvested in its first year, as are carrots. Onions are biennials that can be grown from seed in the first year. The resulting small onions can be planted again (you can buy these as well), to be grown to a full size onion. Peppers, tomatoes, etc, are tender perennials that are usually treated as annuals in the vegetable garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3317" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-11-05T04:18:42.977" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14540" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1037" CreationDate="2014-11-04T01:15:04.517" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The other answers seem to be good, from what I read. However, I just wanted to put in my two cents based on my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A little water has never seemed to hurt any plant I've tried it on. It should help a little. How hard the sun is shining, and how clay-like your soil is, should influence whether it's worth it. If the sun isn't out, go ahead. If it is, it'll probably dry up fast, but I don't think it will hurt at all, whether or not it helps. If the water sinks through the soil easily, a little water should be better than if it doesn't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can always shade the plants after the small amount of water to make it last a little longer, but if they're sun-loving, I don't recommend doing this a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have found, however, that when using small amounts of water, my plants seem to prefer filtered water over the regular chlorinated city water. It seems to perk the plants up more with less water (at least the tomatoes I tried it on). However, we had leaves over the soil to keep it moist (although that increased our cutworm-like problem, I think). Those tomatoes didn't require much watering. They weren't in full sun, either, but they still produced well for how long they had been growing. They were a hard, pasty tomato that sliced well, grown from a store-bought one that wasn't pasty (marketed as either roma or baja, I believe).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Covering the ground with something safe for your plants may help to reduce the watering needs. Black plastic is somewhat helpful there, and helps to control weeds. Leaves may be good, but they may increase insects and such in the soil, as well as mold and whatever else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-11-04T01:31:21.877" LastActivityDate="2014-11-04T01:31:21.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14541" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-04T14:44:00.157" Score="4" ViewCount="294" Body="&lt;p&gt;Will tulip bulbs survive if I plant them in a boat in USDA zone 5? This boat sits in my front yard and I plant annuals in it every year.  It was my mother's boat and holds sentimental value.  I was not sure if the bulbs could survive  during the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7404" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-04T16:09:10.703" LastActivityDate="2016-03-13T08:10:20.523" Title="Will tulips survive a winter in USDA zone 5 when planted in a boat?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;tulips&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14542" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14558" CreationDate="2014-11-04T15:02:20.737" Score="3" ViewCount="66" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are having difficulty sourcing sumacs &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus_copallinum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Rhus copallinum)&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/a&gt; larger than 6-7' locally, so we are considering digging some from an old field. We can find 8-10' plants in the ground fairly readily. Are there any special requirements for digging, balling, or transplanting them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-05T01:46:08.747" LastActivityDate="2014-11-06T22:16:31.173" Title="Do sumacs transplant well?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14543" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-04T15:20:12.463" Score="5" ViewCount="2729" Body="&lt;p&gt;The side of my house has a small gravel bed that abuts the lawn. It is mostly choked with weeds and was in poor shape when we bought the place last year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to dig it up, put down new fabric and reuse the existing river rock that is there. I don't want to reuse the existing weeds...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice on how to clean the old gravel out so that I don't have weeds next spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7406" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-04T15:48:56.620" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T03:10:31.017" Title="How can I get weed seeds out of a gravel bed?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;rock-gardening&gt;&lt;gravel&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14544" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14543" CreationDate="2014-11-04T16:35:59.133" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you are on the right track. Depending on how &quot;small&quot; the gravel bed is, you could dig the gravel into a wheel barrow or trough, and then fill the container with water to float the weeds and &quot;clean&quot; the gravel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then you'd have to deal with the weed seed bank that has surely developed in the soil under the gravel. Landscape fabric might do it, but you could also just use cardboard as a base layer. The cardboard should let enough water through to prevent ponding, will block light, and will decompose after a while - and you won't have to dispose of landscaping fabric again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Going forward you'll want to deal with the weeds regularly before they have a chance to go to seed. If the gravel makes hand removal difficult, boiling water is a quick way to kill weeds in this situation - if you stay on top of them. Once the weeds have browned after boiling water application, you should be able to just rake the dead weeds out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2014-11-04T16:35:59.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14545" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14546" CreationDate="2014-11-05T01:32:09.027" Score="6" ViewCount="15448" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some plants, such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip&quot;&gt;tulips&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_(plant)&quot;&gt;daffodils&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion&quot;&gt;onions&lt;/a&gt;, grow from bulbs. Others, such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocosmia&quot;&gt;crocosmia&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiolus&quot;&gt;gladiolus&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taro&quot;&gt;taro&lt;/a&gt;, grow from corms. And then there are tuberous plants, such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato&quot;&gt;potatoes&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahlia&quot;&gt;dahlias&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begonia_%C3%97_tuberhybrida&quot;&gt;begonias&lt;/a&gt;. These are the most common underground storage organs in plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I distinguish between them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-07-27T11:37:21.693" Title="What's the difference between corms, bulbs, and tubers?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14545" CreationDate="2014-11-05T01:32:09.027" Score="6" Body="&lt;h1&gt;Bulbs&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulb&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bulbs&lt;/a&gt; are plant storage organs generally grown underground, consisting of a short stem (the basal plate), from which grow overlapping, swollen leaves or leaf bases. The top growth emerges from the bulb center. Here's an example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/puiIn.jpg&quot; height=&quot;228&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Corms&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Corms&lt;/a&gt; are not made up of leaves, but a vertical swollen compact stem, and as such are solid. The corm is protected by a tunic of old leaf petioles. Here's an example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Py7sw.jpg&quot; height=&quot;228&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Tubers&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuber&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tubers&lt;/a&gt; are, simply, enlargements in the underground stem or lateral root of a plant that are used for food storage. These vary greatly in appearance, but all have the same function. Here's an example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/brvgx.gif&quot; height=&quot;228&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-05T01:32:09.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14547" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14542" CreationDate="2014-11-05T01:57:44.437" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sumacs tend to have wide, fairly shallow, and coarse root systems, so the biggest concern will be keeping the root-ball in one piece. If you have a decent tree spade, it shouldn't be too bad, unless the soil is sandy. In clay, just be careful, and you'll be fine. If the soil is powdery and dry, wetting it can help, but only enough that it sticks; too much water, and soil will slough off the sides of your root ball. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sumacs are hardy, and there shouldn't be any other transplanting concerns, if you get a good ball. The bigger, the better, of course, but tree spades are understandably limited. Water the trees very well after planting, especially in the fall, so they don't suffer winter burn/dieoff. Stop watering when the ground is likely to freeze.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-05T01:57:44.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14526" CreationDate="2014-11-05T02:10:49.583" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The tree is suffering from nutrient deficiency due to an unsuitably high soil pH. To properly absorb nutrients, these trees need a lower pH, like 4.5-6.0. Organic matter will be useful in helping the microbes thrive that feed the tree, but they will not live in a high pH. Try applying sulphur to the area in a circle around the tree about twice the diameter of the dripline. Even after a good pH has been accomplished, it will need to be maintained on a regular basis, as acid topsoil will neutralize when sitting over a pH neutral or an alkaline subsoil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this method is not practical, then your choices are limited, and will include using acidic fertilizers, as you've mentioned, or consider removing the tree and planting something more tolerant in that spot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-05T02:10:49.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14549" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="224" CreationDate="2014-11-05T05:30:58.470" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could just hire &lt;em&gt;someone else&lt;/em&gt; to painstakingly pull it all out, like maybe a neighborhood kid in need of odd jobs. That might be cheaper and less effort than finding the perfect way to kill it. Plus, being social and offering jobs can be a good thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember, &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00004S1ZO&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;a tool&lt;/a&gt; to help pull weeds goes a long way, even if it is just a regular knife. With a tool, the plant doesn't break off at the roots, generally. Just stick it in the ground by the roots and pull back to loosen them; then pull it up. Granted, I haven't tried using a tool with creeping charlie (we don't have that around here, although we have something that looks exactly like it), but it worked great for our weeds this summer (I think we mostly had bind weed or something similar). Anyway, tools make weed pulling more enjoyable for me. Too bad I didn't know about that trick as a child. We had monster weeds, then, and grasshoppers to match.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2014-11-05T05:30:58.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14550" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14543" CreationDate="2014-11-05T19:33:56.937" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could try making all the weed seeds germinate this year. It's late enough so that unless they're perennials or cold-tolerant annuals (or have a very short life-cycle), they should die with the cold without reseeding again (after they germinate this year, that is). If enough of them sprout this year, you may not have a problem next year (that's the hope, anyway). I don't know what kind of weeds you're dealing with; so, this may not be a viable solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get them to sprout, you could water it pretty well for about a week. That by itself should get a lot of them to sprout, but if you want higher germination rates to ensure you don't miss as many for next year, you could add some food grade hydrogen peroxide (not the regular kind, since it can contain harmful stabilizers such as organophosphates and/or heavy metals; you can contact the manufacturer to see what they add) to the water or electrify the ground (both of which are said to help bring seeds out of dormancy, whether or not it's true); I'm not sure how effective they are at doing this, however. If you use too much peroxide (and/or electricity) and kill the seeds, I guess that won't hurt matters. The hydrogen peroxide should turn into water eventually. It would probably be safe to use the extra-potent food grade kind, if you wanted to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I don't know if this solution will help at all. It's just an untried random thought (granted, I'm in the process of trying the water only method, but as we're having an awesomely late frost this year, maybe I better just pull the weeds up, and that might be a good idea anyway, since they might be perennials).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-12-05T03:10:31.017" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T03:10:31.017" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14551" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14537" CreationDate="2014-11-05T21:59:47.473" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because perennials generally last the longest, people often choose them first when designing their garden. Among other things, this broad category includes popular bulbs like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;tulips&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://daffodilusa.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;daffodils&lt;/a&gt;, and flowers with many varieties, like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lillies&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/gardeningguides/generalgardening/basics/plantlifecycles.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Learn2Grow&lt;/a&gt; offers detailed information about annuals, biennials and perennials, as well as links to other sites. This is an interesting quote from them about perennials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The general definition of a perennial is a plant that lives for three or more years. The problem with this limited description is that some plants, like peonies, can live for over 100 years, while others, like some Agastache species, tend to only live for about four. Moreover, some perennials, like Monarda, bloom in the first year from seed, while others, like Baptisia, can take four years before they bloom from seed at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-07T00:07:41.800" LastActivityDate="2014-11-07T00:07:41.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14552" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14562" CreationDate="2014-11-06T07:35:21.383" Score="3" ViewCount="237" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read about a kind of melon called Thai best. I think it's popular in Thailand. Anyway, that's where it comes from. According to websites online, fruits mature extremely quickly (60 to 65 days after sowing).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My main concern about these, though, is that they might not do well in a dry climate (it is said to be great in hot, humid climates). I live in a dry climate (not Arizona dry, but dry).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would these melons grow in a dry climate? Does anyone know the scientific name? I'm guessing it would be something like &lt;em&gt;Cucumis melo&lt;/em&gt; 'Thai Long Muskmelon', but that might be another variety. They look like little long watermelons on the outside, with a light-colored flesh and seeds grouped somewhat like a cantaloupe in the inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see it listed on several websites: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.evergreenseeds.com/thmethbe.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;evergreenseeds.com&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seedman.com/melons.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;seedman.com&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lionseeds.com/seeds/thai-melon/thai-melon/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lionseeds.com&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ebay.com/itm/50-Seeds-Long-Thai-musk-melon-muskmelon-Free-shipping-/320399933993&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ebay&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-07T00:54:51.957" LastActivityDate="2014-11-07T00:54:51.957" Title="Does Thai muskmelon (AKA Thai best or Tang Thai) do well in a dry climate?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;humidity&gt;&lt;cucurbits&gt;&lt;melons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14553" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-06T15:20:00.883" Score="7" ViewCount="5861" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two old citrus trees, one bears sweet navel-type oranges and the other has hundreds of impossibly sour, tiny oranges. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would it be possible to chop off a branch from the sweet tree and attach it (graft it) to the sour one, to create a new tree, bearing sweet fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7409" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-07T00:22:30.707" LastActivityDate="2014-12-08T20:43:44.087" Title="Can I graft a branch of a sweet orange onto a sour orange tree to get sweet fruit?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14553" CreationDate="2014-11-06T15:47:53.197" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well you &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt;, but I don't think it'll work too well. It's likely that the sour orange tree was once just a rootstock with a different, most likely sweet, orange grafted above it. Since that original graft has obviously died back/disappeared, the rootstock has taken over and grown away in its own right, so your grafting a piece of the sweet orange onto one branch might mean, if the graft takes, that one branch will produce sweet oranges, but the rest of the sour orange will still be present, taking away nutrients from your grafted branch. Once rootstock takes over and grows on its own, it's usually much more vigorous than the grafted parts, so any attempts to graft it now, at what is presumably a large and mature size if it produces that many fruits, will likely be futile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try it if you want to though, otherwise, your sour oranges might make very good marmalade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-11-06T15:47:53.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14555" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14543" CreationDate="2014-11-06T20:28:29.503" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to be able to use that space I would reconsider re-using river rock.  Tough to put a table or chairs on and certainly hard to walk upon.  Much better use of your time would be to dispose of the river rock somewhere on your property that doesn't get much traffic.  Or ask your friends or neighbors if they'd like 'free' river rock.  They just have to remove all the river rock from your property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To prepare for new gravel make sure you are at least 4&quot; below grade.  Then cover the area with landscape fabric. You WANT it to stay in place a long time.  This is the ONLY purpose of landscape fabric.  It is not for weed protection!  Landscape fabric will prevent your gravel from disappearing as weight is applied to the surface of the gravel. Without landscape fabric, gravel will sink down into the soil and the fine soil will come to the surface.  Then you will have a mess on your hands!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The gravel you should get is called 3/4 minus or even 3/8 minus.  They regrind the normal utilitarian 5/8 minus crushed gravel you've seen in driveways. The smaller size looks more refined, professional.  To figure out how much to order, take your square footage of the area (do all of this with any pathways you'd like to have to take you to your new informal 'patio' as well) and divide by 81.  This gives you cubic yards to order or pick up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you edge the areas to be graveled with pressure treated 2X4 and stakes.  Treks, dimensional lumber made from recycled plastic bottles is a great product for this.  Don't use any other color than dove gray!  Keep the top of the 2X4's at grade, not above.  Fill with 4&quot; crushed gravel with the fines (the 'minus' part of the 3/8 minus term).  Rent a compactor and compact your 'patio' and walkways.  This provides a comfortable, clean surface  that you can walk upon, place pots, furniture and stays in place.  VERY tough for weed seeds to germinate. If they do either pull them when they are tiny or use glyphosate (Round-up).  Killing weeds in gravel is the only time I even use this stuff.  The weeds should be young and growing vigorously before you spray.  Be careful with over-spray or spraying too fine a mist on a windy day!!  You probably won't ever need to use it if you use 4&quot; of compacted gravel over landscape fabric!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever you do, don't use any color in the gravel or wood.  It is distracting in a garden.  Keep all your hardscapes a dove gray and your work will look professional.  That is my opinion as a Landscape Architect!  Grin! Hope this meets your needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-11-06T20:28:29.503" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14541" CreationDate="2014-11-06T21:00:07.367" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I feel I should add some information about tulips.  I live in the Pacific Northwest and a few years ago I went to the tulip festival in LaConner, Washington. I know a lot about plants but we had a Master Gardener leading our tour and I was blown away when she told us that tulips produce a toxin in the soil that reduces their own vigor slowly killing the bulbs of the tulips themselves!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the tulip displays these tulip professionals plant in soil 2-4&quot; deep in trays.  This is so every single year they can fairly easily change the soil to grow luscious, vigorous tulips for the displays (which are mind-boggling beautiful).  In the fields, they grow the bulbs one year and replant with something non-tulip.  Once the tulip has grown in a soil once that soil should never be used to grow tulips again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weird, weird plant.  For your house boat I would plant mass tulip bulbs in trays.  Try to limit your colors/varieties to just a few for more bang for your buck.  Don't plant in single rows.  Replace the soil (POTTING SOIL ONLY!), replant the bulbs, cover with newspaper  for the next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you think that is a lot of work, it is.  Another great idea that I have seen on house boats is sedum also planted in trays.  Don't have to do much except make dang sure you've got great drainage, don't ever overwater, fertilize very sparingly and every year you'll thank me, grin!  Absolutely gorgeous!  The colors keep changing and the fall is spectacular in color!  What a great project!  Have you seen what I am talking about?  It became so popular most nurseries actually provide trays with a good selection of sedums that have already been successful.  People use them as framed 'pictures' on outdoor walls as well as 'roof tops' on house boats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-11-06T21:00:07.367" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14557" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14553" CreationDate="2014-11-06T22:01:57.020" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are comfortable with &lt;a href=&quot;http://treesandshrubs.about.com/od/pruning/a/make-bark-rind-graft.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;rind grafting&lt;/a&gt; (pictured below),  Then yes, these trees are compatible. This is best done in early spring just before bud break. Be sure you leave some original growth, to support the whole thing while the grafts take. This is the method used for changing larger trees for different fruit. The picture below is from an apple tree, which is one of the easier trees to graft. Oranges will be tougher, as the scions aren't deciduous, and will tend to transpire too much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uIaVy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-07T00:04:47.793" LastActivityDate="2014-11-07T00:04:47.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14558" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14542" CreationDate="2014-11-06T22:16:31.173" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;To ensure that your energies don't go to waste, chose the plants you want to dig up, dig a 1' trench around the base of the plant in a size you will be able to manage.  Fill this trench with straw.  Do this before the ground freezes.  During this winter those sumacs will be putting out new roots into the rootball that they will take to the new location in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Early in the spring, after the ground has thawed, dig up your sumacs laying them on a tarp.  You can drag the plants to their new location or even rent ball-dolleys (heavy duty dolley for transporting balled and burlapped trees and shrubs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize with a slow-release organic fertilizer that includes mycorrhizae.  This will help with the stress of transplanting.  Make sure you water well and make sure there is really good drainage. Keep the root ball moist, not soggy until your sumacs become established. I'd build up a bed rather than transplant in ground level soil.  This ensures good drainage.  Make a trench all along the perimeter of the bed to carry away excess water.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mulch carefully with 1&quot; mulch, decomposed organic mulch.  Too thick of mulch will tend to smother their shallow roots. If they were grown in clay soil and are being planted in sandy soils you will have to work at soaking the original root ball.  A slow drip would make sure the water gets in the root ball and not be gobbled up by the porous sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-11-06T22:16:31.173" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14559" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14560" CreationDate="2014-11-06T23:59:10.963" Score="5" ViewCount="2124" Body="&lt;p&gt;These &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus_%C3%97_acerifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Platanus × acerifolia&lt;/a&gt; trees (London Planetree) were pruned to have this short, stubby branch structure. What is this called, and how is is done?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a2MJz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-06T23:59:10.963" Title="What is the term for this pruning technique that causes stubby, clublike branches?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14560" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14559" CreationDate="2014-11-06T23:59:10.963" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollarding&quot;&gt;pollarding&lt;/a&gt;. It is a pruning system that promotes uniform yearly growth, in dense heads over the tree. You basically cut the branch ends at a certain diameter, and remove all smaller growth. Then on a yearly to almost a 20 year  basis, remove the shoots that form, at the base. the result is the formation of these clublike heads, which grow in diameter, and a smaller mature tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When left alone, these trees can revert back to normal growth, but the branch structure will always look peculiar in the areas where the pollarding had been performed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This pruning method is only suitable for certain species, and the most common of these are the &lt;em&gt;Platanus&lt;/em&gt; (Sycamore) species. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Examples of trees that do well as pollards include the following: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beech&quot;&gt;beeches (&lt;em&gt;Fagus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak&quot;&gt;oaks (&lt;em&gt;Quercus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple&quot;&gt;maples (&lt;em&gt;Acer&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinia&quot;&gt;black locust (&lt;em&gt;Robinia&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornbeam&quot;&gt;hornbeams (&lt;em&gt;Carpinus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilia&quot;&gt;lindens (&lt;em&gt;Tilia&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus&quot;&gt;planes (&lt;em&gt;Platanus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesculus&quot;&gt;horse chestnuts (&lt;em&gt;Aesculus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morus_(plant)&quot;&gt;mulberries (&lt;em&gt;Morus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercis&quot;&gt;redbud (&lt;em&gt;Cercis&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ailanthus&quot;&gt;tree of heaven (&lt;em&gt;Ailanthus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow&quot;&gt;willows (&lt;em&gt;Salix&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel&quot;&gt;hazelnut (&lt;em&gt;Corylus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraxinus&quot;&gt;ash (&lt;em&gt;Fraxinus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut&quot;&gt;chestnut (&lt;em&gt;Castanea&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elm&quot;&gt;elm (&lt;em&gt;Ulmus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus&quot;&gt;poplar (&lt;em&gt;Populus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birch&quot;&gt;birch (&lt;em&gt;Betula&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privet&quot;&gt;privet (&lt;em&gt;Ligustrum&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniper&quot;&gt;juniper (&lt;em&gt;Juniperus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_(genus)&quot;&gt;dogwood (&lt;em&gt;Cornus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malus&quot;&gt;crabapple (&lt;em&gt;Malus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus&quot;&gt;wild plum (&lt;em&gt;Prunus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumac&quot;&gt;sumac (&lt;em&gt;Rhus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly&quot;&gt;holly (&lt;em&gt;Ilex&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus&quot;&gt;spurge (&lt;em&gt;Eucalyptus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurus&quot;&gt;laurel (&lt;em&gt;Laurus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotoneaster&quot;&gt;cotoneaster (&lt;em&gt;Cotoneaster&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytisus&quot;&gt;broom (&lt;em&gt;Cytisus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxus&quot;&gt;yews (&lt;em&gt;Taxus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeysuckle&quot;&gt;honeysuckle (&lt;em&gt;Lonicera&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clematis&quot;&gt;clematis (&lt;em&gt;Clematis&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisteria&quot;&gt;wisteria (&lt;em&gt;Wisteria&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-06T23:59:10.963" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14561" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14564" CreationDate="2014-11-07T00:30:26.780" Score="5" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking to develop and maintain a small vegetable plot on my unit's balcony, the space available is approximately 2m x 1m (6ft x 3ft).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conditions:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Subtropical coastal mining-port town in Australia, my unit has a balcony with full sunlight from about midday to the evening.  The temperature ranges from low 20's Celsius (high 70's Fahrenheit) in winter up to mid 30's Celsius (mid 90's Fahrenheit) and extremes into the high 30's Celsius (100's Fahrenheit) are not unusual.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rainfall is not particularly high, especially in winter as the wet season is in summer.  Storms are very rare here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maintenance&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I work four jobs, so the garden will need to be as low maintenance as possible. I am able to water daily, early morning and evening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Which vegetables could be planted on my balcony in these conditions?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After reading the questions and answers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2065/what-herbs-vegetables-greens-can-be-grown-in-a-balcony-garden-with-limited-sunli&quot;&gt;What herbs/vegetables/greens can be grown in a balcony garden with limited sunlight?&lt;/a&gt;,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/129/what-vegetables-can-be-grown-effectively-in-a-small-urban-garden&quot;&gt;What vegetables can be grown effectively in a small, urban garden?&lt;/a&gt; and&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4204/balcony-composting-suggestions-for-trapped-rainwater&quot;&gt;Balcony composting - suggestions for trapped rainwater&lt;/a&gt;,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I realise that my situation, while related, is different enough to warrant a separate question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user7410" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-06T12:59:51.650" LastActivityDate="2018-04-06T14:06:45.513" Title="What vegetables could be planted in a limited balcony space in a subtropical environment?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14562" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14552" CreationDate="2014-11-07T00:53:04.893" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They do like humidity, but low humidity isn't fatal, and you can get quite a decent crop without it. What is important is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;high soil temperature&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;high soil moisture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;high soil fertility&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;high soil organic matter content&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;high light levels&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;loose soil texture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding compost is good, the more the better, even if you end up with almost straight compost. Keep in mind, this fast maturing feature only 'works' when the soil and air temperatures are staying high, so planting super early doesn't necessarily mean an early crop, because the first growth will be extremely slow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the scientific name is &lt;em&gt;Cucumis melo&lt;/em&gt; 'Thai Long Muskmelon', like you thought. At least, that seems to be the most common one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-07T00:53:04.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14563" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-07T00:58:43.467" Score="13" ViewCount="69498" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the gardening and rose books I have they talk about different types of roses - hybrid, damask, china, tea, etc. They give a brief &lt;strong&gt;history&lt;/strong&gt; of each rose type and a couple of pictures, but generally  little or no description.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it in fact &lt;strong&gt;possible&lt;/strong&gt; to determine a roses &quot;type&quot; or &quot;class&quot; just by looking at it, and if so, what are the characteristics of the different types? (Even &quot;climbing&quot; seems like a fairly ambiguous type, and you'd think that'd be a clear definition.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1339" LastActivityDate="2020-09-02T20:27:57.570" Title="How can I identify the &quot;type&quot; of a rose if I don't already know what it is?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14564" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14561" CreationDate="2014-11-07T01:38:04.687" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should be able to grow a few things here. I think the two biggest things to consider are compact size and heat tolerance. As you can water in the morning and evening, drought tolerance in't entirely necessary. Here are some veggies I would try:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Peppers&lt;/strong&gt;, specifically dwarf 'patio' types, like &lt;a href=&quot;http://organicsoiltechnology.com/redskin-sweet-pepper.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Redskin Dwarf Sweet Pepper&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cucumbers&lt;/strong&gt;, which you may want to train up a trellis (which will only need to be 18&quot;-2' high, if you use a dwarf variety like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/cucumbers/specialty-cucumbers/cucumber-salad-bush-hybrid-prod000697.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Salad Bush Hybrid.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Okra&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Purslane&lt;/strong&gt; isn't everyones favorite, but it is a juicy, suculent green that likes growing in heat, and has a very nice nutrition profile.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Peas&lt;/strong&gt;, although they are considered a cool-season crop, there is a variety called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seedsavers.org/onlinestore/pea/Pea-Tom-Thumb.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;'Tom Thumb'&lt;/a&gt; that stays under 1' tall, and will mature in 2 months. You can grow it during the mildest period of the year.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tomatoes&lt;/strong&gt; can be awesome, and there is a variety called &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000TYS7KM&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;'Micro Tom'&lt;/a&gt;, that stas about 8&quot; tall (seriously), and is good for limited space.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those are some that came to mind right away. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In blazing sun, especially on a 100 degree Fahrenheit day, you may want to screen then by hanging up a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeners.com/how-to/row-covers/5111.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lightweight row cover&lt;/a&gt; or similar. Wind can also be detrimental when the humidity is low.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water them whenever the tp 1/2&quot; of soil is dry. If that is less than once a day, that's fine. It's better to water too little than too much, and a lot easier to fix. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of these plants will benefit from a small support/trellis, but will generally be easy maintenance other than regular watering, fertilizing, and harvesting. Pests and/or diseases can also be kept in mind, as the can take time to treat for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-07T01:38:04.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14566" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14563" CreationDate="2014-11-07T13:12:24.240" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a complicated matter! Probably best to start in a different place than the moss/china stuff, so begin with a general, broad classification. Ask yourself is it a &lt;strong&gt;hybrid tea&lt;/strong&gt; (pointed buds, usually repeat flowering, mostly a bush), is it a &lt;strong&gt;floribunda&lt;/strong&gt; (carries its flowers in trusses with several blooms open at one time in each truss, mostly a bush), is it a &lt;strong&gt;climber&lt;/strong&gt; (long, stiff stems, usually repeat flowering) or a &lt;strong&gt;rambler&lt;/strong&gt; (long pliable stems, smaller flowers than a climber held in trusses, flowering all at once, non repeating, usually). Then there's the Miniatures and Shrub roses - shrub roses are somewhere between hybrid tea and floribunda, usually making quite large shrubs - miniatures usually reach around 15 inches. Groundcover roses, as the name suggests, are usually around a foot high, but have a wide spread.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can decide which of these groups the rose you're looking at falls into, then you're on the way to possibly making an ID, when other features such as thorniness, shape and colour of thorns, foliage colour, glossiness of leaf, shape, colour and prickliness of hips, shape of flower, shape of individual petals (frilled, ruffled, plain, reflexed), number of petals (single, semi double, full double, very full double) and, obviously, colour and fragrance need to be assessed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even then, its possible to come across a rose that no one recognises, particularly if its an old variety that's fallen out of fashion. And sometimes it's harder to tell if a rose has been produced as a 'standard' on a long stem because you don't know what shape it makes as a plant without the long stem. There are also roses which have a bush version and a climbing version - and old example would be Cecile Brunner, Climbing, a large (20 feet high and wide) climbing china rose; there's a bush version that's quite dainty, making 2.5 x 2.5 feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether or not a rose is a damask, china or moss rose might be something you can establish once you've ID'd the plant, if that's important to you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-11-07T13:28:20.510" LastActivityDate="2014-11-07T13:28:20.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14567" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14683" CreationDate="2014-11-07T13:59:14.050" Score="3" ViewCount="1096" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a pot of Phalaenopsis Orchid while its flower was almost dead a few months ago. Several weeks later I bought another pot with no flowers on it. I've been keeping both pots in the sitting room at a North-facing window with not a lot of sun, and appropriate humidity. The manual says to water once a week, I followed it when I first bought it, assing the orchid food drops into water, but as I live in a very humid area, I increased watering intervals to twice a month or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Question about pot #1:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first pot's only flower fell off a couple of weeks ago, and afterwards started blooming/blossoming. It looks very fresh and happy and the flowers are coming, and there's a new step growing as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's not growing vertically, so shall I hook it up to the support stand thing to keep it straight or is there a chance I may damage it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sNvJP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The happy pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JK1f4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The new-born stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/972C1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Several new roots coming out and all i&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Questions about pot #2:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves of the second pot are getting more and more withered and one of them is turning yellow. The roots don't seem to be in a good condition, either. and the whole plant can come off easily from the pot, as if it's not well settled in it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What should I do to maintain the roots and the flower's health?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I searched before posting, and I read the answer to this question: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/132/my-orchid-has-one-yellowing-leaf-whats-gone-wrong&quot;&gt;My orchid has one yellowing leaf. What&amp;#39;s gone wrong?&lt;/a&gt; but I think mine is slightly different, as I have one other pot at the same condition doing pretty well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8iOqM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The withered plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PMdAc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Weak leaves and roots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yaS2t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;P.S.&lt;/strong&gt; Both pots are kept in the bigger ceramic/porcelain pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T13:00:27.870" Title="How Should I Take Care of These Two Phalaenopsis Orchids with Different Behaviors?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14568" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14570" CreationDate="2014-11-07T16:57:31.830" Score="4" ViewCount="524" Body="&lt;p&gt;A control technique before planting aquatic plants in water bodies is to remove existing water weeds. I've heard of this being called &quot;uprooting&quot; or &quot;cutting&quot; the weeds. What's the proper term?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7131" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-08T17:00:30.557" LastActivityDate="2014-11-08T17:00:30.557" Title="What is the term for removing weeds from bodies of water?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14569" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14484" CreationDate="2014-11-07T21:10:32.197" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with J.Musser for increasing the light.  But I would accept that this plant will be larger than you wanted.  Not a plant to 'bonsai'...there is always a way to make room in your apartment for a healthy, vigorous plant, grin! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would actually go for a larger pot, new potting soil with bacteria and mycorrhizae included in the soil or the fertilizer.  Get good organic fertilizer that is a bit lower in Nitrogen (the first number of the 3 main nutrients; Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium - NPK) so that more energy at first in the new pot goes into roots.  I would then go to equal amounts or close to equal of NPK (once your plant gets acclimated to the new pot).  Another good choice for fertilizer and easier to use is Osmocote 14-14-14.  Lasts 4 months without you worrying about fertilizer or worse, over doing the fertilizer.  But then make sure the potting soil comes with bacteria and mycorrhizae. Get a great grow light for this guy or make sure he sits very near a south-facing window.  Keep the plant from getting sunburn by pulling it back out of the direct sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you water, SOAK your plant and pot in the shower (cold water). Allow it to drain and dry off a bit in the shower.  It will love soaking up the moisture in the air.  Then replace it in its saucer in its new and sunnier spot.  Keep this plant away from forced air vents and drafts.  Allow your soil to dry out quite a bit.  It will still be moist when you water again but barely.  It is so very important to water deeply and then allow the soil to dry out before watering again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your water is softened I'd augment the showers with distilled water or alternate waterings between the shower and distilled or bottled water for drinking.  Softened water or tap water from the city is full of salts and fluoride (poison).  You will start to see deposits on the top of the soil and the tips of your fronds and leaves will yellow.  This means you need to water less with tap water, more with bottled water or rain water.  I would then transplant the plant back into the same pot with new soil.  Be careful to disturb the roots as little as possible when changing the soil.  If you see roots starting to encircle the pot, clip those roots and plan on getting a bigger pot soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clay works best for these plants.  The pot breathes and you'll see deposits on the outside of clay pots if you are using too much tap water.  When you change the soil, scrub the clay pot with a brush to get rid of the salt/mineral deposits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Careful with support.  Support actually makes the plant dependent on support.  Like a cast on your arm?  You arm atrophies from the support.  Any support for those long leaves will be temporary until you get new growth to allow you to cut off leggy growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The kitchen or the bathroom if there is a lot of light or a south-facing window is the best place for these tropical plants because of the moisture. If you start seeing tip burn and you know you are only using well water or rain water or distilled water or bottled water then you need to increase the humidity in the room.  Spraying your plant does nothing for the humidity.  Get a flat tray and fill it with river rock or pea gravel and keep water in the rocks.  You can even set your plant right on top.  Make sure the bottom of the pot never sits in water.  Also do NOT use any rock or gravels in the bottom of the pot.  Fill your pot  with potting soil only (never garden soil).  If the saucer gets filled with water, dump your saucer out.  You can also set the pot up on little 'pot feet' above the saucer or tray of rocks.  This will ensure good drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this plant is too big for you give it to a friend and get cactus type plants.  Or a real bonsai.  Whatever plant you keep inside needs light!  There is one plant I know that can survive in deepest shade and that is the 'Cast Iron Plant'.  Not nearly as pretty as this one, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut off all the dead fronds.  For now, keep anything that has green in it until your plant gets established and has lots of healthy fronds.  Then feel free to cut any less than perfect fronds off. Keep an eye out for spider mite (you'll see webbing in between the leaves and stalks).  Watering in the shower helps a lot to minimize these pests.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a covered porch take this plant out for the summer.  Keep it out of the direct sunlight!  This way it will get more energy to handle the low-light winters.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let us know how your plant does...good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-11-07T21:10:32.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14570" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14568" CreationDate="2014-11-07T21:35:37.400" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The term I've generally heard used for this is &quot;harvesting&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Technically, uprooting or cutting the weeds only really covers disconnecting the plant from the ground. Harvesting, however, also includes the collection and removal of said weeds, which is necessary for actual control of the issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/420/420-251/420-251.html&quot;&gt;This&lt;/a&gt; publication by Virginia Tech mentions it specifically as Harvesting and some others talk about the physical removal of weeds (vs. chemical) when discussing mechanical harvesting methods, e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/other/landscaping/hgic1714.html&quot;&gt;this paper by Clemson&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4664" LastActivityDate="2014-11-07T21:35:37.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14571" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14480" CreationDate="2014-11-07T21:42:16.170" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is the back yard lower than the front?  If so, that would mean the water was blown out of the lower elevation heads and not to worry.  These guys should be liable for any pipes that are damaged during the winter by water left in the pipes.  Most companies know this, charge appropriately and make dang sure the job is done correctly.  It isn't a tough thing to do and most companies always include the recharge of water in the spring.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't have this service with this company I would call them back to request they come out in the spring to recharge.  If anything is broken, they are responsible and they fix everything at that time as well.  Find out now.  If you can get the same company to commit to the spring recharge and they've been around for awhile you can probably rest assured.  If they want to be paid AGAIN for the spring recharge, find another company that will assume responsibility and that will blow your pipes (or check on their status) AND recharge in the spring. You'd have to pay for the recharge anyway but at least you are getting an 'insurance' policy for your irrigation. The guys that blow them out need to retain the responsibility. I've never known a company not to be responsible for the spring charge if they've done the blow out...all included in the same price.  Not separate prices!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watching them doesn't help much.  If you know what you are looking at you could have done the job yourself.  Making sure that the same company is under contract for blowing out your pipes and recharging AND taking responsibility for any winter damage is your best assurance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2014-11-07T21:42:16.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14572" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14536" CreationDate="2014-11-07T22:55:14.407" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There has been some considerable research into apical dominance, such as published in the paper &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/142/3/812.full&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Apical Dominance and Shoot Branching. Divergent Opinions or Divergent Mechanisms?1&lt;/a&gt; (Dun et al. 2006), that describes the phenomenon as&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;the control of the shoot tip over axillary bud outgrowth&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Essentially, according to the webpage &lt;a href=&quot;http://plantphys.info/apical/apical.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Apical Dominance&lt;/a&gt;, the process is summarised as&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In some plants, the lateral bud located in the axil of each leaf does not grow to form branches, especially at first. This condition is known as strong apical dominance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Examples of what strong vs weak apical dominance are presented in the Real Green's webpage &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.realgreenlawns.com/austin_tx_texas/howtoprune.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Prune a Tree or Shrub&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yC8aU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Essentially, the main stem is allowed to grow, while the lateral stems remain largely dormant.  The commonly held reason as to why is due to auxin concentrations; however, in Dun et al. 2006 and in the paper &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pnas.org/content/111/16/6092.abstract&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sugar demand, not auxin, is the initial regulator of apical dominance&lt;/a&gt; (Mason et al. 2013), research in the latter suggests that apical buds demand for sugar, thus limiting the sugar availability to other buds as a viable mechanism. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user7410" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-24T20:00:03.457" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T20:00:03.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14573" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14574" CreationDate="2014-11-08T05:56:31.223" Score="9" ViewCount="6343" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's been 2 weeks since I transplanted my chilli seedlings:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14508/why-have-my-chilli-seedlings-stopped-growing&quot;&gt;Why have my chilli seedlings stopped growing?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They don't seem to have gotten over their transplant shock yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Googling seems to mostly mention methods of avoiding transplant shock. With the exception of watering your plant with a sugar solution&lt;sup&gt;[1]&lt;/sup&gt; and providing extra nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any other methods to speed up recovery?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[1]&lt;/sup&gt; 1 tablespoon of sugar to 1 cup of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My chilli plants appear to be starting to do better now. I am not sure if doing nothing would have achieved the same result, but light fertilisation certainly did not have an adverse effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2020-04-17T07:26:38.287" Title="Are there any methods of fixing transplant shock?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14574" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14573" CreationDate="2014-11-08T08:22:36.290" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some say vitamin B1 (thiamin) is supposed to help for transplant shock. Thiamin contains sulfur; so, maybe that has something to do with it. If sulfur has anything to do with it, Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) may help. Peppers are supposed to appreciate a certain amount of Epsom salt (diluted a lot, of course). After googling it, I see a recommendation for Epsom salt with transplant shock (after transplanting).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a suspicion that water with a little food grade hydrogen peroxide in it may help (the non-food-grade kind may contain harmful stabilizers, such as organophosphates and heavy metals). Hydrogen peroxide is supposed to help sick plants and roots (and even leaves, if you spray it). So, it may help with transplant shock, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing I've found is that some plants when they're first transplanted, don't like direct sun. Don't ask me why. They wilt in it, but are fine in the shade. I don't know if this is true for all plants. After one to three days this probably won't matter as much. Your peppers have been planted a while now. So, sun might be a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure they're warm enough (especially the soil) and have enough sunlight (I'm sure a grow light would help enormously if they're indoors). Make sure you don't overwater them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-12-05T03:02:23.763" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T03:02:23.763" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14575" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-10T05:05:20.430" Score="5" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to put a post down to support a carport. The post would be embedded in a concrete block approx. 60cm x 60cm. This is 3 metres from the trunk of a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_palmatum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Japanese Maple&lt;/a&gt; about 5 metres tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a likelihood of damage to the tree if we are careful in digging the hole, and how can I help it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7415" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-10T16:28:00.323" LastActivityDate="2014-11-11T02:07:22.190" Title="Does a Japanese maple require special care when a post-hole is dug in the root system?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14579" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14575" CreationDate="2014-11-10T13:16:15.267" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's anybody's best guess really - where the roots of a tree spread to is very much down to local conditions, and the only way you're going to find out is to start digging the hole. At a distance of three metres from the trunk, it's likely you will come across some root material, and losing a little of it shouldn't cause too much damage, particularly at this time of year (assuming you're in the northern hemisphere), but if the whole area is a solid mass of roots, both large, woody ones and fibrous ones, then yes, your tree will suffer and may even die. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ultimately, if you need to put in a post, then you need to do it, and you may have to replace your tree if putting up a carport is a priority, but you might find it's not an issue when you start to dig out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-11-10T13:16:15.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14580" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14575" CreationDate="2014-11-10T15:57:40.683" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It partly depends on the size of the tree (some Japanese maples mature &lt;em&gt;far&lt;/em&gt; larger than others, and at 5m tall, there are a lot of possibilities.), but at 3 meters from the trunk, you are more likely to damage a larger tree than a smaller one. In any case, you are unlikely to kill the tree, even if you do cut some roots. That will be such a small percentage of the root system. Sometimes if I feel I've cut back more root than normal I'll prune the top-growth a little, to balance the systems. If you do this, wait until spring, so you don't get winter burn from it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-10T16:10:39.250" LastActivityDate="2014-11-10T16:10:39.250" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14582" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14573" CreationDate="2014-11-10T19:32:27.047" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I do to avoid transplant shock, is to plant my seeds into toilet roll inners filled with potting mix and raise them in a protected environment away from birds, slugs, etc. When it's time for transplanting, the entire tube gets planted into the soil and there is no transplant shock whatsoever. The cardboard tube rots very quickly and the plant happily grows in its new environment. I've never had a problem using this method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P.S. I get my friends and family to save their toilet roll inners for me, which gives me a plentiful supply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7418" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-10T20:08:01.117" LastActivityDate="2014-11-10T20:08:01.117" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14543" CreationDate="2014-11-10T19:37:17.937" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;For removal of weeds from a small area, the boiling water method works like a charm and I have been using that method for years with great success. I hate using weed killers because of the damage it does to the environment and I have plenty of beautiful frogs around my place to prove that it does work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7418" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-10T20:07:34.863" LastActivityDate="2014-11-10T20:07:34.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14584" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14561" CreationDate="2014-11-10T19:38:05.657" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Think Vertical Gardening (Google it for ideas, images). I recommend basil, Ginger, Turmeric, and herbs of your choice. Rosemary, lemon grass, and oregano are easy to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7416" LastActivityDate="2014-11-10T19:38:05.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14585" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1941" CreationDate="2014-11-10T19:50:16.287" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I disagree that this method is not practical. If you had a look at the size of my garden you will see that it does work. An important step is to behead all dandelion flowers before they go to seed to minimise the volume of seeds. Of course there will always be influx of seeds from neighbours lawns who don't bother to keep them under control and the important thing is that you must never give up. It does take a lot of work initially but once under control, the removal of the odd dandelion isn't a major time user.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also used the mechanical removal method for capeweed which is a dreadful pest at my place and I hardly ever see any in my garden despite my neighbours having thousands of the pesky things. As soon as I see one it gets dug out and thrown into the chook yard where it lasts no time at all. High volumes get put into the compost heap or into the rubbish bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The secret of success is 'do not give up' and not a drop of herbicide is needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7418" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-10T20:08:27.153" LastActivityDate="2014-11-10T20:08:27.153" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14586" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14588" CreationDate="2014-11-10T21:22:27.377" Score="7" ViewCount="4456" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I see there are seeds in cucumbers. But they're always so soft that I don't notice them when I eat the cucumbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming that means the seeds are just young and not ready to be collected yet (kind of like how watermelon seeds start soft then harden). So how do I know when the seeds are ready to take from the cucumbers and what do I need to do to collect and keep them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastActivityDate="2015-11-20T20:31:20.303" Title="How do you collect and keep cucumber seeds for planting the next year?" Tags="&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14587" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14586" CreationDate="2014-11-10T22:57:40.177" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have only done this for heirloom lemon cucumbers, but the idea is probably similar.&#xA;For one thing, leave the fruit on the plant longer so it matures more. The outer shell gets harder and goes different colors (at least on those - more orangey than white/yellow)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then let it dry out in the house. Which won't happen (without rotting) if it's immature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-11-10T22:57:40.177" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14586" CreationDate="2014-11-10T23:51:53.440" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pumkins, squash and cucumbers all are pretty easy to propagate by seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The important part is letting the fruit ripen thoroughly so the seeds finish formation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, you have to let one of your Zucchini or Cucumbers completely harden up (develop a rind) and change to full ripe color, ie leave it on the vine till the vine's nearing death. Winter Squash tend to be the least hassle for most people to save seeds from because you let them fully ripen for harvest anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut it open, scoop out the seeds, wash them clean and set them out on paper towels to dry. You don't want them to remain damp, they will mold and rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Viable seeds will have a hull developed, semi hard because it's still damp which will dry out to form a tough seed case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Store the seeds in a cool, dry place till next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2014-11-10T23:51:53.440" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14591" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14592" CreationDate="2014-11-11T06:32:28.043" Score="6" ViewCount="827" Body="&lt;p&gt;I dug up my compost pile last weekend. it is made of aerated concrete blocks, just layed in a square, no cement. located on the rooftop of our 4 stories building, located in Hong Kong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beside the worms, BSF larvae, flies and other insects, I saw a lot of geckos and a nest of cockroaches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In that specific environment, should I consider them as pest?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have none in the house, in Hong Kong, cockroaches are extremely common and they are really located at the compost pile place only. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe they are helping the organic matter breaking down process, but is that true? do they come without side impact?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7110" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-11T15:48:07.900" LastActivityDate="2014-11-11T15:48:07.900" Title="Are cockroaches pests in the compost heap?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14592" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14591" CreationDate="2014-11-11T07:03:09.743" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am going to answer from a scientific viewpoint, and away from the 'eww' factor that often pervades advice websites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many cockroaches are &lt;strong&gt;detritivores&lt;/strong&gt;, which according to the Harvard Library website &lt;a href=&quot;http://guides.library.harvard.edu/cockroaches&quot;&gt;Cockroaches&lt;/a&gt;, they&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;live on decaying vegetation and the like. They can play an important role in breaking down decomposing organic matter and cleaning the environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some websites and groups that advocate keeping and even breeding cockroaches for composting, such as the &lt;a href=&quot;http://theunconventionalfarmer.com/natural-techniques/cockroach-composting/&quot;&gt;Unconventional Farmer Cockroach Composting page&lt;/a&gt;, which state, in terms of compost benefits,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Eliminate waste efficiently (produce few nutrient dense droppings per large food intake)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if they are in your compost they are happy - a warm moist environment with plenty of food.  They are very unlikely to venture into the house.  According to the World Health Organisation document &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/resources/vector288to301.pdf&quot;&gt;Cockroaches&lt;/a&gt;, even though they are not considered to be a primary source of disease, they can spread intestinal diseases, such as &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid fever and cholera.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;the WHO also states that the key to control is cleanliness, deny them a food source anywhere but their happy compost home and they would have no reason to venture from the compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether or not they are a pest depends on their species, according to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.johnson-group.com.hk/en/CockroachesControl.php&quot;&gt;Johnson Group Pest Control page&lt;/a&gt; (the page is included as it includes images as part of the descriptions),&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Common types of cockroaches in Hong Kong include &lt;em&gt;Periplaneta americana&lt;/em&gt; (American cockroach), &lt;em&gt;Periplaneta australiasiae&lt;/em&gt; (Australian cockroach) and &lt;em&gt;Blattella germanica&lt;/em&gt; (German cockroach).  Of these three species, the one that has the greatest potential for becoming persistent and troublesome is the German cockroach, which prefers indoor locations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are on the roof, it may be an option to have the air ducts etc checked for other nests within the building.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user7410" LastEditorDisplayName="user7410" LastEditDate="2014-11-11T07:28:25.690" LastActivityDate="2014-11-11T07:28:25.690" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14593" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14601" CreationDate="2014-11-11T13:18:10.037" Score="4" ViewCount="897" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/saving-cucumber-seeds.aspx#axzz3IivwNpT1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Miscanthus sinensis&lt;/em&gt; 'Gracillimus'&lt;/a&gt; growing, and I've always propagated it by division. I'm interested to start some from seed, as this will produce a large, uniform crop, even if it takes years to mature. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I tell when the seed is ready to harvest, and how is it removed from the head?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-12T14:15:44.847" Title="Can I save the seeds of Maiden Grass?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14594" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14595" CreationDate="2014-11-11T16:49:36.553" Score="6" ViewCount="5082" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn is old and in desperate need of over-seeding. Many people in my area (Denver, Colorado) say to do it in the Fall. My thinking is that in the Fall the lawn areas are very dry and that aerating the hard, predominantly clay soil will be almost impossible. Also, the trees are full of leaves in the Fall and the lawn gets very little sun. Finally, the conditions are not very good for growing anything due to the approaching Winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These arguments suggest early Spring is the best time. What do you think? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user7419" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-11T18:17:20.337" LastActivityDate="2014-11-11T21:18:51.107" Title="Can I successfully over-seed a lawn in the Spring in Colorado?" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14595" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14594" CreationDate="2014-11-11T21:18:51.107" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You would not want to overseed right now in Denver as there would not be enough time for the seeds to germinate and the new grass establish. But seeding early enough in the fall gives the grass a head start at a time when many broad leaf weeds and crabgrass, which would normally compete with grass for resources, are going dormant or dying. Come spring, the established grass &quot;seedlings&quot; will have a jump on the weeds, which will just be sprouting as the soil warms up. The grass will grow faster and compete with the weeds more effectively than it would if you seeded in the spring. The fall planted turf will be denser come spring, so it will also tend to shade out and prevent some weeds from germinating in the first place - something that grass seed spread in the spring wouldn't do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, seeding in the spring will still improve turf density nicely, and is advisable if you couldn't do it in the fall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for aerating, don't worry about the dry,hard clay soil - that's what good aerators are for. A commercial plug aerator is designed to punch tubes into and remove plugs from compacted (hard) soil. If you're planning to grow grass, you'll probably want to water it anyway, and it is advisable to soak soil prior to aerating for good plug extraction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On a final note, it would be great to take this opporunity to add compost. The compost will &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.trianglegardener.com/main/lawn-care/how-to-aerate-and-add-compost-topdressing/&quot;&gt;improve your soil in a number of ways&lt;/a&gt;, and will help your new grass germinate and grow. That link also has decent info on aerating in general.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2014-11-11T21:18:51.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14596" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14597" CreationDate="2014-11-11T22:15:21.713" Score="6" ViewCount="5906" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I wanted to plant several Thuja plicata x standishii 'Green Giant', how far apart should they be placed, or does it matter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some evergreens seem to like being planted close together (and growing into each other), some seem to like being planted far apart and don't do well together, and some don't seem to care at all. With 'Green Giant', what is the best spacing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7420" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-03-03T22:02:00.250" LastActivityDate="2018-03-03T22:02:00.250" Title="How far apart should I space Thuja 'Green Giant' evergreen trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14597" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14596" CreationDate="2014-11-11T22:27:03.133" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant them 5-7' apart for a privacy screen, 15-20' apart otherwise. These trees mature at 35-60' tall and up to 15' wide. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I you want a screen, you may like the result even better if you stagger the trees, rather than planting them in a straight row.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-11T22:27:03.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14598" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14599" CreationDate="2014-11-12T11:37:32.610" Score="5" ViewCount="2185" Body="&lt;p&gt;We moved and I followed some good advice I got here and moved them to the basement.&#xA;Prior to that they sat in late summer sun for a week until we arranged everything in the house.  At that time it rained heavily, followed by torrid sun, and one of them started showing the black spots that you see in the picture. The others also seem to be affected by something, it looks like the leaves are dying, yet all of them seem to be about to flower.&#xA;What is wrong with them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are now sitting in an above the grade basement window facing south. I am located in Toronto if that helps you in any way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VPyx9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BJSjg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2014-11-12T18:13:13.340" LastActivityDate="2014-12-01T03:22:37.747" Title="Are these orchids dying? They are flowering but the leaves are turning yellow" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14598" CreationDate="2014-11-12T12:24:59.897" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I asked a similar question (&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14567/how-should-i-take-care-of-these-two-phalaenopsis-orchids-with-different-behavior&quot;&gt;How Should I Take Care of These Two Phalaenopsis Orchids with Different Behaviors?&lt;/a&gt;) a few days ago but still no answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've done further more investigations about that, going to a gardening store and trying to get some help, but even those people weren't super helpful. The suggestions I received were to let the roots receive sun through the transparent pot, and a few other advices that did not make sense to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, you need to check the roots. If they look somehow rotten and not fresh (like my second pot in that question), then you've over-watered them. Leave them somewhere warm with appropriate humidity, and do not water them too often. A small cup of water (ideally with a few drops of Orchid food) once a month should do. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your roots look whitish gray, then that apparently means they're not able to receive enough water, but as you may noticed, my first pot's roots look like that, but they're having good flowers, doing well. So I'm not too worried about that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've moved my pots away from the window which was obviously colder than other parts of the room, and have placed them close to the radiator. Both pots seem to be doing better over there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're seeing any rotten roots, you better remove them carefully, and also not try to shove in or cut the roots that are growing outwards like in your second photo. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I may also mention that I live in Ireland where our dehumidifier sucks at least 5 liters of water every night from the air, so keeping them warm is enough with the natural humidity of the atmosphere. Orchids like warm and humid conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-11-12T12:24:59.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14600" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14603" CreationDate="2014-11-12T13:40:48.890" Score="4" ViewCount="847" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've bought a pile of various tulip, hyacinth, narcis/daffodil, and iris bulbs and I want to plant them in in planter boxes and small pots if I can't fit them all in the box. The instructions on the packaging suggest 7, 10, and 15cm of space between the bulbs, but that doesn't work in a pot or box; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.americanmeadows.com/how-to-plant-flower-bulbs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this website&lt;/a&gt; however suggest planting them in clusters which I prefer more. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is it ok to take the latter advice, or do they really need 7~15cm space in between to do well?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Ireland which is pretty wet and humid, and the bulbs have already started sprouting outside the soil. I'm planning to keep the boxes out in the North facing balcony which will receive loads of rain depending on the weather! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is this appropriate or shall I cover them to avoid receiving too much rain?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P.S. The bulbs I had taken out from pots last year were wrapped in brown papers sealed in a plastic bag left out in the balcony to get some cold, and I find out some mould on a few of the very tiny bulbs as they apparently have absorbed all the humidity even through the bag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastActivityDate="2014-11-20T14:29:20.763" Title="What's the Minimum Space I Can Leave Between Flower Bulbs That I Want to Plant in a Planter Box?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14601" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14593" CreationDate="2014-11-12T14:15:44.847" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3887&amp;amp;context=etd&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This document&lt;/a&gt; describes the seeds as very small, with a primary dispersal means as being wind, but says that, &quot;Once the connection with the plant is severed, the seed has reached its maximum fresh weight. The seed then dries down and enters a quiescent state until proper conditions for germination are met. Seeds of &lt;em&gt;M. sinensis&lt;/em&gt; should follow a similar developmental pattern of other C4 grass species.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This pattern suggests that if the seed falls from the flower, then it is mature. Perhaps the simplest method of harvesting the seed on a small scale would be to use the old &quot;bag-it&quot; method of covering the flower with a cloth or fine mesh bag and securing it to the stem so that nothing can fall out. Then you could just check to see when seeds started falling and maybe help things along with a shake of the flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However many ornamental grass cultivars grown from collected seed are either not viable or do not &quot;come true&quot; to the parent. &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/grasses/msg0914012031102.html?4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Anecdotal reports&lt;/a&gt; puts &lt;em&gt;M. sinensis 'gracillimus'&lt;/em&gt; grown from collected seed at 50% true to parent. It may not be important in this case, but if you are looking for a uniform crop, it is something to consider. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/graminoid/missin/all.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here's a wealth of info&lt;/a&gt; on this species including this cultivar: Unfortunately there is no mention of determining when seeds are ready to harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2014-11-12T14:15:44.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14603" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14600" CreationDate="2014-11-12T17:14:55.953" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can cut the measurement between the bulbs by up to half if you want to plant in clusters -even clump plantings require a bit of distance between bulbs. Just as important, though, is the depth at which you plant, and that should not be tinkered with, so ensure any box or pot you use has enough depth to plant whichever bulbs you choose to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for keeping the rain off, assuming there's good drainage in the containers (which there should be, particularly for bulbs) and they're not standing in any outer tray which retains the water, it's not necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the bulbs with a little mould on the outside are still firm and healthy looking otherwise, you can still plant them, but if they're soft and soggy, put them in the bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER - too many comments below! To sum up, sulphur dust is a good thing to use, and if you cut out the mouldy areas of the bulbs, you need to take as little as you possibly can or you'll compromise the bulb - it's only a storage organ containing enough feed for next year's flower, so cutting a little off is okay, but too much is not good. Even if a bulb goes mouldy in the soil, it doesn't usually affect others if they're in the open ground, but in pots, it may well do so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-11-20T14:29:20.763" LastActivityDate="2014-11-20T14:29:20.763" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14604" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14543" CreationDate="2014-11-12T17:48:32.277" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Similar to Allen's boiling water method, you could try solarizing the patch, if it gets enough sun. Basically, you'd just lay a clear plastic tarp over the area and roast the seeds to death. It takes a few weeks during hot, sunny weather, but I think this is the least labor-intensive method suggested so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/soil-solarization&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/soil-solarization&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3492" LastActivityDate="2014-11-12T17:48:32.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14605" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17500" CreationDate="2014-11-12T18:08:52.223" Score="11" ViewCount="5663" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know it's possible, because that's how people come out with new hybrids, but how does one go about saving the seeds of a lilac? Specifically, I have the straight species of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syringa_vulgaris&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Syringa vulgaris&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, and each year it produces a few seed capsules in the flowerheads. I assume I'd harvest the seeds when the cases split, but I am unclear on the further needs of the seeds, such as stratification, and if necessary, which type. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How are they stored, what are their requirements for good germination, and do they benefit from bottom heat when germinating?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2020-08-23T17:48:34.230" Title="How do I save lilac seeds?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;lilac&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14606" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14607" CreationDate="2014-11-12T20:19:22.990" Score="4" ViewCount="197" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just dug out some bulbs of what I believe is &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/215275/Montbretia-Honey-Angels/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora&lt;/em&gt; 'Honey Angels'&lt;/a&gt;. I'm wondering now what to do with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I store them until spring? In that case, which conditions should I keep them in? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or should I put them in the ground now (autumn)? If so, how deep should I plant them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-12T21:34:55.747" LastActivityDate="2014-11-13T01:20:18.493" Title="Should I overwinter my Crocosmia bulbs indoors, or plant them?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14606" CreationDate="2014-11-12T21:19:13.323" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Paris is in USDA hardiness &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uk.gardenweb.com/forums/zones/hze3.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;zone 8&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora&lt;/em&gt; 'Honey Angels' is hardy &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.99roots.com/en/plants/montbretia-honey-angels-p36964/pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;in zones 5-9&lt;/a&gt;, so there is no reason for you to store them until spring. Plant them in well-worked topsoil, about 3-5 inches deep (lower in lighter soil, higher where there is heavy clay), and about 6&quot; apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-13T01:20:18.493" LastActivityDate="2014-11-13T01:20:18.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14608" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-12T22:17:48.990" Score="4" ViewCount="1371" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a split rock driveway and grass is growing in it. How can I kill the grass effectively so it doesn't just come back in 2 weeks?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7423" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-12T23:02:44.367" LastActivityDate="2014-11-12T23:02:44.367" Title="How can I stop grass from growing in my driveway?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;rocks&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14608" CreationDate="2014-11-12T23:01:13.313" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I also have a driveway like this, and grass grows down the middle, and along the edges. I think it looks fine, but if you can't stand it, there are several methods of elimination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;boiling water:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When cooking spaghetti, steaming vegetables, etc, we have left-over water in the pot when we're done, and we usually bring it to a full, rolling boil, and dump it over patio stones, driveway, etc, where it kills the weeds. As long as it's hot enough to kill the crown of the grass plant, the plant will die. This is time consuming, and won't kill stoloned grasses such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynodon_dactylon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bermuda grass&lt;/a&gt; very well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;propane gas torch:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is also time/energy consuming, but using a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.groworganic.com/weed-pest-control/organic-weed-control/weed-torch.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;weed torch&lt;/a&gt; will kill the weeds/grass. Again, if you kill the crown, the root system will die.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;glyphosate:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glyphosate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Glyphosate&lt;/a&gt; (the active ingredient in Roundup) is a systemic herbicide, so it will kill the entire plant if applied to the foliage. It is what I use for these applications, but glyphosate deactivates on contact with soil, so if the rock in your driveway isn't on a soil bed, the chemical may persist for some time, and possibly wash into the groundwater. This is the biggest problem in cities that spray glyphosate to control weeds in the curb/sidewalk. It ends up washing into the storm-water system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;other chemicals:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other chemicals, such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glufosinate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;glufosinate&lt;/a&gt;, will kill the grass, but not as fast as glyphosate. Also, many other chemicals are designed to kill broadleaved weeds and leave the grass. Thoroughly read the label of any chemical product you use.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;None of these are permanent solutions. Many grasses germinate and regrow very quickly from seed (I have mostly &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3635/what-is-this-weedy-grass-and-how-can-i-control-it&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Poa Annua&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; in my driveway right now, and usually quite a bit of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitaria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Digitaria sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; in summer). You will have to retreat every few weeks, unless you apply a pre-emergent herbicide, like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoxaben&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;isoxaben&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifluralin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;trifluralin&lt;/a&gt; (the main ingredients in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://msdssearch.dow.com/PublishedLiteratureDAS/dh_08e3/0901b803808e3f5d.pdf?filepath=turf/pdfs/noreg/010-60419.pdf&amp;amp;fromPage=GetDoc&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;product&lt;/a&gt; I use for lawns)    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-11-12T23:01:13.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14610" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-13T08:13:22.553" Score="3" ViewCount="225" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are these white things on this cycad? Are they some kind of bugs, or are they seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bfpXv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wmvMy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YkQ0r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7425" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-13T19:49:57.983" LastActivityDate="2014-11-13T19:49:57.983" Title="What are these round, white, waxy things on my cycad?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14611" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5662" CreationDate="2014-11-13T08:56:31.887" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ok this one gets on my nerves! I live in the UK and have worked as a landscaper/labourer etc. But I'm pretty sure I've known the distinction between a spade and a shovel since I was a kid. Two different things! I've done work for friends before and I've said &quot;fetch me a shovel&quot; and they've brought me a spade. And vice-versa. I was thinking how can you not know the difference. It's a like a pen and a pencil or a car and a bus!!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A shovel&lt;/strong&gt; : from which you get the verb &lt;em&gt;To Shovel&lt;/em&gt;. Often you will be shovelling loose material (eg gravel) from a hard flat surface (eg a road). Requires tool with angled blade so it can be flat on the ground whilst the handle is not. Getting the blade flat on the ground means it can be pushed under the material more easily than attempting to push directly into the material itself (especially true for coarser material with big lumps in). Usually has a broad straight leading edge to gather most material. And also has fluted sides to hold material in. Useless for digging out earth (see next)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A spade&lt;/strong&gt; : Used for digging. Straighter almost totally straight angle of blade so most cutting force can be generated. Narrower blade, usually of thicker more stiff construction than a shovel blade. Can be propelled into compacted earth etc with great force in order to dig out material. &lt;em&gt;Can&lt;/em&gt; be used for shovelling but somewhat inefficiently and will have you desperate for a shovel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also get a long handled cross between the two often with a pointed blade. Not so good for shovelling from the floor. I call this a French spade. Don't know why, and I tend to only use the short handled varieties described above. In fact I think the &quot;original&quot; spades and shovels were long-handled. Then came the industrial revolution and mining - and in the confines of a coal-seam a long-handled tool is impractical, hence the short-handled equivalents were born and are still here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7426" LastEditorUserId="7426" LastEditDate="2014-11-14T10:35:19.747" LastActivityDate="2014-11-14T10:35:19.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14612" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14610" CreationDate="2014-11-13T11:10:59.710" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That picture is of a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/14486/499&quot;&gt;cycad&lt;/a&gt; plant and it has a minor infestation of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/8218/499&quot;&gt;scale&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Provide good drainage for the plant so it doesn't sit in water. .The pot should have drainage holes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Scale can be controlled with soap and water but it takes diligence and repeated applications so you can catch the juveniles after they hatch. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/5327/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more details&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-11-13T11:10:59.710" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14613" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14894" CreationDate="2014-11-13T14:44:44.063" Score="3" ViewCount="597" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assumptions and details:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;we would apply slow release, predominantly insoluble, organic sources of nitrogen which could include compost, corn gluten meal or any of a number of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.islandbiogreens.com/fertilizers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;organic turf fertilizer products&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the turf would not receive irrigation until memorial day.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the turf is a mix of fescues and bluegrass with some clover for good measure.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the property is on the east end of Long Island, NY.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;we would make the first application in mid-April.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are some general guidelines for application rates, and does the fact that we want to use organic products affect recommended rates?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2014-11-13T17:48:08.533" LastActivityDate="2014-12-18T12:21:25.007" Title="What is the maximum amount (lbs/1000 sf.) of nitrogen that should be applied to turf in the spring?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14614" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14363" CreationDate="2014-11-13T15:00:35.660" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think in your circumstance I'd either invest in decent laser level as per Ecnerwal's answer. Or perhaps more cheaply and also perhaps more accurately (debate!) I would buy or make a simple water-level. If you're not familiar with this then basically it's a tube - which is clear at least in part to allow you to see the water level within.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communicating_vessels&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Water will &lt;em&gt;always&lt;/em&gt; find a true level&lt;/a&gt;, the laws of physics dictate that. You could make one quite easily with a length (or two or three) of hose - and a couple of pieces of clear pipe stuck on the end. Lay the hose from one point to the other, clear tubes uprightish. Fill with water (perhaps pre-fill with water will be easier in your case). The water level you can see in one clear tube is the same as the water level you see in the other.Drive a stake in the ground to the water level shown. Hey presto, the tops of those stakes are bang level and you can do your working from that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a precaution, ensure that both clear tubes are reading the same level when next to each other. If not, there may be bubbles in the line. If they read the same level then you are good to go and can just walk to the other end.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_level_(device)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Water level on Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.deckmagazine.com/tools-and-equipment/making-and-using-a-water-level.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;a pretty good article on making and using one&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7426" LastEditorUserId="7426" LastEditDate="2014-11-27T12:18:27.227" LastActivityDate="2014-11-27T12:18:27.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14615" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14616" CreationDate="2014-11-13T17:01:08.100" Score="7" ViewCount="4083" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a big blue liriope (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriope_muscari&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Liriope muscari&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) in my yard, and the flowers have changed to berries. I imagine the normal propagation method is to split the adult plant after it grows large enough, but if I don't care about time, could I take the berries and use them in the spring to plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-15T15:19:04.393" LastActivityDate="2017-11-12T21:37:58.060" Title="Can I save the berries from a Big Blue Liriope (Liriope muscari) and plant them next spring?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14615" CreationDate="2014-11-13T19:13:20.940" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriope_muscari&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Liriope muscari&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; is rather challenging to grow from seed. For one thing, the pulp contains &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphenol&quot;&gt;phenolic&lt;/a&gt; compounds which inhibit germination, so the seeds must be cleaned well before use. Seeds also have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed_dormancy&quot;&gt;morphological dormancy&lt;/a&gt; because the embryo is not fully developed when the fruit ripens, so a period of &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.about.com/od/seedstarting/g/Seed-Stratification.htm&quot;&gt;warm stratification&lt;/a&gt; is required to complete maturation. The seeds do not store well. Plant them in the fall, after the stratification period is over, in a flat of coarse, sterile seed-starting mix. Push the seeds into the mix surface, and cover in 1/4&quot; of fine grit. Keep the mix damp, and place over a bottom heat of about 75-80°F.. The seeds should germinate in 25-40 days, at a rate of at least 75%.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seeds are  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.actahort.org/members/showpdf?booknrarnr=517_8&quot;&gt;polyembryonic&lt;/a&gt;, so many of the seeds will put up multiple initial leaves, and should be separated carefully when 2-3&quot; tall, and grown on in individual cells until the frost is out in spring, at which time they can be moved outdoors, either into the ground, or into larger cells for plug planting later. Begin fertilizing with a weak, balanced fertilizer at separation, and don't start full-strength fertilization until they are moved outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even though the germination rate is very low, the polyembryonic feature often provides over twice the number of seedlings than the number of seeds initially sown. Expect differing growth rates from the seedlings, as they will differ genetically from the parent, to a degree. For a uniform crop, cull for:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leaf length&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leaf width&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leaf color&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rate of growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;disease resistance&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;drought tolerance&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also note: If you cull for small size over several generations, especially if you specially breed them for this purpose, you will have a drastically smaller plant than you started out with, and so on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-13T19:13:20.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14617" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14619" CreationDate="2014-11-13T22:27:25.573" Score="6" ViewCount="551" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in knowing how to save the seeds of the common strawberry, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fragaria × ananassa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At which point in the ripening of the fruit are strawberry seeds ready to be harvested, and how are they removed and cleaned? Do they need cold-stratification? How long do they store under good conditions? I assume berries picked green (such as many found in the grocery store) will have under-developed seeds, and poor germination. I have access to high quality, local fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-14T08:51:05.963" Title="How can I save seeds from strawberries?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14618" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14620" CreationDate="2014-11-13T22:35:30.260" Score="6" ViewCount="260" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14617/how-can-i-save-seeds-from-strawberries&quot;&gt;thinking about&lt;/a&gt; saving my own strawberry seeds. I have some questions about the ideal conditions for optimal germination:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What soil/mix is best?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How deep should they be planted?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the best temperature for germination?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;should they be germinated in the dark or under lighting?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How long until they germinate?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How long under optimal conditions should I expect to reach the three-leaf stage?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-11-14T09:01:55.053" Title="How do I grow strawberries from seed?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14619" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14617" CreationDate="2014-11-14T08:42:43.457" Score="5" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;At which point in the ripening of the fruit are strawberry seeds ready to be harvested&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For best results you should harvest the seeds when the fruit is fully ripe or starting to go a bit mushy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;how are they removed and cleaned?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are several methods people use to remove them: scraping them off with knife or fingernails, mashing up the strawberry and straining the pulp for seeds or letting the strawberry dry out and scraping them off then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some just plant a squished overripe strawberry but I assume that removing the seeds leads to a higher percentage of them growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally don't know if one particular method leads to the best results but find that scraping them off gently is the easiest. If you wish you can then plant them straight away or clean and dry them for storage. If you are storing them you will need to make sure that they do not have any strawberry flesh stuck to them and are fully dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have heard that if the seeds float they are not viable but do not know if this is true.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Do they need cold-stratification?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is not necessary to treat the seeds with cold to get them to germinate but you can experiment to see if this speeds up the process. The general consensus seems to be that cold will increase the speed and success rate of the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;How long do they store under good conditions? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have successfully kept dried seeds for 6 months and been able to use them but I assume they can last longer than that as long as they are kept dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I assume berries picked green (such as many found in the grocery store) will have under-developed seeds, and poor germination. I have access to high quality, local fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have only ever used seeds from my own plants (originally from a garden center) but it's possible you can get viable seeds from some grocery fruit (Here they are picked when they are nearly ripe rather than green.) You may get varied results from these though as they could be hybrids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6836" LastEditorUserId="6836" LastEditDate="2014-11-14T08:51:05.963" LastActivityDate="2014-11-14T08:51:05.963" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14620" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14618" CreationDate="2014-11-14T08:54:29.450" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is from my own experience rather than anything scientific but this seems to work well for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Any loamy potting soil mix - it must be fairly nutrient rich for best results and you may need to take care not to overwater&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Very shallow, best to press into the soil gently with a finger and sprinkle a thin layer on top&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Anything between 5 degrees celsius and 15 has worked but they seem to do best if started in a cooler environment then warmed up slightly as they grow.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I start them off in slightly dim light then move them to better lighting once they have formed leaves. They will germinate in very low light but the more light you can give them the better they seem to grow.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;My results have varied from roughly 1 to 3 weeks before I see anything on the surface&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Normally this happens 1 or two weeks after I notice them break the surface&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6836" LastEditorUserId="6836" LastEditDate="2014-11-14T09:01:55.053" LastActivityDate="2014-11-14T09:01:55.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14621" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8232" CreationDate="2014-11-14T18:18:04.107" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems to be cat mint from what I gather&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7429" LastActivityDate="2014-11-14T18:18:04.107" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14622" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14988" CreationDate="2014-11-14T21:47:40.917" Score="6" ViewCount="1317" Body="&lt;p&gt;The other day, as I was eating pineapple, I noticed that it was full of seeds (see pic below for what they look like). I have grown plants from the crowns on top of the fruit (even a couple patented ones that were mutated to prevent propagation - don't tell anyone :P), but I'm actually interested in starting &lt;em&gt;seeds&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What's the most efficient way to remove them from the fruits?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do they require special cleaning (I wonder because of the enzyme content of the fruit)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How long do they store?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do they require treatment before sowing?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What conditions do they require for good germination?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil type&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;temperature&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;moisture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;planting depth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What kind of fertilizer is best, and when to start applying?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How long until germination, and how long until fruiting-sized plants (under optimal conditions)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture of the seeds, for those who don't know how they look:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ir3BK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-01-28T21:10:01.783" Title="Can I grow pineapple plants from seed, rather than crowns?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;bromeliads&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14623" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14633" CreationDate="2014-11-15T00:18:36.117" Score="4" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had bought 10 pots of peppers a while back. Not all of them seemed healthy, but since they had the fruits, I thought I can use the fruits and bin the pots if I can't keep them. I was keeping them in the north-facing balcony when I noticed they're all covered in small pink/brown bugs. I applied alcohol + soapy water spray to get rid of them, and then planted them all in a box and moved the box into a room with a south-facing window. I also cut all unhealthy-looking leaves and stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since then, they've been growing incredibly, blooming, and now, even having small fruits. The issue is that they're growing curly leaves most of the time, some with dandruff-like spots on them, and I think, as a result of that, some of the flowers fall off as if one has cut them. Consulting someone at a gardening store, I bought a &lt;em&gt;tomato food&lt;/em&gt; to help them grow better, but I couldn't manage to find a fungicide spray, and even if I could, they'd come in giant quantities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there something like the soapy water that I could make at home to apply on these plants as they're full of flowers, and I don't want to bin them all, but to cure them! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2H34a.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nTq7E.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P.S. I've moved the box away from the window just to take the photo. This is not where it normally rests!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastActivityDate="2014-11-16T14:12:32.710" Title="Home-made Solution for White-Spotted Curley Leaves on Pepper Leaves" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14624" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18110" CreationDate="2014-11-15T03:57:30.500" Score="2" ViewCount="301" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I was a child, I saw an awesome large long watermelon (I'm guessing about 2.5 to 3.5 feet long and 1 to 1.7 feet thick, but I could be off considering I might have seen it in a garden catalog instead of in person). It was an awesome looking green one, probably with stripes, as is common for large watermelons. However, it had a cool red spot on the side (on the outside), maybe a few inches long (a kind of oval-shaped spot, with the long part of the oval going the same direction as the long part of the watermelon). The red spot was about the color of red watermelon on the inside (so, it was very red).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard of moon and stars watermelons, and they have spots, but the spots aren't red.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, what variety of watermelon (&lt;em&gt;citrullus lanatus&lt;/em&gt;) has a (one) solid ruby red or crimson spot (maybe egg-sized, if the melon is 25+lbs) on the exterior of the rind of the fruit, wherein the rest of the exterior of the rind of the fruit is green? These are sometimes striped and sometimes not. I don't have a picture, nor do I have a way of obtaining a picture without knowing what it is, and I don't have the melon (I just saw either the melon or a picture of it ages ago). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Any green-skinned watermelon variety that may produce a red spot will suffice in answering the question.&lt;/strong&gt; If you know of a watermelon with multiple red spots or that only sometimes has one or more red spots, that will also suffice. I've been curious about this for a long time. I should note, however, that melons with red skin do exist (the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/tigger-melon/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;tigger melon&lt;/a&gt; for instance, although the tigger melon isn't a watermelon; there are also red-skinned cucumbers), but I'm only looking for a spot on an otherwise normal-looking watermelon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="3535" LastEditDate="2014-11-18T01:06:47.433" LastActivityDate="2015-04-25T16:43:10.067" Title="What kind of green watermelons have a red spot?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;melons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14625" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1147" CreationDate="2014-11-15T04:59:58.177" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know a lot of these have already been said, but I'm going to list some anyway, because it's a fun question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All we first had when I was a kid, I think, was this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some spades (you'll probably want more than one)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a rake or two&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a hoe or two&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a couple hoses (one for the front and one for the back)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a trowel or two&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a wheel barrow or two&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pruning shears&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, it's possible to garden with only that (or less). Of all those tools, I would have to say the hoses and spades were the most essential. You can do without the rest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, you might want to consider some more things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00004S1ZO&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;a weeder&lt;/a&gt;; this makes pulling up weeds a lot easier, especially if your soil isn't loose&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;garden scissors&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;One of those things you can fill with fluid for spraying it on plants (you might instantly think I'm implying it should be used for pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and such, which it could be used for, but you could also put water with other stuff, too; maybe even a neem oil solution).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a fruit-picker (sometimes fruit trees are tall)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;special spray nozzles for your hose&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you might want to consider other gardening implements and products that might not be considered tools, but I'm not going to call any of these essential:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A compost bin&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Containers for container gardening&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black plastic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Those things you fill with water and put around tomatoes to protect them from the frost (so you can plant them earlier)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tomato cages and other similar items&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilizer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Manure&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Basalt rockdust (for some helpful extra minerals, if your soil isn't too alkaline already)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Diatomaceous earth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Stuff for vines to grow on (like a wire fence for grapes)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Poles for beans&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a fruit-pitter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;something to test the acidity and temperature of your soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a water bath canner&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;canning jars (lots of them)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a storage room or two&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a ladder or two&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a pressure cooker (for canning things that aren't acidic enough)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A rototiller&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A wood chipper/shredder (especially if you have lot of fruit trees)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;gloves; it's nice to avoid blisters and thorns, sometimes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;clothing fit for gardening&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;LED grow lights (for indoor gardening)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a pickup (great for transporting garden material, like if you need to get some sand or dirt and haul it to your house, or if you need to take tree branches away or something, or haul some giant pumpkins to your friends' house); also, they may be helpful in removing stumps if you have the right stuff; they may also be helpful for driving around your land if you have enough.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some large garbage cans (not just for garbage, but they're great for all kinds of garden stuff); I'm actually planning to use some for container gardening where the plants require deep soil, such as with melons (haven't done it, yet). I hear they're great for potatoes, though.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="36" LastEditDate="2014-12-05T03:27:47.167" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T03:27:47.167" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2014-11-15T04:59:58.177" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14626" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14629" CreationDate="2014-11-15T15:05:33.903" Score="8" ViewCount="512" Body="&lt;p&gt;My room temperature is 20-21 &amp;deg;C (68&amp;deg;F) and I plan to put it in front of the window facing east, where the sun rises. But usually where I live there is little actual sunlight: it is usually cloudy, sometimes foggy. Can basil grow in these conditions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my location, on January 1st there's 7h:19m of daylight.&#xA;Also, after it gets dark, I plan to turn my ceiling lights on and face them onto the plants; the lights would be 8-9 feet away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7431" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2014-12-12T13:22:50.683" LastActivityDate="2014-12-12T13:22:50.683" Title="Can I grow Basil indoors this winter?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14628" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-15T15:51:31.983" Score="4" ViewCount="239" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just had a company prune my mature pear tree yesterday. But I think they did it all wrong. I asked for the top to be trimmed down as much as possible and prune around power lines and over our neighbor's property. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is over 2 car garage stories high and diminishing the amount and size of fruit on the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What they did was just snip part of the highest branch and basically cut off all the lower large branches rather than prune them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do now?  The tree looks like an arrow shooting to the sky and very sad looking with no branches spreading out horizontally. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're very sad about what's happened to our tree.  Is there any way to save it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was hoping the pruning would produce more quality pears that are reachable to pick. They were too high up before and small since the tree was so big and tall. Now I wouldn't be able to get any pears if they grow next year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry, I'm new to this site.  Can't seem to figure out how to post pictures. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7433" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T10:52:20.387" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T10:52:20.387" Title="How can we salvage a poorly pruned mature pear tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2014-12-14T01:40:39.533" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14626" CreationDate="2014-11-15T15:58:20.053" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can certainly &lt;strong&gt;try&lt;/strong&gt; - seed won't cost much. Without more active/brighter/closer/longer lighting, it will probably be rather spindly and weak basil, but providing adequate plant light electrically can run to significant money, at which point buying imported basil might make more sense in wintertime. As a halfway point, you might see if you can (without utterly rearranging your house) give them a shelf that you can move them to when you get home and turn on the lights that is MUCH closer to the lights, so they can be in the window for the day and on the shelf at night when the lights are on. Keep the pot size reasonable for easy moving. Alternatively, set up a light closer to the plants on the window-sill and just make the lit-up Basil part of your evening lighting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2014-11-15T16:07:19.897" LastActivityDate="2014-11-15T16:07:19.897" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14630" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14635" CreationDate="2014-11-15T16:19:01.160" Score="8" ViewCount="640" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this tree in my garden. The previous owner, who planted it, told me it is a kind of eucalyptus. When rubbing a leave between the fingers it indeed has the smell I know of eucalyptus-sweets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3 years ago it was 1 meter and more like a shrub, now it has, especially this year, grown very fast and high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given a warm winter the foliage will not fall off - however the colder (and wetter?) the more the leaves seem to suffer (see the images). Too cold temperatures are killing the extremities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HLoge.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HLogem.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YrGMl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YrGMlm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-24T00:56:38.213" LastActivityDate="2018-01-24T00:56:38.213" Title="Can this tree be an eucalyptus tree growing in Central Europe?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14631" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14715" CreationDate="2014-11-15T16:28:55.353" Score="8" ViewCount="5024" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are 2 types of leaves sprouting from the mystery root here. You might guess that one is a sprig of tree leaves and the other leaves belong to a weed, but in fact both are growing directly from the root! In fact, the differing leaves even track back to the same stem. Can someone identify this tree, please? &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KHvWT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Identification of same tree two types of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our best guesses were some type of oak tree or a jacaranda tree, but we couldn't find any similar images on the Internet. There are many trees nearby, and unfortunately, I am not in the area, so I can't photograph them all for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ok, here are some photos of a young tree growing in my friend's backyard that looks to be the same species. You can't see the root clearly, but the leaf pattern is the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tIn8X.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;young tree with two different leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hz7u2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;young tree with two different leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7434" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-26T16:39:48.953" LastActivityDate="2014-11-26T16:39:48.953" Title="Identify this tree with two different types of leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14632" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14636" CreationDate="2014-11-15T16:42:30.027" Score="10" ViewCount="174" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got an tree (&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14630/can-this-tree-be-an-eucalyptus-tree-growing-in-central-europe&quot;&gt;see this question for ID&lt;/a&gt;) which has been planted by the previous owner in a position where it now has outgrown. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to remove it from there and like know what are my options.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Three years ago, when I moved in, the tree was more like a shrub. About 1m high. The first year the winter was quite hard and most of the branches and leaves had died. I thought for good. Then in spring it came back to life. New growth showed up. The last two years the winters were quite mild and thus it grew on and on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now it is 3-4 meter high and the main stem is about 8 cm thick at the bottom and it doesn't fit anymore in the place where it is now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the options I'm currently thinking of and I hope to pick the right one with your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cut - shred - compost it&lt;/strong&gt; If this option turns out to be the best one I'd like to know what to with the roots, leave or dig it out?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cut and cultivate as a shrub&lt;/strong&gt; When to cut, how much and what are the risks?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dig it out and put it into another place&lt;/strong&gt; My favorite. What do I need to take care of if this is a possible way? My soil is relatively heavy clay, how will this have influenced root-growth regarding spread and deepness? I surely will harm some roots, how much do I need to cut back the tree in its new position and when to cut back? What is the right position for this tree? Will it work on the south-east-border of a wooden area?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z3K6r.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z3K6rm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-06-14T06:24:25.030" Title="What to do with a this tree which has become too big for its current position?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14623" CreationDate="2014-11-15T17:27:23.003" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay, so they're sweet peppers - the first thing I'd say is, there's too many plants in one box - that number of plants should be split between two boxes of that size as a minimum. Second, the leaves on the plants in the second photo don't appear to be twisted or affected, only the ones you show separated from the plants in the first pic. Did these particular leaves come from the bottom of the plant? Are there leaves that are affected near the top of the plants? I'm just wondering whether the alcohol and soapy water spray you used caused the damage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for 'dandruff' like spots, if you mean white, slightly furry looking spots, that could be a mildew problem, and you can try a milk spray for that (1 part milk to 9 parts water). Otherwise get hold of some neem oil and treat the plants with that - this has some effect on fungal infections, and also clears insect pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER: I still can't see any twisted leaves on the plants themselves, but I'll take your word for it. I'd definitely recommend you stop using your soapy water and alcohol spray, and use something like neem instead. As for being able to split them into separate boxes, yes you can do it, but be very careful - soak the soil in the box thoroughly, so its sopping wet right through, specially around all the roots, then turn out the plants. If the soil around the roots isn't wet enough, pop back in the box and soak for a while and turn them out again. Then carefully, tease them apart as gently as possible, and replant, watering thoroughly once you've done so. If you find there's a mass of roots and you're in danger of breaking lots of them, if you have a container large enough (a bucket or something) fill the bucket and pop the plants in and separate the roots carefully in the water and then plant up. If they wilt after this, keep them well supplied with water until they've recovered, though not so much water that they're sitting in it in any outer tray, the excess should be able to drain away freely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-11-16T14:12:32.710" LastActivityDate="2014-11-16T14:12:32.710" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14634" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16102" CreationDate="2014-11-15T17:27:44.617" Score="5" ViewCount="377" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bunch of these flowers - I don't know their names, but they're planted all around Israel alongside traffic circles and in public places. They're very hardy, but just recently I noticed this whitish powder on their leaves, which are dropping off. In general the plants started looking pretty bad,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this powdery mildew? Should I spray them with 1 part milk, 9 parts water solution?&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FUDib.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;outdoor plant with white powder&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hODFN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white powder on leaves of indoor plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Close up:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fiSPJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1239" LastEditorUserId="1239" LastEditDate="2014-11-20T10:35:11.547" LastActivityDate="2015-01-12T12:42:01.197" Title="Is this powdery mildew?" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14635" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14630" CreationDate="2014-11-15T17:32:17.653" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it certainly looks like one of the Eucalypts - the commonest one in Europe is Eucalyptus gunnii, though the mature leaves on this one don't look long enough for that variety, if that's what you're showing in the picture. E. gunnii also doesn't have the characteristic scent, unless you actually crush or bruise the leaves, but even then, its not a classic eucalyptus aroma. Does it have rounded leaves at the top of the tree, or where new growth this year has arisen, rather than the more oval ones in the picture? Otherwise, the next most likely variety is Eucalyptus parvula (previously E. parvifolia) the small leaved gum, with reddish stems like the ones in your picture - the leaves on this one are quite variable, but it, too, has mature and juvenile leaves. Eucalyptus perriniana is another one that's similar, but the leaves are usually paired and encircle the stem, and the stems are marked where the leaves spin around the branch before falling. Mature leaves are long and narrow. Eucalyptus dalrympleana is another possibility, even though the bark showing in your pictures doesn't really confirm that at this age. Closer inspection of the tree, the shape of various leaves, coloration of bark and the shape of its crown, might help determine the variety. These trees are not deciduous, but in a north or central European climate in a severe winter, they may well not only drop their leaves, but be killed back to ground level (see your other question for more on pruning).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The brownish spotting could be one of two things, the most likely being the first:-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oedema - caused by very wet weather usually, or if grown in very damp climates&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Eucalyptus gall wasp - symptoms more noticeable in spring/early summer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both these things look similar, but inspecting with a magnifying glass, the bumps caused by oedema contain water soaked tissue, and the bumps caused by the wasp are hollow at this time of year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-11-15T19:08:31.030" LastActivityDate="2014-11-15T19:08:31.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14636" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14632" CreationDate="2014-11-15T17:38:12.523" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I checked out your other ID question - as a Eucalypt, you can either remove it completely, taking out the roots or killing them with brushwood killer (these develop a long tap root, and by now I'd expect that to be impossible to remove carefully enough to replant elsewhere, specially if its E. gunni), or you can wait till mid spring, then cut it down as low as you like and wait for it to regrow. The possible trouble with that method is, it may not regrow (though its unlikely) - most eucalypts respond well to being cut right down, but a few aren't so pleased with this treatment, though they're usually ones that probably wouldn't make it through European winters anyway. Certainly E. gunni does respond well, and in fact can be grown as a shrub by cutting to the ground every spring, when it will make a shrub about 6 feet high by the end of the growing season. Eucalyptus parvula can be coppiced or pollarded every 5 years or so, or pruned back in spring to keep it smaller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-11-15T18:53:26.303" LastActivityDate="2014-11-15T18:53:26.303" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14637" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-15T18:55:51.333" Score="5" ViewCount="378" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this disease on my lime plant? And how to fix it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D7rqU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7435" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-11-16T15:39:10.257" LastActivityDate="2014-11-16T15:39:10.257" Title="What is this disease on my lime plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-11-18T21:30:21.637" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14638" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14649" CreationDate="2014-11-15T20:19:20.813" Score="7" ViewCount="631" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Catalpa tree in the center of my yard.  Today the neighbor showed me it's roots are showing in his (vegetable) garden.  He went looking for it after noticing that his crops were smaller at the edge, and that the soil was dryer on that side, too, in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Knowing that the tree is about 6 years old, and it's crown has a radius of about 3m, and that we barely cut it, is this excessive rooting to be expected?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to to show my tree some 'manners'?  Prune it?  Cut the roots on one side? Lead the roots elsewhere?...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[EDIT] I have the role of the 'other party' in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/2050/7436&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7436" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-11-16T14:26:54.123" Title="What to do against my Catalpa rooting in the neighbour's garden?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14639" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14641" CreationDate="2014-11-15T22:15:56.817" Score="5" ViewCount="300" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a tray of tired looking supermarket &quot;living lettuce&quot;. You're supposed to keep it on your windowsill and use it up over a week or two. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I treat the living lettuce as a tray of seedlings and plant it out? It would be under glass at this time of year, of course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks a bit like a tray of seedlings you'd buy from a garden centre in the spring, but not quite as healthy and much tighter packed in (several plantlets in each pot).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-15T22:48:31.900" LastActivityDate="2014-11-15T22:48:31.900" Title="Can I treat supermarket &quot;living lettuce&quot; as lettuce seedlings?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14640" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-15T22:46:22.093" Score="7" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;Clearing up my vegetable plot this autumn I have found several young runner beans have self seeded and have put up new plants currently 10-15cm high. I've not seen this before but we have had a very mild autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these viable seedlings and would they produce proper runner beans in the spring? Would they give me a much earlier crop of runners (which would be great as it's always a long wait till August for a runner bean crop). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All this assumes of course I can get them through the winter (I would of course bring them under glass). Am I even going to be able to keep them alive, as runners are not of course traditionally an autumn sown crop?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-15T23:01:23.830" LastActivityDate="2014-11-15T23:01:23.830" Title="Can I overwinter runner bean seedlings for cropping the next season?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14641" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14639" CreationDate="2014-11-15T22:47:44.617" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can. Don't try to separate the plants, plant them in groups as they are potted. The biggest issue I see is the potential to bolt, which is high under the proposed conditions, at least for tired crowded plants. If you don't mind, you can remove all but the healthiest seedling at the base, to provide better conditions for the remaining plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-15T22:47:44.617" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14642" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14640" CreationDate="2014-11-15T22:59:35.060" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The stress from overwintering and moving will detract from the advantage given by the advanced growth of the plant, and they will likely not produce near as much as a regular crop. If they are overwintered in a cool environment, so as to impede growth (otherwise the plant will age out) and keep all beans (if any) picked as they appear, you will get an early crop. Beans like high temperatures, so they will produce best under glass even after frost has passed, in the spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Runner beans have far more potential than bush beans, because they don't have a determinate crop period, but they are still limited, and age out eventually. So the best overwintering conditions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;as bright light as possible&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;high phosphorus, low nitrogen fertilizer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cool, but not cold temperatures (between 55 and 60 degrees F. is ideal)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keep the soil drysh, overwatering will be fatal&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you move them out in spring, do so gradually so the plants can harden off&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-15T22:59:35.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14643" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14644" CreationDate="2014-11-16T03:41:25.337" Score="4" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm collecting a bunch of wet seeds (tomatoes, tomatillos, zucchini, peppers, cantaloupe, cucumber, winter squash, etc.) I'm drying them out for storage. I have to dry them indoors, with only a limited amount of sun, because there's snow and stuff outside. &lt;strong&gt;How long should I dry them before bagging them up and storing them?&lt;/strong&gt; I just don't want them to mold or some such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not looking for instructions on saving seeds, germination (how drying affects germination rates), methods of drying (paper plates vs. paper bags and stuff) and all that. I'm just wondering about how long to dry them so I can bag them up without worry of mold and all that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-16T03:58:20.357" LastActivityDate="2014-11-16T03:58:20.357" Title="How long should I dry fresh seeds from solanaceae, cucurbitaceae and other families, before storing?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14643" CreationDate="2014-11-16T03:52:14.823" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dry them out of direct sunlight, in a room-temperature, very dry place. Place them in a single layer on a paper towel over a tray/plate, and let them dry for 7-10 days. Some solanaceous seeds (ie, tomatoes) are coated in gel, and so are best &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.douggreensgarden.com/tomato-seed-fermentation.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fermented&lt;/a&gt; before drying, to kill disease, and clean the seeds. They will also be easier to remove from the drying position.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-16T03:52:14.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14645" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14646" CreationDate="2014-11-16T04:14:48.037" Score="3" ViewCount="892" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 9' strip of land nestled between my driveway and the neighbor's fence. I'd like to plant some rows of blackberries and make some raised beds with tomatoes and vegetables here since it's one of the few locations not shaded by trees on my small property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/pAnaAOk.png&quot; alt=&quot;picture of side lot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How far from the concrete and fence should I plant things? Can I make the raised beds go right up to the concrete and right up to my neighbor's fence? From the survey it looks like the fence is right on the property line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in North Texas (Zone 8a) so I'm worried the heat retention and radiation from the concrete driveway will be an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-16T04:48:39.470" LastActivityDate="2014-11-16T04:48:39.470" Title="How far should I place garden plants from concrete and fences?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;&lt;concrete&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14646" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14645" CreationDate="2014-11-16T04:44:12.830" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think a raised bed, if you can irrigate it, should be safe right up to the driveway. It's a light colored drive, which will warm up, but not near to the extent that blacktop will, and it has the benefit of reflecting light onto the undersides of leaves. Leaves have more concentrated chlorophyll above than below, but the undersides are still capable of absorbing quite a bit of additional light, greatly benefitting the plant...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;... Back on topic :P, I would leave &lt;em&gt;some&lt;/em&gt; space between your raised bed and the neighbors fence, perhaps 18&quot; or so, to walk in. That is nice for the neighbors in case they decide to alter the fence somehow, they won't be worried about walking in your raised bed or damaging your blackberry bushes. Also, I'm assuming you'd plant the blackberries in the back, leaving space behind them is good, as they can spread by suckers, and may appear in the neighbors' yard unless a barrier of some sort is installed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that fence is from treated lumber (probably not, by the look of is, but better safe than sorry), or even a previous fence, the surrounding soil may be contaminated with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2889/is-the-arsenic-in-treated-wood-dangerous&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;arsenic&lt;/a&gt;, which is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/area_wide/aw/appk_gardening_guide.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;absorbed by plants&lt;/a&gt; and can pose a health hazard. Other than a root barrier, you could get a sample tested for arsenic, and go from there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-16T04:44:12.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14647" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14624" CreationDate="2014-11-16T04:55:46.387" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Such a watermelon does not exist. Perhaps you saw a sticker on it (these are often oval and red), and the pic was blurred. Other than that, it could have been paint I guess, unless people photoshopped back then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While watermelon does contain two red &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_pigment&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt; biological pigments&lt;/a&gt; (a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carotenoid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;carotenoid&lt;/a&gt; called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta-Carotene&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;beta-carotene&lt;/a&gt;, which have vitamin A activity, thus the health aspect of this pigment for humans, and another carotenoid called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycopene&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lycopene&lt;/a&gt;, which is necessary for the biosynthesis of the beta-carotene), they contain these &lt;em&gt;only&lt;/em&gt; in the fruit center, with more buildup toward the center of the fruit. Watermelons do not ever support formation of these pigments in chromoplasts outside of the fruit flesh (ie, the rind or skin).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-17T18:30:55.903" LastActivityDate="2014-11-17T18:30:55.903" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14648" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14637" CreationDate="2014-11-16T13:39:59.897" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are an advanced case of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_mite&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;spider mites&lt;/a&gt;.  The normal colour of the leaves will never return.  For a quick and effective solution:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;make sure the plant is located where there is lots of light. A south east window is ideal.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove every leaf cleanly from the base of the stem where it meets the trunk&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;get a cloth or paper towel soaked in a little bit of dish soap and water and run it over all parts of the plant that are left&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repeat the application of soap and water every five to seven days at least twice or three times&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wait for new growth, inspect the underside of the leaves for spider mites that look a little bit like grains of salt&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-11-16T13:39:59.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14649" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14638" CreationDate="2014-11-16T13:47:20.540" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whether these are the roots of your tree or some other tree does not really matter. Most tree roots &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/FCIN078.pdf/$FILE/FCIN078.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;grow within six inches of the surface&lt;/a&gt;. For sake of peace with your neighbour follow these easy steps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sharpen a spade or shovel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dig a slit trench approximately six inches deep along the property line with your neighbour.  Sever roots cleanly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;place a root barrier in the trench.  You need an impermeable, non toxic material that does not degrade.  I favour 45 mil EPDM pond liner as seen &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000G0GDJ6&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; as it is easy to cut and work with.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;back fill the trench with soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;overseed with grass or mulch as you prefer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-11-16T14:26:54.123" LastActivityDate="2014-11-16T14:26:54.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14650" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14653" CreationDate="2014-11-16T19:44:08.323" Score="3" ViewCount="2503" Body="&lt;p&gt;This pink-flowering shrub is in the sun in central Massachusetts. It bloomed profusely throughout May and June, and produced a few buds again in the fall. It grew to about 4 feet before we pruned it. We moved here last winter, so I don't know its age. We're putting an addition on the house, and it's in the way. It's not only beautiful, but is also a haven for sparrows, so we'd like to save it. Can someone please identify it, and tell me the best way to successfully transplant it? I'm concerned that the roots may extend under the abutting patio, which might make it difficult to dig up. Thank you!&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c1BcL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S7Drb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V5vO5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2014-11-16T23:35:10.197" Title="What is this pink-flowering shrub in Massachusetts, and how can I transplant it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14651" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14654" CreationDate="2014-11-16T20:46:55.330" Score="11" ViewCount="895" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Pittsburgh (i.e., Zone 6) and I started a compost bin in the 2nd week in October. (I know, I should have started earlier...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has a lot of kitchen scraps, maybe 60-70%, but I've also been composting leaves, dead plants from the fall cleanup, and recently, spent paper tissues from our recent colds to get some more &quot;carbons&quot; in the pile. It's still probably really nitrogen-rich.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I add some warm water with each addition, probably 2-3 times per week, and have been stirring it with a shovel about once a week. About a week or two after starting, I added some &quot;compost starter&quot; from a local garden store to make sure it had enough good bacteria, and until this week it seemed to be making good progress and pretty warm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But now, we're getting into winter weather, with lows (and highs) below freezing. What are some good ways to keep it going &quot;hot&quot; during the winter, or should I even worry? Ideally, I'd like to have this finished in April to May-ish, so I can amend the garden beds in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7221" LastActivityDate="2014-11-17T20:02:47.487" Title="How to Keep Compost &quot;Hot&quot; in Winter?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14652" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14651" CreationDate="2014-11-16T22:16:07.803" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;To keep compost hot, you need nitrogen content so leafy green materials need to be added to maintain the bacterial activity that gives off heat. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you live in a Maritime or Southern climate where stuff grows year around, some of the lushest growth in certain weeds, clover, grasses and cover crops occurs in late fall and early spring so you can harvest it year around just about and keep the pile steaming fairly constantly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Turn your pile and add a 1-2&quot; layer of green material in between the compost layers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where it freezes in winter and growth stops, it's rather hard to accomplish adding nitrogen containing materials. If you're in a rural area, sometimes somebody else's horrific loss can be your gain, ie dampened alfalfa bales gone moldy or alfalfa floor sweepings are a really good nitrogen source for heating a pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf piles are another environment altogether. Unless you shred them to add in thin layers to a hot pile, just pile them up and let fungal activity take its course. They need to be broken down by this means before they can be added to a hot pile anyway. Fungal growth occurs in cool environments so having the pile heat with undigested leaves kind of preserves them a bit longer than you'd wish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the big issues with composting is maintaining the moisture level just right. Damp piles can go cold and anaerobic which releases nitrogen as ammonia. In my climate, I have to loosely tarp the pile to keep the rain out, snow melt probably doesn't help either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-11-16T22:22:05.540" LastActivityDate="2014-11-16T22:22:05.540" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14650" CreationDate="2014-11-16T23:26:15.763" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is a cultivar of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weigela&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Weigela florida&lt;/a&gt;.  The variety called '&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.connonnurseries.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/2291/index.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Nana Variegata&lt;/a&gt;' grows to four feet tall with light pink coloured flowers, cream and green foliage which blooms in spring.&#xA;Once described as being 'gloomy' in the garden the cultivars are quite different.  They flower reliably in late spring and will reflower in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant in the picture is well established and would not be my first candidate for moving. Unless you see paving slabs being pushed up I would leave it be. If you have to move it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dig a trench six inches deep around the perimeter of the foliage in the fall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;go back in the spring and dig it up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;be patient as you will have to move a root ball the diameter of the foliage if you want to have the best chance of success&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-11-16T23:35:10.197" LastActivityDate="2014-11-16T23:35:10.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14651" CreationDate="2014-11-17T03:35:04.940" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Practically speaking, a home compost pile is pretty much going to be stagnant through serious winter if your kitchen waste, etc is what's feeding it. I see the likely issue you'll have with &quot;mostly kitchen waste&quot; to be &lt;strong&gt;far too much&lt;/strong&gt; nitrogen, but it won't help a home-scale pile get hot because the whole thing will be frozen. The &quot;secret&quot; to hot compost in the winter is &quot;size&quot; - I can pull up to the manure pile at the horsefarm, hack my way through 6&quot; of frozen crust, and shovel a steaming-hot load into my truck. The vast majority of the LARGE pile is well insulated by the outer foot or so of the pile. In a 3-foot pile, that outer foot does not leave much pile to be insulated - if I leave the load in my truck too long, it freezes solid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, go big, or realize that composting in the winter on a small scale is basically storing frozen compost materials for the spring. I have thought about but never tried (expensive) some sort of insulated compost bin. Haybales or strawbales would be one way to give that a shot, and provide some material for future composting as well. But they might also turn into &quot;rodent motel&quot; (in the bales) right next to &quot;rodent snackbar&quot; (the pile.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2014-11-17T03:41:53.190" LastActivityDate="2014-11-17T03:41:53.190" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14655" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14661" CreationDate="2014-11-17T08:47:40.760" Score="8" ViewCount="14575" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm new to gardening as I have just bought my first house.  I inherited a very large (about 6m tall) Bay tree that is severely sick.  I took a sample to my local garden center and I was told that it is infested with Aphids/Scale (I think they mean Scale as I don't see anything that looks like an aphid) and they are producing honeydew, which has also caused the tree to be covered with a sooty mould.  New leaves coming out are fine, but they soon succumb to the sickness.  I am carrying out the garden center's recommendations but just wanted to ask here to see if they are in line with what you would do in my situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I gave it a drench treatment of Thiamethoxam (following the directions for a 10m conifer) dissolved in 2 liters of water, as a systemic insecticide to hopefully kill the bugs feeding on it.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Using a hand saw, I am now in the process of VERY aggressively pruning it back to basically just a pair of 3m high trunks with some main branches(as the tree is far too large anyway).  I will then scrub the sooty mould off with soap and water.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I also bought an oil insecticide which I plan to apply to any leaves that are left.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is very severe and is infecting other trees in the neighbourhood, so it is important that I sort it out quickly.  I think my Bay is the epicenter as apparently Bay trees are very susceptible to scale.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do you have any other advice for how to treat a 6m Bay tree for severe scale?  Is it OK to aggressively prune it back, as it is far too large?  Is there anything else I should know about taking care of my Bay?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is important, I live in Cape Town, South Africa.  We are in Spring, going in to Summer.  The soil is sandy to loamy and we have already had most of our rain - our summers are dry and hot and our winters cold and wet.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt;  As requested, here are a few pics of my tree.  Hope this is sufficient to identify the species, I'm not sure what to look at.  I was told it is a Bay leaf tree (the kind you can use in curries).  It is aromatic when you cut it.  The tree has a silvery brown bark with some nodules and lots of scarring where the trunks have been damaged and pruned.  The fresh leaves are oval-shaped and bright green, older leaves seem to be a dark green but there are no older parts that are not severely infected.  At a guess I'd say the tree is between 30 and 100 years old (the houses here are about 100 years old) and the tree is well loved by my neighbours (and me) so I definitely want it to survive.  On the advice of the garden center I have got stuck in with a saw but I'm postponing doing any more pruning until I hear more from this forum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PVgId.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;View from my roof (bamboo fence behind is 2m tall)&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;View from my roof (bamboo fence behind is 2m tall)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SDTJY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;View from my roof (bamboo fence behind is 2m tall)&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another angle from roof&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1toRY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of diseased leaf showing scale and sooty mould&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Close up of diseased leaf showing scale and sooty mould&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ep2zl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of fresh healthy new shoots showing one or two scale spots just starting&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Close up of fresh healthy new shoots showing one or two scale spots just starting&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QKGCg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunks showing numerous scars from previous pruning and black sooty mould.  There is a large wound on the one trunk that almost looks flaky and rotten on the inside.  &quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trunks showing numerous scars from previous pruning and black sooty mould.  There is a large wound on the one trunk that almost looks flaky and rotten on the inside.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your interest and help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7442" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-22T12:30:53.890" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T12:30:53.890" Title="Bay Leaf Tree (Laurus Nobilis) with severe scale" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14656" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14657" CreationDate="2014-11-17T15:20:33.430" Score="5" ViewCount="615" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 1 year old rosemary. I read in several (non scientific) articles that I have to put it to 10°C in winter, so it can hibernate (I guess). (Outside it would freeze I think, we sometimes get -15°C during the winter.) Now my problem is that I don't have a room with 10°C. So what will happen with the rosemary if I put it into my room in which the temperature is about 20°C?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7445" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-17T15:28:55.590" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T11:15:24.533" Title="What happens with rosemary if I don't let it hibernate over the winter?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14657" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14656" CreationDate="2014-11-17T17:03:56.650" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nothing, it'll be fine - it will, though, need as much sunlight and bright daylight as you can possibly give it, so a southfacing (or, second choice, east facing)  windowsill would be perfect, provided there's no heat source directly beneath the window. If you can, move it into a terracotta pot with a good sized drainage hole, preferably using a sharp potting medium which drains freely - this will help to keep the plant from being too damp.Being mediterranean plants, they don't appreciate heavy soils and don't like being too wet at the root for any length of time. Watering should be done with care, only watering when the top of the potting medium feels a bit dry to the touch, but not so dry its shrunken from the sides of the pot, and when you water, water well, but don't let the plant stand in anything that catches the water, such as a tray or outer decorative pot - be sure to empty it after 30 minutes, and again 30 minutes later if necessary. Keep it trimmed and tidy by snipping it when it starts to look as if its getting too large or out of shape, assuming you don't use it in cooking frequently. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://houseplants.about.com/od/More_Plant_Profiles/p/Growing-Rosemary-Indoors.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here's&lt;/a&gt; a link for you to read.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might help (or not) for you to know that I've got the same potted rosemary plant I've had for 3 years indoors in winter - but I do put it outside in early spring/late winter, when its still cold, (but not so cold the pot will freeze), after &lt;strong&gt;hardening off&lt;/strong&gt;, when it recovers from its time inside - the UK isn't really sunny enough during winter, even on a south facing windowsill. Rosemary is pretty hardy, but I don't want to risk the smallish pot its in freezing, and I use it all winter for cooking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-18T21:16:09.020" LastActivityDate="2014-11-18T21:16:09.020" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14658" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-17T18:59:14.720" Score="4" ViewCount="301" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q4d0K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am doing a project about plants and I am new at this. I found this in a park in Cairo, Egypt. Would be great if someone can identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7446" LastEditorUserId="3535" LastEditDate="2014-11-17T20:47:23.637" LastActivityDate="2014-11-19T18:52:05.953" Title="What is this plant called?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2014-11-30T23:10:04.193" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14659" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14651" CreationDate="2014-11-17T20:02:47.487" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my first time with a composter, and I just started it too with veggie garden waste; but I live in RI near the ocean, and we don't get many deep freezes here.I put a lidded trash barrel next to the composter with brown material in it: mostly peat moss. I add about 3 gallons of kitchen waste to the composter weekly, and add some of that brown on top of it; then mix it and check the moisture. In the scrap container, I layer the scraps with shredded paper. both to add brown and to absorb some of the moisture so the compostable trash bag does not begin to disintegrate. I have an 80 gallon plastic composter with a removable lid and front hatch for compost removal. I have never had any luck with composting in open bins before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2014-11-17T20:02:47.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14660" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14655" CreationDate="2014-11-18T00:29:40.163" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is truly a beautiful plant! Get NEEM...this works very well and is pretty safe.  Spray it at night so as not to hurt bees...just in case.  Neem works very well with scale!  You might have to do it every other week.  Rent a sprayer or buy a cheapie 2gal pump sprayer. Spray the trunk, limbs and definitely under the leaves.  This works very well and safely.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-06T01:35:23.397" LastActivityDate="2015-01-06T01:35:23.397" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14661" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14655" CreationDate="2014-11-18T11:22:39.220" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem with a large tree like this is that trying to spray it requires professional equipment.  Even with a pressurized sprayer you will get whatever you are spraying drifting onto to neighbors or public property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In North America you would be opening yourself up for possible legal action by doing this.  As you will not get complete coverage and scale that has not hatched yet may not be affected by the spray you will have to spray at least three times at five to seven day intervals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendations are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;top dress with compost high in organic matter around the tree.  Apply to a depth of one centimeter now and again in the fall, repeat yearly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;apply a systemic using the application rates on the label&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;thin the tree to make your job easier but there is no need to go at it with a saw&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=549&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;When to lightly prune Prune in late winter or early spring.&#xA;  ...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;How to lightly prune: No routine pruning necessary. Remove diseased,&#xA;  damaged, congested or crossing shoots. Shoots that are growing in&#xA;  unwanted directions can also be pruned out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;After pruning, mulch and feed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you want to do is a thinning pruning which is described &lt;a href=&quot;http://joa.isa-arbor.com/request.asp?JournalID=1&amp;amp;ArticleID=2602&amp;amp;Type=2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It took years for the tree to become badly infested with scale and it will take a few years to return it to health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Ivan asks about re application of systemic pesticides.  There are a number of different chemicals that are used so you are best to go with the recommendations on the label.  As a rough rule, no more than once or twice a year.  Keep in mind that by using a systemic you cannot use any of the leaves for cooking as they will contain trace quantities of the pesticide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do a drastic pruning on a mature tree and take off sizable limbs you will get a lot of weakly attached &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_sprout&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sucker growth&lt;/a&gt; at the site of the cuts.  This growth will be vigorous but after a few years can be so heavy that will break or be ripped off by wind.&#xA;Not recommended unless you are willing to commit to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollarding&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pollarding&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-11-19T00:20:14.093" LastActivityDate="2014-11-19T00:20:14.093" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14662" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14669" CreationDate="2014-11-18T13:57:11.380" Score="2" ViewCount="509" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently got this plant from my granddad, he can't take care of it anymore. Neither of us can figure out what it is, but he used to travel a lot so it wouldn't surprise me if he brought it from somewhere afar. I'd like to know how to take good care of it, so some help would be great!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TDPNp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5gdDe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7112" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2014-11-18T21:24:11.840" LastActivityDate="2014-11-19T12:00:29.577" Title="What is this potted plant with dark green leaves and puffy white flowers on long stems?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14663" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14673" CreationDate="2014-11-18T17:32:57.813" Score="4" ViewCount="1983" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the context I am thinking, I would essentially be mixing the droppings into the topsoil in a plant bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much would be too much? How much would be too little to make a difference?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nutrient breakdown?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is Salmonella a risk?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="7256" LastEditDate="2014-11-19T14:49:06.037" LastActivityDate="2014-11-19T22:01:42.893" Title="Can frog droppings be used as fertilizer?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14664" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14681" CreationDate="2014-11-18T17:36:36.900" Score="5" ViewCount="14510" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planning some bulbs in a few planting boxes that are 40cm long. There's a note at the bottom, saying: &quot;&lt;em&gt;Drill holes if required.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've made 6 holes from the possible designated places, but comparing to the pre-drilled pots, I feel these ones aren't enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pots will be in the balcony being exposed to loads of rain, so they need proper drainage, in addition to a layer of small stones that I'll put at the base before adding the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7c45c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastEditorUserId="6990" LastEditDate="2014-11-18T17:47:56.267" LastActivityDate="2014-11-20T13:12:08.363" Title="How Many Holes Do I need to Make at the Bottom of a Plastic Planting Box?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14667" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14668" CreationDate="2014-11-18T22:50:18.190" Score="9" ViewCount="9225" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14656/what-happens-with-rosemary-if-i-dont-let-it-hibernate-over-the-winter#comment18163_14657&quot;&gt;a comment&lt;/a&gt; about &lt;em&gt;Etiolation&lt;/em&gt; when talking about wintering plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Etiolation is a big concern also, in warmer temps and short days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never seen that word before, it sounds like it's something bad happening to the plant. What does 'Etiolation' mean?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T20:03:56.507" Title="What is 'Etiolation'?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14668" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14667" CreationDate="2014-11-19T02:13:20.233" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Etiolation is long, spindly growth caused by poor lighting conditions. Plants will tend to be more yellowish because of chlorophyll lack.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will see it at its worst when trying to greenhouse start plants before you have enough sunlight to properly enable photosynthesis. The plants know they're light starved and are trying to grow tall enough to get it. The cure is to start later when you have more sunlight or find a way to provide &lt;strong&gt;strong&lt;/strong&gt; enough artificial lighting so the plant grows properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Etiolation is a big concern also, in warmer temps and short days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically translates to: &quot;It's so warm the plant will grow well, but there's too little sunlight for it to grow properly in a healthy manner.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-11-19T02:19:15.737" LastActivityDate="2014-11-19T02:19:15.737" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14669" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14662" CreationDate="2014-11-19T06:59:41.220" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haemanthus_albiflos&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Haemanthus albiflos&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (common: elephant's ear / tongue, paintbrush plant).&#xA;It's native to South Africa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have a beautiful specimen here, good luck with it. It's rather easy to care for, given enough light and not too much water. For a start, see &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haemanthus_albiflos&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=896&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-19T12:00:29.577" LastActivityDate="2014-11-19T12:00:29.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14670" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14656" CreationDate="2014-11-19T07:44:27.123" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Scienctific aspects aside, just some practical advice:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were you, I'd take the plant inside, but leave it outside als long as possible. Slight frost shouldn't harm it. Older plants might even survive outside, especially in larger containers. I've had the same plant outside for three years, originally because I had no space indoors &amp;amp; was too lazy to throw it out right away. Lowest temp. last winter was about -15 during the night, but the pot was just next to the house. If it's covered with snow, this will also protect from hard frost. I found that the hardiness depends somewhat on the variety. Some will do fine, others won't. So If you aren't too attached to it and willing to buy a new one, you could try leaving it outside on a sheltered spot. Cold greenhouse, perhaps?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Indoors, opt for the lowest temp. and the maximum of light possible. If in doubt, I'd rather choose the place with more light than lowest temperature. The plant probably won't hibernate anyway, so light is essential. For cool places, think outside the box: The plant doesn't have to go in your livingroom. A cool bedroom or storage room, the toilet, the stairways in larger houses, even an attic, as long as there's a decent window (and you don't forget to water it occasionally) make good wintering spots. On warmer winter days, you could even put it outside again for a couple of hours or even a few days during mild weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your rosemary gets too warm (and possibly too dark) inside during winter, it will grow thin, lanky shots that can be pruned. The shots then can be used right away, the flavour will be less strong than during summer, though.&#xA;Be gentle with watering, but never let dry out fully. Don't fertilize; also, be careful with fertilizing during summer - rosemary needs soil low on nutritients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2014-11-19T07:44:27.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14671" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14664" CreationDate="2014-11-19T12:38:09.050" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just drill some more holes, that's what I do, often doubling the number of holes, evenly spaced, because, for certain plants, sometimes the prepared thinner parts aren't enough, you're right, but if you have a drill, its fairly simple to make more. There is, though, the risk of the drill bit slipping and skidding because the material's thicker, so put some plaster (band aid fabric) or fabric like tape over the area you want to drill first, so that the bit bites properly. The only drawback is dependent on the type of plastic - if its fairly softish and a bit pliable, that's fine, but if it's sort of crisp and hard, that often cracks when you try to drill through. If its just a small crack, doesn't matter, its even better drainage, but there may be a risk of a large fracture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking at your picture, I'd add 4 more holes, along the central strip, spaced apart, 2 either side of that darker circle in the middle and one towards both ends, between the two lighter circles. That should be plenty, but you can make more if you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-11-19T12:47:32.807" LastActivityDate="2014-11-19T12:47:32.807" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14673" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14663" CreationDate="2014-11-19T21:16:30.533" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Frogs and toads may have salmonella in their feces, I discovered. Therefore, because chickens may also, it stands to reason that you should treat the frog or toad droppings like chicken droppings (meaning, you should compost them in a manner where the compost gets hot enough to kill the bacteria). Adding it directly to the soil is probably risky.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know I've had eggshells added directly to soil before, and I didn't get salmonella from the tomatoes that grew in it the same year. Maybe I was just lucky, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't suppose it would be easy to determine how much uncomposted frog/toad manure would be safe. Generally, you should compost any manure well before adding it to your garden, no matter what animal it comes from. I'm curious about grasshopper manure, though. It's kind of there anyway. :) Arguably, so is toad manure (but not in raised beds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fact that toad droppings are dry isn't a consolation, as I was hoping, seeing as dry pet foods can be contaminated with salmonella. Freezing doesn't kill salmonella, either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing toad manure (not sure about frog) would add more calcium to your soil, due to all the bug exoskeletons. Other than that, I'm not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a side-note, blue and UV/black lights attract bugs, and because of that toads can like the lights. So, if you want to keep your toads well-fed, and don't mind lots of moths, that's a consideration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-11-19T22:01:42.893" LastActivityDate="2014-11-19T22:01:42.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14675" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14676" CreationDate="2014-11-19T22:50:13.083" Score="4" ViewCount="527" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple aloe plants that don't seem to be really growing much. I'm pretty sure it's because I never bothered to look up what soil they really need and have just been keeping them in potting soil so they aren't getting the right balance of nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to re-pot them into the proper soil to see if that will help them grow, but first I'd like to know, what is the proper soil type for aloes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-19T23:34:43.847" LastActivityDate="2014-11-20T00:51:45.930" Title="What is the proper soil type for Aloe?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14676" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14675" CreationDate="2014-11-19T23:34:22.113" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use a &lt;a href=&quot;http://cactiguide.com/article/?article=article8.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cactus mix&lt;/a&gt; for aloes. This is basically to simulate desert conditions somewhat, with coarse mineral soil that has excellent drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good mix is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;2 parts sharp sand&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;2 parts coir&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;1 part pumice (for airiness)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or any other wide range of ingredient mixes. That's just one I've used in the past, and it worked well. The hardest part of the process was wetting the mix, and I found that the whole thing was easier if I wetted the coir first, then mixed in the dry sand and pumice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This mix provides some minerals, but not much nutrient-wise. I would fertilize with a weak, very low nitrogen extended release fertilizer on the top of the mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-20T00:51:45.930" LastActivityDate="2014-11-20T00:51:45.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14677" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14962" CreationDate="2014-11-19T23:49:28.460" Score="5" ViewCount="302" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow a few large &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_vera&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Aloe vera&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; plants which I'm interested in harvesting regularly during the summer months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What percentage of the foliage should be removed at each harvest for highest production?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How much regrowth should I wait for between harvesting?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-27T18:54:31.017" Title="How does one harvest aloe vera leaves?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14678" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14563" CreationDate="2014-11-20T04:56:17.830" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many types of roses. I'll list a few here that are more common in modern times, with identifying features.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_tea_rose&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hybrid Tea:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; These are the result of crossing &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rose.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/History-of-Roses-Hybrid-Perpetuals.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;hybrid perpetuals&lt;/a&gt; with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_roses#Tea&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;tea roses&lt;/a&gt;. These are upright, robust plants with long cane growth and less branching than some. Thorniness varies. The flowers are large, usually single, with high centers. The bloom size and quality comes from the tea side, and the repeat blooming came from the hybrid perpetual side. Almost always grafted.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZVrhW.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lYihX.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floribunda_(rose)&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Floribunda&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; These were the result of crossing &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_roses#Polyantha&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;polyantha&lt;/a&gt; roses with hybrid teas. These are more dense, twiggy, and rigid than the parents. The flowers are borne in clusters or sprays, and are smaller than hybrid tea blooms, but can be very similar in shape. Often allowed to grow on their own roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LEifV.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pDjSU.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_roses#China&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;China:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Based on &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_chinensis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rosa chinensis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. These are smaller, thorny shrubs, twiggy and stiff. The fragrance is typically less powerful than in European roses. The flowers are borne in clusters, are single or double, and more flat than the hybrid tea. Often grafted to disease resistant stock.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wlr9W.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g29vu.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_roses#Grandiflora&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grandiflora:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; These are large, wide shrubs that grow larger than floribunda or hybrid tea. They are more open than many shrub roses. The flowers are like hybrid teas, but often less pointed, and borne in long-stemmed clusters. Usually not grafted.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vvWw9.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yuaRZ.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_roses#Climbing_and_rambling&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Climbing:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; There are many types of climbing rose, but they typically have much longer, more flexible canes than shrub roses, and while they can be trained as a sprawling shrub, they prefer to be supported. The flowers are very variable, small to large, with many shapes and types of carriage. Sometimes grafted, but not generally.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r3MK9.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fRpZ6.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_roses#Hybrid_Rugosa&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rugosa:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; These are large, dense shrubs often used for hedges, which are disease resistant and resilient. They are used for hip production. The flowers may be single or double, and are smaller and more flat than floribunda blooms, in general. They were derived from &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_rugosa&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rosa rugosa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Not usually grafted.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AIiJH.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iEDsl.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_roses#Miniature&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Miniature:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; These are usually based on old English roses, and are developed to stay around 24&quot; or lower. Grown on their own roots in general.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mIOdK.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LeyuN.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_roses#Moss&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Moss:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Branched resinous hairs on the sepals give off pleasant odors when rubbed. These are usually small to mid-sized open shrubs. Often grafted.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QHzAG.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pS0wo.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pallensmith.com/articles/growing-knock-out-roses&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Knock Out&lt;sup&gt;®&lt;/sup&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; These are popular enough that they have their own listing here. They are shorter, tidy shrubs, bred for low maintenance landscaping. They are disease resistant, self deadheading, and grow in less than optimal soil. The flowers can be double or single, and are borne in clusters. Grown on their own roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qsOTC.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p8nyF.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_roses#Damask&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Damask:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; These are older, double, flat roses, with long, flexible canes and a sprwling habit. The flowers are full of petals, wider than high, and very fragrant. Often grafted.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZRjjw.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NTNko.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_roses#Bourbon&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bourbon:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Rangy, semi-climbing shrubs with large, repeat blooming flowers on strong, canes. The thorns are often less fierce on these roses. They're usually grown on their own roots. The flowers are double, flat and fragrant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aYsM1.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jvl2J.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-20T04:56:17.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14679" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14686" CreationDate="2014-11-20T08:35:50.493" Score="6" ViewCount="291" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to identify this plant - I recently moved in with my partner and this is one she had, she doesn't know what it is other than &quot;some kind of palm&quot; (she's not the most green fingered, they've suddenly started growing a lot more since I moved in!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves are up to about 12 cm long, but I guess they could grow bigger as the plant grows. It also produces a white sap. Also notice the hairy kind of structures along the stem - sorry it's not a very good picture of that part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify the plant? And any care tips? We are in a dark winter here in Sweden and I want to make sure they survive the lack of light as best as possible. Recently a few of the lower smaller (and older) leaves went very yellow and dropped, I thought maybe I'm over watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(A comment suggests it is Plumeria of some kind, I see that can flower - if there's a tip to getting it to flower some day that would be great! And how big can it get?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click images for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/48EEW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/48EEWm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OW8Pq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OW8Pqm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AFUFN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AFUFNm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nHzW1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nHzW1m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7448" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-21T04:33:34.557" LastActivityDate="2020-02-16T20:28:05.633" Title="Is this plant an indoor palm of some kind?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14681" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14664" CreationDate="2014-11-20T13:12:08.363" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I managed preparing the pots before @Bamboo's answer was here. So I'll post my own answer here, as well, hoping it helps others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After checking some pictures on the Internet, and also checking my pre-drilled pots, I made several more holes to make sure they'd get proper drainage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't use a drill to make the holes, since a. I did not have one, b. I declined the offer from a shop assistant in the store where I was buying them, as I thought hard drill on cold plastic may cause cracks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used a soldering iron with a sharp tip, plugged it in and inserted it into where ever I wanted to make the holes. To enlarge them a bit, I moved the iron in the hole circularly so that it'd melt down more of the area. I then detached the extra bits of melt plastic while it hadn't completely cooled down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8S6Hy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also added a layer of stones/rocks to let extra spacing for drainage and root breathing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FRDH2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastActivityDate="2014-11-20T13:12:08.363" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14682" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5295" CreationDate="2014-11-20T13:17:19.460" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry to revive an old post, but:&#xA;&lt;br&gt;It's &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; a clivia, it's a Heamanthus albiflos (elephant's ear / paintbrush plant). Close relative from the Amaryllis family, but not the same.&#xA;Main differences: Clivias have clusters of bell-shaped blossoms, usually orage(-ish), the leaves are thinner, longer and often darker. &#xA;OP found the correct answer himself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Your specimen might appreciate a bit more light, if possible, as it appears a bit lanky.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2014-11-20T13:17:19.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14683" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14567" CreationDate="2014-11-20T13:43:13.000" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've done further more investigations about the problem as I got no answer here; going to a gardening store and trying to get some help, but even those people weren't super helpful. The suggestions I received were to let the roots receive sun through the transparent pot, and some other advice like trimming the green live stems that did not make sense to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Answer for pot #1:&lt;/strong&gt; I inserted the support stick carefully and hooked up the stem to it very gently. It's gradually growing vertically and I think I can make it even more vertical little by little over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Answer for pot #2:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the roots looked dried and rotten, as I think I had over-watered them at some point. I took out the plant and trimmed the roots carefully, and removed all of dry or rotten ones. I also cut the one leaf that was going yellowish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've moved my pots away from the window which was obviously colder than other parts of the room, and have placed them close to the radiator. Both pots seem to be doing better over there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second pot doesn't seem to have improved noticeably, but it hasn't gone worse either. I'll update my post later with the results after letting the plant settle down for a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; As of now, the pots have both been doing great. The first one has got lots of blossoms and flowers over months, and keeping well, growing more and more media:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KZYMW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;happy Pot#1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My efforts with the second pot which was almost dead, was pretty helpful and it started growing back. The roots are much better, and so are the leaves, and it's full of blossoms and flowers. &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/db4S2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;happy Pot#2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also learnt to water them with a spray, aiming the roots mainly, as otherwise, the water just goes straight down and doesn't necessarily reach the roots as fine as it should or too much water gets there.&#xA;Some care and love is the key to have healthy plants! (:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastEditorUserId="6990" LastEditDate="2015-04-01T13:00:27.870" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T13:00:27.870" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14684" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-20T13:45:43.877" Score="3" ViewCount="1189" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a very large Satsuma tree which is at least 20 years old and was a gift from my father. We are moving and want to transplant the tree. We are currently in Southeast Texas and we will be staying in Southeast Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can we transplant this tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7461" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-21T04:22:59.570" LastActivityDate="2014-11-27T20:40:27.557" Title="How do I transplant a 20 year old Satsuma tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14679" CreationDate="2014-11-20T14:24:32.317" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have to say I think it's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumeria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Plumeria&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, and possibly &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumeria_obtusa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;P. obtusa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, though it could be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumeria_rubra&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;P. rubra&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or something else entirely - it's hard to tell at that stage. You'll be able to tell for sure if/when it blooms. These are common houseplants, at least in my area, and they grow kind of slowly indoors. Here's a picture of the leaves of &lt;em&gt;P. obtusa&lt;/em&gt;, for comparison:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LrmE4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On getting it to flower, your plant is a bit small for that yet. Good conditions for this plant to bring it up to a bigger flowering size are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Give it as much full sun as possible, preferably over 8 hours of direct sun.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure the mix is well drained, water should run right through it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When the plant becomes pot-bound (runs out of root space and the roots begin densely circling the bottom of the pot), repot it into a pot one size larger.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Every other week during the summer, fertilize with a low nitrogen, high potassium fertilizer, to promote less leggy growth, and eventual flowering.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water only when the top 1/2&quot; of the mix is completely dry, and be thorough, watering until it runs from the bottom of the pot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They are susceptible to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7405.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;spider mites&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7401.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;whiteflies&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7408.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;scale&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/INVERT/mealybugs.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mealybugs&lt;/a&gt; when grown indoors. Treat as necessary to maintain a healthy plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On how big they get, they are small trees in nature, so they can become rather large houseplants given time. I often see them around 2 - 3 1/2' tall and wide, but it varies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-20T14:50:10.667" LastActivityDate="2014-11-20T14:50:10.667" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13386" CreationDate="2014-11-20T16:34:17.613" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I disagree. I think before is essential because, based on the results, that is how you should decide to amend the soil.  If you you want to test after you can get a cheap soil test from rapid test for 5 or 6 bucks.  Or buy 40 tests for 15-20 bucks.  Your soil test sent into the lab should give you a detailed fertilizer recommendation and let you know pH and organic content.  If you add before you test how are you going to know what your soil needs.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just tested mine (waiting for lab results) but I also did a soil test by rapid test.  The results showed high nitrogen and very low phosphorus and very low potassium.  What if I added more nitrogen? That would have been a big mistake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7463" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-21T15:22:19.917" LastActivityDate="2014-11-21T15:22:19.917" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14688" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14723" CreationDate="2014-11-20T21:31:30.420" Score="4" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always harvested our juice grapes (concord) soon after full coloring, but I recently met someone who leaves theirs on until they begin to soften, many weeks later. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a certain time to harvest grapes, that gets the best balance of shelf life (before processing), flavor, and sugar levels? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-26T17:39:39.350" LastActivityDate="2014-11-26T17:39:39.350" Title="How long after full coloring do I harvest grapes?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14689" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14684" CreationDate="2014-11-20T23:17:38.883" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Presumably you would like to &quot;take the gift tree with you&quot; when you move. That's probably not very practical, but you can follow a long tradition of taking PART of the gift tree with you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is your timeframe? For large trees, you are generally better off to layer (root a cutting, though layering involves doing that while still attached to the tree) rather than trying to transplant a large tree. That takes some time, so if you are not planning well in advance, it can be hard to complete in a timely manner for moving. If you can come to an arrangement with the new owners (make it part of the sales contract) you might be able to get that started before you sell the house and put it in the contract that you will finish (remove the layered cuttings) sometime after the house sale, if time is short. You will probably need access for you or a designated person to keep the layers watered until they are ready to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also &lt;em&gt;try&lt;/em&gt; rooting regular cuttings, but that's typically pretty hit or miss. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-11-20T23:17:38.883" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14690" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17432" CreationDate="2014-11-21T00:52:47.533" Score="6" ViewCount="1050" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to coppice some black locust trees &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinia_pseudoacacia&quot;&gt;(&lt;em&gt;Robinia pseudoacacia&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; for fence post production. The conditions are fairly good. This is USDA hardiness zone 6b, with good clay based topsoil, and 45-60&quot;/yr of precipitation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How many years after planting 12-18&quot; seedlings will I be able to cut the first time?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How many years (average) should I wait between harvests?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand that it can be variable. I want to harvest 4-6&quot; diameter posts, which will be cut at 7 1/2'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-21T04:35:17.353" LastActivityDate="2018-06-19T18:54:23.293" Title="How often can I harvest coppiced black-locusts?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;post-harvest&gt;&lt;woodland&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14691" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-21T05:48:14.123" Score="5" ViewCount="957" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm rebuilding the valve manifold of my residential irrigation system. The existing system seems to have no &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/irrigation-backflow-preventers/&quot;&gt;backflow prevention&lt;/a&gt;, so among other changes, I'll be swapping out the globe valves for anti-siphon valves (I'd prefer not to use a double check valve for several reasons).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With all the lateral pipes in the ground already, moving the manifold is not attractive, but raising the bottom of the anti-siphon valves 6&quot; above the highest emitter will put them far enough above grade that even 18&quot; tall valve boxes cannot cover them and still reach the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And covering the valves seems like a good idea since the PVC pipe connecting to the valves and the valves themselves will &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/sprinkler-system-lateral-pipes/&quot;&gt;degrade when exposed to sunlight&lt;/a&gt;. Painting provides UV protection, but seems more unsightly than the ugliest valve box and will not protect the wiring from curious little fingers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any good choices for covering a tall valve manifold?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7467" LastEditorUserId="7467" LastEditDate="2014-11-21T06:00:09.787" LastActivityDate="2014-11-21T22:17:47.470" Title="How to conceal anti-siphon irrigation valves?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14692" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-21T13:46:28.320" Score="6" ViewCount="4053" Body="&lt;p&gt;The stems of my Philodendron 'Brasil' are getting brown and soft. Is it some kind of disease? I'm growing them hydroponically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sEATt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sEATtl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Some stems taken out&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tMzuK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tMzuKl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7468" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-21T15:20:48.040" LastActivityDate="2014-11-26T17:24:36.873" Title="What is wrong with my Philodendrons' stems and roots?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;rot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14693" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14695" CreationDate="2014-11-21T20:01:12.023" Score="2" ViewCount="1021" Body="&lt;p&gt;What can cause tomato flowers to drop before blooming even once?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They never open at all. So, there's no chance for external pollination. They get to the point to where they're almost about to open before they fall off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2014-11-22T12:42:28.850" Title="What can cause tomato flowers to drop before blooming even once?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14694" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14697" CreationDate="2014-11-21T21:03:59.467" Score="6" ViewCount="361" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whenever I see blackberry plants for sale, it always seem like they're named for a native American tribe. There's Navaho, Apache, Arapaho, Kiowa. The only ones I know of that don't follow this trend are the triple crown blackberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a reason for this trend?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-26T22:05:29.383" LastActivityDate="2017-01-26T22:05:29.383" Title="Why are blackberry plants typically named for Native American tribes?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;&lt;berries&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14695" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14693" CreationDate="2014-11-21T21:48:39.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;One cause: Excessive heat will do it, we had a 1 week hot spell back in July that knocked out tomato production for quite a few gardeners here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fortunately for my garden, we had part of the crop flower early enough and the other flower late enough that we didn't get hurt much. The ones that tried to flower during the extreme temps lost the flower buds and tried again a little too late in the season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Diversity of varieties planted paid off really well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More research also gives two other causes. Cool weather can cause the blossoms to drop off after they've been pollinated, and excess nitrogen can cause excessive growth with no blossoms or blossom drop. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In extreme overapplication, nitrogen can be a secondary cause of blossom end rot, the primary cause being free calcium lack in the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Test the soil for NPK and acidity. For fertilizer, don't go much above 7-9-5 and fertilize &lt;strong&gt;after&lt;/strong&gt; fruit has set. Burpee notes that 2-3-1 applications from time to time are necessary as Tomatoes are heavy feeders and need the nutrients. So, more light applications over time or time release will be less likely to cause issues as you're dosing nutrients out as the plant needs them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes need phosphorus and appropriate application of calcium in the order of Lime if the soil is too acid or Gypsum if the soil is in the proper pH range.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After testing to see if you have too much nitrogen in the soil, removing excess nitrogen involves using several methods, grow early season crops like broccoli, cabbage or other leaf vegetables that aren't harmed by excessive growth, later season heavy nitrogen feeders like corn or till in carbon rich organic materials so the soil bacteria use up the free nitrogen in digesting it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We can get the soil right, the weather will unfortunately do what it darn well pleases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-11-22T02:42:34.280" LastActivityDate="2014-11-22T02:42:34.280" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14696" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14691" CreationDate="2014-11-21T22:17:47.470" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anything from a purely functional &quot;shed&quot; or &quot;doghouse&quot; (&lt;em&gt;sans&lt;/em&gt; dog) on up will do. You could also build up a mound of soil around them to make the required box smaller - or head off into lighthouse, windmill, detailed scale replica of the Empire State building, or wishing-well territory. Or a &quot;Chick Sales&quot; (&lt;em&gt;sans&lt;/em&gt; holes) [nobody give that away in a comment please - &lt;em&gt;The Specialist&lt;/em&gt; should be an enlightening new discovery for each new discoverer.] &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, any functional piece of yard-art that fills the need of providing the required space (which can be its only function, or merely one of the functions. A shed could also store tools or gardening supplies, for instance.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might also check if the valve boxes you speak of stack - many open-ended concrete or plastic containers for protecting things in soil do, so you might be able to stack two of them with one cover on the top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-11-21T22:17:47.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14697" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14694" CreationDate="2014-11-21T22:36:32.740" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably you happen to be seeing mostly (likely due to locale) the output of &lt;strong&gt;one breeding program&lt;/strong&gt; and that is their theme. &lt;a href=&quot;http://host31.spidergraphics.com/nra/doc/Fair%20Use%20Web%20PDFs/NRAES-35_Web.pdf&quot;&gt;Looking here, page 24 to 26&lt;/a&gt;, that would appear to be Arkansas; and many more names other than Triple Crown (from Maryland) that are not in that theme show up. Illini, (guess where that's from) Thornfree,  Doyle Thornless, Black Satin, Chester Thornless, Hull, Lawton, Darrow...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2014-11-21T22:41:56.600" LastActivityDate="2014-11-21T22:41:56.600" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14698" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14699" CreationDate="2014-11-22T00:26:45.437" Score="2" ViewCount="155" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let's say you had a cast-iron pan and an apple tree that you were going to plant. Let's say you dug a large hole, threw the pan in and planted the tree near the pan.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One might imagine that the tree would use iron from the pan when it needed iron, and ignore the pan when it didn't. However, what is the truth of this matter? How would the tree treat the pan? Would it entirely ignore it, get too much iron from it, get the proper balance or what?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let's say the pan and the tree were there for 20+ years and the soil was just slightly iron-deficient to begin with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a hypothetical question. I don't have a tree I'm planning to plant any time soon. You can substitute apple with pear, peach or whatever. You can substitute the cast-iron pan with an unpolished brass (copper/zinc) turtle or some other mineral chunk. If the answer would differ based on the kind of tree and the mineral, go with an apple tree and iron.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-22T01:23:27.683" LastActivityDate="2014-11-22T01:34:39.107" Title="How do trees respond to solid, isolated, chunks of minerals such as iron, placed in the root zone?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14698" CreationDate="2014-11-22T01:22:19.803" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, you cannot substitute the iron for just any mineral. Iron is a big part of soil, see my answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9742/is-rust-from-steel-rainwater-barrel-harmful/9760#9760&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Rust is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_oxide&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;iron oxide&lt;/a&gt;, which does not harm plants in moderate amounts, because it is not water soluble unless the soil ph is very low. In fact, oxidized iron is what &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kurdishscientist.com/ironoxides.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;gives most red subsoils their color&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless the pH is far too low the plant will be unable to uptake the iron oxide, and will not be useful for correcting deficiencies. It will not harm the tree if it is really only iron, not coated with anything. Now, even after it rusts, it will not necessarily be absorbable by plants. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2764373/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Although Fe is one of the most abundant metals in the earth's crust, its availability to plant roots is very low. Fe availability is dictated by the soil redox potential and pH. In soils that are aerobic or of higher pH, Fe is readily oxidized, and is predominately in the form of insoluble ferric oxides. At lower pH, the ferric Fe is freed from the oxide, and becomes more available for uptake by roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So &lt;em&gt;iron&lt;/em&gt; objects won't really affect the plant, other than obstructing roots/messing with drainage. This is not true of just any mineral/metal chunk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-11-22T01:34:39.107" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14693" CreationDate="2014-11-22T12:07:45.850" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The commonest cause for blossoms falling, particularly if they drop from the knuckle, is dryness, both at the root and in the air. Hot, dry air has already been mentioned in one of the other answers as a possible issue. Lack of pollination also causes this problem, so increase humidity and water, and if the flowers remain and do open, tap them gently occasionally to encourage pollination - this simple solution might solve the problem. If it doesn't then looking at the growing conditions (you haven't said how you're growing them, how much root room they have, etc) and then nutrient supply are next on the list, in that order. Adding extra nutrients won't be very useful if the plants don't have enough root room or aren't getting enough water, because they won't be able to take up feeds properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-11-22T12:42:28.850" LastActivityDate="2014-11-22T12:42:28.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14704" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-23T06:24:01.887" Score="3" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the world's widest pepper variety (including both hot and sweet peppers)? The weight and length aren't in question. Just the width at any point of the pepper (it need not be uniformly wide all along the length). If it's a kind of bell pepper, please specify the variety of bell pepper (instead of just saying bell peppers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-26T15:51:45.813" LastActivityDate="2014-11-26T15:51:45.813" Title="What is the world's widest pepper variety?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14705" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14707" CreationDate="2014-11-23T23:04:39.920" Score="6" ViewCount="1036" Body="&lt;p&gt;Now that it is warming up in Sydney, I have noticed some tiny flies in the soil of my pots. I think they are root flies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They seem attracted to the pots containing rhizomes the most&lt;sup&gt;[1][2]&lt;/sup&gt;. These pots are in the shade and do not have mulch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I get rid of these flies? I want to use what I am growing, so I need a solution that is safe later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[1]&lt;/sup&gt; My chilli seedlings are in the same approximate location.&#xA;Most of these now have some mulch in the pots and do not seem to have many flies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[2]&lt;/sup&gt; My lemon grass sits in a nice sunny spot, has no mulch and is also looking OK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Internet suggestions so far:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Letting the top 2-3 inches of soil dry out.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Placing brightly coloured cards coated in vasaline to lure and trap them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Placing cups of vinegar and water solution near your pots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hot sauce water. The hotter the better.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Vodka water. 1:1 ratio of vodka and water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Neem oil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Home made Vaseline traps were no good. &lt;em&gt;Store bought&lt;/em&gt; sticky traps are more successful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hot sauce water did not work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vinegar water did not work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Drying out the soil works for control. But today was a hot day and things are wilting so I had to cut my drying short.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-28T00:47:34.187" LastActivityDate="2014-12-11T16:55:55.267" Title="How do you get rid of root flies organically?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14706" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14742" CreationDate="2014-11-24T17:14:57.547" Score="3" ViewCount="687" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had previously asked a question about my Orchids (&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14567/how-should-i-take-care-of-these-two-phalaenopsis-orchids-with-different-behavior&quot;&gt;How Should I Take Care of These Two Phalaenopsis Orchids with Different Behaviors?&lt;/a&gt;) and I've read the other questions on the website, however I noticed something odd yesterday that's not discussed in the previous questions, so that's why I'm here again!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This Orchid has been doing really well, and it's full of flowers at the moment, but one of the leaves is almost falling off, turning yellow from the base. I feel the same thing is going to happen with the other leave. This is while the stem of flowers is growing from that certain 'bush'. What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HL9VA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L2OM0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/strong&gt; As I'm waiting here for someone's help, that leave just came off yesterday, and the other one today. The small leaves also look unhealthy and moldy. The stem still seems pretty happy and the flowers are all in good order. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I keep looking closely, and that stem comes just below these leaves and that worries me, unless it's the other 'trunk' beside it that is supporting the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I feel the roots have changed a bit, too (those dark lines on the roots on the right of the leaves in the picture below).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/74j01.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-03-01T18:31:55.567" Title="What's Wrong with this Orchid?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14707" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14705" CreationDate="2014-11-24T17:21:52.437" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;These silvery gray mobile larvae and flying adults are most likely to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05584.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fungus gnats&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you have found successful control can be accomplished with:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;drying out the top of the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yellow sticky traps&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;an application of one liter of water and 5 ml of 5 bleach or chlorine, wait a few minutes, followed by more water to wash the chlorine out also works but is hazardous to newly rooted plants or if you add too much chlorine&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;systemic pesticides also work but are massive overkill for a problem that can be solved with good cultural practices&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a soil mix using less peat moss will also help&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Edit: Any chlorine left after pouring more water though the plant pot will be in same or less quantities than what is in chlorinated tap water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-11-24T21:33:06.000" LastActivityDate="2014-11-24T21:33:06.000" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14709" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-24T20:09:47.900" Score="2" ViewCount="3010" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought two scheffleras from a grocery store a few days ago. I've never had this type of plant before, so I'm unsure of what is normal for it or not. One seems to be doing better than the other. The one in question might be due for a repotting since I can notice some roots poking through the bottom. I plan to do that asap.  What I'm concerned about is if I'm providing enough light and water so far. There are a lot of healthy looking leaves that are falling off. Temperature in the house is set at 80 F. There are some yellowing on the edges of certain leaves and black spotting in others. What could be the cause of this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eodyL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QnhcK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CexCB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7476" LastActivityDate="2017-10-31T11:51:41.553" Title="Why is my Schefflera losing healthy looking leaves?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14710" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14709" CreationDate="2014-11-24T20:51:03.303" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could be a few things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spots on the leaves indicate a fungal/bacterial infection.  Healthy plants can resist this but plants in transplant shock, over watered or poorly rooted can be subject to attack.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pull the plant out of the pot and check for the condition of the roots.  This plant is unlikely to be pot bound but it could have very few roots if it was rushed through the growing on cycle.  Healthy roots are firm and white. Older roots are a yellow ish colour and rotting roots are brown and soft.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;another possibility is cold air.  If you live where it is winter and the plant was not adequately wrapped when moved that would show the damage to the new growth that we see&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-11-24T20:51:03.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14711" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-25T00:35:03.380" Score="4" ViewCount="4270" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew some butternut this year and they turned out great but one of the vines has started producing something that doesn't look like a butternut:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3z5vs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In hunting around the closest image I've found so far is from this blog: &lt;a href=&quot;http://recipe-junkie.blogspot.com/2012/10/bish-bosh-lots-of-squash-some-soup.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://recipe-junkie.blogspot.com/2012/10/bish-bosh-lots-of-squash-some-soup.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a cross-pollinated butternut or a recognized vegetable? If the latter, what is it called? Is it edible, and if so how can I tell when it's edible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2017-10-27T22:57:35.483" Title="Butternut Squash Cross Pollinate?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14712" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14713" CreationDate="2014-11-25T06:54:40.603" Score="7" ViewCount="1089" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Which edible solanaceae fruits will ripen after they've been picked, besides domestic tomatoes?&lt;/strong&gt; I already know tomatoes will ripen off the vine. I heard that tomatillos or some such won't. So, that's what sparked this question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a list of notable edible fruits to consider in the solanaceae family. If I'm missing any notable ones, feel free to let me know. By notable, I mean, you can easily buy their seeds online, or else they're pretty common somewhere. Potatoes aren't listed because I'm only asking about fruits (in the botanical sense of the word 'fruit'), though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Capsicum annuum (a pepper species, which includes sweet peppers, jalapenos and several others)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Capsicum baccatum (a pepper species)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Capsicum chinense (a pepper species)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Capsicum frutescens (a pepper species)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Capsicum pubescens (a pepper species, which includes rocoto peppers)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tomatillos&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lycium barbarum Goji berries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lycium chinense Goji berries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ground cherries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Eggplants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Litchi tomatoes (these aren't tomatoes, despite the name, although they may have a similar appearance and somewhat similar flavor, mixed with a cherry flavor, they say)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pepino melons&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Naranjilla&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tamarillo&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Solanum cheesmaniae (a species of wild tomato)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Solanum galapagense (a species of wild tomato)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Solanum pimpinellifolium (a species of wild tomato)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above are mostly what I want to know about (those are all solanaceae fruits that you can actually buy seeds for online pretty easily), but if you like, feel free to tell me about as many other solanaceae fruits as come to mind, such as these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ethiopian eggplant (this is not simply an eggplant variety)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tzimbalo&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Australian desert raisin (kutjera)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Any of the other wild tomato species (I don't mean feral varieties of domestic tomatoes that people call wild)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Any of the other species of peppers (or any species belonging to the capsicum genus)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-01-26T22:14:34.993" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T22:14:34.993" Title="Which edible solanaceae fruits will ripen after they've been picked, besides tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14713" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14712" CreationDate="2014-11-25T13:57:56.313" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Capsicum annuum&lt;/em&gt; definitely does.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've a feeling &lt;em&gt;Capsicum frutescens&lt;/em&gt; (Tabascoes et al) do, but I'm not sure. When I've grown them, I've tended to eat or freeze them immediately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2014-11-25T13:57:56.313" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14714" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14716" CreationDate="2014-11-26T00:49:32.323" Score="2" ViewCount="431" Body="&lt;p&gt;Earlier this year, I bought some hellebores (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helleborus_niger&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Helleborus niger&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; hybrids) to plant in a shady spot near my Magnolia tree. I promptly forgot them, partly because of being ill for a couple of weeks, partly because of other plants growing up and around where I'd left the pots by the time I'd recovered.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With things dying back for winter, I've rediscovered the hellebores still in their 6&quot; (15cm) nursery pots and wonder what I should do with them. I live in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon#Climate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Portland, Oregon&lt;/a&gt; (USDA zone 8b) and we've already had our first frosts. The winter weather here is usually wet rather than cold, but we frequently have stretches where the temperature doesn't get above freezing for several days at a time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the end of November too late to plant them in the ground? Should I bring them indoors for the winter? If I leave them outdoors, what should I do with them during cold snaps?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2014-11-26T04:23:44.140" Title="How can I ensure that hellebores in 6&quot; nursery pots survive the winter?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14631" CreationDate="2014-11-26T02:16:24.840" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is some species of &lt;em&gt;Acacia&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The strap-shaped leaves are actually petioles (the leaf stem) which have expanded and flattened, and do not have an actual leaf blade. This type of flattened petiole is called a phyllode.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only acacia I've ever seen with these two different leaf forms is koa, but  several (maybe most?) Australian acacias also behave this way. It's been 20+ years since I've seen a koa, but if I remember correctly, the normal-looking compound acacia leaves are actually juvenile, and as the leaf matures and the phyllode develops, the leaflets fall off, leaving just the phyllode. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture that demonstrates the growth habit of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_koa&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Acacia koa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fHBC4.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-26T15:17:26.780" LastActivityDate="2014-11-26T15:17:26.780" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14716" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14714" CreationDate="2014-11-26T04:12:46.007" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Go ahead and plant them now. In your area, there is no concern whatsoever of winter damage, as the temperatures don't even get close to damaging for these plants in your area (they can withstand down to -30 under average conditions). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the area they're going into has good drainage, though, as these don't like wet feet, especially when cold. I've actually done this exact same thing here in zone 6b. I had a few of them in 2 liter nursery pots behind the machine shed, which is up against a wooded slope, and they sat there all summer, through the winter, and were halfway into the ground and rooted in hard by the next November. Then I finally cut them out and planted them. That's not ideal, of course, but they (along with some Liriopes and other plants back there) didn't suffer at all during the winter, and after planting, they did fine, like a normal planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-11-26T04:23:44.140" LastActivityDate="2014-11-26T04:23:44.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14717" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14719" CreationDate="2014-11-26T04:49:09.143" Score="3" ViewCount="131" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine has a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_fig&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fig&lt;/a&gt; plant growing in the ground in Lancaster, PA, USDA hardiness zone 6b, and it needs protection each year through the winter, to prevent burn. What he does for now is wrap the entire thing in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_paper&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;tar paper&lt;/a&gt;, which protects it from the wind, and some of the cold, and warms up during the day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But last winter was worse than normal, and the plant died back to about 3/4 the size it was previously. During a bad winter, is there a better way to protect a large fig shrub? The plant is growing in clay, and is about 7' tall, and 8 1/2' wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-26T17:40:02.737" Title="What's a good way to protect fig trees overwinter?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14718" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14720" CreationDate="2014-11-26T10:18:52.897" Score="7" ViewCount="587" Body="&lt;p&gt;For tomatillos that require a pollinator, if I have only one tomatillo plant, but I root some cuttings from it, will the plants pollinate the other clones (and/or the parent)? They're all from the same plant, originally, and should be clones. So, I'm guessing they wouldn't pollinate each other well. Is this true?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-11-27T00:12:57.313" LastActivityDate="2014-11-27T00:12:57.313" Title="Do cloned tomatillos pollinate each other?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;tomatillos&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14719" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14717" CreationDate="2014-11-26T13:07:38.997" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Better is in the eye of the beholder, I guess. &quot;Classic&quot; (and such a pain in the pawtuckus that I have never tried to grow a fig, albeit I'm also zone 4 so it's more of a stretch) is a grand procedure where the plant is laid over sideways and buried (in dirt) each winter and exhumed and stood up in the spring. Going from memory roughly half the roots are left where they are and the other half are dug up for the pivot (and reburied in the pile of dirt.) Size of tree is probably deliberately limited to facilitate the procedure, but also probably limited somewhat by the procedure itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I was looking for &quot;better than wrapping it in tar paper&quot; in the modern era (the &quot;classic&quot; technique being hundreds of years old) I'd probably toss a section of &quot;hoop house&quot; polyethlene covered greenhouse structure over it for the winter, perhaps with one of those fancy automatic vents to prevent it from cooking on sunny days (though the vent might cost more than the whole rest of the structure if it was just sized for the fig)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a more efficient way to wrap it, change from tarpaper to housewrap - 9 feet tall and with effective tape made for joining it, you could make a giant cylinder of the stuff and hoist it over the tree with conduit or a ladder. At least one brand is a darkish gray color rather than blinding white.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2014-11-26T17:40:02.737" LastActivityDate="2014-11-26T17:40:02.737" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14720" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14718" CreationDate="2014-11-26T15:11:44.550" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yeah, basically, cuttings are clones, so treat them as one plant when dealing with pollination. If the original plant couldn't self-pollinate, neither will the clones. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-26T15:11:44.550" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14721" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14704" CreationDate="2014-11-26T15:51:34.773" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure that there is one widest variety, many of the wider varieties (like colossal, super heavyweight, etc, etc) are so similar in size, the conditions they are grown in has more to do with the potential shoulder width, than the variety does. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be a bell pepper, but again, I don't think one variety could be called 'widest'. Now I have never seen this, but the widest I think a pepper could get would be if it was &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasciation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fasciated&lt;/a&gt;, which would make it go into a wide fan shape. Again, I've never seen this, but that would probably set the record.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-26T15:51:34.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14722" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14692" CreationDate="2014-11-26T17:24:36.873" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_rot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;root rot&lt;/a&gt;, probably caused by an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oomycete&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;oomycete&lt;/a&gt; called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytophthora&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Phytophthora&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (genus). Wikipedia says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Root rot can occur in hydroponic applications, if the water is not properly aerated. This is usually accomplished by use of an air pump, air stones, air diffusers and by adjustment of the frequency and length of watering cycles where applicable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is likely what happened here. Root rot only grows where there is too much moisture, causing anaerobic conditions. Hydrogen peroxide can help oxygenate the water and kill the fungus. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14573/are-there-any-methods-of-fixing-transplant-shock#comment18065_14574&quot;&gt;From here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Hydrogen peroxide is an unstable molecule, and when it breaks down, you get one water molecule and one oxygen atom. That's how it helps plant growth, as plant roots require oxygen, and H2O2 provides this, while also killing anaerobic infections such as what causes root rot during overwatering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While this helps, mechanical aeration of the water in your hydroponic system will help prevent this from happening in the future. Your plants look too far gone to get good success from cuttings, and because that's the only way to salvage the plants, it would be better to start fresh, with new plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-11-26T17:24:36.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14723" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14688" CreationDate="2014-11-26T17:39:12.990" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on what you're going to do with the grapes, and what your preferences are. The biggest factor between the two mentioned harvesting techniques is the sugar content, which will become more and more concentrated as the fruit ripens, even after coloring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fruit will store longer if picked earlier, and will increase in sweetness off the vine. If you want a sweeter juice, pick later if possible, as maximum sweetness is gained by full ripening on the vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-26T17:39:12.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14724" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14725" CreationDate="2014-11-26T23:28:36.107" Score="2" ViewCount="121" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts and harvested some Snapdragon seeds to save for planting next spring. I've never done this, but have been told to let them dry, seal them in something airtight such as an envelope or small jar and store in a dark, cool place. One person suggested adding a desiccant to the seeds. What does that mean and is it an important part of the seed-saving process?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2014-11-27T00:52:24.077" Title="What is a desiccant and is it helpful when saving annual Snapdragon seeds for the winter?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14725" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14724" CreationDate="2014-11-27T00:52:24.077" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A desiccant will help, yes. A desiccant is a material that causes a drop in the moisture level of the immediate area.  It is usually a solid. This protects the seeds from pathogens, which need water in order to grow, and also protects against premature partial germination, where the embryo over-develops before emerging, and dies before planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silica_gel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Silica gel&lt;/a&gt; would probably be a good choice to use, and is very cheap/common. It is usually found in packets like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4GQur.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-11-27T00:52:24.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14726" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14684" CreationDate="2014-11-27T17:18:07.163" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can either create a clone of your Satsuma tree, like Ecnerwal already suggested, though I would not layer it off but rather graft it onto another citrus plant; &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifoliate_orange&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Poncirus trifoliata&lt;/a&gt; is often used, but any Citrus you grew up on your own should do it. For citrus plants, you usually use the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shield_budding&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;shield budding&lt;/a&gt; technique.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you still want to take the whole tree with you, you can &lt;em&gt;just&lt;/em&gt; dig it out and plant it at the new place. Carefully prune the roots and reduce the crown size, such that the crown and root size balance. Also, a reduced crown reduces water loss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the tree is too large to do it yourself, there are professionals who transplant nearly every size. The machines are called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_spade&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;tree spades&lt;/a&gt; or tree moving machines. There is also a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Transwiki:Digging_trees_and_shrubs_for_transplanting&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;WikiBook on the topic&lt;/a&gt; that gives you hints for the root ball diameter depending on the size of your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="415" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-27T20:40:27.557" LastActivityDate="2014-11-27T20:40:27.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14728" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14596" CreationDate="2014-11-28T12:26:37.803" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Minimum 12'-15' apart will reward all of us in the years to come, you and your neighbor as well. Green Giant are beautiful, deer resistant evergreens and very fast growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Green Giant Arborvitae can create beautiful screens when planted responsibly and this is all about the spacing. No closer than 12' apart. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7483" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-16T04:07:01.333" LastActivityDate="2016-11-16T04:07:01.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14730" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14837" CreationDate="2014-11-28T13:08:30.387" Score="7" ViewCount="326" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to grow mint hydroponically from cuttings. I wonder if I can grow mint from cuttings indefinitely?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what is the plant lifespan?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can I grow cuttings from plant generation after generation indefinitely?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="80" LastActivityDate="2014-12-10T06:50:43.887" Title="Can I grow mint from cuttings indefinitely?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14731" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14738" CreationDate="2014-11-29T14:04:56.290" Score="3" ViewCount="6214" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pretty large elephant's ear, that @Stephie helped me identify some weeks ago in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14662/what-is-this-potted-plant-with-dark-green-leaves-and-puffy-white-flowers-on-long&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; question. As you can see in one of the pictures there, one of the leaves is already not looking very great. Since then it has become much worse, with the flower on that part getting all weak.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I did a good job so far. The plant was in a reasonably lit area, with a few hours of direct sunlight every day. I've moved it in a more prominent spot right in front of a window for now, but I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The air in my appartment is pretty dry, I keep temperatures between 17ºC at night and 20.5ºC by day.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I water the plant once a week, a little over a liter each time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's potted in ground that doesn't hold a lot of moist.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I doing something wrong? Here are the pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vS2pG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;very yellow leaf&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bVN7Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sad flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note, it's on an oven right now, but that's just temporary as this is the sunniest spot that I have available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7112" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T00:19:53.723" Title="Why could this Elephant's Ear be turning yellow?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14733" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-11-30T10:18:43.580" Score="6" ViewCount="5092" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several ornamental pear trees of which one keeps producing suckers.  I have tried cutting them off as low down as possible and have even resorted to weedkiller but they just seem to keep coming back with a vengeance.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will using weedkiller stop the suckering on ornamental pear trees and will it affect the parent tree?  Any other suggestions to remove them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7489" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-30T15:36:30.417" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T12:16:35.183" Title="How do I control suckers on pear trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pear&gt;&lt;suckers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14734" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14736" CreationDate="2014-11-30T10:30:20.247" Score="4" ViewCount="197" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have just come into possession of this plant/tree and I'm hoping to find out three things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What it is&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How to look after it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I can train it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know much about it except that it is over 15 years old (probably much more but I don't know much of its history) and it's always been in this same pot. There's a rather dense moss growth in the pot, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (if that helps with care guidelines).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With regards to training, I don't want to do anything too dramatic; mostly just stop it growing a way that will tip the pot over - just evening it up a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've attached two photos - one of the whole thing and one (rather poor one) of the leaves and branches in case that helps with identification. I'm told it's a succulent which makes sense because the leaves are quite turgid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the leaves are slightly yellowed with speckles on them - should I be worried about that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't mean to ask too much; any information about it would be a huge help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qnhg3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qnhg3l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CSboZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CSboZl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7488" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-30T23:09:33.673" LastActivityDate="2014-11-30T23:09:33.673" Title="What is this possibly succulent plant and how do I look after it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14736" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14734" CreationDate="2014-11-30T15:39:01.247" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Certainly looks like a Jade Plant (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassula_ovata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Crassula ovata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not the best at taking care of the things, despite having a certain fondness for them (the college greenhouse I'd visit to get out of the winter blahs had a specimen in a not terribly large pot (25l, perhaps) with two trunks about the size of a human thigh.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mine seem more prone to drooping (like your rightmost trunk) than to maintaining that nice upright tree-like growth. Perhaps I need to prune more. As for training, the wikipedia entry claims that they are a good/common first Bonsai project.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The yellowing may be from too much light - a shadier spot might suit it better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2014-11-30T15:53:03.707" LastActivityDate="2014-11-30T15:53:03.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14737" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14733" CreationDate="2014-11-30T15:48:42.770" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Effective use of weedkiller &lt;em&gt;would&lt;/em&gt; stop the suckers &lt;em&gt;by killing the parent tree&lt;/em&gt; - so unless your desired solution to suckering is to remove the tree, stop doing that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Excessive suckering is often a sign of being planted at the wrong depth with respect to a graft union. That is not really correctable (AFAIK) on an established mature tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just keep cutting them off as soon as they appear. If coming from the ground, you can dig down a little before cutting below ground level. If coming from the trunk, just cut back to the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-11-30T15:48:42.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14731" CreationDate="2014-11-30T21:09:31.000" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just double-checked with my local &quot;Elephant's-Ear-Pro&quot; (aka my Mom):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One litre of water a week might be too much, try &quot;forgetting&quot; to water occasionally. The plant deals well with drought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rule of thumb: The less you fuss, the better they will thrive. The plant has a reputation as &quot;perfect for the sloppy gardener&quot; ;-) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Occasional wilting of a leaf or two ist fine, let it dry up totally, then gently remove from the base. The flower might be just &quot;done&quot; or had too much water. If you really, really worry and want to be sure, check the roots for mold and rotten parts, prune &amp;amp; replant if necessary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2014-11-30T21:09:31.000" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14740" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8019" CreationDate="2014-11-30T22:13:54.917" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the pupa of a female &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucanus_cervus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lucanus cervus&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's protected in the UK by some law.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7492" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-11-30T23:11:34.583" LastActivityDate="2014-11-30T23:11:34.583" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14741" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="731" CreationDate="2014-12-01T02:43:05.903" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been using plastic shoe boxes with transparent fitted covers or with plastic wrap covers, plus salad green boxes and other such transparent boxes for 5 years now with:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;never a box lost to disintegration into the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;never a problem with plant's roots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;with care about ventilation and placement such that plants would not overheat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;care to inspect the contents frequently enough to verify that there would be enough moisture in the box&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;place drain holes through the bottoms of some boxes that contained plants that needed watering as opposed to misting with rainwater or distilled water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;care that tap water salts from the dissolved solids in most of our tap waters did not concentrate in the potting medium as moisture evaporated from the boxes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;care that boxes that were not adequately vented for pressure changes with changes in ambient temperature did not suck in misting water that was too high in dissolved solids, etc.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I would further say that I had to learn some of what I mention above the hard way, after inspecting plants, the contents of the boxes too infrequently.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing to consider with transparent boxes is the tendency of algae, including some species that you might really not want, and also cyano-bacteria to grow in such boxes if the bases are exposed to light.  Therefore, consider shielding the bases in many situations with aluminum foil wrapped up to the soil or planting medium line.  If sunlight is to shine on the box during warm weather, avoid dark foils and avoid black paper, unless your objective is to cook the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I acknowledge that there are some plant genera and species that would not do so well with too much light getting into the pot sides...so shield those roots from light with something that reflects light, unless you have a particular reason to need to warm up the roots.  There are plenty of plants that like that, too, but don't let them reach cooking temperatures, which can be as low as  65 degrees for some species that I've grown or well over 100 degrees F for others.  Get to know your plant's requirements, first.  Some will want lids on the boxes and some won't. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another point well made in response to the original question was that one can often use recycled containers.  I have found reasons to use 1/2 gallon plastic milk boxes on their sides, plastic clam shell produce boxes, both those with ventilation slots and those without same, plastic meat boxes that have fitted transparent lids and black bottoms, etc.  I have used cupcake boxes, both new and recycled, plastic cake boxes, etc. I only buy the new ones for use as very large community pots or very large germination flats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7494" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-12-01T12:11:36.693" LastActivityDate="2014-12-01T12:11:36.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14742" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14706" CreationDate="2014-12-01T03:08:29.380" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would expect the total growth of the nearer set of leaves on this plant (nearer to camera in the last view) to die.  I don't know what was the plant's history, but it is clear that something, perhaps water left in the leaf axils (where the leaves emerge from the growing stem) started a rot, but I'll be first to admit that I had not seen this happen with yellowing at the indicated location, but rather with blackening, when the whole growth died.  I have, however seen this yellowing when there were two growths from an original stem and something about the water and amount of salts built up in the potting medium was not right...too much salt buildup.  However, I don't see a picture which informs me of the condition of salt buildup, if there were any.&#xA;The roots look OK at the surface, and this type of plant with those very thick roots typically have silvery roots when they dry off properly, and greenish roots when they are properly watered before they dry off again.  If you are not getting high quality water to the root tips, either where new ones emerge from the stem below leaves, or way out there where these roots grow away from the pot, then the plant may be suffering from insufficient water, regardless of how much you pour through the pot (and it should pour through very freely for those with the very large roots.  If those very large roots are slightly flat, then they also photosynthesize when they are wet and contribute to making food for the plant. Remember that these Phalaenopsis plants don't grow in pots in nature, but have those roots all over branch or rock surfaces where with those species that make up the background of your plant get frequent showers, great ventilation and reasonably quick drying of the root surfaces.  They only need to be wet for 20 - 30 minutes to feed the plant, but do need to get wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7494" LastActivityDate="2014-12-01T03:08:29.380" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14598" CreationDate="2014-12-01T03:22:37.747" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The near plant shows strong signs of being sunburned.  Many phalaenopsis species can take higher light in natural conditions, and may even, with a few species, be found growing in nearly direct sunlight...but(!) with very good air movement, adequate moisture at the exposed roots, no previous dry plant conditions, etc.  Burn spots do not recover.  Yellowing at that bend in the leaf, where that bend is toward the light is a give away of that condition. If you have a way to filter that light that your plants receive, then do it, ASAP.  I, too, have been there with this genus of orchid, and while I grow a couple dozens genera and more species, I grow mostly the phalenopsis hybrids that friends have given me to help them recover, plus a couple species that interest me for interesting foliage and ability to grow in the home on sticks or pieces of Oak bark cork.  What I noted above about yellow at the leaf bend toward the light applies to many types of orchids, but not all.  Some cymbidiums, for example, may tolerate some leaf yellowing from high light, as long as the plant is not too dry, and most of the leaf is at least light green.  In fact, with some cymbidiums, leaves that are too dark green are a sign that the light is too low, and the expectation of seasonal flowering should be reduced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7494" LastActivityDate="2014-12-01T03:22:37.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13319" CreationDate="2014-12-01T03:36:23.293" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;With high pressure sodium lamp in proximity to your Vanilla planifolia you should not need heat cables in the floor of your enclosure, but if you choose to do something of that order, please consider that you can save bucks by merely using a 40 W lamp underneath the enclosure, if you have a skirt around the base of the enclosure, so that a cross-draft does not lose for you all the heat from the bulb.  Incandescent lamps are so inefficient that they make great bench heaters, as long as you protect against any dripping of water on your fixture or lamp receptacle.  Get a cheap soil thermometer and actually check the temperature of your growing medium...don't guess.  If you use a lamp, you can also add a simple soil thermostat.  Check grower supply stores. Note, too, that a couple of 17 watt heat mats could do it, too, but at more cost than a short cable...they do make a simple installation.&#xA;    Are you planning eventually to pollinate the flowers, cure pods, and make your own flavoring agents?  There are some closely related species that have prettier flowers than does planifolia.  It used to be that some of the Mexican vanilla farms had two, three, or even four species growing together, and we found that the field blend was much more interesting than the single species products.  Lastly, I hope that you are not one of those folk who are topically allergic to the vines.  The protection against it is simply long sleeves and plastic gloves...bit of a nuisance, but given the amount of investment you'll have in your project, not too much.&#xA;Have fun!&#xA;cumul&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7494" LastActivityDate="2014-12-01T03:36:23.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14745" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9139" CreationDate="2014-12-01T03:48:32.390" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The grower thought that he had more genera in the background of the plant than would be indicated by calling Rlc.  The Pot. is an abbreviation for potinara, which indicates several genera in its background, including Sophronitis.  You can look up specifics in the reference given in an earlier response to your question.  The date on the tag may reflect the date the plant was taken from the second flask or replating flask and placed into a community pot, or it may reflect the date that it was first placed in an individual pot or into a community flat from the seedling community pot.  Different growers do this differently, with some never placing the plants in such a pot as you have until the plants have grown within a season of blooming size, remaining in trays until such transplanting. Three years is about the minimum for such a potinara, I think, although I have seen a few that have bloomed within three years, and some orchids are known rather commonly to include specimens that first bloom in the last plate flask.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7494" LastActivityDate="2014-12-01T03:48:32.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14746" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5898" CreationDate="2014-12-01T04:03:10.887" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If this plant is a Phaius, then it probably needs a soil change at the start of the growth season, and be careful with the roots!  The reason that I suspect that it would do better with new soil is the buildup of salts around the top surface of the soil on the inner pot surface.  Tap water or fertilizer or both could be the culprits for salts buildup.  I don't know how you are feeding it, nor do I know what you have to water it.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Today most tap water is rather alkaline to prevent lead from leaching from solder joints in our house plumbing.  However most of the orchids do better with pH between 5.5 and 7.0, which is quite lower than most tap water around the country.  If you have pH strips you could test your tap water, and also test the water that drains through the pot by wetting the soil through, and then watering a bit more so that you have a saucer of water that had drained through but reflects what is actually in the soil. This is a terrestrial orchid that does best with considerable organic matter in the mix, and should be guarded against old media in which the organic matter sours from sitting wet, despite your possibly alkaline water supply.  BTW, if you find you have alkaline water without too much dissolved solids, you can just add a bit of cheap vinegar to it until you get the pH you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7494" LastActivityDate="2014-12-01T04:03:10.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3509" CreationDate="2014-12-01T04:10:47.580" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have bench space, you can also pot the plantlet while it is still attached to the parent plant...if you are worried a bit about maintaining humid conditions for the plant while the roots in the future division are developing. By the way, that baby is about the same size as large plant might be in a flask with seedlings ready to plant out into community pots, so it's plenty ready for planting, if you can maintain the conditions...using finer bark, usually than the parent plant is potted in, and in about the smallest pot that can fit those new roots.  Make certain that this new pot has really good drainage, too.  I don't know your conditions, so I'm not going to suggest what potting medium mix to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7494" LastActivityDate="2014-12-01T04:10:47.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14748" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3148" CreationDate="2014-12-01T16:56:50.650" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;My brown coffee filters breakdown quickly. The white chlorinated coffee filters take longer to break down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7497" LastActivityDate="2014-12-01T16:56:50.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14750" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14733" CreationDate="2014-12-02T00:00:26.690" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;One additional point to expand on Ecnerwal's detailed answer it that you should try to tear the suckers off rather than cut them. By doing this you also remove all the dormant basal sprouts that cluster at the site where the sucker emerges from the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, a good rule with pruning of any sort is to observe the season. If you prune when the plant is dormant in winter you will have less chance of causing new growth than if you had pruned in spring when activity is at it's peak.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-12-02T00:00:26.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14751" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14752" CreationDate="2014-12-02T01:40:04.490" Score="2" ViewCount="158" Body="&lt;p&gt;The front yard of my northern New Mexico house (zone 7a) is horrible. It consists of rocks and dirt with &lt;em&gt;Tribulus Terrestris&lt;/em&gt; weeds growing in the dirt and between the rocks. Below that is a layer of black plastic. Below that is more rocks and dirt, and finally more black plastic. Two layers of each! I have to assume that what happened was that multiple previous homeowners decided to start over by covering the existing yard with plastic and rocks, but then proceeded to neglect it and let weeds grow as dust and dirt got blown between the rocks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't really grow much due to the multiple layers of plastic and rocks. There's practically no soil; just enough for &lt;em&gt;Tribulus Terrestris&lt;/em&gt; weeds, apparently. By this point there are literally millions of their spiky seedpods between the rocks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Digging through and removing enough of the rocks to plant anything is agonizingly difficult. And the whole yard looks awful. I'm considering hiring someone to remove the top three inches or so and just start over from scratch, and then planting some low-water-use groundcover like purslane or blue grama grass. Do I have any better options?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-02T01:58:06.227" LastActivityDate="2014-12-02T01:58:06.227" Title="What should I do with my horrible plastic-rocks-and-weeds front yard?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;rocks&gt;&lt;yard&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14752" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14751" CreationDate="2014-12-02T01:56:42.497" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pretty much, your best option is to remove all the layers of rock and landscape fabric, and rebuild from there. If you are willing to hire someone, that will save you a lot of trouble. The soil underneath is likely to be somewhat sterilized and will benefit greatly from the addition of well decomposed compost in a good layer. The more the better. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribulus_terrestris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tribulus Terrestris&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Solarization for a season, and then hoeing as they emerge for another season should get rid of most of what wasn't removed with the layers of junk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For more information on the control of &lt;em&gt;Tribulus Terrestris&lt;/em&gt; see:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13435/what-is-a-long-term-solution-to-a-goathead-infestation&quot;&gt;What is a long-term solution to a goathead infestation?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-12-02T01:56:42.497" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14753" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-02T06:14:48.957" Score="3" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to plan plantation of tea. I would like to know how much tea a tea tree would yield. What is the quantity / frequency?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="80" LastActivityDate="2014-12-02T06:14:48.957" Title="What is yield of a tea tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;tea&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2015-01-09T18:26:03.687" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14336" CreationDate="2014-12-02T14:44:01.840" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/human-waste-zmgz11zrog.aspx#axzz3KkeibxT9&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mother Earth News&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About a year with straw and comfrey as the carbon materials.  This was in a climate cooler than that of Spain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7498" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-02T15:08:31.730" LastActivityDate="2014-12-02T15:08:31.730" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14756" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-02T15:24:14.570" Score="4" ViewCount="779" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted one tomatillo plant this year and I got hundreds of tomatillos; however, I got very few that had the fruit burst the husks, so that they were useable. Also, the fruit that was mature enough to eat tasted like crab apples. Is that normal? I have bought tomatillos in the supermarket, and I don't remember them tasting like that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2014-12-02T23:50:40.650" Title="What went wrong with my tomatillos?" Tags="&lt;tomatillos&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14757" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14766" CreationDate="2014-12-02T15:27:28.010" Score="3" ViewCount="810" Body="&lt;p&gt;I knew a guy who moved 7 or 8 large (for moving) 20-35' &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_palustris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pin oaks&lt;/a&gt;. He used a backhoe, digging out around the rootball, while leaving it intact. While this was successful, and the trees did very well, it completely wrecked all the surrounding land.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know it's not ideal to move trees this size, but if I do, is there a less aggressive method, and what tools should I use?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-02T18:16:56.270" LastActivityDate="2014-12-03T17:10:50.867" Title="What equipment do I need to transplant a 20' tall pin oak?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14758" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-02T15:50:30.653" Score="2" ViewCount="8548" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it better to water my houseplants before or after spraying &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bayeradvanced.com/insects-pests/products&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bayer&lt;/a&gt; products to control spider mites?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-02T16:23:46.947" LastActivityDate="2014-12-04T01:23:06.293" Title="Should I water my houseplants before or after spraying for spider mites?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;spider-mites&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14759" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14758" CreationDate="2014-12-02T16:32:23.703" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can water by pouring the water directly on the potting mix, it doesn't matter, you can water anytime. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your plant is under an overhead irrigation system, then of course you want to water before you spray, or wait until the spray has dried, or you will wash it off of the plant, and the application will be rendered useless for the most part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-02T16:32:23.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14762" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14804" CreationDate="2014-12-02T20:16:36.800" Score="5" ViewCount="555" Body="&lt;p&gt;What have I caught and do I need to take any action?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the result of one of my sticky traps. I lay them flat on top of the soil. The trap is 2 sided which is why you see the shadows of other insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to (I think fungus gnats) I have caught these critters. Out of the 4 places where I placed sticky traps only 2 have these. And only 1 is covered in these things. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The picture I took is from the most infested trap. This particular trap is about 10cm/3&quot; square. It puzzles me since they appear to be wingless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plants sit in pots on my balcony. There is no other foliage around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I set new traps today. As an experiment I set the traps vertically rather than laying them down on the soil. Minutes later I started to see these small insects jump onto the bottom of the traps. So they are definitely not dropping from somewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E2oEd.png&quot; alt=&quot;bugs on yellow sticky trap&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;This small section is representative of the entire trap. It's literally covered in them.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-06T19:33:34.437" LastActivityDate="2014-12-06T19:33:34.437" Title="I've caught unknown insects in my sticky trap. Do I need to take any action?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14764" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14224" CreationDate="2014-12-02T22:22:30.287" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have similar plants in my garden, which I bought under the &quot;Paintbrush lily&quot; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scadoxus_puniceus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Scadoxus puniceus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) at the Lowveld Botanical garden. They have similar leaves and spots. I'm surprised you don't mention the flowers which are spectacular and, as the name suggests, paintbrush like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I would say, it is a species of Scadoxus. You'll find 3 species in this photo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/woMFb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Scadoxus species&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fruit you describe also correspond to the genus - below Scadoxus puniceus, showing the spots clearly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xSZMv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have a look on plantzafrica.com to pinpoint the species - it's hard to tell from your photos. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;S. multiflorus here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantqrs/scadoxkath.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantqrs/scadoxkath.htm&lt;/a&gt;, you'll also find S. puniceus, but I've reached my link limit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The descriptions are pretty good, also look at distributions in relation to where your friend found it in the wild - that should enable you to ID to species level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also try your luck on www.ispot.org.za for a definite ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7506" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-03T16:17:40.440" LastActivityDate="2014-12-03T16:17:40.440" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14765" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14756" CreationDate="2014-12-02T23:28:04.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's possible that your tomatillos needed more potassium (and that something used it up the year/s before or else the soil received an imbalanced fertilizer where the K in N-P-K wasn't high enough in comparison with the N and P). I've heard potassium affects fruit size: &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/fertilizing2.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;Poor fruit size is commonly associated with low potassium.&quot;&lt;/a&gt; However, I'm not an expert on it at this time. It's just something I saw when I was web searching yesterday (without regard to this question, although the link I just showed you is one I found, today).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've personally only tasted one kind of tomatillo so far (which a friend gave me from her garden; I saved the seeds), and it tasted a lot like limes taste (nothing like pineapple, and not like crabapples), and smelled like black pepper. I have three more kinds of tomatillo seeds on order from &lt;a href=&quot;http://wintersown.org/wseo1/Your_Choice_Tomato_SASE.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wintersown.org&lt;/a&gt; (one of which is supposed to taste like pineapple; another is a really big kind, and the other is purple, although I have no idea what they taste like). So, after I grow them and get fruit, I should be able to compare, and hopefully tell you if any of them taste like crabapples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-12-02T23:50:40.650" LastActivityDate="2014-12-02T23:50:40.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14757" CreationDate="2014-12-03T02:08:42.747" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.comptonverney.org.uk/_userfiles/pages/file/Exhibitions/Capability_Brown_gallery_guide.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lancelot &quot;Capability&quot; Brown&lt;/a&gt;  who was born in 1716 invented this machine.  Sometimes the root ball was so heavy he had labourers perch in the foliage to counter balance it while moving.  You might be able to pay for the equipment by giving rides!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VKqx5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree mover&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-12-03T02:08:42.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14767" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14889" CreationDate="2014-12-03T05:37:23.783" Score="3" ViewCount="217" Body="&lt;p&gt;Day/night temperatures?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much light is too much?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Right now I have an indoor pepper plant that is usually 80-90F during the day with 18 hours of light. I'm pretty sure I'm overdoing it as the pepper plant is sort of wilting/curling yet is mostly green and does not feel too dry to the touch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It drops to a nominal 60-70F the other 6 hours and the humidity raises usually from 30% during the day to 60% overnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also worth mentioning that the LED light I have might be overkill and puts out 500k lumens @ 300W. By comparison, a 4 foot fluro strip I have puts out 100k lumens at 220W with the same light meter at the height of the canopy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to optimize my growing environment?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I have in mind at the moment is significantly more ventilation assistance to keep the ambient air temperature closer to the outside air as well as moving the light up further to the point where the canopy reads around 300k lumens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T14:47:34.567" Title="Optimal temperatures and light times for pepper plants" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14768" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14771" CreationDate="2014-12-03T15:01:49.247" Score="6" ViewCount="2338" Body="&lt;p&gt;Related: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/93/how-often-do-you-need-to-turn-the-compost-heap&quot;&gt;How often do you need to turn the compost heap?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a tumbler composter.  When I put my food scraps in it - roughly once a day - I also put in a handful of leaves that I have saved from the fall raking and I turn it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I turning too frequently?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nothing seems to be happening and I can't tell if it's because: &#xA;a) it's cold in Massachusetts right now &#xA;b) I'm getting the green/brown ratio wrong &#xA;c) I'm turning too frequently &#xA;d) none of the above&#xA;e) some combination of a, b, and c&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7498" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2014-12-08T06:17:51.420" Title="Is it possible to turn a tumbler compost too frequently?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14769" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14768" CreationDate="2014-12-03T16:42:17.147" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No. Mostly, the problem (IMHO) with tumbler composters is that they are way too small. Winter is an additional problem for you right now, and adds to the &quot;too small&quot; problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Commercial municipal-scale composters turn continuously (or continuously during working hours, depending) and crank material through in a couple of days (feed in one end, slightly tilted tube, (crude) compost falls out the other end.) I'm not sure that these behmoths are all that common anymore (piling it in rows and turning with a tractor attachment has much lower capital and probably maintenence costs) but the take-home message for your question is that there's really no such thing as turning it too frequently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2014-12-03T16:53:28.630" LastActivityDate="2014-12-03T16:53:28.630" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14771" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14768" CreationDate="2014-12-03T23:20:17.397" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Compost tumblers work way better on well ground high-nitrogen material. If you grind everything you put in really well, it will get hot. I've had many folks ask me why their compost wasn't getting hot, and when I looked at it, it was in large pieces, either that or mostly carbonaceous material. I think your's is probably the first. I encourage these folks to invest in a compost shredder. This little electric machine will grind up food waste, leaves, clippings, etc, into small pieces. Putting it through twice is even better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's the fastest composting process I've used:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fill the compost tumbler to 2/3's full, with 3 parts well ground food scraps, well ground very green grass clippings, etc, and 2 parts of well ground leaves, cornstalks, etc. Adding manure or a compost activator really helps. Adding more scraps a bit at a time is more suitable for a layering method than to a tumbler, especially if not ground.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Turn twice a day, at least. You cannot turn it too often. Make sure you do a good job each time, or anaerobic decomposition will start messing with the process. The mix will heat up rapidly, unless the temperature is far below freezing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Measure the temperature every other day. In a week or so, sometimes two, the temperature will drop. The compost is ready to move out of the tumbler. stack it in a tall pile on the ground, or in a wire bin. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Let it mature, and become very soft and humusy. I often leave it for a month, then stir it up, stack it, and leave it for another couple weeks, when it is particulate in texture, black, soft, and test high in nutrients. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adjust the pH if necessary, and apply.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, there are much simpler and easier methods, but not as fast. You also don't &lt;em&gt;necessarily&lt;/em&gt; have to wait for it to completely mature, and can use it as soon as it cools down, but the compost still has shrinking to do, and the pH will not really be stable yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually, I use a layered open pile, because I don't usually have enough material at one time to fill the tumbler with a batch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-03T23:20:17.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14772" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14758" CreationDate="2014-12-04T01:23:06.293" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Insecticidal soaps only need a few minutes to be effective.  A rinse to wash the soap off after a few applications is highly recommended to prevent the buildup of fatty acids on the &quot;business&quot; part of the leaf where gaseous exchange goes on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plants such as african violets do not respond well to soap treatments. Either they have more delicate leaves or less tolerance for a coating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does not matter whether you water your plants before or after spraying them with an insecticidal soap.  It does help if you rinse the leaves afterward to remove the soapy residue and repeat the treatment at least three times at five to seven day intervals to catch the next generation of pests as they hatch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-12-04T01:23:06.293" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14773" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-04T13:44:14.497" Score="4" ViewCount="164" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlumbergera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Schlumbergera&lt;/a&gt; from a reputable garden centre. It had buds on it when I bought it. It soon flowered and within a couple of weeks the flowers have all fallen off and the remaining unopened buds have also fallen off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read online that this can be because of temperature changes / over watering. I also understand that for a Schlumbergera to flower successfully it has to go through a cycle of watering / not watering / inside / outside etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My initial thoughts are that because it has been grown and therefore the buds have developed in a different environment to what it is in now, the change of moving it into my house has caused the flowers and buds to drop, in which case, what could I do to prevent this from happening next year, and having to get a flowering Schlumbergera?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7511" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T00:25:04.013" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T00:25:04.013" Title="How can I prevent a Schlumbergera from dropping buds?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14774" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14781" CreationDate="2014-12-04T15:55:34.700" Score="4" ViewCount="992" Body="&lt;p&gt;This may be an odd question. I live in Singapore and I recently bought a small greenhouse because it was cheap and it looked nice. It's about 20x40x50cm.&#xA;I'm originally from a cool temperate climate where a greenhouse makes sense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any plants that would survive in a humid tropical climate &lt;em&gt;inside&lt;/em&gt; a small greenhouse? Placing it in the sun would probably cook anything inside it, so assume it will remain in the shadow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could there be a plant that would &lt;em&gt;benefit&lt;/em&gt; from being inside a greenhouse in these conditions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7232" LastActivityDate="2020-11-06T05:10:00.177" Title="Greenhouse in a tropical climate" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14776" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-04T20:26:02.057" Score="7" ViewCount="380" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm learning more about apples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's my dilemma:  I can get about a dozen varieties from my usual supplier.    Generally prairie hardy apples are not commercially viable due to their size.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now in the garden catalog they use words like 'crisp' and 'good fresh' and 'good storage'  but they only use 2 lines for each variety, and it reads like they have picked attributes at random.  So for example, they will say, &quot;fireblight resistant&quot; for one.  Does that mean all the other are susceptible?  As it turns out, no.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a website that compares apple qualities, preferably with hard numbers like brix, and pH and titratable acids?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Due to some of hte answers given, let me clarify:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for comparison data.  I don't want to know that it's sweet, I want to know that it's sweeter than X, or about as sweet as Y. or best Brix 15.  I don't want to know that its 'good in storage'  I want to know 'Stores for 5 months' at 40 F.  Or 'Use it or lose it in 4 weeks'  I don't want to know 'good for cooking'  I want to know 'better for cooking than Z'  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want information that allows a person to decide, &quot;September Ruby, or Dolgo&quot; for eating.  Battleford or Norland for making applesauce.  McIntosh or Granny Smith for cider.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2017-03-04T12:26:33.470" LastActivityDate="2017-03-19T15:25:33.587" Title="Source for apple variety information" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;resources&gt;&lt;crabapples&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14777" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-04T20:34:41.320" Score="3" ViewCount="10082" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased a Peace Lily, but I didn't have a chance to repot it yet. However at the beginning of the week I saw some gray fuzz and and also mites and sprayed it with Bayer Insect Disease and Mite Control. It helped for a day or so but I saw the same gray fuzz yesterday. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I repot the plant and treat or should I return it to the store where I bought it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@JM Sorry was an error click &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="7525" LastEditDate="2015-02-18T15:30:07.240" LastActivityDate="2015-02-18T23:38:57.480" Title="How do I treat gray fuzz on the soil around my Peace Lily plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14778" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-04T20:43:31.130" Score="3" ViewCount="424" Body="&lt;p&gt;I blended the potting soil with 50/50 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miraclegro.com/smg/goprod/miracle-gro-sphagnum-peat-moss/prod70260&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sphagnum peat moss&lt;/a&gt;/&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miraclegro.com/smg/goprod/miracle-gro-moisture-control-potting-soil/prod70262&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;moisture retaining potting soil&lt;/a&gt; for my Majesty palm.&#xA;It feels kinda light and the palm is a little loose in the pot.&#xA;Should I add more potting soil or should I just leave it how it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-04T21:28:42.977" LastActivityDate="2014-12-04T21:28:42.977" Title="My newly repotted majesty palm is loose. Should I add more mix?" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;palm&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14777" CreationDate="2014-12-04T20:58:00.490" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is mold. It digests the damp organic matter in the potting soil, not the plant. While it won't harm the plant, it is often a sing of constant damp, which isn't healthy. In addition to your fungicide application, allow a layer of potting mix (about 1/2&quot; deep) to dry out between every watering. When you water, water very thoroughly. And while your control product covers most fungus, it won't be as potent as a specialized complex fungicide. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathiphyllum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;peace lily&lt;/a&gt; likes high humidity, but this also encourages mold, so help prevent it by keeping it in an open area, preferably with some light air circulation going on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, about repotting, make sure your plant actually needs it first. You can damage a plant by moving it into too large a pot before it is ready. Don't return the plant. The mold is not their fault, and is fairly easy to take care of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-04T20:58:00.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14778" CreationDate="2014-12-04T21:25:19.303" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just using the moisture control mix would have been better. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/goART2/InfoHowTo/miracle-gro-moisture-control-potting-mix/art1400715&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is the ingredient information:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our potting soils generally contain peat moss (the major component that is harvested from natural peat bogs), compost (the compost may contain animal manures, composted leaves, grass clippings, and/or composted bark), and perlite (white volcanic rocks used for drainage and soil texture). Some contain Osmocote fertilizer that look like small clear fluid-filled balls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix also contains composted hulls of coconuts to help absorb more water than regular potting soil. This is the Aqua Coir (pronounced &amp;quot;core&amp;quot;) component of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding sphagnum peat moss 1/1 was unnecessary, and if you just repotted recently, I'd recommend doing it over again with just the mix. Light mix is good for a palm, but it won't thrive in 1/2 sphagnum peat without a lot of fertilizer frequently, as it will tend to run right through.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-12-04T21:25:19.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14781" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14774" CreationDate="2014-12-05T01:01:34.123" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My partner's parents live in Townsville which has a dry tropical climate, and they use a greenhouse for their orchids (specifically to keep the humidity up, but also to prevent direct sunlight exposure).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's in full sun but only from above (sides are not exposed as it's between two houses) for most of the day (southern side of the house).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The material is mesh so it breathes fine, and it doesn't really get much hotter in there than outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for Singapore, I suspect that it already has enough humidity :) So for that reason you may want to use it purely for shade to prevent sun sensitive plants (eg: orchids or other epiphytes, or understory plants) from being exposed to full sun (again, assuming the material it's madeof breathes well enough). But in Singapore there's probably not much point in having sides on it unless it's in a position to be exposed to morning or afternoon sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're worried, put it up and see how much warmer it is inside than outside. I bet it feels hot in both places though :D&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1857" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T01:01:34.123" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14782" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14791" CreationDate="2014-12-05T05:17:36.407" Score="5" ViewCount="105" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to plant a vegetable garden in my backyard, but there are a ton of rabbits in the neighborhood. Instead of enclosing my entire raised bed(s), it seems like it could be simpler to just make the entire backyard impregnable to bunnies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this feasible? What are my options to accomplish this? If I staple some chicken wire or nail some plywood in the areas with gaps between the wood and the ground will that be enough?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-05T16:27:41.477" LastActivityDate="2018-10-31T19:41:11.747" Title="What are my options for securing my fenced back yard against rabbits?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14783" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14790" CreationDate="2014-12-05T05:21:08.140" Score="6" ViewCount="27782" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most horticultural guides I've read recommend not planting blackberries and raspberries near each other because they will spread diseases between each other. How far apart do they need to be to prevent contamination? Is the opposite side of the yard (e.g. 30 feet) enough? Or do I need to try to figure out a way to incorporate one of them into my front yard landscaping?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-05T16:13:55.427" LastActivityDate="2021-04-27T15:38:04.563" Title="How far apart do raspberries and blackberries need to be planted?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14784" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14802" CreationDate="2014-12-05T05:36:49.000" Score="7" ViewCount="3580" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to germinate basil for hydroponic purposes. When I put the seeds on wet foam, they get almost instantly covered with a white goo (within approx. 1 min). Sorry, I cannot get a picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="80" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-05T19:14:20.927" LastActivityDate="2018-12-29T10:06:44.720" Title="Why are my basil seeds instantly covered with a white goo after planting?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14785" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14797" CreationDate="2014-12-05T11:14:20.500" Score="2" ViewCount="1468" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had ordered blue rose seeds online. I got 5 seeds. I chose 3 seeds and sowed them in a small pot with soil and have been watering them for last 2 weeks. I have kept the pot indoors, covered with a white dish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Am I being impatient and should A wait a little longer?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Did I get a bad deal from the online seller?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Have I done something wrong while trying to germinate the seed?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have kept other two seeds in plastic bag which I will try plant again if these three have gone horribly wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weather: 15 deg cel to 35 deg cel currently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: Pune India&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2691" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-05T19:31:16.543" LastActivityDate="2019-11-09T04:47:32.890" Title="Why aren't my rose seeds germinating?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14786" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14768" CreationDate="2014-12-05T11:16:32.230" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agree with the previous answers, but want to make one extra point - do not put fallen leaves from autumn in your compost container. Dead leaves break down in a different way from kitchen scraps and green leaves and waste, so the process is different and related much more with fungal activity rather than bacterial. Fallen, dead leaves can be composted, but this should be done separately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T11:16:32.230" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14787" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14783" CreationDate="2014-12-05T11:24:44.527" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Frankly, I don't agree with the premise that blackberries and raspberries planted together are more subject to disease. I've worked in many gardens where blackberries are trained up a trellis or fence (being large, trailing plants), with raspberry bushes 3-5 feet in front, in the same bed. The only drawback with it is that raspberries tend to spread by underground runners or rhizomes, and pop up 1 or 2 feet away, which means they 'march' and spread over an area. This sometimes can mean they get too close to the blackberry, but it isn't usually a problem - they tend to 'march' to where its brighter rather than darker in terms of light. For this reason though, its common for raspberries to be grown in a dedicated bed or area, possibly with a root rhizome barrier around the edges to contain them. Even so, provided there is a suitable support to tie the blackberry into, there's no reason why a blackberry or two cannot be included in the same bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both plants require plenty of sun and similar soil conditions - note that strong fertilizers should be avoided because both produce quite a lot of roots near the surface, and these can be burned by too strong a fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-12-05T11:30:40.623" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T11:30:40.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14788" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14733" CreationDate="2014-12-05T12:16:35.183" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Karen, suckering on ornamental flowering Pear is a common problem that we have on the nursery as well. We have been working on training our Tree pruners to be a little less professional when suckering by tearing away the suckers rather than pruning away. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately there is no simple way to overcome this.But I can tell you from my own experience in my landscape that if you keep this a regular priority you will overcome the issue with time. As the Trees mature less of this should be taking place. On a regular basis I would walk my Pears and simply scrape the suckers when young with my boot and I eventually won!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would seek to damage the suckers with every contact. I remember the frustration with this at times but today the suckering has subsided.  Hang in there, you will overcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7483" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T12:16:35.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14789" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14793" CreationDate="2014-12-05T14:38:40.937" Score="2" ViewCount="309" Body="&lt;p&gt;Should I plant then deeper, fill in dirt around them as they are growing or perhaps something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems like they grow faster than they can keep up with themselves, and if I do nothing, I'd end up with a ton of right angled carrot stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this why seedling starters are used?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-05T16:40:04.560" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T16:40:04.560" Title="What can I do about carrots having weak stems?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;&lt;support&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14790" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14783" CreationDate="2014-12-05T16:09:24.877" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The likelihood of disease is not more likely when planted in close quarters, but if one species contracts a disease, it will likely pass it on. To avoid this, planting them apart should do it, anywhere that no blown leaves/running soil will reach them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I don't worry about it myself, I put everything together. Disease control in untreatable diseases just means having a fast cull reflex. :) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, another thing to consider is that blackberries (in my area) often spread by underground stems, and sucker all over the place. The raspberries don't. They are usually a bigger plant than raspberries, so might invade and outgrow them. Apparently this is the opposite of how they grow in the UK, if I read Bamboo's answer properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T16:09:24.877" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14791" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14782" CreationDate="2014-12-05T16:24:49.113" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because rabbits can dig, and don't jump very high, usually a 3' wide chicken wire, with the lowest third buried, held up by wooden stakes is enough to keep them away. I do this around raised beds in city gardens for folks, and it works as long as there's nothing to climb over, cause some rabbits learn to climb. It's also important that this fence be strong enough that even a large rabbit cannot push it over, because that's also a possibility.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your yard, I'd do similar, except yeah, staple it to the fence, but still bury it to a depth to prevent digging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-06T13:03:00.570" LastActivityDate="2014-12-06T13:03:00.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14792" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14794" CreationDate="2014-12-05T16:27:53.517" Score="3" ViewCount="94" Body="&lt;p&gt;This may sound like a weird one, but I am working on a plant ecosystem simulator as part of my research and am looking for property data on various plant species. Ideally, this data would include, amongst other properties:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Light requirements &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil moisture requirements&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lifespan&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could anyone point me in the correct direction?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7514" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-05T16:32:52.043" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T16:52:44.550" Title="What good websites which list the requirements of various plants?" Tags="&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;resources&gt;&lt;native-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14793" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14789" CreationDate="2014-12-05T16:38:23.883" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't pile soil around carrots, higher than the crown. Weak stems is an indicator of too fast of growth/too little light. If the stems seem stretched/pale, increase the light. If they are big and healthy, but soft and weak, it might be a fertilizing issue. Both of these things will keep the plants from forming good roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, some carrots I've grown did tend to put out leaves at a right angle, while others tended to stay upright.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T16:38:23.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14792" CreationDate="2014-12-05T16:52:44.550" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The closest I can find is &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;PlantFiles&lt;/a&gt;, which is a huge database, and covers these criteria:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Height&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spacing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hardiness&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sun Exposure&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Danger&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bloom Color&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bloom Time&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Foliage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Other details&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil pH requirements&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Patent Information&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Propagation Methods&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seed Collecting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T16:52:44.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14795" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14799" CreationDate="2014-12-05T18:52:42.133" Score="2" ViewCount="49" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/shopping/product/5194090329461751438?rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS584US584&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=955&amp;amp;output=search&amp;amp;q=echo+gas+powered+21.2+cc+hedge+trimmer+w/+24%22+bars&amp;amp;oq=echo+gas+powered+21.2+cc+hedge+trimmer+w/+24%22+bars&amp;amp;safe=active&amp;amp;ei=c_6BVNbsLIWXyASfu4AQ&amp;amp;ved=0CEEQpiswAA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;gas powered hedge cutter&lt;/a&gt; that is quite nice, but it usually goes dull quite often under heavy use. I always put on spare blades and get the others sharpened, but I'm interested how long it would take to do it yourself. I could save a bit that way, if it isn't extremely time consuming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a practical idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T20:08:30.853" Title="Is it practical to sharpen hedger blades yourself?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14796" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-05T19:26:42.357" Score="6" ViewCount="2916" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Clementine Orange which used to produce pleasant fruit that was lightly seeded.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the last few years, the number of seeds in each orange has increased dramatically. The tree has fallen to some neglect and I'm wondering if this could be related.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does the health of a tree have any effect on the number of seeds it produces? Is there any way to affect how much seed an orange tree will produce, or is that strictly genetic?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2014-12-05T19:40:50.893" LastActivityDate="2018-12-30T03:02:23.073" Title="Can citrus tree health affect the seed count in the fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14797" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14785" CreationDate="2014-12-05T19:29:20.233" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you forgot to stratify the seeds. Also, it often takes over 5 weeks for germination, even under good conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For more information on growing roses from seed, see:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5548/how-do-i-grow-roses-from-seed&quot;&gt;How do I grow roses from seed?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From that post:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The seeds of roses have within them a protein that prevents germination. This protein degrades and the seed can germinate only when subjected to temperature changes. In fact, the seed must &quot;feel&quot; that autumn has arrived, winter has passed, and spring, the best time to be born, has arrived.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's what stratification is for. On another note, you said you ordered 'blue rose seeds'. 'Blue' roses are usually hybrids, so their seedlings tend to be more pink/red. Whoever you ordered them from may not have known this. Keep that in mind, and don't be surprised if the resulting seedlings (if you get them to germinate) are not 'blue' roses. It's easy to buy seeds from less than spectacular growers online, so you &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; have gotten ripped off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, they like a specific mix to germinate in, not just 'soil'. Please see the link above for more information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T19:29:20.233" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14798" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14796" CreationDate="2014-12-05T19:40:04.017" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;More seeds is a sign of stress. The plant produces more seeds when the chances of survival (from the tree's perspective) grow slimmer and slimmer. A well cared for, fertilized, pruned, and irrigated tree will have much better fruit with fewer seeds than a neglected tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So yes, with the tree 'fallen to some neglect', it makes logical sense that your tree has been producing seedy fruit. It is not strictly genetic. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regular and proper fertilizing, irrigation, pruning, pest and disease control, and minerals (citrus trees love them) will help the tree to produce the highest quality fruit. Also, proper pH is necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T19:40:04.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14799" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14795" CreationDate="2014-12-05T20:08:30.853" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say that it is worth the time, based on my sharpening experiences.&#xA;Here is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_5128452_sharpen-hedge-trimmer-blades.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;nice e-how article&lt;/a&gt; on the process that breaks it down better than I ever could.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've only sharpened trimmers a few times, but I have sharpened chainsaw chains by hand quite a bit with a round file and it didn't take long at all. Just a bit of patience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trick is to be careful on the angle of &quot;attack&quot; on the blade itself and to be certain to not work against yourself by making it more dull. There are a few tools available to assist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a handful of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=chain%20sharpener&amp;amp;ie=utf-8&amp;amp;oe=utf-8&amp;amp;aq=t&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;client=firefox-a&amp;amp;channel=fflb#q=hedge%20trimmer%20sharpener&amp;amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;amp;channel=fflb&amp;amp;tbm=vid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;videos here&lt;/a&gt; for review just in case they help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastActivityDate="2014-12-05T20:08:30.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14776" CreationDate="2014-12-05T21:51:32.240" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This site from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fruit.usask.ca/apples/septemberruby.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Washington State University&lt;/a&gt; offers a wealth of information about apples and their uses. You'll find a long list of apple varieties, including type descriptions and whether they're best used for long storage; eating; cooking, as in pies and applesauce; and cider. I don't know where you live, and some of these are regionalized to western United States, but I hope you find the information helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fruit.usask.ca/apples/septemberruby.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The University of Saskatchewan&lt;/a&gt;, the September Ruby Apple is ripe at about 6.5 centimeters. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The skin is moderately thick, with a light green base, striped and blushed with bright to dark red, occasionally completely red. The flesh is greenish, crisp and moderately acid. It is very good for fresh eating, good for cooking and juicing, and stores well for up to 16 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This Odyssey Apple fact sheet from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jeffriesnurseries.com/odyssey.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Jeffires Nurseries in Manitoba&lt;/a&gt; lists information including the origin, botanical name, tree growth habits, apple description, uses and taste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It was originally &#xA;  discovered as a chance seedling in a population of ornamental crabapples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The taste resembles a Royal Gala, and is&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;the sweetest fruit we have tasted from a prairie hardy Apple variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="2067" LastEditDate="2017-03-03T19:29:10.997" LastActivityDate="2017-03-03T19:29:10.997" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14801" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14805" CreationDate="2014-12-06T03:46:57.467" Score="4" ViewCount="6941" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have found an insect sitting on one of my plants, in Auckland, New Zealand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is sitting on a broad bean leaf about 6 cm wide&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PbSkU.png&quot; alt=&quot;Insect&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a friend or foe?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7516" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-06T19:53:52.410" LastActivityDate="2018-04-25T22:55:29.190" Title="What is this small green bug with long legs and antennae, in New Zealand?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14802" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14784" CreationDate="2014-12-06T05:13:32.090" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The seed coat is hydrating. Perfectly normal, just not usually seen when germinating in soil. having played with &quot;germinate on a wet paper towel and carefully plant with toothpick&quot; method, I've seen it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://scisoc.confex.com/crops/2012am/webprogram/Paper73516.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's&lt;/a&gt; a lovely poster (pdf) (of the science conference type) by Dongfang Zhou, Monica Ponder, Jacob Barney and Greg Welbaum of Virginia Tech - far more detail than I've ever gotten into, but the &quot;less than a minute&quot; was actually a good clue that we were not looking for, say, fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-06T12:59:44.537" LastActivityDate="2014-12-06T12:59:44.537" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14782" CreationDate="2014-12-06T15:06:32.600" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;One &quot;trick&quot; for a more dig-resistant fence is to bury the wire down and out. So if you go down a foot, also go out a foot, and bend the bottom of the wire out a foot. If the animal would dig deeper than a foot, but starts near the fence, they hit the buried horizontal wire. Of course, even with galvanized wire, rust never sleeps, so you may have to do it over eventually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-12-06T15:06:32.600" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14804" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14762" CreationDate="2014-12-06T19:31:28.363" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;From their looks, and from how you described their movement,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Minutes later I started to see these small larva jump onto the bottom of the traps&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm fairly positive these are some type of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springtail&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;springtail&lt;/a&gt;. From Wikipedia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Springtails are cryptozoa frequently found in leaf litter and other decaying material, where they are primarily detritivores and microbivores, and one of the main biological agents responsible for the control and the dissemination of soil microorganisms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In sheer numbers, they are reputed to be one of the most abundant of all macroscopic animals, with estimates of 100,000 individuals per square meter of ground, essentially everywhere on Earth where soil and related habitats (moss cushions, fallen wood, grass tufts, ant and termite nests) occur.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While some species can be agricultural pests, they are actually usually beneficial, because they feed on fungal pant diseases, and can also carry spores of mycorrhizal fungi and mycorrhiza-helper bacteria on their tegument.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure which species you have, but they are not likely damaging your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good article on springtails can be found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05602.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-12-06T19:31:28.363" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14801" CreationDate="2014-12-06T19:51:40.153" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My best guess is a nymph of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.terrain.net.nz/friends-of-te-henui-group/local-insects/long-horned-grasshopper.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Caedicia simplex&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, (common name Katydid, Kiki Pounamu). These are &lt;a href=&quot;http://books.google.com/books?id=3gQ4AAAAIAAJ&amp;amp;pg=PA249&amp;amp;lpg=PA249&amp;amp;dq=caedicia%20simplex%20in%20new%20zealand&amp;amp;source=bl&amp;amp;ots=qesEzi52yN&amp;amp;sig=mKTmzqFw_f4QECn_OZnad-43lb0&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=yluDVMLxK-HdsASKr4GgCw&amp;amp;ved=0CDEQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&amp;amp;q=caedicia%20simplex%20in%20new%20zealand&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;native to Australia and New Zealand&lt;/a&gt;. They do feed on plants, but don't usually cause much damage unless the populations are great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many color variants. Here's a comparison pic of a nymph that looks similar to yours:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6OkDo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-06T19:51:40.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14806" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14773" CreationDate="2014-12-06T21:15:29.053" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're right, Schlumbergeras are very sensitive to condition inconsistencies. Even rotating the plant can cause bud/flower drop. If you bring it into bud next year, it will have adapted to the conditions, and you shouldn't run into trouble if you give the plant good care and keep the growing conditions consistent. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could buy a flowering one each year, but I think it's worth it to put the effort into one plant, and watching it grow over the years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-06T21:15:29.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14807" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14808" CreationDate="2014-12-07T14:57:11.443" Score="3" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to prepare a bed of &lt;em&gt;Chrysanthemums&lt;/em&gt; for the winter. The plants have grown up to sizes of 1 to 1.5 meters, some of then have colapsed slightly because they evidently became to large. I've been told that the bed contains both perennial and other varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to prepare this bed for the winter? For instance, would cutting all stems back to, say, 5 cm be a good idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T22:29:16.873" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T22:29:16.873" Title="How should I prepare a bed of Chrysanthemums for winter?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="14808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14807" CreationDate="2014-12-07T16:56:56.690" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I leave about 6&quot; on the plants, just so they're easier to find. You can cut them back further if you want. It can be done in fall, winter, or in spring before new growth starts. Also, large areas are easiest to cut with a gas powered hedge clipper. Otherwise, hand shears will work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutting below the lowest stem branches is helpful later when you have to rake leaves/debris out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-08T00:07:54.157" LastActivityDate="2014-12-08T00:07:54.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14809" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9854" CreationDate="2014-12-08T06:07:17.767" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like new Hellebore leaves to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7521" LastActivityDate="2014-12-08T06:07:17.767" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14811" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14813" CreationDate="2014-12-08T06:36:37.450" Score="7" ViewCount="514" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am starting to get into gardening since I have a bit of garden space for the first time. When I do research online, I often see recommendations for plant soil quality like &quot;rich, porous, somewhat moist soil&quot; for Hydrangeas. I imagine that soil quality varies by region and climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I determine what soil I have, so that I can optimally choose what plants will grow best in my area? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Swellendam, South Africa, however I am interested in a more general guide rather than details specific to where I live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user7520" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-08T17:45:43.907" LastActivityDate="2014-12-09T14:05:19.980" Title="How do I determine what the soil conditions are where I live?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14812" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14811" CreationDate="2014-12-08T17:26:45.310" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's one or two simple things you can do without finding a laboratory. We don't go in much for soil testing in the UK (unless it's critical because there's a major problem) so, first and most important, have a look around your area and see what's growing in the ground, and growing well, either in people's gardens or in the wild. I know there's a lavender farm in your region, so the soil where that's growing is probably free draining and fairly light, possibly gritty. The second thing to do is pick up a handful, particularly when its moist - squeeze it and see what happens. If it goes into a solid, sticky ball, there's a high level of clay present; if it remains open and sandy feeling, then it's light and sandy or gritty. If some of it clings together and other parts don't, you may have a high percentage of loam. Dig some over and check whether its full of pebbles or rocks, or even flint or chalk. Dig down a spade's depth and see what the soil looks like at that level, whether it's a different colour and texture. You could also do a ph test, kits are usually available most places, though they're often unreliable, and should only be taken as a very rough guide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants like lavender and other herbs don't appreciate heavy, rich, fertile soil too much, but most plants benefit from a soil that's been enriched with humus rich materials (composted animal manures, garden compost, that sort of thing). These also improve the water retention in light soils, and help to improve very heavy, clay soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have places that sell plants similar to garden centres or plant nurseries, they may be able to advise you what grows well in your area - once you've discovered plants that do grow well locally, by looking at what soil conditions they like, you'll have more idea what type of soil you've got, though it's not 100% as a guide - water availability makes a huge difference to a plant's growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-12-09T14:05:19.980" LastActivityDate="2014-12-09T14:05:19.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14811" CreationDate="2014-12-08T17:44:45.010" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, dig down to the subsoil to see what your soil base is. Remove a sample, and spread it out. remove all stones, roots, and debris, and crumble the soil into a fine texture. Fill a quart canning jar (clear) 1/4 full with this soil. Fill it about 3/4 of the way with water, so that there is still some air space. Add 1/2 tbs of dishwasher detergent (don't use regular detergent, as it forms suds when shaken). put a lid on the jar. Shake it very well (at least for 5 minutes - it should feel like overkill). Let it sit for 2-3 days. You should then see layers like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iuX8x.jpg&quot; Height=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mark the layers as shown in the picture. The clay may take longer to settle completely. Sitting it longer is better if you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Measure the depth of the sand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Measure the depth of the silt&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Measure the depth of the clay&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;measure the total depth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Divide the depth of one of the layers by the depth of the total depth, and you have the percent clay/silt/sand.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now this works on subsoil because there is no organic matter, which can make this test more complicated. The percentages of particle sizes in the subsoil are the same as those in the topsoil. Here's a chart to find out how to classify this new information you've come up with:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R1ctj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now for other aspects of the soil, such as pH, om levels, and nutrient profile, you will get best results by sending a sample to a laboratory for analysis. I use my county's extension office. I'm not sure of your local options, you'll have to look around. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-08T17:44:45.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14814" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14796" CreationDate="2014-12-08T18:35:44.507" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The seediness of Clementine mandarins depends upon the availability of pollen from other citrus varieties when the tree is in bloom. Clementines are typically low seeded or seedless when grown in a large block of a single variety. However, if bees show up with pollen of certain other varieties, Clementines will become seedy. Pummelos, for example, have pollen that tends to induce seediness in other citrus varieties. The pollen of Navel Oranges does not tend to make other citrus fruit seedy. Farmers who grow mandarins now often turn to nets to keep bees away and to maintain seedlessness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems likely that there is a new citrus tree within range of your Clementine tree that is producing pollen that is inducing seediness in your Clementines. If you net your tree at bloom time, you may expect to again have lightly seeded or seedless fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7522" LastEditorUserId="7522" LastEditDate="2014-12-09T01:33:49.337" LastActivityDate="2014-12-09T01:33:49.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14815" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14818" CreationDate="2014-12-08T18:52:16.137" Score="3" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;One time I purchased a hand trowel, it was pretty cheap so I didn't expect too much from it. But as soon as I tried to use it, the pressure from lifting the dirt out of the ground broke the wooden handle. Looking at it, it looked like it broke because of how the handle was bolted into the handle, it split the wood when pressure was applied to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally I'd like to know when I'm buying the tools in the store whether or not they're going to be able to last for more than one use or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to tell if a tool is well made or not? Like should I be looking for tools made out of certain materials, or avoiding tools with bolts in certain places?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-08T20:42:33.017" LastActivityDate="2014-12-08T20:42:33.017" Title="How can I tell if a tool I'm holding is well made?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14816" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14553" CreationDate="2014-12-08T18:56:09.017" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The tree that produces sour fruit is undoubtedly a rootstock. Sometimes the rootstock below a graft of a desirable citrus variety will produce a sucker or shoot of growth. If left to grow, such a sucker may outgrow the desirable variety and take over the tree. This is likely what happened to your tree. To convert such a tree to a desirable variety again, the best method would be to cut the tree down to a stump and top work it via the method shown in this video on my YouTube channel:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEsgiOspZhA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;How to Graft Citrus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you will be grafting to a large stump, it would be best to graft multiple scions rather than just one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A single navel orange tree can produce more than enough navel oranges for an entire family, so it would be better to order budwood of another variety to graft to your rootstock. The following video will show you how to order citrus budwood from California's Citrus Clonal Protection Program, again on my YouTube channel:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE34G80tcOM&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;How to Order Citrus Budwood&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is important to remove the suckers from the original rootstock; if not removed they could again overtake the new graft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7522" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-08T20:43:44.087" LastActivityDate="2014-12-08T20:43:44.087" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14817" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-08T19:32:53.813" Score="3" ViewCount="1451" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a cactus from my local big chain DIY store a few years back. It was in a tiny pot and all was well. It's really grown over the years so I decided to re-pot it. I used your everyday compost but it looks like my cactus is not well:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B3qc8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My unwell cactus&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not green fingered so it's highly likely I've used the wrong compost or done the Worst Possible Thing for the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to help my cactus recover?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7523" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-08T21:19:39.707" LastActivityDate="2014-12-09T02:31:25.123" Title="Why does my repotted cactus seem to be dying?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14815" CreationDate="2014-12-08T20:41:11.163" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There aren't really any guidelines, but after some years of experience, you kind of get a feel for it. Some things, like shovels, I tend to break when they have wooden handles. I use those for light digging, and my regular shovel has a super-duty steel head, welded onto a solid steel handle. It's as strong as anything, but not for those of small bicep. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually the price goes a long way in determining quality of comparable products. It's not foolproof though, so it's good to get to know good brands. Around here, there's a brand that has a breakage warranty, and without proof of purchase, you can return it to the store ad get a brand new replacement for free. I use this to advantage, looking for worn out eligible tools at yard sales, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Materials have a lot to do with it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Common Tool Handles&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wood&lt;/strong&gt; is cheap, strong, and can last on a well-made tool. It snaps and cracks more easily than other materials, and becomes brittle when weathered. Great for light-duty use such as for lawn rakes, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fiberglass&lt;/strong&gt; deteriorates in exposure to sun, but is pliable, hard to break, and can make good tool handles. Sometimes the ends of the handles grind off inside the tool head for me, and I have to reattach it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Steel&lt;/strong&gt; handles are usually pipe, which is too easy to kink, and hard to fix without a welding torch. I like solid steel, but this is heavy, and unsuitable to many people. Steel rusts easily, so yearly sanding/repainting steel handles prolongs the tool's life.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plastic&lt;/strong&gt; handles should be avoided, except on some small hand tools, where they are of a good enough strength that they don't snap off under regular use.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Common Tool Heads&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Steel&lt;/strong&gt; is the most common, for a good reason. It's strong, ages fairly well, and can be flexible. Stainless steel is a plus, but expensive. Look out for cheap cast alloys coated in chrome, they don't last long.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aluminum&lt;/strong&gt; is sometimes used, and is good for lighter applications. It is rust resistant, and lightweight, but not as strong. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plastic&lt;/strong&gt; makes for a super lightweight, super light-duty applications, like lawn rakes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wood&lt;/strong&gt; is rare, but some folks use wooden shovels when they think there is danger of cutting into electrical cable. You can overcome this by knowing the cable layout before digging.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are just a few of the more common I've seen, and quality will vary greatly, even within one type of material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It takes practice, like anything. Try not to get handles with knots in them, for instance, or uncoated/painted steel. Other things to thing about could be, using one tool instead of another one more commonly used for that purpose. So in my area, the soil is hard clay. Most trowels aren't designed to handle this well, and are better for working in potting mix type stuff. I use one of &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nWgTl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;these&lt;/a&gt; soil knives instead, as it's much better for prying, cutting, and digging in the soil in my area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-08T20:41:11.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14819" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14823" CreationDate="2014-12-08T21:36:19.507" Score="8" ViewCount="1712" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in USDA hardiness zone 6b. I'm growing &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_humifusa&quot;&gt;eastern prickly pears&lt;/a&gt; as outdoor perennials, and would like to grow some other cacti as well. From what I gather, cold hardiness has a lot to do with soil moisture levels, as cacti with a better water supply tend to get more cell wall ruptures, inducing rot and killing the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a cold, arid climate like North Dakota (zones 4-5), there is very little soil moisture going into the winter months, so there are several cacti that are native to the region. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in a far wetter climate, so conditions are harder here. But if I plant in a raised bed of mostly sand and organic matter, the drainage might be good enough for quite a few cactus species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What cacti will grow well in this type of climate, with little or no care over the winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-08T21:45:38.417" LastActivityDate="2016-02-18T19:41:05.863" Title="What cacti can grow without cold protection in USDA zone 6b in Pennsylvania?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14817" CreationDate="2014-12-08T21:42:24.150" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problems are&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pot too big, succulents like to be pot bound&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil does not drain fast enough, use a sandy mix, with sharp grit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;not enough light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recommendation:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repot in a smaller pot with a free draining mix&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-12-08T21:42:24.150" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14819" CreationDate="2014-12-09T00:24:25.890" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbour grows opuntia species in USDA zone 4 (Canadian zone 5a) with lows to -40 deg C.&#xA;The key seems to be good snow cover. This species has an extremely wide range from Texas to Alberta as seen in &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=OPFR&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this link&lt;/a&gt;. If the winter weather brings unpredictable highs and lows and freezing rain then some die back is to be expected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_fragilis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Opuntia fragilis alberta&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hkspa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image courtesy of wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-12-09T00:31:17.637" LastActivityDate="2014-12-09T00:31:17.637" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14822" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14817" CreationDate="2014-12-09T02:31:25.123" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can still save the plant. If you are indeed not green-thumbed as you claim you are, the easier choice might be buying soil meant for cacti. Most hardy varieties of plants will survive basic mistakes. I believe I have this particular plant and from what I know it is hardy, so the soil/compost does look suspect. Your other problems could be: over-watering, and improper drainage as indicated before. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cactus plants need to be planted with gravels or gravely soil at the top, so that water does not stagnate around the roots, which more often than not are shallow and will rot from over-watering or stagnation of water. A pot with hole(s) at the bottom is ideal, and if you use a saucer, make sure that water doesn't collect and stay in the saucer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before repotting, I would carefully remove the soil/compost you have currently used, scrubbing with a wet paper towel to remove all traces. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2014-12-09T02:31:25.123" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14819" CreationDate="2014-12-09T04:59:24.397" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As was noted in the question, these cacti will not survive the winter with much moisture at all in the soil. They need water when growing, but over winter, they need dryness and light soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I ever get this started, I'll probably put a hoop-house over the bed and cover it overwinter to prevent moisture from accumulating in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did a little research, and here are the most interesting of the results I got, narrowed from a list about twice this long I have on notepad :):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escobaria_vivipara&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Escobaria vivipara&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 7, Height: 6&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plantlust.com/plants/opuntia-gilvescens/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia gilvescens&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; 'Oklahoma Pancake' (Pancake Cactus), zone 6, Height: 15-40&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maihuenia_poeppigii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Maihuenia poepiggii&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 6, Height: 6-24&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escobaria_missouriensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Escobaria missouriensis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 6, Height: 12&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_viridiflorus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Echinocereus viridiflorus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 6, Height: 4-12&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sclerocactus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sclerocactus spp.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 6, Height: 6-10&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_reichenbachii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Echinocereus reichenbachii&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, zone 6, Height: 6&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=PESI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pediocactus simpsonii&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 5, Height: to 10&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylindropuntia_whipplei&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia whipplei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 5, Height: 18&quot;-2'&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://nmrareplants.unm.edu/rarelist_single.php?SpeciesID=122&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia arenaria&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 5, Height: 8-18&quot;, everblooming &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&amp;amp;taxon_id=242415315&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hamatocactus bicolor&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 5, Height: 6-12&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escobaria_vivipara&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Coryphantha vivipara&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 5, Height: 6&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grusonia_pulchella&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Grusonia pulchella&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 5, Height: 4-10&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=OPPOH&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia polyacantha v. hystricina&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; 'Bernalillo', zone 5, Height: 6-12&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&amp;amp;search_value=517829&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia davisii&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; 'Copper King', zone 5, Height: 10-16&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/196776/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia phaeacantha x pinkavae&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; 'Nambe Sunrise', zone 5, Height: 6-12&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&amp;amp;search_value=517863&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia rhodantha&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; 'Chinle', zone 5, Height: 8-12&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/196784&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia imbricata v. arborescens&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; 'Fred's Red', zone 5, Height:3-5'&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/66650/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia imbricata v. arborescens&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; 'Giant Form', zone 5, Height: 4-7'&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/196785/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia imbricata v. arborescens&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; 'White Tower' (White Flowered Tree Cholla), zone 5, Height: 3-5'&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://sfmga.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/cactus-garden-plants-4-26-14.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia imbricata v. viridiflorus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; (Santa Fe Cholla), zone 5, Height: 2-3'&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/188495/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia aurea&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; 'Coombe's Winter Glow', zone 5, Height: 6-12&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grusonia_clavata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia clavata&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 5, Height: 3-6&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylindropuntia_leptocaulis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia leptocaulis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 5, Height: 1-5'&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://eol.org/pages/1246611/overview&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia erinacea v. columbiana&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 5, Height: 6-12&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www1.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/fguide/pdf/pedsim.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pediocactus nigrispinus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 4, Height: 8&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_humifusa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia humifusa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 4, Height: 4-8&quot;, water resistant&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Opuntia&amp;amp;species=cymochila&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia cymochila&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 4, Height: to 14&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coldhardycactus.com/opuntia.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia polyacantha v. polyacantha x fragilis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; 'Claude Arno', zone 3, Height: 4-8&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantlifeforms.com/503903780102856/Cactus_Cactus_-_Prickly_Pear_Complex_Opuntia_fragilis_humifusa_16856.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia fragilis/humifusa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; 'East Meets West', zone 3, Height: 6-8&quot;, water resistant&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/196779/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia cymochila x fragilis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; 'Smithwick', zone 3, Height: 4-6&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_phaeacantha&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia phaeacantha&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, zone 3, Height: 6-18&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/196598/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opuntia debreczyi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; 'Apache', zone 3, Height: 4-12&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-18T19:41:05.863" LastActivityDate="2016-02-18T19:41:05.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14824" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14825" CreationDate="2014-12-09T08:39:39.790" Score="9" ViewCount="4004" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been searching in Google, but I got neither information or reference regarding this issue. I'm wondering is it possible for an almond tree to grow in a tropical country such as Indonesia?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is not, why? Is there any study to make it possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7526" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-09T13:27:02.470" LastActivityDate="2020-07-04T06:54:40.237" Title="Is it possible for an almond tree to grow in a tropical country?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;nut-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14825" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14824" CreationDate="2014-12-09T14:00:19.987" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably not, which is why you don't find them in the tropics. Almonds grow well in Mediterranean type climates, with warm dry summers and mild wet winters. They also require a number of hours of chilling to enable the buds to break dormancy, between 300 to 600 hours at a temperature below 7.2 deg. C. Optimum temperatures for growth and nut production are 15-30 deg C, which is somewhat lower than a tropical region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could always think about using &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminalia_catappa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Terminalia catappa&lt;/a&gt; instead, though it is a large tree at maturity - it's commonly known as the Tropical Almond, but also has lots of other common names. It's a large tree which does produce nut like seeds - the kernel inside is said to be similar in taste to an almond, and is edible when fully ripe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-04-03T17:30:18.660" LastActivityDate="2015-04-03T17:30:18.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14826" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14829" CreationDate="2014-12-09T14:06:05.240" Score="3" ViewCount="345" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some agave seeds about two months ago, which sprouted into 4 or 5 little 0.5 to 1 inch sprouts within a couple of weeks. However, they haven't grown at all since then. I water them about 1/3 as often as I water my other plants, which seems to keep the soil about the right moisture according to my meter. My apartment is usually 65 &amp;deg;F at night and 72 &amp;deg;F during the day, and it's in full sun for most of the day. I've been considering getting a heat lamp for growing the more tropical plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I'm likely to be doing wrong (it's my first time growing that type of plant)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does agave normally stop growing for a while?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is a heat lamp required for plants like agave?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7528" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-09T16:02:23.177" LastActivityDate="2014-12-09T16:02:23.177" Title="Why did my Agave plants stop growing shortly after sprouting?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14827" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14626" CreationDate="2014-12-09T14:15:05.150" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had some basil growing under similar conditions. It has gotten big and woody, with less leaf density than when I was able to grow the same strain out on the porch. I would definitely give it a shot, but you might not be able to produce enough for cooking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7528" LastActivityDate="2014-12-09T14:15:05.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14339" CreationDate="2014-12-09T14:21:47.797" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've personally tried to do the same thing. We started by trying RoundUp, but that killed everything nearby without killing the skunk cabbage. I think other herbicides would likely have similar results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We successfully removed it by cutting it all down and filling the wet area with a layer of sand and then a layer of topsoil. Other methods of draining would also likely be effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are unable to drain the area, the other way I've seen work is going out every day and cutting off every last bud. Eventually this will kill the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7528" LastActivityDate="2014-12-09T14:21:47.797" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14829" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14826" CreationDate="2014-12-09T16:00:04.987" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's normal, don't try to force growth. They usually put out enough leaf area to support themselves, and then put all their energy into growing roots for a while. That's because in their natural habitat, they germinate during the rainy season (which is short), and if they don't get a good root system established by the time it dries up, the plant is unlikely to survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you are watering properly, and I'd fertilize very lightly with an extended release fertilizer low in nitrogen. They don't need intense light at this stage (to simulate the rainy season), so bottom heat would be preferable to a lamp if available.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What your plants are doing is normal, and they should begin growing again in a month or two.   Don't expect very fast growth in the first year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-09T16:00:04.987" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14830" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14339" CreationDate="2014-12-09T16:16:26.997" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because they are resilient weeds, instead of spraying them with herbicides, I'd try tarping them. Start by cutting everything down at ground level. If it's a small area, you can use regular tarps, and weight down the edges with rocks/boards/anything heavy. In a large area, I use rolls of 10x100' black contractors plastic. It it's heavy duty, you can reuse it. Use earth staples to hold it down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because skunk cabbage has resilient roots, it may take a couple months for complete kill. You then remove the plastic and plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another method is harder, but builds the soil. That is to spread flattened cardboard boxes (without plastic coatings or packing tape) over the area, then spread 3-6&quot; of wood chips, packed straw/hay, chopped leaves, compost, over the area. Once that decomposes, the skunk cabbage will be dead, and the soil will be higher in organic matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-09T16:16:26.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14831" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14911" CreationDate="2014-12-09T17:34:07.097" Score="2" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_victoriae-reginae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Agave victoriae-reginae&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant has had a hard life. I bought it at a local greenhouse in 2011, and kept it properly all year, on a stump on the hill, with other plants in a collection (which has now dispersed). When winter came, it somehow got overlooked, and remained outside. In early January, it was found and brought to me in its clay pot (which had cracked because the wet mix had frozen) and it was encased in ice from the freezing rain. I set it on the counter, and it thawed out slowly. Then I looked at it, and it was still alive! The outer leaves had dried, but it was surprisingly still alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I trimmed it, repotted it, and set it on a shelf in my basement, where there was a grow light installed. The shelf was up against a wall. It went missing soon after, and with all the traffic the area gets, I kind of forgot it existed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seems it had fallen behind the shelf, come out of its pot, and lost most of the soil. It must have been like that for almost two years. I just found it now, and it's ... still alive! Much smaller, and very shriveled!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F6BBS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best thing I can do to revive the plant? It's kind of cool how it has survived, I didn't know these were so resilient. Do I immediately put it into good conditions, or break it back in slowly? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-28T20:27:35.980" LastActivityDate="2016-08-28T20:27:35.980" Title="What's the best thing to do for a neglected agave?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14832" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-09T17:52:54.880" Score="5" ViewCount="276" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have just been given a very badly aphid infested &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.myhoyas.com/B/bella/eng.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hoya lanceolata ssp. bella&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; plant.  I was also given another wax plant too, though I am not sure of its name; could it be a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoya_australis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hoya australis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It looks like it is shedding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Rochester, New York and it is winter now so I am afraid of leaving the plant in my sun room while I treat them; at times it gets below 0 &amp;deg;F in the room. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7530" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-09T18:40:10.020" LastActivityDate="2015-01-11T09:56:47.700" Title="How should I treat a badly aphid infested shedding Hoya?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14833" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2014-12-09T19:12:36.257" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use this tag for questions about overwintering plants, i.e. what should be done to a plant so that it survives winter in the best condition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plants might be covered for winter, whilst others (e.g. some tubers and bulbs) may be dug up, stored in a cool place, and then planted out again in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;External references:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overwintering&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia article&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-09T19:12:36.257" LastActivityDate="2014-12-09T19:12:36.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14834" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2014-12-09T19:12:36.257" Score="0" Body="Questions about how to ensure that plants survive winter, including mulching for protection, or digging them up and storing them indoors while dormant." OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-09T19:12:36.257" LastActivityDate="2014-12-09T19:12:36.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14835" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14838" CreationDate="2014-12-10T03:22:21.790" Score="5" ViewCount="7501" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking to plant several cacti and succulents together in a single pot.  Several of the plants will include a grafted &quot;moon&quot; cactus and a succulent &quot;Eceveria Mazarine&quot; there may be one or two similar plants added additionally. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read the cactus cannot deal with direct sunlight since the &quot;scion&quot; cactus on top lacks chlorophyl so it needs indirect sunlight.  Where as succulents prefer direct sunlight.  Both plants require soil which drains quickly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the light the plants will be placed indoors behind paper blinds in a relatively sunny window which does not let any direct sunlight in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the soil I plan to use regular potting soil will a small amount of sand I have collected from near the oceanfront added to the soil, then gravel as a top layer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these plants compatible together?  and are the lighting and soil conditions adequate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7532" LastEditorUserId="7532" LastEditDate="2014-12-10T08:51:08.230" LastActivityDate="2014-12-10T12:16:49.367" Title="Cactus and Succulent in the same pot" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14837" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14730" CreationDate="2014-12-10T06:44:55.320" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, Mint is one of the most responsive plants to use by cutting. Cut just above a set of opposite leaves and 3-4 in. down from that for one cutting. Mint is very invasive, as long as you provide the right conditions it should continually be the same as the previous cutting. Just cut the flowers off and don't let it go to seed, this would go from cloning to sexual reproduction (the next generation).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7533" LastEditorUserId="7533" LastEditDate="2014-12-10T06:50:43.887" LastActivityDate="2014-12-10T06:50:43.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14838" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14835" CreationDate="2014-12-10T12:16:49.367" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Instead of sand in the mix I would recommend adding chicken grit or similar small crushed rock.  Sand will wash out of the soil mix or compact into a layer depending on the type of sand. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the plants will do much better than the others and will need to be carefully pinched back. As I have never had any long term success with the grafted cactus I believe the succulent will do better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the reduced light levels you will see some &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14667/what-is-etiolation&quot;&gt;etiolation&lt;/a&gt; but cutting back should be sufficient to keep things in shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2014-12-10T12:16:49.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14839" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14776" CreationDate="2014-12-10T18:35:51.847" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are three apple books I would recommend for detailed info about different varieties:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0091883989&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;The New Book of Apples&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; by Joan Morgan - It's expensive but well worth the investment. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1620402270&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Apples of Uncommon Character&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; by Rowan Jacobson&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1604692499&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Apples of North America&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; by Tom Burford &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can find these and other fantastic books &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orchardpeople.com/recommended-reading/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also see if your public library carries them. &#xA;And yes, your fruit tree catalog will specify if the tree is resistant to a particular disease and if that disease isn't mentioned, it usually means that it is not resistant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally another website that may help is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orangepippin.com/apples&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;www.orangepippin.com&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7535" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-10T19:07:40.677" LastActivityDate="2014-12-10T19:07:40.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14840" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14997" CreationDate="2014-12-10T22:37:18.387" Score="3" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a succulent plant that can grow in wet/swampy conditions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never seen it, but I think it would be an interesting change from the usual sedgy/grassy looking swamp plants that grow around here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T15:46:39.200" Title="Is there a temperate climate perennial succulent adapted to wet root conditions?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14841" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-10T21:37:33.350" Score="10" ViewCount="827" Body="&lt;p&gt;Of the descriptions about renovating mature fruit trees this seemed useful: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fedcoseeds.com/trees/renovating.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fedco Trees Tips for Renovating Old Apple Trees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These images show trees that are fuller than the ones I am dealing with:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G83Yn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k2UBJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trees I have are typically very tall and narrow and old (75 - 100 years). I would like to keep them. They will not be for commercial use. They will likely not get watered due to high costs. There typically is less than 1/2 inch of rain monthly for 3-4 months of summer with an annual rainfall of 25 inches in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian,_California&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Julian, CA&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to significantly reduce their height. How should this be approached over the recommended 3 year plan that is typically described? Not the details of each little snip but the main cuts to the structure, specifically the first year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The example tree shown in the images below is 16' tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y9z27.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;View of mature pear tree - south side&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vy3db.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;View of mature pear tree - north side&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7534" OwnerDisplayName="C.W.Holeman II" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-02T21:31:30.220" LastActivityDate="2021-02-02T21:31:30.220" Title="What's the best way to renovate mature pear trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14796" CreationDate="2014-12-11T08:23:44.870" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's possible your tree has a higher amount and/or proportion of phosphorus in the soil than it did before. Seeds are high in phosphorus, and while that, in and of itself, perhaps isn't sufficient logic without knowing how plants utilize high proportions or amounts of phosphorus, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&amp;amp;pid=S0102-05362012000400021&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;phosphorus is known to increase seed yields in lettuce&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.sciepub.com/wjar/2/3/1/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;the seeds per pod in beans&lt;/a&gt;. So it's possible the same thing is true in your case with your citrus tree. You may have to experiment to know for sure, though. You could, however, do a soil test and see if you have too much phosphorus or too little nitrogen and/or potassium by comparison, to give you a better idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-12-11T08:44:40.990" LastActivityDate="2014-12-11T08:44:40.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14843" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14705" CreationDate="2014-12-11T12:43:49.517" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've gotten them under control &lt;em&gt;indoors&lt;/em&gt; with bowls of water to which I've added a couple drops of dish soap. The soap lowers surface tension, so that when the bugs land for a drink, they sink.&#xA;Color seems to be an important factor for the species I dealt with. A yellow bottom bowl drowns dozens in the time it takes a blue bowl to attract only a couple victims.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The vinegar water trick works for the local fruit fly population, but not these insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2014-12-11T12:43:49.517" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14844" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14848" CreationDate="2014-12-11T16:42:50.037" Score="4" ViewCount="198" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes you'll see trees or other larger plants wrapped with a cylindrical hard yet flexible plastic wrap that expands (cut along the length of the tube - not stretching) as the plant grows and helps protect it and or support it. What is the name of this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For smaller plants I can just use heat-shrink tubing and make a cut myself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-11T21:24:54.630" LastActivityDate="2014-12-11T21:24:54.630" Title="What is the right name for plant base protection wraps?" Tags="&lt;terminology&gt;&lt;support&gt;&lt;protection&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14845" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14705" CreationDate="2014-12-11T16:55:55.267" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't seek to eliminate them but rather understand that if controlled, they are effectively harmless. Using any/all of the methods you describe ought to be sufficient control. They typically are hatched and lay eggs as soon as possible and then go die in one of the traps soon after cutting their life short. You won't necessarily get rid of them completely but they will slowly dwindle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dry top soil in addition to sticky traps nearby will make severe cuts to the colonies livelihood. To work around the need to watering (and consequently keeping the topsoil moist), you can get a plastic rain meter and drill several holes near the base and jam it into the ground near but not into the root-ball of the plant(s). Water the plant by filling the rain meter as often as necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will also aid in killing off additional flies as they get trapped. The entirety of the top soil will remain dry and inhospitable to the flies and the plant still gets its water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, or in addition to, you can get a quick drying substrate like perlite and cover the top soil with a layer of that to help keep the soil drier on average.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastActivityDate="2014-12-11T16:55:55.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14846" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-11T17:17:48.970" Score="5" ViewCount="1423" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased a Majesty palm tree, but didn't realize till after I repotted it, that it had lots of brown holes in some of the leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I prune the damaged leaves or should I just return the tree for another one?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jlthgl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g4E6sl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GyajRl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-15T21:03:59.307" LastActivityDate="2016-10-21T00:39:56.437" Title="Should I try to treat a Majesty palm tree with brown holes in the leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14847" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14844" CreationDate="2014-12-11T18:37:56.960" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agriculturesolutions.com/products/growing-and-propagating/tree-wraps-and-guards/vinyl-tree-guard-wrap-36-pack-of-20-detail&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;vinyl tree guards&lt;/a&gt; for this, when planting out trees. They look like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BsNsH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mqcy5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are reusable, and if you find a good supplier, they're extremely cheap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-11T18:37:56.960" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14848" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14844" CreationDate="2014-12-11T18:43:30.180" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're called tree shelters or tree guards, but there are other types of shelter for other plants. The only ones I know about are made by a company called Tubex in the UK, not sure if they supply outside Europe. There are also spiral tree guards, which are meant to go around the trunk or stem - Ebay in the UK currently has them available, maybe they're online wherever you are too. Some expand, some have to be repositioned as the plant grows, but if you look up tree guard or tree shelter, you should get some information as to what's available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-12-11T18:43:30.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14849" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-12T09:41:27.773" Score="5" ViewCount="1170" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Mumbai (India), our flat has an east facing balcony (roof covered) of around 15-20 ft (5-6 m) which receives direct sunlight for 3-4 hours in the morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have few plants (Roses, Aloe Vera, Buddha Belly, Pot hose, Basil, etc.) but they are pretty small and doesn't cover my balcony well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As our balcony is facing road which most of the time has lot of traffic, causing smoke and noise, so I was thinking to use some plants to cover my balcony's grill to minimize the noise and pollution from entering into my home. It will be great if those plants can beautify my balcony.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone suggest such plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1871" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-06T12:57:42.883" LastActivityDate="2018-04-06T12:57:42.883" Title="Beautiful plants for covering balcony grill to prevent noise and pollution entering home" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;&lt;pollution&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14851" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14856" CreationDate="2014-12-12T18:37:34.477" Score="2" ViewCount="224" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just purchased my first bonsai tree. The kit I purchased came with a small green packet of coarse sand-like material (see picture below). In all my reading, I haven't been able to figure out what this is. Can anyone shed some light on this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eJNhy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8539" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-12T18:41:44.250" LastActivityDate="2014-12-13T13:05:45.120" Title="What is this Coarse Green Sand-Like Material in my Bonsai Kit?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14852" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14841" CreationDate="2014-12-12T21:17:19.193" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, (for the example tree) I'd start with taking off the suckers, and any dead wood, because they are relatively easy to identify, and it's hard to tell what's going on with that tree to figure out what to cut next.  Maybe that would BE the first year's cutting (and removing any new suckers/&quot;watersprouts&quot; would be the start of next years cutting.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no personal experience with arid growing, but some of my idle reading would suggest that you might want to mulch around the tree rather than have the grass growing there, from a water competition point of view.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-12-12T21:17:19.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14853" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14832" CreationDate="2014-12-12T21:29:52.747" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes the best thing to do is to look your gift plant right in the aphids (or other pest problem) and set it out in the snow to die, before you spread the problem to all your other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-12-12T21:29:52.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14854" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14857" CreationDate="2014-12-13T03:20:40.850" Score="3" ViewCount="2976" Body="&lt;p&gt;What causes the base of the stems of tomato seedlings to wither (shrivel up)? I've noticed this happen occasionally. The remainder of the plant is fine until it dies from being separated from the ground. It seems like it happens more often when there's less light, but I could be imagining that. This affects at least seedlings that are still on their first or second leaves. I haven't seen it affect anything but seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This didn't used to happen. So, I'm thinking it might be a pathogen, or something to do with the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-13T04:01:35.063" LastActivityDate="2018-07-24T00:41:39.847" Title="What causes the base of tomato seedling stems to shrivel?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14855" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14859" CreationDate="2014-12-13T03:30:51.963" Score="6" ViewCount="3475" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can I root prickly pear pads that I buy (presumably for food) in the grocery store? It seems like it would be a great way to get some thornless prickly pear cacti growing. If I were to do it, I would want to grow them as houseplants (or else overwinter them in the winters).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I wouldn't try this now, whether or not I would have when I asked the question. There's too much risk of patents and breaking crop laws when you attempt to grow stuff from grocery store produce (e.g. growing grocery store garlic in Idaho carries a potentially hefty penalty). I know prickly pears probably aren't the world's most patented vegetables, but I still like to avoid grocery store produce. I didn't actually try it. Plus, those pads probably aren't very cold hardy; I'd rather buy some from coldhardycactus.com, or some such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-12-07T04:52:44.697" LastActivityDate="2017-12-07T04:52:44.697" Title="Can we root prickly pear pads that are sold in grocery stores as a vegetable?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14856" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14851" CreationDate="2014-12-13T11:39:50.107" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It rather depends if any other soil like medium came in the kit, separate from this material, and whether the bonsai pot could have contained all this material once the bonsai plant was wired into place. If it was a cheap kit, it's unlikely to have included kyodama or akadama, but this material might be a substitute for those, particularly as its coarse grained. Quite why it's green I've no explanation for, other than perhaps it might be thought to be more aesthetically pleasing, but I strongly suspect, if nothing else was included, this was supposed to be either mixed with loam or used alone as a planting medium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: My apologies for not explaining more clearly. Your comment really made me smile, thanks for that... Kyodama is a bonsai soil, used alone or mixed with other soils; its a specialist bonsai thing, is gritty but retains water, and its origins are volcanic. Akadama, also known as red clay, is a naturally occurring, granular clay like material which also provides very good drainage yet retains water, all good things for bonsai growing. Often, the two are mixed, maybe with some loam (think John Innes composts) to make an optimum growing medium for bonsai plants. Bonsai plants are usually wired into place inside their container, then the planting medium is poured around the roots - there is no expectation that the roots will be solidly retained by the planting medium, rather, that they can root into it if they want to (and they do, to an extent) but it provides a medium which carries water and nutrients (which you need to add from time to time) to enable the plant to survive and grow. So I'm saying it might be that the 'green sand' you've got there is a substitute for 'top dollar' bonsai soil, or meant to be mixed with, say, multi purpose compost to make it coarser, more open to air, and suitable for bonsai growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-12-13T13:05:45.120" LastActivityDate="2014-12-13T13:05:45.120" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14857" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14854" CreationDate="2014-12-13T11:47:03.047" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds like damping off disease, caused by various fungal pathogens. It's much more common with seeds planted indoors rather than outdoors, and where seeds are thickly planted, without good airflow around them. If you think it's that, it's very important you thoroughly clean all seed trays, pots and utensils you may previously have used when planting seeds, preferably sterilising everything with something like a solution of Jeyes fluid before you reuse the equipment. Always use fresh planting medium, sow thinly, don't overwater, keep the humidity down or as low as possible, and ensure there is some airflow or gentle movement of air where the seedlings are housed. A drench with fungicide on the compost prior to planting the seeds can help, but it depends whether you have any appropriate fungicides available where you are for such a use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-12-13T11:47:03.047" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14855" CreationDate="2014-12-13T23:50:36.240" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, they will root if you put them into a very sandy, free-draining mix kept slightly damp at all times, preferably with bottom heat, but if that's not possible, keep it in a warm, bright place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Light is essential, but extremely intense light at this time may dry out the pad. You won't have this issue during winter, as the sun is low in intensity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pads for use as food, as found in most stores, are stored in conditions unsuitable for root growth. Because of this, if I recall correctly, they are never sprayed with growth inhibitors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants are naturally large outdoor plants in warm climates, and in good conditions will quickly grow too large for use as a houseplant for most homes. These good conditions include intense sun during the growing season, so keeping it outside over the summer will be beneficial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-14T01:43:03.220" LastActivityDate="2014-12-14T01:43:03.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14861" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14862" CreationDate="2014-12-14T02:41:44.173" Score="6" ViewCount="189" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a bulb of organic garlic to try and grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While separating the cloves, a couple of them broke off that woody root 'plate'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will they still grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-14T03:47:59.200" LastActivityDate="2014-12-14T03:47:59.200" Title="Will garlic cloves that are broken off the root 'plate' still grow?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14861" CreationDate="2014-12-14T03:47:35.613" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, they will not. The plate is the only point on a garlic clove where the roots can emerge. Don't plant them, as they may host pests/diseases while decomposing that may affect the other good cloves and spoil the crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-14T03:47:35.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14863" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14864" CreationDate="2014-12-14T06:17:29.517" Score="7" ViewCount="993" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of my &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeonium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aeonium&lt;/a&gt; plants have had this bug issue for month now, so here's how the plant and the bug looks like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7gYSl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7gYSll.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; title=&quot;Click photo for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a 35mm macro lens, and I shot 1 bug (and killed it)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NXph2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NXph2l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; title=&quot;Click photo for full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This bug is white and produced some sort of white powder on my plant's leaves.&#xA;Usually they hide in the back of the leaves, so until today I thought it was a fungal issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My guess is that this is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;scale insect&lt;/a&gt;, but I'm not that sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are these bugs, and how do I get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3374" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-12T02:24:55.927" LastActivityDate="2019-05-12T12:50:14.427" Title="What are the white bugs on my Aeonium and how do I get rid of them?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;mealybugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14864" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14863" CreationDate="2014-12-14T13:24:57.220" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mealybug infestation - looks like mostly larval. I've found that a mixture of 1 teaspoon of dish detergent per cup of water has been an effective control. used as a spray over the entire plant. Once the population has been controlled, wash the leaves carefully to remove residue. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-14T13:24:57.220" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14865" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-14T19:51:17.567" Score="5" ViewCount="210" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am new to bonsai and I have had two juniper bonsai trees so far. The first one dried out even though I watered it weekly. The second one I am keeping pretty well moist but I am afraid of drowning it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is best schedule for watering my juniper bonsai and are there any good resources I should look at as a newbie?  Here is a photo of how it looks today. I keep in indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lO6Lr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my bonsai&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8546" LastEditorUserId="8546" LastEditDate="2014-12-15T03:25:18.690" LastActivityDate="2014-12-29T16:07:28.470" Title="What is best watering schedule for a bonsai juniper tree?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14866" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18051" CreationDate="2014-12-14T19:57:04.190" Score="7" ViewCount="15039" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got two bonsai kits and have tried growing from seeds. Both times my sprouts grew to about two inches and then flopped over and died. I watered them daily, kept them in a plastic bag most of the time to keep them moist. It seems I may have drowned them. One of the seedlings was from a red maple. The other was from a black pine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a shot of how far I got:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cNE41.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;seedlings&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the correct handling for growing a bonsai from seeds? After sprouts reach a certain height, should I stop watering so much?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8546" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-15T03:55:32.093" LastActivityDate="2020-07-02T13:07:05.550" Title="Why do my bonsai seedlings die after a month?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14776" CreationDate="2014-12-14T22:14:25.510" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sources of variatal information for apples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Agricultural Research Services Germplasm Resources Information Network.&#xA;This is the most comprehensive list I found -- and it still misses 50% of the varieties I was seeking information on.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ars-grin.gov/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ars-grin.gov/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Big Horse Creek Farm  Descriptions of about 300 varieties.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://bighorsecreekfarm.com/apple-varieties/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://bighorsecreekfarm.com/apple-varieties/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Meta information -- places to ask questions&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NAFEX -- North American Fruit Explorers. They charge a membership fee for the website, but also have a facebook page.   &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nafex.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.nafex.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Orange Pippen (mentioned above)  Has both a database, and a forum.      &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orangepippin.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.orangepippin.com/&lt;/a&gt;           &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastEditorUserId="2067" LastEditDate="2014-12-19T14:22:17.297" LastActivityDate="2014-12-19T14:22:17.297" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14868" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14941" CreationDate="2014-12-14T22:20:22.617" Score="7" ViewCount="202" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to buy a bonsai tree. The options are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/ficus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ficus&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/ligustrum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ligustrum&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/carmona&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Carmona&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/sageretia-theezans&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sageretia&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reading the instructions on those links, I was convinced that I should get either Carmona or Sageretia considering the wet, not warm or sunny climate of Ireland. I'm planning to have it at a North facing window with whatever amount of light it can grab from there, but for very few hours of daylight during winter. And the room temperature, especially at the window, would be probably between 15 C and maximum 24, 25 C.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, the Ficus tree has a fancier trunk and looks more like a real tree, and that link suggests it's a good practice for beginners, as well as needing a lot of good sun (which I lack).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now the instructions on the packaging is all the same for all four types of these trees as follows:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iKycx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wCl0h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which instructions should I trust and which one shall I get that would suit the most for my climate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; I do have the lights on after the daylight is gone, but &quot;light&quot; I meant sun light (which is very rare in Ireland and at a North facing window) or just natural brightness. I do have home lamp light on till we go to sleep every night. I was confused because that website mentioned Ficus needs direct sun light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Still looking for other answers as I'm not asking about making bonsais, but just picking one out of the four types. (:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-24T04:57:03.683" LastActivityDate="2015-01-23T05:41:20.103" Title="Which of These Bonsais Are The Most Appropriate For My Climate?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;&lt;climate&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14870" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14841" CreationDate="2014-12-14T23:01:29.603" Score="2" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove the suckers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove the dead wood  You can check by bending the tips.  If they flex easily, it's still live.  You can also scrape the bark.  If you find it green, that part is live.  If bark flakes off, it's dead.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Step back.  Remove any branches that cross.  Remove any branches other than the leader that run mostly straight up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut the leader off at 12 feet up, or whatever length you decide on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's it for this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Year two:  Continue to open up the interior of the tree.  Watch for bursts of twiggy growth at the cut branches from last year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During this year watch for symptoms of fireblight.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put down a layer of cardboard under the entire expanse of the tree, to about 4 feet beyond the drip line.  Apply 3-4 inches of wood chip mulch (Ask the local tree trimmers -- they love not having to haul it to the dump.  Assuming you have a wet season, this will hold the moisture through the dry season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2014-12-14T23:01:29.603" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14615" CreationDate="2014-12-15T08:02:04.103" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had very high germination rates by collecting big blue seed in fall, soaking overnight, then completely removing the berry (Wear gloves). Then they soak in a 1/10 ratio bleach water solution for 10 minutes to remove germination inhibitors. Rinse with a mild soapy solution to remove bleach residue. Then I lay them on the surface of damp seed starting mix in a covered tray, and refrigerate for another couple of weeks. Then remove from refrigeration and wait, light is not necessary at this stage, but watch for emergence. Once the very wiry roots, and leaves begin to emerge, I move each bare seedling into a 72 cell tray to grow until its warm enough outside to plant in individual pots for growing to a larger size. I have started several hundred seedlings this way. As for the seedlings being identical, its too early to say at this point, but very possible that there may be differences later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QUNHi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8548" LastEditorUserId="8548" LastEditDate="2014-12-15T08:24:41.003" LastActivityDate="2014-12-15T08:24:41.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14872" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14849" CreationDate="2014-12-15T11:44:43.640" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, the word grill is fine here - I just wanted to know whether this grill enclosed the whole balcony, or whether it was just at the bottom, or, as it turns out, with a wall and then a grill right to the roof.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not that easy an area to plant with large, beautiful plants - if you use climbing plants, unless you keep them very well trained, they will grow up the grill and will block out most of the light. Equally, if you use tall, wide plants, you'll be blocking light, although in pots, most plants don't get as large as they would in the ground. That said, the next problem is a shortage of sunlight, so that rules out some plants which only do well with plenty of sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two I've come up with which will do fine in the sunlight available are Jasmine multipartum (climber, mostly evergreen, very fragrant flowers) and Eranthemum pulchellum (also known as Eranthemum nervosum), a free standing shrub which has blue flowers. Otherwise, Thuja pyramidalis compacta I found mentioned as a plant to grow in your part of the world, though I confess to being a little surprised - Thuja does well in places like Canada, so the conditions are somewhat different. Might be worth a try though, it's evergreen and won't get too large in a pot, and this plant should have better (though not necessarily very noticeable) noise reduction capacity. Otherwise, Clematis &lt;em&gt;hybrid&lt;/em&gt; varieties (not species like montana or tangutica), though again, they're climbers, and having too many will definitely mean a reduction in light, and most flower much better with more sunlight on their topgrowth. Even so, if you can find them, Clematis Hagley Hybrid and Nelly Moser are two that do well in shadier conditions, and the fact there's a wall means the roots will be kept a bit cooler. Climbers will need pots which are preferably 2 feet deep and 12-16 inches wide to achieve reasonable growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether any of these will make any major difference to the noise and pollution is another matter, but they will improve the area visually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-12-15T12:52:17.933" LastActivityDate="2014-12-15T12:52:17.933" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14873" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14875" CreationDate="2014-12-15T17:02:22.933" Score="4" ViewCount="10668" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe that this is what the weed is called, here is a picture&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kmPwg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is very invasive and I don't know how to kill it. I tried Weed b-gone but it only kills the leaves and does nothing else. It's hard to root it because its root are deep. I live in Canada and there isn't that many chemical options to get rid of this annoying weed. However I will be traveling to North Carolina for xmas and I was hoping to get something to destroy this weed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What product do I need to get to annihilate this weed? I have this weed in my moss garden and grass. I also have a dog, so I am hoping for something that will kill this weed and not harmful to my dog in case she eats the product by accident.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1448" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-15T20:48:04.210" LastActivityDate="2019-09-22T23:57:02.700" Title="What do I need to kill Canada Thistle weed?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14874" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14873" CreationDate="2014-12-15T17:10:15.510" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Manual removal of the plant and root to a depth of at least three inches will do the job.  The more root you get the less likely it will return.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also a mulch with or without a landscape fabric will prevent new weeds from getting a good hold.  This might work in your moss garden as moss does not require a lot of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are all kinds of weeding tools that can help you get out roots.  I think you can control this weed without the use of pesticides just by diligent removal in the active growing seasons of spring and summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-12-15T18:23:35.997" LastActivityDate="2014-12-15T18:23:35.997" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14873" CreationDate="2014-12-15T19:13:42.993" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Professionals use a product that contains &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clopyralid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;clopyralid&lt;/a&gt;. This chemical messes with the plant's &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;auxins&lt;/a&gt;, causing it to grow too fast to support itself, or into strange shapes/growth patterns for a couple of weeks before the plant finally dies. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This chemical strongly affects plants from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Fabaceae&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Solanaceae&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteraceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Asteraceae&lt;/a&gt; (bean, potato, and sunflower families, respectively). Thistles are in the sunflower family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; This product doesn't deactivate on contact with organic matter, like glyphosate (Roundup) does, and it may linger in the soil for quite some time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-15T19:31:34.720" LastActivityDate="2014-12-15T19:31:34.720" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14876" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-15T20:08:16.547" Score="3" ViewCount="1595" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qPNO1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just got a young rubber plant (I think thats what it is). After the second watering I realized the plants leaves were getting wavy or ridged. If it matters, I waited till the mix was dry before watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the name tag from the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XdXNU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What am I doing wrong, or is this normal for this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2014-12-29T18:36:18.453" LastActivityDate="2014-12-29T18:36:18.453" Title="Why are the leaves of my rubber plants getting wavy?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14877" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14888" CreationDate="2014-12-15T20:26:01.870" Score="5" ViewCount="3252" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently repotted my Majesty palm and pruned the fronds that were damaged in the past.&#xA;It all looked really nice and fresh, and I've been misting it every morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I lately realized that some of the  fronds were turning lighter in color, and some were drying out, like it went through an oven or something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't get it. What am I doing wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gellXl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZV24Yl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oItvTl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SMoFQl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-18T01:13:35.627" LastActivityDate="2014-12-18T01:13:35.627" Title="Why is my Majesty palm getting dried out, when the soil is moist and I'm misting the foliage daily?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14878" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-15T20:58:47.883" Score="4" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do I get rid of these insects that are in all of my planters? &#xA;I find them only to be in the dirt and not on the plants.&#xA;To me they look spider mites, but they did not die out when I applied &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bayeradvanced.com/insects-pests/products/3-in-1-insect-disease-mite-control&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Bayer Advanced™&lt;/strong&gt; 3-In-1 Insect, Disease &amp;amp; Mite Control&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; on them directly, they just scampered on.&#xA;I'll add pics once I get home so you can come to your better judgments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-15T21:15:32.773" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T01:56:48.543" Title="How do I get rid of these insects that are in all of my planters?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14879" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="15001" CreationDate="2014-12-15T21:10:44.113" Score="8" ViewCount="12267" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found some questions about other chilli plants, but I don't think the leaves look quite the same as mine, though it may be the same as the 2nd question posted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4171/what-is-happening-to-my-chilli-plant-how-can-i-help-it&quot;&gt;What is happening to my chilli plant? How can I help it?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13648/dry-brown-patches-on-cayenne-chilli-plant-leaves-leaves-starting-to-curl-tiny&quot;&gt;Dry brown patches on cayenne chilli plant leaves, leaves starting to curl, tiny black spots&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Light brown spots have been developing on some leaves, and some have dry, curled up edges. I have been adding a general fertilizer once a week. I have also been using pyrethrum spary perhaps every 1 and a half weeks. They also have some slow release fertilizer under that mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Watering schedule:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every 3 to 4 days, depending on weather. If it's a hot day I may have to top it up a bit, or they start to wilt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fertilizer&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Slow release NPK: 15.3%, 4.3%, 5.9% &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;General purpose NPK: 24.2%, 5.6%, 11.7%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't used the slow release fertiliser since I posted this question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pests&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On my largest chilli plant, it looks like some of the leaves have been eaten by some bug. But I have checked for pests and can't find any.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pyrethrum&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't use this very much since I posted my initial question. I was experimenting with it as a way to control fungus gnats. Pretty sure it does nothing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;So I picked Enigma's answers since at the time of acceptting answers it had other information in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But yes, everyone appears to be right. I stopped the fertilizer and now, the damaged leaves are still damaged, but new leaves are fine and and the problem has not continued. I will also try getting new fertilizer sometime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pEh5B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Spotty leaves with dry, curled edges&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2017-03-25T06:53:17.677" Title="What happened? - Chilli plants are developing spots on leaves and the edges are curling" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14880" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14920" CreationDate="2014-12-15T21:52:28.347" Score="5" ViewCount="677" Body="&lt;p&gt;The front of my house faces due west, with about a 2' overhang underneath the eaves. There is a 12' section between the northwest corner and the walkway leading to my door that has proven very difficult for me to establish any plants in because it doesn't get much rain, and it can get very hot there from heat reflected off my concrete porch. Currently, I have a few volunteer Rose Campions (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silene_coronaria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Silene coronaria&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) growing there, and some mint popping up until I pull it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been thinking of growing some prickly pears in that spot, with the hope of also getting some fruit to eat (I'm not a huge fan of the leaves). With the overhang and shade from a magnolia tree at the southwest corner of my house, they would be in shade until early afternoon, then a brief period of partial shade, followed by full sun for the remainder of afternoon and evening; perhaps six hours of direct sunlight per day near the summer solstice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon#Climate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Portland, Oregon&lt;/a&gt; (USDA zone 8b) where summers are typically warm and sunny, and the other seasons mild and wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would that be enough sunlight for them? Is there a species or cultivar of prickly pear that would do well in that spot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-15T22:07:55.577" LastActivityDate="2014-12-29T21:30:42.957" Title="Will prickly pear thrive under the eaves on the west side of my house?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14881" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-16T00:39:04.187" Score="5" ViewCount="162" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a rainwater capture system. Roof is not metal, neither are the gutters. I capture 1300 gallons under my deck. I live in Los Angeles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I grow with this? Or should I be worried about pollution in the water? I want to do a couple raised beds and maybe some hydroponic growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought about attaching a filter to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3523" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-16T04:50:17.297" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T15:34:14.470" Title="Can I use rainwater captured in Los Angeles to grow plants?" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;rain&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14881" CreationDate="2014-12-16T02:19:30.803" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Safety is really difficult and/or expensive to attest as J. Musser has pointed out. Your storage containers and gutter material will determine the nature of what is in your water (Roof quality does seem to be a big deal from looking it up online). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At a minimum, you could use pH as a measure to see what your rain water composition is. If you are very close to 7, then your water may be safe enough to use. If it is acidic, it could be because of pollution and/or your storage/collecting containers. If it is basic, you could try water softeners. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Theoretically, rain water could be acidic around LA given the pollution. Fiberglass may or may not be safe, it is hard to say. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A 1300 gallons is a lot, and if not for food, you could at least use it for other gardening purposes. Another thing to try out is to experiment with a plant or two on a much smaller footprint and see how things go. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did look this up on the internet, and here is quite an interesting link I found:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tylertork.com/diyrainbarrels/safety.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://tylertork.com/diyrainbarrels/safety.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T02:19:30.803" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14883" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14881" CreationDate="2014-12-16T02:51:40.697" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;purify w moringa oliefera powder&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8553" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T02:51:40.697" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14884" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14891" CreationDate="2014-12-16T04:49:10.273" Score="5" ViewCount="4808" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Problem:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a small creek in my backyard and it's a nightmare to maintain. A lot of weeds grow there and spill over to my land, some of them growing up to three or four feet tall and are very dense. The portion of my land that is adjacent to such creek is 265 feet long. This is a warm climate (Puerto Rico to be exact), so they will always grow there. My goal is to keep them at bay, and not entirely eradicate them (I know that is impossible)&#xA;Here are some photos so you can have an idea:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NXRDV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Massive weed growing in creek&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Some description: the metal fence you see there belongs to a neighbor who is beyond the creek. There is no fence separating my land and the creek. And then you can see the weeds, some of which include Castor oil plants; they grow a lot here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_oil_plant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_oil_plant&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K6hPk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Creek weeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Description: a better view of the creek with some pooled water from the last time it rained. The water doesnt get high and there is a slope in which I can plant more stuff.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/01ZGO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;weeds and more weeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Description: this is the part where it is the worst. Here, the weeds have grown VERY dense.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What I Have Tried:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been hiring people to chop it down, but I dont want to spend money on that every single month. I have tried to lay down one of those landscape fabrics, but that was entirely futile. And I dont want to spray herbicide... it's a creek, and I dont want to pollute.&#xA;Any research that I do online is for smaller problems, like pulling them out (already tried that, believe it or not), or spreading bark mulch (its too much, 265 feet, and the water of the creek will eventually swipe it), etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What I Plan:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My next idea will be to try and plant some tenacious shrubs that can compete against those weeds and keep them at bay. But which ones can handle this (almost everything grows here in this climate)? I had in mind Bougainvillea (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bougainvillea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bougainvillea&lt;/a&gt;) since I have heard they are very hardy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Any other idea is really welcomed.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additional Comments:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These comments originated from the responses below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;My main reason for battling the weeds is that they look ugly and propagate too FAST into my land, in which I'm starting a vegetable garden. Sure, not a life-threatening situation, so I will reconsider my stance a bit. Note that I want to keep them at bay, and not entirely eradicate them (I know that is impossible)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The water doesn't get too high, even in torrential rains, which happens once every one or two months. And yes, there is a gradual slope in which I can put plants. I have included two additional photos.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yes, the soil inside my land is not the best. Some time ago, an excavator went through it to clear the ditch, and it compacted the land and also toiled the soil in the creek a lot (since I have started a vegetable garden, I won't allow any more excavators or heavy machinery). But the actual soil at the edge of the ditch is somewhat loose and easy to toil and with good drainage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2880" LastEditorUserId="2880" LastEditDate="2014-12-16T19:59:25.113" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T17:06:32.700" Title="Help needed to keep away weeds coming from a creek" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14885" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-16T05:43:59.273" Score="2" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please let me know what type of plant I purchased here? And how to take care of this.&#xA;He are some pics of it... &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wBB8T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T10:54:25.733" Title="Please let me know what type of plant I purchased here? And how to take care of this." Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2014-12-17T14:40:22.700" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14886" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14876" CreationDate="2014-12-16T08:21:14.880" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That doesn't look like a rubber plant to me&lt;strike&gt;, but it might be related (i.e. some other kind of fig)&lt;/strike&gt;. I've seen several rubber plants and owned one for about 20 years, and I've never seen wavy leaves in a rubber plant (nor the white part circling the interior of each leaf). So, that does not seem normal for a rubber plant. If you break a leaf, it should have latex inside, if it's a rubber plant (White, thick liquid). All fig trees should have latex inside, although the amount and the color of the latex may differ. Some other plants contain latex, too, but an absence of it should help for identification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Now that the tag picture is there, it's apparent that it's not closely related to rubber plants (not in the same genus or family). The tag tells you the genus, which is calathea. It's unclear by looking at the tag what &quot;medallion&quot; refers to (although generally items in quotes refer to a variety, rather than a species, but varieties are usually stated after the species, and not the genus). The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.exoticangel.com/plant-library/species/calathea/item/136-medallion&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;botanical name&lt;/a&gt; is actually &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calathea_roseopicta&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Calathea roseopicta&lt;/a&gt; (mentioned on the tag, too). (So, the species is roseopicta, and is sometimes split up into two words: roseo picta.) Rubber plants (ficus elastica) are in the ficus genus of the Moraceae family. Calathea medallion is in the Marantaceae family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, now that we know what it is, how do we care for it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water it every 2 to 7 days. Expect it to grow up to three feet tall. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.exoticangel.com/plant-library/species/calathea/item/136-medallion&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;Calatheas thrive in bright indirect or curtain-filtered sunlight; if only artificial light is available, provide at least 400 foot-candies. Night temperatures of 65 to 70 degrees and day temperatures of 75 to 85 degrees are ideal. The plants are at their best in a terrarium, but do quite well on a tray filled with pebbles and water to raise the humidity to about 50 percent. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. Feed established plants every two weeks with standard house-plant fertilizer diluted to half the recommended minimum strength; wait two or three months before feeding newly purchased or potted plants. Divide the strong roots and repot early each spring before new growth starts. For best results, use a packaged highly organic potting mixture formulated for African violets. Watch for spider mites.&quot;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that Wikipedia gives a higher minimum temperature (61 degrees F.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-12-17T01:13:03.913" LastActivityDate="2014-12-17T01:13:03.913" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14887" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14885" CreationDate="2014-12-16T10:54:25.733" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a type of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philodendron_bipinnatifidum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;philodendron Selloum&lt;/a&gt;.  See this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4865/what-is-this-houseplant-with-large-waxy-leaves-and-a-reddish-base/4866#4866&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; for details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T10:54:25.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14888" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14877" CreationDate="2014-12-16T11:04:50.877" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Misting is not an effective way to raise the humidity around a plant unless you are in a greenhouse. The amount of time the humidity is raised is very small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try checking the soil and watering when the top inch is dried out.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3985/how-do-i-make-the-water-reach-the-roots-on-a-pvc-aquaponics-system/4002#4002&quot;&gt;Capillary matting or a wicking system&lt;/a&gt; is a great way to see that the plant gets the water it needs, but not too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Palms are noted for getting &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8567/what-is-wrong-with-my-lemon-tree/8568#8568&quot;&gt;spider mites&lt;/a&gt;. Check under the leaves for small white dots the size of a grain of salt.  They can be controlled with soap and water applied at least three times at five to seven day intervals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: The plant in the picture is not dry but I am trying to remove all the possible problems.  I suggest you remove the plastic wrap around the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: the die back on the leaves does not look like fungal/viral activity as there are no spots or necrotic areas. It could be burn from high salt levels in the soil or shipping damage from being exposed to cold air when brought from the store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When watering check that the entire root ball gets enough water, check for insects, place in a sunny location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: filtered tap water is fine for most tropicals. Yes you can cut off the dead part of the leaves, leave a thin margin of dead material at the end of the trimmed leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-12-17T17:48:32.890" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14767" CreationDate="2014-12-16T14:47:34.567" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;After making some modifications, the plant is overall doing much better. I think it's safe to say a peak temperature around 80F is suitable. Light intensity in the range of 200-300k is suitable at 18 hours a day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T14:47:34.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14890" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14881" CreationDate="2014-12-16T15:26:42.367" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let's ponder the concept of &quot;so you put some plants out in the yard and they get rained on&quot; - it's the same water - so it really should not be any worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you incorporate a standard trick of roof rainwater collection (&quot;roof-washing&quot;) - basically letting the first few gallons go, so that any accumulated dust/bird poop on the roof and the initial pollutants removed from the air by the rain are diverted rather than stored, the stored water should be of somewhat &lt;strong&gt;better&lt;/strong&gt; quality than what falls directly from the sky including the initial pollutants. Bird poop is more of a concern for drinking water than irrigation water, of course, but the dust on the roof can be pollutant-derived or have an abnormal pollutant load attached to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also coat your collection (roof) surface with an acrylic roof coating if you have concerns about the surface itself contributing problematic materials to the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the end of leaded gas, a main concerning airborne/rain-washable pollutant for LA's microenvironment has been largely eliminated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, all this is handwaving if you already have stored water, rather than you are contemplating a new system - take a sample and have it tested, particularly for heavy metals (as being one of the more problematic items for uptake and concentration in plants) or the testing lab's &quot;standard suite of tests for [food plant] irrigation water&quot; if they have one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Acidity, if at a high enough level to be a concern, is easily addressed by tossing a bag of marble or limestone chips into the storage tank, or incorporating a pass through a bed of them on the way to the tank.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2014-12-16T15:34:14.470" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T15:34:14.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14891" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14884" CreationDate="2014-12-16T15:41:34.030" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Reading your question, I'm moved to ask, &quot;Why cut the weeds in the channel at all?&quot; You mow to the edge, and could much more easily manage weeds on the level ground. The weeds, though tall, do not seem to block any kind of view. Finally, the dense vegetation in the ditch is an excellent buffer for water entering from your property and will slow the movement of water through the channel. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lakesuperiorstreams.org/stormwater/toolkit/swales.html&quot;&gt;Slowing movement of water is generally desirable&lt;/a&gt; in such channels, though you don't want to slow it down so much that it ponds up over the banks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But assuming you still want to deal with the weeds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plan is really the only good way to go about it. You've got to get something in there that will out-compete the weeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One issue you are sure to have to deal with is the existing weed seed bank. I'm glad you don't want to use herbicide, but that limits your ability to deal with the weeds. You also won't want to till along those banks. You could try prepping the site by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html&quot;&gt;solarizing the soil&lt;/a&gt; after cutting the weeds to the ground, but this will have limited use as it will not be very effective against perennial weeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ultimately success will depend on what you plant there. Bougainvillea sounds like it would be a decent choice - just make sure you get a shrubby and sprawling variety that doesn't want to climb. Depending on how how high the water gets and how often it gets there, you might be limited in how far down the slope it will survive. From what I read, this plant needs good drainage also. Judging from the foreground of your photo, I'd guess the soil is somewhat compacted and not well draining. If you do go this route, you'll still want to manage weeds until the Bougainvillea are established. Depending on how densely you can plant that could take several years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T15:41:34.030" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14892" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14876" CreationDate="2014-12-16T17:13:57.457" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calathea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Calathea medallion&lt;/a&gt; is of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marantaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Marantaceae&lt;/a&gt; family. This &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep285&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt; does not list wavy leaves as a symptom and this cultivar and others of the same species have the same wavy leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is just how the plant looks and is not a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The same site lists the optimum conditions for growth:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Calatheas tolerate an interior light level as low as 75 foot candles;&#xA;  but optimal light levels range from 150 to 200 foot candles. Plants&#xA;  maintain their aesthetic appearance better if relative humidity is&#xA;  kept between 40 and 60%. Allow the surface of potting media to dry&#xA;  slightly before watering. Temperatures should be kept between 65 and&#xA;  80° F indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T17:13:57.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14893" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14896" CreationDate="2014-12-16T20:27:09.610" Score="7" ViewCount="145" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a bunch of Daffodil bulbs for my mother who lives out on the tip of Long Island, New York (USDA zone 7). I'd like to give them to her for Christmas, and plant over the weekend (weather permitting). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is mid-December too late already? Will it be too late 10 days from now at the end of December?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-18T01:17:54.833" LastActivityDate="2014-12-18T01:17:54.833" Title="Will it be too late to plant Daffodil bulbs after Christmas in Long Island, New York?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;daffodils&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14613" CreationDate="2014-12-16T20:47:47.747" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It turns out this question is too general for any good specific answer. &#xA;In short, the amount recommended in a single application will depend on so many variables like grass species, how many applications you do per year, soil conditions, weather, etc.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However after looking about, I've found a few good resources. The best I've found is the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclandcare.net/about/mission&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Organic Land Care (OLC) program.&lt;/a&gt;. From their 2011 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclandcare.net/sites/default/files/upload/standards2011.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Standards for Organic Land Care&lt;/a&gt;, they recommend:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;No more than 1 pound of soluble nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per application, with a maximum of 3 pounds of soluble nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per year. Rates of nitrogen application must be further reduced after 2 years of organic management. Note: In sandy soils with high leaching rates, particularly those along or near the ocean, the allowable amounts of water-soluble nitrogen should be decreased to reduce the potential for contamination of down-slope water bodies.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However in general it is preferred to use insoluble nitrogen sources which are released more slowly by the soil biota and do not leach out of the target area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2014-12-18T12:21:25.007" LastActivityDate="2014-12-18T12:21:25.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14895" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14865" CreationDate="2014-12-16T20:50:12.643" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree appears to be a juniperus procubens nana. Junipers are hardy outdoor plants and typically will not survive long in the house. They like free draining soil. With a very free draining soil in full summer sun you will need to water daily. In the winter you may only need to water once a week. I live in the pacific north west so I rarely have to water my junipers in the winter. &lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Some good bonsai links are:&lt;a href=&quot;http://crataegus.com/tag/juniper-bonsai/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Crataegus.com&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://bonsaitonight.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;BonsaiTonight.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;If there is a bonsai club in your area that will be your best resource for local information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8556" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T20:50:12.643" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14896" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14893" CreationDate="2014-12-16T20:52:49.297" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have done this successfully several times, but in a warmer zone (Lancaster, PA, zone 6b). I put the bulbs in a 33 degree F. refrigerator for about 2 weeks first, reasoning that it would prepare them for the cold (~15-20 deg. F. at the time). They all survived, each time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Things to note:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you use the fridge, make sure there is no fruit in it, or the ethylene gas may harm the bulbs.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Your area is colder, so I'd suggest trying it during the beggining of a warm spell, or under a heavy snow cover. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If the ground is frozen, thawing it indoors or replacing it with bagged mix is better than reusing frozen stuff.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;12 weeks at under 40 degrees F. brings the best blooms, so if you wait too long, the chilling might not be long enough for them all to develop buds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They will grow roots whenever the ground isn't frozen. If you plant them sooner, you will get better established plants by spring. My daffs are already almost emerging already. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;10 days shouldn't make too much of a difference.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T20:52:49.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14898" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14884" CreationDate="2014-12-16T21:15:56.357" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like That Idiot's answer. I'm simply going to state that if you have a weedwacker, bimonthly weed-whacking is effective in keeping existing vegetation under control. I don't see why you have to grow anything different. It should take about an afternoon maybe 5-6 times/year, and also a couple gallons of gas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T21:15:56.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14899" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8849" CreationDate="2014-12-16T22:04:14.230" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on what part of the world you are located. I live in pacific northwest in Washington state. We have pretty mild winters here in the Puget Sound so I am able to repot my juniper starting in early to mid February. I will give them extra protection from frost and wind until they are re-established in their new pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8556" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T22:04:14.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14900" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14901" CreationDate="2014-12-16T23:20:40.473" Score="3" ViewCount="787" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I have a slender, columnar cactus like a &lt;em&gt;Cleistocactus&lt;/em&gt; (pictured below), and it gets too tall, How can I prune it, to get it back to a manageable height? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lBMNr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T23:20:40.473" Title="How should I prune a cleistocactus that got too tall?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14900" CreationDate="2014-12-16T23:20:40.473" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wait till the next growing season if it isn't already. Then do the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make a clean cut and remove the top 2/3rds of the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Let it sit in a dry place for a few days to callous over.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pot it in fresh cactus mix in a small pot. Support if necessary. Leave a couple inches between the pot bottom and the end of the cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It should catch on in a couple weeks. Keep the mixture constantly but slightly damp.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;By week 6, treat as an established plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This method is better than cutting back and keeping the original plant, because while the original plant will probably regrow some more stems near the cut, that cut will turn into a conspicuous scar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-16T23:20:40.473" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14903" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3122" CreationDate="2014-12-17T02:21:14.167" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;All you need is a spotlight and a pellet gun.  Once you put the light on them walk up with the light still on them and then shoot them. Once they are dead cut there neck and make them bleed and walk all around the garden...  This will alert all the other coons and they will not come back&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8558" LastActivityDate="2014-12-17T02:21:14.167" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14904" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3122" CreationDate="2014-12-17T06:38:21.867" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My house once had a piece of clear tape/plastic/paperish-like material dangling from the eaves. At night, even a light breeze would rustle it, and it sounded just like an animal moving through some bushes. It scared our neighbor's cat away, anyway (quite funny to watch), and I didn't even know what it was the first few days or so I heard it. Even after I knew what it was, I still wasn't always sure it was it making the sound. It makes you feel like something's going to pop out of the bushes and get you or something. Something like that might scare raccoons and opossums, too. Even if they figure out what it is, it might still make them nervous, since things rustling in the bushes sound the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I don't know what material that was, but it was involved in repairs to the guttering of our eaves or some such. I think it was about eight inches of the material hanging down. It had the width of packaging tape, but it probably wasn't sticky.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-12-17T06:43:40.450" LastActivityDate="2014-12-17T06:43:40.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14906" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14907" CreationDate="2014-12-17T14:05:26.340" Score="12" ViewCount="3244" Body="&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14841/renovating-mature-pear-trees&quot;&gt;a post&lt;/a&gt; about renovating mature pear trees there is a diagram (below) showing tree nomenclature as it pertains to pruning. In it, the letter &quot;A&quot; indicates &lt;em&gt;suckers&lt;/em&gt;, and &quot;E&quot; marks &lt;em&gt;shaded interior branches&lt;/em&gt;. What's the difference? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another diagram I found references &lt;em&gt;water sprouts&lt;/em&gt; - what are they and how are the different from the suckers or vertical branches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AmHUf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree growth nomenclature&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2014-12-18T02:25:27.953" Title="What is a sucker and how does it differ from a water sprout or branch?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14906" CreationDate="2014-12-17T17:11:31.547" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;IMHO they are pretty much the same thing (with various names, as happens in English), except that &lt;strong&gt;E&lt;/strong&gt; has been let go long enough to make branches of its own (should have pruned more water sprouts last year.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless of what they are called, they should be removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.starkbros.com/blog/fruit-tree-care-removing-suckers-water-sprouts/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stark Brothers defines&lt;/a&gt; sucker as root-derived, water sprout as coming from the tree above-ground (so only the bottom two &lt;strong&gt;A&lt;/strong&gt;'s are suckers by their definition) &lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-456/430-456.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Virginia Tech&lt;/a&gt; agrees (and that's their drawing below) so I'd suspect that this is generally accepted terminology in the industry, which the drawing you linked to does not happen to conform to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sT5UL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;VT extension tree pic&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2014-12-17T17:17:39.357" LastActivityDate="2014-12-17T17:17:39.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14908" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14968" CreationDate="2014-12-17T23:41:41.160" Score="5" ViewCount="157" Body="&lt;p&gt;Figs have a unique fruiting cycle, fruiting on old wood first, all at once, then on new wood for the rest of the season. What's the best pruning system for these, to maximize production?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it best to balance old wood with the new in a specific way, such as pruning it to form long canes, or is it best to prune it into a dense shrub form, or some other way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is for optimal production measured as pounds per plant per year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-28T23:57:46.420" Title="How should I prune a common fig for best productivity?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14906" CreationDate="2014-12-18T02:25:27.953" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Suckers are root based growth and especially detrimental on &lt;strong&gt;grafted&lt;/strong&gt; trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They rob the desirable part of the tree above the graft of resources and if allowed will supercede and kill the graft. Once this happens, the tree reverts back to its hardier but less desirable rootstock species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2014-12-18T02:25:27.953" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14831" CreationDate="2014-12-18T03:16:45.353" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not surprised that the Agave is a trooper! I have had similar things happen with Cactii that were thought to be dead and cut off of or removed from pots only for them to put new shoots out. Why not take a chance, re-pot with fresh potting soil in a sunny, slightly warmer area and give him a chance?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe hold off on fertilizers for a while to give it a chance to fight back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2014-12-18T03:16:45.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14913" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14933" CreationDate="2014-12-18T13:51:25.290" Score="4" ViewCount="1381" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I have updated with some pictures that have been sitting on my phone for a long time, showing the flower and the fruit.&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RfLuQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;quince&quot;&gt;There's a somewhat neglected and overgrown quince at my workplace which still manages to put out a few fruit. Taking cuttings is permissible (and the thing really needs some help, pruning-wise.) If I want to root cuttings from it (or otherwise propagate it) what is the best timing for taking them and method from that point forward?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hmmm. I guess it's probably a &quot;flowering quince&quot; &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaenomeles&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;chaneomeles&lt;/a&gt;; though that's somewhat unclear. Definitely fits the &quot;only conceivably useful for jam&quot; but I don't have a fruit handy to examine - it didn't make many and the ones it did were removed by someone or something else. Smells good, tastes horribly astringent, but that seems to fit most of the &quot;quinces.&quot; I had hopes to trying a small batch of jam from it, but I'm now leaning to trying a new bush in my own spot for that.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qkzln.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qkzln.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower and leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruit is definitely apple sized - looks somewhat like a granny smith with a bit of red blush  (but more texture/less gloss to skin) most of the time it's on there, though in some years it has actually started to yellow at the end of the season&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9KT90.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9KT90.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Quince Fruit and leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-12-11T17:14:56.220" LastActivityDate="2016-12-11T17:14:56.220" Title="Propagating quince - method and timings?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14914" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="15017" CreationDate="2014-12-18T20:18:21.530" Score="2" ViewCount="3466" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have purchased a guava plant one week ago. from the start of having this tree, some of the leaves getting dry and wavy then start to dropping without getting yellow. is this natural or my tree has a disease?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's near the window and has sunlight about 5 hours a day. The temperature is between 15 and 25 degrees Centigrade, and the humidity is low but I spray water 3 times a week. I am watering my guava about 3 times a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VyvSB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9nOLz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qc4eC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;and my second question is, is it a good idea to to prune the tree at this time of year (winter)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7235" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-01T17:20:25.713" LastActivityDate="2015-01-01T17:20:25.713" Title="Why the leaves of my guava getting dry and dropping?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;guavas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14916" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-19T14:23:14.177" Score="6" ViewCount="1619" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given a cutting of a friend's cactus. It is growing in his front yard but he does not know much about it.  His cacti are green and segmented some with red bulbs on top. I believe the red bulbs were fruit, not unopened flowers.  All segments of the cactus (like the segment I was given as a cutting) have patches thick with spines which would stick to skin on touch as you can see in the picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/umk8Tl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of the pads were larger than the one pictured. It is only about 3 inches in diameter, while some of the pads were much larger than that. But they all generally had the same shape, generally flat with a slight curve, rounded, and segmented. His plants stood a little more than 3 feet off of the ground at max height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am located on central part of the east coast (USA) near the ocean. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7532" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-20T21:34:01.597" LastActivityDate="2014-12-27T18:49:49.323" Title="What is this cactus with flat pads and spines growing in small patches?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14917" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-19T14:37:41.257" Score="6" ViewCount="215" Body="&lt;p&gt;I water my houseplants and potted patio plants with the water drained from my aquarium filter as part of its routine maintenance. The canister filter is full of fish waste and nitrates that would provide a fantastic organic fertilizer supplement for plants. But that filter water is also full of nematodes (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oscarfish.com/article-home/healthdisease/122-worms-in-tank.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;the scavenger, gravel-dwelling variety seen here&lt;/a&gt;). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know most nematodes are harmless, but some nematodes feed on the outside surfaces of a plant, while others burrow into plant tissue. Does anyone now if this variety of nematodes can survive in the soil and harm my houseplants or produce?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-20T04:23:32.213" LastActivityDate="2015-01-19T04:39:34.307" Title="Are aquarium-water nematodes harmful to plants?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;parasites&gt;&lt;nematodes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14918" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1292" CreationDate="2014-12-19T15:02:26.463" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of things that has limited our greater use of nematodes (in turf) in general is their expense and their viability in the environment. I haven't heard of a case of these becoming established to a level that they provide continued control. So multiple applications are typically required. This suggests that there is some self-limiting control on the amount of negative that &quot;could&quot; happen were these to have negative effects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One negative that this could share with other types of organic control is the potential to kill non-target, beneficial insects. This might not be a concern with this product/species or in your situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally from what I've read the larvae are the only susceptible stage, so timing the application will be critical. You cannot expect the nematodes to be on site and viable - or at the levels required for effective control - after several weeks. Learn to identify the larvae, learn when (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/LLET/1998/1/2/DailyHistory.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;based on growning degree days&lt;/a&gt;) the larvae emerge, and apply liberally when you identify them. Follow up with a second application if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2014-12-19T15:02:26.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14919" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14336" CreationDate="2014-12-19T15:50:11.770" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem with composting crap is the possibility of contagion and parasite transfer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if material is covered, it takes a lot of covering to block all the flies.  Flies transfer bacteria at minimum, and smaller worm eggs aren't impossible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you want to do this, I would suggest doing it via a composting toilet.  In your climate the Sunny John system should work quite well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sunnyjohn.com/toiletpapers2.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.sunnyjohn.com/toiletpapers2.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a system of solar assisted composting, with the crap screened from flies, and maintained at a high enough temperature that you can actually kill most pathogens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Despite this, I would not use human compost on a veggie garden, but rather use it on the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In passing:  Much of the nitrogen is in urine.  Urine, unless you have a bladder infection is sterile. Sterile enough that if you have an injury in the bush, it's an acceptable substitute for clean water. It has enough stuff in it that it will grow a bacteria culture fairly soon, but you won't transfer pathogens from one person to antoher through pee.  Go pee on the compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2014-12-19T15:50:11.770" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14920" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14880" CreationDate="2014-12-19T15:59:42.923" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Off the top of my head, I'd say Portland is too wet.  PP is native to areas that get under 15&quot; precip per year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said:  The spot you describe sounds ideal for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two possible problems:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cacti generally don't tolerate wet soils, or even soils that are moist a lot of the time.  You may need to take out the top 4-6 inches of soil, and replace with  a mix of gravel and sand in order to get adequate drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Desert soils tend to be alkaline -- pH around 8.  You may need to amend the soil to this level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plants have a chilling requirement between growth seasons.  They require X days below a temperature of Y before buds will grow.  I don't think that desert plants generally have this feature unless they drop leaves for the winter season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are a DIY sort, you should be able to get PPs just by driving over the mountain into the Oregon interior.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2014-12-19T15:59:42.923" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14711" CreationDate="2014-12-19T16:10:09.713" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Squash varieties in the same species freely cross.    If you want to save your seeds for reuse, you have to grow only one variety from each species -- and hope that none of your nearby neighbors grows squash.  Note that a single species can have varieties that include summer, winter, and ornamental fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The shape of the fruit is determined solely by the genetics of the fruiting plant, or so my botany teacher told me.  You have an unusual one because the people you got the seed from got a bee wandering in from some place that had a compatible squash of a different type.  @Shule's comment above indicates that the pollen can affect the fruit.  Is this odd one on a plant that has normal looking squash, or are all the  squash on this plant odd.  If it is a single squash, the Shule is correct, although I don't understand why yet.  If they are all like that, then I suspect you had a weird seed in the packet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I know all the crosses are edible.  You won't poison yourself.  Some are tasteless, some have woody or stringy textures.  Winter keeping will be variable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seeds aren't likely to breed true, but it doesn't hurt to try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A comment asked me to list the hybridization groups.  I thought there were 4 that included interspecies hybrids.  There are 7 hybridization groups, 4 cucurbits and 2 cucumis, and one citrullus.   Note that the species and the use do not correllate well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.walterreeves.com/food-gardening/squashpumpkincucumberwatermelon-pollination-explanation/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;From Walter Reeves web site:&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Group A:  Cucurbita pepo:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;Summer Squash&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Crookneck, straight neck squash.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zuccini, Cocozelle&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Scallop, Pattypan&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;Winter Squash&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Acorn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spaghetti&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;Ornamental Gourds&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Many&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(And this is why the hybrids may have odd taste/texture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Group B  Cucurbita moschata&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;Winter Squash&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Butternet&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;Pumpkins&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cheese&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dickinson Field&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Golden Cushaw&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kentucky Field&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Group C Cucurbita maxima&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;Winter squash&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hubbard&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;Pumpkins&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Big Max&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;King of the Mammoths&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mammoth Chile&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mammoth Prize&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Atlantic Giant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;Ornamental squash&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Alladin&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Turk’s Turban&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Group D Cucurbita argyrosperma (formerly mixta)&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Pumpkins&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Green-Striped Cushaw&#xA;Japanese Pie&#xA;Tennessee Sweet Potato&#xA;White Cushaw&#xA;Mixta Gold&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Group E Cucumis sativus&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;All slicing and pickling Cucumbers (except Armenian cucumber):&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beit Alpha cucumber&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lemon cucumber&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Group F Cucumis melo&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;Cucumbers&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Armenian (Snake cucumber or Serpent melon)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;Melons&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;All muskmelons&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Casaba&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Honeydew&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Group G Citrullus lanatus&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;All watermelons&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;All citrons&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-10-27T22:57:35.483" LastActivityDate="2017-10-27T22:57:35.483" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14922" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14926" CreationDate="2014-12-19T18:52:37.050" Score="4" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do you convert a mixed fescue field to a native warm-season grass meadow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm actually looking for information on a few of options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Anything goes option.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Minimal soil disturbance option.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Minimal soil disturbance no herbicide option.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-15T12:03:32.903" LastActivityDate="2017-11-15T12:03:32.903" Title="How do you convert a mixed fescue field to a native warm-season grass meadow?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;meadow&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14922" CreationDate="2014-12-19T22:39:06.610" Score="3" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mow, (precede with herbicide if you go that way and give it a few weeks to work), till (or plow, then cultivate) every 3 weeks for several months, seed. Could insert step of smother crop (buckwheat traditional, possibly rye over the winter) in there, then till a few more times. Basic idea being to sprout as many weed seeds as possible and THEN put in your desired seed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your traditional no-till is herbicide based - spray and then seed with a no-till drill. Or spray, wait, spray some more, etc. and finally plant. Herbicide choice (or choices) is probably best done with local information to get your local weed issues, resistant varities, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Probably have to go with solarizing (plastic) for the kill step for non-traditional no-till. Drill seed with no-till drill, same as 2.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-12-19T22:39:06.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14925" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14880" CreationDate="2014-12-20T00:29:57.420" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The eastern prickly pear (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_humifusa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;opuntia humifusa&lt;/a&gt;) is probably more adapted to humidity (since it's from the eastern United States) and is definitely more adapted to cold (it will grow in &lt;a href=&quot;http://plantlust.com/plants/opuntia-compressa/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;zone 4; down to -30° F.)&lt;/a&gt; than most other popular prickly pears. It probably still prefers it quite dry, however, but I imagine its native climate is wetter than that of the kind you find in the supermarket. &lt;a href=&quot;http://plantlust.com/plants/opuntia-compressa/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;It's been found in southern Indiana&lt;/a&gt;. I've lived there (it's humid).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coldhardycactus.com/opuntia.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This website&lt;/a&gt; says the eastern prickly pear tolerates more water than other prickly pears. However, as you can see on the page, there are others that tolerate cold better, after all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At this time, I defer to Sherwood Botsford's answer for information about your chosen location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2014-12-29T21:30:42.957" LastActivityDate="2014-12-29T21:30:42.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14926" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14922" CreationDate="2014-12-20T04:09:31.213" Score="3" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In mid spring: Mow, wait 4-5 days, when the grass is growing at it's fastest, and spray with a glyphosate solution of 1 1/2 - 2 oz. of 41% glyphosate concentrate to a gallon of water. Spray until wet, but before runoff. You can add a surfactant if necessary. If you use Roundup promax, decrease the rate, as this is based on a smaller molecule, built on potassium salt. This means less mass will cover more area effectively. The concentration is also usually higher (49%), and the surfactants are always present in this product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the grass is dead, mow it off as low as possible, and haul off the clippings. Use a preseeder if possible (I rent one), to loosen the top layer of soil, and even out the grade. You don't want to loosen it too much, or make it super soft. You can then broadcast seed right away. You can use a tiller to loosen the top layer, with the depth stake set quite shallow, but this takes longer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;As above: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In mid spring: Mow, wait 4-5 days, when the grass is growing at it's fastest, and spray with a glyphosate solution of 1 1/2 - 2 oz. of 41% glyphosate concentrate to a gallon of water. Spray until wet, but before runoff. You can add a surfactant if necessary. If you use Roundup promax, decrease the rate, as this is based on a smaller molecule, built on potassium salt. This means less mass will cover more area effectively. The concentration is also usually higher (49%), and the surfactants are always present in this product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the grass is dead, mow it off as low as possible, and haul off the clippings. Use a slicer overseeder (set to the specified rate for the mix), and go over the area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mow the grass as short as possible. Use a sod cutter (I rent one) at a shallow depth to slice the grass off just under the surface. You can then either:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pile it, cover in a tarp, wait for decomposition, and respread it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pile it, bring in the same yardage of screened topsoil, and spread that&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pile it and use the ground as is&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next step: For least disturbance, use a slicer overseeder to sow. If you want to broadcast, you can run over it quickly with a preseeder to rough it up without disturbing the soil much.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-20T04:09:31.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14927" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14917" CreationDate="2014-12-20T04:22:13.453" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Educated guess:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; They won't survive long out of their natural (aquarium) environment. They shouldn't pose any issue whatsoever. I'm not the aquarium expert, but as quite a bit of research didn't bring up anything about these nematodes even occurring out of their natural environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, I wouldn't worry about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-20T04:22:13.453" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14929" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14932" CreationDate="2014-12-20T22:33:57.920" Score="5" ViewCount="38588" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an area for a few raised beds were it would be impractical to secure against rabbits. What can I plant there that they won't be interested in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming they won't eat any berry types, but what about newly planted tomatoes and other kinds of vegetables?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-21T04:17:49.043" LastActivityDate="2019-08-04T18:24:09.953" Title="What vegetable/fruits plants will rabbits not eat?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;rabbits&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14930" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16206" CreationDate="2014-12-21T02:01:03.713" Score="5" ViewCount="344" Body="&lt;p&gt;In a container gardening situation without soil to bury Bokashi pickled/composted kitchen waste, it seems viable to add to a tumble composter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is an accurate method to compute C:N of Bokashi?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assume for this question that the Bokashi method is Commercial off-the-shelf style anaerobic indoor bucket-system, with the bucket processed through until completion of the Bokashi pickling/composting anaerobic process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assume if answering C:N rather that computation method:&#xA;1) Mixed high protein (meat/dairy) and normal vegetation kitchen scraps&#xA;2) Normal vegetation kitchen scraps only&#xA;3) High protein (meat/dairy) only&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7510" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-29T03:04:06.570" LastActivityDate="2015-01-29T03:16:12.753" Title="What is an accurate method to measure the C:N ratio of Bokashi pickled/composted kitchen waste?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;&lt;carbon-nitrogen-ratio&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14932" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14929" CreationDate="2014-12-21T04:15:21.277" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Really, rabbits are far less picky than humans when it comes to eating plants, so there aren't many that no rabbits eat, that we would. However, there are a few that rabbits generally avoid (at least for me):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vegetable Beds:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tomato&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Squash&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cucumber&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;most melons (they eat watermelons here)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Corn (needs protection when young, but grows tall)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sunflowers (needs protection when young, but grows tall)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Peppers, normally. One time a rabbit kept eating the plants of someone I know, so this one's debatable; depends on the variety and the rabbit.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Potatoes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Onions (usually, especially strong ones)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Garlic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leeks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Artichokes (only because they're spiny; hungry rabbits will eat them if there isn't anything else&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Many herbs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rhubarb&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Woody Fruit:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The genus &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;rubus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (brambles) because of the spines.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thorny gooseberries (trained high - rabbits eat the leaves)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Juneberry (&lt;em&gt;Amelanchier&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know very many fruit plants they won't gnaw, but some berry plants can be trained as a standard, and a vinyl tree guard (or similar) used to keep them from gnawing. Where I am (and you aren't), you have to protect the trunk much higher than you'd think, because in winter (when they're eating bark), they can walk on top of whatever snow may be on the ground. Again, probably not a problem in Texas, but I'm including it to be less localized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-21T04:24:57.717" LastActivityDate="2014-12-21T04:24:57.717" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14933" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14913" CreationDate="2014-12-21T13:05:49.497" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Inspect the branches - if there are thorns, it will be Chaenomeles rather than Cydonia oblonga,in which case, propagation isn't that easy. In theory, you can take cuttings of the previous year's growth in summer and root these in a sandy potting mix, but they often don't work out, so the next, simplest but rather longer method is layering. Peg down some shoots into the soil or into pots and wait a year or so and check for roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming there are no thorns, you're left with Cydonia oblonga (hardwood cuttings done in winter are usually very successful) or Pseudocydonia, which you might not want to bother with at all - the quinces it produces aren't that great. The way to tell the difference is to examine the leaf edges - Cydonia leaves are entirely smooth, whilst Pseudocydonia leaves are very finely serrated. Pseudocydonia isn't terribly hardy, so if you live somewhere it gets pretty cold, it's not likely to be that particular plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fruits of both Cydonia and Chaenomeles are used to make quince jelly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-12-21T13:11:43.027" LastActivityDate="2014-12-21T13:11:43.027" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14934" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14929" CreationDate="2014-12-21T20:10:56.307" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.imustgarden.com/rabbit-resistant-plants&quot;&gt;I Must Garden&lt;/a&gt; has a long list of plants &quot;not usually eaten&quot; by rabbits. It's broken down into categories including: annuals; perennials and bulbs; woody plants; vegetables and fruits; and herbs. Since you asked specifically about vegetables, the only one in addition to J. Musser's list is Asparagus. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2014-12-21T20:10:56.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14935" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14936" CreationDate="2014-12-21T20:52:29.403" Score="5" ViewCount="131" Body="&lt;p&gt;About a year ago I got this orchid as a present. There are two separate plants in a single pot. They were blooming when I bought them, then bloomed a second time. The larger orchid bloomed first by a few weeks. The pictures are of the third bloom for the smaller orchid. The larger orchid hasn't bloomed a third time, and is instead growing these air roots. It's also tilted quite a bit to the north (I have a N-E corner kitchen with glass block walls, which generates a lot of diffuse light. The shoots tend to point North). The pot has drainage, I water it about once every 7-10 days, adding Orchid fertilizer roughly once a month. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm debating splitting them up into two pots, as the air roots and lack of bloom are concerning to me. If that's the way to go, should I wait for the smaller orchid to finish blooming, or am I hurting the larger one in the process?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l3afV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YRVm3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N65IJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3459" LastActivityDate="2014-12-22T12:11:26.240" Title="Should I repot these orchids" Tags="&lt;orchids&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14935" CreationDate="2014-12-22T12:11:26.240" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;These plants are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalaenopsis&quot;&gt;Moth orchids&lt;/a&gt; or Phalaenopsis.  They don't actually need soil as they are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphyte&quot;&gt;epiphytes&lt;/a&gt;. The air roots are a sign of a healthy plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants have not been in the pot that long and can probably go a few more years.  Your next pot should have a free draining mix including shredded bark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your watering and fertilizer regime are working well as the plants look in very good health. Repotting would not necessarily mean more blooms and might cause the orchids to spend more energy on growing new roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend rotating the plant weekly so it does not continue to grow to one side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-12-22T12:11:26.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14937" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19481" CreationDate="2014-12-22T16:47:48.507" Score="7" ViewCount="4751" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought the below bonsai tree from Home Depot as a Xmas gift for a friend. I haven't even given the gift yet and the leaves are already starting to fall out en masse. I have the tree indoors in indirect sunlight. When it started losing the leaves I moved it to direct sunlight by a window ledge which didn't seem to help. There was no identifying tag on the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OrJAl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my third bonsai and I don't want this one to die as well! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice on why this is happening and how to salvage it before it's too late?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I moved it to a more direct sunlit location and leaves seemed to stop falling out so much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8546" LastEditorUserId="8546" LastEditDate="2014-12-23T08:34:04.380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-21T12:49:25.623" Title="Bonsai shedding leaves 1 week after purchase" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14940" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14937" CreationDate="2014-12-23T19:59:09.093" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants will shed leaves due to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;changes in temperature: freezing or chilling can do this&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;root ball going dry: small root balls dry out faster. Leaves shed due to dryness are usually dry. Older leaves are shed first.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;root ball too wet for an extended period. Leaves fall and still have moisture in them. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some species are more fragile than others and will drop leaves with the slightest change. Poorly treated ficus are an example.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For this gift keep up with good light and regular watering.  The exposed trunk just adds character!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-12-23T19:59:09.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14941" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14868" CreationDate="2014-12-24T04:55:30.800" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Take my advice here with a grain of salt; while I have some knowledge, it's been a while since I've actually maintained a bonsai, and I live in a better climate for them. I haven't tried growing one in damp shade, and my below information is the result of a bit of reasearch/memory combined.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm happy to expand on some points if you find that necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ficus:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ficus are good looking bonsai choices, especially for the bark, which is often twisted and grey, giving the coveted 'old tree' look. Many of these do tolerate quite a bit of shade. But this also tends to help develop longer, skinnier growth, which isn't as big a deal when the bonsai is bought at a good size, but it does affect the maintenance. The leaves won't be quite as close together, which can make trimming more challenging. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About growing too fast, ficus are like other trees in how they become naturally smaller, more dwarfish under bonsai culture (naturally), they shouldn't be any more a problem in this respect than the other options. The biggest concern I'd have is the possibility of shock after moving into your climate from wherever it was before, especially if it was imported from a warm, sunny climate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ligustrum:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the one I'd recommend, simply because I've seen them do quite well in spots similar in condition to where you are. they seem to tolerate damp shade well. Their biggest problem there seems to be growing oversized leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They adapt well to different locations, with minimal leaf drop. Also, if they're always damp, they will grow fast even with little fertilizer. Don't overwater.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Carmona:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaf size is better here, but they don't like as much shade. They can adapt, but the leaf spacing will be farther apart, giving you a sparser specimen than you may have been expecting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In shady conditions, expect little flowering and berry production. This plant will grow in your location, however.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sageretia:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't had experience with this one, but it also looks like a viable option here. The leaf size (small) looks like one of the best features, as well as good shade tolerance. Expect little flowering and lanky growth in deep shade. Of course, give them as much light as you can. I don't think you'll have much trouble. Grow lights can help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears this plant is prone to root rot, and should not be over watered, especially with an unnaturally compact root system, in deep shade. Of course, proper watering shouldn't cause a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-24T04:55:30.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14942" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-25T04:53:00.800" Score="2" ViewCount="180" Body="&lt;p&gt;My avocado tree has been growing for a year just in the last few days the top has started to droop and bend over sideways the rest of the tree looks healthy but my healthy leaves are falling off. I thought I was over watering it so I cut back but it hasn't helped now the leaves are curling under and turning brown. Please help me&#xA;I'm using miracle grow potting soil and it gets plenty of sunshine&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8575" LastActivityDate="2014-12-25T04:53:00.800" Title="My avocado tree is not doing well" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2014-12-31T19:51:00.077" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14943" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-25T11:16:21.627" Score="4" ViewCount="271" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant or tree is in front of my house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can somebody identify this one? Its height is around five feet, and it has cherry-like red growths on the leaves, like in these photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JNyqf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JNyqfm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves with red fruit like&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AZkAl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AZkAlm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;red fruit like on the leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l5qe2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l5qe2m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further to my question, I dissected this red thing and Mr. Dan Sorensen is right. I could see small insect in side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is from Bangalore, India. I just want to know what plant is this and how useful is this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pEbnj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pEbnjm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The red galls opened and the plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8576" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-05-02T13:14:03.183" LastActivityDate="2018-05-02T13:14:03.183" Title="What is this plant with red growths on its leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="14944" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14943" CreationDate="2014-12-25T12:03:38.467" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are not fruits, but galls caused by an insect laying its eggs inside the leaf tissue.  It is probably a tiny wasp.  If you carefully dissect one of the galls you will find either an unhatched egg or a larva inside.  Usually it is not considered a problem unless there are so many that the plant is disfigured, but spraying with insecticides will not have any effect unless you use a systemic kind, and even then the galls will remain until the leaves drop off.  Enjoy the Christmas colors instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8577" LastActivityDate="2014-12-25T12:03:38.467" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14947" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14948" CreationDate="2014-12-26T15:14:47.520" Score="4" ViewCount="6196" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a healthy Wandering Jew (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradescantia_zebrina&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tradescantia zebrina&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) that is growing fast, and I want to know the best way that I could propagate it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-26T15:43:10.467" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T05:31:58.327" Title="What is the best way to propagate a Wandering Jew?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14947" CreationDate="2014-12-26T15:42:39.053" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wandering Jews grow fast, and you have to rejuvenate them regularly, or you will get a long plant that is bare at the base. You usually propagate by cuttings, and use several cuttings per pot in order to make a fuller, more balanced plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prepare the pot first. A six inch diameter pot will do. A huge pot will have drainage issues, and in a tiny pot, well, you'll just have to repot later. Fill the pot with regular, free-draining potting mix, the stuff the plant will permanently stay in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Take the cuttings. I do this by finding a stem, pinching the tip at the first mature leaf node, then counting nodes downward on the stem. I take a branchless stem about 5-6 nodes long, and cut it below the last (6th) node. Remove the two bottom leaves, and insert those first two nodes into the prepared pot of mix. They will root from the nodes in the mix. They will show above-ground growth from the leaf bases. They should each put out 2-3 branches. Expect growth within 3 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep the mix slightly moist at all times, until you see top growth. Then switch to only watering when the top 1/2&quot; of mix dries out. Fertilize lightly when the new growth grows out a couple inches. Keep fertilizing once every other week thereafter. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every 4 nodes on each stem, pinch the tip off. This promotes full, bushy growth. When it's getting overgrown again, allow the ends to grow out, providing cutting material to restart the process.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-26T15:42:39.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14949" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14951" CreationDate="2014-12-26T15:56:28.747" Score="3" ViewCount="32609" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why is my philodendron getting these brown dry parts on its leaves?  You can see in the attached photo where it is starting to get brown (bottom left). In the second photo you can see that almost the whole middle of the leaf turned brown and cracked in half.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, since this pic it has developed further on this leaf, as well on other leaves on this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got frustrated the other day and cut out all brown parts on each leaf; I hope I didn't damage it more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just an FYI it's still planted in the original planter that I purchased this in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p60SHl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ujgLvl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;do I need this water dripper? &quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-01-06T14:14:26.677" LastActivityDate="2020-07-29T06:22:48.390" Title="Why is my philodendron getting these brown dry parts on its leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14950" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-26T18:30:31.313" Score="4" ViewCount="290" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wR3bh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SdiSM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;I planted arugula seeds in small containers. They are all so tiny, except one plant that grew very fast and looks dramatically healthier bigger and just different from the rest of them. It might be a mutation since they are all in the exact same circumstances. I would like to let it seed so that I have more of that container-robust variety. I am not sure when it will flower as it has already been in the pot about a month and is not doing anything but growing! Any ideas? Will it die if I leave it longer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8579" LastEditorUserId="8579" LastEditDate="2014-12-27T06:45:35.870" LastActivityDate="2014-12-28T11:04:17.560" Title="How can I save seeds from a large, fast-growing arugula plant?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14951" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14949" CreationDate="2014-12-26T21:25:00.890" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is a diagnostic tree for brown spots on leaves.  They can have many sources, sometimes more than one at a time:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spots are on every leaf, newer and older: &#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;check for sunken spots or dead areas showing rings of growth =&gt; advanced virus/bacteria/fungus&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can be an outside factor like pesticide spray, chlorine heavy misting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spots only on older growth&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can be over watering, check to see if dead areas are still moist&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can be under watering, dead areas usually occur on tips and area is dry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can also be a virus/bacteria/fungus that is just getting started&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can be physical damage from crushing or freezing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant looks very healthy.  I would not worry about the dead spots unless the whole leaf dies off.  Check that your watering is following best practices.  Let the top half inch (1 centimetre) dry out and then water thoroughly until water runs out the bottom of the pot.  Do not water again until the top part of the soil is dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I looked at your second photo. It does not look like physical damage. Remove the leaf and watch for further occurrences.  Watering practices are a common cause of virus/fungi/bacteria. Consider letting the plant dry out before watering again as indicated in the previous paragraph.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are removing dying leaves always try to remove them cleanly where they join the stem&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-12-28T15:28:44.667" LastActivityDate="2014-12-28T15:28:44.667" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14952" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14966" CreationDate="2014-12-26T22:16:58.630" Score="5" ViewCount="1192" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two dozen cut roses, one dozen in a crystal vase, and one dozen in a Lenox ceramic vase. We're in a dry (70&amp;deg;F) heated house in the middle of winter, and the roses in the ceramic vase are far happier (less wilting) than their crystal counterparts, despite their identical light exposure and watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a property of the material of the vase? Should I only put these roses in ceramic from now on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These were purchased as two-dozen, and were mixed prior to cutting: The roses are identical in every way I can imagine, except for their vase.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;[EDIT]&lt;/strong&gt;: Some pictures!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4QL5m.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7D9Y8.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To wit, the diameters of the openings (and the water levels) are the same in both containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3103" LastEditorUserId="3103" LastEditDate="2014-12-26T23:09:43.260" LastActivityDate="2020-04-23T23:47:45.010" Title="Why are cut roses doing so much better in a ceramic vase than a crystal vase?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14953" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2014-12-26T23:20:04.923" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaf vegetables are plants that are grown for their edible leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Examples of leaf vegetables include&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lettuce&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lettuces&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eruca_sativa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;arugula&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;various types of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Brassicas&lt;/a&gt;, such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cabbage&lt;/a&gt;, kale or turnips (when grown for their leaves)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chard&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;chard&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;purslane&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-26T23:20:04.923" LastActivityDate="2014-12-26T23:20:04.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14954" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2014-12-26T23:20:04.923" Score="0" Body="Growing and harvesting vegetables that are primarily cultivated for their edible leaves." OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-26T23:20:04.923" LastActivityDate="2014-12-26T23:20:04.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14955" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14963" CreationDate="2014-12-27T00:35:45.210" Score="4" ViewCount="3934" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see a 20,000k (color temperature) 12 watt LED E27 bulb designed for coral, aquariums and such. 7000k is supposed to be full-spectrum light, I hear. So, I imagine a 20,000k would be even more full-spectrum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I realize 12 watts isn't going to be as powerful as sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, how effective is this going to be as a grow light for vegetables compared to blue and red LED 12 watt grow lights? Will it have infrared and UV rays?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ebay.com/itm/191264740412&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here's a link to the product if you're curious.&lt;/a&gt; (select the 20,000k option)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also have a 10,000k bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since they're marketed for helping coral to grow, I imagine there's more to it than merely giving the appearance of 20,000k light, but I could be wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: I ordered one bulb, and a blue one from the same seller. So, I guess I'll be able to answer this question within a month or two (granted there's no red in the light to compare in that regard).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2014-12-31T12:38:37.903" LastActivityDate="2014-12-31T12:38:37.903" Title="Will this 20,000k LED bulb function as a grow light?" Tags="&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14956" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2636" CreationDate="2014-12-27T02:28:48.640" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have recently found this problem on some jade cuttings I planted directly into the ground. They looked very healthy and green until early spring (I live in South Australia) when I noticed these exact holes appearing in them. One day they were green and healthy then green holes appeared and now I have very unhappy looking dark brown holes where the plant has tried to heal the damage. I was lucky enough to see the perpetrator of this act (only  once) and it was a small see through thin maggot type creature, less than 1 cm in length. I have searched the internet for answers but have found none. I have some beautiful full jade plants in my garden, so if anyone out there knows what to do about this, please let me know. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8580" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-27T13:28:30.293" LastActivityDate="2014-12-27T13:28:30.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14957" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14958" CreationDate="2014-12-27T06:41:56.903" Score="4" ViewCount="1123" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've made a cut of my overgrown dracaena &#xA;This is what the &quot;parent&quot; plant looks like:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2gvX5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;parent dracaena&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then I put it into bottle and it developed some good-looking roots, here it is &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s337B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the dracaena cut after about a month&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The roots look a bit fragile to me, so planting it like this is &quot;risky&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read somewhere that it would be great to put it into sand surrounded by plant-mix. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the proper way I wonder?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8581" LastActivityDate="2014-12-27T13:44:54.733" Title="How to properly plant Dracaena after it developed roots in water?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14958" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14957" CreationDate="2014-12-27T13:29:48.603" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't worry, its not difficult, when I do what you've done, I just use good multi purpose potting compost. The trick is actually how you do it rather than what you use, although I don't know which potting composts are available where you are. Just buy something that's good quality (John Innes No. 2 will be fine, for instance) or a dedicated houseplant compost. If you've got multi purpose compost available and its a bit lumpy, sieving it before using is a good idea to get out any lumpy parts. Select a pot that's big enough to accommodate the root material without its being crushed or squashed into the container, put a layer of compost in the bottom, hold the plant over the pot with the roots dangling inside it, positioned so that the stem is more or less in the right spot and won't be buried, and add compost around the roots, gently tapping it down, until they're all buried and only the base of the stem is visible. Lightly firm down and water thoroughly - it's sometimes easier to immerse the pot to make sure all the compost is damp enough, but otherwise, stand in an outer container and let it sit inside that and soak it well for half an hour or so. Allow it to drain thoroughly and then place wherever you want it to be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Extra note: the parent plant could do with cutting back quite hard to get rid of that leggy look its currently got - you can cut all the stems back to different heights, but each will then bear at least two sprouts of new growth rather than one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2014-12-27T13:44:54.733" LastActivityDate="2014-12-27T13:44:54.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14955" CreationDate="2014-12-27T18:27:50.413" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Cool White (6000-6500k)&#xA;Warm White (3000-3500K)&#xA;Natural White (4000-5000k)&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the section you should be looking at for a grow light. The best light range for indoor growing is between 2700k and 6500k depending on what you are trying to do. Blue light (5000k+) is used for vegetative growth and red light (2700k+) is used for flowering. When you have a full spectrum light such as the one you linked, you'll get growth and flowering, however the plants tend to mature faster and it's an overall loss. Your best bet would be to buy two lights, one of each spectrum and when you're ready to switch from growth to flowering just change out the lights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To answer your question: Yes, it would work but it wouldn't work as good as a light of the correct spectrum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8582" LastActivityDate="2014-12-27T18:27:50.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14960" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14950" CreationDate="2014-12-27T18:37:06.340" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Arugula seeds are found in seed pods, which should be left on the plant until dry and then removed. If left on the plant for too long after drying the pods will crack and disperse the seeds, so you will need to keep a close eye on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8582" LastActivityDate="2014-12-27T18:37:06.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14961" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14916" CreationDate="2014-12-27T18:49:49.323" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like exactly like the Opuntia Humifusa to me.&#xA;They grow on the Eastern Seaboard and all the way out to Montana. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_humifusa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_humifusa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8582" LastActivityDate="2014-12-27T18:49:49.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14962" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14677" CreationDate="2014-12-27T18:54:31.017" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My suggestion would be to remove only the outer leaves, as they are the oldest and contain the most gel. As for regrowth, I would wait until the next set of leaves are well established before removing another set. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Trim-an-Aloe-Vera-Plant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.wikihow.com/Trim-an-Aloe-Vera-Plant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8582" LastActivityDate="2014-12-27T18:54:31.017" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14963" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14955" CreationDate="2014-12-27T19:51:04.660" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;A 20,000°K lamp will have peak output at 145 nanometers (&lt;a href=&quot;http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/wien.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wien's Displacement Law&lt;/a&gt;).&#xA;That's hard ultraviolet. It will hurt your plants.&#xA;10,000°K still peaks at 290nm, UV.&#xA;You want a lamp with a far redder color temperature.&#xA;Here's a nice graph of the wavelengths plants like: &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RGI3n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See the page &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sunmastergrowlamps.com/SunmLightandPlants.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Light and Plants&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2014-12-27T19:51:04.660" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14964" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14950" CreationDate="2014-12-28T11:04:17.560" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I doubt there's anything special about the larger plant - check the pot its in and see how many baby or small plants are left within it that are separate from this large plant. From the picture, it looks as if there's at least one other plant in the same pot, over to the right, which is growing, but you might find all the smaller seedlings are either still present, but not doing anything, or have given up the unequal struggle for root room and nutrients because the large one has taken over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you sow seeds in containers or trays, the idea is that, once they've germinated (started growing) and have two sets of leaves (the first set being cotyledons, not true leaves), then you prick them out into individual containers to grow on properly. With regard to saving seeds, you won't be able to do that unless the plant flowers, is fertilised and forms seed, at which point you wait for the pods to mature and collect them when they're turning, or are, brown in colour and fairly dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-12-28T11:04:17.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14966" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14952" CreationDate="2014-12-28T23:16:20.577" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's probably not the particular vase, but the amount of moisture the roots can get from more of the stems being submerged in water.I noticed the glass vase had very ample water and the ceramic has to hold more to be able to hold the roses upright as it is showing. I can also give you some tips on how to preserve your fresh cut roses longer. use 1 Tsp of sugar or any type artificial sweetener in the water and they will stay fresh three times longer also. Water also need to protrude up on the plant stalks as far as possible to absorb a lot of moisture so the blooms will get the needed irrigation to keep them fresh and healthy. And I'm sure this is the reason the ceramic does better than glass, only the water level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have tree nurseries and we propagate roses and shrubs. They do best with a good amount of moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8586" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-28T23:59:49.843" LastActivityDate="2014-12-28T23:59:49.843" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14967" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3115" CreationDate="2014-12-28T23:19:17.950" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the growing season you need to use insecticidal soap mixed with pyrethrin.This will kill the mites without harming the roses. At our nursery, we have the same exact problem and that's the only solution that will work effectively without hampering the growth and over all health of your rose bushes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8586" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-28T23:58:05.167" LastActivityDate="2014-12-28T23:58:05.167" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14968" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14908" CreationDate="2014-12-28T23:24:41.203" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The two types of pruning cuts you can make are thinning and heading. Thinning is removing an entire shoot, branch, or limb, back to the point where it originated. Thinning cuts are the ones you should use most of the time, because they tend to open up light channels throughout the tree. Often just thinning out the limbs that are crowding or crossing over does an effective job of opening up the tree. Heading is removing part of a shoot, branch, or limb (up to 1/3 to 1/2 of its length). Heading cuts encourage growth of side branches at the point of the cut, from the part of the branch that remains. Heading should be used primarily for establishing branches in young trees. Leaders or future scaffold branches can be headed to cause laterals to branch out. In most cases heading should be avoided, as it can result in a tree overcrowded with shoots that close off light channels and reduce productivity. When heading is necessary, such as to shorten and stiffen up a long bare branch, make the heading cut into older wood, as this results in less regrowth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning is done primarily in the dormant season (November 15–April 15), so when looking at a shoot or branch to decide whether to thin or not, try to picture the branch as it will be when full of leaves in the summer, and eliminate shoots that will be too closely spaced. Keep in mind the key phrase: When in doubt, thin it out! Make most of your cuts thinning cuts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We grow all types of fruit trees and the above it the most effective way i know. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8586" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-28T23:57:46.420" LastActivityDate="2014-12-28T23:57:46.420" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14969" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14937" CreationDate="2014-12-28T23:26:54.910" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a sure sign of stress. Take the plant out of its container and put in a larger one with ultra rich potting soil. Put in direct sunlight in days and keep warm at nights (away from windows). Water every 3 days and it should pull right out of the shock. This is  boxwood plant also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8586" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-28T23:57:28.117" LastActivityDate="2014-12-28T23:57:28.117" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14970" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5945" CreationDate="2014-12-28T23:30:14.710" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant's roots are exposed and it will die. It's suffering shock. Replant in a deeper container and add rich potting soil. Put in sunlight in days and water a couple times a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8586" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-28T23:47:49.977" LastActivityDate="2014-12-28T23:47:49.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14773" CreationDate="2014-12-28T23:33:22.207" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;All and any plants that goes from one environment (especially from a cool temperatured controlled garden center to a hotter home) to another suffers shock. Put the plant in the coolest part of your home, put in a larger container to allow roots room to grow and thrive and water only 2 times per week. Put plant in direct sunlight in days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8586" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-28T23:47:22.893" LastActivityDate="2014-12-28T23:47:22.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14974" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14975" CreationDate="2014-12-29T10:32:41.553" Score="6" ViewCount="2684" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had purchased a guava tree (in vase) a month ago and from the beginning (some leaves had problems when I got the tree), some red spots or areas appeared on the leaves. After a while some of them dried and dropped off. What is the problem and how I can cure it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water it every three days, it is near the window and has 5 hours of sunlight every day, the temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1hJ6t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rz2ha.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7235" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-30T16:57:00.073" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T16:57:00.073" Title="What are these red spots on my guava leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14975" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14974" CreationDate="2014-12-29T12:23:57.980" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant may have spider mites.  Check on the underside of the leaves for what looks like small grains of salt. If you see them then apply soap and water at a ratio of 5ml to one litre three times at five to seven day intervals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The light and dark parts on the leaves indicate that this plant has a nutrient deficiency.  As &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg045&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; indicates:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Guava trees are susceptible to iron deficiency under alkaline and high&#xA;  pH soil conditions (e.g., rockland soils, calcareous sands)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should apply iron sulfate or a chelated micronutrient mix up to twice a year according to the instructions on the fertilizer label.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Repotting with a soil mix that has some compost or other organic matter should help too.  The plant is potted in a peat based mix that works well for growers but does not have the same ability to hold micro nutrients over time as soil does due to the lack of clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2014-12-29T12:23:57.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14937" CreationDate="2014-12-29T16:02:51.267" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most bonsai are not meant to be kept indoors period, unless it is tropical and then probably only in winter.  That looks like a boxwood to me, hard to tell.  Boxwood are hardy, but can also be finicky, at least for me.  Most likely it's not getting enough light and it maybe reacting to a change in temperature.  Dropping leaves doesn't necessarily spell doom.  Yellowing could mean too much water too.  Bonsai should be watered until water flows out the bottom, this helps eliminate salt build up in the soil, and it should be fast draining.  Since this is a store bought bonsai it probably has normal soil, so you have to be careful about over watering it and keeping the roots too wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2014-12-29T16:02:51.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14865" CreationDate="2014-12-29T16:07:28.470" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;What b0n2a1 said. It's drying out because houses are too dry for junipers usually.  They can be kept indoors if done very carefully and humidity is maintained. Generally you winter junipers outside for the winter.  That's where all mine are this winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2014-12-29T16:07:28.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14978" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14980" CreationDate="2014-12-29T17:36:35.143" Score="5" ViewCount="6289" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the name of this tree?&#xA;They are quite common in Switzerland.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6MV7j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QXc5R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second picture refers to Lugano. Here a couple of pictures in summer (with leaves):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yTNM1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nJPH2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8588" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-31T23:21:10.767" LastActivityDate="2014-12-31T23:21:10.767" Title="What is the name of this tree found in Switzerland?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14979" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-29T17:56:33.503" Score="3" ViewCount="830" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two mature douglas fir trees (40') on my lot.  How close to them can a septic tank or leach field be placed safely to avoid root invasion?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8589" LastActivityDate="2014-12-31T02:03:31.967" Title="How close to a mature douglas fir can I place a septic tank and leach field?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14978" CreationDate="2014-12-29T18:08:16.757" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what species the trees are (or if the two photos even show the same species), but what gives them the distinctive look is a pruning system called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollarding&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pollarding&lt;/a&gt;. It is generally done in urban settings to keep trees from getting too tall or broad, and the visual impact can be quite stunning. According to Wikipedia, only species with vigorous &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicormic_shoot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;epicormic&lt;/a&gt; growth may be made into pollards. I've seen it done to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus_%C3%97_acerifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;London plane&lt;/a&gt; trees several times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14559/what-is-the-term-for-this-pruning-technique-that-causes-stubby-clublike-branche&quot;&gt;Here's&lt;/a&gt; a question in G&amp;amp;L that covers this pruning technique in more detail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2014-12-29T20:41:58.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14981" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14955" CreationDate="2014-12-29T19:57:37.767" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's another Kelvin spectrum:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dvpmq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.outbacktravelaustralia.com.au/images/4wd-mods/electrics/mo-electrics-kelvin3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-30T16:53:31.753" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T16:53:31.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14979" CreationDate="2014-12-29T21:00:08.577" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13808/is-it-okay-to-locate-a-garden-on-top-of-a-septic-drain-field/13809#13809&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; from J. Musser is detailed and extensive and refers to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/other/landscaping/hgic1726.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; which notes&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;plant trees at least as far away as their estimated root spread at&#xA;maturity. There are two methods used to estimate tree root spread. One&#xA;rule of thumb is that roots extend out from the tree two to four times&#xA;the diameter of the canopy. Another is that tree roots spread out one&#xA;to three times the height of the tree. These estimates should be&#xA;considered a bare minimum, and to reduce the risk, the trees should be&#xA;planted even further away from the drain field.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given the possible height of a redwood I would say that the answer to your question is that redwoods should be located two hundred to three hundred feet or more away from any septic system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-12-31T02:03:31.967" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14983" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14990" CreationDate="2014-12-29T23:46:30.170" Score="5" ViewCount="200" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a foreclosed house that already had drip irrigation installed. The system can be turned on via a control panel in the garage. The previous owner was angry that he lost his house so he snipped many of the irrigation tubes before leaving. I've ripped out most of the snipped tubes and thrown them away, in preparation of redoing the whole drip irrigation system. What remains are these tower like structures spaced about 7 feet away of each other. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What purpose do these serve? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are they connected to my water supply? So should I be wary of flooding the backyward by pulling these things out? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I replace them with new ones or are they too expensive / time consuming to replace?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g4y4i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T05:19:42.587" Title="What purpose do these towers serve in drip irrigation?" Tags="&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14984" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14983" CreationDate="2014-12-30T00:38:16.437" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd suggest doing a little digging, and/or turning on the water. Something that looks a little bit like that is just a stake that holds emitters in place - but it certainly could be a distribution point that feeds several emitter lines. If you turn on the water and water comes out, then the latter, and it's attached to a pipe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T00:38:16.437" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14983" CreationDate="2014-12-30T01:46:30.290" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks similar to what I have on my misting system, they connect to the main trunk line and allow smaller lines to be run off of it, similar to a splitter like you would put on an outdoor water faucet to attach two hoses. The knobs allow the ports to be opened and closed individually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8582" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T01:46:30.290" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14879" CreationDate="2014-12-30T01:54:05.027" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience (eight years of growing peppers) there could be are a variety of things that could be wrong with the plants in question.&#xA;1. Excessive watering&#xA;2. Burned roots from excessive fertilization&#xA;3. Lack of essential minerals or nutrients (This doesn't seem likely in this case)&#xA;4. Aphids or other infestations&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you could give some information on your watering schedule, what the NPK of the general fertilizer and slow release fertilizer is and do a thorough inspection for aphids or other insects around the stems, under the leaves and around the base of the plants. This information would give us a clue as to where the symptoms are coming from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8582" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T01:54:05.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14987" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14878" CreationDate="2014-12-30T01:56:48.543" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like to give the recommended dose of diluted Neem oil weekly to keep off the insects, it has worked wonders here in Florida. As Kevinsky also commented, it is possible they are fungus nats and wont harm the plants in any way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8582" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T01:56:48.543" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14988" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14622" CreationDate="2014-12-30T02:05:42.460" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know the answer to all of your questions but I will try to answer what I can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the most efficient way to remove them from the fruits?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutting the pineapple into small chunks and extracting the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do they require special cleaning (I wonder because of the enzyme content of the fruit)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rinsing in water and drying on a towel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long do they store?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure about this one, but I would guess about a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do they require treatment before sowing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A quick rinse in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What conditions do they require for good germination?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A warm area without direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;soil type&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;temperature&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Warm&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;moisture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moist after sprouting&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Full sun&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;planting depth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Several centimeters deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of fertilizer is best, and when to start applying?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A 6-6-6 fertilizer after the seedlings have been transplanted to 1-3 gallon pots and they are 3in tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long until germination, and how long until fruiting-sized plants (under optimal conditions)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Germination can take a few weeks.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;From seed to a fruiting plant can take between 20 months and 3 years.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Source: Experience and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_7606004_grow-pineapples-seeds.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.ehow.com/how_7606004_grow-pineapples-seeds.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8582" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T16:40:12.267" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14989" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="15019" CreationDate="2014-12-30T02:22:32.890" Score="5" ViewCount="132" Body="&lt;p&gt;I usually prune my pepper plants at the start of winter, just above the second set of nodes. I have been doing this for about eight years now and I'm interested to see if there is a better or more correct way that it should be done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the first few weeks of winter set in, I chop the plants just above the first set of leaves (the topmost set). I then remove each set of limbs all the way back to the second set of nodes from top to bottom, making sure to leave the nodes themselves so that they regrow the next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8582" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-01T22:54:19.583" LastActivityDate="2016-10-01T22:54:19.583" Title="Am I pruning my pepper plants optimally?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14983" CreationDate="2014-12-30T05:03:15.490" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a head used to convert from irrigation spray nozzles or bubblers to drip irrigation so you waste less water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They come in several styles:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bOlpr.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7ylWO.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VGlNg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You replace the spray or bubbler head on the 1/2 plastic stand pipe with it and push the drip tubing onto the connectors. The drip tubing terminates with drip emitters or bubblers tailored to the planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The units should be on an irrigation zone controlled by a solenoid valve connected to your irrigation timer. Somewhere on the other side of the solenoid valves should be a pair of backflow preventers and a water shutoff valve. The other side of the valve will attach to your house water system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-12-30T05:19:42.587" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T05:19:42.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14991" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-30T06:05:46.987" Score="2" ViewCount="47" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for chili pepper recommendations: what are some chili peppers that ripen to black on the last stage of ripening? I know plenty that start green, turn black and then turn red, but I want ones that stay black once they turn black.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Okay, so if you don't know any that ripen to black at last, ones that are purple or brown at the last stage will also work. I think maybe the chocolate habanero stays brown when fully ripe, but I'm not 100% sure on that. I've heard that 'Purple Beauty' turns purplish red on the last stage, but it's a sweet pepper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T07:34:59.103" Title="What are some hot peppers that ripen black on the last stage?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14992" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14991" CreationDate="2014-12-30T07:18:25.487" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;To start the list of black, deep reddish black and dark brown:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Poblano/Ancho, Chipotle Morita, Passilla, Guajarillo, Czech Black, Sweet Chocolate, Cascabel&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Others that can have black mottling:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mojo&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chipotle Morita is a very dark waxy red Jalapeno that turns black when lightly smoked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2014-12-30T07:34:59.103" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T07:34:59.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14993" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="14994" CreationDate="2014-12-30T11:16:58.007" Score="4" ViewCount="1197" Body="&lt;p&gt;This September suddenly, what I assume to be a bulb or rhizome-based plant was coming out of the ground somewhere in my garden. I didn't plant it, and have no idea where it came from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Early November suddenly the flower stem came out and I could see 3-5 flower buds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When it got cold early Mid-November, I cut the stem and put it in vase, only to see the buds opening soon and presenting nice yellow flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers to me look like a lily-flower with the typical stigma (the right word, the thing hosting the pollen) floating around. The leaves however are looking more from what I'm supposed to see on my irises, which are long and sharp leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are two pictures I took in a rush, so please accept my excuses for the bad quality:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aU5Dy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aU5Dym.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q4tTL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q4tTLm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know what kind of plant this is, and what to do to keep it alive or maybe muliply?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="30708" LastEditDate="2021-01-31T07:32:22.677" LastActivityDate="2021-01-31T07:32:22.677" Title="What is the plant with multiple lily-like yellow flowers with iris-plant-anatomy?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;gladiolus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="14994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14993" CreationDate="2014-12-30T11:38:24.587" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to be a Gladioli variety which has presumably not been ready to flower until particularly late. These usually flower late summer, but if you've had similar weather to the UK up to mid December (very mild, positively balmy at times) then this one has grabbed its chance, although if you hadn't brought it inside, it probably wouldn't have opened up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's no pic of the leaves, but they are long, usually visibly ribbed on close inspection, and pointed, sometimes flipping downwards towards the top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T11:38:24.587" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14995" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-30T12:10:46.097" Score="3" ViewCount="105" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some fava beans in large pots late october. They should be flowering by now, but all I can see is small flower buds, only in a couple of the plants. And it is growing very slowly. What can I do to help them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OIqWW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8579" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-30T16:33:22.443" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T16:33:22.443" Title="How can I get my fava beans to grow faster and start flowering?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;fava-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14996" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-30T13:17:38.670" Score="9" ViewCount="540" Body="&lt;p&gt;About a month ago I had roll on Kikuya lawn planted. Since then the area has had a lot of rain and irrigation and everything seemed to be going okay until recently when portions started thinning out. Below are pictures of what I mean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here you can see the part that is thinning out vs. a healthier part. It seems to be spreading and started out as a much smaller area.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RqGwg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lawn for comparison&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a close up of the grass at the troublesome area.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TcDZs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lawn closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no idea what is doing this. I haven't been able to spot any pests or ants and have been very careful when mowing the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any way to determine the cause?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8591" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2014-12-31T12:41:56.243" LastActivityDate="2015-03-19T20:24:54.403" Title="What's destroying my recently laid Kikuya lawn?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14997" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14840" CreationDate="2014-12-30T15:35:46.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Virginia glasswort (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcocornia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sarcornia&lt;/a&gt;), is a perennial succulent that will tolerate wet root conditions. However as it is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halophyte&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;halophyte&lt;/a&gt; adapted for life in salt marshes, its suitability for landscaping purposes is limited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of the aquatic/wetland succulents I could find info on were from saline environments, which makes sense when you think about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.desertmuseum.org/programs/succulents_adaptation.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Succulence&lt;/a&gt; is an adaptation to water scarce environments like deserts. The high salinity in salt marshes or high salt soils effectively impose water scarcity on resident plants, so it isn't surprising to see succulence in these environments. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In freshwater systems and wet soils, however, water is not scarce, so plants don't need to develop such adaptations. Rather they need to &lt;a href=&quot;http://ci.coastal.edu/~sgilman/778Plants.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;adapt&lt;/a&gt; to deal with excess water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, there is this wetland plant called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/cursed_crowfoot.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cursed Crowfoot&lt;/a&gt; which may not technically be a succulent, but is described as having succulent foliage. But this is probably not a plant you want to mess around with &quot;Because the succulent foliage contains a strong blistering agent...&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2014-12-30T15:46:39.200" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T15:46:39.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14998" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14995" CreationDate="2014-12-30T16:31:34.780" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're not getting enough sun. Your plants are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiolation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;etiolated&lt;/a&gt;. They want at least six straight hours of direct sunlight, minimum. 8-12 is better. Move them to a sunnier spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, in a pot, you want to use potting mix, not garden soil. This is because of drainage issues in the very different environment, mostly. Next time, you can use a quality potting mix, and fertilize regularly for best results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, they're crowded. In a pot that size, you can't really grow more than two fava bean plants to maturity, one's a better idea. Even though they don't look super close, in a pot, the roots can't spread outward very far, like they do in a garden bed. Putting multiple plants in the pot will only exacerbate the problem. You should thin to only one or two of the healthiest plants per pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do see flower buds, but those plants are rather spindly to be producing fruit right now. If you can try to improve the conditions as stated above, you may have a better chance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T16:31:34.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="14999" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-30T17:21:14.463" Score="7" ViewCount="195" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to find the name of this tree. It's currently a bonsai and isn't doing very well, indoors or out. It came with no identification and very basic instructions like &quot;don't let it dry out.&quot; Hoping if I know the type I can better care for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm the kind of person who feels sad when a houseplant dies. Losing a bonsai would be like killing a relative...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NTleP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jZQne.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8592" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-30T18:50:25.970" LastActivityDate="2015-01-29T19:29:55.780" Title="What is the name of this tree? - currently a bonsai" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14999" CreationDate="2014-12-30T17:54:14.723" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pretty sure it's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zelkova_serrata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Japanese Zelkova (&lt;em&gt;Zelkova serrata&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2014-12-30T17:54:14.723" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15001" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14879" CreationDate="2014-12-30T21:47:52.553" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Excessive fertilization almost definitely. You shouldn't need to fertilize a plant for a while. Doing so will destabilize the soil conditions. Once a week is too often. Start with once a month but not until needed. Then as it gets larger, move to every 2 weeks but still only as needed which means it may vary (see bottom of post).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Also, as noted by Shule in the comments, the NPK ratio ought to be more balanced or in favor of slightly higher potassium. Potassium typically correlates to food for the fruits ie peppers in this case. I would recommend a light 1-1-1 fertilizer to start and again, not until necessary.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend doing a water flush of about 2-3 times what you would normally do, stop all fertilization and wait a week. Depending on how much water the plant needs based on sun/heat, provide enough to keep it satisfied after flushing but not too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you need to be using Pyrethrum Spray? Reduce the amount/frequency by 50% if the pests are a problem, bump it up to 75% (of what your currently doing).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These things grow out in the wild in all sorts of varying conditions and they do just fine. The less you do and the less you deviate from nature, the better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Container gardening can be tricky because roots cant extend as far as they normally would and are instead subjected to pretty much the same conditions uniformly. Typically you'll have a much easier time if you use a larger container with more soil. Larger = less susceptible to destabilization.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than that, more details as Apoc says would go a long way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also see: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2682/how-often-should-i-fertilize-vegetables&quot;&gt;How often should I fertilize vegetables?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above link also eludes to the importance of soil PH. This is easy to test by gathering some run off from the initial flush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to testing the PH, you can and should also test the ppm which will tell you how many particulates are dissolved in the water. I would get a ppm reading on a fresh pot of the soil your using and consider that to be a good default.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="7256" LastEditDate="2015-01-13T21:53:32.427" LastActivityDate="2015-01-13T21:53:32.427" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15002" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1950" CreationDate="2014-12-31T03:39:49.077" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like to keep the rag (technically, it's an old swiffer mat from the original swiffer). I then use the rag when putting a good clean on items like the shopvac, or anything non-metallic. The fact that is an old rag means it won't leave a think film like fresh oil, but does a great job cleaning and keeps me from having to use water. By the time it's ready for a wash, enough of the oil is out of the rag that it can go in the laundry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8594" LastActivityDate="2014-12-31T03:39:49.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15003" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="15007" CreationDate="2014-12-31T12:44:01.793" Score="9" ViewCount="1602" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to plant Daffodil bulbs in a forested area visible from a kitchen window. The area in question belongs to the homeowner, has no understory (deer browse) or early season ground cover, and is canopied by oak and hickory trees of varying age. Later in the spring the area would be covered almost 100% with wild sarsaparilla (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aralia_nudicaulis&quot;&gt;Aralia nudicaulis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would Daffodils do OK or establish in such a setting? Why or why not?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-01-01T16:43:26.697" Title="Is it OK to plant Daffodils on a forest floor?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;daffodils&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15003" CreationDate="2014-12-31T13:06:30.797" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Daffodils are a good choice:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;not eaten by deer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hardy over a wide range to USDA zone 4 or lower for some varieties&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;will flower and spread reliably for many years if you choose a cultivar that is strong like Mt. Hood and not one of the fancy varieties. Try species daffodils if you feel the shade happens too soon in spring.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;up in the spring and flowering done around the time the deciduous trees leaf out&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;check the soil, they will do better in a soil with good drainage but I am growing mine in clay&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Edit: plant deep for success. As Bamboo points out the Sarsaparilla have a thick root mass but if you can plant the daffodils beneath this then you should have some success.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;but...why introduce a foreign species to an area of a unique North American groundcover?  Wildflower lovers would give vital body parts to have Sarsaparilla growing in their backyard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2014-12-31T13:57:30.733" LastActivityDate="2014-12-31T13:57:30.733" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15005" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15003" CreationDate="2014-12-31T13:09:48.480" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aralia nudicaulis has creeping underground stems - those, combined with the root material from the trees, means its unlikely you'll be able to dig and plant the bulbs, and the bulbs themselves, once planted, may quickly be eradicated by root invasion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try digging patches to see what the conditions in terms of roots are like - if its not too bad, then by all means plant them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2014-12-31T13:09:48.480" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15006" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3729" CreationDate="2014-12-31T14:50:45.553" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If there was ever a doubt as to what goes on in your veggie garden at night with slugs, pillbugs, earwigs and millipedes, then this video will put the doubts aside:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hYVvAiK3Sg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hYVvAiK3Sg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the above pests eat ones veggies and herbs. They are after all opportunistic creatures. Put a meal on the table and they will partake. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P.S. You may not want to sleep under the old oak tree at night after seeing this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7311" LastActivityDate="2014-12-31T14:50:45.553" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15007" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15003" CreationDate="2014-12-31T16:11:57.193" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Daffodils would do great there, I'm pretty sure. I have some in my woods, and I didn't plant them there. They do fine because it's a deciduous woods, so no shade in late winter when they emerge, and barely any shade during flowering. Also, the undergrowth doesn't seem to be a problem unless it's taller than the daffodil plants, and leafs out before the daffys are done yellowing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I find that daffodils will often live in even really bad conditions, but just don't spread that much. Here's a bullet list:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Your soil type sounds ideal.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The forest sounds like it has a healthy canopy, which discourages huge wild invasives, which is good for daffodils.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As kevinsky said, daffodils are poisonous to deer; they won't get eaten.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The aralia shouldn't be a problem, as the daffodils go root dormant from yellowing until late the next winter, so the aralia roots shouldn't harm them at all. A little overlap between the end of the daffs and the fist aralia growth isn't a big deal.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The daffodils should behave in this setting; not spread super fast and get out of hand.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I think of most of the spring flowering bulbs, this one is the best. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some varieties that I've found to be good colonisers in that setting:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ice Follies - tall, wide flower, white with pale yellow trumpet. By far the most resilient one in my area. These will grow anywhere.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Quail - shorter and earlier&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mount Hood - a trumpet daffodil. Likes more sun, plant in the bright spots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tête-á-Tête - very short and early - doesn't handle much underbrush because of it's small size, but usually finishes early before other plants get going&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Juanita - tall, yellow with orange/coral trumpet&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Carlton - tall, all yellow. Not as big or showy as Mount Hood, but a bit more adaptable. Tolerates clay well.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Salome - tall, white with salmon/pink trumpet. Shade enhances trumpet color by reducing fading sun exposure.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early Sensation - mid-height. Stocky. Large flowers earlier than most others. Very nice big trumpet.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-01T16:43:26.697" LastActivityDate="2015-01-01T16:43:26.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15008" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="15018" CreationDate="2014-12-31T17:46:33.093" Score="4" ViewCount="606" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was told that both of these plants (they grow as neighbors in the same bed) are chrysanthemums, and that one is an annual and the other is a perennial kind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could that be right and if so what are the two specific kinds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE&lt;/strong&gt; A look at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.deliflor.nl/Assortiment/Overzicht&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; assortment suggests that both plants may indeed be chrysanthemums but I am still interested in an expert opinion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fAz90.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZcZx2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-01T18:25:16.690" LastActivityDate="2015-01-01T18:25:16.690" Title="Are both of these flowers chrysanthemums?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15009" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="15011" CreationDate="2014-12-31T19:37:44.463" Score="6" ViewCount="695" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm attempting to grow plants from seed during the winter, by using a desk lamp and a timer to simulate 12 hour days.  Since I know sprouts require a lot of light, I placed the desk lamp such that the bulb is about 2 inches (5cm) away from the soil.  The bulb is a 60W incandescent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, there's something wrong with the one surviving sprout.  The leaves are yellowed, with tinges of brown at the edges.  The plant still engages in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliotropism&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;heliotropic&lt;/a&gt; behavior - that is, a few hours after moving the lamp, the leaves have moved to face the bulb.  The plant is a Sweet Basil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never tried this before, so it's hard to tell if a) the bulb is too hot too close, and is burning the plant or b) the bulb is too dim, and the plant cannot complete sufficient photosynthesis.  A Google image search shows leaves with this coloration for both etiolated and sunburned plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I tell if the plant is etiolated or sunburned?  Alternatively, in this specific case, is it burned or etiolated?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/27ZOI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The plant in question&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8596" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2014-12-31T20:46:17.830" LastActivityDate="2017-03-08T23:52:04.097" Title="How can I tell the difference between etiolation and a sunburn?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15010" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2014-12-31T20:32:55.000" Score="1" ViewCount="267" Body="&lt;p&gt;Essentially, along the edges of a new-to-me yard (edges of house, porch) -- I'm assuming from moisture retention -- a weedy/cloverish (I have no idea, clearly) thing is taking over. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a yard in North Texas / Fort Worth, if you're curious about environment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of the grass/weed in question: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click image for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LaqOU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LaqOUl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this stuff, and what is a good method if getting rid of it, while vitalizing the good grass? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking for ideas, or product + method recommendations. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8597" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2014-12-31T21:03:34.357" LastActivityDate="2014-12-31T21:03:34.357" Title="What is this weed in my lawn and how can I get my grass back?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="8" ClosedDate="2015-01-25T02:20:19.750" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15009" CreationDate="2014-12-31T20:45:53.223" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can tell the difference by a closer examination of the plant. Etiolation causes stretched, thin, pale stems, and thin, pale leaves. Your seedling is only showing the chlorotic look in the areas that point directly at the light source, but the plant isn't showing signs of excess light, so I believe it's heat from the lamp that's burning the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looks like the plant is getting scorched by heat from the bulb. This can happen even with fluorescent bulbs at close range. It is possible to burn a plant (especially a seedling) with the heat of a lightbulb, even if the light from that bulb is inadequate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The solution is to use direct sunlight if possible, use higher wattage at a greater distance, or switch to a high wattage led grow light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant doesn't look very etiolated, look at the leaf undersides, and the plant stem. In etiolation, they would be paler than the upper leaf surface, because of the lack of light. In this case, only the upper leaf surface is pale, because the cause is damage to the tissue, by excessive heat from the lamp. This will affect photosynthesis, because the damaged tissue will no longer function. This may set back your plant quite a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing - once the seedling uses up the stores from the seed leaves, it will rely on photosynthesis to provide energy. It cannot perform photosynthesis without some basic building blocks, which is why you fertilize. If your plant lasts more than a week with no apparent attempt at putting out some true leaves, I would begin a half-strength all-purpose fertilization with the watering, every seven days until it puts out some new leaves. Once it has three or more true leaves, I'd start fertilizing full-strength. Basil loves nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-03-08T23:52:04.097" LastActivityDate="2017-03-08T23:52:04.097" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15012" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14978" CreationDate="2014-12-31T21:21:43.677" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew up around Lake Geneva and we called the ubiquitous urban trees, especially for these alleysways, the &quot;platane&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.signegeneve.ch/geneve/centre/la-taille-des-platanes-cest-tout-un-art.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; (in french) names the species as &lt;em&gt;Platanus hispanicus&lt;/em&gt;, a hybridised form of oriental and occidental species (they probably meant &lt;em&gt;Platanus x hispanica&lt;/em&gt;, which confirms That Idiot's identification as London plane).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PzboD.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree is widespread (5600 in Geneva alone), even though it is an exotic, due to its tolerance of urban environments - heat, pollution or damage to the bark. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above cited article explains the origin of pollarding in Geneva as to preserve the servitudes of views to the lake from lake side residences. (I just discovered, researching this question, that pollarding is called &quot;en tête de chat&quot; in french, i.e. &quot;pruning in a cat's head&quot;, which i find amusing). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is also encountered unpollarded, quite a handsome tree. Here at University of Lausanne (Dorigny)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YLaHw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;*Platanus* alleyway, Dorigny Lausanne&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;or the Geneva botanical garden&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IaOsO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;300 year old *Platanus*&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your question made me nostalgic of Switzerland - i had never realised how ubiquitous and emblematic of Swiss cities it was. Thanks for that wooghie!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7506" LastActivityDate="2014-12-31T21:21:43.677" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15013" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="15026" CreationDate="2014-12-31T22:54:01.940" Score="5" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinacea_purpurea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;purple coneflower (&lt;em&gt;Echinacea purpurea&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; is one of my favorite flowers; it's easy to grow, cheap, spreads quickly (giving me lots of new plants to spread around) and looks good over a long season (I leave the seedheads up for the birds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I so fell in love with purple coneflower that I planted other types as well, White swan, some of the Big Sky hybrids, and others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought and planted in the spring, in well-draining loamy soil and full sun (watering them in, and appropriately until established), fed only early in the season with Osmocote giving them an opportunity to establish. To my disappointment, none of the newer varieties came back more than for one additional season (except for White Swan, which has done well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I decided that either I know a lot less about gardening than I thought I did, the new echinaceas are weak, or maybe both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone else had success with the newer echinaceas? Are some better than others? At this point, I don't even know why they're labeled as perennials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone tell me why I am incapable of keeping the newer varieties? I am in zone 6b, but my microclimate is probably more like zone 6.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7515" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-01-01T00:41:42.727" LastActivityDate="2015-01-03T18:19:27.317" Title="Why aren't my new echinaceas true perennials?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15015" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="15016" CreationDate="2015-01-01T10:30:15.553" Score="10" ViewCount="1454" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just noticed this on a fig tree and these are everywhere. It's not just on the leaves but on the stems as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this an ant colony on this fig tree, Or something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bXajB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fig leave zoom in&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qY248.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fig leave zoom out&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my not-too-techy friend's tree. &#xA;The tree is about 2.5m tall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm curious for few reasons&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I want to help my friend &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I was given an offshoot of this tree - to&#xA;plant in my garden - and I wanted to be well prepared if something&#xA;like this will happen.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8581" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-23T22:23:20.293" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T15:51:31.607" Title="Is this an ant colony on this fig tree?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;figs&gt;&lt;soft-fruit&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15016" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15015" CreationDate="2015-01-01T16:38:48.323" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got a bad infestation of &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/scales/fig_wax_scale.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;fig wax scale&lt;/a&gt;. The ants are there for the honeydew, and are &lt;a href=&quot;http://antark.net/ant-life/ant-feeding/ant-farming/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;ant-farming&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want to get rid of the scale, they're basically living off of your plant, using up resources. If it's a small plant, you can use a pen or other pointy thing and pop as many off as you can, onto a small drop-cloth, to be destroyed. The rest can be treated. From kevinsky's answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8686/identify-this-insect-or-fungus-possible-scale/8687#8687&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make a mixture of 5 to 10 ml of dish soap of any brand and one liter of water. Mix but do not make it too frothy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get a soft toothbrush or soft scrub pad and dip it in the solution and rub off the scale rinsing on a regular basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once you are done, wait a few minutes and wipe all the areas you have covered with a clean cloth to remove the soap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Repeat at least twice at six to seven day intervals to catch the ones you missed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Consider repeating this process as required as this scale is hard to control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have no patience for this you could also try buying a systemic insecticide like Cygon 2E, read the instructions, put on impermeable gloves and appropriate safety gear, prepare a two liter solution according to the instructions and pour it into the soil. A solution that is more dilute than recommended should be tried for the first application to see how the plant responds. As most pesticides smell you probably want to do this outside and catch the water that flows through the pot for safe disposal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can use other chemicals as well. I've successfully used &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinotefuran&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;dinotefuran&lt;/a&gt; (2-methyl-1-nitro-3-[(tetrahydro-3-furanyl) methyl] guanidine), a systemic insecticide (this mean the plant takes it in, transports it throughout, and that poisons the scales through feeding).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also want to read &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7408.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;UC IPM's scale management article&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-01-01T16:38:48.323" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15017" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14914" CreationDate="2015-01-01T17:19:23.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd repot it into the next size up of pot, and give it a good watering. Looks like the humidity could improve also. I don't see disease on the plant, but that's just from the pics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About pruning, you can head back some of that long, gangly growth, take out anything dead, broken, or rubbing, etc. I wouldn't prune too hard when it's in that shape though. The ideal time to prune is right before the fastest growth period of the year, as that's when the cuts will heal fastest, and you are least likely to get infected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-01T17:19:23.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15008" CreationDate="2015-01-01T17:39:50.793" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like both are mums, yes. But to me, it looks like they are both perennials. Look at the leaves. They both have the leaf type of &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/chrysanthemum-x-morifolium-cv-66115.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chrysanthemum x morifolium&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, which is what perennial garden mums are based on. Look at the edges of this leaf:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/72KK7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many kinds of mums, but this leaf with a large/showy flower signifies a plant that was developed from &lt;em&gt;Chrysanthemum x morifolium&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-01T17:39:50.793" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15019" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14989" CreationDate="2015-01-01T17:46:39.417" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That sounds like a great pruning system, and as you've been sucessfully using it for 8 years, I don't see why you should switch methods, unless you want to. There isn't really a 'best' way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-01T17:46:39.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15020" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14937" CreationDate="2015-01-01T21:49:53.000" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like a variety of Euonymus as Bamboo suggested, not boxwood. Whatever you do do NOT repot this bonsai in a bigger pot...as was mentioned above.  It is simply stressed from adjusting to new environments.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonsai need to be watered almost every day.  So little soil and they dry out quickly.  I put the entire pot in a basin of water to soak.  Also washes dust off leaves.  Keep out of drafts.  Bright light but not direct light.  Can do fine out doors but keep under cover, Euonymus are great with shade.  Keep indoors during any freezing weather but don't haul from indoors to outdoors or viseversa.  I take my indoor plants outside on a covered patio when the weather is warm and predictable in the spring.  But coming back inside for the winter I bring them inside during the night and keep lengthening the time spent indoors to reduce stress.  You might want to do this to accustom your bonsai to the outdoors in the spring, depending on your weather.  Take it out for a few hours on the covered porch and extend the amount of time until it can stay out all summer.  Water everyday.  This is ONLY true for Bonsai! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get a book on how to care and manage Bonsai for yourself or to give with your gift.  Critical.  Bonsai are HIGH maintenance meaning there is no room for error as with plants in the garden or grown to natural size in pots. Very much fun and great to learn from...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And use bottled or distilled water for your Bonsai, NOT tap water!  Too many salts, fluoride is toxic!  For us humans as well!  Consult your book on fertilization...very important. Slow release organic fertilizer but very little and more often than other house plants or garden plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck...great gift but unless your friend is a gardener, I'd keep it and learn to keep it alive.  Kind of like buying someone a pet...be careful!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-01-01T21:49:53.000" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15021" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="15024" CreationDate="2015-01-01T22:29:48.700" Score="5" ViewCount="1303" Body="&lt;p&gt;I photographed this unusual shrub in November, in St. Lucia, but haven't been able to identify it. It had small (1-2cm), red flowers, growing out of pink-ish sepals in many elongate clusters as shown below (click for larger view):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ENyK0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ENyK0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4TAn2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4TAn2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OglrV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OglrV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this plant, or at least point me in the right direction?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8604" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-24T03:24:59.470" LastActivityDate="2015-07-24T03:24:59.470" Title="What is this shrub with small red flowers, found in St. Lucia?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14937" CreationDate="2015-01-01T23:01:26.693" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most likely due to lack of water. Do not soak in sink. Instead, water from above with a small water can rose,like you are simulating rain :). Water until you see the water start to flow through the drainage holes on the bottom. Leave for about 30mins, then repeat the watering. The reason for this is that most of the water may have run down the sides of the pot on the first watering if the soil was dried and compacted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, put gravel in a shallow tray that is wider than the tree itself. Put some water in this tray and place the potted bonsai on top. This water will evaporate and create a nice humid condition around the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check the soil every day by pushing a skewer into the soil. If the skewer comes out moist, then don't water yet. Bonsai should never be in lots of water as the roots will rot. Allow the soil to dry out slightly between waterings. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apply a light dressing of slow release bonemeal or other organic fertiliser on top of the soil&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8605" LastActivityDate="2015-01-01T23:01:26.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15024" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15021" CreationDate="2015-01-02T00:37:51.033" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerodendrum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;clerodendrum&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerodendrum_thomsoniae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;thomsoniae&lt;/a&gt; or a similar looking cultivar also called the bleeding heart vine.  The genus is found in many tropical areas: Asia, Africa, Australasia and tropical Americas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a weak climber but can be trained into a pillar or grown as a shrub.  It does not tolerate frost but in some tropical regions is vigorous enough to have escaped cultivation and become naturalized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I grew this plant it was quite happy in a 12 inch pot with lots of diffuse light and water.  If grown in a pot this plant gives best performance with flowering plant fertilizer added in the blooming season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-01-02T00:56:35.387" LastActivityDate="2015-01-02T00:56:35.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15025" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8165" CreationDate="2015-01-02T10:08:50.797" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can keep them alive until spring with or without a grow light, if you have a good widow. If you want fruit before spring, and if you want them stronger, I recommend a grow light. If they grow too big, you can take cuttings and root them for new/additional plants. If you're running on window light, you should realize that the time of day in which the sun produces the kind of light that tomatoes like the most may change in winter. Where I'm from, they like the east morning sun in the summer and fall. In the winter, they like the afternoon sun (they grow toward the west instead of how they used to grow toward the east). So, be sure to position them in the window according to the light they prefer. If your windows are east/west instead of south like mine, you should move them to the window they prefer at the proper time of year. For a south window, if you keep them in one spot all year they may suffer if they're not near the middle of the window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never heard anyone talk about the east/west change from fall going into winter. My plants just showed me within three last few months up until now by their behavior. The ones on the west half that receive morning light (and low afternoon light) definitely need to be moved, or else they need a grow light. I've got a few on order, though, but I just moved the plants (and edited this post to reflect that).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should be able to get lots of tomatoes next year due to larger and more mature plants. When you plant them in spring, you could plant them really deep so as to give them more nutrients and drought-resistance. They should grow roots all along the buried stem. Your plants, and even the cuttings should produce earlier tomatoes than usual, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be sure to use clean soil for cuttings to protect against damping off or root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-01-02T10:55:16.897" LastActivityDate="2015-01-02T10:55:16.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15013" CreationDate="2015-01-02T12:45:19.130" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's entirely possible that some of the newer hybrids are not all they're advertised to be. The Big Sky series, for instance, are a cross between Echinacea purpurea and Echinacea paradoxa, though it's not clear to me whether these have a tap root or fibrous roots, as E. purpurea does. Some in the series have already been withdrawn because of various problems (distortion of petals in Sunset, for instance). White Swan is a cultivar of Echinacea purpurea, and does not have a separate Echinacea variety as a parent, which may be why that one is successful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few web threads devoted to complaining about the Big Sky series from people who've tried growing them - from reading those, there appears to be a general consensus that the following are better performing plants: Razmatazz, Coconut Lime, Tiki Torch, and Double Delight. Note, though, that double flowered plants do not encourage pollinating insects, since they are sterile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-01-02T12:45:19.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15027" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="15042" CreationDate="2015-01-03T00:36:37.927" Score="13" ViewCount="11823" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently purchased a house on a 0.25 acre (0.1 hectare, ~11,000 sqft) lot that in the past was known as &quot;the party house.&quot; This name became more clear to me today while raking leaves I found large quantities of broken shards of glass throughout the lawn, presents no doubt left behind by previous tenants and their guests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My goal is to make make my yard free of glass, such that my family and guests can walk around barefoot without fearing cutting our soles to shreds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picking the glass up is not realistic given the size of the yard, the amount of glass (everywhere), and that I know I will miss many pieces. Brown, green, and clear glass blend expertly into the moist, lush lawns found in the Pacific Northwest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking of dumping clean fill and reseeding or alternatively placing down sod. My concern would be raising the grade or not adding enough material to cover the glass. Digging out the top few inches of topsoil could counter this, though I expect this would be starting to get pricey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am wondering if my approach is the best approach or if there are perhaps other methods I can try that I haven't yet considered?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1173" LastActivityDate="2019-04-06T18:42:50.830" Title="How can I deal with broken glass spread out in my yard?" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15028" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="15029" CreationDate="2015-01-03T03:50:59.787" Score="3" ViewCount="4119" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently purchased some night-blooming jasmine plants. After a week the plants are wilting. I transferred them to new pots with different soil but no improvement noticed. I also sprayed numerous times with baking-soda and water(also mist with just water alone, and yet no improvement. I also checked the roots for signs of rot but found none. Why are they wilting? How can I save them please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Ft0a.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dksCk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-01-03T15:16:05.357" LastActivityDate="2021-05-10T14:07:21.637" Title="Night-Blooming Jasmine plant continues to wilt even after treating with baking soda-water spray" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15029" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15028" CreationDate="2015-01-03T15:42:50.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only use I know of for baking soda is to control powdery mildew.  The pictures are not clear enough to see if that's what the plants have but powdery mildew does not cause the kind of wilting that we can see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is the night blooming jasmine or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cestrum_nocturnum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cestrum nocturnum&lt;/a&gt;, a flowering shrub native to the west Indies but now naturalized in Asia, South Africa, New Zealand and commonly found in North America where the temperatures remain above 10 deg C ( 15 deg F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The wilt could be a fungus/virus/bacteria causing root rot or the plant could be under watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consider these suggestions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when you water add enough water that it runs out of the drain holes in the pot. If you do not have drain holes in the pot that could be your problem.  After watering let the top ten percent of the soil dry out before watering again.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider removing all the wilted leaves and any dead leaves on top of the soil.  They will not un wilt so you  might as well act.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ensure the plant is located so it received bright sunlight for at least eight hours a day&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the tough love approach would be to cut the plant back at least two thirds to a strong stem. Reduce watering and wait and see&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-01-03T15:42:50.843" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15030" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="15058" CreationDate="2015-01-03T17:42:29.673" Score="5" ViewCount="864" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have kiwi, lemon, orange, mandarin and avocado trees, grown from seed from normal fruit which I have eaten. &#xA;I also have an aquarium with turtle. I've treated aquarium water with ReptoSafe and ReptoFresh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking to use the water from the aquarium (containing turtle manure) to water my trees. They are just small indoor trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it feasible to use aquarium water on my trees?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What water parameters I should measure (like pH)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How should I measure those parameters?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8608" LastEditorUserId="8608" LastEditDate="2015-01-04T14:16:35.850" LastActivityDate="2015-09-12T06:24:32.870" Title="Can I water indoor fruit trees with aquarium water?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;manure&gt;&lt;green-manure&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15032" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15013" CreationDate="2015-01-03T18:18:13.007" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some perennials do better with building up the soil with more natural fertilizer such as well composted manure rather than Osmocote. Perennials can be very light feeders. Also what do you do in the fall? Cutting them back too far may expose the roots too much to the weather. That said it is true that many new varieties do not live up to their hype.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8609" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-01-03T18:19:27.317" LastActivityDate="2015-01-03T18:19:27.317" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15033" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="928" CreationDate="2015-01-03T18:43:16.117" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hand picking them at night is a great way to get a large population under control. After you have reduced their numbers you could try a few things. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have mulch around your plants you may want to move it back away from the plant stems. Mulch is a great hiding place for slugs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They do not like to go over any rough material so spreading some Diatomaceous earth or wood ashes around the plants will help. Be careful with too many wood ashes as they will affect the pH of your soil. Both of these materials will need to be refreshed fairly often, especially after a lot of rain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good Luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8609" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-01-03T19:16:29.543" LastActivityDate="2015-01-03T19:16:29.543" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15034" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-03T20:31:23.083" Score="4" ViewCount="409" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the general care of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaffir_lime&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Kaffir lime (&lt;em&gt;Citrus hystrix&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; trees? I have a very small tree that I'm growing as a houseplant.  How do I care for it?  Does it need a bigger pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8610" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-01-03T20:41:49.097" LastActivityDate="2015-01-04T00:30:54.427" Title="How do I take care of my very small Kaffir lime tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15035" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-03T22:17:51.590" Score="3" ViewCount="5210" Body="&lt;p&gt;My hamster recently died and I have lots of pine bedding left over. Is it possible to use unused pine bedding as mulch for the potted plants in my garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8607" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-03T22:33:07.227" LastActivityDate="2015-01-04T11:58:20.540" Title="Can I use unused pine bedding as mulch in my potted outdoor plants?" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15036" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15035" CreationDate="2015-01-03T22:32:02.923" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it's possible. They won't really improve the soil for a long time though (they'll take some time to break down), but they should conserve moisture well in a good layer, and keep the soil temperature more even.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd say this would be better for use on beds than in pots, you don't generally have to mulch in containers. But it won't kill anything, and might even help when it's really hot and dry out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-03T22:32:02.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15037" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15035" CreationDate="2015-01-03T23:56:23.710" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;No.  Undecomposed wood will rob the plants of Nitrogen and do nothing for the soil until the wood is completely decomposed.  Then the mulch will add to your soil by feeding beneficial bacteria and organisms.  Plants in a pot are TOTALLY dependent on what you give them and no expense spared. Even in my outdoor gardens I ONLY use decomposed organic matter as mulch.  The only difference between 'good' soil and 'bad' soil is the amount of decomposed organic matter.  Don't need to manually mix decomposed organic matter or mulch into the soil as the micro and macro-organisms will come up, feed (and they can only eat decomposed organic matter!)and then go back into your soil profile, poop it out and THEY do all the mixing for you...IF you put decomposed organic matter on top of the soil!  Bark, raw wood, pine needles that are not decomposed will take time and the decomposers use lots of Nitrogen to do their work.  Fine for large beds, gardens that already have lots of organic matter in the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make double sure you have used a good potting soil.  Using garden soil in pots is a HUGE no-no.  It needs to start out as sterilized.  Lots of brands are finally putting bacteria and good fungus back into their soils after they've been sterilized. Try to find that on the labels.  'Doctor Earth' is but one brand that does this...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And make sure your pots have drainage holes, space between the bottom of the pot and whatever surface it sits upon and do not use anything except good potting soil in your pot. Do not use any gravel or rocks on the bottom under the soil.  This will cause the soil to become saturated before the water will drain.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-01-03T23:56:23.710" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15038" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15034" CreationDate="2015-01-04T00:30:54.427" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just ordered my Kaffir Lime tree.  It is so critical you put it in the proper sized pot.  Is it a 'sleeve' plant?  So a 1 or 2 gallon pot would be fine for quite awhile. I will be transplanting my plant or at least changing the soil once per year.  Upgrading the size if I see roots beginning to encircle the outside of the soil around the pot whenever necessary. DO NOT plant in a pot that is too big.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll be getting great potting soil that includes bacteria and mychorrhizae fungi.  No gravel at the bottom of the pot!  This actually causes the soil to become too wet! Make sure the bottom of the pot has airspace between whatever it is sitting upon.  Rocks, pavers or 'pot feet' will work fine.  If you use a saucer, dump out excess water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I take all my indoor plants outside under a covering during the summer so they can get better light than what they could get in a home.  A great grow light really helps and is totally necessary if they have to remain indoors. Being able to grow outside during warm weather helps them gather enough energy to remain healthy through the winter.  They will die if a single cold snap happens, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you cook Thai? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because they are in pots it is up to you to give them everything they need and it should be the best...soil; sterilized potting soil, not garden soil. No tap water unless you are on a well and you don't use salts for softening.  Drainage.  Careful with fertilizer, use organic slow-release and decomposed organic mulch.  Too little is better than too much. Light is critical.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-01-04T00:30:54.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15039" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="15040" CreationDate="2015-01-04T03:10:36.593" Score="3" ViewCount="1967" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this strange vegetable-looking plant growing randomly outside my apartment and was wondering what it is. It looks like a mustard family vegetable and the purple/green stem is similar to various mustard/broccoli species, but I am not sure what it is or even if it is edible. There are some flowers and it will soon form seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone help identify this plant for me? It grows very rapidly like a weed and the leaves are growing bigger each day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UI0QO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Note the flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O5ZNL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf structure&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BWgxl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8611" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-04T03:47:46.303" LastActivityDate="2018-03-29T18:31:57.703" Title="What is this plant in my vegetable bed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-01-04T18:32:36.947" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15040" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15039" CreationDate="2015-01-04T03:37:13.527" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pokeweed (&lt;em&gt;Phytolacca americana&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;. It is an obnoxious weed in many areas. It is poisonous, but can be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana#Food_uses&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;edible when young&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="11157" LastEditDate="2018-03-29T18:31:57.703" LastActivityDate="2018-03-29T18:31:57.703" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15035" CreationDate="2015-01-04T11:47:46.483" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, I wouldn't recommend it either. It will serve no real useful purpose, and will steal available nitrogen in the process of rotting down - if they are fine pine shavings, they may not remain in place and blow about anyway. If you want to top your pots off with something, use decorative pebbles or grit, but they don't really need anything on the top. You could, though, spread it out and turn it into the soil in empty ground, adding nitrogen if you want to plant the area, or better yet, find someone else who may be able to use it for the originally intended purpose, i.e.,  animal bedding. Alternatively, compost it with nitrogen rich materials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-01-04T11:58:20.540" LastActivityDate="2015-01-04T11:58:20.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15027" CreationDate="2015-01-04T11:53:24.380" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There isn't an easy answer - you need to rake off all areas, scraping up as much glass as possible, probably more than once, and then dispose of it. If you try dumping topsoil or laying new sod, those glass shards will inevitably work their way back up to the top, the same way that small pebbles do, which are usually at their most obvious after winter on the surface of the soil. It would be great if you could engage a crew to do the work and have it paid for by the vendor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-01-04T11:53:24.380" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15043" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-04T17:41:26.487" Score="3" ViewCount="777" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had a Jade plant over 15 years. It thrives most of the time, however this morning I found it toppled over from being so full at the top of the plant.  I have never pruned it and am very afraid of doing it wrong and damaging the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I go about pruning it so that it's not so top-heavy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8613" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-01-04T18:26:28.947" LastActivityDate="2015-01-05T19:30:29.173" Title="How should I prune a top heavy Jade plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15044" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-04T20:37:33.040" Score="3" ViewCount="2719" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you help me identify this plant? Is it a vine?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QY3yp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tTLrq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8607" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-04T23:21:30.743" LastActivityDate="2015-01-05T12:31:13.513" Title="What is this plant with ivy-like leaves and pink flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14383" CreationDate="2015-01-04T20:58:36.673" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, as for your question about growth climate, the mango will thrive outside of tropical regions, so I wouldn't give up on it! This article from &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/mango-trees-dry-brown-spots-leaves-56850.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;SFGate&lt;/a&gt; says: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;You can grow a mango tree outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture Zones 8-10. In cooler climates, grow a mango indoors or in a greenhouse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the commenters have said, more information is needed about your specific plant, but it may have a common and serious fungal disease called Anthracnose. According to the above-mentioned article,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Dry brown spots on the leaves of a mango tree are an early indicator of the disease Anthracnose, caused by a fungus under the scientific name Colletotrichum Gleosporiodes. The spots may be brown or black when they first appear and have an angular shape to them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wet trees are most susceptible, and careful watering is important, as the fungus is spread when drops of water from an infected leaf splash onto a healthy part of the plant. If left unchecked, Anthracnose can spread to stems, branches, flowers and fruit, and may be fatal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In it's article entitled &quot;Mango Tree Diseases,&quot; &lt;a href=&quot;http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Mango_Tree_Diseases&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Love to Know&lt;/a&gt; describes this as well as other common problems which affect mango trees in the United States.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spraying with a copper-based fungicide is recommended in both articles, as is regular pruning of affected areas. (I'm not saying you should trim your leaf, as you don't know that it has this disease.) Mention is also made that spreading potash in the soil around the base of the plant in the winter can be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-01-04T20:58:36.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15046" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15044" CreationDate="2015-01-04T23:27:34.077" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant has a common name of zonal geranium or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelargonium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pelargonium&lt;/a&gt;. They are native to South Africa but are more commonly seen as outdoor bedding plants where they are treated as annuals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To positively identify this plant there should be hairs on the underside of the leaves and the flower should be similar to this:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S5w6f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;zonal geranium&quot;&gt;&#xA;and the leaves should be similar to this&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cYaHF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pelargonium hortorum&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-01-05T01:03:13.230" LastActivityDate="2015-01-05T01:03:13.230" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15047" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15044" CreationDate="2015-01-05T09:19:44.270" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is a Pelargonium Peltatum / Ivy-Leaved Pelargonium. It's closely related to the zonal pelargoniums. (And hence often somewhat mixed up)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Typical characteristics are&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;waxy, ivy-shaped leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;long distances between the leaf nodes and thus&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;trailing or hanging growth, suitable for window boxes, hanging baskets or similar&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;often, but not always with flower clusters that apperar more sparse or &quot;thinner&quot; then their p. zonatum relatives.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Central Europe (where I live), Pelargoniums are &quot;the&quot; plant for window boxes etc., so I've seen my share of them. Especially the ivy-leaved P.s (simply called &quot;Hängegeranie&quot; / hanging pelargonium here) can look spectacular.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-01-05T12:31:13.513" LastActivityDate="2015-01-05T12:31:13.513" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15048" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="15049" CreationDate="2015-01-05T14:37:24.253" Score="4" ViewCount="305" Body="&lt;p&gt;At first there was much less of the heart-shaped leaves and more bamboo leaves but the bamboo mostly died off and the heart-shaped leaves mostly took over the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was under the impression that it was part of the bamboo plant at first but I don't think that is the case as it started to propagate on it's own and is producing what appear to be seed pods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There may be more than 1 other plant in here also as seen in the first and third picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jzb7E.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pXPH8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2E2d1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastActivityDate="2015-01-05T14:56:13.740" Title="Identify this plant(s) mixed with a dwarf bamboo" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15049" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15048" CreationDate="2015-01-05T14:56:13.740" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;One, I &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; identify:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The one with the three heart-shaped leaves is some kind of oxalis (wood sorrel).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the last one I'll venture &lt;em&gt;a wild guess&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Perhaps some kind of epilobium (willowherb) - looks a lot like the weeds I pluck from my yard (but that's in Germany...)? But it's rather small and not too distinct.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-01-05T14:56:13.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15050" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="15054" CreationDate="2015-01-05T15:43:15.910" Score="3" ViewCount="540" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you help me identify this plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is about a foot tall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has a slightly lemony smell. I don't think it's a mint. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JZ1Is.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LjI7O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastActivityDate="2015-01-05T16:52:01.467" Title="What is this bushy, lemony, red-flowering herb?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15051" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-05T15:46:12.283" Score="2" ViewCount="483" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you help me identify this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is between a foot and two tall. It has a scent I can't really place. It doesn't seem strong enough for a mint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GOR7I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastActivityDate="2015-01-13T11:43:02.570" Title="What is this bushy, yellow-flowering plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15052" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-05T15:52:09.043" Score="5" ViewCount="548" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since the last rain, this plant has been making its way in our garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like a rosemary, it is growing a couple feet from an old rosemary bush, and its tender leaves &lt;em&gt;kinda&lt;/em&gt; taste like one. We're not quite sure it is one, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it a rosemary, or something else? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WVgji.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zhSXm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastActivityDate="2015-01-05T16:33:25.470" Title="Is this young plant a rosemary?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15053" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15052" CreationDate="2015-01-05T16:33:25.470" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks more like a young Helichrysum italicum than Rosemary, but since that's the curry plant, meaning it smells of curry when you bruise the leaves, it shouldn't be hard to tell. It's not toxic to eat, but does not impart a curry flavour to food - the flowers are yellow, and the oil from those is used as a herbal remedy for various things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-01-05T16:33:25.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15050" CreationDate="2015-01-05T16:37:08.933" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Lantana camara to me, an herbaceous perennial (but half hardy in cooler regions like Britain) which is toxic if ingested.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-01-05T16:52:01.467" LastActivityDate="2015-01-05T16:52:01.467" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15055" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15043" CreationDate="2015-01-05T19:30:29.173" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well the obvious solution would be to pot it in a bigger heaver pot...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I believe you can prune jade and have the branches root.  Even the leaves will root.  You just need to let the wound dry out for a few days first before sticking it in water or soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2015-01-05T19:30:29.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15056" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15030" CreationDate="2015-01-05T19:31:38.907" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure why not?  Just less fertilizer you'll have to use for your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2015-01-05T19:31:38.907" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15057" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="15060" CreationDate="2015-01-05T19:39:49.950" Score="4" ViewCount="436" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems like every time we bring arborists onto a property, the first thing they want to do is to remove all the deadwood from the tree canopies. What are the reasons for doing this, and is it really that important to the health of the trees? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-01-06T11:47:33.833" Title="Is it really that important to prune deadwood from trees? If so, why?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15058" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15030" CreationDate="2015-01-05T21:42:43.650" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aquarium water from freshwater animals is excellent for plants. If you are interested in taking this to a new level, do a search for &lt;strong&gt;Aquaponics&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get a pH Testing Kit to determine if the water is too acidic or basic for your plants first. You can likely buy one at the same store where you buy your ReptoSafe and ReptoFresh. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will want a pH of around 6 for your trees. You can adjust the pH level of your water as needed with additives designed for adjusting the pH level of aquarium water. Ideally, the pH level of your aquarium's water will be acceptable without additives. You can then just filter out any solid waste and pour directly onto your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user8618" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-01-05T21:50:01.160" LastActivityDate="2015-01-05T21:50:01.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15060" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15057" CreationDate="2015-01-06T11:47:33.833" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes its important for the health of a plant, particularly if the dead wood is infected in some way, but more usually, it's a matter of aesthetics - if you're asking a professional to come and sort out trees or large shrubs, the first step is to remove anything that's dead to 'clear the decks' so to speak, then carry out some judicious pruning and reshaping as necessary. I certainly spend a lot of time in new gardens pruning out old, dead wood from rose trees, first because they look better and second, to ease congestion of the living stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-01-06T11:47:33.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15061" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-06T16:36:12.377" Score="4" ViewCount="534" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this plant today, it has purple flowers and it climbs.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0fH83.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EpkXL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I forget to ask the seller about its name and I regret it! Any recommendation on how to care for this plant? Should I keep it in a shady or sunny spot? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8623" LastEditorUserId="8623" LastEditDate="2015-01-06T18:36:27.320" LastActivityDate="2015-07-15T14:29:08.110" Title="What is the name of this purple-flowered climbing plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="12" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15062" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-06T20:50:52.623" Score="3" ViewCount="1327" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant has been growing normally for a while but I woke up this morning to discover brown patches and some shriveled leaves. I had previously sprayed it down with fungicide and then with insect-repellent, so what now? &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5D3h4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastActivityDate="2015-01-10T15:07:06.720" Title="Why does my gardenia have brown patches on it's leaves?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15063" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16063" CreationDate="2015-01-07T01:54:04.100" Score="3" ViewCount="173" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there plants with bulbs that only produce leaves, no flowers? If I wanted to look up such plants, what should I search for? e.g. botanical term, name of plant family - whatever makes sense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Background: I found some bulbs in my garden that i didn't think I'd seen flower. I put them in a pot to keep an eye on them and see what they are but they have gone through two years without producing any stalk or flower. They produce a lot of lush leaves so I thought they might be grown for foliage, but then what is the reproduction strategy of the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1339" LastActivityDate="2015-01-07T12:32:00.637" Title="Are there bulbs that produce only leaves?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="15064" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-07T02:24:22.553" Score="0" ViewCount="222" Body="&lt;p&gt;Has anyone used a Parrot Power wireless plant monitor, is it worth the money or is it just a gimmick or fad that I should let pass? Are there any other products similar to this type of &lt;em&gt;Internet of Things&lt;/em&gt; gadget that are also inexpensive?    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.parrot.com/usa/products/flower-power/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Parrot Flower Power&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any information on whether it is durable or not is appreciated too, I would be interested to drive one into the soil outside next to my fruit trees but I do not want something that will break the first time I forget it and a morning dew turns the circuits to rust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also technologically is it difficult to use or intuitive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8619" LastEditorUserId="7256" LastEditDate="2015-01-07T21:16:56.787" LastActivityDate="2015-01-07T21:16:56.787" Title="How useful/reliable is the Parrot Flower Power?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2015-01-09T18:26:21.543" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16061" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8804" CreationDate="2015-01-07T05:05:36.560" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have dug trenches everywhere between the edges of the landscape beds/walks and the lawn. This does get tedious, but next time I am going to dig a trench deep enough to lay down &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.heunis.co.za/aboutus.html#!itemdetails/name=100x75mm%20square%20gutter%20angles&amp;amp;id=EE72A5CA-58BD-46E9-8D63-B3D796E82BF0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;galvanised square gutter&lt;/a&gt; to keep the edges. Then I will fill the gutter with stones to weigh it down and provide an edging that I can easily maintain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9623" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-19T22:18:22.320" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T22:18:22.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16062" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4640" CreationDate="2015-01-07T08:38:10.347" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would suspect a potassium imbalance (either too much or too little). Maybe even a phosphorus imbalance. There may have been some leaf miners, but there were other problems, too (although it doesn't look like powdery mildew to me, except maybe on the left-most leaf on the bottom picture). Potassium-deficient plants are weaker against insects and are more disease-prone. If you can, I would get a soil test. That way you'll know better what the soil needs. Maybe make sure the soil has enough available calcium and silica, too (a deficiency of either may make a plant more disease-prone). Cucurbits enjoy silica more than say tomatoes in my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have diatomaceous earth or rockdust of some kind, it would add extra silica to the soil. Rockdust would probably be better, as it would offer other benefits besides silica, and it shouldn't add as much aluminum (I would suggest basalt rockdust most). Don't add much diatomaceous earth if you use that, though. I'm just guessing, but I suppose a tablespoonful of diatomaceous earth mixed in with your next watering (or into the soil) should be more than fine (no need to repeat).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For calcium, if needed, I would just use eggshells from boiled eggs (boiled to sterilize them). Don't powder the shells. Just break them up into pieces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, the main problem seems to be the coloring of the leaves and susceptibility to disease, which seems to indicate a nutrient problem. Even if powdery mildew was the problem, a soil test wouldn't hurt, and a better balance should make future plants stronger to prevent recurrence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-01-07T08:50:40.327" LastActivityDate="2015-01-07T08:50:40.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16063" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15063" CreationDate="2015-01-07T12:32:00.637" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, all bulbs produce a flower at some point, though some may only flower once and then die. The usual cause of non flowering is environmental, meaning the plant hasn't been able to access sufficient food or water during the time its leaves are present to initiate flower production for the following year. A bulb is a storage organ, and when the leaves are actively growing, nutrients are transported and stored within the bulb to enable flowering a year later. Even cutting off the leaves or tying them up before they die back can cause blindness the following year. Try feeding your bulb leaves with a general fertiliser for six weeks, once a week, and see what happens next year - but once the leaves have gone, there's no point in feeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-01-07T12:32:00.637" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16064" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-07T16:08:25.243" Score="5" ViewCount="1467" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bamboo species in my backyard I would like to identify.  Its a mid level running bamboo with shoots that hit 1 inch thickness near the base and grows up to 20-25 feet at this time.  It has only been planted for a year and a few months so not sure if the shoots will get higher next growing season.  There are also about 12 inches between joints on the shoots too.  I would also like to say this species grows very well here in Phoenix AZ and with a good watering once a week and twice or more in the hott summer months where the temps are up around 110F+&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am asking about this species to find out if its edible for pets and domesticated animals.  Once I identify the species I am hoping i can answer this second set of questions.  It links to this reference on this post at &lt;a href=&quot;https://pets.stackexchange.com/q/7234/3424&quot;&gt;Pets StackExchange&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a photos of a leaf group and a shoot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XIKUh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8619" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:59:16.827" LastActivityDate="2015-04-15T01:05:46.993" Title="What kind of bamboo is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16065" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16072" CreationDate="2015-01-07T20:08:23.310" Score="3" ViewCount="4998" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking to buy a new palm to keep indoors in a 9-10 pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've narrowed my selection down to two palms, I'm wondering which would be easier to take care of between the 2 plants: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cateracterum Palm &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Areca Palm&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2015-01-09T21:08:33.820" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T18:42:02.783" Title="Which of these palms would be easier to take care of in an indoor 9&quot; pot?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16066" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16065" CreationDate="2015-01-07T20:56:40.390" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming you want it as a houseplant, choose an Areca palm - compared to Chamaedora cataracturum (Cat palm), its easy care. The so called cat palm requires a tropical environment, with very bright light, whereas Areca will do fine in lower light conditions in normal temperatures, without requiring excessive humidity. I wouldn't say either was better than the other; grown in the right conditions, both are good plants, but from the care point of view, Areca is best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-01-07T20:56:40.390" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15064" CreationDate="2015-01-07T21:06:57.177" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the Parrot Flower Power unit and it works reliably enough. I take all the information as relative and not exact (except temperature which is typically spot on).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm using it to monitor a single pepper plant currently bearing about 11 peppers and I use android devices to interface with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PFP monitors 4 things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Light - Not all that useful of a metric as it is shaded by the plant. I use a lux meter to get better results so I know what's what at the canopy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water - Useful and within reason. You need to put the monitor close enough to where you water the plant for it to be useful. I am typically seeing 10-25% on their scale though it's hard to tell what that means or what is actually enough based on that. You could just trust their notification system but you'll get a lot of false positives. It does seem accurate as I keep the soil lightly saturated pretty much all the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer - Hard to verify the usefulness as I haven't been using it long enough to actually need fertilizer. It's not telling me I need any yet so that is a good sign.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Temperature - Useful and accurate by all accounts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All in all the highest benefit is seeing the day, week, month, and year charts along with the live data feed which accurately depicts reality for lighting and temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mine is inside so I cannot attest to reliability outside and it will need to be in range of the bluetooth monitor. I don't think it is intended for outside use but it should be waterproof and should work just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It you are planning to use it for a fruit tree, you ought to be able to see when you water it, or when it rains heavily enough but the fertilizer detection will probably not be of that much use. Temperature and lighting will likely be the most useful metrics for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="7256" LastEditDate="2015-01-07T21:15:58.183" LastActivityDate="2015-01-07T21:15:58.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16070" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16071" CreationDate="2015-01-08T01:24:09.243" Score="14" ViewCount="1629" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts and have several birch trees in my yard.  One of them has brown, cap-shaped mushrooms growing in groups up and down the trunk. As you can see, the tree has a big crack in the bark. What are these mushrooms, and are they killing my tree? &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gij2x.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-01-26T21:40:56.567" LastActivityDate="2015-08-30T21:05:37.733" Title="What are these brown, cap-shaped mushrooms on my birch tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16071" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16070" CreationDate="2015-01-08T01:37:25.637" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those look like Birch Polypore, scientific name &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piptoporus_betulinus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Piptoporus betulinus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;. This mushroom is global but found almost exclusively on birch trees. The polypore is called &quot;saprobic,&quot; which means it feeds on parts of the tree which are already dead or decaying, so most likely that crack was there first. Now that the tree is infested, though, unfortunately it's likely to die. This article from &lt;a href=&quot;http://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/birch_polypore_piptoporus_betulinus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Northern Woodlands&lt;/a&gt; describes the process:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Perhaps a birch polypore gets its start many years before we see it,&#xA;  when a spore lands in a wound or a broken branch of a healthy host.&#xA;  Before the infection has a chance to spread, it is stopped in its&#xA;  tracks by the tree’s defense mechanisms and compartmentalized, to lie&#xA;  dormant for years until age or a downturn in fortune weakens the tree.&#xA;  At this point the ailing birch can no longer afford to maintain its&#xA;  defensive arsenal and the fungus revives and spreads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mushrooms appears in the spring, and by the time that happens,  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;decay is extensive. This fungus can reduce wood density by 30 to 70&#xA;  percent in just four months. After a few more months, the wood is very&#xA;  light in weight and can be crumbled to a powder in your hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hikersnotebook.net/Birch+Polypore&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Hiker's Notebook&lt;/a&gt; gives a comprehensive description of Birch Polypore, including scientific information as well as some interesting facts about how it was originally used in practical applications:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Its hard, leathery surface can be peeled off in strips and was used in this&#xA;  form as a strop for sharpening razors. It was also&#xA;  used as a means to maintain and transport embers from one campsite to&#xA;  another in order to obviate the need to repeat the sometimes difficult&#xA;  fire initiation process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both sources say one way to tell the level of decay is to smell your tree, as the rotted wood smells like green apples!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2015-01-28T10:15:43.690" LastActivityDate="2015-01-28T10:15:43.690" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16065" CreationDate="2015-01-08T01:44:55.973" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would not choose either palm as an indoor plant.  They are smaller and fast growing which makes them popular with the growers but if they are grown in less than optimum conditions (which is typical of indoor conditions, dim and dry) they can be stressed easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Areca palms will get spider mites if conditions are not optimum and there is a source.  Once that happens they are hard to control.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cat palm is not a good choice for indoors as it needs to be moist and have good diffuse light.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bella palm is another small fast growing palm that will tolerate low light for a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My experience with most palms that are used indoors is that the small stock size(3 inch to 8&quot; pot size) are not well established and can easily be stressed with low light, low humidity, pests or poor watering practices.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are able to get larger size material (12&quot; to 16&quot; + pot size) these plants are more stable and able to withstand less than optimum conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In all cases check your purchase for spider mites which live on the underside of the leaves and scale which can be found anywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howea_forsteriana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;kentia palm&lt;/a&gt; is the Rolls Royce of indoor palms:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tolerates lower light levels&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thicker fronds are more resistant to physical injury and pests&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;slow but steady growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;long lived (ten years or more) under ideal conditions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-01-08T19:34:58.337" LastActivityDate="2015-01-08T19:34:58.337" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16073" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-08T11:40:40.937" Score="1" ViewCount="140" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm six weeks pregnant and I live in a 7th floor apartment in Mumbai, India. My apartment complex is on a busy road with 24/7 traffic and traffic jams in the morning and evening. I'm worried about the developmental neurotoxins from automobile emissions.  In my house, the fan exhausts in the kitchen and bathroom are open to the outside so outdoor air readily flows into the house. I was reading that NASA has done some research on indoor plants which can reduce air pollution. I was wondering if someone could recommend plants that are 1) easy to grow (I'm a novice gardener), and 2) removes the pollutants found in automobile exhaust?  What types and how many plants should I buy? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9626" LastActivityDate="2015-01-08T12:04:28.623" Title="Is it true that some plants can reduce air pollution?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;air-flow&gt;&lt;pollution&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-01-09T18:25:56.463" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16074" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15062" CreationDate="2015-01-08T11:46:39.687" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to have seen a photo of this plant when you first got it, its hard to believe it was healthy only three weeks ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stop feeding immediately, you've been overfeeding it anyway. I'd also say don't ever spray a plant with fungicide or pesticide unless you know it is infected or infested, when you should identify the problem and use the correct remedy, diluted correctly. This plant may not recover, but keep it somewhere that has a minimum temperature of 60 deg F, with an even temperature, not near a heat source such as a radiator (if its winter where you are). It needs a brightly lit spot, but not direct sunlight, and as it is currently in very poor health, switch to watering with lime free water (not tapwater). You can boil water and let it cool and water with that, or use rainwater, although tepid rather than cold water is best. Mist what's left of the leaves frequently, do not allow the plant to dry out completely, keeping the compost moist, but not wet or waterlogged - good drainage is essential, and don't leave it sitting in water in any outer pot or tray. IF it recovers, then you can start feeding, but this should only be done in spring/early summer, and only at recommended rates and frequency, and preferably using only one type of feed at a time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no point in feeding a plant at the wrong time of year, not least because you're wasting your money. In terms of plant health, most plants respond to growing day length and temperature, even indoors, by starting to grow in spring and early summer, and this is the time, for most, when feeding is appropriate, particularly in pots. If you use too much fertiliser, then the pot is full of concentrated feed - this may burn the roots, or the plant, when it wants a drink, is obliged to also uptake the feed, whether it wants to or not. In open ground, this is not such a problem, because rain dilutes and the plant is surrounded by soil which its roots aren't occupying anyway. This is definitely a case of 'less is more'. Use only what's necessary, when necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With regard to lack of growth, it might not be lack of nutrients that's the issue - the amount of light a plant receives makes a big difference, along with other environmental conditions such as heat sources, cold draughts, how good the growing medium was in the first place, size of pot, humidity or lack of it, along with the obvious problems with infestation or infection. If you really think your plants hardly grow during spring and summer, take a photo of them in winter, then another at the end of summer, and compare the two. There should be growth, no matter how minor - it just might not be as fast as you'd like, many plants are slow or medium growers, and giving too much food will not ameliorate this. It is also normal for plants to stop growing after end of July (in the northern hemisphere) - some houseplants may produce a small amount of growth over winter, but the majority of growing is done in spring and summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just for information's sake, Gardenia is a difficult houseplant, bit of a diva - its usually purchased in flower and then doesn't flower again, it needs high, even temperatures to produce flowers, and is extremely finicky about its conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-01-10T15:07:06.720" LastActivityDate="2015-01-10T15:07:06.720" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16075" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16073" CreationDate="2015-01-08T12:04:28.623" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are indoor plants that absorb pollutants, but most of the pollutants concerned are caused by indoor furniture rather than outdoor pollutants which may be getting in. Even so, the following would be quite useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dracaena marginata; Aglaonoma crispum; Spathiphyllum; Scindapsus aureus (Golden Pothos); Chlorophyllum comosum (spider plant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Palms such as Areca are pretty good at cleaning the air, but they do take up a lot of room because of their arching, wide spreading growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's probably sensible to invest in a very good air purifier with HEPA filters, having worked out the square footage within your apartment, as well as adding plants. They aren't cheap to buy and the replacement filters can be expensive, but they'll do a better job of removing traffic pollutants than plants will on their own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-01-08T12:04:28.623" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16076" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16081" CreationDate="2015-01-08T12:58:24.210" Score="6" ViewCount="398" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have an irregular bluestone walkway leading to our back door. Spacing between the stones varies from 1.25cm to 3.75cm. Though on the south side of the house, heavy deciduous tree cover shades the area for most of the day, permitting &quot;direct&quot; exposure for about 2hrs in starting mid-morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We would love to get something established between the stones, but don't really know what would be good choices. Ideally the plant would be well behaved and not creep out too far over the stones, but that wouldn't be a deal breaker.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2015-01-08T13:40:54.667" LastActivityDate="2015-01-09T12:27:01.297" Title="What is a shade tolerant, low ground-cover that can tolerate foot traffic for between bluestone pavers?" Tags="&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;pavers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16077" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15061" CreationDate="2015-01-08T13:09:53.277" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;it is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.imagejuicy.com/images/plants/a/akebia/3/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Akebia quinata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;...commonly known as five leaf akebia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9627" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2015-01-08T13:13:02.907" LastActivityDate="2015-01-08T13:13:02.907" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16078" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16082" CreationDate="2015-01-08T13:21:53.633" Score="5" ViewCount="4361" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our boxwoods have a moderate infestation of &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.umd.edu/learn/boxwood-leafminer&quot;&gt;boxwood leaf miners&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/insects/flies/boxwood-leafminer.aspx&quot;&gt;Sources&lt;/a&gt; recommend pruning to help manage them, and mention that you should cut at a certain time in the pest's lifecycle. But they don't give detailed info on how much to remove or the timing outside Missouri. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do I know when I should prune in my area?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much should I remove?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;And what should I do with the debris after pruning?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-08T16:47:46.913" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T16:19:48.273" Title="How do I prune boxwoods to control for boxwood leaf miner?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16079" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16083" CreationDate="2015-01-08T13:30:28.230" Score="5" ViewCount="239" Body="&lt;p&gt;Due to the large number of golf courses in our area, we have a problem with bent grass invading fescue and bluegrass lawns throughout the county. Next to crab grass, it is one of the things that clients complain most about as it looks completely different from the original lawn and often suffers from pests and grows poorly under our typical lawn programs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand that there are some products on the market that selectively attack bent grass, but we would prefer not to use these products for a number of reasons - primarily because everything around here winds up in either our aquifer or the bays.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what are some strategies for preventing, managing, or controlling bent grass in residential lawns?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-08T16:46:03.617" LastActivityDate="2015-01-08T16:46:03.617" Title="Can bent grass be controlled without toxic chemicals?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16080" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16078" CreationDate="2015-01-08T13:58:33.703" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I didn't prune my boxwoods at all due to the harsh winter we had.  I wanted to give them a chance to recover first, but I wanted to deal with miners as well.  I got them at the perfect time I think.  I used a solution of Dawn soap and water and soaked the snot out of them.  The miners were flying like crazy and a coating of dead bodies and soap bubbles were all over the ground.  The next season came and I hardly saw any of the miners at all.  I think catching the adults right after the hatch and before they lay new eggs is the key.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2015-01-08T13:58:33.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16081" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16076" CreationDate="2015-01-08T14:04:19.883" Score="6" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Thymus_serpyllum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Creeping thyme&lt;/a&gt; - hardy to at least USDA zone 4, thins a bit in light shade, tolerates heat very well, flowers in summer and attractive to bees, maintenance limited to ripping it out when it gets too big. Never had a problem with bees but it will self seed. Not suitable for culinary use.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Sagina_subulata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Irish moss&lt;/a&gt; - hardy to at least USDA zone 4, tolerates shade, small white flowers, grows slower than thyme, stays prostrate to ground at about 1 cm tall, comes in light or dark green varieties. Trouble free in eastern North America @Shule reports it needs regular water in the US Midwest&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.perennials.com/plants/veronica-repens.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Creeping veronica&lt;/a&gt; - sun or shade - stays small - not as tolerant of foot traffic as others - white flowers in spring and irregularly during summer/fall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-01-09T12:27:01.297" LastActivityDate="2015-01-09T12:27:01.297" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16082" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16078" CreationDate="2015-01-08T16:34:30.823" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can control them when the adults fly (occurs in early spring, the exact time is variable to location), which happens for about 2 weeks. The large, overwintered worms emerge as tiny flies (sometimes mistaken for gnats) which will fly about, landing all over the boxwood plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a ton of effective chemicals you could use to knock them down, or you can use a dilution of soap and water, alcohol, neem oil, or another natural approach (which I recommend). Sometimes, people will use a systemic insecticide (the plant takes it in and circulates it throughout) which will also kill the feeding larvae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About pruning, in many infestations, the pruning will often damage the plant more than the leaf miners will. If you do this, pick and choose, cutting out the worst infested areas, but try not to leave big holes. You really don't want to remove much, as the plants' health is already struggling as it is. To get rid of the growth, usually the larvae are underdeveloped in the trimmings, so you can usually just dry the clipping out in the sun, and the worms will die with the clippings. If you trim in early spring (after the worms have overwintered), there's a chance they will emerge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-08T16:34:30.823" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16083" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16079" CreationDate="2015-01-08T16:45:39.423" Score="4" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Peel off the turf of the bentgrass.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sprinkle topsoil and reseed/sod.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Corn gluten meal isn't super effective, but it's better than nothing with controlling pre-emergent weeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Later, cut out patches as you notice them, and reseed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is, of course, more work, especially initially with a bad infestation. A slower method (that customers are less likely to let you do) is tarping over the largest patches, which will kill off the bentgrass, but will leave the lawn in an unattractive state for some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can't always have super easy &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; non-mainstream. There's a reason the methods became mainstream: They are fast, relatively easy, and work. But there are of course downsides (such as environmental impact) that you will avoid. Now, I do some of each (mainstream and organic lawn care), or a mix, depending on what the customer wants. Organic &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; doable, but also more work. But hey, it's worth the extra effort, especially if the customer is happy to pay ya.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-08T16:45:39.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16076" CreationDate="2015-01-08T19:42:28.580" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;All the ones recommended already, plus Campanula portenschlagiana (previously Campanula muralis, sometimes still sold under that name). Note, NOT Campanula carpatica or any of the hundreds of other varieties you're likely to find available. C. portenschlagiana is a very neat grower, remains evergreen, tolerates some shade - the fact it'll be in full light all winter helps enormously. Might look a bit bruised with excessive foot traffic, but it'll recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-01-08T19:42:28.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16085" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-09T03:37:43.343" Score="4" ViewCount="308" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got a bunch of flower seeds off of amazon back during the summer. The majority of them are dead now, but this is the last remaining and I am not sure what flower plant it is. I planted back in the summer, and as you can see, it has not grown much. It is the only surviving of its kind but I have no information on its identity. I would appreciate help identifying it so I know if I should pull it or leave it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Click for a larger version)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DjESx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DjESxh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2015-03-23T18:33:20.597" LastActivityDate="2016-01-27T06:44:19.057" Title="What is this plant from a package of mixed flower seeds?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16088" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-11T01:38:47.620" Score="4" ViewCount="216" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a home garden with tomatoes and peppers.  The peppers grow great every year, but often the tomatoes end up discolored with dried out leaves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently did a Manutec pH test on the soil and it came up as 8, so I added some sulfur to the soil around the tomatoes.  If this is the issue, how long would it take the sulfur to take effect?  Does anyone have other ideas about what the problem could be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in Australia (Southern hemisphere), so it is the middle of summer and the tomatoes should be ready for picking in February.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3fU7R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9638" LastActivityDate="2015-01-13T09:25:42.120" Title="Tomato plant discolored and dried out" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16089" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-11T08:33:26.680" Score="2" ViewCount="2471" Body="&lt;p&gt;Other than the risk of injury and tetanus, will the hundreds of rusty nails inexplicably found in sections of my garden harm the plants that grow there or the people who eat said plants? They are so rusty that they are barely even nail shaped, most are more like long, irregular rust blobs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Any theories on why sections of the garden have dozens of nails per square foot in the topsoil are welcome in the comments :D)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1339" LastActivityDate="2015-01-12T11:07:42.420" Title="Will rusty nails in garden harm plants or people who eat the plants?" Tags="&lt;toxicity&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-01-21T05:40:57.667" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16090" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14832" CreationDate="2015-01-11T09:56:47.700" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you spray (or saturate) your plant with water mixed with a little salt and washing up liquid then the aphids should die within a week. You don't actually need the salt, but it probably helps a little bit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the aphid infestation is severe enough it can cause the leaves to come off the plant and the plant to get very sickly in various ways.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another problem is that aphids can spread diseases. Like how mosquitoes are annoying for humans, but then can also spread malaria, aphids can just be pests or worse than pests. Therefore, especially if you have another similar plant, you should probably isolate the aphid infested one for some time to check it has not caught any diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The more unhappy and stressed the plant is, the more susceptible it is to pests and diseases. So if it is dealing with undesirable conditions (such as the cold) as well as aphids, this will slow its recovery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1339" LastActivityDate="2015-01-11T09:56:47.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16091" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16095" CreationDate="2015-01-11T10:55:01.170" Score="4" ViewCount="171" Body="&lt;p&gt;How important is it to not use tap water for carnivorous plants? e.g. is it a guideline or a hard rule?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen several answers on here saying not to, but I have had a venus fly trap for 3-4 years so far and have only used tap water and it seems happy and healthy with lots of traps, it produces a flower stalk every year with boring flowers on it and eats lots of flies. I have another three carnivorous plants that I don't know the names of that I have only had 2 years, but they also seem healthy. This seems to contradict the advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, none of the plant labels or instructions that came with them mention this tap water issue, and this company seems to be the only one supplying any of the garden shops with carnivorous plants (although that is not a guarantee that they know what they are doing).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I expect them to keel over sometime soon, or is the fact they have survived this long evidence of the tap water being ok (not all tap water is the same after all, maybe ours is less bad??)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1339" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T20:16:54.117" Title="How important is water type to carnivorous plants, really?" Tags="&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16092" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16093" CreationDate="2015-01-11T12:44:08.160" Score="2" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been advised to feed my African Violets (Saintpaulia) with two type of food; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;NPK 20-20-20 for the leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;NPK 15-30-15 for the flowers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The former comes in powder form, and 1/4 teaspoon of it should be dissolved in 1L of water. This is what is used to water the plant every time (whenever the pot is drained), and every three times feeding the plant with this one, the latter should be used in the same way to feed it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However I've checked 3 or 4 DIY/Gardening stores and have asked the assistants for this formula, but they have no idea about the flower nor the formula. They just point me to the indoor plants' food which is normally the Baby Bio brand and is way different in the formula.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea where I could get these two plant foods? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-01-12T12:06:06.627" LastActivityDate="2015-01-12T12:06:06.627" Title="Where Can I Get Saintpaulia (African Violet) Food?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;african-violets&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2015-01-21T05:41:28.567" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16093" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16092" CreationDate="2015-01-11T14:33:36.617" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few points to note:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you fertilize an indoor plant that frequently you will raise the soluble salt and eventually burn out the roots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the most common fertilizer is 20-20-20.  This should be available anywhere they sell indoor plants.  The brand does not matter. It contains equal parts nitrogen (N), phosphorous(P) and potassium (K). Phosphorous is essential to the formation of the flowering parts of the plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;flowering plant fertilizer has a higher ratio of phosphorous and is usually formulated at 15-30-15.  Again, the brand does not matter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;African violets are native to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saintpaulia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cloud forests of Kenya and Tanzania&lt;/a&gt;. This environment provides filtered or diffuse light which is why they can adapt to being grown indoors where light levels are much lower than outside&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.ncsu.edu/InteriorScapes/PLNTMGMT.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this guide for professional&lt;/a&gt;s advises the following for a fertilizer schedule&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Generally, interior plantings should be fertilized a maximum of four&#xA;  times per year. As a rule, applications should be more frequent during&#xA;  the spring and summer when sunlight intensity increases and days are&#xA;  longer. During the short days of winter, many indoor plants that&#xA;  receive little or no artificial light enter a resting stage. If plants&#xA;  go into a winter rest period, it's best to give them little, if any,&#xA;  fertilizer&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flowering plants can require more fertilizer if they are coming into heavy bloom but my experience is that more applications at a rate that is half what is recommended provide better results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have African violets that get a little fertilizer once in a while and they bloom frequently and profusely.  One of the reasons for the popularity of the species is the low level of care they require. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try growing them in a warm area with diffuse light without fertilizer and see what happens. &#xA;Edit:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.cfm?number=C660#Conditions&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The most attractive violets are grown at a nighttime temperature of 65° to 70°F and a daytime temperature of 70° to 90°F&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-01-11T16:15:26.530" LastActivityDate="2015-01-11T16:15:26.530" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8820" CreationDate="2015-01-11T14:43:49.327" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use this method to grow Datil Pepper plants that are nearly 4 feet tall. When you plant 5 or 6 seeds in one spot, 90% of them germinate and begin competing for resources in the soil.  the strongest plant usually prevails, and sometimes grows in unison with a second plant, nevertheless growing to a huge size with very strong stems. Each of these plant yield about 1-1.5 lbs (.7 kilograms) of peppers in it's 3 month fruiting cycle. These plants die with the first winter freeze. I collect the seeds from the strongest plant and restart the process in the spring, around March-April. (I live in North Florida.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this helped to answer your question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9641" LastActivityDate="2015-01-11T14:43:49.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16095" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16091" CreationDate="2015-01-11T15:02:47.663" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a number of factors that come into play:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;source of your water (affects the pH and amount of dissolved compounds)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;treatment applied to the water (likely chlorine or chloramine)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ability of the soil to buffer/absorb compounds in the water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;species of plant - some can tolerate water treatment chemicals more than others&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How these factors all work together provides a wide range of experiences for plant lovers. For most people they will have better performance when using rain water or water that has been treated to neutralize the chlorine or chloramine content.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Tap water contains chlorides and fluorides and many hard tap waters&#xA;  contain high levels of calcium making it too alkaline for carnivorous&#xA;  plants. (From &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=819&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Royal Horticultural Society&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See these references to support the &quot;no tap water&quot; idea:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.life.illinois.edu/plantbio/greenhouse/vt_carnivorous.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Never use tap water of any kind&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.usbg.gov/cultivating-carnivorous-plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Do not use tap water&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=819&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Rainwater is most suitable for carnivorous plants.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.carolina.com/pdf/care-sheets/carnivorous-plants-CareSheet.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Use deionized water, spring water, rainwater, well water, or tap water treated with a chemical dechlorinator&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-01-11T15:02:47.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16096" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16100" CreationDate="2015-01-12T03:54:06.273" Score="3" ViewCount="1542" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts, zone 6a, and have ten large rhododendrons which bloomed profusely last spring. In September, numerous buds appeared on each bush, but the winter came before they had a chance to open. I left them, thinking they might open in the spring, but they feel frozen and brittle and now I'm wondering if the plants would be healthier without them. Should I cut them off or let them be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Update as of 10/20/15&lt;/em&gt;: This is an update for anyone who has the same question. We had one of the harshest, longest, winters on record, and still my rhododendrons and azaleas bloomed beautifully! As we're going again into fall, then winter, I'm confident that leaving the buds alone is the best thing for me to do. Here are some pictures of various shrubs in bloom last spring. Click on them for full size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a2S4x.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a2S4xs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot; &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dAtcj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dAtcjs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;b&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5hD4H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5hD4Hs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UpRVL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UpRVLs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot; &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BP0km.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BP0kms.jpg&quot; alt=&quot; &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jmjoc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jmjocs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot; &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-20T17:45:39.723" LastActivityDate="2015-10-20T17:45:39.723" Title="Should I remove rhododendron buds which didn't open before the winter?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1339" CreationDate="2015-01-12T08:28:42.107" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should use cooler water whenever possible. Water holds greater amounts of carbon dioxide at cooler temperatures and since roots love carbon dioxide it becomes beneficial for the whole plant to use COOLER water. Do not use very cold water as it will shock your roots/plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9644" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-10-25T22:48:35.070" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T22:48:35.070" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16098" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-12T10:36:54.170" Score="4" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking about putting a cypress &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaecyparis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(&lt;em&gt;Chamaecyparis&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; onto my office desk which is in an open space, however, I don't want it to disturb my coworkers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is an indoor cypress known to produce any notable smell, or emit allergens into the air?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-27T22:32:49.863" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T22:32:49.863" Title="Does cypress produce any smell or allergens when planted indoors?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16099" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16089" CreationDate="2015-01-12T10:40:01.873" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apart from possible injuries arising from remaining pointy parts, there should not be any problem with the nails. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As @JMusser answered to my own question, rust is just iron oxide that is not harmful in any way (and even a very common part of the soil itself)! See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9742/is-rust-from-steel-rainwater-barrel-harmful&quot;&gt;Is rust from a steel rainwater barrel harmful to edible plants?&lt;/a&gt; for details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3505" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-01-12T11:07:42.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16100" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16096" CreationDate="2015-01-12T12:02:50.680" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, leave them in place - flower buds form in summer for the following year, as you rightly suspected, and the ones you noticed may actually produce flowers, despite their appearance, but even if they don't, the plant will come to no harm from leaving them in situ. If they have shrivelled more by spring/early summer and don't flower when they should, and aren't new leaves, you can cut them off then, particularly if you suspect infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-01-12T12:17:26.583" LastActivityDate="2015-01-12T12:17:26.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16101" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16098" CreationDate="2015-01-12T12:12:42.810" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It does have a noticeable scent, but only if you bruise the leaves, usually. Any allergic response via the air is mostly restricted to when the plant flowers, which is unlikely indoors - it's the pollen that can cause a nasal response in sensitised people. Otherwise, some people may experience contact allergy after brushing against it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-01-12T12:12:42.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14634" CreationDate="2015-01-12T12:30:21.147" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are actually Catharansus roseus, confusingly also sometimes called Vinca or Periwinkle, although they are not actually Vinca - Missouri State University has pictures of trial plants from 2008, and one is exactly like the white one in the pictures you posted; the title beneath is  &quot;Catharansus roseus (Vinca) 'Pacifica White XP' [sic]. I find the inclusion of 'Vinca' very confusing, given its a different plant - Catharansus is native to Madagascar and commonly known as Madagascar Periwinkle. I imagine that this confusion has arisen because of the shared common name 'periwinkle' - but nonetheless, one's a Catharansus, and the other is a Vinca.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would try the milk solution, as you suggested already, unless the plants are already beyond redemption. Alternatively, use a proprietary fungicide which treats for mildew, appropriately diluted, and spray to run off, including beneath the leaves. You may also need to alter your watering regime - powdery mildew is often associated with hot, dry weather and the plant being dry at the roots - ordinary mildew is more likely to be associated with dampness/wetness, poor drainage and lack of air flow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: re the confusing names. Catharansus roseus was previously known as Vinca rosea, but was separated out and renamed some years ago. Which means most people will still refer to them as 'Vinca  rosea'...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-01-12T12:42:01.197" LastActivityDate="2015-01-12T12:42:01.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16103" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16104" CreationDate="2015-01-12T17:23:13.910" Score="17" ViewCount="9012" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've started up a pot of Basil sprouts indoors under a lamp, and it seems like some moss is beginning to grow around them.  Is there anything wrong with having moss in the same pot?  Any problems with competition, or weird flavorings?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8596" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-12T17:47:36.490" LastActivityDate="2015-01-18T16:50:56.510" Title="Is there anything wrong with allowing moss to grow around herbs?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16103" CreationDate="2015-01-12T17:47:06.723" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Moss on an indoor pot is a sign that the mix surface is constantly damp, and that isn't good. Use a fork or toothpick or something, and stir up the top layer to get rid of it. Always allow the top 1/2&quot; or so to dry between waterings. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Competition shouldn't be a problem except for very small seedlings, and the flavor should be fine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-12T17:47:06.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16105" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16107" CreationDate="2015-01-12T20:29:39.607" Score="4" ViewCount="1117" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bunch of plant food sticks described as &quot;compound organic and inorganic NPK 12-6-9 fertilizer with micronutrients for ornamental plants&quot;. I wonder if this is suitable for a Ficus (Ginseng?) bonsai?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-12T20:35:47.243" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T20:09:31.743" Title="Can I use 12-6-9 fertilizer sticks for a Ficus Bonsai?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16106" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16105" CreationDate="2015-01-12T20:34:35.727" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it was a liquid feed, I would use a lower nitrogen ratio, so as not to produce excessive growth. But because those are in sticks (slow release), I don't think it will be so big a deal. If you can find a lower nitrogen-ratio feed, use that, but this won't kill your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-12T20:34:35.727" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16105" CreationDate="2015-01-12T21:52:51.563" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do not recommend solid fertilizer sticks for small plants.  When the sticks get wet they release enough fertilizer &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/02911.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;to burn the delicate hair roots&lt;/a&gt; that absorb fertilizer.  As the soil dries out the roots grow towards the fertilizer and get burned again when the soil is watered again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/fertilizer.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This guide&lt;/a&gt; recommends putting spikes at the perimeter of the pot for this reason. However a bonsai is in such a small pot you don't have a lot of room to work with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With larger plants outdoors they can cope with this but an indoor bonsai is not as robust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The formulation is not appropriate for a bonsai as it will promote leafy growth.  For bonsai you want to direct the growth to achieve the look you want.  If the plant is popping out leaves due to the higher nitrogen levels then you will have more to prune.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend a 20-20-20 ratio applied three to four times a year in a water soluble solution as this will promote an even ratio of foliage and roots. Even better get an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai_cultivation_and_care#Soil_and_fertilization&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;organic fertilizer&lt;/a&gt; that you can apply more often but is more dilute so you avoid increasing the available nitrogen by a large amount. You can avoid the possible danger of root burn and provide many other trace minerals which may not be present in a commercial fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-01-13T01:35:27.620" LastActivityDate="2015-01-13T01:35:27.620" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16108" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7241" CreationDate="2015-01-13T00:32:32.797" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lamium galeobdolon ‘Variegatum’ sometimes called aluminium plant although it has many other names, and there are other plants called aluminium plant too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In some areas it is classified as an unwanted or noxious plant and in such cases should be removed if possible. The problem with it is that it creates a dense covering that prevents the growth of native seedlings and other plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In other areas, you can deliberately buy it as a ground cover or to use in hanging pots. It is particularly useful as a ground cover in shady areas, as it can be hard to find good plants for those conditions and this one grows well and looks pleasant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See this site for information on removal if desired &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsAndPlants/noxious-weeds/weed-identification/yellow-archangel.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;King County, Washington .gov&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1339" LastActivityDate="2015-01-13T00:32:32.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16109" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16110" CreationDate="2015-01-13T06:45:42.963" Score="5" ViewCount="839" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the gardening purpose of an l-shaped groove knife?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hvB8c.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hvB8c.png&quot; alt=&quot;l-shaped groove knife&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;(credits to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.chillingtontoolsonline.com/groove-knife-p62&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.chillingtontoolsonline.com/groove-knife-p62&lt;/a&gt; )&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears to be a weeding or cultivation tool, a little-bit like a &quot;wrong sided&quot; billhook.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7510" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2016-06-30T10:25:52.620" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T10:25:52.620" Title="What is the gardening purpose of an l-shaped groove knife hand tool?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16109" CreationDate="2015-01-13T09:00:06.953" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's used to scratch/cut weeds and moss from small slits like between pavers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you search for the term &quot;Patio Weeder&quot;, you'll find more pictures like &lt;a href=&quot;http://img0.reuter.de/products/gar/gardena-combisystem-fugenkratzer-sortiment--gar-03001-20_1.jpg&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-01-13T09:00:06.953" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16088" CreationDate="2015-01-13T09:25:42.120" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the most common reasons of tomato plants shriveling up are fungal diseases. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The spores live in the topsoil and can get on &amp;amp; infect the leaves by falling raindrops. (Sounds complicated, but actually the &quot;splashing&quot; rain drops just propel the spores upwards.) Some kinds can even survive on porous substances like wooden stakes and re-infect new crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Common counter-measures are: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;crop rotation&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stripping the leaves off the lower part of the stem (a foot or so)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;protecting the plants from direct rain (like &lt;a href=&quot;http://forum.garten-pur.de/attachments/Tomatenhaus_ue.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;watering &quot;from below&quot;, digging an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hobby-garten-blog.de/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/tomaten-gissen.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;empty flower pot&lt;/a&gt; in to the ground next to each plant and pouring the water in this helps, too.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spacing the plants with enough distance to allow for quick drying (think of morning dew)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cleaning or replacing equipment anually&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-01-13T09:25:42.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15051" CreationDate="2015-01-13T11:43:02.570" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try Turnera.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?q=turnera&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.google.com/search?q=turnera&amp;amp;tbm=isch&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few of my Turnera ulmifolia photos: &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.henriettes-herb.com/plants/turnera/ulmifolia.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.henriettes-herb.com/plants/turnera/ulmifolia.html&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Although this could be a different species of Turnera.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9649" LastActivityDate="2015-01-13T11:43:02.570" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16113" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16115" CreationDate="2015-01-13T13:20:07.587" Score="3" ViewCount="1780" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not putting in much thought I moved my plants closer to a light source over the weekend and as you can see in the pictures some tips turned black. &#xA;Did it get burned? Is it dying? What am I supposed to do? Can I cut the tips off? &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RZPAa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iurFj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ldi3p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U0jMm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&#xA;I have cut the dead parts and in doing so I realized that there are two plants in this pot and only one has this issue. Can it be that this might have happened when I inserted the prong to test the water level one day?? &#xA;Will this get cured or should I cut of the affected one?&#xA;I have added a Picture that I took last night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-01-19T23:49:42.533" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T20:37:35.013" Title="What happened to my Mass Cane?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="12" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16115" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16113" CreationDate="2015-01-13T18:18:23.963" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This one is a plant that prefers low light situations, so reasonable indirect daylight is good. It won't have done it any favours leaving it near your grow light, but I'd be surprised if the brown tips occurred so rapidly as a result, so I'm assuming they'd started before you moved the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep it away from any heat source (your grow light may also be producing heat) such as radiators, water when the surface of the compost feels a little dry to the touch, and when you water, do it thoroughly, tipping away any excess left in any outer pot after thirty minutes. Brown, crispy tips are usually caused by dry air and dry at the roots - soft, soggy brown tips is usually overwatering and/or leaving the plant standing in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note; I watered mine with London tapwater for the 8 years I had it, without a problem, but you can switch to deionized if you like. You can trim any dry, brown tips with a sharp pair of scissors if you don't like the look of them, but wait till they dry out if they're a bit soggy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for whether its dying, I think I see the tip of a perfectly healthy leaf in the centre, and the appearance of the plant overall does not suggest its about to expire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-01-13T18:24:08.787" LastActivityDate="2015-01-13T18:24:08.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16116" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3052" CreationDate="2015-01-13T20:53:39.480" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have had an avocado plant grown from seed that is at least 12 years old. it sets by the north window in anchorage Alaska. Talk about a tough plant, we whack it back when it hits the ceiling. Just now looking into how to care for one as it is thinning up a bit, will repot it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9652" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-14T03:41:31.530" LastActivityDate="2015-01-14T03:41:31.530" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16118" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16121" CreationDate="2015-01-13T23:54:58.280" Score="3" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two days ago I was admiring a friend's indoor &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saintpaulia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;African Violet&lt;/a&gt;, and she told me I could grow my own from a leaf. I've never heard of being able to do that with any plant. She gave me three leaves, each with a stem about two inches long, and told me if I put them in some potting soil, water them from the bottom, and leave the pot at room temperature in indirect sunlight, I'll see new plants in a few weeks. I did that. An online search confirmed that violets can be propagated this way, but the sites differed as to the process. Should I leave them as they are or do something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-01-14T02:43:27.503" Title="How do I grow a new African Violet from a leaf?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;african-violets&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16119" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16123" CreationDate="2015-01-14T01:48:14.973" Score="4" ViewCount="4255" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a very warm climate (Phoenix AZ) and I was wondering what the best growing conditions (temperatures) are for an avocado plant?  Are the extreme heat summers here to much for an avocado?  We can also get about 4 or 5 nights out of the year where it falls to around freezing, will this be difficult on an avocado tree also?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8619" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-01-15T02:29:44.637" LastActivityDate="2020-09-07T12:49:00.313" Title="What is the best growing temperatures for an avocado plant?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16120" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16122" CreationDate="2015-01-14T02:01:48.930" Score="2" ViewCount="474" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tXK0c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it harmful? What should I do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was undoubtedly caused by the excess water on the surface from the drippers. Those are now off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastActivityDate="2015-01-14T03:04:50.473" Title="What is this mold/fungus?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2015-01-21T05:40:06.777" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16121" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16118" CreationDate="2015-01-14T02:43:27.503" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are good instructions. Another propagation method that is also quite successful is to get a glass of water and cover it with wax paper. Use a knife to cut a slit in the wax paper and insert the stem of the leaf in the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It takes longer to grow roots and but you have a more well established plant.  A small new plant will start from the base of the stem or you can plant it out when there are some roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing that will help success is to keep the environment warm, as in over 20 Deg c or around 68 deg F.  Bright diffuse sunlight is also an aid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-01-14T02:43:27.503" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16120" CreationDate="2015-01-14T03:04:50.473" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not a problem, will go away as the soil dries out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fungus is having a meal of the woody organic matter in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No action is required on your part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-01-14T03:04:50.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16123" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16119" CreationDate="2015-01-14T03:39:04.030" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem isn't heat so much as humidity. these trees love heat, and can take well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit without problems, if the humidity is high enough. The wind, sun and heat all dry the tree, and the humidity counters that. So You may end up with at best brown-tipped leaves (not fatal, or even a real problem), or in worse conditions, lots of new growth dieback each year after it dries out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for cold, it depends on variety, but usually they can handle down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit without burning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Daily (or regularly, on a set schedule) watering will provide good growth, but won't compensate for low humidity. Avocados have large leaves, and let out quite a bit of moisture through them, in dry atmosphere conditions faster than they can take it in through the roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a sheltered area (like along the north wall of a house, where the wind won't be as bad and you'll miss the afternoon sun), you may get better results. Other than that, you would have to alter the conditions, which is almost impossible outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd go ahead and get a tree, and try it out. Some plants turn out to be very resilient, but if it doesn't live, you'll know for next time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-14T21:58:13.107" LastActivityDate="2015-01-14T21:58:13.107" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16124" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16109" CreationDate="2015-01-14T03:49:05.360" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.chillingtontoolsonline.com/images/products/large/Groove%20Knife.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;picture&lt;/a&gt; in the link you provided is a big hint. This tool is for weed removal in crevices between hard surfaces, such as between pavers, sidewalk sections, railroad tie constructions, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not designed for regular bed cultivation, and it isn't very efficient for that purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-14T03:49:05.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14879" CreationDate="2015-01-14T11:44:19.260" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You stated that you were using the following fertilizers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Slow release NPK: 15.3%, 4.3%, 5.9%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;General purpose NPK: 24.2%, 5.6%, 11.7%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming your soil nutrients were balanced to begin with, the problem appears to be that you are using a very high-nitrogen fertilizer on peppers. Peppers, tomatoes and many other things prefer much less nitrogen than that. Most sources seem to agree that they prefer somewhat less nitrogen than phosphorus and potassium. I would probably recommend equal amounts of phosphorus and potassium, but I'm not an expert there, yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When nitrogen is proportionately much higher than potassium, it will inhibit the effect of potassium. Therefore, plants may get burned (like the tips of your leaves), and they may be more susceptible to disease and insects. They may also have reduced fruit size and be weaker. Nitrogen is supposed to encourage growth considerably, but in my experience with plants in the nightshade family, too much just makes the plants dwindle or have issues. However, some people report lots of green growth and little or no fruit when there is too much nitrogen (I'm guessing those people have more than window light or aren't growing indoors like I am). Plenty of sunlight really changes the way plants respond to what, and it seems to increase salt tolerance. If you could increase your sunlight, it would probably help a great deal. Grow lights may help, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I hope you didn't use too much of that fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To remedy the problem, you could add a fertilizer with no nitrogen in it (but plenty of phosphorus and potassium), such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B002DV8TBQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;0-10-10&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B004FOBWV8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;0-18-16&lt;/a&gt;, and after the imbalance is corrected, when fertilizer is needed again, use something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00BARLIFS&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;10-12-12&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000P7345G&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;18-18-21&lt;/a&gt; fertilizer instead of your old fertilizer; occasionally &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B007PMYIYU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;7-7-7&lt;/a&gt; fertilizer should be good, too (especially if you need extra nitrogen). However, as I understand it, you shouldn't need to fertilize peppers a terrible lot. Some say you only need to do it twice outdoors (once when you transplant them and once right after the fruit starts forming or so), but when indoors they may do well with more frequent fertilization (but probably not that much more frequent). I'm not sure why they would need it more indoors instead of less, however. That's kind of counter-intuitive, unless it drains through the pots more. I'm guessing it depends on how water soluble your fertilizer is, among other things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively (instead of the no-nitrogen fertilizer), you could wait until your plant uses a good amount of the fertilizer it has and then just use [10-12-12] fertilizer, or whatever you choose, when it needs fertilizer again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you really want to know how much of what kind of fertilizer to add, get your soil tested first. It may not have been balanced to begin with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5631502_happens-plants-much-potassium_.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Too much potassium&lt;/a&gt; is possible. I don't know how much is too much, to be honest. But, if your leaves start getting yellow, you might need more nitrogen and maybe also more phosphorus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About the insects, you might try dusting your peppers with some food grade diatomaceous earth. It's a natural insecticide. Don't get too much in the soil, though (although some is fine). Peppers don't mind diatomaceous earth in the soil as much as tomatoes do, though. Tomatoes don't really like it much, and they may wilt as a result (but may also recover eventually if it wasn't too much). Also, you might consider neem oil to protect your plants from pests (but if your plants are outdoors, you should know that it may kill bees as well as pests).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-01-14T12:00:09.840" LastActivityDate="2015-01-14T12:00:09.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16126" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16128" CreationDate="2015-01-14T15:25:20.830" Score="5" ViewCount="8636" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last fall I picked up half a large banana plant corm from the refuse pile at the local gardens, planted it in a 12&quot; pot with loamy soil, and stuck it in my growth chamber for months of benign neglect. Now (mid january, -20°C outside) I've noticed suckers coming up around the edge of the corm. Perhaps I watered it too much? The suckers are now 5 to 6 inches (15 cm) tall, and I'm wondering how big a problem I have on my hands. Will these things reach 4 feet in a month? That's too tall for the growth room. Is it time to transplant? Will that slow growth, or should I just clip these early risers, and hope for more shoots come April?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-14T17:37:12.307" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T18:25:08.040" Title="How fast do banana plants grow?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16127" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16129" CreationDate="2015-01-14T15:53:51.230" Score="6" ViewCount="374" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts &lt;a href=&quot;http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Zone 6b&lt;/a&gt; and I planted garlic in October (First time ever planting garlic!) about 6 inches deep into the soil, with mulch on top of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The garlic I planted was organic garlic I bought from whole foods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the first part of the winter was relatively mild, I harvested some Scapes for thanksgiving and even had the possibility of a Christmas Day Harvest.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, It's gotten cold here the past few weeks and there has been very little snow, none of which remained. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today, I noticed that the scapes were drooping - though still green. Will they still be able to produce anything for the spring? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7498" LastEditorUserId="7498" LastEditDate="2015-01-14T17:52:13.580" LastActivityDate="2015-02-27T05:24:10.137" Title="Garlic scapes drooping during a cold winter without much snow. Will they survive?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16128" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16126" CreationDate="2015-01-14T17:36:12.897" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The growth rate depends on the climate. They'll grow super fast in tropical areas, but only a couple feet a year indoors in a temperate area. The problem for you is that they mature rather big. The smaller dwarf edible bananas mature at 5-7', but most will grow 12-25 feet tall or more with leaves up to 9' long and 2' wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you intend to plant them out, that won't be a problem for you. I doubt the shoots wil exceed 4' tall by april, but if they grow too fast, lowering the temperature will slow growth. Clipping the suckers isn't the best for the plant, which doesn't have a great root system yet, and is relying on energy reserves in the corm to produce this growth. You want at least some leaf area, to support the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-14T17:36:12.897" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16129" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16127" CreationDate="2015-01-14T17:41:32.423" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, cold paired with no snow cover is hard on top growth, but garlic cloves will survive the winter in zone 6b (where I am also, incidentally). In my area, it's common for the top growth to die back completely during winter, and come back in the spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-14T18:18:04.277" LastActivityDate="2015-01-14T18:18:04.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16131" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-14T18:12:56.320" Score="4" ViewCount="4115" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dKk9m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My desert rose appears to have a disease, as shown in the picture above. Every year, the leaves develop these spots and look terrible.  It still blooms every year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is another picture of it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oKdfE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify the disease and/or suggest a cure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2678" LastEditorUserId="10904" LastEditDate="2016-05-09T15:23:36.873" LastActivityDate="2020-10-21T10:25:55.270" Title="What is wrong with this desert rose and how can I cure it?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16132" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-14T23:55:29.590" Score="2" ViewCount="22790" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just received my new Areca Palm. It was delivered to me in New York via UPS from Florida. Since Florida is more than a little warmer than here, my question is how to take care of this so it gets well established in my home with the least shock. Should I re-pot or wait for a couple of days for it to get over the climate change and the shipping? By the way I have no clue how healthy this plant is, as of now I’m still at work and my wife just told me it arrived. I'm so excited :) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As always I will update with Pic once I get home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update 1:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant came nicely packaged however, there is this black stuff all over the plant see pix(1,2,6) and this yellow looking (looks waxy) stuff in pic(3). Don’t know if it’s the way the plant grows normally, if it's a disease or if this is some kind of infestation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than the snail in pic(7) I have also seen a Millipede worm in the dirt and gave it a lil spray of Bayer Advanced Natria Insect, Disease &amp;amp; Mite Control.&#xA;It then disappeared in the dirt hope this doesn’t infest this plant or my other plants in my home. I just got neem oil should I rather use that next time?&#xA;What should I do with the leafs as in pic(4,5)?&#xA;Also my home is 30% humid should I get a cool air humidifier for my plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update 2:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;24hr from when I got this palm some fronds started to get dry didn't turn yellow or brown just dried out and crisp. &#xA;My apartment is always been on the dry side and thought that this might be the cause of the problem. So I got a humidity tester. my apartment was 21% I got a 2 humidifiers and and now its a comfortable 45% however my palm is still in the same condition. &#xA;I added the last couple pix i took last night.&#xA;Please let me know whats wrong here? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;&lt;em&gt;click any image for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WL1D4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WL1D4.jpg&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PcuCm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PcuCm.jpg&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BTItd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BTItd.jpg&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CG70e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CG70e.jpg&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PAsK0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PAsK0.jpg&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XjYah.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XjYah.jpg&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9KOGg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9KOGg.jpg&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Our5W.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Our5W.jpg&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZNMjf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZNMjf.jpg&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1e3qb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1e3qb.jpg&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-21T01:45:51.257" LastActivityDate="2020-05-12T05:56:17.323" Title="How should I take care of my new Areca Palm?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16133" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16134" CreationDate="2015-01-15T16:20:21.137" Score="5" ViewCount="187" Body="&lt;p&gt;This bug was crawling between my pot garden this morning. Can anyone tell me what it is?&#xA;(Im sorry for the bluryness, it moves so fast!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dUCJ9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V2F8I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8607" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-01-15T17:04:15.657" LastActivityDate="2015-01-15T17:04:15.657" Title="What is this bug with a hundred feet that I found in my garden?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16134" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16133" CreationDate="2015-01-15T16:26:21.273" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks to be some kind of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centipede&quot;&gt;centipede&lt;/a&gt;, but I couldn't venture a guess at the species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-01-15T16:26:21.273" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16135" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16132" CreationDate="2015-01-15T17:11:18.973" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recommend these steps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;with a damp cloth or paper towel wipe down the stems and leaves. This will remove any pesticide residue and whatever is on the leaves and stems.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not spray with any pesticide/fungicide until a problem is diagnosed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the dead portions on the leaves could be shipping damage, cold damage or previous virus/fungal/bacterial activity.  Take a pair of scissors and cut the dead material while leaving a portion of the dead area adjacent to the live tissue. This way you are not causing a fresh wound and can now determine if new die back occurs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I see you have posted new pictures of your palm. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dead leaves should be cut off at the base with a sharp knife or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pruning_shears&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;secateurs&lt;/a&gt;.Dipping the blades in alcohol after use is not a bad idea to prevent passing on any problems.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;low humidity will not cause palm fronds to die back overnight. It will cause browning at the tips over a period of weeks.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I believe you are looking at shipping damage. Exposure to cold while wrapped is likely. Cut the dead fronds off at the base.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to the magic of Paint I can show what not to worry about&#xA;These spots are perfectly normal and are &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;scale infestation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6R3Rc.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These spots on your leaves indicate a virus/fungus/bacteria infection at one point in time. There is a dead spot in the centre with rings of growth around it. I don't think there are any fungicides that are licensed for home use and most plants can outgrow the problem if they have the right conditions. No action is required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4C5Mw.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-21T00:53:11.547" LastActivityDate="2015-01-21T00:53:11.547" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16136" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16103" CreationDate="2015-01-15T17:22:20.830" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The moss you are talking about is bad any way you look at it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It must stay wet to grow, so it will harbor fungi.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It will take nutrients away from the plant you are trying to grow.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some bugs use it for a place to lay eggs.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get rid of it, lightly pinch it out and replace with dry fresh dirt. Do not stir it back in the dirt, because when the conditions get right again it will just start to grow again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9653" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-01-18T16:50:56.510" LastActivityDate="2015-01-18T16:50:56.510" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16137" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16168" CreationDate="2015-01-15T18:16:39.730" Score="3" ViewCount="254" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like some kind of leaf miner, but I've never seen it before. What is it, and is there an &quot;organic&quot; way to treat it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cryjK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fargesia&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iz0au.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fargesia 2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ayBT8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fargesia 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-01-22T14:05:26.170" Title="What is wrong with this Fargesia?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16138" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5271" CreationDate="2015-01-15T22:44:11.290" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing you could get by with less light than most people are recommending, and different color temperatures, too, although those they recommend might be more like ideal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just started growing some arugula indoors (though not hydroponically), using two regular CFLs that weren't advertised as grow lights (probably 22 watt or less, each, and probably 2500k), and the arugula (as well as my other plants around the light seem to be enjoying it, even though they don't grow toward it very fast; there's more to a light than how fast plants grow toward it. I'm guessing they grow toward blue light more than red.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The arugula is still young, and I haven't tried lettuce, yet (although I may try some Merlot lettuce soon); so I'll have to update in a while. I am, however, keeping the lights on longer than others here with their brighter lights (only giving about five hours' darkness or less). They also get some window light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For flowering/fruiting plants, I would actually recommend using more than one color temperature (like a 2500k one &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; a 5000-7000k one, if not more than two). However, for lettuce, you probably want mostly the higher color temperatures which should help the leaves grow most.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The color of your lettuce may impact your light requirements. I'm guessing since Merlot lettuce is dark red, it would prefer a higher color temperature even more than regular lettuce, since lower color temperatures have more red, and the lettuce would reflect more red (rather than absorb it), because it is red.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I'll probably get more and different lights in February, and update this post, but probably not before then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-01-16T03:36:12.217" LastActivityDate="2015-01-16T03:36:12.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5271" CreationDate="2015-01-16T15:24:00.457" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Even with all the answers, there doesn't appear to be a mention of recommended lux/lumen for lettuce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Approximately 80-100k will be adequate. Too much more than that (150-200k) and you'll risk having too much which if I recall correctly can cause lettuce to flower (due to the heat concentration).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A laser temperature gun can help determine if the intensity is resulting in too much heat. The leaves shouldn't be too much warmer than the ambient air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also a T5 is not by any means overkill. They are pretty mild lights compared to LED/MH/HPS. You will see about 80-100k at around 6 inches from a T5. Arguably perfect for lettuce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="7256" LastEditDate="2015-02-04T15:57:20.720" LastActivityDate="2015-02-04T15:57:20.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16140" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16274" CreationDate="2015-01-16T16:04:19.243" Score="2" ViewCount="1376" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is an area of approximately 6,000 square feet that is full of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Mugwort&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mugwort&lt;/a&gt;. We would like to restore some native vegetation, but as the area is adjacent to a pond, I don't want to use herbicides in controlling the mugwort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We are at the eastern end of Long Island in New York. Although we do not have a detailed land use history, most of the area was farmed until the past 30 years or so. Soil in the area is a silty loam.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We plan to till and overseed with a warm season native grass mix, but expect mugwort to come back in. What are some things we can do to prevent that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-01-16T18:49:06.853" LastActivityDate="2015-02-05T20:50:23.420" Title="How should I eradicate or control mugwort without herbicides?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16141" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16137" CreationDate="2015-01-16T19:44:39.770" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without a close-up photo my guess is Thrips.  Easy to manage, sucking insects.  Here is a good article on control.  Get a hand lens to make absolutely sure this is your target insect before applying any pesticide.  I'd thin out some of the foliage before treating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/houseplant-pests/thrips-control/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Thrip control&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2015-01-21T12:47:07.153" LastActivityDate="2015-01-21T12:47:07.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16143" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-17T03:34:23.960" Score="3" ViewCount="138" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vYFel.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;THE PLANT WAS IN A GARDEN AND SAID CUBAN CUMIN. BUT I AFRAID OF EATING IT&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took a little bunch, but it in water and planted it when I saw the roots. &#xA;the original plant was low, close to the floor. I kind of like it going up. This plant smells really nice. It's super resilient. I haven't take care of it at all. It has survived the sun of Miami with poor water, and the rainy season. It is the only warrior that has survived with me for 3 years. 'Cuban Cumin' was in the garden sign. Is that what this is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to know if is edible. I have been very nice to it lately and want to know more about the benefits of this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9665" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-17T03:55:13.337" LastActivityDate="2015-01-17T07:55:30.363" Title="What is the name of this plant, is it edible, and how can I care for it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16143" CreationDate="2015-01-17T07:55:30.363" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did some research with the phrase &quot;Cuban Cumin&quot; you gave in your post:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you checked  &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1356/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plectranthus amboinicus&lt;/a&gt;&quot;Cuban Oregano&quot; / &quot;Spanish Thyme&quot; / &quot;Indian Borage&quot;? &lt;br&gt;Your plant looks quite similar to this: &lt;br&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DldL1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;this&quot;&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you told us very little about the characteristics of your plant, you could compare yours with the description at the link abobe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-01-17T07:55:30.363" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16145" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16147" CreationDate="2015-01-17T10:09:47.493" Score="5" ViewCount="532" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a really nice plant that grows high. I am afraid that the trunk won't be able to support it one day and it will just break.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way I could force this plant to grow horizontal branches? A way to somehow limit its vertical growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone identify the plant and tell me the name of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3I7ot.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VzEYI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9666" LastActivityDate="2019-12-04T07:17:27.050" Title="What is the name of this plant and how to make it grow horizontal branches?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16146" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16148" CreationDate="2015-01-17T11:36:53.613" Score="7" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently found this plant, which was already dying, maybe due to low temperatures, too much or too less water, poor soil...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i5UEi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Firstly, I'd like to know its name, in order to learn how to take care of it and how to reproduce it. My idea is, if possible, cut the upper part, which is still green, and make it grow apart. Lower leafs are almost dead, and they're not going to live anymore. Would this work? Should I put it first in water and maybe use some hormones?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9667" LastActivityDate="2015-01-17T13:52:11.243" Title="What plant is this and how do I save it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16147" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16145" CreationDate="2015-01-17T13:39:15.430" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is called the Mass Cane or Dracaena Massangea also known as Dracaena fragrans . See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=mass%20cane&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for other answers which expand on this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant appears to have been grown from a cutting which is why the stem is only an inch thick.  When grown in tropical climates it can have a stem which is three to four inches (six to nine cm) thick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is rare for this plant to bud out and grow wider without some help. You can do this and get two stems from one:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut the stem cleanly between two leaves.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;from the new cutting take some leaves from the bottom&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;put the cutting in water in bright indirect sunlight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the new cutting has roots that are at least a few inches long put it back in the pot or pot it up separately for a while and then pot them up together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-01-17T13:39:15.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16148" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16146" CreationDate="2015-01-17T13:52:11.243" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is called the Mass Cane or Dracaena Massangea also known as Dracaena fragrans . See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=massangea&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for other answers which expand on this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant propagates readily when rooted in water or even when a healthy stem is cut off and stuck in the pot.  Your plant is a bit stressed so rooting in water is the best way to go.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Provide bright indirect light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut back from the top at least a foot or more&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;put in water and change the water regularly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should root within a month. Wait till the roots are at least two or three inches long and then pot up and grow on to a larger size.  The rest of the stem that is in the pot should bud out with new growth within a month or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-01-17T13:52:11.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16149" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-17T15:24:20.007" Score="3" ViewCount="1910" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this bonsai last week. There was no info on what breed it is? What can I do past watering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JfjAu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bonsai black spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eKCPI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bonsai&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9668" LastActivityDate="2015-01-22T22:13:45.493" Title="Falling leaves and black spots on bonsai tree. What can I do to return it to health?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16150" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-17T15:35:15.177" Score="6" ViewCount="983" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Knoxville, TN. My back lawn sees a lot of action year-round with two medium-sized dogs. I think much of it is Bermuda grass, since it runs close to the ground, is very thick and soft in summer, and goes completely dormant (dead-looking) in the winter. If I have the wrong grass, please let me know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some current pictures of a patch in different lights:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mclnm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fUcfJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Ecf0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondly, when the dormant season hits, my dogs are pretty rough on this grass. Since the soil is loose they dig at it, and even the spots that are just high traffic get very muddy. When it rains, I pretty much have to bathe them every time they go outside to save my carpet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, can I somehow &quot;toughen up&quot; these areas of the lawn with supplemented grass breeds, or should I just herbicide the whole thing and roll out new grass? Obviously I'd rather take the cheaper route of just dropping some new seed, but I've heard Bermuda is like a weed that will choke out most everything else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance for the input!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Disclaimer - I'm pretty much as far from an expert in this field as you can get. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9669" LastEditorUserId="9669" LastEditDate="2015-01-17T15:51:12.320" LastActivityDate="2015-01-17T15:51:12.320" Title="Bermuda grass (I think?) is a muddy mess in the winter time" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;dog&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16151" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16152" CreationDate="2015-01-17T19:18:34.940" Score="11" ViewCount="655" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a bunch of cilantro today at my usual produce market and when I picked it up, I felt a couple of pricks on my fingers that started itching a lot. When I got home and started preparing said cilantro, I found a twig of something that is definitely not cilantro. I don't know if that was what caused the earlier itching, as I managed to not touch it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could it be some kind of nettle? How could it make its way into commercial cilantro?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6GCVQm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9670" LastEditorUserId="8596" LastEditDate="2015-01-20T18:31:27.770" LastActivityDate="2015-01-20T18:31:27.770" Title="What is this itch-inducing twig I found in my cilantro?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16151" CreationDate="2015-01-17T20:11:06.957" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;This seems to be a young specimen of a nettle, a member of the urticaceae family, possibly &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica_urens&quot;&gt;urtica urens&lt;/a&gt; (stinging / dwarf nettle) or some relation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a weed that grows &quot;everywhere&quot; and rather quickly. Perhaps a seed has gotten into the cilantro field and was just harvested with the cilantro. These things happen, although not often. It's always a good idea to check your herbs, not only for stowaways like this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-01-17T20:11:06.957" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16153" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-17T21:23:00.943" Score="17" ViewCount="4107" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a website where I can submit information about my houseplants and manage them. I am looking for a service that would allow me to have a kind of a diary where I could keep track of their growth by uploading photos, comments etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried searching for something like this but couldn't find anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9666" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T17:06:30.690" Title="A website for keeping track of my houseplants" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16154" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16153" CreationDate="2015-01-18T01:28:12.890" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could check out &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.myfolia.com/&quot;&gt;myfolia.com&lt;/a&gt;, which is a free garden journal and organizer. I'm sure it'll work for houseplants, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-01-18T01:28:12.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16155" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16156" CreationDate="2015-01-18T13:54:26.933" Score="1" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I moved to a new apartment recently and the owner left me some of his plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Looks like some citrus plant:&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Supzz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&#xA;2. &#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/km0Iz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mIeTZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This one already started to rot:&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V0okn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will be great to be able to identify them and to know how to care for them: should I keep them on the sunny side, how often should I pour them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8537" LastActivityDate="2015-01-21T23:13:50.033" Title="How should I care for these plants?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-01-18T15:36:24.573" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16155" CreationDate="2015-01-18T14:54:29.677" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first plant is a croton.  See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/10960/which-plant-is-this-dead-ends-pruning-watering-tips/10961#10961&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8606/what-are-these-3-foot-tall-plants-in-southwest-florida/8608#8608&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second plant bears a passing resemblance to a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/15021/trying-to-identify-this-flowering-shrub/15024#15024&quot;&gt;clerodendrum bungei&lt;/a&gt; but I am not 100% sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The third plant is a cactus which is dead from root rot. Best to move it along or cut the new growth off to propagate it. See this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5488/cultivating-a-cactus-from-cutting/5505#5505&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; for details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-01-21T23:13:50.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16157" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3400" CreationDate="2015-01-19T08:44:27.410" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try using a gravel stabiliser! I used one on my driveway, which was also on a slope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The one I used was called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coregravel.co.uk/products/coregravel-gravel-stabilisation/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;COREgravel Coredrive&lt;/a&gt;, and it has really helped. It's from the UK, but you can probably find something similar wherever you live. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I saw another forum which said these grids must have a weed membrane already attached, so when I was hunting for a grid coregravel popped up a lot, and I must say the weed membrane is helping a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While we were doing the drive we also did a couple paths leading to the house, which this grid could also help with!! Bonus!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was very inexpensive, but I'd check prices for yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9677" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-14T22:24:15.457" LastActivityDate="2016-11-14T22:24:15.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16158" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16153" CreationDate="2015-01-19T17:06:25.937" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I track mine using a spreadsheet on Google Drive.  It's easy to tailor it to your needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my personal system, each row represents one planting.  Each planting is assigned an ID - I use the planting year and a number (eg, 14-10 for the tenth planting in 2014).  This ID then goes on the plant labels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like this system because it's got a reasonable promise of longevity - even if the service goes downhill, the data can be exported and referenced later.  You could potentially mine the data later, and scientifically determine what did and did not work well for each type of plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This system might not work as well with the photos, but you could always use an online photo system and reference your planting ID in each photo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My personal system (pardon any awful gardening habits described therein):&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VE5gx.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8596" LastActivityDate="2015-01-19T17:06:25.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16159" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16160" CreationDate="2015-01-20T09:41:49.307" Score="4" ViewCount="304" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have one week old cilantro and chilli seedlings growing in adjacent pots. They look the same. Are they supposed to look the same?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9678" LastActivityDate="2015-01-20T14:28:26.680" Title="Why do chilli and cilantro seedlings look the same?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16160" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16159" CreationDate="2015-01-20T10:51:25.957" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, cilantro (AKA coriander) seedlings look very similar to pepper seedlings before they grow their second leaves (or their first true leaves). Eggplant seedlings look about the same as peppers, too. Tomatoes look similar, but are often a little redder in the stem and furrier everywhere. In the pictures here, the peppers have sharper leaf points than the cilantro. Peppers usually have leaf-points about like that, but I imagine there may be exceptions, since there are lots of varieties of peppers (and species, too). There are even furry pepper plants (e.g. rocoto, goats weed and black cobra).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fennelandfern.co.uk/blog/2008/09/14/garden-from-scratch-2-starting-out/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here's a picture of some cilantro seedlings&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;https://petalsandwings.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/seedlings-peppers-6-1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here are some pepper and tomato seedlings&lt;/a&gt; (tomatoes are on the right).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-01-20T10:56:43.870" LastActivityDate="2015-01-20T10:56:43.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16161" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16159" CreationDate="2015-01-20T14:28:26.680" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The why has to do with genetics and if they look similar it means they share similarities in ancestry for that early stage of life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional information: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_genetics&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_genetics&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastActivityDate="2015-01-20T14:28:26.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16162" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16163" CreationDate="2015-01-20T16:21:44.287" Score="2" ViewCount="2582" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in London, UK and have had this shrub in my garden since I moved in 2 years ago. It looks like it has been shaped/pruned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mbaL9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The small bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NAotI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Small berries&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two years ago, there were tiny green leaves which turned red in autumn. And the plant sets tiny berries. Last year, the plant didn't have as many leaves (probably 10% of the year before) and there is only 1 berry that I can spot on the plant now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Srr3h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Red leaves in autumn&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone identify the plant for me please? And why it may have a lesser leaf + berry flush?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2420" LastActivityDate="2015-01-20T17:30:03.057" Title="Identify deciduous shrub with small red berries and small leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16163" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16162" CreationDate="2015-01-20T17:30:03.057" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/20362/Cotoneaster-simonsii/Details?returnurl=%2Fplants%2Fsearch-results%3Fform-mode%3Dfalse%26query%3Dcotoneaster%26aliaspath%3D%252fplants%252fsearch-results&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cotoneaster simonsii&lt;/a&gt; or the Himilayan cotoneaster.  A member of the rose family it should have small white or pink flowers in the spring and the berries should be hard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a similar one in my garden and they benefit from a good pruning to open up the structure. Good maintenance practices would include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;top dress with compost yearly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut out older growth, up to one third a year&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;try to improve access to sun by cutting back other shrubs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ensure this is planted in a sunny location&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in the spring check for &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/11161/do-aphids-return-to-the-host-plant-after-being-sprayed-off/11169#11169&quot;&gt;aphids&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5323/ants-and-white-gray-brown-spores-all-over-my-gardenia/5327#5327&quot;&gt;scale&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14031/whats-wrong-with-this-photinia-fraseri-tree/14301#14301&quot;&gt;fireblight&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-01-20T17:30:03.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16166" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-22T11:13:13.730" Score="1" ViewCount="254" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are pale blotches on the leaves of my lemon tree. There are no pests or mites, but all leaves have fallen from tree. I have tried a tomato feed with no results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9686" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-01-25T02:19:36.750" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T23:41:42.320" Title="Why is my lemon tree losing leaves after I gave it tomato feed?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2018-02-02T15:46:30.987" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16168" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16137" CreationDate="2015-01-22T13:57:42.030" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;While looking around unsuccessfully for references to thrips on bamboo, I came across what appears to be a likely suspect - &lt;a href=&quot;http://seattlebamboo.com/mite.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bamboo mites&lt;/a&gt;. The mottling on the leaves is consistent with what is pictured, as are the small black spots on the underside of the leaves. The final tell are the small, low profile, tents as shown in the photo below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jFjfq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bamboo mite tents&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oregon State University has a good guide for &lt;a href=&quot;http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nurspest/Bamboo/references.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;controlling bamboo mites&lt;/a&gt;. Additionally, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bamboobotanicals.ca/html/bamboo-care/bamboo-mites/Bamboo-Mites-WSU.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this source&lt;/a&gt; covers potential biological controls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2015-01-22T14:05:26.170" LastActivityDate="2015-01-22T14:05:26.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16169" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-22T18:32:53.653" Score="5" ViewCount="1992" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the country, so I've got mice that like to come into the house when the weather gets cold. The mice have learned to avoid the traps that I put inside the house, so I need to step up to something stronger. My first thought is to get some blocks of mouse poison and put a dozen of them all around the outside of the house, but I'm hesitant to do that, because I don't want to harm any birds that might feed on the mice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any mouse poison that I can use outside the house, that won't hurt any birds that feed on poisoned mice? Or is there a non-lethal alternative that I'm missing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9688" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-23T19:09:37.797" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T19:09:37.797" Title="How do I get rid of mice without hurting the birds that might feed on them?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;birds&gt;&lt;rodents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16170" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16172" CreationDate="2015-01-22T19:07:14.350" Score="3" ViewCount="419" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts and have a swath of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachysandra&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pachysandra&lt;/a&gt; approximately twelve inches wide growing against the foundation around my house. It's healthy and produced a lot of pretty, sweet-smelling flowers throughout the summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We recently trimmed a section and, as you can see, there's a green substance on the concrete that looks like algae. Is the pachysandra causing that? Is the algae dangerous to the concrete? If so, is trimming the plant enough or do we actually have to dig it up? One of the reasons we like it is because it hides the ugly foundation, so I'll leave it unless advised otherwise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wwn3Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AlhIm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-22T21:36:30.163" LastActivityDate="2015-01-22T21:36:30.163" Title="Does Pachysandra cause algae to grow on the concrete foundation of my house?" Tags="&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;concrete&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16169" CreationDate="2015-01-22T20:43:52.930" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you exhausted all efforts with regard to plugging the holes? No holes, no mice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe try using a non-chemical dye of some sort that is preferably washable to allow the mice to show you where they are coming from &amp;amp; going to. You'd need to place it somewhere they are likely to walk through and hopefully somewhere already near where you expect an entrance to be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Related: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/security/weapons-of-mouse-destruction-how-to-eliminate-the-relentless-rodents-tracking-tech&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/security/weapons-of-mouse-destruction-how-to-eliminate-the-relentless-rodents-tracking-tech&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;His company developed a fluorescent powder that could help you track&#xA;  mice back to their nests. &quot;When the mice walk on the powder, they get&#xA;  it on their feet and it leaves a footprint,&quot; Stern says. To get the&#xA;  powder onto the mice, load it into a box with food or dust it onto&#xA;  cotton balls, which the mice nab as nesting material. Then follow the&#xA;  footprints, which appear under UV, to find where the mice have set up&#xA;  shop. This lets you set up traps there, or seal off an outside entry&#xA;  point if mice are entering into the house from outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also related: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mousetraps.org.uk/mouse-traps/luminous-dust-mouse-tracking-kit&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.mousetraps.org.uk/mouse-traps/luminous-dust-mouse-tracking-kit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Using a sieve, sprinkle a small quantity of our luminous dust around&#xA;  the area you know them to frequent; where you have seen them, signs of&#xA;  nibbling, droppings etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The following morning and in low light conditions, switch on our black&#xA;  light torch (included with the kit). You'll be amazed to see how you&#xA;  can now follow their every action; their footprints will light up like&#xA;  tiny beacons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Follow their previous night's movements for up to 20 metres; find out&#xA;  how they got in and what parts of the house they visited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With some luck and determination, tactics like this should lead you to the entrance(s) and you can plug them for good. Even if you eliminate all the existing mice, if there are still holes, there will be future visitors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="7256" LastEditDate="2015-01-22T20:51:50.650" LastActivityDate="2015-01-22T20:51:50.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16172" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16170" CreationDate="2015-01-22T21:35:52.587" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The algae is there because of the dim lighting and moisture. It will not harm the concrete. In some cases, it provides an area for moss to spawn, which can hold in moisture, but in most cases, it's harmless (except aesthetically). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At my place, it's shady enough that over half the foundation gets a layer of this algae on it yearly, so it's a regular chore to clean it off the areas where there isn't ivy on the wall, just for looks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not the pachysandra, although that may help shade the wall some. You can wash the algae off with a pressure washer or a scrubbing brush. Or you can grow something over it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-22T21:35:52.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16173" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16149" CreationDate="2015-01-22T22:13:45.493" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the leave shapes look like a fukien tea, but the rest don't.  Looks deciduous, tropical.  The black is hard to tell from the pictures, looks like dirt.  lol But probably mold or fungus.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2015-01-22T22:13:45.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16174" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16175" CreationDate="2015-01-23T04:56:22.510" Score="7" ViewCount="2428" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please can someone Identify this New Zealand Bug found on my lawn today, thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/femm3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;beetle&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9689" LastEditorUserId="8596" LastEditDate="2015-01-23T22:19:33.330" LastActivityDate="2015-01-24T05:20:30.533" Title="Identification of garden insect with a red-edged green body and white spots" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16175" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16174" CreationDate="2015-01-23T15:09:53.177" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is a Green vegatable bug (Nezara viridula, a.k.a. southern green stink bug) in one of its juvenile forms (nymph I believe). Here are a couple of examples:&#xA; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OAM5S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Example 1&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dksWQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Example 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a number of stages of growth so the adult beetle looks quite different from this one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This beetle is a recognized pest of citrus plants and legumes (among others) and will often feed on developing shoots and fruits so I would keep a look out for others. The eggs will be laid in clusters and the newly hatched bugs will be black and feed in groups. The adult should have a shield-bug shape and be green to reddish brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Example:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eFMem.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6836" LastActivityDate="2015-01-23T15:09:53.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16176" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16177" CreationDate="2015-01-23T21:43:55.463" Score="6" ViewCount="624" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there particular varieties that are best suited for indoor growing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will the plant die after producing fruit after x amount of harvests?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are particular lighting schedules required to produce fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Temperatures will be regulated as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="7256" LastEditDate="2015-01-23T21:49:57.180" LastActivityDate="2015-01-23T23:27:26.737" Title="Can strawberries be grown year-round indoors?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16176" CreationDate="2015-01-23T23:27:26.737" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/strawberry/strawberry-plants-indoors.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; might be insightful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, it says they need six hours of sun per day (or artificial plant lighting). I imagine that should be good for fruit as long as it gets enough red light, potassium and phosphorus. The article doesn't mention anything about how fruit specifically relates to light, but it implies you can get fruit with six hours of sunlight a day. Other than lighting, strawberries should be easy to grow indoors from the sound of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The site recommends Alpine strawberries, because they have a clumping habit instead of a ranging one, but if you don't mind ranging, I don't suppose it matters a lot which variety you get. I could be wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One great thing about growing strawberries indoors is that you can avoid a lot of the pests and diseases that plague strawberries. This may increase their lifespan and increase yields, but I've never tried it. I haven't found information on how many harvests you can get before the plant dies, but there's another question on here that relates to that in an outdoor context.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-01-23T23:27:26.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16178" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13972" CreationDate="2015-01-23T23:59:06.233" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would opt for more grow lights and more convenience if that's easier, so long as they don't burn your plants. The window light helps, but your grow lights should help, too, and probably more than indirect sunlight would, especially if you're using multiple color temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To illustrate this point, I have some yellow pear tomatoes under a regular 3-way incandescent lamp (with a 3-way bulb on at its brightest from the dollar store) that we just use to light our living room. The tomatoes are under the lampshade. They get very little light from the curtained, north window a few feet from it, but they're doing much better this time of year than the tomatoes getting only light from a south window with a couple pine trees blocking some of the light. Granted, they grew better on summer light (I'm not sure if the summer light was as good, or better, but it was probably close). So, the artificial light is probably going to be more valuable, especially if it's actually designed for plants. I just put the tomatoes there to see how well they liked the light (and not because I thought it was the best place to grow them, although I was running low on space in areas I knew to have enough light). I'm glad I did.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience with less-direct, south sun, if your tomatoes are close to the grow light, they will eventually grow more toward it than the window (unless they're very close to the window), but I'm just using regular non-grow CFLs and my plants near them are on a fold-up table in front of the window (rather than on the windowsill). I imagine something more professional than my regular CFLs would work better. East sun would be great in the spring/summer, but I'm not sure so much for indirect east sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-01-24T00:13:42.497" LastActivityDate="2015-01-24T00:13:42.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16180" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16181" CreationDate="2015-01-24T00:36:21.400" Score="5" ViewCount="2154" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are lots of ants around, they just don't like to be photographed :)&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dyohI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0r6BF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;another close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the whole tree:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dhR3w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the whole tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Sydney, Australia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8581" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-26T20:30:33.010" LastActivityDate="2015-01-26T20:30:33.010" Title="My lemon tree, ants, shells. What is this and how to treat it properly?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;&lt;ants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16180" CreationDate="2015-01-24T00:51:02.613" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/control-plant-scale.htm&quot;&gt;scale insects&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not experienced with scales, but I imagine you can use neem oil and/or diatomaceous earth once in a while to help. I would get the diatomaceous earth all over the stems, wherever they are. I hear you can put a circle of cinnamon or something around your pot to help deter ants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-01-24T00:51:02.613" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16183" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16205" CreationDate="2015-01-24T06:39:19.900" Score="5" ViewCount="3374" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently moved into a house in the South SF Bay Area in California, with three large avocado trees. I've noticed that the leaves on one of these trees is drying out from the edges:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CANV1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up of the leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's another photo, this time from further out to give you an idea of the extent of the damage:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EDNXn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;From further out&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In fall it produced smaller fruit than I'd expect, and the other trees on the property did pretty well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I under-watering the tree? What's going on here?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9692" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-29T02:59:22.827" LastActivityDate="2015-04-25T09:58:43.567" Title="Why are my avocado's leaves drying out from the edges?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16184" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16203" CreationDate="2015-01-24T08:12:04.343" Score="7" ViewCount="168" Body="&lt;p&gt;What sort of equipment would one need to ensure that plant soil contains the right concentration of the 13 mineral nutrients necessary for plant growth? Specifically, can this be measured in real-time without involving sending samples to a lab?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far I understand, it's vital that all the following elements are present: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, boron, copper, iron, chloride, manganese, molybdenum and zinc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems like simply measuring pH gives only a rough estimate and is not a very precise indicator of the various element levels. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9693" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-29T02:30:37.553" LastActivityDate="2015-01-30T04:13:54.160" Title="Can I measure chemical elements in soil myself?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16185" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16186" CreationDate="2015-01-24T13:16:51.967" Score="5" ViewCount="3801" Body="&lt;p&gt;My indoor snake plant seems to be losing more leaves than it's growing. It started off as a pretty crowded pot, now it has reduced itself to this. I have another one in my office that's doing perfectly, the only difference is it's in a clay pot. Both get indoor lighting, the dying one probably gets a little more light reflected from the front door window. Same infrequent waterings. I punctured holes in the plastic pot to help the soil drain better, but it was dying before I did this. Should I transfer to a clay pot and resoil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click for a larger version&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dKyp5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dKyp5m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BwWdQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BwWdQm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9694" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-01-24T13:40:30.847" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T23:32:38.620" Title="What is happening to my Snake plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16186" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16185" CreationDate="2015-01-24T14:36:36.703" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria_trifasciata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sansevieria trifasciata&lt;/a&gt; or the Snake Plant and it has been given too much water in low light.  The roots have rotted and the leaves have collapsed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the point of view of commercial interiorscaping this plant is finished however if it has sentimental value you may be able to salvage some of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove the plant from the pot. Separate out the soft smelly roots which are finished and see if there are any leaf blade/root parts that are still good. If there are repot them in a small pot with a free draining soil in high light.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;clay pots are a good choice as they will absorb some water when the soil is wet and will provide more weight at the base as these plants can get top heavy.  A six inch clay pot should be the right size for your downsized plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you can also propagate it by leaf cuttings. Cut the leaf into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces and place them right side up (the way they were growing) in moist perlite or cactus potting &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;these plants do better in high light and when allowed to have the top inch (2.5 cm) of soil dry out before watering again&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=sanseveria&quot;&gt;these related questions&lt;/a&gt; for more information&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-01-24T14:36:36.703" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16189" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16190" CreationDate="2015-01-26T21:42:19.020" Score="5" ViewCount="412" Body="&lt;p&gt;I learned from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/16070/what-are-these-brown-cap-shaped-mushrooms-on-my-birch-tree-should-i-remove-the&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; that my birch tree is infested with &lt;a href=&quot;http://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/birch_polypore_piptoporus_betulinus/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Birch Polypore&lt;/a&gt;  mushrooms. For two reasons, I'm wondering if I should remove them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, even though they grow because the tree is diseased, they also cause further decay. Would removal slow down the rate at which the tree dies?           &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, do the mushroom bodies release spores or any other substance capable of causing damage to nearby birches which currently seem healthy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-01-26T22:27:40.053" Title="Should I remove brown, cap-shaped Birch Polypore mushrooms from my tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16189" CreationDate="2015-01-26T22:27:40.053" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Removing the fruiting bodies will not slow the damage/decay to the host tree. They do not affect the rate of the mycelium growth within the tree, and, if anything, removing the fruiting bodies will divert energy to new mycelium growth. They are only present for one purpose: spreading the fungus around. Usually, in a case &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gij2x.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;that bad&lt;/a&gt;, you will remove the tree. It won't live long. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can't remove it for a while, taking the fruiting bodies off will prevent the releasing of millions of spores, unless the spores have already been released. I suppose that could be a help, except that the air outside is already heavily laden with fungal spores of all kinds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In other words, this is not a huge deal, you can remove them or leave them, but probably the best thing you can do is to remove the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-26T22:27:40.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13516" CreationDate="2015-01-26T23:08:42.107" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the end, here's what I did:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I hacked it down to a stump again.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I poisoned the cut stump with Triclopyr.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;That killed it stone dead, so I had a guy with a bobcat pull out the stump while he was doing other work on the front yard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2015-01-26T23:08:42.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16192" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22686" CreationDate="2015-01-26T23:14:22.990" Score="6" ViewCount="141" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in New Mexico (zone 7a) and my yard is basically a desert. However, I was surprised to discover some grass growing near the edge of my patio slab today. I didn't plant it and I certainly haven't watered it, so I was surprised to see it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm hoping someone can identify what this stuff is so maybe I can plant it elsewhere since it seems to like growing here!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bigger versions here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/aY4kL&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://imgur.com/a/aY4kL&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tfray.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rY3X3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2016-01-01T04:11:14.193" Title="What is this grass that is growing in my desert yard?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16193" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16194" CreationDate="2015-01-26T23:23:56.357" Score="4" ViewCount="3176" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw this flower at the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center in Callaway Gardens. Please help me identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aFQKb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KTh2P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2354" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2015-01-29T22:14:05.033" LastActivityDate="2015-01-29T22:14:05.033" Title="What is this almost spherical red flower with thin, hair-like, petals?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16194" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16193" CreationDate="2015-01-27T01:30:28.173" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calliandra_haematocephala&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Calliandra haematocephala&lt;/a&gt; or the Pink Powderpuff. This plant is considered to be a broadleaf evergreen in USDA zone 9 to 11 and grows up to 6 feet ( 2 m tall).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a493&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Native to Borneo, red powder puff is an evergreen shrub or small tree.&#xA;  It was formerly included in the legume or pea family,.... It typically&#xA;  grows 10-15’ tall in its native habitat and is a very popular&#xA;  flowering shrub in central and southern Florida where it will survive&#xA;  year-round in the ground. Bipinnately compound leaves (5-10 pairs of&#xA;  leaflets per pinna) open copper-pink but mature to dark green.&#xA;  Raspberry-like flower buds open to hemispherical red powder puff&#xA;  flower heads (to 3” across) consisting of masses of scarlet stamens.&#xA;  Blooms primarily in fall and winter, but sporadic additional bloom may&#xA;  occur throughout the rest of the year. Variations in flower color&#xA;  exist, with some pink and white forms being available. Calliandra&#xA;  comes from the Greek words kallos meaning beauty and andros meaning&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I last saw this in a greenhouse where it was an open shrub that was subject to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mealybug&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-01-27T01:30:28.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16195" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16196" CreationDate="2015-01-27T04:09:22.533" Score="4" ViewCount="888" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had 2&quot; of composted manure added to my desert front yard (New Mexico, zone 7a) to serve as new topsoil after having someone with a bobcat and a dump truck to haul off the gravel and plastic sheeting that was previously there. I'm planning to plant Buffalo grass, Curly Mesquite grass, or some kind of prairie grass mix this spring, but before I do that, should I rototill the compost into the existing soil? Or just plant right in the compost itself? I worry that if I rototill, ancient weed seeds that were covered by the plastic and gravel for decades will be brought to the surface, but if I don't, the grass roots won't see any need to spread deeper than the 2&quot; of compost, inhibiting its drought resistance. The existing soil is heavy clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2015-01-29T11:40:50.567" Title="Should I rototill compost into existing barren soil before planting drought-hardy grass?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;desert&gt;&lt;tilling&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16196" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16195" CreationDate="2015-01-27T11:20:35.930" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to dig it into the soil, by rototilling if that's your choice. If you don't, you'll have a nutrient, humus rich layer on top of solid clay, which will act as a pan and create a drainage problem. If you weren't planting in spring, or were able to add the compost to the soil surface last autumn, you could have left it spread out and it would have been incorporated (to some extent) by bio activity into the layer beneath, but with only a short time between now and wanting to plant, you will have to do the work yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a risk of unwanted seed germination, but depending on how the composted material was produced (anaerobic or aerobic), there may be viable seeds within the added material itself, regardless of any which may be present in the original soil, which would mean you would get this problem whether you dig or not. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once turned into the soil, you'll need to let it settle for a week or two, then level the area for planting any type of grass, making sure to even out any soft spots, troughs or hollows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I'd still turn it over, but it's up to you - you haven't said whether you're sowing seed or planting actual plants, or laying sod though. If you're sowing seed, you need to rototill, planting grass plants individually might be okay without rototilling, laying sod, rototill. Sorry...!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-01-29T11:40:50.567" LastActivityDate="2015-01-29T11:40:50.567" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16197" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17392" CreationDate="2015-01-27T23:23:35.853" Score="6" ViewCount="789" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the early summer of 2014, I was on vacation in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Grove,_Schuylkill_County,_Pennsylvania&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pine Grove (PA)&lt;/a&gt;, and saw this large plant by the side of the road. It is huge. For scale, the pokeweed in the pic is about 7' tall. This weed is woody. The current growth seems to have sprouted from a stem about 4' tall (last year's growth). It had grown over 16' taller this year, with huge compound leaves and an umbel at the apex. Unfortunately these are the only photos I can find. What is this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WK8ry.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pSzdT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-28T04:54:06.123" LastActivityDate="2017-10-16T02:32:38.817" Title="What is this large, woody plant with compound leaves, found in zone 6a?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16199" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16207" CreationDate="2015-01-28T13:36:15.397" Score="4" ViewCount="198" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this bush? The photo was taken in May (in South England).   It is slowly turning into a kind of a tree, with long branches without any new shoots, so I would like to prune it and turn it into a low bush again but as I don't know what it is not sure when it's best to prune it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kxskd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9706" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-28T17:31:46.477" LastActivityDate="2015-02-01T00:49:38.030" Title="What is this bush called and can it be pruned this time of year?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16199" CreationDate="2015-01-28T17:30:01.003" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's  a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weigela&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Weigela&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Here's the description from wikipedia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The leaves are 5–15 cm long, ovate-oblong with an acuminate tip, and with a serrated margin. The flowers are 2–4 cm long, with a five-lobed white, pink, or red (rarely yellow) corolla, produced in small corymbs of several together in early summer. The fruit is a dry capsule containing numerous small winged seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This wants to be a large arching shrub. I don't think keeping it as a low shrub will work well. If you don't have room for a large shrub there, consider (re)moving it. Otherwise, you want it to grow with a natural habit, so heading back a lot isn't a good idea. You can start in spring right before bud break. Cut out a few of the thickest, clubbiest stems at the base, and remove any rubbing or dead branches. When cutting a branch, cut back to the base, or a branchlet. Do not leave a stub.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want it to grow up and out from the base, like a fountain. Cut any growth that grows back into the center. You'll probably end up having to prune this each spring for a few years, to get it back into shape. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-01T00:49:38.030" LastActivityDate="2015-02-01T00:49:38.030" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16201" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16202" CreationDate="2015-01-29T00:47:00.903" Score="5" ViewCount="819" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it okay to let the basil leaves &quot;age&quot;? Like the leaves at the lower part of the stem. I pinch back my basil plant at the top, so the leaves at the bottom doesn't get touched and grow larger. I have read in a &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/herbs/msg0602323428774.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;forum&lt;/a&gt; that the big leaves don't taste as good as the new small ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6881" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-29T02:10:24.510" LastActivityDate="2015-01-29T02:10:24.510" Title="Should I let my basil leaves age?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16201" CreationDate="2015-01-29T02:09:43.660" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The larger leaves don't necessarily have poor flavor. It's more about age than size. Old leaves don't taste as good as new ones. That's why a good harvesting system is key.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most people try to do this by harvesting the oldest (lowest) leaves as the plant grows, before they get too old. While this can work, it's not the most awesome method for plant form and longevity. A better harvesting system not only harvests a good crop, but also prunes the plant for best form and productivity. Here's how it's done (taken partially from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.foodrenegade.com/harvesting-basil-101/&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt;, which is spot on):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When your basil plant has 3 to 5 sets of leaves, cut the top off just above the second set of leaves from the ground. The single stalk will now end here, and two new branches will now bud and grow from the set of leaves you left behind. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every couple of weeks, repeat the process, cutting just above the first or second set of leaves on your newest branches.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the plant flowers, it will set seed and die. If you see flower buds, you can try to keep up with cutting them all off as they form (beleive me, it's more challenging than it sounds), or you can let it go and start over. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You use these young new prunings s your harvest, with awesome rewards. and it will be quality, young basil. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.foodrenegade.com/harvesting-basil-101/&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Harvesting basil this way, you'll probably be able to get 20 cups of basil from each plant per season!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-29T02:09:43.660" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16184" CreationDate="2015-01-29T02:30:08.247" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay to get right to it, &lt;strong&gt;no, most of those listed nutrients aren't practical to test for at home.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, you can get test kits, for basic info about levels of N,P,K, and pH, but they will not cover all the other elements you were asking about. Basically, if you want to do that yourself, you'll have to actually build yourself a lab. It would be expensive, and each test will still end up being more of a hassle than simply paying someone else who is already set up, and experienced. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In other words, I strongly recommend that you have professionals conduct these tests for you, rather than trying to do it yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-29T02:30:08.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14245" CreationDate="2015-01-29T02:42:57.363" Score="2" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;after how many harvests would I need to start fertilizing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the same idea as crop rotation, you probably shouldn't be growing carrots in the same soil year after year. I'd say after a couple years, bringing in fresh mix is a much better option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I know I have enough room for them but am more worried about whether there will be enough nutrition in the soil to carry them through until harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This really depends on the mix. Some pre-fertilized mixes are advertised to feed for up to 9 months, but generally, regularly using a liquid feed as a root drench is better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Is there a certain soil blend or configuration (amendments) that would allow me to set it and forget it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, no. Not in so confined a container as you are using.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Some sources say to do a light liquid fertilization every 2 weeks or so about halfway through the grow cycle (35-40 days) of FoxFarm Big Bloom. Is there a more apt liquid fertilizer for carrots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, you want a lot of phosphorus (P), also plenty of potassium (K), and less nitrogen (N). The feed you linked to looks fine. There isn't a 'best' fertilizer for a certain species, as it also greatly depends on the culture the plant is growing in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-29T02:42:57.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16183" CreationDate="2015-01-29T02:57:20.137" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see what looks like fungal spots on the leaf undersides (where they curl up), which is indicative of inadequate nutrition (and probably poor soil health). Plants deficient in necessary elements are far more likely to have issues like this than are healthy trees, and they can't fight it off on their own. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to solve this is to get your soil tested (send a sample to your county's extension office), and correct any nutrient/mineral deficiency that may come up. Also, one of the best things you can do is to mulch around the tree with a good layer of fine compost (composted manure works well). This not only feeds the soil life and the tree, leading to a much healthier life for the tree, it will hold in soil moisture, and regulate the soil temperature quite a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I seriously doubt the tree will keep on going downhill if you provide the right cultural requirements. While you're at it, you might as well do this for your other trees as well. Prevention is better than cure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-29T02:57:20.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14930" CreationDate="2015-01-29T03:16:12.753" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This isn't the easiest process in the world, but you can do it. Personally, I'd call up a lab and ask if they could test it for me. Other than that, you would have to use something like a combustion process, like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHN_analyzer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;CHN analyzer&lt;/a&gt; such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/CHNfront.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt; (expensive), or use a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_spectrometry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mass spectrometer&lt;/a&gt; to ionize and separate the material, like &lt;a href=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/IMS3F_pbmf.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt; (even more expensive).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In short, not very practical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-29T03:16:12.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16199" CreationDate="2015-01-29T11:26:00.870" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Weigela it is - this is one of the shrubs which can be 'renovated' if it has become congested and choked with wood in the centre. The usual procedure with these is to prune properly immediately after it has flowered, otherwise flowering is non existent or severely reduced the following year, but from the little I can see of yours, it does seem to be somewhat congested. If that's the case, you could cut it down as low as you like now or next month, give it a good feed with something like Growmore in March, and as it grows, shape to your liking. It will, as already stated elsewhere, always want to arch outwards, and carrying out this renovation will mean no flowers for at least 2 years, but you should finish up with something that looks, overall, more attractive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, on the other hand, you do want good flowering this year, then don't prune now, wait until flowering is over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-01-29T11:26:00.870" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16208" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16220" CreationDate="2015-01-29T12:46:34.107" Score="5" ViewCount="2484" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received this pot plant as a gift, but I don't know what it is, and consequently, how to properly care for it. The size is approximately 20 cm from the base of the pot to the top of the plant. It's from, and presumably native to, southeastern China. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These pictures were taken in a relatively poorly lit room with the camera flash, so the colour is a little washed out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d5LYD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dNjjy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6KRtx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These pictures were taken without the camera flash. Sadly, my camera seems to have difficulty focusing without it for some reason.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nJww7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6CP5n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9709" LastEditorUserId="9709" LastEditDate="2015-01-30T13:06:25.613" LastActivityDate="2015-01-30T13:39:31.543" Title="What is this small potted plant with a thick trunk and palmate clusters of 5 leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16209" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-29T17:50:03.430" Score="1" ViewCount="43" Body="&lt;p&gt;How can I prevent, get rid of moles in my yard?  I have tried traps and the glandular poison.&#xA;Moles come back every spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9710" LastActivityDate="2015-01-29T17:50:03.430" Title="How Do I Get Rid Of Moles" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-01-30T04:20:40.990" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16211" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17490" CreationDate="2015-01-29T23:47:06.147" Score="4" ViewCount="355" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to make a standard&lt;sup&gt;(1)&lt;/sup&gt; with scions from a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rhipsalis.com/species/pilocarpa.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rhipsalis pilocarpa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or mistletoe cactus. I need a rootstock that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is columnar&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is unbranched&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Has good longevity (at least 20 years)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can adapt to high humidity and light shade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Has a slim, clean, stem at least 3' long&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stem rigidity is optional, because the plant would be staked at about 3' (by the graft union). I will be side grafting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been considering using a freshly rooted &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonlight_cactus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Selenicereus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; cutting as the rootstock. Is that a good choice? If so/no, what other options do I have?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;(1) Standard in this context means 'tree form', as a standard rose bush. This term is used with plants that do not naturally grow in tree form, trained to one single stem, or 'trunk', resembling a tree, although smaller in size.&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-03-04T20:14:35.670" Title="What columnar cactus species I should select as a rootstock for a Rhipsalis standard?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16212" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16208" CreationDate="2015-01-30T00:15:19.030" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stephie could be right...what I see as your main problem from your photograph is POWDERY MILDEW.  All those whitish blobs across veins.  Very common on a lot of different species of plants and easy to control/treat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need more ventilation/aeration and lower humidity.  Free water on the leaves is helpful.   Continuously damp soil and little air movement provides ideal environment for this fungus. Powdery mildew is not good for plants!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A mix of 1 part milk to 9 parts water sprayed once per week regularly helps tremendously.  I just learned this from 'Bamboo' last summer off this site.  Neem works very well.  Just read the label very closely and spray in isolation from bees and birds and pets.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fix the problem.  Get a little fan to keep air moving and allow the soil to dry out between waterings. Pay attention to this trunk!  Get all gravel, moss pulled away from the base.  Make SURE that the bark of the upright trunk is never covered.  Moisture on the bark will allow bacteria to kill the cambium just beneath the bark.  This is the vital vascular conduit system to transport food produced by the plant down to the roots and minerals/chemicals/water conduits upward to support the food making factories in the leaves.  Find the fine line where bark stops and roots begin.  Keep the bark dry!  All woody plants indoors as well as outdoors need this care.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After soaking your plant, allowing it to drain (try not to use our tap water unless on private wells), keep the saucer emptied...allow to dry before watering again. Never water a little everyday.  Place this plant in your tub and water with non-softened water.  Soak this plant and wash off leaves.  Again, allow soil to dry before watering again.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your problem is too much humidity.  Your plant is still very healthy if bark has no soft spots.  What are you doing for adding important nutrient/chemicals back to soil?  Fertilizers? What are the lighting conditions? Might not need a fan if you reduce waterings...only fill your pots for plants with sterilized potting soil.  Never garden soil.  And gravel/rocks below the soil only worsen drainage!!!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-01-30T00:15:19.030" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16214" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16217" CreationDate="2015-01-30T01:54:09.050" Score="6" ViewCount="976" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this wacky idea to plant Purslane instead of grass in my desert yard (zone 7a, 9 inches of rain annually). I'm not keen on having high-maintenance turf; the only grass in the running against the Purslane idea is Curly Mesquite grass, which I've read can grow on 5 inches. But I like the idea of Purslane instead because since it's a weed, it will more or less grow on its own, and it's edible! I think it's delicious and love the idea of being able to graze on my own lawn. The seeds are also available dirt cheap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But Purslane is an annual and I worry about how the yard will look after it dies and before it re-grows the next year. Is this a legitimate worry? And if I carpet a whole area with it, will it reliably re-seed itself for the next year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-01-30T03:34:37.287" LastActivityDate="2015-02-05T03:33:50.637" Title="Is there any merit to my wacky idea to grow a Purslane lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16215" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16216" CreationDate="2015-01-30T03:08:34.473" Score="8" ViewCount="3165" Body="&lt;p&gt;I often see shrubs and vines for sale labeled as 'standards'. What does that mean?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Examples:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guardiangardencentre.co.uk/csp/parkers/products/large/0001746.jpg&quot;&gt;Roses&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2013/06/03/WillEsGarden/ccd722.jpg&quot;&gt;Rose of Sharon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.havlis.cz/img/717_4.jpeg&quot;&gt;Trumpet Vine&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensofdistinction.co.uk/images/gallery/newgall_0011.jpg&quot;&gt;Wisteria&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And so on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-01T00:47:06.607" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T03:54:56.040" Title="What does 'standard' mean when referring to shrubs and vines?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16215" CreationDate="2015-01-30T03:08:34.473" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Standard, in this context, means trained into tree form. Usually standard shrubs and vines are trained from a young age, allowing only one stem to grow from the ground, forming the trunk. This must be kept free of sideshoots and laterals up to a certain point, which makes up the head of the standard. A good head will look bushy and balanced, and fit with the length of trunk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In other cases, The trunk is grown first, either from seed, or as a cutting, and the head is grafted on as one or (usually) more scions. This is grown on and trimmed regularly until it is ready for show, at which time it is planted out or sold. This is almost always the method used or weeping plants, or to get multiple bloom colors in one head. It creates a more formal, globe shaped head in non-weeping specimens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants must be carefully tended, to keep them from reverting back to their natural form. This means removing all shoots from the head down, and careful heading back, pinching, and thinning out of the head as it grows over time. Eventually, you will want to replace the entire plant, as they can get ragged and lose vigor with age. However, with informal standards, like the wisteria standard pictured below, age enhances the plant, and the best ones are the ones that have been around the longest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually, the standard needs support, which is usually provided as a system of stakes and ties. This is especially true of vine standards, which cannot support themselves well even when mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rose standard:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jqaHr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wisteria Standard:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y02Nh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-03T03:54:56.040" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T03:54:56.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16214" CreationDate="2015-01-30T03:26:51.440" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a succulent and won't take much foot traffic at all, compared with grass. If you plan to walk through your yard often, I wouldn't recommend you do this. Also, it will shade and cool the soil, and so will encourage the germination and establishment of weeds where they otherwise would be getting baked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than that, it could look good while green. I've had it come up as monocultures where I left land go fallow, and it would usually thin out after a few years of that and other weeds would come in. Of course, this is a totally different area, so that may not be the case where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, over the dormant months, you won't have anything out there at all. About grazing it, that's a nice thought, but when it's dry, there'll be a lot of dust buildup, and you'll want to wash it off before consumption unless you don't mind crunching dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In short, I think it's possible, but I see more cons than pros. If you see it differently, then by all means go for it. No better way to learn than direct experience imo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-01-30T03:26:51.440" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16220" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16208" CreationDate="2015-01-30T13:39:31.543" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the new pictures, I must retract my previous answer: You have a &lt;strong&gt;pachira galabra&lt;/strong&gt; (often labeled as &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachira_aquatica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pachira aquatica&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another name is &quot;Money Tree&quot; and Wikipedia states &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;They are symbolically associated with good financial fortune and are typically seen in businesses, sometimes with red ribbons or other auspicious ornamentation attached. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding care:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Bright light, but no direct sun, water generously, but in longer intervals, let the top 1-2 in. of soil dry between waterings. Fertilize in spring &amp;amp; summer. The plant loves medium to high humidity. Be especially careful with the trunk, as it bruises easily and then is susceptible to rotting. Do not wet the stem, rather water from below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-01-30T13:39:31.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16222" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-01-31T04:33:22.473" Score="4" ViewCount="1814" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, after so many dead plant and ruts, I have come to realize that for some reason, my plants seem to contract some fungal issue most every week. I am not exactly sure why but I have had to pluck up brown roots from most all of my current stock at least 1 every week in January and I wonder how much longer I can keep this up. I have resorted to soaking the roots in fungicide solution before replanting, and this of course is after changing out the potting soil failed. I have made certain to test and retest drainage on most all the posts, even adding stones and more holes to help in any way possible but somehow the roots keep getting infected after a couple of days. How can I completely rid my plants of fungal infections for pete's sake? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastActivityDate="2015-02-06T17:39:11.913" Title="How to completely rid my potting soil/container of fungi which seems to continually attack my plants" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16222" CreationDate="2015-01-31T13:32:06.863" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your question has more context when we read &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/15028/night-blooming-jasmine-plant-continues-to-wilt-even-after-treating-with-baking-s/15029?noredirect=1#comment20113_15029&quot;&gt;your first question&lt;/a&gt; about night blooming jasmine dying back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears that your indoor plants are dying and you don't know, but suspect, virus/fungus/bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can try these actions and see if they help:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;get rid of all existing potting soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wash all your empty pots in soap and water and scrub off all mineral and soil deposits&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;disinfect all trimmers, pruners, scissors with bleach&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;from your comments I also recommend that you do not use moisture control potting soil unless you can supply a high light environment.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;reexamine your watering practices. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2013/is-there-a-rule-of-thumb-for-caring-for-potted-plants-in-office/2016#2016&quot;&gt;Studies&lt;/a&gt; have shown that the majority of indoor plant deaths are due to overwatering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4468/how-do-i-keep-my-balcony-flowers-hydrated-while-im-away/4472#4472&quot;&gt;capillary mats&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3985/how-do-i-make-the-water-reach-the-roots-on-a-pvc-aquaponics-system/4002#4002&quot;&gt;water wicks&lt;/a&gt; to supply only what the plants need&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Buy a test plant and put in a separate area from your other plants. Ensure that the light and temperature requirements of the plant are met.  Do not repot it, do not treat with anything on arrival.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many of the virus/fungus/bacteria problems that indoors plants face come from these sources:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;too much water leads to soggy soil with no air pockets. Roots die and provide an entry point.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cool temperatures and moist can provide the right environment for some pathogens&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil splashing onto leaves can be a vector for some pathogens but this is rarer in indoor plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;growers can have even more problems with pathogens which can infect an entire crop.See this &lt;a href=&quot;http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/foliage/folnotes/holiday.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;production guide&lt;/a&gt; for Christmas cactus as an example of the problems that can happen. In some cases a newly purchased plant can look good but already be infected. The best solution is to provide an optimum environment with minimum shock.  (There is no need to repot a new plant right away, wait and observe)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-01-31T16:20:31.513" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16225" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16228" CreationDate="2015-01-31T21:03:03.277" Score="6" ViewCount="4054" Body="&lt;p&gt;The terms 'vines' and 'creepers' are used frequently in plant descriptions. They both have flexible growth and cannot support themselves in an upright habit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A simple image search brings almost identical results. (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=plant%20vines&amp;amp;safe=active&amp;amp;rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS584US584&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=955&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=20HNVNfrAezjsAT024GYDQ&amp;amp;ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&amp;amp;dpr=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;vines&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=plant%20creepers&amp;amp;safe=active&amp;amp;rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS584US584&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=955&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=5EHNVKviC4fdsASpxoCADA&amp;amp;ved=0CB0QsAQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;creepers&lt;/a&gt;) And from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.meta.stackexchange.com/a/269/419&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;All creepers are vines, but not all vines are creepers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any major differences that can be apparent between vines and creepers? What are they?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-16T15:48:38.217" LastActivityDate="2015-02-05T15:46:43.137" Title="What are the differences that can be apparent between vines and creepers?" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16226" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16227" CreationDate="2015-02-01T08:50:02.817" Score="5" ViewCount="1911" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a plant but the seller does not know the scientific name of the plant. He says that it is a money tree, but can't seem to find a money tree that fits the description on the Internet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has clusters of orange-red berries around the bottom part of the plant and elongated dark green leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whole Plant Picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yWiZYl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruits or Berries:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iDTHnl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/21dZNl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9720" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-02-01T15:43:02.413" LastActivityDate="2015-02-01T15:43:02.413" Title="Houseplant with clustered red berries at the bottom part of the plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16227" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16226" CreationDate="2015-02-01T11:50:54.953" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardisia_crenata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ardisia crenata&lt;/a&gt;, a member of the primrose family that is native to East Asia. It has a variety of common names such as coralberry, coral ardisia, spiceberry, Christmas berry. It is an upright perennial shrub that can grow six feet (2 Meter) tall outside but will remain smaller indoors. Strong diffuse light and moist soil are required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is considered an &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag281&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;invasive plant in Florida&lt;/a&gt;, Hawaii and Australia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are conflicting reports of toxicity for this plant.  It appears the leaves and berries can be toxic. Another &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Ardisia%20crenata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt; indicates it promotes blood circulation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-02-01T11:50:54.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16228" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16225" CreationDate="2015-02-01T17:17:07.233" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vines&lt;/strong&gt; are not a special group of plants, but - like trees and shrubs - defined by appearances. Vines have long stalks/shots/branches that are too weak to support themselves. Usually vines are divided in two subgroups, &lt;em&gt;creepers&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;climbers&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Creepers&lt;/strong&gt; are vines that - if left alone - trail over the ground or hang down. If gardeners want them to grow upwards, they must tie them to some supporting structure. Creepers are often used as ground cover. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Climbers&lt;/strong&gt; on the other hand, are vines that can climb on their own. They either &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wrap their entire branch around supporting structures (like wisteria),&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grow tendrils (sweat peas) or tendril-like leaves (clematis) or&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;have some sort of special aerial rootlets (English ivy) or adhesive pads (Virginia creeper -&gt; a misnomer!)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If no supporting structure is available, climbers will &quot;creep&quot; over the ground, too, of course.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Caveat: The naming is not always consistent, &quot;Virginia creeper&quot; is actually a &quot;climber&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit as requested:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is another type of &quot;creepers&quot;, namely ground-covering or &quot;crouching&quot; plants without long &quot;vine-like&quot; branches. Creeping thyme is an example. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As all names in this post are based on apperance and not on some kind of botanical relationship, this was to be expected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-02-05T15:46:43.137" LastActivityDate="2015-02-05T15:46:43.137" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16230" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17433" CreationDate="2015-02-01T21:47:18.947" Score="6" ViewCount="1344" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been following the general guidelines for taking care of lucky bamboo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Purified water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sunny area, indirect sunlight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No fertilizer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Indoors (60 to 70 fahrenheit nowadays)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have been slowly dying. They turn yellow, starting from the top. Then they shrivel and show black dots everywhere. I cut off the yellow tops on two of them, hoping that the yellowing would not spread, but that didn't work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yzY9r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's quite a lot of algae (I think that's what it is) developing in the tank. I use the same purified water that I personally drink (Pur brand filters) so I don't know how the tank could become so dirty. Is this algae the killer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lu69h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2015-02-25T20:11:34.480" Title="What is killing off my lucky bamboo?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;&lt;algae&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16231" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-01T22:37:46.723" Score="6" ViewCount="869" Body="&lt;p&gt;It grows very fast in summer. Hundreds of little round seeds seem to grow on stems where the leaves join to the main stem. Wind or manual removal causes them to fall off everywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Older stems seem to turn brown/reddish, with newer growth stems being green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's located in eastern Australia, in a cool temperate climate. It has taken off massively after recent rains followed by steady 20&amp;deg;C temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zr9dll.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ftsYBl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h05oOl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UOjfYl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9725" LastEditorUserId="6838" LastEditDate="2015-03-30T19:41:52.497" LastActivityDate="2015-08-28T09:18:34.427" Title="What is this weed with tiny yellow flowers found in eastern Australia?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16232" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16242" CreationDate="2015-02-01T22:49:35.473" Score="5" ViewCount="459" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am currently living in the California Bay Area, a subtropic region. I grow quite a few tropical trees in my backyard. This winter has been the first subtropic winter that these trees have ever experienced. Typically, the nights here were 40-50 fahrenheit and days were 70 fahrenheit. There was only one night that dropped to 39 fahrenheit. I've only been watering my trees sparingly once a week because I heard trees don't need much water in the winter.  None of my tropical trees appear healthy now, so I would like to assess whether they have survived the cold weather or not. Are they dead or not?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syzygium_samarangense&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wax Apple&lt;/a&gt;. In the summer, it branched vigorously and had tons of huge leaves, bigger than the size of a human hand. It has dropped nearly every leaf. Also, the small outer branches have blackened. The inner bigger trunk is still tan colored. (I strung up a lot of the branches because during one storm the winds bent the branches straight down).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YJvl5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guava&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Century Guava&lt;/a&gt;. It hasn't lost many leaves. However, they've become a pale yellow-green color and then eventually purple. Its branches appear unchanged - they have a flaky skin as most tropical guava have. (I know mulch isn't supposed to touch the trunk. During the dry times, I keep the mulch as close to, but not touching, the trunk).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NxR9Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Update on April 25, 2015&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The wax apple is presumed dead. All leaves were lost during the winter. All my other tropical trees have came back from hibernation except the wax apple. I cut into its trunk to test for any green color. Nope. It was dried to the bone. Farewell, my good friend. I will need to start from ground zero again...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-04-26T04:03:14.547" Title="How to check if a tropical tree has survived a subtropic winter?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16233" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-02T06:26:25.660" Score="3" ViewCount="241" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried doing some research into what might be causing the damage, as the vine is also damaged slightly. I looked around the rest of my garden and the winter melon and hairy melons are growing perfectly. The pumpkins are also growing without a problem, so I am at a loss to why the Piel De Sapo is growing at a sub-par level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe it is some disease but I haven't had any experience with growing this type of melon. There isn't much information online  I'm growing this in Sydney, from a melon I bought at Costco Australia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e770L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Piel De Sapo&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CoJxp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Piel De Sapo Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/249Le.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Piel De Sapo Leaves and Fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas? Or is this just basic insect damage? If it is insect damage, then does anyone have any ideas on what I can use to deter these insects?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6780" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T18:30:09.407" Title="Is this a sign of some disease or insect damage? (Piel De Sapo plant)" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;melons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16234" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16235" CreationDate="2015-02-02T19:03:56.747" Score="5" ViewCount="346" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year my wife and I planted our first ever organic vegetable garden (raised bed made of cedar) and pretty much just &quot;winged it&quot;; and surprisingly had very good yields. By &quot;winged it&quot; I mean, we didn't really do any homework on gardening, just spent a weekend watching videos and reading blogs/articles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year, we're getting more serious, and so I'm actually reading up on vegetable gardening. And in preparing our second year's garden, there are two pieces of seemingly contradicting advice I keep coming across over and over again:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant onions and scallions around the perimeter of your garden to ward off pests; but...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Never plant the same kind of vegetable in the same location (in other words, rotate your crops), so as to help prevent fungi/disease&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is contradictory because on one hand it leads me to believe that we &lt;em&gt;should&lt;/em&gt; be planting certain vegetables around the perimeter of our garden every year, but on the other hand, this might make those vegetables susceptible to disease since we're not rotating their position every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I ask: which is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9727" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-02T21:53:01.890" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T03:04:44.847" Title="Should I rotate border vegetables, or plant a perimeter of onions/scallions each year?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;crop-rotation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16235" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16234" CreationDate="2015-02-02T21:49:31.487" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience, planting onions etc around the perimeters isn't very effective. On the other hand, rotation is not only effective, but necessary for a good &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/factsheets/ipm.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Integrated Pest Management (IPM)&lt;/a&gt; system. It is one of the most effective cultural means of pest/disease prevention, and it also helps the soil maintain a balance, as different plants use vastly different amounts of the various minerals/nutrients. Rotation maintains the balance, preventing the nutrient  depletion common in the soil of multi-year monocultures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd say this is a fairly easy question. Definitely go with the rotation rather than the perimeter planting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-03T03:04:44.847" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T03:04:44.847" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16236" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16237" CreationDate="2015-02-03T02:05:50.563" Score="4" ViewCount="5034" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am sprouting mung beans to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I sprout them in a clear plastic container with the opening covered in a mesh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I place the container, opening down on the kitchen counter covered in one of those blue cleaning cloths.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Everyday, I cover the sprouts in water, drain them and put them back on the counter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They grow quite well, but around day 3/4 they start putting out more roots and turning green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I keep the sprouts white?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&#xA;In addition to completely covering the sprouts, I read that weighing them down was important for fat sprouts. To do this I used a plastic bag filled with rice so that that my weight would fill any shape bowl I used. I am not sure if this was beneficial. But it certainly didn't hurt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also used a plastic colander. This had too many holes. Extraction of the sprouts was annoying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastEditorUserId="7313" LastEditDate="2015-02-10T05:30:35.563" LastActivityDate="2020-12-02T20:56:29.933" Title="How do I prevent my mung bean sprouts from turning green and developing too many roots?" Tags="&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16237" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16236" CreationDate="2015-02-03T02:34:10.533" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grow them in a green container.  Or grown them in a container with an opaque cover.  The key is to not let them get light.  They are sprouting based on energy stored in the bean so do not need additional energy. Apparently growing them in the light &lt;a href=&quot;http://sprouting.com/canadian/seeds/mung-beans.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;causes bitterness&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see from other sites that it is difficult to get the large white sprouts that you can buy at the grocery store as these are grown in with commercial equipment.  When you sprout them at home you do not want to let them germinate for too long or they expend their energy growing roots and leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T02:34:10.533" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16238" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16266" CreationDate="2015-02-03T05:04:28.140" Score="4" ViewCount="170" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this cactus over two weeks ago. What is it's name and how should I take care of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JsKb3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9726" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-03T05:16:58.980" LastActivityDate="2015-02-04T19:16:57.803" Title="What is this cactus and how should I care for it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16239" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16240" CreationDate="2015-02-03T05:23:52.850" Score="4" ViewCount="181" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this plant over two weeks ago. What is its name? How should I take care of it?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p7Kyc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9726" LastEditorUserId="9631" LastEditDate="2015-03-04T20:13:08.593" LastActivityDate="2015-03-04T20:13:08.593" Title="How should I care for this Succulent?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16240" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16239" CreationDate="2015-02-03T11:08:09.060" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a variety of &lt;a href=&quot;http://haworthia.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Haworthia&lt;/a&gt;, a succulent plant. Most of the members are from &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haworthia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;South Africa&lt;/a&gt; and show a wide variety of shape and form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When grown indoors they require full sun and well drained soil. Outdoors in warm climates they grow in full sun and in some shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The easiest way to propagate them is by offsets. Remove a leaf at the base, let dry and plant in sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  If you are growing a plant indoors then keep it indoors. It is not clear if you are moving the plant outside for short periods.  This will cause burn on parts of the plant.&#xA;This plant needs free draining soil which chicken grit or small particles of crushed quartz or perlite can provide.  Sand is not that good as it packs down or washes out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-02-03T13:30:23.237" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T13:30:23.237" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16241" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16222" CreationDate="2015-02-03T18:10:40.590" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm still not possessing enough information about the problem, but from what I can glean throughout your comments, it seems you observe the plants wilting before dying. You also say you've tried brand new pots and brand new potting compost, and that you use a moisture control compost, and don't overwater.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nonetheless, it sounds likely the plants are suffering from too much water, though its hard to be definite with so little information. Four questions - when you water, you presumably do it when the surface of the compost feels dry to the touch, but not so dry its shrunken from the sides of the pot? Second, do you water thoroughly when you do it? Third question, what are the plants standing in to stop water flooding your home or furniture? If they're standing in an outer pot or tray, do you empty that tray or pot 30 minutes after watering, and then again 30 minutes later if necessary, or do you leave any water that collects to sit there? If you are doing the latter, that could be the cause of plant death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-02-03T18:42:22.020" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T18:42:22.020" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16242" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16232" CreationDate="2015-02-03T18:16:41.907" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Neither of the two plants pictured appears dead - there may be some killing back of top branches or woody parts in the first due to cold weather, but there are still green leaves present at the base, so the plant is not dead. The second one still looks very much alive, despite the leaf colour change - many plants have leaves which redden when the weather is cold, or at least, cold for them. A dead plant will have no living leaves, and the woody parts may change colour, but often, plants that look like this are not actually dead, and as the growing season advances, start producing growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T18:16:41.907" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16233" CreationDate="2015-02-03T18:30:09.407" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Possibly Alternaria blight, a fungal infection. I can't see the brown parts clearly enough to see whether there are concentric rings within the brown areas, but the spots do appear to have some yellowing around them. This infection can affect the fruits, and occasionally, its the fruit that then infects the plant. If it is Alternaria, you should not grow any curcubit group plants in the same spot for 3 years. It may, on the other hand, just be a fungal leaf spot infection, not actually Alternaria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T18:30:09.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16105" CreationDate="2015-02-03T20:09:31.743" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've taken a couple of Bonsai classes from Professionals and they've recommended you either use a bonsai fertilizer or if you use a regular fertilizer, then only use half or a quarter of the strength. They recommend fertilizing more frequently at a weaker concentration as opposed to full strength once or twice a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T20:09:31.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16245" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16091" CreationDate="2015-02-03T20:16:54.117" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I personally think the proof is in the pudding. If you're using tap water and it's still alive after several years, then I believe that's your answer. However, as someone getting into carnivorous plants myself, I'll recommend you see if your library has a copy of 'The Savage Garden' by Peter D'Amato. It's proven to be an excellent resource for me. I live in SC and I had a hard time keeping a Venus Flytrap alive here, and this is where a lot of them come from. After purchasing this book, I read an easy way to keep them is to put the pot in a tray of water and always keep about a half an inch in there. I did this and my carnivorous plants did great. It's a really good basic introduction to the stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I wouldn't count on the plant tags to help you out with anything. Most of those places churn out a mess of plants without caring whether they make it. Especially the carnivorous plants. It's more like a novelty item and they just pull the ones that die, so you think they're caring for them. I'd research any plant I buy like you're doing now for any reliable answers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T20:16:54.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16246" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5271" CreationDate="2015-02-03T20:31:26.237" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use the shiny car shades to capture lost light and bounce it back onto the plants. Ideal for lighting a defined area such as a flat or many small pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9732" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T20:31:26.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16247" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-03T21:49:40.017" Score="2" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;I only know that this is a popular houseplant in Turkey. &#xA;What's its name?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FeLYQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9734" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T21:49:40.017" Title="What's the name of this houseplant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2015-02-03T21:52:24.573" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16248" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-03T22:49:34.627" Score="6" ViewCount="765" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 2 dragon fruit (pitaya) growing under a large 30-year-old mesquite tree. The mesquite tree is dripping sap at the base of one of the dragon fruit plants. This plant is a deep green healthy color. The other plant (which does not have sap dripping at its base) is pale green and does not look as healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible that the sap from the mesquite tree is providing nutrition to the dragon fruit and if so what is it in the sap that's doing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure if this image of the two plants is sufficiently clear to show the distinction. The one on the left has the sap dripping to its base which you might be able to make out in the photo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info: They are two different types of Dragon Fruit. One is white and the other red although neither have produced fruit to date. I also don't know which one is which.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MccSL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="1110" LastEditDate="2015-02-04T16:47:14.247" LastActivityDate="2015-02-05T17:06:50.223" Title="What does Mesquite Tree sap have that possibly makes it a good fertilizer for dragon fruit?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;sap&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16249" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16254" CreationDate="2015-02-03T23:05:37.750" Score="5" ViewCount="649" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an almond tree on a house I purchased. The tree looks very old and the large bulk of it didn't have much green - looked very dead. It was growing sideways and near the base of the tree some new branches had grown and 99% of the leaves the tree has were on those so I figured it would be best to cut the tree back to the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just cut it back to base and noticed some damage inside the tree - my neighbor said it looked like carpenter ant damage, which I've seen before and it did appear like that... I noticed no live insects inside the tree anymore.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iX2NP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question now is if there are any steps I should take in filling the large hole at the base where the hole is. Also, if there are any other follow-up steps I should do to help preserve the health of the tree. If it matters, the tree is an Almond tree, though I've only ever got a single almond from it in 3 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to post a follow-up photo of a shot where you can see more of the tree in case this changes anything. I'm thinking from the feedback that cutting it back a little further would be good. Part of it does appear to be healthy, but if this will ultimately be of no use due to the infestation/damage then digging the tree out is an option. (The part I cut is in the bottom right)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iz512.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7368" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-02T00:12:08.267" LastActivityDate="2017-12-02T00:12:08.267" Title="How should I deal with carpenter ant damage on my old almond tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;ants&gt;&lt;almond&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16250" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16248" CreationDate="2015-02-03T23:05:54.300" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;...maybe, it is possible that the sap is feeding mycorrhizal fungi, that are making more nutrients available, or there is some nutrient freely available in the sap, or maybe it is just shade... but most likely is that it is just a coincidence, and the other one is under some sort of stress, from heat, or dehydration, or disease, or injury...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;if you think it is providing something, you could try a micronutrient fertilizer for the other one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T23:05:54.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16251" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-03T23:09:07.990" Score="4" ViewCount="1430" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think that my dragon fruit has scale. This is my first encounter with scale so I want to check first. I assume that any plant can get scale. When researching it I never saw it mentioned on cacti so I was surprised when I saw it on the dragon fruit. Is this scale? If not, what is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: Phoenix, Arizona&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d9lrW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ChAa9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TyX3Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2020-06-17T11:02:02.247" Title="Can dragon fruit get scale?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16249" CreationDate="2015-02-03T23:09:21.017" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would cut it so that water can't pool inside of it... since it isn't alive still, you shouldn't gain much by painting it with &lt;code&gt;Tree Wound&lt;/code&gt;, but it wouldn't hurt either. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;if it isn't feasible to cut it down to where water won't pool, you could drill it out, or fill it with expanding foam and paint it.. but you may have to repeat ever 4-5 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T23:09:21.017" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16251" CreationDate="2015-02-03T23:12:43.770" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;it doesn't look like scale insects to me, they aren't regular enough, looks like some sort of injury or disease...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;if they are scale insects you could pull them off and you could see &quot;bug parts&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2015-02-03T23:12:43.770" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16254" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16249" CreationDate="2015-02-04T00:18:47.637" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yeah, carpenter ant damage and apparent &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_rot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;heart rot&lt;/a&gt;. You aren't going to be able to do anything at this point. Definitely do not fill it, as that will seal in moisture. I'd recommend replacing the tree. If it has strong sentimental value, perhaps you can leave it, and just fight individual symptoms as they go along, but this tree is past it's prime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And leaving that stub isn't useful. Cut it back to the base (couple inches from where it splits off) at a good outward facing slant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, don't apply a wound dressing. From my answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/13762/419&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Research indicates that wound dressings (materials such as tar or paint) do not prevent decay and may even interfere with wound closure. Wound dressings can have the following detrimental effects:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prevent drying and encourage fungal growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Interfere with formation of wound wood or callus tissue&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Inhibit compartmentalization&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Possibly serve as a food source for pathogens&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_rot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(reference)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So don't treat the wounds. The only thing that the plant needs is a good, clean cut to heal over. If you already cut out the dead, you did the right thing, and it would be best to leave it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-02-04T00:42:03.480" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16255" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16261" CreationDate="2015-02-04T12:17:37.523" Score="4" ViewCount="264" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had a False Shamrock &lt;em&gt;(Oxalis triangularis)&lt;/em&gt; planted in a clear, fishbowl-like container with a handful of gravel for drainage and potting soil to the level of the pot it came in for about a year now. Recently, I have noticed green, algae-like blooms appearing and they have now covered the inside of the pot on the side that faces the window (I have just rotated it so they no longer do).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will these cause any damage to the plant and its roots, and if so, how can I get rid of these?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9735" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-04T23:49:31.803" LastActivityDate="2015-02-04T23:49:31.803" Title="Will green, algae-like blooms in the side of a clear pot cause any damage to the plant and its roots, and if so, how can I get rid of these?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;algae&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16214" CreationDate="2015-02-04T13:42:24.880" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem with purslane where I live is that it doesn't germinate until June or July... So it isn't dominant enough to out compete other weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="1158" LastEditDate="2015-02-05T03:33:50.637" LastActivityDate="2015-02-05T03:33:50.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16257" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16248" CreationDate="2015-02-04T13:56:11.997" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would agree with @Grady, but also add that mesquites are legumes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My understanding is that fixed nitrogen in the root nodules will remain there until the tree dies, so it is unlikely to be that. But how much is transferred in the sap? Legume beans have high levels of nitrogen (in the protein), so some of it must be transferred in the sap. But is it enough to make a difference?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2015-02-04T13:56:11.997" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16255" CreationDate="2015-02-04T15:34:16.903" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The algae shouldn't hurt the plant, but if you are seeing a lot of it, you could be over-watering, which can hurt a plant... people will say that the algae will compete for nutrients, which might be true, but it isn't on a scale that you would expect to be able to observe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2015-02-04T15:34:16.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16259" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16248" CreationDate="2015-02-04T16:15:39.113" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your mesquite tree shouldn't really be constantly dripping sap - if the sap it is producing turns black or becomes smelly, it would indicate slime flux, a bacterial infection which sets in where sap is constantly running. These trees do bleed and produce sap when damage has taken place, or it has been pruned, particularly larger limbs, so it might be worth inspecting the tree to see if there is anything causing damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the nutrient value of the sap, mesquite contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc, probably with some fructose as well. The rich green might be to do with the iron content rather than anything else, since dragon fruit likes neutral to mildly acidic soil conditions. Or, in connection with your other question re dragon fruit, the pale one is actually sick, whereas the darker one isn't. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: You've confirmed the pale one is the infected plant, so the colour difference might very much be to do with one plant being sick and the other not. Question is, why is the dark green one healthy - calcium from the sap, possibly? No way of proving it though, just a theory.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-02-05T17:06:50.223" LastActivityDate="2015-02-05T17:06:50.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16251" CreationDate="2015-02-04T16:22:09.910" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure this is anthracnose, a fungal infection to which these plants are prone - so far, apart from some vague information regarding using calcium chloride as a preventative, or as a treatment on the fruits, I'm unable to find information on possible treatment. If I find anything, I'll add it later. As you've two of these plants, if the other one is infection free, you might want to consider removing this one before it spreads to the healthy one. I'm also curious as to whether this plant is the one that's got sap dripping round it from the mesquite, or whether it's the one that hasn't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: You've said this is the one that hasn't got sap dripping on it, so I'm wondering whether the healthy one has not succumbed fully to infection because of the calcium content in the dripping sap... it's a possibility, but not one I can confirm. Might be worth supplying extra calcium to this unhealthy, infected plant, but I suspect its too late to make much difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-02-04T16:55:50.320" LastActivityDate="2015-02-04T16:55:50.320" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16261" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16255" CreationDate="2015-02-04T16:29:05.423" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, its the light that causes the algal growth. Now you've turned it, the other side will produce algae in response to the light - the brighter the light, the stronger the algal growth, just like an aquarium or fish tank, and it may eventually turn black. One of the disadvantages of planting in clear containers I'm afraid. I agree it shouldn't harm the plant, although excessive growth will be pretty unsightly, and you may get excessive growth since your container seems not to have drainage holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-02-04T16:41:40.587" LastActivityDate="2015-02-04T16:41:40.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16262" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16277" CreationDate="2015-02-04T17:03:16.393" Score="6" ViewCount="1270" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to germinate some basil and some catnip seeds. The basil is the regular, plain basil, like you'd purchase at any box store. I bought one of each of these plants in the spring of 2013 and put them in the garden. They did excellent. The catnip, especially, had to be cut back several times. At the end of the season I collected seeds from them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Due to unforeseen circumstance, I wasn't able to plant a garden in 2014. It's now the first week in February 2015 and I'm trying to get some stuff started early. I can't seem to get my basil or catnip seeds to germinate. I collected them out of dried flower heads on both plant. I didn't think they were wet, but I let them dry a week before storing them in an air tight container with a small piece of paper towel to absorb any moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do that with most of my plants and I get the others to germinate with no problem. I can't seem to get these two to start, however. I've been using a wicking soda bottle to start them as it leaves the dirt lightly moist and doesn't compact it. I've had excellent success with other plants this way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read that basil needs to be warm, so I used a variation of the damp paper towel in a zip lock bag method. I took a roughly 1&quot; cubed plastic container, put a piece of damp tissue paper at the bottom, placed the seeds on top, and put them in a warm dark place. I left them for 3 days before checking on them. I did the same with the catnip. They've not even started to germinate, but have started growing mold on some of the seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of my basil seeds, so far, have gotten that gel on the exterior of the shell, so I believe they're viable. The first ones, I probably planted too deep, at a .25&quot;. The ones in the plastic container should have been good. Now I've soaked some over night. I planted 2 seeds by pushing them into the dirt and barely covering them. The other three I just put on the surface an pressed in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My room is the warmest in the house, but I can't say the temp doesn't dip. I can put the bottle in the warm draw, as the heat vents under the cabinets and keeps the drawers really warm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm currently up to having used 15 basil seeds without one germinating. I'd love some help. Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit (2/25/2015): I have done cold stratification on the catnip and basil seeds. I put 5 seeds of each in 3 ziplock bags and I've put one in the fridge and two in the freezer. I meant to pull one bag of each out after a week and then pull the freezer bag out after a month, but my calendar didn't alert me properly and I removed them on 2/23/2015 after putting them in on 2/5/2015. I've planted them in a wicking waterer, under a 100w equivalent bulb in a warm room. I'll report back on germination, if any, at a later date.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="9731" LastEditDate="2015-02-25T15:45:46.093" LastActivityDate="2015-02-25T15:45:46.093" Title="Basil &amp; Catnip Fail to Germinate" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16263" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16214" CreationDate="2015-02-04T17:22:12.083" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You mentioned that one of the attractions of Purslane is that it's a weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been experimenting with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennisetum_clandestinum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Kikuyu&lt;/a&gt; grass in Phoenix AZ with moderate success so far. I'm hopeful that it will take over my Bermuda Grass lawn which it is competing with and so far it's showing signs that it will. It is classified as a noxious weed in all parts of the US except Southern California, Arizona and Hawaii where it may be planted. If you live in one of these areas then it might be an option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have two patches of my lawn where the Kikuyu has taken over that remained green all winter. Granted some of the parts that are Kikuyu also went brown over the winter so those patches had other factors like frost shelter that protected them as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your objective is not to be able to eat your lawn but rather have (1) a year round green lawn, (2) a &quot;weed&quot; lawn that will kill other weeds, and (3) you live in a permitted area, then Kikuyu might be an option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2015-02-04T17:22:12.083" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16264" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-04T18:11:18.543" Score="6" ViewCount="502" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every so often I see plants advertised as being &quot;deer resistant&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can understand when flowers are marked as attracting butterflies or hummingbirds, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13948/is-it-possible-to-tell-by-shape-of-the-flower-if-it-will-attract-butterflies-or&quot;&gt;since that can be determined by the shape of the flowers&lt;/a&gt;. But how does a plant get marked as deer resistant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't imagine someone gets paid to sit and watch a plant to see of deer will avoid it or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-02-11T23:16:03.500" Title="What makes a plant deer resistant?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16264" CreationDate="2015-02-04T18:46:34.707" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think that is actually what they do. They could set up cameras to make sure it's not a rabbit or something, but the tag &quot;Deer Resistant&quot; just means that deer show a tendency not to eat it for one reason or another. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, there is a reason they say deer &quot;resistant&quot; and not &quot;proof&quot;. I've had deer tear up plenty of plants that deer have destroyed that were supposed to be resistant. My Crepe Myrtles said deer resistant, but I watched a deer out the window chewing on it. I've also had them tear up small trees by scratching the antlers on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-02-04T18:46:34.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16266" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16238" CreationDate="2015-02-04T19:16:57.803" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears you are the proud and lucky owner of a type of barrel cactus. I may have something similar, and could try to find out what that genus is, if you are really particular about the name.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Care for these plants is generally easy. Water about once a week or so, lightly. Never water heavily or the roots could decay. Generally, adding a bit of compost is good, there are even fertilizers for them, but they rarely need much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are repotting, either choose a soil meant for cacti, or based on your experience, make sure the top soil is rocky, allowing for good drainage - the roots don't go deep, and you want to make sure that water does not collect around the roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What else - plenty of sunlight, but not so much that it would burn. In my garden, during peak summer, there is shade at least part of the day and I find such spots for most sunny plants. They can be indoor or outdoor depending on your zone. I have cats, so I grow my plants outside in general, in zone 9b, and these do just fine. I watch for the pots after rain to make sure there is no standing water. I repot these about 2 - 3 years or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are any care specific things I have not covered, do let me know. Also, there is plenty of information online. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2015-02-04T19:16:57.803" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16264" CreationDate="2015-02-04T23:55:42.723" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this idea that deer, or most herbivores, won't eat some plants is misleading or just wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I heard this answer from a lawyer, and I hate it, but it answers the question....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It all depends..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It depends on&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/range456/readings/provenza.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;how hungry the animal is&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/pubs/az1518.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;what it eats in your area&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Erethizon_dorsatum/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;the time of the year&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ckwri.tamuk.edu/fileadmin/user_upload/PHOTOS/Deer-Research_Program/Class_files/Linking_herbivore_experience_varied_diets_and_plant_biochemical_diversity_Provenza_et_al.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;how old the animal is&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;and a host of other factors that may not be visible to you, the gardener&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No matter what the plant, somewhere, there is an animal that will eat it sometime...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-02-04T23:55:42.723" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16269" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16276" CreationDate="2015-02-05T11:05:58.753" Score="5" ViewCount="260" Body="&lt;p&gt;In reading &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/16264/what-makes-a-plant-deer-resistant&quot;&gt;this thread&lt;/a&gt; I was curious about something I was told a while ago. A friend of mine said he was having issues with deer eating all of his plants. He said he was given advice to utilize dried cow's blood. To just sprinkle it onto the grass and it would deter the deer from coming onto his property. He said it worked well for him. He said a side benefit was that it fertilized his lawn, or at least made the grass very dark green in the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, does this really work? If so, how long can you expect it to last? And lastly, is there any known reason for why this works?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9728" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-02-11T23:14:29.317" Title="How effective is cow's blood as a deer deterent?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;deer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16270" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16273" CreationDate="2015-02-05T11:38:45.683" Score="6" ViewCount="2630" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaucarnea_recurvata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ponytail palm&lt;/a&gt; on my office desk, which I love.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x5HJU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've noticed the leaves are brown at the tip and quite tightly bunched together. They don’t sit as beautifully as in the pictures of other ponytail palms I find on the internet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am careful not to water too much (about once every 2 weeks seems to be the general advice). My office, unfortunately, does not get a lot of natural light and I am worried that perhaps the plant is dying due to the low light conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7545/what-is-this-plant-with-thin-leaves-and-a-swollen-woody-stem/7546#7546&quot;&gt;post&lt;/a&gt; suggests that the problem could be due to low humidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In short, can anyone tell me definitively if my plant is healthy? Should I buy a grow lamp? What can I do about low humidity?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9738" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-02T10:10:31.080" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T10:10:31.080" Title="What is wrong with my ponytail palm?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16271" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16272" CreationDate="2015-02-03T02:06:51.813" Score="10" ViewCount="1151" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wish to design an LED lighting system suitable for growing plants in the absence of natural light. I do NOT wish to just buy available specialised horticultural LEDs - I want to build my own using standard LEDs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to literature I found on the net, Lumen or Lux is not an appropriate measure of light for plants because the spectral range of plants is much wider (400 nm to 700 nm), and called Photosynthetic Active Radiance or PAR. Plants would need a minimum of 75 PAR watt to be healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, starting with required &quot;PAR Watts&quot;, nowhere I can find information to understand the given LED bulb specs (wattage, kelvin, lumen). Hence I am stuck trying to determine the specifications of LEDs expressed in usual parameters which would meet my need. Could you help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="80" OwnerDisplayName="Benjamin" LastEditorUserId="14313" LastEditDate="2016-04-12T02:56:15.427" LastActivityDate="2016-04-12T02:56:15.427" Title="What LED light should I choose for a specific PAR watt need?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;electric&gt;&lt;led&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16272" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16271" CreationDate="2015-02-03T07:07:01.980" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;My summary of the various information sources would go something like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Light outside the range 400 to 700 nm is less useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As all the light shown below is in the 400-700 range you are not spoilt for choice.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;All light in the range is useful but&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;that in the middle may be somewhat less so&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;that at the right hand end may perhaps be slightly more so&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite containing some unfortunate &quot;jargon&quot; both the &lt;a href=&quot;http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/fdscontent/uscompanion/us/pdf/microcircuits/students/diode/1n4004-general.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sylvania reference mentioned below&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthetically_active_radiation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the related Wikipedia page&lt;/a&gt; both contain tables with conversions factors to derive PAR Watts from more standard measures. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Enjoy&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a chart of conversion factors from the Sylvania reference:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tpkAn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tpkAn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Larger version here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lGwCN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a reasonable risk of running up against Snake-Oil sellers when designing a biological growing lighting system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PAR refers to light which is photosynthetically useful.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthetically_active_radiation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; has things to say about it. From there:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This graph purports to show you what matters.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Essentially, any light between 400 and 700 nm is useful and light towards the 700 nm (red) end is somewhat more so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a276T.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, also from there are these two graphs.  The lower one is very roughly equivalent to the one above BUT it has a deepish central dip AND the top one below shows you why.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Real lighting people like Sylvania weigh in &lt;a href=&quot;http://openwetware.org/images/e/e8/Conversion_lux.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;with mumbo jumbo like this&lt;/a&gt; which while it is useful and does give some insights also (for my liking) leans too far towards the enjargoned-mystical. eg measuring photons in units of mols because the quantity can be divided by 6.023 x 1-^23 (Avogadro's number) is about as meaningful as measuring the quantity of sandflies present in units of years because they can be divided by 365. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rB2Ch.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://scholar.google.co.nz/scholar?q=par+photosynthetic+active+radiance&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;as_sdt=0&amp;amp;as_vis=1&amp;amp;oi=scholart&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=OG3QVIeUIsfN8gXzrIKACg&amp;amp;ved=0CBwQgQMwAA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Allegedly scholarly stuff thereon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=par+photosynthetic+active+radiance&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;biw=1097&amp;amp;bih=590&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=SXPQVPjCEouF8gWl44CQCg&amp;amp;ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Related images with associated web pages&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;ADDED:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ledgrow.eu/diy.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here is a page related to &quot;grow lights&quot;&lt;/a&gt; which was cited by stack exchange question &lt;a href=&quot;https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/29919/heat-transfer-of-aluminum-plate-with-leds&quot;&gt;Heat Transfer of Aluminum Plate with LEDs&lt;/a&gt; in April 2012 - as this is about heat transfer from LEDs and not electrical engineering [tm] it appears to be off topic,but it does give some light specifics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This stack exchange question &lt;a href=&quot;https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/98058/how-to-tell-the-lumen-output-of-these-leds/152620#152620&quot;&gt;How to tell the lumen output of these LED's&lt;/a&gt; asks questions about the lumen output of deep blue LEDs for use in an acquarium light. The OP is confused by the use of mW output rather than lumen for blue spectrum LEDs. As this question is conversion of light in mW to and from lumens for aquarium use and not electrical engineering [tm] it appears to be off topic, but the concepts covered may have some relevance for you when designing &quot;grow lights&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;ADDED_2&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that this question has been moved to Gardening &amp;amp; Landscape you'll find quite a few other variably relevant answers here. Looking through all of them is probably useful, but here are some references that seem especially good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.co.nz/search?tbs=simg:CAES_1AEa-QELEKjU2AQaAggKDAsQsIynCBqcAQo6CAISFJEMtxb-C7kW_1AuECZcIgAyQDP8LGiAkPAHd3djTY2CrOiS27XQGeGZJPMmHtpMvUC6h4fVeUQpeCAMSKM0dzh22E84HvBPWAsETmwi-E5wI5zfmN6Q-iSujPu4_1pSuiPqE-6DcaMD_1gNaPX5vgzHDmb4fBZE9zUimYzD5wE4_1N4k16igCi68bMA9bORLXzc7UpH49UKQwwLEI6u_1ggaCgoICAESBPk_17ggMCxCd7cEJGiwKBgoEcGxvdAoJCgdkaWFncmFtCgYKBGxpbmUKBwoFc2hhcGUKBgoEYXJlYQw&amp;amp;q=plant+growth+spectrum&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=ceXTVIuyJ-HJmAW14YGADg&amp;amp;ved=0CCoQsw4&amp;amp;biw=1745&amp;amp;bih=938&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;List of many related images - each linked to a relevant website&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5977/are-household-led-bulbs-suitable-as-supplemental-light-for-plants/5980#5980&quot;&gt;In this post&lt;/a&gt; nigelc referred to a free access paper done in cooperation by the University of Florida &amp;amp; NASA, to produce variable wavelength distribution LED lights for use in studies at the Kennedy Space Centre &amp;amp; elswhere. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Their electronic circuitry is arguably more complex than most people would wish and probably unnecessarily so, but their general observations and results are liable to be useful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Paper: &quot;Design and fabrication of adjustable red-green-blue LED light arrays for plant research&quot;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;In: BMC Plant Biology 2005, 5:17 doi:10.1186/1471-2229-5-17&lt;br&gt;&#xA;CC by SA 2 (&quot;free&quot;) licence. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1198233/pdf/1471-2229-5-17.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PDF version&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &amp;lt;- best redability. Monochrome. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1198233/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HTML version&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  - separate figures and tables - makes printing or subsetting of details easier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1198233/pdf/1471-2229-5-17.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1198233/pdf/1471-2229-5-17.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1198233/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1198233/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aka added 3 4 5 ....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Excellent discussion on plant growth &amp;amp; lights wavelengths:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA; now much quoted and now vanished link led to a paper named &quot;What light do plants need&quot;.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;This appears to be the original paper - &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uccs.edu/~scastell/ges2050/web/lab_6/what_light_do_plants_need_2012-10-05.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Which regions of the electromagnetic spectrum do plants use to drive photosynthesis?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;now on a UCCS page.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.heliospectra.com/sites/default/files/general/What%20light%20do%20plants%20need_5.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Original found!&lt;/a&gt; - heliospectra had moved sites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also from heliospectra - this is a poster promoting their HS &amp;amp; HB LED grow-lights but gives much useful information.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.heliospectra.com/sites/default/files/general/Poster%20presentation%20from%20Photosynthesis%20in%20the%20Global%20Perspective.%20Indore%2C%20India.%20Nov.%2027-%C2%AD%E2%80%9029%2C%202008.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;LED lamp enhances plant growth,alters morphology and modulates photochemistry.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And another heliospectra poster&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.heliospectra.com/sites/default/files/general/poster_arabidopsis_2012-09-10_0.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Variation in responses   of Arabidopsis thaliana accessions to low proportions of far red    in LED emitted light&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looks useful. 2 pages&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plantsinaction.science.uq.edu.au/edition1/?q=content/1-2-2-chlorophyll-absorption-and-photosynthetic-action-spectra&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chlorophyll absorption and photosynthetic action spectra&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above is from the useful looking site &lt;a href=&quot;http://plantsinaction.science.uq.edu.au/edition1/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plants in Action&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;They say:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Welcome to the electronic edition of Plants in Action, a plant physiology textbook published by the Australian Society of Plant Scientists, New Zealand Society of Plant Biologists, and New Zealand Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science. This is a free, peer-reviewed on-line publication resource for plant science teaching and research.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants in Action explores the principles underlying plant biology in natural and managed communities. It is prepared for teaching and learning by higher level undergraduates in tertiary institutes. Postgraduate students as well as professional plant scientists will also find much useful source material in this textbook that is richly illustrated with original data.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Illinois.edu   17 pages from a text book - looks useful.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.life.illinois.edu/govindjee/photosynBook/Chapter10.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Absorption of Light and Fate of Excitation Energy in Plant Cells&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://photobiology.info/Gorton.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;BIOLOGICAL ACTION SPECTRA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They say:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;... Photobiologists studying different systems depend on similar photochemical and photobiological principles, and similar questions arise about vastly different light-controlled biological systems. ... A central question is what wavelengths of light elicit a particular response, and the goal of action spectroscopy is to answer that question. An action spectrum is simply a plot of biological effectiveness as a function of the wavelength of incident light, and it can provide fundamental information about the system under study. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is brief but possibly very important.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://highpower4s.com/what-are-full-spectrum-led-grow-lights/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What are full spectrum LED grow-lights?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Brief. Worth reading (even though its a promo for their LEDs).&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The following extracts are worth noting:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In order to be able to provide your plants with everything they need, including light for both vegetative and flowering growth, you will need a full spectrum light for indoor farming.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;... people have turned to greenhouse LED lighting, but many neglect to still make use of the full spectrum that is necessary for growing plants through a natural life cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many people make the mistake of only using one kind of LED grow light. That simply can’t provide your plants with what they need for both stages of growth. A full spectrum LED grow light, in comparison, will provide a wide range of blue, red, white, and to top it off, ... &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;... Many growers are using LED grow lights for indoor farming and one set of blue LED lights. The problem with this is that it lacks the ability to provide your plants with the full range that they are used to having in nature. During an outdoor growth cycle, the kind of light that it receives fluctuates and moves as the days and months progress for indoor gardening. Replicating that inside of your grow room is an important part of successful farming harvests. Leave no stone unturned and no helpful wavelength left out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also look useful: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.supergrowled.com/full-spectrum-led-grow-lighting/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.supergrowled.com/full-spectrum-led-grow-lighting/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/lighting/38014-lighting-spectrum-photosythesis.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/lighting/38014-lighting-spectrum-photosythesis.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://smartgrowtechnologies.com/?page_id=378&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://smartgrowtechnologies.com/?page_id=378&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.abacus-lab.com/biotechnology-and-bioscience/bioreactors-and-fermenters/photobio/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.abacus-lab.com/biotechnology-and-bioscience/bioreactors-and-fermenters/photobio/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9741" OwnerDisplayName="Russell McMahon" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2015-02-06T09:09:13.567" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16273" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16270" CreationDate="2015-02-05T17:19:56.220" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I rather like the look of your particular plant, its a sort of curly ponytail, more attractive to me than its usual appearance. Your plant doesn't look at all like its dying either - however, brown tips indicate either over or under watering - if the tips are dry and crispy, it could be underwatering, but this plant can go a long time without water without dying, and shouldn't be watered too much in winter, so a few brown tips are probably preferable to overwatering; trim them off with sharp scissors. It's not fussy about humidity either, preferring average to low humidity - conditions which red spider mite also likes, so keep a check on it regularly to make sure there's no infestation, although brown tips wouldn't be a symptom of that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does, though, prefer bright light, although this doesn't have to be constant. You could, in theory, grow it for six months in low light, then move it to a bright spot for 6 months, or outside during summer. Is there any possibility you could move it every Friday to a bright spot, say on a windowsill, until you return on Monday? That might work, provided there is no radiator below the window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm curious as to what the piece of kit is nearby with a yellow warning sign above it about electro static discharge - your plant is pretty close to whatever it is. I'm not saying its having an effect on the plant's curliness, but it's not impossible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-02-05T17:25:33.137" LastActivityDate="2015-02-05T17:25:33.137" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16274" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16140" CreationDate="2015-02-05T20:50:23.420" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like you may have your work cut out for you.  The persistent and perennial nature of mugwort - and its ability to grow whole new plants from tiny sections of its creeping roots, which rules out tilling - makes it tough to control.  To do this without chemicals may take a bit of time, and then once cleared, upkeep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To clear the space, I'd remove as much of the plant above the surface as possible and dispose of it, and then cover the area in a material that will at least block out sunlight (blocking water too might cause other issues and harm, or push out, soil organisms).  It will probably take a long, long while for the roots left in the ground to decompose.  Once they do, you should have ground you can work with.  Any mugwort that comes back can be controlled with vigilance, pulling it early and often until it stops coming back (at least, within the area).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some links:&#xA;- &lt;a href=&quot;http://plantsciences.utk.edu/pdf/MugwortManagement.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://plantsciences.utk.edu/pdf/MugwortManagement.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;- &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/weeds/getting-rid-of-mugwort.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/weeds/getting-rid-of-mugwort.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9739" LastActivityDate="2015-02-05T20:50:23.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16275" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16287" CreationDate="2015-02-05T21:18:03.463" Score="3" ViewCount="143" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this hardy looking plant but no one at the shop knew what it was as it had no labelling. Can anyone identify it so I can know how to best take care of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Si9fw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;http://imgur.com/a/AnLvE&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9740" LastEditorUserId="9728" LastEditDate="2015-02-05T23:26:01.720" LastActivityDate="2015-02-07T09:13:57.093" Title="I bought a plant but nobody knew what it was. Can anyone here identify it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16276" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16269" CreationDate="2015-02-05T21:29:55.957" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a lot of anecdotal evidence on the web to suggest that blood-based repellents do work on deer.  However, not &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/hortiscope/pests/deer.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;everyone&lt;/a&gt; agrees.  As deer are so olfactory-driven, it should last as long as the smell from the repellent lasts, and the deer aren't so hungry that your garden is their only option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Due to the high nitrogen content in blood, this will indeed make plants grow faster and produce more foliage; however, it also can cause soil microorganism populations to skyrocket and then crash, so caution should be used about where its applied and to what degree.  High-nitrogen-based chemicals can also &quot;burn&quot; foliage, so again - use caution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9739" LastActivityDate="2015-02-05T21:29:55.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16277" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16262" CreationDate="2015-02-06T02:40:34.117" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Will probably take somewhat longer than a week to stratify the seed. I grow lots of catnip and never collect or stratify seed - what falls to the ground itself happily stratifies itself and comes up the next year, and I can now identify a catnip plant when it's less than 1/2 an inch across - so I just move them where I want them and pull the ones that are in the way if I have enough where I want them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless you have relocated away from that garden, there probably was catnip last year and will be catnip this year...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have relocated, the best bet would be walk out, dig a hole in the snow, and sow the catnip seed where you want it, then put the snow back. The seed will take care of itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14784/why-are-my-basil-seeds-instantly-covered-with-a-white-goo-after-planting&quot;&gt;Basil seeds have mucilage&lt;/a&gt;, which you may be mistaking for mold. Opinions vary, but my recollection is that basil seeds like light, not dark, for germination - or possibly don't care. Might have to try the &amp;quot;paper towel and plastic wrap&amp;quot; .vs. &amp;quot;Paper towel and plastic wrap and aluminum foil&amp;quot; germination test to get some actual data on that. Basil seed I buy, normally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking for something more authoritative without waiting for &amp;quot;do my own science&amp;quot;, I found references to this in the literature. What I can't find is a good link, (but @J. Musser did.) so I'll just quote the abstract - anyway, this one suggests alternating temperatures rather than steady temperatures, and light rather than darkness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://qspace.qu.edu.qa/handle/10576/9651&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Age Environmental Factors, Germination And Seedling Emergence Of Ocimum Basilicum L&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ismail A. M. A., &amp;quot;Age Environmental Factors, Germination And Seedling Emergence Of Ocimum Basilicum L&amp;quot;, &lt;em&gt;Qatar University Science Journal, 1990, Vol. 10, Pages 155-166.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Abstract&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fresh and exhumed seeds of Ocimuni basilicum L. gave 100 %&#xA;germination at 13/11-h alternating temperature of 20/10, 32/18, 38/24&#xA;and 40/32 °C but did not germinate at constant temperatures.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Germination was prevented in the dark but occurred with a 13-h&#xA;photoperiod.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;With increasing age, seed dry weight was reduced progressively as&#xA;with speed and extent of germination; seeds 5 or more years old were&#xA;not viable.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There was 90% emergence from seeds sown on the soil surface but only&#xA;33% produced seedlings when buried 2 mm deep and emergence was 20% or&#xA;less from those sown at depths of 5 mm or more.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mucilage by the seeds apparently helped to prevent desiccation. The&#xA;ecophysiological significance of the result is discussed in relation&#xA;to weed control in the Sudan Gezira.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-02-06T16:41:23.843" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16278" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-06T10:14:06.557" Score="7" ViewCount="4236" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have my young mulberry tree, which is a little more than a year old. I grew it from a seed, and have it indoors in a large pot at the moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is growing tall and thin, it even needs a stick to support its weight, so my question is: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;How do I make my tree develop a thick stem?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is pruning the right way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, as you can see at the photo, is has developed two long branches from the short stem. Should I remove the youngest of them? Or some of the shoots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no experience in growing and pruning trees so all advice will be helpfull.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Gothenburg, Sweden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ofttO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9742" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-13T10:36:50.217" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T10:36:50.217" Title="How can I help my young mulberry tree grow a thicker stem?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16280" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16278" CreationDate="2015-02-06T10:50:50.257" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14667/what-is-etiolation&quot;&gt;etiolation&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/11163/ginger-plant-too-tall-for-its-own-good&quot;&gt;Here's&lt;/a&gt; a ginger plant with the same issue. Your tree wants full sun. This tree would prefer to be grown outdoors in the sun. Of course, if it's freezing out right now, I'd wait till spring when the temps don't go under 45 degrees F. or thereabouts, to actually move it. That way you won't have so much risk of shock/cold damage. Don't prune it. It needs all the green surface area it can get right now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Choose a sunny spot, and if you can, get it in the ground. These trees like to get big, and trying to maintain one in a pot is a lot of work. Of course, it will need to be staked at first, until the stem fills out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than the etiolation, the plant seems to be in good shape. I see no disease or pest damage. If it's gonna be a while before you can take it out, try to give it more light. A sunny window would be ideal. Even a bright window (natural light) combined with some fluorescent lighting would be an improvement. People usually overestimate the intensity of indoor lighting, so etiolation in indoor plants is actually rather common (at least in my area).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-02-06T10:50:50.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16281" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16278" CreationDate="2015-02-06T12:57:38.320" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Etiolation, or insufficient light strength, is a partial explanation - this tree is deciduous and normally would be dormant at this time of year. However, the process of thigmomorphogenesis is also missing. Thigmomorphogenesis refers to movement - when a plant is outside, particularly one with a tall, woody stem, it will be exposed to air movement. That air movement might vary between a gentle wafting breeze, or a force nine gale, but the movement of air means the plant develops a much thicker, more resilient stem or trunk. It's the reason trees are not solidly tied to a rigid stake from top to bottom when planted, to allow some movement to take place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I imagine where you live that warmer weather will not arrive for another two or three months, but when it does, move the plant outside for increasing periods during the day to gradually harden it off, until its warm enough to leave it outside overnight. After a week or so of that, and a degree of certainty that the weather is now balmy enough for the tree, plant it somewhere as sunny as possible, and fairly open, but not in an extremely windy spot, given its current condition. Prepare the planting area beforehand by digging it over well and incorporating compost or humus rich material such as composted manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will, unfortunately, have to wait for the tree to become fully dormant to carry out pruning/training, which means at least a month after its leaves have fallen; pruning at other times causes excessive sap bleeding. At that point, if its still looking etiolated, consider cutting back the top parts to try to encourage a thicker trunk. You will need to stake it initially when you plant it out - the stem is so thin there is a high risk of its snapping otherwise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the meantime, if you have a fan or a fan heater you can set on cool or cold, and on a low speed, set it near the plant so that the air is moving around it to encourage the stem to thicken, and increase its light levels if at all possible, though I think that will be difficult, given the shortness of daylight hours currently where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-02-06T13:09:47.793" LastActivityDate="2015-02-06T13:09:47.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16282" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16283" CreationDate="2015-02-06T13:24:49.373" Score="4" ViewCount="41" Body="&lt;p&gt;My fava bean plants now formed pods. It is getting around twelve hours of sunshine on the roof. I am worried that the weather is now getting too hot, in Egypt. Should I move it back to a shady balcony or does it still need a lot of sun to grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8579" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-06T21:39:50.410" LastActivityDate="2015-02-06T21:39:50.410" Title="Once the fava bean pods are formed, does the plant need a lot of sunshine to grow?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;fava-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16283" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16282" CreationDate="2015-02-06T16:30:27.050" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They like full sun, but don't like temperatures much above 75 deg F. If your temperatures are regularly much higher in full sun, it might be sensible to either move them where there's some protection from midday sun, or provide some shading for them. Moving them out of the sun permanently isn't such a good idea. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It depends how long they've been growing though - they only require 80-100 days to harvesting, and this can be done when the beans in the pods are about the size of a pea, though some people prefer them larger than that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-02-06T16:30:27.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16222" CreationDate="2015-02-06T17:39:11.913" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would also suggest that you only water the plants in the morning when the excess water will evaporate in the sunlight. I made this mistake several times with midnight watering which caused my salvia, Rosemary and lemon verbena to drown first then get fungal disease. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9745" LastActivityDate="2015-02-06T17:39:11.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16275" CreationDate="2015-02-07T09:13:57.093" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a Gardenia. They like acidic soil. Flowers are very fragrant!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9750" LastActivityDate="2015-02-07T09:13:57.093" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16288" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1171" CreationDate="2015-02-07T14:55:06.473" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;My dog figured out that cauliflower is delicious. Two plants survived with just a nub of the flower intact. They have regrown and I now have two more heads! They are not as tightly packed as the first ones were. I have also cut off some of the leaves and eaten them as well. I am going to cut off the majority of the head and see if it will do it again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9752" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-02-08T15:53:14.350" LastActivityDate="2015-02-08T15:53:14.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16289" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16290" CreationDate="2015-02-07T17:37:25.740" Score="7" ViewCount="130" Body="&lt;p&gt;My front yard has 2 flower beds. One small one is a rain garden with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malvaviscus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Turk's cap&lt;/a&gt; connected to the down spout from a roof gutter. The larger one has two rose bushes, 2 salvias, 1 dying dwarf Mexican petunia and shrubs. I live in USDA zone 9 or 9b. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do I need to plant to attract butterflies? Will it get too crowded? Are butterfly attracting plants drought resistant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Found this online:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In Southeast Texas, butterflies (Scientific Order: Lepidoptera) can be&#xA;  seen almost year round. From swallowtails to monarchs, these&#xA;  butterflies dance about our gardens in a visual symphony that is&#xA;  joyful to watch. The life cycle of a butterfly occurs in four stages:&#xA;  egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis) and adult (butterfly).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;What you may not know is that butterfly larvae (the caterpillars) are&#xA;  tied to specific host plants and they have definite preferences. A&#xA;  host plant is where adult butterflies lay their eggs. When the larvae&#xA;  hatch, they begin eating the leaves of the host plant. This food&#xA;  source enables them to grow, pupate and then become butterflies.&#xA;  Without it, the cycle stops. Adult butterflies need nectar to survive&#xA;  and they get it from a variety of flowers in bloom throughout the&#xA;  year. So if you want to see more butterflies in your neighborhood and&#xA;  garden, your habitat should support the needs of butterflies during&#xA;  all four stages of their life cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vJKNB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;larger flower bed&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GJTbW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;small rain garden&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9745" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-15T12:24:05.573" LastActivityDate="2017-11-15T12:24:05.573" Title="How do I change this to a butterfly garden?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;&lt;butterflies&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16289" CreationDate="2015-02-07T22:10:09.083" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's true about host plants - but they might not always be ones you actually want. Nettles are a host plant in the UK for two different butterflies, but I can't say I'm all that thrilled at having nettles in the garden, and they tend to prefer large patches of nettles to just one or two plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's probably much easier to settle for providing plants which adult butterflies like rather than somewhere for them to lay their eggs, although some research into your local butterflies might reveal which plants they'd use for this purpose, and enable you to decide whether you're prepared to grow them or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your Mexican petunia is attractive to butterflies for one thing. You haven't said whether the area with the roses is sunny or not, but I'll assume it must be because you've got roses there. There are some basic rules to remember - butterflies are not attracted to plants which don't produce nectar, so double flowered varieties of anything are out, along with a number of summer bedding type F1 hybrid plants. They also don't like windy, exposed conditions, and prefer the plants they visit to be in sun. As for whether they're drought resistant, being attractive to butterflies does not confer drought resistance, it depends on the plant - Monarda (bergamot) for instance likes damp ground, but is extremely attractive to butterflies, whereas Lavender prefers dry conditions, but is also reasonably attractive to them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants you can consider for your area are: Echinacea purpurea; Alyssum; Ageratum; Cosmos; Coreopsis; Lantana; Liatris; Scabious varieties; Verbena varieties; Sedums such as 'Autumn Joy'; Plumbago; Solidago; Zinnia and the very obvious and extremely popular (to butterflies) Buddleia davidii, although I believe the latter is considered an invasive weed in many parts of the States. There are others, and I happen to know that Philadelphus varieties are a larval plant for the Tiger Swallowtail - the flowers are scented and there is a yellow leaved variety, so its not an unattractive plant, if you have the room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-02-07T22:10:09.083" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16291" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-08T16:39:18.223" Score="4" ViewCount="912" Body="&lt;p&gt;My garden has rocks and weed fabric. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Must I remove both and add the grounds to the soil or can I just add on them on top of the rocks?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9756" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-02-08T19:14:35.547" LastActivityDate="2015-02-08T19:58:11.743" Title="How should I add spent coffee grounds to Azaleas?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;coffee-grounds&gt;&lt;azaleas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16292" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16293" CreationDate="2015-02-08T16:49:39.597" Score="2" ViewCount="279" Body="&lt;p&gt;This clipping was taken from a plant hanging at a friend's house. The plant had many such bulb-like growths coming from stalks that were offshooting from the main plant (hanging from the pot).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4YgEG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;clipping that didn&amp;#39;t need to be clipped&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9754" LastActivityDate="2015-02-08T17:42:17.943" Title="What kind of plant is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2015-02-08T18:14:37.617" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16292" CreationDate="2015-02-08T17:27:24.923" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophytum_comosum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;chlorophytum comosum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, commonly called &lt;strong&gt;spider plant&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;hen-and-chicken&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is easy to care for and thrives best at typical indoor temperatures between 18-30 C / 65-90 F. It prefers indirect light, but can tolerate some sun, too. It's very &quot;forgiving&quot; and will even survive &lt;em&gt;occasional&lt;/em&gt; drying out of the potting soil. Overwatering will lead to root rot, though. &lt;br&gt;&#xA; It's plantlets (the &quot;baby-plants&quot;) are an easy way of multiplying them. Usually spider plants are considered an excellent choice for beginners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spider plants are also known for their ability to purify air, Wikipedia states for example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Spider plants have also been shown to reduce indoor air pollution in the form of formaldehyde, and approximately 70 plants would neutralize formaldehyde production in a representative (ca. 160 m2) energy-efficient house.[14]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-02-08T17:42:17.943" LastActivityDate="2015-02-08T17:42:17.943" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16294" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-08T19:09:06.213" Score="5" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am curious what a garden designer can do for challenging herself to keep up her talents? Are there any competitions online which I can practice my skills on? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any theoretical lectures about garden designing which I can follow online? Or any conferences which I can follow?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently moved another country due to family reasons. I don't have the opportunity to work for a company because of work permit issues. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9757" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T05:42:39.437" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T05:42:39.437" Title="Competitions and lectures for garden designers" Tags="&lt;resources&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16295" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2015-02-08T19:21:14.443" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;External links:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://azaleas.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Azalea Society of America&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azalea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-02-08T19:21:14.443" LastActivityDate="2015-02-08T19:21:14.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16296" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2015-02-08T19:21:14.443" Score="0" Body="For questions about cultivating Azaleas, flowering shrubs in the Rhododendron genus." OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-02-08T19:21:14.443" LastActivityDate="2015-02-08T19:21:14.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1275" CreationDate="2015-02-08T19:44:04.333" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Be safe. Use the used litter only to fill holes; that's about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of bloggers who demonstrate you CAN compost cat litter (wood and clay), growing even leafy ground crops like lettuce. But they have not tested their cats or their worked soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My property is a little wild, and I've spent a few years leveling out some of the larger dips and holes. I do this by digging up the topsoil (one foot down), filling it some, then returning the topsoil.  If I need to relocate a lot of soil, I'll use a pick and dig a small pit on the edge of the property (so I immediately have topsoil + sand to mix with clean compost. I can then take my time filling that pit, and eventually cap it with topsoil.  Note that if you do this with wood/paper litter, the decomposition will eventually cause the topsoil to &quot;sag&quot; so you may want to balance the paper/wood with clay, or mound a hill of topsoil in anticipation of settling.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beware that insufficient &quot;normal&quot; topsoil depth over this will present a walking hazard (boots punching through the topsoil into wet contaminated  clay). Depending on your locale and laws, it MAY be considered some form of improper waste disposal so use sense and don't create a hazard for yourself or future owners of the property. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've only dug holes around the treeline as &quot;a&quot; I don't want to see a pit from the home windows, and &quot;b&quot; I don't want a mess where someone may walk over (however the freshly leveled space is OK for planting trees, flowers or other non-edible plants). 4&quot; of sandy topsoil followed by 2&quot; of mulch seems like a reasonable compromise for areas not normally walked on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9758" LastEditorUserId="9758" LastEditDate="2018-06-22T01:43:11.497" LastActivityDate="2018-06-22T01:43:11.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="16298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16291" CreationDate="2015-02-08T19:58:11.743" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They must be added directly on top of the soil - just throwing them onto rocks won't have any impact other than to make a nasty looking mess. Given the minor effect they have on soil acidification, in your situation, I'd find it far too inconvenient to dispose of them in this manner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-02-08T19:58:11.743" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16294" CreationDate="2015-02-08T20:08:42.743" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ce-online.ryerson.ca/ce/default.aspx?id=2593&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;University&lt;/a&gt; or community college courses in &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.berkeley.edu/cert/land.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;landscape architecture&lt;/a&gt; or garden design are available in many countries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have found that practical experience is at least as valuable.  If you look around you might be able to find a historical garden maintained by volunteers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, and there's &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/&quot;&gt;this place&lt;/a&gt; where you ask and answer questions. Maybe you have heard of it?  :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-02-09T13:47:05.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16300" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16302" CreationDate="2015-02-08T20:56:43.437" Score="6" ViewCount="1913" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a group of birch trees, with a pine growing in the midst of them, in my front yard.  My friend is telling me the pine must be cut down to save the birches. I see her concern, however: I think the entire arrangement is pretty; the pine looks healthy; I don't like to kill anything; and tree removal in Massachusetts is very expensive. I'd prefer to leave it alone, or, if anything, take down the birch directly to the right of the pine (see the third picture below), as it's leaning over the driveway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This view is from the road.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OebKX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Road view&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a side view from the driveway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/puk57.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Driveway view&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The roots of the pine, on the left, are virtually tucked under the birch on the right, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rpUJl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pine on left&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and are also encroaching on another birch to the left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W7op8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pine on right&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is cutting one of the trees down strongly recommended? If so, which? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2020-08-19T21:05:59.017" Title="Can I allow a pine tree to share root space with a group of birch trees? If not, which should I cut down?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16301" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16305" CreationDate="2015-02-09T01:52:48.823" Score="7" ViewCount="3149" Body="&lt;p&gt;I operate an equipment rental delivery service in the Portland, Oregon area. It's that time of year again when DIY homeowners are renting these items together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aerator (core aerator)&#xA;De-thatcher (Power Rake)&#xA;Overseeder (AKA Slit Seeder)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We rent them together as a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.yardrents.com/Lawn-Aeration-Power-Raking-Overseeding-Package&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;lawn renovation package&lt;/a&gt;.  Yep, that's a link to our website.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, each time we deliver these items, we are asked to suggest the correct order for their use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My traditional thinking has been to aerate first then de-thatch (more like de-moss here in Portland) so that the de-thatcher will break up the plugs while it's also lifting thatch and moss. Finally, after removing all the moss and thatch, use the overseeder.  This will leave the seed undisturbed so it can germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone else have a justifiable opinion for using these machines in a different order?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9724" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-09T11:51:36.750" LastActivityDate="2015-02-11T20:49:46.317" Title="Aerate, de-thatch &amp; overseed. Is this really the correct order?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;aeration&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16302" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16300" CreationDate="2015-02-09T02:27:11.867" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Only you can make the decision about what is to be done but a little more information may assist you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the idea that some species have deep tap roots and other have surface roots is not considered to be as correct as it once was. All trees have the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/5745/499&quot;&gt;bulk of their roots&lt;/a&gt; within &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/02926.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;six inches of the surface&lt;/a&gt; to exchange air and water. So the two species are competing for water and nutrients and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141111-plants-have-a-hidden-internet&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;probably exchanging and cooperating&lt;/a&gt; all at the same time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;birches are not particularly long lived in urban environment. In areas where &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/birch-leafminers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the birch leaf miner&lt;/a&gt; and birch borer are found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_birch/ht_birch.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;twenty years is a long life for a birch&lt;/a&gt;.  Your clump is likely to be at least fifteen years old already.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the pine appears to be a white pine and can easily live fifty to seventy five years in an urban environment. It can grow to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.myminnesotawoods.umn.edu/2007/04/minnesotas-eastern-white-pine-forest-type/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;twenty feet wide (7 M) and sixty feet tall (~20 M)&lt;/a&gt; which makes it poorly placed.  It's location is too close to the driveway&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the white pine does not bud off old wood.  If it's shape is distorted now by the birches it will not &quot;fill in&quot; later&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this were my house I would take my little pruning saw and remove the pine now. Half an hours work now avoids a bill later from the arborist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, if those birches are the same ones you asked about &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/16070/what-are-these-brown-cap-shaped-mushrooms-on-my-birch-tree&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; then those birches are dying. This is a great opportunity to get both trees removed and put in something just right for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-02-09T02:37:31.283" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16303" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16304" CreationDate="2015-02-09T06:15:38.337" Score="8" ViewCount="134" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to add commercial roses to my compost pile, but don't know if I can. I'm not sure what kind of chemicals store bought roses are usually treated with. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonus question: Can I dump the water in the vase on the pile as well (with the little feeding packets they give you)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-20T19:24:56.067" LastActivityDate="2016-09-20T19:24:56.067" Title="Can I add commercial roses to my compost pile?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;chemicals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16303" CreationDate="2015-02-09T11:37:14.257" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;To answer your first question,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what kind of chemicals store bought roses are usually treated with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Short answer: a lot. These flowers (especially when they're roses) don't really have much room for defects, so pesticides are applied heavily as a preventative, even when there are no symptoms of disease or pests on the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of these are going to be fungicides (roses are prone to many fungal diseases), especially when these flowers are grown under glass, where pests aren't as big a problem as they are outside. The plants were grown fast in an unnatural environment, using lots of simple chemical fertilizers, then treated with systemic (intaken by and circulated throughout the plant) pesticides, so they are kind of laden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can compost them, they'll decompose, but they will have a lot more pesticide residue in/on them than the average compost item. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About the flower feeding packets, these usually contain: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dextrose (sometimes glucose), a sugar, to provide energy to the plant as there will be little photosynthesis going on &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Citric acid (or another acidifier) to bring the water pH down to that of the plant, so that it can take up more water. Also, it helps keep the pigments in the petals stable longer (slower fading)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chlorine/bromine (or another biocide) to keep microbial activity low. The microbes feed on sugar, which will be concentrated at the stem bases (from the intake process), so microbes can clog the cuts, leading to a rapid decline in the cut flowers. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for dumping it in your compost pile, it probably won't have any noticeable effect, but it does contain biocides, which might be counter productive in the decomposition process. I wouldn't dump it in my compost pile, but that's my personal preference. You can look at the list above, and make that decision for yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-02-09T11:37:14.257" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16305" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16301" CreationDate="2015-02-09T11:50:34.823" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always dethatch first. That will create a clearer path for the other equipment, and make it a lot easier for the slicer overseeder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the other two, I like to run the aerator first, to avoid disturbing newly sown seed. It can be done either way, and both ways I've noticed seed falling into the aerator holes, where it will not germinate. That doesn't seem to be a huge issue though, in my experience. It's more of an issue when you broadcast overseed. A slicer overseeder usually takes care of all the plugs, as long as they're dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Really, though, that's just my method, not necessarily the best one. Once you get a system going you tend to stick with it. Dethatching comes first for me also because I don't have a dethatcher, so I rent one and use it before I use the other equipment (which I own). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So basically I've been using a slightly different order than you, and if it's been working well for you also, that just goes to show that there isn't really a 'best' way. Do what's logical, use common sense, it will work fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-02-09T11:50:34.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16306" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4682" CreationDate="2015-02-09T19:14:47.647" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem with any stone product is that it produces stone dust. Even if you put down landscape fabric and wash the stone before installing it, over time the stones will grind against one another and produce dust that the weeds can grow in. Putting sand or stone dust between the pavers produces the same problem. I have wondered in the past whether grouting pavers with a latex based grout would seal well enough to stop germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-10T18:57:33.370" LastActivityDate="2015-02-10T18:57:33.370" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16307" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16308" CreationDate="2015-02-09T19:31:27.747" Score="8" ViewCount="5907" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just dug these up from around the roots of a stone fruit tree. Are they maggots? Are they good or bad for the soil around the roots of the tree? Do they harm the tree in any way? If yes to the previous question then how do you treat this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: Phoenix, AZ&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tree type: Stone Fruit (Arctic Star). Don't know the rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a number of fruit trees in this backyard orchard. The &quot;maggots&quot; are only around the Arctic Star (white nectarine).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lECsK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;maggots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1KcHl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-09T20:38:43.150" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T21:57:38.750" Title="Are these maggots and are they okay in the soil around the roots of a fruit tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16308" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16307" CreationDate="2015-02-09T20:32:00.400" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are grubs. There are a lot of kinds of grubs, though, and they look so similar, you often can only tell them apart by their rear ends (seriously, see below)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Sgfk.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They feed on roots (usually turf, but also trees, perennials, and other plants) as larvae, and then emerge from the ground as beetles, which feed on the leaves. I think they might be &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclocephala_borealis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;masked chafer&lt;/a&gt; beetles. You don't yet have Japanese beetles in Phoenix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Methods of control:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chickens&lt;/strong&gt; work after a till, but this isn't practical unless you intend to till the entire area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Adult beetle traps&lt;/strong&gt; (pheromonal/floral) have worked for me in reducing the amounts of adults.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Insecticides&lt;/strong&gt; are the usual method of control. You may not want to use them in an orchard, if you want to be perfectly organic. I use &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imidacloprid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;imidacloprid&lt;/a&gt; for grub control in lawns. It's a systemic (taken in by the plant, so when the grubs eat it, they die) neurotoxin.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For grub control, timing is key. The grubs live low in the soil most of the year, below where you can effectively treat. They come up near the soil before pupating, and then when the adults lay eggs, the new larvae start out near the surface before going down. So you need to apply right in that pupae-flight-egg window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a helpful chart. It may vary according to your location:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/91Ooq.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is some additional information on grubs:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7190/how-do-i-get-rid-of-lawn-grubs&quot;&gt;How do I get rid of lawn grubs?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9268/what-to-do-about-grubs-in-vegetable-garden-and-potted-tree&quot;&gt;What to do about grubs in vegetable garden and potted tree?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9396/can-you-identify-this-grub&quot;&gt;Can you identify this grub?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-02-09T21:47:12.613" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16309" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16311" CreationDate="2015-02-10T18:13:03.257" Score="5" ViewCount="1056" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is this &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000AS78EI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;compost bin&lt;/a&gt; rodent-proof?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WTitN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If not, how to find a similar but rodent-proof or at least relatively safe one in that regard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want put put a compost bin in my backyard and put my food waste (mostly vegetable scraps without oily content) in it to create a compost and use it for my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Why are you focussing on rodent-protection? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I heard compost attracts rodents.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;How big is your backyard? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1500 ft^2.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Are the neighbors close? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;50 ft away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9767" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T05:28:16.217" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T05:28:16.217" Title="Is this compost bin rodent-proof?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;rodents&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16310" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16307" CreationDate="2015-02-10T18:42:39.753" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I love chickens, but let's not forget beneficial nematodes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=487&quot;&gt;The Royal Horticultural Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;You can buy pathogenic nematodes, Heterorhabditis megidis or H. bacteriophora, which attack the larvae by infecting them with a fatal bacterial disease. These microscopic animals can be watered into the lawn when the ground is moist and soil temperature range between 12-20ºC (55-68ºF). This biocontrol is available by mail order from some biological control suppliers or some garden centres. The turf around the edge of affected areas should be targeted to deal with larvae spreading out from infestation “hot spots” in the lawn. However, by the time areas of infestation become apparent, the soil may be too cold for nematodes to be effective. As a preventive measure, apply nematodes in July to September against chafer grubs. Nematodes should be applied as soon as possible after purchase, following the suppliers’ instructions for use. It may be necessary to water the lawn before and after application to ensure the soil is sufficiently moist for nematode activity and survival.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have not personally used nematodes, but two organic plant/turf care companies that we work closely with report excellent results. It is, however, more expensive than the chemical route.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-10T18:48:36.117" LastActivityDate="2015-02-10T18:48:36.117" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16309" CreationDate="2015-02-10T22:09:21.940" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, rodents shouldn't be a problem with a bin like this, if you set it on something. Mice might be able to get through those holes, but I'd just set it on three cinder blocks, to keep it up off the ground. You won't be able to get a super hot compost going in such a small space, but you can certainly can get some batches done in there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't be surprised if mice won't be a problem, either. I think squirrels (if they're in your area) will probably check it out, and possibly try to pull stuff out through the holes, but that will be the case with any composter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, If you get a lot of precipitation in your area (like over 30&quot;/year), and are going to be composting a lot of kitchen scraps, cover the holes in the lid, or it will get too wet and decompose anaerobically, creating a smelly, slimy mess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-02-10T22:09:21.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16309" CreationDate="2015-02-10T22:10:20.480" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;On a small yard I'd rather use a compost container of this kind:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zWXDc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(image stolen from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.berliner-zeitung.de/garten/duenger-fuer-den-garten-die-alternative-fuer-komposthaufen-,10808590,20681770.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is made for (quick) composting. A dedicated object instead of your more universal product (can be used for burning waste as well). I have no personal experience with such a bin, my parents in law are using several of those on their small backyard and are very happy with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to rodents or wildlife in general: a compost pile, even a closed one, will attract all kind of wild-life (they actually do the composting process) - rodents included. It is at least the smell which make them come by. Whether they stay or not depends also on what you put on the compost. Rule number one: no meat and avoid cooked stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;UPDATE&lt;/em&gt;: @anderas is right, the floor is open (to help worms get in, though they will their way in even with the one you have). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other difference with the one you have shown is that this version has an opening on the side close to the ground where you can gather finished compost. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-02-11T20:27:03.437" LastActivityDate="2015-02-11T20:27:03.437" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16313" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14248" CreationDate="2015-02-11T01:31:34.933" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mine has produced for 2 years and I'm questioning if it's going to make it for 3, carrying it through the winter in a homemade growth chamber where it loses most of its leaves. The 2nd year was more productive than the first, and now the lower portion of the stalk looks more like a tree with arthritis than a pepper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9768" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-02-11T16:24:03.600" LastActivityDate="2015-02-11T16:24:03.600" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16314" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16301" CreationDate="2015-02-11T20:49:46.317" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every lawn will be different.  Aerating is always good, de-thatching is not. Do you recognize when de-thatching is necessary and helpful? I feel that a good landscape maintenance professional should know how to PREVENT compaction, thatch and general whimpy grasses.  Mowing height, watering schedule, fertilization type and schedule...can prevent any need for literally damaging the existing grass and starting anew. If I were responsible for maintenance I'd be very embarrassed to have to resort to these methods to restore a lawn. I am being tough but it sounds as if you need some real information to continue your business.  If you have to renew a lawn that you've not been maintaining then only de-thatch if there is at least an inch of non-decomposed grass and roots inhibiting water, nutrients.  Aerate once per year, better to do two.  Fertilize with organic, extended release fertilizers in the appropriate formulations for your type of grasses and season.  Water deeply and allow to dry out before watering again.  In our northern areas, grasses should be cut no shorter than 3&quot;.  Some fertilizers actually come with bacteria that will help decompose thatch. Sharp blades, always.  Use a proper spreader for fertilizer, never by hand...soil plugs break down all by themselves and don't need any help.  Great for the lawn.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To de-thatch regularly is contraindicated...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-02-11T20:49:46.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16315" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16294" CreationDate="2015-02-11T21:06:58.170" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should at the very least take a Master Gardener Course from your state's extension service.  Most people have no idea what is involved in 'Landscape Design'...nor maintenance. Thus you will find yourself if you've no education grouped with all those making money using a pickup and mower.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The more education you get under your belt, the more humble yet effective you will become. Landscape Design is far more complicated than drawing pictures and planting plants.  Far, far more knowledge is required!! Get educated if you want to be good at Landscape Design. Sure, take seminars...you have to get to a point that you are able to recognize what is a great design which will be inherently low-maintenance and what are 'old wive's tales' or just bogus ideas promoted to sell a product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another suggestion would be to take a pesticide applicator course from your extension service. Doesn't mean you will learn about the chemicals...you will learn how NOT to have to use chemicals.  Quite an eye-opener! They make sure you know the difference between plant biology and animal.  Basics you HAVE to know and understand.  Go back to school!!  You will see what I mean once you get proper certifications.  Then you will be able to compete in this industry. Otherwise, you like an awful lot of others, are just taking advantage of ignorant customers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-02-11T21:06:58.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16309" CreationDate="2015-02-11T22:58:54.510" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can afford the space, and have a cold climate, a non-functional chest freezer can make a good composter.  You will need to modify it as follows:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put a 4&quot; hole near the base of one end, and near the top of the other end.  Protect both with 1/4&quot; hardware cloth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Attach a short length of non-perforated drain tile to the lower hole.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;attach a 3-4 inch fan, powered by a small PV array to blow air into the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the inside lay a coil of perforated 4&quot; drain tile around the perimeter.  Don't worry about getting this exact.  You are just trying to feed in enough air for the pile to breathe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the end with the high vent, add another hole at a lower corner.  Insert a drain tube through here, and silicon seal both ends.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put it on blocks, with the drain end lower.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place a bucket to catch the compost tea.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Optional.  Paint the freezer camouflage colors, or paint fairies, flowers, frogs, and possibly a prince. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2015-02-11T22:58:54.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16300" CreationDate="2015-02-11T23:06:18.430" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leave them.  I see poplar and spruce living together in sin all the time, especially in grazed pasture.  (Young spruce more than a foot away from something get stepped on.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The birch is short lived, typically only about 30 years.  Most birch suffer from lack of water, then, under water stress succumb to other diseases.  Locally birch are &lt;em&gt;always&lt;/em&gt; found native only in areas that have an additional source of water -- seep, slough nearby, runoff channel, creek.  Give it 2 feet extra water per year over a circle = twice the tree's height in radius, and it will live a century or more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pine appears to be a 5 needle pine.  White pine?  Swiss Stone Pine?  Most of these can tolerate wet ground.  The 2 and 3 needle pines are not found of soggy ground.  If your soil is reasonably deep loam, they can both be happy.  If the soil is sandy, you will have a hard time keeping the birch healthy as it grows taller.  The pine however will do fine.  If your soil is thin with clay underneath, you can drown the pine with excess moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2015-02-11T23:06:18.430" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16318" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16269" CreationDate="2015-02-11T23:14:29.317" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Product called Plant-scyd is a mix of pig blood and a sticking agent.  It generally lasts a season if not rained on too frequently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It &lt;em&gt;reeks&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Deer will overcome aversions when starving.  Deer will adapt to almost anything odd with time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaving a few dead deer carcases around is quite beneficial, and is a lot less work to apply.  Note:  Local wildlife officers may disapprove of this way of dealing with hoof-rats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An 8 foot fence also works.  An 8 foot fence that they can't see through is even better.  An 8 foot fence with brush on the outside so they can't easily approach is even better.  An 8 foot fence with an extension above that is difficult to see is the best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Until the moose come.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2015-02-11T23:14:29.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16320" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-12T21:10:36.813" Score="9" ViewCount="51081" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a long stemmed rose in a bouquet of flowers. The head had died so I went to discard the stem, only to notice new leaves were shooting out of it in 3 different places. I left the stem in the vase of water and came here to find out what to do next.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9775" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-13T23:21:49.600" LastActivityDate="2020-12-21T19:25:21.760" Title="My long stemmed rose is growing new leaves" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16321" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16320" CreationDate="2015-02-13T12:03:33.343" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can try rooting it if you want by snipping the stem just below a bud at the base, stripping off the thorns and leaves, leaving one leaf at the top if you like, but you can take them all off, and inserting it into a sharp sand or sand/compost mix in a deep pot. The stem should be around 9 inches long, and you need to bury it so that only a quarter of the stem is showing. If the thorns don't snap off easily, then just bin it, its too old. Otherwise, water and wait, but this procedure is usually done in summer, outdoors, and you'd expect the cuttings to have rooted by about November - yours may not be successful because its been cut so long and you are obliged to carry out the treatment inside because the stem isn't hardened off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-02-13T12:03:33.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16322" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16327" CreationDate="2015-02-13T18:00:57.337" Score="5" ViewCount="5327" Body="&lt;p&gt;I love starting plants from seeds. I love the fact that from something tiny comes out something so amazing. I find, though, that I have a very bad survival rate with my seedlings. I would say 90% of them bend and die, which I have read it is because of a fungal disease at the soil level. I was wondering if I could have some tips to avoid this problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is what I do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I plant my seedlings in small newspaper pots like these:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/img_9738.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/img_9738.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I use seed starting mix, not soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I water them from the bottom letting the paper and soil to absorb the water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I place the pots in a plastic box and cover them until they germinate to maintain moisture.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When a pot germinates, I move it to a different uncovered box to increase air circulation.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The problem happens even in pots that are  not overcrowded (2 sunflower seedlings, for example) and with all sort of sizes of seedling (from petunia to sunflower).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7271" LastEditorUserId="7271" LastEditDate="2015-02-17T20:08:49.887" LastActivityDate="2015-02-17T20:08:49.887" Title="Best way to avoid seedlings from bending and dying" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16323" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3402" CreationDate="2015-02-13T18:27:11.493" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Actually.. Here's a study that shows tomatoes do pretty well in a 24 hour continuous, but they varied the temperature and they didn't get the spotting that had occurred with 24h lighting in the past. Did better than the 16 hour light / 8 hour dark, anyways. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/40/2/374.full.pdf&quot;&gt;http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/40/2/374.full.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9778" LastActivityDate="2015-02-13T18:27:11.493" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16324" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16328" CreationDate="2015-02-13T18:43:56.883" Score="6" ViewCount="289" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/02/12/385459778/gardeners-twofer-first-ketchup-n-fries-plant-hits-u-s-market&quot;&gt;A recent article&lt;/a&gt; has left me quite amazed at the possibility of producing tomatoes and potatoes from the same plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The article describes a technique called &quot;grafting&quot;. How does it work, and are there any health implications that one should be aware of?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/71hMr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9777" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-13T23:21:07.623" LastActivityDate="2015-02-13T23:21:07.623" Title="How does the &quot;Ketchup 'n' Fries&quot; plant produce both tomatoes and potatoes? Is it safe?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;safety&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16325" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-13T19:42:07.813" Score="2" ViewCount="397" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to set up a timer-based watering system for my mother's garden (see figure below). I plan to have the timer installed on the main water supply line, which then branches via underground hoses that have sprinklers installed at intervals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem with this approach is that I cannot account for Remote Patches A and C (not sure if the term &quot;island&quot; is appropriate here) without resorting to digging up some of the front yard paved bricks to install the water lines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I guess an on-the-ground hose would be borderline acceptable for Remote Patch C, but the main gate makes things difficult with Remote Patch A.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to water the remote patches without having to resort to laying underground lines/removing paved bricks across the gate? I'm open to all suggestions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FcUmI.png&quot; alt=&quot;Garden Layout&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9777" LastActivityDate="2015-06-12T13:52:50.840" Title="Want to set up a timed watering system for 'remote' garden patches without utilizing underground water hoses" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16326" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16320" CreationDate="2015-02-13T22:57:12.250" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bamboo's answer is good. I agree with everything stated there, just wanted to add the method I used when I did this years ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recut the cut ends (flat, and clean), but then topped the stems off (they were really long, so removed about half), leaving them at 9-10 inches. I cut about 1/4&quot; above a large healthy leaf. Then I removed the leaves halfway up the stem, dipped the stripped (lower) half in fungicide/rooting hormone powder, and inserted them into moist, gritty sterile mix. This was placed in a high-humidity case under bright filtered light, and I used a bottom heat of 75 degrees Fahrenheit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One turned black and I removed it, but the rest (11) rooted in about 3 - 4 weeks (slower than I expected), and began to grow. So I moved them to 1 gal. nursery pots of standard potting mix, and began fertilizing and spraying black-spot preventative. This was in early spring (late March, I think). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They were ready for sale 2 years later. I determined (through some sleuthing) that I had the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sierraflowerfinder.com/en/d/first-red/168&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;'First Red'&lt;/a&gt; production rose. It's a hybrid tea, bred by Paul Pekmez in France, in 1988, and was patented (US patent No: PP 7,749 on 17 Dec 1991), so I just gave them away, so as not to run into trouble.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was basically just a project carried out for fun, and made great gifts. Now, it needs protection in my area (hardy only in zones 7b up), so that's something you should expect if you get some started, even though you'll likely have a different production rose than I did. I ran into no pest or disease problems out of the ordinary for garden roses (surprising to me), and what came up (mostly Japanese beetles) was easily taken care of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-02-13T22:57:12.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16327" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16322" CreationDate="2015-02-13T23:00:42.003" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know several things that should help for damping off. Most of these are based on personal experience rather than things I've looked up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't use containers that decompose. They attract mold. Pythium, which can cause damping off, is fungi.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put a 22+ watt 2500k CFL lightbulb (on) near your plants. In my experience, this kind of light seems to protect against damping off more than the highly recommended 6500k lights. Maybe pythium doesn't like infrared light (which should be somewhat higher in 2500k bulbs).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure the soil level isn't too far below the rim of the container. Your soil is quite far below. This provides a more ideal environment for damping off. Sometimes, after watering the first few times, the soil will lower. You can reduce this by initially compacting the soil more. If you're using seed starting potting soil, this shouldn't be too much compaction for your seeds. Compacted soil is generally regarded as bad, but in my experience, it's better than damping off. Other kinds of soil may differ considerably. You could water the soil more lightly to avoid it lowering as quickly, too, somewhat, perhaps. Soil that is too compacted seems to kill seedlings, too, however, but this seems to be an indoor topsoil problem, primarily, and more sunlight probably increases survival rates. The sunlight increasing survival rates is just a guess, based on something I tried once.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They say you should increase air circulation.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sunlight helps. More is much better.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put a little extra calcium in your soil, if it can handle it. Basalt rockdust or garden gypsum should work. Don't add too much, though.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't over-water. You might consider watering with a dropper.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Adding some neem oil to your soil might help (depending on the cause of the problem), but I don't know if it would kill beneficial things, too. I've found that completely sterilized (baked) topsoil tends to get moldy after a while, and cucurbits that use it have smaller leaves. Plus germination rates (at least for plants in the solanaceae family) seem to decrease a lot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You could try adding beneficial microorganisms to your soil to out-compete the pythium. I haven't tried this.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use fresh soil (not something that has been lying around for a really long time or has been used by other plants).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Damping off probably isn't the only thing that causes the symptoms you describe. Are the seedlings just falling over or do they look rotted/withered at the bottom of the stem? If they look withered there, it's probably damping off. If they don't, they might need more rest from whatever light you're giving them or something. I find that some of my tomatillo and pepper seedlings sometimes fall over if they get too much fluorescent light, but they recover some if I give them more rest. At least, that's how it seems. I could be interpreting what happened incorrectly due to the scarcity of occurrences.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-02-14T00:01:15.473" LastActivityDate="2015-02-14T00:01:15.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16328" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16324" CreationDate="2015-02-13T23:14:57.203" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grafting is an old technique where two plants are joined.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The idea is to take two varieties with different properties (think: strength) and combine them. For fruit trees, that would be: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a &quot;rootstock&quot; (aka rootsystem, sometimes stem) that ensures stability, good nutrition and determines the final size of the tree (think dwarf, for example) and &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a &quot;scion&quot; (or multiple scions) which builds the branches and determines the type of fruit.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are various techniques as to what pieces of plants can be transfered, from cutting of the entire top and replacing it to replacing only single buds. Key factor is that the tissues at the graft match to ensure flow of water and nutritiens, e.g. for trees the vascular cambium must meet. This allows even for different scions on one rootstock, like the &quot;family apple&quot; which is basically branches of different apples grafted onto one stem, also solving the problem of having a matchin pollinator in a small garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grafting of soft tissue is quite popular in Europe, common for tomatoes, cucumber and eggplant, for example. Choosing the right understock can drastically increase resistance agaist fungal disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You can not produce &quot;Frankenstein&quot; plants&lt;/strong&gt; by mixing and matching across different plant families, the plants must be closely related. Ideally they are of the same type, but closely related can work, too. The &quot;Ketchup 'n Fries&quot; plant works because tomatoes and potatoes are both members of the nightshade family. Cucumbers can be grafted on pumpkins, apples go on apples, a pear might also go on a quince...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So even if the &quot;Ketchup 'n Fries&quot; plant looks like something from a futuristic genetics lab, it's actually quite safe. I would guess that it needs plenty of nutritients, though, as it is supposed to build a double harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-02-13T23:14:57.203" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16329" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-14T05:20:41.637" Score="5" ViewCount="34185" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a flowering house plant. I may have watered it too much, me thinks. Since my apartment gets little natural light, I put it outside on the patio the other day in direct sunlight, only for a couple hours. When I returned, my plant which was once dark green, had black, wilted leaves. Did the sun kill it? Or did the water? Usually, I give it indirect sunlight, so that seems to be the culprit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rh2Pp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Peace Lily Pic 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8GNLX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Peace Lily Pic 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d75dw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Peace Lily Pic 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9779" LastEditorUserId="9728" LastEditDate="2015-02-14T19:29:51.357" LastActivityDate="2021-05-05T17:29:33.203" Title="Why are the leaves of my Peace Lily wilted and black?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16330" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16333" CreationDate="2015-02-14T06:55:59.227" Score="4" ViewCount="5019" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in Sydney, Australia. I live in an apartment 3 stories off the ground floor. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My chilli plants are in pots on my balcony.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently (last 2 weeks) I have noticed that something is eating the leaves of one of the chilli plants. I have not done any sleuthing at night yet. Today is a Saturday and I have not seen any further damage during the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot with the most damage looks to be surrounded by droppings of the culprit. What could it be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&#xA;I went out in the evening with a torch and yep, it was 2 fat caterpillars. I thought I had checked the plant during the day, but I guess I wasn't thorough enough. I checked a few more times during the night and no more turned up. A lot of damage for just 2 caterpillars!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GbCJr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Eaten leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/de0WV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Droppings?&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastEditorUserId="7313" LastEditDate="2015-02-15T06:44:24.077" LastActivityDate="2015-02-15T06:44:24.077" Title="How can I find out what's eating my chilli plants?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16331" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16329" CreationDate="2015-02-14T11:07:52.020" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is cold damage. It was too cold outside for your plant, and the cold damaged the cells (by expansion &amp;gt; rupture).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathiphyllum_wallisii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;peace lily&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cold-weather-affect-peace-lily-79845.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's&lt;/a&gt; a good article on cold damage in peace lilies. From that article:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;a study by members of the University of Florida's Environmental Horticulture department showed that peace lily can be damaged by temperatures from just above 32 degrees Fahrenheit to 59 degrees Fahrenheit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The damage began at the leaf tips and spread inwardly, with soft, brown areas turning black and then drying up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it looks like (for a small plant like yours anyway), you want it only to be placed in temps above 60 degrees F. &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1460788/peace-lily-help&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This person&lt;/a&gt;'s peace lily has also had cold damage:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YZo8W.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can avoid this later, by keeping in mind that most houseplants came from warm climates, and don't like it much below room temperature, especially if they haven't adapted, and are used to warm temps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-02-14T11:07:52.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16329" CreationDate="2015-02-14T11:46:49.857" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cold is a possibility, but I don't think that's what's caused this damage; given where you are, unless you've had freak weather conditions in your particular location, it seems the temperatures recently have not fallen below 20 deg C during the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What has caused it is direct sunlight. These plants do not like direct sunlight even indoors - outside it would be even more damaging, particularly as the plant has probably never experienced any direct sunlight in the whole of its life. Peace lily is a reliably good low light houseplant, so perfect for your apartment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trim off the damaged leaves at their bases, the plant will put out more quite happily. These plants do not like to dry out completely and do seem to require a fair amount of watering. That, though, does not mean you should leave it standing in water in an outer tray or container - empty that 30 minutes after watering. Water when the surface of the compost feels just slightly dry to the touch, and stand the plant away from heat sources such as radiators - the light from any window which does not admit sun, or get any direct sunshine on it other than possibly very early morning or very late in the day, would be the most useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-02-14T12:59:11.913" LastActivityDate="2015-02-14T12:59:11.913" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16333" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16330" CreationDate="2015-02-14T12:05:37.257" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A torch at night to see what you can see - I reckon it might be earwigs because they do leave droppings. If you don't see anything, fill a pot with straw or shredded newspaper, invert it on a stick and shove the stick in a pot - with any luck, the earwigs (if that's what they are) will choose that to hide in during the day. Empty the pot in the morning, tapping out the contents, to see if anything is in there. Otherwise, as already suggested, maybe a caterpillar, possibly slaters if they're desperate - they do eat young tender leaves at times, though the damage doesn't appear to be on the youngest leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-02-14T12:05:37.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16334" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-14T12:36:53.030" Score="3" ViewCount="1092" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o6OBn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;House plant identification&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Long green, floppy leaves with spotty undersides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9780" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-02-16T11:14:27.757" LastActivityDate="2017-03-03T14:08:12.290" Title="Can you please identify this houseplant that has long floppy leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16335" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16336" CreationDate="2015-02-14T14:37:47.487" Score="4" ViewCount="2381" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone precisely identify this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YjXeS.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot just says &quot;Echeveria.&quot; As you can see there are cat-tooth marks on the plant, but I had left it out because I thought echeveria to be &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/cats-plant-list&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;non-toxic to pets&lt;/a&gt;. However, my cat is now sick and I am working with the vet to identify possible causes. Does anyone know the precise identity of this plant? Is it a danger to cats? (I have moved the plant out of the way for the time being.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9781" LastEditorUserId="9781" LastEditDate="2015-02-14T14:46:34.760" LastActivityDate="2018-03-21T04:56:26.133" Title="Identify this succulent/echevaria?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16335" CreationDate="2015-02-14T15:07:47.377" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well its definitely an Echeveria - as to which one, there are thousands, so can't say for sure. None of this group of plants is poisonous to cats though - if you have a Jade plant (Crassula species) that is toxic to them. They look a little similar, but Echeveria has those points on the leaves that aren't present on Crassula ovata or C. portulaca, and the colour of the leaves is different, not being this bluish grey colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-02-14T15:07:47.377" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16337" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-14T23:43:54.110" Score="2" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a few pothos plants from home depot last summer, and from my investigation, it seemed they all died from root rot. I tried every thing I could to save them but they just would not stop. But at my work place, there is a pothos plant, set in a bottle of water, on the window pane in the kitchen that seems to be doing so well, even with no one really in charge of caring for it? There are a couple of those around the office and every now and then someone maybe changes the water and puts them back, and they don't die.How come?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastActivityDate="2015-02-14T23:43:54.110" Title="Curious to know why over-watering leads to root-rot yet the same plant can be grown in water?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-02-15T01:40:23.703" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16338" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-15T04:58:04.697" Score="8" ViewCount="17373" Body="&lt;p&gt;I turned my soil recently and this huge plant started to grow. I have put my hand there to show the size. It does not seem to be a weed so I would really want to know if this is some kind of vegetable or fruit plant. Can someone help me identify? Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/082rK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant with big round leave&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9782" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-02-16T11:14:53.960" LastActivityDate="2020-07-20T18:09:45.093" Title="What is this large plant that came up when I turned my soil?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16339" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16338" CreationDate="2015-02-15T05:02:15.833" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like a squash of some kind. It will probably send out runners and spread quite a bit. The fruit should be edible, but I can't really tell what it will look like. It may be more like a pumpkin (it resembles &lt;em&gt;Cucurbita maxima&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-02-15T05:02:15.833" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16340" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16341" CreationDate="2015-02-15T11:14:55.010" Score="3" ViewCount="4227" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a (slightly neglected) dendrobium nobile that has started to grow new plants at the top of two old stalks. One is staring to show roots (see picture below), the other is still a bit smaller. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J4K7G.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dendrobium baby&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While I have seen this phenomenon with phalenopsis orchids, it's new to me with a dendrobium nobile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what's next? Should I &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut off the baby plant (keiki?) and put it in its own pot? (now? once it has more roots?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bend the mother stalk down, let the new plant take root in a second container and cut then? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do something else?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-02-15T15:54:48.517" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T03:58:43.963" Title="Dendrobium nobile: How and when to cut and pot new plant (keiki) from mother?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16340" CreationDate="2015-02-15T12:22:07.140" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let the keiki grow on until it has more leaves and more than two roots - preferably around 4 to 6 roots. Once its achieved that sort of size, cut it off the mother stem just below the point from which it's growing, without damaging its roots, and pot up in the usual way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-02-15T12:22:07.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16342" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-15T15:36:38.787" Score="4" ViewCount="1335" Body="&lt;p&gt;Location: Pietermaritzburg, South Africa&lt;br&gt;&#xA;When: Feb 2015 (summer in Southern Hemisphere)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A couple of questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First: Is this Scale in the first photo? If so, what type? If not what is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second: It appears that on some leaves (second photo) ants are turning the scale to mash potatoes. If this is the case then is this sufficient control for the scale or does it need more attention to keep the tree healthy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aMCaK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;live scale&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GN32R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mash potato scale&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-15T16:29:33.270" LastActivityDate="2015-02-15T16:29:33.270" Title="Do ants eat scale on lime trees?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16343" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16342" CreationDate="2015-02-15T16:04:45.190" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As this is a citrus plant, then likely it is citrus woolly whitefly (aleurothrixus floccosus). They could possibly be nymphs for a scale infection, with adult scales attached to the woody parts, so check those just in case, but it looks more like woolly whitefly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ants are neither here nor there - they're on the plant because its infested with aphids or scale. Both these pests produce honeydew, and the ants 'farm' them to collect it, so they certainly won't solve the infestation problem you've got, rather, they'll protect it. Treat for the infestation and the ants will leave - they will not harm the plant in themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for treatment, a parasitic wasp was released in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Malawi (and here its obvious my geographic knowledge for your part of the world is pretty poor) so if you're in any of those countries, you shouldn't really use pesticides, although its fair to say the wasps were released to protect citrus crops rather than individual trees. You can try spraying with a pesticide fit for this purpose, see what's available where you are, but they're not usually that successful, requiring further treatments to keep the pest under control. Neem oil will have some effect, but you'd need to keep checking newer leaves and respraying as necessary. Increasing ant activity would also indicate a surge in numbers of the whitefly, so that's another clue to watch for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-02-15T16:15:40.567" LastActivityDate="2015-02-15T16:15:40.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16344" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16342" CreationDate="2015-02-15T16:22:01.963" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe that (in the first picture) is &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/citrus/citrus_whitefly.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;citrus whitefly (&lt;em&gt;Dialeurodes citri&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;. The small white dots are probably the eggs and larvae (the nymphs fasten to the leaf undersides like scale - see below). These insect suck plant juices, and so are considered pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The nymph is a flat, elliptical, scale-like object, closely fastened to the underside of a leaf. It becomes fixed after the first molt. The nymphs, after the first instar, are flattened, oval, and are similar in appearance to the early instars of the unarmored scale insects. Like the scale insects, whiteflies lose their normal legs and antennae after the first molt (they are kept, but are abbreviated), but unlike the scale insects, the females gain them back in the adult stage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h8j6m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some management guidelines, from &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/citrus/citrus_whitefly.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Biological control&lt;/strong&gt;. Several parasites and predators attack the citrus whitefly. An introduced wasp parasite (&lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/beneficial/encarsia_lahorensis.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Encarsia lahorensis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Howard) is established in Florida's citrus regions and is reducing citrus whitefly populations. &lt;em&gt;Delphastus pusillus&lt;/em&gt; (Lec.), a small dark brown ladybird beetle, feeds on the eggs but is never abundant. &lt;em&gt;Delphastus catalinae&lt;/em&gt; (Horn), a California species, was introduced into Florida by University of Florida entomologists, and it also feeds on whitefly eggs. &lt;em&gt;Cryptognatha flavescens&lt;/em&gt; Motsch., a coccinellid about 1/10 inch long and reddish brown, and another &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/beneficial/lady_beetles.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;ladybird beetle&lt;/a&gt;, Verania cardoni Weise, were found by Woglum to feed on the citrus whitefly in India. Morrill and Back (1911) recorded two other ladybird beetles, &lt;em&gt;Cycloneda sanguinea&lt;/em&gt; L. and &lt;em&gt;Scymnus punctatus&lt;/em&gt; Melsh., that feed on the citrus whitefly in Florida, as well as a mirid bug, lacewings, mites, ants, and a species of thrips, &lt;em&gt;Megalurothrips fasciapennis&lt;/em&gt; Franklin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the second pic, it looks like you've got wooly aphids. Same as shown in &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCw00VznzjI&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this video&lt;/a&gt;. The ants are there for the honeydew, which the aphids excrete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6XCoD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7404.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; are some aphid management guidelines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-15T16:29:03.583" LastActivityDate="2015-02-15T16:29:03.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16345" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16347" CreationDate="2015-02-16T01:05:06.743" Score="3" ViewCount="537" Body="&lt;p&gt;I &quot;inherited&quot; a lawn mower when I moved to a new house. It's a kubota walk-behind one. Unfortunately I have no idea how to stop the engine. There's no usual lever for stopping the fuel on the handle. There's only a choke/fast/slow/stop switch, which regulates the speed of the wheels/engine, but &quot;stop&quot; doesn't seem to stop it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kubota.com.au/media/1300/walk-behind-mowers_brushcutters.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;marketing paper&lt;/a&gt; for the mower, but I couldn't find any manual.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas what should I look for?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: As requested - handle (The left-most, unreadable position is &quot;choke&quot;) (click for a slightly larger version):&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pNqTJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pNqTJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mower:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cGF6r.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cGF6r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9784" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-16T11:48:53.027" LastActivityDate="2015-02-16T15:53:44.227" Title="How can I stop a walk-behind kubota lawn mower?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16346" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16345" CreationDate="2015-02-16T11:47:38.760" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The throttle on the handlebar should cut the gas when pulled back to the 'off' position. It looks just like I thought it would, standard for a walk-behind mower. If it's not doing that, there's a problem, and you should get it looked at by a professional. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you stated, 'stop' doesn't seem to stop it. Are you sure you pulled it back the whole way? As I said, that 'stop' position is the part of the mower designed for cutting the fuel, and if it doesn't work, you should get that checked out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, as a side note, I knew someone who had trouble shutting off his equipment, and it was because he was using 93 octane gas for everything. I always use 89, and have no problems. Likely not your problem, just stickin' it in here for future readers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-02-16T11:47:38.760" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16347" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16345" CreationDate="2015-02-16T15:43:28.050" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's probably a problem with throttle cable adjustment. If the cable has rusted so it won't move properly, it needs to be replaced. Otherwise, over time, reefing on it may have pulled the lower end through the bracket so it isn't pulling all the way past Idle to the Stop position. There also should be a Magneto/Electronic Ignition Kill Switch that cuts the ignition when the throttle is put all the way to the stop position.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is the Honda GVX160 engine, here's a representative of instructions on how to properly adjust the cable and possible location of the kill switch (yours may vary by serial number range or if it's the Kohler engine, a whole different mechanism). If the cable is misadjusted, the kill switch doesn't operate, also if dirt got in there or the wire fell off, the switch won't operate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(The engine manuals are readily available online, look up by Engine Make, Model and Serial Number,)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RH1TB.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ignition circuit on the Honda GVX160 shows that there is a kill switch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CiNCa.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2015-02-16T15:53:44.227" LastActivityDate="2015-02-16T15:53:44.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16348" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16350" CreationDate="2015-02-16T19:18:39.730" Score="5" ViewCount="1925" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pear tree which I planted about ten years ago. It has done relatively well. It produces fruit on a yearly basis (I don't know if I'd call them exactly &lt;em&gt;edible&lt;/em&gt;, but it does produce). The tree at this time has started to reach skyward, which I understand is bad for producing fruit. My questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How should you go about pruning the pear tree so as not to cause permanent damage?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What time of year should I prune it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there any drawbacks from pruning?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9728" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-16T22:00:41.210" LastActivityDate="2015-02-17T03:55:41.170" Title="What is the proper way to prune a pear tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16349" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-16T21:33:36.130" Score="6" ViewCount="758" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a 6ft tall healthy Rhododendron that a tree decided to fall on. Now it has a big chunk taken out of the middle. Either side of the chunk is still 4ft or so but the middle goes right to the base of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure how far back to prune the sides or how much inward growth to expect either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I proceed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3069" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-16T22:14:49.817" LastActivityDate="2018-05-13T17:28:34.503" Title="How should I prune a damaged Rhododendron?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;rhododendrons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16350" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16348" CreationDate="2015-02-16T22:00:09.843" Score="3" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should you go about pruning the pear tree so as not to cause permanent damage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, you only want to cut limbs small enough to heal over in one season, if possible. This will vary by the age, rootstock, and overall vigor of your particular tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pear trees show very strong &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14536/what-is-apical-dominance&quot;&gt;apical dominance&lt;/a&gt;, and will naturally grow rather tall and narrow, not the best for fruiting. My favorite pruning method for a standard pear tree is a cross between central leader and open center, called a 'modified central leader'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ptXHk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, central leader has the benefit of being the strongest form, but gets quite tall, and doesn't let as much sun reach the center. Open center is great for some fruit trees, like peaches and apricots, because it lets in more sun, for better ripening, but is often not strong enough for a full crop of pears, as well as being hard to train pears into.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Modified central leader is a compromise. The first part of the tree is grown like a central leader (christmas tree type) tree, then the leader is trained out, and the center opened up into an open center style (to let in light, and maintain manageable height), higher up on the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Begin:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Start with the basics. Remove all dead branches, and crossed (rubbing)/broken growth. Always cut back to a branchlet or crotch on a larger limb (over 1&amp;quot; diameter), and back to an outward facing bud/twig on smaller growth. Do not leave a stub.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thin the tree out a little. Pear trees don't like a hard pruning very well, so a light pruning yearly is better than a heavy pruning every few years. When thinning, favor branches that point outward from the center, removing ingrowth/upgrowth. Favor wider crotches rather than narrow ones, where applicable. Try not to remove more than 1/6 - 1/4 of the growth this way. Avoid making cuts bigger than 2&amp;quot; in diameter, if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Head it back. You want an even height. You will be cutting back the tallest branches a little, not more than you need to, just to get the tree down a bit. Remove the tallest stems, down to an outward facing lateral. Use your judgement, don't cut one back super far, or you will end up with a 'witches broom' head of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14906/what-is-a-sucker-and-how-does-it-differ-from-a-water-sprout-or-branch&quot;&gt;waterspouts&lt;/a&gt;. A good rule of thumb is to cut back to a branch that is at least 1/3 of the diameter of the branch you're cutting at that point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't use a pruning sealer/wound dressing. That &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/13762/419&quot;&gt;can do more harm than good&lt;/a&gt;. Use a sharp, clean pruning saw for the large cuts (over 1&amp;quot; diameter). The easiest kind to use is a curved hand pruning saw that cuts on pull. You can use loppers for stuff smaller than 1&amp;quot; diameter, and for light stuff (around 1/4&amp;quot; and less), use sharp, tight, hand pruners. You don't want to leave ragged strings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try to prune it once a year, lightly, to keep it in shape. One thing to keep in mind is that pears bear fruit on spurs (which are described &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8760/pruning-of-apple-tree/8761#8761&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;). They are stubby, slow growth that forms on well matured wood. They require mature wood and slow growth to grow, and as pruning promotes new growth, be minimalistic once your tree is in shape. This pertains to pear trees. This is not true of others (like peaches and apricots).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What time of year should I prune it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prune in early spring, after it starts warming up, right before it begins growing. If you see buds swelling slightly, it would be a good time. If you wait until it starts growing, you will damage a lot of tender new growth. If you wait until summer, your view will be greatly obstructed by leaves/fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fall/winter pruning can work, but I avoid it, as it leaves the wound open and drying for a long time, increasing the chances of pathogens finding their way in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any drawbacks from pruning?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, but they are greatly outweighed by the pros.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pruning (especially on a neglected tree) causes regrowth, which must be taken care of.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is time consuming, and one tree can take hours to do a great pruning job on.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You are creating lots of wounds, which are open to infection. Pruning back to areas that can heal quickly (not leaving stubs), and avoiding large diameter cuts where possible will help.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-02-17T03:55:41.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16351" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16353" CreationDate="2015-02-16T22:11:41.033" Score="3" ViewCount="291" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to grow pomegranates outdoors in Souther Ontario (Canada), and I am wondering if this would be possible by grafting a pomegranate scion onto an apple rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know if this is possible, and if it is would it survive a Canadian winter?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9785" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-16T22:23:46.243" LastActivityDate="2015-02-16T22:23:46.243" Title="Can I graft a zone 10 tree's scion onto a zone 6 tree's rootstock?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;plant-hardiness&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16349" CreationDate="2015-02-16T22:13:49.950" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut all broken branches back to the last healthy branchlet or crotch. Remove everything broken. Once that's done, if you still have a large hole in it where little light will penetrate, thin out the surrounding growth, and head it back. This will promote regrowth, and let light in to where the broken branches were removed, allowing stronger regrowth in that area. Expect a good covering or regrowth the first year (if your bush is healthy), but it will probably be a few years until the area has filled out again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want, you can head back the rest of the bush the next season, so that it looks more symmetrical, but don't do this the first year, as you want to encourage as much regrowth to the damaged area as you can the first year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-16T22:32:23.327" LastActivityDate="2015-02-16T22:32:23.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16353" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16351" CreationDate="2015-02-16T22:22:24.317" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, this will not work. Grafting only works reliably between species/genera,and sometimes between families. Pomegranates are not closely related to apples, so this will not work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, grafting onto hardy rootstock does not change the vulnerability to cold in the scion. The actual graft area will actually be more susceptible to cold than the rest of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See my very similar answer to a very similar question here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13570/can-i-graft-an-orange-tree-to-a-hardier-northern-root-stock&quot;&gt;Can I graft an orange tree to a hardier northern root stock?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-02-16T22:22:24.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16354" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16325" CreationDate="2015-02-16T22:27:43.217" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;How about a sprinkler aimed from Patch B? What I did was run a 1&quot; PVC line under the ground to span the gate, then attached hoses to that on the vertical legs that came up from the ground. You can get pipe thread and hose thread, or use converters, to cement on the end of PVC pipe. I did a lot of sprinkler system modification on my house of three years, as we added our own gardening area. I converted sprinkler heads to hose compatible stubs, in order to run soaker hoses, and the like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2015-02-16T22:27:43.217" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16355" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8100" CreationDate="2015-02-16T23:40:02.440" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The graft that dropped its leaves would be the apricot part, as nectarine and peach leaves look the same, and that's what's on those other two branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see from your &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8100/part-of-fruit-cocktail-tree-has-died#comment18617_8100&quot;&gt;comment&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;For those interested, in the spring of 2014 that &quot;dead&quot; graft came back to life and was the most vigorous growing graft on the tree that year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;that the branch was alive. In the future, if something like that happens, you can tell whether it's alive or dead &lt;em&gt;without&lt;/em&gt; a scratch test, by looking at the stems. They should be flexible, round, smooth, and pinkish/greenish. If they appear shriveled, or are dull brown and stiff (no longer flexible), then it's dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to why the branch dropped its leaves, there could be a lot of causes, the most common of which being (in hot dry climates) warm dry air. There are times when the moisture is pulled from the leaves faster than it can replenish it (even when irrigated), and the natural response to that in some tree species is to go into a dormancy, and drop the leaves until the conditions improve. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently the apricot was more sensitive to whatever caused the leaf drop than the peach/nectarine branches were. The nice thing is that once the tree gets established, it will better handle these situations, and will be a lot less likely to drop leaves on you again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-02-16T23:40:02.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16357" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="16358" CreationDate="2015-02-17T11:23:13.593" Score="4" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several azaleas and some rhododendron that have become infested with &lt;strong&gt;lacebug&lt;/strong&gt;. Some sites say to remove the plant and start over though this seems a bit draconian to me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One suggestion was to use a soil drench with &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imidacloprid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;imidacloprid&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. Many commercial products use this but I'm rather worried about creating a toxic environment for &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imidacloprid_effects_on_bees&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bees&lt;/a&gt;. There is some debate over whether systemic use puts enough toxin in pollen to affect bees but I don't really want to risk this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Has anyone successfully rid themselves (or their plants) of lacebug? How?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Any data on systemics and their role in CCD?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3069" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-05-06T02:16:45.030" LastActivityDate="2015-05-06T02:16:45.030" Title="How can I mitigate azalea lacebug infestation without harming bees?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;azaleas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="16358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16357" CreationDate="2015-02-17T13:34:40.493" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Jury's still out on imidproclid soil drench and its effect on bees, but I do know the EU is soon going to ban the use of nicotinoids generally for a minimum of two years, to see what impact it has, or doesn't have, on bees in particular. In general, any nicotinoid based product is likely to be harmful to bees and other pollinators, regardless of how it is used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The recommendation to remove infested plants is, as far as I know, only something that's said when the plants have developed a lot of white leaves, which usually means they're not long for this world anyway. It's also apparent that azaleas and rhododendrons planted in sun are more prone to infestation, along with those planted where water is sometimes in short supply, so these are the ones more likely to die and which owners might consider removing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About the only thing you can do that won't harm other pollinators is to use a neem oil based product, spraying regularly from early spring onwards, ensuring that you drench the undersides of leaves when you do spray. This probably means fortnightly at least, and even then, this might not be enough to keep the plants healthy, but its worth a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-02-17T13:34:40.493" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17357" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3148" CreationDate="2015-02-17T13:54:13.637" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;We purchased a bag of cow manure from a local hardware and placed a small amount in a container with water to serve as a manure tea where we also deposit coffee filters, grounds and fruit trimmings. Works for us.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10789" LastActivityDate="2015-02-17T13:54:13.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16349" CreationDate="2015-02-17T13:55:06.633" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is another alternative. Rhododendrons are open to renovation, but this is usually carried out in midwinter, when the plant is dormant. I don't know where you are, so can't say whether your plant is still completely dormant or not, depends on air temperatures/daylight lengths, but if it is still dormant, saw it down - the equivalent of stooling. As it puts out new growth, give it a good feed and reshape and prune as growth continues, till you've got something you like the shape of. You won't get any flowers for 2 or 3 years, but you will still have the shrub and it will flower again eventually - provided lacebug doesn't get it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-02-17T13:55:06.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17359" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14326" CreationDate="2015-02-17T14:24:07.137" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;No it is not, or if so, not by much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to Jeffries Nurseries, Dolgo crab is used for their apple production, and the resulting trees are standard or very close to standard.  This was private correspondence, and so I cannot provide a link.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.artsnursery.com/article/Root-Stock-Reference-Guide&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.artsnursery.com/article/Root-Stock-Reference-Guide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Indicates Dolgo is 30-40 feet high x 20-30 wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By itself, a large size does not require that it be non-dwarfing, but it's a good indicator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another article:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sites.google.com/site/alaskafruittrees/rootstock&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://sites.google.com/site/alaskafruittrees/rootstock&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Malus Dolgo. (Dolgo Crabapple) I grafted some to this last year and&#xA;  I'll see how they fare over winter, before deciding whether to include&#xA;  it as a rootstock. It will produce a &lt;strong&gt;standard sized apple tree&lt;/strong&gt;. This&#xA;  tree grows upright with an open habit around 30' in height with a&#xA;  20-30' spread&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2015-02-17T14:24:07.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17360" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-17T20:11:37.647" Score="10" ViewCount="6640" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guava plant is producing sour fruit. Is this because of a nutrient deficiency or because of the type of plant? How can I grow sweet guava fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10790" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-02-18T04:34:49.673" LastActivityDate="2020-08-29T11:27:08.847" Title="Why is my guava plant producing sour fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;guavas&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17362" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-18T07:08:55.817" Score="2" ViewCount="712" Body="&lt;p&gt;My chili plant leaves have these white cotton like blobs growing on them. Is this some kind of disease?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QXzoy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yu77B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf (same)&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tjaFj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf (same)&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry, for bad image quality.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10792" LastEditorUserId="10792" LastEditDate="2015-02-18T07:24:44.737" LastActivityDate="2015-02-18T11:11:13.013" Title="Can any one tell me what are these white cotton like substances growing on these leaves?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17363" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-18T07:43:05.253" Score="1" ViewCount="170" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a white fungus on my &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strelitzia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Strelitzia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;. It started as little specks on the leaves and I would like to know what it is, what caused it and what will get rid of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10793" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-02-18T14:57:53.237" LastActivityDate="2015-02-18T14:57:53.237" Title="What are the white specks on my Strelitzia's leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2015-03-01T04:26:28.883" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17364" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17362" CreationDate="2015-02-18T11:11:13.013" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's impossible to see the white deposits clearly, they're not in focus, but the most likely explanation is a mealybug infestation, particularly if there's any stickiness anywhere on the leaves or stems. Repeated neem oil treatments should help - because its an edible plant, I wouldn't recommend a proper pesticide spray. If, after checking pictures of mealybug infection, you don't think it's that, please post a clearer picture, confirm whether the plant is growing indoors, and what part of the world you're in in case there are other pests local to your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-02-18T11:11:13.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17365" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14777" CreationDate="2015-02-18T23:27:12.143" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the Bayer doesn't work completely, you might consider mixing a few tablespoons of neem, canola or soybean (vegetable oil) with water in a spray bottle (shake it up every few to several sprays) and occasionally spray the soil surface every week or two, perhaps, for a while. Spraying the plant with the same (especially the undersides of the leaves and new growth) should help against mites, too. It may outright kill the mites, but whatever the case, it should make the leaves too sticky for the mites to move much (kind of like a sticky fly strip).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might also consider giving the soil more light (especially sunlight), but bright light, whatever the case. This should help to reduce mold and fungus generally. If it's warm enough to take the plant outside in the day, you can try that. Just make sure it's not too harsh an environment for your plant and that new pests aren't about to infest your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Air circulation should help. Soil drainage should help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;New soil could eliminate the fungus problem (not the mites), if it's the right kind, and if your environment isn't spreading mold to your soil, but as J. Musser said, it may or may not shock or kill your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-02-18T23:38:57.480" LastActivityDate="2015-02-18T23:38:57.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17366" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-19T00:16:31.743" Score="7" ViewCount="802" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1vPD9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;South Florida   currently about 10 feet tall&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10795" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2015-03-04T01:36:42.520" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T15:29:41.947" Title="What is this tree/shrub in my Florida yard?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17368" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17366" CreationDate="2015-02-19T05:55:29.687" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This appears to be &lt;em&gt;Ixora cccinea&lt;/em&gt;; from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixora_coccinea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia article&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ixora coccinea&lt;/strong&gt; (or &lt;strong&gt;jungle geranium, flame of the woods&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;strong&gt;jungle flame&lt;/strong&gt;) is a species of flowering plant in the &lt;em&gt;Rubiaceae&lt;/em&gt; family. It is a common flowering shrub native to &lt;strong&gt;Southern India&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Sri Lanka&lt;/strong&gt;. It has become one of the most popular flowering shrubs in &lt;strong&gt;South Florida&lt;/strong&gt; gardens and landscapes. Its name derives from an Indian deity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I. coccinea is a dense, multi-branched evergreen shrub, commonly 4–6 ft (1.2–2 m) in height, but capable of reaching up to 12 ft (3.6 m) high. It has a rounded form, with a spread that may exceed its height. The glossy, leathery, oblong leaves are about 4 in (10 cm) long, with entire margins, and are carried in opposite pairs or whorled on the stems. Small tubular, scarlet flowers in dense rounded clusters 2-5 in (5–13 cm) across are produced almost all year long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3289" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-02-19T15:22:39.780" LastActivityDate="2015-02-19T15:22:39.780" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17369" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17370" CreationDate="2015-02-19T06:12:27.740" Score="5" ViewCount="4748" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small 4x6 feet lotus pond, where i planted lotus plant which i had in a fresh water pond near my Town. Lotus plant is growing nice but my pond became a place for Snails too. i think the plant had some of it's eggs. Now to remove those snails. as i remove water every week. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any pesticides for removing those snails without harming lotus plants and fishes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3289" LastActivityDate="2015-02-23T18:37:55.003" Title="How to get rid of Snails in my lotus pond" Tags="&lt;pond&gt;&lt;snails&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17369" CreationDate="2015-02-19T14:48:24.827" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any molluscide you use is likely to kill fish as well, but even if you found one that killed the snails and the fish didn't die, the water will become toxic because of the presence of so many dead bodies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The usual means of preventing such an infestation is to quarantine plants before placing in your pond, to check for any kind of pest such as this, or 'sterilising' the plant first with a solution of permanganate. Either that or buying it from a reputable supplier. However, now that you've got a problem, it might be that the only answer is to contain the fish and plants in something else, empty and thoroughly clean the pond out, refill and replace the fish - but don't replace the lotus plant without using permanganate solution first. Even this might not be successful, but is probably worth a try. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some caution is necessary when handling the snails and water - water snails may carry parasites which affect humans (bilharzia is the most well known, but not sure about your area). Snails do serve a useful purpose if you can keep the numbers down - they eat algae which builds up in ponds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-02-19T14:53:48.377" LastActivityDate="2015-02-19T14:53:48.377" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17371" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17372" CreationDate="2015-02-19T15:53:43.297" Score="5" ViewCount="15608" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm considering trying to improve my indoor herb growing.  It seems that under certain conditions, one could easily run strings of LED lights at the soil surface, which would allow for the plants to grow tall without the complexity of an overhead support structure.  Plus, I think it would look pretty cool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: can you grow small plants with the lighting coming from below the leaves? (assuming that the lighting is bright enough within the bands that chlorophyll will absorb).  I would think this would affect the plant's growth pattern; has anyone here tried this, or found records of those who have?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8596" LastActivityDate="2020-12-03T05:21:50.670" Title="Can leaves absorb light from below as easily as from above?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17372" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17371" CreationDate="2015-02-19T16:36:08.853" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lighting a plant from beneath will cause the plant to grow towards the light, ergo, downwards, if it grows at all. Phototropism is the name of the process induced by lighting or sunlight from above - the plant wants to maximise the amount of light it receives, and therefore grows up towards the light. If you place the light to one side, the plant will virtually grow sideways; you can see this in the wild or even in a garden, where plants are perhaps covered by a dense canopy above, or planted much too close to a fence, and therefore produce growth that is reaching forward, almost sideways, groping towards the brightest area. I'm afraid your suggestion simply won't work in terms of growth, but if you want to use small leds at the base of plants for purely decorative reasons for short periods, that should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO COMMENTS:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not going to reproduce a full botanical lecture here, but will add a little more info. Light is one of the most important things controlling plant growth; plants have a set of photo receptor proteins, four of which have been identified so far. Photosensors in particular detect the presence, strength, colour and direction of a light source, and that information is used to dictate &lt;em&gt;direction of growth&lt;/em&gt; (phototropism), which is the most relevant for the question asked. There's also proteins called phototropins which are activated by the presence of uv/blue light wavelengths, and these too are involved in directional growth, although they're also involved in directing chloroplasts in order to maximise photosynthesis, plus one or two other twiddly bits. It's quite a complicated, synergistic picture, but simply put, your plants ain't gonna grow well without the proper wavelengths of light placed at an optimum distance &lt;em&gt;above&lt;/em&gt; your plants. Simply put, you could view leaves as solar panels, angling their upper surfaces to catch the light they need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of whether light placed beneath 24/7 will affect plant growth, depends on the plant, frankly - some plants are more responsive to certain wavelengths of light, and many plants need some hours of darkness. And yes, it is logical to assume that the plant will grow towards the strongest source of light, provided that particular light gives the right wavelengths and spectrum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-02-20T11:57:30.630" LastActivityDate="2015-02-20T11:57:30.630" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17374" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17375" CreationDate="2015-02-19T22:29:49.247" Score="6" ViewCount="974" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are some of my seedlings, sown a little bit less than a month ago. As you can see, there's mold starting to form. I am using the baggie method whereby the pot with the seeds is enclosed in a Ziploc bag, to maintain high humidity and protect from contamination. What would be an easy way to get rid of the mold without hurting the seedlings? Someone suggested to use hydrogen peroxide, but I'm not sure it's safe for the seedlings. Ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y0LHIl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9631" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-19T22:54:38.670" LastActivityDate="2015-02-19T22:54:38.670" Title="How do I safely eradicate mold without hurting cactus seedlings?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17375" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17374" CreationDate="2015-02-19T22:53:01.617" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That isn't mold, it's moss/algae. You can tell (by the green) that it's growing from energy obtained by photosynthesis, so it's not a big threat competition-wise. It's a sign that the mix is constantly moist on the surface, and also grows faster in high humidity. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will not damage the cactus seedlings, but here's a tip. When cacti germinate, they grow very slowly/remain the same size for a long time. That's because they're developing a strong root system. A sign they are established is that they will begin to grow at a faster rate. This means the root system is growing deep, and you can allow the top 1/2&quot; of mix to dry between waterings. This will keep moss from establishing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For now, you can use a toothpick and stir up the top layer if you want, to slow the moss, as described here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/16103/is-there-anything-wrong-with-allowing-moss-to-grow-around-herbs/16104#16104&quot;&gt;Is there anything wrong with allowing moss to grow around herbs?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or you can use a pair of tweezers and carefully remove the moss. In the long run, it really doesn't matter. The moss won't be a problem after the seedlings mature a little, and you don't have to water so frequently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And by the way, those seedlings look great! I hope you have success with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-02-19T22:53:01.617" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17366" CreationDate="2015-02-20T00:31:11.100" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Loropetalum chinense f. rubrum only the leaves are much larger...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.absolutewonder.com/loropetalum.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Loropetalum Chinese Fringe Flower&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c168#AllImageshttp://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Fringe Flower&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2015-02-21T20:16:55.767" LastActivityDate="2015-02-21T20:16:55.767" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17377" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17379" CreationDate="2015-02-20T09:40:57.393" Score="5" ViewCount="2112" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my workplace we have a competition on who can grow their basil plant the tallest in 9 weeks. I know next to nothing about gardening, so I would appreciate tips. The plants are store bought, so already &quot;grown up&quot; (mine is 14 cm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are my questions and musings so far:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The pot it came in is quite small. Could I benefit from replanting it in a larger pot?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I put a lamp over it and cover the sides in something dark, forcing it upwards?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I need a special lamp or is any lamp ok, including LED?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I suppose I should tie it up to a stick to help it stabilize?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I use fertilizer or some nutrition other than just water?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Could I benefit from hanging it upside-down, with a lamp underneath, to make gravity stretch it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I read about someone growing marijuana saying that you can make a plant grow larger by pruning the lower leaves. Is this true?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can I stretch the plant somehow? Perhaps if I combine hanging it upside down and tying a small weight to it? (I like this idea :)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And also the basics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much should I water it? (I think basil should be watered from below)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much sun and warmth does it need?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I use a lamp, should I turn it off X hours each day?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How strong should the lamp be?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10800" LastActivityDate="2015-02-20T18:15:08.087" Title="How do I grow a basil plant tall?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17378" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4326" CreationDate="2015-02-20T11:26:10.630" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like eatable leaf if I'm not mistaken and it grow mostly in Jungle in wet place... My Grandfather told me it's good to eat as it removes unwanted worm from our body and also purifies our blood.It smells bad but once you try it, you will love it.My mum send some roots and I planted it in my balcony, if you want the picture I will send it :). I was searching for this plant in google as I don't know the English name but sadly couldn't find it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10801" LastActivityDate="2015-02-20T11:26:10.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17377" CreationDate="2015-02-20T12:21:44.763" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;If all you want is a tall plant, and it doesn't matter whether its bushy, well grown and attractive, put it in low light levels - it'll suffer what's known as etiolation, meaning the stems gets longer and weaker and paler, and the spaces between the leaves are greater up the stem. It won't look at all well, but it will be taller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other methods - turn it out of its pot, gently - if there are roots coiling round or you can see roots hanging at the bottom, by all means put it in a larger pot, but only a pot the next size up, not an enormous one. Use good potting compost, and water well. Watering after that should be when the surface of the compost feels a little dry to the touch, at which point, give it a good water, but don't allow it to stand in any water collected in a tray or outer pot after 30 minutes (empty it out). You can add a higher nitrogen feed to it when you water (once a week, twice a week at a push, diluted correctly). In the UK, that would be something like Baby Bio houseplant food, or Phostrogen, but look for the NPK readout on the carton or bottle - the N should be the highest number for what you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Removing lower leaves as it grows might very well help it to become taller, but so will good light levels from above - as you suggested, a grow light placed above at the optimum distance will encourage growth towards that light. You can check which light you need and the distance by Googling - hash growers are experts at this, and there's lots of info on the web. The distance between plant and grow light varies according to the plant, but its usually around 10 inches between the top leaves and the light. It would mean some financial investment in a proper grow light - I think there's one on the market that comes on a frame so you don't have to set up your own supports from the ceiling or on struts, but how useful it is, I don't know. Basil is a mediterranean plant, and likes warm conditions, so don't keep it somewhere it gets below 60 deg. F at night. As for whether it needs some hours of darkness, to be honest, I've no idea whether this particular plant does or doesn't, but I would not have it lit for 24 hours, I'd give it an 8 hour rest overnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the idea of 'stretching' the plant with a weight, well, I haven't laughed so much in ages, thanks for that, but no, it ain't gonna work, so ditch that idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-02-20T12:32:10.130" LastActivityDate="2015-02-20T12:32:10.130" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17380" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17377" CreationDate="2015-02-20T18:15:08.087" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;another thing you can do, is keep denuding the stem of leaves. If the plant has only 1 baby set of leaves on top of the stem, it will put all it's energy into pushing another set out. I wouldn't combine this method with etoliation, because the plant at that point probably won't get enough light to feed itself let alone grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you get ANY flower spikes, cut below the first set of true leaves underneath the spike or you'll just grow another spike (which will only grow a few more inches or cm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basil that you denude from the bottom up gets tall woody and leggy very quickly, which is why when growing basil for kitchen use, you usually harvest by cutting above the bottom set of healthy leaves, this pushes two new stems up and allows the plant to get bushy instead of tall and leggy. You want to do the opposite which is supporting a single stem that grows quickly, so keep the stem denuded and only leave 2 opposing set of leaves at the top so it will keep pushing higher.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-02-20T18:15:08.087" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="367" CreationDate="2015-02-20T21:05:30.877" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tomatoes&lt;/strong&gt; are here in Germany a quite reliable plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planted in a pot and placed either on the windowsill or flanking doors or around your patio, they deter mosquitoes and flies quite well. Obviously not as &quot;guaranteed&quot; as netting or screens and if you leave the light on and the window open, no amount of tomatoes will stop the blighters, but combined with common sense protective behaviour, they work fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We plant them every year: The larger ones go in containers on the floor, windowsills get &quot;adorned&quot; with dwarf cherry tomatoes. As they love the same places we humans do - sunny and warm, German summers &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; be fickle - they actually fruit well. (And having them nearby helps not to forget to water them, aehmmmm...) One anecdote: I was such a mosquito magnet as a child that my mum even draged two small pots to our holiday home. Therefore I can attest that they deter Italian mosquitoes too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want a generous amount of leaf mass and if you brush along the leaves now and then to release the smell it won't hurt either.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't guarantee that it works with Texan mosquitoes, because this insect family is quite large and divers, but it &lt;em&gt;does&lt;/em&gt; work with European ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-02-20T21:05:30.877" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16085" CreationDate="2015-02-21T14:01:13.877" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yea, I've got one idea - the leaf arrangement and the greenness of the stems are very reminiscent of Jasmine nudiflorum, which is a shrub often grown with support as a climber, but I can't imagine why a seed of this would have been included in a bunch of mixed flower seeds, contents of those are usually annuals or perennials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-02-21T14:01:13.877" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17383" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-21T15:22:44.903" Score="5" ViewCount="4093" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to save my lucky bamboo plant? The stalk is yellow and starting to turn brown but the leaves are still green. I have cleaned the glass container it is in and placed it in indirect sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10811" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-22T00:27:14.897" LastActivityDate="2017-02-02T01:39:47.203" Title="Can I fix my lucky bamboo that has yellow stalks?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17384" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17388" CreationDate="2015-02-21T15:23:57.620" Score="3" ViewCount="685" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that grapevines can be propagated using hardwood cuttings, softwood cuttings, and even single buds with the right equipment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was wondering if I could do the same using root cuttings in order to propagate the rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is, cut a few strong roots and bury them exposing the part that was closest to the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've found some anecdotal reports of grapevines growing back from roots but they were mostly interested in killing the plant rather than helping it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to propagate grapevines this way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-21T18:59:36.050" LastActivityDate="2015-02-21T18:59:36.050" Title="Is it possible to grow grapevines from root cuttings?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1609" CreationDate="2015-02-21T15:36:56.753" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a different experience from the above posters.  I adore the taste of barley grass juice, although I mix it with apple juice or even lemonaide!  I sprout the seeds first, by soaking for 6 hours, draining, covering and rinsing every 8 hour or so for two or three days, until I see good signs of sprouting throughout the grain.  I prepare a pan (2&quot; deep is plenty) with a 1&quot; combo of potting soil and finished compost (from a bag, if you must).  Moisten the soil mix until it is evenly damp, and thickly spread the sprouts over the surface.  Mist heavily (to push the roots down toward the soil, and cover with a lightproof tea towel (you do want to allow some air circulation, so fabric is the best cover at this point).  Mist with a 75:25 mix of water and hydrogen peroxide to keep down any mold that might try to get started in your mini-field of grass.  When the sprouts grow to the point that they are pushing up your cover, remove the cover and place the pan in sunlight.  Mist regularly with the water/peroxide mix, and harvest when the grass is 6&quot; tall.  You can let it grow back and cut again, which makes this an efficient method.  Afterwards, recycle the dirt/root mat into your garden or compost pile.  Enjoy!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10812" LastActivityDate="2015-02-21T15:36:56.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17384" CreationDate="2015-02-21T16:18:13.707" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends on the vine you've already got - many grapevines are grafted onto a basic root stock, that is, not growing on their own roots, which means any root cuttings you take and which grow won't be what's growing already, but will simply be off the rootstock. Vines can be grafted onto different rootstocks for different reasons - some may confer resistance to a local infection or infestation, some provide more vigour to the grafted vine, or are more drought resistant. And it's anybody's guess which rootstock has been used...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-02-21T16:40:36.463" LastActivityDate="2015-02-21T16:40:36.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17387" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17383" CreationDate="2015-02-21T16:27:40.067" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A yellowing stalk (if it was originally green) means its going to die -you need to remove that stem asap so that any possible infection doesn't affect the other stems. In theory, the possible causes are: the plant was exposed to temperatures below 65 deg F; you've not been using purified water; the water level got a little low and the stem can no longer absorb water; its been exposed to direct sun; you've been over feeding or using incorrect feed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My personal opinion and experience, though, is that when these plants are arranged in water in glass or clear containers, they seem very often to succumb to some sort of fungal infection, starting with the stem turning yellow, then shrivelling and developing black spots. They seem to do better growing in potting compost; lucky bamboo is actually Dracaena sanderiana, but in potting compost, it does need to be kept well supplied with water, but not left sitting in it in any outer tray or pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-02-21T16:27:40.067" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17388" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17384" CreationDate="2015-02-21T18:59:12.303" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've experimented with it and unfortunately, even under 'intensive care', the root cuttings weren't a success. I got 1 or 2 plants from all the sections I planted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That, and there's a good chance they will be rootstock plants. Here in the US, Many American grape varieties are grown on there own roots, so if you have American grapes (there are a few species, each of which with plenty of varieties), not &lt;em&gt;Vitis vinifera&lt;/em&gt; (the European wine grape), you will likely (but not necessarily) be growing on your own roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As another thing for you to try, I've found that hardwood cuttings take quite readily without special equipment. Layering is also quite easy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-02-21T18:59:12.303" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16197" CreationDate="2015-02-21T23:18:05.633" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pretty sure this is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melia_azedarach&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Melia azedarach&lt;/em&gt;, or Chinaberry&lt;/a&gt;. It's an invasive weed tree in many areas, but is not completely hardy in the zone I found it, which would be why it regrew from so low (winter killed back to that point).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The inflorescence I have photographed in the question is underdeveloped (immature), not what the actual flowers look like once they open. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/080c0106-040c-4508-8300-0b0a06060e01/media/Html/Melia_azedarach.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, I found a picture of a young leaf that closely resembles mine. They gain some gloss once completely mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3i5sv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-22T04:22:09.340" LastActivityDate="2015-02-22T04:22:09.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15" CreationDate="2015-02-22T02:18:53.327" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a number of problems associated with growing edible plants near the road, as well as near cement, driveways and all that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fly ash is an important ingredient of most cement, as well as other things (including potentially the road). Fly ash contains heavy metals. Plants could absorb these heavy metals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what I would do: Put some kind of lining in the ground between the road and your soil to prevent your plants' roots from touching the substance containing fly ash. Never put cement, concrete gravel and stuff like that in your soil (like if you're shoveling snow and bits of the driveway come off with it, don't throw it on your lawn, as you may want to garden there some day).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your neighbors and others happening by might eat or play with your fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You never know what's in car exhaust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All in all, if there weren't too much traffic, I would still do it if I were running low on places to plant, but I would put that lining between the soil and the road. This may also keep your tree roots off the road. If there were a load of traffic, I'm not sure what to say, although from what I've seen exhaust doesn't look terrible for plants in ways that would harm humans eating them, these days (although lead in the past was a problem). I could be wrong. You sometimes don't know what new changes come about until after the fact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't be that concerned about exhaust with the road being 20+ feet away, but that's me (and this isn't professional advice). However, you could always put a giant hedge close to the road to stop much of the pollution from getting into your yard, if it turns out to be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Michael's answer reminded me of the mosquito trucks. They spray stuff all over the roads to kill mosquitos. I'm not sure how far from the roads the stuff gets. Depending on which chemicals they're using and what you want in your garden (including things like insects, fish ponds, and toads), this may be a problem. One of the chemicals they are known to use is not good for amphibians and fish, and that chemical and others may or may not harm beneficial insects. The health impact on humans, I don't know. But I wouldn't ride a bike behind one of those trucks like a lot of kids used to do probably before my time. I wouldn't even be outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-03-24T06:48:39.727" LastActivityDate="2015-03-24T06:48:39.727" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17395" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17396" CreationDate="2015-02-22T04:10:06.890" Score="7" ViewCount="5944" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently I noticed my green grapes leaves don't look too good. There's nothing like scales or ants or any other sign of parasites. Only older leaves are affected, new ones are fine as you can see on the photos. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to give it more water? Add some fertiliser? Or is it just normal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FF3F4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;older leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eBxOa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;newer leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Sydney, Australia. It's end of summer here now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8581" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-22T04:53:35.363" LastActivityDate="2020-07-28T00:53:03.857" Title="Grapes leaves too dry - is that normal?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17396" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17395" CreationDate="2015-02-22T04:49:16.260" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bacterial leaf spot infection. There is no cure, but you can try to avoid it next season. Here are some tips:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cultural:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clean up and burn/landfill fallen leaves/fruit. Don't compost. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Loosen the soil around the base of the plant. Add 1&quot; of rich compost to the soil. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mulch well with an organic mulch to help conserve moisture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water whenever the ground is dry more than 1&quot; down. When you do, water deeply.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilize regularly while the plant is growing. Any balanced general fertilizer will do.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoid letting rainwater splash up from the ground onto the leaves - provide ample support.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sterilize all pruning equipment before use.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When the plant gets crowded, thin it out to improve air circulation.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of this helps prevent the disease, by limiting contact, and by building up the plant's conditions. A healthy plant easily wards off disease. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is some useful further information on the disease:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/plant-disease/bacterial-leaf-spot/&quot;&gt;http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/plant-disease/bacterial-leaf-spot/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ent.uga.edu/peach/peachhbk/bacterial/bacterialspot.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.ent.uga.edu/peach/peachhbk/bacterial/bacterialspot.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/management-of-leaf-spot-diseases/&quot;&gt;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/management-of-leaf-spot-diseases/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-02-22T04:49:16.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17397" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17398" CreationDate="2015-02-22T08:45:17.850" Score="5" ViewCount="172" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few years ago I had an orchid that was sold mounted on a cork plaque and did very well - until it was stolen. So I know how to care for them and what to expect (not my question).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can get my hands on a few Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium nobile keikis that need a new home and am tempted to try again, this time mounting them myself. From what I read on the web, keikis are especially suited for mounting, as they never were potted and therefore don't have to deal with changing conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I'm still wavering as to what to choose as the base: &lt;br&gt;&#xA;I'd love to use &quot;the right&quot; branch and find it myself instead of ordering something off the internet. We live in a rural area and I can get my hands on a lot of natural materials. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My current list of &quot;candidates&quot; looks like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oak (Quercus robur)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Texture-wise my first choice, but how about the tannins in the bark? Oak was used for tanning leather, after all, would this affect the roots? I wouldn't want to &quot;tan&quot; them...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Also with a nice texture, but would the orchid's roots cause the small layers of the bark to separate, thus leading to instability? I'm only marginally worried about the resin as pine bark is a main component in most commercial orchid mixes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grape vine (Vitis vinifera)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I have seen orchids on grape &quot;trunks&quot;, so I know it's doable. For me, that would probably be the hardest to get my hands on. But does it contain chemical residue after decades of commercial wine production? And if so, would it affect the orchid? (I'm not planning on eating the orchid, of course, so it's about the plant's well-being, not mine...!)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Apple or Plum (Malus domestica / Prunus domestica)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Currently my favourite, because  really easy to get and with a wide choice for &quot;the perfect piece&quot;. I &lt;em&gt;think&lt;/em&gt; the bark is reasonably coarse given the right cut and it should be pesticide free (meadow orchard). Would the moss and lichen that's often on the older branches be a problem? Should it be scrubbed off or can it stay for additional visual interest?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some random piece of fallen timber or root, left outside until the bark fell off and it turned whiteish&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br&gt;&#xA;(The landlocked equivalent of driftwood, so to speek.)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Arguably the choice with the &quot;most visual appeal&quot;, but would it be too hard and smooth for the orchids to &quot;get a good grip&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any comments on my plans? &lt;strong&gt;What would be a good choice and why?&lt;/strong&gt; Did I forget something? Would any bark fall off eventually, thus risking the stability of the orchid fixed to it? Commercial cork plaques are &lt;em&gt;only bark&lt;/em&gt;, so no risk of separation. On the other hand, our local &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wilhelma.de/nc/en/home.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;botanical garden / zoo&lt;/a&gt; has many of it's orchids on tree branches and this seems to work fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or should I simply put the keikis in a nice pot and forget about this plan?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-02-22T11:44:02.637" LastActivityDate="2015-02-22T11:51:32.237" Title="Orchid on branch: What carrier could work?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17398" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17397" CreationDate="2015-02-22T11:51:32.237" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I worked with epiphytes we used the locally available trees as a substrate when cork was not suitable for the desired look. When we used wood:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bark was always removed. It could contain insect eggs or other problems. As a tree's first line of defence this is where you are most likely to have natural compounds or residues that the orchid will not like.  Bark will dry and could detach as the wood ages.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;we attached the orchids with a bit of wire looped around the trunk or with silicon caulking that was not for kitchen/bathroom use as that kind contains a fungicide&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Driftwood &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja_occidentalis&quot;&gt;cedar&lt;/a&gt; stumps or branches that had been in the river worked great once dried&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-02-22T11:51:32.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17399" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9268" CreationDate="2015-02-22T13:41:43.770" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had 6 potted artichokes (small pots), one of which suddenly died, I waited a while to see if the artichoke would stem flowers, but it did not. When I investigated I could not see any reminisce of the artichoke bud. I found two fat grubs like your picture in the pot, I assume they ate the whole plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I did, is submerged the small pots in a bath of water and plugged the large pots and filled with water, The grubs came up to the surface in no time. (unfortunately, so did my worms), But I think they are more comfortable in the soggy soil and seemed to be ok. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I find that the main source of grubs in my garden is from my compost heap, where grass cuttings are constantly fed, and then I re-distribute the compost to all areas of the garden.. pretty bad mistake!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2944" LastActivityDate="2015-02-22T13:41:43.770" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17401" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17403" CreationDate="2015-02-23T07:50:38.197" Score="6" ViewCount="869" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a bunch of bulbs from tulips and other early-bloomers, that I 'forgot' to plant last November. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By now it's almost March, and I wonder, should I plant them now, or should I keep them until next fall. In other words, will they still be okay next fall, and don't I risk that they start growing in their packaging? And if I plant them now, will they still bloom?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3317" LastActivityDate="2018-03-10T20:35:09.057" Title="Tulip bulbs, plant them late or keep them until next year" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;&lt;tulips&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17402" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14228" CreationDate="2015-02-23T08:23:09.303" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Over the last two years many of our old tree ferns have died. We are in Australia, and the ferns  were possibly over 100 years old - i.e. very tall. Young ferns have also died. It appears to move from one fern to the next slowly. The only thing we can think of, is climate change.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10818" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-02-23T15:56:33.037" LastActivityDate="2015-02-23T15:56:33.037" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17401" CreationDate="2015-02-23T12:47:32.790" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's possible they may do nothing at all ever, but you should plant them immediately anyway - they may put out some leaves which will at least enable them to garner food supplies for possible flowering next year and gives them a bit of a chance of surviving. There is nothing to be gained by waiting until this fall, they'll likely shrivel and dry out by then. If any of them are soft or soggy, or crispy, shrivelled and dry, bin those ones - or plant them to make a small addition to the humus content in your soil. Any which are mouldy should be binned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-02-23T12:47:32.790" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17404" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-23T14:33:16.203" Score="4" ViewCount="2727" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in the process of creating a lawn at the back of my house. The previous owner had paved and stoned the area. The size is about 30ft by 40ft, it is raised from the level of the house by about 2ft, with steps leading up (see pic 1). It was 50/50 split of stone and paved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have removed the membrane and most of the stones from the stone area. I have lifted up all the patio flags and now there is about 4&quot; of hardcore that was supporting the flags. I can also see from the level of my neighbour's garden area that the previous owner has dug down about 6-7ft to create this space (see pic 2).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What this means is there is no top soil. As the area has been dug out to 6-7ft the base is compacted clay. A few stones from the stone area are sitting on top of the clay and all hardcore remains from the flag area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the next step after clearing this area? I was thinking I could just level out the stones and hardcore over the clay evenly. Get top soil for about 6&quot; coverage and then sow seed. Is this enough or do I need to do anything extra regarding the clay? Do I need to consider some type of drainage?  After some rainfall I can see a few areas of water that have not cleared after a day.  These aren't large areas, just a few puddles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pic 1&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mWYWj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pic 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pic 2&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6EFif.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pic 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OdR2O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any responses appreciated from novice gardener&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10819" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-02-23T16:19:06.480" LastActivityDate="2015-02-23T19:31:09.537" Title="Is drainage needed for a new lawn on compacted clay?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;clay&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17405" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17401" CreationDate="2015-02-23T14:45:00.663" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted healthy crocus bulbs in November one year that was way too late (Zone 4 on a north sloope) and they never grew. I should have waited until spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-02-23T14:45:00.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17404" CreationDate="2015-02-23T17:12:05.843" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd dearly love to know what part of the world you're in, because that looks remarkably like London clay, but then I guess clay looks the same most everywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry to say your plan won't work terribly well - unless you compact them, the layer of stones will move and you'll end up with a bumpy lawn which still doesn't drain well in very wet weather. If you compact the stones, then the drainage certainly won't be improved. I've enlarged the pic showing the retaining wall, and it doesn't appear to have any weepholes to allow for drainage from the upper area either, which it should have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a while of being paved, the soil beneath will have completely compacted, and that's what you're seeing. I recommend you remove all hardcore, and unless you're going to repave elsewhere, sell it or ditch it. Then hire a rotovator, or dig by hand with a fork (not a border fork but the larger one) and turn over the whole area of clay to break it up, incorporating plenty of washed sharp or horticultural grade grit, together with humus rich material (garden compost, composted animal manures, leaf mould, spent mushroom compost, anything you can easily get in quantity). Let it sit and settle for at least a couple of weeks, and then add topsoil if its necessary - sometimes, an ordinary clay topsoil can look like yours does simply because its completely compacted. The problem with adding 6-8 inches of topsoil is the levels, because the area already looks flush with the edging paving slabs; adding 6 inches on top means it'll wash over the wall, so you may need to raise the edging. The other disadvantage with importing topsoil (in the UK anyway, not sure about other countries) is finding decent topsoil - often it's motorway spoil, full of weed seeds and stones, and may be clay in itself, so top dollar needs to be spent on it I'm afraid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you've done that, you then need to level the area - walk all over it on your heels to get out soft spots and hollows, rake over and relevel as many times as you need to till its level, then rake gently so as to leave a fine tilth on the top, then either sow seed or lay turf. And you might want to consider finding a way to drill weepholes into that wall...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other thing - I'm seeing some algal growth or moss up those walls at the back - if the area doesn't get a lot of sun at any time of the year, then a lawn isn't the best option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-02-23T17:17:36.620" LastActivityDate="2015-02-23T17:17:36.620" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17407" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17404" CreationDate="2015-02-23T17:16:58.770" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;When grass or sod is laid directly on top of clay subsoil it cannot grow deep roots. It will tend to brown out during dry times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One client I did work at had purchased a new home with sod laid directly on top of subsoil. A year after they had taken possession you could pick the sod up like a blanket. It had not rooted into the clay at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you need to have a minimum of six inches, twelve would be better, of topsoil in order for grass to grow.  Keep in mind when ordering soil that the volume compacts by at least one third. Soil mixes containing a significant amount of organic matter such as compost or black earth will compact more than top soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you need to consider drainage. Where can the water go? Where will it go without any intervention on your part?  If drainage from your property goes into your neighbor's property and harms their property they can sue.  Look on this site for your best friend, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3416/how-do-i-determine-the-proper-way-to-drain-a-yard/3429#3429&quot;&gt;four inch drain pipe with sleeve&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/11130/499&quot;&gt;french drains&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider using sod rather than grass. A little extra cost provides a way for the grass to establish quickly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-02-23T17:16:58.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17408" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17369" CreationDate="2015-02-23T18:37:55.003" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A saucer of beer will attract the snails if they are the type to come out on land at night, and they'll drown in the beer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Snail eating fish is a good way to keep them in check, goldfish eat just about anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-02-23T18:37:55.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17409" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17404" CreationDate="2015-02-23T19:31:09.537" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lawn is not always the best outdoor surface.  This area would be great if you graveled with 3/8 minus crushed gravel or crushed granite and used gorgeous pots (that are in some way related by color, shape) filled with sterilized potting soil, no rock or gravel at the bottom and plants.  So very usable! Go with what you have...Easy to provide drainage above by drilling holes in your walls, perf pipe and trench below to assist with drainage.  You can grow patio trees, shrubs, vegetables in pots.  Even provide automatic watering systems, cheaply.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-02-23T19:31:09.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9416" CreationDate="2015-02-23T22:12:54.547" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cats supposedly don't enjoy citrus. You could put citrus peels around your plants. You might also mix some citrus oil with water and spray it around. Growing citrus trees might help, but I'm not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rue is a perennial herb in the citrus family (and it is cold-tolerant). It is also said to deter cats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following suggestions don't have to do with planting plants, but may also help:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also try getting some strips of papery or plasticy material that sound like large animals moving in the brush when the slightest wind hits it, and have them dangling around in hidden places throughout the yard. That frightens cats. It may also frighten you, though. We had something like that dangling from our eaves, once (I think it was some kind of tape-like material involved in repairing the eaves or the paneling on the house below them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could get a dog to patrol your yard. Dogs tend to scare cats away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Poppies, yarrow and chamomile attract cats (cats like to sleep on them, which is especially harmful to the poppies). So, you may want to avoid or guard those plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-02-23T22:12:54.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17412" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5809" CreationDate="2015-02-24T02:48:24.090" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Bamboo. I think a cursory search on google.com with the name of the plant and &quot;soil requirements&quot; will turn up the best solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While a large majority of plants you'll buy at a non-specialty store or nursery are just fine in a common potting soil, there are several that aren't and a few reasons why. One big reason, right off the bat, is that many of the potting soils like &quot;Miracle Grow&quot; are water retaining. This is supposed to be a benefit for people who don't water as often as they should. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a plant like a &quot;Peace Lily&quot; or a &quot;Petunia&quot;, which like to be wet, this a boon. For plants like a &quot;Scheflera&quot; or a &quot;Dracaena&quot;, which likes to dry out between waterings, it's not as good. For succulents and cacti, it's down right lethal. It depends on the environment they're used to. It's also partially about oxygen. Excess water doesn't kill plants, because they can be grown in hydroponics systems. It's the lack of oxygen that the water causes that rots them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is the reason that you can buy specialty soils. These are typically just amended versions of the potting soil you'd buy for a regular house plant. Cactus/Succulent soil is simply amended with perlite, vermiculite, sand, etc... to make it drain more efficiently. Those plants like to be watered heavily, then dry out quickly and for a good period of time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the opposite end of that scale would be how you can plant carnivorous plants in sphagnum peat moss and leave them sitting in a tray of water. They do great this way and it's about the only way to use this media as it becomes hard packed when it dries out. They pack cacti in it at the box stores, so that they don't have to water them often. Try buying one and see how quickly it dies. It's because the peat moss becomes dry and hard packed. Water simply flows off the top, around the sides and out the bottom. If you soak it, the water holds against the roots and rots them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Besides water issues, there are feeding issues. Plants require different levels of nutrients and what most plants might enjoy, will kill and root burn others. There are also plants that won't thrive if you don't supply additives. &quot;Blueberries&quot; and &quot;Azaleas&quot; for instance, like acidic soil and it's easy to add this to the soil for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overall, it does matter what media you use in a broad sense. You don't have to sit there measuring pH, but you do need to get a soil that's in the right category for your plant and then look to see if it has special requirement. If you don't do this you could end up frustrated and give up on plants that you could enjoy for a long time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-02-24T02:48:24.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17413" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17414" CreationDate="2015-02-24T13:31:58.633" Score="7" ViewCount="2079" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a seed starter kit with a wicking system.  The kit came with a peat moss mix and I have purchased some new peat moss pellets for starting seeds.  I know that peat does not really contain any nutrients for the plants.  If I am simply using a typical liquid plant food as fertilizer, is that good enough for a month or two of growing?  Do I need to transplant quicker to larger pots with more nutrient rich medium?  Would using a hydroponic fertilizer, which contains much more trace elements/minerals, be a better option?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T05:58:54.417" Title="Is peat moss nutritious enough for tomato seedlings?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;peat&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17414" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17413" CreationDate="2015-02-24T14:16:37.743" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't need any fertiliser at all to start with - the clue is in the word 'starter'. You're only meant to germinate the seeds, then wait till they have 2/3 sets of leaves (one cotyledon pair and one true leaves), at which point you move them into individual pots containing probably seed and cutting compost - then move them up into potting compost in bigger pots. Seed and cutting compost has a very small amount of nutrition, ordinary potting compost a bit more, and as the plants get larger, that's the time to start fertilising.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not about how long you can keep them in the starter trays, it's all about how many leaves they've got. Once they've got no more than 3 sets of leaves, they must be moved to something larger for root development. Germination to seedling stage varies according to light levels and warmth, so it may be as short as 10 days, or as long as a month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-02-24T15:09:28.860" LastActivityDate="2015-02-24T15:09:28.860" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17415" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17417" CreationDate="2015-02-24T16:48:13.087" Score="4" ViewCount="717" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 2' x 4' domed skylight on a pitched roof, facing southeast.  If I build a shelf so the seedlings sit a foot under this dome, will it be enough light to prevent leggy plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2015-02-24T21:08:02.503" Title="Is a skylight enough light for tomato seedlings?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17416" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16197" CreationDate="2015-02-24T16:56:17.720" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did you happen to notice any spines? It sure feels like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ARSP2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Devils Walking Stick (&lt;em&gt;Aralia spinosa&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The scale and situation are correct. From what I can see the leaves are large and complex enough, and the flower clusters jive with immature Walking Stick flowers. I don't see spines in the photos, but you don't tend to see them on the new leaves and branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could this be it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5YPpk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2015-02-25T20:41:33.690" LastActivityDate="2015-02-25T20:41:33.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17417" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17415" CreationDate="2015-02-24T17:03:42.060" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's too early to start them off where you are - wait till earliest mid March through to mid April. If you start them now, even if they grow sufficiently well, which isn't likely because light levels are a bit low, they'll be hanging around inside as larger plants till you're able to get them outside. You need overnight temperatures of no less than 50 deg F to put them outside later on. The seeds also need heat - 75-85 def F is about right, so you may need to put them on top of a radiator or something if you don't have a propagator. I imagine the solution you propose to give them light will work, provided no direct sunlight gets on the seedlings, and the time to give them good light is once they're germinated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-02-24T17:21:14.703" LastActivityDate="2015-02-24T17:21:14.703" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17418" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-24T17:24:23.123" Score="5" ViewCount="2724" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two large oak tree stumps.  Will drilling them and applying sugar decompose them?  Because of their position, I cannot grind them out.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything else that will speed the effects of decomposition, for example some type of acid, plain urea or something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10823" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-02-25T21:58:04.793" LastActivityDate="2015-02-26T16:20:49.837" Title="What will speed the decomposition of a tree stump?" Tags="&lt;stump-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17419" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17418" CreationDate="2015-02-24T17:30:35.807" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You haven't said whether the stumps are still live or not - if they've recently been cut down and not treated with a stump killer, they will regrow, so that's the first thing to do. After that, there's not much you can do to speed things up other than leave fungal activity to do its thing, the majority of which goes on underground, where you can't see it happening. Using sugar to aid this process isn't something I've heard of, but keeping the stumps damp will. Don't soak the stumps regularly before the stump killer has had a chance to work, you don't want to wash that off. You could use organic materials to keep them more moist - grass clippings, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-02-24T17:35:54.930" LastActivityDate="2015-02-24T17:35:54.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17420" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17422" CreationDate="2015-02-24T18:49:33.543" Score="5" ViewCount="2830" Body="&lt;p&gt;A seed has all the food it needs to germinate so water is enough to make it grow, after that though, at what point are minerals and other nutrients needed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect the time would depend on the type of plant, but is there a general way to explain this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1092" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-24T19:17:41.087" LastActivityDate="2015-02-24T19:28:36.807" Title="At what point do seedlings start to need nutrients?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2015-02-28T15:31:47.340" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17420" CreationDate="2015-02-24T19:16:42.713" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It does depend on the plant. For most (dicot) flowers, veggies, etc that you will probably be growing from seed, the plant begins uptaking nutrient within a day of germination, often before soil break. However, the roots are very fragile, and cannot handle too much yet (such as the amounts of nutrients found in fertilizers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually the seed stores (aka cotyledons or seed leaves) last at least until the first set of true leaves grows out. Generally, I don't begin fertilisation until the 3 leaf stage, where I begin with frequent, 1/2-2/3 strength fertilizations. When they catch on, and begin rapid growth (often around 5-6 leaf stage), I begin full-strength fertilization.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grasses (and other monocots) are similar, but you don't see a set of cotyledons. The seed  usually remains underground. But the same goes for fertilization.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This information regards seedlings in seed starting mix, which is almost devoid of nutrients. In an outdoor bed of real topsoil, the residual nutrient levels naturally found in these soils is often enough to sustain a plant through maturity without any additional fertilization. Fertilization is only necessary if the levels in the soil are too low. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Imo, in outdoor beds, the better way is to feed the soil, which will feed the plant, whereas in many pots, the mix is more like a substrate for support, and the nutrients come directly from the fertilizer. So I often use manure/compost to feed bedded plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-24T19:28:36.807" LastActivityDate="2015-02-24T19:28:36.807" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17423" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17426" CreationDate="2015-02-24T20:12:51.697" Score="3" ViewCount="401" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a condo complex in zone 8a, and I can have potted plants on a patio area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I'm planning on growing: Tomatoes, Peppers&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I'd like to grow as well: peas, green beans, strawberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potential plants that sound like fun: Carrots, spinach, lettuce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this USDA zone, is it possible to grow these plants.  If not, are there any recommendations on what plants can be grown? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10827" LastEditorUserId="10827" LastEditDate="2015-02-24T21:19:45.053" LastActivityDate="2015-02-26T18:37:36.400" Title="Plants that can be grown in USDA zone 8a" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17424" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17415" CreationDate="2015-02-24T21:08:02.503" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bamboo is correct!  You have to provide much better grow lights, great draining soil, proper nutrients for your tomatoes.  To take them to another environment outside or wherever...would entail an hour the first day, two the next and so on...you can purchase grow lights for starts on up to fruiting/seeding.  What zone do you live?  If these plants are to be taken outside for maturation, I would do what Bamboo says, wait until you have less than 3 weeks before the last possible freeze.  Then begin to acclimate them to their new environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-02-24T21:08:02.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17425" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17423" CreationDate="2015-02-24T21:25:58.733" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer is yes, you can grow all these things as potted plants in zone 8a. Carrots however may not grow as well, since you are trying to grow a taproot to eat. You may wish to consider larger than ordinary container with vertical walls so the carrots don't grow up to the sides of the pot. I am not sure how much carrot produce you will be able to produce in a patio, but it would  be an interesting experiment. Perhaps you could try parsley instead, which &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; a carrot, but one you eat the top rather than the root. With enough parsley plantings you could have a sustainable tabouli farm for yourself :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-02-24T21:25:58.733" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17426" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17423" CreationDate="2015-02-24T21:30:28.480" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let me give you my experiences on container gardening. It is by no means complete and you will always have to consider the plants' demands on sun, water and nutrition, container gardening is not much different from &quot;regular&quot; gardening in these aspects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Strawberries are very easy to grow in window boxes. &lt;br&gt;&#xA;We have been doing this for years now. What I like best is that there is usually no trouble with slugs and not having to bend down to harvest is definitively a plus. There are breeds with rather decorative flowers (white to dark pink) on the market that pair well with other blooms. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not all beans need support but if your heart is set on runner beans, you can make a &quot;teepee&quot; by pushing a stake in each of multiple pots and tying at the top. Did this as a kids project on a balcony and it worked. Be sure to have rather large pots and perhaps place a large stone in each as this construction can become quite top-heavy - and choose a place sheltered from wind.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Peas can be grown in pots, too, use either a small teepee like described above in a large pot or a large window box with a strip of mesh fencing (they come in quite decorative designs) or a few strips of wire propped up in it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;All short-term veggies are good, typical beginner plants would also be radish or spinach, salads greens/lettuce, but not during the hot summer months, because lettuce hast difficulties germinating in hot wheather and the plants will often bolt or start to flower which makes the leaves tougher and more bitter; better harvest as babyleaf in summer. Everything &quot;Baby-...&quot; or &quot;Mini-...&quot; is worth looking into. There are often varieties that have been especially breed for container gardening. Check with your local gardening store or online.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Think visual appeal, too. Swiss chard for example comes in &quot;neutral&quot; green or in bright colors. There is no rule that veggies and flowers don't mix. Think three-dimentional: A climber like runner beans will have plenty of room at the base of the pot... Think outside the box (or &quot;pot&quot;, in this case), be creative with what you choose as planter, especially if it is only for one summer. I assume you will be using your patio as well? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-02-26T18:37:36.400" LastActivityDate="2015-02-26T18:37:36.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17427" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-25T02:24:32.310" Score="4" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for pepper plant recommendations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which pepper varieties keep the longest, or for a really long time (after being picked, unrefrigerated, without being dried)? I'm hoping for 2+ weeks wonder-peppers. They can be hot or sweet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I'm wanting these peppers for plant-breeding purposes. I'm not looking for techniques to get all peppers to last longer. Even if you know a pepper that keeps slightly longer than average, that's still better than nothing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-02-26T00:42:39.257" LastActivityDate="2015-02-26T00:42:39.257" Title="What pepper varieties have the longest shelf-life?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17428" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17413" CreationDate="2015-02-25T03:39:37.383" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first leaves of the seedlings (not the true leaves) contain nourishment for the plant. I suppose that's one reason people say not to fertilize seedlings. Another reason is likely that seedlings may not be strong enough to take the nitrogen from most fertilizers, which can burn the leaves (and in the case of seedlings, kill them more easily). However, not all fertilizers are so dangerous to seedlings, but if you just grab a random fertilizer without investigating its npk values, it will probably be bad. True, you don't really need to use fertilizers at all, but you can use some of them safely on seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what I liked to use with indoor plants under grow lights, started in 20 ounce foam cups in 2015, and it worked pretty well for tomato and pepper seedlings:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;8 quarts new seed-starting mix (Nature's Seedling Mix)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2 tablespoons of 7-7-7 fertilizer (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Greenview-4-lb-All-Purpose-Plant-Food-2731074X/203008487&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Greenview All Purpose Plant Food&lt;/a&gt;; bar code: 088685310744)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2 tablespoons of basalt rockdust (from rockdustlocal.com); for added minerals, like calcium and silica&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I mix it all together and put it in my containers (and plant the seeds). I don't fertilize them again unless they ask for it (show signs of needing it). The rockdust and 7-7-7 fertilizer seem to help the plants quite a bit, and they don't seem to hurt them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use 7-7-7 fertilizer because it's an even one that won't burn the plants or do anything particularly dangerous to them (some even fertilizers, or even low nitrogen fertilizers actually can burn plants, however, but mine didn't; I'm not sure if their NPK values are accurate). I used basalt rockdust because I didn't trust the seed-starting mix to have enough of the right minerals for strong plants. I imagine the same is true for peat moss. True, you don't need rockdust, but my plants enjoyed it, seedlings and otherwise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the main problem with peat moss would be if it's infested with something. You can grow plants in peat moss just fine, but it may or may not be the best solution for your situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should be noted that peat moss has a PH of about 4.0. That's highly acidic. Tomatoes are said to prefer a PH of about 6.0 to 6.8. So, adding some such as rockdust (which is high in calcium) should raise the PH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In 2016, I used a mixture of mostly worm castings with some peat moss for my seed-starting mix, this year, with no rockdust or fertilizer added (in an unheated, outdoor greenhouse, in full sun, this time). It worked well for the vast majority of the plants. Worm castings are supposed to be at least a little on the alkaline side. The greenhouse plants only complained for fertilizer (for phosphorus, in particular) after they were sufficiently large, of course, but after a foliar spray of monopotassium phosphate, they perked right up again (and are still fine weeks later). They haven't been transplanted to larger pots (they're going directly in the garden), and they're still growing fine. These are in seed trays with larger than average cells, but they're still normal seed trays (they're not huge).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-05-15T05:58:54.417" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T05:58:54.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17429" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17427" CreationDate="2015-02-25T13:35:32.287" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will depend on climate - more than the variety imho. Here in North Texas I have no problem with two weeks, assuming the peppers weren't picked when very ripe. However in somewhere like New Mexico where it is much drier, you can just leave them out to dry naturally. They hang them up on strings, etc to dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2015-02-25T13:35:32.287" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17430" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15" CreationDate="2015-02-25T18:19:14.547" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the more permanent solutions to this very problem is to build a berm at the edge of your property. Doesn't have to be big, just enough to segregate surface water during the heaviest rains. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A berm keeps roadside water roadside, and also helps trap water that falls on your property and keep it there rather than running off into the storm sewers. The roadside water will contaminate the roadside half of the berm, but much of the contamination won't travel horizontally through the soil because rain water drives it all downward. Of course once it hits the water table, then it's going to spread, but that's going to happen no matter what. This at least keeps your surface soil and water segregated from street water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a common component of permaculture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-02-25T18:19:14.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17431" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17418" CreationDate="2015-02-25T18:48:22.500" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have an auger, drill a bunch of holes...I mean saturate the stump with holes, fill those holes and cover the stump with manure. It will still take a long time to rot, but this will speed it up a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-25T18:51:36.700" LastActivityDate="2015-02-25T18:51:36.700" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17432" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14690" CreationDate="2015-02-25T19:00:18.220" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used black locust for grape vinyard posts. Locust grows tall fast, but doesn't thicken very quickly. However it is a very sturdy tree and I think will coppice well. I think you'll get 4 or 5 year coppicing cycles from them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing to consider...locust MUST be thoroughly cured before using it as a post, it grows quite readily from cuttings and fence posts have a reputation of suddenly sprouting and becoming a row of trees. I can't at the moment remember what this cutting method is, but I used it extensively to grow a mulberry hedge row. 3 ft long arm thick logs planted 2 ft deep into the soil in the late fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;keep in mind, coppicing as been traditionally used to grow firewood more than anything else, which doesn't have to be post thick. You can get 1-2 inch branches off a coppice every year or two which is much faster than waiting for 3-5 inch thick post quality wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: the type of cutting is called a truncheon...golly I couldn't find it on the internet then I realized I used to write a bit about it on the internet and had to look up my own name mulberry and cutting and there was something I had written. Golly I hate getting old. Lol...no you aren't going to get my name :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something else to consider. Locust is very prone to throwing up suckers, and not necessarily near your trunk either. A new tree can sprout from the roots several yards away from your tree and it's growing from the root which means you can't get rid of the sucker without cutting the root off AND pulling that runner root out of the ground cause it won't die and will just throw up another sucker somewhere if you don't. As majestic as locust is, it can also be a right pain in the arse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2015-02-25T20:02:42.487" LastActivityDate="2015-02-25T20:02:42.487" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17433" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16230" CreationDate="2015-02-25T19:12:41.197" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two things...too much water and too cold. Lucky Bamboo likes the temp to stay above 65F.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Algae does not use the same nutrients as more complex plants do and not at the same proportions, algae will eat a lot more phosporous and nitrogen than anything else, but will generally not use other nutrients. I know most fertilize is NPK based, but that's totally and completely LACKING true nutrition for a plant. THat's like us eating carbs and fat and nothing else. Yes they are the basis of our diet, but without the rest of a complete diet you get weak and sick. Same with plants. There is more to plant nutrition than NPK. Calcium is perhaps the single most overlooked plant nutrient, iron being the second overlooked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One way to prevent algae in an aquatic environmnet is to include chilated iron which helps OTHER plants uptake nutrients more effectively and starve out the algae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, lucky bamboo doesn't need much nutrient. I think you are just keeping it too wet (evidenced by the algae), the plant weakened and got a virus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: I took a closer look at the picture, the water is almost to the top of the rocks. Also if you are using purified water, where is the algae getting it's nutrient from? If you put purified water in a container and put it out in full sun, algae will NOT grow in it as it has no material to grow from. Where did you get the rocks from? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a lucky bamboo also that my youngest son bought for me....I water it with tap water, but it's in a small container I can just about wrap my hand around. I fill it up with water to get all the surfaces of the gravel wet, and then pour out the excess. I do this enough to keep the gravel wet, but without any immediately standing water. I do it oh, once every few to several days depending on the time of year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2015-02-25T20:11:34.480" LastActivityDate="2015-02-25T20:11:34.480" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17418" CreationDate="2015-02-25T23:17:56.980" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;High nitrogen fertilizer in the already mentioned, drilled holes.&#xA;The StumpBGone stuff you can get at greenhouse supply stores is usually nothing but potassium nitrate, so if you've already got a high nitrogen fertilizer, you can just use that. Keeping the stump damp will help fungus fluorish in the high nitrogen environment.&#xA;Sugar is just carbon, hydrogen and oxygen; that'll get you yeasts, but no real lignin eaters, which is what you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2015-02-25T23:17:56.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17418" CreationDate="2015-02-26T16:20:49.837" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on the type of tree and your location, drilling holes and filling them with mushroom spore plugs might also work. The mushrooms will help to break down the stump, and you can harvest mushrooms from it in the meantime. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-02-26T16:20:49.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17436" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-26T18:50:01.140" Score="3" ViewCount="598" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got some white grub damaged areas (I've seen some on the top of the damaged areas) in our front lawn that will need to be replaced. It's probably too late in the cycle to really do anything about the grubs now, correct?   What steps can/should I do before I get my exercise and start laying some new St. Augustine sod (which will probably have to be done over a few weekends)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stormy, last spring I applied an insecticide (a &quot;once a year&quot; kind, but I don't remember the brand though) when I saw some grubs on the neighbor's grass (probably ended up being the wrong time of year... should have been here sooner about it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll upload a photo when I have some time, but they look like the &quot;C&quot;-shaped grubs found when you Google &quot;lawn grubs&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry for the delay... pneumonia is a bear... here's a closeup of the lawn damage. There are several patches like this, the whole area affected is about 27' x 20', but I won;t have time to do that all at once... gonna try to find some grubs today&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unkfrank.com/images/StackExchange/LawnCloseup030715.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lawn Damage http://www.unkfrank.com/images/StackExchange/LawnCloseup030715.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over the weekend, I tried dumping several 2 gallon buckets of soapy water onto some areas of the damaged lawn, but I didn't see any grubs come to the surface during a few hours of checking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2359" LastEditorUserId="2359" LastEditDate="2015-03-10T14:27:51.517" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T14:27:51.517" Title="Sodding a grub-damaged area in Southwest Florida" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17437" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17436" CreationDate="2015-02-26T20:15:00.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where you are, your grubs (most likely masked chafer), are probably full-size by now, and hanging out down lower than you can efficiently control. I'd wait until April, where (in your area) the larvae will move to the surface, pupate, and fly til near the end of June. Then they'll lay eggs, which will hatch into new larvae. This period (when the pupating/hatching grubs are near the surface) is the best window of control. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This beetle has 2 flights (generations) a year in your area, and the second one will happen in August/September.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I'd wait until April, control the grubs (one application) and then lay the sod. Of course, it'll be warmer out by then, and you'll have to water, but it won't be as bad as summer yet. See my answer here for more details on control:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/16307/are-these-maggots-and-are-they-okay-in-the-soil-around-the-roots-of-a-fruit-tree/16308#16308&quot;&gt;Are these maggots and are they okay in the soil around the roots of a fruit tree?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you test for grubs later in the season, and come up positive, you can do another application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-02-26T20:15:00.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17436" CreationDate="2015-02-26T21:06:31.080" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't apply any pesticide for the grubs!  I'd take a bucket of soapy water, dump it on a spot in your lawn's soil.  If a lot grubs come up for air (there is a threshold that needs to be determined as well as exactly what kind of grub you are dealing with)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you know if you indeed still have a problem and what your critter is, I'd use a sod cutter, remove the sod using it if possible to make planting beds by mounding up the turned over sod sections, then covering with 2-4&quot; topsoil and allow to decompose. Great stuff to make planting beds with or just give it away or pay to dump the sod.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd then take a power rake or dozer to dig up your existing soil, water, allow grubs to be eaten by birds or mature and fly away.  They won't hurt your trees, shrubs or perennials.  They love the crowns and roots of your lawn. We'd know better once the grub is identified of course!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Allow to dry, grade, rake and roll.  Use an organic fertilizer with bacteria and mychorrhizae.  Use a spreader, don't throw by hand.  Then lay your sod.  If you use any pesticide make sure it is SPECIFIC to whatever grub/insect you need to control.  A non-specific pesticide will kill everything including the beneficial nematodes and other beneficial soil life that is responsible for keeping grass-eating grubs in check.  The only lawns I've seen (in the Pacific Northwest) that were decimated by grubs were lawns that were treated with a non-specific pesticide that killed beneficials that keep insects such as your grubs from ever becoming a problem.  Not that familiar with St. Augustine but the principle must be the same. Without more information I am just giving you my experience and guessing. (Ouch)!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send pictures of the grubs for identification.  Also, pictures of your lawn that shows the damage. How large is your lawn?  Then we'll be able to be responsibly answering your question.  Also, when you do the soapy water test, approximately how many grubs come up within a square foot? For best results, try to get a soil test (go through your extension service for little or no cost).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-02-26T21:06:31.080" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17439" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7288" CreationDate="2015-02-27T03:56:24.560" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gabled glass if you're in a snowy part of the world.  Glass is simply better:  higher in capital investment offset by lower maintenance costs and a longer lifespan.  If it's part of your business' overall aesthetic invest in it.  Balance that reality against brute force theft if you lack 24/7 defense against a crowbar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10836" LastActivityDate="2015-02-27T03:56:24.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17440" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16127" CreationDate="2015-02-27T05:24:10.137" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've planted VERY deep and quite early. To the West in zone 4 I popped mine in just before Thanksgiving this year (I think...) and I've done them in December some years. Actually getting scapes in the fall is somewhat unusual, but given an early planting in a milder zone, I guess you can, cause you did. I'm dubious that it's a good thing that you did, though, since scapes are usually seen 4-8 weeks to harvest (and the tops dying back.) Then again, your cloves may just start all over again in spring, and I've had decent harvests from &quot;2-year garlic&quot; at times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Garlics suited to the climate generally laugh off the cold - whether what you got from whole foods (likely grown in California unless labeled with a more local origin) will be happy in Massachusetts remains to be seen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The 6&quot; planting depth will on the one hand help with cold survival of the bulb, and on the other will probably hurt your yield, IME. I also used to plant way too deep (about 4&quot;) and have now settled on &quot;roughly twice the clove length&quot; as more suitable from both research and experience, though opinions do vary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-02-27T05:24:10.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17443" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17451" CreationDate="2015-02-28T03:06:41.507" Score="5" ViewCount="958" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I take a cutting from a determinate tomato plant that has already produced fruit, will the cutting grow and produce, or will it just die, eventually? I know mature indeterminate tomato cuttings will grow and produce fruit, of course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-02-28T06:57:09.687" LastActivityDate="2015-02-28T21:40:52.013" Title="What happens when you take a cutting from a mature determinate tomato plant?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17444" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7498" CreationDate="2015-02-28T06:23:16.567" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;An F1 tomato hybrid occurs when you have two tomato plants of different varieties and then one is pollinated by the other variety's pollen. The seeds of the resulting cross-pollinated tomato will grow plants that are F1 hybrids. The children of F1 hybrids are F2. The children of F2 are F3, and so forth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is only one domestic tomato species (Solanum lycopersicum, AKA Lycopersicon lycopersicum, AKA Lycopersicon esculentum), but there are thousands of varieties within this species. As long as the parents are both pure domestic tomatoes, then the seeds should be fertile. It's like with dogs. As long as both parents are domestic dogs, the puppies should be fertile, even if their parents are of different breeds. They're all dogs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, there are several species of wild tomatoes that can cross with domestic tomatoes. This complicates things. It's possible that some wild tomato species would cross with domestic ones and have sterile offspring. However, I don't know that this is the case with any of the wild species, but it is possible. I'm guessing many, if not most, will still be fertile. I'm pretty sure at least Solanum cheesmaniae and Solanum pimpinellifolium could have fertile offspring with domestic tomatoes; probably Solanum galapagense, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a number of tomato varieties that are part domestic tomato and part wild tomato. For instance, Indigo Rose (a PVP protected variety) has some Solanum cheesmaniae in its history. I don't suppose it would be easy to determine which tomatoes are purely domestic anymore. But, odds are in your favor that it'll probably be fertile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, to answer your question, F1 tomatoes are usually fertile (but possibly on rare occasions, a sterile one might exist, although I've never heard of one, so far). However, hybrids don't usually breed true. That means that successive generations are not necessarily exactly like the previous one, because they have variable genetics (like mongrel dogs do). For instance, purebred dogs breed the same kind of dog. Mongrel dogs breed all kinds of mongrel dogs and few of them (comparatively speaking) look the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I personally like the idea of mongrel tomatoes, as long as I know what the parents are and none of them are patented or protected varieties, and I like the possible combinations they might produce.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's worth noting that an F1 hybrid where both parents are pure domestic tomatoes is likely to be exactly the same every time that same kind of F1 hybrid is bred. I mean, if I cross a German Pink with a Black Plum, I'll get the same kind of tomato you would get if you crossed a German Pink with a Black Plum tomato the same way. Which parent is the mother and which is the father does seem to matter. Crossing a German Pink with a Black Plum is not the same as crossing a Black Plum with a German Pink tomato. mtDNA, cpDNA, and similar kinds of DNA generally only come from the mother plant (not from the father plant), I believe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully this clarifies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to grow mongrel tomatoes, I recommend hybridizing them yourself so you know what's in their genetics. Planting seeds of commercialized hybrids is a bigger risk because they may not care about what the F2s will be like, and they rarely say what the parents were.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2020-08-13T23:38:51.423" LastActivityDate="2020-08-13T23:38:51.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="17446" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17453" CreationDate="2015-02-28T10:39:47.690" Score="4" ViewCount="49" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a Sequoiadendron giganteum (Giant Redwood) sapling today, and I was wondering how many hours of daylight the little guy needs. I found &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3260/does-controlling-night-time-light-for-house-plants-improve-their-health/3279#answer-3279&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt;, which mentioned photoperiods of different plants. I haven't been able to find any kind of index of these values by species, and I was wondering if such an index exists. If not, is there some other way I can find out the natural photoperiod of a given species?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10834" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-02-28T21:18:19.393" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T02:54:59.017" Title="Index of photoperiods" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17448" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-02-28T16:48:38.127" Score="1" ViewCount="150" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a database, (ideally an API!) that has information on the growing season of vegetables in various places. For example, what months can onions be harvested in Minneapolis? When are tomatoes in season in Atlanta?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does such a thing exist?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10850" LastActivityDate="2015-02-28T16:48:38.127" Title="Database/API for vegetable growing seasons?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2015-02-28T18:24:29.433" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17449" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17450" CreationDate="2015-02-28T19:41:39.447" Score="4" ViewCount="1400" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had some moss in one of my seedlings pot and I &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/17374/how-do-i-safely-eradicate-mold-without-hurting-cactus-seedlings&quot;&gt;asked&lt;/a&gt; what I should do with it here in GSE. I was assured it was mostly harmless so I left it be. However, a couple of days ago, it has sprouted leaves. Does moss do that o_O? If not, what is it? Is it time to panic?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rwgqw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think it's something independent from moss. since, as you can see, it only sprouts in the center of the moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9631" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-02-28T21:16:50.117" Title="Does moss sprout leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17450" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17449" CreationDate="2015-02-28T21:16:22.493" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, Moss grows leaves. They are simple leaves 1 cell thick, and they grow on a thin stem. Moss plants have no vascular tissue, so water and nutrients can only travel through the plant by diffusion. This limits the size moss plants can grow, and also makes them prone to drying out, so the largest moss plants are only found in constant moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the health of your seedlings, the moss (when it's that big) can pull some nutrients, but not many. The moss plant does not have a true root system, but rather a tiny system of simple rhizoids, which pick up some nutrients and water through diffusion (they're also non-vascular).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They may slow down the growth if they get big enough. I'd probably carefully pick the worst stuff out of there with a pair of tweezers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-02-28T21:16:22.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17451" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17443" CreationDate="2015-02-28T21:40:52.013" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will grow fine. I ran some tests (slightly less scientifically than I could have, but got results) on grafting/propagation via cuttings using scions/cuttings from vigorous seedlings, older determinate, and older indeterminate tomato plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Surprisingly, the differences were small/unnoticeable. The cuttings and grafts from the old determinate plants became rejuvenated, and took off growing like any young tomato plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This test was also used in the answering of this question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/23638/biological-age-of-grafted-plants&quot;&gt;Biological age of grafted plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:48:10.153" LastActivityDate="2015-02-28T21:40:52.013" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17453" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17446" CreationDate="2015-03-01T02:54:59.017" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most plants don't care directly about day length for growth.  Some have timing requirements to bloom.  E.g. Strawberries come in 'june bearing' and 'day neutral' varieties.  I don't know if the June ones are triggered by a minimum day length, or a maximum night length.  Poinsettias require N days of more than 14 hour long nights to bloom.  Spruce use day length to start the process for fall adaptation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The difference in illumination between full sun and indoors is truly astounding.  Your eyes are very good at adjusting to lower levels of illumination.  Yes redwoods will grow in the shade of their parents, but they grow VERY slowly.  Still, your window has more light than the forest floor of a redwood grove.  It should do alright there.  Turn it a third of a turn once or twice a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if the day length requirements for redwoods has been determined.  In passing however, they do fine in Vancouver B.C.  (Don't know if they are coastal or big tree) And Britain's forestry service is considering redwoods as a tree for planting as climate change hits the isles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T02:54:59.017" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7288" CreationDate="2015-03-01T03:12:10.640" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another factor:  Glass houses leak.  A plastic house has fewer material transitions, and is much easier to keep close to airtight.  This is a major concern in heating the greenhouse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a greenhouse as a hangout, focus inward, instead of outward.  Planters, water fountain etc.  Make the walls invisible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A compromise is to make two greenhouses end to end.  One is glass, is sparsely populated most of the year, and is suitable for hangouts.  The continuation is plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Transmission isn't as big a deal as you think.  Few plants are limited by the intensity of light.  Indeed, if you get even half the light indoors you will be fine for most plants.  Hours of light are more important, and the amount of light on heavy overcast days can be limiting.  (E.g. Heavy overcast cuts light by 60-70%  Multiply that by 70% transmission house cover, and you are down to 21-28%.  This can be critical if you are in a very cloudy climate such as in the Pacific Northwest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The biggest problem in most greenhouse operations is overheating.  In full sun, you can need an air change per minute to keep the plants from shutting down.  (Sunlight on a clear day is 1000 W/m2.  A greenhouse with 4 meter high ceilings has roughly 4 cubic meters of air per square meter of floor.  Specific heat of dry air is about the same as water -- per weight.  So 1.25 kJ/m3  4 meter high column is 5 kg of air.  1000 W is 1000 J/s or 1 kJ/s So that column of air warms up by 1 C every &lt;em&gt;5 seconds&lt;/em&gt;.  12 degrees per minute.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Humid air gets messier, as it depends on starting and ending temps.  And a LOT of the heat supplied will be used to transpire water.  If you have misters that spray water into the air, you can keep the plants from doing it, and the plants will grow faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(More complicated equipment to monitor and check....)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T03:12:10.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9416" CreationDate="2015-03-01T03:15:10.860" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;When we had a cat I would put 3-4 8 inches long pushed 5 inches into the ground. The idea was to make no area large enough for the cat to lie down.  That combined with throwing a rock at the cat whenever it was in the garden conditioned them to go elsewhere.  (We have 80 acres, and only a thousand square feet of garden.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T03:15:10.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17456" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17459" CreationDate="2015-03-01T08:14:36.203" Score="6" ViewCount="7852" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's only been 3-4 months since I potted my ginger plants.&#xA;I water them every 2-3 days depending on the the weather. I try not to get the soil too moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over the last couple weeks, the leaves of one of them have been drying out, though it still appears to be growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other appears fine. What's gone wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OTU2x.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ginger plant with dry leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/arAZO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ginger plant without dry leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastActivityDate="2019-02-18T05:47:10.183" Title="Why are the leaves of my ginger plant drying out?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;ginger&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17457" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1210" CreationDate="2015-03-01T14:38:26.773" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This has worked for me for 20+ years, just like tomatoes. And of course, don't over water to avoid root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10853" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T15:35:25.437" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T15:35:25.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17458" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16197" CreationDate="2015-03-01T14:59:55.677" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say it is most certainly &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ailanthus_altissima&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ailanthus altissima&lt;/a&gt;, judging by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Simaroubaceae/ailanthus-altissima-fl-atal-a.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;flower buds&lt;/a&gt; at the end of the branch, the shape and the pale underside of the leaves, the tree bark of the tree behind the plant, which is probably the parent plant by seed dispersion (it is common to find young trees in the surrounding area of an older tree) and the overall look of the plant. The leaves give off an unpleasant smell when rubbed, and the flowers in bloom also smell very unpleasant. It is a very aggressive weed tree and it will grow anywhere, and fast. Its fruit looks interesting but if you spot it in your garden, or even on the street, have no mercy, because it is hard to eradicate and once it spreads it can wreak havoc on the local ecosystem and it can damage buildings and infrastructure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bfERB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A mature tree.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10854" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T14:59:55.677" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17456" CreationDate="2015-03-01T16:49:28.457" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow three different &quot;gingers&quot; - white (Hedychium coronarium), kahili (Hedychium gardnerianum), and blue (Dichorisandra thyrsiflora) (though that one has yet to flower so I can't say for sure that it's what it claims to be, and it's &quot;not really a ginger&quot; anyway.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may be under-watering - it's somewhat hard to diagnose over the internet, but both looking crispy and your comment of trying not to get the soil too moist lean that way. I water mine until water comes out the bottom of the pot, and if it's hot I'll leave some in the saucer. My original white ginger (much expanded from a &quot;soil-free inspected plant in a baggie at the airport in Hawaii&quot;, and split quite a few times) is now 25 years old, and has never had issues with root-rot or the like. I'd probably plunge yours in a bucket for 20 minutes, then pull it out, drain for a minute or two, and return it to a saucer. I'd say both of those look a little crispy, actually - just one is worse than the other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each stalk does also just die back as they age, and new shoots come up, but I don't see much in the way of new shoots on your plants. As an additional thing that's difficult to tell over the internet, I'm not much liking what I see of your potting soil; seems very bark-y. You may just need to await new shoots - see if there are any green/red spots on the rhizhomes thinking about putting up new shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-03-01T17:03:12.887" LastActivityDate="2015-03-01T17:03:12.887" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17460" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17467" CreationDate="2015-03-01T18:14:37.930" Score="11" ViewCount="582" Body="&lt;p&gt;We're building a new house in Lenexa, Kansas (southwest side of Kansas City). Our yard is larger than average, and the cost for the builder to put in an irrigation system is $4,250. I'm debating on if we should do it now or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much does having it done later add to the cost? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How badly does it mess up your yard when it is put in?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How important do you think it is in this part of the country to have an irrigation system?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our lot is roughly a half acre (a little under I believe). It's a fairly irregular shape. There's a cul-de-sac on one end and then the back is angled from the middle of the cul-de-sac to the neighbors on the other side. I don't really know how to describe the soil. It's not clay, and it isn't terribly rocky. We don't intend to have any veggie or flower beds away from the front porch of the house. Also, the land is pretty level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10855" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-17T22:06:31.487" LastActivityDate="2016-03-17T22:06:31.487" Title="How important is it to install an irrigation system during a new build?" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17461" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17465" CreationDate="2015-03-01T21:48:50.717" Score="5" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I dug up a young apple tree to move it to a sunnier location, I noticed some sort of white material on the roots.  Is this cause for concern?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10857" LastActivityDate="2015-03-02T14:31:33.147" Title="white material on roots of apple tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17462" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-02T06:24:05.793" Score="3" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;For example, I have a lot of plants inside (African violet, geranium, coleus, etc.) and outside (dolichos, petunia, pansy, asters, etc.) my home. Also, I have a lot of chemicals (such as ammonium nitrate, magnesium sulfate, ammonium molybdate, etc.) that can be used to compounding or correction of fertilizers. But I found only individual science research for geranium or petunia (for example). Is there a directory of precise dosages of fertilizers for indoor/outdoor plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10858" LastActivityDate="2015-03-02T12:20:19.330" Title="Is there a directory of precise dosages of fertilizers for indoor/outdoor plants?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;chemicals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17463" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17461" CreationDate="2015-03-02T06:26:42.193" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maybe it's &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhiza&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mycorrhiza&lt;/a&gt;? If so... No.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10858" LastActivityDate="2015-03-02T06:26:42.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17462" CreationDate="2015-03-02T12:20:19.330" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, I'm afraid not. Because plants vary in their requirements in terms of fertilising, it's more usual to start with the plant you want to feed and check what it requires in case it's anything particular (orchids, for instance, have specialist feeds available). At a very simplistic level, feeding also differs depending on the results you want - for instance, you mention Coleus, which is usually grown for its decorative leaves and not for its flowers, which would mean a fertiliser with a higher N level than K is more appropriate, whereas a plant grown for its flowers might do flower better with a different formulation. I'm not sure how you'd source the full readout of NPK plus trace elements required for every plant, nor do I believe any such resource exists for all flora.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because it's quite a complicated area, proprietary brands of different feeds are available, ready mixed, with or without trace elements, because unless you're a chemist as well as a horticulturalist, working out precisely which chemicals to mix for different plants would be extremely difficult. I imagine its possible you have some sort of chemistry background though, if you already have the chemicals you mention available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-03-02T12:20:19.330" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17461" CreationDate="2015-03-02T14:09:49.780" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the tree is perfectly healthy and is growing well, the mycorrhiza is most likely beneficial. It might mean the soil was a bit dry - this seems to make the mycorrhiza more visible, but in the main, mycorrhiza is usually present and there is a beneficial synergistic exchange between the plant and the fungi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-02T14:31:33.147" LastActivityDate="2015-03-02T14:31:33.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17466" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17456" CreationDate="2015-03-02T14:27:55.697" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I asked about direct, full sunlight because some gingers do not like those conditions - yours look not unlike mine were when I tried growing them on my south facing balcony (full sun). They like sun, but prefer it to be dappled (as in shaded by the leaves of larger plants) - I could not provide these conditions and so I gave up with them. When they're actively growing, particularly when still quite small, they do want quite a lot of water, so its likely you are keeping them too dry. Plunge' them as suggested in the other answer, and afterwards, when you water, give them plenty, but just make sure you empty out the trays or outer pots they're standing in after 30 minutes, so they're not left sitting in water at the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-03-02T14:27:55.697" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17467" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17460" CreationDate="2015-03-02T17:50:20.163" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;The cost should not be that much different. In fact, you might find that it is cheaper to do it after everything else is done. First, your builder will likely subcontract the work and add a percentage to the project. Second, and I see this all the time, if irrigation goes in too soon, it often gets broken during construction or needs to be revised due to changes in the landscape that occur as the project progresses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This point is pretty much moot, however, if you've got new trees, shrubs, or turf in the ground that need water before the end of the project - as is often the case. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also isn't too disruptive to install after the fact. Contractors make a slit in the ground to place the lines. These typically heal to &quot;invisible&quot; within a few days to a week as long as the job was done by someone experienced and with the right equipment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the question of whether it is needed, there are a range of answers. We are fortunate to receive a fair amount of rain where we are in NY, so we typically only install temporary irrigation on trees and shrubs to ensure they get started well (most of our clients don't want to hand water until then). The drip lines are then removed after the first or second year. Some water demanding shrubs, hydrangeas for example, need it perpetually. But we try to steer clients away from plants that won't do well on their own in the local environment, preferring native and hardy species. Plant selection can therefore reduce the size and cost of your system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Turf is another matter. Until late in the 1900's, even estate cool-season (bluegrass, fescue, etc.) lawns were left to go dormant in the high heat of August, and irrigation wasn't required. The lawn would green up in the spring, go dormant for a month or so in the summer, then green up again in the fall - it's the natural cycle of cool-season grass species. However tastes have changed and people want actively growing, green grass throughout the season now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Turf choices and management practices can also have dramatic effects on the amount of water a lawn requires. A fescue lawn left long (3&quot; - 3.5&quot;) might not need irrigation at all around here. Your extension office will likely know what grass varieties do best in your climate, and your tolerance for natural variation may dictate the need for irrigation at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2015-03-02T19:40:42.000" LastActivityDate="2015-03-02T19:40:42.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17468" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9075" CreationDate="2015-03-02T18:03:49.797" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Earthworms. This may be politically incorrect, depending upon who you talk to, but I'd add earthworms to the beds - and as earlier commentators mentioned, avoid chemical fertilizers and pesticides so you don't kill them. The worms will not only burrow, loosening the soil, they'll carry organic material from the surface deep into the soil. Red Wigglers are NOT suitable for this, but if you search for &quot;buy earthworms online,&quot; you'll find a number of other options.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-03-02T18:03:49.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17469" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17470" CreationDate="2015-03-02T18:06:42.200" Score="5" ViewCount="10048" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was wondering if it's possible/advisable to give a flowering plant or any plant for that matter, sugar (or something similar) in addition to plant food?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1658" LastActivityDate="2021-05-13T06:39:09.013" Title="Can I give sugar (or something similar) to flowering plants?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17470" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17469" CreationDate="2015-03-02T18:16:40.670" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well you could in solution, but I wouldn't advise it. If your plants are growing well anyway, sugar might just kill them. Sugar molecules don't pass directly into the plant, so will build up in the soil in the pot, and cause problems later if you always add sugar. Sugar also directly feeds microbes in the soil - some of these may be beneficial, but some may not be, and sugar doesn't discriminate. Sugar solution can also cause reverse osmosis, meaning water or fluid, rather than being taken up  and then utilized by the plant, is instead expelled, causing the plant to die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend you fertilise with a standard, proprietary fertiliser at the recommended rate on the product and forget about adding sugar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-03-02T18:16:40.670" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17469" CreationDate="2015-03-02T18:26:29.843" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably not a great idea - more likely to attract insects than anything else. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2012.01409.x/abstract&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This abstract&lt;/a&gt; suggests that it will decrease plant growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most plants (with a few exceptions) are happiest if you give them a nice rich compost, IME. Some are overly sensitive and need it very well aged, and in moderation, others grow happily on the compost pile itself, long before it's &quot;finished&quot; and with no trace of moderation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-03-02T18:31:48.057" LastActivityDate="2015-03-02T18:31:48.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17472" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16153" CreationDate="2015-03-02T22:11:43.310" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could use &lt;a href=&quot;https://RapidSprout.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;RapidSprout.com&lt;/a&gt;, it comes with an extensive set of folder templates one of them being a house plant journal. Once you register select the category gardening then House Plant Journal and click on the create button. Next watering date will give you a visual alert by changing the color or the text as the date gets closer. There are many other folder templates that might be useful. It'll also work across all of your devices (desktop,phone,tablet) from the web browser. The folder is completely customizable using design mode.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am the owner of RapidSprout.com and hope you find the site useful. There is no fee to use the site.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;House Plant Journal&#xA;01. Plant&#xA;02. Location&#xA;03. Date Planted/Purchased&#xA;04. Cost&#xA;05. Last Watering Date&#xA;06. Next Watering Date (due date)&#xA;07. Light conditions&#xA;Log (1-M)&#xA;01. Date&#xA;02. Description&#xA;02. Photo&#xA;03. Note&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10861" LastEditorUserId="10861" LastEditDate="2016-01-22T17:06:30.690" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T17:06:30.690" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17473" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17474" CreationDate="2015-03-02T22:38:28.457" Score="11" ViewCount="579" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts, where we have approximately three feet of snow in the yard, and the temperature has been well below freezing nearly every day for the last two months. In an article in yesterday's local newspaper, a horticulturist wrote that even though our forsythias will likely flower later than usual this year, a branch can be forced to bloom now by bringing it inside. Is that true? If so, what would be the proper procedure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-03-02T23:39:13.867" Title="Can I force a dormant forsythia branch to bloom by bringing it inside?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17474" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17473" CreationDate="2015-03-02T23:25:33.317" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes you can. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This actually an old German &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.germanculture.com.ua/library/weekly/aa120100d.htm&quot;&gt;Advent/Christmas tradition in honour of St. Barbara's Day&lt;/a&gt; (Dec. 04) and it's usually done with branches of cherry or apple trees. Forsythia will work fine, too. Branches cut on 12/04 should flower by Christmas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The basic idea is to take branches that have had &quot;winter&quot; (that is, some frost), bring them inside and &quot;make them think it's spring&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So follow these steps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut healthy branches from either fruit trees like apple, cherry, plum or pear or spring-flowering shrubs like lilac or forsythia. If your winter has been too mild (e.g. when cutting on 12/04 according to tradition), place them for 12-24 hours in the freezer. This should not be necessary in your case.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soak the entire branches over night in cool or slightly lukewarm water. A bathtub works well. Please do not dump frozen branches in warm water!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Re-cut the stems (splicing and/or gently hammering them is optional) and place in a vase with fresh water. There are two schools of thought on how to proceed now:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a) First leave the vase in a cool place until you see the flower buds swell, then move to the warmer living room or similar &lt;em&gt;or&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;b) Place the vase in the living area right away.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Change the water every few days (and clean the vase now and then). Do not place the branches near a heat source like an oven, cooler temperatures around 15°C/60°F are sufficient (think &quot;spring&quot;, not &quot;summer&quot;!). Misting the branches can be beneficial to extend the life of the flowers or in a rather dry environment. Expect the first flowers after ca. 3 weeks, but it may take longer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hint: This is actually a really nice project for kids, too, either in December (then include a bit of the christian mythology, see link above) or when you are really sick of winter and desperate for a bit of &quot;spring&quot; in the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-03-02T23:39:13.867" LastActivityDate="2015-03-02T23:39:13.867" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17475" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-03T12:56:35.980" Score="4" ViewCount="252" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a small indoor container garden, with a variety of herbs, a couple of flowers, and a couple of succulents. A while ago, we noticed very small white insects moving around on my morning glories. I checked other plants and didn't notice any bugs, so I moved the morning glories out into the snow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently we've noticed a few bugs on one of the succulents, and I'm concerned that they might be spreading through the other plants. Most people seem to suggest a spray of soap and water followed by hosing them down, but we can't really do that inside our apartment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bugs are too small for me to get a photo, but they don't fly or jump if I shake the leaf they're on- just crawl around fairly slowly (a few seconds to move an inch), so I don't think they're whiteflies, but I also don't know what they &lt;em&gt;are&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are other good pest-management practices for this type of insect indoors? I am not an organic gardener or opposed to pesticides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7528" LastActivityDate="2015-03-03T16:27:05.213" Title="Indoor pesticide for edible plants" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17476" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-03T14:25:46.807" Score="6" ViewCount="3993" Body="&lt;p&gt;I checked out &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/355/whats-the-best-mulch-material-for-a-vegetable-garden&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; about what kind of mulch to use around plants.  But this year I want to make some extra fancy victory-garden style paths around the places I'd probably just trample anyway in my vegetable garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I'm wondering what to avoid.  For instance given my &lt;a href=&quot;http://dvoraklandscape.com/navigation/mulch_landscape.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;local landscape supplier's stock&lt;/a&gt; what should I not go with (I can already guess chopped up tires is probably not a good one).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-03-07T18:44:42.393" Title="What kind of mulch should I avoid for vegetable garden paths?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17477" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17476" CreationDate="2015-03-03T14:52:37.037" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I avoid mulches that are dyed - the reds and super blacks are common ones. There may be no reason to do so, but I don't know what those dyes are made with. &#xA;(See J. Musser's comment below for info on dyes)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However what we typically use for garden paths (when not using gravel or pine straw) is wood chips. Wood chips, though a bit more coarse than most mulch, tends to support foot and vehicle traffic better than shredded mulch. The larger pieces also mean that it lasts longer (unless the mulch has some preservative, though I don't know that any mulches use such things) and drains better than shredded mulches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Often we don't even have to pay for them or delivery. We call around to tree-removal guys and ask if they want to drop off some chips. They're happy to deliver to our job site, and to deliver them for free, because otherwise they'd have to pay for disposal. But we will take a full truck-load, and you might not need that much. So they might not want to deliver a partial load. Worth asking, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that doesn't work, our plan B is to go to the local landfill where the same guys have paid to drop off the chips. Around here (eastern Long Island, NY) most landfills will either let you take what you want for free or charge a fraction of what you'd pay from a supplier. In my home town they'll even load your truck for a nominal fee.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2015-03-03T23:04:35.617" LastActivityDate="2015-03-03T23:04:35.617" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17478" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17475" CreationDate="2015-03-03T16:27:05.213" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like they're probably whitefly nymphs - these are 'baby' whitefly and are wingless. As the plants are edible, I wouldn't recommend any proper pesticide - you can try insecticidal soap, or neem oil spray, but you'd need to keep repeating treatments, probably.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-03-03T16:27:05.213" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17479" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17480" CreationDate="2015-03-03T16:28:44.687" Score="8" ViewCount="110" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently purchased a house with a couple of rows of raspberries (which seem to be well established) in the garden. The first row on the north side was starting to disappear, so I trimmed it down expecting to take some of the many of the wild shoots that had spread to the south and start a new row.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So how do I go about plucking these shoots out of the ground and transplanting? Any special considerations for the new row, such as ground temperature, fertilizer or spacing? Should they be in a hill? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in western Washington state if that helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3173" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-03T16:43:56.707" LastActivityDate="2015-03-26T18:48:55.163" Title="Replanting out of control raspberries" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17480" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17479" CreationDate="2015-03-03T16:44:08.097" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't overthink it. They transplant reasonably well, as in, take a shovel, dig em up, replant quickly without giving the roots time to dry out (or dig up, heel in to keep the roots moist, then plant - but if you can do it in one step it's less work for you, less shock for them.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would question why that row is fading - if it just needed severely pruned, you've done that - if the plants are migrating to the south to find more sun, the current position of the north-most row may never amount to much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Benefit or lack thereof of hilling probably depends on local soil conditions - if prone to water-logging, a hill helps. If dry (probably not in western WA?) the opposite direction might help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the remaining rows, I try to prune fairly severely - remove all canes that look &quot;old&quot; and any newer canes until there is 6&quot; or more between each remaining newer cane. Without fairly hard pruning the fruit yields are poor. I also shorten remaining canes to 18&quot; high or so. The lazy method if you have more space than you need is to have two plots/rows, and mow one every other year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-03-03T16:44:08.097" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17481" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1761" CreationDate="2015-03-03T19:58:17.793" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you tried NEEM?  This is a pretty great insecticide.  Don't worry about total kill.  Scrubbing these guys off even with water will hurt the leaves...With vinegar?  Alcohol? Ouch. The adults have a bit more protection, but your goal is to get the scale 'under control'...your watering technique is far more preferable to watering a little everyday.  Make sure to dump the water out of the saucer and take your plant into the shower, cold water and allow the water to wash off all the leaves, soak the soil then allow to drain before taking back to it's normal location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spray with Neem, please read the label...at least 5X!  Grin, that is the main message we learn in pesticide school. A good place to do this is after it has been watered and washed by the shower and after allowing to dry and drain.  Spray while in the shower...always use sterilized potting soil for plants in pots.  Did you use garden soil?  Any other house plants with scale?  If you used garden soil, this is where you got your scale starts...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't physically try to remove the scale.  Spraying at least once every two weeks when you can still see these critters is plenty.  If you don't see any, please stop using the pesticide.  Also, spray the top of the soil.  If you have birds don't spray anywhere near them or in the same room.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd replace the soil, put in a clay pot versus plastic, all soil, no gravel at the bottom, a saucer and try to get the bottom of the pot up off the saucer or surface to increase drainage.  Fertilize sparingly.  Plants inside need to be treated like plants outside in the shade.  If you are a novice the best fertilizer is Osmocote, twice per year.  If you know plants and are able to see when they need fertilizer, the symptoms of deficiency as well as excessive nutrients, then use organic fertilizers.  Even a watering with fish emulsion once or twice per year is a good idea as this stuff has been shown to make plants a bit hardier.  If you have equisetum (horse tail), collect a bunch of the tops, dry, powder in a cusinart or blender, add to water and the silicon helps to boost a plant's hardiness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watch all your houseplants for scale as it is now in your environment.  Just make it not so nice to live for scale...I prefer neem to soap sprays and dormant oils.  Both help, but Neem is a better control, in my opinion.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-03-03T19:58:17.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17366" CreationDate="2015-03-03T20:48:15.257" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerodendrum_quadriloculare&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Clerodendrum quadriloculare&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10863" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-03T22:26:47.690" LastActivityDate="2015-03-03T22:26:47.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17483" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17476" CreationDate="2015-03-04T00:09:20.793" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you really want the Victorian look use stone dust with fines.  This is crushed limestone gravel with the dust and is usually inexpensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;excavate your path two to three inches deep or lay the stone dust directly on the earth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wet down with a hose&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;compact with a rented compactor. I also find small children can be very effective compactors when they run up and down the path.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the dust will start bonding the small bits together and after a few years you have the perfect substrate for a flagstone path, which is also a traditional Victorian material&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See below for the informal look at Gravetye Manor&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ADTbn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Gravetye Manor walk&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or the slightly more formal look with some flagstone&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XL0v4.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-03-07T18:44:42.393" LastActivityDate="2015-03-07T18:44:42.393" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17484" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16153" CreationDate="2015-03-04T14:54:14.527" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mygarden.org&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.mygarden.org&lt;/a&gt; too.  Not indoor specific though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2015-03-04T14:54:14.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17485" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17486" CreationDate="2015-03-04T16:42:23.303" Score="10" ViewCount="289" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen wild pawpaw in VA, but never spent the time to investigate any special growing conditions. I'd love to plant them as an edge plant here in NY, but I've never seen them around here. I'm wondering if there's a good reason for that absence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, is it possible to grow them productively on Long Island?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the soil, lighting, fertility, and watering requirements?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How far from optimal could conditions vary while still producing fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-08T00:20:28.957" LastActivityDate="2015-07-08T00:20:28.957" Title="Do Pawpaws do well in common landscape settings in hardiness zones 6B?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17486" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17485" CreationDate="2015-03-04T17:14:11.810" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;A commercial Ontario grower lists them as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.connonnurseries.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.kwSearchPost/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/1052/index.htm&quot;&gt;hardy to Canadian zone 5&lt;/a&gt; and the USDA site shows it growing &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=astr&quot;&gt;as far north as Hudson Bay&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will be hardy in your area and will do best in:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;moist to wet soils&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;probably best naturalized near water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;all types of sun exposure but full sun will need adequate access to moisture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;likely better with protection from wind&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-03-04T17:14:11.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17487" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-04T17:32:36.863" Score="8" ViewCount="491" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a fruit tree whose primary trunk is pomelo fruit and the grafted trunk is Lemon. It's a reasonably large tree (35ft as a guess).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't much like the pomelo fruit and don't really eat them. I can't really reach the whole tree, so the fruit drops off and makes a bit of a mess. I get out there and clean up the dropped fruit on the weekends, but it attracts rodents and such as well. All around, a little more annoying than beneficial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, I love the lemons and would hate to lose them. Planting a new lemon-only tree would presumably take a long time to reach the size of this current tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How aggressively can I prune the pomelo branches without killing the lemon? Will the lemon be able to support the root/trunk of the tree if I cut back the pomelo completely?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pHPB9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;Added photo. The left hand 'trunk' is the lemon and the more vertical larger trunk is the pomelo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1288" LastEditorUserId="1288" LastEditDate="2015-04-21T21:54:34.293" LastActivityDate="2015-04-22T17:37:38.210" Title="Have a grafted fruit tree. Want to have less of one of the fruits" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17488" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17487" CreationDate="2015-03-04T18:54:59.087" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would approach this in a gradual fashion. The requested picture would help, but as a general idea, cut back perhaps 1/3 of the less desired part one year, and repeat. From a growth point of view, lopping it more from the top would be good, rather than just whacking off the lower limbs and encouraging it to grow taller. I should be clear that I don't mean it will all be gone in 3 years - that's still pretty drastic from a tree's point of view. You'll cut less as you have less of the pomelo part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you reach a point where the lemon is 2/3 or more of what's left on the tree, you could consider trying to off the pomelo part completely. You might also consider what other fruits you could graft on that you might eat - and &lt;strong&gt;that&lt;/strong&gt; you might consider sooner rather than later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Specific suggestions for suitable additions would have to be from someone with a better handle on citrus - not too many of those around here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-03-04T18:54:59.087" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17489" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17485" CreationDate="2015-03-04T18:58:38.487" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in USDA zone 6b (Southeastern Pennsylvania), and Pawpaws are &lt;a href=&quot;https://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Pennsylvania&amp;amp;statefips=42&amp;amp;symbol=ASTR&quot;&gt;native growers here&lt;/a&gt;. Cold shouldn't be an issue in 6b, but winter length may have some effect. They don't do well in really long winters. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil:&lt;/strong&gt; What I've noticed is that these don't like compacted soil at all. Lawns are not best. Even a mowed meadow can have problems. A wide circle of mulch around the base will help. These are naturally an understory tree so are used to woodland soils (soft and porous). Loamy is (as one would expect) the best type, but they grow well in sandy soils, and if not compacted much, they do great in clay. I haven't seen them in shale.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Light:&lt;/strong&gt; As an understory/woods edge tree, it is adapted to some amount of shade. It can take full sun, but can burn (not an issue, I'm guessing, in NY). Planting by a building wall can help.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Watering:&lt;/strong&gt; They like to stay moist, but if you're growing them in an area that gets over 30&quot; a year of precipitation, you'll likely not need to irrigate much. That is, unless the tree is in full sun in dry soil. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fertilizing:&lt;/strong&gt; In the wild, these don't get chemical fertilizers at all. I also don't like to use them in plantings, but that's just My opinion. For production, you need to fertilize with something. I use mushroom soil (living near mushroom country) or composted manure, in a layer 1&quot; deep to the dripline each year. Amazing how awesomely plants respond to that. You could probably also use a basic tree fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There could be several reasons why they aren't in your area already. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most plants are &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; found in every part of a country that they're hardy in. Sometimes their range hasn't spread so far yet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes a plant does not naturalize well in an area, even when it can be grown. Like figs, in my area. They can grow, but they will never naturalize. There are several factors that could be at play in this, and it could be a factor in why you don't have Pawpaws in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you're near the ocean, or another saltwater body, that would definitely be an issue, as Pawpaws have poor salt tolerance. Even road salt from over the winter can damage them, when it runs off into a waterway.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And probably other factors. These trees grow a lot slower than I expected, when I planted them, and took from 5-8 years (from 12-14&quot; whips) to begin bearing fruit. And the first few years of fruiting were a little slow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a few varieties recommended for growing in New York, quoting from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/mfruit/pawpaw.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; (Cornell):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Some cultivars for New York include: 'Davis', 'Sunflower', 'Taylor' and 'Taytwo'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-03-04T18:58:38.487" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17490" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16211" CreationDate="2015-03-04T20:14:35.670" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know if you've seen this link, but it's a great resource for comparing rootstocks.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kadasgarden.com/Cgraftingstocks.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.kadasgarden.com/Cgraftingstocks.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I can tell, &lt;em&gt;Cereus jamacaru&lt;/em&gt; seems to fit the bill. It is shade and water tolerant, is columnar, reaches 5 meters in height therefore I believe it must have good longevity. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Cereus&amp;amp;species=jamacaru&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;It does, unfortunately, branch&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9631" LastActivityDate="2015-03-04T20:14:35.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17491" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17494" CreationDate="2015-03-04T23:11:57.000" Score="5" ViewCount="9906" Body="&lt;p&gt;My chilli plants are flowering and producing fruit now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, some of the very young fruit regularly fall off. They are not very big, probably no more than 2mm in diameter. But they definitely taste of chillies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On some plants the rate of successful fruit out number the rate of failed fruit, on other plants it's the other way around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there something that can be done to improve the rate of successful fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or is this just the way of chilli plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So here are pictures I took this morning. all my plants sit on the balcony, but the glass on the railing is tinted. I can get ull sun light by moving my plants back from the railing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've actually done some comparisons and it seems like the tint filters out enough light, that if I move my plants into full sun, they can get sunburnt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dfw6v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plants on balcony&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a slightly yellow stem. This will probably fall off in the next few days. The stem will detach from the plant. There's a tiny little nub of a chilli in there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OPypA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Slightly yellow stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Sydney and the weather is pretty crazy at the moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit 2:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been hand pollinating and just seeing how things progress. More flowers started turning into fruit but I also had more tiny buds drop off. Then there was a huge storm and the temperature dropped quite drastically for a couple of days and there was a lot of yellowing of leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At this stage I think it's the temperature fluctuations giving me issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastEditorUserId="7313" LastEditDate="2015-03-26T01:17:55.643" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T22:13:59.187" Title="Why do small fruit fall off chilli plants?" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17492" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17493" CreationDate="2015-03-05T10:58:07.670" Score="5" ViewCount="1774" Body="&lt;p&gt;Small rockwool cubes are very cheap, but the bigger ones can be a bit expensive. Is it possible to reuse the cubes? How is it possible to remove the old roots? What kind of cleaning is necessary?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="75" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-05T11:43:41.880" LastActivityDate="2020-09-19T18:39:26.077" Title="Is it possible to reuse rockwool cubes?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17493" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17492" CreationDate="2015-03-05T11:43:16.200" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, you don't reuse rockwool cubes. You can't remove a plant from a rockwool cube anyway, so it should get planted with the plant. If (for any reason) the plants died in the cubes, you don't want to reuse them anyway, because they will be full of decomposing roots, which will often harbor disease, even if the original plants didn't. Allelopathy is also common, if the last plant had died quite recently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-03-05T11:43:16.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17494" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17491" CreationDate="2015-03-05T13:00:10.613" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Excessive nitrogen, heat stress, insufficient or fluctuating water availability are the usual causes. If you know your plants haven't been subjected to fluctuation in temperatures, and you're not feeding excessively with nitrogen rich fertiliser, look at your watering regime. Water supplies should be regular and sufficient to the plant's needs when its forming fruit, or some fruits will drop. It may be that some of your plants simply aren't getting as much water as the others, which would explain why some of them lose more fruit than they produce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other thing to check - examine the bottom end of the fallen fruitlet, not where it was attached to the plant, but the other end, just to make sure there isn't a problem with blossom end rot - if its that, you should see a brown discoloration there. Usual cause of this is, again, irregular or insufficient water supply disabling the plant from taking up sufficient calcium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You haven't said whether the plants are in pots, indoors or out, or in the ground, so its a little difficult to suggest how to water more appropriately, if that's the issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I note the extra information added to your question - you say the weather's been 'crazy' but that's a bit non specific! Chilis don't want overnight temperatures  below 12 deg C, and do better if that temperature remains about 15 deg C. As for daytime temperatures, they do not like anything above 30deg C - this can reduce yields. I still reckon it's a water problem though... when you water, soak the pots thoroughly, then empty out the trays they're standing in after 30 minutes, and again 30 minutes later if necessary. You want them well watered but not waterlogged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-06T12:03:19.120" LastActivityDate="2015-03-06T12:03:19.120" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17495" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17479" CreationDate="2015-03-05T19:21:19.860" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Honestly rubrus are one of the easiest to establish. The hardest part of them is getting rid of them where you don't want them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Digging up the root balls has very little advantage. You can just cut the canes off, and lay them down in a shallow trench where you want them and most of the nodes will develop into a new clone of the plant. If you really want, you can include the rootball, but it's really unnecessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The hardest part will be to get them top stop growing where they were previously. Although you can dig up the rootball, any significant root filaments have a good chance of sprouting later on. If it's lawn then it's no big deal because you will be continuously mowing, but if it's a garden then you'll have a harder time since each time the cane breaks ground, the crown gets a little bit stronger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2015-03-26T18:48:55.163" LastActivityDate="2015-03-26T18:48:55.163" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17496" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17498" CreationDate="2015-03-05T22:46:33.207" Score="6" ViewCount="3267" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife and I recently took down a tree in our backyard in an area that is mostly moist all year round and has no direct sunlight.  We have since put lots of gravel over the area.  Although the area is covered, we are getting many mushrooms growing in the area of the stump.  We have been diligent in removing them and we have sprayed the area multiple times but the mushrooms keep growing back.  We are worried as we believe the mushrooms might be poisonous and our kids play in that area at times.‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We were wondering how to attack this problem. ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍&#xA;‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍&#xA;Currently we plan to remove the gravel and put down soil and flatten it out, then put down a drain-able tarp and them some flagstones.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this sound like a good idea and will it work?‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10872" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-06T21:22:53.420" LastActivityDate="2015-03-06T21:22:53.420" Title="Can I cover a tree stump to prevent mushrooms from growing from it? ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍" Tags="&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17497" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17496" CreationDate="2015-03-05T23:41:24.993" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plan will stop the mushrooms from growing through, yes. Especially if you have gravel/dust between the flagstones, above the geotextile fabric.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sounds like a plan. But one thought. The stump will still decompose, and as it does, shrink in size, and leave a very uneven surface eventually. The bigger the tree, the worse. On large trees, there will also be noticeable sinkage where the larger lateral roots grew right under the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not much you can do about that, except have the stump ground out, the chips removed, and packing soil in where the stump was. Or waiting until the stump decomposes naturally, but that can take many years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, you can simply proceed as planned, and worry about sinkage issues as they crop up. I don't recommend this, as evening out/filling in soil under the fabric isn't feasible, and you would have to basically redo that whole patch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-03-05T23:41:24.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17498" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17496" CreationDate="2015-03-06T12:13:06.550" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hmm, I think a little explanation about mushrooms and how they function is necessary. When you see mushrooms or toadstools, those are only the fruiting bodies of an extensive underground root system called mycelium. The reason you're getting them in that area is because you have dead wood in the ground (your tree stump and its woody roots) and in fact, the mushrooms are a good thing - it means the mycelium beneath are being extremely busy in breaking down the wood of your dead tree as part of the decomposition process. Because the area is also quite damp and shady, this means fungi can function much better, so the decomposition process is faster - but also produces more fruiting bodies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't want this process to proliferate over the next few years, then the only answer is to have the stump and roots ground out, as already suggested. Unfortunately, it's likely some mycelium will remain (not all the tree roots get extracted, just the main ones), but there shouldn't be so many, and they will probably decrease over time because their main food source has been removed (the dead tree). After this work has been done, rake the area level and let it settle, then go ahead with paving - but I'm not sure what you mean by 'tarp' - that usually means tarpaulin, but if you want something under your paving, you need a reasonably heavy duty permeable geo textile fabric, something a bit thicker and stronger than the stuff usually sold as 'weed fabric'. This usually goes beneath the sub-base for your paving (sand or aggregate, depending what type of paving) and not directly under the paving. It's not essential to use the fabric, although it's advisable if you use paviours (sometimes called pavers, similar to housebricks in shape and size) which are not grouted after laying, rather than actual paving slabs with grout.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-06T12:23:36.070" LastActivityDate="2015-03-06T12:23:36.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17476" CreationDate="2015-03-07T00:21:43.827" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just a couple things to consider from an ecological aspect.  If your garden plants prefer acid soil like roses, rhododendrons etc,  swap the limestone dust for decomposed granite ( DG).  Lime will bind up phosphates especially in shallow soil.  thus it may be counter productive.  DG is much more inert yet still compacts to an excellent walking surface.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If wood chips are preferred, be sure to use chips from species like douglas fir that have a low nitrogen/carbon ratio.  This will ensure the chips last much longer and perform better as mulch.  Using chips from richer species like alders will break down faster and promote weed growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While it is true wood chips will bind/rob nutrients,  when they are placed on the ground surface the effect is nebulous.  Wood chips will also hold soil moisture to the benefit of roots lying beneath. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10875" LastActivityDate="2015-03-07T00:21:43.827" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17500" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14605" CreationDate="2015-03-07T00:30:03.540" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Growing lilacs from seeds isn’t easy, but it can be done. It can take up to three or four years for a seed-propagated lilac to bloom, though, so you’ll have to be patient and just enjoy watching the bush grow!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/75434-save-seeds-lilac-plant.html&quot;&gt;Garden Guides&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;When growing seeds from a lilac, two things are of utmost importance. First, make sure you’re not harvesting seeds from a hybrid, as they are often sterile, and even if not, they generally won’t retain the characteristics of the plant from which they came. Second, never use seeds that have fallen to the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You’re correct in assuming that harvesting is done from the flowerheads, but the seeds need to be whole, not broken or partially eaten by birds. Wait until the flowers dry to get the largest possible number of seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A period of cold stratification is essential for the purpose of imitating winter conditions, a time during which the seeds would be moist and dormant if left outside. Your type of lilac seeds should be stored for approximately two months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Begin by soaking the freshly-harvested seeds overnight in a bowl with enough room temperature water to completely cover them. In the morning, mix them with a handful of dampened peat or other sterile seed-planting medium in a ziploc-type baggie. Form the mixture into a clump and squeeze out almost all of the water, leaving enough so that they're uniformly damp, but not wet. You shouldn't be able to squeeze much more than a few drops of water out of the mixture. Seal the baggie so it’s airtight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best place to stratify the seeds is the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator, as it provides the ideal temperature of between 35 and 42 degrees fahrenheit. It also keeps them easily accessible so you can check on them every few weeks and lightly mist using a spray bottle with tap water if they start to dry out. Some people keep them in a garage, which is fine too. You may want to separate your seeds into a few separate baggies. That way if something goes wrong in one, you won’t be left empty-handed!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keeping a consistent moisture level is also critical during the germination period. Setting the seed pots in a tray and watering from underneath is recommended, as it keeps the seeds from drowning. In addition, the new seedlings will be delicate, and can be damaged by watering from above. Bottom heat is indeed recommended, in the form of a &lt;a href=&quot;http://advancegreenhouses.com/propagation-mats/&quot;&gt;propagation mat&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-lilacs-seeds-48263.html&quot;&gt;Homeguides&lt;/a&gt; recommends this step-by-step germination process:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Prepare growing containers before removing the lilac seeds from storage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Fill 4-inch pots with a mixture of equal parts seed compost, horticultural grit and perlite. (A packaged sterile potting mix such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.promixfindgrowtopia.com/product/detail/pro-mix-ultimate-potting-mix/&quot;&gt;Pro-mix&lt;/a&gt;  will also work.) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Sow one lilac seed in each container at a 1/4-inch depth. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Drizzle water onto the mix until it feels very moist at a depth of 1 inch. Do not let the lilac seeds dry out during the germination process.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Place the containers indoors near a bright window. Warm the pots with a propagation mat set to 70 degrees F.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Watch for the first sprouts in approximately one month.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Leave the propagation mat in place for two more weeks, then remove it. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Transplant the lilac seedlings into larger containers once roots appear near the drainage holes at the bottom of their original containers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Grow the lilacs in a cold frame until spring, then move them to a lightly shaded spot outdoors after the last frost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good air circulation helps during the germination period. Give your seedlings some space between them, and keep them in a well-ventilated room. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, germination time varies greatly, so be patient if it takes longer for the seedlings to appear, and if you have a few seed pots that haven’t sprouted, don’t throw them away unless they have obvious mold. Put them out with the others, often you'll be pleasantly surprised to see them come up a few weeks or even months later!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have fun!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-03-07T00:30:03.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17501" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-07T11:14:04.070" Score="4" ViewCount="361" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to plant some vegetables in my second floor balcony. I have one container for each plant. Is this the best method or should I go for one long common container to plant all of them? What are the advantages and disadvantages?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10876" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-07T16:28:47.843" LastActivityDate="2015-03-22T01:50:15.590" Title="When planting is it good to use one pot for each plant or one large common pot?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17502" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17527" CreationDate="2015-03-07T11:39:03.227" Score="6" ViewCount="588" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to grow some vegetables in the second floor balcony of my house. I am from Sri Lanka.  It gets about 5 to 4 hours (some days a bit less) of direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the best vegetables to grow in a place like this in containers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a couple of photos of the balcony:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HGX4B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ktya9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10876" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-07T16:25:49.790" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T09:40:24.457" Title="What are the best vegetables to grow in containers?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5721" CreationDate="2015-03-07T12:04:41.757" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grow your strawberries in hanging baskets, you still need to cover with net to stop birds eating the fruit but slugs cannot get at them.&#xA;The fruits do not rot as quickly as they are hanging down instead of laying on damp ground.&#xA;The only draw back is you have to water them more often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10877" LastActivityDate="2015-03-07T12:04:41.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17505" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8" CreationDate="2015-03-07T13:29:11.383" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have successfully grown carrots, beetroot and radishes in sacks that were about 18&quot; deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My garden is South facing but in North of UK so not hot often.You can buy the bags from garden centers,potato bags are fine. I used compost and grew the veg from seed. The veg does not grow as big as it would in the ground but was still nice. The sacks do need watering quite often if there is no rain&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10877" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-03-08T21:30:05.007" LastActivityDate="2015-03-08T21:30:05.007" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17506" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-07T16:31:33.973" Score="5" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently bought a few seeds: including that of Endive ( &lt;em&gt;Endivia Ruffec&lt;/em&gt; ), lettuce, chicory, chard, cactus, and a flowering plant with the scientific name of &lt;em&gt;Viola Tricolor&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which plants have similar requirements and can grow in the same pot? And what are the general care guidelines for the &quot; compatible batch &quot;? (I'll ask a separate question for the plant(s) that aren't compatible) . Our weather is typically 50-60's F during winter , but we're on the verge of spring and the weather has been sunny with temperatures between 70-90F during daytime. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7174" LastActivityDate="2015-03-07T17:27:31.060" Title="Different plant compatibility and care" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;companion-planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17506" CreationDate="2015-03-07T17:14:27.713" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't grow any of them in the same pot - in the case of chicory, seedlings should be thinned out so that they are 12 inches apart (unless they're 'forcing' varieties, when its 6 inches apart), Chard, you'll get about 4 plants in a pot that's 12 inches deep and wide, for instance. Obviously, unless you're only going to grow one plant of each (and for leafy plants like lettuce and chard, that's not particularly useful) each one would do better in their own containers. Chicory needs a deep container (probably 10 to 12 inches), lettuce not so much, probably be fine in a container about 8 inches deep, though you've not said which variety of lettuce. Endive prefers a soil ph of 5 to 6.8 - one plant will need a 6 inch pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Viola tricolor is commonly known as pansy; you can either grow in a pot or in the garden, but I'd keep them separate to allow full development to your vegetable plants. Cactus, well, much better grown alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-07T17:27:31.060" LastActivityDate="2015-03-07T17:27:31.060" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17508" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17514" CreationDate="2015-03-07T18:41:04.500" Score="6" ViewCount="2391" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0j652.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year, this Sunshine Blueberry plant was doing stupendously - not a burned leaf in sight. Now most of the leaves appear like they're burning. Also, the fruit never mature to full size before they shrivel. I'm not even sure if those flowers are pollinated because they just look like blue versions of its flower and the weather is not hot enough for bees to come out. What's causing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;California Bay Area zone 9&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water it once per week because the weather is still cold.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's in a terra-cotta pot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Temperatures have been on average 65 F during the day and 45 F during the night.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Haven't fertilized it this year yet. I'm waiting until the weather warms up. Last year, I used cottonseed meal to make the soil acidic. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T23:22:24.803" Title="What's causing the edges of my blueberry leaves to burn?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17509" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-07T21:11:56.290" Score="8" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some endive seeds (&lt;em&gt;Endivia&lt;/em&gt; 'Crispum'), and I want to know the guidelines on how to grow them. Our weather has been sunny with temperatures reaching low 60's at night and low 90's during the day. I'd like to know the size container I need as seeds and then as plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7174" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-18T02:19:09.723" LastActivityDate="2016-02-18T02:19:09.723" Title="How can I grow endive seeds?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17510" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-07T21:47:30.887" Score="4" ViewCount="793" Body="&lt;p&gt;How can I tell if I am over watering flowering plants?  One of the flower plants I have looks either over watered or sick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HWXDL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;wilted look with a non dry feel&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will add I have small children so I am not sure if this is also an unknown small person problem too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8619" LastActivityDate="2015-03-24T20:44:43.580" Title="Am I over watering flowering plants" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17511" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17512" CreationDate="2015-03-07T23:10:17.180" Score="4" ViewCount="1969" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any recommendations you have would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming this is bad and will kill the plant? :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pepper seedlings have been indoors their entire lives (a few weeks). Not all of them have these bubbles on them, and some aren't nearly as covered as this one. Is there anything that can be done for this or any of them? If not, how do I prevent this in the future? Would less water help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RJUTl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RJUTl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10878" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-08T01:47:09.720" LastActivityDate="2015-03-08T01:47:09.720" Title="What is causing the weird bubbles on my pepper seedling's stem?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17512" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17511" CreationDate="2015-03-08T00:15:50.807" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If those bubble things are hard, they're probably just root nodules, which often develop when there's enough humidity. If true, they're not dangerous at all and actually make rooting cuttings and transplanting more readily successful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, in the picture there where they're all grouped together on what appears to be a healed wound of your plant, it does look unusual. To test if they're root nodules, cut a plant off by the stem below the bubbles and stick it in a cup of water. If they're root nodules, the bubbles will turn into roots, and then you can plant your pepper again (but be sure to use a fresh seed-starting mix or you might get damping off disease, which will rot and kill your pepper). To decrease the risk of damping off and to increase your success rate, instead of cutting the stem you can pull up roots with the plant and keep them in the water, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-03-08T00:21:14.187" LastActivityDate="2015-03-08T00:21:14.187" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17513" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17518" CreationDate="2015-03-08T06:05:07.590" Score="7" ViewCount="2524" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planning to tap a maple tree in my yard this year and have hand carved a spile from a small piece of cherry I had in the garage.  Most online materials I've found recommend drilling a hole 5/16&quot; - 7/16&quot; depending on the spile size.  In this case the spile diameter is around 1/2&quot; and I'd rather not thin it down any more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, will the 1/2&quot; diameter hole significantly increase the risk of injury to the tree or is this still within the realm of what would be considered a reasonable size that a healthy tree can sustain?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10880" LastEditorUserId="10880" LastEditDate="2015-03-09T21:20:28.917" LastActivityDate="2015-03-09T21:20:28.917" Title="Will a 1/2&quot; tap hole injure a maple tree?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;maple&gt;&lt;sap&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17514" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17508" CreationDate="2015-03-08T06:14:20.960" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's possibly a potassium deficiency. Deficient plants sometimes have yellowing around the leaf edges. Potassium is important for fruit size (so I imagine it could be a factor in fruit development). Too much nitrogen can inhibit potassium. So, be careful about that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, it could be a virus of some kind, but my guess is a nutrient imbalance. I would recommend a soil test if you can get one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/berrytool/blueberry/leaves/bbleaves%20images/bbkdef-opt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here's a potassium-deficient blueberry plant.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-03-10T07:10:31.777" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T07:10:31.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17517" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-08T16:50:27.823" Score="6" ViewCount="8331" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I graft a scion from one apple tree onto another mature tree, how long will it take for the graft to begin bearing fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="9745" LastEditDate="2015-03-20T12:29:27.913" LastActivityDate="2015-03-20T12:29:27.913" Title="How long before fruit tree grafts begin bearing fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17518" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17513" CreationDate="2015-03-08T16:54:55.340" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;All tap holes injure maple trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Extensive research into spile-hole damage (with an eye to reducing it, and preserving productivity) is precisely what has driven the downsizing of spiles. Few producers (essentially no serious ones) use even the 7/16 size currently. The area of damaged wood (which cannot produce sap in the future, until the tree has overgrown it with adequate thickness of new wood to support a new spile hole) is significantly less with a smaller hole, and the amount of sap collected is substantially the same regardless of hole size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this particular study, comparing 5/16 and 7/16 spiles, the 5/16 spile had only 59% of the damaged area as the 7/16 spile (for gravity - i.e. bucket or bag collection, as opposed to under vacuum where it was generally less, but not as much less.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/smallspout.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/smallspout.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More recent research also indicates that using a new (washing, boiling, alcohol or even autoclaving do not suffice - new) spile each year increases sap yields, as there is some type of EXTREMELY persistent biofilm that resist all the mentioned treatments and lead to the tree blocking off the hole early. As such, purchasing a 10-pack of modern small spiles and using, then discarding, one each year for 10 years would be both kinder to your tree and more productive for your sap collection than using your hand-carved spile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mentioned in this page (as unpublished and personal communication - I have also had the above specifics that don't work confirmed in personal communication with Dr. Perkins, who stated that they had, in fact tried all of them without success):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/check-valve.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/check-valve.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, don't overdrill the depth, for the same reason:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/wilmot_deep.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/wilmot_deep.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This shows a nice visual of a taphole and a section of tree above the taphole (taphole damage extends above and below the actual taphole for some distance)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/wilmot_taphole.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/wilmot_taphole.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This image from northernwoodlands.org shows a board with a visible taphole and several visible stains (the tapered dark areas.) You can see that a good deal of new white wood has grown over the two stains to the left of the hole as the tree continued to grow. Even the stain with the hole has been grown over, but it was some years (and tree-growth rings) later than the other two. As a general guide, you never want to tap directly above or below a visible old tap hole.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pYSn4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;taphole in board from northernwoodlands&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-03-09T03:26:54.590" LastActivityDate="2015-03-09T03:26:54.590" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17519" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-08T19:01:49.903" Score="4" ViewCount="149" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a plant (not sure what species) that was badly positioned when it was planted. Because of heavy wind, it is constantly injuring the neighboring pepper tree, and vice versa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1OWF1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is about 50 cm (about 1'8&quot;) tall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I transplant it with a reasonable chance of success?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How would I go about it, how should I dig? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm nervous because I've ruined plants this way before. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastEditorUserId="591" LastEditDate="2015-03-08T22:08:59.163" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T17:12:25.523" Title="Can this plant be transplanted or is it too mature?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17520" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-08T19:11:58.173" Score="7" ViewCount="1716" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several fig trees. Some of them seem to be contracting some sort of illness - leaves dry and fall off completely. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0PojF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This does not seem to weather or water related. Watering them does not help and others that had no water at all are doing great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two trees that had the problem when I moved here last summer have since recovered but now two previously healthy trees have it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this an illness? Should I be worried? Is there anything I can do except wait?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-04-07T18:54:35.653" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T07:40:23.930" Title="Why are the leaves of my fig trees drying and falling off?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17521" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-09T10:48:10.410" Score="2" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am working on a school project and was wondering how fast can I grow lima beans indoor? What would be the minimum and maximum water, light and other nutrition I can expose them too? Do they need to grow aligned and how far apart should I plant them? &#xA;Once the lima beans grow, can I get the immature beans inside the pod and regrow a second generation and so on? How would I do this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10888" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-09T14:28:07.170" LastActivityDate="2015-03-09T14:28:07.170" Title="How do I grow multiple generations of lima beans?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2015-09-14T15:08:48.147" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17491" CreationDate="2015-03-09T12:40:42.933" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to upgrade my earlier comment about improper pollination to an answer just to have it more visibly in the list of possible causes. The plants in your photos look healthy, though they might wind up feeling a bit cramped in those pots. The smallish size of the pots could certainly lead to rapid, wide soil moisture fluctuations and nutrient depletion. So I wouldn't discount previous answers suggesting those causes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But according to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thechilliking.com/chilli-plant-flower-drop/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Chilli King&lt;/a&gt;, lack of pollination &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;...is perhaps the most common cause of flower drop and is particularly prevalent when plants are grown inside or in a greenhouse. In these environments there is often a lack of flies, bees or butterflies to pollinate the plants. A simple and free solution is to do this manually by performing the pollination yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;To pollinate plants by hand simply get a cotton bud or fine paint brush (or a delicate finger tip will do!)  and lightly rub it inside each of the flowers of a plant. Continue to do this once a day for a couple of weeks and you should soon start to see some fruit setting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This mirrors my experience, and two things in your photo support this possibility:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The shaded wall would reduce air flow to some extent.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It looks like the plants are on an elevated balcony in an urban setting. Pollinators are going to be less common to begin with in an urban setting, and less common still at elevation without anything else attractive around. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could do any or all of the following to help improve the probability of good pollination: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hand pollinate as described above. It is easy and I find it to be strangely fulfilling to be doing bee's work for some reason. I look forward to my daily ritual.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Move the plants away from the glass so that they are more exposed to breezes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant bright colored flowers (I use marigolds because they are easy, gaudy, and forgiving) to attract pollinators to the area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-03-09T12:40:42.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17523" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17530" CreationDate="2015-03-09T15:23:02.333" Score="8" ViewCount="8372" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's well known that many tree species can be propagated by taking stem cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also well known that many tree species can grow new stems and leaves after having the trunk cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: can a tree be propagated by cutting a section from the trunk? This would effectively be planting a rootless, leafless cylinder using standard cutting propagation techniques.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand this would have a few challenges - notably, the water absorption challenges of a rootless cutting.  I'm looking for strong documented sources saying it can't be done, or for anecdotal successes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8596" LastActivityDate="2019-07-15T15:57:16.257" Title="Can trees be propagated from cuttings without roots or leaves?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17525" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17523" CreationDate="2015-03-09T18:10:22.307" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apparently this is known as taking &quot;stem cuttings&quot; - the trunk of a tree being a large stem.  An &quot;internodal&quot; cutting would be the best description of a plain cylindrical section bearing no branches or buds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This page has some good insight: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oakleafgardening.com/how-to/get-new-plants-from-your-existing-ones/stem-cuttings/#internodal&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.oakleafgardening.com/how-to/get-new-plants-from-your-existing-ones/stem-cuttings/#internodal&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The source above indicates that it is possible, but requires better conditions than other kinds of cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8596" LastActivityDate="2015-03-09T18:10:22.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17526" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17523" CreationDate="2015-03-09T18:16:47.543" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Root cuttings woulds also technically qualify by the thread title conditions. As would the rather general heading of &quot;cell culture techniques&quot; or &quot;micropropagation&quot; as it's also called.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-03-09T18:36:10.390" LastActivityDate="2015-03-09T18:36:10.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17527" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17502" CreationDate="2015-03-10T09:43:22.590" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Sorry about this, everyone, but a lot of the stuff I said about Kiwano from my personal experience may in fact be wrong, because my Kiwano plants appear to be growing cucumbers. I messaged the person who traded them to me. So, hopefully we'll get this sorted out and find out if it's just a weird Kiwano plant, a rare hybrid, or a full-fledged cucumber. In the meantime, I have verified that cucumber flowers taste like cucumbers, and the leaves are bitter. This may not be true of Kiwano. Kiwano really is supposed to climb, though (I've seen pictures).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're looking to grow food you can eat quickly, you might consider planting some squash, but not just for the fruit. You can eat the leaves, shoots, stems and flowers of most squash, as well as at least some other cucurbits. For instance, Kiwano flowers. Kiwano flowers taste great. They taste like cucumbers. I was glad to find they have much flavor. I think you can cook up Kiwano leaves like spinach (I've heard some people do that in Africa, I think), but having eaten a leaf I grew raw, they may not taste that good raw, and may even be toxic, as they're kind of interestingly bitter. Maybe they have a special way to cook the bitterness out. Some people find raw Kiwano leaves spiny, such as to give splinters, but mine aren't like that at this point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kiwano and cucumbers might be great to grow. If you try some squash leaves/stems/shoots or such and they're bitter, don't eat them, though, as that indicates high levels of cucurbitacins, which are toxic. When the leaves get too old they can be fibrous and difficult to chew up all the way, like large broccoli stems. So, harvest them before they get too old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I get leaves on my squash fine in 20 fl oz cups as containers. So, I imagine you'd get more and bigger ones in one of your containers. As for fruit, I'm not sure how much soil is ideal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chilacayote is a great squash with edible leaves, stems, shoots and such. Just don't eat the seed leaves (they're bitter). The raw regular leaves taste like a mix between spinach and raw green beans. It's said to climb trees and stuff, so you may be able to let it climb a trellis pretty easily. (I'm pretty sure Kiwano climbs more, though.) I'm not sure how much soil you need, but if you're just going for leaves, it shouldn't matter too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One important thing to realize about container gardening is that people tend to prefer bushy plants for it. You can get bushy or shorter varieties. If you want cantaloupe, I hear Minnesota Midget works great in containers. It's not so much the species of plant you should look at as the variety. There are container-worthy varieties of many kinds of plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For tomatoes, most people who grow them in containers tend to get determinate, bushy varieties. However, indeterminate varieties can work if you do things right. I see you have tomatoes already. They look indeterminate. If you want them to be bushier, I recommend cutting the top off each plant. They should grow new branches faster that way. Pruning indeterminate tomatoes can be a great thing for container gardening. If you cut the top off your tomatoes, you may want to give them somewhat less water until they grow new shoots. You can root the prunings for more plants if you like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Speaking of pruning, it can be good to prune Kiwano and cucumbers, too, if they're vining plants. It could possibly be good for squash and melons, generally, too, but I haven't tried it on them, except Kiwano, so far. I have tried it on cucumbers, and it works (you can root the cuttings you prune off, too, of both cucumbers and Kiwano). Cutting the end off my foot or two long Kiwano plant certainly made it branch out. It also made it flower sooner. The plant will probably grow more flowers faster if you remove flowers, too. This can be useful if you eat the flowers. It can be a nice way to get female flowers faster (if you're only getting male ones).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to start cucurbits in-doors before putting them on the balcony, I recommend putting a fluorescent light a few inches from the leaves. They tend to grow large, fast then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would recommend peppers if you're already in the habit of growing tomatoes. Peppers are naturally bushier than tomatoes, and they can fruit well in containers, on probably less soil than tomatoes. You might consider a productive variety. There are loads of extremely productive peppers (such as Aji Limon, AKA Lemon Drop Pepper, Yellow Monster, and many others). Pepper plants can be tall or short. Some peppers tend to get huge, but many are much smaller and still productive. I've heard that some pepper varieties have edible leaves (but not all). Let me know if you find out which ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might consider Ethiopian eggplant. They are ornamental, grow nice fruit, and you can eat the leaves. It's a different species than regular eggplant (I don't know if you can eat the leaves of regular eggplant). Melanzane Rosso Di Rotonda, Burkina Faso, Ruffled Red, and Turkish Orange are some varieties of Ethiopian eggplant. You can find most of them listed amongst the eggplant varieties at rareseeds.com.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully you'll get more answers. Different people like different stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-04-09T09:40:24.457" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T09:40:24.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17519" CreationDate="2015-03-10T14:15:59.313" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure exactly what plant it is, but I'd take an educated guess its one of the Agave or Aloe varieties. I can't tell if its got thorny tips, they seem a bit dehydrated and wilted, but there does appear to be some serration along the edge of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can separate the pup (offset), but in order to do this, you still need to loosen the soil around the mother plant. If you want to try moving the mother plant (you can separate the pup when you do), then take a garden fork, not a spade (though you'll need a spade later), and loosen the soil around the plant, starting a foot or 18 inches away. Insert the fork and gently move it upwards a little, do this all the way round, then go back in where you started and loosen more, continue this all the way round, working gently inwards. If you meet fibrous resistance, it will be quite hard to tell whether its the roots of this plant or the one behind, but eventually, you should be able to tell where one plant's roots are by excavating the loosened soil carefully (with the spade) so you can see what's there. I'd usually get down on my hands and knees and insert my hand close to the plant once you've got to this point, feeling around to try to find any deeper roots which may be coming from the plant, then dig a bit more if necessary to loosen those. If this plant is an agave, it will likely have a large taproot - you must not break this root, and it may go down quite a way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you manage to extract it from the ground more or less intact, then deal with the pup - wiggle it gently from side to side to loosen it slightly - you need to have some roots present on the pup itself, it needs those to keep growing once separated from the mother plant, so if you can't see any roots attached to it anywhere, it's better to replant the mother and pup and wait a bit longer to detach it. When you do detach it, either pot it up so you can give it the necessary tlc (tender loving care) until its big enough to plant out, or, if it has a good root system already, replant in the ground somewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you intend to replant elsewhere, its best to prepare the area you've chosen by digging it over well before starting the process described above - once you've got the plant out, dig a hole in the prepared area that's large enough to accommodate all roots without cramping or bending them, and without the base of the plant's topgrowth being lower or higher in the ground than it was before. Backfill with the soil you excavated, gently press it down all round with your foot, then water in well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-10T17:12:25.523" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T17:12:25.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17530" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17523" CreationDate="2015-03-10T15:52:27.827" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The type of cutting you are talking about is mostly likely called a truncheon. Some trees will grow from this kind of cutting VERY well. Others not so well or not at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A truncheon is &lt;em&gt;usually&lt;/em&gt; a 3 foot long stem or branch as thick as your forearm. You denude the truncheon, then let is season for a day or two in the shade so the ends dry out (necessary to prevent the tree from feeding well from the cut) and plant it upright 2 ft deep so that 1 ft remains above the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best time of year to do this is in the fall. This gives the truncheon a chance to callous and throw roots without trying to push out foliage, and develop some strength during the spring months. This method won't work if you try it in the spring or summer. The truncheon will try, but will ultimately die from heat exhaustion no matter how much water you give it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees that grow well from truncheons are mulberries and locusts (probably other acacia and psuedo-acacia as well).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees that will not make it are the conifers, and the hard hard woods like walnuts and oaks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees in the rose family (apples, pears, peaches, cheeries, etc) can sprout, but I have had inconsistent results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T15:52:27.827" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17531" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17519" CreationDate="2015-03-10T16:00:18.797" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;in addition to the above answer, your best time to transplant is in the fall and winter. If you have to do it now, that will likely be fine, but do it NOW, not in may or june.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T16:00:18.797" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17532" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17508" CreationDate="2015-03-10T16:05:00.937" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although I agree with Shule 100%, calcium is another deficiency that can cause brown leaves...I think yours is potassium deficient as well, but don't forget your calcium as well. It is perhaps the most under-noticed, yet one of the most important nutrients for your plants. Bone meal is one of the sources &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T16:05:00.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17533" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17517" CreationDate="2015-03-10T16:07:57.040" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two years, it needs a growing season to establish, will set leaf buds the first winter and will start setting flower buds the second winter. Sometimes you'll get an early blossom, but you should cut it off early so it doesn't stress (physically or nutritionally) the graft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T16:07:57.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17534" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17523" CreationDate="2015-03-10T16:59:33.473" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although I already answered the question with truncheons, I read the questioner's comment that he wrote later. Since this is for a bonsai starter, a truncheon would not be suitable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you want to do is called &lt;em&gt;layering&lt;/em&gt; in which you cut through the branch or stem almost 90% of the way, insert a pebble into the cut to keep it open. Wrap the entire cutting with seed starter soil and wrap a black plastic bag around that. Keep that moist but not soaking wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T16:59:33.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17535" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-10T18:40:34.007" Score="6" ViewCount="230" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Illinois (Zone 6) where I'm sure the hummingbirds still migrate south to overwinter since they stopped visiting my hummingbird feeder sometime late last fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that spring is here, the temperatures are rising, and it's seeming like there isn't any more chance of sleet/snow, I'm wondering when I should start putting my hummingbird feeder back outside with nectar for them when they return.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know there's no point in putting it out right now, since the temperatures only just started to stay above freezing this week, but are there any signs I can look for to know when hummingbirds will be migrating north again and that it would be good to put the hummingbird feeder back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastActivityDate="2015-03-11T12:02:10.820" Title="How can I predict the best time to put a hummingbird feeder outside in the spring?" Tags="&lt;birds&gt;&lt;hummingbirds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17536" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17502" CreationDate="2015-03-10T19:13:05.627" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Food you like to eat.&lt;/strong&gt; I would never grow peppers - I never eat peppers, I don't like peppers, QED. Many other people like, grow, and eat peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Food that's better grown at home.&lt;/strong&gt; I would not grow sweet corn in a container - it's not a good container choice size-wise, and it's easily and cheaply available from local (and more costly non-local out of season) sources. I rarely bother with giving it garden space, for that matter. &lt;strong&gt;If&lt;/strong&gt; I were more of a sweet corn snob I'd be more interested in giving it garden space so I could boil the water, grab it from the garden and get it in the water (or over steam, actually at my house) in seconds - but I'm not that much of a sweet corn snob and I got tired of fighting the various other things that help themselves to it in my garden, when I can buy it inexpensively and locally grown in season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The locale will naturally change what's locally and cheaply available that is not too degraded by transport to and from market. I grow in containers and in my garden tomatoes, basil, and &quot;pineapple&quot; tomatillos. I like particular varieties that are not commonly or cheaply available here, so they make sense to grow. Without the much greater space of the garden, the ones in containers (only) still would not be much of a contribution to the overall food supply. That is one serious limitation to &quot;a few containers on a balcony&quot; IMHO.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I grow garlic in my garden, but have never considered it for containers, as they probably would not appreciate containers much, since being in the ground here mitigates the freezing. You'd probably have to refrigerate garlic for several months to convince it that winter had happened so it would sprout, in Sri Lanka; or there may be some variant with a low-chilling requirement, I don't know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Various herbs can work well in containers - again, has to be ones you like, which are better fresh to make much sense. Tarragon might be one, though mine is all in the garden and I make do with dried, frozen or pickled in the off-season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T19:13:05.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17537" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17535" CreationDate="2015-03-10T19:21:44.547" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watch your earliest NATIVE blooming plants that are nectar sources for hummingbirds. When they start to bloom, hummers are following right behind...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In central Virginia you keep your eyes open for red buckeye blossoms. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T19:21:44.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17538" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17535" CreationDate="2015-03-10T19:27:28.500" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are willing to commit to throwing away the sugar-water before it turns funky and cleaning the feeder, you can start as early as you like, and be there for them when they show up. But it probably won't be until the flowers start to bloom. If you require enough hummer traffic to move the sugar-solution through to remind you to clean it, wait for the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T19:27:28.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17539" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-10T21:18:08.067" Score="3" ViewCount="179" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had my avocado plant in water for 6 months now on my window sill and it has grown to be about 30cm. However the bottom leaves are hanging and have slight brown spots, the second set of leaves are thinner and slightly curly whilst a third set is currently about to grow out. I assume this is because it is still in water? Will it be able to readjust if I plant it in soil at this point? Be a shame to see it go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10883" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-10T22:24:27.853" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T23:48:02.550" Title="Is it too late to plant my avocado plant in soil?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17540" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17539" CreationDate="2015-03-10T21:53:12.700" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't spend any great deal of effort on these, but one or two have landed where I see them. My impression is that loss of lower leaves could be classed as &quot;perfectly normal&quot;, especially under less than ideal lighting conditions. I've seen exactly one that really amounted to much, and that was a professor's &quot;mild eccentricity&quot; growing in a 30 gallon pot in an office with extensive windows and the university paying for the heat...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I see no reason not to put it in dirt if you want to keep it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T21:53:12.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17541" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17539" CreationDate="2015-03-10T22:23:50.187" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely transition it to soil. Your plant is using up the energy reserves in the large seed. If it runs out, and it doesn't get the proper nutrients, it won't be able to support itself, and it will die. Use a pot that has a diameter not over an inch wider in diameter than the root spread. Use a free draining mix, and keep the plant well watered until it puts out new growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One common thing people do (wrong) when transitioning from all water to soil is placing the container into a bowl (or similar) of water, to keep the mix saturated. Do &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; do that, as it starts anaerobic decomposition of the mix, and is a perfect place for phytophthora to kill off the root system. Keep the mix moist, but not soaking wet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will be a shock to the plant, and it will have to put out a different form of root hairs into the mix, after which new growth should show and you should begin fertilizing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-10T23:48:02.550" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T23:48:02.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17542" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17517" CreationDate="2015-03-10T22:43:17.433" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you splice graft, whip and tongue graft, or bud (or any of the many similar grafts) onto stems that are under 1/2&quot; in diameter, it should produce budwood in 2-3 years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;splice graft:&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/75tt9.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally with a diameter larger than that, at least with apple, you'll be rind grafting or cleft grafting. These will put out lots of growth in the next few years, to rebuild the removed mass, and often don't fruit for 5-7 years. Dwarf trees are always faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;rind graft:&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J1aRM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T22:43:17.433" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17543" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17508" CreationDate="2015-03-10T23:22:24.803" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be too much salt...is there a white coating on top of the soil?  On the outside of the pot?  Are you using tap water to irrigate?  If so, repot this plant in fresh, sterilized potting soil.  Water with distilled water.  I've seen so many plants with leaves like this and all of them were in pots with salt-buildup.  Send a few more pictures...get potting soil that has bacteria and mycorrhizae(sp) included.  No rocks on the bottom below the soil, raise the bottom of the pot so there is air beneath and drainage is optimum.  Water to soak completely and don't water again until the soil is dry or the pot is light.  Blueberries are bog plants and love water but in such an enclosed and limited space never allow the soil to stay wet, or the pot to sit in excess water in the saucer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-03-10T23:22:24.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17544" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17567" CreationDate="2015-03-11T02:13:49.650" Score="7" ViewCount="13927" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a house that came with a rather large (8' x 50') raised (well, raised only 4&quot;) garden bed. It is infested with weeds. Last summer I planted some vegetables in it but spent most of the time pulling out weeds. I dumped a bunch of woodchips over the soil to try to help with managing the weeds, and only spread the parts where I was planting my veggies and then covered up around them when they grew taller. It worked somewhat, but I have much more success keeping my used car tire planters, that have fresh soil, weed free.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming that I am not interested in eating chemicals, what is the best way to move forward? My wife wants me to get rid of the tires since they are an eye sore. Should I remove all the existing soil and get new soil? Or should I get more woodchips? Are there any tricks of the trade here? I'm ok starting with a fresh slate and replanting anew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2824" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-03-11T09:47:58.303" LastActivityDate="2017-01-16T06:31:28.017" Title="Get rid of weeds from my raised garden bed - without pesticides" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17545" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-11T02:42:15.400" Score="8" ViewCount="675" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a large bag of potting soil. When I opened it there was a thin layer of white mold on top.  I used it to re-pot a Peace Lily.  Now I am thinking maybe I should not have used it.  What is the answer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10895" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2018-01-30T03:34:01.687" LastActivityDate="2018-01-30T03:34:01.687" Title="Should I use potting soil with mold to plant a Peace Lily?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17544" CreationDate="2015-03-11T03:11:17.713" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mulch is commonly used to control weeds, as it sounds like you've discovered on your own. Since you have a bad infestation you could use cardboard (or layered newspaper) with wood chips on top to prevent any weeds from seeing the light of day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use cardboard without glossy paint, and be sure to poke some holes in it to allow water to drain through. Spread it out everywhere you don't want to plant veggies and cover with wood chips. This approach will allow the soil to keep &quot;living&quot; (i.e. the bacteria and critters in the soil won't be harmed) because air and water can still reach it. The cardboard will break down fairly quickly (worms love it) so you don't need to worry about having to tear it up if you want to change layouts in a year or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastActivityDate="2015-03-11T03:11:17.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17547" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17545" CreationDate="2015-03-11T03:32:48.100" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's probably not the end of the world. Put plenty of light on your plant (and its soil) and the light should inhibit the mold if it's pathogenic. When the plant is established it shouldn't be a big risk, unless it hardly gets any light, but I've never grown Peace Lillies. I don't think mold in and of itself is usually a big problem, but moldy soil may also have pithium and stuff in it. Maybe not, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-03-11T03:32:48.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17544" CreationDate="2015-03-11T03:38:05.693" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can use black plastic to cover everywhere the plants aren't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people use boiling water to kill weeds and weed seeds (this may kill good bacteria in the soil, too, though, which may be important for your plants, especially cucurbits).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-03-11T03:38:05.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17549" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17555" CreationDate="2015-03-11T04:14:33.517" Score="5" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;I ordered some bare root blackberries for myself and a friend. They left the nursery last Friday, but my friend won't be able to pick them up and plant them until Saturday.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to ensure the plants are still viable on Saturday, presumably 8 or 9 days after they were dug up, or do I even need to worry?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are just the stem and roots; they weren't packed in a growing medium of any kind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastActivityDate="2015-03-11T17:49:57.367" Title="How can I keep bare root blackberries viable for 8 days?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;storage&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17551" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17535" CreationDate="2015-03-11T12:02:10.820" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use a migration map of real sightings:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2015-03-11T12:02:10.820" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17552" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17560" CreationDate="2015-03-11T14:26:26.830" Score="5" ViewCount="1133" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been given this plant. It is in water and has rooted:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XeAYH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's is its name? How should I plant and care for it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7235" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-03-26T18:49:58.400" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T18:49:58.400" Title="What is the name of this plant with arrow shaped leaves and how should I plant and care for it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17553" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17554" CreationDate="2015-03-11T15:06:20.470" Score="6" ViewCount="151" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to learn and compare the different methods to grow trees from seeds. I found a good website (&lt;a href=&quot;http://treegrowing.tcv.org.uk/grow&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://treegrowing.tcv.org.uk/grow&lt;/a&gt;), and one &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.co.uk/Growing-Trees-Seed-Practical-Shrubs/dp/1554073634/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1426081937&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;keywords=grow%20trees%20from%20seed&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;book&lt;/a&gt;, but the latter seems to be good for American species mainly (I live in UK). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could anyone suggest some references?&#xA;I am also very interested in learning and compare the different species of trees and shrubs that can be propagated from cuttings. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A detailed guide on the propagation of trees and shrubs, in general, with all the different ways (water propagation, air layering, from seed with stratification, etc.) would be perfect. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks a lot&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-11T20:20:40.610" LastActivityDate="2015-03-13T05:50:16.107" Title="Growing trees from seed &amp; cuttings" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;resources&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17553" CreationDate="2015-03-11T17:17:50.840" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't beat RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) publications if you're in the UK - there's one called RHS Propagating Plants by Alan Toogood (available on Amazon), also RHS Handbook: Propagation Techniques, again available at Amazon, also available as a Kindle download.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-11T17:52:56.760" LastActivityDate="2015-03-11T17:52:56.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17555" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17549" CreationDate="2015-03-11T17:31:47.963" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually, bare root plants are supplied with wrapped roots - that might be burlap or fabric or some plastic, so hopefully that's what they've done. When you get them, soak the roots in a bucket of water for at least 2 hours, then plant out. If its a good supplier, they may come with instructions, and these often tell you how long to stand them in water for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Sorry, I hadn't quite grasped the situation, I thought you meant you couldn't collect them from wherever they were waiting. As you've got them already, if you mean, by wrapped in plastic, each one is contained within a plastic bag from top to bottom, they should be fine left outside in a shady spot. If only the roots are wrapped, then can you find somewhere to heel them into the ground? That just means digging a bit of a hole and burying the roots in it temporarily until they can be planted permanently -its often done if the weather isn't right for planting when the plants are delivered. Best done in a shady spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-11T17:49:57.367" LastActivityDate="2015-03-11T17:49:57.367" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17545" CreationDate="2015-03-11T17:39:11.223" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mould, or mycorrhizae? Its more likely to have been the latter - mould would look fluffy, whereas mycorrhizae is more root like, on examination. It's likely the compost you bought was made from recycled materials, and mycorrhizal growth is normal - its there to break down any elements within which are still not quite composted, particularly small woody parts. It shouldn't cause trouble in your pot, though I wouldn't deliberately include any I could see - some strains of mycorrhizae are not beneficial to plants, but the vast majority are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-03-11T17:39:11.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17557" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17544" CreationDate="2015-03-11T17:45:39.697" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in precisely which weeds were growing, that is whether they are considered 'pernicious' weeds - plants such as bindweed, marestail (Equisitum), Japanese knotweed, creeping buttercup, docks or brambles (blackberries) and ground elder. These either need special treatment, or cannot be fully eradicated and are a real problem. Any other weeds are usually easily removed by digging out. If you've got any idea what they might be, that information would be useful for a better answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-03-11T17:45:39.697" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17558" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17562" CreationDate="2015-03-12T03:33:02.670" Score="2" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there any other kinds of mildew that affect garden plants besides powdery mildew and downy mildew? If so, what are they?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-03-12T11:33:27.117" Title="What kinds of pathogenic plant mildew are there, besides powdery &amp; downy?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17559" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-12T03:57:26.933" Score="3" ViewCount="1429" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm told by my seed supplier that it's impossible to to put down too much seed when overseeding an existing lawn or seeding a new lawn for the first time.  Assuming the cost of seed is not an issue, is it possible to put down too much seed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9724" LastActivityDate="2015-03-12T22:32:50.017" Title="How much grass seed is too much?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;&lt;yard&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17560" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17552" CreationDate="2015-03-12T10:09:25.743" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the arrowhead plant, The &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syngonium_podophyllum&quot;&gt;Syngonium podophyllum&lt;/a&gt; also mis identified as Nephthytis.&#xA;A member of the aroid family with a range from the southern United States to South America it is also popular as a house plant. It is also considered to be an &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/440&quot;&gt;exotic invasive plant&lt;/a&gt; in Florida.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It tends to sprawl and can root from roots which can grow at every leaf node. When grown indoors it prefers bright filtered sun and soil which is kept moister but with good drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It responds well to pruning. If it gets leggy just cut it back to a leaf node.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pests which can attack it include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;thrip&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mealybug&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;less common, scale&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Several sites refer to all parts of the plant containing oxalic acid and being mildly to severely poisonous if eaten or having skin exposure to crushed stems but I have never had any problems touching it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-03-12T10:09:25.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17561" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17552" CreationDate="2015-03-12T10:45:57.640" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not clear whether you'll be growing this outside (if you live somewhere the temperatures are adequate) or as a houseplant - it's certainly considered a houseplant in the UK. Note that Syngonium is toxic to animals if ingested, in particular, cats and dogs, as well as the warning given in the previous answer regarding possible contact toxicity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-12T11:35:39.977" LastActivityDate="2015-03-12T11:35:39.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17562" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17558" CreationDate="2015-03-12T10:55:17.287" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;None - the names Powdery Mildew and Downy Mildew refer specifically to the symptoms present on the plant. Both are caused by various fungi (meaning several different fungi can cause Downy Mildew, and the same for Powdery Mildew) and each variety of fungi is plant specific, meaning it prefers some plants and not others, so the mildew you see on one particular plant may not be caused by the same fungus as that present on an altogether different variety of plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Powdery mildew tends to occur in dry conditions, Downy Mildew needs damp and usually cool conditions - both forms occur more frequently on plants which are overcrowded (thus with less airflow around them) with low light levels. Both forms of mildew are spread by airborne spores, though Downy Mildew spores prefer damper air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-12T11:33:27.117" LastActivityDate="2015-03-12T11:33:27.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17544" CreationDate="2015-03-12T13:35:06.197" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have a small tiller you can till the soil, this will disrupt any perennial weeds, and you then just mulch with compost and weed regularly as normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally am not a big fan of weeding, those weeds are just as important to the soil as anything else. If they get too tall, I just cut them and lay they down right there where they came from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weeds do not pull as much nutrition from the soil as we've been taught...in addition lets go ahead and pretend they do...where do you think this nutrients go, in the air? Well some might in the form of air blown seeds and pollen, but just as much is deposited into your garden from I outside sources. The nutrients fall right back to the ground they came from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-03-12T13:35:06.197" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17564" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17568" CreationDate="2015-03-12T13:53:48.577" Score="4" ViewCount="2449" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this cactus yesterday. I want to know its name to research how I should take care of it. I'm in a rather cold city (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanjan,_Iran&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Zanjan&lt;/a&gt; in northwestern Iran) with long winters, so I think it's better if I keep it inside. Any advice is much appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7BpMb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Edit:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking through the pictures in Cactiguide.com, I think this is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Consolea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Consolea&lt;/a&gt;. I could be wrong though since I know almost nothing about plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10900" LastEditorUserId="10900" LastEditDate="2015-03-12T15:15:56.347" LastActivityDate="2015-03-13T14:26:42.217" Title="What is this cactus with flat oval pads and very short spines?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17565" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18054" CreationDate="2015-03-12T14:25:33.217" Score="7" ViewCount="227" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have read all the questions to this point in the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/overseeding&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged 'overseeding'&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;overseeding&lt;/a&gt; category. There are questions about if the asker is doing things right, but not about the how. What I'd like to know is: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; the proper way to overseed your lawn? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much seed should you be putting down (ie: x lbs of seed per 1000 square foot or some other measure)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What time of year should we be attempting to overseed? Or is it an &lt;em&gt;anytime&lt;/em&gt; thing?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How often should you attempt to overseed?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I utilize fertilizer while overseeding? If so, what mixture would be best?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I'm not considering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt; To clarify a few needed points at J. Musser's request ...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My location is central Virginia, USA, which means it's in Zone 3 climate wise (I believe) about 300ft above sea level, but not near the coast. Summers are very warm (temps to 100+F) and humid (upwards of 100%). Winters are cold and dry. Time of year was actually in the question ... as to, what time of you &lt;em&gt;should&lt;/em&gt; I be doing, now you could say, considering my climate. Soil conditions are rich without much clay in the top soil (lucky one around here). Soil stays moist. I do have a mole problem at the present, but plan on trying to kill all of the grubs this spring so hopefully they will move on. I don't know what else I can add.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NOTE:&lt;/strong&gt; I realize there is more than one question here, but since they are very much related to a single thing, I've asked here as one question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9728" LastEditorUserId="9728" LastEditDate="2015-03-13T00:42:31.270" LastActivityDate="2015-04-20T03:06:04.760" Title="What is the proper way to overseed your lawn?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17566" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-12T15:58:03.860" Score="6" ViewCount="196" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what this is? and how I can remove it from my yard without hurting my yard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is in Houston Texas, it is found just through-out my yard. It is full sunlight pretty much all day, and it popped up about two weeks ago and it seems to love the rain we have been having lately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RZ5mH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10903" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-12T16:17:29.730" LastActivityDate="2015-03-12T17:24:20.363" Title="What is this weed, and how to remove it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17567" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17544" CreationDate="2015-03-12T15:58:25.480" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;IMPE, the main problem with hand-weeding an 8 foot by 50 foot bed (I did a 5x50 myself once) is that there's way too much in one bed - and the middle is hard to reach. I have re-bedded and shrunk my bed size twice since then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd start with digging 18-24&quot; wide right down the middle, and put in a path there. Now you have two 3 or 3-1/2 foot by 50 foot beds, and you can actually reach the middle of the beds from the paths. Next, divide each 50 foot long bed into 8 to 12 beds - you can just use &quot;lawn edging plastic&quot; if you want to keep the maximum amount of dirt, or you can break it up more with additional cross-paths, or take over more total area but add paths to break it up more but maintain the planting area too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NOW you have beds of a manageable size, 3-1/2 x 8 feet at the biggest, and you can go out and weed ONE of those, &lt;strong&gt;completely&lt;/strong&gt;, in a reasonable time. Just keep doing that. So long as you keep weeding and never leave a bed so long that the weeds can go to seed, this will work. The more you do it, the faster it gets, because there will be fewer and smaller weeds each time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found that I could NOT work a huge bed the same way, precisely because it's huge. Having a defined area with hard edges makes a huge difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also easier to do things like &quot;solarizing&quot; a bed (cover with plastic to cook pernicious weeds) if it's not the whole garden at once.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Car tire planters have the advantage (per my findings) of having limited area. However, if your wife considers them an immutable eyesore, that's clearly not going to fly. I recall people painting them, and cutting one sidewall/bead, then turning the tire inside out, either or both being considered &quot;a appearance improvement&quot; by people offended by black tires with the tread showing. Your wife may not be convinced, but it might be worth a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-03-12T16:08:18.897" LastActivityDate="2015-03-12T16:08:18.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17568" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17564" CreationDate="2015-03-12T16:26:16.207" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Opuntia microdasys, one of a group of tropical plants commonly referred to as Prickly Pear, though they rarely fruit if grown indoors. This particular one also has the common name 'Bunny Ears', well in the UK anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;General care instructions, if you haven't found them already, average warmth from spring to autumn, but keep cool in winter; 50-55 Deg F is ideal, but a temperature as low as 40 deg F occasionally will do no harm. Plenty of fresh air in summer or when temperatures are high enough, so near an open window if you're keeping it inside. Needs the sunniest spot available most of the year, but may need shading from very hot sun in summer. Water thoroughly when the surface of the compost is dry to the touch, but don't leave it standing in water in any outer tray or pot. In late summer, reduce watering a bit and after mid autumn, keep almost dry - just enough water to prevent shrivelling. Start watering normally again as spring arrives. These instructions apply to most desert type cacti, of which this plant is one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-13T14:26:42.217" LastActivityDate="2015-03-13T14:26:42.217" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17569" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17564" CreationDate="2015-03-12T16:45:12.253" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a prickly pear to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-03-12T16:45:12.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17570" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17566" CreationDate="2015-03-12T17:03:42.293" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That my friend is a dandelion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can leave it and mow it and it won't hurt anything. Or you can get a gardening fork and pull them out one at a time, but make sure you get the tap root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are a good first pollen source for bees, they flower even before maple trees do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could also be chicory known as &quot;Texas dandelion&quot; it also happens to be in the dandelion tribe as well and not just a lookalike.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2015-03-12T17:24:20.363" LastActivityDate="2015-03-12T17:24:20.363" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17571" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17559" CreationDate="2015-03-12T22:32:50.017" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure- when you start stacking seed on seed, so some seeds don't have ground contact, it's clearly too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-03-12T22:32:50.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17572" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17573" CreationDate="2015-03-12T22:41:45.030" Score="7" ViewCount="4210" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that this question is very much vegetable-dependent, and I am aware that certain vegetables (as brassicacae in general, and root vegetables as well) do not like manure, others can be grown on a land that has been manured the previous year, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is about the right time to apply manure. I am having 20 kg of well-rotted horse  manure delivered next sunday. I already started some peas, broadbeans, chickpeas, courgette, squashes, cauliflowers, salads and herbs indoors, and I am planning to start hardening them outside during April. For the moment almost everything is in pots or seeding trays. By the end of April I am also planning to start sowing other varieties of courgette, french runner beans, tomatoes (probably in pots) and other herbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my garden I have two big beds, with clayish soil (therefore not draining excellently), but full of compost and organic matter (worms really thrive in it, and I have almost no weeds at all).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) When should I apply the manure to the soil? Is it best to do it now, then leave the soil covered (so that the sun doesn't get in and weeds do not develop, and to protect from weather) until I transplant my vegetable outside (in 1-2 months)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1a) If I am planning to lime the soil before planting, when am I supposed to do it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) When people say manure is well-rotted, does that mean that it has been composted long enough to ensure it is safe to use it straight away in the garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) Should I use some manure also for the soil I am going to use in the pots for tomatoes and some courgettes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;4) Which vegetables among those I have mentioned really could get in trouble because of the presence of manure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks a lot!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastEditorUserId="6795" LastEditDate="2015-03-13T00:51:34.800" LastActivityDate="2015-03-13T17:01:23.147" Title="What is the best time to apply manure to a vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17572" CreationDate="2015-03-13T01:44:17.833" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;1) Lime and manure are best done at different times. Best would have been to do the lime in the fall - putting the lime on NOW would be better than waiting any longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) You simply can't tell what people mean by well-rotted because people are not consistent in their use of the term. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) ...would depend on 2).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Inverse of 4) Squash and tomatoes will both generally be happy to get manure. Squash will hardly care even if it's not very well-rotted at all. Many a happy squash has grown right on a manure pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-03-13T13:55:42.380" LastActivityDate="2015-03-13T13:55:42.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17574" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-13T04:32:36.037" Score="3" ViewCount="43" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lawn and a garden. That's about the extent to my expertise in keeping them tidy and healthy. I have some permanent sprinklers in some areas, but they downright stink, so I'd like to redo my whole property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have several lawned areas as big as 60' x 50' and as small as 20' x 30'. I also have some garden areas with what I hope to be vegetables one day, another with some dense lilac about 10' x 15', another with two large lilac trees, another area that I'd like to fill with flowers that runs the length of my driveway about 5' x 70', and one area with tulips and other bulb plants that gets lots of heat and sun because it's south facing and against the house about 5' x 25'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, I'd like an overview of the main type of permanent sprinklers available and what they are best used for (or designed for) and for extra points which ones I should probably have on my lawn and in my gardens considered by plans and existing plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6937" LastActivityDate="2015-04-07T03:19:25.307" Title="What are the main kinds of permanent sprinklers and what they are best used for?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-04-12T01:24:30.090" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17575" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17553" CreationDate="2015-03-13T05:50:16.107" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I enjoyed Secrets of Plant Propagation: Starting Your Own Flowers, Vegetables, Fruits, Berries, Shrubs, Trees, and Houseplants by Lewis Hill. It is packed pretty densely with images of different propagation tactics for all sorts of plants. May be lacking in some of the more modern techniques but still a great resource that's easy to understand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6882" LastActivityDate="2015-03-13T05:50:16.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17576" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17577" CreationDate="2015-03-13T06:32:46.540" Score="5" ViewCount="391" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/29TyD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;Does anybody know what this is? My colleague photographed it. It seems to be some kind of orchid.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The owner said it was an &quot;umbrella plant.&quot;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5LI9H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jEmrn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flower is in a pot, 30 cm high, flowers about 3 x 2 cm. It's a climber - that's it climbing in the background. The leaves are oval and fleshy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10907" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-03-14T05:20:06.603" LastActivityDate="2015-03-14T05:20:06.603" Title="What is this flower with five mottled green petals that are fused together?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17577" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17576" CreationDate="2015-03-13T14:31:59.697" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The flower is on a plant in the genus Ceropegia. Without seeing a leaf I cannot tell the species.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another species in the genus that is a common house plant is string of hearts or rosary vine, &lt;em&gt;Ceropagia woodii&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9627" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2015-03-13T19:02:18.507" LastActivityDate="2015-03-13T19:02:18.507" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17578" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17572" CreationDate="2015-03-13T17:01:23.147" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a general rule I like to make soil amendments in the fall so they marry over the winter and become more available to the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I however don't often make many amendments to the soil, I usually just mulch with a well rounded 3 year old compost built from principally from tree leaves (I leave my fall leaf drop alone until spring, this allows the leaves to become throughly inoculated with dirt microbes), grass clippings, egg shells, manure and anything else not specifically contra-indicated for composting (tomatoes, fat, etc)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-03-13T17:01:23.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17579" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17580" CreationDate="2015-03-13T18:07:34.993" Score="7" ViewCount="14665" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've been having a yo-yo spring (temperature-wise) here in Central Texas and our Packman Hybrid broccoli, which is in a raised bed and kept under a plastic frame on cold days, just decided to bolt. I'm guessing that when it got warmer yesterday and we failed to remove the cover, it got a bit warm due to the greenhouse effect and decided to flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x15z2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bolted Broccoli&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than cutting off the main head and hoping to get some small side offshoots, is there anything to do? Should we just tear it all out and go ahead and plant something different?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is our first attempt at broccoli... and, honestly, our first serious attempt at vegetable growing. We'd always been concerned about the broccoli bolting so it wasn't unexpected, just want to know where to go from here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10908" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-13T18:49:01.573" LastActivityDate="2020-06-19T16:18:09.637" Title="Can I save this crop of broccoli that bolted early?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;&lt;bolting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17580" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17579" CreationDate="2015-03-13T18:47:57.450" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, that crop is finished. Broccoli doesn't regrow well from an early bolt. It's still edible (if you like the buds that size), so you could still salvage some, but It'd be best to take the plants out now and plant something else. Not another brassica, though, it's good to rotate between vegetable families, to prevent possible pest/disease buildup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This probably is the result of the warmth. Anything irregular causes it to try to set seed (kind of a self-perpetuating mechanism really). They like cool temperatures (55-60 degrees F. is optimum), lots of nitrogen, bright full sun, short days, lots of organic matter, and lots of moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-03-13T18:47:57.450" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17581" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17582" CreationDate="2015-03-14T09:14:08.080" Score="4" ViewCount="115" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to prune lavender for the spring season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today it's a cold and wet day (2 to 7 degrees Celsius and some rainfall, in Europe), the weather forecast says next week will be sunny, but I'll have less time for gardening during the week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my question is this: how much attention should one pay to local temperature and weather conditions when pruning plants. I imagine for &quot;them&quot; this is like surgery and they may be in a better position to recover and thrive if it is performed under mild conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-14T21:21:12.513" LastActivityDate="2015-03-14T21:21:12.513" Title="Should I prune lavender on a cold/wet day in Spring?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17582" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17581" CreationDate="2015-03-14T10:24:35.013" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're going to prune in the cold, then damp is good (it prevents drying). Go ahead and prune the lavender. It won't be harmed by it at all, this time of year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-03-14T10:24:35.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17583" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17586" CreationDate="2015-03-14T14:05:55.370" Score="3" ViewCount="341" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IK0Wx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xas93.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is an approximately 10-year-old specimen of mine. I had a wild guess that it was a Frailea, but having looked at &lt;a href=&quot;http://cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Frailea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;all the recognized species of the genus&lt;/a&gt;, I didn't find any that looks like it. Does anyone have an idea what this might be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; It has bloomed this spring and the ID can be confirmed. It is indeed &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rebutia heliosa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. Thank you!&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aBUHx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9631" LastEditorUserId="9631" LastEditDate="2015-04-29T20:34:45.107" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T20:34:45.107" Title="Cactus Identification: miniature branching species with reddish areolas" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17584" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-14T16:28:58.353" Score="3" ViewCount="190" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just built a fenced in area for a raised bed garden.  There's trees all around it but we trimmed all the trees so the sun can come straight through.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will I still be able to grow a good garden or will the trees take all the moisture from the plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10911" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-14T21:02:58.563" LastActivityDate="2015-03-14T21:02:58.563" Title="Can we grow vegetables in a raised bed surrounded by trees?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17585" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17587" CreationDate="2015-03-14T16:45:15.107" Score="6" ViewCount="5593" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in my second year of trying a vegetable garden, and last year I started planting way too late.  This year, I want to start some plants indoors so that I can transplant them outdoors earlier.  I've saved some styrofoam egg cartons and read a bunch on how to start the seeds in them.  But now I'm reading that a lot of people only start them in egg cartons until they sprout leaves, and then move them to bigger indoor containers before moving them outdoors.  We're getting close to outdoor planting season here. Do I really need to move them multiple times, or can I just start them in the egg cartons and them move them out into the garden?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10912" LastActivityDate="2017-02-11T19:00:36.073" Title="Starting seeds in egg cartons" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17583" CreationDate="2015-03-14T17:04:06.847" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think its Rebutia heliosa, though I've never seen quite such bulbous ends on one, but that may be due to its maturity, or the fact that most of the ones I've seen have several stems in the same pot, so the (comparative) slimness of the bases is not quite so obvious. Worth checking images and comparing though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-03-14T17:04:06.847" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17587" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17585" CreationDate="2015-03-14T17:09:02.020" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, you need to move them into pots before putting outside, and they should be moved once they develop 2-4 sets of true leaves (not counting the first set, the cotyledons) at the latest. The plug of soil in your egg carton won't be big enough for proper root formation, and any plant is only as good as its roots. Move into small pots, grow them on a bit, then harden them off before planting outdoors in your prepared area. It's one of the tedious bits about growing from seed indoors, the need to pot on I'm afraid, and it's not a step you can omit. Starting with larger containers doesn't help for individual seeds, they're better started off in something shallow (your egg boxes or seed trays, peat starters, whatever) then transplanted as seedlings into something larger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending where you are and what vegetables you've chosen, some seeds can be planted straight into the ground a bit later on, into a prepared area with friable soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-14T19:54:28.410" LastActivityDate="2015-03-14T19:54:28.410" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17584" CreationDate="2015-03-14T20:58:13.190" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the area is getting 6 hours or more of continuous direct sunlight (not blocked in any way by trees, buildings, or anything), you will be able to grow just about any vegetable to maturity. More than that will cause even better growth, though; 6 hours is about the minimum for healthy growth in a lot of vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are going to have less sunlight than that, here are some suggested crops, as posted in this thread:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1658/what-vegetables-will-grow-well-in-limited-sunlight&quot;&gt;What vegetables will grow well in limited sunlight?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_leaf_vegetables&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;leafy vegetables&lt;/a&gt; are the most shade tolerant eg:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cabbage&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chard&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kale&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lettuce&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spinach&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And some root vegetables:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beetroot&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Onion (not a true root vegetable, but a bulb vegetable that should do ok! in your situation)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Parsnip&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Radish&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sweet Potato&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Turnip&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cole crops do ok with limited sunlight: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower (limiting sun can even help protect the heads), kale, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Also related are mustards, which can give your salads extra flavor.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The chicory family is another leafy crop that would give you variety: radicchio, endive, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read that thread for more information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the trees taking the moisture, this shouldn't be a problem, as they're in raised beds and will need irrigation in any case. If there are tree roots &lt;em&gt;below&lt;/em&gt; the beds, then nutrient grabbing will be more of an issue than the moisture loss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be sure you fertilize well for a good crop. Ideally, you can find some good compost and fertilize with that. It builds the soil up as it feeds, and everything ends up much healthier that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-03-14T20:58:13.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17590" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-14T23:10:39.983" Score="6" ViewCount="1419" Body="&lt;p&gt;Today I raked my lawn. My intention was to clear some of the &lt;em&gt;Leylandii&lt;/em&gt; debris and brambles, but to my surprise almost all of the 'grass' came away, leaving more or less bare soil. Since it's quite obviously dead - the lawn was left to grow wild all of last summer and then collapse in the winter - I've raked the whole lawn and removed as much as would yield easily, and I'm happy to have gotten rid of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question is, assuming there are living roots in here, will they regrow sufficiently to give me a decent lawn this year, or should I i) seed over it as it is after removing the solitary weeds or ii) rotavate the lot and reseed it completely?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture of the lawn post-raking:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o8NuB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the dead stuff:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GzASo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;edit #1:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is now June. I have so far done nothing apart from give it its first mow yesterday. The plot thickens - I spoke to my neighbour on the subject of grass and he mentioned that when the property was first put up for sale, the owner had it turfed. Expecting a quick sale, maintenance was never arranged, so the fresh turf was never mown, grew through its full lifecycle and died back, leaving the sorry state you see in my first pictures. Evidence of this is that there is in fact no thatch whatsoever and what fresh grass there is, still grows in small tufts with bare soil in between. Areas &lt;em&gt;have&lt;/em&gt; died completely, and the dried-out turf mat is still intact below the trees at the back. What has survived doesn't look of bad quality, and the weeds are much less invasive when cut down to ground level. I'll sort out a picture shortly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bigLQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The lawn in June&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Much better! There are definitely still big bare spots, but what's coming through looks homogeneous and healthy, if sparse; and the weeds can be pulled out one by one as they're easy to get hold of. I think it'll recover nicely this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2881" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-10-06T03:22:32.360" LastActivityDate="2015-10-06T03:22:32.360" Title="Should I overseed this overgrown lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17591" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17590" CreationDate="2015-03-14T23:29:20.113" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure! You can reseed that. Wait till the ground is going to stay drained.Grass will germinate and grow fast in wet conditions, but then if you walk through, or mow, it will lie down and rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because there is loose soil there already, when you're ready to reseed you could simply &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rake over the area briskly to looses the top layer of soil, even it out, and catch a little more debris.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Broadcast the seed. Don't use too much, or the new plants will compete and then stunt and many will die. It's better to be too light than too heavy. The grass will tiller eventually and fill in the bare spots if they're small. Try to get an even coverage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use a leaf rake turned upside down (so it doesn't pull soil along) and go over the area again. Basically, you're trying to mix the seeds in the top layer of loose soil, without redistributing them in a bad way.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A light covering of straw (or rollout straw mat) is useful to keep the seed in place during rain, and to protect the young emerging plants. It can also help retain moisture. Make sure you don't completely block the light with it. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water it well. water deeply, and avoid runoff. Keep it moist until there is a good covering of green. Then let it dry out in between waterings. If it rains, no need to water on top of that.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can mow it low the first time, once the blades get over 3&quot; long. After that, mow higher, as you would a mature lawn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer, weed control, and pest management are optional, and you can perform these any time after the first mowing, if you wish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-03-14T23:29:20.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17592" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17594" CreationDate="2015-03-15T05:53:48.277" Score="4" ViewCount="229" Body="&lt;p&gt;Should one (occasionally) clean pruning shears with hot water, alcohol, or similar?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am imagining pruning is a bit like &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfBVpfXRGVE&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;plant surgery&lt;/a&gt; (see also &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/17581/should-i-prune-lavender-on-a-cold-wet-day-in-spring&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;), so precautions similar to regular surgery may apply in principle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the time being I am just wiping mine clean after use, and the same tools serve e.g. for pruning both lavender and vines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-03-17T22:38:15.460" Title="Should I clean pruning shears with hot water, alcohol, or similar?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17593" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17595" CreationDate="2015-03-15T09:07:54.707" Score="5" ViewCount="3899" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a nice good-size bird's nest fern in the garden, inherited from the previous occupants. The problem is that there is a lime tree growing in the middle of the fern, and both the lime tree and the fern are too close to the other plants around it, limiting their growth and growing through these plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to saw off the lime tree and replant the fern elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Considering that there is a tree with a root system growing through it, I hope I can saw off the fern at ground level. (Don't see other options)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since it's normally an epiphyte, I'm hoping that it will survive this if it's watered well at its new location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do these ferns create a deep root system when grown in soil, and would it survive having its roots below its &quot;nest&quot; cut off?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Note: the location has a tropical rain forest climate - it's in Singapore next to a forest&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F7SRS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7232" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T03:25:22.843" Title="Are bird's nest ferns deeply rooted?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17592" CreationDate="2015-03-15T10:32:12.093" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, this is a good practice. Candidates for cleaning include secateurs, hedge shears, grafting knives and anything that contacts plant tissue.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A quick dip in alcohol followed by a wipe down should go a long way to remove any plant material that has pathogens in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, as much as it is good advice, I rarely do this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;alcohol can rust steel and must be cleaned off promptly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if I have a plant that is diseased I pull it rather than try to salvage it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-03-15T10:32:12.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17595" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17593" CreationDate="2015-03-15T10:59:11.823" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Given that most of the fern's rootball appears to be sitting well above soil level, I'd attempt to dig it out. You don't want the lime tree, so if you destroy some of its roots in the process, it doesn't matter. Keeping some of the roots on the fern will give it the best chance to settle in somewhere else, preferably somewhere it gets no sun in the middle of day - its looking somewhat pale, which might be over exposure to strong sunlight. When you replant, bury the rootball properly, if what's sticking up above ground is the rootball and not the crown of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-15T12:22:19.527" LastActivityDate="2015-03-15T12:22:19.527" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17596" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2015-03-15T10:59:25.137" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2015-03-15T10:59:25.137" LastActivityDate="2015-03-15T10:59:25.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17597" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2015-03-15T10:59:25.137" Score="0" Body="Questions about plants that are native to / endemic in tropical countries, or about tropical environments, whether naturally or artificially (greenhouse)." OwnerUserId="7232" LastEditorUserId="7232" LastEditDate="2015-03-15T13:56:15.703" LastActivityDate="2015-03-15T13:56:15.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17590" CreationDate="2015-03-15T11:07:11.423" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Short answer, no, because that looks like a typical neglected UK garden to me, seen plenty like this in my time ... though I could be wrong!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming it is a UK garden, the procedures required are somewhat different from that already recommended in another answer. If your 'lawn' has had no attention for over a year, including not being cut, that's why it looks so bad. It is &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; dead though - it's still showing some green in some places - you've scraped off a lot of debris, and lawns always look like this when you've scarified, not to mention if they weren't cut at all for a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't really tell how level the area is, or whether the lawn has lots of dips and hollows and bumps - if its regular all over, without dips and hollows, cut it with a mower, now. Re-scarify quite hard, then go over with the mower again. Aerate it by sticking a garden fork in about every 9 inches or so, pressing the fork down to about half the depth of the tines. After that, it'll look even worse, but just wait and see what happens - I'm willing to bet most of it will start growing again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding bare patches, you can't really broadcast seed and expect it to grow - it won't, you need a friable surface at least an inch, preferably two, deep to sow the seed into. It will be very difficult to tell at this stage, but if you can see any obvious completely bare patches, rake (with an ordinary rake, not a lawn rake) them up and get a tilth on them, then patch sow there. You may find, when you rake it hard in one area, that's its very 'rooty' - which means the grass may still be viable. If you do sow seed, you must not use any lawn treatments for at least 6 weeks, some products say 3 months - if you don't sow any seed, feed with a lawn fertiliser at the end of March or beginning of April if what's there shows growth. On balance, I'd recommend no seed - carry out what I've already said, and then, if you need to re-sow bald patches, do that 6 weeks after you've fed the whole thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, on the other hand, the soil is lumpy and bumpy, or close inspection reveals more than half of it has weeds growing, I'd remove what's there, prepare thoroughly by digging out weeds and turning it all over, level, walk all over it on your heels to remove soft spots, level again and lay new turf. You could do this preparation and seed the whole thing instead - but if you do that, you won't be able to use it normally for 3 months (walking over it frequently, sitting on it, your child playing on it), and it will need cutting with hand shears for the first and second cuts - mowers pull it out by the roots until its got going properly. If you have a good hover mower, you can use that for the first and second cuts, they don't uproot the seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever you choose to do to create a lawn, you will need to tend it regularly - mowing when it needs it (when it gets a bit shaggy looking, 6 or so inches long) and lawn-raking off any debris as soon as it accumulates, particularly in autumn, as a minimum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-15T12:26:08.423" LastActivityDate="2015-03-15T12:26:08.423" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17599" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17602" CreationDate="2015-03-15T12:46:46.657" Score="4" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are renting a flat with a nice garden in Leeds UK. It has a nice garden in the back yard and when we moved in in July 2014 there were 4 healthy ferns pleasing my eye.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, with winter having passed, they all seem to be dead and I do not know when exactly that happen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried to search google for clues about why this might happen, but could not find anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could anyone tell me if this is a normal thing or not (are ferns supposed to not survive English winter?). Could it be a disease?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no idea as to what kind of ferns they are, but maybe this picture would clarify this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SzWnh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;one of the ferns&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10916" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-15T15:37:00.830" LastActivityDate="2015-03-15T15:37:00.830" Title="Ferns have not survived winter, what might be the case?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;&lt;winter&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17601" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17585" CreationDate="2015-03-15T13:54:20.177" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like what @Bamboo has said.  Good information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would add that the goal here is to create a healthy plant with a well established root structure and leaves.  I exclusively use soil blocks for seed starting now.  I've done the plastic tray inserts, the yogurt cups, egg cartons, newspaper pots, etc.  Those all work well enough.  The plants - and you can see this directly with soil blocks because there's no  container to block your view - push out roots quite readily once they start growing and the roots seek out moisture and nutrients.  If they don't get those things, the seedlings fail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I start all my seeds (that are not direct-seeded into the garden later) in either 3/4&quot; or 2&quot; blocks.  The 3/4&quot; blocks are moved into 2&quot; blocks and the 2&quot; blocks are moved into 3&quot; pots - I just bought an entire sleeve of these, but I've also used those red plastic &quot;Solo&quot; cups too quite effectively - and the 3&quot; pot is my &quot;transition&quot; pot for most everything I grow with the exception of tomatoes and peppers.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That time in the 3&quot; pot gives the plants considerable space for further root growth before being put into the garden.  It also gives me a bit of time to get the garden prepped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two things about transitioning plants outdoors - the &quot;hardening off&quot; period is really helpful in getting them accustomed to the temperature and the wind.  I was skeptical early on that this was really necessary but I've seen much better results when easing them out into the outside world.  Another thing is being mindful of the &quot;last frost date&quot; - better established plants can survive a light frost that sneaks up late in the season.  Smaller, less established ones can be killed.  It will depend upon the plant type, of course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; try your hand at a cold frame with some percentage of those seedlings and see how that goes.  As long as you actively manage the heat and the wind (and keep them watered, of course) you might have some luck.  I like to experiment a bit so that sort of things is something &lt;em&gt;I&lt;/em&gt; would personally try just to see what happens.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="259" LastActivityDate="2015-03-15T13:54:20.177" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17599" CreationDate="2015-03-15T15:36:35.810" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll guess that the ferns have gone dormant for the winter, as many do, and that they will return when the weather warms up. This is normal, and nothing to worry about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-03-15T15:36:35.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17603" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-15T21:26:22.557" Score="3" ViewCount="5227" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the San Francisco Bay area of California. My avocado tree is about 50 years old. It has produced for about 35 years, some years better than others. In our area we are experiencing our fourth year of drought. My avocado tree is slowly losing its canopy. For the last couple of years it has dropped excessive leaves and some new growth just dies back. I really don't water since it's so large I don't know where to start. We did change around the base of the tree a couple years ago by covering the area around the entire tree with large river rock, just for aesthetics. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any suggestions as to my problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10918" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-16T14:22:15.970" LastActivityDate="2016-07-11T23:18:38.107" Title="Why is my avocado tree dying and how can I reverse it?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17604" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-15T22:17:10.707" Score="1" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is anyone aware/use a well built Android app that identifies plants that grow in my area based upon GPS?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7044" LastActivityDate="2015-03-15T22:17:10.707" Title="Android Plant App for garden plants and trees" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2015-03-16T05:42:29.120" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17605" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17606" CreationDate="2015-03-16T09:32:49.723" Score="7" ViewCount="4799" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this astonishing, climbing plant months ago, but I wasn't able to identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R3uqV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10920" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-16T14:20:56.273" LastActivityDate="2015-11-03T13:17:50.697" Title="What is this climbing plant with blue flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17606" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17605" CreationDate="2015-03-16T10:47:43.597" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clitoria_ternatea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;clitoria ternata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. The wiki page says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Clitoria ternatea, common names including &lt;em&gt;butterfly pea, blue pea, Cordofan pea&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Asian pigeonwings&lt;/em&gt;, is a plant species belonging to the Fabaceae family. The flowers of this vine have the shape of human female genitals, hence the Latin name of the genus &quot;Clitoria&quot;, from &quot;clitoris&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3ytTz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image pulled from fleur-des-tropiques.com&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9728" LastActivityDate="2015-03-16T10:47:43.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17608" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7217" CreationDate="2015-03-16T17:40:08.513" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Calcium deficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to the answer about chlorosis being like anemia, that's really not as far off as it may sound since anemia is in essence a shortage of Iron. An iron deficiency can be the root cause of multiple nutrient deficiencies, even when those nutrients are in the soil and available to the plants. Iron is what allows a plant to absorb many of those other nutrients. If there is not enough iron in your soil, an addition of chilated iron to the soil can help the plants uptake the other nutrients the plant may be deficient in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This isn't usually the case for plants growing directly in the ground, as there is usually plenty of free and available iron in &lt;em&gt;top soil&lt;/em&gt; so long as the pH isn't too high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since this is not a potted plant it is perhaps not worth getting the soil analysed, but if you do, then don't ignore values for Iron or Calcium. If you need more iron, this is introduced in the form of chilated iron. Tossing iron shavings into the soil won't do diddly squat in the short-term.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like to say that Calcium is perhaps one of the most valuable yet overlooked nutrient, and I have to say that Iron is too, however in most circumstances you don't have to worry about iron deficiencies unless you are doing hydroponics or constantly reusing potting soil without refreshing the organic nutritive content from time to time. You can do that best by tossing your potting soil in the compost heap. Calcium on the otherhand is consumed by the plant and then reaped when you pick your fruit and veg. A lot of calcium goes into those fruits and veg you eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2015-03-16T20:11:32.510" LastActivityDate="2015-03-16T20:11:32.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17585" CreationDate="2015-03-16T17:46:38.967" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to the great advice above, if you have the opportunity to use cellulose based egg containers, then that would be better because you can plant those directly just like peat pots. The roots can grow right through the softened cellulose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like to use peat pots myself, they are a minor expense, and you can make your own from compost, or newspaper, etc. if you buy yourself a press.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-03-16T17:46:38.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17610" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17603" CreationDate="2015-03-16T20:26:05.570" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Avocados need a lot of water. The soil the tree is in should always be moist, not damp but it should always be &lt;em&gt;moist&lt;/em&gt;. Are you letting the tree try to fruit? During draught it may be a good idea to nip the buds before it tries to put water in the fruit. If more drastic measures are required and if you really cannot water (and you need a lot of water to feed ANY tree, let alone an avocado) is to perhaps prune back the tree so the tree itself needs less water. This will allow the existing root system to feed less tree. It may look ugly at first, but it can save the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water down some white latex paint (make sure it doesn't have fungicides and algaecides in it), and paint the tops of the branches that are newly exposed to direct sunlight, this will prevent them from getting sun burned and will also reflect some of the heat away that is burning the water out of the tree that isn't already being used for respiration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are going to do this, now is the proper time to prune an avocado anyway. Jan - April.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't rush into this...do some local reasearch and ask avocado growers near YOU what they are doing to keep their trees alive. What to do in san deigo is not necessarily what to do in San Francisco .&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2015-03-17T00:50:48.580" LastActivityDate="2015-03-17T00:50:48.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17611" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-16T20:49:18.163" Score="5" ViewCount="331" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to give beneficial insects the best possible opportunity to survive the winter in my yard. For the past several years, I've been leaving most of my perennials stand over winter and clean them up in the spring. I'd like to clean the dead plant material up as the new growth is starting in my yard, so the beds look nice in the spring, however it is usually cold enough yet in my climate when that happens that we aren't seeing many insects yet. My solution for the past few years has been to cut back the old growth and leave what I cut in loose piles in a corner of the yard, hoping that will give the insects a chance to emerge.  I've seen advice to look for signs of overwintering insects to judge whether you're cleaning up too early, but I've never actually found any. I'm still worried, though, that I'm giving the insects a place to overwinter only to kill them in the spring by cleaning up too early.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to balance out yard cleanup with insect preservation? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-03-19T14:58:21.333" Title="Spring Cleanup: How to preserve beneficial insects" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17612" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17611" CreationDate="2015-03-16T22:30:13.423" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;For some of my garden beds I dump shredded leaves on them, sometimes as much as four inches thick.  It does look messy in spring but by the time the worms and other digesters get to work by June there is not much left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My suggestion is to leave piles of plant debris in the fall as shelters for insects but mix them with mulch and soil so they will decompose without further action on your part. Shredding and mixing them will speed decomposition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get the most out of preparing your garden for winter consider this practice:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leave perennials with rigid stems (like native prairie plants) &quot;as-is&quot;, do not cut them down.  Deadhead them if they are enthusiastic seeders) When it is a year with snow the stems will cause snow to collect in the area and might provide shelter under the snow and snacking material for small mammals (if you want to encourage all visitors to your garden)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;for perennials and annuals and anything else that you do cut down&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;deadhead them&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;chop them up using a leaf shredder/blower&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mix with soil or mulch to encourage the breakdown of woody material&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;then top dress your beds with this mix.  It will act as a mulch and provide hiding spots. Healthy soil will have lots of agents of decomposition like worms who will act in the spring to break down the clippings.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A biologist could confirm this but when small insects &quot;bed&quot; down for the season they do so in the ground or around the base of the plant.  Cutting some plants down does not affect the ones seeking shelter unless they are living inside the plants like galls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For spring cleanup I recommend composting everything so you can apply it in the fall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The secret is to shred the material fine enough so it breaks down and does not look like straw.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nothing more satisfying than sitting watching your garden and knowing natural actions are improving the soil and ecology while you watch...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-03-19T14:58:21.333" LastActivityDate="2015-03-19T14:58:21.333" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17613" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-17T02:28:07.213" Score="4" ViewCount="701" Body="&lt;p&gt;We moved in to a house with bushes trimmed neatly, but well over the sidewalk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I trim this back all at once, or over a long period of time (months? Years?)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We are in southeast Michigan, and will have several frosts before spring really hits. When do I prune these?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The branching inside appears to be fairly well filled in with thin branches. I'm guessing a hedge trimmer will be fine, cutting everything back. If not, how should I prune them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TYsB4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;several bushes overgrowing sidewalk&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;May help identify this bush:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3fMFJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of one section of needles for plant identification&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Interior of bush showing branching and how far over the sidewalk it has grown:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pclu4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;interior of bush showing branching structure&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4643" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-17T17:03:13.040" LastActivityDate="2015-03-17T20:58:26.917" Title="When and how do I trim these bushes?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17614" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17618" CreationDate="2015-03-17T10:36:47.403" Score="3" ViewCount="30" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am thinking of planting &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagetes_tenuifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;tagetes tenuifolia&lt;/a&gt; to partly cover the ground between grapevines and ribes. Those stand in relatively large (approx. 10 x 0.75 m and 3 x 2 m respectively) and otherwise bare beds. I'd like to add some more color to the mix, if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is is this an advisable idea, and what other (pretty) plants could serve for the same purpose? (This is for a location in Central Europe. The grapes will be consumed, but their quantity is of no great concern. There are already some roses in between the vines.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastActivityDate="2015-03-17T15:55:33.880" Title="Can I plant tagetes tenuifolia between grapevines and ribes?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17615" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17616" CreationDate="2015-03-17T12:56:19.350" Score="4" ViewCount="389" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can I just sow them in a bigger pot, then ultimately transplant them outside?&#xA;What are the pros and the cons?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-03-17T19:20:38.350" LastActivityDate="2015-03-17T19:20:38.350" Title="Why is it best to start seeds in shallow trays?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;sowing&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17615" CreationDate="2015-03-17T13:54:29.223" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends on the plant and the size of the seeds. With smaller seeds started off inside, it's best to broadcast them across a shallow tray with seed compost in it, because all you're doing is getting them to germinate and, once they've got 2 sets of leaves, pricking them out into small pots in ordinary potting compost individually, letting them develop good roots, then either potting up again or planting outside. If you broadcast seeds across a deep container, you can't get so many in because the top of the pot is narrow compared to a tray, and you really don't need that depth of seed/cutting compost. Without pricking them out into separate containers, you'd also end up with a clump of several plants all competing with each other in the same space, and the bigger they grow, the harder it would be to separate them. The seed starting compost also doesn't contain the nutrients that an ordinary potting compost does.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they're large seeds, (runner beans, for instance, though these can be planted straight outside a bit later on), you'd need a deeper container because each one can be planted individually and will put out a pretty long root as it starts to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-03-17T13:54:29.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17617" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17613" CreationDate="2015-03-17T15:49:14.793" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are Yew. If you cut them back drastically, it will take a long time before new foliage fills in the voids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on their size, I'd say they were planted way too close to the sidewalk. If you feel up to it, I personally would move them back 1 or 2 ft. Otherwise I think you will want to trim them back a little at a time over the next few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-03-17T15:49:14.793" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17618" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17614" CreationDate="2015-03-17T15:55:33.880" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't see anything wrong with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of ribes? I used to grow a few different gooseberries and currents in the Midwest of the USA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-03-17T15:55:33.880" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17619" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17613" CreationDate="2015-03-17T17:02:48.203" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are &lt;em&gt;Taxus&lt;/em&gt;, or yew. Which means you're in luck! That's because &lt;em&gt;Taxus&lt;/em&gt; are one of the few conifers that can regrow from &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventitiousness&quot;&gt;adventitious buds&lt;/a&gt; on old wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This means that you can cut them back hard (which destroyed most conifers), and they will grow out again. Take it back as far as you need, but go back to a live branchlet where possible, so not leaving a bare stub. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will look rough for the first couple years, but you can start reshaping even after one season's regrowth, so the second year won't look too dreadful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While you're at it, you could clear out the twiggy dead stuff in the center. That'll let in even more light, which will help the new growth sprout out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wish, you can do this over 2-3 years, taking back a few stems each time. This looks a little ragged during the process, but it lets in light and starts the adventitious buds growing, so that when the bush is finally cut back, there will already be green growth in there. Or you can do it all in one year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-03-17T17:02:48.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17620" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17613" CreationDate="2015-03-17T20:52:04.537" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Note that those are well-shaped, in that they are wider are the bottom and narrower at the top. People often make the mistake of trying to make them vertical, which leads to the bottom dying away since it gets very little light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on your level of urgency, rather than moving them (which is fine if you feel urgent, and lots of labor), I'd go with cutting them back firmly, but not too terribly hard, year after year as tending to look better than just whacking them all the way back in one go, but not involving a lot of hard labor. Leave some green, but not a lot, and maintain the correct shape. As you open up the dead(-looking) brown parts they will sprout new green growth, and you'll be able to cut back a bit more the next year. Most of the brown parts are alive, supporting the green at the outer edge, but not green themselves as they are shaded out by the outer greenery - as they get more light, they green up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I butchered the heck out of one, once. It did come back. It took quite a while. Its neighbors I did not hit quite so hard, and they looked a lot better, a lot faster, heading for the same shape from the same overgrown condition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-03-17T20:58:26.917" LastActivityDate="2015-03-17T20:58:26.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17621" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17592" CreationDate="2015-03-17T22:38:15.460" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I keep a bottle of alcohol in my pruning gear along with silicon spray and files.  Clean your pruners between each and every plant.  If you've ever killed plants by passing on diseases you'll understand.  Some plants have diseases that aren't apparent because of their vigor, genetics or beneficials preventing the disease from causing harm.  But easy to pass on disease to other plants not so lucky. I learned the hard way.  Great that you asked this question!!  Also, don't use anvil pruners, use bypass.  Felco is my favorite as you are able to purchase new blades and keep these guys forever.  Learn to sharpen.  Alcohol will not hurt your pruners if you use oil/silicon to clean/sharpen.  Keep the main blade of bypass pruners/shears on the inside, closest to the plant...good job!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-03-17T22:38:15.460" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17622" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17590" CreationDate="2015-03-17T23:02:19.597" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hate to be the bearer of bad news.  The soil is too high on the fence.  No soil should be within 2-4&quot; of the bottom.  It is too bumpy as well.  I'd get a sod cutter and cut that sod out of there completely...there is way too much organic debris(matted roots) to grow a healthy lawn right now.  Get the sod removed (save it for plant beds!!), rebuild the fence or make sure that the soil is below the bottom rail, grade so that you know where you want that water to go...another good question is shade.  If there is a lot of shade then rethink lawn and go with granulithics or crushed gravel (smaller than 5/8-) at least 4&quot; thick placed on top of landscape fabric. Make sure you dig down enough so that the top of the gravel is below the elevation of that fence's bottom rail.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you choose to go with lawn, again: Grade, roll!!, seed and fertilize with starter fertilizer (go light) or better yet, get fresh sod. Never spread seed or fertilizer by hand. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mow once per week MINIMUM.  Keep the height of the grass at 3&quot;.  Keep your mower blades sharp. Water deeply and allow to dry out before watering again.  Get to know this beast called 'a lawn'...oh!  Use organic, extended release fertilizers and aerate by pulling soil plugs out of the lawn and leaving them there to disintegrate.  Look up all the lawn stuff on this site.  You'll be successful...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-03-17T23:02:19.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17623" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17626" CreationDate="2015-03-18T01:12:32.873" Score="6" ViewCount="8824" Body="&lt;p&gt;This vine grows in many locations in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newark,_New_York&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;village of Newark, NY&lt;/a&gt;; oddly, I've never noticed it anywhere else (perhaps a specialty of a local nursery?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a deciduous perennial with relatively-small white flowers.  The vines themselves do overwinter (in Zone 6A), so it spreads with an almost &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudzu&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;kudzu&lt;/a&gt;-like vigor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dv6NJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Porch overgrown by vine with large heart-shaped leaves&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cs2sA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery vine with large heart-shaped leaves&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bg50J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;House overgrown by vine with large heart-shaped leaves&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pVXwx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Column next to vine with large heart-shaped leaves&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10928" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T02:46:12.440" Title="What is this vine with large heart-shaped leaves found in western New York state?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17624" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4940" CreationDate="2015-03-18T01:51:06.417" Score="-4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The reason why trees are painted with white at the bottom is to prevent cracks, and if the bark of trees fell down there is a possibility of them getting infected with a virus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10929" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-18T03:39:45.393" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T03:39:45.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17626" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17623" CreationDate="2015-03-18T03:31:12.093" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like Dutchman's Pipe, AKA Pipevine, or Aristolochia macrophylla.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See the picture at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.99roots.com/en/plants/dutchman-s-pipe-p32541&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I could be wrong, especially as I don't know that this comes with white flowers in any variety (I could be wrong), but it looks the same. It's vigorous and can handle that zone and colder (to hardiness zone 4).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-03-18T03:44:31.740" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T03:44:31.740" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17627" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-18T08:25:35.097" Score="6" ViewCount="8091" Body="&lt;p&gt;(Just to be clear, I'm Australian and not entirely sure if that is what everyone calls them, so here is a picture for reference.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GfKjY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;prickly seed&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l7jqS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;prickly plant&quot;&gt; (The one on the left in the second picture.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My mum loves ducks and she walled off a section of our backyard just for them. The issue is that over time they ate/killed all the grass. So now their is a thick layer of prickles (about 4-5 mm) covering the entire duck-pen and I want them gone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The issue is we can't move the ducks somewhere else while we are spraying the prickles. My first and only idea is to just salt the entire area. The issue with this being that &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The ducks will turn the entire area into a slosh pit &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I don't know the long term effects of something like that.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is just salting everything the best idea or is their a better solution that me with my lack of gardening knowledge is unaware of?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10932" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-01-13T16:55:21.670" LastActivityDate="2019-01-13T16:55:21.670" Title="I need to remove a ton of prickles" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="17628" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17629" CreationDate="2015-03-18T08:36:52.133" Score="5" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;I understand the value of vermiculture, and grew up with a wormbox on the back patio that made beautiful castings. What I don't understand is the purpose of the bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I kept a heap of worm-friendly scraps, mixed with some dirt and kept moist, and covered with a layer of dirt to keep pests away, wouldn't that accomplish basically the same thing as a worm bin?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In other words, wouldn't a poorly run compost heap that doesn't get hot basically turn into a worm heap anyway, no need for a bin?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I feel like I might be missing something important, but a heap is a lot cheaper and simpler than a bin, and wouldn't dry out as quickly or have as much susceptibility to temperature swings, and wouldn't rot and need replacing every few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10887" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T09:06:43.533" Title="Why build a worm bin? Why can't you have a worm heap?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17628" CreationDate="2015-03-18T09:06:43.533" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basically you are right. The processes in a compost heap are a bit more complex than in a worm bin, because worms should be a part of a (only warm, not hot) compost heap among other, way smaller microorganisms. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main advantages of worm bins are that they are way smaller and fit easily even on a balcony and that the worms inside (and you have a much larger worms to organic matter ratio) are better protected. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not underestimate the number of predators that would love to snack on your precious worms, though. I've watched backbirds in my backyard dig fist-sized and larger holes in loose material on our compost heap and depending on the wildlife in your area you might be surprised who stops by. A badger won't hesitate turning your heap upside down, but there are a few smaller wormlovers like moles that shouldn't be overlooked either. Of course a reasonably stable worm poplation in your compost will recover and if your compost sits on bare soil, it will &quot;fill up&quot; again from below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T09:06:43.533" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17630" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17631" CreationDate="2015-03-18T12:15:09.453" Score="4" ViewCount="4098" Body="&lt;p&gt;I left my home for 11 days and told someone else to water my Peace Lily but she forgot. When I returned the plant looked dead, lying flat and hanging around the pot. I have watered it and cut some yellow leaves, and in two to three days most of the leaves stood upright again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yet the stems of some of the bigger ones have bent so much that they are not uniformly bent but they fold on one point that is darker and seems to be damaged (see pic):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i8R9S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shall I cut it or is there still any chance that it will regenerate? And if have to cut it, should I do it just below the bend?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10933" LastEditorUserId="10933" LastEditDate="2015-03-19T11:42:33.040" LastActivityDate="2015-03-19T11:42:33.040" Title="Should I cut off severely bent stems (folded on darker line or spot) on my Peace Lily?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17631" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17630" CreationDate="2015-03-18T12:40:21.977" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Snip the unrecovered, bent stems out as close to the base of the plant, just above the soil level, as you can get without damaging any of the other stems. Keep it fed and watered and it should produce new growth without any problem. And maybe get someone else to look after your plant when you're next away from home!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T12:40:21.977" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17632" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17627" CreationDate="2015-03-18T13:16:28.123" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Khaki weed then, a proverbial pain. It has a perennial tap root system and annual topgrowth, and will have been present in the grass already - once the ducks got rid of the grass, the weed took over. As your winter approaches, the topgrowth will now die back. You need to relocate your ducks, or at least free them from the enclosure so they can move around elsewhere, because the only option you've got is to cultivate and recultivate a few times, attempting to remove as much root, including the tap root, as possible, in particular before flowers form, then relay turf or other pasture crops to restrain the weed. Burn anything you dig up, don't drop pieces on new ground. Obviously, if you lay turf and then put the ducks back in the enclosed space so they can't move around elsewhere, I imagine they'll do exactly what they did this time - destroy the grass and the Khaki weed will take over. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some chemicals you can use if these are available to non agricultural users where you are - dicamba, amitrole, picloram applied before the plant flowers, bromacil for residual effect. None kills the plant completely, they only control; the first two are mildly toxic and picloram is more toxic for ducks. Bromacil 800 will prevent you from replanting the area as it persists in the soil for some years and is also somewhat toxic to ducks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not salt the area - it probably won't finish off the khaki weed for good, but it will be a high toxic risk to your ducks and other microbial life forms present in the soil, meaning nothing else will grow there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that the seeds shown on the tyre in the picture, if they're your tyres, are viable and will grow into new plants wherever they touch ground, so clearing away any seeds like this anywhere on your property is a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-18T13:40:54.590" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T13:40:54.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17627" CreationDate="2015-03-18T13:26:33.960" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd give a weed burner or torch a try. Probably &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; a &quot;permanent from one application&quot; solution, but it should burn up the seeds, wilt the foliage, and not harm the ducks if they have enough brains in their little heads to stay out of the flame (if not, you'll have to herd them away while you do each section) and it won't leave anything nasty behind for them to get sick from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Repeat as needed before seeds form again, or more often to weaken the plant more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on what area you have available, one solution to &quot;the ducks killing everything&quot; (or everything except this noxious weed) is to divide it up into a number of sections, so that each section can be grazed for a while and regrow for a longer while as the ducks are rotated through.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-03-18T16:15:28.013" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T16:15:28.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17634" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17635" CreationDate="2015-03-18T13:49:33.563" Score="2" ViewCount="3497" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is early spring in my region, around the usual time of last frost dates. Tulips and daffodils will soon blossom. Yesterday an old lady spent time in the garden and mentioned she thought the weather was dry and that the (very nice) flowers should perhaps be watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This came as a surprise to me. I would not normally think of watering plants outside during this time of year. But this is in part also for convenience as the water is still turned off in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a good general rule for when one should start watering flowers outside (perhaps as a function of last frost days, day length, or similar)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastEditorUserId="7190" LastEditDate="2015-03-18T14:06:41.827" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T14:54:58.083" Title="When should I start watering flowers in the garden?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17635" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17634" CreationDate="2015-03-18T14:07:16.513" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not 100% certain where you are, but I vaguely recall its Europe somewhere - if so, no, you shouldn't have to water the ground at this time of year, unless you live somewhere like southern Italy. Pots, on the other hand, may want watering if its been very dry and relatively mild where you are - I'm in the UK and I did have to water balcony pots last week (south facing in London) and the small ones look like they need doing again now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're uncertain about watering the ground, then take a trowel or a hand fork and turn over the top few inches - if its like dust, then it needs watering, but otherwise, it should be fine. Permanent plantings usually have good roots and the soil at this time of year should be pretty damp, and ground water levels restored, so watering should not be necessary, although it does depend on exactly where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To address your last sentence, no, there isn't a way of telling when to start watering by any standard measurement. Last year, here, we had a warm winter followed by an early spring, and I was watering the ground for &lt;strong&gt;new&lt;/strong&gt; (planted less than a year) plantings by the start of April. This year, it's been a little colder over winter, and temperatures are still currently relatively low, so no watering of the ground has been necessary. In other words, it depends entirely on what the weather's doing whether you need to water or not; generally speaking, if, say, March in Northern Europe is unseasonably hot (18-22degC), fairly windy and rain free, you may need to water small or newish plants by April. Larger shrubs and most perennials, if they've been planted for more than two years, will be fine and shouldn't need watering even in those conditions. It's now even harder to generalize about scheduling things like watering in the garden because of obvious changes in climate almost everywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-18T14:54:58.083" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T14:54:58.083" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17636" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17638" CreationDate="2015-03-18T15:47:29.837" Score="2" ViewCount="412" Body="&lt;p&gt;Damaged Peace Lily: shall I cut leave encircled in red? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What about the yellow-brown on the back right of the encircled one? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This occurred after the plant had not been watered for too long. But others already had brown elongated spots on the edge of the leave. Is this a sign of something wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kv3sq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10933" LastEditorUserId="10933" LastEditDate="2015-03-18T16:24:57.670" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T16:32:06.647" Title="Damaged Lily leaves: Brown, yellow and cut. What to do?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17637" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17639" CreationDate="2015-03-18T15:57:03.217" Score="2" ViewCount="26" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had to cut 1/6th of the stems after it had not been watered for 11 days (don't blame me). Still, after three or four days some other leaves don't look as they used to yet. Spring is coming and seems to be a good moment to fertilize it. Should I do it as soon as possible or would it be to stressful for the plant to pass from a drought to &quot;over-stimulation&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10933" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T16:08:02.490" Title="Is it good to use fertilizer right after a Peace-Lily has been damaged from not being watered for several days?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17638" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17636" CreationDate="2015-03-18T16:05:00.793" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the elongated spots on the edge of the leaves are blackish brown, its probably a result of not being watered - these plants do seem to require a fair amount of watering. You can cut off any badly affected leaves with impunity. I can't see any evidence of anything else currently on the plant, and they are prone to producing blackened areas on the edges of leaves if they're near a heat source or the air is very dry, or they've got a bit dry at the root. Misting regularly helps if the air is dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the stem in 2, ignore it - nothing's perfect, and the plant will sort that out itself, either by growing upwards normally, or dying back, at which point you can trim it off. You refer to yellowing parts - ignore those too, unless they completely die back, when you can cut them off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-18T16:32:06.647" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T16:32:06.647" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17639" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17637" CreationDate="2015-03-18T16:08:02.490" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves you've got present now probably will never return to their former state of glory because they were subjected to a period of serious drought. The most important thing is the plant still lives, so keep it well watered, though not waterlogged - and there's no reason not to start feeding it now, but only at normal rates and frequency for the product you're using.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T16:08:02.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17640" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17641" CreationDate="2015-03-18T16:09:57.043" Score="1" ViewCount="141" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you can see in the pic of this Peace Lily, the internal part of the stem encircled in red protrudes outside its cover. Is that normal? Should I try to push it in or do something about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t2gzo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10933" LastEditorUserId="10933" LastEditDate="2015-03-18T18:25:28.223" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T18:25:28.223" Title="Peace Lily. Inside of stem protrudes (see pic). Do I need to do something about it?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17641" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17640" CreationDate="2015-03-18T16:33:31.903" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No action is required.  The new stem/leaf will work it's way free on it's own as it grows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T16:33:31.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17642" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5423" CreationDate="2015-03-18T16:51:48.970" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes it is easy. Somewhat like a terrarium with no lid and there is no algae problem without lid. Just a good layer of pebbles which look nice before dirt, then you may add more pebbles on top layer. Looks pretty this way. Just don't over water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10935" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T16:51:48.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17643" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17644" CreationDate="2015-03-18T17:21:05.637" Score="5" ViewCount="615" Body="&lt;p&gt;While doing research for my answer to &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14605/how-do-i-save-lilac-seeds&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;, I learned that bottom heat, the recommended source being a &lt;a href=&quot;http://advancegreenhouses.com/propagation-mats/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;propagation mat&lt;/a&gt;, is essential for successful germination of tree and shrub seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is bottom heat equally important when germinating flower seeds, or does my usual method of placing the seed trays under &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeners.com/how-to/gardening-under-lights/5080.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;grow lights&lt;/a&gt; in a 70-degree room produce the same result? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-03-23T18:53:28.750" Title="Is bottom heat important for successful germination of flower seeds?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17643" CreationDate="2015-03-18T18:01:54.953" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Different plants like different temperatures to germinate and soil temperature can influence the speed and sometimes the amount of seeds that germinate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;80-85 degrees F is a good temperature range for many seeds fast but most will germinate at lower temperatures albeit a little slower. For some flowering plants that I'm aware of 70-75 degF is the ideal range.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My best advice would be to search for something like &quot;Germination temperature [plant name]&quot; and you'll likely come up with some links to academic research or instructions from seed producers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A propogation mat isn't necessary but is nice to have, especially if you have a thermostat controller to go with it. The controllers are a bit pricey. If you don't mind fiddling a bit, a soil thermometer and one of those 24 hour plug in lamp timers that allow you to set on/off for each 30min increment could give you adequate temperature control. The lights will also generate a little heat as well. You might want to set up a you table and lights and put a thermometer under the lights and see what the day/night temperatures are under the lights. You may find you don't need a lamp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the past I used to just set up a small table near a radiator and it provided a nice warm environment. You have to be careful to place the table in the right spot so it's not too warm or you'll bake the seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I got a seedling mat to keep the soil warm. In the past my vegetable seeds would germinate in as little as 3 days. Same with the mat this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-03-18T18:08:08.640" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T18:08:08.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17645" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17647" CreationDate="2015-03-18T18:12:59.430" Score="8" ViewCount="1586" Body="&lt;p&gt;I forgot to remove a large sunflower before winter and after the snow hit I was unable to get to it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seeds were left in the head all winter but the plant is high enough that it wasn't buried in snow. The head also drooped so the seeds are facing down and therefor protected a bit from rain and could drain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts on if they'll be able to germinate or not? I'm going to give them a try but hoping someone might have some thoughts. I do have other seeds I did harvest but part of me is wondering if this might have been a good way to store the seeds in the first place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-10-28T12:20:49.847" LastActivityDate="2017-10-29T00:23:04.203" Title="Will sunflower seeds that have been left out all winter germinate?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17646" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-18T20:16:40.850" Score="6" ViewCount="1139" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large, beautiful aloe plant that has taken different types of abuse and the bottom, largest leaves are damaged in different ways. The top and new growth are beautiful. Is it possible to cut away the dead and ugly leaves and repot it to just show the beautiful, symmetrical top without killing it or it looking like a long bare stalk with an aloe plant on top? &#xA;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10936" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-18T21:16:47.090" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T21:30:40.050" Title="How do I make my aloe plant beautiful again?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17647" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17645" CreationDate="2015-03-18T21:18:50.287" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If they're still there (not eaten, bored into, etc), then yes, they will grow. I have sunflowers naturalized along the woods' edge in one spot. They return year after year on their own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to be organised, you won't be able to use seeds that fell on the ground (too hard to find), so you'll have to use what you can come up with out of the old heads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rub out all the seeds, and do a quick sort of them putting only whole, full-sized seeds in a pile. Then sort that by looking over the seeds, and only keeping those that have no borer holes, don't feel dry and empty, etc. This actually goes quite fast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant what you have left. Don't expect huge germination rates, but a good bit should grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-10-29T00:23:04.203" LastActivityDate="2017-10-29T00:23:04.203" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17648" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17646" CreationDate="2015-03-18T21:30:40.050" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The old leaves can not repair, so what damage is done to them is permanent. If these leaves were covering a stem, and you don't want to see the stem, there's no real short term solution. You could cut the whole thing near the base, and wait for it to regrow from there, but the regrowth can take over a year for a large aloe to look proper again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your idea of removing the lower leaves and repotting high is another thing that's worked for me, but cut the leaves a week ahead of repotting, so they can dry up and not cause rot. Be sure to leave some of the old roots (don't cut them off to fit the plant lower - you can cut some, but leave a few). The plant will root out higher up on the stem, and look fine later. I've done this ~5 times to one of my aloes, and it's still looking young and growing strong. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-03-18T21:30:40.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17652" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17653" CreationDate="2015-03-19T14:12:15.537" Score="7" ViewCount="21501" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know (now) that the best time to overseed a lawn is in the Fall.  I obviously missed that window so I have to make do.  I've read that the 2nd best time to overseed is early Spring.  But how early is too early?  I live in the middle of Pennsylvania and temps are currently running about 30-50&amp;amp; deg;F.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What temperatures should I be looking for to overseed?  Will a heavy frost damage new grass seedlings?  I'm anxious to get going (it will be 60 &amp;deg;F on Saturday) but I don't want to rush it if I'm going to do more harm than good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5746" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-19T15:22:19.470" LastActivityDate="2015-03-21T16:07:36.363" Title="What are the Coldest Spring Temperatures to Overseed a Lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17652" CreationDate="2015-03-19T14:16:45.677" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dormant Overseeding!  Read about it.  Do it.  I live in Ohio and the freeze thaw cycle that heaves the ground up and down pulls the seed down into it for great soil contact.  Followed by wet springs... bingo.  I overseed just before Christmas every year and my suburban lawn is the envy of the neighborhood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think the seed will germinate until nighttime temperatures reach around 50.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2015-03-19T14:16:45.677" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17654" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-19T14:31:20.837" Score="4" ViewCount="562" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Florida, the plant is growing under my live oak tree. The plant is about one foot high.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/74001180@N00/16651273737/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;//c4.staticflickr.com/8/7649/16651273737_57b4ff3dcd_b.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10939" LastEditorUserId="10939" LastEditDate="2015-03-20T02:44:59.367" LastActivityDate="2015-03-20T02:44:59.367" Title="What is this plant with odd-pinnate leaves that's growing under my oak tree in Florida?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17656" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14996" CreationDate="2015-03-19T20:24:54.403" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would go easy on the mowing for a week or two. It looks like it was mowed too closely, or is being eaten by something. I've saved pieces like this with throwing a 50/50 mixture of compost and grainy sand over such areas, and then covering with a animal repellent (like thorny branches) and making sure it gets water.&#xA;But then again, it doesn't work for me ALL the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10941" LastActivityDate="2015-03-19T20:24:54.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17657" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17661" CreationDate="2015-03-19T21:54:11.380" Score="6" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted some tomato seeds (that came in a grow bag) in a flat planting tray and as the stems and leaves are growing up, I'm being convinced that I should move them back to the grow bags that are larger and do need more soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got this compost which is for flowers, but I was wondering if I could use it for my tomatoes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0LRpS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastEditorUserId="51" LastEditDate="2015-03-19T23:14:16.330" LastActivityDate="2015-03-19T23:22:38.370" Title="Is this compost appropriate for transplanting/repotting tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17658" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14434" CreationDate="2015-03-19T23:02:20.307" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like an  Impatiens, have the leaves been oiled?  They are so shiny, that may not be the best thing for them if they have been oiled.  I agree with getting the foil off and having a look at the roots, re-pot in fresh dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10939" LastEditorUserId="10939" LastEditDate="2015-03-20T16:15:02.667" LastActivityDate="2015-03-20T16:15:02.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17659" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-19T23:17:50.470" Score="4" ViewCount="2328" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rabbits are nesting in the neighbor's yard behind us, and they feed them which encourages their occupation or infestation. There are dozens of them. They use my yard as their bathroom and their faeces are everywhere.  I believe they are competing with my dogs for the territory. Dogs eat the pellets and get ill. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also have no vegetation in my yard because they destroy it. I have used granules, sprays, decoys etc. but nothing is getting rid of them. I have even used live bait traps. The next step is to use snares but due to the kids in the neighborhood using the yards as their own park, I am fearful of injuring them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to prevent them from destroying my garden? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10942" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-20T13:48:33.260" LastActivityDate="2015-04-10T05:17:42.377" Title="How do I stop rabbits from defecating and eating everything in my yard?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;rabbits&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17660" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17659" CreationDate="2015-03-19T23:20:20.563" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you called the city? They may be in violation of city code. If there isn't a code directly being offended, then push for nuisance abatement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: you could also try creating a marigold border, rodentae don't like marigolds, however with the density of the population you are dealing with, you'd need an expensive dense and fat border and it may still not work so well. I'd still call city hall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2015-03-19T23:41:24.560" LastActivityDate="2015-03-19T23:41:24.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17661" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17657" CreationDate="2015-03-19T23:22:38.370" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's not compost. It's coir, which is shredded coconut husk and some 20-20-20 fertilizer. The coir itself doesn't really have any nutrient value to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your tomatoes will probably grow ok in it, but the fertilizer might have too much nitrogen which will encourage vegetative growth at the expense of fruiting. I think you'd be better off using real compost or &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/1483/51&quot;&gt;mixing your own potting soil&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/4098/51&quot;&gt;supplementing with fertilizer&lt;/a&gt; as needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="51" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-03-19T23:22:38.370" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17662" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17654" CreationDate="2015-03-20T02:44:30.343" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I figured it out finally Solanum seaforthianum Andrews&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its a nightshade and poisonous. Pretty berries and flowers not too good to have around my hound dog who likes eating flowers and berries. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The way I figured it out was reading some of the answers to my question.  I was rusty on leaf shapes so I looked up pinnate and palmate, found lobed pinnate and then found pinnatisect leaves. I google imaged types of plants with pinnatisect leaves and my plant showed up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10939" LastActivityDate="2015-03-20T02:44:30.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17663" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17659" CreationDate="2015-03-20T07:25:48.153" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;EDIT: I just had another idea. I saw what I believe was a long-tailed weasel, today, and its droppings. Ahem. After researching to find out what I had seen, I discovered that they eat rabbits. Then, I learned that ferrets eat rabbits, too. Ferrets are often pets. They have a strong smell. The smell of ferrets is said to stress rabbits out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My idea is to get &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Just-Scentsational-16-oz-Red-Fox-Urine-Small-Animal-Deterrent-FU-16/205430550&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;some urine&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.predatorpeestore.com/fox-urine-for-rabbit-hare-problems.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;of a rabbit predator (fox urine should do the trick)&lt;/a&gt;, and put it around your yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had a surplus of large, white rabbits in our neighborhood once. This was a rather unexpected experience, to see three large white rabbits investigating our front yard out of the blue (multiple times). We came to find out that someone up the street was raising free range rabbits. I think they started as a 4-H project, but there were almost 45 at one point. I only ever saw three or less at a time in our yard. They were around during the fall (a couple years ago or so), the entire winter and part of the spring. Then they vanished mysteriously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had children in the neighborhood who were always trying you catch the rabbits. Apparently, they seemed to be fairly successful, but there were still rabbits notwithstanding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My other neighbor trapped a few, and put them in his freezer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By and large, though, I think the hawks and coyotes got them. After the snow melted (and they were no longer camouflaged), they disappeared pretty fast. I don't know how they survived so well before the snow came, though. They were a lot faster and more suspicious after they'd been free range a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if you can attract hawks, that might be a good idea. Maybe that's easier said than done, but some people do put up perches for them and stuff. I don't know if you want coyotes; I hear they eat some garden fruits. Maybe train your dogs to chase rabbits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lately, there have been chickens in our neighborhood instead. Perhaps this is a trend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, rabbits don't tend to climb high, normally. So, you might consider gardening higher up, if this turns out to be a chronic problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can have plants that climb trees (like Kiwano, Shark Fin Melon and stuff), and then you only need to protect the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't tried it, but you might consider something like hog wire as a border; perhaps it would work if you get a kind where the gaps aren't too big. Chicken wire has smaller gaps. I've heard it can work. You can line a sturdier fence with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1458329/what-kind-of-fence-keeps-out-the-most-varmints&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here's some discussion on the problem.&lt;/a&gt; It may be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-04-10T05:17:42.377" LastActivityDate="2015-04-10T05:17:42.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17664" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14434" CreationDate="2015-03-20T12:43:32.410" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely an Impatiens variety (busy lizzie) - can't tell how tall it is, but it looks remarkably like I. walleriana - if its taller than it seems, it'll be one of the New Guinea hybrids. I note the black specks on the plate its standing on - I'm assuming that's soil from the top of the pot from when you water. That indicates the soil is too high in the pot, and when you water, it washes over the side - it also may mean the plant is too dry when you do water, or that insufficient water penetrates the rootball because it washes over the edge of the pot before it penetrates. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also ask whether you leave it sitting in water at the bottom, and whether the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot are free and open, or covered in that tin foil. If the plate is always full of water, and the drainage holes are open, then the plant is sitting in water too long, but that doesn't seem likely given the amount of soil specks on the plate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants like dampish soil and grow well in shady areas, though they do need some light, flowering happily in sun or shade, so long as their roots don't dry out. I'd be inclined to turn the plant out of its pot, very carefully so as not to disturb the rootball too much, nor break any of the very fragile stems, and put it in a larger pot with a gap between the soil level and the top of the pot, so that when you water, you can get a good amount in there without soil washing out. You'd obviously need some potting compost to fill the gaps round the sides of the rootball in a larger pot, but I wouldn't disturb the rootball too much - it may stop flowering for a while if you do, though it will recover. Water in well, then ongoing, water when the surface of the compost feels just dry to the touch, and give it plenty of water, emptying out excess from the plate its standing on after 30 minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd add that, at the moment, it appears reasonably healthy, but check the leaves and stems carefully - the leaves look a little shiny (though that may be a trick of the light in the picture) and this can sometimes mean its infested with aphids of some sort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-03-20T12:43:32.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17665" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17667" CreationDate="2015-03-20T15:12:36.933" Score="5" ViewCount="15787" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Jade plant that was grown for me from a cutting about 5 years ago. Since that time, I've propagated another plant from a branch and I now have two healthy plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My concern is that my first plant is now starting to look pretty tall and top heavy. Which is not very aesthetically pleasing. There is a single trunk which grows up about 10&quot; with very few leaves left. Most of them have fallen off due to physical trauma (the plant has been moved a LOT). At 10&quot; the plant splits into several healthy branches, which are very attractive.  The plant needs to be repotted, and while I'm doing that, I'd like to try to address the aesthetics.  I'd like to try to save the top of the plant, but lower it down 5 or so inches so that it doesn't look quite so awkward.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm considering two different options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lopping off the top of the plant (the pretty part) and sticking the bottom inch or so of the barren trunk into new soil, in the hopes that it roots and starts a new plant.  Then my original plant will grow out new branches lower down, and I'll be left with two, more attractive looking jade plants. My major concern with this approach is that the roots will not grow quickly enough to support the top of the plant, and it will die.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Repotting the plant, but potting it about 2-3 inches further down into the soil, and letting roots grow out of the trunk, keeping only the main plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;: After posting, I came up with a third possible option:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Breaking off the 3-4 lower most leaves when repotting and trying to propagate them as new plants in the same pot. If they survive and fill out nicely, then it could make the whole thing look fairly attractive.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions on the best approach?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3X8vM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10943" LastEditorUserId="10943" LastEditDate="2015-03-20T16:15:02.627" LastActivityDate="2016-02-01T17:06:36.967" Title="Should I Repot a Tall and Spindly Jade Plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17666" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17665" CreationDate="2015-03-20T16:12:04.213" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it were mine I would go with the first option.  Be sure and let the cut part dry overnight before you put it in new dirt. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10939" LastActivityDate="2015-03-20T16:12:04.213" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17667" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17665" CreationDate="2015-03-20T17:18:28.037" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a teeny tiny pot for that size jade. For true house bound plants, you want to incrementally increase the size of the pot each year so that the medium gets filled with feeder roots. If you just put a small plant in a big pot, the roots will grow outward, and then start growing round and round the pot, this leaves a huge amount of unused soil which is going to waste and not feeding your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd leave the plant as is, but increase the pot size by 1 inch this year and continue to do so at the beginning of each new growing season (about now for the northern hemisphere). In addition, I would lop the top of the main stem to encourage branching. Your plant will pick up more nutrients and will start to branch out and fill out a bit more below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Think of jades as kinda like basil in this manner, the more you prune the main stem, the more bushy it becomes, if you just trim leaves then it will grow tall and leggy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-03-20T17:18:28.037" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17668" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-20T23:30:19.987" Score="2" ViewCount="35" Body="&lt;p&gt;I unfortunately have huge 3 feet across and larger of fire ant nests in the yard.  I have tried Ortho Orthene and Spectracide but they aren't getting all the ants.  They just pack up and move over five or ten feet.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10939" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-22T00:33:38.520" LastActivityDate="2015-03-22T00:33:38.520" Title="What is a good way to get rid of fire ants in Florida?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;ants&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2015-03-22T01:15:03.937" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17669" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17652" CreationDate="2015-03-21T05:59:17.447" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're seeding in the spring you need to wait until soil temperature is at least 50-65 degrees before most grasses will germinate effectively. Even though daytime temperatures may be in the correct range the soil will take time to warm up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit to answer comment and updated temperature:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At this point in the season you've missed the opportunity to reap the benefits of winter sowing. It's the freeze/thaw cycles that give the benefit. As the soil freezes it opens up pores which then close as the soil thaws.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you put down seed now, before ideal conditions for germination it's going to just sit there. You'll lose some to birds, squirrels and possibly some to frost if you get a warm spell that begins the germination process followed by a very cold day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also won't know when the seed starts to germinate which can cause issues with providing proper irrigation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you'll have more success at this point waiting until soil reaches at least 60 degF and is rising with no signs of frost or sub freezing temperatures in the long range weather forecast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-03-21T16:07:36.363" LastActivityDate="2015-03-21T16:07:36.363" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17670" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17672" CreationDate="2015-03-21T08:54:06.897" Score="3" ViewCount="244" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm from India. I have an apartment with a balcony, and would like to plant a few vegetables and flowers. The climate here is very sunny. I've already planted brinjal, ladies finger, tomatoes and a few leafy vegetables. I have a place to plant something else too. Can anyone suggest what else I can plant? My best choice would be a flower with a good fragrance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5727" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-03-22T00:33:49.163" LastActivityDate="2015-03-22T00:33:49.163" Title="What plants can I grow on my apartment balcony in India?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17671" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17670" CreationDate="2015-03-21T12:40:01.500" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know much about India's climate, but Strawberries like sun and warm weather, has flowers and looks beautiful. Plus you get to eat the fruit! The only down side is that it can sometimes take a year or two for Strawberries to really establish themselves for maximum yield, however, in India, if the climate is warm enough I expect they could survive outside over winter quite easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10943" LastActivityDate="2015-03-21T12:40:01.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17672" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17670" CreationDate="2015-03-21T13:48:39.403" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If its something flowering but inedible you want, have a look at Jasmine multipartitum - its a fragrant creeper or climber, so will need support if you want it to climb and probably a large pot eventually. For something with pretty blue flowers, Eranthemum pulchellum, a free standing shrub, not a climber. Both these are popular plants in your part of the world, though check the hardiness - not sure if where you are gets chilly in winter or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-03-21T13:48:39.403" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17673" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17674" CreationDate="2015-03-21T15:39:29.923" Score="2" ViewCount="1632" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just started some veggie seeds 5 days ago.  I soaked the soil after planting them, but have totally forgotten to water them since.  When I watered them (just now) the soil wasn't dry, but I wouldn't call it moist either.  The seeds are in a typical 1'x2' tray with a clear greenhouse lid on it and a &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Everyone says this time is really important for watering.  If this initial lapse is going to cause any future delay in growth, I'll just go ahead and replant these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastActivityDate="2015-03-21T16:15:44.590" Title="How critical is water during germination? Should I re-sow?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17674" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17673" CreationDate="2015-03-21T16:15:44.590" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The seeds need to stay moist but you don't want to drown them. Sounds like you're seeding in a 1020 flat with a humidity dome. The humidity dome will help retain moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming you're also using a typical seed starting mix that contains a lot of peat moss. You can tell if the the mix is too dry for seeds to germinate if the color on the top has gone from black to brown. That still may not have a negative effect on germination if you can water it in time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cover the inserts in my trays with plastic wrap and they usually don't need additional water until the seeds start to germinate and I have removed the plastic. If the humidity dome you have provides a decent seal it should be similar for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What did you plant and what is the room temperature where you have your tray? I usually start to see germination of tomatoes in a couple of days, eggplants and peppers after 7. I have my trays heated though to speed up germination. After 5 days you should have seen some form of life depending on what you planted. Either way I think you should wait 2-4 days before making any decisions. It shouldn't impact your plans at all.If the seeds start to germinate, wait another week and replant just the cells that didn't germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-03-21T16:15:44.590" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17501" CreationDate="2015-03-21T20:24:20.237" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Overall, I think separate containers is an advantage over a common container in your case: a light hobbyist grower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can think of 3 advantages to a common container for you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Space and soil savings.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant flavor pairing (tomato in the same soil as basil).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Natural pest-control pairing (onions next to squash to drive away borers).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For separate containers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Easier to isolate infested plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Easier to move plants around balcony for different sunlight requirements.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Easier to meet watering, fertilizer, drainage, and other growing conditions of plants with conflicting requirements.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10946" LastActivityDate="2015-03-21T20:24:20.237" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17676" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17501" CreationDate="2015-03-22T01:29:40.483" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Edit: I thought you were talking about for starting plants--not planting them in their final destination. So, keep that in mind with my answer. See the edit at the bottom of my answer for stuff more specific to your situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a fair bit of experience starting members of the solanaceae family in one common pot (not necessarily a larger one than I use for single plants, since I tend to use larger-than-normal pots for those). So, I can enumerate advantages and disadvantages of that method, for those plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, the disadvantages of using one container for multiple solanaceae plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If your plants get a disease, it may spread between them quicker. A lot of people think this contributes to damping off. While I haven't noticed it affecting that, particularly, I have noticed that it seems to make conditions more advantageous for such as what I think is downy mildew.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plants won't grow as large as fast.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plants near the edges may uproot easily after a while, depending on how they're growing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You'll have to split the roots up eventually and/or take cuttings.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A few of the plants will likely be smaller than the others, or one or more will likely be larger. Sometimes, they're all the same size. I just mean to say that often, some plants will dominate the pot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;People might think you're crazy or ignorant, because this is commonly advised against by experienced gardeners (mainly for the risk of damping off, as far as I can tell).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plants may get rootbound faster. So, use enough soil for how long they need to be in the same pot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, the advantages of lots of solanaceae plants in one pot:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It saves a lot of space.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plants are smaller when they mature, but if you split them up, afterward, they can grow huge fast. One plant in a pot tends to take up a lot more vertical space than several plants in a pot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Less stem between leaf nodes. This is nice because stems can take a lot of space. So, you can get more leaf nodes in a space this way, and potentially more flowers in a given space. However, you'll need to give it the right nutrients for what you want.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You don't need as many containers or as much soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tomatoes and tomatillos seem to split up fairly easily for transplanting. Don't do it until the stems are thicker. If they have root nodules on the stems, it's usually safe to split them up. Peppers might be stunted after splitting up, but if you give them a lot of light a couple days after the transplant, it'll probably help them to adapt. If you give them a lot of light right away, it could be bad since plants with disturbed roots can wither on too much light. I haven't tried splitting up eggplant and ground cherries, yet.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, it's not for everyone, but there are reasons some might want to do it. The mildew risk seems higher if you have a humid, warm environment with lots of pots of lots of plants. Dim light would also contribute a lot, but my growing area is fairly bright. Wet leaves also can contribute.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for cucurbits, you should probably only consider cucumbers for this, if any cucurbits at all, and not more than two or three per pot. It's important to know that cucumbers can grow roots at the leaf nodes fairly easily. You can take cuttings of them. Other cucurbits that will root at the nodes might be considerations, too, but I wouldn't count on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All in all, most people wouldn't recommend it, I'm thinking, and it's perhaps riskier, but I personally enjoy it at times. These same advantages and disadvantages won't apply to every kind of plant, nor to every person's growing conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: If you're not going to be transplanting your plants, if they're solanaceae plants, even if you have a large pot, if the plants are closer together, they may still be smaller than normal, and they may be less productive. One plant will still likely dominate. This seems to be the case with tomatoes planted in the same spot in a raised bed, anyhow. I would recommend one plant per pot, for outdoor solanaceae plants. For others, it depends.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-03-22T01:50:15.590" LastActivityDate="2015-03-22T01:50:15.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17677" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-22T02:09:08.220" Score="0" ViewCount="109" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it advantageous to germinate all your seeds in water till they sprout before planting in the soil? Or only some? If some, which ones and why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen people do this online to tomato seeds mainly... wondering if other seeds could gain from this treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had a dream last night where I received the idea that you actually gain MORE seeds than if you just sow directly into a seed bed. Germinating in the water has a higher success rate? Has my David Lynch inspired dream gotten it right? Is this true?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10949" LastActivityDate="2015-03-22T18:00:30.940" Title="Germinating ALL vegetable/fruit/ornamental seeds in water before planting in soil" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2015-03-24T00:46:40.623" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17678" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17679" CreationDate="2015-03-22T14:27:13.920" Score="5" ViewCount="1529" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn mower engine will not start.  After many tries I got it to start twice and it died after a few seconds.  The fuel line is clear and full of gas.  The primer bulb is brand new.  When I push the primer bulb all I hear is air getting sucked in (I recall the sound of liquid in the past).  I suspect that the silver bulb between the primer and the fuel line may be the issue.  What is that part called and could it cause this problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Model:  Craftsman 917.370561&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vck8B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10951" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-22T17:59:51.153" LastActivityDate="2015-03-22T17:59:51.153" Title="What is this part between the fuel line and primer bulb on my lawn mower?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17679" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17678" CreationDate="2015-03-22T16:01:02.930" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like it should be the carburetor bowl (where fuel is metered in by a float valve to be available to get sucked into the carburetor jets - either of which can get clogged if you did't drain the fuel before storage or run a fuel stabilizer before storage - and sometimes even if you did.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-03-22T16:01:02.930" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17680" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17677" CreationDate="2015-03-22T16:08:05.860" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your dream left out the part about the initial root being rather fragile and prone to damage. So you may lose a good many from not surviving the transfer from sprouting to soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want absolute maximum number of plants from a number of seeds (well, without going off into tissue culture, which is the undisputed champion there) planting one seed each into tiny soil blocks is probably the best method, since each block either will or will not have a single plant (except for the tricky seeds that are really multiple seeds) in a format that is easily transplanted into a larger block or pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most seeds are inexpensive enough that thinning is far more practical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-03-22T16:08:05.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17684" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17685" CreationDate="2015-03-22T22:04:29.893" Score="5" ViewCount="6688" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our garden is on an extreme slope, so I got someone in to landscape it. Unfortunately after one winter the walls are a complete mess. I'm not getting the person who did it back, so I am after any advice on fixing the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NFrwo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BF583.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GZBIi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bTFlM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The walls are made from breeze blocks and it seems that water is coming through from the inside and destroying the rendering. What would be a good way to fix this? I'm not too worried about it looking perfect, I just want it sorted. I've played around with the idea pulling all of the rendering off and painting the breeze blocks, but I'm thinking that will be a nightmare job as breeze blocks are quite soft. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could I do something to the inside of the walls to waterproof it, or could it be that the water might be coming down from the top? Any advice would be great!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10954" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-03-24T01:00:51.700" LastActivityDate="2017-08-19T10:50:50.687" Title="How can I waterproof garden walls which have bad damage to the rendering?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17685" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17684" CreationDate="2015-03-22T22:40:35.060" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only way to figure out a solution is to investigate. Fortunately all you need is a tarp and a spade (good back helps too).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pick an area where the paint is spalling&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove the soil on the inside of the wall down to the bottom of the wall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you need to find is what, if any, precautions have been taken to prevent water moving through the breeze block.  You might see&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tar based emulsion which breaks down with time&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;roofing paper- ineffective very fast&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;40 ml pond liner - best solution&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;nothing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to prevent water moving from inside the bed to outside. This is what is causing the paint to spall off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &quot;last a lifetime&quot; solution would be:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;add small drainage holes at the bottom of wall to allow water to drain out&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;line the inside of bed, top to bottom with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.shinshiro-koi.co.uk/images/detailed/1/30458_firestone-epdm-rubber-pond-liner.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;food grade epdm pond liner&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I cannot miss an &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4705/when-building-a-cinder-block-wall-how-do-i-attach-level-the-stacked-blocks/4706?s=4%7C0.1469#4706&quot;&gt;opportunity&lt;/a&gt; to speak of my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/11269/are-my-emerald-arborvitaes-recoverable/11271?s=1%7C0.2557#11271&quot;&gt;best&lt;/a&gt; friend for &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5744/how-far-will-pine-tree-roots-spread/5745?s=3%7C0.1478#5745&quot;&gt;landscaping&lt;/a&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000GOBN24&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;four inch perforated drain pipe with sleeve&lt;/a&gt;,  just perfect for channeling water where you want it to go. The more you use it, the more you'll like it!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This means digging out all the beds and redoing the job with the right materials.  If you try coating the outside of the wall with a waterproof compound you will be keeping the water inside the breeze block which will cause them to break apart in a few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the amount of work involved why not consider getting a good job done with an interlock retaining wall?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T13:57:43.703" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4757" CreationDate="2015-03-23T06:11:13.640" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try applying fresh cow dung or goat dung on leaves. The stinky odor keeps the goats away from them. Check the type of plant before spraying it. Sometimes it might harm the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10956" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-23T19:03:16.463" LastActivityDate="2015-03-23T19:03:16.463" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17687" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-23T14:57:46.367" Score="7" ViewCount="252" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to make a bonsai from a normal tree cutting (not from a bonsai cutting)? I was just thinking for instance of making a bonsai maple from a normal size field maple, or ash, etc. What trees are suitable for this? (I am in UK)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastEditorUserId="6795" LastEditDate="2015-03-23T21:55:58.257" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T13:44:39.807" Title="Bonsai from tree cuttings" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17688" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17687" CreationDate="2015-03-23T15:23:20.837" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure, look around your area for trees with small leaves.  Those are easiest to pick out as being suitable. This question is very localized to your area.&#xA;Examples from my area include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Amur maple  -smaller maple with small leaves, vigorous seedlings&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;burr oak  (quercus macrocarpa) - not a fast grower&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hemlock seedlings from the forest floor&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-03-23T15:23:20.837" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17689" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-23T18:44:53.523" Score="5" ViewCount="2765" Body="&lt;p&gt;We bought a house that already has raised beds. One is FULL of grass and weeds, too much and deep to pull by hand. I understand I should/can put newspaper or cardboard down and then mulch, but do I then pull the dead weeds/grass before planting veggies or do I do that right on top?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10959" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-23T19:31:57.203" LastActivityDate="2015-03-29T06:53:38.017" Title="Should I remove dead grass/weeds from my raised beds before planting?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17690" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17643" CreationDate="2015-03-23T18:53:28.750" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's too hard to heat a small area of my basement, so this year I am going to just try keeping the irrigation water warm in the propagation mat tray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2015-03-23T18:53:28.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17691" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17689" CreationDate="2015-03-23T19:30:21.407" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Once the weeds are completely dead, unless the soil is very soft, you'll usually want to loosen up the top layer. This is easier once the dead layer is removed. And some weeds carry vegetable diseases (even without symptoms) and can infect crops. An example in my area is hedge mustard, a common weed, that almost always carries clubroot where I am, so I can't grow Brassicas in an area where I've seen hedge mustard, for a couple years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend raking (or cutting, if they're tough) the grass/weeds once they're dead, and working up the top layer of soil before planting. If you could work in a little (or a lot, I guess :D) compost in, that's even better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; plant through dead material, and get good results, however. I've found, for instance, that broccoli (in my area) likes very firm soil, so I don't work it at all when I am ready to plant the starts. I just pop them in, through the dead plant matter, and then add more (usually as lawn clippings) to make it weed proof. That has worked great for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-03-23T19:30:21.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17692" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17693" CreationDate="2015-03-23T21:27:06.967" Score="3" ViewCount="4914" Body="&lt;p&gt;This willow tree was pruned, and cut back to stump. I believe that whoever was cutting the tree didn't know what he was doing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today we returned home and were hugely shocked. The willow tree was somewhere above 3.5 meters (not sure exactly, maybe 4-6 meters) tall. It's on council land. The neighbours said it will take 5 years to regrow. The same thing happened 5 years ago. The thick branches were cut, not only the fine ones or the ones which could cause danger. The tree was starting already to sprout. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think there is a lot of damage to the tree. In addition the birds have been living in a small hollow of the tree. Tree looks like a stump right now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The council didn't even inform us that they are looking to do such a thing. Two years ago when we bought the house, the little branches had been going over the electric wires. They came and cut the unnecessary branches but that was it. Everybody has been happy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this bad for the tree? How can I keep this from happening again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;click any photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tZt4c.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tZt4c.jpg&quot; height=&quot;210&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zvcxi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zvcxi.jpg&quot; height=&quot;210&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9PikS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9PikS.jpg&quot; height=&quot;210&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the tree I am talking about. In the first picture, you can see the hole where the birds used to live. Very upsetting. Yes, I do agree tree is not ours. At least informing people what is meant to happen would be nice. Because is very close to the house, the aesthetic look is terrible now, and they disturbed the habitat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also do you think the very top and the front branch was cut well? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10961" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-24T17:00:21.427" LastActivityDate="2020-09-25T15:02:34.823" Title="How should I deal with my willow tree that has been butchered by the council?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;recovery&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17693" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17692" CreationDate="2015-03-23T22:30:47.743" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it's on council land, there's not much you can do. Your tree has been &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14559/what-is-the-term-for-this-pruning-technique-that-causes-stubby-clublike-branche/14560#14560&quot;&gt;pollarded&lt;/a&gt;. Because it's a willow tree, it should recover well. These trees take this pruning well, and it's actually a common (albeit rather unattractive) size management system in many areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-03-24T17:32:47.627" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17695" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15" CreationDate="2015-03-24T01:17:30.500" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know where I from originally in the South Carolina sand hills, the Department of Transportation regularly sprays herbicide on the sides of the roads via a slow moving truck in order to stay the cost of roadside tree trimming. It is done more so in rural areas along dirt roads but if I were you, I would check to make sure it's not done in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See Reference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;EVistas EVistas - Weeds Meet Their Match in South Carolina.&quot; EVistas. , n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10964" LastActivityDate="2015-03-24T01:17:30.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17696" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17360" CreationDate="2015-03-24T07:12:39.750" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;While I have never grown guava and I know very little about it, I can take a guess:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe it's the light, moisture and/or temperature. I eat sempervivum leaves on occasion. I notice that when it's been hot, dry and sunny for a while, they tend to taste like malic acid (the stuff in green apples that makes them sour). When it's been cooler and not as sunny for a while, they're not very acidic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, it could be that your plant is stressed. I know stress causes some plants to produce more chemicals (like it makes hot peppers hotter). It's possible that a stressed guava would be more sour. It's also possible that it's not getting &lt;em&gt;enough&lt;/em&gt; sunlight. I heard a rumor that sunlight helps fruit to be sweeter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could also just be unripe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember, though, I haven't studied or grown guava, yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Upon some investigation, Wikipedia says that guava fruit may be sweet or sour. It does not say if some varieties are sour when ripe, however. I saw a site that talks about sour guava as if it's a variety of guava. I also saw one site that said green guava are much firmer and sour, while yellow guava (or yellow with a pinkish tinge) are ripe and sweet. Most people seem to be of the opinion that guava are just not sour. So, it's possible that there are either only some varieties that can get sour, and they're less common, or else some people referred to astringent as sour (some people actually do that; so, I consider this a good possibility).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-03-24T07:40:04.490" LastActivityDate="2015-03-24T07:40:04.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17697" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17692" CreationDate="2015-03-24T15:00:13.990" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Willows are naturally found near water. Water has flooding, freezing over and icing up on banks and other destructive events. Plants that do well in this zone need to adapt to getting sheered at the base. Willows do this in multiple ways. They re-sprout readily to make up for no stems. All the removed stems are now able to get lodged somewhere else and root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6882" LastActivityDate="2015-03-24T15:00:13.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17698" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-24T15:02:02.247" Score="4" ViewCount="170" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a field behind me and my neighbor is throwing his grass clippings in the field for years, ( the grass is treated with chemicals) I have 2 Doberman  and they tend to go over and scratch the top of the pile and eat this grass  ( I'm always yelling at them for the fear that this is very bad for them) At what time do these chemicals leave this pile  or do I have to take other matters to get my animals not to eat this grass. Very concerned about my dogs. I have one now with bone cancer under her chin which I hope is not my fault from this grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10967" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-03-25T01:37:17.823" LastActivityDate="2015-03-26T21:54:05.083" Title="How long do chemicals persist in a pile of grass clippings?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17699" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17700" CreationDate="2015-03-24T15:04:46.413" Score="4" ViewCount="7287" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been following this walk-through on growing tomatoes from seeds: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/grow-tomato.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/grow-tomato.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have planted my seeds in the rectangular container.  But I believe I have possibly over-seeded them.  See the picture below on current progress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On that link showing how to grow them, steps 7 and 8 show that you prick out the seedlings and transplant them into individual containers.  My fear with my current status is that the plants are too many and too close together, and I won't be able to untangle the roots when moving them from the large container (which they are in now) to individual containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts on if this is currently still ok?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(not sure if it matters, but the front half are roma tomatoes and the back half are beef steak tomatoes)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BBE1j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10966" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-25T10:30:27.277" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T10:30:27.277" Title="Have I planted my tomato seedlings too close together?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17700" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17699" CreationDate="2015-03-24T16:09:23.377" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, those are very close. You can still use most of them. First, get their new (cell pots?) containers ready and make sure you have moist mix ready. Moisten it beforehand, rather than after planting, especially if it's bone dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;To remove the seedlings from their flat:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use a plastic knife, popsicle stick, or similar, and starting from one edge, push them in near a clump of seedlings and lift them out in chunks. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;With each clump, you will need to carefully ease apart the roots, trying to disturb the soil as little as possible. With smaller seedlings I've used toothpick, but for tomatoes, I usually just use my fingers. You can use your fingers if you're confident that you won't bruise them, or you could use toothpicks (or pencils, or similar) to work apart the roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant them in their new pots. Put them deep, they'll grow better. Just make sure the cotyledons are at least 1/2&quot; above the top of the mix. Plant slowly and carefully, and keep in mind that although the mix needs to be firmed, the roots will be very easily crushed, and crushed roots are susceptible to diseases like damping off.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water them in, and keep them out of bright light for a while. Some wilting is normal, especially for those that came free with bare or very few roots. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can begin fertilizing when they put out a couple new leaves, as that's a sign that they reestablished their root systems.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the case that you don't need to grow that many seedlings to maturity, you won't have to repot them all. The easiest time to decide which to keep will be right after the clumps are split apart. Save the ones with the thickest stems, and the most soil on their roots. Or you can grow them all, and plant the best ones when they're ready, and give away the rest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, ones that come out with almost no roots may not make it, or they may grow too slowly for good production. Losing a few isn't unusual in cases like this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-03-24T16:09:23.377" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17704" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-24T19:01:41.113" Score="3" ViewCount="175" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do know how hydroponics works. I think aeroponics is just like cloning but in a big scale you just have to use big buckets and keep air and water at all times with chemicals .&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10968" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-03-24T19:06:17.577" LastActivityDate="2015-03-29T19:44:08.500" Title="What's the difference between hydroponics and aeroponics?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17705" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17510" CreationDate="2015-03-24T20:44:43.580" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;So the plant was not over-watered but under-watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Due to a poor assumption on my part a water mister near by had been hitting the plants with moisture in the mornings and so many branches, stems and leaves looked soggy and wet from the top but checking the soil and the drip holes on the bottom of the plant I found the soil to be bone dry and had not been watered at all, probably due to having so many of the flower pot plants hanging that I missed it once or twice during a watering session.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The heat we have gotten here in Phoenix, a couple days of 90 degrees here in March, did not help also.   And yes if you are in a part of the country digging out from cold and snow still, you can send the angry fan mail to my special round file cabinet called the G folder.  :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8619" LastActivityDate="2015-03-24T20:44:43.580" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17699" CreationDate="2015-03-24T21:02:34.920" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No those aren't too many. Not nearly too many.  I think your plants may not be getting enough light however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Craigh Lehoullier who is known online as &lt;a href=&quot;http://nctomatoman.weebly.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;nctomatoman&lt;/a&gt; has grown and sold heirloom tomatoes for decades using a dense planting method. He is also the author of the book &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1612122086&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Epic Tomatoes: How to Select and Grow the Best Varieties of All Time&lt;/a&gt;&quot; and was the person who gave the tomato &quot;Cherokee Purple&quot; its name.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He plants up to 2,000 tomato seeds in a 50 cell tray. Check out his &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoYgX3y5ptQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;dense planting video&lt;/a&gt;. They stay densely planted like that in the plug trays for a month before he transplants them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He has dozens of seeds in each cell which he then &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLbeZEcz3sw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;breaks apart for transplanting into individual pots&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-03-25T02:07:40.327" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T02:07:40.327" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17699" CreationDate="2015-03-24T23:22:46.963" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;While the other answers are probably sufficient, I want to add my two cents.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what I would do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Give them plenty of light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When the stems get thicker, split them up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes, when they're stronger than small seedlings, tend to be fairly tolerant of disturbed roots compared to other plants I've tried, with the possible exception of tomatillos with similarly thicker stems. I mean, you can just pull them like weeds and repot them and they'll be fine. I've done it lots of times. You don't even have to worry about disturbing or breaking the roots. As long as there are still roots on them, they should be fine. They regrow their roots quite quickly. If there are no roots, you can treat them like cuttings, which is somewhat more difficult, but it can work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I must warn you to keep them out of bright sunlight for a day or two after the transplant, because plants with disturbed roots don't do well in bright sunlight. Bright artificial light may also be a problem. This is a bigger problem for cuttings rooted in soil, however, than for tomatoes with any roots at all. (Tomato cuttings rooted in water are probably more light tolerant than those rooted in soil, initially, but I recommend soil.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if you have damping off problems, when splitting them up you may want to keep as many roots on your tomatoes as possible, since pythium and such probably make breaking the roots a little riskier (but not anywhere as risky as planting a cutting rooted in water into soil with pythium in it would be: there's almost a 100% failure rate there, although maybe bright light would help; not sure about cuttings rooted in soil, because I got soil without pythium in it before I started doing that instead much).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing you can do to make this process more gentle on the plants is to soak them in water for a day or two after splitting them up, so they'll grow their roots out a little and heal a bit. This seems more important for peppers than tomatoes. It doesn't seem particularly important for tomatoes, but you can do it. It may increase initial light tolerance, though, but I haven't tested that in particular a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, when you transplant them, plant the stem as deep as you can, without putting new growth in the watering zone, and perhaps without having the stem touch the bottom of the container. The plant will be more secure in the pot that way, and it will grow more roots faster (it will grow roots all along the stem). If the only new growth is in the watering zone, the plant will be weaker, grow less quickly, require more light, and might even eventually die without growing out of the watering zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While I said to wait until the stems are thicker, you can be successful beforehand. The plants are more tender, then, however, and it's a more delicate process to do without damage to the seedlings. They're also more susceptible to stuff. You'll also want to be a lot more careful with the roots at this point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-03-25T00:19:39.180" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T00:19:39.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17710" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-25T02:10:17.200" Score="4" ViewCount="358" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm hoping someone can help me identify this shrub/tree.  We recently purchased this property and are still trying to figure some plants out.  We live in deep south Texas, zone 8/9 but there are many tropical plants on the grounds so it may not be native.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0TnzV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are thick glossy topside and fuzzy underside.  The drupes grow individually from the branch on short stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10972" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-25T03:14:56.383" LastActivityDate="2015-05-19T06:01:26.027" Title="What is this shrub/tree with small green drupes in southern Texas?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17711" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-25T11:59:16.123" Score="4" ViewCount="2543" Body="&lt;p&gt;My coworkers used normal tap water to water my Venus Fly Trap. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I save it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10973" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-25T13:26:07.703" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T14:31:28.143" Title="How can I save my Venus Fly Trap after being watered with tap water?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;venus-fly-trap&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17712" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17715" CreationDate="2015-03-25T13:29:51.650" Score="6" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;The site is on the east end of Long Island. Zone 6b. It is actually a re-vegetation of a forested area from which we removed over 40 mature pitch pines that had succumbed to some pine beetle. There are currently some small black and scrub oaks in the area, among other things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would these white oaks benefit from one of the commercial inoculants available, or does the reasonably undisturbed soil contain all that will be needed for good acclimation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T15:49:09.747" Title="Should I use a mycorrhizal inoculant when transplanting 4.5&quot; caliper white oaks?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17713" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17687" CreationDate="2015-03-25T13:44:39.807" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes.  There is no such thing as a bonsai cutting.  A bonsai is just a normal tree, nothing more.  There are various ways to reduce leaf size.  And of course some trees are better suited to bonsai than others.  ie ones with smaller natural leaves if it is desired to show with leaves.  If not then leaf size doesn't matter if you want to show it in it's naked winter state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T13:44:39.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17714" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17711" CreationDate="2015-03-25T14:22:51.200" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming it's not dead yet, you're just concerned that it will be affected, just water it with rainwater or distilled water or deionized water or whatever water you normally use for it, and let it drain, then water it some more and drain again, to flush out the minerals from the tap water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose you could put it in a container a little bigger than the pot and let it soak for 20 minutes or so before draining each time, but I don't know that it's needful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's at work, a note for your co-workers might also be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T14:22:51.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17712" CreationDate="2015-03-25T14:30:16.677" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless it's a large fraction of the value of the trees (seems unlikely) might as well give them all the help they can get. Might not be needed, but if it helps any of them, and it's not too expensive, might as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-03-25T15:02:49.650" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T15:02:49.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17716" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17711" CreationDate="2015-03-25T14:31:28.143" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If this was a one-time thing and your plant doesn't show any symptoms of stress, you should be ok even without further meassures (speaking from experience...).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might want to think about &quot;flushing out&quot; unwanted residue by watering over-generously with rainwater or filtered water (as you would normally use) and letting the excess drain from the bottom. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option before switching all soil might be just replacing the top layer, especially if the plant has been dry occasionally, but that's rather unlikely considering the preferences of a venus flytrap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Changing all potting soil would be the ultimate resort if you suspect real damage to the soil like when an over-zealous co-worker decided that a generous dose of fertilizer would be a kind gesture to the poor plant...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T14:31:28.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4242" CreationDate="2015-03-25T14:40:01.707" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fastest shade tree is not always the best. Fast-growing trees are usually weak-wooded, and you wouldn't want that close to the building!&#xA;If you're in Alabama, any tree you plant will grow very quickly, so you are lucky. Some people plant for their children or grandchildren in more northern climates.&#xA;An Allee Elm will grow quickly, with the trunk expanding 1 1/2 inches per year. It is a huge tree (60 ft) with a form similar to the classic American Elm. You should get good shade within 3 years of planting.&#xA;If you want a smaller tree, you can plant a Natchez Crape Myrtle. It has very fast grow and can reach 35 feet. You should see good shade within 3 years of planting it, too, because it has very rapid growth. 100 days of large, white blooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10974" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-03-25T15:47:07.927" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T15:47:07.927" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17718" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17710" CreationDate="2015-03-25T14:47:31.987" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a Black Gum tree - a very nice tree to have!  Beautiful red fall color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10974" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T14:47:31.987" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17719" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17712" CreationDate="2015-03-25T14:52:32.300" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It never hurts to add mychorrizah. It's like giving a probiotic boost to the tree. Because you are planting a tree, you don't need to put soil additives in the tree pit. Because their tree roots will spread to about 40 feet in diameter, they will move beyond the original planting hole (and the soil additives) very quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10974" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-03-25T15:49:09.747" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T15:49:09.747" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17720" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17689" CreationDate="2015-03-25T14:56:26.940" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Putting down the newspaper will block sunlight to the weeds, so they will probably die. You can cut openings in the thick layer of newspaper to plant your new plants. Then they will have the sunlight advantage over the weed competition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10974" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-03-25T15:48:20.090" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T15:48:20.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17721" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14261" CreationDate="2015-03-25T15:23:49.683" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to lack of oxygen and over feeding as already noted, unpleasant odor can also a result of too much nitrogen or too much moisture. If does start smelling, turn it and add some carbon to it (dry shredded newspaper as an example). Composting is sometimes a balancing act between carbon and nitrogen, and some experimentation may be in order. Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10975" LastActivityDate="2015-03-25T15:23:49.683" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17722" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17724" CreationDate="2015-03-25T20:34:19.073" Score="4" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the first year I'm growing my vegetable seeds in standard greenhouse trays and inserts. As a result I wound up getting some inserts I thought were something else and I'm trying to figure out if I should use them or not. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead of getting deep 606 or 32 deep inserts I wound up getting 3601 inserts which have measurements of 2.23&quot; L x 1.94&quot; W X 2.23&quot; D and can hold 7.32 cubic inches of soil. The amount of soil is similar to a 806 deep cell which is what's commonly sold in nurseries around here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm starting my seeds in 98 cell trays. I have 3&quot; sheet pots that I plan to transplant most of my tomatoes to but wondering what, if anything, I can use the 3601 inserts for so I don't have to buy additional inserts this season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the things I'm starting from seeds include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;another batch of tomatoes that will grow for 2 weeks less than my main ones&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;peppers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;eggplants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;zucchini&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;melons&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cucumbers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I get away with using these wide shallow inserts or should I just get something deeper? What are good uses for these inserts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-03-27T06:51:18.390" Title="Are 3601 trays big enough to transplant vegetables to?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17723" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17726" CreationDate="2015-03-26T03:38:53.447" Score="9" ViewCount="1397" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's been snowing on these Yew bushes for the past three months of this harsh Massachusetts winter. With regular gentle cleaning, they've been doing fine. After last week's snow it warmed up a bit, and the snow began to melt, so we left them alone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, the following day the temperature dropped again and the melted snow froze, forming patches of a heavy mixture of snow and ice, which caused severe bends in a number of branches.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for larger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3GYze.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3GYzes.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xfl4f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xfl4fs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nJ9AB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nJ9ABs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/92wLB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/92wLBs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't cleared the snow because in some areas it appears to be offering some support from underneath. If the forecast is correct, however, it will melt in the next few days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd really like to save these branches. Although they're obviously straining, very few have actually broken; and while some are brittle, most seem quite pliable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I proceed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that it's winter again, I'm posting a long overdue update! We did absolutely nothing, and I'm pleased to report that all of the branches stood back up once the ice melted. Some of the edges and small twigs remained brown, and we eventually trimmed those. There was new growth on every bush during the summer, and they remained a favorite feeding and hiding spot for birds, chipmunks, squirrels and a beautiful fat skunk! In November, we trimmed them just a bit rounder on the tops, but made no major changes. I'm optimistic about their survival through the winters to come. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T06:12:22.470" LastActivityDate="2018-03-23T22:25:59.350" Title="How can I save Yew bush branches severely bent by snow and ice?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;frost&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17724" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17722" CreationDate="2015-03-26T06:43:34.467" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are pretty shallow for cucurbits, especially melons, in my opinion, but I haven't tried it personally (so you can always experiment). Melons tend to grow deep taproots, and they're initially much larger seedlings than tomatoes. So, that's why I say that. It'll likely be a bigger problem with watermelon than other cucurbits, though, if what people say about starting watermelon indoors damaging the taproot and stunting the plant is true. I'm trying several large watermelon varieties in 20 fl oz foam cups, currently. So, I can tell you how that goes later, if you like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should be fine for tomatoes. It can work for peppers and probably eggplant, but I would personally plant them in bigger containers to start with, since peppers can tend to get a little stunted for a while when you transplant them, and the less transplants the better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever you do, make sure you have enough light. Plants are more forgiving with more light, often. I think they're more forgiving when they have enough potassium, too. If you have enough light and potassium I'm guessing the amount of soil won't matter as much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-03-26T06:43:34.467" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17725" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4242" CreationDate="2015-03-26T09:38:00.200" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Conditions.&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Shading the second floor requires taller trees (dooohhh, I know) &lt;br/&gt;&#xA;NMOsZ &quot;vicious sun&quot; 2-5pm  photo indicates that BVFcU photo is nearer to midday. &lt;br/&gt;&#xA;BVFcU shows downspout (gutter drop, leaders, whatever) extenders. The driveway itself looks well-graded. The grade near the house looks too flat, IMO. OTOH, your soil looks like coarser loam or &quot;dirty&quot; sand, and camera lenses distort. &lt;br/&gt;&#xA;The state of the mowed vegetation looks more like summer or fall than spring. &lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Two A/C compressors on side of garage? They would like shade, too.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water drains down fast in deep sandy soil. OTOH, the water table stays shallow near year-round rivers. County ag (cooperative extension) might have soil maps. The nearby woods suggest nothing extraordinary.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your back (SE side?) has tilled ridges.  Photos don't tell much, but the woods looks consistently immature height. Was the area clearcut 15-20 years ago?&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Non biological...&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Whitewash the brick. White roofing (too late for now, though I've read of the concept of painting roofs).&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Good ventilation under the roof deck.&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Goals, selection.&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;As others have replied, &quot;Long-lived&quot; and &quot;Fast growing&quot; are biologically/ecologically opposing adaptions.&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;For example, some (most?) poplar (Populus sp) species grow fast, but  also drop large pieces of themselves in high winds. Fast poplars roots find and fill sewer lines.&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;A direct hit by strong tornado will shred even a slow sturdy tree, but will also shred the house, anyway. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;AFAIK, taller trees will give better overall cooling than lower trees, even if both completely shade the ground level.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;30 years is shorter-lived than average.&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Initial planting size doesn't matter for some species. At least some Oak species grow faster from direct seeding. Pecans and Persian walnuts also might. &lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are no other concerns, i would grow small fast trees somewhat near the house, then large slow tree further, then large faster trees far from anything that's expensive (street,  sidewalk, etc). You can also start some large slow trees as understory among the large fast trees. &lt;br/&gt;&#xA;I think it's obvious to choose large trees most carefully. Small plants can be revised more easily. However amongst weed species, small rapidly-maturing (seed spewing)  species can be most obnoxious.&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;If you plant trees to fill the currently tilled area, I predict brambles and trees will seed and sprout in between. They might compete with the desirable trees. Also raccoons will move closer to the house. Around &lt;em&gt;large&lt;/em&gt; trees I have seen weeds tilled. Near smaller trees, a large self-propelled mower might be better than tilling.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't plant anything large near or above sewer/septic (leach field), electrical power, gas, water supply. Communication and  irrigation lines are less expensive.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fast shade the on wall? &lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Visibility and security concerns near house suggest small trees rather than shrubs.&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Info.&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Look around the neighborhood. Take photos for ID.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Public and university libraries, garden clubs,  should have info. There should be one or a few standard 'classic' regional references. &lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Perhaps take a quick look at homestead planting info (commonly recommend evergreens on winter wind side of house)&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Take a look at SE USA natives. &lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ahs.org/gardening-resources/societies-clubs-organizations/native-plant-societies&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Native Plant Societies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sample searches to try.&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Native botanic org Alabama&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Native plant society org Alabama&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Native gardens tour Mobile  Alabama&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Georgia search results.&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gnps.org&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Georgia Native Plant Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://botgarden.uga.edu/conserve/details.php?program=GNPI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Georgia Native Plant Information&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gpcnativegarden.org/georgegar.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Native Plant Botanical Garden&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Maybe interesting &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantdelights.com/Georgia-Native-Plants-for-sale/Plants-native-to-Georgia/?view_all&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Georgia Native Plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mississippi&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/collections/collection.php?collection=MS&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mississippi Wildflowers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mississippinativeplantsociety.org/gardens-and-destinations.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mississippi Native Plant Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try Tennessee info if you're in north AL&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Disclaimer: I did not &lt;em&gt;visit&lt;/em&gt; most of those urls.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10976" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-10-04T07:54:48.403" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T07:54:48.403" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17726" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17723" CreationDate="2015-03-26T14:12:34.523" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The yew bushes in front of the building I work at are flattened by snow and ice every winter, (nobody cleans it off, and if the roof gets cleared, they get extra helpings on top.) They are poorly shaped for snow (trimmed dead flat on top).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the snow melts they are fine (and have been for 20+ years of this.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore, my suggestion is: do nothing, await the thaw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-03-26T14:12:34.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17727" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17698" CreationDate="2015-03-26T15:42:15.080" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Each herbicide has a unique half life. They are organic and will break down over time. If you know the herbicide being used, you can read a lot of good information about its toxicity in the MSDA (material data safety sheet). You can also call the manufacturer and ask about the half life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The easiest thing to do is to add a thin layer of soil on top of the grass clippings and then layer dried plant debris over that, making a nice compost &quot;lasagna&quot;. Grass clippings break down very quickly in this situation-maybe just a few days. Your dogs won't want to dig through all the layers to get to the fresh clippings. If you leave the layers to compost, you can let the herbicide break down over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10974" LastActivityDate="2015-03-26T15:42:15.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17728" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17723" CreationDate="2015-03-26T18:53:56.777" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although it won't hurt the yew for the branches to lay down thusly, indeed this is how many confers grow naturally anyway is to spread out after grow up first. They may not lift back up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The hole will fill after a few years but you may not want to wait.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the thaw, wrap the yews with twine and lift the branches back to where you want them and let the twine just rot away on its own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-15T03:27:18.933" LastActivityDate="2015-12-15T03:27:18.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17729" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17698" CreationDate="2015-03-26T21:54:05.083" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most things that people put on their grass won't hurt dogs. However, them eating grass is an indicator that they are not feeling well. What type of food do they eat?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7528" LastActivityDate="2015-03-26T21:54:05.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17730" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17722" CreationDate="2015-03-26T22:33:12.227" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peppers usually grow fine when started in shallow containers. Melons typically do not, as Shule pointed out- they grow deep taproots. Cucumbers and Zucchini also will grow a deep taproot, but I believe they're a bit slower than melons, so you might be able to get them to sprout in the shallow container, then transplant them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many herbs and flowers don't require much root depth, and something like alfalfa hardly requires any at all. Be sure to keep your baby plants fertilized and very well lit- even near a window I use a grow light when I'm sprouting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7528" LastActivityDate="2015-03-26T22:33:12.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17731" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17704" CreationDate="2015-03-26T22:36:12.787" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hydroponics&lt;/em&gt; is specifically using water (without soil) to grow plants. &lt;em&gt;Aeroponics&lt;/em&gt; is using air+water (mists, micromisters), no soil, and the roots are usually suspended in the mist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Aeroponics&lt;/em&gt; is useful on rooting because the right amount of oxygen and water are available to the roots compared to the sometimes partially anaerobic conditions in traditional hydroponics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6882" LastEditorUserId="6882" LastEditDate="2015-03-29T19:44:08.500" LastActivityDate="2015-03-29T19:44:08.500" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17732" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17735" CreationDate="2015-03-26T22:46:09.503" Score="6" ViewCount="7005" Body="&lt;p&gt;We're removing a layer of topsoil from a section our yard to lay brick paving. A friend who donated the bricks has expressed an interest in taking this topsoil for their own garden in exchange (they're in a newer neighbourhood without great topsoil). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should we treat the topsoil before removal to ensure that we don't send weeds/creeper roots, pests, etc. over to our friend's garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10980" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T19:33:54.447" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T19:33:54.447" Title="How to 'clean' topsoil of weeds &amp; pests before giving it to a friend" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17733" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-27T00:41:31.517" Score="1" ViewCount="97" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the name of the blue seeds in the upper left part of this picture?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zHgGF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10981" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-27T15:55:47.347" LastActivityDate="2015-03-27T15:55:47.347" Title="What is the name of these blue seeds?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-09-13T18:40:33.100" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17734" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17746" CreationDate="2015-03-27T00:53:14.713" Score="7" ViewCount="608" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are the practical differences between cucumbers grown from seed and cucumbers of the same maturity level and equivalent root maturity from cuttings? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a significant difference between yield and fruit size/quality of cucumbers grown from seed, which have taproots, and cucumbers grown from cuttings, which don't?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing the depth of the soil wouldn't matter as much for cuttings, since they don't have taproots, so long as there were enough soil. I have heard that cuttings from some plants will grow thicker and stronger regular roots to try to make up for the lack of a taproot. I'm not sure if that applies to cucumbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm growing cucumbers both from seed and from cuttings of the same plants. So, I was wondering if I should expect different sizes of fruit, different levels of production and such. The variety I'm growing, as far as I know, is one called Bushy (since that's the closest matching cucumber seed packet the person I got the cucumber that I saved the seeds from had). However, the plants get huge for that variety, but otherwise the cucumbers seem to be those. They're great for fresh eating and make the best tasting vertical pickle slices I've ever had.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I've got an idea that cuttings might be more suitable for a raised bed with black plastic underneath than the seed-grown plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm also trying to root some watermelon cuttings (Mississippi Cobb Gem, and I'm planning to take a Ledmon cutting, today) in soil. After a few days, my watermelon cutting is still alive and looking well. So, that's a good sign. Hopefully it'll work. It's a large variety that normally probably wouldn't do well in a raised bed with black plastic underneath, due to it preventing the taproot from growing very far down. I've tried a somewhat large variety there before (Klondike Stripe, I think), and the fruit was pitifully small and soft. It's maybe 18 inches of soil. So, it would be interesting to see if they did better from cuttings in such an environment. (I mean, because they have no taproot, the soil depth shouldn't make as much of a difference, it would seem.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-04-24T06:00:55.077" LastActivityDate="2015-04-24T06:00:55.077" Title="What are the practical differences between cucurbits grown from seed and cuttings?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;&lt;cucurbits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17735" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17732" CreationDate="2015-03-27T01:18:24.243" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would recommend just warning them and not treating the soil at all, unless they request a specific treatment when you ask, or unless they're in another state or you know your soil has particularly bad weeds, pests, pathogens or something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could pour boiling water on the soil to kill weeds and bugs, but it will also kill beneficial soil microbes, which may result in smaller cucurbits and give fungi an advantage if there's not a lot of sun on it. If you could do that and then add beneficial microbes, right away, that might be great. I've never tried adding beneficial microbes, unless you count yogurt in a container indoors, but that didn't end well. Mixing your sterilized soil with your friend's poor dirt could possibly colonize it with good microbes, but I don't know for sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There might be workable pesticides and herbicides you could use, but your friend might be into organic gardening. Again, I recommend asking your friend before you do anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-03-27T05:34:02.723" LastActivityDate="2015-03-27T05:34:02.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17737" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17723" CreationDate="2015-03-27T04:30:04.507" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;These yews are going to be fine.  Cut any broken branches back to a healthy main stem.  Lop off ends to relieve weight.  Not a great idea to use twine at this stage as that would act like a cast on one's arm, atrophying and weakening the branch.  When pruning for a hedge, I am assuming this is what you are trying to accomplish, keep the top narrower than the bottom.  This is a great conifer especially if you are dealing with a bit of shade.  Totally okay to flat top but make sure that the bottom branches stick out just a bit further than the branches above.  In this way the bottom branches are supported by the plant because they are producing as much food as the branches on the top. If the branches on the top get more light (producing more food for the plant) these branches will be supported (nourished by the plant) more than the branches NOT producing as much food for the plant.  Does that make sense?  Are these shrubs in shade/part shade much of the day?  Prune these guys at least twice better thrice, grin per year.  Don't allow them to get lanky.  Lots of light pruning is better than one big heavy pruning.  Send more pics.  It would be nice to know WHAT kind of yew you are dealing with, how old they are, the microenvironment and what you expect of these plants.  Yews are GREAT plants!  Just FYI, they are very poisonous to animals and humans.  If you've got little kids around, make sure you teach them NEVER to eat anything YOU aren't feeding them.  If you are worried about little kids, easiest to get rid of yews.  Animals seem to understand what they can eat and what they can't.  Keep an eye on domestic dogs and cats, however.  Especially puppies/kittens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-03-27T04:30:04.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17732" CreationDate="2015-03-27T04:57:50.873" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As long as your friends intend to add the cut out soil to their outdoor garden...do NOTHING. If they want to use to fill some sort of a pot/planter...tell them to purchase sterilized soil.  Whenever I've had to cut sod out of a site I bust my buns to find a way to use this sod on site.  Costs bucks to take it to a proper dump.  Otherwise, old sod is SUPER for planting beds.  Just turn it over, dump it where you want and then top it off with soil/decomposed organic mulch.  Plant beds work better if they are raised.  Planting on a flat, compacted soil is not so great.  As long as the old grass/weeds are buried a few inches you or your friends don't have to worry about the grass/weeds growing back.  They become valuable organic matter for the soil.  The beds could be stacked 3-4' high but will become a foot or less once decomposition has taken place (add a bit of nitrogen to hurry up the process).  Herbicides/pesticides just aren't necessary in the garden unless you've screwed up royal and need a bandaid. A gardener's goal should be to have as much life as possible within the soil.  Beneficials will take care of bad insects/disease if everything is in balance.  Using any pesticides will ALWAYS throw this balance off. Are your friends in your neighborhood? Say within 5-10 mile radius? Similar conditions? (Are they in a development where the contractors buried the topsoil or carted it off?) If they are not, keep the sod for yourself. Otherwise, this stuff is the best stuff one could use to build up their soil. Shame to take this to a dump...have you and/or your friends ever done a soil test? Glad you asked!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-03-27T04:57:50.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17739" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13898" CreationDate="2015-03-27T06:22:12.300" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Powdery mildew is worse where sunlight is limited, as is downy mildew. You said cramming plants can increase the risk, and you've had fans on to increase aeration. Humidity would affect it. Dry leaves may make it worse, strangely. The opposite seems to be true of downy mildew, about wet leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some potential ideas that might help:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant resistant varieties. They may or may not be hard to find, but they exist. &lt;a href=&quot;http://shule-s-garden.37554.n7.nabble.com/Powdery-mildew-resistant-tomato-varieties-td39.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Resistant tomato varieties&lt;/a&gt; that I would recommend looking into include Striped Stuffer, Granadero and Tropic. Striped Stuffer is the only heirloom I've found for sure.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have trees giving shade, trimming them or getting rid of them might help, as it would increase the light.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Consider using trellises for your plants to keep them off of each other and provide more air flow. This may give shade to plants near the trellis, though, and cause problems there. However, higher plants may get more light, too.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There may be optimal soil nutrients to help protect against it. I don't know if this extends to powdery mildew, but sufficient potassium can help protect against disease, insects and other ills. Calcium and silica availability may also be factors, since they play a role in plant strength and structure. Interestingly, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.soils.org/publications/sssaj/abstracts/74/5/1652&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;calcium silicate is supposed to suppress powdery mildew&lt;/a&gt;. Also, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growingagreenerworld.com/controlling-or-eliminating-powdery-mildew/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;potassium bicarbonate is supposed to be an effective fungicide that can work with organic gardening&lt;/a&gt;. I'm not sure how well potassium silicate and potassium bicarbonate work for treating potassium deficiency, though.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Artificial UV and/or infrared light may help to inhibit it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You might consider planting in southwestern Texas. The UV index is pretty high there, and land is inexpensive. Or there's always Arizona or southeastern Utah for an arid climate. That's maybe a severe action for combating powdery mildew, though. :)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Weeds and such may or may not be hosts. Pulling them might help.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-05-22T10:14:19.190" LastActivityDate="2015-05-22T10:14:19.190" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17740" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17722" CreationDate="2015-03-27T06:51:18.390" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sprouting seeds/starts should take very little soil/space. 2X2X2 is just a bit large for starts.  Ok to use just have to watch the moisture.  Warm soil (60 degrees F), moist not wet, little or NO fertilizer, light when seed leaves emerge. If they get too spindly then you don't have enough light.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Transplanting in my mind makes for stronger plants.  Sure you won't see much in the transition because the plant is putting out a new root system, but I've never seen a reduction in yield.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To plant seeds in pots you are part of the equation.  Planting seeds in a garden is totally different.  Don't worry about yield, worry about keeping a plant healthy, vigorous.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting seeds or small plants in pots, it is critical to keep the amount of soil SMALL.  Otherwise keeping the moisture correct is pretty tough.  Too much wet soil and you'll lose your start to damping off as there is nothing to soak up the water and dry the soil before fungus/decomposers take over.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A larger garden out of doors will have checks and balances.  To start or grow anything in pots means you are the one in charge, not nature. Transplanting is stressful but just like us, we need a bit of stress to flourish. The right amount of stress will make a stronger plant (everything else being equal).  Don't worry about transplanting.  I think these 2X2X2 will work fine as long as you monitor the moisture.  You WILL have to transplant but make sure that the next pot is no larger than a 4&quot; pot.  The next will be either 6&quot; or 1 gallon.  Melons should be in the ground after that, peppers will be fine in 1 - 2 gallon sizes.  Tomatoes do best transplanted into 7 - 10 gallons or the ground.  If you can get starts transplanted into the garden soil sooner, even better. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-03-27T06:51:18.390" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17741" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-27T12:43:44.013" Score="7" ViewCount="621" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had several small plants in the office (two orchids and a small cactus) that died. In a short time they began to dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now a third orchid is beginning with similar symptoms and I wanted to ask what the reason could be:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IYma1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The grey/black spot at bottom grows, the leaves becomes soft/burned and the the leaves fall off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking at the picture I also noticed something that could be a small dead spider in the top left corner. Detail:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f0cqt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could this be the reason? Do spiders harm my plants? What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="778" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-10T13:28:19.747" LastActivityDate="2018-02-10T13:28:19.747" Title="Could a spider be causing my orchids and cactus to die?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17742" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17741" CreationDate="2015-03-27T13:56:58.007" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In a word, no.  Spiders of that size will not harm plants.  They will look for shelter in the leaves and roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is a pretty healthy looking orchid.  What has changed to cause the change in the roots? I might assume that the watering schedule has changed. That might cause the changes you see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-03-27T13:56:58.007" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17743" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17744" CreationDate="2015-03-27T16:00:35.543" Score="6" ViewCount="49" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have raspberry and blackberry plants from Burpee that showed up here last week. Yesterday was the first day above freezing here in New Jersey (USA). There is still unmelted snow in my yard, and the ground is still frozen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking it's too soon to plant these in the yard. If I'm right about that, how do I take care of the plants until it's warm enough to plant outside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last day of frost in this area is May 5, so I'm still 5 weeks out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10982" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-03-27T16:21:26.017" LastActivityDate="2015-03-27T16:21:26.017" Title="My live berry plants have been here a week. When do I put them in the ground?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17743" CreationDate="2015-03-27T16:19:35.293" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can plant them when it's still frosting out, but not when it's still freezing regularly. Until then, keep them in the coolest, darkest spot you have inside. An unheated basement or garage is perfect. A large shed should work too, if not too drafty. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's too warm, they will put out shoots and start growing, which isn't fatal, but can cause severe setbacks once planted. Between 32 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal for this, the colder end being better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my area, I usually heel them into a trench and fill it with mulch until planting time, but I live in a warmer area where the ground doesn't freeze nearly as hard or as deep as where you are, so this will likely not be a solution for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the roots are still bound (for shipping), free them, cut off anything snapped or ragged, and put them in damp sawdust/sand/peat/similar medium. They may sprout a little by May 5 (you &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; plant them before the last frost, btw), but it shouldn't be too bad if you have a cold spot. Just plant very carefully if they have even small sprouts, as they are easy to break off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-03-27T16:19:35.293" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17745" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17747" CreationDate="2015-03-27T16:38:46.613" Score="6" ViewCount="2805" Body="&lt;p&gt;It has been &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/17699/have-i-planted-my-tomato-seedlings-too-close-together&quot;&gt;suggested that my seedlings may not be getting enough light&lt;/a&gt;.  What are the best types of fluorescent lights to get?  I have a single bulb, and looking to get another light or two to add to the lighting.  I'm not sure where my wife originally got this bulb, but I figured I'd take this chance to get the &quot;best&quot; bulbs for this task.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a secondary question, do you typically keep your lights on your seedlings 24 hours a day?  Or do you try to mimic daylight by turning the lights off at night?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10966" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-03-28T04:38:07.643" Title="What fluorescent bulb is best for my tomato seedlings?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17746" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17734" CreationDate="2015-03-27T16:50:42.607" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ok, I'll break this down and answer what I can. I haven't extensively grown cucurbits from cuttings, but I've grown pumpkins, cucumbers, watermelons, and other melons this way. I've found that I can establish a cutting faster than a seed, but there are also drawbacks IME.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;What are the practical differences between cucumbers grown from seed and cucumbers of the same maturity level and equivalent root maturity from cuttings?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've found that the cuttings seem more 'tired' in a way, even when they amass the proper ratio of root/top growth. The seedlings had greater vigor, and seemed far less susceptible to viruses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Is there a significant difference between yield and fruit size/quality of cucumbers grown from seed, which have taproots, and cucumbers grown from cuttings, which don't?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cuttings put out flowers far before the seedlings, but weren't strong enough to support fruit yet, so the first ones were aborted. Once the plants were well established, the different crops grew differently. The cucumbers were almost identical, and all produced similarly up until frost. With the crops that are let to mature on the vine (pumpkins, melons), the seedlings were capable of a much greater load, but the fruit on the cutting plants matured first (by over a week). This was especially noticeable on the pumpkins, which did not ever get very robust from the cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I'm guessing the depth of the soil wouldn't matter as much for cuttings, since they don't have taproots, so long as there were enough soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Comparably, the cuttings and seedlings did the same in the raised beds as the ground. The cutting and seedling plants in the raised beds were earlier, grew faster, and declined faster. The ones in the ground (which was most of them) produced later and larger. The plastic under the raised beds (which had 8&quot; of topsoil in them) didn't seem to affect the plants at all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Anyway, I've got an idea that cuttings might be more suitable for a raised bed with black plastic underneath than the seed-grown plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Actually, well over 90% of a cucurbit's feeder roots are in the top 2-6&quot;. The lowest roots are mostly anchorage/water source. The larger fruits that grew in the raised beds (in only 8&quot; of topsoil over plastic) did surprisingly well, with lots and lots of water, and healthy, fertile soil fortified with plenty of manure the previous season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-03-27T16:50:42.607" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17745" CreationDate="2015-03-27T17:20:40.247" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/14255/419&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Shade, in full daylight, is about 10,000 to 25,000 lux (1 lx = 1 lm/m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;, or 1 lux equals 1 lumen divided by 1 square meter.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So assuming the lamp will be placed ~18&quot; over the flat, and the luminous efficacy of a typical fluorescence is 50–70 lumens per watt, you will want something in the 250-350 watt range (NOT a 250 watt replacement... which has far less wattage than 250). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, designated 'grow lights', although generally far overpriced IME, have a more natural light range for growing plants. The next best are 'daylight' fluorescent bulbs. Also, there are many powerful and good LED grow lights on the market now, and although they are rather pricey for a small operation, they could potentially outlive you, and are energy efficient, and not as hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know seems kind of bright indoors, but it's actually not nearly as intense as direct sunlight. Here's another thread that may be relevant to you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14254/does-a-luxmeter-provide-an-accurate-measurement-of-usable-light&quot;&gt;Does a luxmeter provide an accurate measurement of usable light?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About turning the lights off at night, that is beneficial, as there are processes that a plant naturally does at night more than in the day, and about all plants are day length sensitive to a degree. I'd say if you can, it'd be a great way to make it more natural for the seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-03-27T17:20:40.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17748" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17745" CreationDate="2015-03-27T18:03:21.977" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;When it comes to growing tomato seedlings, or starting other vegetables indoors from seed the light intensity is more important than the color. Blue light is better for vegetative growth than red light so standard daylight (5000K - 6500k) bulbs work just fine. All the university studies I've read on the subject indicate that they work just as well, sometimes better than more expensive plant grow lights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've used daylight fluorescent bulbs to start my vegetable seeds with good results. One thing to keep in mind is that the bulbs dim over time and depending on how long you keep your lights on you should replace the bulbs every season or two to get sufficient light output.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for how long to leave the lights on, most recommend 12-16 hours a day. I've read accounts from other gardeners that keep their lights on for 24 hours a day and have had dramatically increased yields. If you're mixing daylight and artificial you should time the artificial lights in a way that extends the day and not creating multiple day/night type conditions in a day. Forget where I read it but there was a study that showed doing otherwise could damage the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I set up my seedlings near a south-facing window so they get natural sunlight but also use daylight fluorescent tubes to provide additional light and I've had good results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's important to keep the light as close to the plants as possible. That increases the light intensity. About an inch or two away from the tops of the plants after they've germinated. As the plants grow you'll need to raise the lights. I've used a couple of different solutions to handle raising the light. You may be interested in my &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2015/03/cheap-seed-starting-table-plans.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;DIY plant light stand&lt;/a&gt; or even better, this year I built a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2015/03/cheap-seed-starting-table-plans.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;seed starting bench with adjustable light&lt;/a&gt; that I place by a window to get both natural and artificial light. The specialty plant lights are better for plants you plan to grow indoors all the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-03-28T03:11:53.713" LastActivityDate="2015-03-28T03:11:53.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17749" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-27T20:26:00.100" Score="4" ViewCount="1070" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do I divide an overgrown cactus (looks similar to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammillaria_vetula&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mammillaria vetula subsp. gracilis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Preiff)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10983" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-27T21:14:31.353" LastActivityDate="2019-06-17T09:31:54.150" Title="How do I divide an overgrown Mammillaria cactus?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17750" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-27T21:10:07.157" Score="4" ViewCount="545" Body="&lt;p&gt;The bulb was small and white at first. Now there's this mixture of purple and green fuzziness of the flowers that's going to bloom. Any ideas what it might be? A friend found it and I just decided to plant it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gc77ol.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10984" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-27T21:17:26.957" LastActivityDate="2015-12-23T16:34:37.277" Title="What is this bulb with a fuzzy purple and green flower head?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17752" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17732" CreationDate="2015-03-28T01:15:55.560" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;One option would be to compost it for a year in an existing hot compost pile, if that is available. Prolonged heat will typically kill most weeds, seeds and pests. The sterilization process for most soil bought at home improvement stores entails it passing through industrial ovens before having additional moisture re-added. If you can heat up the soil to 180*f for a prolonged period of time (30-45mins) it should take care of the vast majority of issues. This could be achieved with anything from a normal oven to a fire and a 55 gallon metal drum depending on the amount.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if the soil has chemicals such as fertilizer or weed killer it's unlikely that the process would remove it and if your friends application involves a garden where food is going to be produced I would recommend letting caution win the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastActivityDate="2015-03-28T01:15:55.560" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1900" CreationDate="2015-03-28T01:36:16.033" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you do not have room for a full compost pit, consider a worm compost box. There are many ready made plastic worm composters you can buy online or if you are handy you can make them out of wood. This has the added benefit of being better protected from pests like raccoon or skunk than simply trying to open air compost. It also gives you worm castings, which are excellent for your soil and as the worms multiply you can occasionally relocate some to garden areas to help your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastEditorUserId="10987" LastEditDate="2015-03-28T01:47:37.470" LastActivityDate="2015-03-28T01:47:37.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17754" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17749" CreationDate="2015-03-28T01:44:05.367" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very carefully so you don't get stuck.  I have some kitchen tongs I use for things like that.  I work the tongs in between two of the off shoots and then if they don't come apart from that I take a sharp knife and cut off an off shoot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then let it dry overnight and pot up in fresh cactus soil, something that is gritty and sandy, that drains well. I have re-potted lots of cacti. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10939" LastActivityDate="2015-03-28T01:44:05.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17745" CreationDate="2015-03-28T04:38:07.643" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lumens is the wrong measure of light for plant growth, plants don't &quot;see&quot; light, they feel it, and what they feel is photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) which drives their metabolism and growth. Fluorescents are an excellent choice for seedlings they have a well balanced spectrum and are very efficient. I would recommend a t5 high output lamp, you can buy one on amazon for about 80.00 dollars for a four foot four tube lamp, which has 4 54 watt bulbs for a total of 216 watts. There are also 2 and 8 bulb lamps in various lengths.&#xA;The length of daylight I have used in indoor seedlings has either been 18 hours on, or 24 hours on if I want to drive growth. Never less than 18, especially if it's a plant that needs to flower, because you want to be able to induce flowering easily. In spring, if they are going to be placed outside, sync it up with the natural outdoor light cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10988" LastActivityDate="2015-03-28T04:38:07.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17756" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17750" CreationDate="2015-03-28T13:30:53.910" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Might be one of the Alliums - there's one called 'Gladiator' which produces fuzzy looking flowers, more so when not fully open. The leaves usually start dying back as the flower arrives, so if the ends of the leaves you've got are still fully healthy and not showing signs of browning or shrivelling, maybe not. The flower heads on alliums are either spherical or oval - this one just looks a bit lumpy at this stage, so hard to be sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-03-28T13:30:53.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17758" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17759" CreationDate="2015-03-28T15:29:24.820" Score="5" ViewCount="1341" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few questions about these moneymaker tomato plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1)  Is it okay to grow two in a 5-gallon container?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) Is a homemade bamboo obelisk like the one I am using (see picture) tall enough (it's 120cm)? Should I go for something open at the top?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) I am keeping them inside in a partly shady spot. I was going to keep them indoors until May, when the frost risk will be gone and they can go in my unheated greenhouse. The temperature of my flat (even with heating on) goes from 12°C to 16°C. Do you see any possible problems with this environment (lack of sunlight, cold, etc.)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BTYUjm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; / / / /  &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Qh0Om.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Moneymaker Tomatoes&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-03-28T16:46:02.047" LastActivityDate="2020-05-06T09:21:45.763" Title="How should I grow Moneymaker tomato plants in indoor containers?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17759" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17758" CreationDate="2015-03-28T16:06:52.473" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two in a 5 gallon pot is going to be pretty cramped. If they are going to live in the pot their whole lives they will choke each other and you'll potentially get less production than you would from a single plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your bamboo setup could be more open at the top but what you have should work, when the plant gets to the top it'll train outside the sticks and then you can pinch it off to encourage lateral growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The temp isn't optimal but will be fine, your plants won't be bothered by that. You do need more light on them though, for a cheap setup consider buying a can light (aka, spring light or mobile spot light &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-300-Watt-Incandescent-Brooder-Clamp-Light-HD-303PDQ/204684496&quot;&gt;http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-300-Watt-Incandescent-Brooder-Clamp-Light-HD-303PDQ/204684496&lt;/a&gt; )from a home improvement store and using either plant bulb or a &quot;daylight&quot; bulb. I'd normally recommend an led because they are more power efficient but since your plant could likely use a little extra heat it wouldn't be bad to go with something less fancy that will produce heat. Look for something that says 5000k or 6200k color spectrum on the package. Set the light(s) on a 16 hour timer about 3-4 inches from the top of the plant and keep moving them up as the plant(s) grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plants likely won't die in their current situation but they aren't set up to really thrive, either. If you separate them out to two containers and give each of them supplemental light you'll have much better luck. Consider also putting a small box fan to blow across the plants for at least a few hours a day. This will prevent them from becoming too 'leggy' and promote healthier stronger plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastEditorUserId="10987" LastEditDate="2015-03-28T16:15:20.347" LastActivityDate="2015-03-28T16:15:20.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17760" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17769" CreationDate="2015-03-28T19:12:49.190" Score="5" ViewCount="1938" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to plant a magnolia tree at the edge of the garden where it meets the concrete of an adjacent parking lot. There is clear morning sun. Light from the South and West is somewhat obstructed by other threes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I go about this in such circumstances? What is a decent minimum distance for planting such a tree from where the concrete begins? What distance should be kept from other tees? What size of plant should I look for and what is a good time to plant it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen white and purple magnolias that both blossom in Central Europe around early April. Could I even plant one of each kind (color) and expect both to grow next to each other to similar size?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The location is Central Europe (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.houzz.com/europeZoneFinder&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;zone 6&lt;/a&gt;). In terms of size and and flowers, &lt;a href=&quot;http://media.4teachers.de/images/thumbs/image_thumb.6106.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oldskoolman.de/bilder/plog-content/thumbs/natur/baeume/large/4671-bluete-magnolie.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;that&lt;/a&gt; is roughly what I have in mind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE&lt;/strong&gt;: Here is a sketch of the situation. An ashed rectangle indicates the approx. size of a car. It's visitor parking space and usually not all slots are taken. Up is East. I thought it would be nice to plant a magnolia tree close to the corner of the parking lot (and perhaps a second one to its right.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Udrgz.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-12T08:59:06.040" LastActivityDate="2018-01-12T08:59:06.040" Title="Where, when, and how can I plant magnolia trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;magnolia&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17761" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17749" CreationDate="2015-03-28T21:25:34.387" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew dozens of these things when I was young. The 'branches' will readily snap or twist off and will root if simply placed with the end in compost and sparsely watered. They then grow identically to the parent plant, and sprout their own branches, and the branches grow branches, and so on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2881" LastActivityDate="2015-03-28T21:25:34.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17760" CreationDate="2015-03-28T22:18:01.270" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking forward to seeing the area you intend to plant these Magnolias.  Concrete makes soil much more alkaline, lawns like this, not sure about Magnolias but since they love acid soils of the Northwest, I have a feeling that the concrete won't be that great.  And as they grow, the roots can bust up concrete...etc.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Magnolias are great WAY out in the garden.  Very messy if these have the huge flowers, bees, gooey...they are also very breakable in high winds. As an evergreen, there is an awful lot of weight on the branches during the winters. Wind storms can shear these guys in half.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What concerns me is 'how close can i get to the concrete parking lot'...are you trying to block the parking lot from view? How big of a yard do you have?  Are you planting them in fluffy plant beds or right on the edge of a flat lawn?  And, to give you a good suggestion without knowing anything else...DON'T GET ONE OF THIS TREE AND ONE OF THIS OTHER COLOR!!  As a Landscape Architect, one of the first 'rules' one learns about aesthetics in the landscape is to keep 'specimens' FEW!!  Never buy one of anything unless it will be a focal point, the focal point.  If you are going to have trees, think MASS.  Much more natural and much more punch.  Human brains get wiggy when there is more than 3 different things to think about.  Send more information and definitely more pictures that show your entire yard...landscaping is very expensive.  So smart to ask questions on this site before you make mistakes in your yard...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-03-28T22:18:01.270" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17763" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-03-28T23:19:01.717" Score="9" ViewCount="4765" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you help me identify and &quot;diagnose&quot; these small, white, ant-like bugs? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are red wood mulch chips around the base of a tree in my front yard. I pushed some around with my shoe, and was a bit surprised to see a bunch of little bugs like this. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some kind of ant? Some kind of termites? Should I be worried, or leave them be? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Their fate is in your hands. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HbZBM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9629" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-06-05T10:20:37.073" LastActivityDate="2015-06-05T10:20:37.073" Title="Identify small, white, &quot;ant-like&quot; bug found in chips near tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;ants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17764" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17763" CreationDate="2015-03-28T23:42:49.950" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't be certain with the picture quality but based on their location in the wood chips and their appearance I'm going to say you have termites. Certainly get rid of them and/or call a bug inspector to verify.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastActivityDate="2015-03-28T23:42:49.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17765" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17689" CreationDate="2015-03-29T06:34:59.767" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've found it best to pull out all grass and weeds and replace the soil with well rotted compost and manure. It's a PITA, but this way, you can till the soil and start fresh. Just grab a shovel and dig away. Plus, I've found that grass is impossible to eradicate and the tiniest bit of root can easily take over. Starting fresh will also make it easier to weed and you'll know that all the nutrition you put into it will only be used on the plants (as opposed to any leftover weeds/grass that's still alive). It'll also make aerating the soil much, much easier since you don't have to worry about all the dried-up and tangled roots from the weeds. Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6838" LastEditorUserId="6838" LastEditDate="2015-03-29T06:53:38.017" LastActivityDate="2015-03-29T06:53:38.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11091" CreationDate="2015-03-29T07:06:34.770" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can't beat them, eat them! That's my motto! I've also had no luck eradicating that exact same weed, we call it Kirskål in Sweden (Aegopodium podagraria or Bishop's Weed in English). Each individual root, even the tiniest bit, will continue to grow. But they're edible - the leaves are best eaten when they're small and their leaves just beginning to unfurl. They're supposed to be nutritious, although not the best tasting. I've found that sauteing them in Asian recipes (bold flavors) tastes best! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Eta: The leaves shouldn't be eaten after the plant flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6838" LastEditorUserId="6838" LastEditDate="2015-03-30T06:36:44.083" LastActivityDate="2015-03-30T06:36:44.083" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17768" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14037" CreationDate="2015-03-29T07:58:56.870" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The stem doesn't look like a Boletus. I think it might be an old Bay Bolete (Xerocomus Badius).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6838" LastActivityDate="2015-03-29T07:58:56.870" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17769" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17760" CreationDate="2015-03-29T13:36:56.657" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first requirement for any magnolia is deep, humus rich soil which doesn't constantly dry out - it shouldn't be waterlogged though. Magnolias generally don't like chalky soil, so a neutral to acid ph is best. Most deciduous species and M. grandiflora tolerate some sun, but all benefit from light shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are two compact varieties you could plant, if there's enough room - Magnolia liliiflora 'Nigra', which has deep, purplish pink tulip shaped flowers, ultimate height 3 metres, with a similar spread, and another compact variety is M. 'George Henry Kern', with pink vased shaped flowers, reaching ultimately 2.5 metres with a similar spread. Both are deciduous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, if you really want a medium to large tree, there are many which reach 15-18 metres, but something not quite so large is Magnolia 'Jane',  with open to cup shaped fragrant flowers, deep pink on the outside and very pale pink within. It's deciduous, and the flowers are produced on bare stems, before the leaves arrive. Height and spread 4.5m with a similar spread to the crown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing to consider is the mess - if it's windy when the tree is in flower, the flowers are dashed to the ground and blown all over the place. If its not windy, the flowers remain, but when they fall, there is a fair bit of mess to clear up on the ground - which might be important if all the spent flowers end up in the parking lot or any parked cars present. It's not wise to plant one of these in an area which is open and quite windy a lot of the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can provide the correct growing conditions, distance from the concrete should be around 1.5metres as a minimum. Best planting time either spring or autumn, but you will need to keep the tree well watered during dry spells for its first two years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER: All stands as before, but I see your drawing shows asphalt, not concrete, in which case, minimum planting distance from that increases to 2 metres - asphalt can easily be 'heaved' up by large roots beneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-29T14:18:16.713" LastActivityDate="2015-03-29T14:18:16.713" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17770" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3148" CreationDate="2015-03-29T14:47:38.107" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't mind they don't break down fast, I consider it a mulch for the soil and or weed discourager. I have my colleagues use a plastic bin to save all coffee grounds with their filters and I recycle them to my garden. You can imagine the amount of filters that go into my garden. I haven't seen a problem at all with them. It's true if the filters are exposed to air they do not decompose unless covered in soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10993" LastActivityDate="2015-03-29T14:47:38.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17771" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17763" CreationDate="2015-03-29T18:37:45.427" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;How close is this tree to your home? Is this tree old or not doing well? I would NOT DIY for this.  You should have a professional come out and go through your home.  They know how to look for termites.  So much damage can happen to structures before one notices that all structures should be visually examined more often.  This is a good excuse to check your home.  Make sure your pesticide applicator is licensed and insured! Have them show you the licenses and documents. Check out your own homeowner's insurance. Make sure you have termite damage clauses first before you make an appointment with termite exterminator. Try not to do a non-specific treatment where ALL insects are killed.  I've not much experience with termite pesticides even though I was a commercial pesticide applicator.  Well, I have used very little pesticide as the main thing pesticide applicators are taught is to prevent the need to ever have to use them.  Here is a pretty good link with pictures that match what you are looking at.  Good luck!&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef604.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Termite control&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2015-03-29T18:49:13.247" LastActivityDate="2015-03-29T18:49:13.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17772" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17774" CreationDate="2015-03-29T18:54:34.740" Score="4" ViewCount="11413" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a lightning storm hit my house and my sprinkler system stopped working.  I replaced the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/Irritrol-Sprinkler-Irrigation-Controller-p/kd9-int.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Irritrol KD9&lt;/a&gt; controller. The controller powers on and I have ~25 AC V on the line according to my multimeter (touching com/vc and zone 1).  None of the zones will come on.  I suspect the solenoids were destroyed too but I do not know where my sprinkler system valves are. How can I locate the sprinkler valves installed in my yard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Walking around my yard so far I found:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HlvPK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/brNSy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jBUvy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Same thing, but open)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hcF1Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10951" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-03-30T05:28:39.513" LastActivityDate="2019-03-11T11:47:17.950" Title="How can I find sprinkler valves buried in my yard?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17773" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18100" CreationDate="2015-03-29T20:16:38.700" Score="6" ViewCount="6749" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently purchased 3 dwarf citrus trees that we plan to keep indoors for ~9 months of the year. We are in zone 6 so we can only reliably move the trees to the porch for June, July and August with time moving in and out in the spring and fall for acclimation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trees will be kept in 3 different rooms, all of which we regularly use. The individual trees are Dwarf Meyer Lemon, Dwarf Venous Orange and a Dwarf Key Lime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Current available lights are 6 300 watt max can/spring lights that mostly have 100w equivalent 1600 lumen leds on the 5000K spectrum and then I purchased 3 200w Comp Fluorescent lights that initially will be running 6400k 200w lights that, on the safe side, we will estimate at 13,000 lumens. These lights will all be custom mounted on an adjustable bar and kept a little less than a foot from the top of the trees as they grow and be put on timers for 14-16 hours a day. Combined this calculates out to ~58,000 lux per tree given a 3'x3' area, using 2 can lights and the 1 compact fluorescent. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There will be very little window light access, maybe only a few hours a day from a southern facing window. I'm loath to do anything extra special on the color spectrum, since these are rooms we regularly use like the kitchen/bedroom/hallway. While I can direct the lights so that they are not at risk of shining directly in people's eyes, creating such a bright room that we would not want to sit near it without sunglasses isn't optimal either. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions:&#xA;Is my current plan sufficient for light? If it is not, what is the most cost effective way of making it sufficient?&#xA;Do any of the 3 have greater light requirements than the others?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T23:42:32.747" Title="Am I meeting the light requirements for indoor dwarf citrus trees?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17774" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17772" CreationDate="2015-03-29T21:01:43.797" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The solenoid is the black plastic piece on top of the zone valve that turns the valve on or off when the controller tells it to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L8NPr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's common for all the valves to be in a single valve box somewhere near the controller. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dXBZK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In some installations valves may be dispersed throughout the property and I believe that's the case based on your photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The round valve box on the bottom appears to be used as a junction box for the control wires. Eight wire nuts indicate you have 4 zones and should therefor have 4 zone valves with solenoids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like there are 3 cables. (maybe 2, the picture is cut off) One comes from the controller and the other two (or 1) should split off to valve boxes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second photo of the rectangular box appears to have a single valve in it. There's too much contrast in the photo to really be certain. If you can take a picture with the contents of the box more evenly illuminated it would help. I think I see a valve body but not sure I see a solenoid and not sure what those tan components might be. I can't make out any wires either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best bet is from the round box on the bottom of your post, dig out the cables a little to try to determine which direction they may be going. Follow that path and you should hopefully find the other valve boxes. They may be round or rectangular.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that just because you have an irritrol controller does not necessarily mean you have irritrol valves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Images from &lt;a href=&quot;http://irritrol.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://irritrol.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-03-30T02:29:44.633" LastActivityDate="2015-03-30T02:29:44.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17775" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17783" CreationDate="2015-03-29T21:34:08.673" Score="5" ViewCount="22040" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing this guy for 6 years. He's gotten a little too top heavy and today has fallen over and the top piece (about 9&quot;) broke off. The break was very even. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no idea where to begin here please help. Can it be grafted? Is it doomed? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TSTSn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11018" OwnerDisplayName="rhill45" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-03-29T21:59:09.363" LastActivityDate="2017-11-03T18:04:54.720" Title="How to fix a broken cactus" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17776" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17772" CreationDate="2015-03-29T23:26:44.927" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you don't know what you are looking for this is a pretty tough job :).  The circular valve cover boxes were covered by dirt in all 4 locations.  I went around the entire yard with a weed puller until I hit the hard plastic.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The key is find a box that has wires in it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bXElI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SMuXK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once removed from the valve unit, a solenoid looks like   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2JkO9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2JkO9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;this&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.basicirrigation.com/images/BPW-43-130R.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;basicirrigation.com&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sub&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read that professionals use a special tool that can read electrical current and they use it to follow the wires underground.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10951" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-03-11T11:47:17.950" LastActivityDate="2019-03-11T11:47:17.950" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="17777" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17775" CreationDate="2015-03-30T01:42:02.127" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know of a way that you can graft it back together but if you plant that top part in a new pot you have a good chance for it to root and create a new plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastActivityDate="2015-03-30T01:42:02.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17778" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11091" CreationDate="2015-03-30T05:36:41.810" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could try laying down sheets of cardboard , then thick layer of wood chips for mulch.  After a year, likely all that's under cardboard should be dead  works well on grass you don't want.  Best type cardboard I've found is the large sheets , about 3 ft square, found at stores like Costco -- used to separate boxes of canned goods, or packaged items like toilet paper.  It's flexible, easy to tear or cut to size, not too heavy (like boxes, often too thick for precise mulching use. Wood chips are from when the tree service puts benches through the professional grade chipper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But do wait at least a year or more with the gout weed fully covered , and not mixed in with the plants you want.  These roots can live a long time underground, or under this kind of cover.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck. And if you have time, being out with your well fitting knee pads on, picking those pesky roots out by hand, isn't the worst way to spend some down time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;C.n.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10994" LastActivityDate="2015-03-30T05:36:41.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17775" CreationDate="2015-03-30T11:18:41.667" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a pity we can't see the pot properly - seems likely that, as it got heavier at the top, it might have needed a bigger or wider pot to prevent its falling over. Replacing broken parts of plants can be done, if done immediately after the break occurs, but the join somtimes needs 'splinting' and definitely needs taping; as this plant is prickly, it doesn't seem likely this method would be possible without causing more damage to the spines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants get broken all the time in their natural habitat and don't necessarily die, so all you can do is wait and see if it heals itself. It might, though, need a bigger pot anyway... and it's worth following Anubis' suggestion with the broken part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-03-30T11:18:41.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17775" CreationDate="2015-03-30T14:59:58.810" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Should be able to be grafted back on.  If you didn't wait too long.  Cacti are grafted all the time.  Usually two different types, but the some one should work the same way.  I don't know specifics, but Google will.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2015-03-30T14:59:58.810" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17781" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17785" CreationDate="2015-03-30T17:47:26.177" Score="5" ViewCount="260" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a trick to get my Adenium Boehmianum to sprout new branches?  It has never grown any more branches than when I bought it more than 5 years ago.  I just repotted it in proper soil with lots of drainage holes in the pot.  I am in AZ and it has just started sprouting leaves.  It goes into the garage when temperature drops below 45 degrees.  I must admit I have not been good about fertilizing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10998" LastEditorUserId="10987" LastEditDate="2015-03-30T20:16:16.407" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T10:24:28.123" Title="Adenium Boehmianum branches" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17782" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17790" CreationDate="2015-03-30T18:38:37.613" Score="2" ViewCount="190" Body="&lt;p&gt;I refer with this question to those among you who have a strong background and work in fields like: botanics, horticulture, dendrology, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to start building a solid preparation, both practical and theoretical, in horticulture, with a strong scientific background. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am a physicist at the moment, but I am trying to lay the basis for a career switch. In September I will attend the RHS courses, but in the meanwhile I would like to start studying something on my own. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any introductory, basic, read that you would suggest? Also, if any of you have in mind a sort of &quot;curriculum&quot; (in terms of subjects, books, etc.) or would like to play with it, this would be of great help! Thanks a lot :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-03-31T15:56:29.070" LastActivityDate="2015-03-31T15:56:29.070" Title="What are good introductory texts on botanics and horticulture?" Tags="&lt;botany&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17783" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17775" CreationDate="2015-03-30T20:19:41.790" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can graft it back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the wound has already dried, use a very sharp knife, as in a proper sharpened and honed chef's knife, and slice off a pickle slice off the top piece and bottom piece.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wrap the cactus gently but firmly with cotton string, your common classroom white string is perfect for this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wind the string around the cactus avoiding the spines, and criss-crossing the wound several times covering an inch above and below the wound making the string both the bandage as well as the support holding it in place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leave the string there until it looks like the cactus is going to start growing around the string, then it is time to remove it so it doesn't scar the cactus too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-03-30T20:19:41.790" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17784" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="718" CreationDate="2015-03-31T00:15:26.017" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your peppers are fine until the transplant, it could be that they're just not mature enough. Three inches tall doesn't sound very mature, if you want them to get very big or be productive. It could also be a deficiency in your soil. I recommend a soil test. They might need more magnesium, manganese, nitrogen or something. They might need less nitrogen. Knowing exactly how they die would help, like if the shoots shrivel, or if the leaves turn yellow, or if they wilt. It could be an insect pest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could also be a pepper disease that your tomatoes are resistant toward.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could also be that the sun is shining too brightly when you transplant them, especially if you plant them later in the season than a lot of people do. That could make them wither and die if you don't shade them. You might try planting after the sun starts to go down, or shade them for a couple days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your peppers are looking sad before you transplant them, I'm guessing your peppers just aren't getting much light. You could put them under a table lined with mylar blankets and put some CFLs in there, both 6500k and lower (lower ones help against damping off better). Or just give them an overhead light. That might be slightly easier and cheaper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also recommend giving them some potassium sulfate approved for organic gardening, unless the stems are already super strong, which could indicate they have enough. If they're soft and bend easily, or ironically, if they're getting bark, they could use more potassium. They'll get strong fast if you give them that. It should only take a few days. Tomato stems get strong faster with potassium sulfate.  Potassium, if you don't have enough, after application, will strengthen the plants, help protect against disease and insects, help the plants grow faster, and increase fruit size, among other things. If you give them too much, they may get nitrogen deficiency, but it's a lot easier to give a pepper plant too much nitrogen than it is too much potassium, unless you're applying ashes or something, in which case, you don't want to add heaps of them. I recommend avoiding ashes unless you're experimenting, and know how much and what kind to use. Don't listen to people who act like potassium sulfate is a lot more expensive than harmful kinds of potassium like potassium chloride. It's not that expensive, although it is really somewhat more expensive than potassium chloride.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't recommend just using an NPK fertilizer with potassium in it. In my experience, they don't seem to add as much potassium as is helpful, or the other nutrients overpower it somehow. Just pure potassium sulfate should work fine, unless you've got a lot of potassium in your soil and don't need it anyway. I've been using a tablespoon or a half tablespoon per gallon of water, but a teaspoon is the recommended for deficient potted plants, according to someone who answered an Amazon question about it. &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B004JD6MGK&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This is the kind I got.&lt;/a&gt; My plants seem to enjoy it. This will initially make your plants drink more water for a couple days, though, but it is supposed to help with drought tolerance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Along with Wayfaring Stranger's answer, I have also heard that peppers love Epsom salt. I haven't verified this yet, but I have given them a little before with no negative consequences.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-03-31T05:34:38.183" LastActivityDate="2015-03-31T05:34:38.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17781" CreationDate="2015-03-31T01:24:02.353" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, I knew nothing of this plant before today but I read a really interesting paper put out by the University of Florida that provided the advice below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's a few different types of adenium boehmianum, and some are naturally bushy while others tend to have just a few stems until they mature fully.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your Adenium Boehmianum is getting leggy and you need to encourage branching, pinch back or remove a few inches of stem. Prune just above the leaves and it will be more likely to result in multiple branches than if you prune further down on the plant on bare stem. You can do this once a year, preferably from February to September. Trying to do this during winter often fails to generate healthy branching. If you do any of this be VERY careful. The sap, I'm sure you know, is highly poisonous.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you provide pictures of your plant, someone may be able to help you further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastEditorUserId="10987" LastEditDate="2015-03-31T04:51:23.470" LastActivityDate="2015-03-31T04:51:23.470" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17786" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4355" CreationDate="2015-03-31T04:37:00.023" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I own property with a lot of poison ivy, I first discovered it by triming brush and found myself standing in a field of it. I have been using tecnu for many years and have not gotten the poison ivy rash. I take a bath with it. The hard part is washing it off with cool water. Tecnu is also good for fire ant bites. I buy my tecnu from Gemplers in the 32 oz size.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11000" LastActivityDate="2015-03-31T04:37:00.023" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17788" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17789" CreationDate="2015-03-31T12:22:04.240" Score="4" ViewCount="6624" Body="&lt;p&gt;The packaging for the peppers just states that they have been dried and they don't look like they have been processed much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10849" LastActivityDate="2019-08-06T18:16:20.167" Title="Can I grow a Szechuan/Sichuan pepper tree from store bought peppercorns meant for cooking?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17789" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17788" CreationDate="2015-03-31T12:36:40.690" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only way to answer this is to plant the seeds and see if anything grows.&#xA;Cherimoya seeds readily yield little trees, and whole spice-bought corriander seed turns into cilantro nicely when you plant it.&#xA;Be aware that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/dec/13/szechuan-pepper-chinese-five-spice&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Szechuan pepper grows to 7 meters&lt;/a&gt;. You can trim it though.&#xA;In more temperate parts of the world, you can &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bayflora.com/szpetr1.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;purchase already sprouted&lt;/a&gt; trees &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fuchsiadunlop.com/sichuan-pepper-production-at-home/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;from garden stores&lt;/a&gt;, and grow them in your home or back yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2015-03-31T12:36:40.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17790" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17782" CreationDate="2015-03-31T14:21:52.200" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know which RHS course you're starting with, so the ones I'm recommending may be too advanced for what you're doing, but two books you could obtain, and if you're dedicated, read and learn from:-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Botany: an Introduction to Plant Biology ISBN 0-471-86840-X&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Nature and Properties of Soils ISBN 0-02-313371-6&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both these were recommended resource materials when I did my RHS M Hort some years ago, and are still available. They are both large, relatively expensive and heavy textbooks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An extra little one that you might find useful is:-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant Names Simplified: Their Pronunciation, Derivation and Meaning by A.T. Johnson and H. A Smith - this one now appears to be available on Amazon for £7.25, so pretty inexpensive. I can't find my own copy to give you the ISBN number, but it seems to be readily available. It's a useful little book, not least because it explains or translates the Latin terminology of parts of plant names.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Longman Botany Handbook might be of some use, though its primarily aimed at advanced A level students (those in Sixth Form college or similar), but it does contain some useful, basic stuff. It's a sort of dictionary format, might be useful to you, not expensive to buy - ISBN 0-582-09965-X.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The RHS produces its own Gardener's Encylopaedia of Plants and Flowers, but if you choose to buy any publication listing plants, make sure it's a recent edition of whatever it is, or that it's been updated some time in the last 5 years. DNA research has meant many plants have been renamed and reclassified in recent years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-31T14:36:45.673" LastActivityDate="2015-03-31T14:36:45.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17791" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17792" CreationDate="2015-03-31T15:39:34.320" Score="2" ViewCount="23160" Body="&lt;p&gt;First time with sansevieria in the home. Got them primarily because of the low water needs and put them in rooms that aren't frequently accessed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I water them? What I've read online suggest anything from every 2-3 days to once a month. Have one in a dimly lit basement room with slightly higher humidity and warmer than the rest of the home and it seems to be doing fine. Another was in a brighter, drier room which isn't doing too well. A couple of the leaves have what look like dry tips, and one or too that have wrinkled, darkened and feel dry and thin. One of them has also become limp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've barely watered them. The soil they're in is very fast draining. As soon as I pour water over the top it starts to drain out the bottom. It looks like some bark, perlite and maybe a little peatmoss but it's mostly large particles. The next day after watering the top bark looks dry. Keeping a moisture meter in it and by the next day after watering the needle goes down to dry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I keep these plants healthy and will the damaged leaves recover at all or do they need to be pruned?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yvCDZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Suu9V.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-03-31T18:35:13.883" LastActivityDate="2016-12-26T18:16:47.743" Title="Sansevieria leaves wrinkling and browning" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17792" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17791" CreationDate="2015-03-31T16:21:04.420" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;'I've barely watered them' gives the clue as to why the leaves are shrivelled. Signs of underwatering include leaves which bend over and leaf shrivelling. These plants need less water during winter, maybe every 1-2 months depending on their environment, without wetting the heart of the plant, if they're growing in reasonable potting compost. From spring through to autumn, though, they should be watered moderately whenever the surface of the compost feels dry to the touch. They need average warmth - minimum 50deg F in winter, and will tolerate shade, but prefer bright light with a little sun (beginning or end of day only in hotter regions).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the soil they're in, either the soil is too light and free draining, meaning it doesn't retain water at all well, or the planting medium is so dry that any water poured in immediately runs through the holes at the bottom without penetrating the soil at all. Given you think there's perlite and peat moss in the mix, its possible its completely dried out and now needs to be soaked to take up water again, so I suggest you pour in water and leave the plant to sit in it in an outer container for an hour, then check and see if there's any water still sitting outside the pot - if there is, tip it away. Cut off severely affected leaves at their bases, and improve your watering regime for the future, particularly for those situated in brighter, warmer situations. Do this by touching the growing medium beneath the bark chips - how dry they are or not isn't really a good guide if they're just sitting on the top, it's the dryness of the soil within that's important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you think the bark chips are mixed right through the planting medium, it should still be retaining some moisture because of the peat and perlite - perhaps your moisture meter reads dry within a day after watering because the plant is gasping and has immediately taken up all the moisture provided the previous day, being so dry to start with. Alternatively, change the potting medium, though you still need something that's relatively free draining.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-03-31T16:54:09.263" LastActivityDate="2015-03-31T16:54:09.263" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17793" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17791" CreationDate="2015-03-31T17:15:20.787" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A moisture meter can be deceptive due to the bark chips and lack of material that conducts the micro amounts of electricity that the meter depends on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A better way is....your finger...go down an inch or so and use that to determine how moist the soil is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sanseveria can rot easily and the leaves look soft and pulpy.  If they are under watered then they become dry and papery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way, for a new plant I recommend a high light area until they are thoroughly rooted.  A period of at least three to six months should ensure this.  Then you can reduce the light levels and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The damaged leaves will not recover and should be removed.  If they smell when removed then over watering is likely.  Leaves which still have some firm tissue can be trimmed back with a pair of scissors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-03-31T19:02:32.970" LastActivityDate="2015-03-31T19:02:32.970" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17794" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17807" CreationDate="2015-03-31T18:27:45.423" Score="7" ViewCount="3273" Body="&lt;p&gt;Around 7-9 weeks ago (maybe more) I planted a sprouted apple seed in a cup of potting soil that I placed on top of a low heat pad, and covered it with a plastic bag. I also have a full spectrum fluorescent on it, and both are on a timer for 12 hours per day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It grew fast and well so a while ago I decided to remove the bag to slowly get it used to the room, which has a temperature of 72 degrees with 45 percent humidity. Shortly after I removed the bag the leaves shriveled up and died. I quickly re-covered it and the next day I saw that it had continued to grow. Being scared it would die off, I left it covered and it grew bigger. It's now 7 inches tall and has 8 big leaves. Yesterday, thinking it must be a lot stronger now, I again removed the plastic bag, but, sadly, in an hour (maybe less) the leaves shriveled up again.  Not wanting it to die again, I quickly covered it and added a little water, and my fast action saved most of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to know what I am doing wrong here.&#xA;Why is it shriveling up under the light? Is the light too strong for the seedling to be exposed under it?&#xA;Do I have to add fertilizer?&#xA;Is it going into shock?&#xA;Do I simply have to wait until it’s bigger? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will add pictures later today. Thanks for all your help :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one is from the Apple seedling I have this uncovered for 10 min when I started to see the newest leaves start to curl:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HoZpX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one is a pear seedling:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vfA4D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one has 2 the closer one is a papaya and the other one is a peach:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z8BKf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last but not least is a mango and as you can see I left it out a tad to long and some leafs started to curl:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/llcDK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="7525" LastEditDate="2015-04-01T01:20:36.417" LastActivityDate="2019-04-07T04:11:32.990" Title="Why is my apple seedling shriveling up after like 15 min, every time I remove the plastic dome?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;humidity&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17795" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17815" CreationDate="2015-03-31T18:47:08.777" Score="8" ViewCount="524" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this cactus a while ago and never knew the name of the species. Can someone help me with the name of the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A small clone of it is growing on the top of the plant. Should I cut it and repot it, or can I leave it in there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5UVXg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11003" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-04-02T02:08:53.273" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T02:08:53.273" Title="What is this cactus with paper-looking spindles sticking out all around?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17796" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17794" CreationDate="2015-03-31T22:12:19.773" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try removing the bag a little at a time over the period of several days so the seedling can acclimate to the unprotected environment. It's going to be just like hardening off any plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-03-31T22:12:19.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17797" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17802" CreationDate="2015-04-01T10:13:53.557" Score="3" ViewCount="169" Body="&lt;p&gt;I plan to plant a flowering cherry (upright form) in the edge of my garden, but there are quite a lot pea-sized rocks and gravels in the soil (as shown in the pics). I wonder if I need to clean all of them before planting a young cherry?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As there was a well grow Jasminum nudiflorum in there , I wonder can flowering cherry grow in this kind of soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks a lot for all answers!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Surface&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r11wb.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a layer between surface and subsurface around the hole for planting tree. Should I remove it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O5cdB.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Subsurface&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nfhqU.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plot and the previous Jasminum nudiflorum's root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JSIM4.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11008" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T16:25:00.590" Title="Shall I remove pea-sized rocks and gravels from soil before planting a flowering cherry?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;rocks&gt;&lt;gravel&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17798" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17799" CreationDate="2015-04-01T10:37:20.760" Score="5" ViewCount="1059" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have inherited a beautiful Mandarin tree that has spent quite some time in a pot. It has a lot of fruit on it that is ripening right now that will be ready for picking very soon. The tree has been transplanted from the pot into the ground in the correct manner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been told to pull all of the fruit off the tree to help the tree settle in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this really necessary? When I transplanted the tree, it did cross my mind to pull the fruit off, but then I realised that the tree has not lost any roots or anything really. It has simply gained a new container (of nice lovely soil perfect for citrus trees).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree has been in the ground for two days now, and is showing no signs of stress. Should I pull all the fruit off?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11009" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T20:06:24.960" Title="Should I prune or remove fruit before transplanting a citrus tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17799" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17798" CreationDate="2015-04-01T11:02:13.003" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As long as the tree is not stressed if it hasn't dropped them yet you could leave them on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many fruit trees will drop fruit at any stage if there is stress in the form of not enough water. If it gets hot quickly in the next few weeks and you do not water the existing root system may not be able to provide enough water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend thinning some of the fruit.  Remove the undersized, shaded fruit and fruit that is touching one another.  This should not be more than one third of the total and covers your bet that conditions will remain optimal during fruit growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T11:02:13.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17800" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17801" CreationDate="2015-04-01T12:40:12.350" Score="11" ViewCount="18716" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an organic garden, and use diatomaceous earth to discourage slugs from eating my plants. Lately I have worried that the diatomaceous earth might hurt the earthworms in my soil. Does diatomaceous earth have any detrimental effect on earthworms?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11010" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T20:04:00.610" Title="Will diatomaceous earth hurt the earthworms in my garden" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17801" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17800" CreationDate="2015-04-01T12:56:43.593" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears that earthworms will not be harmed by it. &quot;Diatomaceous Earth will not harm warm-blooded animals or earthworms&#xA;Earthworm farmers use it to treat their worm beds for parasites, fungus gnat larva etc. Earth worms are structurally different from insects in that they can actually digest particles of DE. The particles are then eliminated in their castings.&quot;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ghorganics.com/DiatomaceousEarth.html&quot;&gt;http://www.ghorganics.com/DiatomaceousEarth.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Klendathu&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10934" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T12:56:43.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17802" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17797" CreationDate="2015-04-01T13:21:39.690" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Couple of things - first, the corner of the material you've found is likely the edge of a geotextile membrane which extends beneath the deck to prevent anything from growing through, and to discourage rodents from making it their home (which they do quite like to do beneath decking).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, the pebbles were presumably on top of the membrane in the open part, at the base of the previous climber, simply to cover any exposed membrane, to make the cut out part look attractive, decrease the risk of any exposed soil from drying out and to discourage weeds, which should mean you can scoop most of them off the top layer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, and here I bear bad news, I would not recommend you plant any kind of tree in that small space - its way too close to the fence for a plant of that type. Even Prunus amanogawa, the most upright and least spreading form of cherry, becomes two to four foot in width at the trunk over the years, and clearly, there is not enough room for it to develop properly. Cherries are also notorious for extensive surface rooting - even if that takes place beneath the membrane, it still means the membrane may heave upwards, and since it looks to be laid immediately beneath the deck, possibly in contact with it, that means you run the risk of the larger roots disrupting the deck itself. It may also push back the fence as it gets wider. A climber is probably about the only thing you can risk planting in that gap, though there are more interesting ones than Jasmine nudiflorum, which, technically, isn't even a climber unless tied onto a support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're going to remove the decking and lay paving slabs, leave a gap of 2 feet between fence and slabs, plant the tree near the slabs, leaving at least 18 inches between it and the fence behind. Add a clematis, a late flowering jackmanii type, one that needs cutting down by mid February every year - then you get the blossom on the tree early in the year, and the clematis climbing up (with a bit of help from you) and flowering from end of June onwards. Flagpole cherry is attractive, but not when its just got leaves on, its pretty boring when not in flower, and that's what you'll be looking at 25 weeks of the year, plus around 22 weeks of bare stems. There is still the risk of its roots, in ten years, heaving up the paving though. As a point of interest, I once moved one I'd planted - it'd been in 18 months, and to my astonishment, it had one root going down into the soil, and 3 roots running under the surface of the soil horizontally, all three of which were over 6 feet long. I moved it successfully, but it just makes the point how quickly those surface roots spread out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for pruning out branches which touch the fence behind, waste of time, its the trunk that thickens up, and all branches should point vertically upwards. If they can't, they'll bend forward, and your tree will be fixed in that position, leaning forward away from the fence behind it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To answer your other query regarding the 15cm gap between deck and membrane, yes, that gap means there's hardly any risk of disrupting the decking. If it were possible to enlarge the current planting gap in the decking to make it 2 feet in width from the fence, that might work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-01T16:25:00.590" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T16:25:00.590" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17803" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17805" CreationDate="2015-04-01T14:41:33.410" Score="5" ViewCount="7967" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rudbeckia hirta&lt;/em&gt;, commonly called black-eyed Susans, are a native wildflower here in the US.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Typically, when it comes to naming animals and plants, their common names stem from either the name of the person who discovered it, where it was found, or by their attributes. For example, pitcher plants hold water in them, much like a pitcher.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How did the name &quot;black-eyed susan&quot; come about? Was it discovered by a blonde lady named Susan who had a black eye at the time, and thought the flower resembled her appearance? Or maybe that it would resemble her if she had a black eye?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-01T18:52:28.533" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T18:52:28.533" Title="How did black-eyed Susans get their name?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17804" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-01T14:49:25.413" Score="6" ViewCount="6389" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started cleaning up and cutting two big carrots to make a soup when I realized worms had dug galleries in them. Is it safe to eat them even if I clean them? So far I have not found any worms but can I be certain that there aren't any that I have missed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you all in advance for your insight!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11013" LastActivityDate="2020-04-21T05:21:23.520" Title="Can I eat carrots with wormholes in them?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17803" CreationDate="2015-04-01T14:49:52.117" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's said to derive from a British poem (which has also been described as a song) by John Gay, titled 'Black Eyed Susan'. The poem also refers to 'sweet william', which is possibly also the origin of the common name for Dianthus barbatus. Sounds like folklore to me - black eyed susan refers to the almost black eye in the centre of the flower. Why susan, who knows - there's a plant in Britain called Tumbling Ted in the North and Bouncing Bet by those of us living in the south - both refer to Saponaria ocymoides. Which is why I loathe common names, you never know what anyone's talking about...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-01T15:03:10.290" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T15:03:10.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17806" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17804" CreationDate="2015-04-01T15:20:22.697" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chop the carrots up, just to make sure. They're most likely holes left by larvae of the carrot fly, and they may long have left and turned into flies. Even if you do inadvertently cook one in the soup, consider it an extra bit of protein, it won't harm you, although if you're vegetarian, you might want to slice them quite finely to make sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-01T15:26:42.930" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T15:26:42.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17794" CreationDate="2015-04-01T15:47:12.973" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's likely to do with the lighting, or the heat from the mat, or both - the last seedling looks as if its been burnt a bit. I don't know what part of the world you're in, but it seems like its time to remove the apple seedling from that light and place it near a bright daylight source, like a windowsill, gradually uncovered, until you can harden it off to plant out. The first step is probably to remove the heat mat, keeping the plant covered. Then, a day or so later, remove the cover and see what happens under the light - if it starts to wilt, replace the cover and then, in a day or so, move to a windowsill away from that fluorescent light, initially covered, and remove the cover gradually over a few days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming you want to plant the apple outside, unless its just a curiosity hobby plant to keep indoors for a while - they don't come true from seeds, and you may well end up with a thorny tree that doesn't produce any fruit, or produces unpalatable fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T15:47:12.973" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17800" CreationDate="2015-04-01T16:30:26.017" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd add that the diatomaceous earth must be food grade for use in areas where there are worms - I couldn't find out why, except that pool grade diatomaceous earth will kill them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T16:30:26.017" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17809" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17812" CreationDate="2015-04-01T20:00:20.420" Score="6" ViewCount="580" Body="&lt;p&gt;This isn't a question that's really occurred to me before now, but I feel it will make a fairly big impact on my yield. For the most part, I don't have anything really tall in my garden, with tomatoes being the largest. I was thinking of trying some corn, this year and planting beans to grow up it. This would cause quite a bit of shade. I will also have squash, tomatoes, peppers, herbs, etc... I'm sure they'll be getting light, because I'll be spacing them apart, but if I was going to plant with the smaller ones at the front and the larger at the back, which direction should I face it to get the best sunlight? I hear a lot of people saying that if you have to choose between early morning and late afternoon sun, that plants tend to like early morning, so should it be facing east? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the South-East in zone 8, I believe. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T20:14:20.127" Title="Which direction should I face my garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17810" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17800" CreationDate="2015-04-01T20:04:00.610" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;DE harms insects because it gets between pieces of their carapace and cuts them up and dries them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Worms are not insects and although a pile of dry DE might be rather excruciating to them, it won't harm them in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T20:04:00.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17811" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17798" CreationDate="2015-04-01T20:06:24.960" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Removing fruit just gives the tree less to do, less living material to support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When drastically transplanting, such as bare-rooting, it's common to denude the whole plant so it isn't losing moisture through its leaves, fruit and flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T20:06:24.960" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17812" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17809" CreationDate="2015-04-01T20:14:20.127" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are different variables and it depends on what season but generally speaking to get the most light, assuming a rectangular garden. rows should run east to west and your taller plants should be on the north side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can always use shade cloth to reduce sun if necessary on some plants that can't tolerate that much sun (or put them to the north of taller plants) but you can't really add sun easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T20:14:20.127" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17795" CreationDate="2015-04-01T20:35:33.247" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I asked somewhere else and I found out that this plant is called Paper spine cactus, the top part is going to be one of many extensions of the plant and it will end up looking like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2006/04/17/cactus_lover/b12e9f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2006/04/17/cactus_lover/b12e9f.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11003" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T20:35:33.247" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17814" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-01T21:40:07.983" Score="3" ViewCount="309" Body="&lt;p&gt;With the recent high winds a lot of the grass seed that we put down five days ago for a new lawn has been blown onto fresh new flower beds. Do you have any tips on how best to remove them? The soil is super soft from rain so we don't want to walk on the lawn yet, but are worried the seed will grow in the flower bed where we don't want it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11016" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-04-02T02:28:35.323" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T04:27:51.063" Title="How do I deal with grass seed blown into a garden bed?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17815" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17795" CreationDate="2015-04-01T22:26:30.917" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree that this intriguing plant appears to be a Tephrocactus Articulatus, var. Papyracanthus, commonly known as the Paper Spine Cactus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Tephrocactus&quot;&gt;Cacti-guide&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It's a small genus in the subfamily Opuntioideae. It's name was derived from the Greek word for ashes, &quot;tephra,&quot; referring to the color of the spines. Some species in this genus are very popular in cultivation, and are grown for their alien-looking stems and dramatic spines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's native to Argentina, but is a common houseplant in many countries. It also thrives outside where the average minimum temperature is approximately 50 degrees F, although some are hardy enough to withstand an occasional frost. The USDA recommended zones are 8b-10.&#xA;Whether inside or out, it needs a lot of sun, as lack of light causes those spindles to become thin and weak.  It needs good drainage, and, once established, requires very little water. A small amount once a week is good, but wait a bit longer if the roots are still wet.     &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cactaceae/Opuntia_papyracantha.html&quot;&gt;Source-Desert Tropicals&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That clone you're seeing is an immature segment called a &quot;cone.&quot; The cactus grows by producing clumps or stacks of those. The plant can grow as tall as a foot high, though the cones are delicate and break off easily, so you won't often see one that tall. The easiest way to propagate a new Tephro is by gently breaking off a cone and sticking it into the ground, so you can leave the one you have and wait for some more, or you can use it to start a new plant any time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for flowers, a mature plant will produce flowers, which &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;are white in most species or pinkish, sometimes yellow, and in one case red. Flowers are less common in cultivation as the segments often detach with the slightest touch, and plants that are only a couple segments high tend not to flower. As such, a flowering Tephrocactus is a special delight to the hobbyist!  &lt;a href=&quot;http://cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Tephrocactus&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this helps you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-04-01T22:26:30.917" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17816" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17791" CreationDate="2015-04-02T03:01:32.187" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although underwatering could be the reason, you might also consider that it has too much nitrogen and the leaves are being burned by it. If you've fertilized it much that might be a possibility. If you haven't, probably not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way, you might consider adding more potassium (and just potassium). In addition to balancing nitrogen, it should help the plant to be more drought resistant. &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B004JD6MGK&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Potassium sulfate&lt;/a&gt; might be a good kind, seeing as it won't harm beneficial microbes in the soil. However, it may make the plant require more water than usual at first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although adding a single fertilizer ingredient is often condemned, you shouldn't have a problem with potassium if your plants are burnt or deficient. Just use a teaspoon of potassium sulfate per gallon of water. The odds of adding that much potassium hurting your plants, I think, are pretty slim with most commercial soils, which usually have a bias toward nitrogen. Most commercial fertilizers usually do, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not familiar with the recommended fertilizer/nutrient regiment for this kind of plant, although I recently gave one some potassium sulfate. So, use this answer with caution, and feel free to ask me how it went in a few months, since it's a slow-growing plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Giving it more water first will probably be a good idea, just to rule out under-watering. However, I'm pretty sure ours looked different when underwatered. Ours have generally been in low light environments, and the soil wasn't as well-drained as yours, though. So, that might change the look. More light is often better, though. I'm not recommending low light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves look like they will not recover. However, they may not necessarily get worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-04-02T03:14:14.680" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T03:14:14.680" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17817" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17824" CreationDate="2015-04-02T03:58:47.917" Score="4" ViewCount="1026" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 12 sweet viburnums (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum_odoratissimum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Viburnum odortatissimum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) in a row as a future privacy hedge. I had to replace 2 of them just recently because they suffocated from sitting water when I had heavy rain at the end of the fall. They all discolored but only 2 died, thankfully. So basically, this whole strip of land these viburnums are planted on has poor drainage when it rains a lot and I'm wondering the best and cheapest way to add some drainage when there are already plants there? I know they'll be a bit stronger as they mature, and possibly survive the suffocation, but not necessarily, and I don't want to take the chance. I'd hate to see them die off after maturing should a drenching rain leave water sitting for a month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11017" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-02T13:59:35.823" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T13:59:35.823" Title="How can I add drainage to an area with shrubs already there?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;rain&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17818" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17819" CreationDate="2015-04-02T04:05:49.713" Score="2" ViewCount="347" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted two tomato plants in my first garden and one has developed about a dozen green tomatoes ranging from marble-sized to 3/4 tennis ball-sized but the other, same exact species, has no tomatoes. There was one marble-sized tomato but I touched it with my finger and it fell right off. Is this a sign of nutrient deficiency or some disease? I do see some yellow flowers forming but they look limp. Interestingly enough, this is the taller of the two plants with no tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TL2lj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Top plant no tomatoes; bottom plant a dozen tomatoes&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11017" LastEditorUserId="11017" LastEditDate="2015-04-03T03:47:22.423" LastActivityDate="2015-04-03T03:47:22.423" Title="Why would one tomato plant be full of tomatoes and the other one be empty?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17819" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17818" CreationDate="2015-04-02T04:18:05.840" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This may indicate it is getting too much nitrogen and is focusing on growing foliage. Many factors could be causing it generally, but larger sized plant makes me think it's nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.about.com/od/problemspest1/a/BlossomDrop.htm&quot;&gt;Blossom Drop&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6882" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T04:18:05.840" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17820" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17825" CreationDate="2015-04-02T04:21:22.453" Score="1" ViewCount="1560" Body="&lt;p&gt;Clusters of columnar cacti like the San Pedro (Echinopsis pachanoi) are very appealing to me. I want to grow it all around my house. I am aware however that this is considered to be a hallucinogenic drug when consumed, so I am curious as to the legality of growing it in Florida (with no intentions of consumption). I would hate for a police brigade to surround my house in some years when I have a front lawn full of psychoactive cacti hiding in plain sight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11017" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T11:24:24.203" Title="What is the legality of growing San Pedro cacti in Florida?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2015-04-02T16:57:23.700" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17814" CreationDate="2015-04-02T04:27:51.063" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Would just cover the areas where the seed landed with cardboard after any seed has germinated. Waiting till it has germinated will allow you to get most the grass. Usually cover with a mulch to keep it uniform looking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any seeds that are directly in a flower bed plant should be pulled when they germinate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6882" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T04:27:51.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17822" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17847" CreationDate="2015-04-02T08:28:35.533" Score="3" ViewCount="5281" Body="&lt;p&gt;We got a galvanized steel stock tank (thanks Pinterest) to use as a planter for a raised flower bed &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.behlencountry.com/index.aspx?ascxid=behlenCatalogProduct&amp;amp;i=530&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;similar in size and weight to this stock tank&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How would we add a self watering tray/container/tube system beneath the soil inside the planter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What type of platform can we build or buy that's sturdy enough to raise our planter two more feet and support the weight of all the soil inside it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, my wife nixed using cinder blocks. :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;: got this Tarter built John Deere branded stock tank that's 2' by 2' by 4'. It's tall enough so no longer need cinder blocks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CLQdS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;stock tank front&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5RUl1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;stock tank interior&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a56tY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;label&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9745" LastEditorUserId="9745" LastEditDate="2015-04-24T16:50:28.570" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T03:42:29.567" Title="How to make a galvanized steel stock tank in to self watering planter?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14037" CreationDate="2015-04-02T08:46:27.400" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;DISCLAIMER&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;As all mushrooms are notoriously hard to identify via internet, this is &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; a free pass to eat everything that you might encounter. Always double check with a good reference book and - preferrable - a local knowledgeable, experienced and certified person. Some mushrooms have a range of colour that varies from one place to another (different soil, micro climate etc.), locals should know about what is typical. If in doubt, enjoy your find, take pictures and have an apple instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on 20+ seasons of mushroom picking, albeit in Germany, I'd identify this as a &lt;strong&gt;Suillus Variegatus&lt;/strong&gt; (variegated bolete, velvet bolete). According to wikipedia, this species can also be found in Northern America, but the English wikipedia article is not very good, so no link from me here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The color range is in the yellows with sometimes orange or olive hues or &quot;dusting&quot; on stem and cap, spore tubes are tight, even in older specimen and darkish olive, especially at the ends. May &quot;bleach out&quot; with age, especially in dry wheather. Cap appears &quot;velvety&quot; or &quot;sandy&quot; (German: &quot;Sandröhrling&quot;, roughly: sand-tube-mushroom)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flesh yellow-to-cream coloured, younger ones tend towards orangeish-yellow, older may be lighter, especially in dry conditions. Some blue discoloration when cut or bruised (instantly or within minutes), depending a lot on wheather: more on younger specimen in a rainy season or on humid ground, less to none in older ones after a dry spell. According to various reports, the degree of blueing might be regionally different.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cap thick, first rounded, then stretched out, up to ca. 5in. Stem thick, solid, but not as &quot;massive&quot; as with boletus edulis or boletus erythropus, more like boletus badius, No net, or other surface structure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Loves pines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edible and tasty, similar to other sullius or boletus, but not as firm as a king bolete. (Again: note disclaimer on top.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T08:46:27.400" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17824" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17817" CreationDate="2015-04-02T10:06:37.440" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need somewhere for the water to go. If there is anywhere close by that is lower than the planting area then:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dig a trench to the lower area about six inches wide and at least six to twelve inches deep. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place four inch perforated drain pipe with sleeve in the trench&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;backfill the first four inches with gravel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Optional -place a layer of landscaping fabric on top of the gravel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;backfill to ground level with soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or construct a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_drain&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;french drain&lt;/a&gt;.  I find a sturdy plastic bucket with the bottom removed works well.  Line with gravel, top with landscape fabric and soil and you are done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T10:06:37.440" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17825" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17820" CreationDate="2015-04-02T11:24:24.203" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seems to have changed name now, so its Trichocereus pachanoi, and there is someone on a web forum growing it outdoors in Florida - but you should maybe check with whatever passes for your Council or Local Authority to see if planting lots of them is a problem. They're not exactly like marijuana, after all...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T11:24:24.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17826" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-02T14:09:33.467" Score="3" ViewCount="1113" Body="&lt;p&gt;The attached photos were taken in a friends garden yesterday.&#xA;Can anyone help identify it please&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L5pag.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;The picture was taken in Watford Herts UK at back of garden adjacent to wasteland.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11020" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-04-02T19:59:15.093" LastActivityDate="2015-04-20T19:13:57.707" Title="What is this sprawling vine with green leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17827" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17834" CreationDate="2015-04-02T14:29:19.720" Score="2" ViewCount="350" Body="&lt;p&gt;Today I noticed on my pepper seedlings that some of the leaves have on their bottom-side close to the steam some light-green-dots. To my uneducated eyes this looks like something is hatching inside the leaf. While rubbing and scratching I was not able to remove it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;: adding info as per Anubis request: Peppers are indoors using currently in a mix of self-made compost and garden soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further inspection shows that only one kind of plant (but of it all seedlings) is infected: only the peppers are affected and not the chilis which are in the same mini-greenhouse (I didn't used the top of the green, only the pots).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it and do I need to intervene, if so how?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click for a larger version&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w9tNR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w9tNRl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Related or not but some of the leaves show white/dried-out zones on the top. Is this the result?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9zFoo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9zFool.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-04-02T17:23:42.783" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T17:52:55.830" Title="Is this a desease or pest on my pepper-seedlings?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17828" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-02T14:47:48.910" Score="5" ViewCount="973" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just moved to a new house and discovered I have a few fruit trees. At the end of fall I found a pear on one... Looked to me like a Bosc pear but not sure. I want to bring it back and hopefully enjoy some pears this coming season. I need pruning help and I do have some pictures. It looks to have had some wind damge years ago and leans quite a bit. It's is flowering now but appears to have a section that might be dead maybe? I think there was also some fire blight but I trimmed that out. Also I have several large branches that droop like a weeping willow and the rest mostly reach upward. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have researched pruning but I need pruning for dummies lol&#xA;I have photos but don't know how to add them&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11022" LastEditorUserId="11022" LastEditDate="2015-04-02T16:51:24.393" LastActivityDate="2015-04-21T15:46:21.063" Title="Pruning overgrown pear tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17829" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2132" CreationDate="2015-04-02T15:07:10.753" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently found out about weed torches. They won't get rid of the dirt, but they should make quick work of weeding around rocks and hardscaped areas (that won't catch fire, of course). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11023" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T15:07:10.753" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17830" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2389" CreationDate="2015-04-02T16:06:22.263" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let the tea leaves dry after boiling them without sugar and sprinkle them over the soil and water the soil. Water the soil every day until it is mixed with the soil. I found it useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11024" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-02T16:57:11.230" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T16:57:11.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17831" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17833" CreationDate="2015-04-02T16:13:50.180" Score="1" ViewCount="55" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last summer I got three near-death Seibel 13053 grapevines for free. I managed to keep them alive and they are now pretty healthy looking.&#xA;I only know they are supposed to be virus-free and stand-alone in the state I got them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They look like they might have been grafted because they have tiny buds around the joints but it's hard to tell because their trunks were pencil-wide when I got them and they look nothing like the Cabernet Sauvignon vines I bought which are clearly grafted to obviously different rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;May have been practice plants? My bad for not asking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Problem is I was fairly successful rooting the cuttings I took last winter and now I have three additional 13053 grapevines growing on their own roots and I wonder if they are doomed given that it's pretty likely they get exposed to phylloxera at some point, this being a grape growing region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that mr Seibel was trying to get phylloxera-resistant hybrids and that one of its ancestors is a rootstock variety but my Google-fu has been unable to confirm its resistance or lack thereof to the evil bugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T17:11:42.890" Title="Are Seibel 13053(aka Cascade) grapevines phylloxera-resistant?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17832" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2132" CreationDate="2015-04-02T16:20:36.847" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;To effectively clean out a &quot;drip edge&quot; such as this and bring it back to it's original state, the best bet may be simply to start again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you save the stone you can wash/sift them off and save a ton of money. But prep the bed again, place some decent metal edging as a barrier between the stones and the garden, and begin refilling the hole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Often times this is actually less work in the long run than trying to pick and pull at weeds over the years. using a decent weed barrier between the soil and rock is a good idea to help, but it really is only a starting point. Weeds grow from the ground up....AND from the air down. Seedlings fall and germinate and then seek the soil out... as well as start from the soil and seek the sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T16:20:36.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17833" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17831" CreationDate="2015-04-02T17:11:42.890" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Due to both seibel's goals, the fact that this variety was named, and also due to the fact that IA state doesn't list phylloxera resistance as a strength nor as a weakness. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ref. &lt;a href=&quot;http://viticulture.hort.iastate.edu/cultivars/Cascade.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://viticulture.hort.iastate.edu/cultivars/Cascade.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would have to say it is right in the middle. I used to grow grapes in Iowa and I am very familiar with the way IA State does their profiles, if a pest or disease is not mentioned, it is considered neither resistant nor weak to that pest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should be noted that this variety of grape is considered poor quality for wine making, and better suited for juice. I am guessing it is due to foxiness, but that's only a guess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T17:11:42.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17834" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17827" CreationDate="2015-04-02T17:52:55.830" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to make a prediction that the spots will turn brown and possibly kill the leafs. This is based on a guess of it being one of the many less than entirely common bacterial or fungal infections that can infect peppers and that it was likely brought in on the garden soil you used, combined with susceptible young plants. Since a lot of pepper plants are bred to be resistant to a wide variety of these kinds of infections, it would make sense why one would be displaying signs while the others would not. While it's vaguely possible for this to just be some genetic quirk of the specific breed of pepper I wouldn't place any bets on it, I haven't been able to find any mention of such quirk on any gardening site or blog at this time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend isolating the potentially infected plants by themselves, away from all other seedlings. See if the spots get worse or turn yellow/black. If you use gardening tools on them, be sure to dip the tools in bleach water before using them on other plants, so as not to spread potential infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T17:52:55.830" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17835" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22685" CreationDate="2015-04-02T18:14:04.177" Score="5" ViewCount="167" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just planted a set of very low water use grasses in my high desert zone 7B New Mexico yard. Some little spouts came up that I at first thought were one of the grasses, but it turns out they're weeds. Now I see that they're growing all over the neighborhood. Here's what a larger one looks like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PiOdd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this thing called? And, more importantly to me, is there any reason why I should get rid of them? They're green, sprout without supplemental water, and are reasonably pretty. Unless they sprout thorns or totally die in the cold, I'm wondering if I should just keep them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2016-01-01T04:03:11.233" Title="What is this weed and should I get rid of it?" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17826" CreationDate="2015-04-02T18:32:46.813" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedera_helix&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hedera Helix&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, common or English ivy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you see here is the &quot;mature&quot; shape of the leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Young plants have the typical &quot;ivy-shaped&quot; leaves and the flattish, creeping/climbing appearance we all know:&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9NShn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;juvenile&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But once the plant has reached a certain age / size, the top part grows &quot;bushy&quot;, leaf shape is different and flowers / berries appear:&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xw7wF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;adult&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a photo I took today of an ivy in the transitional stage. Note the flat leaves on the lower part of the trunk and the mature branches in the upper part:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ELm2z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;juvenile/adult&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-04-20T19:13:57.707" LastActivityDate="2015-04-20T19:13:57.707" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17837" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-02T18:46:41.937" Score="6" ViewCount="6599" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some very mossy areas in my lawn, I began to address this with soil samples, aeration, branch removal for more sun and of moss killer last summer/fall.  This spring I plan to top dress areas of my lawn.  Specifically the really poor areas where the moss has taken the biggest foothold.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to kill the moss first, or remove it before top dressing?  Will a new healthier soil promote moss growth? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My intention is about 1.5 to 2 inches of soil over the very poor areas. So the moss would be covered. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am interested in specifically what the effect of covering the moss with soil will do.  Will it kill it? Make it stronger? Do nothing? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3593" LastEditorUserId="3593" LastEditDate="2015-04-02T20:54:11.727" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T20:54:11.727" Title="Will top dressing over moss kill the moss?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17838" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-02T19:35:34.763" Score="3" ViewCount="2529" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a GCV160E Honda lawn mower engine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;changed the oil and checked the spark plug and filter and sprayed penetrating oil round the linkages and the blade and left if for 48 hrs. I started it on fourth pull and I cut my back lawn.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I moved it round to the front and found it had used quite a lot of petrol.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;placed a small amount into the tank and tried to start it.  The cord was working freely but it wouldn't start.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;left it a while and went back out after about fifteen minutes to find that there was petrol dripping through the air filter and exhaust.  I could move the pull quite freely.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;took the carb off and looked at the float in the float bowl.  The carb was cleaned professionally last year and serviced professionally so I was surprised if it was going to be the float.  I looked and couldn't see anything wrong with it.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cleaned it up and put the carb back on.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tried to start it and found the pull cord extremely stiff.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;took the spark plug out there was petrol round the mounting.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;checked that the brake was deploying properly and also I thought that it should pull now the spark plug is off but it won't.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have taken the pull cord mounting off and it works perfectly fine. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tipped the whole engine upside down after draining the oil out of it and no petrol has come through the spark plug hole. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sprayed penetrating oil into the spark plug hole and left it and still I cannot pull the cord freely.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;put some new oil in and have left it.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot believe that a stuck float can cause catastrophic damage to the pistons if that is the problem.  I am a little disappointed if this is the case.  Can you think of anything else that could be impeding the cord from deploying?  I didn't hit anything prior to the fuel leak through the filter and exhaust. I have also removed any debris around the blade and I could move it initially but not now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11025" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-04-02T19:53:59.750" LastActivityDate="2018-03-24T02:34:26.983" Title="Problem pulling the cord on my Honda GCV160e" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17839" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17837" CreationDate="2015-04-02T20:02:35.273" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless you change the conditions that allow the moss to compete successfully with grass you will not kill the moss.  It will be back...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;increase the amount of light in the area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;improve the quality of the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;better aeration&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3821/how-can-i-remove-the-moss-growing-on-my-lawn?s=6%7C1.0736&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T20:02:35.273" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17841" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17835" CreationDate="2015-04-02T23:31:34.647" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are you sure it is a weed, and not some local plant? It looks a bit pretty to be a weed :) . You might want to check if it is prevalent outside your immediate neighborhood, and potentially check with a local college/University to see if they confirm it is a weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Removal is your choice, depending on whether it is considered invasive to local species, and if not, whether it is liable to siphon off water from your other garden plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, Oxalis, grows excessively in CA and is quite invasive, so in preference to other weeds, I strive to remove them as much as I can. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2015-04-02T23:31:34.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16064" CreationDate="2015-04-03T01:27:28.047" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this bamboo. It is a crawling variety, that is it grows lateral in springtime also sending shoots up as it sprawls. Each shoot will grow to its full height in one season if the conditions are good. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutting the runners (which are underground) will provide more nutrients to the main group of trees (which are really giant grasses). If you thin out the canes, the larger diameter should begin to appear. Full sized canes will not grow larger,only producing more and more leaves. My cats regularly chew on mine and dont get sick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bamboo's come in 'grouping' and 'crawling' varieties and should be contained if you do not want them to spread. Grouping stands get around 30 feet in diameter on their own whilst the crawling varieties spread 30 feet and up to 45 feet away, sending shoots along the way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11027" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-04-03T03:40:58.427" LastActivityDate="2015-04-03T03:40:58.427" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17843" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-03T04:33:33.460" Score="3" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;This year my lemon grass is not doing so well. I blame the weather. It's been quite variable last summer and there have been relatively big temperature swings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're in autumn now. Next summer should I grab a few choice stalks to propagate and start over?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-25T21:27:41.643" LastActivityDate="2015-04-25T21:27:41.643" Title="Should I periodically restart my lemon grass?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17844" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17843" CreationDate="2015-04-03T13:00:16.683" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can always split crown crops when they get bigger, I wouldn't strip them down to one corm each, but I'd split the crown and give them some new homes with nice fresh compost mixed in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-03T13:00:16.683" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17845" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-03T18:07:35.377" Score="4" ViewCount="251" Body="&lt;p&gt;We installed a temporary skating rink with a white poly liner early in the winter. Today we drained the water and removed the plastic to find that the grass beneath was bright green. The rest of the lawn is brown as is typical for this time of year. The plastic obviously protected the grass somehow, but can anyone fill me in on the exact reasons?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-04-03T19:53:04.090" Title="Why is the grass under a temporary skating rink green when the rest of the lawn is dormant brown?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;protection&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17846" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17845" CreationDate="2015-04-03T19:53:04.090" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are in a place that's so consistently cold that it occurs to you to set up a backyard skating rink that means it gets &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; cold throughout the winter. What the ice and plastic has done is insulated the grass below from the wind and colder temperature. It may seem counter intuitive but the ice was actually helping keep the cold wind from lowering the temperature of the ground, so that the grass could survive the winter better and come out of hibernation faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastActivityDate="2015-04-03T19:53:04.090" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17847" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17822" CreationDate="2015-04-04T00:02:38.903" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adding a overflow to just above the self watering tubes. This will allow the proper amount of water storage and outflow accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;An Aussie using corrugated plastic pipe to make self watering container (wicking) in a bucket: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGF72sOwgJI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGF72sOwgJI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Another Aussie using 4 inch corrugated plastic pipe this time in a steel stock tank: &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtube.com/watch?v=dwh2BQ3BBmI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://youtube.com/watch?v=dwh2BQ3BBmI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cinder blocks are probably the best option for the base, but maybe you can run a corrugated galvanized steel roofing material that can be cut to line the bottom of the tank.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OlWd0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Galvanized Corrugated steel roofing&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fKbVn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Galvanized Corrugated steel roofing&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6882" LastEditorUserId="9745" LastEditDate="2015-04-25T12:52:40.517" LastActivityDate="2015-04-25T12:52:40.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17848" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-04T14:23:42.710" Score="3" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this plant called, and what height do they grow to? I've had it for 3 years and the roots are growing out the bottom of the pot. I normally water every few days, seems to grow well either in sunshine or shade. Should I replant into a bigger pot? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CIc67.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11032" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-04T14:56:07.187" LastActivityDate="2015-04-04T15:11:12.970" Title="What is this small red/green leaf plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-04-07T14:34:13.000" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17849" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17971" CreationDate="2015-04-04T14:34:48.950" Score="3" ViewCount="1164" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cgpPt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This picture show a walnut harvest machine. But I think this machine is useful for walnut trees that are around 10 meters height. I don't know which kind of machine is appropriate for trees around 30 meters height. people do this using some kind of elevators? Please help me to know how to harvest a tall walnut tree, using a machine or in other quick ways .&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11033" LastEditorUserId="11033" LastEditDate="2015-04-07T06:26:19.610" LastActivityDate="2015-04-14T10:59:55.610" Title="How to harvest whole walnuts of a tall tree in one day?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;walnut&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-04-15T02:20:39.220" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17850" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17848" CreationDate="2015-04-04T15:03:45.633" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b592&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dracaena Marginata&lt;/a&gt;, also called the dragon tree.  It has thick fleshy roots and does well in bright diffuse light where it is allowed to dry between waterings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most common problem with this plant is over watering in low light. Keep this plant in good light and let it dry out a little more in the winter months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spider mites are also a problem for weak plants in low light. This &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1840/best-practice-to-prevent-aphids-and-spider-mites/1842#1842&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; may prove helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-04-04T15:11:12.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17851" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17854" CreationDate="2015-04-04T18:14:28.193" Score="4" ViewCount="157" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife and I have a large inground pool that we winterize and cover all winter. It collects a hefty sum of water and other organic material all winter and in the spring I end up pumping this bog water off into the yard and shoveling the solid stuff onto the brush pile to burn. It's not chlorinated or treated, it's just whatever hits the cover after we close it up for the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was curious if there was any value in spraying the garden with it? We start our garden from seed in the house so hitting it with some potentially good water from the get go might be swell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there is some nutritional value from all the decaying leaves and pine needles?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there any testing I can do with it? We have quite a few pine trees and I would be worried about the acidity?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can I salvage some compost from the solids?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems like such a waste to throw onto a brush pile or away. We're trying to be environmentally conscious and all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11034" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-04-04T22:11:15.377" LastActivityDate="2015-04-04T22:11:15.377" Title="Can I use the water that collects on our large pool cover?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;greywater&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17852" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17851" CreationDate="2015-04-04T19:51:01.223" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Consider it something like compost tea. Yes it has value but how you deal with it is a whole different problem. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-04T19:51:01.223" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17853" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-04T20:56:03.330" Score="3" ViewCount="117" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the name of this plant/weed, found in south-western Ohio? They are fairly common and grow wildly. This particular one happens to just be growing dead-center in a pot:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/4M3pwxN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2512" LastActivityDate="2015-04-05T14:22:38.520" Title="What is this weed, native to south-western Ohio?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17854" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17851" CreationDate="2015-04-04T22:10:15.180" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The water won't have huge amounts of nutrients, but will contain a good amount of microbes. You can use it to water your plants, but I see no reason for spraying it on the leaves. It will be a little acidic, but regular (at least every 3-4 years) pH tests will catch any harmful trends long before they become an issue, which they likely won't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About the solids, Definitely compost, don't burn! Once dried, it would make a great high-carbon addition to the compost heap. If you have a lot, you can also mulch with it. To make it look nice (if you usually use mulch only for aesthetic purposes), you could spread it in a thin layer, and spread another thin layer of regular mulch on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-04-04T22:10:15.180" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17855" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17849" CreationDate="2015-04-04T22:16:36.727" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In a home garden, the best way to harvest is to wait until the nuts fall naturally. It can be a regular chore before mowing, at the end of the season, to run out with a &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000FNK8K4&quot;&gt;roller harvester&lt;/a&gt; and a 5 gallon bucket, and pick up all the nuts that had fallen in the last week. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This method is also cool, because you can process them over an extended period, and don't have to wear yourself out trying to get it all done in one fell swoop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The biggest problem with this method is squirrels, but they're a problem with almost every nut growing program.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-04-04T22:16:36.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17856" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="581" CreationDate="2015-04-05T06:51:38.003" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, if we are dealing with little clumps of grass in spring and you're trying to till all your flower beds, (and there aren't any valuable wanted plants) I use a fork. First I break up all the soil repeatedly until it is quite fine, except for the weeds. Once doing that, with gloves, I grab the grass clumps and since you don't want all the dirt in your garden, you shake it off. Once all your grass is gone, now comes the easy part, grab a gardening rake, not a leaf one, and rake the soil, if your soil is quite fine, your weeds will rise to the top at which point you could just pick out the upturned weeds or then use a fine leaf rake. I hope this method helps as it help me quite a lot!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11035" LastActivityDate="2015-04-05T06:51:38.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17857" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17853" CreationDate="2015-04-05T14:22:38.520" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Initial reaction would be an Ironweed &lt;em&gt;Vernonia sp.&lt;/em&gt;. New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) is what I am familar with, and this looks simular. A lot of these are native and have very beautiful purple/pink flowers. They get fairly tall, but as the name suggests, they don't usually need support. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6882" LastActivityDate="2015-04-05T14:22:38.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17858" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17859" CreationDate="2015-04-05T16:44:52.373" Score="7" ViewCount="749" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Rue plant in my terrace, and for many weeks it has had some sort of plague made of white dots and some slightly bigger bugs, oval shape, no more than 3mm long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been using an organic repellent, with very little success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't even know the name of this plague, so I've posted it here if anyone knows it or has already dealt with it in the past.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some photos of it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N7XdI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pcft4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a7U2u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I know about its &quot;behavior&quot;: it prefers both sides of the leaf, and the bigger bugs (those oval shaped) reside on the nodes of the stem, preferably into the most tight part of it (the third picture shows it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="755" LastActivityDate="2016-03-14T00:34:52.777" Title="Rue with white dots and some 3mm white bugs" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17858" CreationDate="2015-04-05T17:21:27.133" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is most likely to be a scale insect but we can do a little diagnosis tree:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do they fly if disturbed?  =&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;aphids&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrips_(genus)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;thrip&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do they look like they are surrounded by a cottony tuft?  =&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mealybug&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;are they hard shelled and need to be removed with your finger nail or a toothbrush?  =&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;scale&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many different types of scales but the ones in your picture look similar to these &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1761/499&quot;&gt;ones&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8686/identify-this-insect-or-fungus-possible-scale/8687#8687&quot;&gt;these ones&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control measures are similar for aphids, mealybug and scale. Mix about 5 ml of dish soap to one litre of water. Scrub the rue with a soft toothbrush or cloth then rinse with water.  Repeat at five to seven day intervals at least twice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the problem returns consider cutting back the plant hard and reapplying soap and water.  The plant will regrow and the less area you have to control the easier it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-03-14T00:34:52.777" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17860" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17862" CreationDate="2015-04-05T21:10:02.300" Score="4" ViewCount="1595" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought Icebox watermelon seedlings from the nursery. The instructions just say to stick the whole batch into the ground (the inner cardboard is biodegradable). I think these are just generic instructions that appear on all the various seedlings that Bonnie sells. I'm wondering whether I need to do something extra for watermelon in particular. It appears like there are three seedlings. Do I need to space them apart or can I just plant them as is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7F1ts.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2015-04-06T00:24:00.917" Title="How far do I space apart watermelon seedlings?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;watermelon&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17861" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17860" CreationDate="2015-04-05T21:35:43.327" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Icebox Watermelons range from 6-15lbs. Recommened In-Row spacing is 2-3 feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://vegetables.wsu.edu/Watermelon.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://vegetables.wsu.edu/Watermelon.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watermelons are difficult to transplant as they do not take soil disturbance that well. Breaking these apart might cause them all to not make it, but could be worth it if it works, since you'd have 1+ of them. Retailers might overplant these transplants in case some of their seeds don't germinate, plants die, or other issues. It's recommended to plant it, and just cut back all but 1 start.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6882" LastActivityDate="2015-04-05T21:35:43.327" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17860" CreationDate="2015-04-05T23:30:35.193" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;We always hilled watermelons (and pumpkins and squash, etc.) which would be 3-4 plants in a small area, hilled up (pull the soil into a mound), with the whole area around them for them to grow into. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So plant the whole batch (and nothing else within 3 feet in any direction) looks fine by me for a garden, as opposed to a farming situation where equipment might require rows. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would make a hill (2-3 feet diameter, 6-8 inches high) to put the pot into. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For more vigorous squash/pumpkins, the space around the hill might be 10 feet in any direction ;-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-04-06T00:24:00.917" LastActivityDate="2015-04-06T00:24:00.917" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17863" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-06T01:00:01.337" Score="2" ViewCount="141" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am using a large trashcan as a greywater reservoir using a few bulkhead fittings. I need a valve or float combination that will empty it when full. It needs to hold the drain open until the water level is very low then close again to wait until it fills up (laundry, showers, bathtub etc...) I want to avoid pumps and float switches and use a simple valve but with a long enough float &quot;throw&quot; to work properly. I've never seeen a float valve used to EMPTY or drain a tank\cistern. They always seem to be fill valves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think a toilet style ballcock will work because the throw is too short and the size is too small. Is there some kind of sliding valve that will work? Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11037" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T17:26:57.143" Title="Greywater gravity irrigation control\float valve" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;greywater&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17864" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17885" CreationDate="2015-04-06T16:01:09.127" Score="7" ViewCount="1234" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the last several years, I've been getting mulch from the city (for free!). It's been great for the soil and super cheap (obviously). But, it seems to fade really quickly in the hot Oklahoma sun. This year, I was considering buying bagged mulch because I assumed that it would retain its color longer. So, a couple of questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will bagged mulch retain its color longer?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will bagged mulch offer the soil benefits that the city compost facility's' mulch offers? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there any disadvantages (or advantages) of one over the other?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11040" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-06T16:08:38.243" LastActivityDate="2015-04-07T21:32:23.883" Title="What are the pros and cons of bagged mulch versus city mulch?" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17865" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17864" CreationDate="2015-04-06T17:03:01.500" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bagged mulch is likely to be dyed, city compost not. The fading is a natural process whereby exposed wood becomes silvered and protects the wood underneath, usually anyway...since its on the ground it's going to be consumed quickly anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-06T17:03:01.500" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17866" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17867" CreationDate="2015-04-06T17:05:00.437" Score="4" ViewCount="127" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suppose the picture (taken today in zone 6, Central Europe) shows some kind of tulips. Am I correct and if so what (hybrid) kind could it be? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wtq6u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-04-07T23:17:44.780" LastActivityDate="2015-04-07T23:17:44.780" Title="What kind of tulip is this with pink flowers which resemble water lilies?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17866" CreationDate="2015-04-06T18:16:23.103" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect they're Tulipa kaufmanniana - as to precisely which one, there are so many, I can't say. 'Heart's Ease' is a pretty common one, but the leaves on that are usually striated with brown, so I don't think it's that particular one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-06T19:53:12.340" LastActivityDate="2015-04-06T19:53:12.340" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17868" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="39127" CreationDate="2015-04-06T19:12:43.100" Score="3" ViewCount="605" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need help identifying one of my old neglected-so-far cacti. Unfortunately and somewhat deservedly, it has not flowered for me yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is the size of an apple (since I have treated it horribly, or more precisely, not at all, it may well be undersized for its 10-year-old age)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2mMEQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It has multiple (~20) prominent ribs. The ribs are straight (I'm thinking therefore this is &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; an &lt;strong&gt;Echinofossulocactus&lt;/strong&gt; ( = &lt;strong&gt;Stenocactus&lt;/strong&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AiIjy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It has fibrous roots (I haven't got a picture of the roots, but I have repotted it recently and you will have to take my word for it)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uxEgt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It has 4-6 spines per areola, one of which is noticeably longer than the others, reaching up to 3 cm in length. The spines aren't very strong, i.e. they'd rather bend than cut through the skin.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/860dN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plant appears dusty, but if one takes a closer look, it seems the &quot;dust&quot; is some sort of wool on the stem. I don't know. Maybe not.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fIOFc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am thinking of Echinopsis (in the broad sense of the term, e.g. including Lobivias (Lobiviae?)) but because of the quantity of the species in the genus and the variability of plants I am having a hard time. Hope I'll get some good guesses here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9631" LastActivityDate="2018-06-07T19:45:54.140" Title="Cactus ID: Globular, multiple straight prominent ribs, spiny, somewhat wooly, fibrous root" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17869" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17868" CreationDate="2015-04-06T19:58:29.833" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Echinopsis rhodotricha, except the spines on yours are somewhat darker in colour in places, though this may be a trick of the light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-06T19:58:29.833" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17870" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17838" CreationDate="2015-04-07T03:11:01.507" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds like float stuck open filling the motor with gas and its hydrolocked. Probably didn't do any damage but to be sure, drain all fluids you can, REMOVE spark plug and turn engine over using either pull cord or turning the blade. be careful as spark plug can shock you, or gas fumes can ignite. Put a rag over spark plug hole and see if it spits out gas as you are turning engine over gently. It should be very easy to turn over without the sparkplug (no compression) Sometimes you cannot drain the cylinder completely without removing plug. Good luck. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11037" LastActivityDate="2015-04-07T03:11:01.507" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17574" CreationDate="2015-04-07T03:19:25.307" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are so many different types of sprinklers, timers and control devices. It really depends on your budget, type of garden, climate, and how much control you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My personal preference?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;black funny pipe shallowly buried and micro emitters\sprayers for shrubs, beds &amp;amp; fruit trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For lawns: Large diameter PVC deeply buried on lawn perimeters with steel risers in the corners and mid points and rain birds mounted high. I've never had great luck with popups.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I could do mine over again I would build it like above described and an arduino based irrigation controller that can interface with a PC.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11037" LastActivityDate="2015-04-07T03:19:25.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17873" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-07T06:20:43.503" Score="1" ViewCount="141" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cAeWj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Crocus sativus, or saffron crocus, the most commercially important part is stigma of flowers. Each plant produces one flower (so there is more than one plant in this picture) and each flower has three stigmas (stigmas are red in this picture). What are your agricultural, horticultural and... suggestions to produce more stigma in a plant? What are your genetic engineering and biotechnological suggestion and experiences? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11033" LastActivityDate="2015-04-07T10:04:28.737" Title="Do you know of ways that help a plant to produce more flowers?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17874" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17873" CreationDate="2015-04-07T09:10:29.713" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;For plants generally, the following three things help plants flower and fruit more:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Red light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Potassium&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Phosphorus&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both potassium and phosphorus are supposed to play a role in flowering, fruit and fruit size. If your plants have enough of those, more red light might help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if this is true, but I heard &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/review/R8GSFEBAG5XB1/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;ASIN=B00062KQ42&amp;amp;nodeID=2972638011&amp;amp;store=lawn-garden&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a rumor&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/review/R1G4I0SRT5KWLK/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;ASIN=B00062KQ42&amp;amp;nodeID=2972638011&amp;amp;store=lawn-garden&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;on some&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/review/RWTHKKO1AUL73/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;ASIN=B00062KQ42&amp;amp;nodeID=2972638011&amp;amp;store=lawn-garden&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Amazon reviews&lt;/a&gt; that &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00062KQ42&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;worm castings&lt;/a&gt; help a lot, too. Maybe it's the microbes or humic acid helping with something there. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/review/R1O1XKGNOR29A2/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;ASIN=B00062KQ42&amp;amp;nodeID=2972638011&amp;amp;store=lawn-garden&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;You might get worms in your soil&lt;/a&gt;, though, if you use those. The aeration from the worms might help with flowering (but that's just a hypothesis). I've also heard that if you're not careful, you can give your plants too much nitrogen with worm castings. So, don't use very much if you try that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not familiar with the requirements of Crocus sativus. So, take this as you will. I'm not sure about your stigma question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might try biology.stackexchange.com for your genetics and botany questions. They actually do have people actively asking stuff you might think should be here at first glance (unless you're familiar with what is considered an acceptable question on each site). EDIT: &lt;a href=&quot;https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/31100/do-you-know-of-ways-that-help-a-plant-to-produce-more-flowers&quot;&gt;I see you already asked there, too!&lt;/a&gt; :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In light of your other answers, I'm going to say this: Plant a whole lot of these (you probably want to grow them from seed, instead of from bulbs, since bulbs are probably genetically the same as the parent plants), and look for mutants. :) Seriously. It might work. I got a cool mutant Chocolate Habanero pepper the other week. I planted a bunch of them. It had like a neon purple stem and white seed leaves. Too bad it died. I also got a tricot Diamond eggplant, similarly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend planting at least 2000 viable seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:48:10.153" LastActivityDate="2015-04-07T10:04:28.737" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17873" CreationDate="2015-04-07T09:18:37.840" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;'Each produces one flower' isn't strictly true - when grown under commercial conditions as a crop, in ideal conditions, the first year around 60% of the bulbs produce a single flower - for the following two years, many of those bulbs will produce two flowers each. After that, twin flowering is less likely. There is no way to increase the number of stigma within each flower, it's genetically programmed to produce three, though I imagine its possible some biotech giant might be troubling to perform genetic manipulation in an attempt to change that particular bit of genetic code.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-07T09:22:23.280" LastActivityDate="2015-04-07T09:22:23.280" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17876" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-07T09:39:02.390" Score="2" ViewCount="227" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Thailand and have my pet plant Nepenthes growing. I'm still immature so the pitcher mostly dried out but still it grows a bunch of flowers. I don't know what will happen after that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will its flowers dry out and drop? Will it grow any new leaves? Will it produce new pitchers? Will it grow taller next year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11044" LastEditorUserId="26403" LastEditDate="2019-07-16T16:31:09.640" LastActivityDate="2019-07-16T16:31:09.640" Title="What happen after nepenthes has flower" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;nepenthes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="17877" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17879" CreationDate="2015-04-07T11:21:53.117" Score="5" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last autumn I transplanted three, relatively young redcurrants which I had received from a neighbor because they had not prospered in her garden. One of them is now starting to grow green leaves (hurray!) but the other two still look barren. It is early in the season (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.houzz.com/europeZoneFinder&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;zone 6&lt;/a&gt; in Central Europe) and I won’t give up to them anytime soon, but I am wondering whether I could do anything special (e.g. in terms of fertilization or pruning) to increase their chances of survival in the new habitat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Up to now I have been loosening the ground (this spring) and cutting back all but approx. 5 branches on each bush (last autumn). I am somewhat tempted to cut into single branches to check also insides but imagine that this will do more harm than good at a time when natural growth &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; occur. Is there any better strategy than just &quot;wait and see&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-04-07T22:07:45.487" LastActivityDate="2015-04-07T22:07:45.487" Title="How to best care for redcurrants that were transplanted last autumn?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17878" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17849" CreationDate="2015-04-07T12:13:04.493" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Walnuts are mechanically harvested by machinery which literally just locates onto the trunk and shakes the tree, making the nuts fall to the ground. Other additions to the machine, or a separate machine, can be used to collect them up, or they can simply be raked up by hand, though many may have a brush or air system to push the nuts into piles; these are then collected separately by a large harvesting machine. Most of the machines for 'shaking' have a hydraulic arm which can be raised and lowered, depending on the height of the tree, so that it can be 'clamped' in the appropriate place on the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't see properly in your photograph, but its likely that arm sticking out and clamping the tree is, indeed, hydraulic and can be raised and lowered. It also looks as if that machine has some sort of brush collection system, or at least a method of creating piles for collection, judging by the brushes fitted on the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd guess you need to locate a mechanical harvesting equipment hire or sales company in your area and see what they've got available. Even so, 1000 trees in one day, not sure if that's possible, even with the right bit of kit, something you need to ask the machinery company.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-07T12:21:27.160" LastActivityDate="2015-04-07T12:21:27.160" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17879" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17877" CreationDate="2015-04-07T13:00:30.123" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't do anything at this point. At this time of the year, any change you make is something the bush needs to adjust to when it really needs to be left alone to try and break those buds. Don't check if they are alive. You'll find out naturally. Check if they are alive after they are late. Right now is when they are weakest and most susceptible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want, put some compost down as mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Currents and gooseberries grow naturally at the edges of forests where they enjoy filtered light most of the day. The very best placement for them, is to be where they get full direct sun for a few hours in the morning, but are protected from the direct sunlight for the rest of the day. This lets them benefit from the full strength of the cool morning sun while the plant is still cool from the evening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this makes you want to move them, wait until the fall so they can get established again. Don't move them in the late spring or summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-07T13:00:30.123" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17881" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17876" CreationDate="2015-04-07T19:29:26.580" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the pitchers dry out it is not because it is immature but due to an imperfect environment.  To improve the environment:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;These plants grow in a variety of habitats but you could not go wrong by increasing the humidity.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put the plant in a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Terrarium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;terrarium&lt;/a&gt; surrounded by sphagnum moss or other material that retains moisture.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Increasing the light levels is another way to improve the habitat.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use filtered or distilled water where any chlorine or chloramine has been removed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will flower and grow larger every year as long as conditions are optimal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="26403" LastEditDate="2019-07-16T16:31:03.247" LastActivityDate="2019-07-16T16:31:03.247" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="17882" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17883" CreationDate="2015-04-07T19:44:24.037" Score="3" ViewCount="762" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyroderma&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Argyroderma&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; I picked up from the local plant store, but I'm not sure when and how much to water it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is potted in a tiny (roughly 2&quot; cube) pot that appears to be filled with a sandy, stony material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I watered it once, a new leaf grew in, and the outer leaf shriveled up into a tiny brown mess. It was pretty cool, but it's been a week or so and the new leaf is starting to shrivel a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Aizoaceae/Argyroderma_deleatii.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;internet&lt;/a&gt; says to &quot;water when shriveling&quot;, but other places I've read &quot;every couple weeks&quot;, and some other places (sorry, no links) said a few times per year!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How often should I water it, and how much water should I use? If based on shriveling, how long should I wait between waterings to see if the shriveling is reduced?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11049" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-07T20:12:46.827" LastActivityDate="2015-04-07T20:35:30.310" Title="What is a good watering schedule for an Argyroderma?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17883" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17882" CreationDate="2015-04-07T20:35:30.310" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The reason for the cautious watering recommendations is that these are extremely susceptible to root rot, and even what would be a light schedule for another plant will kill these. Watering when shriveling is a good system. I usually go by soil rather than the plant, and water when the top 2/3's of the mix are bone dry, barely moistening the soil. In a small pot, this is rather frequent, but in a large pot, it might be only a few times a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From fall to spring, they have a rest period during which the old leaves shrivel and are replaced by new ones. During this period (overwinter), don't water at all. The water the pant takes from the old leaves is enough to supply water for the new leaves, unless the pot is tiny, in which case small amounts of supplementary water are beneficial. There is no need to fertilize, ever. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-04-07T20:35:30.310" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17884" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17868" CreationDate="2015-04-07T21:03:10.287" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll guess that it's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Echinopsis&amp;amp;species=hertrichiana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Echinopsis hertrichiana&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (formerly &lt;em&gt;Lobivia hertrichiana&lt;/em&gt;). It's hard to tell, though, because this is an extremely variable species, and some have fewer ribs, or more ribs, or deeper ribs, or more shallow ribs than your plant. Sometimes the ribs are more rounded, sometimes more pointy. Yours also looks unnaturally pale, but that might be the fault of the camera.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A lot of this variation depends on cultural conditions. The conditions that promote faster growth also promote the growth of fewer, more rounded ribs of a darker color, and greater distance between areolas. Plants with conditions that do not promote fast growth are not so intensely green, and are generally tougher and more spiny. And old plants have more ribs that young ones, even if the young one's bigger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the spines look very very close. It would help if it flowered, but it (obviously) hasn't. Here's a pic (of a far younger specimen) for some comparison:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mhnF5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-04-07T21:03:10.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17885" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17864" CreationDate="2015-04-07T21:32:23.883" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dark color is not necessarily a sign of healthy compost/mulch. If it's &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/17476/what-kind-of-mulch-should-i-avoid-for-vegetable-garden-paths/17477#comment20531_17477&quot;&gt;dyed&lt;/a&gt;, the color is from chemicals, not humus. Not so healthy. Bagged mulch must tell you if it's dyed or not, so read the bag. If there's no mention of dye, you're good. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, because the (undyed) color doesn't affect the health of the product, using the city mulch is still a good idea, unless you want color for aesthetic purposes. So:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bagged mulch if dyed will retain it's color much longer, and if undyed, most likely still a good bit longer, because bagged mulch is a much higher quality product than free city mulch. But remember, for soil health, it's not all about the color.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yes, undyed bagged mulch will be at least as good for the soil as the city stuff. If dyed, you will be adding that much chemical dye to your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yes. Here are a few:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bagged Mulch (undyed)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(+) is much more consistent in texture and quality&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(+) is not going to contain as many possible contaminates like chipped black walnut limbs (a common issue with city mulch)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(+) the color usually lasts fairly well, even when not dyed, because of proper 'cooking' methods and a more decomposed state&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(-) is much more expensive (obviously), which tends to limit the amount applied, which can (in some cases) decrease the rate at which your soil is improved&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;City Mulch&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(+) It's available in bulk, so you can supply your garden with as much as necessary without running up a big bill&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(+) Usually, the stuff is good enough for use in garden beds, some cities are more careful than others, though&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(-) The texture can be extremely uneven, and will break down irregularly, because of the many various species that went into it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(-) color fades fast, especially if the mulch hasn't decomposed for long. This is only aesthetic.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-04-07T21:32:23.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17887" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-08T11:54:07.937" Score="4" ViewCount="1444" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OjvLS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;I have just had an asbestos garage removed, and am having a shed put up in its place. The concrete base to the garage was cracked right through by my apple tree roots, the concrete has been removed and I cut off a very long  root, 32&quot; from the tree. The tree diameter is 13&quot; @4.5 ft up. I realise that I have now hurt the tree. I had no idea, until investigating on the net. There is another much thicker root now exposed 4.5&quot; diameter and I don't know how to handle this. I am thinking  root barrier around this bigger root. I am mortified that I may have hurt my beloved apple tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have I damaged it, and how can I help it recover?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11053" LastEditorUserId="11053" LastEditDate="2015-04-09T07:53:57.413" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T07:53:57.413" Title="Have I damaged my apple tree by cutting off a root?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17888" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-08T12:30:48.687" Score="2" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;Using drip irrigation, how long and how often should a gold mound hedge in Tampa, FL be watered during the the summer months?  Also, how often during the rest of the year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11054" LastActivityDate="2015-04-08T12:30:48.687" Title="How much water is needed using drip irrigation for Gold Mound hedge?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2015-09-14T15:10:51.520" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17887" CreationDate="2015-04-08T12:44:40.003" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the root was 32&quot; out from the tree and in the top foot or two of soil, it probably wasn't a mortal injury. Don't mess with the tree for a while, and definitely protect the other root- allow the tree to recover a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the stub of the root is still exposed, or if you could get to it, you can cover the cut surface in rooting hormone to help it get back on track.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7528" LastActivityDate="2015-04-08T12:44:40.003" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17890" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3584" CreationDate="2015-04-08T12:54:35.773" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had read that mints like peppermint and spearmint tolerate juglone.  So I planted some and they lived but did not spread like they usually do. Normally these become unruly and almost invasive which was what I was hoping for.  It would look so much better than just dirt, to me.  I  have planted hostas and daylilies, they lived but did not come back the next year.  I am in zone 5a. &#xA;I have several woody ornamental I keep far away from the drip line of the trees that have been touted as juglone tolerant, I was waiting for them to get larger and stronger before I moved them closer but now I will never move them close.  White fringetree, double mock orange, purple smoke bush are the ones I have and am protecting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11055" LastActivityDate="2015-04-08T12:54:35.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17891" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17898" CreationDate="2015-04-08T13:14:02.570" Score="4" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently transplanted some tulips bought at wilko, in a mixture of irish moss peat, compost and a little vermiculite. The last week has been unexpectedly hot, but I tried to water them regularly and noticed a very fast drainage, actually. This is their condition now. Is this due to their exposition in the full hot sun? Or to lack of water? Or the mix I used? Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uf3YVm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mKDVPm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m8cpYm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastActivityDate="2015-04-08T22:09:05.247" Title="What's happening to my tulips?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tulips&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17892" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17893" CreationDate="2015-04-08T13:18:37.593" Score="3" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;My small roses have suddenly shown some problems. I recently transplanted them in a bigger pot, because they looked quite cramped in the old one. It's been very hot this days, so I am wondering if it's a problem of sun, watering or potting mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l2xlcm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AnICBm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RVGHpm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d1Jatm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastActivityDate="2015-04-08T18:32:51.507" Title="Problem with pot roses" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17892" CreationDate="2015-04-08T15:12:44.120" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm presented with what looks like two completely opposite issues - the flower has suffered balling, and that is usually caused by damp cool conditions, in particular, rain, but the leaves appear to be suffering from drought/heat. I suppose there might be an explanation - perhaps, when you watered these in to their new pots (and I hope you did) you watered the flower as well. If that flower was present when you repotted, it won't have liked the change much - trim the flower off as if you're doing normal deadheading, and if your plant has been exposed to full sun all day long, provide some shade during the hottest part of the day, and increase watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The discolored leaf tips may also point towards a nutrient shortage, but because of their bleached, faded appearance, I'm assuming the cause is, in fact, insufficient water and/or hot sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER: Yes, trim the ruined flower off, as I said, as if you were doing normal deadheading, it won't recover now its balled. Doesn't sound as if its hot sun causing the bleaching at the tips of the leaves then, but, on the assumption the pots have open holes in the bottom and water isn't then trapped in any outer container, or if it is, you empty it after 30 minutes, increase watering - if more brown/bleached tips appear as time goes by, post another photograph so we can try to work out what the nutrient deficiency could be, although, to be fair, a dose of rose food now wouldn't do them any harm anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-08T18:32:51.507" LastActivityDate="2015-04-08T18:32:51.507" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17891" CreationDate="2015-04-08T15:40:12.697" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd say it's probably a combination of being transplanted and then being subjected to sun and heat. When transplanting in the spring and summer while the plants need to hold on to as much water as they can (I don't mean watering a lot, I mean holding on to what they already have), you want to keep them cool and shaded so they aren't respiring so much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-08T15:40:12.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17895" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17900" CreationDate="2015-04-08T20:17:04.613" Score="7" ViewCount="869" Body="&lt;p&gt;The last few inches of a young branch on a fruit tree (several branches, several trees) are dead so I plan on cutting it off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I make the cut in the living section or dead section?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2015-06-05T11:02:28.073" Title="Which side of a dead branch should you prune?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17896" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17895" CreationDate="2015-04-08T20:19:20.590" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The living part. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want the cut end to heal, which means that it has to be living. Also, if the branch is dying because of infection, you don't want to leave that part of the branch attached for the infection to spread.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2015-04-08T20:19:20.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17897" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17895" CreationDate="2015-04-08T21:32:06.490" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In many cases, both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a branch of significant size, you should cut into the underside of the dead section (1/4 branch thickness or so - not so far as to bind your saw) near the living section, then cut from the top of the dead section an inch/2.5 cm further out (beyond the lower cut) so that the branch breaking off does not cause a damaging split into the live section. THEN cut the short stub remaining off in the live section so it can heal over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If infection/disease is a concern, either use a different saw for the live cuts, or disinfect the saw between cutting the dead part and the live part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Small branches can simply be sheared off with loppers in the live section.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-04-08T21:32:06.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17898" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17891" CreationDate="2015-04-08T22:09:05.247" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tulips are ideally transplanted during their dormant period (before they flower), which is in the autumn if you live in the northern hemisphere, or during the spring if you live in the southern hemisphere. Planting bulbs in the autumn enables a strong root system to form, which supports the plant during its flowering stage. Transplanting plants while its already flowering (when it uses a lot of resources) risks damaging the roots and the direct sun exposure further stresses the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6838" LastActivityDate="2015-04-08T22:09:05.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17899" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17895" CreationDate="2015-04-08T22:41:28.957" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Logically, it has to be the living part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before you make the cut, you have a portion of living tree, extending into a portion of dead tree. If you cut the dead tree portion, you still have the same condition: the living portion and the dead portion. If the dead portion was okay to leave, you wouldn't need to make a cut at all!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only way to change the actual condition would be to cut the living portion. Cutting the dead portion doesn't change the structure of the branch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11058" LastActivityDate="2015-04-08T22:41:28.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17900" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17895" CreationDate="2015-04-09T00:31:41.587" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should cut in the dead area so you do not provide a new wound which allows new opportunities for infection.  If the branch was diseased appropriate sanitation is required on the pruning tools.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most important thing to realize is that there is no expert answer. Arboriculture and pruning practices are changing as research is done. Findings change by region and species. This somewhat &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.isa-arbor.com/education/resources/educ_portal_pruning_an.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;technical article&lt;/a&gt; provides a good summary and has a few good quotes such as:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Research has established that the seasonal timing of pruning determines whether it has positive or negative consequences&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Not every aspect of pruning has a strong research foundation.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Removing stubs located outside the branch collar may improve wound wood development, but no documentation for this was identified in our&#xA;  search&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;..whether tree health is improved by pruning.There is only a tenuous scientific link.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-06-05T11:02:28.073" LastActivityDate="2015-06-05T11:02:28.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17902" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3584" CreationDate="2015-04-09T12:55:05.967" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most grasses should not be affected by the Juglone. If you are having considerable trouble with growing grass, might be too much shade. Fine fescue works better in shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Juglone affects plants in the Ericaceae family the most. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively a number of native species are not affected by the juglone, which I have used. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dogwoods, Spicebush, Maples (Sugar, Red), Serviceberry, Black Raspberry, Purple-Flowering Raspberry&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;False Solomon Seal, American Ginger, Joe-Pye weed, Mountain Mint, Black Cohosh, Foam Flower, Goldenrod (Giant, Wreathed), Asters (New England, New York, Smooth)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6882" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T12:55:05.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17903" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="581" CreationDate="2015-04-09T13:36:08.430" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is pound-in edging that is solid, and you want it at least 8&quot; high. Pound it in all the way level with the ground, so it's 8&quot; below grass level. You want to prevent grass runners from getting into your beds. The first time you do this you will have to pull the grass from your beds by hand. Then the edging will prevent grass runners from growing in your beds. Grass will still get in there from seed though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastEditorUserId="11061" LastEditDate="2016-04-25T11:12:38.913" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T11:12:38.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17904" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17906" CreationDate="2015-04-09T16:24:15.553" Score="4" ViewCount="3899" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a sweet orange bell pepper plant last week in my garden bed, which was converted from a fire pit. It's only half a foot tall and hasn't flowered yet. One day, an entire leaf was chewed off. On the next day, almost all the leaves were chewed off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The neighboring tomato plant and strawberry plants are untouched. I looked for worms but didn't find any. Last week, I did kill a white caterpillar shaped worm though. Today, I did squash some slugs that I found on my strawberry plants, but they didn't seem to be doing major damage to those plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yesterday, I saw a squirrel gnaw on the leaves of dandelions. Last year, I noticed that the squirrels were fond of weeds, but they never touched my real plants. Could they have changed their attack plan this year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xUgsg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rOWqj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f0I4w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Update April 12, 2015&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This morning, I discovered that the last leaf of the orange bell pepper was chewed off. Also, my Sugar Baby Icebox Watermelon seedlings were also attacked in a similar manner. I had neatly piled cedar mulch around the watermelon. I see that the mulch was disheveled and the soil was indented. An insect would not be able to move mulch around like that. It must be the squirrel by process of elimination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qJH11.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sPaU5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2019-07-13T22:55:40.380" Title="What ate the leaves of my bell pepper plant?" Tags="&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;&lt;squirrel&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17905" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17904" CreationDate="2015-04-09T16:36:58.773" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can't see any teeth marks anywhere, that &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; rule out rabbits, squirrels, deer and the like. It sounds like a job for a torch after dark - you need to go out in the night and see if there's anything there, including insects such as earwigs. I imagine you've already checked for caterpillars in the day time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T16:36:58.773" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17906" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17904" CreationDate="2015-04-09T16:52:57.337" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bet its some sort of groundhog / gopher or other type of garden rodent pest. Without visible bite/teeth marks it is hard to say for certain, but I had pepper plants and they ate them up first. Pretty much avoided my tomatoes though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T16:52:57.337" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17909" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17915" CreationDate="2015-04-09T18:23:45.910" Score="4" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking at buying a couple of 15 gallon &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bambusa_multiplex&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Bambusa multiplex&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &quot;Green Hedge&quot; for privacy but want to keep them both contained and with the option of moving them around as other plants mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I place them in a half whiskey barrel from Home Depot (approximately 27 gallons):  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will it restrict how much they will grow vertically?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How long should they be able to survive in a contained space?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it possible for &quot;parts&quot; to fall of and spawn new plants outside of the container? I wouldn't think so but I want to verify.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there anything specific I should do to ensure successful growth?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for any advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11062" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-09T18:32:38.060" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T20:36:15.187" Title="What are the effects of keeping a clumping bamboo in a pot permanently?" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17909" CreationDate="2015-04-09T18:54:37.643" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They'll bust through. You need to dig out rhizomes to manage a bamboo border.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T18:54:37.643" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17911" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31271" CreationDate="2015-04-09T19:21:07.820" Score="5" ViewCount="3250" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had good experiences with iron(II) sulfate and dolomitic lime for my lawn. They increase the green colour and prevent moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I am uncertain whether I should avoid applying these two mineral salts at the same time. I assume that the alkaline conditions provided by the lime promote the oxidation of Fe²⁺ to Fe³⁺ by atmospheric oxygen on the soil surface. I think that Fe³⁺ is less available for plant uptake than Fe²⁺. Furthermore, Fe³⁺ is immobilized in alkaline conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore, I image that I should apply the iron(II) sulfate first and wait until after the next rainfall before applying the lime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is my rationale correct, or am I making too much of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user8598" LastActivityDate="2017-03-22T00:28:41.600" Title="Apply iron(II) sulfate and dolomitic lime at the same time?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17912" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17919" CreationDate="2015-04-09T19:37:55.280" Score="4" ViewCount="1217" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalaenopsis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Phalaenopsis Orchid&lt;/a&gt; as a Valentine's Day present. It was in a glass vase, and atop the straight stem, which was held to a support stick by a hair clip, were two lovely pink flowers. It looked great until last week, when the flowers fell off, and the stem started bending over. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I carefully lifted it out of the glass, and saw strings of moss coming out of the bottom of the little cup, so I assume what it needs is a transfer to a bigger pot. There are good instructions for that in some other questions here, but my question pertains to this plant's viability. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tall stem is shriveling more each day, and I thought it had buds, but they're just empty brown pods. There seem to be two other small stems peeking up over the edge of the cup, but they don't look healthy either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are a nice color and texture, though, and the plant base looks okay. Also, there are two bright green things in the moss, which I think are healthy roots. Currently it's sitting on top of an empty jar. I know I have to do something, unless it's too late. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will any of the existing stems bloom? If not, will new stems grow if it's in a larger pot? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yMcaJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Original container after flowers fell&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HaiYwm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Current state in jar&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XCqcwm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Side view, shriveled stems, green root&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2qGdVm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Side/bottom view, green root, moss coming through bottom&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q22dDm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;top view, shriveled stems&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fp3j3m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;View of base of plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T15:48:50.773" Title="Does this orchid have a viable stem? If not, will it grow one if transplanted to a larger pot?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17913" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17917" CreationDate="2015-04-09T20:16:25.117" Score="14" ViewCount="5089" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew what I thought was a green bell pepper (it was) from seeds that I grabbed out of a store bought green bell pepper but it ended up ripening to orange bell pepper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While doing some research trying to find the best time to harvest I was usually met with a &quot;When the pepper changes color is when it is technically ripest&quot; but this didn't account for a pepper that didn't change color. (Which is what I thought I had)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So maybe I've just been a fool in thinking green peppers were ever a thing but from what I gathered, they aren't, technically. They are just under-ripe peppers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this true?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T08:00:40.520" Title="Is there actually such a thing as a ripe green pepper?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17904" CreationDate="2015-04-09T20:20:03.913" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like deer due to the height of the marks, rough broad marks (deer sort of rip the leaf) on the leaf. More leaves on the bottom of the plant indicates its not a shorter animal like rodents, groundhog.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v4Lhi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Beans&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image from &lt;a href=&quot;http://cultivatorscorner.com/garden-pests-deer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://cultivatorscorner.com/garden-pests-deer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6882" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T20:20:03.913" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17915" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17909" CreationDate="2015-04-09T20:36:15.187" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't know - I have a runner (&lt;em&gt;Phyllostachys&lt;/em&gt; - possibly &lt;em&gt;aureosulcata&lt;/em&gt; &quot;spectabilis&quot; but ID is dubious) that's been in a 16 gallon pot (indoors) for several years. Given the climate here, it has grown taller than the parts that are still outdoors, since the top growth gets killed every winter and those plants have increased slowly as a result. On the other hand it's clearly potbound and has put up only one new shoot for a few years now. It's 16-18 feet tall, the ones it was dug up and potted from outside are up to about 8 feet now (they were closer to 4 when it was potted from one of the shoots in an undesirable location.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot (a thick ceramic one) has so far remained unbroken. I'm guessing at least 4 years, could be longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T20:36:15.187" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17916" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17924" CreationDate="2015-04-09T20:39:14.230" Score="9" ViewCount="12342" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is leaving them in there better or worse than taking them out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What about for indoor vs outdoor? Is it okay to leave roots in a pot you plan to re-use soil for?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my mind I am mostly considering harvestable plants like peppers, carrots, lettuce, etc though I am curious about the outliers as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="7256" LastEditDate="2015-04-10T13:34:32.040" LastActivityDate="2015-04-10T13:34:32.040" Title="Is it bad practice to leave dead roots in soil?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17917" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17913" CreationDate="2015-04-09T20:57:06.507" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;Green peppers are not ripe. Even if the seeds are viable (immature pepper seeds can be grown if planted soon after harvesting, but don't have the food storage for long storage), if the pepper is green, it's not ripe. They can ripen to a lot of colors, but the most common is red (for varieties sold for green use).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some varieties were bred to remain green for longer, gain more sugar while green, etc., but they eventually turn red if let to ripen on the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now some peppers start out ivory colored, and some purple. These also will ripen to a brighter color. A bright green, black/deep purple, or pale ivory colored pepper is unripe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T20:57:06.507" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17919" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17912" CreationDate="2015-04-09T21:01:34.447" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ok, first some clarification or base phalenopsis anatomy:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The long stem = flower stalk.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The greyish-green, slightly wrinkeled thingies = roots. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The green thick thingies in the moss = also roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what's happening here?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the flowers have fallen off, the flower stem may or may not re-bloom. Unless it's really dried out, do not cut it off. You may trim the dry parts, though. Sometimes - and this is no promise - one of the dormant buds (what you called dry shells) will develop a shorter new flower stem or even a &quot;baby plant&quot;, called a &quot;keiki&quot;. New flower stalks will emerge from the base. Just take a look at the one you have, a new one will grow from a similar place a leaf or so higher up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The greyish roots that are leaving the pot are ok (they are healthy &amp;amp; the colour is normal), Phalaenopsises have a tendency to &quot;spill&quot; out of their pot. Do not confuse orchids with other house plants. In most orchids, roots participate in photosynthesis, for example, that's why the roots are green and they love transpararent pots. You &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; grow the plant in an orchid basket instead of in a regular plastic pot, but that's not advisable for beginners. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I &lt;em&gt;personally&lt;/em&gt; would be tempted to plant it in a slightly larger pot. Not because it's root-bound, but because a bit more potting mix allows for a bit more leeway in watering ;-) Make sure you use a proper orchid mix, never, never regular potting soil. If you decide against repotting, at least take it out from the second glass jar, it appears that the leaves get all bunched up (picture top right).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T21:01:34.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17920" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-09T21:17:14.197" Score="2" ViewCount="6290" Body="&lt;p&gt;After a plant is removed/dies, how long does it take for the roots to break down if left in the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do they eventually provide viable nutrients?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my mind I am mostly considering harvestable plants like peppers, carrots, lettuce, etc though I am curious about the outliers as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="7256" LastEditDate="2015-04-09T21:28:15.370" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T21:28:15.370" Title="How long does it take for plant roots to break down?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;post-harvest&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17920" CreationDate="2015-04-09T21:25:56.777" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends on the plant and conditions. Everything between a couple weeks for a fibrous root system to a few years for woody tap roots. Wet and high pH will cause faster decomposing, low pH tends to preserve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes they will provide nutrition depending on the plant, and length of time to decompose will also affect whether it's even useful levels of nutrient or not. Clover fixes nitrogen very well, a tree's taproot probably not so much, but a walnut might continue to poison the soil slowly for years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T21:25:56.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17922" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17920" CreationDate="2015-04-09T21:27:22.857" Score="3" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;After a plant is removed/dies, how long does it take for the roots to break down?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Really, depends on conditions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They can last years (dead) in a free draining mix of peat in a pot, but can rot in weeks in a healthy, damp, garden loam. Usually, the healthier the soil, the faster it will break down roots. Non soil growing mediums usually take much longer. Other factors in play include temperature (the warmer the faster), moisture (soggy soils and very dry soils slow microbial action), levels of soil microbes (highest in well manured, well cared for land in long use, and in virgin soils. Also, some plants' roots live underground for a good while after the top is removed, before they die (assuming they don't regrow). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Do they eventually provide viable nutrients?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not in any quantity that you will notice any difference in the plant growth. It will only put out what nutrients are in the roots, so not many at all, for most small plants. The organic matter added will be the most beneficial addition. With one exception. Legumes (beans, etc.) will provide a nice nitrogen kick that other plants won't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T21:27:22.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17923" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17926" CreationDate="2015-04-09T21:35:02.533" Score="6" ViewCount="755" Body="&lt;p&gt;After re-potting tomato seedlings from plugs to larger pots (that they'll live in for about a month before they go out in the garden) it is recommended to let the plants recover from transplanting by not exposing them to bright light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The weather isn't cooperating with my schedule and my best option to keep the seedlings warm and dry would be to keep them in my windowless garage. I can't leave the door open either and the artificial lighting is minimal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would the plants do okay in total darkness while they recover before moving them to finish outdoors when the weather is better?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T21:54:52.753" Title="Is total darkness acceptable for tomatoes to recover from transplant shock?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17924" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17916" CreationDate="2015-04-09T21:40:27.177" Score="8" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Is leaving them in there better or worse than taking them out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a pot, definitely take them out if you can. They will put out chemicals while decomposing (usually) that slow down the new plants (a kind of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allelopathy&quot;&gt;allelopathy&lt;/a&gt;). In a garden bed, usually this process only takes a couple weeks. Also, in a pot, the roots have the potential to mess with water movement, and wick it in odd ways, so that some areas dry faster than others. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I'd say, in a pot, use fresh mix if possible, and in a garden bed, let the material decompose. It enhances the soil. You can also add retired potting mix to a garden bed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;What about for indoor vs outdoor? Is it okay to leave roots in a pot you plan to re-use soil for?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similar to what I said above, indoors you are growing in pots, and you get best results if you use fresh mix each time. If you're going to reuse the mix, try to get as many roots out as possible. If the last occupant was root bound, you may not be able to separate the mix from the roots well. You &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; leave the roots in, and plant in the pot anyway, and I've seen some of those with decent results, but it's not ideal. Leaving the roots in works best in large pots/planters, and not so well in smaller pots. Especially down to cell pot size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Outdoors, in the ground, leaving the roots is better, because the soil microbes will digest the roots quickly, improving the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T21:40:27.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17925" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-09T21:53:14.743" Score="2" ViewCount="1426" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are tiny, size is the size of a tip of a needle, black flecks on squash and okra plants?  What needs to be done to save the plants? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11065" LastEditorUserId="11065" LastEditDate="2015-04-09T21:59:00.823" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T22:00:56.817" Title="Tiny black flecks on squash and okra" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17926" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17923" CreationDate="2015-04-09T21:54:52.753" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can do that, but not for more than a couple days, before giving them light again. You don't want to see any signs of etiolation, or you will have to 'harden off' the plants back into light. If you have to hold them longer than that, try to find some better lighting, indirect sunlight or a bright fluorescent or LED bulb. Even if it's cold, the darkness will often promote etiolated growth, and that's not good. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've actually had good results planting the tomatoes out in cold damp weather. I haven't ever had any cold damage whatsoever unless the temperature was below freezing overnight and the plant(s) were uncovered. I usually stick 'em out early, before the frost is over, and just toss old bed sheets/cardboard boxes weights down/similar protection overnight when frost is expected. So far, I've had great results, and good early results. Red (or black) plastic below the plants really helps. Just don't use fabric. The landscape fabric lets the soil underneath dry out, crust, grow weeds through, and be a mess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could put them out for a couple hours a day (assuming you have time) and then bring them back in, and herden them to the weather for a few days, and then move all your starts out early. You'll likely still need to cover them occasionally, with how cold this spring's been.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T21:54:52.753" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17927" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17925" CreationDate="2015-04-09T22:00:56.817" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can't tell without a picture or two. I'm assuming you'd have noticed if the specs were alive/moving. If the plants are still healthy, it's probably just dirt. Don't worry about it. But if there are holes in the leaves too, it might be insect droppings. Check the undersides of the leaves, the main stem, and in the top layer of soil for pests. If you find any insects, be sure you properly identify them before you treat for them, as most insects don't eat squash, and the ones you find may not be pests. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T22:00:56.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17911" CreationDate="2015-04-09T22:07:32.457" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think it will be an issue. The lime should be put down very lightly if your lawn is already at a good pH level, so it shouldn't really alter the activity of the Fe&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; much if at all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your lawn's pH is low, and you're adding a considerable amount of lime, then perhaps I'd say allowing some time in between applications of the two minerals would be a good call. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-04-09T22:07:32.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17929" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-09T23:03:52.597" Score="1" ViewCount="3931" Body="&lt;p&gt;They don't look like the images of aphids I see when I search Google. They don't move much and are about the size of a strawberry seed or sesame seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are they, what's a good treatment for them, and, if they're washed off, is the existing spinach safe to eat?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yp0sQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Spinach with bugs&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10908" LastActivityDate="2015-04-10T10:39:36.233" Title="What are the tiny white bugs on my spinach and how should I treat them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17930" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17932" CreationDate="2015-04-10T00:49:54.880" Score="4" ViewCount="1705" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pecan tree that is about 6 years old that is growing about 5 degrees off vertical.  I've tried to stake it several times but to little effect.  Currently I have a ratchet strap trying to pull it straight (with little effect) but my question is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there an effective and safe way to straighten an older tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want to hurt the tree or waste my time if this is futile.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of the advice is talking about straightening new trees but this tree has a diameter of about 2.5 to 3 inches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="485" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-04-10T18:30:35.190" LastActivityDate="2015-04-10T18:30:35.190" Title="Is there a way to straighten an older tree that started crooked?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17931" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-10T03:15:48.037" Score="5" ViewCount="1060" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the Seattle area. My neighbor has a very nice lawn -- it's unnaturally green, other-worldly thick, and chemical-dependent. I'm going to overseed my lawn with a nice mix of microclover, rye and fescue for what I hope is a lawn that doesn't require poisons and a lot of watering to maintain, and that keeps the weeds in check.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: How do i best separate my lawn from hers so that I don't screw up what she's spent a lot of time and money on. Are there lawn barriers that I can hammer into the ground pretty deep?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7204" LastActivityDate="2015-04-11T13:14:43.667" Title="How do I separate two lawns?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;fescue&gt;&lt;rye&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17932" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17930" CreationDate="2015-04-10T04:02:00.910" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Theoretically, you could hire a tree spade to dig it out and replant is straight, but I don't think it's worth it. And tying it back isn't going to work well. I'd say leave it, or take it out and put in another if it really, really bothers you, and you don't want to hire someone with a tree spade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-04-10T04:02:00.910" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17933" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17913" CreationDate="2015-04-10T05:09:10.630" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually bell peppers ripen &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/california-wonder/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;red&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/orange-bell/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;orange&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/yellow-monster-pepper/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;yellow&lt;/a&gt; or less commonly, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/chocolate-beauty-pepper/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;brown&lt;/a&gt;. Most green peppers that you eat are actually unripe ones that ripen to other colors. Some peppers ripen green, but that is rare.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To quote &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1455713/do-sweet-peppers-need-to-ripen&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;farmerdill on gardenweb&lt;/a&gt;, &quot;Just after WW II several green when ripe varieties were introduced to extend the market window.&quot; The two green-when-ripe bell pepper varieties I know about are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.abcgrow.com/peppers/permagreen-pepper&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Permagreen&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.stokeseeds.com/product.aspx?ProductID=39604&amp;amp;CategoryID=116&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Staysgreen&lt;/a&gt;, although evergreen chili peppers exist, too, including, but not limited to, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pepperlover.com/pepper-seeds/pepper-species/capsicum-chinense/green-fatalii-pl-detail&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Green Fatalii (PL)&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pepperlover.com/pepper-seeds/pepper-species/capsicum-chinense/green-moruga-scorpion-pl-detail&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Green Moruga scorpion (PL)&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://thehotpepper.com/topic/42505-evergreen-peppers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Evergreen 7-pot pepper&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/habanero-pepper-green-seeds&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;green habanero&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, maybe you're of the opinion that even the green when ripe peppers are unripe, and they just stay unripe longer. However, this contradicts the claims of those peppers, which are said to be like ripe green tomatoes in that regard. Notwithstanding this, however, there actually are peppers that just stay unripe longer, but I have no reason to believe the ones I mentioned are anything like those, and there appears to be little evidence to support or contradict either claim. If you can find some Permagreen seeds to verify the claim, you're fortunate. I contacted a previous seller of the seeds for more information. We'll see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: The seller replied. Apparently, they did list it once, but they never actually sold any because they either weren't available or they didn't germinate. If they didn't germinate, that contributes to the idea that they just stay unripe for a long time, although it's not definitive proof. Anyway, you'd think if they did ripen green that people would still grow them, today. Whatever the case, you can always breed a real green-ripening bell pepper using one of those green-ripening chilis in a breeding program. It might take a while to get the bell pepper shape back and the spiciness out, though, but it's possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: &lt;a href=&quot;http://sandhillpreservation.com/catalog/eggplant_pepper_etc.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sandhillpreservation.com sells Permagreen pepper seeds.&lt;/a&gt; Here's their description: &quot;79 days.  An introduction of Dr. Meader that stays a deep, black/green without ever turning red.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should also be noted that the Green Habañero does get slightly yellow when ripe (but it's still supposed to be green). Many green-ripening tomatoes do, too, if not completely yellow (but they're ripe enough to eat, and probably save seeds, before that point), but Baker Creek makes the following claim about at least the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/green-giant-tomato/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Green Giant tomato&lt;/a&gt;: &quot;Color stays pure green even when dead ripe!&quot;. Similar claims were made about some of those hot peppers I linked to above. We'll see about Green Giant and Green Zebra tomatoes this year, however, since I'm growing them. I'd like to get some of those peppers soon, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I grew Green Giant tomatoes, and it's true. They stay completely green. They don't yellow at all even when they're soft. They're also one of the best-tasting tomatoes I've tried. However, they're not heat-tolerant, and mine were prone to cracking when ripe. They're very juicy, and they were not at all sour. However, I did give them extra potassium, and potassium is supposed to make tomatoes less acidic, I've read. I grew Green Zebra, too: it does yellow a bit when ripe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people say pepper colors are much like tomato colors. If they are right, the explanations for green-ripening tomatoes may also apply to green-ripening peppers. &lt;a href=&quot;http://the-biologist-is-in.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-color-of-tomatoes.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;See this link about tomato color genetics.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-07-08T08:00:40.520" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T08:00:40.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17934" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17929" CreationDate="2015-04-10T10:39:36.233" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look like spinach leaf miner eggs to me. These are laid by the adult fly - once these hatch into larvae, they will burrow into the leaf tissue. They have 3 or 4 generations a year, unfortunately. You can rub them off, but if you have a heavy infestation, spray with neem. Rotate your leafy crops year on year; putting a net or cage for protection from the adult to stop the laying of eggs is a wise precaution before the crop gets going properly next time you plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note there are white aphids - whitefly, but they, as the name suggests, fly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-10T10:39:36.233" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17935" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-10T14:11:47.020" Score="5" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a stone patio outside my back door, built with (approx.) 12&quot;x12&quot; pavers. Each spring, moss grows up through the cracks between the bricks. I have scraped it off and dug it out as best I could each time, but it grows back every year, sometimes even before the summer is over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to prevent this from growing back? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11068" LastActivityDate="2015-04-10T15:13:01.267" Title="How do I remove moss from patio?" Tags="&lt;moss&gt;&lt;patio&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2015-04-11T23:34:25.063" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17935" CreationDate="2015-04-10T15:06:22.547" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not really, but you can use a product specifically designed for use on hard surfaces such as Patio Magic, which does have some residual deterrent effect. Use as instructed on the container. I imagine your paving is in a fairly shady area, which encourages moss and the like, particularly through winter when the air is damp. You'll likely have to use the product at least once a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people, though, allow the moss to remain, and even try to encourage its growth, considering it attractive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-10T15:13:01.267" LastActivityDate="2015-04-10T15:13:01.267" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17937" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17942" CreationDate="2015-04-10T18:33:22.720" Score="5" ViewCount="2322" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got an indoor pepper plant that has already been through one harvest of 8 peppers. Nearing the end of the first harvest, many of the leaves on the lower stems died off. This may have been due to insufficient nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm fairly sure it has a vibrant root system as I have visibility underneath the grow bag it's currently in. The bag has been penetrated all over with root stems (maybe a sign of insufficient watering - working on that)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, it's now part-way into a second grow cycle and I've reduced the pepper load to 4 max (I'll be clipping extras) in the hopes that the plant won't get over-encumbered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut back a number of stems that the majority of leaves had died on as well as some of the more extended branches and am now left with a plant that's lower 50% or so is pretty much leafless stems (plenty of sunlight) and the upper sections (3 main ones) that have fresh leaf growth and peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I noticed that many of the lower stem nodes have what appear to be new shoots of stems/leaves coming out (maybe 10 or so) however they aren't exactly growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be awesome if the lower section could be rejuvenated. Is this possible? How can I encourage lower section regrowth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is all within a climate regulated environment so time/seasonal changes aren't a limitation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastActivityDate="2015-04-14T01:52:48.573" Title="Stimulate lower stem regrowth of pepper plant" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;sustainability&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17938" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17939" CreationDate="2015-04-10T21:13:59.590" Score="6" ViewCount="3338" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in usda hardiness zone 7a in NJ. Can you use plastic mulch for plants in the vegetable garden without drip irrigation or soaker hoses? If so how do you water plants with plastic mulch?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-04-10T23:34:31.747" LastActivityDate="2015-04-11T03:05:49.290" Title="Can you use plastic mulch in the vegetable garden without drip irrigation?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17939" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17938" CreationDate="2015-04-11T02:08:25.427" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes. I've never had drip irrigation, but I have used plastic much some years. If watering is needed, pour it in the holes where the plants are (or I suppose you could make other holes for it, but I never have). Or you could park a soaker hose under the plastic and connect it when needed. You can shape the ground such that most water landing on the plastic runs in to the holes (ie, dish rather than mound.) Water landing on the paths will also migrate sideways eventually. Of course, the plastic also slows the ground drying out under it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-04-11T02:08:25.427" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17940" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17938" CreationDate="2015-04-11T02:59:54.140" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is on loam, may not work well on sandy, well drained soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The way I did it was to have shallow trenches on either side of the raised bed (4-6in berm) my tomatoes were planted in. The berm was prepared with shallow depressions where each plant would be placed and the mulch film rolled out over the top of the berm with enough slack to let it sag into the depressions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants were planted through X cuts in the mulch plastic just big enough to allow a 4&quot; hole to be dug to accept the root ball. Fold the plastic back in place to cover the root ball, water at the plant base as till you're past transplant shock and the plants are established. Put cages in place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water the trenches to saturation and the water will capillary up in the soil. It was pretty nice having a totally weed free operation and you can check for soil moistness by feeling in around under the mulch next to the plant base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mulch also cuts way back on evaporation (nothing is worse than bare soil) and let me deeply water once a week during the hottest part of the season with no signs of moisture distress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2015-04-11T03:05:49.290" LastActivityDate="2015-04-11T03:05:49.290" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17941" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-11T10:36:56.957" Score="4" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing sweet peas, broad beans and chickpeas for the summer, in an outdoor raised bed. I bought some nice organic broccoli, brussel sprouts and kale seeds for autumn-winter harvesting, and in my mind I was going to sow them now and then transplant the seedlings out in the legumes bed, because I learned it is a good rotation practice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, on the seed instructions it is suggested to transplant the seedlings in May-June, if sowing them in March-April. How do I proceed?&#xA;Can I transplant them in September, when the legumes will be almost gone? And, if I were to follow this way, should I sow them later than April?&#xA;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v6YyIm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LtOIWm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastEditorUserId="6795" LastEditDate="2015-04-11T12:35:33.650" LastActivityDate="2015-04-11T12:35:33.650" Title="When to transplant brassicas in legumes bed" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;&lt;legumes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17942" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17937" CreationDate="2015-04-11T11:17:44.153" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Encouraging faster growth overall should help, because those branches should eventually grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The right kind of fertilizer for your plants should help to speed growth overall. Some people say nitrogen helps leaves more than anything, but I find that potassium and phosphorus also help a great deal there, at least indoors. I think nitrogen helps a lot more outdoors than indoors, but that's just a limited, personal observation. I think maybe this observation is because the commercial soils and NPK fertilizers I've tried didn't have enough available phosphorus and potassium compared to nitrogen, usually, and my outdoor soil is probably different.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps more important than fertilizer for speeding growth is light. If you can put a lot of light on those new branches that you want to grow (not just sunlight), it should encourage them to grow more. I find that the parts of the plant with the most light tend to grow most and healthiest. So, you could dim the light in the parts you don't want the plant to focus on growing (not too much), and increase the light tremendously near the bottom with grow lights very close to the stem. This should work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-04-14T01:52:48.573" LastActivityDate="2015-04-14T01:52:48.573" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17943" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17941" CreationDate="2015-04-11T12:16:03.190" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Brassicas are mostly cool season crops. In warm temperatures, they will try to go to seed before the next cool season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Transplanting for the later cool season is a great way to extend into the cooler temperatures. Some heirlooms/cultivars can handle the later planting season better than others. Some can't handle the late summer heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For sowing, should be done in late summer. Sufficient water to allow germination. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6882" LastActivityDate="2015-04-11T12:16:03.190" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17944" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17941" CreationDate="2015-04-11T12:19:34.153" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Read the seed packets, they usually tell you length of time to harvest. Like 60-75 days, or something similar. Plan accordingly to when you want to harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I garden by planting new seeds every two weeks so something is always ready to pick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the height of summer a lot of things won't grow well unless you are prepared to eat them as baby crops. Lots of stuff bolts (goes to flower) very quickly in the summer and doesn't taste good once that's happened. Then you have to wait until the end of summer to plant again and get some fresh fall veg before winter as well as winter storage crops like potatoes and winter squashes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-11T12:19:34.153" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17945" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17931" CreationDate="2015-04-11T13:14:43.667" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are some ideas for you, without site pictures it is hard to tell what it appropriate:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dig a shallow trench about six inches deep, backfill two inches with compacted stone dust and top with one row of an interlock paver.  Looks good, easy to mow over but won't stop wind borne seeds. Grass stolons will try and work their way through necessitating some edging work&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Same idea but build a low dry stone wall or interlock retaining wall. Something a foot high would have to be at least twelve inches wide and a compacted area a foot deep underneath.  Should stop more but not all wind borne seeds and keep grass and clover from growing through but takes more work and money. It does provide a microclimate at the base of the wall for perennials&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a hedge of an evergreen or deciduous plants will stop grass but require edging twice a year&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-04-11T13:14:43.667" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17946" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17947" CreationDate="2015-04-11T14:20:29.247" Score="5" ViewCount="141" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have heard a lot about growing vegetables from scraps e.g. using potato eyes, or sprouted garlic/onions to grow new vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with this?&#xA;And which vegetables were the best to do this with?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11070" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-11T14:34:07.180" LastActivityDate="2015-04-11T14:47:07.453" Title="How to grow vegetables from kitchen scraps?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;sustainability&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17946" CreationDate="2015-04-11T14:47:07.453" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do this all the time, especially with green onions. Use the tops, plant the bottoms and within a few weeks I have more onion tops. I have a few pots of scallions going, and only buy a new bunch when I need a whole lot at a time, or the onions are mostly spent from constantly pushing out new leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Garlic cloves can be planted sprouted or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potatoes skins can too, but it's better to cube the potatoes for ease. Or if you have some potatoes already sprouted you can plant them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you buy fresh oregano, you can often root the cuttings. Any herb that grows a stem rather than a stalk (like dill, celery and fennel are heart stalks and can't be rooted), can be rooted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I save seeds from tomatoes and melons and squashes, especially if I really liked them, they don't grow true to fruit, but at least you know half the parentage tastes delicious.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pepper seeds also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-11T14:47:07.453" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17948" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-11T16:01:17.980" Score="5" ViewCount="237" Body="&lt;p&gt;I turned up a rock just outside my house in the garden and found these ant-like creatures.  Are these termites or ghost ants or what?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9xJTl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And see the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCdWw90XL8k&amp;amp;feature=youtu.be&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;video&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10951" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-04-11T23:29:00.637" Title="Identify ant-like pests under rock" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17949" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17950" CreationDate="2015-04-11T18:26:34.457" Score="6" ViewCount="25211" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pole saw with a typical pruning saw blade and it works great on fresh green palm fronds (which I really shouldn't be cutting, but I don't want them touching my roof line) but the ones that I just can't manage to cut are the tougher, older fronds, especially if they are completely dead. And the fruit is very problematic because it drops them by the thousands so I try to remove them soon as I can but they are very though to cut. These are all four Queen Palms, two of which are over 30 feet high so I've been using a ladder and my pole saw. It's one of the most tiring jobs I've done myself at home only because it takes so much energy to cut through the tougher fronds. There has to be a better saw than a typical pruning pole saw, perhaps something meant for palms? I'm the type who prefers to learn/do everything myself as opposed to hiring pros so bear that in mind. I am willing to pay for the perfect saw however to keep in my garage. If you have any tips on technique that would be helpful too. It strains my neck having to look up at what I am cutting. Thanks for any advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11017" LastActivityDate="2018-05-29T15:14:59.700" Title="What is the best method/saw to cut through tough palm tree fronds with? (30-foot Queen Palms)" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;palm&gt;&lt;dead-branch&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17950" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17949" CreationDate="2015-04-11T18:44:40.613" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you say pole saw I assume you mean a standard manual pole saw. If you're willing to spend a little money look into a chainsaw pole saw, that should tear through them in a hurry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastActivityDate="2015-04-11T18:44:40.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17952" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1878" CreationDate="2015-04-11T22:19:57.443" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two Santa Rosa plum trees and they produced hundreds of blossoms but no fruit last year and this year. The stems of the blossoms and the blossoms themselves turned brown and fell off. I was told by a gardener that I did not water the trees enough. I watered them the same amount as I watered my peach trees but plums need more water than peaches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11073" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-12T01:23:49.850" LastActivityDate="2015-04-12T01:23:49.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17953" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17948" CreationDate="2015-04-11T23:29:00.637" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;By the speed they were moving in your video, these are ants, not termites (which are slow movers). If you can get an upclose look at a specimen, here are some things to look for, that are easy to see:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ants&lt;/strong&gt; have a narrow waist, clearly separating the thorax from the abdomen. Ants also have an elbow bend in their antennae.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Termites&lt;/strong&gt; have a nearly fused abdomen and thorax, and appear to have only two body segments. Termites also have straight antennae.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If these are termites, you may want to get your house/other wooden structures checked for damage. Most likely though, they're just after what cellulose they can find out in the yard. Termites are everywhere in nature, and are usually not a pest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think they are ants. If so, they probably aren't real pests. The only way ants are pests in the garden (usually) is by ant farming aphids, etc, making hills in lawns, and some that cut leaves. Most of them are just scavengers, or small hunters, and can even be beneficial that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-04-11T23:29:00.637" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17954" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17949" CreationDate="2015-04-12T00:20:07.997" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have used high-quality Japanese saw blades to cut dry palm fronds (replacing them when they start getting dull).  They cut through even dry fronds like butter (as long as the teeth are a good size: over 1/2 cm but less than 1, IIRC), and cut-on-pull is way easier when trying to balance on a ladder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The saw I used was hand-held, but I suppose you could lash it to a lightweight pole (your old pole saw, or a length of bamboo) if you can't find a really sharp cut-on-pull blade for your existing pole saw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11074" LastActivityDate="2015-04-12T00:20:07.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17955" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17949" CreationDate="2015-04-12T05:33:46.393" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always used a bow saw or pruning saw to trim my big and little palms.  They will cut through anything.  Not good for high stuff.  Mine got so big I had to finally break down and hire someone to cut them for me.  Not worth going to the hospital.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/be6Nq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11075" LastActivityDate="2015-04-12T05:33:46.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17956" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17957" CreationDate="2015-04-12T06:31:13.863" Score="3" ViewCount="2295" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are these yellow flowers? There are currently lots and lots of them (here in Central Europe, zone 6), mostly in the shade of large trees in a park environment. The flowers are approx. 2 cm in diameter. A lot of purple &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemone_hepatica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;liverworts&lt;/a&gt; grew in the same environment, but those have mostly withered by now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VK6XU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastEditorUserId="7190" LastEditDate="2015-04-12T06:36:26.883" LastActivityDate="2015-04-12T08:17:13.350" Title="What are these yellow, eight-petal flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17957" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17956" CreationDate="2015-04-12T08:08:26.070" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_celandine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lesser celandine&lt;/a&gt;, which belongs to the buttercup family, as does the The purple liverworts you mentioned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3317" LastEditorUserId="3317" LastEditDate="2015-04-12T08:17:13.350" LastActivityDate="2015-04-12T08:17:13.350" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17958" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17959" CreationDate="2015-04-12T16:00:15.240" Score="4" ViewCount="1363" Body="&lt;p&gt;We bought our house &amp;amp; neglected garden 1.5 years ago. Last spring a somewhat scraggy shrub surprised us with a few white flowers on two or three branches that had a very strong lemony, jasmine scent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After some judicious, yet heavy-handed pruning and a generous dose of feeding, we were rewarded with a full bloom this spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some details: The flowers appear before the leaves start to emerge (bloom is almost over now and the leaves are pushing trough). This year bloom started in mid-March, last spring at the end of February, but we had an exceptionally mild (or none at all) winter of 2013/2014.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The flowers are slightly waxy and a bit translucent, around 2cm (3/4 in) in size. The scent is strong, like a mixture of jasmine and lemon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's deciduous, but a few leaves remain on lower, protected branches, see last picture.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The bark on older branches turns grey and tends to peel a bit, younger branches are golden brown, see first picture.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The average height is 1.5m (5ft) with a few individual branches up to 2m (6.5ft).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's growth is rather &quot;loose&quot;, even in summer with full foliage one can somewhat &quot;see through&quot; it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But as it remains yet unidentified and hence unnamed, I trust in your expertise...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J94qq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close-up with bark&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q9qY4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Second close-up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5jcDR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;last year&amp;#39;s leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-04-12T16:13:05.347" Title="Shrub with white flowers and lemon-jasmine scent" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17958" CreationDate="2015-04-12T16:13:05.347" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Lonicera fragrantissima, one of the shrub type honeysuckles. Flowers best against a protecting wall or fence. Best time to prune is immediately after flowering has finished - remove a third of the flowered shoots and reshape the rest as required. Benefits from an organic mulch (well rotted garden compost/manure) applied after pruning. Ultimate height and spread around 2 metres x 3 metres.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-12T16:13:05.347" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17960" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1335" CreationDate="2015-04-13T04:50:15.837" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't get rid of this crap unless you are in for the long haul. I've read every article on the web from tilling to weed killers. I have tilled my garden boxes 4xs sprayed, you named it I have done it. Pulling by hand multiple times a week, yes I said week. It seems like for every bunch I pull 50 more grow in its place. Their roots go so deep you have to go down 12 inches sometimes, not to mention their long and thick. I have been gardening for the last 5 years never had a problem, plant the same thing, never over-water, so I'm baffled.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is what I have been doing that seems to be keeping these little suckers in check. I tilled the outside perimeter. Sprayed weed and grass killer ( spectricide) waited 3 days then sprayed weed killer for lawns. Oh and last but not least you must get every take a hand rake and constantly disturb new roots and rip them out by hand. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11077" LastEditorUserId="7256" LastEditDate="2015-04-13T14:17:07.997" LastActivityDate="2015-04-13T14:17:07.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17961" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17962" CreationDate="2015-04-13T11:29:00.700" Score="3" ViewCount="657" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this small spruce for Christmas (the label said it will grow up to 1m tall), it's a Picea Glauca 'conica'. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently replanted it in a bigger container, because it looked quite constrained, and had many yellow needles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While transplanting it, I noticed very wet root conditions, so I tried to keep it quite dry the rest of the soil and pruned the lower branches to improve aeration. I used Peat Moss, horticultural sand, some compost and little vermiculite. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well, apparently it isn't liking it, or it suffered the stress. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, it can be important info, it has been unusually hot in the last two weeks. Now it's going back to normal UK weather. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AGp4Gm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5ENklm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tbv9Vm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jm8aCm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T19:30:56.767" Title="White spruce problem (yellow needles)" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17962" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17961" CreationDate="2015-04-13T12:34:44.850" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some ideas, a few questions. I hope the container you've transferred it to has open drainage holes at the bottom, and that you don't leave it standing in any outer tray which has water in it all the time. It's also not clear whether you had this tree indoors during the Christmas period, and then moved it straight outside once the festivities were over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picea does not like soil which dries out all the time, preferring moist but well drained conditions. If you left yours in a container without drainage holes, or the drainage holes were blocked, no plant likes to be in wet soil which cannot drain because it becomes toxic to the plant. They prefer neutral to acid soil conditions. If you did not water it in well when you potted it on, do so now, allowing excess to drain freely. Ongoing, water when you can feel the top of the compost is slightly dry to the touch, and water copiously, always allowing it to drain freely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check the plant closely, looking for striped banding on the needles, any patchy white areas, or fungal pustules or even evidence of insects. If you find nothing, then likely the needle drop, whilst possibly being slightly more than normal, is primarily regular leaf loss, which does occur even with evergreens. I reiterate, keep it well watered, but make sure excess drains away out the bottom - other than that, there's not much you can do. As you're in the UK, there are fewer diseases/infestations here that can affect your tree, so, without further evidence, its likely the problem its displaying is/was cultural.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the weather is set to warm up significantly again by the end of the week, its sensible to keep it out of hot sun until it has fully recovered. You will find that all yellowing needles will eventually turn brown and drop off; the time to worry is if the yellowing continues and spreads after a couple of weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER: Sounds like you might have green spruce aphid or similar on the tree then, in which case, its worth spraying, as its a small tree, although there's not much point in doing it now, they're active over winter up to end of March. You'll need to get Westland Resolva Bug Killer or Bug Clear Ultra - best time to spray is late August/early September, and again in winter if necessary. Spray thoroughly to run off, trying to get the spray on all parts. In the meantime, give it a general purpose feed in 3 weeks or so (assuming the potting compost you used was fresh and new), and keep it well watered, treat it as if its in intensive care and you need to nurse it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-13T13:17:20.033" LastActivityDate="2015-04-13T13:17:20.033" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17963" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-13T13:18:40.293" Score="2" ViewCount="411" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickes.co.uk/search?q=deck+post%3Arelevance%3AType%3ADeck+Post%3AMaterial%3APine%3AHeight%3A1200+mm%3AHeight%3A1193+mm%3AHeight%3A1370+mm&amp;amp;text=deck+post#&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;posts designed for balustrades&lt;/a&gt; are 80mm wide whereas fence posts are only 75mm.  The problem being is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bolt-Down-Wedge-Fence-Supports/dp/B00QO5PDSO/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=diy&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1428930572&amp;amp;sr=1-1-spell&amp;amp;keywords=metpost+wedge+grip+bolt&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wedge-grip post holders&lt;/a&gt; are made for 75mm posts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Firstly I wonder:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Why are fence posts and decking posts different widths?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can I use a 75mm fence post for my balustrade?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there an easy, and effective way to remove 2.5mm from each side (up to the height of the post holder so it'll fit in neatly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there alternative ways to a metpost to hold an 80mm timber post upright safely - on a concrete platform with a 1m drop on the otherside?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11031" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T02:55:48.033" Title="80mm decking post into a 75mm metal post holder" Tags="&lt;fence&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17964" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17963" CreationDate="2015-04-13T13:38:05.873" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's assumed that deck posts are being affixed to a wood base, usually the support structure beneath the deck, not concrete, so they're not sized according to wedge grips or metposts. I can't see why you can't use a fence post instead, although, given there's a drop, I'd probably go for 100mm fence post with a 100mm bolt down wedge grip holder, which you can get, just to make it stronger, but that's up to you. This only works if you don't want a slotted version of the deck post to insert supports for the balustrade string though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-13T14:42:43.387" LastActivityDate="2015-04-13T14:42:43.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17965" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-13T15:02:12.880" Score="4" ViewCount="497" Body="&lt;p&gt;On my street lots of trees have a big burl at the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a technique to &quot;encourage&quot; trees to develop it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1643" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T21:19:55.450" Title="How to stimulate basal growth in a tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17966" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17965" CreationDate="2015-04-13T15:25:38.860" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's no real consistent way to encourage burls to grow on trees. Burls are a reaction to various kinds of infections and possibly damage. They can weaken a tree and raise it's susceptibility to more deadly infections. There's no way to purposefully try and create or encourage their growth and there's at least some debate about the exact circumstances that lead to burls being created.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastEditorUserId="10987" LastEditDate="2015-04-16T21:19:55.450" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T21:19:55.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17967" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17965" CreationDate="2015-04-13T17:08:52.507" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basal burls on Redwoods are a little different from other burls - they used to be called lignotubers, and are a natural reproductive structure for these trees. It's thought that this type of basal burl is genetically controlled, whereas other swellings which may occur on other parts, or at the base, of trees are an environmental response, maybe to fungal or bacterial infection. This type of burl may also be known as a gall or, sometimes, a tumour - an example would be crown gall, which affects many species of tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless your tree is a redwood, then any other gall or burl either happens or it doesn't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-13T17:08:52.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17968" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-13T19:59:50.280" Score="2" ViewCount="201" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had a terrible time with my basil.  I do not see any bugs or slugs. Nothing on the undersides of the leaves BUT there are obvious holes from the center of the leaves as well as bites taken out from the edges. I don't know what to do.  I have sprayed the leaves hard with a hose.  I have treated with a neem spray. Help. None of my others herbs are being eaten.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What might be doing this and how can I stop it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11079" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-13T20:18:35.713" LastActivityDate="2015-04-14T12:00:46.017" Title="What is eating my basil?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17969" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17965" CreationDate="2015-04-13T23:48:48.047" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The traditional method that probably caused what you are seeing is to run into the tree with a lawnmower a lot - once every week or two throughout the growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that this is &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; a good idea (tree health-wise), but it is a common cause of damage near ground level in trees in domesticated areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-04-14T13:28:23.317" LastActivityDate="2015-04-14T13:28:23.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17970" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17980" CreationDate="2015-04-14T01:56:51.673" Score="7" ViewCount="249" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought some bare root blackberries from a reputable nursery and in the instructions they said to &quot;prune roots 1/2&quot; to 1&quot; with sharp pruning shears&quot; before planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What purpose does this serve?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastActivityDate="2015-04-15T16:45:15.590" Title="Why should I prune roots of bare root blackberries before planting?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17849" CreationDate="2015-04-14T10:54:43.300" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RmYLq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;May be you are looking for some thing like this. there are various types of garden elevators that you can use them, even they are not to fast in great gardens.&#xA;two more idea:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VpIvV.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XoUVL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user11045" LastEditorDisplayName="user11045" LastEditDate="2015-04-14T10:59:55.610" LastActivityDate="2015-04-14T10:59:55.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17972" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17970" CreationDate="2015-04-14T11:50:21.777" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have no idea, never heard of it, usually the only time you need to trim roots is if they are damaged, when you may take off those parts affected. It is, though, common to be advised to prune back the canes (topgrowth) to 6-8 inches if this has not been done prior to despatch. I certainly wouldn't advise cutting back roots for plants which are going to be growing in open ground, particularly not at this time of year (Spring). There's a possible argument for doing it in autumn, to force the plant to put out new roots during the dormant topgrowth time, which isn't an argument I'd subscribe to anyway,  but it doesn't make any sense to do it now, really - any plant is only as good as its roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd be inclined to ask the 'reputable nursery' why they've suggested it, I'd certainly like to know!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="10987" LastEditDate="2015-04-14T20:35:38.843" LastActivityDate="2015-04-14T20:35:38.843" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17973" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17968" CreationDate="2015-04-14T12:00:46.017" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most likely are the following two: Japanese beetle loves basil leaves, but they feed during the day, so it should be possible to spot them. Slugs/snails should leave slime trails even if you don't see them, and will require a flashlight at night to confirm if you're not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-14T12:00:46.017" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17974" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17970" CreationDate="2015-04-14T13:48:29.837" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It encourages new root growth which is important to the plant's survival in the first several weeks. It's common for bare-root stock of many sorts to suggest trimming the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't trim the roots, the plant has less impetus to push out fresh roots. That's all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's like pruning the tops, if you don't prune you get leggy plants with less fresh foliage, same principle applies to the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-14T13:48:29.837" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17975" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-14T15:10:55.243" Score="3" ViewCount="2035" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought a house a couple of months ago, and like many suburban lots, the property has a drainage easement that runs along the sides.  One side has a stone culvert pipe that moves water away from the property, the other side appears to have no particular drainage method, other than slightly sloping toward the culvert.  The latter side is constantly soggy and muddy, with standing water, and it turns into a veritable river during rainstorms.  I attached an image below showing the slope of the yard and the problem area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to contact the county surveyor to see if they will do anything since the easement is not draining correctly (I don't see how it ever did in the first place - the house is 14 years old).  But, assuming they won't do anything, is there a particular fix that works best for these side-property drainage easements?  I've looked into french ditches, re-sodding, and laying perforated pipe - it's difficult to know which method has the best chance of working.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: There have been other questions on this site regarding pooling of water near the house - I'm referring specifically to a faulty drainage easement along an entire side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l4xDq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11083" LastEditorUserId="11083" LastEditDate="2015-04-14T17:59:19.983" LastActivityDate="2015-04-14T23:06:16.373" Title="Most effective way to fix a poor drainage easement?" Tags="&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ClosedDate="2015-04-28T03:59:31.920" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17976" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-14T15:45:43.920" Score="3" ViewCount="390" Body="&lt;p&gt;I took this plant from a friend on a whim as he was going to throw it away, so I would like to know its name. The soil is red because I live in the Deccan plateau in India. The pot has a hole below to allow drainage, and I water it every morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uLO4Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;HousePlant1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11084" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-15T02:25:47.660" LastActivityDate="2016-10-05T11:02:27.317" Title="What is this plant with long fronds for leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17977" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17981" CreationDate="2015-04-14T21:45:24.463" Score="1" ViewCount="2922" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry, didn't get any pictures with more of the plant (but potentially could). Approximately 2m tall cultivated shrub in Southern California. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XVf7K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mystery flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11043" LastEditorUserId="11043" LastEditDate="2015-04-15T17:07:31.237" LastActivityDate="2015-04-15T17:07:31.237" Title="What is this Hibiscus-like flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17978" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17975" CreationDate="2015-04-14T23:06:16.373" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many native species that love water, and will work on filtering the water. Grasses/sedges are the easiest to get going and prevent exposed soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following is a list of species available from seed from a wholesale public works grower in New England.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Lurid Sedge, (Carex lurida), Blunt Broom Sedge, (Carex scoparia), Blue&#xA;  Vervain, (Verbena hastata), Hop Sedge, (Carex lupulina), Green&#xA;  Bulrush, (Scirpus atrovirens), Redtop Panic Grass, (Panicum&#xA;  rigidulum), Tufted Hairgrass, (Deschampsia cespitosa), Tickseed&#xA;  Sunflower/Bur Marigold, (Bidens aristosa), Creeping Spike Rush,&#xA;  (Eleocharis palustris), Soft Rush, (Juncus effusus), Fringed Sedge,&#xA;  (Carex crinita), Square Stemmed Monkey Flower, (Mimulus ringens),&#xA;  Swamp Aster, (Aster puniceus), Boneset, (Eupatorium perfoliatum),&#xA;  Rattlesnake Grass, (Glyceria canadensis), Swamp Milkweed, (Asclepias&#xA;  incarnata), Common Sneezeweed, (Helenium autumnale), Ditch Stonecrop,&#xA;  (Penthorum sedoides)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6882" LastActivityDate="2015-04-14T23:06:16.373" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17979" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16064" CreationDate="2015-04-15T01:05:46.993" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most juvenile bamboo are difficult to identify by the leaves or canes.  I have 20 plus bamboo plants and your picture of the leaves could match more than half of them.  The simplest method is to identify the shoot when it first emerges from the soil.  This should put you in the ballpark but you will have to look through a few hundred pictures.  Once you have it narrowed down by the shoot identification, you can further narrow it down by seeing which ones stand up to high ambient heat.   Hopes this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11087" LastActivityDate="2015-04-15T01:05:46.993" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17970" CreationDate="2015-04-15T10:47:53.550" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's because when they dig the plant, the dirty ragged cut the digger leaves on the roots is left when the plant goes to storage. The roots on your plant used to be a lot longer, but (of course) when they were dug, the roots had to be cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's why trimming off the last 1/2 - 1 inches of root can be good for the plant, sort of like trimming dead/ragged stubs on a branch. The roots can then branch from the end of the cut, more than if you left the old ends on. Also cut any broken or stripped roots behind the point of damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not an absolutely necessary step, and it does lose you minimal amounts of roots, but it's more of a long-term root-structure helper. I've seen plantations grow equally well with and without this treatment, but I usually do it, because I know it helps the plant develop a better root system (not stronger, necessarily, but a better shape)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-04-15T16:45:15.590" LastActivityDate="2015-04-15T16:45:15.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17981" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17977" CreationDate="2015-04-15T10:52:11.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Judging by the little I can see of the foliage, which appears to be greyish and downy, its not Hibiscus, its one of the shrubby mallows - in this case, the most likely is Lavatera maritima 'bicolour', sometimes commonly called Tree Mallow. The flowers of lavateras are similar to Hibiscus, but Hibiscus syriacus flowers much later on in summer, and the foliage is different - thinner leaves which are green, not greyish green and slightly felty or woolly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growth is usually cut right down in autumn or spring in the northern hemisphere, and in colder climates, it may die over winter, and may be shortlived. Prefers a sheltered sunny spot, free draining soil, and, as its name implies, does well in coastal regions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-15T15:55:10.533" LastActivityDate="2015-04-15T15:55:10.533" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17976" CreationDate="2015-04-15T11:05:08.107" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, this was a palm of some sort, hard to say which, it looks as if its actually dead because I can't see anything growing from the centre. If there is anything still green in the middle, it might be worth trying to rescue it if you really want to try, otherwise, bin this one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Re houseplants; when a plant has been kept indoors, if your climate is suitable for it outside, it must first be acclimatized to being outside, gradually. Many indoor plants suffer sunburn if exposed to hot sun, and many cannot cope with the extremes of temperature that may occur between day and night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've said there is drainage in the pots, and water can get out. You've also said you've used ordinary garden soil - unless they were growing in that initially, this was not a good idea, it's always best to use potting compost because garden soil may contain pathogens - these pathogens may be fine in open ground, not causing any trouble, but once contained in a pot, then no plant can escape because there's nowhere else for the roots, or the pathogen, to go. The other reason for using potting compost is that different plants prefer different types of soil for their roots - if the garden soil you use is heavy and claggy, and you use it for something like a palm which prefers a lighter mix, then that doesn't make for a healthy plant either. I also note that most of the pots you showed appeared to have standing water in the soil, or, as in this picture, the soil looks almost sloppy with water, indicating that the soil is poor draining anyway. Whilst many plants will grow in open ground with such soil, using it in pots really isn't a great idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some houseplants will never do well outside - I recall one of your pictures was of a very defoliated Ficus benjamina, and that one is really fussy - it cannot stand draughts or changes in temperature, and does not appreciate any sun at all, preferring simply bright daylight. Some plants like shade, some dappled sunlight, some are fine in full sun (once acclimatized) provided they're sufficiently well watered, it varies according to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-05T11:02:27.317" LastActivityDate="2016-10-05T11:02:27.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17983" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5774" CreationDate="2015-04-15T15:15:31.060" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have found that a good deterrent is to run chickens on a chosen piece of ground. They peck away any bits of green and the plant becomes exhausted. Same applies to Japanese knotweed, but you will still have to be vigilant if and when you move the chickens!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11090" LastActivityDate="2015-04-15T15:15:31.060" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17984" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-15T16:48:30.213" Score="6" ViewCount="2946" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning on constructing a 2-tier outdoor raised vegetable garden.  I'd like to avoid any &quot;gotchas&quot;.  I live in the US Pacific Northwest, so three non-summer seasons a year are moist.  My plan is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Utilize/extend existing plans, i.e. leverage &lt;a href=&quot;https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/search.html?q=raised+garden&amp;amp;rsi=sbis&amp;amp;backendClass=entity&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sketchup raised garden plans&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use wood (i.e., railroad ties) anchored by rebar&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Allow for drainage (per &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/17985/should-there-be-a-bottom-on-a-raised-flower-bed&quot;&gt;this raised flower bed question&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bottom layer filled with rubble/gravel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Top layer dirt&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question: Are there any &lt;strong&gt;obvious&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;gotchas&quot; with this plan?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11095" OwnerDisplayName="JJ Zabkar" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-04-15T17:25:21.173" Title="What &quot;gotchas&quot; should I avoid when building a raised garden?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17985" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17989" CreationDate="2015-02-23T06:57:20.833" Score="7" ViewCount="46236" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am wondering if people usually fill a raised bed completely with soil, or make a &quot;bottom&quot; for the soil to sit on?  If a bottom is made, is it treated wood to avoid mold and deterioration?  And if drainage is necessary, how do I create that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Adriana" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-15T17:04:34.890" LastActivityDate="2018-01-06T20:25:38.977" Title="Should there be a bottom on a raised flower bed?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17985" CreationDate="2015-02-23T12:37:02.330" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the raised bed is sitting on the ground no bottom is required. A bottom would only be required if you are protecting the surface below the raised bed. If the raised bed is set on a flat roof, a wooden deck, patio that would be subject to staining by the soil, etc. then you would want a bottom on it. You still need to allow for some drainage. A word of caution about using treated wood. Most treated lumber contain toxic chemicals that can leech in the soil. There is the potential that the plants can absorb the chemicals. Not a problem for a flower bed but a concern if you are growing veggies or other edibles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="mikes" LastActivityDate="2015-02-23T12:37:02.330" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17987" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17985" CreationDate="2015-02-23T22:05:32.630" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adding any kind of barrier would be counterproductive. The key to good growing is good drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" OwnerDisplayName="Tyler Durden" LastActivityDate="2015-02-23T22:05:32.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17988" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17985" CreationDate="2015-02-23T23:09:19.467" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The main purpose of building raised beds is to be able to grow in a custom soil mix because your current soil is poor. The raised bed soil is usually lighter, fluffier, holds more water and has more nutrients. It's more of a potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most flowers don't have very deep roots, especially annuals, and if you have a big difference in soil textures between your existing soil (hard) and raised bed soil (soft) the roots will grow thicker and more dense in the potting mix and become thinner in the existing soil. Look into which plants you plan on growing and see how well they do in soil as deep as your raised beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't need to put a hard bottom in your raised beds but many people use a weed fabric to keep weed seeds from germinating in the existing soil. Weeds can dig through quite a bit of soil to reach light if the soil in the raised bed is soft and light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weed fabric will block weeds while still allowing drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're putting raised bed right up against your house (or other structure) you may want to put some water impermeable fabric on the bottom as a slope to direct drainage away from the house. Dig a small bit of the soil under where the raised bed is and slope it away from the house. Line it with 6 mil poly and leave it open in the front for water to drain from there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" OwnerDisplayName="OrganicLawnDIY" LastActivityDate="2015-02-23T23:09:19.467" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17989" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17985" CreationDate="2015-02-24T23:51:18.070" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;What people &quot;usually do&quot; depends on specifics of local economics, climate, and availability of materials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a friend who lives in the Denver area.  The soil there is awful and buying topsoil is very expensive.  He spent $2,000 on lumber to build a backyard full of raised gardens with benches, then spent another $1,000 for different gravels to fill most of the boxes.  Then there was $2,500 worth of topsoil brought in.  The mesh canopies were comparatively a bargain to protect all the produce from being smashed by the daily hail storms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here, in Oregon's Willamette Valley, we have great topsoil in most places, so here we usually just shovel it some from somewhere we don't need it to fill the planters.  Or if there is some otherwise unneeded concrete rubble or gravel, that would go loosely in the bottom to decrease the amount of soil needed to fill.  Every year new compost goes in, and those who don't test their planter soil seem to buy bags of amendments too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11104" OwnerDisplayName="wallyk" LastActivityDate="2015-02-24T23:51:18.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17984" CreationDate="2015-04-15T17:25:21.173" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;First a question. What is going to be underneath your raised beds? Garden soil, lawn, patio, other?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're going to get into raised bed vegetable gardening I strongly suggest you look into &lt;a href=&quot;http://squarefootgardening.org/&quot;&gt;Square Foot Gardening&lt;/a&gt;. It makes a lot of things easier when it comes to raised bed gardening and can also save you a considerable amount of money. For one thing, you learn that raised beds don't need to be that deep as long as you use a good potting soil. The author, Mel Bartholemew, recomends using 1x6 or 2x6 boards for the sides of your beds. That's only 5.5&quot; thick. I built my &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2013/08/ultimate-square-foot-garden-bed.html&quot;&gt;square foot garden&lt;/a&gt; up to 7&quot; because I wanted to add a lip around it. I like the way it looks but more importantly it helps me secure the plastic cover to extend the season or netting to keep birds out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plants need deeper soil, potatoes for example, but you can always make accommodations for those or grow them in something like a grow bag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't want to add gravel to the bottom. It doesn't help drainage, it actually reduces it. This is old advice that continues to get spread even though it's been proven wrong. When two mediums with different porosities meet, water does not travel well between them. When you water the potting soil from the top it will drain down to the gravel layer and then linger just above the gravel in the soil. In the PNW this can be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Railroad ties use &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/substances/toxsubstance.asp?toxid=18&quot;&gt;creosote&lt;/a&gt; which is some pretty nasty stuff you probably don't want leaching into things you plan on eating. Same goes for older types of pressure treated lumber. The newer types of pressure treated lumber are supposedly better but I decided to play it safe and just use cedar. There are other cheaper choices that do pretty well such as southern yellow pine and douglas fir. All wood will eventually rot when in contact with soil and water. The amount of money you spend reduces the time between rebuilding your beds. If you don't mind rebuilding your beds every two years or so cheap framing lumber works. If you follow the SFG advice and keep your beds short it's not that big a deal to replace the boards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't use any anchors. I have 2 lengths of rebar in the back of the bed but they're primarily used to hold a trellis. The soil will keep the box from going anywhere and the sides of my boxes are screwed together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't need a bottom for the raised beds. Some people like to put landscaping fabric if they're placing their beds over soil that previously had something planted to keep whatever seeds/roots may be in the soil from growing up through the bed. Same goes with tiers if you're doing what I think you're doing. The top tier will be open to the bottom tier making it extra deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plan is a little vague so that's about all the generic gotchas I can think of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-04-15T17:25:21.173" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17992" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-15T20:07:52.080" Score="10" ViewCount="2498" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to level out a lawn that is roughly 4000 square feet. It has many low areas that vary in diameter and depth. Not sure what caused these holes; my guess is that they are from a previous owner gutting out bushes or trees. Some holes have a radius of about 2-3 feet or so and depth of a few inches. I dealt with some holes last summer (the large ones that had a radius of about 4 feet) using topsoil, grass seed and daily watering  but I'm thinking it will take too long to fill in everything piecemeal. My plan is probably to till and rake the whole lawn, add some grass seed, and then put down around 14 cubic yards of topsoil. Finally, rake the topsoil over the seed. I will then water it every day for a couple weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone see any problem with doing the above? What is the most ideal times to do this? Is mid to late April in New Jersey too early (maybe the ground is still frozen)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11093" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-15T20:16:53.227" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T16:28:21.290" Title="How should I fill and reseed shallow depressions in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;tilling&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17993" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-15T20:19:02.953" Score="3" ViewCount="5700" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few days ago I noticed dozens of small flying insects flying around my arborvitae. They move too fast and are too small to take a picture of but they are about the size and appearance of fungus gnats when flying around so that could be a possibility. You can only make out the wings when they're flying but I think they may have a black body. They're easy to miss if you don't pay attention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also noticed them around some yews and could see them in a neighbor's deciduous shrub nearby but I don't know the type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't see them anywhere else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A bit of snow over the winter and last year. These trees get surrounded by a lot of snow. Last year there was a small amount of leaf loss due to snow. A neighbor lost a small evergreen shrub recently from what looked to me to be disease or insect damage which has me concerned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry I couldn't be any more descriptive but any help about what flying insects might be attracted to these would be helpful. I sprayed them with neem oil a couple of days ago but today they're back. Will do a couple follow up sprays every week or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Went to check for scale and to be honest not sure what to look for so posting some pics. There's browning on the inside but I always thought that was due to the density on the outside restricting light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another odd thing was when I went to check there were only a few insects now. The trees are now in shade and before when I saw them they were in direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the pics if it helps identify anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aHS7D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5eLkP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g6rvh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-04-15T21:53:39.150" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T12:39:06.230" Title="Flies around arborvitae and yews" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17992" CreationDate="2015-04-15T22:46:34.113" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rototilling will usually leave a lumpier lawn then before as the soil tends to settle unevenly. It can also bring up new weed seeds. If your lawn is in otherwise good condition it wouldn't be my first choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the lawn is good over the depressions you can cut the sod out, level the dirt and reapply the sod. Otherwise fill and seed the depressions but get a seed that matches your current lawn in color and texture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;My plan is probably to till and rake the whole lawn, add some grass seed, and then put down around 14 cubic yards of topsoil. Finally, rake the topsoil over the seed. I will then water it every day for a couple weeks&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do kill existing lawn and level, do so after spreading the topsoil. 14 yards over 4,000 sq ft will give you about 1-1/8&quot; of top soil. That's too deep for the grass seed. &lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt; I was really tired yesterday when I wrote this and just realized you don't plan on dumping the entire 14 yards over the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're better off reseeding in the fall but now is a good time in NJ too if you're soil temp is above 50 degrees consistently. Depending on were you are you may want to wait a week or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-04-16T16:28:21.290" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T16:28:21.290" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17995" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="17998" CreationDate="2015-04-16T00:40:44.810" Score="4" ViewCount="101183" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is what my Meyer Lemon Tree looks like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4nfzj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No leaves anymore. Is there a chance that it will ever revive itself?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11096" LastActivityDate="2021-01-28T22:05:38.880" Title="How can I revive a Meyer Lemon Tree with no leaves?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;&lt;dead-branch&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17996" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17992" CreationDate="2015-04-16T02:54:26.057" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you'd be better off (less TOTAL work) just filling in the holes gradually. Put 1/4&quot; of soil in the deepest parts. Level it out with a fairly small rake (back of an actual rakehead or short board.) Wait for growth. Add 1/4&quot; of soil, rake/level with a longer board/rakehead. Wait for growth. Add another 1/4&quot;, rake/level with an even longer board. Wait for growth....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the time your board is 16 feet long or so, the lawn is pretty level. You have not churned up any new weed seeds. Each individual round of the work is not terribly difficult. You have grass throughout, with no risk of washing the dirt away in a river of mud if it rains hard while the new grass seed has not established itself.The grass is able to put out new roots and grow in the deep spots, because they are never buried too deep. You never need to fuss too much about watering it because the grass always has good roots, and just has to grow some new ones a little bit higher each time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you really want to do lots of work and hurry, hurry hurry, rent a sod cutter, cut all the sod, roll it up and stack it in a shady spot, damped and covered. Fill, level, add new dirt, roll, level, rake, relevel, roll. Put the sod back on. That, you'll need to water carefully if it does not rain for you, until new roots are established. Mow it pretty high for a while to let it make good deep roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T02:54:26.057" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17997" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17995" CreationDate="2015-04-16T05:10:13.630" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The hope seems pretty small, especially if it's been like this for any length of time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No leaves, sitting in a saucer-full of water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either it's been soddened to death or it was parched to death and the soddening is a belated attempt to compensate. In either case sodden is not good for anything that doesn't normally live in a bog. Moist is about as much as you want, especially when there are no leaves on the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit - there's definitely more hope for it if you weren't the person who killed it; thanks for making that clear. If there's green there's the hope of a latent bud waking up and putting out a new leaf, and all that follows from that...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-04-17T01:33:14.417" LastActivityDate="2015-04-17T01:33:14.417" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17998" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17995" CreationDate="2015-04-16T09:54:35.327" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Scrape back the skin of the bark with your fingernail - do it near the base of the plant. If what's beneath is dry and brown, its dead - if there's any green or moisture, then it might recover - though not if you leave it sitting in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've said it seems green inside and you've removed it from the standing water. It needs warm temperatures and sunlight, but it will not like being sited in a window which has a radiator or heat source directly beneath - I can't tell if there is one. Water only when the surface of the compost feels just dry to the touch, but not so dry its shrunken from the sides of the pot. When you do water, water well, but empty out that tray after 30 minutes, and again 30 minutes later if more excess water has collected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-16T19:03:59.827" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T19:03:59.827" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="17999" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18004" CreationDate="2015-04-16T12:30:52.350" Score="4" ViewCount="87" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a small venus fly trap kit to sow. Three of them sprouted and they were growing well. I had placed them at a south facing window, watering them every few days. I found them like this a few days ago. It feels like the roots are not dead, but the plants are almost burnt somehow. &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CmtD5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;venus fly trap&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The same thing has happened to my tulip bulbs that were sprouting well outside at a north facing balcony and they're in a similar situation as well. This is while my other plants at similar situation are doing pretty well. Any idea why this has happened and can I still rescue them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qa91Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tulip&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T14:02:04.517" Title="Why did these plants dry/burn?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;tulips&gt;&lt;venus-fly-trap&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17999" CreationDate="2015-04-16T12:34:36.187" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know anything about Venus flytraps, but in general and for any plant, The greenery wasn't accustomed to the stronger south facing sun. When you grow a plant in a protected environment, the greenery is &lt;em&gt;soft&lt;/em&gt; and it gets sunburned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T12:34:36.187" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18001" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17993" CreationDate="2015-04-16T12:39:06.230" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Being the time of year I'd venture a guess that the arborvitae and yew provided the protected overwintering environment for these &lt;em&gt;flies&lt;/em&gt;. When flies wake up and when they are newly adults they often hang out there until it warms up some more or another stimulus drives them to move.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T12:39:06.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18002" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17992" CreationDate="2015-04-16T12:42:03.997" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just fill the holes with topsoil. Save yourself a lot of work that will likely disappoint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T12:42:03.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18003" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18010" CreationDate="2015-04-16T13:32:15.060" Score="3" ViewCount="343" Body="&lt;p&gt;My father is wanting to get and plant a few trees this year. One that he's been talking my ear off about is one that he used to eat the nuts of when he was younger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keeping in mind that his childhood is a ways back and recollection could be off, he grew up in the mountains of North Carolina. He said the tree is a chestnut tree. He thinks it was wild. Whether it was wild or a bought tree that animals or nature propagated I don't know. He said it had the green spiky pods that chestnuts have. He said he always heard them called 'chinkapins'. It's possible that this is just one of those things, though, where everyone in an area calls it something, but it's actually something else. The reason I think it's not an 'Alleghany Chinkapin' is that they appear to only have one nut inside the pod. He claims that the ones he would eat as a child would contain roughly 10 small nuts the size of peanuts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any idea what this tree might be so that we can locate and plant one? Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-04-17T11:01:45.337" Title="Please help identify a type of chestnut tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;nut-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17999" CreationDate="2015-04-16T14:02:04.517" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;VFT's can be tricky - being a bog plant, they like a lot of humidity, for one thing, so the tops may have simply desiccated. They also respond poorly when folks fertilize them, as they expect rather poor bog soils. In general, they can be somewhat difficult to grow and keep healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tulips are about 6&quot; / 15cm higher than they want to be planted...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T14:02:04.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18005" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17992" CreationDate="2015-04-16T14:49:03.463" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like to fill depressions with composted cow manure mixed with sand. This encourages quick growth to fill in the grass-less spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10974" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T14:49:03.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18006" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17912" CreationDate="2015-04-16T15:48:50.773" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not an expert by any means, but I have several orchids that are doing well and just saw a spike starting on one today. I tend to research a lot on anything I'm interested in and I'll tell you what I believe based on what I've read and experienced. You can feel free to confirm anything I tell you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Firstly, that's a young Phalaenopsis orchid. I bought 4 the same size over the winter that were in Lowe's &quot;We pretty much killed them, so we're selling them at a step discount' section. They were in similar pots to your current orchid, though not in a glass vase. The vase served two purposes. One is that it made it look fancy and two, it raised the humidity. Neither one is bad, and they enjoy higher humidity, but you'll want to take it out of that vase for a couple of reasons. One is that, as the plant grows it'll get squished up in there and two, orchids of any type need excellent drainage and you won't be able to provide that in the vase. It's also going to be hard to remove it for watering. On a side note, that vase might be good for putting a small water plant in with a few river rocks at the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following up on the drainage issue. Most orchids are epiphytes, meaning that they grow in trees. With this in mind, think of how they grow and get water and light. The canopy of the tree will give them strong filtered light, they get water from rain, so they have to absorb it quickly and then go dry till the next shower, and they also cling to the bark of the tree so they're roots are exposed to lots of air flow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the pot they're currently in, you have what appears to be one small hole in the bottom with damp sphagnum moss packed around the roots. This means that it is constantly holding damp material around the roots with almost no air flow. This leads to root rot and plant death. The reason they do it is because the plants will stay alive longer with that than they would if they weren't watered at all, but if you plan to keep the plant for any length of time, it needs to be transplanted into a proper media.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can find orchid pots or you can take a plastic pot and drill .25-.50&quot; holes in several places around the side and the bottom. For the mix, you can look up different recipes on the internet. What you'll find is that most places say the more inorganic matter the better, but the more often you'll have to water. It'll be up to you to decide how often that is. What I like to do is to combine orchid bark with small chunks of sphagnum moss. This seems to work out pretty well. For the most part you have the bark which will absorb some water and the plant can leach it out over a week or so and the small pockets of sphagnum moss will hold extra water to act as a buffer for your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a few more things to keep in mind. One is that phals will often rebloom. The little brown pods you were referring to are most likely the node on the spike. The flower stalk is called the 'spike'. Those little leaves are coverings and you can get another spike to grow out of them or sometimes a whole other plant called a keiki. They even have pastes you apply to the not to encourage keiki growth as growing any orchid from seed is a difficult process, potentially requiring lab grade sterilization practices from what I've seen. However, in this instance, it'll most likely be a drain on the plant and I'd remove it and wait for the next one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's hard to tell, but your plants leaves look slightly wrinkled, indicating dehydration. Since it's been in the wet moss, I assume it'd because of root rot. It does look like you have some good, healthy roots, so I'd repot and clip the dead, brown, mushy roots with a pair of sterilized clippers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About repotting, keep in mind that the roots adapt to their surroundings. You shouldn't bury 'air roots', which would be the ones sticking up from the base and trying to go over the edge of the pot. Inversely, you shouldn't expose buried roots if possible. From what I've read, it's best to do a repotting when you have growth, but no flowers, as a drastic change in media, sphagnum to bark in this instance, causes the adapted roots to die. They hang in there long enough for the new roots to grow and become adapted to the new media.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to summarize, we need to repot, outside of the vase, into a orchid pot that has plenty of drainage and air circulation. We'll clip any dead roots and repot with orchid bark and sphagnum moss, doing your best to keep air roots above ground and vice versa. Then we'll either soak the orchid for 15-30min once a week (adjust as necessary for your climate) or water from the top thoroughly at regular interval. You should get an orchid fertilizer and apply recommended levels about once a month. I would get the one for growth and not flowers till it's established. Keep it in a bright location, but a place where no sun beams are directly sitting on it to burn the leaves. I tend to keep mine in the bathroom by a window, especially when repotted for the humidity it get while recovering from repotting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, you need to look at pot size as I've heard too large of a pot is bad. The bark absorbs the water before the plant can get to it. There is a rough pot size to plant ratio I can't remember. I think a 3-4&quot; pot would be good for one this size. It'll allow 2-3 years growth before you'll need to repot anyway from the media breaking down and suffocating the roots like the sphagnum is doing now. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T15:48:50.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18007" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18009" CreationDate="2015-04-16T16:20:19.197" Score="3" ViewCount="398" Body="&lt;p&gt;Today I bought some rocket at the supermarket (also known as &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eruca_sativa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;rucola&lt;/a&gt;) and found this leaf (well, my tougue noticed those funny, quite stiff little hairs). It's got hairs all over. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what plant this is from? Is it harmless, considering it was found in a package of edible leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eIhaH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Front of leaf&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AzXoP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Back of leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11102" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T19:24:32.400" Title="What plant is this leaf I found in my rocket salad from?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18008" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-16T17:24:01.437" Score="4" ViewCount="1693" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've noticed that maybe two days after heavy rainfall that my small 500sqf back yard is still saturated with water to the point where I get mud on my shoes just walking back there. I have low cut grass and a bunch of weeds I'm trying to get rid of but I was wondering if this is normal or if there's anything I can do to fix it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also noticed that water is pooling a few yards away behind my fence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11103" LastActivityDate="2015-04-17T02:00:39.740" Title="Reduce water in saturated backyard" Tags="&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;yard&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18007" CreationDate="2015-04-16T19:13:45.117" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't recognise it, but it's not that unusual to find unwelcome additions to bagged salads, and I've usually only found them when I've had occasion to wash the contents prior to consumption, making me wonder what I've inadvertently consumed in pre washed, bagged salads...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trouble is, weeds will grow in with other crops, often unnoticed by the grower when on an industrial scale. I've found it's more likely for random leaves to appear in organically grown salads, though I've never found any quite so large as your sample in the pics. I'd be inclined to send or show the photos to the retailer, or, better yet, the producer, seems their quality control needs a bit of tightening at the very least.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might be Hyptis suaveolens, that has short bristles on the undersides of the leaves - it won't kill you, but its more usual to use as a tea for diarrhoea! Both Rocket and Hyptis like similar growing conditions, but it's hard to be certain what it is because it's only part of a leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-16T19:24:32.400" LastActivityDate="2015-04-16T19:24:32.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18010" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18003" CreationDate="2015-04-16T19:40:28.167" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hmm, I wonder if the term 'chinkapins' might be slang for the Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) or Japanese chestnut (C. crenata) - these produce between 2/3 and 3/4 nuts in each prickly pod. The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was largely wiped out by Chestnut Blight, but some areas are managing to grow them again. This tree also produced about 3 nuts per pod, and it seems none of the varieties of sweet chestnut produce as many nuts per pod as your father remembers. That doesn't mean the tree he remembers didn't produce lots of nuts per pod - variation occurs frequently in plants and fruits, and sometimes cultural conditions are a cause, specially with those left to their own devices.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wikipedia says the term 'chinquapin' or 'chinkapin' simply refers to various of these trees, not one in particular, although other sources suggest the term was more usually applied to Castanea henryi, commonly known as Henry Chinkipin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're going to plant a chestnut, you'll need at least two, they're self infertile, and need another one nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I've just found images of a chestnut tree with 7 nuts per burr - unfortunately, it doesn't specify which species of Castanea, it justs says it's growing at the Luther Burbank test garden, which appears to be in California. The experimental part of the garden seems to be Gold Ridge Farm in Sebastopol, California. The short bit of info with the picture says that &quot;intense breeding work [on hazelnuts and chestnuts] is being carried out by Badgersett Research Corp&quot;, who appear to supply plants, which might imply there are, indeed, varieties of chestnut currently available of this type. I copied their link address below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.badgersett.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.badgersett.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-17T11:01:45.337" LastActivityDate="2015-04-17T11:01:45.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18012" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-17T00:16:51.660" Score="6" ViewCount="1146" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am currently attempting to remove a bunch of dead grass in a roughly 5'x5' plot. When the grass fully grows sometime in early-to-mid summer, they are like very small, long-grassed shrubs, sort of like &lt;a href=&quot;http://blog.gardenharvestsupply.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/lemon-grass-herb-plant.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; but smaller and closer to the ground. It basically covers the area in numerous bunches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The area also has a lot of of weeds - some sort of thistle, I think - which I also would like to remove.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried doing it by hand but it took a lot of effort to remove the sod, particularly because the roots are thicker than the average lawn grass root and because they extend around 4&quot;-6&quot; into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was wondering what the best method would be to go about doing this. I was thinking about renting a soil tiller to rip up the roots, since I have another clear plot on which I plan on using. If I do it this way, should I remove all the weeds first before tilling or can I rake them out after the roots are pulled up? (The weeds have just emerged and will not go to seed soon.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, if I should remove the roots by continuing to use a grub hoe, how can I loosen the sod of its soil so that only the roots remain? I'd like to leave as much matter in the area as possible. I also noticed the roots had nodules, which I assume are for nitrogen fixation. Is there any way to take advantage of that, perhaps leaving them in the dirt to decompose?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or should I just smother the area with tarp/cardboard/newspaper/mulch and make a &quot;lasagna garden&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures for clarity: &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/q5tlvQF&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Section that I've already removed, with the suggested tool&lt;/a&gt;; &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/fC6lmy1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;removed sod&lt;/a&gt;; &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/Mm3wh9s&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;roots&lt;/a&gt;; &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/EqPejtq&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;close up of roots with nodules&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rKauI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Section that I&amp;#39;ve already removed, with the suggested tool&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ihMyf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;removed sod&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VVLax.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of roots with nodules&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11105" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-04-18T13:13:16.663" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T22:39:27.633" Title="How should I remove long grasses/roots to prepare a fresh bed?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;tilling&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18013" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="904" CreationDate="2015-04-17T01:10:58.560" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;We talked to an arborist at a local nursery, who recommended cutting the tree suckers as close to the root as you can and then spraying them with Treekote.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11107" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-17T13:36:12.467" LastActivityDate="2015-04-17T13:36:12.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18014" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18008" CreationDate="2015-04-17T02:00:39.740" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general (until you provide some details/pictures, the best I can do) you can probably improve the situation with drainage tile (aka pipe) (perhaps aided by stone and filter fabric) from your yard area to the low spot behind the fence where water pools, if nothing else - presumably that is lower than your yard if that is where water pools. Slope the pipe at 1/8 to 1/10&quot; inch per foot (1% slope, 1 cm per m) to drain water and carry any silt with it - excessively steep or too flat pipes plug with silt eventually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My personal experience suggests using rigid pipe that's perforated with two lines of holes - the flexible/corrugated stuff with slits all over it seems more prone to problems over time. The holes go on the bottom (at roughly 5 and 7 o-clock, or perhaps 4 and 8 o-clock, if you imagine the end of the pipe as a clock face) - it prevents dirt from falling into the pipe and maintains a lower water level in the trench - yet there are still people who insist on putting the holes up, since they think it &quot;helps water fall into the pipe&quot; which couldn't be more wrong, or that putting the holes on the bottom will make the pipe &quot;leak&quot; - people just are not used to thinking of the role that perforated pipe in the ground plays, and it leads to some bizarre ideas as a result. I used to walk by a lovely display case in an agricultural engineering department where they tried the holes in the pipe several ways (and then carefully extracted that chunk of ground, pipes and all) to help cure these myths, but I have not found that on the web.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One icky question does come to mind (though it seems unlikely with only 500 sq ft) - you don't have a septic system, do you? (i.e. are you on a sewer system?) A failed septic system can start to show up this way, so let's eliminate that possibility if it can be eliminated - draining surface water won't help that one...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-04-17T02:00:39.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18015" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18012" CreationDate="2015-04-17T02:15:20.987" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;For a 5x5 foot (or even meter) plot I'd just use something like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2NIRt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image from gardeningchannel.com&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To rip out the clumps - rototillers can be remarkably less capable of dealing with heavy sod than you'd like to think, and the small area makes renting one seem like a waste of money (IMHO) - this type of tool makes it easy to stand up and rip out the roots of difficult clumping weeds, and it's a lot easier to get the weed clumps off the spikes of this than out from between the tines of my rototiller and its lower transmission housing, where they like to pack. The fact that the handles are wider than the tines means you have leverage for twisting out with more force than a &quot;direct&quot; method gives you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Running the lawnmower over the dead tops now and mulching it to death might well be another viable option, depending how much &lt;em&gt;undead zombie weed life-force&lt;/em&gt; the stuff has got. Skip the tarp unless you don't want to grow anything there this year - in point of fact, skip the tarp period - if you are going to use a &quot;plastic layer&quot; either clear or black polyethylene works better at &quot;solarizing&quot; - but a simple non-plastic mulch is generally fine unless you are up against nasty weeds (which thistle is) in a large area (which this is not) - just rip out any thistles when they are tiny, tiny tiny - don't let them get big and annoying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-04-17T02:29:35.893" LastActivityDate="2015-04-17T02:29:35.893" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18016" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18017" CreationDate="2015-04-17T02:35:26.113" Score="7" ViewCount="1010" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to turn my small backyard (currently 200 sq ft occupied by dead grass, nearly to the point of dirt) into something similar to a dog run, where the ground is just covered in mulch and/or bark. I tested a small area with a couple bags of cypress mulch (which is about $2-3 each) and it seems to work well-- dogs don't get muddy, puddles don't form, and dog poop is easy to see and cleanup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a few questions about how to proceed:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I need to remove my dead grass first?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What do I need to consider in terms of drainage (mulch drains really well)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I need to layer with different sizes or types of mulch, and how thick should I make it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11108" LastActivityDate="2015-04-17T03:00:45.277" Title="How to cover a backyard with mulch?" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;yard&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18017" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18016" CreationDate="2015-04-17T03:00:45.277" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the grass is dead, no need to remove it. If it's not dead, it may grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the yard puddles before mulch, it will puddle &lt;strong&gt;under&lt;/strong&gt; the mulch. So fixing the shape of it for good drainage before mulching would be beneficial, even if &quot;mulch drains well&quot; - you'll have areas of soggy mulch and perhaps mold/fungus otherwise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Layering seems futile if your dogs are likely to mix it up, and should not really be needed, either. If you can get coarser mulch cheaper you could try putting that down first and smaller stuff on top, if you think the dogs will leave it alone. Depth is up to you - deeper will make it less prone to let weeds grow, and more cushioned. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-04-17T03:00:45.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9580" CreationDate="2015-04-17T11:31:14.207" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The technique is referred to as 'buried pots garden'. If you do a Google search on that term, you will see tons of beautiful ideas and guidance. Pinterest has great examples, as well.  I am in the Northeast. I use the technique where I plant annuals.  It allows me to quickly pull out my spring Pansies or Rosemary and replace with fall cabbages (for example). Enjoy your garden!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11111" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-17T13:36:49.660" LastActivityDate="2015-04-17T13:36:49.660" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18019" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-17T16:30:31.697" Score="2" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lemon tree used to bear lemons, but since my brother pruned the branches, there are no lemons growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What did he do wrong? Did he cut too many branches, or is it something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11114" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-04-17T18:53:35.960" LastActivityDate="2015-04-17T18:53:35.960" Title="Why isn't my lemon tree bearing fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-09-14T15:12:25.847" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18020" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18022" CreationDate="2015-04-17T19:31:44.530" Score="3" ViewCount="470" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a question about two of the trees in my yard. I have the same issue and question about crepe myrtles and pink magnolias. I have two of each in my yard and they all have multiple trunks coming up out of the ground. The biggest trunks are smaller than the diameter of a broom handle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen older crepe myrtles with thicker trunks and it looks to me like these smaller trunks are either fused together under ground and the main trunk rises out of the ground over time, or the bases fuse together like trees that grew up too close together. I don't know whether to cut all but one main &quot;trunk&quot; away or to leave them alone. My thought is to leave them along, but I don't want to put a lot of energy into growing them to find out that the rest need to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have the same issue with my Pink Magnolias (sorry, that's all the tag said when we bought them from home depot). They are 3-4 years old and grow extremely vigorously. They also have multiple trunks. I cut off the new ones coming up out of the ground every years and do heavy pruning to keep the air flow and light open. I have the same thought about them, though. Are they supposed to be multiple trunks, will they merge over time, or should I just cut out enough of them to keep them from rubbing. I don't even know how thick they get in the end, so I don't know how many to cut out. Thanks for the help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-04-17T21:13:16.333" Title="Crepe Myrtle and Pink Magnolia Trunk Question" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18020" CreationDate="2015-04-17T21:13:16.333" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many magnolia species and crepe myrtles naturally branch from ground level, growing as large shrubs/small trees. If that's their natural growth habit, resistance is futile, the plants will continue trying to put out growth from the ground level indefinitely. If that's worth the effort for you, go ahead. For a more natural look, allow several trunks to form. Note that they will grow a lot in diameter as they age, so although it's okay for the bases to fuse, you don't want any trunks that look like they will start rubbing if they were 6&quot; in diameter, from 1' and higher. Choose a balanced number and stick with it. As they grow, train then out and away from the center. Try to stick with between 5 and 10 main branches usually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's good to hear that you've been keeping them open. That's great. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-04-17T21:13:16.333" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18023" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-18T16:59:21.673" Score="3" ViewCount="5218" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a tree removal next week and I have bunches of tulips around the base. I would like to transplant the tulips but I feel the timing is bad. It is late April in zone 5b, so they are about to bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to make the transplant easier on them? Temporary potting until the yard work is over would be preferred. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11117" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-04-18T21:33:09.500" LastActivityDate="2015-04-18T21:35:08.967" Title="How should I transplant tulips which are almost blooming?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;tulips&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18024" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18023" CreationDate="2015-04-18T17:23:05.857" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, the timing is bad - but short of a time machine to travel back to the fall, just dig them up and pot them - they won't be happy, but they will probably mostly survive the experience if they are not already marginal. If they die, buy new ones. Digging in late evening might be best, so they can settle into the pots before the sun comes out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-04-18T17:23:05.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18025" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="198" CreationDate="2015-04-18T19:26:26.103" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found that using Johnson's baby shampoo and water worked well. I used a 64oz spray bottle, about one tablespoon of shampoo and the rest water. It kills the ants and the aphids; I washed it off a few hours later, but found it really didn't make difference -- the next day I found no more ants or aphids anywhere. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also had a problem with garden snails: I made a regular cup of coffee and diluted it with water, then sprayed the trunk and leaves and now I have great big leaves that are dark green and no more pests. I found the coffee and shampoo also works on many other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11119" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-19T04:51:14.493" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T04:51:14.493" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18023" CreationDate="2015-04-18T21:35:08.967" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Almost all the resources that bulbs need to flower come from the bulb itself, not from the soil. The only essential thing they need from the ground is water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can lift a reasonable size block of soil around the bulbs, big enough not to break any roots, they won't even know you have moved them. Make sure they don't get too dry and they will flower normally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most important time is after flowering. If they are in pots, give them plenty of liquid feed and water until the foliage starts to die back. Stop watering and feeding and leave them to wither naturally. Then lift the bulbs, store them somewhere cool dry and well ventilated, and replant them at the same time as you would plant new bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2015-04-18T21:35:08.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18027" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="631" CreationDate="2015-04-18T21:55:59.920" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A pot with no drainage hole is a bad idea. Tulips are a native species in Turkey, where the climate is hot and dry. Beginners often kill plants with too much water, not with too little.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, in the ground the bulbs would be quite deep (probably 150mm of soil above the top of the bulb) and the soil insulates the bulb from cold temperatures. If they were in a small pot above ground level, with all sides of the pot exposed to the wind, they would probably be colder than in the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it is a waste of time trying to re-grow these bulbs next year even if they seem to be undamaged. The resources the plant uses to flower come from the bulb itself. After flowering the bulb re-grows back to its full size ready for next year, and then after several weeks the leaves start to die naturally. But your plants have no leaves, so the bulb can't re-grow. Even they are still &quot;alive&quot;, next year you will only get a small plant with no flowers. The year after that, you &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; get flowers again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For next year, the easiest bulbs to grow in pots (and indoors) are crocus and hyacinths. Don't give up gardening after one failure!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2015-04-18T21:55:59.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18028" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-19T01:55:56.987" Score="5" ViewCount="164" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lemon tree cutting put in a paper cup wrapped in a plastic bag to contain the moisture. Everything looks good but when I lifted the cup, I saw these creepy insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The climate in my area is hot. It is summer here in the Philippines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are they called and what is the best way of eliminating them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IGRG6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11121" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-19T04:49:58.833" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T13:01:21.027" Title="What are these insects called and how do I get rid of them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18029" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-19T02:04:45.930" Score="4" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to germinate chives using a soil for seeds. I've gone through the process of watering and draining the soil after putting in the seeds. For two days now, I've been seeing this cloudy spongy thing on top of the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this perhaps something to do with excess moisture?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BlZFa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zkqVZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11121" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-24T03:27:19.173" LastActivityDate="2015-04-24T03:27:19.173" Title="What is this white fibrous thing showing on top of moist soil?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18030" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-19T02:13:22.297" Score="3" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing cherry tomato using kratky hydroponic method and ive seen these map-like lines manifesting on a number of leaves. I had to remove the infected leaves to control the infection if you will.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I effectively control this disease? &#xA;Not that it is quite hot here in manila but the tomatoes are only exposed in morning sunlight and I havent done any nutrient replacement since day one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qNlTZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11121" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-04-19T12:52:27.723" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T12:52:27.723" Title="White map-like tomato leaves (hydroponic) manifesting" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-09-14T15:11:44.037" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18033" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-19T11:20:36.023" Score="3" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grey-leaved plant about 1m high and can survive tough conditions. It is a common plant in Australian gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5ezL7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11123" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-19T14:33:45.370" LastActivityDate="2015-08-18T17:44:38.507" Title="What is this grey-leaved plant, low shrub good for dry conditions?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18034" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-19T13:19:07.270" Score="3" ViewCount="1383" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure I did the right thing to my hyacinth plant. It's growing in a pot with dirt brought from Whole Foods. I poured cool water that I'd used for rinsing rice on it, and the next day the flower was partially dead. I don't know if the flower is going through its cycle, or if the rice water is killing  it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can the water from rinsing the rice harm the hyacinth? Is there anything I can do to help it recover?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11124" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-20T15:20:15.220" LastActivityDate="2016-07-09T01:09:30.427" Title="Is rice water good for a hyacinth plant?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;hyacinth&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18035" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18029" CreationDate="2015-04-19T13:29:03.080" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are fungal mycelium who like high humidity and low air movement.  Manually remove the issue and vent the pot for a few hours a day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not a serious problem and not toxic to you or the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T13:29:03.080" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18036" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4366" CreationDate="2015-04-19T13:55:53.683" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a human solution to this problem that will also nurture your lawn. Buy a box of Blood Meal at Home Depot or a garden center. Here is a description of it: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;Blood meal is a high nitrogen fertilizer (it rates a 12-2-0; a very high number for a natural product), as are fish meal (and fish emulsion), horse and poultry manure and corn gluten meal (which also prevents seed germination, making it the only natural springtime weed and feed for lawns).&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've used it, and it repels squirrels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11125" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-19T14:31:54.753" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T14:31:54.753" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18037" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18038" CreationDate="2015-04-19T13:58:48.423" Score="3" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the average time between seed (including germination) to fruit (first harvest) of the apache chili pepper plant grown in an ideal environment?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If anyone knows a good source of data for such values of other plants, that'll be grand. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11029" LastEditorUserId="11029" LastEditDate="2015-04-19T14:04:38.727" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T14:30:48.157" Title="Average seed to fruit length of apache chili pepper" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18038" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18037" CreationDate="2015-04-19T14:30:48.157" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Time to harvest: 5 - 6 months&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Source: The Complete Book of Plant Propagation, Mitchell Beazley (1997) p.207&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11029" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T14:30:48.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18039" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-19T15:59:47.087" Score="3" ViewCount="2722" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is wrong with this tomato plant? The yellow with black spots has been spreading through the plant. I am hoping someone knows exactly what this is and how I can treat it or prevent it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LwXb1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yellow and black-spotted tomato plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11017" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T18:02:01.687" Title="What is wrong with this tomato plant with yellow and black spotted leaves? [picture]" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18041" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18044" CreationDate="2015-04-19T16:19:07.320" Score="3" ViewCount="454" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm researching putting a worm tube in my fruit-tree orchard as per &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.garden.org/regional/report/arch/inmygarden/3430&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; but before I do so I'm trying to find out what radius the red wrigglers (the worm type I plan on using) will travel from the tube to calculate if nearby trees will receive any benefit from it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anybody know the radius from the tube that red wrigglers will travel and spread their castings? (I'm guessing that the real question that I'm trying to get an answer to is: &quot;Where does the worm tube need to be (proximity) for a fruit-tree to derive benefit from it?&quot;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T18:36:21.873" Title="What is the radius of a red wriggler earthworm for worm tubes?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;worms&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18039" CreationDate="2015-04-19T17:55:56.333" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If this is early in the growing season, it's a fungal disease called &lt;strong&gt;Early Blight&lt;/strong&gt;. Often happens after cool rainfall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remove all affected leaves and dispose of in the trash (usually starts in lower leaves and moves up the plant). Wash yourself down so you don't spread the fungus spores. If this has been let go too far, remove the complete plant so it doesn't spread.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spray plants with copper or other fungicidal spray. Treat as soon as it happens, the fungus can quickly become resistant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For future prevention, always completely remove tomato plant waste at the end of the growing season. Burn or remove from property. Use crop rotation to grow fungal resistant crops two or three years where tomatoes have been planted, plant tomatoes in clean soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plastic film mulch can be used to keep weeds down, promote plant growth (red) and also seals the fungus down in the soil so it cannot reach the leaves and stems through air movement or rain splash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also water with drip or hose, do not use any sort of spray irrigation that gets the leaves wet or splashes soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2015-04-19T18:02:01.687" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T18:02:01.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18043" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18059" CreationDate="2015-04-19T18:25:10.130" Score="3" ViewCount="188" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've looked at other questions and I'm quite sure the plant outside my house has a scale problem.  But I don't know much about gardening so I'd like some advice please.  I found these other questions with photos that look similar:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13587/white-stripy-things-on-trunk-are-killing-my-plant&quot;&gt;White stripy things on trunk are killing my plant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8216/what-is-this-black-spotted-disease-on-my-orange-tree/8218#8218&quot;&gt;What is this black spotted disease on my orange tree?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4548/can-anyone-identify-this-abnormality-that-is-on-my-dwarf-citrus&quot;&gt;Can anyone identify this abnormality that is on my dwarf citrus?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;These are my main questions:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the plant?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are the things on it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can you guess how long the plant might have been like this?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be honest I've not really paid much attention to the plant, I rent the house so I only need to keep the garden generally maintained. I found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7408.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;another website&lt;/a&gt; that suggested if it's a type of scale they could increase over months.  Most of the branches I cut off were covered in them and I filled 2 average sized bin bags of cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the first image the others of the plant are of parts I cut off.  It was only half way through trimming the plant back when I noticed the things on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second image below show more of the white things.  The third image shows a bit more of a mix of black and white things.  The fourth image is one of the higher newer looking branches that doesn't look to have as much of the things on it.  The last image show my cutters, I noticed a yellow/orange looking substance on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically I'd decided the plant looked to need a bit of trimming, more so on the right where it was growing near the neighbors window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have one last question and feel free to tell me if I'm being daft.  Is there any chance whatever they are could cause irritation on human skin or anything else unwanted?  Would it be an issue to animals around the plant?  We have quite a few cats on this street that walk under the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W1niT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The Plant&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2jq2S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mostly white things&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u9EqC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;White and black things&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XZU5a.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;newer branch, not many things&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/11RW7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cutters with yellow/orange stuff on them&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2170" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T16:54:21.920" Title="Identify plant and things on it (Possible Scale)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18044" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18041" CreationDate="2015-04-19T18:36:21.873" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you're doing is a high tech form of potholing. Using a post hole digger, go down 18&quot;, fill with kitchen compost and cover. The post hole digger means you just place them any old place near the plant's root system as nutrient packages for the worms in the soil which will live mostly in the material, converting it to worm castings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not how far the worms will travel, but how close the tree roots will grow to your vermicompost. Worms don't travel very far while they're eating (observed compost heap worm populations), only leaving after they've depleted the nutrients in your underground food package you've given them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I'd say, within the dripline so the tree roots are in close proximity. Don't worry it too much, if it's close enough, the tree roots will sniff it out and grow well enough to mainline the contents. And at least one per tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T18:36:21.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18045" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-19T19:33:41.343" Score="8" ViewCount="76216" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn is overrun by clover and all sorts of weeds. I have lawn grass spots here and there, but the majority is weeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was going to spray with &quot;Ortho Weed-B-Gon Max&quot;, then spread some top soil and reseed, but I'm not sure if that's the right course of action. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil is kind of rocky and I suspect probably weak.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm located in Maryland, USA. The area is about 200 sq. ft. and I have no idea what kind of grass it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What would you recommend for weed control? Is Ortho OK, or should I get RoundUp, or something else?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I spray only the weeds or the whole lawn?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How long do I have to wait after I spray to reseed?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11128" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-09-28T15:59:09.463" LastActivityDate="2019-03-12T23:43:04.353" Title="How to reseed grass after killing weeds?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18046" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19462" CreationDate="2015-04-19T20:06:30.797" Score="3" ViewCount="207" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife noticed this bug in our raised garden beds.  I know it's hard to see scale, but they were about the size of a very very small pebble, or a large grain of sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this bug a problem?  Any ideas what type of bug this is?  Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k2BAX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10966" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T03:43:53.643" Title="What kind of bug is this and is it harmful?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18048" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18045" CreationDate="2015-04-19T21:41:11.697" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the &quot;lawn&quot; is more weed than grass, I would kill everything and start over. If you take that option, Ortho is the wrong product because it isn't supposed to kill grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A review on Amazon.com implies that the instructions say you can't use Ortho on a newly seeded lawn for 4 weeks, so it would be sensible to wait 4 weeks after using it before reseeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Glyphosate (Roundup) works by being absorbed through the foliage, and is neutralized by contact with soil. It will take a few days for the weeds to die - if they are growing slowly because of cold weather etc, they will take longer. By the time they are dead you can safely re-seed. Some people would say it is safe after 24 hours, but you then have the problem that you can't clean up the dead weeds without damaging your new seedbed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bear in mind that the existing soil may be full of weed seeds waiting to germinate as soon as they don't have any competition from the current crop of weeds. Turf is more expensive than seed, but it will give you a weed-free and &quot;useable&quot; lawn much quicker. The layer of turf will suppress germination of weed seeds in the soil below it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are going to clear everything and add new topsoil, hiring or borrowing a flamethrower may be cheaper than using weedkiller, and you can reseed immediately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T21:41:11.697" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18049" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18046" CreationDate="2015-04-19T22:00:53.000" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a species of green shield bug, aka green stink bug. Palomena prasina if you wanna get technical. They are considered pests because, as it's name implies, it can produce a bad smell and can leave fruit tasting rotten. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T22:00:53.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18043" CreationDate="2015-04-19T22:14:52.800" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't identify the plant (does it flower? if so what do the flowers look like) but the infection is almost certainly scale. Hard to tell how long the infection is going on but it's certainly not brand new. I don't know of any reason why it would cause itching but it could be a mild reaction to sap from the bush you were pruning or just a case of mental suggestion, like your head itching when someone talks about lice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T22:14:52.800" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18051" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14866" CreationDate="2015-04-19T22:20:59.647" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look far too thin and spindly, which probably means they are not getting enough light. If they are indoors, they are probably also too warm in a heated house, and watering &quot;every day&quot; seems much too frequent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember these things are TREES. They can germinate and survive out of doors, in whatever conditions the climate throws at them. They don't appreciate the wrong sort of &quot;tender loving care&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are new to Bonsai, starting from seed is doing it the hard way. You would be better buying a small tree that is right size to start training, rather than spending several years getting to that point from seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2015-04-19T22:20:59.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18052" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18061" CreationDate="2015-04-20T00:07:30.340" Score="3" ViewCount="2075" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jd5wk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Located in north central Texas. And what kind of plant is this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10951" LastEditorUserId="8604" LastEditDate="2015-04-24T06:02:50.560" LastActivityDate="2015-04-24T06:02:50.560" Title="Is this a grass or weed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18053" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-20T01:46:51.977" Score="5" ViewCount="555" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a house in Hudson, NY in November. The previous owners had screened it from the trailer park next-door with a row of Arborvitae. They're maybe twelve feet tall, and they'd already suffered some deer damage the previous year. This winter, 2014-15, the deer simply turned the whole row into a salad bar.  I tried to fence, but they just laughed at my efforts. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The damage is pretty bad. Should I prune back to the growth line, if I can figure out where that is?  Could I just let the trees keep growing and plant something more deer resistant at the base?  Suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm 61 and haven't lived in the house since I was 18, so I'm really on new territory here. Any help will be greatly appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11129" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-20T15:48:06.537" LastActivityDate="2015-11-18T19:22:48.140" Title="Deer trimmed my arborvitae for me!" Tags="&lt;deer&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17565" CreationDate="2015-04-20T03:06:04.760" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The amount of seed for a new lawn would be between 1/2 and 1 ounce per square yard. High-quality ornamental turf needs a higher seeding rate than a lower quality &quot;general purpose&quot; lawn. The amount you need to overseed depends on how much grass is there already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best time of year is probably in the fall, when the soil is still warm enough for quick germination but the new grass won't be killed by too much sun or too little rain. The next best time is spring - wait until the existing grass starts growing again after winter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might need to think about bird scaring, or other wildlife that might eat the seed before it germinates. CDs tied to a string so they move about in the wind can make good bird scarers. For small animals, you night need nets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2015-04-20T03:06:04.760" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18056" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18057" CreationDate="2015-04-20T08:44:43.300" Score="4" ViewCount="13552" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a sunflower plant growing flowers, and I want to grow more sunflowers in my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I grow more sunflowers from the current plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11134" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-20T14:21:51.997" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T14:06:43.410" Title="How do I propagate sunflowers?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18056" CreationDate="2015-04-20T09:43:53.517" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A sunflower should produce seeds in the middle of the flower, so don't cut off all spent flowerheads. When they are ripe, the seeds can be easily removed or will fall off. The seeds may vary in colour, depending on the breed, but will most likely be in the grey-to-brown range, some may have stripes, some will be solid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If birds eat the seeds right from the head before you can get them, you might want to protect one head with either a thin netting or a thin piece of cloth, but make sure it can ripen and dry undisturbed. Don't use plastic or you are risking mold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the head I used a few days ago for this year's seeds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7uume.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Seeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good seeds should be plump and large. A flower head will yield many seeds, so choose the largest and plumpest for planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just plant the seeds as you would with other plants, at a depth of ca. 1-2 cm and keep the soil humid, but not wet. Some background on your climate and growing seasons might be helpful - if your winters are cold, you should plant the seeds in spring after the last frost date right where you want them to grow. Or you can start  them indoors in small pots, transplanting later after the last frost. This may also be helpful if you have many slugs or other animals that may eat the seedlings as larger plants are often less attractive. If planting indoors, make sure to have good lighting and harden them off by putting them outside on mild days (first a few hours in semi shade, gradually increasing to longer time and more sun) before planting outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year, the seeds I planted took only a few days to germinate and are already pushing up through the soil:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8gy3H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;seedlings&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your sunflower really likes the place in your garden, fallen seeds might even germinate on their own, establishing a small colony.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is most likely a seedling from last winter's bird seed, containing sunflowers. I doubt that it will mature though, we are not past the last frost date, the slugs are are closing in and it's in a bad spot...:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g3Xgm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bird seed&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sunflowers are quite willing to grow from seed and really beginner-friendly (they don't need special treatment of the seeds or very special conditions or a greenhouse), so good luck with your project!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-04-20T19:03:51.200" LastActivityDate="2015-04-20T19:03:51.200" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18059" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18043" CreationDate="2015-04-20T12:39:40.917" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant is a Euonymus - hard to say which, because parts of it have reverted to plain green, but probably was originally Euonymus japonicus aureum. All branches which are &lt;strong&gt;entirely&lt;/strong&gt; plain green should be removed at the base, from the trunk. Reshape to a size and overall appearance that you want - this plant responds well to pruning, but if you remove a lot of topgrowth, and because it's infested, give it a feed after pruning with a balanced fertiliser such as Growmore granules (NPK 7-7-7 if you want to find an alternative feed) raked or turned into the soil at the base. If the soil is currently dry, water it after putting down the feed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, its infested with Euonymus scale, a form of cushion scale which loves this plant - spray with Bayer Ultimate Fruit and Vegetable Bug killer, or Westland Resolva Bug killer, in June, when the nymphs have hatched (baby scale) because these are more vulnerable than adult scales. You may need to repeat the treatment in early September - spray thoroughly, including under the leaves and stems, until run off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant itself isn't toxic (provided you don't use it for a salad), but try to exclude animals from the area when you're spraying with insecticide, and until the spray has dried. Best sprayed in late evening, when the bees have stopped working, and not on a windy day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-20T15:24:16.057" LastActivityDate="2015-04-20T15:24:16.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18060" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18052" CreationDate="2015-04-20T12:46:42.017" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If its growing in your grassed or lawned area, its both, if the definition of weed is a plant growing in the wrong place - its a grass and probably a 'weed' grass because its rate of growth is faster than the grass around it. As to exactly which grass it is, not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-20T12:46:42.017" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18061" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18052" CreationDate="2015-04-20T13:00:11.073" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/turf/publications/weed16.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;poa annua&lt;/a&gt; or annual bluegrass based on it's lighter color and production of seedheads at such a low height for grass. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a grass that's considered a weed when growing in lawns of other varieties. It produces a lot of seeds that will germinate in the following spring and fall but it dies back in the summer. It's a difficult weed to control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-04-20T13:00:11.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18062" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18045" CreationDate="2015-04-20T13:28:31.077" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I doubt this answer will be welcome, but it needs saying anyway! I don't advise you should follow the course of action you've proposed - it sounds as if you've got mostly weeds and a bit of grass left, which would mean removing what's there and replacing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure where you are, and I know that even 200 sq feet is quite a space, but really, you should remove everything that's there, dig it over, getting out the roots of the clovers and any other pernicious weeds with deep roots, and any large rocks/stones, emend the soil if it needs it, walk all over it on your heels to get out soft spots, rake it up lightly to leave a fine tilth for the top inch or so, then either reseed or lay turf (sod if you're in USA).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you simply kill the area with a weedkiller, wait 4-6 weeks (which is really the minimum time) and re seed, you're likely to have a lot of weed regrowth - no matter what the manufacturers may claim, weedkillers aren't always effective at first go, and don't work perfectly on everything anyway. Again, despite the claims, Round up does leave a residue in soil which may be taken up by growing plants, although less likely to affect grass seed spread after 4-6 weeks. Your comment that you think the soil beneath the grass is 'rocky and weak', if an accurate observation, means that, unless you correct the soil beneath, you'll end up with a similar lawn to the one you've got now, despite adding topsoil and seed. Topsoil brings its own disadvantages - unless you pay top dollar, its often full of weed seeds itself, so its worth checking that you're getting good stuff, not just any old unscreened motorway spoil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do choose to use the weedkiller route, check the package before using - most will give guidelines on how soon you can seed or grow plants in the area after use, and available products differ from country to country. Even Round Up make products for use in the States which are not available in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-20T13:34:35.370" LastActivityDate="2015-04-20T13:34:35.370" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18063" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18066" CreationDate="2015-04-20T15:30:48.160" Score="6" ViewCount="58280" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have recently received a small Aloe plant that I wasn't able to identify past the genus. It does not look healthy, some leaves have become brownish, and their ends thin, as if squeezed out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is an offspring that has been separated and repotted in an IKEA substrate made of coir/coconut husk. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2601/why-are-there-kinks-in-my-aloe-vera-leaves&quot;&gt;This question&lt;/a&gt; describes the thinning and the answers identify a possible culprit in the soil, which I plan to substitute with the mix suggested in the accepted answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14675/what-is-the-proper-soil-type-for-aloe&quot;&gt;in this question&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I wasn't able to find an answer to is the browning. It is likely that after repotting, the plant has received little to no sunlight for a month. Currently it receives a half day of sunlight (as much as Denmark can offer, anyway). Could the browning be related to sunlight deficiency(or excess)? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another possibility I have considered is watering. I try to water according to the accepted answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2591/how-much-watering-does-aloe-require&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, but the soil type might be offsetting that. Should I adjust the watering to fit better with the temporary soil mix?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And finally—in case my assumptions are missing the mark—what other reasons there might be behind the browning and thinning of the leaves? Can I expect a recovery?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/62K2q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lSkDR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kiB52.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11135" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T22:59:47.980" Title="Aloe plant is browning and the leaves are thinning" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18064" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18033" CreationDate="2015-04-20T15:38:35.920" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might be Cotyledon undulata - you haven't said whether it flowers, but this plant produces orangey bell shaped flowers. In most parts of the world, its a houseplant, with leaves which grow closer together than on this one, but it originates from South Africa, where it grows outdoors and looks somewhat 'looser' than when kept inside in a pot. If your temperatures regularly drop below 32 deg F, though, or leaves are not fleshy as they look to be in the picture, it won't be that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-20T15:59:11.423" LastActivityDate="2015-04-20T15:59:11.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18066" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18063" CreationDate="2015-04-20T18:09:17.853" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think a couple of things are going on here. I think your other two questions will solve most of your issue. I don't know if your aloe will recover or not from the pictures. From my experience with other plants, when that many leaves look that yellow, then chances are slim that it will survive. You do have a few good leaves at the bottom. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the aloe is a succulent and is very similar to a cactus. If we think of it that way, then it needs high amounts of bright sun, like a desert. It'll also have a sandy soil, which means it drains quickly. It has a thick flesh that absorbs water quickly and stores it for later use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The substrate you have it in now will hold water for a very long time and it's probably started rotting the roots. On top of that, you say it isn't getting very much light. If I were you, I'd repot it very soon, with any well draining mixture you choose. You don't want anything that will hold very much water. Then you'll want to purchase a light that replicates sunlight as best you can. These usually don't cost very much. Set it about 8&quot; above the plant and you can do it yourself or put a cheap timer on it to do about 8-10hrs of sunlight a day. When you water it, water it a lot, but then let it dry out and be dry for several day before watering again. In the desert, they have infrequent rainfall, so you mimic that. Dry soil and no rain, then a short downpour. I'd water it till it's coming out the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At first, I'd only let the soil be dry for a couple of days, then stretch it to maybe a week when the plant recovers. Keep in mind that at this point it has no reserves and little root to sustain it, so baby it. However, over watering it and keeping the soil moist all the time will kill whatever roots are left and finish it off. If you do this, I think there is a decent chance it will survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll tell you that plants can come back from drastic damage. I was propagating a Christmas cactus, which is somewhat similar, and didn't water it often enough. It dehydrated and looked like a skeleton with the veins standing out. I kept watering it and did so more frequently and it slowly puffed back out over time and is fine now. However, pouring a pint of water on it a day would probably have killed it. Good luck and I hope it recovers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-04-20T18:09:17.853" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7200" CreationDate="2015-04-20T20:38:30.063" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You didn't say whether or not you had humidity domes over them and that will affect what you do somewhat. I have trouble with humidity domes, because mine tend to want to wilt when I take it off. I have to baby them and introduce more holes to allow more air flow and get them used to it gradually, though in SC the humidity is high enough to feel like you're swimming some days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If not, then I'd leave them in their pot for as long as you can stand it or until they show negative results of it. You can expect some root die back regardless of how gentle you are, because you're disturbing them and changing media. Even if it's the same media, it's going to have more and possibly different nutrients. If they're happy the way they are, then leave them there to get the best root system you can. The stronger the root system, the less die back will affect them. One thing you could do is start teaching them to be drought tolerant. I'm sure you watered them to keep the soil moist when they were gaining roots. You can let them dry out slightly to inclement them to this as once they're established, you probably won't be watering them as frequently. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If and when you do repot them, definitely don't pull them out by the stem as the roots will be anchored as well as tangled with the roots of the other plants in the pot. Weave your fingers in between the bases, as close to the dirt as possible, tilt it upside down or to the side and gently squeeze the pot to get the dirt to release from the pot. Then let the whole mass slide out. You should have your other pots or ground spots prepped already with holes dug, potting soil amended in it and more dirt ready to pack them in. You want to do it as swiftly as possible to avoid drying out or stressing the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take the mass of dirt and plants and see if a gentle squeeze here and there will cause them to break apart into individual plants. Chances are that some roots will be tangled. Just break or cut them away. Do this as little as possible, but you can do more damage trying to save every root, than to sacrifice a small portion and get it done quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you have them separated, either get them in the ground or put them in their pots. Either way, water them thoroughly to give the plant a boost and to settle the dirt. If they're potted, then put them in a shadier spot for a week and then move them back in full sun. If you are putting them in the ground, you should add some potting soil, but mix it in with your regular dirt about 50/50 min. I live in an area with lots of clay and one thing that's been known to happen is a plant does poorly because A, the difference in the potting soil and the clay are too great and the roots don't want to leave the hole and spread, and B, the clay is so slick and packed that if you don't scrape the side, they just spin around in the hole instead of spreading out. Good luck with your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-04-20T20:38:30.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18069" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18034" CreationDate="2015-04-20T21:31:02.550" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure about hyacinths specifically, but I found some good sources indicating that rice water is actually beneficial for plants; as the starch in the water encourages healthy bacteria, and the enzymes found naturally in the water act like fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf79807203.tip.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Thrifty Fun&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Just like potato water, rice water also contains valuable nutrients for houseplants. Using it is also a wonderful way to conserve water and a great way to take some of the worry out of over-fertilizing. The starches from leftover rice water will help encourage beneficial soil bacteria, while the vitamins and minerals will add small amounts of NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) to the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For correlation, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.answers.com/Q/Is_rice_water_good_for_plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Answers.com&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/facts_7716656_rice-water-good-plants.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ehow&lt;/a&gt; present the same information.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that there are two very important things to avoid: hot water and salted water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf79807203.tip.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Thrifty Fun&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;One thing to keep in mind when using water from cooking on your houseplants is to make sure the water has cooled to room temperature before you use it. It's also best to avoid using water that you have added salt to. Just about any clear or light-colored water that is left over after cooking is probably okay to use as long as it doesn't contain salts. This includes using water from cooking hard-boiled eggs, pasta and vegetables. If you have a freshwater fish aquarium, save some water for your houseplants every time you clean it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You mentioned that you used cool water, so that shouldn't be an issue. If the water was salted, that's not necessarily why it appears unhealthy, but could be a contributing factor. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We look forward to seeing the pictures in order to help diagnose the problem. Hopefully it's just a natural part of flower production, and your plant will turn out to be fine!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-04-20T21:31:02.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18070" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-20T22:35:20.170" Score="5" ViewCount="2614" Body="&lt;p&gt;Large leaved plant with small blue flowers close to stem.  Very vigorous growth.  It is growing in London, United Kingdom in my back garden in semi shade.  It first appeared last autumn with large leaves, which died away over winter, but has suddenly shot up over the last month, and is now two foot high and spread, with the small blue flowers having appeared in the last week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8R0jE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11138" LastEditorUserId="11138" LastEditDate="2015-04-20T23:43:28.713" LastActivityDate="2020-05-03T10:18:21.530" Title="Can anyone assist in identifying this large leaved plant with small blue flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18071" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19315" CreationDate="2015-04-21T01:05:46.407" Score="3" ViewCount="713" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's that time of spring when all the bugs start coming out and the battle begins to protect my apple trees. I sprayed with a dormant spray earlier in the year but it looks like something is laughing at my best efforts still. Initially I thought it's Rosy Apple Aphids but I'd appreciate a second opinion since I'm not seeing the tell tale curling leaves. They are not widespread, I did a pretty thorough inspection of the trees and this is the only one with these eggs on them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in North America, hardiness zone 6.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8GSdV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up macro photo. Small round white/grey eggs with brown spots and spirals&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For scale:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4A896.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;For scale&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-24T03:29:18.627" LastActivityDate="2015-05-10T12:27:12.163" Title="Are these insect eggs from Rosy Apple Aphids?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18072" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18073" CreationDate="2015-04-21T02:05:58.160" Score="3" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an area of about 650 sq ft that I planted several small trees and about 10 shrubs last year. I put a light amount of mulch in the area but grass has covered most of it back up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to do the mulching properly so I see two options:&#xA;- remove all of the existing sod and add 4&quot; of planters mix.&#xA;- put down cardboard / weed barrier on top of the sod and add the 4&quot; of planters mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which one of these will be the least disruptive for the existing plants and or the better long term solution?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11062" LastActivityDate="2015-04-25T18:02:28.727" Title="Advice for a new planting bed" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18073" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18072" CreationDate="2015-04-21T02:29:13.843" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my humble opinion the cardboard would be better. It'll kill off the grass, decompose fine and it will be much less disruptive to the plants than digging up the soil, which could result in broken roots. As long as you use enough mulch you shouldn't have too bad a problem with grass and weeds coming back up through it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastActivityDate="2015-04-21T02:29:13.843" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18075" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18070" CreationDate="2015-04-21T12:37:46.790" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Symphytum asperum, commonly known as comfrey or rough comfrey or prickly comfrey. Though pretty, it's a pernicious weed, but some people actually buy it for their gardens - make sure you remove any small ones when it seeds itself later, while they're still small and easy to get out. Those which have been established for more than 2 years have very deep roots, but if you like it, keep it - just keep a watch for the inevitable offspring which will arise. If you don't, it'll be everywhere...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When its small, early in the year, its easily mistaken for Foxglove (Digitalis), but if you touch the leaves, you can tell which is which - Foxglove leaves are pleasant to touch, this plant's leaves are not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My ID was incorrect (thanks to Stephie below) - I read 'London' and glanced at the plant rather than examined it closely. This one is actually &lt;strong&gt;Pentaglottis sempervirens&lt;/strong&gt;, common name Alkanet, just as much of a pain as that previously described, and again, commonly pops up in and around London. All other info remains the same...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-21T14:45:02.860" LastActivityDate="2015-04-21T14:45:02.860" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18076" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18077" CreationDate="2015-04-21T14:25:33.610" Score="3" ViewCount="2306" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not sure what this is called but for now I'm just calling it tall grass. I have a couple of things around my house. To me these grass stalks look dead from winter. Am I good clearing them off? I already cleared off one section will it regrow in the next month or so as spring hits hard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Taking a look down at the bottom I see some fresh green coming up, but not much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the advice!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J86OI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YBmLN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JjjFv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="912" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-07-17T01:49:11.343" LastActivityDate="2015-07-17T01:49:11.343" Title="Is this &quot;Tall Grass&quot; dead? Should I clear it out to make room for new growth?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18077" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18076" CreationDate="2015-04-21T14:35:47.363" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you are good to cut away the dead growth (and want to do it soon, before new growth makes it difficult.) The tops die back each year and new growth comes up from the roots each year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Ornamental grass&quot; is a more common catch-all phrase for these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-04-21T14:38:07.070" LastActivityDate="2015-04-21T14:38:07.070" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18070" CreationDate="2015-04-21T14:43:21.207" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentaglottis_sempervirens&quot;&gt;Pentaglottis sempervirens&lt;/a&gt; (green alkanet), a member of the boaginaceae family (making it a &quot;cousin&quot; of the comfrey from Bamboo's answer (similar leaves), of forget-me-nots (flower!) and borage).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like all his cousins it has a tendency to spread and self-seed, but is often tolerated to a certain extend because it looks pretty flowering almost year-round, thrives even in shady corners and the flowers are edible, like borage flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-04-21T14:43:21.207" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18079" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18076" CreationDate="2015-04-21T14:44:33.900" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes cut it down to make room for the pretty new growth. It's easier in the fall when it's still standing and you can take a weed whacker to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-04-21T14:44:33.900" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18080" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17828" CreationDate="2015-04-21T15:46:21.063" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would do one of two things. One, is to call a professional to come in and do major adjustments. This would make it quick and hopefully make sure it's done right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd personally choose option 2 and take the DIY root :)). Here is a link to a page I was actually looking at just now from the Clemson College of SC's Home and Garden Info Center:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/vegetables/tree_fruits_nuts/hgic1351.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/vegetables/tree_fruits_nuts/hgic1351.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It'll give you the basics. You could probably go ahead and start fertilizing the plant to encourage new growth now, so that you'll have something to work with later. You'll notice that while the article says you need to wait for dormancy, you can prune dead wood and should prune out diseased wood, even if it's actively growing. You can also start to look at your tree and contemplate which limbs need to be cut and which stay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, when I prune a tree, I start with dead wood, then limbs that are crossing, then limbs growing to the inside or downward. After that, you need to imagine if a limb is going to fall into one of these categories in the future. If you're sure it will, it can go now and save the energy for other limbs you'll keep. You can read in the article about choose limbs with wide crotch angles and ones that are space at least 6&quot; apart. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From my research in other areas, that is about strength. If the crotch angles are narrow, then they can break off more easily under stress. If you have many branches coming off in the same spot then you get excessive bark growth where it's filling in between the crotches. I can't remember what it's called from the video I was watching, but the man said that it will end up splitting there and damaging the tree, which is why you have branches space at least 6&quot; apart and circling the tree. There are also ways to divert more energy to a branch or away from it to make sure they are evenly balanced by making a small cut into the bark above or below the limb. I believe it's called nicking or notching depending on whether it's above or below, so don't worry if the branch you want to keep is smaller than the others that will be with it. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-04-21T15:46:21.063" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18081" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17822" CreationDate="2015-04-21T20:48:04.520" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm been messing with small versions of these, making 2 liter soda bottles of them to start seeds and propagate cuttings. I've had really good success with lemon seeds, but I've been a little disappointed with the other plants. I don't know if it's the temperature and humidity difference in the house in winter as opposed to in the sun in summer, but my other plants have been slow growing an wimpy. I feel like part of the reason is that the self watering keeps the soil moist and the plants don't have to strive for water to grow a stronger root system, which in turn makes a bigger healthier plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if I was going to make this system on a scale like you're talking about, I'd do it one of a couple of different ways. One way is to get one of the long flat rubber-maid containers, like goes under your bed. I'd seal the lid to the body with non-toxic silicone. I'd run a 3-4&quot; piece of pvc down through the lid and seal that with the silicone. I'd cut notches out of the bottom, so that it can press tightly to the bottom and seal the water in the fill tube. I'd drill several holes around the outside of the box, roughly .5-1&quot; in diameter. A hole saw would work great. Then I'd find a cloth to wad in those holes as tightly as possible. Get your self a new set of sock and use your old work socks. Put the contraption in the bottom of your stock tank and fill with dirt. In time when the dirt is settled, you can cut the top of the pvc pipe off a few inches above the dirt. Painting the top with an earth color will make it blend in better when it's cut off. You could get and end cap to put on it as well to keep debris out and stop any small amount of evaporation. You could even put a piece of screen over the hole, bend it down the sides a couple of inches and zip tie or glue it in place. The cap would still go down over it. You won't be able to easily clean this thing out later. You can easily fill this up. The silicone will keep it from leaking out to fast and you should be able to fill the tube to the top for extra water. The dirt should only wick what it needs. You could, of course, use a bigger container to hold more water. Roots would go down around it. I'd put the holes near the bottom, though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option is to fill the bottom 1' with chunky sized rocks. Let the dirt go down between the rocks, actually putting in a little dirt and watering it in to make sure it gets packed in between them. This will do your wicking for you. Then back fill with the dirt. Again, you're going to use the pvc pipe to fill it up. This method is easier, but you'll have a problem with it taking a long time to refill as the water now has to permeate the dirt between the rocks. A combination of the two might be the best bet. The container to take water quickly and then it would seep into the rock layer and you can refill then container again quickly. You might have to fill it twice one afternoon, but then it'll be good for a long while. Make sure to put the wicks in the lid when you do this to get good dirt to wick contact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A couple of additional tweaks I'd do is to drill a hole .5-1&quot; in diameter approximately level with the top of the reservoir, be it rock, container, or whatever. Back it with a layer or two of porch screen and then a piece of hardware cloth. This will let you drain your over flow. I'd attach it with some silicone I had out and probably a zip tie or 3.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A last tweak you can do is to make a level gauge. Take something like a dowel rod, put it in a ping pong ball and glue around it to seal it up tight. Drop the dowel to the bottom of the pvc pipe and mark  where it meets the top of the pvc pipe. Keep in mind, it need to be at the pvc's final height. Then pull it out and mark it 2-3&quot; lower down. That is your warning mark and the first mark is your empty line. If I was going to go over board, I'd drill a small hole through the end of the dowel and another 6&quot; piece as well. You could put a little red flag on the end of the 6&quot; piece and run something like a short length of wire through the holes and bend the ends or tie them together. You'd need to shorten the length of the main dowel, but as the water level drops, the ping pong ball and dowel will drop, causing the short piece to hit the edge of the pvc pipe and pivot upwards. It would raise the little flag upright when the water is empty. You could even poke a hole in the center of the screen you're using to keep debris out and thread this through.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for raising it, you can use any number of things. Cinder blocks, rail road ties, a frame build of metal or 4x4's. I even saw one of these one wheels in a drive way to provide privacy. It had bamboo in it and they could roll it out of the way at need. You can plant things at the base to hide the frame.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One last thing to consider is how deep your roots will go. A stock tank is deep and not many plants you'd put in a container that size will even put roots that deep. You're adding a lot of weight in dirt that won't be used. You could cut a piece of plywood to the shape of the tank, paint it with something like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.truegether.com/search.html;jsessionid=557973188558528A03E56EFAD0CEBD63.server2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Paint-on Non-toxic Epoxy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put supports under it, like cinder blocks that won't corrode, and then seal the edges with any combination of silicone, this epoxy, expansion foam, etc... Then make your pvc fill tube, run some wicks to the bottom through a few holes you precut and painted and back fill with dirt. It'd be half the weight empty. You could let it drain if you needed to move it, either through use, a siphon through your over flow, or you can install a spigot near the bottom. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-04-21T20:48:04.520" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18082" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-21T21:10:52.917" Score="4" ViewCount="512" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought a house that has a Sycamore maple in the backyard.  My questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the life span for this particular type of tree?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when is a good time of year to trim the branches and a good rule of thumb as to how much to trim?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this tree known to invade water pipe and destroy plumbing?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there a certain fertilizer I can use to strengthen my tree?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The roots of the tree are coming up above ground.  Is it alright to cover them with a rich soil and possibly plant some type of vegetation around it? (my sister says it's not good for the tree)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11146" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-21T21:15:16.433" LastActivityDate="2015-04-22T11:15:34.850" Title="Questions About a Sycamore Maple" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18083" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18082" CreationDate="2015-04-22T10:56:56.460" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because I'm in the UK, and I know there's a difference between sycamore here and sycamore in the States, the tree I'm talking about here is Acer pseudoplatanus. Assuming you don't have a named cultivar of it (Acer pseudoplatanus 'Brilliantissimum' for instance), the life span is 2-300 years in optimum conditions, the roots will only cause a problem if the tree is planted too close to pipes/house foundations, etc., This tree should reach 60 feet, up to 150, sometimes 200 feet high. As for the exposed roots, no, you should not cover those with soil - if you have large roots on top of the soil, I assume the tree is already quite mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for pruning, it should never be pruned in spring, or it will bleed excessively. Lower branches can be removed after June, without getting too close to the main trunk and wounding it, and any hard or heavy pruning is best carried out October-December, when the tree is dormant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no need to fertilize this tree, it's obviously doing very well without any special treatment. I don't know if this is true in the USA, but in Britain, the presence of Acer pseudoplatanus is a cause for loud groaning and general dismay - it produces thousands of winged seeds yearly, and these seeds readily root and grow wherever they land. Perhaps, though, this is not such an issue in the States.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-22T11:12:06.293" LastActivityDate="2015-04-22T11:12:06.293" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18082" CreationDate="2015-04-22T11:15:34.850" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grower's catalogues are always interesting to compare heights and spreads as they are based on likely growth in urban areas.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3500/what-is-the-average-lifespan-of-most-maple-trees&quot;&gt;Trees do not live as long in urban areas&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;your tree should live at least 100 years in good conditions in urban areas&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in urban areas the mature height is more likely to be forty feet (13 M) and a spread of thirty feet (10 M)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;known for tolerance of salt&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tolerant of any soil type and exposed conditions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fertilizer is not necessary if you topdress with compost around the tree yearly to a depth of one inch&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;not noted for water seeking roots but plant at least one hundred feet from your house&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;trees do better if they do not have to compete with grass or other plants. A mulch that extends out at least three or four feet from the trunk is preferable and avoids lawn mower damage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prune in summer when you do not want to promote growth, prune in winter to promote growth in spring &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-04-22T11:15:34.850" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18086" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18087" CreationDate="2015-04-22T14:55:46.203" Score="5" ViewCount="4316" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in India (Bombay). It is very hot here in summers. I wish to grow Lavender on my balcony, however I am not sure if it will survive the heat. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the heat tolerance level of English lavender? Are there chances for it to survive if I plant it during winters when it is pleasant (16 to 28 &amp;deg;C)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11148" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-22T15:18:40.870" LastActivityDate="2020-05-19T15:47:10.637" Title="What is the heat tolerance of English Lavender?" Tags="&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;&lt;lavender&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18086" CreationDate="2015-04-22T16:32:23.703" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;By English Lavender, I assume you mean &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavandula_angustifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lavandula augustifolia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; - it does well in Mediterranean countries, not sure if it has an upper heat tolerance, but will certainly thrive in temperatures up to 45 &amp;deg;C and likely higher. French lavender does well Zones 8-11, and the upper temperature in Zone 11 is around 50 &amp;deg;C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What Lavender doesn't like is heavy, damp soil - it prefers gritty, light, free draining conditions. If you're growing in pots, then you will need to keep them watered. Regarding when to plant them, they are more heat resistant once established, but that's if you're growing them in the ground, so in pots, I don't think it matters. You can at least move them or provide some shade if the weather is extremely hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-22T19:39:08.663" LastActivityDate="2015-04-22T19:39:08.663" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18088" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3165" CreationDate="2015-04-22T16:44:35.980" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a hardwood branch break off from my lilac branch and stuck it in water. No rooting hormone. It is now growing roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11150" LastActivityDate="2015-04-22T16:44:35.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18089" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17487" CreationDate="2015-04-22T17:37:38.210" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently did this exercise with a sour mandarin tree. I cut back everything on the tree (about the same size as yours) except that I left a small nurse branch to keep the tree alive. I have since been attempting to graft other citrus onto that tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your case the lemon is healthy and can act as the nurse branch. You can completely cut back the pomelo and the lemon should stay alive and thrive. The pomelo will probably produce more shoots over the years. You can leave those to provide shade for the trunk if you live in a hot climate. Alternatively you might want to consider painting the trunk to provide some protection to the exposed bark. Again - only if you live in an extremely hot climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ecnerwal's suggestion of grafting on new citrus varieties onto the trunk is a good one. If you want more lemons than you're currently getting then you can take buds off your existing lemon tree and graft them onto the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2015-04-22T17:37:38.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18090" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18091" CreationDate="2015-04-23T14:50:24.063" Score="4" ViewCount="327" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this weed? It is what I mostly encountered when cleaning a bed of flowers after the winter here in Central Europe. The weed has blue flowers (approx. 0.5 cm in diameter) and grows mainly horizontally and close to the ground. It is also simple to tear out, a bit like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellaria_media&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;chickweed&lt;/a&gt; in this way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g07yO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastEditorUserId="8604" LastEditDate="2015-04-24T03:29:37.040" LastActivityDate="2015-04-24T03:29:37.040" Title="What is this horizontally growing weed with blue flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18091" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18090" CreationDate="2015-04-23T15:08:11.430" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a type of Veronica, I'd estimate &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_chamaedrys&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Veronica chamaedrys&lt;/a&gt; based on flower colour and amount &amp;amp; shape of foliage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's considered a weed by many gardeners, but as I personally like the flowers, I tend to disagree (or agree to disagree...).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-04-23T15:08:11.430" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18092" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18093" CreationDate="2015-04-23T15:44:59.460" Score="2" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few very small apple and fig trees. I planted the apple trees last year and had a huge problem with bug completely defoliating them. I bought some 'Bonide Fruit Tree Spray' and started spraying them with that as soon as I saw leaves start coming out. They did okay at first, but then I started noticing they were being chewed up. Upon closer inspection I noticed several of those little inch worms that hang from the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in SC, so I contacted the local Clemson College Agricultural Extension and asked them about it. He said they were canker worms and that I should use a chemical with 'spinosad' in it. Being very small tree, I can't make a small enough batch of the spray to use up, so I'm just leaving it in my sprayer with the pressure release valve open. If it gunks up the end, I'll just buy a new one. I don't think the spray I have contains spinosad, so I picked up a bottle of concentrate. I asked him if it would be safe to combine them, since I didn't have two tanks. He seemed to think it would be okay. He said to mix it in another container and something about if it wasn't warm, then it was okay to add it in. I don't know if he meant that I should mix the concentrate with some of the poison water I already had to see if it created chemical heat or what.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to know if you guys have ever combined sprays like this to ill effect? I can't remember the name of the spinosad concentrate I bought, but it was labeled as affective against canker worms, caterpillars, etc... It only container a very small amount of the spinosad, though. If I do combine them, I think I should probably use the full dose of each to the recommended amount of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-04-23T16:21:09.447" Title="Is there a danger to combining multiple fruit tree sprays in one sprayer?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18093" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18092" CreationDate="2015-04-23T16:21:09.447" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spinosad is organic, which means its fine for use on edible plants, means you can still eat the apples at the end of it. Having checked the ingredient list for your Bonide Fruit Tree spray, I'm glad I won't be eating your fruit! I'm assuming there must be something in the directions for that one to tell you when to stop using it, because otherwise, its possible your fruits may contain traces of those ingredients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't mix the two without further clarification - its not clear what the advice '&lt;em&gt;if its not warm'&lt;/em&gt; means - could they mean when the air temperature is warm? Or does he mean if the mixture gets hot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, a word about pesticide/fungicide treatments. It seems you've chosen your Bonide spray at random, because it seemed to control most pests, and you did not know what had affected your crops. It may well have been the canker worms that affected them, not something else, but its always best to identify what problem your tree/plant is having, then apply the right solution/treatment for that particular pest. It's better for the plant, it's better for the environment, and most of all, its better for anyone who's going to be eating the fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-23T16:21:09.447" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18094" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18096" CreationDate="2015-04-23T19:51:14.440" Score="2" ViewCount="3440" Body="&lt;p&gt;I sprayed the weed killer roundup and wanted to know if I can also spread some lime at the same time to neutralize my acidic garden? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="7525" LastEditDate="2015-04-23T23:07:14.907" LastActivityDate="2015-04-23T23:20:07.577" Title="Can I add lime at the same time when I spray Roundup?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;yard&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18095" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7330" CreationDate="2015-04-23T21:42:45.853" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used Trimec at a concentration above the recommended last summer in 90 degree heat on fescue. There was minimal damage to the grass, but it worked very well on the weeds. This was on a rental where the yard was overgrown with creeping charlie, wild strawberries, etc. I killed all the weeds off in July, aerated, seeded and fertilized in the fall. It looks like a golf course now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11153" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-04-24T03:24:00.327" LastActivityDate="2015-04-24T03:24:00.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18096" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18094" CreationDate="2015-04-23T23:20:07.577" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure! the glyphosate will still work. Here's what to look out for, though. Don't walk through any bed you've sprayed roundup (even spot sprayed) until all sprayed surfaces have dried over. Then you're good. Even a little bit on your  shoes can cause dead/discolored prints all over your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The easy way to avoid that without taking a break, is, of course, to spread the lime first, and then you can apply roundup right away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-04-23T23:20:07.577" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18098" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18099" CreationDate="2015-04-24T05:35:21.287" Score="7" ViewCount="340" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to plant an herb garden in the Puget Sound region (USDA Zone 7b) of Washington state. I wanted to get some perennial herbs going from seed, but I am wondering if it is too late now? (late April/ early May) I have access to a heated greenhouse and would be growing starts in a 72-cell seed tray, rather than direct seeding. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The herbs I was planning on incorporating into the garden are listed below. Can anyone tell me if there are certain herbs on here that I should not grow from seed at this time? Which of these would I have to get going from starts now? (I'm hoping that the herbs that can survive as perennials in this area would be able to survive the winter outdoors).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Anise&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Anise Hyssop&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Arnica&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bee Balm&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black Cumin&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Calendula&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Caraway&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Catnip&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dill&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Echinacea&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Evening Primrose&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Feverfew&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Horsemint&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lavender&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lemon Thyme&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Marjoram&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Motherwort&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mugwort&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pennyroyal&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Salad Burnet&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sorrel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;St. John's Wort&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sweet Cicely&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tansy&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tarragon&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thyme&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Valerian&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wintergreen&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Winter Savory&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wormwood&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yarrow&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10886" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-24T15:28:04.050" LastActivityDate="2015-04-24T15:33:26.610" Title="Is late April too late to plant herbs from seed in the US Pacific Northwest?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18099" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18098" CreationDate="2015-04-24T07:56:52.023" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just a quick answer to get started, based on my experience. I never &lt;em&gt;lived&lt;/em&gt; in the Puget Sound area, but know it quite well. Will continue to fill in as I have time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Short answer: Get started now, this is the perfect time. On a quick glance I see no plant that you would be too late for, but I haven't sown/planted all of them myself.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Calendula&lt;/strong&gt; will be fine. Consider sowing outdoors where you want it. Reason: Not too keen on transplanting in my experience, but possible. If your winters are really mild, it may continue blooming even during winter, but the plant will be exhausted at some point. But it will self-seed, thus establishing a population at the given location. You can also harvest the seeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dill&lt;/strong&gt; is definitevely &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; a perennial, once it has produced seeds (also edible!) it will start to die. But establishes itself if allowed to drop its seeds. For a continual harvest of fresh dill, you have to sow in intervals from April through August/September. It will be happy in pots, but it's easier to just take a small handful of seeds and shatter them where you want them. I usually do this sparingly in my vegetable patch, the plants will rise over the other crops and are slim enough not to bother the rest. (Looks good, too, IMHO) Fallen seeds can overwinter and germinate in Spring.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lavender and (Lemon-)Thyme&lt;/strong&gt; are a bit fussy to grow from seed, but it's doable. Here sowing in pots is an excellent choice because you can monitor them better. You can put them outdoors as soon as March, but a greenhouse won't hurt. Hurry up with these, so that they will have plenty of time to grow until Fall/Winter. As true perennials, you may have these plants for years. For &lt;strong&gt;Lavender&lt;/strong&gt; I'd suggest buying one plant that you like - they come in a bunch of varieties, so look, touch and smell when choosing - and propagate small cuttings if you want more.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Majoram&lt;/strong&gt; is a bit cold sensitive. So either sow in a greenhouse now or wait until the last frost - which I suppose is about now in the Puget Sound area? - but not later than June, especially if you want it to survive winter. It is technically a perennial, but a cold winter will kill it, therefore some gardeners choose to grow it as an anual. It's cousin &lt;strong&gt;Oregano&lt;/strong&gt; is much hardier. There are even cross-breeds available that claim to give Majoram the hardiness of Oregano, but they also have a more &quot;oreganoish&quot; taste. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sorrel&lt;/strong&gt; is probably not a good candidate to be started in small pots. It develops roots (rhizome) that can reach down 1.5 m / 5 feet, so sow where you want it and it will be a perennial. For immediate use, sowing in pots is fine, but it will have difficulities long term. A spot in the semi-shade with enough water and acidic soil (6) will keep the leaves more tender.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Valerian&lt;/strong&gt; seedlings are cold-sensitive, so start them in your greenhouse or outside after the last frost. This is a true perennial, but plan for a slow start - you can't harvest roots in the first year or two. The plant will get rather large (so choose the spot wisely), but grows slowly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Salad Burnet&lt;/strong&gt; is another candidate that hates transplanting - you can literally watch the leaves shrivel up and die if you attempt it on a sunny day and don't cut large clumps of soil around it (ask me, how I know...). If sown in trays, always transplant the whole &quot;brick&quot;, never pull it apart. Once established, it is a hardy perennial that even might provide a few green leaves for your kitchen in winter. Clumps can be divided after a few years, IMHO easier that starting them from seed. But sowing is possible almost year round, in winter in an unheated greenhouse, else outside.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bee Balm&lt;/strong&gt; now, &lt;em&gt;that&lt;/em&gt; might be a tad late to sow. But as Monarda typically won't bloom the first year anyway, I'd say sow them and give it as much time as it needs. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-04-24T15:33:26.610" LastActivityDate="2015-04-24T15:33:26.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18100" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17773" CreationDate="2015-04-24T08:41:46.550" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know the specific requirements for those trees. However, that should be way more than enough for a nice leafy citrus tree if my 20-year-or-so old grapefruit tree is an indicator. We usually just give it as much light as the houseplants get, and it does well. However, it is rather slow growing on that light, but it's still nice and green and looks great. It's never been spindly, no matter how much light it's gotten. Light mostly seems important for growth rate, with my tree. I think it would just stop growing at all rather than get spindly, if the light were that low. It has gone probably weeks to months without growing before, but it tends to grow more when it gets more attention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I gave my grapefruit tree somewhat more light a few months ago (because I put grow lights in for my garden plants). It's in my room a few to several feet away from some lamps (no shades) that have 23 watt CFLs in them (three bulbs; two 6500k and one 2700k). The tree is growing much, much faster. The light mostly hits the top of the tree. Technically, there are several CFLs lower down, but the mylar blocks most of the light from those (not all, of course). There's a bit of sunlight coming through the window, but not much. Your setup has a lot more light. You should have thriving trees in no time, if all you want is leaves, unless your citrus trees are different than mine. I grew mine from a seed from a grapefruit that I ate in the 1990's.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want flowers and fruit, too, I recommend giving your trees more red light. That means, lower color temperatures. Blue (which is found more in higher color temperatures) is great for leaves. I've never given my grapefruit tree much red light. That may be why it's never produced flowers or fruit. You may also want to give them more potassium and phosphorus, if you want fruit. Typically, my tree has probably only received 24-8-16 fertilizer, and only rarely. I'm trying out other stuff, though. I gave it some potassium sulfate a few weeks ago. That may also be influencing the extra growth, but it was already growing extra before then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-04-24T12:23:40.290" LastActivityDate="2015-04-24T12:23:40.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18101" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18105" CreationDate="2015-04-24T17:02:57.813" Score="4" ViewCount="207" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm new to starting TAM Mild Jalapeno peppers from seed; this is my first time ever starting any peppers from seed.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I was lent a full-spectrum fluorescent light yesterday, and I now have it turned on and suspended about 7 inches above the tops of my plants (they do not have their &quot;second&quot; leaves yet).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are two bulbs in one &quot;holder&quot;, and they are both &lt;a href=&quot;http://genet.gelighting.com/LightProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=COMMERCIALSPECPAGE&amp;amp;PRODUCTCODE=49893&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;GE F40PL/AQ&lt;/a&gt; bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this going to work? Should I buy a different color-temperature bulb? Do I need to suspend it higher/lower? What ratio of light/dark should I try for?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11157" LastActivityDate="2015-04-25T21:08:47.697" Title="Full-spectrum fluorescent light on hot pepper seedlings" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2979" CreationDate="2015-04-24T18:47:04.763" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;My amaryllis bulb is about 26 years old and blooms twice every year without fail. I have it in an east facing window, and I water it as and when I remember!  I feed it with Gro-more twice a year as the main stalk starts to show (only adding to one watering each blossoming time).  I honestly do not pamper this bulb, never take it out of the window (even in winter but central heating usually keeps house at about 20 degrees), forget to water regularly (sometimes the leaves start to droop a little) and yet it still gives me 2 beautiful displays every year.  The bulb has almost filled the pot for the last 6 years, so I took it from the pot 6 weeks ago, cut back the roots (there was very little soil left anymore) and put some new soil in. I thought I had killed it but it is proudly showing 4 deep red blooms on the stalk. I do strip off the dead 'skins' on the bulb when it gets very flaky - a gentle pull brings most of it off.  Hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11158" LastActivityDate="2015-04-24T18:47:04.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18103" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18104" CreationDate="2015-04-24T19:22:30.473" Score="4" ViewCount="507" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;em&gt;Dieffenbachia camilla&lt;/em&gt;, sometimes called 'Dumb Cane', that I got about two years ago. It seemed like it needed a new pot so I put it in one size larger, and it did very well: it started growing new leaves and looked healthy. Not knowing much about plants, a month or two after I put it in an even larger pot, thinking it would help too. Now that I know more about plants, I know this was a bad idea as it wasn't ready for a larger pot. Some of the leaves started falling off and the leaves look thin and spindly. Also, new leaves grow on fairly slowly, and sometimes before becoming mature they turn yellow and fall off. Also, many mature leaves have also yellowed and have fallen off, making the trunk look a little bare.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question&lt;/strong&gt;. I was thinking that perhaps it's in too large a pot, as it started to decline when it was put in the larger one. It's been in this pot for a year but barely grew, so would it be a good idea to transplant it back to the smaller pot it was in before?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11159" LastActivityDate="2015-04-24T19:28:09.430" Title="Dieffenbachia camilla too large pot: back to smaller pot?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18103" CreationDate="2015-04-24T19:28:09.430" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Too large a pot rarely kills a plant. Transplanting it back will give it another shock. What is more likely is that there are spider mites on the undersides of the leaves.  This will cause slow growth and yellowing of the leaves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8103/should-i-clear-my-plants-of-cobwebs/8117#8117&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; for more about spider mites.  They look like tiny grains of salt on the underside of the leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-04-24T19:28:09.430" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18101" CreationDate="2015-04-24T22:11:25.207" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;3100k is a rather low color temperature for full spectrum (which is usually considered about 5000-7000k). Nevertheless, pepper plants will still grow with lower color temperatures, although they probably won't reach toward the light as much. A much stronger bulb wouldn't hurt either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, your peppers should grow fine for most people's gardening purposes, although the setup may not be ideal for growth (which may be a problem if you're just getting started). I don't know exactly how fast they'll grow in that light, but they will grow. However, they should grow a whole lot faster if you put the light closer than seven inches. As close as possible without burning the plants is normally ideal. (One or two inches is great.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Your bulb seems to have a spike in the blue end of the spectrum that may not be typical of regular 3100k fluorescent bulbs. This may mean that your light is pretty good overall for plants. Granted, the wavelength of the spike could be somewhat higher, but it's still in the useful range.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I might add here that lower color temperatures are more red and higher ones are more blue. Blue is great for leaf growth. Red is great for flowering. I've found that my lower color temperature bulbs seem to ward off damping off better than high color temperature bulbs, too. Your bulb follows this rule, except for a few spikes here and there, which seem to make this a better bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-04-25T21:08:47.697" LastActivityDate="2015-04-25T21:08:47.697" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18107" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18108" CreationDate="2015-04-25T11:31:39.560" Score="2" ViewCount="279" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a garden tap inside my conservatory/summer room. The problem is that every time I disconnect the hose from the tap, I get a gush of water that sprays on the wall and floor.&#xA;I've tried using a rag wrapped around it but the force is too strong and it sprays through it.&#xA;Is there a special type of connector for this type of problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11163" LastActivityDate="2015-04-25T12:39:06.717" Title="Is there a special hose to tap connector that doesn't splash?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18108" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18107" CreationDate="2015-04-25T12:28:36.293" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gardena makes hose connectors that have a built-in water stop. I grew up with these in Germany. The orange &amp;amp; grey design is IMHO questionable at best, but they work like a charm.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Afaik they are available in the US, too, see the company's website &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardena.com/ca/en/water-management/hose-connectors/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; (scroll down a bit).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apart from that, it's probably a good idea to switch off the tap and release the pressure on the hose by simply opening the other end - depending on what you have connected, e.g. pushing the trigger on a watering gun or sprayer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-04-25T12:39:06.717" LastActivityDate="2015-04-25T12:39:06.717" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18109" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-25T13:29:31.103" Score="6" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is generally advised against repotting a cactus while it has buds or flowers on it. My &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=mammillaria%20prolifera&amp;amp;rlz=1C1GIWA_enAM586AM586&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1536&amp;amp;bih=758&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=75Y7VbSPBsXdywP6jYGIDw&amp;amp;ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mammillaria prolifera&lt;/a&gt; has just finished flowering and it really needs repotting but since it's a self-fertile species, I am expecting to have some berries in the beginning of autumn. How likely is my repotting to make my cactus abort its coming fruits? Since it's a rather widespread cactus, I am hoping someone will have had first-hand experience with the issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9631" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-11-04T16:05:09.707" LastActivityDate="2016-11-04T16:05:09.707" Title="Will repotting a cactus after flowering affect the fruit?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14624" CreationDate="2015-04-25T16:43:10.067" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watermelons sometimes do develop red stains, but I cannot find any sources on why or how often this happens. A fun fact is that these spots gave rise to a Romani legend of &quot;vampire watermelons&quot; and other fruits like pumpkins, with the red blotches a sign that the fruit has &quot;turned.&quot; Really! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vampire_watermelon.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vampire_watermelon.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11166" LastActivityDate="2015-04-25T16:43:10.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18112" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-25T21:38:11.263" Score="2" ViewCount="5475" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have these all around the house we bought in fall. What are they? When should they flower?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The previous owners were great fans of bulbs and flower beds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is south east michigan.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rwiMK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EmANj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4643" LastActivityDate="2015-04-25T22:01:52.540" Title="What is this red stalk plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18112" CreationDate="2015-04-25T21:49:49.807" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Paeony to me, not sure which variety other than to say one of the herbaceous perennial types. Flowering time is usually late April and May here in the UK, but yours don't seem quite so well advanced, so maybe nearer June. Some varieties flower a little later, around late June/early July.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-25T21:49:49.807" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18114" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18112" CreationDate="2015-04-25T22:01:52.540" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just to add... Peony flower heads get heavy and they tend to droop. They make supports for peonies which you might want to look into. They're also very susceptible to powdery mildew so you should keep an eye on that. I've had success with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2013/08/controlling-powdery-mildew-with-neem-oil.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;neem on peonies&lt;/a&gt; with powdery mildew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise fairly easy plants to take care of. At the end of the season, beginning of winter, cut the plants down to the ground. Rake away any debris and keep free of fallen leaf debris.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-04-25T22:01:52.540" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18115" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18116" CreationDate="2015-04-25T22:16:26.563" Score="6" ViewCount="162" Body="&lt;p&gt;In case of some plants you can take their cuttings to multiply them. The cuttings are put in the ground directly, so you can have multiple seedlings based on one plant. You can have dozens of plants which are used for this process. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Boxwood or jasmine can both be a good example of such plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The term which describes such a group of plants in my language is &quot;matecznik&quot;, which is a variation of the word mother.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the correct term for such a group of plants? I'm looking for the name of the group of the plants that other plants were grown from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11169" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-26T00:02:55.830" LastActivityDate="2015-04-26T00:12:58.263" Title="What's the valid term for a “base” for plants?" Tags="&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18116" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18115" CreationDate="2015-04-26T00:12:58.263" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are generally known as &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;'stock'&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Definition of stock plant&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Definition as written by talinum:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A plant used to obtain propagating material, whether seed or vegetative material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;source of definition:&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/terms/go/1219/#b&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://davesgarden.com/guides/terms/go/1219/#b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;as well as others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-04-26T00:12:58.263" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18117" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18122" CreationDate="2015-04-26T01:43:46.557" Score="4" ViewCount="1215" Body="&lt;p&gt;The previous owner of my house had a 1 ft. wide strip of mulch next to the walkway.  I'd like to just have grass grow up to the edge of the walkway instead.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the ground is extremely sandy.  Under the mulch woodchips, there's about 1/2 an inch of dark soil that is probably remnants of the mulch material, and then sand underneath.  To my novice eye it basically just looks like pure sand.  I'm sure that's not actually true, but it definitely does not bear any resemblance to anything that could be called 'soil'.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The good news is that I can get as much compost as I'd like from the town dump for free.  Will mixing the sand and compost at some ratio produce reasonable soil?  What ratio would that be?  And how deep of a trench should I dig and replace?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any other options that people would recommend?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3419" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-26T03:44:42.750" LastActivityDate="2015-04-26T16:35:10.297" Title="How do I get grass to grow in what looks like pure sand?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18118" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-26T12:14:23.253" Score="5" ViewCount="400" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know what kind of plant this is. I grew it from seed I brought from a trip to Eastern Africa and all I remember is that I extracted the seed from some kind of fruit... Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Ii4R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ko4yo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11176" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-26T18:07:10.393" LastActivityDate="2015-07-07T17:05:52.447" Title="What is this Eastern African plant with alternate cordate leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18119" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-26T14:14:06.680" Score="5" ViewCount="93" Body="&lt;p&gt;How should I handle the fruit-harvesting of a courgette (zucchini) if I also like to collect seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In principle my understanding is that I just need to leave a fruit long enough on a plant for it to develop seeds. How will this influence the creation of new flowers and fruits if I leave the first one untouched?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will it be better to wait for the end of the season and let the last one ripen until the plant is almost dead?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-23T03:03:26.647" LastActivityDate="2017-02-05T03:50:26.890" Title="How should I use one courgette plant for both consumption and seeds?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18120" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18133" CreationDate="2015-04-26T14:36:54.553" Score="4" ViewCount="305" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think I made a mistake: I put (~15) seeds of courgette into a big bowl in seed-compost (low-nutrition).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now one week later they are starting to sprout and I realize that this was maybe not the best choice as they will grow fast and develop roots quickly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I wait one more week before potting them on into a small pot but this time with garden compost? Or should I act now before too many sensitive roots have developed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/skDq3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/skDq3m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2015-07-12T20:31:36.373" Title="When to pot on courgette seedling?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18121" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-26T16:25:28.933" Score="3" ViewCount="185" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to separate my watermelon seeds from outdoor cats that roam my yard. What could I get for the new plants when they are ready to keep them safe to freely grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I could shop at Home Depot or Lowe's if anything knows anything. Something low cost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11177" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-26T18:05:52.030" LastActivityDate="2015-04-27T16:54:38.073" Title="How can I build a garden enclosure on a budget?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;watermelon&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18117" CreationDate="2015-04-26T16:35:10.297" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are worse problems to have, such as unrelenting clay you could throw pots from. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Add/mix in 2-3&quot; compost and plant seed (or lay turf if so inclined.) You might also want to do a quick excavation to determine if this is the nature of the whole yard, or if it's an extended sandy foundation/drainage for the path.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have free available compost, also try to sort out a way that you can distribute 1/4-1/2&quot; of that all over your lawn surface on a yearly basis - some sort of spreader seems attractive but is prone to mechanical issues handling compost as opposed to granular materials, likely just shovel and rake, leaving grass sticking up so you know it's not too deep. Use a bit more on gardens/flower beds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have an out-of the way corner, much municipal compost is improved by some extra time in a pile (your out-of the way corner could be your &quot;proudly displayed mound of happy squash/pumpkins&quot; in your garden, if applicable - they love to be right in a heap, and you can spread last year's pile on the lawn when they are done.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-04-26T16:35:10.297" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18123" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18121" CreationDate="2015-04-26T16:43:37.977" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Somewhere between 3 and a great many T posts, and some wire fencing are generally the cheapest approach to separating plants and animals. Aesthetics tend to raise the price if you don't like the look of those. A garden supply or farm supply is more likely to have what you need than home improvement stores, which are often poor on fencing options, though they may have some.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-04-26T16:43:37.977" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18124" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18126" CreationDate="2015-04-26T17:35:29.277" Score="4" ViewCount="361" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing a lime tree indoors. It's about 7 or 8 years old now and finally producing some flowers and also fruit. I just read a home guide from &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/lime-tree-need-pollinated-59016.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;SFGate&lt;/a&gt; that manual pollination is required to grow fruit, however I didn't do any on my tree, and there are a few flowers that seem to be growing little, tiny limes from the centre of the flower. Do you have any idea why this may be? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11179" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-04-29T03:52:18.530" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T03:52:18.530" Title="Why is my indoor lime tree growing fruit without pollination?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18121" CreationDate="2015-04-26T17:41:20.707" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can get some welded wire or chicken wire fencing and form it into a hoop house by anchoring the edges into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also make hoops from 1/2&quot; PVC pipe and cover it with either wire or plastic fencing, bird netting etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That way the plants are protected from the sides and top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although the most budget friendly thing to do is nothing if you're cats aren't digging up the plants. Are they? I've never had an issue with cats digging up melons or any other plants for that matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't believe everything you see on the internet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sI07v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-04-27T00:18:06.603" LastActivityDate="2015-04-27T00:18:06.603" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18126" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18124" CreationDate="2015-04-26T17:48:30.517" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sfgate and the other content mills are crap. Lots of times articles are written by people with little or no experience other than the ability to paraphrase. I remember reading a lawn care article written by a hair stylist. Most of the time they just copy stuff from other sources and reword them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This page from a dwarf citrus grower indicates you &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/solver/pollination.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;don't need to pollinate indoor citrus trees&lt;/a&gt; as they're self pollinating. I'd trust them over some &quot;farm boy&quot;/suspense writer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-04-27T22:55:25.143" LastActivityDate="2015-04-27T22:55:25.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18127" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-26T21:32:52.107" Score="6" ViewCount="1440" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm about to construct a 4ft wide x 16ft long raised bed, 6&quot; height, for planting blueberries. The space where this bed is going has a chain link fence on the back and one end, although I can walk around to the other side to pick fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How close together can I place the bushes so that density is maximized, but they aren't overcrowded?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I could make the bed 5ft wide if necessary. I was thinking of using some type of zigzag pattern but I also don't know how close to the edge of the raised bed the blueberry can go?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11109" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T19:54:50.127" Title="Blueberry spacing in a raised bed - how dense can I go?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18128" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-26T23:30:14.897" Score="2" ViewCount="155" Body="&lt;p&gt;I watched a walnut tree lose all its leaves in about ten minutes one time some years ago and I was wondering if this is something that is normal and if not would there be a simple explanation for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How could this happen?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11180" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-27T00:28:52.373" LastActivityDate="2015-04-27T18:06:00.650" Title="Why would a walnut tree lose all its leaves in ten minutes?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;nut-trees&gt;&lt;walnut&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18129" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18121" CreationDate="2015-04-26T23:35:40.720" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.habitat.ca/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Habitat for Humanity&lt;/a&gt; often runs recycling stores where you might find anything!  As long as aesthetics are not a priority some of the items I have seen there that could be repurposed include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;marble counter tops for the back of the enclosure&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plastic pipe, two inch diameter or larger can be pounded into the ground as posts&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;chicken wire or metal grid from catwalks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-04-26T23:35:40.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18130" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8942" CreationDate="2015-04-27T05:36:30.060" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I came across this discussion after I experimented growing spider plants in a mix of coffee grounds  and some good potting soil. The coffee and soil is in layers. Pretty slow growing so far compared to a few control plants. I'll keep at it - it's getting a little warmer so I'll keep in touch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11182" LastActivityDate="2015-04-27T05:36:30.060" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18131" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18132" CreationDate="2015-04-27T12:07:43.510" Score="1" ViewCount="9611" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a potting mix from a majestic palm that I'm attempting to reuse, it has some odd small green balls in it that are maybe one or two mm large, perfectly spherical and uniform.  I opened one and it appeared to break like plastic and was hollow inside.  What is this, a slow release fertilizer?  Is it biodegradable or is this plastic ball going to be in the soil forever?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11184" LastActivityDate="2015-04-27T13:01:06.590" Title="Plant potting mix has green balls" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18132" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18131" CreationDate="2015-04-27T13:01:06.590" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It'll be, as you suggest, slow release fertiliser such as Polyon - these are coated with polymer, and it depends on the formulation of the polymer whether they eventually bio degrade, and how quickly they do so. Given I'm not sure which one's been used, its hard to say whether they will eventually degrade or whether they'll still be intact in a few years. You don't need to attempt to extract them for re-use of the potting medium, they won't cause any harm, though the potting medium might if the plant/s you grew in it had any diseases or infestations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-27T13:01:06.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18120" CreationDate="2015-04-27T13:06:04.510" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do it as soon as the cotyledons open out, before the second set of leaves form, and when you do it, take a lump or mass of the soil in the tray surrounding the root so you don't have to disturb it - transfer it wholesale into a pot containing potting compost, not seed and cutting compost.  Lift the seedling out from the bottom, holding the clump of soil rather than the stem or cotyledons. You can use your own garden compost instead, provided its been produced using a hot, aerobic system rather than a cool, anaerobic one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-27T13:06:04.510" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18134" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18121" CreationDate="2015-04-27T16:54:38.073" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw a mesh tunnel I think I'm going to buy for the first few weeks. It's basically this green fabric/mesh material in a half circle. It looks like a kids playground tunnel but obviously lighter and you just stake it to the ground. It covers the plants but gives them rain and sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Saw it on Amazon but might make it somehow out of chicken wire and something I can bend to a half circle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11177" LastActivityDate="2015-04-27T16:54:38.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18135" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-27T17:21:17.280" Score="2" ViewCount="493" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw this flower a week ago in Granada, Spain. It smells amazing, but I couldn't figure out the name of the plant. Does anyone have a clue?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LOjh7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Yvx9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower close-up (lower right part)&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11187" LastActivityDate="2019-09-03T13:24:51.427" Title="What is the name of this flower (saw this in Spain) which smells amazing?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18136" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18135" CreationDate="2015-04-27T17:29:02.107" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately I can't see any leaves for 100% confirmation, but by the look of the flowers, the scent, and the shape of the pink buds held almost horizontally, I'd say it was Jasmine polyanthum. It's often sold as a houseplant in colder countries, does tolerate some cold, but not heavy frosting or freezing - nothing below 1 deg C, prefers temperature to remain above 5 deg C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-27T17:29:02.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18137" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18128" CreationDate="2015-04-27T18:06:00.650" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends what time of year it was - if it was fall (autumn), the air had been still and cold, the leaves had already turned, and a wind or strong breeze arrived, it's entirely possible all the leaves would fall off in five minutes, never mind ten.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if the tree had been sick or very short of water, and the leaves had turned to brown, a sudden wind would dislodge them in short order. If you're saying the leaves were green and healthy and growing, and the tree was healthy, then that's a mystery... so yes, more info, in that case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-27T18:06:00.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5036" CreationDate="2015-04-28T00:33:19.283" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just a few corrections to the above: PLA is a polymer bioplastic which is made from starches (mostly corn in the US), so in theory, assuming it doesn't contain any harmful additives, it should be &quot;compostable&quot;  However, it's not likely to get hot enough to compost at any reasonable speed (if ever) in your home compost heap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I know, here in North America there aren't really any facilities accepting bioplastics for composting or recycling (though I could be wrong), so the reality of it is that it's just eco-chic, and probably just making a different kind of plastic garbage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11189" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-28T04:03:25.607" LastActivityDate="2015-04-28T04:03:25.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18140" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18141" CreationDate="2015-04-28T00:50:38.320" Score="5" ViewCount="3489" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a decent size vegetable garden and various annual flowers in my back yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently bought some solar lights and put it around the plants. The lights stays on all night long, and I wonder is having a light source around them 24/7 (sun in day time, solar lights at night) bad for plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11036" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-28T04:02:28.500" LastActivityDate="2017-03-08T11:36:20.500" Title="Will solar lights around my vegetables and flowers be bad for them?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18141" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18140" CreationDate="2015-04-28T01:00:23.403" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as the plants are concerned, it's still dark at night, unless you spent the price of a house on some &lt;strong&gt;very&lt;/strong&gt; abnormally large and bright solar lights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-04-28T01:00:23.403" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18142" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18144" CreationDate="2015-04-28T02:08:01.133" Score="2" ViewCount="2278" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nassella&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mexican feather grass&lt;/a&gt; from the clearance section so I know it's been taken care of, it's just a little droopy so it was heavily discounted. Since I thought I'd like it, I'd love to be able to get it to perk up. Right now it looks like a pony tail that's partly green, partly tan. My friend thinks it looks like Lady Gaga buried feet first. Hopefully it's not too late.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rFval.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas on how I can revive it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11177" LastEditorUserId="11177" LastEditDate="2015-04-28T16:14:23.017" LastActivityDate="2015-04-28T16:40:41.747" Title="How can I revive a wilted Mexican feather grass?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18143" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-28T03:31:24.760" Score="4" ViewCount="283" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some corn seed a few weeks ago and they began to germinate lately.&#xA;Then this evening, I found almost all of them got dug out!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The germinated seed are mostly left near the holes, but some of them are gone and there's no visible worm damage on the seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe it's the birds, but the holes are about 3 by 3 inches and 1 to 2 inches deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What dug them up also knew exactly where they are. I planted them 16 inches apart and almost all of them got dug up at exactly where the seeds are.&#xA;And I live in the rainy part of the US Pacific Northwest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WKAdu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e924m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TtOnU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11190" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-28T03:59:18.640" LastActivityDate="2015-04-28T12:36:58.840" Title="What could have dug holes in my corn garden?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;corn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18142" CreationDate="2015-04-28T09:53:59.027" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming you mean Nassella tenuissima 'Ponytails' - you haven't said what you intend to do with it, but I'm assuming its going outside, so plant it somewhere that's free draining but doesn't constantly dry out completely. Keep it watered initially until its settled in. If you're not putting it outside, turn it out of its pot and check whether it needs a larger container. Needs free drainage, so a container with holes is essential and don't leave it sitting in an outer tray or pot in water. Either comb or pull out dead brown parts, or cut it right down and let it grow again. Can be cut in April, and again in Fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully, this plant was in the clearance section only because it needs cutting back and may need repotting - if they cut it back, they're unlikely to get a buyer for it, so its not worth the effort to tidy it up. Either that or its one from last year that they've not tended this spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-28T16:40:41.747" LastActivityDate="2015-04-28T16:40:41.747" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18145" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5036" CreationDate="2015-04-28T10:17:47.900" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A recent (2015) study on additive based biodegradable plastics shows they don't biodegrade very well: &lt;a href=&quot;http://theconversation.com/additives-to-make-plastic-biodegradable-dont-cut-it-39212&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Additives to make plastic biodegradable don’t cut it.&lt;/a&gt; Hardcore version: &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es504258u&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Evaluation of Biodegradation-Promoting Additives for Plastics&lt;/a&gt; (Abstract only, but with &lt;em&gt;nice&lt;/em&gt; graph).&#xA;They tested two plastic types with five different kinds of biodegradation enhancers, sadly not named in the abstract, and found: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The results of the experiments can be summed up very simply: we found no evidence that the additives we tested resulted in any significant biodegradation of either the polyethylene film or the PET sheet in the environments we used. There were no significant differences between the samples with and without the additives, and no evidence of substantial biodegradation of any of the samples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe you'll get lucky, and the bags &lt;em&gt;your&lt;/em&gt; grocery store gives out will turn into prime compost within months, but as of 2015, the odds seem against that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2015-04-28T10:17:47.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18146" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18143" CreationDate="2015-04-28T12:36:58.840" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Best guess, lacking details: Corvids (i.e. members of the crow family - smart, large birds, with large beaks.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-04-28T12:36:58.840" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18147" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-28T13:21:31.863" Score="3" ViewCount="3109" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a basil plant that's getting plenty of sunshine (it's around 29 &amp;deg;C today, with clear skies). It's in a big pot, not shaded, and the soil is damp. We had a lot of rain a few days ago, and I've never seen this basil plant wilting. The leaves have been yellow in the past and then they turn green again, but a darker green, and now, when I rub the leaves, I get a smell that is sharp and unpleasant (but still somewhat like the basil smell we all know and love).&#xA;Is this a problem for the plant as a whole? Should I discard all affected leaves, or will they recover?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&#xA;The plant has not flowered, and the stems are all green and supple. Here are some photos for those who would like to take a look:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SWrM8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E2dlK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;I hadn&amp;#39;t noticed these marks before &quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11133" LastEditorUserId="11133" LastEditDate="2015-04-29T05:23:38.510" LastActivityDate="2021-05-16T05:07:37.213" Title="Why would my basil leaves have a sharp, unpleasant smell?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18148" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18155" CreationDate="2015-04-28T13:52:45.613" Score="3" ViewCount="464" Body="&lt;p&gt;I ordered a couple Meyer lemon trees online, and I'm hoping I can pull them off indoors with less than ideal light. One of the trees is offset with the main branch sealed. It's not the best look for a tree growing on my windowsill. I'm wondering if there's anything I can do to train it to grow up straight and healthy. Should I give it a crutch or will that hurt the little guy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Qk99.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bent Meyer Lemon&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="491" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T01:56:15.377" Title="My indoor lemon tree is an offshoot. What should I do?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18150" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18147" CreationDate="2015-04-28T15:30:44.063" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it smells &quot;off&quot; I'd discard the whole plant and start a new plant from seed (and not from its seed.) I have stressed basil in many ways and it has continued to taste good, so I think it's unlikely that it's a stress reaction or reversible. I'd go with &quot;a bad plant&quot; or &quot;a plant that's bad when mature, even if it was OK before maturity&quot; and change plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-04-28T15:30:44.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18153" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13949" CreationDate="2015-04-29T00:52:43.223" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The water is not lost when washing pot because if it's not salted and no oil is used, its fine to water non-potted plants with it, and therefore the water from the pot is re-used and the pot is just washed, versus if water was not re-used it would be wasted along with water to wash pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11195" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T00:52:43.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18154" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18156" CreationDate="2015-04-29T01:47:45.970" Score="3" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tjgg8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mLxpv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Base of plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's very fragrant. As you can hopefully see in the second photo, there are no thorns. The plant itself is looking a little out of control, like it could use some pruning. I'm just not sure how or when to go about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11081" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-07-17T01:48:42.693" LastActivityDate="2015-07-17T01:48:42.693" Title="What is this plant and how do I care for it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;peonies&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18148" CreationDate="2015-04-29T01:56:15.377" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure, loosely tie it to a chopstick or other support in two or three places and it will grow upright.  With good light you might get some buds off the trunk.  If that doesn't happen and it remains spindly you should move it to better light so it will assume the more natural bushy shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T01:56:15.377" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18154" CreationDate="2015-04-29T04:48:34.277" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peony&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Peony&lt;/a&gt;, a hardy perennial known for its fragrant blooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; in need of pruning, but in need of some support - these flowers may be heavy.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;A typical solution are plant supports: Wire &quot;rings&quot; or semi circles on stakes that keep the plant from &quot;flopping down&quot;, especially when blooms or heavy rain make them top heavy. The &quot;grow-through&quot; variety is sectioned within but must be put in place &lt;em&gt;before&lt;/em&gt; the plants are tall like yours.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;In a pinch, you can always use a few stakes and some string for support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peonies don't need much care: Don't plant them too deep or they won't flower (obviously not your problem), don't mulch at the base and fertilize with a good all-purpose fertilizer once or twice a year. You &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; cut spent blooms, but don't need to, the seed pods are sometimes quite attractive, too. (There is no accounting for taste, obviously.) In fall/winter the foliage will die back, leaving the spot bare, but it will re-grow in spring - surprising some unwitting gardeners like &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4031/is-this-a-desirable-plant-or-a-weed/4033#4033&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Enjoy your peony!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T04:48:34.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18157" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18161" CreationDate="2015-04-29T05:30:57.167" Score="5" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a first-time vegetable grower, and planted a lot of pepper seeds, both hot and normal. After some time, a few began to make shoots, so I transplanted them to a larger pot. &#xA;One of them was different, and I thought it was just a chilli plant. After some weeks, it's become almost undeniable, but I just want to make sure. Please could you look at this photo and confirm: is this grass? I'd hate to uproot a growing plant even more than I'd hate to have been carefully tending a blade of grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JZMig.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unrecognized plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11133" LastEditorUserId="866" LastEditDate="2015-04-29T13:26:35.237" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T13:26:35.237" Title="Have I carefully nurtured a blade of grass?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18158" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13949" CreationDate="2015-04-29T05:37:01.893" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The other answers give good advice, but nobody is mentioning the one fatal error that could be lurking unnoticed: &lt;strong&gt;make sure the water has had time to cool before pouring it on&lt;/strong&gt;. While you might have thought of this, new gardeners might not. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11133" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T05:37:01.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1761" CreationDate="2015-04-29T06:56:34.443" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had every kind of pest and didn't want to trash my babies. The only thing that has worked for me is to take them, pot and all, if small or if large, out of the pot wash roots and submerge them completely under water. I have a small creek by my home so it's convenient. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tubs will work just the same: bury them completely under the water, make sure not one leaf is sticking out and leave them for up to 4 hours. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Believe me, it's way better than spraying everything under the moon on them. That just weakens the plant and it loses leaves. Repeat if necessary for baby bug eggs being hatched. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have over 100 houseplants for 3 years now, fought every kind of bug and haven't lost one yet: it's the only way to go&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11196" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-29T13:51:37.560" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T13:51:37.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18161" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18157" CreationDate="2015-04-29T08:15:08.887" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Speaking from my experience (been growing peppers for three years), this is certainly not a pepper plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably you are indeed growing some grass, but I can't say which species that is ;-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3505" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T08:15:08.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18162" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18163" CreationDate="2015-04-29T11:16:08.930" Score="5" ViewCount="1426" Body="&lt;p&gt;After reading this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/18154/what-is-this-plant-and-how-do-i-care-for-it&quot;&gt;identification question&lt;/a&gt;, I remembered we had peonies in our back yard when I was a kid. I noticed a lot of ants would congregate on the plants and was worried they would destroy them. I talked to my Mom about it. She told me they shared a symbiotic relationship and to leave the ants alone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is this true? If so, what is this symbiotic relationship about?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9728" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T20:39:53.077" Title="Peony and Ant Symbiotic Relationship?" Tags="&lt;ants&gt;&lt;peonies&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18163" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18162" CreationDate="2015-04-29T11:54:19.670" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some varieties of paeony do attract ants, on the flower buds particularly. The buds excrete a type of sap that the ants find attractive and which they consume - once the flowers open, the ants disappear. It was once thought that the ants' activities on the buds were essential to their being able to open, but that myth has been debunked, they open with or without the presence of ants. They don't cause any harm, so its not necessary to try to get rid of them, but may be something some people might want to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T11:54:19.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18165" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18169" CreationDate="2015-04-29T15:10:41.813" Score="2" ViewCount="3322" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw this flower while walking outside and would be really interested in growing it in my garden. Can anyone tell me what it's called? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vNwY6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11199" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-04-29T15:46:14.607" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T16:27:01.673" Title="What is this yellow flowering mounded plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18166" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18167" CreationDate="2015-04-29T15:24:57.737" Score="3" ViewCount="1248" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw this flower while walking outside and would be really interested in growing it in my garden. Could anyone give me the name for them!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0EqDb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11199" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-04-30T05:04:30.523" LastActivityDate="2015-04-30T05:04:30.523" Title="What is this shrub-looking plant with large pink flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18167" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18166" CreationDate="2015-04-29T15:36:01.747" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia_japonica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Japanese Camellia&lt;/a&gt; (Camellia japonica), a close relative to Camellia sinensis, which produces green and black tea. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apart from long standing garden fame, it has been immortalized in art and literature, e.g. Dumas' &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_of_the_Camellias&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Lady of the Camellias&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T15:36:01.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18168" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19762" CreationDate="2015-04-29T15:55:59.543" Score="2" ViewCount="378" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant came with the house and I want to move it, but before I do I'd like to research it. Does anyone know what this plant is called? It's in Austin, Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w5Xd8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11177" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2015-04-29T16:11:50.483" LastActivityDate="2015-06-11T18:25:12.220" Title="What is this green, leafy, plant found in Austin Texas called?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18165" CreationDate="2015-04-29T16:27:01.673" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a Genista - as to which, that's the difficulty, deciding which one it is. Could be a Genista tricuspidata cultivar, Genista 'Porlock' or Genista tinctoria 'flore pleno' - there's a host of cultivars for this plant. Different varieties vary in height and spread between 0.5 metres up to 8 metres high and wide (genista aetnensis), though the most popular are the smaller cultivars - there are some with orange or reddish yellow flowers.  All flower in spring, with maybe a few flowers in autumn if you're lucky, and all prefer light, not too fertile soil that's free draining, and full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T16:27:01.673" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18168" CreationDate="2015-04-29T16:38:24.913" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like Spanish bayonet, Yucca aloifolia, or Yucca elephantipes. The first has thorns on the end of the leaves, the second one doesn't - but both usually make a woody stem, so this one's either been cut down, either deliberately or by winter, or its not a Yucca. Leaves look a little too stiff to be one of the Phormium cookanium varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T16:38:24.913" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18168" CreationDate="2015-04-29T16:39:02.700" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks to me like something in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_(plant)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dracaena&lt;/a&gt; genus, though I'm not sure specifically which species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10943" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T16:39:02.700" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18172" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3571" CreationDate="2015-04-29T17:14:11.930" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use the empty egg cartons to start my tomato plants from seed.  Once they have about 3 to 4 leaves I transfer them to a plant-n-drop carton, then plant directly into the garden when I know the frost has passed.  This has worked for me for the past five years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11201" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-04-30T00:45:05.907" LastActivityDate="2015-04-30T00:45:05.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18173" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8880" CreationDate="2015-04-29T20:34:06.750" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow Wax Jambu in the Bay Area.  They freeze outside in the winter, so I grow mine as a house plant in the sunniest window at my house.  It does great.  A big crop of fruit every year.  You don't want to let it dry out too much.  Down in Southern California, I've seen them thrive outdoors (in San Diego), but I don't think it will work so well outdoors in the Bay Area, unless you live in a microclimate that is especially warm.  It doesn't get too big in the pot indoors.  I think indoors, and in a 5 gallon, or so, container, it will stay smallish.  Yet it has grown nearly to the ceiling in just a few years.  We'll see what happens in the future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11202" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T20:34:06.750" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18162" CreationDate="2015-04-29T20:39:53.077" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a symbiotic relationship. The peony produces nectar from unopened buds that ants love to eat, much like Bamboo says. There are a few species of plants that produce nectar outside of their flowers to tempt ants to live nearby. In many of those species ants will feed on the nectar and while they are at it they will attack any other animals that might damage the plant by feeding on it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, the ants get an easy meal and the peony gets a dedicated team of bodyguards to keep their flowers from being eaten. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://indefenseofplants.tumblr.com/post/88298916670/it-is-just-about-that-time-when-peony-buds-burst&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-04-29T20:39:53.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18176" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-30T14:23:02.037" Score="2" ViewCount="1579" Body="&lt;p&gt;The flower bloomed. Here it is. This is morning glory right?&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yP91f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cqDknl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flower has not bloomed yet. This is the leaf:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yqtTbl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11204" LastEditorUserId="11204" LastEditDate="2015-05-01T00:32:52.883" LastActivityDate="2015-05-01T00:32:52.883" Title="What is this climbing plant with three-lobed leaves and furled petals?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18176" CreationDate="2015-04-30T14:53:27.457" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing Ipomea, probably I. indica, by the look of the furled flower, and the leaves do appear to have three lobes, at least, I think the one I can partially see does. As to which particular variety, need to see the flower open.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this plant isn't a climber/trailer/twiner, then this answer is wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: You've confirmed its a climber, it is one of the Ipomeas, commonly known as Morning Glory - there are many varieties with variously coloured flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-04-30T15:22:51.533" LastActivityDate="2015-04-30T15:22:51.533" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18179" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18182" CreationDate="2015-04-30T16:34:34.357" Score="3" ViewCount="336" Body="&lt;p&gt;Today morning I noticed a pair of snails on my spider plant. They were very tiny (Almost unnoticeable). I don't want to kill them however need to know if they could cause any harm to the plant. If yes please suggest a way to get rid of them. Today I just caught them on a piece of paper and threw away. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P.S: I have some other young plants in my balcony (hibiscus, chilli, fenugreek). Do let me know if not killing them could be a danger to these plants in future. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11148" LastActivityDate="2015-04-30T18:34:53.107" Title="Are snails on spider plant a problem and how to get rid of them." Tags="&lt;snails&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18180" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18183" CreationDate="2015-04-30T16:47:17.940" Score="12" ViewCount="38027" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there any way to tell if a cutting has put down roots?  I've had cuttings with healthy-looking green leaves that just never create roots (despite using root powder).  I'd like to discard cuttings that don't root, but I also don't want to break off young roots by tugging on the stems.  Is there any trick for this that won't injure the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8596" LastActivityDate="2019-11-07T18:59:16.277" Title="How can I tell when a cutting has developed roots?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18181" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18189" CreationDate="2015-04-30T17:31:17.727" Score="1" ViewCount="5144" Body="&lt;p&gt;First of all, I'm not a gardening expert so I don't know the correct terms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought some roses recently and I've put them next to my window. Their leaves are getting dry and their flowers are dropping, and I have used diazinon to kill the aphids (I apply it every week). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures of them (I've taken pics from behind my window so it's a bit dark):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5CYq5l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pic1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XJKt6l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pic2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LW578l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pic3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11205" LastEditorUserId="11205" LastEditDate="2015-05-02T13:23:46.003" LastActivityDate="2015-05-02T13:23:46.003" Title="Why are my rose flowers getting dry?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18182" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18179" CreationDate="2015-04-30T18:34:53.107" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends what the snails are doing - if they like a particular plant, they can decimate it completely, down to the ground. They seem to particularly like young shoots on favoured plants, so if you notice leaves disappearing or being chewed, then they'll be probably be the culprits. You can either inspect regularly and remove any you see, or use something that does kill them if their population becomes excessive. They tend to hide in shady, damper spots, so under the rims of pots, behind pots, that kind of thing. I'd recommend slug pellets to kill them, if you have such a thing available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-04-30T18:34:53.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18183" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18180" CreationDate="2015-04-30T19:43:37.420" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I assume you're talking about rooting plants in soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll describe the system I like to use, and tell you how I generally decide when they have roots. I imagine the way to tell may differ slightly depending on your rooting system, which is why I'm explaining mine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I pot the cutting in fresh seed-starting mix. I add a granulated 7-7-7 fertilizer and rockdust to the soil before potting, since seed-starting mix has pretty much no nutritional value. Whatever you do, don't add a fertilizer with higher nitrogen than potassium and phosphorus: this will not help the cutting root. I normally use a large cutting (4-16&quot; long) as opposed to a tiny one (about 2&quot;), although this should work for tiny ones, too. I usually put 3-4 inches of stem beneath the soil, but less has worked, too.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I water with water that has about a teaspoon of &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B004JD6MGK&quot;&gt;potassium sulfate&lt;/a&gt; per gallon of water. I actually water liberally, although that might sound counterintuitive for a cutting, and you probably don't need to water it so much. I believe the potassium sulfate makes it safer to use more water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep the cutting away from bright light for two days.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put the cutting in bright light after two days, and keep it there.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When the plant starts growing very noticeably, it probably has roots. (Cuttings usually won't grow much without roots; correct me if I'm wrong, but that has always seemed to be the case in my experience.) Given the bright light, this should not take a really long time (at least for the kinds of plants I've been propagating: tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, tomatillos, cucumbers).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't use potassium sulfate you can certainly &lt;em&gt;expect&lt;/em&gt; the cutting to wilt after two or three days. However, it should perk up again within a few more days, and by then it likely has roots. However, if you expose the cutting to bright light before two days have passed, it will likely wither fast and not recover, or else be stunted for a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like to use cuttings from indoor plants to avoid outdoor pathogens and insects (like aphids).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main obstacle I've found in rooting cuttings is damping off disease. This is why I use fresh seed-starting mix (to avoid the pathogens). I've heard sprinkling cinnamon on top of the soil helps, as an alternative to seed-starting mix, but I haven't tried this yet. I do know, however, that 2700k CFL bulbs help to ward off damping off, as does increased sunlight. So if you make sure some of the light you use on the third day is 2700k (not all of the light, though), it will probably increase your survival rates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Removing lots of leaves from your cutting prior to potting is not necessary if you keep it out of bright light for two days. Otherwise, it's pretty much essential, so as to simulate a less bright environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, with my method, you just tell if it has roots by whether it's growing or not. Also, the lack of damping off pathogens will greatly influence the odds of inevitable roots. Using my method above, I have never had damping off with my cuttings, and I have had a 100% success rate, so far, which I understand is remarkable. I don't guarantee you'll have a 100% success rate with this method. Without this method I have had maybe one out of twelve cuttings survive (including cuttings rooted in water, which also succumbed to damping off after potting, notwithstanding their elaborate roots), and then the only ones that survived had bright light on the soil to prevent damping off. Bright light on the soil may actually be all you need, but I would need to experiment with infected soil more to be sure, and it's perhaps a task to get bright light on the soil without getting it on the leaves the first two days. Maybe cinnamon would help there instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would further note that &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B004JD6MGK&quot;&gt;potassium sulfate&lt;/a&gt; will likely greatly increase your success rates, and rooting speed, too. I recommend it if you're into cuttings. I imagine it speeds root growth. It certainly makes plants stronger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You do not need hormone rooting powder with this method (at least  for tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, cucumbers and watermelons). You may or may not need it for other stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an alternative to this method, if you're taking cuttings of houseplants, like spider plants, golden pothos, aloe vera, ivy, creeping Charlie, wandering Jew, Christmas cactus, Easter cactus, and such, in my experience, rooting them in water and potting directly into potting soil afterward works reasonably well (at least it did when I was a teenager when I tried it last). When rooting in water you can see the roots to know they have roots, of course. Potting soil doesn't work so well with vegetables by comparison, probably due to the higher nitrogen content. I don't know if the potting soil I used as a teenager was pre-fertilized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should be noted that seed-starting mix and potting soil are not the same thing, even though they look pretty much the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-04-30T20:25:24.003" LastActivityDate="2015-04-30T20:25:24.003" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18184" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18192" CreationDate="2015-04-30T20:23:45.773" Score="1" ViewCount="190" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbor's Japanese red maple bush (tree) is hanging over my yard line and I'm planning on putting a fence up soon. I have to trim it back and here in Pennsylvania it is my legal right to do so, but I don't want to kill or harm the tree. I have to put the fence up soon because I have two large dogs and I don't want them following my kids out the front door and wandering off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to do this? Do I paint where I cut it back or let it go? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11206" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T15:09:25.047" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T15:09:25.047" Title="How should I trim back a neighbor's Japanese red maple bush?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;fence&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18186" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-04-30T23:57:52.647" Score="2" ViewCount="4114" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is my periwinkle. I watered it twice a day. Its hot weather here it Bangladesh. This plant is producing a lots of seeds but no flowers.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0WPJh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11204" LastEditorUserId="11204" LastEditDate="2015-05-01T13:08:16.857" LastActivityDate="2015-05-01T14:34:16.880" Title="Why isn't my periwinkle flowering?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18187" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-01T00:48:43.580" Score="7" ViewCount="6152" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought an orchid for a friend, but a bud stem broke off during transport. I gave out the plant but I still have the stem. The buds aren't very far along. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I do something with the stem to give it some life or is it a lost cause?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qxdhPm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Broken orchid stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9670" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-16T21:19:05.167" LastActivityDate="2016-03-18T20:43:28.700" Title="What can I do with a broken orchid stem?" Tags="&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18188" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18190" CreationDate="2015-05-01T01:23:39.413" Score="5" ViewCount="16494" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a rhododendron which was healthy last year, and produced gorgeous white flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G46Eu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G46Eum.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;In bloom June, 2014&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today I noticed that many of the leaves are turning yellow, and a section appears to have died. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qv7f0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qv7f0m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;Most of plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BNFSj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BNFSjm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;Close-up of dead part&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's plenty of new green growth, so perhaps it's just a natural part of its lifecycle. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vdT7N.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vdT7Nm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;New growth on top of old&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A large rhododendron a few feet away looks quite healthy, though, so I fear that's not the case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fhnlK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fhnlKm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;healthy plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see tearing along the edges of some of the leaves, causing me to wonder if it has some sort of infestation, however, I examined it closely and didn't see anything. We've cared for it pretty much within the parameters of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/4288/7305&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that our winter has been unusually harsh. We've had long cold spells, and a lot of moisture, mostly in the form of snow, which only melted a few weeks ago. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's wrong with my rhododendron? How should I proceed in order to help it thrive? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update-&#xA;My bush has been diagnosed with an infestation of Black Vine Weevil. See answer below for information. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T02:18:53.620" Title="How can I help a rhododendron with yellowing leaves and a dead section?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;rhododendrons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18189" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18181" CreationDate="2015-05-01T10:56:35.667" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Several things to say - first, if they're drying out as you describe, insufficient water might be the cause. Second, roses don't do that well in pots unless they're small roses - if your rose genuinely is Rosa chinensis, that one varies in size between 90 cm high and 30 wide up to 2 metres high and wide, depending on which cultivar you have. Hopefully, you have the smallest version, but even that will need a pot 2 feet deep by 12 inches wide. Roses like to put down at least one very long and deep root, usually 3 or 4, and that's something they can't do in a pot. They also prefer heavier soil, so don't use too light a potting compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the use of Diazon, can you not find a more suitable spray - this one works by disrupting the central nervous system of insects it comes into contact with. The trouble is, it disrupts the central nervous system of human beings too. It is also not systemic, it's a contact insecticide only, meaning it only kills insects it comes into direct contact with when you spray, and there is no residual effect, meaning you have to use it more often. If you're only using it to control aphid type insects, you'd be better off using neem oil mixed in a spray, at least that won't damage you, and you can use it frequently with significantly reduced ill effects on anything that's breathing. When you do spray, do it when not many insects are about, so around dusk is best, and don't spray when the rose is in full sunlight, best done when its shaded or the sun is no longer directly on the foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With regard to watering, the average rose likes a total of 90 inches of rain per year - increase your watering, but do not allow the pot to stand in any outer tray or container full of water - empty that after 30 minutes and again 30 minutes later if necessary. If, after a couple of weeks of increased watering, the leaves are still drying out, some shade from midday sun might be appropriate, although generally speaking, roses like as much sun as they can get.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Feed your roses too - I don't know what's available where you are, but you need a specialist rose food, one that's formulated only for roses, and use it as often as it says in the instructions on the box. Some are only to be used twice a year, depends what's in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-01T10:56:35.667" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18188" CreationDate="2015-05-01T11:12:25.607" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wonder whether you've had a very wet winter, or an usually cold one. I'm assuming this shrub was formerly healthy for some years, so this isn't a simple case of chlorosis - it looks, unfortunately, as if its got a fungal infection, probably at the root, causing the symptoms and die back at the top. You can try cutting it right back, in particular removing dead parts, but check the stems first, looking for any cankers that might be present. If you don't find anything and you do cut back, spraying with copper sulphate after flowering, or at least when it should have flowered, and probably again another couple of times, might help, but if its phytophthera infection, you may lose the shrub and it may spread to the others. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe you have (in the States) something called a local Cooperative Extension Office - it might be best to contact them so you can get a proper diagnosis from a professional, and a treatment plan, or at least a recommendation to remove any of your rhododendrons so affected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cankers usually look like sort of corky or knobbly swellings on the stems, often black, but not always, sometimes weeping, not always, occasionally they just look like black splits or lesions - the presence of these might indicate a particular form of phytophthera.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fact your winter was very cold could explain the chlorotic appearance and possibly the dieback - but lots of wet weather will encourage root rots (usually a different variety of phytophthera), to which these plants are susceptible, so its quite hard to be sure what exactly is going on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-01T15:21:37.617" LastActivityDate="2015-05-01T15:21:37.617" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18186" CreationDate="2015-05-01T11:19:14.463" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends which periwinkle you've got - there are two plants that are often called periwinkle. The first is Vinca (V. major or V. minor) and this one is a sprawly perennial which does well in shade, and flowers in early to mid spring. If this is the one you have, its likely its done flowering for this year, in which case, pull all the stems up into the air and chop them off to about 4/5 inches from the ground. This may induce a bit more flower as the stems grow again, or you'll get some more around autumn - just not so many as in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second periwinkle is Catharansus rosea - this is usually treated as an annual and flowers from spring through to summer. If this is the one you have, and you've only recently planted it, it will need frequent watering until its established, so if its short of water, that might be why its not flowering. Cut off spent flowerheads to save the plant putting energy into producing seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've recently planted the first type, Vinca, again, that will need watering during dry spells till its settled in, but more to keep the plant thriving rather than inducing further flowering now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER;&#xA;Now you've added a pic, I can say its Catharansus rosea - this plant prefers full sun, or half a day's sun at the least - without that, it flowers less readily. Your picture is out of focus in the centre of the top 3 leaves, where I can see what might be either seed pods or buds for flowers, hard to tell. Bear in mind that, for your plant to have produced seeds, it must have flowered, one follows from the other. If those are seed pods in the centre and not flower buds, then you've obviously had flowers recently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've had this plant a while, just check its not root bound and needs a bigger pot - its not looking particularly lush and healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-01T14:34:16.880" LastActivityDate="2015-05-01T14:34:16.880" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18192" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18184" CreationDate="2015-05-01T11:28:50.563" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;One thing about Maples, specially Japanese Acers - they should not be cut in spring/early summer because they bleed excessively. Once into July, its not such a problem. Given that's the case, it might be better to have a chat with your neighbour about how to manage the situation - you need to do your fence, and they need to protect their tree, and it might be possible for them, or both of you, to at least tie or prop the tree branches back or up a bit until the painting is complete. If you want to remove anything hanging over your boundary, best done after July or in Fall, when it won't harm the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-01T11:28:50.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18194" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-01T12:04:15.220" Score="1" ViewCount="307" Body="&lt;p&gt;I successfully removed 1/4 of the pit of a peach seed. About 1/2 a cm, what I was told is the root, grew out of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that 1/4 opening enough for the non-root part to grow out of it or should I take the risk of fully opening the pit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In other words, can the non-root part grow out of the same 1/4 opening of the pit or can it only grow out of the other side, which is still covered by the very tough pit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11209" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-01T14:36:39.150" LastActivityDate="2015-05-01T14:36:39.150" Title="How much of the peach pit must be broken for successful germination?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18195" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18197" CreationDate="2015-05-01T13:32:07.670" Score="3" ViewCount="611" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several chive plants in the garden. In the past, I've been able to use the chives before they started to bloom, but this year the plants are only 4inches tall and are already covered with buds. I grow them primarily as an herb, so the flowers are not a welcome sight. What can I do to discourage the plants from blooming so early in the future? I think a high nitrogen fertilizer might help, but are there other tricks I should know?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T13:37:46.997" Title="How can I discourage my chives from flowering?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18196" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18195" CreationDate="2015-05-01T14:11:31.973" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can simply use the flowers (as an herb) - they are one of the brief delights of springtime. Try a cracker with some cheese or yogurt and a chive flower for an easy approach to this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, cut off the budded stalks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-01T14:11:31.973" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18195" CreationDate="2015-05-01T14:11:33.400" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Difficult - in my experience, even if you keep cutting the buds off, they still keep coming, but I haven't been that rigorous about it. I guess if you kept cutting them back, it would stop trying to flower after four or so weeks, maybe, its a bulb after all, but you might find you get flowerheads in Fall instead/as well. I take it you don't like eating the flowers then? They are edible and have a faint onion taste, but it has to be said that their stalks (as I'm sure you know) become tough and not pleasant to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-01T14:11:33.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18198" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-01T14:21:12.387" Score="4" ViewCount="753" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are some wetlands in our subdivision which are overrun with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phragmites&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;phragmites&lt;/a&gt;. Some of these have established themselves in our neighbor's backyard and now they're spreading throughout our lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried pulling a couple of them out, but they have these hefty &lt;a href=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Phragmites_australis_rhizome_kz.jpg/240px-Phragmites_australis_rhizome_kz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;runners&lt;/a&gt; under the ground and pulling them out (when possible at all) totally rips up the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is our backyard. You can see the phragmites peeking over the top of the fence and shooting up in our lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9rS8F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;phragmites in lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a closer view.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K1xlo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;phragmites in lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to get rid of these? The only thing I can think of is to mow them down (again) and apply an herbicide (RoundUp? Rodeo?) directly to the stems with a sponge brush or dropper so I don't kill the grass, and possibly to try to put a barrier along the fence (which would probably involve trashing the lawn).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an additional complication, our yard appears to be poorly graded, so that corner of the yard is constantly soggy, which I'm sure the reeds love.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have suggestions? How can I get rid of these?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11081" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-01T14:47:55.677" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T19:37:04.047" Title="How do I get rid of phragmites in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18194" CreationDate="2015-05-01T14:26:13.873" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;None of the peach pit must be broken. Simply plant them in the fall, in the ground, and wait. Come spring, you will get some sprouts, and likely also some will fail to sprout, so plant more pits than you are trying to grow trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Evidently the odds of getting an acceptable/palatable peach from a seedling tree are a bit higher than for apples; in neither case will the seedling be the same as the parent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-05-01T14:32:34.270" LastActivityDate="2015-05-01T14:32:34.270" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18184" CreationDate="2015-05-01T18:35:33.490" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the first thing you should do is to talk to your neighbor about it. Instead of making extra work for yourself and potential creating a hostile neighbor, which no one likes, you should just go talk to your neighbor an tell them you intend to put up a fence. Be nice and explain that they have a shrub growing over the property line and that it needs to be trimmed back for the fence. Show them where the property line goes and how much of the plant you need trimmed back and ask them if they'd like to cut it or would they like you to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chances are, they won't trust you to get it as pretty as they like and will do the work for you. Even if a few wisps still stick onto your side, you can snip them off or just let them rub against the fence. If they say for you to, then try to do a descent job of it and if they don't like it, they can't complain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they try to pitch a fit and say you aren't touching their tree, then politely inform them of what the local law says about your ability to trim plants that encroach on your property and that you were trying to be friendly about it. If they keep on, don't argue, just go do what you need to do, to legally trim it up. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-05-01T18:35:33.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18201" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-02T00:20:16.900" Score="3" ViewCount="45" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some plants that I have started growing indoors, specifically jalapeño peppers and Walla Walla sweet onions.  I am worried that the containers I have them in are too small for them to develop well while still in their containers; however, their root base is nowhere near developed enough to hold the soil together when I transplant them.  To add to the situation, I planted them in very loose potting soil, which won't stick together on its own at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am wondering if there is any way I can safely transplant these plants without having to wait for the roots to grow in more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11211" LastActivityDate="2015-05-02T02:10:57.673" Title="Transplanting vegetables that don't yet have a good root base" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18202" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="18208" CreationDate="2015-05-02T01:38:06.487" Score="3" ViewCount="14973" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let's pretend that I, hypothetically, planted a couple of seedlings in a fairly small pot and waited too long with transplanting them to a larger one so that their roots were now completely entwined.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I wanted to give each plant more room, would there be there a way to do so without killing them off? How careful would one have to be with the roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the species matter for the discussion, let's say they were tomato plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11212" LastActivityDate="2017-05-01T19:08:39.050" Title="Separating plants with entwined roots" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18202" CreationDate="2015-05-02T01:55:12.047" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The older and wiser approach here is to face up to making a mistake and kill the weaker one (or one at random if they are the same) so that the other may live with minimal setback.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The younger and not quite as wise yet approach might try cutting the root mass in half with a sharpish knife, presuming that the majority of the roots for each plant will be in &quot;its half&quot; of the rootball. Both plants will be negatively impacted, but they might well live. As compared to the older and wiser approach they may end up behind as they overcome the damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-02T01:55:12.047" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18201" CreationDate="2015-05-02T02:10:57.673" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If they have not filled their current root zone, they are not yet in need of more root space. Just be careful about keeping them watered (one peril of small containers) and wait for more roots to form. Long term that will be more beneficial in reduced shock when they are transplanted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot-to-plant ratio is considerably more flexible than you might think. I have gotten &quot;end of the season sellouts&quot; in 1&quot; cells that were robust plants you might expect to see in a 4&quot; pot. And yours will be ready to move on long before that point, so they can get the benefit of more space. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-02T02:10:57.673" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18198" CreationDate="2015-05-02T03:46:24.387" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there downhill gradient along that fence that leads to an area where the water can be discharged?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig a ditch to provide drainage, you need to drop the water table.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Face the neighbors side with at least 18&quot; of a solid impervious barrier so the rhizomes can't penetrate and then dig the incursion out of your yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise as pointed out in the comment by Ecnerwal, create a decorative wetlands area and figure out how to put in a rhizome barrier to keep the reeds out of the rest of the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And thanks for the word of the day for what I've always called marsh reeds. Then there's tussocks and saw grass, at least you're not having to fend those off as well. If it gets damp enough, the horsetail starts to get hold as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2015-05-02T03:46:24.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4085" CreationDate="2015-05-02T07:32:25.000" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might consider another major soil substrate, or conditioner, named &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_peat&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;coco peat&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, which is famous for its air porosity, high water retention and root propagation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11213" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-05-02T10:57:56.917" LastActivityDate="2015-05-02T10:57:56.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18187" CreationDate="2015-05-02T07:47:46.837" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without knowing what type of orchid it is, it is hard to predict the chances for success. You could get some rooting powder you can pick up at a gardening supply store and try to stick it in some wet moss and wait to see what happens. Good Luck. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2015-05-02T07:47:46.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18202" CreationDate="2015-05-02T12:10:13.810" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Which plant you're talking about definitely makes a difference. How careful you have to be with the roots depends on the species. Some are very sensitive and some are not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With tomatoes, if your plants are healthy and are not tiny, you can just pull one of them up like a weed and repot it. (Tomatoes are very lenient with their roots.) Then water the old one and make sure soil is covering its roots. They should both live and be fine. They should develop new roots quickly. I've done this a fair amount. It works with tomatillos, too. It may stunt peppers for a while, but that can be overcome with the right nutrients and growing conditions. Potassium sulfate is an example helpful nutrient. Bright light (after the plant has adjusted a little, and not before) is an example helpful growing condition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not saying pulling it up like a weed and repotting it is the ideal and best way to do this, but it certainly works with tomatoes and tomatillos. If you don't have potassium sulfate and you want to be extra careful, you can put the one you separate out in water for a couple days. This will help the roots to grow out and recover a little, and the transplant shock shouldn't be as bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might think this is a lot like taking a cutting, but your success rates will be higher here than with a cutting, even if there's damping off in the soil and there are hardly any roots on the plant. (This information comes from my experience. I'm not sure why this is true, though. I guess broken roots are different than a snipped stem without roots.) Nevertheless, I would avoid the damping off pathogens to be safe, if you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other plants may not be so forgiving as tomatoes, tomatillos and peppers. Tomatoes, tomatillos and peppers all grow roots all along their stems (not just at the leaf nodes). They have a big advantage. So, replant them deeper, unless they're grafts. You don't want the portion above the rootstock under the soil or else it may defeat the purpose of using a disease resistant rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now for somewhat trickier plants, I would guess (and for now, this is just an educated guess based on what I've seen with less tricky plants in various situations) that the following would help: after separating your plants, soak both of their roots in water for a couple days and repot them afterward. If they survive in water for two days (which they just might in water, more easily than they would survive in soil directly after being disturbed), they'll likely survive the transplant afterward. Give them potassium sulfate (maybe even in the water while soaking, too). It reduces transplant shock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you separate them and you don't soak them in water, make sure to keep them out of bright light for one or two days (and put them back in bright light afterward, if that kind of plant likes bright light). If you do soak them in water, they may not be as bothered by light, but watch for wilting just in case. When light makes a plant wilt, that's very bad. Take the plant out of the light ASAP.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't guarantee this would work for trickier plants, but I would try it if I could afford the risk. In fact, I'm going to. I've got some eggplant, ground cherry and litchi tomato plants that are in this situation. None of them seem to grow root nodules along the stem in humid conditions like tomatoes do, and I've heard some of them (litchi tomatoes and ground cherries) are difficult to transplant. After my soil amendments arrive (worm castings, mycorrhizae and more potassium sulfate), I can try it out. Rather than repotting after soaking, I want to plant them outside, since I'm low on space, soil, containers, and time. They'll probably be covered with milk jugs afterward (so hardening off shouldn't be a huge deal). I try to avoid hardening off where possible, but I'm not saying you should. Anyway, I should be able to add more to my answer in a week or two. Feel free to remind me in a comment if I forget.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For much trickier plants, or if you just want to know for sure that you'll save one plant, you might be better off snipping one off and treating it as a cutting. The other one should be fine, in this case. However, for the one you cut off, I would personally try to cut it off so low that you get at least a root or two. Then your odds of success with that 'cutting' will be much better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternately, you could just leave both plants together forever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-05-02T22:50:58.043" LastActivityDate="2015-05-02T22:50:58.043" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18209" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3767" CreationDate="2015-05-02T14:46:34.533" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Put on a pair of thin vinyl or latex gloves. Wet your fingers with gloves on in a small bucket of Roundup weed killer. Gently wipe your fingertips over the grass blades. Of course try to avoid touching the sedum. It won't require much, just wet the grass blades and the Roundup will kill the grass and leave the sedum alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11215" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-05-02T21:19:40.863" LastActivityDate="2015-05-02T21:19:40.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="18210" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19229" CreationDate="2015-05-02T18:20:05.573" Score="5" ViewCount="3710" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been keeping 3 plants of pink anthurium in my apartment - bought at different points of time from different shops, all plants initially healthy. All three however end up showing the same symptoms: leaves start turning brown at the tip, eventually killing the leaf. The plant themselves sprout new leaves but quite slowly, with a lot of &quot;stumps.&quot; Moreover, some young leaves already have brown tips (see photos).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I try to water them once or twice weekly (although I tried changing the regime and doing it once weekly) and spray them every 2-3 days but it doesn't seem to help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One more data point: the apartment doesn't get &lt;em&gt;a lot&lt;/em&gt; of sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I treating the plants wrong? Please help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9tyQv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oXgDi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11216" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T16:16:40.760" Title="Pink Anthurium in apartment - leaves turning brown and dying" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19210" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="904" CreationDate="2015-05-02T21:45:52.357" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know some folks will say this idea hurts trees because it may limit rainwater reaching the healthy roots but trust me, it works and I have not lost a tree yet!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Purchase some thin sheet aluminum. Mine came in a roll about 14&quot; wide, not sure of the mil thickness but it probably was used for roofing. Cut a piece that is about twice the diameter of the tree.  Then, with a pair of tin snips, cut a semi circular hole the diameter of the tree on one side of the sheet while being careful not to get cut on the sharp cut edges. Repeat with another sheet and place both sheets on the ground around the trunk of the tree. Depending on the size of the trunk, you may have to adjust the size of the sheets and the size of the hole. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cover the aluminum with a thin layer of dirt, mulch, etc.  If you are worried about water not reaching the roots, perhaps punch a few holes in the sheets, but BEWARE, those nasty suckers may find the holes (:-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11218" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-05-04T06:41:25.100" LastActivityDate="2015-05-04T06:41:25.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19211" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-02T23:26:57.023" Score="5" ViewCount="150" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a friend who left a Redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum) sapling out in the cold and snow a few months ago. It's still alive- it has some green needles still- but it's slowly getting browner and browner. What can be done to revitalize it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's about 8 inches tall, and under 6 months old. It's been in its current pot for about 2 months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Edxuw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of the tree&quot;&gt;&#xA;Here's a picture of the tree. It looks like it's planted in sand, which would be bad, but it's an even mixture of sand, potting soil, and mulch. The soil and mulch has just been washed below the sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10834" LastEditorUserId="10834" LastEditDate="2015-05-05T18:02:33.317" LastActivityDate="2016-06-06T14:19:50.640" Title="Saving a Tree With Frost Damage" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;frost&gt;&lt;recovery&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19212" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19214" CreationDate="2015-05-03T01:53:59.067" Score="2" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to grow hot peppers seedling in 16 oz cups.  I made the mistake (did I?) of putting 3-4 seedlings in each cup, mainly because I sprouted too many seeds.  In a few cups I have 2 seedlings growing about 1&quot; tall, in others I have 3.  My plan was to transplant these to larger pots once they grow a few inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do about multiple seedlings spaced close together, as in less than an inch apart?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am unsure if I should leave them alone or do something like cut the ones that are anything less than the tallest in each cup, which would mean that the tallest one survives and the rest decompose...  Separating the seedlings would lead to many more plants than I can probably afford in terms of space...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any opinion would be appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh these are hot peppers: Thai dragon hybrid, Another Thai variation, habanero, and I think Guntur sannam chilies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11184" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-05-04T02:02:12.800" LastActivityDate="2015-05-04T02:02:12.800" Title="What should I do with hot pepper seedlings which are less than an inch apart?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19213" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-03T05:24:20.633" Score="4" ViewCount="635" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a 72-spot tray with a variety of things, mostly herbs, some veggies. I've had only a handful of things germinate. About 10-12 of the peat pellets have sprouted. I'm concerned that I probably planted the seeds too deeply, so I'm wondering how I can fix this? The tray has been planted for about 2 weeks, perhaps a little more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it likely that the ungerminated seeds are mouldy by this point? Should I leave them undisturbed in the environment they're in and keep hope that they'll pop up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Environment: Basement, in my computer server room.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Temperature: 81F (held constant by environmental control equipment)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Relative humidity: 34% (but the plastic lid is on)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lighting: Four 32-watt T8 fluorescent bulbs hanging about 3&quot; over the tops of the seed trays.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeds planted:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tomato&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Basil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kale&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fennel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cucumber&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Artichoke&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Winter squash&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;others&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For comparison, here is a different seed tray with some different stuff planted, but the seeds are nowhere near as deep; they are almost sitting on the surface. This second seed tray is in the exact same environment, the only major difference is the planting depth. Both trays have a wide variety of stuff in them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I have a web cam taking 1 picture of my seed tray every minute, to be compiled into a time-lapse video after I'm done growing stuff)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Taken at 2015-05-01 23:00&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T5Otw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;other tray #1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Taken at 2015-05-02 11:00 (12 hours later)&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2U99M.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;other tray #2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11109" LastActivityDate="2015-06-03T02:39:02.300" Title="I think I planted seeds too deep in Jiffy7 peat pellets - How do I fix this?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19214" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19212" CreationDate="2015-05-03T08:48:22.650" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Strictly speaking, you have already given the answer to your question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Separating the seedlings would lead to many more plants than I can probably afford in terms of space...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In that light, the answer would be to kill all but the strongest seedling of each cup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If have enough space to accomodate some more peppers, you could carefully try to separate the seedlings after they have grown one or two pairs of &quot;normal&quot; leaves, and plant them into their own pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How to do this? There are different opinions on that. Some recommend just separating the plants by cutting the roots between them. However, I generally try to hurt the roots as little as possible and gently wiggle them until I can easily separate them. This might be preferrable with such a small distance between the plants as otherwise you could risk cutting too much of the root system. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/18202/separating-plants-with-entwined-roots&quot;&gt;This question &lt;/a&gt; offers some more insights regarding that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3505" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-05-03T09:23:50.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19215" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2015-05-03T08:58:19.783" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2015-05-03T08:58:19.783" LastActivityDate="2015-05-03T08:58:19.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19216" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2015-05-03T08:58:19.783" Score="0" Body="questions about a body of standing water, either natural or artificial, that is usually smaller than a lake. Usually ponds contain shallow water with marsh and aquatic plants and animals." OwnerUserId="10904" LastEditorUserId="10904" LastEditDate="2015-05-04T02:01:56.293" LastActivityDate="2015-05-04T02:01:56.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19217" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2015-05-03T09:00:29.527" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2015-05-03T09:00:29.527" LastActivityDate="2015-05-03T09:00:29.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19218" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2015-05-03T09:00:29.527" Score="0" Body="Water is a transparent fluid which forms the world's streams, lakes, oceans and rain, and is the major constituent of the fluids of living things." OwnerUserId="10904" LastEditorUserId="10904" LastEditDate="2015-05-04T02:03:57.573" LastActivityDate="2015-05-04T02:03:57.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19219" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1738" CreationDate="2015-05-03T13:07:33.720" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can &lt;strong&gt;of course&lt;/strong&gt; leave any organic medium out of your soil mix!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is how lots of vegetables etc. are grown professionally, even many bonsais.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, you will have to modify your fertilizing and watering scheme accordingly:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water thouroughly, typically daily. Do not just wet the substrate, but have the water flow right through the pot. This will also flush out any surplus fertilizer and prevent the substrate becoming salt-laden.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilize regularly and heavily, typically two to four times the amount prescribed. Liquid fertilizers are easiest to use for that purpose.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;strong&gt;will&lt;/strong&gt; work with all kinds of inorganic substrate, from stone-wool to lava, pumice, clinoptilolite, crushed bricks, &amp;hellip; and lead to fine, healthy roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also make sure, that your mineral substrate does not contain any dusty fractions, e.g. by sieving or intensive flushing before planting. No particle should be less than 2-3 mm in diameter. A good size for small pots is approx. 4 mm, for large pots 8 mm or even some more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you insist on using organic material, you might also try a compound, which does not decompose too fast, e.g. crushed pine bark. Coir does decompose rather fast, especially, if it is fine. This will clutter up your substrate in time, which is suboptimal for the root system due to the fine roots not getting enough air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11221" LastActivityDate="2015-05-03T13:07:33.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19220" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19231" CreationDate="2015-05-03T18:09:58.240" Score="2" ViewCount="467" Body="&lt;p&gt;I discovered the nectarine below with some small black ants eating the raw flesh. I'm trying to work out if the ants ate through the skin and are the sole cause or if this was started by a bird or a different insect. I guess that my question is: Can this type of ant eat through the skin of a nectarine and are they the pest that needs to be controlled or is it something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: Phoenix, AZ&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Date: 3-May-2015&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Fruit/tree: Arctic Star Nectarine&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VuaEa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2015-05-04T17:07:10.357" Title="Ants, birds or another insect eating the fruit?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19221" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-04T00:15:31.903" Score="4" ViewCount="565" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my central Pennsylvania lawn I don't have any Bermuda, but I do have two or three types of grass. They're all different shades of green and grow at different rates. What's the best way to get a consistent look?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11224" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-05-04T06:39:56.847" LastActivityDate="2015-07-08T16:41:45.013" Title="My lawn has many kinds of grass, with no Bermuda. How can I get a consistent look?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19222" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19213" CreationDate="2015-05-04T02:25:39.987" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wait, or plant new seeds higher up (leave the ones below), or toss the pellets and start new ones with seeds higher up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FWIW, in an earlier question on sprouting basil, particularly, I found some research that indicated variable (cooler in dark period) rather than steady temperatures and 16 (13?) rather than 24 hours of light were beneficial, at least for basil. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/16262/basil-catnip-fail-to-germinate&quot;&gt;Basil &amp;amp; Catnip Fail to Germinate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-05-04T02:25:39.987" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19223" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2015-05-04T06:23:41.743" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a special tag that is designed to be used only by the system for questions that have had all of their other tags removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All questions in the system must have at least one tag. Normally, it is not possible to submit new or edited questions that do not have tags; the system will reject the submission until a valid tag is applied.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few unusual situations that can cause this tag to be applied. When a tag has existed for six months and only been used on one question, and no tag wiki has been created for the tag, the system deletes the tag. When the community decides that a given tag can never be appropriate &amp;#8212; for example, because it is misspelled or is off-topic &amp;#8212; moderators may remove the tag from the site &lt;em&gt;en masse&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When one of these deletions removes the last tag from a question, the system adds the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/untagged&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;untagged&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;untagged&lt;/a&gt; tag to that question so that the &quot;all questions must have at least one tag&quot; rule is not broken.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can help clean up some of these questions! If they're good questions, edit them to remove the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/untagged&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;untagged&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;untagged&lt;/a&gt; tag and add more descriptive tags. If they're not so good, use the usual tools: downvoting, flagging and voting to close/delete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10904" LastEditorUserId="10904" LastEditDate="2015-05-22T09:57:59.673" LastActivityDate="2015-05-22T09:57:59.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19224" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2015-05-04T06:23:41.743" Score="0" Body="This is a special tag that is designed to be used only by the system for questions that have had all of their other tags removed. Do not add this tag to existing questions, it is reserved for use by the system to identify posts with no valid tags." OwnerUserId="10904" LastEditorUserId="10904" LastEditDate="2015-06-05T10:20:50.607" LastActivityDate="2015-06-05T10:20:50.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19225" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2015-05-04T06:26:43.977" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2015-05-04T06:26:43.977" LastActivityDate="2015-05-04T06:26:43.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19226" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2015-05-04T06:26:43.977" Score="0" Body="For questions about how to use or store rain water or about how to do landscaping in a rainy climate." OwnerUserId="17229" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2021-03-08T12:35:09.873" LastActivityDate="2021-03-08T12:35:09.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="19227" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2015-05-04T06:29:41.197" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2015-05-04T06:29:41.197" LastActivityDate="2015-05-04T06:29:41.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19228" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2015-05-04T06:29:41.197" Score="0" Body="For questions about what plants to grow in specific climates or how different climates affect different plants or landscaping elements." OwnerUserId="17229" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2021-03-08T12:34:33.297" LastActivityDate="2021-03-08T12:34:33.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="19229" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18210" CreationDate="2015-05-04T12:44:21.253" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is difficult to say as some of the more obvious problems are not apparent:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I don't see any sign of scale or thrip&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the portions of the leave that are browning do not look like they have a fungus or virus&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no signs of nutritional deficiency&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest that over watering might be the cause.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;provide more light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ensure good drainage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water thoroughly and let the top inch of the medium dry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-05-04T12:44:21.253" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19230" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19233" CreationDate="2015-05-04T13:02:12.273" Score="3" ViewCount="328" Body="&lt;p&gt;I hired a less than spectacular gardener to do a brand new landscaping job for my house after it was built about 3 years ago.  Since then almost half of the 30 some plants and trees he had put have died or are very unhealthy.  He has long been out of the picture.  Likewise, of the 10 plants that I had personally placed, only one had died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently dug up two of his dead Dogwood trees and noticed that the root system seemed to be surrounded by rusted steel wire.  Is this normal to plant a dogwood with this surrounding the roots?  I can understand it being there to hold the roots and dirt in place over transport but shouldn't he have removed the wire before planting it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this normal for a landscaper to do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1285" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-05T03:41:20.467" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T03:41:20.467" Title="Did my Dogwood die because it was planted with wire around the roots?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19231" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19220" CreationDate="2015-05-04T15:19:33.827" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fruit will have been damaged by something else - the ants are simply attracted by the sweetness inside the fruit, so they're just being opportunistic. Ants may have been present on the tree already for another reason though - aphid infestation attracts them because they like the honeydew aphids produce, but they only go for the fruits when they're already 'open' because they're damaged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-04T17:07:10.357" LastActivityDate="2015-05-04T17:07:10.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19232" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19230" CreationDate="2015-05-04T16:06:49.067" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know if it is normal, but it isn't uncommon. Ideally the entire cage would be removed during planting because it can cause problems years down the line if roots grow around and through the cage. Often only the top half of the cage is removed since most trees will do most of their rooting closer to the surface. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't expect the cage itself to be a problem within three years, though. Without photos and more of a description of the plants' declines, it would be hard to say exactly what might have happened. But here are some possibilities:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Holes not dug properly, leaving the ball too deep or the hole filling up with water after rain or watering. Better to have the ball too high than too deep.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not enough water?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Roots not penetrating surrounding soil - tree not becoming acclimated. This is a big problem when planting into dry, clayey soil. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Poor plant material to begin with. May have been dug at the wrong time, overwintered in the basket above ground, shoddily balled.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What else did you notice when you dug up the balls - had any roots left the basket? Was there still burlap in place? Had the burlap been untied from around the trunk?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-05-04T16:06:49.067" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19233" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19230" CreationDate="2015-05-04T16:32:11.397" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wire cages are most often used for large diameter trees. At that size of root ball (two feet in diameter or more) it is often impossible to remove the wire cage without the root ball crumbling and doing damage.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Landscapers should remove at least the top row of the cage so it does not poke out of the ground and act as a safety hazard.  The rest is left in place and does not seem to impair plant health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other times I have seen wire used for smaller specimens is when the grower is using sand as the substrate for the plant.  Easy to dig up and move but has it's implications for plant health if the soil it is planted in is clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In summary, this is not a bad practice. The tree failure is more likely to be caused by other issues.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have clay soil or poor drainage this could be a likely cause.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mechanical damage by banging the trunk on the edge of wheelbarrow or pickup body is invisible at planting time but can weaken a plant over time due to the damage it creates under the bark.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-05-04T16:32:11.397" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19234" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-04T16:50:10.960" Score="2" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a red Acer tree about two to three feet tall, two Hydrangeas and a Buddleia all of which appear to be dying, leaves shrivelling up.  We have just returned from a week away and are horrified to see what has happened. It looks like Ash dieback but I realise it can't be that.  One Hydrangea is in a large pot, and everything else is planted in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions on how we can solve this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11226" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-04T16:53:06.037" LastActivityDate="2015-05-04T16:53:06.037" Title="All our garden plants appear to be dying" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2015-09-14T15:10:01.630" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19235" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19252" CreationDate="2015-05-04T17:50:07.303" Score="4" ViewCount="908" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased a house last November with a beautiful tree in the front yard. I don't know what breed it was, but I believe that it might have been a type of plum tree. (see photo at bottom)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, that tree turned out to be completely covered in black knot fungus (looked like poop turds hanging from branches). After consulting with a few people, it was decided that the tree had to come down, as the fungus was on all limbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree was fairly young (~10 yrs from what the neighbors tell me). I cut the tree down a few weeks ago and am now considering replanting another tree in its place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to remove the roots completely, or should grinding the stump down, say 4&amp;quot; down be ok?  Is the fungus something that could be still 'living' in the roots of the old tree, and could it possibly infect a new tree that I plant in the same place? If so, what can I do, short of trenching out all the old roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bhL5O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My unidentified tree&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11227" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T12:09:32.377" Title="Will black knot fungus harbor in the roots of a recently cut down tree and infect another tree planted in its place?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19236" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19249" CreationDate="2015-05-04T18:00:10.867" Score="3" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;This question is accompanied by this previous question...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/19230/dead-dogwood-trees-dug-up-with-steel-wire-cage-around-the-roots&quot;&gt;Did my Dogwood die because it was planted with wire around the roots?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So clearly my two dead Dogwood trees didn't do so hot in clay.  The previous landscaper recommended them and planted them but just tossed a bunch of clay on top of the root ball and sent me the bill.  When I asked about why they quickly became so sickly he accused me of not watering them and refused to follow up on his guarantee to replace any dead plants in the first 2 years.  I watered them for hours everyday when it didn't rain and they were pretty sickly that first year regardless.  They never came back the next spring.  The previous answers to my question suggested that Dogwoods just don't do well in clay so I blame my landscaper for not knowing better when he was clearly aware of the clay situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I dug them out as well as about 10 other dead plants and shrubs he originally planted, and I wanted to put the following plants in their place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Green seed rollouts of Lavender&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2 Crepe Myrtle's&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A bunch of small flower plants that won't come back next year&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice to ensure the best success with these plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1285" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T11:07:30.950" Title="Dead Dogwood post-mortem: How to ensure these next plants do better in clay" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;clay&gt;&lt;lavender&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19237" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19243" CreationDate="2015-05-04T20:02:58.867" Score="2" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't tell the difference between plants and weeds. I want to weed my garden before I plant anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click for their original sizes&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rnMjg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rnMjgm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;weeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2zkWJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2zkWJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;weeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11229" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-05-05T17:49:39.740" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T17:49:39.740" Title="Are all these weeds?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19238" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-04T20:08:03.733" Score="6" ViewCount="239" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did a soil test and it says that I have lots of P and K but very little N. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of fertilizer is best to use to replace the nitrogen in my soil? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is almost time to plant, and I am already planning on using manure, probably a combination of sheep and cow. I compost and add that to the garden every year as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11230" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-04T21:57:47.390" LastActivityDate="2015-07-08T05:49:11.747" Title="How should I fertilize to increase the Nitrogen in my soil?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19239" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19245" CreationDate="2015-05-04T21:41:57.770" Score="3" ViewCount="296" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a west-oriented balcony where I would like to grow a climbing plant, to separate my balcony from the neighborhood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I found that most of the climbing plants like ivy are poisonous or at least a bit toxic for a cat. Another plant is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cissus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cissus alata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; but it's more for interiors: outdoor conditions in my &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krak%C3%B3w#Climate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;country&lt;/a&gt; (-10 to +20 Celsius degrees) might not be good for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you recommend any climbing plant for my place?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11231" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-04T22:01:49.487" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T02:14:32.143" Title="What climbing plant can I grow on my balcony that's not poisonous to cats?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19240" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19250" CreationDate="2015-05-04T22:38:33.010" Score="3" ViewCount="202" Body="&lt;p&gt;When chilies are cross pollinated amongst different cultivars, it's unclear whether the seeds will be true to the parent generations or something new entirely as I understand it as it depends on if the dominant or recessive genes were expressed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it the case though that all seeds coming from the same pepper fruit exhibit the same characteristics?  Ie, are the seeds of that fruit copies of each other ignoring the possibilities of mutations?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11184" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T11:21:41.893" Title="Hot pepper hybrids: are the seeds of the same fruit the same?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;hybrids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19241" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19238" CreationDate="2015-05-05T00:55:27.913" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on what has been put in it compost can have anywhere from very little to quite a lot of nitrogen. Dense materials like wood chips or straw have enough Carbon that they will bind any nitrogen in the mix. Other materials like grass clippings can be richer in Nitrogen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Animal manure nutrients are heavily dependent on the animal's diet and how fresh it is. Fresher manure will tend to be higher in Ammonia-Nitrogen as that volatilizes quickly if it is not taken up by a plant or mixed into the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In either case, you will be getting some amount of Phosphorous and Potassium by the simple nature of composts and manures. If you were looking at purchasing fertilizer, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1936/what-do-the-numbers-in-the-names-of-indoor-liquid-fertilizers-mean&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; does a very good job of explaining how fertilizer labels work. If you're just looking for Nitrogen remember that the label for fertilizers are Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium. Any fertilizer with a high number in the first position will be mostly Nitrogen. Be careful what you buy at the store though, I once almost bought a bag of lawn fertilizer that was labeled 24-0-0, then fortunately noticed it was Lawn Weed-and-Feed and contained enough herbicides to kill my garden dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T00:55:27.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19242" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19237" CreationDate="2015-05-05T01:04:46.913" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Weeds are in the eye of the beholder...the top picture has a varigated hosta (large leaves with white edges to the left side of the picture.) Some of the other stuff here strikes me as things that could go either way on the weed/flower scale depending what you want, but I can't put a name to them from the picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well, I can name the gill over the ground, but I can't as easily point it out - I guess it's most of the blue flowers in the top picture. I consider it a weed in most places, but it's a wildflower to some people. It's in both your pictures but in the bottom one it's intergrowing with something that might be dianthus/pinks (or not.) I'm more prone to calling those a flower but have to weed them out of some areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bottom picture also has foliage on the right side that looks like flowering bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-05-05T12:07:33.363" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T12:07:33.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19237" CreationDate="2015-05-05T01:08:05.760" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Firstly, my favorite bit of advice on weeds: ANY plant that is in a place you don't want it, is a weed. That said, I would label most of what I see here as weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Going through the first picture, along the top the grassy-plants appear to be bluegrass. Not terribly attractive at any point, I'd get rid of it. The plant with the blueish purple flowers on the right side is Creeping Charlie (or ground ivy, or gil over the ground, it has many names), it spreads by runners along the ground and will tend to take-over any open expanse of soil it is allowed to touch. I'd rip that out and plan on taking out any escapes for several years (it can grow back from a very small amount of root structure left behind). The plant on the lower left hand side of the picture that trails out across the rocks is chickweed, it's less aggressive than the others but also not very attractive either. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The one thing I can definitely ID as something that was planted on purpose is in the middle left side of the picture. Those big leaves that are curled in on themselves pointing straight up are Hostas. They are a shade-loving perennial plant that is mostly grown for their leaf patterns. The Hostas are probably the only plant in that picture I would keep around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second picture is a little harder to tell, but those five petaled white flowers appear to be Moss Phlox. I have limited experience with them, but they seem pretty enough to keep if they aren't in the way of anything you'd prefer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T01:08:05.760" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19238" CreationDate="2015-05-05T01:35:30.863" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends - if you are chemical fertilizer user, 45-0-0 urea might be an approach, or any other X-0-0 fertilizer, with application rate depending on &quot;X&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the more organically minded but not strict vegans, blood meal is one good high-nitrogen choice, as are various fish-derived fertilizers or &quot;trash fish&quot;/fish waste. They may be relatively expensive, and can smell not very nice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alfalfa meal is another possible choice, though it has relatively more P&amp;amp;K than the other two. Soybean meal and cottonseed meal are other possible choices. Soybean meal may be the most affordable option other than manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chicken manure has relatively more nitrogen than most other manures (but that can sometimes be a problem of having too much.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T01:35:30.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19245" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19239" CreationDate="2015-05-05T02:06:55.577" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If an annual is OK, any of the climbing/pole beans - obviously you'd prefer a perennial from the other plants mentioned, but they can be decorative and fairly lush pretty quickly - as well as providing some food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hmm - a climbing rose might work. Non-toxic to cats, and there are certainly varieties that are hardy enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hardy Kiwi has cats listed as a possible pest (evidently it's got some catnip-like scent) but I didn't see anything suggesting it was bad for the cats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-05-05T02:14:32.143" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T02:14:32.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19246" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9683" CreationDate="2015-05-05T02:32:57.777" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The same thing was happening with my chocolate mint plant. It might not be this easy in your situation but I just had to move it outside, put it in a bigger container, and then water a little more frequently. If your base is brown, your plant is probably dead. However, before you throw it out, check for new growth and the bending of the stem and branches. If your branches bend, your plant is hanging in there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11233" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-05-05T03:40:07.823" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T03:40:07.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19247" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-05T02:48:56.000" Score="2" ViewCount="1198" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted these jalapenos about a month ago.  I am growing them indoors before I transplant them to my outdoor garden.  They've been doing fine until the last day or two, when the leaves have started to turn yellow and even brown.  I water them about once a day, maybe a little less often.  They are planted in Miracle Gro Seed Starting Planting Mix.  I have taken them outside a few times to help them get used to the outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Extra info that seems relevant based on the responses I'm getting:  I live at an elevation of about 200 feet in the Northern hemisphere, 40 degrees north.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See the pictures below.  Please note these are two different plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aNW8y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;One of my jalapeno plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6MKKn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The other one&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11211" LastEditorUserId="11211" LastEditDate="2015-05-05T14:25:06.413" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T14:25:06.413" Title="Why are my jalapeno seedlings turning yellow?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;jalapenos&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19236" CreationDate="2015-05-05T11:02:00.203" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, Cornus varieties do very well in heavy, clay soils, so your gardener wasn't wrong about that. Some varieties prefer neutral to acid conditions, others neutral to alkaline, and you haven't said which you were growing. Secondly, they also like rich, fertile soil, so its not clear whether your soil was enriched or emended prior to planting with humus rich materials such as well rotted animal manure. If your landscaper simply dug a hole in solid clay and planted them, it's possible the roots were sitting in water all the time because solid clay is not free draining; if you just dig a hole in it without digging the whole area first, that's where water ends up, in the hole you've made, so that might have caused a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the plants you've now mentioned growing, Lavender hates heavy, wet soil - it likes light, free draining conditions. Crepe Myrtle grows well in most soils, except heavy, wet ones - it also likes free draining conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for 'bedding' plants, the temporary visitors, again, it depends which ones you want to grow and the actual condition/preparation of your soil. Adding as much humus rich material as humanly possible as often as possible will help with heavy clay soils, as will the addition of horticultural grit by the truck load (if you have a large garden), dug in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-05T11:07:30.950" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T11:07:30.950" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19250" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19240" CreationDate="2015-05-05T11:21:41.893" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you grew a pepper plant in isolation, so that it fertilized itself, then the seeds produced will grow into similar plants. However, despite being self fertile, peppers can be fertilized by another, separate pepper plant - when that happens, you don't know what you're going to get when you grow from any seeds produced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Added to that, F1 hybrids are obviously all the same - but the F2 generation (which would be the one you grow from any seeds you save) may not be, even if they are not fertilized by any other pepper - there will be some variation because of recessive genes. There is an advantage in this - its the reason there are so many, and still increasing, varieties of pepper, but in terms of being sure what you'll get from your saved seed, it's a disadvantage if you want exactly what you got the first year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Work continues by seed producers though - in some places, there are on sale F1, F2 and F3 seed varieties of Trinidad hot peppers, results of continual crossing by growers, but growing from seed you've saved yourself does not produce guaranteed results, though it might make an interesting experiment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T11:21:41.893" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19247" CreationDate="2015-05-05T11:52:07.647" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like sunburn/cold damage, as suggested by others. I don't know where you are in the world, so its hard to be definitive, but those seedlings look a little small to be thrust into the outdoors in cool spring temperatures but high uv levels (northern hemisphere) - best to wait till they've formed proper small plants (with a good half a dozen sets of leaves) before hardening them off for outdoors - unless you live somewhere very warm. When you do start hardening them off, start with them in shade initially, not allowing sun exposure between 11 and 3 pm as a minimum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-05T12:20:38.260" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T12:20:38.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19235" CreationDate="2015-05-05T12:02:26.277" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Black knot tends to affect the upper, aerial parts of plum trees, sometimes the trunk if left long enough, so boring out the stump should be done to the usual depth (12-18 inches), but the main roots which spread outwards can be left. It probably isn't wise to plant another plum tree though - some investigation round the local area is called for. This disease is airborne - it spreads during rainy spells when the temperature is above 55 deg F, and it does it by spores, which may be blown fair distances, so if you're downwind of an infected tree in the area, it'll infect your new tree all over again, and your own tree may well have already infected other plums nearby. There is one called President which is reputed to be resistant to black knot, so you could try that if you're desperate for another plum, otherwise, select a tree which isn't a Prunus - black knot can also affect cultivated cherries, including  ornamental cherries, as well as plums, and to a much lesser extent, both wild plum and cherry. Prunus triloba (flowering almond) though, does not appear to be susceptible to this infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-05T12:09:32.377" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T12:09:32.377" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7658" CreationDate="2015-05-05T12:07:47.953" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A little sprinkle of dry molasses then a thin layer of dirt helps keep birds from eating dry molasses and works as a great addition to my leaves (pecan, oak, bois d'arc, etc.) lawn clippings, spent flowers + coffee grounds and egg shells. Worms love it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11237" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T12:07:47.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19255" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19247" CreationDate="2015-05-05T14:08:40.370" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I looks like sunburn to me, but good news, those damaged leaves are just cotyledons, and they were going to fall off naturally any way... I have gotten this from peppers that I have started in domes in the sun, or in peppers that I have started inside and moved them out...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience it just isn't even possible to harden off tomatoes / pepper seedlings with no damage (I live in higher altitude with lots of sun, so your mileage will vary)... but you can decrease the amount of injury by starting to give them a little morning sun... then a little more, etc... and if you a little patient then they will be fine, if you are very patient they will be great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2015-05-05T14:08:40.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19256" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19261" CreationDate="2015-05-05T15:04:56.173" Score="3" ViewCount="1154" Body="&lt;p&gt;Today I investigated threads hanging from the ceiling in my bathroom, each ca. 5cm long. They started appearing in the weeks after a recent water damage in an apartment above. At first I thought they are part of the installation, but upon close inspection they look like parts of plants. I took pictures of one, with the bottom end showing something like blossoms, dead:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XUAWo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XUAWo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pictures of both ends&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;(&lt;em&gt;click for a larger version&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Small specimen, ca. 1cm long, hanging from the ceiling, and “sprouts”:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ME0L8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ME0L8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pictures of more specimen&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The apartment is in Gran Canaria, in front of the sea. The bathroom is on the inside, and it basically has no natural light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2201" LastEditorUserId="2201" LastEditDate="2015-05-06T09:21:16.580" LastActivityDate="2015-05-06T09:44:37.997" Title="What plants grow in my bathroom? ☣" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;&lt;algae&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19257" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-05T19:39:49.890" Score="3" ViewCount="217" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a series of terraced beds in front of my house that navigate a downward slope of 4'. The terrace is mostly in shade due to the maple tree that is also in the front yard. I'm looking to fill the beds with a nice variety of shade tolerant plants. I'm particularly fond of things that would cascade over the beds. I live outside NYC in New York. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions on a variety of shade tolerant plants that would fit my situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I8fOi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OilXs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11239" LastEditorUserId="11239" LastEditDate="2015-05-05T20:37:02.457" LastActivityDate="2015-05-06T17:01:19.143" Title="Shade tolerant plants that including ones that will cascade" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19258" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-06T00:14:30.570" Score="3" ViewCount="189" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/reVG8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is on some of my apple trees, can someone help me? What is going on and how do I treat it. Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11240" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-06T01:07:58.700" LastActivityDate="2015-05-06T12:05:47.593" Title="What is wrong with my apple trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ClosedDate="2015-11-04T15:00:10.963" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19259" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19257" CreationDate="2015-05-06T00:29:49.987" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;some shade suggestions: Vinca minor, Hostas, Coral Bells,  Hardy Aroids ( eg. Arum italicum), Fuchsia...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;some that might cascade a little more:&#xA;Virginia creeper, boston ivy, english ivy, vinca ... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2015-05-06T00:29:49.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19261" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19256" CreationDate="2015-05-06T09:44:37.997" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your problem is thinking this is a plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is obviously a mushroom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you look for &quot;black mushroom growing in bathroom&quot; you'll find relevant results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the genera is called &lt;em&gt;coprinus&lt;/em&gt; but I'm not enough of a mycologist to tell if you have that or something else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastActivityDate="2015-05-06T09:44:37.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19263" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-06T13:24:26.970" Score="3" ViewCount="1659" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have previously noticed (on a sunny day, when my plants were all still small) a lot of tiny black/gray (maybe even /brown) bugs crawling around on the woodchips in my garden with a seeming flea-like ability to jump very far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today (an overcast day with possibility of rain) I noticed a lot of them on the leaves of my young Yukon gold potato plants.  I am wondering what these bugs are, if they're harmful, and, if so, how to get rid of them (preferably quickly, effectively, and permanently or at least semi-permanently).  My best guess from a quick Google search is flea beetle, but those look too black for the bugs I have in my garden.  Image shown below.  There are three gray dots near the top of the leaf and one near the middle; these are the bugs.  Sorry I didn't have a macro lens to take a better close-up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NVd7B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11211" LastActivityDate="2015-05-06T16:23:26.807" Title="Small black/gray bugs proliferating in vegetable garden" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19264" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19266" CreationDate="2015-05-06T13:58:08.797" Score="1" ViewCount="142" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a male and female pistachio tree. Both are grafted trees. At the base of the tree, on the rootstock, it buds and produces new branches and leaves 6 to 12 weeks ahead of the grafted section of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been allowing the rootstock branches to continue to grow until the grafted section buds. Then I cut it back. I'm not sure if this is the right strategy and perhaps it's delaying the grafts from budding and growing. I've been thinking of the rootstock branches as nurse branches keeping the tree healthy and alive. They may be taking energy that might have allowed the grafts to bud earlier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the correct strategy here? i.e. is there a case when you'd allow the rootstock to grow in this situation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(A quick aside: I have allowed the rootstock on some apples to grow so that I can cleft graft new varieties onto those branches. With the pistachios above I have no intention of grafting anything new onto them so the rootstock branches aren't needed for this.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2015-05-06T15:37:26.593" Title="Should I leave early rootstock budding in place?" Tags="&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19263" CreationDate="2015-05-06T14:05:56.433" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know if they are harmful. I do know that I've had success recently getting rid of these and related pest-like bugs (including aphids) in my vegetable garden (and on my fruit trees) by spraying them with soapy water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use a 1 gallon garden sprayer ($10 from Home Depot) which allows me to get a good mist without having to constantly pull a trigger on a smaller bottle which tires the hand. Put the water in the bottle first otherwise you'll end up with a bunch of bubbles and not much water. We use a very mild environment friendly dish washing liquid (Ultra Dishmate) in our house and I use that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I saw somewhere else that someone suggested diluted coffee. I plan on trying that but have not done so yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2015-05-06T14:05:56.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19266" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19264" CreationDate="2015-05-06T15:37:26.593" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is no advantage to allowing the suckers to grow - wrench them off, or clean off the buds as they appear. All the time they're growing, they're taking sustenance away from the part of the tree you want to keep growing - the roots they're on are what provides for your grafted tree, so you don't want nutrients and water diverted into growing suckers instead. You might even find the grafted part leafs up earlier than when you were leaving those on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-06T15:37:26.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19263" CreationDate="2015-05-06T16:23:26.807" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds like maybe &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05592.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;flea beetles&lt;/a&gt;. They are small beetles that overwinter in the garden that jump around like fleas when they are disturbed. The larvae eat small roots and the adults eat the leaves but unless there is a lot of damage it won't hurt the plants too much. The leaf damage caused by adults usually looks like someone took a mini shotgun to the leaves. Small tiny holes throughout the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't mention where you are or what plants are affected but different species go after different types of vegetables and ornamental plants. Every once once in a while I find an eggplant with swiss cheese leaves. It's odd because they might attack one plant and leave the others around it untouched.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've sprayed them with a neem mixture because that's something I always have handy and that helped but that may be hit or miss depending on the species. Spinosad and diatomaceous earth may be more effective. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-05-06T16:23:26.807" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19268" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19270" CreationDate="2015-05-06T16:48:36.740" Score="2" ViewCount="227" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some flowers appeared on the inner branches of a tree. What type of tree/flower is it? Should I trim on the outside? What else do I need to do to promote its growth? Will the flowers also grow on the outside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UKi5B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B3Bt8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11229" LastActivityDate="2015-05-06T17:28:46.557" Title="Flowers are growing on the inner branches only" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19269" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19257" CreationDate="2015-05-06T16:55:14.610" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some care needs to be taken with what you plant - you say the slope is four feet, and the wood dividers appear to be about a foot apart each. If you choose the wrong plant for the top, you could end up with it cascading right down to the bottom, over anything else you've planted in the lower parts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Heucheras come in a variety of leaf colours and do well in dappled shade. These won't necessarily cascade, so they'd be good in the top part or the one below. Campanula portenschlagiana (also known as C. muralis) may well cascade a little, but not enough to drown out anything below it - its evergreen and a neat grower, unlike its cousin, Campanula carpatica. Iberis sempervirens will spill over to the level below, again evergreen in all but the coldest of winters, white flowers in spring. It prefers sun, but will grow in dappled shade. Saponaria ocymoides and Cerastium tomentosum are worth considering - again, they prefers full sun, but I've seen both growing quite well in dappled sunlight. These will cascade and should both be cut back after flowering is over to keep the plants bushy. Silene schafta flowers in late summer, and may also tolerate dappled shade - will cascade, but not too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Euonymus 'Harlequin' should do there too - just an evergreen with variegated leaves, hugs the ground quite closely, slow growing, will eventually spill over the edge. Sarcococca hookerania var. humilis makes an evergreen shrub, neat grower, scented white flowers in winter, ultimately 2 x 2 feet, does very well in shady situations. It won't cascade, but will give a little height to the planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All plants mentioned hardy down to USDA Zone 5 as a minimum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-06T17:01:19.143" LastActivityDate="2015-05-06T17:01:19.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19270" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19268" CreationDate="2015-05-06T17:07:53.847" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is one of the Chaenomeles, maybe C. japonica or a cultivar of it. Flowering usually begins on bare wood, with the leaves arriving very soon afterwards. It should be pruned after flowering is finished, when you prune back the flowered stems, and take off any dead stems or prune back to size and shape generally. If you cut it later on in the year, you will likely be removing wood that would have flowered the following spring - yours looks like this is what's happened; the reason the flowers are on the inside is simply because that's the only wood left that was going to flower this year. Check the plant for dead wood and remove it if there is any after flowering - you may have some of that still in with living growth, which would make the plant look congested.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to use the quince like fruits it produces, you will have to leave the flowered stems alone to allow the fruits to form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-06T17:28:46.557" LastActivityDate="2015-05-06T17:28:46.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19271" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19275" CreationDate="2015-05-06T17:48:06.260" Score="2" ViewCount="47" Body="&lt;p&gt;My citrus tree has Psorosis, and I am thinking about cutting it down and putting a new tree in its place. But I am concerned that the disease will spread via the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does Psorosis spread through the soil? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(A Psorosis infected tree looks like this: )&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i0cBz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Psorosis infected tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3182" LastActivityDate="2015-05-07T12:00:24.490" Title="Can Psorosis spread via the soil?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19272" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4682" CreationDate="2015-05-06T23:35:44.387" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've tried the polymeric sand but it doesn't work. Ants dig through and weeds pop up. Don't spend your money. Spray with vinegar, but only when the sun is shining, not when it's cloudy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11247" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-05-07T21:02:15.057" LastActivityDate="2015-05-07T21:02:15.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19273" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19274" CreationDate="2015-05-07T11:22:25.753" Score="2" ViewCount="989" Body="&lt;p&gt;I sprinkled chamomile seeds in a small pot about 20cm. Almost a hundered seedlings have sprouted and I've read that you should thin to one per pot. Clearly I've gone wrong with my sowing and planted at too many. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I drastically thin out my chamomile or are you supposed to have many growing together?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1926" LastActivityDate="2015-05-07T11:53:45.673" Title="How many chamomile seeds should I plant?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19274" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19273" CreationDate="2015-05-07T11:48:11.783" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you sowed straight into a small pot, then you need to remove all but one to allow it to grow to maturity. If you sow into a seed tray, spreading a pinch or two of seeds evenly, when they germinate and get two sets of leaves, you prick those out into individual pots to grow on. You can try pricking out some of the others in your pot if they have 2 sets of leaves, but one seedling to a pot is necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next time you sow seeds, bear in mind that each seed represents one plant - depending which chamomile you're growing, each seed means a plant that grows to 4 inches or 20 inches high, by 18 to 24 inches - in order to do that, each one needs to develop its own extensive root system. Sowing into a pot, you only needed to plant four to six seeds maximum, removing all but the strongest one as they grew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-07T11:53:45.673" LastActivityDate="2015-05-07T11:53:45.673" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19275" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19271" CreationDate="2015-05-07T12:00:24.490" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears not, since this is a virus spread primarily by grafting, and the incidence of the infection has reduced since the use of disease free budwood by growers. There are two forms of the virus; transmission MAY be aerial, but not via roots or soil. It would, though, be wise to remove the tree and its roots prior to planting another.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-07T12:00:24.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19276" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19278" CreationDate="2015-05-07T13:57:30.350" Score="2" ViewCount="1099" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was at a couple of different stores recently that were selling tomato plants and saw some more from another nursery that still had green and healthy looking cotelydons (seed leaves) on them even though the plants were about 5-6&quot; tall with a lot of true leaves. Most were in 4 packs but some were in larger pots. Same with some plants I ordered from a large seed/plant supplier online last year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I start my tomatoes from seed the coteledons start to yellowafter about 3 weeks when they're still only about 3&quot; tall or so with only 2 or three sets of true leaves. I started them in 98 cell trays with an organic soil that contains fertilizer and also fertilized them with a little dilute fish fertilizer a couple of times when they were still in the 98 cell inserts. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At 4 weeks old, when I transplanted them to larger pots, the cotyledons were practically falling off the plantson most of the plants when I just touched them with the scissor to cut them off so I can plant them deeper in the larger pots. It's been about 4 weeks since potting up and the plants look great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why are the cotyledon's on the plants at the nursery still completely green?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture of my seedlings at 4 weeks. Sorry for the poor quality, taken with cell phone in dark room.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/935Tz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-05-07T15:15:28.807" LastActivityDate="2015-05-07T15:18:59.677" Title="Why do tomato plants in stores still have healthy looking cotyledons?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19277" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19279" CreationDate="2015-05-07T14:45:35.243" Score="2" ViewCount="1532" Body="&lt;p&gt;My flower beds have landscaping fabric covering them, with 2-3 inch depth of mulch sitting on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any ways to feed my plants that don't require me to remove the fabric and mulch? Up until now, all I have done is water them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11250" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-07T15:20:53.520" LastActivityDate="2015-05-07T15:32:26.647" Title="How do I feed shrubs sitting in mulch?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19278" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19276" CreationDate="2015-05-07T15:18:59.677" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Likely its to do with nitrogen supplies - the cotyledons give up their nitrogen to the growing tips and leaves at the top if it is in short supply. Professional growers know exactly how much feed to give and exactly when, and may start their plants off in larger compost plugs initially anyway. It doesn't matter that yours are yellow, so long as the true leaves are growing away nicely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-07T15:18:59.677" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19277" CreationDate="2015-05-07T15:26:13.333" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends what you've got growing in the beds, whether they're permanent shrubs/trees or just herbaceous perennials, also whether or not the soil was enriched before planting. Most plants do perfectly well without any chemical feeds being applied if the soil is in healthy condition. That said, you could use diluted fertiliser and water it on at the base of the plants, making sure you get it onto soil and not the membrane, if you can see something suffering particularly. Alternatively, ssuming your landscape fabric is porous membrane, you could use a granular fertiliser such as growmore; though it wouldn't look that attractive scattered over the mulch, particularly if its bark chips, it would eventually dissolve and wash down through the membrane.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-07T15:32:26.647" LastActivityDate="2015-05-07T15:32:26.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19280" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-07T16:08:00.067" Score="2" ViewCount="6393" Body="&lt;p&gt;My husband and I, first time gardeners, planted some watermelon for our grandchildren. We water the raised garden they are in every other night. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have been noticing yellow leaves, but only on the watermelon. Why would this be, and what can we do to cure it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11251" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-07T17:39:33.637" LastActivityDate="2015-05-08T15:17:02.023" Title="Why do we have yellowing watermelon leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;watermelon&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19281" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-07T16:14:23.760" Score="3" ViewCount="156" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a fairly large apple tree in my garden approximately 10m from my house. It stands about 8m high. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have started getting cracks in my back 2 rooms and patio. is it likely to be the roots and if so, should I remove the tree? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11252" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-07T17:37:47.537" LastActivityDate="2015-05-07T17:37:47.537" Title="Could the roots from an apple tree 10m away from my house be causing structural problems?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19282" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19281" CreationDate="2015-05-07T17:22:58.323" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That seems a little tall for an apple tree - if its not on a dwarfing rootstock, it should be kept pruned back. That said, it doesn't sound as if the apple tree is a likely culprit, though its not impossible. If you're on clay soil, then removing a tree can cause as many problems as it solves - take advice from a building surveyor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-07T17:22:58.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19283" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19285" CreationDate="2015-05-07T20:21:47.730" Score="8" ViewCount="4219" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Sri Lanka. But this is not a local plant. Can anyone point out the name of the plant of this flower. The leaves of the plants are pointed with red arrows. The leaves of the plant are only the ones pointed with red arrow. &#xA;Leaf is just grass like thick thin max 15 cm long kind of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I forgot to mention each has two or 2 leaves long like I mentioned above. Each plant is having a bulb like red onion, but much smaller in size and unlike red onion this bulb is more white like in color. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GRWrV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7050" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-08T14:53:00.627" LastActivityDate="2019-08-23T19:09:24.007" Title="What is this bulb with pink single flowers and glossy strap-like leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19280" CreationDate="2015-05-08T01:07:33.887" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hard to tell, without more details, but it sounds like a nitrogen deficiency. Regular fertilizing could help. Also, it might be too acidic. I've seen watermelons suffer and dwindle away under too much acidity, but they can take down to somewhat below pH 5. There are many other possibilities as well. I wouldn't recommend trying to fix it until you're sure what's wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend sending a sample of your soil to a lab for analysis. Many labs (like you're county's extension office, in the US) give you a sheet to fill out, and you can put down what you intend to grow in the area (e.g. lawn, woodland, orchard, corn, etc), and they can give you recommendations on what minerals/amendments/fertilizers can help you have the most success, and in what quantities to put them on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-05-08T01:07:33.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19283" CreationDate="2015-05-08T05:46:19.353" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;J. Musser 's comment gave me a new clue to find it. I Googled tropical garden plants with bulbs, here I saw the flower in one article it gave me. Furthermore I searched and found it's what I was looking for. The name of the plant is &lt;strong&gt;Zephyranthes carinata&lt;/strong&gt; , which is known as &lt;strong&gt;rosepink zephyr lily&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;pink rain lily&lt;/strong&gt;. Here's the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zephyranthes_carinata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; article about it. &#xA;Furthermore I found this picture, it gives an idea about the plant more than my picture. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Akjuo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;Thanks to you all for your kind help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7050" LastActivityDate="2015-05-08T05:46:19.353" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19286" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-08T14:37:20.170" Score="4" ViewCount="6187" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a raised cedar garden bed, roughly 10 inches high.  In the surrounding area is black dyed mulch.  If I fill the beds with good topsoil should I worry about the dyed mulch leaking into the soil?  Could I even put the garden bed on top of the dyed mulch?  I only plan to plant tomatoes, peppers, etc., no root type vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11257" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-08T14:51:24.193" LastActivityDate="2017-12-10T01:52:21.170" Title="How close can dyed mulch be to a vegetable garden raised bed?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19280" CreationDate="2015-05-08T15:17:02.023" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hard to tell without a picture, more info on your location and other cultural practices but depending on your local climate and soil you may be watering too much. Watermelons only need about 1&quot; of water a week as do most plants. Your soil mix in your raised bed should be well draining but still have water retaining components. Too much water and too frequent watering can cause yellowing as it can make it harder for the plant to take up nutrients and the water washes the nitrogen out of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before you water, stick your finger about an inch into the soil to see if it's moist. If it is, don't water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also best to water in the early morning rather than at night so the leaves can dry out if any water gets on them to reduce the risk of disease. When watering try to avoid wetting the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-05-08T15:17:02.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19288" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19286" CreationDate="2015-05-08T15:43:34.017" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can't tell you how safe it is for a variety of reasons. Definitely don't put the raised bed on top of the mulch. That's pointless. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The dye may contain toxins but I did contact one dye manufacturer and was assured that they're black dye was safe to use around edible plants but not sure that applies to all black mulch dies. One common ingredient is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_black&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;carbon black&lt;/a&gt; which is made using petroleum products and may possibly be carcinogenic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even play wood mulch can be toxic at least to plants. The wood itself can contain harmful substances. Cheaper wood mulches can contain scraps from all sorts of sourced including pressure treated wood. If it's not a wood mulch, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9460/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-rubber-vs-wood-mulches&quot;&gt;rubber mulch&lt;/a&gt; has it's own issues. Sometimes if the mulch isn't handled/stored correctly toxic gases can form in it so if it smells bad don't use it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to be on the safe side I'd avoid dyed mulch near vegetables. I personally like to use natural cedar mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-05-08T15:43:34.017" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19289" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-08T16:32:46.863" Score="1" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;All of my flowers, including my potted ones, are being dug into at the roots but the flowers are not being eaten.  What do I do?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11258" LastActivityDate="2015-05-08T16:32:46.863" Title="Something destroying my flower garden and potted plants" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-09-14T15:07:52.257" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19290" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19291" CreationDate="2015-05-08T17:29:41.163" Score="2" ViewCount="2273" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large schefflera at my work place. I have been given the honor of caring for all the office plants. That's after the last guy half killed some of them. I already lost one and he jokingly said he was going to have to write me up over it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They were all plants that I'd never dealt with before and this one has been around since the company started down here 20 or 30 years ago, from what I've been told. I'm loath to be the one to kill it, but I think something needs to be done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Firstly, I think the soil is holding too much water. I don't know it's make-up, but it will still be wet just below the surface after a week. I've been letting it dry out down 2-3 inches over 2-3 weeks. By dry out, I mean not bone dry, but dry enough. I give it a good amount of water when I water it, but I don't try to drown it. I'm thinking it might do better if I repoted it in a lighter mixture, like non-water retaining soil mixed with some orchid bark and perlite for drainage. I don't know when if ever it's been repoted and I haven't fertilized it in the few months I've been caring for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One issue it has is that a lot of the leaves curl slightly. By this, I mean like if you laid a piece of computer paper over your arm and it curls downward. It's not wrinkled or anything, the sides of the leaves just droop down. It has put out a few new &quot;branches&quot; for lack of a better term and they aren't curled at all. The old leaves has something whitish on them that I assumed was dust. It might have been, but with the effort it took to get off with a damp paper towel, I suspect that at some point, someone sprayed leaf shine on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't seen a noticeable change since cleaning the leaves. Today is my watering day. My question is what should I do to ensure the tree's survival. It seems to be fairly healthy. It's putting out new shoots up top. It's bare up most of the trunk, but it is putting out new growth near the bottom. It's in a low light situation, but is situated between two tall skinny windows. I don't want to repot it if it's weak, but I'm not sure it'll get stronger if I don't. I suspect some of the roots may be rotting because the potting soil is holding so much water. What should I do with it? Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll post some pictures if I can this afternoon when I water it. It's located in the presidents office, so I can't just start walking in and shooting pictures. I don't have the option of moving it either. We don't have any spot that has any better lighting than that anyway. Thanks.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AC4mC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole Plant:&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KUNCg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Curled Leaves:&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iYBLp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;New Top Growth:&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rZi3N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;New Bottom Growth&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bamboo, as you can see, it doesn't have a tray where the excess water can run out, but I do have the other plants, which do, tuned to where barely any water runs out the bottom. I use those judgments when watering this one. It's another reason I want to repot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="9731" LastEditDate="2015-05-08T17:50:12.967" LastActivityDate="2015-05-08T18:40:12.057" Title="Whats the next step to improving my schefflera?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19291" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19290" CreationDate="2015-05-08T17:42:19.227" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Photographs would indeed be very useful, but in the meantime, some guidance about watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I imagine this plant is standing in some outer container so that the water doesn't run everywhere? Assuming it is, then do you empty out that container 30 minutes after you've watered, or is the plant sitting with its roots in water in that container? If the plant is very large, then it might be quite difficult to empty out any excess water, but that would certainly explain why its remaining wet for so long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In theory, a watering regime for most houseplants is as follows - water when the surface of the compost is just dry to the touch, but not shrunken from the sides of the pot. When you do water, water well, then empty any outer tray or pot after 30 minutes, and again 30 minutes later if there is more there. After some practice, you get to know how much water to put in so that its not actually producing a flood in the outer container - it might merely be damp or have a trace of water within it, and that can be left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for feeding, a foliage houseplant food similar to Baby Bio (liquid in a bottle) added to the water from spring through to mid summer, applied once a week or fortnight, will do the job. Not sure this is available where you are, but Miracle Gro houseplant food is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can't comment on whether it needs repotting until you've added photos. It does sound as if it's not particularly attractive, and may need cutting down to where the new growth is, but I'll comment on that when the pictures are posted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well, I don't know what to tell you! I reckon you're right, it is Schefflera amate, but its grown forward to get more light, so now its got a bare and crooked mainstem with all the growth dangling off the top of that. If this was in my home, I would unhesitatingly cut it right back to about 6 inches, just above a node, change the potting compost for something a bit lighter, change its position so it gets a bit more direct light, feed it, water it as described earlier, and wait for bushier regrowth, which will most definitely arrive. And I'd pop the top parts, about 6-8 inches long, into a bottle of water on a windowsill, wait about 6 weeks for roots to arrive and pot those up to get new plants. But, its not in a home, it's in your president's office... so it depends how brave you're feeling!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without being able to increase the amount of daylight it receives, I'm not sure there's much you can do - given its circumstances, it's not doing too badly, frankly, poor thing's even attempted to put out new growth at the base. Yes, its etiolated and lanky, but it will be, growing in such a position. As its in a self watering pot, you could try reducing watering even more, to see if the leaves respond by not being curled at the edges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-08T18:40:12.057" LastActivityDate="2015-05-08T18:40:12.057" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19292" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-08T19:49:12.963" Score="3" ViewCount="356" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bad case of Spathiphyllum abuse... I knew it was due for repotting, but I didn't think it was that bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need advice as to what to do with the roots. Should I just try to separate them a bit, or do I have to cut? Or maybe just do repot as is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's doing good in general. It started to have dried leaf ends, so I'm trying to make it happy again. When I look at the bottom, there is &lt;em&gt;zero&lt;/em&gt; soil. Only packed roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd rather play safe with this guy...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BFynS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of the victim&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11260" LastActivityDate="2015-05-09T11:31:36.380" Title="How to deal with very packed Spathiphyllum roots when repotting?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2015-05-11T06:55:36.897" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19293" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19306" CreationDate="2015-05-08T23:45:27.360" Score="2" ViewCount="977" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received my cactus as a gift approximately 10 years ago. I have never known what species of cactus it is and I thought it is time to figure it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am unfamiliar with cactus and I don't know if the shape of the one I have is characteristic to it's species or is mine simply odd looking. I have been browsing cactus pictures on google, looking for tall cactus with somewhat narrow base and fattening up from there. Mine looks like a bat or club to me. It has never had flowers, fruits, or offspring, which really confuses me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is nothing specific I know about conditions my cactus likes, like when a bigger pot is needed, what temperature range is optimal. Etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is how it looks, height is 59 cm (1.93 feet):&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zaWrc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image: unknown cactus&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HBFHx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image: unknown cactus&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dXSq0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image: unknown cactus&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/09Y0O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image: unknown cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The closest looking picture I have found so far is of Peruvian Apple cactus. But mine is darker, has narrower base, and grows alone. Species are related, I guess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QBb0U.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image: Peruvian Apple cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11261" LastEditorUserId="11261" LastEditDate="2015-05-09T11:28:24.427" LastActivityDate="2015-05-09T13:14:34.647" Title="What is this cactus and how should I take care for it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19294" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19301" CreationDate="2015-05-09T01:09:14.337" Score="2" ViewCount="544" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are store bought apple fruits that are labeled Red Delicious really the public domain Red Delicious apples, or do they sometimes do something to them and patent a slightly different apple that they still call Red Delicious to consumers? I ask because I want to plant the seeds, if they're public domain in the USA; but otherwise it may be illegal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know for seed-selling, PVP seeds and such are supposed to be labeled with the correct name. The same does not appear to be true for produce, unfortunately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let me know if this isn't gardening-related enough, but it does impact a gardening decision. Feel free to refer me to a better place to post this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-05-09T10:41:06.747" Title="Can I legally plant all seeds of store bought apples labeled Red Delicious?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19295" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7458" CreationDate="2015-05-09T01:22:12.800" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;(Peace Lily plant) I had the same white fuzzy mold on my soil for a few months before I noticed it.  I repotted the plant with a new pot and tried to replace as much old dirt as I could.  I sprinkled cinnamon all over the top soil and have observed for a few weeks.  Where there were gaps in the cinnamon, the mold grew back, but very lightly.  I scraped it away, added a little more soil and then put cinnamon all over the soil (like 99% covered).  Finally, today I checked and the mold only grew in one small spot that was missed as well as on the end of a broken off branch.  So cinnamon does definitely work, at least in this case.  My soil drains well but remains too moist and the cinnamon really did the trick.  However, it is too much of a hassle to always have it sprinkled on the soil, so I will probably just trash the plant and start with a new one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11262" LastActivityDate="2015-05-09T01:22:12.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19292" CreationDate="2015-05-09T02:42:12.267" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've done this with members of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;aroid family&lt;/a&gt; of which spaths are members.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soak the rootball before repotting to the leaves have a good supply of water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;take  sharp knife and cut the bottom one quarter of the roots off&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;using the same sharp knife make a series of vertical cuts around the root ball and remove and loose roots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repot in a pot of one size larger with a tropical plant potting mix&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water in the  newly repotted plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;provide bright diffuse light until it's settled in (~one to two weeks)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not fertilize at this time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-05-09T02:42:12.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19238" CreationDate="2015-05-09T04:38:26.883" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;All commercial products sold as fertilizers (and some compost and compost manure), both synthetic and organic, have a guaranteed analysis printed somewhere on the package. It's three numbers such as 9-1-3. These are the percent by weight of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (N-P-K) in the fertilizer. Since you don't need P or K look for a fertilizer with a high first number which indicates it has a higher percentage of nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your soil test report should have given you a recommendation for how much nitrogen to add. Something like 15 lbs of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you've settled on which fertilizer to use, calculate the size of the area you will be applying fertilizer to in square feet. For example let's say your garden is 200 sq ft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So let's say at 15lbs/1ksq ft over 200 sq ft... 3lbs of nitrogen would b e needed. (15lbs/1,000sqft * 200sqft).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next you need to figure out how many lbs of fertilizer to deliver the 3lbs of nitrogen. Using the example above 9-1-3 example above 1lb of fertilizer contains .09lbs of nitrogen. To get three lbs of nitrogen from this fertilize you would need 33 1/3rd lbs of fertilizer. (3lbsN/9%). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're using multiple fertilizer determine how much N each one provides and make sure the total will deliver the amount of N you need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-05-09T04:38:26.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19298" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-09T07:48:51.527" Score="3" ViewCount="502" Body="&lt;p&gt;I thought I planted the Asian vegetable seed bok choy but what is coming out from the ground does not look like bok choy? Do you know what it is?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3WQnU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Asian green&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11263" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-09T14:01:46.137" LastActivityDate="2015-08-28T05:16:02.697" Title="What is this leaf vegetable with thin pale green stalks and mid-green leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19299" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-09T08:12:58.167" Score="6" ViewCount="43" Body="&lt;p&gt;I already asked on  &lt;a href=&quot;https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/169668/adapt-electric-motor-to-manual-seeder&quot;&gt;Electrical Engineering&lt;/a&gt; how to adapt an electric motor to a manual seeder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I followed the advice of a commenter to ask on this site, so that people here may have a better solution for the problem at hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, please, do you have a better solution?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11264" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:33:11.440" LastActivityDate="2016-03-12T00:23:05.763" Title="What's a better solution than manual/gasoline corn and bean seeder?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;beans&gt;&lt;corn&gt;&lt;electric&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19300" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19304" CreationDate="2015-05-09T08:13:27.017" Score="2" ViewCount="400" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a rudimentary question, but I've had problems finding answers. I live in Cyprus, which 'enjoys' a Mediterranean climate, where summers are humid and tend to hover between 38 and 43 degrees C between July and early October. I'm trying to grow some vegetables, such as cherry tomatoes and peppers, in a place where they will receive all-day sunshine.&#xA;Will this intense sunshine destroy my crops?&#xA;I am also able to plant some crops in the shade of a tree. Would this function as a good workaround for late planting of vegetables that would probably not enjoy direct sunlight?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11133" LastActivityDate="2015-05-10T05:15:30.910" Title="What is the effect of intense sunshine on vegetable plants?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19301" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19294" CreationDate="2015-05-09T10:41:06.747" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't see why it would be illegal to plant the seeds of any apple, since they don't come true from seed. If you want to know whether Red Delicious are really Red Delicious because that's what you want to grow, planting the seeds from the apples still means you've no idea what will grow. Apple varieties and cultivars are propagated from live tissue, not by using the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-09T10:41:06.747" CommentCount="17" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19302" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19303" CreationDate="2015-05-09T11:00:56.167" Score="3" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was sprinkling some Baby's Breath (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsophila_elegans&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Gypsophila elegans&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) seeds on a planter and I was wondering if it's possible to grow all of them together even though they're very close instead of having to play a game of selection and thin out the crowd. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let's assume they're spaced about an inch to half an inch apart, and I can aggressively fertilize, water and provide strong light artificially. Would this be a good idea or would I end up with a lot of strange and pathetic looking Baby's Breath? Is it even doable to grow them closer than the recommended spacing of six inches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11178" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-09T13:52:29.350" LastActivityDate="2015-05-09T13:52:29.350" Title="Can you grow Baby's Breath very close to each other?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19303" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19302" CreationDate="2015-05-09T11:13:17.107" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They should be spaced 12 inches apart to allow for the plant's width of 10 inches as it grows to its height of about 12 inches, so I'm not sure where you get 6 inches apart from - are you growing a particular named variety of this plant that's smaller?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if you are growing one that requires a 6 inch spacing, growing them an inch apart means none of them will develop properly - you'll end up with a messy looking, shortened, probably stunted clump. You could chance 4 inches instead (if 6 inches is genuinely what your particular variety needs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-09T11:13:17.107" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19300" CreationDate="2015-05-09T11:24:08.653" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Both peppers and tomatoes require as much sun and warmth as they can get, but with one caveat - if your overnight temperatures do not fall below 30 deg C, so that they have a sustained period where temperatures never go below that point, they may suffer heat stress. In those situations, providing some shade in the middle of the day when the sun is hottest is appropriate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, most other vegetables prefer a sunny position, and where you are, they may do fine in half sun half shade, but you haven't said what else you're considering growing. In other words, a very shady place isn't ideal for any vegetable growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-09T11:24:08.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19305" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19292" CreationDate="2015-05-09T11:31:36.380" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Alternatively to the other answer, Spathiphyllum can be divided - this is where a sharp bread knife comes in handy. I'd cut the rootball in half and pot up both sections separately, keeping it well watered till it recovers. If you don't want two plants, pot them both anyway and bin one if it's not growing as well as the other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-09T11:31:36.380" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19306" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19293" CreationDate="2015-05-09T12:05:15.817" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think its more likely to be Cereus peruvianus, possibly monstruosos, rather than than Cereus repandus (Peruvian Apple Cactus), and it grows to 2-3 feet over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Care instructions for these are the same anyway, as with most cacti - likes average warmth from spring to autumn, but keep cool in winter, (50 to 55 deg F is ideal). Give it the sunniest spot available, particularly in winter, but if on a windowsill, not above a radiator, and don't leave it on the windowsill on cold nights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Increase watering in spring, and in the late spring to late summer period, treat as an ordinary houseplant by watering thoroughly when the compost begins to dry out - but don't leave it standing in water. Using tepid water is best - after mid autumn, keep almost dry, just enough water to prevent shrivelling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When its hot in summer, open the windows - they like fresh air moving around them then. Repot only when essential (when the roots fill the pot) using a pot only slightly larger than the original one. Feed when its actively growing, usually late spring through summer, with either houseplant food or a specialist cactus food, about once every 3-4 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-09T13:14:34.647" LastActivityDate="2015-05-09T13:14:34.647" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19307" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-09T13:05:23.743" Score="3" ViewCount="355" Body="&lt;p&gt;Overall... I'm pretty happy with how she's doing, but I do have some questions!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures of our avocado tree - she was started from a seed from a very mature tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm thinking she needs moving into a bigger pot, correct?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are your thoughts on the leaf droop?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've noticed that she's growing straight up without any off-shooting...   (however it looks like toward the top she is off-shooting, but I'm not certain!)... I do know that we never did clip the top when she was younger.  Thoughts?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any other advice?  We're in SE Florida and I'd like to keep her inside until she is super-strong and ready to fight on her own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W3QPT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Avocado&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G3sxC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Avocado 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11265" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-05-09T19:40:57.413" LastActivityDate="2015-05-10T15:55:54.473" Title="Avocado... help my girl go down the right path!" Tags="&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19308" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19312" CreationDate="2015-05-09T21:53:00.303" Score="2" ViewCount="2447" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am aware that there are a lot of articles on how to keep squirrels away from trees. Some of the suggestions include Owl statues, guns, organic repellent, and moth balls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want to shoot them dead, and I couldn't find the Owls, so I was planning on going with an organic repellent. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have any of these in particular worked for anyone? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Peppermint Oil/Juice - I have a peppermint plant at my house, and can create this juice or oil out of it and spread them on the tree and the fruit. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cayenne Pepper/Chili Powder - I was planning to sprinkle some &lt;a href=&quot;http://goo.gl/j6iule&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;chili powder&lt;/a&gt; on the tree and on the fruit.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black Pepper.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Azadirachta Indica (Neem leaves) Repellent.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can people who have tried these comment on what worked out best for them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11268" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-05-10T02:10:55.550" LastActivityDate="2015-05-10T02:10:55.550" Title="What are some good organic repellents to keep squirrels away from fruit on trees?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;rodents&gt;&lt;squirrel&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19309" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19311" CreationDate="2015-05-09T23:08:41.100" Score="3" ViewCount="47" Body="&lt;p&gt;Someone gifted me a seedling (if that's the right term -- it's just over a handspan high) of Bishop's Crown (hot peppers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did some googling, but I'm not sure what the vitals of the plant are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hardiness (USDA zone 4-12?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Type (annual? perennial?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plant was purchased from a store. Should I assume it needs to be hardened?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastEditorUserId="606" LastEditDate="2015-05-11T20:55:02.173" LastActivityDate="2015-05-11T20:55:02.173" Title="Vitals for Bishop's Crown" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19310" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18187" CreationDate="2015-05-10T00:56:56.070" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I doubt you will get the stem to root, at that stage. Probably the best option would be to put it in a vase and see if it will bloom, as Stephie mentioned in a comment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-05-10T00:56:56.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19309" CreationDate="2015-05-10T01:28:36.507" Score="1" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Hardiness (USDA zone 4-12?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They  can't handle any frost. USDA hardiness zones 10b - 14 should work well. In colder climates, grow as annuals, or overwinter inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Type (annual? perennial?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perennial, in warm climates, or if overwintered indoors. Generally grown as an annual.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;The plant was purchased from a store. Should I assume it needs to be hardened?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Definitely harden them off, if they aren't used to direct sun. It's easy to burn plants with sun when they've been it indirect light for a while. Also harden them to the temperature if it's regularly dropping below 45 degrees F. in your area. Also, don't fertilize after planting until the plant has rooted in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-05-10T01:28:36.507" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19308" CreationDate="2015-05-10T02:01:06.800" Score="1" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Owl Statues:&lt;/strong&gt; Did not work for me, at all. The squirrels knew they were fake, and didn't even hesitate to feed right by them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Guns:&lt;/strong&gt; I don't like shooting squirrels either, but if you're a good shot (like me xD) it's effective. It's more of a redneck thing I guess, and I prefer to get my meat using other methods.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Moth Balls:&lt;/strong&gt; I haven't tried this. It worked for me to keep groundhogs out from under the shed, but it did smell awful. In the open (eg, in the orchard) I think a hungry squirrel would find that ripe fruit outweighed the disadvantage of being by an awful smell.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Organic Repellent:&lt;/strong&gt; Overall, I find them to be kind of effective, but with a very short residual, and they can definitely taint the fruit flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Peppermint Oil/Juice:&lt;/strong&gt; Definitely go with oil if you do this - it's far stronger. Just keep in mind a couple drops can kill you, so don't swallow it. I find that with some fruits (especially peaches ime) the mint flavor lingers after harvest, and decreases the crop sellability.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cayenne Pepper/Chili Powder:&lt;/strong&gt; The powder can be used as a dust, but has a very short residual and has to be reapplied every couple days. I used a stronger (higher scoville) pepper sauce (from Bhut Jolokia peppers I grew) and applied it in an oil spray. It worked well against the squirrels, but the birds still poked holes in the fruit.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Black Pepper:&lt;/strong&gt; This is very weak, and although I haven't tried it, it would probably be a very ineffective deterrent. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Azadirachta indica( Neem leaves) Repellent:&lt;/strong&gt; More of an insect deterrent,  not as effective against mammals as some of your other options.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another one that can work is garlic, which squirrels don't prefer. But again, garlic Like peppermint) can flavor the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most success I've had has been keeping the tree crowns too high to jump into from the ground (makes it easier to mow under, and pick fruit too), and putting a 4' slippery aluminum cylinder around the base of each tree. I spray these cylinders with canola oil (with a touch of mint/garlic oil) to make them more slippery and less attractive. They have to be cleaned at least once a week if you spray on them, because of the buildup of dead bugs/lawn clippings/etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-05-10T02:01:06.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19313" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19300" CreationDate="2015-05-10T05:15:30.910" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peppers and tomatoes generally love lots of sun. Rocoto peppers may prefer a little less sun than most peppers, though, I hear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may need to water your plants more frequently because of the sun. Also, the sun may make transplanting more difficult. If the sun is shining a lot when you're planting, it may make your plants' leaves wilt, and hurt them. However, if you can shade them for a couple days, that should help a lot. Even putting milk jugs over them helps somewhat, but I'm not sure if it alone would help enough in very powerful sun. At the very least, it would block UV rays. I recommend planting when the sun isn't out (and isn't about to be out soon), too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-05-10T05:15:30.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19314" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-10T09:13:09.943" Score="3" ViewCount="1236" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a pepper tree, about 7 to 8 feet tall, that has never been totally well but this winter it started doing especially badly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears weak in general, and it is drying out from the tops. In the photo below, all the tops used to have leaves, they have all gone over the past 2-3 months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are exposed to constant wind, and the winter was relatively cool for the region (with low points about 10°C, 50°F). This coincided with the tree getting so much worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like we're now in for a very hot summer, with temperatures already in the thirties C (nineties F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've tried watering it generously, but are at a loss what else to do. Should we use fertilizer? Does anyone have any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IEFBF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rBMFY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ue1A7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastEditorUserId="591" LastEditDate="2015-05-10T10:23:54.093" LastActivityDate="2015-05-10T12:48:56.007" Title="Pepper tree suffering, leaves drying out at the tops, apparently from cold and wind" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19315" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18071" CreationDate="2015-05-10T12:27:12.163" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suggest Peridroma saucia, or Pearly Underwings, a moth that lays eggs which look similar to this. As caterpillars, they're known as Variegated Cutworms, common in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having checked my suggestion, you've come up with Dargida procinctus - it'll be interesting to see what hatches out, if you've kept some of them somewhere!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-10T12:27:12.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19314" CreationDate="2015-05-10T12:38:31.937" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Likely its the cold doing it, and there's little you can do about that - they don't like temperatures below 20 degrees F, so your cooler temperatures might be causing a problem. It is a drought tolerant tree once established, and in fact, overwatering can cause chlorosis and branch growth that is prone to breakage. These trees can be cut right down if necessary, so it might be worth giving it a heavy prune to see if it grows healthily; it is a risk though, because this is best done when they're younger and less likely to suffer further damage from insect infestation or rot where they've been cut, so I'd only do that if it looks like its dying anyway, as a last resort. You can, though, remove any dead or dying smaller parts coming off the main limbs. I'm assuming, in this answer, that this tree is actually Schinus molle, and that you have inspected all branches and the trunk for signs of rot, infestation or other disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-10T12:48:56.007" LastActivityDate="2015-05-10T12:48:56.007" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19307" CreationDate="2015-05-10T15:55:54.473" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of people who like to grow avocado. You are fortunate that you can grow yours outside year round.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repot with a pot one size larger&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the leaves are drooping in response to reduced sunlight.  Outside the light comes from above and leaves are held parallel to the ground. Inside more light comes from all levels and the leaves respond by changing orientation.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avocados are trees. When grown inside they frequently end up &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3054/499&quot;&gt;looking spindly&lt;/a&gt; with just a little puff of leaves at the top. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;another reason to repot is the start of a minor nutrient deficiency that you can see in the first picture on the lower leaves where the veins are bright green and the rest is lighter. Repotting and one application of a fertilizer with magnesium should do the job&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question for you is what do want the plant to be?  As a houseplant an avocado is not a good choice because they want to be trees and are unlikely to flower when grown indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have been grown outside in Florida &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg213&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;for over 150 years&lt;/a&gt;.  If you want to have your own avocado fruit you should plant it outside after getting it used to the higher light levels.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Unfortunately they do not come true from seed so the quality of the fruit is unknown. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;planting out is done when a tree is two to four feet (~ 1 m) from the top of the soil. Your plant is ready to go!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;select a planting area that does not flood and has full sun&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Many varieties need more than one to be pollinated.  If your neighbours have avocado trees you can probably get by without two plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These links may assist you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg213&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Avocado growing in the Florida home Landscape&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://university.uog.edu/cals/people/PUBS/AVOCADO/Mg03900.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Avocado propagation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-05-10T15:55:54.473" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19318" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19334" CreationDate="2015-05-10T16:30:14.377" Score="4" ViewCount="171" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some beetroot last year and obviously should have harvested it before winter but as I didn't have a use for all of it at the time I left some of it to grow. Now it's May (Spring) and I've got mature plants... Should they just go on the compost heap or are they still good to eat? Or perhaps, am I better off waiting until later in the year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are my options?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11270" LastActivityDate="2015-05-11T15:25:25.010" Title="What to do with 2nd season beetroot?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;beetroot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19319" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-10T16:55:36.100" Score="5" ViewCount="550" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m0hqi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bird of paradise&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I love the bird of paradise flower. It's my dream to have it on my balcony. Here in Bangladesh the average temperature in summer is 33 - 36 Celsius. In winter it is 26 Celsius. Can I fulfil my dream?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11204" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-12-04T08:01:13.537" Title="Can I grow a Bird of Paradise in Bangladesh?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19320" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19319" CreationDate="2015-05-10T17:30:16.270" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can grow Strelitzia reginae in Bangladesh in a pot or outdoors.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strelitzia_reginae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;It has been widely introduced around the world, including the Americas&#xA; and Australia, growing well in any area that is sunny and warm.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is also known as the bird of paradise and is comparatively easy to grow in full sun to semi shade. It flowers on a seasonal basis and is drought tolerant once established. A rich loamy soil and regular feeding with compost or fertilizer will encourage flowering. This plant does not tolerate frost but will benefit from cooler night temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The guides say this plant is wind resistant but indoors where I saw it the leaves tended to look a bit tattered as people going by it would cause tears in the leaf. Susceptible to mealy bug and false scale. The large leaves make pest control easier unless the pest can hide in the axils of the leaf sheathes.&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/8741/499&quot;&gt;[1]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is fairly slow growing and will not flower for three to five years after planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8686/identify-this-insect-or-fungus-possible-scale/8687#8687&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more detail on possible pests and control methods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You average daytime temperatures in the 30 degree Celsius range are hard on new plants and you should water new plants generously until they are established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-05-10T21:52:02.907" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19321" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-10T19:03:41.103" Score="1" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a new baby, and we wash him with water with a few drops of balneum oil (on about a bucket's worth of water). I'd like to &quot;reuse&quot; the water afterwards on my many plants, if possible. Will it be harmful for them in the short or long run?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just to clarify - I plan on using it on ornamental plants, not vegetables, fruits or herbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ingredients are as follows: Glycine Soia Oil, Laureth-4, Oleamide DEA, Parfum (Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Salicylate, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoae, Citronellol, Limonene), Propylene Glycol, BHT, Ascorbyl Palimitate, Citric Acid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1239" LastActivityDate="2015-05-10T20:20:45.227" Title="Using post-baby-bath balneum water for my plants" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19322" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19321" CreationDate="2015-05-10T20:20:45.227" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Provided the plants are not in pots, and provided you spread it around, not concentrating it in one area every time, it should be okay - but I wouldn't recommend it long term, nor more frequently than once a week on each area of soil. If there's rain in between, all the better, it'll help dilute things a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you notice ill effects on the plants, stop using it (I'm aware I'm stating the perfectly b...y obvious, but feel the need to say it anyway!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-10T20:20:45.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19323" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-10T20:22:22.727" Score="4" ViewCount="540" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently received three &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia_ionantha&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tillandsia ionantha&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; plants as a gift.  The set came with some teardrop-shaped glass &quot;terraria&quot; in which to display the plants.  Each container has a large hole to put the plant in and a few small holes above that, presumably for ventilation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nk6rq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tillandsia plant in glass teardrop&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The kit also came with some sand and goofy &quot;sea life&quot; decorations, not shown here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that cacti and succulents are often sold in similar containers, which are actually &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cactiguide.com/article/?article=article19.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;quite harmful&lt;/a&gt; to the plants.  Is it safe to use these containers with my air plants, or will I be dooming them to a slow death?  And if I do use the containers, what can I do to maximize their suitability?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11271" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-10T21:16:03.627" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T09:57:34.200" Title="Are glass containers suitable for &quot;air plants&quot;?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;air-flow&gt;&lt;bromeliads&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19325" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19323" CreationDate="2015-05-10T21:43:46.040" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I was a plant technician at a Botany Exhibit we had numerous bromeliads and tillandsia to take care of under varying conditions.  None of them were inside a glass or plastic bottle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;display #1: glued to cork or bark with silicon adhesive (not silicon for bath and kitchen which contains a fungicide). Sprayed once daily with filtered water to remove chlorine.  Extremely high light levels from high pressure sodium lights that were on twelve to fourteen hours a day with ventilation&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;display #2 glued to a piece of driftwood, sprayed once daily with filtered water. Situated in a south facing greenhouse with good light.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From these examples where the plants would grow, flower and die over a period of years. I recommend:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;any substrate: glue them to anything, more natural things like bark or cork are traditional&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;light:  high light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;humidity: the more light the higher the humidity.  A sunny bathroom comes to mind as a good place&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water: spray or mist daily with dechlorinated water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;temperature: the higher the temperature the more a high humidity level or air circulation is required&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would remove the plant from the container it is in and attach it to something you like in a location that gets high light and where you will remember to mist it daily.  A bathroom or kitchen could be perfect. The container it is in is not suitable because:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;does not retain humid air&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;not enough air circulation&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-05-14T09:57:34.200" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T09:57:34.200" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19326" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19330" CreationDate="2015-05-11T08:49:38.867" Score="7" ViewCount="2966" Body="&lt;p&gt;When it became a bit warmer again I put my mint plant outside after it stayed inside for the winter. However, after I came back from a short vacation, almost all leaves turned black. I don't know what is wrong...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also there are white grain-like, chalky thingies in the soil. They are not stones, if I take one and squeeze them they pulverise and it is like chalk. Can this hurt? What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can it be that the transition from inside (~20˚C) to outside (~8˚C at the time) was too sudden and it died of cold? What could I do now to save it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8vkZF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The mint plant from up top&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/83OYC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Little white chalk-like grains&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/63jZc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The pot the mint is in -- no drainage&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9711" LastActivityDate="2015-05-11T12:47:35.827" Title="My mint is dying out?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19327" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-11T09:13:20.033" Score="3" ViewCount="3180" Body="&lt;p&gt;My garden is large, but is on a steep slope. It's grass covered and has been landscaped so there's a nice flat area with a tree halfway up. The slope makes it difficult to properly mow and maintain the grass on the slopes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil is generally poor - very high in clay. Right at the top of the garden is an area with a lot of stones which we couldn't landscape or lay turf on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This area has always been a magnet for weeds. One of the houses next door is rented and the tenants (while otherwise pleasant) don't care for the garden at all and it's a mess of brambles, dandelions and other weeds. Of course, all the weeds growing in these areas spread into my lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Furthermore when we had the garden landscaped the gardeners must have broken up bindweed roots in the soil so the lawn is now full of innumerable small bindweed plants. As if that wasn't enough, the poor drainage of the soil encourages a lot of moss growth during the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The end result of all these factors is that a few years after we had the garden landscaped, and despite our best efforts, the garden is now absolutely full of weeds. There are more varieties than I can count including nasty plants like thistles and briars. There's also quite a lot of wild grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried spraying with grass-friendly weedkiller, pulling off seedheads when I find them and doing my best to cut leaves and get roots where possible. But it's a losing battle: it gets worse every spring. This year I think I have more weed than lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to save this situation, or am I just going to have to put up with having a semi-wild garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our landscapers were, I suspect, quite inexperienced. They seemed far more interested in the artistry of landscaping than the practical requirements. Although they did a decent enough job with the budget and our requirements, they chose bad ground cover plants for bedded areas and didn't plan well. I suspect they just never considered the possible maintenance overhead of the banks. We have considered ripping them up in favour of artificial grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;em&gt;possible&lt;/em&gt; to get a mower up and down the banks but it's extremely hard work and feels very dangerous. I know mowers have auto-cutouts, but you'd only have to stumble once and you could still have a nasty accident. When you do mow, the slopes and lips up to flat areas makes it difficult not to scalp the grass and actually make growing conditions for weeds better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no barrier at all between us and the weedy garden next door. The steepness of the slope overall makes fencing a difficult and expensive option. So seeds blow over constantly, and spreading plants like briars just grow under the earth and pop up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will try and post some photos later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11275" LastEditorUserId="11275" LastEditDate="2015-05-11T13:09:45.687" LastActivityDate="2020-10-02T04:57:46.573" Title="Is it possible to save a lawn completely overrun with weeds? If so, how?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19328" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-11T11:49:54.053" Score="4" ViewCount="187" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 4' (1.2m) three point tractor roto-tiller which I've been using to prepare garden areas this year. I noticed that the tiller always moves soil backwards, and when at the end of the section it leaves a trench, as can be seen in the picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LESZQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;short section of tilled grass with a four foot wide trench on one end&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The previous owners had a large garden, and I can tell the direction they always tilled in because they've created a ridge where they start and there's a significant dip where they ended. I'm working on reversing that to flatten the area better and avoid the mush in the low level area, but I'd like to avoid doing this myself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a technique I can use when tilling that will leave soil in the area where I intend to stop tilling?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried lifting the tiller while still spinning, stopping right when I get to the end, and a few other things, but I'm still not leaving sufficient soil at the end.  The closest I've come is slowly raising the tiller over the last several feet of the run. Still not great as it's tricky to perform, and leaves that section poorly tilled, all while not completely eliminating the trench/lack of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will I simply have to live with it as a consequence of the tiller I have, and move the soil by hand each time I use it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4643" LastEditorUserId="4643" LastEditDate="2015-05-11T11:57:57.323" LastActivityDate="2015-05-11T22:40:08.747" Title="How do I roto-till without leaving a trench?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;tilling&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19329" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19327" CreationDate="2015-05-11T12:27:03.143" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a rule about lawns - if, on inspection, its more weeds than lawn, then the advice is to take up what's there and re-turf. The trouble is, for you, the bindweed; you will be absolutely right that the landscapers managed to distribute pieces of root across the whole plot and then turf on top (I'm currently in the process of preventing that happening in a client's garden, because that's what the people they're using to do the works, not being able to recognise bindweed and intending to rotovate the area, will also manage to do). And that problem will still be a problem even if you lay new turf - the bindweed will continue to appear. This isn't too bad if the area is regularly mown -  it won't get rid of the bindweed, it will spread underground, but at least its being cut regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm somewhat puzzled as to why a designer (if you had one on the landscape team) would clad a slope that's too steep to be cut with grass though - is it not possible to use a hover mower on the area, even with an extended handle arrangement? If its too steep and long even for that, then some terracing would have been a better idea - and still is a better idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've also mentioned briars as well as brambles - neither of these will respond to ordinary lawn or other weedkillers, but will need a brushwood killer applied to the woody roots. Brushwood killers, though, kill soft green foliage and if spilt on the soil, stop anything else growing for up to 6 months, so caution is required when using them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some photographs would be useful, including one of the stony area. If the grassed slope is too steep for you to walk down and dig out weed grasses and other undesirable plants, then the most sensible (and probably most expensive) option is to redesign the area with terracing. Failing that, taking the lawn up and using a wild meadow mix yearly, but even that needs cutting at certain points in the year, and reseeding from time to time. And the bindweed will make a massive contribution to the 'wildness' because its not being cut down all the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other question - what kind of barrier is there between the tenanted, weed growing house next door that enables the spread of non airborne seeds from weeds into your own garden? Dandelions spread on the wind, but brambles don't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-11T12:52:19.437" LastActivityDate="2015-05-11T12:52:19.437" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19326" CreationDate="2015-05-11T12:33:10.513" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, transition shock to a degree, it should have been hardened off before being left out all the time, not only to acclimatize to colder, variable temperatures after being indoors for some time, but also to get used to direct sunlight on its leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is not, however, dead - turn it out of its pot, split or select live parts from what's there, removing any dead pieces, and repot into two separate pots in fresh potting compost. Or bin what's dead or unhealthy and pot the rest. Mint puts out long runners below ground when planted in the garden, and then pops up a couple of feet away and starts growing - it can't do that in a pot, so the centre tends to die back and, if left in the pot, the whole plant gives up and stops growing. The way to get round that is to pot up fresh runners and half the original each year, or every other year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the little balls which pulverize when you squeeze them, they'll be spent feed granules present in the compost, nothing to worry about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-11T12:47:35.827" LastActivityDate="2015-05-11T12:47:35.827" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19331" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19328" CreationDate="2015-05-11T13:33:09.777" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you were doing this by hand, you start by digging out a trench, and transporting the soil from that trench to the other end of the plot. Then you dig the next trench, putting the soil from it into the first, now empty, trench you've made, and continue until you get to the end, where you'll have an empty trench into which you put the soil you moved in the first place, from the other end of the plot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never used a machine to do this, but it seems to me sensible to dig out the first trench by hand and move the soil from it to the other end, then use the machine for the rest, then by hand, filling in the trench you're left with when you've finished. I don't know if there's a way of working out how to do this using the machine for the whole process, but that's the method you need to adopt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-11T13:33:09.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19332" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19333" CreationDate="2015-05-11T13:34:58.200" Score="2" ViewCount="2341" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm still getting to know my garden. I see these pink flowers growing and can't decide whether they're growing at random or they were planted intentionally. What type of flowers are they? Should I get rid of them along with the purple ones?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8OPBU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pink flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11229" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-05-11T16:56:47.797" LastActivityDate="2015-05-11T16:56:47.797" Title="What is this low growing plant with pink flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19333" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19332" CreationDate="2015-05-11T13:47:39.103" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The pink flowers are Phlox subulata, a variety of anyway, not sure which cultivar, there are a lot of them. Its a perennial, often evergreen depending on variety, usual height and spread is 6 inches by about 20 inches, though you can cut them back after flowering if they spread wider than you'd like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The blue, though, is most likely Veronica persica - a wildflower or weed, depending on your point of view, and they appear to have spread through the Phlox, so it might be wise to try to remove some of that before it tries to take over completely. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its pointed out in a comment below that what I've named as likely Veronica persica may be Glechoma hederacea - and it may well be. That one roots at the nodes, unlike Veronica, and smells vaguely minty when crushed. Either way, it needs to be controlled or eradicated. Glechoma is edible - but Veronica persica is not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-11T14:51:41.137" LastActivityDate="2015-05-11T14:51:41.137" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19334" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19318" CreationDate="2015-05-11T15:25:25.010" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think its too late to eat them - they're on their way to flowering, which is what they do in their second year, using the 'beet' or storage organ at the base to grow on in this way. They should produce seed, so if you want to collect that and grow from it, then leave them in. Otherwise, dig 'em up and see if there's anything you can still use at the base - they'll be a good contribution to the compost heap if there isn't. If you wanted to save seed, the flowers can be cross pollinated by other beets or chards nearby, they're wind pollinated, so results if you grew from them would be variable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-11T15:25:25.010" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19335" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-11T16:37:30.087" Score="2" ViewCount="1804" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can I bury a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soursop&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;soursop plant&lt;/a&gt; in the ground in a 20 gallon (91 liter) pot? I don't want it to grow to a 15 to 20 feet height tree because it would be too tall in the back yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11277" LastEditorUserId="1916" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T13:39:54.613" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T13:39:54.613" Title="Can I place a soursop plant in the ground in a 20 gallon (91 liter) pot?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19335" CreationDate="2015-05-11T17:27:59.453" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well you could, but the only way it would grow healthily after a year or so is if it put roots out through the bottom of the pot into the ground, which it is very likely to do. The roots will come out through the holes in the pot and eventually break the pot as they increase in size. You can't stop the holes up because then there'd be no drainage for the roots. So on balance, my answer would be no, its not a great idea. If you are you growing it for its fruit, which it usually produces 3-5 years after its been planted in the ground, this might indicate it needs to be a certain size before it fruits, and it may not attain that size in a pot, even a 20 gallon one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-11T17:27:59.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19337" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-11T17:31:05.200" Score="9" ViewCount="3101" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a balcony that gets about &lt;strike&gt;4 hours&lt;/strike&gt; &lt;strong&gt;1 hour&lt;/strong&gt; of direct sunlight a day &lt;em&gt;(but several many hours of indirect sunlight bouncing off a building in front)&lt;/em&gt; that has an A/C unit where the water condensate drain line from the unit can only go into a bucket on the balcony.  In Summer, this large 3 Gallon bucket fills in about 24 hours from having the A/C on 24 hours a day.  The condensate drain line drips water into the bucket 24 hours a day, but at a faster rate during the day when it's warmer.  So instead of having to empty the bucket every day, I'm looking for a plant that can be placed on the balcony that can consume a &lt;strong&gt;full&lt;/strong&gt; bucket-load of water every 24 hours in Summer without dying from over-watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do such plants exist?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If not, then what are the &lt;em&gt;absolute&lt;/em&gt; &lt;strong&gt;most&lt;/strong&gt; water-thirsty plants?  Perhaps I can have several of them next to each other to absorb the full bucket-load of water every day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally, I'm looking for a plant that is ultra-thirsty when water is available, but very hardy when there is a lack of water (e.g. no A/C in winter) so it can survive for several years rather than just in Summer when the A/C is feeding it water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hoping nature can solve my problem!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11278" LastEditorUserId="11278" LastEditDate="2015-05-12T18:29:37.963" LastActivityDate="2015-05-13T21:52:00.593" Title="What are the absolute most water-thirsty plants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;water&gt;&lt;rain-barrel&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="13" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19338" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19341" CreationDate="2015-05-11T19:46:43.503" Score="6" ViewCount="30310" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking to add some earthworms to my garden. What types of stores would carry them? I'm guessing Home Depot and Lowes, but I'm not certain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I'm in the US)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3216" LastActivityDate="2019-08-19T15:53:36.827" Title="Where would you buy earthworms?" Tags="&lt;earthworms&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19339" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18118" CreationDate="2015-05-11T20:52:29.390" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Compare with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarillo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Solanum betaceum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Tamarillo)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11280" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-12T01:23:11.380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-12T01:23:11.380" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19340" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19338" CreationDate="2015-05-11T21:46:02.470" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bait shops for fisherman or any store that stocks a complete range of &quot;sporting supplies&quot; should stock earthworms.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I get mine from Canadian Tire where they are available on a seasonal basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-05-11T21:46:02.470" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19338" CreationDate="2015-05-11T22:29:41.153" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Brew a pot (or several) of coffee (or have someone else do that if you don't drink coffee - or beg a bucket full of grounds from a diner/coffee-shop.) Take the grounds, dig a hole, insert grounds. Come back in two or three days, preferably at night, investigate coffee-grounds hole. Re-assess your need to buy worms depending on what you find.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your local worms are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nearly always there&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Actual earthworms that live in dirt&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not above-average likely to have worm diseases that might negatively impact your local worm population, since they are the local worm population.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Imported worms may fail on points 2&amp;amp;3, and after a week point 1 may also be weak for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-11T22:29:41.153" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19342" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19328" CreationDate="2015-05-11T22:40:08.747" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rake, shovel and wheelbarrow - or front-end loader and perhaps a tractor-mounted rake or harrow, or a drag behind the tiller, such as a section of chain-link fence that will help pull some soil forward - though I usually find resorting to a hand rake eventually is required if you want a &quot;near-perfect job.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's also tilling less - but that can be a hard point to come to when you have a tractor-mounted tiller handy. You could also try tilling in circles or ovals rather than end-to-end in a line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-11T22:40:08.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19343" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19344" CreationDate="2015-05-11T22:53:09.170" Score="3" ViewCount="617" Body="&lt;p&gt;Theres a spot in my front yard where the ground is extremely hard, everywhere else is soft and spongy. This spot is roughly 1 to 1.5' in diameter. No grass grows here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the best way for a novice gardener to fix this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="74" LastActivityDate="2015-05-12T00:35:59.293" Title="My Lawn has a Hard Spot where Grass doesn't Grow" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19344" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19343" CreationDate="2015-05-12T00:35:59.293" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, how about the old fashioned detective way as recommended by Ecnerwal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a spade and start digging in the problem area.  Grass needs six inches of good topsoil and drainage to do well.  If the problem area is so distinct it sounds likely that rocks, concrete fill or an access cover are underneath. The best option is to remove whatever is preventing the grass from growing, add more soil and sod or seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If what is underneath cannot be moved then you need to disguise it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some loose lay flagstone &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a decorative element like a dry tree stump&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sculpture like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yard_globe&quot;&gt;gazing ball&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a raised bed for shallow rooted plants like annuals&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-05-12T00:35:59.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19345" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-12T00:44:31.733" Score="1" ViewCount="162" Body="&lt;p&gt;My large pine tree is starting to indent near the ground. The bark in some spots can be pulled off easily. The pine tree is the type that branches out. What could the issue be ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11282" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-05-12T00:53:54.410" LastActivityDate="2015-05-12T00:53:54.410" Title="My large pine tree is indenting at the bottom of the trunk" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2015-09-14T15:12:06.677" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19346" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19347" CreationDate="2015-05-12T01:58:56.720" Score="4" ViewCount="5880" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone tell me what this is? I've got a TON of this on a new property I just moved to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Located in Dayton, Ohio, USA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IRExf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;What is this?&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11283" LastEditorUserId="11283" LastEditDate="2015-05-12T06:34:50.683" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T12:17:04.213" Title="What is this tall stalked plant with fern-like leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19347" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19346" CreationDate="2015-05-12T10:35:17.547" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely in the Apiaceae Family. I considered Anthriscus sylvestris (called cow parsley or Queen Anne's Lace) at first, but looking at it a bit more, I'm pretty sure it's Conium maculatum (Hemlock). Fortunately I found a website discussing the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.torrens.org.uk/FFF/plants/A/Anthriscus/Sylvestris.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;differences between the two.&lt;/a&gt; From what I can see in your pictures the stems appear rounded rather than grooved, suggesting Hemlock.  Also the red dots on the stem are suggestive of Hemlock. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would suggest clearing it out CAREFULLY before it flowers. Wear gloves and a long sleeved shirt so the sap doesn't get on your skin, if it does wash it off fast. The sap has the potential to cause localized burning/rash on your skin, but it's only lethal if you eat it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-05-09T19:51:10.163" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T19:51:10.163" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19348" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19337" CreationDate="2015-05-12T11:28:56.350" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say it isn't really workable, even ignoring the possibility of contamination from the water killing plants quite quickly. I have a balcony in London UK which is 5.5 feet wide by 12 feet long - it has large and medium pots and containers all round the outside edge. Its south facing, so in full sun all day, and summer temperatures here can be anything between 25 to 39 degrees C (roughly 75 - 90 degrees F), with relatively low precipitation, but usually high humidity. I should add that the temperature readout on the balcony itself frequently reaches 45 deg C or higher (100-110 deg F) during hot dry spells. Some of the pots are 3 feet deep by 18 inches wide, with large, permanent climbers and plants; when the weather is hot and dry, the medium and smaller containers may need watering daily, but the large ones every other day only. That means I'm using, at most, around 20 litres of water a day when its hot and the sun is out all day, but more usually 20 litres every other day max. Three gallons of water equals roughly 13.5 litres of water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your balcony is only 3 feet in width - that significantly reduces what size pots you can use, so you're stuck with small pots. The advantage with those is they need watering more often, the disadvantage is you can only grow smaller plants which drink less anyway. Even so, I'd be surprised if you managed to use anywhere near 3 gallons every day, given they're not in full sun. The other consideration is where the water from the pots ends up after its dripped through the drainage holes - you can't leave them standing in trays full of water or they'll die much faster, so where will the flow of water go once you've watered all the pots, and does it matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure that its any easier to water several containers every day, whether they need it or not, to attempt to use up some of your three gallons of water, and then dispose of the rest though - the need to water several pots daily will quickly become quite tiresome (I speak from experience). It seems quicker and simpler to just dispose of the whole lot, particularly given its not 'clean' water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't mind replaceable plants, its probably best to go for 'summer bedding' type plants, which are usually cheaper to buy, particularly in trays or flats I think they're called in the USA, and not expected to last more than a couple of seasons, things like Dahlia, Snapdragon, Verbenas, Fuchsias and so on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of permanent plants which like a great deal of water, willows come to mind, but you're still heavily restricted as to which you can use because of container size. Alternatively, in larger pots, anything which produces fruits which are normally edible, tomatoes, blueberries, whatever. I wouldn't recommend you eat the fruits though, given what you're watering with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-12T11:53:13.053" LastActivityDate="2015-05-12T11:53:13.053" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19349" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19338" CreationDate="2015-05-12T12:02:45.630" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you think you don't have any or enough earthworms in your garden, buying them in and adding them won't work. If they're not in your soil, it means the conditions are hostile, and those hostile conditions will mean any you add will disappear quite quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you carry out the coffee grounds test suggested in another answer, and don't find many or any worms, change the condition of your soil by adding humus rich materials - composted manures in other words. Put enough of that on and the worms will arrive all on their own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-12T12:02:45.630" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19350" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19337" CreationDate="2015-05-12T15:06:26.130" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think your best bet is to look into plants that are used in graywater garden design. Cattails are one very common one, as they don't mind standing in water, as are bulrush, canna lily and reed canary grass. They are all tough, and seem to grow well on graywater. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ETA: I looked up the calculation - you'll need about 1.25 square feet of wetland plants per gallon of water that you need to get rid of every day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My two biggest concerns would be figuring out whether the size of garden you need to absorb 3 gallons a day would actually fit on your balcony, and figuring out whether your balcony can support the added weight of such a garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2015-05-12T15:27:29.807" LastActivityDate="2015-05-12T15:27:29.807" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19351" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="700" CreationDate="2015-05-12T21:00:14.690" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rainwater is generally better. Chlorine, fluoride, bleach and such, which are in a lot of city water, may not harm your plants in the drinkable amounts, per se, but they certainly may harm the beneficial microbes in your soil, which will reduce the benefit you would gain from those microbes (which may be considerable). I find that my tomato plants last year preferred filtered water to regular city tap water, probably for this reason. They required less water and grew better when I filtered the water. I imagine rainwater is similar to filtered water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rainwater is probably pretty much devoid of minerals. It may contain chemicals via pollution, however, and your guess is as good as mine as to what those chemicals will do to your plants and soil microbes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well water, without chemicals added, has the potential to be better than rainwater, depending on your soil and the composition of the well water, because your soil may need those minerals. On the other hand, the minerals in the water may have come from the above soil in the first place, in part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-08-24T21:53:41.690" LastActivityDate="2015-08-24T21:53:41.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19352" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-12T21:01:29.267" Score="4" ViewCount="985" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some Johnston seedless grape vines and I am starting to notice caterpillars that I believe are Grapeleaf Skeletonizer.   Can someone suggest an organic means of ridding them from my vines?  I have small children and just prefer to not use chemical pesticides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a photo of what they look like&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hseP1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8619" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-12T23:36:04.183" LastActivityDate="2015-05-13T01:42:33.760" Title="How to rid my grape vines of Grapeleaf Skeletonizer" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19353" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19352" CreationDate="2015-05-13T01:42:33.760" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hand-picking is always an option, and can get the children involved - as is brushing them into a bucket of hot soapy water (which also works for a thing to pick them into.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not intimately familiar with that particular pest (mostly the darn Japanese Beetles do the destruction on my grape leaves) so I won't venture into recommending organic pesticides (which are organic, but many are not all that nice or safe around children despite that, really - they are just &lt;em&gt;natural&lt;/em&gt; poisons.) I'm not sure which ones might be most effective on that pest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-13T01:42:33.760" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19354" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19357" CreationDate="2015-05-13T02:29:51.687" Score="4" ViewCount="1874" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted three &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c480&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bleeding Hearts&lt;/a&gt; last year. They were healthy and very pretty. This year there are seven or eight others all around the yard, as far away as fifty feet! They're even popping up under azaleas! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As expected, they ended last season with pods that shriveled up, however, I didn't see them break open.  I understand that wildflowers can spread by methods such as seeds being blown by the wind or carried by birds, but we've had bleeding hearts in other places we've lived, and have never seen this behavior. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're adding beauty to my landscape, free of charge, so I'm not complaining. I'm just wondering about the mechanism. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-05-13T10:57:33.690" Title="What has caused my Bleeding Hearts to multiply and spread?" Tags="&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;bleeding-hearts&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19355" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-13T03:32:23.950" Score="2" ViewCount="1582" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just removed an old shed from my property. It had a base made of layers as following:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-first layer: gravel&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-second layer: crushed stone&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-third layer: precast concrete slabs&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jn2X8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It din not have the landscape fabric and the soil mixed with some crushing stone. The original soil in my yard is closer to clay. After I carefully removed the what I could as crushed stone I started separating the gravel from the mix of soil and crushed stone. The result was two heaps one of crushed stone which I plan to reuse for building a path and another of this mix between crushed stone and the finer particles (almost sandy) of the crushed stone.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I was wondering if there is any way to use this as a base for some rocky garden or something of this sort. I live in Toronto and I often go to visit Edwards' garden where I can see hen and chickens or something similar planted in a sort of wall made from sand and ...bottle bottoms like below&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IO9rj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I love this arrangements a lot and I wold like to be able to build something like this in my garden&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cQ1Sc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-can I reuse the soil mentioned above to plant something like this?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-are these (chicken and hens) perennials going to survive the harsh weather of Toronto (Canada)? I have seen then in Edwards Garden for years but I have not followed their evolution closely to see if they are actually struggling or thriving...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: here you can see what the soil that I want to reuse looks like (last picture of the three showing soils and limestone crush or screed)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="3078" LastEditDate="2015-05-14T03:33:00.100" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T03:33:00.100" Title="How can I reuse soil that mixed with crushed stone? (overall moderate content of crushed stone and brownish color)" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19356" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19363" CreationDate="2015-05-13T06:05:25.120" Score="3" ViewCount="405" Body="&lt;p&gt;On my balcony I have just planted my hardy kiwi. I found that some leaves, particularly smaller ones, have holes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rpukv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Holes in hardy kiwi&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm using universal soil (ph 5.5-6.5). I'm watering it everyday as the flowerpot is quite big (40x40x40cm). Can it be that the soil is missing some minerals? Should I use some compost? Or this is a pest? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: I've just found that the buds of new branches have black tips. Is that relevant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vs4ml.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11231" LastEditorUserId="11231" LastEditDate="2015-08-01T10:51:39.413" LastActivityDate="2020-05-14T12:59:00.020" Title="Holes in hardy kiwi leaves" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19357" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19354" CreationDate="2015-05-13T10:57:33.690" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming the new ones you're seeing are fairly small, obviously new plants, then you've been lucky - this plant produces seed and it comes true from seed, so if you left the seed pods in place, they've opened and been dispersed (the seeds are often carried by ants, believe it or not), then germinated and grown where they've landed. Just means the ants either dropped some, or the seed deposited itself, and conditions were exactly right for germination and growth. It is known for seeding itself in ideal conditions, so your garden obviously has, or at least, had, this last year, ideal conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-13T10:57:33.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19359" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-13T13:31:49.947" Score="20" ViewCount="41824" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted seeds of a lemon and want to know, if I have to graft the lemon plant so I can get lemons?  Or will they in time grow without grafting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11289" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-13T15:39:21.943" LastActivityDate="2021-04-29T22:43:20.657" Title="Will I get lemons from a tree grown from a lemon seed?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="8" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19359" CreationDate="2015-05-13T13:42:53.320" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your seedling will eventually get lemons if the conditions are right. It could take 5-10 years. Since you are growing from seed, it is impossible to know whether the lemons you get from your tree will be anything like the lemon from which you got the seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-05-13T13:42:53.320" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19361" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19382" CreationDate="2015-05-13T14:19:55.080" Score="3" ViewCount="1430" Body="&lt;p&gt;The castor tree grows quickly here, and within 4 or 5 generations of growth, the branches have lost their pith cavity and become solid.  The trunks within a year can be 8 -10 inches in diameter at the base, of solid, oily 'wood'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that oily wood good for firewood if I let it dry?  I'm considering splitting it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other options include burying it or using it as posts.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read a lot of online articles now about the plant, but not one has mentioned the wood.  When I prune I 'chop and drop' the branches, which are hollow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7047" LastActivityDate="2021-01-30T15:52:13.740" Title="Can I use Castor Tree (Ricinus Communis) wood as firewood?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19362" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-13T14:45:41.827" Score="1" ViewCount="976" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SUZwI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/98ntu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of the plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought this flower plant 2 days ago. But I don't know the name of the flower. Can anyone pls tell me the name?&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EplND.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11204" LastEditorUserId="11204" LastEditDate="2015-06-08T12:23:39.260" LastActivityDate="2015-06-08T16:03:30.977" Title="What is this plant with strap-like leaves and a yellow-orange spear shaped flower bud?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19363" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19356" CreationDate="2015-05-13T14:54:16.927" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay, so you've said there are drainage holes in the pot, that the growing medium you've used is a type of potting compost suitable for potted plants. You've also said the root ball of the plant is very small compared to the volume of soil in the pot. That isn't good - you're watering to keep all the soil moist, but the rootball is small - there's a risk of 'souring' of the compost in these situations, and that may kill a plant. It's always advisable to start with a pot that's not much bigger than the rootball, then increase the pot size as the plant grows for any plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, Kiwi is a rapid grower - I'd suggest a pot half the size of the one you currently have as a maximum, then potting on into your larger pot when its necessary. I realise this is a bit of a nightmare, because these plants are difficult to handle once there's a lot of topgrowth - you may feel its more risky to repot once its larger than the risk associated with it planted the way it is now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there's no evidence of any problems currently, other than what I think I can see in the picture, you could just keep your fingers crossed and leave it as it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER: So I wasn't imagining things, there is some blackening going on. These plants can get fungal infections, usually because they're too wet at the roots - you've been watering daily in order to keep all that planting medium moist enough, so I think its a good decision to move to a smaller pot in the meantime. Water it in well when you've moved it - after that, water when the surface of the planting medium is just dry to the touch, and not at all if it feels wet. Depending on air temperature and sun exposure, it may not need watering daily, might even be every 4, 5 or 7 days, so check before you water. Although they like a good supply of water and hate to dry out completely, they also don't like being very wet at the root all the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wait and see if that black spreads or the leaves open out normally, just with black tips - the shoot otherwise looks healthy, and it might only be where the tips have got nipped in a sharp frost or sudden cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-13T19:04:52.787" LastActivityDate="2015-05-13T19:04:52.787" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19364" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-13T14:56:05.273" Score="2" ViewCount="223" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lgL9Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;I bought this flower 2 days ago. But I don't know the name of this flower. What is the name of this flower? And why is it not blooming? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11204" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-15T13:58:01.430" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T13:58:01.430" Title="What is the name of the flower in the picture?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19365" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19359" CreationDate="2015-05-13T15:04:28.223" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Strictly speaking something like a sour orange is possible. A lot of things are possible really. Citrus hybridization can get very complicated. There are four 'parent species' of citrus (Citron, Pomelo, Papeda and Mandarin). A lemon is a cross between a Citron and a Sour Orange (which is itself a cross of a Mandarin and a Pomelo). So that's 3 parent species in two generations to produce the lemon you got your seed from, which only accounts for the female parent of the tree in your yard. The male part (pollen) could have come from any number of other citrus trees that flower around the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, your tree will definitely produce some manner of citrus fruit, but what that fruit will be is anyone's guess. If you want something specific, a graft would be necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-05-13T15:21:12.633" LastActivityDate="2015-05-13T15:21:12.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19364" CreationDate="2015-05-13T15:24:03.477" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a Canna variety, and it &lt;strong&gt;is&lt;/strong&gt; blooming - the flowers just haven't opened out fully yet. Give it time, they will.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-13T15:24:03.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19367" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19362" CreationDate="2015-05-13T15:25:32.297" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Same story as the other plant you asked about - that's a bud and it will open when the time is right. Patience my friend... as to what it is, it looks a bit like Strelitzia reginae (Bird of Paradise plant) from the leaves - except the bud shape is wrong. If no one else knows what it is, please post another photo when the flower has opened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, got it, having seen the new photograph - it's Heliconia psittacorum 'Andromeda' and its not quite finished opening fully yet. It's a perennial  native to the Caribbean and the north of South America, but also often listed as a Malaysian plant. The common name for this plant is Parrot Plant, though that also refers to other varieties of Heliconia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-08T16:03:30.977" LastActivityDate="2015-06-08T16:03:30.977" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19368" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22482" CreationDate="2015-05-13T17:04:46.547" Score="5" ViewCount="361" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in an apartment in the city (located roughly central east-coast of US) and really miss my father's garden in the suburbs.  As such, I have figured out a scheme for window boxes that has allowed me to grow some nice herbs (basil and oregano).  I would like to make this work with a similar set-up for flowers on my other window sill. I have grown poppies before in the ground and they are just so beautiful and fun to grow that I would like to try to grow them in my current situation.  Now, I know they get very big and typically need a lot of space to grow to their full size, but I was wondering if it would be possible to grow a single poppy plant to at least a medium size in a standard window box (say roughly 500 cubic inches)?  If not, what flowers would you suggest to grow given my circumstances?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NOTE:  My windows get pretty good sunlight throughout the day.  After about 4 pm, there is a tree that kind of blocks the sun but for the most part light still makes it through.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11291" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-13T19:31:30.183" LastActivityDate="2015-11-25T09:16:17.973" Title="What is the minimum amount of space needed to grow a poppy?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;poppy&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19369" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19355" CreationDate="2015-05-13T19:50:14.947" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You absolutely can reuse this soil - you just have to pick a strategy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Certain plants like rocky soils - perhaps you own one or want to own one.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I don't know about canada, but we have a spice plant here called &lt;em&gt;cilantron&lt;/em&gt; that will only grow through the cracks in the driveway.  This type of soil is great for making a bed for these types of plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I often mix in sub par soil with my composted humus.  I feel like this gives the finished product a more realistic texture, some clays and rocks are good for plant development.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As your question hinted at, this stuff is perfect for use as backfill.  There are hundreds of different backyard projects that require a few yards of 'any' quality soil, from raised beds to burms to those beautiful flower walls you showed.  If your heap is small you can start an herb spiral.  Pile it all up and top it off with higher quality soil and rocks for the spiral design.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7047" LastActivityDate="2015-05-13T19:50:14.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19355" CreationDate="2015-05-13T20:12:47.277" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Interesting idea with the spiral or with adding some variation to my otherwise flat garden. I am still in the process of correctly sloping the backyard, the previous owner created a water problem with unwisely adding land where he was not supposed to...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have asked the same question on another forum and the only answer that I received was saying that if this is lime screening this might actually change the PH of the soil. I have had another heap of soil, much richer in screening covered by a plastic foil in one of the corners of my yard. It sat there for the entire winter and a few days ago I had to remove it. To my surprise in some areas small plants grew under the plastic foil! They were thriving there, well protected and with enough humidity to keep them well. So I do not know what to say about this soil. I will take some pictures today and I will post them here and on the other forum as requested.... maybe you can form a clearer opinion this way&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;regarding that wall....not sure if this is doable in regular backyard. Mine is facing south. If I want a wall like that I will need to find a way to build it next to my fence,it does not make sense to have it anywhere else but this will create space between the wall itself and the fence which can not be used AND the side of the wall that the viewer can see will face North (the south side will face the fence) I can not see anything else other than problems in this sort of arrangement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You did not say if you know if these &quot;Hen and chickens&quot; would survive in our climate... I this I will go to Edwards' gardens anyway to see how those plants are doing, they have been on that wall for 4-5 years no and I am not sure if they did well there...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;thanks a lot! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastActivityDate="2015-05-13T20:12:47.277" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19372" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-13T20:29:05.873" Score="4" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is adding Epsom salt to soil based container potting mixtures, non-harmful to grow vegetables with?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11298" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T03:41:05.830" Title="Epsom salts to container potting mixture" Tags="&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19337" CreationDate="2015-05-13T21:52:00.593" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Absolutely.  I would go with the wetland grasses route, these plants are hearty and can handle standing water.  Your biggest problem is going to be sun, so you will want the tallest grasses possible, to take most advantage of that indirect light bounced off the neighboring building.  Plants use water mostly for photosynthesis, the more photosynthesis they are doing (the more sun/light it gets) the more water they will use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make your bed as deep as possible (do required research on the weight!) in order to maintain as much water as possible.  Also, a deeper bed will be taller, further raising your grasses and other wetland plants to fetch more sun and indirect light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally I would recommend a polyculture.  In 37 sqft you can plant mostly cattails, but leave room for a bush or two.  More species will be more resilient to whatever contaminants you are adding via the A/C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7047" LastActivityDate="2015-05-13T21:52:00.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19374" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19355" CreationDate="2015-05-14T00:17:41.177" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Absolutely you can reuse the soil. It might not be the most suitable for some purposes but it's far from useless. It probably will be lighter on nutrients than most soils, but that can be fixed with composts and fertilizers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or you could do something like you mentioned above and just plant it with plants that are well adapted to stoney low-nutrient soils. Hens and chicks are one good example of that, they thrive quite well in rocky soils. Columbines also grow quite well in stoney soil, I've seen more than a few growing wild clinging to shale cliffs with less than a spoonful of soil to grow from. From personal experience I know both of these grow and thrive quite well straight across Lake Ontario here in New York and winter is just as cold on our side as it is on yours, so they'll do fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T00:17:41.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19375" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19359" CreationDate="2015-05-14T01:09:37.603" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;John McPhee wrote a very witty book on oranges, entitled, not surprisingly, 'Oranges'. One chapter recounts an effort to grow limes from seed, due to the pervasive presence of a virus in existing trees. Essentially, they grew hundreds of seedlings from limes, and got a tiny number of plants that grew limes. All the others produced some other citrus fruit. So, you can look forward to almost anything &lt;em&gt;except&lt;/em&gt; a conventional lemon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11302" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T01:09:37.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19372" CreationDate="2015-05-14T03:41:05.830" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Magnesium Sulphate provides magnesium for plants that tend to need it more, such as Blueberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usual applications is two tablespoons per gallon of water applied occasionally or 1 cup per 100 sq ft. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a magnesium source it is neutral as opposed to dolomite which will raise the soil pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photosynthesis depends on having magnesium available, it's one of the active parts of chlorophyll, along with assimilable iron.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lack of magnesium is one of the causes of chlorosis, a readily identifiable condition where the veins in the leaves remain green with yellowing in the areas between. This mostly affects newer growth and slowly starves the plant of its sugar production. Lack of free assimilable iron also causes this condition in roses and other iron loving plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T03:41:05.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19377" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19361" CreationDate="2015-05-14T03:57:55.473" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;We're talking here about Ricinus Communis, the producer of Castor Beans and also a highly toxic source of Ricin contained within its sap. It is recommended to not get the sap in your mouth or eyes (possibly deadly) and to only handle trimmings with gloves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ricin is particularly abundant in the resins and oils, drying doesn't get rid of it. Burning it would probably be a really bad idea. Aerosolized Ricin and all that entails. Kind of like burning oleander or poison oak, don't get downwind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2015-05-14T04:25:16.457" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T04:25:16.457" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19378" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3729" CreationDate="2015-05-14T05:42:43.227" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm with all the people who say it IS the slaters (pill bugs). I'm in Australia, and it is so bad now that my lovely fresh compost is gone within two days of laying it around plants. Gone!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Right now I'm trying another method. I have planted and transferred everything into large tubs, which I was carefully ensured were slater-free. I will soon move all the tubs out of the garden area and let the chickens in to hopefully clean up every last one of them. Or at least get me back to the happy medium I enjoyed before they bred to such enormous numbers. Fingers crossed...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11304" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-14T14:46:35.320" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T14:46:35.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="244" CreationDate="2015-05-14T07:43:13.583" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yellowing of the lower leaves can be caused by a few different things (and these are different things than if it starts with the upper leaves). How the leaves are yellowing can give you clues as to what is wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the whole leaf is yellowing, nitrogen deficiency is often the cause. If just the edges of the lower leaves are yellowing, potassium deficiency is often the cause. Too much potassium may cause lower leaf yellowing because it can inhibit magnesium uptake. Magnesium deficiency can cause yellowing of older leaves, but the veins may remain green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much boron may also make the edges of the leaves yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.com/books?id=tEBSAAAAMAAJ&amp;amp;pg=PA73&amp;amp;lpg=PA73#v=onepage&amp;amp;q&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Large amounts of calcium may inhibit potassium&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aquariumtips.net/plant-fertilizer/introduction-to-fertilizers-for-a-planted-aquarium.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;and too much magnesium will do the same in at least water plants&lt;/a&gt;. I guess this explains why giving my plants basalt rockdust seemed to give them potassium deficiency, with the edges of the leaves yellowing (rockdust is high in calcium).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard a rumor that too much nitrogen inhibits potassium uptake, and perhaps vice versa (so, if true, too much of either can potentially cause some form of yellowing). I have not, however, found a reliable source to verify either of these claims. My personal experience makes the rumor seem as if it might be true, but not enough to be certain. I used to propagate this rumor, thinking it was something a lot of people knew (because I heard it more than once), but now that I've actually looked into it more, it may just be a rumor, after all. Too much nitrogen may inhibit roots, however (and potassium is supposed to help the roots), and, again, too much potassium can cause yellowing due to inhibiting magnesium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/mauisoil/c_evaluation.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here's a really helpful link that outlines most of the things I said, and more.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hydroponics.net/learn/deficiency_by_element.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here's another.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsainut.com/index.php?threads/benefits-of-vinegar.15815/page-2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This link may also be insightful.&lt;/a&gt; (But I don't know that it meets the criteria of being a reliable source in and of itself.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, if you have lots of plants close together in a warm, humid environment, this may also cause yellowing of lower leaves, particularly the edges (probably due to some fungus in my area). It looks like potassium deficiency, but I've had it happen on plants that I had already given plenty of potassium previously. I'm not sure why this happens, but yellow discolored circles or patches, or bumps on the leaves can result, too (and usually do instead of it mimicking potassium deficiency). Giving the plants a cooler, dryer environment with more space has easily fixed this problem, for me. Lots of light is also important, but not as important as temperature, dryness and space. This happens much less on plants with enough potassium, even though it still may happen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-05-14T07:52:53.417" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T07:52:53.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19380" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8348" CreationDate="2015-05-14T09:50:00.600" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wow.  Chronic exposure to fertilizer is toxic?  You do realize many fertilizers are made up of components used in Medicine?  Potassium chloride is used to treat hypokalemia.  I am not saying you should start putting spoonfuls of the stuff from a 50lb bag meant for the field, but dosage is the issue.  Small doses are necessary for the body to function properly.  Large doses are toxic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) exist to provide the user/applicator with information on how to properly use the product, what to do in case of an accidental over-exposure and the levels to be concerned about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ALL organic fertilizers break down into the same components that synthetic fertilizers do, as far as plants are concerned.  Too much fertilizer is BAD.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil organisms will actually consume Urea when the soil is too wet to stay alive.  They break down the fertilizer to get at the oxygen component.  For the farmer this is bad as the soil bacteria consumed his plant food.  This is called denitrification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main concern for ALL fertilizer sources is salt content.  Too much salt restricts the ability of roots to take up water efficiently.  Whether this salt comes from Fresh Manure, you urinating on the lawn (Urine is high in Urea) or putting on too much fertilizer, the effect is the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check the MSDS on ANY fertilizer bag and you can see all of the heavy metal content.  You can NOT do that with many organic fertilizers.  Many manure composts are high in heavy metals, have too much phosphate fertilizer, etc.  Remember manure runoff and why it is so bad?  There is too much phosphate &quot;fertilizer&quot; in that manure.  The animal eats large quantities of organic matter, defecates the excess phosphate, farmer puts it on the field, crop can't use it all and the next rain washes the excess into the lake or stream and we have algae blooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to understand chemistry, even the basics, in order to know how all of these nutrients are used in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11306" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-14T14:45:52.537" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T14:45:52.537" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19381" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19386" CreationDate="2015-05-14T10:44:04.147" Score="2" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;first of all I'm not a gardening expert so I don't know the correct terms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've recently put a pot outside my window and I've put some roses chinensis in it, but all its flowers fell off due to winds and also some of them dried out (the seller suggested me these flowers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I need a flower for there, and I need it to be acid rain resistant (the air is polluted in here so sometimes we've got acid rains :D ), wind resistant, and highly resistant to high temperatures (42 degrees for example), and also sun hungry (here it's sunny most the time :D ).&#xA;the humidity is also not too high here (for example right now it's 12%).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;thanks a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11205" LastEditorUserId="11205" LastEditDate="2015-05-14T19:30:43.160" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T19:30:43.160" Title="flower suggestion for outside the window" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19361" CreationDate="2015-05-14T15:15:03.797" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's really hard to get something definitive on this - I have discovered that Ricinus communis wood, or a whole plant, is burned in the centre of a bonfire lit for religious reasons during a festival called Holika Dahan celebrated in India, without apparent ill effects, but that is burning outdoors, not indoors. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All other reliable information seems to pertain to the seeds or beans being highly toxic. Cornell University talks about aphids being killed within 24 hours of penetrating the phloem system of the plant, which suggests the sap itself is, to some extent toxic. On the other hand, the leaves from the plant are fed to silk worms, so either they're immune or the leaves don't contain toxic levels. Ricin is concentrated in the beans or seeds, and Wikipedia suggests that ricin is present in other parts of the plant, but in much smaller quantities. Even so, the oil from pressed castor beans is used in lamps in other parts of the world, mixed with kerosene usually. The fact its used in this way is probably meaningless, because once the beans are pressed, any ricin is left behind in the crushed beans, not actually in the oil's first pressing. I can find no warnings about wearing gloves when handling the plant, nor when pruning it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are various other sites which I don't consider trustworthy saying various things about Ricinus - everything from toxic pollen to toxic leaves and mass murder being possible by inhaling ricin (it's not), but finding out whether its completely safe to burn the wood appears to be next to impossible. If I find anything else that's definitive, I'll add it later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Found another site (Mediterranean Garden Society) listing various plants which are dangerous if burned - Ricinus is not one of them - the one it mentions is Cestrum nocturnum, which produces toxic smoke if burned. It does include Ricinus as a toxic plant, but the entry is restricted to the seeds and their consumption/use. Residue from processing the beans for oil is 'cleaned' and turned into fertilizers, which might mean a possible allergic reaction if any dust is inhaled when the fertilizer is being distributed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-14T17:00:38.137" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T17:00:38.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19383" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19385" CreationDate="2015-05-14T16:09:30.900" Score="4" ViewCount="2936" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below is a picture of one of my indoor lemon trees. They are all in self watering pots, and they drink ~3 litre of tap water per week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What concerns me is the white/orange stuff on the dirt. To the right of the picture have I dug a little bit down, and it seams to only be at the serfuce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what this is? And how to prevent it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GzIpT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3401" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-05-15T10:17:59.263" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T10:17:59.263" Title="What is this white discoloration on my lemon tree dirt (picture)?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19384" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-14T17:21:59.783" Score="4" ViewCount="196" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to move an oak tree that has rooted through the bottom of the pot and stands about 8-10 feet tall. It is way too close to the house and must be moved. I know this should be attempted in its dormant state but that is not an option right now. Luckily, this is the Pacific NW, so the weather isn't very warm yet but the tree is leafing prolifically already. I will only be able to dig just a bit larger than the diameter of the pot which is approximately 2 ft. I know we need to handle the tap root with extreme care, and transplant into larger pot, fertilize, water well for months. Anything else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11310" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T12:44:52.380" Title="Transplanting an oak that has rooted through bottom of a pot" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19383" CreationDate="2015-05-14T17:38:22.590" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't decide whether its just salt deposits or fungal in origin. Either way, it appears to be time to remove any loose soil from the top of the pot, without damaging the roots, and replace with fresh potting compost or whatever it is you use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you live in a hardwater area, its more likely to be deposits. You'd be better off not using tapwater, well, at least not straight from the tap. Boil it first and let it cool, or add 2g of citric acid per 10 litres of water and use that, or use rainwater if you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming there aren't any problems with the plant itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T17:38:22.590" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19381" CreationDate="2015-05-14T18:25:01.107" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds like a job for Pelargoniums to me - these are commonly known as Geraniums, although they're not Geraniums at all, that's an entirely different plant. Check out Pelargonium hortorum - these have thousands of varieties, most of which are grown as ornamental flowers during summer round the world. Many have zonal markings on the leaves which vary in colour from orange to red to brown to black or white. In hotter, drier countries, they survive all year, but usually aren't in flower all that time. They come in upright forms, trailing (Ivy leaved pelargonium) or cascading (fairly short cascade, commonly sold as Cascade Geranium/Pelargonium). There's also one known as Regal Pelargonium, somewhat different in flower and leaf form - very attractive, but not quite as floriferous as the other types - they usually flower, then pause, then flower again. You should get 3 or 4 in your window box (because that's what you're describing), depending which varieties you choose. Drought resistant, they hate being waterlogged, but will need feeding and watering to keep them flowering well. Largely resistant to aphids and other sap feeding insects, though flowers can be spoiled by lots of rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other little thing - I'd describe your planter/window box as being 'outside' the window rather than saying behind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-14T18:30:55.280" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T18:30:55.280" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19388" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-14T19:13:32.437" Score="6" ViewCount="232" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of my coworkers found a mismanaged plant and gave it to me to rescue.  It was very dry and upon further inspection roots had grown over a small plastic pot, completely covering it. Then someone had put it in another pot. Some larger roots started growing out the top of the plant... Do they do this as a last attempt to find water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I carefully cut out the inside pot and soaked two of the roots in a glass of water for a few hours until I could get soil and repot it. Did I take the right steps? Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11313" LastActivityDate="2016-02-21T21:12:35.730" Title="Roots growing out the top of plant, last attempt?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19389" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-14T19:55:00.227" Score="6" ViewCount="3547" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried to root an avocado pit in water with toothpicks as suggested, but gave up after leaving it for quite a long time. Finally I just stuck the pit in dirt and watered it. Six months later a tall skinny sprout came out of the dirt, and just when it was sprouting tiny little leaves my cat tipped it over and the top broke off. Will it continue to grow or is it doomed to die off and never grow again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11314" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-05-15T20:05:03.183" LastActivityDate="2019-10-20T20:24:31.537" Title="Will my avocado plant grow after the top has broken off?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19390" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-14T20:11:00.707" Score="5" ViewCount="425" Body="&lt;p&gt;For looks, I have the soil around my Jade plant covered with small rounded pebbles for a different textured look. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this actually cause water or moisture retention? Should I simply have the soil open to the air to dry out properly between waterings? With this pebble cover on the soil, could I be introducing other issues about the plant, such as disease, bugs, etc?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11315" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-15T15:51:23.100" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T15:51:23.100" Title="Does having pebbles around the base of my Jade plant cause problems?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19391" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19397" CreationDate="2015-05-14T21:40:23.943" Score="4" ViewCount="163" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was recently planning to buy some bird netting to protect my trees from Birds and Squirrels, but found a cheaper alternative , &quot;Scaffolding Net&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have never seen or touched one , in a close up situation. But they seem to be a good alternative to the bird nets. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone tried them for their trees ? &#xA;Questions I have is mostly inclined towards &#xA;.Do they allow enough Sunlight through to the Trees&#xA;. Do they work well for the use mentioned ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding another question to this : &#xA;Does the size of mesh matter in those nets ? As long as it allows enough air to pass through. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11268" LastEditorUserId="11268" LastEditDate="2015-05-14T22:04:52.970" LastActivityDate="2016-01-28T13:07:09.433" Title="Are Scaffolding Nets are good options to put on my Trees to protect them from Birds and Squirrels?" Tags="&lt;protection&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19390" CreationDate="2015-05-14T21:41:48.650" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adding pebbles to the top of the pot would likely somewhat reduce the rate that water evaporates from the pot simply by reducing the amount of moist soil that is directly exposed to drier air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, this can be accounted for very easily just by reducing the frequency of waterings to allow the soil a little more time to dry. The pebbles themselves shouldn't create any extra issues, aside from possibly extending the time between watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-05-14T21:41:48.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19393" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-15T00:59:22.840" Score="4" ViewCount="1376" Body="&lt;p&gt;My garden is a shared garden, and the plot I have was gardened by someone else last year.  I have no idea who it was, so I can't ask them the following question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this plant in the picture below?  When I was prepping my garden plot I noticed some sort of white radish/carrot-like root or tuber that had started growing leaves.  It had been cut by a shovel or the tiller about two inches from the top so I have no idea how long the original root/tuber was.  I was curious and decided to plant it in my garden; now it is thriving quite well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Links to other websites that would allow me to figure out myself what this plant is will also be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in New Jersey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MKBCK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11211" LastEditorUserId="11211" LastEditDate="2015-05-15T11:57:17.277" LastActivityDate="2015-06-02T03:07:54.167" Title="Vegetable garden plant identification: white tuber, tall leafy growth" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18188" CreationDate="2015-05-15T02:15:25.863" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I called my local cooperative and, as a courtesy, a specialist in diseases of shrubs and bushes examined my plant. He found no evidence of phytophthora. Instead, he said it's infested with &lt;a href=&quot;http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v49n2/v49n2-cowles.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;black vine weevil&lt;/a&gt;, &#xA;which he called a &quot;formidable and severely destructive&quot; pest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The black vine weevil feeds on a number of bushes, including yew and hemlock, but its favorite is the rhododendron. Dead sections and yellow leaves in the spring can have a number of causes. If your bush exhibits these symptoms, examine the leaves thoroughly.  They are food for the adult weevil, so check for bite marks along the edges, called notching, and small holes in the leaf bodies. The weevils are small, dark, and hard to spot, so this type of leaf damage is used as an indication of their presence. While they may look bad, those leaves don't pose a serious threat to the bush. Death generally comes by way of root-feeding larvae. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adult weevils are slate gray to black, between 8.5 and 11.5 mm long. They have a short pronounced snout, a somewhat beaded appearance, asymmetrically arranged tufts of short gold/orange hairs along modified wings on the top of the abdomen, and elbowed antennae. They are flightless, and female only. They're also nocturnal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Adults hide during the day in shady, moist locations like leaf litter, mulch, or on the stems of dense plants. If disturbed while on a stem, the adult will drop to the leaf litter where it becomes difficult to see due to effective camouflage. &lt;a href=&quot;http://nysipm.cornell.edu/ornamentals/black_vine_weevil.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After dark, they go about the business of eating and laying eggs. Adults require 21-28 days of foliar feeding in order to produce eggs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Eggs are laid at night, either dropped to the ground while feeding, inserted into crevices on plants (Smith 1932), or deposited in the same hiding places where adults are found during the day, usually under the soil surface and up to a depth of 20 cm. (Nielsen et al. 1978). Once egg laying commences, the amount of feeding by the adults decreases. As long as moderate temperatures last, egg laying continues into autumn (Nielsen et al. 1978). Adults during their first year may lay 200-400 eggs apiece (Smith 1932). &lt;a href=&quot;http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v49n2/v49n2-cowles.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The eggs hatch in waves, beginning in 10-14 days, into small larvae which are white with brown heads, legless and usually curled into a c-shape. These are the main source of damage, and, ultimately, death of the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Injury caused by the larval stage feeding on the roots is highly destructive to plants. Feeding by larvae occurs from mid-summer through fall and in early spring. At first larvae feed on small tender roots, but in early spring, they move to the bark of large roots or the stem, sometimes completely girdling them. &lt;a href=&quot;http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/black-vine-weevil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the weather turns cold in the fall, the larvae move deeper into the soil where they overwinter. They re-emerge in the spring, when they mature into adults, start eating leaves and the cycle begins again!  Some adults also survive the winter. Those are particularly dangerous because in the second year, egg-laying increases to an average between 600 and 800.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once a weevil colony is established, there's little hope for the plant, and aggressive insecticide treatment is generally required. There are a few management tools that work for some people, however, and can be worth trying. A popular method is to trap adults in burlap and eliminate as many as possible, thereby reducing the number of offspring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Burlap sacks can be used as trunk wraps and are useful for single or multi-stem plants. Make 4-inch lengthwise accordion folds in the burlap bag, then hold one end against the base of the trunk, and loosely spiral the wrap. Do not tie the burlap to the trunk since adult weevils must climb into the openings in the vertical folds. To count captured weevils, unwind the burlap and shake it over a white sheet or concrete paving. Repeated and frequent removal of the adults could be sufficient for suppressing the weevil population in small residential plantings. &lt;a href=&quot;http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v49n2/v49n2-cowles.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you choose to use insecticide, in many states, it can only be applied by specially certified and licensed landscapers. Because eggs hatch in waves throughout the season, repeated applications are necessary. The first should be made in May, and continue at regular intervals through the fall.  Soaking must include soil and foliage, and is best done at dusk, when the weevils are more active. Treatment is complicated by the fact that black vines are very resilient and develop immunity to individual chemicals, necessitating frequent changes in formulas. Also, even though they can't fly, they're fast walkers with a great sense of direction, so if a host rhododendron becomes unpalatable, they'll just move on over to the nearest one!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people prefer to remove the bush rather than using pesticides. We have a no-kill philosophy at our house, which includes all animals, but we love our plants too. I did speak with a certified landscaper, but he said he would charge $500 just to come discuss options. I'm waiting for a call from another landscaper, although we probably can't afford him either!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some current pictures of my leaves. In case you're wondering, I was told that all the plants growing under my bush are not harming it, and there's no need to remove them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Di8rBm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SqiYXm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gvy6Am.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;  &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NWq90m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T02:15:25.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19395" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19396" CreationDate="2015-05-15T05:41:34.447" Score="3" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing a pumpkin patch and plan to use drip irrigation under a mulch layer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, various parts of the soil are lacking in some nutrients. I don't think I'll have the money (this year) to broadcast the needed soil amendments. Ergo, my question is: Can I fertilize solely by fertigation and make an impact on my crops?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11319" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T10:53:53.637" Title="Can I fertilize solely through fertigation?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19396" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19395" CreationDate="2015-05-15T10:35:30.503" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not really, if you want good results, but you probably don't need to worry about whatever nutrients you're aware are lacking in whatever area of soil, though you've not mentioned what they are. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you enrich the soil first with plenty of humus rich materials, particularly composted manures, dig that in, then plant, it should be fine. These plants are greedy feeders and prefer rich soil, so if you don't emend the soil first, you won't get such good results with simple fertigation. Three or four 60 litre large bags of composted manure isn't that expensive (well, not in the UK anyway, but I can't imagine it'd be hugely expensive where you are either). You should use high nitrogen fertigation when the plants are about a foot tall, just before they start running, then switch to one high in phosphorus just before bloom time. Use an organic mulch rather than chippings or stones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-15T10:53:53.637" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T10:53:53.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19391" CreationDate="2015-05-15T11:11:07.753" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just make sure you  pick one that's actually mesh - there's a wide range available, and some of them look almost solid, in other words, the mesh element is entirely covered by plastic, so it looks more like a roll of material or cloth, and that won't be great for covering trees. Other versions are actually mesh, often sold as scaffold safety netting rather than scaffold debris netting. You also need to pick one that has a mesh size which keeps out the size of bird you're aiming to keep off your fruit, assuming that's what you want it for. Something like Scaffnet would probably work - but it isn't cheap, I'd have thought garden mesh would be cheaper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One site here in the UK says some of their netting is suitable for garden use, but doesn't tell you which, and I think they mean suitable for keeping out wind, insects and giving shade - in other words, over a support of some sort rather than directly in contact with plants. Types of netting include fire retardent, wind and rain barrier, debris prevention, safety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-15T12:07:39.060" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T12:07:39.060" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19398" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19400" CreationDate="2015-05-15T12:01:30.590" Score="3" ViewCount="1915" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have heard and read quite a bit about the benefits of pre-germinating grass seed in terms of getting a lawn growing quicker than it would if you simply seeded. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The procedures I've seen involve several days of soaking, rinsing, draining, changing water, etc. before spreading the seed, but it seems like they all start counting &quot;time till green&quot; from when they sow. But if the preparation time is factored in, is there still a time savings compared to seeding into good soil and maintaining proper moisture? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And are there other benefits/costs that might affect a decision to pre-germinate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T13:50:38.483" Title="Will pre-germinating grass seed produce a green lawn in less time than just seeding and watering properly?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19399" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19384" CreationDate="2015-05-15T12:44:52.380" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Part of the way we &quot;handle with care,&quot; is to add a mycorrhizal inoculant to the soil when replanting the tree. This helps ensure that the tree develops mutualistic relationships with beneficial fungi and maximizes the ability of the newly limited root system to draw nutrients from the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Occasionally, especially if the soil into which we are planting is compacted or otherwise less than optimal, we'll do some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.treesquirrel.us/radial_trench.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;radial trenching&lt;/a&gt; around the root ball and fill the trenches with compost to give roots an easy path along which to spread.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T12:44:52.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19400" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19398" CreationDate="2015-05-15T12:47:28.400" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It normally takes me at least 2 weeks to get good germination of KGB here in Ohio, when mixing with the soil and watering mornings and evenings.  I recently mixed seed with soil in a 5-gallon bucket, moistened it and kept in a warm room in my home.  In three or four days, almost all the seed was germinated and I spread it about an inch thick for patches in my lawn.  I only watered once a day for a week or so.  Unreal results and a huge time saver.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T12:47:28.400" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19398" CreationDate="2015-05-15T13:50:38.483" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As Evil Elf mentioned some seeds like Kentucky Bluegrass take a long time to germinate. While they're out in the lawn they're susceptible to being eaten by birds and inconsistent watering. If you get them started indoors you have a more controlled environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't done a whole lawn like that but in the past I had done some patches by mixing grass seed with used coffee grounds. I kept the mixture moist in a can then spread them out and got very good results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T13:50:38.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19402" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-15T14:29:07.823" Score="2" ViewCount="94" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's wrong with my Morning Glory? It's grown outside, the temperature has been around 5-10 &amp;deg;C at night and 10-30 &amp;deg;C at day time since I planted them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could it be cold, pH, overwatering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/enFmj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Morning glory with yellow leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11322" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-15T15:52:26.237" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T15:52:26.237" Title="What is causing yellow leaves on my Morning Glory?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;morning-glory&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-05-16T03:44:24.410" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19403" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19404" CreationDate="2015-05-15T14:40:26.753" Score="4" ViewCount="1114" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a compost pile but it's not in my home, and I need to store the kitchen scraps temporarily somewhere. I use a small plastic bin for that purpose. I don't have any brown materials, only nitrogen-rich materials. When I open the bin, it has a sharp and strong odor - it's not like rotten eggs, it's different. I don't know what this gas is, but is it safe? I hope the bin doesn't explode! The bin is very small and it's sealed (of course), it's about 40x30cm (~1x1 feet). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11323" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-15T15:53:19.150" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T15:53:19.150" Title="Could a compost bin with only green materials explode?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19404" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19403" CreationDate="2015-05-15T15:36:30.707" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, you'd have to come up with the spark and the oxygen to get an &quot;explosion&quot;, but you certainly &lt;strong&gt;can&lt;/strong&gt; generate methane that way - however, if you don't leave it for long periods that seems HIGHLY unlikely. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Take the compost materials out to the actual compost on a regular basis, like daily.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having the top pop off by itself to relieve gas pressure would be a sign that you need to take it out more often than you are. If you had a spark or a candle just in the right spot at that moment, I suppose you &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; manage ignition. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's &lt;strong&gt;really&lt;/strong&gt; well sealed you could store it in the refrigerator or freezer and that would pretty much eliminate the possibility, as the methane bacteria like it warm and anaerobic. But you want a near-perfect seal or you risk tainting your food. Not using a tightly sealed container solves the issue by keeping it aerobic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T15:36:30.707" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19405" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19732" CreationDate="2015-05-15T15:41:37.337" Score="6" ViewCount="958" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know it's hard to identify plants just from the seedlings but I get these weeds every year throughout my garden in Northern New Jersey and I pull them before they grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They start to germinate around early May and continue to popup at other times of the year but I think it's mainly in early spring and late summer/fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My raised bed was covered with black plastic. When I removed it to prepare my raised bed a few days ago there were hundreds of them underneath the plastic. Most were starting to die off from lack of light.Never really had that bad of a problem with them in the raised bed but I guess the plastic made conditions ideal for germination. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seed leaves are round and smooth but the true leaves appear to be serrated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FPU9F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some photos with their first true leaves. As the plants mature the stems get woody and hard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zI4Nc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-06-03T22:43:27.560" LastActivityDate="2015-06-09T15:19:04.170" Title="What are these weed seedlings with round cotyledons?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="91" CreationDate="2015-05-15T16:07:41.867" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use wax paper to clean the metal parts. Then you can put furniture paste wax on them to prevent rust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The handles, if they're not too far gone, can be renewed with boiled linseed oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11324" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-15T16:52:10.147" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T16:52:10.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19408" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19393" CreationDate="2015-05-15T17:53:31.600" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My first thought was it looks like woad (isatis tinctoria) getting ready to bolt to flower, due to the shape of the leaf and prominent white central vein.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3383" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T17:53:31.600" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19409" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19413" CreationDate="2015-05-15T19:57:55.627" Score="4" ViewCount="475" Body="&lt;p&gt;Started some broccoli from seed and it's not something I often plant. Two cells both plants look different. I'm pretty sure the one I planted in the raised bed is the broccoli because there was another similar looking plant growing in another cell. Thinking it might be a weed.  Also the one I planted has purplish stems which matches the description of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea if I got the broccoli correct and what the other plant might be? The variety of broccoli is purple sprouting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it helps, the other similar plant I saw was growing in an adjacent cell where I had started some mesclun mix lettuce seeds. Other nearby cells had mustard tatsoi, italian chicory.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mreUQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hFOMV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T21:12:44.360" Title="Which one of these is broccoli?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19410" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19409" CreationDate="2015-05-15T20:19:09.707" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm unsure about the plant in the pot, but the one in the bed definetely is a cabbage. There are a few cabbages that look remarkably similar at this stage, kohlrabi, for example. Based on what you write, this is your broccoli.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mysterious seedling is not tatsoi, because this has rounded leaves right from the start. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Italian chicory is out, too, because none of it's types have a central stem, all leaves emerge from the center point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it's either something out of your mesclun mix (whatever this specific mix contains, doesn't look like lettuce, though), or you have carefully nurtured a weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-05-15T20:25:02.210" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T20:25:02.210" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19411" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19412" CreationDate="2015-05-15T20:22:55.410" Score="5" ViewCount="735" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking to use a Tree net for my fruit trees to protect them from Birds and Squirrels . One of the trees I plan to spread it over is the &quot; Manilkara zapota &quot; Tree. I had some good production this past month but most of them were lost being eaten up . But it still has a lot of unriped fruits and I was planning to apply the net over it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now , While I was standing under it yesterday, I saw it still has a lot of Flowers and literally over 10-15 Bees on those flowers , which are needed for pollination. Now if I was to use the Netting, then I am guessing that would also affect these bees from entering the tree to help in pollination .  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One Option I was thinking of going with is the one with a larger mesh size to allow bees through, but small enough for squirrels and Birds. But before I went ahead, wanted to ask the community how important would those bees be for the fruits ? &#xA;Can I proceed with netting without worrying about them  ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11268" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T20:27:34.017" Title="Affect on Netting on Fruit trees that have Flowers and Bees" Tags="&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;protection&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19412" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19411" CreationDate="2015-05-15T20:27:34.017" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your netting is wide-meshed enough, most likely the bees won't be bothered by it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a bee it makes no difference whether a string from the net, a twig or something else is in the way. It will just be some kind of obstacle to fly around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T20:27:34.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19409" CreationDate="2015-05-15T21:12:44.360" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;looks like lambs quarter in the pot and some sort of brassica in the ground... if you planted broccoli, then that is it...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T21:12:44.360" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19414" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19389" CreationDate="2015-05-15T23:08:42.463" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends if it has roots.  When first sprouting the stored energy in the avocado feeds the growth of the leaves.  If your plant has a few roots then it could sprout again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If avocados are inexpensive in your area I suggest buying a fresh one and trying again.  The avocados we sprouted with the toothpick method are now five feet tall and still going so that is a reliable method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-05-15T23:08:42.463" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19415" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19416" CreationDate="2015-05-16T00:28:08.470" Score="5" ViewCount="217" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year my wife and I built a small 4' x 8' raised bed and were pretty happy with our success (both first-time gardeners).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last October I reached out to a 'master gardener' in our area and asked for her advice in closing the bed for the year. She instructed me to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pull out all organic matter (roots, vegetables, weeds, etc.) and discard&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aerate the top soil by turning it over a few times&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Seal&quot; it with a layer of leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I followed the advice. Now I'm in the process of reopening the garden, and the leaves are still there, as well as a few plants (weeds?, baby trees?) that I didn't expect to see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What should I do with the leaves? Remove them? Put top soil &amp;amp; compost mix on top of them? Roto-till the first six inches of dirt and effectively 'mulch' them into the existing top soil?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;And what do I do with the weeds that have already sprouted up? I could rip them out but am worried that perhaps their roots have already grown deep into the bed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11326" LastActivityDate="2015-05-18T22:37:43.547" Title="How to reopen a raised bed" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19416" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19415" CreationDate="2015-05-16T00:56:59.543" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Remove the leaves and any other debris from the beds. I don't like covering raised beds with leaves as they tend to good spots for all sorts of bugs to live. I either leave my raised bed open or cover it with 6mil poly sheeting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option is to plant a winter cover crop. This is something I've always wanted to do but always forget to try. Winter rye, wheat are commonly used in my area by farmers. Legumes not only block weeds and act as a green manure but also fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil. I'd like to try winter peas. Places that sell them also sell inoculants of the rhizobacteria that fixes the nitrogen. In the spring you just till it into the soil or you can cut it down and leave it on top of the soil to act as a mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pull the weeds. If you used a good, lightweight mix for your beds they should come up very easily. After you get through all the weeds that you can see, use a handheld garden fork to look about an inch or so into the soil. You'll probably find some more weeds that have started to germinate but haven't popped up through the soil yet. Remove any other things you find that you don't want in your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you used a lot of top soil in your raised beds you might have a harder time pulling out the weeds. My raised bed soil is basically more like a potting mix. Just compost, vermiculite and peat moss. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After you clear everything out I would top off with just compost, not topsoil/compost mix, especially if you started with any topsoil in your mix initially. The lighter and fluffier the mix is the easier it is to plant, water and weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-05-16T12:54:01.300" LastActivityDate="2015-05-16T12:54:01.300" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19417" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-16T03:21:13.693" Score="4" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just received a bonsai tree as a gift for Mother's Day and it's losing its leaves. I found the insert information card which says the type of bonsai is &quot;Bougainvillea&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At first I had the bonsai facing east &amp;amp; lots of leaves fell, then I read I should leave the tree outside but the leaves continued to fall so I brought the tree back inside and placed it on a window sill facing south. I should also note that I live in the Poconos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves seem to be OK but I was wondering if I should trim all the dead leaves off &amp;amp; hope that they come back next season? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bkzPn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bonsai continues to lose leaves. I'm worried it will die.&#xA;Please advise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11327" LastEditorUserId="11327" LastEditDate="2015-05-29T02:07:25.897" LastActivityDate="2016-01-27T06:20:16.053" Title="How should I care for a bonsai Bouganvillea?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19418" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7355" CreationDate="2015-05-16T05:43:26.183" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;a couple tips:  don't lose those nuts; remember the direction the rope is wound; and finally your last step should be making a good stopper knot that won't pull through or come undone at ﻿the handle. Make sure there is a little tension on ﻿the rope where you make ﻿the knot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11328" LastActivityDate="2015-05-16T05:43:26.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19419" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19420" CreationDate="2015-05-16T05:59:44.943" Score="3" ViewCount="940" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need help identifying a strange fruit I discovered while camping. Its characteristics are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Roughly pear-shaped &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bright green &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dark green &quot;spikes&quot; on fruit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grown on a vine &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Large seeds (≈1 in) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fruit is ≈4 in &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;found on cliff face in the San Juans in Washington in the United States&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11329" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2015-05-16T12:29:32.983" LastActivityDate="2015-05-16T12:29:32.983" Title="Can you help me identify this pear-shaped fruit?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19420" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19419" CreationDate="2015-05-16T09:41:49.853" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds like something in the cucumber family. There are only two species in Washington State in that family that have green, spiny fruit: wild cucumber (&lt;em&gt;Echinocystis lobata&lt;/em&gt;) and coastal manroot (&lt;em&gt;Marah oreganus&lt;/em&gt;). The &lt;em&gt;Marah&lt;/em&gt; has larger fruit, so I reckon it is probably that, but that species is extremely rare in British Columbia, so I wonder if it is also rare in adjacent coastal areas of Washington. If you have pictures of the fruit, leaves, or flowers, that would help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;COASTAL MANROOT&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eprH0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;[source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oregonflora.org/imgFull.php?CD=1167&amp;amp;file=MAR_ORE_4714B&amp;amp;taxon=Marah%20oregana&amp;amp;fieldphotonum=dig9746&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;oregonflora.org&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n3cJz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;[source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oregonflora.org/imgFull.php?CD=1167&amp;amp;file=MAR_ORE_2125B&amp;amp;taxon=Marah%20oregana&amp;amp;fieldphotonum=dig9741&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;oregonflora.org&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eelAI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;[source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://science.halleyhosting.com/nature/plants/5petal/cuke/marah/marah.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;science.halleyhosting.com&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;WILD CUCUMBER&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PwcrJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;[source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/69064.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;biolib.cz&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IGKEM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;[source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://flora.nhm-wien.ac.at/Seiten-Arten/Echinocystis-lobata.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;flora.nhm-wien.ac.at&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="392" LastActivityDate="2015-05-16T09:41:49.853" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19421" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-16T10:03:02.627" Score="3" ViewCount="212" Body="&lt;p&gt;I already have a nicely flourishing &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasminum_sambac&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Jasminum sambac&lt;/a&gt; outside my home. Its fragrance is so wonderful that I plan on growing it inside, near my room. Is there any way that I can grow it in a pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11330" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-13T17:27:59.737" LastActivityDate="2015-11-13T17:27:59.737" Title="Can I propagate a Jasminum sambac from an already growing plant?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19421" CreationDate="2015-05-16T11:16:13.150" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Propagation is usually with semi ripe cuttings taken in summer - keep them misted and they should root very quickly. Alternatively, you could try layering - peg a couple of shoots down into the soil and wait, they should form roots, but it takes quite a while for this to happen usually, some months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you've got roots, grow the plant on in an appropriately sized pot - pot up into larger pots as it grows, until it's in a large pot, maybe 15 - 20 gallons, indoors. You will need to provide support for it in it's pot, or it'll twine round itself and then collapse, becoming a trailer and not a climber.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To grow successfully indoors, you need to be living in Zone 8 or higher. They like hot and humid conditions during the day, with cool nights, and a sunny spot; they will grow in shadier conditions, but tend to be darker with fewer flowers. May reach 5 feet indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-11-12T15:59:54.757" LastActivityDate="2015-11-12T15:59:54.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19423" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="123" CreationDate="2015-05-16T12:24:32.037" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow carrots and I don't believe roots branching off has anything to do with manure.i use kelp for manure.  I sift my soil and mix it with sand and I have perfect 16 to 18in carrots every time with no roots branching off. Prior to doing this I didn't sift my soil or mix with sand and my carrots had branches everywhere. I think the branches on carrots are caused by hard soil&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11331" LastActivityDate="2015-05-16T12:24:32.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19425" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-16T13:51:43.360" Score="5" ViewCount="582" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a sapling from my parents' copper beech that I dug up from their yard.  I planted it in our yard about 3 years ago.  It now is about 9&quot; tall and I wonder if I should prune it to force branching.  It has about a dozen leaves and appears healthy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it should be pruned, where do I cut it?  Below or above leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11332" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-16T17:44:38.843" LastActivityDate="2015-05-16T17:45:03.683" Title="How should I prune a copper beech sapling?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19426" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19425" CreationDate="2015-05-16T14:21:07.577" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Copper beeches (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fagus_sylvatica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fagus sylvatica&lt;/em&gt; Purpurea&lt;/a&gt;) are simply reddish varieties of the European or common beech (&lt;em&gt;Fagus sylvatica&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These trees grow happily and abundantly in many European forests, for example right where I live, in the Black Forest in Germany. In a few decades the spindly saplings can grow into large, majestic trees - without any pruning. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So no, there is no &lt;em&gt;need&lt;/em&gt; to prune if you plan to let nature take its course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should you have specific plans as far as future shape is concerned, you &lt;em&gt;may&lt;/em&gt; prune if required. My gut feeling, however, would be to simply let it grow for a few more years before taking any action (if you intend to cut).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-16T17:45:03.683" LastActivityDate="2015-05-16T17:45:03.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19427" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-17T01:07:00.293" Score="1" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;Name the plant, please. It may be an orchid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0R3ce.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11335" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-17T03:15:12.777" LastActivityDate="2015-05-17T03:15:12.777" Title="Name the plant please" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2015-09-20T14:45:34.763" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19428" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-17T15:39:53.433" Score="3" ViewCount="783" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wanted to ask you some reference or direct suggestion on how to make a bonsai out of this very young ash (Fraxinus excelsior) shoot that I rooted in a pot. See picture on the left, below. Any books, video tutorials, ideas? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS: I am in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ash bonsai has now grown and it's in his 4th year. See the photo on the right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uFMIM.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/INLN7.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastEditorUserId="6795" LastEditDate="2019-05-14T11:45:54.777" LastActivityDate="2019-05-14T11:45:54.777" Title="Ash (fraxinus excelsior) bonsai tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="19429" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-17T20:52:19.937" Score="5" ViewCount="70" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently started growing some veggies in my farm, when I saw the soil-less growing techniques. If I am doing it purely for hobby and just working on the farm myself and not looking to spend 1000's of dollars, then should I consider using the soil-less technology for growing my veggies? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11268" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-11T00:00:54.307" LastActivityDate="2016-02-11T00:00:54.307" Title="Should I use soil-less technology for growing my veggies?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19430" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19431" CreationDate="2015-05-17T22:31:31.890" Score="4" ViewCount="2569" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of my tomato seedlings received too much water and it shows. Some of the lower leaves on them have yellowed and the rest of the foliage looks a little lighter but otherwise healthy. Yellowing of the leaves doesn't look like disease just what you get with too much water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I put them in the ground a couple of days ago. First snipped off the lower yellow leaves (which had even started to grow suckers) to bury the stem deep as well as to get rid of the yellow leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil is adequately fertilized and calcium, magnesium are high. Iron is in the acceptable range but on the low side (3.5 ppm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there going to be any adverse affects? Is there anything I can do to help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Forgot to mention the roots looked good with no foul smells. Picture has a bit of a color cast but roots looked white and clean from what I could see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8iqnE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-05-18T14:24:27.683" LastActivityDate="2015-05-18T21:31:59.593" Title="What happens when tomato seedlings are overwatered?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19431" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19430" CreationDate="2015-05-18T00:01:21.397" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Worst case scenario, they lost more root-volume than they can recover from, in which case they'll die in short order. More likely, given proper watering from here on, they'll rebuild the lost roots and grow strong again. Aside from the watering error it sounds like you've got them well situated, I'd say they most likely will bounce back in a few days with minimal long term impact. Adding some rapidly available Nitrogen might help the tomatoes recover a little quicker, but it's no guarantee, particularly if the full garden already has enough N available. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on the updated picture and description you're in much better shape than I was originally thinking. The fish fertilizer probably will help some. I think your plants came through the over-watering just fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-05-18T21:31:59.593" LastActivityDate="2015-05-18T21:31:59.593" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19432" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4146" CreationDate="2015-05-18T00:54:15.767" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just built a great raised herb garden with cinder blocks, stacked 2 high/tall.  You can use construction adhesive for securing them if you want, but I didn't need to use anything with just 2 high, you go too high and leaning over would be a problem.   My husband leveld ground, put down constuction cloth (like a wire cloth) because we have moles, then that black mat'l, to help keep the weeds down.  We did a U shape. sand then good mix of potting soil.  Planted 33 plants, put tomato plants in the holes of the block (every other hole) down one side.  Have seen this done and works great. Used 60 blocks.  will use a food safe paint to decorate the walls, maybe stencil a design.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11338" LastActivityDate="2015-05-18T00:54:15.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19433" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19435" CreationDate="2015-05-18T12:33:38.310" Score="12" ViewCount="6994" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several Ferry-Morse seed packets, which, on the back, show what the expected &quot;Days to Harvest&quot; is.  I am wondering if this &quot;Days to Harvest&quot; should be measured from the date I planted the seeds or the date I saw the sprouts first coming up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11211" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T14:12:33.107" Title="Is &quot;Days to Harvest&quot; measured from planting date or sprouting date?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19433" CreationDate="2015-05-18T13:28:03.240" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually means after germination and the plants start into growth, although the actual length of time to harvest can vary somewhat according to growing conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-18T13:28:03.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19433" CreationDate="2015-05-18T14:16:12.720" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It varies by type of plant and sometimes between seed sellers. It could mean from when you sow your seeds or when you transplant. Burpee is one of the seeds merchants that is pretty clear about what they mean and in general appears to follow the following pattern:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When seeds are primarily directly sown in your garden the maturity date is from the time your seeds are sown. That appears to be a common way of presenting maturation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For plants that are started indoors and then transplanted out in your garden after a later date maturity is measured from the transplant date.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's an example of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/lettuce/lettuce-fordhook-favorites-blend-prod001130.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;lettuce&lt;/a&gt; that describes date to maturity as &quot;25 days after sowing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's an example of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/cabbages/cabbage-earliana-prod000627.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;cabbage&lt;/a&gt; that describes date to maturity as &quot;60 days after setting plants in garden&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ferry-Morse isn't clear on what they mean by maturity and there isn't much info on their website. If you can compare the seeds you have to someone that is clear, like Burpee, you can probably figure out what they mean by maturity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-05-20T14:12:33.107" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T14:12:33.107" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19436" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-18T15:53:29.803" Score="9" ViewCount="1225" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the enviable problem of having several (6 or 7) cubic yards of both oak leaves and oak sawdust from having logged off and making cabinet lumber from many oak trees that once grew where our house now stands. Many oaks still stand and give their leaves every year and I plane and saw the oak lumber into wood products. Where I dump the leaves and sawdust there does not appear to be active composting and no worms for fishing. Is there an acceptable way to jump start composting in acidic leaves and saw dust from oak? Both red and white strains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11342" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-18T16:15:27.880" LastActivityDate="2019-02-14T10:37:16.350" Title="How can I compost oak leaves and sawdust?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19437" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19436" CreationDate="2015-05-18T16:13:49.507" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want the sawdust to compost down, it needs to be mixed or paired with nitrogen rich, green materials at a ratio of roughly 4 to 1, so 4 parts brown (sawdust) and 1 part green (green foliage, kitchen scraps, grass clippings, that type of thing).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dead leaves break down differently from other types of compostable materials - if you have the room and the time, just stuff them into bin bags, squashing them down, if they're dry, add water, poke a few holes in the bottom of the bags, tie the tops and stand them somewhere out of sight. Depending on the temperature (faster when its warmer) they'll have composted down to rich black soil within 1-2 years. You can also speed the process up by shredding the leaves before hand, maybe by running a mower over them - smaller pieces degrade quicker.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, its the same deal - you need to add nitrogen rich green materials, so a 6 inch layer of dead, shredded leaves must then have a 6 inch layer of green materials, with several layers until you've created a pile that's no less than 3 feet wide, long and deep. Needs turning regularly to make the process quicker and more efficient.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-18T16:13:49.507" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19436" CreationDate="2015-05-18T16:15:44.273" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Add nitrogen. I doubt acidity is the root problem here, though you could add lime if you wanted to. You have a lot of high carbon (&quot;brown&quot;) materials and need high-nitrogen (or green) materials to balance them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Animal manure (particularly poultry or rabbit) or fresh &quot;green&quot; (not always green colored) materials (lawn clippings, if you or anyone you know uses a bagging mower, though you may wish to be choosy about accepting lawn clippings from overly treated lawns.) Coffee grounds are a fine example of a &quot;green&quot; (nitrogenous) material that is brown in color. Soybean meal is another possible material if you are at (or come to) the point of spending money. Again depending how much effort you want to put into it, you could grow a &quot;green manure&quot; crop such as rye or buckwheat, cut it and mix with the pile. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also be able to work out an arrangement where an animal owner would come get your sawdust for animal bedding, and return it later with added animal manure. That's more likely if you keep the leaves separated (and keeping the leaves separately is how you make leaf mould anyway, as described by @Bamboo)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-05-19T13:07:40.670" LastActivityDate="2015-05-19T13:07:40.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19439" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-18T16:29:10.937" Score="5" ViewCount="415" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just found this small tree growing on the backside of the property and wanted to know if this can be positively identified. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The base of the stems are a fairly bright red that fades to green. I noticed on the wikipedia page that the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ailanthus_altissima&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ailanthus&lt;/a&gt; tree is &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; shade tolerant and since this tree is growing against a cornered fence where it would receive shade 95% of the day I'm not sure what it could be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is in central Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wOQjf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;full view&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QpyX9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf close-up&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bSS5S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;stem close-up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3136" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T13:46:44.477" Title="Is this an Ailanthus tree (&quot;tree of heaven&quot;)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19440" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19428" CreationDate="2015-05-18T16:29:15.177" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay. Where you are, unfortunately, Ash Die back disease has been discovered only last year, in June, 2014. If you want to make a bonsai out of your ash sapling, it is at great risk of suffering this disease - because its an outdoor tree, even as a bonsai it will need to be outdoors for most of the year, only being brought in if the weather is exceptionally cold and the plant is in danger of freezing solid. Which means it has no protection from Ash Dieback - for this reason, you might want to consider whether to proceed with your attempt at bonsai with this particular subject.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, bear in mind that because Ash has quite large, compound leaves, its not the easiest of subjects to bonsai, and it can't be a small bonsai tree. The link below might be of some help, though I suspect they want you to subscribe to get information, but its probably best to buy yourself a Primer which contains instructions at a basic level, showing the equipment you'll need, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.makebonsai.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.makebonsai.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Amazon appears to have a selection of books available on this subject, one of which, Bonsai for Beginners, does seem to advise on equipment and techniques. Bonsai from Native Trees and Shrubs, by Werner Busch also seems to include growing your own from saplings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-18T16:35:04.543" LastActivityDate="2015-05-18T16:35:04.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19441" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19442" CreationDate="2015-05-18T16:41:54.707" Score="8" ViewCount="573" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a drainage / flooding problem where lots of water passes through our garden, from the higher house on our right to the lower house on our left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to put in a raised garden, which has a &quot;base&quot;, &quot;under-bed&quot; that allows the water to pass through it, or even to stay in it, but with a good soil layer on top of it, in which the plants grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What material should I use? Clay Pebbles? Straw? Mulch? What can be cheap and workable? Is this even a good idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11343" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-18T17:08:12.230" LastActivityDate="2015-05-18T19:10:12.287" Title="Underbed for raised garden" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19442" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19441" CreationDate="2015-05-18T17:04:43.913" Score="6" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dig some trenches at about one foot (~30 CM spacing) parallel to each other from the higher point to a lower point.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The trenches should be about six inches (~15 CM wide)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;line the trenches with landscape fabric or geotextile&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;add four inch drain pipe, perforated with a sleeve&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fill with crushed gravel, 5/8 inch or 7/8 inch diameter, without any fine crushed material&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;top with another layer of landscape fabric to bring it level to the surface&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;build your raised bed on top.  For surface vegetables you will need at least one foot (~30 CM ) of soil, better to have two feet if you want to grow root vegetables&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you have serious water volumes flowing through then where the four inch drain pipe terminates add a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_drain&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;french drain&lt;/a&gt; which is &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/17817/how-can-i-add-drainage-to-an-area-with-shrubs-already-there/17824#17824&quot;&gt;described here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;drain pipe is available at most hardware and home building centres&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D4pU5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;drain pipe with sleeve&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-05-18T19:10:12.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19443" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13454" CreationDate="2015-05-18T20:48:30.343" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, it's not necessary. Go to sunflower farms loaded with huge beautiful sunflowers and they are on top of each other.  The ground is big and the roots will find a way to get their nutrients. I &lt;strong&gt;never&lt;/strong&gt; thin my plants and they look &lt;strong&gt;beautiful&lt;/strong&gt;! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11345" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-19T01:33:01.803" LastActivityDate="2015-05-19T01:33:01.803" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19444" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19448" CreationDate="2015-05-18T21:43:04.160" Score="5" ViewCount="484" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since Tomatoes are kind of year round Vegetables, is it fine to start a few plants anytime around the year ? At my current location , I am expecting Monsoons to hit around Mid-June  . I was planning on starting or buying buds directly right now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11268" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-05-20T16:44:12.960" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T16:44:12.960" Title="Can I grow tomatoes in a warm climate that experiences monsoons?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19445" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19415" CreationDate="2015-05-18T22:37:43.547" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I prepped my 6 4x4 beds early and covered them with landscape fabric. There were no weeds at planting time. This year I didn't, but I have been planting new veggies, for me, early, and weeding along. I till my beds with a tiller attached to a trimmer power head. I then till in compost, and then rake in peat moss. I am trying square foot planting this year, and work in the proper fertilizer for each vegetable in its area before seeding or transplanting. I am working with 41 &quot;vegetables&quot; this year; in quotes because some are beneficial plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2015-05-18T22:37:43.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1941" CreationDate="2015-05-18T22:47:55.487" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I lost a lawn in my first house to weeds; I could not water enough with my well to keep the grass healthy. I sold the house with no lawn in the backyard; I had pulled everything out. I had better luck in my 2nd house with town water; since the lawn was new with the house, it never developed weeds.  In my current house, there are weeds, so I put down Halts in April and pop out the occasional weed with a claw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2015-05-18T22:47:55.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19448" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19444" CreationDate="2015-05-19T01:55:04.740" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the standpoint of weather, tomatoes mostly care about 4 things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sun- They prefer sun, usually as much as they can get unless you're in a very hot climate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Max Temperature- Temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 C) for very long are bad. Above that temperature pollen will lose viability before pollinating the flowers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Min Temperature- Temperature under 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 C) aren't much better. Below that temperature the plant stops setting new flowers and existing tomatoes fill out very slowly. Unprotected they are fairly tender when it comes to frost, a light frost will burn the leaves and a normal frost can often kill them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water- Under ideal growing conditions a tomato can soak up about 2 inches of rain a week. Much less and the leaves shrivel up. Much more than that and the roots could drown, and it increases chances of root rot and leaf diseases spreading.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My limited knowledge of the climate of places with monsoons suggests your only likely concern would be number 2.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-05-19T09:46:38.820" LastActivityDate="2015-05-19T09:46:38.820" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19449" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17710" CreationDate="2015-05-19T06:01:26.027" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears that this is a Chrysophyllum oliviforme tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10972" LastActivityDate="2015-05-19T06:01:26.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19450" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19444" CreationDate="2015-05-19T13:00:00.217" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd just add to the previous answer - in monsoon areas, its best to grow your tomatoes during the dry season, because high humidity during the monsoon season encourages lots of fungal problems. The other thing is, if you grow in the ground, do not grow tomatoes in the same ground for more than two years.  Although in theory you can grow tomatoes year round in tropical regions, unfortunately, many pathogens and infections thrive year round in those conditions too, (unlike growing in temperate zones) particularly in the soil, so move their planting position at least two yearly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-19T13:00:00.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19451" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19458" CreationDate="2015-05-19T14:00:13.737" Score="7" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every year my heirloom french cantaloupes look beautiful and then one morning you wake up and they are essentially dead - I've never gotten a harvest after three years. I am pretty sure this is related to a wilt disease which I've heard is transferred by cucumber beetles. So my question is will a floating row cover help prevent this or will it foster an environment for another one of the fungal diseases that affect melons? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I grow organically with no fungicides or pesticides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11347" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T01:34:13.633" Title="Does a floating row cover prevent wilt diseases on cantaloupes?" Tags="&lt;organic&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;&lt;melons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19452" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19453" CreationDate="2015-05-19T14:37:37.867" Score="6" ViewCount="1157" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does the Prairie Fire crabapple tree require cross pollination to survive? I have heard from numerous sources that if we don't plant another (different) crabapple tree next to it, it will die. However, from everything I have researched so far,  it doesn't seem like this would require cross pollination. If it doesn't require cross pollination, is it considered self pollinated?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;References&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malus&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollination&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollination&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11348" LastActivityDate="2015-05-19T15:43:05.567" Title="Does the (Malus) Prairie Fire Crabapple require cross pollination?" Tags="&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;crabapples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19453" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19452" CreationDate="2015-05-19T14:44:28.240" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;There seems to be a bit of confusion going on here. As you've discovered, Malus varieties, of which your crabapple is one, vary as to whether they're self pollinating or require another pollinator nearby, but the purpose of pollination is for fertilization of the flowers if you want fruit. Without fertilization, the flowers fade, as they usually do, but without forming any fruit. This particularly matters if the Malus you are growing is actually an apple, grown only for its fruit - many of those require cross pollination to crop, but this is not true of crab apples, yours should produce fruit all on its own. There are a few varieties of crab apple which are sterile, that is, they never produce fruit, but the one you mention isn't one of those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even a variety of Malus which requires cross pollination certainly does not die without it - it will continue to flower year on year and be healthy, barring other infestations, infections or disease, just not producing fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER: You've added questions in a comment below:-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This particular tree will pollinate itself without any help from you (though bees and air movement do play a role). Pollination does not increase the length of time the flowers are present - in fact, once fertilization has taken place, the flowers may fade slightly more quickly, since their purpose has been served.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-19T15:43:05.567" LastActivityDate="2015-05-19T15:43:05.567" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8262" CreationDate="2015-05-19T18:49:35.147" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Beware! If you use any walnut sawdust and your tomatoes probably won't fruit. My brother-in-law had his garden real close to a walnut tree and couldn't figure out what was up with his tomatoes. When he researched it he moved his garden; problem solved. Do walnut and cedar sawdust have the same effect? I can only say that it would be best to avoid it near gardens. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, this makes these sawdusts better for paths and areas where we want weed suppression.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11351" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-12-27T03:32:54.187" LastActivityDate="2016-12-27T03:32:54.187" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19433" CreationDate="2015-05-19T20:33:04.993" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recommend calling the telephone number on the package, and asking for directions about your specific seeds. &lt;a href=&quot;http://parkseed.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Park Seed&lt;/a&gt; offers the option to speak with a horticulturist or a master gardener. If you have any questions about something they sell, even if you haven't purchased it from them, they're happy to answer questions and teach techniques to help ensure successful results. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Their time-to-harvest instructions on the package are generally clear and follow the same basic pattern explained by @OrganicLawnDIY. Since there are many variations, even among the same vegetable, a phone call can also be beneficial. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-05-19T20:33:04.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19456" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-19T20:39:49.677" Score="3" ViewCount="7586" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our small snowball bush has some curled leaves.  I don't see any evidence of any bugs eating it or damaging it. What could be causing it?  What can I do to treat/fix it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T0UZR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T0UZRl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;snowball bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2rOs8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2rOs8l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves curled&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10894" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-19T23:31:50.863" LastActivityDate="2017-09-05T21:52:18.430" Title="Why are the leaves curling on my snowball bush?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19457" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19477" CreationDate="2015-05-20T01:08:12.207" Score="4" ViewCount="432" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got thousands of these coming up in my yard. In shady spots, this weed is not as big. In areas with full sun, it's huge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GvxDa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GvxDal.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown weed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have short roots and pull out of the ground cleanly and usually in one piece. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know what it's called.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11109" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-05-20T02:42:11.913" LastActivityDate="2015-05-22T10:30:37.520" Title="What is this tall, vigorous weed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19458" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19451" CreationDate="2015-05-20T01:28:25.103" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends on which wilt disease you have. Many are soil borne. The only solution to that is growing the plants somewhere else for a few years to let the disease pressure subside. Note that this includes keeping most cucurbit species out. Cucumbers, squash, pumpkins etc. can all serve as hosts to one or more of the diseases in question. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;IF it's bacterial wilt, that is transmitted by cucumber beetles. A row cover would keep the beetles out. You'll need to be clever around flowering time though. Cantaloupes need to be pollinated to produce fruit, usually this is done by bees. You'll either need to remove the covers when flowers are ready so the bees can do their job or hand pollinate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/NewsArticles/CucBW.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;more information on bacterial wilt in cucurbits&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-05-20T01:34:13.633" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T01:34:13.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19459" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-20T02:37:03.493" Score="5" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just recently tore down a shed that had been in my backyard for the last 20-30 years. I would like to use that spot to build my garden (vegetables, herbs, etc). The problem is that a combination of animals have been using it as their home. We discovered skunk and opossum scat and nests, and it smells awful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any recommendations on how to prep the soil for a garden to be planted next year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11354" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-20T03:53:00.677" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T03:58:28.187" Title="How can we improve the soil to plant a garden where a shed once stood?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19461" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19456" CreationDate="2015-05-20T03:26:02.147" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I could be wrong, but it looks like a fungal infection, similar to peach curl on peach trees. If true, I would avoid getting the leaves wet. Water at the base of the plant. Remove damaged or fallen leaves. You can treat it with some kind of fungicide, but I'm not sure which ones off-hand. Make sure it gets lots of bright sunlight.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Giving it some rockdust (for the silica and calcium) together with a little extra potassium might help it out for the future by increasing disease resistance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This and additional information can be found &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/snowball-viburnum-brown-curling-leaves-76843.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-05T21:52:18.430" LastActivityDate="2017-09-05T21:52:18.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19462" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18046" CreationDate="2015-05-20T03:43:53.643" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;aphid&lt;/a&gt;, but it's hard to tell without more clarity. Aphids in small numbers usually aren't a big problem, but they can get out of hand. They suck juices out of leaves and stems. They can spread plant diseases (which is not fun). Ants farm them (they carry them to plants so they can feed off the fallen juices or something, and they can clip the wings of winged aphids so they won't fly away, kind of like how farmers clip the wings on chickens).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ladybugs, ladybug larva, lacewings, parasitic wasps, and other things can help to control aphids. You can attract these insects with the right plants, or you can buy them. Make sure you and everyone in your household knows &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/search?hl=en-US&amp;amp;q=ladybug+larva&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;oi=image_result_group&amp;amp;ei=vgJcVfHtOpfUoAT0uYDgBg&amp;amp;ved=0CBQQsAQ&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;what ladybug larvae look like&lt;/a&gt;--otherwise you might kill them thinking they're pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T03:43:53.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19463" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19459" CreationDate="2015-05-20T03:58:28.187" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Add horse, sheep, chicken, rabbit or whatever other sort of additional animal manure you can easily get in quantity, as well as lawn clippings, hay, and similar materials. That is, compost right over it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also plant something like buckwheat now, cut it down before it sets seed (green manure) and till it in. Then plant something like rye or vetch to grow over the winter and be turned under in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on the lenght of your season, you may also have time to put daikon radish in to help loosen the soil - needs time to grow before it's winterkilled - large roots help break up the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T03:58:28.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19457" CreationDate="2015-05-20T11:39:02.883" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Both the growth pattern and timing/mass growth sound like, and it looks like, &quot;Garlic Mustard&quot;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliaria_petiolata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Alliaria petiolata&lt;/a&gt; a highly invasive (but easy to pull, I have to say, having been &quot;blessed&quot; with creeping buttercup which is not) weed (or herb.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/07Lto.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Garlic mustard wikipedia picture&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T11:39:02.883" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4410" CreationDate="2015-05-20T11:59:23.033" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;My blueberry bed (heavily mulched with white pine needles, acidified with sulfur and with a white pine growing towards one end of it) has a Hops bine (&lt;em&gt;Since I am having to re-edit this, it's a Bine with a B, not a Vine with a V - the method it uses to climb things is different than that of vines&lt;/em&gt;) growing at the back of it, which seems delighted to be there - I throw strings over a pine branch to give it somewhere to grow, and have to nip off the ones that want to grow up the blueberry bushes. I have heather and lingonberry in there as well, alpine strawberries (they grow but may not be entirely happy based on fruit production levels) and fringed bleeding heart. Daffodils, small iris, and crocus all do well, but the crocus do get gobbled by chipmunks sometimes - the daffodils are as usual least bothered by anything so they become the dominant bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A black raspberry is a weed there in my setup, but that's a space contention issue - they are encouraged elsewhere and do seem to enjoy the deep pine needle areas if they can get enough sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-05-24T01:49:49.040" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T01:49:49.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19467" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17949" CreationDate="2015-05-20T15:51:25.673" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I quickly gave up using a pruning pole saw, and now cut the dead fronds from my Washingtonias, and Phoenix palms, in minutes with cheap but efficient pruning shears which I bought from my local supermarket and have used for the last three years. You will, however, need a good ladder if your palms are 5 to 6 meters tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11356" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T15:51:25.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19468" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-20T17:14:14.573" Score="6" ViewCount="1296" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a passion fruit plant that is about 4 years old, and all the fruit it ever given were two little cracked marbles that fell off the plant quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water it regularly, I attempted to water it more and sometimes less to see if it changes anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently noticed that flowers on other passion fruit have a lot of yellow pollen on them, and mine don't have any at all (Seriously, not even a slight bit)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could cause this? should I try giving it a specific fertilizer? or should I just pull it out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11357" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-20T18:41:22.227" LastActivityDate="2016-02-17T10:22:26.037" Title="Why do my passion fruit flowers lack pollen?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19469" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17863" CreationDate="2015-05-20T17:26:57.143" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would try a toilet tank system, just without the assembly. Attach the flap stop over a hole in the bottom and use the floating ball on a chain to lift it up when the tank is full. You just would have to support the ball in such a way that the chain doesn't get sucked down the drain, preventing the flap from closing completely when done.&#xA;Good luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11358" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T17:26:57.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19470" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19456" CreationDate="2015-05-20T18:16:58.080" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://entomology.wsu.edu/outreach/bug-info/snowball-aphid/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://entomology.wsu.edu/outreach/bug-info/snowball-aphid/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check the information in the link - whether you've seen them or not, Snowball Aphid (ceruraphis viburnicola) is the most likely problem, given the appearance of the leaves, the fact that its a Viburnum opulus (Snowball bush or tree) and your location. They probably over wintered on your plant, have hatched out and are now causing these problems because they penetrate the sap stream, and that's what causes the distortion; they can cause stems and twigs to curl and twist as well as the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Treatment should have been started early on, when the leaves started to break or appear, but its worth having a go now, it should help. You can try spraying with Neem oil, but you'll need to repeat at least 3 times over 3 weeks, maybe more. Don't be concerned if sooty mould appears - its a side effect connected with the honeydew the aphids produce. It can be washed off, but its important to control the aphid infestation. There are systemic insecticides available if you don't mind something a bit more heavy duty - sprays containing imidacloprid for instance (Merit, Bayer Advanced), though this particular insecticide has been linked with damage to bee colonies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-20T19:28:17.333" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T19:28:17.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16334" CreationDate="2015-05-20T18:58:50.710" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a corn plant..solid leaf&#xA;D. fragrans&#xA;The original, with solid green leaves. The original is the least common and of course it will have its fans but the variegated versions outsell this one massively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11359" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T18:58:50.710" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19472" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-20T19:12:26.597" Score="6" ViewCount="2024" Body="&lt;p&gt;Over the last weekend, I installed the irrigation system for our vegetable garden which is square-shaped. I used 1/2&quot; poly tubing for the main water supply line and then used 1/4&quot; drip line with built-in 1 GPH emitter (12&quot; spacing) for each row. For the connectors between 1/2&quot; and 1/4&quot;, I used 2 GPH emitters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two problems however:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;a) Very little water comes out of the emitters. The size of the spots watered by the emitters are so small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;b) Many vegetables still do not receive the water because no hole exists on the 1/4&quot; tubing around those vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am wondering what would be the easiest solution to fix this. Would just punching more holes on the 1/4&quot; drip lines solve the problem? Or, should I use a larger drip line than 1/4&quot; to deliver more water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I ran the irrigation system for 10 minutes. Should I run more?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11360" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-29T21:42:20.810" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T21:42:20.810" Title="How should I increase the amount of water coming from my irrigation system?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19473" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19480" CreationDate="2015-05-20T20:20:23.797" Score="3" ViewCount="3943" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm making a pvc watering system for my garden based off of a youtube video. I have all the pipes and I'm ready to assemble. I have a roughly 20'x20' garden and based on the video, I bought a water hose connection, a ball valve to control flow, 3/4&quot; pipe to run down the length and 1/2&quot; pipe to run down each of 6 rows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is how far apart I should drill the holes. They guy on the video said he'd experimented and found that 1/16&quot; holes were ideal. Granted he was doing a raised bed that was significantly smaller than what I plan. He had two beds done this way that probably came near my square footage and while they choked down with two running simultaneously, they still put out some water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This guy didn't give info on spacing the holes, though. He drilled a lot of holes near each specific plant. I plant to space them evenly to water the whole garden, so that I can use them year after year and not worry about the spacing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have good pressure and the pipes get choked down from a 3/4&quot; to a 1/2&quot;, so that should increase it some. I was figuring on trying every 8&quot; first, though I think that might be too far apart, it'll be roughly 180 holes at 1/16&quot; dia. I suppose if they don't have sufficient coverage, I can drill a hole between each hole and double that. I just worry that if I drill too many holes, even with good pressure from the well, that I'll end up with soaker pipes. I do plan to put each pipe as close to the base of the plants as I can, so it won't need to squirt very far, but some leeway would be nice. Does anyone have any ideas on this. I plan to drill the holes today or tomorrow. My garden isn't doing good with me hosing it down. It does soak in as well and I'm loosing tomato blossoms from watering top down. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2018-12-31T01:44:04.540" Title="What hole spacing for a pvc watering system?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19474" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19472" CreationDate="2015-05-20T20:21:25.127" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's an unconventional setup with the 2 GPH emitters as connectors and I think it may be the cause of the problem unless that's how the 1/4&quot; drip line was meant to be fed but I think that's unlikely. Normally you would use a connector that punches into the 1/2&quot; line to connect the 1/4&quot; line which doesn't create any restriction in flow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Typically drip systems run at around 10 psi and there needs to be a regulator somewhere between your 1/2&quot; tubing and water source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The 2 GPH emitters will be dripping into the 1/4&quot; lines which may not be enough flow/pressure to feed the emitters in the 1/4&quot; line. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long you need to run the irrigation is going to depend on how you laid out the 1/4&quot; tubing and what the rates are of the emitters but 10 minutes seems a bit low.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, don't poke holes in the 1/4&quot; tubing. The holes that are currently there are not just holes. They're emitters that are molded into the tubing that are calibrated to deliver a precise amount of water and some have features to prevent clogging. Since you already have the 2gph emitters one thing you may want to do is just get plain 1/4&quot; drip line without emitters and attach the 2gph emitters at the ends and put them near each plant depending on the size of your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would help if you could post a diagram of your garden along with the irrigation lines and where you have plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-05-22T04:36:08.663" LastActivityDate="2015-05-22T04:36:08.663" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19475" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19472" CreationDate="2015-05-20T20:31:10.393" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;a) Those emitters appear to deliver very little water even when under the correct pressure, and they really only deliver to a single spot. Water must move through the soil to reach other areas, and the horizontal distance across which the water will move will depend on the soil characteristics, existing moisture content in the soil, and the duration of flow from the emitter - among other things. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;b) although drip can be effective for vegetables when implemented properly, it is often simpler to use small spray or rotary heads (though these present their own problems for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/Gardennotes/714.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;disease prone vegetables&lt;/a&gt;). As you mention, some plants along the drip line may not have holes near them. However &quot;they&quot; make tubing with different hole spacing. See if you can find one with more holes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Would punching holes in 1/4&quot; drip line...&quot; - although this would cause the hose to emit water at each of those locations, you wouldn't know how much it was delivering unless you measured it at each punched hole. You also wouldn't know how those holes might affect the calibration of the other holes. It might cause the other holes to deliver less than expected. Better to use tubing with holes spaced closer together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and 10 minutes doesn't sound like enough time to let it run, but that would really depend on weather, soil type, the rating of the emitters and the tubing....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-05-20T20:31:10.393" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19476" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-21T11:28:06.957" Score="3" ViewCount="32689" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this Peace Lily three weeks ago.  A day or two later, the leaves went from upright to down on the floor.  I'm not sure what happened.  I've not overwatered and it's been kept out of direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to bring it back to normal?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ssMjy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2015-05-23: Update - watering really helped.  It's almost back to normal.  Thanks to all for the info.  Now I'll prune the dead leaves.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j9Irm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11364" LastEditorUserId="11364" LastEditDate="2015-05-23T18:50:42.030" LastActivityDate="2015-05-23T18:50:42.030" Title="Resuscitate wilting peace lily" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2015-05-24T05:16:20.287" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19477" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19457" CreationDate="2015-05-21T11:37:30.993" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it looks remarkably like Nipplewort (Lapsana) to me too - it can grow very bushily, specially if its cropped, and it does love a nice rich, cultivated soil, though it will grow anywhere, just not so strongly in less favourable conditions. Usual height is 1-1.2 metres, so if yours aren't bigger than that, I'd say not only does it look like nipplewort, it is nipplewort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-21T11:37:30.993" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19478" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19476" CreationDate="2015-05-21T11:44:34.527" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you say you've not overwatered, it would be helpful if you could explain what that means - these plants hate to dry out completely, should be watered copiously as soon as the surface of the soil in the pot feels just dry to the touch, but not left standing in water for longer than an hour in any outer tray or pot. I'm not sure from the picture whether the pot I can see is the pot containing the roots of the plant, or whether that's just something you've stood it inside, so can't comment on whether it needs a bigger pot or not. A plant of that size though, will have a fairly large root system which may be filling the pot its in - that means it requires more frequent watering because there's less soil in the pot to hold water for the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one appears to be suffering serious drought, so I suggest you 'plunge' it - meaning sit it in a bowl or bucket of water for an hour or two, preferably weighted down with something to keep the pot under the surface of the water, then take it out and let it drain down. It should, hopefully, recover, though if its been like this for nearly three weeks, it might not recover terribly well initially. After this treatment, remove by cutting off at the base any still droopy or discolored leaves, then ongoing, water as described in my first paragraph. Find a position for the plant that is not near a heat source, such as a radiator (in case that's a contributing factor to its current condition). If it recovers, check all the leaves, stems and backs of leaves, to make sure there is nothing there that shouldn't be, such as insect infestation, just to make sure its only drought and there isn't something else going on as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is one other possibility though - if, where you live, temperatures outdoors when you bought the plant were very cold, and you did not protect the plant when transporting it home (in other words, it was exposed to cold temperatures for a while) it might have suffered transplant shock, caused by the warmth where it had been before you bought it, the sudden shock of cold, then back to a warmer situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-21T12:19:33.883" LastActivityDate="2015-05-21T12:19:33.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19479" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19506" CreationDate="2015-05-21T12:23:17.583" Score="7" ViewCount="38610" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had this aloe plant for about a year and up until now it's been thriving. Now it's beginning to turn yellow at the tips, like so:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hqy2M.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VtA5C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fAaw9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also think whatever's wrong with my aloe has already killed this part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1WwO9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water this thing about every 1-2 weeks, it gets plenty of sunlight, and it's in a warm environment. Does know what's happening to my aloe and how I can keep it from killing the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11336" LastEditorUserId="11336" LastEditDate="2016-04-13T16:18:57.773" LastActivityDate="2019-06-28T10:36:52.040" Title="Aloe plant is yellowing slightly at the tips" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19480" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19473" CreationDate="2015-05-21T12:27:44.953" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was going to drill 8&quot; holes, but it looked like it was just too far apart. I went with 4&quot; spacing and assembled it. I tried the two piece of just one row before drilling the rest and the water was shooting out almost 6'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once it was together I turned it on and it worked fine. The only problem I had is that my garden sits on a slight hill, so I'm getting about a 1' spray at the bottom and 2-3&quot; at the top. I put them right near the base of the plants, though and adjusted the bottoms out a little and they seem to be working about right. I may just try drip hoses next year, but I figured these would last me a while. Others have commented that they degrade quickly. If it turns out to be the case, then it was just an experiment and I know now. Thanks for the help so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-05-21T12:27:44.953" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19481" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14937" CreationDate="2015-05-21T12:49:25.623" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what type of plant that is, but from the look of it, you need to check a couple of things out. One is to check and see if those rocks are glued on. Home Depot and other similar stores take a random plant, strip a few leaves off and call it a bonsai. A bonsai is supposed to represent and old, old version of the tree you are growing. This includes a tapering of the trunk, drooping branches from years of snow loads, etc... most of these plants don't have that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless of that fact, what I've seen is that they prep these plants somewhere and to keep them looking pretty, they glue the rock in place to keep them from moving in shipping. The glue prevents the rocks from moving, but also prevents water from penetrating, which could be why it's loosing leaves. You'll probably also find that they put regular potting soil under the rocks, which is not appropriate for bonsai. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can look online and find many recipes for bonsai soil and how to wire and shape them. Chances are, you could probably turn this into a real bonsai. What you'll find with the soils is that they are mostly inorganic rock-like material. The more organics you have, the more water it retains, but it's not good for the plant. However, the less you have, the more you have to water. So it's about finding a balance for the weather you have in your area. Basically, you want to put a chop stick in the &quot;soil&quot; and leave it in there for about 15min. If you pull it out and it's dry, you need to water. Water from the top down, soaking the leaves and water till it runs out the bottom of the pot. About once a month, during the growing season, water it with 1/4-1/2 strength balances miracle grow fertilizer, or you can buy a bonsai fertilizer. And like some of the other posters stated, most bonsai need to be outside as much as possible or they won't survive. My juniper bonsai needs to be out in the full sun and needs the cold of winter to do well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-05-21T12:49:25.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19482" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-21T13:07:16.623" Score="3" ViewCount="928" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 990l pond, and a Rockways 3-step formed waterfall that recommends a 4,000l/hour flow rate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need my pump to output 4,000l/hour. Do I need a filter that specifically supports such a flow rate? The pond is small, so do I need a 'big' filter that support the high flow rate of the pump, or do can I get away with a filter designed for smaller ponds (and thus built to expect a lower flow rate)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many thanks in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11365" LastActivityDate="2015-05-22T11:25:32.687" Title="Exceeding a Pond Filter's Flow Rate?" Tags="&lt;pond&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19483" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19476" CreationDate="2015-05-21T14:53:47.530" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum) &quot;crash&quot; when they don't get enough water and it looks like what you see in the photo. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be other issues but that's the most common one that causes spaths to fall down like that so check the soil moisture first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering it will bring it back. If the soil in the pot is dry that's the likely cause. I had this happen in the past and the plants recover. Actually happened recently in a plant I have in a room I don't go into that often and forgot about. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I placed it in a saucer of room temperature water, checked and refilled the water periodically if it was empty. It slowly started to perk back up and by the next day it looked like it did before. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend trimming off the yellow/brown leaves while it's still in the crashed state. The won't come back and it's easier to do it now that they're all apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-05-21T14:53:47.530" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19484" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19482" CreationDate="2015-05-21T18:13:03.667" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You will probably find that you cannot GET 4000l/hr through a smaller filter. Less area with more flow = higher pressure drop. Higher pressure drop moves your pump to somewhere else on its pump curve. If the filter is on the suction side, you may also get cavitation and move your pump off this mortal coil...(ie, self-destruct it.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could run the falls unfiltered, and run a smaller pump and filter for the filtering job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try dividing flow from the falls pump, but I'm having difficulty imagining a way for that to be consistent under different filter loading conditions, without constant adjustments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-21T18:13:03.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19485" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-21T18:15:52.153" Score="4" ViewCount="7417" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've a plant growing in my garden, that I'm hoping somebody can identify.  I live in zone 5b or 6a, on the Plant Hardiness Zone Map.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's about 2-3' tall, has dark red leaves,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oeT62.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Red leaf&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9iJtC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf size&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;gets little white flowers in the spring,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L7Kzk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;White flower&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wXw7t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and has a dark colored bark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EaOoi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dark bark&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="337" LastEditorUserId="337" LastEditDate="2015-05-21T19:00:32.233" LastActivityDate="2018-06-25T14:09:59.310" Title="What is this red shrub in my garden?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19486" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19485" CreationDate="2015-05-21T18:28:14.710" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I reckon its Prunus cerasifera, or a cultivar of, commonly known as Purple Leaf Flowering Plum or Myrobalan plum. The leaves should be toothed or serrated at the edges - some varieties are more toothed than others, but I can see some of that on these leaves. I can't see inside a flower clearly, but there should be a reddish purple centre, or at least a darker eye, to the flower. Some of the varieties have red stamens initially, which I can see on one or two flowers. There should be a scent to the flowers - there are all white forms too. Hardy in zones 4-8.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-21T18:38:17.970" LastActivityDate="2015-05-21T18:38:17.970" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19487" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19488" CreationDate="2015-05-21T20:58:39.740" Score="8" ViewCount="479" Body="&lt;p&gt;While mowing the lawn yesterday, my husband stumbled across this tiny plant. It's barely two inches tall. Some people down the street have a beautiful large tree that looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/26/bloodgood-japanese-maple/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bloodgood maple&lt;/a&gt;, and I've always wanted one! Could this be a little sapling, or perhaps a different variety of red maple?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We gently pulled it up, planted it in a clay pot with regular dirt from the yard, set the pot on a saucer, watered it thouroughly and put it in the sun. This morning it was very dry so I watered it again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's a tree, or even if it's something else, what's the proper care for it at this fragile stage?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click on pictures for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rcg5d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rcg5dm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dG3JB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dG3JBm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-05-21T22:31:44.737" LastActivityDate="2015-05-22T06:02:04.540" Title="Is this a tiny Bloodgood maple sapling? How should I care for it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19488" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19487" CreationDate="2015-05-21T21:31:24.700" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks a lot like a tiny maple seedling in it's first year, note the cotyledons - the seed leaves, the (in this case long &amp;amp; tongue-shaped) leaves that appear before the true leaves - which are still present. The pictures are a bit blurry, so I can't be &lt;em&gt;absolutely&lt;/em&gt; sure but I've seen dozens of these under my Granny's Japanese Maple. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potting up temporarily in potting soil instead of garden soil would have been my choice, but don't disturb it again. &lt;strong&gt;Get it out of the direct sun asap&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;: It will loose too much water and the roots are not established yet to &quot;drink&quot; enough. Water consistently, but don't keep it wet - humid will do. Water from the top, at least until it's established, because you can better control where the water goes. If you water from below, there is a chance that the water doesn't reach the roots as intended and you can't look into the pot... It should perk up soon. Acers can be a bit fussy when transplanted as small seedlings, but generally speaking they are robust little things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Choose a final place for it and plant it there either in a few weeks when you see it's stable again (preferably during an overcast, rainy phase, avoid summer heat) or next few years. But remember that if you keep it in a pot longer, it will need constant care like watering. But it's perfectly doable, I know a Japanese maple that's been in its pot for at least ten or fifteen years now - doesn't grow too much, but appears quite happy. If you want it to grow to its full height, it needs to go in the garden, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's really a baby-maple, it may look like this in two years:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9TyXv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;maple, 3rd year&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;   This is a good rule of thumb for all transplanted plants: When you root them up, they need time to establish a good contact between roots and soil again, which means water supply will be hampered for a while. You want to minimize water loss, so put pots in a shady place for a few days or choose overcast days with potential rainfall for digging up and planting plants in the garden. Those hot sunny days are meant to water the garden, smell the roses and enjoy the results of your hard work from a lawn chair ;-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-05-22T06:02:04.540" LastActivityDate="2015-05-22T06:02:04.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19489" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-22T04:51:39.940" Score="2" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, I got a couple of roses, ivy, holly, jasmine, porthos and gardenia plants back in December, but now they all seem to be near-death. I have tried several times to resurrect some of my plants using their stems but no success to date. With half-dry stems, can I still get my plants back? I would appreciate expert help in getting this right this time please. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T21:16:19.430" Title="Life-support for plants: How can I re-grow my plants from half-dry stems" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19490" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-22T06:39:26.150" Score="2" ViewCount="1487" Body="&lt;p&gt;My backyard has about ten Italian cypress trees which are 25 feet tall. I plan to cut them down but my backyard does not have an enough space to make the entire trees fall down. So, the trees should be cut piece by piece from the top, I believe. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The thing is that I do not want to climb up a ladder for 25 feet. I would feel comfortable to climb up for 10~15 feet but no more than that. So, one plan I am thinking is to cut the top part of the trunk with a pole saw to lower the height of the tree to about 15~20 feet, standing on the ladder. Then, the rest trunk would be cut with a normal chain saw. The top trunk seems to be thin but I am not sure if the pole saw would have enough power to cut the trunk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am just wondering if this plan makes sense. If the only choice is for me to go up to the top of the tree, I would probably hire a professional. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11360" LastActivityDate="2015-05-23T17:29:30.593" Title="removing Italian cypress" Tags="&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19491" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-22T09:54:47.927" Score="5" ViewCount="3560" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been rooting my mint in water and it rooted, then I found those brown spots appearing. It happened with all the mint plants I had before. I am in Egypt, and it gets morning sun and no afternoon or direct sun&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click on photo for full size&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K9SMx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K9SMxl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11366" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-22T15:06:13.430" LastActivityDate="2017-01-24T16:40:04.210" Title="What is causing brown spots on my mint plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19493" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19482" CreationDate="2015-05-22T11:25:32.687" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've moved this summary up from the bottom - this is where you arrive at after this longish answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The short summary is that you will be able to find pumps that provide both the flow rate and head that you want for almost any filter BUT, you will reduce your pump costs by using a large, low pressure drop filter. Filter costs should be low compared to pump costs and skimping on filter size is unlikely to be cost effective. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not see a pump specification. If that is an 'open' parameter you can notionally achieve almost any flow rate with any filter by using enough pressure BUT there are secondary affects which make it unwise to take this to extremes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should be able to buy a pump + filter combination that gives you the required &quot;head&quot; for your waterfall. The size of the bond has minimal bearing on the result. In your case a 4000 l/h flow will drain the pool fully in ~= 990/4000 x 60 minutes =~ 15 minutes - so minor variations in flow over periods of seconds to even tens of seconds will not make a lot of difference to pond depth or pumping head. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the filter you us is rated at a lower flow rate than you wish to achieve you will get more flow rate with more pump power. There are sensible limits to how far you can take this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As examples only: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a filter where pressure drop is linearly related to flow rate then if it is rated for 3000 litres per hour at a given pressure drop, then it will handle 4000 litres per hour at a pressure that is 4000/3000 = 33% higher than its rated 3000l/hr pressure.   This may be acceptable but would ideally be avoided. But - &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If instead, pressure drop increased as the square of flow rate, then going from 3000l/hr to 4000 l/hr increases pressure by a factor of (4000/3000) squared = a 77% increase in pressure for an only 33% increase in flow rate. This is a substantial pressure increase for what you gain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a rough guide pump flow rate at a given head or head at a given flow rate relates directly to motor power and cost will increase very roughly accordingly. &#xA;Whereas adding a second filter of the same size in parallel with the first doubles the flow rate you can achieve at the same pressure, and as filters and housing are liable to be much lower cost than pumps, it makes much more sense to use two filters, or to use a larger filter rather than substantially increasing motor size. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9741" LastActivityDate="2015-05-22T11:25:32.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19494" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-22T14:37:49.220" Score="4" ViewCount="359" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just recently moved to a new house, and we are very new to maintaining our yard. We have automatic sprinklers, but we are not quite sure how often and how long they should be watering our front yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a specific metric to do this, like every &lt;em&gt;x&lt;/em&gt; minutes based on square inch and temperature? We live in west Texas. Hot Weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, we have 4 sprinklers, with one sprinkler positioned on each corner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is what our front yard looks like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Right now we set it up to Wed, Fri, Sun, 10 minutes in the morning but we are unsure if it is too much, too little, or normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/olSSU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11368" LastEditorUserId="11368" LastEditDate="2015-05-22T15:08:46.333" LastActivityDate="2015-05-23T17:23:42.043" Title="How long and how often should I water my west Texas front yard?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19495" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19496" CreationDate="2015-05-22T15:30:14.470" Score="6" ViewCount="203" Body="&lt;p&gt;How far do potatoes really need to be from tomatoes? Is ten feet with a row of peas in between sufficient?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, do sweet potatoes count as potatoes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11347" LastActivityDate="2015-05-22T16:19:01.973" Title="How far do potatoes really need to be from tomatoes to prevent disease/blight?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;&lt;sweet-potato&gt;&lt;blight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19496" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19495" CreationDate="2015-05-22T16:19:01.973" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;They should all be 3 feet from one another, the tomato plants and the potatoes. Its not to prevent blight, but to prevent disturbing the roots of the tomatoes if you dig up some potatoes nearby, and to prevent blossom end rot caused by insufficient water/calcium availability for the tomatoes. The greater distance also makes it less likely that any plant will shade another - both these plants require sun to crop well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for sweet potatoes, no, they don't count as potatoes - they're related to Ipomea (morning glory), so a vine and they take up a lot of room sprawling over the ground, so you need 3 feet either side of one plant for those. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-22T16:19:01.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19497" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19499" CreationDate="2015-05-22T17:06:09.767" Score="4" ViewCount="1664" Body="&lt;p&gt;My garden has a huge problem with earwigs, Snails, and Slugs, and many of my plants are dying. How can I effectively eliminate these pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11369" LastActivityDate="2020-06-28T18:01:44.550" Title="How do I get rid of Snails, Slugs, and Earwigs" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19498" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-22T17:48:29.967" Score="4" ViewCount="2624" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a brain coral. It is about a foot in diameter. It is Dry to the touch but still a bit soft. I live in &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Edward_Island&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Prince Edward Island&lt;/a&gt; in Canada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OqSrY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fungus or not?&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11370" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-22T17:53:58.320" LastActivityDate="2017-07-23T21:05:32.163" Title="What is this fungus that looks like a brain coral?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19497" CreationDate="2015-05-22T19:13:13.853" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Slug pellets will take care of the snails and slugs - earwigs are a different matter, they usually nibble on flowers overnight and an upturned pot on a stick or cane with straw in it near their favourite flowers should mean they're in there first thing in the morning. You empty the pots and straw into a bucket of water or the ground and stomp on the earwigs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neither of these pests will actually kill plants, although snails and slugs might demolish some plants just as they start appearing above ground by eating them immediately and repetitively till the plant gives up - hostas for instance, or delphiniums, certain vegetable plants, early in spring may suffer this. Otherwise, they don't usually kill plants, just damage them by eating them, and earwigs don't either, so more information is required if many of your plants are dying - like what the plants are, where they're growing, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-22T19:13:13.853" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19500" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19745" CreationDate="2015-05-22T19:26:40.667" Score="4" ViewCount="5104" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Meyer Lemon tree was full of flowers this spring. I hand pollinated them using a q-tip, along with help from some insects, when the tree was outside.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the blossoms fell off, it didn't produce fruit.  Is this common?  It is three years old and very healthy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I made a blog post about pollinating the lemon tree: &lt;a href=&quot;http://simplyresourceful.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-to-pollinate-meyer-lemon-tree.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://simplyresourceful.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-to-pollinate-meyer-lemon-tree.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SBFMD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in WV. I took it outside when the weather was warm in early spring but kept it inside during the cold winter.  I use citrus tree soil and fertilize with chicken compost tea.  The chicken tea keeps the leaves from turning yellow &amp;amp; it works great for the other tropical plants that I have.  We live in the mountains so there is no &quot;true&quot; sunny window here, but it is always placed in the sunniest location on the south side of the house.  Yes, it is well-watered.  I use a moisture meter monthly.  The tree is currently putting out new leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;The tree is blossoming again. Let's hope for the best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11347" LastEditorUserId="11347" LastEditDate="2015-06-05T20:42:23.157" LastActivityDate="2020-07-28T04:37:51.150" Title="Why didn't my Meyer Lemon tree produce fruit after it blossomed?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19501" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-22T19:50:14.697" Score="4" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;Location: Arizona&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I currently have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/16248/what-does-mesquite-tree-sap-have-that-possibly-makes-it-a-good-fertilizer-for-dr&quot;&gt;dying dragon fruit on a climbing structure&lt;/a&gt; that I am going to replace. Given that this location is in mottled sunlight and has a pre-established climbing structure I'm looking for something different to replace it with that would need and benefit from those 2 items. What are my options?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far I've identified a kiwi fruit. I feel that there must be a ton more available...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-05-22T21:20:04.717" Title="What fruit/nut/berry grows in mottled sunlight on a climbing structure?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;trellis&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19502" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19497" CreationDate="2015-05-22T21:02:15.293" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chickens will deal with earwigs, I've heard, but they may also eat produce. I'm not sure about slugs and snails, but I imagine keeping the ground dry and free of excess vegetation might help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-05-22T21:02:15.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19501" CreationDate="2015-05-22T21:14:04.810" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fassadengruen.de/eng/uw/climbing_plants/uw/grapevine/grapevine/training/vertical-cordons.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;train some grapevines&lt;/a&gt; to grow on those. I'm not sure if there's enough sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you count rose hips as fruit, you could grow climbing rose bushes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are lots of annual fruiting plants that climb, but they don't necessarily need to do so. For instance, a lot of cucurbits climb. Shark Fin Melon might be okay. It grows leaves pretty well on low light, anyway, and it climbs. The leaves are edible, too. They may be perennials in climates without cold winters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-05-22T21:20:04.717" LastActivityDate="2015-05-22T21:20:04.717" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19504" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1658" CreationDate="2015-05-22T21:30:45.777" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fruiting plants to consider:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/ring-of-fire-pepper/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ring of Fire chile pepper&lt;/a&gt; (I grew this in 2016 in a raised bed in the shade, in crowded conditions, and it produced a nice amount of tasty, very hot peppers). I highly recommend trying this pepper. I'm guessing some other small, productive peppers &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; do similarly. The kinds that ripen a whole bunch of fruits pretty much all at once, such as Ring of Fire, may be best (rather than the one at a time ones, such as most, if not all, bell peppers). Ring of Fire isn't a tiny pepper, but the fruits are small (2–3 inches long).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/grandpa-s-home-hot-pepper-/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Grandpa's Home chile pepper&lt;/a&gt; (this is said to do so well with fruiting on limited light that it can make a houseplant; I also tried it in the same raised bed in the shade in crowded conditions, in 2016, and it got a decent amount of small, spicy fruits that tasted a lot like ripe Yatzy peppers). These fruits are very, very small, and they all ripen pretty much at once.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=25860&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;De Barao Tsarsky tomato&lt;/a&gt; (See the link, which says that according to Russian websites, it's supposed to be productive, disease-resistant and shade-tolerant.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You might try some parthenocarpic cucumbers (e.g. Monika), but I don't know how well they'll do.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You might try parthenocarpic tomatoes (e.g. Legend, Siletz, Santiam, Oroma, Saucy, Gold Nugget), but I don't know how well they'll do. Oroma may produce fine, depending on your growing conditions (it produced better for me in the shade at the end of the growing season; so, it may like it cooler and wetter; the rest of my season is very hot and dry; I got more fruit in the shade than in full sun, but the plant in full sun was more crowded, and in problematic soil)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You might try parthenocarpic peppers (e.g. Planet F1), but I don't know how well they'll do in your climate. I tried Planet F1 in 2016. It got a few peppers per plant for me (nothing too special), but it faired similarly with more sun (I'm guessing it's used to a more temperate area, like the Oregon coast).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Greens:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Arugula: seems to do just fine on limited light in my experience.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mizuna: ditto (Arugula did better, though.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shark Fin Melon: its greens grow very well and fast on limited light, although I don't know how well the plant fruits on that light. You can eat Shark Fin Melon leaves and shoots. They taste like a mix between spinach and green beans.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chives: They do well in partial shade. In my opinion, they're one of the best vegetables for eating (raw or cooked), and people use them way too sparingly (and not just because they're much milder than onions). These are perennials.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spinach (I believe I read something that said spinach can do well in low light conditions. Plus, my Grandma's perennial spinach was shaded for at least a good part of the day, and it was quite productive)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would recommend avoiding the following (they didn't do well on limited light for me): Black Beauty zucchini, Italian Striped zucchini, Cimmaron lettuce, and Merlot lettuce (the lettuces probably would have done better in the shade with less drought, though, but I'm not sure how much better).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also recommend saving seeds from plants you grow in the shade. They may do better over the generations from saved seed, since they'll have a chance to acclimatize.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might look for plant breeds that fruit well indoors (if they can do that, they can likely handle the shade).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-01-21T11:08:14.867" LastActivityDate="2017-01-21T11:08:14.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19505" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19507" CreationDate="2015-05-23T08:18:47.263" Score="3" ViewCount="2390" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I started redoing all the front landscaping at my house. At the time, I didn't know this bush flowered, but I moved it to the back to let it grow. What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click on picture for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G0MaU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G0MaU.jpg&quot; height=&quot;500&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11373" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-05-23T19:45:29.737" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T23:52:12.797" Title="What is this shrub with clumps of small white flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19479" CreationDate="2015-05-23T11:08:41.763" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your profile says you're in Minnesota. Have you recently tried moving it outside? Aloe loves sun, but after being indoors for the winter the plant needs to be gently reintroduced to direct sunlight, a few hours a day at first, then longer. Otherwise it can suffer a burn that looks a lot like those browning leaf tips. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, does a 1 week watering schedule allow the soil to dry out properly between waterings? Aloes are succulents native to desert climates and they are a lot easier to over-water than most houseplants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-05-23T11:08:41.763" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19505" CreationDate="2015-05-23T15:12:32.880" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Viburnum plicatum; when in flower, often mistaken for Hydrangea anomala, but the leaves are not the same. Grows well in sun or partial shade, average height and spread 2.5 to 4 metres.&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/94896/Viburnum-plicatum-f-tomentosum-Mariesii/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/94896/Viburnum-plicatum-f-tomentosum-Mariesii/Details&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T23:39:29.050" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T23:39:29.050" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19508" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1878" CreationDate="2015-05-23T16:54:13.557" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;They need a partner tree to cross-pollinate with.That is the whole problem. I had the same problem. And it needs to be a different type plum and one that blossoms the same time as the other. Do this and you will be overflowing with plums!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11377" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-24T05:18:20.757" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T05:18:20.757" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19509" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19497" CreationDate="2015-05-23T17:13:06.250" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ducks are best for snails and slugs, but chickens will work too, and will pick up the earwigs in a heartbeat.  Depending on the size of your garden one laying hen may be enough.  This will require some short term protection of new plantings, but will actually fertilize your flowers and other shrubs.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another great technique that I have used with success is to half bury a bowl and pour a bit of beer in it, say half a can (I drink the other half, but if you don't like beer pour it all in).  The next day or some days later you can empty the bowl and pour fresh beer in.  You are likely to find slugs, snails and earwigs (and other critters) floating dead in the beer bowl.  They can't swim but must get thirsty.  Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7047" LastActivityDate="2015-05-23T17:13:06.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19510" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19494" CreationDate="2015-05-23T17:23:42.043" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This may turn out to be an unpopular answer, but your best bet is to replace that grass with some dry climate shrubs.  Adding some dry climate shrubs but not removing all the grass is another option.  The shrubs should actually help contain moisture near to their bases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering lawns is going the way of the dinosaurs, and if you are uncomfortable with it being brown, then I would suggest getting rid of it.  I see you have some nice rock landscaping, combining rocks with shrubby natives is your best bet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another possible solution would to just let it turn brown.  Grass goes dormant, and returns to life with the rains.  This may not work for you if you have a water-loving introduced grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The answer you are probably hoping to hear depends on the type of grass.  I don't know what grasses they plant in Texas lawns, but if you don't know or can't find out what type it is then you are left with some trial and error.  Slowly taper off your application of water until the lawn gets unacceptable, then peg your required watering from there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7047" LastActivityDate="2015-05-23T17:23:42.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19511" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19490" CreationDate="2015-05-23T17:29:30.593" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hire an arborist&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And this is coming from someone who prunes all his own trees.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Felling trees is not as easy as it looks.  With the space considerations and the fact that there are ten of them, you really are going to want a professional.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, Stephie brings up a great point in her comment, a professional has insurance.  There are a myriad of things that can go wrong, and he is covered, and has the experience and proper equipment.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7047" LastActivityDate="2015-05-23T17:29:30.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19512" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19516" CreationDate="2015-05-23T19:38:47.853" Score="16" ViewCount="1220" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm composting for the first time this year, in a back-yard composter. I have some leaves in there, and I regularly throw in my coffee grounds. I also occasionally throw in vegetable and fruit scraps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I look online (websites, TED talks, etc.) it seems that people often say that it's &quot;okay&quot; to put in vegetable and fruit pieces, but then they act like it's not going to do much for you in terms of end-of-process compost. The common thing said here is &quot;the only thing worth mixing from your kitchen with your leaves is coffee&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, fruit and vegetable pieces have a C:N ratio of somewhere between 25:1-35:1 it seems, which is almost perfect with the 30:1 ratio that people say is ideal. So from this information alone, one might guess that fruit/vegetables are actually really good for your compost pile, not just tolerable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So which is it? Are they &lt;em&gt;good&lt;/em&gt; or are they merely &lt;em&gt;okay&lt;/em&gt;. And why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11379" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-05-24T22:53:46.410" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T19:07:32.757" Title="Is Mike McGrath correct when he says vegetable scraps shouldn't be added to compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19513" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-23T22:03:49.240" Score="2" ViewCount="620" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not a pro at gardening or farming, and some people do tell me not to plant seeds from the fruit, and rather buy them and plant them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But what do you guys think about planting Lychee Fruit seeds directly ? &#xA;Is it fine to just remove the pulp(from the fruit) , Wash - Dry and Plant the seed directly ? &#xA;Or should I buy the seeds from the market and plant them ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11268" LastActivityDate="2015-05-25T02:18:38.203" Title="Can I plant the Lychee plant from the Fruit Seed ?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;lychee&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19514" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19513" CreationDate="2015-05-24T01:21:34.350" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It largely depends on what are looking to get out of it. If you are looking for fruit, the results are a bit unpredictable as Lychee (and for that matter most fruit trees) do not breed true. A plant grown from the seed of a very good fruit can produce fruit that isn't nearly as good. For production purposes, lychee are mainly propagated by air-layering. If you're interested in getting quality fruit I'd suggest just buying a plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're looking to grow the plant for the interest of having one I would suggest reviewing the answer to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/11143/what-is-the-best-way-to-sprout-lychee-seeds&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;. Lychee seeds will dry out and lose viability in the space of a few days once removed from the fruit unless you start the germination process. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-05-25T02:18:38.203" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19512" CreationDate="2015-05-24T02:58:32.747" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Everything that you can eat or is a discard from what you eat (vegetable/fruit) can go into the compost heap. It's what worms eat. And it's way more than OK so long as it doesn't make the heap so wet it goes anaerobic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The important parts are getting the CN ratio correct so that bacteria thrive, and having the contents just moist enough that aerobic bacteria and fungi thrive. The bacteria require nitrogen as part of their lifecycle, and the fungi break down cellulose and lignins (woody high carbon (brown matter)) so that the bacteria can then process it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All organic matter from green rose clippings to tea bags is grist for the heap, once you have it properly going with a healthy bacterial/fungal environment, it will break down anything, including accidental included small pieces of ground cloth you originally put down for weed control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your major worries should be not getting unwanted seeds into the heap, grass seeds, spearmint seeds, dandelion seeds and anything else you don't want to propagate, so all input materials need to be harvested before the seeds become viable. Now there's something that can be &lt;strong&gt;not ok&lt;/strong&gt;. Compost cucumbers and tomatillos can be the most healthy unplanned plantings you will produce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the heap is in contact with the soil, fruit/vegetable matter is great for attracting native earthworms which will then go on to consume all leaf matter and grind it into rich vermicompost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I fired up the TED talk and listened to it...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sorry, composting doesn't start in fall with leaves or in spring when you start dealing with vegetable food waste. It's a year around process.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;True, vegetable kitchen waste only will create a horrible mess, unless you're using the Japanese Bokashi fermentation method.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sorry, wrong on the nitrogen content, fruiting plants move all their nutrients into the fruit and seeds in order to pass it on to the next generation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yes I agree, leaves are wasted by most people, and yes they have to be shredded if you want them to compost quickly. A lawnmower can do the shredding just as well as anything.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Worm bins? Never have needed them, that's what your compost heap becomes when you add kitchen waste.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What're Karma points worth, I do it for enlightened selfish reasons. I don't have to pay for hauling it away to be buried, and the garden food tastes so good! We probably agree wholeheartedly there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, there are many composting methods. You don't even need a bin. And the easiest for kitchen waste is potholing. Dig a hole in between your intended plants, bury it and let the worms eat it. Plants will grow feeder roots into the remains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2015-05-24T18:34:37.943" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T18:34:37.943" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19517" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19518" CreationDate="2015-05-24T08:30:48.863" Score="1" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;p&gt;Being new to Gardening , I came across this concept of Pollination Partners , and that some seeds require a partner when the seed is planted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone tell me , why this is needed and what seeds require these ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11268" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T10:47:50.407" Title="How to know which Seeds require Pollination Partners ?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19518" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19517" CreationDate="2015-05-24T10:39:00.537" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not exactly the seeds which need pollination partners, but the flowers on the plant itself if you require fruit from it. Some plants, like some Malus (apple) varieties and Pyrus (pear varieties) are not self fertile, so they can't pollinate/fertilize their own flowers. Unfertilized flowers means no fruits will form, so its usual to plant two different varieties that will cross pollinate each other, or use a different plant which flowers at the same time (crab apple in the case of apples, for instance). Without pollination, fertlization of the flowers doesn't happen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In some plants, they are self fertile, but better results and larger crops are achieved by planting with an appropriate pollination partner (lychee for instance). This partner is usually a plant of the same type or family which happens to flower at the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you decide you want to grow fruits, then its best to look them up and check whether they need another plant for cross pollination - apples and pears, for instance, have numbered pollination groups, and there are lists of recommended varieties to plant together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your plant doesn't produce fruit, or you're not growing it for that purpose, then the pollination partner thing is irrelevent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-24T10:47:50.407" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T10:47:50.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19519" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19521" CreationDate="2015-05-24T12:06:19.087" Score="4" ViewCount="637" Body="&lt;p&gt;What plant is this? It popped up in my garden. It looks like it might be a geranium, but I can't find it in the various lists I browsed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's about 50 cm (20&quot;) high in total with flowers on stalks, sticking out up to 15 cm (6&quot;)&#xA;The leaves are about 7 cm (3&quot;) across and consist of three groups of leaflets. The flower cores are purple with five trumpet-like spurred petals with a white edge. It has sepals, also purple. The flowers have a slightly yellowish heart. Bees seem to love them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's beautiful plant, and I want to make sure it's still there next year. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS: Sorry if I got the terminology wrong. I'm not used to describing flowers in detail, and especially not in English.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZGB4R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3317" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-25T19:45:08.213" LastActivityDate="2017-12-25T19:45:08.213" Title="What is this plant with purple flowers in my garden?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;aquilegia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19520" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19524" CreationDate="2015-05-24T12:15:39.117" Score="5" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves are from the south of Russia (somewhere around &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anapa&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Anapa, Krasnodar Krai&lt;/a&gt;) and I was told this was a sort of Mentha. I doubt that, given the leaves are so large. It does have a smell, but, again, I wouldn’t say it is similar to mint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also was told that the locals call it &lt;em&gt;Лесная мята&lt;/em&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Forest mint&lt;/em&gt;), but it’s clearly not &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha_laxiflora&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mentha laxiflora&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9irWr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9irWrm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uvS1l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uvS1lm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Scale&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11381" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T14:15:40.123" Title="What is this plant I was told to be a sort of Mentha?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19519" CreationDate="2015-05-24T12:34:06.753" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's an ornamental &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquilegia&quot;&gt;Columbine or Aquilegia&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a hardy perennial that originates from woodland and meadowy areas. It grows in full sun, but prefers light shade. There is a good chance that it will come back next year and it might even seed itself - look for seedlings with the same 3-part leaves, just en miniature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-05-24T12:41:28.570" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T12:41:28.570" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19522" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19527" CreationDate="2015-05-24T13:33:49.910" Score="5" ViewCount="11491" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gla69.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Crooked Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The landscapers left us with this tree which is growing crooked. The trunk is still pretty supple and you can straighten it manually, but it returns to being bent as soon as you let go of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read many competing opinions on tree staking, and some sources recommend using some bamboo or something as a brace. What is the proper method for correcting the bend in this tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11383" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-16T12:28:10.900" LastActivityDate="2017-11-16T12:28:10.900" Title="How can I straighten this crooked tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;support&gt;&lt;staking&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19523" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19525" CreationDate="2015-05-24T13:35:33.433" Score="1" ViewCount="672" Body="&lt;p&gt;My spring onion heads turned yellow. Once I set spring onions in the soil, the heads turned brown and they are growing slowly with yellow leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's summer season in my country. My soil is a mix of clay and old cow manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why did this happen, and how can I correct it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11382" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-24T13:56:15.530" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T18:30:11.710" Title="Why did my onion heads turn brown after planting?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;onion-sets&gt;&lt;spring-onions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19520" CreationDate="2015-05-24T14:15:40.123" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have two candidates for this plant, &lt;em&gt;salvia officinalis&lt;/em&gt;, garden sage or s&lt;em&gt;alvia fruticosa / salvia triloba&lt;/em&gt;, Greek sage. And to make things more interesting, there are cross-breeds between them... Flowers would help, but I guess we are a few weeks too soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To classify your leaves as sage, we'd actually need &quot;olfactory internet&quot;; as we don't, rest assured that sage has a very characteristic scent with certain bitter undertones, but I'm really bad at describing smells, sorry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would not identify this as Greek sage, despite the &quot;extra leaves&quot;, because Greek sage is &quot;hairier&quot; and because of the fuzz appears more silver than yours. So to me, this is common (garden) sage, but as I said, lacking flowers I'd need my nose to confirm this. The question of the extra leaves needs solving, though: I went in my herb garden and did a bit of snooping around and voilá - my sage (salvia officinalis) has them, too, at least on some leaves. Here is a small collection:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y3wGr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;salvia off. leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T14:15:40.123" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19525" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19523" CreationDate="2015-05-24T18:09:04.580" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Onions do not like a lot of nitrogen in the soil, and recently added manure also increases the risk of rotting, so its always best to add composted manure six months before you want to plant. They also don't like heavy, wet soil, preferring free draining planting conditions, and they don't like a soil ph below 6.5. Not sure what the ph value of your cow manure would have been, it shouldn't really have made the soil more acidic, so that probably isn't the issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might just be that they're in a heavy soil, and there's too much nitrogen available - poor drainage in heavy soils also greatly increases the risks of fungal infection and rotting, and causes poor growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-24T18:30:11.710" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T18:30:11.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19526" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19497" CreationDate="2015-05-24T18:58:34.580" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having given the chicken route a try, I'd only suggest it (and likely ducks as well, though I haven't tried them) in the &quot;Bird moat&quot; method where you ring your garden with a bird run, so critters trying to get in or out need to cross the &quot;moat&quot;. Chickens certainly eat slugs and snails, but also scratch (dig things up) looking for other stuff, and eat tomatoes, tomatillos, and various other produce. And, of course, they roost at night when the critters you want eaten are most active. And various predators want to eat them, which can be both a hassle and disturbing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do that, shelter/trap boards in the bird run can be highly effective - critters hide under them, you turn them over, the birds soon learn to be there when you turn them over to get the exposed critters. You can also use those in the same manner as the earwig trap already described (which the birds will help out with if you have birds) without poultry to eat the beasties if you just kill them yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T18:58:34.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19527" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19522" CreationDate="2015-05-24T20:28:00.627" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I personally use narrow bamboo bracing, hopefully with a branch crotch and stand the bamboo at about 60 degrees, and force the end into the ground.  If the bark is sensitive you should use a cloth on the tree end.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, not all trees have to be straight, and there is something to be said for letting the tree do most of the work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7047" LastEditorUserId="7047" LastEditDate="2015-05-24T21:16:32.820" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T21:16:32.820" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19528" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2015-05-24T20:54:32.390" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2015-05-24T20:54:32.390" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T20:54:32.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19529" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2015-05-24T20:54:32.390" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2015-05-24T20:54:32.390" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T20:54:32.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19530" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-24T22:40:51.300" Score="1" ViewCount="1224" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jLAWV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;ground cover&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it's native of Virginia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5714" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-05-25T03:34:54.753" Title="What's the name of this small plant with six-lobed umbrella-like leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19531" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-24T22:50:01.627" Score="3" ViewCount="3407" Body="&lt;p&gt;More importantly, is it poison oak? It has 3 leaves... It's located in Maryland.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s2pv6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s2pv6l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flowering bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5714" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-25T13:10:09.280" LastActivityDate="2015-08-23T15:32:49.820" Title="What is this bush with five-petalled white flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19532" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19512" CreationDate="2015-05-24T23:19:54.450" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I watched the entire video out of curiosity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a classic case of someone with a little knowledge but some name recognition seeing a real problem and coming up with some incorrect conclusions. If the name of the talk was &quot;A foolproof composting method for people who have trouble composting&quot; I think it could have been useful to some. My guess is that that sort of speech wouldn't get him invited to present a TED Talk. Change things around a little bit to make it sound groundbreaking and controversial and boom you can scratch &quot;TED Talk Presenter&quot; off your bucket list.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of what he said in the video contradicts well established practices. Some are just plain dead wrong. Some of the analogies he makes contradict other things he said. He had written a book on composting and based on some of what I Read online it seems that the information in his book doesn't have the same thoughts on using vegetable scraps. I haven't (and wouldn't) read it myself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The real problem, which he correctly identified, as people having a hard time making good compost by only using vegetable scraps, is a real problem for some.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vegetable scraps, as you correctly identified (and the speaker erroneously contradicts) have about a 20:1 carbon to nitrogen ratio. That's fairly high and would need more carbon rich sources to get the recommended 30:1 ratio in your compost pile. The problem is that many people begin composting in the spring when the weather is nice and they're thinking about their garden. In the winter we're all holed up indoors under blankies sipping hot chocolate with marshmallows completely forgetting the fact that we even have a garden let alone a compost pile. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the spring, we don't have the abundance of high carbon sources that we do in the fall. A lot of what people will have lots of are vegetable scraps, grass and other green yard clippings. This can be difficult to make good compost with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That doesn't make vegetable scraps bad for composting, which it seems he mistakenly concluded. It means people aren't finding good sources of compostable materials that are high in carbon and also dry, because vegetable trimmings are high in moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the spring and summer some browns you can add to your compost to balance out the nitrogen rich stuff you'd normally add around that time include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Any fall leaves that didn't finish composting over winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cardboard boxes, newspaper, some junk mail and other paper products as long as the inks are safe and haven't been used with chemicals. For instance, don't compost that paper towel soaked in Windex after you've cleaned your windows.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wood chips or sawdust (if you're like me you're starting to do more home improvement projects in the spring) just don't use any painted or treated lumber.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vegetable scraps are very good to ad to your compost bin as most reputable sources have indicated since forever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T23:19:54.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19533" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19534" CreationDate="2015-05-24T23:27:39.817" Score="4" ViewCount="760" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of extra plastic 10&quot; hanging baskets and soil and I'd like to plant some more strawberries. Likely some sort of everbearing variety like Evie that I'll get as bare root plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How many plants can I add in each 10&quot; planter without making holes on the sides of the planter? I may do that too but not sure if I want to bother with that yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-05-24T23:55:08.580" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T23:55:08.580" Title="How many strawberry plants can you plant in a 10&quot; hanging basket?" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19534" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19533" CreationDate="2015-05-24T23:54:37.763" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suppose you COULD put as many as you like, but I suspect one is all that's worth planting in that small of a pot. The root mass on an established plant is at least as big as one of those hanging basket pots, IME.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3 seems a likely practical limit, but I'm dubious that you'll get any more fruit from 3 crammed in than one with the whole pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-24T23:54:37.763" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19535" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19530" CreationDate="2015-05-25T01:08:57.757" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a Mayapple (&lt;em&gt;Podophyllum peltatum&lt;/em&gt;). They are native to most of the Eastern US, mainly in woodlands. They expand largely by rhizomes underground. In New York this past week they were just coming into bloom. If you peak under the leaves there might still be a small white flower there, or it might have started to produce a fruit if there are other mayapples in the area for it to pollinate with. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not dangerous to touch, but DO NOT let anything you care about eat it. The entire plant is highly poisonous with the exception of fully ripened fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-05-25T01:08:57.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19536" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19531" CreationDate="2015-05-25T12:20:52.393" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks somewhat like Rubus flagellaris - that should have scattered prickles here and there on the stems, but this looks a bit too bushy, as if its been cut back - this plant usually puts out a long stem rather than becoming a bushy plant. Photo in link below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://uswildflowers.com/detail.php?SName=Rubus%20flagellaris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://uswildflowers.com/detail.php?SName=Rubus%20flagellaris&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-25T13:59:35.693" LastActivityDate="2015-05-25T13:59:35.693" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19537" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19538" CreationDate="2015-05-25T16:57:23.843" Score="2" ViewCount="405" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a potted plant that started growing some new shoots. However, I think they died. Should I just leave them alone, or try to trim them, remove them, etc? The plant is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gertens.com/learn/Annuals-Perennials/crotons.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;croton&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L4FNX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;HomePlant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11387" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-25T20:37:13.397" LastActivityDate="2015-07-24T21:22:50.573" Title="Should I trim dead shoots from a Croton grown as a houseplant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19538" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19537" CreationDate="2015-05-25T17:40:54.217" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking at your plant, it looks pretty sick - you say you've only just moved it into this pot, and it doesn't have a drainage hole. This is not a good idea, you need a pot with a hole in the bottom to enable excess water to drain away freely. These plants should be watered when the surface of the compost is just dry to the touch, and when you water, do so until there is excess running out, then empty the outer tray or pot after 30 minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't really tell what type of Croton its supposed to be, but if the leaves were very brightly coloured and highly variegated when you bought it, it needs plenty of bright light. They particularly don't like changes in temperature or draughts - temperature should never fall much below 60 deg F.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest you find an alternative pot for it, with a drainage hole, in a good potting compost, clip off the dead and dying parts, give it as much sunlight as possible, keep it away from heat sources and draughts, and feed monthly with a proprietary houseplant food. They do also like high humidity, and this plant looks as if its on a desk or something near a computer, which may be emitting some heat - that means the humidity will be low, so you may need to find somewhere else to put it, or use a pebble tray to keep the air around it humid. (Pebble tray - a tray larger than the pot you use, filled with pebbles, with the plant sitting on top of the pebbles, and you keep the tray half filled with water, but not so the bottom of the pot is sitting in the water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or maybe buy a different plant that isn't quite so demanding...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-25T17:40:54.217" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19539" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19543" CreationDate="2015-05-25T17:44:08.720" Score="2" ViewCount="1180" Body="&lt;p&gt;My tulip bulbs have not made any flowers this spring, maybe due to lack of sun and/or phosphorus. Is there any chance they will make flowers next year if I give them phosphorus and more sun, or should I just throw them away?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11388" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-25T20:36:26.073" LastActivityDate="2015-05-25T22:15:36.607" Title="Should I keep tulip bulbs that didn't flower this year, or replace them with new?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;tulips&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19540" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-25T18:26:36.460" Score="6" ViewCount="1669" Body="&lt;p&gt;About 2 cm (when I found them). They are olive green. They have a black head, and black dots on the side, around the spiracles. They are not hairy.&#xA;If I counted right, they have three pairs of prolegs (fake legs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RCXU1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A nest of them&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found them in a spindle (euonymus), and it seems it's the only plant they like. The spindle is close (within 1 yd) to a sunflower, an acer japonica, a hawthorn and a couple of other plants, all of which are untouched.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The caterpillars are in groups of about 20 nesting and eating at the ends of the fresh branches. They have spun a spiderweb-like nest around them, although it seems they are not pupal yet, and they are still eating away. I've found about 4 of these 'communities' in what is yet just a small bush (about 2' high).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have got quite a lot of sparrows, tits and other birds in my garden, but so far they haven't seemed to take a liking to these larvae. I'm in the Netherlands (zone 7).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3317" LastActivityDate="2020-11-10T21:23:51.983" Title="What kind of caterpillar is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;butterflies&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19541" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19540" CreationDate="2015-05-25T18:26:36.460" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are &lt;strong&gt;ermine moths&lt;/strong&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Yponomeutidae&lt;/em&gt;) (not to be confused by snout moths (Pyralidae), which are also sometimes referred to as ermine moths). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This family has over 700 species, although most of them are tropical. Given that it's found on a spindle, it might be a &lt;em&gt;spindle ermine&lt;/em&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Yponomeuta cagnagella&lt;/em&gt;), although other species of this family use spindles as their host too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They go to pupal stage in June. By the end of June they enter adult stage (imago). The moth itself is a small white nocturnal moth, which also has black specks. It is attracted to light, and it will fly from the end of June to October.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The larvae are veracious and can eat every leaf of a bush or tree in a short time. They love spindles, apple trees, and members of the prunus family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are leaf-webbers, they live in groups of 20 to 50 caterpillars and spin webs in to protect themselves from birds and parasitic tachina flies. This can lead to spooky images of entire trees, and even cars, furniture and other stuff completely covered in webs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UAQNB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A car completely covered in webs in Rotterdam (2009). Image from Wikipedia.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Only one generation is born each year, so the damage to the plants is limited. Because they change in June, most trees will have enough time to grow new leaves after that, and will survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To battle them on a large scale you will need a pesticide (like &lt;a href=&quot;http://wiki.bugwood.org/Bacillus_thuringiensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bacillus thuringiensis&lt;/a&gt;?) (Maybe &lt;em&gt;Bromophos&lt;/em&gt;, if that's the right English name..). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a small bush, you can just remove them by hand, which is of course more environmentally friendly. Try to remove as many as possible and at least remove all the webs, so their defense is broken, and birds may eat them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3317" LastEditorUserId="3317" LastEditDate="2015-05-26T07:22:45.530" LastActivityDate="2015-05-26T07:22:45.530" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19542" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19540" CreationDate="2015-05-25T18:57:18.390" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think they are ermine moths, I think they're Euonymus caterpillars (Yponomeuta cagnagella), which is why they're on that particular plant and not the others. Its a tent caterpillar, and you need to treat them as a pest before they defoliate your entire plant. Check with your local suppliers what pesticides are available for this pest, but in the meantime, use your hose and spray the webs hard to destroy them (and maybe blast off some caterpillars, but they'll be back). Best treated when the webs are small and before the caterpillars become active&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-25T18:57:18.390" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19543" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19539" CreationDate="2015-05-25T22:15:36.607" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends - do you have a more suitable location to move them to? In many landscapes, tulips (at least the hybrids) are a disposable item, as they get planted where they won't actually get enough sun to bloom again (or in more commercial landscapes, they bloom and are torn out to be replaced with other flowers for a continuous display). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since they transplant poorly (IMPE) when growing, you are probably looking at two years from now if you have a spot to move them to, whether you transplant now and they are unhappy about it, or transplant after the foliage dies back for a less stressful move.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that sounds like fun, go for it. You might aim for a three year program/rotation, where your sunny tulip field gets the bulbs that come out of the bed, they grow there for a couple years to restore themselves, and then you move them back to the bed. If it sounds tedious, either buy tulip bulbs every fall, or change to flowers that are a bit more cooperative about blooming most every year in the conditions you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-25T22:15:36.607" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19544" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-26T00:10:05.763" Score="2" ViewCount="1592" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a Corkscrew Willow tree which currently has bark peeling off. We took the rest of the bark off to allow the tree to dry (to prevent moisture in the tree). I was wondering if we need to spray something on it? Also, we have been seeing some smaller dead branches on it lately, not sure if this is normal or not. Here some pictures of it, there's a bunch of random things we seen on it, including bugs, some sort of mushrooms (from the moisture?), and bumps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Click for a larger version:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cmYpQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cmYpQm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HdvRr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HdvRrm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lRTwS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lRTwSm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1BLTt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1BLTtm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 4&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bdtsO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bdtsOm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 5&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yp4SL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yp4SLm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 6&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lJsHU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lJsHUm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 7&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3am0O.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3am0Om.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 8&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11393" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-05-26T10:18:09.107" LastActivityDate="2015-05-27T09:23:30.123" Title="Corkscrew Willow Bark Peeling and Bugs" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19545" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19544" CreationDate="2015-05-26T11:23:26.683" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fact the bark was peeling indicates something is going on underneath - the presence of fungus (mushrooms) is a good indicator that the tree is in very poor health, and will likely die. It may have suffered some kind of borer penetration, or a beetle infestation, or simply be sick at the roots, causing the bark to peel and fungus to start growing. When you removed the rest of the bark, you may have also removed some of the cambium and particularly the phloem layer - phloem is part of the tree's circulatory system, and its just beneath the bark. If you breached this area all round, the tree will die, but probably slowly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given it was sick initially, and now the bark's completely removed, it's probably safest to take it out, including removing the roots, just in case the problem started there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to your comment, removing the bark wouldn't have helped at all (its a bit like you removing a layer of your skin), a tree needs its bark - but the fact is, the tree already had a problem, which was why the bark was loose, and it may have shed all the bark by itself over time anyway. You could try cutting it to the ground as suggested by someone else; if there isn't a problem at the root, it should/might grow again as a shrub, but do not cut past any graft present at the base - many Salix tortuousa are grafted onto a different rootstock, so if you cut too far, you'll just get the rootstock growing, not the corkscrew part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-27T09:23:30.123" LastActivityDate="2015-05-27T09:23:30.123" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19498" CreationDate="2015-05-26T17:38:22.970" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got to say that  looks an awful lot like a brain coral with moss growing on it. I know of no mushrooms that look nearly as similar to brain coral, and I don't think any fungal fruiting body would last long enough on the ground to grow moss like that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think someone went to Florida or the Bahamas many years ago, and brought back a souvenir. We've got some sitting in our woods from family trips we took 30 years ago. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could rule that out fairly quickly, though, by poking it. Is it solid or yielding? If it gives a bit when poked, you can rule out the coral. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-05-26T17:38:22.970" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19547" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-26T17:47:22.703" Score="3" ViewCount="633" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live on Long Island in NY (USDA zone 7a) and want to use bamboo in planters near the front of our house. It would need to be cold hardy as we can't bring them in in the winter. Form would follow function here, as we are fairly flexible about what the bamboo looks like as long as it is recognizable as some kind of bamboo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-05-30T21:20:20.867" LastActivityDate="2015-05-31T17:32:09.297" Title="What bamboo is best for outdoor pots?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19548" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19551" CreationDate="2015-05-26T19:34:38.470" Score="1" ViewCount="419" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unable to find any well suited trencher for digging ditches for irrigation pipes to be laid into. It seems there are no models on the market that would take care of the slanting for us. All models are just able to manually set the trenching depth and use that one all along, nothing like an 1% or 2% slant option. Also, I would need them to go about 2 feet deep maximum. Are there any such trenchers on the market ? Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: slanting as in sloping the trench:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The easiest way to deal with lawn drainage problems is to slope all land, patios, walkways, etc. away from your house. The minimum slope that I work with is two percent, or 1/4 inch per foot&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.landscape-design-advice.com/landscape-grading.html#.VWTNrrzsc2s&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.landscape-design-advice.com/landscape-grading.html#.VWTNrrzsc2s&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT 2: I feel I am not making myself understood. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, the trencher should automatically lower its sawing head (chain / disk) into the ground as it advances. For a 1% slope, it should continuously lower its sawing head at a rate of 1 cm for every meter of dug trench. The operator should just set up the initial digging depth together with the desired sloping (1% for our case), walk along the trencher and after 10 meters of walking the sawing head should be 10 cm lower than initially set up. Hope I was clear, thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11039" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-05-27T03:22:53.203" LastActivityDate="2015-05-27T03:22:53.203" Title="Is there an irrigation trencher that can create sloped trenches?" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;digging&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19549" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8232" CreationDate="2015-05-26T21:45:07.623" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks a lot like the mint that grows outside of my house! From what I gathered from a quick Google search is that it's probably Spearmint, from the looks of the serrated edges!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11395" LastActivityDate="2015-05-26T21:45:07.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19551" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19548" CreationDate="2015-05-27T02:35:27.323" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure that I clearly understand what you want, but I find your disbelief at the fact that nobody makes it baffling. What you seem to think you want is predicated on dead level ground to run on - which is incredibly uncommon in actual practice. Odds are excellent that the ground you think is flat is not, unless you have measured it with a precise level and knew how to set that up and use it correctly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To do what you want done on real ground (automatically) would require some sort of automatic level &amp;amp; position detection - typically done on extremely expensive earth moving equipment with a laser &amp;amp; reflector-prism arrangement. Good luck getting that and the associated control mechanisms built into a trencher and having anyone buy it, but perhaps it might be an option after a few more rounds of computer processing shrinking and cheap-ifying; though most of the expense is already in the mechanisms to get the machine to do what is needed, rather than the processing. Big earthmovers with laser level referencing make very flat fields for irrigation, so the general ideas are well understood. The economics don't really scale well for trenchers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To do what you want (whether or not you need to, and whether or not sprinklers and landscaping that requires them are a good use of water in your area, or any area) with real equipment you can get now, all you need to do is use a precise level to set up planks in a track along the trench, sloped at 1%, and dig at a constant depth from the track. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or do the same thing with a shovel, a hoe, some stakes, and a precise level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-27T02:35:27.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19552" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19547" CreationDate="2015-05-27T02:55:10.710" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based primarily on cold-hardyness and &quot;looks like bamboo to me&quot; (I find the low-growing types unsatisfying.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Phyllostachys nuda&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Phyllostachys bissetii &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Phyllostachys aureosulcata&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should have it easier than I do - I have one of those three (best I can ID - not as unambiguous as you might hope) which came here from CT, where it was managing 35 feet - here my outdoor (in the ground) stuff finally got to 8 feet or so last year. The stuff sheltering in a 16 quart pot inside is up around 15 feet tall. It does like sun, so that may be an issue for the spot you have, but might as well try it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some site I went to when I was starting out made much of having a secret process for getting feild-grown bamboo ready to pot in the fall. My non-secret process is to pot it in the spring, whether that was also their &quot;secret&quot;, I know not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may need to plunge the pots for the winter, or pile compost or hay around them, or something - not sure what they think of being frozen in a pot, as my pot is inside and my outside stuff is not potted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might be on the hairy edge of being able to grow P. nigra (black bamboo) which can be very striking - I haven't a hope up here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-05-27T03:20:45.133" LastActivityDate="2015-05-27T03:20:45.133" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19553" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5443" CreationDate="2015-05-27T06:07:29.267" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm from Australia, I've got 5 &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catahoula_Cur&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Catahoulas&lt;/a&gt; and I tried so many different ways to stop my dogs from digging. In the end I gave them a 3m × 3m patch of dirt in the back corner of my yard and buried some new toys and a few bones. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the best way is keeping them busy and well exercised but sometimes it's not that easy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11398" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-27T13:59:35.303" LastActivityDate="2015-05-27T13:59:35.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19554" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19556" CreationDate="2015-05-27T09:28:38.997" Score="5" ViewCount="633" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year my wife and I were veggie gardening rookies: I built a 4'x8' raised garden bed out of cedar, we planted, and actually didn't do half bad. At the end of the season we spoke with a &quot;&lt;em&gt;master gardener&lt;/em&gt;&quot; at a county fair who told us why we lost half of our harvest: our irrigation method. I had, in my ignorance, been watering our plants via &lt;em&gt;sprinkler&lt;/em&gt; at the end of the day. According to this gardener, this &quot;top-down&quot; irrigation method was leaving moisture on the leaves, allowing mildew/rot/disease to creep in. Apparently it also makes it harder to get the water directly to the roots, and so its inefficient as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I wanted us to learn from our mistakes. We went out and bought all our seeds and transplants, some extra top soil and compost, etc. Last weekend I got the soil/compost in the garden, and I &lt;em&gt;thought&lt;/em&gt; we would be planting everything &lt;em&gt;together&lt;/em&gt; this coming weekend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Turns out my wife couldn't wait. She went ahead without me and planted everything in the garden basically according to the space each plant needs around it as well as by aesthetic appeal:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jUPho.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I &lt;em&gt;was&lt;/em&gt; planning on doing soaker hose-based irrigation this year, that is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Putting everything (essentially) into an &lt;em&gt;(x,y)&lt;/em&gt; grid&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Snaking a soaker hose back and forth betweeen the &quot;axes&quot; on the grid&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But as you can see, we now have a hot, unstructured mess where instead of a neat, easily-irrigatable grid, we have &quot;plant clusters&quot;. So I ask: &lt;strong&gt;is there any way for us to stay with soaker hose irrigation?&lt;/strong&gt; If so, what might it look like and what special hardware would I need to snake around all of these &quot;plant clusters&quot;? If not, what is our best option for irrigation here?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11326" LastActivityDate="2015-06-01T20:16:41.437" Title="How to install irrigation for an unstructured garden" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19555" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19554" CreationDate="2015-05-27T09:37:59.003" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've mentioned seeds as well as transplants, so I'm assuming the bed has seeds planted in it already? If that's the case, trying to put in a soaker hose will be next to impossible without disrupting what's been planted already. I think I'd stick to sprinkler watering, but do it in the early morning instead - that way, any moisture lurking on any leaves dries out better. It is true that sprinkling at the end of the day MIGHT increase the risk of fungal infection because the plants are sitting damp in the cool of the night, so doing it first thing should get round this possible problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to your comment - my apologies, when you said soaker hose, I imagined leaky pipe, which does go under the soil, whereas a soaker hose does not, sorry! That's assuming the terminology is the same in both our home countries, I'm not where you are. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-27T16:41:30.213" LastActivityDate="2015-05-27T16:41:30.213" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19554" CreationDate="2015-05-27T11:35:25.747" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I prefer drip emitter tubing over soaker hoses. They deliver more even and consistent watering throughout the length. You can get them with various emitter spacings from 6&quot; to 18&quot; or so. If you lay rows of tubes spaced the same distance apart as the emitter spacing you can get good watering over the entire bed. For example with 12&quot; emitter spacing, place rows of drip line 12&quot; apart. Cover with mulch to help retain moisture. See an example with 6&quot; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2013/08/ultimate-square-foot-garden-bed.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;drip tubes in a raised bed&lt;/a&gt; on my site. You can do the same with soaker hoses under mulch as well. The lines don't need to be directly next to a plant. With slow watering the water will spread out with through capillary action and the roots will eventually be everywhere under the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;May not be the most effective way to water seeds though as drip irrigation is intended for slow, deep watering. You can water from the top without killing your plants following these tips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't over water your plants. It's better to water less often but deeper&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water from plant to plant, watering a little at a time and then repeating until you provide the desired amount of water. That way the water soaks in before you hit it again.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water in the morning so if any moisture gets on the leaves it will dry out before the evening&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use a wand instead of a standard trigger sprayer so you can water at the base of the plants. I like the Dramm wands with their breaker heads, they even have a mister for seedlings. They have wands with triggers but I like the one with a ball valve you twist because it's more reliable. Can still be operated with one hand.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mulch around the base of your plants to prevent water/mud from splashing up to your plants and to keep the soil moist between waterings.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;for tomatoes, as the plant grows trim off the lower branches so they don't touch the soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-05-27T15:25:56.650" LastActivityDate="2015-05-27T15:25:56.650" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19557" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19559" CreationDate="2015-05-27T12:08:34.073" Score="8" ViewCount="2791" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every year in May/June I'm observing on different plants, such as strawberries, lavender (pictured below) and different weeds, a foamy liquid containing a green insect or a larvae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At first I thought that this is the work of slugs, but now, that I was able to find a &quot;bigger&quot; exemplar and I saw it was moving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm really sorry for the quality, I only had my cellphone at hand at that time:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3gyvG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/icRIe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it and is it a pest or canI just leave them alone? On affected plants I never noticed any damage or negative side-effect, but that doesn't mean there aren't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2017-03-07T23:33:55.927" Title="Foamy liquid on plant's stems with green larvae or bug inside - pest or no problem" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19558" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19557" CreationDate="2015-05-27T12:51:29.383" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a sap sucking bug.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know the scientific name, but I refer to them as &quot;foamy aphids&quot; for obvious reasons. They are sucking sap out of your plants, so I normally class them as a problem/pest, albeit not a severe one in most cases. They seem particularly fond of my tarragon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-05-28T04:36:52.960" LastActivityDate="2015-05-28T04:36:52.960" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19559" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19557" CreationDate="2015-05-27T14:27:25.627" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Froghopper&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Froghopper&lt;/a&gt; larvaes. Also, known as Splittlebugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wikipedia also shows the adult which I, of course, have seen in my garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best thing about it: They are harmless in small quantities. No need to treat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;: Look who turned up this evening: a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercopis_vulnerata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;parent&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Cercopis vulnerata&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IaO16.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-05-27T20:36:31.773" LastActivityDate="2015-05-27T20:36:31.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19560" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19557" CreationDate="2015-05-27T17:15:25.150" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In this article &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.conservation-jobs.co.uk/57986/f-is-for-froghopper/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&quot;F is for Froghopper&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; the following is written about the foam:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&quot;The real secret behind ‘cuckoo spit’ is much more interesting than coughing Cuculidae anyway. It’s a froth produced by the nymphs of smallish Hempiteran insects known as froghoppers, which they manufacture by blowing bubbles into the plant saps on which they also feed. This custom-made nursery serves to protect the delicate nymphs from drying out, as well as hiding them from predators.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a quote from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Froghopper&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wiki&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&quot;The froth serves a number of purposes. It hides the nymph from the view of predators and parasites, it insulates against heat and cold, thus providing thermal control and also moisture control; without the froth the insect would quickly dry up. The nymphs pierce plants and suck sap causing very little damage, much of the filtered fluids go into the production of the froth, which has an acrid taste, deterring predators. A few species are serious agricultural pests.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I myself have been wondering about this since I was a kid. I forgot all about it until I saw this post. Great finally getting knowledge about this fascinating phenomena. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user11115" LastEditorDisplayName="user11115" LastEditDate="2017-03-07T23:33:55.927" LastActivityDate="2017-03-07T23:33:55.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19561" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20284" CreationDate="2015-05-27T18:39:59.520" Score="3" ViewCount="192" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a very appealing option for low impact tick control, but do they actually diminish the local tick populations significantly? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do they control more than just the deer tick?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T18:17:50.713" Title="Are Daminix tick tubes locally effective in controlling ticks?" Tags="&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;deer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19562" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19567" CreationDate="2015-05-27T23:12:28.370" Score="3" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts, Zone 6. Last July I bought a beautiful &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/GAAS.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gaillardia Arizona Sun&lt;/a&gt;. It bloomed all summer and into the fall. According to what I was told, as well as my online research, it's a perennial, however, there's no evidence of it so far this year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of my perennials, including hostas, lilies, iris, dianthus, peonies, and others, are showing foliage. Some are even budding or blooming. Is it too soon to expect to see at least something emerging, or should I assume the Gaillardia died over the winter? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-05-28T11:59:16.090" Title="Should my Gaillardia be emerging by now, in Zone 6?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19563" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19573" CreationDate="2015-05-27T23:19:24.797" Score="2" ViewCount="1468" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was just thinking of growing 4-5 teak trees in my backyard garden as an investment. Does any one know whats a good age for a teak tree to be cut down to be sold ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just figured since we have a big land and good soil, so why not try out a teak tree, rather than any other tree. &#xA;My ultimate goal for this would be selling them much later when I get old and use it as a retirement investment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11268" LastActivityDate="2015-05-28T20:33:27.970" Title="What is a suitable age for Good Teak tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19564" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19566" CreationDate="2015-05-28T01:26:43.550" Score="2" ViewCount="266" Body="&lt;p&gt;Long story short, I have obtained two branches from a small tree (might have been 8 feet tall, no thicker than  that was stripped of its branches by the snow over the winter. I would like to regrow them to replace the tree (if it doesn't survive on its own), but do not know what to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the branches is about 4 feet long, the other 1 foot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I stripped the bark from a few inches at the bottom of each and placed them in water. The larger one sits outside, and the smaller one inside, under a bright light (on a shelf for growing plants).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's been a few weeks, and the buds on both branches turned to leaves, but they have begun to turn yellow and wilt, especially on the smaller branch. I think this would be because of a lack of nutrients. On the advice of a biology teacher at a local school, I put 3 drops of a liquid fertilizer in the water of the smaller branch, but it had no noticeable effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard that there is powder that can be used to stimulate growth of roots. I think this might be what I need, but I have no if it's the best idea, what else I'll need to use it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do to save these branches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11406" LastActivityDate="2015-05-28T04:29:31.073" Title="What do I need to do to turn a branch into a tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19565" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20150" CreationDate="2015-05-28T01:29:02.600" Score="3" ViewCount="1213" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what this bush is called, but it appears that one side of it isn't leafing out. Can anybody offer some insight on this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Omb84.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g9HBC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xaSF4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5668" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-07-17T01:48:17.677" LastActivityDate="2015-07-19T13:34:47.500" Title="Is this bush dying?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19566" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19564" CreationDate="2015-05-28T04:03:23.810" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Expect to fail - any success here is &lt;strong&gt;against the odds.&lt;/strong&gt; Typical approach to &quot;hardwood cuttings&quot; is to get them into soil and let them overwinter, so they have an opportunity to get roots out before the leaves come out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil or a mixture of perlite/vermiculite and sand (possibly also peat moss) is a more suitable rooting medium than water for most plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rooting hormones may help. Reducing water loss will help, so long as it does not transition to encouraging mold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So a short form of where to go from here, based on the above - get some rooting hormone powder, prepare soil or &quot;non-soil mix&quot; to plant them in, dip the ends of the branches in the rooting hormone just before planting them. Keep the soil damp but not saturated. You might want to place a clear plastic bag with a few holes in it over them to reduce water loss while providing a little air exchange.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-05-28T04:29:31.073" LastActivityDate="2015-05-28T04:29:31.073" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19567" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19562" CreationDate="2015-05-28T11:59:16.090" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd have expected it to be showing some life by now - I've never yet managed to get a Gaillardia through a winter, but then I've got heavy soil - it does not like heavy soil and particularly hates being in wet/damp soil during winter, so if your soil conditions aren't light, sandy and very free draining, this might not be a plant for your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-28T11:59:16.090" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19568" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19587" CreationDate="2015-05-28T13:18:08.273" Score="3" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;We need to have 15 black pines in the 12 - 14' range dug for a client. The nursery says they'd like to wait 3 weeks or more until the candles harden off more. Due to construction and staging constraints we can't wait more than a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can these trees be dug successfully, and what steps should be taken before, during, and after the move to mitigate the harm from moving them at an ill advised time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-05-29T20:53:30.990" Title="Can a black pine be dug in late May during candle growth?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19569" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22788" CreationDate="2015-05-28T15:22:00.950" Score="3" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have cherry tomatoes seedlings that have started to pop up. when should I put them in my upside down home-made planter?  Does the stalk have to be a certain thickness?  Is there any info on when we should transplant seedlings to upside down planters?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11410" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-28T17:34:39.433" LastActivityDate="2016-01-14T21:44:40.930" Title="When should I transplant tomato seedlings to a home-made upside down planter?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19570" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-28T15:50:10.300" Score="1" ViewCount="23" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a newly planted 15 foot cherry tree. I am setting up an irrigation system. How often and how much water should I give the tree? I also have a newly planted 15 foot river birch , same question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11411" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-05-28T17:35:18.483" LastActivityDate="2015-05-28T17:35:18.483" Title="irrigation setup for a newly planted 15 foot cherry tree and 15 foot river birch" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-09-14T15:09:43.117" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19571" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19575" CreationDate="2015-05-28T15:51:47.567" Score="4" ViewCount="298" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a Rubbermaid, plastic stock-tank.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1c4NK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has an unfixable crack in it and we've been saving it incase we could find a future use for it. I've just started getting into composting and I plan to do that, but I thought this might make a good vermicomposter for getting worm castings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is what do I need to do to turn this into a vermicomposter and would it even make a good one? I plan to put it in a shaded area and put a board or some other cover over the top. I'll remove the plug for drainage purposes. I think that I could just prop the cover up for enough air flow, but should I also run some pvc with holes drilled through it into the bed to increase oxygen. It'll be almost impossible to turn the mixture once it starts filling up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never made a vermicomposter before, so I don't know how to make one correctly, but it seems like I could start the mixture out shallow and as that breaks down, I keep adding matter on top of the composted material till it's almost full. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-05-28T19:51:04.310" Title="How do I turn a plastic stock tank into a vermicomposter?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19572" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19574" CreationDate="2015-05-28T17:20:33.203" Score="5" ViewCount="53066" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img537/2604/223Te1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;small cucumbers turned yellow http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img537/2604/223Te1.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My baby cucumbers turned yellow and fell off. I have 2 cucumber plants that produced 8 cucumbers each, however, the other flowers with small cucumbers turned yellow and fell off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What causes that problem? How can I solve it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11382" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-05-29T16:04:08.757" LastActivityDate="2018-08-17T13:25:34.037" Title="Why did my young cucumbers turn yellow and fall off?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19563" CreationDate="2015-05-28T18:14:51.697" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not entirely sure as I am from another corner of the world, but a quick (non-conclusive) websearch, for example &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.istf-bethesda.org/specialreports/teca_teak/teak.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.panamateakforestry.com/english/company_profile/teak-plantation-management.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, suggests something between 25 and 60 years. Assuming that you want thick trees (= significantly more value), I'd aim for the upper end of this range. Besides, teak is supposed to grow slowly for best quality.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember that the currently &lt;em&gt;oh so modern&lt;/em&gt; term &quot;sustainability&quot; was coined 300 years ago by &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Carl_von_Carlowitz&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hans Carl v. Carlowitz&lt;/a&gt; in Germany with regards to forestry. I'm from the Black Forest myself, where &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Forest%23Forestry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wood&lt;/a&gt; was (and to some degree still is) a significant source of income for centuries. If you intend to plant trees for your own retirement, I hope that you are a) quite young and b) have a &quot;Plan B&quot;. Here in the Black Forest one sells trees that were planted by the grandfather or father and plants trees for the benefit of children and grandchildren. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you simply happen to own a piece of land and have no better use for it, go for it and plant a few trees, but do it for fun, not for economic reasons. If you can sell a bit of timber in a few decades, it will be a neat little windfall, but don't count on it, there simply are too many things that may go wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-05-28T20:33:27.970" LastActivityDate="2015-05-28T20:33:27.970" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19574" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19572" CreationDate="2015-05-28T18:22:41.253" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pollination is probably the issue - the cucumber is formed behind a female flower, but if the flower does not get pollinated, then it yellows, shrivels and drops off. You haven't said whether you're growing under glass (less likely to be pollinated by insects) or not, but you can hand pollinate - take a small paintbrush, grasp the male flower (the ones without the tiny cucumber behind them), gently swirl the brush around in the centre of the flower, till you can see yellow pollen on it, then transfer that to the female, using the same procedure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-28T18:22:41.253" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19575" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19571" CreationDate="2015-05-28T19:51:04.310" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't need to turn it  - that's the worms' job, to the extent that it gets turned at all. Mostly you add worm food, the worms eat it, you add more food, eventually you dump the whole thing, grab a few buckets of worms and start over from the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stock reaction would be to drill the bottom full of holes, but if you want to collect the worm-juice/compost tea, might be easier to lay a pipe grid to the drain hole and cover over that with a perforated sheet (probably wood, unless you can find something suitable in plastic) - in either case you want LOTS of air to get into the bottom (and not to have the compost sitting in liquid.) If the crack includes the bottom, head back to &quot;drill it full of holes since it won't hold water anyway.&quot; Probably drill up from the bottom (or down with it turned over, really) so you can put the holes between the reinforcing ribs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-28T19:51:04.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19576" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19655" CreationDate="2015-05-28T20:34:54.790" Score="7" ViewCount="16612" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live in Southwest Florida. About a month ago, or maybe a little longer, I trimmed back our hibiscus plants. Today, I just noticed this mass of white, almost powdery, substance on the branches and leaves of one of the plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this, and more importantly, what can I do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pMjwI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hibiscus with white substance&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2359" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-12T00:32:22.340" LastActivityDate="2018-01-12T00:32:22.340" Title="What is the white, powdery, substance on my hibiscus?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;hibiscus&gt;&lt;mealybugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19577" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19627" CreationDate="2015-05-29T00:48:13.470" Score="5" ViewCount="2673" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, some relevant information:  I am growing Yukon Gold potatoes.  I am in hardiness zone 6b.  The weather over the last month has been dryer than normal for the area I am in (Northeastern US).  I have four potato plants, all near each other.  In my shared garden I don't think anybody else has potato plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About a week ago I saw some leaves curling on one of my potato plants.  The leaves weren't dry; in fact, they felt kind of spongy.  This happened after I had buried the plant for a second time in dirt.  The plant is now buried about 12 inches up from where the original dirt level was, when the potato first sprouted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then yesterday I noticed some black spots appearing on a few leaves, and some of the newer leaves having large black spots and more curling.  See pictures below.  Text of question continues after pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JorPH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Black/brown spot appearing in the middle of the leaf.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rE7Gq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Black/brown spots and curling.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ncc3c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Curling&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My largest plant is the one with the most spots, while one of the other plants is starting to show similar symptoms, and my other two plants are showing no symptoms.  What kind of disease is this?  From my Google results my best guess is leaf curl or early blight, but I am not sure which one.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do to treat my plants?  Or are they goners?  Is it worth pulling out the two infected plants to try and save the two healthy (so far) ones?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also possibly relevant:  I saw two species of bugs I haven't seen in my garden before on my potato plant today.  One was a red/orange kind of beetle, about a half inch long, which I was unable to get a good picture of.  The other is shown in the picture below.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wz70V.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11211" LastEditorUserId="11211" LastEditDate="2015-05-29T01:09:15.337" LastActivityDate="2015-06-06T11:43:04.377" Title="Black spots, curling leaves on potatoes, help identify problem" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;&lt;blight&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19579" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19669" CreationDate="2015-05-29T02:53:09.183" Score="7" ViewCount="227" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anyone know what these berries are? I wasn't able to get a good closeup with my phone, but they have a crevice on one side, similar to the &quot;butt&quot; shape of a peach. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;When I took the original pictures yesterday (just before sunset) it looked like the berries and leaves were coming from the canes, but after closer inspection in full daylight, its clear the vine has just wrapped itself around the black raspberry canes.. sorry for the confusion. I've added some better pictures. Also, I split one open a red one and touched a drop of the juice to the tip of my tongue, it was very bitter, not at all sweet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NYLby.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery Berry Closer&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qSRnh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery Berry Leaves Closer&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2DY24.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery Berries&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pWQe9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery Berry Bush Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2080" LastEditorUserId="2080" LastEditDate="2015-05-29T22:56:47.560" LastActivityDate="2015-06-03T21:29:30.600" Title="Need Help Identifying Mystery Berry" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19580" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-29T03:10:43.087" Score="3" ViewCount="175" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the problems with container gardening in my area is that you generally have to water the plants every single day in the summer (except on occasion) or else they have a high likelihood of dying from lack of water (even if you only miss one day). This is not because the plants drink lots of water. It's because the water evaporates fast. (Edit: I know because the containers dry out whether or not there are any plants in them, and I've never had mature plants in them, since they tend to suffer in those fast-drying conditions; the climate is hot and arid in summer, with lots of sun.) I imagine the containers have been between 2-8 gallons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I know about self-watering containers, but I'm looking for other easier and less expensive alternatives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One idea I have is to cover the top of the containers with plastic and just have a small opening to plant the plant. That should in theory hold much more water inside. Do you think this will work? Why or why not? Have you or has anyone else tried it? Assuming there are no weed seeds, do you think clear plastic would be better than black plastic?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-05-29T19:56:47.953" LastActivityDate="2017-11-26T03:29:57.963" Title="Is it okay to line the top of a container with plastic to hold water inside?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19582" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19580" CreationDate="2015-05-29T12:20:12.237" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd question your assertion that 'its not because the plants drink lots of water'. When the weather is hot and dry, plants do require more water, particularly in containers - they 'drink' the water, obviously, because they're actively growing and maybe flowering, but they also transpire, which would be perspire in human beings, so of course, they're using a lot more water than they would in colder/wetter weather. Even in the UK in summer, containers need watering every day, particularly if they're situated in full sun. Some plants have special adaptations to cope with hot, dry weather - plants like aloe and cacti, which store water in their tissues and reduce or stop transpiration during the day, but other plants have no such adaptations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not think putting a layer of plastic over the top means you can water less - it will mean it'll be harder to tell if the plant needs water because you won't be able to touch the top of the potting medium to see if its dry or not. It may also encourage fungal infection, and will also increase the heat within the container. You could use chippings, pebbles or bark on top instead, at least you'd be able to push those out of the way to feel the soil, but I still think you'll be watering daily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing you could do is check that your plants have enough root room in their existing pots, and are not potbound - when the roots take up more than 85%-90% of the potting medium available, there's not enough soil to take up and hold moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-29T12:33:14.633" LastActivityDate="2015-05-29T12:33:14.633" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19583" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-29T14:15:49.467" Score="3" ViewCount="703" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lQ8yK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Vegetable 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UzFTg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Vegetable 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think at least one of them is kale?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11417" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-05-29T20:28:21.260" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T09:03:51.477" Title="What are these dark green, leafy, vegetable plants?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19584" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-29T15:42:24.753" Score="3" ViewCount="918" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our lawn grows crazy-fast and if I'm too slow between mowings, I leave a thick trail of grass clippings on the lawn.  So two questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can I use these to mulch my vegetable garden?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there any particular things to consider?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen cautions about pesticides, etc - that isn't a problem here.  I've also heard of people drying clippings first; is that necessary?  Are there any nuances to be aware of?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastActivityDate="2015-05-29T16:52:56.083" Title="Can I use lawn clippings to mulch my vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19585" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19584" CreationDate="2015-05-29T16:32:11.030" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mostly, don't put them on too thick (if you are going to, &quot;drying first&quot; might matter.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grass clippings are my favorite mulch material - a couple inches thick they block weeds as well as anything, look tidy, and break down to help feed the  soil. Laid on green they form themselves into a mat as they dry a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you put them on too thick, when fresh, they can get a bit excited about heating up (they start composting themselves) and then collapse into a slimy anaerobic mess. 2-3 inches thick I've never had problems with that. 6&quot; thick it's a problem. By the time you cut the lawn again you can put another 2-3&quot; on, if you have adequate clippings for that - I rarely have enough to keep up with having everything as mulched as I'd like it, so it's usually a bit longer before I get back to re-mulching, and I usually go a bit thinner on the second pass to make it stretch further. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a lawn to garden ratio that leaves you with excess clippings after laying 3&quot; on the whole garden, put the rest in the compost heap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-05-29T16:32:11.030" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19584" CreationDate="2015-05-29T16:52:56.083" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes you can. Grass clippings are a good mulch for the vegetable garden. They help retain moisture, insulate the soil so it doesn't get too warm and provide nutrients as they break down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never had a problem putting them directly around plants right after cutting but many times I'll pile it up near the plants for a day or two if I'm really hot and tired.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I knew someone that used to only compost their lawn clippings. They'd pile it up in a corner of their yard. Never turned it or anything. Broke down fine but others have problems with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I try to return as much of the clippings to the lawn as possible though because it cuts down on water and fertilizer needs. Sometimes I'll spread it out, one week I'll bag for the garden, one or two weeks mulch mow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There can be issues with weed seeds spreading to your garden but if you have a couple of inches of grass over the beds most won't survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd strongly recommend not letting your grass go that long between cutting though. It can greatly impact the appearance of your lawn. Try to time your cutting so that you don't cut off more than 1/3rd of the blade at each mowing. I know of a few people that don't mow their lawn regularly. Some just once a month, others much less than that. One of them used to look great as the previous owner took really good care of it. Now they all look like crap and spread weed seeds all over the neighborhood. Be a good neighbor and please mow your lawn regularly or at the very least before seed heads develop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-05-29T16:52:56.083" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19587" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19568" CreationDate="2015-05-29T20:53:30.990" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't advise it. They might live, if you get a good rootball on them, and they are watered well, but with a greatly reduced root system, the reason these trees often die when planted during candle growth is that even with ample water supplies, the roots cannot pull up water as fast as the transpiration and new growth (both of which are accelerated in warmer weather) need it. The plants dry out rather fast, especially on sunny warm days. It's best to wait until the new growth has hardened off some, if you can't get them in before bud break (as in your case). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could warn the client of the possibly low success rate, and let them decide, knowing that planting now could mean gaps and/or replanting. But that's quite some capital to put at risk like that. I'd recommend that you wait until the construction etc is over if possible, even if that means the trees go in a year late. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-05-29T20:53:30.990" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3111" CreationDate="2015-05-29T21:01:55.043" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best solution I have found is.... an ice auger! Not a hand-cranked one and nt a gas powered one, one that used an 18v electric drill. Look for the Clam auger plate, Home Depot sells them online. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11418" LastActivityDate="2015-05-29T21:01:55.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19589" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-29T22:24:10.967" Score="3" ViewCount="146" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Louisville, KY. Zone 6. I have a newly planted baby black bamboo plant in a large pot. I'm curious if I don't bring it in in the winter if this will completely die out and I'll have to start it over again in the spring or if it will stay alive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11419" LastActivityDate="2015-05-30T19:31:03.360" Title="Will my Black Bamboo survive winter outside, zone 6" Tags="&lt;bamboo&gt;&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19590" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="286" CreationDate="2015-05-29T22:29:26.943" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I do is I take an old garbage can, and I put a layer of soil at the bottom and open a bag of taters and put them in a circle. Each time I see some leaves I put more straw on top until I can't see any more leaves. I water daily. I do this until the straw/leaves reach the top of the garbage can. I did this for the past two years and have had no issues. I'm curious if this is a preferred method? FYI I call this my &quot;tater pit&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11419" LastActivityDate="2015-05-29T22:29:26.943" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19592" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14508" CreationDate="2015-05-30T05:48:02.037" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Transplanting peppers can stunt them for a while (potentially much longer than six days). However, if you give them some extra potassium sulfate and put them in very bright fluorescent light (very close to it), they should overcome that pretty fast. You may also need to add calcium (such as from rock dust or gypsum) if you use very much potassium. Bright light alone should help, though. Since it's already been six days, you don't need to worry about giving them too much light due to the transplant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, potassium helps plants to overcome or avoid transplant shock better. In my experience, extra light (after a couple days without bright light, to avoid wilting) also helps considerably.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-05-30T05:48:02.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19593" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26551" CreationDate="2015-05-30T14:43:22.007" Score="6" ViewCount="1203" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a fig tree from a local DIY store. It has started developing these white patches. Does anybody know what they indicate? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xj4Ez.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11133" LastEditorUserId="9728" LastEditDate="2015-05-31T06:11:34.563" LastActivityDate="2020-06-14T11:02:16.030" Title="Why do the leaves on my black fig tree have white patches?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19589" CreationDate="2015-05-30T17:05:14.253" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem is its in a pot, which makes it much more vulnerable to cold in the winter. If you insulate the pot well, you might get it to survive, but if it gets cold enough for the whole pot to freeze solid, then it'll die, and in your Zone, it just might get cold enough. Stacking bales of hay round a pot won't be an attractive sight all winter, but it might work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-30T17:05:14.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19595" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19599" CreationDate="2015-05-30T18:18:37.820" Score="5" ViewCount="1248" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamprocapnos&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lamprocapnos spectabilis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; or Bleeding Heart plant which has become quite large. I need to trim it back some. Does this type of plant receive getting pruned very well? How much can I trim it back? Any worries on doing this? The plant is established as this is its second year in place. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9728" LastActivityDate="2015-05-30T19:32:29.900" Title="How to trim a Bleeding Heart?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;bleeding-hearts&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19596" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-30T18:41:03.280" Score="7" ViewCount="1978" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing Basil indoors hydroponically. Most of my plants look fine (other than them tipping over because I used too small net cups and/or didn't pin them in), but some of the stems appear to be cracking and turning brown (picture below).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this because of some particular stress/infection? Should I do something particular to care for it? Is it normal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S01bZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2370" LastActivityDate="2015-10-17T23:38:24.910" Title="My basil stems are cracking and turning brown" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19597" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19583" CreationDate="2015-05-30T19:10:32.790" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The top plant resembles some pictures I was able to find of Lacinato Kale, which lacks the curly leaf edges of the more familiar Curly Kale varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lower plants are almost certainly some manner of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica_oleracea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Brassica oleracea&lt;/a&gt; but that is an impressively wide species. Because of it's youth it could be cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts or almost any other cultivar within the species. Time will tell what that plant is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-05-30T19:10:32.790" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19589" CreationDate="2015-05-30T19:31:03.360" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/#&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map&lt;/a&gt; you are very close to the critical temperature for Black Bamboo. It suggests an average annual low of 0 to -5. The resources I can find say it can't handle much below 5 degrees. Above 5 it's fine, below -5 it's probably dead. In between you get varying degrees of cold stress that won't quite kill it, but will likely weaken and injure it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You would need to insulate the pot very heavily, and (if possible) try moving the pot to a more sheltered location for winter. Unprotected, an unusually cold winter will likely kill it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-05-30T19:31:03.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19595" CreationDate="2015-05-30T19:32:29.900" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This particular plant sometimes becomes what's known as 'summer dormant', meaning all the foliage dies back below ground in summer (usually late June/or July) anyway, though whether it does so or not is variable, so cutting it back won't do it any harm at all. Take off what you need to - this might encourage more growth, or it might encourage dormancy, hard to say. I'd add, though, if its too large for where it is already, only in its second year and only end of May, you might want to consider moving it in autumn to another position where it has more room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-30T19:32:29.900" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19600" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22434" CreationDate="2015-05-31T01:33:36.010" Score="6" ViewCount="530" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this white fuzzy weed? They are covering my land, and surrounding, in middle New Mexico. It's an arid, desert climate, with lots of rain recently. The plant varies from 2 to 4 inches across. The white fuzz isn't attached to the plant, and is very clinging &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mS1Zl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11423" LastActivityDate="2015-11-21T02:28:25.433" Title="White fuzzy weed ID" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19601" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-31T02:54:47.657" Score="7" ViewCount="1896" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's a peach tree if it matters. Most of the top branches are dead, as seen in the picture. The only live branches are sprouting very close to the gound. Is there any way to save it and get it be a normal tree, with a trunk and branches above, not branches sprouting so close to the ground?&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AH8VE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11423" LastActivityDate="2015-05-31T10:37:45.650" Title="Can I save this tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19601" CreationDate="2015-05-31T10:37:45.650" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;First of all, I'm going to explain a bit about what's probably happening. Peach trees, and for that matter most stone-fruit trees planted for production, are usually not grown on their own roots. If the tree was planted with the intention of getting fruit it's quite possible that the dead-looking part is a peach while the roots and bottom section of trunk are another stone-fruit. Possibly a plum as those seem to be the favored rootstock for stone-fruits. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because the part above the graft (the scion) is bred principally for it's fruit-quality they often lack disease resistance or tolerance to other stresses the world throws at them. The part below the graft (the rootstock) is chosen for it's capacity for vigorous growth and resistance to anything that can go wrong. If the scion is doing poorly (or sometimes when it's doing fine) the rootstock will often produce it's own shoots (suckers) from below the graft point in an attempt to live even as the scion dies out. If the suckers are allowed to get established the rootstock may even begin shunting resources away from the scion to it's own branches, potentially starving the scion to death. This may be what is happening or has happened to your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In order to try and recover the situation let's make sure the scion is dead. If you try to snap a small branch/twig off and it cracks like dry wood, it's dead. If it bends it might not be dead, but rather dormant because the rootstock is denying it water and nutrients. If the scion is dead there's nothing for it. You can either tear out the whole tree, remove the scion and let the rootstock grow up and see what you get, or remove the scion and try to get fresh grafts applied to the rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the scion is still alive, you can chop off the suckers and the rootstock may begin to supply the scion again, saving the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-05-31T10:37:45.650" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19603" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19596" CreationDate="2015-05-31T10:50:32.260" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to be normal. In climates (or in your case, artificial climates) where basil is allowed to grow for more than three months or so it begins to turn into a small woody shrub. I think that is what is happening to your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;October update: Just harvested my whole plant to get it in before the frost. The base of the main stems are cracked and woody much like your plant. It's what basil does when it gets old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-10-17T23:38:24.910" LastActivityDate="2015-10-17T23:38:24.910" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19605" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19618" CreationDate="2015-05-31T13:24:01.510" Score="3" ViewCount="496" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found seeds on the street on a windy day in February and believed it to be a physalis. Having sown them and seeing the seedlings now, I'm sure it isn't what I expected, but what is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking in the first place that is a Physalis peruviana because the seeds were inside a papery, light brown calyx. The seeds were black with the size of a pea (4mm in diameter). Later on I saw real physalis seeds and cracked one of my seeds open to see whether there are smaller once inside or not. Not the case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted them 6 week ago. I'm now confronted with one plant per seed. Produced leaves are brown-reddish in the beginning and then turn green and resemble oak-leaves in some way . The stem makes me guess that will become a wooden plant - a tree or a shrub.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here a picture of the seedling:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g35Oc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g35Oc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2015-05-31T18:39:50.637" Title="What is this plant producing blacks seeds in a calyx like a Physalis but isn't one?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19606" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19607" CreationDate="2015-05-31T13:25:51.953" Score="4" ViewCount="166" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this plant?  I bought a house and this is growing great as ground cover.  I would like to plant more if I can identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it helps, I live in Pennsylvania.  The flowers just opened now (late May/early June).  The plant is probably 3 feet tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UeXdn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5746" LastActivityDate="2015-05-31T13:58:42.247" Title="Plant identification?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19606" CreationDate="2015-05-31T13:58:42.247" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Lychnis coronaria, a short lived, herbaceous perennial flowering plant. Likes moderately fertile, well drained soil and full sun, though it will tolerate some shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-05-31T13:58:42.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19608" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-31T14:04:44.287" Score="5" ViewCount="4866" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some chili plants which are two and a half months old. Most of them seem fine except one. A few days ago, one of my Black Naga plants started having these weird white spots on a few leaves (not all of them), and one of them started to wilt. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is causing this and how do I cure it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O8D5P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf with white stuff on it&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SxwIf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Wilting leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit (2015/06/02):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are today's photos of two leaves. &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1HcMW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;First leaf rotting&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eTTAY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Wilting leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here are two more leaves that are starting to get affected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZANkf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another sick leaf&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jZyji.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another sick leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see this is progressing. A guy on another forum suggested that these could be two different problems. He said that white spots may be due to overfeeding (don't know about that, I'm only using granulated fertilizer NPK 15-15-15 and other plants don't seem to matter) and that the wilt is caused by some bacteria or fungus. That site is down at the moment, so I can't be more precise. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit (2015/06/05):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Okay, I think I've found what started causing this mess. White flies. There were a few under the leaves that I didn't notice before, which I sprayed with a mixture of liquid soap, rubbing alcohol and water. Naga plant seems to be recovering. Even that wilting leaf started to be strong again and even though it looks pretty ugly now, it seems it'll be fine. I've noticed there are some of this disgusting creatures on some of the other plants also and tried the same method. Even though it does seem to be having some effect I still see now and then some of those white pests. I read that these things are pretty nasty and hard to kill, so I'm willing to keep chasing them around, but now the main problem is that some Cayenne plants aren't responding very well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnMBr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cayenne wilting&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qpfw2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another Cayenne wilting&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I'm not sure if I hurt them with this soap-alcohol thing or is it some disease spread by the pests. I already had (few weeks ago) some problems with green aphids which I killed easily with an acetamiprid based insecticide. I think I have already used a lot of chemicals on these poor chilies, I'm afraid I'm gonna kill them if I keep spraying them all over again with all this stuff. Which way to go now..:/&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P.S. Some ants started running around on the balcony in recent days, but I'm not sure if it has to do anything with these flies and chilies since I have some grapevine around the balcony fence and I'm used to seeing some of those fellas around every year when it gets hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11428" LastEditorUserId="11428" LastEditDate="2015-06-05T12:33:34.387" LastActivityDate="2015-09-02T20:28:18.093" Title="What is causing white spots and wilting on my Black Naga leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19609" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20299" CreationDate="2015-05-31T14:29:18.060" Score="6" ViewCount="181" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a practical question about a garden irrigation system I'm thinking about creating. Instead of connecting this &quot;drip system&quot; to my faucet which only has expensive water from the government, I'd like to connect it to a water barrel that collects rain water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have the current setup in mind (apologies for my programmer art): &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aM4Hr.png&quot; alt=&quot;Sketch of irrigation system&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A hose is running through my 4 garden beds (only two drawn). I figure the total hose length would be about 15 meters, with a diameter of I guess 1 cm (typical garden hose). I would then make holes in the hose, and connect smaller tubes. I got this idea from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.prettyprudent.com/2011/03/prudent-home/irrigation-system-for-raised-bed-garden-2/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.prettyprudent.com/2011/03/prudent-home/irrigation-system-for-raised-bed-garden-2/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question I have would be: is the system of &quot;communicating barrels&quot; enough to ensure the water from the barrel reaches all the way to the end of the hose? Or would I need a pump to ensure pressure? Is there a way to calculate these things?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance (I haven't bought anything yet)!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="625" LastActivityDate="2015-07-30T15:15:30.600" Title="Installing a DIY drip system" Tags="&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19610" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19612" CreationDate="2015-05-31T14:59:06.697" Score="7" ViewCount="515" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried my hand at growing New Zealand Spinach this year.  I sowed several seeds and they all came up, but a few of them do not look like the others!  I don't want to accidentally eat something I shouldn't, so can someone identify if this is a weed or just a taller spinach plant?  The leaves also have a sandy underside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZI6nq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Here&amp;#39;s a weird looking one&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QnSZA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Here&amp;#39;s some spinach&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PVpig.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;And here&amp;#39;s everything&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3218" LastActivityDate="2015-05-31T22:48:16.713" Title="Can someone identify this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;spinach&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19611" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19522" CreationDate="2015-05-31T15:00:18.713" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I asked my local native plants gardener store who've been in business 25 years (so I assume they're trustworthy) the same questions about my crooked crape myrtles and they &lt;a href=&quot;http://m.homedepot.com/b/Lumber-Composites-Fencing-T-Posts-U-Posts/N-5yc1vZc3lf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;recommend 6ft tall metal fence stake&lt;/a&gt; to allow for tree growth with this plastic twist and tie lock cable. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p69C4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;metal stake for crape myrtle&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9745" LastEditorUserId="9745" LastEditDate="2015-05-31T15:13:10.777" LastActivityDate="2015-05-31T15:13:10.777" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19612" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19610" CreationDate="2015-05-31T15:02:49.077" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Congratulations, the taller plants you have are Lambsquarter plants. Considered a weed by everyone I've ever met and it sets up to 75,000 seeds &lt;strong&gt;per plant&lt;/strong&gt;. I suggest killing it with extreme prejudice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From comments it appears that Lambsquarter is in fact edible and grown by at least a few people as food. It is a fast growing plant, in garden soil it will likely top out over 5 feet tall. If you feel like keeping it around I would at least consider repositioning it, because it will have no problem shading out your spinach plants. And for the sake of next years garden, don't let it go to seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-05-31T22:48:16.713" LastActivityDate="2015-05-31T22:48:16.713" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19613" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-05-31T16:27:56.043" Score="3" ViewCount="6977" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0LpHC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a houseplant that was given to me. It was mostly dead when I first got it but it has a tree-like branch that the foliage grows from with red and green leaves, red underneath, and white speckles on the top of them. It looked like a stick with nothing on it when I got it, now it has 9 big red and green leaves on it. I have no clue what kind of plant this is. I've been caring for it for months and I would really like to know! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was told it was a bonsai but I don't have much knowledge of bonsais.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11430" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-01T15:08:06.687" LastActivityDate="2018-01-09T11:31:53.197" Title="What is this houseplant with white-speckled red and green leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19615" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19617" CreationDate="2015-05-31T16:58:47.177" Score="3" ViewCount="36" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a table in my garden with a couple of shelves in it.  It's pretty unattractive and the stuff on the shelves doesn't look too good either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a good plant that that would cover this up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QEm7A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ugly table&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7236" LastActivityDate="2015-05-31T17:50:15.663" Title="A good trailing plant to hid a used, but ugly table" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19547" CreationDate="2015-05-31T17:32:09.297" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's no substitute for experience, but in addition to the answers you got, it's worth taking a look at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bamboogarden.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Bamboo Garden&lt;/a&gt;. They provide a wealth of information about bamboos in general, as well as specific choices for your application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The two main types of bamboo are Clumping and Running. (There are a few ground cover types, but they're less common.) Runners look like traditional bamboo, and include the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bamboogarden.com/Phyllostachys.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Phyllostachys&lt;/a&gt; varieties recommended by @Ecnerwal. Clumpers, of which &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bamboogarden.com/Hardy%20clumping.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Fargesia&lt;/a&gt; is the most popular, grow into more of a mounding shape, but are not as easily recognizable as a bamboo, so they may not be acceptable to you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are varieties of both types which can be grown outside in pots, however, you need to subtract a growing zone. Since the absolute minimum zone is 5, you do have options, but, as others have told you, success isn't guaranteed. Containers need to be, at the very least, 16&quot;x 16&quot;, so your planters are small but adequate, especially if you provide excellent drainage, lots of water, and split the plants as they grow, to keep them from getting root bound. The clumpers are a bit more container-friendly and can sometimes tolerate lower temperatures. They also require at least four hours of shade per day, which better matches your conditions, whereas runners do better in full sun. For overwintering, make sure to follow the advice given by @Bamboo and @Ecnerwal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bamboogarden.com/cold%20hardy%20bamboo.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This chart&lt;/a&gt; offers a good comparison of types and their cold hardiness. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope you find something that works for you. Come back and let us know!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-05-31T17:32:09.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19617" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19615" CreationDate="2015-05-31T17:41:24.817" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ah, just checked where you are, explains the Banksy ref... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well, it does get cold there sometimes, I know, so I suggest you use a 7 inch deep trough to sit on top, two if you like, because the soil is then less likely to freeze in a cold winter because there's more of it. Ivy is an obvious contender - one or two of the Hedera helix varieties, whichever ones you fancy or like the look of (Gold Child, Goldheart, Yellow Ripple, Kolibri, Minor Marmorata) but if you do use ivy, just plant that and nothing else in one planter, even if you use two different ones - the roots will take over from anything else you might put in it anyway. Evergreen of course, so year round cover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other one I'd recommend is Convulvulus sabatius - without support, it trails downwards for quite a distance, easily a couple of feet. It disappears in the winter, often sold described as an annual trailer for baskets, but it is actually perennial - if the winter isn't bitterly cold, it'll likely survive for some years till its caught by cold. If you do decide to mix ivy with this plant, then take the ivy out every year, pull it apart at the roots, and replant a section or two, bin the rest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you just want summer stuff, trailing nasturtiums (Tropaeoleum) will work, but don't start flowering till mid/late June, or the Canary creeper (Tropaeoleum peregrinum) is easily grown from seed in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am, though, somewhat curious as to how you'll get at anything stored on the other shelves of the table once plants have grown over...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-05-31T17:50:15.663" LastActivityDate="2015-05-31T17:50:15.663" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19618" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19605" CreationDate="2015-05-31T18:39:50.637" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, it is asking the question which makes me find the answer, recently. It is, most likely, a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koelreuteria_paniculata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Koelreuteria paniculata&lt;/a&gt;, also known as &lt;em&gt;goldenrain tree&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't remember, but now I do: there were several black seeds inside the seed pot - as described by wikipedia, 3 of them. The images there fit exactly to what I found on the street. However, I'm not in Asia. I need to check where the tree(s) is - in Paris, France.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was my assumption about tree or shrub, which made me search for it in a different way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2015-05-31T18:39:50.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19619" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19623" CreationDate="2015-05-31T19:28:34.827" Score="2" ViewCount="247" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have different types of weeds in my garden, some 50cm (~1½ ft) tall or more. What's the best (and cheapest) tool to remove those?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2487" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-27T18:37:07.893" LastActivityDate="2016-06-28T22:32:15.293" Title="What's the best tool to remove weeds?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19620" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19622" CreationDate="2015-05-31T20:25:11.890" Score="2" ViewCount="460" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here in Texas, we've been getting an unusual amount of rain. Large parts of my yard have been having a hard time trying to dry out, with some visible water standing just below the grass level. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've noticed some areas are getting a bit &quot;scummy&quot;, and others are moving enough to remain clear water -- however, in both areas, I've noticed a &lt;em&gt;lot&lt;/em&gt; of insect (and mosquito!) development. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since this is rainwater, with a LOT of wet soil, and some still running off into public sewers -- So I'm trying to be careful about what I use. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is a safe way to deal with the insects that are taking advantage of this extra &quot;moisture&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9629" LastActivityDate="2015-05-31T21:41:33.847" Title="How to handle insects in standing water" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;water&gt;&lt;rain&gt;&lt;mosquito&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19621" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19613" CreationDate="2015-05-31T20:39:01.987" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The asymmetrical leaves, the pattern and the slightly &quot;wing&quot; shape clearly indicate a &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begonia&quot;&gt;begonia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; (not a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai&quot;&gt;bonsai&lt;/a&gt;!). This is a rather large group of plants, some cultivars bred for their flowers, others for their variegated leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your specimen &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; be a begonia corallina hybrid, but a small one. Identification of begonias is often difficult because an almost innumerable amount of hybrids exist. By your pictures I can at least say that it's a cane-type begonia. You may find the website of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.begonias.org/greenhouse/cane.htm&quot;&gt;American Begonia Society&lt;/a&gt; on cane begonias helpful for further research.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-05-31T20:39:01.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19622" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19620" CreationDate="2015-05-31T21:41:33.847" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A light vegetable oil. A miniscule amount can float on the water surface and totally gum up larval mosquito breathing. Put enough drops in to produce an oil sheen on the water surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;BTI Mosquito disks - they float on the surface, slowly dissolving and release BTI, a soil bacteria that's lethal to the mosquito intestinal tract.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2015-05-31T21:41:33.847" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19623" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19619" CreationDate="2015-05-31T21:50:22.157" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;What makes a weed a weed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants that grow where we don't want them to - either because we find them unattractive or because they compete with plants we prefer in a specific place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, &quot;not all weeds are created equal&quot;, that means, some are quite harmless benign little creatures that simply happen to have germinated in the wrong spot. They can be pulled out easily or are even nice enough to die if we go at them with a hoe or a rake. Some can be simply mowed down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other weeds are of a more resistant and invasive nature: Leave some roots in the soil and they will come back, cut the seed heads too late or deposit them in a too-cool compost heap and your garden will resemble an alien invasion next summer. This is where many gardeners start chemical warefare. Others go down on their knees. Not to pray to the gods of horticulture (although, who knows...), but to dig out even the smallest root fragments and some learn to recognize their opponents by their &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotyledon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cotyledons&lt;/a&gt; and literally nip (or rip) the problem in the bud.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tools that may come in handy in these cases are a small hand trowel, a &quot;weed extractor&quot; or narrow, long trowel for thistles and other deep rooted weeds and an old knife or something like &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/16109/what-is-the-gardening-purpose-of-an-l-shaped-groove-knife-hand-tool/16110%2316110&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; for clearing narrow cracks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A hot bath and someone to massage your sore muscles after an extended weeding session are not mandatory, but certainly recommended...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-06-01T05:58:20.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19624" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19628" CreationDate="2015-06-01T01:07:35.010" Score="1" ViewCount="3074" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our apricot tree is about 5 years old. It produced awesome big apricots last year, but this year they are dropping off the tree at the size of a quarter.  It looks like the stems that connect the apricots to the tree branch are dry and breaking off really easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas why this is happening? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11434" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-10-13T14:04:32.857" LastActivityDate="2017-10-13T14:04:32.857" Title="Why are my apricots falling off the tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;apricots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19625" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19670" CreationDate="2015-06-01T01:26:12.027" Score="6" ViewCount="1230" Body="&lt;p&gt;About a month ago I got the idea to try growing pole beans (Kentucky Wonder) and using my sunflowers as support instead of bothering to put up a trellis. Of course it wasn't until after I bought the seeds that I paused to wonder if the sunflowers would be able to keep ahead of the beans. I have no experience with growing pole beans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Sunflowers: One portion of the sunflowers are a variety I grew last year. It's a branching variety, the seed pack claimed they would grow to 6 or 7 feet. In my garden they reached 8 feet easily. A second is a mixed pack with at least 3 varieties in it, I think they are branching varieties and they also claim a final height of 6 or 7 feet. A third set is actually a descendant of the first variety (apparently I missed one head when I was clearing up stalks from last years flowers). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm fairly sure the sunflowers can handle the weight as I needed a hatchet to cut down the stalks this spring. I'm not too concerned about the beans wanting to get any taller than the sunflowers as I can't harvest any higher than I expect the sunflowers to grow anyway. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The real question is will the sunflowers be able to stay keep ahead of the beans? At the moment the sunflowers have about a 3 week head start (they're 6 inches tall, and likely to grow quick with the 70-80 degree days forecast for most of the week. Should I give them a little more time to put on size before I complicate things? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-06-01T01:35:01.607" LastActivityDate="2015-06-03T21:31:29.800" Title="Using Sunflowers as living bean poles" Tags="&lt;support&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;&lt;green-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19627" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19577" CreationDate="2015-06-01T09:02:39.633" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The angular edges of the lesion in the first picture are suggestive of early blight. The image quality isn't quite good enough for me to tell if the spot is made up of concentric rings, but that would also be highly suggestive of early blight. The third picture does resemble leaf curl, but it could also be that the stem has been blighted, causing the leaves to shrivel up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For this years crop you should try to avoid wetting the leaves when possible. The fungus spreads mainly when leaves are damp. Ideally water from below, such as with a soaker hose or drip irrigation. Failing that try to water plants in the morning of hot days so the water will evaporate off the leaves quickly. According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/lessons/fungi/ascomycetes/Pages/PotatoTomato.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The American Phytopathological Society&lt;/a&gt; and several land grant Universities I looked at (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/vegetables/early-blight-of-tomatoes-and-potatoes/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Minnesota&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.potatodiseases.org/earlyblight.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Michigan&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/plants/vegetable-fruit/fact-sheets/potato-disease-information/early-blight-factsheet&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Penn State&lt;/a&gt;) protectant fungicides such as mancozeb or copper fungicides (only ones I could find in non-agricultural quantities) can be used to help protect your plants by restricting the spread of the disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For next years crop, make sure you clean up all debris from the potatoes. Don't plant your potatoes (or tomatoes, or eggplants) in the same location next year as the fungus can survive the winter in fragments of potato left behind. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-06-01T09:02:39.633" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19628" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19624" CreationDate="2015-06-01T09:50:22.323" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends how many fruitlets are falling - if its a percentage, this might just be what's known as 'June Drop'. Many fruit trees do this - it refers to the tree deciding for itself that it's carrying too many fruits, so it drops some and keeps the rest so that they mature and swell properly, because from the tree's point of view, its fruits are only seedcases, and it wants to reproduce efficiently. It may be that your tree produced many fruitlets, which they do as a guard against poor conditions, and that's why its dropping some now. In fact, if it didn't drop some and there were lots, you'd be hand thinning instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, on the other hand, all the fruits are dropping, but there is no sign of disease or infestation, dryness at the root can cause this, and, conversely, being too wet at the root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-01T09:50:22.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19619" CreationDate="2015-06-01T09:57:58.200" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't beat a garden fork, it's always been my method of choice - a full sized one with the longer tines, not a border fork, for cheapness. It requires your own effort of course, and it depends on what the weed is as to how efficient it (and you) will be at getting out the roots (some weeds have fragile roots and any left behind will regrow), and it means you have to bend down and pick up the weed, maybe extracting the root from the clump of soil too. For small, newly germinated weeds, a hoe is good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-01T10:19:37.987" LastActivityDate="2015-06-01T10:19:37.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19630" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-01T12:06:56.407" Score="7" ViewCount="23262" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to grow a bunch of trees in my garden for shade. Which trees will grow fast and are also useful for fruits or nuts?. By the way, I am in South India - Chennai (Madras)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11437" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-27T18:24:52.130" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T18:24:52.130" Title="What are some of the best fast-growing trees for both shade and fruit/nuts?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;nut-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19631" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19634" CreationDate="2015-06-01T12:28:04.810" Score="2" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you manipulate weed and stuff you can easily get hurt by thorns. Is there a type of garden gloves to avoid and a type to favor for reliable protection?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2487" LastActivityDate="2021-05-01T06:12:32.763" Title="Which gloves to avoid getting hurt by thorns" Tags="&lt;gloves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19632" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19631" CreationDate="2015-06-01T13:05:27.603" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They make special gardening gloves for gardeners that are marketed as &quot;rose gloves&quot;. They have a long cuff to protect your forearms and are puncture resistant. Never used any but noticed some had good reviews when I was recently looking for other gloves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-06-01T13:05:27.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14116" CreationDate="2015-06-01T13:18:39.443" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a pretty neat tool but I haven't seen them available in the US. You can do with out it and do a good job topdressing with just a bow rake and a spring tine rake that they also use in the video.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some other tools that are available possibly for rent are called top dressers or compost spreaders. Think of a very heavy duty drop spreader. Some are even powered. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also seen a rolling compost soil spreader. It's basically a large drum made out of expanded metal and has a handle like a giant push reel mower. You fill it up with compost and roll it around your lawn. Fill it up with compost and the compost drops out of the holes in the expanded lath as you roll. I've seen some sold commercially and ones that people made themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-06-01T13:18:39.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19634" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19631" CreationDate="2015-06-01T14:08:10.457" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can handle some loss of dexterity, leather welding gloves are surprisingly affordable for a long, heavy glove. The problem with &quot;good dexterity&quot; (thinner, tight) gloves is that serious thorns go through them (through they will protect against some of the smaller ones.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a lot of the nastier stuff I cut into small-ish parts with long handled pruners, and use the pruners as tweezers, rather than trying to handle it at all directly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-06-01T14:08:10.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19636" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-01T14:29:24.843" Score="5" ViewCount="804" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife and I bought a house in the Palm Coast, Florida area. We have a plant growing by the house that the previous owner tried to kill, but could not. We think it is very pretty. We would like to know what it is, because no one at the nurseries can tell us. It grows very fast and is right next to our foundation. We would like to move it, because of it being by the foundation. I have included pictures of the plant and hope you can tell us what it is and if it's a bush or tree and the best location in the yard for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u8cAu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2xTfr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11438" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-07-17T01:47:59.980" LastActivityDate="2015-09-12T19:54:29.100" Title="What is this bush with five-petaled pink flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19637" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-01T15:45:06.963" Score="5" ViewCount="161" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for a small shredder (not really a chipper).  I have no need to chip branches larger than 1/2 inch.  I just use a pruner or saw and make kindling out of the larger branches.  The cheapo shredders on the market are all kinetic chippers and small branches just get tangled up in those and clog them.  What I'm looking for is more of a paper-shredder-style shearing action that would be good for mulching leaves and small stems.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm aware that rocks might be a problem with something like this, but I'm prepared to take precautions against this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11456" OwnerDisplayName="Paul" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-01T15:56:25.687" LastActivityDate="2015-07-02T02:39:53.980" Title="What is a good solution for shredding small stems and leaves?" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19638" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-01T16:04:51.133" Score="7" ViewCount="27839" Body="&lt;p&gt;One year ago, I bought a bright purple orchid in bloom.  One year later it is blooming again, but is stark white.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What caused this and how can I get it back to purple (violet)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11439" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-01T16:11:55.817" LastActivityDate="2018-03-22T00:52:49.957" Title="Why did my orchid change colors from purple to white?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19639" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19638" CreationDate="2015-06-01T17:37:53.620" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your orchid is a Phaleonopsis or moth orchid, these do come in a range of colours, including purple and white. Because of that, its quite possible for your originally purple one to bloom a different colour the following year - its just a genetic blip, or a reversion in the DNA, and there's not much you can do about it I'm afraid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-01T17:37:53.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19638" CreationDate="2015-06-01T19:29:26.880" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may actually have purchased a &amp;quot;dyed&amp;quot; orchid. While a very few varieties of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.aos.org/Default.aspx?id=470&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;phaleonopsis&lt;/a&gt; in the blue/purple family exist, they are rare, and will produce the same colored flowers each blooming season. They're also a lighter, less vibrant color than the one you're describing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most orchids in that color spectrum are actually white orchids which have gone through a patented process of injecting dye into the plant. It is explained &lt;a href=&quot;http://blueorchid.org/the-mystique-of-the-blue-phal.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During the growth process, the stalk of a white phalaenopsis orchid is injected with a blue dye solution. The intervention is performed in an environment that keeps the infection risk for the plant at a minimum. The blue color is absorbed by the orchid and creates a blue flower.&#xA;Subsequent flowerings will result in white blooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The dye is not available to the public, nor are the exact steps of the procedure. Do-it-yourself dyeing is not encouraged, and at every home gardener’s own risk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What has been upsetting Blue Mystique and Royal Blue Phal customers is that they believed to be buying a real blue orchid.  In response to controversy that has been picked up by the media, growers now use product labels to inform buyers that a white orchid has been treated in order to produce those magnificent blue flowers, and that future blooms will be white.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether this is the case with yours or not, I have to agree that from now on, the flowers will be white. Obviously you've kept it healthy, so I hope you can learn to like it! Of course, you can always pick up another purple one, bearing in mind that it may only be that color for one season!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-06-01T19:29:26.880" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19641" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-01T19:59:51.987" Score="3" ViewCount="1527" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a houseplant in a pot with drainage that I put into another pot without drainage. I should have gotten a larger outside pot because the smaller plant pot ended up being too tight a fit at the top. A while after watering I realized that the water wasn't going to evaporate and would be stagnant. Can this water be dangerous (as in anaerobic stuff going on)? I don't want to leave this outside because an animal could drink it so I have been leaving it and put chopsticks between both pots to try get some air to it but it still didn't evaporate. Any ideas on disposing of this water safely? Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11441" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-02T03:58:04.310" LastActivityDate="2015-06-09T18:49:51.100" Title="How can I remove stagnant water stuck under a houseplant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19642" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19554" CreationDate="2015-06-01T20:16:41.437" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started square foot gardening in 4 X 4 beds this year, and merely installed a soaker hose that surrounds the center 4 squares; after agonizing over several designs that just did not word well in that planting scheme. What I have found out so far is this: you have to water a lot more than &quot;1 inch per week&quot;, and you still have to water with a can while seeds are germinating and for about a week after transplanting. The reason for this is that the drip goes straight down into the soil and then spreads out, so to reach all the plants you have to have a lot of spreading, which takes a lot of water. I discovered this when my broccoli and brussels sprouts started to wilt even though I had watered &quot;sufficiently&quot;, even according to a moisture meter; and it hasn't consistently gotten into the 70s here yet. Also, the dry areas on the surface never soak up the water from down below, so you have to prime those spots from above, because the drip water will not reach the shallow seeds and roots. Once everything is established, in a couple weeks, I will switch to just the soaker hoses, adjusting the watering budget for the temperature. Some recommendations are as much as .5 inch per 10 degrees over 60F. Water from above in the morning so the sun will evaporate it off the leaves. It is also my belief that plants need more water as they get bigger; and more fertilizer as well. The once size fits all approach given on most fertilizers of &quot;the same amount every week&quot; doesn't fit any. I put balanced fertilizer in the soil at time of seeding and transplanting, and will then deep root fertilize for each vegetable per its needs through the growing season. When I was a weekend gardener I got sporadic results. No, retired, I am trying hard to turn my black thumb green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2015-06-01T20:16:41.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19644" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19672" CreationDate="2015-06-02T00:47:20.903" Score="2" ViewCount="6068" Body="&lt;p&gt;After a very warm and dry spring, my potato plants have already started to bloom in early June. I wondered if they are putting a significant amount of energy into producing the flowers, and if pinching them out would cause the plants to put that energy into producing tubers instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does pinching out flowers on a potato plant have an affect on the crop, whether in the number or size of the tubers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2020-05-15T17:13:19.450" Title="Should I pinch out the flowers on my potato plants?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;&lt;pinching-out&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19645" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-02T01:25:15.453" Score="4" ViewCount="111" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently become the inexperienced caretaker of four rose bushes at the house I moved into last year.  I've done a fair amount of gardening but was never into roses.  Anyway, I feel like it's my responsibility to help them out so I've been giving them mulch making sure to water, deadheading, trimmed them in the winter; it's been fun.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem I've been having is with one bush in particular.  It was sort of sick looking when I showed up last year but I gave it some mulch, made sure to water it and it looked pretty happy.  ...except for its flowers.  They get this yellow tint to them while they're still buds and basically look sadder and sadder as they start to bloom.  See picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1d1DZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sad&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing that I've noticed is that there are some (but not that many) aphids on the bush.  Another factor might be how wet it's been this spring but all the other bushes seem to be doing fine.  Plus this guy's flowers never looked that great last year either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, guesses would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11443" LastEditorUserId="11443" LastEditDate="2015-06-02T01:32:00.843" LastActivityDate="2015-06-04T15:58:14.810" Title="Hapless rose bush diagnosis" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19646" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19641" CreationDate="2015-06-02T02:00:56.120" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Remove smaller pot from larger pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dump water on the ground (or if citified, into a storm drain if you prefer.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-06-02T02:00:56.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19647" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7877" CreationDate="2015-06-02T02:04:09.070" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on your comment in Bamboo's answer you said the leaves were wilting and shrinking. Too much chlorine can cause wilting, and it can kill beneficial microbes that might help the leaf size; I know from experience that microbes seem to help leaf size in at least in cucurbits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might try filtering the water on this plant, if you're using city water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Curling can be caused by too much humidity/fungi, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With this and Bamboo's words about calcium in mind, some potential things to help may include worm castings (for microbes), potassium sulfate (not chloride), and basalt rockdust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rockdust contains calcium and silica which go hand in hand with potassium to strengthen plants. Calcium without sufficient potassium and potassium without sufficient calcium can both cause issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are probably other things to help with leaf size, but I need more experience to tell you about that. I would experiment with fertilizer, and such, myself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-06-02T02:11:10.337" LastActivityDate="2015-06-02T02:11:10.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19648" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19637" CreationDate="2015-06-02T02:27:12.280" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;For leaves with NO sticks, the &quot;line trimmer style&quot; leaf shredders are quite effective and tolerate rocks, etc with minimum excitement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A paper shredder style blade would need an ENORMOUS amount of force to deal with a 1/2&quot; stick in the unfortunate orientation (across the throat), and one will surely get turned that way and jam it. Plus, I'm not aware of anyone making one that isn't a paper shredder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen at least one &quot;first world dreamer's idea of something for third world&quot; that tried to use a sort of coarse concrete grinding stone for more or less this job, but it was sensitive to moisture content and hard to feed, to the extent that they were willing to admit &quot;reality issues&quot; - I cannot seem to relocate the site right now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A hammermill should do the job on the not-low-cost end of the spectrum, and abusing/adapting an old lawnmower is a traditional approach on the low-cost end of the spectrum. If you could lay hands on one a flail mower would be ideal, but the vast majority of those are tractor-sized units.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My actual solution for the time being is to pile them, and add manure if I want to hurry the process along, though that is a relative use of &quot;hurry.&quot; I have also contemplated (but not implemented) turning them to charcoal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-06-02T02:27:12.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19649" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19393" CreationDate="2015-06-02T03:07:54.167" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis). Very common where I live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/318c4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Evening Primrose in bloom with foliage&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/starr-environmental/9214878192/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.flickr.com/photos/starr-environmental/9214878192/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6882" LastActivityDate="2015-06-02T03:07:54.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19650" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19630" CreationDate="2015-06-02T03:33:22.347" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apricot trees are great for shade. Our Mormon apricot provides the most (as in darkest) shade out of all our fruit trees. It's a fairly young tree, too (about 6-12 years since it was planted in our yard from the nursery). It's a good spot to harden off plants. We have, and have had peach, nectarine, apples (McIntosh, Yellow Delicious and others), cherry, sour cherry, pear, plumcot, plum, and probably other stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apricots are vulnerable to losing blossoms after frosts, however, and if you're growing them both for shade and fruit, get some nice ladders.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apricots are decorative in the early spring with their popcorn-like flowers. The fruits have pits that some people find useful. I recommend researching those, both raw and cooked. I heard a rumor that cooking them might lessen the toxins, as with almonds (if that's true for almonds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the most shade, a standard tree would provide the most. Semi-dwarf apricots can still provide a fair amount of shade, though. Ours is actually a semi-dwarf that hasn't been pruned for two or three years. I'm not sure which rootstock they used, but it might matter a lot. It looks a lot like a standard. If you're willing to get a standard, you'll have more selection for shade, but cutting it down may be expensive if it's by something important. I like my neighbor's standard pear tree (it shaded well). I've seen standard cherries give good shade. I'm not sure what kind of pear/cherry those are/were. Our dwarf and semi-dwarf pear trees don't give a lot of shade, and they're not very big, even unpruned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apricot trees seem to grow much faster and more vigorously than other fruit trees we've had, but they don't necessarily produce more fruit. If you live ain an area with spring frosts, you may get less, except on odd years where you get loads and loads of apricots. We usually get a few apricots every year (maybe 20-50), and we have frosts. However, other people in the same town get loads of them every year, it seems. So, it may depend on your variety or location. Our previous apricot tree normally got either no fruit at all or loads and loads of it. Usually, we didn't get fruit, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a feeling you might want to consider &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ccontOAeUg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mulberry trees&lt;/a&gt;. I've never grown one, but they can produce fruit and shade well. Just don't walk under them and then on carpet, if there's fallen fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend that you carefully evaluate if you really want shade in your garden, though. It might be nice to keep yourself and others cool, but it may also make growing certain vegetables successfully more difficult. It may also mean less sunlight in nearby rooms via windows. If you have houseplants in the windows, or if you're starting garden plants inside, it can lessen the sun considerably.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-07-07T04:55:33.060" LastActivityDate="2015-07-07T04:55:33.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19651" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-02T05:12:37.363" Score="8" ViewCount="15990" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have these little white bugs on my eggplant, not many of them yet.  What are they?  How do i get rid of them?  I'm a first year indoor organic gardener.  It is important to note they are in pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vM0DV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;I noticed these things on my eggplants. What are they and how can I safely get rid of them?&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/67ynG.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i8n4q.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in the prairies of Canada.  Winnipeg, Manitoba.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11444" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-22T03:35:19.283" LastActivityDate="2019-11-02T17:14:23.040" Title="What are these little white bugs on my eggplant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19652" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19641" CreationDate="2015-06-02T09:57:30.107" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Follow the advice given in the other answer (separate the pots, empty out the water) maybe taking it outside first and wearing rubber gloves if you don't want physical contact with the dirty water. Find another tray or outer pot to stand the plant in, and after you've watered, always empty the outer tray or pot after 30 minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you ask whether the standing water can be dangerous, its not clear whether you mean to life in general or your plant in particular - certainly, it is not healthy for your plant to be standing in contact with that all the time, and yes, anaerobic activity will be going on and the balance in the potting medium will change and become 'sour' and may eventually kill the plant. Whether its dangerous for human beings is another matter - I suppose mosquito larvae might breed in it if it could get in there, and it will not contribute a pleasant fragrance to the air, it will become very unpleasant to smell because the of the type of bacteria it will encourage. I certainly don't think you should wait for it to 'evaporate', specially not indoors, it needs to be dealt with as soon as possible, particularly if its a warm or tropical climate where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-02T10:03:39.923" LastActivityDate="2015-06-02T10:03:39.923" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19653" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-02T12:07:16.510" Score="3" ViewCount="3902" Body="&lt;p&gt;This avacado tree is about a week old, and now she's looking a little worse than she did &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/19307/avocado-help-my-girl-go-down-the-right-path&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thoughts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://rs99.pbsrc.com/albums/l296/funnypete/Mobile%20Uploads/E4D4755D-2D40-45EE-A2E6-C73E5CF66D11.jpg~320x480&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11265" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-06-04T23:09:08.253" Title="Why does my recently transplanted avocado still have droopy, discolored leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19654" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21804" CreationDate="2015-06-02T12:47:52.093" Score="5" ViewCount="328" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this shoot growing in northern NJ USA. It seemed to pop up and grow fast, as I don't remember seeing it a couple of days ago. It's already about a foot tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's growing in a partially shaded area right next to a vining plant. The leaves are an odd shape and the stems are dark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NYuJf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/crMI8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-13T03:06:06.823" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T03:06:06.823" Title="Is this a weed, coming up right next to my vine, and if so what is it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19655" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19576" CreationDate="2015-06-02T15:05:24.637" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is most likely to be a cottony &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;mealybug&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can control this taking a paper towel soaked in dish soap and water and wiping the leaves down. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Repeat for every leaf with the symptoms. Check the axils where the leaves join the stems too.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;After the treatment rinse or spray with water to prevent a soapy buildup&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repeat every five to seven days for at least three times&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;continue to monitor as mealybug is hard to get rid of&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;move the tree away from any other houseplants.  Some adult mealybugs have wings and fly to spread the population. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;check for other plants that may have it too&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mealybugs can be difficult to control as the white &quot;cotton&quot; prevents most control agents from reaching them.  More details on their control are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/INVERT/mealybugs.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. It is critical to spray the plant with soap and water or neem oil at least three times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mealybugs are found on many plants but common hosts are citrus, hibiscus, ficus, crotons, aglonema and many other temperate climate plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-06-02T15:05:24.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19657" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19662" CreationDate="2015-06-02T17:21:56.597" Score="5" ViewCount="5638" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below is a picture of one of my lemon trees, where the soil is covered with some sort of fungus. When I remove it, it comes back in 2-3 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am suspecting the problem is, that lemon trees can't be in self watering pots, where they can drink all the water they like from the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Often I see leca pebbles covering the surface in connection with self watering pots. Is that to prevent fungus?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is recommended in order to prevent this kind of fungus?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yn00c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3401" LastActivityDate="2015-06-03T19:44:56.570" Title="How to prevent fungus on soil in self watering pots?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19658" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19659" CreationDate="2015-06-02T18:08:26.557" Score="4" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;This cacao tree has been growing new leaves. White stuff started appearing on the new leaves today:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UhDge.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yVW9U.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have absolutely no knowledge of gardening and am asking this on behalf of my girlfriend - what is this stuff, and if it is a problem, how does one remedy it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11447" LastActivityDate="2015-06-02T18:21:50.723" Title="What is this white stuff growing on this cacao tree's new leaves?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19659" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19658" CreationDate="2015-06-02T18:21:50.723" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is just a waxy sap excreted from the leaf.  It is not a pest but a natural function of the leaf.  I have also seen this on coffee plants and more often on tropical plants that are in high light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-06-02T18:21:50.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19660" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5312" CreationDate="2015-06-03T00:14:11.060" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in Southern California (San Gabriel Valley) suffering from hundreds of red crown green parrots in your pictures too.  They eat our figs, persimmons (the worst damage since we get hundreds if not thousands of fruit but we can't enjoy them because majority are pecked by parrots), peaches, loquats, avocados. We can't net the trees since they're 2-stories tall. There are always about 30 parrots eating, yelling, pooping in our trees at any given time.  Plus every house has large fruit trees attracting all kinds of birds.  The crows even chase cats.  Not to mention the darn squirrels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tried CDs in the tree, crows stole them.  Parrots and pigeons got used to eagle eye balloons.  Laws prohibits us from catching or hurting any bird (I looked it up).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My best solution so far is the motion activated water sprinkler.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000071NUS&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Contech Scarcrow Motion-Activated Animal Deterrent&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It worked great but our water bill doubled so I turned it off.  Plus I got hosed.  Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11449" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-06-07T14:58:28.317" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T14:58:28.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19661" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5312" CreationDate="2015-06-03T08:39:12.163" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might consider trap crops. Basically, they're crops you plant to feed the pests and keep them eating the trap crop instead of what you want to harvest. I'm not sure what parrots prefer, or if trap crops are successful with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Example potential trap crop: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/mulberry-trees/illinois-everbearing-mulberry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Illinois Everbearing mulberry&lt;/a&gt; (Quoting the link: &quot;An excellent protector tree. This variety is preferred by birds and squirrels over other fruits and berries, so it offers a great way to lure them away.&quot;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-06-03T08:39:12.163" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19662" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19657" CreationDate="2015-06-03T10:24:10.413" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leca pebbles are really for use when growing orchids or in hydroponics, in other words, soilless growing, so they won't stop the fungus in your pot, it'll still be in the soil, you just won't be able to see it beneath the leca (the fungus won't grow on the leca).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fungus grows in pots because, as you've said, there are moist conditions most of the time - usually its there because its decomposing material within the potting medium, particularly woody parts, no matter how small they are. You might also see fungus in the soil (if its damp all the time) which is actually associated with the roots of the plant, helping it to grow well in a symbiotic interaction - this is not usually visible on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid, if you want to stop this, its out with the self watering pot, repotting into something with a drainage hole that you water yourself when necessary, rather than trying to kill any fungus present. This answer assumes the plant is perfectly healthy and growing well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-03T16:32:39.640" LastActivityDate="2015-06-03T16:32:39.640" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19663" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19665" CreationDate="2015-06-03T13:56:58.880" Score="12" ViewCount="12997" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received a potted basil plant a bit over a year ago as thanks for some computer work. Not knowing how exactly to grow it, I kind of let it overgrow, including not nipping it in the bud at first. It started getting sickly and spindly, and its roots had basically filled the pot. So I took a cutting and replanted it in the pot, planting the rest out in my front yard to see how it would do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The outside plant withered and died (we had some weather fluctuations), but the inside one was sprouting pretty nicely and then, recently, my wife decided to make a dish and removed &lt;em&gt;all&lt;/em&gt; of the leaves. The remaining stem has stayed green, but there's been no sign of regrowth of leaves in the week or so after. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it likely to recover? Or should I just start over from scratch?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Later edit&lt;/em&gt;: I ended up tossing the remaining stem, but I kept most of the soil for a transplanted tomato plant from work. Much to my surprise, a circle of basil sprouts have popped up. I am guessing that, at some point, a flower fell and reseeded, and these sprouted once the main plant was no longer giving them the &quot;hold&quot; signals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11453" LastEditorUserId="11453" LastEditDate="2019-12-06T19:20:14.627" LastActivityDate="2019-12-06T19:20:14.627" Title="Will my basil plant regrow without leaves?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="19664" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19657" CreationDate="2015-06-03T14:02:11.953" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are certain herbs that work well at preventing damping off disease on seedlings. Chamomile is often stated as being effective but &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantprotection.pl/PDF/47%283%29/JPPR_47%283%29_05_El-Mougy_2.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;research&lt;/a&gt; indicates that cinnamon, garlic and thyme are more effective. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the study they coated the seeds before sowing. What I do is coat the seeds and also sprinkle a little cinnamon on top of the soil. I use cinnamon when I start seeds and haven't had any issues with damping off so it's worth a shot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also want to try dilute hydrogen peroxide. There's a chart on dilution for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.using-hydrogen-peroxide.com/gardening-with-hydrogen-peroxide.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hydrogen peroxide for use on plants&lt;/a&gt;. If it matters to you, the use of hydrogen peroxide is OMRI approved to treat an active infection on plants. Hydrogen peroxide is also produced by plants in response to certain stresses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hydrogen peroxide degrades quickly (into basically just water) when exposed to light (which is why the bottles are brown) so only mix up as much as you are going to use so you always use it fresh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I was just reading that some people line the top of the soil in their strawberry containers with plastic sheeting to avoid grey mold that may be in the soil from getting on the fruits and leaves. I'm trying this myself this year and there was another recent question on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/19580/is-it-okay-to-line-the-top-of-a-container-with-plastic-to-hold-water-inside&quot;&gt;using plastic mulch in containers&lt;/a&gt; that you may find useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-06-03T19:44:56.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19665" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19663" CreationDate="2015-06-03T15:58:05.850" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unlikely to recover - not impossible, but unlikely, and waiting to see if there's any regrowth will take some time. Given you might want some basil between now and Christmas, its probably best to get another plant. And instruct your wife to always leave some leaves on the plant next time... or buy two plants so its easier to leave some leaves in place and still have enough for culinary use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-03T15:58:05.850" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19666" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2629" CreationDate="2015-06-03T19:50:30.653" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Personally, I would take leaves, stems and all, as much as you want. More stems will grow from the roots. I recommend trying to get it to grow bushy. Leaving tall stems for long doesn't seem conducive to bushiness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were you, I would take cuttings with the long stems (as a backup in case your mint doesn't behave like mine), and just mow the whole thing over (no higher than a few inches; just harvesting all the tall parts of the stems without shoots would be sufficient) and let it grow back bushier. You can take cuttings of mint very easily. They grow roots in water, fast. I've tried that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a couple links about trimming/mowing mint that should be insightful, at least for outdoor mint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://askville.amazon.com/low-safely-cut-mint-damage-make-growing-back/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=4175217&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://askville.amazon.com/low-safely-cut-mint-damage-make-growing-back/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=4175217&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1938778/mowing-mint&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1938778/mowing-mint&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the main issue with indoor mint is that it may get rootbound. Taking cuttings to start new plants occasionally can help you to continue your mint indoors indefinitely. The right fertilizer may also help, but some people think fertilizer affects the flavor and/or smell.&#xA;Your mint sounds like it's growing pretty slowly for mint. I would suggest giving it more light to remedy this, if you can. However, direct sunlight for half the day is more than enough, if it really is that much sun. It may also be lacking certain nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't need to wait for flowers to harvest it, unless, of course, you want the flowers. I've used just stems (with leaves) of mint for herb tea before, and it works well (put them in a cup, boil some water, pour the water on the leaves/stems, and let it sit for about ten minutes). Then you can pull the stems out or leave them in. I'm sure there are other uses for mint that may require flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-06-19T04:31:02.853" LastActivityDate="2015-06-19T04:31:02.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19667" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-03T19:51:45.247" Score="3" ViewCount="4158" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was thinking of getting some shepherd's hooks and was wondering if anyone has come up with any cheaper DIY solutions that might be interesting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found some flimsy plans that were mainly used as decoration temporarily. I'm planning on using mine throughout the season to hold hanging planters that can get heavy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're only about $7 for 48&quot; ones but I was wondering if I could make my own cheaper, taller and stronger somehow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's an example of what a commercial one with a hanging basket looks like. Found it online at &lt;a href=&quot;http://portuguese.alibaba.com/product-gs/park-hanging-flower-basket-shepherd-hook-1917181848.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://portuguese.alibaba.com/product-gs/park-hanging-flower-basket-shepherd-hook-1917181848.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p8Lor.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-06-03T20:19:58.617" LastActivityDate="2015-06-03T20:19:58.617" Title="Has anyone made a DIY Shepherd's Hook?" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19668" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19663" CreationDate="2015-06-03T20:33:59.947" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you happen to have some really bright fluorescent lights, or else less bright ones surrounded by mylar, you might try what worked for my leafless Georgescu Chocolate pepper plant and later my leafless Red-seeded Citron watermelon plant. Basically, I just put the stems right next to the bulbs (within a couple inches), and they grew new shoots. Apparently, the stems must still be able to use light without leaves, to some degree, but it's not as apparent when the light isn't super bright.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a description of my setup in case there are other variables important to this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My personal setup has mylar blankets draping around the sides of a long fold-up table (underneath the table is the growing area), and the bottom of the table and beneath it are also lined with mylar. There's maybe a seven inch opening on one of the long sides, at the top, where the window is, to let some natural sunlight in, too. This table is on top of another such table (which is why the window is so close to it). I have a surge protector near each of the two ends under the table with plug-in sockets in them. There are seven sockets with bulbs. Five of the bulbs are 23 watt CFLs, all but two being 6500k (the two being 2700k). The surge protector with four sockets has two bulbs less than 23 watt, with color temperatures much lower than 6500k, but I think only one of the smaller ones is 2700k. The other is probably like 3500k or something. I turn the lights off while I sleep and turn them back on when I get up. I sleep and get up at variable times. The growing area is somewhat humid, due to water evaporating from the plant containers (or something), and the mylar on the sides of the area. I give them potassium sulfate and basalt rockdust together to avoid problems I previously had with fungi from the humidity and at least somewhat crowded plants (like maybe downy mildew or something else).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I put my leafless plants in a corner away from the window by an end of the three-socket surge protector that has a 23 watt 6500k CFL in the socket by where I put the plants. They probably got a fair amount of light from the neighboring 23 watt 2700k CFL, too. In this setup, plants like the corners away from the window, it seems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The watermelon grew a new shoot within a few days. The pepper may have taken longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I've coincidentally got another leafless watermelon (Mississipi Cobb Gem) I'm trying this with, now. This one only has one node available. Hopefully it's not too damaged to regrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: The Mississippi Cobb Gem watermelon was too damaged and died within a few days of my edit above. However, now I'm attempting a similar thing with a Chinese 5 Color pepper that was a cutting, but probably has roots by now. It lost all its leaves. At first, it seemed to be too hot in my growing area this time of year, and was losing its leaves. So, eventually, I put the cutting in a south window. It looks like if it lives much longer, it should grow leaves (some leaves are just barely starting to form, but they're small yet), but I've been waiting a while on it. I put it under the fluorescent lights again. We'll see how it does. I plan to take it out once in a while (when the sun is out) so it doesn't get too hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-07-08T09:45:30.673" LastActivityDate="2015-07-08T09:45:30.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19669" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19579" CreationDate="2015-06-03T21:29:30.600" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I might have found my answer, it looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus_asparagoides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bridal Creeper&lt;/a&gt;, or at least something closely related to that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2080" LastActivityDate="2015-06-03T21:29:30.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19670" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19625" CreationDate="2015-06-03T21:31:29.800" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can do this, but the big asteracea leaves of the sunflower will shade the beans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Corn has been used for this purpose, and often also planted with squash or melons and that's called &quot;three sisters&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have done it, it's a fun way to garden if you have an irregular space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-06-03T21:31:29.800" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19671" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19674" CreationDate="2015-06-04T08:34:35.377" Score="3" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a housewife, and I intend to cultivate mushrooms. I've heard that they can be cultivated and grown indoors without much time spent on them, as an amateur in a home environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone please help me out and provide some steps?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11454" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-04T17:56:15.433" LastActivityDate="2015-06-04T17:56:15.433" Title="How do I cultivate mushrooms in a home environment?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19672" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19644" CreationDate="2015-06-04T10:28:41.140" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, pinch them out or off altogether whenever they appear, until the time you'd usually expect them to flower - it does redirect energy into the tubers rather than wasting it on producing flowers, so you may get larger or more potatoes, assuming water supply is sufficient.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-04T10:45:36.077" LastActivityDate="2015-06-04T10:45:36.077" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19673" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19645" CreationDate="2015-06-04T10:34:19.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might just be that particular variety of rose - the foliage looks healthy, and there is a little evidence of rain damage and some roses are very susceptible to this, but basically, it may be one of those roses that simply doesn't produce very shapely or nicely coloured blooms. Some roses look great in bud, and when they first open out, but within a day or so have become a floppy, loose mess - it's all down to picking the right rose. This one also appears to have weak stems which are unable to support the weight of its flowers, unless its actually a climber which hasn't been tied in or supported. If ever you buy a rose, watch for the descriptive phrase 'nodding flowers' if you like your rose flowers to stand up on their own - 'nodding' is advertising speak for drooping. It may also be that your pruning technique isn't great - weak stems on roses are usually removed when pruning early in the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-04T15:58:14.810" LastActivityDate="2015-06-04T15:58:14.810" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19674" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19671" CreationDate="2015-06-04T16:03:33.690" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Difficult to answer because of where you are, and it depends which part of the country, but I did find this information below regarding a scheme from the Indian Horticultural Insitute which might be useful to you:-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report-now-grow-chem-free-mushies-at-home-1870989&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report-now-grow-chem-free-mushies-at-home-1870989&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the UK, we buy mushroom growing kits, which come with a box, the soil and the fungi for seeding complete, but I'm not sure that sort of thing is available where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-04T16:03:33.690" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19653" CreationDate="2015-06-04T23:09:08.253" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Drooping leaves can be caused by at least a few things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Transplant shock. Older leaves do not always recover from this drooping, although they may (newer leaves tend to grow in healthy). In my experience the main thing that actually causes transplant shock is probably UV rays shining on plants with disturbed roots. They can have an effect of plants without disturbed roots, too. My reasoning behind thinking that UV rays influence transplant shock so much, in particular, is that the plastic from milk jugs filters the sun in a fashion to where the filtered light does not easily induce wilting/drooping in transplanted plants. Milk jug plastic filters UV rays (it's hard to find clear material that doesn't). It may filter other kinds of light, too, but I don't know of anything else in particular that the jugs filter. I believe the UV index is pretty high in some parts of Florida.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Too much chlorine. I've read about this, but I don't know too much about why it can cause wilting. If you use city water, try watering with filtered water and see if your tree likes it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Possibly, too much nitrogen. This is just something I think I remember reading. I don't know if it's true.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if you can filter the light, filter the water, and give it some potassium sulfate, that will likely help it perk up. If you give it much potassium, you may need to give it calcium, too, though, but be careful with that. Potassium helps reduce transplant shock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The discoloration may be caused by a nutrient deficiency. I think maybe potassium or magnesium is what you need. Maybe manganese. I'll have to edit this later and add more information (and verify stuff) and sources. I've got to go, now, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-06-04T23:09:08.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19676" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-05T02:04:32.830" Score="3" ViewCount="587" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our mountain community is fighting an epidemic of invasive &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliaria_petiolata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;garlic mustard&lt;/a&gt;.  It loves the shade and nothing eats it.  I have to fight it every year with roundup and a lot of hand-pulling.   I am looking for a plant, hopefully native to the mountain west (USA) that does well in the shade, handles heavy snow and -20F winter temps and dry warm summers.  Something friendly would be nice  (no thorns, etc..)  If it helps, the water table is quite high on our lot.  (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Burdock&lt;/a&gt; does quite well)  The soil has quite a bit of clay in it and is saturated with water to the surface in some areas year-round.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moose frequent often, so it should be tough enough to handle being nibbled on occasionally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonus points for suggestions other fun edible plants that might do well without a lot of maintenance, like a huckleberry. (huckleberries don't do well in clay, so I'm looking for other, similar ideas)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11456" LastEditorUserId="11456" LastEditDate="2015-06-05T16:10:48.270" LastActivityDate="2015-06-05T16:10:48.270" Title="What is a good aggressive groundcover for high elevation mountain west?" Tags="&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19678" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19676" CreationDate="2015-06-05T07:34:55.107" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Warning: Some of these solutions may actually be or become problems, due to the invasive nature of most of my suggestions. I'm just assuming you might prefer some of them to garlic mustard. Use my suggestions judiciously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clover might work reasonably well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Creeping Charlie would probably work great. It is a weed and hard to get rid of, but it's perennial, evergreen, grows in sun or shade, is edible, and it doesn't have thorns. It also reseeds, a lot. You could probably walk on it if you wanted to. It looks nice in winter. It grows well in western Idaho.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've got what seems to be a hybrid of creeping Charlie and catnip that would probably work, too, if you want bigger, more fragrant leaves with a similar growth habit. I don't know if the hybrid is a perennial or evergreen, though. Catnip isn't. But, this hybrid grows back after you pull it up (perhaps even more successfully than creeping Charlie does). Catnip doesn't grow back after pulling it up, typically, unless by seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chives should work well. They grow well with little attention, sun or shade. Chives are perennials and reseed a little, too. Chives aren't aggressive, exactly, but they tend to maintain their territory and expand gradually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spearmint would likely work, if you planted enough of it. Peppermint won't reseed like spearmint. So, that's why I recommended spearmint. They're both perennials that spread through rhizomes, though. Mint will grow in the shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Calendula, chamomile and sunflowers reseed like crazy in western Idaho. You might consider those. I'm not sure how they do in the shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Arugula would potentially work, too (if you seeded it thick), although you'd have to count on it reseeding with the winters that you mentioned. Eruca sativa isn't a perennial, but Diplotaxis tenuifolia is, down to zone 6. However, at least Eruca sativa is easy to pull up, though. So, the animals might just eat it roots and all. The roots are tasty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the bonus you mentioned, you might try &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/chinese-lantern-gigantea/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Chinese Lantern Gigantea&lt;/a&gt;, or any variety of Physalis alkekengi. It's highly invasive and once successfully grown out should give the garlic mustard a run for its money, if what &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1894/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;the reviewers&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/137712/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;on Dave's Garden&lt;/a&gt; say is true (but you may never get rid of it). It's a perennial (down to hardiness zone 3 or 2) that spreads rapidly through deep rhizomes. It reseeds, too. It produces edible-when-ripe ground cherries full of vitamin C. I think they're poisonous when unripe, however. The husks are poisonous, I think I've read, too. The husks around the berries are ornamental. I don't know if the leaves are poisonous or if any animals will eat them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if you can get thornless blackberries established for a couple years, they should take care of themselves (unless you want to prune them) and spread quite well after that. I've witnessed that. There are thornless blackberries. We have some. You might think blackberries are more for wet areas, but they do well in dry areas (sun or shade) once they get established. They'll need watering regularly the first couple years, though, but you shouldn't have to water them at all, after two or maybe three years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Black currants also grow very well in dry climates (and spread through growth and seed). They're wild here. I'm not sure how they do in the shade, but it's worth a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-06-05T08:25:16.263" LastActivityDate="2015-06-05T08:25:16.263" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19679" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19680" CreationDate="2015-06-05T12:54:59.027" Score="5" ViewCount="506" Body="&lt;p&gt;Inspired by &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14712/which-edible-solanaceae-fruits-will-ripen-after-theyve-been-picked-besides-tom&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;, I have grown some rocoto (&lt;em&gt;C.pubescens&lt;/em&gt;) from seed. Despite using grow lamps and salt petre, germination rates weren't high, but after only 3-4 months I have some strong plants and at least one is covered with purple flowers. However none appear to be pollinating!  This compares with some pepperoncini which I sowed at the same time and produced their first fruit a couple of weeks ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to manually pollinate &lt;em&gt;C.pubescens&lt;/em&gt; and are there any recommended ways of doing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T11:34:29.680" Title="Pollinating C.pubescens (rocoto) peppers" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;capsicum-pubsecens&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19680" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19679" CreationDate="2015-06-05T14:12:00.633" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my favorite pepper for a number of reasons, and I have grown it for years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had decent germination rates using potting soil on a heating pad. They don't germinate well in the peat pots. I've never heard of using saltpeter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience over the past 10 years or so, it is important to hand pollinate rocoto (aka locoto in Bolivia) - especially early in the season. I use a fine watercolor brush, and just go from flower to flower every few days picking pollen up on the brush and dabbing the stigmas with it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For some reason it seems like as the season progresses I have to do this less and less. It could be that different pollinators take notice and start taking over or maybe a temperature thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also I highly recommend overwintering your plants if possible. I have kept plants for as long as 3 seasons, but I know they are good for more than 7. They can get very big, but you will want to cut them back by 30% or so to overwinter them inside. If you do this, you will have fruit two months earlier than you would starting new plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-06-05T14:12:00.633" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19681" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19682" CreationDate="2015-06-05T16:50:01.590" Score="3" ViewCount="286" Body="&lt;p&gt;The author of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/7422/7305&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; explains that the leaves of daffodils and tulips should not be cut down or otherwise disturbed for six weeks after the flower has gone by, as they are providing the necessary nutrients for the following year's blooms. Also, feeding the plant is important during that period. It is, however, fine to cut down the stems. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had planned to ask if this rule applies to other bulbs, but I came across the same instructions for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&amp;amp;id=2036&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bearded iris&lt;/a&gt;, which have &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2594686.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;rhizomes&lt;/a&gt;, rather than bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In light of this, are there other flowers I should treat the same way? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-06-05T17:26:25.580" Title="What flowers require a period of time after blooming before pruning the leaves?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19682" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19681" CreationDate="2015-06-05T17:05:14.717" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not really - this rule of thumb is generally applicable to bulbs, corms, and some rhizomes. In fact, many flowering shrubs flower on growth made the previous year, so the time to prune those is immediately after flowering has finished, to give the plant time to put on some growth before winter arrives. There's a rule of thumb for flowering shrubs - if it flowers before June, prune right after flowering - if it flowers after June, don't, prune in late autumn or early spring instead, but there are lots of exceptions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The point about bulbs and corms is they're storage organs - the flowers and leaves appear at a certain point in time, and only for a short time period (spring bulbs/corms particularly) in the year, and while the leaves are present, the plant is able to gather enough nutrients to store in order to prepare for flowering the following year. The foliage then dies down completely some time after the six week period passes. There are other bulbs with different habits - Nerine bowdenii has leaves all summer, which then die back and the flowers usually arrive when the leaves are gone. Allium is similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Paeonies have tubers though - these are also storage organs, so it isn't wise to chop down all the foliage as soon as the flowers are over, its better to leave it in place for a few weeks for similar reasons. Mostly people do leave it in place, the leaves are not unattractive anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other plants on ordinary roots don't have such a system in place, often keeping their leaves all summer (perennials) regardless of when they flower. Take Aquilegia as an example - once the flowers are finished, its perfectly alright to chop the whole plant down if you want to rather than just the flowered stems - it will produce new leaves pretty quickly anyway, unlike daffodils or crocus, and will flower the following year regardless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-05T17:26:25.580" LastActivityDate="2015-06-05T17:26:25.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19683" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19577" CreationDate="2015-06-05T18:10:40.950" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;One thing you haven't said is whether these are early cropping or not, I'm assuming they're supposed to be. Its not really clear what's happening there - I'd say the tiny holes could be flea beetle damage, and the brown areas might be viral - the link below might be of interest, though its somewhat complicated because there are so many possible viruses out there:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/NewsArticles/Potato_Virus.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/NewsArticles/Potato_Virus.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The insect shown in the photo is impossible to see clearly - I can't tell if its Colorado potato beetle or not, but pick off anything you see on the leaves if its large enough. The curling or rolled upward leaves might indicate leaf roll/curl - its entirely possible you've got more than one thing going on here, which makes it harder to diagnose. I think I'd be inclined to pull up the largest, most affected plant and see what the tubers are like - you might see symptoms such as necrosis on those which would clarify the situation. They'll be thin skinned, but that's normal if you lift them early anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Explanation of 'early cropping': different varieties of potatoes are grown at different times (depending on the climate where you are). First earlies are planted any time between March and April (can be grown in barrels or containers) - cropping is 10 weeks later. Second earlies are planted around the same time, usually in rows, and are cropped 13 weeks later. Then there's main crop (planted late April, cropped at 15 weeks - heavier crop) and late main crop, planted around the same time as main crop and harvested 20 weeks later. Yukon Gold matures quickly, average cropping time 80-95 days after planting, so, depending on your temperatures, its considered very good as an early or second late cropper. Hence the reference to early cropping in my answer, simply because you're growing this particular variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-06T11:43:04.377" LastActivityDate="2015-06-06T11:43:04.377" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19684" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23107" CreationDate="2015-06-05T19:57:40.170" Score="5" ViewCount="757" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to regrade my backyard. Currently I have a good green layer of grass and other small unwanted :-) plants  covering my backyard. The previous owner dug a patio and I suspect that they spread the soil around the house. The soil under the grass is not level and the grading of the lot was ruined.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I intend to fix the above by removing the sod, leveling the soil, grading the backyard and putting the sod back.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;My question is: do I need to do anything special when I use a sod cutter on this unevenly leveled soil? All the above are going to be during the same day (a weekend probably).&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Also a related question: is the beginning of June a good time for this? Here in Toronto we had a quite cold and dry May, and it rained quite a lot 6 days ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I think that I have two options: a) remove the sod, grade the soil and put the sod back AND b) use a rototiller (rent it from HomeDepot) and turn the old sod over&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to go with b) because: -the existing sod is poor quality -there is less work involved to remove and put back -I understand that using a rototiller will also help me to aerate the soil, make it easier to be graded&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get my lawn back I can either buy sod or seed and wait for the grass to grow back. This should be easy with the wet summer that we are in for here in To.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any pros and cons ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit2: here is a picture, the two sheds are not there anymore, that spot has no sod now&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HK78N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T17:02:53.320" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T17:02:53.320" Title="How should I flatten my uneven back yard in Toronto?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;sod&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19500" CreationDate="2015-06-06T05:08:25.720" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;By the looks of your plant it is not yet old enough to produce fruit. If you started it from a seed, it could take up to 7 years to produce. If has been grafted 2-3 years is about normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2015-06-06T05:08:25.720" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19688" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22142" CreationDate="2015-06-06T10:42:32.147" Score="4" ViewCount="405" Body="&lt;p&gt;My kiwi leaves are losing their green color too fast. Even new, small leaves can lose it and fall off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The kiwi is 1 year old, grown in a pot in my apartment. It is not close to a window or a radiator. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do to prevent this from happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2rZhU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8608" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-13T03:03:43.997" LastActivityDate="2015-10-16T10:19:30.733" Title="What should I do to prevent my kiwi leaves losing their color?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;kiwifruit&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19689" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-06T12:53:34.343" Score="5" ViewCount="545" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted these cucumbers last week, and yesterday I noticed the leaves have yellow spots and edges. Do I need to buy new plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VfPud.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11462" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-13T03:02:18.177" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T03:02:18.177" Title="What is causing yellow spots on my cucumber seedling's leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19690" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-06T13:51:55.987" Score="3" ViewCount="523" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had some green aphids, and killed them with an acetamiprid based insecticide. Everything after that seemed fine until recently. Some whiteflies started showing and I treated those with a mixture of rubbing alcohol, liquid soap and water. After few days they seem to be gone for the most part. But now, some plants are showing different symptoms and I have no idea what's wrong with them. I get it, those eaten by the bloody flies have some issues, but what's happening to the others? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some of them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some Cayenne plants seem to be fine. But some got this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2wF9a.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Weird Cayenne 1&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0TwNz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Weird Cayenne 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a Jalapeño with some other problem:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qbVUO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Jalapeño that looks eaten by the pests&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To me, it looks like it's been eaten by something, but there were plants with more white flies on them and they practically have no damage. Also, some Royal Black chilies and one Jamaican Hot lost more or less of their leaves without having no other symptoms at all. I used some granulated NPK fertilizer (15:15:15) on a few plants and most of them didn't get any. This doesn't seem to matter, because there are some sick and some healthy in both groups (fertilized and not). I don't know, maybe I did bad with this solution against white flies, but I'm not so sure.. I mean, some of the plants are totally fine and some are very sick. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update: 2015/06/07&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Help people! This is starting to kill all my plants. There are no more white flies, they are just wilting. Here's my biggest Jalapeño, which was just fine until today. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Krkot.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Jalapeño - leaves falling off&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1VMYZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Jalapeño leaf, dying&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's this, how do I stop it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11428" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-13T03:01:36.300" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T03:01:36.300" Title="What are these shallow markings on my chili leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19691" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19692" CreationDate="2015-06-06T15:57:13.240" Score="2" ViewCount="1349" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone recognize these beetles/spiders on the below picture, which are all over my Sambuca plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hires picture &lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/MsbcCHnkQNA4QDNn6&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have just sprayed them with ECOstyle LuseFri insect soap mixed with Neem oil, in an act of panic, when I saw it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that the correct thing to do about these bugs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p1EZH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3401" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T08:10:08.550" Title="What are these beetles/spiders on my Sambuca plant?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19692" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19691" CreationDate="2015-06-06T16:19:07.913" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look to be &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;aphids&lt;/a&gt; (plant lice). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aphids typically come in light green or black, and these are obviously the black ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;LuseFri (Swedish name?) Insect Soap should do the trick, as will a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Soapy-Water-Garden-Spray&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;home made soapy garden spray&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Garlic-Garden-Spray&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;garlic spray&lt;/a&gt;. You can make the mixture a little more effective by mixing in a bit of methylated spirit. &#xA;The green soap and spirit mix is what I use myself, but I do use it outside mainly, where I can spray in abundance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, try to get ladybugs. They are aphids natural enemies. They (and especially their larvae) can eat dozens of aphids a day. The advantage of ladybug larvae is they won't fly away, eat more lice and they look really cool if that's your thing. But for indoor plants, I think ladybugs are not a good option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3317" LastEditorUserId="3317" LastEditDate="2017-06-28T06:34:29.630" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T06:34:29.630" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19693" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19691" CreationDate="2015-06-06T16:26:42.157" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree that they are aphids and can be easily controlled with soap and water.  I recommend three applications spaced five to seven days apart to catch any eggs that hatch. Dish soap mixed at five ml per liter of water is a good ratio.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can try ladybugs but there is no guarantee they will stick around. If the aphids are not controlled by soap and water or even a brisk spray with a hose then consider cutting the branches they attacking off.  The plant will grow back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-06-06T16:26:42.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19694" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19695" CreationDate="2015-06-06T16:40:10.780" Score="2" ViewCount="143" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CwznU.png&quot; alt=&quot;Found somewhere in North Carolina&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant was found somewhere in North Carolina. Couldn't get any better pictures, because I'm asking this question on behalf of a friend of mine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9754" LastActivityDate="2015-06-06T17:52:11.530" Title="What kind of plant/shrub is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19695" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19694" CreationDate="2015-06-06T16:44:47.450" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a Cytisus or a Genista of some variety - commonly known as Broom. Usually evergreen, spring flowering shrub, doesn't take well to being pruned hard, should only be lightly clipped over immediately after flowering. No idea which one it is, nor of variety, can't see the overall growth habit and obviously, no flowers are present - the seed pods will be from this year's flowering earlier in the year. They may have viable seeds, but this plant does not necessarily come true from seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-06T17:52:11.530" LastActivityDate="2015-06-06T17:52:11.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19697" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-07T01:48:06.410" Score="3" ViewCount="5614" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to grow an onion plant from an onion bulb after learning vegetative propagation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do in this way:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Phase 1: Put the onion on a piece of wet tissue, wait for it to grow a shoot with a leaf.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Phase 2: Put the prepared onion into a box with soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I never manage to get the onion to grow a leaf. Grey rot appears on the onion after a few days and flies soon dance around it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestion of how to not get rot on the onion or any method for the onion to grow a new leaf?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11465" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-07T04:26:35.953" LastActivityDate="2017-11-02T19:38:58.957" Title="How do I propagate onions from an onion bulb?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;onions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19699" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-07T15:10:46.203" Score="1" ViewCount="70" Body="&lt;p&gt;Who can help me with identifying the plants shown in the picture below (on the left).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I grew them from large brown seed contained in a &quot;Flower Seed Mix&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mw5HF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mw5HFl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11468" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-07T17:56:18.580" LastActivityDate="2017-08-02T22:13:21.183" Title="Which species is this flower seedling?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19700" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19707" CreationDate="2015-06-07T15:56:04.720" Score="4" ViewCount="346" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have an otherwise apparently healthy euonymus in our garden, but a couple of branches have gone very pale, wide and flat with tightly bunched stunted leaves on the end. What causes this and is it anything to worry about? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VLN3J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Strange euonymus growth 1&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xSbos.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Strange euonymus growth closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11469" LastActivityDate="2015-06-07T19:37:08.770" Title="What has caused this strange growth on my euonymus?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19701" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19697" CreationDate="2015-06-07T17:08:48.220" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have always just plant onion bulbs in the ground. I do not think your Phase 1 is necessary at all. Here are a couple of links with detailed information on planting onions &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Onions&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikihow Grow Onions&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeners.com/link-page?cid=7360&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gardeners.com&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastEditorUserId="11461" LastEditDate="2017-11-02T19:38:58.957" LastActivityDate="2017-11-02T19:38:58.957" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19699" CreationDate="2015-06-07T17:57:58.360" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Judging by  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the seed description, &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the tendency to climb and &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the small tendrills at the top and&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the flattish stem&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;together with fact that it's often in &quot;seed mixes&quot;, this is most likely a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_pea&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sweet Pea&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant it near a fence or other structure where it can get a grip with the tendrils to climb or provide some other kind of support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-06-07T17:57:58.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19705" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-07T18:40:55.947" Score="5" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my chili seedlings has very narrow leaves. The picture below shows it in front of a normal seedling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question: If I wanted to propagate the plant because of this particular feature - what would I have to do? How would I establish my narrow leaf chili variety and get its seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1oUEY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is indeed a narrow leafed specimen and it is about to produce flowers. I am wondering what the fruit will look like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H9BDg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H9BDg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11472" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-06T14:26:28.327" LastActivityDate="2015-08-06T14:26:28.327" Title="How to establish a chili variety" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19706" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19710" CreationDate="2015-06-07T18:52:51.063" Score="3" ViewCount="168" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trying to decide if I should pull this. Anyone know what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sps29.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aXY8B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11473" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-18T20:15:50.527" LastActivityDate="2017-12-18T20:15:50.527" Title="Is this large-leaved perennial a weed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19707" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19700" CreationDate="2015-06-07T19:37:08.770" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is something called fasciation, caused by abnormal growth activity - as to what triggers that, there are 4 possible causes:- bacterial infection, viral infection, random genetic mutation, or injury through cold, mechanical damage or other damage. Those brown things might be adult scale - check the backs of other leaves, looking for white flecks - a heavy infestation of euonymus scale might have triggered the fasciation effect. If you find any, June is a good time to spray - Westland Resolva Bug Killer, or a systemic insecticide such as Provado Ultimate Bug Killer (more effective) should do the trick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fasciation may recur if its a result of viral activity, but usually, its an occasional event.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-07T19:37:08.770" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19708" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-07T20:34:47.260" Score="1" ViewCount="55" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a lot of work to separate lettuce seeds from the chaff! So I am hoping someone else has already tried saving lettuce seeds by saving and planting the whole unopened flower head.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone tried this, and if so, did it work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11476" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-07T23:42:39.947" LastActivityDate="2015-06-07T23:42:39.947" Title="Can I grow a new crop of lettuce by saving and planting the whole unopened flower?" Tags="&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19709" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19708" CreationDate="2015-06-07T20:49:29.953" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You question appears to be asking about unopened flowers rather than seed heads, I'm not sure that's what you mean really, you have to wait for seed to form, which necessarily means the flower has opened and been pollinated. If you collect or plant lettuce seed when its immature, it won't grow, which suggests burying the immature seed heads won't do a thing, if that's what you're asking. Immature seed is usually flatter and greener than mature seed. It's mature when it gets darker, the plant starts to dry out and is in danger of keeling over - that's the time to get the seed, before its dispersed by the wind. If you can't be bothered to faff about, just shake the mature seeds free from the plant before the wind blows them away and let them fall where they will, if you're growing more the same year. Otherwise, collect the seedheads when mature and save them somewhere dry - whether you leave the chaff in place or not doesn't really matter, provided everything is very dry; if its not all bone dry, storing it like that could ruin the seed, in which case, its best to separate the seed out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-07T20:49:29.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19710" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19706" CreationDate="2015-06-07T21:03:35.670" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would assume that this is a member of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aster_(genus)&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aster&lt;/a&gt; family,  probably a Heliantheae (Sunflower relative), either &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliopsis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Heliopsis, aka Oxeye&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinacea&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Echinacea&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This would mean that most likely it was planted and is just about to develop buds which should start opening by July. Then you should see yellow (-&gt; Oxeye) or purple flowers (-&gt; Echinacea), making identification easier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-06-07T21:03:35.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15061" CreationDate="2015-06-08T04:54:31.157" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the surface of it looks like gokarna (a local Indian name for &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clitoria_ternatea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Clitoria ternatea&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11480" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-15T14:25:52.587" LastActivityDate="2015-06-15T14:25:52.587" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19714" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-08T15:04:10.407" Score="2" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lack of water is not the problem. We've had a very wet spring here in Chicagoland. Is this due to an unfavorable soil pH or something like that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click on picture for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Lr2A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Lr2Al.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;sick Austrian pine&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11389" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-01T22:25:22.783" LastActivityDate="2016-12-01T22:25:22.783" Title="What's wrong with my Austrian pine and how can I fix it?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19714" CreationDate="2015-06-08T15:16:59.660" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ph is irrelevant for this tree - but it doesn't like heavy, wet soil, so if the symptoms its displaying have only occurred during your wet spring, it might be that. Depending on how long the tree's been showing symptoms, it might be something else altogether - if it started at the bottom, at the needle tips, and has gradually spread up the tree over a period of time including last year, it might be Sphaeropsis tip blight, an ultimately lethal fungal disease to which these trees are very susceptible, and which has no treatment once it's this far advanced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-08T15:16:59.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19717" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-08T17:12:12.000" Score="0" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;The seeds I picked are large and mostly black. Most of the green is not visible anymore. When I squeeze them to remove the pulp, the entire berry squashes. Can I dry them out to harden the seed or are they simply not ripe enough to be fertile?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2015-06-08T17:51:16.950" Title="Did I pick the black mondo grass seeds too early?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19718" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19717" CreationDate="2015-06-08T17:32:00.987" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Detailed instructions with images are here if you haven't seen it already:-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cooltropicalplants.com/Black-mondo-grass.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.cooltropicalplants.com/Black-mondo-grass.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;so if yours are simply squashing completely, it might be they weren't fully matured before you collected them, or you're squishing them too hard. They should have been completely black before collection, so I'm guessing it might have been you picked them too early. That might mean the seed isn't viable, or simply that it is, but you now can't peel them because they're too soft, so you're destroying them instead. I wouldn't try drying them out in an oven or something, but leaving them for a few days might mean they harden up - or might mean they just rot, not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-08T17:51:16.950" LastActivityDate="2015-06-08T17:51:16.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19719" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-08T19:15:23.610" Score="3" ViewCount="7242" Body="&lt;p&gt;Several leaves of my Peace Lily are turning brown directly, or after first turning yellow. I'm pretty confident I'm watering it the right amount, but the hot weather started here in Madrid about 10 days ago, and I haven't humidified the leaves in the last few days. The problem started while I was humidifying it regularly, but it has worsened quickly since the weather got warmer. Should I humidify it every day? Would more than once a day be better? Is the humidity even that important, or could another issue be causing the problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't look like it needs to be repotted, and it's not receiving direct sunlight. Since my room is very hot, do I need to move it to a different room? I hope not, since it's where I spend my time working! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, some weeks ago I put some fertilizer in water and used that to water it 3 or 4 times in a row over a period of about 16 days. It was growing nicely, but then the problem started. Was that a bad idea? Could it be related to its present state?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I keep Peace Lily alive and growing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IxK9N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;I&amp;#39;m poor Lily, and I&amp;#39;m very ill... sniff...&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding pics of roots in case there's anything wrong with them or the soil... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DCeCE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;roots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mVSKc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;roots bottom&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10933" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2018-01-30T03:32:39.153" LastActivityDate="2018-01-30T03:32:39.153" Title="Why are the leaves on my Peace Lily turning yellow and brown?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19720" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19651" CreationDate="2015-06-08T19:45:02.430" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It certainly does look like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent525/soil/soilpix/pages/collembolan_jpg.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;springtail&lt;/a&gt;. Those are great pictures, not easy to get due to their size!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The springtail is very common and has been found on every continent. They live in dark, moist places, and feed on microorganisms found at the base of plants, in mulch beds, and piles of wet leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the weather gets hot and dry, they frequently find their way into the house, often through drain pipes, which is why the first place we see them is in sinks or bathtubs. While hard to prevent, they can be diverted by putting dishes of warm, wet soil outside near downspouts or drains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you've found, some will settle into houseplants, where conditions mimic their natural habitat. They can't hurt the plant, though, and pose no danger to people or pets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Management is best accomplished by picking off the ones you see, and letting your soil dry out as frequently as possible. Also, since they like to burrow, keep your soil smooth, tamped down, and free of pieces of mulch, leaves or other debris. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are pesticides available, but springtails are very hardy, and tend to be pesticide-resistant. Also, since you're growing a food crop, chemicals are a less desirable choice. You said you're an organic gardener, so I assume you're not interested in pesticides anyway!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The good news is that the life cycle is generally only a few weeks, and some of those that survive will make their way outside, so they're more of a nuisance than anything else. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-06-08T19:45:02.430" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19721" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19705" CreationDate="2015-06-08T19:48:36.133" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I'm not sure it's a narrow leafed variety. I can see at the top of the plant that it's already starting to broaden it's leaves. I've had narrow starter leaves before and while it may be genetics, I think it's more to do with initial growing conditions. Just like they'll get tall and leggy when started inside and grow stout and much faster when grown in the summer sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I should think it would be easy to encourage a trait in chilies. It should be self propagating. All you'd need to do was keep it from being pollinated by other chilies. You can most easily do this by keeping it away from all other chili plants. Chances are, any bugs that come to pollinate it won't have spore from other chili plants to contaminate this one. Keeping in mind that some bees will pollinate many miles away from home. If you were super serious about keeping it pure, you could put a bug net around it and pollinate it yourself with a cotton swab or a feather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chances are though, that you'll do just as well, and with less effort to just let it happen naturally. Collect the best looking, most fully mature seed pods and set them on a window sill to dry. You can also string them on piece of thread through the caps, put them in a dehydrator, or bake them low and slow in the oven till dry. The oven uses a lot of power, though. If you leave them to dry naturally, leave the green caps on to prevent infection. Mine tended to turn black and rot when I broke the cap, but dried well with it on. Once the chilies are dry, they snap right off and you can shake most of the seeds out. Breaking them up gets even more. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Caution: Please use rubber gloves when handling even mild chilies. I've learned from hard experience that when you don't and then wash your hands 10 times with hot water, thinking you've gotten it all off, you'll find your mistaken when you scratch your nose and then go to the bathroom.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the seeds are dry, you can store them in airtight, dry containers, like pill bottles, film canisters, glass jars, or even paper envelopes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next year, plant a lot of seeds and cull 90-95% of the plants that are furthest from your ideal plant. Repetition will help you end up with a plant that consistently looks like you want it to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On a side note, you should also probably look for similar chilies at the plant stores that look close to what you want an let new genes infuse the plants. Just like with any other species, line breeding like this increases the desired trait, but also increases the negative traits. You may breed strong plants at first, but they could end up more and more disease prone or you may breed in some other feature you really didn't want. That's why places that breed new chili strains start out with massive green houses full of chili plants and control pollination with indoor beehives. This allows not only control, but a wide gene pool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-06-08T19:48:36.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19722" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19705" CreationDate="2015-06-08T19:58:57.017" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Dalton. I started 4 different peppers from seeds: bell, jalapeno, sweet chili, and hot chili, and mixed them up when giving away extras. The only pair I am currently sure of (and one growing recommendation is to plant them in pairs) is the sweet chilis, which have reddish leaves. Yes, you might expect the red bell peppers or the hot chili to start with reddish leaves, but that is not the case. So, as with all things: never make assumptions.  If they go into the ground in mixed up pairs, will I get Frankenstein peppers? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2015-06-08T19:58:57.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19724" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19719" CreationDate="2015-06-08T22:31:00.740" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The symptoms could be fertilizer burn but we don't know the concentration you used.  Here is an all purpose checklist&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;does the plant have drainage?  Overwatering is the most common cause plants die. Even peace lilies that I have seen sitting in water for weeks...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;take it out of the pot and look at the roots. Healthy roots are firm and white, dead roots are black and soft.  What does your plant have? Can you see any soil at the base of the root ball?  If it is ready to be repotted then you will only see roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;just to be sure you have not over fertilized it give it one watering with distilled water and let it drain. Distilled water has no dissolved salts and will grab whatever it can as it flows through the root ball.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ensure the plant is in bright diffuse light. Hot direct sun is usually too much.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see you have added some more pictures.  From them I see that&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the plant does not need re potting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it has not been over watered as the roots are firm and white&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;that leaves possible fertilizer burn as the source of the dead material on the leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you may have not understood what I meant by distilled water.  Leaving water to sit for a few days does not distill it.  Distilled water has had all dissolved minerals removed.  It is often used for steam irons.  Water it once with distilled water and this will lower the soluble salt levels that too much fertilizer may have caused.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have asked if LED lights can be harmful.  Where I live LED lights are cool to the touch and will not burn a leaf if they are too close.  They will provide beneficial light to help the plant grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regards to the dead parts of the leaves: if the whole leaf is dead then remove it at the base of the stalk.  If just part of the leaf is dead cut that part off with a pair of scissors taking care to leave a rim of dead material.  Do not make a new cut in living part of the leaf.  This is to improve the look of the plant and will not help it but if you cut into the living part of the leaf you know have a new area that will dry out or die back.  Just cut the dead tissue off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-06-10T12:39:17.153" LastActivityDate="2015-06-10T12:39:17.153" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19725" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-08T23:28:58.510" Score="4" ViewCount="188" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have recently purchased a home with a lovely cedar hedge that makes the yard quite private. In some areas, the old hedge has bare spots that seem to be called &quot;old wood&quot; showing through. From my research, these areas never seem to regrown or fill in. &#xA;What should I do? Leave it? Cut the &quot;old wood&quot; out? Will the whole hedge eventually turn like this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11484" LastActivityDate="2015-07-30T11:26:50.867" Title="Bare, old wood spots on cedar hedge" Tags="&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2015-08-03T19:44:25.717" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19726" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-09T03:15:53.397" Score="3" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;I made oswego tea for the first time tonight and my wife thought I had given her oregano tea. It was too much of a coincidence to guess that I think. She had no idea I made tea out of bee balm and the bee balm was planted right next to the oregano (probably too close now, since both have grown a lot in the last year). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard it is possible for some herbs like basil to somehow weasel their oils in to tomatoes, but is it possible to corrupt herbs in a similar way? Or does Oswego tea just more or less taste like oregano?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-06-09T07:15:31.217" LastActivityDate="2015-06-09T11:58:18.583" Title="Can herbs steal each others flavor?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;tea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19727" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19726" CreationDate="2015-06-09T11:58:18.583" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Monarda didyma, which is the variety usually used to make Oswego tea, is related to Oregano anyway - this plant is sometimes called Wild Oregano in some areas of the world, because the taste is not dissimilar (apparently, I've never tried it). So that's probably why your wife thought it was oregano. Try making oregano tea, just as an experiment, and oswego tea, and taste and compare both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-09T11:58:18.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19728" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19731" CreationDate="2015-06-09T12:49:37.820" Score="1" ViewCount="1127" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/omFNa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;top view of plant&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PbBab.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;side profile view&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This came growing out of a seed pack of &lt;em&gt;Lavandula hidcote blue&lt;/em&gt; which it obviously isn't. Now I'm kinda puzzled as to what on earth I'm carefully nurturing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I reside in Singapore, so temperatures are high all year around in the 20s to 30s as is the humidity here. This plant is seriously killing it at the whole growing-big-thing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11178" LastActivityDate="2015-06-10T13:33:09.317" Title="What is this plant with large broad serrated leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19729" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19730" CreationDate="2015-06-09T12:58:25.037" Score="1" ViewCount="303" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got something very close to &lt;a href=&quot;http://goo.gl/rmqbXq&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this trimmer&lt;/a&gt;, same brand. Some branches I want to cut are 3-3.5cm thick. Will it cut those?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2487" LastActivityDate="2015-06-10T18:06:54.293" Title="Highest branch thickness for a hedge trimmer" Tags="&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19730" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19729" CreationDate="2015-06-09T13:08:13.083" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apparently not - it says in the description the gap between teeth is 16mm (1.6cm) and that indicates the thickness it will cut through. 3-3.5cm is, obviously, more than twice that thickness. You will probably find, if you use it anyway, it will 'chew' into the thicker branches, and with a bit of persistence, may eventually get them off, but leaving behind chewed up ends instead of clean cuts. These should then be 'cleaned up' by hand with a sharp pair of secateurs or loppers, cutting below the damaged area cleanly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-10T18:06:54.293" LastActivityDate="2015-06-10T18:06:54.293" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19731" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19728" CreationDate="2015-06-09T14:45:53.367" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's definitely solanaceous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanaceae&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would guess from there it's either a Brugmansia, Datura, or an Eggplant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaf shape, arrangement, and the way the new leaves are forming, as well as the growth habit, are consistent with any of these three families. You can probably help distinguish between the three by crumpling a leaf and smelling it.  Datura and Brugmansia have strong distinctive bitter smells I don't really know how to describe it.  I don't believe that eggplant has much of an odor but I will have to check when I get home today.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The more I look at your photo the more I believe is is a brugmansia from the way new leaves are emerging from the node between the leaf and stem, but you will find out eventually as it grows more and flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11485" LastEditorUserId="11485" LastEditDate="2015-06-10T13:33:09.317" LastActivityDate="2015-06-10T13:33:09.317" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19732" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19405" CreationDate="2015-06-09T15:08:25.940" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;After feeling the stems get woody I started looking at possible trees it could be and I believe these seedlings are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/invasive_plants/weeds/rose-of-sharon.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hibiscus syriacus L.&lt;/a&gt; aka rose of Sharon,   althea, althea rose, shrub althea, shrubby Althea, Syrian rose. They're also in the area where I see the most of these seedlings. They are in the mallow family&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're a popular ornamental tree/shrub in my area but they are self seeders. They are fairly easy to control. The seedlings pull up easily and can be controlled with herbicides (distilled vinegar on a hot sunny day also does the trick) but boy do they love the Mel's Mix in my square foot garden bed. Especially when the mix was kept moist with plastic mulch over it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Early seedlings:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cf9s0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;source: &lt;a href=&quot;https://nefp.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/this-and-that/007-2-2/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://nefp.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/this-and-that/007-2-2/&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seedlings which match what my photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GDfY1.png&quot; alt=&quot;hibiscus seedlings&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.invasive.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=5399776&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.invasive.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=5399776&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flower:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0pGfS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;source: &lt;a href=&quot;https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/hibiscus-syriacus/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/hibiscus-syriacus/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-06-09T15:19:04.170" LastActivityDate="2015-06-09T15:19:04.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19733" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19735" CreationDate="2015-06-09T18:12:00.317" Score="3" ViewCount="14297" Body="&lt;p&gt;I forget the variety, but it is one of the oblong types. They taste great, much of the radish is solid as normal. But the centers have these voids (see photo). They are not from insects, and otherwise the radish tastes normal. These slices are slightly larger than a quarter in diameter, so I don't think they're overly large. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other detials:&#xA;regular water&#xA;6+ hrs sun&#xA;high organic material sandy soil in a raised bed&#xA;Long Island, New York growing area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what's going on and what can be done about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C2a0y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-06-09T19:27:12.600" Title="Why do my radishes have voids in them?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;radishes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19735" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19733" CreationDate="2015-06-09T18:53:29.320" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If radishes start to get these &quot;holes&quot; (I only know the German term, sorry, edits welcome), it means woody cells have started to form and the plant is preparing to flower (= starting to bolt). A common cause can simply be that you &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;waited a tiny bit too long to harvest and honestly, they seem quite large for the oblong type, grown outdoors, IMHO. Typically radishes mature in 21 to 28 days, especially during summer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Irregular watering, high temperatures and sometimes lack of nutritients can speed up this process, but that seems not to be the case here - taking the size into account. (But, on the other hand, don't fertilize too much or you might end up with a lot of leaves and small radishes - at least radish leaves are edible, too.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some breeds have a higher tendency to get these holes [whatever the correct term is] than others, so if you are botherred by this, switch to another breed next time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your radishes taste fine, there is nothing to worry about, but you should harvest and use your radishes soon, before they get really &quot;woody&quot; streaks that are no fun to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-06-09T19:27:12.600" LastActivityDate="2015-06-09T19:27:12.600" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19736" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19746" CreationDate="2015-06-10T02:35:50.963" Score="2" ViewCount="2347" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why is my money plant (pothos) growing such big leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://instagram.com/p/3u2cUloqIP/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://instagram.com/p/3u2cUloqIP/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/399sC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/399sC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11489" LastEditorUserId="11489" LastEditDate="2018-05-13T08:23:04.920" LastActivityDate="2018-05-13T08:23:04.920" Title="Money plant leaves are too big ~6&quot;" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="19737" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19738" CreationDate="2015-06-10T02:42:23.890" Score="2" ViewCount="523" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year, I foolishly planted a rhubarb plant (zone 5) behind a Horseradish and a raised bed. It's getting shaded out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it too late to dig it up and put it in a sunnier spot?&#xA;I've no expectation of a crop this year, but would like the plant to survive, and possibly give me a pie or two next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would it be better to wait for early fall?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-10T13:14:31.767" LastActivityDate="2015-06-10T13:14:31.767" Title="Is early June too late to transplant Rhubarb in USDA Zone 5?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;rhubarb&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19737" CreationDate="2015-06-10T03:34:51.250" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say you're best off waiting until fall, or early next spring. Transplanting shock is worse when plants are under extra stress. We're heading into summer now. The longest, hottest days of the year are just ahead of us. Transplanting now means putting the plant under extra stress from its roots being cut back just as it needs a strong root system the most. It might not be fatal, but it would be something of a worst case scenario in terms of timing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Early fall or early spring gives the plant a good few months of relatively low stress to get properly rooted in again before summer heat tests it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-06-10T03:49:29.473" LastActivityDate="2015-06-10T03:49:29.473" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19739" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-10T04:49:03.573" Score="0" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this stock photo from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photo-orange-flower-image29629535&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;dreamstime.com&lt;/a&gt; listed as &quot;Firecracker plant&quot; or &quot;Flor Cebacia&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Edvid.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11490" LastActivityDate="2015-06-10T11:34:33.827" Title="What's the name of this flower with red colored leaf?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19740" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-10T10:22:34.113" Score="7" ViewCount="744" Body="&lt;p&gt;Finally got got off the waiting list and been offered an allotment plot. It's been empty for a while and is completely covered in horsetail.&#xA;I've just been reading that Horsetail is the 'lodger from Hell' and the best I can hope for is a continual fight.&#xA;Any suggestions how to start?&#xA;Is it worth covering and mulching while I work on a small area at a time?&#xA;Should I just spent a few months weeding and not worry about planting till next year?&#xA;Any help would be appreciated, thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11491" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T08:11:05.480" Title="My new allotment plot is covered in horsetail" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19741" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19739" CreationDate="2015-06-10T10:24:53.017" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could be a single flower from the African Tulip tree, Spathodea campanulata, though it looks more like a photograph of a painting of the flower than the actual flower. The flowers on this tree grow in clusters, not individually as shown here, and there aren't any leaves or other clues as to ID to be 100% sure, so I'd have to say 95% certainty. Considered an invasive plant in some hotter regions of Australia, its a tropical plant which is highly sensitive to cool or cold temperatures. Usually evergreen, can be grown in other places such as California, where it might behave as a deciduous tree because of cooler temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-10T11:34:33.827" LastActivityDate="2015-06-10T11:34:33.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19742" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-10T11:37:12.450" Score="36" ViewCount="34458" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am new to gardening and I am starting out with tomatoes. I keep reading that tomatoes need support like a stake or a cage. However is there a reason why they can't just grow on the ground like pumpkins or watermelons? Do wild tomatoes grow with support as well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11492" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-10T13:26:59.050" LastActivityDate="2019-07-14T18:10:30.957" Title="Do tomatoes really need support to grow?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;support&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19742" CreationDate="2015-06-10T12:13:59.353" Score="33" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watermelons and pumpkins naturally grow as trailing vines across the ground. A tomato plant grows upright, holding its fruit up off the ground. They often need cages or stakes because the tomatoes get heavy enough to pull limbs or even the entire plant to the ground, potentially snapping the branches or stem in the process. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;'Wild tomatoes' bear much smaller fruits that are easier to support. Lots of breeding has gone into making tomatoes grow larger tastier fruit. The ability to stand up under its own weight has not kept up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also relevant is the issue of disease and pests. A number of diseases that can damage the fruit thrive in moist soil, letting the fruit touch the ground makes infection far more likely. Also, a number of insects will attack the fruit much more readily when it is on the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-06-10T12:47:21.903" LastActivityDate="2015-06-10T12:47:21.903" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19742" CreationDate="2015-06-10T12:21:43.483" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another reason to cage them is if you leave them on the ground, they are more prone to fungal diseases, and you really don't want those in your garden because they are hard to get rid of. I speak from experience. 4 years later and I'm still trying to eradicate the blight spores that came when one of my trellis' fell over from a wind storm and I thought it would be ok to let the tomatoes sprawl. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11347" LastActivityDate="2015-06-10T12:21:43.483" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19745" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19500" CreationDate="2015-06-10T12:30:25.410" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've said watering was 'tricky' and you were worried more about over watering and rotting. When a plant flowers, its water supplies should be increased, because if there isn't enough fluid around, fruit initiation doesn't occur and the flowers simply fall off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the angle of the photograph, its difficult to tell whether it might also be somewhat rootbound because I can't judge the depth of the pot - if it is, it would need more frequent watering, so I'd usually advise you to turn it out of its pot, or at least check the bottom to see if there are roots hanging out. Turning it out of its pot is a better way to tell, but the pot you've used, unfortunately, is narrower at the top than it is in the middle, so the only way that plant is coming out is if you break the pot, if it is rootbound. Certainly, if its been in the same pot for three years, it likely needs potting on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-10T12:30:25.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19746" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19736" CreationDate="2015-06-10T12:45:34.543" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the pothos plant.  It has two forms: juvenile with small leaves and mature with very large leaves. More details &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/5537/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the vine is in a good situation the leaves double or triple in size and become lobed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-06-10T12:45:34.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19747" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-10T12:57:53.110" Score="4" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just don't get it - I have a number of roses and it is June in the UK now. Granted, it has not rained much nor been overly sunny but I can't get my head around the fact that hardly anything in my garden has blossomed?! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had the great number of 1...yes, ONE rose that has come through and that's it. Normally, as in the last few years, I have had 50 times that much by now. Even my plum tree (albeit about 3 years old and small) has only got 2 plums that are growing - I remember last year (when it was smaller) it had loads more - about 10-15.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have not watered much as I did last year so that could be it but it has not been dry so I would have thought something would have come through  -really disappointed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did prune a bit last year in about September/October to hope that this year I would have had more then last year - but the opposite has happened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the roses that did blossom last year do not have any of those fat things that a rose comes out from (not sure what they are called) - its like all the roses as doing is just growing leaves!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Makes it worse when I see other people's gardens that clearly are not taken care of having more roses and blossomed then mine!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11493" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-06-14T04:32:44.447" LastActivityDate="2015-08-13T05:38:29.987" Title="Why aren't my roses and fruit trees blooming as much as they did last year?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;blossom-end-rot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19748" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19740" CreationDate="2015-06-10T15:04:52.740" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are willing to put in the time weeding, just go ahead and plant - might as well &lt;strong&gt;get something useful&lt;/strong&gt; grown while you are weeding. Horsetail is a pain to get rid of but really easy to spot, and it does not tend to shade out your actual crop plants - just keep pulling it whenever you spot it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try the usual methods (smother crops, solarizing, etc) but horsetail and cockroaches will be the flora and fauna that are still here after armageddon, IME, thus my suggestion to get on with growing something useful. Of the nasty persistent weeds I have to put up with, it's the least offensive in many ways (I'll trade you ALL my creeping buttercup for horsetail.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-06-10T15:04:52.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19749" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19740" CreationDate="2015-06-10T16:15:53.353" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried various ways to control this weed including herbicides, vinegar, boiling water and propane torch.  This weed can spread underneath a flagstone that is two feet wide and pop up on the other side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most effective method is to manually pick the tails after they have grown a few inches tall or more. If you keep doing this year after year they will loose vigor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another effective method is to put a barrier in the soil around your plot. I like EPDM food grade pond liner.  You can dig a trench six or eight inches deep, place the liner inside and backfill with soil.  Follow up with hand picking and you should see results in a few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-06-11T01:00:32.953" LastActivityDate="2015-06-11T01:00:32.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19750" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-10T16:46:56.030" Score="4" ViewCount="392" Body="&lt;p&gt;The majority of the radishes I harvested were of this form - bent so that part grew parallel to the soil above the ground, with the stalk taking another 90 degree turn to return to vertical. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What happened?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lNRln.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-13T02:59:42.380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-13T06:14:17.080" Title="Why are my radishes malformed?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;radishes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19751" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20172" CreationDate="2015-06-10T17:59:12.483" Score="5" ViewCount="1515" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing some indoor citrus trees from seeds and found the seeds to mostly all sprout two plants. They are all about 1.5 inches tall right now and for each pair of plants one is clearly larger and taller than the other. I am worried that having two growing so close to each other will end up hurting both. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dNHj4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking of just cutting the smaller one off at ground level to let the larger one grow freely. Is this a good idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there even a problem at all or should I just leave them be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11495" LastEditorUserId="11495" LastEditDate="2015-06-13T14:58:04.237" LastActivityDate="2015-07-21T14:35:31.860" Title="Should I kill off one of the plants from a polyembryonic citrus seed to let the other grow?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19752" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19742" CreationDate="2015-06-10T18:48:16.067" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to the good points made by the other answers, at least in my experience, it's also important to keep the &lt;em&gt;leaves and branches&lt;/em&gt; off of the ground, not just the fruit. Branches and leaves dragging the ground (or even hanging low enough to the ground to be splashed by soil during rain) can get &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/fungal-spots/septoria-leaf-spot-of-tomato.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Septoria Leaf Spot&lt;/a&gt;, which will quickly kill off the foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XcAhm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XcAhm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Septoria Leaf Spot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Image Source: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/fungal-spots/septoria-leaf-spot-of-tomato.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Missouri Botanical Garden&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11496" LastEditorUserId="11496" LastEditDate="2019-07-14T18:10:30.957" LastActivityDate="2019-07-14T18:10:30.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="19753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19747" CreationDate="2015-06-10T18:50:16.900" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You say you're in the UK - I don't know where you are in the UK, but even in the south here, its been unusually cool, windy and we've even had a couple of light frosts overnight this week, which isn't normal at all. Gardens I go to where I usually do a hard cut back of certain shrubs after flowering at the end of May were in a similar condition - I couldn't cut back because flowering hadn't happened yet, although the buds were present. We have had sun, but the air temperature is still low, more as it is in April than June, and that may well account for some of the problems you're seeing, in particular with your plum tree, its possible the blossom was caught by late frost. Otherwise, although there has been some rain, windy weather does dry things out a lot faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the roses, the word you're grasping for presumably is 'bud' when you mention 'fat things'... roses aren't too bad at coping with cool temperatures, but if you're towards the north, then perhaps its just been a bit too cool. It might be useful if you could add some photos to your question, particularly of the roses you're concerned about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-10T18:50:16.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19754" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-10T19:23:20.007" Score="2" ViewCount="1563" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a house that came with a hose reel - they left it behind. But I can't imagine it's broken as it seems so simple. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I added a picture - but it's not the one I have. Basically though the hoses work and are not kinked or clogged but no water comes out to the long hose from what I circled in red. All you get out of that connect is drops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZV8iA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hose reel example&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11177" LastEditorUserId="11177" LastEditDate="2015-06-17T16:10:47.323" LastActivityDate="2015-06-17T16:10:47.323" Title="Hose Reel Problems" Tags="&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19754" CreationDate="2015-06-10T20:13:33.157" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hose reels can and do go bad, though yours sounds somewhat atypical. Usually water sprays everywhere (except out the hose) as the rotating seals fail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Diagnostic one - remove the 2 foot hose from the reel - does water&#xA;flow from the faucet to the end of the 2 foot hose? Mud wasps or&#xA;various other things can plug up even a very short hose.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Diagnostic two - with water out the short hose, remove the long hose&#xA;    from the reel and see if water comes out the the connector on the&#xA;    reel - same issues.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Diagnostic three - check that water flows through the long hose when&#xA;    connected directly to the faucet.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you pass all those, then it should work with the hose on the reel. If you don't, you'll have a better idea where to look.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-06-10T20:13:33.157" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19756" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19742" CreationDate="2015-06-11T02:37:34.943" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It really depends on a lot of stuff. In humid to somewhat humid areas, you're probably going to have a lot more issues if you don't stake, cage or trellis your tomatoes, because there tend to be more opportunities for fungal diseases and perhaps more harmful tomato pests in areas like that. In my area, which is dry and has clay to clay loam soil (and pretty much just aphids, cutworms and whiteflies to worry about), it doesn't cause a lot of problems. Bugs (such as pill bugs) will occasionally eat from tomatoes on the ground, but it's really not that common in my experience (in my area). In fact, when the tomatoes vine on the ground, the leaves cover the ground better to retain moisture in the soil. However, the tomatoes will be more crowded and may not look as neat, and they may crawl all over each other (or themselves) and fight for space and sun. Tomatoes can be intelligently aggressive. You may also have to search through leaves to check for fruit more. You'll likely never be able to pick tomatoes while standing up if you grow them on the ground. This may make harvesting take more effort. Some tomato plants may also grow more slowly if you don't stake them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Determinate and indeterminate tomatoes behave differently, and typically the indeterminate ones are those that companies routinely recommend that you stake/cage/trellis (because they have a vining habit and grow indefinitely until it frosts or such). Determinate ones are more bushy and plants normally don't vine around or grow forever. There are also semi-determinate tomatoes that are somewhat in between (like Roma).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different varieties of tomatoes behave differently, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Notwithstanding the advantages of staking/caging/trellising, I've rarely done it, although I want to this year, since I'm growing more plants in the available space than usual. We get plenty of tomatoes when they grow on the ground. So, it definitely can be practical to let them crawl on the ground, but not necessarily in every area or climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-06-11T02:45:59.787" LastActivityDate="2015-06-11T02:45:59.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19758" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19742" CreationDate="2015-06-11T12:21:25.050" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've grown indeterminate tomatoes without cages or support. They take up a lot of ground space that way, and compete with each other at the normal &lt;em&gt;caged&lt;/em&gt; tomato spacing. Don't get many fruit, but that &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; change if you grant them the room they want. Having met disaster, I've never done this second experiment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2015-06-11T12:21:25.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19759" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7836" CreationDate="2015-06-11T15:54:24.750" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The stench from drowning/rotting bindweed is terrible. I found this out the hard way, when a bin of it got rained in and forgotten. Though perhaps good compost! I am going to try the method of leaving it out in the sun using a milk crate, so it can dry out while getting good air flow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11506" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-06-13T20:25:21.153" LastActivityDate="2015-06-13T20:25:21.153" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19760" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19761" CreationDate="2015-06-11T17:32:12.380" Score="4" ViewCount="2201" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sensitive to pollen, dust, and pet dander, but my wife wants a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassula_ovata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;jade plant&lt;/a&gt; for our apartment.  As far as I know, jade plants are a non-fragrant plant, and shouldn't produce any allergens, but I've never owned one before. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can a jade plant cause any issues for those sensitive to allergens?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11510" LastEditorUserId="11510" LastEditDate="2015-06-11T18:02:47.220" LastActivityDate="2015-06-11T18:02:47.220" Title="Can a jade plant agitate allergies?" Tags="&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19761" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19760" CreationDate="2015-06-11T17:58:11.330" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If, when you say jade plant, you mean Crassula ovata, it should be fine - will need dusting to keep your allergy problems down though. It does flower, which means pollen, but rarely indoors and only after several years and only then if its in a very sunny spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might find the following article useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.beyondallergy.com/indoor-allergies/allergies-to-house-plants.php&quot;&gt;http://www.beyondallergy.com/indoor-allergies/allergies-to-house-plants.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-11T17:58:11.330" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18168" CreationDate="2015-06-11T18:25:12.220" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's some form of Yucca. I moved it from the front to the back and I can report it is still alive and looking very nice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11177" LastActivityDate="2015-06-11T18:25:12.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19764" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-11T20:25:31.670" Score="4" ViewCount="487" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this plant from Home Depot a few weeks ago. I threw out the tag and original container it came in and i cannot remember what it was called. Can anyone identify them for me?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9uaR2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;trailing plant with red blooms&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v3XBs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;trailing plant with yellow blooms&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11513" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-06-11T22:42:18.263" LastActivityDate="2015-06-12T15:13:10.543" Title="What are these trailing plants with yellow or red flowers and gray leaves called?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19765" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19740" CreationDate="2015-06-12T12:23:44.347" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is hard to remove, because its roots may be meters deep in the ground, and it is resistant to many herbicides. It's also one of the first plants to emerge after a volcano eruption and one of the last to die in polluted areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, it need soil with plenty of silicium (sandy or clay), it doesn't like shade, and it grows best on poor, bare soil. So the best way to surpress it is probably to alter the soil by applying plenty of fertilizers and grow other vegetation that overshadows it. However, I don't think you will get rid of it very easily. After all, the plant has deep roots, and a thin top layer of well fertilized humus won't stop it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3317" LastActivityDate="2015-06-12T12:23:44.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19473" CreationDate="2015-06-12T13:42:10.363" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure about PVC, but if you do decide to switch to drip hose (which I would also recommend), you can find low-volume emitters to control saturation at the low end of your garden. This way you can decide hole spacing based on the positions of your plants and let the hardware determine the water volumes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, for those who don't know, industrial irrigation stores is the place to go to for this kind of stuff. Usually they have parts in hand for farmhands needing to do an emergency fix. The options are way better and you can buy only the individual pieces that you need. I don't typically spend more than $5 on a garden setup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11516" LastActivityDate="2015-06-12T13:42:10.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19767" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19764" CreationDate="2015-06-12T13:50:24.017" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like it could be some sort of Delosperma, or Ice plant.  Or even some sort of sedum.  Of course you could always go back to HD and see if they still have the plants and find out for sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2015-06-12T13:50:24.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19768" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16325" CreationDate="2015-06-12T13:52:50.840" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't be too quick to rule out underground pipe. You don't have to dig up your bricks. We were taught to handle this situation by putting garden hose to the pvc pipe and boring underneath. Here's an example: &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/3Kv9x8bAWVM?t=1m23s&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/3Kv9x8bAWVM?t=1m23s&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11516" LastActivityDate="2015-06-12T13:52:50.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19769" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19714" CreationDate="2015-06-12T13:55:15.453" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be needle cast.  A type of fungus that you need to proactively treat in the spring before the new candles break.  Oh what Bamboo said...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2015-06-12T13:55:15.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19770" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19725" CreationDate="2015-06-12T13:59:46.843" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;With enough light and fertilizer they should backbud on the old wood.  I think.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2015-06-12T13:59:46.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19771" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19764" CreationDate="2015-06-12T15:05:48.063" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like purslane (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Portulaca oleracea&lt;/a&gt;) to me, or else another species of plant in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Portulaca genus&lt;/a&gt;. Plants in this genus are known as Moss Rose, and it would be normal to find them in a store like The Home Depot. They may also have other colors of flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-06-12T15:13:10.543" LastActivityDate="2015-06-12T15:13:10.543" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19773" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19790" CreationDate="2015-06-13T01:25:13.893" Score="4" ViewCount="1756" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm located in southeast Pennsylvania and recently seeded around a new patio with Scott's EZ Seed.  I'm getting things to grow, but I don't know if this is a weed or grass or the type of grass.  I've provided the seeds that the Scott's EZ Seed contained along with a shot of the rest of the grass.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IFEy0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close Up&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fdGNf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;EZ Seed Label&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zPnw9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Top View&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4653" LastActivityDate="2015-06-15T12:41:10.227" Title="Is this a grass or weed or what type of grass?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19775" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-13T02:47:06.543" Score="1" ViewCount="656" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to ask what plants these are from the left to the right (scientific name would be better)? I bought the left one 2 years ago, and the seller said that it was Welsh onion. However, when I searched in the internet, it does not look like that very much, and it is more closely related to rakkyo. I'd like to ask for confirmation? Also, what is the scientific name for the one in the middle? I&quot;m not sure if it is A. fistolosum? It's commonly bought in our markets here in the Philippines. Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WnSpz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This is the image I&amp;#39;m referring to:&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CvWad.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Here&amp;#39;s another picture of the &amp;quot;Welsh Onion&amp;quot; I supposedly bought:&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ztwEM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;And a zoomed version of the supposed &amp;quot;Welsh Onion&amp;quot;. Notice that there are bulbs. To add to that, I&amp;#39;m having a hard time identifying due to the absence of flowers for the two years I planted it. &quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9720" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2015-09-11T03:19:24.430" LastActivityDate="2016-01-31T09:24:30.727" Title="Plant Identification: Allium Species" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;onions&gt;&lt;spring-onions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19776" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8955" CreationDate="2015-06-13T02:48:25.343" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Topics answer depends on what percentage of crown remains alive. &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;30% or less damage is treatable consensus between experts today.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; Oddly not one of those diagnosing Arborist proclaimed trees were too damaged to recover with treatment. Not even one from the 16 in various conditions. Be aware that any existing damage will adversely effect insecticide uptake. And even though good possibility tree recovers once EAB free, crown could be misshapen for years to come. **Is treatment needed for rest of trees life, like those four experts &quot;theorized&quot;?  ** Scientific field studies in part of Mi. where EAB first arrived revealed fact that danger from damaging &quot;infestation&quot; population thresholds inevitably subsides within 12-15 years of first local detection, once Borers kill off their remaining &quot;Untreated&quot; food source. Here is link to video containing scientific details. &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/2R3ef1WT5yc&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/2R3ef1WT5yc&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EAB does not &lt;em&gt;infect&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;disease&lt;/em&gt; trees like Dutch elm disease does, and they do not bore deeply into structural heartwood...National Park service is patriotically protecting Jefferson's 200 old Green Ash w/300 yr. lifespan at Monticello, and George Washington's 250+ old White Ash with 600 year possible lifespan. &lt;em&gt;Tip: Always get several quotes since not every certified Arborist is an EAB expert!&lt;/em&gt; Official Source &lt;a href=&quot;http://emeraldashborer.info/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://emeraldashborer.info/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11519" LastEditorUserId="11519" LastEditDate="2015-09-22T04:45:00.090" LastActivityDate="2015-09-22T04:45:00.090" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19777" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-13T02:58:17.903" Score="4" ViewCount="405" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what pest this is, but it is eating the roots of my pomegranate shrub. I saw it once on the top soil, and, when digging into the soil, I unearthed around 15 of these pests. I need to know what this is, so that I can apply the proper pest control. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the Philippines, and a friend of mine said that it is common in their place, and loves to eat rhizomes and members of the potato family. She said that in their province, they call it &quot;batag.&quot; Another friend said they call it &quot;cutter&quot; since it cuts the roots of the plant and sometimes the stems. Another said that it is &quot;ulalo.&quot; I'm really confused, so any identification would really help. Here are the pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gisCC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gisCCm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f6SWh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f6SWhm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9720" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-13T22:18:46.953" LastActivityDate="2015-11-13T22:18:46.953" Title="What are these pests that are eating my pomegranate roots, and how can I control them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19778" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19780" CreationDate="2015-06-13T03:26:51.827" Score="2" ViewCount="3457" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to plant some Lilac but may be cursed with Missouri clay. Will Lilac generally do OK if planted in clay-rich soil? What is a good way to start a new planting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11520" LastActivityDate="2020-02-28T05:56:31.780" Title="Will Lilac do well in soil with a high concentration of clay?" Tags="&lt;clay&gt;&lt;lilac&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19779" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-03T20:26:29.233" Score="5" ViewCount="130" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are trying to establish a permaculture farm in northwestern New York. We have very sandy soil, and everything we grow is ideal food for the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetonia_aurata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;rose chafer beetle&lt;/a&gt;. We first noticed them last year and tried to fight them. We thought we had controlled them, but instead they had just finished their life cycle. We were infested last year, so each year it is going to get worse. I really don't want to use pesticides. These beetles are known to be poisonous to poultry and other birds. The only suggestions I have found are to use row covers and monitor plants from May through mid July, hand pick if not infested, place bait traps every 100 feet, or release parasitic nematodes. I do not know the cost or what type of traps Ohio State is suggesting, but the nematodes seem to be running $99.99 for 50 million, and we would need 6 of those just for the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Dana" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-11-15T18:34:59.380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-15T18:34:59.380" Title="What sustainable and affordable way is there to control rose chafer beetles?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;sustainability&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19778" CreationDate="2015-06-13T12:15:29.053" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends on the variety of lilac to an extent - the smaller, dwarf bush types are more finicky about soil conditions, but any variety from Syringa vulgaris (Purple Sensation or Madame Lemoine for instance, many others) will be less so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lilacs do not like wet feet, particularly in winter, so if you have heavy soil, its best to find a spot which slopes a little and plant the lilacs above the bottom of the slope, so that water can drain down away from the lilac roots. The soil should be well cultivated and improved before planting by adding plenty of humus rich material, such as composted manures and the like. Ph of the soil might be an issue, as you have clay, and its probably worth testing that - they're happiest in a neutral ph, or slightly alkaline, slightly acid, so a ph between 6.5 to 7.5 is ideal. They prefer full sun, but will grow well with less than half a day's shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-13T12:15:29.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19781" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1375" CreationDate="2015-06-13T16:55:49.403" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Washed river sand (coarse grit) and or perlite added to your potting mix will help with drainage and aeration; avocados hate wet feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11522" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-13T18:44:42.657" LastActivityDate="2015-06-13T18:44:42.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19782" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19784" CreationDate="2015-06-13T19:37:51.010" Score="5" ViewCount="1713" Body="&lt;p&gt;I moved into my new house about a year ago now and this rose bush was in the yard already looking very forlorn without much foliage at all. It's card calls it a 'Mum in a Million' type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've since fed it with some Miracle Grow and it recovered, but this spring it seems to just continue to grow upwards without bushing at all. Is this normal? How can I tempt it into putting leaves out on the lower stems and producing more flowers? I have no gardening experience at all to fall back on, so am keen for some advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Currently it produces 1-3 flowers over the summer, usually one at a time, and they'll last for about 3 days before wilting, at which point I just prune the dead head off just under the bud.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is how it's looking currently.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mvWYc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Rose bush with leaves only at the top&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11523" LastActivityDate="2015-06-13T20:57:43.770" Title="How can I get more foliage and flowers on my rose?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19783" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7912" CreationDate="2015-06-13T19:59:37.510" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If possible, use raised beds, or lined beds, in part to keep the alkalinity out.  Composted medium, if there are lots of coconut trees; find dead thoroughly rotted ones that can be added to the mix. Compost is everything; with this method you may need to lower the pH as the pH is a little higher with composted material. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the atolls I have made gardens for 37 years. I am looking forward to returning to some new life sustaining killer gardens and  growing fruit trees.     &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11524" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-14T13:36:22.873" LastActivityDate="2015-06-14T13:36:22.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19784" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19782" CreationDate="2015-06-13T20:12:06.023" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd be interested to know how much sun this one gets planted where it is - roses always do better if they get as much sun as possible, and yours may be growing upwards in a desperate effort to find more sun or light. This one's ultimate height is 1.5 metres, which is quite tall for a hybrid tea rose, and might mean this is its growth habit anyway, though it does look particularly lanky, thin and weak.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, drastic action is called for - you need a good, sharp pair of secateurs and a bit of courage, because you've just got time to do this before you won't be able to, which is when we get into July. If you don't want to risk it now, you can do this last week of February or first week of March next year, or later in March if the weather is freezing cold, but omit the rose food at that time. Cut it down - if that wall next to it blocks light, then don't take it any lower than that. Remove all dead, thin, crossing, damaged and weak stems at the base of the plant, which, from looking at it, quite possibly means you'll just have two or three stems left, one of which is quite strong, and probably a couple of weaker ones. On the stems you're keeping, cut at a point where there is an outward facing bud, if you can find one (looks like a little bump on the stem) and angle your cut downwards, away from the bud. Get a specialist rose food, such as Toprose, and apply that immediately after cutting back (unless its early spring), according to the instructions on the box, turn it lightly into the soil at the base. Also get a bag of composted animal manure - spread some of that about an inch or two deep on the top of the soil around the base of the rose, without burying the stems any deeper than they are now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep watered during very dry spells, but if the rose has been in situ for longer than two years, unless we have a drought lasting three months, its unlikely to need watering. Sit back and wait... and next year, in early spring, prune back again if its put on some growth, in exactly the same manner, except you don't need to take any main, thicker stems down so low if its growing well. Feed with the rose food in April and again in June, add more composted manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for deadheading, you should use the secateurs for that too, cutting back to the nearest outward facing (away from the centre of the bush) bud above a leaf, again, angling the cut away from the bud. This might mean you remove as much as 10 inches of stem next year if its flowering and growing strongly, but more usually, 6 to 8 inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the rose is in a relatively sunless position, it may still be thin and weak when it grows - but the treatment prescribed above will give it the best chance of growing healthily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-13T20:57:43.770" LastActivityDate="2015-06-13T20:57:43.770" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19740" CreationDate="2015-06-13T23:00:29.603" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have used RoundUp on horsetail and it worked to a large extent, but…&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Horsetail needed to be damaged with a soft broom first, as otherwise the herbicides just runs off it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You will not get all of it the first time, so repeat every few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then you just need to pull up by hand EVERY bit that comes up, every few days and it will get defeated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="231" LastActivityDate="2015-06-13T23:00:29.603" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19787" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-14T17:16:37.003" Score="4" ViewCount="125" Body="&lt;p&gt;To make my garden soil less acidic, I have sprayed a 1 percent aqueous solution of dolomite to control the spread of horsetail. Will this measure help me achieve the desired result?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11526" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-14T19:43:42.097" LastActivityDate="2015-06-15T16:34:27.527" Title="equisetum and soil pH" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19788" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-14T21:41:04.280" Score="3" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;Right now I am transporting a potted avocado (just potted the seed) from one state to another, and I am finding that I really enjoy carrying around this pot with life growing in it. Are there any species of plants that would readily lend themselves to being grown entirely when one is walking around with them? I assume that such a plant would be hardy, have shallow roots, not be very picky with climate, and be able to fit in a small pot that could be held with one hand, can anyone suggest such suitable species of plants? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11527" LastEditorUserId="11527" LastEditDate="2015-06-15T20:32:12.773" LastActivityDate="2015-06-16T13:04:33.503" Title="Plants that can be carried around?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19789" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19787" CreationDate="2015-06-14T22:51:02.163" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think this solution will have any effect. This is based on my experience where I live so there is still a possibility it will work. Gardening is not a science and results differ widely due to climate, soil types and variation within a species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;trying to change the ph of your soil by applying acid or alkaline solutions will only cause a short term change in the soil conditions. Unless you amend the soil and add lime or acid yearly pH changes will be minimal&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;where I live I am surrounded by limestone. The soil is alkaline and the groundwater is alkaline.  The equisetum in my garden seems quite vigorous at a soil pH of 7.1.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/19740/499&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; on control methods may be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-06-15T16:34:27.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19790" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19773" CreationDate="2015-06-15T12:41:10.227" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's grass, I couldn't tell you what kind, but it's definitely grass. If you mow it, it will start to lead out lower to the ground. Start with a tall cut and work it lower through the season until you reach the height you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most grasses &quot;except clump grasses&quot; can be trained to be mowed very low if desired, however the flip side is you need to water a short lawn because the grass doesn't shade the soil from the drying sun when it's short.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut mine the highest setting, it helps the grass stay green in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-06-15T12:41:10.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19791" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19792" CreationDate="2015-06-15T13:09:49.420" Score="3" ViewCount="2674" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was pruning some &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forsythia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;forsythia&lt;/a&gt;, and I noticed that there was a hole through the center of many of the major woody parts. It looks as if (only) the pith had been bored out. I'm wondering what could cause this, or if it's common.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I saw only a few mentions of this online: one &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenstew.com/threads/losing-forsythia-plants-leaves-turn-pale-green-to-brown.16271/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;question with no answer&lt;/a&gt; and another &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2084760/holes-in-forsythia-help&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;that seems to suggest that this is normal in older wood&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope the description is adequate; I could take a picture of the trimmings if it's not clear (not my plants and I didn't think to snap a picture). The plants are otherwise reasonably healthy-looking, and flowered well this past season. Is this normal/common in healthy forsythia? Wood-boring insects?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6932" LastActivityDate="2019-09-04T16:56:19.147" Title="What causes holes through forsythia branches?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19792" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19791" CreationDate="2015-06-15T16:32:58.747" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have worked with Forsythia ovata and the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.canadaplants.ca/display.php?id=903&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Northern Gold&lt;/a&gt; cultivar and observed hollow stems on the older woody growth.  This is not too unusual with woody plants as the core of the stem is not actively growing tissue and often used for storage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.britannica.com/plant/green-stem-forsythia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;encyclopedia article&lt;/a&gt; mentions an additional three Forsythia species with hollow stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a natural feature that is not due to pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-06-15T16:32:58.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19793" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19788" CreationDate="2015-06-15T17:04:08.843" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would suggest sempervivum tectorum (AKA Hens and Chicks, or Live Forever). It has shallow roots, is hardy, etc. You'll likely need to get some sun once in a while, though. It's an evergreen perennial that withstands frosts, cold, snow and heat well. Most people think it needs lots of sun, but it grows well in outdoor shade, too. It can even live quite a while without soil or water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-06-15T17:22:01.963" LastActivityDate="2015-06-15T17:22:01.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19742" CreationDate="2015-06-15T19:38:13.830" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I put up inexpensive 5 foot screening from Home Depot this year as a universal trellis to hold: tomatoes, cukes, squash, peas, and brussles sprouts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;End of season summary: I got about 100 cuckes off one plant, have already harvested two winter squash, and will probably harvest nearly 1000 black cherry tomatoes off two plants; all growing up that trellis. I cut back the Brandywine tomatoes a bit too much, but will still end up with about 40 off 4 plants. Zucchini and Roma tomatoes did not grow up the trellis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tomatillos are tricky. I grew them upright last and this year. Last year I go very few. This year I was getting few, but I cut the plant back to about 50% and some started to fill out the husks. However, my daughter-in-law took one of my seedling and planted it in her pallet garden, mostly ignored it because she wasn;t sure what it was, and has harvested about 50 full size tomatillos to my 20 tiny ones. The big difference is her's is sprawled out on the ground. But tomatillos are hard and have husks, and maybe like growing more as a bush than a climber.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastEditorUserId="3054" LastEditDate="2015-09-15T13:37:11.753" LastActivityDate="2015-09-15T13:37:11.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19795" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-15T19:53:16.543" Score="2" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;My yard contains a good amount of Missouri clay and I would like to plant some day lilies; will they survive/thrive in thick soil like this? Also, do they do well in direct sun or shade and what type of irrigation do they prefer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11520" LastActivityDate="2015-06-22T13:40:12.120" Title="RE: Missouri Clay - how well will day lilies (Hemerocallis fulva) grow in this mixture of soil?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;clay&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19796" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-15T21:11:29.053" Score="4" ViewCount="3047" Body="&lt;p&gt;The top picture is a gardenia plant I purchased back in February of this year. It looks healthy, and the leaves are all green, but for some odd reason, it remains the same height, and nothing much has changed with it since then. I feed it with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miraclegro.com/smg/goprod/miracle-gro-plant-food/prod70342&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; at least once a month, but am puzzled as to why it just won't seem to grow.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dzsvL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;The same is true of the container plants in the other pictures, each of which I also got in February. I moved them all outside about a month ago, after struggling for months to get them to grow indoors. &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6WPST.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;What should I do to make my plants healthy and keep them growing? &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WPIhd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YFQWG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Gardenia I got in February&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i0Chl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Porthos which I have had since February of 2015&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W1I1x.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another plant, maybe Jasmine, that I got in February 2015 as well&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kgbfh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Succulents I have been trying to grow since, you guessed it February.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastEditorUserId="6781" LastEditDate="2015-06-23T16:43:47.150" LastActivityDate="2015-06-23T16:43:47.150" Title="Why aren't my young plants growing, even with proper nutrition?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19797" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19798" CreationDate="2015-06-15T22:06:48.137" Score="4" ViewCount="1238" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several (trellised) watermelon plants that are about a foot tall by now. One of them, oddly enough, has flowers already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my first time trying to grow watermelons, but it seems like it's way too early for any of them to be flowering yet. I thought the time it took from seed to fruit 72 days (at least on the packet), and that flowers wouldn't appear until closer to when it was time to grow fruit. It's been something like 3 weeks I think.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I pinch off the flowers to encourage the plant to grow some more? Or should I let it be and be happy that I have an exceptionally eager watermelon plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2015-06-16T14:28:30.827" LastActivityDate="2015-06-16T14:28:30.827" Title="What should I do with a watermelon plant that has flowered much too early?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;watermelon&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19798" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19797" CreationDate="2015-06-16T02:46:52.280" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The flowers you are seeing now are likely male flowers. Watermelons start producing male flowers a week or two in advance of when they start making female blossoms, and it's the female blossoms that actually produce fruit. Early season varieties (like Sugar Baby) can start setting flowers as early as 4 weeks from the day they germinate. And as Ecnerwal says, even an early season variety takes a lot more than 12 days to get from flower to ripened fruit. Under ideal conditions for a fast maturing watermelon a month might be possible, but 40-45 days is probably more reasonable. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pinching back the blooms would likely have no positive impact, if the plant thinks it's ready to start growing fruits it's going to keep trying to set them until you give up. Let the plant do what nature and breeding has designed it to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-06-16T02:46:52.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19799" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-16T03:33:10.550" Score="1" ViewCount="812" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have dark brown spots appearing on my very large Philodendron and have no idea what is causing them. They are not turning yellow like the soil is too dry or they are getting too much sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any ideas what might be causing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11535" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-16T03:43:33.370" LastActivityDate="2015-06-16T03:43:33.370" Title="What is causing brown spots on my Philodendron?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-09-14T15:07:21.330" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19800" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-16T05:57:38.833" Score="3" ViewCount="497" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to connect my garden hose to my &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Toba-Mono-Mixer-Kitchen-Sink-Tap-Chrome/p/207006&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;kitchen tap&lt;/a&gt; which looks like this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8NGb6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I foolishly bought &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hozelock.com/watering/hose-fittings/connect-to-tap/2177---indoor-round-tap-connector.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.hozelock.com/watering/hose-fittings/connect-to-tap/2177---indoor-round-tap-connector.html&lt;/a&gt; but the bevel on my tap stops the connector from holding on properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HD6ss.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What sort of connector can I buy that will give a reliable connection?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11536" LastActivityDate="2015-07-17T00:11:37.133" Title="What type of hose connector will fit my kitchen tap?" Tags="&lt;hoses&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19801" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19807" CreationDate="2015-06-16T11:22:50.953" Score="4" ViewCount="183" Body="&lt;p&gt;A bed of strawberries has been harvested and the bushes have been cut back to ground level. I'm thinking about breaking up approx. the top 10-15 cm of soil (with a spade), because it's very dry and packed right now. In the process I would undoubtedly cut and destroy many strawberry roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So here is my question: Is it correct to assume that the roots (and hence the bushes) will be able to recover until later this season or until next season. (There are still several months left in our growing season.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-16T13:34:09.343" LastActivityDate="2015-06-26T20:58:55.483" Title="Breaking up soil in a bed which grew strawberries" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19802" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19788" CreationDate="2015-06-16T13:04:33.503" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, if you really are serious, I'll post my comment as an answer - many plants are good in cold or hot temperatures. What they're not good at is switching between one and the other every few hours, so if, for instance, its a cold winter's day, and you carry your plant out and about with you, then go to an office or a home which is heated, and you do this on a continual basis, the transition shock to the plant is extreme. Or in reverse - extreme heat outdoors, air con set on cold indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore, about the only plant that might (and its only might) withstand this treatment for a period of time would be a desert type cactus - as it needs to be small, something like Rebutia miniscula.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-16T13:04:33.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19801" CreationDate="2015-06-16T13:28:03.830" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know that I'd tear it up, because you'll probably loose the plants. If you wanted to try and keep the plants healthy and loosen the soil, you could try a couple of things. I'd dig a few holes about 6&quot; deep around the bed and bury kitchen scraps, like fruit peels and empty corn cobs. Then I'd put a layer of compost on top. Not enough to bury the plants, but a good amount. Then I'd water it once or twice a week. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few things will happen here. One is that the worms will come to eat the food and will &quot;till&quot; up your garden bed. Another is that the compost will help put nutrients back into the ground, as well as helping to hold water in, like mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option, is apparently something that works instead of tilling. It's a bunch of organisms I believe. I saw it on the youtube channel &quot;Growing your greens&quot;. You could search 'no till' or something like that on his channel to get the actual brand, but it was an additive that added helpful bacteria to the soil that processed it and in some manner was supposed to help till the soil with out actually disturbing it with a manual tiller. He said it was beneficial, because a tiller disturbs the balance in the ground and making the beneficial bacteria reset everything. He gave examples of how a small operation farmer has been using it for a long time with excellent results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-06-16T13:28:03.830" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19804" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19796" CreationDate="2015-06-16T13:35:44.073" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got to give it time, to see growth. I got a Christmas cactus clipping before Christmas and it's now June. I've just now got new growth coming out. I bought an orchid from walmart years ago and it too 6 months to show growth and 4 years to bloom. I planted two lemon seeds march before last and I get several inches of growth every few months, with nothing in between. It just takes time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't fertilize any more than you already are, but you'll want to watch your water. Especially if you're having the heat we're having. The pot of small plants seems to contain regular plants and a couple of succulents. I'd probably pot the succulent leaves separately as they'll need less water than the others. Also, since I'm doing some of those now, I can tell you that their root system will be much shallower than you'd think and you can under water them in the beginning, thinking the whole pot needs to dry out before you water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-06-16T13:35:44.073" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19805" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19806" CreationDate="2015-06-16T14:47:08.693" Score="3" ViewCount="1950" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking to identify the weed pictured below. It's been showing up and spreading around my area for the past several years. It grows in large patches around the pasture. They start out and seed at about 2' tall and if it's the same growth I'm think I see later in the year, which grows in the same areas, it gets about 6' tall and woody, though I wouldn't swear it's the same plant. It could be another that takes over from it. The leaves are across from each other. The stem is brownish-purple. It put out clusters of small white flowers that don't appear to fully open. They look like little cups. I also noticed when taking this pictures that it had what appeared to be a couple of very small string bean looking pods on it. You can see them in Pic1 and at the end of the branch, going to the left, in Pic2. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please help me identify this plant. It's growing wild in the pasture in SC. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/roIUG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pic1&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AayBG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pic2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Noiuf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pic3&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QWyBP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pic4&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-06-18T01:58:21.800" LastActivityDate="2015-06-18T01:58:21.800" Title="Identify this upright branching weed with long leaves and reddish stems" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19806" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19805" CreationDate="2015-06-16T15:27:01.533" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apocynum cannabinum, Hemp Dogbane. It is in the same family as milkweed and has a milky sap if the stems are broken. The plant is poisonous to (at least) humans, dogs and livestock if eaten. The sap is potentially an irritant to skin, causing blisters. And yes, those string bean like pods are seed pods. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control in the pasture would likely be best accomplished by cutting it down on a regular basis. Pulling it out or plowing it under is unlikely to help much as the plant grows from rhizomes underground, any fragments left behind tend to sprout all over again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-06-16T15:27:01.533" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19801" CreationDate="2015-06-16T15:34:36.710" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ditch the spade for garden work and get a spading fork. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dampen the soil and use the spading fork to break up the soil between the plants. Spread a layer of quality compost, keep the area just damp enough and let the worms get to work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's what works in my bed which has a little too high clay content. I've been threatening to tear it up and deep spade in organic material for the last three years because they were doing poorly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With what was described over two years, this year I had to fend off eating two gallons of strawberries in the last three weeks. Oh the horror!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, thin out the older plants and let the runners root. Strawberries getting too dense can be detrimental to crop production.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2015-06-16T15:36:24.287" LastActivityDate="2015-06-16T15:36:24.287" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19800" CreationDate="2015-06-16T16:24:56.370" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It look like you have a similar tap to ours but you cannot be sure until you take off the aerator and see what size of thread is used and whether the thread is on the outside of the tap or the inside.  If the thread holding the aerator is on the outside like ours then most hardware stores will be happy to sell you a ring with kitchen tap thread on the top and outside hose thread on the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Inside threaded adaptor&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xKS1S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Inside Thread adaptor&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't be fooled like I was and consider the flat washer between the ring and the tap to be optional..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-06-16T23:29:00.050" LastActivityDate="2015-06-16T23:29:00.050" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19809" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-16T16:34:16.617" Score="6" ViewCount="1718" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking to fill some patches on my lawn that are left over from last year's addition of a layer of topsoil. They seem resistant to the typical loosen soil, apply seed and water approach -- which I've done a couple of times.  Each time, I get more coverage but there are still some patches.  I want to finish it off with a convenient mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Costco has a bag of premixed dirt, seed, starter fertilizer (and likely peat) which seemed like a good idea.  But, I choked on price.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand the guidance re. soil testing in comments... and I certainly have concerns with the amount of sand that was in the top soil (a neighbour is convinced that, with the amount of clay we've got, it will 'eventually' turn into a nice loam).  However, I can't help but think that a convenient mix applied to the areas will address the patches where either the birds keep eating before it establishes or the sand was a bit concentrated, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone have a recipe they're able to share?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7322" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T17:09:24.237" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T17:20:40.080" Title="What's a good recipe for a grass seed, soil and fertilizer mixture?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19810" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8283" CreationDate="2015-06-16T17:49:34.177" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;To add to Bamboo's reply, you can make your own bokashi bran if you want and it's much cheaper than buying it. Teraganix has the recipe to make your own bran on their website: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.teraganix.com/EM-Bokashi-Recipe-s/262.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bokashi bran recipe&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To compare the price, I can make 50 pounds of bokashi bran for about 40 dollars. When you compare that to 15 bucks for 2.2 pounds for bokashi bran that you buy the saving is significant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11537" LastActivityDate="2015-06-16T17:49:34.177" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19811" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="167" CreationDate="2015-06-16T23:31:25.733" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in drought-stricken southern California. For years I have been eating avocados from a tree that is only watered by my washing machine, with no problem. Only 1 or 2 of my ornamental plants do not like my other grey water. I try to collect all of my grey water and rarely waste any fresh water on plants except when first establishing them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11540" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-17T03:10:06.913" LastActivityDate="2015-06-17T03:10:06.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19812" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-17T02:52:30.320" Score="1" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;We can get plants (tomatoes, blueberries, grapes, etc.) to grow but they will not produce fruit. We have tried all kinds of soil. We have planted in the ground and in plant beds and in pots. we will get small green fruit and then it falls off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11541" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-17T03:10:40.037" LastActivityDate="2015-06-17T03:10:40.037" Title="Can electromagnetic fields from high tension wires affect a garden?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-09-27T13:46:57.890" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19814" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1906" CreationDate="2015-06-17T04:51:22.497" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;By the look of it I would think it received too much nitrogen (some of the leaf tips are burnt). To remedy the situation, you can try giving it some more potassium (without adding extra nitrogen), or just stop fertilizing it and wait it out. Mint uses nitrogen fast, in my experience (so, it shouldn't take ages and ages). Potassium deficiency can result in woody stems and stunted growth. It's a popular opinion that too much nitrogen will result in excessive leaf growth, but it can also stunt a plant, in my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, Lorem Ipsum's answer has some good insights. Mint grows roots very quickly. In my experience, mint grows much better while the roots have extra room. You could try breaking up the rhizomes and repotting a smaller portion of them in the same container, or else plant it in a larger container. It's also often a good idea to trim mint lower and let it grow back if it's getting tall and not so bushy. I wouldn't trim it if you're also going to repot it, or divide the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendation would be to find out if the roots are everywhere. If they are, divide the rhizomes. Trimming the roots, as one commenter mentioned, might be a good alternative option, but I don't know. After repotting (and even if you don't repot), give it some extra potassium. Not only should it help with growth and stopping further prematurely woody stems, it should also help improve chances of the plant living after having its roots disturbed so. I personally recommend potassium sulfate. Adding some rockdust or gypsum with the potassium should help it, too, if you like. (Or even putting eggshells from a boiled egg at the bottom of your container, if you want a more economical option.) Potassium and calcium go hand in hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-06-17T05:29:52.890" LastActivityDate="2015-06-17T05:29:52.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19815" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-17T12:59:10.350" Score="7" ViewCount="136" Body="&lt;p&gt;I battled early blight last year, so this year I laid down a thick bed of grass clippings as mulch in my raised beds to prevent splashing of the dirt onto the plants.  Last night, simply out of habit, I used scissors to cut off the the lower leaf stems that were touching the grass.  Do I even need to do this?  I actually hate how the first foot or so of my plants look like empty stems instead of lush plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am wondering if the open wounds I just created near the main stem are now increasing my chances of getting disease more than if I just left the lower leaves alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2015-06-22T19:25:24.020" Title="To prune or not to prune tomato's lower leaves?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19816" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-17T13:11:22.090" Score="8" ViewCount="138" Body="&lt;p&gt;While pruning my tomato plants last night, I came across some early signs of whiteflies.  I saw just a few mature whiteflies crawling around; I hate them.  I have battled them off and on through the years with various crops.  While looking at the underside of some of the leaves, I only noticed a few spots where eggs were attached and also a few pink soft aphids I thought.  I cut those branches off of the plants to dispose of the eggs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a raised garden bed housing just some lettuce, peppers, and tomatoes; maybe 40 square feet.  Do I need to go into full &quot;kill mode&quot; and spray for these pests or is a certain amount of infestation just expected to occur?  I don't want a full blown attack from these pests but I also don't want to jump the gun if it is not needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the same topic: I raised tomato plants from seeds this year for my first time.  They are so much healthier than purchased plants and I am very pleased.  What are the odds that these pests just showed up on their own?  The pepper plants were the only plants purchased from a nursery.  The lettuce was also grown from seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2016-03-01T02:31:14.277" Title="Early action needed for whiteflies and aphids?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19817" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19821" CreationDate="2015-06-17T14:08:47.410" Score="0" ViewCount="175" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I ordered a batch of red venus fly trap seeds (seeds to grow completely red fly traps, not green fly traps with some red inside of them) from the fly trap store and started sowing them about 4.5 weeks ago. So far I have seen 14 of the 15 seeds sprout, so that is awesome (they are currently green). From what I understand, because I have seeds and not a clone, there is a small chance they might not be red. That fact aside, hypothetically if the seeds are to turn red, does anyone have a guess as to when I can start seeing the sprouts/plants turn red? And when cloning from a leaf pulling (of a red venus fly trap) do the new leaves grow in red or do they also start green and then turn red?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11544" LastEditorUserId="26403" LastEditDate="2019-07-19T16:24:40.427" LastActivityDate="2019-07-19T16:24:40.427" Title="Red Venus Fly Trap Seedlings" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;venus-fly-trap&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19818" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19820" CreationDate="2015-06-17T14:11:43.793" Score="4" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;Say you've got a compost heap, 1 full metre cube, with about 1 part green to 3 parts brown by volume. If this is left to break down, what volume of compost will be produced?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11421" LastActivityDate="2015-06-17T17:13:46.733" Title="Composting: what is the ratio of volume of material in to compost out?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19819" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="744" CreationDate="2015-06-17T14:23:55.697" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds like you're effectively &lt;a href=&quot;http://adf.farmonline.com.au/news/magazine/feed/hay-silage/avoiding-smelly-silage/2673347.aspx?storypage=0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; title=&quot;making silage&quot;&gt;making silage&lt;/a&gt; (grass fermenting to produce lactic acid).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;To avoid this source of stink, farmers should either ensile the forage at the recommended dry matter (DM) content levels or use an appropriate silage additive to increase the chance of a desirable lactic acid fermentation to produce sweet-smelling silage. Recommended DM contents are 30-35% for longer chopped forage-harvested silage, 30-40% for precision chopped (short-chop) silage or 40-50% for round-baled silage, and up to about 60% for large square-baled silage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11421" LastActivityDate="2015-06-17T14:23:55.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19818" CreationDate="2015-06-17T17:13:46.733" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my (extensive) experience, between a quarter and a third of the original volume, usually a quarter - and the ratio of green to brown should really be kept as close as possible to 50/50.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-17T17:13:46.733" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19817" CreationDate="2015-06-17T18:05:02.933" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would certainly question the statement '&lt;em&gt;there is a small chance they might not be red&lt;/em&gt;' - nearer the truth is the statement 'you have no idea what you're going to get'. Each seedling will be genetically different from all the others, so you need to decide which ones are worth keeping and which aren't, as they grow on. Although you say they've germinated, you haven't said whether they still just have cotyledons or have developed a second pair of leaves - the second pair of leaves should be showing colour quite quickly if its a genuinely red plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the cloning (growing from a leaf pulled from a plant), I'm unable to say whether they'll show red immediately they start growing, or whether they become red within a short space of time - in theory, produced in such a way, they should be red immediately or within a week or so from when they start growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You certainly don't have to choose between the ones you grow, and certainly not at this stage. But you might, when they're much bigger and proper plants, decide some aren't worth the effort, or are weak, spindly or otherwise displeasing to you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The appearance of the first set of true leaves cannot be predicted - should be within a week or so, but it depends on the growing conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the variability of seed, if you click on the link below and scroll right to the bottom, last paragraph, statement of fact there!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://venusflytrap.info/how-grow-venus-fly-trap-seed/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://venusflytrap.info/how-grow-venus-fly-trap-seed/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if you're interested, there's more information here about the naming of fly trap varieties - its a sketchy area, even if you order a named cultivar...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://venusflytrap.info/venus-fly-trap-clones-varieties-cultivars/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://venusflytrap.info/venus-fly-trap-clones-varieties-cultivars/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-17T19:11:05.783" LastActivityDate="2015-06-17T19:11:05.783" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19822" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-17T21:32:49.297" Score="4" ViewCount="2371" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant below has flowers about 1+1/4 inch (32mm) across.  The leaves are soft and maybe slightly fuzzy; they feel like thin suede.  This is growing in the Williamette valley in Oregon mainly on a sunny, grassy slope.  I don't know if is a native or a naturalized garden plant (the latter seems more likely, but don't know if it is widespread or local to one property).  Seems moderately successful competing in those sunny grassy areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Opidt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11550" LastActivityDate="2020-04-27T12:48:02.167" Title="What is this gray-green plant with magenta flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19822" CreationDate="2015-06-17T21:41:13.343" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silene_coronaria&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Silene coronaria&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, commonly known as Rose Campion. Identifying characteristics are the almost fluorescent magenta flowers and the gray-green leaves. In winter, the plants die back to a rosette of leaves at the base of the plant, or disappear completely, depending on how harsh the winter is. They put out leaves in early spring and have a short flowering season in late spring to early summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's native to Europe, so you're seeing it naturalized. It's not listed as invasive by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/java/noxious?rptType=State&amp;amp;statefips=41&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;State of Oregon&lt;/a&gt;, but is considered to be by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://emerald.npsoregon.org/index.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Native Plant Society of Oregon&lt;/a&gt;. I have some in my yard, and it definitely spreads, but is also easily controlled by pulling the seedlings when it pops up in new places.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2015-06-17T21:41:13.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19824" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23109" CreationDate="2015-06-18T06:12:31.353" Score="2" ViewCount="64" Body="&lt;p&gt;When do whiteflies typically emerge in southwestern Idaho? (How far into the season, I mean.) I don't know if they're gone or if they just haven't hatched, yet. There's no sign of them, yet. They infested our grapes last year, but I didn't know they were pests (or even that they were there) until late summer when a friend told me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I released a bunch of ladybugs, and we have lacewings about. The grapes are looking good (and we actually have a fair amount of fruit growing; we got one or two clusters last year--much less than before). I also gave them some worm castings, this year, because I heard a rumor from an Amazon review that they help protect against whiteflies. I also added basalt rockdust and potassium sulfate for added insect resistance. (Potassium, calcium and silica help plants become more insect resistant, I've read.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: I just saw a few whiteflies, today, and perhaps a few larvae. So, I guess they begin emerging in southwestern Idaho by June 18th. I'm not sure how long they've been around, though, so I'll leave this in case someone knows the earliest time they emerge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One remarkable thing I noticed is that the leaf pests on the grapevine are mostly only affecting the leaves in the shade. The ones in the sun are, relatively speaking, pest-free.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T17:19:51.283" LastActivityDate="2021-02-13T12:07:49.823" Title="When do whiteflies typically emerge?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19825" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19826" CreationDate="2015-06-18T14:40:42.480" Score="5" ViewCount="156" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a plant a few weeks ago and I don't know its name. I'm not quite sure how to take care of it. Can you help me out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Hvcp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11553" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-20T21:15:25.093" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T21:15:25.093" Title="What is this plant with long narrow leaflets?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19826" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19825" CreationDate="2015-06-18T18:21:07.920" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is an &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Dypsis_lutescens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Areca palm&lt;/a&gt;, (Dypsis lutescens) which is native to Madagascar but naturalized across the world.  When grown outside in Florida they can reach heights of 20' (~6 M). Indoors they are seen in a range from 3' to 6' (~1 to 2 M).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When grown indoors bright filtered light is the best filtered environment. Water thoroughly when the top inch of the soil is dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant can be attacked by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Spider_mite&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;spider mites&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Mealybug&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mealy bug&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Thrips&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;thrip&lt;/a&gt;.  The most common pest, spider mite, tends to occur when the plant is placed in low light for extended periods or bright hot dry conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soap and water applied at a rate of  teaspoon/quart (~5ml/liter) three times over six day periods will control spider mite.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;With mealybug and thrip I just got rid of the plants as these pests were very hard to bring under control and spread easily.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilize after a few years with 20-20-20 at half the recommended strength.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Top up the soil yearly with a soil less mix&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the fruiting bodies as they attract pests.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-06-18T18:21:07.920" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19827" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-18T18:42:19.977" Score="3" ViewCount="38" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live in an apartment with a small balcony. I've decided to start a small container garden to teach my two year old about gardens and taking care of plants. she's very excited. does any one recommend any good books, targeted at children. also any techniques or tips for children. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11554" LastActivityDate="2015-06-18T19:21:00.897" Title="Recommended Gardening books for Toddlers?" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19827" CreationDate="2015-06-18T19:12:57.627" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's an RHS book called Ready, Steady Grow - available on Amazon. Also an Usborne one called Gardening for Beginners very much aimed at children. The trouble is, your child is only two, so reading it will probably be beyond her - most children's gardening books are aimed at 7 years up, that is, from the advent of the age of reason at seven years old. In the meantime, just show her - get some pots, fill up with potting medium, then maybe plant some seeds, letting her copy you, and talk to her about what you're doing and why. Get her to water and watch and wait for growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to grow edible stuff, such as tomatoes, probably best to get a plant or two, pot those up and she can watch you not only water and fertilize, but then see flowers turn into fruitlets and then ripe fruit. If you do this, though, make sure you teach (as far as possible with someone that age) that some plants are edible, or have edible parts, and many more don't, otherwise you're at risk of her picking poisonous fruits when outside if there are any about. She's only two and not yet capable of determining the difference, even if you show her, so she'll need watching - it may not have occurred to her that you can eat plants, and once she knows, she's not old enough to understand the difference between what you can eat and what you can't on her own. And also ensure that anything else you decide to grow isn't poisonous if consumed, in case she decides to try them. 52% of plants grown in the average garden are toxic if eaten, so some thought is required. If she shows a lot of interest this year and next, maybe a book or three later on. Or even a child's gardening app, there's bound to be one soon if there isn't already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ultimately, there's no substitute for adult enthusiasm, experience and time where a child's concerned - your own interest should transmit itself to her, even if she just observes what you're doing over time. Although its always possible she won't be in the least interested as time goes by, everyone's different. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-18T19:21:00.897" LastActivityDate="2015-06-18T19:21:00.897" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19829" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19796" CreationDate="2015-06-18T19:44:56.943" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Gardenia and whatever's in the third picture look very unwell - I'm assuming its the soil they're growing in, because that's what it smacks of. If you used Miracle Gro moisture control potting mix, that's already balanced, so doesn't need dolomite added to it - this addition will have reduced the ph and Gardenias like acid conditions. I can't tell what variety of Gardenia its supposed to be, but they're not called prima donnas for nothing - they like even, relatively high temperatures, no draughts, don't like to be moved, must be watered with tepid water, as well as acid soil conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You probably would have done best just to use the Miracle Gro as it was for all the pots - something's out of whack with the soil conditions so the plants are remaining static. The dolomite has probably upset the balance - although its used in many potting composts, its largely because the compost has been based on a high peat content, so dolomite is added to raise the ph and allow better uptake of magnesium and calcium by growing plants. If it was already a balanced ph, you may now have knocked that out of whack and so the plants can't take up the nutrients they need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the seedlings - if you didn't use potting compost for seeds and cuttings, but instead used the same Miracle Gro as for the pots, this is too strong, has to much fertilizer in it and burns the seedling's roots. Given you also mixed regular Miracle Gro potting mix with dolomite, that might explain the poor results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd buy some more potting mix, unpot the plants, shake off what soil you can without breaking roots, then repot into the new potting mix - you can add perlite if you want, though its not essential, given this mix is 'moisture control'. And don't feed for a while - I believe one of the claims for this potting mix is the fact you don't need to feed plants for six months - if it is, don't feed for six months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm somewhat curious as to what the orange deposits on the Pothos are - they look as if you've split builder's sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-18T19:52:45.677" LastActivityDate="2015-06-18T19:52:45.677" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19830" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-18T19:51:25.687" Score="3" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm redoing my lawn because it was extremely unlevel. I've already flattened the whole thing, scraped out all the old grass, and now I'm ready for top soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After calling a few local places, I've learned that some of them offer different mixes, involving soil, potting mix, and sand. Is there any reason to get such a thing for a lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A related question, but perhaps too localized: There's an excavation place that had soil from job sites from around the area. They say they sift it for size, but that's it. Is there a likelihood that this soil is junk, or pretty much the same thing as other places that get their sifted soil from a local prairie?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to hydroseed, if that makes a difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6937" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T17:25:17.587" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T17:25:17.587" Title="For a new lawn, are mixed soils worth it?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19831" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4940" CreationDate="2015-06-18T22:19:45.227" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am from originally British Guiana (now Guyana) and this is an everyday thing in our country.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is done simply for beautification! It makes the place look bright and beautiful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11557" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-19T02:00:52.577" LastActivityDate="2015-06-19T02:00:52.577" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19832" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-19T01:17:47.433" Score="6" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last season, curly top virus caused a significant decline in the quality of sugar beets grown in my garden as well as tomato. The steps I have taken so far include spraying with a preventative insecticide, (neem oil), removing affected plant materials, and practicing good weed control to eliminate sheltering locations for the leaf hopper vector. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The steps do not appear to work adequately as some of my plants are starting to show purple leaf vein discoloration, an early sign of infection. Yellowing is also present. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to the control methods mentioned above, what other methods can I use? Can anything be done to the plants showing symptoms to preserve fruiting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11558" LastActivityDate="2015-08-18T18:44:38.540" Title="Controlling curly top disease in sugar beets" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19833" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19815" CreationDate="2015-06-19T02:49:14.107" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not necessary, if you're mulching. I don't do it in any case, but it can help prevent blight when the plants are over bare soil. The cuts shouldn't really cause disease either - they'll dry off fast. It's just unnecessary to clip 'em off, over a grass clipping mulch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-06-19T02:49:14.107" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19834" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19836" CreationDate="2015-06-19T13:00:49.950" Score="1" ViewCount="436" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found the plant in my garden. I believe its some kind of weed. I live in Denmark, Europe and we have summer time here at the moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PiukN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CiS3Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/POMyC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user11115" LastEditorDisplayName="user11115" LastEditDate="2015-06-19T14:13:06.800" LastActivityDate="2015-06-19T14:13:06.800" Title="Can anyone help me identify this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19834" CreationDate="2015-06-19T14:01:26.770" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Previous answer is very close - but I'm willing to bet its actually Cardamine hirsuta, (common name Hairy Bittercress) a common weed in Europe in gardens and other places, and one which I  spend a great deal of time weeding out. The flowers on C. pratensis are more attractive and different than the weedy, white ones C. hirsuta produces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Cardamine+hirsuta&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Cardamine+hirsuta&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-19T14:01:26.770" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19837" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22325" CreationDate="2015-06-19T14:23:06.770" Score="3" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a leaf from a &lt;a href=&quot;http://ediblelandscaping.com/products/trees/Jujubes/sugarcane.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sugarcane Jujube&lt;/a&gt; tree in Arizona. Are these eggs on the underside of this leaf? If so, what type of insect would they be from?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9z37w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastEditorUserId="1110" LastEditDate="2015-06-19T17:44:35.503" LastActivityDate="2015-11-05T03:54:56.400" Title="Are these eggs on this Sugarcane Jujube leaf?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19838" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19839" CreationDate="2015-06-19T14:33:43.650" Score="3" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Denmark, Europe and I have in my garden this gigantic vegetable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has a big bump on the top and i was wondering about what comes out of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6wWtF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user11115" LastEditorDisplayName="user11115" LastEditDate="2015-06-19T14:58:10.210" LastActivityDate="2015-06-19T14:58:58.483" Title="What comes out of this bump in this vegetable?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19839" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19838" CreationDate="2015-06-19T14:48:29.950" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can't put any more comments, thread's too long. I think this plant is Elephant Garlic, or Allium ampeloprasum. The thing on the top is going to be a flower, usually pink - the part most people are interested in is what's under the ground, the garlic bulb, which should be very large. And yes, you can harvest the bulb and use it to cook with. Leaves and flowers are also edible, but will become tough if not picked young.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to harvest the bulb, dig up the plant and lay it sideways, chop off the leaves and stem, leaving about an inch or two of stem attached to the bulb, and hang it up till it dries out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leek is Allium porrum - it may be that the 'pore' you speak of is taken from the last part of the Latin name for that particular vegetable. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-19T14:58:58.483" LastActivityDate="2015-06-19T14:58:58.483" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19840" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-19T15:10:31.020" Score="1" ViewCount="1735" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have recently moved to a ground floor apartment that comes with a small backyard (so far I have always lived without any).  The backyard is covered in pebbles.  I have asked the landlady if I can have permission to replace the pebbles by grass, but she has declared that she does not want the stones removed and replaced by grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the long run, I would like to have a mixture of grass and plants.  Is it possible (and realistic for an amateur) to have grass and non-potted plants on top of pebbles, in a way that is possible to remove prior to moving out?  I know there exist houses with rooftop gardens and so, so in principle I imagine it should be possible, but I have no idea if that solution is realistic and affordable for a tiny studio backyard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in southern England.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11559" LastActivityDate="2015-06-22T19:03:31.857" Title="Landlady prohibits removal of gravel, is it possible to grow grass on top?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19841" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19840" CreationDate="2015-06-19T15:30:00.047" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd be surprised if the law for tenants over isn't the same as the US but over here you have to abide by the landlords wishes when it comes to making improvements to the property, period. This includes not only any renovations/modifications to the structure but also to the landscaping. Some landlords will be happy to have a tenant willing to improve the landscape, others want to keep things the way it is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;She could have a very good reason not to want grass. Maybe it's not an ideal environment for a lawn. Or maybe since it's a small space then it's not practical to keep the equipment around to maintain a lawn such as mower, trimmer spreader etc. and in the past tenants had let it go to crap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trying to plant grass through the gravel will make a mess of it and she probably won't be happy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think one option you may want to consider is artificial turf. It's widely available these days and not too expensive. The appearance and feel has improved greatly. No need to fertilize, mow, trim, etc. Often sand or some other topping mix is brushed into the artificial turf to help it stand up. This may not be a good idea in your case because you don't want to fill her gravel bed with sand. Look for shorter types of artificial turf that will look good without topping. It may be labeled as &lt;em&gt;non-infill artificial turf&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Artificial turf can be laid over gravel though I'm guessing the gravel is mostly larger pebbles and doesn't include finer rock and stone dust. That may result in a slightly bumpy appearance but it will be better than looking out at a gravel field.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For other plants go with containers. That way you can take them with you if/when you move to someplace that allows you to garden more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-06-22T19:03:31.857" LastActivityDate="2015-06-22T19:03:31.857" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19840" CreationDate="2015-06-19T16:09:21.150" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Couple of things - you've said 'pebbles' in the body of your question, not gravel, which suggests the stones are much bigger than gravel. Grass will not readily grow over the area because there's nothing to root into even if it is gravel; if its pebbles, it'll also be impossible to cut, being lumpy. Artificial turf won't work either if they are actually cobbles or pebbles. Second, does the area get any sun, or is it very shady? If its shady, then grass will do very poorly, even if you were allowed to remove the pebbles. If you were able to grow grass, do you have room to store a mower and edging shears anyway?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it isn't shady, another option is to remove the pebbles, lay some lawn and do a bit of planting, in the sure and certain knowledge that you will need to restore the area to its previous condition before you leave. If you can't store the pebbles anywhere, that means you'd need to buy new ones, just the same as the existing, and have them laid - if there's a membrane beneath, you will need to replace that as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the UK, 'small' means very small indeed usually - if the area is, say, 3 metres squared or less, having a lawn just isn't practical if you want to grow some plants, so you could forgo the lawn and remove pebbles where you want to plant in the soil, again knowing you will have to remove the plants and replace the pebbles later on when you leave. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you intend to carry out either of these suggestions, it would be wise to run it past your landlady first, maybe sign an agreement saying you will restore the garden post your occupancy. If she still doesn't agree, then you can't change the area at all, and you will have to resort to potted plants only, arranged on top of the stones. Whether its shady or sunny is something that needs to be taken into consideration when choosing plants too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-19T16:27:41.417" LastActivityDate="2015-06-19T16:27:41.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19843" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19832" CreationDate="2015-06-19T17:02:12.300" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might be able to use a barrier to keep leafhoppers that carry the disease off the plants. I always cover my tomato plants with shade screen to keep the birds and pests off, and to provide shade during our very hot, sunny summer days. If heavy shade is not desirable then maybe garden fabric (floating row cover) would work for you. This site has some good information &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/tomato/treating-curly-top-virus.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Curly Top on Plants&lt;/a&gt; and says the leafhopper that carries the disease won't feed on plants that are in the shade. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2015-06-19T17:02:12.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19844" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21811" CreationDate="2015-06-19T20:01:38.493" Score="3" ViewCount="1568" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got some 8 foot Swedish Columnar Aspens that have some foliage growing from the base of the tree by the dirt on the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I prune these off to allow nutrients go to other areas of the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11250" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-13T02:57:31.733" LastActivityDate="2016-11-11T20:50:18.753" Title="Should I prune the growth at bottom of a Swedish Columnar Aspen?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19846" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-19T21:41:45.930" Score="4" ViewCount="3288" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mature lemon tree is having problems. It always produced LOTS of lemons. Since I trimmed off some dead branches a year and a half ago it produces only a handful. Also, and probably more important, bark on some of the branches is splitting and those branches are dead or dying. I have looked at a lot of web sites but haven't found anything that mirrors my situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trunk appears fine.&#xA;The upper branches (a lot of them) have split bark.&#xA;The exposed wood looks healthy--no sap oozing.&#xA;Lemon production is down drastically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in Burbank, CA where we have very hot summers and, of course, there is the drought. About a year ago I began watering and fertilizing the tree. This hasn't had any noticeable effect. I've lived here 20 years and the tree was mature when I moved in. Don't know how old it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/655yt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11561" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-06-20T05:49:14.707" LastActivityDate="2017-11-12T00:56:42.310" Title="Why is my lemon tree dying?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19848" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21813" CreationDate="2015-06-19T22:41:30.547" Score="4" ViewCount="648" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a rose bush for the first time and planted it in a large pot according to the instructions on the label. It has been about a month since then, the first yellow rose has started to bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I recently noticed that there was a small hole in the woody part of the bush, near the bottom. There were also wood shavings and bits on the soil directly above it. My brother told me that he saw black insects that looked like ants with wings crawl into the hole. What are these insects, are they harmful, and if they are, how do I remove them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am only 17, but I like the idea of planting roses, so I would like to keep my first rose bush alive and as healthy as possible. I have little gardening experience though, so please answer in detail (as I may not understand the terms or whatnot).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DHhKw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DHhKw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11564" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-13T02:56:50.050" LastActivityDate="2015-11-12T05:15:53.830" Title="What is this insect, which is drilling holes into my rose bush?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19849" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19846" CreationDate="2015-06-19T23:00:51.070" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bark splitting without oozing usually is from freezing or sunburn. When you cut back the deadwood it may have exposed areas to sun that weren't used to it. Did you have a hard freeze a few years ago? It maybe that's what started what your tree is going through. Fruit production after a hard freeze can be next to nothing. We had a hard freeze a few years ago, our lemon tree which normally has a 1000 or more lemons only had 12 the next year. Also older citrus trees tend to become alternate bearers.&#xA;In the picture you posted it looks like there is new growth, that's a good sign. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2015-06-19T23:00:51.070" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19850" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19846" CreationDate="2015-06-20T06:02:13.333" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know for sure, but I have some insights based on an experience with an apple tree we had.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The apple tree had received way too much wood ash, and also a bunch of diatomaceous earth. The trunk and branches were splitting in a dry fashion that might be the same fashion your tree is splitting. The leaves were yellow. The tree was probably in desperate need of nitrogen and more acidic soil, and well as some extra magnesium. Wood ash contains lots of calcium and potassium. It may raise the soil PH considerably and potentially hinder nitrogen and magnesium absorption (if used in large amounts).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had a winter that killed a bunch of cherry trees nearby, I hear. This may also be somewhat responsible for this tree splitting, but our other four apple trees are fine. I suspect the wood ash and/or lack of nitrogen had something to do with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would recommend getting a soil test for PH and nitrogen/potassium/magnesium levels. I suspect giving it more nitrogen and/or Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) and/or lowering the soil PH may help out. This is just a hypothesis, though. You would need to run tests or experiment to be sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nitrogen does actually help to increase the number of fruits on a plant, I've read, but it doesn't increase fruit size. I believe the benefits of nitrogen are much more pronounced in full sun. Our apple tree gets a lot of sun. Maybe that also contributed to the cracking, but I tend to think it's not the full problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your magnesium levels are fine, but are just being blocked by too much potassium, I recommend not adding too much magnesium to compensate, since once the potassium gets used the extra magnesium might inhibit manganese uptake. I would just add a little extra in this case, and wait out the rest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-06-20T06:26:56.123" LastActivityDate="2015-06-20T06:26:56.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19851" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-20T09:24:28.070" Score="9" ViewCount="430" Body="&lt;p&gt;About a week ago I decided to propagate a healthy stalk of mint that I had bought from the grocery store. The roots appear to be healthy and full, but two of the leaves appear to be abnormal. One of them is brown, and the other has a light green/black/brown spot near the center of the leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's going on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5KvB2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Light green/black/brown spot near the center of the leaf.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tVjfg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;It has a small brown patch on one of the leaves.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11565" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-18T00:24:06.087" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T23:30:39.280" Title="Is my mint plant dying or diseased?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19853" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-20T13:37:00.827" Score="3" ViewCount="877" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wOrPp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This stem holds 9 tiny orchid-like flowers, some still yet to open. The leaves only measure approx 2cm long, and it looks like little tendrils coming at leaf/stem joint. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is in my garden in Oxfordshire England. I saw the flowers while pulling up unwanted stuff. It's very tiny, thought I'd got a little orchid at first, it does look as though it could be from the pea family,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11569" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2015-06-22T12:45:41.533" LastActivityDate="2020-06-21T09:55:15.613" Title="What is this tiny plant with yellow orchid-like flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19855" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2979" CreationDate="2015-06-20T21:30:43.700" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Grandpa has one in his living room that belonged to his mother. She has been gone for 38 years, so we figure at the minimum it is 40 years old. He said it had 9 different blossoms this year but only blooms once per year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11571" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-06-21T16:14:57.787" LastActivityDate="2015-06-21T16:14:57.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19856" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19853" CreationDate="2015-06-20T21:48:16.607" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would place this in the pea family - the flower shape, the tendrils and the squareish stem are a hint. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/Plant_Families/Fabaceae.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This website&lt;/a&gt; illustrates the characteristics quite nicely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This appears to be a member of the Lathyrus genus, commonly known as sweet peas. In gardens, one would probably first think of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_pea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;l. odoratus&lt;/a&gt;, the classic sweet pea, but there are a few &quot;cousins&quot; with narrower leaves like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathyrus_sylvestris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;l. sylvestris&lt;/a&gt;. While typical flower colors are in the pink-to-lavender range, sweet peas have been breed in yellow-orange tones as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Taking the origin and further description into account, I'd suggest &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathyrus_pratensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;l. pratensi (Meadow Vetchling)&lt;/a&gt; as best match, various sources show more or less distinct stripes on the &quot;banner&quot;, yours being of the more distinct type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-06-21T20:45:27.590" LastActivityDate="2015-06-21T20:45:27.590" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19857" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19859" CreationDate="2015-06-20T23:14:07.310" Score="4" ViewCount="4682" Body="&lt;p&gt;We were told the red leaves on this rosebush indicated disease and needed to be trimmed. Can anyone confirm or explain?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gt1Vz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w50ah.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11572" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2015-06-22T03:56:28.570" LastActivityDate="2015-06-22T03:56:28.570" Title="Rose bush diseased or natural (new growth or rose rosette?)" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19858" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19861" CreationDate="2015-06-20T23:35:33.223" Score="2" ViewCount="8185" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like a mix of cherry and other sizes. Figure indeterminate growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2019-07-07T12:18:59.253" Title="How many tomato plants can I put in a 4 ft. x4 ft. raised bed?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19857" CreationDate="2015-06-21T03:41:48.757" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rose new growth is reddish from anthrocyanin pigments which protect the cellular growth from sunlight UV. It fades as the foliage matures. The new growth must be healthy without leaf distortion and the red pigment will fade out as the leaves mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The upper picture looks normal to me. The bottom one, I will leave to someone a little more experienced with the rose disease mentioned below to diagnose this early in the game. The leaves appear normal to me, personally I'd apply neem oil to all my bushes to kill any mites that might spread it and allow this one to mature out a bit more to see if it is normal growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The worry is whether it is rose rosette disease. When you have this in your roses, it is incurable. It is a viral disease spread by a sort of mite that inhabits wild roses. You uproot the bush and destroy it. Trimming it and then trimming other rose bushes will spread it to otherwise healthy bushes. You can only prevent it by controlling the mites with horticultural oils like neem oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rose rosette disease is also known as Witches Broom disease because of the strange growth development. The bush starts putting up odd new, overly succulent water-sprout like growth that is highly pigmented. The leaf structure in the growth is wrinkled, distorted and in really bad cases, you have stems with what look like multi-shoot broom shaped growth sprouting out of the ends.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following should be long term links to image content that will allow you to see what rose rosette disease looks like, it's really ugly, you'll know it when you see it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/plant_pests/flowers/hgic2109.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Clempson University link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://chadwickarboretum.osu.edu/sites/chadwick/files/imce/pdf/Buckeye_08August2014_Hand.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ohio University Chadwick Arboretum link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cross species comparison of anthrocyanin pigmentation in new growth.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Healthy rose, &lt;strong&gt;top&lt;/strong&gt; new growth hardening and pigmentation fading, smooth, well-formed new leaves, &lt;strong&gt;bottom&lt;/strong&gt; newly emergent and heavily pigmented:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CsNCB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;10 feet away, a white oak showing the delicate pink found in their new growth:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W4ysp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the most brilliantly pigmented I've come across are Blueberries (not shown) and Poison Oak. See this in early spring, stay away. They're soft, tender and full of oil. These have aged a little, earlier on, they were reddish purple with pigment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X9hIR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2015-06-22T03:52:06.293" LastActivityDate="2015-06-22T03:52:06.293" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19860" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9091" CreationDate="2015-06-21T13:01:07.543" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I too have a mango seed I planted in the summer of 2014. It began to grow and sprouted 3 small leaves, but then stopped growing.  It survived the winter indoors and in the spring I returned it outdoors, but it still didn't grow. I thought perhaps there was a problem with the root system so I carefully unearthed it from the pot and saw that the root was more like a knotted stump. I thought maybe it was the soil, so I replanted it in a little larger pot with new soil. I sat back and watched and nothing happened after a week. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had some rain and I thought I would let the rain do my watering and the next morning I couldn't believe my eyes! There was life from my little King Arthur (that's his name when I planted the seed). He began to grow from the top and life began to open for my little royal pal. I never gave up on him. You shouldn't either. It took over 9 months for him to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11574" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-06-21T16:06:53.253" LastActivityDate="2015-06-21T16:06:53.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19861" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19858" CreationDate="2015-06-21T13:07:45.080" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd go with &lt;strong&gt;five&lt;/strong&gt;. You can find many sites that'll tell you that you can space tomatoes as close as 24 inches, 6 to 9 plants in a 4' X 4', but mine always come out stunted when I do that.&#xA;One near each corner, and one in the middle should give your indeterminates plenty of room to grow and fruit.&#xA;Five happy plants can give you a &lt;strong&gt;lot&lt;/strong&gt; of tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastEditorUserId="724" LastEditDate="2015-06-21T13:44:28.883" LastActivityDate="2015-06-21T13:44:28.883" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4731" CreationDate="2015-06-21T17:48:04.320" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found the answer here about 3/4 of the way down this page today on 6/21/15:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lampreyriver.org/about-the-river-wildlife-&amp;amp;-ecology-ecology-101&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.lampreyriver.org/about-the-river-wildlife-&amp;amp;-ecology-ecology-101&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a defense mechanism of the tree to protect itself from caterpillars.  The sweet sap of those nodes attract ants, which defend the food source (the sap) by attacking caterpillars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11575" LastActivityDate="2015-06-21T17:48:04.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19864" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-21T18:27:58.930" Score="1" ViewCount="171" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;http://mobile.floridata.com/Plants/Arecacea/Chamaerops%20humilis/152&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Chamaerops humilis&lt;/a&gt; in my apartment, which has some small plants growing in the soil. I live in Denmark, Europe and my palm tree has only been inside my apartment since I got it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the small plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click on photos for full size&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/em&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oz9YD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oz9YDm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GeEQC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GeEQCm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qhv09.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qhv09m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user11115" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-06-21T20:08:07.213" LastActivityDate="2015-06-21T20:08:07.213" Title="What are the small plants growing in the soil with my palm tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="8" ClosedDate="2015-07-14T01:26:19.640" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19865" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19866" CreationDate="2015-06-21T18:54:43.513" Score="3" ViewCount="12394" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know if I'm searching correctly, but I'm amazed I have only found one answer (which is still lacking).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can a garden be made completely flat and level? How would it be done professionally?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first step (now obvious to me after research) is to remove existing turf, plants, roots, etc. either by hand and possibly with a rotavator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next step is the one that eludes me: distributing the soil so it's flat. It sounds simple. But the one answer I've found was &lt;a href=&quot;https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070705060819AAuEptf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;; use a bit of wood and kick it around. This is just not practical enough, or simply good enough, for several reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It will not ensure the whole garden is level&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It will only work for sandy soil, not more stodgy clay type soil. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As the garden is walked on and compacted, unevenness will reappear. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would the professional process be for achieving this for a small-ish garden with no access for heavy machinery? And let's say the garden had to be level and flat enough to play a proper game of bowls. (I'm not that old yet, but might as well do the manual labour in preparation while I still can).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11529" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-09T20:03:32.337" LastActivityDate="2017-04-09T20:03:32.337" Title="How to make garden flat and level" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19866" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19865" CreationDate="2015-06-22T01:01:31.743" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Borrowing from myself (part of an answer over on home improvement):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Developing a grade is a &quot;simple-yet-tedious&quot; process, for the most&#xA;  part. My preferred method is to set some stakes 3-4 feet tall, mark&#xA;  them all with a level (laser these days, dumpy or transit or water&#xA;  or... in the past), and then mark a line on each, depending where it&#xA;  is, at some fixed distance above the desired grade - say 30&quot; above.&#xA;  Then I run strings, tightly, between those marks, and mark my rake&#xA;  and/or tamper handle at 30&quot; - it's then a simple matter to line up the&#xA;  strings (to form a plane floating 30&quot; above grade) and see if the rake&#xA;  or tamper is too high (mark above) too low (mark below) or right on&#xA;  (mark even with) when set on the surface at any given spot. For&#xA;  convenience the plane should not be too low (or it's a lot of bending&#xA;  to see if things line up) nor too high (it's difficult to get stakes&#xA;  well-anchored for a taught string when the string is 5 feet up the&#xA;  stake.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you prefer, and certainly if you are trying to build to WorldBowls standards, a direct-reading laser level system is an alternate approach to the measuring aspect, but you still need to move and compact soils to make it level. That is the tedious part - you have to add or remove soils (and compact them adequately so they don't move as you walk on them) until the base is level - and long straightedges can be useful in that process. So can something like chalk or lime to mark either the high or low spots so that hand-raking can be applied to the appropriate effect, and perhaps colored chalk to mark spots that are at the correct level. However, to an extent, as you develop correctly leveled areas, the other areas become more evident. At the outset it will appear a daunting task, but it is mostly a tedious one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If making a dead flat bowling green, subsurface drainage will be required. For most other &quot;flat&quot; lawn applications a 0.5-1% slope is acceptable and advisable for drainage purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-06-22T01:01:31.743" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19795" CreationDate="2015-06-22T03:21:48.307" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here in NY, I have heard daylilies alternatively referred to as 'ditch lilies'. So called because they often grow on the upper edge of road ditches. While daylilies would prefer well-drained soil, they are liable to grow reasonably well in unimproved heavier clays as well. If you like you can improve drainage by adding some coarser soil or compost to the mix when you plant. They won't tolerate prolonged standing water, but they also don't want to dry out completely. Daylilies prefer to be watered deeply, getting the soil wet 8 inches or more down, then allowing the top layer to dry out before watering again. In your clay, this might not have to be done very often as it is liable to hold water quite well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Daylilies prefer full sun, a minimum of 6 hours a day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-06-22T13:40:12.120" LastActivityDate="2015-06-22T13:40:12.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19868" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20028" CreationDate="2015-06-22T08:11:49.677" Score="4" ViewCount="970" Body="&lt;p&gt;Everyone seems to have an opinion on this, but is there any definitive answer, ideally backed up by link/s to reputable sources or research?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ratio by weight or by volume.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11421" LastActivityDate="2015-07-12T14:30:12.073" Title="Composting: what is the ideal proportion of 'green' to 'brown' material?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19869" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19873" CreationDate="2015-06-22T11:48:28.430" Score="3" ViewCount="1248" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YE624.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This succulent seems fine at the extremities, but it started to wither from the base up...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify it so I can find how to grow it properly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I put a few drops of water everyday on it, not too much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: a few more pictures of the plant and the rot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UULBm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rot at the center of the image. Notice that the plant thinnes and gets brownish at the base. &quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q4yhZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;full image of the plant. The obe rotting is the foremost one, very slender. &quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope those pictures are Ok... I'm having trouble with lighting...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11578" LastEditorUserId="11578" LastEditDate="2015-06-23T00:02:06.337" LastActivityDate="2015-06-23T13:20:17.823" Title="Succulent withering/rotting at the base" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19815" CreationDate="2015-06-22T19:25:24.020" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am cutting my lower leaves frequently this year, as I train the tomato plants up a trellis.  I have two of each type of tomato planted together, and will limit each plant to 2 or 3 good stems off the main trunk. I think of it as Bonsai tomato growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2015-06-22T19:25:24.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19872" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19915" CreationDate="2015-06-23T02:42:05.517" Score="1" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts, zone 6a. A month ago I found a plant in my yard, which my friend identified as a perennial shrub called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d652&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hellebore&lt;/a&gt;. It has pastel green and pink flowers on stems gently bent over in such a way that almost only the backs are visible. I picked one, which is shown in the picture below. A few days ago I checked, and found that the Hellebore has grown significantly, and most of the flowers now have pods filled with small white seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it too late in the season to plant the seeds somewhere else in the yard?  If so, are they ready to be harvested now, or should I wait for something to happen to the pods, such as drying out, splitting or falling on their own? Also, since there are so many seeds, can I also store some for the winter, using the same method as my annual flower seeds? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;After having read @Stormy's answer, I think I'll try to cultivate a new one vegetatively. The current plant is in a mostly shady area. Is that an important consideration in choosing a location for the new one? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click on pictures for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rnfkg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rnfkgm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;whole plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CCcDE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CCcDEm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;original flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6DvRC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6DvRCm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; title=&quot;flower with pods &amp;amp; seeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-11T22:16:13.547" LastActivityDate="2015-07-11T22:16:13.547" Title="Is the end of June too late to harvest and plant seeds from a Hellebore in zone 6a?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19873" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19869" CreationDate="2015-06-23T09:59:57.130" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like root rot caused by a combination of low light and watering practice. This also looks like a grower's special where they combine plants with different requirements and leave the rest to you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The stems that are dark at the base are dead and should be clipped at the base and removed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;move the planting to the highest light are that you have. An unobstructed south window would do well. The plants appear etiolated or stretched out due to lack of light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;check and ensure that there are drainage holes at the bottom.  If not, this is your problem as Wayfaring Stranger has pointed out: succulents like to dry out and then watered thoroughly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;watering should be more like every two weeks with one cup of water but you need to adjust this based on the dryness of the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;small succulents are readily available at florist's.  Add a new one if your planting gets too thin.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;don't be afraid to cut it back if the growth gets floppy by cutting it back so there are one or two nodes on the stem, no more&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you can propagate most succulents by letting them dry for a few days on the windowsill and then rooting them in damp sand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-06-23T13:20:17.823" LastActivityDate="2015-06-23T13:20:17.823" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19874" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19878" CreationDate="2015-06-23T13:34:26.063" Score="4" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a relatively new homeowner. The back of our house has a carport with a deck above it, then the back yard has about a yard of flattish ground followed by a decent slope. We noticed that the grass was a bit spotty at the top, but didn't think much of it. Two years later, it's practically all bare earth up there. The grass just won't thrive. I suspect there may be a combination of factors. The area gets very little sunlight throughout the day due to the deck. The deck also shades the area from much of the rainfall. Lastly, according to one of our neighbors, there may be concrete a bit further down, the remnant of a playset. I know there there is at least some concrete, as it's starting to become visible in spots through the eroding dirt. I've also found scraps of that black anti-weed fabric, suggesting that they may have planted other things such as flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, what can I do to fix this area? My first thought is to just put down more topsoil and seed it, but I'm a bit worried that it will all just wash away. If indeed there is concrete, I suppose I might have to dig down to it and break it up so that we can get a good layer of soil, but I'd prefer to put that as a matter of last resort because of the amount of effort it would take as well as that it would likely kill off what remains of the grass in the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11453" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T00:50:55.083" Title="Getting grass to grow on top of hill, shady area with possible concrete" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;concrete&gt;&lt;erosion-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19875" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-23T16:30:49.963" Score="1" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the following plant and wanted to know the name and then how to propagate it by stem. Thanks&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wS6nd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bD6O6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastActivityDate="2015-06-23T17:20:59.577" Title="What is the name of this plant and how do I propagate it via stem?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19876" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-23T16:31:19.490" Score="2" ViewCount="585" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a number of random potted plants in my apartment and a few of them are looking to be very tall. Specifically, orange and chili pepper. Once upon a time I replanted some of them and discovered that every plant has its roots concentrated tightly at the very bottom of their pots. It's probably where the most water accumulates, and naturally plants want it and whatever minerals it carries. Then I thought maybe I should raise the &quot;root level&quot; by lifting all the soil and roots from the pot, adding a few centimeters of soil and then putting the plant back in the pot. It should give the roots more space to grow downwards and allow to get more water (increased surface of roots). Does this make sense or will it harm the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2273" LastActivityDate="2015-06-23T18:40:10.190" Title="Will plants grow faster if I reorganize their roots within pots?" Tags="&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19877" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19901" CreationDate="2015-06-23T16:54:38.113" Score="2" ViewCount="381" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is white fur on some outer leaves of my peperomia angulata. Is this normal or should I be worried?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FD7OL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;New images:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aKVsf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MvhnF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8hdpL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11553" LastEditorUserId="11553" LastEditDate="2015-06-25T14:18:32.753" LastActivityDate="2015-06-25T16:25:59.763" Title="What is this fur on the outer leaves on my Peperomia angulata?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19878" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19874" CreationDate="2015-06-23T17:03:35.453" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you cannot improve the sun situation, trying to grow &lt;strong&gt;grass&lt;/strong&gt; may be futile, and would best be altered to growing something more shade tolerant, such as myrtle, pachysandra, or hosta. &lt;strong&gt;Clover&lt;/strong&gt; is a somewhat more shade-tolerant plant that can be mown as grass is if having it &quot;be lawn&quot; is important (which the other plants I mention won't do) and you are not one of those folks that thinks clover is &quot;a weed&quot; that must be removed from &quot;a lawn.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would not worry too much about the sub-surface challenges, if you get something that's willing to grow in the sun/rain conditions you have, it will throw roots around (and eventually through) the concrete and grow, though you should toss on enough soil to cover the exposed bits up so your new planting can get started. &lt;em&gt;i.e.&lt;/em&gt;, build up, don't dig down to solve it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-06-23T17:03:35.453" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19879" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19875" CreationDate="2015-06-23T17:20:59.577" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Jasmine of some sort. If it is, and it is probably easy to experimentally propagate in any case, just cut off some of the lower leaves, dip in rooting hormone, and wrap it around a damp toilet/paper towel and put it in a vase or even a pot with rich soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2015-06-23T17:20:59.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19880" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-23T17:37:11.560" Score="2" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've had volunteer cherry tomatoes come up in our yard, but this isn't a cherry tomato.   The plant I am questioning came up next to a bird feeder in a flower bed.  It now is about 21/2 ft. tall and seems to still be growing.  It has leaves that look exactly like a regular tomato plant, but with stickers on the stems.  I was sure it was a tomato as it blossomed with yellow flowers, tho they look a little ruffled (or double) but the size of a real tomato plant flower. However when the blooms fall off, there is no sign of a tomato starting on the stem.  It is erect, no sign that it wants to trail and the stems &amp;amp; branches are sturdy.  I am sorry I cannot send a picture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11584" LastActivityDate="2015-06-23T17:37:11.560" Title="A &quot;clone looking&quot; tomato plant with no fruit" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2015-09-14T15:07:06.087" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19881" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19876" CreationDate="2015-06-23T18:40:10.190" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, rearranging the roots won't do much for them. You can do one of two things. You can either repot them and trim any roots that won't fit, or repot them in a larger pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you choose to keep them in the same pot, which is fine, you need to prune the roots so that they could potentially fit into the pot without bending and not touch the sides of the pot. When you put them, so will naturally fold up, but you judge how much to prune based on the size of the pot vs the root ball. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you choose to pot in a larger pot, then you'll still need to trim excessively long roots. Some plants like to be root bound, like my peace lilies. They don't start blooming till they've refilled the pot with roots. However, I don't think the two you mentioned would like it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pot size is going to limit plant size to an extent, because it will limit root growth, and through it nutrient absorption and water intake. Some plants will actually burst their pots with their root growth, but for most of them, you'll notice a drastic difference in size in a potted plant vs the same one in the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also don't want to repot them into a huge pot, thinking it'll give them room to grow and have a lot more nutrients. The reason is because when you water it enough to saturate the pot, the plant will be too small to absorb enough water to allow oxygen to the roots and they'll rot. Even if you plan to end up with a large plant in a big pot, you need to gradually step the pot size up. You should let it grow in a particular pot till it seems to have out grown it, by becoming root bound, not showing growth, etc... Then move it one or two pot sizes bigger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another reason to repot once every year or two is not only because the soil looses nutrients, but it also becomes compacted, slowing root growth and preventing oxygen and water from getting to the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way you go, I think you'll do okay. You shouldn't see any change for a while and may even see a little die back from transplant shock, but they should take off and start growing in a couple of months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One last note is that you shouldn't expose the roots. I don't know if that's what you meant when you talked about raising it and putting some dirt in the bottom, but roots are used to the environment they grow in and a change will usually kill them. The plant will usually replace them with new roots by the time they die off, but if you expose any to the air once it's repotted, they'll die off. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-06-23T18:40:10.190" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19882" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-23T20:43:10.157" Score="2" ViewCount="275" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I have some Venus fly trap seeds growing in a 72-cell germ station. The cells are pretty small and I will have to repot soon. Whenever I have read about repotting, I always hear it is best to try to get all the old soil off the root system before repotting it. My question is why? Why can't I just scoop the entire soil block and plant from the cell, not clean off any of the soil, and then just put the hunk of soil with the plant into a bigger pot with more soil? I ask because I hear of people damaging/killing their plant in the process of cleaning the plant of its 'old' soil, and don't want to do this if I don't have to. Hopefully this is not an ignorant question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flytrapcare.com/venus-fly-trap-soil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.flytrapcare.com/venus-fly-trap-soil&lt;/a&gt; :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&quot;Once you have the old soil and plants free from the original pot, start breaking away the soil from the roots. Do this very gently and methodically to be sure not to tear or otherwise damage any of the roots. You can also simply dunk the entire soil ball into clean water (rain, reverse osmosis or distilled water) and swirl it around to release the soil.&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://venusflytrap.info/venus-fly-trap-plant-transplant/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://venusflytrap.info/venus-fly-trap-plant-transplant/&lt;/a&gt; : &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The roots of a Venus Flytrap can break fairly easily, so be careful not to pull on them too much. Gentle taps on the soil are often all that is required to remove most of the soil.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;The Venus Flytrap can be soaked and rinsed in water in order to remove stubborn soil and to expose the rhizome so that it can be cleaned of any dead leaves and tissue. Small scissors and tweezers (forceps) are very handy for this cleaning.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11544" LastEditorUserId="11544" LastEditDate="2015-06-24T21:25:10.677" LastActivityDate="2015-06-24T21:25:10.677" Title="Why clean plant when repotting" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19883" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19882" CreationDate="2015-06-23T22:00:58.860" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have no idea how you've managed to find only references that suggest this &quot;scorched earth&quot; approach to repotting - which is only appropriate (IMHO) when you are trying to salvage plants with soil disease issues (and not that great then - vegetative propagation from above the soil line is a path with greater chance of success in that case.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Cleaning the soil off&quot; is guaranteeing massive root damage (you may not see it, but you'll certainly be damaging/removing the all-important feeder roots - the very fine root hairs that actually take up nutrients/water.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would question any additional advice you've gotten from these sources, and not &quot;clean off&quot; the roots when you repot; and look for better sources of information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-06-23T22:00:58.860" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19884" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19900" CreationDate="2015-06-24T01:45:17.503" Score="4" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;Never been much of a gardener, so 10 years ago I bought a house with a mostly asphalt backyard. So, different season of life now, my wife and I are starting a small garden of mostly food bearing plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're located in Calgary, Canada where we have long winters with lots of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinook_wind&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Chinooks&lt;/a&gt; (warm wind that will randomly bring the temperature up to 10-20 C and melt everything).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our raspberries are planted below ground and are thriving. This year we added some herbs (thyme, sage, etc...) and strawberries. However, as we're limited in space, these are planted in the above ground planter box. The guy who sold us the herbs suggested that freezing over the winter for many of the perennials would be fine, but our Chinooks could likely kill the plants if they were planted above ground. Any truth to this? How can I ensure that my plants survive our strange winter? Can I just shovel lots of snow onto it and hope the planter box never gets the chance to thaw?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11588" LastEditorUserId="11588" LastEditDate="2015-06-24T14:04:01.360" LastActivityDate="2015-06-25T14:09:53.860" Title="How can I ensure my perennial herbs survive in an above ground planter (1.5' x 5') year round?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19885" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19884" CreationDate="2015-06-24T05:41:37.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you considered converting your planter into a green house? You could go the DIY route with some used French doors or windows, and try to keep the temperature the same through out the year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternately, nowadays you are able to buy walk-in green-houses for low prices. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Chinooks do sound really strange, but could lead to some exciting experiments. Be prepared for at least some plants to die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should check around and find out information about gardening clubs in Calgary. I am sure you could gain from others' experience and mix in your own trial and error. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing to be aware is that plants learn to adjust. My mom has always grown Hibiscus in India, which live year around in the temperate climate where we live. So, in Zone 9B, I planted two bushes, and the strangest thing happens - each winter they die off - we barely ever get below the 25F range. The first winter, I thought the plant had died, was sad, but too lazy to replant something and the Hibiscus came back in Spring. So be sure to give the plants ample time over winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2015-06-24T05:41:37.527" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19886" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19946" CreationDate="2015-06-24T06:00:58.253" Score="7" ViewCount="7218" Body="&lt;p&gt;Each year since I'm following Gardener's World (a BBC show for gardeners), Monty Don cuts off the leaves of his early strawberry plants once the harvest is done (in June or July). Last year I did it for the first time on my plants. This year I had the biggest harvest in 4 years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the reasoning behind the idea of cutting off the leaves? &#xA;Was this (one of) the reason(s) my harvest was outstanding this year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-06-24T07:45:58.877" LastActivityDate="2020-06-28T13:30:36.807" Title="Why would we cut off leaves of strawberry plants once the harvest is done?" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19887" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19898" CreationDate="2015-06-24T07:56:28.633" Score="11" ViewCount="11937" Body="&lt;p&gt;How long do tomatoes live for under ideal conditions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do different varietals have vastly different lifespans? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11589" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-22T08:58:52.073" LastActivityDate="2020-04-25T22:26:12.893" Title="How long do tomatoes live for?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;lifespan&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19888" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-24T14:12:56.583" Score="2" ViewCount="1595" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/97648/i-Corylus-avellana-i-Contorta/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;red corkscrew hazel&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/txcTN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;corylus-avellana-red-majestic&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's in a large pot, and I'm not in a position to plant it out (nor will I be any time soon). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However I've noticed that some of the leaves are going green - a lot like the one in the photo (this isn't mine, but it's doing the same thing). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a cause for concern? And if it is, what is the appropriate way to address this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11591" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-24T15:35:17.700" LastActivityDate="2015-06-28T13:03:54.953" Title="My red leaf corkscrew hazel is going green?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19887" CreationDate="2015-06-24T14:52:19.630" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anecdotally, I met a &quot;tomato tree&quot; (not really a tree, just a vary large old tomato plant) that was reported to be 4-6 years old (likely started after the last serious hurricane) on an island in the tropics. The main trunk was over 4&quot; in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd suspect that determinate/indeterminate makes a big difference here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-06-24T14:52:19.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19890" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-24T14:54:04.270" Score="7" ViewCount="3229" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8vI5Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant did very well for a year and bloomed. At some point I think I over watered it and it started looking 'dusty' and then parts turned black. I snipped off the worst parts and let it dry out for quite a while. About a month ago I started watering it once a week and all this new growth started appearing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like the center is still in poor shape. Should I try to remove more?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3369" LastEditorUserId="13474" LastEditDate="2015-12-24T13:22:52.850" LastActivityDate="2015-12-24T13:22:52.850" Title="How to salvage a cactus plant that is half dead" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19891" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19893" CreationDate="2015-06-24T18:34:15.417" Score="3" ViewCount="14046" Body="&lt;p&gt;We currently have stone next to our house however we have been getting quite a bit of weeds. Its probably been some time since any rocks were added. Basically I am looking for the pros and cons for stones vs mulch next to a house. (how often to add/replace, costs, etc)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: &#xA;Climate - Wisconsin so colds and hots. Rocks do currently have landscape fabric down but it could easily be 20+ years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am looking for a very basic list of pros cons. A few things to get it started&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Adding stone/mulch monthly/yearly/??etc?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Resistance to weeds &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cost (probably initial cost + if have to add to it yearly)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Impact of water - get washed away? store moisture? redirect flow? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aesthetic - home value? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Environmental Impact?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Benefits/Cons of having it close to foundation?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11348" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-06-24T21:17:08.873" LastActivityDate="2017-11-03T14:18:56.077" Title="Pros and Cons of wood vs stone mulch" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;rocks&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19892" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19865" CreationDate="2015-06-24T19:09:23.870" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I find that a good rake and shovel can be helpful. You might consider tilling it, and then raking it even. Then walk all over it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To ensure it is level, you can get such as a large pan or trough of water and put it on your ground. The water won't be level with the container if the ground isn't level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-06-24T19:16:38.457" LastActivityDate="2015-06-24T19:16:38.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19891" CreationDate="2015-06-24T21:15:46.460" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not a fan of stone/gravel mulch. I use it in one spot for a specific reason but it's hard to keep it looking clean. Weeds will still grow in it or past it. Either because the landscape fabric underneath deteriorates or because organic material falls onto the gravel and collects in the spaces between the gravel and allows seeds to germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to clean it well you basically have to set up a sifting operation like an 1850's prospector. Since it doesn't decompose topping it off with fresh gravel just creates a deeper mulch bed. As the landscape fabric wears out the gravel can sink into the soil so when that happens I guess you can top off then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't really suppress weeds as well as organic mulches. It's mostly the landscape fabric that does that. If you ever want to change it it's a giant PITA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The microclimate around the gravel bed will be warmer and retain heat longer which may cause issues with some plants or require more frequent watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not a big fan of generic &lt;em&gt;wood mulch&lt;/em&gt; either. For wood mulch I prefer cedar mulch because that's one of the better choices available around me. The oils in it can repel insects such as termites, &lt;a href=&quot;http://blog.pennlive.com/gardening/2009/08/counterattacking_artillery_fun.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cedar mulch is less likely to harbor artillery fungus&lt;/a&gt; (as does cypress and pine park mulch), it lasts a long time, I don't have to worry as much about scrap pressure treated wood or toxic paint winding up in the mulch and I like the smell when I put it down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A 1/2 cubic foot bag of gravel costs about $4. For that same $4 I can get a high quality 3 cubic foot bag of cedar mulch. It's lighter, easier to work with, suppresses weeds when put on thick enough, breaks down to add nutrients to the soil. Insulates the soil and retains moisture and I like the way it looks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You put on about 3&quot; the first year, then add about 1&quot; every year, or even every other year depending on your climate. After a month or so the color fades to grey. You can get died mulches but the color only lasts about a season and will need to be topped off to look new or you can get some mulch dyes to refresh the color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Haven't had an issue with either washing away but the cedar mulch seems to hold better on slopes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aesthetics... when done properly stone mulch can have a very dramatic and high end look. When it starts to look like crap then it looks like crap. Organic mulches are easy to refresh and have looking like new by only topping off a bit every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Costs for a 100 square foot bed with 3&quot; of mulch:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stone: Initial cost 50 bags * $4 = $200 though 50 bags is a lot to transport bulk pricing would be cheaper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cedar: Initial cost 9 bags * $4 = $36&#xA;Top off with 3 bags every year = $12 a year.&#xA;It would take over 12 years for the cedar mulch to cost as much as the stone. Are you sure you're not going to want to rearrange your landscape, want to change color scheme in mulch or will still like the same look for such a long period of time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spreading around some extra mulch on top of beds to me feels a lot easier than trying to clean gravel beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-06-25T20:36:46.363" LastActivityDate="2015-06-25T20:36:46.363" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19891" CreationDate="2015-06-24T22:14:11.507" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would be nice to see what you are talking about.  Please send a photo or two. I am assuming by 'stones' you mean river rock or cobble that someone has put in around the foundation of your home...on top of landscape fabric. Yes?  This DOES help keep water and soil from splashing up onto your siding.  Do you have any kind of foundation plantings?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've got lots of weeds in these rocks, I'd use glyphosate (Roundup) on a wind-LESS day.  It will take about 2-3 weeks to kill existing weeds.  They'll get brown and ugly but very easy to rake/pull up.  Then I'd get this major vinegar stuff so that no weeds can ever grow back in that area!  I don't remember the brand name but it is a high-percentage of acid and what it does is make the soil that has accumulated in the rocks on top of the landscape fabric too acid for any growth.  If you someday want a foundation planting you simply add lime and test for pH until it is 5.5 - 7.0 and plants are then able to grow in this ground.  Providing you remove all fabric and stones first.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Considering aesthetics and home value, ideally a building has a foundation planting.  Artistically this 'ties' the vertical walls into the landscape by providing a transition.  Hedges are perfect for this.  If you are able to plant at least 2 1/2' - 3' from the base of your home's foundation and still leave the fabric and rocks then DO SO!  Do not use the vinegar!!  The shade from the hedge will inhibit most weeds.  I'd fluff and build up a planting bed before planting anything.  What you plant is vital and I'd need a few more details before suggestion of plant materials.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is hard for me to focus just on your foundation plantings however.  You should sit down and sketch out what you've got and include it with photos.  From there I could see a bigger picture to help.  I am a Landscape Architect and hate to see home owners putting lots of money into their landscape without some professional advice and every homeowner that cares about their landscape...the value of their home should have a MASTER PLAN.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hate non-decomposed mulches like bark, cedar...stones, gravel are ok if you aren't caring about plant and soil health.  Landscape fabric is NOT FOR WEED SUPPRESSION!! It is the worst thing one can do for their plants and soil not to mention it is worthless for weed suppression.  It works great under gravel so that the gravel doesn't disappear into the soil and has to be replaced. Great only for driveways and walkways...soft 'patios'... Otherwise NEVER USE it!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check to see if your sewer company makes mulch out of, yes, your poo poo!!  If they do it has rigorous requirements and testing.  By the time it is for sale as a completely decomposed absolutely beautiful fine, dark taupe and natural color, there is nothing that resembles what it once was.  It should smell wonderful...the only caveat is it shouldn't be used on vegetable gardens as it has higher heavy metals in it...as a mulch it has NO weed seeds nor any pesticide residues!!  Put it on a few inches thick and it smothers all existing seeds in your soil.  Sure seeds will blow in but they are extremely easy to pull!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main thing is finding decomposed mulch you KNOW what it is composed of...and this stuff is the only mulch you can purchase that is tested (5X), comes with a list.  Any other mulches are completely suspect!  The only other option is to make your own mulch.  Takes time, some labor but tough to get it looking nice and be able to do all of your plants beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By putting decomposed mulch on top of your beds you are FEEDING you soil's animal community that is critical for soil health and ultimately your plant's health.  You don't have to do any tilling, mixing!  The micro and macro organisms that HAVE TO have decomposed organic material to eat and multiply...come up out of the soil, eat this stuff then go back into the soil and poop it out.  They mix the organics FOR YOU.  Your soil, no matter it's original composition (sand, silt, clay) will be vastly improved.  Your plants will look vastly different...I am not kidding!  Be careful with over fertilizing...this stuff has lots of Nitrogen so this needs to be considered with any fertilizer program.  Your soil has to be alive and thriving before your plants will ever be truly healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send pictures and we can help an awful lot more...thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-06-24T22:14:11.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19895" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19888" CreationDate="2015-06-24T22:42:44.467" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is totally normal for purple-leaved varieties!  Extremely health, happy looking plant!  Don't have to do anything...except, I couldn't see the pot, have no idea of size.  Are you going to keep it in a pot?  Make sure you use great POTTING soil out of a bag!  Do not use garden soil!  Do not use any gravel or rocks as 'drainage' beneath the soil.  Just use sterilized potting soil preferably with mychorhyzae (sp) and bacteria included.  Use an extended release fertilizer 2 -3 times per year such as Osmocote. Make sure your pot drains very well.  Set it up off the porch, patio or ground to facilitate drainage. Use tiles, rocks or 'pot feet' to make sure there is an air layer beneath the bottom of the pot and surface it sits upon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prune back branches from the middle that are small and/or orient towards the center of the plant. Leave no stubs. The beauty of this plant is during the winter!!  This purple variety extends the beauty and value of this plant as a specimen.  The catkins that are so prized on this guy are part of the reproductive system and this means the plant should not be fertilized late in the year with fertilizer that has too much nitrogen.  Make sure your fertilizer is 14-14-14 or 6-6-6 where the first number indicating nitrogen is the same percentage OR LOWER. If the first number is higher than the last 2 numbers, don't use it.  Osmocote satisfies this recommendation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Place this plant where it can be appreciated!! Oh, if your climate has below freezing weather, you can wrap the pot and plant in burlap bags or even newspaper.  String Xmas lights inside before you cover it to keep the temperature above freezing.  Potted plants are easily killed by cold temperatures as a plant's main weakness are its roots.  Roots in a pot are easily killed.  I wouldn't use clay for a pot if your winters are sub zero.  They'll retain water and the frozen water will break your pot to smithereens...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or put it in a heated greenhouse, garage and keep soil slightly moist...beautiful plant!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-06-24T22:42:44.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19896" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19890" CreationDate="2015-06-24T23:01:51.273" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd get rid of all the dead material for sure.  Yes, rooting hormone would help but over watering with cacti is a big deal as you've learned.  Use a sterilized potting soil do not use garden soil.  Make sure your saucer is always dry after watering! (get rid of the saucer and get the bottom of the pot off the surface so there is air between the bottom of the pot and its surface...or saucer!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clay pots do best for cacti and sedums as they 'breathe'...these are very shallow rooted and if I were you I'd get a much shallower pot...wider than high for sure.  Be careful about watering. Think of a quick spring rain in the desert...drainage is everything. Make sure you don't have any rocks or gravel beneath the soil as this actually creates a perched water table and the soil will become saturated before it drains out of the pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't water again until the soil is extremely dry but before the plant's skin starts getting dusky and puckered!  Minimal fertilization, use an extended release fertilizer such as Osmocote and no more than every 4 months or what the label informs.  Use bottled water, NOT TAP.  Unless of course you have a well!  Even then try to find bottled water without fluoride...as you should for your own needs.  Fluoride is an idiotic additive supposedly for our teeth but NOT!!  It is a toxic chemical for us humans and plants...crazy, huh!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-06-24T23:01:51.273" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19897" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19884" CreationDate="2015-06-24T23:15:20.590" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I, too, would have suggested a green house. But if that doesn't work for your landscape, I'd suggest looking into a very, very inexpensive solution...row cloth.  This stuff is white, allows light and rain to enter but wind will blow right over the top.  It also raises the ambient temperature around the plants by 10 to 20 degrees.  Do any of your neighbors grow edibles?  I live in an extremely inhospitable place for edibles as well as most ornamental plants.  We are using a tunnel or hoop greenhouse covered with plastic (very easy to build and very inexpensive) until we can afford a climate controlled, insulated and heated greenhouse.  I wouldn't be without row cloth to protect my plants at any time of the year.  Also great to keep out cabbage family flies/moths from laying eggs and decimating my cabbage family plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This stuff will definitely protect plants from high winds!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-06-24T23:15:20.590" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19898" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19887" CreationDate="2015-06-25T05:28:41.287" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sue encouraged me to turn my comments into an answer. So, I'll try to make them meet the criteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've only ever heard of tomatoes living a few to several years at the most. Ecnerwal's answer sounds pretty apt. However, I think it's possible for them to live much longer. That's me, though. Whatever the case, vigorous indeterminate tomatoes will probably live the longest. Determinate ones will probably die after they fruit unless you take cuttings of them or something. Indeterminate ones are supposed to grow and fruit indefinitely (until it frosts, if there is frost). Indefinitely is a long time, however. In reality, most indeterminate tomatoes will probably live until they get too diseased or run out of root room for too long, or run out of nutrients, or something. Pruning may or may not help. I'm not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideal conditions would require an absence of disease-spreading bugs (e.g. aphids and whiteflies). In some areas, that means indoors. They need plenty of light, plenty of soil, fertilizer, enough calcium and temperature regulation. I find that tomatoes are actually easier to grow indoors in the fall/winter/spring than in summer (it's too consistently hot indoors then, in my main growing environment, but they still do reasonably well in the kitchen windowsill). Frost will kill tomatoes, normally, although some might survive a light frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, realize that you can take tomato cuttings. So, if it's really old and you want to keep the same plant going, that's one way to rejuvenate it, so-to-speak. It should work for both indeterminate and determinate tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-06-26T04:07:12.100" LastActivityDate="2015-06-26T04:07:12.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19900" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19884" CreationDate="2015-06-25T14:09:53.860" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would first suggest (unless you find local input beyond the seller that says certainly not) just seeing what happens, and replanting if what happens is bad. If the plants don't have massive sentimental or economic value, you may learn something that saves you a bunch of work in future years; or you buy new plants next year, and KNOW that you need to take other steps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My next suggestion would be to bury the planter (top and sides) under a mound of straw for the winter, rendering it closer to being &quot;in ground&quot; by means of insulation from the straw. You can use the straw for mulch or composting in the spring/summer. If you also wanted to use it as your snowpile, that would help. The straw provides a buffer even if all the snow melts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-06-25T14:09:53.860" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19877" CreationDate="2015-06-25T16:25:59.763" Score="1" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no signs of mealybug which looks like white cottony tufts.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no signs of a nutrient deficiency such as yellow leaf tissue and green veins&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;there are no dead or necrotic areas that would indicate a virus/fungus/bacteria&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't see anything to worry about.  If you want to be sure remove the leaves that have this.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-06-25T16:25:59.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19902" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9088" CreationDate="2015-06-25T17:14:15.467" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think you should waste the time saving a cheap soaker hose.  With the roots going through it that just sounds bad.  I think you should think about purchasing a drip hose.  Roots don't grow through drip tape like they can through the porous material of a soaker hose.  The drip hose I use is easy to use like a soaker hose and is about the same price, but it works much better.  It will last a long time if your puppy doesn't chew it up.  I use &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardendripsystem.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11595" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-06-26T17:36:50.160" LastActivityDate="2015-06-26T17:36:50.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19903" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19910" CreationDate="2015-06-25T18:13:31.583" Score="3" ViewCount="105" Body="&lt;p&gt;My parents have two of those plants in their backyard.  They forgot what it is. It produces fruits or vegetables. The leafs goes from green to almost black on the outside.  The flowers are purple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VHcjT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Global plant&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z7UJO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fruits or vegetables&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They would like to know what it is exactly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2759" LastActivityDate="2015-06-26T09:51:37.280" Title="What's this plant that produces fruits or vegetables and have green to black leafs?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19905" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-25T19:03:57.763" Score="3" ViewCount="419" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=8443993#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is a picture of a bush in my yard. It is now late June and little quarter size green apples are all over it.  Can you tell me what type of bush this is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11596" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-06-25T22:00:18.243" LastActivityDate="2015-06-25T22:00:18.243" Title="What is this bush in my yard with many small green apples?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19906" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-25T19:25:15.727" Score="5" ViewCount="4282" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a columnar Yew which currently is about 18 - 20 feet tall with a spread of about 6 feet. What is the root system like for these trees and what effect will/can it have on the foundations of the house?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The centre of the trunk is only 3 feet from the building. I am concerned for two reasons: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The impact of roots on the footings&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The extra moisture content of the soil if it is felled&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a beautiful tree which at present causes no problem. There are no cracks appearing! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11597" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T15:01:21.877" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T15:01:21.877" Title="Will the roots of my Columnar Yew Tree damage a foundation that's only three feet away?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19905" CreationDate="2015-06-25T19:50:30.200" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaenomeles&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;flowering quince, a chaenomeles&lt;/a&gt;, sometimes also called Japanese quince. With just one picture (apparently not even from your plant?) and various hybrids on the market I couldn't say &lt;em&gt;exactly&lt;/em&gt; which variety, but the little apples will turn yellow in fall and are edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-06-25T20:06:29.323" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19908" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-25T21:09:18.403" Score="5" ViewCount="871" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8814/how-can-i-remove-moles-from-my-lawn&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; which seems to be our canonical mole page but I have additional questions/details I hope you can answer here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not a native English speaker so forgive my expressions. In particular, it seems that &quot;moles&quot; are ones that make tunnels that are visible on the grass? The moles I have make tunnels 10-20cm under the grass so I can't tell where the tunnels are except when I dig out one of the earth piles.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;--&gt; &lt;strong&gt;What's this kind of mole called?&lt;/strong&gt; Just so I can phrase my questions properly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I'm not in the US so some of the products mentioned don't exist here (Austria) and I can't figure out whether my &quot;local&quot; Amazon.de has anything similar.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;--&gt; Knowledge of &lt;strong&gt;European alternatives are much appreciated!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My lawn is new: rolls of pre-grown grass rolled out over a thick layer of new soil in the summer of 2013. There are a LOT of earth worms (which is a good sign) but also at least one very annoying mole that perforates my (expensive) lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have tried old &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.de/k-A-Drahtfalle-bayrische-Form/dp/B005119IJC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1435266135&amp;amp;sr=8-4&amp;amp;keywords=maulwurffalle&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;spring-loaded mole traps&lt;/a&gt; borrowed from my neighbor, but they were triggered by soil and not by the mole itself. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;He also gave me a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.de/Kieferle-W%C3%BChlmausselbstschu%C3%9F-W%C3%BChlmausfalle-Altersnachweis-erforderlich/dp/B00IGSU2K6/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1435266135&amp;amp;sr=8-10&amp;amp;keywords=maulwurffalle&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;concussion trap&lt;/a&gt; (powered by a round of gun powder, no projectile) that got jammed by soil and didn't blow. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Strongly-scented cotton balls seemed worth a try but also ineffective.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Burying a deep container in the mole's path in the hope of trapping it (advice from a pest control person) didn't succeed either.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's an image of a revealed tunnel going under the boys' sandbox. I've placed a plastic stick in the path for visibility. I know that the mole passes through here and I placed a slab over this hole while I figure out what to do next.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;--&gt; &lt;strong&gt;What can I do to get rid of this mole?&lt;/strong&gt; Trap/kill/move/chase away - whatever you can recommend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qjqab.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="453" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T20:40:49.577" Title="Getting rid of moles in the lawn?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19909" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-25T22:24:01.063" Score="7" ViewCount="46" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've found plenty of information about &lt;a href=&quot;http://umaine.edu/publications/7011e/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;when to harvest&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/sustaining_forests/conserve_enhance/special_products/maine_ntfp/plants/firbalsam/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;balsam&lt;/a&gt; for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/treecare/maintenance/balsamharvest.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;making wreaths&lt;/a&gt;, but I really don't care about if the needles stay attached - I'm actually interested in if there are specific times when I should harvest so that they maintain their scent longer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="505" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T15:06:36.553" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T15:06:36.553" Title="When should I harvest balsam for balsam bags?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19903" CreationDate="2015-06-26T09:25:54.087" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't really know for sure, but the closest thing I've found appearance-wise is poroporo, AKA the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.habitas.org.uk/gardenflora/solanum_laciniatum.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;kangaroo apple&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_aviculare&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Solanum aviculare&lt;/a&gt;, or Solanum laciniatum). There may be some subtle differences in appearance, though. It may also be the more poisonous large-flowered kangaroo apple (Solanum laciniatum Aiton).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The regular kangaroo apple is &lt;a href=&quot;https://myfolia.com/plants/72771-kangaroo-apple-solanum-laciniatum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;edible only when dark orange&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-06-26T09:51:37.280" LastActivityDate="2015-06-26T09:51:37.280" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19908" CreationDate="2015-06-26T10:53:05.647" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since it appears you aren't afraid of killing them, you can feed them poison peanuts, which I see are available at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.de/SWEENEY-Erdn%C3%BCsse-Maulwurf-Erdh%C3%B6rnchen-Haushalt/dp/B000GRNOTQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1435315858&amp;amp;sr=8-1-fkmr0&amp;amp;keywords=Sweeney%27s+S6006+Mole+and+Gopher+Poison+Peanuts+Bait&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Amazon.de&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a2nis.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9728" LastActivityDate="2015-06-26T10:53:05.647" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19912" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19886" CreationDate="2015-06-26T20:40:52.553" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A2KLqIA_to1VjR0ArVH7w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTBsdmprb2NqBHNlYwNzZWFyY2gEdnRpZANCMDQ5MQ--;_ylc=X1MDOTY3ODEzMDcEX3IDMgRiY2sDNmM0OWhsdGFhYmU3cyUyNmIlM0QzJTI2cyUzRGZzBGZyA21jYWZlZQRncHJpZAMuX0p1QVpVYlJWaVZwYTNHQy50QkFBBG10ZXN0aWQDVUkwMSUzREIwNDkxBG5fcnNsdAM2BG5fc3VnZwMwBG9yaWdpbgN2aWRlby5zZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tBHBvcwMwBHBxc3RyAwRwcXN0cmwDBHFzdHJsAzI1BHF1ZXJ5A1BydW5pbmcgc3RyYXdiZXJyeSBsZWF2ZXMEdF9zdG1wAzE0MzUzNTA2MTQEdnRlc3RpZANCMDQ5MQ--?gprid=._JuAZUbRViVpa3GC.tBAA&amp;amp;pvid=.Ztwjjk4LjFmETGvVKW4_Ay5OTcuNwAAAACaGvwR&amp;amp;p=Pruning%20strawberry%20leaves&amp;amp;ei=UTF-8&amp;amp;fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Av%2Cm%3Asa&amp;amp;fr=mcafee#id=2&amp;amp;vid=e7205c8db1fb5651de7d1e77705cce95&amp;amp;action=view&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;June strawberry pruning&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This makes sense, reduces disease, one can thin and reorganize... I still need to incorporate the 2 year thing.  I used to rip 'em all up at the end of 2 years for this farmer years ago.  If you've got June bearing, this is a nice video that makes sense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-06-26T20:40:52.553" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19801" CreationDate="2015-06-26T20:58:55.483" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fiasco labs answer is great!  To improve any soil, at any time there is ONLY ONE WAY...so simple!  Throw DECOMPOSED organic matter on top of the soil!  The micro and macro organisms come up to eat (they HAVE to have decomposed organic matter to eat and thrive)otherwise the decomposers wakeup, other soil organisms go to sleep or dormant and the decomposers decompose non-decomposed matter so there IS something for the soil organisms necessary for healthy plant life to wake up and eat!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These organisms burrow their way to the top  (aeration), eat this decomposed organic matter then burrow back down into the soil profile...pooping this stuff out and doing all the mixing and aeration for you!!!  At the same time this 'mulch' is keeping weeds from germinating, allowing moisture to stay in the soil longer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The BEST mulch you either make yourself by composting which doesn't lend enough material for your landscape but is super for your vegey garden or...find a supplier of decomposed human poo and sawdust through your sewer/water company.  This stuff is natural colored a dark taupe, is fine and consistent in texture, has ZERO weed seeds and ZERO pesticide residues...it does have heavy metals from medications we humans take so I wouldn't recommend using it on your vegey garden.  And yes every other year one replaces this stuff on their planting beds.  I won't use any other mulch...period.  We should INSIST our sewage is turned into this stuff.  Otherwise, WHERE are they dumping this great resource?  I know in Washington they are taking Seattle's 'gold' and pumping it beneath agricultural land in the center of the state.  Plants are not able to access this stuff but our ground water definitely gets contaminated...check your facility out..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-06-26T20:58:55.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19908" CreationDate="2015-06-26T21:47:02.043" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gag me!!  Poison should never be used...let me try to change you paradigm here about moles and lawns.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used to be paid BIG BUCKS to aerate, bring in top soil, dump it in piles all over this newly aerated lawn.  Moles, gophers, and other soil mammals do all of that FOR FREE.  Hello?  And when you see a lawn with lots of mole hills...there are ONLY ONE OR TWO MOLES doing all of this work I used to do for LOTS AND LOTS OF MONEY!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just take a rake every other day and rake the hills dispersing the soil thinly over your grass.  I'd use this opportunity to aerate manually before major knock down.  Quit worrying about a couple of very industrious little mammals!!  Fertilize your lawn with extended release fertilizer!!  Not the fast synthetic stuff!  Water deeply and allow to dry out before watering again (10 or 15 minutes is not enough to water deeply, especially with clay!)  Soak your lawn then allow to dry until you can see your footprints left after walking on your grass.  1&quot; water per week!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mow on the highest!!! setting. Depending on your type of grass, I am assuming the same stuff we use in the Pacific Northwest...if it is the same mow NO SHORTER THAN 3 inches!  I kid you not!!  Read this site's stuff on lawns...particularly Blue grass, fescue mixes.  These grasses need at least 3&quot; top growth to feed their genetic large root systems.  Then they are able to outcompete all kinds of weeds...I mean it...3&quot;...and you'll have the most luscious grass you can imagine.  I did this for a living...3&quot; and the soil will be shaded so that weed seeds aren't able to germinate.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a hard time killing anything!  But poison is so very very wrong. Think about a cat or dog or hawk eating that poor little inocuous mole.  The poison will kill again.  We really need to relax an awful lot more. The landscape is so very different than the interior of one's home where you CAN be king.  You are able to control all.  Not so in the landscape and us humans can really screw ourselves royally trying to control versus understand the environment of which our homes are a part...I am just sayin' from an entirely different point of view...grin!  By the way, these little guys eat larvae/grubs that could put your lawn at risk...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-06-26T21:47:02.043" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19915" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19872" CreationDate="2015-06-26T23:05:11.467" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Go ahead and save seeds...but I'd be more inclined to make sure this plant is healthy and I'd propogate vegetatively and not worry about seeds.  Is this helebore self-fertilizing?  Otherwise, I'd start seeds in a controlled environment to see if they are viable...helebores are incredible plants. Grown vegetatively very easily. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-06-26T23:05:11.467" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19917" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19923" CreationDate="2015-06-26T23:50:35.207" Score="3" ViewCount="483" Body="&lt;p&gt;This weed is very common in western Idaho, but I have yet to find out what it is. I haven't seen it online in any weed database I've searched. Yes, as large as it is, it's growing in a crack in the cement patio. It's been in the area for as long as I can remember (probably since at least the 80's). It can get a lot taller than this (maybe 7 feet tall or so). If you break any part of it, white latex leaks out. It's an annual. I think the seeds are cottony. It's one of the first weeds to grow in the spring, and it's around up until at least the first frost. The stems are spiny. The edges and veins of the leaves are spiny.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ki0EM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of a spiny unidentified, but common, weed.&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-06-27T00:00:57.827" LastActivityDate="2015-06-27T10:38:10.583" Title="What is this common western Idaho spiny weed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19918" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-27T00:10:07.077" Score="3" ViewCount="109" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant was growing like a vine within an evergreen I have. The thickest part of the stem was about .33 inches wide and it was woody. From that there were lighter green stems that branched. Attached is a picture of the leaf (with a $1 bill for scale). I cut it and pulled it out from the evergreen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NQPQE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;I hope it isn&amp;#39;t poisonous, or I&amp;#39;m in trouble&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11602" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-27T05:19:30.087" LastActivityDate="2015-06-27T10:31:43.367" Title="Can anyone identify this maple-type leafed plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19919" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-27T00:23:09.133" Score="2" ViewCount="313" Body="&lt;p&gt;These two western Idaho weeds look like lambsquarter to me. One of them is blunt, and the other one is pointy (and much more susceptible to leaf miners and some disease that wilts the shoots and leaves). Are they both lambsquarter? What are the variety names, if you can tell? Because of the immaturity of the weed in the second picture, you might be tempted to say it's bind weed or something (but it's not; it's not a vine; the growth habit is just like that of the blunt variety).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blunt variety (picture 1):&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zckZP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Blunt lambsquarter?&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blunt variety (picture 2):&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wA9QY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pointed variety:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9WZkY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-08-28T22:20:28.300" Title="Are these two weeds both lambsquarter?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19920" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19950" CreationDate="2015-06-27T00:37:48.427" Score="1" ViewCount="177" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture of a hollyhock. It's been covered with holes like this all year (and the ones last year were, too, all year). As a side note, I gave it potassium for the yellowing of the leaves, twice (once just before I took this picture).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pIETr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, my question is, are these holes caused by flea beetles? I've never actually seen any flea beetles on them. Hollyhocks in other areas of my western Idaho town have similar problems. Ours used to be worse than this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I stop these holes from happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-06-28T16:45:06.797" Title="Is this flea beetle damage on this hollyhock?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19918" CreationDate="2015-06-27T00:59:14.023" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This vine bears a resemblance to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.toronto-wildlife.com/Plants/Grape_family/more_porcelain_berry.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Porcelain berry&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ampelopsis_brevipedunculata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Amelopsis brevipedunculata&lt;/a&gt;.  It is native to Asia and a positive identification would be the blue berries that are prominent in the fall. The leaves are variable in size and shape but larger ones have the prominent lobes in your picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From a positive description in a seed catalogue I bought a packet of seeds and got one seedling.  For a few years it didn't do much.  Then...it all changed. One season it grew to ten feet wide, the next season it was twenty feet wide and fighting the rose bush and the cedar.  The berries were attractive until frost but poisonous to dogs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a reason this plant is considered an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.invasiveplantatlas.org/subject.html?sub=3007&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;invasive pest across North America&lt;/a&gt;. It is more vigorous than any plant has a right to be. Seeds in the berries are spread by birds and every berry sprouts a few seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant became a nightmare in my garden and took hours of work to remove. Two years later I am still removing the seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PmFPM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-06-27T10:31:43.367" LastActivityDate="2015-06-27T10:31:43.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19922" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-27T01:03:43.120" Score="1" ViewCount="2788" Body="&lt;p&gt;Before we moved into our new house there were grape vines everywhere. We got rid of one stump, but another one by the fence is harder to get rid of. So I want to know what would be the most effective way to kill this plant off for good?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11603" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-27T05:15:25.037" LastActivityDate="2015-08-05T03:59:56.127" Title="What Is The Best Way To Kill Grape Vines?" Tags="&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19917" CreationDate="2015-06-27T01:10:55.033" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactuca_serriola&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lactuca serriola&lt;/a&gt;, Prickly lettuce. Native to Europe and Asia, but it's found almost everywhere now because, as you have found, it's terribly capable of growing wherever it lands. It generally is an annual although there is some potential for them to overwinter if conditions are right. All of your description matches well with the plant including the fluffy seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-06-27T10:38:10.583" LastActivityDate="2015-06-27T10:38:10.583" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19925" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-27T04:48:51.003" Score="3" ViewCount="7174" Body="&lt;p&gt;Will I kill a big birch tree if I put all my grass clippings around the base?&#xA;The clippings (from 2 acres of grass) are now 2 feet deep around the tree.  I have been told it will heat up and cause the tree to burn.  I want to make a raised bed garden around the base of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11606" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-27T05:18:15.553" LastActivityDate="2020-10-07T11:42:26.320" Title="Can a big compost pile around its base kill my tree?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19927" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19925" CreationDate="2015-06-27T13:37:58.727" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A very active compost can exceed 140*F, and some can reach 160*F. This heating can destroy plant seeds, bacteria, and organic matter. The heat is temporary as the available fuel dwindles and the pile becomes more balanced. Spreading out the pile will reduce how hot it will get, as it increases the surface area to the open air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other issue with compost piles is if they are too large. They start to compact and lose oxygen. This causes a change in the bacteria to anaerobic, which exhume sulphur/methane gases. Roots on plants need oxygen to breathe, so a large compost pile might compromise roots under it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://compost.css.cornell.edu/physics.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Compost Physics - Cornell.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6882" LastActivityDate="2015-06-27T13:37:58.727" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19925" CreationDate="2015-06-27T14:14:38.457" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aside from the issues of excessive heat and potential anerobic conditions with a deep pile of grass clippings, trees are pretty sensitive to soil level. So compost elsewhere (and try to mix in some shredded paper, leaves, sawdust or other &quot;brown&quot; materials for a more balanced pile) and if you do want a raised bed there, provide it with an inner wall spaced away from the trunk of the tree, and 8-16 radial perforated drainage pipes at the current soil level running to the outer edge of the bed. Otherwise the &quot;simple&quot; act of piling dirt around a tree can kill it, because the roots become buried too deeply and die before they can grow to the new soil level. If you add an inch or less of soil per year you might get away with it - otherwise the drainage pipe solution attempts to keep adequate aeration at the original soil level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aMh9L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image from forestry images.org&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For using grass clippings as mulch, I recommend no more than 3&quot; depth when fresh. After drying, they can be used somewhat deeper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-06-27T14:14:38.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19929" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19930" CreationDate="2015-06-27T15:22:13.580" Score="1" ViewCount="714" Body="&lt;p&gt;So here is a picture of what I am facing&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nvGkj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a sign of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_rot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;heart rot&lt;/a&gt;? What should I do? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to be confined to this one branch (no apples on that branch at all). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1149" LastActivityDate="2015-06-27T15:31:38.523" Title="How to protect my apple tree from this disease?" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19930" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19929" CreationDate="2015-06-27T15:31:38.523" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Remove that whole limb ASAP. It's at least &quot;mostly dead&quot; if it's got shelf fungus growing on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fungus is a symptom, not the cause, but you want to remove the dead wood regardless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-06-27T15:31:38.523" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19931" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-27T16:28:28.563" Score="2" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;I finally had my Mango tree give me fruit this year and its the first year this is happening. However they are all green and I was wondering what is the perfect time to pluck them , and how should I get them to ripe(non-chemically) to eat them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do you guys usually do for this ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11268" LastActivityDate="2015-06-27T19:11:56.277" Title="How do you guys Ripen your Fruit Produce ?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19932" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-27T16:49:50.913" Score="2" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found some dry old flowers in a field and lots of seeds in them. What species is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UyGqw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UyGqwl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click for a full-size version of the image.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11609" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-06-27T19:20:55.843" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T13:57:01.917" Title="Which field flower are these seeds from?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19933" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-27T18:10:45.410" Score="2" ViewCount="214" Body="&lt;p&gt;SO, I was able to get the pictured flower off the parent plant and wondering if this stem is good enough for planting. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qJs6b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XyObu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aD6w3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastEditorUserId="6781" LastEditDate="2015-06-28T17:57:08.043" LastActivityDate="2015-06-28T19:53:23.593" Title="Flower stem planting" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19934" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-27T18:20:13.053" Score="2" ViewCount="2019" Body="&lt;p&gt;Eleven days ago, I had asked &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/19796/why-arent-my-young-plants-growing-even-with-proper-nutrition&quot;&gt;why my young plants were not growing&lt;/a&gt;. Well, weeks later, one of them is regressing. What can be the issue now? I added organic material( yam peel, banana peels and egg shells in the soil) about 3 weeks ago. What is the matter with it now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WNxYH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VIwbN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vlkcp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T22:30:19.773" Title="What is happening with my pothos?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19935" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19931" CreationDate="2015-06-27T19:05:44.230" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Excepting for anything in the quince family (pears, quince, etc.) which are picked green the moment the stem clicks free when you lift the fruit to a 45-65 degree angle, tree ripened is probably best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ripening process is started by ethylene gas, the smell given off by ripe bananas or apples. Industry fruit is often picked green and forced with ethylene gas produced from petroleum and the flavor difference between forced and natural is quite noticeable (not because of a pure gas produced from petroleum). Natural ripens from inside to out, forced from outside to in with incomplete starch to sugar conversion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, about mangoes, they're best if tree ripened, but birds are an issue so what you get in the store often is picked early. You can pick them just as they start to turn and start to soften. You can leave them sit at room temperature to ripen out or put them in a plastic bag with a ripening banana to move the process along. Keep the banana out of contact with the mangoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2015-06-27T19:11:56.277" LastActivityDate="2015-06-27T19:11:56.277" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19936" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-27T19:43:55.703" Score="2" ViewCount="3652" Body="&lt;p&gt;We planted a bunch of vegetables in different pots for the first time this year. We haven't used any pesticides or fertilizers on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've been noticing little black dots on the pots we planted them in, and on the plants themselves. So far we've only noticed the dots on the yellow squash, zucchini, and cauliflower, but they're also on all of the pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UOcLG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Black dots on the pots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant leaves also have a bunch of holes in them, and we're not sure if that's normal or not. There are lots of gnat-type bugs flying around the garden all the time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DtfPc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone fill us in on what's going on, and how to stop these issues if they're harmful?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11611" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-06-27T20:18:36.433" LastActivityDate="2018-09-30T13:18:53.063" Title="What's causing small black dots and holes in the leaves of my potted vegetable plants?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19937" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-27T21:48:28.957" Score="3" ViewCount="1957" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iCeSn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XGB4l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant purchased as a hanging basket, has both variegated and solid green leaves, has upright growth, but also has two or three vine like stems. Flowers are VERY delicate white some with a delicate pink throat like. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Purchased at a nursery that told me the name of this plant was &quot;Snow on the Mountain.&quot;  After researching I am quite sure this is incorrect. However I cannot find a picture on the Internet to help in identifying it. &#xA;Can anyone help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11612" LastEditorUserId="11612" LastEditDate="2015-06-29T17:56:16.070" LastActivityDate="2019-06-09T17:31:56.927" Title="What is this plant with two types of leaves and small pinkish-white flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19938" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19934" CreationDate="2015-06-28T01:07:38.333" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;new growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what looks like a soil mix that stays wet and does not drain well&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a round osmocote slow release fertilizer ball&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;older growth has brown necrotic (dead) areas which look like fungus/virus/bacteria.  These can take hold of any plant that is stressed and are more prevalent in plant that are too wet.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I conclude that the pothos is either over watered or the soil drains poorly which seems in line with your earlier question.  Pothos is one of the tougher topical vines grown as a house plant.  What you are doing with the soil mix is not working.  I would repot the pothos with a bag of commercial house plant soil, don't fertilize, watch for over watering and insufficient light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-06-28T01:07:38.333" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19939" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19936" CreationDate="2015-06-28T08:03:06.240" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you checked for caterpillars? &lt;em&gt;Something&lt;/em&gt; is eating the leaves and it has a certain size, judging by the eating pattern. Could also be slugs, but then you would have noticed slime traces which I didn't see on the pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A healty plant can compensate for some loss, but if this continues, they might be bare in a few days or weeks, and that would nix your harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So take one pot at the time and search for &quot;uninvited tennants&quot;. Note that some caterpillars are camouflaged quite well - we had &lt;em&gt;one&lt;/em&gt; turnip&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; on our balcony one year and &lt;em&gt;one&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieris_rapae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;caterpillar&lt;/a&gt;. Took us two weeks until we found it and we lost most leaves in the process. Pick them off by hand, this is certainly not a case for pesticides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose the black dots are caterpillar droppings, but couldn't say for sure as the photos are a bit blurry. Just hose them off, pick the caterpillars and ask again if they reappear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; That was a fun project for the kids, not an attempt to get an actual &quot;harvest&quot;. We choose to let the caterpillar grow until pupation as neither kid was too keen on eating the turnip anyway. Sometimes you have to be flexible...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-06-28T08:03:06.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19940" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19933" CreationDate="2015-06-28T08:31:06.377" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to plant gardenia cuttings there are two schools of thought. Both require the same preparation:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use soft wood, that means the green top part of the twig, about 3-4 in / 10 cm long.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut off any flowers and flower buds. Your cutting would waste energy and water on them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove all but the top two pairs of leaves, possibly leave only one pair. The idea is to reduce the amount of leaf surface to minimize water loss (no roots yet to sustain them!) while allowing some photosynthesis for nutrition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here the two approaches that are the most common:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put a small stem into a vase with water, keep it in a light place but away from direct sunlight, wait for roots to form on the stem, plant once there is a sufficient amount of roots. &lt;em&gt;Do not put any fertilizer or other stuff in the water.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prepare a pot with light soil, use your finger or a stick to poke a hole in the middle for the stem. Dip the end (freshly cut!) of the stem in rooting hormone, put it in the hole and close it. Water gently. Cover the entire pot and twig with a clear dome, either something like a cut plastic bottle or tent with foil, but make sure that the cover doesn't touch the plant or you risk fungal infection from condensation. You want to keep humidity high, but not actually wet. Keep in a dark place for a few days, then in increasingly lighter places but always away from direct sunlight. Roots should form within four to six weeks, recognizable by new growth, upright old leaves and a firm stem. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that neither method is fail-safe. If your cutting would have had new growth (light green, smaller leaves on top), chances of rooting would be better. Also remember that Gardenias are notoriously difficult to grow, as some other posters here have pointed out to you before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This instruction is for Gardenias, as you pictured a Gardenia in your question. &lt;em&gt;This does not mean that it will work for every soft wood twig that you cut off somewhere.&lt;/em&gt; You need to know &lt;strong&gt;for your specific plant&lt;/strong&gt; what kind of propagation method is appropriate. There are variations in the method or you should take an entirely different approach for other plants. Just a few random examples:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuchsia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Fuchsias&lt;/a&gt; like &quot;warm feet&quot; if cuttings are planted, and are exceptionally willing to grow roots in a jar of water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelargonium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pelargoniums&lt;/a&gt; (sometimes wrongly referred to as &quot;Geraniums) just rot in a vase but are happy to root in soil even without the rooting hormone and without a cover, as my Dad proves by the dozen every fall.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambucus_nigra&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Elderberry&lt;/a&gt; will simply rot if you take the soft green tips. Here you take woody pieces with two sets of nodes, 1/2 in. thick, cut in late spring or early summer. One node goes into the soil, the other will grow leaves. They can be rooted in water, but the vase must be opaque and the risk of failure/rot is high.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;While there are some common tips (reduce foliage to minimize water loss, remove flowers, keep shaded for a few days), &lt;em&gt;there is no &quot;one fits all&quot;&lt;/em&gt; method of propagating plants! There won't be another answer, no matter how often you ask for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-06-28T19:53:23.593" LastActivityDate="2015-06-28T19:53:23.593" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19941" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19944" CreationDate="2015-06-28T09:11:04.880" Score="2" ViewCount="268" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got 5 rosa chinensis outside my window and they get about 10 hours of direct sun in conditions of about 39°C and 13% humidity. I water them 1.5 litres per day, and feed them with a bloom special (it has a nutrition chart if needed) every 10 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is that newborn flowers (I don't know the technical term :D) are colorful and in colors of orange and red.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2LOU1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;colorful&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;but they become white and a bit green after a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gAOhX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11205" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-01T00:14:41.130" LastActivityDate="2015-07-01T00:14:41.130" Title="Why do my rosa chinensis flowers turn white as they age?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19942" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19937" CreationDate="2015-06-28T12:38:26.517" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did some research, having recognised that the white and pink parts on this plant aren't flowers, they're actually leaves - they should change colour later as they mature, initially to dappled white and green, then probably to plain green. I thought it might be one of the new Euonymus varieties along the lines of 'Pierrolino', but it's not - its actually Alternanthera ficoidea 'Snow on the Mountain', the last part being its varietal name rather than a common name. Sometimes commonly known as Parrot Plant or Calico plant, or even Joseph's Coat, though that particular common name refers to the one with variegated reddish tones. It prefers full sun to partial shade, and grows to about 18 inches tall. It's a tropical plant, or an indoor perennial, so quite tender.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-28T17:26:44.960" LastActivityDate="2015-06-28T17:26:44.960" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19943" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19922" CreationDate="2015-06-28T12:49:16.413" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You seem to be implying that the stump is still producing growth rather than your just wanting to get the stump out of the ground. As 'stump' usually refers to a woody trunk of varying width, the way to kill it off for good is to buy a tree stump killer - in the UK, that would be something like SBK, described as a brushwood and tree stump killer. Method of use varies according to the product, but the usual idea is to drill into the stump, making holes about quarter to half an inch deep, particularly near the outside edges, all round if it is a large stump, then fill up the holes with the stumpkiller and cover with something - a large upturned pot or a sheet of plastic, anchored down, and leave it to die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-28T12:49:16.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19944" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19941" CreationDate="2015-06-28T12:55:27.450" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've said you don't have cultivar names for your roses, so its hard to be specific without that information. Rosa chinensis is the first part of the name of many cultivars or varieties, but there is one called R. chinensis 'mutabilis' - I'm not suggesting that's yours, but that particular variety produces flowers which start out a honey coloured yellow, change through to coppery pink, then more sort of watermelon colour ending up a mahogany shade. Its probably safe to assume that your particular rose has a similar habit, and this change of colour in the flowers is quite normal, though it might not be an effect you would have chosen had you known about it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There might be some bleaching going on though - some roses retain their colour better and longer in shadier conditions, or at least with not so much sun as yours are getting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-28T12:55:27.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19945" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19888" CreationDate="2015-06-28T13:03:54.953" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In shadier conditions, the leaves will be more green than red - often, larger leaves may shade smaller ones on the same plant, and those will be less red, but unless your plant has produced a stem with all green leaves and no red ones, in which case it should be pruned out at the point from which it originates, there's no need to worry. Some variation in colour is quite normal, and the newest leaves are always the most colourful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-28T13:03:54.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19946" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19886" CreationDate="2015-06-28T13:08:32.697" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got what are known as June bearers by the sound of it - the reason you cut them right down or mow over them after they've finished fruiting is to prevent excessive runner production - if you leave them, they spend the rest of the summer throwing out long runners and rooting elsewhere. If you cut them down, they don't waste energy doing that and are able to concentrate on recovering as individual plants and putting their energy into making fruit the following year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-28T13:08:32.697" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19947" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-28T13:37:10.130" Score="4" ViewCount="5944" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small chilli plant. It's in a pot and yesterday I put it outside in the sun. When I brought it back inside some of its leaves had turned upside down. What is the problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11615" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-28T13:52:33.597" LastActivityDate="2018-06-13T12:59:56.323" Title="Why are my chilli plant's leaves turning upside down?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19947" CreationDate="2015-06-28T14:47:48.383" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most likely explanation is too much sun too quickly - the chlorophyll content in the leaves is greatest on the upper surface, and its the chlorophyll that absorbs sunlight. Your plant, being exposed to sun suddenly, flipped its leaves to absorb less of it - this is not an unusual event on pepper plants and it shouldn't affect its fruiting. Next time you want to put it outside, introduce it to sun gradually by standing in a dappled shade spot for a day or three, gradually moving it into full sun as it grows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-29T12:48:50.077" LastActivityDate="2015-06-29T12:48:50.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19950" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19920" CreationDate="2015-06-28T16:45:06.797" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;These holes are probably caused by the hollyhock weevil - I'm not quite sure where you are, but they are endemic in Colorado and other areas of the States. Remove the seed pods as they form - some may overwinter in those and emerge next year to cause damage. Treatment, if you don't want to use an appropriate pesticide spray, is to shake the plant - this should make them fall off and you then destroy them. Otherwise, buy an appropriate pesticide and use according to the instructions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the yellow/orange markings, that looks remarkably like Hollyhock Rust - if there are pustules under the leaves, then that's what it is. Control of this fungal infection is difficult, and its best to buy rust resistant cultivars of the plant. You may find a fungal spray that's suitable for use in your area though, its worth checking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-28T16:45:06.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19951" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19934" CreationDate="2015-06-28T23:04:14.807" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pothos hates lots of light. Is this plant outside?  Put it in the shade. It looks like too much light for this guy.  How are you watering?  Is this plant hanging or sitting in a saucer? A good sterilized potting soil IS FINE.  Be careful with overfertilization...Osmocote is fine. What I am seeing is too much watering but more than that is too much light.  Allow the soil to dry before watering.  Allow no water to sit in its saucer.  This is such a tough plant that it REQUIRES less attention to thrive.  Weird, huh!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-06-28T23:04:14.807" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19952" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19964" CreationDate="2015-06-28T23:04:32.940" Score="2" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and have noticed today that a couple of our Lotus maculatus, aka &quot;Gold Flash&quot;, are infested with bugs, as you can see in the picture below. They are in pots, hanging in front of our kitchen window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Interestingly, there are tons of ants going to those pots. I'm not sure if they are farming those bugs (is that even possible?), somehow feed off the bugs, or if this is completely unrelated. But if they are not going there for the bugs, I'm not sure what else they would find there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/hmrZffc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of the plant with bugs&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what those bugs are? How would you recommend I approach getting rid of those ants and bugs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="831" LastActivityDate="2015-06-29T21:36:26.577" Title="Getting rid of the bugs on the Lotus maculatus" Tags="&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;ants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19953" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-28T23:36:49.983" Score="3" ViewCount="281" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted two Prairiefire Crabapple trees on my front lawn about ten years ago. Each spring, they flower beautifully together, then fruit, then leaves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year one of them seemed to lag behind.  It only bloomed very sparsely, with only a few flowers, and the same with the crabapples. It looks, for lack of a better word, sick.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had a landscaper last year that took it upon himself to prune the trees while I was out.  I was shocked to see how much he removed.  Could this have something to do with it? I cannot see anything else wrong with the tree. They both look the same otherwise.  This tree was planted for my aunt that passed away, so I really don't want to lose it.  Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11621" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-06-29T00:35:04.497" LastActivityDate="2015-06-29T10:25:27.887" Title="Why would one of my Prairiefire crabapple trees seem stunted this year?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;crabapples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19955" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19953" CreationDate="2015-06-29T10:25:27.887" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A photograph or two of the affected tree might be useful, though if you can't see anything obvious, maybe not. Crabapples are best pruned in late winter or early spring, before the leaves and flowers arrive. Pruning later than that increases the risk of pathogenic infection (usually fungal) getting in to the sap stream of the tree, and it may be this is what's happened to yours, as the landscaper pruned in summer. If you've had them both 10 years, then I doubt your fertilization routine, or lack of it, has contributed, but it might be worth fertilizing the one that's suffering now, and adding a mulch of humus rich material (well rotted animal manure, bark chips, that sort of thing) if the mulch you've currently got is inorganic (pebbles, gravel). Any mulch you apply should not be in contact with the trunk of the tree though, just as close as you can get it. If the area is very dry, it might help to water well once you've used the fertilizer and before you put the mulch down. The reason for this is, if its got an infection, but isn't showing anything obvious other than growing poorly, then the only thing you can do is to nurse it with feeding and watering to give it more energy to fight back and try to defeat the infection. It might not work, but it gives it the best chance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-29T10:25:27.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19956" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20011" CreationDate="2015-06-29T13:56:18.223" Score="4" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;How does one diagnose Sugar Maple problems? There is some green on the trunk and the leaves haven't filled out for a couple years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Climate: Southern Michigan&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil: ~18 inches of topsoil with clay underneath&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizers used: 1) Jobe's regular tree spikes each spring, 2) Osmocote Plus Smart-Release Plant Food for the bushes near the tree, and 3) composted manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Known insects nearby: Clover mites (no idea if these are contributing to the problem)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2018 update - It's been 3 years since I posted the original question and ended up cutting the girdled root that was constricting water to the others. The tree has now been growing new limbs and the leaves look healthy. As one respondent said, it still doesn't look like a normal tree and may never fully get there, but it's certainly no longer in danger of dying and falling. See the last picture for the 2018 update.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s1JHu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EdEDn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qOD73.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hUd6S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V548L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0XJ2T.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0XJ2T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;update 3 years later&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11624" LastEditorUserId="11624" LastEditDate="2018-09-07T23:02:01.457" LastActivityDate="2018-09-07T23:02:01.457" Title="Diagnose Sugar Maple problem" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="19957" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-29T18:15:50.823" Score="5" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in the following information, and will be happy to follow any leads to good resources for the info:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How were they cut? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Were they irrigated? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did they fertilize? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did they overseed? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there things they did then that can inform how to maintain healthy turf today without the use of synthetics?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-07-06T19:16:31.240" Title="How were estate lawns cared for prior to the popularization of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides?" Tags="&lt;organic&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19958" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19959" CreationDate="2015-06-29T19:33:56.307" Score="3" ViewCount="8918" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just noticed these white growths on a tree in my garden (UK). Does anybody know what it is, what I should do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe the tree us a Salix Integra&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IpdyK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Growth on tree pic 1&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vDKwz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Growth on tree pic 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your help&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture to show size and environment:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4LF9i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree picture&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its not really very big, about 4' tall I'd say&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And a closer picture of some of it&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sMNp3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11626" LastEditorUserId="11626" LastEditDate="2015-06-29T19:58:03.277" LastActivityDate="2015-06-30T16:30:51.787" Title="White spots growing on small tree in UK garden" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19958" CreationDate="2015-06-29T19:51:36.757" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got a horrible scale infestation.  The best and most environmentally kind treatment would be NEEM.  Read the label (5X) and please spray at night as it is not clear that this stuff (NEEM) doesn't harm bees.  Soak the scale as well as all undersides of branches and leaves.  Spray the top of the soil around base.  Scale is pretty easy to control and this NEEM works well.  If this tree is very large, get a professional to spray.  Perhaps putting it on schedule for a few winter dormant oil sprays.  Nothing stronger should be necessary. Add a picture to show tree's size, environment for more detailed help...Prune (use bypass shears sterilized with alcohol before and after) to clean out dead branches, branches that are oriented towards center of tree and branches/twigs that are small in diameter in relation to the branch or trunk from which it grows.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-06-29T19:51:36.757" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19960" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19958" CreationDate="2015-06-29T19:53:00.130" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it my imagination or do I see a wire wrapped around the trunk halfway down the base of the tree?  If that is the case this could have happened when the tree was planted.  A wire loop attached to a stake is a common thing and dangerous to a plants health if left on for many years.  It kills the circulatory tissue which brings nutrients and water from the soil to the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This could have weakened the tree and allowed the scale to get a hold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the tree does not look healthy then cut it down to a few inches above the ground.  It will regrow quickly and be more of a shrub for a few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-06-29T22:31:20.153" LastActivityDate="2015-06-29T22:31:20.153" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19961" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19962" CreationDate="2015-06-29T20:23:46.313" Score="3" ViewCount="247" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just wondered if you could point me in the right direction with regard to pruning my Salix Integra. Im just about to treat it for a scale infestation and could do with some tips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/khlvr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Salix Integra&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11626" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-07-10T22:25:12.690" LastActivityDate="2015-07-10T22:25:12.690" Title="How to prune a Salix Integra recovering from scale infestation" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19962" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19961" CreationDate="2015-06-29T20:53:43.307" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good job Matt...quick! You understand that both your Willow on a stem and your little maple will never get taller?  I'll draw something to explain some of the pruning.  You'll need pruning hedge shears.  How many hedges and shrubs do you have in your yard?  I'd get Felco or Sandvik Pradines P51. Learn how to sharpen and they will last forever.  Think of a large salad bowl turned upside down. Put your shears so they are tangent to the circumference of the 'bowl.'  The sides of the bowl gradually slope so that leaves on the lowest part of the bowl are getting (relatively) as much light as the leaves on the top of this plant.  Always clean shears with rubbing alcohol before and after cutting each different individual plant. I'll send more pruning information or draw something for you.  It is important to prune out branches and leaves that aren't producing much food for the plant.  The plant will on its own cut these branches/leaves off from nutrients/water if they aren't good producers.  You are simply speeding up the process and controlling where the energy is being spent and keeping your plant healthy from energy drains.  Never leave stumps of branches.  No covering any cuts.  Allow to air dry. Your little maple will get wider but no taller.  Part of the beauty with these Japanese maples is branch structure.  You don't want a 'Cousin It'...remember the Munsters?  This shall date you!!  Grin. I'll be back, make sure you get a few great tools...a Felco hand pruner, bypass (never anvil), and Sandvik hedge shears.  A great sharpening stone or file.  Rubbing alcohol.  There was once a time I got lazy, didn't clean my pruners and passed a major viral disease.  Now I am super sensitive. Take care of the scale first, you've got time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-06-29T20:53:43.307" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19963" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19934" CreationDate="2015-06-29T21:36:07.953" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adding UNcomposted organic matter to potting soil is not a good idea.  For one thing, it will likely mold and become slimey and attract insects, and for another, it will cause the nutrients in your soil to be tied up to feed the composting process and your plant will not be able to make use of them until the composting process is complete. &quot;Adding organic matter&quot; to the soil means adding fully composted organic matter, not kitchen scraps.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That having been said, while there does seem to be some damage to the plant, as was mentioned, it is showing some new growth. I agree that adding better drainage to the potting soil is probably a good idea, especially if it is outside and is constantly being rained on.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2393" LastActivityDate="2015-06-29T21:36:07.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19964" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19952" CreationDate="2015-06-29T21:36:26.577" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Major aphids...easy, easy to control...spray of water, spray of Safer's soap mixture, Neem...I see a few other possible problems that you need to consider. Could you send more pictures? Where are these plants? How much and often do you water? Answers to these questions are as important as the aphids. Or more...what are these plants, what soil are you using how big of a pot or what is the environment around these plants? –  stormy 22 hours ago   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Avernet, hope this works.  Please send a few more pictures.  I'm not happy with any general advice saying to water every day.  That certainly changes with type of pot, size of pot, environment, season...the aphids should be easy! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-06-29T21:36:26.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="162" CreationDate="2015-06-29T21:50:02.300" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I managed to grow cherry tomatoes here in CA. I don't know how I did it but I just dug a foot down and then I used top soil and watered it every day and they came out fine. I did not use any pesticides either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11627" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-06-30T21:40:14.497" LastActivityDate="2015-06-30T21:40:14.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19966" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3052" CreationDate="2015-06-29T23:21:06.490" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;By pruning the main stem back, you force the plant to back bud, or grow a greater amount of smaller leaves.  This is how you achieve that &quot;bushy&quot; appearance that you want.  Back budding also allows the plant to gain more sunlight without becoming tall and &quot;lanky&quot; or rather unattractive.  The pot should be just big enough for the root ball to fit loosely.  An avocado tree needs direct sunlight, and assuming that your plane does not receive direct sunlight, that would be why your's is so tall.  You should trim the roots and re-pot (Not up-pot) every spring.  Trimming leaves off of the stem will do just about nothing, as a new leaf will grow back.  If you wish for a shorter plant, just cut the stem above a leaf node.  If a leader grows, cut if off.  Then you can shape as you please.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11628" LastActivityDate="2015-06-29T23:21:06.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19969" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19957" CreationDate="2015-06-30T08:52:18.980" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It boils down to sheep, cattle and manual labour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/maintaining-the-grounds-of-a-landed-british-estate-georgian-gardening/&quot;&gt;This website&lt;/a&gt; gives a good introduction and some links to &quot;estate keeping&quot; in Great Britain at Jane Austen's time. Let me extract the major points:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, you need to distinguish between the larger fields / meadows further away from the house and the adjacent grounds.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lawn care (or, perhaps &quot;meadow care&quot;) relied much on sheep and cows and sometimes deer who would keep the grass short by grazing and fertilize at the same time. As visible fences were considered &quot;ugly&quot; - the goal was to create a &quot;natural&quot; landscape even though sometimes major changes were made like transplanting mature trees or creating artificial lakes - a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ha-ha&quot;&gt;ha-ha&lt;/a&gt; kept animals from freely wandering onto the lawns near the house. Assume that these meadows appeared less evenly than if mowed by a tractor, but that's not crucial if viewed from a distance. To even out, they could be mowed down manually with a scythe. This required many labourors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The grounds closer to the house could be &quot;mowed by sheep or cows&quot;, too. Remember that the owners would not necessarily be in residence all the time. Assume that most of the droppings would be removed by the gardeners. But mainly the upkeep  was done by hand (scythe), the source claims cutting once a week in the morning and flattening the grass with a heavy roller would ensure an even, short lawn that even the ladies with their dainty shoes could comfortably use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for watering, I'm quite sure that the gardeners would rely on the wet English summers...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-06-30T13:47:50.593" LastActivityDate="2015-06-30T13:47:50.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19970" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-30T10:25:59.593" Score="1" ViewCount="771" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have what I think are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/aboutflowers/tropicalflowers/frangipani&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Frangipani&lt;/a&gt; cuttings which I got from Laos.&#xA;After having the cutting for about 2 months without pouring I decided to give my planting skills a try, so I filled a glass with water and put the Frangipani inside. After a few days the plant took roots. After 2-3 weeks the first leaves have been formed and now, after almost 2 months in water, there are multiple leaves (some very big) and the plant looks great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question: Do I have to put the plant into earth? It's recommended in every source I found, but as it's growing absolutely great at the moment,  why should I change it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will I kill the plant by keeping it in just water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11631" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-06-30T17:08:24.820" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T21:59:21.853" Title="Will my Frangipani Plumeria (Champa Flower) survive in water without adding soil?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19971" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19972" CreationDate="2015-06-30T12:49:29.220" Score="4" ViewCount="2070" Body="&lt;p&gt;I photographed this flower in Grenada in November of last year. The flowers were small (roughly 1½ in or 4 cm in diameter), white, with 5 narrow petals. There was just one flower on a stem, and one stem per plant (at least on the ones I saw); the plants had toothed leaves. It was growing wild near the Grand Etang Lake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M0V8d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M0V8d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;sup&gt;Click for larger view&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did numerous Google searches, but could never find a match. I eventually found one image that looked pretty much identical, but the original page no longer exists, and (according to the Wayback Machine) it apparently didn't provide an identification anyway. Would anyone be able to point me in the right direction?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8604" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-17T08:42:41.610" LastActivityDate="2021-02-17T08:42:41.610" Title="Identifying this white wildflower" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="19972" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19971" CreationDate="2015-06-30T13:36:29.213" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apparently I only needed one more Google search after posting this question. I finally found a page showing a similar flower, identifying it as a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippobroma_longiflora&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hippobroma longiflora&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (commonly called a &lt;strong&gt;Star of Bethlehem&lt;/strong&gt;). Googling again for that scientific name I was able to find plenty of examples that confirmed this identification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LLFwx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hippobroma longiflora by George Shepherd&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nsVlv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hippobroma longiflora by Dinesh Valke&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;Photos credits &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjshepherd/7121080427/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;George Shepherd&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/dinesh_valke/505831639&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dinesh Valke&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8604" LastActivityDate="2015-06-30T13:36:29.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19974" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19887" CreationDate="2015-06-30T15:14:24.983" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;One vine here in SoCal was protected from frost, and the owner had good crops for three years. Tomatoes will live until frost kills them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11634" LastActivityDate="2015-06-30T15:14:24.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19975" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19983" CreationDate="2015-06-30T16:10:06.337" Score="3" ViewCount="22125" Body="&lt;p&gt;We source compost/soil/mulch etc. in two forms: bulk and bagged. We typically use bagged when there is limited access to the areas to which we need to apply materials. I would love an efficient alternative for two reasons. First, the bagged material is several to many times the cost of the bulk materials. Second, I hate to see all the plastic bags go to the dumpster/landfill/wherever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a device, garment, container, or contraption that would allow 1 or 2 guys to carry as much loose soil as they would be able to carry bagged - Say 2-3 cubic feet per person? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: We get bulk compost in 1.25 cubic yard totes that have sling handles can be lifted with a forklift. Is there such a thing as a mini version of this? If so, please provide source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2015-06-30T22:02:34.940" LastActivityDate="2021-01-30T16:55:03.487" Title="How can I move large amounts of soil without a wheelbarrow?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19958" CreationDate="2015-06-30T16:30:51.787" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Matt, you're in the UK and you won't find Neem, its not listed as an acceptable insecticide here. What you will get though, if you haven't already, is a bottle of methylated spirits, although its not intended for use on plants. Take some disposable cloths, moisten one lightly with the meths and rub it over the woody trunk and branches to remove any scale - check the fence behind, they may well be on that too. Throw away each cloth and use a new one once its mucky. Take care not to get the methylated spirits on the leaves. Rub over the areas you've cleaned on the plant with a wet cloth afterwards, just wet with ordinary water. You should not need to do any special pruning to control the scale - this particular form of the insect does not affect the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And, as someone else has said, try to remove that wire...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-30T16:30:51.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19970" CreationDate="2015-06-30T16:40:06.993" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well unless you're going to use proper hydroponic techniques, your plant will run out of steam - there are no nutrients in ordinary water, so although its getting all the fluid it needs, its not getting anything else. I know little about hydroponic growing, but the following link might be of use to you if you are really reluctant to pot the plant up&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hydroponics.net/learn/hydroponic_gardening_for_beginners.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.hydroponics.net/learn/hydroponic_gardening_for_beginners.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-30T16:40:06.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19978" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19975" CreationDate="2015-06-30T16:41:23.940" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This seems offtopic and there are a number of options. You just need something that can carry the weight of which many options are available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If bags work but you don't want to pay bagged prices just reuse any bags you have as carriers. Get something like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Handy-Camel-16-in-Polypropylene-Bag-Clip-2-per-Pack-THC04/205608794&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Handy Camel&lt;/a&gt; to seal the top of the bag and help carry it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to purchase small tote like bags there are heavy duty garden clean up bags that can hold about 25 gallons (3.3 cf). Not sure if they're appropriate for soil but I think they would hold up for a few uses. Also grow bags, root pouches, smart pots etc have handles up to 20 gallons (2.8 cf) and are designed to hold soil. Potting soil at least but not necessarily meant to be moved around much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are small dumpster replacement bags available and bulk bags designed to store and transport heavy items anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 lbs and up from what I've seen. Think of large bag totes used in transport of things like grains. These come in larger sizes and the smallest I've seen is a cubic yard. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can just use something like a 20 gallon Rubbermaid tote or small 20 gallon garbage can. Two 5 gallon buckets (one in each hand) will hold about 1.3 cubic feet total.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also smaller wheelbarrows and carts available. Some even fold to save space. Probably the easiest and fastest will just be to use a standard sized wheelbarrow to bring the material as close as you can and then smaller containers to bring it from the wheelbarrow to the hard to access location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-07-01T01:47:48.047" LastActivityDate="2015-07-01T01:47:48.047" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19979" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19961" CreationDate="2015-06-30T16:43:48.717" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Clip over with shears to reshape in July - heavier pruning should be done in early spring, just before growth begins, or late autumn, but don't prune back past the graft point at the stop of the standard stem. You don't need to prune it back to deal with the scale, just to reshape at this time of year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-06-30T16:43:48.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19957" CreationDate="2015-06-30T17:54:39.950" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's another link that might be of interest:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.planetnatural.com/organic-lawn-care-101/history/&quot;&gt;https://www.planetnatural.com/organic-lawn-care-101/history/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, as already said, sheep were used, but from the 17th century onwards in Britain, wealthy landowners needed huge teams of gardeners to keep the lawns and grounds good looking. Grass was cut by teams using scythes, and hand weeded - scarification and aeration were all done by hand, and besoms were used to remove worm casts and to brush top dressing (a mix of peat or garden compost, loam and sand, in varying ratios according to the soil type, applied in autumn) into the holes made by the aeration, and also lightly spread across the grass and to fill in hollows and dips. It was not unusual for a grand estate to have one or two head gardeners, with up to 10 or 20 undergardeners, some of whom were employed only at certain times of year, with a nucleus of around 8-10 on the permanent staff. Truly, a well kept lawn and garden in those days was evidence of great wealth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Top dressing is still done on sports turf by groundsmen today - only a few gardeners with lawns bother with this now, but it is highly effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-06-30T17:59:53.433" LastActivityDate="2015-06-30T17:59:53.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19982" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-06-30T20:44:39.367" Score="3" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a standard grass lawn and in true British style got a paddling pool out a month too early. The pool got infested with mosquito larvae so we drained it (not into the garden) and got rid of the pool. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When we removed it we found that mould(?) had grown where the pool had been. It's definitely got two different areas of colour. After a couple of days these holes also appeared, I'm assuming it could be from birds. Any idea what this is and what we should do?&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3jtUJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;normal grass at the bottom, outer and inner mould&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11637" LastActivityDate="2015-07-01T13:12:07.333" Title="Garden Grass/Lawn Mould Identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19983" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19975" CreationDate="2015-06-30T22:35:03.177" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want someing truly dedicated and dedicate 2 people to the task, a HandBarrow - but you'll probably have to build it yourself, they are not exactly common these past couple of centuries, and the guy on the bottom gets most of the weight when on stairs. &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DfqsZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;handbarrow from oldgardentools.uk&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A standard handtruck is one way to deal with stairs - add container to suit. A &quot;stair-climbing handtruck&quot; can push the capacity (and price) up quite a bit, especially if you get the powered versions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise the pair of buckets (or pair of buckets with a yoke, which you'll also probably have to make yourself for the same reason) is the best option going (and too much with heavy materials if the buckets are full, IMHO.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ugX2w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With a HUGE air compressor you might also be able to transport it on air through a tube (using a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotcrete&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;dry-transport gunite&lt;/a&gt; system essentially.) Price tag somewhat shocking, but if you had a large high-dollar hard access job it might pay for the rental...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-06-30T22:53:00.490" LastActivityDate="2015-06-30T22:53:00.490" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9433" CreationDate="2015-07-01T11:05:48.020" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try something like the Big Drippa system. I made a video of my balcony setup&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/_FgVsac5eMU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/_FgVsac5eMU&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11639" LastActivityDate="2015-07-01T11:05:48.020" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19982" CreationDate="2015-07-01T12:38:05.460" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nothing should be left in contact with a lawn for longer than a day or two at most, left for a week or three, this is what happens if you do, particularly during cool weather and very cool nights. It looks like the grey area in the middle is actually dead, but the browner ring round the outside may have some life in it still. Even so, it's best to cut the whole area of turf out and replace it with new, though care is needed to ensure the turf is at the same level as the rest of the grass. Harder still, you could remove it, turn it over, level the area, and seed it - but you'd need some extra topsoil to skim over the top to get it flush with the surrounding lawn. Even then, you usually find it sinks and ends up lower than the rest, or sometimes higher, its very hard to get it right. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-01T13:12:07.333" LastActivityDate="2015-07-01T13:12:07.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19987" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="19989" CreationDate="2015-07-01T15:25:21.243" Score="4" ViewCount="2891" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my first year starting annuals from seeds, mainly for containers. I've read that pinching off the first blooms helps the plant produce more blooms and form a bushier habit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I started my seeds late and while they're at a good height and have a lot of foliage they just now started to get their first blooms. A small single bud formed a few days ago and it's still only about 1/2&quot; big or less. Other celosias I've seen planted around my area already have large flowers and when I visited a garden center about 3 weeks ago their celosias were already in bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I still pinch them and if I do how long can I expect for new blooms to come back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in the New York City area and these are Fresh Look Orange Celosias.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-07-01T16:48:16.593" LastActivityDate="2015-07-01T19:53:22.117" Title="Should I pinch my first celosia blooms?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;&lt;pinching-out&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19989" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19987" CreationDate="2015-07-01T15:56:36.403" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well we're already into July, past the longest day, so it rather depends where you live - if you're somewhere that experiences fall by September, no, don't nip those off. If, on the other hand, you have warm temperatures right up to Christmas, then yes, you could do - but shortening day length also has an impact on plants in terms of growth and flowering. On balance, I wouldn't nip them off - the other plants you've seen round and about with larger flowers will have been started into growth much earlier than yours, usually indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost date - and then the first flower is nipped out. Just make sure you deadhead whenever necessary to encourage more flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-01T16:17:51.557" LastActivityDate="2015-07-01T16:17:51.557" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19987" CreationDate="2015-07-01T19:53:22.117" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew &lt;a href=&quot;http://parkseed.com/fresh-look-orange-celosia-seeds/p/00478-PK-P1/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Fresh Look Orange Celosias&lt;/a&gt; last year in Massachusetts, USDA Zone 6a. I put them out as young seedlings in June, and they bloomed all the way until the frost. One of the good things about this annual is that no deadheading is required. It's a bushy variety, and new leaves and blooms grow around the edges without needing the help that deadheading usually provides. The flowers can last up to three months without losing color or strength, however, if any begin to look tired, it's fine to pinch them off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Celosias prefer full sun and will grow in virtually any well-draining soil. In the garden, anything that keeps your other annuals happy is fine. They're also great in containers, using a well-balanced commercial potting soil. As with all container plants, they need more frequent watering than in the ground. I grew mine both ways, with excellent results. Tolerant of drought and heat, they're a good choice for your area, where temperature and humidity change frequently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Transplanting is easy too. I changed my garden design mid-summer, and successfully relocated them. As with all transplants, make sure to dig a hole large enough for the root system, thoroughly soak it after planting, and water daily until it settles in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're also lovely and long-lasting as cut flowers, and can easily be dried and used as decoration. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-07-01T19:53:22.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19991" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13746" CreationDate="2015-07-01T22:11:29.643" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There should be no oily substances near hummer feeders. In their battles they can, and do, get oils on their flight feathers, which they can't remove. Ant moats should be used with water only to deter ants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.worldofhummingbirds.com/uninvitedants.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt; for this information. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11642" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-02T00:01:11.727" LastActivityDate="2015-07-02T00:01:11.727" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19994" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-02T03:16:22.717" Score="4" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our tree snapped into last spring and we had it removed and they ground it I believe with a machine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I saw what I thought was a weed growing in it's place two month's ago which was about 2 to 3 inches tall and after looking closer the leaves looked like our tree. soooo....  I let it grow.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is now 2 to 3 feet tall and looks more like a bush than a tree.  Will the stump eventually grow up or should I be doing something? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11646" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T23:48:02.393" Title="Tree growing back after being removed" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19995" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-02T03:27:46.217" Score="7" ViewCount="522" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbors are having a field system dug for their septic system.  The digging is just beyond the edge of the drip line of my very tall, 60+ years old, Norway spruce.  Will my tree suffer any consequences of these trenches being dug?  We have had a very wet spring but the trenches were left open over night.  I am concerned that major roots could have been damaged or destroyed and that leaving the trenches open may cause dry out of any roots remaining.&#xA;Could there be ramifications later?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11647" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-09T21:26:52.443" LastActivityDate="2017-11-09T21:26:52.443" Title="Will a field system being dug near my Norway Spruce have any effect on it?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19997" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4468" CreationDate="2015-07-02T09:29:31.490" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;On my two balconies, I use both Big Drippa (drip irrigation with a sack of water, tubes and drippers) and another setup with a water pump.&#xA;I made a video showing the Big Drippa setup:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/_FgVsac5eMU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/_FgVsac5eMU&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11639" LastActivityDate="2015-07-02T09:29:31.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="19998" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19995" CreationDate="2015-07-02T10:06:55.733" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tree roots &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/14982/499&quot;&gt;extend a lot farther than the drip line&lt;/a&gt; but soil type and tree species affect this as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, roots have been severed and you may see some dieback or lack of growth on that side of the tree later this season and next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much of a problem depends on a number of factors including the health of the tree and how much else is changed at the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At this stage you cannot prevent the damage but you can make sure further damage is prevented or minimized. Mature trees like things just the way they are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ensure that the work being done does not change the grade or height of soil near the tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hopefully the work will not change the drainage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prevent any damage to the trunk. Wrap it in plastic mesh fencing if you think this is possible&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prevent heavy machinery from compacting the ground under or near the drip line&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-07-02T12:32:09.240" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11091" CreationDate="2015-07-02T20:58:18.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like the weed we call Creeping Charlie in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. I don't know where the name came from. I just pull it out by the roots every so often but as you know it comes back. I have covered it with cedar mulch. It didn't make a difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11651" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-06T00:08:01.653" LastActivityDate="2015-07-06T00:08:01.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20001" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-03T00:17:20.500" Score="5" ViewCount="406" Body="&lt;p&gt;Everytime we put our basil plants outside, something starts to eat the leaves. This is what one of the leaves looks like, do you guys know what it could be? IT seems to happen within only hours of them being outside, and they are potted plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ElzUb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Basil&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11393" LastActivityDate="2015-07-09T13:27:18.013" Title="What is eating our Basil plants" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20002" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-03T01:16:23.313" Score="5" ViewCount="921" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow sunflower plants where the flower is not pollinated, and they produce empty seed shells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I get the plant to produce seeds shells with a seed inside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11652" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-03T16:17:40.397" LastActivityDate="2015-07-04T12:28:33.937" Title="How can I grow sunflowers that will produce seeds in the shells, for my pet bird?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;birds&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20005" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2015-07-04T01:14:44.947" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;For questions about plants growing where they aren't wanted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-07-04T14:03:50.773" LastActivityDate="2015-07-04T14:03:50.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20006" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2015-07-04T01:14:44.947" Score="0" Body="For questions about plants growing where they aren't wanted." OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-07-04T14:03:45.107" LastActivityDate="2015-07-04T14:03:45.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20008" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20002" CreationDate="2015-07-04T12:28:33.937" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Several possible problems come to mind. Firstly it could be a compatibility problem. Most sunflower varieties are, to some extent, self fertile. That is, they can produce viable seed even in a planting of only one variety. However, they will generally produce better if more than one variety is present. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be a problem with pollination. Sunflowers are mostly bee pollinated. In my neighborhood it seems like Bumblebees do a lot of the work, but honeybees are also effective. If there aren't any bees in the area, whether due to lack of food and habitat or someone being less than cautious with insecticides, that could also hinder things. Attracting the bees if they are in the area shouldn't be a problem, sunflowers are one of the better bee attractants out there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the seeds are pollinated there are still a few more possible issues. If the weather turns too wet or too dry the plant may abort seed production, leaving you with a bunch of empty shells. This could also happen if the plant runs out of nitrogen. Sunflowers are heavy feeding plants, on par with corn. A little extra Nitrogen added to the soil as the flowers are opening might help things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be that your plant set seed, but the seeds were eaten by some manner of insect as discussed in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/2517/10840&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, be sure the seeds are actually ready to harvest, the common advice is to wait until the back side of the flower disk starts to turn brown. The seeds ripen sequentially from the outer edge working inwards. Sometimes you might need to get inventive to get the plant that far along. Many birds (especially Jays) and squirrels will be more than happy to harvest the seeds themselves if you don't prevent them. Best advice I've seen for this is to consider putting netting around the heads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-07-04T12:28:33.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20009" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-04T12:43:40.650" Score="2" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had my plum tree for 4yrs now, it has never bared fruit, i do have weak looking young branches that are shooting out all over. I had them last year so cut them off but they have grown again this year, so far i have left them but are growing very fast, I am wondering if this is why i am not getting any fruit or i am not pruning properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11658" LastActivityDate="2015-07-04T12:43:40.650" Title="Growing spurt branches of a plum tree" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ClosedDate="2015-09-14T15:07:44.713" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19956" CreationDate="2015-07-04T21:21:43.093" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to answer the question you have not asked.  Will this tree ever look nice? It doesn't look nice now and that will not change for some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the extent of the dieback on every major branch means the tree will never look the same as one in good health&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm already seeing &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_sprout&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;water sprouts&lt;/a&gt;. These are not as well attached as normal growth and will be trouble later.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the girdling roots like the prime cause of the issues to me and just cutting the roots will not reverse the decline quickly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I live you can go all out and get a new 20' maple planted for $1500 or you can buy a nice ball and burlapped one about 7' tall for a few hundred dollars&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend cutting this one down and getting a new one planted by an arborist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-07-04T21:21:43.093" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20012" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7832" CreationDate="2015-07-05T11:25:45.647" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Groundhogs are pretty easy to trap.  They have regular routes. Sometimes, you can see the grass matted down a little where they run.  If not, I'd set it alongside (parallel to) the garden fence.  I put 6&quot; high boards feeding into the trap opening - like a funnel.  No bait. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, are you sure it's a groundhog?  My understanding and experience is, they're not nocturnal.  Deer, OTOH ... Though, I'd think you'd see footprints in the garden soil in that case.  And, a word of caution - you can catch some interesting things, esp if you leave the trap set overnight.  Skunks and possums in particular.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11429" LastActivityDate="2015-07-05T11:25:45.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20013" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-05T18:21:40.097" Score="8" ViewCount="328" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given a pot of (flowering) roses which I actually like and would want to keep and plant in my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this tiny pot there are 4 plants; each one has only a few roots  as a quick inspection showed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would I need to do to save these? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would try to pot on each plant, cut off all the flowers and buds. Anything else? Is it worth the effort? Will they survive at all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/97dhV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/97dhVm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q8TfM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q8TfMm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-06T00:09:50.743" LastActivityDate="2015-07-07T02:46:59.620" Title="How to save roses - commercially potted gift ones with few roots?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20015" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-05T19:00:45.443" Score="6" ViewCount="158" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a 4 year old Victoria Plum tree. We prune it, and water it well. We were excited this year when it had the best show of blossoms so far. After blooming, a large number of tiny green plums began to form. Sadly, one by one they dropped off, leaving us with six small red deformed plums, and one normal green plum. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can we help this tree produce a full crop of healthy fruit? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11664" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-05T21:21:21.957" LastActivityDate="2015-07-06T14:51:41.683" Title="Why isn't our Victoria Plum tree producing healthy fruit?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20016" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20013" CreationDate="2015-07-05T19:24:31.177" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, they have a good chance - as my Mum has proven multiple times. Because she was always very busy, she just put the entire root ball into the ground, no further fussing. Admittedly, she just couldn't stand the idea of throwing healthy plants on the compost just because they were done flowering (she never bought them, but was given them as a gift - instead of cut flowers), but in about nine out of ten cases they did well for a few years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously they never grew much taller and pruning sometimes resembled micro-surgery, but we didn't have any major problems. Some were a bit less frost hardy, but considering the fact that they were probably produced as &quot;disposable&quot;, they lived a long, flowering life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So absolutely, go ahead and plant them. If you can easily separate them, do so, it will give them a but more room. (I'm not sure whether I'd try to rip a root ball apart, but yours is loose, as you write.) Just remember that the current heat wave is probably a tough time for new plantings. If you do plant, water carefully and keep it shaded for a while. I would probably wait a bit longer until the next rainy period...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-07-05T22:05:32.083" LastActivityDate="2015-07-05T22:05:32.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20017" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20015" CreationDate="2015-07-06T14:51:41.683" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few things that could be causing this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The age of your tree. Four years is actually a very young tree to already be setting fruit. The type of rootstock will affect how early they start to fruit, but a lot of the nurseries will tell you most plums start to bear between 4-6 years of age. I think that is quite optimistic. Mine began bearing reliably at 7-8 years of age. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;June drop. It is actually fairly common for plums to set more fruit than the tree can support. If you did not thin the fruit in late spring, the tree will thin the fruit itself by dropping the excess. This is a good thing. If the extra fruit wasn't thinned out, you'd end up with fruit that was really small and poorly developed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Poor pollination. I suspect that this might also be a factor for you, since you mentioned deformed plums. If there weren't enough pollinators around when your tree bloomed (either because it was too cold for them when the tree bloomed this year or because there simply weren't enough bees around in your area), the fruit would start to form, but would not develop well and would drop after a time. To help with this in the future, make sure you have a bee friendly garden. Plant bee-friendly flowers in your yard to give them food before and after your tree blooms and be careful about pesticide use. That said, I have a no-spray garden with tons of plants to attract the bees, but I've still seen very few for the past two years. With an average-sized yard, there is only so much you can do to support them on your own. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-07-06T14:51:41.683" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20018" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20019" CreationDate="2015-07-06T15:46:25.987" Score="8" ViewCount="15973" Body="&lt;p&gt;So far I heard two opposite opinions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Harmful: watering at noon would shock the plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Helpful: watering at noon would help the plant at the most difficult hours.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And would the answer differ between planted and potted plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3309" LastActivityDate="2020-07-22T10:39:18.683" Title="Is it ok to water plants at noon (peak sunlight)?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20019" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20018" CreationDate="2015-07-06T16:09:02.267" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The optimum time to water plants is in the morning, before any heat builds up - this gives time for the water to penetrate and be taken up so the plants are already well hydrated. Watering in noon day strong sun means you'll lose some to evaporation before it has much of a chance to help the plant. The next best time to water is the evening, after the heat has abated, and particularly as the sun is lower in the sky. In cooler climates, this might mean a slightly increased risk of fungal infection if the air is cold and the plants are too wet overnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similar rules apply to potted plants, although they at least can have a container beneath to hold some water to give the soil in the pot time to wick it up before it evaporates completely. In very hot, dry weather, morning and evening watering may be required, particularly for smaller pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, if plants are obviously in severe distress, wilting all over the place, then water should not be withheld until the evening or the next morning - but it's always best to apply the water to the soil at the base of the plant, not all over the leaves - it's the roots which need the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-06T16:14:13.793" LastActivityDate="2015-07-06T16:14:13.793" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20020" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20021" CreationDate="2015-07-06T16:24:28.027" Score="5" ViewCount="18028" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently learned how to take clippings from a pothos plant and root it in water. I am quite new to this sort of gardening and have no idea when I should transfer it to soil. I can see tiny roots growing but I'm not sure how big they should be before I transfer it to soil. When should I plant them? How long should the roots be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't include a picture originally to try to keep the question general, but as requested here is a picture: &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IyMmn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A pothos rooted in water&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11668" LastEditorUserId="11668" LastEditDate="2015-07-06T17:18:03.770" LastActivityDate="2018-10-28T01:09:38.707" Title="When should I transfer a pothos rooted in water to soil?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20021" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20020" CreationDate="2015-07-06T16:42:44.230" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;About half an inch to an inch is sufficient - you don't want them much longer than that because its harder to pot them without damage, and once roots start appearing, its surprising how fast they grow. Try not to damage them when transferring to a soil medium - make a hole large enough to accommodate the rootlets without squashing or bending them, and gently push the soil around them, pressing down lightly at the base of the stem when you're done. Water in well with the pot standing in something to catch the excess - empty that after 30 minutes. Best done into a potting medium that's already damp. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now you've added pics, wait a bit longer till they're half an inch, although, as its Epipremnum (Pothos) it will be okay to pot it now, but it means you have to pay particular attention to watering - enough to encourage the roots, but not so much that a fungal infection occurs. If you can bear to wait, it shouldn't take long for them to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-06T17:24:52.443" LastActivityDate="2015-07-06T17:24:52.443" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20013" CreationDate="2015-07-06T19:14:47.233" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The secret to transplanting anything plantish: make sure the plant is well watered before removing from existing area; try to keep as many existing roots as possible, but will also work on some plants with out root, like sage; dig the hole large and deep enough to contain the entire root system; sprinkle bone meal on the entire bottom of the hole; pour water into the hole about 2/3 up; wait for the water to drain out, but if it doesn't drain out fairly quickly you are planting in very dense soil, which may not be a good thing; place the plant in the hole and cover the roots with soil; water to saturation from above every day for at least a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-07T02:46:59.620" LastActivityDate="2015-07-07T02:46:59.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20024" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="220" CreationDate="2015-07-06T19:23:41.860" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm using traps made of plastic pipes as tunnels for voles. The traps have bait that is attractive to voles, rats, and mice.  I got the traps and bait from: volecontrol.com. Their bait is safe for most animals that might eat the voles after they eat the bait; that &quot;poison&quot; is Warfarin, a blood thinner for humans. However, the voles just kept eating the bait, so i bought something more poisonous,but still granular: &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B005BV1USE&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;MOTOMCO Eraze Mouse and Rat AG Rodent Pellets, 5-Pound&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My backyard is sealed off to larger animals, so I don;t expect that poison will be a problem. And, in just a couple days, the voles have stopped eating, where it has been over a month with the Warfarin. I don't know if either bait will work for chipmunks, but there probably is one that will work in those traps, and I think the traps will be attractive to chipmunks as a possible lair.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-11-20T15:51:04.807" LastActivityDate="2016-11-20T15:51:04.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20025" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20045" CreationDate="2015-07-06T20:24:20.023" Score="7" ViewCount="720" Body="&lt;p&gt;Asking from New Jersey. I have a couple of these little flowering plants growing in my front yard, one in a small area surrounded by stargazer lilies and another across the yard between some ivy and a tree. The flowers just opened up within the last few days (the lilies haven't opened yet). The leaves look similar to the lily leaves, so much so that I thought it was another, smaller lily until it grew that curled-over bud cluster. It's about 12 inches tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are pictures, some of the plant in its normal curled-over state (the surrounding, taller plant leaves are from stargazer lilies), and one with me holding up the flowers to get a picture. &#xA;EDIT: I added a couple pictures from other angles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8VXPW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8VXPWm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant in context&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tnl8E.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tnl8Em.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Its flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Ysid.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7vc2h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;From above/behind&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TTOfQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ykOjJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;From the side&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6978" LastEditorUserId="6978" LastEditDate="2015-07-08T15:32:13.797" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T08:31:15.407" Title="Can anyone identify this plant/weed that has a curled-over top with little white flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20027" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19630" CreationDate="2015-07-07T07:08:51.033" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can grown &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminalia_catappa&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;indian almond&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also grow &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azadirachta_indica&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Neem&lt;/a&gt; tree which gives a lot of cool shade and small fruit which is eaten by some birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both the trees mentioned above are native to India. They shed the leaves in autumn. But all through out the year they give lot of shade. Indian Almond will give its fruit in Winters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mango is also extremely shady tree which gives fruits. If given sufficient water and fertiliser it will grow quickly. Only drawback is that the branches can be brittle and keep falling. Also lot of kids throw stones to steal the mangoes. Which can be nuisance. I had a tree in my backyard and lot of kids would come to steal the mangoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2691" LastActivityDate="2015-07-07T07:08:51.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20028" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19868" CreationDate="2015-07-07T15:01:16.427" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The notions of &quot;brown&quot; and &quot;green&quot; material are only a proxy for Carbon and Nitrogen rich materials to make it easier to mix your materials. If you really want to measure to have optimal composting conditions, you should look into the Carbon and Nitrogen ratio. The ideal starting ratio for fast composting seems to be 25:1 to 30:1, though 20:1 through 40:1 are acceptable. There seems to be consensus on this, here are some example from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5104e/y5104e05.htm#bm05.3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;FAO&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://compost.css.cornell.edu/chemistry.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cornell&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/fundamentals/needs_carbon_nitrogen.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Washington State University&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lincoln/sites/default/files/documents/n_to_Soils_-_Composting_and_the_C_to_N_ratio.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Oregon State University&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To convert this into proportion of &quot;green&quot; and &quot;brown&quot; materials you need to find the C:N ratios of your main materials, then find the ratio of each to achieve 25:1 to 30:1. &#xA;You can easily find C:N ratios for common materials on the web. The sources mentioned contain tables, but here are a few more from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/carbonnitrogenratio.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;homecompostingmadeeasy.com&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/c-n-ratio/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Planet Natural&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would recommend doing back of the envelope calculations by weight, otherwise use an online calculator. Here is an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.klickitatcounty.org/solidwaste/fileshtml/organics/compostcalc.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;easy to use one&lt;/a&gt;, otherwise &lt;a href=&quot;http://compost.css.cornell.edu/calc/2.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cornell's&lt;/a&gt; is more customisable (though you'll need moisture content for the latter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you mention a scheme about household landfill waste reduction here is an example. Most of your waste comes from food waste (20:1), garden waste (30:1) and newspapers (175:1) with the bulk of the volume being the first two. By mixing food and garden waste 1:1 you reach a 25:1 starting mixture. A few shredded newspapers added in bring you closer to 30:1 but well within the 40:1 upper boundary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I started composting last year spent a while researching trying to get ideal proportions (mainly broiler litter, goat manure, grass clippings, leaves and kitchen waste). From my experience, you shouldn't sweat too much on this, as your material will compost even without perfect starting proportions. Meeting moisture and oxygen requirements, and breaking down materials to smaller sizes seem more important to me for fast composting.&#xA;My litmus test for C:N ratio is smell. If the compost heap smells of ammonia (for me usually due to chicken manure), the initial mix was too rich in Nitrogen and i add brown material to the mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps and have fun composting!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7506" LastActivityDate="2015-07-07T15:01:16.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20029" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18118" CreationDate="2015-07-07T17:05:52.447" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am far from certain but the first thing that sprung to my mind was &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physalis_peruviana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Physalis peruviana&lt;/a&gt; (Cape gooseberry), though the photos i've found online are not conclusive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jNVz1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant's leaves are quite similar to young leaves of Cape Gooseberry, notably the general shape and venation. Below is a picture of a young plant from my garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VBX1n.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fine hairs give a velvety feeling to the touch. In older plants the leaves are clearly crenelated but this feature is less prominent or absent in seedlings from my experience. Nevertheless hints of crenelation are visible on the bottom left leaf of second photo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although native from South America Physalis peruviana is of &lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.co.za/books?id=uFkrABmphJsC&amp;amp;pg=PA222&amp;amp;lpg=PA222&amp;amp;dq=Physalis%20species%20east%20africa&amp;amp;source=bl&amp;amp;ots=P7_8g1T2Ek&amp;amp;sig=u38SajUDUOX0WipY6h5XlgAS8eU&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=yvybVaOvBOTO7gashJH4Ag&amp;amp;ved=0CDwQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&amp;amp;q=Physalis%20species%20east%20africa&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;economic importance in East Africa&lt;/a&gt; and the fruit is edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MJRJy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cape Gooseberry fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some differences with your specimen, such as the stalk and leaf color, the leaf tip seems to be quite variable from broad to narowly tapered (like yours). Not sure if this is due to growing conditions (low sunlight?), age or simply wrong identification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is a Cape Gooseberry, i'm sure you'll enjoy the fruits!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7506" LastActivityDate="2015-07-07T17:05:52.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20031" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19630" CreationDate="2015-07-07T19:48:55.973" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Top of mind i would have suggested Mango, Avocado and Litchis which all provide delicious fruit and fantastic shade. I also thought of Macadamia, but turns out the growth rate is &lt;a href=&quot;http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Macadamia%20integrifolia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;slow&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the end, after some research, here are some interesting indigenous alternatives:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syzygium_cumini&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Syzygium cumini&lt;/a&gt; / Jambolan / Jamun / Java plum: Evergreen dense foliage, grown for ornamental value, attracts birds. The description &lt;a href=&quot;http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Syzygium%20cumini&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; is great - ancient fruit crop, culturally significant and tasty fruit. Growth rate described as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growplants.org/growing/syzygium-cumini&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;fast&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.co.za/books?id=sHU_902_pIYC&amp;amp;pg=PA49&amp;amp;lpg=PA49&amp;amp;dq=Syzygium%20cumini%20growth%20rate&amp;amp;source=bl&amp;amp;ots=Bz18xIDC9D&amp;amp;sig=pP3u8DmdDrVSB-KuNEk6g1Q3U_Y&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=3yOcVYvGNoTP7QaBuqD4Ag&amp;amp;ved=0CCsQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&amp;amp;q=Syzygium%20cumini%20growth%20rate&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;medium&lt;/a&gt; and slow, go figure! (see also Syzygium jambos / Rose apple, which is not native but naturalised in India)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GoVzF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Syzygium cumini tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zFggk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Syzygium cumini fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Averrhoa carambola, Star-fruit: Fast growing &amp;amp; evergreen. &lt;a href=&quot;http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Averrhoa%20carambola&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Perishable&lt;/a&gt; fruit, so nice to have it in season directly from the tree.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uxa2b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Star-fruit tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uKl1w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Star-fruit fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Artocarpus heterophyllus / &lt;a href=&quot;http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Artocarpus%20heterophyllus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Jackfruit&lt;/a&gt;: Fast grower with spreading crown, delicious fruit.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/awtpS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Jackfruit tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YDIGK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Jackfruit fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7506" LastActivityDate="2015-07-07T19:48:55.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20032" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20025" CreationDate="2015-07-07T22:48:38.527" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is False Salmon Seal, I believe.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrVlB_EVpxVWGUAoxxXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzb3NtaGwzBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDVklQNTc3XzEEc2VjA3Nj?p=False%20Salmonseal&amp;amp;fr=mcafeehttp://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;False Salmonseal&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-07T22:48:38.527" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20033" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19995" CreationDate="2015-07-07T23:30:01.643" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would be best to send a picture of what you are trying to explain...generally the open trenches will not adversely affect this tree.  Cutting roots is fine and also enhances more fine root growth as long as the damage is limited to less than a third of the 'pie'...thinking of the circle around a tree to include its drip line.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The biggest problem is the level at the base of the tree. It HAS to stay where it was...even soil mounded up on the tree 1/2 inch!!! will cause bacteria to 'girdle' the vascular system that is just below the bark.  This will kill a tree so easily...maybe 6 months up to a few years.  Has construction equipment been running over the soil around this tree? Compaction is a big problem and I would worry about my tree way past its drip line (where its canopy sheds rain).  Again, how much of its 'pie' has been compacted?   Is there a fence?  Don't wrap the trunk of this tree unless it is VERY TEMPORARY, LIKE a few days max! Are your neighbors changing the GRADE of their landscape in relation to yours?  For instance, making mounds, installing septic fields, water features?  Please send pictures! Mature trees are worth thousands of bucks! The laws get pretty confusing.  Best to get this recorded, photographed and discussed (with your neighbors) BEFORE problems arise and well...you lose your neighbors as friends!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-07T23:30:01.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20035" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19221" CreationDate="2015-07-08T16:41:45.013" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;The best&quot; is a bit subjective here, but here is my $0.02.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some might think that a consistent look requires a single grass species. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However lawns that contain a mix of species and strains tend to perform better than single species lawns. Each species has a sweet spot in terms of sun/shade, aspect, water needs, etc. By having a mix you increase the chances that each location has a grass ideally suited to the &quot;local&quot; conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different species and/or strains also have different greening-up and dormancy patterns, so while one species may green up early in the spring, it might go dormant sooner in the summer. At that time, a different species might be green - thus extending the &quot;green&quot; for more of the season (especially without irrigation).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While there will be differences in color and growth rate, seed producers are continually working to develop strains that play and look nice together. If you follow a program of annual fall overseeding for a few years (Ideally you'd aerate, apply compost, and spread an appropriate seed mix), you will soon find that the large, highly visible, patchiness will give way to a more consistent look.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-07-08T16:41:45.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20036" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20038" CreationDate="2015-07-08T22:35:58.803" Score="5" ViewCount="98" Body="&lt;p&gt;Diseases such as the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_stain_fungus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Blue Stain Fungus&lt;/a&gt; infect trees from the inside out due to inoculation by host insects. Are there any effective/standard methods for applying antifungal compounds to infected trees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11590" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-09T14:42:13.850" LastActivityDate="2015-07-09T14:42:13.850" Title="What methods can be used to apply an antifungal to the interior of a tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20037" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20040" CreationDate="2015-07-09T04:56:03.010" Score="5" ViewCount="201" Body="&lt;p&gt;I woke up and saw these are on my roses, and they are on a some spider web-shape thing, maybe they're baby spiders, and they are moving on the flower and there are some things on the leaves that I think they're related to the babies, I also have used a systemic insecticide (imidacloprid) so they can't be sucking the flowers they're just living in them (the photos are taken behind a window so there's a bit of reflection in the glass.):&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HN1q4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;things on the leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;that is the things on the leaves, I'm not sure they're related to this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/McDpR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;baby spiders?&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11205" LastEditorUserId="11205" LastEditDate="2015-07-09T06:41:28.227" LastActivityDate="2015-07-09T10:41:02.850" Title="what are these insects on my roses and how to kill them?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20038" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20036" CreationDate="2015-07-09T09:27:36.517" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In short, no. At the moment, as I'm sure you know, the only way of handling this infection is to try to prevent it in the first place. Over time, and with research, someone might come up with a way of treating infected trees, but its always harder when fungus is the problem and not bacteria. Current methods of preventing infection with blue fungus are more to do with wood products, such as wood chips, on which they're experimenting with inoculation by a different fungus first, so clearly, research is happening. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleeding_canker_of_horse_chestnut&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Horse Chestnut bleeding canker&lt;/a&gt; is spreading widely and is a real problem, but after research, there is a new treatment with &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allicin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;allicin&lt;/a&gt;, which is injected in solution, that seems to work, which demonstrates that new methods are sometimes found to deal with new infections. However, that particular infection is bacterial, not fungal. There has certainly not been any progress in trying to find a way to defeat &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenoscyphus_pseudoalbidus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Chalara fraxinea&lt;/em&gt;), the fungus which is causing &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.forestry.gov.uk/ashdieback&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ash Dieback Disease&lt;/a&gt;, so the hope for a solution is slim.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="11590" LastEditDate="2015-07-09T14:41:08.423" LastActivityDate="2015-07-09T14:41:08.423" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20039" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20037" CreationDate="2015-07-09T10:36:29.980" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are not baby spiders, but you are not too far off target. They are Spider Mites. Spider mites drink the sap of plants and in great enough numbers they can cause severe damage. The webbing is also from them, they produce it in an attempt to protect themselves from predators and to shield themselves from unfavorable climate conditions. Spider mites are not insects, they are actually more closely related to spiders and scorpions (all three are Arachnids). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your insecticide, imidacloprid, is specifically targeted to insects and has no direct impact on mites (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.walterreeves.com/tools-and-chemicals/imidacloprid-will-not-kill-spider-mites2/&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;). Many insecticides can actually make a spider mite infestation worse, because many of the spider mites natural predators are insects. If you spray to kill the insects you may remove beneficial insects that are trying to eat your mite infestation. If that weren't bad enough some insecticides, like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7405.html&quot;&gt;Carabyl&lt;/a&gt; actually encourage mites to reproduce faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spider mites strongly favor dry, hot conditions. Also they tend to show up the worst on plants that are already suffering from drought stress, which may or may not be relevant to your current situation. Neem oil, as well as several other kinds of insecticidal oils seem to be your best option. Make sure you get good coverage, as it only effects the mites it hits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-07-09T10:36:29.980" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20040" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20037" CreationDate="2015-07-09T10:41:02.850" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was just about to say the same as Gardener J - probably spider mites, yes, and neem oil, yes, but first you could just try spraying with water frequently, on the tops and undersides of the leaves and all the stems - spider mites like hot and dry conditions and will absolutely not appreciate wet or damp leaves and stems, so this will help by making the environment less attractive for them. Neem is only a partial solution, and you need to be careful about how often you use imidaproclid and neem - don't use together, and don't use imidproclid unless necessary and not more often than is stated in the useage instructions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-07-09T10:41:02.850" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20041" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-09T13:00:07.907" Score="9" ViewCount="16263" Body="&lt;p&gt;An important practice in toxin-free (and other) turf care is to only mow with sharp blades. So how often do I have to sharpen the blades?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sure that it will depend on conditions, but is there some general guideline? Is it based on area mowed? Hours mowed? After so many months?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And are there industry standards that professionals follow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-07-09T22:05:21.377" LastActivityDate="2021-01-10T17:49:14.723" Title="How often do mower blades need to be sharpened?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;mowing&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20041" CreationDate="2015-07-09T13:08:53.183" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends on the mower you're using - if its just an ordinary electric hover mower with a rotary blade, or a non hover with a rotor blade, you just buy a new blade when its blunt or damaged, unless you want to put it in for a service every year, when they might do it if it needs it. If you can find someone to sharpen it, or you can do it yourself, fine, but in the UK, unless you sharpen it yourself, you won't find anyone to do it - replacement rotary blades for a flymo, for instance, are around a tenner, or £10, so not expensive, and I've only had to buy 2 blades in 30 years, mostly because they were either bent or badly chipped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've got a cylinder mower, specially if its got an engine rather than being electric, its usual to have those serviced yearly by a lawn mower servicing company. The service may, or may not, include sharpening blades, that's something you'd have to ask them about. Most professional gardeners with large petrol mowers are quite capable of keeping their mowers functioning well, but not always including sharpening - if the mower is heavily used, it will be put it in for a full service yearly as a minimum. Groundkeepers are probably even more rigorous and are often capable of stripping down and replacing parts on their mowers, as well as sharpening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for how you know when the blades need sharpening, its impossible to predict - there's a big difference between a mower being used every day for 4 or 7 hours, and one that's only used once or twice a week. Damage may occur to the blades from stones or other objects hidden within the grass, and may cause the blades to be warped, chipped or simply blunt in parts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're cutting grass all day long with a petrol cylinder mower, it'll likely need sharpening in spring and probably mid season. Otherwise, the easiest way to tell is by looking at the grass after you've finished - if the cut is uneven, then the blades need attention. If you're using a cylinder mower of any sort, inspect the top part of the cut grass - if it looks cleanly cut, then the blades are sharp, but if the ends look a bit chewed or tatty, then the blades need attention. This doesn't apply with rotary blades - they don't make a clean cut in the same way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-10T11:43:47.723" LastActivityDate="2015-07-10T11:43:47.723" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20043" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20001" CreationDate="2015-07-09T13:27:18.013" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had slugs do damage like that. The best thing I ever did was get some Diatomaceous earth, sprinkle it around the base of the plants, the slug won't go near it. Apparently the earth scratches their soft slimy bodies. The stuff is completely organic and available cheap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11676" LastActivityDate="2015-07-09T13:27:18.013" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20044" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20050" CreationDate="2015-07-09T14:25:28.830" Score="1" ViewCount="17901" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uxOEn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iFDl8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pyrTu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mr. Fuzzy&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is healthy otherwise, I see a few ants crawling around on it. Is this a sickness? How do I remove this and get shiny leaves like I see others have?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11676" LastEditorUserId="11676" LastEditDate="2015-07-09T22:03:44.587" LastActivityDate="2015-07-09T22:26:01.630" Title="White fuzzy hairy stuff on plant leaves...ugh, what to do" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20025" CreationDate="2015-07-09T19:13:55.507" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;After some extended internet research, I think this may be something known as weed orchid, or broad-leaved helleborine. I found a New York Times blog article about it: &lt;a href=&quot;http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/12/an-orchid-disguised-as-a-weed/?_r=0&quot;&gt;http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/12/an-orchid-disguised-as-a-weed/?_r=0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6978" LastActivityDate="2015-07-09T19:13:55.507" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20046" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20041" CreationDate="2015-07-09T19:28:25.510" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Great answer, Bamboo.  The old but best-to-cut-grass-with reel mower is easy to keep the blades sharp with a file or stone.  Rotary blades need to be removed to sharpen correctly.  At the very least make SURE THE SPARK PLUG IS DISENGAGED before messing with that blade!!!  Rotary blades DO need to be sharpened regularly and I've gone and purchased extra blades for all rotary mowers.  I take 2 or 3 in to the lawn equipment service store to have them professionally sharpened so all I have to do is change out the blade once per month or as soon as you see the grass tips getting ratty.  This rattiness causes a 'dusty' look to ones lawn and could cause vulnerability to disease.  If you know how to sharpen knives, pruners, hedge shears then great.  DIY.  Otherwise, they are not that expensive to keep extras professionally sharpened so change your blades out as often as you want! Don't forget to wipe with alcohol especially if you are doing maintenance on more than just your lawn! KEEP YOUR GRASS NO SHORTER THAN 3&quot;!!! (if you have blue grass/fescue type lawn) Mow every day if you want but no less than once per week! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-09T19:28:25.510" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20047" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20041" CreationDate="2015-07-09T21:17:49.270" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on a lot of factors but for rotary mowers, every 20 to 25 hours is a good interval to sharpen your blades. For some people that means once a year, for others twice a year. For commercial landscapers it's once or more a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also just look at the blades of grass the next day or so after mowing. If the tips have a large (1/4&quot; or so) ragged and brown looking area instead of just a small line of brown then it's past the time to sharpen your blades. Dull blades leave cuts that don't heal as quickly, are easier to be affected by disease and require more water than lawns mowed with a sharp blade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I keep 2 blades for my mower so I can swap them out and sharpen at my convenience. When I started sharpening my mower blades twice a year it seemed to make a big difference. The sharpening before summer seems like a good idea. Learning how to sharpen your mower blade isn't hard nor is it time consuming. There are tools available that can make it easier and faster too. Though mower blades aren't that expensive I find it more convenient to sharpen than to purchase a new one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have some more info on my site in the articles &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2014/06/time-to-change-your-mower-blade.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Time to Change Your Mower Blade&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2009/06/mowing-tips-for-healthy-lawn.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mowing Tips for a Healthy Lawn&lt;/a&gt; if you're interested.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-07-13T03:55:40.873" LastActivityDate="2015-07-13T03:55:40.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20048" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-09T21:52:17.053" Score="9" ViewCount="10386" Body="&lt;p&gt;Which fertilizer should I use to grow &lt;em&gt;larger&lt;/em&gt; leaves on coriander plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read this question - &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/8769/11679&quot;&gt;What could cause my coriander plant to start browning?&lt;/a&gt; Which talks about over water logged soil causing rotten roots that cause brown leaves. But it did not answer my question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you for any advice you may give.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11679" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2019-02-19T03:18:52.563" Title="Which Fertilizer should I use for Coriander?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;cilantro&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20049" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20055" CreationDate="2015-07-09T22:16:22.560" Score="9" ViewCount="1330" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought a basil plant this past week at the supermarket to have some fresh basil for cooking. It had some dark green spots on it, which at first I assumed were just dry/dying leaves.  I'm not so sure now though - I've been watering it according to the instructions it came with (&quot;water from the bottom daily or as needed&quot;), but it doesn't seem to be clearing up.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this one of the terrible diseases/fungi I've read about online, or just something that will take more time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kW6vpl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kW6vpl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The plant in question&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GTsyVl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GTsyVl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The plant in question with pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11680" LastEditorUserId="11680" LastEditDate="2015-07-10T13:00:53.730" LastActivityDate="2015-07-11T20:56:30.973" Title="What is causing dry, dark green spots on the leaves of my new basil plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20044" CreationDate="2015-07-09T22:26:01.630" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant is a ponytail palm or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaucarnea_recurvata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Beaucarnea recurvata&lt;/a&gt; a member of the Asparagus family and native to Mexico.  The identification is the  woody trunk and the long curved leaves. The pest is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealy_bug&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mealy bug&lt;/a&gt;. It also appears to have some hard water deposits or pesticide residue as some of the white stuff is flat on the leaf and some is fuzzy.  See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7729/what-is-this-plant-what-is-the-white-stuff-on-it/7730#7730&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for a similar problem on a different plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can try to control the mealy bug but it's hard because they hide deep in the axils of the leaves&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soap and water applied at a rate of  teaspoon/quart (~5ml/liter) three times over six day periods will control spider mite.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;With mealybug I just got rid of the plants as these pests were very hard to bring under control and spread easily.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other maintenance measure if you decide to keep it&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilize after a few years with 20-20-20 at half the recommended strength.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Top up the soil yearly with a soil less mix&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do not overwater, water is stored in the trunk&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-07-09T22:26:01.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20051" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-09T23:16:29.977" Score="7" ViewCount="644" Body="&lt;p&gt;So my plants arent growing too well in my garden (as compared to my friends with the same plants I gave them) and was wondering how do I give my plants better soil? I've already mulched the surrounding areas. Can I just dump new soil at the base of the plant? I assume no since that doesnt reach the roots. Fertilizer perhaps? New to gardening and never used that either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11681" LastActivityDate="2015-07-11T21:19:30.687" Title="How do I change the soil on already planted plants (not in pots)" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20052" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20053" CreationDate="2015-07-10T01:01:33.360" Score="6" ViewCount="5521" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several fruit trees (Apple, Cherry, and Peach) that all have an identical growth on the bark. It looks like a fungus to me, but I'm uncertain of the exact identification and what to use to treat it. Could someone identify this and offer a recommendation for treatment?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YYFfj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;diseased apple tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11590" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-07-10T01:37:15.247" LastActivityDate="2021-05-03T23:07:34.173" Title="What is this (fungus?) on my fruit trees, and should I treat it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20053" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20052" CreationDate="2015-07-10T01:06:26.603" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen&quot;&gt;lichen&lt;/a&gt;, which is &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.lohudblogs.com/2011/08/12/are-moss-and-lichen-harmful-to-trees/&quot;&gt;not detrimental to your tree's health&lt;/a&gt; (it's not a parasite, it lives off of photosynthesis). This is normal, no need to worry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-07-10T01:06:26.603" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20051" CreationDate="2015-07-10T08:48:51.773" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mulching and adding a layer of compost will improve the soil structure over time. You can speed up the process by digging them in, but take care not to damage the roots (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sunset.com/garden/garden-basics/improving-soil-structure&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Permanent or semipermanent plantings of trees, shrubs, or perennials benefit from soil amendment too, but you need to do the job without damaging plant roots. It's often sufficient simply to spread the amendment over the soil surface as a mulch; earthworms, microorganisms, rain, and irrigation water will all carry it downward over time, gradually improving the soil's top layer. If the plant isn't a shallow-rooted type (that is, if it doesn't have many roots concentrated near soil level), you can speed up the improvement process by working the amendment into the top inch or so of soil, using a three-pronged cultivator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7506" LastActivityDate="2015-07-10T08:48:51.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20055" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20049" CreationDate="2015-07-10T13:08:52.917" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The reason supermarkets tell you to keep the plastic bag in place is so the plant won't collapse - many of them collapse outwards when the support of the bag is removed. I always remove them anyway, just in stages, moving it downwards over time if the collapse thing is likely to happen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot's too small and its run out of root room - put it in a larger pot with some decent potting soil, water well. I'd trim off the tops, back down to where you can see smaller, healthy leaves, cutting just above those - hopefully you can make use of the leaves you've removed, well, at least the ones which are healthy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because its not got enough room for its roots, that makes it difficult for the plant to get enough water, even if you water daily - there's not enough soil in the pot to hold onto water. You may find you don't need to water daily in a larger pot, but check by feeling the top of the compost with your finger - if it feels dry to touch, water, but don't wait till the soil's shrunken from the sides of the pot. You can also just pick it up - you can usually tell by the weight whether it needs water or not. When you do water, water well, but don't leave it standing in any outer container full of water - empty that after half an hour. And water from the top, onto the soil in the pot, regardless of the supermarket instructions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're keeping it indoors, find a bright spot for it, not full sun, some sun is beneficial evening/morning, but just bright daylight will be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-10T13:14:31.347" LastActivityDate="2015-07-10T13:14:31.347" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20056" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20067" CreationDate="2015-07-10T16:38:29.330" Score="10" ViewCount="423" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Disclaimer: I'm a novice tomato-gardener, this is my first season)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I love in eastern NC, and my tomato plants just seem... &lt;em&gt;small&lt;/em&gt;.  And now I'm starting to get tomatoes on my plants, but they're already turning red and they're... &lt;em&gt;small&lt;/em&gt; as well!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants are mostly Roma tomatoes with a few beef steak mixed in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water every single day!!  I &lt;strong&gt;think&lt;/strong&gt; they are hydrated.  We have sandy soil, but this is a raised garden bed with what I believed to be rich soil.  And the soil is as-is (no fertilizer or any other &quot;additives&quot;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By looking at these plants/tomatoes, is anything clear why they aren't bigger?  Growing up in Jersey, I'm use to my parents having tomato plants that are a dark, deep green and grow fast and &lt;em&gt;huge&lt;/em&gt;.  And of course on those plants in Jersey the tomatoes were quite large as well.  I don't know why I'm not getting the same results here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts are much appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z3kIb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n9O3f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10966" LastActivityDate="2019-06-22T14:12:21.710" Title="What is wrong with my tomato plants?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="10" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20048" CreationDate="2015-07-10T18:01:24.840" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use a fertilizer high in nitrogen. This is true for most herbs and grassy plants like corn because&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Nitrogen is primarily responsible for vegetative growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;it is also responsible for&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;increased yield and quality&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.noble.org/ag/soils/back2basics/&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium are the three major macro nutrients that plants use. Fertilizers show what percentage of each of these nutrients they have with an N-P-K number that is usually highly visible on the bag. So if you fertilize your coriander with a fertilizer with an NPK of, for example 5-1-1 or 10-0-0, that would be a good choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastActivityDate="2015-07-10T18:01:24.840" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20058" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-11T03:25:55.213" Score="3" ViewCount="195" Body="&lt;p&gt;Folks,&#xA;I'm trying to measure soil and compost for use in home gardening of vegetables and herbs.  My goal is to use compost primarily, and augment it as necessary.  The compost is mostly vermicompost, though I do have some residual of the other kind.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aside from sterilizing the compost, I'd like to measure it and make sure my seedlings get a nice home.  I have a electronic pH test kit, and would like to measure NPK.  Is it possible to get a numeric reading that I can make sense of?  My problems is that I'm color blind, and matching a color to a number is really difficult for me.  Oh, and I'd prefer it to be under $50, but would settle for under $100.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks,&#xA;Ben&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11688" LastActivityDate="2015-07-11T04:00:06.167" Title="Measuring soil and compost for NPK" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20059" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20058" CreationDate="2015-07-11T04:00:06.167" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually, you can get it analyzed at your local extension agent's lab for less than $30, in the US. They will give you a full sheet, no need to match colors. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But really, I'd use soil as a base, and vermicompost as the augmentation. Most plants won't do too well in pure vermicompost. Also, no need to sterilise it unless there is known disease in the compost. The microbial life is one of it's biggest assets, and sterilising it will lose that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-07-11T04:00:06.167" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20060" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20056" CreationDate="2015-07-11T08:37:54.340" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have a bunch of plants close together. This may impact your fruit size. If your raised bed has a bottom, that could limit the roots even further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're watering every day, you may be watering too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to that, my guess is you need more nitrogen and phosphorus. It's possible you need more potassium and magnesium, too, and a higher PH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roma tomatoes tend to have much broader, leafier-looking leaves than shown in your plants. The smaller leaves are possibly due to a phosphorus deficiency. I've personally seen rock phosphate make a huge difference in indoor Rocoto pepper leaves. However, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ipni.net/ppiweb/bcrops.nsf/%24webindex/ECBABED567ABDCDD852568EF0063C9F4/%24file/99-1p06.pdf&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; also says that phosphorus helps with leaf size and the number of leaves. Nitrogen and magnesium should help your plants to become a darker green. Nitrogen is the most known nutrient that helps with growth. I wouldn't add more phosphorus than nitrogen unless you're particularly deficient in phosphorus, but not in nitrogen. Since you have bits of wood in your soil, you probably need nitrogen even more, because it takes nitrogen to decompose wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Phosphorus and potassium may help with fruit size, too. Potassium is most known for it, but I tend to think whatever you need more of is what's going to help. Get a soil test if you can. If your stems are weak (if they bend easily), you may need more potassium (potentially with calcium, too).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possible that you need better soil microbes. I've heard that they can affect fruit size (mycorrhizae in particular), and I know they can affect the leaf size (from experience trying to grow cucumbers/watermelon in sterilized soil, which plants had tiny leaves). Worm castings, composted horse manure (or such), rockdust and such should help you get good microbes in your soil. Rockdust doesn't contain microbes particularly, but microbes are said to like it. It's more of a long-term thing, though, I hear (rather than something to use for immediate results).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your water is chlorinated (or such), it may be killing beneficial microbes. Watering less often would probably help, if you can't find another water source without chlorine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-07-11T11:04:09.470" LastActivityDate="2015-07-11T11:04:09.470" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20061" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20062" CreationDate="2015-07-11T12:28:46.330" Score="6" ViewCount="8213" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ok, so my cousins had come over.sweet kids of 8 and 9. I was just showing them around my garden.And earlier in the day, we had some mangoes, and I had showed them how to take the seed out of the tough outer shell. Both of them had a seed each ,I put mine in the wet-paper towel-in ziplock bag experiment. &#xA;We were searching for a spot in the garden, and started digging some soil and placing the seed there.Finished off by pouring some water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then I just wanted to show them how the seed grows.So I had dug out some mud from my pot where I had placed a seed 20 days ago.And we got to the seed.My cousins peeped in and said they wanted to see the whole thing. I was sceptical, and honestly thought the seed is dead or something- since the plant had not come up yet and I had lost hope in it. So I dug it some more , and the seed seemed stuck or too tight to come out.I used my fingers to just move the mud aside, and holy cow I saw a strong root going down ! I was so happy! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But then it had been just 20 days , so I thought the root might not be lengthy. I was trying to chisel the seed out with my hand ,my cousins helped me push the mud out of the way.By then there were three hands in the pot, and I tried to be careful but my hand slightly shifted and, Oh dear god, the root BROKE!just like that!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took the seed out and the broken root. It was 2 inches approx long!.&#xA;But the seed still has an inch and a half  of strong root attached to it.The cut end had some kind of rootlings coming out of it,tiny &amp;lt;1mm kind of light greenish white tubes( I don't know how else to describe it!) radially popping out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have planted the seed back into the mud and took away the broken root as a souvenir.&#xA;Is there any chance that the seed will grow a new root?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I do anything with the broken root? right now its inside a pot, But will it grow?I know that's silly , but still, does the broken root do any good? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT 1: just made my sentence construction better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11689" LastEditorUserId="11689" LastEditDate="2016-02-19T06:20:26.137" LastActivityDate="2019-07-04T02:39:45.563" Title="help! I broke my mango seedling's root" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20062" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20061" CreationDate="2015-07-11T12:34:30.220" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, the broken root won't regrow - the part which produces topgrowth has now gone, so it has no 'instructions' as to how to proceed - this information comes from the actual seed or stone. I'm not sure if you're saying the tiny rootlets spreading out radially were on the now detached piece of root, leaving the original seed with just a root and no rootlets. If you are, there's slightly less chance your mango will continue to grow, since its been interrupted at a critical stage - but it might recover well, so its worth taking care of the one you've replanted in terms of water particularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a valuable lesson though - for a plant to start showing green growth from a large seed or stone, its already grown root/s below ground, or it wouldn't be sprouting in this way. If you've ever seen a conker which has started growing the spring after falling to the ground, you'll first notice the topgrowth, usually about 4 inches tall - if you dig that up, it has a very long root with rootlets already present, much longer than the topgrowth. Root initiation and development with large seeds starts before green topgrowth appears, basically, though some plants are quicker to produce topgrowth than others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've said there were rootlets present still on the seed end of the broken root - it should be fine, assuming it doesn't suffer drought. I guess you know that mangoes don't come true from seed - it'll be interesting to see how big it gets and whether it produces good mangoes or not very nice ones, though fruiting will be some years away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-11T12:46:58.550" LastActivityDate="2015-07-11T12:46:58.550" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20063" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14929" CreationDate="2015-07-11T16:58:15.990" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a vegetable garden in Renton, Washington, with tomatoes, corn, peppers, squash, melons, peas and beans. I also have a recently noticed rabbit. It's not a wild rabbit; I can tell by the coloring (I once raised rabbits). So far, I haven't noticed any nibbles on my veggies. I even bought some food for him/her which hasn't been touched. Oh, well, the deer will probably find it and dispose of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11691" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-11T19:47:48.743" LastActivityDate="2015-07-11T19:47:48.743" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20064" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19572" CreationDate="2015-07-11T17:08:42.877" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Surely, it's lack of pollination. For the two years past, I had to hand pollinate my squash plants. This year, however, I see bees on the flowers, and I'm getting lots of squash. I live in Renton, Washington, and I don't see many bad bugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see that many of you recommend insecticides, which I never use. For one thing, insecticides are not specific to bad bugs. They'll kill all the insects, including the pollinators, which are really susceptible to poisons (as am I!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11691" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-11T19:48:15.730" LastActivityDate="2015-07-11T19:48:15.730" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20065" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="58" CreationDate="2015-07-11T17:12:35.550" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been successful growing mangos from the fruit seeds in Scottsdale, Arizona. Let the husk dry (overnight) and then carefully cut an edge on one side to remove the seed. Only in warm weather, plant the seed in well drained soil, water it every day and within 2 weeks you will know if the seed is viable. The seedling can tolerate some sun during the day but that's it. Best to give it filtered light. The same goes for the tree as it grows. If it is standing in water it will die. The tree, if in the ground, will die back to the soil line in a freeze but usually will come back in the spring. In a large pot it can be brought into shelter. Any frost or near freezing temps will hurt it. I once had a tree (more of a skinny twig) blossom and had a baby mango which blew off in heavy wind. Perhaps around the area of the zoo, downtown Phoenix, the airport and the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall where frosts are rare a mango tree could survive. There are rubber trees out in the open and these are sensitive to cold. They can be a guide where the warmer zones are. Microclimates such as the area on the south side of the senate office building provides enough warmth that a full grown royal palm grows in the palm garden there. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11693" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-11T19:49:31.323" LastActivityDate="2015-07-11T19:49:31.323" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20066" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20073" CreationDate="2015-07-11T17:16:10.320" Score="4" ViewCount="181" Body="&lt;p&gt;In 2010, the Agricultural Research Service recommended planting geraniums to help control Japanese Beetles. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2010/100308.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Geraniums Could Help Control Devastating Japanese Beetle&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (2010). However, I have not been able to find any follow-up research to prove their effectiveness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following two years, this report was repeated in several forums:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://uconnladybug.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/%E2%80%98orange-appeal%E2%80%99-geraniums-lure-japanese-beetles-to-their-death-or-at-least-give-them-a-nasty-hangover/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;‘Orange Appeal’ Geraniums Lure Japanese Beetles to their Death&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (2011)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mlive.com/homeandgarden/index.ssf/2012/06/stan_harrison_5.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Japanese beetles meet their doom when dining on geraniums&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (2012)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After digging around a little, I found a publication from Michigan State University from April 1929:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gsr.lib.msu.edu/1920s/1929/290471A.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sun Helps Geraniums Poison Japanese Beetles&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (1929)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After all this time, is there any solid proof that geraniums are effective against this pest, or is this material just being re-hashed based on the ARS publication?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11590" LastActivityDate="2015-07-13T06:55:52.180" Title="Are Geraniums truly effective against Japanese Beetles?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;geraniums&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20067" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20056" CreationDate="2015-07-11T20:21:53.720" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Shule and J.Musser.  Too much water (tap???) and at this moment, better fertilizing.  If you have sandy soil and water everyday you are washing away nutrients.  Your plants look FINE other than they need more fertilizer.  I'd use Osmocote for vegies.  It is extended release and can't be washed away, necessarily.  DO add some completely decomposed compost to boost the microorganism component (VITAL) for your soil.  Just put on top of your soil.  Keeps moisture in and the organisms eating it will pull it into your soil profile and poop out great stuff for your soil.  In fall, grow 'green compost' to build your soil.  Only water if your soil is dry 2&quot; down...Is there a bottom to this raised bed? Do you use tap (city) water or is it well water?  Salts, chlorine and fluoride that we find in all of our city waters are horrid more so for potted plants than your outdoor garden. Finding this stuff in bottled water as well!! Kinda tough to buy water for your outdoor garden! My concern is drainage.  Plants DO NOT NEED deep soil, drainage IS critical. Next year you'll need to watch for disease and probably you should plant another type of vegey that is not related to tomatoes!! Late blight is a huge bummer...!!  Go get a soil test from your Extension Service!  Cheap. Every year is always a year for experimenting and learning!! Learning the hard way is so very the making of a gardener, sigh!! But your plants are HEALTHY, a bit light in color that shows you NEED more fertilizer.  DO NOT use a high nitrogen fertilizer!  NPK ratio should be even numbers or the N should be less than the P and the K. Osmocote is easy and predictable.  When you get more involved with plants, more testing, you can go to more complicated, organic fertilizers. Simple is always better.  Osmocote has always worked for all of my clients for years...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-11T20:21:53.720" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20049" CreationDate="2015-07-11T20:56:30.973" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;What kind of water are you using? Tap water is so full of salts (and chlorine, fluorine as well).  A big sign that your plant is getting too much salt is browning at the tips...I'd replant in fresh, bagged (sterilized) soil and water with distilled water.  Prune back the apical tips of your plant to keep your basil going.  Use fertilizer that is higher in Nitrogen than Phosphorus and Potassium.  Don't allow it to flower, cut flowers off.  Don't allow it to sit in water (especially an indoor application)!! Water from the top and make sure the bottom of your pot has air between the pot and the surface/saucer it sits upon.  No rock or gravel at the bottom of the pot.  Just use sterilized potting soil!  No garden soil!  Lots of light.  Go light on fertilizer...really just once.  This plant is an annual and will be replaced next year.  Doesn't look like any disease at all to me...high salts from tap water.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-11T20:56:30.973" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20069" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19651" CreationDate="2015-07-11T21:06:41.960" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks a lot like an &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=aphid+cast&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=zYOhVaT5PMuXNo2Du9AP&amp;amp;ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&amp;amp;biw=1024&amp;amp;bih=471#tbm=isch&amp;amp;q=aphid+skin&amp;amp;imgrc=_&quot;&gt;aphid cast/skin&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6978" LastActivityDate="2015-07-11T21:06:41.960" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20070" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20051" CreationDate="2015-07-11T21:19:30.687" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never known a soil so perfect that fertilizer of basic nutrients was not indicated!  Just applying DECOMPOSED organic compost to the top of the soil is truly the most effective way to improve any soil.  Organisms come up to eat this stuff (if it is decomposed) and go back into the soil profile and poop it out!  Mixing it in by hand is a waste of time!  Besides improving the soil, it is more important to understand your soil type and your drainage!!  This is why raised beds are critical to healthy plants in our gardens.  If you do not have raised beds, what kind of soil do you have, what are you doing for compost, mulch, fertilizer, keeping foot traffic compaction away from your plant roots...the majority of plant roots are within 4 -6 &quot;...I've read 94%!  The rest are for support. You can make your beds raised without any boards, bricks or barrier. You keep them fluffy, airy, by not walking on them as well as adding the DECOMPOSED ORGANIC matter right on the surface.  All we have to do is keep replacing this compost layer as it will disappear within a year or two. One double-digging at the very beginning to aerate is all that is necessary. Do a soil test!  Dig trenches around the edges of your bed to allow accumulation of rainwater and direct it away from plant roots. Your soil is first and foremost the most important aspect of any garden.  Learn what you have, improving it is simple after the fact! ALL soil can be made wonderful...just need to learn soil management...!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-11T21:19:30.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20071" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-11T23:46:09.020" Score="6" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was harvesting cherries and wasn't aware until after that I should NOT pull off the fruit spurs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I harvested quite a bit. I feel bad. Is the damage permanent? Will they grow back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11695" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-07-12T00:08:49.037" LastActivityDate="2015-07-12T00:08:49.037" Title="Accidentally pulled fruit spurs during harvest" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20071" CreationDate="2015-07-12T00:07:50.013" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yeah, they will grow back. If you pulled off a good percentage of them, the tree may not produce as much next year, but the year after it will be fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The damage isn't permanent, and if you only pulled the very ends off the spurs, they may even grow back this year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-07-12T00:07:50.013" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20073" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20066" CreationDate="2015-07-12T12:26:27.783" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, there isn't. Most of the evidence you mention is anecdotal, or as you suggest, harks back to the 1920's, apart from the first and the final one you list. The penultimate one is again, anecdotal, but the writer suggests he is continuing to monitor the effects of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraniol&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;geraniol&lt;/a&gt;, or at least the amount present in Ivy Geranium leaves, and its efficacy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In truth, there is a commercial attractant which is more effective than &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraniol&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;geraniol&lt;/a&gt; alone, its combined with &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenol&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;eugenol&lt;/a&gt; - the article below describes the attractant fully:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Youssef &lt;em&gt;et al.&lt;/em&gt; 2009. Field evaluation of essential oils for reducing attraction by the Japanese beetle (&lt;em&gt;Coleoptera&lt;/em&gt;: &lt;em&gt;Scarabaeidae&lt;/em&gt;). &lt;em&gt;J Econ Entomol&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;strong&gt;102&lt;/strong&gt;(4):1551-8. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19736768&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;PMID 19736768&lt;/a&gt;, available &lt;a href=&quot;http://pubag.nal.usda.gov/pubag/downloadPDF.xhtml?id=32105&amp;amp;content=PDF&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;online&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;but the article itself is more about &lt;em&gt;non attractants&lt;/em&gt; than &lt;em&gt;attractants&lt;/em&gt;. It appears the commercial attractant is used to gather the beetles, then they're poisoned, rather than the attractant itself killing all of them. So if you were thinking a garden full of ivy leaved geraniums sited in full sun would wipe out the adult Japanese Beetle population, I'm sorry to say its not going to - but it might have some impact &lt;em&gt;if&lt;/em&gt; other carnivorous insects get to the beetles while they're paralyzed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could download the information from the following link for interest's sake, but I think there's a charge for it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potter and Held 2002. Biology and management of the Japanese beetle. &lt;em&gt;Annu Rev Entomol&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;strong&gt;47&lt;/strong&gt;:175-205. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11729073&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;PMID 11729073&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="11590" LastEditDate="2015-07-13T06:55:52.180" LastActivityDate="2015-07-13T06:55:52.180" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20074" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19868" CreationDate="2015-07-12T14:30:12.073" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Too much green (glass clippings) and you will get a smelling mess!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much carbon (wood chippings etc) and it will take a lot longer to break down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a normal garden, you will not get fast composting, as most people will not turn the heap often enough or have a large enough heap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore I will say it is ideal to have too much browns, as that way people are not put off by the smell and therefore they will keeping composting….&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="231" LastActivityDate="2015-07-12T14:30:12.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20075" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-12T14:57:55.463" Score="8" ViewCount="406" Body="&lt;p&gt;My hydrangea is very leafy, but not producing flowers. Should I be adding something to the soil? This is the second consecutive year and I am totally perplexed. Appreciate any and all assistance. Thank you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11696" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-24T16:30:27.143" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T21:34:02.570" Title="Why isn't my hydrangea producing flowers?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20077" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-12T16:58:07.113" Score="10" ViewCount="55725" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes I buy a little carton of grass at the pet store for my (indoor) cat to nibble on.  She likes it but it always seems to die off within a week or two.  I'd really love to have a sustainable grass colony if this is possible.  What can I do to maximize the grass's chances of surviving?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MpMj7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dying cat grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;This carton only cost 99¢, but still...&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11271" LastActivityDate="2017-05-24T08:54:04.903" Title="How do I keep &quot;cat grass&quot; alive?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20075" CreationDate="2015-07-12T19:41:14.363" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hydrangeas won't flower well if you are using fertilizer with more nitrogen than phosphorous and potassium.  Is this hydrangea in the middle of your lawn receiving lawn fertilizer? Lawn fertilizer has too much nitrogen for promoting flowers/fruit/reproductive growth.  You'll get lots of healthy vegetative growth (leaves, stems) but very few flowers.  Also, if your hydrangea is in deep, deep shade it won't flower well either. Pruning is important as well as timing of pruning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.about.com/od/treesshrubs/a/Prune_Hydrangea.htm?utm_term=when%20to%20trim%20hydrangea%20bushes&amp;amp;utm_content=p1-main-1-title&amp;amp;utm_medium=sem&amp;amp;utm_source=msn&amp;amp;utm_campaign=adid-a84ed614-e2a6-46a4-8c29-09f39f86d339-0-ab_msb_ocode-28811&amp;amp;ad=semD&amp;amp;an=msn_s&amp;amp;am=broad&amp;amp;q=when%20to%20trim%20hydrangea%20bushes&amp;amp;dqi=&amp;amp;o=28811&amp;amp;l=sem&amp;amp;qsrc=999&amp;amp;askid=a84ed614-e2a6-46a4-8c29-09f39f86d339-0-ab_msb&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;how to prune hydrangeas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-12T19:41:14.363" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20080" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-12T20:14:23.833" Score="3" ViewCount="3095" Body="&lt;p&gt;Note that I'm a complete novice when it comes to gardening and I am asking this question on behalf on my girlfriend. This is a cacao tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Problem 1&lt;/strong&gt;. Notice the following discoloration of the leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NHmnn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The right leaf is a normal leaf, the left one is not-so-normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Problem 2&lt;/strong&gt;. Combined with this, many of the leaves have been falling out lately. [That is a light bulb on the right of it, by the way.]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3g6c3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;She has done the following to try to remedy the situation:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spraying the leaves with water (she suspects it's dehydration, since the A/C is on frequently over here)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keeping the tree away from direct sunlight (she suspects the leaves have been sunburned)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is happening to the tree and what should be done to help it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Edit&lt;/em&gt;: As requested by stormy:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4N9bQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11447" LastEditorUserId="11447" LastEditDate="2015-07-12T20:50:57.637" LastActivityDate="2017-08-04T15:07:52.783" Title="Cacao tree: leaves falling off, some discolored" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20081" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20080" CreationDate="2015-07-12T20:20:26.477" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant needs LOTS MORE light. Perhaps a good grow light would help.  I'd like to see the pot/soil of this plant. What I see is too much salt from using tap or city water.  Is your water softened?  That is salt.  Tips and edges of leaves will brown.  Is there white, crusty stuff on top of your soil? Quit using tap water and purchase distilled water to use instead.  I'd repot with new sterilized potting soil as well.  Send a picture of pot and soil, please. Keep this plant away from any drafts, especially air-conditioned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-12T20:20:26.477" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20082" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18120" CreationDate="2015-07-12T20:31:36.373" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are using POTS please do not use garden soil or pure compost!!  Get some sterilized potting soil!!  Sterilizing garden soil for pots is very smelly.  Way cheaper and BETTER to just buy some premade potting soil.  Compost is so very important but you still need soil.  Little tiny rocks.  Do not use pure compost. Bamboo, if you know something I don't about this please holler!! (She is so very good!!) Fill the entire pot with potting soil, no rock or gravel!  Get bottom of pot off surface of patio or saucer so that there is air between the two hard surfaces. You can add mychorrhizae (I never get the spelling correct) and bacteria or find it already incorporated in the commercial potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-12T20:31:36.373" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20083" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20086" CreationDate="2015-07-12T23:42:41.723" Score="9" ViewCount="266" Body="&lt;p&gt;I ask because I have a small raised bed wrapped in hardware cloth to keep the wildlife out, and then it's covered in shade cloth to keep the hot southwestern sun out. The plants (one &quot;container tomato&quot; and some herbs) themselves have thrived since I put the shade cloth on, but there is limited access to any bees or other pollinators. I've seen new tomatoes on the plant, but I'm wondering if bees had more access, would I see more fruits? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11423" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-13T16:52:21.620" LastActivityDate="2015-07-13T21:03:45.610" Title="Do tomatoes require pollinators to bear fruit?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20077" CreationDate="2015-07-13T02:22:53.643" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I went to Tractor Supply, a farm store, I'm sure there are others, and bought a 50 Lb bag of oat seed (hull on) for about $14.00. Horses like it.&#xA;I put a 3/4 cup of seeds in wet dirt in a 12&quot; clay or plastic pot drip tray catcher with some holes drilled in it for drainage. Cover the holes w windowscreen to minimize dirt leakage. Dirt's about 1.5 inches deep. The cat loves it. Once sprouted, after about a week, it'll last 2-3 weeks before becoming rootbound and drying back. There is no stopping that, you're growing a big grass in a small space. Well watered, but not too soggy, keeps the stuff going the longest. Full sun at least part of the day helps grow thicker, juicier stems that my cat at least likes better. I keep two going at all times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edited upon further experience:  Regular fertilization with a weak fertilizer, I use Schulz African violet fertilizer because I have it handy, &lt;em&gt;keeps the stuff green longer&lt;/em&gt;, as does 'mowing' with a pair of scissors when it gets over 6-8 inches (20cm) tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastEditorUserId="724" LastEditDate="2015-10-23T19:55:55.783" LastActivityDate="2015-10-23T19:55:55.783" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20085" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20083" CreationDate="2015-07-13T04:07:29.783" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, tomatoes require pollination. If you are seeing fruit on the plants, at least some pollinators are finding their way through the obstacles. If you notice very little fruit set for the number of flowers you are seeing, then you may want to loosen up the defences a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-07-13T04:07:29.783" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20086" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20083" CreationDate="2015-07-13T10:25:59.613" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the most part, no, tomatoes don't require pollinators. Because of the way tomato flowers are formed it is very common for pollen to fall off of the stamen (male-part) onto the stigma (female part), achieving pollination without any outside intervention. In some varieties with particularly short stigma, the flowers are often pollinated before they even open. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason I say &quot;for the most part&quot; is because the flowers do need some minor amount of disturbance to shake the pollen down. This could be from a bee stopping by or from a person nudging the flower gently, or even from a light breeze passing through the garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/8433/help-pollinate-your-tomato-plants&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-07-13T10:25:59.613" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20083" CreationDate="2015-07-13T10:50:07.380" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are self pollinating, but as the first answer suggests, do better with some help from air vibration at the least to get the pollen out and in the right place. The link below makes an interesting read and explains exactly what the situation is&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pollinator.com/self_pollinating_tomato.htm&quot;&gt;http://pollinator.com/self_pollinating_tomato.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-07-13T10:50:07.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20088" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20080" CreationDate="2015-07-13T12:22:22.367" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your girlfriend's right - the AC could be causing a problem - its probably drying the air and causing temperatures that might just be a bit too low for the plant. Cacao is an understory plant from the Amazon rainforest - it doesn't mind a bit of dappled sunlight, but does not appreciate sun in a home, unless its just first thing in the morning or late in the day. It naturally prefers high humidity, more than 60%, which is quite difficult to achieve in a home environment - you haven't said where you are, but some areas have naturally low humidity anyway, never mind indoors. Placing the pot on a large tray filled with pebbles, and keeping the pebbles topped up with water so that they're half submerged, but not so the bottom of the pot is in the water, should help with humidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also does not like to dry out, and should be kept quite moist, but not waterlogged - there's a balance to be struck, because too much water might cause fungal problems, particularly at the root, but not enough, and the leaves brown and shrivel. Note that some loss of leaves from the lower parts is quite normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This link provides more information and might be useful to you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://science.psu.edu/news-and-events/lectures-and-events/frontiers/learning-resources/maximova-guiltinan_growing-chocolate_2-2014&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://science.psu.edu/news-and-events/lectures-and-events/frontiers/learning-resources/maximova-guiltinan_growing-chocolate_2-2014&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-07-13T12:22:22.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20089" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20114" CreationDate="2015-07-13T12:42:13.093" Score="4" ViewCount="130" Body="&lt;p&gt;A lot of companies offer &quot;organic&quot; programs for lawn and landscape care. I have listened to a lot of cynics say that all of them sneak prohibited chemicals onto the landscape to deliver results (because, according to them, organic can't work.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to verify that my &quot;organic&quot; landscaper isn't sneaking synthetic fertilizers and/or pesticides onto my property?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How is a homeowner supposed to know if this is the case? Are there soil tests that can be done? If so, who would do them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T07:37:21.997" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T07:37:21.997" Title="How to verify that my organic landscaper isn't using synthetic fertilizers?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;&lt;chemicals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20090" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20077" CreationDate="2015-07-13T16:44:18.607" Score="2" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use a larger pot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use a ceramic pot with a small ceramic dish under (for better drainage).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure it has direct sunlight.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do not keep indoors with an AC running (without humidity it will dry).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11669" LastActivityDate="2015-07-13T16:44:18.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20091" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-13T18:16:52.540" Score="6" ViewCount="535" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shade Tree questions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking to get a new tree for our backyard to provide a bit more shade throughout the summer.&#xA;I did some searches around and on this site, got some ideas, but would still look for some more specific suggestions/facts/ideas from those on here if you don't mind :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Oakville (just West of Toronto , Canada).  I have 3 primary goals I need to reach with the tree:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Main Goals&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shade for the backyard, (I guess at least 40 ft, preferably 50+)  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Privacy between neighbour to the back and our raised deck.&#xA;  I'm not trying to get shade on the deck, I just want a partial barrier between neighbours and myself, so we can sit on our deck and they on their patio and we're not staring at each other :)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fast/moderate growth speed. I understand it'll take a few years to get large, I just don't want it taking &quot;too&quot; long ;) &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Secondary Goals&lt;/strong&gt; (aka &quot;Nice to have&quot;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional things I'd &quot;like&quot; to keep in mind, or at least be aware of:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prefer a tree with not too many diseases it is prone to .&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fewer typical pests/etc. Our area seems to have things such as: Asian long horned beetles, Japanese beetles, Ash borers in the area .. that I know of :) I'd rather not deal with those if I can avoid it.&#xA; I would like to minimize attraction of squirrels, mice, rabbits, chipmunks, etc. : rodents in general .. most birds we're ok with (we have Cardinals, Orioles, Blue Jays and Woodpeckers to name a few)&#xA;  Would also like to avoid caterpillars if possible .. :) (I know this one's tough - not sure which trees are more prone to them.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lower maintenance - I'm not against raking, however, if a tree is dropping excessive sap, needles (i.e. pines), nuts, etc., whatever, which makes ongoing maintenance a nuisance ... I might shy away from it :)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Backyard Details&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So some more details:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our backyard is on south side of our house, so facing on our deck south towards the neighbours, we have more neighbours to our right(west) which are already obscured by trees/shrubbery and grants us evening shade.&#xA;We have a dense thicket of Sumac to our left (east) granting morning shade and privacy from the walkway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fence/property line is probably about ~50 ft  from our house. Not huge backyards, but not tiny. I don't think we want too huge a tree, or it'll start impacting neighbours in the future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a small 8x10 shed in the SW corner, some cedars lining the East fenceline, and various gardens which aren't all that &quot;set&quot; at the moment :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have encountered some minor pockets of flooding/pooling during a heavy rain which we are still building up and working on .. regardless, it doesn't seem to stay long. So during a heavy rain, pooling water, but a few hours after the rain, it'll be gone.&#xA;Our soil seems to be mostly a reddish clay ... not a really good/rich soil .. just a thin surface soil, then this hard red clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My Research&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did some more research and found the following on some trees, I'm hoping anyone with more knowledge of these guys could provide additional information or links that might help me in my decision :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Red Maple&lt;/strong&gt;: 50+ ft height, fast growing, adaptable and hardy tree somewhat drought and flood tolerant. Prone to Asian long horned beetles.&#xA;   I only mention the beetles, at the moment, I think this may be our top choice. I think we can handle the beetles :) (I hope).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Katsura&lt;/strong&gt;: 100+ ft height, fast, likes moist soil, sensitive to droughts.&#xA;   It's definitely moist in our backyard, mostly due to pooling water mentioned .. however, we're not really a drought prone area, so this guy might be an option, although perhaps a bit tall in the future)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;American Linden&lt;/strong&gt; (aka Basswood):  100 ft, fast, seeds attract chipmunks, mice, squirrels :( ... bark eaten by rabbits/voles :( (we have LOTS of squirrels and rabbits - I'm not eager to attract more of them .. lol ) Prone to Japanese beetles.&#xA;   Nice looking tree, however, after reading up on things, it seems alot of things we don't like, seem to like the Linden .. O.o  I'll probably shy away from this one ... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Large leaved Linden&lt;/strong&gt;: 100 ft, moderate&#xA;   Not sure if it's less prone to fungus and pests the American Linden seems to have ... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Silver Linden&lt;/strong&gt;: 100 ft, very tolerant to pollution, soil compaction, drought, etc. drops buds/pollen during spring/fall - might require ground cleanup ? O.o&#xA;   It seems this one's a &quot;messy tree&quot;, they don't suggest it for near sidewalks due to the cleanup required .. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hickory&lt;/strong&gt;:   ??&#xA;   I didn't get much info on this one - seems too many varieties .. would any of these be a possibility for me here ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Beech&lt;/strong&gt;:  ??  prone to beech blight aphids ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oak&lt;/strong&gt;:  ??   not immediately fond of dealing with the acorns/squirrels :)&#xA;   I couldn't find immediate specs on the height and such .. and again, I'm not writing it off just due to the squirrels, yet :)&#xA;   This might actually be my 2nd option behind the maple, in fact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I tried to get all my thoughts done and all relevant information .. hoping to get some ideas, suggestions, etc ? Are there other trees might be better suited to my purposes I haven't listed ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Worked on a sketch .. let's try adding it :)&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jRGKb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11701" LastEditorUserId="11701" LastEditDate="2015-07-14T01:53:06.487" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T19:36:25.590" Title="What Would Be A Good Shade Tree for Oakville, Ontario, Canada?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20092" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20077" CreationDate="2015-07-13T19:00:32.563" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The grasses chance of long-term survival were nixed at the moment when the seed were planted in the pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compare your pot of wheat, oat or other grains&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; to a grain field: The individual plants need a lot more space to grow to their full height. The grains for cat grass are planted very close to each other (intentional overcrowding), allowing them to grow only for a short while befor the natural process of elimination leads to their death. This is intentional because a) that's the only way to get a nice &quot;full&quot; pot instead of a few meager stalks and b) because the customer has to come back and buy a new pot occasionally. Without assuming &quot;unethical&quot; motives, the growers know that most cats prefer soft (=young) leaves over old, tough ones and usually just nibble off the ends.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to grow your own grass, you can plant the grains &lt;em&gt;somewhat sparser than in commercial pots&lt;/em&gt; (but not too sparsely) in well-draining potting soil. A rather shallow container (2-4 in / 5-10 cm) will do as the roots won't go too deep. Let grow in a light place, possibly even outdoors until the desired lenght is reached. Do not make the pot available to your cat before the plants have grown to 2 inces at least because the roots should intertwine or your cat may pull the plants out of the pot, making a major mess... Ask me, how I know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the blades have been nibbeled on and the pot starts to look well-chewed, you can put it back outside &lt;em&gt;and &quot;mow the lawn&quot;&lt;/em&gt;, meaning you can cut back the grass to about 1-1/2 inch and let it grow back. If you are really lucky, you may repeat this a second time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By rotating two or three pots in various stages of growth and re-gowth it should be easy to have some available for your cat at all times. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally choose not to fertilize my cat grass because I don't want my cat to eat any residue, even if it's organic and because I know that I will be &quot;using&quot; the pot only for a limited time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; I'm explicitly talking about grain-based &quot;cat grass&quot; only because I have read reports of some kinds of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cyperus&lt;/a&gt; (also sold as cat grass) causing cuts and other injuries. Better safe than sorry, IMHO.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-07-13T19:00:32.563" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20093" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-13T20:57:37.617" Score="3" ViewCount="894" Body="&lt;p&gt;I collected some leaves and put them on to sprout. Instead the leaves withered. I'd like know what happened and how I can avoid it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bj0AG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-15T00:29:39.397" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T02:53:56.283" Title="Why are these succulent leaves withering instead of rooting?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20083" CreationDate="2015-07-13T21:03:45.610" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As the other answerers have stated, tomatoes are self-pollinating. However, it should be noted that tomatoes can be pollinated by other tomato plants (hence accidental crosses, with cross-pollination). Therefore, it stands to reason that having multiple plants may increase your odds of more thorough pollination. More thorough pollination doesn't necessarily mean more fruits, however, because each unit of pollin corresponds to only one seed of a fruit. However, I would suppose it's possible that you may get more fruits as a result, but I have no idea how much more, if true. My guess is you might get an occasional extra tomato.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-07-13T21:03:45.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20095" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9550" CreationDate="2015-07-13T21:34:29.480" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;First of all, I would recommend growing seedlings at least six to eight inches high before transplanting, and leave a lot of leaves up top after you do. More leaves means faster growth to start with, in my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's hot outside, make sure that's not making your growing area inside too hot. That can make it difficult for plants to grow, I've found.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When growing your plants, grow them in at least 18 fl. oz. containers, each. They'll grow bigger faster if they're not in tiny cells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Phosphorus is supposed to help plants mature more quickly. That seems to hold true, so far. If your plants are maturing faster, you're likely to get fruit faster. Make sure they have enough potassium, calcium and silica (those things will likely make transplanting more successful, if you have adequate levels).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Late in the season, I wouldn't even worry about hardening off, if your area is like mine. In early to mid June on up, hardening off no longer seems to be necessary where I live (western Idaho). In May up to maybe early June, the transplanting is much different, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not too long after planting, I might recommend fertilizing once with an even fertilizer (something like 20-20-20) to get some quick, extra growth in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, plant early varieties. You might consider &lt;a href=&quot;http://pastebin.com/eBcsTjSq&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;those that set well in heat&lt;/a&gt;, as well as those that set early. If you're starting late, it'll likely be hotter than usual when they want to bear fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For tomatoes, you might try Early Girl, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/glacier-tomato/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Glacier&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reimerseeds.com/siberian-tomato.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Siberian&lt;/a&gt; and Galapagos Island (Solanum cheesmaniae). I believe all of those should do well in heat, and they're all fairly early. Siberian is a cold-tolerant variety, but I've read that cold-tolerant varieties (such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/glacier-tomato/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Glacier&lt;/a&gt;) often are great for hot areas, too (not all of them, though, perhaps). Cold tolerant tomatoes may also extend your season somewhat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruden's Purple is a nice tomato that seems to mature and get flowers rather quickly, if my one plant is any indicator. However, I'm not sure that it fruits well in the heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For hot peppers, you might try Early Jalapeño. It really is early. I'm not sure what else, but I would mostly recommend checking the days to maturity on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're late planting, I could also recommend looking to your neighbors with large, mature tomato or pepper plants. See if they'll give you a few branches for cuttings. The bigger they are, the better, as long as you know how to root them (whether outdoors or indoors, in soil or water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless you're rooting in water, you'll probably want light levels to be low for the first few days. Using extra potassium sulfate should help success rates if you're rooting in soil. Peppers may be a lot more difficult to root in soil than tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding a little of an even fertilizer (like 20-20-20) to the water, for cuttings rooted in water may help to keep the plants nourished if the water-rooting is taking more than a few days. A fertilizer that isn't even (like 24-8-16) will often kill your cuttings. Expect it to take up to at least a couple weeks, in water. If the stems have root nodules, it should be much faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes are a lot easier to root in soil (fresh seed-starting mix) than water, I think.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-01-26T22:17:17.060" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T22:17:17.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20096" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-13T23:06:07.137" Score="5" ViewCount="4507" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a pot of Edelweiss in central Switzerland, in a village at an elevation of ~600m. The plant was looking healthy enough and was one of about a dozen pots ligned up outside the shop in the heat and dust and sun. They didn't look like they were taken particularly good care of, nor like they needed it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I brought the plant back to Zürich, where I live (on the Sonnenberg, at about 540m above sea level). The plant looked undisturbed after the drive home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Day1:&lt;/strong&gt; The evening I got back I watered it the tiniest bit, and put it in front of the window so it would get a lot of sun. The next day was hot (~32°C) and sunny, and I went out, and when I came back it was absolutley shriveled.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Night1:&lt;/strong&gt; I got scared and figured low turgor means too little water, and thus watered it a lot (and afterwards read online that you should not water it too much...) still, overnight the plant recovered quite a bit. Afterwards I added some chalk to the earth - having read online that Edelweiss likes chalk.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Day2:&lt;/strong&gt; The next day I decided that maybe it needed more fresh air so I put it outside in a sunny spot. It was hot (~30°C) and sunny again, and again when I came back the plant was all shriveled.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Night2:&lt;/strong&gt; I decided to see if it recoveres at night if I do not water it, which it did (albeit somewhat less than the first time over).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Day3:&lt;/strong&gt; I decided maybe too much sun isn't good for it after all (though all I read seemed to suggest the opposite) so I tried to put it in a sunny, but somewhat less exposed spot which gets shade in the evening. Fortunately (or so I thought) today was also a bit cooler (25°C) and cloudier. Aaaaand when I came back the plant was more shriveled than ever, and a few leaves started turning yellow and brittle.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm at a loss, the only obvious conclusions atm seem that Edelweiss is either a nocturnal plant :D or that it was befallen by some misterious malady unrelated to the way I keep it :-/&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Come on, this is a plant that grows somewhere on some cliffs where it gets scorching sun during the day, really cold during the night, and the occasional torrent of rain, plus, this particular one lived on some street for a while (and God knows where before that). How could my subalpine front yard have killed it? Do you have any suggestions what I could do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/13PVY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vY1ul.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KIr1k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11702" LastEditorUserId="11702" LastEditDate="2015-07-15T09:30:45.767" LastActivityDate="2015-07-16T12:56:03.823" Title="Caring for Edelweiss (suddenly started withering)" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;&lt;botany&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20091" CreationDate="2015-07-14T00:03:26.040" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My vote is Katsura!  Don't worry, they rarely get that big in a residential landscape. Gorgeous bark, branching pattern, spectacular in Fall for color.  What about privacy during winter?  Are you set on deciduous?  If I were you I'd look into a conifer for privacy.  The Virescens Cedar; Thuya plicata 'Virescens'.  I'd get at least 3 and stagger them in a natural setting versus a straight line.  They have a tight, dense and narrowish form.  You can purchase them 8 or 10' high pretty inexpensively.  Growth is pretty fast but not so fast as to be worrisome in a wind storm.  I'm just guessing a bit here as to the amount of room you have.  You did a great job with your question!!  It would be nice to see a sketch of what you are working with...I am assuming you've got a lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like to see more people make use of Serviceberry.  Amelanchier alnifolia or other specie.  Using the dark green for a backdrop these smaller trees are great to use in a lawn and around patios.  They only get 20-30' high and as wide. Much better scale to use near a home! First tree to blossom in spring, small leaves that don't need much cleanup, lots of berries both the birds and you will love (jams)...(the birds will clean them up way before they could make a mess)!! Open, airy form with light gray smooth bark. Won't shade out your grass like the other trees you mentioned.  Breath-taking neon reds and purples for fall color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like to make a 'grove' of these using 3 to 5. Get rid of some of that lawn and Install crushed fine gravel beneath and you have an inexpensive informal patio.  I look for the multi-stemmed trees for a grove but you could also use single stem Serviceberry the grandifolia or laevis species. Serviceberry is one of the rare 4-seasons of beauty trees available.  And disease/pests are fairly nonexistent!  Even just one of these trees would work, just don't succumb to using more than one kind of tree, especially for the landscape around the home. This is just another idea. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you could send a quick sketch, mark some dimensions, doesn't have to be fancy or even to scale. If you still want just a deciduous tree, another to look into would be Honey Locust.  Sunburst is a pretty variety of a bright yellowish green.   The botanical name is important to know so that you don't get the Honey Locust WITH thorns!! Gleditsia inermis moraine 'Sunburst' (inermis means without thorns).  Forget worrying about raking leaves! The leaves are divided into teensy little leaflets that disappear in your lawn. Very light shade so works well as a lawn tree. No fall color or showy blossoms but very hardy, little bothered with disease and insects and they DO grow fast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If shading out your lawn is no problem, you couldn't possibly go wrong with Katsura!! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All these trees will love clay soil just fine, in fact the balled and burlaped trees are grown in heavy clay.  Please remove the burlap from the root ball, carefully but completely.  The burlap they use is chemically treated so to inhibit root growth at the nursery and to not break down easily. Make sure to dig only as deep as that rootball. You want the rootball sitting on undisturbed soil so that it doesn't sink into the ground and the bark gets covered with soil/mulch which will cause bacteria to girdle the vascular system.   Also, I wouldn't stake any tree other than bareroot trees.  Fall is the best time to get trees, great deals and without any leaves they are not in any danger of being blown over.  The big heavy root ball should anchor even the conifers I talked about! Remove all ties and tags, too.  An unstaked tree grows faster, provides supporting roots and its trunk gets bigger and stronger.  Staking a tree is akin to a cast on your arm.  Makes trees weak.  Then when stakes are removed the tree WILL be blown over. Trees need MOVEMENT to put down support roots and build a strong trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever tree you get, plan on regularly watering for a few years. This is probably more than you needed...I love it when homeowners can be successful with plants and trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Great sketch!  Says tons!  I am not going to try to sell you anything...!!  But an informal extension of your lower patio would be a huge boon to your landscape and its usability. It would provide a 'transition' from the home(formal) to a softer informal landscape.  I'd probably add a firepit or brazier.  In addition, a CMU garden wall for seating/defining/home value improvement.  CMU is concrete modular units...they are doing some incredible things with these 'legos' for the garden.  Look up Pisa, Roman Ashlar pattern in dove grey with about 20% darker grey. Make the wall 15-18&quot; high and add a concrete cap in very light dove grey. Definitely 3/8 minus crushed gravel for the surface extension of your patio (use landscape fabric beneath 4&quot; of gravel)...edge between lawn and gravel use pt 2X4's.  Imagine sitting in adirondack chairs surrounded by walls of twisted limbs while blossoms cascade from a canopy (roof) 10-12' above.  Nuff said, grins!  Maple is fine, a bit more disease/insect prone...more work with raking (get a gas-powered blower, you'll not know how you survived before).  It would be good to create a definite 'shape' to your lawn and allow your plant beds to be larger, wider. You have an image in your mind of what you want!  I'd work with that and show you a few other ideas for you to chew upon.  I'm a Landscape Architect and get a bit excited showing people a few tantalizing images of what clients normally are unable to envision.  The maple will shade your lawn quite a bit but will probably work just fine. You are doing great research first before planting!  Most just wander around a nursery and BUY something to bring home to plant.  Your work will pay off!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2015-07-15T00:45:08.320" LastActivityDate="2015-07-15T00:45:08.320" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20098" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20096" CreationDate="2015-07-14T00:30:35.993" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh my...you ARE learning the hard way!  Just moving a plant from the nursery to its new home is stressful (for the plant)! You have no way to know if the nursery took the time to 'harden' the plant before putting it outside in the sun.  It was probably grown in a greenhouse and your nursery thought they looked so nice everyone should see them right away. Perhaps calling and asking this nursery about how your plant was grown, potted, fertilized would be a good thing to know!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Putting in a window in the sun is always a big no-no.  The temperature can get fatal!  I'd  put this plant outside IN THE SHADE for now and decide where you'll want to keep it and acclimate to the conditions. A covered porch is perfect.  Did you repot this plant?  I wouldn't repot it until it recovered so as to not add any more stress. When you do, keep it in the same size pot filled with JUST sterilized potting soil.  No garden soil!  Don't put any rocks or gravel at the bottom as well. Keep the bottom of the pot off any surface and for sure never allow it to sit in a saucer of water.  These plants hate to be over watered. Allow to dry somewhat between waterings.  Don't use tap water (too much salt and other toxic chemicals). Use distilled water or well water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A pot is okay for awhile. This plant is not a good house plant and during the winter in a pot outside it will be killed as the roots are susceptible to cold grown in a pot. I'd plant it outside in your garden once it has had some time to recover.  If it doesn't recover I would take it back to the nursery and see if they'll replace it?  If not, just purchase a new one. You'll get it right the second time for sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;SEND A PICTURE OR TWO!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-14T00:30:35.993" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20099" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20093" CreationDate="2015-07-14T02:49:40.547" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the case of the aloe (plant on the right) it's because trying to root aloe from cuttings is different from most and might involve a little luck. Most places I've read say that it just won't root from a cutting, instead it rots like yours has. Usually Aloe plants are propagated from the smaller plants that sprout off the side of the main plant (called pups). The pups have fully formed leaves and their own root system so getting them to grow is very easy so long as you don't damage the roots too much when you're separating them from the mother plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few others say that you can get a cutting of aloe to root though. The suggested method is to cut the leaf off, then set the leaf out in a warm dry place for about a week to give the cut time to scab over. Once the cut end is scabbed over you can put it in your succulent potting mix. Add some rooting hormone to the leaf when you're planting, if you have any. With proper watering (lightly, it is still a succulent) and some luck it may produce a plant. If possible, the pup method is much more reliable and simpler.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-07-14T02:49:40.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20101" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-14T03:44:56.460" Score="4" ViewCount="642" Body="&lt;p&gt;About 3 weeks ago I purchased my first orchid on a whim, suspecting I'd end up killing him. But he's been growing happily, I've had 2 new flowers from him within that time! (I've recently learnt that I have green fingers :D) I haven't used anything other than water and Baby Bio to grow him.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few days ago I noticed a new growth on him and I'm unsure what to do with it as I hadn't researched them much before my purchase.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've attached a picture in hope of some advice, thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TeUdF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11705" LastActivityDate="2015-07-14T04:50:43.413" Title="Orchid growing a second plant?" Tags="&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20101" CreationDate="2015-07-14T04:14:35.283" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very simple: That's a new flower stalk growing out of an old one. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalaenopsis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Phalenopsises&lt;/a&gt; often re-flower, so do not cut the green stalks off after one &quot;round&quot; but leave them until dry. If you are really lucky it may even grow a &quot;baby plant&quot; (&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/keiki&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;keiki&lt;/a&gt;&quot;) on the flower stalk. (Some day, this isn't, it's clearly flower buds.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Phalenopsis / Moth orchids typically sold in garden centers etc. are hybrids breed for their eagerness to bloom and considered ideal for beginners in orchid care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But always remember that in the wild these orchids grow on trees with a very limited supply of nutritients - some rotting leaves that got stuck in the fork of a branch, for example - so &quot;feeding them well&quot; will actually kill them. Always use a special fertilizer for orchids and follow the instructions. If you have been using regular fertilizer, I suggest a &quot;fast&quot; for your plant that should be about twice as long as you have been fertilizing to balance it back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-07-14T04:50:43.413" LastActivityDate="2015-07-14T04:50:43.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20096" CreationDate="2015-07-14T22:50:35.150" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the plant you have is Leontopodium alpinum, the latin name for Edelweiss, these plants like full sun, gritty, alkaline soil, and that oh so difficult to achieve moist, but free draining soil conditions. In other words, they don't like their roots to dry out, but must not be waterlogged. They're relatively shortlived plants, but can be divided in early spring or just after flowering. Your addition of chalk probably wasn't necessary if its in the same pot as when you bought it - the soil would have been alkaline already I imagine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd check the rootball to see if its potbound and pot it on anyway for the time being, adding grit to the compost if necessary - it'll be easier to keep it moist with a higher soil to root ratio. If you plant outside, covering with glass to protect it from excessive winter wet (if you have high precipitation where you are) would be useful - they don't like lots of water sitting on their leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given it shrivelled when exposed to very hot sunshine, but recovered without being watered overnight, the suggestion that it needs to be acclimatized is a good one, particularly if temperatures are very high, so don't leave it in full sun between 11 and 3 for the first week or so while its still potted. Keep it well watered by watering the soil in the pot, not the foliage of the plant, and ensure the drainage holes in the pot are not blocked, and, as already mentioned elsewhere, do not leave it standing in any outer container in water - empty that after 30 minutes so it's not waterlogged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your plant is something other than Leontopodium alpinum, as already asked by someone else, please post a photograph or the name of the plant shown on any tag or label it came with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your photographs certainly look like Leontopodium alpinum - when I say its relatively shortlived, that means it doesn't live as long as some other plants - all have varying life spans. It does not mean it lives and dies in one year, if that's what you were worrying about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's a link below you might want to read - the first couple of paragraphs give some good information about the plant generally, though the rest is about growing from seed and folklore/history. I add the link in an attempt to persuade you not to bring the plant indoors for the winter, which will be sure to kill it - outside, you'd expect the topgrowth to disappear in winter, but the plant is not dead, as it says in the link&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seedaholic.com/leontopodium-alpinum-edelweiss.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.seedaholic.com/leontopodium-alpinum-edelweiss.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would appear your plant is in desperate need of more root room - either  larger pot or to be planted out in a suitable spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to your queries - the kind of potting medium you want is something like John Innes No. 2 formula, which contains loam, sand, chalk, and peat or a peat substitute, with a neutral ph, and has quite a gritty feel to it, preferably with some horticultural grit added, if you insist on keeping it potted. There is no recommended compost for these other than generally 'alkaline and gritty' because its not usual to keep them in pots long term. If you keep it outside potted, it may well die in winter because its vulnerable at the root in a pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;'Shortlived' is not a term one would use instead of 'biennial', they don't mean the same thing at all. Biennial plants grow foliage their first year, flower in their second, then die, so no, I don't mean biennial - it means it doesn't live 150 years, or a hundred years, or even 50 years - more like 3-5 years, possibly a bit more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding being indoors, the point of the link was so you could read what conditions it normally grows in and how the plant is specially adapted to cope with that, and make the deduction that it would be difficult to expect such a plant to survive indoors. This plant is native to the Himalayas, but grows naturally in alpine regions in Switzerland, where you live, and grows naturally at slightly higher altitudes than where you are. It is not recommended for use as an indoor plant, and will be much more likely to survive outdoors in its natural habitat. It expects to be very cold in winter and overnight, to have its topgrowth disappear in winter, and to experience wind, snow and anything else the climate throws at it where it grows naturally. The difference in elevation shouldn't matter. It is not adapted to live in temperate to warm, closed environments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This answer is just information and advice - it's ultimately, of course, your choice as to how you decide to grow it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-16T12:56:03.823" LastActivityDate="2015-07-16T12:56:03.823" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20108" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20109" CreationDate="2015-07-14T22:57:03.120" Score="3" ViewCount="4331" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an elephant ear plant. I planted it about three months ago, and it has been limp for the last two days. What used to be open and spread out is floppy and all over itself.  It's not yellow. Is it dead? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wnpLI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11177" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-15T00:13:09.707" LastActivityDate="2015-07-15T12:24:23.993" Title="Is my limp Elephant Ear dead?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20109" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20108" CreationDate="2015-07-14T23:04:17.750" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hard to say without a photograph, add one if you can please.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume you're talking about Colocasia, commonly known as Elephant Ear. If the topgrowth is all flat to the ground, shrivelled, brown and crispy, then the topgrowth is probably dead - but these plants grow from tubers rather than ordinary roots, so its possible the tuber retains some life. Water well now, if you haven't been doing so, but some information about how you're growing the plant (pot, ground, sun, shade, your watering regime, type of soil) would be useful for a more complete answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, not at all dead then! If where its growing dries out or isn't shady, that won't be helping it at all - they like rich soil and lots of water. They like heat, but being a tropical plant, they also like very high humidity and partial to full shade. If you didn't enrich the soil before planting, it won't get so large as it should, and particularly if it goes short of water or has too much sun. It actually looks as if something's sat on it or its exposed to a lot of wind from the right hand side, and its bending over as a reaction - but it might simply be its growing conditions are not ideal. Despite your fears, and whether its growing to its full potential or not, it most certainly is not dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.emilycompost.com/elephant_ear.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.emilycompost.com/elephant_ear.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-15T12:24:23.993" LastActivityDate="2015-07-15T12:24:23.993" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20110" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20111" CreationDate="2015-07-15T01:14:59.477" Score="4" ViewCount="203" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my first year at a garden and I have some bloomsdale spinach I planted mid-May and had a nice harvest about 3 weeks ago: lots of leaves big and small, very bushy, tasted delicious. The plants were about 2.5 ft. tall and I left any leaves shorter than 3 inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then, what seemed like over night, the plants took off. They are now 4.5 ft. tall will lots of branches which are quickly becoming too long to support themselves. These branches are breaking at the stem and the plant is not producing like it did just weeks ago. The first growth spurt resulted in a nice vertical stem with lots of leaves close to the main stem. Now the plant has grown both taller and wider with these long stems which cannot support themselves and very small leaves. How should I correct this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iD6fr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11711" LastActivityDate="2015-07-20T19:47:48.923" Title="First time grower of Spinach - first harvest went well, now the plant is unweildly" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;spinach&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20110" CreationDate="2015-07-15T01:27:14.683" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spinach is a cool weather crop.  Loves coolness.  One of the first things harvested from a vegetable garden.  When it gets warm and mid summer these guys 'bolt' and go to seed.  There are some varieties that do better with warmer weather.  But most gardeners enjoy their spinach early, try to gather new leaves before the plant bolts and look forward to the next spring crop.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-15T01:27:14.683" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20112" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-15T02:18:36.740" Score="9" ViewCount="690" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have no idea what this plant came from, where it came from or any thing about it. What I do know is its leaves are covered in little hairs, there's little thorns growing all over it and just by rubbing its leaf it burns you and leaves a red mark as well as blisters. It stung my mother and I would like to know what it is so I can help with a remedy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i449/cupcaketurtle1/20150714_225505_zpskr24gklq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11712" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T19:30:49.587" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T12:29:11.857" Title="What is this stinging plant with little hairs on the leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20112" CreationDate="2015-07-15T02:26:56.640" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica_dioica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Urtica dioica&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; - Stinging nettles...! Very valuable wilderness food.  Truly!  If you grab a leaf touching just the topside you can mash it (eliminating the chemicals on the underside of the leaf) roll it in a ball and eat it!  We had to do this in Wilderness Survival classes.  Interesting.  Even better, this stuff is almost exactly like spinach steamed.  Yummmm.  I can't remember the remedy at this moment. Let us know what you find. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This attachment has a great paragraph on remedies!! Definitely use cortisone or benadryl and there are some topical soothers you can make at home...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2017-11-22T12:29:11.857" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T12:29:11.857" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20114" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20089" CreationDate="2015-07-15T03:06:38.020" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any good maintenance company either leaves a 'report' explaining any chemical treatments (organic or synthetic) for the homeowner or places flags with explanations as to treatment.  If your company is not doing this it is entirely proper to ask them to do so, and retroactive as well!  If you are using 'Organic' you should never see FAST changes.  There are synthetic fertilizer formulations that can approximate organic chemicals in the rate of release...extended release.  Fast change is never good for plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Organics should not be more expensive.  For 4 fertilizations per season (normal) with synthetic fast release, only 2 are necessary with organic.  (Ask for or insist on Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer or SIMILAR...amazing difference)!!  Please remember chemicals are chemicals.  Understand the difference before making this black and white...bad or good.  If you are paying for 'Organic' you should be getting verification of what the crews do each and every visit!  Even without asking for Organic, you should know every treatment, chemical applied!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A lot of people think fertilizer as a pesticide.  Nope. ALL gardens us humans grow will need fertilizer.  All.  We've disrupted any natural cycle so we can't expect to 'go natural' without failing.  Now pesticides/herbicides are different.  They are meant to KILL.  Specific, non-specific, leaching, short life, long life, LD50...and on and on. To kill anything in the landscape you'd better be prepared for ramifications.  Killing always, always causes problems!  It is never a solution! You HAVE to be educated and licensed.  If the individual doing the application has none, then there HAS to be a supervisor that has a special license to be supervising laborers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can demand that your company produces evidence of licensing.  Any company using chemicals HAS to have a Pesticide Applicator license!!  And if they have this they know they are to give notice of what they've used and where.  This is a big deal!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using any pesticide/herbicide is akin to putting a bandage on an problem that could/should have been prevented in the first place!! Even not on an 'Organic' contract this is first and foremost the basis of a knowledgeable, licensed and reputable company.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-15T03:06:38.020" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20115" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20117" CreationDate="2015-07-15T21:56:26.780" Score="2" ViewCount="454" Body="&lt;p&gt;My fiancée is in love with the bouquet bellow, but we have no clue about the flowers species used in it. Could someone help us? Any help is really appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nz1wR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Blue/white/purple bouquet&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11717" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-15T23:38:36.803" LastActivityDate="2015-08-13T15:45:10.700" Title="Which flowers are there in this white/blue/purple wedding bouquet?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20117" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20115" CreationDate="2015-07-15T22:55:15.353" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;white &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemone_coronaria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Anemone coronaria&lt;/a&gt; or Poppy Anemone&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;blue &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscari&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Muscari racemosum&lt;/a&gt; or Grape Hyacinth, sometimes called Bluebell or Baby's Breath (ambiguous)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;one white fringed &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tulip&lt;/a&gt; (the blurry white flower on the right)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;blue &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurea_cyanus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Centaurea cyanus&lt;/a&gt;, Cornflower or Bachelor's Button&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;white &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syringa_vulgaris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Syringa vulgaris&lt;/a&gt; or Lilac (tucked inbetween, on the left)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;probably light blue &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scilla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Scilla&lt;/a&gt; or Squill (also blurry)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;and one flower I can't identify properly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume you are planning a Spring Wedding? Except for the cornflower those are all in bloom in April / May. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-07-23T09:33:44.787" LastActivityDate="2015-07-23T09:33:44.787" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20118" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-15T22:59:52.957" Score="3" ViewCount="134" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9fFAm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This was a gift and does not have an ID tag! What is the name of this hybrid?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11719" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T13:55:56.760" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T13:55:56.760" Title="Which cultivar is this purple Cattleya Aliance orchid?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;&lt;cultivar&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20119" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20127" CreationDate="2015-07-15T23:03:43.173" Score="1" ViewCount="150" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hypothetically speaking, if I have a whole bunch of onions that I powdered, what value might that powder have as a fertilizer or soil amendment for plants like tomatoes, peppers and cucurbits (just burying a few to several spoonfuls in the soil at transplanting time)? If you know the NPK values for the powder, that would also be very helpful. Also, levels of the following nutrients would be nice, if you know them: calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, zinc, copper, silica and sulfur.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-07-16T13:51:35.893" Title="What is the value of powdered onion as a fertilizer or soil amendment?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;onions&gt;&lt;cucurbits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20120" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20122" CreationDate="2015-07-16T02:19:03.700" Score="6" ViewCount="4380" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a picture inside Montreal's botanical garden at the entrance of the Japanese garden. In this picture we can see 5 small pine like trees along with thyme and rocks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to recreate something inspired from this. How can I keep pine-like trees small like in this picture ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tpGHS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the best way(s) to achieve this effect ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2015-08-31T20:29:50.523" LastActivityDate="2016-01-09T07:36:20.920" Title="How to keep pine trees small" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20121" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-16T02:38:01.847" Score="4" ViewCount="3402" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found a mint plant in a friend's yard. It's very tall. There are three individual stalks. One is nearly two feet tall, the other two a bit under half that. The big one is fully flowered. The large plant has no leaves on the bottom half of the stalk. What should I do to nurse it back to health? Should I cut the big one in half? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PGvWW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PGvWW.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FhmZE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FhmZE.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8QvWZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8QvWZ.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6xzEz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6xzEz.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vrqmF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vrqmF.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XTYb3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XTYb3.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Nj1F.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Nj1F.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11720" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-15T01:46:26.663" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T20:10:48.460" Title="The mint plant I found is too tall, how should I prune it?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20120" CreationDate="2015-07-16T04:01:10.397" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not able to ID those trees but do you know Bonzai?  It is the art of total control over trees in particular.  Special pruning and manipulation of the environment to keep trees small and ordered.  Being able to do this shows that one has sorta kinda mastered the way to keep a plant healthy yet small and formally pruned.  Once this is accomplished either in a potted environment or a Zen garden, to continue this manipulation requires major commitment and constant vigilance.  It is the gardener who is in charge of the life of the plant not nature.  It is a huge undertaking.  But great test of botanical knowledge to be able to do this in ones landscape.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are not Bonzai but the idea of maintenance is close.  Pruning should be done professionally twice per year.  Forget to prune, water correctly, watch for signs of problem insect/disease, fertilize correctly...well, it will look like ugh.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can purchase these trees already formed in a topiary.  With some hands on instruction and GOOD tools, you most certainly can be successful maintaining the formality and health of trees/plants like these in your picture!  Not necessarily cheap or easy.  But worth every second and dollar you spend.  What you learn will make sure your gardening skills are honed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-16T04:01:10.397" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20123" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20169" CreationDate="2015-07-16T05:38:09.497" Score="2" ViewCount="126" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watering a ficus grown in Phoenix, AZ, I've recently had irrigation put in that has changed the way I water the tree.  Previously I just used a hose and ran it at lower volume output for an undetermined amount of time, filling up a circular berm we had formed around said tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the irrigation, I have no idea what I should be doing.  I found a document made by Arizona Municipal that recommends 24-36 inches of depth, every 7-10 days, but don't know how to measure that depth.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's an Orbit timer, and I currently have it set to 30 minutes a day.  The tree is about five inches in diameter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3030" LastActivityDate="2015-07-20T20:05:37.007" Title="Desert Ficus Watering Volume?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20124" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15028" CreationDate="2015-07-16T07:23:30.993" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just sharing a solution I got when I was experiencing your problem &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;My plants seem to get root rot almost as soon as I transplant them into a more permanent pot.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just check the water you are using and whether the light conditions are according to the nature of plant. Some plants are sensitive to hard water content. Try giving normal neutral water and position the plant according to its light requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11722" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-07-16T08:38:44.707" LastActivityDate="2015-07-16T08:38:44.707" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20125" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-07T16:03:32.643" Score="7" ViewCount="663" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm working in a park and we have a small pond, a part of a river system that has become stagnant, mucky and smelly. The river that previously ran into the pond is no longer there and we'd like to be able to make the pond less mucky and have clear water. The pond has a small stream that flows out of it, but the pond itself doesn't seem to have any water flow whatsoever. The bottom is all mud and has no wildlife, expect for a few leaves.The pond is about 2 feet deep, 7 feet across and about 12 feet long. So its relatively small. It's located in Paradise, Newfoundland, Canada. The pond is in a park surrounded by mostly pine trees. And a lot of moss. I'm assuming a river once ran into the pond but now it's mostly boggy moss.&#xA;Our project for the summer is to try to get the pond to flow again or just make it so it doesn't smell and has clearer water. What can we do? (We have no money to work with, just manual labour.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="GreenTeamParadise" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-07-16T10:45:33.557" LastActivityDate="2015-07-16T10:45:33.557" Title="How to fix a small pond that has become stagnant?" Tags="&lt;water&gt;&lt;pond&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20126" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20125" CreationDate="2015-07-07T17:38:26.983" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should at least spring for a water test. My guess is that the water is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoxia_(medical)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hypoxic&lt;/a&gt;, perhaps due to &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutrophication&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;eutrophication&lt;/a&gt; from fertilizer runoff. If so, then a bubbler system could help (perhaps donated for credit), along with trying to limit the fertilizer runoff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11723" OwnerDisplayName="Daniel Griscom" LastActivityDate="2015-07-07T17:38:26.983" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20119" CreationDate="2015-07-16T10:52:14.257" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;No value at all, frankly, particularly not in the way you suggest using the powder, regardless of any possible nutrient value. I'm not 100% sure what you mean when you say you 'powdered' them, that sort of suggests you ground them up and dried them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Onions are acidic as they decompose, and drive away worms and other bio organisms in the ground, which would reduce fertility in the immediate area. They're not even great on an open compost heap, though the odd chopped up few here and there won't hurt, but an absolute no no in vermicomposting. In their fresh state, they contain reasonable levels of magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and higher levels of potassium, traces only of other elements such as selenium, not sure what happens when they're dried or powdered. It's a bit late to say it now, but you'd have been best off chopping the onions up and freezing them for use in cooking whenever you needed them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-16T13:51:35.893" LastActivityDate="2015-07-16T13:51:35.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20128" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20120" CreationDate="2015-07-16T17:09:03.867" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could search out smaller or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&amp;amp;id=3363&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;dwarf varieties&lt;/a&gt; (such as a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_mugo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mugo Pine&lt;/a&gt; for example) rather than plant traditional &quot;pine trees&quot;. This gives you a leg up on the battle. Then treat/prune them like other &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=pine%20tree%20topiary&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0CB4QsARqFQoTCPXb1baR4MYCFQfJPgodxqIGpw&amp;amp;biw=1401&amp;amp;bih=863&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Topiaries&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a significant &lt;a href=&quot;http://home.howstuffworks.com/gardening/garden-design/bonsai-vs-topiary.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;difference between bonzai and topiary&lt;/a&gt;. One is simply shaped/pruned and then maintained, others are carefully groomed and manipulated over time to mimic the natural aging process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastActivityDate="2015-07-16T17:09:03.867" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20129" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5774" CreationDate="2015-07-16T21:29:20.900" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some years ago I apparently eradicated bindweed from a small (15 x 7 feet) unenclosed front garden adjacent to the parking lot. I lived on an Estate where a number of small, bored children were always looking for something to do -  so I offered a small bounty to the child who dug out the most convolvulus roots. The game was played every Sunday and roots had to be 5 inches or longer to qualify. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant was effectively gone in one summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11726" LastActivityDate="2015-07-16T21:29:20.900" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20130" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-17T01:37:34.383" Score="4" ViewCount="1141" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've planted some wisteria and am trying to encourage it to grow up a wooden column. I put some nails into the column and have slowly wound the wisteria around the column on the nails and attached with twine. My plan is to wait until the wisteria has reached the top (where there is more to wrap around) and then remove the nails.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read a lot about wisteria but most of the articles about pruning it describe pruning to encourage flowering. I don't care at all about it flowering until it's very well established; instead I'd like it to grow as quickly as possible and as focused in growing up the column.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do to encourage growth of the plant?&#xA;Should I be pruning away the secondary vines and only leaving leafs on the main?&#xA;Should I regularly fertilize?&#xA;Extra watering or less water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;edited&lt;/em&gt;: I've added 5 photos. I don't know the variety of wisteria unfortunately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;1 The mature vine I have now. Trying to get the same effect.&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;![The one that I have now][1]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;2 Here's my new plant&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;![The new plant][2]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;3 The nail / tape system I'm talking about&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;![Nails][3]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;4 Here's the end of the vine. If you look you can see tiny leaves.&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;![End of the vine][4]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;5 Finally, I have a third plant that's less happy about growing up. As you can see it has a lot of sideways growth and new growth but the main stalk isn't growing.&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;![One more plant][5]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11727" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-11-14T07:49:04.377" Title="Encouraging wisteria to grow quickly" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20131" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1401" CreationDate="2015-07-17T06:06:49.333" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oaks do take to bonsai. Two sources I've found are &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/make-oak-bonsai-tree-45986.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsai-made-easy.com/bonsaioaktree.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course I also checked with a local bonsai expert to make sure that I would be able to do it &quot;right&quot; without hurting the 6 inch high self-started seedling. If I had been told I couldn't do it without killing it, I would have planted it at the edge of a neighbor's field - with permission, of course. So far, so good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11729" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-18T00:18:23.423" LastActivityDate="2015-07-18T00:18:23.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20133" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20156" CreationDate="2015-07-17T17:36:42.387" Score="5" ViewCount="2241" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts, growing zone 6a. Yesterday my husband was given  some young Rose of Sharon plants from a friend at work, grown from seed by someone else. I've always wanted some, and would like to know how best to  ensure successful growth.  There are six seedlings, ranging in height from 7&quot; to 12&quot;, in a 9&quot; by 9&quot; plastic pot filled with dense wet soil, which looks to me like garden dirt. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I transplant them now? I've been told this is the worst time of year to do that. Our temperatures are between eighty and ninety degrees F during the day, sometimes hotter, down to the sixties at night, and it's quite humid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I care for them while they're in the pot? As you can see, the stems are bending. Is staking a good idea, or would that disturb the roots? Should the pot be in the sun or shade, and what's the proper amount of water? If it's too soon for planting in the ground, do they need separate containers, or are they okay together?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, how much distance will they need between them, or other plants, in their permanent spot? I have a section of day lilies, some of which I'm planning to remove to make a home for the Rose of Sharon. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit to provide requested information:&lt;/strong&gt; The variety is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_syriacus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hibiscus syriacus&lt;/a&gt;. The parent plant is full and bushy, with single purple flowers. It's six years old and just over six feet tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click on pictures for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://I.stack.imgur.com/OxwE3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OxwE3m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://I.stack.imgur.com/DnInM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DnInMm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-18T16:06:17.143" LastActivityDate="2015-07-19T16:26:57.500" Title="Can I transplant young Rose of Sharon plants in July in Zone 6a?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20134" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20133" CreationDate="2015-07-17T18:27:19.960" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pot them up individually for the time being - its absolutely the wrong time to plant in the ground with temperatures like that, best planted when the weather cools down towards Fall. Make sure each pot is deep enough for the roots that have already formed without cramping or breaking them, but also that the pot isn't so large more than two thirds of it is just potting medium, not occupied with roots. Water in well once planted up, and keep well watered as necessary until such time as the weather is more suitable for planting out. This will mean each plant will have a good root system of its own when it is eventually planted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to how much space should go between each one when planted out, need to know which varieties they are in order to work out height and spread, and therefore planting distance - I'm assuming they're Hibiscus syriacus, but they might not be, even though the leaves showing in the picture look more or less right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-18T10:04:46.747" LastActivityDate="2015-07-18T10:04:46.747" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20136" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-18T01:08:21.413" Score="1" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, about 2 or so weeks ago, I decided to put what I read from here to action. I picked up a couple of rose stems(green part of course) and planted them. Just the other day, I notice that some of the stems were all brown so I picked those out of the tray and closed back up with humidity done. But today, I went to see them and the situation seems to have gotten worse. What the heck is wrong with them now???&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vStrJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zViDR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OtmFx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m7aWB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image 4&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastActivityDate="2015-07-18T19:19:52.797" Title="Now what is the matter with my rose stems?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;air-flow&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20137" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20145" CreationDate="2015-07-18T01:18:32.247" Score="1" ViewCount="4108" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is the size of a conifer tree's root system proportional to the size of the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the same token will limiting tree size also have an effect on root system size?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastActivityDate="2015-07-18T18:35:24.447" Title="Is the size of a conifer tree's root system proportional to the size of the tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20138" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20139" CreationDate="2015-07-18T09:50:08.877" Score="20" ViewCount="6416" Body="&lt;p&gt;Which tomato varieties have the most heat tolerance?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in a dry area (a steppe climate, or a Bsk climate with very hot summers), where the daytime highs are usually 89° F. or above in summer (up to about 116° F. at the most; temperatures that high are infrequent, but it's not uncommon for it to be over 100° F. for extended periods), and occasionally (such as now), the highs are a little cooler than 89° F. We're starting to get tomatoes on more plants, now. The night-time lows are usually 30+° F. cooler than the daytime highs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many new tomato varieties I'm using this year don't seem to set fruit during certain parts of the year, although I had thought the ones I formerly used from local stores were typical of tomatoes (apparently, most of them have some heat tolerance, it seems).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I was wondering: Which tomatoes tend to be the most heat-tolerant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I'm having the same problem with eggplant, although I'm only growing two varieties (I'm growing about 30 varieties of tomatoes). Feel free to comment there, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should be noted that I'm only asking this question to answer it, because I just made a long list of reportedly heat-tolerant tomatoes, and I wanted to share it with the community. Nevertheless, if you have an answer, please feel free to give it. :) Please excuse the fact that I refer to myself as if I were someone else in my answer. I know there are other lists online, but most of them only list a few heat-tolerant varieties (and often the same ones as many of the other sites).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2019-01-08T00:49:12.617" LastActivityDate="2019-01-08T00:49:12.617" Title="Which tomatoes grow the best in high temperatures?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="20139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20138" CreationDate="2015-07-18T09:50:08.877" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let me preface this answer by saying that due to my experience in 2016 contrasted with my 2015 experience, I personally think soil conditions and composition, kinds of light and light levels, and how you water your tomatoes may have a profound affect on heat-tolerance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the temperature in your area fluctuates so much between day and night, &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/night-temperature-tomatoes-76197.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the rules are a little bit different&lt;/a&gt;. I know the daytime highs in your area might get well into the hundreds, even for extended periods, but it's also important to know that the lows can sometimes be so low that it's actually too cold for many tomatoes to set fruit. For instance, if the temperature drops 35 degrees at night and the daytime high was 89° F., then the low would be 54° F., which may be too cold for many tomatoes (ideal night-time temperatures are supposed to be between 59 to 68° F. or so). Therefore, it stands to reason that not only will heat-tolerant tomatoes be more productive, but that cold-tolerant ones will be, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some tomatoes are said to have both heat and cold tolerance. Here are some varieties:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Heat &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; cold tolerant tomatoes&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aussie&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/black-cherry.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Black Cherry&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/black-from-tula.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Black from Tula&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/black-prince.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Black Prince&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.superseeds.com/products/celebrity-tomato-f1-hybrid-78-days&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Celebrity (hybrid)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/catalog/tomato.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Coldset&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://goodmindseeds.org/product/cuautli-salubong/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cuautli Salubong&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Djodah&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Djodah&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dragon's Eye&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.superseeds.com/products/early-girl-tomato-f1-hybrid-60-days&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Early Girl (hybrid)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/fireworks.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fireworks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/glacier.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Glacier&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/kimberly.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kimberly&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Marmande&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://goodmindseeds.org/product/notchli/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Notchli&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/persimmon.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Persimmon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/pineapple.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pineapple&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/pink-bumble-bee-tomato/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pink Bumblebee&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mariannasheirloomseeds.com/seed-catalog/new-seeds-for-2015/pink-siberian-tiger-1-detail.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pink Siberian Tiger&lt;/a&gt; (grows well in cool or hot climates according to mariannasheirloomseeds.com)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/principe-borghese-tomato/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Principe Borghese&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/prudens-purple.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pruden's Purple&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://goodmindseeds.org/product/punta-banda/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Punta Banda&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/purple-bumble-bee-tomato/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Purple Bumblebee&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/siletz.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Siletz&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/stupice.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stupice&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/sun-sugar-tomato-seeds&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sun Sugar (hybrid)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://store.tomatofest.com/Taos_Tomato_Seeds_p/tf-0491.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Taos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_yellow-pear.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yellow Pear&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, it's important to note that your area is dry. Some tomatoes do better in wet heat than dry heat, and vice versa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my own personal experience, the following tomato varieties produce well in the conditions you described:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black plum (sets fruit in both sun and partial shade)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early Girl&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Galapagos Island (Solanum cheesmaniae)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Husky Cherry Red F1&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lemon Boy F1&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pruden's Purple&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Red Pear&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Roma&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yellow Pear&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Partially heat-tolerant (in my own experience):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Market Wonder (mostly not heat-tolerant, but I got at least one tomato in the heat, and the plants grew very well in heat, drought and poor soil conditions; my seeds came free from wintersown.org)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sugar Lump (got two tomatoes in the heat; plants much prefer cooler conditions; the plants did not grow well in heat, drought and poor soil conditions; my seeds probably came from a dollar store.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Texas Wild Cherry (The plant grew fine in heat, drought, and poor soil conditions, but I wasn't as impressed as I was led to believe I would be. It didn't set fruit in as hot of conditions as most heat-tolerant tomatoes, but it did set fruit in hotter conditions than regular tomatoes. My seeds came free from wintersown.org)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should be noted that people sometimes just get around the problem of summer heat by growing early tomatoes that start producing fruit before it gets very hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another tip is to save your own seeds every year to plant the next. I read that if you get the plants used to your climate for generations, it's supposed to help improve yields and things. I'm trying it. We'll see how it goes. Ask me about it in several years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also read that grafting can help with the heat tolerance. I assume this means that if you graft a tomato that isn't heat tolerant onto a heat tolerant one, perhaps the result may be more heat tolerant. If you try it, let us know if it works.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, look for all-weather tomatoes, and those that are said to produce all season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Okay, so I compiled a list of tomatoes that people have claimed have heat tolerance. The level of heat tolerance isn't specified. So, take this with a grain of salt, and do your own investigation on varieties that perk your interest. My sources include such as customer reviews on varieties at online vendors (such as rareseeds.com) or reviews at gardening websites (such as davesgarden.com), cuke.hort.ncsu.edu, and tomatoes I found via random sites on a search engine, as well as a few varieties I know from personal experience. If a tomato is under one category, that does not necessarily mean it doesn't belong in the other category, too. It's possible that some tomatoes on the list that aren't labeled as hybrids actually are hybrids, too, but most of them should be the sort to breed true. This list is not exhaustive, and I do plan to add to it, in future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Heat-tolerant tomatoes:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Abu Rawan&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Al-Kuffa&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;APT 403&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Argentina Cherry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Arkansas Marvel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Arkansas Traveler&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aussie&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bali&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Basrawya&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beefsteak (not all strains are heat-tolerant, but some are said to be)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bella Rose (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;BHN 189 (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;BHN 216&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Big Beef (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black Cherry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black from Tula&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black Mauri&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black Plum (also shade tolerant, during heat)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black Prince&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Blue Berries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bradley&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Brandyboy (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Brandywine OTV (shows more heat-tolerance than regular Brandywine)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Brenda&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Burbank Slicing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Burgundy Traveler&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Burnley Gem&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Butte&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Caiman (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cal Ace&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Carmello&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Celebrity (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chadwick Cherry or Camp Joy Tomato (sets fruit in 115° F.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Champion&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chef's Choice Pink (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cherokee Purple (it didn't prosper in dry heat and drought where I live)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chico III&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chocolate Pear&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ciudad Victoria&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Coldset&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Copia (Tigercopia)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Costoluto Fiorentino&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Costoluto Genovese&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cour di Bue (oxheart)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Creole&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cuautli Salubong&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cuostralee (or Coustralee)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cyriuss (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dad's Sunset&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Djodah&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Earl's Faux&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early Girl (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Equinox (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Eva's Purple Ball&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fireworks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flamenco&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Floradade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Florasette&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Florida (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Florida 91 (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Florida Pink&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fourth of July (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Freshmarket 9&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Galapagos Island (Solanum cheesmaniae)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Genuwine (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;German Red Strawberry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gezahnte&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Giallo de Summer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Glacier&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Glamour&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gold Medal&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Golden Jubilee&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Golden Marglobe&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grandfather Ashlock&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Great White&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Green Zebra&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grosse Lisse&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Haley's Purple Comet&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hawaiian Currant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hazelfield Farm&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Heatmaster (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Heatwave II (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Henderson's Pink Ponderosa&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Homestead&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Homestead 24&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hotset&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hunter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Husky Cherry Red (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hy Brix (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Illinois Beauty&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kamatis Tagalog&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kellogg's Breakfast&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kewalo&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kimberly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ladybug (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lollipop&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Louisiana All Season&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lucid Gem&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Manalucie&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Marianna's Peace&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Marion F&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Marizol Korney&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Marmande (Beefsteak)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Martino's Roma&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Marvel Striped&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;McMurray # 10&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mely (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mexican&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mexico Midget Cherry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mighty Red (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Momotaro&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Moneymaker&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mortgage Lifter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mountain Crest (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mountain Glory (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mountain Princess&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mozark&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mule Team&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Neptune&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nichols&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nineveh&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Notchli&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Omar's Lebanese&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Orange Banana&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ozark Pink&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Penny's Early&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Penny's Golden Cherry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Persimmon&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Phoenix&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;PickRipe (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pik Rite (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pineapple (tolerates heat, cold and drought)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pink Beauty (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pink Bumblebee&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pink Siberian Tiger (grows well in cool or hot climates according to mariannasheirloomseeds.com)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ponderosa Gold&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pork chop&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Porter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Porter's Dark Cherry (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Principe Borghese&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prize of the Trials&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Processor 40&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Processor 278&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pruden's Purple&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Punta Banda&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Purple Bumblebee&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Purple Calabash&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Quarter Century&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Red Global&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Red Pear&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Red Star&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Red Star Cherry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Reno&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Road Runner (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Roma&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rouge D' Irak&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;San Marzano&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sanibel (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Serrat (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sioux&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Skyway 687 (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Solar Fire (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Solar Set (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Southern Nights&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spitfire (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;State Fair&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Stupice (hot and cold weather)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Summer Set (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sun Chaser&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sun Gold (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sun Leaper&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sun Pride&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sun Sugar (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sunbeam (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sunmaster&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Super Fantastic (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Super Sioux&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Supremo (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sweet Orange Cherry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Syrian Giant*&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Talladega&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Taos&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Texas Wild Cherry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tlacolula (AKA Tlacolula Ribbed)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tommy Toe&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Top Gun (hyrbid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Toro (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Traveler 76&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tribute&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tropic (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tycoon&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Valencia&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Viva Italia (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wayahead&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;White Tomesol&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wild Florida Everglades (Solanum pimpinellifolium)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yellow Pear&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yellow Ruffled&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Handles dry heat:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black from Tula&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black Plum&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black Prince&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Burnley Gem&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chadwick Cherry or Camp Joy Tomato (sets fruit in 115° F.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chocolate Pear&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Copia (Tigercopia)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Earl's Faux&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early Girl (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flamenco&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Galapagos Island (Solanum cheesmaniae)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Glamour&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gold Medal&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Husky Cherry Red (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mexican&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nichols&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Notchli&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Penny's Early&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Porter's Dark Cherry (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Punta Banda&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Red Pear&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Roma&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Super Sioux&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yellow Pear&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Handles wet heat:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Abu Rawan&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Arkansas Marvel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Arkansas Traveler&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Champion&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cherokee Purple (doesn't handle dry heat well where I live)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cour di Bue (oxheart)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cuostralee (or Coustralee)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Creole&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dad's Sunset&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Floradade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Glacier&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Homestead 24&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kewalo&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Louisiana All Season&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Manalucie&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Moneymaker&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mortgage Lifter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nineveh&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Penny's Early&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ponderosa Gold&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Purple Calabash&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Solar Fire (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tommy Toe&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;White Tomesol&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wild Florida Everglades&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Tomatoes with disputed heat tolerance&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(These tomatoes have been reported to be heat-tolerant, but this claim is disputed.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beefsteak: Peaceful Valley's and American Seed's Beefsteak were not heat-tolerant for me. Other people have reported Beefsteak (from unknown vendor/s) to be heat-tolerant, however.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black Sea Man: &lt;a href=&quot;http://mandysgreenhouse.com/heirloom-tomato-seed/blacks/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This site says it's not heat-tolerant.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Brandywine: Flowers didn't set fruit until it cooled, in my area. (This needs more testing, since there's a chance that what I grew wasn't Brandywine.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cherokee Purple (potentially disputed; need to test more)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kellogg's Breakfast: This needs to be tested more to be sure, but from my observations of growing it, I didn't detect particular heat-tolerance.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Martino's Roma: It's about as heat tolerant (to dry heat) as Paul Robeson is (maybe a little less), in my experience&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Paul Robeson: It probably has above-average heat tolerance in dry heat, but in my area the flowers didn't set viable fruit until it cooled down somewhat, whereas varieties like Black Plum and Pruden's Purple set quite a while beforehand. However, it did set a lot of fruit when it cooled down (but my plant was grown indoors to a good age before being planted outdoors in the spring). This variety is definitely drought tolerant in containers indoors, however.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pomodoro San Marzano&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Texas Wild Cherry (potentially disputed, but seems to do well in Texas, from reports)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wild Florida Everglades&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Tomatoes that probably have heat tolerance:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Basketvee: Coldset, which is heat-tolerant, is in its parentage: (Campbell 1402 x Coldset) x (Coldset x Heinz 1350)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Big Sungold Select [Selection from Sungold.]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chef's Choice Orange: one parent is Amana Orange, which is heat-tolerant (and the seemingly related Chef's Choice Pink is heat-tolerant).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cherokee Green&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cherokee Lime&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Green Pear&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Green Tiger (reported to be prolific in Atlanta, Georgia)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grub's Mystery Green&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Heidi&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mac Pink: Coldset and Homestead are heat-tolerant and are in its parentage: (unnamed pink selection x Homestead) x Coldset&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Malakhitovaya Shkatulka&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mama Mia&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;McGee (was grown extensively throughout Texas and the southern states for many years, but I suppose it may have been grown for its early qualities rather than its ability to set fruit in heat)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Orange Cherry [Selection from Sungold.]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oroma: part Roma and Santiam (Roma can be heat tolerant)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Payette—This tomato was bred in Parma, Idaho, which is within about an hour of the Oregon High Desert; its parentage includes these (at least one of which is heat-tolerant, and at least one is cold-tolerant): L. peruvianum, L. hirsutum, Bison, Stokesdale, Sioux, Bounty&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Saucy: part Roma and Santiam (Roma can be heat-tolerant)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sweet Ozark Orange (said to produce better than Big Beef in Hutto, Texas; one of its parents is also heat-tolerant)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Veebrite: Parentage: [(C1402 x Coldset) x (Coldset x Heinz 1350)1&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Vision: Parentage: Campbell 1327-D19 x Coldset&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some varieties are parthenocarpic. This means they don't need pollen to produce fruit. Those might, in theory, do well whether it's hot or cold. It's well established that they can do well in the cold, but some people say they don't necessarily do well in the heat. Here are some:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Parthenocarpic varieties:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Note: Not all have the same degree or kind of parthenocarpy)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Carebeta&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early North&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Farthest North might be parthenocarpic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Golden Nugget (probably the same thing as Gold Nugget)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;IVT-1&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;IVT-2&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kyo-akane&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kyo-temari&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Legend&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Line 75/79&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lycopea&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Montfavet 191 (highly female sterile)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oregon 11&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oregon Cherry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oregon Pride&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oregon Spring (it should be noted that Siletz is considered an improvement on this)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oregon Star&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oregon T5-4&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oroma&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;P-26&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;P-31&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Parteno&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;PI-190256&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pobeda&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;PSET 1&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rarkuna First&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Renaissance&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;RP 75/59&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Santiam&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Saucey&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Saucy (probably the same thing as Saucey)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Severianin&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Siletz (it should be noted that Legend is considered an improvement on this, although some people prefer Siletz to Legend)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Stock 2524&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sub Arctic Plenty&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main parthenocarpic varieties I would recommend looking into are Oroma, Saucey, Siletz, Golden Nugget, Santiam and Legend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that territorialseed.com and victoryseeds.com sell many of these parthenocarpic tomatoes (territorialseed.com also sells other kinds of parthenocarpic seeds, such as the Planet Pepper, and Cavili summer squash).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Cold-tolerant tomatoes:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Anna Russian&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apollo Improved (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aussie&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Azoychka&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Basketvee&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beaverlodge Slicer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bellstar&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Better Boy (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Big Mama (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bison&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black Cherry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black from Tula&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black Prince&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bloody Butcher&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bosque Blue&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Brown Sugar&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bush Beefsteak&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Celebrity (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Coldset&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cosmonaut Volkov&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cuautli Salubong&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Djodah&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dona (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early Cascade (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early Girl (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Galina's (AKA Galina)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Glacier&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Golden Nugget (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gregori's Altai&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grushovka&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Husky Gold (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kimberly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kotlas&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Legend&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lime Green Salad (AKA Green Elf; said to have handled temperatures at least as low as 25° F. by an Illinois reviewer on davesgarden)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Manitoba&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Marmande&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;McGee&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mira&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;New Jersey 300&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;New Yorker&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nodak&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Northern Delight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Notchli&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Orange Pixie (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oregon Spring (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oroma&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oxheart&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Paul Robeson (This isn't heat tolerant, in my experience so far, though.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Persimmon&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pineapple&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pink Bumblebee&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pink Siberian Tiger (grows well in cool or hot climates according to mariannasheirloomseeds.com)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pink Vogue&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Polar Baby&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Polar Beauty&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Polar Star&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prairie Fire&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Principe Borghese&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pruden's Purple&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Purple Bumblebee&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Quick Pick (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rouge de Marmande&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Santa&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Santa Cruz Kada&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sasha's Altai&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Siberia&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Siberian&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Siletz (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Silvery Fir Tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Small Wonder&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Stupice&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sub Arctic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sugar Baby&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sun Gold (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sun Sugar (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Super Marmande&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sweet 100 (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sweet Baby Girl (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Taos&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;True Black Brandywine&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Veebrite&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Veecrop&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Vintage Wine&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Vision&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Vivid&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wheatley's Frost Resistant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yellow Pear&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Here's a list of early tomatoes, without regard to temperature tolerance (days to maturity, whether determinate/indeterminate and whether a hybrid are listed in parentheses):&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sub-Arctic Plenty; Sub-Arctic; World's Earliest Tomato (42-59; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Siberian (48-60; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sub-Arctic Maxi (48-65; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sweet 'n' Neat Cherry (48-68; compact det; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sweetie (50; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Siberia (50; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early Girl (50-52; ind; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Galapagos Island; Solanum cheesmaniae (50-60; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kimberly (52; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Stupice (52; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beaverlodge Slicer (52-54; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lime Green Salad (52-58; semi-det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Siletz (52-75; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bush Early Girl (54; det; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bloody Butcher (55; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early Cascade (55; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Galapagos Island; Solanum galapagense (55; ind?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gardener's Delight (55; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;McGee (55; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mountain Princess (55; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Alaska Fancy (55; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early Wonder (55; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Golden Nugget (55; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beaverlodge 6808 Slicer (55; compact det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Elfin (55-60; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sun Gold (55-65; ind; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tess's Land Race Currant (55-68; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Santiam (55-75; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oregon Spring (55-80; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Northern Lights (55-90; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Glacier (56; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sasha's Altai (57; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Matina (58; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Salisaw Cafe (58; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Manitoba (58; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;New Girl (58-65; ind; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clear Pink Early (58-75; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aurora (59; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Golden Bison (59; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Crazy (60; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fireworks (60; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Green Grape (60; ind; hybrid?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Juliet (60; ind; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Juliet Roma Grape (60; ind; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kotlas (60; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Moskovich (60; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zarnitza (60 ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Moskvich (60; semi-det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Viktorina (60; semi det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Betulax (60; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Big Dwarf (60; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clear Pink (60; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early Annie (60; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lime Green Salad; Green Elf (60; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sprite (60; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sweet 'n' Neat Scarlet (60; compact det; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Washington Cherry (60; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bush Beefsteak (60-62; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rosalita (60-65; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Legend (60-68; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Momotaro (60-78; ind; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Isis Candy (60-80; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thessaloniki (60-80; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Green Giant (60-85; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rutgers (60-100; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Koralik (61; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grape; Timi G (62; ind; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sweet Pea Currant (62; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gold Dust (62; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Alaska (63; semi det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;New Yorker (63; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Container's Choice (63-70; det; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tumbling Tom Red (63-70; compact det cascading; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tumbling Tom Yellow (63-70; compact det cascading; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sweet Israeli (64; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black Cherry (65; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Currant (65; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early Orange Stripe (65; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Matt's Wild Cherry (65; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Park's Whopper CR Improved (65; ind; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Slava (65; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sugar Lump (65; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Super Sweet 100 (65; ind; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sweet Baby Girl (65; ind; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sweet Million (65; ind; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yellow Marble (65; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Husky Cherry Red (65; dwarf-ind; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bosque Blue (65)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Celebrity (65; det; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Coldset (65; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grushovka (65; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Minibel (65; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Taxi (65-68; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Anna Russian (65-70; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Azoychka (65-70; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Florida 91 (65-70; det; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Amy's Sugar Gem (65-71; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Heatmaster (65-75; det; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bison (65-77; dwarf det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Goliath (65-85; ind; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Paul Robeson (65-90; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Optimus (67; semi det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;June Pink (68; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Peche Jaune (68; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cosmonaut Volkov (68; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Earlianna (68; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Marmande (68; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Peron; Peron Sprayless (68; semi-det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Better Bush (68; det; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bush Goliath (68; det; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Punta Banda (68; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zhefen Short (68; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Biltmore (68-74; det; hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black Krim (69; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early Yellow Stripe (69; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mrs. Maxwell's Big Italian (69; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nicholas Doochov (69; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Orange Roma (69; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Porter's Pride (69; ind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chiapas Wild (69; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prescott (69; det)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Heat tolerant eggplants:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aswad&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black Bumper&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black King&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Orient Express (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pingtung Long&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Eggplants that probably have some degree of heat tolerance:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bangladeshi Long&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Banka (said to do well even in poor summer conditions; 105 days)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Florida Market&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gbogname (plants take heat well, but I don't know if they produce in hot conditions)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Malaysian Dark Red (plants tolerated the heat, but I don't know if they produced in hot conditions)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Turkish Orange (Solanum aethiopicum or Solanum integrifolium, depending on who you ask)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Twilight (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Cold-tolerant eggplants:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Applegreen (70 days)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Orient Express (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Eggplants that are probably cold-tolerant&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Malaysian Dark Red (plants tolerated cold, but I don't know if they produced in colder than normal conditions)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-01-26T22:18:16.600" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T22:18:16.600" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20140" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20136" CreationDate="2015-07-18T10:19:12.813" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure where you are in the world and that will make a difference, but a few mistakes you've made are, first, you're trying to root these indoors, second, you've got them in what appears to be a tray rather than a deep pot, third, its not clear what you mean by 'picked up a couple of rose stems', fourth, you've not mentioned hormone rooting powder, which helps greatly with rose cuttings in particular. Depending where you are, it's likely the wrong time of year to take the cuttings too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cuttings should be freshly cut and taken once you are ready to proceed with inserting them into a prepared area outside or in a pot outside. You also need hormone rooting powder, and the cuttings themselves must not be 'woody', they must be from this year's growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to propagate roses from cuttings is to take the cuttings in early Fall, when the weather is cooler (September in the UK), using new growth from this year. Each cutting should be around 8 inches long, you make a nick either side at the bottom of the stem, dip into hormone rooting powder, then insert into a pre prepared trench or piece of ground outdoors. Preparation of the area involves digging over and incorporating some grit if the soil is heavy, and the area shouldn't be in full sun, particularly not sun in the middle of the day. Alternatively, put the cuttings into pots and stand outside in a shady area. They should root over winter and start growing next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A note of caution though - with some varieties, it will still be illegal to propagate yourself because the breeder's rights are still active, and second, a lot of roses are grafted onto a different rootstock to give them vigour; taking cuttings from such a rose might mean the rose you grow is not so vigorous or healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The links below give more information&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/propagating/how-to-take-rose-cuttings/285.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/propagating/how-to-take-rose-cuttings/285.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/roses/roses-from-cuttings.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/roses/roses-from-cuttings.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, as I know you're struggling a bit with propagation techniques, it might be useful for you to look up the plant you want to propagate and read how to do it before you start, and that means for every single variety of plant. Or buy yourself a book or e-book on general propagation techniques like the one this link takes you to (available on Amazon too)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rhsshop.co.uk/productdetails.aspx?id=10000148&amp;amp;itemno=9781405315258&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.rhsshop.co.uk/productdetails.aspx?id=10000148&amp;amp;itemno=9781405315258&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-18T19:19:52.797" LastActivityDate="2015-07-18T19:19:52.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20141" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20130" CreationDate="2015-07-18T10:42:49.640" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Regarding the last plant, the one that has several side stems but a mainstem that isn't getting taller - you'll have to train this one because of what it's doing. Select another lateral stem, one that looks like its growing well and fast - you can choose two if you like, if the mainstem is really only producing lateral growths. Now remove every other side shoot (lateral), leaving just the one (or two) stems you've selected, and tie those in. Keep removing laterals until the stem/s you've chosen have attained the height you want. From then on, prune normally. It might be useful to increase its water supply too - I note there are brown tips on some of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With regard to your new plant, that appears to be either a different variety, or just growing weakly - if its in a pretty shady situation, that would explain that. But it is growing, albeit a little more slowly than you'd like, and if the area is much brighter above the plant, it will grow upwards in search of more light anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding fertilizer, if you're in the Northern hemisphere, do not feed at this time of year, it'll have to wait now till next Spring - once we get past the longest day, the major part of the growing season is over for permanent plantings, and plants need to slow down their growth and get ready for the approach of Fall/Winter, a process triggered gradually by shortening day length initially.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The link below is to the RHS in the UK - it may provide more useful information for you, or it may not, sounds like you've read quite a bit already&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=242&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=242&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And this one&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=173&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=173&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-18T18:20:55.297" LastActivityDate="2015-07-18T18:20:55.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20142" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-18T11:02:36.063" Score="2" ViewCount="834" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two Red Acer plants. They were both young and small when I bought them last year. I did find some bugs on the branches of the green one, so I sprayed them with bug spray. The one with the green leaves looks okay now. The bugs are gone and it has new leaf growth, but there's nothing on the red one, just twigs without leaves. It seems as if it has buds, but they haven't developed into leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to try and save it? I'd put pictures of them here but don't know how to attach pictures on this link. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11736" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-18T18:19:02.273" LastActivityDate="2015-08-17T18:27:05.830" Title="Why does my Red Acer plant look like it has twigs but no leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20143" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20142" CreationDate="2015-07-18T11:52:45.463" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds as if the red leaved one has died over winter - they do get dieback quite often, and in a small plant, that might be what's happened. Scrape back a little of the bark covering near the base of the plant with your fingernail - if its brown and dry beneath, then its definitely dead. You haven't said where you are in the world, nor whether these plants were in pots or in the ground, but maybe the red leaved one went short of water at some point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-07-18T11:52:45.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20144" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20146" CreationDate="2015-07-18T16:41:45.187" Score="2" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought two Chamaebatiaria millefolium&lt;br&gt;&#xA;(Fernbush) online. Live in zone 9. plants are in south facing backyard 6-10 hrs sun. I followed the instructions and water both semi-daily, planted in sandy well-draining soil and amended with a small amount of compost. I followed customer service advice to gently remove brown dried leaves too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One is in the ground while I haven't prepared garden bed for other yet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why does the potted one look like its drying up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z7Wrm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;potted fernbush &quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GZd3N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;planted fernbush &quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9745" LastActivityDate="2015-07-18T18:30:35.193" Title="Why is one fernbush thriving and one not?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;&lt;heat&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20145" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20137" CreationDate="2015-07-18T18:08:13.160" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes and yes - but 'proportional to the size of the tree' is somewhat meaningless really. The type of soil and the conditions such as oxygen levels in the ground, obstructions in the ground, availability of water sources, all contribute to how far and wide a tree's roots may spread, and this is difficult to predict. In general, you can expect most of the roots to be in the top 3 feet of soil, with a possible spread up to 3 times the height of the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many pines, for instance, produce a tap root initially, with lateral root growth out from that - the tap root may continue to function, or it may stop growing and further laterals may spread out a foot or two down, so you've almost got two branches of root system in a sort of double tier. Planted on a steep gradient, many long roots will form on the higher side, to anchor the plant better, and these tend to run near the surface, or in the top foot or so. If there is more water available one side than the other, other roots will head for the water source, so there may be many more fibrous roots in that area. These are some examples of why root spread and depth is, to a large extent, unpredictable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Restricting or reducing topgrowth causes less root growth or some root dieback respectively, but even so, its still next to impossible to know how much root material there will be and how far it'll spread - its all dependent on local conditions, in particular, below the top of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-18T18:35:24.447" LastActivityDate="2015-07-18T18:35:24.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20146" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20144" CreationDate="2015-07-18T18:30:35.193" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably because it is - although this is a desert type plant, coping well with dry conditions, when its newly planted, it does need watering deeply at planting time, and probably 3 or 4 more times in summer. In a pot, its more likely its dried out than in the ground, where its got a nice mulch to keep moisture in. I'm assuming there are drainage holes in that pot and it's not standing in something that keeps the water in; if this is not the case, it might be the opposite problem, too much water at the root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other possibility, and this may not be relevant depending on exactly what you used, may be related to the soil you've used in the pot - was it soil you bought or soil from your garden/yard which you amended with compost? And this 'small amount of compost' you used, how was that produced? Using a hot aerobic method, so that its pathogen free, or a cold system? If it was a cold system and you used your own garden soil, there may be some pathogen in the soil that's affecting the plant. This wouldn't matter in open ground, but it does matter in a pot, where there is restriction of movement for bacteria and pathogens, so that they're more concentrated. It's a low risk, but still a risk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-07-18T18:30:35.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20147" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20151" CreationDate="2015-07-18T20:27:59.407" Score="2" ViewCount="302" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a variety of problems with my summer squash and zucchini plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The summer squash (and to a smaller degree the zucchini) has clear spots in the leaves:&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8BhNP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This morning one of the zucchini plants was dead and looked as follows with a white maggot inside:&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ujmyA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are these problems related?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What is happening to my plants?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What can I do?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt; I live just outside Washington, DC on the MD side. I have a sprinkler like automatic irrigation system. The ugliest leaves are the ones that receive the highest amount of sprinkler water that goes on for 3 minutes at 9am and 9pm. Could this be the culprit? Am I over watering? Am I watering the leaves when I shouldn't? Do I have the wrong watering schedule, that is making the plant prone to this disease?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is nothing alive in the dirt. The summer squash lives in a raised bed. There are one eggplant, one tomato, one green pepper and one basil in the same raised bed. All other plants are thriving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The zucchini lives in a rectangular container. It is pretty big and there are other zucchinis in there. The zucchini plant, has a orange pulpish where the damage occurred (not sure it is visible in the second picture). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2167" LastEditorUserId="2167" LastEditDate="2015-07-19T00:30:17.757" LastActivityDate="2015-07-19T13:04:06.403" Title="What is causing damage to my summer squash and zucchini plants?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20148" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20147" CreationDate="2015-07-18T23:39:40.450" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have powdery mildew on your leaves, try spraying with neem oil or sponge with baking soda water mixture, it can be difficult to get rid of. The stem looks like it was damaged somehow, maybe a critter walked by it and broke it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11740" LastActivityDate="2015-07-18T23:39:40.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20150" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19565" CreationDate="2015-07-19T03:01:56.350" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this plant is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c420&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Daphne x burkwoodii &quot;Carol Mackie&quot;&lt;/a&gt;.  It's evergreen in many zones, and has small fragrant flowers in the early spring.  It's a very valuable garden plant but can be severely affected by winter cold and especially winds. It also likes even moisture and a partly shady position in your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The good news is that you can cut it back, even severely, in my experience (by as much as 2/3rds), to create new growth in the dead-looking areas. The best time to cut it back is in late spring after it flowers, but you could also do it any time before fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like a good-sized, established specimen.  Daphne do not like to be moved, so leave it where it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've really enjoyed having this shrub in my garden - I love the variegated foliage and the sweet-smelling spring flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11741" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-19T13:34:47.500" LastActivityDate="2015-07-19T13:34:47.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20151" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20147" CreationDate="2015-07-19T11:41:40.643" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;First picture:&lt;/strong&gt; The picture appears to be powdery mildew, up close it would be a cottony fungal colony growing on the leaf. Your watering schedule is quite likely making the situation somewhat worse. Powdery mildew grows most aggressively under high-moisture and moderate temperature environments. Your 9 PM watering is ensuring the moisture part of the equation, and being in the DC area likely supplies the right amount of heat overnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally, you would avoid wetting the leaves if possible. Failing that you should at least concentrate your watering in the morning, this will mean that any water that lands on the leaves evaporates quickly in the heat of the day so that the leaves aren't wet overnight when the temperatures are more favorable to mildew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On a note unrelated to the disease problem, unless you are getting some amount of natural rain I doubt 6 minutes of sprinkler watering is adequate to the plants needs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Second picture:&lt;/strong&gt; Given your description of a 'white maggot' and the damage in the second picture I suspect the maggot in your zucchini plant was a squash vine borer. The orange-colored pulp looks to me like the droppings of a larvae feeding on the plant stem. The adults are moths &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/squash-vine-borers/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;described here&lt;/a&gt; they more closely resemble red-colored wasps with gray wings. They are active by day in late June and early July, they lay eggs against the base of plants that are suitable food for their larvae. These eggs hatch into white caterpillar/maggot-like larvae and immediately burrow into the stem of a squash, pumpkin or zucchini plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best bet for preventing damage is unfortunately to either keep the adults away from the plant with floating row-covers or to find the eggs before they hatch and break them. To give yourself an idea of when the moths are in the area you can set out yellow 'trap pans' in the later end of June. The moths are attracted to the color yellow, so setting out a yellow bucket or bowl of water means that some will fly in to investigate and get trapped in the water. When you start finding the moths, you know you need to start looking for the eggs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-07-19T13:04:06.403" LastActivityDate="2015-07-19T13:04:06.403" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20152" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-19T12:05:03.317" Score="2" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have many 5 gallon containers with tomatoes, courgettes, peppers, herbs, etc. in my garden. I am leaving for 10 days in the middle of August, and nobody will be able to water the plants (also the neighbours will be away). What is the best way to avoid a catastrophe? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only idea I could come up with is upside-down bottles with dripping holes, but I am very skeptical they would work in the first place, and then make it for such a long period. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please help me folks, it could save the most of my summer harvest! Thanks :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastActivityDate="2015-08-22T15:10:22.040" Title="Watering container tomatoes while away" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20153" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1086" CreationDate="2015-07-19T14:27:41.127" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes you can grow them in your garden, but you should take care of them especially for hot weather, humidity and more importantly light.&#xA;I write my dahlias experience at: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guzelcicekler.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;guzel cicekler&lt;/a&gt; , though it in Turkish, because Im from Istanbul.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11743" LastActivityDate="2015-07-19T14:27:41.127" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20155" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-19T16:01:27.093" Score="2" ViewCount="154" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in southwest MN and have started growing some vegetables in containers. We had a big storm, so I put the pots on the ground beside my porch because they always get blown over. Today, I noticed that my butter bibb lettuce is essentially gone. It's been consumed by something. I looked at what was left and saw tons of little black bead looking things all over. They look like caviar. I can't tell if it's excrement or eggs of some kind. Every bit of the leaves are gone except the spiny part. I have 5 other pots of veggies around it but this is the only one this happened to. Does anyone have an idea what these things might be? Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11745" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-19T22:09:14.117" LastActivityDate="2015-08-21T00:36:10.193" Title="What might be eating my butter bibb lettuce plants?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20133" CreationDate="2015-07-19T16:26:57.500" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;IMPE, Rose of Sharon is a fine, hardy weed with pretty flowers. As such, good time or bad, it will probably survive transplanting. I see little effective difference in transplanting from a pot to a pot and transplanting from a pot to the ground, if you stay on top of the watering. Providing some shade cloth for a few weeks probably would help at this time of year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of mine were weeded out of a friend's backyard, transported bare-root with damp paper and plastic wraps, and planted without special care, other than choosing spots that reflected the tendency to become a weed. All survived that, and most have survived long-term.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on light and soil, up to 8 feet may easily be consumed by one vigorous plant. If you prune them, you can influence how much they are &quot;small trees&quot; (trim side branches up to a &quot;crown&quot; level, trim to single stem) or &quot;bushes&quot; in growth habit. IMPE &quot;bushes&quot; may need the occasional &quot;drastic prune to the ground&quot; or they become over-woody - this may be less of an issue if there is plenty of space, as it's mostly due to pruning the bush back to a reasonable size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-07-19T16:26:57.500" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20157" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="167" CreationDate="2015-07-19T17:54:29.507" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have watered our tomatoes and runner beans with water from our dishwasher and washing machine, for the last 5 years. The results have been fantastic and no ill effects!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11747" LastActivityDate="2015-07-19T17:54:29.507" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20158" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-19T18:14:15.570" Score="2" ViewCount="2306" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am having a hard time getting rid of insects in my potting soil. My plants are droopy. I have applied a good amount of diatomaceous earth to all of them, even to the roots, but these insects don't seem to want to leave. They are white and very tiny. What can I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BKEko.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wqONS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-20T00:58:03.687" LastActivityDate="2015-07-23T22:09:21.793" Title="My potting soil is being overrun by soil insects. How do I get rid of them?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2015-07-24T17:02:31.617" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20159" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20165" CreationDate="2015-07-19T18:37:21.260" Score="4" ViewCount="353" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had both cilantro and parsley growing in this container. Much time has passed, and now I have no idea what I'm looking at!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pODBG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pODBG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click on the image for a larger version&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to grow just parsley in this pot now- should I rip out what I've got here and start fresh with a transplant or seeds? Or is this something dormant that's going to release seeds and start fresh?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7055" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-07-21T12:24:10.677" LastActivityDate="2015-07-21T12:24:10.677" Title="Is this coriander or bolted parsley?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cilantro&gt;&lt;parsley&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20160" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20159" CreationDate="2015-07-19T18:47:08.870" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Answer to part one of your question: Use the sniff test. Cilantro and parsley each have a distinct smell. You may want to take a bit and crush it a bit to release more aroma.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2015-07-19T18:47:08.870" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20159" CreationDate="2015-07-20T13:10:15.093" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Answer to part two:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Once either parsley or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriander&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;coriander&lt;/a&gt;/chilantro has gone to seed there is no real further kitchen use &quot;in it&quot;. Unless you plan to harvest coriander seeds, of ourse, but the &quot;green bits&quot; are done. Cilantro is an annual, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsley&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;parsley&lt;/a&gt; a biennial plant, once they've developed seeds, the plant dies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So no matter what the sniff test says with regard to ID (if I had to guess I'd say &quot;parsley&quot;, but the picture isn't terribly sharp), it's time to rip out what you have and start over, either with seeds or bought seedlings/plants. I suggest using fresh potting soil as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-07-20T13:22:11.440" LastActivityDate="2015-07-20T13:22:11.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20165" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20159" CreationDate="2015-07-20T13:42:33.110" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is very difficult to see, since the photo is a bit blurry, but this looks to me like parsley. If an ID is important to you at this point, you can check the seeds. Parsley seeds are small and kind of football-shaped. Cilantro seeds are a bit larger and completely round. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way, you will definitely need to start with a new plant. Once parsley and cilantro are done flowering and seeding, they die. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to reseed the pot, you can wait just a little bit longer until the seed heads on this plant are brown. You can then harvest the seeds, refill the pot with fresh soil, and plant the seeds. Obviously, this will be the least expensive option, but it will take quite awhile before you have a plant you can harvest from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want parsley much quicker, you can pull this now, purchase a parsley plant and refill the pot right away. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing you might way to consider...if you have space for 2 pots of parsley, you could set up a system where you have continuous parsley without purchasing new plants. Since parsley are biennials, you can harvest leaves from them for one year. The second year they will go to seed like this one has. If you plant one pot with seeds this year and one pot with a purchased plant, you should have one pot that you can harvest from and one pot that is going to seed every year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-07-20T13:42:33.110" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20166" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-20T18:02:55.573" Score="5" ViewCount="1148" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a Great White plant, planted about 30 days ago. It has yellowing leaves with black spots, all tge leaves are drooping, and there are very few flower buds. I'm afraid I might need to dispose of the whole plant. I planted this about a month ago in tilled soil with compost and bagged manure mixed in, along with a spadeful of organic poultry poop fertilizer, and added another half-spadeful a couple weeks ago. It was doing ok until about a week ago. The leaves are droopy and starting to yellow and get some black spots. Yesterday I found a 3&quot; long tomato hornworm on it which I plucked off. I mulched around the tomato plants with newspaper and straw to deal with a carpet of weeds that had been popping up. Now the soil around the plant seems pretty wet. So, what's going on with this plant? Did the hornworm do all this damage? Did the mulching trap in too much water and make the soil soggy? Is the problem reversible? I have 2 other tomato plants that are doing ok, but without many fruits. I checked all the tomato and pepper plants and plucked off a few more hornworms. Oh yeah, also I put that stake in about a week ago. Could that have pierced and damaged the roots?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bY1LQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dieing Great White tomato plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Ok as someone requested I'm adding more pictures. I have mulched with straw, and it's pulled away from the base of this plant because I was worried it was keeping the soil too soggy. Also I added a scoop of fertilizer, but that was after this yellowing happened. The plant is about 20-30 inches away from each of the other 2 tomato plants (different varieties). Also, the other two seem to have decent vegetative growth and very few fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like the plant is pretty far gone now.  Should I call it quits before that fungus spreads to the other 2?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Q0Ol.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Q0Ol.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SeMx6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SeMx6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fYoo0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fYoo0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fYoo0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11754" LastEditorUserId="11754" LastEditDate="2015-07-23T15:51:45.037" LastActivityDate="2015-07-23T15:51:45.037" Title="What's wrong with my tomato plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20167" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20110" CreationDate="2015-07-20T19:47:48.923" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mine bolted very quickly this year, producing inedible triangular shaped leaves. Always try to get &quot;slow bolting&quot; varieties if you have hot summers. I will get something else next year. i am on a 10 year mission to learn all I can about vegetable gardening; to pass on before i die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2015-07-20T19:47:48.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20123" CreationDate="2015-07-20T20:05:37.007" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Measure moisture depth by getting a metal or wooden rod about 1/4 inches in diameter and pushing it gently into the moist soil. When you feel the resistance change or stop, try a few more times in a few other places to make sure it wasn't just a rock. Measure the distance you were able to push the rod before the resistance changed. That is your watering depth. If it's too short or too long, adjust accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every 7-10 days is a really long time to wait between waterings for a ficus in the summer in Phoenix, especially if the temps are over 105°F. You're probably looking at closer to 3-5 days in between, and even more if it's in full sun or over 110°F.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3174" LastActivityDate="2015-07-20T20:05:37.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20158" CreationDate="2015-07-20T21:30:50.737" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without a picture of the soil and the insects it is very hard to tell but the most likely identification is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungus_gnat&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;fungus gnats&lt;/a&gt;: see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14705/how-do-you-get-rid-of-root-flies-organically/14707#14707&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3314/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;overwatering is the most common problem with house plants and wet soil encourages fungus gnats&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your plants are outside and getting too much water that would match the wilted look the leaves have.  The roots are stressed or dead and cannot provide water to the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Diatomaceous earth might work but it will only catch insects on the surface, not eggs or adults underneath the soil.  Read the links for other methods including the last resort method of 5 ml of bleach to one litre of water poured through the plant.  Pour more water through after a few minutes.  This will kill the fungus gnats but it may kill the plant.  Try drying the plant out for a no risk solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please read the links to answers from this site and let us know if the description and solution does the job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-07-23T22:09:21.793" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20166" CreationDate="2015-07-21T02:59:11.180" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like septoria leaf spot. The lower leaves usually get it first from the soil splashing up on the leaves, and humidity can play a big part in the spread.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should use mulch. I've had great results with organic paper mulch that I got on amazon. Make sure to trim the lower leaves once the plants are established to prevent them from touching the soil. The top of the soil should also dry out before waterings and you should only water first thing in the morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also use some fungicide spray for prevention every 7 - 10 days. It wont cure it, but it will prevent it from spreading further. I use Southern AG Liquid Copper Fungicide, although I have yet to comment in its effectiveness - &lt;a href=&quot;http://southernag.com/residential-products/liquid-copper-fungicide/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://southernag.com/residential-products/liquid-copper-fungicide/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11756" LastActivityDate="2015-07-21T02:59:11.180" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20172" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19751" CreationDate="2015-07-21T12:38:50.590" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;When your trees have four true leaves, transplant the seeedlings. The root systems will still be small enough that, when you empty the pot, the seedlings will separate from all or most of the soil. You will be able to gently tease the twins' roots apart from each other without killing them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And, no, there's no problem going on in that picture at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11758" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-21T14:35:31.860" LastActivityDate="2015-07-21T14:35:31.860" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20173" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-21T12:39:03.123" Score="2" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;We recently took over a garden together with some equipment. As it was clearly not used in the last couple of years there was nobody around to ask.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is this one object we don't know what to use it for. The lower part is a small plastic bucket whereas the upper part forms a roof larger than the bucket end ends in a sieve. In the middle of the sieve is a hole in which there is a loose plastic stick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems like some sort of indicator how high the water rises in the bucket, but then again what should you use that for?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are multiple of these object's available so it seems like they should be placed somewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xfVWQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;this object&quot;&gt;&#xA;the object in it's normal configuration (empty)&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SND4N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the upper part ends in a sieve&quot;&gt;&#xA;the sieve of the upper part of the object turned around&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11757" LastActivityDate="2015-07-21T14:22:23.480" Title="What is this tool found in a once used garden for?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20173" CreationDate="2015-07-21T14:22:23.480" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know for sure, it seems to me that it would be a slow release waterer. You see people making them out of milk jugs and the like. They drill holes in them and fill them with water and then it leaches into the surrounding soil as opposed to running off the top. This looks like it could be a fancier version with an indicator stick to let you know when it's time to refill it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-07-21T14:22:23.480" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20176" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20166" CreationDate="2015-07-21T17:13:17.607" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Septoria leaf spot is characterized by dark brown margins and tan to gray centers. I don't see light centers in the spots on your picture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Septoria leaf spot usually appears on the lower leaves after the first fruit sets. Spots are circular, about one-sixteenth to one-fourth inch in diameter with dark brown margins and tan to gray centers with small black fruiting structures. Characteristically, there are many spots per leaf; they do not look target-like. This disease spreads upwards from oldest to youngest growth. If leaf lesions are numerous, the leaves turn slightly yellow, then brown, and then wither. Fruit infection is rare.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lookalikes: bacterial leaf spot and speck (no tan centers); and other diseases that progress from the bottom up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;General treatment for bacterial spots, blights and rots include: Removing infected leaves, putting down fresh mulch &amp;amp; avoiding overhead watering. More information &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/bacterial-spots.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2015-07-21T17:13:17.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20158" CreationDate="2015-07-21T17:35:38.860" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You still haven't said what soil you've used in the pots for these plants, but the insects you're seeing, if they're really white and don't fly, could be root aphids or simply soil mites. If the plants are obviously suffering, go and buy some sterilized potting soil (any proprietary ones will be sterilised) take the plants out of their pots, sit them in buckets of water, wash off all soil and anything else you can see that shouldn't be there without damaging the roots. Thoroughly clean and sterilize your pots, then replant using the new, sterilized soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-07-21T17:35:38.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20178" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20338" CreationDate="2015-07-21T17:48:48.377" Score="2" ViewCount="92" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a &lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00BEYP89Y&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;vertical hydroponic kit&lt;/a&gt;, it comes with a growing media which is  soft sponge like pebbles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems like it crumbles even with water flow, and very fine sand covered the bottom of water tank. The material is also so light, so it is pulled by pump and the filter was clogged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried a couple of things but they just delayed the build up on the filter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to change the entire growing media, what would you recommend as a replacement?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S6rgi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;vertical kit&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11036" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-01-14T22:16:43.963" LastActivityDate="2019-01-14T22:16:43.963" Title="Hydroponic growing media" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="20179" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20180" CreationDate="2015-07-21T18:31:36.480" Score="2" ViewCount="40242" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every day I check my peace lily to see if it needs watering, and now there are two mushrooms growing in the pot! Please let me know why &amp;amp; how they are growing there and what I should do with them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rzEUV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vXjp9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LAPmS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-21T23:57:01.923" LastActivityDate="2019-04-24T10:14:06.767" Title="Why and how are mushrooms growing in my indoor house plant soil?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20180" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20179" CreationDate="2015-07-21T18:37:21.087" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's nothing to worry about. Most potting mediums these days have a high proportion of composted materials within them. Sometimes the composting process is incomplete, but either way, fungal mycorrhizae are present in the soil, and yours are happy enough to produce a fruiting body or two - the mushrooms you're seeing. Just pick them off and bin them if you don't like the look of them. The majority of mycorrhizal activity within soil is beneficial to plants. The mushrooms may recur, they may not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-07-21T18:37:21.087" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20158" CreationDate="2015-07-21T18:55:17.643" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spray with diluted cider vinegar and garlic extract.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11760" LastActivityDate="2015-07-21T18:55:17.643" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20182" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-21T19:33:52.383" Score="1" ViewCount="93" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant has a purplish stem with fine hairs. Also the leaves sprout from stem opposite. However, it is two leaves at a time and rotates on way up? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's growing on sandy beach on a lake in Maine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nAw9D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11761" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-22T17:27:38.773" LastActivityDate="2015-07-22T17:27:38.773" Title="What is this plant found on a lake shore in Maine?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20183" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20187" CreationDate="2015-07-21T21:10:56.823" Score="7" ViewCount="140" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a feeling that my question is not a good question, but don't know how else to formulate it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm an engineer by profession, but I did spend a full season working in an organic farm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking of buying a small piece of land (less than 2 acres) in vancouver island.  I have no intention of growing food at an industrial scale, however, I'd like to grow greens, carrots, potatoes, onions...for my own use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I realize that there are a lot of variables involved in choosing a good plot, ranging from slope, south-facing or not, access to water, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I was wondering are there techniques for measuring the effectiveness of the soil?  For example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;does it have the right PH?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;does it have the required minerals?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is it the right type of soil?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there aspects of the soil that I should consider as deal breakers...for example are there characteristics that I cannot improve.  For example, if the PH is off, I maybe able to improve it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11762" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-07-21T23:55:15.083" LastActivityDate="2015-07-23T19:08:17.643" Title="How can you analyze if a land has good soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20184" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20183" CreationDate="2015-07-21T22:43:42.253" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hear my words!!  Soil is soil...the plant life that has adapted is very happy no matter.  If you want to grow stuff that is not indigenous (vegetables) it is pretty EASY to make ANY soil great.  Number UNO is add DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER. This is the ONLY way to make ANY soil great.  Don't think sand, gravel, gypsum, lime, egg shells...will work ONE LITTLE BIT.  Point is one has to learn to manage correctly what soil they have available. Consider what we use to make CONCRETE.  Sand, gravel, water, lime, gypsum and CLAY.  Rotation and mechanical churning and you shall have concrete!  Just dumping decomposed organic matter ON TOP of your soil works beautifully.  Micro and macro organisms need decomposed organic matter for energy.  They go up and eat this stuff then return to your soil profile and poop it out.  Mixing this into your soil with no additional effort on your part. In addition, you attract and multiply the soil life forms plants HAVE to have to grow with vigor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will be able to change fertility and pH effortlessly in any soil...again, any soil is great if there is lots of DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER.  Non-decomposed mulch DOES NOT WORK to improve soil for plants.  Takes years to decompose bark, shredded wood...etc.  Takes lots of nitrogen to feed 'decomposers' to get non-decomposed mulch to be edible/useable by soil micro/macro-organisms making soil amenable for plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend getting a soil test which is free or cheap.  Contact your counties' extension service and they will send kits/information for soil tests.  Most vegetables thrive within a pretty normal, broad range as long as your soil is full of organic matter.  Don't ADD anything other than DOM (decomposed organic matter) to your soil without good reason!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another critical thing you can do is to make 'raised beds'.  DO not need sides!!  Look up 'double digging'. If you have clay, forget rototilling!!!  Double digging is done ONE TIME at the very beginning to loosen, fluff and incorporate DOM.  My beds are at least 1' higher than the rest of the garden that I walk upon.  I also create trenches to collect and direct water and drain where I want excess water to drain along the edges of these raised beds.  I NEVER plant in flat ground.  Takes a bit of planning but there has to be a 'plant bed' separate from walkways.  Drainage is critical.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are unsuccessful with plants, you will give up.  Gardening is not tough and any soil can be great soil.  I am the LAZIEST gardener you'll ever meet because I know what is critical and what is not. I hate wasting energy.  Get a soil test.  Michael Dirr has incredible books on vegetable gardening...you can rely on this guy's knowledge.  Even for residential landscaping and ornamentals...stay in touch.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-21T22:43:42.253" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20166" CreationDate="2015-07-21T23:12:32.693" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those spots are no big deal.  A fungus that is splashed up on the leaf and the plants itself is getting rid of the fungus with this 'shot hole' approach. Very normal. I think you might have over done the organic, non-decomposed manure.  Too much nitrogen which promotes too much vegetative growth and will definitely reduce the reproductive growth or...flowers and fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You HAVE to allow the soil to dry out a bit before rewatering!!  The compost you've installed in your soil might have been full of spores/bacteria not very great for tomatoes. Gotta have drainage...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please add a few more pictures of soil, your entire tomato crop (to see ventilation) and tell us what you are doing for fertilizer, mulch and watering. Tomatoes are such a rewarding crop but there are some vital things you need to know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-21T23:12:32.693" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20186" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20155" CreationDate="2015-07-21T23:41:20.980" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely need pictures.  Sounds like rodents if the size of these pellets are the size of caviar! Either that or a big ole cut worm...and it takes only one cutworm to make this kind of damage.  I'd go out tonight with a flashlight!  If you find a big caterpillar that curls into a ball when disturbed...sigh, just cut him in half with scissors.  Send pics so we can tell whether the poop is from rodents or insects.  Cutworms are easy and my money at the moment would be on cutworms...rodents love fruits like tomatoes, eggplant. If it is cutworm, go out for a few nights to kill (sigh) the few you will find.  Never ever have seen more than one or two but terrific damage.  No pesticides are indicated!  Do you have slugs?  You should see 'slime trails' and again going out at night for a few nights to (sigh) chop these guys in half works better than any pesticide or other treatment I know about! You HAVE GOT TO SEE what it is that is doing this damage!!  It is a BIG no-no to guess and do treatments without knowing for certain what you are dealing with.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-21T23:41:20.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20187" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20183" CreationDate="2015-07-21T23:41:59.010" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This has probably been asked before but there are soil labs where you can send a sample of the soil in and they're able to perform a number of tests including pH, fertility as far as macro and some micro nutrients, lead content, organic matter content, cation exchange capacity, textural analysis (sandy, loam, clay, etc) soluble salt levels and probably some more tests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of the soil labs in the United States are part of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cooperative Extension Service&lt;/a&gt; which is comprised of various universities that do work in agriculture. You can send a sample to your State's cooperative extension service or any other one for that matter but there may be state restrictions due to concerns of pests and pathogens so double-check. I like the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soiltest.uconn.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;UConn Soil Testing Lab&lt;/a&gt; because they have really good prices on the basic tests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most labs will also provide you with recommendations on adding lime/sulfur or fertilizers based on your test results, provided you specify what you plan to grow. For farmers they give specific crop recommendations but for homeowners it's basically lawn, perennials or vegetable garden with some people needed specific tests for certain crops (ie berries.) In the past few years many have started to include information for organic amendments as well. UConn is one of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Outside of the US you may want to do a search for soil testing laboratories in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have concerns about toxic contamination in the soil other than lead, which may include high levels of heavy metals, radon, petroleum, etc do a search for &quot;contaminated soil testing&quot;. Your local cooperative extension office should also be able to help you find a suitable lab.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-07-23T19:08:17.643" LastActivityDate="2015-07-23T19:08:17.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20188" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20200" CreationDate="2015-07-22T01:37:47.203" Score="2" ViewCount="6937" Body="&lt;p&gt;Will they continue to send up new buds throughout the summer, or will it not make any difference at all if I remove them after they blossom? I have at least six very tall leafy plants, but not many buds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11676" LastActivityDate="2020-09-13T17:40:59.833" Title="Should I remove hibiscus flower blossoms as soon as they wilt?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;deadheading&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20189" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20190" CreationDate="2015-07-22T01:45:56.910" Score="2" ViewCount="864" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this is an echeveria. I got it maybe 6 months ago and transplanted it to this pot. It has regular potting soil and one thing to note about the container is that it doesn't have a drainage hole at the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vOGuk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the past month I've noticed some of the leaves in the interior are turning a brown or dark rust color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why is that happening? What should I do to make this plant happy? (bigger container, different soil, more water?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7055" LastActivityDate="2015-07-22T02:29:28.880" Title="Why does this succulent/echeveria have brown leaves?" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20189" CreationDate="2015-07-22T02:29:28.880" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Totally normal,these are just dead leaves that weren't providing very well for the plant.  Very healthy, otherwise.  This succulent does well kept in a shallower, clay pot WITH drainage.  However you are watering seems to be working.  I'd switch from tap water (too many salts, chemicals) to distilled water.  Later, you'll be able to break this plant up into individual plants if you want to propogate or use them in your garden.  These 'baby' plants crowd the parent and other 'siblings' and cause leaves to be ineffective so the plant cuts them off, they dry up and turn brown. Use fertilizer very sparingly...otherwise your plant is just fine!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-22T02:29:28.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20193" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20201" CreationDate="2015-07-22T04:27:19.830" Score="1" ViewCount="707" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's been an unseasonably cold winter this year in Sydney.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My chilli plants live outdoors. At the moment they are still alive, but most have lost most of their leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I prune off the dead branches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I do any other pruning before Summer kicks in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastActivityDate="2015-07-22T11:38:52.617" Title="Should I be pruning my chilli plants during a Sydney winter?" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;&lt;winter&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20194" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20198" CreationDate="2015-07-22T04:57:51.557" Score="1" ViewCount="109" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there such a thing as biological degeneration due to inbreeding (incest) among garden plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For instance, if the quality in a bed of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendula&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;calendulas&lt;/a&gt; diminishes somewhat year-after-year, could this be due to too such genetic causes, or is soil depletion the likely only cause? If genetic degeneration is a relevant issue, are there specific signs when it occurs or recommendations how to avoid it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastActivityDate="2015-07-22T12:25:00.993" Title="Biological degeneration due to inbreeding among plants?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20196" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20194" CreationDate="2015-07-22T06:53:10.897" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be in part due to natural selection, rather than degeneration from inbreeding. I know Yellow Pear tomatoes have been grown since at least 1805, and most of that has probably been from inbreeding. They're still pretty nice tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could just be that the climate and conditions in your area favor certain traits, or the less colorful flowers attract less pests (such that they may survive and seed more). If you're letting them go to seed on their own, things like that can happen. If, however, you save seeds from the best plants every year, and plant them yourself, you'll probably see better results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I'm not 100% sure if degeneration actually does occur with calendula like that, or to what degree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is such a thing as hybrid vigor, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-07-22T06:53:10.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20197" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-22T10:22:27.713" Score="2" ViewCount="2163" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have recently needed to build a retaining wall to prevent the garden sloping off into our neighbor's garden at the rear. We had to back-fill the gap created in building the wall with rubble and stone that was unearthed whilst digging the footings. The stone and rubble has been flattened and compacted for drainage and we plan to plant bushes or high shrubs to add privacy around the perimeter of the wall but obviously we need to replace soil to the area on top of the stone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To what kind of depth would we need to replenish in order to plant the shrubs? At this moment, the types of shrubs and bushes are undetermined, but to create a bed suitable, I am unsure how much soil would there need to be to grow successfully?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11766" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-22T14:31:16.880" LastActivityDate="2015-07-22T14:31:16.880" Title="How deep should the soil be above a new retaining wall to allow shrubs to grow?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20198" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20194" CreationDate="2015-07-22T10:23:35.210" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Incest, well, not really, is it. No, it doesn't happen, well, not real degenerative changes, in the manner that happens with humans if they breed with close relatives, and not in plants like calendula grown outdoors where they are in the open and free to reproduce as they will. Sometimes there may be slight changes - perhaps a flower arrives on, say, a dahlia or some other flowering plant which is different in some way from all the others. It may have a colour break where all the others are one colour, or maybe the petals might be somewhat frilly when the others aren't - when this happens, breeders may select that one and try to breed from it in hopes of creating a new variety of a particular plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where trouble occurs is where it where it always occurs in both flora and fauna - when breeding is restricted, usually by man, under controlled conditions, and plants such as F1 hybrids are created. Many hybrids don't have good vigour, or don't retain the characteristics they were bred for, or are, in fact, sterile. You might call this in breeding, which is a term that can be applied to humans and animals too, and it often leads to significant problems. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is, though, a good level of success with crossing and recrossing plants to get new varieties, but it's trial and error. Many 'faulty' crossed versions of plants will have been rejected before one is finally selected as being good enough to put on sale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the case of your 'bed of calendulas' example, environmental conditions will usually be the culprit - the soil is exhausted, or there's a build up of pathogens/insects which affect that particular plant, a common problem with mono culture of vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-22T12:25:00.993" LastActivityDate="2015-07-22T12:25:00.993" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20197" CreationDate="2015-07-22T10:48:35.403" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I imagine there's some limitation to how much soil you can add on top of the rock because of the height of the wall, but three feet or a metre really, certainly not less than two feet of topsoil, if all that's there is stone currently, because you have no subsoil and you want a 'high' or tall plant barrier. Usually, 'topsoil' is a spade's depth, sometimes more, with sub soil beneath. However, I'm somewhat concerned at your description regarding the stone and rubble. It's the word 'compacted' that's worrying me, because if its been crushed and compacted down by machine, that means drainage won't be fantastic, and it will act like a solid barrier or pan to plant roots, even assuming there's subsoil beneath the rock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-22T13:08:59.667" LastActivityDate="2015-07-22T13:08:59.667" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20188" CreationDate="2015-07-22T11:01:06.250" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is conflicting information on this subject - to some extent, it depends on which Hibiscus, that is, whether they're hardy like Hibiscus syriacus, which starts flowering around July on into early autumn, or the more tropical varieties which flower most of the summer. Some sources say not to deadhead, that it discourages further flowering, and others say the opposite, examples of which are shown in the links below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/hibiscus/deadheading-hibiscus-flowers.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/hibiscus/deadheading-hibiscus-flowers.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/info_12083577_deadhead-hibiscus-flowers.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ehow.com/info_12083577_deadhead-hibiscus-flowers.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not knowing which varieties you have, its difficult to make a recommendation, but if they're the tropical type, I'd be inclined to experiment - deadhead half the plants and leave the other half to see if there's any difference in subsequent flowering. In the UK, we tend only to grow Hibiscus syriacus - some people don't like seeing dead flowerheads and take them off, other people don't worry about it and let the plant do its own thing. Doesn't seem to make much difference either way, except a deadheaded plant might look a bit tidier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-26T10:58:17.517" LastActivityDate="2015-07-26T10:58:17.517" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20201" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20193" CreationDate="2015-07-22T11:38:52.617" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, don't prune now. If the weather has been colder than usual and still is, wait for signs of growth, then cut back. Cutting back when growth hasn't started and the weather is still cold could cause plant death, or at the least, any new growth forced by the pruning to be caught in a cold snap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-07-22T11:38:52.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20197" CreationDate="2015-07-22T12:32:48.933" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on what I have seen in virtually any situation where I've dug a hole in the ground, 6-8 inches of topsoil is pretty normal in a natural state. Of course, I haven't dug any holes out in the great plains states where they supposedly have 6-8 feet, but that's an abnormal rather than normal condition for most other parts of the world.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My entire garden (USA-ian usage - &quot;veg plot&quot; to UK) struggles to maintain a foot of decent topsoil with me adding horse manure every year, and it gets along fine. Shrubs are rather less demanding, so they'll manage fine with less. Blueberries are a particularly handy shrub where you have limited soil depth, as they are naturally shallow-rooted (they happily grow in soil pockets largely built of their own leaves on top of solid rock, in the wild.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-07-22T12:32:48.933" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20203" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23104" CreationDate="2015-07-22T13:03:04.710" Score="4" ViewCount="8584" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently bought a house in the Auvergne region of France (South central) which is about 30 years old and that has the good fortune to have several mature fruit trees in the garden (cherry, apple, pear and apricot). All these species are in the same part of the garden so have similar aspects/exposures (lots of sun throughout the entire day) and presumably similar soil and drainage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, whilst my cherry crop was fine and I can see no problems with the other fruits still on the tree, most of my apricots have these kind of black-brown spots all over them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MZ5zJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;these&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Though the spots don't seem to make any difference to the flavour of the fruit and the texture is unchanged apart from the skin being slightly harder where the spots are. What may be different is that I've noticed that the affected fruit tend to be more prone to rotting on the tree, and many of the fruit that have fallen from the tree are mouldy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions to what might be causing this and how I may eliminate the problem in future years?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11769" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T16:14:05.177" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T16:14:05.177" Title="What is causing the brown-black spots on my apricots?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;apricots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20182" CreationDate="2015-07-22T14:36:21.337" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Despite the pic being out of focus, it looks awfully like Eupatorium perfoliatum, specially if the stem is hairy, but that plant is usually green, sometimes with brownish tinges to the leaves, and grows in damp areas, so it would be unusual to find it growing in beach sand. The second picture on the right lower down in the link below shows it reasonably clearly&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eupatorium_perfoliatum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eupatorium_perfoliatum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-22T14:41:36.550" LastActivityDate="2015-07-22T14:41:36.550" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20205" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-22T16:24:58.233" Score="3" ViewCount="164" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a Gardenia. Insects infested the soil so I added diatomaceous earth to it, but maybe I was too late. The plant continued dying, so I pulled it out and set it in a bath filled with water to which I added Bayer brand insecticide. But as you can see, the plant continues to die. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I save it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T5w1y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T5w1y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EO6gD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EO6gD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ba33C.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ba33C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T16:19:09.207" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T22:36:06.913" Title="How can I save an insect-damaged Gardenia?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20206" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-22T18:44:48.957" Score="5" ViewCount="4304" Body="&lt;p&gt;About a 1 1/2 months ago I ordered and received a live raspberry plant from Burpee. Burpee lists the plant as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burpee.com/fruit-plants/raspberry-plants/raspberry-crimson-night-ppaf-prod003054.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;description on Burpee.com&quot;&gt;Crimson Night Raspberry PPAF&lt;/a&gt;. My understanding is that this raspberry is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2012/04/cornell-releases-two-new-raspberry-varieties&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;Cornell Chronicle story: Cornell releases two new raspberry varieties&quot;&gt;variety released by Cornell about 3 years ago&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I received the plant I transplanted it to a larger container to allow it to recover &amp;amp; develop more before planting it in a permanent location. The first few weeks everything seemed to be fine. But then leaves started curling and eventually dying (pictures below). I have tried pruning the affected leaves off, but the problem still spreads to other parts of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is actually my second time trying to grow this raspberry. The first plant I received eventually died and Burpee replaced it. But now the replacement appears to be dying from whatever killed the first plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have never had to worry about plant diseases before so I am not at all sure what to do next. I am hoping someone here will be able to identify the problem and/or suggests ways I can either stop it or at least prevent it from killing my plants in the future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am located near Ithaca, NY in the United States, zone 5-ish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Note: Click on photograph for larger size.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FsSYF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FsSYF.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; height=&quot;400&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sh6R8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sh6R8.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; height=&quot;400&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C4Yz0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C4Yz0.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; height=&quot;225&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pbsNJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pbsNJ.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; height=&quot;225&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1208" LastEditorUserId="1208" LastEditDate="2015-07-22T20:57:00.673" LastActivityDate="2015-07-23T12:30:34.057" Title="Raspberry leaf curl disease? Can this be treated or prevented?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8942" CreationDate="2015-07-22T20:35:13.270" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Really, there is no landscaping or trees around the dorm where you can snitch a few scoops of dirt under the blanket of dark??? That's what I would do.  Wait until dark, run out with a coffee cup or a ziplock bag and a spoon, scoop up some dirt. It will work better than keeping a plant in water. Eventually the plant will not survive. Annd the dirt GRADUALLY (A little everyday) to the water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11772" LastActivityDate="2015-07-22T20:35:13.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20209" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-23T00:21:01.120" Score="2" ViewCount="1870" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can somebody help me identify this plant? It looks kind of like a salvia plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jmpdO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jmpdO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5668" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-23T00:50:38.800" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T09:00:01.450" Title="Can anybody identify this plant that looks like a Salvia?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20210" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-23T01:02:45.290" Score="4" ViewCount="3081" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the easiest and safest way to get rid of very aggressive ground bees?  I am not able to mow the lawn or doing any gardening around my flower bed at the front of my house, as these bees will sting and there are many of them.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11774" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-23T04:14:12.623" LastActivityDate="2015-07-23T19:13:24.433" Title="How to Get Rid of Aggressive Ground Bees" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20211" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20209" CreationDate="2015-07-23T10:16:25.437" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's one of the Veronicas, commonly known as Speedwell - I think its Veronica 'Royal Candles'. Picture in the link below, sorry its Amazon but it was the best one I could find...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B001TOTIC2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.amazon.com/Royal-Candles-Veronica-Perennial-Speedwell/dp/B001TOTIC2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-07-23T10:16:25.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20212" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20206" CreationDate="2015-07-23T11:43:20.863" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't tell properly from the photograph, but the third photo does suggest you have your raspberry planted in what appears to be a trough. If you have, troughs aren't usually any deeper than 8 inches at most, more often 4-6 inches, and that is no way deep enough for a raspberry plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are curling upwards rather than down, so it doesn't seem to be Raspberry Leaf Curl - there appears to be either some browning or some rust coloured deposits in the top two pictures - I'm assuming its browning from drought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant needs to be in deep, fertile soil - the fact you've got new, healthy growth appearing at the base hopefully means the problem you're having is simply because its planted in something it can't grow properly in, and the soil is too dry. Plant it out in a prepared area, and water thoroughly both while its still in the container, and when you plant it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-23T12:30:34.057" LastActivityDate="2015-07-23T12:30:34.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20213" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20210" CreationDate="2015-07-23T14:40:58.320" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;One successful method that I have used is to wait until dusk when the bees are not active, pump a generous amount of wasp/hornet spray into the hole, put a rock over the hole, wait of few days.  This worked every time I tried it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11778" LastActivityDate="2015-07-23T14:40:58.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20214" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20152" CreationDate="2015-07-23T15:01:02.803" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can go to a big box store and buy an automatic waterer for somewhere in the range of $20. I think I paid $30-something and got one that does two different settings for two different outs. They run on AA batteries. Then buy a drip irrigation line or a soaker hose (saw those for $5-10). Set it to come out and stay on, whatever schedule you want. Test it out ahead of time to make sure it works correctly and is watering them as thoroughly as desired. You should be able to not worry about your plants while you're gone and even for the rest of the summer. It's much easier, since they say it's better to water plants early, than trying to get up early on a work day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional Way:&#xA;Okay, I didn't see your comment about not having water near by. I think you can still do the same thing, but in a different way. You can go on craigslist or I've been told some restaurants have them, and get a plastic barrel that didn't have chemicals in it. You can get anywhere from a small drum to a 275lb IBC tote. You simply put it one a platform, the higher the better, though the 275lb tote would weigh roughly 2200lbs, and then put a bushing on it. The IBC tote already has a drain installed, you just need the garden hose adapter. Once you have this installed, you can use the same automatic timer and hose setup of your choice. The pressure will drop as the water does, so you won't get as much water for the same amount of watering time, once you get toward the bottom of the barrel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="9731" LastEditDate="2015-07-23T15:08:29.930" LastActivityDate="2015-07-23T15:08:29.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20215" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4940" CreationDate="2015-07-23T16:10:15.410" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some trees in Bulgaria. I did nothing until I lost some apple trees to the bugs. But when my big walnut tree started going the same way I found out what locals painted their trees with. It's called 'slow lime' as opposed to 'quick lime' It contains calcium oxide and magnesium oxide plus a few other goodies. I've now painted all my trees and will see what the result is next year. I was advised not to use latex paint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11779" LastActivityDate="2015-07-23T16:10:15.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20210" CreationDate="2015-07-23T16:12:43.847" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The two solutions I've used in the past are avoidance and hot soapy water. Where I live at least, wasps use abandoned ground squirrel tunnels, but they use them for one year only. If you can avoid entering the area around their nest for the rest of the season, the problem will go away on its own. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that isn't a possibility, pour a large bucket of soapy water down the hole after dusk, quickly cover the hole and leave. In my experience, this is as effective as wasp/hornet spray and you don't have to worry about harmful chemicals. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2015-07-23T19:13:24.433" LastActivityDate="2015-07-23T19:13:24.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20217" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-23T19:16:07.830" Score="5" ViewCount="1834" Body="&lt;p&gt;I moved into a house last year and have finally got around to thinking about the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What I have:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a west facing garden in London that is currently completely paved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have full width glass patio doors that open from the kitchen (back of the house) onto a small patio outside (just built this with the same large grey tiles as the kitchen). The doors also face west.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plan on removing the old paving and putting down turf instead (unless you have any better ideas?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am looking for some ideas on what to plant, where to plant it and more general ideas of what to do to make this an amazing garden. I also have a greenhouse on the roof (long story) so I am happy to grows stuff from seed to have costs etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a plan of the garden (to scale, 1 square is 1m2):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Patio is w 6.6m x l 2.4m&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rest of garden is w 6.6m x l1m (so 13.5m including the patio)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a shed in the back right corner (needs a door)&#xA;I have an inedible cherry tree in the back left corner. (looks great in spring but puts the centre of the garden in shade at about 4pm or 5pm)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kz0owl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;empty plan&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of the garden from the kitchen: &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/joiVr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;from kitchen&quot;&gt;&#xA;From the patio:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rxHfK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;7&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My giant inedible cheery tree:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9YV82l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9YV82l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Facing towards the kitchen: &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cAJ6C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;towards the kitchen&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Inside the kitchen from the door:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ks4Um.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ks4Um.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a plan that you can change yourself if you like:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardena.com/uk/garden-life/my-garden/my-garden-page/?g=0fbed972-bc2b-4649-9814-b629aeede757&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardena.com/uk/garden-life/my-garden/my-garden-page/?g=0fbed972-bc2b-4649-9814-b629aeede757&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sun&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sun hits the back of the garden about 10am and slowly covers the whole garden by about 12pm. At the sun arcs over the left fence by 3 ish the left bed has a bit of shade from the left fence (depending on the time of year.)&#xA;By 4pm the centre of the garden is in shade because of my cheery tree (I may have to give it a very big haircut or we have talked about removing it completely. Seems a shame but sun is very important in the UK ;) ) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What I want:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like somewhere to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;eat dinner &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;relax and entertain that is a bit more comfy. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sunbathe (could be the same area as above) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;have a bbq (but would be happy to wheel it out when i need it) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;have a bit of room for kids to play (dont have any yet but will do one day)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;that is lit at night and looks great from the kitchen instead of a black wall of glass (which is what we get now from the patio doors at night)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My ideas so far: (dont let them influence you too much)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beds on the sides with a seating area on the right, table, charis and bench on the patio: (you can see why I need help ;) )&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YexNA.png&quot; alt=&quot;plan&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking about a small table and chairs on the right of the new patio for eating, and then putting some comfy seating in the middle of the garden on the right (like a rattan sofa) so we don’t put all the seating on our new patio which will block the view from the kitchen and will mean we don’t fully use half of the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also know nothing about plants (but I am willing to learn J ). I would like that garden to look great all year round and be lit as it is the view of the kitchen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Specific non broad question&lt;/strong&gt; Where would you put the seating?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you so much for you time in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11576" LastEditorUserId="11576" LastEditDate="2015-07-24T23:59:29.083" LastActivityDate="2015-07-24T23:59:29.083" Title="Designing a west facing London garden from scratch. Help!" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="18" ClosedDate="2015-07-24T22:40:28.817" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20219" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20217" CreationDate="2015-07-24T11:45:17.763" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need a designer/landscaper, frankly - Kevinsky's right, 20 hours minimum from a professional, after a consultation, viewing the site and measuring, and I wouldn't do it for free any more than another professional would.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The one thing I will say is I would definitely remove that tree and possibly replace with a narrow one, maybe on the other side (compass required to decide that). And given the modernity of your extension, and your ideas about what you want, 'urban room' springs to mind rather than classic British garden. That doesn't mean no greenery/planting, but it requires careful thought and planning so that it doesn't look too stark and unbalanced, yet fills your requirements in terms of how you want to use the space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Likely this question will be closed, I'm afraid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-24T11:50:35.410" LastActivityDate="2015-07-24T11:50:35.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20220" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23106" CreationDate="2015-07-24T13:24:57.843" Score="1" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm fixing to start my vermicomposter. I'm using a damage 100gal Rubbermaid horse water tank.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1c4NK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1c4NK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know how many and of what sized hole to drill in the side for air. I figured maybe use a .25&amp;quot; bit to drill a hole every 6&amp;quot;, all the way around and up and down the bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondly, would it be a good idea to get some pvc pipe and drill holes in it, adding two or three of these through the center of the bin, to get air into the middle of the bin, since it's so thick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, I'd like to collect the worm water, for watering the garden. As you can see in the picture, it has a plug, but this might be too high and allow too much water to sit in the bottom. I was thinking of raising the bin up on logs, drilling 3-4 holes in the bottom inside the diameter of a 5 gal bucket, and sticking that underneath to catch the liquid. This might let a little water be on the bottom, but the excess should flow out and the rest should wick throughout the bin so I don't have to wet it as often. Does this sound like a good plan for the drain holes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T16:39:17.210" Title="How many air holes for 100gal vermicomposter?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;&lt;air-flow&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20221" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20246" CreationDate="2015-07-24T13:31:08.860" Score="4" ViewCount="156" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm asking a few questions in getting my vermicomposter started. I'm using a 100gal Rubbermaid horse water tank. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1c4NK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1c4NK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know how deep the bedding should be when I start it and how many worms I need to get it started. I have access to shredded paper from work and I've been saving up scraps of paper and card board at home. I'll buy a couple of bags of garden soil from Home Depot and mix that together for the basic bedding, adding a little sand for digestion. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plan is to start it shallow and gradually add material till it's full over the year. That way, they can keep rising and digesting and I'll end up with a lot of worm castings for my garden in the spring. I just don't know how deep I should start it and how many worms I need. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found a site called Uncle Jim's worms, they have the red wiggler composting worms and will sell you boxes of 500, 1000, and 2000 worms. I want to start with the 500 and I really think that's too many since I'll start shallow. They sell the red wrigglers and the European night crawlers. I'm really not sure how these differ from the ones sold for fish bait and wonder if I could just buy some of those to start small and save on shipping. Anyway, if you guys could help me out on how deep to start it and how many worms it would take to get it started, that'd be great? Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="7231" LastEditDate="2015-07-27T18:25:40.450" LastActivityDate="2016-10-12T20:49:40.117" Title="How deep to start my vermicomposter and how many worms to start?" Tags="&lt;vermicomposting&gt;&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3846" CreationDate="2015-07-24T18:05:57.363" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are patient enough to do it, I think its worth going through with a pair of small hand pruners (Fishers makes a very small pair for indoor floral work) and cutting free the tendrils wrapped around stalks of shrubs and branches. If you DON'T do this, they dry &amp;amp; harden and become more difficult to remove, often cutting into the soft tissue/bark of young branches and disfiguring/impairing it's growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For harder trees like oaks they dry out and can usually be ripped off later, but younger plantings not so much. That along with the herbicide on the stems close to the ground should knock them out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your soil is soft after a rain, I have had plenty of success tearing out extensive roots. That usually means it's permanently removed, or at least gone for that season. Birds LOVE those grapes, and trust me, they will be back if you live in any sort of rural setting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, if you have land, go ahead and leave some wild grape growing where is doesn't matter. For example, I have huge patches of Phragmites where the Wild grape shades it out, and provides food for birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11782" LastEditorUserId="174" LastEditDate="2015-07-24T19:11:49.777" LastActivityDate="2015-07-24T19:11:49.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20221" CreationDate="2015-07-24T19:03:19.417" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't want to discourage you from this plan, but I think the proposed container will pose a few challenges. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will need to cover this to keep the worms from leaving and to keep animals from getting in and feasting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will definitely need to make accommodations for gas exchange. Drill holes in the side or don't let it get to densely packed or too deep. But no matter what you do, the bottom will get very dense as it fills with damp worm castings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Harvesting the castings from this will also be more difficult that with smaller containers or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wormfarmfacts.com/Worm-Bin-Types.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;different designs&lt;/a&gt;, but you might make it easier by using a screen divider so that you can dig out half while leaving the other half intact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can easily start with 12&quot; of shredded cardboard (The Amazon Basics 12 sheet shredder has worked for us for several years). You'd maybe a 2 gallons of soil for the grit and 2 gallons of fresh, high quality compost for the microorganisms. Refrain from putting much kitchen waste in there for a while, and then slowly increase the amount you put in as long as they are keeping up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want red wigglers for vermicomposting. The night crawlers dig deep into the ground and only surface to nibble. The red wigglers live in the &quot;food&quot; layer that you are trying to break down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for how many worms to put in, we had some 24&quot; x 48&quot; x 24&quot; deep &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.redwormcomposting.com/vermbin-series-plans-package/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;flow-through vermbins&lt;/a&gt; built for clients, and were told that 5 lbs. of red wigglers (about 4,000 - 5,000) would not be overkill. But we needed to get things going quickly. If you can wait, then you could start out smaller. But I'd definitely think you'd want more than 500. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-07-24T19:03:19.417" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20226" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4832" CreationDate="2015-07-24T23:54:29.233" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the same problem. The nursery told me to put some Lime in the soil. A second gardener recommended &quot;Lilly Miller,&quot;Super Sweet&quot;. I have removed the peppers that have the Calcium problem and hopefully this will help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11785" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-26T19:53:17.147" LastActivityDate="2015-07-26T19:53:17.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20227" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21836" CreationDate="2015-07-25T17:11:17.337" Score="6" ViewCount="10351" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've started seeing cockroaches in the kitchen at work. We've managed to keep their population from exploding by cleaning. Since their food supply is now limited and the critters are highly active, I expect that they would be quite vulnerable to traps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The traps I have in mind are carnivorous plants, like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitcher_plant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pitcher plants&lt;/a&gt;. Are there any species that specialize in beetles, or more specifically, cockroaches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11788" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-15T03:48:02.660" LastActivityDate="2016-09-02T21:18:24.683" Title="Can I use carnivorous plants to control cockroaches?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20229" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-25T21:34:44.133" Score="6" ViewCount="147" Body="&lt;p&gt;Related: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5011/compost-has-larva-or-maggots&quot;&gt;Compost has larva or maggots?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a compost vessel (around 300L) which we use as a supplement to our garbage can. We don't usually throw meat in it and we don't intend to ever do it again. However, somewhere around two weeks ago somebody asked if he could throw half a kilogram of spoiled minced meat in it. I didn't know any better, so I gave him the go ahead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The resulting stench has been growing for the past couple of days and maggots have infested the vessel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;I'm looking for:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A quick, one-time fix which if at all possible will not destroy the rest of the eco-system (or what's left of it) in the vessel.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have very limited gardening experience and the compost has no specific goal (I haven't needed to clean it in years, it's self-regulating).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I get rid of the maggots the easy way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: I do not think this question is a duplicate. I'm looking for a one-time fix while the answers in the other question are more of a long-term thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11791" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-07-27T21:53:04.903" Title="Getting rid of maggots in a compost vessel" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20231" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-26T20:23:09.503" Score="2" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've installed micro irrigation, as:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;water butt &gt; pump filter &gt; Shurflo 30psi pump &gt; 16mm supply pipe &gt; 4mm pipe &gt; emitters&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have seen others mention dirt can enter the emitters &amp;amp; eventually backflow to the pump.  It seems either an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281095326300?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&amp;amp;ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;inline non-return/check&lt;/a&gt; valve or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16mm-INLINE-FILTER-POND-HYDROPONICS-IRRIGATION-/161011235395?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&amp;amp;hash=item257d047a43&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;inline filter&lt;/a&gt; would be suitable on the pump output, but the budget only allows for one.  Are either really needed, and which connector would be more beneficial? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11795" LastActivityDate="2015-08-26T09:24:12.963" Title="Micro Drip Irrigation Backflow Filter (To Protect Pump)" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;&lt;water&gt;&lt;rain-barrel&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20232" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-26T20:51:08.767" Score="0" ViewCount="369" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its about 6 ft tall, not sure what it is, want to tear it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JAInv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JAInv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11794" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T19:05:14.170" Title="What plant or weed is this?" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20234" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-27T01:26:24.360" Score="1" ViewCount="3449" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a straight gas powered string trimmer that spins counterclockwise. There seems to be conflicting information on the internet regarding how to hold, orient and maneuver string trimmers. Some sources say to hold the handle with your left hand, trigger with your right hand, position the trimmer to your left and walk right to left. Some sources say the exact opposite and everything in between. From what I can gather, curved trimmers (no gearbox) spin clockwise and straight trimmer (gearbox) spin counterclockwise. Does the direction of the string's spin determine whether the direction you work from (left to right or right to left)? It seems like the debris are always flying at me. I just don't know the correct way to orient the trimmer and which way to walk when holding it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For some reason I just don't get the physics of all this naturally and I am hoping someone can finally clear this up. Pictures would be extremely helpful but I understand that is time-consuming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11017" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T20:26:50.923" Title="What is the correct way to hold, orient and maneuver string trimmers?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;mowing&gt;&lt;string-trimmer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20235" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20234" CreationDate="2015-07-27T02:02:29.550" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basic rule of thumb is.. If head spins clockwise debris exits on the left and it's best to cut from the right. For counter-clockwise it's the opposite. You want debris to blow away from the area you're cutting and away from you. That will indicate which direction you walk to as you want to walk towards the uncut area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally though I find that sometimes the spinning line blows down some blades of grass before cutting them and a back and forth motion works better. At least in some spots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to how to hold it.. First check your manual to see what it recommends but how to hold it I think is more what feels more comfortable and gives you the best control. I've only used curved shaft trimmers and I'm right handed so I naturally just hold the trigger with my right and the handle with my left because it's more comfortable and I haven't given it much thought. Certain parts of the motor get hotter than the other and by having the motor on my right I'm away from the hottest parts and the exhaust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a Ryobi 4 Cycle power head with a curved trimmer attachment but it can also accept straight trimmer attachments. I just checked the manual and for either the straight or curved trimmer it indicates you should hold the trimmer the same way. Right hand on trigger, left on handle so the motor is to the right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-07-27T02:10:50.190" LastActivityDate="2015-07-27T02:10:50.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20236" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-27T04:09:37.103" Score="1" ViewCount="644" Body="&lt;p&gt;My basil plants have recently started spotting on the leaves with a couple yellow leaf drops and streaking on stems. Is this a disease or some other issues?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EZ7Xu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EZ7Xu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bootu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bootu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/5QhAq&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Full Gallery of photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few details:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hardiness Zone 4a to 3a&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;6 - 8 hours of direct sunlight.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not a significant amount of leaf drop. Here and there.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some curled and deformed leaves.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant trying to flower like crazy.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Only water when soil feels dry.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11798" LastEditorUserId="11798" LastEditDate="2015-07-27T21:35:09.543" LastActivityDate="2015-07-27T22:36:16.113" Title="Is this Fusarium Wilt or nutrient deficiency or something else?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20237" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20231" CreationDate="2015-07-27T08:49:05.880" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If backflow is a proper issue then the check valve may be your best option in that its sole purpose is to prevent the backflow of fluids in a system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11800" LastActivityDate="2015-07-27T08:49:05.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20188" CreationDate="2015-07-27T08:59:27.607" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having much experience with both the short answer is yes. The plant lives a fuller more healthy life when properly groomed. The removal of spent blooms benefits the health of the plant. The Hibiscus will continue blooming if spent flowers are not removed but you leave you plant susceptible to destructive insects and mold when it is not properly cared for. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hiddenvalleyhibiscus.com/newsletters/august2012.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.hiddenvalleyhibiscus.com/newsletters/august2012.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note section specifically addressing the removal of spent flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11800" LastActivityDate="2015-07-27T08:59:27.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20239" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20229" CreationDate="2015-07-27T09:09:17.660" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Diatomaceous earth is an excellent organic, non invasive remedy that shouldn't harm the existing ecosystem. It works but suffocating insects and pests of various sorts. It is the only insecticide I use on my garden and I have had success removing, Aphids, TwoSpotted Spider Mites, Japanese Beetles, Earwigs and many others. A simple google search will list dozens of suppliers whose sites you can explore to see for yourself. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also for the stench try pine or cedar chips. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11800" LastEditorUserId="11800" LastEditDate="2015-07-27T21:53:04.903" LastActivityDate="2015-07-27T21:53:04.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20240" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14021" CreationDate="2015-07-27T09:34:59.640" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This flower is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senecio&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Senecio sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11801" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-27T14:24:02.543" LastActivityDate="2015-07-27T14:24:02.543" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20242" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20232" CreationDate="2015-07-27T11:49:34.143" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, the flower stems and flowers look exactly like Galinsoga quadriradiata (link below), commonly known as Shaggy Soldier, Quick Weed, Peruvian Daisy, take your pick - but that usually only gets about 2 feet, and the leaves don't seem quite right on this plant. Could there be more than one type of plant growing together, and the flowers we can see are not part of the main foliage that's visible, but simply intermingled?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galinsoga_quadriradiata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galinsoga_quadriradiata&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The foliage actually resembles one of the Chenopodiums, possibly Chenopodium album or C. murale (amaranth family), but that isn't usually as tall and has an inflorescence at the top for flowers which are not at all daisy like in form. C. album pictured here:-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.apatita.com/herbario/Amaranthaceae/Chenopodium_album.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.apatita.com/herbario/Amaranthaceae/Chenopodium_album.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just noticed another question of yours about a weed that isn't a tomato (pokeweed) - I'd recommend you do a bit more weeding about the place, since the two plants in this question are also considered weeds, on the assumption you didn't actually plant them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-28T19:05:14.170" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T19:05:14.170" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20243" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20244" CreationDate="2015-07-27T13:14:33.497" Score="7" ViewCount="4545" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in midwest Iowa and my lawn has started to get taken over by &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glechoma_hederacea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Creeping Charlie&lt;/a&gt;. After much reading, I went out and bought the Ortho Weed Be Gone to try and kill it off. A week ago I tested by spraying just a few patches in my front yard. After just a few days, it started turning brown and yellow so it appears to be killing it off, just how I wanted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So yesterday, I went ahead and walked around my ENTIRE yard (1/2 acre) and sprayed every spot/patch that I could find. Now I'm in a wait-and-see step to see how it does.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the next step here? I wanted to put down the Scot's Weed and Feed because it says it will &quot;push out&quot; all the weeds because my good grass will grow and take over. But it says that it should only be done in late spring. Should I go ahead and fertilize with this? I don't want the spots that [hopefully] get killed off to be just completely dead, I want my good grass to come in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help is appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11804" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-27T21:47:28.080" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T11:39:35.613" Title="What should I do about bare patches in my lawn after killing off Creeping Charlie?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20243" CreationDate="2015-07-27T13:56:58.633" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You must not use Scotts Weed and Feed formulation now for two reasons - one, you've already applied a weedkiller to the entire lawn, and one of the active ingredients, 2,4D, is present in both formulations, which means you'll be overdosing on the weedkiller front. Second, where you live, your first frost date is early October, so feed should not be applied this late in the year. If you finish up with bald patches, you can reseed those this year, you've just about got time - &lt;strong&gt;you must wait for three weeks after applying the Ortho B Gon.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are 'autumn' (presumably labelled 'fall' where you are) feed preparations for lawns available in the UK, not sure about where you are, but they're designed to release low levels of nutrients for six months and do not contain any weedkiller. This treatment will not, however, 'push out' weeds - that claim is based on the idea that the weedkiller content in the Scotts Weed and Feed product will kill off the weeds, and the feed will increase the growth rate of the grass, so that its more likely to fill in any bald patches. In reality, if the bald patches are over 6 inches in size, re-seeding is usually necessary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't recommend using an autumn feed product if you are going to reseed some areas - best wait till late spring and use the Scotts Weed and Feed then instead, because the new seed will have been down long enough to withstand it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you feel it would be valuable, you could take a risk and apply a liquid Lawn Food immediately (something like Scotts Liquid Turf Builder), but it does mean walking over the lawn again  - it's also dependent on what type of grass you've got as to whether this is a good thing to do at this time of year, but ensure that, if you do this, what you buy is simply a &lt;strong&gt;liquid lawn fertilizer&lt;/strong&gt;, without any weedkillers or other treatments included. Liquids tend to feed instantly with a shorter term residual effect, when compared with granular formulations; these latter wouldn't be appropriate at this time of year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-28T11:39:35.613" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T11:39:35.613" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20245" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20229" CreationDate="2015-07-27T16:30:11.143" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've done a fair amount of composting and with minimal effort things will usually balance out. That's not a quick fix though. Honestly I'd just let them eat and try to keep the meat buried as much as possible. You might kill the maggots but then what are you going to do with the rotting meat? Search out every chunk? Let the maggots do it and go from there. I know it's not the answer you want but I honestly think it's the best one. Maybe put some screening over it to keep animals out. (Not sure if your vessel has a lid or not). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7231" LastActivityDate="2015-07-27T16:30:11.143" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20246" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20221" CreationDate="2015-07-27T16:42:22.223" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been vermicomposting for just over a year and I purchased from Uncle Jim's. I'd go with 1 lb or about 1,000 to start. The bedding only needs a few inches. If your food is really wet then maybe a little more (lots of melons). Also, I would strongly recommend:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Doing a compartmentalized food program rather than layers. I've found it's a pain to get the worms out of the compost. If you &lt;strong&gt;feed on one side wait&lt;/strong&gt; and then on the other side. Then the worms will follow the food and leave the compost behind. Then you can &lt;em&gt;harvest with ease&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;I don't drill holes&lt;/em&gt; in my Rubbermaid. I did initially but if I &lt;strong&gt;just watch the moisture levels&lt;/strong&gt; by the types of food I'm adding and keep it moist (not wet) by adding paper or water as needed it works much better than having that nasty leachate sitting in another container. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I don't feed my worms a lot and they're fine. One thing that is hard to deal with when starting is the desire for constant attention to the worms. Someone said &lt;em&gt;worms thrive on benign neglect&lt;/em&gt; and it's pretty true. Just &lt;strong&gt;feed them and cover them&lt;/strong&gt; and let them do their job. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I would &lt;strong&gt;add screen to your lid&lt;/strong&gt; and close it. If you close your container tight you will end up with suffocated worms trying to get out. (And not eating your food). That's my experience and what's working for me. I think it's pretty fun so have a good time with it.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7231" LastEditorUserId="14359" LastEditDate="2016-10-12T20:49:40.117" LastActivityDate="2016-10-12T20:49:40.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20247" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-27T19:30:52.530" Score="1" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves on my chili plants have started curling up, and on the underside of the leaves along the petiole, I've noticed a line of very fine white hairs. What's wrong with my plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11809" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-07-27T21:42:31.777" LastActivityDate="2015-07-27T21:42:31.777" Title="What is causing curling and white, hairy growth on the leaves of my chili plants?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2015-09-15T19:20:38.403" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20248" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20236" CreationDate="2015-07-27T21:46:13.757" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In light of your dry climate, it could be copper deficiency. Watering with a blue water soluble fertilizer should help to fix that, though, if true. Kelp is an option for extra copper (and other minerals).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much phosphorus could have caused the copper not to be available to your plant. I see that you fertilized with 10-15-10 fertilizer, and that you said your plant is trying hard to bloom (phosphorus is supposed to contribute to blossoms and plant maturity).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, since you've already fertilized, you might want to go a different route than adding more blue fertilizer, and just balance your N-P-K ratios by adding more potassium and maybe also nitrogen, but not more phosphorus; a soil test should help. Balancing the N-P-K levels might make the copper more available, but I could be wrong—you might have to deplete some phosphorus first (but I don't think so).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read someone say that phosphorus should never be higher than potassium in a fertilizer (assuming the soil isn't high in potassium and low in phosphorus). I would have to research this to know how true it is, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be both copper deficiency and a fungus, because copper is anti-fungal and I postulate that a lack of it might make a plant more susceptible to fungi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Old answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be downy mildew. I wouldn't have known to suggest that, but it looks a lot like the picture at the bottom &lt;a href=&quot;http://agdev.anr.udel.edu/weeklycropupdate/?tag=muskmelon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; (they say that's what it is there).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't be surprised if it were pythium, either (if that infects leaves; I know it infects stems). It can cause damping off disease in seedlings, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Septoria leaf spot is another candidate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-07-27T22:36:16.113" LastActivityDate="2015-07-27T22:36:16.113" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20249" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-27T23:30:57.427" Score="3" ViewCount="1052" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tbrrK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tbrrK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;This is a volunteer.  Not sure what it is.  Can you tell me?  I would pull it if it's a weed but not sure. In Omaha, NE in the mostly sun partial shade.  I had two pop up one is by the driveway the other close to the house.  Just regular dirt with mulch. The leaves remind me of carrot leaves but a little bigger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sf0Gh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sf0Gh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11811" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-07-29T13:25:23.870" LastActivityDate="2015-08-29T04:30:39.170" Title="What is this leafy plant with thick stems and carrot-like leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20250" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-27T23:34:09.410" Score="4" ViewCount="1508" Body="&lt;p&gt;On a recent trip to a pick-your-own fruit and vegetables farm, I was fascinated how they had columns of fresh raspberries. They tasted lovely and sweet. I was inspired and wanted to figure out how to obtain raspberry seeds. I came across a video which involves food processing the raspberries and then squeezing the puree into a sieve leaving behind the seeds. The video explains that I would need to dry the seeds overnight. And he mentioned something about stratifying them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I want to do is ensure stratification either by leaving it in small pots outside and let nature take it's course, or to put the seeds in the freezer. I would prefer either as they both seem easy to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone guide me please.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11790" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-28T03:18:47.773" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T11:40:13.873" Title="What is the best way to sprout extracted seeds from fresh Driscolls Maravilla raspberries?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20251" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20252" CreationDate="2015-07-28T00:24:04.883" Score="2" ViewCount="848" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed this plant at an open house, and this particular specimen was one of the smaller ones there. I'm wondering if I can plant one of these in a partially shaded spot next to the walkway. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance for your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FLdAt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FLdAt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11812" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T00:37:10.487" Title="What is this plant with red/green leaves and yellow flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20251" CreationDate="2015-07-28T00:37:10.487" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is Canna...&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.brecks.com/images/500/66916.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Canna tropical&lt;/a&gt;  Pretty hardy plant that dies back in winter unless you live in the tropics or subtropics. Cut those flowers off before they start wilting!  You'll be able to convince your plant to keep producing flowers/seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T00:37:10.487" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20250" CreationDate="2015-07-28T00:52:31.143" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Raspberries are best propogated vegetatively.  Leave the seed production to experts as they are able to control what plant fertilizes a desired plant. NOT an easy thing to do.  Most gardeners purchase bare root stems to start their own raspberry patch.  Easy-peasy and you are ensured the correct species.  Making seeds to grow is a stretch for even the most experienced gardeners.  Need sterile greenhouses to produce seed that you KNOW have been fertilized with pollen from specific plants.  The best time to procure raspberry plants is the fall/late summer. You can plant them, all winter they put down roots and in the spring they pretty much go nuts. Least expensive.  Purchasing raspberry starts in the spring is great, you have to pay a bit more but you won't have to cross your fingers so much.  Use fertilizer with lower nitrogen in percentage to phosphorus and potassium.  Prepare your raspberry beds by double digging and add DECOMPOSED organic mulch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T00:52:31.143" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20254" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-28T01:07:19.723" Score="4" ViewCount="712" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to find the right mix of plants between the walkway and the exterior wall of the house as you can see in the picture below. There are a few palm trees so there is not a lot of direct light falling in this spot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The previous homeowner had planted a couple of rose bushes (center) that I don't mind getting rid of - they're alive but that's about it. The other two on the side are either dead (rightmost) or almost dead with a few leaves (leftmost).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in USDA hardiness zone 10b / Sunset climate zone 23. I'd like to replace these with a set of plants that:&#xA;- would work in the shade&#xA;- have some color&#xA;- waterwise / somewhat drought tolerant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe a mix of some taller plants at the back with some smaller ones (like the moses-in-the-cradle I saw at HomeDepot) in the wider spots in front? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried looking at colorful, drought-tolerant plants online but I don't have a green thumb so not sure how easily they would take, care needed etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MDdKB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MDdKB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;area under consideration&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DGYDD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DGYDD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;moses-in-the-cradle&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: The 'drought-tolerant' is a nice to have, the watering schedule is currently set up for 2-3x a week. So as long as the plants don't require a lot of water, that would be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit 2:&lt;/strong&gt; In response to Stormy's question, here are some more images of the front walkway area. I'm afraid there is no 'yard' (real estate is $$$$ here in southern Cal). Apologies in advance for what is now a very lengthy post&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's 3, maybe 4 areas we will &quot;update&quot; over the next year or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image A:&lt;/em&gt; This is from the house looking out to the street. &#xA;The area outlined on the left is where we hope to put Hibiscus or Hibiscus + Bougainvillea next spring. Purpose is to also form a barrier as my next-door neighbor has an overgrown/unkept backyard and does the bare minimum in the front to keep the HOA off his back. At the same time, the wife likes Hibiscus flowers so dual purpose. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's the area on the right that was covered earlier. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image B&lt;/em&gt;: Same view but from the other side, for a close up of some the plants in the front left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image C&lt;/em&gt;: Close up of the center area. I removed a dead plant from the left, and this is where I'm hoping to put in a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/20251/what-is-this-plant-with-red-green-leaves-and-yellow-flowers/20252&quot;&gt;Canna tropical&lt;/a&gt;. The other side has what seems to be lifeless rose bush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image D&lt;/em&gt;: The front. As you can see, the previous homeowner allowed the ground cover to take over, either by choice or otherwise. Not against the ground cover but I have not yet seen those two small bushes flower. (Maybe they do so in early spring, as they look exactly the same since we bought the place)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image E&lt;/em&gt;: Close up of the last bit. There's a succulent, a hydrangea that is peeking out from the back, some tall grass that needs to be cleared up :) and etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a nutshell, I'm open to ripping most of these out over the next couple of years and putting in something that works, looks cohesive but at the same time is colorful &amp;amp; leafy/tropical. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I realize this may be a bigger question than what's possible to answer easily, hence recommendations for any one area is appreciated as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am hoping to take on one area at a time (side of the house, center, and neighbor), wait until it settles and survives and then move on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for reading till the end!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xNCpc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xNCpc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image A&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N3nYX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N3nYX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image B&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fcdEt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fcdEt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image C&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gqe8M.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gqe8M.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image D&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AO0qP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AO0qP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image E&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11812" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-08-12T21:18:21.047" Title="Recommendations for plants next to front walkway" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20255" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20243" CreationDate="2015-07-28T01:25:54.030" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bamboo's answer is great...just wanted to add a few things.  Fall is a great time to grow grasses for lawns.  They'll be able to root and become established during the winter season out-competing weeds.  Rake those bare spots, use a spreader to apply seed, rake very lightly again and TAMP the seed and soil.  This is a good time to aerate your lawn FIRST by pulling plugs of soil out of your lawn and leaving those plugs to disintegrate on their own.  Then I'd reseed with a spreader over your entire lawn.  Using the spreader again, I'd get some slow-release organic fertilizer formulated for fall.  Dr. Earth's lawn fertilizer is worth the extra few bucks!!  I'd rent a roller you fill with water and roll your entire lawn to get the best seed/soil contact.  Keep patches moist until new grass is at least 4&quot;. Next year DO NOT MOW SHORTER THAN 3&quot;. Always water deeply (6&quot;) and allow to dry (perfect indicator are your footprints on the lawn, grass doesn't pop back up).  Water deeply and again allow to dry before watering again.  Your lawn should be fertilized a minimum of 3X with formulations to match time of season.  Aerate 1X per year, minimum.  If you keep your lawn at 3&quot; your lawn will be able to outcompete weeds by shading weed seeds preventing germination and your grasses will be able to produce enough food for themselves because the amount of topgrowth (photosynthesis) will be able to feed their genetically big/deep root systems.  Any shorter your grass will always be inudated with weeds because your grass will always be stressed. Stay away from non-organic fast release fertilizers.  Don't use Weed and Feed if you can possibly resist!  The idea is to get your lawn so VIGOROUS, HEALTHY, DARK GREEN so it can out compete any weed!  An established lawn needs watering once per week, 1&quot; total.  3&quot; tall NO SHORTER!!  I tried 2 1/2&quot; and did not work. Better than 2&quot;...but at 3&quot; all my lawns (hey, I did this for years commercially) were the darkest green, amazingly free of weeds and mowing took very little off...reducing grass stress even more.  Never go longer than one week between mowings.  Mowing twice a week is super!  &quot;Mulching mowers&quot; have never impressed me...just bag clippings and use for compost!  If you've got thatch...well, that's another question.  Lawns are the most amazing creature most of us do not understand!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T01:25:54.030" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20254" CreationDate="2015-07-28T04:08:10.353" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You definitely need a 'foundation' or 'skeleton' plant.  Too many different plants ruin a landscape.  Plan on chosing ONE plant and planting the entire space...The 'Moses in the cradle' if it works in shade...you'd need a minimum of 12.  I'd also pull all the little foo foo plants that aren't working for you.  I need to check on your zone (have never had the priveledge to garden in heaven!) so I could give you more choices.  Home Depot is not the best place to purchase plants!!  I'd go to a bigger nursery, possibly even a wholesale nursery. Others on this site might have more experience with your zone...do not go crazy with different plants!  This is your front door (I think) and a professional (such as moi) would plant ONE SPECIES for this space!  Homeowners always make the mistake using too many types of plants and your landscape will suffer in composition, energy to maintain and drive you crazy...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Liriope is a great choice by Bamboo.  Acanthus mollis or Bear's Breech for shade/partial shade. For the sun, Crocosmia...either red or yellow. You need a ground cover that will be consistent and one or two other cool plants for seasonal interest.  Once again, from a professional and from an artistic viewpoint...one or two or three plants that THRIVE is spectacular.  Anymore for this area you'd better be into maintenance and know your plants to have curbside appeal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a few other great, tried plants to consider:  Ligularia, Heleborus, Hosta, oh!  Gunnera would be a super specimen plant!!   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2015-08-12T21:18:21.047" LastActivityDate="2015-08-12T21:18:21.047" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2609" CreationDate="2015-07-28T07:45:37.823" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is named &lt;em&gt;Phytolacca americana&lt;/em&gt;, invasive in Europe from US. Fruits are a bit toxic. To see more about toxicity you can see &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; page.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11814" LastEditorUserId="11814" LastEditDate="2015-07-30T17:03:18.087" LastActivityDate="2015-07-30T17:03:18.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20259" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20209" CreationDate="2015-07-28T07:47:50.713" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;em&gt;Veronica spicata&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cheers,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;RP&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11814" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T07:47:50.713" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20052" CreationDate="2015-07-28T07:54:59.353" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, It is a lichen. It belongs to &lt;em&gt;Parmeliaceae&lt;/em&gt; family. The picture is of poor quality, but it could be &lt;em&gt;Parmelia saxatilis&lt;/em&gt; if there are some isidias, or &lt;em&gt;Parmelia sulcata&lt;/em&gt; if there are some soralias (on the thallus).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lichens are not a problem for your trees, they are in fact constituted of a symbiotic association between a fungus and a photosynthetic algae (it is the mushroom that invented agriculture!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some species are valuable to assess the air quality. Generaly yellow species indicates poor quality and air pollution...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cheers,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;R.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11814" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T07:54:59.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20261" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20025" CreationDate="2015-07-28T08:09:12.567" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes it is an &lt;em&gt;Epipactis sp&lt;/em&gt;, I am not pretty sure for &lt;em&gt;E. helleborine&lt;/em&gt; as mentionned in the &quot;cytiroom blog&quot; as the color and general shape of the flowers don't match well with &lt;em&gt;E. helleborine&lt;/em&gt;, nor the leaves...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;R.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11814" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T08:09:12.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20262" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19932" CreationDate="2015-07-28T08:16:50.173" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It comes from &lt;em&gt;Rhinanthus sp&lt;/em&gt;. It is an annual hemi-parasitic herbaceous plants in the family Orobanchaceae. Generally it loves meadows which are not too much fertilized (which is a good thing to preserve biodiversity and water quality!). So these species are indicators of rather &quot;good&quot; environmental conditions!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11814" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-07-28T13:57:01.917" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T13:57:01.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20263" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16231" CreationDate="2015-07-28T08:21:42.607" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Difficult for me to say as I'm in France, but it sounds to be a &lt;em&gt;Chenopodiaceae&lt;/em&gt; (family)... You may look on the side of &lt;em&gt;Polygonum&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;chenopodium&lt;/em&gt;... It is maybe &lt;em&gt;Chenopodium pumilio&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope it leads you on a good &quot;path&quot; ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11814" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-07-29T08:38:16.943" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T08:38:16.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20264" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19439" CreationDate="2015-07-28T08:29:27.503" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes it is &lt;em&gt;Ailanthus altissima&lt;/em&gt;, native from north-east &amp;amp; central China, and Taiwan also.&#xA;It can be considered as an invasive species in a lot of places. It loves disturbed places like railway sides.&#xA;Sometimes the leaves can have a strong &quot;peanut&quot; smell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11814" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-07-28T13:46:44.477" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T13:46:44.477" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20025" CreationDate="2015-07-28T08:31:15.407" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I concur, the image seems to be of a Helleborine Orchid. In regards to a previous answer please note: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Epipactis, or Helleborine, is a genus of terrestrial orchids consisting of approximately 70 species. This genus is abbreviated as Epcts in horticultural trade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally there are 13 subspecies within the Epcts genus itself. As you can see on &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipactis_helleborine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; this plant is known to grow within the region reported. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11800" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T08:31:15.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20266" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19298" CreationDate="2015-07-28T08:31:35.497" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like an &lt;em&gt;Amaranthaceae&lt;/em&gt;, maybe a &lt;em&gt;Betta sp.&lt;/em&gt; (&lt;em&gt;vulgaris, etc&lt;/em&gt;...).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11814" LastEditorUserId="11814" LastEditDate="2015-07-29T04:25:14.023" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T04:25:14.023" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16231" CreationDate="2015-07-28T08:39:20.990" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like it some species of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacopa_monnieri&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bacopa&lt;/a&gt;. Bacopa is known to grow wild in that region and has similar characteristics. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A close up of the blooms would prove helpful in determining the genus, species. I found this picture of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.organicgardener.com.au/articles/wild&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wild Bacopa&lt;/a&gt; but cannot determine if the the flowers are a match or not. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please post when you find out! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11800" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T08:39:20.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20209" CreationDate="2015-07-28T09:00:01.450" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_spicata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Speedwell&lt;/a&gt; as it is commonly called can be found in almost any nursery around this time of the year in the united states. Depending on your zone it may not be offered or may be considered an Annual. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its similar appearance to slavia makes it hard to differentiate for those who have never seen the plant before. The largest difference occurs in the family branch Salvia belonging to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lamiaceae&lt;/a&gt; and the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_spicata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Speedwell&lt;/a&gt; belonging to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantaginaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Plantaginaceae&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being of the mint family the Salvia has a very fragrant nature. So now you know: if you're ever questioning yourself give it a sniff. The Speedwell will not have much of a fragrance, but the Salvia will!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11800" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T09:00:01.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20270" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20250" CreationDate="2015-07-28T09:49:11.957" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What everyone's trying to say, put in simple terms, is this - raspberries will not come true from seed. 'Not coming true' simply means you will get a raspberry plant, but you'll have no clue as to quite how well it will crop or the quality of the fruit, because it won't be the same as the original plant which produced the seed, so your Driscoll's seed won't necessarily produce Driscoll raspberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doesn't mean you shouldn't do it though - the link below gives you clear instructions on how to do it. If you are in the UK, then cold stratification will definitely take place outdoors over winter in a cold frame. Note also that you can't expect fruit for a couple of years - you need the seedlings to grow into plants first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-raspberries-seeds-26247.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-raspberries-seeds-26247.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-28T11:40:13.873" LastActivityDate="2015-07-28T11:40:13.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20254" CreationDate="2015-07-28T10:22:55.583" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends how big the whole area of the yard is whether you stick to one plant only or not - I wouldn't, I'd use probably 3 different plants planted in groups of at least 3 or more, depending on the ultimate size of the plants chosen. It won't be easy to achieve the layered effect you want with planting because the border looks to be quite narrow, and particularly narrow in the middle part, where the paving curves. It's probably best to stick to group planting along the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Rhoeo spathacea 'tricolor'  in the photo (your Moses in the Cradle) should work there, though it does colour better with some sun - I suspect it would go quite plain green in full shade. Liriope is definitely one to consider - common name Lily turf - there are variegated leaf versions available such as L. muscari 'variegata' or L. 'Silvery Sunproof', and it produces short stems with lilac flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chlorophytum cormosum (Spider plant) would be good, but it doesn't like to dry out all the time, so that might mean it's not a good choice if you can't keep it watered as necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Brachyglottis 'Sunshine' might work (sometimes still called Senecio greyi or Brachyglottis greyi) - I'm just not sure whether it would cope with the temperatures in Zone 10b - it does grow in other parts of California up to Zone 9b, so might be worth risking. If you risk planting this one, it gets taller than any of the others I'm mentioning here, with a similar spread (can be clipped or shaped once or twice a year to make it rounded if you want), so care should be taken when positioning it. Responds very well to trimming, shaping and hard pruning. Its grey foliage would make a good backdrop for that purple leaved Phormium or Cordyline I can just see the edge of, bottom right in the photograph...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In light of the new set of photographs you've posted, and your suggested plantings, I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but I doubt any of these will work. The area is shady - bougainvillea, for instance, needs a minimum of 5 hours direct sunlight to flower successfully, and it needs a framework to climb or be tied to, so I'm wondering what you were thinking of supplying for that. Second, the ivy next door is a big problem - in Photo A, you show a new bed outlined in red where you're thinking of planting Hibiscus of some variety and the Bougainvillea - if you open up the ground there and plant into it, the ivy will spread into that in a heartbeat - its likely the roots are already encroaching under the 'grass' or lawn or whatever it is that's already there. Planting anything in that area will not 'keep back' any growth from next door, its topgrowth will continue its inexorable invasion unless it meets a solid object, when it'll climb up it (if its actually Ivy).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Equally, Cannas prefer full sun, or about 5/6 hours in hotter climates, and won't do at all well in no sun conditions, plus I doubt there's much root room to add anything at the base of the King Palm shown in Pic C, you'd need to try to dig around a bit, gently, to see how much 'free' soil there is available - there may be hardly any, which means you can only put very small plants in there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Really, the only way forward is to look at shade planting exclusively - the roses need to come out, they'll never do any good with such low light levels. Nearer the front of the property, there is certainly more ambient light, but you have said there isn't really any direct sunlight even there for any length of time, which means that choosing shade lovers is probably the best way forward. One other option to consider is removing the King Palms IF that means some sun will reach the area - by doing that, you change the conditions and can then consider other plants. It does, though, seem almost criminal to remove them - I can't see the tops so don't know how attractive and healthy the foliage is, but the trunks in themselves are things of beauty. Note that your King palms like neutral to acid soil conditions, so you can assume that's what your soil's like there if they're growing healthily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-02T11:41:05.557" LastActivityDate="2015-08-02T11:41:05.557" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20273" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20288" CreationDate="2015-07-28T21:13:27.573" Score="2" ViewCount="135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw 4 raccoons in my vegetable garden,  doing what they do best with people's gardens. &#xA;Please let me know if I could plant anything in or around at the borders to my vegetable garden that would work as a racoon repellent. &#xA;I don't want to use chemicals. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-07-29T13:52:14.327" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T20:56:14.610" Title="Any plants that work as a racoon repellent?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2015-08-01T19:23:19.063" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20274" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20276" CreationDate="2015-07-29T00:18:10.600" Score="2" ViewCount="1433" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got several patches of this fungus growing in my mulch. It grows in roughly a circular patch, and produces these growths above the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kr5Cw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kr5Cw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fruiting Body of Fungus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The effected area binds together into a disk, and when broken and flipped it reveals a white mossy underside to the patch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DBFUp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DBFUp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Undergrowth&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is this stuff? Is it dangerous? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do I remove it without spreading it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've noticed a much larger growth in the neighbor's mulch. :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: A better picture was requested - Here is a zoom and crop of some of the mature fruiting bodies:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4KZvY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4KZvY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Zoom and Crop of fruiting fungus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11383" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-07-29T04:39:20.023" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T04:39:20.023" Title="What fungus is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20276" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20274" CreationDate="2015-07-29T04:10:22.970" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a member of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nidulariaceae&quot;&gt;Nidulariaceae / birds nest fungi&lt;/a&gt;, the &lt;em&gt;exact&lt;/em&gt; variety would need better photos and possibly a microscope, but I can still answer your other questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No, they are not dangerous. Inedible, but they don't damage your garden. They do what they do best, which is eating the decomposing wood from your mulch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The white &quot;felted&quot; disc underneath is the actual fungus, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycelia&quot;&gt;mycelium&lt;/a&gt;, the cups with the lentil-shaped peridioles are only the fruiting bodies. Think of the mycelium as the apple tree and the fruiting bodies (which we often call &quot;mushroom&quot;) as the apples which contain the seeds (spores).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For removal you can simply lift the mycelium, preferably &lt;em&gt;before&lt;/em&gt; the cups open.  Another option would be to keep your mulch very dry (probably not feasible). But I wonder why - if you spread mulch it's normal for it to break down and fungi are a natural part of this process. If they appear, your mulch has already started to decompose. In this case you would have to regularly (e.g. annually) excange the &quot;old&quot; mulch for fresh mulch, but  apart from esthetical reasons (and beauty &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; in the eye of the beholder, I personally love to see nature do it's thing where possible) I see no necessity to do so, especially if your neighbour has &quot;a larger patch&quot;, as you wrote, meaning you will constantly get new spores into your mulch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-07-29T04:23:24.767" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T04:23:24.767" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20277" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="142" CreationDate="2015-07-29T07:18:55.933" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;em&gt;Geranium robertianum&lt;/em&gt;, see &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geranium_robertianum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; page for more information.&#xA;This common species in the occidental european area is widespread and have a strong variety concerning the leaves shapes and the colors. A lot of scientific publication deals with this question.&#xA;Generaly it prefears mid-shadow places.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11814" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T07:18:55.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20278" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2493" CreationDate="2015-07-29T07:41:28.203" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't kill it, just learn to live with it and look how beautiful it is. If ever it takes too much space, reduce it mechanically by hand. Remember that plants are very strong and that products which are able to kill them hurt you also...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will save money, and learn more interesting things by tolerating wild flora in your garden! In fact you are lucky that they are willing to come!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11814" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-07-29T10:01:00.537" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T10:01:00.537" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3378" CreationDate="2015-07-29T07:48:28.513" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lichens are autotrophic species, that means that they produce their own food. It is possible thanks to a symbiotic association of a fungus (a lot of species exists) and an algae (four main groups exist, among which green and cyanobacteria (photosynthetic in fact).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That means that lichens don't take energy or nutrients from their host. So no worry for your trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An abundance and diversity of lichen indicates good air quality, so this species is useful to assess the air quality of your surroundings!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11814" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-07-29T09:58:09.333" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T09:58:09.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20280" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20249" CreationDate="2015-07-29T11:42:35.757" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://wildeherb.com/2010/07/16/poison-hemlock-prolific-in-the-fence-rows/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hemlock&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/THfG5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/THfG5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Give it a chance and it'll shoot up to eight feet high, flower, then fall over and die back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T11:42:35.757" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20281" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20282" CreationDate="2015-07-29T13:53:04.533" Score="4" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in NY State and planted ~30 sunflower plants this year.  I started them very early indoors so had early blooms - I've had seeds on the faded flower heads for ~ 4 weeks now.  Is it possible to harvest the seeds, immediately plant them and have new plants sprout this year?  Are the seeds viable or do they need to be dried further (or aged)?  I have searched but haven't been able to find the answer to this particular question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11818" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T15:22:32.173" Title="Harvesting sunflower seeds and planting the same year" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20282" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20281" CreationDate="2015-07-29T15:08:19.350" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18448476&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this abstract&lt;/a&gt; Sunflower seeds are dormant at harvest time. They need a period of cold conditions to break this dormancy. It's a biological mechanism to prevent the plant from sprouting immediately and dying when winter comes before it can produce the next generation of seed. A few odd seeds may sprout, but they will be in the extreme minority.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Breaking Dormancy appears to take around 40-50 days based on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.researchgate.net/publication/215870026_Study_on_Occurrence_and_Safe_Removal_of_Dormancy_in_Sunflower_%28Helianthus_annuus_L.%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this article.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-07-29T15:22:32.173" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T15:22:32.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20283" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20287" CreationDate="2015-07-29T16:33:27.353" Score="2" ViewCount="550" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've scoured the internet and am still unsure what these plants are! They're starting to die off and I'm trying to do some research on what can be done to save them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have somewhat feathery silver/green leaves and stems that crawl along the ground and then curve upward into a foot-long stalk with seed pods (but no flowers that I've seen).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing conditions: SE Michigan, full sun. They were planted 1-2 Summers ago and were going strong up until about a month ago. My current best guess is that these are wormwood which, I'm told, do better without a lot of water and are susceptible to root rot if they get too much. That seems contrary to what I'm seeing, though; the plants appear to be withering and those closest to a downspout are the doing the best. Any suggestions other than watering, which I am doing (carefully and in small amounts)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7n1JE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7n1JE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dying plant alongside healthy one&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11819" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T19:17:44.117" Title="Is this wormwood and what can be done to stop their decline?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19561" CreationDate="2015-07-29T18:17:50.713" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on a few sources I've found, it looks like Tick tubes aren't really intended to keep total tick populations down, but rather to keep the number of Lyme disease carrying ticks down. At Larval stages, deer ticks feed on small mammals, like rabbits, mice etc. At adult stage, they go for larger mammals like deer and sometimes humans. The reservoir species for Lyme disease is mice, so the objective is to kill any larval ticks feeding on mice so that they never reach adult stage where they feed on humans, potentially transferring Lyme disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The basic idea of the tick tubes is that they are small cotton balls treated with a low-impact insecticide. These cotton balls are gathered by mice looking for nesting material, leading to a mouse den that is toxic to larval-stage ticks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I don't think deer ticks, as a species, need mice to survive as they are rarely the only small mammal in the area. I would suspect you would still find deer ticks, just a lot less carrying Lyme disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T18:17:50.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20286" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14404" CreationDate="2015-07-29T19:04:04.857" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many varieties of pepper plants (excluding bell peppers) are deer resistant and generally the hotter the pepper, the more the resistance. The capsaicin chemical that gives peppers their spice are also present in the leaves and stems and deer do not care for it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's always worth remembering this about deer resistance/rabbit resistance etc: It's all dependent on how hungry the critters are. If the plant isn't downright poisonous and the animal is hungry enough, it will eat it. Most things marketed as deer resistant are simply whatever is low enough on the menu that a deer will walk past it to eat something else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-07-29T19:36:15.653" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T19:36:15.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20283" CreationDate="2015-07-29T19:17:44.117" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like an Artemesia...possiby a 'Snow Mound' in some shade.  COOL perennial! Needs some sun and regular water.  Could be Silver King...wormwood I believe is another common name for this plant...also needs a bit of pruning, once flowers start showing it is time to head it back, a buzz-cut so to speak.  This will keep it thicker.  I hate bark...tells me you need to use more fertilizer as decomposers are using mega amounts of Nitrogen. This nutrient is being taken away from plants as decomposers need Nitrogen to do their job decomposing this bark. Another story you should look into.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This ground cover can make a thick massed plant if enough sun, regular water (allow to dry between watering) and a little fertilizer.  I used Osmocote Extended Release 14-14-14 for all my shrubs/perennials twice per season. Is this in the shade?  On the irrigation system? The middle plant looks pretty much toast...dying/dead. If in the shade, move remaining plants to a sunny spot this fall before the ground freezes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T19:17:44.117" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20288" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20273" CreationDate="2015-07-29T19:42:11.003" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get a wire fence around your garden.  There's 'field fencing' with smaller openings at the bottom that get a bit larger towards the top. Once these little brainiacs have found what they want, you have to get fencing.  I have a problem with them as well as bunnies.  Well, not any more.  My greenhouse and outdoor garden all have this 'bunny fence' installed.  Have to dig a 6&quot; trench so they can't dig underneath.  You might have to find a mesh to pull over the top as well.  Bunnies don't hop over but raccoon (sp) are far more intelligent!! I adore raccoon!!  Bunnies, too...well, all animals.  Trick is to live in harmony.  Killing anything NEVER SOLVES A PROBLEM.  Never.  Tide rolls out, tide rolls in.  Lots more to take their place.  Poison...interestingly...actually causes animals such as rodents, raccoon, squirrels, bunnies...to have larger litters. This fence is inexpensive, easy to install and you'll be able to sleep at night!!  You could also FEED your raccoon somewhere distant from your garden...stuff like your vegetable scraps.  I know others are flipping out with this but I feed bunnies, raccoon, raven and deer with stuff that would normally go into my compost and I live in total harmony.  I also have dogs (I would never allow to chase and kill) but the fact their smell and presence is obvious, makes a huge difference. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T19:42:11.003" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20289" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20291" CreationDate="2015-07-29T20:01:14.577" Score="3" ViewCount="279" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just saw this question: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/20281/harvesting-sunflower-seeds-and-planting-the-same-year&quot;&gt;Harvesting sunflower seeds and planting the same year&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I wonder whether the same is valid for tomatoes, too? About a month ago, I started harvesting the first tomatoes of a fast-ripening variety (42 Days) here[1]. Would it be possible to start a few new plants this year? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The current plants are already dying, so I hope to get at least some more before winter... (Don't know why, that would likely be the topic of another question.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[1]Middle of Germany, equivalent to hardiness zone 8b.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3505" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-07-30T22:56:02.117" Title="Harvesting tomato seeds and planting the same year" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20273" CreationDate="2015-07-29T20:56:14.610" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is actually an all natural alternative that I have found to be extremely helpful. There are no harmful chemicals used, however a putrid odor will accompany the use for a day or two. The product is called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeners.com/buy/repels-all-animal-repellent/38-534.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Repels-All&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I only do organic (natural) gardening for my family and this stuff has saved my strawberries, blueberries and tomatoes. Again, the stench is enough to drive some humans away but lessens after a few days. I prefer liquid applications, but the granules can be easily dissolved in a water solution. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11800" LastActivityDate="2015-07-29T20:56:14.610" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20291" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20289" CreationDate="2015-07-29T20:57:38.723" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, tomato seeds will germinate without a year having to pass first (even right away, before you even dry them). Just make sure it's not too hot or cold for them to germinate and grow well. If it's consistently very warm in your house, they might have trouble, especially if you have artificial lights on top of that (since artificial lights can produce heat; even the low-heat ones, like CFLs, will make the room more noticeably warm when it's naturally kind of warm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: However, it should be noted that tomatoes germinate faster in warm conditions (as long as it isn't too warm) than they do in cool ones, in my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I've grown newly harvested tomato and pepper seeds before with good results. They don't need to be aged. New is good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As long as your growing season is long enough and your tomatoes tolerate the temperatures they will be in (indoors and outdoors), you should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: If you want the plants to fruit indoors (rather than start them indoors and transplant them outdoors), as Stormy seemed to me to understand, then be sure to give your plants enough red light (which helps with flowering; blue light helps with leaf growth), soil, and enough of the proper nutrients. I was assuming that you were wanting to start them indoors while it's still summer outside, and then transplant them outside for the remainder of the season, hoping to get some extra tomatoes during the rest of this season. Whatever season it is, indoors or out, you'll probably want your nighttime temperatures to be between about 55° F. and 70° F. Many people keep their house above 70° F. at night; so, that's something to watch out for. Daytime temperatures should be between about 60–85° F. Flowers might drop if it's too hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have heat and cold tolerant tomatoes, parthenocarpic tomatoes or such, then your plants may set fruit in a wider variety of temperatures. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/20138/which-tomatoes-grow-the-best-in-high-temperatures&quot;&gt;this question/answer&lt;/a&gt; for information about such varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I concur with stormy about low nitrogen fertilizer for indoor use, but if your soil outdoors is already low in nitrogen (like mine probably is), then adjust accordingly. However, for plant growth, I haven't had issues using an even fertilizer (20-20-20), even though slightly less nitrogen than potassium is generally recommended for tomatoes. However, be careful, anyway, I've found that my indoor tomatoes can get burned by 18-18-21 fertilizer (but 20-20-20 fertilizer doesn't burn at all), which doesn't make a lot of sense, unless with the 18-18-21 fertilizer they're just using a faster-release nitrogen, or the potassium didn't dissolve in the water properly or something. That's one reason I like to mix fertilizer proportions myself (I know it really is what I think it is, and I can adjust it if it isn't what the plants need.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, as far as fluorescent lights go, be careful there. A lot of people will tell you to get only 5000-7000k bulbs, which is great for growing seedlings into plants, since it's high in the right kinds of blue light—but lower color temperatures are actually higher in red light, which is important for flowering. Lower color temperatures also help protect against damping off disease, in my experience. Plants don't lean toward the lower color temperatures as quickly, though (but when they adjust to it for a while, they do lean toward it faster than they initially did). They can still grow leaves on lower color temperatures of fluorescent bulbs (I know from experience), although 6500k might be more ideal for that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-07-30T22:56:02.117" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20292" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-29T23:42:40.097" Score="2" ViewCount="1036" Body="&lt;p&gt;I came across some nice Gladiolus bulbs in the store. I see they already started to grow their roots and I wanted to know if I can still plant them, since they bloom till October, I think. I live New York, Zone 6a or 6b.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-30T00:59:52.560" LastActivityDate="2015-07-30T03:09:40.177" Title="Can I still plant Gladiolus in Zone 6a in late July?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3335" CreationDate="2015-07-30T00:17:06.430" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the same problem. I think the alternator is getting weak, the wiring is getting old, corrosion is built up, and they are just cheap batteries.  I've had the best luck buying a new battery on sale with rebates or incentives every year or two and replacing it. Also, sell your old battery to a recycler if you get to keep it! That's a good time to polish up or replace the battery cable wires and terminals also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11826" LastActivityDate="2015-07-30T00:17:06.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20294" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20292" CreationDate="2015-07-30T03:09:40.177" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've done it - they flower before frost here in southeast Pennsylvania when planted that late, but they don't regrow a good corm, so you can't keep them over the winter very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-07-30T03:09:40.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20295" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20249" CreationDate="2015-07-30T03:47:41.443" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks a lot like flat-leaf parsley. Or Sweet Cicely. Smelling/tasting the plant will be proof positive if it's either of those. The former tastes like,&#xA;umm, parsley, and the latter has a mild anise taste/scent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1180" LastActivityDate="2015-07-30T03:47:41.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19725" CreationDate="2015-07-30T11:26:50.867" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you should cut that old wood be the best option and redesign with your own ideas and plants or shrubs you like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11724" LastActivityDate="2015-07-30T11:26:50.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19609" CreationDate="2015-07-30T15:15:30.600" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a number of issues when it comes to running a drip irrigation system off of a rain barrel. You won't be able to use any of the emitters in the linked article. Drip emitters work better with a certain amount of pressure, usually a minimum of 10 PSI but there are some emitters and drip lines that can work with less pressure although it's common for the watering to be uneven at low pressure with more water flowing closer to the barrel than at the end of the line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water pressure in the barrel increases by 0.433 PSI for every foot above the emitters the water level in the barrel is so elevating it off the ground will be necessary. If you have a 4 foot barrel on a 5 foot pedestal and your raised beds are 1' off the ground you'll only get about 3 PSI of pressure and that's only when the barrel is full. To be able to run a regular drip system efficiently you'll need to have the water about 25' above the emitters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is doable though but you need to look for &quot;gravity feed&quot; drip irrigation products. These are designed to work with non pressurized water sources such as from a rain barrel. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2015-07-30T15:15:30.600" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20300" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-30T20:24:09.170" Score="2" ViewCount="1530" Body="&lt;p&gt;Top dressed my aloe a month ago and it seemed to be doing great. Watered it a few days ago and came home to it today looking deflated. Examined the leaves and they all fell off in my hand. One or two looked damaged and rotten but the majority had no sign of rot at the base. This plant now has no leaves and questionable roots. What are the roots supposed to be like?  Is there anyway to salvage this plant? Or root the healthier looking leaves that came off with rooting hormone? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had this aloe for about 6 or 7 years. It was a pup from my friend's plant. Moved it to the pot it was currently in about 3 years ago. The pot might be a little too big for the plant as the plant has been a super slow grower since moving it to the pot. It is an in-door only plant by a window without direct sunlight. Gave it the fish/seaweed fertilizer 1 or 2x a quarter. Top dressed it about a month ago with organic potting soil that had been mixed with sand to improve drainage. The leaf quality improved greatly since then with stronger and greener leaves. Last week it looked a little weak, gave it water (tap water) and it recovered to a normal state. Went out of town this past weekend and upon return on Tues the plant looked weak again and I noticed that one leaf looked kind of rotted at the base and when I pulled on it all the juice from that leaf poured out of it. I again gave it a small amount of tap water and when I got home today the leaves all looked deflated/saggy (nothing was strong or erect). Started examining the plant and didn't apply any pressure and the leaves started lifting out of the soil one by one. 80% of the leaves had white bases where they had been attached. The soil was a little packed feeling when I was trying to dig up the roots. The roots, I'm not sure what they are supposed to look like, but these were fibrous, dry, and something flakey was falling off revealing the fibrous inner material. I don't see an option to upload pictures here. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11830" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-31T00:30:01.090" LastActivityDate="2015-07-31T10:48:47.083" Title="Is my aloe dead?" Tags="&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20301" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20300" CreationDate="2015-07-30T20:48:48.560" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is pretty interesting...Aloe doesn't usually collapse in one day unless it has gone through a freeze.  The other common problem is over watering.  If you are over watering it'll take weeks to see this kind of collapse.  What kind of mulch did you use?  Is this plant out doors or in a pot?  You have to send some pictures and tell us what you've been doing for size of pot, type of soil used, drainage issues, watering with tap water?...fertilizer, TYPE OF MULCH...you mulch this plant and it collapses in one day?  Please get us this info...as soon as you are able. Possibly a way to save your aloe but leaves falling off is so unusual I also have to ask you to make sure this is Aloe...thanks!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-07-30T20:48:48.560" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20302" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-30T21:21:24.640" Score="2" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, I am trying to grow some plants such as rose, and jasmine from stem but I keep running into the insects-in-the-soil problem. As you see in the picture, the plants grow some and then eventually turn brown and die. I blame the insects so I have decided to spray the whole with diatomaceous earth. Is this the right solution for this problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QlOcC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QlOcC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SQtyP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SQtyP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uu6Nz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uu6Nz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wiZuJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wiZuJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastActivityDate="2015-07-31T10:35:24.783" Title="Stems are kept in moist environment but soil insects keep growing in there" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20303" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-30T21:24:22.773" Score="3" ViewCount="382" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_palustris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pin oak&lt;/a&gt; in a small pot thriving since spring in Brooklyn. I would like to keep it and I am thinking about bonsai. I think I need to keep it outside for two years? Should I give it a bigger pot now? It's in a lame pot from a medium size tomato plant from Home Depot. I have no experience with bonsai other than a noted attraction to the art. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11831" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-07-31T03:56:44.780" LastActivityDate="2015-07-31T03:56:44.780" Title="How can I bonsai a pin oak?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20303" CreationDate="2015-07-30T22:49:52.387" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried some bonsai techniques on burr oak seedlings (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_macrocarpa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Quercus macrocarpa&lt;/a&gt;). The issues I encountered when I tried to achieve a classic bonsai were:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leaves did not reduce in proportion to the trunk.  If you have a trunk as thick as a straw and leaves as long as your finger it does not look right.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;trunk did not thicken and look interesting unless a rabbit ate the top in the winter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;as a deciduous tree it required a cold period so I had to heel them into a trench every fall and dig them out in the spring&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen some impressive bonsai that were two feet tall with thick trunks but they were a hundred years old.  To get an oak to look good was going to take twenty or thirty years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nonetheless you can have fun with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Provide a sheltered place for the winter with protection from rabbits.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I had great success with installing a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capillary_action&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;capillary&lt;/a&gt; wick in the root ball that trailed out of the pot into a water feature.  No watering problems!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-07-30T22:49:52.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20306" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-07-31T00:57:16.030" Score="4" ViewCount="327" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to identify this plant. It's located in Phoenix and appears to be a shrub. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iLpZ5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11829" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-09T03:41:36.660" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T09:07:53.583" Title="What type of plant is this in the Arizona desert?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20307" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20302" CreationDate="2015-07-31T01:23:17.497" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;For propagation you can increase the chances of success with:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;start with sterilized soil mix.  If you have soil you suspect put it in the oven at 220 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty to thirty minutes.  (Keep the fan going as it can be a bit stinky)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;provide strong indirect light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;provide good ventilation, a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=muffin%20fan&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;muffin fan&lt;/a&gt; is about the right size&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bottom heat is a great advantage, especially for hardwoods. A &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=soil%20heating%20cable&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;soil heating cable&lt;/a&gt; can be buried in sand and the trays placed on top&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-07-31T01:23:17.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20309" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20300" CreationDate="2015-07-31T09:27:42.530" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming it was an aloe, its acquired a fungal infection at the base of the stems. I suspect the culprit is your 'top dressing' - you do not describe scraping off soil from the top of the pot and then replenishing it with your topdressing, you just say you topdressed it. If you simply put it on top of the existing soil, that meant the dressing was now higher than the soil level, and higher round the base of the leaves - the plant has become infected with fungus because of it and rotted through. It may or may not regrow - personally, I'd acquire another pup from your friend and start again. And don't put it in a pot that's too big for the roots at any stage, that's never a good idea, there's a high risk of fungal and other trouble from all that empty soil surrounding the roots. Because the plant needs water, it means you have to water quite a lot to get all the soil wet, and then the plant is sitting in wet, possibly sour soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is not uncommon to topdress plants in pots, but the procedure is always to scrape out the top layer, without breaking roots, and then add the new topdressing, so that the soil level is the same as before around the base of the plant. If that's what you actually did, then the fungal trouble may have appeared because of the soil to root ratio being out of whack.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-07-31T10:48:47.083" LastActivityDate="2015-07-31T10:48:47.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20310" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20300" CreationDate="2015-07-31T10:20:39.550" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Addressing the &quot;can I salvage it&quot; part of this question. In short: Yes, or at least it's more than likely. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=healthy+roots+aloe+vera&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1408&amp;amp;bih=920&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIw7SM_I2FxwIVBPCACh3w2QkX&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;roots&lt;/a&gt; are still mildly healthy acquire &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&amp;amp;ion=1&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;es_th=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8#q=root+stimulant&amp;amp;tbm=shop&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;root stimulant&lt;/a&gt; and coat the roots according to instructions on the package. Purchase or find some &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&amp;amp;ion=1&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;es_th=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8#q=orchid+soil&amp;amp;tbm=shop&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Orchid potting mix&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&amp;amp;ion=1&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;es_th=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8#q=perlite&amp;amp;tbm=shop&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Perlite&lt;/a&gt; and place your plant remnants in there. Lightly water the plant (I use a spray bottle to simply mist the roots) and let the plant remain in those conditions until you see improvement. Of course, place the plant in a well lit area but avoid placement in a location with lots of direct sunlight. Since the Orchid potting mix does not provide enough shade or moisture the plant could scorch if placed in a location with lots of direct sunlight. Once it is healthy, ensure that you transplant into an appropriate soil mixture, preferably adding extra perlite for aeration. Please note that &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/vermiculite-vs-perlite-49660.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;vermiculite is not an adequate substitution for perlite&lt;/a&gt; and could cause root rot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you look at the link tied to the word &quot;roots&quot; you'll see many examples of healthy roots as well as dead ones. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11800" LastActivityDate="2015-07-31T10:20:39.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20302" CreationDate="2015-07-31T10:35:24.783" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;One thing is that the amount of moisture allows the insects to thrive. Also the use of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&amp;amp;ion=1&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;es_th=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8#q=root+stimulant&amp;amp;tbm=shop&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;root stimulant&lt;/a&gt; is not mentioned. If you have not used this yet, please purchase some and plant the cuttings in perlite. You will notice a world of difference. The plants may not take (show new growth) for a few weeks BUT you'll also notice they won't be dying either. I have experimented with propagation for a long time now and have found this approach to work best for almost any plant type. The lighting conditions should be fare without too much direct sunlight. Watering should be executed with caution. I mist my plants several times a day to provide ample hydration while avoiding the tendency to over water. If your schedule does not permit such insanity I recommend a 1/2 - 1 in layer of peat moss at the base of your pot. Make sure your stems reach to just far enough to where they are right above the moss, but not stuck down in it. I propagate in recycled jars. The glass allows me to see what is going on and to judge if I am over/under watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11800" LastActivityDate="2015-07-31T10:35:24.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20313" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20254" CreationDate="2015-07-31T11:20:10.017" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;How fun! First I would like to know what kind of feel are you going for? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have an extensive list of flowers that would work perfectly for you area but want to know what you are looking for. I know several off the opt of my head that would work perfectly with your watering schedule. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which colors do you prefer? Are you wanting a rustic feel? An adobe feel? An herbal feel? More perennials? Annuals? Bird/bee attractants? Take a look at some of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=211249526&amp;amp;trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile_pic&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;my displays&lt;/a&gt; if you need to get an idea for answers to these questions. I live for this kind of stuff so if you want help I'm all in. Once you get back to me with some of this info I can sketch you out a simple idea chart (ALWAYS USE ONE WHEN PLANNING!). You won't have to follow it to the letter but it will help you get a better idea for what you can do and how it will look. We will take into consideration the maximum growing range, the sun preferences and such so that you can plan accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11800" LastEditorUserId="11800" LastEditDate="2015-07-31T11:27:34.447" LastActivityDate="2015-07-31T11:27:34.447" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20314" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20318" CreationDate="2015-07-31T22:52:02.753" Score="3" ViewCount="208" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some very old pear trees. The orchard has had 75-100 years of neglect. There has been no irrigation. Julian normally has little to no rain May-Sept but this year there was rain n May and two inches in July. This is the first year we have owned them. The blossoms appeared the first of April. What is the expected time until the fruit is ready to harvest?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Variety name is not known, image below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dymFn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dymFn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pear in blossom 1st of April&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7oAX5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7oAX5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup 1st of August&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7534" LastEditorUserId="7534" LastEditDate="2015-08-07T02:04:12.080" LastActivityDate="2015-08-07T02:04:12.080" Title="Pear trees, time from blossom to harvest?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20315" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20314" CreationDate="2015-08-01T00:30:17.057" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ours are at least 70 years old and here in the mid-south, they generally start ripening in late August.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2596" LastActivityDate="2015-08-01T00:30:17.057" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20314" CreationDate="2015-08-01T05:54:51.983" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;With pears (and apples) you need to distinguish &lt;em&gt;two dates&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ripe for picking &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ripe for eating&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those dates may be the same or - especially for breeds for storage - weeks apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also at least here in Germany there are early and late cultivars that are picked between late July / early August and the end of October /early November (with bloom in April and May), meaning the time between bloom and harvest ranges between a scant five and over six months. Some breeds then get stored until January.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why am I telling you all this?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Because without knowing what breed you have we can't give you an estimation on when your pears are ripe, i.e. when they may be picked and when they are ready to eat simply based on April 1st as date of bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-08-01T05:54:51.983" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20317" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-01T10:47:39.807" Score="3" ViewCount="786" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have multiple hardy kiwis on my balcony and one of them started to have strange colour on the leaves, dried out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tcyc6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tcyc6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8N4Xo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8N4Xo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could that be from?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My guesses:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There was a really heavy sun for the recent 4-5 days and I was out for this period so I didn't watered the plant. I started to water them back right after coming back but still, after a week, the problem remains. Maybe my balcony is simply a wrong place for those plants? I'm not sure because, interestingly, this does not happens to 3 other hardy kiwis I have on my balcony, so maybe this particular one is particularly vulnerable. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have used running water that may contain too much chlorine or calcium. I've read that for hardy kiwi sometimes leaves begin to yellow because of excess of calcium or iron deficiency. I started to water with iron chelate and the water I use remains in a bottle for two days before using for watering. I've been doing this for a week but I'm not sure if this is a step in the right direction.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11231" LastActivityDate="2015-08-01T10:59:30.747" Title="Yellow leaves in hardy kiwi" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20318" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20314" CreationDate="2015-08-01T10:50:05.697" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Impossible to be definite about when they're ready, it varies according to environmental conditions as much as variety of pear. However, there is one thing you do need to know - European pears should be picked when they are mature, but not when they appear 'ripe'. They ripen from the inside out, so what looks like an unripe pear is ripening, and by the time its 'ripe' on the outside, it might well be mushy and starting to rot in the middle. So deciding when they're mature enough to pick, but not yet ripe, is the difficult part. The link below might help you choose the right time:-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/article/pears-ready-to-harvest/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/article/pears-ready-to-harvest/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have an Asian pear variety, they will ripen on the tree quite happily and not rot on the inside before they do. As you don't know what you've got there, you'll probably have to experiment this year, maybe picking some which are mature, and leaving others to see how they do.If they ripen nicely on the tree, and are not rotten inside, likely you have an Asian variety - and you'll know for next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-01T10:50:05.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20319" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20317" CreationDate="2015-08-01T10:59:30.747" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well they do suffer heat stress, so you might be right about that, but I notice a mottled appearance to the leaves, apart from the blackening in the top picture - check the plant for red spider mite infestation, because that's what the mottling reminds me of. A heavy infestation would cause serious stress and damage to the plant, coupled with heat, so if your weather's been hot and dry, it might well be spider mite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-01T10:59:30.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20320" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20322" CreationDate="2015-08-01T16:24:33.660" Score="1" ViewCount="2143" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's getting into the driest, hottest part of summer here in MI and my heuchera / coral bells are starting to show some dissatisfaction with it. The outer leaves are browning and turning crispy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: should I prune off the browning/drying outer leaves or leave them on to provide a little sun protection to the inner foliage? Short of transplanting them to shade (I have nowhere to move them to!) what can I do to make sure they are happiest during this time of year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p4FL4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p4FL4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11819" LastActivityDate="2015-08-01T18:07:42.983" Title="Pruning and caring for heuchera / coral bells that have gotten too much sun?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20321" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3977" CreationDate="2015-08-01T17:46:10.183" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are four main problems I see with planting seeds from grocery store produce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They might be genetically engineered, unless they're certified organic.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They might be patented or protected by plant breeders rights of some kind. If they're genetically engineered, odds are extremely high that they are patented, unless they're over 20 years old.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You really don't know what they are, because even when they label a tomato Roma, for instance, that doesn't mean it's necessarily a Roma tomato.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It could be illegal, depending on the form of produce and where you live, due to state or other laws.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend contacting the grower to find more information about whatever you'd like to grow, but try not to let them know you're wanting to grow them, and either way, don't expect a useful, thorough answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For people who are selling fruits marketed as heirlooms, you're really just trusting them to be selling what they say they are. Ask them what variety they are. They probably are heirlooms, but if you're going to grow them you'll probably want to know the variety. Lacking the variety, you'll want to know where they were grown to make sure they'll grow in your climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;GMO seeds should normally be as fertile as heirlooms, and they'll likely breed true. However, since they're probably patented they might cross with your other stuff and give you serious legal problems that I don't recommend you want to deal with. Also, they may produce &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bt toxin&lt;/a&gt; and/or such (e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_maize&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bt corn&lt;/a&gt;). Bt is not botulism toxin (I state this because one person who suggested an edit thought that I meant this), but rather it's a fairly harmless toxin (to humans) by comparison, and it isn't produced by the same kind of bacteria. Plants, such as corn have been purposefully genetically modified to produce Bt toxin to keep insects away, as Bt toxin has an insecticidal influence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hybrids are often fertile, depending on what kinds of plants you're talking about, but it's very statistically unlikely that they'll breed 100% true. It helps if you know the parentage of your hybrids. Then you'll be likely to know if they had differing numbers of chromosomes or such, or if there are any definite undesirable traits from parents that might show up in the F2+ generations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also good to know that some forms of grocery store produce in the form of bulbs, tubers or such, constitute a misdemeanor to plant in some states (e.g. potatoes, garlic, and onions in Idaho), unless maybe they were grown in the state they're being sold in (but don't quote me on that last), or unless they're certified by a certain process or some such (which grocery store produce is very unlikely to be). The idea seems to be to reduce the spread of diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grocery store produce is often capable of growing, but it may (or may not) be diseased or weakened by chemicals, it may (or may not) be true to type, it may not be used to a climate like yours, it may be genetically modified, and it may have legal and ethical issues. In summary, you can probably do it, depending on what it is, but I don't recommend it at all in this day and age (unless maybe you get it organic from a farmer's market, and actually know the breed). You'll most likely have a more enjoyable experience if you get forms that are intended to be grown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a bigger issue when people who save seeds to share and/or who breed plants grow plants from grocery store produce, because they might be illegal, and they might cross-pollinate their other stuff (and/or their neighbor's stuff), or be used in their breeding programs (and then they might share the seeds with or sell them to people who don't know they're illegal and/or of questionable origin). Growing them is one thing (still a questionable and potentially illegal thing, though), but allowing them to potentially or purposefully cross with other crops is another.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-02-02T03:17:49.460" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T03:17:49.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20322" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20320" CreationDate="2015-08-01T18:07:42.983" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;These plants prefer dappled shade or some shade, particularly during the hottest part of the day in summer. Since you can't move them, apart from popping a sun shade of some sort over them, there's not much you can do apart from increasing water supplies. The brown leaves won't actually do much shading, but if you don't mind looking at them, then you might as well leave them on till the weather cools down for the small protection they may give.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't see any evidence of lumps in the topside of the leaves, nor any distortion of leaves, but you might just check the undersides to make sure they're not suffering from a dose of Heuchera rust, a fungal infection to which these plants are prone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-01T18:07:42.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20323" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20325" CreationDate="2015-08-01T18:14:52.617" Score="4" ViewCount="197" Body="&lt;p&gt;I spotted this in San Francisco, CA. It seems to have a mild and pleasant fragrance all year round.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KrTnt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KrTnt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11797" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-08-01T19:30:15.460" LastActivityDate="2015-08-01T19:31:50.127" Title="What is this fragrant purple flower, found in California?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20324" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20254" CreationDate="2015-08-01T18:27:58.533" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ornamental peppers would look pretty good there, I think, and they should be perennials in your zone. They would require more water and care than many options, but you could get fruit, too. Chinese 5 Color, Medusa and Black Pearl are a few example varieties of ornamentals. Not all ornamental peppers are said to taste great, but some of them (including Chinese 5 Color) should taste fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-08-03T15:18:34.143" LastActivityDate="2015-08-03T15:18:34.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20325" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20323" CreationDate="2015-08-01T19:31:50.127" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to be a Lantana, probably &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantana_montevidensis&quot;&gt;Lantana montevidensis&lt;/a&gt; there a lots of varieties, the exact one I could not say. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2015-08-01T19:31:50.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20326" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21837" CreationDate="2015-08-02T00:18:37.123" Score="5" ViewCount="437" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longan&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kohala Longan&lt;/a&gt; last year. It does not appear to be grafted. It grew new branches on the top last year, making it 5 feet tall. This year, it branched profusely near the ground. Now it looks like a bush rather than a tree. Is there any harm in keeping those low branches or should I prune them off?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UJLs6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UJLs6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-15T03:49:27.387" LastActivityDate="2015-09-15T03:49:27.387" Title="Should I prune the low branches on my Longan?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20327" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3977" CreationDate="2015-08-02T11:34:16.080" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A bag of whole coriander seeds from the asian market will generally sprout and give you a nice pot of tasty cilantro. It'll grow back through a couple choppings, but eventually flower and go to seed. Freeze excess chopped leaves to preserve flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Heirloom tomato seeds can be preserved and planted from storebought. Be aware though that different varieties of tomato love to cross-pollinate. When I save Black Krim seed from my own garden, which always includes several types of tomato, I get about 3 total years crop that looks and tastes vaguely like krim. Then it's time to get new seed. You'll do better if you buy your tomatoes from a farm that has 50 acres of exclusive Krim, or whatever, production, and only plant the one variety yourself. Of course then you have to worry about the neighbor's tomato pollen, and risk disease wiping out your whole crop.&#xA;Squashes from the store seem to breed reasonably true. Obviously I haven't tried them all, but Acorn and butternut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grocery store &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherimoya&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cherimoya&lt;/a&gt; will readily give you nice little trees. Sadly, they're &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; cold tolerant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2015-08-02T11:34:16.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20328" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20330" CreationDate="2015-08-02T15:07:22.683" Score="3" ViewCount="1063" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't identify this short-ish plant with one white flower with has stacked petals. It also has green, vaguely-heart-shaped leaves that have a pink-burgundy rim, the stalk is also burgundy. I live in England in the East-Midlands, but I'm not sure if this is a native plant or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3o1sl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3o1sl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Zobt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Zobt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11843" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-02T16:10:15.737" LastActivityDate="2015-08-02T16:27:12.860" Title="What is this white flower with stacked petals?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20329" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20331" CreationDate="2015-08-02T15:24:14.873" Score="2" ViewCount="1044" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to put in my first drip irrigation system because I'm too inconsistent when it comes to watering. My garden patch is only 100 sq ft of ground. It's continuous and adjacent to a tap.  Some kits include a timer, and others do not. At ~$40, it seems like the timer is the most expensive part, so it'd be nice if I didn't need it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I simply attach a drip or soaker hose, open the tap very little, and keep the system on constantly? Or is that going to be unhealthy for my plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*Note: Answers to this question cannot include manually, habitually turning the irrigation on and off. That defeats the purpose of the system for me and fails when, e.g., I go on vacation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11844" LastEditorUserId="1506" LastEditDate="2017-07-22T02:44:32.340" LastActivityDate="2018-08-08T19:35:23.130" Title="Is automatic drip irrigation possible without a timer?" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20328" CreationDate="2015-08-02T16:27:12.860" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houttuynia_cordata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Houttuynia cordata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, possibly var. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=Houttunyia%20cordata%20%22plena%22&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;Plena&quot;&lt;/a&gt;, which was the only variety that I could find with multiple rows of bracts as shown in your photograph.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Identifying characteristics for me are the red-tinged leaf borders and stems, the heart-shaped leaves and the pattern of the veins on the leaves. Compare the photograph in my own question about it: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4326/what-is-this-allegedly-mosquito-repellent-trailing-plant-with-dark-green-heart&quot;&gt;What is this (allegedly) mosquito-repellent trailing plant with dark green heart-shaped leaves?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WEA2tl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant has been &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=Houttuynia%20cordata&quot;&gt;mentioned a few times&lt;/a&gt; before on this site. In summary, it can be extremely invasive in damp conditions; keep it in a pot if you want it, otherwise be prepared for a difficult battle to control or remove it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-08-02T16:27:12.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20331" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20329" CreationDate="2015-08-02T20:36:19.250" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is very unlikely you'll be able to adjust the faucet so that the drip system works well and doesn't over water your garden while leaving it on all the time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;plants also don't want to be constantly wet. Reduces the amount of oxygen and nutrients they can take, increases chances of disease and weed seed germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just get the timer and remember you'll likely need to increase the amount or frequency of watering in the summer when it's hotter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to save money you can get a manual timer that you switch on manually but it shuts off automatically after the time you set. Won't work for when you're on vacation but it is at least better than not using any type of timer at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If more automatic watering is desired, I've been using this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2015/07/melnor-wifi-aquatimer-review.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Melnor WiFi AquaTimer&lt;/a&gt; this year. More expensive than a single zone timer but it does have 4 zones and can be adjusted via the web from anywhere. It also uses the AquaSentry which is a soil moisture sensor that will shut off the water if it is already sufficiently moist. The AquaSentry will work with some of Melnor's other, less expensive timers but I'm not sure which off the top of my head.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-08-02T20:43:23.897" LastActivityDate="2015-08-02T20:43:23.897" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20332" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21838" CreationDate="2015-08-02T21:05:48.193" Score="2" ViewCount="359" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen a lawn which was composed with different grass types, I'd like to achieve a similar effect. I have a couple of concerns, they should:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grow slowly, at similar rate,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;have different colour/tint,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;have similar requirements&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The number of grass types available is enormous and it seems quite hard and risky to pick two that would fit. Do you know any that would pass the requirements?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;edit: I found a similar lawn online (not from Europe though), please have a look:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oxWZD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oxWZD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11169" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-15T03:50:37.203" LastActivityDate="2015-09-15T03:50:37.203" Title="What grass types would be good for contrasting lawns in Central Europe?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20333" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-02T23:26:54.603" Score="5" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen several guides recommend the Florence fennel bulbs should be earthed up (similar to celery and leeks), but I'm unsure as to the extent that this should be done.  Should the bulbs be covered completely (so that only the stems are visible), or should they only be partially covered?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11845" LastActivityDate="2015-08-03T17:54:26.473" Title="How high to earth fennel?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20334" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-03T01:55:54.437" Score="2" ViewCount="181" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the cheapest and most effective ground cover and weed blocker for a large area?  I am using black weed blocking sheets but they aren't terribly effective.  I'm not sure how to proceed.  I'm thinking tiles, stone or possibly mulch over the weed blocker, but I know it won't be cheap. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11846" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-03T02:56:45.737" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T05:49:48.847" Title="What is the Most Effective Ground Cover For a Large Area?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20335" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20339" CreationDate="2015-08-03T03:00:01.020" Score="2" ViewCount="479" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this growing on the bank behind my cottage and am very curious to know what it is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It has long, broad leaves that narrow and expand drastically&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's at least 6 feet tall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The stem is about 1&quot; in diameter thick, is green with purple streaks, and appears to be smooth.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There are no flowers on top (this is in early August in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KUNR3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KUNR3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Weird weed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11847" LastActivityDate="2020-07-05T05:47:35.993" Title="What is this tall, broad-leaved plant from Central NY?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20336" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20337" CreationDate="2015-08-03T04:37:26.630" Score="3" ViewCount="140" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Adelaide, Australia and during this winter season during rainy weather I have been finding large numbers of earthworms dead and stuck on the concrete of our back veranda (porch.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This isn't just a few worms, but dozens to hundreds of them at a time. It hasn't rained much this year, but when it has, the next morning there's a new bunch all dead and stuck to the cement. I figure they're breeding in huge numbers for this result.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The area just beyond the concrete is a fairly large lawn with garden beds at the back and sides. The lawn is mowed regularly, but it's been a long time (at least 15 years) since it was last aerated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was wondering if it was something to do with the drainage, does anyone have any (other) ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11848" LastActivityDate="2015-08-03T13:13:32.397" Title="Mass Earthworm Suicides on the Back Veranda" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;worms&gt;&lt;earthworms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20336" CreationDate="2015-08-03T13:13:32.397" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might be more to do with the fact you're not getting as much rain as usual - earthworms surface during wet weather, and many reasons for this have been proposed, but no one really knows why they do it. There are theories about oxygen shortage in waterlogged soil, or needing to come to the surface for breeding purposes, and these are all possibilities, but the other thing they do is mass migration, usually in rainy weather, and usually in spring. If your air temperatures have been a degree or three higher than you'd expect for this time of year, they may be attemping to migrate, but didn't have time to get where they were going before the rain stopped and they got stuck on a dry surface like your concrete. The reasons for migration are also unclear, but likely to do with a large population needing more space, or the conditions they're living in are no longer hospitable. Water table changes can cause inhospitable conditions, so if anyone's had extra drainage put in anywhere and the soil is drier, that might have affected the worm population locally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might be interested in reading this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/why-do-earthworms-surface-afte/28916&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/why-do-earthworms-surface-afte/28916&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for your lack of proper lawn maintenance, if there are earthworms in the soil under the lawn (in warmer temperatures, you should notice little piles of worm 'droppings' or casts, usually in autumn or spring) they do quite a lot of aerating for you, so its unlikely to be that causing an issue. If you have never seen any piles where they've come out of the soil, then perhaps your lawn does need some care and attention...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-03T13:13:32.397" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20338" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20178" CreationDate="2015-08-03T13:21:32.840" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I checked with a local hydroponic store and their suggestion was clay pebbles, I washed them before filling the buckets (there was a fine dust on them). It has been couple weeks and the pump is clean. I hope it would help others to choose a growing media.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DZ735.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DZ735.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11036" LastActivityDate="2015-08-03T13:21:32.840" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20339" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20335" CreationDate="2015-08-03T13:53:02.957" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It &lt;strong&gt;might&lt;/strong&gt; be Lactuca biennis, commonly known as Tall Blue Lettuce, but without a close up of a leaf, and without knowing if it has short hairs along the veins on the underside (midrib particularly), and in the absence of any flower heads or actual flowers, its hard to be sure. Info here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/tall-blue-lettuce&quot;&gt;https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/tall-blue-lettuce&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-03T13:53:02.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20333" CreationDate="2015-08-03T17:39:12.727" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;So far as I'm aware, you earth up the whole bulb, up to the topgrowth - it makes the bulb more tender and keeps it nice and white. That's what they do on the allotment where I live anyway, I've never grown it myself - I'm in the UK, and they start earthing up end of August, early September, when the bulb is visibly starting to swell. It also protects the bulb from the possibility of early frost before its been harvested, which might not be an issue where you are anyway. Certainly, descriptions of earthing up liken it to earthing up potatoes, which definitely are earthed up over the stems of the topgrowth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-03T17:54:26.473" LastActivityDate="2015-08-03T17:54:26.473" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20342" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-03T20:29:52.663" Score="4" ViewCount="323" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a resource to help estimate the height and age of a tree from its diameter (75+ inch circumference). My property has mature Red Pines and I'd like to estimate their ages and heights. I understand there will be a &quot;fudge factor&quot; in any resource I find but it's a start. I found some research by USDA - Forestry but none of the species included in the research are even close to a Red Pine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update #1 - The trees are part of unmanaged forest property I own. Most of the trees are less than 30 years old due to a wildfire. The rest, however, survived the fire and are much older than the new growth ( 30+ inch diameter). The only watering these trees get is from the sky. The soil is sand with river rock encountered 5-10 feet beneath the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11851" LastEditorUserId="11851" LastEditDate="2015-08-04T14:30:08.093" LastActivityDate="2015-08-04T14:30:08.093" Title="Given a diameter and species, how do I estimate a tree's size and age?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20343" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20342" CreationDate="2015-08-03T20:42:03.517" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not completely sure that's possible. There would be a large fudge factor, because I'd think a trees growth rate on a particular year would determine it's future circumference and that growth is based on variable factors, such as the amount of light, water, and nutrients they are provided. Also, their location is important. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For instance, the art of bonsai is about making young trees look ancient, but you can look on many bonsai sites and see wild trees that sprouted in a rock crevice on the top of a mountain and they are hundreds of years old, but maybe only a few inches in diameter, because everything they need to grow in extremely limited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possible someone could approximate age and size based on average or ideal growing conditions, but again, it seems to me like it'd be a pretty rough guess, with cutting the tree opens as the only means to truly determine the age.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could see if anyone in your area is clearing similar trees off the property, housing developers being excellent resources and count the ring on a tree of similar size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-08-03T20:42:03.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20344" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20405" CreationDate="2015-08-04T04:20:51.633" Score="3" ViewCount="3807" Body="&lt;p&gt;we had this Japanese maple placed last year by our landscaper, and it did well.  this year it seemed to be doing well, but we just noticed these scattered branches with a bunch of curled leaves, and what looks to be dead branches.  the branches affected may be the new growth, but i'm not positive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;we live in Chicago. tree faces south with partial shade. we've been using drip irrigation set to a timer.  we turned the water off during our wet and cool june, but restarted it every 3 days for 90min in july, and then bumped it to every 2 days right before we left for vacation after forecast of a dry warm week.  truthfully, we didn't notice the problem until we got back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;we sent this pic to our landscaper, who later looked at it through the gate and thought it looked like &quot;drought damage&quot;.   recommended to just keep watering it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;i'm not much of a gardener, but it didn't make much sense to me.  we have a silhouette sweetgum tree a few yards away that's doing well, and none of the surrounding plants look like they're wilting or damaged.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;i was originally worried that maybe we were overwatering, but i now understand 90min of drip irrigation should be okay (true?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;so, i guess i'm looking for a diagnosis and advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;could it be drought damaged? should we worry about irrigation problem?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;could it be sun damage?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;could we be overwatering it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is it diseased?  if so, should we prune these branches before is spreads?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;i'm hoping someone might be able to figure this out on sight.  and since a picture is worth a thousand words...  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(note the faded dry leaves and branches at the top of the tree, as well as the branch with red curled leaves to the left.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;thanks in advance, everyone!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/McXBc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/McXBc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Japanese maple&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dUXFF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dUXFF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Japanese maple&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11852" LastActivityDate="2019-10-05T13:01:25.527" Title="dying leaves on Japanese maple: water damage, drought, or disease?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20345" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21839" CreationDate="2015-08-04T05:36:04.763" Score="8" ViewCount="2338" Body="&lt;p&gt;My folks in Berkeley, CA (San Francisco Bay Area) showed me their young fig tree the other day to see if I could figure out what was wrong with it, but I wasn't certain. I searched here (during title search) and found a nice document from the Aussies at &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/5658/2638&quot;&gt;kevinsky's answer here&lt;/a&gt;. It appears to be Anthracnose. However, I searched images and other fungi that attack plants and there were several other species that looked similar or more like the specimen below. I did not notice any fruit damaged obviously by this. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There were some other leaves, but not that many, that started to yellow that also had some small spots, but as you can see, there aren't distinct yellow areas around the dark spots, and on the yellow leaves I did not notice a powder as the document indicates is indicative of rust. However, on this specimen you can see there is some white stuff: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PSyNo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PSyNo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fig leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question is, does it matter &lt;em&gt;what&lt;/em&gt; type of fungus this is, if it indeed &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; fungus? Should I just buy a &quot;copper-based fungicide&quot; anyway? Also, is it safe to eat the fruit thereafter and how toxic is this stuff to kids should they get their hands on some leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2638" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-09-15T03:51:13.843" Title="Is this fig tree disease or just malnourished?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20346" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20344" CreationDate="2015-08-04T10:11:51.327" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Newly planted trees are not able to take up as much water as your well established sweetgum so it's a good idea to irrigate. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b974&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The recommendations&lt;/a&gt; for Japanese maples are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;moist, organically rich, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;light sun dappled part shade. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoid hot and dry sites. Leaves may scorch in full sun in hot southern summers. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant in a location protected from strong winds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I notice that all the damage seems to be closer to the wall which is cement with a white finish. I think the wall is reflecting heat and baking the new foliage.&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/environmental/scorch.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Leaf scorch&lt;/a&gt; is common on Japanese maples:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;irrigate more&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mulch to a depth of one to two inches (not as much near the trunk)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;examine the placement: it sounds like a hot south facing site that does not have enough shade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just keep watering and see what next year brings. Where I live Japanese Maples are sold every spring but I never see a large specimen.  They are fairly delicate where you get hot summers and cold winters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-08-04T14:14:17.773" LastActivityDate="2015-08-04T14:14:17.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20347" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20342" CreationDate="2015-08-04T11:35:32.773" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agree with Dalton's answer - growth is variable depending on conditions and environment, but there is a table of approximate ages in relation to girth of the trunk. See link here, it might be useful, but it is dependent on identifying the species of tree, since they're all genetically programmed with different growth rates. These tables tend to be more accurate for trees growing in forest, or natural, conditions - for street/garden trees, it's not so easy, because they may have been cared for, not left to their own devices (extra water when its dry, fertilized, etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://forestry.about.com/od/silviculture/a/Estimating-A-Trees-Age.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://forestry.about.com/od/silviculture/a/Estimating-A-Trees-Age.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This link does mention Red Pine:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mdc.mo.gov/your-property/your-trees-and-woods/backyard-tree-care/how-old-tree&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://mdc.mo.gov/your-property/your-trees-and-woods/backyard-tree-care/how-old-tree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-04T11:41:18.833" LastActivityDate="2015-08-04T11:41:18.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20348" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20350" CreationDate="2015-08-04T15:30:05.877" Score="1" ViewCount="923" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you please identify this plant. All I know is that it is blooming with small red &quot;bells&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5NkOZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5NkOZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11855" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-04T15:40:16.887" LastActivityDate="2015-08-04T19:19:41.243" Title="What is this plant with small red bell shaped flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20349" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-04T17:13:20.497" Score="4" ViewCount="7735" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted 2 cilantro seeds in the same bed a few weeks ago... now I've got 3 distinct seedlings coming up in close proximity. I want to grow the cilantro for culinary use and planted multiple seeds assuming I'd eventually have to thin them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is now the time to choose two of these to thin out? One of them (all the way in the back) is starting to develop it's first cilantro-looking leaf.... so maybe keep that one and get rid of the other two?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And to thin, I just get a scissor and cut the seedling a little above the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/StBN4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/StBN4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b1Kvr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b1Kvr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7055" LastEditorUserId="7055" LastEditDate="2015-08-04T21:01:48.027" LastActivityDate="2015-08-29T12:09:20.510" Title="Is it time to thin these cilantro seedlings?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;cilantro&gt;&lt;thinning&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20350" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20348" CreationDate="2015-08-04T17:55:08.910" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuchsia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Fuchsia sp.&lt;/a&gt; and quite a young one. I can also tell you that this baby wants to be moved outside, in a semi-shaded place, because it shows signs of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiolation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;etiolation&lt;/a&gt;, AKA lack of light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Come fall before the first frost, move it indoors, cut back a bit and overwinter in a cool place. If neccessary it can even go in a dark place where it will loose all leaves, but will re-grow them in Spring. Move out as soon as possible but take it back inside at night until the last frost because it shouldn't get any frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few hardy varieties, but they typically have narrower leaves and smallish flowers. This looks like the classic Fuchsia hybrid - and there are &lt;em&gt;lots&lt;/em&gt; of these on the market.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can easily propagate your fuchsia from cuttings. I recomend letting them develop roots in a jar of water (my preferred method, it's basically fail-safe and I simply use the &quot;leftovers&quot; from pruning...), but putting them straight into the ground works, too, according to various sources. In this case, a heating pad below might speed things up a bit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep an eye out for aphids and especially whiteflies, If neccessary, treat accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-08-04T19:19:41.243" LastActivityDate="2015-08-04T19:19:41.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20351" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20349" CreationDate="2015-08-04T18:56:28.683" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes you should thin out 2 of the 3, by gently pulling the seedling out. (Snipping them off would not be the way to go, it may encourage bushier plant to emerge.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Cilantro&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;WikiHow&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Prevent overcrowding. Stop the cilantro plants from becoming&#xA;  overcrowded by thinning the seedlings when the cilantro is 2 to 3&#xA;  inches (5.1 to 7.6 cm) tall. Pull out the smaller plants and leave the&#xA;  strongest ones to grow larger, allowing 8 to 10 inches (20.3 to 25.4&#xA;  cm) between each plant. The smaller plants can be used in cooking and&#xA;  eaten.[4]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2015-08-04T18:56:28.683" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20352" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20377" CreationDate="2015-08-04T18:58:09.180" Score="4" ViewCount="4890" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother has always wanted a weeping willow and we have a nice spot that won't hold water, but the majority of run-off water from the yard flows past it. So I bought her one and planted it. I babied it for her all summer. It did great. Then fall rolls around and deer decided it would be the perfect tree to rub it's velvet off on. It ended up taking the bark off all the way around and about 2' up and down. It stayed green, but I didn't have much hope. I figured it might have some cambium layer intact and had just had the outer bark removed. Over the winter, we got some snow and it bent the tree pretty much to the ground. It was completely dead by the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I bought her a new one for her birthday in March last year. As an interesting side note, I noticed a couple of little growths on the lower, undamaged, portion of the trunk. I cut of the dead top and when I took it out of the ground, I popped it in the pot the other came out of. I set it in the water puddle formed by the AC unit and it has grown an almost 6' tall whip over last summer and part of this summer. I've since planted it at the river.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted the new one and caged it to prevent deer from getting at it. It had a thick bamboo stake, so I left it there and made sure the ties weren't cutting into the bark. After a little over a year I decided to remove the stake the other day, because I know it's better for trees to sway and build trunk and root strength. Also, I have a little apple tree that needed it. However, it got very windy that day and I noticed the tree was bending a lot. Now I notice when I go over there, that while it isn't leaning on it, the tree will be touching different sides of the cage like the wind blew it from one side to the other. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I want to know is whether or not I should restake it, giving it the ability to sway, but not lean more than 6-8&quot; either way. That should let the trunk build strength, but not bend to the ground if it gets snow or heavy ice on it. Thanks for the help. I just don't want to loose another one after babying it for two summers. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures of it, you can see the amount of lean I'm concerned about. It was straight up with the stake:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WYQvL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WYQvL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iHMe6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iHMe6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pezED.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pezED.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-17T16:55:58.267" LastActivityDate="2021-04-25T19:51:17.733" Title="Staking a Weeping Willow" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;weeping-willow&gt;&lt;staking&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20353" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20366" CreationDate="2015-08-04T19:09:23.873" Score="4" ViewCount="11489" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased my Mother two 'Weeping Cherry' trees this year. I've planted them out and they've actually shown a large amount of new growth. I've had new whips growing 2'+ off of them. The plants are roughly 5' tall from the ground. There are no limbs all the way up and the trunk is ~2&quot; in diameter. All the growth is on the top and it's all coming out of the top 4&quot;. I know it was probably cut and encouraged to do this at the nursery, since many people will buy them as a container plant or as a decorative plant for a small yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, she has a large yard and would like to grow this tree much larger. I know they do grow to be large and I would love something that grew to look like this:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/77R1y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/77R1y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Weeping Cherry&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will add pictures of what mine currently look like soon, but my question is about how to encourage them to grow bigger. With a regular tree, they'd tend to put branches straight up and I could choose a leader to encourage it to grow. However, these all hang down. Will they just keep building up higher, will it eventually put out a leader, do I need to pick one that's close to the top and splint it up till it thickens and stays pointing up? What do I do in this situation. Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Here are the pictures I promised. Also, the back of the plant tag said it would get roughly 34-40' tall and have a 20-30' spread. I did see that it was grafted. When I say it has whips growing out, you'll see them in the pick, they don't grow straight out. It appears there were branches on the grafted section that were pruned back and the new whips are growing horizontally and down from near these joints. Because of the tag, I wasn't really worried about the height, but more about if I needed to do anything to encourage it to grow upwards, since the branches all droop. I didn't know if a leader would eventually grow upright.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SSnnW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SSnnW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dNJ1N.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dNJ1N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D3rQ2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D3rQ2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="9731" LastEditDate="2015-08-05T19:39:28.247" LastActivityDate="2019-04-25T16:09:06.207" Title="How to encourage weeping cherry to grow larger" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20354" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-04T19:10:10.613" Score="1" ViewCount="115" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help me identify plant. It is on photo. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8t8gt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8t8gt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11855" LastActivityDate="2015-08-05T16:57:06.277" Title="Help me identify plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20355" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-04T19:17:03.237" Score="1" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;On photo there is a plant I've got. Please help me identify what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IQawr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IQawr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11855" LastActivityDate="2015-08-05T11:24:30.810" Title="Please help name plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20353" CreationDate="2015-08-04T19:26:26.587" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't believe it's just a matter of pruning - the weeping cherry I've seen has remained just about 5 feet tall for 15-20 years, and as such would appear to be a genetic dwarf. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not knowing the details, I can't say if rooting a branch cutting might give you a non-dwarf or not (with apples, it would, since the dwarfing is from the rootstock.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-08-04T19:26:26.587" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20357" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-04T20:26:59.440" Score="2" ViewCount="2174" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lime tree inside behind the window in a pot. It's got a couple of fruits on it and it seemed to happily grow new foliage up until about 1 month (or so) ago. I also stopped watering it a few days ago as I thought it wasn't as thirsty anymore i.e. the soil would stay moist and not dry out. What could be the problem here? When I shake it, it doesn't drop any leaves. but also it doesn't have a whole lot of foliage on it... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves on the bottom are rather new and on the branch on the left side, you can see a fruit, the largest on the tree (there's three smaller ones), too.&#xA; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/txvlS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried to take another picture to give you some better context but it's difficult as it's nice and sunny out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fLgvs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT1&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;When watering it, I've been using a fertilizer that contains:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nitrogen&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Available Phosphoric Acid&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soluble Potash&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Iron&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Manganese&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zinc&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;EDTA&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that okay, should I keep using it or use just water or a different fertilizer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11179" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-08-05T00:57:43.663" LastActivityDate="2015-08-05T01:01:37.950" Title="Why did my lime tree stop growing?" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20357" CreationDate="2015-08-04T22:37:22.083" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is growing under low light conditions and it has a typical nutrient deficiency.  Chances are good the water you are using is alkaline and this has helped to change the pH of the soil so that the Iron and Manganese are no longer available. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3227/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3340/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/4016/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for details.  You can deal with these issues by:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repotting with a tropical plant soil less mix&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fertilize at quarter strength with a citrus fertilizer every other week for a few months&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut the plant down to a strong leader to encourage tree like growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;move to a much higher light situation and watch for spider mites&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see that you are using a fertilizer with a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_chelate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;chelating agent&lt;/a&gt;, EDTA, so I am surprised to see the nutrient deficiency indicated by the veining on the leaves.  (Dark veins, light green leaf).  If you can find a fertilizer specifically for citrus which can be heavy feeders you should use that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2015-08-05T01:01:37.950" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20359" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3159" CreationDate="2015-08-05T00:46:32.070" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may want to try a couple of perennials that serve me well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first is Lovage, which grows in my zone 4a to between 4 &amp;amp; 6 ft. tall by 1.5 foot wide and tastes like a very strong celery.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second is salad burnet. It grows year round evergreen here, and if mixed and chilled with sour cream, mayonnaise or crème cheese for at least 2 hours, it enhances a natural cucumber flavor great for dips and crackers. Otherwise I use it as salad or potage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh yes, you can also include Purslane, Chickweed and &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_rugosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rosa ragosa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11856" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T20:12:23.843" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T20:12:23.843" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20361" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19922" CreationDate="2015-08-05T02:45:16.683" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Years ago my neighbor and I spent most of the summer cutting, pulling and digging wild grape vines. When we were done we dug down around each grape root and we put about five lb of rock salt on each, covered it with dirt and watered it each day. In Oct we put another five lb on and to this day they have never come back.  The best thing I ever found!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11859" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-05T03:59:56.127" LastActivityDate="2015-08-05T03:59:56.127" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20362" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21844" CreationDate="2015-08-05T09:39:41.327" Score="5" ViewCount="4354" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what these spots &amp;amp; holes are that appeared all over my otherwise happy rocket crop recently? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure if it's related, but there has been a lot of rainfall in my area recently, and my outdoor tomatoes (several metres away from the rocket) have started showing the first signs of blight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many thanks in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m6LJJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m6LJJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Spots &amp;amp; holes on rocket leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They've also been appearing on the adjacent lettuces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kN9xO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kN9xO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update. I just caught these little sods in action on the leaves. Some sort of weevil perhaps?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yT7uJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Weevil&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="537" LastEditorUserId="537" LastEditDate="2015-08-06T17:58:10.607" LastActivityDate="2015-09-18T10:22:07.580" Title="Spots &amp; holes appearing on rocket leaves" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20363" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20364" CreationDate="2015-08-05T09:42:36.910" Score="2" ViewCount="1302" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could anyone name this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Idiotically I forgot its name right after buying it last week. I'm pretty sure it started with a C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many thanks in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BYSPG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BYSPG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="537" LastEditorUserId="2984" LastEditDate="2015-08-05T20:48:34.540" LastActivityDate="2015-08-05T20:48:34.540" Title="What is this plant with yellow flowers on long stems?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20364" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20363" CreationDate="2015-08-05T10:03:43.417" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're right, it does begin with a C - its Coreopsis grandiflora, common name Tickseed, a relatively short-lived, very floriferous perennial. Needs a sunny spot, give it some room, it tends to sprawl in its second year if it makes it through the winter (it sometimes doesn't make it through in colder regions).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-05T10:03:43.417" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20365" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20355" CreationDate="2015-08-05T10:08:35.857" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to be Syngonium podophyllum and it hasn't enough room for its roots. Needs a bigger pot with more potting compost in it - it should look like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/rdjnapolitano/5986290754&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.flickr.com/photos/rdjnapolitano/5986290754&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Needs average warmth, minimum 15 Deg C in winter, and a well lit (by daylight) but sunless spot. Compost should not be allowed to dry out completely, but take care not to overwater - drainage holes in the bottom of the pot and emptying out any outer container after 30 minutes are important. Reduce watering in winter, but don't allow to dry out completely, mist leaves regularly, particularly in winter, assuming you have central heating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-05T11:24:30.810" LastActivityDate="2015-08-05T11:24:30.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20353" CreationDate="2015-08-05T10:34:53.483" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it is Prunus subhirtella 'Pendula', you don't need to do anything at all other than keep it watered during dry spells. Ultimate height and spread of this particular variety is around 2.5-4.00 metres (up to 13 feet) wide and high, and that height and spread will be achieved after ten-twenty years, but if you've got the plant tag, it should tell you the height and spread on there. Over time, some specimens may achieve a greater ultimate size than others - there's one in Virginia that's 35 years old and is about 20 feet high with a spread of around 40 feet. Usually, these trees are grafted on top of a straight stem - the height of the stem varies usually between 6 and 8 feet. When you say you've got '2 foot whips', does that mean you've got stems growing straight up into the air from the top of the plant? A photo would be useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilising in spring with a balanced fertiliser would be good, but isn't critical. It's programmed to grow at a particular speed (slightly variable depending on conditions) and to achieve a particular height and spread; this process cannot be hurried or persuaded to go faster. This variety is considered a small tree - according to the link below, there are others that get larger, so you will need to purchase a different variety to get the size you want, see here (I'm not convinced they're much larger, really and to some extent, its dependent on the height of the stem and graft union)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/pink-weeping-ornamental-cherry-tree-zones-growing-information-55894.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/pink-weeping-ornamental-cherry-tree-zones-growing-information-55894.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree you've actually got is in Prune Group 1, meaning it doesn't really require any, but if you want to see what that means, here's a link:-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=549&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=549&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid all you can do is provide optimum growing conditions and let it do its thing - this is why gardeners are always thought to be patient people with a long term vision, sometimes planting trees which they know they may not see mature because they'll be long gone...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now you've posted photos, its not going to change my answer - it looks healthy, so just needs to be kept well watered during dry spells in the next two years, and it'll grow on, no pruning/training interference necessary! I just wanted to check that the '2 foot whips' you mention weren't growing straight up into the air, which they're not, so it's fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-06T10:43:48.680" LastActivityDate="2015-08-06T10:43:48.680" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20367" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20354" CreationDate="2015-08-05T10:48:38.030" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it might be Sanseviera trifasciata 'Hahnii' - if the leaves start getting very long, then it isn't that one, but there's a pic of what it should look like (scroll down to the fourth picture) in the link below - you can see the leaves are pretty short, like the ones in your photo, but if the leaves on the left in your photo start to get much longer, then this ID is incorrect. As it stands though, that's what it looks like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://peacebella.blogspot.co.uk/2006/04/sansevieria-golden-hahnii.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://peacebella.blogspot.co.uk/2006/04/sansevieria-golden-hahnii.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant prefers bright light, doesn't mind a little sun at the end or beginning of the day, but will grow in shady conditions. You may need to water it a bit more - one of the leaves to the right appears a little floppy and has curled over a bit. Allow to dry out between waterings, but water well when you do it, not allowing the plant to stand in water in any outer container for longer than 30 minutes. When you water, its important to water the soil in the pot, not the plant, and particularly not the leaves, so that where they join together at the base, water could sit and cause rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-05T16:57:06.277" LastActivityDate="2015-08-05T16:57:06.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20368" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20362" CreationDate="2015-08-05T12:48:13.017" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Look (both sides of leaves) at night with a flashlight - slug and snail would be a good bet for the holes (and the &quot;spots&quot; which look to be &quot;nearly holes&quot;), and they are encouraged by damp conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-08-05T12:48:13.017" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20369" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5360" CreationDate="2015-08-05T13:24:33.057" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do it every year and always have great vegetable gardens. If the forest does not die from leaves your garden will not. I just till then in several times over the fall and winter then have a great garden in the spring. They will build your garden soil. I collected probably 500 bags this past year (fall 2014) and will do the same this year. They are great for your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11861" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-05T15:12:39.953" LastActivityDate="2015-08-05T15:12:39.953" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20362" CreationDate="2015-08-05T14:03:25.183" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect that is actually flea beetle damage. Flea beetles move quickly when disturbed, so it is hard to catch them in the act. Your local garden center may sell traps for them though - you could put a couple in your rocket patch and see what you catch. There are some insecticides that work on them, and diatomaceous earth can help keep them off your plants. You'll have to decide what you are comfortable with, since these are edibles. Personally, I'm just serving my veggies to my family, so we live with the damage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ETA: The photo you've added looks like a weevil. It is too blurry for me to tell if it has the usual v-shaped pattern on its wings, but they can certainly cause holes in lettuce and rocket leaves. You may have found your culprit!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2015-09-14T19:52:13.510" LastActivityDate="2015-09-14T19:52:13.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20371" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20383" CreationDate="2015-08-05T16:00:38.113" Score="0" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;This winter, I'd like to purchase bare-root tree seedlings, which are shipped by mail in April.  I'd like to plant them outside in large pots, but I'm concerned about the roots freezing, or other cold-related damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I keep these seedlings indoors until the nighttime low temperature passes some threshold?  For example, should I keep the seedlings in a refrigerator until the nights tend to be above freezing?  I'm in zone 5, so the April nights tend to be in the 20F range, and the days in the 40-50F range.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8596" LastActivityDate="2015-08-06T11:09:20.257" Title="How early can I plant tree seedlings outdoors?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20372" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20376" CreationDate="2015-08-05T17:04:20.107" Score="3" ViewCount="328" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use a compost tumbler and often times I end up with a lot of fruit pits including avocado pits. I usually sift these out and leave them in a compost pile (which is enclosed by chicken wire) along with small twigs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to speed up the decomposition of this pile? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was even considering a wood chipper that could handle fruit pits and the like if I can find one under $250, but that doesn't seem to exist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11863" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-05T18:26:52.727" LastActivityDate="2015-08-07T17:42:41.203" Title="How can I speed up decomposition of fruit pits and the like?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3" CreationDate="2015-08-05T19:48:17.220" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/bridgegraftingandinarching.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;Bridge grafting&quot;&gt;Bridge grafting&lt;/a&gt; may be the technique you're looking for.  This method uses smaller stems to bridge the gap, allowing sap to flow across.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EJKgE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EJKgE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree saved from girdling by bridge grafting&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/bridge_grafting_as_a_life_saving_procedure_for_trees&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Image credit found here&lt;/a&gt;, with directions on how to use this technique.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8596" LastEditorUserId="8596" LastEditDate="2016-04-25T20:02:23.973" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T20:02:23.973" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20374" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20382" CreationDate="2015-08-05T21:48:09.023" Score="4" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm about to plant a keyhole garden. The ideal site is just a foot or two away from a bunch of Siberian elm tree shoots. The elm is pretty dead except for a number of shoots which I've cut down and covered with black plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know what I can do to keep elm shoots from appearing in the garden. Old carpeting has been recommended but I'm concerned about the chemicals in carpeting and having to deal with shredded up carpeting in the future. Would black plastic at the bottom of the bed help with elms? I suspect not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do other than to keep chopping up/digging up any shoots I encounter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11866" LastActivityDate="2015-08-06T12:14:22.227" Title="How to keep elm shoots away from raised bed garden" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20375" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20447" CreationDate="2015-08-06T00:26:48.677" Score="4" ViewCount="2193" Body="&lt;p&gt;The belt that drives the mower blades bit the dust tonight and I replaced it with a spare.  It's actually the belt that came with the LA125 when it was purchased.  The problem is that there's too much tension on the belt and when the engine is on, the belt is engaged, driving the blades.  I've backed off on the belt tensioner as far as I can, and even went as far as removing one of the bolts that hold the tensioner in place so I could move it further.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the deck is lowered considerably, between 1-2 inches, the belt is relaxed and the blades will not turn...if it's raised above 3, too much tension is on it and the blades engage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tensioner pulley is all the way to the right (looking down at the deck) so I don't think it's being pulled by the cable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What am I missing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11867" LastActivityDate="2015-08-12T12:24:12.120" Title="After replacing belt, LA125 blades are always engaged" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20372" CreationDate="2015-08-06T00:35:34.380" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just bury them in the garden (not where you are growing root vegetables unless you go deep with them.) Won't speed it up, but no real need for speed if they are out of the way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, add fresh hot manure (chicken is particularly good) to your &quot;pile of pits and twigs&quot; - I've pretty much traded in bothering with a brush chipper for branches for piling the branches and dumping relatively fresh horse manure on top of the pile to speed it along (just branches decay much more slowly - the manure maintains a moist environment and provides nitrogen to balance out the carbon of the wood.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-08-06T00:35:34.380" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20377" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20352" CreationDate="2015-08-06T01:11:08.277" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, secure it with soft rubber like ties at three points which are attached to stakes in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bicycle inner tubes work well for a soft tie.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stakes can be wood or metal or plastic but should be put in at an angle away from the tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;this &lt;a href=&quot;https://wwv.isa-arbor.com/education/onlineresources/cadplanningspecifications#Staking&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; from society of arborists provides excessive detail&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove the stakes after a year&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sure hope you planted the willow far, far away from everything. They drop leaves, branches frequently.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="1908" LastEditDate="2021-04-25T19:51:17.733" LastActivityDate="2021-04-25T19:51:17.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="20378" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20372" CreationDate="2015-08-06T04:08:19.853" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adding extra nitrogen should do the trick. Nitrogen is needed for wood decomposition. I suppose the same is true for pits. You could buy some urea for the purpose. It helps to decompose animal carcasses, quickly, too, I've read.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Manure, as Ecnerwal mentioned, should help (because it's high in nitrogen and microbes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Urine has a lot of nitrogen in it, too. Although it's not sterile, as some say, it does have far fewer microbes than feces. I wouldn't use it on low-growing plants where it might get on the leaves or something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-08-06T04:08:19.853" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20379" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20381" CreationDate="2015-08-06T07:50:53.427" Score="3" ViewCount="759" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are currently on holiday in a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%BCgen&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;region&lt;/a&gt; where wild sea buckthorn is very common. We'd like to take some home to plant in our garden, kind of a living souvenir.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The typical method for propagating would be to dig out new shots that have emerged from the existing roots. But apart from it being forbidden or at least morally questionable I want to be sure I get a female plant and males and females grow quite intertwined here. So I'd like to take a few cuttings from select plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Various sources in the web suggest different methods, from rooting them in (the local) sandy soil to drawing roots in a jar of water, also some say to take wooden stems, other fresh green ones. Hm...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now add to this my very limited equipment:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;No rooting hormones (some sources say it's useless for sea buckthorn anyway), simply a knife, a few food containers that could stand in as planters and some small plastic bags (the sandwich-baggie-type) if really needed for a makeshift greenhouse. Plus I'm about 1000 km from home and whatever I do must withstand a 10 hours car trip, possibly more if we do a detour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How would you proceed?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To clarify:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, I know that sea buckthorn loves to spread, I already have a male for pollination and a suitable place to plant it and no, I don't want to go to a nursery, where's the fun in simply buying a pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-08-15T18:35:11.503" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T18:35:11.503" Title="Sea buckthorn: Propagating from cuttings" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20379" CreationDate="2015-08-06T10:16:35.133" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;https://portageperennials.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/root-cuttings-sea-buckthorn/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; indicates that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippophae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sea buckthorn&lt;/a&gt; is hard to propagate&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&amp;quot;it will regenerate from root pieces &amp;quot;(confirmed from my copy of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.ca/Reference-Manual-Woody-Plant-Propagation/dp/1604690046&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dirr&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;which is also confirmed &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/seabuckthorn.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, carefully, due to the thorns, get sections of root from your desired plant and put them in a little bag of the local soil that is damp. They should have no problems lasting the trip home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You seem to indicate a reluctance to dig out new shoots but you have to go with how the plants work.  Just pick a female plant at the edge of an area so you are getting the plant you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stephie: it wouldn't be the first time that references disagree with each other.  How easy a plant is to propagate should not be different from country to country yet....&#xA;Take some softwood cuttings as insurance if you can.  Extra material never hurts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-08-06T14:30:48.847" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20374" CreationDate="2015-08-06T10:50:33.217" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well before you start building anything new for planting nearby, its probably best to dig around and expose the major woody roots on the elm - I assume it was originally only one elm, and its now got shoots coming off the main limbs below ground. If that's the case, then reveal as much woody root as you can, drill into it to make pits about quarter to half inch deep, or make deep cuts in it, use a tree stump killer by applying it to the cuts/holes you've made (I'd say SBK, called a brushwood killer in the UK, but don't know what types are available where you are), cover with something and leave to die back. You can push the soil back over the top if the areas you've treated are well covered. If you're careful when you use whatever tree stumpkiller you choose, not getting it anywhere other than on the offending roots, it shouldn't preclude making preparations for your keyhole garden. The stumpkiller won't make the roots disappear any quicker, but it will stop regrowth - decomposition of the dead roots will then proceed over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've got shoots coming off the stump of the tree above ground, then its worth treating that too by drilling into it, round the outside edge, don't bother to treat the heartwood, and applying stump killer. In fact, if that's the only place where new shoots arise, you don't need to worry so much about poisoning all the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-06T12:14:22.227" LastActivityDate="2015-08-06T12:14:22.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20383" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20371" CreationDate="2015-08-06T11:09:20.257" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to talk to the supplier of the trees - bare root should mean they've been dug up from the ground and shipped out very quickly, so depending on where they've been grown, its possible the climate where they come from is similar to yours, or it may not be. Your supplier should be able to advise on this. The usual advice for bare root plants is to heel them into the ground if the ground is frozen or waterlogged when they arrive, or soak the roots and plant out into a pre-prepared area as soon as possible if not - it's not a good idea to put them inside if they've been lifted from outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-06T11:09:20.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20384" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20349" CreationDate="2015-08-06T13:54:46.273" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Personally, I would leave them a little longer. Things can and do go wrong with seedlings this small. When you have several true leaves on each plant (so leaves that look like cilantro, not the cotyledons like the one you are pinching in the photo), then choose the strongest and thin the others out. I would absolutely snip them off with a scissors to thin. That will cause the least damage to the one you choose to keep. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ETA - One benefit of waiting a little longer is that you can use the plants you thin out. You won't get a ton of cilantro this way, of course, but it is still nice to use. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2015-08-06T14:08:46.420" LastActivityDate="2015-08-06T14:08:46.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20385" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20389" CreationDate="2015-08-06T14:32:04.293" Score="3" ViewCount="569" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this while looking for some climbing succulents. I desperately want to know what kind of succulent it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tmE0I.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tmE0I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9754" LastActivityDate="2019-09-30T19:49:17.950" Title="What kind of succulent is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20385" CreationDate="2015-08-06T14:43:24.947" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is gorgeous! I believe the plant is Ghost Plant (Graptopetalum Paraguayense). The color of the plant will change, depending on its growing conditions and it is hardy to zone 7b.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-08-06T14:43:24.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20387" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20372" CreationDate="2015-08-06T15:01:08.447" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Large pits like avocado or from stone fruits like peaches take a long time to compost down - these seeds are quite capable of bobbing along on the ocean till they make landfall even two years later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't recommend burying them, its likely you'll finish up with volunteer trees from some of them. Soaking them in boiling water should help to start the process though, leaving them to soak even after the water has cooled, so you could do that first before chucking on the compost, but they'll probably still take a couple of years to degrade down. See link below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://confessionsofacomposter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/when-composting-is-fruit-pits.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://confessionsofacomposter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/when-composting-is-fruit-pits.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-07T17:42:41.203" LastActivityDate="2015-08-07T17:42:41.203" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20388" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20390" CreationDate="2015-08-06T20:16:39.947" Score="1" ViewCount="110" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've got a situation where there is beach grass growing up to and into a formal lawn. The problem isn't so much the grass popping up into the lawn, it's that the beach grass is getting nutrients and water from the lawn and growing too thick at the boundary. It needs to be edited regularly. We'd like to limit what it can get from the lawn by limiting it's ability to run to where the good stuff is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lawn is organically managed with no or very little soluble nitrogen and infrequent waterings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-08-07T01:11:31.827" Title="What kind of barrier would I need to keep beach grass from running into a lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20389" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20385" CreationDate="2015-08-07T00:27:10.957" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree that this looks to be the Graptopetalum Paraguayense variety of &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/ghost-plant.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ghost Plant&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rosettes are made up of clumps of leaves covered with a delicate coating called prunoise. It's gray if kept in part-shade, and will turn pink in bright sun, which is what it prefers, for at least a good part of the day. While hardy to about 10° Fahrenheit, it can also be grown as a houseplant. Keep it near a south, east, or west window in order to provide enough sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As with most succulents, it tolerates draught and likes well-draining, rocky soil. Over-watering can damage the roots and cause the leaves to fall prematurely, so make sure to let it almost fully dry out between waterings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see, it's quite striking in a container, but it's also very pretty in a rock garden, where it spreads out like a groundcover, or cascades over a wall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It self-propagates by dropping leaves, which root themselves in the soil. You can also grow your own babies easily, by letting a fallen leaf dry out a bit until it hardens at the point where it broke off, and planting it wherever you'd like!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-08-07T00:27:10.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20390" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20388" CreationDate="2015-08-07T01:11:31.827" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;First thing to do is investigate!  Weak lawn grass may send roots down a few inches.  Beach grass might go down a foot or only spread by horizontal rhizomes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;determine how deep you need to go&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I recommend &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.firestonebpe.com/en/lining/pondgardtm-epdm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;EPDM 45 mil pond liner&lt;/a&gt; or similar product available from many hardware and home building stores.  You might think it's a little pricey but it is&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;UV stabilized&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;environmentally neutral&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stops roots, shoots and leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can be cut with a pair of scissors&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;installation is dig a slit trench and lay the liner in vertically&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;backfill so only the top of the liner is visible&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when you have two sections just overlap them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This has worked great for me to stop creeping weeds and cedar roots&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-08-07T01:11:31.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20391" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20314" CreationDate="2015-08-07T01:58:44.173" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to locals in Julian, 20 Aug to the 1 Sept. is normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From Bamboo's link: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The best way to tell if a pear is ready to harvest is by taking the&#xA;  fruit in your hand and tilting it horizontally. The mature fruit will&#xA;  easily come away from the branch at this angle (as opposed to its&#xA;  natural vertical hanging position). If it is not yet ready for&#xA;  picking, it will hold on to the branch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pears were ready by this method 4 Aug.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6kQQg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6kQQg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pears picked four months after bloom.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;This was confirmed by these values:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lower left - 14% sugar.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Upper left/Lower right - 15% sugar.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Upper right - 16% sugar.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7534" LastActivityDate="2015-08-07T01:58:44.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20392" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20393" CreationDate="2015-08-07T10:14:50.383" Score="3" ViewCount="245" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just recently endeavoured into the world of gardening, and one of my first adventures is to successfully get my newly purchased clematis armandii to wrap around my Pergola.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BjLOI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BjLOI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Now i'm planting the clematis into the ground but looking to wrap it around my structure of the pergola, so in an ideal world it'll grow up the wooden structure legs, but I'm wondering is the structure too thick for the clematis to wrap onto it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And shall i buy some string to wrap the bamboo support in the clematis to the structure or just plant it next to it and leave it to wrap itself?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also can anyone recommend any good plant feeder for them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11872" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-08-07T16:30:32.313" LastActivityDate="2015-08-07T16:30:32.313" Title="Advice on growing clematis armandii" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20393" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20392" CreationDate="2015-08-07T11:02:57.550" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most clematis climb by means of modified petioles, which curl round thin supports - clematis mesh is sold specifically for this purpose, and the mesh is of a thickness that the petioles can easily curl around and grasp for support. Clematis armandii, however, not only has these petioles, but also twines; even so, you will need to put something over the support for your pergola post to make this possible. Normally, I'd recommend wrapping clematis mesh around a thick support, but in the case of C. armandii, its important that the mesh is very firmly affixed, yet there is a gap of quarter of an inch between the mesh and the support, which is a bit of a tall order. If its hard up against it, the petioles won't be able to wrap themselves around the mesh. It's probably best to attach lathes to the post and then attach the mesh to those. This isn't a perfect solution - the presence of the mesh will deter the plant from twining, so it'll twine round itself instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the plant gets going, it's twining habit becomes more noticeable, but it still won't really twine round any very thick pieces of wood, if they're, say, 2 inches thick by 4 inches deep. It might be sensible to add some rigid wooden trellis, the kind that's used for fencing panels, at the top to support the plant, if the gap between the horizontals on top is very large - this variety is a strong grower, and reaches up to 28 feet by about 10 feet, and the weight of all that growth is quite significant, so depending on the size of the gaps between the top horizontals, you risk having the plant dangling down in twined clumps in between.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Were it my pergola and clematis, I'd go and get some strong, rigid trellis, the type sold for fence panels, (not the diamond shaped, collapsible stuff) saw to size and attach around the pergola support and rely on the plant's twining habit (with a bit of help from me, tying in where necessary) to get it up to the top. If you choose to do this, ensure that the vertical struts are on the outside, and the horizontals are up against the support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-07T11:14:45.933" LastActivityDate="2015-08-07T11:14:45.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20394" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-07T11:42:47.330" Score="2" ViewCount="1248" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry to make a &lt;strong&gt;double question&lt;/strong&gt; but I'm totally new.&#xA;I live in an apartment, and I really want to have a tea plant, but unfortunately I have no space for huge plants. In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3374/is-it-possible-to-grow-an-indoor-tea-plant&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; I read I can have certain tea plants indoors, but which is &lt;strong&gt;the smallest&lt;/strong&gt; I can get?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And, apart from this subject, I bought a &lt;strong&gt;Vinca pot&lt;/strong&gt;, and I really want it to be ok indoors. I don't over-irrigate it and I water-spray the leaves, do I have to do anything special to keep it okay? and, is it okay if the flowers fall in few days?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11874" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-08-07T12:33:59.243" Title="Indoor small tea plant and Vinca care" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;tea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20394" CreationDate="2015-08-07T12:23:57.690" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Camellia sinensis varieties grown outdoors in an appropriate zone will reach about 15 feet, but indoors in a pot, around 6 feet.  However, all need to be stood outside during the summer months, so if you cannot do this, you're unlikely to have much success with it. Even if you can stand it outside, its not easy to grow indoors - its a bit of a prima donna, reacting badly to the slightest changes in temperature or draughts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the Vinca, do you mean Vinca major or minor, or Catharansus rosea, the Madagascan periwinkle, previously called Vinca, and still commonly called by that name? If you're not sure, the link below should help you decide:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/info_8019153_difference-vinca-flower-vinca-vine.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ehow.com/info_8019153_difference-vinca-flower-vinca-vine.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next link is somewhat confusing - it talks about growing vinca 'vines' indoors, but the vinca its referring to is actually Catharansus roseus, not V. major or V. minor. I know this because V. major/minor do not require warm temperatures, they're hardy, sprawling, messy growing, evergreen perennials which grow outdoors and produce blue flowers in early spring, then stop flowering until the following spring. That said, the article gives instructions as to how to grow Catharansus indoors as a houseplant, so its useful for that&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_12124991_make-vinca-vines-grow-indoors.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ehow.com/how_12124991_make-vinca-vines-grow-indoors.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-07T12:33:59.243" LastActivityDate="2015-08-07T12:33:59.243" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20396" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20397" CreationDate="2015-08-07T12:52:09.790" Score="2" ViewCount="1195" Body="&lt;p&gt;My otherwise healthy lime tree (5 years old), has an odd white growth over it's surface. The ants seem to enjoy it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this something that needs to be treated immediately or can I do it in the spring when I return?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/59Gkz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/59Gkz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ixkty.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ixkty.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1258" LastActivityDate="2015-08-07T14:04:57.703" Title="What is this white stuff on my lime tree and should I be concerned?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20396" CreationDate="2015-08-07T14:04:57.703" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like mealybug or scale, maybe whitefly, particularly as the ants are 'farming' for the honeydew. You need to treat it, I can see white flecks on the tops of other leaves, or at least, that's what it looks like in the second picture. Neem or Pest Oil should help, ensure you spray the underside as well as the tops of the leaves, and spray till run off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-07T14:04:57.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20398" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-07T23:52:51.103" Score="1" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just wondered if someone can share their knowledge on when it comes to looking after and growing clematis? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand I have not long left until peak season is finished for these summer lovers, so was just wondering how to give my newly planted clematis the best start! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you in advance,  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Jamie&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11872" LastActivityDate="2015-09-08T11:37:54.043" Title="Clematis, best advice on watering and growing techniques?" Tags="&lt;rock-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20399" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23358" CreationDate="2015-08-07T23:58:22.150" Score="7" ViewCount="4328" Body="&lt;p&gt;I ate some blackberries (last June) and kept some seeds. I tried two ways to germinate some.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;First way, I used an empty white plastic jar where I put some water and seeds. I put the jar in a dark place (in my closet).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Second way, I used an empty transparent plastic cookies box, where I put some seeds between some wet paper towels. I put the box in my fridge.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During the last two months I checked every two weeks to look for some difference. The only difference I was able to see was the decay of the seeds in the box in the fridge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really would like to understand how I can germinate these seeds, so later on I can expect to see them growing and making fruits!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if it's pertinent or not, so I added the picture of the rest of the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wyDb3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wyDb3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11877" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-05T20:33:39.883" LastActivityDate="2018-04-07T22:04:08.403" Title="What's the best way to germinate blackberry seeds?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20400" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20412" CreationDate="2015-08-08T00:35:57.070" Score="3" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;I moved into a home a couple of months ago, and there's what seems to be a peach tree in a container, right next to a Queen palm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is this a peach tree? I can't tell as the fruit is really small and we haven't tried to eat it yet :)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The tree seems to have branches in all directions, but the last 12-18&quot;+ of the branches have no leaves on them at all, just some fruit. Is this normal? Should I prune the tree - either now or wait till Nov/Dec?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I would feel better if this was in the ground - should I plant it now or wait till winter/early spring? I would have hopes of getting some edible fruit next summer, anything apart from organic fertilizer and a regular watering schedule I should take care of?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is it okay if I plant it in the same spot - it's 3ft from the trunk of a Queen Palm but since the palm tree's 30ft tall, there's ample sun throughout the day. I'm just not sure how &quot;wide&quot; this can go.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is in southern California. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qq7ap.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qq7ap.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qslYU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qslYU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y5iKc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y5iKc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11812" LastEditorUserId="11812" LastEditDate="2015-08-08T03:57:50.277" LastActivityDate="2015-08-08T16:09:44.817" Title="Taking care of a peach? tree" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20402" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-08T02:36:42.843" Score="3" ViewCount="89" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother wants to know what this plant in her new garden is. Please help since I have no clue. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's South Korea here btw. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RFXTv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K8iQ6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pCiZv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11879" LastActivityDate="2015-08-08T03:06:43.290" Title="What's the name of this lovely plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20402" CreationDate="2015-08-08T03:06:43.290" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schefflera_actinophylla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Schefflera actinophylla&lt;/a&gt;, or an umbrella tree. I've got one as a house plant, but I hear they grow wild and as weeds in Florida and maybe warm parts of California.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-08-08T03:06:43.290" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20404" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-08T03:27:54.830" Score="4" ViewCount="707" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard of at least a few different grades of fertilizer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omahaorganicslawncare.com/blog/ag-grade-fetilizers-vs-horticultural-grade-fertilizers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Horticultural Grade&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Greenhouse Grade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Solution Grade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omahaorganicslawncare.com/blog/ag-grade-fetilizers-vs-horticultural-grade-fertilizers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Agricultural Grade&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Farm Grade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilizer Grade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these standards? Where are they defined? What's the difference between each (and any other grades I missed)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I assume most of these have something to do with the levels of purity and contaminants, and I've read the horticultural grade does, but I haven't heard anything on that for the others. As you see in the link above, one person also says that horticultural grade and agricultural grade have to do with size of granules and the number of micronutrients. Other than that, I'm not sure what to think of the rest of these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-08-12T22:36:35.763" LastActivityDate="2015-08-12T22:36:35.763" Title="What's the difference between each fertilizer grade?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20405" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20344" CreationDate="2015-08-08T05:03:00.527" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;To follow up, the disease progressed.  After some research with our landscaper, we determined we were most likely dealing with the fungal disease &quot;verticillium wilt.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;although numerous references go into great detail, some of the very consistent features and general facts include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sudden scorched appearance of all of the leaves on a particular branch, without falling off.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;occurs late summer, july/august&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tell tale ring when cutting off infected branches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;generally speaking, this is not good news.  the soil is affected and there really is no treatment, other than trying to remove as many damaged branches as possible, and see if the tree survives.   it sounds like many trees don't end up making it, and the general recommendation is replacing the tree after it dies with a different species that is resistant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;also important is sterilizing any equipment with a 1:10 household bleach solution between cuts to prevent inadvertently spreading the disease to other susceptible trees or plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;i just performed a fairly aggressive pruning project, as now nearly twice as many branches became affected as when i first posted.  not sure if will make a big difference, but i wanted to give some followup up in case someone else stumbles on this post. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;good luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/publications/fact_sheets/plant_pathology_and_ecology/verticillium_wilt_of_trees_and_shrubs_05-08-08.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/publications/fact_sheets/plant_pathology_and_ecology/verticillium_wilt_of_trees_and_shrubs_05-08-08.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11852" LastActivityDate="2015-08-08T05:03:00.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5871" CreationDate="2015-08-08T07:09:09.163" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Best thing I have found especially for persistent growth on walls of buildings is to apply copper sulphate. Copper ion is highly phytotoxic. You may mix it with water and apply or even with cement or paint and apply. Some of the roots may still escape. You will have to repeat the treatment a number of times. GNM  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11880" LastActivityDate="2015-08-08T07:09:09.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20407" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20413" CreationDate="2015-08-08T09:12:00.790" Score="4" ViewCount="184" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/72mXb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;photo&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fuzvo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tlifa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's about 100-150 cm high and grows in our garden in Sweden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11881" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-23T02:00:34.740" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T02:00:34.740" Title="What's the name of this plant with white-violet flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20409" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-08T13:03:55.350" Score="4" ViewCount="37817" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last weekend I covered our garden in grass weed and feed, specifically EverGreen 360sqm Complete 4-in-1 Lawn Care, Lawn Food, Weed and Moss Killer Bag available &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.co.uk/EverGreen-360sqm-Complete-Lawn-Killer/dp/B00IHVNNJ4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1439038789&amp;amp;sr=8-2&amp;amp;keywords=grass%20weed%20killer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has rained every day since but today is a very hot day. I woke up this morning and noticed that the paving slabs (stepping stones) that run across our garden have now been stained orange and even our tarmac driveway has patches of orange stains - both look horrible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried washing both down with a pressure washer but that didn't do much. What are these orange stains and how can I remove them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll upload a picture of it helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11882" LastActivityDate="2020-06-15T21:28:38.440" Title="How can I remove the orange stains left by grass weed and feed?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20410" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20451" CreationDate="2015-08-08T15:01:48.943" Score="3" ViewCount="5644" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought some concrete blocks and laid them out like this. The aim is to build a keyhole garden.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1B7dr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1B7dr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;keyhole garden&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Now I'm concerned that some could fall over. I've got a very curious German Shepherd who could hurt herself if she knocked one of these blocks over. How can I reinforce the blocks? Would filling the holes with sand or gravel be good enough? What about rebar and sand/gravel? I'd rather not use something permanent like cement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, I will need to build a fence to keep the dog out but I want to reinforce the structure anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose I could remove the top layer of blocks. Would the structure then be stable enough?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did see this question but it doesn't quite address my situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4146/cement-blocks-for-raised-bed&quot;&gt;Cement Blocks for Raised Bed?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11866" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-08-12T20:23:41.890" Title="How to make concrete blocks secure in raised bed garden" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;concrete&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20411" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20414" CreationDate="2015-08-08T15:44:02.390" Score="3" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;For example, corn has a lot of varieties, namely varieties A-Z. Is it possible that corn variety A requires a different soil type to grow in than corn variety B? Or is it that this sort of thing is trivial and that all varieties can be grown in the same type of soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If possible, I'd like to request references, just for verification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11883" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-09T13:46:47.193" LastActivityDate="2015-08-09T13:46:47.193" Title="Do different varieties of a given crop require different types of soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20412" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20400" CreationDate="2015-08-08T16:09:44.817" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you have a peach tree. You want to wait until it is dormant to prune, but you can plant it in the ground anytime. (Personally, I would wait until the fruit has ripened) You should get fruit next year as long as you don't prune all the new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Right now you should thin the fruit so they are about 4&quot; apart. Don't worry about the non leafed branches, they should fill in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The palm 3 feet away is less of a problem than the fence it's right next to. I would give it more space from that if you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.harvesttotable.com/2009/08/how_to_grow_peaches/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;How to grow peaches&lt;/a&gt; has a good article on growing and caring for peach trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2015-08-08T16:09:44.817" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20407" CreationDate="2015-08-08T19:27:47.707" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a variety of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aconitum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Acconitum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a group of ca. 250 plants. I can't say off the cuff which one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But there is a reason that a common name is &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Queen of all poisons&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, as all parts contain &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkaloid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;alkaloids&lt;/a&gt; that can even penetrate healthy skin, let alone mucous membranes. A few grams can be lethal. There is no specific antidote. So as beautiful as they are, handle them with care (and gloves!) and keep out of reach of children.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-08-08T19:27:47.707" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20414" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20411" CreationDate="2015-08-08T20:05:01.870" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe that you should consider which variety to choose based on the soil type which is available - different plants simply have different requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;code&gt;Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment&lt;/code&gt; might be a good in-depth reference &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11169" LastActivityDate="2015-08-08T20:05:01.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20407" CreationDate="2015-08-08T22:11:55.740" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This does indeed look like Aconitum Napellus, also called Aconitum carmichaelii, Aconitum cammarum, Aconitum Bicolor. If that is correct, then ingesting or even handling the plant could be fatal. According to Wikipedia, it is indigenous to western and central Europe. It is also known by the nicknames of monk's-hood, aconite, wolfsbane, fuzi, and monk's blood. The article goes on to say that, for well over a thousand years, it has been used to poison people. At the end of the Roman Age, there was a law that anyone found growing it could be put to death. However, today some gardeners deliberately cultivate varieties of it (&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aconitum_napellus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aconitum napellus&lt;/a&gt;&quot;, &lt;em&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant has also been used to make medicine and home remedies (&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-609-ACONITE.aspx?activeIngredientId=609&amp;amp;activeIngredientName=ACONITE&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aconite&lt;/a&gt;&quot;, &lt;em&gt;WebMD&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should find an expert there in Switzerland (in the United States such experts are called Master Gardeners and can be found at county government extension offices or at some of the more expensive garden stores) to positively identify the plant and, if it is Aconitum napellus, have that expert determine whether it is safe enough to keep the plant, and if not, how to destroy it properly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are closeups of the flower and foliage (leaves) from PhotoBucket: &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Ensu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Ensu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Aconitum napellus flower closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sAliO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sAliO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Aconitum napellus foliage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To see more photos search for &quot;Aconitum images&quot; in a search engine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11884" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-08-09T05:08:59.633" LastActivityDate="2015-08-09T05:08:59.633" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20416" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1645" CreationDate="2015-08-09T00:08:35.290" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You more than likely have a tomato worm or two on them!  They are hard  to see. If you see little black round droppings on the ground around your plants, you probably have these worms. They attach themselves to the  plant itself and they are the same color as the plant, so they're very hard to see because  this is their disguise. Hope this helps &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11885" LastActivityDate="2015-08-09T00:08:35.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20418" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20610" CreationDate="2015-08-09T03:44:49.140" Score="4" ViewCount="2511" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planning on 3d printing an aeroponics enclosure out of ABS. Obviously there will be a high amount of water circulation involved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is ABS a safe plastic to use? Will chemicals leach into the soil? Have any studies been done here? I'm planning on growing and eating vegetables, so I don't want to be ingesting horrible chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11887" LastActivityDate="2015-08-25T17:32:30.870" Title="Safe to use ABS for plant enclosure?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20419" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1645" CreationDate="2015-08-09T05:14:28.907" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it's normal for some kinds of peppers to get some black on them, including Jalapeno and Banana peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had bell peppers like this before, too. I'm not totally convinced that it's just the mixing of the pigments, though, because they can keep those black streaks a long time before they're fully ripe (or before any of the final color shows). It seems when the final color comes on it usually comes pretty fast. I suppose it's possible, though. I don't have an explanation for it, but I've tasted a banana pepper like that and the flavor was better than those without black. I wouldn't worry about them hurting the taste, whatever is the cause, if it's the same result.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although this probably isn't your variety of jalapeno, it should be noted that there is a variety called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pepperjoe.com/shoppingcart/html/pepper.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Black Jalapeno&lt;/a&gt; that is supposed to turn almost completely black. A lot of peppers will get black streaks or such on them, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2020-10-31T03:48:13.597" LastActivityDate="2020-10-31T03:48:13.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="20420" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20427" CreationDate="2015-08-09T10:14:23.713" Score="3" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have multiple groups of cat grass for decoration. They're about 6 months old and some of the leaves died, making it less appealing. Since there are a lot of them, what would be the best way to get rid of them quickly? I don't want to cut them one by one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kknwg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kknwg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KNcmH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KNcmH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7096" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T20:45:20.360" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T20:45:20.360" Title="What is the best way to remove a lot of dead cat grass leaves?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="20421" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20404" CreationDate="2015-08-09T10:25:58.410" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in the UK, have been in the horticultural industry for 30 years plus, and I've never heard these expressions used. All I can tell you is this - if I'm considering buying an fertilizer for any purpose whatsoever, I always examine the label - I'm looking for the NPK readout, and the trace elements (if there are any). N is Nitrogen, P is Phosphorus, and K is Potassium or Potash, both names apply. That means, if I'm looking for a balanced fertilizer, I'll be looking for an NPK read out of something like 7:7:7 - if I'm looking for a high nitrogen one, then it might be 14:2:4 (usually lawn treatments). The NPK is the critical piece of information, along with, in good fertilizers, inclusion of various trace elements, depending on what the fertilizer is intended to be used for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-09T10:25:58.410" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20398" CreationDate="2015-08-09T10:46:23.600" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Clematis - a big subject, but if you're really asking about how to give your Clematis armandii a good start, then this should help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig over the area where you want to plant it, enriching the soil with composted manure - when you dig the hole to plant it dig it a bit deeper than the existing rootball, and once you've turned the (well watered) plant out of its pot, plant it so that the bottom inch of stems is also buried below the soil. Water in well. It will benefit from a mulch of composted manure each spring, onto damp soil, but unless you're in a cold region, this variety usually romps away to the point where you're starting to wonder whether you should buy a machete as time goes by. With regard to pruning, this should only be carried out if necessary, and always immediately after flowering has finished - this variety flowers in spring on wood grown the previous year, so if you cut it back in autumn, you lose your spring flowers. (Note: all this is also true of your Montana variety).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This method of planting is useful for all clematis, in particular, the hybrids - with these, it's best to plant the root ball at an angle, so its half laying on its side, with a good 3 inches of stem buried below the soil. Clematis is divided into sub groups - first there are the Species, of which C. armandii is one, as is the Montana you mention, then the Hybrid clematis, usually large flowered, and this group may suffer from Clematis Wilt, unlike the species. They are then further sub divided into pruning groups, listed as Prune group 1, 2 or 3, and these groups are related to when the clematis flowers.  These pruning rules can be simplified to just this - none need pruning at all, except for the Jackmanii hybrids, which are Prune Group 3, meaning those that flower from around July onwards, up to autumn. These flower on wood grown in the same year, so usually put on a lot of growth in a season, therefore its sensible to cut them down to 2 buds from the base, or about 8/10 inches from the ground, between midwinter up to just before spring, otherwise, there will be a long section with brown, bare stems and all the growth will be at the top the following year. Which may not matter at all if its climbing up into a tree, when you may actually want the flowers really high up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All clematis like a deep, cool root run and fertile soil; in hot sunny places, its wise to either mulch or cover the roots in some way to help keep them cool, and to provide plenty of water during dry spells, particularly in their first two years. Water deeply when you do it, and avoid frequent, short watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-09T10:59:15.770" LastActivityDate="2015-08-09T10:59:15.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20423" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-09T11:03:55.360" Score="3" ViewCount="282" Body="&lt;p&gt;My zucchini plant had vine borer. I did surgery on the plant to get rid of it and covered it back with soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before I did all of that, I  cut off a zucchini that was ready to be picked. I took off the dried up end blossom and there was little white like maggot where the blossom was. The vegetable look perfectly fine. It wasn't over-ripened. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it still safe to eat? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11886" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-09T14:47:49.863" LastActivityDate="2015-08-09T17:32:26.223" Title="Is a zucchini that had a maggot under the flower still safe to eat?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20424" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20420" CreationDate="2015-08-09T11:07:36.357" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Frankly, unless you want to risk cutting the whole lot down to an inch or less and hoping they regrow, there is no way to avoid trimming out the brown leaves individually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-09T11:07:36.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20425" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-09T11:39:35.837" Score="0" ViewCount="32" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 6 citrus trees which I treat same way but 2 of them have this problem and about 3 months ago 1 smaller has not survived.&#xA;As a fertilizer I use agro nitrogen - phosphorus - potassium: 5 - 6 – 6 and they are grown indoor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have additional questions, pleas ask me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DUQJJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DUQJJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8608" LastEditorUserId="8608" LastEditDate="2015-08-09T12:31:09.627" LastActivityDate="2015-08-09T12:31:09.627" Title="What should I do to prevent citrus trees from &quot;burned&quot; branches?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;dead-branch&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2015-08-11T02:45:12.547" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20426" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20409" CreationDate="2015-08-09T12:02:33.470" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;To some extent, it depends on what the stepping stones are made of - some cleaners are suitable for concrete paving slabs and not for natural stone. The stains will have been caused by the iron content in the fertilizer within the Evergreen product. This staining can be because you managed to get some on top of the slabs and didn't remove it immediately, but also occurs from the bottom up, that is, when the lawn is wet from rain or you watering it, the fertilizer starts to dissolve, and may penetrate the underside of the slabs as well as the top as a solution in the water. If you've had a lot of rain, its likely both top and bottom of the stones have been soaking up the solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can try the following types of product, but the truth is, if the fertilizer in the product you used is a slow release type, that could take anything up to 4 months to degrade, which means the staining may actually get worse during that time, and any efforts you make to remove the stains might be best left until you know the fertilizer is no longer active. The first link is to a product for concrete paving which may or may not be suitable for natural stone&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theruststore.com/How-Do-I-Remove-Rust-Stains-Caused-By-Fertilizer-W44.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.theruststore.com/How-Do-I-Remove-Rust-Stains-Caused-By-Fertilizer-W44.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And this one is for natural stone paving: Lithofin BER1 BERO Rust Remover and Stone Cleaner, available at Amazon in the UK, not sure about anywhere else, link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lithofin-BER1-Remover-Stone-Cleaner/dp/B000WXTVUU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1439119220&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;keywords=lithofin+bero&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lithofin-BER1-Remover-Stone-Cleaner/dp/B000WXTVUU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1439119220&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;keywords=lithofin+bero&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the tarmac, the staining might just disappear on its own, but I found this - its aimed at removing battery acid stains, but may well work to clean the tarmac - might also deal with the staining on the stones&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.front9restoration.com/products/f9b-a-r-c/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.front9restoration.com/products/f9b-a-r-c/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All these products must not be allowed to leach onto planted areas, including your lawn - they'll kill the grass, so you'd probably need to lift the stones and treat them, then replace.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-09T12:10:56.063" LastActivityDate="2015-08-09T12:10:56.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20427" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20420" CreationDate="2015-08-09T13:10:00.320" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming you mean what is usually meant by &quot;cat grass&quot; (grass intended for indoor cats to nibble on:) Start new &quot;cat grass&quot; (typically oats) - pull up the old, dying stuff, put the new stuff in its place (compost the old.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a grain with a &quot;less than 1 year&quot; lifecycle. Trying to keep it alive for a long time, it will inevitably look bad. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-08-09T13:10:00.320" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20431" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20423" CreationDate="2015-08-09T17:32:26.223" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Meh, it's protein. The grub's made of the same stuff you're eating. And the rest of the vegetable is in pristine condition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can cut out the section that's had grub activity (if it's been eaten into) and the rest is just fine to eat. Same goes for an ear of corn that had a corn ear worm take out kernels or an apple that's had an apple borer in it. Cut out what's been gnawed and eat the rest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where you worry is when rot has set in and you have fly maggots, then it truly is compost heap material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2015-08-09T17:32:26.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20432" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="744" CreationDate="2015-08-09T20:09:55.850" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where hay/leaves etc are in short supply, layer clippings with untreated sawdust or wood shavings (which you can get free from joineries and saw mills), scrunched up newspaper or shredded cardboard boxes (put them through a garden shredder if you have one) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My mum had a foul smelling heap of grass clippings but once I started layering with scrunched newspaper it was transformed into lovely compost very quickly. Even if you don't want the compost I'm sure there are lots of people who would make good use of it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively grow a wildflower meadow and mow a few paths into it to cut down on waste and labour and encourage wildlife. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11894" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-10T00:06:03.263" LastActivityDate="2015-08-10T00:06:03.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20434" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-11T02:04:54.763" Score="4" ViewCount="229" Body="&lt;p&gt;We want to get rid of a flame vine.  It's been cut to the ground every few years, but always comes back with a vengeance.  How do we kill it or get rid of it forever?  Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11904" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-08-11T03:27:45.103" LastActivityDate="2015-08-11T12:41:17.873" Title="Getting rid of a flame vine" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20435" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20455" CreationDate="2015-08-11T07:06:02.983" Score="2" ViewCount="152" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HO8j3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HO8j3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pUWMf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pUWMf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone tell me the name of this flower please.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11905" LastEditorUserId="11905" LastEditDate="2015-08-13T00:52:44.220" LastActivityDate="2015-08-13T13:29:05.937" Title="Can someone tell me the name of this flower please" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20436" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20434" CreationDate="2015-08-11T10:10:28.017" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Flame Vine or &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/355&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pyrostegia venusta&lt;/a&gt; is sold as a dazzling addition to the Florida landscape at the same as it is described as invasive. It does not set seed but spreads by roots that  can be as long as 20 m (~60 feet). Sustained temperatures below 2 deg C kill top growth but it resprouts from roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control is accomplished by:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;physical removal of all top growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.se-eppc.org/wildlandweeds/pdf/fall2005-hutchinson-pp7-11.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Garlon 4 (triclopyr, 10% product)mixed with Veg Oil (90%) was&#xA;  successful in controlling flame vine. No resprouts (n= 25) were&#xA;  recorded for stems cut and treated at the node with 10% Garlon 4.Vines&#xA;  growing vertically above the cut were not treated and died.&#xA;  However,resprouts were observed on untreated nodes &gt; 0.75 m from the&#xA;  treated node attached to the same root, indicating that herbicide&#xA;  translocation may not occur from node to node. Thus, every node,&#xA;  possibly thousands per hectare, must be treated for complete control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;followup treatments with Roundup of the resprouts is necessary&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that I do not know the regulations for applying pesticides where you live and you will probably need a licensed pesticide applicator to use Garlon (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triclopyr&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;triclopyr&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-08-11T12:41:17.873" LastActivityDate="2015-08-11T12:41:17.873" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20437" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7137" CreationDate="2015-08-11T16:49:09.220" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;About forsythia allelopathy: Within the last six months, I removed some very old (20+ years) and strong thickets of forsythia. I treated the stumps with Triclopyr, which is claimed by all sources I have seen, to have no soil activity. One thicket stayed gone, another suckered from the stumps. I replanted with several small shrubs. Two little Calycantha plants died outright in the area with live forsythia. In the area with no growth, but with stumps still in the ground, two freshly planted hydrangeas immediately started to crash. I popped them out and potted them in commercial potting soil, and they are recovering nicely. In the same area, a Dianthus died slowly over the summer, and a Fatsia has been struggling for two years. I just repotted the poor Fatsia and hope I have saved it.&#xA;I realize that this is completely anecdotal, not scientific, but I'm going with forsythia allelopathy being a legit complaint. I assume that the toxins are leaching from the old root wood still in the ground. It will be interesting to see how long it takes these toxins to clear out, esp as the soil is horrible red clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11906" LastActivityDate="2015-08-11T16:49:09.220" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20410" CreationDate="2015-08-11T18:37:51.323" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Of course, the best solution would be to use some sort of motor (like cement) or construction glue.  But if that's not an option (and assuming that you're going to fill the entire thing with dirt), consider &quot;insetting&quot; your blocks as you fill the area with dirt.  (first layer block is at your starting position, the blocks on top of that are about an inch or two in, third layer is another inch or two in from that, etc.)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This way, the blocks are &quot;leaning in&quot; onto the fill dirt, then fill the holes in the blocks with dirt/sand/whatever.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing that you might try, is to periotically place a block sideways into the center of the garden (so that half of it is in the wall, and half is buried under dirt- these are some times called &quot;dead men&quot;).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of this, however, will probably not stop a very curious dog who wants to actively dig, or try to pull over the wall (If your dog is anything like my dog is, it seems like sometimes they are TRYING to ruin everything!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another idea:  Maybe you can drill holes through the blocks and have some sort of backing board to fasten the blocks to... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11908" LastActivityDate="2015-08-11T18:37:51.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20439" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20442" CreationDate="2015-08-11T18:43:38.927" Score="2" ViewCount="1984" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do worm composting for the outside garden. I wanted to add egg shells and some other things that will add to the soil but are hard to break down in the worm composting bin. Since it will be outside I'm okay with it taking a while. What I am not sure of is where and how can I store egg shells so they do not smell until such a time as I can bury them in the garden. Thanks for the tips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7231" LastEditorUserId="7231" LastEditDate="2015-08-13T02:36:51.917" LastActivityDate="2015-08-13T02:36:51.917" Title="How do I keep egg shells from smelling while waiting to add them to composting soil?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20440" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-11T20:54:00.673" Score="5" ViewCount="156" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am shocked to say the least. I was outdoors last night weeding my flowerbeds and some shrubs and I noticed the strangest thing. Our blackberry plants had something I'd never in my life seen. It's also got another berry of a different species growing on the exact same plant. Can someone, anyone answer this question?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KmDVf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KmDVf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;blackberry bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8586" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-08-12T05:46:03.990" LastActivityDate="2015-08-23T17:34:34.507" Title="What Other Type Berries are growing with my Blackberries?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20441" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20440" CreationDate="2015-08-11T21:52:15.637" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I can see, you appear to have only one bush, with blackberries in various stages of their life. A similar picture can be found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.eattheweeds.com/blackberries-a-foragers-companion/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, along with some good information about the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The berries are a yellowish white initially, and, as they ripen, turn first red, then black. The red berries are fine to eat but quite tart, whereas the mature fruit is much softer and more sweet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a number of varieties which have different habits and fruiting schedules. I'm in Zone 6a and ours fully ripen in July, producing a large crop which turn our hands purple when we pick them!  For us, that's part of the fun!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt; Thanks to the comments below, I learned that I provided some incorrect information about the effect of trimming on crop production. I've removed it! In case you're interested, a number of questions on the site offer thorough, accurate, instructions about how to grow and care for this plant. You can find them by searching the &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/blackberry&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;blackberry&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;blackberry&lt;/a&gt; tag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-08-23T17:34:34.507" LastActivityDate="2015-08-23T17:34:34.507" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20442" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20439" CreationDate="2015-08-11T22:17:11.790" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't &quot;store&quot; them at all - just bury them. Or you can bake them (250F/120C), which dries them out so they don't stink, but I only do that when I'm going to break them up small and offer them to chickens for recycling into more eggshells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-08-11T22:17:11.790" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20443" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20410" CreationDate="2015-08-11T22:48:40.933" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless you secure the blocks the weight of the wet soil will slowly push them out.&#xA;It appears you are building this on top of cement slabs so you will have to deal with water wanting to go somewhere from the bottom of the stack.  Some suggestions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;line the inside walls with landscape fabric to prevent soil from washing out&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;buy a diamond tip cement drill and drill holes through the slabs.  Then use rebar to secure the blocks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider putting 3&quot; or 4&quot; diameter drain pipe inside the perimeter of the base of the blocks to reduce pressure&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, what are you intending to grow?  If it's vegetables you only need 12&quot; of soil depth.  If you are growing perennials/shrubs or trees you need something that is stronger as root action will push the blocks apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-08-11T22:48:40.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20444" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20609" CreationDate="2015-08-11T23:09:51.287" Score="3" ViewCount="508" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just wondering what this broad-leaf grass is called and how I can safety remove it from my &quot;Blue Couch&quot; (Digitaria didactyla) lawn. I've seen it take over many people's yards but have never known what it is and why it's there. Please help me sort this invader out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another question while I'm at it: Why does my lawn tend to die along the brick wall of my house or be easily invaded by this mystery grass? Is it the dryness of the soil from the heat of the bricks? It seems to get plenty of sun. I live in South East Queensland. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/23oEO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/23oEO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;broadleaf weed growing in barren area&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yjSmY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yjSmY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;broadleaf weed growing dense in shaded area&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GkfG7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GkfG7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;where the weed meets the blue couch grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastEditorUserId="11909" LastEditDate="2015-08-14T01:09:04.310" LastActivityDate="2015-11-21T11:52:37.150" Title="Help me kill this grass" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3801" CreationDate="2015-08-12T08:11:46.693" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I attempted to make a tiny terrarium for a nepenthes out of a water bottle. Had some success, though if anything became too humid/ not enough aeration for the roots, and rotted from the base up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;TBF i wasn't living at the property the whole time either, so it did get a limited amount of love :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wrote up the process here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.biomimicron.com/horticulture/nepenthes-bottle-greenhouse/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.biomimicron.com/horticulture/nepenthes-bottle-greenhouse/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6854" LastActivityDate="2015-08-12T08:11:46.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20447" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20375" CreationDate="2015-08-12T12:24:12.120" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first things that come to mind are making sure the path is correct, that it is seated correctly, and that there are no twists in the belt. I don't know the mechanism, but if it were on &quot;inside-out&quot; it might not seat as deep as it should into the groove and then that would make it tighter than it should be. I wouldn't be surprised if putting it on inside out would change how it sits making it tighter by 1/4 to 1/2&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-08-12T12:24:12.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20448" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22437" CreationDate="2015-08-12T15:53:40.683" Score="3" ViewCount="377" Body="&lt;p&gt;My first guess was apricot, but google showed that that's wrong. Sorry for the somewhat tangential question. Thanks in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6O0aC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6O0aC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11912" LastActivityDate="2015-11-21T16:55:38.913" Title="What tree do these little white flowers grow on?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ClosedDate="2015-11-30T15:25:59.243" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20451" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20410" CreationDate="2015-08-12T20:23:41.890" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you fill this with soil...and water this will definitely separate and blow out.  You need a foundation of compacted gravel with drain pipe and at least one block depth beneath the floor of block.  Rebar pounded from top of wall through gravel bottom at least 12&quot; apart.  'Banter' blocks with each layer 1/2&quot; towards inside of your planter (at this point to get this height which is MAX already you'd need 4 layers the loest layer is on compacted gravel footing, then one block or 3/4 block to surface, then 2 more blocks...don't do any higher than 3 blocks! anymore is pretty iffy).  Mix concrete in a wheel barrow and fill from top. Keep jiggling and prying with extra rebar to get rid of as many air pockets possible while filling. This can be done with each layer but takes more proficiency with rebar.  Find a friend who has done this before?  Allow to cure for 2 weeks before filling with soil (purchased top soil with mulch or even bagged potting soil).  Do not use garden soil.  Drainage will be fine if you've got drain pipe at the footing inside your planter, daylighted downward to grade.  Lots of holes in your wall to facilitate aeration and drainage.  I'd find a way to CAP this wall so that one can sit on it or place big pots of flowers securely.  If this design were in straight lines and 90 degree corners you'd have far more room for plants and this would be much more in line with your home, also in 90 degree angles...planters any higher than 18&quot; are rare unless the patio is higher.  At this height you are creating an area for sitting as well as being able to use for props/dinners.  If I were you I'd redesign your Keyhole garden without curves.  Lower your whole project by a foot and 1/2.  Dig trenches, fill with crushed gravel, compact, lay drain pipe at bottom to gather water and drain out of planter.  Allow one block to be laid so that at least 1/3 of block is below grade.  No more than 2 blocks high off this layer of block. Go ahead and use mastic...concrete glue between blocks. Why don't you want this to be permanent?  Filling with concrete and rebar does not make this totally permanent.  Not tough to break up and take out.  But why?  Why don't you make this planter larger? Think about making a similar one on the other side of the patio!! Your patio should be enlarged as well...I'd use a Roman cobble 7X9X2 to expand out and around bases of planters.  Leave room between house and planters at least 3 feet to walk upon or bring right up to house and leave a foot of space away from stucco/siding and at least 4&quot; below siding should be free of soil/gravel to protect siding.  Gravel you intend to walk upon should be 3/8- crushed or smaller.  And compacted.  Do not get tempted by any color!!  Always use ONE color, preferably dove gray...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for plants...because of the concrete your soil will have an alkaline pH.  Do not try to grow acid loving plants in your planters or even near your foundation.  You CAN but you'll have to test for pH on a regular basis and make sure your soil is acidic enough for the plants.  There are ways to lower the pH for acidic soil loving plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know you are thinking that if you have to go to this much trouble...well, I would go check out CMU walls.  Concrete Modular Units...grin!! Lots of more...authentic rock wall looking concrete blocks...even in Ashlar patterns meaning some vertical units as part of the wall.  Concrete caps, a lighter gray than blocks if possible... 2&quot; thick are designed to use with these walls.  One can even design curves that will have concrete caps made in their radius. And the blocks you have already purchased make for a great foundation for CMU blocks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looks to me that you have a stucco sided home?  Using your concrete blocks you should be able to do the same siding for your planters.  This truly pulls your home into the garden and would look very professional.  One way or the other but your concrete block wall as you have it and one block lower, will look ok if you do at least one more planter like it on the other side of the patio.  Those concrete pavers to extend your patio would pull it all together.  The pavers need to be set on compacted gravel then sand butted up tight.  No spaces!!  You'll still get a few weeds between pavers but oh so easy to maintain.  They'll need and EDGE and the guys that sell these pavers can direct you...whatever you do DON'T SKIMP.  This done correctly will amplify the value of your home more than a brand new kitchen or bathroom.  I kid you not...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-12T20:23:41.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5255" CreationDate="2015-08-12T22:48:58.017" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Phosphorus deficiency can turn green plants purple. That would be my suspicion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1487963/christmas-cactus-with-red-leaves&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here's a forum post&lt;/a&gt; discussing a Christmas cactus that turned purple. They also mention phosphorus, and other things, like temperature, sun, over-watering, under-watering and stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-08-12T22:48:58.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20453" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20439" CreationDate="2015-08-12T22:58:39.863" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are you adding eggs or the shells, only?  Eggs are protein and putting protein/fat into compost will cause very unpleasant smells.  As well as potential Ecoli...wash egg shells and put them through your blender before putting in any compost. Never add protein or poop from us or other carnivores in your compost.  You can add nitrogen to your compost to help decomposers do their work.  Definitely turn your compost with a big pitchfork to get air into the equation. Composting is a great skill for all of us humans to learn, I am so very glad you are learning to do this!  Gotta say we all need to learn a little bit of chemistry to do it properly and you can find cheap or free classes through your cooperative extension service that is funded by a college or University nearby.  Pure gold if you know how to make it...!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-12T22:58:39.863" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20454" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-13T02:07:38.180" Score="2" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;My daughter is old enough now to be able to access this plant in the garden and since its berries look just like blueberries, I just chopped the whole thing up because I don't know what it is. I'm in the Pacific Northwest. I could add that it has a thick stalk around 2&quot; (4 stalks worth shown in the 2nd photo) and it comes up every year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fcpg8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unidentified plant&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QsTvW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unidentified plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11916" LastEditorUserId="11916" LastEditDate="2015-08-13T02:24:52.147" LastActivityDate="2015-08-13T15:52:38.323" Title="Could someone identify this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2015-08-13T15:59:02.923" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20435" CreationDate="2015-08-13T13:29:05.937" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well thanks for the extra pic, but it didn't help much - the fact its a shrub and you're in Oz did though - its Cestrum newellii. Link below shows a pic, although yours is in much better nick! The one in this pic is just starting to go over...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.pinterest.com/pin/378724649883673020/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.pinterest.com/pin/378724649883673020/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-13T13:29:05.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20456" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20444" CreationDate="2015-08-13T14:45:02.603" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well I can answer the second part of your question - yes, the heat from the wall is a factor, along with rainshadow, meaning the bit directly below the wall may not be receiving any rain at all when it rains, or much less than the rest of the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the 'problem' grass, what I can see in the top picture is a few sparse blades sticking out of what appears to be sand, and sand with a hole in it where either something's been inserted, or an insect is entering and exiting. If the second photo is supposed to be showing a different type of grass, I'm afraid I actually can't see any difference other than a thicker covering, so a bit of clarification and possibly more pictures showing the grass you want to keep and a bigger patch of the grass you don't. Usually, though, when a weed grass invades a lawn, there is no easy treatment plan - any weedkillers designed for use on lawns are meant to kill broadleaved invaders, not rogue grasses, so the answer has to be the old fashioned one - dig out the areas of rogue grass and replace either by seeding or turfing the patches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-13T14:45:02.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20458" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20335" CreationDate="2015-08-13T15:40:49.960" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like giant lettuce. You probably want to remove it before it flowers and sets seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10974" LastActivityDate="2015-08-13T15:40:49.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20460" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20454" CreationDate="2015-08-13T15:52:38.323" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pokeberry is poisonous. The new leaves are gathered sometimes for salads, but I wouldn't trust it growing near children. As the leaves mature they become toxic. The berries can make you sick,too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10974" LastActivityDate="2015-08-13T15:52:38.323" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20461" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3122" CreationDate="2015-08-13T17:02:13.013" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;if you can safely fire a shot gun do so around the garden and leave the shells, it will keep the critters away. or any type of ground fire works that has gun powder and leave the residue will also work. we did this and went from no corn to 40 bushels. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11920" LastActivityDate="2015-08-13T17:02:13.013" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20462" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-13T18:26:14.117" Score="2" ViewCount="35" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to start learning how to horticulture. My first foray would be to try and get some potted plants to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I was wondering do I need to wait till spring before planting my seeds? Since I plan on keeping them indoors I don't think it would be a huge problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeds I want to try planting:&#xA;White Lisbon Onion&#xA;Jalapeno Peppers&#xA;Flat Leaf Parsley&#xA;Oregano&#xA;Citris Mitis Calamondin&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11921" LastActivityDate="2015-08-14T20:54:10.177" Title="Potted Plants In fall" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20463" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20471" CreationDate="2015-08-13T18:43:06.393" Score="1" ViewCount="231" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm still &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9524/venus-flytrap-dionaea-muscipula-doesnt-grow-traps-anymore&quot;&gt;trying to grow&lt;/a&gt; carnivorous plants, and with reasonable success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recommended: Peat / sphagnum moss&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now generally, these plants grow in &quot;wet, boggy, acidic soils&quot; as every source will tell you. The soil needs to be low on nutrients, since the roots of those plants can't handle those nutrients and fertilizing may even burn the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peat is the general recommended medium to grow CPs on. However, live or dried sphagnum moss is hard to come by and quite expensive. And you can buy peat which is cheaper, but it isn't environmentally friendly, because it's dug up from wetlands in Belarus and such. The peat bogs here (in the Netherlands) have been destroyed years ago when peat was still used much as fuel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alternative, beech leaf mold?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, since I'm going to plant my plants outside in the garden, I'm going to need quite a large amount, and I'd like to try a different medium: leaf mold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason I want to use leaf mold, is that it has similar properties. It retains moisture quite well and it is low on nutrients. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, I've bought some leaf mold from an organic grower. This is compost from beech leaves which are gathered from the area around the grower. It is a great material, but it isn't by far as acidic as the peat I have. The peat is somewhere around pH 5 to 5.5, and the leaf compost is around pH 7 neutral.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question: Is the acidity necessary?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the main question: is the acidity a necessity or do they just 'happen' to grow in acidic environments?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is necessary:&#xA;- Why? What is the scientific explanation behind it?&#xA;- Is there a way to make the soil more acidic without resorting to chemicals and without adding nutrients or other stuff that kills my plant?&#xA;- Is there another medium that might (also) work? I read that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.planetnatural.com/leaf-mold/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sugar maple leaf mold&lt;/a&gt; may have an acidity of around 4.8, but that will probably not be available here in the Netherlands. Are there other kinds of leaves, or maybe another material altogether?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Experiment:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm actually trying this our right now by moving some young plants to the leaf compost environment. I must note I'm testing now with drosera binata and drosera capensis, both of which are very easy to grow. They've been in the leaf mold for a couple of days now and so far they seem to do well, although it's probably too early to really tell. Still, awaiting the experiment, I'd like to know the science behind it and be aware of alternatives. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3317" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-08-14T11:44:46.830" Title="Does soil need to be acidic for carnivorous plaints (droserae)" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20464" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20465" CreationDate="2015-08-13T18:47:07.453" Score="2" ViewCount="1441" Body="&lt;p&gt;As my question states half my yard is taken over by crab grass, how do I kill it off, and rejuvenate my yard while preventing more take overs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3586" LastActivityDate="2015-08-13T19:35:00.220" Title="My yard is being taken over by crabgrass. How do I get rid of it?" Tags="&lt;crabgrass&gt;&lt;yard&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20464" CreationDate="2015-08-13T19:35:00.220" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I come at things form an organic landscaping background, so we don't go for pre-emergents, which would prevent it from germinating next year. With that in mind, your goal is to grow the the turf grass thick enough to keep crabgrass from germinating and growing next year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your soil is bad, you'll want to address that. Have it tested by a reputable lab and they'll give you recommendations for amendments to grow grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In lawns that we maintain, we dedicate a couple of hours per week hand removing weeds - especially crabgrsss (clover isn't a weed, btw :-) ) Doing this you risk exposing the soil in those spots to sunlight, which could let new weed seeds germinate. That's why we always follow up with a handful of grass seed mixed in compost. The compost improves the soil and helps limit how much sun the weed seeds get, while the grass seed will germinate and fill the patches in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another important factor will be to mow your grass very tall - 3&quot;+. This has all kinds of benefits for the health of your grass and it's ability to maintain deep, strong root systems. It also has the benefit of blocking more light from hitting the soil surface - again limiting the ability of weed seeds to germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This fall after the crabgrass has died back, you would ideally do a lawn renovation. You'd rake out all the crabgrass, aerate if needed, then add a compost topdressing and overseed. Keep it well watered and it should be well established before winter. Every millimeter on which you can get turf grass to thrive is a millimeter where crabgrass cannot get a foothold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-08-13T19:35:00.220" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20466" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-13T23:31:26.870" Score="3" ViewCount="18927" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to save trees that are harmed by dog urine?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have some young trees which died some time ago, and at first I didn’t understand why that happened. But it happened very suddenly. The trunk began to get black and the leaves became dry very fast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I have a few trees again affected by these symptoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to stop the dying of the young trees? Is there a counter elixir that will eliminate the saline solution, acids and highly concentrated urea (chloride)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also heard that urine is a fertilizer, but apparently not for young trees and not if the urine is overdosed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will it help to water the affected trees extensively?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7163" LastActivityDate="2020-02-24T20:32:57.793" Title="How to save tree harmed by urine?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20467" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-13T23:37:06.157" Score="3" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;My dog is hesitant to walk on this crunchy, dead &quot;grass&quot;. I didn't notice it much when the lawn was greener, but when this stuff started dying, it stays VERY rigid, and would be painful to walk on. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In North Texas, if it helps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonus: Treatment ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZviTV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZviTV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UM3Kf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UM3Kf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9629" LastEditorUserId="9629" LastEditDate="2015-08-13T23:45:58.013" LastActivityDate="2015-08-13T23:45:58.013" Title="Identify hard brown &quot;grass&quot; in my yard" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="8" ClosedDate="2016-02-15T23:55:34.090" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20468" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-14T03:02:00.937" Score="1" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;would any of you know approximately how much spearmint I could get per plant? I am looking to buy a four tier greenhouse and fill it up completely with spearmint so I am not exactly sure how much the yield would be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11922" LastActivityDate="2015-08-14T03:02:00.937" Title="Spearmint Yield" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;tea&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2015-09-15T19:21:11.020" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20469" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20466" CreationDate="2015-08-14T03:08:21.587" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would think that watering extensively should help to wash the excess nitrogen out (which is probably what is causing the problem). It does appear to be a water soluble form, after all. In fact, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/553.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this site that talks about urban legends about dog urine&lt;/a&gt; says that is the one and only true solution (to flush it out with water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if the problem is that your plants are getting burned by nitrogen, rather than that the ground is just too 'salty', as they say, it might be good to add things that will help the nitrogen to be less problematic (such as balancing the other nutrients in proportion with the existing nitrogen. If the nitrogen is way too high, this may not be the best idea, though. If the dog is just going to keep urinating on it, I'd go with water all the way, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, when I talk about balancing nutrients, I mean, if your nitrogen is a whole lot higher than your potassium, your plants are more likely to get burned. Extra potassium can help to prevent this. Calcium levels may also play a role with the toxicity of nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure about dog urine, but human urine has an NPK value of about 11-1-2. That means it's about 11% nitrogen, 1% phosphorus and 2% potassium. Using it as fertilizer, I've heard you should use 1 part urine to 10 parts water, or so (but really, you shouldn't be using it at all if you couldn't use lots of nitrogen). A dog urinating on your tree is probably a lot like pouring way too much nitrogen on it. Adding extra water should definitely help, although I don't guarantee anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would personally wash it out with water, and then add extra potassium (without adding any other nutrients, except maybe a little calcium and phosphorus, if you want—don't add any more nitrogen). You don't need to make the potassium equal the nitrogen to save the tree, though. You just need enough. I'm not sure how much is enough (but outdoors, it should be a fair amount less than the amount of nitrogen).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Really wet ground might make the remaining nitrogen more available to the tree, however, but hopefully more would wash out than would stay, and the extra potassium should help to soften the blow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-08-14T03:08:21.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20470" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20472" CreationDate="2015-08-14T04:36:46.593" Score="5" ViewCount="159" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did the first pruning of my basil plants some weeks ago, and all of them have branched out healthily.  But in reference to the main stem (the original, straight stem that I pinced earlier), I saw two different results.  Some have grown the main stem back and some others don't.  Which one would I prefer?  And what makes the otherwise happen?  Should I pinch it back or leave it as it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11923" LastEditorUserId="11923" LastEditDate="2015-08-14T16:18:34.543" LastActivityDate="2015-08-15T20:38:33.010" Title="Basil: Main stem keeps growing back after first pruning" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20463" CreationDate="2015-08-14T11:16:26.207" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question - Is the Acidity Necessary (and why)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, it is necessary, but Drosera will grow in a ph anywhere between 7 and 3, so your beech leafmould should be fine. The reason they require this is because they're genetically adapted for conditions which would normally discourage most plants - soil with a low decomposition rate, such as in peat beds, (too sour and stagnant for most plants) and high water conditions, which inevitably means acidic and poor availability of nutrients, in particular, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Calcium. The saying 'nature abhors a vacuum' applies here, and Drosera's living requirements are evidence that, no matter how inhospitable the conditions, something will exist there by means of genetic adapation (though of course, not always plants).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If temperatures are appropriate, many of the Drosera would likely do well in bog gardens, where the soil becomes waterlogged and drainage isn't great - this would slow down decomposition, gas exchanges and nutrient supplies, conditions which they appreciate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The link below should be of interest to you, if you haven't already seen it&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.unc.edu/~franco/writings/drosera.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.unc.edu/~franco/writings/drosera.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-14T11:44:46.830" LastActivityDate="2015-08-14T11:44:46.830" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20472" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20470" CreationDate="2015-08-14T11:27:12.930" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A photograph showing their growing conditions might have been useful, but to some extent, it depends on where they're growing as to whether the mainstem continues to grow, and also quite where  and by how much you pinched it out. If the plants are close together, those which receive less light to their lateral (side) branches will grow upwards in order to maximise available light. Equally, if what you pinched out was only a tiny amount, then its possible the cells which dictate apical dominance were still present, even if reduced, and the mainstem continued to dominate; if the plants which are still showing apical dominance have reduced sideshoots, likely this latter is the explanation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't say whether you should pinch back the mainstems again, because it is dependent on their growing conditions and how crowded they are - generally, you would reduce the mainstem to encourage bushiness and lateral growth, but if the plants are a bit crowded, this wouldn't work too well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-14T11:51:00.237" LastActivityDate="2015-08-14T11:51:00.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20473" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20477" CreationDate="2015-08-14T13:12:46.850" Score="2" ViewCount="412" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1723/why-do-my-tomato-leaves-look-powdery/1753#1753&quot;&gt;This post&lt;/a&gt; describes using potassium bicarbonate to control powdery mildew, but doesn't give any more info.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I'm looking for the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Efficacy?&#xA;Mixing rate?&#xA;Application rate?&#xA;Application frequency?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And finally, are there different types of potassium bicarbonate and, if so, can they all be used for this purpose?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-08-14T20:05:35.603" Title="How do you use potassium bicarbonate to control powdery mildew?" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20474" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20593" CreationDate="2015-08-14T14:29:55.150" Score="3" ViewCount="20205" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have two East Malatka Holly bushes in our flowerbed, which were only planted 5 months ago (they were in 15 gal pots, so already pretty large).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have been doing well, until just the last week or two, when one of them has developed a large brown patch of dead leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4v4o8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Houston, Texas, and we've had temps north of 100 degrees for the last couple of weeks. I'm not sure if this is the cause, or something else. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm watering about 5 times a week. These beds have a drip system. The rest of the plants seems healthy and happy so it doesn't seem like it's over or under-watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've had issues in these spots, though. We've gone through two sets of pyramid boxwoods in the same spots which exhibited similar issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone point me to what I should do, or look for, to diagnose the issue? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;LOTS OF UPDATES:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ok, I've done more investigation and watched how it's changing over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yesterday, I noticed a section of leaves just starting to turn black:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0wqSE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today, it looks worse:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/krMd8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I also looked on the backside of the dying leaves and see small white spots. The stem by the leaves has also turned black:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gkJ9p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, in another spot I noticed a healthy branch that had a dead black branch attached to it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aEZ6h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;5&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully these will be enough to help diagnose. I think the small white spots and black branch must be evidence of something - I just have no knowledge in this area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE 2:&#xA;I just pruned off the dead branches. I noticed the other bush has a brown patch as well. I pruned it off and noticed the green leaves remaining on that branch had a TON of the small white things on it, with some slight cottony webbing/tent-like stuff on the leaves. It looks to me like some sort of larvae. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was actually planning to spray the house perimeter for bugs tonight, so I've gone ahead and given the plants a good dousing with a Suspend SC suspension. We will see if that helps! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just realized I never posted pictures of the latest discovery. Here:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EZRNO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;6&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And zoomed in:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LAHSl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;7&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pattern appears to be that these bugs (whatever they are) appear on the backs of the leaves. The leaf begins to turn brown/black around the eggs (or whatever they are). Next the whole leaf, then the stem and turns brown/black. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11925" LastEditorUserId="11925" LastEditDate="2016-05-14T00:37:50.933" LastActivityDate="2020-03-18T22:22:36.387" Title="Why did a section of leaves on my Holly bush turn brown?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20476" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20474" CreationDate="2015-08-14T19:56:22.510" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The rest of the plant looks pretty healthy. Since the dead part appears to go straight down, I'd say it's either a single branch hooking in near the base of the tree, or else an offshoot. Either way, it could be transplant shock or an infected branch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While I don't live in Texas, we deal with similar temps in SC. I've planted several things this year and haven't had many issues. It looks like that might be mulch under the tree, so that's a good thing. Mulch is very important in not only holding liquid, but controlling temperature differences. It's like a buffer that gives you leeway in your care, so that it doesn't dry out and die or bake the roots before you can get to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering 5 times a week seems excessive to me. I live in clay country, so my experience may be somewhat different than what you're experiencing in Texas, but I typically water about 1.25 gal of water a week if it doesn't rain, for the first summer, then only if it's especially hot and dry after that. I water that amount, because it's close to correct for most of my trees and I have a 2.5gal mop bucket I can easily use. After 4 days of no rain, my ground can get so dry it cracks, but if I pull back the mulch, like when I add fertilizer to established trees/bushes, the ground is damp under it. Even the cracked yard is damp down a few inches, so it doesn't need as much water as you think. Also, you don't want your plant to drown in the excess water and it can also cause infections that can kill section or whole plants, like seen here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did the same thing with a rhododendron. I mulched it in and watered it like the others and I believe this caused a rot to form in the roots that killed it. This year, I cut back on the water and didn't mulch. The ground around the base is dry and cracked, but the plant has put off two new shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd take off the dead material to prevent infection and cut back on the watering. There is a chart somewhere on the internet that tells you roughly how much to water for your area. I think it's mainly for gardens, but should be helpful with judging how much to water your tree. It had the base amount as 1&quot; of water, but had a map with an additional amount of inches of water you add to that based on where you live, so for SC it was the base of 1&quot;, plus an additional 1&quot; for my area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-08-14T19:56:22.510" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20477" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20473" CreationDate="2015-08-14T20:05:35.603" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried this and it did not work for powdery mildew on lupins or Monarda. Your mileage may vary:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;add one tablespoon potassium bicarbonate to a quart of water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider adding a bit of vegetable oil as a &quot;sticker&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pour in to a hand powered sprayer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;agitate vigorously to get a suspension&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spray, agitate, repeat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-08-14T20:05:35.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20478" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20462" CreationDate="2015-08-14T20:54:10.177" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lets see. You have a few options here. Firstly, you're always going to have a much easier time in spring. This is when plants naturally want to grow, with damp spring rains, longer light cycles, warmer temps, and higher humidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, you can simulate all of that. I think the easiest thing for your start with would be to get a mini hydroponics kit, such as:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000FI4O90&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Aeroponics Kit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These take a lot of the guess work out of it and give you instructions to insure that you have a much better chance of success when you're just starting out. That's the most important thing. I see to many people try any hobby and want to see progress too soon, giving up when they fail. It's even worse when you put a lot of time, money, and effort into it and it completely fails. It's very discouraging and its happened to me many times. With a kit like this, you'll get a good feel of what it takes and you'll have the appropriate light and nutrients for the plants. They also have many different capsules.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can simulate this other ways by setting up a small grow station. You can get a light bulb designed to give plants the optimum wave lengths, a seed starter tray, and a warming mat. These will set you on a good road to success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, you can try to just grow something in a window from seed. It may work out. You may want to try increasing the temperature and humidity by making a humidity dome out of something like an old, clear 2-liter coke bottle. Keep in mind that many plants started this way will grow great, but when you try to remove the dome and the temp and humidity drop to the normal house levels, it may be shocked and die. You just need to keep an eye on it and try to harden it off. Sometimes putting holes in the humidity dome and adding more over a few weeks helps acclimate it to the conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll leave you with a last few notes to help you succeed, based on personal experience. Light, nutrients, and water are the keys to growing any healthy plant. Research each plant you plan to grow heavily and eventually you'll build up a good mental database of plant care. Lastly, don't put your hopes on one plant. If you do and something happens, it's heartbreaking. However, if you have a dozen plants going and 5 die, it's just a few and you still have the majority. I'd rather get to many going well and toss them out or give them to someone, than put in the time and effort to end up with a complete loss. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-08-14T20:54:10.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20479" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20482" CreationDate="2015-08-14T21:09:56.923" Score="2" ViewCount="935" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased a bay leaf plant and noticed that some of the leaves are appearing burnt. I haven't repotted the plant yet. It's sitting in a nice sunny spot and I've been watering it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kyTyK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kyTyK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also noticed the top of the soil has solidified? Not sure if this is related or how this happened. I chipped it off... it definitely wasn't like that when I got it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do? Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JjqRy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JjqRy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7055" LastActivityDate="2015-08-15T11:53:07.317" Title="What's going on with my bay leaf? Burnt looking leaves?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20480" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-14T23:13:45.380" Score="2" ViewCount="324" Body="&lt;p&gt;This fruit &amp;amp; seed was given to me to identify -no leaves etc. Fruit is 4cm (1 inch) long, 3cm wide. Ribbed seed 3cm long with 1 seed per fruit. Drupe fruit flesh is brownish inside &amp;amp; faintly apple scented -it's mid August (late winter in New Zealand) so probably bletted. Phyllis &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vAaRk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vAaRk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11929" LastActivityDate="2015-08-23T03:57:39.733" Title="Can anyone identify this drupe fruit &amp; seed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20481" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-15T08:37:39.023" Score="1" ViewCount="89" Body="&lt;p&gt;My small lemon tree has been showing these scabs for a while. They are brown, mm sized, and fall off very easily just touching them with a finger or a nail. Examining the soil with a lens I also noted some tiny white mites, but they don't seem to climb on the plant and neither produce any web.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been using a generic insecticide but I didn't note any improvement.&#xA;Sould I try with some water+soap solution as suggested here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8567/what-is-wrong-with-my-lemon-tree&quot;&gt;What is wrong with my lemon tree?&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jDIXG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jDIXG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nZdMW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nZdMW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ngDDT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ngDDT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l3MSH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l3MSH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11930" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T12:31:55.350" Title="Small brown scales on my lemon tree" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2015-08-15T10:58:03.613" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20479" CreationDate="2015-08-15T11:53:07.317" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Repot it into something better soil wise - not sure it needs a larger pot, you'll have to judge that by the amount of root inside when you turn it out, but use a decent potting compost. The second picture shows what looks like matted root material, but you'd have seen roots exposed beneath were it from the Bay, though its hard to imagine where else the roots might have come from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you've done that, move the plant to a sheltered spot, out of winds, where it gets dappled sunlight, or no sun between about 11-3 pm until it gets larger or at least puts on more healthy growth - these plants do like sun, but its possible this one is a little small to cope with hot sunlight. If its been in a windy spot, they really don't like that at all... It needs some time to recover, so keep it well watered in the meantime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could check beneath the leaves for signs of soft scale infestation, just to make sure there isn't anything else going on, but this looks like establishment failure (roots) and possible heat/drought issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-15T11:53:07.317" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20483" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20484" CreationDate="2015-08-15T12:17:56.830" Score="2" ViewCount="301" Body="&lt;p&gt;I came across this beautiful plant in a botanical garden - what could it be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MYnc6.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MYnc6.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11931" LastActivityDate="2015-08-15T12:28:46.620" Title="What is this plant with purple cherry-shaped fruit?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20484" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20483" CreationDate="2015-08-15T12:28:46.620" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well they look like Leycesteria formosa berries, but there's no foliage which even remotely resembles that plant in your picture. Is the stem with the berries actually coming from the sword like leaves in your picture, or is just trailing across them from somewhere else? If the stem IS coming from the clump of leaves, then its Dianella caerulea or Dianella tasmanica&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ozbreed.com.au/strappy-leaf-plants/tasred-dianella-tasmanica-tr20.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ozbreed.com.au/strappy-leaf-plants/tasred-dianella-tasmanica-tr20.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-15T12:28:46.620" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20485" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20474" CreationDate="2015-08-15T20:24:13.347" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/disease/verticillium-wilt-treatment.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Verticillium wilt&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look like 'flagging' to me...or a symptom of a virus that is not cool, sorry.  Read this to see if this means anything to you.  You might have to remove the whole plant and solarize the soil.  You do not want to plant anything similar to boxwood or holly. Junipers as well. Check this out and other sites about VW and let us know what you decide to do!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-08-16T04:30:14.233" LastActivityDate="2015-08-16T04:30:14.233" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20486" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20470" CreationDate="2015-08-15T20:38:33.010" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You WANT vegetative growth, not flowering.  If your plant isn't flowering then great.  You want to use higher nitrogen in relation to phosphorus and potassium.  Pinching apical or terminal tips is all you need to do...once or twice.  That is where most of the energy in the topgrowth of your plant is poised.  Cut that off and that energy is more evenly distributed to lateral, vegetative points.  Do not over fertilize.  Use your basil or harvest and dry.  These aren't long-lived plants. Don't worry about 'main' stem or branch stems.  Focus on just the tips and WHEN flowering starts keep pinching flowers back.  This is why one should plant new seeds every few weeks to lengthen availability.  Send pictures as this is just guessing without!!  Grins!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-15T20:38:33.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20487" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-15T21:22:44.027" Score="1" ViewCount="296" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently been removing weeds from a border, and found some bulbs growing throughtout. I remember seeing them last year too (I believe they grow as something grass like but not sure if they flower). I also remember that previously when digging them up they get incredibly dense in the soil, to the point where I had to sheer through them with a spade to remove them last time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the moment they're in dribs and drabs, but I don't really want them coming back. Does anyone know what they are exactly and how I can rid myself of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u9kbp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u9kbp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11932" LastActivityDate="2015-08-16T12:53:18.370" Title="What are these bulbs and how do I get rid of them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20489" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20496" CreationDate="2015-08-16T01:27:27.763" Score="3" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;My question is simple. If I cut off the non-flowering branches, will it force the plant to put more resources into the already growing fruits? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More specifically, my tomato plant is growing beyond where I can contain it. A cage thing isn't an option. So I was wondering, can I cut off the shoots that are growing out of bounds, and would that force more resources into producing the fruits? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11423" LastEditorUserId="23655" LastEditDate="2018-08-22T19:36:07.117" LastActivityDate="2018-08-22T19:36:07.117" Title="Tomato pruning vs fruit products" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="20490" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-16T09:39:13.223" Score="2" ViewCount="7479" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some days ago I &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/20394/&quot;&gt;posted&lt;/a&gt; some doubts about my Vinca (probably a Catharansus rosea) because it started to look bad. After taking care of it as told, it kept getting worse. The same thing happened with another potted flower plant I have. I asked for help at the local greenhouse, and kept the instructions,  but it's not getting better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These were my flowers before:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xz8hO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xz8hO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And these are the poor things now:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cNXVh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cNXVh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't overwater them. I spray water in the leaves sometimes (it's a dry summer) but not on the petals, and I take the water from the plates away so the roots don't rot. I keep them in direct sun light for about half an hour a day, and a lot longer in indirect sun light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The temperature here has been over 34º C (93º Fahrenheit) and not very humid in general, and it's getting a bit colder right now, but not too much, 30-31º C (87º F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm very concerned and don't know what to do. The rest of my plants are ok, and they don't have flowers. Could it be the bad ones are more sensitive? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11874" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-08-18T22:52:12.093" Title="Why are my Vinca and other potted plants wilting, despite following care instructions?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20491" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20490" CreationDate="2015-08-16T12:41:05.337" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well I'm confused - in the first pics, there's a limescale stained terracotta pot on the left showing two plants within - in the second set of pics, it's impossible to tell whether the same limescale stained terracotta pot still has two plants in it (which are possibly Azaleas). If it does, the pot's way too small for two plants, its barely big enough for one, and if they are azaleas, they like acid soil. I suspect its too late to save them, but it appears you've not been watering sufficiently well - two plants create a lot of root and that means they need extra water because they don't have enough room and not enough soil to hold on to any water anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other possibility is a problem with the potting soil you used, but if you have other plants which are doing fine, its unlikely to be that. Now that they're in this state, all you can do is soak them - put them in a bowl or something and fill it up with water, weight the pots down and leave them in water for an hour. Then remove and allow to drain drown completely. IF they recover, repot the two plants into separate pots. And turn the single plant out of its pot and check whether its rootbound, if so, give it a larger pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you water after this, do it when the surface of the compost feels just slightly dry to the touch, but not shrunken from the sides of the pot - water thoroughly, allow to sit in the excess for 30 minutes, then empty the trays beneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-16T13:52:17.423" LastActivityDate="2015-08-16T13:52:17.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20492" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20487" CreationDate="2015-08-16T12:47:26.740" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They could be Crocosmia masoniorum, commonly known as Montbretia - has sword like leaves, smaller bulbs produce narrower, shorter leaves These look as if they're in tiers or stacks, that is, in a vertical row, one above the other, and that's typical of Crocosmia. There's only one way to rid yourself of them - dig them all up. That might mean waiting for shoots to arrive, and digging down and removing the bulb as soon as you've noticed the growth, unless you want to systematically dig the whole garden and pick through each spadeful as you go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-16T12:53:18.370" LastActivityDate="2015-08-16T12:53:18.370" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20493" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20518" CreationDate="2015-08-16T16:21:30.153" Score="1" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have multiple of these trees and one of them seems &quot;sick&quot; - it barely has any leaves and there is some discoloration on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to treat it or do I basically have to rip it out and plant a new one? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7tIfQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7tIfQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ttWRy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ttWRy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11941" OwnerDisplayName="Dandan" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-16T16:31:03.887" LastActivityDate="2015-08-18T17:38:56.397" Title="Garden tree seems &quot;sick&quot;" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20494" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20500" CreationDate="2015-08-16T16:44:41.370" Score="4" ViewCount="272" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a grass lawn, a vegetable garden, and a strawberry patch. The garden is in a raised bed, but no fabric under the soil or mulch on top. The strawberries were in a nice bed to themselves, but have become choked with weeds and it's our fault because we have slacked. (Remember, I have a toddler to chase ;) ) The grass has not been treated with a weed &amp;amp; feed since we bought the house almost 3 years ago and is looking like it needs some saving as it is also getting choked by weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the safest weed killer for each of these to use around my toddler? What ingredients are OK and what should I avoid?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11935" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-16T19:28:12.453" LastActivityDate="2015-08-18T00:17:28.577" Title="What is the safest weed killer to use around a toddler?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;safety&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20496" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20489" CreationDate="2015-08-17T00:43:24.027" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can certainly cut off (prune) what is growing where you don't want it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, rather than &quot;force more resources into the fruit&quot; that will remove area for photosynthesis, so there will be less resources, overall. But in general, tomatoes can be pruned fairly hard without undue consequences. They get rather jungle-y if left to their own devices. It's common, for instance, to prune them down to a single stem and train that on a stake or twine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the end of the growing season looms it's good to cut off flowers, so that the resources from the remaining leaves are put into already developing fruit, rather than into new fruit that will not ripen before frost; but that's a different question than the one you have asked about cutting off non-flowering bits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-08-17T00:43:24.027" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20497" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20494" CreationDate="2015-08-17T01:59:47.513" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your toddler will need a functioning planet to be part of when he's old.  To provide that live with, not on or from, your ecosystem and bioregion.  Specifically for your questions, the plants you  identify as weeds may be helping you out by providing habitat for beneficials, structure for the soil, and other ecosystem services, so think before you mulch.  Pick out some companion plants - strawberries will fill in well under many other natives &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Commercial strawberries are hybrids. Consider using &lt;em&gt;Fragaria virginiana&lt;/em&gt;, native to North America or  &lt;em&gt;Fragaria vesca&lt;/em&gt;, native to the Northern Hemisphere.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Large lawns are seldom useful to people and planet. Start an edible forest garden of native plants and you'll have a lifetime of entertainment, education, and nourishment for you and your children.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka for inspiration (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.onestrawrevolution.net/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.onestrawrevolution.net/&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11939" LastActivityDate="2015-08-17T01:59:47.513" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20498" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1938" CreationDate="2015-08-17T02:18:52.227" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You probably have some other &lt;em&gt;Asteraceae&lt;/em&gt;, many have flowers like dandelions (I don't think dandelions get that tall).  If they have a long taproot they are bringing up nutrients from the subsoil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a weed trimmer on your volunteer biota.  Research companion plants for citrus if you want to change. There may be lower maintenance plants that can provide other ecosystem services such as nitrogen fixation or beneficial insect habitat. In any case there will be better soil water retention if there's have something growing on the soil.  Go with your native ecosystem, not against it - use natives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11939" LastActivityDate="2015-08-17T02:18:52.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2609" CreationDate="2015-08-17T02:46:23.293" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pokeweed has a particular place in Southern North American ecology and folklife. To me, the methods to prepare it as food sound like detoxification more than cooking. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In France it is probably best to mulch the plant, taking care to destroy the ripened seeds so they do not perpetuate the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11939" LastActivityDate="2015-08-17T02:46:23.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20500" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20494" CreationDate="2015-08-17T14:44:34.843" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your strawberry and veggie patches are almost done for the year where you live, so it seems to me it would be best to tackle them next spring. For now, I would cut down the weeds as close to the ground as possible, but not worry about getting rid of them altogether. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the spring, when the strawberries (and weeds) start coming back, you'll be able to hand pull the new weeds much easier than you can now, because they'll be small and easier to pull. And right from the start you should mulch your strawberry bed heavily. Straw is the traditional mulch for a strawberry bed, and you should put it down in a 12 inch layer between the strawberry plants. This will make finding a safe weedkiller a moot point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the spring, I'd also till or dig the entire veggie garden under. You mentioned that you have raised beds - if there are sides, you may be stuck doing this by hand. Again, you can mulch between veggie plants to prevent the weeds from growing back when they come up. Hand pull what does come up. The early you get them, the better. If you do need to use a weed killer next year, you could try concentrated vinegar, which is safe and effective. Keep in mind that it will kill any plant you get it on, so you'll need to be sure you get it on the weeds but not your veggies. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It isn't terribly easy to maintain a chemical-free lawn. Acres and acres of the same plant growing in a monoculture is just not natural, so you're working against millennia of evolution. Your safest option is to hand pull the weeds. If there are more weeds than grass, you could smother the lawn or till the lawn under and start from scratch. Next safest would be to spot treat the weeds with the concentrated vinegar I mentioned. Other chemical- free options would be boiling water on the weeds, using a propane weed torch, and Burnout 2 (a citric acid/clove oil product).  Any of these will kill the grass along with the weeds, so you'll need to do some work (spot reseeding) to help the grass grow back after the weeds are gone. If you decide to go with a conventional herbicide, your safest bet would be to select one of the broad-leaf herbicides on the market and spot treat them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be able to limit the amount of herbicides you have to use going forward, make sure you're using good lawn care practices. Mow your grass long so it is stronger than the weeds. Three inches is a great length. Work to improve the soil in your lawn. Water it deeply about once a week if you aren't getting rain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-08-17T14:44:34.843" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20502" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-17T16:09:43.873" Score="4" ViewCount="6561" Body="&lt;p&gt;My 30 year old, 20 foot tall outdoor Ficus drops fruit or seeds (pea size tan nut-like balls) in the summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any way to stop the production of these messy balls?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11943" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-08-17T19:35:01.350" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T17:53:46.397" Title="How can I stop my Ficus from dropping small pea-sized fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;&lt;fruit-drop&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20502" CreationDate="2015-08-17T16:24:51.347" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not really, the little balls are unfertilized fruit.  From &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The fig fruit is an enclosed inflorescence, sometimes referred to as a&#xA;  syconium, an urn-like structure lined on the inside with the fig's&#xA;  tiny flowers. The unique fig pollination system, involving tiny,&#xA;  highly specific wasps, known as fig wasps that enter via ostiole these&#xA;  sub-closed inflorescences to both pollinate and lay their own eggs&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless of whether those tiny wasps live near your tree you will get the little fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said, if you have money, patience and are willing to hire someone you can get a quote on applying a fruit thinning product like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethephon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ethephon&lt;/a&gt; which is commonly packaged as &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B001AHANY0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Florel&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can find someone who:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is licensed to apply it &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;knows when to use it (two applications may be necessary as the fruit is setting)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the equipment to spray a twenty foot tall tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;then you might be able to reduce the fruit production to minimal levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-08-17T16:24:51.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20504" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2015-08-17T16:32:39.783" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fruit drop is a phenomenon where a plant will lose some or all of its fruits while they are still immature. Causes include poor pollination, environmental stress and disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-17T16:32:39.783" LastActivityDate="2015-08-17T16:32:39.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20505" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2015-08-17T16:32:39.783" Score="0" Body="For questions about a plant that is dropping its fruit, usually prematurely when they are still unripe." OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-17T16:32:39.783" LastActivityDate="2015-08-17T16:32:39.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2567" CreationDate="2015-08-17T23:08:42.347" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's also possible that you have Buffalograss ( &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.outsidepride.com/seed/grass-seed/buffalo-grass-seed.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.outsidepride.com/seed/grass-seed/buffalo-grass-seed.html&lt;/a&gt; ). Beware: it grows fast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted tall fescue in all the shaded and highly damp spots in my lawn (mostly areas shaded by the patio). While it is a completely different grass to my Blue Couch lawn (crab grass), it blends in perfectly when they're mowed at the same height. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastActivityDate="2015-08-17T23:08:42.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3635" CreationDate="2015-08-17T23:16:13.587" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have Wintergrass. There are selective pre-emergent herbicides to treat it. Otherwise, your best bet is to pull out the individual clumps as soon as you see them as they seed extremely fast. They will pull out with ease if you get them early enough. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Product example: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bunnings.com.au/amgrow-100ml-winter-grass-killer_p2980004&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.bunnings.com.au/amgrow-100ml-winter-grass-killer_p2980004&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The method I used to remove it from my lawn was to put a drop of non-selective herbicide at the base of each plant. It was a lengthy process but it doesn't take much poison to kill this weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastActivityDate="2015-08-17T23:16:13.587" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20508" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-17T23:24:56.233" Score="3" ViewCount="1970" Body="&lt;p&gt;My grass does not grow under the eve of the roof and against the brick wall even though the area receives full sun. Instead, a broadleaf grass intruder has taken over. What is causing this to happen? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastActivityDate="2015-08-17T23:34:28.450" Title="Why doesn't my turf grow against the exterior wall?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20509" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20508" CreationDate="2015-08-17T23:34:28.450" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hot and dry under the eaves. Walls of the house radiate heat and the eaves prevent all but slanting rain from wetting it.  Chances are good the soil is also more compacted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With a different environment other plants can cope better than grass.  I will also answer the question you didn't ask...what can I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;put landscape fabric covered with a mulch in a three foot width from the house. I have used pea stone gravel on top a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3618/499&quot;&gt;geotextile&lt;/a&gt; for a long lasting low maintenance job&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;improve the soil, aerate, top dress and overseed twice a year with a type of grass better suited to the conditions  (shade grass ??)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sunnier sites can do well with a planting of shrubs that like hot and dry. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentilla&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Potentilla&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiraea_japonica&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Spirea&lt;/a&gt; could do well.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Always remember that a basement benefits from water running away from the foundation.  Slope earth and mulches higher towards the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-08-17T23:34:28.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20510" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-17T23:49:55.280" Score="2" ViewCount="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;Crystals, sprays, etc. Are soil wetting products effective to rejuvenate dry sections in a lawn? Any recommendations? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastActivityDate="2015-08-18T00:27:43.543" Title="Soil wetting compounds: are they effective?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20511" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20510" CreationDate="2015-08-18T00:15:51.900" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is something I looked into a while ago and wrote about it on my site discussing &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2009/05/does-liquid-aeration-work.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;if liquid aeration works&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on my own use of surfactants and the research I came across I haven't found them to be effective for lawns contrary to what some people on forums indicate. They soil would have to be very dry and hydrophobic where it can't absorb any water for them to be effective. This is not a common situation in lawns. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have dry spots in your lawn adding organic matter to the area like  good compost, core aerating and making sure your sprinklers are set up properly to provide good coverage. Sometimes people mistake other problems for dry spots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Surfactants do have benefits when used in conjunction with other treatments as the surfactant can aid in the transport and stickiness of the applied treatment but for dealing with dry spots, not in my experience and reading.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2015-08-18T00:27:43.543" LastActivityDate="2015-08-18T00:27:43.543" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20512" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20494" CreationDate="2015-08-18T00:17:28.577" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've lived with thousands of gardens and not once did I need an herbicide or pesticide.  Pulling weeds, especially in a little strawberry patch is not a big deal.  There IS NO SAFE pesticide.  And I've been a registered, licensed pesticide operator for most of my adult life.  Pesticides are bandaids for those people that don't understand their place in the environment.  We don't want TOTAL CONTROL. Pulling weeds is easy.  Getting weeds pulled or flowers chopped off before seed is spread is critical while weeds are young.  When you get answers from gardeners that don't say what you want to hear I am sure it comes off as judgemental.  Pesticides are NOT necessary and should be banned.  Period.  Us humans have got to get a grip and quit trying to control something we don't understand. I grow huge vegetable gardens and couldn't imagine using any pesticides!  And eat these vegetables??  No way.  I tried NEEM which is great for some ornamentals but not for vegeys.  Wouldn't ever eat anything sprayed with NEEM. I grow my own cause I know what farmers are doing and it makes me sick.  Especially GMO junk!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look up strawberry cultivation...I've got 2 year old plants going crazy and I need to learn about life span, diseases and whether or not to destroy these healthy plants and start anew...or what.  I've cultivated huge strawberry fields ON A TRACTOR, fought over spraying with pesticides with owner, won and they had the best harvest ever.  Weeds are NO BIG DEAL.  My opinion of course.  I do know that homeowners and those that have no idea what they are doing are the worst for polluting our soils and water.  If pesticides were AT ALL HELPFUL, I would have used them.  Like I said, there are far better ways to have a healthy plot of soil and plants with no need of pesticides.  Just trying to educate others is all...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We care about you and your family.  This site is not just to answer questions but to educate. DON'T NEED PESTICIDES.  Period.  Need to learn good gardening practices, instead.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-18T00:17:28.577" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20513" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20521" CreationDate="2015-08-18T00:35:49.987" Score="6" ViewCount="21948" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to aerate my lawn but do not poses a lawn aerator. Would spiking the lawn with a garden fork be sufficient in aerating the soil or is it simply going to &lt;em&gt;further&lt;/em&gt; compact the soil around the holes it creates? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastEditorUserId="11909" LastEditDate="2015-08-18T22:12:42.337" LastActivityDate="2015-08-18T22:36:05.533" Title="Aerating with a garden fork: is it making the problem worse?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;aeration&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20514" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-18T05:39:11.630" Score="4" ViewCount="166" Body="&lt;p&gt;I went to the Melbourne School of Design on OpenDay, I found theses beautiful Landscape Architecture design pictures. But I do not know how to create these pictures. Such as using what softwares, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If anyone have some ideas, I look forward to hearing from you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best regards,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Jane&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EXWGn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EXWGn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IeiRE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IeiRE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11948" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T07:23:25.897" Title="How to make Landscape Architecture design sketch like this?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2016-05-19T14:14:54.110" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20515" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20513" CreationDate="2015-08-18T11:26:08.473" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not only is it as good as an actual lawn aerating machine, its better - but it's time consuming and there's a knack to it. You need to insert the fork vertically and remove it in the same direction without tipping it either back or forward. Once you've inserted it, stand on it to make sure the tines go down to a good four inches, then pull it out. A little wiggle from front to back if it gets stuck won't do any harm, but ensure you pull it out vertically once you've done that so you don't break and lift the turf. Space the holes you make no more than 8 inches apart, and preferably 6 inches. If you're going to brush some kind of topdressing into the holes you've made, its best if you can use good loam mixed with sand, but you don't have to topdress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aeration is best carried out in autumn (though it depends where you live and what type of grass), and best restricted to areas of lawn which are obviously compacted - so where foot traffic is highest, or you notice water collects and doesn't drain easily, where it may get dry and brown more quickly than the rest, or there's poor grass vigour. It is not necessary to aerate the whole area if most of it is growing well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for 'making the problem worse', you haven't said what the problem is, so can't comment... unless you mean does fork aeration cause more compaction. Despite what you may have read, it doesn't in my experience, it helps. Technically, carrying out aeration with a machine is much the same process as with a fork, unless you're using a plug aeration machine, which might be marginally better for very heavily compacted ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-18T15:34:10.400" LastActivityDate="2015-08-18T15:34:10.400" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20516" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20517" CreationDate="2015-08-18T11:48:30.737" Score="2" ViewCount="1173" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you name this plant which has quite dark leaves and a red flower:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IGSJ0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IGSJ0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1304" LastEditorUserId="1304" LastEditDate="2015-08-18T12:21:08.363" LastActivityDate="2015-08-18T12:21:08.363" Title="What is this plant with dark leaves and a red flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;canna&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20517" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20516" CreationDate="2015-08-18T12:06:55.320" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canna_(plant)&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;canna&lt;/strong&gt; (&quot;canna lily&quot;)&lt;/a&gt;, a group pf plants native to the Americas. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With it's large decorative leaves and spectacular blooms, it's been target of much breeding and cultivation, so today there are many different cultivars and hybrids on the market, your specimen with the red foliage being one of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-08-18T12:06:55.320" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20518" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20493" CreationDate="2015-08-18T17:38:56.397" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it might be an Osmanthus, or tea olive I think you call them there. It appears to have some sort of advanced fungal infection - I can't tell whether its a problem at the root such as anthracnose affecting the whole plant, or something aerial such as Phytophthera. Either way, its not looking good - I'd be inclined to remove it asap, also ensuring you don't leave any of those dead leaves lying about, and removing and, if possible, burning all plant material, including the roots. The only trouble is, without a correct diagnosis, you don't really know how safe it is to replant in the same spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you're in the States, I think you may have something called a Local Extension Office or service - I'm  not sure how they work, or what they are, really, we don't have anything like it here, but there might be somewhere you can send a sample to have the problem correctly diagnosed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-18T17:38:56.397" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20519" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-18T18:36:06.507" Score="2" ViewCount="1758" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last September we planted a hedge about 200 feet long. We used white cedar and the trees were 9 - 10 feet tall. In mid-July my neighbour decided that they didn't care for it, so they chopped anywhere from 4 - 6 feet off of 50 of these cedars. Two of these trees have already died. Some trees look like they have been broken off at the top and not cut. And when the branches go through the fence, and these bits they are allowed to trim, she cuts the whole branch off right back to the trunk of the tree. The company that planted these trees said that they would fill out but never would catch up to the rest of the trees and to keep it uniform, we would need to replace the cut trees. The police officer spoke to a Christmas tree farmer in order to get a second opinion and the farmer said that, yes, they will eventually grow in height although it may take a year. My question is: Will these cedars really grow in height? The neighbour got off with a simple warning to not touch the trees again but that doesn't mean that they won't do it: she figures that cutting branches right off is her right. What do I do? Leave them or replant them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11950" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-18T18:58:50.757" LastActivityDate="2015-08-22T23:51:39.847" Title="Cutting height of Cedar Hedges" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20519" CreationDate="2015-08-18T18:49:39.187" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, they will regrow. I have seen cedars be chopped down to less than half their original height.  They do regrow but are powerfully ugly for a few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Providing more water and fertilizer in the spring will help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't help you with property law. Where I live anything that grows into or over your property is yours to do with as you please.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-08-18T18:49:39.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20513" CreationDate="2015-08-18T22:36:05.533" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;For once I have to disagree with Bamboo!  Poking tines in the ground actually compresses soil further.  Proper aeration is only done by REMOVING cores of soil and allowing these cores to disintegrate on top of the lawn.  Very inexpensive to go rent one of these machines and usually works out well if you talk to your neighbors and share the machine.  All lawns need aeration at least once per year.  Think about it...push something down in the soil and the soil surrounding justs gets tighter.  Pulling plugs of soil out of the lawn albeit only 3 or 4 inches deep is all that is necessary seeing roots of lawns are only 3-4 inches in depth.  Those that have trained their lawns with proper watering will have roots down 6&quot; but not necessary to reach that far.  This breaks up lawn debris and congested roots.  Gives air to bacteria necessary for breaking down debris.  If your lawn is used more than normal ie) volley ball, lots of kids, big parties it would behove one to do twice a year aeration!!  Got this info from master gardeners over and over again but I am sure it is out there on the internet.  Maybe I should go find a site and post it here, huh?  Sigh and grins!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-18T22:36:05.533" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20490" CreationDate="2015-08-18T22:52:12.093" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like root rot to me even though you say you aren't overwatering.  WHAT kind of soil ARE you using in these two pots??  Did you use sterilized potting soil or garden soil?  Did you put rocks or gravel on the bottom of these pots?  That actually creates a 'perched water table' which means no drainage until saturated and then not enough drainage will happen.  The white crust on your clay pot shows me you are using tap water full of salt.  Clay will show this as it 'breathes' releasing water vapor out of the sides leaving salt behind.  Stop using tap water and purchase bottled water for your indoor plants.  If you used garden soil  you could have easily scooped up some great disease as well that is controlled in the larger environment of the garden...NOT in pots.  If you used purchased mulch or non-sterilized soil you could have easily gotten a batch with lots of pesticide residue (from homeowners depositing their 'clean green' from lawns and/or soils full of pesticides with long half-lives).  Also, get rid of flowers as soon as you can stomach doing so.  They take an awful lot of energy that these plants will need to get healthy again, if indeed they are able.  Looks pretty bad to me...sorry!  Always, always use sterilized potting soil for potted plants.  You can then add life back into the soil by adding mychorrhizae and bacterias or find soil that has them included.  No rocks on the bottom, just soil!  Get the bottom of your pots off the surface using rocks, tiles or pot feet made for this purpose.  Enhances the drainage big time.  For azaleas, look for acidic soil to use just for plants that need acid soils.  Let us know what you discover! NO TAP WATER!!  You and your plants don't need the stuff they put in our drinking water!!  Good luck...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-18T22:52:12.093" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20523" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-19T02:27:56.410" Score="1" ViewCount="1074" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some prilled Greenway Biotech calcium nitrate (15.5% nitrogen; 19% calcium) that I want to put in a 32 fluid ounce spray bottle to spray on the leaves of pepper and tomato plants, and such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I fill the spray bottle with water, how much calcium nitrate should I add before spraying the plants (assuming they're in need of nitrogen and calcium)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-08-19T05:21:19.583" LastActivityDate="2015-08-19T06:03:55.120" Title="How much calcium nitrate should I add to 32 fl. oz. of water?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20524" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-19T04:07:02.950" Score="4" ViewCount="104" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have several flower beds that are mulched. The problem with mulch is that if you buy it every year, it's quite expensive ($300-$500/year for us). And if you don't buy it every year, you get a lot of weeds and the weeds are quite hard to remove - they form sort of a surface-level web of roots that cannot be simply picked out without disrupting the bed (usually with a small digging tool).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It occurred to me it would be easier and/or cheaper to have dirt and just run a hoe over it once a week to remove young weeds. But I think to do that I'd have to remove all the mulch and also cut out the landscaping paper. Does anyone have experience doing this? Will I regret doing this and be going back to mulch or stone in a couple years?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3528" LastActivityDate="2015-08-20T17:21:15.587" Title="How can I convert a mulched bed to dirt, and should I?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20526" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20523" CreationDate="2015-08-19T06:03:55.120" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, it looks like the answer is actually on the website I got it from, sans the math. I just missed it, I guess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, the answer, according to the website, would be a half tablespoon to one tablespoon per 32 fluid ounces of water (for a foliar spray): They said 2-4 tablespoons per gallon of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-08-19T06:03:55.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20527" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23111" CreationDate="2015-08-19T06:13:56.530" Score="3" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;Calcium nitrate is a nitrogen fertilizer that can also be used to give plants calcium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read that you shouldn't combine calcium nitrate with sulfates and certain kinds of phosphorus (I believe this is because the combination may make certain of the nutrients so they don't absorb how they should or something).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, if I have such as potassium sulfate and/or magnesium sulfate in my soil, could I get around the problem by spraying calcium nitrate on the leaves instead of adding it to the soil where the sulfates are? Would the plant absorb them all just fine, in this case?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This question is for plants in containers. If the kind of plant matters, this is for peppers, tomatoes and such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T17:37:08.673" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T17:37:08.673" Title="Will foliar sprays affect bioavailability of nutrients in soil and vice versa?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14873" CreationDate="2015-08-19T09:00:08.993" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can try 2,4-D, I use it on my lawn to get rid of dandelions, it will not kill your grass.  Here in USA, Michigan I try to buy mine from my local elevator, also roundup and Malathion for bugs. You get a lot more for your money. Here the 2,4-D is call base camp. I use it on weeds that roundup don't seem to kill.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11952" LastActivityDate="2015-08-19T09:00:08.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20529" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20524" CreationDate="2015-08-19T11:14:38.803" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hard to say whether you'll regret it or not, depends how much you hate weeding and whether you can discipline yourself with ease to actually go out every weekend and do it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I loathe weeding, but never use membrane (landscape fabric)on open ground and only occasionally use a mulch (but then I'm in the UK, we get more damp weather, though not so much here in the South). Any mulch is usually put down in spring on bare soil and will be organic in nature - the aim is to both feed the soil over time, reduce or remove the need for digging, and keep moisture in. I design the planting so that it spreads out and barely any soil will be seen within 3-4 years, and that reduces weeding significantly. I don't like landscape fabric in planted areas for a couple of reasons - it prevents 'spreader' (ground cover and perennial) plants like Lamium and low growing campanulas from spreading out and filling the soil, and it doesn't resolve completely the issue of weed growth, particularly if there's a pernicious weed such as bindweed present - that just makes its way to the nearest gap and appears there. A third reason is when you want/need to change or replace plants, or to dig up and divide perennials - its a pain with a membrane in the way, and you've already mentioned another:- if there's insufficient mulch on top - the 'mat' of spreading weed roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, and it's a big but, if your planting isn't capable of spreading out, or there's insufficient planting to fill the flowerbed, then you'll be doing a lot of weeding ongoing...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other option is to buy pebbles or stones for mulching on top of the membrane with - but they don't add anything to the soil and are even more of a pain if weeds do get through, because then you've got to shift the stones and the membrane to deal with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And yes, if you wanted to return to bare soil, you'd need to remove the membrane/landscape fabric. If the mulch is organic (bark chips, composted manure, whatever), that can just be put back on to the soil, doesn't matter if it gets turned in by a hoe over time, it'll add humus anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-19T11:27:30.503" LastActivityDate="2015-08-19T11:27:30.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20530" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20534" CreationDate="2015-08-19T12:32:54.017" Score="4" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;I removed my pool and my backyard is also full of (small) weed. I was thinking or renting a rototiller, till the whole backyard. Level the whole yard (to fill up the pool hole). After I would buy nice sod and put it on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would that be enough? Will the weed grow through the sod or will it just rot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11954" LastActivityDate="2015-08-19T19:02:48.243" Title="New backyard grass" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;sod&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20531" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20533" CreationDate="2015-08-19T17:38:32.433" Score="3" ViewCount="1901" Body="&lt;p&gt;New member, probably my first of many &quot;what's this&quot; type posts. I've just recently gotten into gardening and there are a lot of wild plants around my house which are just lovely, hoping to incorporate them. But first, identification!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Memphis, TN -- zone 7.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today, I opened my bedroom window for the first time in months and found a very pretty vine growing over it. Looking closer, it produces berries. I want to seed it along a fence in the back yard but I'm not sure if it will choke out the other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The berries, which look and feel like tiny oval grapes, start green and turn black. Many were covered with a specific bug:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://s10.postimg.org/ibtcefix5/20150819_122023.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Vine1&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://s10.postimg.org/4r2kfb349/20150819_122014.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Vine2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://s10.postimg.org/4psmlw1ah/20150819_122033.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bug&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://s10.postimg.org/3q2bq6m4p/20150819_121855.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Berries&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nearby on the ground was a clump of trumpet flowers, which I've also spotted vining over the trees a few dozen yards away. Maybe the same plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://s10.postimg.org/rd7vs1guh/20150819_121955.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just love the heart-shaped foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, what is this??&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Sitting inside at the computer, just saw a beautiful baby cardinal fly onto the vine and pick a cucumber. Guess that means my chickens can eat it, too. Definitely going to spread this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7381" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:36.880" LastActivityDate="2016-08-20T03:23:32.473" Title="What's this? Vine with heart-shaped foliage and green-to-black fruit (Identified: Creeping Cucumber)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20532" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20531" CreationDate="2015-08-19T18:08:15.583" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did some Googling -- could this be &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=creeping+cucumber&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMIuvS69t21xwIV0HySCh0vbQGa&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=969&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Creeping Cucumber&lt;/a&gt;? I grew a huge crop of cucumber on the other side of the house earlier this spring/summer, and the same-looking &lt;a href=&quot;http://andreasrecipes.com/images/SquashBug_800px-Acanthocephala_terminalis.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bugs&lt;/a&gt; (?) were there, too. My only hesitation is that the fruit doesn't look speckled like on Google Image. The foliage looks right, though, maybe? I guess the trumpet flowers are from a different plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7381" LastActivityDate="2015-08-19T18:08:15.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20533" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20531" CreationDate="2015-08-19T18:13:47.820" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your first plant appears to be &lt;em&gt;Melothria Pendula,&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.eattheweeds.com/creeping-cucumber-melothria-pendula/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Creeping Cucumber&lt;/a&gt; and apparently there's some debate over whether or not their fruit are toxic, I suspect the answer is, &quot;don't eat very many.&quot; The insect is likely some manner of squash bug, they feed on a wide variety of Cucurbit Family plant species, apparently including this one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether or not the plant will choke out your other plants depends on what other plants you have in mind, most Cucurbit Family plants tend to go up and over anything they are planted near, just as this one has on your house. If it's a tall plant, or one that doesn't mind some shade, it probably will co-exist adequately. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flower in the last picture belongs to a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campsis_radicans&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Trumpet Vine.&lt;/a&gt; Very pretty, but also very aggressive, left to it's own devices it will tend to get out of hand, but if you keep it pruned back it shouldn't be too much of a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-08-19T18:42:54.220" LastActivityDate="2015-08-19T18:42:54.220" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20534" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20530" CreationDate="2015-08-19T19:02:48.243" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is your soil clay?  I wouldn't recommend a rototiller if so!!  You'll end up making concrete. If your soil is very, very dry you can use the tiller to break up the surface by quickley walking it over the top just to break up the top of the soil.  Now you should be able to hand pull/gather the majority of weeds.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of great importance will be filling your pool area (you did remove the pool itself, yes?) and systematically compacting the soil in layers as you fill.  Rent a compactor for this job.  If you don't you'll be seeing a huge hole in your lawn as the soil settles and compacts on its own!! Bring in a load of topsoil (figure sq. ft. divided by 81 to give you cubic yards to purchase for 4&quot; depth of topsoil over lawn area...if that is too much divide by 2 to get 2&quot; which will ensure no perennial weeds will thrive) spread over area and use your tiller again to slightly breakup and mix this new soil with your existing soil.  Slightly.  If you've got clay do not try to fluff and rototill too much if at all when even a little moist! Do not use peat moss!  Too acidic for a lawn.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using a large grading rake grade and grade and grade.  Allow a slight slope to allow water to drain...somewhere.  At least 2% slope (rise/run = slope).  If that pool is still there you are going to end up with a bog of mud!  Use the concrete of the pool to make low garden walls somewhere!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before laying sod, rent a roller.  This you fill with water and compact the soil on top.  Use your grading rake to fill any holes that show up and reroll.  Now you could also spread fertilizer for your lawn.  I'd go and spend a bit more to get an organic lawn fertilizer instead of the synthetic stuff.  Dr. Earth makes one that blew me away!!  Worth the cost and you don't have to fertilize as much (2X/year versus 4X/year), it also comes with mychorrhizae and bacteria.  Use a mechanical hand spreader DO NOT THROW BY HAND!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Time to lay sod.  Make sure the sides of the sod touch and that no grass gets caught in the seams.  Do an offset pattern and preferrably perpendicular to the main line of sight.  Again, use the roller on top of the newly laid sod to ensure good contact with the soil.  If you see holes, simply grab the grass like hair, pull up put soil in the hole and replace the sod.  Roll again.  Water well.  Not by hand.  Get yourself, if you don't have automatic irrigation, a cheapo oscillating sprinkler.  These are my preferred watering tools!!  Soak until the soil is wet at least 2 inches deep.  Allow to dry before soaking again.  Once your grass is rooted (week or two) start training your grass to develop deep roots by watering deeply (work up to 6&quot; deep) and do not water again until your footprints on the grass stay down.  This is forcing the roots to grow deep to reach moisture and takes a few months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never, never mow shorter than 3&quot;.  If your mower can't be raised high enough then I would go get another one!!  Keeping your grass at this length helps make a very healthy root system, shades the soil so no weed seeds can germinate and also slows water loss.  Always have a set of sharpened mower blades to change out dull blades that rip and tear instead of cutting.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll have the darkest green, soft and cool, weed freest lawn EVER...I guarantee it! Oh, once per year, aerate with an aerator that PULLS PLUGS once per year. Leave plugs on top of lawn to disintegrate.  Fertilize with an organic slow release LAWN fertilizer spread with your mechanical spreader twice per year (read and follow direction for amount to put on lawn) and make sure you blow off all fertilizer from concrete.  Get yourself, if you don't already have one, a line trimmer to vertically trim edges between plant beds, concrete.  Careful not to 'scalp' edges when horizontally trimming.  Keep at 3&quot; high!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shoot, and it would be a great idea to test your soil.  Free or cheap soil tests are done by your closest Extention Service put on by a main university.  Lawns need a more alkaline soil than do most of your plants.  Do not add lime unless you KNOW what the pH of your soil is and how much to change your pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not easy but worth it if you want great grass.  If people really knew what it took to raise these monsters, a lot more people would chose a gravel understory...grin!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-19T19:02:48.243" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20535" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20538" CreationDate="2015-08-19T19:24:09.720" Score="16" ViewCount="3156" Body="&lt;p&gt;(Memphis, TN. Zone 7)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First garden. I'm growing tomatoes in two parts of the yard. One gets more sun than the other: the partially-shaded area is producing well, but in the the sun-baked area they're cracking before they can fully ripen. Cucumbers, okra and peppers grow fantastically in these same beds, but I suspect the tomatoes are just not getting enough water. I've tried watering the hell out of them, but still, no dice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some have tiny spots, as well as cracks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also hundreds of little flying bugs, tiniest things I've ever seen. (Searching this site, they look like whiteflies.) I don't use anything artificial, pesticides, etc. It's possible birds are getting in there, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Several tomatoes have actually rotted on the vine and fallen off as mush. :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZH7jM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZH7jM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JcGJS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JcGJS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y7L4j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y7L4j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The (single) plant is also enormous. Could I simply need to trim/prune it back? I've done zero maintenance and just let it grow wild. Maybe it's just trying to grow too much fruit at once?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Syi2q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Syi2q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tomatoes in the back yard, partially-shaded, have none of these problems. The plants are also smaller. Those are romas and grape tomatoes, though; I don't remember what kind the problem tomatoes are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil in both areas is a mixture of dirt and compost (chicken &amp;amp; rabbit manure mixed with dried leaves and pine shavings) that had &quot;cooked down&quot; over last fall and winter (with my chickens scratching at it.) It was black gold by the time it went into the beds, so I don't think it's a nutritional deficiency, but maybe?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do? Should I partially shade them? Is it just a bad spot? They're beautiful tomatoes until they crack, I'm so disappointed!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7381" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-03-13T11:41:47.270" LastActivityDate="2019-03-13T11:41:47.270" Title="Why are my tomatoes cracking and what can I do?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="20536" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20555" CreationDate="2015-08-19T19:45:17.497" Score="3" ViewCount="172" Body="&lt;p&gt;This poor potted rose bush (don't know the type) has just been getting worse and worse:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/602fL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/602fL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pwl57.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pwl57.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gygcR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gygcR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clearly a disease, but what? Can it be saved? I've already pruned 2 branches that had basically died, but it's still spreading. I'm worried it will spread to my other plants -- can this infect my nearby wisteria, hydrangeas or peppers/tomatoes/etc? How far can it &quot;hop&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7381" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-03-15T12:22:47.453" LastActivityDate="2019-03-15T12:22:47.453" Title="Diseased roses: salvagable, or a danger to my other plants?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="20537" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20535" CreationDate="2015-08-19T19:58:09.633" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The cracks are a physical injury caused by the tomato plant going from too dry to wet too fast. When the plant goes through a sudden change like that the fruit goes from being short on water to suddenly having plenty of water, so it takes in a lot of water very fast and the skin doesn't stretch fast enough to keep up. The skin splits near the top and then the cracks seal up with brown scabs like you are seeing. If it happens on a tomato that is nearly ripe the fruit is perfectly healthy away from the cracks, but has a much shorter shelf life. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is probably more severe on your sun-baked tomato for two reasons. First, more sun means it probably gets drier faster, so it was easier to get dry enough for this to happen. Second, because beefsteak-type tomatoes (which is what the pictured plant is) are more prone to this kind of damage than grape and roma varieties are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The greener fruit seems to be in good shape. To prevent this from happening again, just keep your watering schedule fairly even from here on out, more if it's hot and dry, less or even none if it's raining a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-08-19T20:03:48.583" LastActivityDate="2015-08-19T20:03:48.583" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20538" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20535" CreationDate="2015-08-19T19:58:12.903" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cracking tomatoes happens when the (almost) ripe fruit expands and the skin can't hold up any more. (A bit like stretch marks...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few causes that &lt;em&gt;typically&lt;/em&gt; lead to different crack patterns, but sometimes it's a bit non-conclusive, so I won't go into detail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Excess water, especially after a drought - water as consistantly as possible, protect plants from rain.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Excess fertilizer late in the season - fertilize early, reduce or stop when fruits start to ripen.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Temperature differences, especially in fall or when wet fruit are exposed to full sun - consider some kind of a cover, but remember that high humidity leads to fungal diseases, so ensure good ventilation. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A cracked tomato is actually fine for the kitchen - if you pick and use it asap. The wound is an open door for mold spores, as you noticed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For next season, consider a bit of prior research: There are some breeds that are really prone to cracking, others are labeled &quot;crack resistant&quot; (or whatever the English term is).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-08-20T05:49:40.537" LastActivityDate="2015-08-20T05:49:40.537" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20539" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20535" CreationDate="2015-08-19T19:58:27.453" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cracking in tomatoes is almost always caused by uneven watering. My guess is that the soil in the shady spot of your garden is able to retain water better, so the plants in the shade have more consistent access to water. The soil in the sun is probably drying out more in between watering, so those plants have less consistent access to water. Watering the sunny garden more consistently and possibly mulching the sunny garden will help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-08-19T19:58:27.453" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20540" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20536" CreationDate="2015-08-19T22:26:55.020" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like rose rust. If so, it's a fungal disease that is specific to roses so it won't affect any other plant species, and despite making the rose look a mess, it's not a particularly serious disease. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=269&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=269&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The blackened leaf in your second picture looks like to me like is just &quot;dead&quot; and/or burned by the sun, but check out this page on black spot, which is more serious problem. See&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=270&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=270&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2015-08-19T22:26:55.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20541" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20544" CreationDate="2015-08-20T02:14:22.780" Score="6" ViewCount="7745" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some cucumber plants (sorry, not sure which type), with a couple in a large, long pot, and one other in a small pot by itself. The plant in the small pot has a reasonably-sized cucumber, about 5 inches long, while the other plants are struggling to grow smaller ones. I live in an apartment in Southern Canada, on a high floor, and the plants are on a balcony facing west. They get a lot of sunlight in the afternoons and evenings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants started off well, with some white around the edges from an early frost, but they grew quickly through the late Spring and early Summer. However, within the last several weeks, the leaves have undergone a drastic change, turning yellow and white, drying out, and then dying. All the leaves, especially the older ones, and now the newer ones, are shriveling up and dying. At this point, all the leaves on the solo plant are like this, and the other plants' leaves are only about 75% green. There's also a yellowish powder on the old leaves when I rub them, but that could simply be part of their decomposition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do for my cucumber plants? Like I said, they get an abundance of sunlight, and there's been little rain (I water them once in the morning). I occasionally give them a general fertilizer (20/20/20), which helped my tomato plants bounce back but hasn't done anything for my cucumbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I briefly had spider mites on one of the plants, but several days of spraying insecticide soap seemed to kill them. The photo below was taken around the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ncyLE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ncyLE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Typical leaf from the solo plant (cucumber in the background)&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11959" LastActivityDate="2020-07-21T19:39:35.930" Title="Cucumber leaves turning white, dying, with yellowish powder" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20542" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20545" CreationDate="2015-08-20T02:39:34.107" Score="7" ViewCount="1394" Body="&lt;p&gt;I obtained this small tree from a friend. It has spiky, shiny leaves, soft to the touch, and delicate stems. New leaves are lime green, gradually darkening as they grow larger. Older leaves are broad at the base and narrow as they get closer to the tip. The original trunk was cut, revealing a hollow center, almost like bamboo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've owned the plant for about 1 year, and in that time it hasn't produced fruit or shown any signs of flowering. Broken branches placed in water haven't grown roots. I live in Southern Canada, and I'm reasonably certain the plant is tropical or semi-tropical (not native).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oJnkH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oJnkH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uhM5Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uhM5Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Overview&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11959" LastEditorUserId="11959" LastEditDate="2015-08-20T03:50:56.690" LastActivityDate="2015-08-20T13:57:16.177" Title="What kind of tree is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20543" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-20T05:48:36.380" Score="5" ViewCount="2228" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have six paw paw trees, all of which were going fine, then almost all together started to develop these black spots on the leaves and fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has progressively gotten worse, and caused most of the leaves to fall off, the fruit seems to suffers severely from it, and either falls of or rots on the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this common, what can I do to remedy the situation? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried a copper based anti fungus spray, as well as white oil, and also just generally improving the soil with fertiliser, and manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The affected leaves fall off, new leaves shoot, and soon they suffer the same fate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oy4YN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oy4YN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11961" LastEditorUserId="11961" LastEditDate="2015-08-20T07:41:44.623" LastActivityDate="2015-08-21T11:38:40.283" Title="What are the black spots on my paw paws and how do I treat them?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20544" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20541" CreationDate="2015-08-20T06:14:53.313" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The strong green veins with white in between indicate a lack of Iron. I used Iron chelate to treat this in other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11961" LastActivityDate="2015-08-20T06:14:53.313" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20545" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20542" CreationDate="2015-08-20T10:07:15.020" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a tropical plant from India that is more commonly used as a houseplant in North America.  The &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyscias_fruticosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ming aralia&lt;/a&gt; or Polyscias fruticosa is a slow growing plant that has a cylindrical shape. The finely divided foliage and the exposed trunk are points of interest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Indoors it is likely to get two meters tall(~6 feet)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;requires high light that is filtered. Not a hot southern exposure, unobstructed morning sun or a few feet back from a south facing window that has some blinds or translucent drapes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I never saw these plants flower indoors in fifteen years of interior landscaping&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can be subject to mealy bug but usually trouble free, check for white cottony tufts in the axils of the leaves and apply soap and water as required&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in hot dry conditions you might see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/8568/499&quot;&gt;spider mites&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cuttings from newer growth that has a bit of woody trunk will root in damp perlite or water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;benefits from tip pruning to keep the growth dense&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-08-20T13:57:16.177" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20541" CreationDate="2015-08-20T10:07:51.800" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible that it's a form of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powdery_mildew&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powdery_mildew&lt;/a&gt; ?  We've had this problem in humid, warm weather, but the yellow/white aspect was more apparent than in your photo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We dilute &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bordeaux_mixture&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bordeaux_mixture&lt;/a&gt; with baking soda and spray very lightly.  Unfortunately, it must be applied before the plant has caught mildew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11502" LastActivityDate="2015-08-20T10:07:51.800" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20547" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20559" CreationDate="2015-08-20T11:21:05.597" Score="4" ViewCount="356" Body="&lt;p&gt;At this time of year Thompson Morgan has a sale of 100 alliums for just under £6. I took the offer last year and have ordered 2 packs this year, so I have 200 allium bulbs to plant in the border.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The allium flowers look great, but, as I am very new to gardening, I am not sure how to cover the gaps between them in the border. What type of plants should I be looking for? Is ground cover (phlox) the correct type or will this impede the ability of the bulb to flower?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Caeruleum        0.5-1.0 m  10 bulbs&#xA;Neopolitanum     0.25 m     25 bulbs&#xA;Roseum           0.5m       20 bulbs&#xA;Sphaerocephalon  0.5-1.0 m  39 bulbs&#xA;Purple Sensation 0.5-1.0 m  3 bulbs&#xA;Mount Everest    0.9m       3 bulbs&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is this product &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thompson-morgan.com/GW785&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;100 alliums&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also just found last years collection it was:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Caeruleum                      10 bulbs&#xA;Neopolitanum                   20 bulbs&#xA;Sphaerocephalon     30cm       44 bulbs&#xA;ostrowskanium                  20 bulbs&#xA;Purple sensation    90cm        3 bulbs&#xA;Christophii                     3 bulbs&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Warning&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on Bamboos input to this topic &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_neapolitanum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;*neapolitanum *&lt;/a&gt; is actually a wild garlic and invasive likely should be avoided in a garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just to be clear that this was &lt;strong&gt;NOT&lt;/strong&gt; included in the pack by Thompson and Morgan, it was a typo on my part and they actually included neopolitanum. With a ne&lt;strong&gt;o&lt;/strong&gt; and not ne&lt;strong&gt;a&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some pictures From last years planting:&#xA;Unfotunately not found any picture from when they were all at there best, but the current set of late bloomers still have colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tr0f9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tr0f9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe the grey fronds are from an allium but now big show bulb has appeared. Or it is a weed. The big daisy type plant is a perennial that I did plant.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EqlJO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EqlJO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And an overall view of the garden (for Stormy) Alliums planted on the right along the side of the fence, roughly the middle third of the fence :&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gpeZV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gpeZV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2381" LastEditorUserId="2381" LastEditDate="2015-09-09T14:21:27.177" LastActivityDate="2015-09-09T14:21:27.177" Title="Filling gaps between alliums" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;border&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20535" CreationDate="2015-08-20T13:47:12.213" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not really decided on what causes cracking. The consensus seems to be such as uneven watering. I imagine silica, calcium, potassium, nitrogen and temperature might have something to do with it, too. However, I know some varieties are more prone to it than others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your tomatoes are Lemon Boy tomatoes, know that that variety is prone to cracking, in my experience. Roma can be, too, though (but not as often); so, I'm guessing you must have different conditions in the other yard with the Roma tomatoes (or else a different strain of Roma than I had). You could try growing the yellow tomatoes in that other yard next time. However, I would recommend just trying another variety, or maybe try to select the cracking out of your tomato over the years (that is to say, never save seed from a cracked tomato, but just the perfect ones).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might consider the following tomatoes for crack-resistance: Glacier, Dad's Sunset, Siletz, Early Girl or anything from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.harvesttotable.com/2009/07/crack-resistant_tomato_varieti/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this list&lt;/a&gt;. Legend is said to be superior to Siletz, but I haven't heard whether it resists cracking like I've heard Siletz does.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.harvesttotable.com/2009/07/crack-resistant_tomato_varieti/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;aforementioned list&lt;/a&gt;, because Lemon Boy is heat tolerant (as far as being able to set fruit in heat goes) and perhaps you live in a hot area, I would recommend checking out these ones particularly: Thessaloniki, Celebrity, Black Cherry, Eva Purple Ball, Pruden's Purple, Gold Nugget, and Yellow Pear. All of those are heat tolerant, except maybe Gold Nugget (but it's parthenocarpic; so, it may set fruit in the heat whether or not it's tolerant; Legend and Siletz are also parthenocarpic).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only yellow tomatoes I've personally grown to ripeness so far (that I remember by name) are Yellow Pear, Lemon Boy and Galapagos Island, but I should have more to add to that list in future years. I don't recall any cracking problems with Yellow Pear or Galapagos Island, but they're pretty small tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-08-21T06:52:41.430" LastActivityDate="2015-08-21T06:52:41.430" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20549" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-20T15:25:46.257" Score="4" ViewCount="408" Body="&lt;p&gt;The exact application would be to arch over a long dining table in a courtyard in eastern-most New York. The two rows of trees would need to span approximately 25' at a height of less than 15' or less.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our candidates are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Carpinus caroliniana (Hornbeam)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Crab apple&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cherry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wisteria&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hawthorne&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pear&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But these are not based on feasibility at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there others we should consider? Or exclude from our list?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2015-08-20T19:44:05.527" LastActivityDate="2015-09-05T12:57:49.077" Title="What trees, shrubs or vines are most suited for pleaching?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;espalier&gt;&lt;topiary&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20550" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20556" CreationDate="2015-08-20T15:28:24.120" Score="5" ViewCount="1628" Body="&lt;p&gt;I potted a Jubilee Blueberry plant 2 weeks ago. The leaves have started to brown this week. The same thing happened to my Spartan Blueberry plant. That one completely browned up and died. How do I prevent my Jubilee from dying too?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil PH appears to be 3. I have no idea how accurate this cheap &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B007FMVOVK&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;$5 PH meter&lt;/a&gt; is.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When planting, I mixed in a trowel-full of cottonseed meal. Yesterday, after discovering the alkalinity of the soil, I sprinkpled another trowel-full on the service and watered it in.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Container has drain holes in the bottom.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I am in Zone 9 California.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It has been hotter than usual these past days - 90 degrees F. But the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/2517/jubilee-blueberry/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;product description&lt;/a&gt; of Jubilee says that &quot;this selection performs well in heavier soils through summer heat, and is resilient to winter cold spells.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mulched with cedar chips.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Before transplanting, I massaged the roots to prevent them from circling around. When I pulled my dead Spartan from the pot, I noticed that it never grew new roots. I didn't massage the Spartan.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7FLQr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7FLQr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/953hB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/953hB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7tFsk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7tFsk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2015-08-21T10:39:20.170" Title="Jubilee blueberry's leaves are browning" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20551" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20524" CreationDate="2015-08-20T17:21:15.587" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I also dislike the mats. I would remove the mat and keep the mulch. The method of weeding that it sounds like you want to do is just simply turn the top few inches of soil. If you do that with mulch you'll get the same result while still feeding your plants as the mulch breaks down. (As mentioned above). If you really want to go back to dirt why not just pull your fabric and then get a small tiller to till the mulch into the soil. Let the mulch break down over time and then you'll have just dirt. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7231" LastActivityDate="2015-08-20T17:21:15.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20535" CreationDate="2015-08-20T22:41:28.147" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may have used a lot of Nitrogen fertilizer like Peat, mushroom compost, coffee grounds, or just fertilizer with high N.&#xA;Nitrogen produces foliage which is needed mostly in the initial stages of growth. Great for green grass. The fruiting plant needs higher Phosphorus for the fruit to grow properly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you plant tomatoes like I do where you dig a hole for each plant and lay good soil and fertilizer in it, then you can try to put the high Nitrogen nutrients higher in the hole when the roots are short early in the season and something with Phosphorus lower in the hole. Use chemical fertilizers sparingly. You can alternatively try working some Phosphorus into the soil as soon as they start to bloom. I think bone meal works, it's been a while. Now that I think about it, I believe he did mix high N chemical fertilizer in the top 3 or 4 inches of soil and high P bone meal a little lower down. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There can also be a problem if you have the wrong soil pH for your plants. Google undoubtedly has that answer waiting for you and it's easily tested and fixed. Walmart probably has a kit. However, I'm fairly sure balancing pH takes a fallow season, that is if it's off far enough to cause this type of problem. I suppose you could scrape off some soil and add what you need or make a raised bed if you don't want to lose a season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When we had confounding issues such as yours, we had access to a great gardening centre that had very knowledgeable employees and we also talked to a local university agriculture extension and even the county agricultural agent for advice, like Mr. Kimble on Green Acres. The county even tested the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of my Grandfather's secrets was that he collected egg shells and coffee grounds all Winter, throwing it on the soil beds. In the Spring he had me turn the soil, mixing it as good as possible. Then he bought fishing worms and spread them over the area. When the soil started to compact he had me turn it again. He used that soil to make the individual tomato plant holes. Vermiculite was a constant also. Producing a rich, loamy soil with good drainage is key. His plants were not large but they were extremely productive. Being from Tyler, Texas, the Rose Capital (I grew up in Colorado) Grandpa always had some prize roses about. He also had a 13 or 14 foot Sunflower that made the front page with a floret disc three or four times the size of your head.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11969" LastActivityDate="2015-08-20T22:41:28.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20555" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20536" CreationDate="2015-08-21T10:26:05.237" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rose rust, yes, but the poor thing will never be very healthy contained in a pot. Unless its a miniature or dwarf/patio rose, they really don't do that well in containers over time. If you can find a space for it in the ground, do so, and prune back to outward facing buds on each stem, taking any topgrowth which looks unhealthy before you plant it out. Burn (if possible) any unhealthy leaves/growth, particularly parts with rust, and remove fallen leaves from the ground and surrounding area. The rust infection shouldn't affect your plants apart from your other rose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be useful to know which variety of rose it is to give proper advice on pruning, which can help with reducing the incidence of fungal infection by increasing air flow through the plant.  It will help the plant's health if you add composted manure to the planting area when you plant it out, and to feed it in Spring and again in summer with a specialist rose food (don't know where you are, but something like Toprose in the UK), and have a spray such as Roseclear Ultra at the ready. Most roses need spraying fortnightly with a product such as Roseclear from late spring through to autumn to keep fungal infections and aphid infestation at bay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-21T10:26:05.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20550" CreationDate="2015-08-21T10:39:20.170" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Drought or over fertilization, or a mix of both. When it says 'this selection performs well in heavier soils through summer heat' that isn't relevant - your plant is in a pot and presumably not in particularly heavy soil. A plant in heavy, water retentive soil in the ground is a totally different ball game - the soil, being heavy, will keep the plant's roots cooler for one thing. I can't tell what the pot's made of, but if its metal of some sort, that will mean the roots bake even more in hot sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The link below might be of some help&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/berrytool/blueberry/leaves/BBleafbrowning.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/berrytool/blueberry/leaves/BBleafbrowning.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-21T10:39:20.170" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20557" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20558" CreationDate="2015-08-21T10:40:37.100" Score="6" ViewCount="29818" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the UK, in an urban terraced street where all of the back gardens are next to each other with fairly low walls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently what I believe to be an urban fox has started using our lawn as its own personal toilet (it's not a cat - the faeces are definitely non-feline). I've purchased some of the scented granules that are meant to prevent animals from visiting but they do nothing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's getting to the point where my lawn now has many bald patches as removing the very unpleasant piles involves yanking out a handful of grass to get rid of it all - and then the bare earth encourages cats to come and use it as &lt;em&gt;their&lt;/em&gt; toilet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any preventative methods that actually work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11408" LastActivityDate="2019-08-26T17:21:14.170" Title="How can I stop an urban fox from using my garden as its toilet?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20558" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20557" CreationDate="2015-08-21T10:46:52.487" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;With great difficulty I'm afraid. You could, though, stop making the problem worse by not tearing out grass in your attempts to clear the poop - better scoop up what you can and then flush the area with the hose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anecdotally, I hear that male urine around the borders of the garden, or certainly where you know the fox is entering, is a deterrent, never tried it myself, I'm female. Whether you try this out is up to you... but bear in mind, wherever you put any urine (however you do that), it's rich in nitrogen, so any plants in the vicinity may well start growing bigger and stronger, and that's not something you want at this time of year, when the growing season is coming to an end, so its best to spread it around a bit and not concentrate in one area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There used to be a good fox deterrent on the market called Renardine, but although it kept the foxes out, it also kept us out, because we couldn't stand the stench either, so it wasn't particularly useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some suggestions in the link below which you might consider:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.servicemagic.co.uk/resources/how-to-get-rid-of-foxes-and-best-deterrents/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.servicemagic.co.uk/resources/how-to-get-rid-of-foxes-and-best-deterrents/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-21T10:46:52.487" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20559" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20547" CreationDate="2015-08-21T11:12:38.960" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll take them in order then &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A. caeruleum isn't hardy - you'll need to pot them and keep somewhere frost free over winter.&#xA;A. neopolitanum (wild garlic) is highly invasive, and unless you're going to eat lots of it, I wouldn't recommend planting in the garden. ( I speak as someone who has spent over 20 years trying to eradicate the stuff from 2 different gardens)&#xA;A. roseum - no problems, though I find it never actually comes up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The others shouldn't be a problem, but all alliums like sun and free draining soil, so bear that in mind when planting, along with the height they'll reach. The other thing about Alliums is the leaves - these appear before the flowers, but by the time the flowers arrive, the leaves are already, or starting to, yellow and shrivel. This means Alliums are best planted in amongst other plants, so that their leaves are not noticeable, but the flowers appear above the surrounding greenery. The nature of most of them is to produce a flower on top of a long straight stem - the length of the stem varies with the variety, so that's an important factor to consider when choosing the ideal spot. Something like Purple Sensation can be planted between/behind, say, Lavender and Spiraea Goldmound, so you'll see the purple drumsticks arising above the two shrubs (one grey foliage, one yellow, so quite striking). Alliums aren't great for planting alone, they're always best mixed in with other planting in the border, because of the foliage habit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is one other lovely Allium missing from your list - Allium christophii - hardy, large pale silvery lilac airy round flowers, but with shorter stems than Purple Sensation. Deserves a place in every garden in my opinion!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-21T11:25:36.497" LastActivityDate="2015-08-21T11:25:36.497" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20560" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20543" CreationDate="2015-08-21T11:38:40.283" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like its infected with a fungus - Asperisporium caricae is a candidate, but this infection and others are just called black spot infections. If you've had damp weather, that makes it worse. Consistent application of fungicides seems to be the only way to keep it in check. Link below might be of some use, scroll down to Black Spot&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.plantvillage.com/en/topics/papaya-pawpaw/infos/diseases_and_pests_description_uses_propagation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.plantvillage.com/en/topics/papaya-pawpaw/infos/diseases_and_pests_description_uses_propagation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-21T11:38:40.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20561" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-21T12:42:00.440" Score="1" ViewCount="1423" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that at the moment the sod it laid it needs to be watered till squishy - this would probably wash away any additive. But over the subsequent days a solution of either commercial or home-made rooting compound could be applied.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would this improve the speed or quality of root growth and establishment?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-08-22T22:37:14.757" Title="Would a rooting compound or hormone speed-up the rate at which sod roots in or improve the quality fo those roots?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;rooting-hormone&gt;&lt;sod&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20562" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20563" CreationDate="2015-08-21T19:20:04.590" Score="8" ViewCount="291" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently discovered a peach tree at my office. It's right there, and started bearing fruit a few weeks back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some peaches started falling off, so I picked a bunch to bring home before they fell. However, they don't seem as large as I get at the supermarket or farm stand. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any easy way to tell when a peach is ready to be picked, pre-falling-to-the-ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11972" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-10T13:12:48.120" LastActivityDate="2018-02-10T13:12:48.120" Title="When should peaches be picked?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20562" CreationDate="2015-08-21T20:01:04.290" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally when the fruit is no longer green and releases easily from the tree it is ready. If it doesn't come off with a gentle tug wait a couple of days and try again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The small size is probably due to no one thinning the fruit earlier in the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2015-08-21T20:01:04.290" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20566" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20586" CreationDate="2015-08-22T13:42:54.420" Score="3" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;This vine (I don't know its name, if you can tell me, that'll be great) was blooming with yellow colored flowers when it was merely 9 feet long and was planted in a pot. But later, I planted it in the ground for better growth. It's growing well, and now it's more than 20 feet long but it hasn't had a single flower on it since last year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anybody shed light on what the problem may be with it, and how can I get it to flower again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A few more details:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;I am from India, its quite warm (actually hot) here. This vine (or climber) is planted outside in ground. It get direct sunlight, around 3 - 4 hours every day. Rest of day its in light but not direct sunlight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U00wc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Here is a how it looks now&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As fertiliser, I gave it dosages of Humic and Amino acid blend with farm yard manure. But I am not regular about fertiliser dosage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4GntN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A year back, it was blooming with beautiful large yellow flowers. &quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11678" LastEditorUserId="11678" LastEditDate="2015-08-24T06:49:47.410" LastActivityDate="2015-08-24T06:49:47.410" Title="Why isn't this vine blooming any more?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20567" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-22T13:50:42.187" Score="3" ViewCount="698" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only location in my apartment where I can fit plants is a southwest facing window. However, the window is shaded for most of the afternoon by the heavy foliage of some alders, so it gets very little direct light. Perhaps an hour (if that) around noon and another hour late in the evening. On the plus side, all the walls around, both inside and outdoors are lightly colored, so it seems relatively bright with indirect light for much of the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far I've only had some chives growing there, which seems to have done alright. I would like to add other edible plants, both herbs and if possible some vegetables. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What plants would work in such a location right now in late summer, and what could I try next spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11975" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-23T03:52:50.007" LastActivityDate="2019-06-12T16:14:24.093" Title="Edible plants for very shady indoor location" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20569" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-22T15:16:28.463" Score="1" ViewCount="170" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have blue to purple hydrangeas and would like to dry them. I have tried hanging them upside down, standing in a vase, cutting and rinsing the stems then drying in a vase.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nothing seems to leave as much color in them as the ones I have seen for sale down on Cape Cod.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I dry them and preserve as much color as possible? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11965" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-22T15:54:23.787" LastActivityDate="2015-08-23T18:02:08.700" Title="How do I dry Hydrangeas to preserve as much color as possible?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20570" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="700" CreationDate="2015-08-22T17:15:50.650" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can understand what many are saying here, but to me rain water is best. I live in the country and no matter how much water I give my plants they won't grow as much as they grow after a rain soak.  My best guess is that plants may like electrolytes or charged particles more so than we understand. I have seen plants that have not grown for a few years of tap water, grow two or three fold after a good soak of rain water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11978" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-23T03:51:27.903" LastActivityDate="2015-08-23T03:51:27.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20571" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-22T17:58:52.810" Score="1" ViewCount="212" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VaCtF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VaCtF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pzVMX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pzVMX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x1dQt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x1dQt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;It has white blotches on the stem and leaves. I don't see purple or hairs, but is it Giant Hogweed? It's in a bed next to my house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B7d9z.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B7d9z.png&quot; alt=&quot;blotches&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11761" LastEditorUserId="11761" LastEditDate="2015-08-23T19:19:17.277" LastActivityDate="2015-08-24T19:38:48.880" Title="Is this a small Giant Hogweed plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20572" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20573" CreationDate="2015-08-22T20:53:40.197" Score="1" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, as a first-time gardener, I of course made tons of mistakes planning my flower beds. Terrible locations, didn't think things through right, etc. The worst is probably a hibiscus near the front of the bed (among low-growers) that has gotten around 6 feet tall. It dominates the entire bed and needs to be moved to an edge of the yard, say along a fence, where it can be part of the backdrop instead of a visual obstruction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I don't want to kill it. It's doing really, really well where it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm worried that: (1) it's roots are probably enormous, and trying to move it may kill the plant outright; (2) if moved now, it may not have enough time to re-settle its roots before winter hits, and might just die out before spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I'm in TN, Zone 7, and we typically get a little snow. Got down to 0 degrees F last winter, averaged around 20-30.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So when's the best time to uproot and move plants? Is there anything in particular I should know before going in? Should I intentionally trim it down to give it less plant to try and &quot;feed&quot; in the new spot, or would that make things worse?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Total newbie here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7381" LastActivityDate="2015-08-24T13:49:52.717" Title="How and when to replant/move plants?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20572" CreationDate="2015-08-22T21:47:34.547" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best time to dig up plants and replant is in the fall!  This allows energy to be funneled to roots.  Do it before the ground freezes!  Right now you could dig a trench a foot or so in radius from the base of your shrub.  Fill with straw.  This will start feeder roots closer to the base and get your shrub ready to be transplanted. Keep moist not wet.  Dig your hole where you want to transplant making sure! you do not dig deeper than the distance from the bottom of the root ball to the base of the shrub.  You don't want any settling.  That line between the bark which needs to stay above ground and mulch and the beginning of the roots is critical. Water well, don't mess with staking.  Your hibiscus should make the transition just fine!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-22T21:47:34.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20574" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20569" CreationDate="2015-08-22T22:01:14.387" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've done this where I was able to retain most all color.  Bring your stems (cut way down the stem to a main stem) inside and cut at an angle, put bottoms of the stems in an inch or two of water.  Allow water to evaporate, slowly.  Slow drying is the secret.  I've done lots and lots of drying of flowers and even using silica.  Hydrangeas need to dry SLOWLY. After drying I kept in big baskets out of the sun.  One Christmas, I used JUST dried hydrangea flowers by just poking the stem into the body of the tree.  Absolutely breath-taking.  If you want to keep the flowers a bit longer, after they are dried, spray with hairspray (with uv screens) to keep colors vibrant and to dust.  Spray with hairspray every couple of months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-22T22:01:14.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20575" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20566" CreationDate="2015-08-22T22:07:19.053" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very healthy!!  What are you using for fertilizer?  Make sure the Nitrogen is less or equal to Phosphorus and Potassium!!  If this is indoors, I'd use Osmocote, 14-14-14 for vegetables and flowers.  You'll only need two little applications per year.  You must have great light for this guy to be so green and compact...otherwise, purchase a grow light for the winter short days.  Allow to drain well, only use sterilized potting soil (with mycorrhizae and bacteria included), never allow water to sit in saucer and purchase distilled water to water this plant.  Don't use tap water!!  Too much nitrogen puts your plant into a vegetative mode...lots of leaves, little reproductive growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-22T22:07:19.053" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20576" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20567" CreationDate="2015-08-22T22:22:31.513" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most plants produce reproductive growth (flowers, fruit) with lots of sunlight and less nitrogen.  Keep the nitrogen level equal or less than the Phosphorus and Potassium.  You might be able to get a few herbs to grow for awhile but if you are serious you are going to have to get a grow light, 20,000 lumens minimum.  Least expensive I've found is a high-output T-5 fluorescent at 20K lumens for about $115.  If you want to grow any plants indoors even with lots of windows, I'd make sure I had a good grow light.  During the summer months, take your plants out on a shaded patio.  This way they'll get a great boost to last through the winter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you don't plant tiny plants in BIG pots.  Relegate yourself to upgrading pots as the plant grows.  Use ONLY sterilized potting soil, preferrably with bacteria and mycorrhizae included.  Use OSMOCOTE 14-14-14 twice a year for fertilizer.  DON'T USE TAP WATER.  Purchase distilled water.  Unless you have your own well, use the water before it goes through any salt treatment.  Do not place rocks or gravel at the bottom of the pot!  Creates a 'perched water table' and really inhibits drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Got to have light to produce food.  Energy in - Energy out.  Don't you have a bit of garden space for vegeys out of doors?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-22T22:22:31.513" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20577" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20561" CreationDate="2015-08-22T22:37:14.757" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;How large is your new lawn?  Sod is so very great at rooting, I am sure that rooting hormone WOULD NOT BE COST EFFECTIVE.  Once you've laid your sod, ROLL with a water filled roller to increase soil/root contact.  Water well...squishy...I don't feel is necessary.  Allow to dry slightly to encourage roots to grow deeper.  It should take a week or two to root well enough to start mowing.  If you can grab your sod like hair and there is resistance to being pulled up, you are able to mow.  DO NOT MOW SHORTER THAN 3&quot;.  Lots of other lawn how-to's to read on this site!!  I can not stress enough how important it is to leave at least 3&quot; top growth...for lawn seed mixes that work in the Pacific Northwest and similar zones.  These seed mixtures are composed of grasses that genetically have large root systems.  If there is not enough topgrowth to FEED these roots, you'll have stressed grass and weeds can easily compete.  No amount of fertilizer can supplement.  Use an organic lawn fertilizer such as Dr. Earth's Lawn fertilizer.  Use fewer times per year but WOW!!  The difference is spectacular!!  Aerate once per year!!  Water very deeply and ALLOW TO DRY before watering again!! Mow at least once per week...more is great.  Remove debris.  I've never found a decent 'mulching' mower and the 'clean green' is great spread thinly over your beds. Dr. Earth's has bacteria necessary for decomposing lawn debris and all of the lawns I used this on never needed thatching.  Forget about rooting compound. If it worked...I'd have heard about it...I've seen sod root quite well in gravel without any water...ugh.  Not a big deal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-22T22:37:14.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20578" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20557" CreationDate="2015-08-22T22:47:38.990" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh good grief...it isn't the poo it is the urine on a well-fertilized lawn that causes browning.  Are you sure it is a fox?  Shoot, I'd feel priviledged...there are formulations you could feed your female fox that stop this.  Flushing spots with a hose is the best way to stop browning which is actually over-fertilization burning.  Try mixing a bit of baking soda into water to water the spots and use less water.  I'd find some BIG CAT urine to spray a few spots on the periphery.  That WILL keep them away.  Know any friends with bobcats or cougars?  A zoo?  Don't do the cat litter' thing as it will make...concrete.  There are motion activated water squirters that would work very well to discourage any animal staying a bit too long!!  Very inexpensive!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-22T22:47:38.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20579" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20541" CreationDate="2015-08-22T23:21:33.690" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your fertilizer didn't work, then I agree an iron chelate would be good.  This is definitely a low-nitrogen uptake problem.  Could be the pH is off...do  you know what the pH is in this soil?  Fertilizer is important for all plants in our care.  We screwed up or are forcing non-native plants to grow and fertilizer is critical to add to our soils.  Very carefully! Fertilizer IS NOT PLANT FOOD.  It is simply chemicals necessary for the health of the plant.  Plants make their own FOOD.  Spider mites usually get going on stressed plants without overhead watering.  Use your hose to spray beneath the leaves.  If you've still got mites I'd use something a bit stronger than soap. NEEM is a great choice.  Spray UNDER the leaves.  You'll have to wash your cucs before eating but NEEM will get rid of sucking spider mites you  don't want on other stressed or yummy plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can't tell if you've got powdery mildew by this picture but it is prevalent on cucs and squash right now.  Spray milk 9:1 (1 milk, 9 h20) and this truly works very well.  What are you doing to build up your soil?  Have you had a soil test?  Growing edibles is a great skill!  Especially...nowadays.  I'd find a great organic fertilizer to grow vegetables (lower or equal nitrogen in comparison with Phosphorus and Potassium)...slow release to use in the future. I like powders versus liquid.  I don't have to consider overwatering to fertilize.  And watering every day IS NOT GOOD!! Allow soil to dry out a bit before watering again. Make sure you use sterilized potting soil to plant anything in pots...no rocks or gravel at the bottom!  Lift bottoms of pots off surface with tiles, pot feet or whatever to enhance drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-22T23:21:33.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20580" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20549" CreationDate="2015-08-22T23:29:39.527" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You want young horizontal branching trees such as oaks. Hey I'd try Golden Hops!  This plant is so gorgeous and FAST...you can expect coverage almost instantly!!  Stand back or get assimilated!!  Flowers are late in the season and pretty little lanterns...are you into making beer?  We've had great luck making beer out of this &#xA;'Sun Burst' or some similar named variety...the leaves are gold/lime green until the fall where they turn more green.  In the spring, wack all vines down and pull old vines off structures.  Trust me, this plant will cover anything you've got!!  Easy to maintain...pleaching trees is a heck of a lot more time and expertise!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-22T23:29:39.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20581" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20519" CreationDate="2015-08-22T23:51:39.847" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Heh, heh...I've run into this 'thing' many times and the 'law' only gets you to get the best lawyer you are able.  Best thing is to include neighbors at the very beginning so they feel a part of the decisions.  Are you sure about the 'white cedar' name?  Very ballsy of your neighbors to do this!!  Ugh.  I never plant anything for a hedge unless I offset the plants.  When one dies...no big deal.  Won't make a huge visual difference.  Please send a picture of this hedge and closeups of the plant. Like to be sure about the type of plant you've got!  What is the botanical name of this plant, how far apart did you plant, how high were they when you purchased and who planted these guys?  Were your neighbors apprised while you were installing?  Were they B&amp;amp;B?  (Balled and Burlaped?) Was the burlap removed when planted? What was the watering schedule?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-22T23:51:39.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20582" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20584" CreationDate="2015-08-23T02:40:37.010" Score="2" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found a plant near my house in Malahat on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It seems to be some sort of bean. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a vine and has pods that are about an inch long and the seeds are about 2 mm across; they are brown with tiny black spots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bIvcV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bIvcV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture of the bean or pea&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could anyone identify it for me?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11981" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-23T03:56:09.427" LastActivityDate="2015-08-23T05:08:42.750" Title="What is this bean-like plant in a forest on Vancouver Island, British Columbia?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;beans&gt;&lt;peas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20480" CreationDate="2015-08-23T03:57:39.733" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a jujube.&#xA;I had a difficult time identifying this fruit for my parents as well. The fruit starts to grow as a green color. As it ripped it turns brown although at a distance the drupe looks red.&#xA;I hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11982" LastActivityDate="2015-08-23T03:57:39.733" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20584" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20582" CreationDate="2015-08-23T05:08:42.750" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have found out what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This seed is from the field pea plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bIvcV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bIvcV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;field pea&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rZz9B.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rZz9B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;field pea plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The place i found it says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Seeds are spherical, up to 5 mm in diameter, with thin, tuberculate seed coat, dark brown, sometimes with dark spots.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11981" LastActivityDate="2015-08-23T05:08:42.750" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20566" CreationDate="2015-08-23T16:14:46.960" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This appears to be Pentalinon luteum (also known as Urechites lutea or commonly, yellow Mandevilla, which it isn't really, but it often gets called that in the USA). It likes at least 6 hours of sunlight a day, isn't entirely hardy so anywhere that gets frost it won't like, and flowering time is really any time temperatures are high enough and sunlight is freely available. It tends to put out a few flowers quite often rather than masses all at once. It likes poor, free draining, preferably light soil and is drought tolerant once established - grows upright at first, but later will scramble and climb through other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stop feeding it is my advice - it likes poor soil, so feeding will actually discourage flowering, and it also sounds as if it needs a sunnier spot than the one you've provided.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And a word of warning - the plant is toxic so don't eat it, and be careful of the sap, which contains latex - it can be a skin irritant to some people.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-23T16:29:04.673" LastActivityDate="2015-08-23T16:29:04.673" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20587" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20569" CreationDate="2015-08-23T18:02:08.700" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its quite possible the ones you saw for sale had been dyed, its not uncommon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As mentioned in the other answer, silica helps - the link below might be of some use. The climate where you are makes a difference to the eventual, dried colour when allowed to dry naturally, but it covers that in the link.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/dryingnat.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/dryingnat.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-23T18:02:08.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20567" CreationDate="2015-08-23T18:39:14.550" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nothing that I can think of - a pot of chives or mint might work for quite some time, but in terms of actual vegetables, I'm afraid they really do need sunlight, or artificial lighting as already described.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-23T18:39:14.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20589" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20595" CreationDate="2015-08-23T19:03:56.990" Score="5" ViewCount="18708" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a basil plant in my flat which has recently developed some light patchy areas with small black spots. Can anyone tell me what is causing it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I occasionally use some left over Tomorite to feed it and the plant is in the window where it gets lots of sun, but is generally kept watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if it may be caused by small flies that I occasionally see around the bottom of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pGuAY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pGuAY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;basil leaf with spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fe2MK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fe2MK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;basil plant with spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7zfrc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7zfrc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;underside of basil leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11984" LastEditorUserId="11984" LastEditDate="2015-08-24T21:08:52.593" LastActivityDate="2018-12-06T19:08:33.483" Title="What's causing these small black spots on my basil plant?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20590" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20591" CreationDate="2015-08-23T19:38:00.897" Score="3" ViewCount="2175" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got two apple trees in the garden and all of their apples are covered in black spots&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/S57vMqS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Apple&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this? They are quite different from those &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1605/what-causes-black-spots-on-my-apples&quot;&gt;What causes black spots on my apples?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea how to treat this ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11985" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-08-24T16:05:38.013" Title="What are those black spots on my apples?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20591" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20590" CreationDate="2015-08-23T20:52:13.940" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks a lot like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_scab&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Apple scab&lt;/a&gt;, a fungal infection with &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venturia_inaequalis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;venturia inaequalis&lt;/a&gt; that is very common. The fungus is harmless for human consumption and the scabs can be peeled, but the damaged skin can faciliate entry of mold etc., thus negatively influencing storage of the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best prevention would have been planting a scab-resistant apple, but this is too late in your case.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;In case of an infection, apart from fungicide&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;, there are a few measures to reduce re-infection: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove all fallen leaves (infected leaves have dark spots like the one in the left of the apple in your photo, they also tend to drop earlier) and infected twigs to reduce the amount of &quot;winter spores&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Regular pruning ensures a loose, airy crown that can dry quickly, making it harder for the spores to take root.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; Whether you choose to take the fungicide route is up to you. Your case appears mostly &quot;cosmetic&quot;, so if you can live with a few scabs, simply keeping up with removal of infected material could be enough. Keep your tree well-nourished (not simply fertilized, check what it really needs) and strong and it can resist the fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-08-24T16:05:38.013" LastActivityDate="2015-08-24T16:05:38.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20592" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20571" CreationDate="2015-08-24T05:23:11.667" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have a tall &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonchus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sow thistle (Sonchus)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; in your yard.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I agree with Bamboo that it isn't a particular healthy specimen, as it shows a lot of powdery mildew (the white dusty areas) but unless you plan on nursing what is considered a weed in Europe and an invasive plant in the US, you probably are going to rip / dig it out anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Doing some further research, you might have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonchus_agrestis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Fireweed (Erechtites hieraciifolius &lt;em&gt;or&lt;/em&gt; Sonchus agrestis)&lt;/a&gt; which, as the latin names show, sometimes is classified as of the genus &lt;em&gt;sonchus&lt;/em&gt;, sometimes as &lt;em&gt;erichites&lt;/em&gt;. It's native to the US and is a pioneer plant on burn areas and similar. (Apart from possibly being native instead of invasive, the previous answer remains valid.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-08-24T19:38:48.880" LastActivityDate="2015-08-24T19:38:48.880" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20474" CreationDate="2015-08-24T12:55:29.090" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ok, I took a snipping to a local nursery. The bugs are white aphids. They sold me a systemic pesticide to use to treat the infestation. Hopefully that will do the trick!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE (Final): We sent a cutting off to a lab for analysis. It's actually &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/insects/scale/euonymus-scale.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Euonymus scale&lt;/a&gt;. 9 months later, the plant is still alive but the scale is still present. People are correct when they say it's impossible to get rid of!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11925" LastEditorUserId="11925" LastEditDate="2016-05-14T00:35:33.737" LastActivityDate="2016-05-14T00:35:33.737" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20572" CreationDate="2015-08-24T13:49:52.717" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd say the best time to move plants is in the spring, before the buds break.  You can do what stormy says about getting it ready with feeder roots.  Could go to your local nursery and ask them for advise too, since they should know what pertains to your climate better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2015-08-24T13:49:52.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20595" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20589" CreationDate="2015-08-24T17:49:29.207" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/leaf-miner-control.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Leaf Miner damage and control&lt;/a&gt;Looks like a leaf-miner of some sort...the light colored wiggly lines is what was eaten and the black is fracas...poop. Gotta see the insect itself, really to suggest how to treat.  Is this plant outdoors or indoors?  Please send pictures of the undersides of the leaves.  Some leaf miners actually live IN the leaf. If you could turn the leaf over, look for slight bumps. Use a razor blade and carefully cut the bump to shave leaf and see if you can find insect.  It'll probably look like a tiny worm...investigate while leaves are warmed from the sun and also while night.  If you can't see anymore damage happening it might be because the insect has matured and flown away leaving eggs inside the leaf.  Just use leaves that are new and undamaged for now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this article I've attached there is a paragraph on how to find the insect...if it is still possible.  Putting a few leaves in a ziploc so that when larvae are matured they can't fly away.  Those tiny flies WERE probably the adult leaf miners! Are these basil plants planted in garden soil or sterilized potting soil??  And the article talks about using NEEM. They said it was NATURAL. Hey 'Natural' can be VERY TOXIC. I've used NEEM and it works very well on ornamentals but I wouldn't use it on my basil!!  Heck, take nicotine!  Very natural, but it has got one of the most toxic LD50 (lethal dose for half the population so lower the number, higher the lethality)!!  When did you first see this damage?  Using garden soil in pots is a possible reason your plant got this insect.  Big no-no!  Always use sterilized potting soil (infused with bacteria and mycorrhizae) to plant anything in pots!  Basil is an annual and does have a very short useable life.  Next batch scrub those pots and use potting soil.  No rocks or gravel in the bottom...actually inhibits drainage!!  I am just trying to cover bases by making lots of assumptions!!  Let us know what you find and send a few more pictures!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2015-08-24T18:17:40.570" LastActivityDate="2015-08-24T18:17:40.570" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20597" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20567" CreationDate="2015-08-24T18:57:16.403" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is going to be very difficult. A few tough herbs might work - mint and thyme come to mind. Have you thought of a small hydroponic system? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-08-24T18:57:16.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20598" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-24T19:05:53.250" Score="3" ViewCount="1159" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants seemed to have thrived for millions of years without any fertilizer being added.  Why can't I just not use fertilizer?   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-26T03:16:45.280" Title="Is 'fertilizer' considered FOOD for plants?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20598" CreationDate="2015-08-24T19:05:53.250" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;We need to get something straight.  Plants make their own food!!  Because we have been cultivating plants, growing plants outside of their natural environment and have stripped ecosystems of necessary chemicals we are now obliged to figure what is missing and what chemicals need to be replaced.  This is FERTILIZER.  Fertilizer IS NOT FOOD.  In a normal, established ecosystem, nutrients are tied up in the vegetation.  You won't find them much in the soil.  Plant material dies, returns to the soil, is decomposed FEEDING the micro and macro organisms in the soil who in turn poop out chemicals and help plants assimilate these chemicals.  Thinking of fertilizer as a FOOD is wrong.  Too much fertilizer (and it doesn't take that much) will KILL plants!  Those not familiar with botany and gardening will turn to 'feeding' their plants even more in an effort to make them&#xA;healthier.  I'd love to see these labels stop using the terms 'feed' and 'food'...too much like animals!  Plants are not animal.  That is why they are in different kingdoms!!  Fertilizer should be handled with care and information about your soil's deficiencies and excesses.  A soil test at least once every other year is a responsible thing to do...gardeners do get to a point where they can 'see' indicators from the plants as to what chemicals they need more of and what chemicals are in excess.  We HAVE to fertilize as we've screwed up any ecosystem possible but we have to know what chemicals are necessary and what chemicals are deleterious!!  Fertilizer IS NOT PLANT FOOD.  Just chemicals necessary for the plant to make its own food...part of becoming 'farmers'...after hunter/gatherers.  Soil tests can be done free or cheaply in the U.S. by your nearest Extension Service/University.  A great source for anyone wanting to grow and understand plants!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-24T19:05:53.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20600" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20598" CreationDate="2015-08-24T19:53:24.947" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You certainly can try to grow a plant without using additional fertilizers. I think it's a fun experiment to grow the same plant using multiple setups to see what effect is had on the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To answer your question, yes the plant will need certain nutrient to thrive, but you don't necessarily have to give it Miracle Grow. On most plant food containers you'll find three numbers. It'll look something like '10-10-10', '20-10-20', '12-8-10', '5-0-0', etc... These three numbers represent Nitrogen, Phosphorus (sometimes called phosphate), and Potassium (K being the periodic table representation for it, or potash). These are three of the big elements needed to help the plant grow. There are also a host of micro nutrients needed as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are lots of explanations that can give better detail than I can on the effects of these three elements, but basically they affect plant growth, root growth, and flower/fruit growth. So if you see a number like '5-0-0', then it is only trying to affect one of these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, in the wild, there is balanced ecosystem where plants and animals die and feed there nutrients into the soil. Leaves drop and wood rots, insects and worms break it down and transform it and it creates a cycle. Or you have the opposite effect where water washes almost all nutrients away and plants such as 'carnivorous plants' have to trap insects and 'digest' them to obtain these nutrients. Also, Darwinism comes into play from the woods to your back yard. If you find a cute little flower growing at the edge of your yard and you dig it up and pot it for your enjoyment, you could very well kill it. In the spot it was in, it very well may be shaded most of the day, or maybe there are ornamental stones that divert more or less water to it. Basically, seeds get scattered everywhere and they only survive where the conditions are optimal. So when people take them from the habitat they're adapted to, then they have to provide those same conditions to the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each plant is different, but a lot of the plants you can pick up at your local plant store are either hardy or common to your area, so you have a buffer in taking care of them. Many potted house plants get fertilized with chemical fertilizers, such as 'miracle grow', because when a plant is watered, chemicals are leached out. They are also taken out of the soil by the plant. The miracle grow, uses the water to put them back into the soil for the plant to use, the same as nature is putting them back into the soil for your little yard plant or the trees in the forest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I called it a 'chemical fertilizer', but in reality every spec of fertilizer is a chemical, it's just about how they are made. When you see something that says 'organic' vs 'non-organic' it just means that on the 'organic' no human made chemicals were applied, but those same chemicals can usually be applied in a weaker concentration by natural means. For instance, people compost, vermicomposter for worm castings, add wood ash, etc... The Indians used to put a dead fish under their plants to help fertilize them. These are all eco-friendly ways to fertilize your plant. I encourage you to check them out. I'm currently setting up my first vermicomposter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, yes, I do think it's necessary to use fertilizer. However, I do encourage you to experiment. Take three of the same pots and plants. Use whatever dirt you want for one, miracle grow potting soil (which contains a slow release chemical fertilizer by the way) for another, and compost, which you can buy at any garden center (possible mixing in 20-30% worm castings). Then you begin your experiment and see which does better. Ideally, you should water them evenly, but that can be another experiment, because if you water them all equally then your moisture control soil will either be too wet, or you'll dehydrate and kill the other two. Water as needed and document your results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll probably notice that the regular dirt and plain water doesn't grow much and gets weak. The miracle grow plant will probably grow much faster and may even get tall and leggy. The compost will grow slower, but will probably be healthier and possible tastier if it's a fruit/veggie. It really depends on what effect you're going for, but record your results and review them at the end of the summer, or whatever time period you set, though I wouldn't go less than 3 months. It's important to learn what works and what doesn't. A person who is told how to do something will be less knowledgeable than a person who experiments and sees a direct correlation between an action and a consequence. Like, not fertilizing leads to a weak and dying plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over fertilizing can be bad as well. You'll see many people, even on this site, ask why their plant is growing so well, but not producing any fruit. They've been fertilizing the crap out of it and they don't understand. What's happened is that they plant is in growth mode and it's putting all it's energy into that growth. If they cut back on the fertilizer, then they typically see the fruit they want. So if your miracle grow soil says it's good for 3 months, then don't use additional fertilizer till after that, and then only the recommended amount. Good luck and I hope this answers your question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-08-24T19:53:24.947" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20601" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20557" CreationDate="2015-08-24T20:05:02.400" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got two solutions. One is to call animal control and have them set out a live trap. They'll catch and relocate whatever it is. The second is to get a scarecrow. By that I mean a sprinkle that is motion activated. The fox, cat, neighborhood teenagers, etc... walk onto your lawn to make a deposit and shhhh, chka, chka, chka, shhhhhh. (sprinkler sounds). Problem solved. I know I don't like to be sprayed with a hose when I'm doing my business.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00X5C1MCK&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Scarecrow knock off&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-08-24T20:05:02.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20598" CreationDate="2015-08-24T20:17:33.613" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Joel Salatin become famous in organic farming circles for saying he isn't a cattle farmer, he's a grass farmer. The idea is that if he grows healthy fodder, his cattle will be healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a similar idea for gardening that if you are building healthy soil and using good management practices for the land you garden, your plants will do their thing on their own. I think it has a lot of merit. Many who take this approach think of many added fertilizers as counterproductive, as they are not helpful to the soil biota. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I have never used a purchased fertilizer on my garden. I do compost. I do add manure when I can get my hands on it. I mulch. My soil condition looks better every year and my plants don't get as big as those of my neighbors who use Miracle Grow, but they look healthy and produce well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-08-24T20:17:33.613" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20603" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20535" CreationDate="2015-08-24T21:29:08.517" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just looked up this problem with my black cherry tomatoes; and there is no consensus. They just started to ripen; and crack. I have soaker hoses that water evenly, so I doubt that is the problem. For now, I am removing them from the vine as soon as they are black/red, even if not quite ripe. My Brandywines are not having this problem; nor are my Romas, which are right next to the black cherries. Could be the extreme heat for a couple days did it, maybe shrinking the skin; and there is no cure for that other than maybe more shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2015-08-24T21:29:08.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20604" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-25T00:15:11.387" Score="3" ViewCount="154" Body="&lt;p&gt;How long and often must a lawn be watered to promote deep root growth throughout the warmer months? I live in South East Queensland and the summer temperatures range between 25-35 degrees Celsius. The lawn is Blue Couch (Digitaria didactyla) and it is on a flat surface that receives 6-8 hours sun per day. The subsoil is clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastEditorUserId="11909" LastEditDate="2015-08-25T03:22:26.727" LastActivityDate="2015-08-26T01:01:47.377" Title="Deep watering: How much water are we talking?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20605" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20606" CreationDate="2015-08-25T02:39:59.983" Score="6" ViewCount="269" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ngocF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ngocF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is small, just about 4 inches tall, growing in my front yard, in Sydney, Australia. The leaves are grass like and the little flower is quite fragrant. I just can't recall the name, can someone identify it please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11905" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-08-30T18:05:53.637" LastActivityDate="2015-08-30T18:05:53.637" Title="What is the name of this low-growing plant with pink flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20606" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20605" CreationDate="2015-08-25T03:26:19.977" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freesia&quot;&gt;freesia&lt;/a&gt;, a group of iris-relatives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Due to their interesting flower shape, strong scent and comparatively low &quot;fussyness&quot; they have been cultivated and hybridized a lot over time. They come in a wide range of colours and sizes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many of us will know them as cut flower where they contribute scent and visual interest to bouquets; because the individual flowers per stalk tend to open over time, it makes them quite long-lasting, provided spent flowers are removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-08-25T05:15:44.693" LastActivityDate="2015-08-25T05:15:44.693" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20608" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-25T03:49:45.323" Score="6" ViewCount="3839" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently planted tall fescue in the shaded, wet areas of my lawn (mostly around the patio) as the couch grass simply would not grow there. I noticed there was a fine, long, dark green clump grass starting to grow in this area as I was throwing the tall fescue seed down. It has since grown into lush, dark green ground cover that blends in perfectly with my blue couch lawn. It grew fast too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need to find out what this is and replace the tall fescue I laid down with this! I'm going to take a guess and say it's Bluegrass or Buffalo Grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo 1: comparison between the grasses, showing that this mystery grass isn't tall fescue&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo 2: shows the clump formation and the length of the leaves (20cm)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo 3: shows the clump formation and beautiful blue green colour&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YxiDx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YxiDx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gJXKt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gJXKt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/niOWn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/niOWn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-15T03:52:39.530" LastActivityDate="2016-01-13T05:23:30.550" Title="What species is this large clump of lawn grass?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20444" CreationDate="2015-08-25T13:40:09.343" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The grass in question is called Broadleaf Carpet Grass. It thrives in moist conditions and can tolerate 50% shade. It doesn't seem to be tolerating glyphosate though! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nt.gov.au/d/Content/File/p/Garden/487.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.nt.gov.au/d/Content/File/p/Garden/487.pdf&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastActivityDate="2015-08-25T13:40:09.343" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20610" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20418" CreationDate="2015-08-25T17:32:30.870" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;ABS is a very stable plastic. It is used in all kinds of things from medical devices (which is how I know of its properties) to car seats and more. Unless you plan to have your containers sitting on top of a flame, you have very little to worry about. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ABS can be completely recycled as well. It is grouped in #7. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have there been studies done? Yes, but not specifically the way you would like them. However, if you go through the various papers and reports you will find that, unless you want to plant a coastal redwood tree and worry about it absorbing some of the materials 600 years from now, you are in good shape. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this addresses your question. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2015-08-25T17:32:30.870" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20611" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-25T17:42:57.013" Score="4" ViewCount="324" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, I decided to do research on using rock-wool for my indoor panting needs, rather than the potting soil I obtain from the local stores here. Reasons are&#xA;1. I have some rock-wool leftover after insulating my arctic.&#xA;2. It is extremely light to handle&#xA;3. Less dirt indoor&#xA;4. Makes for easier examination of plant roots, and transplanting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, even though this is what I intend to do this winter, I am not 100% yet about the idea, nor do I have a setup to handle watering, preventing fungi, algae from growing in the rock-wool containers over time. So I would appreciate some suggestions on how to make this work for me this winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6781" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-15T03:53:48.120" LastActivityDate="2015-11-14T05:41:29.867" Title="How can I use rockwool for indoor gardening?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20612" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20617" CreationDate="2015-08-25T18:17:27.820" Score="3" ViewCount="232" Body="&lt;p&gt;Location: Phoenix, AZ&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a 3-in-1 pluot that was grafted onto Citation Hybrid root stock. (i.e. the image shows the root stock.) Around 2 months ago (~ 1st July) it started weeping sap at the base of the trunk and this is becoming worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could be causing this? Is there a way to fix/stop this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IStHg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IStHg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2015-08-26T09:43:57.877" Title="Heavy sap weeping at base of stone fruit tree" Tags="&lt;sap&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20612" CreationDate="2015-08-26T00:30:25.137" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where do you live?  Do you have freezing during the winter?  This is probably a totally normal response that happens on the SOUTH side of trees.  The south side gets the sun and experiences free/thaw.  Any wounds at all will gum.  Ummm, this must be a cherry, fruit...??  Didn't look it up. Grins!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No problem unless gets infected.  The gumming helps STOP infection as well as insects from getting in the cambium.  If I were you I'd pull that dang bark stuff away from the bark.  Make sure that no bark is under the soil or mulch!  That will kill your tree!  Roots are underground, bark is in the air!!  So pull back that bark (get rid of chunky bark!!  ugh!), leave gummosus alone and not to worry.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At least find a fine textured mulch (best if human poo mixed with sawdust and completely, COMPLETELY decomposed...BEAUTIFUL stuff...mulch should not be so coarse as to detract from the beauty of plants...tougher for decomposers to decompose to be able to feed your soil...blah, blah, blah...)  (get rid of that awful mulch...this stuff is made from construction materials and called...shoot, can't remember at the moment!  Awful stuff...awful.  Does not inhibit weeds...doesn't feed your soil and looks...well...awful!  Grin, ignore me if you like the look!!) Please tell me there is no landscape fabric or plastic beneath!!  If there is...welp.  Ask another question about it and I'll be jumping in with both feet!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2015-08-26T00:39:21.263" LastActivityDate="2015-08-26T00:39:21.263" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20614" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20604" CreationDate="2015-08-26T01:01:47.377" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Welp, you answered some of my questions!!  Clay is great soil.  Seriously.  Less watering, less adding chemicals, less leaching...watering deeply means to water until your soil is wet at least 4&quot; deep.  Take a spade to check.  1&quot; of water per week.  Are you on an automatic waterer?  Lawns truly need to be trained to grow deep roots...this makes them drought tolerant and saves so much in water bills!!  The best way to do this is to soak your lawn until it is wet 4&quot; or more deep.  Allow to dry out.  If your lawn needs training your grass will tell you when to water again.  Simply, walk on your lawn.  If your foot prints STAY DEPRESSED and you can still see your footprints, then it is time to water again and deeply!!  When your lawn is 'drought proof' with 6&quot; deep root systems that you've trained you should only water once per week.  When you water, get straight sided cans such as catfood cans and place them all over your lawn.  You'll be able to tell if you've watered 1&quot; as well as where you've been lax.  Automatic systems need this check!!  If one does not allow the soil to dry and stress the grass ever so slightly, the lawn's roots will be shallow and accustomed to lots of shallow water...a waste as well as the day that it doesn't get watered, the lawn will start going dormant (NOT A GOOD THING).  Make SURE you aerate once per year!!  Fertilize with good, organic extended release fertilizer (Dr. Earth is super).  Always use a mechanical spreader, not by HAND!!  KEEP LAWN HEIGHT AT 3&quot;.  No shorter!!  Check out more on other posted questions.  I keep getting in trouble for going ON!!  Grins!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-26T01:01:47.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20615" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-26T01:44:41.850" Score="3" ViewCount="1718" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased a 1-2 year old Meyer lemon. We keep it indoors and it was doing great, and started blossoming all over. Then we re-potted it, using some citrus soil and one of those self watering pots. I poked holes in the self watering pot so water could drain out. I also used a light layer of gravel on the bottom to help drainage. We watered it and put it back in the window. When we woke up the next day, the leaves were pale and yellow and falling off; most of the blossoms have also fallen off. I picked up some fertilizer today and mixed a little less then recommended with water and sprayed the leaves today to see if it was a nitrogen issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves don't seem as shiny as they were when it first arrived. I'm scared to do anything else with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do to help my lemon recover?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jYZ2h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jYZ2h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;meyer lemon&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YWkBW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YWkBW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;falling leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11994" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-26T15:01:45.260" LastActivityDate="2015-08-27T17:01:30.680" Title="Why are my Meyer lemon's leaves yellowing and falling off?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20598" CreationDate="2015-08-26T03:02:16.963" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As I understand it, plants use the sun to make chemical energy / starch. They use the soil to get nutrients. Food for humans includes both energy and nutrients. Fertilizer is nutrients; it's not energy. So, it stands to reason that the combination of nutrients and energy is the plant equivalent of food, or at least pretty close. Fertilizer in and of itself isn't food--it's more like a multivitamin/multimineral. The soil has nutrients (and, ideally, beneficial microbes) in it, but sometimes it's deficient. Sometimes, plants can cope with this, and even breed to adapt to their environment's available nutrients (or else seeds of different kinds of plants with different requirements may colonize the area). Different kinds of plants may be beneficial to each other. However, in commercial settings, plants don't have the opportunity to do this as much, or benefit from animals as much; so, their needs are supplemented (whether with manure, compost, chemical fertilizer, whether approved for organic gardening or not, or other creative soil amendments). Nutrients from third party sources such as animal excrement and microbes should not be overlooked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-08-26T03:16:45.280" LastActivityDate="2015-08-26T03:16:45.280" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20617" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20612" CreationDate="2015-08-26T09:43:57.877" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's unfortunate that this is happening at the base of the tree - its called Gummosis or sometimes Canker and is very common on stone fruits. Often, the gummosis leads to a bacterial infection which can be quite offensive smelling, and at that point, it is described as bacterial canker. The link below will give more information, but the eventual outcome for a tree with this problem so low on the main trunk is often death. There isn't much you can do about it now I'm afraid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/cankers/gummosis-of-fruit-trees.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/cankers/gummosis-of-fruit-trees.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-26T09:43:57.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20618" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-26T09:52:26.720" Score="5" ViewCount="819" Body="&lt;p&gt;My office has quite a few Golden Pothos and they are beautiful! I am wondering: how many hours of light do these plants need per day in an indoor environment? To go along with that I know that some plants need periods of darkness – do pothos require darkness each day?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As it may be of interest: there is no natural light for these plants at all. It is 100% artificial lighting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11668" LastEditorUserId="11668" LastEditDate="2018-01-22T16:20:26.690" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T16:20:26.690" Title="Do Golden Pothos need a day/night cycle?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20619" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20618" CreationDate="2015-08-26T10:20:25.193" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pothos generally like a bright or well lit spot, but not sunlight. They will grow in lower light levels, but those varieties with variegated leaves will lose the variegation in low light situations. On the assumption you want one at home, if you can find a spot for it reasonably close to a window where the sun doesn't reach it, it should be fine - its a relatively easy houseplant to grow. As for 'requiring darkness', in a normal home environment, supplying darkness isn't an issue - the lights aren't on at night, and even if one or two were, they're not gro lights, so shouldn't make much impact. Preferred temperature range is average, but not lower than 50-55 deg. F, mist leaves a couple of times a week in a heated environment. Can be grown up a moss pole or support, or as a trailing plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know, is the answer, sorry! Maybe someone else does, but I can tell you that I have one of these and where it is, it's never in complete darkness - where I live is lit up like a Christmas tree year round outsid, all night, (not my choice), and even I don't need the lights on unless I'm cooking or reading. And the plant is fine, growing well....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-08-26T16:05:52.460" LastActivityDate="2015-08-26T16:05:52.460" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20621" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-26T15:41:06.287" Score="1" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help me identify a tree located near Si Sa Ket Thailand. The bark is used as a medicine. Used by local traditional healers. Unfortunately they do not know the name of the tree. Many things are passed down in a verbal tribal knowledge format. The tree is not common. We travel to a remote area near the Cambodian border to obtain a very small strip of bark. I enclosed a picture of leaves and bark. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gLmSD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gLmSD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11997" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-26T15:44:17.747" LastActivityDate="2015-08-26T15:44:17.747" Title="What is this tree from Thailand with medicinal properties?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2015-09-15T19:21:43.237" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20622" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21740" CreationDate="2015-08-26T15:59:20.817" Score="3" ViewCount="819" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant was found in woodland in Connecticut, in the northeastern USA. It is about 2.5 feet tall (75 cm) and has a string of seed heads the size of small capers growing along a single stem. The seeds and stems are very sticky and attach themselves to clothing or dog fur; when pulled, the stems break away from the seeds leaving them firmly attached.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click on photos for full size&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g3z0v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g3z0vm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cwb4I.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cwb4Im.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2018-08-12T11:09:19.587" Title="Connecticut woodland plant with sticky seeds and stems" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;woodland&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20624" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-26T21:55:28.363" Score="2" ViewCount="33" Body="&lt;p&gt;My plant's leaves are developing yellow, black, and dry spots all over. The flowers are also drying up before becoming the vegetable itself. There are ants nearby but I don't think ants do this type of damage. Could this be fungal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11999" LastActivityDate="2015-08-26T21:55:28.363" Title="Something is killing my snakegourd plants" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2015-09-11T17:41:49.890" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20625" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20622" CreationDate="2015-08-26T22:17:00.043" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a Vetch...need to see closeups of leaves and flowers or what do you remember the flowers to look like/color?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-26T22:17:00.043" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20627" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20608" CreationDate="2015-08-27T01:19:56.393" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well after some google searching I have decided that it is Perennial Ryegrass. Anyone object? I found these links useful in determining this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.smartforage.co.nz/1970/01/ryegrass-continuum-2/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.smartforage.co.nz/1970/01/ryegrass-continuum-2/&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plantscience.psu.edu/research/centers/turf/extension/factsheets/cool-season-turfgrasses-id&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://plantscience.psu.edu/research/centers/turf/extension/factsheets/cool-season-turfgrasses-id&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastActivityDate="2015-08-27T01:19:56.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20628" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20629" CreationDate="2015-08-27T01:37:11.553" Score="6" ViewCount="21079" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I picked up a couple of mid-sized Coleus plants (a 'Ruby Dreams' and a 'Dream Catcher') from the local nursery today. I plan to put them in a shady area which gets indirect light for a few hours a day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't know about Coleus plants and looked them up when I got home. Some websites mentioned they were an &lt;em&gt;annual&lt;/em&gt; but others mentioned they were a &lt;em&gt;tender perennial&lt;/em&gt; and hardy to zone 11. I'm in USDA zone 10b - will this survive the Southern California 'winter' (and can I do something to ensure that) or will it possibly die off before next Spring? I love the look of these plants so would hate to plant and care for them only to have to replace them come spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11812" LastActivityDate="2015-08-27T20:10:27.177" Title="Coleus - annual or 'tender' perennial?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20628" CreationDate="2015-08-27T02:12:32.183" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's listed as an annual many places because any amount of frost is likely to be fatal to an unprotected plant. Fortunately, in your zone frost is not really a certainty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the winter is on the mild side (for your climate) your coleus could probably make it through unprotected. If you make an effort to shelter the plant; coverings, mulching around the roots etc. you can likely improve your odds even in an average year. An unusually chilly winter might kill it, but might not if you protect it. In my experience, planting perennials 1 zone below their lower range can be pulled off if you're careful or lucky. You might lose some years, but on the average you might just get away with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are potted plants, it would be easier and more effective to just move them inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-08-27T18:47:33.297" LastActivityDate="2015-08-27T18:47:33.297" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20630" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-27T08:29:11.430" Score="8" ViewCount="30881" Body="&lt;p&gt;A relative of mine has a small surface swimming pool for kids filled with 5000 liters of water. Now that summer is ending I would like to remove it and put it inside. I don't want to waste water. This is still the dry season and the water is useful. Not to mention that it is a resource that shouldn't be wasted. Is it safe to use the treated water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I heard that chlorine dissolves fast but I would like to know it for sure if there can be other consequences to using this water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12001" LastEditorUserId="2441" LastEditDate="2015-09-02T15:34:16.677" LastActivityDate="2015-09-02T15:34:16.677" Title="Can I use swimming pool water to water plants and vegetables?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20631" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20630" CreationDate="2015-08-27T11:35:45.170" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should make sure, before you use the water, that no chemicals have been added for a week (some say half a week), and assuming you've only used chlorine, it should be down to 1 part per million after that time, or even lower, which means yes, you can use it for irrigation purposes. If you can, check the ph, which should be between 7 and 8 before discharging the water onto planted areas. I'm also assuming there's no pump - sometimes salts can collect in the pumps and that might be an issue, but that's dependent, to some extent, on which cocktail of chemicals have been used to keep the water sterile. The link below gives more information - some of it is extra to requirements for your purposes, because it also deals with sunken pools:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.watercasa.org/pdfs/pools_spas_4-1-08.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.watercasa.org/pdfs/pools_spas_4-1-08.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-08-27T11:35:45.170" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20632" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20615" CreationDate="2015-08-27T17:01:30.680" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are some recommendations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not put gravel in the bottom of the pot.  This does not do any good.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you are going to use a self watering pot putting holes in the bottom defeats the purpose of self watering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leaf drop can be caused by under or over watering, root damage, virus/fungus or insects&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not repot a plant that is flowering. As you have found the least little thing causes the blossoms to drop&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a checklist for plant health:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when you re potted the plant were the roots firm and white? Mushy or smelly roots indicates over watering.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;look on the underside of the leaves for &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/18104/499&quot;&gt;spider mites&lt;/a&gt; which are quite common on indoor citrus.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/20358/499&quot;&gt;citrus fertilizer&lt;/a&gt; with chelated iron.  A &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/4213/499&quot;&gt;soil pH can become more alkaline&lt;/a&gt; and inhibit the uptake of manganese and iron.  I prefer to apply more often at a weaker strength.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;put the plant where it used to be if you moved it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if using a pot that drains maintain a consistent watering cycle.  Usually once a week will do but higher light areas may need more water.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water deeply, till water runs out of the pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-08-27T17:01:30.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20628" CreationDate="2015-08-27T20:10:27.177" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts, zone 6a, and have grown Ruby Dreams and other coleus varieties from seed for a number of years. They last deep into the fall, when temperatures drop down into the forties. As soon as they start to look chilly, meaning the leaves become crumpled and droopy, I dig them up, pot them and keep them inside for the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the danger of frost has passed, usually late May in my area, I replant some in their favorite partly-shaded spot under the trees, and keep others in their containers. Although they thrive nicely either way, those in the ground usually exhibit more abundant growth, both in height and width. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on my experience, I definitely support your idea of trying to overwinter your lovely new plants. If they become distressed, you can always get them out of the ground before they die! If they end up growing well for you, I highly recommend adding more varieties. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-08-27T20:10:27.177" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20635" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20638" CreationDate="2015-08-27T23:33:45.057" Score="8" ViewCount="1291" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant grows in large amounts near where I live, and I want to learn more about it. It smells very good and I would like to know what its possible uses are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe it is a type of aniseed or fennel, but need to know the latin name or precise name... thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: More images!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/140pk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/140pk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ThUw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ThUw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LhRj3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LhRj3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mrvSC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mrvSC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11938" LastEditorUserId="11938" LastEditDate="2015-10-03T23:25:10.067" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T23:47:23.147" Title="Can someone help me identify this type of fennel / aniseed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20637" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-28T00:35:48.773" Score="3" ViewCount="41" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for some references to use metal halide lamp in a greenhouse. What specifications should I look for in a lamp?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12004" OwnerDisplayName="PsychoMath" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T17:47:12.497" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T17:47:12.497" Title="Does anyone have some references on using metal halide lamps in a greenhouse?" Tags="&lt;light&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20638" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20635" CreationDate="2015-08-28T10:36:26.127" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I checked out the pictures, but frankly, they're not much use - they're blurry and only show the flowering tops of the plant. What we need to see are the leaves/stems/foliage, and a clear, focused shot would be good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the likelihood is that the plant is Foeniculum vulgare - good photos will confirm for sure, or you can examine what you see in the links below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Foeniculum+vulgare&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Foeniculum+vulgare&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/fennel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/fennel&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note there is a difference between Florence Fennel and ordinary fennel or Foeniculum vulgare (link below showing Florence Fennel); the former is classed as a vegetable, the latter as a herb. I use the leaves from the herb version in potato or mayonnaise based salads and its very good with fish. You can use the leaves of Florence fennel in a similar fashion, but ordinary fennel does not develop the swollen bulb at the bottom - it just has a rather long tap root or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/vegetables/florence-fennel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/vegetables/florence-fennel&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The specimens in your new photos don't show much foliage, so its hard to be absolutely definite that they are Fennel - I suspect they are, and they do grow wild where you live (see link below) but I wouldn't want you to poison yourself eating some lookalike plant. In the link below, you can purchase a small book for wild growing local edibles, and that might be of interest, otherwise, suggest you go and buy yourself a Fennel plant and grow it in your own garden, just to be completely safe. If you just want to use the leaves and not the root, Foeniculum vulgare (or common Fennel) is the one to look for - there is a bronze form, which has brownish leaves, an attractive, feathery looking plant in its own right in the garden. Ensure you get the right planting spot - its next to impossible to move or remove because it has a long tap root, so you need to select the planting site carefully.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://forage.berkeley.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://forage.berkeley.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-10-04T13:19:34.283" LastActivityDate="2015-10-04T13:19:34.283" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20640" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2015-08-28T12:05:03.780" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2015-08-28T12:05:03.780" LastActivityDate="2015-08-28T12:05:03.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20641" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2015-08-28T12:05:03.780" Score="0" Body="For questions about growing plants in pots, troughs and other containers" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-08-29T13:27:20.157" LastActivityDate="2015-08-29T13:27:20.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20642" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-28T15:36:35.533" Score="2" ViewCount="354" Body="&lt;p&gt;My yellow berries were doing great until a couple of months ago then the leaves started to turn brown and curl up. It started slowly but almost took over the whole plant. There is new growth on the stems and I did not find any caterpillars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in USDA Zone 8a and we are in our monsoon season. We had maybe 12&quot; of rain in the last 2 months. The plants are in half whiskey barrels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you help me?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12005" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-28T15:46:05.657" LastActivityDate="2015-08-28T15:46:05.657" Title="Why are my raspberries' leaves turning brown?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-09-11T17:38:48.287" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20643" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-28T16:50:30.007" Score="2" ViewCount="2439" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've dropped the ball. My new lawn was seeded in the middle of the week and we decided to go the hose+sprinkler route rather than irrigation system. I've tried my best with the little free time I have outside of work to rig up something that covers parts of the yard, but there are areas that are getting no attention since the application. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long before those areas are completely lost to me and I'll have to reseed? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are done for, what are my options for next steps?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="601" LastEditorUserId="601" LastEditDate="2015-08-28T16:55:47.437" LastActivityDate="2015-08-29T20:30:14.290" Title="How long before hydroseeds are dead/dried out?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2908" CreationDate="2015-08-28T17:57:29.973" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Astro turf or put a membrane down lay turf in a circle.  When it comes time for pool to be replaced in summer, roll up the newly laid turf.  Keep watered through summer ready for re laying when pool is finished for the season.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Those are my thoughts.  My daughter has exactly the same problem.&#xA;All the best &#xA;Di&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12006" LastActivityDate="2015-08-28T17:57:29.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20645" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20349" CreationDate="2015-08-28T18:54:07.457" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would suggest not thinning them yet either.  As @michelle suggested, wait at least until the true leaves appear.  You can thin by harvesting once a second set of true leaves develop. (In the time since you posted the question, they may have matured enough to do so).&#xA;Also, while selling herbs at a market, the farmer I worked for recommended leaving a few plants together (~5) to make them less vulnerable to wind/damage.  If one gets damaged or eaten, there is still more plants remaining. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12007" LastEditorUserId="12007" LastEditDate="2015-08-28T19:52:47.920" LastActivityDate="2015-08-28T19:52:47.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20646" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19919" CreationDate="2015-08-28T19:07:49.203" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first two pictures ('blunt') appear to be lamb's quarters.&#xA;As for the &quot;pointy&quot; one, an identifying characteristic is the red or purple-ish stem and underside of leaves when the plant is young.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More details from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/ontweeds/lambs_quarters.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ontario (Canada) Agriculture Ministry&lt;/a&gt; guide to weeds: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Stems &amp;amp; Roots: 20-200cm (8in.-6½ft) high, branched or unbranched,&#xA;  smooth, green or with reddish or purplish lengthwise stripes and&#xA;  ridges&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Leaves: First 2 or 4 true leaves apparently opposite (2 per node), but&#xA;  all later leaves and branches distinctly alternate (1 per node);&#xA;  leaves stalked, the blades 3-10cm (1-4in.) long, lance-shaped or more&#xA;  often broadly triangular with irregular, usually shallow teeth; leaves&#xA;  green or grayish due to a covering of a white mealiness or&#xA;  powderiness, sometimes with reddish undersurface on young plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12007" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-08-28T22:20:28.300" LastActivityDate="2015-08-28T22:20:28.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20648" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-29T09:22:59.403" Score="1" ViewCount="171" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought 1KG of tall fescue from a hardware store but I have since realised that I would prefer perennial ryegrass. &lt;strong&gt;Why is it so hard to find this in Australia?&lt;/strong&gt; It's easy to find cool-season seed mixes that contain perennial ryegrass but finding it by itself is proving very difficult. Is there some way of obtaining this? I'm not looking for a specific source but is there a way to obtain this seed before it is mixed into a blend and packaged for commercial use? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might say that I should use a blend because a mix of seeds provides year-round growth, however I don't think it is necessary in my situation and after all,  pure tall fescue is available and it is a cool season grass. Surely there are people who use pure cool season grass seeds and don't want their lawn bastardised with 10 different grass types.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastActivityDate="2015-08-29T20:08:25.810" Title="Why is it so hard to find pure perennial ryegrass turf seed in Australia?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20650" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20349" CreationDate="2015-08-29T12:09:20.510" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I seed the stuff thick, and never thin. Always seem to get a good crop. My current batch is on its fourth harvest now. I chop it to about 50mm (2&quot;) with scissors. Looks like it's getting ready to bolt/flower this time. Freeze the chopped excess spread out on a cookie tray then jar frozen chunks to preserve flavor. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2015-08-29T12:09:20.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20651" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4504" CreationDate="2015-08-29T15:08:13.627" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I get very good results with bone meal to encourage blooms. I have seen and done this for over 30 years as a comercial flower grower. Bone meal does not inhibit microbial activity, it encourages it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12011" LastActivityDate="2015-08-29T15:08:13.627" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20652" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20655" CreationDate="2015-08-29T19:05:24.183" Score="4" ViewCount="1120" Body="&lt;p&gt;My phal finished blooming last week, so I am now ready to repot. However, the plant has gotten quite unruly.  It's about 5.5&quot; from the soil line to the center of the top leaf, has developed a fairly substantial keiki two leaves up from the base, and has a plethora of roots growing well above the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the proper course of action for repotting and/or taming it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit to clarify the current setup and routine:&#xA;The pot has a layer of pebbles at the bottom to keep the plant from sitting in water. It also has a few pebble between the pot and saucer to keep the pot out of the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No white stuff on the top of the soil. Speaking of which the soil is actually a orchid potting mix, Miracle-Gro's I believe, with a little bit of sphagnum moss mixed in to help it retain some water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is watered once a week using distilled water with a teaspoon of Better-Gro's Orchid Plus Plant Food (20-14-13) per gallon, as they recommend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Side A:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5JIbZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;side A&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Side B, with most of the keiki leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QpwLs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Side B, with most of the keiki leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit to show off the blooms:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cWl1v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Showing off the blooms&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kT48c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Showing off the blooms 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12012" LastEditorUserId="12012" LastEditDate="2015-09-01T02:48:11.630" LastActivityDate="2015-09-01T02:48:11.630" Title="How should I tame my overgrown Phalenopsis?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20648" CreationDate="2015-08-29T20:08:25.810" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;All the different types of grass seed/types that you find in mixes ensures that one doesn't lose everything with a mono planting.  Different types of grasses do give your lawn/pasture a sort of protection.  If one type gets a disease that the other types are not vulnerable to you probably won't notice the difference.  Monocultures are not a good thing unless you are growing just for seed.  And then they've got to be protected from pollen that would cause a hybrid. Fescue is very cool as a sustainable grass plant but you don't want a monoculture.  What are you making?  A lawn?  What is the environment and soil conditions that you have to deal with?  Monocultures are never a good idea...send pictures and a bit more information with which we can help further!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-29T20:08:25.810" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20643" CreationDate="2015-08-29T20:30:14.290" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;First thing to do is call the company that did your hydroseeding.  What is their mixture of seed, their recommendations for care (they should have made sure they got to you in the first place)...automatic irrigation is NOT that great.  An oscillating cheapo sprinkler is best for a lawn that isn't too huge.  It allows deep watering without washing everything away.  A newly seeded or hydroseeded lawn needs to be continuously moist for at least 11 or more days.  They should have explained this to you. Was your lawn area rolled before hydroseeding?  Critical for soil/seed contact.  How long since your lawn was hydroseeded?  Hydroseeding is far superior to hand seeding on new lawns.  Fertilizer and moisture retention are included. There are cheapo timers one can use for their sprinklers and I am very adamant that manual irrigation works far better than automatice, installed, irrigation.  Gets the humans involved and watching and noticing when water is necessary!  New lawns need lots of shallow 'wetting' until established.  Once established one needs to start watering deeper and less often until the lawn has been trained to have deep roots.  Then it is about 1&quot; of water per week...saves lots on water and your grass won't jump into dormancy too quickly. Your hydroseeding company is not off the hook when it finishes hydroseeding...they should have given you directions to be successful. Call them first...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-29T20:30:14.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20655" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20652" CreationDate="2015-08-29T20:50:17.500" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd get a slightly larger, maybe 2&quot; bigger in diameter pot that is terracotta. It breathes.  Lift the pot off the saucer so that it never sits in excess water.  You must be doing well with watering...definitely don't over water.  Can't see the top of the soil...does it have white stuff on top?  Are you watering with tap water or well water?  Use STERILIZED POTTING SOIL that has bacteria and mycorrhysae incorporated.  Do not use garden soil...get a pot that is wider than its height. Water with distilled water or a friend's well water.  Tap water is full of salts, chlorine, fluorine and even we should not drink this stuff.  Fertilize with Osmocote 14-14-14 or 16-16-16 twice per year and no more!  This plant is indoors 100% of the time?  Do you have a shaded porch it could go out on during the summer months?  That would extend its life tremendously.  Very healthy plant...make sure you don't replant repot in too large of a pot. This looks like an 8&quot; pot (I think) so no more than a 10&quot; pot.  In the spring get another that is 12&quot;.  Don't worry about the adventitious roots, just shows it needs a bit more room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-29T20:50:17.500" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20656" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20075" CreationDate="2015-08-30T02:19:58.867" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many of the older varieties of garden hydrangeas set flowers that can be killed by bad winters and late frosts in spring. I live in nyc and didn't get any flowers last season. This year I got flowers on one bush and not the other one(different varieties). These plants also flower on previous year's growth. They should not be pruned back because blooms develop on previous year's growth. Pruning in fall,winter or spring will remove flower buds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1368" LastActivityDate="2015-08-30T02:19:58.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20658" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-30T15:45:19.677" Score="4" ViewCount="923" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this plant growing in my garden, It has pink tubular flowers and round pink seed pods, It's beautiful but is invading my flowers and I dont know if I should keep it or remove it. I am located in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HKFhL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HKFhL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CSJ92.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CSJ92.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12015" LastEditorUserId="12015" LastEditDate="2015-08-30T17:59:48.110" LastActivityDate="2015-09-28T16:36:57.023" Title="What is this plant with pink tubular flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20659" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-30T15:50:06.283" Score="2" ViewCount="158" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone tell me what this two plants are? They were found in the entrance of San Pedro de atacama in the country of Chile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PNFSS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PNFSSm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8zkc4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8zkc4m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TBUJ6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TBUJ6m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/palza.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/palzam.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hgS2q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hgS2qm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TkPEJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TkPEJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8607" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-08-30T17:53:26.817" LastActivityDate="2015-10-22T02:04:04.777" Title="What are these plants collected from the atacama desert in Chile?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20660" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-30T18:51:48.373" Score="1" ViewCount="115" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for this tree type. Can anyone recognise it please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vvbQu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vvbQu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12016" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-08-31T01:33:04.997" LastActivityDate="2015-08-31T01:33:04.997" Title="Can you please identify this tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ClosedDate="2015-09-15T20:45:37.190" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20662" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20667" CreationDate="2015-08-30T19:26:49.510" Score="3" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a plant, because it was cheap, had a cool looking flower, and I hadn't ever tried to grow one before. I'm including a picture of the plant below. It is by a company called Living Trends Design. They do have a site, but only basic care instructions for each design they have. They sell some that are meant to hand, some that sit on your coffee table, and like this one it's a small pot with magnets on the back. I couldn't find the names of the plants, though I do have a tillandsia that I got from them. I'd really appreciate an ID of the plant if not the cultivar. Also, some care instructions and potting media info would be great, but if I know what it is, I'll be able to research it or ask another question. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oKZre.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oKZre.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-08-31T17:12:04.623" LastActivityDate="2015-08-31T17:12:04.623" Title="Please identify this LivingTrends plant with a pink flower spike" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bromeliads&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20665" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-30T22:15:01.053" Score="3" ViewCount="1154" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a young &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_barberae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Aloe barberae&lt;/a&gt; (a type of giant tree aloe), about 3 meters tall, which has been in my front yard for three years. I'm in Los Angeles, which has a climate similar to the weather in the plant's native habitat, and you often see big, healthy specimens of it around here. It's in full sun and gets drip watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The branches on my plant keep bending over and folding under their own weight. This has happened several times now, and I keep pruning them off. The pruned stems seem to have shriveled and lost their bulk; they look like the arm of a person who's very old and frail, and when I squeeze them it feels like there's nothing inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand that these plants are supposed to self-prune, but I'm not clear on whether that should look like what I'm seeing, or if the branches should stay intact while the leafy heads or individual leaves drop off. Currently, the surviving branches each have several leaf-heads on them, and each leaf-head has a bunch of dead, yellow leaves on the bottom and a bunch of healthy-looking green ones on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I tell whether (a) my plant is healthy and just self-pruning, (b) I'm under-watering it, or (c) I'm over-watering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12019" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-15T03:54:44.677" LastActivityDate="2015-12-14T07:18:46.443" Title="What is causing the collapsing branches on my Aloe barberae (Aloe bainesii)?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20667" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20662" CreationDate="2015-08-30T23:54:53.213" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I never would have figured this out if not for that big pink flower spike. I thought it looked like a type of bromeliad bloom I had seen. So I did some searching for pink bromeliad blooms and found &lt;a href=&quot;http://indoor-plants.net/tillandsia-cyanea/&quot;&gt;this.&lt;/a&gt; It is &lt;em&gt;Tillandsia cyanea&lt;/em&gt; it's common name is Pink Quill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Care:&#xA;Light: It likes bright light, but it won't tolerate direct afternoon sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil: It needs well drained soil, a mix of potting soil and orchard medium would be effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering: Normally water when the soil is somewhat dry, and give it a deep watering until water flows out the bottom of the pot, but I don't think your pot appears to have drainage holes in the bottom. Ideally, it needs a better pot, but short term try to keep the watering a little lighter to avoid the soil staying soaked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being a tropical plant it won't do well if the temperature drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. When the flower spike dries up you can remove it. All Bromeliads I'm familiar with bloom only once, and the Pink Quill follows the rule. After it flowers it may produce one or several small new plants at the base of the plant. When these are about 3 inches tall you can split these from the parent plant, these may bloom once they establish themselves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-08-30T23:54:53.213" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20669" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20673" CreationDate="2015-08-31T02:50:09.097" Score="1" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cut open some hinklehatz peppers from my garden today to dry them out and to my (unfortunate) surprise, I found some worms living happily inside a few of them!  I stupidly reacted in a disgusted way and got rid of them before I took any pictures, but could someone who has grown these peppers help identify them?  They were tiny, only a few centimeters long and white.  Almost the same color as the seeds.  I actually thought they WERE seeds at first until they started moving.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The peppers themselves also reeked, I'm guessing from the worms causing them to rot.  I noticed two of them had a tiny pin sized hole or two, possibly an entry point. I also cut open some thai peppers which did &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; have any worms if that helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3218" LastActivityDate="2015-08-31T14:58:50.890" Title="Worms in Hinklehatz peppers" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20671" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20672" CreationDate="2015-08-31T06:06:47.250" Score="3" ViewCount="182" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had this bulb given to me as &quot;Mayflower&quot; or &quot;Morning Glory&quot;. My Internet search leads me to believe that the flower is not either of the above. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It flowers annually in May-June. It has a pink and white flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could someone please identify this flowering bulb? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GJsmb.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GJsmb.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12023" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-25T20:31:09.933" LastActivityDate="2015-12-25T20:31:09.933" Title="What is this bulb with pink and white globular flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20672" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20671" CreationDate="2015-08-31T06:24:13.887" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a Scadoxus to me. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scadoxus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; page may help to confirm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12024" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-25T20:30:00.873" LastActivityDate="2015-12-25T20:30:00.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20673" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20669" CreationDate="2015-08-31T14:58:50.890" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Figured it out.  They were pepper maggots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3218" LastActivityDate="2015-08-31T14:58:50.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20674" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-31T17:33:33.503" Score="6" ViewCount="560" Body="&lt;p&gt;Living in dry California, we are about to redo our front yard with native plants only, each of which is getting a drip, for about a dozen plants per irrigation channel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to to figure out a good way to determine whether the plants will get enough water, while attempting to not water any more than necessary (this being California in a drought)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Naively, I'd say &quot;let's give every plant a moisture sensor, bury the wires with the drip irrigation tubing, and have the controller figure out how long to run each channel based on the needs of the driest plant&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anybody ever done such a thing, without breaking the bank? If not, how would you go about doing it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; The gardeners are redoing our front yard as I type this, but I haven't found a good approach for measuring moisture. For now, I'll have them bury sprinkler wire along each of the drip tubes; if and how it will be connected I don't know yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I find the time, I'll create some moisture sensors similar to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cheapvegetablegardener.com/how-to-make-cheap-soil-moisture-sensor-2/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; and hook them up with some version of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1-Wire&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;1-wire protocol&lt;/a&gt;, which requires very little cabling, so my sprinkler wire should be sufficient. A Raspberry Pi or such would collect the data in my garage, and publish it via WiFi. This would join my Rasberry Pi-based &lt;a href=&quot;http://upon2020.com/blog/2012/12/my-raspberry-pi-pool-timer-why/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pool timer&lt;/a&gt; which has been in production use for &gt;2.5 years now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you read this, even a long time from now, and are working on something similar, please get in touch. I'd love to collaborate!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12027" LastEditorUserId="12027" LastEditDate="2015-09-14T17:26:08.213" LastActivityDate="2018-07-30T01:15:34.417" Title="Moisture sensors in connection with drip irrigation" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20675" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20676" CreationDate="2015-08-31T17:40:42.233" Score="4" ViewCount="614" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having seen &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/lQnV8tI.gifv&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a video on how to pick up owls&lt;/a&gt; I was wondering if it were possible to have real grass live on the rotating cylindrical device (instead of fake grass). Is this possible or will it die or fall apart quickly due to gravitation? What if the device slowly rotates forever?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12028" LastActivityDate="2015-08-31T18:14:42.700" Title="Can grass live upside down?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20676" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20675" CreationDate="2015-08-31T18:14:42.700" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could certainly do something like that, but I don't think soil would hold it in place. Instead, you'd have to set up a hydroponics style system like the one pictured.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bJLd5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bJLd5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-08-31T18:14:42.700" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20677" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22830" CreationDate="2015-08-31T18:50:22.017" Score="8" ViewCount="4470" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a quick question. While I know a good bit about bushes, shrubs and potted plants, I'll admit I don't know much about grass. We live in the south east with a lot of clay soil. Some of the best grass in our yard is just random grass that either blew across the driveway while we were planting at one time or else a bird dropped some there at one point. We have a small field we mow to keep it looking good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I never water or fertilize it, but it is almost always great looking grass. I don't know the kind, but it's one of the ones that goes by runner. However, they're so dense it's almost like walking on carpet. It doesn't really brown in a drought, though it does go brown and dormant in the winter. I can forget to cut it and it doesn't grow fast or tall. I can cut it lower if I want and it doesn't seem to hurt it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd love to start moving it around my yard and get it started in other places if possible. I have bad luck with grass, though. I know you can get the runner type grass in plugs and plant them slightly apart and they fill in. I'd like to try that, but I don't know how you collect the plugs. As it stands right now, I would try to take a piece of steel pipe and pop it down a few inches into the ground to get plant and root, then I'd take it up and use the &quot;plug&quot; to propagate it and put some good soil in the hole I made to let the grass grow back over it. I'd just take a doze or so of these to start with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I figured I could then till up the spot I want to start them in and add some miracle grow dirt or compost and plant and water them. If they take I can repeat the process until I have as much as I want. I even have a spot I could make into a sacrifice spot and only use it for the purpose of propagating this grass. Does this sound like a viable way to spread this grass? Thanks for the help. I think it looks like Zoysia grass, maybe? Who knows. I'll get a pick on here if I can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2018-09-19T21:46:06.910" Title="How to collect your own grass plugs?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20678" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-08-31T20:30:36.363" Score="5" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have a garden, but I have taken to having window boxes with some wild flowers from seed and keeping herbs, which is working out great so far. However, recently I bought heathers, a range inc. the erica and the alberta white. I am in Germany and the weather  has been very hot and I have been keeping them on the window in about 6 hours of sun in individual pots without holes and still in the plastic containers from the nursery - I just have a feeling I am doing something wrong, but they look good so far, but I think they will not last this way.. also watering seems to be needed daily, but it is very hot here at the moment. Please any tips will be greatly appreciated! thank you in advance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12030" LastActivityDate="2015-10-01T16:25:55.680" Title="Advice on potted heathers please!" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20679" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20678" CreationDate="2015-08-31T20:53:39.133" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anna, you HAVE TO HAVE DRAIN HOLES in the bottom of any pot!! Get a drill and drill some holes and soon.  What did you use for soil?  Hopefully it was sterilized potting soil in bags??!!  Garden soil is a big no-no in any kind of pot!!  I've got explanations big time on other similar questions on this site.  Heather is VERY finicky!!  Lots of drainage, always a little bit moist, proper regular fertilizer (I can help with that).  Not really in my opinion a great plant for a pot. There's a gardener here FROM Germany, name of STEPH.  See if you could talk to her directly via chat.  Shoot, you gotta get points, but I am sure she'll see your question...Please, please send pictures, OK? Info on your soil, are there rocks/gravel at the bottom of these planters (ugh), what makes you go water these guys and with what kind of water?  Tap, don't use tap water.  Get distilled water or a friend's well water.  Too many salts, chlorine, fluorine...ick.  I'll look for your updates!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-08-31T20:53:39.133" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20681" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20683" CreationDate="2015-09-01T03:04:35.487" Score="5" ViewCount="573" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kYimk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kYimk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Please help me Identify this plant!&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hi! I'm new to gardening and this is my second plant. The first one (a Sedum Plant) [unfortunately :(] died.&#xA;The gardener in me hasn't yet though! Or so it seems! So, I've bought this plant recently. I want to be better at taking care of it and do not want to repeat the sad episode again! I couldn't figure out how to find its name so that I could Google around and know more about the caring specific to the plant.&#xA;So, Please help me identify the plant!&#xA;Thanks for your time! :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Google Image search showed me a few very similar plants but all without the red streaks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12031" LastEditorUserId="12031" LastEditDate="2015-09-01T03:10:23.353" LastActivityDate="2015-09-01T03:53:25.403" Title="Identification of a plant: Green Leaves with Red Streaks" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20683" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20681" CreationDate="2015-09-01T03:53:25.403" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a caladium. I think the variety may be brandywine. They are also called elephant ear. It grows from a bulb and goes dormant in winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1368" LastActivityDate="2015-09-01T03:53:25.403" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20684" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-01T05:23:47.617" Score="2" ViewCount="722" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does planting lots of trees in a treeless area generally make the soil more acidic or more alkaline? I've read that it does one or the other (and the change in the water table, resulting from the trees has to do with it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-01T14:09:12.240" LastActivityDate="2015-09-01T14:09:48.353" Title="How do lots of trees affect the soil pH?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20685" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22144" CreationDate="2015-09-01T07:33:34.307" Score="3" ViewCount="1084" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are several different species of plants in my yard that have developed some kind of condition where the leaves get pale, tiny specks all over them (such that they look kind of sandy). Many of them have webs that seem indicative of spider mites. Are the webs from spider mites? However, I'm not sure if the speckling is caused by spider mites or something else, like maybe manganese deficiency caused by too much calcium in the soil (I did add probably too much basalt rockdust for all of these except the apple tree at the end, which has had the problem for 1-3 years now). What could be causing this (the speckling)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It began with the apple trees and rose bushes about a year or two ago, but it seems to be on lots of stuff in the yard, now. It seems to be leaving alone the tomatoes, peppers, and muskmelons, however. It was all over the watermelons, except the Citron watermelon (which was only lightly afflicted, but it wasn't with the other watermelons). On the other watermelons, it started on the shaded parts of the plants, and slowly progressed to the parts in full sun. Eventually, it totally enveloped them, and pretty much killed them (although the pictures I uploaded only show the early stages of the condition). Thankfully, the fruits ripened at about the same time they were completely overcome. Strangely, however, Aunt Molly's ground cherry showed symptoms in stronger sun first, and then on the shaded plants. These plants also gave their fruit and eventually died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The issue was virtually absent until about mid-summer (although it affected apple trees, rose bushes, and maybe grape vines on at least one previous year).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pictures that follow show the issue on several different kinds of plants in several different locations. It should be noted that it also affects the fruit, however, but that's not pictured here (it speckled the outer rind of a Ledmon watermelon quite heavily).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Around the time I first asked this question, I gave some of the plants some manganese sulfate and monopotassium phosphate. The pepino melons improved quite a bit (and seem fully recovered from the problem), whether or not manganese deficiency is the visible problem. Many of the other plants improved after the weather cooled down, and perhaps with a little rain, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil here is clay loam. We have a couple large pine trees that possibly could be eating up the manganese in the yard. I understand they prefer acidic soil (and because of that they are probably used to a lot more manganese than is available to them in our yard). The soil possibly also has a higher PH, which could also cause manganese deficiency symptoms in plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I should note that our nieghbors fruther away from the aforementioned tree also have speckles like this on their apple tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The black stringy things you see on some of the plants are not related to the problem. They're just ashes from the fires that have been going on in southwestern Idaho. The speckles, however, are definitely not ashes, even where they may look kind of like them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pepino Melon &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KCQ49.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KCQ49.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pepino Melon&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vjo7g.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vjo7g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Aunt Molly&amp;#39;s Ground Cherry&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SSL0Q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SSL0Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Aunt Molly&amp;#39;s Ground Cherry&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Diamond Eggplant &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sbpVJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sbpVJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Diamond Eggplant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Garden Huckleberry &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aeHZX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aeHZX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Garden Huckleberry&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Shark Fin Melon &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2KM6h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2KM6h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shark Fin Melon&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Watermelon &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PB0P7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PB0P7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Watermelon&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;McIntosh Apple Tree &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D3BZX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D3BZX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;McIntosh Apple Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-10-16T10:15:59.630" LastActivityDate="2015-10-16T19:34:59.540" Title="What causes sandy, flecked, or speckled leaves like this?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20684" CreationDate="2015-09-01T12:11:42.653" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know where you read that - the only thing I can think of is if you plant a lot of coniferous trees such as pine - the needle drop from those will increase pH of soil and any water courses nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may be confusing agricultural crops with trees - persistently farmed land may finish up with an altered pH which then needs correcting. So far as I am aware, planting a lot of trees in an area which previously had none doesn't make a difference to soil pH (other than coniferous varieties) - however the pH of the soil may be of some significance to the variety of tree/s you wish to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-01T14:09:48.353" LastActivityDate="2015-09-01T14:09:48.353" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20687" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23351" CreationDate="2015-09-01T13:52:53.390" Score="5" ViewCount="171" Body="&lt;p&gt;Years ago I was on a historical tour in Savannah, Georgia in which they said that they choose certain crawling plants/vines that minimize damage to buildings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What crawling plants or vines should or should not be used to minimize damage to buildings?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14128" OwnerDisplayName="GaTechThomas" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-01T14:07:03.550" LastActivityDate="2016-03-01T03:08:40.067" Title="Vines / Crawling Plants that minimize damage to buildings/walls" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20688" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="739" CreationDate="2015-09-01T14:25:13.047" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted avocado plant in a pot. It germinated by accident. Here in India avocado is an exotic plant. I got one avocado from farmers market and cut it and scooped the seed out. Just out of curiosity I put that seed in an pot with some soil. And after few days I saw some sprouting and a initial growth. The plant has grown about 6-7 inches and has 8-10 leaves in just over 3 weeks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had not deliberately made a cut to the seed, but when scooping it out I did accidentally make a small incision on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am going to plant it in a bigger pot and observe what it does. Winter starts in another 3 months here...the temperatures wont go below 7-8 deg celcius. So I am hoping it will survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2691" LastActivityDate="2015-09-01T14:25:13.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20689" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29877" CreationDate="2015-09-01T15:02:30.683" Score="4" ViewCount="1342" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have grown a kiwi plant which is growing nicely in my office. Recently, some of it's leaves have developed a red hue. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is happening here? Do I have to worry?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PfrnA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;kiwi&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11967" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-27T22:32:02.033" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T22:32:02.033" Title="Why has my kiwi office plant developed red leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;&lt;kiwifruit&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20690" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-01T15:05:14.590" Score="3" ViewCount="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought some green bean seeds a week ago, I just ripped open the bag, and there's no way to reseal it. Anyway, a week later I compared the beans I have with the ones still in the store. Mine were a little thinner and edgier (less round around the edges). The two bags are from the exact same supplier. I'm not sure if the shrinkage is from exposure to oxygen or something else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What accounts for this (pretty small not very noticeable admittedly) change in the beans?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12034" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-01T18:01:46.083" LastActivityDate="2015-09-01T18:42:46.590" Title="Why would two batches of Top Crop Bush Bean (green beans) seeds be different" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;beans&gt;&lt;green-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20691" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4366" CreationDate="2015-09-01T16:38:56.940" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hitting squirrels with an air rifle is pretty difficult.  They are very jumpy and move as soon as the shot is fired.  I have one confirmed kill and a bunch of other times that I'm pretty sure I hit, but they fled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12036" LastActivityDate="2015-09-01T16:38:56.940" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20692" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29879" CreationDate="2015-09-01T18:12:24.733" Score="5" ViewCount="23296" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently germinated some coffee beans (soaked in water until a root appeared), and planted them in sterilized soil.  I only lightly covered them in soil (based on &lt;a href=&quot;https://biology.stackexchange.com/a/36862/17291&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt;), so the tops of the beans were visible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A mere three days later, a coating of white fluffy mold appeared most of the beans!  The soil remains clear, presumably since it was sterilized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: Once mold has grown on a seed, does the seed have any chance of surviving?  Or are these doomed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8596" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:48:10.153" LastActivityDate="2020-06-09T12:35:24.900" Title="Does mold on a seed always mean the death of that seed?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20693" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20690" CreationDate="2015-09-01T18:42:46.590" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Likely it's mostly related to growing conditions when your seeds were being grown. When conditions near the end of the growing season are optimal (enough water, plenty of sun, ideal fertility) plants tend to make big seeds, packing the extra energy and nutrition into the seeds to help the next generation get off to the best start possible. When conditions are less ideal as the end approaches you get smaller seeds because the plant had less resources to supply the seeds. This isn't to say your seeds aren't good. The seeds you have are fine, the ones at the store just might come up a tiny bit quicker, or have ever so slightly stronger early growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I highly doubt it would be an exposure issue, especially in just a week's time. I doubt the package was air tight or fully protected from humidity changes and those are the two major influences I could think of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-09-01T18:42:46.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20695" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1027" CreationDate="2015-09-01T21:43:07.067" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well simply amazing.  Here are the facts for cool season grass mixes. KEEP at 3&quot; period.  The reason is that these grass species need the topgrowth to feed (plants produce their own FOOD via photosynthesis) adequately the genetically large root systems.  Any shorter and no amount of fertilizer, water will make your grass healthy.  You are on borrowed time.  Green does NOT mean healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One can mow as often as 2 or 3 times per week, as long as the blades are sharp, doesn't matter about the tires/weight.  If one does not mow at least 1 time per week, the grass gets too long, to cut it more than 1/3 will stress your grass, whether or not you are able to detect stress.  Stress is accumulative.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never, ever mow your lawn with a weed wacker, unless you've been very, very bad.  This is a big stress for a manicured lawn.  Kind of like you get 2 or 3 or 4 'stresses' before you will notice, but then the weeds will already be moving in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not use fast-release fertilizer.  This is another huge stress!  Use instead a slow-release or slow-release organic fertilizer that has bacteria and mycorrhizae included.  Takes a bit more to see greening but WOW!!  I use Dr. Earth organic lawn fertilizer and until I find a similar brand elsewhere, this is what I will use...and I have done over a decade of maintaining other people's lawns for a living...this incredible fertilizer although slow lasts twice as long.  It is more expensive that the fast stuff but you need half as much!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not 'mulch'...I have not found a single mower that can actually 'mulch' grass where it doesn't build up faster than it decomposes.  (Dr. Earth lawn fertilizer has bacteria that are responsible to decompose this material...).  Use the clippings for weed control on plant beds if spread thinly or use in your compost pile as a 'green'...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Always, always make sure your blades are super sharp.  Purchase extra blades so that you can change blades out when necessary.  Look at the tips of your grass.  If they are at all FRAYED and browning, change the blades!  Have them professionally sharpened if you do not understand how to sharpen blades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aerate ONCE PER YEAR!! This means renting or hiring an aerator that pulls PLUGS of lawn and soil out of your lawn and LEAVE to dry and disintegrate on top of your lawn!!  Do not waste this 'gold' by raking it up to discard...arrrhhhgggghhh.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Train your lawn (especially these big rooted cool-season grass mixes) to be drought tolerant.  If you have an established lawn with automatic watering that you have programmed for EVERY day or even every other day...you need to pay attention!!  To do this correctly, you water for a good half hour or an entire hour.  Meantime, you take a spade and make a big dig.  You should see wet soil at least 4&quot; below the surface.  Then no watering AT ALL until you see your footprints on the lawn stay down.  This is a perfect time to water, and once again water deeply...at least 4&quot; deep.  Once your lawn has been trained to have deep roots, you will only need to water once per week.  Period.  Watering every day shallowly ensures your lawn will definitely go dormant if you miss a few waterings!  Allowing your lawn to go dormant IS NOT GOOD FOR YOUR LAWN!!  Once is OK. MAYBE twice. More than that you WILL have lots of weeds and a very wimpy bunch of grasses!!  No amount of fertilizer or water will make your lawn healthy again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overseeding won't be necessary.  Definitely no moss control!! (shoot, this entails sulfur to kill mosses which in no way harm your grasses, moss is an opportunist and will grow wherever there is bare soil, enough moisture and shade...your grasses want more alkaline, sulfur brings the pH down way too much so you'll have to lime).  You should do a soil test at least twice.  Once to see what you've got going on and the second time after you've added chemicals. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thatching is only necessary if one hasn't been maintaining their grasses correctly.  If you've been mowing short, not been aerating, watering shallowly use fast release non-organic fertilizer once a season...this will probably be necessary and soon.  Not pretty, in fact I feel that at this point it would be easier to use a sod cutter and remove the entire lawn to begin again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Redesign your lawn so that none of it is in the shade.  Growing a lawn in the shade is simply STUPID.  What a headache!!  So much easier to use a finely crushed and compacted gravel as a surface than mess with 'shade TOLERANT grasses'!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put some energy into a designed and clean  'edge' for your lawn.  The eye sees the edge, as long as the bulk of the lawn is mowed and greenish, it is the edging that makes or breaks a lawn.  No concrete, plastic or pavers between plant beds and lawn!!!  Looks awful and far more expensive to do than simply keeping a trench between plant beds and lawn.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a beautiful lawn, you really don't need a maintenance crew!!  You need a dang good hydrostatic lawn mower that raises enough to cut to 3&quot;.  Again, purchase at least 2 extra blades for your residential mower and continue to take dull blades back into the professional sharpeners (unless you understand how to sharpen blades).  Rent the aerator once per year.  You should definitely have a great 'weed wacker'.  Gas powered, not electric!  I'd get a straight, not curved and probably Stihl.  I hate the 'pound' as you go heads, get a simple (straight) head that you only have to cut off a strand and weave it into the head, make sure the lines aren't too long...as opposed to the pound and weird winding head!!  Watch what you are doing and understand (hey, I had to do this professionally and almost went into competition) that shield does little, I always had it removed.  But one little bitty rock could easily bust windows (always MY truck's windows sigh), client's expensive windows or worse someone's eye!) at a distance of 100 yards!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other piece of equipment you HAVE to have is a gas-powered BLOWER! Again, Stihl.  I couldn't LIVE without my blower (or weed wacker)!!! I am very against petroleum but as long as we have to battle, maintain non-organic landscapes I will NEVER EVER OPT FOR ELECTRICAL.  No comparison!! If you've got any iron in your fertilizer you HAVE to get it off any concrete.  To remove these iron stains involves acid and gee...what a mess of chemicals.  Just blow everything off after mowing...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are the absolute basics to have a HEALTHY, beautiful lawn.  These other opinions are voodoo.  My opinion, grin!!  Hey, good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-01T21:43:07.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20696" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20692" CreationDate="2015-09-01T22:21:42.453" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;NO. Mold or fungus on seeds does NOT always mean the seed is compromised. Check your potting soil bag and its contents.  Did they include bacteria or mycorrhizae?  Very cool potting soil but white mycelia is very common on soils, even sterilized soil.  You WANT life in your soil.  I read this article and felt well, it was a bit out there.  Sorry, most seed needs darkness to germinate well or at all.  Most people bury their seed too deeply.  Throwing seed on top of the soil not only gets eaten by animals but gets dried out where the food IN the seed isn't useable.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think this is MOLD on your seed.  Just mycelia of fungus trying to thrive in your new, sterilized soil.  I would certainly 'fruff' up the top of your soil now and then.  Make dang sure you've got decent drainage (usually raised beds out of doors) don't over water, don't over fertilize.  What are you doing for a watering 'schedule' and fertilizing?  Please send pictures, this is all a huge guestimate based on experience.  This article is in no way helpful for new gardeners, MY opinion. Let us know what you think...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2015-09-11T18:50:47.257" LastActivityDate="2015-09-11T18:50:47.257" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20697" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-02T03:15:55.183" Score="4" ViewCount="3105" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am unaware of what type it is, I bought it at Wal*Mart, so I was rather suspicious that it had been improperly stored, but I don't know. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The base seems very rotted, which I think means that I need to try my luck with cuttings [tips?]. The soil is moist, and I left it in that exact spot for the past two days. Plenty of sun, no rain, only the morning dew. It's not cold enough for frost [If anything, it's in the 80s]. The nickel in the photos was for size reference, if that helps anything&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lfI1k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lfI1k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;I tried to flop it over without hurting the poor thing, and this was the second picture I took&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uPZSM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uPZSM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Not sure what type of cactus this is&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12039" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-09-02T08:40:49.313" LastActivityDate="2019-02-17T11:32:52.700" Title="How to save this blue cactus?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20698" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-02T03:39:40.420" Score="2" ViewCount="1546" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why are insects of all kinds covering my gardenia?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12040" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-02T15:41:25.303" LastActivityDate="2015-09-02T18:28:55.913" Title="Why is my gardenia covered with flies, ants, and other insects?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;gardenias&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2017-02-07T09:56:05.933" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7244" CreationDate="2015-09-02T05:12:40.347" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Raising soil level around a trees root flare is detrimentally identical to planting too deeply.&lt;/strong&gt; Humans assumed trees produced Oxygen as a byproduct, but actually its an essential ingredient utilized by their root system just below ground. When these roots get smothered by Mulch or added soil, they act like drowning swimmers and immediately come up for air above obstruction. And just like disoriented swimmers, many times these rising roots end up growing toward trunk instead of radially away. If walled in like topics example, rather than dive below obstruction to get past it, roots will take easiest route and stay near oxygen supply while inevitably circling around trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;All combined, these detrimental effects will rot out soil moist trunk defenseless to insects and disease, along with producing &quot;Girdling roots&quot; which will inevitably strangle trees stem.&lt;/em&gt; Causing portions of crown to die off, or worse becoming public safety issue after constricted trunk snaps off from its base! Make sure tree is installed at &quot;Root flare&quot; level or two inches higher. Are you &quot;Killing your tree's beautifully&quot;? I suggest watching &quot;This old house tree mulching&quot; video on YouTube to become more educated about subject!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12042" LastActivityDate="2015-09-02T05:12:40.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20701" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20697" CreationDate="2015-09-02T11:15:08.980" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's quite hard to work out exactly what is in the pot - the drooping blue pads are some kind of Opuntia which has been dyed blue, so the usual clues as to the variety are missing, because they're related to the colour of the spines and the colour where they originate on the pads, so its impossible to tell quite what it is. What's really odd is the other, green finger like growth. I can't tell whether its coming off the pads, or is growing separately from below soil level - that growth actually looks like Peanut Cactus (Chamaecereus silvestri), but that wouldn't grow from an Opuntia. I suppose its possible there were two different plants in the pot originally, hard to say, and I'm no cacti expert.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If no one else comes up with a better answer, I'd be inclined to leave it alone, without water, and see what happens, unless any rot you can see starts to spread, in which case, remove the affected parts (meaning leaf and stem).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-09-02T11:15:08.980" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20697" CreationDate="2015-09-02T14:34:07.393" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I actually saw some of these in walmart, just the other day. They kept them with the Living Trends succulents and cacti. The blue color is just paint or dye. They had the same type of cactus painted many different colors. It's like when they glue the bright plastic flowers on top of the little bulb like cacti and people buy it thinking it's real and it'll keep blooming like that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what kind it is and Bamboo might be correct. From what I saw, the little green fingers are just really weak growths that tried to come off of the blue painted parts, but didn't do well, thanks to the poor lighting and water on a walmart shelf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for fixing it, the first thing I'd do is to repot it with appropriate soil. I see a lot of cacti and succulents that get potted in something like sphagnum moss, because it holds water and they want the plant to live as long as possible on the shelf till someone buys it, regardless of how healthy it is when they do. It's in the vein of the little succulent/cacti pots you can buy that have several varieties and have white rocks on top. They glue the rocks on top so they don't fall out during shipping, but it restricts the plant growth and prevents water from getting down to the soil. Another example are orchids in decorative pots. You'll often remove them after blooming and find they're actually in a tiny pot that has been stuck in the decorative pot and had filler stuffed around it. It's pure marketing and they're trying to sell as many as possible with no regard to the plants welfare.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possible that you have good dirt, but even if you do, chances are that it's either hard packed or has had all the nutrients leaked out. I like to buy a cactus mix and then work in some extra perlite. I keep a small bucket of the mix for planting new cacti/succulents. I would put on some gloves, gently remove it by squeezing the plastic pot, remove what dirt will easily come off without damaging the roots too much, and then repot in good dirt. You may have to prop them up with a chopstick or something. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also think you have and opportunity with the piece that's almost broken off in the picture. It looks like it's broken off pretty cleanly at a joint and has already dried. I'd snap it off, prep another small pot and lay it on top of the dirt, preferably so dry end is either slightly under the dirt or in firm contact with it. If you use a squirt bottle to soak the top layer of soil down anytime it looks dry, you'll eventually start seeing little roots coming out of it. I've been doing a lot of this with succulents recently. I almost lost some Christmas cactus cuttings, because I thought the roots were going deeper than they were. I was letting it dry out a little between waterings and one of them started to shrivel. I checked it and found the roots were very, very shallow. After that, I started misting it every day and it started to flesh back out. It's now growing well and has several new 'leaves'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cactus bulb will provide a lot of the nutrients and water to get the roots started, but once they are you'll need to pay close attention to it. Once grow out pretty well, you should start to see baby cactus coming off of this and growing upright. I would wait for that. You could always plant the bulb upright, but if you do, a lot of the new babies come out from the base and they'd probably be buried too deep. Good luck and I hope this helped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2015-09-02T14:34:07.393" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20704" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-02T16:58:01.123" Score="1" ViewCount="276" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am creating a small vegetable garden. I have a metal vase, that I particulary like, and want to use it. It's completely rusty inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can the rust somehow, ruin the vegetables? If not, can that be somehow bad for the health by eating those vegetables?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12001" LastEditorUserId="12001" LastEditDate="2015-09-03T07:07:13.670" LastActivityDate="2015-09-03T07:07:13.670" Title="Rusty metal vase, can I use it for vegetables?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20705" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20704" CreationDate="2015-09-02T17:23:30.003" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would be iron oxide which would be fine for plants and not a problem for us humans. Plants need and use iron.  Does this pot have drainage? Use potting soil and forget using rocks and gravel on the bottom (worsens drainage).  Otherwise I've used all kinds of wonderful rusty stuff for all kinds of plants and have never had a problem or have heard that it could be a problem. I worry about the stuff in our dang tap water far more; for plants, soil and for us to drink.  I water all my potted stuff with distilled water or well water.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-02T17:23:30.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20698" CreationDate="2015-09-02T18:28:55.913" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely provide pictures...but Gardenias, Camellias, Jasmine with thick, evergreen leaves are beloved by aphids and then they poop a lot and leave 'honey dew' which attracts other insects and ants love aphids!  Do you have black gunk all over the leaves?  I'd wash my plant off with a hose or shower spray.  Look at the bottom of leaves especially.  If you have a hard time finding any insects it is probably &lt;em&gt;because the aphids are gone by this time of year (where are you?)&lt;/em&gt;.  This may be all that is necessary until the spring which is when I would use NEEM.  At night to not affect bees and beneficial insects.  You might have to do a second application after a week or two if you are still seeing aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take pictures of the soil, the pot (if this is where it is planted), the stem and leaves; top as well as beneath the leaves.  Do you know what scale looks like?  This insect won't be bothered by water and scratching these guys off can break the epidermis of leaves/stems.  It would be FLAT, a slight bump, either dark colored or clearish and situated near the midstem of a leaf as well on stems.  If not, you don't have to do anything other than washing off the honey dew until next spring when you can use the NEEM.  If in a pot, drag the pot away to a spot where overspray can reach places you don't want to spray.  Don't spray in the wind and wear long sleeves/gloves.  NEEM is NATURAL but you don't want it on your skin or pets!  Please read instructions a few times before using...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-02T18:28:55.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20707" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20697" CreationDate="2015-09-02T18:42:05.857" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am so BUMMED this is dyed!!!  Poo!  My concern is your two pot thing.  Even if you water correctly and allow to dry, if there is water that the inner pot is sitting in, NOT GOOD.  Get the inner pot out of the pretty white pot. Water sitting at the bottom causes these cacti to rot. These guys have very shallow roots as they have evolved in country that rarely rains and when it rains it is usually just a little bit.  So the roots stay shallow because the best chance of finding moisture is very shallow.  I'd get a shallow, clay pot and use sterilized cactus soil.  A pot not much bigger than it is already in.  But wait, take the original pot out of the white pot and allow to dry out and see if it'll live before transplanting.  DYED? I gotta ask about this...oh, don't use tap water, either for watering!  Get distilled water, goes a long ways.  This blue cactus MIGHT make it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-02T18:42:05.857" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19608" CreationDate="2015-09-02T20:28:18.093" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Both spider mites and leafhoppers leave white spots like this on the leaves. Shake the leaves over a piece of white paper and see if any red spots fall onto the paper. If it is Spider mites you should be able to see them when they drop off the leaf onto the paper. Leafhopper nymphs may be viewable under the leaves. They also secreat a honeydew type sticky substance which may be visible under leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1368" LastActivityDate="2015-09-02T20:28:18.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20710" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9248" CreationDate="2015-09-02T21:34:23.940" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Osage Orange...orange heartwood when fresh cut.  Large thorns.  Large nuisance fruits that really aren't good for much.  Wood used for Fence posts...very resistant to rot, but they will take root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12050" LastActivityDate="2015-09-02T21:34:23.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20711" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20712" CreationDate="2015-09-03T02:12:12.030" Score="6" ViewCount="64" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am allowed to use my school's greenhouse and have some space allotted to me. I want to start growing microgreens, but most of the videos and sources I read are always trying to &quot;sell&quot; me something. &lt;strong&gt;Is there any reputable site (free to access) that has this information on yielding microgreens or just general microgreen-like plant rearing in a greenhouse environment?&lt;/strong&gt; I am a bit out of my element since I have not frequented the greenhouse much, and like to prime myself before asking friends / teachers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12052" LastActivityDate="2015-09-04T22:54:11.797" Title="Reputable source of learning greenhouse practices, specifically for microgreens?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20711" CreationDate="2015-09-03T12:11:01.083" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're googling how to grow microgreens in a greenhouse, you will likely get a lot of sales and information of the type you're complaining about, or information aimed at large professional growers. The other problem you might have is that any 'controlled conditions' mentioned as suitable for this type of crop may not be the same conditions created for growing other people's crops in a shared greenhouse. However, I'm having the same difficulty you're having in finding out what the 'controlled conditions' in a greenhouse might be for microgreens. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Microgreens can be easily grown on a sunny kitchen windowsill or outdoors, and anyone growing in greenhouses is usually a commercial producer, or a small producer growing for sale, so that's why its difficult to find the information you want. Maybe you can adapt the methods in the links below to the greenhouse space you've been allotted:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeners.com/how-to/how-to-grow-microgreens/7987.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeners.com/how-to/how-to-grow-microgreens/7987.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/growing-microgreens-indoors&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/growing-microgreens-indoors&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note there is a requirement for a minimum of 4 hours filtered sunlight or very bright daylight per day, or artificial gro lights, so the space you've been allocated in the greenhouse needs to be appropriate for this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-09-03T12:24:41.863" LastActivityDate="2015-09-03T12:24:41.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20713" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="20716" CreationDate="2015-09-03T14:23:25.367" Score="5" ViewCount="5970" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another tenant in our office building left this plant.  So inherited another child, which I am happy to do.  Any care advice is welcome as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fBStk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fBStk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZRVqR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZRVqR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-03T20:01:07.377" LastActivityDate="2018-02-03T20:01:07.377" Title="Identify this houseplant with large green split lobed leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13922" CreationDate="2015-09-03T16:43:22.583" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've also heard that cucumber plants can do this (yellowing/spotting of leaves) which can be caused by a magnesium deficiency and cured with Epsom salts. Here's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/g8PbSxg6yVo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;YouTube segment&lt;/a&gt; discussing this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Golden, Colorado and mine too interestingly began to have yellowing leaves and drying up recently (early September) as the author of this post. I have not tried anything on them yet and not sure it's worth it or if I would be able to bring them back at this point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12055" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-03T17:56:14.820" LastActivityDate="2015-09-03T17:56:14.820" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20716" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20713" CreationDate="2015-09-03T16:48:11.817" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That appears to be a split-leaf philodendron. They like a warm room with bright, filtered sunlight and should be watered as soon as the soil is dry. They are, in their native habitat, a climber, so you may notice aerial roots growing out of the plant near the soil. If you give it something to climb (like a post stuck into the pot), you can train it to climb. Just be careful adding the post, so you minimize damage to the roots. You'd also want to make sure that you moisten the post when you water the plant, so the aerial roots get water as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-09-03T16:48:11.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20717" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-03T17:42:04.497" Score="5" ViewCount="10193" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n50lD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n50lD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got stuck in the forehead by one of the spines Wednesday and it is still sore. It bled a lot Wednesday. Yesterday I popped it and some pus came out. It is still red and sore. I just want to check and make sure the spines are not poisonous or anything. This tree is in our back yard. We live in Anderson, SC. It was something my father-in-law had planted years ago. We live in the house now. My mother said it was a palm, but that's all she knows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12057" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-03T22:34:39.970" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T04:00:07.127" Title="What kind of shrub with long green spiky leaves is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20718" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20717" CreationDate="2015-09-03T19:25:23.020" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a member of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Yucca&quot;&gt;Yucca&lt;/a&gt; genus.  There are numerous species with a wide range from Central America to southern Canada. Although the spiky leaves are a hazard the large white flowering stalk is very attractive and these plants are grown and planted for the landscape trade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is not poisonous and a little first aid should resolve your wound.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this plant is poorly situated near your house a bit of work with scissors will cut down on the sharp points of the leaves.  If it's not on your property then giving it a wide berth will have to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-09-03T19:25:23.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="20719" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-04T00:03:53.173" Score="2" ViewCount="654" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking to hear from any others in New England, or even more specifically Massachusetts. We just bought our dream home in Georgetown, MA and the one thing that needs a lot of work is the lawn and landscaping. We just had an irrigation system installed and it is running great. The age old question i'm trying to figure out is a watering schedule. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The irrigation company recommended 20 minutes a zone starting at 4:30am, every day. Online though i'm seeing a lot around water heavy and infrequently. Our front lawn is hit by the sun pretty hard all day long. Should I tweak it to every 2 or 3 days for longer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12061" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-09-05T00:24:49.597" LastActivityDate="2015-09-05T20:07:03.507" Title="How often should I water my lawn in Georgetown, Massachusetts" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21719" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-04T07:39:12.933" Score="3" ViewCount="1366" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing scallions (and eating them). This morning I noticed two mushrooms (which I think grew last night) among them. The following questions arise:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is this bad for my scallions?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is it dangerous for me to continue eating the scallions?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What kind of mushrooms are they?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cUyqf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cUyqf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1239" LastEditorUserId="8604" LastEditDate="2015-10-31T15:24:38.757" LastActivityDate="2015-10-31T15:24:38.757" Title="Are these mushrooms dangerous to my scallions?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21720" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21719" CreationDate="2015-09-04T11:18:21.560" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In short, no, they are not dangerous to your scallions. The mushrooms appear to be one of the parasol type, likely Leucopcoprinus bimbaumii (link below). Its a saphrophytic mushroom, meaning it lives off decaying matter in the soil in the pot, and is not uncommon in containers. It is toxic if you eat it, but won't make your scallions toxic or poisonous. The spores (produced from the gills beneath the cap) will be in the air already, and if you have other houseplants, you may find the mushrooms appearing in there eventually too. Spores in the air or not a health threat - on average, every breath we take, we breath in about 40 spores from various fungi that we don't know are there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a plastic bag, put it over your hand, cover the mushroom and twist each one off - the plastic bag will reduce spore spread. It's not essential you do this, but if you don't like the look of them or are worried someone might inadvertently eat them, its worth doing, but they'll be back at some point - they're only the fruiting bodies of mycelium present in the soil in the container. When you've finished with your scallions, if you want to, ditch the soil that's in the container, clean it thoroughly and disinfect it. Then replace the soil with new - but it doesn't mean it won't happen again. If you use potting compost or earth from the garden, mycelium from any type of fungus may already be present and may go on to produce fruiting bodies (meaning toadstools/mushrooms). Choosing a sterilised potting compost will reduce the possibility for this type of growth, particularly a houseplant potting medium, but it depends on how much partially composted material is still present in the mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mushroomexpert.com/leucocoprinus_birnbaumii.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.mushroomexpert.com/leucocoprinus_birnbaumii.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-09-04T11:41:12.217" LastActivityDate="2015-09-04T11:41:12.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21721" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-04T12:34:51.560" Score="2" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in the Northeast (Vermont).  I have been gardening at a clients house for over a decade.  There is a patch of rugosa roses (not sure of the variety), that used to be full and healthy.  The patch is slowly dwindling. The still produce flowers, but the actually number of plants is less.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I may have pruned them at the wrong time.  What is the best time to prune them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12053" LastActivityDate="2015-09-04T13:11:39.420" Title="When to prune roses?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21722" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21723" CreationDate="2015-09-04T12:34:51.780" Score="3" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is in Melbourne, Australia. Thought it was a lilac but not quite.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3eOvN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3eOvN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11905" LastActivityDate="2015-09-04T13:33:01.507" Title="Can someone please identify this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21723" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21722" CreationDate="2015-09-04T12:55:07.513" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddleja_salviifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;buddleja salviiflora&lt;/a&gt;, or &quot;South African sage bush&quot; or &quot;wild lilac&quot; or &quot;butterfly bush&quot;, a plant native to Southern and Eastern Africa. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lilac-like, fragrant inflorescence and sage-like leaves are quite distinct and one reason that buddleja salviiflora (and other buddlejas) are favourites in parks and gardens around the world. They deal well with lean soil and occasional droughts and grow rapidly and strongly, making them relatively low maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-09-04T12:55:07.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21724" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21721" CreationDate="2015-09-04T13:11:39.420" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The rule of thumb &lt;em&gt;&quot;prune roses when forsythia blooms&quot;&lt;/em&gt; - which means in spring - holds true for rosa rugosa, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rosa rugosa is basically very hard to kill, it can deal with lean soil, harsh and wind conditions and even semi shade. A typical reason if it gets &quot;lazy&quot; is too many old branches. R.r. blooms on new wood, unlike some other roses that bloom on last year's growth. So if you want &lt;em&gt;consistency&lt;/em&gt;, remove old canes and, if necessary, a few newer ones to encourage the plant to focus on the new shots. If your hedge is looking really bad &lt;em&gt;and you made sure that no other problem like insects or fungi is the real culprit&lt;/em&gt;, consider cutting it down completely, letting it grow anew from the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-09-04T13:11:39.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21725" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21722" CreationDate="2015-09-04T13:33:01.507" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks a lot like Hardenbergia violacea. However your flowers look a little different. Perhaps it's related to this plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1368" LastActivityDate="2015-09-04T13:33:01.507" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21726" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21728" CreationDate="2015-09-04T13:40:41.957" Score="1" ViewCount="1182" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plan is to use 2'x2' bluestone pavers with up to 3&quot; of space between the stones. This would be placed on a base of 6&quot; of bluestone dust (as this has been more effective than natural screenings/fines at keeping ants from taking up residence).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would love to have grass between the stones, but I'm concerned that the 2&quot; deep won't be enough soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this enough soil for grass?&#xA;What are some considerations to help ensure success?&#xA;Is this a long term solution?&#xA;Will the grass cause the stones to shift/lift over time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-09-05T19:15:51.183" Title="How does one build a bluestone paver patio with grass between the stones?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;patio&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21727" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-04T15:02:38.313" Score="2" ViewCount="5437" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have bought a Caladium Plant last week. When I was potting her, I accidentally cut a few roots. When I saw some of her leaves wilting I associated it with my clumsy hands. But just today I noticed that some of her leaves are now turning yellow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water her,lightly, more like sprinkling for about half a minute, once everyday because I read that they like to be moist. The yellowing I assume is predominantly because of root-rot. I've gathered with a little research that over-watering aids root-rot&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Misc:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm growing her as an indoor plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I place her outside my window (no direct sunlight) for a few hours (almost) everyday.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Most of online blogs suggest watering to keep her moist. That's what I'm doing (Am I overdoing that?).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Most of her leaves are quite healthy.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some leaves though are just rotting partly (no yellowing though).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The partly suffering leaves suggest me that it's not over-watering. My diagnosis is that she has caught an infection.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K9N8d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K9N8d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;yellowing caladium leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I seek, as an amateur gardener, advice. Looking at her image, does it look like the yellowing is due to an infection, or over-watering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12031" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-09-04T15:57:23.510" LastActivityDate="2015-09-05T00:21:46.303" Title="Caladium plant leaves turn yellow" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21728" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21726" CreationDate="2015-09-04T16:08:48.203" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not big on grass in areas where people will sit.  There are &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/16081/499&quot;&gt;many other plants&lt;/a&gt; which will do a better job of being green and requiring little or no maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;two inches of soil is a bit thin for grass.  You will find the slabs radiate heat absorbed during the day and dry out the soil.  You will end up having to irrigate during the summer and may see dieback during the winter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the grass will not push the slabs out of place but will tend to mound up between the slabs as they create more organic matter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you will have to cut the grass in the summer and unless you are scrupulous about using a mower with a bag the clippings can be a bit messy.  If you mow low to get the look then the grass will be stressed in the summer and you mow high then it doesn't look very good.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagina_subulata?oldformat=true&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Irish moss&lt;/a&gt; will do a much better job particularly if there is a bit of shade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-09-04T17:07:32.153" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21730" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-04T21:44:40.797" Score="4" ViewCount="494" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wikipedia has a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_moisture_sensor&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;great article&lt;/a&gt; on soil moisture sensors, but it focuses on commercial/farming/large-scale settings. I'm investigating options for consumers, and I'd like to understand what technologies are available for my front yard. (I would also ask for product links, but I believe those are discouraged on StackExchange sites ...) So my questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What moisture sensor technologies are commonly and successfully applied by consumers?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Investigating &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.baselinesystems.com/products.php/watertec-s100&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;one such product&lt;/a&gt;, I came across the following gem explaining their technology:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Baseline Soil Moisture Sensors work by  sending a high frequency pulse&#xA;  of  electricity down an embedded wire path.   The high frequency of&#xA;  the pulse causes the  sphere of influence to move outside the  sensor&#xA;  blade and into the soil around it.   When the pulse travels through&#xA;  moisture, it  slows down.  The sensor measures the  speed, and then&#xA;  converts this measurment  to a moisture content reading.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming they don't mean &quot;the sphere of influence is moved by advanced magic muggles can't possibly comprehend&quot;, what technology might they refer to and how does that work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12027" LastActivityDate="2015-09-04T23:47:33.183" Title="How do (consumer) soil moisture sensors work?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21731" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21730" CreationDate="2015-09-04T22:24:10.760" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Moisture sensors are worthless.  They do not tell you anything that you couldn't discover on your own just by knowing your plant needs and your soil conditions.  Never have I used one...oh I played with one or two but forget it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The important thing to know and remember is to WATER DEEPLY and ALLOW TO DRY OUT before watering again.  A little every day or every other day is WRONG.  After watering your plants or lawn go out and using a spade dig down to see how far the moisture went.  Soil should be moist 4&quot; in depth after a watering.  There are questions/answers on this site that explain how to TRAIN your plants to develop deep roots to make them drought tolerant.  You need to allow the soil to dry (from the top down so roots have to grow longer to get at the deeper moisture). No technology can replace a gardener who has been involved and alert to their plants environment, NONE! Throw those sensors out!  They do not mean anything to gardening...trust me.  Water deeply and allow to dry out!!  Watch your plants, if they are shallow rooted they will begin to WILT.  Water deeply and allow to dry before watering again.  This actually saves LOTS OF WATER.  Need to know what type of soil you have, are your plant beds fluffed up so as to absorb water and drain well?  Are you using automatic watering?  If so, you can also do a test with kitty kat cans (any can that has straight sides) by placing them all over the site the zone covers.  You want 1&quot; of water per week minimum.  If you have clayey soil (I MISS clay soils!!) I'd try at least 30 minutes per zone (not the 10 or 15 minute gig!), dig down to see how deep the moisture at 30 minutes gets...4&quot; minimum.  Otherwise you are training your grass and plants to be shallow rooted and the day they don't get watered they get stressed and plants/grasses only get 2 or 3 stressed out 'cards' before they go to plant heaven.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even though I am a bit biased I will go look at this site you posted.  Do you have a maintenance company or do you actually get involved with your yard?  Which would you prefer?  I'll be back of course but my answer is to NOT use moisture sensors.  Get aware and used to the different needs of your plants and lawn.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-04T22:24:10.760" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21732" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20711" CreationDate="2015-09-04T22:54:11.797" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bamboo's answer is very good!  The best book I've got in my library that I turn to so very often is by SHANE SMITH...super for just learning about gardening in general but couldn't have found a better source.  I think the book is called 'Green House Gardening'...or close.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-04T22:54:11.797" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21733" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21730" CreationDate="2015-09-04T23:47:33.183" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on what I can see from install requirements and explanations it's working on electrical conductivity. The sensors periodically send out a small pulse of electricity from one side of the device. Then the device measures how long it takes for the pulse to travel from one side to the other. Depending on how moist the soil is the pulse will travel slower or faster. Then it calculates how much soil moisture there is based on how fast the pulse moved. In models like the one you showed, it also has the ability to trigger a sprinkler/irrigation system if it detects that soil moisture has fallen below a set level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-09-04T23:47:33.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21734" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21727" CreationDate="2015-09-05T00:21:46.303" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The soil should be kept &lt;em&gt;slightly&lt;/em&gt; moist. If you are watering daily I would expect you are over-doing unless it's in a very hot dry place. Potentially adding to the troubles are the type of soil and the pot it is in. Does the pot have drainage holes in the bottom? If the soil and pot drain well, that is good, otherwise the plant is sitting in standing water. Based on your picture, the soil looks very dark, which makes me suspicious the soil was very wet. My thought is probably over-watering. Possibly root-rot caused by over-watering but the fix is the same either way, water a little less often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-09-05T00:21:46.303" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21735" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21739" CreationDate="2015-09-05T00:55:06.877" Score="2" ViewCount="597" Body="&lt;p&gt;i bought this bonsai tree in a local gardening store.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I forgot to ask what species it was.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I can't find any useful information on the website of the importer and i was unable to identify it by means of an online guide.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Kind of dumb to assume the species wouldn't matter, but i hope one of you can help me out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance :)&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AElbs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AElbs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unidentified bonsai tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fWCFY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fWCFY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;slight zig-zag shape&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13066" LastEditorUserId="13066" LastEditDate="2015-09-05T01:33:38.850" LastActivityDate="2015-09-05T10:52:34.143" Title="I need help identifying this bonsai tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21736" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20549" CreationDate="2015-09-05T02:20:06.563" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Of the plants you listed, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/vines/wisteria/growing-wisteria-proper-wisteria-vine-care.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wisteria&lt;/a&gt; will achieve coverage significantly faster than any of the others. Unlike the rest of your listed plants, Wisteria are woody vines rather than trees. If you provide them an arch to grow on, they'll gladly go right up it with only a little training to get them started. You will however, want to prune off any excess lateral growth if they start to try growing off the supports. Left to it's own devices, Wisteria will try to &lt;a href=&quot;http://roblang.photoshelter.com/image/I0000w06.90nq4yo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;take over&lt;/a&gt; the neighborhood. Faithfully pruning back the unruly growth will solve this. The flowers they put out in late spring smell wonderful and conveniently they hang down from the vines, so they'll be visible from within the arch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another interesting candidate for the list would be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/vines/trumpet-vine/growing-trumpet-vines.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Trumpet Vine&lt;/a&gt;. They are another woody vine and are similar both in their willingness to climb up any provided structure AND in their willingness to &lt;a href=&quot;http://flickrhivemind.net/blackmagic.cgi?id=456016378&amp;amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fflickrhivemind.net%2FTags%2Fcottage%252Covergrown%2FInteresting%3Fsearch_type%3DTags%3Btextinput%3Dcottage%252Covergrown%3Bphoto_type%3D250%3Bmethod%3DGET%3Bnoform%3Dt%3Bsort%3DInterestingness%23pic456016378&amp;amp;user=&amp;amp;flickrurl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/25654510@N00/456016378&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;take over&lt;/a&gt; the surrounding landscape if you let them get away with it. Once again, pruning will keep them under control. Trumpet Vines flower in summer on till fall with large orange or red colored trumpet-shape flowers. For added fun, they are a favorite flower of hummingbirds. If Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds take up residence in your neighborhood you will likely be their new favorite feeding ground, which is it's own entertainment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-09-05T11:04:03.217" LastActivityDate="2015-09-05T11:04:03.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21737" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21742" CreationDate="2015-09-05T08:44:57.483" Score="1" ViewCount="205" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had bought a variety of aquilegia seeds. Of more than 100 seeds only one developed into a plant flowering in the second year. They weren't all sown on the same soil, so it is not very likely that the selection of the soil was wrong. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We think this is a very bad yield. We did not stratify them, because the instructions of the seller didn't tell us so. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But there must be something which can be optimised. Could stratification or late sowing be necessary?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update according to questions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seeds were sown into trays for our balcony railing. &#xA;They were sown in spring (Apr) and very shallow to let some light onto them. Besides two seeds none of them had germinated until fall. &#xA;We had 6 or more sorts (e.g. Aquilegia caeruela, A. glandulosa, A. flabellata...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They were sown 5mm deep. Soil was rather moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7473" LastEditorUserId="7473" LastEditDate="2015-09-06T16:30:21.117" LastActivityDate="2015-09-06T16:30:21.117" Title="Is stratification necessary for aquilegia seeds?" Tags="&lt;sowing&gt;&lt;late-sowing&gt;&lt;aquilegia&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21737" CreationDate="2015-09-05T10:29:05.733" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The seeds would require stratification, but assuming you got them from a store the supplier almost definitely would take care of that themselves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When did you sow your seed? Spring or early summer is ideal. Did you keep them watered well? How deep did you plant them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-09-05T10:29:05.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21739" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21735" CreationDate="2015-09-05T10:52:34.143" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Ilex crenata, a type of holly now often used as a substitute for Boxwood topiary in milder areas since Box developed a big problem with Blight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is an outdoor plant, but won't cope with temperatures below 5 deg C, particularly as a bonsai. It will benefit from being stood outdoors during the summer months in a shady or dappled shade spot (but depends what part of the world you're in, it won't like very high temperatures). Care instructions in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaidojo.net/ilex-crenata-bonsai/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.bonsaidojo.net/ilex-crenata-bonsai/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-09-05T10:52:34.143" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21740" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20622" CreationDate="2015-09-05T10:56:39.733" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think what you have here is &lt;em&gt;Hackelia virginiana&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/virginia-stickseed&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Virginia Stickseed.&lt;/a&gt; Also called Beggar's Lice (plants with burs get all kinds of fun names). The clinging seeds as well as the way they carry them on the stem matches up. Also of interest, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackelia_virginiana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wiki page&lt;/a&gt; on the plant notes that the stem of the plant usually dies and dries up first so usually the stem snaps off the plant, rather than off the seed first. Several other Hackelia species are similar, but only Virginiana is native to the Eastern US, all the rest are out West in the Rocky Mountains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-09-05T10:56:39.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21741" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2157" CreationDate="2015-09-05T11:24:56.307" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several trees growing from stones that have germinated in the compost. I have planted them on &amp;amp; am living in hope. So far they are only about 24ins tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13067" LastActivityDate="2015-09-05T11:24:56.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21742" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21737" CreationDate="2015-09-05T11:32:56.800" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming the Aquilegia seed you bought was for the May flowering types, the one thing to know about seed from these is they should be sowed relatively fresh, then exposed to cold. Where you live, planting them in mid to late summer is ideal, (in other words, when they would naturally fall from an Aquilegia plant already growing) with a cold spell of winter to follow, and they should germinate the following spring. However, with commercially produced seed, the viability may well be poor, depending on how long they've been kept, either by yourselves or by the supplier, because the 'viability window' of these seeds is short. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-09-05T11:32:56.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20549" CreationDate="2015-09-05T12:32:31.933" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend Hornbeam, already on your list, but Carpinus betulus, the Common Hornbeam instead. It's highly tolerant of being cut and trained, hangs onto its leaves in all but the severest of winters, tolerates windy and wet conditions and heavy soils, won't need a machete or a ladder and ties every month during the growing season like Wisteria or other climbing plants, and won't drop sticky sap all over everything so long as its not got a scale or aphid infestation. In the UK it can be bought fairly mature and ready pleached, not sure about where you are. General nfo about the tree here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.hicksnurseries.com/12170001/Plant/71/European_Hornbeam&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://plants.hicksnurseries.com/12170001/Plant/71/European_Hornbeam&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and instructions for pleaching further down the page here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.independent.co.uk/property/gardening/like-a-nice-tall-border-for-your-garden-pleached-hornbeam-is-the-way-to-go-948104.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.independent.co.uk/property/gardening/like-a-nice-tall-border-for-your-garden-pleached-hornbeam-is-the-way-to-go-948104.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-09-05T12:57:49.077" LastActivityDate="2015-09-05T12:57:49.077" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21744" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21758" CreationDate="2015-09-05T12:49:38.950" Score="7" ViewCount="7296" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing this Musa Basjoo plant from a small pup for about three years. It is now 6 feet. This was the first year that I will not be able to bring it inside the house for the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7ELoV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7ELoV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is just too large. I have been told that these plants will grow back if the trunk is cut, but I don't have the heart to do that UNLESS I HAVE TO. Any advice on how to care for the plant in zone 6 usa, where the winters can be very harsh, even with hardy bananas as the musa basjoo? I have seen trees that are cut return, but never plants in pots. I do not know what to do with this lovely happy plant during the cold months. &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Should I cut it?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11676" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-09T03:54:41.273" LastActivityDate="2019-03-25T14:12:07.010" Title="Concerned about wintering a potted banana tree" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21745" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21744" CreationDate="2015-09-05T18:44:50.810" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am with you!  If this was planted in the garden and not in a pot then you'd see this thing die back each year to begin anew.  This took 3 years to get to this beauty you've got!!  There is NO WAY THIS PLANT in a pot will make it without coming indoors for the winter.  It IS BEAUTIFUL!! Definitely could use a bigger pot, probably a concrete one that is heavy to support this top growth.  Please, don't use garden soil and don't plant in the garden in zone 6!!  This dies back in the cold for zones 13-18 (Sunset Western Garden's zones) and this gorgeous plant will never be the same.  Have you ever thought about a greenhouse?  A tall one?  Gotta be climate controlled/heated.  I've had an 8'in my home for years, we moved and it got TOO COLD INSIDE and died.  Can you raise your ceiling?   Grin...this is a tough one, especially since this has been part of your life for 3 years.  Personally, I'd drag him back inside, once repotted in a sand-cast concrete type pot possibly 4-6&quot; in diameter larger than the one shown!  You can make or even purchase a sturdy stand with rollers for moving.  Look at the caliper of that trunk!!  Taking indoor plants outside for the summer is the best thing one can do for helping indoor plants last and be vigorous!  I always use a shaded porch, never in direct sun. Chopping it down would not be an option for me at all!! I just hope you'll be able to get higher ceilings!  Grin.  Maybe someone will have a better idea.  Do you have a garage?  Is it heated?  Would it be less of a problem to heat and provide light?  I'd punch out my ceiling!!  Leave it out and lose it...maybe someone else will have an amazing answer!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-05T18:44:50.810" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21746" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21726" CreationDate="2015-09-05T19:15:51.183" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That Idiot, grins!  I would NOT do grass.  Wooly thyme would be my choice! Greyish, no maintenance...keep the size of seams between flagstones as CONSTANT as you can. DO NOT cut flagstone to fit.  Fit the flagstone as best you can.  You should have 3-4&quot; of compacted gravel with at least 1&quot; of mason sand compacted on top before placing flagstone.  Place flagstone (this is an ART) then fill seams with 1/2 sand and 1/2 POTTING SOIL.  Then plant tiny starts of Wooley Thyme. Soft to walk on!  The grey green goes with the flagstone (usually)...grass will look like WEEDS.  Grass works ok between large flagstone PAVERS that have seams at least 3-4&quot; and those are usually CUT IN to an established lawn body.  The sun in summer can truly fry grass.  Ugh.  Wooly thyme is tougher than grass and grows out over the flagstones as well.  You'll have to keep an eye on your thyme to make sure it gets regular water.  Not a lot as this is a pretty tough plant.  At first you'll have to water lots more, later hardly at all.  Do you have a picture of what you are trying to do?  Please post that so we know what we are talking about...! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-05T19:15:51.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20719" CreationDate="2015-09-05T20:07:03.507" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;GardenerJ is correct!  If this is newly laid sod needs a little water every day for about a week and 1/2.  Can you pull up the sod easily?  (grab like hair and pull).  If not continue with schedule.  I am hoping your lawn heads and plant bed heads for your irrigation are on separate zones.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When established you need to TRAIN your grass roots by watering deeply and allowing to dry out.  Only water when you walk on your grass your footprints STAY down.  Not sooner and not later!!  This pays off big time!  Watering deeply means moisture gets at least 4&quot; down in your soil.  Gotta keep increasing the watered depth as your grasses become established (from 1&quot; to 4&quot;+).  If your footprints in the grass pop back up quickly, don't water.  When your footprints in the grass stay down, time to water and water deeply not ever just a little bit.  This will train your lawn to be drought tolerant and be able to get at moisture that is protected from the environment.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep your grass mowed NO LESS THAN 3&quot;. Not 2 1/2&quot; but 3!!! No kidding!  These grass mixtures are all grasses with genetically LARGE root systems.  Which is very, very good.  But large root systems need a large TOP GROWTH to maintain.  3&quot; is plenty.  Any less will stress your grass plants where weeds will move in...hey, I experimented with this (don't tell my clients, grin) as everyone wanted 1&quot; grass.  2 1/2 inches was way better than 2&quot;.  3&quot; was perfect, dark, dark green, easy to cut and less to dispose of (shhhhh), but NO WEEDS.  2 1/2 &quot; allowed some weeds to take hold.  Not 3&quot;.  Fertilize with an organic extended release plus micro nutrients plus bacteria (to decompose clippings and minimize thatch problems) and mycorrhizae for soil health.  Dr. Earth lawn fertilizer BLEW me away!!  Only needed to fertilize 2X versus 4X per year.  I'd get a new mower if I couldn't raise the deck up to allow 3&quot; length!!  I DID!! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aerate once per year!  In your case you can wait until next year but always once per year.  Use SHARP BLADES on your mower!!  Get a pH test to see if you need to use lime periodically.  Please don't lime unless you've tested the soil pH!!  Moss control is UNNECESSARY!  Moss does not compete with grass, it is an opportunist.  If there are bare patches of soil your lawn needs redesigning!  Sulfur also screws with the pH making it far more acidic than what lawn grasses want.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lots of great answers for lawns on this site.  I recommend you read as many as you are able.  The LAWN is an amazing 'creature'...and is very expensive and disappointing to those that don't learn about this guy...for COOL SEASON GRASS MIX lawns...tropical stuff is different.  You want a beautiful lawn, you need to have a great blower, weed wacker and mower that adjusts to 3&quot; height grass.  Don't worry about mulching...have not been impressed at all about 'mulching' mowers...just bag and use clippings on your plant beds thinly for weed supression and addition of a little Nitrogen.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-05T20:07:03.507" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21748" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14186" CreationDate="2015-09-06T04:41:29.343" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;What about Japanese Knotweed (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallopia_japonica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fallopia japonica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;)? There is another knotweed that's similar, not sure I could tell them apart. You'd want to read up on trying to get rid of it, if that's what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13069" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-06T17:08:51.283" LastActivityDate="2015-09-06T17:08:51.283" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21749" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21754" CreationDate="2015-09-06T09:42:30.447" Score="1" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I pruned my lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) very aggressively, so that the bushes resulted quite small, with very short branches. I pruned it in about October (I leave at about 45° North). This year my lavender produced a lot of short (no more then 10-15 cm long) spikes, for three times during summer (in May, July and September) and its flowers were very small. I think (but I'm not sure!) that this behavior depends on the way I pruned it. I would prefer it to flourish only once during summer, with fewer, more robust spikes and bigger flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7262" LastActivityDate="2015-09-06T23:55:17.363" Title="How to prune lavender?" Tags="&lt;lavender&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21750" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-06T09:55:11.057" Score="6" ViewCount="4301" Body="&lt;p&gt;My garden produces a lot of herbs, like mint, sage, rosemary, lavender, etc. I use to wash them, after gathering, and dry them in the shadow to preserve (as much as possible) their scent, color and beneficial qualities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once dried, sometimes it happens that tiny spiders appear in my (sealed) jar. I suspect they were present among the dried leaves, maybe in form of eggs when I filled the jars. I don't want it to happen again, either with spiders, or insect, fungus, bacteria, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, is there a way to ensure that any kind of unwanted life is destroyed, before storing dried herbs? The only idea that came to my mind is to put dried herbs in the microwave oven for a while. Could it be a good idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7262" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-09T04:00:39.683" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T15:19:43.203" Title="How to preserve dried herbs from fungus/bacteria or even insect attack?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21751" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-06T15:32:41.603" Score="6" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking about using a homemade insecticide like a small amount of dish soap/coffee/Aloe vera mixed with water for my Stevia plant which the insects seem to like. I'm worried though that what I use in the insecticide will end up making the Stevia leaves taste of these things like soap/coffee/Aloe vera. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will this happen? Or do you put such a small amount in the water that it would have no effect on the taste?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13071" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-06T17:18:38.867" LastActivityDate="2017-12-18T15:44:37.753" Title="Will a homemade insecticide affect the taste of herbs or other edible plants?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21752" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21755" CreationDate="2015-09-06T18:30:45.810" Score="4" ViewCount="484" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was reading this article about care for seashore paspalum turf - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.environmentalturf.com/images/maintenance/finalmanual.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.environmentalturf.com/images/maintenance/finalmanual.pdf&lt;/a&gt;.  At about page 22 (of the document, not the PDF), they start talking about fertilizing.   Most of the discussions were in regards to golf courses and have suggestions of low nitrogen and high potash.   But when it comes to consumer lawns (page 24), the suggestion is a 4:1:2 ratio.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why is there such a difference (almost completely flipped) between consumer lawns and golf courses for the same lawn type? Is it due to frequency of application?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2753" LastActivityDate="2019-01-24T17:30:37.393" Title="Different fertilizer ratios suggested for golf courses and home lawns?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21750" CreationDate="2015-09-06T23:41:03.293" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Really!? The best way to preserve herbs is to dry them like you said out of the sun and in a warm ceiling/attic? How long did you dry them, what time of year, the regular temperatures, how thick your bundles?  To find spiders tells me that something was wrong or that you had a lot of other kinds of insects that needed to be taken care of by spiders...or that you had an egg laid by a spider and you've got baby spiders accidentally in those jars.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;SPIDERS are GOOD guys.  Make no mistake!  You do not want to kill insects especially if you are a gardner!!  If you kill everything then you have nothing with which to govern non-beneficial insects.  And you won't be eating any herbs for sure. And you'll have to rely on pesticides forever.  Not good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This has never happened with my dried stuff...I am sure this is a total anomaly...but I'd let the little guys out and be glad my herbs were...'Organic' and not 'GMO'...if I ever get to come back in this life I want to be an entomologist.  Insects are so very COOL. Period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you are drying stuff, there are ways to ensure you are not canning or putting away food that has a bit of moisture left or that you've got a spider egg entrenched.  Please don't worry about insects, just moisture content.  Never use any pesticide for edibles.  Not necessary!! Trust me!  And remember, SPIDERS you WANT!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-06T23:41:03.293" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21754" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21749" CreationDate="2015-09-06T23:55:17.363" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pruning lavender in October is perfect.  Take NO MORE THAN 1/3 of the plant. Heading is what this kind of pruning is called.  Using hedge shears you cut off the tips making the top of an umbrella...sides wider than the center.  What did you fertilize these plant with? If you are using too much Nitrogen you will get lots of vegetative growth and not much reproductive growth...ie) flowers.  These plants do so much better with a shearing once a year!  I have got to learn how to be able to put up a hand sketch on this stuff.  Imagine the shears to be absolutely TANGENT to the circumference.  Perpendicular to the radius/diameter. How often did you prune?  My thinking is you may have done too much, all at once and fertilized with too much Nitrogen...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-06T23:55:17.363" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21752" CreationDate="2015-09-07T01:03:44.513" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's mostly due to the difference in what is expected of them. The average home lawn wants to be several inches long (preferably 3+, for it's own health), it gets cut roughly once a week and the most traffic it gets most days is probably the lawnmower that cut it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By comparison golf courses, particularly in the fairway and greens often get cut &lt;em&gt;daily&lt;/em&gt;. They are cut much shorter too, fairways at .5-1.25 inches, the green is cut at .1-.125 inches. And on top of all of this, it has to put up with golf carts, golfers and the occasional golf club ripping it up by the roots. As you can see, they're the same plant, but with two very different job requirements. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why do the recommendations help with that?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;High Nitrogen promotes tall lush growth. For a thick home lawn, very good. For a golf course, excess nitrogen means the grass puts a lot more effort into growing tall, only to be cut short again. It's not necessarily harmful, but it is wasteful of nutrients. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to Potash: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Researchers consistently show grass responses to potassium to include root growth, drought tolerance, disease resistance, wear tolerance and color on putting green turf. These responses to applications of potassium are observed even where soil levels of potassium are adequate. Research at Ohio State University suggests that potassium applications may reduce the requirements of bentgrass for nitrogen. Thus, some of the desired responses to fertilization such as root growth, color and disease tolerance can be produced without the excess growth associated with nitrogen applications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/turf/greens.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Texas A&amp;amp;M&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It helps the grass cope better with the lower nitrogen, the increased traffic, and the stress of being cut so short. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-09-07T11:59:37.713" LastActivityDate="2015-09-07T11:59:37.713" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21756" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-07T07:44:19.330" Score="5" ViewCount="585" Body="&lt;p&gt;Question prompted by @Stormy who wanted to impart a few ideas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had a few attempts at growing potatoes in bags but they never seem to work out. They grow ok then the green tops just start to wither. Last year I had a watering system and thought they had been over watered, this year I did not water and roughly the same thing happened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bags were filled with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lovethegarden.com/products/growing/levington-organic-blend-farmyard-manure&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Levingtons farmyard manure&lt;/a&gt;. Last time I used a multi-purpose compost that was part peat moss. The time it was just farmyard manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am south-East Scotland (USDA Hardiness Zone 8). About 1 mile from the coast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last time I used a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lovethegarden.com/products/growing/miracle-gro-gro-your-own-gro-sac-potatoes-root-vegetables&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Miricale grow gro-sac&lt;/a&gt;, but turned it inside out so the black part of the bag was showing. The bag got too hot to touch on sunny days. Which I thought might have been an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The grow bags I have used this time are shown in the picture. They had fairly substantial holes in the side. Therefore hopefully limiting the water logging issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uU76e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uU76e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Potato bag&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would be grateful for any tips of how to grow potatoes successfully in bags. I have been trying to follow the Square meter gardening but did not want to use raised bed for potatoes. Not sure why  thought they might spread to far in the raised bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let me know if there is any relevant information I have missed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2381" LastEditorUserId="2381" LastEditDate="2015-09-07T13:27:57.933" LastActivityDate="2015-09-08T18:31:40.510" Title="Growing Potatoes in small space" Tags="&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="13" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21757" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-07T08:05:38.757" Score="7" ViewCount="905" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Square meter garden soil mix is a third each of compost, peat moss and vermiculite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have assumed that in the UK since most of our composts are around 50% peat moss I could just do: &lt;strong&gt;2/3&lt;/strong&gt; compost and &lt;strong&gt;1/3&lt;/strong&gt; Vermiculite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was recently pointed out to me that American English vs British English (AE/BE) might be using the terms &lt;em&gt;compost&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;soil&lt;/em&gt; differently. I would just like to ask if my assumption on using 2/3 compost (50% peat moss) and 1/3 Vermiculite is ok?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NB: extra points for peat alternatives that work well in the square meter garden structure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2381" LastActivityDate="2015-09-08T19:44:32.797" Title="Square meter gardening Soil Mix" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;peat&gt;&lt;square-foot-gardening&gt;&lt;vermiculite&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21758" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21744" CreationDate="2015-09-07T11:58:10.117" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The way I see it there are 2 options to keep this plant growing, but both are going to involve cutting the top back. First, I need to point out one important fact that makes this possible: Banana plants are &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; trees. Trees are woody perennials. Bananas are &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musa_basjoo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;herbaceous perennials&lt;/a&gt;, much like any perennial garden flowers you might have (hostas, daylilies, daffodils, etc). All the top growth can be replaced every year if it needs to. What appears to be the 'trunk' is just a series of overlapping leaf sheaths. If it's cut back within a few feet of the ground new leaves will grow out from the roots and grow right back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, you have &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d442&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;two options&lt;/a&gt;: One is that you can cut it back to about two feet and tuck it in a cool corner until spring. It will produce new leaves when you put it out in warmer weather. Another option is to plant it outside. If you do this you'll want to watch for the first frost. When that happens the leaves will all die off. At that point, cut down the 'stem' within 2-3 feet of the ground and wrap it in burlap, bubble wrap or similar, then mulch heavily over the roots to protect them from the worst of the winter freezes. Mulched properly, the roots can safely tolerate air temperatures down to -10 degrees Fahrenheit. In &lt;a href=&quot;http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/#&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;zone 6&lt;/a&gt;, that pretty much doesn't happen. In spring, the plant will put out new leaves from the base. If you decide to plant it outside, site it somewhere with well drained soil and full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-09-07T11:58:10.117" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21759" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21756" CreationDate="2015-09-07T12:17:15.023" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Best not to plant straight into pure farmyard manure, they'll do better in decent potting compost, maybe 20% John Innes and multi purpose mixed. You can buy this at the garden centre already mixed up, if not buy both and mix them yourself. I'm saying 20% JI because its loam based and can be heavy once wet, likely too heavy for lighter bags than the one you're showing in your photograph, especially if you need to move the bag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't tell if you made holes in the bottom of the bag you used, but I can tell you didn't add compost as the green tops grew - it should be topped up so that only the green tops can be seen. I also don't know whether you chitted the potatoes before planting or what variety, so actually, I don't know very much at all about what you have done!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are two links below - one is to Thompson and Morgan and its just for interest's sake, I'm not recommending any T&amp;amp;M product nor their potatoes, but they say they have trialed filling the bags up to the top with compost prior to planting the potatoes and had success with this method, rather than the method described in the second link, which is the more usual way of doing it. I can't recommend one or the other, never tried with a bag full of compost, but it might be worth experimenting yourself to see which works best, or at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thompson-morgan.com/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-bags&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.thompson-morgan.com/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-bags&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://secret-garden-club.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/growing-potatoes-in-bin-bag.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://secret-garden-club.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/growing-potatoes-in-bin-bag.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering is very important - you need to make sure they have an even and sufficient water supply, but check frequently to make sure they're not too wet or they'll rot, particularly if out in the open and exposed to rain. You may need to cover or move under cover if the weather is wet for an extended period. The reason watering's important is, if the water supply is erratic, you will finish up with 'powdery' potatoes, meaning they'll turn to powdery mush when you try to boil them, even if they're a variety that are meant to be fairly waxy and good for boiling. In terms of drainage, they drain better if not straight onto earth - I used to stand mine on old grill pan grills balanced on bricks (any close spaced rack that's big enough will do) to allow better drainage. Not pretty to look at, but effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd just add something else - the bags you use should really be black and fairly thick (think heavy duty black rubble sack) - the idea is to exclude light from the tubers as they grow, and its harder to achieve that in light coloured bags. If you don't exclude light from the tubers, they start to go green, and at that point, they're toxic and should not be eaten. That's why you store them in the dark after you've bought them or dug them up - it should also be cool to deter any possible chitting or sprouting if they're meant to be eaten. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also note I am in the UK, which means I know what you mean by the term 'compost', except I'm not sure what you mean by 'standard' compost - I'm assuming you mean potting rather than garden compost from your heap or bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-09-07T13:37:00.720" LastActivityDate="2015-09-07T13:37:00.720" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21760" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21750" CreationDate="2015-09-07T14:01:22.827" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Carbon dioxide is heavier than air, and displaces oxygen.&#xA;You can make carbon dioxide by adding vinegar to baking soda. 84 grams of baking soda plus 1.2 liters of (5%) vinegar will produce 22.4 liters of CO2 which you can pipe into your bottles before sealing.&#xA;Insects and spiders can go a long time without air, but not forever. The CO2 atmosphere will eventually kill them, without harming your herbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2015-09-07T14:01:22.827" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21761" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2325" CreationDate="2015-09-07T15:19:46.530" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think your technique is adequate.  I bought a bench grinder years ago for such a use.  I no longer use it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have found the angle of the grinder rarely matches the angle of the blades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I currently use an angle grinder with a &quot;polishing&quot; or &quot;cutting&quot; disc.  You get a five pack at HD for like $6.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have 3 mowers so I usually sharpen at least 3 blades, often 4  time.  The mulching blades are toughest as they have those stupid curves that I've never noticed &quot;actually&quot; do anything.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ALWAYS wear gloves and eye protection.  These discs break apart and could easily gouge out a chunk 'o flesh.  I don't like that they break so easily, so I'm always looking for another method, but for about a buck for 3 blades sharpened, it's hard to beat.  I also suggest having an extra set.  Sometimes I sharpen the extra, AND the ones I just took off since getting set up takes time and, you know, that's valuable!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13074" LastActivityDate="2015-09-07T15:19:46.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14186" CreationDate="2015-09-07T19:16:17.967" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry, I don't know what I was looking at that showed opposite leaves, as I see that Fallopia leaves are alternate, not opposite. What about a &lt;em&gt;Clerodendrum&lt;/em&gt;? Not &lt;em&gt;C. trichotomum&lt;/em&gt;, which has entire leaf margins, but maybe &lt;em&gt;C. bungei&lt;/em&gt;? If not for the margins, the leaves of the former look more similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[Edited] Here is a photo of what's being called &lt;em&gt;C. trichtomum&lt;/em&gt; with serrated margins. The flowers look right, though it's the first I've seen of that name with leaf margins like that, so maybe it's something else.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cistus.com/plants_image/Clerodendrum_trichotomum_Golden_Glory___38064.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.cistus.com/plants_image/Clerodendrum_trichotomum_Golden_Glory___38064.jpg&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;The page it is from doesn't have any information, just the name linking to the photo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[Edited again]Me again. Here is another page with a cultivar of C. trichtomum called 'Harlequin Glory', with serrated leaf margins.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/2004/4/4666.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;http://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/2004/4/4666.jpg&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Again, no info on the page it's from. I'm actually looking for the ID for a plant from Brazil that has the same configuration and leaf shape but has very decorative white leaf veining, and I came across these two while looking for an ID for that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13069" LastEditorUserId="13069" LastEditDate="2015-09-07T20:38:47.620" LastActivityDate="2015-09-07T20:38:47.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21764" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21767" CreationDate="2015-09-08T11:59:04.830" Score="3" ViewCount="92" Body="&lt;p&gt;I didn't water at all my palm tree (bought at Homebase) for a couple weeks, and before that I neglected it. See it below. What should I do to make it look healthy again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I put in outside or inside near a window? How frequently should I water it and how much?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cruwf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cruwf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2487" LastActivityDate="2015-09-08T16:53:43.207" Title="Giving my palm tree a second life" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21765" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21757" CreationDate="2015-09-08T15:33:09.690" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the American English version of the book, it is clear that the recommended mix is 1/3 of mixed, composted materials. That includes things like mushroom compost, composted cow manure, composted poultry manure, and composted kitchen scraps. If this is similar to what you would find in a bag of compost in the UK, and if those bags are indeed 1/2 peat, I would say your plan of mixing 2/3rds compost with 1/3 vermiculite would get you a decent approximation of Mel's mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, I wouldn't worry too much about getting the mix exactly right. I think Mel has done a great job marketing his SFG method, but there are a lot of other gardeners out there who have experimented with intensive gardening, and it can definitely be done without that exact mix. The mix just ensures that every gardener following the system is starting with basically the same soil, so they are likely to get similar results. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A great (and much cheaper) alternative would be this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get a soil test done of the soil that is currently in your raised&#xA;beds. If you are building new beds, remove the grass for the beds&#xA;and test the soil underneath.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Amend the soil as recommended&#xA;according to your test results. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Start adding organic matter to&#xA;your soil. You can do this by digging in any (or all) of the&#xA;composts listed above.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant according to the SMG&#xA;recommendations. Add compost to a square each time you remove a&#xA;plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You really don't need the vermiculite or peat in most gardens, in my experience. I live in an area with very heavy clay soil. I used Mel's mix in one of my beds just to try it out. My other beds were all built up as I described above. The Mel's mix box did not perform better than my other garden beds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2015-09-08T17:17:24.663" LastActivityDate="2015-09-08T17:17:24.663" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21750" CreationDate="2015-09-08T16:13:21.500" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;One possible solution is to soak your herbs in salt water for 10 minutes before drying. Any instects or eggs on the herbs will be washed off/drowned and you will not have the problem of having little stowaways in your herb bottles. You may lose a little of the aroma from the herbs, but this should not be a significant difference. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-09-08T16:13:21.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21767" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21764" CreationDate="2015-09-08T16:53:43.207" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dypsis_lutescens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Areca&lt;/a&gt; palm can be cared for with these suggestions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get a pair of scissors that have been washed in isopropyl alcohol or similar.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;trim all dead material from the fronds leaving a small margin of dead material so you do not make a new cut in living tissue&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove debris from the top of the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove dead stalks from the base, they usually twist off by hand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;this plant is tropical and will not tolerate temperatures much below 5 deg C. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Growing indoors in bright filtered light is a good solution.  If you grow it outdoors in the summer and bring it inside then you risk sun burn in the following spring unless you grow it in shade.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spider mites are the most common problem. Check regularly on the underside of the leaf for eggs that are white and look like grains of salt.  Treat with soap and water (5ml soap/litre water) at five to seven day intervals&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;top dress annually with potting soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repot every few years: your choice of cutting off the bottom third of the root ball, adding new soil and putting back in the same pot or doing the same and putting in a larger pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fertilize with a balanced mix (eg: 20-20-20) at half or quarter strength once or twice a year&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water thoroughly until water runs out of the bottom of the pot and then let the top inch of soil dry out before watering again.  The number one cause of interior plant death is &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/bp/bp-55.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;over watering&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The point of this is to remove areas where pests can hide and ensure the plant has a low but adequate level of nutrients.  Indoor plants that are heavily fertilized can produce a lot of lush growth that is very attractive to incoming pests and can produce root burn if the light levels are too low.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-09-08T16:53:43.207" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21768" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21756" CreationDate="2015-09-08T18:31:40.510" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll just make this an answer instead. Potatoes need ACIDIC soil.  So your peat moss would be fine to add to your garden soil to lower the pH.  This bag looks fine but I never use garden soil in pots/bags.  Is garden soil in your soil mix?  If you've got spores of late blight in your soil from growing tomatoes/potatoes that would be a possible reason your potato tops are going down too quickly.  How long was it before the tops went down after planting?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potatoes are one of the first vegetables to 'be done' in our gardens.  The tops flower and soon after go downhill.  I leave the tops and reduce watering when this begins.  You SHOULD have had decent sized tubers.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bamboo understands the weather over there far better than I.  Potatoes need warm soil but not too hot to grow.  Your compost, if DECOMPOSED completely is great but I'd just keep topping the soil with a few inches of compost to feed the soil and don't worry about MIXING soil.  If you used raw manure, that would have truly fried anything trying to grow. Do you use a fertilizer as well?  Have you had any soil tests or a decent tester for pH?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you are concerned about growing in a small space, it is easy to grow potatoes in the garden and not waste space.  Double dig an area to get air into the soil.  It will be naturally raised.  Plant your potatoes and get a circular cage of welded wire anchored around your potato seed to grow vertically.  As your potato grows, add straw and leave 6&quot; of topgrowth, the green above the straw.  Continue to add straw as your potato grows keeping at least 6&quot; or more above the straw.  The potatoes will fill your cylinder (18&quot; max in diameter, I've done 12&quot; and at least 2' high).  Regular water but not a lot.  I also use a concoction of bacteria/mycorrhizae/compost tea to feed the soil...BEFORE I plant potatoes.  I used a light multi purpose fertilizer once but that was it...this year I used 7-4-5.  Next year I am going to make sure my fertilizer will have less nitrogen and more P and K. I had to work to get the pH of my soil in my greenhouse beds to become more acidic...5.5 - 6.0 and all my soil is 6.5 - 7.0.  Easier to raise pH but lowering it takes time and should be done before planting and not after. Your bags are very similar to those cages.  My potatoes were DONE, the tops yellow and beginning to go down by the end of July, I planted early May.  Does that sound about how long you were growing? My potatoes are perfect this year...Huckleberry, German Butterball, Purple Molly...a few others...got 7 different varieties. Our growing season here is ridiculous (my opinion)...had a major freeze the end of July and then two more in the first week of August.  I have to get a climate controlled greenhouse here.  Oh, the agony!!  But potatoes I got.  The few potatoes I accidentally left from the year before went nuts and I allowed a few of those to mature. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I have to figure out how to store all these potatoes.  Freezes too deeply here to leave in ground, sigh.  So on to building a root cellar.  Please send a picture of all those alliums!  What exactly is the compost you are using?  Get a base line soil test for your garden soil as well as the soil you mix.  Gees, if it costs an arm and leg, send your soil to me and I'll get it tested for very little...send a history of what you've been growing in your garden, make sure you consider rotating 'crops'...and when did you plant your potatoes and how long before the tops started to go down? Seed potatoes right?      &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-08T18:31:40.510" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21769" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21757" CreationDate="2015-09-08T19:44:32.797" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with michelle...are you adding ANY soil to your mix?  It sounds as if it is all compost or organic matter!  Plants HAVE TO HAVE SOIL!  And I gotta say NO WAY DO YOU USE GARDEN SOIL in pots/bags.  Garden soil is a very large ecosystem.  It is not perfectly mixed but in the larger picture it is better able to provide balance.  There is NO WAY to shovel up a little chunk of this ecosystem and ensure balance for potted/bagged plants.  ALWAYS use sterilized soil as a basis for pots and bags.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Making raised beds in your garden would be the best thing, Morgan!  You can add compost as you double dig but after that you should never have to double dig again unless it is late fall or early early spring.  Sounds like you are doing TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING and a heck of a lot more work than is necessary or prudent.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I HATE vermiculite.  Perhaps it is just the little white spots but organic matter makes ANY SOIL better and wonderful.  &lt;em&gt;In fact DECOMPOSED ORGANIC matter is the ONLY way to improve ANY SOIL.&lt;/em&gt;  Somewhere on this site I have gone at lengths to explain.  The only time I will ever use peat moss is to add acidifying organic material to soil. I love the texture and ease of peat moss but it also SHEDS water if it isn't mixed in well and certainly your amounts are way too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have to add that there is this...'hippie' type guy I kinda knew in Seattle, WA. He made his own mix and was selling it to clients/followers/non-gardeners for $100+ per yard.  Lots of pea gravel 's involved...for drainage I guess.  What a waste of money!!  He got rich 'making the best ever soil' as well as using his clients money to 'design' landscapes... but this is not correct management of soil!  Out of all the soils I've had to manage, heavy clay did as well as yummy silt loam.  I hate this sandy, porous pumice I am struggling to grow stuff in!!  But all three; I use raised beds, I mix DECOMPOSED organic matter (compost) when I first double dig and fluff and create my raised beds with trenches along the bottom of these beds to direct excess water.  I cover and keep covered with compost all year.  Organisms eat this stuff and go back into the profile to POOP IT OUT. The decomposed compost feeds the organisms in the soil and their activity and poop support plants as well as making ANY type soil wonderful soil.  DECOMPOSED is the important word here! Kitchen scraps, bark, rock...all are considered mulch.  Compost anything that is organic.  Compost should mean DECOMPOSED organic matter!! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gotta stay with what you have for soil and learn the proper management for your type of soil. The ONLY proper way to improve garden soil is adding DECOMPOSED organic matter on top of your beds if they are already established.  I've said this before but made a big impression for me as a gardener...if you've got clay and add gravel, gypsum, lime, water and agitate...what is produced?  CONCRETE. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get a soil test, take a mason jar and put a few inches of your soil in the jar and fill with water.  Shake, shake shake and allow to settle.  This will show you percentages of the different soils that make up your natural soil.  Heavier sands will be on the bottom, silt/loam in the middle and clay on the very top.  Organic matter will be floating in the water.  I don't remember the percentages for labeling your soil but that is out there on the internet.  Add to this a laboratory soil test...and you'll be able to make decisions about your soil/plants/garden/management practices that make sense for your soil...and much more chance of success!!  You are definitely a gardener, Morgan!  This information will FEED you!!  Grins...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-08T19:44:32.797" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21771" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21744" CreationDate="2015-09-08T23:42:37.513" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is too big about it? It's height or breath?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can cut back a few leaves or shorten them. It will be somewhat ugly that way, but it will not suffer the die back or trunk cut back and will be fully ready to come back in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-09-08T23:42:37.513" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21772" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20306" CreationDate="2015-09-09T01:36:28.037" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The image is blurry sure, but to me this looks like a young Fennel plant. Fennel grows really well in typical drought conditions. A tell tale sign would be the aroma coming from it. Once matured, it produces beautifully florets of yellow flowers and attracts all manners of insects. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do post a better picture, or try smelling the plant from a safe distance (if you touch it, wash your hands till you are certain of the species).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2015-09-09T01:36:28.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21773" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2508" CreationDate="2015-09-09T16:53:48.633" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am experiencing the same issue. this is my first year of harvest and was looking forward to it but I too have had very few Kernels inside the shell. Reading the above comments as ideas and observations I also have had a very early, hot summer with few bee's to pollinate. My harvest was only three giant heads (18 inch) that yielded around two gallons of seeds. I would estimate 1/3 to 1/2 do not have Kernels inside. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13081" LastActivityDate="2015-09-09T16:53:48.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21774" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29880" CreationDate="2015-09-09T17:29:15.223" Score="4" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought from Amazon some Cleome seeds, which arrived this August in a tiny plastic envelop from China. There are probably around 100 seeds or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is how to plant them, including how spread out I sow them, what time of the year, how deep, etc. I have read about keeping them in the refrigerator for a week, which is where they are right now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The earth is parched right now, and the days continue to be sweltering hot, so I'm hesitant to consider sowing them now (early fall).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13082" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-11-15T19:24:57.783" LastActivityDate="2016-11-15T19:24:57.783" Title="How should Cleome seeds be sown in the Northeast?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21775" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-09T17:53:32.690" Score="3" ViewCount="507" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are everywhere. Their leaf underbelly is glabrous; the indentations or lobes still not there... Alternate leaves. The seedlings are ubiquitous in the suburbs, and unfortunately the grown-up trees as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just want to make sure this is what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XUQAN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XUQAN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13082" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-13T19:44:02.003" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T19:44:02.003" Title="Is this a Morus alba seedling?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21776" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21786" CreationDate="2015-09-09T20:19:02.507" Score="4" ViewCount="931" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've got a small &quot;meadow&quot; area that is in bad shape from new home construction. Despite heavy seeding with native warm-season grasses and proper mowing, the area is overrun with mugwort, curly dock, and burdock. If we don't take this step, the homeowner is going to install sod.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So we'd like to go off our typical organic approach and chemically remove the offenders in a single or single series of applications.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This would be a one-issue chemical treatment in an otherwise toxin-free management - meaning we would consider a series of broadleaf herbicide applications this fall/spring, but would then revert to natural management. We want to leave the native warm-season grasses intact. Everything else is fair game, but the real targets are those listed above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would say we would follow up with soil amendments, but soil &quot;improvements&quot; tend to favor weeds over our native grasses. We just need to give them a chance to get established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What chemical would be most effective?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When and how often should that chemical be applied?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How should the area be prepared for this application(s)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And finally, is there anything we're failing to consider?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-09-11T02:43:17.520" Title="What is the most effective way to eradicate burdock, curly dock and mugwort from a field?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21777" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-10T01:30:01.167" Score="4" ViewCount="2968" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an okra plant which has already produced two okras. Now new leaves are growing and I can see there are two new okras coming from the bottom. Is that good? Do I have to remove both the leaves and the okras coming from the bottom? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's an image of the plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pqWyd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pqWyd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10876" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-11-04T16:15:09.517" LastActivityDate="2016-11-04T16:15:09.517" Title="Should I prune my okra plants?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;okra&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21778" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21779" CreationDate="2015-09-10T14:07:57.797" Score="2" ViewCount="16767" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just broadcast some 2, 4d amine weed killer and was planning to aerate and overseed in the near future. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How long after applying the 2,4d amine weed killer is it advisable to overseed?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13083" LastActivityDate="2015-09-10T16:33:38.653" Title="When to overseed after putting down weed killer" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21778" CreationDate="2015-09-10T16:27:45.603" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic_acid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;reference&lt;/a&gt; claims that &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The degradation of 2,4-D is rapid (half life of 6.2 days) in aerobic&#xA;  mineral soils&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/24Dgen.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;reference&lt;/a&gt; claims &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Most of the time, 2,4-D breaks down in soil so that half of the&#xA;  original amount is gone in 1-14 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you follow the references it is very difficult to find a clear statement of how long it lingers.  Note the reference to aerobic mineral soils which also imply a reasonable level of organic matter and consequent microbial activity. In other words it will break down faster in a healthy soil than a dry impoverished soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also keep in mind that 2,4 D is rarely sold without other chemicals added to the mixture and even the ingredients that are considered &quot;inert&quot; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1764160/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;which can be 85% of the mixture&lt;/a&gt; can change how long it remains active.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I was a landscaper and my money was on the line I would not over seed for at least four weeks. Grass seed is not as cheap as it was and customers have little tolerance for seed failing to germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/2,4-DTech.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fact sheet&lt;/a&gt; makes for thoughtful reading.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-09-10T16:33:38.653" LastActivityDate="2015-09-10T16:33:38.653" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19489" CreationDate="2015-09-10T18:11:09.250" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am no expert but what I have used for grape vines is this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bonide-Rooting-Powder-925/202251696&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;rooting powder&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;I took the extra step and shaved the bark from the donor stem about an inch from the bottom before dipping the stem into the powder and then planting. The planted vines started right off and are showing great promise after only a few months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13081" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T21:16:19.430" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T21:16:19.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21781" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21782" CreationDate="2015-09-10T19:22:26.140" Score="0" ViewCount="92" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8bAKy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8bAKy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eV0en.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eV0en.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please excuse the somewhat stark photography. I'm currently in tech week for the show I'm in, so I don't get home until well after dark. This plant is growing in the patch of land where &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/19874/getting-grass-to-grow-on-top-of-hill-shady-area-with-possible-concrete&quot;&gt;the grass is still failing to grow&lt;/a&gt; even after adding more soil and reseeding with a shade/drought-tolerant species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As can be seen in the pictures, it's got a 7-pointed lobed leaf. My first thought is that it looks a little like a tree, maybe a poplar or maple, but I'm not botanist. I'm happy enough that anything is growing there, but I'm curious. If it helps, all of this sprung up within a few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a close-up of one of the leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vKMuz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vKMuz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11453" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-09-10T20:19:34.167" Title="What is this plant growing beside my house?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2015-09-11T03:33:12.480" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21782" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21781" CreationDate="2015-09-10T20:10:29.320" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fairly certain this is Common Lambsquarter. Chenopodium album. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/WEEDS/lambsquarters.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Common Lambsquarter&lt;/a&gt; Perhaps the margins are a bit different because it is in some shade?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-09-10T20:19:34.167" LastActivityDate="2015-09-10T20:19:34.167" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21784" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21775" CreationDate="2015-09-11T01:33:14.777" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;At this stage it can be tricky to say, but based on your location, and the pic you provided, this does appear to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=58&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Morus rubra&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Or, also very likely, a hybrid between &lt;em&gt;M. rubra&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=527&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;M. alba&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, which are becoming extremely common in the northeast, and is helping spread the invasive Asian white mulberry (&lt;em&gt;M. alba&lt;/em&gt;) out of control. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-11T01:33:14.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21785" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-11T01:40:55.700" Score="2" ViewCount="240" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am currently using an F15T8NDL 18&quot; lightbulb for my plants in a light fixture, and would like to replace it with something much brighter. So my question is that if I add a higher powered bulb in the same fixture, will it automatically draw more power and be much brighter, or do I need a new fixture? And if so, what would be a good replacement bulb?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13086" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2015-09-11T02:22:41.597" LastActivityDate="2015-09-11T02:44:54.180" Title="Replacement for an F15T8NDL 18&quot; lightbulb" Tags="&lt;light&gt;&lt;electric&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21786" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21776" CreationDate="2015-09-11T02:43:17.520" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most of these treatments will work best in late spring, when these weeds are growing fastest. Because they work best in quickly growing plants, if you feel it necessary to begin treatment this fall, mow the field high (6-8&quot;), and then treat the regrowth before it matures. Dock has a very deep, resilient taproot, and more than one application may be necessary. Also keep in mind that the ground is probably a decently loaded seed bank for the stuff by now, and you may have to deal with seedlings for years (although after the initial control, it won't be as bad).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to answer your questions...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;What chemical would be most effective?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd definitely say I'd have to choose a 2,4-D/Clopyralid mixture (in a ratio of about 8/1 respectively). These are both auxin mimicking chemicals, which together will be extremely powerful against the weeds, without really upping the chemical dose, or really harming the grasses, which don't respond to the broadleaf auxin mimics. As I said, though, with Dock, more than one application may be necessary (Most likely application 2 will finish off anything left).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You (obviously) need a pesticide applicator's licence to apply these chemicals, but they are both legal for residential use in most U.S. localities. Make sure you add a decent amount of surfactant to the mix, as dock tends to shed water droplets easily. Use ~4 quarts per acre. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol start=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;When and how often should that chemical be applied?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want to apply it when the plants are actively growing and the faster the better. This is because of the mode of action (auxin mimick). Mowing off most of the leaf surface will cause regrowth, which will be far more susceptible than matured plants. A heavy nitrogen fertilizer will actually make this effect more pronounced, and you get better control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Within a week of application, the weeds should start curling up. They will steadily decline to a point, at which some die, and some may slowly seem to revive. If you see any new leaf growth after the first major dieback, apply again. That usually finishes off the tough few. You may have enough time for all this before cold weather sets in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol start=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;How should the area be prepared for this application(s)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plants have ripened seedheads, it's best to wait for the next season, because coaxing out a good flush of growth will be a challenge. Other than that, if the plants are still quite green, but are simply slowed down, a high mowing will work great. In spring after the weeds go out of dormancy, you can apply any time without treatment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;And finally, is there anything we're failing to consider?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not certain. My main concern is that Dock often grows most vigorously in damp ground, and I wouldn't recommend using any broadleaf herbicides near groundwater, or in an area that drains directly into a water body. These chemicals tend to be mobile, because they do not bind to soil and can have a persistent half-life. You should be good, though, if this is a normally drained area, away from any creeks, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-11T02:43:17.520" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21787" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21785" CreationDate="2015-09-11T02:44:54.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want more light from the same florescent fixture, you will need a new ballast (power supply from &quot;wall power&quot; to &quot;bulb power&quot;) as well as a new bulb. At which point a whole new fixture might make more sense. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not having fiddled with 18&quot; bulbs any time recently I'll leave the question of exactly what you might replace it with to others. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These days you should compare LED options with florescent options and possibly also look at HID bulbs as well, comparing all on a light out to power in basis (though &quot;light useful to plants out to power in&quot; is harder to compare easily with most published information.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-09-11T02:44:54.180" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21788" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21797" CreationDate="2015-09-11T07:14:08.893" Score="6" ViewCount="272" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found a 40 ft plus heavy thick vine growing in mid-California that climbs like a trumpet vine,  has 4 inch flowers shaped almost the same as trumpet vine flowers, with the outer inch reddish pink but with a 3 inch yellow neck inside and out, and with glossy opposing single leaves instead of 3-4 ft compound leaves.&#xA;What is it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I first thought it might be a Mandevilla, then maybe a  Crossvine, but the flowers of both aren't right.  The flowers of this vine are too long, 4 inches, to be a Mandevilla or Crossvine, it has no seedpod, and the 5 petal tips aren't pointed but are rounded, with a v in the middle of each petal tip, like the top of a drawn heart. See photo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CIVWp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CIVWp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown vine&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13089" LastEditorUserId="13093" LastEditDate="2015-09-12T14:58:22.117" LastActivityDate="2015-09-12T19:01:47.520" Title="What grows/flowers like trumpet vine, but isn't?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21789" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20674" CreationDate="2015-09-11T11:16:49.807" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say that simply installing the drip irrigation system is really where your water savings is. Honestly, the water volume that you would save with all the extra effort of setting up and maintaining outdoor electronic monitoring would be pretty negligible, even if you really knew what you were doing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would just talk to the nursery about how much water they should be getting and keep an eye on it. Alot of variables come into play including the sandiness of the soil, and the heat of the noon sun, but your native plants should be pretty drought-tolerant so you'll probably be okay letting the soil dry out during the day. In fact, depending on the plant, it might even be advisable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, if you still want try your moisture sensor idea if only to geek out on perfect plant watering, by all means come report back your success. I'd be interested to know how it works out for you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11516" LastActivityDate="2015-09-11T11:16:49.807" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21791" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-11T14:44:35.077" Score="1" ViewCount="209" Body="&lt;p&gt;An ultrasonic mist maker seems a superior solution for an aeroponic crop, since there would less problem with clogging, power consumption, noise, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, current ultrasonic mist maker make really small droplets of size less than 10 microns. It seems 50 microns is the sweet spot needed for long term growth of plants. I have two questions:&#xA;1) Is it theoretically possible to create droplet of size 50 microns using ultrasonic technology?&#xA;2) If the answer to the above is yes, do you know of a commercial product or even something that can be bought out there and assembeled which can create 50 micron droplets&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11622" LastActivityDate="2015-09-11T14:44:35.077" Title="Is there an ultrasonic mist maker that can create water droplet with diameter 50 microns for aeroponic purposes?" Tags="&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2015-09-13T11:44:42.863" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21792" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21793" CreationDate="2015-09-11T18:00:08.193" Score="2" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some eggplant and tomato plants. My eggplants appear to have some kind of fungus. It's being raining quite a bit in Central, FL; as a result, I think they are infecting the tomato plant too. Should I remove the eggplants leaves, prune them, or destroy them? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click on pictures for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3vthK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3vthKm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D6AJb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D6AJbm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F8S0P.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F8S0Pm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13092" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-12T00:14:53.180" LastActivityDate="2015-09-12T00:14:53.180" Title="Should I prune fungus-infected vegetable plants or destroy them?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;blight&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21793" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21792" CreationDate="2015-09-11T19:00:24.733" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;These little spots are a normal protective measure for lots of plants.  It is fungus that the plant itself is getting rid of by allowing the part of the leaf that has been 'infected' by fungus spores to die and then the dead part drops out causing a black spot or hole.  Very common this time of year for both your eggplant as well as tomatoes, squash...everything in your garden.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prune off any yellowed leaves, especially those near the ground.  It'll help with aeration (air being able to blow through the plants and keeping leaves dry and less affected by fungal spores).  Your plants could use some fertilizer, however.  Make sure you use fertilizer with less Nitrogen than the Phosphorus and Potassium numbers!!  That bark is depleting the available nitrogen as well because decomposers need nitrogen to decompose stuff that is not decomposed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise you've got viable, healthy plants!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-11T19:00:24.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15030" CreationDate="2015-09-12T06:24:32.870" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aquarium water can be used to water the plant.  The water contains rich nutrients for plant growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be careful if you have been using medication in the aquarium water.  The medication can affect the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Besides, do not raise any plant on aquarium water alone.  Fresh water should be the primary means of watering.  You can add aquarium water once or twice a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;References&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://lifehacker.com/5867013/use-dirty-aquarium-water-to-fertilize-plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://lifehacker.com/5867013/use-dirty-aquarium-water-to-fertilize-plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.petsnhobbies.com/2015/04/aquarium-waste-water-as-fertilizer-for.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.petsnhobbies.com/2015/04/aquarium-waste-water-as-fertilizer-for.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13096" LastActivityDate="2015-09-12T06:24:32.870" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21795" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-12T11:05:31.280" Score="3" ViewCount="1587" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a fig tree whose roots have broken into our concrete cistern. The cistern will be fixed next week. Everyone is telling us that we need to cut down the tree, which we don't like to do at all - in our arid desert climate, anything that grows is a treasure - but it's looking like we have to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any chance it can be moved at that size, and survive in a new location? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We don't know how old it is but it has to be at least 7-9 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastActivityDate="2015-09-12T23:49:41.960" Title="Can a 8ft fig tree be moved?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;figs&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21796" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21795" CreationDate="2015-09-12T12:16:31.347" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Instead of thinking of an either this or that choice let's open the problem up for other solutions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;roots have broken into our concrete cistern&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tree roots will grow where there is water so it seems possible that your cistern was leaking and the tree took advantage. To repair or replace your cistern you will have to do some heavy excavation around the area.  While you are doing that take the opportunity to line the outside of the cistern &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=images%20waterproof%20membrane%20for%20foundation&quot;&gt;with a waterproof membrane&lt;/a&gt; that will prevent moisture from going out and roots from coming in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your chances of successfully moving an eight foot tree with no preparation are slim. This should only be considered if the tree is very close to the cistern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-09-12T12:16:31.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21797" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21788" CreationDate="2015-09-12T17:39:55.307" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well I'm confused - I'm pretty sure the photo now present isn't the one I saw yesterday, and because of this photo, it's now obvious it's one of the Bignonias, B. buccinatoria, commonly known as Mexican Blood vine; this variety is called B. 'Cherere' or simply Bignonia buccinatoria, although there are other varieties too. Note that Bignonia is now reclassified and named Distictis buccinatoria, which comes in various colours. Link to pic below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tecnowoodgarden.it/27-bignonia-cherere.html&quot;&gt;http://www.tecnowoodgarden.it/27-bignonia-cherere.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some interesting background information in the link below, plus cultural information re this plant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hgtv.com/design/outdoor-design/landscaping-and-hardscaping/twin-trumpets-not-identical-after-all&quot;&gt;http://www.hgtv.com/design/outdoor-design/landscaping-and-hardscaping/twin-trumpets-not-identical-after-all&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-09-12T19:01:47.520" LastActivityDate="2015-09-12T19:01:47.520" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21798" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-12T19:08:16.473" Score="3" ViewCount="174" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a pecan tree, which was more than 20 years old.  I cut it down because the trunk near the ground was partially rotted and the tree did not look healthy, though not dead.  Now a new tree (about 3 feet tall now) is growing out of the old root and it looks healthy.  I would love to keep it as long as it is going to be a healthy tree.  Is it worth saving it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13098" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-22T17:36:44.660" LastActivityDate="2015-09-22T17:36:44.660" Title="Can a healthy pecan tree grow from the root of one which was cut down?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21799" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19636" CreationDate="2015-09-12T19:54:29.100" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am going to take no credit for this one. I first thought of some variation of Plumeria, but the trilobate leaf was fascinating, so I dug around Google a bit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Someone on a garden forum nailed it on the head: Jatropha pandurifolia Andr.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Link here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1591259/3-lobed-leaf-on-tropical-plant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1591259/3-lobed-leaf-on-tropical-plant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Surprised this was hard to kill, but looks like you'd rather move it, and I would hope you do, because the flowers look exquisite on close up. If you can dig down to the roots, and do it at the right time depending on your zone, you should be able to save the shrub. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2015-09-12T19:54:29.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21801" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21795" CreationDate="2015-09-12T23:49:41.960" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hard to imagine an 8' fig tree having roots invasive enough to break into your cistern.  Yes, you should move that tree, at 8' there is a very good chance at survival.  Gotta see where it is that you and that tree are located.  In the Northern hemisphere we are about ready to go into fall then winter. Dig a trench about 2' diameter, a foot deep around this tree.  Fill with straw.  Keep moist until your soils start freezing.  In the spring, you should be able to pop this tree out and transplant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Newbie plants/trees need regular moisture until well established...2 years is good.  If not, they will grow roots to find any moisture they are able.  But trees should never be planted near a septic system and this tree is young enough to move and perhaps still save. By digging a trench now the tree will have time to develop feeder roots WITHIN a smaller root ball before being transplanted.  Do not fertilize if your tree has had at least one decent fertilization this year.  I would buy some MYCORRHIZAE to assist with root development/uptake.  Keep watered but NOT OVERLY WATERED.  In the spring, you can move this tree to a new spot with a bit of MANLY help and a tarp.  Make sure to NOT bury any deeper than the root ball.  No bark of the stem should be compromised with soil or mulch.  Don't dig any deeper than the rootball as settling would lower the bark into contact with soil/mulch. Before any planting, digging, construction, you need to know where your underground utilities lie.  All home owners should have an 'as-built' included with their mortgage documents.  This shows footprints of existing buildings, septic tanks, septic drainfields, electricity, cable as well as irrigation and water lines.  In the U.S. we have a city/county service called 'locate'...give them a call and within 24 hours someone comes out to paint all electrical/cable before digging.  Otherwise, you need to dig down to find your septic tank and make dang sure you find 3 corners!!  Grin, hope this helps...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-12T23:49:41.960" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21802" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7964" CreationDate="2015-09-13T00:04:50.787" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might consider using exterior caulk adhesive between the block and on the ends, leaving a gap 1/8&quot; of an inch every 2 blocks I the first or bottom layer (course) of block. In the gap apply adhesive only to the top 1/2 of the block to fill the gap and keep the bottom open for elimination of moisture and water. In this lower section try packing it with some tightly rolled pieces of landscape fabric to create a barrier to stop any soil from flushing out the lower gaps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Above soil the same method above can be used, but rebar &quot;pins&quot; could be added inside the block to help stabilize them from moving. I did this on all the corners of my raised beds and it worked quite well. Be sure to stagger the block with each course upward so as to help increase the stability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13100" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T00:04:50.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21803" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-12T18:43:10.813" Score="2" ViewCount="1318" Body="&lt;p&gt;I put some small 1/2&quot; holes around the trunk on a river birch tree and gave it an iron treatment. The instructions called to seal the holes with latex caulk, but I only have latex caulk with silicone added in. Is it a problem to use it with silicone to seal small holes in the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13121" OwnerDisplayName="zm15" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T13:08:14.200" Title="Can I use silicone latex to plug hole in a tree?" Tags="&lt;repair&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21804" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19654" CreationDate="2015-09-13T01:14:32.453" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would guess that this 'weed' is a basal shoot from that large vine (which is some &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clematis&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Clematis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; cultivar). You can see the fallen petals on the ground in the picture. Basal shoots are often different in color and form than top growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T01:14:32.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19688" CreationDate="2015-09-13T01:23:39.523" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_mite&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;spider mite&lt;/a&gt; damage. Look for small white 'grains' or 'specs' on the undersides of the leaves. If you find them, then you have a spider mite infestation. Use a light soap and water mixture at about weekly intervals until the spider mites clear off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7405.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here's a good link&lt;/a&gt; from the University of California's Integrated Pest Management program, for detailed information on control/management procedures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T01:23:39.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21806" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19689" CreationDate="2015-09-13T01:27:52.253" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like the result of poor &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growinggardens.org/hardening-off-plant-starts&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hardening off&lt;/a&gt;. But the scorched leaf edges in your picture don't look too bad. The plants should be fine, that damage is mostly cosmetic. Next time, let the plant's adjust more gradually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P.S. Those hills are very close, so close that even one plant per hill could get tight. Make sure you thin properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T01:27:52.253" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21803" CreationDate="2015-09-13T01:34:39.567" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not a problem. The tree will protect itself from the wounds, which by your description seem fairly minor (unless it is a small, immature tree). Room temperature vulcanizing silicone releases a small amount of acetic acid while curing. While it is toxic and slightly corrosive, the small amount released by a siliconized latex caulk compared to a non-silicone latex caulk would be insignificant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, IMO you should use a pruning sealer instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6969" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T01:34:39.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19690" CreationDate="2015-09-13T01:37:28.813" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like Thrip damage. From the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7429.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;University of California's Integrated Pest Management program:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thrips feeding on plants can damage fruit, leaves, and shoots and very noticeably affect plants’ cosmetic appearance. However, thrips rarely kill or threaten the survival of trees and shrubs. Herbaceous ornamentals, and certain vegetable crops, are more susceptible to serious injury from thrips feeding and thrips-vectored viruses, especially when plants are young.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thrips are difficult to control. If management is necessary, use an integrated program that combines the use of good cultural practices, natural enemies, and the most selective or least-toxic insecticides that are effective in that situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep your plant healthy, and fertilize often, and the pests will likely move on. Treating for thrips is often not very efficacious, but thrips do tend to avoid healthy plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T01:37:28.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21809" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19750" CreationDate="2015-09-13T01:50:17.827" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This appears to be typical &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root-knot_nematode&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;root-knot nematode&lt;/a&gt; damage. You may have had infected mustard-family plants growing in the area before, and not realized it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are difficult to control. I usually manage them with crop rotation. Here's a useful bit from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7489.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;UC IPM&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Management of nematodes is difficult. The most reliable practices are preventive, including sanitation and choice of plant varieties. You can reduce existing infestations through fallowing, crop rotation, and soil solarization. However, these methods reduce nematodes primarily in the top foot or so of the soil, so they are effective only for about a year. They are suitable primarily for annual plants or to help young woody plants establish. Once nematodes infest an area or crop, try to minimize damage by adjusting planting dates to cooler times of the season when nematodes are less active. Try to provide optimal conditions for plant growth including sufficient irrigation and soil amendments to make plants more tolerant to nematode infestation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T01:50:17.827" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21810" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19777" CreationDate="2015-09-13T02:01:28.277" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those appear to be white grubs, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.researchgate.net/publication/233581563_White_Grub_Leucopholis_irrorata_(Coleoptera_Scarabaeidae)_Pest_Status_Population_Dynamics_and_Chemical_Control_in_a_Rice-Maize_Cropping_Pattern_in_the_Philippines&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Leucopholis irrorata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It's a common pest in your area. A &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrifonate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;trichlorfon&lt;/a&gt;  or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbaryl&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;carbaryl&lt;/a&gt; based insecticide should control them easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T02:01:28.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21811" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19844" CreationDate="2015-09-13T02:15:21.323" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, remove any growth from the root flare, surface roots, and the lower trunks. This growth (known as suckers and water sprouts), if left unchecked, will grow into large, structurally unsound, and  unattractive new trunks and branches, which can drain the rest of the tree from resources. In a lawn, regular mowing keeps root suckers at bay. Root flare and trunk sprouts can be taken care of on a regular basis with a pair of sharp, clean hand pruners. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-11T20:50:18.753" LastActivityDate="2016-11-11T20:50:18.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19848" CreationDate="2015-09-13T02:31:41.763" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Rose Cane Borer damage. First, remove the cane that was infested, and cut down to clean pith. The rose will regrow quickly. It's best to cut back before the larvae emerge, because then you destroy them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the future, fertilize regularly and maintain a healthy soil. A healthy plant is resilient, and fights off pests much better than an 'average' plant. Another thing to note: The adults feed on aphids and the like, so keeping those types of pests off your roses can help a lot in the prevention. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T02:31:41.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21814" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20118" CreationDate="2015-09-13T02:53:44.170" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wow, this one was hard to pin down, but I think I got it: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cattleya Lc Gaskell-Pumila&lt;/em&gt; x &lt;em&gt;Lc&lt;/em&gt; 'Mini Purple'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some comparison pics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7tU5M.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7tU5M.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.outeniquaorchids.co.za/culturalnotes-cattleya.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;sup&gt;source&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LwgVB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LwgVB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~PAPHIO-IN-OKINAWA/kaiyouhakuC2.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;sup&gt;source&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T02:53:44.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21815" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-13T03:27:03.270" Score="8" ViewCount="3747" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering about the difference between a Red Japanese Maple and a  Bloodgood Japanese Maple. One source says Bloodgood's a deeper red than the seed grown variety. Another said something similar. A third source didn't have a clue. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the difference between them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13102" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-14T20:40:30.290" LastActivityDate="2016-11-14T20:40:30.290" Title="What is the difference between a Red Japanese Maple and a 'Bloodgood' Japanese Maple?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;maple&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21816" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21815" CreationDate="2015-09-13T03:44:04.977" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, &lt;a href=&quot;https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fp009&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Acer palmatum&lt;/em&gt; 'Bloodgood'&lt;/a&gt; is a cultivar developed for certain characteristics, one of which is a consistant, deep red. It it usually offered as a grafted plant, and will be more expensive than the straight species (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_palmatum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Acer palmatum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), which is raised from seed and has genetic variability. If you care enough that you want the cultivar (especially recommended if you are planting more than one), go for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T03:44:04.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21817" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21831" CreationDate="2015-09-13T07:58:22.130" Score="5" ViewCount="1204" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just received some tubers of winter hard &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclamen_hederifolium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cyclamen hederifolium&lt;/a&gt; and planted them right away. On one side of the (flat) tuber I noticed a kind of spot which looked like it had been cut off before drying. I even saw some dried roots and thought naturally that this side must go down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that everything is planted I thought again and I'm not so sure anymore. I'm asking myself that what if the roots are coming out of the same spot as the growing stem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What shall I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;EDIT&lt;/em&gt;: I read on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cyclamen.org/faq_set.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cyclamen.org FAQ&lt;/a&gt; (at the bottom, search for 'silly question' on the site) that I should have done it the other way around. Growing point up and convex/even side down. But as they are tubers (like potatoes) is this important? Will they grow anyway?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-09-14T07:43:19.250" LastActivityDate="2015-09-14T17:04:51.647" Title="Cyclamen hederifolium tubers - which side goes up and which down?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21818" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-13T01:42:51.983" Score="9" ViewCount="3126" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been digging up carrots and have lots left in the ground. All of them are soft and spongy right out of the ground. I have been eating them for three weeks or so. They seem to be safe to eat. Did I just over-water them? Are they really safe to eat?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Michael" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-09-15T19:45:34.517" LastActivityDate="2015-09-19T19:14:27.423" Title="My carrots that I dig from my garden are soft" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21819" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-13T10:10:12.833" Score="4" ViewCount="2266" Body="&lt;p&gt;My cactus has gone all droopy and I don't know what the problem is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've moved into a place with more light and I water it enough but I don't know what is wrong with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13103" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-09-13T11:46:44.207" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T17:36:24.383" Title="Why is my cactus drooping?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ClosedDate="2015-09-25T22:14:51.343" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21803" CreationDate="2015-09-13T13:08:14.200" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is no need to seal the holes at all.  The natural healing process that woody plants use is to grow around the wound and eventually cover it over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tcia.org/files/Tree%20Pruning%20to%20ANSI%20Standards.pdf&quot;&gt;Standards&lt;/a&gt; for &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/forests/urban-community/publications/pruning-landscape-trees&quot;&gt;good pruning practice&lt;/a&gt;s around the &lt;a href=&quot;http://treelogic.com.au/facts/tree-wound-dressings/&quot;&gt;world&lt;/a&gt; are to not use wound paint of any sort.  It can act to hold moisture in and promote fungus and decay agents.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a break and let nature do the job for you...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T13:08:14.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21821" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-13T15:18:34.023" Score="8" ViewCount="13411" Body="&lt;p&gt;I plant several types of mints in my garden but the naming keeps confusing me. There are some types that I thought I know the names but then searching through the Internet shown that the known names are wrong, or may be the information from the Internet was misleading.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please help me identify the following mints.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b4izF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b4izF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The mints&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A. This seems to be popular and easy to grow but I don't realy know the name. The leaves are pretty thick. The smell and taste are strong and just like the gum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;B. Looks like Peppermint but the leaves seems to be cleaner, thinner and smoother in the surface. This does not smell as menthol, the taste is simple and plain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;C. Looks very similar to 'B' but with purple stems. Very similar to the B in terms of smell and taste. This is far from chocolate as I have chocolate mint in my garden and its leaves are much thicker than this one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;D. Seems to be cat mint, the leaves are pretty thin. The smell of this one is very close to lemongrass&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13104" LastEditorUserId="13104" LastEditDate="2015-09-15T15:22:09.593" LastActivityDate="2019-08-11T14:21:52.587" Title="Identifying types of mints in my garden" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21822" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-13T18:02:30.220" Score="4" ViewCount="382" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn has been taken over by this viney weed.  Does anyone have any advice as to a weed and feed that will work to kill it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sIVq0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sIVq0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aS7LI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aS7LI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13105" LastActivityDate="2015-09-14T20:27:26.113" Title="What is this weed and which herbicide will kill it?" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-09-15T18:30:53.050" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21822" CreationDate="2015-09-13T19:06:15.243" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am guessing that you've got more than one weed involved; possibly Spotted Spurge, Black Medic and/or purslane.  All broadleaf weeds, very common.  Easily selected for and killed by a 'Broadleaf Herbicide' for lawns.  If you use a Trimec formulation in your 'Weed 'n Feed' make sure that you wet your lawn slightly before application.  This ensures the herbicide sticks to the broadleaf weed leaves.  I'd prefer using a sprayer to select specific areas to kill weeds.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Killing weeds is not going to solve your problem.  We need to know what you are doing to maintain your lawn.  Such as; how long do you leave your grass after mowing?  This is a big deal.  Too short, the grass wimps out and weeds will invade and take over.  3&quot; is the MINIMUM height of this kind of grass.  Vigorous grass can outcompete weeds and shade the soil so weed seeds have a hard time germinating.  Watering deeply and allowing the soil to dry in between is crucial. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What fertilizer are you using, how often?  Aeration, pulling plugs of soil out of the lawn and left to decompose...are you doing this once per year? Lots of other questions with great answers on this site you should check out. Let us know and send more pictures to show the amount of weed in your lawn. If this is the only spot, please use spot spray.  Let us know what your maintenance schedule is...thanks!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T19:06:15.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21824" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21815" CreationDate="2015-09-13T19:24:20.400" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are so very many cultivars of 'Red Japanese Maple' or Acer palmatum.  Bloodgood is a very solid and predictable variety.  The leaves aren't too small/fine, too big and fat...the color is also predictable, not too dark nor abnormally red. I've done 'groves' of Japanese Maples and this was the cultivar I ended up using.  If you are able, plant more than three...never two and planting just one as a specimen works well. What exactly are you trying to achieve?  The Bloodgoods I've used are not grafted.  These should be a smallish, patio tree that grows 20'X20'...grafted trees are usually the 'weeping' types.  These will never get any taller yet definitely wider.  Send pictures of the environment and what you expect to achieve. Pictures of the trees you are thinking to buy...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-13T19:24:20.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21825" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21821" CreationDate="2015-09-14T05:28:57.957" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mint or Mentha are from the family Lamiaceae, which are really hard to distinguish, There are all kinds of hybrids and weather and soil can affect the shape to an extent to be mistaken. And if you could wait for the flowers it would be easier to tell them apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But if you ask me I'll say&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A - Pepper Mint  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;B - Spear Mint &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C - Candy Mint(Chocolate Mint) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;D -&#xA;Balm Mint (Lemon Mint)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, common names for plants are not standards and many people in different places might call two different variations with the same name.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7146" LastActivityDate="2015-09-14T05:28:57.957" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21826" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21828" CreationDate="2015-09-14T07:06:06.127" Score="6" ViewCount="638" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this plant between my vegetables when it was small and thought it looked interesting, so it placed it somewhere else. I couldn't imagine then that it would grow to be a sphere of almost a meter across within a couple of months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I'm curious what it is. Like I said, it's about 1 meter, roughly spherical. It is an blueish/grayish green, and has a lot of fine leaves of about 8 to 10 cm. I'm not sure what the right English word is to describe the shape of the leaves, but they look like a drawing of a Christmas tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently it developed small stalks or &quot;tails&quot; each with many flower buds, which look like they may become yellow flowers. Any fragments of red on the picture are from a different flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This picture was taken in my garden in The Netherlands, North-Western Europe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5YPRs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5YPRs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The whole plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dj6eF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dj6eF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf and flower buds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3317" LastEditorUserId="3317" LastEditDate="2015-09-14T12:44:34.903" LastActivityDate="2015-09-14T13:21:30.813" Title="What is this big plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21827" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21826" CreationDate="2015-09-14T12:24:11.070" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like common ragweed to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2015-09-14T12:24:11.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21826" CreationDate="2015-09-14T12:29:51.940" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosia_artemisiifolia&quot;&gt;Ambrosia artemisiifolia&lt;/a&gt; Common Ragweed. Enemy of many people who have ever suffered from seasonal allergies/hay fever. The compound leaves, hairy stem and especially the 'flower' stalks all match up. The flowers never really look much different from what you have, but they are quite likely producing yellow pollen, which is the cause of so many problems for so many people. At minimum, I would cut off the flowers before they go to seed as it is an invasive species in many parts of Europe (native to North America, although terribly prolific). Or, just cut it off at the root if it's bothering you, it is an annual so that will be the end of this plant for sure at this stage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-09-14T13:21:30.813" LastActivityDate="2015-09-14T13:21:30.813" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21829" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-14T16:01:28.710" Score="5" ViewCount="436" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have tried several times to grow maples. Every time, something has gone wrong and they didn't survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I always make sure the seed is viable(In other words I can feel the seed inside the pod) before I plant it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first time I tried to grow maples I planted 4 of them because I didn't know how many would grow. They all were going strong until fall came. Not only did they lose their leaves but they didn't form any bark and died from the cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second time I tried I only planted 2 because I thought &quot;Maybe the competition for nutrients was too much for any tree to form bark&quot;. They survived for 3 years. The maples were in 1 pot and a second pot was for the groundwater. This helped them through the droughts of summer. The 3rd year that the trees were growing though 1 of them got several wounds in the bark. I taped it so that the tree could heal. After a few weeks I gradually peeled it off making sure that the new bark was fully attached to the tree. I saw no leaf buds on my trees during the 4th year when the other maples already had their leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The third time I tried I planted 3 seeds. 1 of them grew. But this one was worse. Even though there was no groundwater the bark formed in an unusual fashion. Instead of forming from bottom to top like the 2 trees before this, it formed from top to bottom. It never had bark at the very bottom. And it wasn't because of a wound because then I would eventually see bark there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I tried to grow a maple and it was even worse. I planted just 1 seed. It was planted in May just like the third attempt was. It started growing strong. A few days later and there is a lot of rain during that time period. I never watered it when it rained(Or in general when the soil was moist) but I did give it a deep watering when I planted it. Even so the leaves started to yellow like they were overwatered. 1 fell off then the other followed. These were still baby leaves and I didn't see a stem, just the leaves. The root system was still intact and I knew that trees are known to grow back after they are supposedly dead but sadly, it didn't grow back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why do I have so many issues with growing maples? Maples should be a pretty easy tree to grow regardless of the species(Which in my case is Sugar Maple). And I don't think it is the soil because other trees have survived in that soil including a Fir sapling that I got from school years ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13109" LastActivityDate="2015-09-14T23:56:22.310" Title="Unlucky with maples every single time I plant them" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21830" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21829" CreationDate="2015-09-14T17:03:37.850" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maple is amazingly frost-resistant and needs the cold to germinate well. kevinsly's comment below is a good indicator of what maple seeds tend to do when left unattended.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest you plant your seeds &lt;em&gt;in the ground in the fall&lt;/em&gt;, basically when they appear ripe or start to drop. The frost won't harm your seeds and they will germinate as soon as the weather conditions turn. When planting the seeds in late spring, the seedlings don't have enough time to mature to withstand the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And yes, some loss is probably natural. A mature tree produces hundreds or thousands of seeds per year, only very few of them will grow into mature trees again. Some maple types are a bit more fussy, others germinate like crazy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-14T18:10:25.347" LastActivityDate="2015-09-14T18:10:25.347" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21831" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21817" CreationDate="2015-09-14T17:04:51.647" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well yes, but not sure how well they'll do - with something like a tulip or daffodil planted upside down, the foliage appears and does a u turn and then makes it way above ground. But tulips and daffodils have longer stems, so I'm not sure how well this process will work with cyclamen, having much shorter stems. The likelihood is they will appear, but maybe the stems will be shorter than usual. It's also more effort for the growth to do this because it has to get longer than usual in order to make it above ground at all, but if you've already planted them and there were only a few, and you know where they are, I'd dig 'em up and reverse them. If there were a lot all over the place, just leave them and see what happens, its likely most will flower anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am wondering how deep you planted them though - its usual to plant only just below the surface, so that the compost or soil covering them is very thin. If that's how you planted yours, then I don't quite see how the roots will start growing, as they'll be very near the surface...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-09-14T17:04:51.647" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21832" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21829" CreationDate="2015-09-14T17:26:14.467" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.illinois.edu/askextension/thisQuestion.cfm?ThreadID=8480&amp;amp;catID=199&amp;amp;AskSiteID=87&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; indicates that stratification is necessary for Sugar and Red maples but not for Silver Maples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The relevant part for maples whose seed needs stratification is&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;collect immediately upon ripening. Stratification required – sow seed&#xA;  at 0.25-1.00 inches in moist growing medium such as vermiculite, peat&#xA;  moss, or sand for a period of 40-90 days at 33-39 degrees Fahrenheit&#xA;  (place in refrigerator); upon development of first germinants, move&#xA;  all seed to warmer environment to increase germination&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or as Stephie suggests let nature do the job and collect seedlings in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://content.ces.ncsu.edu/overcoming-seed-dormancy-trees-and-shrubs.pdf&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; has more detail on what stratification is and how it affects germination of different species. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Seed dormancy is nature’s way of setting a time clock that allows&#xA;  seeds to initiate germination when conditions are normally favorable&#xA;  for germination and survival of the seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course there is variation between species and within species and even within the seeds of a particular year.  Some seeds will germinate given a little environmental cue others will take the full treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to maximize success is to identify the species you want to work with and then study it's requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-09-14T17:26:14.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21833" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21822" CreationDate="2015-09-14T20:27:26.113" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The top pic looks like portulaca- Mexican spinach. They prepare and eat it just like spinach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13112" LastActivityDate="2015-09-14T20:27:26.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21835" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21829" CreationDate="2015-09-14T23:56:22.310" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the word &quot;pot&quot; in your question is a red flag here. These things are &lt;em&gt;trees&lt;/em&gt;. Trees often start life by growing a lot more below ground than above. That's a good survival strategy, because if something stomps on or eats everything above ground, there is enough life in the roots to start again, and if the roots have gone down half a meter in the first summer, there's a reasonable chance the whole plant won't be frozen solid in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would try planting the seeds straight into the ground, &lt;em&gt;before&lt;/em&gt; winter, and let them do what they do naturally. Even large pots get cooked in summer and frozen in winter (because the sides of the pot are all above ground level,) and pots tend to attract plant-unfriendly critters looking for food and sheltering from the weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another advantage of planting straight in the ground is that the tree roots will naturally be colonized by beneficial &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhiza&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhiza&lt;/a&gt;. You won't find many of those in sterilized artificial potting compost!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2015-09-14T23:56:22.310" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20227" CreationDate="2015-09-15T02:42:54.700" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a nice sentiment, but considering practicality, even if you did get the environment right for your plants (most carnivorous plants are rather picky), cockroaches are not going to fall into the traps. They are careful, and usually ground feeders. They will rarely fall from above, and falling into a plant trap is not a likely thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most carnivorous plants target flying insects, and the ones that also target ground feeders are usually too small. Better to go with regular traps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-15T02:42:54.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21837" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20326" CreationDate="2015-09-15T02:49:54.973" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The biggest concern in your climate would be dirt splashing onto the fruit/leaves during rain. This can spread disease. You have the ground mulched, though, and that helps prevent this. Another concern could be harvesting ease, with the higher plant possibly being preferable in that you don't have to bend over near as far in order to harvest the fruit or to deal with pest/disease problems and plant shaping. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In other words, lower branches cause no major concerns here, but pruning the lowest branches is your call, considering practicality/aesthetics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-15T02:49:54.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21838" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20332" CreationDate="2015-09-15T03:12:03.550" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That line on the lawn (from the pic you provided) is the property line, and yes, those are different grasses. The one on the left appears to be St. Augustine grass, while the one on the right is almost pure Bermuda grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Europe, you won't be growing either of these, but you can get the same effect, using different colors and textures off cool season lawn grass. Like using a wider bladed, lighter hued tall fescue, such as KY-31 (mowed a little higher for effect) to contrast against a well groomed perennial rye lawn, such as Blackcat II (with a very dark, narrow blade and dense habit). There are others you could try as well (some fine fescues contrast well, especially with tall fescues, because of the huge difference in blade width.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just be aware of the growth habits of the species you choose. All lawn grasses tiller, and spread slowly that way (thus the shallow trench dividing the two types), but some grasses (eg Kentucky Bluegrass) spread quickly by stolon, and that will be counter-productive. Some new rye grasses do this also, and are advertised as 'self-repairing' or similar. Avoid those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-15T03:12:03.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21839" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20345" CreationDate="2015-09-15T03:20:14.230" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That appears to be bacterial leaf spot. There is no cure, but you can help prevent it for the next season with some simple cultural steps, like cleaning up fallen leaves, minimizing stress, and building your plant's health through the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have more information on that, in my answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/17395/grapes-leaves-too-dry-is-that-normal/17396#17396&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for toxicity to humans, this disease does not affect humans in any way, and the fruit is safe for consumption. The bacterial leaf spot is mostly aesthetic, although bad infections will drop plant productivity somewhat. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-09-15T03:20:14.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21840" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20608" CreationDate="2015-09-15T03:31:44.220" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Actually, what you have in that patch appears to be tall fescue. I have some that looks quite similar (see pic below), but tall fescue comes in many shapes, colors, and sizes nowadays, and that makes it harder to identify. The blade habit and tillering structure in your picture fit well, though. I'm not sure what you have in the back, but it doesn't look like tall fescue (at least not matured).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see, my specemin is suffering from some drought in this picture.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RZ9kX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RZ9kX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-15T03:31:44.220" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21841" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20611" CreationDate="2015-09-15T03:35:01.427" Score="2" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I have some rock-wool leftover after insulating my arctic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;...Basically, what you have is insulation, not rockwool. You will be unable to grow plants in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may want to look into hydroponics, based on your stated preferences.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-15T03:35:01.427" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20665" CreationDate="2015-09-15T03:47:14.453" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the branches are getting too heavy to support themselves, I suspect the plant is getting either too much water, or too much fertilizer (or both). In nature aloes are found in poor, dry soils. They have adapted to that, and when grown in 'good' conditions, they often grow too fast, and soft, even if they look healthy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would barely water it, if at all. You want slow growth. Whatever you do, don't fertilize. And about the shriveled branches, those have no life in them, you can cut those off.  Other than that, it sounds like a healthy plant, and you are probably doing the right thing! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-15T03:47:14.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21843" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-15T09:12:10.787" Score="5" ViewCount="3765" Body="&lt;p&gt;About one quarter of the roots of a 50 foot tall white pine were cut off at the drip line, all on the same side. Can I save this tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13115" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-15T22:42:36.190" LastActivityDate="2015-09-17T16:56:24.927" Title="One quarter of the roots of a 50' tall white pine were cut off. Can I save it?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21844" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20362" CreationDate="2015-09-15T10:10:09.697" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure of the exact species, but this did turn out to be a type of weevil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also decimated the radishes I had growing next to the rocket. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rocket hung on, despite being covered with the things, full of holes at times and looking really unappetising! It's now free of the weevils (not sure why they left, weather / predators?), but as I mostly ignored it, and didn't pick much, it's now rapidly going to seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh well, I'll try again next year...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="537" LastEditorUserId="537" LastEditDate="2015-09-18T10:22:07.580" LastActivityDate="2015-09-18T10:22:07.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21845" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3043" CreationDate="2015-09-15T17:39:28.110" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;We caught our builder burying crumbled concrete below our garage floor when building. They were bringing it from other job sites to save on dump costs. Since our house was the next to have concrete poured they thought they could hide it all below our garage floor. My husband, a concrete/materials inspector for over 16 years, just happened to show up while they were doing it. He made them move it all because it can make any structure built on it unstable. 2 months later while laying sod we found it under our dirt in the back yard. We once again made them remove it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13117" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-15T19:34:22.663" LastActivityDate="2015-09-15T19:34:22.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21846" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21843" CreationDate="2015-09-15T20:50:04.463" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please send pictures but if only 1/4 of the roots were compromised I think this tree will survive.  I'd water it, of course until it can recoup the roots lost.  Perhaps purchase some mychorrhizae to help.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-15T20:50:04.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21847" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21843" CreationDate="2015-09-15T22:41:46.293" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;if they were cut at the dripline, and only on one side, I suppose that means a good bit less than 1/4 of the roots have been cut. Assuming that the tree is between 16 and 22&quot; in diameter four and a half feet above ground, your structural root radius (that you can't safety be cutting within) will be 8-9'. This is the root plate, which supports the tree. Cutting into this will put you at risk of the tree coming down. That's your structural root zone. You also have to consider your critical root zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The critical root zone is the zone within which any cutting (or traffic from construction vehicles) will be extremely damaging to the tree. Do not work within this radius. Again assuming a tree diameter of 16 - 22&quot;, your critical rooting zone will be from 20 - 28', respectively. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the roots on your tree were cut past that point, you should be fine. Mulching lightly (like 3&quot;) under the dripline will help recovery a lot. If the roots were cut &lt;em&gt;inside&lt;/em&gt; the critical root zone, your tree may decline. Whether it will recover in that case depends partly on what the roots were cut for. If the soil was replaced (like if it was a trench for a line, and was backfilled), that's great. If the area the roots were cut is going to remain unviable for root growth (such as if you had a foundation put in, or regraded), things may be less bright. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In either case (of disturbing the critical root zone), there are a few steps you can take to help the tree survive. Maintain a layer of mulch under the tree (3-4&quot; is good), keeping it off of the root flare, and have it out at least to the dripline, if possible. Also, reduce traffic (even foot traffic) as much as possible, to help prevent compaction. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have very few details about your tree to go on, but I feel you will probably be fine, white pines can be quite resilient.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-15T22:41:46.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21848" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9088" CreationDate="2015-09-16T01:14:44.043" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;a flat dual stream soaker hose doesn't respond to most of the couplings available for the single stream variety.&#xA;A possible solution- insert a suitable sized gas line hose ( a poly type that has been wiped with a silicone-to aid with the insertion into each of the severed pores ( all 4) join- tape with ready-fix type plumbing tape- then secure with an adjustable clamp_ &#xA;within the normal range PSI exerted for a soaker hose of say--- 25 yds- no problem and should do the trick .... cheaply.&#xA;you're welcome to this tip &#xA;frank&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13120" LastActivityDate="2015-09-16T01:14:44.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21849" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-16T05:09:02.283" Score="2" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have problem with my lucky bamboo. I had notice that it was turning yellow and I had cut where I think I'm supposed to. I think your supposed to cut about 1-2 inches above the notch. I had cut it thinking that I had cut it right. I put wax on the bottom to protect it. My question is do I put the lucky bamboo in water with the wax on the bottom in water or do I turn it upside down where the top is in the water.. not sure what to do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13122" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-09-16T11:30:07.730" LastActivityDate="2015-09-16T11:30:07.730" Title="Lucky Bamboo turning yellow starting from the bottom" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-09-17T17:26:07.847" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21850" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3230" CreationDate="2015-09-16T21:52:54.420" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I work at a conference center in Western North Carolina. I just removed an Eounymous from a chain link fence. It absolutely ruined that section of fence, wrapped around the post so bad that we had to pull that post with a backhoe. The roots are still in the ground there and we are going to have to dig that up. The woody part of the stalks had to be cut out of the chain link to the point where we had to use wire cutters to remove pieces of the fence. &#xA;I am not saying all Euonymous is like this but please be warned! This plant ruined that section of fence!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13126" LastActivityDate="2015-09-16T21:52:54.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21851" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21818" CreationDate="2015-09-17T01:22:46.760" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soft and spongy might actually be a symptom of carrots that are low on water. Water within plant cells provides pressure to support the cell walls. As cells lose water, this support weakens, and can cause cell walls to sag. This can give the &quot;soft and spongy&quot; sort of texture you describe when you eat it. Carrots can re-hydrate somewhat if placed in water for awhile, so you might try submerging a carrot for a couple of hours to see if that produces a firmer carrot. Not knowing more details, it could well be some other cause, but I observed this behavior with some carrots that had been in the ground for awhile without getting any water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3288" LastActivityDate="2015-09-17T01:22:46.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21852" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21872" CreationDate="2015-09-17T01:43:06.390" Score="5" ViewCount="169" Body="&lt;p&gt;I currently live in New York. I'm interested in having a Dwarf Cavendish as a indoor houseplant, in my apartment.  Will it survive/thrive? I can definitely provide sufficient humidity. I know having a house with a patio is much better but I don't have that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-18T03:45:40.380" LastActivityDate="2015-09-19T00:06:18.513" Title="What can I do to make a Dwarf Cavendish banana plant thrive in my apartment?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21853" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-17T04:24:21.283" Score="2" ViewCount="4418" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several strains that I am watering with the same nutrients but this one is showing this light green discoloration on half of the leaf. None of the other plants are showing this. All conditions are the same.  Does anyone know what causes this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: This is an indoor plant. I found it in my basement. It is growing in coco, a 65%/35% coco perlite mix. Good quality coco. We can call it a &quot;tomato plant&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kg1r5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kg1r5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Discoloration of leaf color&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13127" LastEditorUserId="13127" LastEditDate="2015-09-18T03:49:41.307" LastActivityDate="2015-09-18T03:49:41.307" Title="Why is my leaf changing light green on one side?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ClosedDate="2015-09-19T19:05:14.287" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21854" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-17T14:04:51.577" Score="4" ViewCount="960" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it feasible to lay new turf on an existing grass lawn? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The idea is to completely spike the existing lawn, cover the lawn in lawn dressing, then lay new turf over it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13129" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2021-03-14T13:38:20.047" LastActivityDate="2021-03-14T13:38:20.047" Title="Can I lay new turf on an existing lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;sod&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21857" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21843" CreationDate="2015-09-17T16:56:24.927" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It'll be fine, that's nothing. It has a whole rest of the root network to support it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-09-17T16:56:24.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21858" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21798" CreationDate="2015-09-17T17:00:52.000" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Disease not withstanding and if nothing else is wrong the tree will grow, but it will never regain its former glory. Except for a select few species like locusts and aspens, trees that develop from suckers never do much of anything except annoy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2015-09-22T16:26:10.657" LastActivityDate="2015-09-22T16:26:10.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21853" CreationDate="2015-09-17T17:26:51.813" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it resembles anything at all, its possibly sulphur shortage. If you look closely, there is evidence of other, faint discoloration on other leaflets in that leaf, presenting mostly as lighter green parts, as opposed to the distinct yellowing. It might also be a viral infection, hard to say. The first link below is a diagnostic site for hemp plant nutritional problems, but doesn't cover viral infection, the second link is to a site showing a plant infected with Tobacco Mosaic Virus and what to do about it... it doesn't exactly look like TMV currently though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thenug.com/galleries/diagnose-your-sick-marijuana-plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.thenug.com/galleries/diagnose-your-sick-marijuana-plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://bigbudsmag.com/dealing-with-tobacco-mosaic-virus-tmv-br-in-your-marijuana-plants/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://bigbudsmag.com/dealing-with-tobacco-mosaic-virus-tmv-br-in-your-marijuana-plants/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You haven't said whether this crop is indoor or outdoor, hydroponic or not, but both links might be of use anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-09-17T17:26:51.813" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21862" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-17T18:26:07.860" Score="4" ViewCount="1437" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Craftsman Trimmer and I'm was not getting a spark when starting it.  I tested it with a spark tester and had no spark. I next removed the ground wire from the magneto to isolate it from the starter circuit, but still had no spark.  I removed the magneto completely and was about to replace it, but decided to put it back on after a few days and re-test it by turning the flywheel with a cordless drill. I thought I may not have been turning the flywheel fast enough, well I got spark both with the spark tester and with the spark plug.  I then replaced the ground wire on the magneto, but I got no spark. Then I decided to test the magneto again with out the ground wire and lo and behold, I got no spark.  Reset the gap, but I'm back to no spark.  Could there be something that killed the magneto after I put the ground wire back on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13134" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-09-17T23:39:09.800" LastActivityDate="2021-04-21T04:57:05.900" Title="No spark on a Craftsman line trimmer" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;repair&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21863" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20717" CreationDate="2015-09-17T20:00:10.173" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;yep a type of yucca plant.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h7KCU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h7KCU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;trim close to the surface with kitchen shears or hand trimmers with gloves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4R7ZG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4R7ZG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yucca aloifolia is what this type is called&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;this is how it looks trimmed. the points on the leaf tips are very skin irritating. I use a warm poultice of plantain leaves cuts down the redness and swelling. I had trimmed these as a job. I always use thick leather gloves around these plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xf4zY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xf4zY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;here is another way to trim it&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13135" LastEditorUserId="13135" LastEditDate="2015-09-24T04:00:07.127" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T04:00:07.127" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21864" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21893" CreationDate="2015-09-17T20:14:14.723" Score="5" ViewCount="10638" Body="&lt;p&gt;The house that I recently bought has wood chips covering the entire backyard except for the flower beds and deck. I would like to remove them and increase the flower bed size and put stones on the path. The previous owners put plastic sheeting down and then spread the wood chips all over it for about 2 inches high. My question is, what is the best way to remove and dispose of them? The main reason I want them gone is because they house a lot of insects and slugs. Some of the slugs are huge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Clarification, these are wood chips and not mulch. These are wood chips that chip off when you cut wood using an axe. If needed I'll post a picture tomorrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastEditorUserId="11971" LastEditDate="2015-09-17T20:46:41.933" LastActivityDate="2018-06-21T23:34:16.227" Title="How to effectively remove wood chips from the garden?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;yard&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21865" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21875" CreationDate="2015-09-17T20:18:35.400" Score="3" ViewCount="64" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently planted some rhubarb in the middle of my yard, and am considering putting ginger with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was wondering if:&#xA;ginger would grow well mixed in with the rhubarb?&#xA;will it keep the grass at bay?  I heard that ginger grass is used in cooking.&#xA;will it keep the wildlife away?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2015-09-18T11:15:30.563" Title="Will rhubarb grow well with ginger in MN?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;yard&gt;&lt;rhubarb&gt;&lt;wildlife&gt;&lt;ginger&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21866" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21864" CreationDate="2015-09-17T20:45:44.290" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;When scraping up wood chips in the past from stacking wood for the winter I've used a grain/snow shovel to get most of them up by pushing it under the wood chips, then using a leaf rake to gather up what was left behind.  If you don't have access to one of those you could always use a shovel that was flat.&#xA;Put the wood chips in a wheelbarrow, or pickup truck, and do what you want with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the previous homeowner was nice then pull up the matting, and shovel them into a wheelbarrow/pickup truck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wood chips will decompose over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you need:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grain/snow shovel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wheelbarrow/pickup truck&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rake?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently found out about Garden Giant mushrooms, what you need is:&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;garden giant spawn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water until established&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2-3 years for rich soil in that area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2018-06-21T23:34:16.227" LastActivityDate="2018-06-21T23:34:16.227" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="21867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21864" CreationDate="2015-09-17T20:49:55.843" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what the best way to remove them is but depending on the type of wood chips they could be good to mix with other green material to turn into compost for the flower beds. Using coffee grounds, grass clippings, and other plant material should give you usable compost by next spring. There's a few videos &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLApXYvbprElwCOe5gdtcOMiEMGRpUBb4e&quot;&gt;on YouTube&lt;/a&gt; showing how to do this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2015-09-17T20:49:55.843" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21868" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-17T23:55:36.617" Score="3" ViewCount="2576" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just purchased this plant last Sunday. I repotted it and watered it the same day. Since then the leaves have begun to curl and one of the leaves is developing a large brown spot. The temperature in my apartment ranges from 72-80 degrees. What's causing this issue and how do I fix it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F4vEE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F4vEE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0sZP1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0sZP1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13137" LastEditorUserId="13137" LastEditDate="2015-09-18T00:07:37.970" LastActivityDate="2015-09-18T01:42:25.377" Title="What is causing the curling and brown spot on my Philodendron Congo Green?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21869" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21868" CreationDate="2015-09-18T01:37:51.653" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like shipping damage, either the plant got too cold or too hot.  Remove the leaf and carry on...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  could be too much sun light.  You would have to wait and see as that usually develops into a dry paper thin area of the leaf.  The plant looks healthy so you could wait and see or take it back for a refund.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is fungal/viral/bacterial you will usually see it as small spots rather than the large area of damaged tissue that you see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-09-18T01:42:25.377" LastActivityDate="2015-09-18T01:42:25.377" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21870" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21871" CreationDate="2015-09-18T02:09:44.337" Score="3" ViewCount="20744" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this snake plant for quite some time, but recently one of the leaves has been fading in color. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mix I'm using is perlite based, and I water it once a week. I give it sunlight in the mornings, and in the evenings I put it back on my table away from the window. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What am I doing wrong? Should I cut that leaf off? Also, I want to use rocks instead of perlite mix. Can I switch to rocks only? Will it grow with only rocks? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ySkYw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image1&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PZHK4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-18T03:20:59.880" LastActivityDate="2015-09-18T03:20:59.880" Title="Why is my snake plants' leaf fading in color?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21870" CreationDate="2015-09-18T03:13:45.560" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The yellow leaf is on the outside of the rosette, which means it is the oldest one, so yellowing and dying off is natural as new leaves grow out from the center. You can cut it off if you want, or wait for it to dry off, and cut it dry (there is slightly less risk of infection doing this).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Indoors, Morning sun is good, but your plant looks slightly &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14667/what-is-etiolation&quot;&gt;etiolated&lt;/a&gt;. If you could give it as much sun as possible through the day, that would be great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your perlite-based mix is good, as long as you are fertilizing occasionally. That type of mix washes out easily, but at the same time &lt;em&gt;Sansevieria&lt;/em&gt; are sensitive to over-fertilization. Fertilize lightly, and occasionally. Your watering schedule sounds good, letting the top of the mix dry out in between waterings. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Snake plants like being &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pot-bound&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pot-bound&lt;/a&gt;, so even as it grows, try to keep it in the same pot. As for moving it to stones, this plant isn't an epiphyte, and it isn't well adapted to aquaponics, so any method of growing it on pebbles won't be best. You can, however, place a layer of pebbles onto the top of the mix, for the same look, but keeping the plant in its original mix. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-09-18T03:13:45.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21872" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21852" CreationDate="2015-09-18T03:43:45.773" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few concerns, each of which may not be huge things, but together they can take a toll on your plant's health. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Room&lt;/strong&gt;: Do you have enough room for it? These are big plants when mature, and even if it isn't touching anything, if the leaves are constantly getting brushed against, by people walking past, etc, that will hurt your plant. It should generally be left undisturbed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Household dust&lt;/strong&gt;: Dust, even if it looks like a thin layer, can be very detrimental to the plant's health. It cuts more light than you'd think, and clogs/blocks &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoma&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;stomata&lt;/a&gt;. You will need to wash it off. A room-temperature, thorough shower is highly beneficial once a month, if practical.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Water quality&lt;/strong&gt;: If you have chlorinated water, don't water with it. Even softened well water is hard on bananas. You can kill the plant slowly that way. If you can use rain water or distilled water, that would be great. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vents&lt;/strong&gt;: If you have a central air system, do not let air movement from any outlet blow directly at the plant. Summer AC and winter heat are both extremely drying, and you can easily burn the leaves with either, even if you have a humidifier going on. Keep it away from any air outlets, or any drafty doors/windows. These plants like consistency.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Propane/natural gas&lt;/strong&gt;: This can kill the plant, and even small quantities will be damaging. If you have a gas oven/range, gas fireplace/heater, etc, that can easily be an issue.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen some very healthy banana plants grown as permanent houseplants, and I think if you stay consistent and take care of all the plant's needs, it will be very happy for you. Might be a bit until it flowers, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-18T21:49:39.723" LastActivityDate="2015-09-18T21:49:39.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21873" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21874" CreationDate="2015-09-18T04:20:17.097" Score="3" ViewCount="23719" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why is my peace lily flower turning black?&#xA;It's the white flower not the green leafs that are turning black. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9lowA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastActivityDate="2015-09-18T11:50:11.940" Title="Peace lily flowers are turning black" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21874" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21873" CreationDate="2015-09-18T10:42:43.203" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can see some blackening at the edge of a couple of leaves too though, which often indicates a water problem, or being near a heat source. First, I don't know whether the blackening on the spathe is caused by a deposit of some sort that can be rubbed off, like a mould of some sort, but either way, it seems likely your plant is either being over watered, or is left sitting in water in some outer container or tray. Whilst these plants do like a fair amount of water, they don't like to be sitting in it, so if you're not emptying any tray or container after 30 minutes when you have watered, start doing that as soon as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would cut off the spathes, or even the whole flower stem at its base (more will arrive later anyway), trim off any damaged leaves, inspect the compost for signs of mould growth, and to see whether its waterlogged, check the drainage holes in the pot aren't blocked. If the compost is waterlogged, stand it on something which allows any excess to drip away freely (like a rack, or over the plughole in the sink, for a while). Once its dried out a bit, then keep it well watered, watering when the surface of the potting compost feels just slightly dry to the touch, and watering thoroughly each time, but allow it to drain properly, and tip away any water that collects in an outer container after 30 minutes, and check again a while later to make sure no more has collected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This link might be useful for general care instructions&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/peace-lily.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/peace-lily.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-09-18T11:50:11.940" LastActivityDate="2015-09-18T11:50:11.940" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21865" CreationDate="2015-09-18T10:58:32.857" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to establish some clarity regarding your question - first, when you say ginger grass, do you mean Paspalum distichum, common name ginger grass, or do you mean Zingiber officinale, the knobbly root grown for culinary/medicinal use, which also produces grass like leaves on top? I'm assuming you mean the latter, in which case, this plant grows in Zones 10 or 11 outdoors for a few months - once the leaves die back, the root is harvested. You appear to reside in Zone 5, so you won't be able to grow this outdoors other than possibly during summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm also not sure what you mean by 'will it keep the grass at bay', but as you can't grow it outdoors at this time of year anyway, its probably now irrelevant. If, though, you were asking whether growing ginger would keep other grass from encroaching on your rhubarb, no, it wouldn't, you need to remove the grass by weeding it out yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-09-18T11:15:30.563" LastActivityDate="2015-09-18T11:15:30.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21876" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-18T14:26:25.273" Score="5" ViewCount="2493" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Chilli plant leaves are curling, the flowers are falling, and a lot of ants are traveling all the way to the place where the new leaves and flowers are shooting. I have tried burying banana peel pieces in the soil, but no go.&#xA;Any help appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13140" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-18T21:37:12.620" LastActivityDate="2015-09-18T21:37:12.620" Title="Why do my Chilli plants have curling leaves, falling flowers, and ants?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21878" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21876" CreationDate="2015-09-18T15:37:32.273" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Inspect the plant closely - its likely its infested with aphids (blackfly, greenfly, whitefly) of one sort or another, and ants like to collect the honeydew the aphids produce. The ants are a symptom of infestation. Spray with neem or a suitable insecticide for edible plants available where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-09-18T15:37:32.273" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21879" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21852" CreationDate="2015-09-19T00:01:09.200" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Musser's given an excellent answer, but there's a few other factors you should consider for your &lt;strong&gt;big&lt;/strong&gt; potted plant: Miracle gro comes in a variety of different NPK formulations. You might want to check online for what formulation your type of banana, or bananas in general favor. Also, premixed fertilizers are usually sold &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/ornamentals/floriculture/prepare.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;without Calcium and Magnesium salts&lt;/a&gt; as they tend to make other nutrients precipitate.  IIRC New York City water has plenty of calcium, but consider occasionally adding a tablespoon of Epsom salts (MgSO4) per gallon to your watering mix. Chlorophyll and &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RuBisCO&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Rubisco&lt;/a&gt; both require Mg++ to function properly. Happy green chlorophyll is required to harvest energy from light, and Rubisco is required to convert CO2 from the air into the sugars from which the plant makes everything else it needs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastEditorUserId="724" LastEditDate="2015-09-19T00:06:18.513" LastActivityDate="2015-09-19T00:06:18.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21880" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21882" CreationDate="2015-09-19T01:53:40.760" Score="10" ViewCount="223" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know most spiders are harmless and beneficial, but which spiders do I want to look out for and get rid of in my garden? (Midwest United States).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13144" LastActivityDate="2015-09-23T04:54:51.633" Title="Which spiders should I allow in my garden?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21881" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21880" CreationDate="2015-09-19T05:19:03.070" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Off the cuff, there are two types of &quot;spiders&quot; that I would watch closely:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;tics&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;for the well-known health risks involved. The occasional tic is fine, if you have an infestation, you need to act.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;spider mites&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;because they can severely damage some plants. But outdoors, they usually are controlled by beneficial insects, so acting on them is very rarely necessary - and often solvable without chemicals.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both are spiders in a scientific sense, but probably not what you had in mind...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-19T16:32:06.950" LastActivityDate="2015-09-19T16:32:06.950" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21880" CreationDate="2015-09-19T10:40:47.047" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most spiders are friends to your garden, they eat insects, likely including pests you want gone. I can think of one true spider that you might not want getting cozy in your garden. Meet the Brown Recluse: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MQyIh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MQyIh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That darker brown fiddle-shaped marking on the head is suggestive of the species. Their eyes are more distinctive, one pair at the center, two pairs to the side for a total of only 6 eyes. At full size their leg-span is about the size of a quarter. They are native to much of the southern US from California to Georgia and as far north as Southern Iowa/Nebraska. They are hunting spiders, they go out looking for prey at night. Their webs are low-lying and messy (not the classic web-shape) and used for shelter. Their preferred habitat around humans is wood-piles, sheds and garages. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They mostly avoid contact with people, but if they're disturbed or feel cornered they may bite. Most bites from the Brown Recluse &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orkin.com/other/spiders/brown-recluse-spiders/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;are not dangerous&lt;/a&gt;, they turn red, swell up, then fade away. There are some cases however where the bite can cause necrosis (the tissue at the bite point rots). Because necrosis is the type of symptom you don't mess around with, it pays to keep an eye out for spiders if your garden-work takes you near any of the preferred nest sites I listed earlier. As for actively discouraging them, I wouldn't do much beyond keeping a few yards of open space between any wood-piles and my garden. Trying to actively remove them is a good way to end up getting bit, better to just keep some space between your garden and their shelter spots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-09-19T10:45:53.613" LastActivityDate="2015-09-19T10:45:53.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21884" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21880" CreationDate="2015-09-19T19:01:00.193" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't be too concerned about any spiders garden-wise. There are some wolf spiders that dig holes all over the place, and that might scare you, but those spiders shouldn't be dangerous. They're not brown recluses, although they look similar (I've been told they were before; so, that's why I feel the need to disclaim this). Brown recluses are supposed to go out and hunt (not wait in holes for prey to come by). Wolf spiders that burrow shouldn't alter the appearance of a landscape with reasonable ground cover, but the holes can potentially be quite visible on bare dirt. There are similar, smaller spiders that can abound on the ground, and their numbers may be bothersome or scary to humans, but I don't know what they are, and I don't believe they're dangerous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a storage shed, or crawl space, for your garden supplies, you might keep an eye out for black widows. They can potentially be dangerous, especially for small people, but they won't harm your crops. I hear they enjoy crickets, however. If you have a lot of crickets, I would keep an eye out for black widows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobo_spider&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hobo spiders&lt;/a&gt; are said to inhabit fields. They have funnel webs and wait for prey, and they're virtually indistinguishable from lots of other spiders. Their venom is potent, but they probably won't harm you or your garden. Their bites are not known to be fatal to humans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-09-19T23:19:47.527" LastActivityDate="2015-09-19T23:19:47.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21885" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21818" CreationDate="2015-09-19T19:14:27.423" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know a lot about carrots, but I'm guessing they need more potassium (if you're deficient in calcium or silica that may also be an issue). Those three things really strengthen stems of plants: I imagine they do similar things to roots. If you like soft carrots, I wouldn't worry about it much, though. Potassium and phosphorus are said to play a role in root development, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potassium will likely cause your carrots to absorb more water, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-09-19T19:14:27.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21886" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21890" CreationDate="2015-09-20T02:14:20.263" Score="4" ViewCount="195" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some areas I want to cover in vines, and I want them to attract pollinators, but also be pet-safe (especially cats, as mine are quite curious). I could not find much documentation on this (it was either a list of pet-safe, or pollinator-attracting vines, but not combined). So can anyone think of any?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt; More info:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zone: 6&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sunlight: Partial to Full Shade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil: Clay, but I have materials to reduce the hardness of the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Amount of space: Around 750ft&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13144" LastEditorUserId="13144" LastEditDate="2015-09-20T21:21:47.620" LastActivityDate="2015-09-21T00:10:24.377" Title="What are some good pet-safe pollinator-attracting vines?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21887" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-20T15:27:53.200" Score="3" ViewCount="118" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought cacti seedlings. After one month they don't look like cacti. Any ideas on what this might be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click photo for full size&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wb4yo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wb4yol.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13147" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-20T18:07:48.790" LastActivityDate="2015-09-20T22:05:09.907" Title="Is this a cactus?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21888" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2572" CreationDate="2015-09-20T21:11:47.137" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Prune the tree at the correct time of the year for that type of tree to avoid the stain from a leaking wound. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over several years the stain does go away as the wound heals closing the leak. It's not a sick tree, it's just healing the wound!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13149" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-09-20T22:41:36.150" LastActivityDate="2015-09-20T22:41:36.150" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21887" CreationDate="2015-09-20T22:05:09.907" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whatever it is it is getting TOO MUCH WATER and there is no drainage.  Needs an awful lot more light.  Succulent type/cactus type plants store their own water, they have very shallow roots, need a clay pot that breathes, potting soil for cactus type plants, make the pot wider than tall.  Whatever plant this is, there are an awful lot of them.  I'd break them up and put them in tiny pots with cactus potting soil, spray with water to moisten only the top 1/2 &quot; of soil, allow to dry a bit before spraying again.  Don't worry about fertilizer now, these plants need to get established first.  Are these indoor plants?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-20T22:05:09.907" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21890" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21886" CreationDate="2015-09-20T22:21:23.920" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why do you want 'pollinating vines'?  All plants produce flowers, even if they are't showy.  All need pollination unless self-pollinating by wind/disturbance.  Vines for partial/full shade are few.  Especially if you want to attract pollinators.  Not many plants want to reproduce when they are in the shade.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Evergreen clematis performs well in shade, smells wonderful but one needs to have a place where it can go nuts without needing to be restrained.  Otherwise it can get quite thick and unruly up close.  Akebia does ok in partial shade but better in light.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And clay soil is a great soil.  I miss my clay soils...amazing.  The only way to IMPROVE ANY soil type is to add decomposed organic matter.  Clay makes great plant beds if you double dig and fluff the soil with a spade. NEVER EVER USE a rototiller with heavy clay soils.  Makes concrete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are you thinking to use to improve your soil?  What do you mean by hardness?   There is NOTHING I would ever consider using other than DECOMPOSED organic matter that you only have to dump ON TOP of the soil to work.  Clay soil is tiny, tiny, flat rocks.  If there is any moisture at all and the soil is ROTATED, churned the flat surfaces are electrostatically enhanced and will stick together to make brick/concrete.  Concrete is made from clay, water, gravel, gypsum, lime and ROTATION or agitation.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By piling DECOMPOSED organic matter on top, the soil organisms, micro and macro...come up to EAT decomposed organicc matter, tunnel back into your soil profile, poop it out and this is what it takes to make ANY type of soil better.  There is NOTHING else to improve your soil!!  Add more information/pictures and we can help you do less yet do better.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For cats, you need to avoid any type of LILY!!  Daylilly, Calla lily, Iris...these are attractive to cats and will kill them.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-20T22:21:23.920" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21891" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4415" CreationDate="2015-09-20T22:23:32.080" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably too much time lapsed for answer yet the iron in ground water is a two way issue with iron content. It is yellow if not enough. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Possibly if on a slight slope downhill the ground water is flushing away several minerals faster than the trees can absorb. Then if they trees sit in too much mineral or iron rich water then iron will aid in redder leaves not at normal autumn season.   &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tree planting is not just a dig a hole and put in hole, and water. Check the soil acid or alkaline =ph. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tree planting: soil ,area, sun/shade.etc water levels sub-ground You've made all the best attempt. If roots are too packed in small nursery pot they should be uncurled and spread downward into the new location with a granular bit of draining small rock in hole area where center of tree trunk and distinct new roots will grow&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;get faster drainage if ground is over wet, pack in the helpful health soil, pack in soil to get the air in loose ground off the roots. Too much airy loose soil is not effective for many tree types They like to be anchored by the dense soil , not fluffy soil. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They don't like to sink down into the soil after being watered whether dense or fluffy soil ,for that is where crown rot /or the tree trunk either rots it's bark or the tree is figuring if it will grow feeder roots up the buried trunk or die off.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the pretty concrete  edging: nice but it is higher than crown of tree. Too easy to keep wet in concrete area, but rough on trunk and crown. Nice for lawn cutting .  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13149" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-09-20T22:36:55.863" LastActivityDate="2015-09-20T22:36:55.863" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21892" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21880" CreationDate="2015-09-20T22:38:38.503" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spiders in the garden are total GOOD GUYS.  The amount of insects they control is wonderful!!  They will not bother you!  Now Tagenaria aggrestice or the Hobo Spider, Aggressive House Spider, Wolf Spiders...Brown Recluse you DON'T WANT in your home.  If they bite you you will probably need antibiotics or the necrosis could turn into gangrene.  Not cool especially on the face.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are 'tunnel spiders'...true the males go out at night to 'hunt' but they make a tunnel out of web and attack insects that get stuck in their web.  But in the garden, these guys are worth their weight in gold!!  If I find these guys inside I trap them and dump their butts outside in my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Black Widows could POSSIBLY make one very, very sick and in rare cases cause death.  They are akin to a tunnel spider but their webs look very messy and they are very shy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;People that try to use a pesticide or pesticide applicator and kill ALL INSECTS are in a world of hurt!  Pesticides just are NOT necessary!! I hope this helps, I hope you don't kill your spiders.  My favorite spider is the Cat Face spider (the female gets a huge body) but as web builders and gymnasts they are spectacular.  I've ummmm, had a few as 'pets'...in and around the home.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a question about insects or spiders please get a picture of said felon, what you believe they are doing and pictures of the damage/environment.  Never use a pesticide without KNOWING what it is you are using the pesticide FOR.   I am glad you asked!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-20T22:38:38.503" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21864" CreationDate="2015-09-20T23:09:28.967" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is one of my favorite questions.  GET RID OF ALL BARK AND PLASTIC period! Do you have a 'greenway'?  Some au natural areas?  This is the best place to dump the bark, thinly!  Plastic does nothing for weeds and stops the entire cycle between atmosphere, rain/water, organics to feed the soil organisms that aerate and help plants uptake certain chemicals (NOT NUTRIENTS...plants make their own food).  The only decomposed organic material I use for mulch is human poo mixed with sawdust and completely decomposed and continually tested.  Gorgeous, dark taupe, fine texture, no weed seeds, no pesticide residues.  Check with your closest sewer company/water company. Hope you have this available!!  Call Sawdust Supply in Seattle Washington.  They provide this stuff and can help you find this stuff in your area.  2&quot; and NO WEEDS.  If you get one blown in you can easily pull it up. This stuff feeds your soil and your plants.  Throw that plastic away, away, away!!  Sigh!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-20T23:09:28.967" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21886" CreationDate="2015-09-21T00:10:24.377" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The ASPCA has a pretty big &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;list of plants&lt;/a&gt; that are known to be both toxic and non-toxic to cats and dogs. The list for just cats &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/cats-plant-list&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;can be found here&lt;/a&gt; and the list for just dogs &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/dogs-plant-list&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;can be found here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="56" LastActivityDate="2015-09-21T00:10:24.377" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21895" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21898" CreationDate="2015-09-21T02:44:53.387" Score="7" ViewCount="265" Body="&lt;p&gt;I came across this plant, while searching for another plant. I have no clue as to what kind of plant this is. Also, wondering if it's a houseplant as well. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uMuWh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;weird looking, I&amp;#39;d say&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-09-21T16:10:13.457" LastActivityDate="2015-09-21T16:10:13.457" Title="What type of plant is this and is it a houseplant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21896" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21903" CreationDate="2015-09-21T06:11:55.043" Score="7" ViewCount="965" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm new to gardening as this is the first place we've moved to with a garden. I've managed to work out some of the plants that are present in the garden, however, they look like they have never been tended to in a loving way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have dogwood in the back gardenthat looks scarce underneath with loads of leaves growing wildly out of control on top, shall I prune this right back to the bottom and start all over again?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q74ko.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q74ko.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uj8ni.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uj8ni.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Spirea and Lavender in the front, look like they are diseased instead of vibrant pink and purple colours they are dull and look a bit cobwebby, is this normal? &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sZO4G.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sZO4G.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cIhhB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cIhhB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13151" LastEditorUserId="13151" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T06:38:16.880" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T06:38:16.880" Title="Pruning Dogwood, Lavender and Spirea" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21897" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5321" CreationDate="2015-09-21T08:44:33.033" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I actually bought several identical shovels like that - primarily because they have otherwise good design. Three years later I can say that yes - it's worth it, especially for grubbing bushes. A regular shovel would hold its shape and then irreversibly bend or break under load. A shovel of spring steel bends under serious load and once load is withdrawn it just bends back and restores its shape as if nothing happened. IMO totally worth it for the price difference (something like equivalent of ten USD for regular one versus something like equivalent of twenty USD for one of spring steel).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastActivityDate="2015-09-21T08:44:33.033" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21898" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21895" CreationDate="2015-09-21T11:04:48.330" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum_morganianum&quot;&gt;burrow tail sedum&lt;/a&gt; or Sedum morganianum. This succulent plant is native to Mexico and Central America and is considered a perennial there. In areas where the temperature consistently gets below zero it is a houseplant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The requirements are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;high light (south facing window usually)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;free draining soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a clay pot is preferred as the weight will help stabilize the long tails that grow over the edge of the pot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;reduce watering during the winter months&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the tails can get very long so place it where they can hang several feet down or more&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it propagates extremely easily, any piece of the tail if left on top of soil will root and grow&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;never seen any insect or virus/fungus/bacteria problems&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not overwater&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-09-21T11:04:48.330" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21899" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21896" CreationDate="2015-09-21T13:42:19.473" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Photos would help immensely as would your location, but in general I would say it would be best to selectively prune your dogwood shrub. This winter when it is dormant, prune out any dead wood and cut the largest branches back to the ground. Leave the smaller ones. I'd aim to remove 1/3-1/2 of the branches this year, depending on how badly overgrown it is. In the spring, you should have new shoots to replace those you've pruned back. If you continue pruning out the largest branches each winter, it will refresh itself quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the spirea and lavender, did they look this way all summer, or is this a fairly new thing? Mine looked lovely earlier in the season, but as we move into fall are looking dull and dreary. They'll be fine next year. I cut the spirea back to about 8 inches and lavender back to 3 or 4 inches in early spring before they start waking up. I also cut out any dead wood at that time. This keeps them fresh. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-09-21T13:42:19.473" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21900" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21902" CreationDate="2015-09-21T16:25:46.753" Score="6" ViewCount="21165" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have heard that adding coffee grounds to the soil - as a top layer/mulch - help potted plumeria. But what about this helps the plant thrive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonus Q: I have heard the same of banana peels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13153" LastActivityDate="2019-10-21T18:47:04.467" Title="How do coffee grounds benefit potted plumeria?" Tags="&lt;coffee-grounds&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21900" CreationDate="2015-09-21T16:51:49.690" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Coffee grounds are said to be acidifying, and Plumeria prefer a soil on the more acidic side, so that might be why you've been told that. Whether they really are acidifying depends on which resource you look up, and depends on which coffee they're from and at what stage of decomposition they're at, but they also may have a deterring effect on various fungal infections commonly present in open ground. Organic, fresh, coffee grounds do have a small nitrogen content too. As for the banana peels, they contribute nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus, but should be cut up and buried in the soil, which I feel would be rather difficult to do with a potted plant. Of course, you could always just drape a banana skin in an artistic arrangement on top of the soil in the pot, and maybe pile up spent coffee grounds on top, but frankly, from an aesthetic point of view, its probably best to stick to plant fertiliser during the growing season and relegate the coffee grounds and banana skin to the compost heap. It's all down to what you think is acceptable though - I have an acquaintance whose front garden is always littered with banana skins, teabags and coffee grounds, which she feels benefit her plants. They might or might not, but they don't benefit the appearance of the local neighbourhood much...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-09-21T18:17:59.007" LastActivityDate="2015-09-21T18:17:59.007" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21902" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21900" CreationDate="2015-09-21T18:09:47.903" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Coffee grounds benefit soil the same way compost and mulch do, they add organic matter. You might as well just compost the grounds and add the compost to the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a myth that coffee grounds acidify soils. By the time they break down they have a pH close to rain water. Here is &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13789/does-a-pine-needle-mulch-make-your-soil-acidic/13791#13791&quot;&gt;a related question about pine needles&lt;/a&gt; that has a very thorough answer debunking this myth. Here is a link &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenmyths.com/coffee-grounds-acidifies-soil/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;specifically about coffee grounds&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-09-21T18:09:47.903" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21903" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21896" CreationDate="2015-09-21T21:09:52.680" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are all very, very hardy shrubs.  Kind of on the 'weedy' side.  Weedy means hardy yet they will grow in spite of having lots of dead wood still attached.  The best way to keep these plants gorgeous spring/summer as well as winter is to prune.  All three need HEADING on a regular basis.  Heading is taking off the apical tips versus thinning.  Thinning is normally used for trees as they take a long time to get to their genetic 'form'...to head trees instead of thinning is to make a 'bush on a stick'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will need a super pair of hedging shears.  Felco, Sandvik are the best that I use.  If you have LOTS of hedging to do you should definitely go to gas powered hedging shears.  You need to learn how to sharpen both and regularly.  Go find a great SALAD BOWL from your kitchen for visual information.  Turn it upside down. THIS is the shape ALL shrubs should attain that aren't in a hedge format.  Take your shears and place it on the top or really the 'bottom' of the bowl.  It is flat, yes?  This is where you decide the height of your shrub.  Spirea should be at the most 3' in height and thus 4-6' in width (eventually).  This is critical to get the lower leaves to continue to be as productive as the very top leaves of your shrub.  Otherwise, your shrub will promote the top leaves and not the bottom leaves making an awkward shaped shrub with lots of dead branches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using this bowl (for a minute more) keep your shears tangent to the bowl as you clip...ummmm...flat on the bowl's surfaces (remember this bowl is turned upside down).  Then once you've got the main form chopped off, take the shears and with the points of your shears pointing at the edge of the flat bottom come up from below the edge of your shrub in smallish sections keeping your shears flat on that 'bowl' and shear.  From time to time take your hand and VIGOROUSLY smack your shrub.  This gets the debris to fall to the ground.  It also makes aberrant branches to pop up to get chopped as well.  Your shrub should look like your salad bowl, NOT a ball OR upside down teardrop!!  I should probably draw this and will if you need more visualization.  Hedges, rule of thumb is the top is always narrower than the bottom.  A slight angle from the bottom to the narrower top is all that is necessary to keep your hedge thick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would not cut any shrub to the ground.  Lavender is a bit different than your other two shrubs.  It is more a hardy perennial.  But same thing with the salad bowl.  I prune my lavenders and similar plants lightly every time they start flowering.  Light pruning is FAR better than heavy pruning.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dogwood does wonderfully with heading.  How big do you want these shrubs?  What varieties do you have?  Thinning, selectively cutting out branches back to the branch from which they sprang, helps with aeration (air flowing through plant to reduce problems with fungus, disease) but unless you are growing your dogwood to be small patio trees, they do best with heading.  Start by taking off less than what you want.  No more than 1/3 of the plant.  Anymore you could kill or damage your shrubs.  Less is more...more prunings taking off just a little each time is best. If you are heading a stemmy shrub, head and then take hand pruners to cut off stem stubs.  Very, very satisfying chore...just don't get too excited, grins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When one takes the apical or terminal bud off a branch of a plant...well, a HUGE amount of energy is contained in this bud.  Cut it off and that energy is rerouted down the stem to the lateral buds.  This is how you make dense, thick shrubs.  When you take off entire branches this doesn't happen so drastically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send pictures.  What are the varieties of spirea, dogwood and lavender you've got going?  What are you trying to achieve with these plants? Clean your tools with alcohol in between different plants.  So easy to transfer unknown diseases to other susceptible plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-21T21:09:52.680" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21904" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3201" CreationDate="2015-09-22T00:13:22.023" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;From empírical experience I'd say coffee tends to reduce the population of useful worms in the compost, slowing its decomposition. I'd rather put the coffee residue directly into the soil and save the grass clippings for the compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13155" LastActivityDate="2015-09-22T00:13:22.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21905" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21900" CreationDate="2015-09-22T02:02:41.837" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Coffee grounds are great JUST FOR adding organic matter to the soil.  The percentages of NPK are miniscule.  Banana peels are OK.  Again...pluses and minuses make banana peels OK for including organic matter to the soil.  Banana peels take forever to decompose.  After years I've found whole peels in my compost and have quit including them.  Messed up my blender...it was an old whimpy one but still. I would never consider these things 'fertilizer'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What concerns me is that we have such a huge responsibility in our gardens; have to know deficiencies, EXCESSES of chemicals necessary for plants to make their own food...when to add water, when not to, how to manage different types of soils properly...sandy, silt or clay.  How to increase the biological and microbiological part of our soil.   A simple, straight-forward all-purpose fertilizer for your plants is so very necessary.  Getting at least 2 soil tests so that you know what your soil contains.  Knowing what is necessary to add to your soil and no more.  Just adding decomposed organic matter to the top of your soil is all one needs to do to improve tilth, drainage, add weed control, chemicals for plants(to make their own food in conjuction with sun energy) AND decomposed organic matter to feed micro-macro soil organisms. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How many banana peels is too much, too few?  If they aren't decomposed, the nutrients will not be available for organisms or plants. Will they inhibit water penetration?  Way too unscientific for me. The coffee has some nitrogen available that would be enough for the decomposers to use to decompose the grounds...but NOT a source of nitrogen for plants!  And yup, coffee grounds are slightly acidic but not enough to worry about.  The pH of your water, the rain, the normal environment's plant debris make much more of a difference.  You have got to get a soil test to make proper decisions on managing your soil/plants/garden.  Using coffee grounds/bananas/egg shells is pretty much equal to just using ANY decomposed organic matter in your soil. I like knowing what I am adding to the soil.  By watching the growth of the plants, the leaf colors, spots, I understand how much to add, what might be lacking. This decomposed organic matter does add necessary chemicals to the soil for plants and animals but to depend on it for fertilizer is in my opinion crazy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gotta know why, how much, what you 'add' to your garden.  How else will you be able to learn to recognise problems?  In my opinion, coffee grounds/banana peels/egg shells...should be lumped into 'old wives tales' until better research is done.  Grin, sorry.  They are great in compost but should never replace soil tests and a good, basic fertilizer (organics actually make the best extended release) where you KNOW the percentage of chemicals you add.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then one can get into stuff like...dried horsetail (equisetum) is incredible for plant hardiness by adding silicon.  Fish emulsion used once or twice per year for all plants also makes plants...more hardy.  This is similar to using...banana peels, egg shells.  Even I have my 'little secrets' that work well and that science hasn't really explained.  But I know my soils weaknesses, strengths and what I HAVE to add.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-22T02:02:41.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21906" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-22T02:47:26.813" Score="5" ViewCount="820" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have what looks like perennial growing in a shady(ish) section of my lawn. I'd like to stretch this along the whole shady section to replace the weeds that are growing there. Could I simply pull out a clump, cut it up into 4-5 smaller sections and plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/niOWn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/niOWn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastActivityDate="2017-07-07T15:26:45.663" Title="Transplanting and dissecting clump grass" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21908" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-22T14:16:15.197" Score="4" ViewCount="136" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some neighbours in our common building put the water-pipes of their air-conditioning systems over the garden. The water drips from the pipes and creates puddles in the garden. There are plants growing nearby, but still there is sufficient water in the puddles to attract musquitos, bees and other insects. These are quite a nuisance to the other neighbours. We asked the neighbours to direct their pipes to somewhere else, but they didn't want to. Is there anything we can do in order to prevent insects from coming to the water puddles? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2748" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T23:44:29.533" Title="How to prevent insects coming to a water-puddle" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21909" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21908" CreationDate="2015-09-22T14:33:10.140" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming there is no solution such as that I ask about in my comment, the only thing I can think of is to attach rain barrels or water butts with lids to the outlet pipes so that the water collects in there and not on the ground. Whether you could use this condensate water on the garden for watering purposes is another matter - if the plants in the area where the puddles are collecting are still healthy, then it's likely okay to use the water from the rain barrels to water the garden with in order to dispose of it from time to time. I wouldn't risk using it to water vegetables or food plants generally though because it will be acidic and may contain trace elements such as copper and aluminium, possibly lead and zinc too, depending on whether there's any soldered joints in the system. If the plants in the surrounding area start looking sick, then I'd be concerned about what exactly is in the condensate dripping out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't think of anything you could add to the puddles occasionally to deter insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-09-22T14:33:10.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21910" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-22T17:32:03.227" Score="6" ViewCount="1410" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted butternut squash and this is what has been growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are between 12 and 13 inches long and 12 to 14 inches around at the largest point. They have not turned tan at all. Please let me know what these are so I know how to harvest and process them. &#xA;Thanks for any help you can give me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tm4Sm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tm4Sm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;squash&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WJCLZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WJCLZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13158" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2015-09-22T18:25:59.097" LastActivityDate="2019-10-20T20:05:29.157" Title="What is this vegetable in my garden?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21910" CreationDate="2015-09-22T17:40:26.680" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it looks like a marrow, which are a type of squash, particularly if the fruits resembled courgettes (or zucchini, depending where you live) when they were small. On the other hand, there are green varieties of butternut type squash, such as Barbara and Zucca di Milano, but Barbara usually has yellowish stripes or mottles. If you planted a bit later than you should, they may still be butternut squash which just haven't changed colour yet, hard to say.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure what you mean by 'how to process them...' do you mean how to prepare and cook them? If you do, some ideas in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thekitchn.com/12-ways-to-make-the-most-out-of-zucchini-and-summer-squash-recipes-from-the-kitchn-205318&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.thekitchn.com/12-ways-to-make-the-most-out-of-zucchini-and-summer-squash-recipes-from-the-kitchn-205318&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ah, well, there's your answer then - your saved seed was a result of cross pollination of your plants last year, and that means you've got squash this year, but who knows quite what type of squash, they don't come true from seed. Bear in mind that a squash is a squash - whether its a pumpkin or butternut or marrow, the only query with yours is, are they ripe...and what will they taste like...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-09-23T10:53:15.007" LastActivityDate="2015-09-23T10:53:15.007" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21912" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21910" CreationDate="2015-09-22T20:18:22.770" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know if there is a name for it, but I also grew something like that a few years back.  I had planted some pumpkins and against most of the advice online which says don't harvest and use them for seeds, I did anyway.  The next season one of the plants grew something that looked like that.  Did you get seeds from the store or did you harvest last year's seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe it may be a hybrid of a pumpkin and a zucchini or something else from the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cucurbita&lt;/a&gt; family. These types of plants have the ability to cross pollinate fairly easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I gave them away to friends and family.  One person kept it in the kitchen for a few months and told me it turned orange, so at some level it was still &quot;pumpkin like&quot;.   Others make lasagna out of it when it looked like the picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13160" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-22T20:42:28.110" LastActivityDate="2015-09-22T20:42:28.110" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21913" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21914" CreationDate="2015-09-22T20:51:45.437" Score="9" ViewCount="3318" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Today&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; I planted an apple tree grown on dwarfing rootstock (&lt;strong&gt;M27&lt;/strong&gt;). The soil at my allotment is very heavy yellow clay. But it's on a decent slope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I dug a hole the depth of the container in which it came. The bottom of the hole was practically hard clay, you could make sculpture out of it. Therefore I did the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put in some big stones.&#xA;Then compost, fish blood and bone and horticultural grit, all mixed together.&#xA;Planted the tree and the stake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I fear that the tree roots might get stuck in the clay &quot;ball&quot;, and that the drainage might not be as good as needed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone give me any &lt;strong&gt;impressions&lt;/strong&gt; about this, and in case it seems it's doomed to root rot, &lt;strong&gt;is there anything I could do to prevent it at this stage&lt;/strong&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below you see a picture, and I am in Bristol, UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IIUhxl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IIUhxl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastEditorUserId="6795" LastEditDate="2015-09-23T15:25:34.260" LastActivityDate="2015-12-08T18:02:30.500" Title="Dwarf Apple tree in heavy clay" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21913" CreationDate="2015-09-22T23:18:05.443" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apple trees do well in clay.  There are a few things you could do different next time:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not put stones or other soil amendments in the bottom of the hole.  If the planting hole has reached the clay sub soil or pan then plant it high or &quot;proud&quot; as described &lt;a href=&quot;http://content.ces.ncsu.edu/planting-techniques-for-trees-and-shrubs/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The addition of organic matter provides little or no advantage to the&#xA;  planting hole in good soils&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;backfill with the soil dug from the hole&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant the tree so that the soil in the pot is level with the ground unless you are planting high due to clay&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use two or three stakes as indicated here and remove them in one year&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PFbKW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PFbKW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;http://www.ag.auburn.edu/&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ag.auburn.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;raise a lip or rim of soil around the edge of the hole to catch moisture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mulch heavily at the edge, thinning as you approach the trunk. Rake back in the fall if you get cool wet springs or mice&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;speaking of mice....put a tree guard around the trunk as high as the snow gets and a little more, they like to eat fruit tree bark if they hungry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;decide whether your clay soil has a drainage problem.  Is there open water in spring?  Does it drain poorly after a heavy rain?  You could put drainage pipe on the upper slope to dry out the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  Now we have a picture I would recommend that you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;follow the staking practices in the picture.  Use three stakes instead of one. - with the slope you have I doubt you will have wet soil in the spring&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;start planning now for the first year branch structure you want. From &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=164&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prune during dormant season between November and early March&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut back the central stem just above a wide-angled, strong shoot, approximately 75cm (2½ft) from the ground, ensuring there are three to four evenly-spaced shoots below&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shorten these branches by half to two-thirds, cutting just above an outward-facing bud&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove any remaining lower branches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ecnerwal's answer has inspired me to expand on what planting a dwarf root stock implies.  From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/00-007.htm#dwarf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; which is written for North America but has some applicability:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dwarfing root stocks have a limited root volume and benefit from&#xA;supplemental irrigation in dry seasons and in droughty soils.(not the case for clay!) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dwarfing root stocks also benefit from &lt;em&gt;total tree support&lt;/em&gt; for the&#xA;life of the orchard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it does not produce root suckers or burr-knots&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;make sure ... that the graft union remains 2 to 3 inches (5cm - 8cm) above the permanent soil level. If soil is piled up over the graft union, scion rooting may occur and the dwarfing effect will be lost. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.al.gov.bc.ca/treefrt/homegdn/apples.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, apples need one or more pollination partners to ensure good fruit set. Types and varieties are not interchangeable but having other apple trees nearby of the correct type is almost mandatory.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-09-27T14:00:56.197" LastActivityDate="2015-09-27T14:00:56.197" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21915" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21916" CreationDate="2015-09-23T01:53:38.033" Score="5" ViewCount="575" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew some green pole beans (variety unknown) this year from commercial seed, and I'd like to harvest some seeds from the plants to regrow for next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I do this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried just picking some beans, pulling the seeds out of the pod, and starting them in a wet paper towel in a baggie in the window, which is the same way we started the commercial bean seeds. They just rotted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do they need to grow longer than for eating, and if so, how do I know when they are ready? Is there any treatment or preparations required before planting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13163" LastActivityDate="2015-09-23T03:26:08.870" Title="Regrow beans from the garden" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;beans&gt;&lt;green-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21916" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21915" CreationDate="2015-09-23T03:26:08.870" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you need to leave them on the plant longer. We eat green beans when they are still immature. To harvest for seed, leave the pods on the plant until they are dry and brittle. You can then crack the seed pods open to get the seeds out. Store them in a cool, dry place til next planting season. If possible, pull the seeds from at least 5-7 different plants, so you maintain genetic diversity. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-09-23T03:26:08.870" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21917" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21880" CreationDate="2015-09-23T04:54:51.633" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Also be aware of brown widows -- like black widows, but you know, brown. Same distinctive round abdomen. Spiky white eggsacs. Around here (San Diego) they are in every dang crevice -- especially empty pots or under the lips of plastic ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13165" LastActivityDate="2015-09-23T04:54:51.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21918" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-23T05:11:44.427" Score="3" ViewCount="375" Body="&lt;p&gt;Landscaping our yard, I went a bit nuts for roses and got a lot of them before I realized how tough they are! Tough to keep happy I mean. My main problem has been rose slugs -- little caterpillars that are really sawfly larvae. They have been really doing a number chewing holes in the leaves, almost killing the plants. I have tried, on various occasions&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-- Squishing by hand&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-- Pesticides (Neem and imiclopramid I think--&quot;rose spray&quot;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-- Ladybugs&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ladybugs disappeared in 2 days. The squishing is effective but tricky -- once there are old holes it's hard to find where the caterpillars are. I'm not even worried about the ick factor. Pesticides seemed to work but I want to avoid them, and definitely don't want to use all the time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a secret trick I'm missing? What strikes me as strange is the rose books barely mention them, but they're my biggest problem. Is it a hot/dry place problem? (San Diego here) Do I have to give up on my roses? Are roses one of those things where people love them because they're practically impossible to succeed at? ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13165" LastActivityDate="2015-09-23T11:43:39.530" Title="Solution for rose slugs?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21919" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17523" CreationDate="2015-09-23T09:21:42.083" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Making Bonsai From Large Cuttings, Part 1 :&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD2_ZEC53aI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD2_ZEC53aI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also has a part 2. Search on youtube for -&#xA;A Day in the Life of Bonsai Iligan: Scarlet Truncheon and Trunk Split&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Air Layering thick trunks, part 1 : search for -&#xA;Bonsai Techniques - Air Layering graham potter&#xA;Bonsai Techniques - Air Layering Part II &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13166" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-09-23T12:47:12.713" LastActivityDate="2015-09-23T12:47:12.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21920" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21918" CreationDate="2015-09-23T11:04:12.523" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Roses, whilst beautiful flowers, are a regular pain as far as I'm concerned. They need spraying every fortnight with a pesticide/fungicide because there's nearly always something wrong with them, are prone to fungal infection, most need proper pruning at the right time to keep the centre of the bushes open to increase air flow, deadheading must be carried out correctly or you get tatty growth, do better if they're manured biennially and fed with specialist rose food twice yearly, look really boring in winter, and on top of that, you get stabbed by the thorns. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may have gathered they are not my favourite plant and definitely not low maintenance, but if you love them, check out what you can get in your area in terms of the pesticide/fungicide. In the UK, we use a product called Roseclear Ultra, a combined preparation, no idea if its available where you are, but maybe there's something similar. I start the spraying regime here usually in mid April through to end of August, feed in April with Toprose and again in June, and add a manure based mulch twice yearly. Or at least I did - I've been quite successful in getting clients to get rid of their roses over the years, it makes their garden maintenance bills much higher if they keep them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're a retired person, then roses aren't a bad thing to grow - you'd have the time to go out daily and examine all the plants and squish anything you find, and use the milk/water spray in different ratios for mildew and black spot, but this would have to be a daily exercise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roses will survive without all this care - but they won't look good and will be infested and infected a lot of the time. I'm afraid, if you're trying not to use chemicals such as pesticides and fungicides, roses were possibly the worst plants you could have chosen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The link below might be of some help regarding control of rose slug&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/insects/sawflies/rose-and-pear-slugs-sawflies.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/insects/sawflies/rose-and-pear-slugs-sawflies.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-09-23T11:43:39.530" LastActivityDate="2015-09-23T11:43:39.530" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21921" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21926" CreationDate="2015-09-23T13:21:38.233" Score="5" ViewCount="141" Body="&lt;p&gt;Location: Palm Beach, FL - zone 10A&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My garden was infested with weevils and some other kind of fungi. I sprayed it with Monterey Garden Insect spray a week ago. This week, I noticed that my plants are dying. I have some new plants that I am ready to put in the ground. Is there a way to decontaminate the soil that I have now and reuse it? Purchasing new soil is not in my expense at the moment. I am adding some pictures of the plants,so you can have an idea of how they look..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oXfVJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oXfVJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This is one of my eggplant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pI1dQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pI1dQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This tomato plant was looking really healthy two weeks ago. Now, you can see the brown and yellow spots.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KFw3l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KFw3l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another angle of the tomato plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fco1m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fco1m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This are new plants that I want to transplant.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13092" LastEditorUserId="13092" LastEditDate="2015-09-23T16:12:43.880" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T02:31:12.880" Title="What Should I Do With My Soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21922" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-23T16:23:10.597" Score="1" ViewCount="64" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OG4Yn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OG4Yn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unidentified plant, some kind of succulent&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought this plant a while ago and I'm having trouble identifying it.  I thought it was a hen and chicks when I got it, but it seems to be growing out of control.  It doesn't need much water at all and is growing well in pretty dry soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13169" LastActivityDate="2015-09-23T16:23:10.597" Title="What kind of plant do I have?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2015-09-24T08:32:47.580" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21923" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-23T17:42:26.467" Score="2" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am new to garden and I have a tomato plant that is infected by fungus. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to ask how fungus infects the plant? Does the disease affect the soil, plant or both?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-09-23T19:28:27.207" LastActivityDate="2015-09-23T19:28:27.207" Title="Plants Fungus Infection" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="7" ClosedDate="2016-11-22T23:31:30.737" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21924" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-23T23:33:10.903" Score="3" ViewCount="2623" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a new prickly pear that I love and it just went limp on me tonight. I checked the soil and it feels moist but not wet and top inch is bone dry. Around the roots is a little damper. The top stems are wrinkled and limp. Is this a sign of over or under watering? The plant is bright green with a few brown spots which most of them they had when I purchased the plant. I did also put it in a really 12&quot;w pot on the advice I should go a bigger in anticipation of its growth. The plant gets full direct southern sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2vTTz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2vTTz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13177" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-24T13:57:52.297" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T13:57:52.297" Title="Why has my prickly pear cactus gone limp?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2015-09-25T13:11:52.097" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21925" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-24T01:28:50.610" Score="4" ViewCount="227" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this plant growing on an overgrown hill slope full of wild plants and weeds in Pennsylvania. It looks like a Dock plant or a super large plantain leaf. I just collected a good amount of them, and want to know if they are edible. I'm hoping its medicinal qualities aid in helping the kidneys and liver, as do dandelions and plantains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click on picture for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YVJkj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YVJkjm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant growing on hill slope well overgrown in Pa.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13135" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-11T18:55:00.543" LastActivityDate="2015-10-11T18:55:00.543" Title="What is this plant with leaves over a foot long, in Pennsylvania?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21926" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21921" CreationDate="2015-09-24T02:31:12.880" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found in my gardens in the past when I had done pretty much the same thing a friend told me to use a mixture of carbon (or wood ash) with coffee grounds that it would help detoxify the soil and it worked for me I just worked in the mixture with a fork about 2 inches of the top soil and watered it as normal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13135" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T02:31:12.880" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21927" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21910" CreationDate="2015-09-24T03:01:29.497" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe the squash is Australian Green Summer squash, by the looks of it. As for the ripeness , the hardness of a cucumber is what you want firm with a little give.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13135" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T03:01:29.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19600" CreationDate="2015-09-24T04:39:03.600" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen this kind of &quot;hair&quot; on the Old Man Cactus, it looks like a succulent but it's a cactus although I forgot the name of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13135" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T04:39:03.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21929" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-24T09:57:01.997" Score="4" ViewCount="167" Body="&lt;p&gt;About a year ago, I kept some red potatoes in the cellar. Most of them were edible, but some of them began sprouting so I didn't eat them. Now, I want to plant these remaining potatoes in the garden. When is the best time to do this in Israel? Should I wait for the rain season?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2748" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-09-25T12:38:56.727" LastActivityDate="2015-09-25T12:38:56.727" Title="Best time to plant red potatoes" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21930" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21908" CreationDate="2015-09-24T10:27:25.293" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since we're dealing with a small puddle from an AC unit, I think the problem here is just the force of impact from the fall always hitting one small spot. When the water from the unit falls down is splashes soil away and slowly cuts a place the water can collect into the soil beneath it. If the water weren't falling directly on the soil underneath it, your problem would be solved. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to suggest a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Amerimax-Home-Products-24-in-Green-Splash-Block-3002-12/100090348&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Downspout Splash Guard.&lt;/a&gt; They're pretty cheaply available from most home improvement stores, just smooth out the soil where the puddle forms, then place the splash guard under the pipes. The splash guard will prevent the drainage from cutting a hole in the soil and slow the water down enough that it just runs off gently into the garden/lawn. Like Bamboo says, the water itself might not be the healthiest thing for plants (pH issues, dissolved metals, etc) so keep an eye on the health of the nearby plants. If you prefer a more natural look I have achieved the same end result with a large flat rock. The main point is that the water hits something that isn't soil at the end of the long fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T10:27:25.293" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21931" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-24T12:40:28.680" Score="4" ViewCount="984" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted 26 emerald arborvitae trees this summer. All but three are looking good. On each of those three, one of the shoots died. If I cut that part out, will the trees fill in? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13175" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-08T18:11:14.110" LastActivityDate="2015-10-08T18:11:14.110" Title="Will pruning dead shoots off an arborvitae cause re-growth?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21932" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21931" CreationDate="2015-09-24T12:50:56.743" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it will if those cedars are healthy. You should investigate to find out why the shoots died. Some possible causes with freshly planted cedars are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;inadequate watering; new plants need a lot of water the first season&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;too much watering: are they planted in a very wet area?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spider mites or scale or leaf miner are common problems.  See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guelphlabservices.com/files/PDC/006Eastern%20White%20Cedar.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;physical damage during planting, deer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These answers are also related:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/9462/499&quot;&gt;how to make cedars grow fast&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/11271/499&quot;&gt;are these cedars worth saving&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/11231/499&quot;&gt;how much damage can cedars recover from&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T12:50:56.743" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21934" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-24T14:23:02.220" Score="5" ViewCount="1756" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I finally said screw it to my old gas mower, and decided I wanted to skip gas altogether (I hate small engines with a passion, my mower was the only gas yard tool I had left), so I picked up a discounted-end-of-season reel mower. I suppose I should probably clean it after mowing, but I'm not sure how. Is it OK to gently spray it down with a hose? Can I get away with oiling just the cutting edges after mowing, or are there other parts that need oil? Would veggie oils be suitable, or should I go for a petroleum oil? Are there any other major concerns that need to be taken care of between every use? (I know about sharpening the blades and adjusting the cutting bar, not necessarily HOW, but at least about)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7103" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T17:36:27.653" Title="How should a reel mower be cleaned after mowing?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21935" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21939" CreationDate="2015-09-24T16:12:32.310" Score="9" ViewCount="11165" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, I picked up a reel mower, and thinking about cutting wet grass with it. When I think about the reasons why I couldn't cut wet grass with a power mower, none of them seemed to apply (There is no deck for wet grass to clump up on a reel mower, and gas mowers push clippings through a hole that is a fraction of the size of the total cutting area of the mower, which is not the case with reel mowers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I probably won't be mowing during any downpours, but can I get away with cutting wetter grass with a reel mower than I could with a power mower?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7103" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T14:42:19.307" Title="Can reel mowers be used to cut wet grass?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21935" CreationDate="2015-09-24T16:37:56.303" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In theory, yes, but the usual problem encountered is slipping and skidding on the grass as you push it along, often causing muddy slicks to appear. At worst, pushing it along might make grooves in wet soil, but if the grass isn't that long, it shouldn't be a problem. That's assuming that what you guys call a reel mower is what we in the UK call a push along cylinder mower, or an unpowered cylinder mower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T16:37:56.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21934" CreationDate="2015-09-24T16:44:13.010" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you should clean it after mowing. You really need a lawnmower cleaning brush, a narrow one that gets between the blades to take off anything lurking there, and for a general scrub down of dirty parts. You could hose it down if you wanted, but you'd need to dry it off before oiling and storing it, so its not something I'd do. Check the area where the cylinder blades connect into the frame, the part which spins - quite often, grass or other debris gets wound round the spindle, and you need to clear that away each time, or you'll suddenly find the cylinder's not rotating properly or at all. As for oiling, I just use WD40, giving all the metal parts a spray, in particular moving parts, including the blades and spindles. Helps to prevent rusting too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-09-24T17:36:27.653" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T17:36:27.653" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21938" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21819" CreationDate="2015-09-24T17:36:24.383" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If its prickly pear, I've had this problem before (generally with younger plants, or recently planted cuttings - and yes it is due to too much rain/water) I've had some success propping them up with rebar for a week or so while the ground dries up again and the cactus regains some rigidity. I can't defend the science behind this or anything, but it has worked for me in several cases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13178" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T17:36:24.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21939" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21935" CreationDate="2015-09-24T21:12:51.147" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Working in Landscape Maintenance in the Northwest US with lots and lots of rain, well, rain and wet couldn't come between my crews and their routes.  We used hydro static gas mowers for traction more than anything. Mowers that aren't hydro static will spin their wheels and dig up/ruin the grass. A reel mower would be less intrusive to the environment being light and propelled by human feet.  If the grass is not too long, the soil not so mushy that you leave deep imprints and most importantly the blades are super sharp there should be no problem mowing in the rain.  Another rule to always be using is to change your pattern of mowing EVERY SINGLE TIME you mow!!!  Otherwise, mowing in wet conditions will quickly make grooves that are not condusive for a healthy, even lawn.  Mow a different pattern each time you mow even in great, dry weather.  Try using an angle versus parallel to the house or walk!  A continuous circle, a diagonal!  I'd easily take a day off mowing if I was not committed to a route.  Always mow once or more per week. Especially with a reel mower that doesn't bag clippings.  The more often you mow the less you have to remove from the top of your lawn and the finer cut will be your clippings.  Finer chopped clippings will decompose quickly.  I would fertilize with fertilizer that incorporates bacteria necessary for decomposing these clippings.  Dr. Earth Lawn Fertilizer is one example.  Also, make SURE you aerate with an aerator that pulls 2-3&quot; plugs out of the lawn.  Leave the plugs where they are!!  They decompose/break up quickly and help to include soil, bacteria, organic matter to the top of the lawn and thatch beginnings.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep your grass height NO SHORTER THAN 3&quot;.  Grass growth slows down at this height and will be more erect/stiffened than new and faster growth from mowing too short.  You'll take of less.  Weed seeds won't be able to get enough sun to germinate.  Less water will evaporate.  Most importantly 'cool season' grasses NEED to have at least 3&quot; of topgrowth to FEED its roots by photosynthesis.  Fertilizer IS NOT FOOD.  Plants make their own food and if you want healthy grass you've got to hold to the 3&quot; minimum!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also on super wet days used my gas blower to 'stand' the grass blades up by blowing off the excess water holding the blades down below the blades of my mower.  Or after I mow the first pass, then I used the blower and that would pop up the 'MOHAWKS' of grass that didn't get cut.  Mowing twice or three times (on smaller lawns) was not abnormal.  Gas powered mowers have a 'sucking' or a vacuum action sucking the grass blades UP to be available to be cut.  I always trimmed edges first so that my mower could 'vacuum' up the clippings/leaves. Reel mowers don't really do that.  If you have a smallish lawn, a reel mower IS best!  Just keep those blades super sharp, mow OFTEN (twice per week) to ensure the clippings are small enough to decompose, aerate once per year and find fertilizer that adds thatch decomposing bacteria.  Change your 'pattern' each time you mow!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T21:12:51.147" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21940" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-24T21:26:42.977" Score="8" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in hardiness zone 4, where not much can survive the winter, but I have been able to grow many tropical plants by bringing them inside before the frost, or by keeping them in my office year round.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have 2 pineapple plants that are about 3 years old, a pomegranate tree that is about 6 years old, and an orange tree that is about 8 years old. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of them are very healthy, and mature enough to fruit; the first pineapple plant even came with a pineapple growing when I bought it, but none have shown signs of flowering. I have read that fruiting depends on number of hours of daylight and day/night temperature cycles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way I can coax the plants to flower and produce fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13180" LastActivityDate="2016-01-24T15:54:27.097" Title="Tropical Plants Fruiting in Temperate Climates" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21941" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21929" CreationDate="2015-09-24T22:06:24.617" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gotta know where you live, what kind of soil but assuming you have a winter season I would keep those potatoes cool and dry for now.  Store in sawdust in a cellar?  Store in shredded newspaper in a cool cellar?  Plant in early spring.  You can cut into halves/quarters as long as they have 'eyes'.  Plant in soil that is not compacted nor retains water.  The pH needs to be more acidic...6.0 to be safe.  But planting store bought potatoes or using one's own potatoes for starts is a bit dangerous.  Best is to purchase certified disease free potatoes from a reputable source.  Depending on your soil condition and your zone, one could plant now and they'll grow in the spring.  Potatoes are easy to grow, so rewarding and one of the first 'products' of a vegetable garden.  The plants die back quicker than other plants in the vegetable garden.  The potatoes will be fine as long as your soil is very light, full of organic material, pH is correct, no potatoes/tomatoes planted in the same soil for at least 2 years (disease), watered regularly, fertilized.  Lots of light.  Share pictures and more detail to get better, more personalized answers....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T22:06:24.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21942" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21925" CreationDate="2015-09-24T22:25:11.800" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;How about Comfrey...?  Doesn't look like Italian Arum to me anyhoo.  Do you remember ANYTHING about the flowers?  Check this out...&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfrey&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfrey&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is plantain and I went out to check.  Here is a link for different views of plantain, different species.  Great to know what plants to eat or not eat in the wild. Plantain is great, dandelion is super, nettles are yummy...but please take care to KNOW what it is you are eating, sometime a little is fine, a bit more is toxic.&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=plantain%20weed&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1455&amp;amp;bih=726&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;imgil=Lq3lEaNuAwBq0M%253A%253BPMN_iUFwHowdtM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fhappyturf.com%25252Fweeds%25252Fplantain.php&amp;amp;source=iu&amp;amp;pf=m&amp;amp;fir=Lq3lEaNuAwBq0M%253A%252CPMN_iUFwHowdtM%252C_&amp;amp;ved=0CCgQyjdqFQoTCNW0or7akMgCFRUpiAodxpkE7g&amp;amp;ei=dXcEVpWmDpXSoATGs5LwDg&amp;amp;usg=__9PSM-c7JmmIX-9G30mc6AglmKXg%3D#imgrc=Lq3lEaNuAwBq0M%3A&amp;amp;usg=__9PSM-c7JmmIX-9G30mc6AglmKXg%3D&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;plantain&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2015-10-07T20:12:28.470" LastActivityDate="2015-10-07T20:12:28.470" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21943" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-24T22:41:52.317" Score="9" ViewCount="401" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TygMD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TygMD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf is about 3ft tall in a well shaded area, and rough to the touch. It&amp;#39;s growing on a river bank in Pa. It looks like a huge parsley type leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is new to me. It's about 3 ft tall, in a well-shaded area on a river bank in Pennsylvania. It's rough to the touch and looks like a huge parsley-type leaf. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've lived in PA for about 16 years, only to find tons of new plants and vines that are all imports, and most are extremely invasive. I am identifying as many as I can and am going to make up a report to submit to the city and possibly volunteer for a cleanup job, though it will take an army at this point. I want to see if these plants are medicinal or edible and where they come from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13135" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-25T22:32:00.610" LastActivityDate="2016-11-14T06:44:43.670" Title="What is this large leaf by a river in Pennsylvania?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21944" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21908" CreationDate="2015-09-24T23:44:29.533" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on how extensive these puddles are you could easily get a load of crushed gravel with the 'minus' fines.  This compacts, fills the holes, no water will be able to sit. Have it unloaded somewhere convenient then just shovel a few shovel fulls into the dips. This will also stop the making of a hole because the water hits the stone first and gets spread in droplets. Easy to walk upon.  Wouldn't worry about using it for watering unless you've a few other friends that live in this apartment complex.  The water barrels are a bit of work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another very very cheap easy thing to do if the only thing you worry about are mosquitos is to add a drop or two of chlorine bleach to the puddles.  This vaporizes quite quickly, a tiny bit works well and won't be around after a day or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-24T23:44:29.533" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21945" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21913" CreationDate="2015-09-25T03:04:14.233" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;IME, IMHO, etc...but I'm normally also dealing with bare-root trees, not potted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best bet with heavy clay (or most soils) is to not, in any way, improve the soil in the hole. While counterintuitive at first, all that does is to encourage the tree roots to stay put in the hole. If the tree is simply planted in the soil that there is, the roots have no reason to prefer the &quot;improved hole soil&quot; and will develop normally, putting up with (and growing through) the soil that there is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you can do (but not late in the season) is to apply compost or a mulch that breaks down easily from ~6&quot; away from the trunk out to, or a little past the dripline (area of soil under branches) to feed the roots and encourage worms which will improve the soil in a manner that is not detrimentally confined to a dug hole. Growing things like annual alfalfa (but that's hard on clay due to pH), daikon radish or other cover crops with major root activity is another approach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With M27 being an &quot;ultra dwarf&quot; and somewhat brittle rootstock, permanent staking is recommended (sorry @stormy, but some highly bred dwarf trees just don't grow strong if grown free - they grow for a while and break when the wind blows.) In larger installations (orchards) a heavy wire fence serves to stake a whole row of trees. In a single-tree install, you'll need 1-3 stakes that will hopefully last the life of the tree to keep it intact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-09-25T03:04:14.233" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21946" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21947" CreationDate="2015-09-25T03:19:37.000" Score="7" ViewCount="4556" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this plant in water until it grew enough roots and a few more leaves. I'm not sure what kind of plant this is, but its starting to grow longer; when it was only one little leaf when I rescued it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've noticed a couple of &lt;strong&gt;yellow&lt;/strong&gt; streaks a few weeks ago. But now there's more and the yellow spots are getting wider. I water once a week. I've only fertilized once with Miracle-Gro Fertilizer. I give it morning sun until the sun goes down. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought I was taking good care of this plant, what am I doing wrong? &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YpVex.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YpVex.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yellowing&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h3ihK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h3ihK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-09-25T15:23:45.920" LastActivityDate="2015-09-25T15:23:45.920" Title="Why is the foliage turning yellow on this climbing indoor vine?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21946" CreationDate="2015-09-25T03:56:52.567" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like natural variegation to me...looks like a typical golden pothos (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Epipremnum aureum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;). It's supposed to have these marks. They show up and contrast best with good lighting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't worry about this - it's natural, and healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-25T03:56:52.567" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8010" CreationDate="2015-09-25T09:57:16.173" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;For 30m of hedge, I would buy and electric or petrol trimmer. Doing it all by hand with shears will take a long time and more skill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="460" LastActivityDate="2015-09-25T09:57:16.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21949" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21961" CreationDate="2015-09-25T17:09:09.390" Score="3" ViewCount="205" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed that I have grubs in my garden. Is there anything Organic that I can use to get rid of them?&#xA;These little things totally destroy my tomato and pepper plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3KMSB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3KMSB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13092" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-09-25T22:27:53.803" LastActivityDate="2015-09-26T10:49:10.220" Title="How to Get Rid of white grubs?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21950" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-25T17:41:03.710" Score="10" ViewCount="340" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a maple seedling about a foot tall. It has not been planted in the ground yet, but it has changed color to its fall colours. It's is in a small pot. Since I may have missed the window to plant it in he ground, can you tell me what is the best way to save tree.. ? Can I plant it now, if so, what are musts.. And if I cannot, what is best way to keep it healthy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13184" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-25T17:47:26.967" LastActivityDate="2015-09-25T18:36:25.373" Title="Can I plant my maple seedling in the fall months?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21951" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21950" CreationDate="2015-09-25T17:45:52.610" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, go ahead and plant it. It's actually better for it to be in the ground over winter anyway, as it helps protect the roots. Planting trees in the fall is a common practice, your tree should do just fine. Just make sure it stays well hydrated, until the ground freezes, so you don't get winter burn. A light mulch (~3&quot;) of organic matter is beneficial too. Do not fertilize until the tree is well under way the following year. You can damage the roots, plus you don't want to push any new growth this fall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than that, follow the general proper tree planting methods, and make sure it's got plenty of room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-25T17:45:52.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21952" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21953" CreationDate="2015-09-25T17:19:38.073" Score="6" ViewCount="4032" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering how to keep my basil usable for cooking as long as possible.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Bought this today from the shop:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hUPNM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hUPNM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fresh one&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the label it says &lt;em&gt;&quot;Keep in the light and water daily&quot;&lt;/em&gt;, but I'm not sure if I should remove that plastic thing, so maybe it could breathe better.&#xA;I've read some 'basil storage' posts around the internet like &lt;a href=&quot;https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/469/fresh-basil-storage&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;, but none referred to basil in soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had another one for like 2-3 weeks, which died in the last couple of days, because I forgot to water it lately. This one:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZSTx1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZSTx1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dead one&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, should I remove that foil around it? Will it help prolong its lifetime?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13186" OwnerDisplayName="Alex" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:33:29.830" LastActivityDate="2015-09-27T15:12:29.750" Title="Keeping basil fresh as long as possible....should I remove the plastic?" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21953" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21952" CreationDate="2015-09-25T17:39:33.603" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The basil sold in these pots are in fact a dozen or so little seedlings grown just long enough to develop a few leaves. The plastic sleeve serves two purposes: Coralling the small plants which would otherwise tend to lean in all directions, getting easily tangled with plants from other pots and thus protecting them from mechanical damage during transport and in the stores. It is simply a packaging, not a &quot;mini-greenhouse&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you bring one of these pots home, the first thing to do should be &lt;em&gt;to remove the foil&lt;/em&gt;. If you leave it on, you encourage damp conditions within that encourage the growth of fungi and are not healthy for your plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next, put your pot in a saucer so that runoff from watering doesn't make a major mess. (You &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; use a cache pot, but that's purely for decorative purposes.) Within the next few days and weeks, some of the smaller seedlings will die, succumbing to the overcrowded conditions in your pot. Remove all stems that appear shriveled, blackened or &quot;fuzzy&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When harvesting, &lt;em&gt;always pinch the top pair or two of leaves&lt;/em&gt;, this encourages new growth as opposed to long, lanky bare stems and it lengthens the time until the plants start to bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basil will do very well outdoors&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; if you transition it slowly - these seedlings are comparatively weak and fragile and need hardening off if you try to do so. You could even remove the whole cluster of plants from the pot and plant them further apart. This should allow the plants to mature better and get way larger that in the pot. But if you just want a few leaves for your kitchen and are little inclined to fuss about your basil, just use it up and get a new one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; Note that basil is an annnual and absolutely not frost hardy. So planting or transitioning it outdoors is a spring/summer project, not one for a scandinavian autumn. I added this information for general reference, not for this specific pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" OwnerDisplayName="Stephie" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-09-27T15:12:29.750" LastActivityDate="2015-09-27T15:12:29.750" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21954" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21950" CreationDate="2015-09-25T18:36:25.373" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rule of thumb is you can plant trees in any month with an R in the name.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That means even December and January are good months to plant if your ground isn't frozen solid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As J Musser said, fall is best. Not only does it protect the roots, the roots will continue to grow slowly over the winter and the tree will be MUCH better established before the brutality of summer begins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-09-25T18:36:25.373" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21955" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9468" CreationDate="2015-09-25T18:48:55.780" Score="4" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Green filters, such as the green colored plastic, allows more green light than other wavelengths to pass through. For plants, the blue and red part of the spectrum are the most important. Since plant leaves are generally green, they reflect green light. I don't think the green color would be the best choice to grow plants under.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure a green filter would block the green spectrum allowing the plants to absorb more of the others. The color you are seeing is the range of spectrum that ISN'T being absorbed. So if you think about it..if the material is green..it is reflecting the green spectrum..so less green light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13187" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2015-09-26T04:08:22.837" LastActivityDate="2015-09-26T04:08:22.837" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21956" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21952" CreationDate="2015-09-25T20:18:37.707" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your basil is toast.  Sorry...basil is a tender annual in most areas of the world.  Where was this plant when you purchased it?  Indoors or out of doors?  This guy looks as if it went through a freeze after you brought it home.  That or no water or fried by the sun through the window... but I realise you are already sensitive to watering.  It is pretty late in the year to plant out of doors in the garden.  Takes time to acclimate and one freeze will kill your plant or set it back where producing enough fresh leaves to use in cooking is nill.  The dried leaves could be used/saved!  Not the same as fresh of course.  These plants are sold to be used in cooking right away.  You might be able to keep them useable for 2 or 3 weeks unless it was earlier in the year and you could plant in garden or put pot out for more sunlight.  Definitely take the froofroo off...the florist's shield that you show as well as those funky foil pretty things that the entire pot sits in.  You do not want the bottom of the pot to sit in a saucer or foil pretty thing full of water!!  Try growing your own from seed!  Very easy, works pretty well indoors with lots of light.  I'd even have a grow light as fresh basil is such a treat.  Have you tried Thai Basil?  This plant I see in your second picture just is not going to come back.  Go ahead and try but I'd also try growing from seed with a grow light and access to real sunlight.  Careful putting any plant in sun in a window until it is hardened off or was grown in the sun in a window.  Find out how your plant was cultivated, what conditions it is used to and you have to slowly acclimate it to your environment.  This is NOT a house plant that will last for months/years anywhere (unless tropical, subtropical conditions and not allowed to go to seed, annuals, once they are allowed to seed are programmed to die...happily.  They've done their job, made babies/seeds).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-25T20:18:37.707" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21957" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-25T21:47:32.720" Score="3" ViewCount="146" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/18gB0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/18gB0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;I am located in Molalla Oregon and this weed has grown like crazy in my outdoor riding arena. The ground is hard and dry and mostly sandy-gravel. I do not want it to spread into my horse pasture or paddocks. Help&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13189" LastActivityDate="2015-09-26T01:14:33.277" Title="What is this weed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2015-09-27T13:46:30.243" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21958" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21957" CreationDate="2015-09-26T01:14:33.277" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;purslane&lt;/a&gt; -- &lt;em&gt;Portulaca oleracea&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; -- in its classic late-season (dry, hot weather) look. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is good, general information on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/7931/6932&quot;&gt;this previous identification answer about purslane&lt;/a&gt; (as previously linked by @GardenerJ in comment). Some basic information: it is edible by humans (and, to me, very tasty), it is very easy to pull/weed-out (especially in loose/rocky/sandy soil), it is ubiquitous and difficult to completely eradicate, but it is an annual.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your question has the added context of horses. &lt;strong&gt;Since you have horses, caution is warranted.&lt;/strong&gt; Though it does not seem to be on Wikipeida's &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_plants_poisonous_to_equines&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;list of plants poiosonous to equines&lt;/a&gt;, it &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/purslane&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ASPCA list as toxic to horses&lt;/a&gt;. The cited reason however (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_oxalate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;calcium oxalate&lt;/a&gt;) is dubious to me; this is also in &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis_stricta&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;common yellow wood-sorrel&lt;/a&gt; and similar common weeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Standard-style disclaimer: I'm not an equine expert. You should consider doing more research to determine toxicity. Perhaps consider &lt;a href=&quot;https://pets.stackexchange.com/&quot;&gt;Pets.SE&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6932" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:59:16.827" LastActivityDate="2015-09-26T01:14:33.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21960" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9468" CreationDate="2015-09-26T03:04:43.277" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aside from avoiding toxins, I think the primary benefit of using any color is to block light. The best light to block is probably UV rays, since it can stress plants. However, it may also increase nutritional value of the fruits and vegetables. So, it's give and take. Blocking infrared may help keep the greenhouse cooler, too, which would be helpful in the summer, in hot areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you use green plastic, you might allow mostly only green light to go through (it depends on the color, which may merely look green, but actually allows other colors through in high amounts, too), which probably isn't going to do a lot for your plants, as others have said.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't recommend another color instead of green. Clear is best, in my opinion. It's more like outdoors and allows more light, which is generally a good thing. The only things I would consider blocking are UV rays and infrared, but you can still have a clear greenhouse with UV and infrared filters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most plastic probably blocks UV rays already. So, infrared making your greenhouse hot is probably mostly what you have to worry about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can see color normally inside a green greenhouse, then it's letting other light besides green in, which is a good thing, in my opinion. I'm guessing most of them let lots of all colors, besides UV, in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-09-26T03:10:57.987" LastActivityDate="2015-09-26T03:10:57.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21961" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21949" CreationDate="2015-09-26T10:49:10.220" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can get one out of the soil and inspect it thoroughly, you should be able to decide exactly what type of grub it is. I don't know where you are in the world, so can't hazard a guess at whether its Japanese Beetle larvae or not - the link below has a picture of 3 different grubs which look remarkably similar, and also lists organic methods for attempting to deal with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.toxicfreenc.org/organicgardening/japanese_beetles.html#.VgZ3MG4Tbcs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.toxicfreenc.org/organicgardening/japanese_beetles.html#.VgZ3MG4Tbcs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the UK, we have a nematode solution for chafer grubs, but not for Japanese Beetle - we don't yet have those here fortunately, so what you can find to treat any of them with is, to some extent, dependent on where you live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-09-26T10:49:10.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21962" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21963" CreationDate="2015-09-26T11:24:05.313" Score="4" ViewCount="1731" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a plant of unknown species on my closed balcony. Since the last few months it seems to vegetate and starts to lose its leaves without producing new ones. For some time there was some white powder spread over the whole plant, but it seems to be gone now. Anyone have any idea what plant it is and what could be wrong? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JB0gY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JB0gY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LpF95.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LpF95.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13194" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-26T17:02:42.503" LastActivityDate="2015-09-26T17:02:42.503" Title="What is this plant with large leaves that have a white substance on them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21963" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21962" CreationDate="2015-09-26T11:40:49.530" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think its a variety of Colocasia, or Elephant Ear plant, and the pot it's in is way too small for it. These plants can get up to 9 feet in a season - they grow from a tuber, and are tropical, so in temperate regions, will be planted outside in the ground once all risk of frost is over. Given the pot is too small, its likely the symptoms you're seeing on the leaves are due to this, because there's no room for the roots to develop properly. You would need a much, much larger pot over time to enable its correct growth, but it isn't really a suitable subject for a balcony, unless the area of the balcony is very large. If you live in a tropical area, the plant won't die back in winter either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some information in the link below about these plants, though the one displayed in the picture is a particular variety with darker leaves - note also that Elephant Ear is a name also applied to Alocasia, a plant that's closely related and not dissimilar in growth habit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://landscaping.about.com/od/unusualplants1/p/elephant_ears.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://landscaping.about.com/od/unusualplants1/p/elephant_ears.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With regard to the 'white powder', it sounds as if it had powdery mildew and this infection is often related to dryness at the roots of the plant - it wouldn't be difficult for the plant to get too dry given its in such a small pot. If it happens again, spray the leaves thoroughly, top and bottom with a solution of 1 part cow's milk to 9 parts water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-09-26T11:40:49.530" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21964" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21965" CreationDate="2015-09-27T01:30:25.917" Score="8" ViewCount="609" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend just gave me one of her houseplants during her move to another apartment. She doesn't know what the name of this plant is and she didn't give me any instructions on how to care for it. The way she cared for it was just watering when it seemed dry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I love plants and really want to care for it so my question is, what kind of plant is this and what's the best way to care for it? How big will it grow and will I need to change the pot at some-time or another?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BhcMN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BhcMN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-27T02:07:41.077" LastActivityDate="2015-09-27T02:07:41.077" Title="What is this small plant with large dark green leaves, and how do I care for it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21964" CreationDate="2015-09-27T02:05:22.157" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a Fiddle-leaf Fig (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_lyrata&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ficus lyrata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;). Here are some conditions to provide:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pot/mix:&lt;/strong&gt; These have large, invasive root systems and need large pots. They like a well drained, peaty mix with some mineral content (like grit). To keep them from growing too big (6' isn't uncommon), yearly root pruning and repotting can be necessary. Simply lift the plant from the pot, carefully remove the mix without damaging roots, and head them back to a length that they will fit in the pot without circling. You can head back the top at the same time (after the plant is back in the pot, of course). It's a small plant. So until it reaches a large size, I'd recommend simply moving it into a new, larger container whenever it becomes root bound, until you reach your maximum size. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Light:&lt;/strong&gt; Bright filtered light is best. Direct sunlight can damage the leaves, especially in summer. Other than direct sunlight, the brighter the better. If you have a spot near a bright window, no supplemental lighting will be necessary. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Water:&lt;/strong&gt; Wait until the soil is dry in the top inch, and then water very thoroughly, so that all the mix is wet. Always keep it in a container that drains freely, though, so that you don't drown it. Don't use chlorinated or city water on it. Distilled or rain water is ideal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pest Control:&lt;/strong&gt; These figs are susceptible to some pests, especially mealybugs, whiteflies, mites, etc. Check under the leaves and along the stems regularly, and take note at any sign of pest damage.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Atmosphere:&lt;/strong&gt; They are warm climate plants, and will be sensitive to any cold drafts. Don't place them anywhere that a draft can reach them (Especially not by a door to outdoors in winter). Also, vents (warm or cool air) from your heating system are extremely drying, so don't place this plant where there is air movement from these. They like a good level of humidity, so if you can provide that it would be awesome. They are adaptable to lower humidity though. In very low humidity, the leaf margins can burn. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fertilizer:&lt;/strong&gt; Slow release fertilizer (general application) with micronutrients is best. Use according to the product instructions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Other Notes:&lt;/strong&gt; Wash household dust off with tepid water whenever there is visible buildup on the leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants don't tend to branch naturally, and heading them off every foot or so can get you a bushier, more compact plant. Also, the plant bleeds white glue, and I sometimes put a light pad of cotton ball or something on fresh cuts so it doesn't run over stems and dry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are really adaptable, resilient plants once you take care of the first vital conditions. They make a nice tall specimen plant to break an ugly corner, or to put in the back of an arrangement, for a backdrop.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-27T02:05:22.157" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21967" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-27T06:05:54.470" Score="8" ViewCount="389" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this wildflower with 4 symmetrical petals, white with purple spots, lanceolate leaves? The plant is about a foot high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/88lhD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/88lhD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;a closeup of the stem and leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7KRnH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7KRnH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of the flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZCnBg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZCnBg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;and a not very good picture of the plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the middle Himalayas (about 1600m above sea level) and it's just entering autumn here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13196" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T08:54:14.060" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T08:54:14.060" Title="What is this wildflower with 4 petals, white with purple spots?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21968" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-27T06:50:24.027" Score="4" ViewCount="7096" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted the persimmon tree last November which was about 4 years old. The tree seemed to be ok until July this year. Then, I recently noticed that a majority of the leaves on the tree have been turning brown on the edges and many are curled. I am a novice tree grower and don't know what to do for this tree. Can anybody give me any advice?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nMRKF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nMRKF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11360" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-09-27T18:57:12.010" LastActivityDate="2015-09-28T10:18:48.673" Title="The leaves of my persimmon tree are turning brown" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21969" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21973" CreationDate="2015-09-27T12:21:14.180" Score="6" ViewCount="752" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have recently planted this dwarf (M27 rootstock) apple tree. &#xA;It said it was a 2 year old tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could anyone give me a good reference or video, or just detailed instructions on how to prune it this winter in order to have a good fruiting season next year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am totally new to fruit growing, therefore I would benefit from a detailed explanation. Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IIUhxl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IIUhxl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastActivityDate="2015-09-28T01:29:18.503" Title="How to prune 2 year old dwarf apple tree" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21972" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21968" CreationDate="2015-09-27T13:14:54.080" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whilst these trees can suffer various leaf problems, to be honest, this one looks like its suffering from drought. If the tree was four years old when you planted it, and its only been in a year, and especially if you live somewhere which has hot and dry summers, it would have needed a minimum of a couple of gallons of water every 4 or 5  days or 4/5 gallons every week or so, throughout any hot and dry period. This is true of all new plantings of trees and shrubs, in particular during their first two years. I know you have an irrigation system, but I doubt that would have provided enough water for this tree. I suggest you leave a hose trickling at the base for an hour or two, or carry cans and water thoroughly with about 6 cans full now. Then make sure you keep it well supplied with water until late autumn (or fall, depending where you are).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could be too much water, but seems unlikely unless for some reason drainage is poor in that area. If you're not sure, I'd be inclined to dig down and reveal  the soil around the rootball, or the rootball itself, preferably without breaking roots, just to see whether its dry or wet or whatever...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, if it is too wet, some nutrients may be washing out of the soil so the plant's going short, and it might mean you've got a Leaf Blight, which is prevalent in wet conditions, but it doesn't exactly look like Leaf Blight so much, though I can't see up close of course. Link below talks about Leaf Blight&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/leaf-blight-disease-persimmon-trees-55958.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/leaf-blight-disease-persimmon-trees-55958.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This link is actually Australian, but might be useful for diagnostic purposes&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://era.daf.qld.gov.au/2210/11/Problem_solver-persimmon.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://era.daf.qld.gov.au/2210/11/Problem_solver-persimmon.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm curious as to what the heap behind the plant in the picture might be...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I've read your description of how you planted the tree, it may well be suffering from too much water. It's never a good idea to dig a hole, fill it with good compost or good soil and plant, especially if the surrounding soil is solid clay or otherwise poor. What you've made is the equivalent of a sink, where all the water drains to because it can penetrate more easily where you have planted. The best way to plant in those circumstances is to dig over an area at least 6 feet by 6 feet, incorporating composted manure or whatever, let that settle for a week or so, then dig your hole and plant your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for staking, yes, a tree does need staking, particularly against a prevailing wind to prevent it leaning over, but not so that it cannot move at all - the movement of air through the leaves and branches and main trunk, causing slight movement of the mainstem (but not the rootball), cause the trunk to thicken up and become stronger - without any movement at all, the trunk is in danger of remaining thin and weak. If you're interested in this, look up thigmomorphogenesis, because that's what this process is called.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-09-28T10:18:48.673" LastActivityDate="2015-09-28T10:18:48.673" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21973" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21969" CreationDate="2015-09-27T13:57:28.690" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are two shapes recommended by the RHS &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=330&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for your tree. They sound much the same and should give an idea of the long term goal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pyramid or Spindelbush: These are small, neat cone-shaped trees, about 2-2.4m (6½-8ft) tall, with branches starting about 60cm (2ft) from the ground&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This fall you should prune to these guidelines from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.al.gov.bc.ca/treefrt/homegdn/apples.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dwarf apple trees are normally grown to a central leader system. ... If the tree has lots of side branches (feathers) cut the leader back to 8&quot; (20 cm) above the top branch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove any branches closer to the ground than 20&quot; (50 cm). Aim to develop a framework of well spaced branches that are capable of bearing crops without breaking. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In subsequent years, switch from heading to thinning cuts. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut out entire shoots that are crowded or crossing into the centre of the tree. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Narrow angled crotches should be avoided as these are sources of weaknesses &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As the tree starts to bear fruit, prune for convenience in picking, spraying, and to allow light to enter all parts of the tree.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As well you have also got various advice about staking. A quote from the same reference helped me understand what to do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;All apple trees on dwarf rootstock will require support. The trees are&#xA;  very small with thin wood. The fruit produced is of normal size. A&#xA;  full crop of apples on a small tree is a heavy weight to support.&#xA;  Branches can break off. The root system is shallow and trees may fall&#xA;  over. The most common form of support is to pound a 2 inch diameter&#xA;  post (5cm) into the ground beside the tree. The trunk and branches are&#xA;  tied to this support post.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you need at least three stakes as indicated in my other answer but the stakes also act to support the fruit laden branches which you would not do in a normal tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also please review the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/21914/499&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; to your related question here as I have added some more information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpU8W-H5xZ4&amp;amp;list=PLFCwPI_YxOio2Xax0B9hxtdOe8sLnheta&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;video&lt;/a&gt; may assist if you are a visual person but keep in mind it is for the North American climate and some details may differ.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-09-28T01:29:18.503" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21974" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9742" CreationDate="2015-09-27T16:05:56.280" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This info is not totally true. Although the rust is not harmful, if you are planning to use it to water vegetables, it will leave an unwanted taste. Because of the metal and rust in the bin, your plants will grow and have a more salty flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13199" LastActivityDate="2015-09-27T16:05:56.280" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21975" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20658" CreationDate="2015-09-27T16:14:49.500" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are a flower called Heron's Pirouette.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13199" LastActivityDate="2015-09-27T16:14:49.500" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21967" CreationDate="2015-09-27T20:11:59.890" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This wasn't easy... try &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frasera_albicaulis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Frasera albicaulis&lt;/a&gt;.  If you google this it'll show lots of pictures.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-27T21:15:14.990" LastActivityDate="2015-09-27T21:15:14.990" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21978" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-27T22:48:14.297" Score="5" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing my own &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callaloo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Calaloo&lt;/a&gt; in Canada from seeds obtained in Jamaica.  As the plant matures the leaves are starting to turn red.  Has anyone heard of this and are they OK to eat after they turn red?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Judy" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T01:45:18.503" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T01:45:18.503" Title="Why are my calaloo leaves turning red, and are they still safe?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21979" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-09-28T09:25:28.133" Score="4" ViewCount="1627" Body="&lt;p&gt;i took this picture like thirty mins ago off of one of many fruit trees I own. I also would like to get rid of what ever it is so it doesn't affect the fruit that is growing.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qT979.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qT979.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11151" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-09-28T10:00:28.697" LastActivityDate="2015-09-28T19:57:28.233" Title="What is this white stuff under the leaves of my fruit trees and how do I get rid of it?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8023" CreationDate="2015-09-28T10:45:23.457" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If a otherwise healthy tree is dropping leaves when moved inside, and not from a normal seasonal transition It is likely a pest issue. Second most likely is temperature issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your bonsai is a tropical, and should be 'ever green' (I recognise the species, but can't remember the name). It will not have an 'autumn`. In the house you can have trouble with 'spider mites'. These are microscopic aphid like creatures, and live inside, with us in our homes. They die outside, in more humid, colder weather. They will latch onto any sugar source and reproduce voraciously. Given enough time this manifests visibily as tiny white 'dust' on the leave and occasionally thread type fluff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Possible solutions: move it outdoors, embark on the use of pesticides (specific chemical aerosol sprays are best)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other possibility is temperature. This species is prone to 'go into shock' in the uk due to temperature difference. This will also knock it's leaves off. It needs to be kept warm ish, and also n a more humid atmosphere than the typical house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a recurring issue with uk bonsai and asian species:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our houses are warm, but arid in comparison to the normal environment for the species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our outdoors are more humid, but colder. So asian tropical species are at risk of cold and frost damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be more constructive, I would recommend an outdoor greenhouse for this species, and dedicated watering. In very cold snaps use a fleece to cover. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also recommend that bonsai is a detailed and precise art to practice, and that as well as the 'accepted teachings' you have to be able to assess things objectively, and refine your technique based on the environment you are working in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you were to go for any indoor species, I would always recommend ficus and ulmus parvifolia (tropical fig/rubber plant and chinese elm respectively) over all else. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also recommend that you pursue bonsai outdoors if at all possible, with uk compatible species. Primarily japanese maple (acer palmatum), chinese elm again (super tolerant species), any and all pines, and also any UK species you can get your hands on (field maple, birch, ash are all pretty good bets). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember, bonsai is an asian rooted art, but your trees won't be growing in asia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, the best place for advice is a dedicated bonsai seller, or your local bonsai meetup/group. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are near any major uk city, you should be able to find one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best of luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;edit: apologies, writing in a rush and thought you said uk. Still, the general advice applies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6854" LastActivityDate="2015-09-28T10:45:23.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21981" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21967" CreationDate="2015-09-28T15:58:29.410" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;@stormy, @Niall C.&#xA;Thank you!&#xA;This looks like it: &lt;a href=&quot;http://medplants.blogspot.in/2014/07/swertia-angustifolia.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Swertia angustifolia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The 'frasera' identification was a big help.After that, it was just a matter of hunting.&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;Thank you so much both for the identification and for introducing me to a beguiling group of plants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13196" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-09-28T15:58:29.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20658" CreationDate="2015-09-28T16:16:21.900" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try &lt;a href=&quot;http://wnmu.edu/academic/nspages/gilaflora/tripterocalyx_carneus.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tripterocalyx carneus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Looks like a lovely plant to me. I guess it's up to you to remove it or not. It's native to New Mexico. Maybe some fellow New Mexicans can attest to its vigor in the garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never seen this myself (I'm in Arizona) but the head of tubular flowers reminds me of &lt;em&gt;Mirabilis&lt;/em&gt; and the relaxed, fuzzy stems with slightly asymmetrical flowers have a distinct &lt;em&gt;Nyctaginaceae&lt;/em&gt; feel. Looking up '&lt;em&gt;Mirabilis new mexico&lt;/em&gt;' rendered something that got me on the right track. That relaxed habit looks like it's allowing the plant to grow stems over the tops of your planted specimens and then settle in on top. I'm not sure how large that plant is going to be but it seems to contrast with your current setup. My guess is that it will spread horizontally, with the stems settling into the leaves and stems of what's already growing there, and never attain much height on its own. It's an annual, so you can gauge how big it might get next year based on how it finishes up this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it grows easily from seed you might want to give it its own space where it won't interfere with your investments. On the other hand, some native New Mexican gardener may be able to tell you what the long term prognosis is of having that in your garden. To me it's novel and new (I've seen Echnicacea before!) but it could still turn into a monster of sorts for all I know :-).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might be attractive plant for hummingbirds, sphinx moths, possibly butterflies. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13202" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-09-28T16:36:57.023" LastActivityDate="2015-09-28T16:36:57.023" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21983" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21988" CreationDate="2015-09-28T19:18:05.593" Score="3" ViewCount="104" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whole chunks of my sedum plant (which looks otherwise healthy) come away in my hand because the stem has snapped/cut clean through. What's causing this, and how can I prevent it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13183" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-28T22:14:56.047" LastActivityDate="2015-09-28T22:14:56.047" Title="Why are chunks of my Sedum Spectabile snapping off at the stem bases?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;damage&gt;&lt;sedum&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21984" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21987" CreationDate="2015-09-28T19:53:44.993" Score="5" ViewCount="4171" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there any disadvantage of mixing both? Will it add more value? I am planning to first dilute them in water and then apply in my veggie garden. I purchased these as bagged composted &lt;a href=&quot;http://prcompostco.com/poulet_poo.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;chicken&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://prcompostco.com/bobs_best.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cow&lt;/a&gt; manures. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13204" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-28T21:53:40.917" LastActivityDate="2017-01-08T19:08:44.920" Title="Can I mix cow &amp; chicken manure?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21979" CreationDate="2015-09-28T19:57:28.233" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yup, Stephie is correct.  This will not hurt the fruit per se.  These guys suck up calories from the leaves. Depending on the size of your trees, if less than 8-10 feet, spraying with NEEM (at night please) would work very well.  Get UNDER the leaves.  How many trees and how large are affected by these guys?  If larger trees and more of them, I'd hire a professional arborist to spray NEEM.  They might suggest a yearly dormant oil treatment if this continues to be a problem.  Spraying with water regularly would help control.  Using a pretty stiff pressure but not a pressure washer or too hard of a spray that would damage leaves. They can also guide you with pruning which is pretty important for health of your tree (s) and better fruit.  Also  ask about proper fertilizing and watering.  Be worth the expense.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-28T19:57:28.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21984" CreationDate="2015-09-28T20:17:35.067" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is no problem mixing both.  But if you are fertilizing vegetables, this is NOT a good choice of fertilizer!  Do you know how decomposed this manure IS?  Even if it were very decomposed it would have too much NITROGEN for vegetables unless you've got just leafy stuff like kale, lettuce, herbs.  If your vegetables need fertilizer, now, I'd use a good organic fertilizer with numbers similar to 4-6-5.  Less Nitrogen percentage compared to the Phosphorus and Potassium.  For the winter, these manures should be dumped on top of your garden soil. Soil organisms will feed on this SHIT, grins, IF it is decomposed...go back into the soil to poop it out, mixing this material into the soil FOR YOU.  If it isn't decomposed, the decomposers can use the high nitrogen to decompose this material down to be useable by the other soil organisms. In the spring turn your soil over before planting.  I'd also test my soil before planting.  Chicken and cow manure are great to incorporate Nitrogen and organic matter into one's soil but it is tough to know HOW much Nitrogen is being added.  There is one other thing to take note about and that is are the chickens and cows that donated this stuff on medications of ANY sort? Don't use it if so...only organically fed chickens/cows should be donating shit for vegetables.  Otherwise fine for ornamental plants.  Chemicals are chemicals.  Just because they are obviously 'organic' does not make them safe or correct to use without soil tests and KNOWING as much as you can about the chemical's origins.  Lots of weed seeds...weeds have NEVER bothered me but lots of weed seeds will make it through the digestive tracts.  Just so you know.  That would be another question. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-09-28T20:17:35.067" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21987" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21984" CreationDate="2015-09-28T22:03:55.410" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yeah, mixing them is fine! I looked at the products you got, and they look composted well enough I think the best application method would be directly mixing into the top inches of the soil. I think that's better than diluting it in water, because it will stay in the soil better, and you won't lose as much nitrogen through evaporation/leaching. But in any case, it's composted, so most of the nitrogen is already stabilized until the organic matter breaks down further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The chicken manure is going to be higher in nitrogen, and if it was raw, I wouldn't recommend it for direct application around some plants, but again, what you have is composted, and so is wide application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-09-28T22:20:45.657" LastActivityDate="2015-09-28T22:20:45.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21988" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21983" CreationDate="2015-09-28T22:13:29.827" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This happens to me when the plants are growing too soft. Reasons for this can include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Too much water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Too much fertilizer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not enough light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants can become very fragile when the conditions are too 'good'. In my area, even specimens growing in full sun, in dry, poor soil (what these plants need) can fall apart in a heavy rainstorm. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wherever your plant is, it seems that one or more of these conditions is off. Make sure it gets as much sun as possible (over 8 consecutive hours is ideal, so the stems can become fibrous and less fragile), and if it's in damp or rich soil, consider moving it to a dryer, or poorer soil. Not like fill dirt bad, but not as rich as your average garden loam.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-28T22:13:29.827" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21989" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21990" CreationDate="2015-09-28T22:13:48.280" Score="16" ViewCount="7524" Body="&lt;p&gt;Horticultural practices do change and research can be a driving force.  It wasn't too long ago that standard practice to stake a new tree was a six foot T bar and and a strand of wire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should all trees be staked when they are planted?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How should they be staked, and for how long?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am looking for answers that quote references from universities, professional journals or government agencies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T19:40:11.180" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T19:40:11.180" Title="Should trees be staked when they are planted?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;support&gt;&lt;staking&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21989" CreationDate="2015-09-29T00:37:03.430" Score="14" Body="&lt;h1&gt;Should all trees be staked when  they are planted?&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, you have to find out &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Why&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; people stake trees. What benefits are there to staking young trees? In nature, trees can germinate, grow, and mature without being staked. Here are some reasons why young trees are often staked:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Promoted wind resistance:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/634.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Anchor staking&lt;/a&gt; is useful in newly planted trees, especially tall or heavy trees transplanted by &lt;a href=&quot;http://evergreensforsale.com/ball-and-burlap-trees/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ball &amp;amp; burlap&lt;/a&gt;, potted trees, or even large bareroot trees, to keep them from rocking in the new hole.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crown support:&lt;/strong&gt; This is a common cause for staking, when a tree cannot hold the  trunk straight on its own, especially in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/16215/what-does-standard-mean-when-referring-to-shrubs-and-vines&quot;&gt;standardized shrubs/vines&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://umaine.edu/fruit/growing-fruit-trees-in-maine/rootstocks-and-dwarf-fruit-trees/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;dwarf fruit trees&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If the tree has a floppy trunk that is not self-supporting, support staking will be needed. &lt;sup&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/634.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Colorado State University&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are legitimate reasons for staking trees, but there are some less beneficial side effects. These &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.extension.iastate.edu/forestry/tree_planting/stake.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;can include&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;may be damaged by rubbing and girdling from stakes and ties&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;the trunk will grow and bend away from the stake&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;the trunk will be stressed more at the point of stake attachment and subject to increased breakage&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;provide more wind resistance because the top of the tree is not allowed to move as much.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;develop weak wood from the staked position down towards the base of the tree; trunk movement is required for optimum strength of wood during development and growth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;produce less roots.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;reduce stem taper which means less strength of the bole or trunk of the staked tree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;height growth may be increased.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Therefore, trees should only be staked if necessary, and only for the time period necessary&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I mentioned before, some trees require permanent staking. In those cases, most of these side effects are non-issues, as they will not compromise the tree in future years, under the permanent staking conditions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It is true that there are situations when a young tree is thankful for some mechanical aid, but not as often as many gardeners imagine. Furthermore, even when staking is beneficial to a newly planted tree, it usually remains so for only a short period of time.  &lt;sup&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/stake-or-not-stake&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fine Gardening&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not all trees should be staked. If they can support themselves well, and can handle the stress load from wind in your locality, the side effects of staking will do more harm than good. One must use good judgment when planting a tree, when deciding whether or not to stake. Additionally, if you decide staking will be beneficial, proper monitoring is required, to watch for girdling/damage to the bark, and for root establishment (once the roots get a foothold in the new environment, the staking is no longer helpful).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;How should they be staked, and for how long?&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want the staking job to support the tree, but not hold it tight. You will have much better development in the trunk if you allow some play. Two stakes is usually good for this, providing much more balanced support than a single stake, while allowing more play than triple. Using three is good only where necessary, to keep trees from rocking or working loose in heavy winds. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.daytonnursery.com/tips/Tree_Staking.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is what I do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Choose two strong stakes, hardwood or softwood, Pine or Hemlock will last longer.  These stakes should be at least 6 feet tall, about 2 inches square and pointed on one end to easily penetrate the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Determine the direction of the prevailing wind and insert the stakes exactly opposite one another, about 2 feet from the stem, in line with the wind.  For example: if the wind direction is westerly, then place the stakes North &amp;amp; South.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drive the stakes vertically at least 2 feet into the ground.  Try to bury the stakes so they are the same height above ground.  When finished, stakes should stand upright at about 4 feet. &lt;sup&gt;&lt;em&gt;(I personally find that depth overkill in my location, 2 feet is about the maximum depth I put stakes)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut 2 pieces of flexible wire, each measuring at least 5 feet long.  Also, cut up an old garden hose into 2 eighteen-inch lengths.  Then, slip the hose over the wire, and wrap the hose around the tree to protect the trunk from the wire.  Pull equal lengths of the wire parallel to the ground and attach to the top of the stake.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Twist the wires together on the outside of the stake to make the wire taut and nip off any excess.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WYu5e.gif&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can do the same thing if 3 stakes are necessary, simply use 3 stakes instead of 2, spaced evenly around the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About how long to leave them staked:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Short answer: As short a duration as possible. Ideally, stakes are a quick aid in the establishment of the tree, and have no part in long term support. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/stake-or-not-stake&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Staking a tree that does not need it can do more harm than good. Movement of the trunk helps strengthen it by thickening it and giving it taper from bottom to top. Trunk movement also stimulates root growth. So although staked trees might grow taller faster than their unstaked counterparts, their trunks are weaker and their root systems are less developed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;When done incorrectly, staking further compounds a young tree’s problems. If a tree is tied to a stake too tightly, girdling can occur, weakening and even possibly killing the tree unless the problem is addressed in time. Movement of a tree above where it is tied too tightly to a stake, like movement of an unstaked trunk, results in a thicker trunk above the tie. This difference in thickness upsets smooth travel of water and nutrients up and down the developing trunk. Too tight a tie coupled with too rigid a stake can anchor a plant so firmly below the tie that a strong wind can actually blow off the top of the tree. Tying a tree too loosely to a stake also causes problems. The bark is continuously rubbed, resulting in wounds that may never heal properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Leave the tree staked until the root system becomes established - usually one year&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can take longer, though, if you have very hard soil, and the tree takes more than one year to anchor into it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Permanent staking&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As mentioned before, some trees, like standardised shrubs and vines, and dwarf fruit trees, need permanent staking. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/articles/staking-fruit-trees&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A permanent stake is usually a thick treated wooden post, about 2m - 2.5m / 6ft - 8ft in height (or more), which is banged into the ground vertically beside the tree. (In fact usually the stake is planted before the tree). Permanent stakes can also be made of metal. In commercial orchards the stakes may be thinner but in turn supported on a strong wire trellis. In all cases the permanent stake forms a rigid inflexible support for the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A permanent stake has a very different role to a temporary stake. Whereas a temporary stake is there to encourage the growing tree to thicken its stem and eventually become self-supporting, the permanent stake is designed to take-over most of the load-bearing role of the main stem of the tree. This means the tree puts less of its energy into growing a thick trunk to support itself, which means more energy for fruit production. The stake has to be permanent because if it is removed the tree will simply collapse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Permanent stakes or some other permanent support are always needed for trees grafted on dwarf rootstocks, because these rootstocks are generally too small to support the tree in windy conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Permanent stakes are a standard feature of most commercial orchards, and are particularly effective when the tree is trained with the central leader retained (and tied on to the stake). This form (often known as a spindle-bush) is very productive, and allows light to enter the tree which enhances fruit quality, as well as encouraging the tree to start fruiting much earlier in its life. The benefits of the permanent stake and the central-leader tree forms are equally applicable to the garden situation, especially for apple trees and pear trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stake must be strong (with the ability to support hundreds of pounds of fruit), and long lasting. Galvanised steel is a good alternative for treated wood, so you can avoid chemical contamination of the soil around your fruit tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If the stake goes down, your dwarf fruit tree goes with it&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Permanent staking ensures a weak trunk. That's why it's so imperative for a permanent stake to be able to handle the workload. Make it overkill. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another viable method to support these trees is &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/plants/gardening/fphg/pome/pruning/pruning-and-training-to-a-trellis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;trellising&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About standardised ornamental shrubs and vines, you want them to support as much weight as possible on their own, even though they are not capable of handling their entire weight. Be minimalistic. One rod, like 1/2&quot; rebar, pounded into the ground right by the trunk and attached via elastic bands, is good enough for small ones. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With a bigger tree (over 3&quot; diameter), you need something heavier. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;References:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/634.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/634.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.extension.iastate.edu/forestry/tree_planting/stake.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.extension.iastate.edu/forestry/tree_planting/stake.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/eng-treecare-guide.pdf/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/eng-treecare-guide.pdf/&lt;/a&gt;$FILE/eng-treecare-guide.pdf&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/articles/staking-fruit-trees&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/articles/staking-fruit-trees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1670/is-staking-young-trees-helpful-or-harmful&quot;&gt;Is staking young trees helpful or harmful?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/plants/gardening/fphg/pome/pruning/pruning-and-training-to-a-trellis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://extension.psu.edu/plants/gardening/fphg/pome/pruning/pruning-and-training-to-a-trellis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/mastergardener/mgcourseresources/az1402.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/mastergardener/mgcourseresources/az1402.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/fnr/fnr-faq-6.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/fnr/fnr-faq-6.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.myminnesotawoods.umn.edu/2008/12/staking-and-guying-trees-best-materials-and-technique/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.myminnesotawoods.umn.edu/2008/12/staking-and-guying-trees-best-materials-and-technique/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.umass.edu/urbantree/factsheets/10stakingtrees.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.umass.edu/urbantree/factsheets/10stakingtrees.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.daytonnursery.com/tips/Tree_Staking.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.daytonnursery.com/tips/Tree_Staking.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/stake-or-not-stake&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.finegardening.com/stake-or-not-stake&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://forestry.about.com/od/treeandforestcare/i/tree_staking.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://forestry.about.com/od/treeandforestcare/i/tree_staking.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rootmaker.com/sites/default/files/pdf/staking.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.rootmaker.com/sites/default/files/pdf/staking.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://evergreensforsale.com/ball-and-burlap-trees/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://evergreensforsale.com/ball-and-burlap-trees/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://umaine.edu/fruit/growing-fruit-trees-in-maine/rootstocks-and-dwarf-fruit-trees/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://umaine.edu/fruit/growing-fruit-trees-in-maine/rootstocks-and-dwarf-fruit-trees/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2017-02-16T23:34:19.033" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21991" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21978" CreationDate="2015-09-29T01:44:41.623" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves turning red in fall is simply the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;chlorophyll decaying&lt;/a&gt;, and in some cases sugars build up and can make a red color. You lose some nutrition, but it shouldn't become unsafe. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T01:44:41.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21992" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="21995" CreationDate="2015-09-29T04:06:42.043" Score="5" ViewCount="209" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw this question on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/21946/why-is-the-foliage-turning-yellow-on-this-climbing-indoor-vine&quot;&gt;“Why is the foliage turning yellow on this climbing indoor vine?”&lt;/a&gt; and have a tangential question. Plants in question are pictured. All indoor plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So understand the concept of natural variegation in these leaves but I am puzzled. On the left-hand side of the picture the green leaves are fairly solidly green. On the right-hand side, there is clearly some variegation of yellow spots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a bit of background, I live in NYC. The deal is clippings of this specific plant have existed in my family since the 1970s. Basically my dad bought this in the early 1970s, and kept it alive up until the 1990s when he passed away. I took the plant and I would start making clippings to make more plants and more plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I remember, for the past 15 years or so the leaves were solidly green. But in the past 2 years I moved into a new building and the water from the pipes is—frankly—not so great. I drink bottled and filtered water personally but use tap water to water these plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many of these clippings were just sitting in jars of water until a few months back when I potted them. But after I potted them and placed them in a sunny window I was stunned not only by the mottling of yellow, but also the size of the leaves and stems on these mottled clippings is noticeably larger than what I ever remember them to have been in the past. Growth also seems quite aggressively faster than what I remember.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which is all to say: What would cause this big difference between the plants on the left-hand side of the picture versus the right-hand side of the picture? Could it be something in the water from the tap? The fact they are now in a pot? Level of sunlight in a new location? Maybe something connected to the terra cotta pots? Some are pots made in Italy and others made in Germany if that matters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the great scheme of things, I’m not complaining about any of this. But as someone who essentially has grown up with clippings derived from this plant for decades, I am a bit baffled as to why this kind of sudden change has happened now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yMFZ4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yMFZ4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13207" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T15:44:36.150" Title="Why are some clippings of this plant apparently pure green and others mottled with yellow?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21993" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21992" CreationDate="2015-09-29T11:03:10.010" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are two basic varieties of Epipremnum, or Pothos (Devils' Ivy in the UK, and often still referred to as Scindapsis, its original Latin name) - one is variegated and the other is plain green. These days there are a range of variegated ones, but the basic species is either variegated or non variegated. The variegated ones like more light, and if they are grown in dim situations, they revert to plain green. Sometimes, if inspected closely, what looks like an all green plant may have slightly lighter streaks or portions, but nothing you'd notice if you weren't examining it closely. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may be that your previous cuttings over the years were from plants grown in lower light situations, and you then kept them in similar circumstances - but they may have been the variegated version all along, and its only now, if you're growing them in a lighter place, that the variegation is revealing itself. From the photo, it looks as if the growth to the right has been getting more light than that on the left, so that might explain what's happened, and it would also explain the difference in growth rate and size. Your variegated plant there looks very attractive, the variegation is particularly streaked and marbled, wish mine looked so good...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-09-29T11:39:03.513" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T11:39:03.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21989" CreationDate="2015-09-29T11:12:57.373" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll just throw this in for interest's sake - I tend to follow the Royal Horticultural Society's revised (about 10 years ago) recommended method, and conveniently, there is a picture in this link below showing the angled, short stake. I use this for trees that will not require permanent staking&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=208&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=208&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T11:12:57.373" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21995" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21992" CreationDate="2015-09-29T15:36:06.097" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like the older leaves (near the base of the stem) are the less variegated. As I noted in my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/21947/419&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; to the question you mentioned, higher light levels promote the variegation (and better growth), because under low light, the plant needs as much chlorophyll in the leaf surface as possible, for photosynthesis. In better lighting, the plant starts showing the variegation. So when you took cuttings of green stems, you couldn't see which ones would be (under full lighting) more variegated than the others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for why the different cuttings are variegated differently, it's because of the cuttings you took. These plants show &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variegation#Chimeral&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Chimeral variegation&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Because the variegation is due to the presence of two kinds of plant tissue, propagating the plant must be by a vegetative method of propagation that preserves both types of tissue in relation to each other. Typically, stem cuttings, bud and stem grafting, and other propagation methods that results in growth from leaf axil buds will preserve variegation. Cuttings with complete variegation may be difficult if not impossible to propagate. Root cuttings will not usually preserve variegation, since the new stem tissue is derived from a particular tissue type within the root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if you take a cutting from a more variegated part, that resulting plant will be more variegated, on average. Of course, light still affects the leaf color. If you see a shoot of mostly green, or mostly yellow, and take that as a cutting, that's what the new plant will be closer to. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are tough houseplants, and will put up with your inferior tap water better than most. It looks great! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T15:44:36.150" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21996" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13765" CreationDate="2015-09-29T21:27:11.633" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Cornus+amomum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Cornus+amomum&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;I have identified this Silky Dogwood in the woods in East Central Alabama. After researching I copied the link that explains the berries are edible and many parts can be used medicinally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13210" LastActivityDate="2015-09-29T21:27:11.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21998" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4537" CreationDate="2015-10-01T01:28:42.047" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;One should not feed animals or plants with spoiled anything, including wine. Coffee grounds - yes. Leftover wine, yes - I do it all the time. I own a wine store and my Anthurium is spectacular year after year. It gives me about 40 flowers that bloom from fall to spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13213" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-10-01T01:30:50.923" LastActivityDate="2015-10-01T01:30:50.923" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="21999" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20678" CreationDate="2015-10-01T16:25:55.680" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only Alberta White I know of in the heathers and heaths is Daboecia - its a heath, and requires neutral to acid soil conditions and will grow in a bog, so it prefers damp soil. Most of the Ericas also require acid soil conditions, though the damp or wet soil not so much - there are two or three varieties that aren't too fussy and will tolerate lime. In the circumstances, suggest you get hold of some ericaceous or acid potting compost, fill the window box with this and then plant the heathers directly into it. Water in well. Even in hot conditions, they will dry out less quickly with more soil surrounding their roots than is currently in their small pots, but check whether they need watering until the weather cools down. You'll have to strike a fine balance between the Daboecia's need for dampness and Erica's preference for slightly drier conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-01T16:25:55.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22000" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-01T17:01:57.517" Score="2" ViewCount="2396" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our potted palm has dripped or sprayed a very sticky substance all over everything near it: curtains, carpet, furniture, plastic case, etc. It is truly awfully sticky!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best remover?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13214" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-10-01T18:03:38.300" LastActivityDate="2015-10-01T18:03:38.300" Title="How do I remove sticky palm sap from the household fixtures around it?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;palm&gt;&lt;sap&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22001" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22000" CreationDate="2015-10-01T17:41:49.680" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check the palm thoroughly, sounds as if its got an infestation of either mealybug, scale insect or a heavy crop of aphids. These all produce honeydew, and that is very sticky indeed, and may be what's 'sprayed' all over everything. If it is infested, spray thoroughly with a suitable insecticide, but you probably need to take it outside to spray it, then return it indoors once the spray has stopped dripping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for removing it from furnishings, wash anything that can be washed in the machine, and it sounds as if you'll need the carpet cleaned, at least in that area, though you could try Vanish carpet cleaner in a spray, intended for high use areas (if its available where you are), not sure whether it'll work though. Any hard surfaces such as the plastic case can be sprayed with a kitchen surface cleaner and washed in that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-01T17:41:49.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22002" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-01T17:48:41.963" Score="3" ViewCount="929" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some Roses of Sharon shrubs near my windows. I like the bushes, but not their location, so I'd like to transplant them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best time of year to do that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13215" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-11-15T19:52:58.670" LastActivityDate="2016-11-15T19:52:58.670" Title="When is the best time of year to transplant Roses of Sharon shrubs?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22003" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-01T23:59:36.713" Score="2" ViewCount="93" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a wrapping of bamboo stalks, maybe 20 or so stalks tied together. 3 or 4 stalks have died one at a time the past 2 months - they start to get yellow-greenish, then more yellow over time. The rest of the stalks seem totally fine (even right next to them). I've had it about a year, it was fine for 6 months or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Things I've tried:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use only room temperature distilled water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wash out the roots and scrub container (no chemicals)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Less light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;More light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Inspect for fungus/bugs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove yellowing stalk and soak the whole thing in water to try to propagate it (it just rotted)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pics of lighting situation, pot, etc (late afternoon, it's generally brighter in the day but not super bright): &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/MFlBI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imgur.com/a/MFlBI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last things I'm considering are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use some kind of fertilizer (one answer stated this? &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B004490QYI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004490QYI/ref=cm_sw_su_dp&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get a magnifying glass to check for tiny bugs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Change the pot up (either bigger with pure water, or plant it in dirt, but this feels risky since only 1 stalk dies at a time..)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Take a healthy one and try to make many clones of it just in case it does die&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do something about the roots? I have heard that them having a tangle of roots is actually normal, but it does look root-bound.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is sentimental so I want to try my best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13217" LastEditorUserId="56" LastEditDate="2015-10-03T05:45:15.327" LastActivityDate="2015-10-03T05:45:15.327" Title="Why is my lucky bamboo turning yellow?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ClosedDate="2015-10-08T01:05:53.827" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22002" CreationDate="2015-10-02T01:00:33.557" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best time to move shrubs, trees is the winter.  But the success if pretty iffy depending on the age of the tree/shrub.  To ensure success or close to it you should dig a trench around your shrubs about a foot deep on the 'drip' line of your plants.  Then you fill the trenches in with straw.  Keep watered within this new 'root ball'.  The plants will put out feeder roots within this root ball so that when moved it'll be able to handle getting water and chemicals out of the soil where ever you chose to replant.  Rose of Sharon is normally a narrower shrub so the trench should be as wide as the crown of the shrub.  Smaller the ball the easier it will be to pop it up and put it on a ball cart or tarp to drag to new planting location.  I'd do the trench and straw now and in the spring before the shrub starts putting out new shoots I'd move it.  Make sure you water the replanted shrubs well.  Only dig down as deep as the root ball no further or your shrub will settle and get planted too deeply.  I'd also purchase mycorrhisae (sp) to add to the soil after trenching and then again after transplanting to help with stress.  Be careful with fertilizer.  I wouldn't fertilize until a month or so after transplanting.  When we see how big these shrubs are and know more about your conditions, soil we'll be able to give even more detailed instructions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-10-02T01:00:33.557" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22005" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-02T19:46:29.540" Score="8" ViewCount="2479" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm curious if there are any plants that might add acid to their soil so that they might work well in a permaculture setting, you might be able to plant X, Y or Z near a blueberry bush to eliminate the need for soil upkeep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastEditorUserId="2000" LastEditDate="2015-10-03T23:24:22.170" LastActivityDate="2019-12-19T00:05:23.340" Title="Are there plants that add acid to soil naturally?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;permaculture&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22006" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22005" CreationDate="2015-10-03T01:38:20.977" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Acidic soils are great for potatoes, blueberries, hydrangea...but most vegetables do better in more neutral soils.  There are no plants that actually DECREASE the pH of the soil PER SE.  Whenever organic matter decomposes some acidity is produced but nothing that would make even a temporary change in the soil to make even blueberries happy.  The best way to reduce pH for special acid-loving plants is to add elemental sulfur.  This is a slow process and needs to be checked/amended at least yearly. For my blueberries, I add lots and lots of organic matter with periodic applications of sulfur.  They are separated from the rest of my garden in their own raised bed.  I also plant my potatoes in this bed.  I own a great pH sensor...the ones you get at Home Depot or Lowes are pretty iffy.  The tests using liquids work better than the 'meter' poke in the ground type.  Soil testing truly makes a gardener successful or not...otherwise it is all wishful thinking, grins!  And that works pretty well most of the time.  Luckily...if someone comes up with a plant that actually makes it's soil more acidic and that this is measurable would be a great thing.  Especially when working with pH neutral or more alkaline soils and wanting to grow plants that love acid.  If you live in an environment with lots of rain (water produces Hydrogen ions that decrease the pH...especially in conjunction with clay soil) you should have no trouble with acid loving plants.  In a dry climate your soil pH will be dictated by minerals, such as limestone and are usually more alkaline.  Best bet is to find an easy, inexpensive way to get soil tests.  Usually going through your closest University Extension Service is best.  Permaculture should entail using what is available versus trying to change anything...planting only those plants that thrive with your soil's attributes. Once we start trying to change things like growing acid loving plants in basically alkaline soils...well, it isn't permaculture anymore.  More akin to growing plants in POTS.  Totally dependent on us for maintenance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-10-03T01:38:20.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22007" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22015" CreationDate="2015-10-03T10:17:31.823" Score="4" ViewCount="1921" Body="&lt;p&gt;Previously I did not know the species of the plant in the picture. (The one with the owl ornament). I finally found the sticker. It is Radermachera.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QHI7Om.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QHI7Om.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8rHZY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8rHZY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In last couple of week I find that many leaves start to turn yellow. Some of them even developed some dark spots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NvGMe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NvGMe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this plant in distress? If so, is there anything I can do to make it well again? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: Sydney, Australia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As per @stormy's suggestion, I will add photo of the underside of the leaves. I am a total amateur. I use slow release fertilizer every couple of months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X70PG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X70PG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="723" LastEditorUserId="723" LastEditDate="2015-10-04T23:09:06.807" LastActivityDate="2015-10-04T23:09:06.807" Title="Is this plant (Radermachera ) sick? Leaves turning yellow and spotty" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22008" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22005" CreationDate="2015-10-03T12:37:20.947" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;About the only thing that will acidify soil over a period of years, and keep it so, are certain trees, mostly conifers, though it varies between species. The variation is accounted for by the presence of calcium in the leaves - the lower the calcium content, the more acid the soil will be. The link below might be of interest on this subject&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/plants/trees/10633984/Do-conifers-make-soil-more-acid.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/plants/trees/10633984/Do-conifers-make-soil-more-acid.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, since you're not likely to be planting in a Scots pine forest which has been present for thirty years or more, this isn't much use for your purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-03T12:37:20.947" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22005" CreationDate="2015-10-03T13:00:31.723" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, I suppose there's &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphagnum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;spagnum moss&lt;/a&gt;, but that will take even longer than the pines @Bamboo mentions, and it's not so much the growing as the decay that does most of the acidifying, though a certain amount of &quot;locking up calcium and magnesium&quot; is mentioned in the wikipedia article. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While the classic commercial blueberry barrens are lowland bog-type environments, the good wild blueberries where I grew up were all above treeline (good sun) on granite mountains (no nasty, nasty limestone,) basically growing in cracks and hollows in the rock that they had composted by themselves for a long time with blueberry leaves and a bit of bear (&amp;amp; etc.) manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-10-03T13:00:31.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22010" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-03T18:18:32.767" Score="3" ViewCount="1134" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was very keen to grow some fennel this year (doesn't it smell incredible?), but wasn't able to plant anything until quite late in the year, and so my plants are now only 10-20cm high and still in small pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any way to over-winter them to give myself a head start next year, or should I just make some tea with what I've got / chuck it on the compost heap, and make sure I start earlier next year? I'm in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone#Britain_and_Ireland&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;UK, Zone 8&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's worth trying, should I bring the pots inside, or would the plants naturally die back and re-grow from their root stock if I just left them outside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any fennel growing tips would be appreciated, I'd love to have a good stock of them next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="537" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-13T01:33:48.490" LastActivityDate="2016-10-13T15:02:08.017" Title="Over wintering late planted fennel" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22010" CreationDate="2015-10-03T20:06:10.370" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fennel is a perennial herb that is cold-hardy down to Zone 5. If your plan is to eventually plant them permanently outdoors I would almost consider transplanting them outdoors right away. However, you might lose a few of the smaller plants if they don't have enough root reserve built up yet, so a little extra caution might be advised.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you plan to keep your fennel potted (for now), you have a few options. I wouldn't quite be comfortable leaving the pots outdoors unprotected all winter. Above ground, the soil in a pot is exposed to much more cold than the same soil would be if only the top were exposed. The soil inside a pot can actually freeze solid because of the increased surface area, killing most plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One solution to this is to plant the entire pot in the ground so that the top edge of the pot is level with the surrounding soil. When the weather warms back up (after the risk of heavy freeze is over) you can pull the pot back out of the ground. Another option would be to bring the pot inside to an unheated garage/porch area where it will be cool, but not so cold that the soil freezes inside the pot. When the risk of frost is gone you can put the pot back outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="15821" LastEditDate="2016-10-13T15:02:08.017" LastActivityDate="2016-10-13T15:02:08.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22012" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22007" CreationDate="2015-10-03T22:23:56.523" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, gulp, this is not Golden Privet, it is Clethra alnifolia 'Rosea'.  As you've found.  Trouble is is that the leaves should be dark green...sigh! Definitely needs a good fertilizer a bit higher in Nitrogen and includes iron.  Clethra is a ACID LOVING shrub. Gotta check the pH for sure. If the soil is too alkaline this plant won't be able to uptake elements such as iron and nitrogen. Go with a slow-release with micronutrients and iron.  Get a soil test...try your closest University. Correct pH before fertilizing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2015-10-04T22:50:03.027" LastActivityDate="2015-10-04T22:50:03.027" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22013" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22014" CreationDate="2015-10-04T09:54:52.477" Score="2" ViewCount="1745" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to grow a lemon tree from seed and after circa 1 month tree is almost 5cm tall. However, this weekend it rained roughly and i checked my plants. I found out that my lemon tree has white/brown spots on the leaves. Moreover, one leaf is dead at the bottom of the tree (it is marked with orange circle). Yesterday, I had sprayed some water with garlic (serves as a pesticide). Is this early blight?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uiq1i.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uiq1i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lemon Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moreover, I have a Jade plant that I have been growing for around 1.5 months from a cutting. This cutting had brown spots on the leaves as you can see in the image. This weekend it had rained roughly and many leaves with the brown spots fall down but not the strong green ones.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ISylL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ISylL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Jade Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional details: I use organic pesticides and fungicides such as garlic and baking soda. I haven't sprayed baking soda for the past 2 weeks now and I do not exclude that the brown spots grow on the lemon tree after in the last two weeks. The brown spots on the jade there were even there before I stopped spraying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastActivityDate="2015-10-04T10:23:38.993" Title="Identifying brown spots with Jade and lemon tree" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22014" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22013" CreationDate="2015-10-04T10:23:38.993" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Brown spots on leaves are usually caused by these factors:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil is too wet too often which results in waterlogged soil, virus/fungus/bacteria attack the plant and dead spots are usually seen in the oldest leaves first&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;too much fertilizer can raise the level of soluble salts in the soil and cause &quot;burn&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;sometimes physical damage can cause dead areas&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I find it unusual to keep seedlings outside where they are rained on as you indicate.  Normally you want to regulate the environment so they get a good start.  This alone could cause soggy soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The soil mix contains a slow release fertilizer which is supposed to release fertilizer when the coating is wet.  If the soil is too wet too much fertilizer can come out.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;why are you spraying seedlings with garlic and/or baking soda? Spraying should be done when you see a problem.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;your soil mix looks to be full of bark.  This is alright for citrus but retains too much water for jade plants that need a free draining soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;move the seedlings indoors&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ensure both have good drainage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not spray unless you have a problem&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;re pot the jade plant in a free draining soil with more perlite or sand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;scrape off the slow release fertilizer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check out the questions and answers about citrus &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=citrus&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  As your seedling grows it will be a heavy feeder and can get some pests like spider mite and scale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-10-04T10:23:38.993" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22015" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22007" CreationDate="2015-10-04T12:05:12.830" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Radermachera I know as a houseplant, but not this particular variety - the  one you have appears to be a fairly new introduction during the last ten years in Australia - which also means there is little real information about it on the web in terms of growing it outdoors and any problems it might experience. It is attractive to pollinators such as bees when in flower, and is a tropical/subtropical plant, which therefore means it won't appreciate temperatures much below around 18 deg C, and I believe temperatures in Sydney can go lower than that, 14 deg C being an average temperature during June. Its particularly vulnerable to colder temperatures and drought when its young, but will tolerate more temperate region temperatures as it matures. It also requires moist, but well drained soil, which means it wants regular supplies of water in a soil which doesn't dry out frequently, but does drain well (yes, I know, sounds impossible!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, your plant appears to have a dose of fungal spot, black spot in particular - there is reference to this on the banner for one website via Google - unfortunately, that reference isn't present or visible on the site, but it appears to be suggesting that this black spot may appear towards the end of winter/in spring - I imagine as a result of excessive wetness or low temperatures. Otherwise, I've drawn a blank. If you've had low temperatures, particularly lower than usual temperatures this winter, or wetter than usual weather, that could explain what's happened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Suggest you try a fungicide treatment spray, if you can find one where you are, which may or may not be effective - otherwise, I recommend the milk remedy for fungal spot, which is one part cow's milk to two parts water, mixed in a sprayer, and spray weekly till run off, including the underside of the leaves. Use skim milk if you can, the less cream in it the better, or it can get a bit smelly on the plant in sun/high temperatures. This treatment has the advantage of damaging neither the environment nor the wildlife (including bees). Remove promptly any leaves which fall, and you can pick off severely infected leaves yourself before they do fall - this type of fungal infection will leave spores in soil, so best not to allow leaves to sit on the ground. If it doesn't improve, or loses leaves and becomes unshapely, cutting it back by a third might help to induce new growth. In the meantime, keep it well watered during dry spells as your spring advances and the weather heats up. The link below confirms what I'm saying about the milk treatment, because I know it can sound a bit airy fairy...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2012/05/got-black-spot-get-milk/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2012/05/got-black-spot-get-milk/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All that said, I can also see what looks like a couple of small, tan coloured eggs or insects on the back of a leaf (penultimate leaf, left hand side) on the central rib and either side in the last photo, with possibly more of the same on another leaf, and an ant on the leaf. This might indicate a problem with scale nymphs, so check the rest - ants on plants usually indicate scale or aphid infestation. If that's what's there, you'll need a pesticide spray to treat those with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-10-04T12:53:24.170" LastActivityDate="2015-10-04T12:53:24.170" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22016" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22010" CreationDate="2015-10-04T16:00:56.610" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't say whether they're Florence fennel (grown for the bulb) or ordinary Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). If they're the latter, unless you live in the Shetland Islands or the north of Scotland, I'd harden off the 20 cm ones and plant in the ground immediately. There's still plenty of warmth in the soil even if the air temperature is starting to drop. Depending on which part of the UK you're in, you might be okay planting out the 10 cm ones too, but don't forget they disappear in the winter, so you won't know what's survived and what hasn't till growth begins again in Spring. Ordinary Fennel puts down quite a long taproot, so keeping them in pots over winter, unless you pot on into very deep pots, isn't terribly practical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming you're thinking of selling on the fennel as herb when you talk about having lots available, because one or two plants is more than enough for culinary use by even a large family during late spring/summer and autumn. And once you've got even one plant established, it'll always be there - seems to be impossible to dig out and remove because of the long, long tap root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Florence fennel, though, is another matter altogether...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-10-04T16:06:59.470" LastActivityDate="2015-10-04T16:06:59.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22017" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22021" CreationDate="2015-10-04T19:18:26.060" Score="2" ViewCount="122" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the upper limit on the light intensity for growing plants indoor in a hydroponic system?&#xA;Except my electricity bill off course :-) &#xA;e.g. Are 1000W HPS light per sq.m. ok, as long you can keep the heat under control?&#xA;Or what happens when I add too much lighting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to grow thai basil (horapa and krapao), bird eye chili's and thai eggplants at a high as possible efficiency because we use them at our restaurant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13223" LastEditorUserId="13223" LastEditDate="2015-10-04T20:57:46.103" LastActivityDate="2015-10-05T12:13:33.143" Title="Upper limit on light intensity?" Tags="&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21925" CreationDate="2015-10-04T19:20:01.550" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This I believe is Italian Arum. If it has corn cob like seed cluster stalks/flowers, turns from green to orange, and you can't get rid of it, then that's it. Toxic, do not crush or ingest. I did as a kid and paid for it with burning/itching hands for hours. Washing them seemed to do nothing. I am guessing, this pic reminds me of a younger plant though. It was also very hard to I.D. this, seemed as if no one knew,Grandmas,Professionals, etc. Finally years later at a seminar about weed I.D.,I asked an extension employee and described it, this was his answer....terrible stuff....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13224" LastActivityDate="2015-10-04T19:20:01.550" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22019" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-04T20:35:17.203" Score="5" ViewCount="10902" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a half-inch compression end cap attached to some half-inch tubing. The compression end cap is similar to this one: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/DIG-1-2-in-Compression-End-Cap-Q58/100125237&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.homedepot.com/p/DIG-1-2-in-Compression-End-Cap-Q58/100125237&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't been able to work out how to get the tubing out of this so I can reuse it. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2019-06-09T19:58:44.600" Title="How do I remove a tube from a compression coupler?" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22020" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22019" CreationDate="2015-10-04T22:44:16.663" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you wiggle the fitting from side to side while pulling, you can get it to step itself off the irrigation tube. This works for all sizes of these type push-in drip irrigation compression fittings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tube itself might not reseal if you push another fitting on, but the fix is simple for the tube, cut off the marred surface or push on a little further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fitting is made of harder plastic than the Polyethylene tube or dripline so it comes out of the equation pretty unscathed and reusable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2015-10-04T22:50:52.520" LastActivityDate="2015-10-04T22:50:52.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22021" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22017" CreationDate="2015-10-05T12:13:33.143" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;As high as possible efficiency&quot; in terms of ...what, exactly? Sure isn't going to be electrical cost if you are dumping in enough heat that you need artificial cooling as well as the power for the lights. Supplemental lighting in a greenhouse at least has the potential to make use of some of that heat in a positive way, but heating the greenhouse overnight is often enough of a fiscal drain to make the plant products excessively expensive anyway (depending on the exterior climate, of course - in milder &quot;but still too cold for basil&quot; climates less supplemental heat is required than where I'm at and base my greenhouse cost assumptions on.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mean midday solar radiation in Thailand in Springtime &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jgsee.kmutt.ac.th/exell/Solar/SolThai.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;averages 800W/sq m&lt;/a&gt; and HPS lights are far from 100% efficient at converting electricity into light, so you ought to be safe if you can dispose of the heat. 800 &quot;PAR Watts&quot; (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthetically_active_radiation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;photosynthetically active radiation&lt;/a&gt;) per square meter should be &quot;safe&quot; if you can control the temperature, but might take 2500 watts of electrical input for HPS lights (and getting rid of 1700 watts of heat) based on some quick and shoddy research. MH might get you down under 2300 watts input for the same light to plants. But see below...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Revising (slightly)  the shoddiness level of the (still pretty shoddy) research, perhaps a factor of 0.368 should be applied to the solar irradiance to get it's PAR fraction, leaving 295 PAR watts/sq m and revising the equivalent MH wattage down to ~850 and HPS to 950-ish. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-10-05T12:13:33.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22022" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22028" CreationDate="2015-10-05T14:50:39.797" Score="6" ViewCount="552" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm designing a more permanent tree irrigation system for my property to replace the makeshift only I currently have that uses garden hoses. To water the trees, I've settled on non-pressurized lines that are open at the ends (to eliminate the problem of clogging, as we have extremely hard water). To ensure that the flow isn't too high, I need a way to reduce the flow so it just dribbles out. To do this right now, I just open my hose bib spigot a tiny bit so the flow is extremely low, and it works fine. However, this means I can't run the sprinkler at the same time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the system I'm designing, I want to preserve the high pressure high flow at the hose bib so I can run the sprinkler (high flow, high pressure) at the same time as the dribbly tree irrigation part (low flow, low pressure). I have not had much luck finding a product or method to accomplish this. How can I reduce the flow and pressure for only one of the lines? I almost feel like what I want to do is add another hose bib, or a shut-off valve that uses a globe valve instead of a ball valve. I want to be able to throttle the flow, basically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-10-05T22:05:13.970" LastActivityDate="2020-07-18T11:59:57.940" Title="How can I reduce the pressure and flow to only part of an irrigation system?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;water&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22023" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22025" CreationDate="2015-10-05T15:13:18.317" Score="5" ViewCount="1600" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to plant some avocado trees in my garden. The soil seems very stony (&amp;lt;3cm in diameter stones on average, but a couple of bigger ones) and they go down at least 30 cm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to do anything to the soil in preparation for the fruit tree? Will it be okay with the stony soil or should I remove the stones within a certain distance?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The research I have done mainly talks about removing stones from flower beds but not bigger plants like trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is about 1m tall and was home-grown by my dad. He lives in another part of the country but there are simmilar soil conditions there. There are other avocado plants in the area. A neighbour has a couple too, I believe. I live in Swellendam, South Africa. This is a map of the soil in the country:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tWJKo.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tWJKo.gif&quot; alt=&quot;http://bgis.sanbi.org/&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the bottom left province where the soil conditions are mostly red and green:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gWNbW.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gWNbW.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user7520" LastEditorDisplayName="user7520" LastEditDate="2015-10-05T17:34:50.143" LastActivityDate="2015-10-06T14:21:33.223" Title="How do I prepare rocky soil for planting an avocado tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;rocks&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22024" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22026" CreationDate="2015-10-05T15:29:31.070" Score="5" ViewCount="612" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see both HDPE and LDPE tubing advertised. Is one better?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2015-10-05T20:28:13.667" Title="Is there a practical difference between HDPE and LDPE irrigation tubing?" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22025" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22023" CreationDate="2015-10-05T16:58:08.720" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=images%20Swellendam%2C%20South%20Africa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;beautiful city&lt;/a&gt; you live in! Avocados are grown around the world and are very adaptable.  South Africa produces over &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.novagrim.com/Pages/2000_2011_avocado_statistics_EN.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;80,000 metric tons&lt;/a&gt; of avocado every year. The Western Cape area where you live is a large grower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Avocados come in different varieties and it would helpful for you to find out what kind it is.  Each variety copes better with different conditions. You can start diagnosing what type you have with this tip:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The leaves of West Indian varieties are scentless&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Guatemalan types are rarely anise-scented&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mexican types have a pronounced anise scent when crushed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best procedure for planting trees is not to amend the local soil.  If you have large stones then remove them from the planting pit if possible.  Do not add soil that is different from the soil you dug out of the hole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nda.agric.za/docs/Brochures/Avocado_prod.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; is very specific to the requirements of avocados in South Africa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Watering: All avocado cultivars that are grown commercially in South Africa are known to be sensitive to water stress...supplementary irrigation during this [flowering] period is essential.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Best soil types: Only reddish-brown, red and dark-brown soils, particularly in the subsoil, are suitable. Temporary to permanent waterlogging with concomitant root rotting usually occur in yellow, grey, light-brown and white soils. Very dark and black soils usually have either a high clay content that could lead to poor root development, or a large percentage of organic matter that can lead to excessively acid conditions and aluminium toxicity.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Planting: Holes at least 0,6 m deep and wide are prepared well in advance ... After the young plant is put into place mulch is beneficial, weeds should be controlled, and watering is necessary until the roots are well established&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Location:  Avoid Cold pockets [which] will occur in low-lying areas such as the bottom of a valley. A warm sunny place which is sheltered from the wind is best.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilization: for young trees after one year of growth, using a balanced fertiliser, four times a year. This changes as the tree ages and starts to fruit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pests and diseases:&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rats and squirrels will strip the fruit. Protect with tin trunk wraps. Leaf-rolling caterpillars (Tortrix and Amorbia) may destroy branch terminals. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avocado brown mite can be controlled by powdered sulphur. Six-spotted &#xA;mite is very harmful; even a small population can cause large-scale leaf &#xA;shedding. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Two fungi and one virus cause more damage than any other pests.Dothiorella (Botryosphaeria ribis) canker infects the trunk, causing dead patches that spread to maturing fruit, causing darkened, rancid smelling spots in the flesh.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mexican types are immune to trunk cankers but the &#xA;fruit is not. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Other tips: &#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Current orchard practice avoids staking. The best results are obtained by fencing the tree with plastic mesh for the first two to three years. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The skirts of avocado trees are sometimes trimmed to discourage rodents otherwise the trees are usually never pruned. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is better to avoid any pruning.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-10-06T14:21:33.223" LastActivityDate="2015-10-06T14:21:33.223" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22024" CreationDate="2015-10-05T20:28:13.667" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In terms of water? There is no difference. If you were piping and storing acidic or alkaline fluids, then there would only be one choice for each.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;HDPE will likely last longer if left alone once put in place, and LDPE will get brittle sooner, but if you need to flex your tubes periodically LDPE may be your better choice because it is more flexible and will fatigue less if you are&#xA;Moving your irrigation around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-10-05T20:28:13.667" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22028" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22022" CreationDate="2015-10-05T22:03:59.277" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would use a shut-off ball valve (as opposed to a butterfly) such as the one pictured, turned to the required gpm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oLDg2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oLDg2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-10-06T00:59:31.840" LastActivityDate="2015-10-06T00:59:31.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22029" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22032" CreationDate="2015-10-06T16:23:44.500" Score="5" ViewCount="628" Body="&lt;p&gt;The blisters seem to be spreading only to the older (darker, interior) leaves, and the sap is dripping out of the blisters (literally raining down)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PsNOC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PsNOC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZEFxv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZEFxv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1258" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-10-07T00:28:32.603" LastActivityDate="2015-10-07T00:28:32.603" Title="Can anyone identify this infection with my Mango Tree?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22030" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22031" CreationDate="2015-10-06T18:27:29.493" Score="6" ViewCount="3439" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am an architect working on a project in Malibu, California. This is new construction of a single-family residence. The house features a green roof and the client is convinced that it must be planted with Bougainvillea. Aesthetically it will be important that the plants are densely distributed and that they reach a decent height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, what would be an appropriate soil depth? I have asked a number of consultants and received different answers, ranging from 8-12 inches. We would like to keep the number low, as the weight of the roof increases dramatically with each inch of soil. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with a similar situation. If we have to do 12 inches (which is our limit) we will, but we'd prefer to go lighter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is also worth mentioning that the &quot;soil&quot; is not really like normal soil, it is a growing media without a lot of organic matter, and retains less moisture than normal soil (I believe this helps keep the weight down).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13230" LastActivityDate="2015-10-06T22:50:50.680" Title="Soil Depth for Bougainvillea" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22031" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22030" CreationDate="2015-10-06T21:48:35.313" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw a planting in Mexico of bougainvillea where the soil depth was about six inches.  The planters were six or eight feet long. It looked fine but as J. Musser says if you don't irrigate then the soil dries out pretty fast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are using a soil less mix and shallow planting depth the big issue is some plants are going to die out.  Edges and corners are going to be hotter and drier.  I sure hope that the planting area is accessible for maintenance and watering or it will look poorly after a while.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Green roofs normally use plants that spread by roots or rhizome so if one or two die the rest fill in. Bougainvillea with it's thorns and scrambling habit should be planted on a wider spacing but if one dies then there is big hole for weeds to start in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see a direct conflict here between the practice of a green roof: self sufficient, not requiring irrigation, low weeding requirements and using a sprawling vine which will need water and weeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The more I read about using this plant the less it seems appropriate for a green roof. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/OF-38.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Unless they are pruned regularly, bougainvillea grows into a tangled &#xA;mass of old and new growth, and overcrowding often leads to pests and diseases&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It should not be planted in extremely windy, unprotected &#xA;areas Bougainvillea is very susceptible to girdling during a &#xA;storm. The bark will rub off at ground level when stems &#xA;whip in high-speed winds. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;needs regular fertilizing with formula­tions having NPK ratios of 1:1:1 or 2:1:2. Applications of soluble minor elements help prevent leaf chlorosis&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bougainvillea tolerates drying and if possible irrigation should be adjusted to be a little on the dry side. They are sensitive to over watering but should not be allowed to completely dry out. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So your client wants to put a plant on a roof where:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the recommended planting distance is six to nine feet spacing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it needs regular pruning&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;should not be exposed to high winds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fertilized regularly with all the issues that entails with salt buildup in the irrigation system and soil and ensuring consistent application levels&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;should not be left to dry out totally yet should not be over watered&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How about you suggest an initial planting of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delosperma_cooperi&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ice plants&lt;/a&gt; to fill in the spaces until the bougainvillea grows in?  That way there is something to stabilize the soil that looks good right away and if the bougainvillea does great it can shade out and out grow the ice plants in time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-10-06T22:50:50.680" LastActivityDate="2015-10-06T22:50:50.680" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22032" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22029" CreationDate="2015-10-07T00:27:52.700" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think I'm taking much of a risk by confirming Bamboo and Stormy's comments about scale.  It is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;scale&lt;/a&gt; and lots of it.  Have a look at these questions here to see similar problems:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14655/bay-leaf-tree-laurus-nobilis-with-severe-scale&quot;&gt;Bay Laurel&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/20481/small-brown-scales-on-my-lemon-tree&quot;&gt;lemon tree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8216/what-is-this-black-spotted-disease-on-my-orange-tree/8218#8218&quot;&gt;orange tree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/19958/white-spots-growing-on-small-tree-in-uk-garden/19959#19959&quot;&gt;willow&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see there are lots of types of scale and many attack a variety of hosts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Scale are resistant to control due to their hard armoured shell and tendency to hide in the axils of leaves or other hard to get places.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control depends on the size and location of the tree but each control agent will have the same secret of success:  spray more than once, preferably at five to six day intervals to get the young scale who have hatched out since the last spray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As this is a food plant I assume you would want to avoid soil drenches or systemic insecticides which are quite effective but their residual activity would be taken up by the mangos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Physical removal by scrubbing the branches with a rough scrub brush is effective if followed by a spray of soap and water at 5ml/liter or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem_oil#Uses&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;neem oil&lt;/a&gt;. For a tree the issue is getting good coverage which often requires a pressurized sprayer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7408.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Other control methods&lt;/a&gt; are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dormant oil spray in the non fruiting season&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;light horticultural oil during the growing season&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pruning to open up canopies&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;biological control&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;controlling/stopping ants going up the tree to &quot;farm&quot; the scale&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-10-07T00:27:52.700" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22033" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-07T00:37:13.207" Score="4" ViewCount="3011" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently purchased this airplant online, when I received it it was healthy and green. The directions said to water once a week, I may have gone over that amount before watering. Is this plant revivable? Will soaking it in water help? Or is this a total lost? &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zwvpl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zwvpl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;airplant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cBoog.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cBoog.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;airplant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0wtWh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0wtWh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;airplant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The environment I have it in includes rocks, moss and it's inside an open glass container. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastEditorUserId="13114" LastEditDate="2015-10-07T01:07:53.503" LastActivityDate="2017-01-03T01:06:32.917" Title="What happened to my airplant, can it be revived?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22034" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22049" CreationDate="2015-10-07T01:05:03.860" Score="3" ViewCount="382" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a peach tree that was weighted down with fruit this summer, so much so that the branch split.  The split is beyond repair, and I'm now chiefly concerned with the health of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut the branch off (with a chainsaw) a healthy distance from the trunk, where one would ordinarily prune it, but now what should I do, if anything to the remaining branch that is still split?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone suggest:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;gluing the split back to the trunk&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;using a fastener, such as a screw&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;not attempting to re-attach the wood but covering the &quot;wound&quot; with something&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;... &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like to think nature is resilient, but this is right on the trunk, and nature is resilient enough to plant another peach tree -- something I would rather not do if I want to keep getting amazing peaches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-- Edit 10/7/2015 --&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures, added, per request.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D9KgP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D9KgP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/syJKq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/syJKq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13176" LastEditorUserId="13176" LastEditDate="2015-10-07T23:49:55.610" LastActivityDate="2015-10-08T01:28:49.713" Title="How to fix a broken limb" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;damage&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22035" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-07T01:29:15.253" Score="3" ViewCount="311" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I have here is a plant which is being affected by something which is making certain spots of its leaves appear to be unhealthy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any idea what's going on? Is this something that needs corrective action?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FjKu2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FjKu2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13231" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-10-07T03:37:12.067" LastActivityDate="2015-10-07T03:37:12.067" Title="Strange brown/dead spots on leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22036" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-07T11:37:58.720" Score="4" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;I love my vegetable garden, but every spring it looks like the Amazon, and the task of clearing the overgrown weeds is not enjoyable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One fall, I took cardboard and laid it down over my beds and covered it with straw.  The following spring, I lifted the cardboard, and voila, the bed was perfectly prepped and ready for planting.  It was glorious.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have already restarted this process for the remainder of the garden but was hoping to get some alternate strategies.  While the cardboard/straw works well (from what I can tell), it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Costs money...  straw isn't as cheap as it used to be&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Takes time - collecting cardboard from local stores, flattening it, laying it down to shape&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Isn't exactly beautiful, although the straw does take the edge off&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't help but think I'm not the first person who's had to deal with this.  I am very interested in and open to cover crops, but bear in mind my goal is to minimize the work I have to do in the spring, when I am busiest.  Do cover crops create work for me in the spring, or do they just die?  Aside from cover crops, are there other low-cost strategies I can apply now to control weeds in the spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For what it's worth, I've tried burning the weeds in the spring with a propane torch without much success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, two limitations I am bound by (admittedly self imposed):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No tilling -- I have no-till beds, and I am married to the idea&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No Artificial chemicals like Round Up -- I'm 100% organic in my veggie garden&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in North-Central Indiana, zone 5b.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13176" LastActivityDate="2015-10-13T21:17:59.827" Title="Vegetable Garden Spring Weed Control Strategies" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22037" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22038" CreationDate="2015-10-07T11:41:00.340" Score="3" ViewCount="380" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a smallish garden.  With several sections, unconnected by soil. In one section I am growing trees that are being dosed with systemic imidacloprid. Near by, but in pots, I am growing some herbs that currently use no insecticide. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To deal with aphids I would like to buy and release ladybugs.  But I am afraid they may be poisoned by the nearby trees.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I be concerned about this or take a different approach to clearing the aphids?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1258" LastActivityDate="2015-10-07T21:13:05.203" Title="Can I use ladybugs on herbs while treating trees in the same garden with imidacloprid?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22038" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22037" CreationDate="2015-10-07T11:53:38.870" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a complicated picture, because the ladybug population is affected differently depending on how often you're using imidaproclid and how soon after application the ladybugs are around. In general though, the population of ladybugs in areas untreated with any type of insecticide is higher than in areas where insecticide has been used. The link here details some experiments on the impact of various pesticides on the ladybug population at different times, if you're sufficiently interested to pick your way through it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.icontrolpollution.com/articles/impact-of-newer-insecticides-on-ladybird-beetles-menochilus-sexmaculatus-l-in-hybrid-cotton-251-253.pdf.php?aid=37355&quot;&gt;http://www.icontrolpollution.com/articles/impact-of-newer-insecticides-on-ladybird-beetles-menochilus-sexmaculatus-l-in-hybrid-cotton-251-253.pdf.php?aid=37355&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From a logical point of view, it would seem a waste of money to buy in ladybugs which cannot be guaranteed to remain only on your herbs, but may well migrate to the insecticide soaked trees or anything else nearby. If you live somewhere Neem based treatments are available, it's probably worth considering those as an alternative for use on your herbs instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-07T11:53:38.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22039" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22040" CreationDate="2015-10-07T13:23:20.003" Score="3" ViewCount="221" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to figure out if male Katsura trees (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercidiphyllum_japonicum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cercidiphyllum japonicum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) are &quot;cleaner&quot; in terms of the seeds/pods they shed in the yard versus the females. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do all Katsura trees have seeds/pods? Or is it just the females that have seeds/pods?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11888" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-10-07T14:31:29.730" LastActivityDate="2015-10-07T15:45:44.413" Title="Do all Katsura trees (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) have seeds/pods?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22040" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22039" CreationDate="2015-10-07T14:44:56.967" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Both male and female Katsura trees flower, but, as is the way of life generally, only the females produce seed pods (if their flowers have been pollinated).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-10-07T15:45:44.413" LastActivityDate="2015-10-07T15:45:44.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22036" CreationDate="2015-10-07T14:49:18.070" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whether or not your cover crops winter kill (die during the winter) is dependent on what cover you plant. A winter cereal like wheat or rye will survive over winter easily, and potentially become an issue in the spring if you aren't ready for them. Others, like oats, will die in the winter, leaving you a clean bed in the spring assuming they grow enough before they die. The trouble is it's already getting late to get much growth from oats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rye would establish modestly well this time of year and take off as soon as spring arrives. The best organic no-till kill is to flatten and crimp the stalks when the seed-heads emerge (probably in early-mid May in your climate). For warm season crops (tomato, pepper, squash) the timing would be convenient, less so for cold crops like peas or potatoes, which could be in the ground a few weeks by the time rye heads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These Winter-kill guidelines are based on USDA zone 4-7, colder and wheat can winter kill, warmer and oats survive winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I have used both cardboard and black plastic, definitely does the job but if you don't like the look of it it's not much good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-10-07T16:52:07.430" LastActivityDate="2015-10-07T16:52:07.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22042" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-07T16:13:07.293" Score="2" ViewCount="3360" Body="&lt;p&gt;We recently purchased a 15' Willow tree.  After planting it, the main trunk is straight, however approximately 5' up it starts to have a very bad lean to the right.  How can we fix it without damaging the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13234" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-10-07T22:30:54.787" LastActivityDate="2015-10-07T22:30:54.787" Title="Can I correct a bad lean in my new 15' willow tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;support&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-10-12T15:29:28.113" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22043" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22036" CreationDate="2015-10-07T17:25:44.420" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;So long as you aren't fighting perennial weeds, black plastic will probably be easier than cardboard to deploy and roll back up the following season.  Thicker mil plastic will be superior (and will last longer, as it will be exposed to UV radiation all winter long).  Apart from the chore of cutting it to the size of your garden the first year, rolling it out and anchoring it with a few strategically placed rocks or (preferably) flat concrete blocks.  Flat blocks will be less likely to cause tears and protect better against wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do have perennial weeds, consider leaving the plastic on for a full year and gardening in elevated boxes.  Rhizome barrier is costly, but might be the better investment over the long term.  40 mil should be more than adequate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13236" LastActivityDate="2015-10-07T17:25:44.420" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22044" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-07T20:21:17.367" Score="3" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the generally rule of thumb (if there is one) for transplanting perennials?  I have a bunch of hostas to divide and transplant.  I could wait until spring, but wondering how late into fall I could get away with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Vermont, Plant Hardiness Zone 5a/5b.  I am mostly talking about hostas, lillies and other hardy plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12053" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-10-07T22:18:30.400" LastActivityDate="2015-10-07T22:18:30.400" Title="How late into fall is perennial transplanting viable?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22037" CreationDate="2015-10-07T21:13:05.203" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh I agree with Bamboo.  Why are you using this pesticide? This stuff is highly toxic to bees.  If Lady bugs eat the aphids that suck on thin skinned plant parts of plants that are full of systemic pesticide, yeah, it'll kill 'em.  But not to worry.  When one releases Lady Bugs on their property not a one will stay!  All your neighbors will enjoy their labors, not you.  Lady Bugs are programmed to LEAVE home. Hope you haven't purchased them yet.  Grins!  You could go to your neighbors to release the Lady Bugs!! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pesticides should be absolute, absolute last option for managing a garden.  In fact, pesticides/herbicides are just a bandaid on  a problem, never a solution and if not used expertly will ALWAYS cause bigger problems in the garden.  As a licensed pesticide operator for 2 decades, I have RARELY used pesticides. If these chemicals made landscape maintenance any easier, more money...I, sigh, probably would have used these chemicals. But pesticides never made sense for solving any problem in the landscape. Being professionally involved with landscapes/gardens over 3 decades I've used some glyphosate, Round-up, Neem, garden grade soap...that is it. And I was certified, educated, experienced. Why this stuff is available to anyone has always been a huge conundrum for me...  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on what plants have aphids right now, how big an infestation, you can easily use strong streams of water to knock aphids off plants, next strongest solution would be a soapy water solution using non-caustic soap and finally, NEEM would be the strongest pesticide you should ever have to use on aphids. Use at night to ensure bees are not active.  Only takes one bee to take pesticide back to hive and entire hive is poisoned. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send a bit more information and pictures!  Nothing should ever be done without absolute certain ID of target!!  Bees are in big trouble and almost all of life is dependent on bees.  A few months without bees and even us humans will be in major trouble.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-10-07T21:13:05.203" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22046" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22044" CreationDate="2015-10-07T22:16:58.090" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As long as the ground isn't frozen, herbaceous plants that are solidly hardy in your area can still be transplanted. Plant at the normal (proper) depth, and mulch if you can. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like to do it after the tops start dying off, but before I cut them. It kind of gives them a 'handle' and I don't have to worry about hurting them, because they're coming off soon. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try to get a big root ball, for minimum stress. Mulching after planting can help keep the root ball from heaving out during periodic freezes. This can also happen to established perennials, but is more common when they're newly planted. Tamping well after planting helps a lot also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-10-07T22:16:58.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22047" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22042" CreationDate="2015-10-07T22:29:19.460" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;At 15', if the trunk has set, you cannot correct the lean. If it is simply a weak trunk (try pulling the trunk the opposite direction, and see if the trunk bends over that way), you may be able to use &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/21989/should-trees-be-staked-when-they-are-planted/21990#21990&quot;&gt;temporary staking&lt;/a&gt; to correct the lean. I have seen that often, where a large willow was planted, and after even a small amount of top growth, has become too heavy in the crown. If you do not correct it, it will set that way, and there will be no way to fix it. Sometimes lightly thinning the crown helps, too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the trunk is already rigidly set with a bad bend in it, I'm afraid you can't do much, except train the crown out further on one side, to compensate (kind of centering the tree's weight over the root flare). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-10-07T22:29:19.460" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22049" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22034" CreationDate="2015-10-08T01:28:49.713" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless you have an affection for this tree that goes beyond it being a good fruit bearer I would plant another one now.  By the time it's ready to fruit this one should be done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree has a poor structure and I believe I can see &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_fork&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;included bark&lt;/a&gt; which indicates another future weakness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can repair the split with thin threaded aircraft quality stainless steel bolts that don't rust easily.  Two bolts at four to six inch spacing with a washer on the end with the nut. Don't try and tighten this too much.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not use wound paint. This is counterproductive and can cause more damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-10-08T01:28:49.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22052" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22054" CreationDate="2015-10-08T05:37:24.757" Score="3" ViewCount="8989" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow chives in a pot. In the last few weeks, it grew dramatically. However, in the last days I noticed that the tips of the leaves turned brown. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z4Js4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z4Js4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could it be? Some type of disease? Lack of water? Not enough drainage? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-10-08T14:32:32.203" LastActivityDate="2015-10-08T14:32:32.203" Title="Why are my chives turning brown on the tips of their leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22053" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-08T05:56:46.450" Score="1" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am new to gardening and I would like to know what ingredients and measurements do you use in your potting mix for three different types of plants: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plants that require plenty of water. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plants that require good water draining.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plants that need rocky soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With respect to plants that require plenty of water, is it a good idea to include peat moss or coconut coir? Moreover, is soil a good water absorbent? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastEditorUserId="13172" LastEditDate="2015-10-09T16:32:44.417" LastActivityDate="2015-10-16T07:16:01.293" Title="What potting mixes do you use?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;peat&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2016-11-28T07:16:10.250" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22052" CreationDate="2015-10-08T12:02:03.747" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately I can't see the pot they're growing in in your photograph - if they have grown apace, as you describe, it may be that they're getting a bit short of root room and need a larger pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This type of thing happens with chives anyway, though - some leaves die back and any stalks which have borne flowers go quite stiff and eventually bleach and die back completely. Other than perhaps needing a larger container (turn it out of its pot and see how crowded it is) there doesn't seem to be anything much wrong with your chives, though I can't actually see the whole plant in your pic. You might check how dry or wet the compost in the pot is - they don't particularly like being wet all the time, so should be allowed to dry out a little between waterings, so that the surface feels just slightly dry to the touch, and don't leave the pot standing in an outer tray full of water, empty it after 30 minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may find they die back completely if temperatures get low enough - although this is an evergreen perennial plant (bulbs, actually), in places like the UK, they disappear below ground completely during winter, reappearing in Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-10-08T12:09:53.933" LastActivityDate="2015-10-08T12:09:53.933" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22056" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22058" CreationDate="2015-10-08T14:20:17.643" Score="4" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in the process of planning for a deck.  I have the deck plans done, but now I am looking at what to do underneath. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have an old concrete patio. It is cracked and not in very good condition.  Is it best to remove the patio? or can I secure my footings to it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I do remove it, what is the best material to put under the deck? gravel or river rock? or something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The deck is 16&quot; high with one step down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3586" LastActivityDate="2015-10-09T12:38:57.047" Title="Deck Planning / Building" Tags="&lt;hard-landscape&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22057" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-08T14:42:58.563" Score="3" ViewCount="419" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to buy some more of these for other places around the garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are these called? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hES5U.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hES5U.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13244" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-10-08T14:56:30.183" LastActivityDate="2015-10-13T16:07:17.913" Title="What is this columnar evergreen tree with yellow-green foliage?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22058" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22056" CreationDate="2015-10-08T14:46:01.157" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the concrete is all broken and moving around, you can't secure your deck to it. You haven't said whether your deck is going to be raised off the ground quite high (in which case, securing the foundations properly is critical) or as close to the ground as possible, but the other problem with cracked concrete is weed growth coming through, and that will carry on even when your deck's over the top. Its probably best to remove the concrete, but if its a concrete pad, it may be up to 9 inches thick, so depends what's there and how bad it is. If it is very thick and not moving around, its probably safe to put your foundation posts into it, but you'll need fence post type fixings with a flat plate so you can fix through to the concrete. Link here (its a UK one) giving general instructions re deck building, raised or otherwise, giving particular guidance on the foundation for the deck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.diy-extra.co.uk/how-to-install-decking.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.diy-extra.co.uk/how-to-install-decking.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for what you put beneath it, a thicker geotextile membrane, the sort used under driveways rather than the common, thin 'weed membrane' sold everywhere. Spread it out, with a good overlap for joins of at least 8 inches, staple it down, rocks or gravel or whatever you can get over the top, doesn't need to be a deep layer, just something that will keep the membrane anchored down once the staples wear out, and to make it more attractive if the area beneath the deck is visible from another area of the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-10-09T12:38:57.047" LastActivityDate="2015-10-09T12:38:57.047" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22059" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22057" CreationDate="2015-10-08T14:53:32.457" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't get enough magnification to examine the needle arrangement properly, but at a guess, it could be Cupressus macrocarpus Wilma, link below to an image, but you'll have to click on the pic itself to see it larger&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.treemail.hu/noveny_enciklopedia/cupressus_macrocarpa_wilma_aranysarga_oszlopos_monterey_ciprus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.treemail.hu/noveny_enciklopedia/cupressus_macrocarpa_wilma_aranysarga_oszlopos_monterey_ciprus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-08T14:53:32.457" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22060" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22063" CreationDate="2015-10-08T19:52:00.120" Score="7" ViewCount="4383" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm on here again, asking more questions about my office's Schefflera that I'm in charge of. You can find pictures and a previous question here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/19290/whats-the-next-step-to-improving-my-schefflera&quot;&gt;Whats the next step to improving my schefflera?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I need to repot it now. I've been told it's almost as old as the company and I doubt it's been repotted much since then. When I first came to care for it, I started playing with the watering schedule. I read that they like to dry out slightly and then be soaked. Well, I watered it a decent amount for the size of the pot and it stayed sopping for almost a week. I started watering it more lightly and letting it dry out down 2-3 inches before watering again. Basically, every other week. I've recently started fertilizing all the office plants once a month. It's not very often, but they are all in low light, so I figured I shouldn't over fertilize them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Schefflera has shown pretty good progress and has at least doubled the foliage on the top since I took it over. I've even had new growth about a foot from the base. You can see that growth in the linked post. That growth has since died off, but a few days ago, I noticed two new growths slightly above the one that died off. While the other growth got tall before dying, it never leafed out. These two new growths are very close to the trunk, but have tiny leaves. I'll try to get pictures to show these growths as well as the dim lighting the room gets when the office light is off, which is often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know the plant needs more light, but it's not really up to me. I'm just doing the best I can with it. I believe it needs to be repotted. I'm guessing that it's possibly gotten root bound, but I think it's probably rotted some of the roots because of the water retaining soil that's in it. It's currently in a 14-16&quot; self-watering pot (depending on how warped it is where you measure). I found a 20&quot; on sale at Big Lots. I can drill holes in it and put a tray under it. That will fix the drainage issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need to know a good soil mixture for this plant. I have more of the miracle grow, water-retaining soil on hand in the office. I also have half a bag of compost from Home Depot. I figure that I can mix the half bag of compost, which is courser, with the miracle grow, some orchid bark I also have on hand, and maybe some perlite. This mixture seems like it would retain some water over the week, but drain much faster and not become easily compact. What do you guys think of this mixture or would you do something different? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I realize that I may lose the little growths on the base, but I think I should take the chance. I think it's akin to lopping the flowers off plants if the plant is weak. You may lose something, but the plant will be healthier and you'll end up with more growth in the long run. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I took some more pictures I'm adding. You can see that a lot of the leaves are drooping. I had it on an every other week watering schedule, but we got a Friday off for a holiday and I plum forgot to water it till the next Friday. There was a lot of drooping. It perked back up some, but it may be like orchids in that once the lack or water damage is done, it just doesn't stand back up. I also tried to show the low light levels, but my phone brightened the first shot up. The others have the room light on. You can see the new growth on the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit (10/19/2015): I repotted the plant last Friday before the weekend. I'd bought a 20&quot; pot for it and I drilled a couple of 3/8&quot; drain holes in the bottom, as well as several around the side at the base. I didn't see a specifically 'tropical' potting soil and knew the moisture control held too much water. I ended up using about half and half Miracle Grow potting soil and Miracle Grow's natural compost which is a little chunky and I though would help the drainage. I also added a good bit of perlite to make it lighter an airier. I had my hands covered in dirt and couldn't take pictures, but there wasn't a lot of root left. I could have fit most of the root ball in my two hands. I had figured that the constant moisture was probably rotting them, but I was hopeful when I started letting it dry out more and it started putting on a lot of top growth. I repotted it in this much looser soil, with drain holes. I think that between the drain holes, the loser soil, and the fertilizer from the potting soil, hopefully this plant will start growing some good roots. If the little plantlets growing near the base take off. I probably will lop off the top. I'm still nervous about killing off an office relic, so I'm being cautious. Thanks for the help. I'll try to update this post in a couple of months to let you know whether it improves or declines in the new setting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NhqBY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NhqBY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7woNG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7woNG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pcyPj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pcyPj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3nCRq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3nCRq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7G7f7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7G7f7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-10T16:26:03.343" LastActivityDate="2018-02-10T16:26:03.343" Title="What soil mixture should I use for my office Schefflera?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22061" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-08T20:59:04.650" Score="5" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need a lawn solution for around our backyard pool.  The previous owners had the area covered in flagstone, but I need more green in my life!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Info about the area:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We're in North Dallas, Zone 8.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lots of dry hot summers; but there will be sprinklers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Something that doesn't need a lot of mowing would be nice.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Since it will be around a pool, it'll need to stand up to heavy traffic.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13247" LastEditorUserId="13114" LastEditDate="2015-10-09T15:00:33.377" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T05:24:00.463" Title="What's a good low-maintenance poolside lawn choice in Zone 8?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22062" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22313" CreationDate="2015-10-08T21:59:03.240" Score="5" ViewCount="1945" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an Italian cypress tree in my backyard which is about 20 feet tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much water should I give it?&#xA;Also, how frequently should I water it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I should point out a big caveat.  The tree is dying and starting to turn orange.  It might be dead already.  The main cause of this is the California drought and my lack of watering it.  It's been alive for at least 20 years (without any external water intervention).  But now I fear it's dying (or dead) and the lack of rain is accelerating it's death.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tbhzZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tbhzZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TpE8d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TpE8d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13249" LastEditorUserId="13249" LastEditDate="2015-10-12T18:54:48.887" LastActivityDate="2015-11-04T01:00:28.963" Title="How much water should I give to a 20 foot Italian Cypress tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22063" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22060" CreationDate="2015-10-08T22:38:45.613" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Bamboo in their previous answer that this is a Scheffelera 'Amate'. A trade marked cultivar that can be identified by the glossier leaves in a lighter green than the species and resistance to spider mites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also agree that the best thing for the appearance of this plant is cut it back hard. These plants bud readily from old wood which you have seen yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You asked what soil mix to use.  The choices are varied and range from what is easiest to what you could do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;easiest is to go to a store like Home Depot and buy a bag of tropical plant potting soil.  This should run you less than $5.00 and is a more dependable solution than mixing things up from leftover bits and pieces. A mix like this will have a starter fertilizer charge and be composed of mostly peat moss and perlite with a other bits.  Perfectly fine for drainage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in all my years as an interior landscaper the healthiest longest lived plants I saw were planted in a mix that had a clay component. If you have garden soil that is clay based just use some of that.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I realize that this is an unorthodox approach.  The goals of a tropical plant grower are to maximize growth and minimize time to market.  Soil less mixes do a fine job as they are consistent. Over time a soil less mix does not do well as the organic matter is taken up by the roots and the remainder is unable to buffer the buildup of salts from the tap water used.  As the soluble salt level rises odd deficiency diseases occur and a general lack of vitality.  A clay based soil is better at absorbing dissolved minerals from the water and retains a soil structure long after a soil less mix is nothing but perlite and roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When re potting there is no need to be delicate. Take a sharp knife and cut off the bottom third of the root ball. Make a series of thin vertical cuts around the perimeter of the remaining root ball to cut established roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pot in a pot one size larger with new soil or soil less mix. Water thoroughly and wait.  The next watering may be several weeks later as new roots establish. Do not fertilize yet, wait until a bit of new growth shows and water at half the recommended strength.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-10-08T22:38:45.613" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22064" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22060" CreationDate="2015-10-09T10:41:54.037" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd add to Kevinsky's answer, with which I entirely agree - if possible, do not use a self watering pot. I've never yet seen a plant in one of those long term that continues to do well, they almost always get problems from the constant availability of moisture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a great shame that the John Innes formula potting composts do not seem to be available in the States, though I guess its possible something similar is, just not called that. John Innes No. 2 or 3 potting compost (it includes sterilized loam) mixed with a multi purpose to make the weight a bit less once wet would be ideal. However, I think you'll find, with or without loam based potting compost, if not in a self watering pot, the end result would be better, once the plant recovers from its surgery. Not sure I'd have the courage to cut the roots though!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-09T10:41:54.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22065" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22076" CreationDate="2015-10-09T18:04:41.097" Score="2" ViewCount="175" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a new lawn that was started in late August in the Boston (MA) area. The installer says it's time to apply fall fertilizer. My new lawn looks pretty good: there was broad germination; there are some bald spots; and in the shade there's some thinner uptake. It's starting to yellow slightly. I'm currently watering twice a week for approximately 30 minutes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have young children who want to play on the lawn, so I want to be careful about exposing them to the fertilizer. I bought two fertilizers with the plan to use one of them, and I could use some help answering questions in order to pick one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The two fertilizers are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/turf-builder-winterguard-fall-lawn-food/prod100052&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Scotts® Turf Builder® WinterGuard® Fall Lawn Food&lt;/a&gt; -- This has no pesticides and a fertilizer mix of 32-0-10&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/scotts-natural-lawn-food/prod100040&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Scotts® Natural Lawn Food&lt;/a&gt; -- This has no pesticides, is &quot;organic&quot; (bone meal) and has a fertilizer mix of 11-2-2&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Questions:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is the traditional fertilizer safe for my children? The online documents say &quot;Kid and pet friendly when applied as directed.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is the organic one any safer? Online says &quot;Kid and pet friendly.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The organic bag is 2x larger by volume even though it covers only 80% of what the traditional one covers. Why is that?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;By percentage, the organic one (11 + 2 + 2 = 15) has less actual fertilizer than the traditional (32 + 0 + 10 = 42). Does that matter much?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I use a broad fertilizer for a new lawn (organic one in this case) or the fall mix (traditional one). It's a new lawn, so root growth is key, which is why I would think the organic one with its (admittedly small) phosphate contribution would be good. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice about fall fertilizers for a new lawn and fertilizers with kids is much appreciated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="601" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-09T21:16:42.467" LastActivityDate="2015-10-10T15:09:09.970" Title="Organic or Traditional lawn fertilizer: which is safer for areas with young children?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;fall-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22066" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22138" CreationDate="2015-10-09T18:42:08.317" Score="6" ViewCount="188" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in zone8. I have a few plants I've been experimenting with. I broke a few stems off a friends tropical flowering plant they got at Home Depot, and have been propagating them successfully, but they'll have to come in for the winter. I also have a lemon tree I grew from a seed at the bottom of a cup of Sonic tea. It's doing well, and I put it out this summer, but I'll have to bring it back in for the winter as well. The leaves on it have gotten a lot yellower, where they were a pretty green from when it sprouted March-before-last, till when I put it out this spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I've been looking around at lighting options. I don't have room for some massive system. I'm not looking to completely replicate the outdoors, just make them comfortable and healthy till I can put them back outside next year. My bedroom stays a comfortably warm temp, but the lighting is moderate to dim, even with two windows. One each faces west and south. I have been putting plants under the south facing window and they do pretty well. I have a lamp on the dresser beside that window I leave on from about 6:45am to 10-11pm. I put the smaller plants under this light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm just learning about the light requirements and I know that ideally you have a 6500k and something around 2100k for the red and blue spectrums. I looked this morning and the bulb in the lamp is a 5500k CFL. I saw a guy on youtube who had some setup where he could get two bulbs in a single clamp reflector hood. He put a 6500k and a 2700k in each hood. I'd like to know how to get two bulbs in one shade, but he would hang one shade over each group of seedlings or smaller plants, or he'd surround a larger plant with multiples of these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a small area of floor space clear under a wall mounted dvd shelf. I think I could easily clamp a reflector to the bottom self and direct one of these duel bulb reflectors at the floor, where I'd set the wintering plants. They're all roughly the same height. I feel like even if two bulbs aren't ideal, that they'd still be a huge improvement over one window and a lamp. I still worry I'll come home to find that my plants have been knocked out of the way and my cat is lying under the 'sun' bulbs, but that's another problem. I'm considering replicating the same set up on my dresser for my year round indoor succulents and tillandsia. I can also probably set my orchids at the fringes and get them good light as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this two bulb setup sound like it would be okay for keeping the plants alive and healthy through the winter, when I'm not trying to get anything to put on massive growth or flower, or do I need more? By winter I mean that it's now 10/9/2015 and I'll have to bring them in anytime between now and the first week in November. I won't be able to put them back out till the end of April or the beginning of May. I might be able to put them out a little sooner, but would have to keep an eye on the temp. Also, I haven't found out much about the wattage and how it affects the plants. I've seen that you need to use the 6500k and the 2?00k, but I've found both of those in multiple wattages. Thanks for the help with this. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, I'm just trying to keep them healthy over the winter, not put on growth or flowers. I'm also not going to buy pricey and hot HID bulbs. I figure CFL's are cheap, compact, and safe to leave on in my room unsupervised. Thanks again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-01-13T19:36:01.050" Title="Help determine lighting requirements for wintering small plants indoors" Tags="&lt;light&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22067" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18056" CreationDate="2015-10-09T19:12:38.027" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you were asking about propagating from the plant rather than the seed. I discovered this year that broken stems will develop roots if you put them in water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A slug had damaged the young stem badly, and, rather than consign it to the compost heap, I thought I'd see if I could save it. You can imagine how delighted I was when I saw roots starting to grow. I potted the plant up carefully, kept it inside at night, and eventually 9 buds formed. I tried it again last week with another damaged one and, although the roots haven't formed yet, a very healthy bud is developing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've decided, just for fun, I'm going to experiment with some more sunflower plants, to see how small I can cut the plants and still get viable growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13250" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-09T19:45:56.470" LastActivityDate="2015-10-09T19:45:56.470" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4940" CreationDate="2015-10-09T22:48:14.403" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bugs climbing up from the ground are better seen by birds and other bug eaters if they are on a white background. Bugs know this too and may avoid exposing themselves to predators.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13251" LastActivityDate="2015-10-09T22:48:14.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22069" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22071" CreationDate="2015-10-10T00:20:25.090" Score="4" ViewCount="33" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have ficus seedlings given to me in Chinese containers that are moist with wet paper towels. They have been in these containers for three days now and I can't get to pot them till Monday. Should I put them in the fridge?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13252" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-10-10T00:55:35.913" LastActivityDate="2015-10-10T00:56:25.177" Title="How to keep seedlings fresh?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22070" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14274" CreationDate="2015-10-10T00:27:39.930" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have read that hemp will replenish nitrogen and nutrients in soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13253" LastActivityDate="2015-10-10T00:27:39.930" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22071" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22069" CreationDate="2015-10-10T00:56:25.177" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just keep them moist and at room temperature and they should be fine.  Do not put them in the windowsill or they could get too hot in the bag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-10-10T00:56:25.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22072" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-10T03:28:04.930" Score="4" ViewCount="1196" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the foreground of the picture, you can see a brown region.  This is a different type of grass than the buffalo that makes up the remainder of the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EiJyi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EiJyi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like the whole lawn to be buffalo for a consistent look.  How can I achieve this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This small area of different grass has persisted for a number of years.  It looks brown now as there has not been any rain for about 10 days.  When it rains, it will come back green again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The buffalo seems to grow better in summer, while the other grass grows better when it is colder.  It's spring here now so I thought it might be a good time to address this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I spray this with round-up, and allow the buffalo to grow in from the edges.  Do I need to physically dig it up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I dug up the patch. About 15cm down I hit cement. The soil was quite compacted clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not clear to me what this was. Might have been an old path across the yard&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="460" LastEditorUserId="460" LastEditDate="2015-11-14T03:04:38.633" LastActivityDate="2015-11-14T03:04:38.633" Title="How should I remove a patch of the wrong type of grass from my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22073" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14274" CreationDate="2015-10-10T08:39:14.637" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If by nutrients, you mean acids, hormones and such, then yes, I'm sure most plants contribute acids and other chemicals to the soil (probably different ones from different plants), which will affect different plants in different ways. Different plants may attract different kinds of microbes, and animals, which may also affect the soil nutrients (different ways for different kinds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different acids and other chemicals have different effects on different things. Whether it's an improvement (and what it's an improvement for) depends, but it can be an improvement, I believe. Different acids may make different elements more or less available to different plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If by nutrients, you mean elements, that's another matter that other people seem to have attempted to answer, with the discussion on nitrogen-fixing. Legumes tend to have microbes that fix the nitrogen (the plants themselves don't actually do it). Some other plants, I've read, can hinder this process (such as calendula, I believe), and may not be good to plant with legumes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose a venus fly trap may catch insects, and their left-over skeletons may eventually somehow contribute to the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees can grow deep roots to bring nutrients from way down to the surface (the trees drop their leaves, which contain nutrients from down below, which may be able to contribute to the topsoil in ways).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because many plants have delicious fruit, they influence humans to grow them, and the humans may improve the soil as a result (as well as the plant breeding; so, it's a synergistic effect). It's kind of like a symbiotic relationship, except humans aren't actually attached to the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest learning about cover crops. There's more to good soil than fertility (like soil structure, and probably more stuff). Buckwheat is supposed to be a good one (but not for nitrogen fixing).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In short, the answer is yes. People usually call them cover crops if they're planting them specifically for the purpose of improving soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2020-01-28T07:58:09.593" LastActivityDate="2020-01-28T07:58:09.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="22074" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-10T11:59:45.543" Score="5" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help me identify the following tree? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help would be gratefully received.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*Note: This may be a similar, or identical, species to another tree I am trying to identify. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/22116/what-is-this-large-tree-with-many-suckers-growing-from-the-trunk&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jaxce.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jaxce.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vrpi6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vrpi6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UCXPT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UCXPTl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunk&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6934" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-10-14T14:16:02.703" Title="What is this tall tree growing in London?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22075" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22072" CreationDate="2015-10-10T13:14:30.087" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Buffalo grass is what is known as a warm season grass. It's well adapted to warm weather, it thrives when it's hot and tolerates drought very well, which is why it keeps looking green and healthy. The patch of other grass is some variety of cool season grass. They don't handle drought as well, preferring moister, cooler whether, hence why it looks better in early Spring, and right after it rains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A cautious application of Round-Up will kill the grass, but you will want to do it when the grass is green. When it's brown like it is now it's entering dormancy, and Round-Up (and most herbicides) only works on plants that are actively growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;However,&lt;/em&gt; we have to ask one important question:&#xA;Why hasn't Buffalo grass over-taken this other patch already? Buffalo grass spreads by stolons (above ground runners) and if the cool-season grass looks this brown this early in the year it shouldn't be healthy enough to have kept out the Buffalo for this many years. The fact that the Buffalo grass hasn't colonized the area yet suggests that something about that particular patch of lawn is unsuitable for Buffalo grass. A soil test from the brown patch and another from the Buffalo grass might tell the story. Is there any reason to think that particular patch was subjected to more traffic? Or cut shorter than the rest of the lawn? Anything that makes that patch different from the last lawn might be keeping the Buffalo grass from being able to move in effectively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-10-10T13:14:30.087" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22076" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22065" CreationDate="2015-10-10T13:58:11.277" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a difficult one if you have children. First, let's deal with the two fertilizers you've mentioned - the first one, non organic, has a much higher Nitrogen level, as you've noticed, nearly 3 times the level of the organic one, and is much more suitable for use in Fall. Because its an autumn formulation, it will take longer to break down than the organic one you have, which does not seem to be specifically for autumn use. It also means you need less of it so its usually spread more thinly, and its the one I would choose in these circumstances.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The usual advice where children will be playing on grass after treatment is to use a liquid which, once its dry, is no trouble to either pets or children, and this is particularly useful in summer. However, because its Fall, you do actually need a product in granular or dry formulation because the idea is it breaks down gradually, over a much longer period of time than a liquid would do, which is more or less instant. Regarding the difference between them, in theory, either product could burn skin if the person is in prolonged contact and is particularly sensitive, but I imagine your children won't be lying for hours on the grass with bare skin. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although the idea of an organic product seems better, in practice, bonemeal can produce dust, attracts various animals who think its something interesting to eat, and isn't any safer from a skin point of view when compared with the non organic product. So, on balance, I'd recommend the non organic version, carefully spread at exactly the right rate and no more, following the instructions to the letter. You should exclude children and pets whilst the treatment is carried out, and it would be better to keep them off the area until its been well watered in over a couple of days or so. I know the instructions say no need to water in, but if your sense of smell is good, after such a treatment is spread, the first couple of times it gets wet you can actually smell the treatment in the air, so I'd water it in regardless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do have one caveat though - I would check with Scott's first before using anything, to make sure that any product you choose is suitable for a lawn which has only been down a couple of months. If its like Scotts products here in the UK, there should be a contact phone number on the packaging for queries/customer service. It would also be interesting to find out what product, and its NPK ratio, the installer would use himself...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-10-10T15:09:09.970" LastActivityDate="2015-10-10T15:09:09.970" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22077" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22078" CreationDate="2015-10-10T17:25:27.733" Score="2" ViewCount="47" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received a tomato plant from work. It never blossomed, never produced fruit, but it grew to a fair height. My wife has ordered me to take it out of the house because it's attracting insects of some sort. Given it's October, I don't have much hope of it surviving the winter. I doubt it's even got seeds anywhere in it such that it might regrow in the Spring, but I figure I'd ask. Is there anything I can do with it short of simply planting it and forgetting it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11453" LastActivityDate="2015-10-10T17:47:12.787" Title="Ways to salvage a tomato plant in winter" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;disposal&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22077" CreationDate="2015-10-10T17:29:15.313" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stick it on the compost heap - it hasn't fruited, so there's no question of seeds, they're inside the fruits. I'm a bit curious as to why you kept in the house and didn't put it outside during the summer months, where it would have been much more likely to fruit though - they're not meant to be houseplants, though they can be grown in greenhouses. They are perennial plants in sub tropical regions, but anywhere the temperature drops below around 10 degrees C, they die in winter, and they're usually grown as annuals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-10-10T17:47:12.787" LastActivityDate="2015-10-10T17:47:12.787" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22079" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22082" CreationDate="2015-10-10T20:22:30.260" Score="4" ViewCount="1726" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_benjamina&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ficus benjamina&lt;/a&gt; for some time. It recently grew several small round objects on its stem. I have no idea if these are indeed pods/seeds or something else (see attached image). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are seeds, what do I do next?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1wSrO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1wSrO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the seed/fruit looking thing&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13254" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-10-12T15:31:52.263" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T15:31:52.263" Title="Are there seed pods growing on my Ficus benjamina?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22080" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22088" CreationDate="2015-10-10T20:28:08.020" Score="3" ViewCount="43" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a novice at growing plants and want to grow bulls blood beet to harvest as a micro green. I shall be doing this in a greenhouse, but I want to know &lt;strong&gt;if growing different cultivars(variaties? ) of a species requries different conditions?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13539/what-are-the-optimal-growing-conditions-for-sugar-beet&quot;&gt;post&lt;/a&gt; on this SE about growing conditions for Sugar beets, and was going to simply use those recommended conditions, but I would like to cover my bases so to speak. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12052" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T12:41:18.703" Title="Do different cultivars of a species have different growing conditions?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;beetroot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22081" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22087" CreationDate="2015-10-10T21:10:37.420" Score="6" ViewCount="121" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Grease-Monkey-Large-Black-Gorilla-Grip-Gloves-5-Pack-25236-72/205031332&quot;&gt;thin rubber gloves&lt;/a&gt; when gardening. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's autumn here in zone 6, and I'm in the process of pruning and pulling up spent perennials and all manner of wildflowers which have been growing since the spring. I leave them until the bees, butterflies and insects have had their fill of the flowers, at which point many have visible leaf mold, fungal diseases, and insect damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a different area, healthy annuals such as marigolds, dahlias, petunias, verbena, begonias, cosmos and snapdragons, will continue to produce flowers until frost if I keep dead-heading them. I also have shrubs that are fine and just need the usual preparation for winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I generally handle a variety of plants in one gardening session, but have begun to wonder if diseases can live on the rubber gloves, and if so, for how long. Can they be deposited on, and cause damage to, un-infected plants? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I rinse or change gloves between tasks, or is my concern unfounded? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2021-05-01T10:00:05.153" Title="Can rubber gloves spread plant diseases?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;damage&gt;&lt;gloves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22082" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22079" CreationDate="2015-10-10T22:48:34.623" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, they are seed pods.  As &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_benjamina&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ficus benjamina&lt;/a&gt; is a member of the Fig family they are figs and are edible when ripe. (Notice: I did not say tasty and I would not eat them)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ficus family is pollinated by species specific tiny wasps which are unlikely to have access to the figs. So you will not get viable seed from the figs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are likely to increase in size by one third and turn yellow.  Ficus nitida figs turn a red orange.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep up the humidity and do not move the plant if you want to keep them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-10-10T22:48:34.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22083" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-11T11:28:20.217" Score="8" ViewCount="1653" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seen in a Botanical Garden - which species is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ovfo7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ovfo7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13257" LastActivityDate="2015-10-11T12:14:55.827" Title="What is this hanging succulent plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22084" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-11T11:53:02.373" Score="6" ViewCount="872" Body="&lt;p&gt;What species is this tree? What are the hairy balls on it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;click on the photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iQJXM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iQJXMm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13257" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-11T18:36:06.087" LastActivityDate="2015-10-11T18:36:06.087" Title="What is this strange looking tree with hairy-type growths near the leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22085" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22083" CreationDate="2015-10-11T12:14:55.827" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senecio_rowleyanus&quot;&gt;Senecio rowleyanus&lt;/a&gt;, commonly called a string-of-pearls plant. It is a perennial succulent native to southern Africa, but commonly grown in gardens, or as a house-plant in climates too cool for it to live outdoors. They propagate easily from cuttings. It is tolerant of shady conditions and requires minimal watering. It's somewhat toxic to humans and animals if eaten, and there is potential for skin irritation from contact with the sap, so wash your hands if you get any on you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-10-11T12:14:55.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22086" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22084" CreationDate="2015-10-11T12:18:34.233" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks a lot like a smoke tree (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotinus_coggygria&quot;&gt;Cotinus coggygria&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While it only rarely forms a tree, sometimes the bush grows into the shape of a small tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;fluffy balls&quot; are seed heads, consisting of elongated remenants of the flowers, surrounding the tiny seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-10-11T12:38:45.527" LastActivityDate="2015-10-11T12:38:45.527" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22081" CreationDate="2015-10-11T18:32:06.320" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's certainly possible to spread some fungal infections on gardening gloves and tools you may have used. Given you're wearing rubber gloves, after handling diseased plant material, its sensible to go indoors and wash your gloved hands, in a similar manner to that you would use if you weren't wearing gloves, in between healthy and non healthy plants; the same way you'd clean and sterilize your secateurs or shears between healthy and non healthy plant material. Either that or start with the healthy plants and make clearing the unhealthy ones the last job you do rather than the first. I don't worry about this personally at this time of year, except where I might transfer infection to more permanent planting such as shrubs - my gloves are actually leather or thick fabric anyway, so washing in between isn't an option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-11T18:32:06.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22088" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22080" CreationDate="2015-10-11T18:43:27.817" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although both sugar beet and bulls blood beet are varieties of Beta vulgaris, the point is that you're intending to grow your bulls blood variety as a microgreen - the growing method for that is nothing like growing full sized beets in the ground, so no, the post you read isn't relevant to what you want to do. You want to use the green tops rather than harvesting the bulbous root when its large enough, so the techniques are different. Link below gives information on how to grow bulls blood as a microgreen&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8688-beet-bulls-blood.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8688-beet-bulls-blood.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of growing a particular variety of beet as a beet, its always best to look up whichever one it is you want to grow to check the best growing conditions, rather than using a blanket 'recipe' for one type only, although with many, its likely they require similar conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another link below describing what this particular grower uses as a medium, but I would just use multi purpose potting compost for this - there's enough feed in it already for up to six weeks, and its more or less neutral ph in composition. Don't know if you can get that kind of thing where you are though. If you were growing full sized beets, you'd need a ph of between about 6-8, so more or less neutral anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sproutpeople.org/growing-beet-micro-greens/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://sproutpeople.org/growing-beet-micro-greens/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-10-12T12:41:18.703" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T12:41:18.703" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22089" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22250" CreationDate="2015-10-11T20:43:17.333" Score="4" ViewCount="175" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a container-grown Gray Oak tree in my yard last weekend, and it isn't looking very happy so far. Its leaves are turning yellow and then brown around the edges. The Gray Oak is supposed to be evergreen in my climate (Northern New Mexico, zone 7B, heavy clay soil, 7 inches of annual rainfall) so these color changes are not expected and and I'm wondering what I did wrong and/or how I can perk it up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZxUn6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZxUn6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/87A8B.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/87A8B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i22f7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i22f7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what I did:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dug a square hole of equal depth to the rootball and three times as wide.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Poured hydrogen peroxide on the sides and bottom of the hole to loosen the extremely hard heavy clay soil (specifically recommended by the nursery)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Washed away the hydrogen peroxide with the hose.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Manually separated the roots of the tree, since it was extremely root-bound in its container.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Planted the tree with separated roots in the hole and backfilled the hole with native soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sprinkled a humic acid-based soil amendment on the top of the bare soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Built a mulch basin wider than the current radius of the branches.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When the top inch of soil is dry, I flood the mulch basin with a very slow trickle of water for 8 hours to ensure that it penetrates deeply into the soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Despite this, the leaves are turning yellow and brown and falling off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What did I do wrong, and what can I do to perk it up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2015-10-27T23:39:46.337" Title="How do I perk up a Gray Oak I just planted whose leaves are turning yellow and brown?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;oak&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22090" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22089" CreationDate="2015-10-12T04:44:04.387" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hydrogen peroxide (if that bubbling stuff works) would not be a permanent solution.  This stuff is like bleach...kills bacteria.  Don't want to be doing that.  Never, ever heard of this so please send the site you got this information from.  Otherwise, the good news is that this dissipates quickly but the bad news is this killed all the good bacteria necessary to uptake certain chemicals and did NOTHING to improve your soil.  So you need to work on increasing bacteria and get organic matter (decomposed) into your soil for air, feeding and nurturing bacteria (and other organisms).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good news is that you can do this just by dumping DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER on top of your soil.  This will provide weed suppression, feed your soil organisms and make any soil better!!  This is the only THE ONLY way to improve soil!!  The micro and macro organisms come up, eat this stuff IF IT IS DECOMPOSED, go back into the soil profile and poop it out.  They do all the mixing FOR YOU.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you might be watering a bit too much. Clay IS GOOD SOIL!  Holds water and chemicals longer. To improve any soil you have to add DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER.  That bark mulch you are using helps to slow evaporation but the decomposer organisms will suck up Nitrogen to decompose.  I'd scrap it off and put it somewhere else.  Sounds like you did well with planting especially opening the root ball! But I'd love to know that this tree isn't planted so low that the bark of the trunk is under the soil!  Where the soil and tree meet should be at the line between the roots and the bark of the trunk.  Even planted 1/4&quot; too deep will get moisture in the bark and cambium, promoting bacteria that will ruin the vascular system (right under the thin bark layer)...essentially girdling and killing your tree.  No mulch, no rocks and no soil should touch the bark of your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your tree has gone through a bit of stress acclimating to it's new home.  That will cause leaves to yellow, brown and fall off the tree.  I see a bit of edge-deterioration that might be from salts in your water.  Are you using tap water?  City water?  Or are you on a private well.  When did you fertilize and with what?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd dig down and wait to water until at least the top 4 inches is dry instead of the 1&quot;.  Check your water supply to see that it isn't softened by salts.  A bit of pruning this winter would be a good thing if you know what you are doing.  Otherwise, we can help with that as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T04:44:04.387" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22091" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22072" CreationDate="2015-10-12T05:03:27.407" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No no...do not use Roundup.  If this patch always looks like this until after a rain there is something just below the surface.  Oh, I just saw your reply to Gardener J...a palette of tiles, huh?  How long did this palette stay there?  Might have killed the grass from lack of sun/water.  If so, I'd just dig up this patch, make sure the soil level is as high as the rest of the lawn, COMPACT it and check it again and then reseed with THE SAME SEED MIX you've used before. Try not cutting so short for awhile.  When you fertilize, fertilize the entire lawn AST.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T05:03:27.407" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22092" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22061" CreationDate="2015-10-12T05:24:00.463" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a toughie question.  Lawn would be the only answer for heavy traffic and green.  Oh, shoot, there IS astroturf...what did you not like about the flagstone?  Isn't Texas kinda tough on using too much water for your landscape?  Flagstone, gravel would have to have about 10'width of concrete by the pool so that gravel/sand wouldn't be tracked into the pool. There are a lot of plants called 'stepables' but can not take heavy traffic.  Again, there is Astroturf...grins!  Please send pictures of your pool and surrounding landscape!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T05:24:00.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22093" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-12T12:16:03.370" Score="5" ViewCount="463" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a plant that is not doing well...&#xA;Can someone help us identify it so we can research a little bit more about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sLrqE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sLrqE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13263" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T18:04:16.090" Title="Help me identify and save this plant" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22093" CreationDate="2015-10-12T13:03:44.913" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to be Cotyledon orbiculata, a succulent plant, which requires some sunlight to do well, so a sunny windowsill is a good place to keep it, provided its not above a heat source like a radiator. Succulents like a reasonable difference between day and night temperatures, and like to be cooler in winter, between 50-55 deg F, no cooler than 40 degF.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding watering, they should be treated as an ordinary houseplant during spring to early autumn (meaning water when the surface of the potting medium feels just dry to the touch, water well, and empty out any tray or outer container of excess water after 30 minutes). During late autumn and winter through to very early spring, though, water infrequently, roughly every 1-2 months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also need fresh air, so being near an open window is an advantage, though not overnight if its cold outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know which of these requirements you've not managed to meet with your care up to now, but it does rather look as if its developed/developing a fungal leafspot problem, so possibly you've been over watering, or letting it stand in water? Or keeping it somewhere too cool whilst its wet, or never allowing it any fresh air? If its something you've not got right in this regard, I'd cut back the affected parts and correct your care regime - if its too wet, let it dry out for a while to discourage the fungal problem and see how it goes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-10-12T18:04:16.090" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T18:04:16.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22095" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22096" CreationDate="2015-10-12T15:46:34.787" Score="6" ViewCount="1962" Body="&lt;p&gt;I rescued this plant from a landfill in Johannesburg, South Africa. It has taken well in my garden and is blooming in just the second season that it's been here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I rescued it, I thought it was Agapanthus. But the flower is not right. My mom suggested it may be Amaryllis, but the flower and the flower stalk are not right. The stamens are attached to the edges of the petals, they do not come up the centre of the flower as do Amaryllis, and the flower stalk is flattened, it is not as round as Amaryllis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;p.s. It's Spring here, that may help with identification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6MLrL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6MLrL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uH3kF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uH3kF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N0CHf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N0CHf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7249" LastActivityDate="2018-07-20T13:19:54.333" Title="Please help me identify this bulbous plant with long, broad leaves and white flowers" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22096" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22095" CreationDate="2015-10-12T16:05:29.667" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seems to be a &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1234/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Peruvian Daffodil&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;Hymenocallis festalis&lt;/em&gt; The curious stamen arrangement matches up, as do the flowers and leaves. Your first guess as well as your mother's guess were in the right genetic ballpark. Agapanthus, Amaryllis and Hymenocallis are all genera of the Amaryllidaceae family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T16:05:29.667" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22093" CreationDate="2015-10-12T16:11:56.060" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Personally I would try taking cuttings from the healthy bits that are actively growing, like the stem in the foreground of the picture. Sterilize a sharp knife, cut cleanly through the stem just below a pair of leaves, and remove the lowest pair of leaves. Dip the end of the stem in hormone rooting compound if you think plants grow better with artificial help (but they do OK in the wild without human assistance, so all they really need is the right temperature and moisture levels.) Put the cuttings in a sandy compost and make sure it doesn't dry out. Preferably, one cutting per pot, so if one starts to rot the disease won't spread to the others. They should grow roots readily from the buried leaf joints. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like most of the plant isn't taking up water properly (curled drooping leaves, etc.) I would get it out of the pot and look at the roots. If they are damaged or rotting, the best you can do is cut off all the damaged parts and hope it will regenerate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T16:11:56.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22098" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22107" CreationDate="2015-10-12T17:13:01.407" Score="6" ViewCount="601" Body="&lt;p&gt;How much &quot;natural&quot; (i.e., without damaging factors) die-back from the inside of an (otherwise healthy) arborvitae hedge should be expected each year? Stated another way, &lt;strong&gt;would an arborvitae in ideal conditions experience any natural, seasonal die-back, or would it remain entirely green?&lt;/strong&gt; If so, &lt;strong&gt;how much internal die-off is normal&lt;/strong&gt; or even &quot;healthy&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am aware of the original arborvitae die-off questions, including on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8451/cedar-hedge-drying-from-the-inside&quot;&gt;internal die-back&lt;/a&gt; and about &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/11269/are-my-emerald-arborvitaes-recoverable&quot;&gt;new plantings&lt;/a&gt;, but I believe this is a different topic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I'm mainly interested in the general case (&quot;could it be normal?&quot;)&lt;/strong&gt;, but I'll describe the specifics. One of the borders of my lot has a well-established (15+ year old) Arborvitae hedge -- specifically &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja_occidentalis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thuja occidentalis&lt;/em&gt; / Northern whitecedar&lt;/a&gt;. Seasonally, in the fall, some amount of internal foliage turns brown and dies off. The plants otherwise appear vigorous. The plans seem to recover each spring to a reasonable degree, but this year's growing conditions, and the die-off symptoms, have both been worse than normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it matters, I believe it to be the probably the Emerald Green / Smaragd cultivar. This is in the Northeast US. They are in full sun. The die-off is all internal, and doesn't look like whole branches or spotty (as for pests), or whole areas (as salt damage), or systemic or from the tips (as roots, water, or nutrients). However, if die-off always implies damage, I'll look harder!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no shortage of empirical evidence that Arborvitae don't live up to the &quot;&lt;em&gt;vitae&lt;/em&gt;&quot; (&quot;life&quot;) part of their name, and I have (separately) seen many of these symptoms. There are plenty of resources on arborvitae, but I see only passing references to &quot;normal&quot; die-back -- &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.collierarbor.com/aaFall11.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;one such article&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6932" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2020-08-17T10:45:12.230" Title="How much seasonal, internal die-off of Arborvitae is natural and expected?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22099" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22098" CreationDate="2015-10-12T17:30:47.037" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Internally shaded parts of pretty much all dense evergreens will die off due to lack of light, as the exterior parts grow and shade them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When light levels reaching a leaf become too low for the plant to get a net benefit from the leaf, it cuts its losses and shuts the leaf down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T17:30:47.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22100" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22093" CreationDate="2015-10-12T18:01:38.847" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The thick leaves make me think it's a jade plant of some kind. Try the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/jade-plant/jade-plant-care.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/jade-plant/jade-plant-care.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13264" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T18:01:38.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22101" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-12T18:28:53.560" Score="5" ViewCount="168" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our lawn had gone from beautiful to being overrun with weeds. Since the drought in California has continued for so long we just basically gave up and now all grass and weeds are dead.  Yup, we have a large dirt yard.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm hoping for an end to the drought this winter and if so, I may reseed the backyard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will any remaining weed seed that's there start growing too?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Any idea how to ensure it's gone?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13265" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-10-12T18:52:38.480" LastActivityDate="2015-10-13T23:57:12.140" Title="What should I do about a dead lawn and weeds in California?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22102" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22104" CreationDate="2015-10-12T18:43:52.177" Score="9" ViewCount="29508" Body="&lt;p&gt;In one area of the garden in the house I bought couple of months back, we have mulch and recently we are seeing the following. Not sure if this is a mushroom or not. My current guess is that the mulch is very old and needs to be replaced. But I would like to know more about why this is growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TJ7St.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TJ7St.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture-1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dSlUb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dSlUb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture-2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-16T01:40:19.610" LastActivityDate="2019-03-13T12:58:34.833" Title="What are these curly mushroom-like growths in my mulch?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;&lt;yard&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22103" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22101" CreationDate="2015-10-12T18:45:23.183" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the seeds don't sprout the weeds were not worthy to be called weeds. So they will probably sprout, yes. Many weed seeds can go decades and still sprout...it's part of how they get to be weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both traditional and chemical methods would let the weeds sprout (without grass seed) and then kill them, just by different methods. After a few rounds of that you'd start with the grass seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your shoes I'd be considering alternate yard treatments that don't depend on the drought ending (and erosion control if it ends with heavy rains)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-10-12T20:32:47.703" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T20:32:47.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22102" CreationDate="2015-10-12T20:59:03.477" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitively a mushroom, a cup fungus of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pezizaceae&quot;&gt;pezizaceae&lt;/a&gt; family. (Precise identification is difficult over the internet.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you see are the fruiting bodies - not unlike the apples on a tree. The fungus itself lives in the mulch / soil and is saprobiontic, which means it digests the wood chips of your mulch. This is perfectly normal and part of the breaking down of organic matter. You wrote yourself that your mulch is pretty &quot;old&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-10-12T21:04:26.003" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T21:04:26.003" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22105" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22453" CreationDate="2015-10-12T22:51:23.433" Score="6" ViewCount="1783" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone please tell me what type of weed this is? It is growing spread throughout an area of grass/lawn, in mid-spring in Toowoomba, Australia. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would be an effective method to control it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yPoyl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yPoyl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;suspicious looking plant/weed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13228" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-15T00:59:58.617" LastActivityDate="2015-11-22T20:23:59.677" Title="What is this low-growing weed with purple flowers in Australia?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22106" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22121" CreationDate="2015-10-12T23:26:26.890" Score="6" ViewCount="1910" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I've been slowing pushing back on some poison ivy on my property using Round Up Poison Ivy Plus Tough Brush Killer. I normally try to go in two times a year, once in the spring and once in the summer and spray whatever I see growing. All the big growth seems dead now and I'm basically working on small shoots that I miss each time. This year I've been a bit behind the times and just am getting around to it. Will it be effective to spray poison ivy in the fall? Or should I just wait until next spring. The leaves on these plants are starting to orange. (I'm in New Hampshire and its October if that matters) This is what the website says but I'm not sure if they are still growing around now:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;WHEN TO APPLY Apply when weeds are actively growing. For best results,&#xA;  apply during warm, sunny weather (above 60�). Spray when air is calm&#xA;  to prevent product from drifting onto desirable plants. Rain or&#xA;  watering within 30 minutes of application will NOT wash away&#xA;  effectiveness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also as a side question in a few years I plan on cutting down the other brush in the area and converting it to grass. How long do the vines from poison ivy need to dead before I don't need to worry about getting the rash from them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3520" LastActivityDate="2015-10-13T23:31:42.330" Title="Spraying Poison Ivy in the Fall" Tags="&lt;poison-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22098" CreationDate="2015-10-12T23:28:05.947" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Ecnerwal.  Both white pines and cedars in the wild &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-and-plant-advice/horticulture-care/seasonal-needle-drop&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;will drop needles or leaves in the fall&lt;/a&gt;.  If you can find wild stands of these trees you will notice there is little else growing on the forest floor due to the &amp;quot;duff&amp;quot; or ground cover of old needles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to how much is normal this can only be answered by &amp;quot;it depends&amp;quot;.  Competition and availability of light, water and nutrients is the usual triangle of needs for plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hot, dry summer =&amp;gt; more drop&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;attacks by pests =&amp;gt; more drop&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://extension.unh.edu/blog/why-are-my-evergreens-shedding-yellow-and-brown-needles&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This publication&lt;/a&gt; offers more detail and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/url?q=https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.cce.cornell.edu/attachments/2182/Normal-Needle-And-Foliage-Shedding-On-Evergreens.pdf%3F1408632735&amp;amp;sa=U&amp;amp;ved=2ahUKEwjshsLyhaLrAhUJxVkKHZ3JCdEQFjAOegQIAhAB&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw03jAENOl0qX-aMiX0UNejc&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; has great pictures of cedar yellowing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2020-08-17T10:45:12.230" LastActivityDate="2020-08-17T10:45:12.230" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="22108" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22106" CreationDate="2015-10-12T23:31:27.577" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well I think the instructions answer your question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the plant is not actively growing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you would be fortunate to get temperatures above 60 deg F at this time of year&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should spray in spring when the active agent will be more effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-10-12T23:31:27.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22109" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22106" CreationDate="2015-10-13T01:21:10.633" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As @kevinsky said, follow the directions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as how long the poison ivy will remain an irritant, this excerpt from Wikipedia about it should give you an idea:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Urushiol oil can remain active for several years, so handling dead leaves or vines can cause a reaction. In addition, oil transferred from the plant to other objects (such as pet fur) can cause the rash if it comes into contact with the skin. Clothing, tools, and other objects that have been exposed to the oil should be washed to prevent further transmission.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Urushiol&lt;/em&gt; is the &quot;stuff&quot; which will cause the irritation. The leaves are bad enough, but the root and vines are 100x more toxic. Urushiol &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; water soluble. If it gets on the ground, it will soon be gone so no worries there. &lt;strong&gt;It's the vines/leaves/roots themselves which will remain the irritant. Once gone it should pose no more of a threat to you.&lt;/strong&gt; That doesn't mean it won't come back. I don't know exactly how it propagates, but it does.  I've had recurrence of it in my yard several times in the past 12 years after we built on an infested lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9728" LastActivityDate="2015-10-13T01:21:10.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22102" CreationDate="2015-10-13T11:15:17.767" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll confirm that the identification of Peziza fungus is accurate in Stephie's answer, and it is a saphrophytic fungus, meaning it merely digests dead material, link below (if you scroll down) shows one or two which are more like yours to look at. These are commonly known as cup fungi. Now that it's present, even if you replace your bark chips with new, it's likely the mycelium will still be in the area, and you may get fruiting bodies like these appearing again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://abneyfungi.wordpress.com/fungi-o-z/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://abneyfungi.wordpress.com/fungi-o-z/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-15T22:44:26.693" LastActivityDate="2016-07-15T22:44:26.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22036" CreationDate="2015-10-13T14:34:37.560" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I staple landscape fabric down on the side rails of my raised beds, and use the same fabric year after year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2015-10-13T14:34:37.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22057" CreationDate="2015-10-13T16:07:17.913" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a lemon cedar, this is called in this way by people because it smells like lemons, you can touch it to see if it smells like lemon if not is another variety of cedar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11964" LastActivityDate="2015-10-13T16:07:17.913" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22115" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22036" CreationDate="2015-10-13T21:17:59.827" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use a hoe.&#xA;Usually 2X, maybe 3 in a bad year, a couple weeks apart, and my crops out-compete anything that comes along besides bindweed and lambs quarters. Those two get pulled by hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2015-10-13T21:17:59.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22116" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-13T21:19:37.643" Score="7" ViewCount="311" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help me identify the following tree? It has large leaves and a number of new sections (suckers) growing from the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help would be gratefully received.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*Note: This may be a similar (or identical) species to another tree I am trying to identify. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/22074/help-identifying-tree-species-1-of-3*&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DXbqC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DXbqC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6TpoQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6TpoQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CNjho.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CNjhol.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunk&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6934" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-10-14T14:36:07.100" Title="What is this large tree with many suckers growing from the trunk?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22117" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-13T21:35:29.653" Score="5" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help me identify the following tree? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help would be gratefully received.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Note: I do not have further images available for this tree, hopefully it can be identified from the images below.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2dgmO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2dgmO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6934" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-10-13T22:58:18.757" LastActivityDate="2015-10-14T14:43:35.693" Title="Help identifying small urban tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22117" CreationDate="2015-10-13T21:53:53.480" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this is the hedge maple or field maple or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_campestre&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;acer campestre&lt;/a&gt; on the basis of the leaves, small size and general growth habit.  The species has a wide range of shapes for the leaves as can be seen in &lt;a href=&quot;http://classes.hortla.wsu.edu/hort231/List04/AcerCamp.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this reference&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is native to Europe but widely used across the world, particularly in North America where it has naturalized.  There are over thirty different cultivars which select for smaller size, better shape and resistance to mildew, canker and wilt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is popular as an urban tree because of it's tolerance of shade, slow growth and relatively small mature size in urban environments of ~ fifty feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a point of interest I see an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mgofmc.org/docs/nutrientdeficiency.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Iron/manganese deficiency&lt;/a&gt; developing in the lower leaves where the veins are green but the rest of the leaf is yellowing.  This is probably due to a soil pH over 7, or alkaline, which is typical of limestone based clay soils.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-10-13T22:57:41.417" LastActivityDate="2015-10-13T22:57:41.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22101" CreationDate="2015-10-13T21:54:45.733" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If by &quot;reseed&quot; you mean that you're planting grass, I'd suggest a different alternative: not grass. &lt;em&gt;Weeds aren't your biggest enemy here: drought is&lt;/em&gt;. Though perhaps less extreme than @Wayfaring's mulch or rocks, there are a number of alternatives that are more drought-resistant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consider a drought-resistant thyme or clover, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenista.com/posts/fields-of-green-5-favorite-lawn-substitutes&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;as suggested in this grass-alternative lawn article&lt;/a&gt;. Similar alternatives and additional description &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bobvila.com/articles/grass-alternatives/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;in this article&lt;/a&gt;. The latter also includes my personal recommendation: &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;artificial turf.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No lawn-like plant is going to tolerate &lt;em&gt;no&lt;/em&gt; water, especially not one that has any durability for foot traffic. Artificial turf is very attractive: minimal maintenance, water &lt;em&gt;capture&lt;/em&gt; possibilities, durable, permanent, and reasonably good looking, also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't immediately find a video of the episode, Ask This Old House did an episode on a Las Vegas backyard lawn replacement that was pretty elegant. More description at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/tv/ask-toh/products-and-services/season/0,,20857424_20866208,00.html#20866208&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Episode #1304 of Season 13 of ATOH&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6932" LastActivityDate="2015-10-13T21:54:45.733" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22120" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22116" CreationDate="2015-10-13T22:06:01.963" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilia_americana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tilia americana&lt;/a&gt; or the American Linden or the basswood. This large tree is native to North America and grows quickly to as much as 120 feet tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although it has many &lt;a href=&quot;http://landscapeontario.com/tilia-americana-basswood&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;good characteristics&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;adaptable: shade to full sun, wet to dry soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some tolerance to salt&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;transplants well&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;few pests&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree is not used much in urban settings due to it's large size.  Your picture also shows one of the less known traits of the species: the tendency to sucker or bud from old wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers are attractive to bees and wasps and when we had a relative planted it tended to drop seed pods, leaf sheathes and other debris constantly.  A good tree to plant at some distance from your house or driveway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As Michelle points out in North American it is also subject to attack by Japanese beetles.  If you have roses, grapes or Virginia creeper they can attract the beetles who then settle in to defoliate your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-10-14T12:54:54.157" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22121" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22106" CreationDate="2015-10-13T23:31:42.330" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;David, the best way I've found to kill well established areas of very tough weeds (black berry, chinese knotweed...etc.) was to smother them.  For my blackberries, I had the tree company working for the electric company pruning trees messing up the electrical lines dump their chips on my acre of blackberry.  Piles 4-6' tall.  All winter these piles produced so much heat decomposing that there was fog constantly.  By spring, these piles  had decomposed to 4-6&quot; depth and not a single black berry came back.  I've used the brush glyphosate stuff on other projects and it sort of worked, looked awful for quite awhile and still stuff came back.  Year after year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the Chinese Knotweed I used clear plastic and pinned it down well.  Started mid summer left it alone until mid summer of the next year and it never came back.  Chinese Knotweed is incredibly tough.  Roundup did not work at all.  Horse Tail or Equisetum took 2 years doing the same.  Some of that did start coming back.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We quit trying to use any chemicals as they just did not work as well as physically starving the plant to death...or frying it under clear plastic.  Glyphosate works best on VIGOROUSLY growing plants.  Later in the year the plant is just skating by waiting to shed leaves and go to bed having plenty of food stored in the roots for winter. Just constantly mowing, hacking, weedwacking the green vegetative growth back works just as well.  This takes twice weekly wacking for the whole season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-10-13T23:31:42.330" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22101" CreationDate="2015-10-13T23:57:12.140" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the lawn is full of weeds, need to see a picture, I'd rent a sod cutter and cut the sod out, turn it upside down to beef up your new and LARGER plant beds.  Make a much smaller yet well defined lawn using unbroken radius (keep the radius of any curves contant until changing the direction. can use any radius but keep constant and clean edges with a flat edge shovel throwing all debris on new plant beds). Grade well, use a rolling drum to compact, good organic slow release fertilizer and water well for 11 days or whenever you can grab a hunk of sod, pull up and it stays put.  Use a mechanical spreader, never hand throw.  If seeding use a mechanical spreader as well and water LIGHTLY 4-5X per day to keep the surface moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mow your lawn NO SHORTER THAN 3&quot;.  This will conserve water and discourage weed seeds from sprouting.  Also makes a healthier grass plant to have enough top growth to feed the roots and be vigorous enough to outcompete any weed. Watering practices after your lawn is established is CRITICAL.  WATER DEEPLY and allow to dry out before watering again.  The best way to know is when you walk across the lawn you leave footprints as the blades of grass won't pop back up.  This is the sign to water again and water deeply...at least 4-6&quot; deep!  In a few months you will only be watering 1&quot; per week, have healthy, drought tolerant dark green grass.  This gets the plant to develop a deeper root system and become drought tolerant as your grass can get at the moisture deeper into the soil.  Shallow rooted grasses are the first to go in a drought.  Watering a little every day causes shallow root systems.  So always water deeply and allow to dry before watering again!  Fertilize at least 3X per season with SLOW RELEASE as this is slower, less stressful to the grass and mow with SHARP blades a minimum of once per week.  Growth slows when the blades are 3&quot;.  You'll be taking off less. Aerate with an aerator that pulls plugs of grass and soil out of your lawn and leave the plugs where they lie. Once per year minimum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-10-13T23:57:12.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22123" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22074" CreationDate="2015-10-14T02:53:18.193" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;EDIT: After looking at the other question you asked, I'm guessing Kevinsky is right with Tilia americana (mostly because of the fruit I see in your picture on the other question). If that fruit is on the tree in question here, too, I would suspect it to be the same kind, probably. Actually, I'm guessing it is anyway. I've never known poplars to have fruit like that, but you have some of the same pictures on both questions, it seems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Old answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They look like something in the poplar genus to me, whatever they are. I note that poplars are in the same family as willows, and the bark of this tree also looks markedly like weeping willow bark (but the tree is not a willow). The leaves look like those of some kind of poplar tree. There are lots of kinds of poplars. However, the shape of the tree is a little atypical for most poplars, but that's still my guess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is a poplar, though you can probably grow new trees from the branches very easily (Just bury them, or stick them in the dirt or something).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-10-14T03:01:01.290" LastActivityDate="2015-10-14T03:01:01.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22124" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1914" CreationDate="2015-10-14T03:16:09.877" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In an outdoor condition, if it's hard to get a better picture of the pests than what you have in the video there (unless your camera resources are limited), I'm guessing the pests are under control enough that you don't even need to worry about it. Otherwise, they'd probably be more visible. I've got loads of whiteflies on our tomatoes and they're not causing huge problems. So, with just a few, you're probably okay—even though you run the risk of diseases (but don't be paranoid about a few insects, especially in the fall; you'll likely never catch them all).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they're indoors, I would personally be a little more paranoid, but I don't know if I should recommend paranoia to someone else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think it's a whitefly, personally, because whiteflies tend to just either sit there or fly, as far as I've observed them. I suppose they could walk about pretty fast like that, but I don't know, and I've never seen them do it. However, I suppose there are probably multiple kinds of whiteflies, and some of them might run like that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The insect does appear to be white. However, it's really not clear enough to tell what it is very easily. If you can get another picture, that would help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know of any white aphids, but I do know of aphids that can move pretty fast (although many of them hardly move at all, it seems).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-10-14T03:16:09.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22074" CreationDate="2015-10-14T14:16:02.703" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's definitely Tilia (Lime) but I think its Tilia cordata, a British native, rather than T. americana - leaves should measure about 6cm across if it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-14T14:16:02.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22126" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22116" CreationDate="2015-10-14T14:36:07.100" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tilia platyphyllos judging by the size of its leaves (around 16mm across, but variable, sometimes larger)- very common in and around London, but not so common as the European Lime, or Tilia x europaea - leaves on that around 10cm across - not sure which it is, not being there to measure up, but the latter tree commonly produces these shoots from the bole or trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-14T14:36:07.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22117" CreationDate="2015-10-14T14:43:35.693" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not in total agreement again - its an Acer, but I think its Acer rubrum rather than campestre, judging by what I can see of the leaf shape, which seems more pointed than those on campestre, the shape of the tree overall, and colour of the bark. Also the red leaf tips just beginning to appear as the tree autumns - most of the leaves should go a good red before finally falling, whereas A. campestre tends to go tan/brown/golden colours. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-14T14:43:35.693" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22128" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22130" CreationDate="2015-10-14T16:13:32.227" Score="4" ViewCount="5279" Body="&lt;p&gt;This may not  belong here as it relates more to hardscaping, but let's see what you think:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A job we are working on requires a retaining wall of approximately 8'. &quot;We&quot; plan to build it out of mafia block (see below). A slope will intersect the face of wall perpendicularly, and cover it diagonally from  one corner to the other (other diagram). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plan is to create a substantial footing out of 3/4&quot; crushed stone, and to have a 3' wide drainage space behind the wall - also filled with 3/4&quot; crushed stone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil is very sandy and well draining.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this crazy?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What should we be concerned about? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this something that should get an engineer's stamp? (We're in NY)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I57bJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I57bJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oWQpK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oWQpK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2018-04-18T17:33:09.663" Title="How do you build an 8' high retaining wall out of mafia blocks?" Tags="&lt;wall&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22129" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-14T16:29:47.713" Score="1" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm curious if anyone has an information about the largest polyculture farms that have been able to be successful. Are planning and harvesting techniques good enough to make polyculture economically competitive at scale?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13273" LastActivityDate="2015-10-14T16:29:47.713" Title="What is the largest polyculture farm?" Tags="&lt;food-crops&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2015-10-14T19:09:31.710" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22130" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22128" CreationDate="2015-10-14T16:31:00.040" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of the usual suspects are not mentioned in your plan including:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;landscape fabric between the gravel back fill behind the wall and the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;four inch drain pipe with sleeve at the inside base of the wall so when water cannot drain in the winter due to frozen ground it accumulates in drain pipe instead of pushing the wall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a slight incline into the bank&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;drain holes on the bottom row to allow water to seep out&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Deadmen&quot; or bricks that go into the bank at three to four foot intervals &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cap stone to keep water from draining down inside walls&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;small ditch at top parallel to wall to drain water away&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This picture from extension.umn.edu clarifies what I mention&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OZgRR.gif&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OZgRR.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-10-14T16:31:00.040" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22132" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22135" CreationDate="2015-10-14T23:52:14.627" Score="7" ViewCount="1411" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two days ago, I sowed wheat, covered the seeds with dirt and gave it a good watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, however, the soil surface is starting to dry up and I wonder if a single watering is enough for the seeds to do their thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I keep watering until I see leaves or just leave them alone for a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it matters, Google thinks air humidity here ranges from 40% to 99%.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastActivityDate="2021-02-07T23:59:04.073" Title="How much water is needed for wheat until germination?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22133" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22134" CreationDate="2015-10-15T03:19:57.767" Score="8" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;OK, so, I just harvested my first batch of sweet potatoes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://s13.postimg.org/nw6qxmmjr/20151014_215056.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Holy crap, there are few things as satisfying as going on a treasure hunt in the dirt and pulling out a big ole hunk-o'-dinner!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But...now what? I'm just a novice gardener and confess that I still don't really know what I'm doing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I brush off the dirt, or will that bruise them further? Can I rinse them off and set them out to dry or will they mold?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read that sweet potatoes need to &quot;cure&quot; for a few weeks to let the enzymes activate and get all those good natural sugars cookin' up -- well, I don't have anywhere in the house kept at 80 degrees with 90% humidity. I can still cook em and eat em, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also a few bug holes (no pesticides, nothing); the holes aren't too deep, I can cut around them to get the good stuff. But how bad is that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How will these keep?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to spend all weekend baking pies and chips? Lol&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7381" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:36.987" LastActivityDate="2015-10-21T22:15:13.223" Title="First sweet potato crop -- Now what?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;storage&gt;&lt;sweet-potato&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22134" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22133" CreationDate="2015-10-15T10:18:45.877" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are two links below - the first one says you need to cure them at 80/90 deg F, the second one, to do with freezing sweet potatoes, suggests you can and should store them for a week in cooler (55-60 deg F) temperatures, and then cook and freeze them. I imagine the difference in the advice is to do with long term storage as opposed to preparing to freeze them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the insect holes, yes, cut those out when you're preparing to cook them, but make sure there isn't something actually living in the potato (if you chop them up, you'll find it, but if you're cooking them whole and there's just a tunnel, follow it to the end to make sure).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.almanac.com/plant/sweet-potato&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.almanac.com/plant/sweet-potato&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pickyourown.org/freezing_sweetpotato.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.pickyourown.org/freezing_sweetpotato.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-10-15T13:13:20.817" LastActivityDate="2015-10-15T13:13:20.817" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22135" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22132" CreationDate="2015-10-15T10:49:33.210" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Only a little water is needed. If you planted at the right depth, around 1 inch deep, the watering you gave them should be plenty to get the seeds sprouted. Depending on temperature, it will probably take 5-10 days before you see the wheat sprouting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How much is too much?&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;The effect of keeping the soil damp on top depends on how well it drains. In heavier clay soils, that could quickly lead to waterlogged seeds, then drowning. Also, I'm usually more comfortable aiming towards a little dry than a little wet. Adding water is simple, subtracting is hard. If you keep the soil continually damp one big rain storm can drown your plants very easy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaving aside concerns of direct water damage; on a longer term constant high moisture promotes limited root growth, which means your plant uses less of the soil available to it than it might otherwise. A plant that grows it's early roots in a high moisture situation gets used to it, if things change rapidly it won't help the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-10-17T00:57:26.327" LastActivityDate="2015-10-17T00:57:26.327" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22136" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22133" CreationDate="2015-10-15T10:57:42.797" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The county extension always gave the advice to keep them in a warm humid environment. I don't have the ideal location, but I took the advice of my neighbor with good results:  keep them in your bathroom with a pot of water nearby and do not vent the heat from showering. After a couple weeks store them in your pantry and cut the bad spots off only when ready to clean &amp;amp; cook them. The bad spots are normal and will not cause an issue as long as they are removed. Another friend puts them by her wood stove with some water nearby to increase humidity. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Congrats on the harvest!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="998" LastActivityDate="2015-10-15T10:57:42.797" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22137" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19688" CreationDate="2015-10-15T18:01:32.543" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are the roots too wet?  Has it been fertilized?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2015-10-15T18:01:32.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22138" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22066" CreationDate="2015-10-15T18:11:06.033" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Best bang for the buck would be High Output T5's.  I've seen a 2 4ft bulb fixture at Home Depot for about $50, plus some grow lights and it'd be good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2015-10-15T18:11:06.033" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22128" CreationDate="2015-10-15T20:15:35.597" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just need to add that any wall above 4' has to be engineered.  Is there anyway that you could terrace this?  Is there enough room to install 2, 4' walls or better yet, 3' walls?  Perhaps the rules are different where you live but 8' walls will need extra attention to drainage, dead men and need to know what is happening above this wall?  Is it getting charged with water from properties above?  Use crushed 5/8- for base, 4&quot; drain pipe (covered with landscape fabric or purchased integral, pipe already covered by mesh to keep small particles from clogging up the drain pipe). Use 1 -1,1/2&quot; drain rock to allow flow of water towards drainpipe (rounded aggregate not crushed). If you get caught with too high of a wall not permitted nor engineered...well, they'll make you take it out.  The section Kevinsky provided is great.  Make one similar to take to get permitted.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-10-15T20:15:35.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22140" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22196" CreationDate="2015-10-15T20:32:27.687" Score="8" ViewCount="472" Body="&lt;p&gt;(Zone 7, Memphis, TN)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A friend and I are starting an organic community garden in a nearby neighborhood and are currently building up the soil and laying out plots for next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This season, I grew several varieties of peppers in my home garden, and would like to donate them when we start planting out there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But first, they have to survive the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never overwintered crops before. These are fully matured peppers, 3-4 feet high 2-3 feet wide. I figure there are two routes to go, here: either mulch the crap out of them, perhaps put up some cold frames (never done that either) and hope the roots will survive the frost, or transplant them to (very large) pots and bring them inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: They're in raised beds, which I've read are automatically a few degrees warmer, and there's room for a good foot, foot-and-a-half of mulching (leaves, wood shavings, etc). After exploring the site, my gut right now is to harvest all the peppers before the first frost, trim the plants back to their main stems, mulch hard and throw up some cold frames. Does anyone have any experience with this? Is it worth all the effort?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7381" LastEditorUserId="7381" LastEditDate="2015-10-15T21:01:14.763" LastActivityDate="2018-12-28T14:13:30.863" Title="Overwintering pepper plants" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22141" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22311" CreationDate="2015-10-15T22:38:18.600" Score="8" ViewCount="150" Body="&lt;p&gt;The house I'm renting has a number of fruit trees. I'm in San Jose, CA and with the drought, it has been a challenge to give them the right amount of water while still conserving. It seems the mature orange tree is suffering with the same level of water that the larger mature lemon tree next to it is apparently thriving on. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fruit on the orange has mostly stayed small and the leaves are starting to curl. The fruit is just starting to yellow, so I guess it isn't going to get any bigger. I've already seen a few split oranges, and the rains are (hopefully!) about to start.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what it looks like, although I guess you can't really tell that the fruit is small.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W4FCd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W4FCd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;small fruit, curled leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering, is there any way to nurture this puny fruit through to harvest or am I too late? (I'm expecting much of it to split as soon as the rain really starts.) Or is the tree so stressed right now (as evidenced &lt;em&gt;I think&lt;/em&gt; by the curled leaves) that I should just remove all or most of the fruit anyway? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some other potentially useful info - the soil in the yard is not great (a lot of clay), although again, the lemon tree is doing fine. There has also been a lot of squirrel activity, and some specifically around the orange tree, so it is possible that their tunnels have damaged the roots. (I have previously stepped through the soil by the orange into a squirrel tunnel.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11870" LastEditorUserId="11870" LastEditDate="2015-10-16T20:51:52.037" LastActivityDate="2018-09-09T01:32:19.650" Title="Can I save any of this orange harvest? (probably under-watered tree)" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19688" CreationDate="2015-10-16T10:19:30.733" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I solved the problem by moving the kiwi 1m from corner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8608" LastActivityDate="2015-10-16T10:19:30.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22143" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1124" CreationDate="2015-10-16T10:52:24.367" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In your situation, I would just recommend lots of soil with the right nutrients, proper watering, proper lighting and time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it weren't on the porch, I would suggest temperature regulation. Since its outside, there's probably not a whole lot you need to do about that, however. Tomatoes are said to prefer certain nighttime temperatures and certain daytime temperatures. Some tomatoes are less picky than others, such as heat/cold-tolerant varieties and parthenocarpic varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plenty of red light and proper levels of phosphorus should help, too (as well as potassium, magnesium and calcium).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beneficial soil microbes will probably help (they may increase available phosphorus, for instance). A larger container may help. You can get beneficial microbes from such as composted manure, worm castings (worm manure) and probably other stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as cuttings go, the main difference between them and seed-grown plants is that they don't have taproots. I haven't noticed a huge difference in tomatoes from seed and tomatoes from cuttings, honestly. However, take a look at &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/17734/what-are-the-practical-differences-between-cucurbits-grown-from-seed-and-cutting&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; for more insights about differences between cuttings and seed-grown plants (although it pertains to cucurbits, which are different).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as removing suckers go, some people (I am talking about people whose writings I read before I read Lorem Ipsum's answer) have it down to a science. I mean, they say if you do things a certain way, things will be totally awesome with such and such a variety of tomato. I honestly don't know if any of this is true. Maybe it is. Maybe not. But, you can have success without removing suckers (whether or not it is as much success).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2015-10-16T11:08:38.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20685" CreationDate="2015-10-16T19:34:59.540" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;All of this damage looks like spider mites.  It is odd to see so extensive an infestation outside where natural predators like ladybugs usually move in for a feast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spider mites like it when it is hot and dry.  Plants that are stressed are favourite targets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Indicators are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;webbing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tiny pale spots on the leaves where the mites have sucked out the plant juices&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they normally live on the underside of the leave and can usually be seen with the naked eye. They resemble grains of salt in size and colour.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Examination with a magnifying glass is usually conclusive.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control is by soap and water as has been discussed &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=spider%20mites&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  This gets much harder for trees and shrubs but persistence with multiple sprays at five to six intervals. For your purposes any of these plants that are annual should be removed and composted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-10-16T19:34:59.540" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22145" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-16T20:24:43.577" Score="7" ViewCount="567" Body="&lt;p&gt;After two uncommonly hot &amp;amp; humid days in Southern California (weather is usually mild and dry), I noticed these orange things growing on my soil.  Wondering what those are (see 2nd and 3rd picture for close up)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d0OJ6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d0OJ6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ignore the yellow dots on the leave, those are fine :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;here are they up close. they are very fuzzy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JZs3B.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JZs3B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K1M6S.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K1M6S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;i'm guessing some kind of fungi? I am actually clueless here...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="574" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-04-07T18:46:48.040" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T19:00:37.473" Title="What are those orange things growing on my soil?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22146" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-16T23:04:37.940" Score="5" ViewCount="781" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been undertaking a campaign to save my orange tree and have made some progress. I live in Arizona and wasn't adequately watering it before, but have since mulched around the tree and deep water it more thoroughly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also fertilized it and I think I see some improvement (at least haven't seen it worsen), but I have some more questions on things I might be able to do to help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pruning the dead branches/twigs that are still on there. In &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/ZSSiH&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&#xA;album&lt;/a&gt; you can see there's a few larger branches (first picture:&#xA;the one starting on right, curves over left, is entirely dead) and&#xA;some smaller ones (second picture) I planned to remove.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should I be concerned about the appearance of the bark in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/D1JCdsF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;first&#xA;picture&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VCpRrl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VCpRrl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Orange tree in recovery&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a good approach to take? If the tree is in recovery mode, I don't want to do anything to cause it more strain if it's not going to help it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13281" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-08-17T23:33:15.270" LastActivityDate="2016-08-17T23:33:15.270" Title="Trying to save orange tree -- pruning and general questions" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22148" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-17T07:18:55.957" Score="2" ViewCount="168" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wanting to grow potatoes that don't have any genes for cytoplasmic male sterility. In other words, I'm wanting potatoes that fruit like tomatoes (they actually do exist), productively, so I can grow them from seeds instead of tubers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know you can buy &lt;a href=&quot;http://parkseed.com/zolushka-potato-seeds/p/05442-PK-P1/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Zolushka potato seeds&lt;/a&gt; (TTS: true potato seed—not the same thing as seed potatoes) at Park Seed. However, I don't know if the resulting plants have a chance of having cytoplasmic male sterility or not. Do they? Do they fruit? That's my question. I mean, buying the seeds is worth much more to me if I can save my own seeds every season or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, if you know where I can get some other kinds of TTS that don't carry a cytoplasmic male sterility gene, feel free to let me know. I see that &lt;a href=&quot;http://garden.lofthouse.com/cytoplasmic-male-sterility.phtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Joseph Lofthouse&lt;/a&gt; has a landrace he's working on, with TTS. I don't know if he sells seeds, though, but I could ask him. It sounds promising, anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-10-17T07:30:53.033" LastActivityDate="2015-10-17T09:46:48.187" Title="Can you save seeds from Zolushka potatoes grown from true potato seed (TTS)?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22149" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22148" CreationDate="2015-10-17T09:46:48.187" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't tell you whether your Zolushka potato seeds will grow into plants that produce fruit readily or not - whilst potato plants may flower, they often do not produce fruit, the flower just withers. The point to consider is this - even if your Zolushka does produce fruit, you won't know what kind of potatoes you'll get from any viable seed you manage to extract, because they don't come true to variety that way. That said, without just growing them yourself to see how fruitful they are, I doubt the supplier of the seeds would be able to tell you whether they're CMS, but you could ask. I'd be surprised if many people bother to ask how fruitful a plant is, usually worrying only about the tuber production rather than fruits, so they may not be able to answer that question either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having read your Joseph Lofthouse link, it appears you're better off doing your own experiments, or contacting him in this matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Out of curiousity, I'll ask this - even if they did come true, do you really want only one type of potato that's best suited to frying?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-17T09:46:48.187" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22150" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-17T13:14:01.043" Score="2" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lemon plant in my balcony in a container. I don't know how it grew there, but I am sure that it is a lemon plant. I haven't noticed its growth until now. I actually know nothing about lemon plants, but I want that plant to grow and bear fruit. What care must I take? It's about 20 cm (almost 8 inches) tall now. I live in India. The plant gets plenty of sunshine. Its in a pot almost 15cm in radius and 1 foot in height. Is it enough? Also please tell the amount of water it will need. Its a citrus lemon.Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13285" LastEditorUserId="13285" LastEditDate="2015-10-26T14:55:53.713" LastActivityDate="2015-10-28T21:11:51.447" Title="How should I take care of a lemon plant in a container?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2015-10-30T14:04:35.347" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22151" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22152" CreationDate="2015-10-17T14:14:50.303" Score="3" ViewCount="10754" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing mint in a flowerpot, and it's been growing fine all summer but now it seems to be fading a bit, some leaves turning yellow/brown and falling off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that simply because I didn't water it enough, or does it have some kind of dormant period in the fall/winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's two pics of the plant (I've removed some of the yellow leaves, they basically fell off by themselves)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YUTih.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YUTih.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cklCO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cklCO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, any tips for how to cut it / make it grow better? It's growing lots of &quot;creeper stems&quot; with roots, but that don't really fit in the pot so it gets a bit dense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I grow it for tea, mainly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13286" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-17T18:48:03.333" LastActivityDate="2015-10-17T23:21:04.897" Title="Can indoor mint grow all-year round?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22151" CreationDate="2015-10-17T14:21:44.037" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mint does this when constrained within a pot - its natural growth habit is to throw out long runners up to 18 inches under the ground and pop up a good distance away from the original clump, which is why its so often said its not a good idea to plant it in open ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Turn it out of its pot, cut the root ball into 3 sections, replant one in the same pot. If you want more, replant those in 2 other pots. It should recover and grow anew, although, if you live in the northern hemisphere, reduced hours of daylight and possible chilliness near the window means it won't grow as fast as it would in spring or summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One caveat though - I'm rather wondering what those black flecks beneath the leaves in the last photo are - are they just specks of potting compost or aphid infestation? If its the latter, that needs dealing with, you can either rub them off and kill them between your fingers, or use a neem spray. If the flecks are within the leaf and not removable, suggesting a fungal problem, take care with your watering regime - give it a good water when you repot, but don't keep it wet nor allow water to remain in the outer tray for longer than 30 minutes after watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-17T14:21:44.037" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22153" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-17T19:03:46.783" Score="4" ViewCount="2937" Body="&lt;p&gt;Will a cedar tree survive if a portion of its bark is removed?  I found someone had removed a strip (2'x5') from a tree on my property.  I was told it was going to be made into a cedar hat.  I am worried that the tree may not survive the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13288" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-17T22:03:53.443" LastActivityDate="2021-04-04T15:43:51.620" Title="Will a Cedar tree survive if a portion of bark is missing?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22154" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22153" CreationDate="2015-10-17T21:34:31.350" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The bark is one thing and the cambium is another. The bark protects the cambium. There are different layers of bark.  Assuming he just removed the outer layers of bark there was probably no harm done. Do not try to cover this wound as the tree will do just fine protecting itself.  The only part that Indians used was the fibrous outer layers to make clothing, building materials, etc.  There are harder, finer layers of bark left to protect the vacular cambium. Even if he damaged the cambium on one side of the tree the tree will usually be able to cope just fine.  Think about all the elk that rub the bark off, feral pigs that pull lots of bark away, beetles that bore beneath the bark and lay eggs and the larvae eat the cambium.  If the cambium damage encircles the trunk, then the tree will die. Please send pictures!!  Close ups of 'wound'...thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-10-17T21:34:31.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22151" CreationDate="2015-10-17T23:21:04.897" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mint is frost-hardy (at least in the UK - i.e. no problem with overnight temperatures dropping to say -10C) but if it is grown in the garden, the stems usually die in winter and it grows again from the roots in spring. A relatively cold window inside your house won't kill it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A general problem with growing &quot;garden&quot; plants indoors in winter is lack of light. Combined with the artificial heating, that makes the plants grow weak and straggly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might be better to put your mint somewhere cold enough to let it go dormant for the winter, if that is possible - even somewhere outside the house, if it is sheltered from wind and rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is developing runners, an easy way to propagate it is put some more pots around the old plant, and let the runners spread over the new pots. When the new plants start to grow, cut the runners and throw away the old plant if it is looking past its best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2015-10-17T23:21:04.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22156" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-18T05:04:33.453" Score="3" ViewCount="176" Body="&lt;p&gt;What type if tree is this growing in Toowoomba, Australia in mid-spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/irUg2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/irUg2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XUU84.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XUU84.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13228" LastEditorUserId="13228" LastEditDate="2015-10-18T05:50:58.007" LastActivityDate="2015-10-18T08:30:40.097" Title="What type of tree is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22157" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22156" CreationDate="2015-10-18T08:30:40.097" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the pictures you have posted, it might be a &lt;em&gt;Robinia&lt;/em&gt; (aka black locust, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinia_pseudoacacia&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinia_pseudoacacia&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;br&gt;&#xA;It is native to northern America but reportedly naturalized in eastern Australia.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Pictures of a flower would be helpful for identifying with confidence, as would be a close-up of stipule and stem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1852" LastActivityDate="2015-10-18T08:30:40.097" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22158" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22164" CreationDate="2015-10-18T08:54:46.277" Score="3" ViewCount="347" Body="&lt;p&gt;Over the years, I bought/was given a few succulents and cacti, which I basically let grow by themselves because they had a great position in the Sun (a Southern-facing window without blinds, in Northern Italy), simply working on replanting them or cutting off parts that would then grow in other pots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They grow fast and well, but I would like to take better care of them. That includes (but is not limited to):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Right shading&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Optimal soil composition&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Propagation&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Times of the year for cloning, replanting, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flowering (Only one or two bloom, so I can't use flowers for identification)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I could take pictures of each and post them here, but I would like to do my own research and resort to that for those I cannot properly identify. I have look around but many suggested websites are about wild plants or plants in the ground, which I'm guessing grow a little differently than succulents in a pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Which resources can I use to identify succulents?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13220" LastActivityDate="2019-01-16T13:10:09.190" Title="Identification of many succulents" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22159" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22160" CreationDate="2015-10-18T09:46:12.163" Score="5" ViewCount="6730" Body="&lt;p&gt;I nonchalantly took a picture of this unknown flower and decided to post on a blog about it. Can anyone tell me about it, including the scientific name? It's growing in Malaysia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dMKcA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dMKcA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Here&amp;#39;s the picture&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jP8YW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jP8YW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;another one&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13289" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-20T02:30:54.310" LastActivityDate="2018-02-14T08:42:24.573" Title="What is this purple flower growing in Malaysia?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22160" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22159" CreationDate="2015-10-18T11:19:09.270" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its Ruellia simplex, probably the variety 'Purple Showers' or something similar. Commonly known as Mexican Petunia, its a perennial in warmer regions and flowers for many months of the year. Considered invasive in some regions, more info in links below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hgtvgardens.com/flowers-and-plants/growing-mexican-petunias&quot;&gt;http://www.hgtvgardens.com/flowers-and-plants/growing-mexican-petunias&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next one is more of a chatty blog type link about these plants in general:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jaycjayc.com/ruellia-simplex-mexican-petunia/&quot;&gt;http://www.jaycjayc.com/ruellia-simplex-mexican-petunia/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-18T11:19:09.270" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22161" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-18T13:21:35.680" Score="5" ViewCount="184" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what is growing on my miniature lilac? The nodules are all over the stems and first appeared in the late spring. I have tried searching the internet for an answer but the common problems listed for Lilacs don't mention this.  The plant is about 5 years old and has been healthy up until this year. It is surviving but hasn't had the show of flowers it usually has. Should I cut it right back, and if so, is now a good time, or should I wait until the spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the Midlands region of the UK. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XoP5o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XoP5o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13290" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-18T17:23:18.790" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T19:42:02.453" Title="What are these nodules growing on my miniature lilac?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;lilac&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22162" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-18T16:44:12.607" Score="4" ViewCount="238" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need some help to figure out what steps I should take next. I paid close to $6,000 to have new sod laid back in July. This was after I paid a couple thousand to have sprinklers installed. The landscaper I used is blaming me for &quot;killing it&quot; even though it was watered and cut by someone else since he installed it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Everyone is telling me to get a refund but he is saying he wants to pull it out and put seed down at a cost to me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trugreen is also saying it may be a fungus. I also pulled up some pieces as they don't appear to have stuck. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have attached as many pictures as possible. &lt;a href=&quot;https://flic.kr/s/aHsknwaibM&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; are the before and after pictures. Does anyone know why it might have died? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13291" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-21T22:39:54.110" LastActivityDate="2015-10-21T22:39:54.110" Title="How can I tell who's responsible for the death of new sod laid in July?" Tags="&lt;damage&gt;&lt;sod&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22163" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22162" CreationDate="2015-10-18T17:18:50.073" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to investigate a little more as some important information is missing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what kind of soil is underneath?  Was fresh topsoil added and raked out before the sod was added?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;was the sod rolled over to promote greater contact with the ground?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;turn up some dead areas and dig down a bit.  Do you see white grubs?  Does the grass have any roots into the soil?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what kind of summer was it in your area?  Hot and dry?  Did you water daily for the first two or three weeks?  Does the sprinkler system water the areas where there is dieback?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Typical causes of sod failing to take are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;not enough water, sod turns brown&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grubs already in soil can attack fresh laid sod the same season&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sod not in good contact with the ground&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;poor grading causes water to run off too fast or to puddle in low spots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil not compacted enough so it settles underneath sod and leaves air between sod and soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sprinklers laid so that areas do not receive water or enough water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-10-18T17:27:01.590" LastActivityDate="2015-10-18T17:27:01.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22158" CreationDate="2015-10-18T18:49:59.157" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know of a really good dichotomous key or similar... what I would do, is to learn the basics of most commonly kept succulents, then look at pictures of those families to see if you can narrow it to genera...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;main families of succulents (at least house plants)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cactuses (Cactaceae):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;almost all have leaves modified as woody spines... majority of the plant is&#xA;made of a stem.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;often segmented.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;often cylindrical.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;typically large colorful single perfect flowers with radial symmetry, flowers are usually grown right from the stem, not on a long panicle.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;often spines are born on raised ridges the length of a segment&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;only a few genera have anything that seems like fleshy leaves (see Leuchtenbergia principis, Mammillaria longimamma)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Asparagaceae:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;APG 2,3 put&#xA;a lot of formerly separate families into this family&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;monocots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;most of the succulents grow with long thin fibrous leaves around a stem as a rosette.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;flowers borne on long racemes (panacles).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;often will only branch after flowering.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some grow to be trees.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;important genera include Agave, Yucca, Hesperaloe.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;succulent genera mainly distributed in the new world.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crassulaceae:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;called stone crops&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;contains many different forms&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;most have fleshy leaves like jade plants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;dicots&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;flowers borne on panicles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;often as rosettes like houseleeks (hens-n-chicks)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;important genera: Kalanchoe, Crassula, Cotyledon, Sedum, Sempervivum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aloes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;monocots&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;sort of like succulents in Asparagaceae, except they are usually fleshier and the spines are typically a little less hard and woody, leaves less sinuous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;center of diversity is in Africa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Euphorbiaceae:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dicots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can look a lot like cactuses&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;easiest way to distinguish from cactuses is the poisonous / irritant milky juice (latex) that exudes from wounds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in the species with spines, the spines are usually very dark red to black, and are shinier than cactus spines, they are often also borne in pairs (cactus spines are usually in small groups or single, not as regular)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mainly in the genus Euphorbia (very diverse genus, over 2000 species)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;strange flowers with separate male and female flowers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fruit often are explosively dehiscent capsules.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/76lQc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/76lQc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;euphorbia spine close up...&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Others:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Portulaca, looks a lot like it could be in Crassulaceae&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Stapelia, looks like a cactus... except cacti are almost entirely confined to the new world and Stapelias are from africa, and don't have spines... their flowers are not pretty, and smell like rotting flesh.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-10-18T18:55:52.523" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22165" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22169" CreationDate="2015-10-19T00:39:41.667" Score="4" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple of weeks ago I planted some seeds of different fruits that I ate. &#xA;Some didn't make it and some did, however, I lost track on this one and don't remember what this plant is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yKLdh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yKLdh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tq0an.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tq0an.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-19T19:19:50.797" LastActivityDate="2015-10-23T08:33:51.547" Title="Which fruit is this seedling from?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22166" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-19T15:49:44.557" Score="7" ViewCount="184" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this plant I found and planted. I have it in a pot in my yard. Can anyone identify it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click for full size&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5zjYF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5zjYFl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13296" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-10-19T15:58:55.397" LastActivityDate="2015-10-19T22:20:26.007" Title="Can anyone identify this plant that is growing in my yard?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22167" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22175" CreationDate="2015-10-19T16:03:44.273" Score="4" ViewCount="1915" Body="&lt;p&gt;Also known more properly as Nippon Daisies, I have a planting of this stuff. I hadn't noticed it flowering last year and had planned on ripping it out this fall not knowing what it was other than being an undesirable (for me at the time), but it bloomed this fall and I rather like it and learned a bit more about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that this plant is recommended to be divided in the spring, and also that the plant does well from being pruned apparently around June in the northern hemisphere, but I don't really know the proper way to handle this for this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question is how do I properly divide this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the answer I am interested in information about cutting back when I am doing so, and to how thinly I can divide this plant without weakening it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-10-20T10:35:38.340" Title="Dividing Montauk Daisies" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22168" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22166" CreationDate="2015-10-19T16:11:22.683" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am pretty sure that you have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poinsettia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;poinsettia&lt;/a&gt; variety in your garden. Actually I have seen how these beautiful plants turn the green color of some leaves into red, as you can appreciate it in your own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here an example of a wilder poinsettia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2VWlZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2VWlZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11964" LastEditorUserId="11964" LastEditDate="2015-10-19T22:20:26.007" LastActivityDate="2015-10-19T22:20:26.007" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22165" CreationDate="2015-10-19T16:27:15.310" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a kiwi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, the best matching picture I can find can't be linked to or copied. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-19T19:22:23.870" LastActivityDate="2015-10-19T19:22:23.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22170" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-19T17:47:05.837" Score="4" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;Coming back from vacation with 6&quot; high grass. Using the one third rule, I need to mow three times to get down to 2&quot; (my lawn maintenance service recommends 2&quot; high cut at this time of year in the Northeast w/ leaves/pine needles falling). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First time at 4&quot;, second time at 3&quot;, last time at 2&quot;. Most advice I've seen recommends go back to cut again in 2-3 days. Why not cut in successive days rather than waiting for 2-3 days?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13297" LastActivityDate="2015-10-23T14:31:18.770" Title="How often can I mow when starting with a 6&quot; high grass and want to get down to 2&quot;" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5271" CreationDate="2015-10-19T19:51:43.413" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;The reason you are not finding the answer you are looking for in regards to the lumen requirements of crops is that lumens is a measurement for humans.  It is based on the level of light that we can perceive.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants mostly require light in wavelengths of around 430,450,650,675 nano meters (depending on the crop), with highly varied intensity requirements from crop to crop.  Lettuce requires mostly the high end of the blue spectrum of light, 650-700 nm, at an intensity of 17 mols/m2/day of PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation).  If you do some research you may be able to find the manufacturers data sheets for certain lights, which may include this information, although you may have to contact the manufacturer for more in depth answers.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason why lumens are a bad indicator for determining light requirements of plants is that the light plants need most is almost out of the visible spectrum for humans.  Manufacturers of indoor lighting will try and target 555 nm because the photopic conversion (lumens/watt) is 683 lm/w at this wavelength, while light that plants need has a very small photopic conversion (430 nm is only 8 lm/w, 650 nm is 73 lm/w).  A 100W plant light (we'll assume 100% efficiency for math purposes) could be producing only 4000 lumens, while a 100W human light would be 68300 lumens.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Financially though, you are better off using a high volume manufactured light (common bulbs) that is producing a lot of light you don't really need, but is producing a small percentage of the light you actually do need.  If you use fluorescent tube or CFL lights, I have used both, you should aim for about 1500-2000+ lumens per square ft. with a Kelvin rating of 6500K.  The cheapest way to do it is wire your own panel using keyless lamp holders and bulk buying the CFL's.  Discard the bulbs after 6 months or less, as the spectrum of light your plants need will decrease.  Use 1, 23W CFL (100W equalivant), 6500K bulb per plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13298" LastActivityDate="2015-10-19T19:51:43.413" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22173" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-19T22:28:18.600" Score="2" ViewCount="47" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have just moved into my new flat. And again, I'm noticing that plants make &lt;em&gt;the&lt;/em&gt; difference between a place feeling rather dull and dead or being nice to hang out at.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So here is my central question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Can somebody provide me with a list of plants that grow with (very) little light?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is not the darkest apartment, but it's not exactly sunny, either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More specific details:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm particularly interested in plants that would grow in my bathroom, which only has a small (maybe 8 inches high, 1 foot 6 inches wide) &lt;strong&gt;indoor&lt;/strong&gt; window that  admits some daylight which comes from the wall with all the outdoor windows across.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Of course, humidity is high in the bathroom as well, so the plant should also be ok with that.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;On the bright side, it's not too cold there/ I could keep it a little warmer - wouldn't want to keep it tropical though, to be honest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since this is not a purely theoretical question, the plants you mention are required to be somewhat obtainable through normal outlets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people might now scream &quot;Oh noes! &lt;strong&gt;No&lt;/strong&gt; plant will ever grow in this dark cave harboring you and thoust will perish slowly&quot;, but somehow, my hopes are still high about the plant growing part...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking about moss, so there is at least some plant that might make it in my bathroom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I also can't shake the hope that there must be a couple of other plants used to growing in darker forest places below thick branchwork, where it might always be quite dark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I would also be glad to hear what problems the respective plants might entail (any particular bugs or hardships in keeping the plant from wilting off etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13301" LastEditorUserId="13301" LastEditDate="2015-10-19T22:39:36.607" LastActivityDate="2015-10-19T22:39:36.607" Title="A list of obtainable plants that need very little light?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2015-10-20T13:44:10.497" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22174" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22177" CreationDate="2015-10-20T09:03:57.433" Score="8" ViewCount="7072" Body="&lt;p&gt;Who/what is eating my mint? What should I do about it? Can I do something organic? I had destroyed my mint a year ago by spraying a pesticide, so I don't want to go that route. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Jaipur, India. The current temperature is 22-35 degree C (70-75 F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d6nSb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d6nSb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hVA3c.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hVA3c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5zDxd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5zDxd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2818" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-20T17:55:49.763" LastActivityDate="2015-10-20T17:55:49.763" Title="Who/what is eating my mint?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22175" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22167" CreationDate="2015-10-20T10:35:38.340" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Properly known as Nipponanthemum nipponicum these days, though it was once classifed as Leucanthemum and prior to that, Chrysanthemum. Its the usual method employed with other herbaceous perennials - you dig up the clump, split the rootball and replant the sections, watering in well afterwards. Sometimes, the central area of the plant, if it's a large clump, has died out, so when you dig it up, you split the rootball, taking out the dead area in the middle. You need each section you split into to be viable, so you shouldn't really make divisions less than 6 inches square; this sometimes means, depending on the size of the clump you have, you can only split it in half. However, this procedure is best done in spring in the northern hemisphere anyway, and then you can see where new growth is beginning to appear, which makes it easier to decide where to cut the rootball. You might find you get less flowering in the first year after splitting, and you will need to keep the replanted sections well watered if the weather is not damp. Cutting back isn't usually an issue in spring, it's cut to the ground by the weather over winter anyway, and if any tough, woody stems survive, cut those down as new growth begins. If you want lots of new plants, you can take herbaceous stem cuttings&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info here, although its a British link, but does describe pinching out to keep the plants bushy as they grow, if you're interested in that:-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/3315067/How-to-grow-Nipponanthemum.html&quot;&gt;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/3315067/How-to-grow-Nipponanthemum.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-20T10:35:38.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22176" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-20T12:21:43.443" Score="9" ViewCount="693" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing tomatoes in the same spot in my garden for years. This year most of my tomatoes seem to be affected by a disease which only affects the tomatoes. I prune, water &amp;amp; fertilize the plants regularly and they seem quite healthy otherwise. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually import soil from other locations or buy bagged stuff at Home Depot each spring - I suspect that I got some bad soil, but I'm not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this disease and can it be stopped?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xbQka.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xbQka.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of tomatoes with disease spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13303" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-10-20T13:46:09.273" LastActivityDate="2015-10-26T21:10:10.707" Title="What is causing irregular brown sunken spots on my tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22174" CreationDate="2015-10-20T13:05:23.777" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seems like your culprit is smallish. Candidates would be&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;caterpillars&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Check for their droppings - greenish or blackish &quot;pearls&quot; - or the animals themselves hiding either under the leaves or along the stems. Simply pick them off, no chemicals needed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;slugs or snails&lt;br&gt;&#xA;tend to leave slimy traces - search and remove like caterpillars.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bugs&lt;br&gt;&#xA;rather unlikely, but a close inspection should clarify this soon. Proceed as above.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-10-20T13:05:23.777" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22178" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22180" CreationDate="2015-10-20T20:34:16.450" Score="9" ViewCount="4122" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was hoping someone can help me identify this nut and the tree it goes with. I found a bunch of these near my truck when I went to my Uncle's mountain place in Grayson County, Virginia. I'm pretty sure it's growing wild as he cleared the property when he bought the place and never planted anything. It was raining on me when I took the pictures, but I couldn't see any nuts actually on a tree. However, most of the nuts seemed to be clustered under the tree in the pictures I included. Again, I didn't actually see any on a tree, so this might not be the tree they came from, but there were a lot of them directly under it. It looks like a walnut to me, but when I looked up a picture of a Black Walnut, the green pods were smooth. The one pictured clearly has sections. Whether this is due to the beginnings of decay, I don't know. I also have a picture of the nut out of the shell, pictured near the one in an intact shell. Thanks for the help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the pictures for full size.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WYu4t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WYu4tm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pcBls.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pcBlsm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nSZ9A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nSZ9Am.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ymLlx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ymLlxm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zLjIN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zLjINm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-22T22:47:21.537" LastActivityDate="2017-10-23T18:05:33.597" Title="What tree does this nut come from? Is it a walnut?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;nut-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22179" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22178" CreationDate="2015-10-20T20:48:47.360" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can find the tree because its leaves are bigger than the normal ones (5 to 10 inch) I believe that the nuts are a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglandaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;juglandaceae&lt;/a&gt; kind. In your &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pcBls.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;image&lt;/a&gt; you can appreciate the leaves of your tree (the big ones).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11964" LastActivityDate="2015-10-20T20:48:47.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22180" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22178" CreationDate="2015-10-20T22:47:31.653" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had to dig pretty deep into my &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0688050395&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;reference books&lt;/a&gt; for this because the nut and the leaf do not match. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The nut appears to be from a Shagbark hickory (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carya_ovata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Carya ovata&lt;/a&gt;) based on the four parts of the husk on the nut.  That being said the whole hickory genus is not fussy about pollinating and &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carya_ovata#Genetics&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;will cross within the Carya species&lt;/a&gt; even pecans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves appear to be from another American native, the American Hornbeam, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpinus_caroliniana&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Carpinus caroliniana&lt;/a&gt; who also have two species that interbreed.  The identication is based on the serration on the leaves. These plants have smooth bark.  It could also be American Hop Hornbeam or Ironwood, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostrya_virginiana&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ostrya virginiana&lt;/a&gt; which has long vertical bark sections on the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-23T00:07:50.447" LastActivityDate="2016-02-23T00:07:50.447" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22072" CreationDate="2015-10-21T15:44:47.173" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Given the persistence (7+ years) of the problem area, I'd strongly consider cutting it out (and put into the compost), and (depending how you want to do this, and with what speed) either cutting sods from (many small spots) elsewhere in the lawn to fill it in (refilling those with good dirt and letting the lawn repopulate them) or purchasing sod of the correct type to fill in without cutting any from elsewhere in the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-10-21T15:44:47.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22182" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22176" CreationDate="2015-10-21T16:44:53.023" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It can have several causes (bacterial, stink bug damage etc.) From this picture I can't define it.&#xA;However I found a link concerning this problem. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/visual-guides/tomato-fruit-problems.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/visual-guides/tomato-fruit-problems.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13305" LastActivityDate="2015-10-21T16:44:53.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22183" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-21T17:30:25.500" Score="7" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several large deer ferns. Some started to drop significantly during an unusually high summer drought in the Pacific Northwestern USA. I watered immediately and they did not perk up. They are still alive no doubt, but still haven't perked up after a dry fall. I wanted to relocate the ferns this fall and split them up. Do I have to wait now? What can I do to perk these guys up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13306" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-21T22:13:10.403" LastActivityDate="2017-12-29T23:05:02.433" Title="How can I save deer ferns after a drought?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22184" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22133" CreationDate="2015-10-21T22:09:45.853" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can also cook some candy, sweet potato candy is one of my favorite dessert when fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt; Sweet Potato Candy Recipe&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt; 2 pounds of washed and same sized clean potatoes &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt; 1 cup of water &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt; 1 pound of sugar &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt; 2 cinnamon sticks &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt; Preparation: &lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put the sweet potatoes, the water and cinnamon in a cooking pot and cook for 30 mins. Melt the sugar apart and add it to the cooking pot and cook 30 mins more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I love to smash some sweet potato candy in a plate and add some of its honey an milk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/225Bl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/225Bl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also you can see more info &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.deguate.com/artman/publish/cultura-platillos-bebidas-guatemala/camote-en-dulce.shtml#.VigIin6rRD8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, in my country are called &lt;em&gt;'Dulces de Camote'&lt;/em&gt; and I'm sure that you can find many other recipes to cook different variety of Sweet Potato Candies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11964" LastEditorUserId="11964" LastEditDate="2015-10-21T22:15:13.223" LastActivityDate="2015-10-21T22:15:13.223" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5475" CreationDate="2015-10-21T22:37:12.220" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Crocosmia or montbretia is a highly invasive plant and is causing severe problems to hedgerows, the last remaining corridors for our native wildlife. It flowers late in the season and outcompetes almost all other plants normally found on our hedgerows. This has a direct impact on insects, and birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13308" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-22T00:33:12.133" LastActivityDate="2015-10-22T00:33:12.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22186" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22150" CreationDate="2015-10-22T01:21:39.550" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lemon plants are sensitive to cold. Bring the plant in before a frost. You can treat it like any other houseplant. It likes plenty of sunlight. Put it back outside when the weather permits. If you leave it inside all year, it starts to suffer a bit. &#xA;Lemon trees can get big. You will eventually need a container 18 - 24 inches in diameter. You might want to find out the load capacity on your balcony. The plant and wet soil can be very heavy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10974" LastEditorDisplayName="user10974" LastEditDate="2015-10-28T21:11:51.447" LastActivityDate="2015-10-28T21:11:51.447" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22187" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22140" CreationDate="2015-10-22T01:26:27.010" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your best bet would be to save the seeds and start new plants next year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10974" LastActivityDate="2015-10-22T01:26:27.010" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20659" CreationDate="2015-10-22T02:04:04.777" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first one is very similar to one medicinal herb in my country known as &lt;em&gt;salvilla&lt;/em&gt; and it is a medicinal plant that could help you for the stomachache, but I am not sure you have to check it if looks like my dear salvilla (Buddleja scordioides).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second one is too familiar to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://delta-intkey.com/britht/www/palustre.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Horse tail&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equisetaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Equisetaceae&lt;/a&gt; also equisetum. in my country is a medicina plant that help to the kidneys. In the image some varieties of this plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h0mnl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h0mnl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11964" LastActivityDate="2015-10-22T02:04:04.777" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22189" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20448" CreationDate="2015-10-22T02:07:58.030" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am pretty sure that the tree is an apple :) here a picture taked from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.50states.com/flower/arkansas.htm#.VihEuPmqqko&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OxGlX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OxGlX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11964" LastActivityDate="2015-10-22T02:07:58.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22176" CreationDate="2015-10-22T05:16:13.493" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;EDIT: It looks a lot like anthracnose. I'm not really sure that it is, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree with Bamboo that it looks like the tomatoes were just damaged and started to go bad because of it. However, I don't think insects are the only cause. I think this can happen to cracked tomatoes, too, and perhaps sometimes when they're smothered by tomato branches. I'm guessing nutritional deficiencies that result in weaker tomatoes might contribute to this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think this is exactly what old grocery store tomatoes in the refrigerator look like when they go bad. (I know, people say not to refrigerate tomatoes, since they lose taste; but they do last longer when cold.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen damage like this on my tomatoes in previous years, and it was only an occasional thing. It didn't overrun the plants or anything. I don't live in a humid area, though. My tomatoes this year had plenty of basalt rockdust (which is high in silica, calcium and trace minerals), potassium and such. They seemed to be a lot stronger, and I don't recall seeing this issue at all, this time. There was a similar issue with cantaloupe quality last year (they looked rather grungy, had indents, and they went bad fast; they remind me of your tomatoes, there, somewhat), and this year the cantaloupe are awesome, and perfect-looking. They're actually growing on the same ground, too. Same soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A proper balance of potassium, calcium and silica can strengthen plants quite a bit, including against insects and disease. If your soil had too much nitrogen, it may have inhibited your potassium. I have a suspicion that too much nitrogen may interfere with calcium uptake, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, my conclusion is that the underlying problem is nutritional—but the initial damage is probably caused by mechanical means, which in turn just causes the tomatoes to go bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A soil test might be insightful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basalt rockdust works best if applied far in advance, I've read. I didn't apply it far in advance. I recommend doing it far in advance, though (or putting it in your compost).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I added worm castings with the basalt rockdust so that the microbes on the worm castings would hopefully combine well with the rockdust. Microbes are supposed to like rockdust. They're also supposed to be great for plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-10-26T21:10:10.707" LastActivityDate="2015-10-26T21:10:10.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5977" CreationDate="2015-10-22T05:49:49.070" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is very little good information about the actual wavelength spectra and intensity for household LED bulbs and they may differ by  model/brand and color temperature (ie. 3000K vs 5000K) to some degree. But if they are white (soft or bright) they do emit in RGB - Red Green and Blue. If it was too slanted toward blue (or another color) you would find household colors to be strange indeed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On a spectragraph for a particular bulb that I found,  the most intense emissions were in the Red 625nm range with a smaller spike in the Green 535&#xA;range and an even smaller spike in the Blue 470 Range. Here's a possible problem: for this particular bulb there was next to nothing in the Violet range being emitted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the positive side you can put the LED bulb right into the plants without burning them with heat. So light intensity will be as good as it can be. Here's what to do. Plant some seeds and try it. If it doesn't give you what you want you will not have chewed up too much electricity. And you can use the bulb to read more about LED grow lamps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13309" LastActivityDate="2015-10-22T05:49:49.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22192" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-22T05:51:12.120" Score="7" ViewCount="88" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm actually studying for a chemistry exam, and in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrangea&quot;&gt;Wikipedia page for Hydrangeas&lt;/a&gt;, it states that &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In these species the color (flower) is affected by soil pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the plant evidently takes the nutrients from the soil, and depending on the pH the flower will be different colors. However me and my friend were having a discussion on whether the flower can change color after forming. For instance, if I had a red hydrangea flower, and then suddenly acidified the soil, would it be possible that this red flower change color to blue? Or would the red flower remain, and only new flowers be blue?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13310" LastActivityDate="2015-10-24T12:17:29.937" Title="Can flowers change colour after forming?" Tags="&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22193" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22194" CreationDate="2015-10-22T07:40:40.623" Score="8" ViewCount="138" Body="&lt;p&gt;I came across this tree many times in Zurich but I wasn't able to find the name. Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RbhSf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RbhSf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf in autumn colors&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13311" LastActivityDate="2015-10-22T11:18:44.827" Title="What tree does this leaf belong to?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-02-27T22:55:18.840" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22194" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22193" CreationDate="2015-10-22T10:51:05.733" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaf shape indicates Liriodendron tulipifera, but there is some variation in leaf shape with these plants. The ever present feature is the dip in the top of the leaf shape though, but other features of the tree will confirm or deny this ID, such as shoot shape/colour, bark colour/pattern, keys or seeds, colour and shape of flowers, overall growth habit. The link below is a descriptive list of features of this plant, with some photographs&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ibiblio.org/openkey/intkey/web/LITU.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.ibiblio.org/openkey/intkey/web/LITU.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-10-22T11:18:44.827" LastActivityDate="2015-10-22T11:18:44.827" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22195" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22192" CreationDate="2015-10-22T11:05:59.177" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The previously existing, fully formed and open flowers would retain the original colour, although natural fading or slight alteration can be seen over time - application of substances to alter colour between pink and blue should be made 6 weeks prior to the flower being fully open, and that will be when the buds are forming. That's the latest time to attempt to influence flower colour deliberately. Generally, this response of colour change is only true of Hydrangea macrophylla varieties, though H. involucrata and H. serrata also demonstrate some ability to change the colour of their sepals according to conditions. White varieties cannot have their flower colour altered by the addition of substances to change the ph. More info in the links below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/colorchange.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/colorchange.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=122&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=122&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a point of interest, although we talk about hydrangea flowers, and imagine the typical mopheads seen everywhere, in fact, the mophead is not a flower - the sepals which give the colour of red, pink or blue are a bit like litmus paper, changing colour according to soil ph, or the availability of aluminium, but the actual flowers are tiny, held within the coloured sepals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-10-22T15:34:31.823" LastActivityDate="2015-10-22T15:34:31.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22196" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22140" CreationDate="2015-10-22T11:59:51.490" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience, overwintering pepper plants is not easy - but it is incredibly rewarding. If done successfully, you start the season with mature plants that will bloom fully much earlier in the season. Harvests can be advanced by as much as 60-75 days depending on variety. I have done both Habanero and and Rocoto/Locoto and the second year production far exceeded the first year. I have actually kept some peppers for as long as 5 years. These were all in pots that I let stay out through an early frost. They dropped most of their leaves (this also helps mitigate aphid issues) and then i pruned them back by as much as 30%. Then you can either throw them in the basement where they won't get too much light and keep the soil relatively dry (not bone dry) and wait for spring. OR you can bring them inside and put them in a sunny space - they'll leaf out again and do OK during the winter. I'm sure that you could prune before the frost and bring them in or any number of alternatives. They're far more hardy than they are given credit for being.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a nice writeup about how to do it: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/pepper/overwintering-peppers.htm&quot;&gt;Overwintering Pepper Plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is rewarding to overwinter them - BUT I know nothing about how they'd respond to digging from the ground to overwinter in pots. It wold probably have been better to start that process in earlier to allow time for acclimation to the container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2015-10-22T11:59:51.490" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22140" CreationDate="2015-10-22T15:19:22.170" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Transplant the peppers wont be easy and you are going to lost at least the 35% of the plants, but I think that this is the right thing to do because the pepper roots cannot resist too cold temperatures. Also I have to say that peppers needs a very rich soil (very well fertilized soil) cause they are very demanding maybe that's why they are so rich in Vitamins specially A and C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11964" LastActivityDate="2015-10-22T15:19:22.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22198" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22205" CreationDate="2015-10-22T23:21:16.403" Score="4" ViewCount="2195" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had two pots of Saintpaulia (African Violet). They've been doing pretty well, lots of flowers, and breeding! However one of them has starting having bugs. When the blossoms open up, there are one or more of the three types of bugs. I've been trying to kill them with a cotton swab dipped in white spirit/ alcohol, it's helped a lot in reducing the bugs, but still there are some. I was observing my other pots, and they were all fine, until the other one had some flowers recently and I found a few bugs there, as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These brown bugs are the largest among the three that I see:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sOhso.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sOhso.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bugs on african violet&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second type is the white, small bug, I know there are lots of white spots on this picture, but not all of them are bugs! Just a few. They're pure white, with pure white limbs! Very small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y7UqS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y7UqS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white small bugs on african violet&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The third type that I don't have a picture of, is yet another brown bug, but long and thin, as if it's a very thin, narrow piece of stick, or just a thin thorn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there an efficient, easy, home-made solution to this issue?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is how the overall plant looks:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1OZ1N.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1OZ1N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And this is the baby pot born from my other pot. They seem to be doing good, as well; but I noticed the leaves seem a bit curly. Is this also a bug/fungal, or is that normal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8eCBk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8eCBk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastActivityDate="2015-10-23T11:33:56.267" Title="How can I get rid of these bugs on my African violets?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;african-violets&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1407" CreationDate="2015-10-23T07:37:32.603" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It does, indeed, sound like blossom end rot, but from what I've read, it's actually rarely the case that the soil being calcium deficient is the cause of the problem. Calcium may be implicated in blossom end rot (but that doesn't mean the soil is deficient).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.webgrower.com/information/carolyn_ber.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here's a link where Carolyn Male (a well-known tomato expert) tells us all about blossom end rot and how most people don't need to add extra calcium to their soil.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, from my own experience, I gave plants loads of basalt rockdust (which is high in calcium). I even gave them things like calcium nitrate and eggshells. It was a pretty bad problem with several plants, this year, notwithstanding the calcium they had. If anything, I'm convinced that too &lt;em&gt;much&lt;/em&gt; calcium can &lt;em&gt;cause&lt;/em&gt; blossom end rot, but I could be wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Really, though, the weather seemed to correlate rather strongly with blossom end rot, this year. It was very, very hot, and dry. When it cooled, the plants didn't have as many problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read on a forum that one person likes to use straw to prevent it (by burying it a few inches below the soil where the plant is). Straw/hay is actually high in nutrients (such as nitrogen) and it may do similar things for your soil as manure. I hear it can encourage good microbes (especially alfalfa hay). It can also act as ground cover. Anyway, that was only one person, but it really sounded like it worked, and it perked my interest enough to tell you about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Considering the fruits are small when they're rotting, that reminds me of a Yellow Straightneck squash with the problem I have this year. The squash appears to have a fungal infection at the roots, actually. I don't know if that's related to the problem, but possibly. It doesn't have enough light, though. A lack of light may be your problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-10-23T07:47:44.740" LastActivityDate="2015-10-23T07:47:44.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18119" CreationDate="2015-10-23T07:57:59.827" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I enjoy growing large zucchini (I prefer them to small ones). So, I can tell you about my experience with the varieties we've grown (whatever they were). My experience is that if you pick them sooner, they'll grow more fruits. However (with the kinds we grew), if you don't, you can still get a few to several large zucchinis on one plant (usually about 2-5). You should be able to pick a few small ones and then grow some large ones. I don't recommend growing the large one first and then picking small ones, if you want small ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you plant an extra-productive variety, you may get more. I hear Dark Star is very productive (and does well in hot, dry areas). Since I first answered the question, I've gained more experience: I grew Dark Star in 2016, and it's a very nice breed. It's very vigorous and productive. It has a mild taste. I grew multiple plants per hole and they still did well. Squash bugs like it, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to how long to leave the zucchini on the plant, if you're saving seeds, I'd say as long as possible, but I really don't know at what point the seeds become viable (although doing a search online, people say they're viable when you can dent the skin with your fingernail, although it seems to me like you could do that with any zucchini: maybe they mean when you can dent it without puncturing it). In 2016, I just left my zucchini on until squash bugs about finished killing the plants (they were full-sized for at least a few weeks before harvest). I kept them in storage like winter squash until January or so when their skin started turning orange, although people say seeds don't develop further after harvest. Then I saved the seeds, which were plentiful and nice and thick. I haven't grown them, but I'd be surprised if they weren't viable (hopefully I can update this after I grow them). The fruit was still suitable for zucchini bread at this point (I did have a box fan running in the storage area to help keep mold away, though).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just washed them, zapped them for 45 minutes in water with my Z4EX (15 minutes per frequency) as an experimental precaution against disease, and put them in/on a brown paper lunch bag to dry in a room with a box fan going to assist their drying). You don't have to zap them like I did. Some people ferment their seeds (to help clean them and perhaps sift out seeds that aren't viable, and maybe as a precaution against disease), but it doesn't appear to be as common with zucchini as with other things (e.g. tomatoes and watermelon). Washing and drying them should be sufficient for most people. I didn't have trouble cleaning my seeds without fermenting them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've saved seeds from a friend's end-of-season, dark green-skinned zucchini before this, which were reported to have been viable (I gave them to a friend to try). I just washed and dried those. That kind had orange flesh due to its maturity. My Dark Star zucchini was yellow inside (a pineapple-type color). Since my Dark Star zucchini were probably more mature than the other ones, I'm guessing whether or not they turn orange inside is based on the breed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you grew other C. pepo squash (and possibly some other species), they might have crossed with your zucchini, but new hybrids can have advantages (e.g.  productivity), if you're adventurous (but they may be quite different from the mother plant). Crossed plants are hybrids (the first generation is an F1 hybrid).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please excuse the next part of my answer (which is probably more suited to Seasoned Advice).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can't stomach the thought of eating only large zucchini, let me tell you some practical uses for them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[Not all large zucchini are suited for these purposes. Some have very tough skins and an unpleasant taste. Dark Star and Black seem to be capable of tasting fine for these purposes when large (but it's possibly the soil that makes the difference in taste and such):]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Slice them (take out the pithy middle) and put them on hamburgers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Slice them thin (take out the middle) and put them on pizza.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pickle them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make mock apple pie (the zucchini kind).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zucchini bread. (Or use them in other veggie breads.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Really, they're quite versatile. I like to eat them raw, too. They're probably great cooked with onions (not garlic), too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-02-05T03:50:26.890" LastActivityDate="2017-02-05T03:50:26.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22201" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22165" CreationDate="2015-10-23T08:20:34.190" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know it's not one of the ones you listed, but I really don't think it's any of those, to be quite honest. It looks just like an indoor pepper to me (Capsicum annuum), and probably a sweet bell pepper, at that. The leaves are kind of curling, though. I grew peppers this last fall/winter/spring that looked like that (sans the downward curling). They're outside, now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures that look pretty close (these aren't mine, though; note that they're both of indoor peppers, and not outdoor ones):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_i_SbVEomlrk/SVBQmj3b8BI/AAAAAAAAE_M/gQHjMU422rk/s1600-h/pretzels+020.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Picture 1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.passingtherelish.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/indoor-pepper-plant.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Picture 2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-10-23T08:33:51.547" LastActivityDate="2015-10-23T08:33:51.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18119" CreationDate="2015-10-23T08:39:13.507" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the assumption you're growing a variety that does actually produce seed, its best to leave one or two courgettes on the plant later in the season rather than earlier, because of encouraging more fruiting. Seems somewhat late in the season to be talking about this really! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you are growing more than one type of squash, or your neighbour is growing other squashes, these plants cross readily with one another, so your best bet for getting seed that's the same as the parent plant is to hand pollinate the one you want to save the seed from. Instructions for this in the link below, you'll need to scroll down to the squash section&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.realseeds.co.uk/seedsavinginfo.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.realseeds.co.uk/seedsavinginfo.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-23T08:39:13.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22204" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22206" CreationDate="2015-10-23T11:12:27.317" Score="5" ViewCount="292" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had these pepper plants for a year and a half now. They weren't 100% healthy when I bought them. The actual plan was to pick the fruits and then bin the plants, but I felt bad doing that! They had gotten lots of bugs on my balcony, so I applied soapy water and alcohol and rinsed and replanted them. They have been doing great, giving me good fruits, but I could never get rid of the curly leaves. (Here is my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14623/home-made-solution-for-white-spotted-curley-leaves-on-pepper-leaves&quot;&gt;previous question&lt;/a&gt; regarding this.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A while back I went away for a month, (I attempted to give them a self-watering system), and came back to see lots of leaves that looked burnt/dried. I trimmed them, and they had started doing okay again, but now there are loads and loads of annoying brown bugs. I've applied an alcohol/soapy water spray over and over, but it hasn't helped. The last time was around 10 days ago when I was going to leave for a week, and I decided that I'd bin them forever if the bugs weren't gone when I got back. Not only are they still there, but there are many more of them, and they're killing all the blooms and baby fruits. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it worth attempting to fix them or should I just bin the whole thing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eqrGJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eqrGJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a5UKa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a5UKa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IcYMI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IcYMI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P.S. They're next to my tomato boxes, all sitting inside a south-facing window shelf. I confess that some of the tomatoes are also mildly infected, but since the tomatoes won't last long, I'm not too worried.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a bonsai ficus, and some African violets, on the other end of the house, at the north-facing windows, and I'm paranoid that they've got the curly leaves from these peppers as well. (It's not just paranoia, as I think I can see that the leaves are curled!) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also gotten a cactus recently, and I hope that one survives!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-11-11T17:56:55.580" Title="How should I deal with these ill pepper plants?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22198" CreationDate="2015-10-23T11:33:56.267" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Classic troubles with Saintpaulia in the UK are whitefly, mealybug and cyclamen mite. The latter causes curled leaves, and if left untreated, will lead to distortion of the stems and any flowers will wither. Mealybug would be obvious, you'd see white fluffy deposits on the plant with close inspection - whitefly is difficult to treat, since they're quite resistant to most pesticides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the assumption your plants are in the house and not in a greenhouse, you may have to resort to using something like Provado Ultimate Bugkiller, but take the plants outside if its not too cold if you decide to spray them and bring them straight back in afterwards. They won't like being taken anywhere other than where they are, they tend to stop flowering for a while if you change their position. You may need to repeat treatment after 3 weeks if the problem is whitefly. Otherwise, more 'organic' methods of treating them are exactly what you're doing now. Whatever the insects are, the main plant appears to be flowering very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-23T11:33:56.267" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22204" CreationDate="2015-10-23T11:58:02.563" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;To be frank, I'd bin them without a second's hesitation, and would have done so a while back, and that's what I recommend to you. They're serving no useful purpose other than as a source of infection to your other plants, but it may be too late, the aphid infestation may already have spread to those too - use neem spray to treat them with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Curled leaves on African violets often indicates cyclamen mite, but I'm not at all sure that's a problem where you live. Inspect the backs of the leaves and every part of the plant to see what you can find.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-23T11:58:02.563" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22207" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-23T14:05:58.800" Score="12" ViewCount="226" Body="&lt;p&gt;This year's order of Paperwhites came with the advice to make a 5% solution of alcohol (drinking and rubbing both work; the latter is much cheaper!) in water, and use that once the stems are 1-2&quot; high to prevent legginess. I'm willing to try but want to be sure I'm mixing it right (since too much alcohol is bad for paperwhites as well as people).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am using 70% rubbing alcohol and I want 16 oz. of 5% alcohol. I think I do the math like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;.7x = .05 * 16&#xA;x = (.05 * 16) / .7 = 1.14&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I need a little over 1 oz of rubbing alcohol (approximately 2 Tablespoons plus another 1/4 teaspoon), plus enough water to make 16 oz.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that right? And has this worked for anyone else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the research link (thanks to @kevinsky): &lt;a href=&quot;http://impact.cals.cornell.edu/project/ginning-better-paperwhite-narcissus&quot;&gt;Ginning up a better paperwhite narcissus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13316" LastEditorUserId="13316" LastEditDate="2015-10-23T20:09:46.283" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T21:24:45.430" Title="Mixing Alcohol Solution for Paperwhites to Prevent Legginess" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22170" CreationDate="2015-10-23T14:31:18.770" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not so much about what to do with the clippings (although that affects things) but about root support. Longer grass will have a more extensive root system. If you greatly reduce the photosynthesizing part of the plant, the roots will be overly stressed. If you reduce the photosynthesizing gradually, the roots will have time to accommodate this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13316" LastActivityDate="2015-10-23T14:31:18.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22209" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-23T15:11:56.023" Score="4" ViewCount="2417" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a jade plant that rotted out from the root. It has two healthy trunks and I'm wondering if it's possible to save them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the moment I have them freshly cut and sitting in water that I don't know if jade plants will root from that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZlrN4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZlrN4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jg19M.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jg19M.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastEditorUserId="10945" LastEditDate="2015-10-23T18:29:21.700" LastActivityDate="2015-10-25T18:52:33.637" Title="How do I save this jade plant?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22210" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22215" CreationDate="2015-10-23T15:49:06.997" Score="5" ViewCount="2049" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted spaghetti squash from seed a few weeks ago. It did well in a starter pot, and I moved it to a larger one. It kept getting bigger, up to a fifth leaf and the start of a vine, but now it seems to be doing poorly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the cotyledons wilted and died, I assumed that was normal. Then the first leaf did the same. Now the second leaf up is turning yellow / brown and dry at the edges and wilting slightly. The top three leaves are doing fine, but they don't seem to be growing much anymore. It's been nearly a week since I saw any growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is any of this normal or is the plant maybe damaged somehow? I can get a picture if necessary. The plant is still indoors in sunlight, and I planned to move it outside when it got a little bigger (I'm in Arizona so it's still warm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tXUjt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tXUjt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;squash plant wilting&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13317" LastEditorUserId="13317" LastEditDate="2015-10-23T20:10:03.710" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T15:07:48.757" Title="Squash plant wilting bottom up?" Tags="&lt;wilt&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22211" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22209" CreationDate="2015-10-23T19:04:58.260" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Quick take them out of the water!  Like most succulents they root by making a clean cut at the root end with a sharp knife or razor and letting it sit on the windowsill for a week or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then, once the wound has dried, place in damp sand and high light.  Keeping sand damp is harder than it seems.  Wet is no good, dry does not encourage roots. Do not cover the rooting area in a plastic bag or glass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-10-23T19:11:48.743" LastActivityDate="2015-10-23T19:11:48.743" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22212" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22218" CreationDate="2015-10-24T04:18:43.837" Score="2" ViewCount="749" Body="&lt;p&gt;I prepared seedlings of tomato plants. Now from around a week there are snake like design in leafs. There is some sort of bug inside leaf which is eating. What should i do for it. Can/should i use some pesticide on such small plants? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Jaipur, India. Current temperature ranging between 20-30 degree C.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ffhD4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ffhD4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Db6YO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Db6YO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update : soil is a mix of 50% coco peat and 50% of vermi compost. Watering alternate day. They are on roof outside, partial sun. From where these larvas are coming ? Flies? If i spray pesticide wont that help in keeping flies away ?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2818" LastEditorUserId="2818" LastEditDate="2015-10-25T14:57:22.497" LastActivityDate="2015-10-25T14:57:22.497" Title="Snake eating tomato plant leafs?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-02-18T22:58:38.533" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22213" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22235" CreationDate="2015-10-24T05:49:15.273" Score="6" ViewCount="291" Body="&lt;p&gt;After 8 years, I finally got my persimmon to grow 13 big fruits this year. They started to turn yellow and are pretty hard to touch.  My leaves are mostly green.  When is the best time to harvest the fruits? I am in the Seattle area in Washington. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for larger size.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a8ZDJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a8ZDJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/91Aa6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/91Aa6m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13319" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-24T15:27:27.587" LastActivityDate="2015-10-25T18:28:42.230" Title="When is the best time to harvest my persimmons?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22214" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22222" CreationDate="2015-10-24T10:21:50.320" Score="7" ViewCount="944" Body="&lt;p&gt;I decided to buy a small peppermint plant to have in my room this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I put the plant in a new pot with additional soil and I've been keeping it indoors for most of the time in a place where it has lots of sun (I live in Spain) and I've been watering it when the soil dries (I read in the internet that this is the right way to water it). It seems that something is going wrong because the plant is not very lively and it's turning a bit yellow in some zones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the current status of the plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rxaYe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rxaYe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also I've been encountering very little flies around the plant, &lt;strong&gt;is this normal?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my first gardening experience and I don't know what I'm doing wrong. &lt;strong&gt;How should I take care of the plant?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13321" LastEditorUserId="13321" LastEditDate="2015-10-24T15:17:54.517" LastActivityDate="2015-10-24T15:17:54.517" Title="What should I do to keep my peppermint plant alive?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22215" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22210" CreationDate="2015-10-24T11:14:38.717" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I understand, squash generally don't like being transplanted. So, the odds of it being stressed are high. It's also likely that the soil may need more phosphorus and/or potassium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since transplanting can be hard on squash, it may be stunted if the squash were bothered particularly by the multiple transplants. I had a squash that seemed to be stunted from a transplant. Its roots seemed to be rotting when I finally pulled it up (although it had sufficient nutrients). It did not, however, have enough sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When it's been a few days after the transplant, lots of sun should be good for your squash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there's a fungal infection in your roots, I'm not sure how people generally recommend dealing with that, but I imagine something like copper might be able to help, since it's anti-fungal. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greenwaybiotech.com/collections/raw-chemicals-compounds/products/copper-sulfate-crystal&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here's&lt;/a&gt; a link from a company's website that I've shopped at, which seems to have great quality stuff (and free, fast, shipping). I haven't tried their copper though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also possible, from what I see in the picture, that your squash got too much nitrogen. Did you fertilize it, or did the soil come pre-fertilized? That can cause some of the same problems as too little potassium (with the added feature of burning the leaves). Anyway, if this is the case, you can either wait it out, or give it some extra potassium. More potassium seems to allow plants to be able to handle more nitrogen. You &lt;em&gt;may&lt;/em&gt; need to balance calcium with these nutrients, too, if you try that. Transplanting into high nitrogen soil can be hard on a plant. Extra potassium seems to help transplants go better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Speaking of leaves dying from the bottom up, I have a few zucchini plants outside. They got powdery mildew on the older leaves, and since it was so late in the season and they weren't producing fruit (probably because they're in the shade), I decided just to pull them up. However, they didn't die (they've been there about a week now). The leaves with powdery mildew, lower on the plant, died, and the top ones kept growing. One even grew a small zucchini (it never grew any before I pulled it up). They're in very low-light conditions, which is probably why this is possible (sun on rooted plants kills them fast).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, because of this experience of mine, I wouldn't be surprised if your squash is having some root difficulties. Both phosphorus and potassium should help to strengthen and encourage the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can always grow a new plant, too. I recommend starting it on your largest container first, if it's a squash. I think germination rates may be improved in containers with smaller openings up top, though (and the soil on top shouldn't mold as much). I've been trying out milk with just the screw-on part cut off (or a little below), and they work pretty well (much better than with the top half of the jug cut off so that lots of soil is showing). I'm doing peppers this way, though (not squash). If you planted a squash in a milk jug, it should probably be its final destination (since the roots may grow down the handle opening and have to be disturbed significantly to transplant). So, I'm just telling you this for illustrative purposes (since squash probably need more than a gallon, unless you're just growing them for leaves to eat). Squash generally have edible leaves (but if they're bitter, they may be toxic, being high in &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbitacin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cucurbitacins&lt;/a&gt;). The only bitter squash leaves I've ever had were cotyledons, though (so, I don't recommend those for sprouts).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-04-29T06:32:38.677" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T06:32:38.677" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22214" CreationDate="2015-10-24T11:25:00.940" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It probably needs more nitrogen (since it has yellowish leaves). I would recommend just fertilizing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I wouldn't let the branches get too tall, if you want it to be bushy. Bushier mint seems to me to be happier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, it's good to note that mint gets rootbound fast. I don't think yours is rootbound, yet, but it's something to keep in mind. In my experience, it only lasts so long after it gets rootbound (but giving it a larger pot when that happens will probably prolong its life), or you can take cuttings to start new plants, which should then live a good while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-10-24T11:48:05.463" LastActivityDate="2015-10-24T11:48:05.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="580" CreationDate="2015-10-24T11:29:00.000" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sweet peppers. I see ladybug larvae all over my sweet peppers (more than anything else in the yard). Don't expect to see ladybugs on them much the first half of the season, though, if your climate is like mine. I don't see lots of ladybug larvae on my tomatoes or hot peppers, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peppers tend to attract pests that ladybugs like to eat. The peppers I mentioned are actually kind of shaded (which attracts even more pests, by the way).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The varieties I'm growing that I see them on include Georgescu Chocolate, Ozark Giant, Yellow Monster and an unidentified pepper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure your ladybugs have a water source. They do get thirsty, from what I hear, and may stick around longer if there's water for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you may just not have enough ladybugs. Buying some more will probably help to fix that. I bought some early this season. I didn't notice much of a difference until later on, though. You can expect them to leave your yard, but if there are enough in the area, you'll probably benefit from them. I probably should have gotten more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-10-24T11:37:40.937" LastActivityDate="2015-10-24T11:37:40.937" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22218" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22212" CreationDate="2015-10-24T11:46:01.910" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are just leafminers. Anyway, I'm not sure about on seedlings with few leaves (that might actually be a problem), but they're generally not a big threat to plants, they say.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would recommend just taking good care of your tomatoes, and maybe using some neem oil on them or something, if you don't like the leaf miners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-10-24T11:46:01.910" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22219" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22204" CreationDate="2015-10-24T12:07:37.687" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bamboo is probably right, by the look of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you really want to &lt;em&gt;try&lt;/em&gt; to save the plants, and don't care about the risk of infection to other plants, I have some thoughts for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Manually remove all the visible pests (every day). You don't need pesticides for those.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Give your peppers a &lt;em&gt;lot&lt;/em&gt; of light. The more sunlight your peppers have, the less pests should be interested in them. In my experience, shaded plants attract pests really, really easily compared to plants in full sun. The opposite seems to be true for pollinators. The sunlight will encourage growth, too, and strengthen/feed the plant. Just make sure the change isn't too sudden.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Give it potassium, calcium and silica. Those help provide insect resistance.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apply neem oil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure there aren't other plants harboring the pests to reinfect your peppers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Close the windows. Pests may come in through the windows.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Give it some &lt;a href=&quot;http://store.rockdustlocal.com/Sea-Minerals-20-lbs_p_25.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sea minerals&lt;/a&gt;. See my comment. They seemed to strengthen my indoor pepper plant against spider mites, anyway, so far. Peppers seem to like sea minerals. I think &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.worldrecordacademy.com/nature/largest_green_pepper_Gigantic_Israeli_Pepper_breaks_Guinness_world_record_213234.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;the world's heaviest pepper&lt;/a&gt; actually had some seawater. Of course, I'm thinking you don't want to overdo it. See the comments.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said, aphids can seem pretty magical at times. I had some on mint from an outdoor cutting that just wouldn't go away no matter what I tried (though I didn't try neem oil). If I ever grow indoor mint again, I plan to grow it from seed, or from a trusted plant (not an outdoor one). I think that's a different species of aphid than is on your peppers, though. Hopefully those aren't as bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-11-11T17:56:55.580" LastActivityDate="2015-11-11T17:56:55.580" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22220" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22192" CreationDate="2015-10-24T12:17:29.937" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have roses in our yard. When one of the bushes first blooms, the flowers are red, but they're orange and/or pink when they're done blooming. So, yes, I believe they can change color. I don't think the soil PH has anything to do with this rose bush's flower colors, particularly, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-10-24T12:17:29.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22222" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22214" CreationDate="2015-10-24T12:58:01.890" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Few things to mention: first, mint prefers to be outdoors, but can be grown inside, second, the link you provided to show which mint you chose only leads to what looks like an internet service for a supermarket, not showing mint at all. From that, I'm deducing you may have bought a pot of mint from the supermarket, because most of them sell mint in the herb section. If you did, I'm wondering how bushy it was when you first got it - has it died back in lots of places so that now all you've got is one main stem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Third question - that pot its in, does it have a hole in the bottom for drainage? If it hasn't, then you need to get a pot which has holes in it. If it does have holes, when you water the plant, do you leave water sitting in the tray at the bottom? If you do, that tray must be emptied out 30 minutes after watering, so that the bottom of the pot is not sitting in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The insects you see flying around the plant may be fungus gnats - these like damp soil conditions, so they're an indication that your plant may be sitting in soil that's far too wet - and that might be because the plant sits in water at times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest you turn it out of the pot and see if there's a problem at the root (insects, grubs, anything like that) and to see how much root material is actually present - it may be some of the roots have rotted back and you now need a smaller pot to assist in the plant's recovery. If it does need a smaller pot, use one with holes and use fresh potting soil, water straight away, then empty away any excess, allowing the plant to drain properly. If it doesn't need a smaller pot because there's plenty of root material, then replace in the existing pot IF it has a drainage hole, (though I would recommend using fresh potting soil), remove the sticks you have supporting the topgrowth, and cut that back by half. Cut back also if you are putting it into a smaller pot. Ongoing, water when the surface of the potting soil feels dry to the touch, then water thoroughly, allowing the plant to drain down and again, tipping away any excess water in the tray. If you can only keep the plant indoors, then as much light as possible, especially sunlight, and don't keep it near a heat source such as a radiator or hot air vent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-24T12:58:01.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22223" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22228" CreationDate="2015-10-24T14:47:25.113" Score="4" ViewCount="8053" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to grow ginger and in the last three weeks the leaves turned brown. What is happening to my ginger? The rhizomes appears to be fine and no rot. In addition, I water them once every two days (Average temperature is around 25 Celcius)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yUoFv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yUoFv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastActivityDate="2020-11-15T14:58:14.630" Title="Why are the leaves of my ginger plant turning brown?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;ginger&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22224" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22231" CreationDate="2015-10-24T14:57:34.497" Score="7" ViewCount="153" Body="&lt;p&gt;My fianc&amp;eacute;e has several plants, including a basil, pepper (as in, green and red), and tomato. There’s also a poinsettia but that one is less of a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We live in a small one-bedroom apartment; the plants are on the window sill. The basil and pepper plants are actually in 2 liter soda bottles with the tops cut off. The tomato plant originally was too, but, well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants have grown considerably, especially the tomato plants (which are now in three separate pots and still growing). They take up a considerable portion of the window now, and their constant attempts to out-reach one another for sun have made them extremely top-heavy and unstable (soda bottles are not great for this). The tomato plant, in particular, seems to have outgrown its own strength; even with supporting dowels, the branches just grow farther than they can hold themselves up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything we can do to keep the plants, but keep them from getting &lt;em&gt;bigger&lt;/em&gt;? Ideally, get them to &lt;em&gt;shrink&lt;/em&gt; a bit? We enjoy having plants in the window, and the fresh ingredients (though, for all its impressive size, the tomatoes have yet to actually produce a tomato, and we only ever seem to get one pepper at a time), so we want to keep them, but this is already kind of a problem, and it seems to show no signs of slowing down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13323" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T22:18:46.333" Title="Keep plants alive and healthy, but at a reasonable size?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22225" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-24T15:03:51.300" Score="7" ViewCount="785" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a basil plant and all of a sudden the leaves are full of holes as shown in the picture. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TSzPK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TSzPK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Holes on basil leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not sure if these are related:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Two days ago it rained fiercely and at some point there was also hail. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The basil plant had a neigbhour plant that had mealybugs.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;At the bottom of the stem, it appears some balls attached to the stem. I have no idea if these pests eggs. [&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SF5XI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Eggs]&quot;&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, there is no  snails in the vicinity of the plant.&#xA;I checked the surrounding of the plant and there was no snails. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T10:53:26.950" Title="Who is eating my basil?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22226" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22213" CreationDate="2015-10-24T15:48:41.440" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ah, well its a bit more complicated than you'd think - some persimmons are astringent, and some aren't, and the harvesting/storing procedure is slightly different for both. Without knowing which one you've got (and you may not know yourself) then its probably going to be trial and error to some extent. Yours look to be the right size for Oriental persimmons, but they are also split between astringent and non astringent. If you have a label or the botanical name for your variety of Persimmon, that could help to decide which type you've got. Link below gives more information&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.doityourself.com/stry/when-to-harvest-your-persimmon-tree&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.doityourself.com/stry/when-to-harvest-your-persimmon-tree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Judging by the shape and size of the fruits, they may be the sweet, non astringent ones - another link below showing already harvested fruits similar in shape to yours, but there are hundreds of varieties...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://justhungry.com/monday-photos-kaki-persimmons&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://justhungry.com/monday-photos-kaki-persimmons&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-24T15:48:41.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22228" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22223" CreationDate="2015-10-24T17:18:04.813" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usual cause is either a light problem or insufficient organic matter in the soil. Regarding sunlight, they don't like it - what they want is diffuse or dappled bright light for a minimum of 5 hours a day, so if yours have been getting a lot of sun, that would explain the way they look. On the other hand, a totally shady spot isn't any good either - they do need bright light, just not bright direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, they like a high level of nutrients, so in the ground, soil enriched with composted manures and the like - in a pot, fertilisers on a regular basis, particularly those higher in potassium, since its the root you're trying to cultivate. My money's on the light being the problem though... but you'll know the conditions better than I!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-24T17:18:04.813" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22229" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22223" CreationDate="2015-10-24T17:43:03.537" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition (kinda hard to see with that picture) old stalks die, new ones grow (one of mine is over 21 years now, though it was 16 before it flowered as it was not getting enough light (based on it flowering immediately after getting moved to a brighter location, and what the offspring do.) So some death/browning is perfectly normal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on size of pot and size of plant, you might be watering a bit too much (small plant, large pot, lots of water storage and not much water use) but again, I'm guessing as best I can from your picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-10-24T17:43:03.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22230" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22224" CreationDate="2015-10-25T00:17:04.043" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best thing to do would be to improve the light.  What window (N,E,W or S) is this?  Vegetables don't do very well inside.  Just not enough light unless you get some GOOD grow lights incorporated or perhaps a southern window with grow lights but plants can't be in direct sunlight without getting acclimated.  The other thing one needs to do is pinch the apical buds.  These are the very tips of stems.  This is where most of the energy in the plant resides.  Once you pinch that back that energy is rerouted down the length of the stem causing the lateral buds to get enough energy to sprout.  Doubt if you'll ever get a tomato off these guys!!  Got to have enough light, enough day length, warmth, the correct type of fertilizer (lower Nitrogen versus potassium and phosphorus), allow the soil to dry out a bit before watering, HOLES in the bottom of your containers!! Bottom of the containers raised above the surface it sits upon for even better drainage...basil will do better as it provides vegetative results not reproductive.  But all will do better pinching apical or terminal buds, low nitrogen, as much light as you can muster for at least 14 hours per day.  If using grow lights you'll need to reduce the daylight to 12 hours to stimulate more reproductive growth (flowers, pollen, fruit) once flowers have been pollinated (you will have to do this by hand with a small brush or shaking the plants) keep the light regular, watering regular allowing to dry inbetween somewhat before the next watering, careful adding anymore fertilizer.  You might get tomatoes or peppers.  Definitely basil leaves. I'd also add a fan for ventilation to protect from fungus stuff.  Good grow lights that are in the red spectrum which will enhance reproductive growth and sort of inhibit too much vegetative growth.  Expect to pay at least $100+ for a decent grow light...best ones start at $500+.  Use potting soil, upgrade pots as the plant outgrows its pot (don't start any plants in a huge pot!)...pictures please!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-10-25T00:17:04.043" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22231" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22224" CreationDate="2015-10-25T00:34:59.637" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the case of the Basil, it shouldn't be too difficult to keep it on a small scale by pruning off the tallest stem tips every few weeks. If you see any flowers begin to develop cut those off as well. When Basil flowers are allowed to develop very much their flavor begins to go off. Of course, if you're using the Basil fast enough you can keep the growth under control by harvesting leaves to eat. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pepper plant may be more resistant to staying small, it depends somewhat on the specific variety you're growing, but if you're getting peppers currently I wouldn't mess with it too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tomato isn't going to like being kept small. Most varieties want to get &lt;strong&gt;big&lt;/strong&gt;. The smallest variety that I've ever seen in person is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/main/detail.php?variety_id=1492&amp;amp;filterBy=0&quot;&gt;Patio&lt;/a&gt; Hybrid. It's considered a dwarf tomato, but even that plant wants to get 2 feet tall and wider than that. That variety was developed for a small plant size and it still probably needs a minimum pot size around 2-gallons. If the tomato is a relatively compact variety, it might be possible to keep it down around that size and get production. On the other hand, if it's an indeterminate, full-season variety I'd say your odds of keeping it any size that could be called 'manageable' is a losing battle. Larger tomato varieties can be planted 3-4 feet apart in outdoor gardens and will still regularly spread wide enough to touch each other. Trying to keep a plant like that in even a large-size pot is going to result in a root-bound plant that will die of stress long before producing fruit. If you have any idea what variety the tomato is, please update the question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-10-25T00:34:59.637" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22232" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22224" CreationDate="2015-10-25T01:09:42.347" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Prune, prune, prune (&amp;amp; that's not drying plums.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grab shears and a bag and give them a major league haircut, and give consideration to offing the tomato as being a space-hogging parasite that does not produce. Eat the basil you prune off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They (tomato plants) usually require support, BTW - if you want to give it some more time, put up a hook, run some twine, and prune it down to a single stem trained on the twine. But if it continues to disappoint, kill it and try a different one, perhaps one of the &quot;grape tomato&quot; varieties. But you may not have enough light to get fruit from one...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-10-25T01:09:42.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22233" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4903" CreationDate="2015-10-25T07:11:49.347" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have used two wi-fi controllers for our irrigation from &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hottimesoftware.com/wifi-time-control.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.hottimesoftware.com/wifi-time-control.htm&lt;/a&gt; and are happy with the results. Uses the Raspberry Pi to operate the solenoids and can be set to auto or manual functions. I can now control from anywhere in the world with my smart phone.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OwiMp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OwiMp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13327" LastActivityDate="2015-10-25T07:11:49.347" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22234" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-25T14:20:49.087" Score="4" ViewCount="1152" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any idea what's happening to my capsicum plant and what I should do about it? There are no visible bugs on the leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Y7if.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Y7if.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9UEKz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9UEKz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2818" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-27T00:14:50.957" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T17:22:11.437" Title="Why are the leaves on my capsicum plant curling and turning brown?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;capsicum-pubsecens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22235" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22213" CreationDate="2015-10-25T18:28:42.230" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those look like Fuyu persimmons, which are the non/less astringent variety. You should wait until they turn pumpkin orange to pick them. They will still be firm, and can be eaten immediately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other common variety of persimmon, hachiya, are more acorn shaped. They should be picked when they're dark red, and need to soften completely before they're edible raw. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13329" LastActivityDate="2015-10-25T18:28:42.230" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22236" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20077" CreationDate="2015-10-25T18:47:31.700" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Cat Grass&quot; is usually a grain like barley or wheat, and prefers to have a very deep root system. It won't survive long-term in a shallow pot like that. Even if it did, those grasses are annuals (unlike lawn grasses) and would die at the end of their growing season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a long-term solution, get wheat berries from a health food store ($1 for a years' supply) and grow it yourself. If you start a new pot every two weeks, you'll always have fresh grass for your cat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13329" LastActivityDate="2015-10-25T18:47:31.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22237" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22209" CreationDate="2015-10-25T18:52:33.637" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, remove them from the water and let them root dry. Once they've rooted again, don't water them as much! That's probably why the original plant rotted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13329" LastActivityDate="2015-10-25T18:52:33.637" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11183" CreationDate="2015-10-25T23:25:00.027" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just encountered this same issue.  For the past few years, I have been cutting off most of the oranges so the tree can focus it's energy on getting larger.  This has worked.  This year, I was too busy with school to cut off the oranges and let them all grow.  The tree was completely overwhelmed (it was dry this year too).  I ended up staking a rather well set 10 ft stake into the ground and used gardening rope and gardening plant clips to provide some support to the surrounding branches which were drooping due to the large orange weight.  I never actually held up the oranges themselves but rather put the gardening clips close to the fruit attached to the stem.  I also pruned off any branches which broke due to the fruit weight.  I also removed any oranges that seemed like they weren't doing as well.  After this, the tree is doing much better.&#xA;  Also wanted to note that branches that have oranges on them tend to grow stronger and thicker to help support the weight of the fruit.  I noticed this last year when I removed all oranges except 3 from one branch.  I expect that next year hopefully these branches will be able to handle the extra fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bought a pack of these gardening clips at the dollar store to assist with this:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dealzer.com/gro1-large-plant-clips-20-pack/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw-7GxBRCL_Kq6mZSHvdsBEiQA7r8VhM4Zvhu32z0sU6LH3ZiF6QNUGItnh3Qm49qYy1y4rc4aAhQY8P8HAQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.dealzer.com/gro1-large-plant-clips-20-pack/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw-7GxBRCL_Kq6mZSHvdsBEiQA7r8VhM4Zvhu32z0sU6LH3ZiF6QNUGItnh3Qm49qYy1y4rc4aAhQY8P8HAQ&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bought this twine from the dollar store as well:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://sustainableseedco.com/green-garden-twine.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://sustainableseedco.com/green-garden-twine.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also tried to tie down the limbs so that they supported eachother and so they still were able to move with the wind/etc.  This should make them develop over time so they can better support the branch weight and fruit weight in the future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this info helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13331" LastActivityDate="2015-10-25T23:25:00.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22240" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-26T14:43:08.137" Score="5" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking into the development of a hydroponics system with artificial lighting and temperature. Is there a chart showing daylight time and type(Cloud, Direct, etc.) and temperatures between plants for ideal production?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13337" LastActivityDate="2015-10-26T15:04:32.230" Title="What is the ideal Daylight Time for Herbs, Tomatoes and Peppers?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22241" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22240" CreationDate="2015-10-26T15:04:32.230" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on which plants and which part of their cycle you are trying to emulate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes as a tropical perennial will always benefit from 12 or more hours of direct sunlight every day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However many herbs needs dormancy, such as parsley in order to go to seed in their second year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may not want seed however and will remove the parsley after its first year and replace with fresh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It really all depends on what environment you are trying to emulate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-10-26T15:04:32.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22242" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-26T23:35:15.537" Score="7" ViewCount="732" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been tasked with setting up a drip system, and I'm at a loss of how to go about it. My only source of water is from a 3/4&quot; garden valve. I am planting 250 plants, and ideally 250 emitters will go with them. They will spaced equally apart lengthwise (3.2') along an 800' stretch of ground. Each plant will be 2' from the center line of the 800' planting length, with each successive plant on the opposite side of the center line. Assuming I use 1' spaghetti tubing for each emitter, I would need about 1600 ft. of drip line. From what I've read, 1/2&quot; drip tube will only fly for about 300 ft. What would be a good way to go about this? I was planning on running 1&quot; poly pipe along the 800' length, then possibly running 1/2&quot; drip line from that at certain intervals. Any suggestions would be wonderful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13338" LastActivityDate="2015-10-27T03:34:34.913" Title="How to set up a very long (1600 ft) drip irrigation system?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22224" CreationDate="2015-10-26T23:49:25.610" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;To help your plant be able to support itself longer (although still not if it gets too long) you can give it some potassium sulfate. It really strengthens the stems (without killing microbes in your soil). Calcium and silica help to strengthen plants, too, and calcium goes hand-in-hand with potassium. I've used basalt rockdust for calcium and silica, but there's probably a more ideal product for tomatoes there (rockdust is more of a long-term thing). I know they initially like greensand a lot more than basalt rockdust (which might work for the silica, but you may need a calcium source, like maybe a little gypsum).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To prevent your plants from growing too fast, you can plant them in clay or clay loam soil (make sure you don't bring insects or diseases in your house with the soil, though). Plants grow very slowly and steadily in our clay-loam soil, indoors (at least at my house), but they still fruit in it. I imagine they would grow even more slowly in pure clay. If you sterilize some outdoor soil, I recommend adding some worm castings or something to put some good microbes back in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning your tomatoes can help. I'm guessing you have indeterminate tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Small pots and multiple plants per pot can result in smaller plants, but it may have a negative impact on fruiting. Plants may also need to be watered and fertilized more often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're not partial to the specific plants you're already growing, variety counts. Things to look for in a variety for indoor use include these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Size. Some varieties (like Micro-Tom, Tumbling Tom, etc.) are a lot smaller and still produce a reasonable amount of fruit. That doesn't mean they'll do it indoors, though, even if they fruit well in outdoor containers, but you never know until you try it. There are several kinds of tomatoes. Indeterminate: they grow and fruit indefinitely; they vine out and can get big; they will probably require significant pruning if kept indoors. Determinate: These are typically smaller/bushy, fruit once, all at once, and die. Semi-determinate: These often fruit and grow indefinitely, but slower to much slower than indeterminate tomatoes. Dwarf-indeterminate: I believe these are just smaller indeterminate tomatoes. It should be noted that not all tomatoes marketed as determinate behave determinate in every fashion, and semi-determinate plants sometimes grow pretty big. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Tomatoes-Indoors&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Determinate tomatoes are said not to do as well indoors&lt;/a&gt;; my guess is it's probably because they only fruit once, and conditions might not be right when they're ready. (This also may have something to do with there not being regular seasons indoors.) It sounds like dwarf-indeterminate tomatoes might be ideal for your situation.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Parthenocarpic (will set fruit without pollination; they also set fruit in a wider variety of temperatures)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tolerant of heat and cold (indoor temperatures are often too warm for tomatoes, despite being tolerable for humans; the daytime indoor temperatures are usually fine, but they need to get somewhat colder at night if the daytime temperatures are too warm to be their constant temperature.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drought-tolerant (This is just a good precaution, especially if your container isn't large)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Look for varieties well-suited for containers. This is often advertised with the variety.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shade-tolerant (light is usually more limited indoors; so, plants that need less of it are a really good idea; I would guess that cold-tolerant tomatoes might be able to withstand a little less light, too, but that is just a guess; when I say shade-tolerant, I don't mean tolerant of full-shade; I mean, partial shade)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Productive (productive plants are probably better at utilizing limited resources)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tolerates humidity (if you have a lot of plants, odds are, your growing environment is humid; if you just have a few, it's probably not a big deal)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without regard to the amount of soil, light, water and fertilizer needed, here are some parthenocarpic plants that I would recommend investigating most, out of the parthenocarpic ones:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/glacier.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Planet&lt;/a&gt; pepper (hybrid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/golden-nugget.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Golden nugget&lt;/a&gt; tomato&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_oroma.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Oroma&lt;/a&gt; tomato&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_saucy.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Saucy&lt;/a&gt; tomato&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/santiam.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Santiam&lt;/a&gt; tomato&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_legend.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Legend&lt;/a&gt; tomato&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Golden nugget will probably be the easiest parthenocarpic tomato for your situation, and since it's fairly small and as it has small fruit, it should have fairly modest requirements. It's supposed to be rather productive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aside from parthenocarpic kinds, a lot of peppers can fruit indoors just fine. Finding the right ones is the thing, though. Hot peppers probably set fruit inside more easily, usually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some other tomatoes that I would suggest looking into include these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/glacier.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Glacier&lt;/a&gt; (semi-determinate; heat/cold tolerant)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/catalog/tomato.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Coldset&lt;/a&gt; (determinate; heat/cold tolerant)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/catalog/tomato.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Payette&lt;/a&gt; (plants described as polite and ornamental; should have above average heat-tolerance)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe Glacier and Payette have been tried in containers before with success. I'm not sure about Coldset. I'm not sure if these have below-average light requirements, however (they may need a whole lot of sun for all I know). Anyway, these are some experimental ideas. There's not a lot of knowledge on the Internet as to which varieties do best indoors (although container knowledge is another matter). So, experimentation should help. I've gotten indoor fruit (not loads of it, though), on Galapagos Island (Solanum cheesmaniae); I only had it in a 20 fl. oz. foam cup, though (clay-loam soil). I imagine you could get more out of it with more soil. It has thin branches, but it's indeterminate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/aunt-molly-s-ground-cherry/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aunt Molly's ground cherries&lt;/a&gt; do well indoors (even crowded with multiple plants in an 18 fl. oz. container; I imagine they could do much better in a bigger one, with one plant), if you like ground cherries (the plants are quite small). The fruit is supposed to be ripe when it falls off the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can find some more traditional tomato varieties for containers in a web search. I have no idea how they do indoors, other than their suitability for containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Smaller tomatoes are supposed to do better indoors, more often. I think it still depends on the variety, though, from my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-01-26T22:18:46.333" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T22:18:46.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22244" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-27T02:52:54.733" Score="5" ViewCount="686" Body="&lt;p&gt;My friend had this plant and when he moved, I brought it to my house. I want to know what kind of plant it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pmCBd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pmCBdl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13339" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-28T01:37:19.323" LastActivityDate="2015-10-28T01:37:19.323" Title="What is this tall houseplant with thin, gold-speckled leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22245" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22242" CreationDate="2015-10-27T03:34:34.913" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generically, go with large diameter pipe. Specifically, you'd need to run calculations based on water flow rate, pipe size, and dynamic head (pressure loss due to flow rate) against the available input pressure at flow, and the acceptable minimum and maximum pressure for the drip emitters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, you have 250 emitters - but at what flow rate per emitter? If, say, you have a gallon per hour, then you know that flow from the supply will be 250 gallons per hour, or just over 4 gallons per minute, and you can use that number to look at head pressure lost in 100 feet of various sizes of pipe. At each stage where you have fewer emitters remaining the flow rate drops, so you COULD reduce pipe size as you get further from the supply, but that balances &quot;possibly cheaper pipe&quot; .vs. &quot;possible bulk savings on one long section of pipe&quot;, as well as needing reducing fittings, etc. with the multi-size deal. The large pipe will definitely be oversized at the far end...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also need or get a price advantage from (you'll see when you run calculations) running two parallel suplies each supporting 125 emitters rather than a single supply with 250. It will depend in part on pipe prices WRT size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-10-27T03:34:34.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22246" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22247" CreationDate="2015-10-27T09:20:28.030" Score="6" ViewCount="279" Body="&lt;p&gt;Who can identify this plant for me? As you can see, it thrives well in autumn e.g. here in Central Europe. What is its name?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9ODDn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9ODDn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastActivityDate="2015-10-27T10:26:53.890" Title="What is this plant with many purple blossoms in autumn?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2015-10-27T16:27:46.200" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22247" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22246" CreationDate="2015-10-27T10:21:32.140" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranthus_caudatus&quot;&gt;amaranthus caudatus&lt;/a&gt; a decorative plant that also goes by &lt;em&gt;love-lies-bleeding&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;foxtail amaranth&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;hanging amaranth.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's an annual that is often grown in gardens or parks for his decorative inflorescence. Note that while you found this one in Europe, it's originally from South America.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Amaranth is grown not only for decorative purposes, it's &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth#Amaranth_seed&quot;&gt;seeds&lt;/a&gt; are an important dietary staple in Southern America and the leaves and other parts are edible as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-10-27T10:26:53.890" LastActivityDate="2015-10-27T10:26:53.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22248" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22244" CreationDate="2015-10-27T13:34:45.963" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is a variety of croton, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Codiaeum_variegatum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Codiaeum variegatum&lt;/a&gt;.  there are many varieties of this plant that is native to Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia. This cultivar is related to the &quot;Gold Dust&quot; cultivar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They can grow as much as six feet (2 Meters) tall but respond well to hard pruning.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They benefit from bright diffuse light but can tolerate lower light levels. The plant in the picture appears to have been grown in lower light levels as the lower leaves have dropped off.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Usual watering practices, water till it drains from the bottom of the pot and then let dry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;New plants can be propagated &lt;a href=&quot;https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep106&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;using stem cuttings&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;typical pest problems are &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=spider%20mites&quot;&gt;spider mites&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-10-27T13:34:45.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22089" CreationDate="2015-10-27T19:13:49.777" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I emailed this company...their answer was excellent. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soilsecrets@aol.com&#xA;10:34 AM (1 hour ago)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;to me, victor, treesthatplease, yeseniah8, laura, anna, wes &#xA;Hi Sharon,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Victor from Trees That Please forwarded to me your email concerning the use of hydrogen peroxide in tree planting.  Your comment about the damage to the soil microbiology is very good and worth addressing.  I think I'll have our office manager Laura post this onto our blogs of both company's for all our readers and I'm also sharing this transmittal with other staff members of my company's. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So why would I suggest using this product?  Here's my answer.  For many years the nursery industry and the landscape construction industry have struggled with tree and shrub plantings that result in call backs, dead trees and added expense and less profit to the company.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main culprit  was the soil zone of discontinuity caused by the texture and structure difference of the soil inside the planting site with that of the native soil.  This barrier is called the soil interface zone, which causes  water,  oxygen and roots difficulty crossing.   The garden books teach us to dig and prepare the $100 hole for the $10 tree by mixing all kinds of goodies into the backfill, including peat moss, straw, commercial soil builders, etc. However I've learned in my three decade long career as a nurseryman and grower of hundreds of thousands of trees, that this causes the zone of discontinuity to get worse and not better.  Starting back in the mid 80's I began a study of solutions to this problem and did many trials using different techniques.  This is when I stumbled upon the use of hydrogen peroxide which worked to break down that barrier.  Granted the product would kill any soil microbe it comes into contact with and as the owner of the most significant soil ecology company on the planet, Soil Secrets, I'm always cognizant of helping the soils terrestrial biosphere and not damaging it.  So we studied this problem by doing soil assays of the soil being impacted by the hydrogen peroxide, which is that 1/8&quot; to 1/4&quot; zone that the peroxide fluffs up.  What we discover is that the effervescent reaction causes the soil interface barrier to go away, resulting in the roots of the plant, water and oxygen now being able to cross from the backfill soil into the native soil.  While there is a tiny kill zone caused by the treatment, that zone is not significant compared to the microbiology that's native to the backfill soil that was dug out the hole in the first place.  Plus, we always recommend without exception the use of our TerraPro product which includes molecular biology that will rapidly inoculate and establish on the site.   Bottomline, when trees and shrubs are planted using this technique, the roots can grow beyond the planting site hole and we have the opportunity to have success on purpose rather than success by accident.  When our Soil Secrets protocol of TerraPro and Protein Crumblies are included we see even better success.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Michael Martin Meléndrez&#xA;Managing Member of Soil Secrets LLC &#xA;505 550-3246&#xA;www.soilsecrets.com&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2015-10-27T19:13:49.777" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22250" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22089" CreationDate="2015-10-27T23:39:46.337" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew the Gray oak in question from seed at my production nursery in Los Lunas and I've grown over 100,000 native oak trees of the Southwest over the years.  I also have Gray Oak - Quercus grisea in my private arboretum in Los Lunas called the Arboretum Tome.  The soils of the arboretum were originally a Saline, Sodic Alkaline Clay with a pH as high as 9.2.  I corrected the site using innovative molecular biology that stimulate the bio-geo-chemical process of soil development over the past 28 years.  Today the site has one of the largest oak species collections in the Southwest and the largest of Southwestern Native oaks and the soils have the highest Re-Active Carbon levels measured by the USDA NRCS.   The one variable that may still be a limiting factor is the soils biological need for protein which includes calories and Nitrogen needed by the Soils Terrestrial Biosphere and eventually the tree.  This is why I have my Trees That Please staff tell our customers to use both the TerraPro and the Protein Crumblies as companion items.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the Hydrogen peroxide, the effect on the soil structure at the soil interphase zone is only temporary, but long enough for plant roots to pass through that zone.  As far as universities studying this kind of stuff.  Good Luck as not much of the innovations of science come from universities.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13345" LastActivityDate="2015-10-27T23:39:46.337" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22252" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22258" CreationDate="2015-10-28T11:00:22.387" Score="4" ViewCount="438" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mandarin tree started sagging when its fruit started coming in. Now most of the branches are sagging. My suspicion is that it was allowed to get too tall. I've roped it to minimise the chance of catastrophic failure.&#xA;Is there anything I can do for it, short of forfeiting the fruit for this year?&#xA;Do you see a risk of branches snapping and damaging the tree as a whole?&#xA;What about later on? Should I drastically prune it, and if so, does anybody have any tips?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rVSza.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rVSza.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup of sagging branch&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/No8jn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/No8jn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;In context &quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apologies for the images; my garden is small and the lighting isn't great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11133" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-10-29T01:31:31.533" Title="What should I do about this sagging mandarin tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22253" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-28T13:25:56.167" Score="7" ViewCount="1412" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am going to start with describing my plant and how it has grown and its living conditions, and then I'll ask my questions later. So I have this indoor avocado plant which I planted from a nut and it is dearly loved by me. I named it Bertil. It is about eight months old, about 40 cm/16 inches tall from the soil up, and due to arctic climate I cannot plant it outside. I just moved a little more south so it won't be affected by the eight months of darkness, though it will get a little darker during winter. Also our house is a bit cold, around 18 &amp;deg;C (depends whether or not it's sunny outside). I don't know what soil I used, my mum just recommended it. And I don't think there is a lot of salt in our tap water as the main source is surface water from lakes etc., but I could be wrong. I water it daily, but not too much. I keep the soil moist. Some say I should let it dry out and/or soak it once a week. I am confused. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some history of Bertil. I repotted it during summer, late June (it's now late October) and it had a huge growth spurt since then. I originally had two plants, where one had two stems from the beginning, but died of unknown reasons. The one that survived originally had just one stem, but after repotting and a car drive it suddenly had a new, long stem, which in the end is the one that grew to be 40 cm. The original stem hasn't grown more than 2-3 cm. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I try to keep my plant in the sun and at not too low temperature. I don't over water it (I think). I have been reading here for tips, and I noticed it was recommended not to water in the saucer or have gravel/rocks in the bottom, and I have/do both. It has gotten pretty big now (as mentioned), but there are a few things that worry me. The bottom leaves especially and some of the above have started to curl a little at the tip and I know they should be smooth. Also the lower leaves have gotten brown tips. It's rather healthy otherwise and there is new leaves at the top. Some time ago I plucked it at the top to encourage the lower leaves to be bigger, and it has helped. The top leaves are huge! But I am worried. Especially now that winter is approaching. How much sunlight does it need, what is the ideal temperature? Should I water it differently, or &lt;em&gt;how&lt;/em&gt; should I water it? It's doing ok now, but some of the leaves have started to curl and turn brown at the tip; is this a warning sign?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So the questions are&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should I do something as winter is coming along and it will be colder and darker?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Why are the leaves curling and what can I do to prevent it?  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is my plant dying? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should I perhaps repot it and how? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Am I watering it wrong? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would truly appreciate if someone would take the time to reply because I would be very sad if this plant died. Also it is a wonder something hasn't gone wrong earlier as I probably potted them too early in the ceramic pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures of it now:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ajllV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ajllV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the whole plant and the curled leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wMQ7n.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wMQ7n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the new leaves and the bottom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13347" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-10-28T14:55:23.453" LastActivityDate="2018-11-04T21:17:18.023" Title="What do I do with my avocado plant during arctic winter?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;winter&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22254" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22255" CreationDate="2015-10-28T16:59:01.603" Score="5" ViewCount="98" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this blue/violet flower on an acre in the Polder of Holland. It was growing in a sunflower field. The picture was taken in mid-october.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XoW9B.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XoW9B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dutch flower with blue/violet blossom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6902" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-10-29T09:51:58.140" LastActivityDate="2015-10-29T09:51:58.140" Title="What is this blue/violet flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22255" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22254" CreationDate="2015-10-28T18:31:56.710" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phacelia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Phacelia&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Contrary to your tags, this is no wildflower, but planted either as bee food or to be tilled under as fertilizer. As your specimen blooms late in the year, I suspect the latter use, probably some seeds were blown away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-10-28T18:31:56.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8478" CreationDate="2015-10-28T21:28:55.970" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would ask the &quot;You Bet Your Garden&quot; host on public radio, Mike McGrath. But am betting (pardon the pun) he would say &quot;pull 'em&quot;. Tomatoes seem prone to too many diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13349" LastActivityDate="2015-10-28T21:28:55.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22252" CreationDate="2015-10-29T01:31:31.533" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Congratulations you are now a fruit farmer!  That is a great crop on your tree. With success comes additional work though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;next year thin the fruit so you get less fruit of better quality and less weight on the branches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;be prepared to support heavy branches with temporary stakes before harvest time&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=4&amp;amp;ved=0CDEQFjADahUKEwjb9ojLw-bIAhWF7R4KHUynCOI&amp;amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fucanr.edu%2Fsites%2Fplacernevadasmallfarms%2Ffiles%2F134946.pdf&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGRIcCVsjRfMca5h1inkX44_v97bw&amp;amp;sig2=Q8d_g7UKdrfzfdgBA-sHIA&amp;amp;cad=rja&quot;&gt;this link&lt;/a&gt; provides detailed information on pruning and care which includes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;removing water sprouts which it looks like your tree has&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;thinning the canopy&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-10-29T01:31:31.533" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22259" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22260" CreationDate="2015-10-29T22:19:20.017" Score="7" ViewCount="9608" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a plant of ornamental chilies, which most probably they are little elf chilies. I would like to know if they are safe to eat and/or use them in cooking?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q6za1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q6za1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;http://i.stack.imgur.com/q6za1.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-10-30T10:09:29.520" LastActivityDate="2017-04-22T13:42:45.140" Title="Are Ornamental chilies safe to eat?" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22259" CreationDate="2015-10-29T23:58:46.033" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ornamental chile peppers are perfectly safe to eat, including &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bountifulseeds.com/en/capsicum-annuum/68-little-elf-chilli-pepper-seeds.html&quot;&gt;Little Elf&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've only grown one kind of ornamental pepper, so far: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/chinese-5-color-pepper/&quot;&gt;Chinese 5 Color&lt;/a&gt;. I understand Chinese 5 Color is supposed to taste better than most ornamental peppers do. Usually, ornamental peppers are not said to have much taste appeal. Chinese 5 Color tastes pretty good when it's purple (the first phase), but when fully ripe it's unpleasant to my taste. It's quite hot either way, but the heat seems to be a much more pleasant kind of heat while purple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, in essence, some ornamental peppers may not be palatable, but they shouldn't poison you or anything either way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I recommend trying these at each color phase. It's possible you might like yellow more than red, or vice versa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do caution you, however, to make sure they actually are peppers. If they're not peppers (but rather a related nightshade species), they might be toxic to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-10-30T00:11:36.893" LastActivityDate="2015-10-30T00:11:36.893" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22262" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5042" CreationDate="2015-10-30T09:18:37.810" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Eggplants can be sensitive to temperature. If it's too hot, they may not set fruit, probably because of sterile pollen (from the heat) as with tomatoes. My Diamond eggplants and another unknown variety wouldn't set in the heat (despite numerous flowers that were not in the habit of dropping particularly), but they would set fruit when it cooled down. However, if it cooled too much they wouldn't set fruit then, either. If you live in or near the desert you'll likely have a particularly hard time because of the major shifts in temperature between day and night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I propose planting cold-tolerant and heat-tolerant eggplant varieties. Don't plant them in the shade. Apple Green is cold-tolerant. Aswad is heat-tolerant. Malaysian Dark Red might be both. Locally adapted varieties are important, in my opinion. Saving seeds every year rather than buying new ones from somewhere else may help them to adapt more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking at what the Internet says about Brisbane, I'm guessing if you have temperature issues they would be with it being too cool at night. I don't know how cold it gets at night, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/20138/which-tomatoes-grow-the-best-in-high-temperatures&quot;&gt;See this Q/A&lt;/a&gt;, which is related to your question and my answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also quite possible that there's an issue with your soil. I know you're not talking about tomatoes, but they are closely related: I grew the same varieties of tomatoes as my neighbor (from the same seed packets, even). The only notable difference in growing conditions was the soil. My neighbor's tomatoes grew huge plants fast with a whole bunch of flowers (but the flowers wouldn't set fruit for a long time, it seemed). My plants were much smaller and had fewer flowers, but had more fruit earlier on. I'm guessing my neighbor's soil had more nitrogen and mine had more potassium (I gave mine a fair amount of potassium sulfate, rock phosphate and basalt rockdust). I don't think my neighbor amended her soil. Last year she had plenty of hay about; so, that may have left some nitrogen in the soil. If it weren't for the heat, I'm guessing her numerous flowers would have set fruit much earlier. Potassium does provide some heat-tolerance, I've read. Phosphorus helps with cold-tolerance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-10-30T09:45:52.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22263" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22259" CreationDate="2015-10-30T12:27:40.993" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't use them - any plant sold as 'ornamental' may have been produced by the growers using systemic pesticide/fungicide treatments not suitable for edible foods, and traces of which will be within the tissues of the plant and the fruits - the use of the term 'ornamental' means the growers are not restricted to non systemic, intended for human consumption, treatments during the growing process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-10-30T12:27:40.993" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22264" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22265" CreationDate="2015-10-30T14:06:55.890" Score="11" ViewCount="912" Body="&lt;p&gt;I photographed this weird looking fungus growing out of an open cut in a tree (not sure what type of tree it was) on my parent's property last weekend in central Texas after some heavy rain. The mushroom was dark brown on top, with orange-colored fringes that seeped with this honey-like substance. Under the mushroom was a mass of swirled material with a woody appearance, though I suspect it was part the same or perhaps a different fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jDpUW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jDpUW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mushroom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vMZIz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vMZIz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Wat&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know too much about mushrooms. The 'bleeding' around the edges of the mushroom reminds me of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydnellum_peckii&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hydnellum peckii&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydnellum_ferrugineum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;ferrugineum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, but it lacks the 'teeth' on the underside of the mushroom (you can see that it's fairly smooth in the top part of the second image). The coloration and general shape reminds me of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaeolus_schweinitzii&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Phaeolus schweinitzii&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, but I don't know if that species can produce this kind of 'sap'. Can anyone help me identify what kind of mushroom this is? And what is the swirled material below it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8604" LastEditorUserId="8604" LastEditDate="2015-10-30T15:17:13.067" LastActivityDate="2015-10-30T15:17:13.067" Title="What is this 'bleeding' mushroom?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22264" CreationDate="2015-10-30T14:58:24.010" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know which fungus it is, but there are bracket fungii which exude amber coloured droplets (Shaggy Bracket, Oak Bracket fungus) although this one doesn't look like either of those. Trees, when they're infected, can also produce amber coloured droplets - sometimes they stink because its a bacterial infection, sometimes there's no smell at all, so it could be the tree is exuding this and it just happens to be coming out over the fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The woody looking material most closely resembles a swirled burl - something highly prized by wood workers, and if that's what it is (you need to poke it, see if its hard and woody or not) then its one of the most attractive ones I've ever seen. Burls are formed in response to something which causes the tree's cell's to grow in a haywire fashion - the presence of disease of some sort might cause it, and the existence of the bracket fungus suggests this might have been the case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the most important thing is, if the tree on which this is growing is anywhere near a structure or building, or people walk there often, it should be cut down and removed - bracket fungus of any sort spells death, and there is a high risk of the tree suddenly coming down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-10-30T15:08:59.047" LastActivityDate="2015-10-30T15:08:59.047" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22266" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-30T19:54:53.180" Score="6" ViewCount="4250" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone verify if this is root rot on my aloe vera? It was starting to wilt so I had to re-pot. There were more root &quot;hairs&quot; but they were slimy and black and most of them stayed with the old dirt. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for full size.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/78KRX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/78KRXm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qt4cZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qt4cZm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13354" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-31T15:43:33.853" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T17:01:40.777" Title="Is this aloe vera root rot?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;&lt;rot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22268" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22269" CreationDate="2015-10-31T09:39:27.653" Score="2" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 366cm * 366cm round above-ground plastic pool - but the yard runs at a downhill slope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to lay down soil (the grass must grow back when we remove the soil)&#xA;so as to level the 366cm * 366cm area. I tried to indicate the slope in the picture, it is at a maximum at the back end about 1x Brick height (8cm)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My calculation &#xA;Volume = 3.66×3.66×0.08 = 1.071648 meter3&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions:&#xA;Are my calculations correct? Will 1m cubic soil be enough for just the pool?&#xA;Should I get topsoil only?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rMC40.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rMC40.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13358" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-10-31T19:59:53.920" LastActivityDate="2015-10-31T19:59:53.920" Title="Is my calculation of 1x Cubic meter of Top Soil correct?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;grading&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22269" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22268" CreationDate="2015-10-31T12:28:45.290" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whatever you order will be delivered fluffed up in volume. After it compacts you could loose twenty to thirty percent by volume depending on soil type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, soil would be my last choice to level an area that is going to have something heavy on top. Soil is &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;easily washed away. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;easy for critters to burrow under&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;absorbs water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You already have a slope where the pool is going.  Where will rain water go now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would rather do a long lasting job now than a short term fix so I recommend &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;read the manufacturer's recommendations for installation&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;excavate the high area where the pool will go so you have a level base.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;order two cubic meters of sand. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;place in layers and compact as you go with a compactor or even a sod roller&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Options are to put synthetic foam board on top of the area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;on the higher side of the pool dig a trench about six inches deep that can take run off somewhere.  Four inch drain pipe with sleeve will do a nice job.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Please see this answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/27391/how-can-i-prevent-an-above-ground-pool-underlayment-from-failing-due-to-erosion&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more details on installing pools&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:22:11.787" LastActivityDate="2015-10-31T12:28:45.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22270" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22356" CreationDate="2015-10-31T16:01:38.987" Score="3" ViewCount="2102" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had this plant for more than 10 years now but I do not know its name. What is the name of this plant? &#xA;The issue is that this plant has a lot of white areas, as shown in the pictures. These have been there for a long time now but I don't have any idea what they are. Perhaps it is a fungus? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, one of the stems turned brown a long time ago. A couple of days ago, I tried to peel a small patch from that brown stem to check if it has a disease which I can recognize, and the stem underneath is still green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the pictures for full size.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uRdxA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uRdxAm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X8Hx5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X8Hx5m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-10-31T20:56:15.130" LastActivityDate="2015-11-08T10:09:57.300" Title="What is the white stuff on this cactus-type plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22271" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22284" CreationDate="2015-10-31T17:26:03.693" Score="6" ViewCount="4346" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a pesticide or other method that can be used to keep flies off of flowers (or kill the flies) but that won't harm bees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in the northeastern US, dense urban area; the flowers are Chrysanthemums, outside, full direct sun, potted, not sure what they are potted in. No other types of flowers around. Flies are mostly house flies and at least two other varieties (blue bottle and flesh), bee species unknown mixed. Flies seem interested only in flowers, mostly the centers but sometimes the petals, not very interested in soil, and they don't hang out on the ground or walls or anywhere else nearby (except by the trash about 20 feet away).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Building is mixed zone residential and commercial. Flies are already an issue with trash but prior to placement of flowers they were at least confined to trash area. There is a day care on premises as well and the flies give it a &quot;dirty&quot; unprofessional feel, and the health department does not want flies around either. There are usually about 20-30 flies on the flowers at any given time, which enter the building and also swarm with foot traffic, general nuisance. The bees generally ignore humans and are pleasant to have around and help out the flowers, and there's only about 2-4 at any given time (but the flies seem to have pushed them out).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is one:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kY0IP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kY0IP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7388" LastEditorUserId="7388" LastEditDate="2015-11-02T14:28:22.830" LastActivityDate="2020-09-16T19:30:20.627" Title="How do I keep house flies away from flowers without harming bees?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22273" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-10-31T18:22:30.627" Score="5" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;What kind of grape vines could grow in a cold climate, 4 months winter, temperatures of -20 &amp;deg;C, altitude 1000m. In Northeast Turkey climate is not compatible with grape vines that we know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13360" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T13:26:37.447" LastActivityDate="2018-04-06T01:19:52.257" Title="What kinds of grape vines will grow in northeastern Turkey's cold climate?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;&lt;climate&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22274" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2015-10-31T20:10:21.990" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Related tags:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/landscaping&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;landscaping&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;landscaping&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/hard-landscape&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;hard-landscape&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;hard-landscape&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;External references:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grading_(engineering)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia article on grading&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-10-31T20:10:21.990" LastActivityDate="2015-10-31T20:10:21.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22275" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2015-10-31T20:10:21.990" Score="0" Body="Grading is the term for altering the slope of an area, typically for producing a level base for a structure or an even slope for landscaping. Use this tag for questions about when grading is appropriate or how to grade an area." OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-10-31T20:10:21.990" LastActivityDate="2015-10-31T20:10:21.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22276" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22277" CreationDate="2015-10-31T23:30:49.477" Score="8" ViewCount="2063" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a vague recollection that this is called some kind of &quot;apple&quot; as a nickname.  But I just couldn't retrieve the exact name from memory.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uWjwa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uWjwa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9767" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-01T18:37:40.390" LastActivityDate="2015-11-01T18:37:40.390" Title="What is this round neon-green fruit with a bumpy surface?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22277" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22276" CreationDate="2015-10-31T23:51:51.410" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Osage orange &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera&quot;&gt;Maclura pomifera&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, a.k.a hedge-apple. a.k.a. Bois d'arc and further mangled to bodark. The latter set of names have to do with the wood's suitability for archery bows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-10-31T23:57:02.760" LastActivityDate="2015-10-31T23:57:02.760" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22278" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22282" CreationDate="2015-11-01T00:26:43.187" Score="3" ViewCount="522" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/lumeng/21355577620&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This&lt;/a&gt; is a huge fungus specimen I found along the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/willamette/recarea/?recid=4457&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Obsidian Trail&lt;/a&gt; near Bend, Oregon. I come across this type of fungus all the time in the Western Cascades mountain area, but this is by far the largest specimen I have ever seen.  It is really huge, perhaps as large as 1.5 feet wide. What species exactly is this?  Is it &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fomes_fomentarius&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;tinder conk&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4wABr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4wABr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13361" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-01T19:22:31.043" LastActivityDate="2015-11-01T19:22:31.043" Title="What is this extremely large brown fungus with white edges?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22276" CreationDate="2015-11-01T02:52:23.137" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In Brazil there's a fruit called &quot;Jaca&quot;, Artocarpus heterophyllus.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackfruit&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackfruit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13362" LastActivityDate="2015-11-01T02:52:23.137" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22281" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22283" CreationDate="2015-11-01T15:28:21.697" Score="3" ViewCount="2427" Body="&lt;p&gt;I realized late last night that there are lots of small white creepy crawlers in my peace lily pot. It's so thoroughly infested with these creatures some are even coming out of the drain holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have 3 questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What type of crawlers are these?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are these pests harmful?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If yes, how can I get rid of them?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QEu0W.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-09T20:03:48.660" LastActivityDate="2015-11-09T20:03:48.660" Title="How can I get rid of these small white pests in my peace lily pot?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22282" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22278" CreationDate="2015-11-01T15:32:06.953" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd identify it as one of the Ganodermas - these are particularly associated with foot and butt rot of woody plants, usually trees. The white rim is not uncommon in various of these, and the area beneath the 'cap' or top should be white. Not sure about those white/green lumps on the top though, never seen those before (see comments below - I reckon that's right, they are mirrored sunglasses...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/hickory/branchesfungi.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/hickory/branchesfungi.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In theory, yes, though I'd rather say it doesn't seem to be toxic. Certainly some of the Ganodermas are used in traditional medicines. However, you know the old saying about mushroom collectors/eaters... link below (scroll down) gives some very good advice&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/stewardship/pubs/ediblefungi/ediblefungi.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/stewardship/pubs/ediblefungi/ediblefungi.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-11-01T17:31:20.380" LastActivityDate="2015-11-01T17:31:20.380" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22283" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22281" CreationDate="2015-11-01T15:41:04.620" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, looking at the 'compost' in the pot, its obviously full of decaying matter - the creatures you're seeing appear to be millipedes, which feed on decaying matter. They don't cause trouble in open ground, but a population as high as this in a pot isn't desirable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, you need some decent potting mix, so if you've got some already, you can proceed now to deal with the problem. Turn the plant out of its pot, get off all the soil you can (and millipedes), and if there's still lots left round the roots, soak the rootball in a bucket of water till you're able to gently extract the roots from the remaining soil. While you're waiting, wash and sterilize the pot, or use another, clean pot. When all the soil's gone, repot using the clean, (preferably good quality) potting compost. As you've exposed all the roots, put a layer of compost in the bottom of the pot, checking the level isn't too high, and dangle the roots of the plant above the compost, so the bottom ones are sitting on the compost, spread them out a bit, and then keep adding soil, gently pushing it around the roots as you go, until you're up to the crown of the plant. Firm down gently, water thoroughly, allow to drain down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-11-01T15:41:04.620" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22271" CreationDate="2015-11-01T16:45:49.637" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think there's much you can do to reduce the presence of the flies (bluebottle type by the look of it). They do pollinate plants to a degree, and they prefer strong smelling plants, particularly those in full sun, and especially at this time of year, in fall, just before winter, when temperatures are falling. What's important is whether they only congregate on the flowers, or whether they're attracted to the soil or just the area where the pots are generally. They may just be sticking to sunlit areas, but there may also be something in the potting medium that's attracting them, like bonemeal does. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any treatments you use will also affect bees and hoverflies, unfortunately. If its not something in the potting medium, then its the flowers themselves, and the fact they're in full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-11-01T16:45:49.637" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22287" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23379" CreationDate="2015-11-02T07:28:28.977" Score="6" ViewCount="2836" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm located in Mumbai, India. A few of these weird things started growing in a pot. I though it was quite interesting, since it has no leaves. Is it a type of grass? I have bunched and planted 4 of them together in this pot. Each stem at the soil level is a single seperate plant. The stem continues in the soil as a single long deep root with limited branching. I would greatly appreciate it if someone could help me identify it. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XHB0h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XHB0h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up picture of the plant in question&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/194qJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/194qJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Long view of the plant in question&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13368" LastEditorUserId="13368" LastEditDate="2015-11-02T07:46:25.877" LastActivityDate="2016-07-13T16:41:38.723" Title="What is this plant with no leaves and thin dividing green stem?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22289" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22290" CreationDate="2015-11-02T15:52:11.380" Score="4" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found this glued to my door. Curious what this might mean.&#xA;The leaf is colored dark green btw, pink is bug from my camera.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A1JAZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A1JAZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13370" LastActivityDate="2015-11-02T19:25:07.600" Title="What kind of plant is this leaf from?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22289" CreationDate="2015-11-02T16:28:34.300" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a variety of chestnut or buckeye.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-11-02T16:28:34.300" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22291" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22307" CreationDate="2015-11-02T16:31:08.167" Score="7" ViewCount="1429" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I did is simply inserting the pomegranate cuttings in the pot with potting soil after soaking in the water for a day. What should I do after that? How often should I water the cuttings and what temperature is suitable for rooting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Updated:&#xA;All 5 cuttings I grow are all have buds now after planted in soil for 3 months. However, none of the cuttings has roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13372" LastEditorUserId="13372" LastEditDate="2016-02-19T16:47:57.957" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T16:47:57.957" Title="How to grow pomegranate from cuttings?" Tags="&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;pomegranate&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22292" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22287" CreationDate="2015-11-02T17:44:00.327" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it might be Equisetum, commonly known as Horsetail - its a bit small to be definite, but frankly, I wouldn't take the risk of growing it, I'd destroy it now, while you can! Unless you want to just grow one on, in a pot, and see if it develops into Horsetail...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-11-02T17:44:00.327" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22293" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22302" CreationDate="2015-11-02T18:37:33.613" Score="3" ViewCount="43" Body="&lt;p&gt;Should I pull everything? Cover with a tarp? Mulch? Leave exposed? Should a rake the leaves from it or leave them? Any other winter preparations I should make to make spring that much easier on it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11935" LastActivityDate="2015-11-03T13:32:27.840" Title="What should I do (if anything) to winterize my small vegetable garden (Buffalo, NY, USA)?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;winter&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22294" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22299" CreationDate="2015-11-02T19:03:40.693" Score="9" ViewCount="2089" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've just purchased a house which has been neglected for a little while and are renovating it. There is a pond in the back yard which looks like it has not had any attention for multiple years. There is no filter or pump on the pond and it stinks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I'm wondering what the best approach is to cleaning it&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Current thoughts are to do one of the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Buy a pump and filter and just run that against the pond to clean it out. My concern is that it is so dirty that it'll wreck the pump and/or filter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Completely empty the pond by using a bucket, remove any sludge in the bottom and then refill it. Finally install a filter and pump to keep it clean.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;combination of the two, syphon some of the water out with a bucket and refill with fresh water and then run the pump and filter, hopefully reducing the effort the pump and filter will need to go through.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pond has frogs in it - well, not sure if they are in the pond but I've seen them around the garden (I'm in the UK and it's coming into winter here). No fish at the moment but once it is all cleaned up I plan on putting fish in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo of the pond:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v0RPJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v0RPJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of the pond&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo of my dog after he jumped in the pond so you can see how dirty it is as well as how stupid my dog is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FbQAN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FbQAN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of my dog after falling in the pond so you can see how dirty it is&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13374" LastActivityDate="2015-11-03T13:15:30.687" Title="Best approach to clean a pond that has been unloved for a long time" Tags="&lt;pond&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22295" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22289" CreationDate="2015-11-02T19:25:07.600" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most likely &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesculus_hippocastanum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;horse chestnut&lt;/a&gt; (aesculus hippocastanum) or a close relative.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What the person who put the leaf up wanted to express remains a mystery to me - perhaps just a kind of fall decoration or joke.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-11-02T19:25:07.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22296" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-03T01:03:02.940" Score="4" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Southern California and the bark on my tree is splitting, there are limbs also splitting off and the fruit is green instead of yellow. This tree is about fifty years old and I want to save it. Any suggestions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13375" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-11-03T10:54:21.317" LastActivityDate="2015-11-03T10:54:21.317" Title="My lemon tree is having major problems" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2015-11-04T15:00:30.803" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22294" CreationDate="2015-11-03T03:30:31.800" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Empty it and clean it out. But don't use a shovel, because you could tear the lining if it's still good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stink is from organic material rotting on the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Buy a good book on DIY water features.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-11-03T03:30:31.800" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22270" CreationDate="2015-11-03T06:24:58.450" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is that the clay-like spots are spider mite damage. Spider mites are possibly worst (where they exist) in conditions that cacti like, too (hot and dry). They tend to damage plants when water is scarce in order to get water (or so I hear, and it seems to be true in my experience).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's another thread that shows a cactus with damage similar to yours, which they say is from red spider mites: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mycotopia.net/topic/63869-spider-mite-question-on-cacti/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://mycotopia.net/topic/63869-spider-mite-question-on-cacti/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, I'm not sure what kind of cactus you have there, at this time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-11-03T06:24:58.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22294" CreationDate="2015-11-03T13:15:30.687" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could get a &lt;strong&gt;long&lt;/strong&gt; way towards clean by simply running a bubbler (air) into the bottom of the pond - that will drive the bacteria population from anaerobic (stinky) to aerobic (nicer smelling) and burn off some of the excess nutrient. If nothing else, it will make further emptying and cleaning far more pleasant to deal with, and should be useful in the longer run for keeping things happy for fish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for pumping it out, if you can rent a &quot;mudsucker&quot; or diaphragm pump they deal with mud &amp;amp; debris better than other types of pumps - but you would need to be careful not to suck onto the liner, if the pond is of plastic liner construction. A bucket (and stocking feet when you reach the point of needing to climb in) are probably safer with a liner. If the dogs are going to help you may have problems keeping a liner intact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-11-03T13:15:30.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22300" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17605" CreationDate="2015-11-03T13:17:50.697" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is called Gokarn in India. It is used for floral worship in some temples on Saturday. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2691" LastActivityDate="2015-11-03T13:17:50.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22301" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-03T13:25:24.393" Score="5" ViewCount="6680" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing cucumbers under 40% shade net. Last week the temperature was at 42° Celsius (105° F). At the end of last week, some of the plants started having burning and drying of the leaves' edges, then eventually the whole leaf start wilting. What can be the cause of this problem? The plant is situated in a dry hot valley, Southern Africa, Namibia. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D62gN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D62gN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo, 02 November 2015&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13376" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-09T19:45:08.550" LastActivityDate="2015-11-09T19:45:08.550" Title="Why are the edges of my cucumber leaves drying out?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22302" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22293" CreationDate="2015-11-03T13:32:27.840" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Choose your garlic patch and plant it now. Mulch that. Straw is ideal if you have it, shredded leaves are OK, whole leaves mat down a bit too much, and also blow around too much before they mat down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have carrots, kale, or other crops that do well in the cold, leave them be - mulch and mark the carrots so you can dig them as you need them through the winter. Just pick the kale when you need some. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tops &amp;amp; leaves of dead garden plants should normally go in the compost pile - use tree leaves for leaf mulch. This is a step in the direction of disease/pest mitigation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After that, many options depending on how you want to go. You could plant a cover crop (winter rye) to be turned under in the spring. You could mulch with shredded leaves, or buy straw, or pile on 3-6&quot; of manure, or combine all three, or do different things to different beds to see what you prefer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-11-03T13:32:27.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22270" CreationDate="2015-11-03T19:25:45.183" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant that you have is called 'cilindric opuntia' &lt;a href=&quot;http://fichas.infojardin.com/cactus/opuntia-cylindrica-opuntia-cilindrica.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Austrocylindropuntia cylindrica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, cactus are capable of scar in similar way than skin, and when they do it that white stuff appears. Probably your cactus was damaged by insects, an injure, chemicals or frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the other hand, the brown coloration of the other cactus, can be caused by very lower temperatures. As I can see, the brown one is located nearby the wall, and this place is much more cold. Also I can see other kind of cactus in the back, and it has the same brown coloration, and its not common in other weather conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11964" LastEditorUserId="11964" LastEditDate="2015-11-03T19:34:22.330" LastActivityDate="2015-11-03T19:34:22.330" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22305" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22306" CreationDate="2015-11-03T20:05:16.667" Score="7" ViewCount="174" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's pretty easy to grow an avocado from the pit. Are there any other trees/plants that can be grown relatively easily from common household fruits or vegetables?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1239" LastActivityDate="2015-11-05T03:59:06.550" Title="Easy trees from common fruit/vegetable seeds" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22306" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22305" CreationDate="2015-11-03T20:32:25.200" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you find avacado easy, then pretty much anything else will be a cake walk. You can grow pretty much anything you buy in the produce section if it has seeds or a pit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pitted fruits have a step you need to perform prior to planting. Place the pit in the bottom back of your fridge where the cold air comes down from your freezer. You know that spot where it just about freezes stuff that's left there too long. Leave it there for 6 weeks, then you can plant the pit or pip of your (peach, apricot, nectarine, cherry, plum, whatever).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For citrus, just plant the seed 1/4 inch deep, put in the sun and keep moist but not wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that many fruits will not produce the same fruit you bought. Many fruit raised from seed has fairly unpredictable results, and all the trees that produce you favorite variety of Apple or peach or cherry are actually grown from the scion of a single tree that has been cut and grafted over and over again to the thousands of trees that produce that one Apple or peach. So all those thousand of trees are not just even closely related, they are the exact same tree, just on different roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A nectarine is actually a peach that had one branch develop a hairless peach. That branch was grafted to make more of that hairless peach. If you are patient and grow a peach tree from a nectarine pit you might not have a hairless fruit, in fact it highly unlikely. You will also run the chance that you don't like your peach tree's fruit at all and waited 5-7 years just to find that out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Breeders will take those whips (older seedlings) and graft them to a branch of an adult tree to trick the grafted cutting into producing fruit within 3 years so they don't have to wait so long to find out what they grew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it's fun to do anyway, but that why we have breeders and tree producers so we can buy a tree that produces exactly what we want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-11-03T20:32:25.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22307" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22291" CreationDate="2015-11-03T20:50:09.663" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, rooting hormone usually helps a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But let's back up a little bit here. The best time to take a cutting is in February when the tree is as close to dormancy as possible, and will be waking up again as the day lengthens and the weather warms up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make a cutting from a healthy whip branch (long single and skinny)&#xA;Between 1 and 2 ft long. Use a SHARP cutting tool. Denude the cutting of all leaves and put in the shade and out of danger of frost. Leave it there until tomorrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The the next day, soak the cut end for about an hour and then roll the cut end of the whip in rooting hormone. Then place the whole in a 1 gallon black pot using a good composted soil mixture. dr earth trees and shrubs is good for this. Water and keep moist but not wet from now until the end of summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you might want to do this with 5-10 cuttings. Cuttings of nearly all trees have a low success rate, and this will at least help you have 1 success. You can keep or give away any others if they survive a whole year in the pot. At that point it's safe to plant them into the ground in the fall or early spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-11-03T20:50:09.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22308" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22301" CreationDate="2015-11-03T21:00:41.707" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's just too hot (102 Fahrenheit) The only thing you can do is water them twice a day and hope they survive the heat wave.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've already got shade netting and that's probably why they are even still alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-11-03T21:00:41.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22309" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22223" CreationDate="2015-11-03T23:58:49.593" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ginger needs a a big pot; it really wants to spread out. When I grew ginger that I brought from Asia in Belgium, I used really big pots in the living room in a half sunny spot in winter and planted it out in May, to dig it up in September. Only during these months it really made a lot of progress, the potted version grew mainly leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will take the other hint on board; mine makes no root growth to speak of here in Costa Rica at 780m altitude. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13378" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-11-04T14:56:27.977" LastActivityDate="2015-11-04T14:56:27.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22310" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22259" CreationDate="2015-11-04T00:09:06.413" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Go ahead and enjoy.. but please read my hints.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no such thing as ornamental chillies.:)&#xA;Wash them off, before eating if you got doubts about the treatment.&#xA;Rest assured, I got them outside and the previous owner named them ornamental!!&#xA;They just got a higher voltage than your ordinary jalapeno. Ours are volcanic strength and I recommend that you remove the seeds before using.&#xA;I also STRONGLY recommend that you wash your hands immediately, under NO circumstances rub you eyes or delicate parts, you can even feel it rubbing your nose!!&#xA;One per two people is usually sufficient, only if you invite Malaysian or Thai friends use more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only Chilies I have ever eaten with a higher voltage were growing wild in Northern Malaysia, those were about half the size of the &quot;ornamental&quot; ones.&#xA;I would rate those as atomic grade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13378" LastActivityDate="2015-11-04T00:09:06.413" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22141" CreationDate="2015-11-04T00:20:17.813" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree, take half of the fruit of and water it daily. Leaves don't look curled but folded to me, that is how the tree protects itself in summer. In Australia they did that during the hot months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My partner's kumquat tree (a very small orange) survived 7 weeks in a dark hot container, we thought it would take about four weeks to get here but the container sat 2 weeks in the scorching heat in Panama , we were sure that it was dead and oh behold, two weeks in a cool tropical climate and it was very happy. It was watered every day religiously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13378" LastActivityDate="2015-11-04T00:20:17.813" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22312" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-04T00:55:41.397" Score="3" ViewCount="628" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried to smuggle a kaffir lime tree in from Malaysia in December, sadly it died instantly when I potted it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My partner bought 3 limes in France and brought them in but there was no seed in them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I have written to a friend in Malaysia asking her to send me some seeds. She is positive that people grow it from seeds in her native Kelantan.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Who has any experience growing them from seeds? My climate zone is 12a, average temperature is between 20 and 30 ºC NEVER above 34º C, very stable, humidity is very high with about 1850mm annual rainfall and a strong wind all year round. All big citrus trees grow fine here as long as they don't get attacked by the leafcutters and parrots (fruit only).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13378" LastActivityDate="2015-12-28T23:08:17.120" Title="Kaffir Lime from seeds" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22313" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22062" CreationDate="2015-11-04T01:00:28.963" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks sadly dying to me :( did you check for diseases? We have never watered them in France where we lived before, not even during 4 months droughts. They seem to but down some very deep roots. Please look further in for parasites or diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13378" LastActivityDate="2015-11-04T01:00:28.963" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22314" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22301" CreationDate="2015-11-04T02:05:58.223" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's possible you just gave them too much nitrogen (or compost). That can cause leaf burning, and will probably cause reduced heat tolerance by competing with the available potassium. Flushing the soil with water might help, if this is the case (although I believe wet soil typically makes the existing nitrogen more available while it's wet--tell me if I'm wrong). Also, adding some extra potassium should help, if this is the case, since potassium and nitrogen are supposed to compete with each other, and the extra potassium should reduce how much nitrogen the plant takes in. This might be undesirable for your long-term soil if your potassium levels are already reasonably high. If they're not, I'd do it (if I wanted to save the plants).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cucumbers can survive and grow in much hotter temperatures than 102 degrees F. without this symptom, although they probably won't set fruit or look very happy unless they're heat tolerant (like Beit Alpha), parthenocarpic (only for fruit set) or something. I'm guessing the problem is likely the heat affecting the nutrient availability in the soil. Potassium should increase heat tolerance to some degree. Potassium sulfate is a good kind that won't kill the microbes in your soil. Too much potassium can be bad, much as too much nitrogen. So, be careful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend planting heat-tolerant varieties for next year. You should have much better results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also recommend planting Kiwano (African Horned Cucumber). It grows wild in the Kalahari Desert in Africa, and immature fruits can be eaten like cucumbers. I'm guessing it'll do awesomely in your area. It requires a longer season than cucumbers do, though. If you happen to find it growing wild, be careful, because some of the wild kinds are toxic. Those ones, I believe, are bitter, and animals don't typically eat them. They do eat the safe kind, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alfalfa hay or straw mulch may also help, and though I'm not 100% sure why, people in my area (which gets very hot in the summer) who use hay tend to get better results. It is supposed to encourage microbes, but it's also high in nitrogen. So, I don't know if it'll help you, but it might be worth a try. At the very least, it should be a buffer for the soil against the sun. If the sun isn't on the soil, it shouldn't be as hot. Soil temperature would be my primary concern for keeping the plants alive. Air temperature would probably be more of a concern for fruit set.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possibly a disease instead of a nutrient issue. It's also possibly a root problem. If the roots aren't doing well, sun may cause a lot of damage. Potassium and phosphorus should help the roots, if you don't have enough. There might be bugs in the soil eating the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-11-04T02:21:09.503" LastActivityDate="2015-11-04T02:21:09.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22315" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22305" CreationDate="2015-11-04T02:14:30.433" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;May I suggest another couple of trees?&#xA;We just tried starfruit and Rambutan. They both grew fine, we now have 7 rambutan trees from 9 fruit!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since I have been here I have also grown capsicums from market fruit. They are fine, we are harvesting them now. Beans of all kinds grow from market or friend's beans, and tomatillos are also a very safe bet. Get one fruit and fill your garden!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13378" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-05T00:26:24.737" LastActivityDate="2015-11-05T00:26:24.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22305" CreationDate="2015-11-04T02:48:45.930" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Citrus trees are nice to grow from seeds, and they make great houseplants. Just plant them in soil, water them and wait. I have a grapefruit tree from a seed that I planted about twenty years ago. I planted several, actually, but as seedlings they all got a white, sticky pest that killed all but this one (which survived and has been essentially, if not entirely, pest-free since). I recommend a red clay pot when it gets bigger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for plants besides trees, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are pretty easy to germinate. For care, they need a lot of light and tend to get pests and diseases easily, though, but they're easy to germinate. They also need more nutrients than a lot of plants. Some pepper varieties take a few weeks, though. Make sure the peppers and cucumbers you use are ripe (green peppers are typically not ripe, although you may get some seeds to germinate still).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can plant the bottoms of celery stalks and they can grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for legal concerns, you'll probably have a hard time finding out if the varieties they use in the grocery store are patented, and illegal for you to grow. They may also be genetically engineered, unless they're organic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-11-05T03:59:06.550" LastActivityDate="2015-11-05T03:59:06.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22317" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-04T11:44:44.283" Score="3" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have tried growing &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melampodium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Melampodium&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; var. Million Gold on my balcony. It grows on a coir sheet with soil spread on it. It only keeps spreading and growing leaves but no flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What conditions does it need to flower?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13385" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-11-04T14:59:51.980" LastActivityDate="2015-11-06T02:56:30.187" Title="How can I get my Melampodium &quot;Million Gold&quot; to flower?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22318" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22317" CreationDate="2015-11-04T12:56:15.930" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You haven't said how deep the soil layer is, but really, if you want it to grow sufficiently to produce flowers, put it in a pot with drainage holes, in free draining potting medium - you need some depth of soil (6 inches minimum) for the plant to mature sufficiently to get to the flowering stage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-11-04T12:56:15.930" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22319" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22320" CreationDate="2015-11-04T15:23:06.990" Score="3" ViewCount="578" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have heard that tennis lawns are salted to kill the weeds. So I was wondering why doesn't the salt kill the grass also ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13381" LastActivityDate="2015-11-04T16:37:03.293" Title="Salting tennis lawns" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22320" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22319" CreationDate="2015-11-04T16:37:03.293" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ordinary salt does kill grass as well as weeds. Either your source is confusing 'salt' with 'salts of' something or other, or doesn't mean tennis lawns, but tennis courts (clay or tarmac).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-11-04T16:37:03.293" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22321" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-04T16:41:17.637" Score="3" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just recently acquired a small venus fly trap. I want to keep it indoors. What's the best way to take care of it, to make sure it lives a healthy life?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13382" LastEditorUserId="26403" LastEditDate="2019-07-19T16:24:35.520" LastActivityDate="2019-07-19T16:24:35.520" Title="What's the best way to care for a venus fly trap?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;venus-fly-trap&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22322" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22321" CreationDate="2015-11-04T19:57:50.610" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Distilled water or rain water, no fertilizer (it's a bog plant and gets freaked out by excess nutrition. If it manages to snag some bugs, that's its nutrition, but things like &quot;feeding it meat&quot; are more likely to harm than help, as will any form of plant fertilizer or soil mix with fertilizer.) Lots of light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-11-04T19:57:50.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22323" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1551" CreationDate="2015-11-05T01:10:20.043" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow it very successfully here with summer temperatures to 42 Celsius. We also get sub-zero winters with frosts common. I have mine under bird netting, which believe it or not reduces direct sunlight. I planted mine into a sand mixed with horse manure. I water virtually daily in summer and a lot less in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot stop them raging. I am in Australia in outback desert type country. I have had stalks over one inch in diameter. The white bird netting I am sure, combined with sand and horse manure mix is the secret.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VsGLS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VsGLS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Rhubarb lower foreground&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13384" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-11-05T02:35:03.677" LastActivityDate="2015-11-05T02:35:03.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22324" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-05T02:57:22.813" Score="3" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of matchless determinate variety tomatoes in grow bags. I am from Chennai, India (hot, humid and it's monsoon time now). It's been raining the past week. I applied Monopotassium phosphate (0:52:32) for the first time one day back and it rained out of nowhere in the evening. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now there are a few black spots beginning to occur in the leaves. I also have these plants that are wilting, and I'm not able to conclusively identify the problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Timeline:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sprayed with Neem oil 2 weeks ago&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sprayed with NPK 19:19:19 2 weeks ago&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rained for 3-4 days this week&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sprayed with MKP 0:52:32 yesterday&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rained heavily&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants started setting fruit last month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/opFRG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/opFRG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/koGuC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/koGuC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I searched &quot;sudden outbreak of yellow leaves on tomato and other plants&quot; and found a link about &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tomatodirt.com/septoria-leaf-spot.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;septoria leaf spot&lt;/a&gt;. I looked at that, will probably follow the tips next time onwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil Medium and fertilizer I am using:&#xA;Cocopeat (30%), Red Sand (30%), Cow Dung Manure (20%) &amp;amp; Vermicompost (20%) and some gypsum. Been using balanced NPK once each 3 weeks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13386" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-06T02:24:07.337" LastActivityDate="2015-11-06T02:24:07.337" Title="What is causing dark spots on my tomato leaves?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ClosedDate="2016-02-19T17:31:12.383" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22325" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19837" CreationDate="2015-11-05T03:54:56.400" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a moth or butterfly, some Skipper eggs look like these. I suggest you look on butterfliesofamerica.com. &#xA;May I suggest that you take a real macro shot, as in 1:1 and then just crop the portion with the eggs. Might be easier to make a more refined guess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13378" LastActivityDate="2015-11-05T03:54:56.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22326" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22327" CreationDate="2015-11-05T09:57:21.507" Score="4" ViewCount="396" Body="&lt;p&gt;A large company near our office has moved to another building. We got the chance to take over some of their office furniture, including two pretty massive office plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for full size.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plant 1&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eI1fS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eI1fSm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vd3lf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vd3lfm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant 1 detail&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ayTIV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ayTIVm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant 1 water level&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plant 2&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JhZas.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JhZasm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a0I8e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a0I8em.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant 2 water level&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The point is, we don't know what kind of plants these are and how much water they need. The plants have been left in the old office for quite some time and they look a bit dried out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I gave one of them water until the water level meter was at the &quot;optimum&quot; point (7 liter). The problem was that most of the water started dripping out of the pot and the water level dropped to &quot;minimum&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What kind of plants are we dealing with?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How should we take care of them?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do the water level meters work? It seems that watering the plant until the optimum point has been reached is not possible, because the pots start to leak water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13387" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T13:36:44.963" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T13:36:44.963" Title="How much water do these hydroponic office plants need?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22327" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22326" CreationDate="2015-11-05T11:10:36.590" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant number one is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhapis_excelsa&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rhapis excelsa&lt;/a&gt; palm, a real beauty.They grow well in bright diffuse light but will tolerate periods of low light.  The die back at the ends of the leaves is natural.  Just take a pair of scissors and trim it off leaving a tiny margin of dead material on the leaf so you do not cut into live tissue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant number two is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_fragrans&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dracaena Janet Craig&lt;/a&gt; with a nice little &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglaonema&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;aglonema&lt;/a&gt; at the base.  Both are very common and tolerant of low light conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of these plants are growing in &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homehydrosystems.com/mediums/mediums_page.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Leca&lt;/a&gt; or&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grow rock is a Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate (L.E.C.A.), That is&#xA;a type of clay which is super-fired to create a porous texture&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This system used to be very popular for interior plants but there were issues:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soluble salt level would build up in the water medium over time&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;costly and time consuming to get a plant to adapt to live in the medium&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;heavy to move&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;any cracks in the pots would leak large quantities of dirty smelly solute on the floor.  Oh the memories!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the indicator would tell you how much water to put in. Usually the float would stop working or small children would fill the float area with leca and you had to guess how much water it needed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the pots leak water that is why they were left behind as the hydroponic thing cannot work when the container leaks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Dracaena and aglo are very common and new ones can be purchased inexpensively.  The Rhaphis palm is a real gem and work keeping.  Here's how:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;buy a large new pot with a drainage hole at the bottom and a saucer to hold the overflow&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;get some potting soil suitable for tropical plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;get some strong friends and a large area with a tarp on the floor&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove the plant from the pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;gently remove as much leca as possible&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;place plant in new pot, add soil, water and observe&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-11-05T11:10:36.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22328" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-05T12:15:48.180" Score="5" ViewCount="10490" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of my tomato plants are dying for no reason. I just transplanted a few seedlings in the pot and after 3-4 days, a few are dead and some are doing well. Is this some kind of transplant shock? This never happened to me before. Soil is coco peat + vermi compost + sand.&#xA;The temperature range is 18-30 degree C. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LvfxP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LvfxP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/08Efk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/08Efk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2818" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-07T00:19:09.773" LastActivityDate="2015-12-09T08:22:25.187" Title="Why are my tomato plant seedlings dying?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22329" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22330" CreationDate="2015-11-05T15:10:26.587" Score="5" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;So other than peas and green beans, I haven't grown &lt;em&gt;beans&lt;/em&gt; yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you grow beans that are typically stores as dry beans (ex. Black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, pintos, etc.) is there any difference in harvest or post-harvest of the beans whether you plan to use them for food or for next year's seed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-11-05T16:19:12.403" Title="Is there a difference in harvesting beans for food or seed?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;beans&gt;&lt;post-harvest&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22329" CreationDate="2015-11-05T16:19:12.403" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you grow them, no. And you can grow seed for peas or green beans simply by leaving those on the plant longer until they get to a hard, dry, finished/mature seed state, rather than the immature state those are normally eaten in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Commercially they may (or may not) be treated in ways that don't help their function as seed (such as a high-heat processing step, or the &quot;splitting&quot; of things like split peas, which are dry and fully mature peas.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, if you are not using open-pollenated varieties, what you get next year may not resemble what you grew this year (standard issue with hybrid seeds of all sorts.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-11-05T16:19:12.403" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22331" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-05T18:13:52.100" Score="5" ViewCount="7537" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on my research, climbing vines such as Creeping Fig attach themselves to surfaces using 'peds', which are next to impossible to remove, and end up damaging surfaces such as stucco. It has been recommended to me to build a lattice 8-12 feet away from the wall, and let the plant climb on that, but that isn't an option for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What other options are available for less destructive vines to cover the wall of a house or other stuccoed surface without damaging the surface?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2512" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-06T01:43:32.133" LastActivityDate="2016-04-28T03:42:19.130" Title="Are there climbing vines that don't damage stucco?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22331" CreationDate="2015-11-05T18:21:08.543" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;How about grapes? You will need to put trellis or lattice up, but the grapes won't glue themselves to the stucco and so the lattice can lay right up against the wall. Grapes are also delicious if you pick a good edible variety or good for making wine if you pick a suitable wine making variety. Grapes come in basically three classes, eating, juice and wine, and they usually but not always are not good for more than one of those, or maybe two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: if you are growing figs, maybe grapes aren't the best idea. Your choice will be limited to muscadine grapes (which maybe just just fine for you). Other choices are perhaps kiwis or passion fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2015-11-05T18:23:41.203" LastActivityDate="2015-11-05T18:23:41.203" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22333" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22331" CreationDate="2015-11-05T18:33:47.477" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't think of any climbing plant which will be appropriate - climbing plants cling and climb in two ways; there's the self clinging ones (like your Creeping Fig, Hedera varieties, Parthenocissus varieties, Hydrangea anomala) and then there's the twiners (Wisteria, Clematis, Honeysuckle) - these need supports to twine around to 'climb' up a wall. Even climbing roses need to be tied into a strong frame of some sort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't want to damage the stucco with a self clinging climber, then your only recourse is to erect supports, either by attaching them to the wall (and, obviously, damaging the stucco) or by erecting a framework which is independently fixed into the ground in front of the wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a bit curious as to why you'd like a climber - isn't stucco one of those finishes which needs regular maintenance in terms of repair/painting? Any mature climber would surely make that much more difficult...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-11-05T18:33:47.477" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22334" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22339" CreationDate="2015-11-05T19:49:00.483" Score="6" ViewCount="291" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to grow a small olive tree in my balcony. Preferably I would not like my tree to grow larger than 2 meters tall and gives me nice organic olives. Length can also be controlled by the size of the pot obviously. What do you suggest?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: What are the common diseases and pests of an olive tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-09T19:03:25.727" LastActivityDate="2015-11-09T19:03:25.727" Title="How to grow an olive tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;olive&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22335" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22334" CreationDate="2015-11-05T19:56:37.267" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;All olives are good candidates for dwarfing through pruning and root management. Take your pick and learn a little about bonsai, it will help teach you the principles of managing root systems in potted trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First principle is start them in the smallest pots you can and only increase the size of the pot when you can't manage the root ball anymore in that same pot size. This will develop a tight network of roots throughout the the soil rather than becoming root bound.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-11-05T19:56:37.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22328" CreationDate="2015-11-06T00:11:05.690" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Disclaimer: This answer is mostly based off of my own experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes. That appears to be classic transplant shock. As Ecnerwal said, it could be cutworms, too, though. Anything that disturbs (or removes) the roots could cause this. When you transplant seedlings, if the roots are damaged or disturbed, then light (particularly sunlight) can make them wilt and die. The plant's growth will be delayed for a while if it survives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some things I have found that one can do to avoid transplant shock:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't put newly transplanted tomato plants in bright light for two days. After that, give them as bright of light as you like. It'll be good for them, then. Bright light can easily wither plants with newly disturbed roots (as well as cuttings being rooted in soil on the first few days). 8-10 hours of sunlight is way more than enough to cause this for a transplanted tomato (but it may depend on what kind of sun it is and what kinds and ratios of light are coming in). In fact, one hour of bright sun could.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Give them potassium sulfate. Plants given potassium sulfate are much more resistant to transplant shock.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wait until the plants are larger and stronger before transplanting.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure your soil isn't high in nitrogen. Nitrogen is like the opposite of potassium and encourages transplant shock. Fertilizing a newly transplanted plant with nitrogen (unless it's balanced by sufficient potassium, and maybe phosphorus) is a really bad idea.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Phosphorus may also play a role in preventing transplant shock, since it, like potassium, helps to encourage root growth. I have not experimented with it, however. If the roots are healthy and strong, and have the things they need, transplant shock shouldn't be as much of a problem.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You don't need to do this, especially with plants of that size, but soaking a plant's roots in water (without a lot of soil) for 1-3 days before planting in its new destination can reduce transplant shock (like if you dig up a plant from the garden or something).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The vermi-compost may have microbes that make nitrogen highly available to plants. I've heard that worm castings can burn plants, sometimes (and burning is a sign of too much nitrogen). So, even if there wasn't enough nitrogen to burn them, there may have been enough to make transplant shock more severe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever the case, avoiding bright light for the first couple days is the most effective preventative measure I've found. Potassium sulfate definitely helps a lot, but if you don't want to use it, don't worry about it. They should survive as long as you avoid the bright light at first. If it's already been a couple days, avoiding bright light probably won't help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should be noted, however, that even some plants that avoid light for a couple days will wilt after a while, but these should recover much faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem with light is much worse with cuttings rooted in dirt than with transplants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your problem is cutworms, it's possible that it's just dehydrated, rather than sun damaged, in which case it should be able to recover more easily. Treating it as a cutting may revive it (e.g. plant some of the stem deeper, keep it moist, and go easy on the light for a bit). However, enough of the stem appears to be buried already (so it may just grow new roots on its own).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-11-06T08:19:54.970" LastActivityDate="2015-11-06T08:19:54.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="987" CreationDate="2015-11-06T00:59:08.917" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dr. Carolyn Male, who is possibly the world's foremost expert on tomatoes, has written up &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.webgrower.com/information/carolyn_ber.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;an extensive article on blossom end rot&lt;/a&gt;. Basically, among other things, it says that even though calcium is implicated in blossom end rot, the problem is usually not a deficiency in the soil, and adding extra calcium will probably not help in most circumstances.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, you can read that article to see what else she says, but I'll tell you what I have to say about it personally, at the moment: I know from personal experience that adding extra calcium will not always prevent or reduce blossom end rot. I wouldn't even be surprised if it could cause it. It is my suspicion that the following things are the major causes of blossom end rot (in no particular order):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Heat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drought&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Planting susceptible varieties (like Martino's Roma, Pomodoro San Marzano, many plum-shaped tomatoes, etc.) Some varieties are genetically predisposed to get it easily, I've read. Some resist it very well, I've also read.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's interesting what bstpierre says about too much potassium inhibiting calcium uptake. I actually did give my plants a fair amount of potassium (and calcium), this year. Nevertheless, the only ones to suffer much from it were Martino's Roma, Pomodoro San Marzano and Roma x Lemon Boy (or else a mutant yellow Roma). If that's true, low nitrogen could also contribute to blossom end rot. I also wouldn't be surprised if an imbalanced nitrogen to calcium ratio could contribute to it (I didn't give my tomatoes much nitrogen, and I just thought it may have been related).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-11-06T01:04:40.313" LastActivityDate="2015-11-06T01:04:40.313" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22339" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22334" CreationDate="2015-11-06T11:47:18.787" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can readily grow an olive tree in a pot, and you can keep its growth restricted over time by pruning, but if you want lots of fruit under those conditions, it's not quite so easy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, olives grown for fruit need a two month period of cold weather (temperatures below 10 deg C) in order to initiate fruiting. Prolonged colder temperatures will inhibit fruiting though - 7.5 deg C or lower for a period of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, the olives are borne on the tips of the previous year's growth, which obviously means you'd need to be careful about how much pruning you do. There are some smaller cultivars which are better suited to restricted spaces, but many of these are non fruiting types. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Third, better fruiting is achieved by growing more than one olive tree; most self fertile ones, though, will produce fruit without another tree nearby, but there are varieties which need another tree for fertilisation of the flowers. Bear in mind that olives are slow growing plants, and fruiting doesn't usually occur before the plant is around five years old anyway. That said, you need also to think about the variety of olive - some are only used for pressing, others for both curing and pressing, and others just cured for eating. The link here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningblog.net/how-to-grow/olives/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningblog.net/how-to-grow/olives/&lt;/a&gt; gives general information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The link below gives some useful information on growing olives on a balcony, in pots, and mentions a couple of fruiting varieties which are smaller and therefore better for pot culture&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://lifeonthebalcony.com/how-to-grow-an-olive-tree-in-a-container/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://lifeonthebalcony.com/how-to-grow-an-olive-tree-in-a-container/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might also like to know that ripe, black olives can be picked and eaten straight away, but taste nothing like the ones you buy - those will have been picked either when they're green and unripe, or black and ripe, and then cured to produce a more palatable product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-11-06T15:55:51.377" LastActivityDate="2015-11-06T15:55:51.377" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22340" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22341" CreationDate="2015-11-06T21:13:00.460" Score="6" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a small stone planter box built in to my front entrance.  In this planter I had a handful of perennials.  I needed to have my driveway torn up and repaved this year, and I thought it would be neat to have the contractor re-do the planter at the same time.  In preparation, early this summer I moved the plants from the planter into portable pots and placed these on the front porch above where the planter box had been.  I fully expected to replant them in the new box just a few weeks later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well, that contractor did a very bad job (I paid them for the driveway,&#xA;but refused to pay for the planter, and they agreed) so I am going to have to start over with a different contractor next spring.  The plants have been in those pots for several months now.  I think some have died, but others might be salvagable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The location is U.S., Ohio valley region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What to do with those portable pots during the winter, to maximize the chance that at least some of them can be brought back next spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A.  Leave them where they are, as-is. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;B.  Leave them where they are, covered with a tarp or similar. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C.  Bring them into the house.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;D.  Toss them out and buy all new perennials after the new planter is&#xA;ready, since the damage is already done and they can't be saved.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;E. Other?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13391" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-07T00:07:48.520" LastActivityDate="2015-11-07T10:08:54.033" Title="What should I do with perennials in pots over the winter?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22340" CreationDate="2015-11-06T22:32:35.330" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without details about the plants involved it is hard to give definite advice, but let's go through your list:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A. Leave them as is.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Will possibly lead to the death of some because the pots freeze solid, unlike in the soil or in larger planters. Not all plants can handle this. Some will die, some are very frost tolerant. Without details, this is impossible to predict.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;B. Cover them.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;That depends: If your plants are green(ish) and not totally dormant, they will need light, which a tarp blocks. It may or may not protect the root balls, depending on the setup.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;But: Especially dark tarps in the sun can &lt;em&gt;heat&lt;/em&gt; the pots, coaxing dormant plants to go into &quot;spring mode&quot; too soon, putting them at risk of freezing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;C. Take them inside.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;My last choice for hardy perennials. They usually &lt;em&gt;need&lt;/em&gt; a period of dormancy which you would take away. Besides, the conditions inside (too warm, probably too dark) would lead to &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiolation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;etiolation&lt;/a&gt; and make them susceptible for pests and diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;D. Toss them.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;If this were your preferred choice, you wouldn't be here. So if you have some plants that are clearly dead or in really bad shape (or you need an excuse to get rid of them), toss them. For the others, see next point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;E. My suggestion.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Get a large container and some insulating material. Either leaves or straw (can go on your compost in spring) or bubble wrap or foam peanuts (not the type that dissolves when wet!). Fill the container with whatever vou are using and place the pots inside. The goal is to protect the root ball from freezing. Place everything in a sheltered spot. You don't want rain to accumulate in the container, especially if you are using bubble wrap, drowning your plants. If your plant is dormant, cover the top as well - loosely, creating insulating layers of air.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Hope for snow and shovel it on your pots: it protects them from the worst frost.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;During winter monitor humidity - you might have to water &lt;em&gt;very gently&lt;/em&gt; or remove runoff from snow etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should you have a cold frame or unheated greenhouse, this might also be a good choice. Just monitor humidity and temperature, especially in cold frames, because in the sun they can get too warm (see B.) quickly - open the lid on &quot;not really freezing&quot; days. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In short, your main goal is to &lt;em&gt;protect your plants' roots from extreme frost while letting them have their winter season like usual&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Come spring, you hopefully have most or even all of your plants coming back and grow healthily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-11-07T10:08:54.033" LastActivityDate="2015-11-07T10:08:54.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22342" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-07T01:16:21.603" Score="4" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there any areas in the United States that have a lot of short days (as in, few hours of sunlight) in the frost-free season &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; fairly to very cool temperatures during the frost-free season?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've observed that Shark Fin Melon grows very well in such conditions—better than when it's even moderately warm and sunny. In fact, mine wouldn't even flower until it pretty much got cold and rainy, almost ready to frost. However, it grew fast during that time (not during the heat, but before and after the heat) and it set fruit, which grew pretty quickly. Notwithstanding it likes cold, it's not frost-tolerant (although the roots may survive down to a certain temperature and grow back; I'm not sure how cold they'll survive).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a region to experiment with that might inspire Shark Fin Melon to flower and fruit early on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I imagine it would work well in cool greenhouses, after the season, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: If you can find an area that's hot for a very short while and then cold for a long while (before the frost), that may work even better, since it might be the change in the daylight hours that encourages flowering (rather than just the daylight hours).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-11-07T01:37:04.237" LastActivityDate="2016-01-08T16:16:17.807" Title="What areas in the USA have many cool days with little sun and no frost?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;climate&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22343" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22347" CreationDate="2015-11-07T02:21:53.067" Score="5" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had our first frost the other day (the growing season has been long this year).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I noticed that some plants were seemingly randomly affected more than others. For instance, I have two Pepino melon plants growing right beside each other (which are free of spider mites, now, just for the record). The biggest one of them withstood the frost very well, and looks as healthy as ever, and the other mostly withered. I have three Rocoto pepper plants growing next to each other, and two of them withered right away, but the other took an extra day before it withered. Seemingly random parts of my Shark Fin Melon plants were affected severely, and seemingly random parts are just as chipper as ever. The tomatoes, at least, were consistent by the second day, with the exception of a couple small shoots on a few plants. The melons seem to have withered (with the exception of a few tips of the vines of the Red-seeded Citron watermelon). There are two tiny sweet pepper plants that are fine while the big ones are all wilting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All my litchi tomato plants survived the frost (one had a regular tomato plant growing on top of it, which plant withered): I guess the litchi tomatoes must really be frost-resistant to some degree if that's the case; hopefully it's not just time-delayed frost damage (litchi tomatoes aren't tomatoes, by the way). The arugula is all fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: I've found that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/litchi-tomato-or-morelle-de-balbis/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;litchi tomatoes (Morelle De Balbis)&lt;/a&gt; actually are frost-tolerant. Mine was tolerant and evergreen to repeated freezes until it got to about 15° F. It must have natural anti-freeze in it or something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard if it's windy that it can protect plants against frost. I don't know if that's true, but do you think something like sporadic winds or varying phosphorus levels has something to do with the style of our frost damage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-26T23:37:47.997" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T23:37:47.997" Title="Why did our frost only affect random plants?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;frost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22344" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22345" CreationDate="2015-11-07T06:00:50.857" Score="3" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got tomato, basil, rosemary, thyme and peppermint plants. I've read that the rosemary and peppermint are perennials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I prepare my [plants that should live until next year]?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had our first freeze two nights ago. I'm in central New Mexico, I'm not sure what zone that is, but I'm guessing zones are changing with the climates. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11423" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2015-11-09T15:06:03.597" LastActivityDate="2015-11-09T15:06:03.597" Title="How to prepare herbs for winter?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22345" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22344" CreationDate="2015-11-07T07:03:11.420" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The term you are looking for is &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perennial_plant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;perennial&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, describing plants that can live for many years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your &lt;strong&gt;rosemary, thyme and peppermint&lt;/strong&gt; fall in that category.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of these, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;rosemary&lt;/a&gt; is the most frost-sensitive, but hardyness varies somewhat between cultivars. Note that rosemary originally comes from the Mediterranean with it's mild winters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am a bit pragmatic when it comes to rosemary myself - I leave it where it is and see what happens. My plants are rather large and well established and if I lose a branch or two, that's ok for me. (Don't try this with the somewhat softer specimens that are often sold as herbs in supermarkets.)  If you have a cold frame or unheated greenhouse, move it there, with good ventilation that will be the optimal solution. Some take rosemary inside&lt;sup&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5891/how-to-grow-rosemary-indoors-over-the-winter&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14656/what-happens-with-rosemary-if-i-dont-let-it-hibernate-over-the-winter&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;, but you will face the usual risks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiolation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;etiolation&lt;/a&gt; and susceptability to pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyme&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thyme&lt;/a&gt; tolerates frost well and so does &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peppermint&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;peppermint&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To prepare them for winter, just leave them where they are if they are in the ground. If they are in pots, you can &quot;plant&quot; the entire pot in the ground for a bit of protection, but that's optional. Note that thyme doesn't do well if it's too wet and that peppermint will die back completely over ground and re-grow from the roots in spring - don't throw the pot out too soon!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just for the sake of completeness: The other two terms are:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;annuals&lt;/strong&gt; - live for one season and&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;biennials&lt;/strong&gt; - grow one season, develop seeds and die in the next season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-11-07T07:08:30.580" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22346" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-07T10:50:39.773" Score="5" ViewCount="1161" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been removing the leafy branches from my tomato plants. Is that wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kYSqg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kYSqg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13384" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-04T07:48:18.267" LastActivityDate="2021-02-04T07:48:18.267" Title="How should I trim my tomato plants?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22347" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22343" CreationDate="2015-11-07T12:52:27.010" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nothing to do with phosphorus levels - the usual explanation is varying exposure. One plant may shield another from the full effects, one might be further into a frost pocket and is thus more exposed than the one next to it, some plants are in a warmer spot to start with (more sun exposure, so the soil is warmer for longer, meaning frost has slightly less impact) or one plant is smaller and less able to cope with the onslaught. Subtle differences in location and size, when frost isn't really extreme, dictate how well a plant copes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Windy conditions usually mean no frost at all, even if the temperature drops down really low. Frost itself flows like water, so lower points suffer more frost than higher parts - even three plants in a row with one further into the lowest point may have different levels of damage. Plants nearest to very open ground (not paved) will feel the effects of frost quicker than plants near buildings or within paved areas, because concrete and stone retain heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anecdotally, my experience here in the UK, at home, is the effect of cold weather on three trees in a row on the front lawn, with one being nearest the open field opposite, and at the other end, nearest the building here. The one nearest the field goes red much earlier than the other three, because its more exposed, even though the trees are only about 8 feet apart, and planted at the same level. Equally, the Virginia Creeper which grows over the garage roofs (a long row of them) turns bright red at the furthest point, away from the buildings, and the nearest parts may not turn red at all, might just wither away, or turn red two weeks later. All down to exposure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-11-07T12:52:27.010" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22348" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22352" CreationDate="2015-11-07T14:57:58.103" Score="4" ViewCount="944" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is the time of year when I start to cut back my rampant grape vines. I usually tie them together and leave them for the birds to nest, but this year I am creating a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%BCgelkultur&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hugelkultur&lt;/a&gt; bed and I was wondering if these long vines would be good for composting. Or anything else. If there or any ideas for using these vines, other than for decoration, I would appreciate suggestions and advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11676" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-16T21:45:37.233" LastActivityDate="2016-04-16T21:45:37.233" Title="Uses for grapevine branches?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;&lt;dead-branch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22349" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22253" CreationDate="2015-11-07T15:08:31.473" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Avocadoes prefer lots of sunlight and do not like to have wet soil. They do not do well in the dry indoors environment of the winter months here in the western hemisphere, but they do survive. Yours looks like it is dropping leaves perhaps because of the low light levels or the coolness of the room? In my experience, keeping them as close as possible to a natural light source will help them to thrive indoors. As you state, they are personable species, and it is disheartening to see them in any kind of trouble. Having said that, I find that all of my avocadoes suffer during the winter months - some die off, and others seem to struggle through until the spring and summer months when they can go outside again and set forth new growth. Perhaps you would be happier if you planted a couple of companions and see which ones do well indoors during the winter. Fortunately they are very easy to grow from the pits!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11676" LastActivityDate="2015-11-07T15:08:31.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22350" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22354" CreationDate="2015-11-07T17:04:26.137" Score="4" ViewCount="4016" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just noticed some orange-like spots on one of the new leaves on my fiddle fig plant. I water it once a week or whenever the dirt is dry. It sits in my window from morning to evening time. Is this a sign of something wrong? What's going on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HGiBU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HGiBU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vNkZU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vNkZU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jv5Z7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jv5Z7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-09T18:15:54.870" LastActivityDate="2015-11-09T18:15:54.870" Title="What are these orange spots on my fiddle fig plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22351" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22350" CreationDate="2015-11-07T17:45:05.370" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like spider mite feeding sites - check the plant closely and thoroughly for evidence of webbing anywhere, use neem oil spray to treat it with. Spider mites like hot and dry conditions - if your plant is above a radiator or heat source, you need to find somewhere else for it. Otherwise, water when the surface of the soil feels just about dry to the touch, water thoroughly and tip away any excess water in an outer pot or tray after 30 minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-11-07T17:45:05.370" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22348" CreationDate="2015-11-07T17:45:14.047" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure, you could put them in as woody material to compost slowly. You could also bundle them and burn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some folks make baskets with them. Depending what you then do with them that could be either practical or decoration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-11-07T17:45:14.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22353" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22348" CreationDate="2015-11-07T18:38:12.440" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A side note re. burning them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A small &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rebenglut.de/produkte/weinreben/weinreben.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;German company&lt;/a&gt; (in German, sorry) sells them as charcoal alternative for grilling. The most important information as per their website and newspaper articles:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They claim that they are ready for grilling (embers) in only five to ten minutes and supply good heat for about twenty minutes. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is said that the smoke is very aromatic and &quot;tasty&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you want to try it yourself, you need to dry the twigs for at least 14 months - so you'd have them for the 2017 barbequeue season.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not all grapes are equally suitable, Chardonnay is said to be best and Riesling a bit hit and miss.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Disclaimer:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I have no affilliation with the company mentioned above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I got a bit curious myself and did a bit more research. It seems in some Spanish regions using the vines for grilling is customary too. The method there is called &lt;a href=&quot;https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuletillas_al_sarmiento&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;al sarmiento&quot;&lt;/a&gt;. And likewise in France, in the regions of Camargue and Languedoc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-11-07T20:48:05.623" LastActivityDate="2015-11-07T20:48:05.623" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22354" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22350" CreationDate="2015-11-07T22:50:06.180" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I took care of a few &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_lyrata&quot;&gt;Ficus Lyrata&lt;/a&gt; when I was an interior landscaper.  Keep in mind this is another &quot;house plant&quot; that can grow to the size of a house (50'+ tall). They have a better appearance if they are grown as a multi stem plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;indoors &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug&quot;&gt;mealy bug&lt;/a&gt;, scale or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrips&quot;&gt;thrip&lt;/a&gt; are the most common problems.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;control of those pests usually involves more than soap and water.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azadirachta_indica#Pest_and_disease_control&quot;&gt;Neem&lt;/a&gt; or even systemics if there is thrip&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bright diffuse indoor light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;provide less water in the fall and winter months&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spots on the leaves are common and seem to be a fungus/virus/bacteria&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;changing watering habits and providing more light allow the plant to outgrow this problem so fungicides or re potting are not required&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;indoor plants rarely fruit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you prune this plant watch for the white sticky sap from any cuts&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-11-07T22:50:06.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22355" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-08T09:52:23.240" Score="3" ViewCount="149" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last summer I decided to grow a tomato plant but I didn't know how to take care of it properly. After 2 months, it had caught early blight fungus. Since I am an amateur gardener, it took me a while to realized that it was fungus and in the mean time other plants were infected as all pots (i grow plants in pots) were adjacent to each other. Some plants such as parsley turned brown (nor early blight) whereas curry plant started to dry out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read that one of the main reasons of fungus is overwatering. But winter is around the corner and this time I want to avoid fungus (lesson learnt). What measures should I take to avoid fungus? I can think of the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Separate pots from each other.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do not overwater plants. Should I cover the plants when it rains for a whole week or more?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seaweed to cover the soil?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastActivityDate="2015-11-16T15:26:30.813" Title="How to avoid fungus in a rainy season?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22270" CreationDate="2015-11-08T10:09:57.300" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;After loads of research I found out that the brown coloration (as shown in the second picture) is due to corking. Corking is a natural aging process of cacti. Corking always starts from the base of the cactus and moves upward.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read more : &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/info_8266680_cactus-turning-brown.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ehow.com/info_8266680_cactus-turning-brown.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cactiguide.com/cactipests/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://cactiguide.com/cactipests/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastActivityDate="2015-11-08T10:09:57.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22357" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-08T13:02:06.980" Score="7" ViewCount="104" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an old Silver Maple tree in my front yard. Can I just rake the leaves to a bunch under the tree trunk, without mulching?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will it have a similar fertilizing effect to mulched leaves, or will it just be frozen garbage during winter/thawed garbage during spring/dead lawn patch during summer? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13395" LastEditorUserId="13395" LastEditDate="2015-11-08T14:01:35.283" LastActivityDate="2015-11-09T14:53:58.227" Title="Are unmulched leaves any good for my tree?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22357" CreationDate="2015-11-08T14:20:21.950" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In order for them to provide useful nutrients the next season they need to be chopped.  A lawnmower or leaf blower that will inhale and shred leaves works great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I pile six inches of shredded leaves on garden beds in the fall and it's gone by late spring.  Thank you worms!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This does not work on grass which can only take a thin skim of shredded leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-11-08T14:20:21.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22359" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22362" CreationDate="2015-11-08T20:49:42.110" Score="3" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing radicchio from seed for the first time and am worried about its germination. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I start the seeds in soil or soak them first? Also, would it be recommended to place the pot under grow lamps indoors during the germination period or only after they have sprouted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, if I would like 18 plants to grow successfully, how many seeds should I plant? (ie what is the ratio of seed to successful plant)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*Everything will be grown indoors with access to grow lamps at a temperature around 18-22 degrees Celsius&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*Any watering/general tips welcomed &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13398" LastEditorUserId="13398" LastEditDate="2015-11-09T04:43:22.910" LastActivityDate="2015-11-09T14:50:23.623" Title="Radicchio/Chicory from Seed" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4020" CreationDate="2015-11-09T03:46:38.250" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some thistle produces artichokes, a fairly costly treat, with a flavor and consistency that is, by my palate, worth the expense. If you can get an artichoke thistle (Cynara scolymus) to thrive in Ohio, by all means keep it. The down side is that your plant, at this stage may be indistinguishable from star thistle (Cynara cardunculus), which has an edible stalk. Problem arise because Yellow star thistle is monsterously invasive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It came to Northern California uplands in the late '60's &amp;amp; early '70's, when the timber and cannabis industries used river silts to build a base (road bed) for freshly cut roads  Within two years the thistle was too thick to traverse the land a quarter mile to each side of the effected roads. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Point is to watch the flower development; if it's yellow, great care must be taken to avoid unwanted propagation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13400" LastActivityDate="2015-11-09T03:46:38.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22361" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22357" CreationDate="2015-11-09T04:01:52.327" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Given that your tree would probably prefer not to have grass over its roots, and unshredded leaves would be its natural mulch in the forest, your tree would probably be happy, but if having grass under it is important to you, you would not, unless you can accept a circle of &quot;not lawn&quot; under the tree. If you can, it will turn into leaf mold in about 3 years, or faster (and with less blowing around) if shredded.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-11-09T04:25:34.187" LastActivityDate="2015-11-09T04:25:34.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22362" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22359" CreationDate="2015-11-09T14:50:23.623" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well soaking seed can help the germination rate of just about anything when the seeds won't get lost or gummed up in the water, but it's also usually not necessary unless you have old seeds and you need maximum output. You can also soak seeds between the folds of a wet paper towel and you can measure your germination rate by planting 10 seeds in the paper towels and count how many sprout.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I would just sow 2 or 3 seeds in each &lt;em&gt;space&lt;/em&gt; whatever that space may be whether in rows in a box or in peat pots or regular 12 inch terra cotta pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the seedlings have grown enough to know which are the strongest of each &lt;em&gt;space&lt;/em&gt;, cull out the ones you aren't going to keep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most store bought seeds have a good germination rate, so you don't usually need to over do it unless your seeds are old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-11-09T14:50:23.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22363" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22357" CreationDate="2015-11-09T14:53:58.227" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaf mulch works great. They'll start to decompose on the bottom layers, and especially during the winter when they are weighed down by the snow. Just keep piling them up there each year and make sure you wet them down really well so they don't blow away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-11-09T14:53:58.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22364" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22342" CreationDate="2015-11-09T15:10:16.657" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The north face of any mountain is a likely candidate location to fill these requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The north side of a house may also be just what you need to experiment on the small scale for the first year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-11-09T15:10:16.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22365" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22366" CreationDate="2015-11-09T15:33:20.420" Score="6" ViewCount="2649" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew some tarragon this year, but didn't have the opportunity to use it until a couple weeks ago. However during harvest I didn't get the licorice smell, so I crushed it and still no smell. I chewed a tiny bit of it between my front teeth and spit it out, but it tasted like plain green leaf, like grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did I get a tasteless lookalike or did I somehow not give it what it needs to have any flavor?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I say tasteless, I mean there was no way to tell at all that this wasn't just a tasteless weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For all other intents and purposes though, it sure looked just like the tarragon I used to grow years ago. Maybe I'll take a picture tonight and add it to the question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;New update 3/30/2016:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ok so after last fall's discussion and this being a new spring, I did my research and made sure that I would get French tarragon for my herb gardens this spring. I was looking for sources for plants but all the nurseries are saying not for several more weeks. I am thinking to myself why? It is supposed to be a cool weather plant, but ok. So I go to Home Depot, by some root hormone and off the the grocery store where I can buy fresh sprigs of tarragon. I buy to boxes giving me about 20 sprigs to play with as cuttings. I put them in a bucket of water to make sure they can get rehydrated after being in a plastic tube for too long...the next day they look chipper. I get to cutting them up and defoliating the stems and I thought, I'll try one of these leaves and feel good about that nice anise flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No taste, again. Ok maybe a touch of taste, but not at all what I remember and this time from a sprigs sold as French tarragon in the produce section of the grocer for use in food. Listen I am not looking for an herb that's as strong as licorice candy, that's not the problem, the problem is I can barely tell if these leaves have any anise taste at all to them. I even balled up several leaves and chewed them up...nothing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So now I am getting frustrated. And I am looking all over the web trying to find some hint of why, and I run into something I hadn't expected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this question and the comments to answers, I mention tiny yellow flowers. Well when I found pictures of Russian tarragon flowers, well they didn't look all that tiny, and to be quite honest they didn't look anything like the flowers I remembered. So I looked at some more tarragon flower pictures until I found what I had...it looks like what I had been growing all those years ago, may have been Mexican tarragon which is actually a variety of marigold. That explains why I was able to grow nice flavorful tarragon from natural reseeding. It also explains why I was able to grow it all year long even in the Florida summer. It is considered and &lt;em&gt;acceptable&lt;/em&gt; substitute, but that really leaves me wondering. That tarragon was very strong licorice flavored, and none of these artemisia tarragons seem to have any flavor at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I missing something here? Should I really be looking for Mexican tarragon for the &lt;em&gt;real&lt;/em&gt; tarragon flavor? That kinda throws me for a purist loop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update 3/20/2019 -- Haha, I forgot about this question. So as it turns out, I helped Stop And Shop discover they were getting russion tarragon delivered as french tarragon. Once that was solved and they got a new shippment in, I was able to produce the cuttings I mentioned above. They've lived in pots the last two years and were put in the ground next to my foundation on the south facing side of the house this past fall. I am hoping they made it through the winter so I am not rooting out cuttings from the grocery store again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2019-03-20T21:04:25.713" LastActivityDate="2019-03-20T21:04:25.713" Title="UPDATE: Is there a tarragon lookalike OR can tarragon be flavorless?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="22366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22365" CreationDate="2015-11-09T15:58:49.190" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;There absolutely is a tasteless tarragon. It's usually called Russian Tarragon. The plant that you want for cooking is French Tarragon. Russian tarragon grows from seed and reseeds itself easily. French tarragon does not, so you will need to purchase a plant from a nursery or get a cutting or division from a friend. Tarragon is often mislabeled, so I would definitely taste a leaf off a plant before buying it to make sure I was getting a properly labeled one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-11-09T15:58:49.190" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22367" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22355" CreationDate="2015-11-09T18:48:44.130" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The number one reason for disease spreading is growing in close quarters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spread your plants out so they aren't growing together or touching one another and so that air can freely blow between them. This will help keep the humidity down in proximity to your plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During the rainy season, remove any feeders or saucers from underneath your pots so the water can drain out. Also, since you have this seasonal problem, you may wish to use a soil that drains better and doesn't hold onto so much water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2015-11-16T13:50:09.073" LastActivityDate="2015-11-16T13:50:09.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13626" CreationDate="2015-11-10T04:24:23.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This an immature &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_fir&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Douglas fir (&lt;em&gt;Pseudotsuga menziesii&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; &amp;mdash; which is not a true fir &amp;mdash;  cone recognizable by its pitchfork bract. It is not a pine, but a monospecies.            &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13402" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-11-10T15:09:59.697" LastActivityDate="2015-11-10T15:09:59.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22371" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22372" CreationDate="2015-11-10T09:00:59.780" Score="4" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;This spring, I bought little chrysanthemums (mums) of different shapes and colors at a neighborhood market. They have developed very well and now (in autumn) blossom in beautiful colors, e.g. yellow-with-white-margin and purple-with-yellow-center.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I go about subdividing these by now mature plants similar to how the person whom I bought the seedlings from presumably did last autumn or this spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-11-10T15:01:46.237" LastActivityDate="2015-11-10T15:06:50.253" Title="How do I subdivide mature chrysanthemums?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22372" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22371" CreationDate="2015-11-10T15:06:50.253" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mums respond well to being divided, but you should wait until spring to do so. For now, leave the mums as-is. Since you live in a climate with a true winter, I would not recommend cutting the plants back this fall. Simply let them die back. After the ground has started to freeze, you can add mulch (straw, leaves, pine branches - whatever you have) to protect them for the winter. The mulch stays in place better when the plant has not been cut back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the spring, remove the mulch. I cut mine back as soon as new growth starts to show. That is also when you can divide them. Dig up each plant with a sharp spade. You should be able to see clumps within the root mass. Pull or cut the clumps of roots apart, and replant each clump separately with the crown right at or just below the soil level. Water them well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my climate, it is a bit hit-or-miss as to whether hardy mums make it through the winter at all. About half of them seem to make it, regardless of where they are planted in the yard. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-11-10T15:06:50.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22373" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22374" CreationDate="2015-11-10T18:47:52.770" Score="4" ViewCount="411" Body="&lt;p&gt;This spring I bought a small kaffir lime plant (too small to call it a tree yet) for future use of the leaves in the kitchen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It spent a happy summer in his pot outside, but now winter is approaching and it needs to be moved indoors. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have literally decades of experience with a common lemon tree, but that specimen is so large, old and hardened off, it lives outside unless night temperature threatens to drop below -4°C (25°F). I don't trust the kaffir baby to be this resilient yet, so it has to come inside soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will provide the brightest, yet coolest spot available, possibly supply additional lighting, water carefully and generally keep an eye on it in case it brought any pests inside that escaped close examination. It will be moved outside whenever weather permits - especially during frost-free periods. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Are there any special requirements for a Kaffir Lime that are different from a regular lime? What would be a reasonable temperature threshold, given the fact that it is only about a foot high and still in a smallish pot? I know that mature lemon trees in Italy occasionally get snowed upon and so did ours without any ill effects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To give you an idea about size: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VFBCY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Kaffir Lime&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-20T23:47:33.430" LastActivityDate="2017-02-20T23:47:33.430" Title="How should I overwinter Kaffir Lime indoors?" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22374" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22373" CreationDate="2015-11-10T19:46:49.370" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a key lime that I am overwintering for the second year this winter. Our winters are consistently below freezing for months straight, so there is no question of keeping it outside. I keep it in a south-facing window and water it once a week during the winter. Our house is kept at 68F during the day and 62F at night. It does beautifully under these conditions, and I would expect a kaffir lime would do as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-11-10T19:46:49.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22375" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23366" CreationDate="2015-11-11T07:58:38.210" Score="5" ViewCount="40669" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two weeks ago, I bought this outdoor flower plant to brighten up my herb garden. I don't know the name of the plant and I had put it outdoors.The plant is exposed to full sun for 6-7 hours. Sadly, the leaves look like they are dying. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, after buying this plant, it had rained for the whole week but contrary this week is hot (it is around 22 Degrees Celsius). I checked the plant today and soil was slightly dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you think that this plant dying? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Brwb4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Brwb4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W8pgw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W8pgw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Just discovered the plant's name thanks to @Stephie...Yipiiiii&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastEditorUserId="13172" LastEditDate="2015-11-11T08:07:13.400" LastActivityDate="2018-05-06T14:45:25.660" Title="Is my Marigold plant dying?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22375" CreationDate="2015-11-11T14:31:16.733" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tagetes, yes, commonly known as French Marigold. Just looks as if its been in hot sun (which it likes) but has dried out too much while it was in hot sun, so the leaves have been frazzled and have wilted. Can't tell what size pot they're in, maybe they need more root room or need to be planted into the ground. They don't like being left with wet roots either, so although they need adequate water, they shouldn't be left with the bottom of the pot sitting in water. They are only half hardy annuals anyway, so aren't expected to survive for longer than a few months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-11-11T14:31:16.733" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22377" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22382" CreationDate="2015-11-11T16:06:09.607" Score="5" ViewCount="410" Body="&lt;p&gt;I ran into a picture of an aquarium that I plan on buying and it contains a type of plant that I've never seen before. I really like it. Does anyone know what it is, or can anyone recommend a similar plant to me?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oxk77.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oxk77.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7112" LastActivityDate="2015-11-12T19:16:38.990" Title="What's this submerged, lelly like plant that propagates sideways called or what are similar plants" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22378" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22375" CreationDate="2015-11-11T22:02:58.540" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts, growing zone 6a, and have a lot of experience with marigolds, grown from seeds, seedlings, or mature plants. I like them for the wide variety of colors and sizes, and because the chipmunks and rabbits don't eat them! Best of all, I find them very forgiving, willing to tolerate all kinds of conditions, including large changes in temperature and humidity. In our area, they have a very long growing season. Mine bloom from late spring, about 60° Fahrenheit, through the summer, which can go as high as 100°, all the way until after the first frost. They're the easiest plants I have, and although I don't know your weather conditions, I hope that once yours perk up a bit, you'll find them fun and easy too!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't believe your plants are dying, but you've asked the question at a perfect time in order to prevent that. They're suffering a bit, but I've had some look a lot worse for many weeks, only to come back stronger and last longer after making a few adjustments to their care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pick off the large flowers. The plant is using energy to keep them blooming. Once it feels better, it will reward you with a new and more profuse crop. Using a sharp knife or garden shears, cut them all the way back to where the stem meets the stalk. That's called the joint, and the new flowers emerge from there, so be careful not to go too far. Don't throw them out! They'll keep their color and pretty scent for ten days or so in in a small vase or cup of water, either outside or in. Leave the plump unopened buds alone, I see healthy flowers inside. If, after a week or two, they completely shrivel up, gently remove them as you did with the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I completely agree with Bamboo. You're providing the right amount of sun, but they can dry out quickly in the heat. That's probably what's going on, as one of the first symptoms is those curling leaves. As she said, they can be finicky about water, needing regular watering, but not liking wet roots. Make sure your pots have good drainage, and water them small amounts frequently. You can put saucers under the pots to catch runoff, just empty them if they start to overflow. Don't worry if marigolds end up in a big rain, though. They'd rather be too wet than too dry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're going to keep them in pots, try to avoid clay or ceramic, as those dry out extremely quickly, especially in the sun, and require a light watering pretty much every day. As for a growing medium, I use a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miraclegro.com/smg/goprod/miracle-gro-moisture-control-potting-soil/prod70262&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Moisture Control Potting Soil&lt;/a&gt; made specifically to keep all of your annuals from being too wet or too dry. If you have access to a similar type of product, I recommend it. It also contains food which can increase the size. If not, any potting soil will do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Marigolds do like some space for the roots, deeper being a little better than wider. Lack of room can impede both drainage and growth. To check to see if the pot's big enough, look at the bottom. If there are any roots pushing out through the drain holes, or if you can see tangles of roots, that means it's root bound, and needs a larger home. They're extremely easy to transplant, from pot to pot, or pot to ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, I don't know anything about fungus, so I'll leave that to the experts. I do hope they're just going through a rough patch, and will recover very soon and thrive for a long time! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-11-11T22:02:58.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22380" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-12T12:12:13.367" Score="8" ViewCount="724" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm eyeing a 50-acre property to plant fruit trees and vegetables.  There is a rather ideal property that is overgrown with thistles feet tall.  We are talking about 50 acres of this stuff.  Before I buy, I want to know if there is any way to get rid of this weed once and for all...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pliEI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pliEI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pasture with thistle&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13410" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-11-13T11:51:07.493" LastActivityDate="2015-11-20T21:55:09.943" Title="Is it possible to get rid of 50 acres of weed (thistles)?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22380" CreationDate="2015-11-12T14:53:09.457" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check with the local agricultural extension office. &lt;em&gt;e.g.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agrisk.umn.edu/cache/ARL02967.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.agrisk.umn.edu/cache/ARL02967.htm&lt;/a&gt; They can be managed, but effort is required and management varies with the exact type of thistle as well as your personal choices (such as herbicides or not, though many are actually quite hard to kill with herbicides alone.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your 50 acres is surrounded by more thistle-infested lands, re-infestion by seeds from neighboring lands will be an ongoing issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-11-12T14:53:09.457" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22377" CreationDate="2015-11-12T18:22:21.043" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure its Hydrocotile verticillata, sometimes commonly known as Money Plant - if you want to know about other plants suitable for aquariums, just look up 'aquarium plants', or 'aquatic plants suitable for aquariums'. And don't forget that some plants won't grow in warm aquariums (for tropical fish) and others won't grow too well in cold water ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-11-12T19:16:38.990" LastActivityDate="2015-11-12T19:16:38.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22384" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22386" CreationDate="2015-11-13T23:46:24.990" Score="3" ViewCount="522" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a fig tree that is covered in these strange pests. They appear to be live organisms, but they don't move.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could these be and how can I deal with them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7gpSU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7gpSU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-06-03T00:37:04.227" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T00:37:04.227" Title="What is this pest attacking a fig tree?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;figs&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22384" CreationDate="2015-11-14T02:19:17.630" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The brown dots are an advanced infestation of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;scale&lt;/a&gt;.  This is not the &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/scales/fig_wax_scale.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;fig scale&lt;/a&gt; which looks pinkish and has an unusual shape but a more common variety.  This is a common pest and regardless of the species control is the same. The white dots could be young scale or whitefly attracted by the sticky sap the scale excretes. You can learn more from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=scale&quot;&gt;this link&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mix five ml of dish soap in one litre of water, a few ml of baby oil or mineral oil or isopropyl alcohol is optional.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rinse a disposable cloth or soft scrubby in the mix&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;gently scrub off the scale from all surfaces (branches and leaves, top and bottom)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repeat at five to seven day intervals for at least three times&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-11-14T02:19:17.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22387" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-14T05:33:00.230" Score="9" ViewCount="15261" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in western South Australia (Mediterranean climate with sandy, pH neutral soils). I turned over the vegetable garden (history unknown) in August/September, adding Dynamic Lifter for vegetables, and planted in late September (spring). We then had the hottest October on record. I have nurtured the plants through an extreme weevil and earwig infestation and also have no shortage of slaters and millipedes. The surviving plants are small and multi-branched but now my ‘peppers’ new leaves are deformed. Tomatoes and eggplant are OK. The capsicums are in the ground, the chillies in large pots in a mix of garden soil, potting mix, composted cow poo with Dynamic Lifter and pea straw mulch. I water every 2-3 days or daily in the heat (35+ &amp;deg;C) and apply Seasol &amp;amp; Powerfeed fortnightly. Both have just started flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know there are numerous posts on this but nothing that shows a problem the same as this. The largest capsicum is 35 cm high, it looks wilted but shouldn’t be as it gets watered enough. The new leaves cup upward in the middle, the outer edges roll in, the centre vein squiggles, there are small bugs on the underside and something in the stem ‘forks’ that looks like small grains of salt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anybody out there recognise this and have management ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PBz2w.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PBz2w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iCi34.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iCi34.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oGTeg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oGTeg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c8Pzo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c8Pzo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bug&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ahp74.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ahp74.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13419" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-11-15T03:58:50.070" LastActivityDate="2020-03-06T21:08:20.993" Title="What is causing curled and deformed capsicum and chilli leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22389" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22394" CreationDate="2015-11-15T12:14:56.260" Score="3" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found numerous suggestions for plants that clean the air in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1283/suggestion-for-houseplants-that-can-clean-the-air&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the plants mentioned is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephrolepis_exaltata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the boston fern&lt;/a&gt;. I have many ferns growing in our backyard, and managed to cultivate a few quite easily. However, I'm not sure that it's the right kind of fern. How can I be sure? Is this, in fact, the boston fern?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kD0ke.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kD0ke.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my fern&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1239" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-11-15T15:59:29.510" Title="Is this the air-cleaning fern?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22390" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-15T14:51:24.773" Score="4" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have skunks digging up my lawn.  One solution indicates spray 1C castor oil, mixed with 1C dish detergent in a gallon of water.  Would that concentration kill the grass especially since it is mixed with another solution (castor oil)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13423" LastActivityDate="2015-12-15T20:32:54.250" Title="skunk deterrent using dish detergent" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22391" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22395" CreationDate="2015-11-15T15:08:42.853" Score="8" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if these plants will last another two weeks to Thanksgiving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in northern Vermont and the gardening season is well over.  We turned over and composted the beds, and have had many frosts by now.  Yesterday there were the first snow flurries of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We took out most of the plants other than kale, brussel sprouts and the leeks and have been enjoying them right up to now without any apparent problems. But this is the first time the ambient air temperature has been around freezing during the day (upcoming weather below).  As we transition from fall to winter, will these three vegetables be ok for another two weeks?  And if not, what is the best way to try to make them last to thanksgiving?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A9aN0.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A9aN0.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastEditorUserId="10945" LastEditDate="2015-11-15T15:23:04.067" LastActivityDate="2015-11-21T19:53:17.913" Title="Just *how* hardy are leeks, kale and brussel sprouts?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;&lt;plant-hardiness&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22389" CreationDate="2015-11-15T15:59:29.510" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would appear to be a variety of Nephrolepis, but I'm not sure its actually the Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata bostoniensis) - it looks rather more like Nephrolepis cordifolia, though it seems to be a darker green than usual. Either way, both these ferns are listed as good at cleaning up air indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-11-15T15:59:29.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22391" CreationDate="2015-11-15T17:17:33.883" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;They really are remarkably hardy, though that can also be enhanced somewhat if you toss some row cover over them, or straw (leaves also work and may be easier to lay your hands on a supply of) around the leeks. It also helps (with the non-leeks, at least) to harvest when the air temperature is above freezing (even if they have been frozen) at least according to Eliot Coleman (I personally admire their hardiness but cannot find it in me to like them much, though that may change if I convert them into sauerkale or sauersprouts, since I don't like cabbage, either, but I like sauerkraut just fine. So I don't have much personal experience with picking them - but I've seen them look happy in the snow in January.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-11-15T17:39:30.223" LastActivityDate="2015-11-15T17:39:30.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22396" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-15T18:24:09.277" Score="5" ViewCount="158" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hello. I am writing from the San Fernando Valley, in Southern California where the temperatures vary from 48F at night to 85F during the day this time of the year.  I have a 35 year old Ficus outside in my patio in a large pot. Its physical spot hasn't changed in the past 20 years.  About two years ago it was affected with the White Fly disease. It almost lost all of its leaves :(   I treated it with &quot;Bayer Advanced Tree &amp;amp; Shrub Protect &amp;amp; Feed&quot; and thank god it came back :).  However, in the past month,  it has been losing an unusual number of leaves again.  These are older leaves as well as brand new baby leaves.   I figured this time, I won't wait till the tree is almost bare before I ask for help!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have noticed that there are needle-point size white spots all around the outer edge of the most newer leaves...  I also found one leaf that had lots and lots of white scars on it.   Please see attached pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice would be highly appreciated.  Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13425" LastActivityDate="2015-11-15T18:37:14.930" Title="needle-point size white spots all around the outer edge of Ficus leaves" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2015-11-24T23:57:30.267" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22398" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22401" CreationDate="2015-11-15T18:32:51.143" Score="6" ViewCount="6146" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in southern New Hampshire and I planted a bunch of spring bulbs in late September after it finally cooled down.  However, we've had quite a warm fall since then.  Today I noticed that I've got a lot of shoots coming up from the flower bed and I'm wondering if I should do anything to the bulbs to ensure that they will come up in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I couldn't find much of anything on the internet as it all seemed to be january/february thaw and was hoping to get some insight into this wonderful phenomenon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bed contains dutch iris, daffodils, tulips, and crocus.  I think it's the daffodils or tulips coming up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3529" LastEditorUserId="3529" LastEditDate="2015-11-16T11:53:19.290" LastActivityDate="2020-11-24T11:10:57.067" Title="Newly Planted Spring Bulbs Coming up in november" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22400" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22390" CreationDate="2015-11-15T19:49:32.457" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Crikey, I've thrown away my old jug with fluid ounces marked on it, everything I possess for measuring liquids is in litres.... but it seems as if what you're proposing means there will be just over 7 parts water to castor oil and washing up liquid combined, assuming you mean, by gallon, the American liquid gallon. I'm not sure what effect it will have on the grass, but people do use these sorts of combinations on lawns for attempting to prevent mole invasions, so I imagine it can't do much harm. I wouldn't recommend applying it regularly though, but a one off is probably fine. I guess you could do a test patch, but you'd have to leave it a few months to see what happened over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-11-15T19:49:32.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22398" CreationDate="2015-11-15T19:55:43.840" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's nothing you can do - we're in the same boat here in the UK, lots of people saying their new bulb plantings are showing growth already, although more mature plantings aren't. The cause is fluctuating weather conditions - cooler weather when planted, with warmer weather arriving a few weeks later, which starts the growth cycle. Usually its the daffodils that do this, but they just sit tight, not moving, once the weather gets colder and continue growing in spring. If it stays very mild or warm, they may actually produce a flower or two now, but that's really quite unusual. A bit of snow cover helps to protect them, but don't cover them with anything yourself - this will only keep the soil warmer and may encourage further growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-11-15T19:55:43.840" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22402" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-15T21:56:35.023" Score="2" ViewCount="35" Body="&lt;p&gt;I brought this plant a while back, but I lost the name tag. It's supposed to grow well in less lighted areas, and it's supposed to generate lots of oxygen. &#xA;Recently, after moving it in a new pot, it started growing large stalks which seem to be tough as wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BTiZN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BTiZN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;branches&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WiFNx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WiFNx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;entire plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13428" LastEditorUserId="13428" LastEditDate="2015-11-15T22:37:12.143" LastActivityDate="2015-11-15T22:37:12.143" Title="What is this plant with long leaves growing tough green stalks?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2015-11-15T22:36:17.417" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22403" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22430" CreationDate="2015-11-15T22:15:16.043" Score="5" ViewCount="412" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts, zone 6a. Last June, I saw these plants on a clearance table of mixed annuals, none of which had name tags. They were already in bloom. The colors of both the leaves and the flowers were different from my other annuals, so I bought a few. I planted them in sunny spots around the yard, where they've been blossoming happily, with very little care, in all types of weather, including temperatures as high as 100°F. Since they're among the very few things still flowering after the frost, I'd definitely like to get some more next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are also a good choice because, except for a few nibbles, they're of very little interest to the chipmunks, rabbits, squirrels and other creatures with whom they share space. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The base is a few inches around, and has very narrow, pointy, gray/green leaves, spreading more wide than tall. The rust colored flowers are on 3&quot; - 4&quot; stems, and each bloom lasts a number of weeks. The flowers have little, if any, scent. An interesting feature is that they close up in the evening, and re-open when the sun comes up. On cloudy days they never fully open.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are pictures I took November 15. This flower looks a bit rough, but it's been there for over a month, and we've had two frosts this week! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: In response to comments, I changed the images to some that I hope are less blurry! The flower finally died last night so I couldn't take new pictures. I'm hoping the close-ups of the base will give some insight, since the leaves change dramatically in color and texture as they grow, on both the back and front. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I added pictures of just the leaves, although the quality's rather poor. The full page views look a bit better. The gray fuzz that covers about 2/3 of the front peels off easily. I don't know if the ends were always dark green, or if they grew beyond the fuzzy stage. The entire length of the backs are smooth. Also, the leaves have very small prickles along the edges.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for full size.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HvcQr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HvcQrm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S2Icz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S2Iczm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hJeWH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hJeWHm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lVayi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lVayim.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/htlU2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/htlU2m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;front of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FlXnK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FlXnKm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;backs of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-20T21:41:58.770" LastActivityDate="2016-07-15T18:22:42.617" Title="What is this small annual with narrow gray/green leaves and rust colored daisy-type flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22404" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-16T01:22:09.597" Score="6" ViewCount="595" Body="&lt;p&gt;This popped up in the garden. I'm not sure what it is or whether or not I want to keep it. Can anyone tell me what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aI1Fw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aI1Fw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13430" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-20T17:11:17.533" LastActivityDate="2015-11-20T17:11:17.533" Title="What is this plant with large bright green hairy seed pods and small flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22405" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-16T02:18:49.883" Score="7" ViewCount="488" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll be moving to the Seattle area in a few weeks and am starting my garden planning. The house we're buying has a small, shaded front yard with a large tree in it surrounded by about a ground cover of a few hundred square feet of English ivy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Living in the Northeast, I've always hated the invasive pest that is English ivy. I'd like to replace it, probably with another shade-tolerant ground cover--I'm thinking of trying lingonberries, but I'd even prefer pachysandra to the ivy--at least the pachysandra won't climb my walls and poke through my basement windows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first step, though, is removing the ivy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Short of (1) digging through the whole patch pulling up every piece of root and throwing it in the trash, or (2) soaking the whole yard in glyphosate every day for a month, is there any way to get rid of the stuff?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like ivy doesn't like alkaline soil--would digging it out and liming the soil stop it from coming back? And if so, how quickly could I then dig in some sulfur to get back to a low, lingonberry-friendly pH?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If possible, I'd prefer solutions that would let me dig up one patch at a time, so I'm not left with completely bare soil (and an invitation to weeds) until I get the whole front planted with something else. But with how fast ivy spreads, I know that might not be realistic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So who's done it? Who's killed off their ivy, and how did you do it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13426" LastActivityDate="2015-11-16T17:12:22.227" Title="How can I kill English ivy?" Tags="&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;&lt;english-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22407" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22404" CreationDate="2015-11-16T06:42:19.443" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a little hard to tell from the photo, but it looks to me like it is a type of milkweed called balloonplant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://monarchbutterflygarden.net/milkweed-plant-seed-resources/asclepias-physocarpa/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://monarchbutterflygarden.net/milkweed-plant-seed-resources/asclepias-physocarpa/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ETA: Depending on your location, this plant could be invasive. It is impossible to know whether it is a problem without knowing where you are. It is a milkweed, though, so offers the same benefits to monarchs as other plants in the milkweed family. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2015-11-16T18:10:26.407" LastActivityDate="2015-11-16T18:10:26.407" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22408" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-16T08:42:26.107" Score="4" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a chinese elm bonsai plant. I used to keep in indoors for the winters, but this year we have moved and I don’t think we’ll have enough sunlight during the winter inside the house, so I decided to leave the plant outside for the winter. The plant was outside from the spring. Now the autumn is in full swing and all the trees here are almost without leaves, but my elm doesn’t seem to shed its leaves at all. This troubles me, as the temperatures will drop soon and the tree can’t stay outside with the leaves still on. What should I do? Should I take it inside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="170" LastActivityDate="2015-11-16T15:24:04.100" Title="Bonsai not shedding leaves in autumn" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22409" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-16T09:47:13.253" Score="6" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some time ago I planted the dwarf (M27) apple tree shown and described in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/21913/dwarf-apple-tree-in-heavy-clay&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; question.&#xA;At the time of planting, I am afraid I didn't dig a very wide hole, just twice the lateral size of the pot in which it came in. &#xA;Also, the soil here is very heavy clay, therefore I am seriously worried that the tree's roots might be girdling in the future, just moving in circles in the clay &quot;prison&quot;. The tree is grafted on a dwarfing rootstock M27, and when I planted it (1 month ago) it was 2-year old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What are symptoms that can tell me if the roots are girdling?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to actively check? And what would be the best season to do that?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2015-11-16T17:15:56.793" Title="How to understand if my tree's roots are girdling" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22408" CreationDate="2015-11-16T13:54:58.837" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;From Wikipedia page on Chinese Elm:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The leathery, lustrous green single-toothed leaves are small, 2–5 cm long by 1–3 cm broad, and often retained as late as December or even January in Europe and North America.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-11-16T13:54:58.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22412" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22409" CreationDate="2015-11-16T14:22:19.703" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well girdling and getting root bound are two different things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Girdling is when the bark is damaged, torn away or constricted so that nutrients can no longer flow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you are describing is being root bound.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my previous location in Iowa in the Mississippi River Valley we had very clayey soil along with a dolomite hard pan just a few feet down. I planted pretty much the way you did, but nearly all of my tree plantings were bare root stock. With these I didn't seem to have a problem with the clay at all. A potted tree that's already root bound before planting in the ground may have difficulty breaking free of the pattern. If you carefully broke up the outside of the root ball and trimmed the roots properly and ensures good root spread during the planting, then I think you should be just fine. You do have trees around you right? So you'll be fine. Once the tree has been in place for a full year is usually when you can stop worrying so much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-11-16T14:22:19.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22409" CreationDate="2015-11-16T15:02:06.993" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Girdling as an expression is used in two ways regarding trees - first is girdling of the trunk deliberately, above ground, often done to kill trees, or inadvertently by leaving ties in place too long; the second is when the roots, or a root, encircle the trunk below ground and gradually strangle it, and that's the form of girdling you're worried about in your situation. It's much better to try to correct any possible problems now, as you've so recently planted, rather than waiting to see symptoms in a few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Link below gives quite a lot of information as to how to plant a tree to try to avoid this form of girdling - in your current circumstances, you've said the soil is heavy clay, and you only dug an area twice the size of the rootball. In the information below, you will see that the most critical thing to make sure of to avoid girdling is the level at which the tree is planted, that is, the rootball must not be planted too deeply. If you have planted it too deeply, you may need to remove it and replant a bit higher.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will likely pay you to immediately rototill (or just dig) the surrounding area where you've planted the tree to a width of 3 or 4 times the size of the existing rootball, given that your soil is heavy clay, possibly compacted, and may be very wet at times. This method is described under Section 2, Modification for Compacted Soils, but its probably worth scanning through the whole document anyway, to check whether you needed to leave the rootball slightly proud of the soil. If you feel you have planted too deeply, its only been a month since you planted and is therefore not too late to take it out and adjust the hole, making it a saucer shape rather than straight sided, as demonstrated in the article. Wider rototilling of the area is best done once the tree is planted anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/633.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/633.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having looked again at your post about this tree back in September, if that's an allotment you've planted it in, it looks as if you have previously dug all the soil over at some point in the last year or months, so I don't think you have a problem unless you planted the tree too low...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-11-16T17:15:56.793" LastActivityDate="2015-11-16T17:15:56.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22414" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22355" CreationDate="2015-11-16T15:17:05.253" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There seems to be a little confusion here - Early (and Late come to that) Blight only affects plants in the Solanaceae family, so peppers, tomatoes, that sort of thing. It would not spread to other, unrelated plants, so your curry plant and parsley were not suffering from this infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, you must dispose of the soil in the pot, and sterilise the pot thoroughly before refilling with clean soil and growing tomatoes again. Keep the tomato plant away from your other potted plants, as far away as possible, it might help, it might not, because the spores of Early Blight live on in the soil, and may already be present in your other potted plants, though not affecting those particular plants. Spores also arrive on wind and in water droplets, so to some extent, Early Blight may still be an issue in succeeding years. Link below gives information to try to prevent or manage this fungal infection&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/718.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/718.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-11-16T15:26:30.813" LastActivityDate="2015-11-16T15:26:30.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22408" CreationDate="2015-11-16T15:24:04.100" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you live in Central Europe, you probably get cold winters, which means your tree cannot stay outside all winter anyway. Chinese elm varies a little in hardiness depending where it was grown in the first place, but all are really only frost hardy to varying degrees and should be removed inside when the weather becomes very cold. And yes, they are late to lose their leaves - more info in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/chinese-elm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/chinese-elm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-11-16T15:24:04.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22416" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22405" CreationDate="2015-11-16T17:05:42.347" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh, dear, I'm sorry to say its a difficult, tedious and time consuming job, but I have done it many times. First you need to cut it right down, then dig each patch, with a bottle of liquid brushwood/stump killer to hand (SBK in the UK, not sure what's available where you are). When you dig, you're digging to expose major and minor roots, and you may need to dig down easily a spade's depth to find bigger roots - those that cannot easily be removed (and most can't) need to be poisoned, so that means either drilling into them to make small wells, or making cuts into them, and carefully applying the (neat or undiluted) brushwood killer into the wells or cuts, preferably without spilling it on the ground. I usually then cover each one with an old flowerpot, and replace the soil over the top on the area when finished. Then you just have to wait for the poison to do its work, leaving at least 4-6 weeks till you attempt to plant anything, longer if you managed to spill the brushwood killer on the soil quite a bit and it doesn't rain much. If you've been careful with it, you can risk planting 3-4 weeks later - I've certainly done that where necessary, but it is better to wait a bit longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may have some difficulty eradicating all of it - the presence of a large tree means a wide root spread in the top foot or two of soil, much of which will be from the tree itself rather than the ivy. Digging those roots extensively may well disrupt the tree, so care should be taken if you want to conserve the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can tell you that regular applications of glyphosate onto the foliage and stems does not work - it knocks out the foliage for a while, but then it just grows back again. Even spray applications of SBK don't work, the only successful method I found over the years was the one I described above. And I live in the UK, where the problem of overgrown ivy is very common, so I've dealt with it often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-11-16T17:12:22.227" LastActivityDate="2015-11-16T17:12:22.227" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22417" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22419" CreationDate="2015-11-16T23:54:36.327" Score="5" ViewCount="111" Body="&lt;p&gt;My plants have started to sprout! They are still short with 2 green leaves. When can I expect a colour change to red leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13398" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T20:17:24.683" Title="When Will Radicchio Leaves Change Colour" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22418" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22424" CreationDate="2015-11-17T02:51:25.127" Score="5" ViewCount="2775" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delonix_regia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;poincianas&lt;/a&gt; in pots that I started from seeds back in early July. In the summer, I kept them outdoors on the balcony and they mostly did quite fine, although later in August, some of the leaves on the lower branches would turn yellow with some areas remaining green, giving the impression of spots. The yellowed leaves also stopped opening up with the sun. I did a little research and discovered that poincianas generally prefer drier soil, so I reduced the amount of water they get.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the weather started to cool, I brought them indoors and put them in a bright and sunny spot. I have been trying to keep them very dry (watering lightly every 2 or 3 weeks), and while plants seem to be growing new leaves (although slower than in the summer), I'm still seeing lower leaves turning mostly yellow and then falling off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I be watering these plants? I'm concerned about under-watering, but it seems that almost any amount of water lately  is over-watering and causing leaves to turn yellow and fall. To be honest, they're not obviously wilted from lack of water, but they're still rather small (they are between 5 and 5.5 inches tall) so I was worried that too little water and they'd die and not recover. How can I safely water them without killing them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The yellowed leaves are mostly on the right here, though you can see that one stem on the left side of the image is developing some yellowed leaves as well, closer to the trunk. The progression of yellowing always starts near the trunk and moves towards the tip.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZjOmB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZjOmB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yellowed leaves mostly on the right side of this image&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Close-up of yellowed leaves.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1s0f5.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1s0f5.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another angle.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5wRO2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5wRO2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13436" LastEditorUserId="13436" LastEditDate="2015-11-18T05:28:46.890" LastActivityDate="2018-10-15T01:12:51.473" Title="Potted poinciana leaves turning yellow" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22419" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22417" CreationDate="2015-11-17T12:47:33.390" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't judge what a plant will be like from the cotyledons, or first set of leaves, they're almost always green - the true leaves will be much more representative, and should show some colour and a different shape. How fast the second set of leaves, and subsequent leaves, will appear is down to how good the growing conditions are (light, temperature, water, etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-11-17T16:58:47.360" LastActivityDate="2015-11-17T16:58:47.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22420" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-11T20:25:42.057" Score="6" ViewCount="32052" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have moved in to a new home and the flower bed is overrun with what looks and smells like mint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/59bGa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I correct in assuming this is an edible mint plant which can be used in cooking? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14299" OwnerDisplayName="Terry" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-11-17T15:35:59.860" LastActivityDate="2021-04-08T20:46:15.117" Title="Is this plant that smells like mint actually a mint?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22421" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22420" CreationDate="2015-11-11T23:21:07.843" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you &lt;strong&gt;really&lt;/strong&gt; want to try to figure out if it is edible or not, you could try this method: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Test-if-a-Plant-Is-Edible&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;How to Test if a Plant Is Edible&lt;/a&gt; (Although in some people even edible mints can cause contact dermatitis (via wikipedia)) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However; also from wikipedia, i believe the poisonous variety mentioned in the comments is mint variety &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perilla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Perilla frutescens&lt;/a&gt; - Which while it appears it is not poisonous to humans, it is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3776081&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;toxic to cattle &amp;amp; horses&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All that said, I'd say go for it &amp;amp; enjoy some mint! (In small quantities at first, by perhaps just chewing the leaf for a bit &amp;amp; spitting it out.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13523" OwnerDisplayName="renesis" LastActivityDate="2015-11-11T23:21:07.843" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22420" CreationDate="2015-11-12T01:51:51.137" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;OK, to put it in an answer format:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha_pulegium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha_pulegium&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedeoma_pulegioides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedeoma_pulegioides&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;are the two best known members of the &quot;mint&quot; family that are downright medicinal/poisonous.&#xA;At least the first is known to cross pollinate readily with edible mints, yielding new varieties that might or might not inherit the poisonous traits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if the species of mint cannot be positively identified - eg by an experienced gardener or botanist, or because the plant is still the same generation as it was intentionally planted as -, consider it unsafe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="rackandboneman" LastActivityDate="2015-11-12T01:51:51.137" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22423" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22420" CreationDate="2015-11-17T16:22:46.130" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant in your picture doesn't look anything like typical mint (Mentha sylvestris varieties); this link shows a typical mint leaf&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pantrygardenherbs.com/shop-for-organic-herbs/mint-varieties/mint-julep-4/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://pantrygardenherbs.com/shop-for-organic-herbs/mint-varieties/mint-julep-4/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That doesn't mean it isn't a form of mint, but its certainly not one I recognise - those tiny, short hairs all over the surface of the leaf and on the base of the leaf stems I've never seen on any variety of mint, though there is supposed to be a variety with some short hairs, just not quite so noticeable as these are. The leaf shape's not typical of mint either, and there's none of the typical crunkled appearance on the leaf surface - but the leaves are opposite and in pairs, which is typical of mint. Can't tell if the stem is square, looks like it might be. The trouble with mint is, there are many varieties which look somewhat different - three illustrated here &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.plantvillage.org/en/topics/mint/infos/diseases_and_pests_description_uses_propagation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.plantvillage.org/en/topics/mint/infos/diseases_and_pests_description_uses_propagation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and your plant looks somewhat etiolated, so there are large gaps up the stem between leaves, not something you'd see in mint usually, although its possible that's a result of low light conditions indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless anyone else ID's it as mint for sure, I'd not risk using it - what would be helpful to see is a photo of it growing outdoors so we can see how its growing in the ground, but I'm guessing that's not an option now its so late in the year. Also, have you ever seen it flower, and if so, what were the flowers like?'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may be Mentha arvensis though, wild mint, but that usually has brown streaking on the stems, slightly less round leaves and short, fine hairs on the edges of the leaves as well as the leaf surface:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/mentha/arvensis/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/mentha/arvensis/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-11-17T16:29:08.333" LastActivityDate="2015-11-17T16:29:08.333" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22424" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22418" CreationDate="2015-11-18T10:47:05.883" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;One problem I see is that the pots are way too big for the size of the plant. When there is a larger mass of soil that the plant has yet to root into the soil will stay damper longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest down potting one into a six inch diameter pot.  If you can get one that is narrow and deeper that would help too.  That style of pot is more suited for your plants which want to be trees.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are providing good light you may have to repot late next year.  You will know the time is right when the soil at the top has roots in it and it dries out quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At that time pop it out make and take a look.  Are the roots going around the exterior of the root ball?  If they are cut them and scarify the root ball with a sharp knife and a series of thin vertical cuts.  Repot one size up and repeat as required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-11-18T10:47:05.883" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22425" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22480" CreationDate="2015-11-18T13:17:02.057" Score="9" ViewCount="278" Body="&lt;p&gt;It has massive green leaves that stay green through out the year, purple flowers in clusters that bloom from early spring through out the summer. And it's in Spain :)&#xA;Any help appreciated!&#xA;Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bWwvT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bWwvT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kMZub.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kMZub.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yWYK4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yWYK4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WYr6A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WYr6A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MbMJm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MbMJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13440" LastEditorUserId="13440" LastEditDate="2015-11-24T08:30:20.403" LastActivityDate="2015-11-25T00:10:37.473" Title="What is this giant prehistoric looking plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22426" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19851" CreationDate="2015-11-18T19:18:54.360" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is your plant being kept indoors? Mint likes plenty of sunshine and humidity. The indoors may not provide enough of either. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10974" LastActivityDate="2015-11-18T19:18:54.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22427" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18053" CreationDate="2015-11-18T19:22:48.140" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can cut Arborvitae back to a growing green shoot. Any further, and the foliage will not grow back. Arborvitae should be pruned back in early spring, not late fall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing that might discourage the deer-and I have seen this work if heavy deer country-is to lay wrinkled chicken wire flat on the ground around the area you are trying to protect. The deer hate putting their feet on the unsteady ground. You need to create a complete moat around your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10974" LastActivityDate="2015-11-18T19:22:48.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22428" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-19T06:14:13.273" Score="7" ViewCount="3014" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it some virus attack which I read on the internet. Please refer to the image.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MRUWa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;yellow patch on cucumber leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance.&#xA;Muddassar&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13442" LastEditorUserId="13442" LastEditDate="2015-11-20T17:19:59.033" LastActivityDate="2015-11-20T17:19:59.033" Title="Cucumber leaves started getting yellow patches" Tags="&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22429" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22428" CreationDate="2015-11-19T10:28:33.760" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not a hundred percent sure, but my guess is downy mildew or maybe cucumber mosaic virus. For cucumber mosaic virus, I don't know if there's any treatment in this generation. Downy mildew tends to cause yellow chlorotic blocky chunks on the leaves of cucumbers like that. Downy mildew prefers moist conditions (unlike powdery mildew, which prefers it dry, according to what I've read).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keeping your plants strong with proper nutrition, and with plenty of light is probably one of the best things you can do. Keep the leaves dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Downy mildew doesn't over-winter where it gets particularly cold (unlike powdery mildew). However, if you don't want to risk problematic infections, you can plant resistant varieties, such as the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reimerseeds.com/little-leaf-cucumbers.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Little Leaf cucumber&lt;/a&gt; (it's also resistant to cucumber mosaic virus).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are treatments for downy mildew, such as neem oil, but neem oil can hurt your pollinators. I imagine there are lots of other things that might work. My plants, which were indoors in a humid environment, had problems similar to this, although it may have just been edema (or both). Whatever the case, giving them extra potassium sulfate, reducing humidity and not crowding them helped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's downy mildew, it'll probably be affecting mostly old growth. I'm not sure, but I imagine cucumber mosaic virus would affect the new growth more readily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, it could be a pest (keep an eye out for small insects on the leaves, or signs of them), but downy mildew or CMV is my current suspicion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-11-19T10:45:08.117" LastActivityDate="2015-11-19T10:45:08.117" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22430" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22403" CreationDate="2015-11-19T11:47:38.383" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Couple of other possibilities - Arctotis hybrida, or Ursinia chrysanthemoides geyeri - the second one has more 'ferny leaves', closer to the leaves in your picture. Its a pity there aren't more leaves to look at for good comparison purposes. Both these plants close in dull conditions and in the evening, in common with many of the South African daisy type plants, in contrast to Gaillardia flowers - some of those close, others don't so much. There is a range of varying colours in both Arctotis hybrida and Ursinia, but all within the yellow/orange/red area, no blues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Arctotis: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensonline.com.au/GardenShed/PlantFinder/Show_1080.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardensonline.com.au/GardenShed/PlantFinder/Show_1080.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ursinia: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.colinpatersonjones.co.za/gallery3/index.php/040909CPJed_MG_4001&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.colinpatersonjones.co.za/gallery3/index.php/040909CPJed_MG_4001&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-11-19T11:53:04.477" LastActivityDate="2015-11-19T11:53:04.477" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22431" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14586" CreationDate="2015-11-20T20:31:20.303" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Saving cucumber seeds is easy.  Save them from what you would consider overipe fruits - that are yellow. Even using ones starting to dry out or rot is OK as long as the rot has not invaded the seed cavity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there is a lot of material on the seeds you can put them through a 'rot' or ferment period, as this will make them easier to separate.  I usually add them to a bit of water in a resealable plastic bag or container with a cover, and wait a few days, then wash them, strain them, and dry on non-absorbent plates in a warm and airy place. If you live in a very humid place you may have to dry them in a  place that is slightly warmer than ambient temps though don't heat too high or they will die (above 120F or so). You can also use silica gel to help bring down the moisture content. Store in a cool dry place.  You can freeze them if dried to between 5 and 7 percent, and they will keep for years. Don't dry on paper or you will have seeds glued to paper. If the seeds are relatively clean you can skip the ferment.  However the ferment will increase germination for some cultivars and it can eliminate some pathogens so some seed savers always do this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;However&lt;/strong&gt;...  You can not harvest seeds from cucumbers and expect them to be true, that is, the same as the parents, unless they are: &lt;strong&gt;Grown in Isolation&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Not Hybrid&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Almost all members of the Cucurbitaceae Family are prolific out-crossers.  They are also monoecious, having separate male and female flowers on the same plant.  Male flowers usually form first, then female flowers.  Bees and other pollinators are very important and cross pollinate from plant to plant. Other cultivars (means cultivated variety, the scientific name for what most people call variety, but which botanical taxonomists use in a different manner) of the same species will easily pollinate another, in fact this is often more common given one cultivar may have more male flowers open and another more female flowers open.  If this happens a hybrid is produced, but not one that you planned on.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With cucumbers you usually will get fairly edible fruits from the cross, though they will not have the same characteristics as the parents. Sometimes a characteristic that is really negative will come out like completely bitter fruit and these are useless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you either must grow them in isolation, which for cukes is 1/2 mile from another cultivar.  I've found this excessive, and probably only necessary for commercial growers.  But you can't have neighbors with lots of cukes either. You can also hand pollinate (a taping and tagging method is not-so-easy but is possible with cucumbers). Alternate day caging is also possible, but again this will not be possible with neighbors growing them, unless you enlist them into your seed saving endeavor. One of the best resources for this is the book: &lt;em&gt;Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners, 2nd Edition&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hybrid Seeds&lt;/strong&gt;: These are from a cross that was planned on.  But the offspring of these plants (the seeds) are different from the parent due to independent assortment and recombination of genes.  This can result in really surprising fruits - especially if one of the parents was close to a wild type plant.  You might be really hard rinds, huge or tiny seed cavities, Strange growth patterns, etc. They are usually edible, but occasionally this is even a problem, and you only get really bitter fruits. That being said, some so-called hybrid seed is not really hybrid, or at least from parents that are not that different, and the offspring of these will be very like the parents.  But you won't know this from the seed package.  You have to wait out the year to see, and even save from year to year, and not many people have the time or space to do this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-20T20:31:20.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22432" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-20T21:47:14.903" Score="3" ViewCount="382" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1SWHA.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1SWHA.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hi, Had this lucky bamboo in a water with stones jar for over 3 years already. I made a terrible mistake of over pruning its babies and regrowing them in another jar. I think I took out 3 pieces out of the course of 1 week. It started turning yellow the week after. Cleaned the water and jar, removed the stone, replaced it in water jar and observed but it seems its not regaining its green color. Yellow going down the stalk. Never had problems in the past years just only when I overpruned them&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question:&#xA; 1. How to save the lucky bamboo?&#xA; 2. the roots combine with another stem (healthy), shall I separate them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13449" LastActivityDate="2015-11-20T21:47:14.903" Title="How to save Lucky bamboo yellow stem due to overpruning HELP" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2015-11-30T15:26:27.843" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22433" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22380" CreationDate="2015-11-20T21:55:09.943" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This applies to the US, if not here, you would need to look for similar organizations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thistles are no more a problem than any other undesirable plant. There are so many species of thistles that you really need to find out which one you have.  From this photo this is not possible (If I knew where and what time of year I may be able to make a good guess). There are ways of getting rid of nearly anything. But I wonder if you looked into even more important aspects of this land.  First, I would see if this property is suitable for what you want to grow. There may be issues with too much water, too little water (or access to irrigation water), alkalinity, salinity, or many other things that would make this property unsuitable for what you want to grow.  The Soil Conservation Service, now the Natural Resource Conservation Service can be very helpful &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/soils/home/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/soils/home/&lt;/a&gt;.  They have soil maps (this is where the old name is important to know) and associated data that will tell you a lot. Some of these are online, some you need to seek out at their offices, which are in many communities where agriculture is carried out. Find out what soil type you have and what is suggested that it can be used for. There is a huge amount of data concerning relevant soils such as suitability for agriculture etc.  If you have difficulty call your local office - that's what they are there for.  The extension service (often called the County Extension Service, for your county) for most states is also very helpful.  There is usually a fruit/orchard specialist as well as horticulturist on the staff or somewhere in your state.  They will usually come out to see the area if you are really serious.  They can tell you how to get rid of the thistles, as well as whatever else you may need to do to grow what you want on the property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-20T21:55:09.943" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19600" CreationDate="2015-11-21T02:28:25.433" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;em&gt;Dasyochloa pulchella&lt;/em&gt;, fluffgrass. &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/rangeplants/htm/fluffgrass&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://extension.usu.edu/rangeplants/htm/fluffgrass&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-21T02:28:25.433" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22437" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20448" CreationDate="2015-11-21T16:55:38.913" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apple Blossom - &quot;Malus domestica&quot; is my best guess.&#xA;There is not really enough info in the photo to distinguish between and apple &quot;Malus&quot; and crabapple &quot;Crataegus&quot;.  However it is more likely an apple blossom due to the color of the blossoms, the apparent arrangement of them (fasciculate  or bundled; rather than corymbose or flat-shaped but starting at different points on the stem), number of stamens and their color, and my guess as to the shape and nature of the leaves in the background.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-21T16:55:38.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22438" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22439" CreationDate="2015-11-21T17:57:55.303" Score="5" ViewCount="371" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have worms growing on some of my plants, mostly those that are indoors. They eat the leaves voraciously. I've noticed them on spider plants and on the plant whose picture I've attached. Once they get big enough I can grab them with something and throw them out, but sometimes I see that leaves are being eaten and can't find them because they're too small. By the time I find them, they're quite big - about an inch long. Normally I only find one or two at this stage, and they don't move often - only if I shake the branch/leaf they're on or touch them with something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are they called? Is there a better way of dealing with them? I've marked them with red ellipses below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nXeHb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nXeHb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Worms, marked with red ellipses&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1239" LastActivityDate="2015-11-21T18:18:12.987" Title="Camouflaged worms on indoor plants" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22439" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22438" CreationDate="2015-11-21T18:18:12.987" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those probably aren't &quot;worms&quot;, but &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometer_moth&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;inchworms&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; or, more precisely &lt;em&gt;caterpillars of geometer moths&lt;/em&gt;. This is a very large family of insects, found in many places of the world. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are easily recognizeable by their characteristic mode of movement: They use only the legs at the front and rear of their body, forming a &quot;loop&quot; like the greek letter &quot;omega&quot;, then stretching again. They often camouflage themselves as &quot;broken twigs&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If only a few caterpillars are present, plants often deal with some loss of foliage well. For heavier infestations, insecticides based on &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis&quot;&gt;bacillus thuringiensis&lt;/a&gt; and some beneficial insects are available. The application is typically recommended in late spring and early summer, while the caterpillars are still small. Larger animals are  easy to pick off, especially if you know how they camouflage...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-11-21T18:18:12.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22440" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22391" CreationDate="2015-11-21T19:53:17.913" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends...  Standard leeks are very hardy.  But there are 'summer leeks' which are not so much. I think if you had those you'd already be seeing a loss in quality. If you know the variety look them up. Mulching them up will help them keep quality and blanch them a bit too - and there should be loads of leave to do this with now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kale is similar.  There are a lot of types of kale.  The old standards types of Russian and Scots' kale are both extremely hardy.  Other types can vary. They salad/young green varieties that have come out more recently are not nearly as hardy. The popular Tuscan kale is pretty hardy, but not as much as the Russian or Scots'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both Kale and Leeks have overwintered here in zone 4-5 conditions for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Brussels Sprouts.  Well, I was going to ask your question about these myself.  I could not find definitive info yesterday...  So I covered them with a cloth mulch last night.  Got down to 19F, but probably colder in my garden ~15F (the thermometer is near the house). Our temps swing hugely day to night, as today it's going to be in the 40's, maybe 50's. They are fine, but were covered.  Regardless they are very hardy.  Incidentally you can pull up the whole plants and keep them in a cold area for a few months according to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.harvesttotable.com/2009/01/how_to_grow_brussels_sprouts/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.harvesttotable.com/2009/01/how_to_grow_brussels_sprouts/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My Portugese cabbage - couve tronchuda also did well - much like a collard, it's an open-headed type. Seemed to do just as well as the Brussels Sprouts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-21T19:53:17.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22441" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3212" CreationDate="2015-11-21T22:14:39.657" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow this beautiful rose, so from personal experience I can tell you that mine is completely thorn less! (I wish all the roses were like this) It grows on one end of a pergola in my rose garden.  You can learn more about this rose here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.allaboutrosegardening.com/Zephirine-Drouhin-Rose.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.allaboutrosegardening.com/Zephirine-Drouhin-Rose.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13452" LastActivityDate="2015-11-21T22:14:39.657" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22443" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-22T06:57:35.237" Score="4" ViewCount="207" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Minnesota and the beginning of winter is starting. I'm trying to get it enough sunlight, I'm kind of thinking that might be the problem. However, now that it's getting into winter the days here are usually overcast and grey most of the time. I've been putting it out for an hour or so each day, but I can't leave it out for much longer because it often drops to like 30 degrees during the day. When it's inside I have it by a large window to get partial sun and we keep the house about a constant 70 degrees. I give my tree water whenever the soil starts to feel just barely damp underneath. But the leaves have started turning a lime green color and then they fall. I'm loosing leaves daily. There are still leaves trying to grow in, but they are a light green. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13454" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T12:52:35.750" Title="I have a bonsai tea tree and I'm concerned because it is dropping leaves and I'm not sure what to do" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;tea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22444" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-22T12:29:58.077" Score="5" ViewCount="217" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I've used a fertilizer named AZOMITE and this year I didn't have much fig-crop (it is fall now where I am). Last year, at this time, I had a lot of figs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anybody know if this fertilizer has a bad effect on it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13456" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-11-23T14:08:55.107" LastActivityDate="2015-11-25T22:19:18.857" Title="Good or bad fertiliser?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22445" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22444" CreationDate="2015-11-22T13:24:02.777" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's neither good nor bad - how effective azomite will be is simply down to the level of trace elements already in your soil. If none is lacking, then its a waste of time and money adding it. It contains no nitrogen or phosphorus, but does contain some potassium - these three are known as NPK and are key ingredients in ordinary fertilizers. The manufacturers of azomite do not recommend, for instance, that farmers stop using their other fertilizers if they use the product - its meant to be an emendment rather than a substitute for fertilization. Whether or not the use of azomite instead of an ordinary fertlizer containing the three key ingredients has contributed to a reduced crop is hard to say - weather conditions (dryness, temperature, etc) will have an impact. On the other hand, if you used ordinary, or more regular, fertilizers in previous years with good results, but only azomite this year, then I suggest you revert to whatever you were using previously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your fig is growing in sandy soil, or in a pot, it will need more fertilizer (something with an NPK of 8-8-8 or 10-10-10) but generally, in good soil, they really don't need too much anyway. Some advice given in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/figs/fertilizing-fig-trees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/figs/fertilizing-fig-trees.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-11-22T14:07:35.943" LastActivityDate="2015-11-22T14:07:35.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22443" CreationDate="2015-11-22T13:41:18.290" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you mean, by Tea tree, Fukien tea, or Carmona microphylla, this particular  one is actually an indoor bonsai. It can be stood outside in a shadyish (dappled shade) spot during the summer if the temperatures get high enough where you are, but should be kept indoors if the temperature outside falls below about 70 deg F. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Indoors, it needs good light, but not direct sunlight during summer in particular, though a little in winter is fine. It likes warm temperatures, around 70 deg F, and does not appreciate draughts, but should not be placed in a window above a heat source (like a radiator) or near any object which produces heat within the home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid your moving it outside for an hour or so daily and then back in won't be helping at all, in fact, its totally detrimental to the plant's health. It needs a settled, warm, bright position, it does not require sun, just bright daylight, should be fed and watered well between spring and early fall, then watered less, but still when required, during late fall and winter, and not fed again until spring. I don't know what your care regime has been regarding feeding, nor how long you've had the plant, but its entirely possible exposure to colder temperatures, and constant transitioning between in and then outdoors, or exposure to sun may have caused the problems you're seeing. More info in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/carmona&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/carmona&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your bonsai is not this particular variety of tree, then we'll need a photograph or the latin/botanical name to give better advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-11-23T12:52:35.750" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T12:52:35.750" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22447" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22450" CreationDate="2015-11-22T15:39:47.010" Score="6" ViewCount="94" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have some thyme in our perennial bed and after seeing that it is quite frost hardy I'm realizing I don't know much about this plant.  Specifically, I'm interested in how best to keep harvesting occasional leaves for cooking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Initially I assumed it was an annual plant, but that appears to be wrong.  I had been considering digging some up and seeing if it survived inside for the winter (it would be nice to have available), but I'm not sure if that would work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A little googling also seems to indicate that it becomes woody after a few years. Will it continue to produce the leaves I need for cooking?  Or should I just replace it with a new plant every year or two?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry for the sprawling question.  The connecting thread is how can I keep this plant in it's most productive form for as much of the year(s) as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T20:20:41.223" Title="Caring for &amp; maintaining thyme" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22449" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22398" CreationDate="2015-11-22T17:11:00.880" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in Massachusetts, and have gone through this many times over the years.  I'm always concerned, especially because I so look forward to those harbingers of spring, and don't want them having nothing left to bloom at the proper time! In general I agree with the advice you've already been given, and have learned from experience that the bulbs will go dormant again on their own when the ground gets colder. However, since most of mine are in the sun, I can slow them down, or prevent new growth, by giving them some shade during the height of the warm sunny days. Both of the following methods work for me:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have a sturdy &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-2478/Store-Operations/Rubbermaid-Step-Stool?pricode=WZ757&amp;amp;gadtype=pla&amp;amp;id=H-2478Q&amp;amp;gclid=CKOU-M6AoskCFYkjgQodTmIIGA&amp;amp;gclsrc=aw.ds&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;small plastic stool&lt;/a&gt; which I use for my gardening. Stand it over the the affected bulbs. The sides are open enough to allow for airflow, but not enough to let in a lot of sun. It weighs very little, so I can easily move it around, then put it away for the winter once the problem is resolved. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can turn a large planting pot upside down and gently place it over your active bulbs. Depending on your situation, one large or a few small pots will do. If it's windy, just put a rock on top. Only do this in extreme situations, and for very short periods of time. Anything that holds in heat may keep the ground warm enough to encourage more growth, which is exactly what you're trying to avoid!  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bulbs are wonderfully resilient. As you said, we in New England got crushed last year! When we had three feet of snow on the ground until far into April, I figured my bulbs would skip the whole season. Happily, the flowers just showed up late, none the worse for wear! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-11-22T17:11:00.880" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22450" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22447" CreationDate="2015-11-22T17:13:00.177" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, there are lots of 'Thymes'.  But the most common culinary thyme is &lt;em&gt;Thymus vulgaris&lt;/em&gt;.  It's a small perennial woody shrub or subshrub (having only some woody stems, near the base), native to the Mediterranean region.  Most cultivars are quite hardy and easy to grow.  They prefer dry conditions, but will tolerate areas with a bit more moisture if given good drainage.  Even though perennial, it is not often long-lived in garden situations, but it is very easy to propagate.  Layering, or simply burying the branches, and allowing them to root, works very well and you can keep thyme going like this for a very long time (no pun intended).  You can also revitalize a bed, by removing, dividing, and replanting it. Thyme requires very little fertilizer and is not that picky about soils, though it does prefer looser well-drained areas. It's not particularly adaptable to indoor conditions as it grows best in high-light cool areas in the winter (imagine the Mediterranean in the winter).  But you can put in inside if you like.  Don't over-water, and keep it in the brightest area you can find - and if you can keep it cool, perhaps in an unheated room with south or west-facing windows, you will be most successful.  However dried thyme is actually just as good as fresh, contrary to what some dilettante foodies would have you believe.  Even fresh thyme is rather dry, and leaving it dry before using it actually activates some processes that enhance the flavor (even more true of some types of oregano, but also true for rosemary, and savory). I think some people hear how fresh herbs have much more flavor and adapt this to every species.  It's so true with basil, cilantro, parsley, etc. that I don't often even bother with dried (though dried basil does have it's own flavor...). Now, I do use fresh thyme, for it's greener, sort of hay-like aroma, which dried lacks.  Though the 'green' thyme is less intense and complex than fresh-dried thyme. You can't keep thyme forever once dried, however, and putting it in a well sealed container out of the light will help it stay flavorful.  Don't grind it either, until use, as this will also hasten it's demise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, and you can harvest thyme, even in the winter, if you can reach it through the snow (you could put a cover over it...).  It will come back vigorously if you don't pull up the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-22T17:13:00.177" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22451" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17788" CreationDate="2015-11-22T17:13:11.227" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I didn't manage to grow the plants from the seeds.  I even tried putting a few in the freezer overnight without any joy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10849" LastActivityDate="2015-11-22T17:13:11.227" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17788" CreationDate="2015-11-22T17:39:32.957" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Legally, only heat-processed seeds are allowed to be sold in the US.  It's because they are in the Citrus family and could potentially carry pathogens and affect the citrus industry in the US. See &lt;em&gt;U.S. import ban&lt;/em&gt; section: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_pepper&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_pepper&lt;/a&gt;  However I've seen what appear to be un-processed seeds in some Asian Markets.  It's really hard to tell. In addition they may require stratification (cold, wet, treatment) to sprout.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Zanthoxylum+simulans&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Zanthoxylum+simulans&lt;/a&gt; They are available as plants - look up the species &lt;em&gt;Zanthoxylum simulans&lt;/em&gt; or related &lt;em&gt;Zanthoxylum species&lt;/em&gt;.  I've mail-ordered them from a nursery in Oregon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-22T17:39:32.957" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22453" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22105" CreationDate="2015-11-22T20:23:59.677" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Slender vervain, &lt;em&gt;Verbena rigidia&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://bie.ala.org.au/species/VERBENA+RIGIDA#&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://bie.ala.org.au/species/VERBENA+RIGIDA#&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/uploadedFiles/moretonbay/environment/vegetation/purple-top.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/uploadedFiles/moretonbay/environment/vegetation/purple-top.pdf&lt;/a&gt; has some control methods.  I've never had this as a weed.  I ID'd it on it's similarity to verbenas I know and went from there...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-22T20:23:59.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2195" CreationDate="2015-11-22T21:05:57.630" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Be advised that all those avocado pits you are germinating will never produce the big, beautiful variety of fruit that you got the pit from.  (At least, almost never.)  Fruit from avocado trees grown from seedlings all revert back to the original, small, black, not very tasty avocado fruit, not the big delicious Haas (Hass,) Fuerte, or whatever.  You may get an avocado tree growing, but you'll still need to graft on the branches of whatever variety you want the fruit to be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13457" LastActivityDate="2015-11-22T21:05:57.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22455" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-22T22:50:46.643" Score="3" ViewCount="228" Body="&lt;p&gt;In one of my past posts, I asked how to seed my 20 x 25 ft backyard. &#xA;I had great results by following your recommendations. &#xA;I also left 1 1/2 ft as a bare ground border, keeping it weeded by pulling anything that popped up. I want to use that for my organic gardening. This past summer I tilled in the grass clippings and vegetable peels from my kitchen.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm hoping that the ground will have time to decompose this over the winter, however, toward the end of spring I saw a number of big plants! The &lt;strong&gt;first one on the left&lt;/strong&gt; now has purple berries on it. The &lt;strong&gt;one in the middle&lt;/strong&gt; is a 4 foot giant that popped up out of the blue. It looks like a dandelion on steroids! The &lt;strong&gt;last one on the right&lt;/strong&gt; looks like big crab weeds. Are they just that? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what these are? Can I eat them? Are they some kind of poison ivy? Can I just pull them and they'll be gone?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for full size view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IJFZZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IJFZZm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Purple berries&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Igw0n.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Igw0nm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;4 ft tall&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v43FY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v43FYm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;looks like crab weeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-23T22:44:14.337" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T22:56:34.153" Title="What are these weeds &amp; how can I prevent them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2016-02-29T16:18:34.170" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22456" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-23T00:01:33.050" Score="6" ViewCount="1387" Body="&lt;p&gt;How can I eliminate Bronze Orange (stink) Bugs from my citrus trees?&#xA;I know that spraying the trees with Confidor will get rid of these bugs, however I've been told that it's not suitable to use on citrus, especially when bearing fruit. Is there another spray I can use?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: My location is SE Queensland, in Australia. See map below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ABLaU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ABLaU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Adult Bronze Orange Bug&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fvTu4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fvTu4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Juvenile Bronze Orange Bug&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oL1oB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oL1oB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13228" LastEditorUserId="13228" LastEditDate="2017-01-15T23:53:03.693" LastActivityDate="2020-11-17T00:53:27.660" Title="Managing Bronze Orange Bugs on citrus trees" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22457" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1568" CreationDate="2015-11-23T00:48:22.903" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can harvest the seeds just as they go pink/brown and dry them successfully for both spice and germination (about 75% success). This avoids them falling off but you do need to check them often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13459" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-11-23T14:41:28.713" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T14:41:28.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22458" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22465" CreationDate="2015-11-23T00:48:59.273" Score="7" ViewCount="827" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few bougainvillea plants around our house in Southwest Florida. Two are doing OK, the hanging one is bursting out in color with red bracts and white flowers, and there's this one... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the second time this year that there's been a single branch (?) shooting skyward like a magic beanstalk, and each time from a different part of the plant. On this one the bougainvillea-stalk is over 5 feet tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;None of the other plants has exhibited such a behavior (a single branch growing way, way longer and higher). This 'stalk' hasn't shown any tendency to show any color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this something normal? Is this plant trying to become a tree? Is it hurting the plant letting this grow so tall? Should I worry about a giant climbing down and messing up our pool?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for full size.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h9c3b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h9c3bl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Abnormally tall bougainvillea branch&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/47dMf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/47dMfm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup of stalk attaching to trunk&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2359" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-28T18:15:49.350" LastActivityDate="2018-08-04T17:23:16.887" Title="Is my bougainvillea turning into a magic beanstalk?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;bougainvillea&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22458" CreationDate="2015-11-23T01:57:35.607" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's really just think it's trying to tell anyone and anything that's willing to pay attention that &quot;hey I am ready to grow.&quot; I'd let the bush get a little bigger for the next few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T01:57:35.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22460" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22455" CreationDate="2015-11-23T02:08:29.823" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first picture is poke weed. Great for purple ink from the berries. Leaves can be eaten if cooked thoroughly, but are otherwise inedible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second picture is dock. Not sure which kind, but most kinds are edible when cooked. They have lots of oaxolic acid (like spinach) and need to be cooked to be edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The third picture is one of two very different plants though they look quite alike. One is dandelion, which is quite good in salads when it's young and hasn't flowered yet. The other choice is chicory, which is also good in salads, but you need to make sure you have a good type of chicory before you eat it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prevention? Pull the weeds as they grow. The dandelion and chicory will need a weeding fork so you can get the whole taproot out. A weeding fork looks like a backward arrow fletching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T02:08:29.823" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22461" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22455" CreationDate="2015-11-23T02:50:17.257" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had been composing as @Escoce's answer came in; I disagree with some (more than comment would permit) so I'll continue composing...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture number one (with rounded leaves and purple/black berries) is indeed pokeweed (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Phytolacca americana&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;)... but... &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;DO NOT EAT.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; It is very poisonous to humans, though there are some birds (which are not affected by the toxins) that eat them. This is a perennial with a taproot, so it can be kept at bay by persistent plucking with reasonable success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the other two are prickly lettuce (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactuca_serriola&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lactula serriola&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, not &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum&quot;&gt;dandelion/&lt;em&gt;Taraxacum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; nor &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex_crispus&quot;&gt;dock/&lt;em&gt;Rumex&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;). In stark contrast to pokeweed, all of these possibilities listed for pictures 2 and 3 (lettuces, dock, dandelion) are quite edible, though do be careful with the prickly lettuce. :) All of these are also perennial taproots (with similar control possibilities), though they do tend to be quite persistent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6932" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T02:50:17.257" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22462" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-23T09:15:40.457" Score="6" ViewCount="150" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a plant spreading across a gravel covered bed.  It is my intention to plant ground cover here and wonder if I can keep this plant.  My neighbour says it is very aggressive and will grow into brick work (the bed is along side our house), could you help with identification and advice, please?  We are in the East Midlands, UK.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qfKO9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qfKO9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13463" LastActivityDate="2016-09-15T03:57:22.393" Title="Identification and advice required for pretty but aggressive ground cover" Tags="&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22455" CreationDate="2015-11-23T15:58:10.127" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have eaten the third one and effectively it's a dandelion (or lion tooth in my country). It tastes very bitter, but it has medicinal properties such as detoxification of the liver, and you can make honey using the yellow flowers. The whole plant is edible. If you want to remove it you have to extract it with all the root. You have to be very careful because the root is very fragile, so the soil has to be over-watered or you have to dig around the root in order to remove it. I have &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.narayana-verlag.com/homeopathy/pdf/Health-through-God-s-Pharmacy-Maria-Treben.13558_1Contents.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this book&lt;/a&gt; (Health through God's Pharmacy- Maria Treben). In it you can find more information about the dandelions and their healing properties, and also the honey recipe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second one is very similar to dandelion. I have never tried it, but the root has the same issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11964" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-23T22:56:34.153" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T22:56:34.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22458" CreationDate="2015-11-23T16:21:54.423" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some types of Bougainvilleas are climbing plants, and you are watching a branch that is ready to climb. This is common when bougainvilleas are very well watered. A constant pruning can solve the issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you let the branch grow and take care that it grows in a line you could have a beautiful tree. Only take care of the pruning. The branch will grow more but the weight will cause the branch to come down. You can add some extra support for the branch and try to do some pruning in order to prevent a random growing. When you can see that the branch is thicker and it can hold its own weight, you can remove the extra support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11964" LastEditorUserId="11964" LastEditDate="2015-11-29T00:47:44.577" LastActivityDate="2015-11-29T00:47:44.577" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22466" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22455" CreationDate="2015-11-23T18:36:17.153" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first photo is pokeweed, &lt;em&gt;Phytolacca americana&lt;/em&gt;, a perennial plant native to North America. I would not recommend you eat this plant unless you know exactly how to prepare it to remove it's toxins. I like this plant as an ornamental myself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second and, I believe third photo, is spiny sow thistle, &lt;em&gt;Sonchus Asper&lt;/em&gt;, and annual or biennial (sometimes a 'winter annual') plant not native to the US and usually considered a weed.  It is different than prickly lettuce, &lt;em&gt;Lactuca serriola&lt;/em&gt;, in several respects, but notably, it lacks spines on the underside portion of the mid-rib of the leaves, and has numerous florets (hence the dense fluffy seed heads), rather than just 12–20 in &lt;em&gt;L. serriola&lt;/em&gt;.  Also, he leaf bases are auriculate (with ear-like structures), whereas &lt;em&gt;L. serriola&lt;/em&gt; are not. I have both species in my garden.  &lt;em&gt;Lactuca serriola&lt;/em&gt; is easier to remove, but more numerous.  &lt;em&gt;Sonchus Asper&lt;/em&gt; is harder to remove, because of the deeper roots, which unless removed, re-sprout. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&amp;amp;taxon_id=200024556&quot;&gt;http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&amp;amp;taxon_id=200024556&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the third photo, I would not make a definitive ID based solely on this photo.  But if they are the same as the one flowering in photo two, then I'm pretty confident on the ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sow thistles are edible, but be careful of the prickles. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.eattheweeds.com/sonchus-sow-thistle-in-a-pigs-eye-2/&quot;&gt;http://www.eattheweeds.com/sonchus-sow-thistle-in-a-pigs-eye-2/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T18:36:17.153" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22467" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17788" CreationDate="2015-11-23T18:50:42.053" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, stratifying is cold (not freezing), wet, treatment.  I put them in a re-close-able bag with moist perlite (or vermiculite, but you can't see the seeds as easily).  I put some perlite in a bag, add water then pour out through a partly closed seal all the water I can, and add the seeds. I also use plastic petri dishes and tape them closed (these stack nicely in the fridge).  Then just put in the fridge. Don't let them freeze when wet or you may kill them.  Some species actually sprout in the fridge (so check occasionally), others not until you plant them and they get exposed to warmth. I'm a bit skeptical that these need 3 months treatment (being native in zone 7-9 conditions).  You might plant some at different stages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T18:50:42.053" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22468" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22417" CreationDate="2015-11-23T20:17:24.683" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had no luck with the radicchio I tried for the first time this year, and probably will not try again in the future. All looked well for a while, but by the time the plant finally started forming a ball, it was rotten. Good luck with yours. Some things look cool, but just aren't worth the effort relative to other things. Artichokes are another. Mine kept forming little flowers, but never formed an artichoke head.I tried 40 different vegetables this year in my new planting beds, kept a spreadsheet of what I did, including mixing fertilizer specific to each plant, and what worked and what didn't, and where it worked best. I did well this year, but next year ...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T20:17:24.683" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22469" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22447" CreationDate="2015-11-23T20:20:41.223" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had Lemon Thyme, as usual, and, this year for the first time, Pizza Thyme. I planted it throughout all the beds mostly as a companion plant. I gave some away too. It is very hardy, will over winter, and come back next year. We don't use much of it for cooking, except in some chicken dishes, so i will go back to the one Lemon Thyme plant next year. You can keep cutting it, and it will keep growing, or don;t cut it and it will stop growing a some point. It is very low maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T20:20:41.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22470" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7248" CreationDate="2015-11-23T21:19:48.000" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's tricky dormant seeding and then waiting for seed to germinate to put pre-emergent down. If it is warm enough for the new seed to germinate, it's warm enough for crabgrass to do the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A product such as Tupersan can be applied to prevent crabgrass without preventing the grass seed from germinating. It is expensive and only lasts for about 30 days, so then you could apply another round of pre-emergent but you probably will have to post kill crabgrass then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13466" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-11-24T15:32:04.357" LastActivityDate="2015-11-24T15:32:04.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21943" CreationDate="2015-11-23T22:10:15.217" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like cow parsnip &lt;em&gt;Heracleum maximum&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=hema80&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;(USDA)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Or&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;sweet cicely &lt;em&gt;Osmorhiza claytonii&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=OSCL&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;(USDA)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However the plants in the Apiaceae, as this is most likely a member, are difficult to ID just from leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other possibilities are something in the Ranunculaceae (some have leaves a bit like this) or Papaveraceae (also some with similar leaves)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't eat anything in the Apiaceae family unless you absolutely know what it is!  Some of the most poisonous plants are in this family, and unlike other plants people say are poisonous, ones in this family are know killers (there are actual records of people dying). And you can't taste that they are poisonous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other two family's plants are also suspect and could be toxic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-07-04T01:08:48.637" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T01:08:48.637" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22472" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19851" CreationDate="2015-11-23T23:30:39.280" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is perfectly normal when you are propagating plants.  Plants from the grocery are in very low light, and other conditions that stress them.  When you put them in warmer conditions to propagate them, they start to regenerate and produce roots.  The plants often loose some leaves (there is too much leaf surface for the plant to maintain a proper water balance).  But mint is very resilient.  A week is no time at all.  Mint is a bit easier than other herbs indoors. However like all herbs mint will need lots of light. And keep it out of central heating air currents.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-23T23:30:39.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22473" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22420" CreationDate="2015-11-24T00:18:45.867" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sure looks like a mint to me. Square stem, smells like mint = mint. But it's really not possible to go beyond that without more. Leaves are notoriously variable in mints.  You would need the flowers.  Some cultivars nearly never flower though. So one of the best ways to distinguish mints is aroma.  Get some mint that you know - spearmint and peppermint, for instance, and compare. If it's really like spearmint, I would not worry and use it.  Pennyroyal, also a mint, has a distinctly different aroma as well, more menthol and almost a wintergreen aroma. Pennyroyal is much shorter ( foot or less minus the flowering stems) than the other mints, more of a ground-cover, while the other mints are usually taller (to 2 feet or more).  Pennyroyal is the only problematic mint in having some toxic components, but in small amounts it's pretty safe.  It's the extracted oil that is the problem, and you need a huge number of plants to get a little oil. The fresh herb is about %1 oil. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/p/pennyr23.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/p/pennyr23.html&lt;/a&gt; - this reference contains a lot of folklore but I think this part is pretty accurate as I used to live near mint farmers who extracted the oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-24T00:18:45.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22474" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-24T01:48:25.693" Score="3" ViewCount="187" Body="&lt;p&gt;Now it's warming up substantially in Queensland, my Bahiagrass infestation is becoming apparent. Any tips from removing this from &lt;a href=&quot;http://thelawnguide.com.au/lawn-varieties/35-lawn-varieties/139-queensland-blue-grass.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;my&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://thelawnguide.com.au/lawn-varieties/35-lawn-varieties/139-queensland-blue-grass.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lawn&lt;/a&gt;? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's quite long in sections so I have been able to isolate these sections and spray them with glyphosate but obviously this won't work in the short sections as it will also kill my turf. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T23:42:58.367" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T23:42:58.367" Title="How should I remove Bahiagrass from Blue Couch lawn? (Digitaria didactyla, crab grass)" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22475" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22479" CreationDate="2015-11-24T16:53:32.390" Score="4" ViewCount="343" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very new aquarium and planted two specimen of Echinodorus Tenellus in the fresh dirt/gravel substrate.  I bought the plants without paying too much attention to the stems they were developing but now I'm beginning to get a little worried about them. My main goal is to get the plant to propagate in order to get a nice bed of grass, and from what I read Echinodorus is supposed to generate runners. However, I don't see any runners yet. What I do see is the stems on both of the plants growing like crazy and developing a large number of buds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my question is, should I just let the plants grow flowers or would it be better to cut the stems, hopefully letting the plant create runners instead?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Attached is a picture of the plants. As you can see there's one runner already there but that was already there when I bought it and it's not doing very well I think.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4m9mv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4m9mv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7112" LastActivityDate="2015-11-25T21:30:45.937" Title="Should I let Echinodorus Tenellus flower?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22476" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-24T18:50:34.797" Score="4" ViewCount="97" Body="&lt;p&gt;I took the picture a few days ago in a botanical garden in Spain. Which species is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PMpee.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PMpee.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;clivia&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13470" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-11-25T10:51:09.453" LastActivityDate="2015-11-25T10:51:09.453" Title="What is this red-flowered bulb with red fruits?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22477" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22476" CreationDate="2015-11-24T19:06:00.147" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clivia_miniata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;clivia miniata&lt;/a&gt;, also known as Natal lily, bush lily or Kaffir lily. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a relative of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaryllis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Amaryllis&lt;/a&gt; (belladonna lily, not to be confused with &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippeastrum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hippeastrum&lt;/a&gt;) native to southern Africa and a popular house plant in cooler regions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is poisonous, so do not eat the red fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-11-24T19:11:20.783" LastActivityDate="2015-11-24T19:11:20.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22478" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-24T20:35:57.483" Score="3" ViewCount="104" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why are the edges of my avocado plant leaves turning brown?  It is kept indoors near a window with indirect light.  Should I cut it back to restart new leaves?  Could it be root bound?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13472" LastActivityDate="2015-11-24T20:35:57.483" Title="Brown leaves on avocado plant" Tags="&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2015-11-28T22:07:45.897" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22479" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22475" CreationDate="2015-11-24T23:08:02.277" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will produce runners. One of the principal benefits live plants is that they absorb nutrients that normally just sit in the water at the end of the nitrogen cycle. That's good, so let the plant grow and trim it only when it gets too big. It will start to develop branching rhizomes much like a strawberry plant does, and it will also develop runners as well (that's actually what you see in that picture). Just let it do its thing, trim off any material that starts to die and otherwise enjoy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-11-25T21:30:45.937" LastActivityDate="2015-11-25T21:30:45.937" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22480" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22425" CreationDate="2015-11-25T00:10:37.473" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is Caracus wigandia or stinging tree: &lt;em&gt;Wigandia caracasana&lt;/em&gt; or &#xA;&lt;em&gt;Wigandia urens&lt;/em&gt; - they have not decided which name is right yet (there are even more).  It's introduced from Central America, but is commonly planted as an ornamental, and is fairly hardy, to zone 8 here in the US. Here is a link from Spain (Alicante) that shows it really well, in much the same situation as yours: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.apatita.com/herbario/Hydrophyllaceae/Wigandia_caracasana.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.apatita.com/herbario/Hydrophyllaceae/Wigandia_caracasana.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-25T00:10:37.473" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22481" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22444" CreationDate="2015-11-25T05:44:21.977" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Azomite is a kind of rockdust, which, I believe is made from a deposit from volcanic ash. Other rockdusts may be from glacial deposits, basalt (volcanic, but from lava; not ash), granite, etc. and they have slightly different compositions, but are quite similar. Rockdust is for remineralization (not fertilizer). It may help the soil microbes, which microbes may help fertility, but it should probably be used far in advance. It's high in silica and calcium. Calcium can raise your soil PH; so be careful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally wouldn't recommend it for figs. I gave some basalt rockdust to a rubber plant (which is technically a fig) and it didn't seem too happy with it. (It's just in the regular, unamended potting soil it's had for years, although before applying rockdust, it had been fertilized on occasion, with such as 24-8-16 Miraclo Gro.) The rockdust made the leaves smaller, which illustrates how rockdust can make the plants need more phosphorus (phosphorus helps increase leaf size). They may need more potassium, too, considering the calcium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After giving my plant enough phosphorus, the leaf size is back to normal, but it still has other imbalances. I recommend caution, and if you use rockdust, don't use a lot (unless you know what you're doing).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My rubber plant is indoors. The effect on outdoor plants may hopefully be better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Muskmelons, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, etc. seem to love rockdust, but not everything does in every situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.permies.com/t/15724/soil/AZOMITE-rock-dust-stuff-radioactive&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;heard a rumor&lt;/a&gt; that Azomite is higher than ideal in gamma radiation. On the Azomite site they do say there aren't problems with two other kinds of radiation, but they don't address the gamma radiation. Because they address radiation on the website, some people assume there aren't any kinds of radiation, but they neglect the gamma. Whether that radiation in those amounts is actually bad or good, I don't know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know how radioactive other kinds of rockdust are. I have heard that glacial rockdust is higher in heavy metals, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might consider &lt;a href=&quot;http://store.rockdustlocal.com/Sea-Minerals-20-lbs_p_25.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sea minerals&lt;/a&gt; for remineralization. I'm not sure how it works for figs, but my pepper plant likes them (at least for vegetative growth and disease/insect resistance). It is high in sodium; so caution is advised here, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-11-25T22:19:18.857" LastActivityDate="2015-11-25T22:19:18.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19368" CreationDate="2015-11-25T09:16:17.973" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Himalayan blue poppies (&lt;em&gt;Meconopsis betonicifolia)&lt;/em&gt; are nearly impossible to grow outside of the Pacific Northwest or the UK (and the Himalayas), or other cool summer climes.  Being a perennial, it is also not a candidate for your window box as annuals do much better.  Zahir is a standard garden poppy, but really large.  I would plant Shirley poppies or California poppies (a differnt genus in the Poppy Family, these can persist as short-lived perennials).  Both of these would be better in containers.  They are both adaptable and will grow to suit nearly any situation. Seeds are best for these as transplants are not that successful. Each prefers cool weather, so plant in early Spring.  They can tolerate warm weather later however. California poppies are even more tolerant of the summer, though you want to keep them on the drier side - do don't over water. Plant thickly, barely cover seed, and water frequently.  They even tolerate frost at this stage.  Thin to one plant every 6 inches later. Cut frequently to keep them blooming. The bottoms of the stems of cut Shirley poppies need to be seared (with a lighter) to keep well however.  Even if you don't want a bouquet, though cut the spent blossoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-25T09:16:17.973" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22483" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-25T20:30:41.377" Score="4" ViewCount="1154" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got two Orange trees and two avocado trees in my backyard.  One of the orange trees looks to be the victim of a disease and has sooty mold on it.  From what I have read this is usually due to animals which excrete honeydew which allows for this to occur.  To attack this at the source I need to get rid of the animal/insect issue.  Has anyone had a good experience or have any recommendations on which pesticide chemicals to use.  If need be, I can hold back on eating the fruit for a year to resolve this issue (if the pesticide is not safe for consumption) as I have already started to see certain branches die off due to this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pesticide I have tried is &quot;Ortho Elementals Garden Insect Killer&quot; in a spray bottle which has the active ingredients of &quot;Pyrethrins (0.01%), Canola Oil (1%) and other (98.99%)&quot;.  It seems to have worked to a certain degree but was expensive.  If I can get a recommendation on the right chemical to use then I can buy it in greater bulk online after testing it out.  In a perfect world I would like to have something I can universally spray on both orange trees and avocado plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I am taking the wrong approach to this then please let me know.  Thank you for taking the time to read this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13331" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-03T03:20:24.777" LastActivityDate="2016-01-16T14:53:07.710" Title="What pesticide should I use with an Orange tree in Texas?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22485" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-26T11:18:29.307" Score="7" ViewCount="2227" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very mature weeping willow in the front garden which was well balanced and with the recent storm one of the main branches broke off. I noted that branch had a weakness, due to rotting from inside.&#xA;I was advised to pollard the two remaining branches quite far back as the split from the main tree was starting to show signs of weakness. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where the branch broke off, this was going to be cut back to the stem of the tree and left for the tree to heal.&#xA;Is there sealing that can be applied once the broken branch is cut back to prevent ingress of the water into the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice on this is much appreciated, it will be a real shame to lose a much loved willow!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13476" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-11-27T16:14:26.293" LastActivityDate="2017-04-06T13:16:55.767" Title="How can I manage a weeping willow with a broken branch?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;weeping-willow&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22486" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22485" CreationDate="2015-11-26T14:47:54.990" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do not apply anything.&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Tree paint&quot; has been discredited for years - it harms, not helps the healing process. But it's still for sale in too many places. All you can do is cut it back properly (not too long [dead stub rots], not too short&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/612.html&quot;&gt; [you want to retain the &quot;collar&quot; where the tree is prepared to seal off the branch when it dies.]&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Willows are quite resilient - it will likely recover fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2015-11-26T14:55:55.103" LastActivityDate="2015-11-26T14:55:55.103" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22487" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-27T05:20:20.543" Score="5" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw a strange white insect on my lemon plant. Have not seen it earlier. Any idea what it could be? It also has a greenish tinge on its head.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/seMFD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/52Wd2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13442" LastActivityDate="2015-12-01T16:13:42.657" Title="Which insect is this?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22488" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22494" CreationDate="2015-11-27T05:45:58.753" Score="4" ViewCount="1307" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is this rose canker? If not what is it? How to identify canker? My plant's stem has gone blackish at some places and woody in others. I tried looking into the available images on the net for canker, and I am confused if this is simply a woody stem or a canker. Also, how should a healthy 5.5 feet tall rose plant's stem look like? Green? Woody? Blackish? &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iT7ZS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iT7ZS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rose stem 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5DTp0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5DTp0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rose stem 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13481" LastActivityDate="2015-11-27T13:31:12.037" Title="Rose Canker and remedy" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22489" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-27T10:10:02.390" Score="5" ViewCount="219" Body="&lt;p&gt;Until I read questions such as &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/21757/square-meter-gardening-soil-mix&quot;&gt;Square meter gardening Soil Mix&lt;/a&gt;, I thought of &lt;em&gt;compost&lt;/em&gt; being composted organic material; however, there &lt;em&gt;compost&lt;/em&gt; is composed of 50% peat moss, which generally doesn't fall under that definition. Suspecting a difference between American and British English, my question is: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What are common (subtle) differences in gardening terms between languages?&lt;/strong&gt; Either differing names for the same thing, or the same word meaning different things. This doesn't have to be limited to variants of the English language only; to add to the example above, &lt;em&gt;Kompost&lt;/em&gt; in German also means the stuff directly resulting from a composting process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3505" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2018-07-13T05:57:54.227" LastActivityDate="2018-07-13T05:57:54.227" Title="What gardening terms are common sources of confusion between different cultures or languages?" Tags="&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22490" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22489" CreationDate="2015-11-27T10:15:46.477" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is a list of terms with multiple meanings, or different names for the same meaning:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;General Gardening&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Compost:&lt;/strong&gt; Usually the result of a composting process. However, compost (as in &lt;em&gt;potting compost&lt;/em&gt;) can also mean potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Plants&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maize&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Corn&lt;/a&gt;(AE)/&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maize&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Maize&lt;/a&gt; (BE)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Eggplant (AE)/&lt;a href=&quot;http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/pronunciation/english/aubergine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Aubergine&lt;/a&gt; (BE)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Zucchini (AE, other languages)/&lt;a href=&quot;http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/pronunciation/english/courgette&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Courgette&lt;/a&gt;, when small, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrow_(vegetable)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Marrow&lt;/a&gt; when large (BE)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3505" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-11-28T22:15:39.973" LastActivityDate="2015-11-28T22:15:39.973" CommentCount="4" CommunityOwnedDate="2015-11-27T10:15:46.477" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22491" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22498" CreationDate="2015-11-27T10:41:53.603" Score="4" ViewCount="5068" Body="&lt;p&gt;I brought a packet of little bamboo plat seeds from eBay, i am not sure if this is really a species they just look good in eBay post. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now its been around 3 months and they are growing.. I tried to put a stick with plant to keep them straight but these bamboo plants are not keeping them-self straight also they are not looking like they looked in the eBay post. Can you guys identified which bamboo species is this and how they will look like when they will get bigger. &#xA;And most importantly what should i do to keep them straight and healthy? What water and soil requirements? Currently soil is cocopeat + vermi compost and i water them whenever soil seems dry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZES66.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZES66.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jr3am.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jr3am.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7yi6t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7yi6t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2818" LastActivityDate="2019-11-11T13:04:29.073" Title="How do i keep my bamboo plant straight and healthy?" Tags="&lt;bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22492" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22491" CreationDate="2015-11-27T11:53:46.497" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I also have a bamboo plant which looks the same. I got it from a local nursery. I cannot tell you the name, however, I can tell you that when the new shoots comes out from the base of the plant, they may have a tendency to bend. You may tie jute ropes around the plant along the length of the plant to keep them straight.&#xA;For nutrients, I think you are doing well with compost/vermi-compost. But note that bamboos need a lot of water and thrive in humid conditions. So, take care of watering the plants well. If leaves on some of the shoots/branches dry out, do not cut away the shoot/branch. Leave them and you would soon fine new leaves appearing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13442" LastActivityDate="2015-11-27T11:53:46.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22493" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22489" CreationDate="2015-11-27T12:18:52.663" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Even in the UK, there's confusion regarding the term 'compost'. It can mean an anaerobic or aerobic heap in your garden of vegetable peelings and foliage from plants and the like, the end result of that heap, a potting medium, or something created to add to your borders (animal manure compost). The proper way to refer to compost is by putting an adjective in front of it, as in 'potting compost', 'seed and cutting compost', 'garden compost' 'animal manure compost' and so on, which helps to clarify the purposes to which you can put the various forms of compost. Compost is a big subject which I won't go into here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, as a Brit, I can make the following observations regarding the different use of language between the UK and the States:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UK Garden: USA yard (yard in the UK means a small, enclosed paved or concreted area)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UK soil: USA dirt&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UK potting compost: USA dirt&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UK turf or turves: USA sod (sod in the UK is rarely used, but is a non specific term and refers to soil in general, in particular, cloddy, lumpy soil, rarely, turf, but only by much older people)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UK spade: USA shovel (Note 'shovel' is used in UK, but the tool is different from a spade, not intended for digging the ground, but shaped for shovelling things like sand, concrete and the like)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UK plant/seed trays or boxes: USA flats (I think, not fully worked that one out yet, but that's what it seems to be)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UK coriander leaves: USA cilantro (also other parts of the world use that term for the leaves, restricting 'coriander' to the seeds)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then there's plant names, the one area where there is a really massive difference, the USA tending to use names which are not necessarily commonly used elsewhere, and seeming to prefer 'common' names rather than the Latin or botanical names. For instance, 'Rose of Sharon' - in the UK it means Hypericum, in particular, Hypericum calycinum, but in the States, it seems to mean Hibiscus, though I've never yet seen any American person refer to this plant as Hibiscus, its always 'Rose of Sharon'. Sycamore is another one - in the UK it means Acer psuedoplatanus, but in the States, it refers to Platanus occidentalis, or American sycamore. I'm reliably informed via this site that 'sycamore' in the States may also refer to other types of tree. 'Rose paeony' in the States is actually Paeony, and that's what we call it here, just plain Paeony (or Peony), never 'Rose paeony'. It can be confusing when answering questions, there's a need to establish quite which plant people are talking about, or seeing a photograph.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's another one I've not quite worked out yet - in the UK, we refer to 'garden centres', meaning usually a large commercial outlet selling plants, pots, various composts, paving and often garden and interior furniture and scented candles and other detritus, or we refer to 'nursery' which means a much smaller commercial outlet which primarily sells plants, most raised by the people at the nursery, and pots. I'm not at all sure what the American terms are for these two different places... though 'Home Depot' seems to refer to an outlet not dissimilar to places like Homebase and B &amp;amp; Q here - they sell plants outside, but inside is mostly DIY stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-11-27T13:14:17.457" LastActivityDate="2015-11-27T13:14:17.457" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22494" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22488" CreationDate="2015-11-27T12:50:20.700" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not canker - older rose stems often look like this, and the short piece of dead stem showing in the top picture is just a bit of die back, normal when a shoot has been removed improperly (meaning you didn't cut back to an outward facing bud on the stem, probably). And it happens anyway sometimes, nothing to worry about, though in this case, I would probably remove the top of that stem, below where it forks into two directions, to an outward facing bud or growth point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When planted in open ground, roses with stems that look like this often throw up new shoots from the base, and as they grow on, the older, less productive stems can be removed. However, I note all the other plants in your picture are in pots, so if your rose is also potted, its unlikely to put out new, lively stems from the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes die back can progress to canker - usual treatment is to remove affected stems as soon as you notice them. Prevention is better than cure, so good pruning techniques are important, as is using tools with cleaned and sharp blades (loppers and secateurs). More info in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=753&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=753&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-11-27T13:31:12.037" LastActivityDate="2015-11-27T13:31:12.037" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22495" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-27T14:13:00.563" Score="8" ViewCount="873" Body="&lt;p&gt;Crop rotation, green manure and compost are quite irrelevant in hydroponics and aeroponics, and the &quot;fertilizer&quot; is synthesized too, no?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3309" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T14:29:01.747" Title="Can hydroponic/aeroponic produce be organic?" Tags="&lt;organic&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22496" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-27T14:19:32.790" Score="5" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 6 citrus plants bought from the nursery and it has been in ground for 5 years in full sun and still no flowers nor fruit. How can I get it to fruit&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13482" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-11-28T00:18:39.057" LastActivityDate="2015-11-28T00:18:39.057" Title="Why won't my citrus trees fruit?" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22497" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22500" CreationDate="2015-11-27T16:09:20.460" Score="5" ViewCount="184" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have two climbing roses.We inherited this from the previous owner of our house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year we pruned them quite short in the fall and banked them, just like we did with the rest of the roses (grandifloras, ramblers, etc)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rest of the roses flowered in springtime and summer, the climbing roses just grew taller and taller. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have learnt now that one should train the climbing roses by bending the main stalks horizontally to promote side stalks, which is where the flowers will appear. I am looking forward to try this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I get rid of most of the woody stiff stalks and keep only the new bendy ones? Please notice all these stalks grew this year, but some grew right at the beginning of spring so they are quite thick and tall and some grew later in the season, so they are thinner and shorter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I do this pruning now (end of fall, November) or should I wait for springtime?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I bank the bottom of the climbing roses so they are protected during winter, just like we bank the other ones? Any other winter protection measure I should consider?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7271" LastEditorUserId="7271" LastEditDate="2015-11-27T18:22:49.123" LastActivityDate="2017-02-28T05:59:39.853" Title="Best practices on pruning and winter protection for climbing roses" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;winter&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22498" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22491" CreationDate="2015-11-27T17:01:14.743" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, bamboo are really difficult to ID.  I don't think I could do it from what you have.  It does, however look like true bamboo, a grass that is 'woody' and does not die back to the ground.  Lots of other plants are called bamboo and are not a grass at all, though I don't really argue with common names.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ebay is notorious for having listings that are inaccurate with plants.  Anybody can list, and they can have various backgrounds, not necessarily in horticulture or Botany.  I do however get plants off Ebay and they are often unavailable from anywhere else. Some have really good info, better then nurseries, from people with real experience growing them day to day.  It looks like you got a nice plant out of it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further, bamboo seeds are nearly never produced. This is probably not important to your situation as I think you did get real bamboo seeds ...  They may not produce offspring exactly like the parent (that's how we get the multitude of cultivars - cultivated varieties of bamboo).  They may also look quite different when young. It's also possible the lister just put up a generic photo of bamboo and has nothing to do with what you got.  This is often stated somewhere in small of hard-to-find text. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as growth.  It looks like you are doing what you need to do.  Bamboo will droop.  In the 'wild' some species grow together when young, supporting each other, but droop quite a bit on the margins.  You just need to support them till the stems harden.  Eventually your bamboo will send up lots of shoots and should be sort of self supporting, though those on the edge of the pot may still droop, but this can look quite nice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bamboo like abundant nutrients, especially nitrogen.  But if you fertilize, it's hard to have the plant show nutrient deficiencies.  Just remember to add nutrients as they mature.  It might also help to re-pot them occasionally.  They re-pot really easily and this can revitalize them too.  I 'recycle' the old soil into new by composting it.  Don't ever use it for seedlings, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When a few more years old, your bamboo may be identifiable.  Or maybe someone out there has an idea.  There simply is not enough for me to put through a key.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-27T17:01:14.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22496" CreationDate="2015-11-27T18:46:57.537" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Citrus often take five years or more to flower and fruit. Some take more than others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overferilizaion with nitrogen can cause some citrus to just be vegetative and not flower.  This can result from you giving the plants too much, or them getting it from your near-by lawn care.  You can avoid the lawn-care situation by not applying lawn fertilizer in the trees' root zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Underfertilizing can also result in no flowers.  Make sure you are providing adequate fertilizer for your trees. You usually see other symptoms if you have a deficiency, but it may be 'marginal' and all you see is lack of flowering. Go to your Extension Office or Website and see what they recommend locally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nearly any other stress can cause this too.  Too cold is often an issue, but you usually see other damage.  Same with too much or too little water. Hopefully you planted correctly and don't have an issue there (look up how to plant a citrus tree to see if you did it correctly and it still looks like it should).  Your local Extension office will often have this info as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-27T18:46:57.537" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22500" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22497" CreationDate="2015-11-27T19:18:40.660" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Prune back old, dead, or suspect branches older than 3 years.  Doing so now is fine.  Don't prune last years growth except where it's really in the way or causing another problem at this time. You risk loosing that branch. Don't prune climbers in the Spring, but wait until after blooming next year. Unfortunately, there are really hardy climbers and not-so-hardy ones.  Unless you know which you have you may need, to protect them.  I think it's less likely that they are the not-so-hardy types...  However providing a bit of protection, especially from temperature swings can't hurt them. Not sure what banking is, but mulching or mounding loose soil - yes. Don't use straw or hay as mice or voles may be a problem and they eat rose bark.  Where it's really cold people take down the climbers and bury or mulch over the whole plant.  They don't do that here where it's zone 5 (similar to your Canadian Zone 6) - so I think you are fine in Toronto as well. Utah has a variety of climates but I think this is a great guide: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;cad=rja&amp;amp;uact=8&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwi9q5X6obHJAhWTWYgKHchkAAkQFggeMAA&amp;amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcommons.usu.edu%2Fcgi%2Fviewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D2347%26context%3Dextension_histall&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGvy4WGzzl3qR4P9wKO64a2tdyOug&amp;amp;sig2=aV-YnFrch05bFdzeEZSXhg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; title=&quot;USU Rose Guide&quot;&gt;USU Rose Guide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-27T19:18:40.660" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22501" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22495" CreationDate="2015-11-27T19:58:12.437" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is debatable.  So there is no clear answer and lots of opinions.  You can theoretically derive hydroponic fertilizer from 'organic' sources and not synthetically produce them (from chemical rather than biological processes).   But whether this is an organic method is debatable.  That is: Is growing plants without a biological soil, an 'organic' method? There are lots of commercial 'organic' hydroponic nutrient solutions out there.  But these types of products are part of an industry rife with hyperbole, misinformation, and outright fraud. Making your own from locally derived sources is possible, but you really need to know what you are doing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-27T19:58:12.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22502" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22458" CreationDate="2015-11-28T14:32:05.250" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is the male part of the plant just the way it happens in roses. This part will keep on growing straight with no flowering. As far as I know you may cut and remove this long shoot from the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13442" LastActivityDate="2015-11-28T14:32:05.250" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22458" CreationDate="2015-11-28T16:59:46.123" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agree with Escoce and Alexander (points given), its actually putting out a long cane like climbing roses do because it wants to get a lot taller with growth on the top. If you don't want that to happen because of where its planted, you have no choice but to keep removing the long branches like this, but it would be perfect for training up over an arbour or a low roof. Probably a different variety of Hibiscus from the others you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-11-28T16:59:46.123" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22505" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-29T11:48:14.027" Score="3" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this near my tomato plants. Is it a ladybird?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9qJZB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13442" LastActivityDate="2015-11-29T12:53:29.110" Title="Is it a ladybird?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22505" CreationDate="2015-11-29T12:53:29.110" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the general shape, colour and patterning, it looks like a Ladybird of some sort, but unfortunately, the focus of the picture is best on the woody stem and somewhat out of focus on the insect, so its hard to be 100% on ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-11-29T12:53:29.110" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22507" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-29T14:00:07.463" Score="4" ViewCount="716" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to keep the tree kind of short. I want it to look like a mushroom on top, then in the summer just trim the bottom. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this possible? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13488" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-11-30T15:23:00.413" LastActivityDate="2015-11-30T15:23:00.413" Title="Can a willow tree be shaped?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22508" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22507" CreationDate="2015-11-29T17:42:02.097" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The comment by kevinsky is right on.  Willows are fast growers, and even in our cool climate (Alberta) will do 3-4 feet a year.  You would be constantly pruning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may be able to find a top graft, where a willow such as Dwarf Arctic Blue (S. purpurea 'nana') is grafted to a tree form trunk.  This would reduce seriously the amount of top pruning required.  But since it has full sized roots, I'd expect a lot of suckering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many top grafted trees that may suit you better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look for a top grafted tri-colour willow.  The top 'ball' will be about 5 feet across.  they are usually centered 5-6 feet off the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2015-11-29T17:42:02.097" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22509" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-29T19:09:16.427" Score="11" ViewCount="2477" Body="&lt;p&gt;Preface: I don't really know what I'm doing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I decided to grow some kweik lettuce in my ebb &amp;amp; flow hydroponic setup. In addition to that, I'm growing a variety of chili peppers, mostly superhots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's been about 40 days, and I've had good growth so far, but I tasted some today and it was possibly the most bitter thing I've ever tasted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's growing in coco coir in an ebb/flow system, with a nutrient solution at a pH of ~5.8 and a TDS of ~800PPM, flooding twice a day at 7am and 1pm. Lights are currently on 18 / 6 cycle, running a 600 watt HPS lamp, with some thermal insulation around it that keeps the ambient temperature in the tub about 23 degrees C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My suspicion is that it's too hot for the lettuce and that's causing the bitterness, but I also suspect that it may be a nutrient thing as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone shed any light on whether my suspicion is correct, and if there's a way I can save it before it's at maturity?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13485" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T14:20:16.257" Title="My hydroponic lettuce is mega bitter. Can I fix it?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22510" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22519" CreationDate="2015-11-29T20:04:35.290" Score="4" ViewCount="323" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've put my cacti for wintering into an unheated attic, by a window where the sun falls after 2 P.M and till dusk. Since it's negative temperature outside (so it's already winter in a sense) I didn't expect the sun to be strong enough for a burn (especially considering the windows are dusty). But there you go, a couple of days ago I noticed these yellow spots on my Mammillaria sp. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this sunburn or something else? Is it treatable?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K6dHt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K6dHt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9631" LastActivityDate="2015-11-30T17:54:21.267" Title="Is this sunburn or something else?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22511" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22512" CreationDate="2015-11-29T20:41:50.123" Score="4" ViewCount="2454" Body="&lt;p&gt;During this past summer I grew a plant with beautiful small, round, bright purple flowers that looked like puffballs. I was told it's called &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomphrena_globosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Globe Amaranth&lt;/a&gt;. Its height was about six inches, and much of what I read said they're generally much taller. That probably depends on the variety, so I'm comfortable with the identification. I believe it's a perennial in some areas, but is considered an annual here in Massachusetts, zone 6a.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Three weeks ago I picked the last two flowers and brought them in for the purpose of harvesting seeds. I ignored them and they dried without losing their color, so I put them in a container on a shelf in my living room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even after an internet search, I don't actually know what the seeds look like or where they're located, so that's my first question. My second is, now that the flowers are dry, are there still viable seeds? Finally, if so, can I leave them alone for six months until it's time for germination?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there's a general rule of thumb for whether or not a dried flower can store seeds, I'll gladly ask that as a separate question! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2019-08-26T00:41:01.260" Title="What do globe amaranth seeds look like, and can I harvest them from dried flowers?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22512" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22511" CreationDate="2015-11-29T21:26:44.493" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Time to take your flowers apart:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Separate the individual bracts and look at (or feel) their base. If they contain a seed, you can feel the hard lump inside. Pull the bract apart and you should find the seed embedded in some &quot;fluffy&quot; or &quot;hairy&quot; material. (see &lt;a href=&quot;http://allthingsplants.com/plants/photo/312433/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for a close-up)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each bract may contain &lt;strong&gt;one&lt;/strong&gt; seed if its flower was pollinated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead of plucking the flower apart now, you may as well just make sure it is dried well to prevent mold and store it as you would for seeds in general in a cool, dry and possibly airtight place. My favourite storage material are tea-bags for loose tea because they are cheap, easy to write on and allow the seeds to dry in case there is some moisture left. After a bit the bags go in groups in canning jars or similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Come spring, separate the seeds from their bracts (try rubbing them between your palms) and proceed as you would with store-bought seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you prefer to keep the dried flowers out in a vase, warm temperatures, exposure to sunlight and humidity may &lt;em&gt;to some degree&lt;/em&gt; reduce the germination rate of your seeds. Besides, I don't know how well the dried flowers hold up, some fall apart after a short while. If you notice such signs, it would be better to pack them up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-11-29T21:36:46.443" LastActivityDate="2015-11-29T21:36:46.443" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22514" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-11-30T07:10:59.277" Score="7" ViewCount="9355" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am about to buy an &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_vera&quot;&gt;Aloe vera&lt;/a&gt; plant for extracting its juice. I have heard that a leaf needs to be cut so that juice can be extracted from it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How should I cut the leaf without too much damage to the plant?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much leaf is needed for 1 tablespoon of juice?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How frequently can I cut the leaves? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How long will the plant be able to survive if I go on like this?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wish to keep this Aloe vera plant alive permanently (for a long time) in my house so that I can extract juice as needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13490" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-15T00:10:21.007" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T12:30:22.787" Title="How should I cut an Aloe vera plant for extracting juice?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22515" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22518" CreationDate="2015-11-30T08:16:48.290" Score="4" ViewCount="138" Body="&lt;p&gt;It has been sprouting all over my garden and seems extremely hard to kill. I've been trying to look up information on it but nobody in the area seems to know the name, even though it seems to be growing all over Israel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t5f7N.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t5f7N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13491" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-12-03T03:51:49.770" LastActivityDate="2015-12-03T03:51:49.770" Title="Can someone identify this weed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22514" CreationDate="2015-11-30T12:20:08.070" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;UPDATE 6/12/15 (or 12/6/15 for the States)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The answer I gave below is rendered largely irrelevent and pointless because the question has been altered in such a way that there is now no mention of daily use. I'll leave it on in case the links are of any use though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're going to need a lot more than one aloe vera plant if you want to extract juice daily. Every time you want some juice, you have to remove a healthy leaf; obviously, if you do that every day, and your plant originally has 10 leaves, you'll have ten day's worth of juice and a dead plant if you remove all the foliage all the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Link below gives info on how to extract/use the juice, but there are plenty of places on the internet, including Youtube videos, which show you how to do it, just Google 'How to extract Aloe vera juice from Aloe at home' and plenty of others will come up&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://naturalthrifty.com/aloe-vera-juice.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://naturalthrifty.com/aloe-vera-juice.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's another link, a UK one, but the info's the same apart from growing techniques - right at the bottom, it tells you that your plant should be Aloe barbadensis if you want to consume the juice fresh. It also gives a couple more descriptions as to how to extract the juice without the latex, which is highly laxative and probably not a desirable addition to your diet on a daily basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rawedibleplants.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/aloe-vera-aloe-barbadensis-or-aloe-vera.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://rawedibleplants.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/aloe-vera-aloe-barbadensis-or-aloe-vera.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-12-06T11:40:58.677" LastActivityDate="2015-12-06T11:40:58.677" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22517" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8387" CreationDate="2015-11-30T15:56:25.683" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;from your image it does not look like the root balls got buried. remove the burlap and loosen the clay by soaking in water and gently (w/fingers or blunt tool) free up the roots so as to redirect them out of the root ball (they could circle and constrict themselves- rootbound) depending on where you live, plants subjected to this treatment might be damaged the same day. (when the roots are dry the plant dies)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13493" LastActivityDate="2015-11-30T15:56:25.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22518" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22515" CreationDate="2015-11-30T17:16:46.113" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like 'bur ragweed', &lt;em&gt;Ambrosia confertiflora&lt;/em&gt; to me.  However, you need the inflorescence (or sometimes the fruit) to ID the &lt;em&gt;Ambrosia&lt;/em&gt; genera. It does not really matter as you deal with most of the genera the same way.  These are considered weeds in Israel. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sviva.gov.il/InfoServices/ReservoirInfo/DocLib2/Publications/P0701-P0800/P0707.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.sviva.gov.il/InfoServices/ReservoirInfo/DocLib2/Publications/P0701-P0800/P0707.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-30T17:16:46.113" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22519" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22510" CreationDate="2015-11-30T17:54:21.267" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's really hard to tell if this is sunburn.  It is damage, especially the yellow/brown parts.  The darker areas may be just a temporary color change (reddish - purplish), or rot (blackish). It's hard to tell from a photo).  I have this happen when I move cacti from one environment to another.  So if you had these outside, but it was rather cold, and you moved them inside, and it was warm, then they could get sunburned, even though it would seem that there is rather low light conditions. Maybe this plant was in a shadier environment before? Or it could have gotten 'frosted' if you left it outside till recently. Though doesn't quite look right for this as it seems to all be on one side - as if from a light source like winter sun. But frosted cacti look darker green at first, then slowly darken and die, so it could be a delayed reaction.  Many Mammillaria are not very tolerant of cold (though some are extremely tolerant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately there is nothing to do but wait.  This is permanent damage (at least the yellow/brown part) and will not reverse.  But the cactus can survive, and it's scars can sometimes add 'character' to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-11-30T17:54:21.267" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3402" CreationDate="2015-11-30T19:00:58.473" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to distinguish between vegging and flowering when it comes to light cycles!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vegging light cycle can be 18-24 hours under MH (Metal Halide with a good Daylight Spectrum Bulb) or fluorescent lights (T5's are great).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For flowering, cycle 12 hours on, 12 hours off with a good HPS (High Pressure Sodium) bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13494" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-12-01T05:09:21.817" LastActivityDate="2015-12-01T05:09:21.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22521" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-01T02:46:22.713" Score="5" ViewCount="145" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are woodchucks and/or rabbits living under my shed.  How can I make them find a new home?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Massachusetts where it is illegal to trap them or to catch &amp;amp; relocate them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried used cat litter and flooding with the hose, but failed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13474" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-12-01T05:06:48.257" LastActivityDate="2015-12-01T14:16:32.790" Title="How to remove woodchucks and rabbits from under my shed?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;rabbits&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22523" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22521" CreationDate="2015-12-01T10:54:57.117" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some hunting stores will sell fox or coyote urine. I didn't believe it either but for a startling price you can buy a  little squeeze bottle.  The smell makes them think a predator is in the neighbourhood and they may move along.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they do you can backfill the hole with gravel and top with a plug of chicken wire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is not a guaranteed solution but you have limited options.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2015-12-01T10:54:57.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22521" CreationDate="2015-12-01T14:16:32.790" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have a dog that likes to hunt come and visit for a while. Check for a local falconer or bowhunter too. Hunting season appears to be closed for deer season, but will then be open through February on rabbits, year-round on groundhogs (and what dogs do by themselves does not fall under the jurisdiction of the DFW.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/laws-regulations/plain-lang-sum/hunting-of-cottontail-rabbit-snowshoe-hare-and-jackra.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/laws-regulations/plain-lang-sum/hunting-of-cottontail-rabbit-snowshoe-hare-and-jackra.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/laws-regulations/plain-lang-sum/hunting-and-trapping-of-certain-mammals.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/laws-regulations/plain-lang-sum/hunting-and-trapping-of-certain-mammals.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Camphor and/or mothballs are other approaches to the &quot;odor them out&quot; method. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-12-01T14:16:32.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22525" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22487" CreationDate="2015-12-01T16:13:42.657" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got to a certain point with the ID, and maybe this is as far as you need.  It's most likely a 'flatid planthopper' nymph. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&amp;amp;q=flatid+planthopper&amp;amp;gws_rd=ssl&quot;&gt;https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&amp;amp;q=flatid+planthopper&amp;amp;gws_rd=ssl&lt;/a&gt; The exact species is beyond me right now.  Perhaps with more time I may be able to get there (actually others may and I will relay the info).  There are many species. Identification at what appears to be a nymph (immature) example is even harder.  Nymphs often have strange waxy tails, and adults often loose them. Regardless, this may be close enough, and this name is used for these insects in agriculture ...  None are beneficial to citrus.  Unless you find an infestation (many many) I would not worry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-12-01T16:13:42.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22526" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22387" CreationDate="2015-12-01T22:31:16.637" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;OK think I got it.  It was through other insect ID.  I think you have mealybugs.  Thought those were ladybug larvae, but I looks more like mealybugs.  Hard to say which species. There are ones that are not so mealy, at least in different life-cycle stages.  Doesn't really matter though.  They will cause leaf curl, as will aphids (I think you call these greenfly), whitefly, blackfly, etc. Encoraging ladybugs (ones that like eating them) - you may find some around or nearby at your neighbors - take a couple and put them on your plants.  Insecticidal soap works (avoid the ladybugs though they are more tolerant of it).  Just knocking them off will work too, but you have to do it a lot...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-12-01T22:31:16.637" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22527" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="749" CreationDate="2015-12-02T09:09:38.417" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could use moso bamboo nodes, but if you live in an area where these aren't hardy, you might have to get them online.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can make bamboo cups, bowls, or nursery pots!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13499" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-12-02T17:25:36.617" LastActivityDate="2015-12-02T17:25:36.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22529" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3815" CreationDate="2015-12-02T22:42:41.843" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This worked well for me.  First DON'T use Gas. Diesel or Kerosene much better with higher flash point.  Now I used a 1&quot; diameter auger bit in my drill and made some core holes about 4 inches and about 14 inches down (my auger bit is 18&quot;).  Fill the holes with diesel and cork them.  wait a couple days and fill them again. Come back after another couple of days and you light your &quot;candle wick&quot; stump.  Usually took 24 hours to burn out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13503" LastActivityDate="2015-12-02T22:42:41.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22530" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3815" CreationDate="2015-12-02T23:03:24.810" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My favorite (but not in too much hurry) method is a simple pile of manure completely covering the stump. It provides nitrogen, but perhaps more importantly also a damp environment to promote rotting. Most stumps are well-broken down within 2-3 years via this method. If feeling some slight sense of urgency I'll pickaxe them (breaking up the partially rotted bits and exposing the un-rotted parts) and add fresh manure every 6 months or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-12-02T23:03:24.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22531" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22540" CreationDate="2015-12-02T23:08:49.503" Score="4" ViewCount="437" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a follow up to my question &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/21744/concerned-about-wintering-a-potted-banana-tree&quot;&gt;here,&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; hopefully I can get some insight. About a month ago I cut my basjoo as instructed and brought it inside for the winter. But since that time there is about seven inches of new growth. I am concerned that this plant is growing back now, instead of the spring. Please help. It breaks my heart to saw this beautiful plant, and all of the pups in the pot died when it did that. What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KUwya.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KUwya.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11676" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2015-12-04T17:17:00.750" Title="Wintering a banana tree? should it be like this?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22532" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2061" CreationDate="2015-12-03T00:40:24.543" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought air tubing at the hardware store that was was big enough to fit fairly snug inside the soaker hose.  I cut off a 4 inch piece of the air tubing, covered the outside liberally with silicone adhesive and pushed it halfway into one end of the severed soaker hose.  Then I pushed the other severed end onto the other half of the air tubing until the severed ends met.  I let it cure and viola, effective splice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13504" LastActivityDate="2015-12-03T00:40:24.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22533" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22531" CreationDate="2015-12-03T00:49:05.133" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leave it alone. I wouldn't have cut it back. The banana draws those nutrients back into itself as the leaves fade away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-12-03T00:49:05.133" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22534" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4757" CreationDate="2015-12-03T02:36:26.573" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dog poop does the trick for my sheep. You have to replace the bags regularly or it will contaminate the soil. It does not look pretty but it will do the job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13506" LastActivityDate="2015-12-03T02:36:26.573" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22535" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22495" CreationDate="2015-12-03T03:14:51.963" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Never tried any ponics but it seems to me like you could make a nutrient solution fairly easily by washing compost, filtering the solids using an appropriate filter and sterilizing the liquid for any pathogen that got in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should work given that's what plants consume in normal conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might be hard to get consistent results of nutrient balance and PH without advanced equipment though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13276" LastActivityDate="2015-12-03T03:14:51.963" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22536" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="52654" CreationDate="2015-12-03T10:51:08.407" Score="5" ViewCount="1007" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have found these white moths (very small, winged, can fly) below the leaves of my Arabian jasmine plant, and the plant has stopped flowering and is in a poor state. There are surprisingly some white scaly patches too on the leaves, though I am not sure if these are related with the white moth. They look more like fungi to me though I might be wrong. I have tried using insecticides but they don't seem to be working, and the moths and the scales keep coming back. Can anyone please help me identify the insect/fungus and suggest a remedy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yHMtd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yHMtd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white fly and scales&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13481" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-03T20:01:05.117" LastActivityDate="2020-06-16T07:10:41.247" Title="What are these insects on my Arabian Jasmine plant &amp; how can I eradicate them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22537" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22541" CreationDate="2015-12-03T16:00:38.073" Score="4" ViewCount="1052" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my amaryllis bulbs is infected with the narcissus bulb fly : ( It was planted and it started seeing white mould forming around the bulb. I took the bulb out and sure enough it was starting to rot on its side. By pressing on the decayed area I found a maggot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know most people recommend discarding the bulb, but I rather try to save it. The damage seems to be mostly on the outside layers, since it is a big bulb. I know most likely the mother planted two eggs on the bulb, though, so there might be another maggot eating away the bulb where I can't see it. So my questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Has anyone actually saved an infected bulb? What method was used?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I use the method of soaking the bulb in hot water (43c - 44c) for 40 minutes, do I need to keep the water constantly at that temperature? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can I cut the decayed part of the bulb (mostly on its outside) and plant it again? Wouldn't it rot (like it was doing before) not having its protective layers?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have seen some people slice the bulb completely to get the worm out but I could not find a description of the whole method. How does this method work? Can I plant the halves afterwards?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7271" LastActivityDate="2015-12-04T19:32:56.687" Title="Methods for saving amaryllis bulb infected with narcissus bulb fly" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;amaryllis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22538" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22536" CreationDate="2015-12-03T17:20:24.507" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As the renowned Stephie has pointed out in the comment this is Whitefly which is a very common pest.  The scales are discarded pupae cases from the larvae.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The key in pest control is to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove other sources of whitefly which can reinfect the plant. Are other plants infected?  Remove them and isolate this plant from healthy ones&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spray with 5ml dish soap to one liter of water, or, wipe down with a cloth soaked in the solution&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repeat at five to seven day intervals so you catch the eggs as they hatch&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;three applications or more are likely to be needed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-12-04T22:39:05.933" LastActivityDate="2015-12-04T22:39:05.933" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22540" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22531" CreationDate="2015-12-04T17:17:00.750" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow a lot of these sort of plants that are 'subtropical' and bring them in.  I think you need to either:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Provide a relatively warm place with lots of light&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will allow it to grow properly during this period.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Provide a cool to what-you-may-consider cold (though not freezing or&#xA;below) area where light is not as much of a concern (though it won't&#xA;matter much)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This allows the plant to go dormant, and when warmth comes in the&#xA;Spring, it will shoot out and grow nicely.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have it in what looks like a warm (I see baseboard heaters) and dark (I see no large window (south or west facing) nearby.  This can mean it will send out shoots, that are unable to photosynthesize (make it's food) and it will be drained of resources all winter.  It may not make it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-12-04T17:17:00.750" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22541" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22537" CreationDate="2015-12-04T19:32:56.687" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saved a batch of specialty daffodils I had received, as they arrived infected, and I was unable to get a replacement. I decided to go for it and try to save them, instead of getting a refund. Because Daffodil and Amaryllis bulbs are very similar in form, this answer will likely be closely applicable to your situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have the reference guide  'Plant Propagation', by the American Horticultural Society, and I used the method of bulb chipping in that book. I will quote that here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1.&lt;/strong&gt; Dig up a healthy bulb when dormant and clean it. Remove any papery outer skin and trim back the roots with a clean, sharp knife without cutting into the basal plate. Cut back the growing tip.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.&lt;/strong&gt; Holding the bulb with the basal plate uppermost, cut it into 8-16 similarly sized sections (&amp;quot;chips&amp;quot;), depending on the size of the bulb. Make sure that each chip retains a piece of the basal plate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3.&lt;/strong&gt; Soak the chips in a fungicidal solution, made up according to the manufactures instructions, for up to 15 minutes to kill any bacteria or fungal spores. Allow the chips to drain on a rack for about 12 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4.&lt;/strong&gt; Place the chips in a clear plastic bag containing ten parts vermiculite to one part water. Inflate the bag, then seal and label it. Keep the bag in a dark place at 68°F (20°C). Check the bag periodically and remove any chips that show signs of rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5.&lt;/strong&gt; After about 12 weeks, bulblets should form just above the basal plate. Pot the chips individually in 3in (8cm) pots in free-draining soil-based potting mix. Insert each chip with its basal plate downward and the bulblets covered by about 1/2&amp;quot; (1cm) of soil mix. Leave the scales exposed, they will slowly rot away as the bulblets develop. Grow on in a sheltered position, in conditions appropriate to the individual species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: This guide specifically states using dormant bulbs, but my infected plants were sprouted, and it worked for them too. Just cut the entire top growth off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the bulbs had no material left that was healthy enough to use, because of how this larva burrows. I had enough, however, that I got a fair survival rate, and in 3 years, they were at blooming size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;picture of bulblet formed in the chip of a daffodil bulb:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8ZaPz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8ZaPz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-12-04T19:32:56.687" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22543" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2061" CreationDate="2015-12-04T22:48:28.687" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are drip irrigation parts that the soaker hose fits into. The one you want is usually called a compression 'coupling'. They should only be $1 each - some are pricey online (sort of boutique drip irrigation prices).  Go to an irrigation supply store, or even some large box stores have them. They are much cheaper than any of the other suggestions, as well as reliable, durable, and you can take them apart and reconfigure them.  Just make sure it's the right size. There are various size couplings - the link shows one, but you can get a few sizes. The photo shows threads (on the outside) but inside the tube is a sort of funnel - that is the compression fitting.  When you force the hose into it, it's really hard to get out.  But not impossible.  That's how people make drip or soaker systems. To attach them put them in the sun for awhile (the soaker hose) and it will be easier. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mrdrip.com/146-Soaker-Hose-Parts-Kit_p_410.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.mrdrip.com/146-Soaker-Hose-Parts-Kit_p_410.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13446" LastActivityDate="2015-12-04T22:48:28.687" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22544" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22546" CreationDate="2015-12-05T12:45:35.727" Score="5" ViewCount="282" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been growing a date palm for about eight years now (time goes by fast...) and it works out pretty well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I hold it up, the largest branch/leaf is about 2m (~6 feet) in height and it grows in my room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is: The palm doesn't have a trunk. So I stabilized the plant with a wooden stick to prevent it from bending down totally. The leafs/branches start about 10cm over the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot is quite large and I think it still has space for the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anybody know what I can to do make the palm more stable and self-stabilizing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a pic of my plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TowvU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TowvU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13498" LastEditorUserId="13498" LastEditDate="2015-12-06T10:42:48.263" LastActivityDate="2015-12-06T11:41:04.077" Title="Date palm just growing in height but not getting a trunk" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22545" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-05T19:56:15.630" Score="4" ViewCount="104" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've sprayed my plants with DiPel DF as a way of controlling Tomato Hornworms. (The Dipel Solution called for 2 to 4 teaspoons per 32oz of water.) It killed the hornworms effectively; however, it's killing my plants too. I've tried to find them with a magnifying glass; I was able to find and remove a few, but there were more. They devoured a few of my plants and made a huge hole in 2 of my bell peppers. How can I eradicate the hornworms without hurting my plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are pictures of my plants after spraying them with the Bt solution a week later.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AejI2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AejI2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DUFkB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DUFkB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kyigf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kyigf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13092" LastEditorUserId="13092" LastEditDate="2015-12-05T20:03:54.200" LastActivityDate="2015-12-06T19:33:28.167" Title="How to Control Tomato Hornworms?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22544" CreationDate="2015-12-05T20:40:04.080" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_palm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;date palm&lt;/a&gt;, Phoenix dactylifera as well.  The seeds germinated readily from fresh dates about five years ago and it's about three feet (one meter) tall.  I have also maintained similar members of the palm family inside atriums and offices.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;these plants are most happy in full sun.  Even full sun in the tropics is just fine.  I put mine outside all summer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when palms are grown in lower light they can get floppy. They tend to &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiolation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;etiolate&lt;/a&gt; and stretch out.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;as pointed out by ychiera1 these plants grow extensive roots systems and I find that they can become pot bound in a single season if given adequate light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant could have spider mites but the most likely cause of the floppy growth is low light. The lux levels of a bright office are about 400 lux versus &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lux&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;full sun outdoors at 100,000 lux&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-12-06T11:41:04.077" LastActivityDate="2015-12-06T11:41:04.077" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22547" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22545" CreationDate="2015-12-06T19:33:28.167" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't offer suggestions on your sick tomatoes, but I can tell you what worked for me against hornworms. We are pesticide and insecticide free here (except natural ones).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my quest to remove invasives from this property, I came across Japanese (Chinese) Lantern this spring. I pulled A LOT until I noticed something was eating its leaves. I left a small patch of the plants (in case it was a &quot;good&quot; something). Later in the summer, I noticed tomato hornworm larvae on them, but no tomato hornworms on the tomato plants in the garden about 100ft away. All but one of the Lantern hornworms I saw were parasitized by the Braconid wasp, too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, it seems that Chinese/Japanese Lantern is an excellent decoy plant for tomato hornworm, at least here in USDA 6b/7a. It's noted that it can be invasive (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenersnet.com/flower/chineselanterns.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenersnet.com/flower/chineselanterns.htm&lt;/a&gt;) but it's easy to control by pulling &amp;amp; only leaving a few lanterns to sprout next year. Be sure to plant nectar plants for the adult wasp near your decoy patch &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2011/08/when-not-to-kill-a-tomato-hornworm/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2011/08/when-not-to-kill-a-tomato-hornworm/&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to attract black-swallowtail butterflies and protect your carrot crop too, plant Golden Alexander and let the Queen Anne's Lace have some space too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;HTH. If this is TMI, feel free to edit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3431" LastActivityDate="2015-12-06T19:33:28.167" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22548" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22554" CreationDate="2015-12-07T06:13:21.303" Score="16" ViewCount="1148" Body="&lt;p&gt;How can I attract butterflies to my small garden? What flower plants are ideal for attracting them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Details: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Garden is in a fenced backyard, faces North-East. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not shaded, gets sunlight from about 10 am to 2 pm.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Roughly a 200 square foot place.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Region: Pune, Maharashtra, India. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Normal weather: 32-34&lt;sup&gt;o&lt;/sup&gt; C, humidity around 55-60%.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13529" OwnerDisplayName="WedaPashi" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-08T04:13:03.417" LastActivityDate="2015-12-08T14:38:26.520" Title="What plants are best for attracting butterflies to a small garden?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;butterflies&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22549" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22548" CreationDate="2015-12-07T07:41:20.903" Score="8" Body="&lt;h2&gt;Buddleja davidii&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's ideal in central Europe is the &quot;Buddleja davidii&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EMWS4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EMWS4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Butterflies&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Buddleja davidii (spelling variant Buddleia davidii), also called&#xA;  summer lilac, butterfly-bush, or orange eye, is a species of flowering&#xA;  plant in the family Scrophulariaceae, native to Sichuan and Hubei&#xA;  provinces in central China, and also Japan.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EMWS4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt; It is widely used as an&#xA;  ornamental plant, and many named varieties are in cultivation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are an ideal nectar source for many butterflies. As already stated it's even called the &quot;butterfly-bush&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Buddleja davidii cultivars are much appreciated worldwide as&#xA;  ornamentals and for the value of their flowers as a nectar source for&#xA;  many species of butterfly, though the species and cultivars are not&#xA;  able to survive the harsh winters of northern or montane climates,&#xA;  being killed by temperatures below about −15 to −20 °C (5 to −4 °F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I don't know if it's suitable for your region. I believe (!) that it's a very uncomplicated plant due to the fact that it was imported from China long time ago. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddleja_davidii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nCnt6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nCnt6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Butterfly Garden Collection&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's a great &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/collections/collection.php?collection=TWC_16&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;flower collection&lt;/a&gt; called &quot;Ann and O.J. Weber Butterfly Garden&quot;. It states nearly all suitable plants to attract more butterflies. It's also possible to narrow the search (left side in the page) to filter it by region, height etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Host Plants&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also consider to use some &quot;host plants&quot; like described on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenswithwings.com/what-is-a-butterfly-garden/host-plants.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;Gardens With Wings&quot;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;By including both host plants and nectar plants in your garden, you&#xA;  can attract a wider selection of butterflies while providing an&#xA;  environment that supports their entire life cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;List of host plants: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Flowers: Aster (Aster spp.) Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)&#xA;  Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) Common Milkweed (Asclepias&#xA;  syriaca) Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) False Nettle (Boehmeria&#xA;  cylindrica) Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja&#xA;  spp.) Mallow (Malva spp.) Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) Pussy-toe&#xA;  (Antennaria plantaginifolia) Rue (Ruta graveolens) Ruellia (Ruellia&#xA;  spp.) Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum spp.) Silver Brocade (Artemisia&#xA;  stellariana) Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) Spider flower (Cleome&#xA;  hasslerana) Sunflower (Helianthus spp.) Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias&#xA;  incarnata) Swamp Verbena (Verbena hastata) Tall Verbena (Verbena&#xA;  bonariensis) Violet (Viola spp. ) Water Dock (Rumex verticillatus)&#xA;  Wild Senna (Senna hebecarpa) Woodland Stonecrop (Sedum ternatum)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Herbs: Dill (Antheum graveolens) Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) Parsley&#xA;  (Petroselinum crispum)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Grasses: Little Bluestem Grass (Schizachyrium scoparium) Orchard Grass&#xA;  (Dactylis glomerata ) Panic Grass (Panicum spp.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Shrubs: Coontie (Zamia pumila) False Indigo (Baptisia australis)&#xA;  Spicebush (Lindera benzoin )&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Vines: Passion Flowers (Passiflora spp.) Pipevine (Aristolochia&#xA;  macrophylla)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Trees: Aspen Tree (Populus spp.) Common HopTree (Ptelea trifoliata)&#xA;  Elm Tree (Ulmus spp. ) Flowering Dogwood (Cornus) Pawpaw (Asimina&#xA;  triloba) Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) Sassafras (Sassafras&#xA;  albidum) Sweet Bay (Magnolia virginiana) Willow (Salix)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="OddDeer" LastActivityDate="2015-12-07T10:51:40.490" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22550" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21913" CreationDate="2015-12-07T21:47:56.163" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Eek !  If this were my tree I'd carefully remove the whole bolus of the tree from the ground now, as carefully as possible, in order to save it from the dreaded root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are absolutely right to be concerned about the drainage issue, even though there is a slight slope.  I've lost trees on a slight slope but they never had sculpting-style clay close to the rootball. In other words, my trees had a healthier prognosis but died of wet feet in a long wet spell anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please, as tree-lover I say, gently remove that lovely tree and put it where the roots are cool and moist while you go to work to dig a much deeper and wider hole for it.  Then put layers of organic material and the original (not sculpting-clay though) soil back in the hole.  Gently replace the tree, asap, in a 'cup' in this larger planting hole. BUILDING THE SOIL SURFACE UP TO A GOOD ONE FOOT ABOVE the surrounding soil BEFORE replanting the tree.  Firm the area down a little, then, stake firmly, (3 stakes), and always keep a mulch on the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the tree shows signs of wet feet (drooping, yellowing, water sitting around it) either dig a runaway down the slope, and/or dig the whole tree up and out of there to save it's life.  Then, replace it in a day or two but sitting even higher than it was before.  You will always have to keep an eye out on how its doing, in order to prevent death by wet feet.  Location, location, location !  All the best !  Voice of experience (with fruit trees growing in clayey soil).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13524" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2015-12-08T08:20:56.837" LastActivityDate="2015-12-08T08:20:56.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22552" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4171" CreationDate="2015-12-08T10:46:33.367" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's too small to be scale insects (the dark &lt;em&gt;spots&lt;/em&gt; on the last images are dead plant tissues) and certainly not midlew (which is a rot). This looks like mites, either &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/houseplant-insect-control/#cyclamen-mites&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cyclamen&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/houseplant-insect-control/#spider-mites&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;spider mites&lt;/a&gt;. I currently have a chili plant which is infested and am going to try Neem oil. You can confirm these are spider mites by watching them moving around on stems and see their microscopic web in the area of the apical meristem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13528" LastActivityDate="2015-12-08T10:46:33.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22553" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-08T13:50:45.813" Score="7" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last week I was given a tiny conifer(?) &quot;dressed up&quot; as miniature Christmas tree. Not a bonsai in the strict sense, rather a quite young evergreen species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course it came without a label and with a bunch of decorations, it was wrapped in silvery wire both as decoration and to accentuate the cone shape. While I will keep the decorations on it for the moment (and loosened the wire), I would nevertheless love to know what I am dealing with. And of course find the right spot to plant it, if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is only 20cm / 8 in tall and has tiny needles that are not more than 6mm long. It has a slight resinous scent when brushed. Young growth (which seems to be the majority) is light to medium green, older parts darker. Compared to other conifers it seems very willing to branch out, but I can't know whether it was specially treated or has a natural tendency to do so. The leaves / needles are quite soft, not sharp or stiff at all. Branches are rather pliable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NBe7x.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NBe7xm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the whole plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; whole plant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QgKNi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QgKNim.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the tip&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; the tip&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VnofR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VnofRm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;details&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; detail&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2015-12-08T16:34:37.830" LastActivityDate="2016-01-03T10:33:02.207" Title="Christmas tree of unknown species" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22548" CreationDate="2015-12-08T14:38:26.520" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is always best when designing a butterfly garden to start with the butterflies. Make a list of the butterflies that are native to your area, and then it is relatively easy to come up with a list of host plants to support them. There are two types of host plants that you are concerned about: the plants that the eggs are laid on and the caterpillars eat, and the plants that provide nectar for the adult butterflies. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not familiar with butterflies on Pune, but found this article about a butterfly garden there:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dnaindia.com/blogs/post-the-little-known-butterfly-garden-of-pune-2000176&quot;&gt;http://www.dnaindia.com/blogs/post-the-little-known-butterfly-garden-of-pune-2000176&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They list 4 types of butterflies they commonly find in the garden. I'm sure there are more that you'll be able to find, but this is a start. I'll put the host plants in parenthesis after.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plain Tigers (Milkweeds (Asclepias - for both larva and adults)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Eggfly (Larval plants: Fleuria interrupta, Sida rhombiflolia, Elatostemma cuneatum, Portulaca oleracea, Laportea interrupta, Triumfetta pentandra, and Asystasia. Nectar Plants: Urtica dioica, Malva.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pierotts (Larval plants: Kalanchoe lacinata, K pinnata, and Crassulaceae. Nectar Plants: Kalanchoe, lichens)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Common Jezebels (Larval Plants: Loranthus trees, Malvaceae. Adults also need small shrubs on which to rest)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not certain which of these plants are suitable for your garden. I recognize Kalanchoe, which are sold where I live as a decorative houseplant and would be a beautiful garden addition. Crassulaceae is listed in the butterfly information as a common garden plant, as well. The others you'll need to decide on. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-12-08T14:38:26.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22555" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8232" CreationDate="2015-12-08T15:03:30.623" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like corn mint aka wild mint aka Pudina(in urdu/hindi). it is either spearmint or Pudina(Wild mint). seeing how the plant is growing,spreading on ground, i think it is pudina. I am from Pakisatan and we use Pudina daily, in tea,salads,sauces etc so it looks more like pudina. another way to identify is the smell, when u crush it in your hands ,if the smell is really strong and somewhat sweet its pudina. Also the leaves are sharp edged, spearmint has a bit smoother edges and a somewhat hairy stalk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13530" LastActivityDate="2015-12-08T15:03:30.623" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21913" CreationDate="2015-12-08T17:56:57.017" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is no easy answer here, firstly I would question why in the location shown in your picture have you chosen such a dwarfing rootstock? This tree may not flourish here. Firstly I would dig up,the tree and remove the stones as they will just make things worse.&#xA;Clay is impervious to water so the hole you have dug will just fill up with water from the slope. Consider if you just dug a hole here it would fill up with water as you have created a sump. Digging a bigger hole and incorporating a lot of organic matter may help but you still have a potential hole full of water.&#xA;My advice would be to plant in as small a hole as possible without improving the soil as already advised above and try to engineer the surrounding surface soil to divert water away, sealing the hole with clay soil but not covering the graft, the tighter the fit the less standing water will enter the planting hole.&#xA;If the tree gets established It would do quite well. As advised keep it well supported all its life and good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13531" LastEditorUserId="13531" LastEditDate="2015-12-08T18:02:30.500" LastActivityDate="2015-12-08T18:02:30.500" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22557" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22589" CreationDate="2015-12-09T04:31:47.960" Score="10" ViewCount="1921" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an indoor lime tree and it grew blooms and fruit for the first time (in seven years) this spring. I'm very excited. Now, it has 4 or 5 fruits on it and they've been on there since April or so. I read that I need to wait until they start changing their color to slightly lighter green, but before they turn yellow, before I pick them, but they've been on that tree for so long and it's winter again. Should I just wait or pick them now while they're still green?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11179" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-09T06:05:48.437" LastActivityDate="2016-01-13T21:35:59.710" Title="Why are my limes taking a long time to ripen?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22558" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22562" CreationDate="2015-12-09T07:23:37.487" Score="8" ViewCount="530" Body="&lt;p&gt;As I drink quite some tea, I often wondered what to do with the remaining leaves. Googling around, I found that I could use them to fertilize plants. But from different sources, one even suggesting to let the leaves ferment in water for a couple of weeks before using the water. That leave me to some related questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can I simply lay the used leaves at the bottom of plants? Or should it be dried, or fermented?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is it good for both house plants and outside plants?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;does green or black tea makes a difference?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think that those questions are related enough to be combined.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13533" LastActivityDate="2015-12-10T08:47:57.947" Title="Tea leaves for fertilizers" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22559" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22328" CreationDate="2015-12-09T08:22:25.187" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plants should not have suffered such a traumatic outcome from careful potting on. Damage such as this could be due to root damage when separating from seed tray, under watering or fungal attack such as damping off (unlikely at the temperatures you describe) or damage to the stem.Young tomatoes have a delicate stem and handling at the stem can cause damage?&#xA;The tomatoes in your picture would have been better grown on from smaller seedlings as separation at this stage of growth must cause root damage the roots being impossible to separate and at 30 degrees they need all the help they can get.When handling young tomato plants it is better to lift them using the leaves thus avoiding damage to the stem.your plants would have been better moved at the first true leaf stage, smaller plants have less transpiration&#xA;Planting into small pots and thinning to one plant gives the plants a good start in life and transplanting can be done without damage or check to growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think that your problem therefore has been root and stem damage&#xA;You do have some good looking plants so hope you enjoy a good crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13531" LastActivityDate="2015-12-09T08:22:25.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22560" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22558" CreationDate="2015-12-09T11:00:43.280" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without a compost heap, you won't be able to use up all your tea leaves - putting them on the compost is the best way to use them. However, what you can do for &lt;strong&gt;acid loving&lt;/strong&gt; plants is repot them, using some of your used tea leaves (of whatever type) mixed into the potting mix. They don't have to be dried to do this, but make sure you mix them through the potting medium well so they're not in clumps. Or water the plants with tea - if your leaves are mixed with water, the resulting tea won't be as acidic as the leaves themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In practice, of course, the amount of tea leaves you can use in this way will be small in comparison with the amount you use each day for drinking yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-12-09T11:00:43.280" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22561" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23382" CreationDate="2015-12-09T13:16:54.473" Score="4" ViewCount="161" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given some seeds that I was told were &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bok_choy&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pak choi&lt;/a&gt;. However the plants growing from these don't look anything like pak choi to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possible the seeds got mixed up with other salad varieties they were giving out - is anyone able to identify what the plant is from this photo?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mTPZJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unidentified leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can supply further photos of different parts if needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13535" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-12-09T22:59:36.037" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T07:35:27.330" Title="Can anyone identify this plant, possibly a salad leaf?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22562" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22558" CreationDate="2015-12-09T16:33:55.713" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;On bedded plants, this won't hurt anything, In potted plants, there is a possibility of altering the pH levels, especially if fermented. Also, the decomposition process could sour the potting mix. And the nutrients gained will be very minimal (minuscule compared with a balanced extended release) Basically whether indoors or outdoors, if you don't have a compost heap, I would use the leaves very lightly for potted plants (indoor or outdoor), or more freely in soil, in a bed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2015-12-09T16:57:39.330" LastActivityDate="2015-12-09T16:57:39.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22563" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-09T17:31:25.820" Score="5" ViewCount="173" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know what are the easiest and fastest vegetables &amp;amp; fruits that can be grown in a small space with limited sunlight access, like an apartment balcony. I live in the small island of Singapore. It's sunny most of the year with no seasons. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13536" LastEditorUserId="13536" LastEditDate="2015-12-10T02:30:30.597" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T12:20:12.917" Title="What are the easiest vegetables &amp; fruits to grow in your apartment?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22564" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22563" CreationDate="2015-12-09T17:34:24.137" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Other than herbs, tomatoes and peppers are probably the easiest to manage in an apartment setting. Strawberries as well, but you won't get great production from strawberries in pots. It's best if you can set these out on an well sunny outdoor patio if you can to improve lighting as well as fruit set from bees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-12-09T17:34:24.137" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22566" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-10T06:38:05.150" Score="5" ViewCount="727" Body="&lt;p&gt;About a month ago I split my basil plant in half since I wanted to give some basil to a friend. I had never split a plant before. &#xA;During the summer and fall months I kept my plants outside on my balcony, but since it has been getting colder I brought it inside about the same time that I split it. I have been noticing that both of my plants are losing lots of their leaves and wilting over and starting to lay down. I placed them in front of my window, but I am not sure how much sun they get since my window faces east and I am gone most of the day. I also am watering my plants about every other day. What am I doing wrong? Is there any hope in saving my poor plants? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13539" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-12T05:44:11.760" LastActivityDate="2015-12-12T05:44:11.760" Title="Why is my basil doing poorly after I split it a month ago?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22567" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22558" CreationDate="2015-12-10T08:47:57.947" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tea is quite amazing, my grandmother alsways discharged the contents of her teapot onto her garden just by the back door.&#xA;Everything seemed to thrive especially the lilies which were an annual wonder.They came up asking for two lumps please.&#xA;We use mostly tea bags these days which do end up in the worm infested compost bin but the regal pelargonium on the window sill does get a drink of the rinsed out tea cups at watering time and requires no other feeding so maybe you can do just that to your pot plants and gain some benefit from your tea.&#xA;Cheers!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13531" LastActivityDate="2015-12-10T08:47:57.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22568" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22566" CreationDate="2015-12-10T10:17:14.790" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't actually &quot;split&quot; a basil plant as they grow from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/19596/my-basil-stems-are-cracking-and-turning-brown&quot;&gt;one stem&lt;/a&gt;. What you probably had is a pot of seedlings / small plants like they are sold in grocery stores or garden centers for cooking. Please see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/21952/keeping-basil-fresh-as-long-as-possible-should-i-remove-the-plastic&quot;&gt;this post&lt;/a&gt; for more details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the collapsing, I see a few potential causes, but without pictures it is almost impossible to say for sure what causes it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;frost&lt;/strong&gt; / cold temperatures&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Are you sure they weren't exposed to frost? But this usually finishes them off rather quickly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiolation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;etiolation&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;meaning lanky growth due to lack of light, eventually toppling over&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some &lt;strong&gt;fungus&lt;/strong&gt; (check the stems, basil can be susceptible) or &lt;strong&gt;pests&lt;/strong&gt; (check the underside of the leaves)  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;and finally: &lt;strong&gt;The end of the life-cycle&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Basil is an annual which will die after flowering/seeding. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2015-12-10T16:07:19.793" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22569" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4612" CreationDate="2015-12-10T18:06:58.853" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Indirect light, water once a week.  Mine is going on 2 years!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13542" LastActivityDate="2015-12-10T18:06:58.853" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22570" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22575" CreationDate="2015-12-10T19:09:43.933" Score="2" ViewCount="2027" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used to have a plant growing in my backyard that resembled a seeding dandelion in the fall, but 3 feet tall. It had a single, straight, woody stem that I'm pretty sure was hollow. I think the spherical head was composed of many smaller flowers, but I also doubt it was an allium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This was in Cincinnati, Ohio, but it may not have been native to the area; my mom could have planted it. (She doesn't remember it at all, now.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Failing that, &lt;strong&gt;what are some plants that resemble giant seeding dandelions?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13543" LastActivityDate="2015-12-11T15:46:53.520" Title="Looking for a plant that resembles a giant woody dandelion" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22572" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22570" CreationDate="2015-12-10T21:09:09.927" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably the plant that you are looking for is similar to this one:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n0uql.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n0uql.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4c9rc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4c9rc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to @Bamboo for giving me this information that contains the name of the plant: &quot;Agapanthus, commonly known as African Lily or Lily of the Nile, depending where you live &quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11964" LastEditorUserId="11964" LastEditDate="2015-12-11T15:46:53.520" LastActivityDate="2015-12-11T15:46:53.520" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22573" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-10T21:19:25.663" Score="3" ViewCount="9217" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have used Dawn dish soap on my animals to combat fleas and I was wondering if it is safe to use on ants in my plants as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a real problem with ants in our yard and I had some of the houseplants outside for the summer. When I brought them in for the winter,  they had a ton of ants in them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need to know if using dish soap to kill those pesky ants we get here in the southern US is safe for potted plants!? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13544" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-12-11T15:43:58.820" LastActivityDate="2015-12-17T19:07:06.943" Title="Is Dawn dish soap effective and safe to kill ants on my houseplants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;ants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22574" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22576" CreationDate="2015-12-11T10:53:51.357" Score="8" ViewCount="551" Body="&lt;p&gt;This white stuff started to show up on my plants. I am worried it might be mold and could not be so great for the air in my bedroom.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/orqL1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/orqL1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SZ7pg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SZ7pg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13545" LastActivityDate="2015-12-16T00:09:26.853" Title="Is this mold? Should i move those plants out of my bedroom?" Tags="&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22575" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22570" CreationDate="2015-12-11T11:12:49.423" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agapanthus as pictured in the other answer, or maybe an Eryngium variety, one of these is pictured below, there are other larger ones&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://peatfreeplants.org.uk/plants-for-sale/eryngium-planum/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://peatfreeplants.org.uk/plants-for-sale/eryngium-planum/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps Echinops ritro&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/small-globe-thistle-echinops-ritro&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.finegardening.com/small-globe-thistle-echinops-ritro&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or many of the alliums, which look like the one in the picture in the link below when fully dried out on the stem, with the seeds already dispersed&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/2015/10/28/alliums-work-wonders-in-natural-settings&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/2015/10/28/alliums-work-wonders-in-natural-settings&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and like this before they dry out fully&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://thegardensmallholder.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/happy-new-year-2013/img_3774alliumpurplesensationseedheadsized/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://thegardensmallholder.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/happy-new-year-2013/img_3774alliumpurplesensationseedheadsized/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other varieties - Allium christophii is a very large flower and seedhead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-12-11T11:12:49.423" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22576" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22574" CreationDate="2015-12-11T11:18:21.130" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's quite hard to tell from the photographs - in the top one, there may be some mould growing towards the bottom, right hand side, and the soil in that pot does look quite wet. As for the second photograph, it's not quite in focus, and it has more the look of salt deposits from using hard tapwater to water with than mould.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you think you're reacting to spores from the mould, then move the plants elsewhere, but we all breath in about 40 fungal spores with every breath we take when outdoors, less indoors usually, unless the windows are open, and no harm comes of this. Alternatively, if the plant in the top picture doesn't require to be sitting in very wet compost, reduce your watering, which will discourage the mould or fungal growth. That might be difficult - from the picture, it appears the pot is too full with soil (right to the brim) and you have it in an outer pot, in which you presumably pour water, since water will just run off the top from round the plant otherwise. A larger pot, filled only to half an inch from the top would help with that, as would ensuring the outer pot is emptied 30 minutes after you've watered. Air circulation will help too - if your bedroom has no airflow, and moisture is present (as in that soil) that will encourage fungal/mould growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-12-11T15:39:02.467" LastActivityDate="2015-12-11T15:39:02.467" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22577" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4612" CreationDate="2015-12-11T13:15:30.123" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although I agree that this looks like Peperomia obtusifolia (and may actually be that), as kevinsky suggested, I think it's equally likely that it's a young rubber plant (Ficus elastica), by its appearance. Whatever the case, you should eventually find out by how large it gets. Rubber Plants get pretty large (and so do their leaves). They also have white latex in their leaves and stems. I don't know if Peperomia obtusifolia contains latex (but coincidentally, it is also known as a Baby Rubber Plant, notwithstanding it's not even in the same genus, let alone order).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2015-12-11T13:15:30.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22579" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22583" CreationDate="2015-12-11T18:39:09.357" Score="5" ViewCount="177" Body="&lt;p&gt;This palm tree has been grown in my parents' yard for more than a decade (perhaps two). I'm not sure of its identification. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has grown a lot (perhaps too much, for the surrounding space), and, though we tried to constantly prune the lower leaves with the hope to make it develop a trunk and make it go up, we have not been very successfull. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any information and advice would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/grj1o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/grj1o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xxDWz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xxDWz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: to aid with identification: the yellow-brownish thing is a cluster of fruits (drupes), about 2 or 3 cm long. The lower leaves are hard, like spines (or daggers!).&#xA;The description of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_(plant)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Phoenix&lt;/a&gt; palms fits quite well, I'm thinking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update 2 (Jan-2018) : Two years later. It looks healthy, but it keeps growing wider and still no trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fsbL3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fsbL3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13547" LastEditorUserId="13547" LastEditDate="2018-02-06T00:38:30.923" LastActivityDate="2018-02-06T00:38:30.923" Title="What to do with this palm tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22581" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22573" CreationDate="2015-12-11T20:20:07.210" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dish soap will kill ants but it will not kill the queen in the nest or remove the cause that is bringing the ants to the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normally ants will only go great distances for food. They have everything else they need at their home!  It is likely that you have scale or mealybug on some of your house plants that are excreting a sugary sap. This will attract ants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7411.html#MANAGEMENT&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; indicates that plunging your plant into soapy water is effective&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If ants are found in potted plants, remove the containers from the&#xA;  building, then place the pots for 20 or more minutes in a solution of&#xA;  insecticidal soap and water at a rate of 1 to 2 tablespoons of&#xA;  insecticidal soap per quart of water. Submerge so the surface of the&#xA;  soil is just covered by the water-soap solution&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please provide some pictures of the plants, particularly the underside of the leaves and we can make further diagnosis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2015-12-17T19:07:06.943" LastActivityDate="2015-12-17T19:07:06.943" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22582" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22579" CreationDate="2015-12-11T21:21:11.980" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a sable palm to me. I had several when I lived in Florida. It's a great bee tree when the flowers bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep trimming it like you are, and eventually once the tree gets tall enough, the base of those petioles will start to come away and you'll see the trunk. But it's going to take some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can rush it, but it will look very ugly so I am not going to tell you how :-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-12-11T21:21:11.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22579" CreationDate="2015-12-12T12:29:29.743" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're right, it's Phoenix canariensis, I think - they can grow 30 cm in a year, but are usually much slower, particularly when young, or comparatively young. Not much you can do to make it hurry up and get to its eventual height of 20m, it just takes time. You might consider removing it and replacing with something else if its a nuisance. Bit more info here (with lots of photos further down, scroll down enough and you'll find one that looks just like yours)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Phoenix_canariensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Phoenix_canariensis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The article in the link below might be of interest!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB108690570014334423&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB108690570014334423&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-12-12T12:29:29.743" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22584" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1045" CreationDate="2015-12-12T20:15:14.360" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of the pickled jalapenos seeds are alrady germinating in the jar, you probably just didn't notice it. Put them on wet cotton and see what happens. Thank me later. Try. Experiment. Enjoy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13550" LastActivityDate="2015-12-12T20:15:14.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22585" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5360" CreationDate="2015-12-13T14:50:36.997" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the research I have done, adding leaves especially shredded ones introduces leaf mold to your soil which in turn improves soil structure. This improves the soils friability and it's ability to absorb and retain moisture. So what you have done is a good thing. Compost, however, is better to add nutrients to your soil. I plan on doing both in my garden and if time allows recommend you do the same. I also experienced the added benefit of reducing soil erosion and weeds during the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13551" LastActivityDate="2015-12-13T14:50:36.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22586" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22612" CreationDate="2015-12-13T23:29:06.713" Score="7" ViewCount="1175" Body="&lt;p&gt;My house has a stone wall on one side of the property line. Over the years, the stones have definitely shifted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I properly re-stack the rocks? I'd like to know how to maintain the wall so that rocks don't come loose.  It can be dangerous because some of them are pretty heavy and have rolled down hill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aQNpN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aQNpN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pzsrn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pzsrn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13474" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-12-16T17:19:52.820" LastActivityDate="2015-12-21T19:48:41.147" Title="How should I re-stack a dry stone wall?" Tags="&lt;hard-landscape&gt;&lt;rocks&gt;&lt;wall&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22587" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-14T17:32:57.793" Score="5" ViewCount="153" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've found this plant growing in a crack in the wall. I then put it in a pot and is growing fast.&#xA;Can anyone help me identify it, I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/De0Yu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/De0Yu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is how it looks now (2016-2-10):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Hjq2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Hjq2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1151" LastEditorUserId="1151" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T19:15:34.220" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T19:51:06.577" Title="What is this small tree found growing from a wall?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22588" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24482" CreationDate="2015-12-14T20:50:31.483" Score="7" ViewCount="722" Body="&lt;p&gt;We recently inherited a new plant with no information about the species or location where it naturally grows.  It looks like it has been regularly trimmed by the previous owner, and I'm not sure if the braided trunk at the bottom is naturally occurring or if that was shaped by the owner.  Also, it has a height of about 1.4 meters (55 inches).  On average, there are about 6 leaflets per leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas on what this plant species is?  Or any general ideas about the family or order?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I'm living in the Netherlands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ow9nX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ow9nX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NEuyd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NEuyd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13557" LastEditorUserId="13557" LastEditDate="2015-12-15T10:55:54.847" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T19:39:17.343" Title="What is this tall potted plant with narrow leaves and braided bark at the base?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22589" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22557" CreationDate="2015-12-14T21:03:20.123" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Citrus typically takes a long time to ripen. Valencia oranges, for example, will still be completing the ripening process even after the tree has flowered and set fruit for the next season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You did not specify what type of limes you have. Key limes are typically shorter (three to four months in ideal conditions) but can take longer depending on lighting and other conditions. My outdoor lemons in zone 9b would flower in March and be ready in late December to January. I suspect you're getting close to harvest for your limes. Ripe limes should give a little bit when gently squeezed. They should not feel firm or completely solid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not harvest everything at one time until you've determined they're acceptable to you. Pick one and see if it's to your liking. It should be juicy and tart. If it's not juicy, it's likely under-ripe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3174" LastActivityDate="2015-12-14T21:03:20.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22591" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22593" CreationDate="2015-12-15T02:08:57.693" Score="4" ViewCount="224" Body="&lt;p&gt;I once grew an apple seedling from the apples I bought from a fruit stand. I was trying to grow another seedling from the seeds I collected but it doesn't germinate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13559" LastActivityDate="2017-01-30T21:18:47.510" Title="How can I grow seedlings from commercial apples?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22592" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19908" CreationDate="2015-12-15T13:05:31.993" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Find some briar canes, cut them about 10 to 12 inches long and stick them vertically into the moles tunnel that is used frequently. The blind mole will tire of bumping into the thorny stem and leave. Remove the canes when the job is done so they won't root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13551" LastActivityDate="2015-12-15T13:05:31.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22591" CreationDate="2015-12-15T13:14:18.573" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Put the seed in a pot (if you want it potted) and put the pot in the ground; or plant directly in the ground. Wait for spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seeds require &quot;cold treatment&quot; - they are programmed not to sprout until they have experienced &quot;winter&quot; since seeds that sprout in fall lead to dead seedlings. The above method is the simple way to get that. If you like, you can put the seeds in the freezer for a few months instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When they do sprout, you have about a 1/30,000 (IIRC) chance of getting a decent apple from the resulting tree. 29,999 times out of 30,000 you'll get a not terribly pleasant-tasting &quot;crab&quot; apple. Apples do not come true from seed, and normal apple trees are a vegetatively cloned rootstock selected for size and hardiness with a vegetatively cloned known variety of apple grafted on top of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can (and folks used to quite commonly) graft a known variety onto a seedling crab apple rootstock. You can play the seeding apple lottery (odds are much better than the normal lottery) and try to find a new variety that's worth something (in many cases folks doing that graft a scion from the seedling onto a mature tree to get fruit faster.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that &quot;decorative crab apples&quot; are once again normally clones of a particular crab that was selected for appearance, flowers, etc. rather than taste. &quot;Crab&quot; in the more general sense does not imply anything about fruit size, just that the apple in question is not a known breed (and usually not tasty, since if it is, it will become one.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;feral apples in the woods&quot; are almost certainly old neglected trees of a named (though exactly WHICH named can be hard to sort out) variety if they are tasty; but all tasty apples came from somewhere before they were cloned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-12-15T13:14:18.573" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22594" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22605" CreationDate="2015-12-15T13:54:13.547" Score="3" ViewCount="1426" Body="&lt;p&gt;Philippines is a tropical country with rain evenly distributed throughout the year. Many people don't believe that grapes grow in our country but we have one. We have prunes, idk if that's still a grape. Is there breed/variety you could recommend? I want grapes to to be eaten, not for wine or etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13559" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-12-15T15:47:47.340" LastActivityDate="2015-12-16T06:07:22.500" Title="What breed/variety of grapes can be easily grown in the Philippines?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22595" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-15T15:42:17.767" Score="4" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this tan-coloured cup-shaped mushroom growing in my back garden on the concrete behind the bin. I'm in the northwestern UK and it's been very wet here recently. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Oz3wF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Oz3wF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this mushroom? Is it dangerous?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13563" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-12-15T18:06:59.957" LastActivityDate="2015-12-15T20:08:39.413" Title="What is this tan-coloured cup-shaped mushroom found in northwestern UK?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;&lt;concrete&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="7" ClosedDate="2015-12-17T00:18:58.937" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22596" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22591" CreationDate="2015-12-15T19:33:07.310" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;To elaborate on @Ecnerwal comments about &quot;crab apples&quot;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The DNA of apples is more complex than ours; a recent sequencing of&#xA;  the Golden Delicious genome uncovered fifty-­seven thousand genes,&#xA;  more than twice as many as the twenty thousand to twenty-­five thou-&#xA;  sand that humans possess. Our own genetic diversity ensures that our&#xA;  children will all be somewhat unique—never an exact copy of their&#xA;  parents but bearing some resemblance to the rest of the family. Apples&#xA;  display “extreme heterozygosity,” meaning that they produce offspring&#xA;  that look nothing like their parents. Plant an apple seed, wait a few&#xA;  decades, and you’ll get a tree bearing fruit that looks and tastes&#xA;  entirely different from its parent. In fact, the fruit from one&#xA;  seedling will be, genetically speaking, unlike any other apple ever&#xA;  grown, at any time, anywhere in the world. -- pg 17 The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13521" LastActivityDate="2015-12-15T19:33:07.310" CommentCount="4" CommunityOwnedDate="2015-12-15T19:33:07.310" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22603" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22642" CreationDate="2015-12-16T02:26:10.933" Score="5" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a hundred potted strawberries and some on plots. I've taken care for more than six months and they haven't borne flowers. They just kept growing some runners, and I have a hard time preparing more pots to grow more strawberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13559" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-16T17:39:13.690" LastActivityDate="2015-12-23T20:11:04.003" Title="How to make strawberries bear fruits?" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22604" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22610" CreationDate="2015-12-16T04:56:46.990" Score="8" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have mint, tarragon, sweet basil etc. Beside is another plot for different kinds of roses and daises. Then the roses started to lose leaves or have bites on the leaves. Do the herbs attract insects that cause this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13559" LastEditorUserId="1916" LastEditDate="2015-12-16T08:29:44.050" LastActivityDate="2015-12-16T12:47:03.653" Title="Is it OK to plant flowering plants near my herb garden?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22605" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22594" CreationDate="2015-12-16T06:07:22.500" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The rain itself shouldn't be a problem for the grapevines, as they can handle lots of water, and even inundation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without cold temperatures(25.5 °C at best according to Wikipedia), they require water stress to go dormant, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The quality of the grapes will probably be very low with little sun and lots of precipitation during the fruiting part of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For best quality you would have to plant them in high drainage, low nutrient soil, like almost straight coarse sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if you do get grapes, you might then have trouble with typhoons wreaking havoc before harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the variety, European grapes are all very susceptible to all kind of molds so they are out. You should use a highly fungus resistant hybrid or wild variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently, &quot;Isabella&quot; is a popular variety for tropical regions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13276" LastActivityDate="2015-12-16T06:07:22.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22606" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22588" CreationDate="2015-12-16T11:20:13.983" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure that's a variation of an pachira aquatica.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11872" LastActivityDate="2015-12-16T11:20:13.983" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22607" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22611" CreationDate="2015-12-16T12:05:22.730" Score="9" ViewCount="619" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to grow tomatoes as a pot plant? In the limited space I have I can afford pot of maximum depth = 12 cm and diameter = 12 cm. what size pot will be ideal to start with?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In India what would be the best time to plant them and how can I take care of it at later stages?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sun is not that harsh is winters here - temperature ranges 5-35 degree centigrade, average day temperature would about 24 degree centigrade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant will be placed outdoors and will get all sunlight all through the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13562" LastEditorUserId="13562" LastEditDate="2015-12-16T12:39:01.440" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T22:15:32.430" Title="How can I grow tomatoes in a pot?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22608" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22732" CreationDate="2015-12-16T12:17:20.960" Score="4" ViewCount="422" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/michelia_champaca.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Magnolia champaca&lt;/a&gt; plant, also known as 'Son champa' in India.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_champaca&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_champaca&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently a few of its leaves contained some very tiny (about 0.5-1 mm in diameter approximately) purple colored jelly kind of stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It very closely resembled a turtle's hump. The slightly bigger ones had some very light purple and yellow colored uniform patterns with an even purple background. The smaller ones however were uniformly purple colored.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not sure if they were eggs or pests, they were leaving behind a dry dark brown bubble (holes in some cases) in the leaves they were hosted on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plucked off the affected leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anybody have any idea what that was and how I can protect my plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fG36t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fG36t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bugs have resurfaced&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After @Bamboo's answer I looked up for details about the Mangolia Scales and found the exact picture of bug + impact, adding it below, also found this site very useful - &lt;a href=&quot;http://nassau.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/gardentalk/disease.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://nassau.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/gardentalk/disease.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1JP1l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1JP1l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13562" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-04T13:32:21.893" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T13:32:21.893" Title="What is purplish thing that looks like eggs or pests on my Magnolia champaca?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;magnolia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22607" CreationDate="2015-12-16T12:21:21.283" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a small pot, and definitely not ideal. I recommend as much larger of a container as you can manage, even if you have to sacrifice drainage to make room. However, you can grow some kinds of tomatoes in small pots (but the harvest may be modest). I've grown Galapagos Island (Solanum cheesmaniae) tomatoes in a foam cup, which produced four fruits indoors before I transplanted them. I've also had fruits on some tomatoes descended from the hybrid variety called Grape. However, there are probably much better-adapted varieties for your purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll need to make sure you water it a lot, though, if it's outside (especially if it's hot and dry where you live). It might be worth making a miniature self-watering container. You might try varieties like Micro Tom or Tumbling Tom. I'm not sure if they're heat or drought tolerant, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing about small containers is that the plants may need to be fertilized more often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure about India's climate and seasons, personally, but hopefully someone else will answer that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-01-26T22:15:32.430" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T22:15:32.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22610" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22604" CreationDate="2015-12-16T12:47:03.653" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If anything, I have heard arguments (likely anecdotal) that plants like Tarragon and Basil actually repel some insects, possibly at a range of a few feet. Roses on the other hand, tend to be victimized by a wide range of insects and diseases regardless of what they are planted near. They are not exactly a low maintenance plant.  I would suggest searching through our questions on &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/roses&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;roses&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;roses&lt;/a&gt;. If nothing there looks like what you're seeing on your roses post a question about it with a picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-12-16T12:47:03.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22611" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22607" CreationDate="2015-12-16T15:15:56.790" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know you've said you only have space for a 12&quot; pot, but if you can find any way to accommodate a larger one, you've got a better chance of success. 30 centimeters would be closer to the size recommended for container-grown tomatoes. I've personally had some success with a 20 centimeter pot. Anything you can do to get closer to that 30 centimeter mark is going to give you a better chance of success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you buy your tomato plants or seeds, look for a dwarf variety. If you want the plant to look compact (more like a decorative plant), you should look for a dwarf &lt;em&gt;determinate&lt;/em&gt; variety. If you don't mind a sprawling, viney plant that needs to be trellised, you can consider a dwarf &lt;em&gt;indeterminate&lt;/em&gt; variety. This might work, for example, if this outdoor space is a balcony, and you could afix the tomato plant to the balcony railing as it grows. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in the US, many of the common dwarf determinate plants have names with the word 'patio' or 'balcony' right in them (Patio Dwarf, Patio Princess, Balcony, etc.). Stupice is another that is frequently recommended for pots. Sweet Baby Girl is a dwarf indeterminate cherry tomato that is also easy to find here. I'm not sure which, if any, of these are available where you live, but you should be able to find that information locally. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-12-16T15:15:56.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22612" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22586" CreationDate="2015-12-16T16:15:21.757" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a dry stone wall that has been built without mortar or a poured concrete foundation. The site has several challenges:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the area above the wall slopes so any rain or runoff water will go down the slope into the wall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;there are trees adjacent to the wall whose roots will grow&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the stone is irregular&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OZgRR.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;frost line&lt;/a&gt; in your area is around three to four feet deep&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the picture below you will notice that a good compacted base is where you have to start.  This can be 6 to 8 inches deep but more is better.  Use a compactor to set the stone and then rebuild on top.  Notice the 4 inch drain pipe with sleeve behind the wall at the base.  This is another method to prevent water getting in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With water and root infiltration and frost heave the only way to restack the wall so you don't have to do it again in a few years is to provide a good base and drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OZgRR.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OZgRR.gif&quot; alt=&quot;dry stone retaining wall&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing you can do now is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dig a trench about 6 inches deep on the top slope which is parallel the wall and runs the length of the wall.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This trench should be 6 to 12 inches back from the wall.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lay one inch of crushed 5/8&amp;quot; stone without fines in the bottom of the trench&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place 4' drain pipe with sleeve along the entire trench.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Back fill with more gravel, top with soil.  This will prevent runoff water getting into the wall, freezing and pushing the rocks.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The filter cloth referred to is sold as landscape fabric or geotextile. As this product goes a long way towards preventing soil from washing into the wall try and get the thickest fabric possible that is UV stabilized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2015-12-21T19:48:41.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22586" CreationDate="2015-12-16T17:19:42.997" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Honestly, due to the slope and the fact that building rock walls is a learned skill, I would recommend you hire someone to do it right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen some amazing craftsmanship in a rock wall that was built just this past summer in the old school fashion of just fitting the rocks together so they stay put.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-12-16T17:19:42.997" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22573" CreationDate="2015-12-17T09:09:48.893" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dish soap has chemical which can damage the roots of the plants. In large amounts it can start to discolor leaves or affect petals. Dish soap can't actually kill ants unless it will drown them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Ants usually finds a safe place before snow/rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can investigate which potted plant has the colony. You must remove the potted plant outside your house. Then transfer the plant in a new pot. Safety first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13559" LastEditorUserId="13559" LastEditDate="2015-12-17T13:57:53.573" LastActivityDate="2015-12-17T13:57:53.573" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22617" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22630" CreationDate="2015-12-17T09:09:59.470" Score="7" ViewCount="10347" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was under the impression that zucchini are always supposed to be their regular color inside (pale green or whatever you want to call it). However, twice now I've seen large zucchini that are orange inside (from different people growing them in the same town, on different years). I thought maybe it was cross-pollination the first time, but the person who gave it to me this year wasn't growing anything else but zucchini. So, I'm thinking either they must have the same variety of unique zucchini (which is possible), or zucchini must commonly get like that when it's large (I know it's not always like that).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, my question is, is this normal? We've grown zucchini lots of times in the past, but only this year and last have I noticed green fruits with orange interiors. The first year, the variety was called Black. This year, I don't know what it is, but it &lt;em&gt;looks&lt;/em&gt; like the same variety to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures of this year's.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2u5Qq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2u5Qq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Although you see me cooking with it here, I should note that the zucchini pictured didn't taste very great, but the one last year that looked about the same tasted awesome.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hpFkg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hpFkg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/08c56.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/08c56.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2015-12-17T13:43:14.950" LastActivityDate="2019-10-21T03:30:24.303" Title="Are old green zucchini commonly orange inside?" Tags="&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22618" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-18T03:33:44.640" Score="7" ViewCount="697" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below is a canary palm in my front yard:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z9Jmd.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z9Jmd.png&quot; alt=&quot;canary&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had a tree trimming service some out and trim away the branches. They didn't do anything to the trunk though - I asked them to come back out, and the guy said that the trunk couldn't be trimmed because it's gotten into such a bad condition, which seemed plausible I guess. The trunk is very &amp;quot;sheddy&amp;quot;, as in, I can put on gloves and grab a handful of the trunk and it just tears away. He said he could put his hand about a foot into the shedding, and if we tried to trim it, there'd be nothing but softness on the inside (and I guess not safe?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was probably expecting something more like this - clean and trimmed to the core:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vvLl0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vvLl0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;canary2&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my question is this: Is my canary trunk a lost cause? Or was he giving me the run around? He also said to trim the green bush on the trunk, I'd have to call a landscaper not a tree trimming service. Does this all sound right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13573" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T20:44:58.810" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T20:44:58.810" Title="Can I trim my canary palm trunk or is it a lost cause?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="22622" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22618" CreationDate="2015-12-18T16:26:28.403" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can pull a little away at a time so that air can get in under all the burlap and left over stem material, it will start to harden off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you have a ring around the base of the trunk, the rest will slowly pull down by gravity and you can tear them away when the loosen. Over a period of a couple years you can work your way upward.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't rush it though, that detritus is providing coolness to the interior and you'll shock the tree if suddenly in the summer it's laid bare.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-12-18T16:26:28.403" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22624" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22694" CreationDate="2015-12-20T04:25:45.943" Score="3" ViewCount="10471" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been helping my grandmother dig up a plant from her garden in North Carolina, and I'm trying to identify it. I've been looking at plant ID sites and the closest one in leaves is the Peace Lily, but this has no blooms. It spreads easily and the roots resemble something that might be tubers. Or how ginseng looks. It's thick. They don't go too deep in the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are pretty close to Peace Lily, but they don't round out as much. These shoot up in like a roll and slowly unroll. They're a solid deep green. They're not really shiny or waxy. They're smooth but sturdy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During the summer, they were growing in a big clump in the sun. Since winter has come she's moved all the plants she could to the basement, so they're not getting much sun at the moment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;She's dividing them up to give to people as houseplants, so we'd really like to know what they are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll try to add pics soon!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:&#xA;So, I have some new info and pictures! My grandmother told me that the original plant that she transplanted bits of to the garden outside...That she's had it for 50 years! She said that her mother gave it to her and she's been caring for that and a few others since then. I have no idea what kind of plant this could be! XD&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VrDpo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VrDpo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf in relation to my hand&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o4kNi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o4kNi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;What the roots look like&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FTfr1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FTfr1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;What the unfurling leaves look like when growing&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WjDfe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WjDfe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pic of the full plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nSVwb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nSVwb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Little bit better looking pic of the full plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13579" LastEditorUserId="13579" LastEditDate="2015-12-29T19:44:32.583" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T16:53:05.757" Title="What plant looks like a Peace Lily but has no flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22626" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22629" CreationDate="2015-12-20T14:36:27.917" Score="5" ViewCount="144" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can somebody help me identify this tree found in Sicily?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a fairly big tree (8-10 m) with a broad canopy and trilobate leaves. Fruits are also shown in the picture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P8e99.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P8e99.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13311" LastActivityDate="2015-12-21T06:19:45.020" Title="Identification of tree with trilobate leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22627" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22153" CreationDate="2015-12-20T19:15:52.740" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The tree should survive (of its own accord) in all scenarios but being girdled (meaning a ring of bark was removed completely around the tree bole) below all of its foliage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Living tissues of trees, including the roots, are fed by the foliage. Photosynthates are transported downward in the inner bark or phloem. Water and mineral nutrients are transported upward through the wood or xylem. So, the roots survive as long as they are supplied with photosynthate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, if girdling  removes the food supply for the roots, they will only survive by reconverting stored starches into metabolizable sugars. Once these are exhausted (in about two years), mineral nutrients will no longer loaded and water adsorption will effectively cease - the entire tree then dies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2015-12-20T19:15:52.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22628" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-20T21:35:46.940" Score="6" ViewCount="2190" Body="&lt;p&gt;The surface of a compost plant is turning white for some reason. The white stuff is not fluffy and it looks like white powder or ashes. I had a look under the white stuff and it was perfectly normal. At this stage, I am not sure if it fungus or because it is getting colder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I notice that the same is happening at the bottom of the pot where the soil is exposed to air in the holes of the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tMHJI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tMHJI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastActivityDate="2015-12-21T17:54:55.420" Title="What is the white stuff on the compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22626" CreationDate="2015-12-21T06:19:45.020" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe it is a Bottle Tree, Genus - Brachychiton. Possibly populneus, australis or rupestris. There are some good photos here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.delange.org/BottleTree/BottleTree.htm&quot;&gt;BottleTree&lt;/a&gt;. More information can be found at &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2113#b&quot;&gt;Davesgarden&lt;/a&gt; on some of the different varieties. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2015-12-21T06:19:45.020" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22630" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22617" CreationDate="2015-12-21T09:52:49.460" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are indeed many varieties of zucchini (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita_pepo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cucurbita pepo&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) with different fruit shape and skin color. Zucchini are eaten when immature and they typically have green skin and pale green pulp. However when they mature the interior (and often also the skin) tends to become orange and the taste is not very good. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I believe what you got it's normal when the fruit matures. Again, outcomes can vary a lot for different cultivars. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13311" LastActivityDate="2015-12-21T09:52:49.460" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22631" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22628" CreationDate="2015-12-21T17:54:55.420" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The white deposits look like salts from hard water. Very common when you aren't able to flush the through the pot completely. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-12-21T17:54:55.420" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22632" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22607" CreationDate="2015-12-21T20:37:03.990" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my best tomato seasons was when I was living in an apartment with a balcony that got sun about 4 hours a day. I grew 6 plants: 3 in each of two 18&quot; pots. They were some variety of &quot;patio tomatoes&quot;. That was in 1989. I didn't match the dozen dozen tomatoes I got that year until last year in my 4'X4' planting bed. However, this year a had one cucumber plant that yielded 100 cucumbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3054" LastActivityDate="2015-12-21T20:37:03.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1301" CreationDate="2015-12-22T07:12:42.420" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've developed &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ifweather.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;www.ifweather.com&lt;/a&gt; for managing custom weather alerts and sending email just like you describe. It isn't free, but it's the best option for managing many alerts for more than one location that I've found. &#xA;It currently has the ability to watch the forecast for temperature and precipitation conditions. When the conditions you specify are satisfied it &#xA;sends you an email.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can schedule when you'd like to receive emails too, so you won't get pestered at inconvenient times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does work in the UK as well as other countries. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13584" LastActivityDate="2015-12-22T07:12:42.420" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22634" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5683" CreationDate="2015-12-22T15:30:03.073" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, the supplier's recommended depth means that there is enough soil on top of the bulb to protect it during the winter and keep it from emerging too early. You should follow the recommendation. This means that if you have a bulb that is 5 centimeters tall, you should have 10-15 cm of soil on top of it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, I have planted some very hardy bulbs shallower than recommended with great results. We have severe winters where I live, but daffodils seem to do especially well here. I've planted some bulbs just 5 cm under the soil, with the understanding that they may not naturalize as well, but if they survive, I'll have flowers at least a week earlier than I would have otherwise. The bulbs I plant shallowly like this are always the first ones to come up in my neighborhood by far and are very welcome after the long winter. It's worth the risk of losing them over the winter. I'd only do this with very hearty flowers, though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for your bulbs that are sprouting, there is no harm in planting them, but they may not flower in the spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-12-22T15:30:03.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22635" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-22T19:46:17.223" Score="2" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Dallas, Texas. When would you say the best time of year would be to plant &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Augustine_Grass&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;St. Augustine grass&lt;/a&gt; plugs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13585" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-12-22T20:28:01.287" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T02:38:31.260" Title="What is the best time of the year to plant St. Augustine grass plugs?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22636" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14248" CreationDate="2015-12-22T21:47:58.960" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bell peppers in my funky hoop house greenhouse (dangit, I don't remember the names of the peppers - but some common things (one green, one purple, one yellow) that were available at a nursery in coastal northern California) produced wonderfully their second summer.  During the intervening winter they made lots of seedless flat small peppers.  This is their second winter - they're glad it's the solstice - and I'll try to remember to start hand-pollinating them to see if the winter product will be bigger.  Last winter I didn't heat the greenhouse at all.  This winter I'm trying to heat it (radiant heater like people use in garages) whenever the night is going to be below 50.  It's on a SW-facing hillside, so I put the heater at the bottom corner of the gh and point it toward the middle.  Cherry tomatoes are still producing too - 6-8 tomatoes a day from 8-10 plants!  But I'm a one-person family, so that's fine!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13586" LastActivityDate="2015-12-22T21:47:58.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22637" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-22T22:49:00.973" Score="8" ViewCount="126" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o4wbn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o4wbn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;identify-please&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in New Zealand and found several of these seed pods in an old garden. I was told they were crocosmia but I have yet to see any photos with the netting-like stuff around them. Can you help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13587" LastActivityDate="2015-12-23T08:08:21.057" Title="Can't identify seed pods" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22638" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14058" CreationDate="2015-12-22T23:50:56.180" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is &quot;Polygonum orientale&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13588" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-23T02:43:37.280" LastActivityDate="2015-12-23T02:43:37.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22639" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22635" CreationDate="2015-12-23T02:14:00.017" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Right now is a great time. October through December is best so it can establish before the summer scorch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-12-23T02:14:00.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22637" CreationDate="2015-12-23T08:08:21.057" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocosmia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crocosmia&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (and I'd love to see more pictures from other angles), it's not a seed pod, but a &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;corm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crocosmia (Montbretia) has a fleshy corm with a fibrous outer layer - see the sample image below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wvBy1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wvBy1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;crocosmia corms&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(&lt;a href=&quot;https://mikesgardenguide.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/understanding-summer-bulbs/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2015-12-23T08:08:21.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22642" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22603" CreationDate="2015-12-23T20:11:04.003" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;When planting June bearing strawberries in a northern hemisphere temperate climate you do not expect a crop for one year. If I were to put out new plants in May 2016 I would not expect a crop until June 2017.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure how that would translate to a tropical location like the Philippines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="193" LastActivityDate="2015-12-23T20:11:04.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22643" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22739" CreationDate="2015-12-23T22:02:29.853" Score="6" ViewCount="6332" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the desert and want to grow fruit in my garden but am concerned about the heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering what varieties the community would recommend I take a stab at when it begins to warm up? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13591" LastEditorUserId="13591" LastEditDate="2016-01-09T16:16:18.587" LastActivityDate="2016-02-01T20:54:45.640" Title="Desert Fruit - What are good varieties to grow in the desert?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22644" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22710" CreationDate="2015-12-24T03:13:03.767" Score="5" ViewCount="493" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need help diagnosing what is wrong with my orchid here. Of my seven phalenopsis orchids it is the only one that looks like this but it's also the one furthest along in spiking. I didn’t notice anything when I last watered it last week. I am particularly concerned by the misshapen bud:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B44c3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B44c3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;brown spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k4ddv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k4ddv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;misshapen bud&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I’m hoping it's because we’ve been keeping the house cooler (57°F at night) to try to save energy―I thought phals were still ok at this temp though. But I’m worried it's an infection―can anyone confim?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13593" LastActivityDate="2019-01-11T23:59:45.720" Title="Phalenopsis orchid developing spots on buds" Tags="&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22645" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22643" CreationDate="2015-12-24T06:46:39.863" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;As long as you are willing to water there are many options. Fruit trees that will work: low chill, early ripening  apples, peaches, plums, figs, pomegranates, nectarines and apricots and virtually all varieties of citrus trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grapes can also be grown, as well as melons and strawberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen various bare root berries available (my two attempts at raspberries failed) but I've not really heard of anyone growing them successfully.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your local garden center should carry a selection of plants that can be grown in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2015-12-24T06:46:39.863" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22646" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-24T07:35:54.060" Score="1" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;How can I ascertain quality of soil I buy from local nurseries?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Kolkata, India.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13442" LastEditorUserId="13442" LastEditDate="2015-12-24T11:45:11.023" LastActivityDate="2016-01-05T12:39:18.907" Title="Soil for terrace garden" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22648" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-24T12:15:57.027" Score="4" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am pretty new to gardening(~6 months); I have a small terrace space with lots of potted plants (lemon, hibiscus, some herbs etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I get soil(along with vermicompost) from various nursery suppliers depending on the feasibility/availability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To a few questions I had asked in this forum, I was asked about what pH level my soil has, I understand pH level defines that where the soil lies on scale of acid to a base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I know pH level of my soil, since I have got it from different sources its quite possible that different pots have different pH values?&#xA;How does it affect the plant growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to take any caution on preparing the soil before a plant anything?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lot of questions I have put together, let me know if I need an edit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13562" LastEditorUserId="13562" LastEditDate="2015-12-24T13:28:29.430" LastActivityDate="2015-12-24T13:28:29.430" Title="How can i find what my soil pH is and how does it affect the plants?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22649" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-24T13:01:58.470" Score="3" ViewCount="240" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have started composting since last week and there are some questions which I want to ask.&#xA;I have a small pot may be of 6 litres. I guess it's Bokashi composting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I read that for composting, wet garbage and carbon sources are essential, of which carbon sources include newspaper, dry leaves, etc.  I have small potted plants so I could not get much dry leaves.  So I cut newspaper in approximate 2*2 cm squares and put that the compost.  Now after a week's time, when I was turning the compost, I saw that the newspaper had not broken down at all. What could be causing this? What do I do? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here it is orange season so I am putting lots of orange peels in the compost.  Should I dry them before putting in or should I put them as they come? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How much time will it take for the compost to complete? How much water should I put?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13285" LastEditorUserId="309" LastEditDate="2015-12-25T12:23:56.470" LastActivityDate="2015-12-27T15:43:11.677" Title="Compost with newspaper cuttings and orange peels" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22650" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22648" CreationDate="2015-12-24T13:12:39.057" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The ph factor of your garden soil is only relevant if you have a garden. In pots, you can choose what type of potting medium to use, so you don't need to test it at all. Which type of compost/potting medium is down to the plants you want to grow in it, so, for instance, you wouldn't put an acid loving plant like rhododendron in a limy or alkaline compost, you'd choose an ericaceous mix for those sort of plants. And that works in reverse - those that don't like acidic conditions may require a neutral or alkaline type potting medium. In general though, anything sold as 'multi purpose' or 'general use' will have a neutral ph, and will suit most plants. Even John Innes, which is loam based, is more or less neutral, but they now produce a version which has extra ingredients to make it suitable for the acid loving plants, sold as John Innes Ericaceous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, when you choose a plant, check out whether its fussy about soil ph (many aren't), and decide from there which is the best medium to use. Sometimes the people selling the potting medium can tell you which is best, or the bags may have that information on the outside anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for effects on plants growing in the wrong ph, they will just look sick - usually chlorotic (general yellowing or yellow patches) and won't grow very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-12-24T13:18:00.767" LastActivityDate="2015-12-24T13:18:00.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22651" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22649" CreationDate="2015-12-24T13:20:03.383" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bokashi composting is designed for use indoors, usually, in relatively small containers with a lid. The bran that you need is inoculated to activate the fermentation process - more information in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.planetnatural.com/composter-connection/indoor-composting/bokashi-composting/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.planetnatural.com/composter-connection/indoor-composting/bokashi-composting/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've said you don't know what to do with what you've got now. I don't know what to tell you, really - bokashi is normally used indoors, and does need to be 'finished' by adding it to a compost heap outdoors or placed in the ground to deacidify.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The principles of other composting are these - the heap must be no smaller than one metre cubed, and for preference, should be turned weekly. It's best not to add citrus peels or leaves, the main components being garden waste and perhaps peelings from different vegetables, banana skins, eggshells, that sort of thing. Clearly, that's not an option for you, and bokashi would not seem to be suitable either. The only other option I can think of is vermicomposting - but you have to be brave about having worms in a bin in your house. Information in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://budgeting.thenest.com/compost-worms-indoors-31223.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://budgeting.thenest.com/compost-worms-indoors-31223.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;but there's plenty of info on the web about it. However, given you have no garden or space outdoors, I rather wonder what you will be doing with the resulting compost...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;SECOND UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can get a 50 litre bin (though I'm not sure what the height, width and depth of that would be) and you can put your stuff in it, but it'll have worms, bacteria and pathogens in anyway, if you add soil - even without soil, you'd need to inoculate with something to get the composting process going, whether that's soil or worms or bokashi bran or compost activator products. Composting is only the activity of bacteria, fungi, worms, other organisms consuming and excreting the waste, and in the case of bokashi, yeasts and moulds as well. Other than Bokashi or vermicomposting, composting often may attract undesirable insects within the home (flies). Composting down that amount of waste in a home environment isn't something I'd recommend, frankly, not to mention, you'd need to turn it twice a week to create heat, and probably again to dissipate heat so it doesn't get too hot. Without this heat, you cannot use the resulting compost for potted plants, because the heat is what kills any pathogens present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More technical info regarding temperatures of composting processes in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/fundamentals/needs_temperature.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/fundamentals/needs_temperature.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-12-27T15:43:11.677" LastActivityDate="2015-12-27T15:43:11.677" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22652" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22649" CreationDate="2015-12-25T23:36:27.553" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Following the other fork of your question - orange peels break down &lt;strong&gt;very&lt;/strong&gt; slowly in compost. The only advantage I'd see to drying them might be if you then shattered the dried peels before adding to the compost so that they were much smaller pieces. Slicing or shredding the undried peel would have a similar effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you are either poorly sited or poorly connected for composting, given your urban location. If you can find people or organizations promoting urban gardening, they may be willing to take your compostable materials and use them in the city. Sometimes there is a compost collection (similar to trash collection) that can transport your material out of the city for re-use. If there is no such service (do check quite carefully before assuming there isn't) you might try to get one started - in many cases the trash collection can be supportive as it reduces the amount of material they have to handle and dispose of, and it looks good on the environmental front. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trying to maintain compost in your apartment is on (or perhaps over) the borderline of &quot;likely to drive you insane.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2015-12-25T23:36:27.553" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22140" CreationDate="2015-12-26T05:43:19.540" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying this right now.  I have some transplanted into cold frames with an additional cone of opaque greenhouse film over them and christmas lights available for the coldest nights.  It's been about 40-55 degree in the cold frame pretty steadily so far in this warm Dec of 2015.   I left the leaves on some and denuded others that had partial frost damage.  I also have some in pails with exposure to normal office lights and steady 70 degree temps.  I have others in a basement, which also has been pretty mild so far, and the plants get a little light through the west facing glass block windows.  I have a couple of other pails in 75-80 room with almost no light ever.  In all situations, at least some of the plants seem to be doing ok.   In the situation with the room light, I have had a number of the plants shoot new growth when I over-watered them, but I sort of like that because I can monitor the new leaves for health.  At least I know they're alive.  It has been as low as 9 degrees (zone 5), and I didn't even have the lights on in the cold frame (blankets over the tarp inside the cold frame.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13599" LastActivityDate="2015-12-26T05:43:19.540" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3476" CreationDate="2015-12-26T17:57:14.677" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a greenskeeper. When lawns need smoothing a device known as a power rake is used. It has blades on an axle spinning spaced out an inch. It cuts narrow parallel grooves in the soil. Doing this occasionally keeps the surface smooth. This technique is also called verticutting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13600" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-12-26T19:38:51.470" LastActivityDate="2015-12-26T19:38:51.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22655" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22312" CreationDate="2015-12-28T00:12:15.247" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have grown Kaffir limes from seeds and been very successful. It took a kaffir lime tree about 4 years to bear fruit.&#xA;I have also grown a kaffir lime plant from a small branch. It was slow growing but it did work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13603" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-28T23:08:17.120" LastActivityDate="2015-12-28T23:08:17.120" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22656" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-28T00:20:06.467" Score="7" ViewCount="11869" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to identify the gender of Papaya seeds without using DNA analysis?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13604" LastActivityDate="2015-12-28T12:20:35.583" Title="How can I identify the gender of Papaya seeds?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22657" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22661" CreationDate="2015-12-28T06:18:21.977" Score="6" ViewCount="2958" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Melbourne, Australia. I just recently bought a new house and in the backyard of this house there are 3 plum blossom trees (at least that's what I was told they were by the estate agent). The tree had bright pink flowers when it was flowering in spring and now it is bearing fruit and they certainly look like plums. The fruit started out being light green on the outside and a lot of them are turning dark red which I am assuming is the colour they turn when they ripen. I am attaching a few photos of the tree, leaves and the fruit. Could someone please help me identify the type of plum blossom tree it is and also more importantly, is the fruit edible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8xVuT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/306YS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SN30x.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/13O5y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13605" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-12-28T17:09:02.853" LastActivityDate="2020-12-30T12:51:21.237" Title="Is the fruit from this plum blossom tree edible?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22658" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22660" CreationDate="2015-12-28T11:04:09.727" Score="2" ViewCount="505" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few weeks ago I got this plant from someone:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sP5AM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sP5AM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sadly it looks like it is dying. What kind of plant is this? I have been watering it twice a week, keeping the soil moist. What did I do wrong and how can I save it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13606" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-12-28T17:07:34.647" LastActivityDate="2015-12-28T17:07:34.647" Title="What is this succulent with spined leaves with a triangular cross-section?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22659" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22656" CreationDate="2015-12-28T12:20:35.583" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't, as a seed - and not only that, papaya are variable, some years producing all male flowers, in some seasons producing male and female (perfect) flowers, and sometimes just female flowers. The link below explains a bit more&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/papaya.html&quot;&gt;https://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/papaya.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is information that male seedlings produce a single straight root, whereas female seedlings produce two or more branched rootlets, (&lt;a href=&quot;https://arlene1027.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/how-to-recognize-a-female-and-male-plant-seed/&quot;&gt;https://arlene1027.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/how-to-recognize-a-female-and-male-plant-seed/&lt;/a&gt;) but the trouble with that is, they hate root disturbance, so in order to distinguish which is which, you'd inevitably have to disturb them. Probably the simplest thing is to germinate and wait for them to get two true leaves, then, when you prick them out, check out the root system at that point, preferably without causing too much disturbance to the rootlets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-12-28T12:20:35.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22660" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22658" CreationDate="2015-12-28T12:57:16.733" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is an aloe. It's a desert dwelling succulent. In warm weather they can handle being watered once a month, sometimes more often in HOT weather. Indoors they can often go several months without water before they complain. If they're watered frequently they start to suffer from drowning and root rot very quickly. The lower leaves of your plant appear yellow, but still very plump, this is a typical succulent response to over-watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To save it: stop over-watering. Most of the leaves still look fairly healthy, just give it a nice warm sunny window and it should recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2015-12-28T12:57:16.733" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22661" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22657" CreationDate="2015-12-28T22:43:31.133" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some plums are inedible, from having too high a level of cyanide in the fruit. Sometimes they will also have high levels of oxalic, malic, and tartaric acid that cause inedibility. All those things you can taste, so if it's not bitter, or super sour, and it tastes like your average plum, it's going to be safe. Just make sure they are completely ripe and soft when you eat them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-12-28T22:43:31.133" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22662" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-29T09:12:39.880" Score="4" ViewCount="412" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_champaca&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sonchafa&lt;/a&gt; trees in my pot. but they are not flowering. I am told that there is a male tree and a female tree. I may have a male tree in my pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I differentiate between a male tree and a female tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13612" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-12-29T14:27:04.370" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T19:45:56.733" Title="How can I differentiate between male and female Sonchafa trees?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22663" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-29T19:28:21.477" Score="6" ViewCount="2333" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to make something like this vase made from an incandescent light bulb:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dn4iB.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dn4iB.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I wonder what kind of grass can I put in which will not rot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13614" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-12-29T20:11:33.213" LastActivityDate="2015-12-31T18:45:53.053" Title="What kind of grass can grow up in water" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22664" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22663" CreationDate="2015-12-29T20:06:02.663" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;While there are grasses that grow submerged or partially submerged, the picture you provided is not one of them. Your picture depicts a bouquet arrangement. It may be very simple and only include grass-like leaves, but that's all it is. Like putting flowers in a vase.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2015-12-29T22:11:26.867" LastActivityDate="2015-12-29T22:11:26.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22665" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22670" CreationDate="2015-12-30T01:38:22.567" Score="8" ViewCount="3477" Body="&lt;p&gt;For Christmas, my daughter gave me some tulip, hyacinth and daffodil bulbs. Since they've been sitting around for quite some time in the local department store, they're in varying states and conditions. All show root growth and most have started to sprout, on the top or sides. Most still look fresh, and they're all firm to the touch, with no visible mold. Some, however, look what I would consider to be old and far beyond their prime!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's been unseasonably warm in Massachusetts, zone 6a, and it's very exciting to have ground that's still soft enough to plant bulbs at the necessary depth on Christmas! I'd like to know how to prepare those that look really bad, to give me the best chance for success. My question is about bulbs in general, but in this case they're daffodils. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The outer layers are thick, dry and dark brown. Should I peel them away, or is &#xA;there reason to believe they may be protecting the healthy part of the bulb? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The tops are shriveled, but I can see some green down inside. Should I pinch off the dead parts, or would that risk damaging the healthy section?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The roots are brown, cracked and dry, with no evidence of green. Should I cut those off, or hope that the water I give them during planting will either re-hydrate them or encourage new ones?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the interest of full disclosure, I must say that I planted the bulbs before having time to finish this post! I tried a variety of methods with those daffodils, and will just have to wait and see. An answer to the question will still help me though, and hopefully others. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2015-12-30T19:01:20.247" Title="Should dead-looking sections be removed from bulbs before planting?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22666" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22663" CreationDate="2015-12-30T02:29:04.003" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) will grow in a vase.  I even have some growing in yogurt cups which are roughly the size of a light bulb.  My baby spider plants (harvested from a mother plant, not seeds) seem to do just as well in plain water as in soil.  The only noticeable difference is that the water-based plants have somewhat less fleshy roots than the potted ones.  They don't rot per se but aging leaves will go brown as with many other plants.  Just keep most of the roots underwater, and replace the water every couple weeks.  If no baby spider plants are handy, it is probably possible to rinse off a potted mature one and move it into a vase.  (I haven't tried that but spider plants are relatively durable.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13615" LastActivityDate="2015-12-30T02:29:04.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22667" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22665" CreationDate="2015-12-30T04:07:39.017" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant them as is, do not try to mend the bulbs. At best the bulb just needs some moisture from the surrounding soil. At worst, the bulb simply won't grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are concerned about disease, you can throw the sad looking ones out, but don't bother trying to mend them, you'll do more harm than good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-12-30T04:07:39.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22668" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-30T07:30:11.147" Score="5" ViewCount="2889" Body="&lt;p&gt;My succulent has developed some weird disease, first it only looked as if something was eating it but then the leaves started turning pale and yellow.. I never fertilize it and I irrigate it once a week. &#xA;Does anyone has an idea what the disease is about and how to treat it?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cp8mH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cp8mH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ns6Vn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;second angle&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13616" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2015-12-30T10:59:05.177" LastActivityDate="2015-12-31T12:26:25.940" Title="How to treat a Jade plant with yellow leaves and holes in its leaves?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22669" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22668" CreationDate="2015-12-30T14:27:38.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;To me it looks like over watering or poor drainage. If this is a cactus/succulent pot then don't water it on a schedule. Water it when the soil has a chance to go dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-12-30T14:27:38.180" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22670" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22665" CreationDate="2015-12-30T19:01:20.247" Score="7" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;The outer layers are thick, dry and dark brown. Should I peel them away, or is there reason to believe they may be protecting the healthy part of the bulb?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Only remove them if they are hanging loose from the bulbs. The ones wrapped around the bulbs are protective and should not be removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;The tops are shriveled, but I can see some green down inside. Should I pinch off the dead parts, or would that risk damaging the healthy section?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't touch the green, but you can trim away excess dead foliage, especially if it's long. I usually trim to 1&quot; of the bulb, unless there's green. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;The roots are brown, cracked and dry, with no evidence of green. Should I cut those off, or hope that the water I give them during planting will either re-hydrate them or encourage new ones?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The old roots are dead and will not revive. New roots are put out from the basal plate after planting. You can trim the roots off close to the plate. The dead ones don't get in the way of the new ones unless there are a huge quantity, but it can make them easier to handle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, removing the dead stuff makes for easier handling, but most bulbs are resilient, and as long as you don't cut into the live, they should be fine (and in most cases, even if you do cut into the live, they will grow).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2015-12-30T19:01:20.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22671" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3977" CreationDate="2015-12-30T21:33:18.713" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard that most grocery vegetables have been made sterile to prevent just this thing, forcing you to rely more on purchasing from the major growers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13623" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2015-12-30T23:55:36.260" LastActivityDate="2015-12-30T23:55:36.260" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22674" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2015-12-31T00:00:52.773" Score="3" ViewCount="799" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this kiwiberry for about 1 year now, it's been potted the whole time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AMEBX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AMEBX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used regular compost potting mix, along with a handful of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bunnings.com.au/osmocote-500g-fruit-citrus-trees-shrubs-fertiliser_p2961295&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Osmocote fertiliser&lt;/a&gt; when I potted it. I water in the mornings and evenings, about 1-2 litres each time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also apply some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bunnings.com.au/seasol-2l-hose-on-complete-garden-health-treatment-twin-pack_p3018004&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Seasol&lt;/a&gt; once every month&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Melbourne, Australia, could the dryness and heat be causing this? Am I not fertilising enough?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13625" LastActivityDate="2015-12-31T12:31:56.817" Title="Why are the leaves on my kiwiberry curling?" Tags="&lt;kiwifruit&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22674" CreationDate="2015-12-31T00:05:36.073" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like heat and sun based curling. Plants protect themselves by curling their leaves so part of the leaf is shaded. If you can get it out of the direct noon sun, but still give it morning and afternoon sun, I think the plant will be happier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2015-12-31T00:05:36.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22676" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22674" CreationDate="2015-12-31T12:13:50.147" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you mean Actinidia arguta (which is what this looks like), the pot is a problem. These plants are large, vigorous climbers, even the dwarf variety 'Issai' will reach 12 feet, so yours, being contained in a pot for a year, won't be doing too well. Your plant looks as if it's not getting enough water, and has a generally restricted appearance, which probably reflects the restriction at the root. If a plant has too much root in a container, it's pretty difficult for it to get enough water because the root to soil ratio is incorrect. Can you not find a spot in the ground for it, where you can train it up a vertical support?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2015-12-31T12:31:56.817" LastActivityDate="2015-12-31T12:31:56.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22677" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22668" CreationDate="2015-12-31T12:26:25.940" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem does look likely to be environmental rather than an infestation or disease. Jade plants (Crassula argentea) like plenty of sunlight, particularly in winter, and good air flow around them, so if it's in the house, near an open window in summer is helpful. You haven't said where you're keeping your plants but I think that's a Haworthia I can see in the background, off to the left, which appears to be in the same container. Haworthia do not like direct sun, they just need strong daylight, so the two plants are somewhat incompatible in terms of light requirements. They like average temperatures, but much prefer a good differentiation between day and night temperatures, rather than its being even all the time. It doesn't seem as if you're overwatering particularly, but all succulents should have reduced watering in winter, only sparingly watered, and once a week may be too often if it's winter where you are. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At this stage, I'd suggest you take it out of the container it's currently in and pot it up separately, giving it the conditions it requires, to see if it recovers and grows normally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2015-12-31T12:26:25.940" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22679" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5765" CreationDate="2015-12-31T14:43:02.973" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have one growing in zone 4.5 (upper Midwest) without trouble. It did take several years here to really establish, as it would die back almost to the ground each winter. Now it is rather large and no longer dies back, even with the harsh winters we had a few years ago. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do nothing to winterize it at this point. Early on, I did cage it to prevent rodent damage on the winter. It is a trouble-free plant at this point. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The berries on my plant are intensely flavored and astringent and I enjoy them. I think there is great variability to the flavor of the plants you can buy, as I've heard other growers describe them as everything from bland to delicious. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2015-12-31T14:43:02.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22680" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22663" CreationDate="2015-12-31T18:45:53.053" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rice is a grass that famously can grow in water, at least for a time. Rice roots will suffocate and die in water, but new roots sprout just above the water line in the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2015-12-31T18:45:53.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22681" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22553" CreationDate="2015-12-31T19:17:21.463" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you have a podocarpus. There is &lt;a href=&quot;http://conifersociety.org/conifers/conifer/podocarpus/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;a long list of species&lt;/a&gt;, but macrophyllus or 'yew podocarpus' is the most common and there are a number of different varieties of it in commercial nursery production.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2015-12-31T19:17:21.463" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22684" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22690" CreationDate="2016-01-01T04:00:13.303" Score="9" ViewCount="344" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here in the desert southwest (Northern New Mexico, zone 7B, heavy clay soil, 7 inches of annual rainfall), clover doesn't seem to grow well due to lack of enough moisture. What's an alternative that will improve my soil over time the way clover will, but grows on an extremely small amount of water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2016-01-12T04:16:39.193" Title="What's a nitrogen-fixing ground-cover that grows on very little rainfall?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22685" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17835" CreationDate="2016-01-01T04:03:11.233" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;These things grow up to become tumbleweeds! Russian Thistle, to be precise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8z6iT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8z6iT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali_tragus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali_tragus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2016-01-01T04:03:11.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16192" CreationDate="2016-01-01T04:11:14.193" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It grew up to be a kind of Foxtail. This stuff grows really well and produces a nice green grass--but eventually becomes an annoying Foxtail, spreads its seeds, and then immediately dies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2016-01-01T04:11:14.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22688" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22689" CreationDate="2016-01-01T09:32:33.797" Score="5" ViewCount="475" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the plant, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peperomia_caperata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Peperomia caperata&lt;/a&gt; that I like for my bedroom and living room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rooms have windows but receive only some daylight and no sunlight. We have to use tubelight for these rooms, all the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The country is India, and region is Delhi. There is 2.6 years old active toddler in the house. At night in summers we may use air conditioners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is the life expectancy of this plant?&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Will it be better if I get the seeds and start from scratch or should I buy a grown up plant?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What do I need to know and do to ensure the long life of that plant?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="332" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-01-01T22:02:14.603" LastActivityDate="2016-01-01T22:02:14.603" Title="What are the best conditions for Peperomia caperata?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22689" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22688" CreationDate="2016-01-01T14:26:24.853" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would not recommend peperomia as a houseplant for someone new to plants.  It is a nice looking plant from Brazil but requires a fairly exact watering regime and does not tolerate less than ideal light conditions.  That is why this plant can be short lived for some people.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are always better off to start from an established plant and &lt;a href=&quot;http://plantsarethestrangestpeople.blogspot.ca/2009/01/golden-girls-peperomia-caperata-and-p.html&quot;&gt;they propagate easily&lt;/a&gt; from leaf or stem cuttings placed in water or moist rooting substrate like vermiculite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They tolerate high temperatures &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greenobsessions.com/meet-the-peppers/&quot;&gt;but not low temperatures below 15 degrees&lt;/a&gt; Celsius.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are challenging to cultivate because their roots are very fine and not deep. They are best in higher than average humidity with bright diffuse light or they can wilt and overwatering is a constant problem.  Potting in too large a pot or in heavy peat based soils can encourage root rot.  To sum up this plant wants to be moist at all times without being wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are numerous cultivars with speckled leaves or different shades.  They are not heavy feeders so fertilizing once or twice a year with a dilute houseplant fertilizer (20-20-20) should do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers are creamy white flower spikes.  In a good location there will be multiple spikes at once.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrarium&quot;&gt;terrarium&lt;/a&gt; is ideal for these plants if potted with a free draining soil in diffuse light so this might work for you and keep the plant out the hands of young children. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-01-01T14:26:24.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22690" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22684" CreationDate="2016-01-01T16:18:04.417" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not exactly a ground cover, but perhaps Mesquite? It is a legume...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_a/A150.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;New Mexico State University Guide 150&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;lists a number of cover crops (which may not suit the homeowner's sense of &quot;groundcover&quot;) some of which they list as drought tolerant. Among the drought-tolerant Legumes are alfalfa (possibly not a good idea with the septic, speaking of big roots, but one of the better nitrogen fixers; and most root cautions are for trees, not herbaceous plants), Cowpeas, and Yellow Sweetclover (specifically called out for &quot;high drought-tolerance&quot;, while red clover is listed as &quot;low drought tolerance.&quot;) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other arms of government &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/invasive_plants/weeds/yellow_sweetclover.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;consider yellow sweetclover an invasive species&lt;/a&gt; and say the sorts of generally unpleasant things that one says when using that characterization. It seems not very much like other clovers in appearance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Arid legumes mentioned in Indian research were Cowpeas (again), Guar, Moth beans and &quot;Horse-gram&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many of those are annuals, but will improve your soils - for a perennial alfalfa is about it (yellow sweetclover is listed as &quot;annual, biennial or short-lived perennial) - though it's hard to quantify just how little water alfalfa will put up with, given that most of the water and alfalfa info available is about irrigation. There is some commentary about &lt;a href=&quot;http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=17721&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;fields surviving withdrawal of irrigation in the most recent California drought&lt;/a&gt;, with the plants more or less going dormant and waiting for rains. If it doesn't plug your pipes it will probably make effective use of your septic effluent...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-01-02T02:09:06.960" LastActivityDate="2016-01-02T02:09:06.960" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22691" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22692" CreationDate="2016-01-01T19:58:53.123" Score="6" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to cull crabgrass from my desert yard.  I live in central Arizona.  The crabgrass will grow in intense heat and seems very robust.  It tends to grow more rapidly in shaded areas of the yard during summer but will also grow to some extent in seemingly detrimental environment conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to get rid of any remaining crab grass as the landscaping is desert style with only indigenous plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I prefer to not use any chemicals.  I've done very good over the last 20 years but this one is beating me down.  I just can't seem to win.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently heard of solarization. What is this?  I'm not a gardener so I'm always running into terminology that is new to me.  From what I understand this is a possible solution but have no experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Can someone explain the benefits of solarization?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Will solarization have any negative possibilities associated with it?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9703" LastEditorUserId="9703" LastEditDate="2016-01-01T21:07:28.227" LastActivityDate="2016-01-01T22:26:13.040" Title="What are the benefits of solarization?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;crabgrass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22692" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22691" CreationDate="2016-01-01T22:26:13.040" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Solarization is a combination killer by smothering and intense heat. This may work to kill your crabgrass, but some of it may still survive even this harsh treatment. Crab grass may even grow through the plastic if you don't get thick enough plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't think of any long term drawbacks from an organic point of view, but the soil underneath will be made relatively barren and it may take time for the soil to repopulate with beneficial organisms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-01T22:26:13.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22693" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22699" CreationDate="2016-01-02T15:38:12.140" Score="4" ViewCount="683" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few months ago I took a sedum from a soil plot where they were being used as a ground cover. I think it was &lt;em&gt;Sedum ewersii&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Sedum sieboldii&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Sedum cauticola&lt;/em&gt; or a species very closely related. I potted the sedum in cactus potting soil with some perlite and put it on a shelf underneath my grow lights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few weeks ago I noticed a few of the leaves were dramatically curled over. Then shoots and more leaves began to grow. These new growths appear curled, elongated, and a few branches almost look etiolated. All of these symptoms are captured in the first image below and can be compared to the plant's original appearance after transplanting in the second.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GkOhR.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Sedum's leaves are curled, stems etiolated.&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wYRJG.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; alt=&quot;Sedum before symptoms, after transplanting&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As side notes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Notice the longest axillary branch on the left. I cut off the leaf that shared this branch's node because of how curled it looked, thinking the leaf was releasing some sort of hormone. I don't know if this is the case though.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I originally thought the shoot at the base of the plant in the first image was a basal shoot but it just appears to be an axillary branch (just from speculation, though).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is wrong with my sedum?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13637" LastEditorUserId="13637" LastEditDate="2016-01-02T19:07:22.387" LastActivityDate="2016-01-03T13:14:07.627" Title="What is causing this sedum's leaves to curl and etiolate?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;sedum&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22694" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22624" CreationDate="2016-01-02T17:07:40.177" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's an &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/1715/Aspidistra-elatior/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Aspidistra elatior&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;; a common name is the cast iron plant. It has been grown at least from Victorian times in unheated, cold and draughty areas, so it is very hardy in the southern UK indoors, and outdoors in areas without too much cold or frost/snow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For more information see the Royal Horticultural Society page linked above. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-01-02T18:10:13.317" LastActivityDate="2016-01-02T18:10:13.317" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22695" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-02T18:46:20.727" Score="5" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of raised veg beds. They're currently covered over with some weed control matting, as it's winter and I'm hoping to need to do a little less weeding come spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However I'm considering planting some winter varieties of onions - I don't think I've seen many examples of veg beds covered with weed control fabric. Should I remove it before planting, or should I just poke holes in it and sow there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My major point of concern is that it makes uprooting things with big roots (onions, beetroot) more difficult. And of course, that I've never had much success with the seeds staying where I put them and them wandering over the bed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11591" LastActivityDate="2016-01-08T09:32:53.067" Title="Weed control matting and veg beds" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22696" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22698" CreationDate="2016-01-03T10:22:40.827" Score="3" ViewCount="67" Body="&lt;p&gt;am hoping for advice please.&#xA;My friend is growing tulips for her daughters wedding celebration. Got the variety right for flowering at the right time, planted properly into the border..... It's been so warm that these are growing, and are potentially going to be blooming 6 weeks, at least, early.  How can we stop these growing? She lives on the Gloucester/Herefordshire border in the uk. It was hoped these would flower at the same time as the apple trees blossom. &#xA;Professional growers would have them chilled, but I don't think that's an option.  Any advice would be appreciated thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-03T12:39:15.257" Title="Tulips are growing far too early" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22697" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22553" CreationDate="2016-01-03T10:33:02.207" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most sold decorated are generally for a large selling market. It is likely to be easily propagated and grown.  It looks like Taxus baccata to me. Yew is used as hedging, evergreen, and all parts are poisonous.  I say poisonous as it will make you very ill if eaten, but taxodium is derived from Taxus is used as a drug in the treatment of cancers. The flowers are insignificant but the red arils are poisonous, birds will eat the pip and leave the aril. The plant is thought to have been planted in Churchyards to ward off evil spirits to protect your dearly departed. Can live for centuries. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-03T10:33:02.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22698" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22696" CreationDate="2016-01-03T12:07:24.903" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If they're in pots and you can chill them, that would do it, but I'm sorry to say, absolutely nothing else will, other than hoping for a sudden change to actual winter weather, which, by and large, we have seen none of in the UK this year other than the northernmost point of Scotland. The problem has been aggravated by the very short cold snap at the end of October, beginning of November - without that, many bulbs wouldn't now be growing and trying to flower. The daffodils are already blooming in parts of the South, many before Christmas, and I saw a photograph yesterday of one in flower in the Midlands. It's unfortunate that you needed them for this spring, because no one could have predicted the current run of exceptionally mild 'winter' weather. However, it's always a risk in the UK when you want certain plants to be in flower at a particular time - even in a normal year, our weather is variable, which is why you often see the description 'spring' or 'autumn' given as a flowering time rather than a particular month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid your friend may have to resort to seeking out professionally grown potted tulips nearer the time of the event, or consider other flowering plants which might be available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-01-03T12:39:15.257" LastActivityDate="2016-01-03T12:39:15.257" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22693" CreationDate="2016-01-03T13:14:07.627" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Likely its being indoors - if its Sedum ewersii, these are deciduous, so it would normally be resting right now if you're in the Northern hemisphere. They grow best outdoors, in normal weather conditions, which is what they're adapated for, so this plant may be finding it hard to cope being placed under lights in the middle of winter inside. Transition shock alone could produce the symptoms you've been seeing on the longer topgrowth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-01-03T13:14:07.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22700" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22707" CreationDate="2016-01-03T18:13:31.120" Score="7" ViewCount="357" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had an issue with tomato hornworms. I sprayed my plants with a BT Dipel  solution. A few days after I sprayed them, I noticed a change in the plants. I did some research and found that it could be early blight. I purchased a copper spray solution and sprayed the plants with it. However, it did not make a difference. I am not sure what's going on any more. Can I save these plants? Should I keep or burn them? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for full size.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lq5g9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lq5g9m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pic 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/roTTi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/roTTim.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pic 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UPIUa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UPIUam.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pic 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fjkxn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fjkxnm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pic 4&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v3HIN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v3HINm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pic 5&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13092" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-06T02:45:55.300" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T03:50:23.647" Title="What's causing discoloration and spots on my Tomato and Bell Pepper plants?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;&lt;blight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22701" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-03T22:02:10.243" Score="5" ViewCount="97" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Germany (near Frankfurt so about 50 degrees latitude) and have a rather tiny lawn. It doesn't get a lot of light, especially in the winter,  and frankly it rains a lot here and the patch is often wet. We have rolled out grass twice, but in both cases it turned to mostly clover and moss within about 3-4 years. I am not sure what the drainage is, nor do I really know how much light it gets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to have nice grass, and it is really very small, maybe 5x20 meters so I can afford to give it a fair amount of care. But I am not really sure what, and am not really sure what I have to deal with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my question is: how should I start to profile my lawn, maybe measure the sunlight and moisture (and anything else?) over a year or so to decide what kind of grass will grow best, and if installing a drainage system of some sort is necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I get some Arduino soil moisture measuring devices? Maybe some light sensing ones too? Or are there simpler methods I don't know about? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13645" LastActivityDate="2016-01-05T01:46:51.080" Title="Basic lawn profiling" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22702" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22704" CreationDate="2016-01-03T22:27:20.550" Score="5" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I was younger lots of people we knew had grape vines with grapes that tasted quite a lot like the grape lolly flavour. (I guess it's the grape they designed that flavour from.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They had purple skin and white flesh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was just wondering if anyone knows the variety I'm talking about as I would really like to get one for my garden. I've asked around and looked online but can't find what type I'm looking for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1819" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-04T05:21:35.487" LastActivityDate="2016-01-04T05:21:35.487" Title="What vine grows purple grapes which taste like lollipops?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22701" CreationDate="2016-01-03T23:47:44.767" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A thorough job starts underneath the grass.  Turf grows best and can better withstand lower light with a good soil that is drained.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;take a spade and cleanly cut out a one foot (30 cm) square of turf&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove the square of turf by undercutting at least three or four inches. Place to one side&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dig a hole about 30 cm deep and observe the soil type and drainage&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when you compress a clay based soil in your hand it will remain a lump&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sand or high organic soils should break apart&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consult your neighbours or the local university for information on the typical ph of the soil.  A ph of 6.5 to 7 (neutral) is ideal.  A soil test kit will help&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what happens when you put a bucket of water in the hole?  Free draining soils are usually sandy. Clay soils don't appear to drain at all.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when you are done, fill the hole with the soil and add the turf square back&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the size of area you have to deal with consider removing all grass and soil down six inches and adding new soil with a high amount of organic matter. Sod or overseed with a shade tolerant grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this sounds a little too much then it will take more time.  Every year, spring and fall, top dress with up to 1/2 inch (1 cm) of compost or soil with a high amount of organic matter.  Overseed spring and fall with more grass seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, mowing practices play a big part in turf health.  The usual culprit is cutting too low.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get a mower that really shreds the clippings and leave them on the lawn.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut high in the summer and lower in the fall.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ask your neighbours about their best practices.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoid the trap of fertilizing heavily with a high nitrogen fertilizer.  This will make the grass grow fast but at the expense of a good root system.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Slow release fertilizers that are season specific can be quite helpful.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-01-03T23:47:44.767" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22704" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22702" CreationDate="2016-01-04T02:45:13.337" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the Concord grape, which due to some diligent and patient planting and tasting of wild born vitis riperia vines one was discovered that tastes good for tables and juice and was named Concord. This is also the grape that was first used to make &quot;grape flavor&quot; but I think it is now synthesized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-04T02:45:13.337" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22701" CreationDate="2016-01-05T01:46:51.080" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live at 48N (about the same as Stuttgart) on the U.S coast between Seattle, WA and Vancouver,BC Canada. My lawn is on the north side of my house and slopes down, northward away from my house, about 10 degrees. It rains constantly here as well, except in July, August, and part of September (irrigation is necessary then or the grass will go dormant brown). My grass gets enough sunshine to remain healthy, now for more than 10 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lawn originated as sod installed over a fairly sandy, well draining, subsoil. The only problem I have is moss growing in the grass and it will overpower/replace the grass during the winter. Because this has only happened in the last few years, I think it is because the organics in the soil have begun to breakdown into clays. Water drainage of clay loams can be improved by simply applying gypsum powder. The moss, itself, can be killed by products containing zinc sulfide powder - there are many on the market in the U.S. ('Moss Out' is one).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In summary, I don't think you need to be concerned about adequate light. I think you need to be most concerned about having adequate drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-01-05T01:46:51.080" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22707" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22700" CreationDate="2016-01-05T02:09:47.067" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first and the last pictures look like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_mosaic_virus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tobacco Mosaic Virus&lt;/a&gt; (TMV). The mottling looks like it matches. The others, I'm not sure, but they could just need more of the right nutrients, and they may have a fungal infection. It may be too early to tell for sure what's wrong with those. I don't know if they also have a virus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternately, it could be &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato_yellow_leaf_curl_virus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl virus&lt;/a&gt; (TYLCV). Although peppers can carry this virus, I don't know if they normally have symptoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some links to pictures that led me to believe Tobacco Mosaic Virus was likely the case for the first and last pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://0.tqn.com/w/experts/Growing-Vegetables-740/2009/07/TOMATO-CHANGES.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tobacco Mosaic Virus on a tomato&lt;/a&gt; (1)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://universityofillinoisplantclinic.blogspot.com/2011/07/few-tomato-diseases-seen-at-u-of-i.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tobacco Mosaic Virus on a tomato&lt;/a&gt; (2)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ushotstuff.com/TobaccoMosaicVirus.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tobacco Mosaic Virus on a pepper&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I might recommend planting resistant varieties next year. I don't know of any particular treatment for this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Varieties resistant to Tobacco Mosaic Virus that I recommend looking into include these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yolo Wonder pepper&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;California Wonder 300 TMV pepper&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/capistrano.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Capistrano pepper&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/keystone-resistant.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Keystone Resistant pepper&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/pimento.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pimento pepper&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chef's Choice Orange F1 tomato (also resists anthracnose; AAS award)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chef's Choice Pink F1 tomato (also resists anthracnose; AAS award)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chef's Choice Green F1 tomato (also resists anthracnose; AAS award)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Big Pick tomato (probably an F1)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Celebrity F1 tomato&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;President tomato (probably an F1)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Park's Extra Early tomato F1&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reason for suspecting tomato yellow leaf curl virus:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=23714&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus pictures&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2168124/has-anyone-grown-these-varieties-for-tylcv-resistance&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here are some varieties reported to be resistant to Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Champion 11 F1 tomato&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Margo F1 tomato&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sun King F1 tomato&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.harrisseeds.com/storefront/t-Harris-Seeds-South-Tomato-Pepper.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;SecuriTY 28 F1 tomato&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-01-22T03:50:23.647" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T03:50:23.647" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22646" CreationDate="2016-01-05T12:39:18.907" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does it smell? It shouldn't smell of anything other than 'soil' and should have anything really recognisable in it e.g chunks of Woody material, gravel,sand or stones. It should be brown and crumbly and almost dry. It may or may not have much organic matter in it which is the bit that adds to nutrients for plant growth. Hope this helps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-05T12:39:18.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22709" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-06T02:01:53.393" Score="5" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;I understand that once a tree/shrub has reached maturity, flower buds are apical buds that have morphed from vegetative ones. Yet, not every apical bud morphs into being a flower bud and that fraction that do seems to vary – why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I’d like to know how I can maximize the flower buds on my flowering trees, rhododendrons, and the like. Conversely, I’d like to know how to suppress flower buds forming. In bonsai practice, for example, it is believed that flower buds ‘waste energy’ that could otherwise go into vegetative growth. Once the bonsai is developed, however, flowers are highly prized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the factors that anyone might control to turn on/off formation of flower buds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-01-06T16:13:35.177" Title="How Can I Get More Flowers on My Trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22710" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22644" CreationDate="2016-01-06T05:05:03.887" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;57 should be fine, it looks to me as though the spots are supposed to be there, and will be part of the color of the flower... If it were damage it would probably be too late to do anything anyway...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would just preach patience in this case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2016-01-06T05:05:03.887" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22711" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22643" CreationDate="2016-01-06T05:11:32.100" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dragonfruit (pitya) is a cactus that bears large edible fruit.&#xA;Other things to consider would be Pomegranates, pistachios, maybe even date palms... Probably lots of normal stuff &quot;can&quot; survive there with a little help, I would talk to someone at a nursery in or near you area (maybe Phoenix or Scottsdale)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2016-01-06T05:11:32.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22712" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22714" CreationDate="2016-01-06T14:22:11.787" Score="6" ViewCount="574" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tiny plant needs help ! The previous tenant left it in the apartment. With a little search, I guess it's a crassula ovata. I live in France, what are the best recommendations do you have ? Is it too late or is there hope ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I will do for now : &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'll keep it inside, under luminosity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'll water it once a month until the winter ends&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have green fingers but I have to give it a try !&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zbrig.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zbrig.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EfSRg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EfSRg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13654" LastActivityDate="2018-12-19T03:02:36.080" Title="How can I help this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22713" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-06T15:27:22.617" Score="7" ViewCount="2121" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently I've discovered something called peat pots. Why should I use them? Why wouldn't I just put the plant directly into the ground? Is there any advantage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6855" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-07T02:42:40.243" LastActivityDate="2020-05-22T12:34:39.833" Title="Why do people use peat pots?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;peat&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22714" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22712" CreationDate="2016-01-06T15:27:32.587" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not hopeless. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've lost a lot of leaves at some point. The stem will not fill back in with new leaves. It may get a new sprout or two, but it will always look sparse and droopy like it does now no matter how well you care for it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I would focus on starting new little plants. You can do this by taking a few of the mature leaves and laying them on the soil. After awhile, each leaf should sprout roots and a new little plant. I'm attaching a photo of a plant of mine that is in a similar state. You can see the leaves that fell off, which I laid on the soil. You can see the little plants that are now sprouting from the bases of the fallen leaves. These little plants are about 2 months old now. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0SIGa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0SIGa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't have a ton of leaves to work with, so I'd take a limited number - maybe the 3 oldest leaves - and place them in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll also mention that with the pot setup you have, it looks possible that the plant will be stuck in standing water for awhile as the layered pots drain. When you're watering only once a month, it is probably OK, but you might consider repotting the plant in the outer pot alone. If you do this, I would use a quick draining succulent/cactus soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-01-06T15:27:32.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22713" CreationDate="2016-01-06T15:34:33.027" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;In many cases, it is simply for convenience. However; there are some plants which do not tolerate transplanting. Therefore, to start seeds indoors to get a head start and/ or maximize their strong stocks, people use peat pots so they can transfer them outdoors without transplantation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One noted example of an intolerant plant is corn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2016-01-06T15:44:20.207" LastActivityDate="2016-01-06T15:44:20.207" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22716" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22709" CreationDate="2016-01-06T16:13:35.177" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not quite as simple as you state in your question, but then it never is, with plants. Take rhododendron, for instance - it needs chilling for a certain length of time in order to produce flowers, whereas azalea type rhododendrons don't necessarily, depending on the variety. Equally, a shortage of water when flower buds are being initiated or forming means the incipient flowers will abort, and given that initiation varies between species and varieties, it's never that clear cut. So, the other two main factors involved in flowering at all, never mind prolifically, are water and temperature - and that requirement varies between plants. Third is availability of nutrients - some plants flower better if certain nutrients are freely available, others flower better on poorer soil and in poorer conditions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you can do with the plants you wish to produce a large number of flowers is to research each one in particular, and provide the optimum conditions for the plant generally - a contented plant will flower well, unless some infection or infestation occurs which affects either the plant itself or the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for preventing flowering, the only way I know is to nip off flower buds or obvious flowering growth when they form, but then I'm not a bonsai specialist - there may be some other method they use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-01-06T16:13:35.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22717" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22794" CreationDate="2016-01-07T05:49:30.533" Score="4" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have recently bought a potted rose plant and now its leaves have turned variegated. It was a nice bottle green (uniform) when I bought it first.&#xA;Thank you in advance for your help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gjVLP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gjVLP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rose disease&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13481" LastActivityDate="2016-01-15T14:19:44.057" Title="Rose doubt - is this a fungus?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22718" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22712" CreationDate="2016-01-07T07:24:13.190" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Jade plant is extremely easy to propagate and revive. Leaf propagation was suggested, however it will also take a while for the cuttings to have the appearance of a mature jade plant. Instead, I would focus on stem propagation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0N4PO.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using a sharp knife or scissors, cut where indicated above. The exact positions don't matter, but make sure to leave a few nodes between each stem cutting. Leave the cuttings on a window sill for 2-3 days to callous, then you can plant the leafy stem cutting in some cactus soil. The stem cuttings can be arranged lying on the soil around the leafy stem cutting (don't bury). The leafy stem cutting should root and produce new offshoots. The other stem cuttings should eventually also produce small roots and buds and will develop into mature plants in a few years. As for the remaining stump, you can either just keep as is and it will eventually create buds and new shoots, or you can cut off the roots and treat it as another stem cutting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13637" LastActivityDate="2016-01-07T07:24:13.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22719" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-07T11:38:16.583" Score="4" ViewCount="98" Body="&lt;p&gt;Which Indian/ Asian Bamboo species grow to 1.5&quot;-2&quot; inch diameter have thicker segment wall &amp;amp; high lateral strength?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Before you down vote &amp;amp; vote to close, please note similar questions&#xA;  that are valid: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2070/slim-6ft-high-evergreen-hedge-for-a-uk-garden?rq=1&quot;&gt;Slim 6ft high evergreen hedge for a UK garden?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5246/which-are-some-good-indoor-plants-for-upside-down-planting?rq=1&quot;&gt;Which are some good indoor plants for upside down planting?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5764/what-climbing-vines-will-cover-a-40-high-cliff-in-southern-spain?rq=1&quot;&gt;What climbing vines will cover a 40&amp;#39; high cliff in southern Spain?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7780/what-bamboo-species-for-a-container-bound-green-wall?rq=1&quot;&gt;What bamboo species for a container-bound green wall?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are various bamboo varieties across the region. So far, we have been unable to get clarity on this from various on line sources &amp;amp; books. We are trying to approach some groups locally who might have more knowledge and will post back once we have more info. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are thinking of having them as &lt;strong&gt;naturally growing separators / walls/ fences&lt;/strong&gt;, as well as use them in various ways for &lt;strong&gt;landscaping&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Strength &amp;amp; higher ability to withstand high winds &amp;amp; monsoon is a good point as well&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Additional pro of keeping out small creatures without building &amp;amp; maintaining wooden fences &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maybe a bunch of them can hold up a hammock and/ or some other visually different landscaping ideas :)  e.g. A friend of mine does Vertical Gardens, so maybe add some of that to the mix. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I can post a link about vertical gardens if needed. But, this is more long term idea when they've grown &amp;amp; are strong enough  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;We'd like Indian Bamboo that is laterally strong &amp;amp; stiff at the 1.5-2&quot; diameter i.e. Bamboo with a &quot;thicker segment wall&quot;?&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13330" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-01-28T07:37:15.657" Title="Which Indian/ Asian Bamboo species grow to 1.5&quot;-2&quot; inch diameter have thick segment wall &amp; high lateral strength?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="15" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22720" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22712" CreationDate="2016-01-07T13:18:28.200" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;At the risk of over-answering the question, here's some points that I didn't see in the other answers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The small wire-like bits near the middle of the &quot;trunk&quot; right now are themselves buds of roots.&lt;/strong&gt; They start as white/translucent and then dry out as dark brittle wires. That can be a good point to quickly start rooting in water or soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since it's a jade (though many succulents have similar propagation behavior) there are a number of articles discussing propagation. One example is &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cure-root-rot-jade-39826.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; (particularly about the problem of root rot) that discusses propagation and re-potting. It discusses two important things in particular: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;potting in well-draining soil&lt;/strong&gt;, allowing the roots to establish without rotting; and  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;allowing the cuttings to dry out and heal over &lt;em&gt;before&lt;/em&gt; re-planting&lt;/strong&gt; (a matter of a few hours or days). That is: cut, allow to briefly dry, replant. It's a succulent, so the leaves are not going to themselves &quot;dry out&quot; noticeably, but the end will seem to &quot;scab over&quot;. This will help prevent the cut-ends from rotting before they establish roots and other new growth.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This can be done with many plants with rooting habit, including things like &lt;em&gt;Schefflera&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Portulaca&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Crassula&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6932" LastActivityDate="2016-01-07T13:18:28.200" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22721" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="453" CreationDate="2016-01-07T15:16:49.477" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A second option would be to set up supplemental lighting in your kitchen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I currently have a Aerogarden on my kitchen counter with my herbs. I use it in the winter, and switch to my outdoor garden in the summer. The Aerogarden works great, looks reasonably nice, and is easy to move to a different room if we are having company over and don't want it taking up counter space. It is also a terribly expensive option (but can be made cheaper by making your own pods, buying an adapter so you don't have to use the proprietary bulbs, etc.), so I wouldn't recommend jumping into it without checking into the costs first. It is also quite loud (I have an older model - this may not be a factor with newer ones). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A much cheaper option would be to add a grow light over your existing plants. Depending on your window, you might be able to mount the light above the spot the herbs are currently in, or under a kitchen cabinet. I'd just make sure to find a grow light that stays cool, is quiet (some have a noticeable humm that could become annoying in time), and doesn't flicker, since you'll be around it a lot in the kitchen.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-01-07T15:16:49.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22722" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="740" CreationDate="2016-01-07T22:13:32.627" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;What do you like to cook? Taylor your herb selection to those you want to use. Coriander is similar to parsley, but you could them go to seed, use some of the coriander seed in cooking and plant some to keep it going perpetually.  Chives I keep, cut them and they regrow, but they are hungry plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-07T22:13:32.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22723" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22730" CreationDate="2016-01-08T07:30:59.867" Score="2" ViewCount="347" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 2 metre high apple tree grown from seed in an aquaponic system that is about 2 years old.  It has a large root mass which is removing nutrients/nitrates etc to keep the water clean for my gold fish.  But I'd like to know if it's possible to transplant it into dirt as it's getting too tall for my aquaponic setup, and if so, the method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/dKDYUi3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;aquaponic apple tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-01-17T10:23:24.137" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T10:23:24.137" Title="How to plant a hydroponic tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22724" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22713" CreationDate="2016-01-08T09:16:33.387" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're used for starting seeds, and not for putting plants into.  Then once the seed has sprouted and grown a bit, you can then transplant the whole thing into soil without disturbing the new roots.  There is also no competition from other seeds that you would get if you put the seeds directly into the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The new roots will also grow right through the peat pot if the bottom is kept moist.  If too dry, it can cause the new plant to be root bound. So, some people recommend keeping them inside a polystyrene cup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-08T09:16:33.387" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22725" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8728" CreationDate="2016-01-08T09:28:42.227" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The bacteria (and archea) come from the air.  No need to buy any but if you do, it will speed up the process.  You'll need a source of ammonia to start this off before you add the bacteria otherwise they'll have nothing to work on.  Some use fish to provide the ammonia from their respiration, and urine, but you should have a ready source of ammonia yourself by using your own urine.  As long as you're healthy, mammalian urine is sterile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You then need to monitor the ammonia levels and once they are back down to zero, it's safe to add the fish.  It may take some weeks using a fishless cycle. The starting ammonia concentration creates the correct numbers of microbes to metabolize it to nitrites and then nitrates.  So, you may need to keep adding your ammonia source until you reach the right starting level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-08T09:28:42.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22726" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22695" CreationDate="2016-01-08T09:32:53.067" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just poke holes in it and plant.  The weed mat is acting also as a mulch to suppress competitors and maintain moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you want to harvest though, you're probably going to have to cut the mat up to pull your onions out unless you can lift the mat off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-08T09:32:53.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22727" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22766" CreationDate="2016-01-08T12:52:04.723" Score="5" ViewCount="254" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my garden.  It is nice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9r6uW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9r6uW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, as you can see along the road I have a lot of tall weeds growing and one of them is &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicuta&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;poison parsnip&lt;/a&gt;.  I'm trying to come up with a good thing that I could plant that would: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;outcompete these road-side weeds (passively - mowing isn't a good option for me) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;be cheap enough to affordably cover this ~10x100' stretch of our lawn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(optionally) be beautiful and dense and maybe 6-15' tall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas?  I know I can try to fight the parsnip by pulling by hand and such, but the previous owners did that for 7 years and it didn't really get them anywhere.  I suspect the town mowers tend to respread seeds up and down the roads, so that seems like a losing battle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in northern Vermont (zone 3-4).  You can see across the road is mostly marsh - this part of my lawn is moist, but not wet.  We have some kind of willow bush, black locust and day lilies growing natively nearby.  Transplanting individual plants sounds like a lot of work to cover that much area, but that might be reasonable if they could be spaced far enough apart.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my head, the ideal scenario is some kind of cheap, self seeding/propagating plant that I could scatter seed by hand.  Maybe after cutting the spring growth back to the ground, or helped along by a nurse crop?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastEditorUserId="10945" LastEditDate="2016-01-11T17:16:16.187" LastActivityDate="2016-01-12T05:21:44.753" Title="Looking for plants to out-compete poison parsnip" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22728" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22727" CreationDate="2016-01-08T16:55:24.930" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let me give you a more practical solution rather than answer the direct question. I used to live in the Midwest where there are all sorts of predominant ditch weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You aren't going to successfully fight this weed to extinction in your lawn. Though I am not sure why you think you need to unless you have livestock that you are afraid of eating it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you want to do is mow the roadside yourself, keep the weeds low so they can't reseed, but more importantly so nothing gets tall enough to attract feeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it was your own lawn, I'd say till it or disc it until the roots just finally give up, but you can't do that roadside because you'll damage your equipment, and the you don't want to disturb the structure of the substrate that's supporting the edge of the road, otherwise you could subvert the road, which would be a bad idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-08T16:55:24.930" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22729" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-08T20:51:56.463" Score="2" ViewCount="263" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine got this office plant as a present and is wondering what it's called and how it needs to be taken care of. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a1jwl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a1jwl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Office plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11187" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-09T19:48:38.170" LastActivityDate="2016-01-09T19:48:38.170" Title="What is this small houseplant with serrated, waxy-looking leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ClosedDate="2016-01-10T22:02:14.650" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22730" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22723" CreationDate="2016-01-09T05:03:40.653" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, of course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, you will likely need to stake it until the roots are stabilized in the ground. In case you aren't familiar with this, put two stout poles in the ground on opposite sides of the tree and perpendicular to the line of the normal wind direction. I like the rubber ties that look chain-like, but you can use just about any convenient ties as long as you take care that it doesn't abrade the bark on the trunk. You should progressively loosen these constraints so the tree increasingly has to stand on its own. The tree should be capable of standing on its own and the support removed before fall (2016).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I caution you about planting it too deeply. The root collar should be at the ground level and not below it. Planting too deeply can suffocate the roots, killing the tree. Just dig an area deeply enough to accomplish these ends. Sit the tree in, spread the roots out evenly, and cover with the topsoil you removed to make the hole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-01-09T05:03:40.653" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22731" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20120" CreationDate="2016-01-09T07:36:20.920" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Though a bit aside, ‘bonsai’ means a tree in a pot. Similarly treated trees in a landscape are ‘niwaki’. The esthetics of each differs, but the maintenance of pine trees in either setting relies on the same underlying pruning principle (see Thimann and Skoog via Google).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Needles are arrayed in groups called fascicles. There is a latent bud at the base of every fascicle. A number of these can be released by pruning the stem, removing only a portion of the foliage. These will then develop into new branches; the branch line is split into two or more, depending on how many fascicular buds developed into new stems. This ramification of the stem can quickly become very congested and unhealthy, so the common practice is to limit it to two new branches and, once those exist, remove the original stem end in the middle. This builds a structure of one stem leads to two (season 1), two becomes four (season2), four becomes eight and etc. Of course, there are occasions that only one new stem induced, maybe even none once in a while. The ramified structure of the foliage pad, though, provides a means to cope with this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any pine can be treated this way to maintain its size. Were no pruning done, the buds at the branch tip would extend each season quickly enlarging the tree. By pruning, the new growth is forced to emerge further back, toward the interior of the tree. It radically slows the rate of the tree getting bigger, but it inevitably will get larger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is typical of ‘white pines’. Other pines will also release buds on the bare stems at the interior of the tree as a result of the pruning. In bonsai this is referred to as ‘back budding’. As long as these ‘back buds’ get light, they can be developed into another ramified branch that can replace the existing when it desired to do so. Clearly, with these species, the tree can actually be made smaller! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-01-09T07:36:20.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22732" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22608" CreationDate="2016-01-09T12:39:41.737" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check the woody parts of the plant and underside of the leaves. It would have been useful to know what part of the world you're in, but I'm suspecting Magnolia Scale, which does look different depending which stage of growth the scales are in. Usually, you'll find brown to purplish scales with white cottony stuff exuding around them under the leaves and possibly on the woody parts, often clustered together, but again, that varies on the time of year. In a heavy infestation during late spring and summer, you'd expect sooty mould to develop too. More info in the links below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://idl.entomology.cornell.edu/files/2013/11/Magnolia-Scale-1191hjl.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://idl.entomology.cornell.edu/files/2013/11/Magnolia-Scale-1191hjl.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef431.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef431.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-01-09T12:39:41.737" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22733" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-09T16:34:48.237" Score="5" ViewCount="2331" Body="&lt;p&gt;This desert rose, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenium_obesum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Adenium obesum&lt;/a&gt;, was put on a window sill on top of a radiator, and did well for approximately 10 days. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then I left for the Holydays. I left the plant with extra water and no heating. The temperature must have gone under 10ºC, (50°F), but it wasn't watered any more during my absence of 15 days. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On my return, as you can see in the pictures, I found it wilting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought it might be a watering problem, as the soil was completely dry, so I watered it, making sure all the water drained. I also moved it to a window sill where there is no radiator. Now the roots are moist, if I touch them from the bottom holes of the pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil is clearly peat based, and it looks like the bottom is moist, but the top quite dry. What should I do? Water it more? Leave it without water for a while? I really have no idea!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My house has a temperature of approximately 15-16ºC during the day, sometimes 17-19ºC when I turn on the heat at night. The aspect of the window is south-west, but it doesn't get much direct sunlight, about 3-4 hours when it's sunny. I am in the UK, Bristol. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P560qm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P560qm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MuTSkm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MuTSkm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-09T19:07:59.790" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T14:49:40.463" Title="Why is my Adenium obesum wilting?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22734" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22735" CreationDate="2016-01-09T18:20:50.583" Score="4" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &quot;raised&quot; beds are infested with weeds and way too high maintenance, so I am planning on completely obliterating the garden, putting down weed block fabric, topping it with sand and rocks and pavers, and then getting some aluminum feed containers with fresh soil to plant in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, there is a large currant bush I don't want to leave behind. I could try digging it up and replanting it in one of the containers, but worried I will kill it and maybe even take the weeds with it's soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or maybe there's a way to block the weed around it? Maybe tape up the stems and seal the ground with weed block fabric and rocks? Anything like that exist? I tried a rubber tree ring, but the weeds climb up through the gaps anyways. Mostly the vine weeds (morning glory?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any good ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2824" LastEditorUserId="2824" LastEditDate="2016-01-10T00:37:04.590" LastActivityDate="2016-01-10T00:37:04.590" Title="Save my red currant bush from weeds?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22735" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22734" CreationDate="2016-01-09T18:34:12.243" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are planning to move it you should prune all the branches back so they are only a few inches from the main trunck. Then dig it up and remove all the soil from the roots. Trim the roots so they are only about 8 inches long. Soak the roots for about one hour in clean water. Then plant it in its new location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, if you don't want to do this and don't mind a multi year process, ribes are perfect candidates for layering. Get a few heavy rocks, and select some branches to become new plants. Lay the branch down on the ground and lay the rock on top of it. Next fall (2016) there should be enough root mass to snip the branch away and plant the clones some place else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-09T18:34:12.243" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22736" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-09T20:33:10.877" Score="8" ViewCount="138" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to grow vegetables in my basement year round.  I live in zone 3b, in a rural area and I'd like to start selling produce as well as providing food for my family as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally, I'd like to build a DIY LED setup, with affordable &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00CZ6QDDU&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;100watt LEDs from amazon&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B008NKNHSG&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;boosters&lt;/a&gt;, or maybe just opt to &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00HLBHLIA&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;buy the rig&lt;/a&gt; if the price is right.  However, I noticed that the boosters draw 3amps each.  That means I can only hook up 5 100 watt LEDs per breaker, and I want to grow much more than that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1 kwh is 10.9¢, so at 16 hours a day, 10 of these would cost $1.75 per day, on two breakers.  The first year I'd be paying over $600 for electricity alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to augment this with solar panels and batteries to reduce cost over time.  Is there a cost effective solution to mass growing in a basement with high powered LEDs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1361" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-02-16T13:32:34.320" LastActivityDate="2016-04-11T21:48:52.923" Title="Solar driven LEDs to offset electricity for mass growing in a basement" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;&lt;led&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22737" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22734" CreationDate="2016-01-09T21:11:43.437" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;IMPE red currants transplant pretty well, without any enthusiastic pruning back being done. So you could dig them up, wash them off, plant them, and get new weeds from seed anyway; or you could just spend the time, effort and money on dealing with your weed problem more directly. Up to you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-01-09T21:11:43.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22736" CreationDate="2016-01-09T21:25:16.770" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The cost effective solution for quite some time is and has been and probably will be to move further &quot;towards the equator&quot; and ship &quot;away from the equator&quot;, or for a few things that don't ship well and have adequate profit margin grow in a greenhouse, not a basement, sometimes with supplemental lighting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basement growing tends to be concentrated on high-profit mostly-illicit plants. Where they are not illicit greenhouses or warehouses (high ceilings) evidently tend to be chosen over basements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are connected to the power grid, batteries make virtually no sense - check your local grid-tie regulations. Short, cloudy winter days (3b) will ensure that you are buying power in winter unless the system is massively oversized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-01-09T21:25:16.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22739" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22643" CreationDate="2016-01-10T04:14:48.767" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;For perennials, dates and figs might work, as well as all sorts of cacti (you could do a whole garden with them, since there are loads of kinds). Both the pads and the fruit are edible of most Prickly Pear cactus varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, &lt;a href=&quot;http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2012/01/you-can-grow-some-berries-in-mojave.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rosborough and Womack Blackberries.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similar to Debbie M.'s answer, most things in the Prunus genus may work well: almonds, apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, and sour cherries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't recommend apples, particularly (they're not in the prunus genus, either), but apples should work better if they have good ground cover (I'm still not sure how they'd do where you are, though).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a relative in southwestern Utah (by Arizona and Nevada) who grows almonds and figs. It's pretty hot and dry there. They seem to be quite fruitful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For annuals and tender perennials, try these: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/colorado-preserving-or-red-seeded-citron-watermelon/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Red-seeded Citron watermelon&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/kiwano-african-horned-cucumber/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kiwano&lt;/a&gt;, Dark Star zucchini, Beit Alpha cucumber, Suyo Long cucumber, Camp Joy tomatoes (sets fruit up to 115° F., I've read), Punta Banda tomatoes, Taos tomatoes, some of the tomatoes at goodmindseeds.org, etc. Kiwano and Citron watermelon grow in the Kalahari desert. You might consider New Mexican landrace peppers (they won't have New Mexican in the name, however, due to some weird laws that restrict that to certain other peppers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/20138/which-tomatoes-grow-the-best-in-high-temperatures&quot;&gt;this question/answer&lt;/a&gt; for more information about heat-tolerant tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nativeseeds.org/learn/nss-blog/265-heat&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Nativeseeds.org has a list that may help.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have clay or clay loam soil, I recommend taking advantage of it. Slow-draining soil that holds moisture well can help in the desert (and you shouldn't have to worry about root rot, because of the aridity and such). If it drains quickly, on the other hand, cacti might be your best option, since they like that, I hear. Peppers usually aren't too fond of clay, though (but some like it more than others). Tomatoes can handle clay well. So can zucchini.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Search for drought-tolerant varieties, too. Tabasco peppers are very drought tolerant. Same with Punta Banda tomatoes. Drought tolerance is just as important as heat-tolerance in hot/dry areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potassium is supposed to increase heat-tolerance. So, make sure your soil has enough. Also, make sure it's not magnesium deficient, since that could cause problems with heat, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-02-01T20:54:45.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22740" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-10T04:37:59.790" Score="3" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some vegetables and fruits in my balcony. All are in pots. Unfortunately, almost all of them start to develop issues in their leaves. Yellowing, having grey dead spots, etc. Here are some photos I took :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Plant 1 (Start Fruit) :&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vm5Fa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vm5Fa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J59kw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J59kw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sT99f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sT99f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Plant 2 (Egg plant) :&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5B4TX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5B4TX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Plant 3 (Bitter gourd) :&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wzFVN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wzFVN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zC48D.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zC48D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t7Xxs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t7Xxs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also have orange, a small variety of orange (I don't know the English name for it) and grapes. They are doing well! Any idea why this is happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10876" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-01-10T04:37:59.790" Title="All my plants have problems with the leaves and im unable to identify the exact cause of the issue" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-01-11T18:58:55.197" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22741" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-10T05:29:44.883" Score="4" ViewCount="9650" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have an avocado plant grown from the seed and it was doing very well until we went on a 1 week holiday. Although we watered it before we left, we came back to a plant with shriveled up and drooping leaves. Watering it managed to get the leaves all horizontal again but they remain very shriveled even after 1 week. They feel like dry, dead leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do know? If I cut the leaves off, how far down the stem should I cut?  The stem still looks pretty green and healthy so should I leave them or should I cut all the way down to the stalk? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4SrM0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4SrM0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dried avocado plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13664" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-01-10T15:31:37.470" LastActivityDate="2016-01-10T15:31:37.470" Title="How do I recover an avocado plant that shriveled while I was away for a week?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22742" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="731" CreationDate="2016-01-10T08:43:15.267" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants don't flower well in clear transparent pots. The roots turn green. Roots think they are branches and don't absorb the necessary minerals to produce good flowers. They produce good branches and leaves,  but not good flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13665" LastActivityDate="2016-01-10T08:43:15.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22736" CreationDate="2016-01-10T09:00:45.200" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grow mushrooms?  At least cool dark areas would mean less cost in LED's infrastructure etc. And a good quality product can be grown.  Failing that rhubarb forced, but would need to spend at least some of the year outside building up its energy reserves in deep moist soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-10T09:00:45.200" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22717" CreationDate="2016-01-10T09:07:46.877" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd take it back for a replacement if I'd only just bought it. Depending on where you live, trading standards would mean that even purchasing a plant needs to be fit for purpose. A diseased or poorly one is not. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-10T09:07:46.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22746" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22827" CreationDate="2016-01-10T12:59:17.100" Score="5" ViewCount="1706" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have two young willow trees. I'm unsure of how to trim or look after them. They are approximately 4 years old. One is really tall, about 20 feet, and the other is quite short. I purchased both from the same place at the same time. As yet we have never cut/pruned them but the tall one is going mad when in full leaf.&#xA;Any help would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uL0i6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uL0i6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r9crJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r9crJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13667" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-13T17:28:17.707" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T20:06:27.000" Title="What's the best way to care for and prune young willow trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;weeping-willow&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22741" CreationDate="2016-01-10T13:42:45.603" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is well established and will do everything it needs without any assistance.  I agree the leaves look dead but you should wait until you see new growth before removing the old leaves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no need to cut back the stem. It is storing energy. Avocados are trees with strong apical dominance (they grow one &quot;leader&quot; trunk). The existing trunk still looks to have a leader. Even if it is dried out the plant will bud out a new leader lower on the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep the plant in a similar situation to where it was before.  Do not overwater as there are no leaves to transpire.  Let the top half inch of soil dry out before watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wait patiently and the tree will use the leader to grow new leaves.  New leaves will rarely grow on the existing stem due to the apical dominance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This site gets a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=avocado&quot;&gt;lot of questions&lt;/a&gt; about avocados.  They are easy to grow but hard to keep as a nice houseplant because they are tropical trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-01-10T13:42:45.603" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22748" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22750" CreationDate="2016-01-10T15:03:30.087" Score="4" ViewCount="27005" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the pic you can see big sticky drops on my indoor citrus tree.&#xA;I have the citrus tree right next to window.&#xA;I have there also another 3 small citrus trees like this, but only this one has sticky leaves. I treat them the same way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How should I cure citrus leaves?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ENB5P.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ENB5P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8608" LastEditorUserId="8608" LastEditDate="2016-01-10T15:14:55.377" LastActivityDate="2016-01-10T17:11:44.673" Title="How to cure sticky citrus leaves?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22749" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-10T15:14:32.303" Score="3" ViewCount="104" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the picture you can see brown dots on my indoor citrus tree. I have the citrus tree right next to a window. I also have 3 small citrus trees like this, but only this one has brown dots. I treat them all the same way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can remove these dots by hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How should I cure citrus leaves?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EfWsB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EfWsB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8608" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-28T18:21:17.633" LastActivityDate="2016-02-28T18:21:17.633" Title="How can I cure citrus leaves that have brown dots?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22750" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22748" CreationDate="2016-01-10T16:53:57.450" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can see some sort of insect on your plant, small tan coloured objects which may be citrus scale. Scale produces honeydew, which is likely what the sticky fluid droplets are; this often leads to the secondary condition, Sooty Mould, though that is more likely outdoors than in. Check the whole plant, including backs of leaves, stems and woody parts, to confirm, and then treat for the problem. If you can get neem oil spray where you are, that should do it, though you may need to repeat the treatment more than once. Even if you decide it's not scale but some other infestation, neem oil should treat for it, but the commonest infestations in these plants are mealybug, scale and aphids. More info in the link below - it's a blogspot, but does contain a useful photograph of brown soft scale, and information as to how to deal with it, you'll need to scroll down a bit, it's not at the top of the page&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thecitrusguy.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/lets-tip-scale.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://thecitrusguy.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/lets-tip-scale.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's probably worth checking your other plants from top to bottom as well, to make sure they haven't acquired an early infestation of the same problem. If you cannot find a suitable oil spray, you will need to check for insecticides which say they will deal with this problem - but if you're expecting to eat any fruit produced by your plant, you must choose a treatment which is safe to for use on edible plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-01-10T17:11:44.673" LastActivityDate="2016-01-10T17:11:44.673" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22749" CreationDate="2016-01-10T16:59:01.297" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This question appears to be about the same plant as in your other one - if you have an infestation of insects (scale in particular) then grazing damage will occur on the leaves. I refer you to the answer given under the other question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-01-10T16:59:01.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22752" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22764" CreationDate="2016-01-10T23:57:45.047" Score="5" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several plants (peppers, dwarf fruit trees &amp;amp; various herbs mostly) that I keep outside except for when temperatures are too low &amp;amp; I move then indoors under grow lights. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After several weeks of having my plants indoors, I noticed a couple of guests sprouting in the margins of a couple of the pots. Normally I would just pluck any invaders I find, but both of these are somewhat nice looking plants &amp;amp; depending on what they are, I may consider transplanting them elsewhere. Any ideas? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves of the green one are about 1 1/2&quot; long, &amp;amp; the leaves of the red tinged one are about 1&quot; long.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4SHrx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4SHrx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZeoUQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZeoUQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dfV3W.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dfV3W.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dVcxZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dVcxZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the San Francisco bay area, so if they were contaminated outside, that is relevant, although it is also possible I suppose that they were in the potting soil the whole time...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13523" LastActivityDate="2016-01-12T02:50:34.257" Title="Identifing guests sprouting in potted plants" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22752" CreationDate="2016-01-11T02:03:27.073" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those plants are some form or another of holly. Birds probably dropped them in their when they pooped a seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-11T02:03:27.073" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22754" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22755" CreationDate="2016-01-11T13:38:09.620" Score="7" ViewCount="465" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see this flower a lot in Eastern Europe.&#xA;I have no picture of the flower but I have a seed!&#xA;The flower looks like an Aster. It has long stalks (80cm-1m tall). The flowers have widely differing colors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One unique thing that might help: somewhere around September, the flower disappears and leaves a cluster of 20-30 seeds. The seeds are thin and long. The seeds have no &quot;parachute.&quot; Here is a picture of the seed:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kbi61.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kbi61.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am trying to find out more about this flower because I want to plant the seed. It is an emotionally significant flower for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13669" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-12T00:46:46.040" LastActivityDate="2017-01-07T00:38:05.973" Title="What flower will grow from this long narrow seed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22754" CreationDate="2016-01-11T13:49:11.953" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://theseedsite.co.uk/allseeds6.html&quot;&gt;great site&lt;/a&gt; for identifying seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And my flower is: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Cosmos_bipinnatus&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwiK_trb8qHKAhWLWBoKHWYkCE0Q_AUICCgC&amp;amp;biw=1440&amp;amp;bih=755#safe=off&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;q=Cosmos+bipinnatus+seeds&quot;&gt;Cosmos bipinnatus&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13669" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-12T00:51:33.983" LastActivityDate="2016-01-12T00:51:33.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22756" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22757" CreationDate="2016-01-08T17:43:36.347" Score="5" ViewCount="126" Body="&lt;p&gt;How would I a person with little arboriculture experience(basically cutting down a few trees) get started?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there arborist apprentices?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="that guy" LastActivityDate="2016-01-11T14:24:30.847" Title="How to get started as a arborist" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22757" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22756" CreationDate="2016-01-08T21:06:26.620" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are arborist apprenticeships with smaller businesses or individual contractors. There are also lots of larger companies that could hire you in an entry level position where you would have access to great equipment and training, along with potential references and a career, by working with them. Those I know who have entered arboriculture through that route by first attending college and earning a relevant Associate of Applied Science or a Bachelor of Science degree first. This tool may help you take that collegiate route: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.isa-arbor.com/students/careersInArboriculture/degreePrograms.aspx&quot;&gt;International Society of Arboriculture - Search for Degrees&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the note of that International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) tool, you may want to explore their certification and opportunities, and maybe your local ISA chapter. ISA is an industry standard in the U.S. and somewhere along the line your arbory career could benefit from connecting with, and getting certified by, ISA. (I am advertising them but am not directly affiliated, I just have plenty of friends in arboriculture and this is what I observe. In forestry where I do have more personal experience, we have similar accreditation institutions such as the Society of American Foresters [SAF].)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see there are a few routes you could take to get more or less to the same goal. Good advice I've received is: search for someone who currently works at the job you strive to work at, and reach out to them humbly about how they got there and if they have any guidance for you. For example, calling or writing to a company that has a job position you'd someday like to fill (whether that exact job or something similar), and asking them what credentials they'd like to see you have in order to consider you for the job, could pay off. So, consider where you'd like to work - there's plenty of options with arboriculture. There's those big tree care companies companies, municipalities of various sizes, private practices (yours or others), consulting, utility crews, I'm sure I'm missing something yet. Good luck, enjoy and stay safe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" OwnerDisplayName="cr0" LastActivityDate="2016-01-11T02:45:28.940" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22758" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22756" CreationDate="2016-01-08T21:09:50.530" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our arborist is an I.S.A. Certified Arborist, and we have been pleased with his work for more than 10 years.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I.S.A., the International Society of Arboriculture &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.isa-arbor.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.isa-arbor.com/&lt;/a&gt;, offers on-line courses and professional credentials. Please note that I am not giving you an expert's recommendation, but just giving you a place to start your research.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our arborist always comes with a helper, so I suggest a two-pronged effort: getting a job with an arborist and looking into on-line courses. If you get a job with an arborist, he or she will be able to guide you to the most effective courses. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The answer from CR0 seems to be from a professional tree person.  I thought about deleting my answer as redundant, but then I thought an answer from a customer might be helpful.  I wish you well in your new career!              &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="ab2" LastActivityDate="2016-01-08T21:22:37.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22759" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17949" CreationDate="2016-01-11T14:44:44.067" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are going to completely cut down a larger palm tree, please be advised you will need probably 3 chainsaw blades because queen palms dull the blades very quickly (I have never seen this so fast vs other trees).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We used 3 blades on a 20 inch saw to take down a 25 foot queen palm and cut into 12 inch pieces for disposal because they are SO heavy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;BTW I would never plant a Queen Palm again because they require much maintenance of the fronds and seed pods which make a mess  and this becomes a real challenge when the tree is over 20 feet tall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13671" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-01-12T14:50:47.643" LastActivityDate="2016-01-12T14:50:47.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22761" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22754" CreationDate="2016-01-12T00:30:24.063" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those seeds are indeed from a cosmos bipinnatus. I don't know your climate, but I've had great success growing them, and other cosmos varieties, in Northeast United States, growing zone 6. I purchase the seeds &lt;a href=&quot;http://parkseed.com/rubenza-cosmos-seeds/p/51137-PK-P1/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. I'm not affiliated with the company in any way, but am using them as an example because in my experience they're reliable and the seeds are high quality. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I love cosmos in general because they come in many pretty colors, have a long blooming season, and are great for attracting butterflies and bees. They're also extremely easy to grow, making them a great choice for beginners of all ages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plant them directly outside any time beginning in late May or early June, after the danger of frost has passed. You can just loosen the ground a bit and put each seed in a hole just deep enough to cover it, approximately a half-inch. I put the seed in vertically, rather than sideways, but I don't know if it matters. Water the area well, and make sure to keep it moist until the plant starts to peak out of the hole!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They germinate very quickly, within a week or two, and, with not much more than a sunny spot and some steady watering, they're in full bloom in about a month. I especially appreciate that because they easily fill in those empty spots I find in the summer, either from poor planning or because something else has gone by.  Even if I sow the seeds in early August, I can get hardy plants that bloom profusely until after the ground freezes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're an annual where I live, but, as you've noticed, they do drop seeds. If neither I nor the birds collect them, some will survive the winter, providing a nice surprise the following spring! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The picture against the fence is of a bipinnatus I grew a few years ago. It's full grown and just preparing to flower. Unfortunately I can't find a picture of that one in bloom. The flowers looked exactly like the picture from the link in the catalog, so I've provided that for reference. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PN6vp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PN6vp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IXS1J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IXS1J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-07T00:38:05.973" LastActivityDate="2017-01-07T00:38:05.973" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22483" CreationDate="2016-01-12T01:08:40.227" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You probably have an Aphid problem - it's not a disease per se and it's not mold, just an infestation. They leave the white gooey stuff on the bottom of the leaves. I use Bug-B-Gone and it seems to work fine. You can buy it in a concentrate and then mix with water and spray with a spray bottle. I think it's about 15 bucks from Home Cheapo or amazon.&#xA;If you have a major problem, as in a ton of leaves are affected, then you will likely need to prune the tree to get rid of excess foliage to let in air. It is also helpful to spray down the tree with a hose every other week or so - this removes dust which they tend to thrive in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13622" LastActivityDate="2016-01-12T01:08:40.227" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22763" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22727" CreationDate="2016-01-12T01:27:40.837" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Better drainage will help, according to the info on poison parsnip, and likely is a partial cause of your poison parsnip free un-mown areas. Not having been &quot;disturbed&quot; may also be helping those areas, since &quot;quickly colonizing disturbed areas&quot; is one of the characteristics mentioned for poison parsnip.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But that'a lot more work to arrange (starting from a place with poor drainage) than mowing (early enough to avoid seeds setting.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any plant that will do what you consider your &quot;ideal scenario&quot; (scatter some seed and it takes over, muscling out the poison parsnip) will be, itself, a noxious weed that you will later regret, and will probably be muscling its way through your garden in short order. I'd suggest religiously cutting the plant (&lt;a href=&quot;http://digginginthedriftless.com/2009/06/26/warning-its-wild-parsnip-season/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;use a long-handled tool&lt;/a&gt;) to prevent seeding. Take the long-handled tool on walks up and down the road at the right time of year. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.healthunit.org/hazards/dangerousweeds.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Some source&lt;/a&gt;s suggest &lt;a href=&quot;http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/veg/plants/wildparsnip.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cutting it off just below ground level&lt;/a&gt; with a shovel or similar tool (perhaps a dandelion or asparagus tool on a rake-length handle.) This is supposed to prevent re-sprouting while being less trouble than pulling the whole root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Speculating, possibly dumping a LOT of manure and/or woodchips on this stretch (which will raise the soil up some, providing a limited drainage benefit as well as a bit of smothering/mulch if you really lay it on thick) and then covering it with black plastic all summer to wipe out the present population as best as can be managed, followed by a planting of winter rye. &quot;Wild parsnip&quot; is listed as liking (or being a sign of) depleted soils, so building up the soil might help other things outcompete it (though sometimes &quot;wild parsnip&quot; seems to be used to mean &quot;poison parsnip&quot;, and sometimes not...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-01-12T01:27:40.837" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22764" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22752" CreationDate="2016-01-12T02:50:34.257" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Alas, @Escoce, I pulled these today &amp;amp; I feel I can say with a fair level of certainty, that they are not in fact Holly plants, but in fact Oak. +1 because the one especially does look like Holly, but I think the acorns attached below the soil surface are a dead give away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, I can't explain how in the world they got into my potting soil, or why they appear so radically different in colouring, perhaps a non-favorable soil? Wonder if I should replant them somewhere...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/umKTE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/umKTE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13523" LastActivityDate="2016-01-12T02:50:34.257" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22765" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22684" CreationDate="2016-01-12T04:16:39.193" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer may be Falcata Alfalfa--an Alfalfa cultivar that is especially drought-tolerant. I've read 12&quot; minimum rainfall, and we get 7&quot;, but maybe I can make it work growing with other native grasses in a moisture-retaining heavy clay soil. I'll update this answer once I've planted some.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2016-01-12T04:16:39.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22727" CreationDate="2016-01-12T04:23:45.423" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rhubarb&lt;/strong&gt; should work well, if you get a large kind. It has huge leaves that cover the ground around it. I personally consider it ornamental, including when it goes to seed. It should smother out anything else underneath it. Some rhubarb gets quite tall (it may not get huge on the first year, however). I've never grown rhubarb from seed (let alone scattering them), but it does produce lots of seeds. It's not invasive. Rhubarb is a perennial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://courses.missouristate.edu/pbtrewatha/common_burdock.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Burdock&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; looks similar to rhubarb and might also work (in my opinion, rhubarb would be much better, though). It may also grow well from seed. However, it is invasive (I'm sure it would make appearances in your garden, and your neighbors'), probably doesn't always cover as thickly as rhubarb, and it will produce burrs that may get stuck in your cats' fur. Burdock has many uses, but it was a common and highly invasive weed in my neighborhood years ago back when I had a long-furred cat (too bad I didn't know what it was and what you could do with it back then). It seems to have vanished from our yard, however. You can buy it. Burdock is an annual. So, it'll have to grow again every year. I'm not sure if it'll grow to size fast enough to make a difference, but it might. However, when they reseed, they may not appear in the same spot. So, you'd have to collect the seeds yourself every year and plant them again. All in all, I'm not suggesting burdock so much as I'm saying it might possibly work (with drawbacks).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could always plant some &lt;strong&gt;currant bushes&lt;/strong&gt; over them. They should grow and smother them in time. They can get pretty tall, although you should probably cut them back once in a while. Currants will spread horizontally through the years, although they may spread by seed, too. I'm not sure how they'll work in your climate, but this is how black currants work in my climate (which is more on the arid side in the summer).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spearmint&lt;/strong&gt;, with its rhizomes, may also work. &lt;strong&gt;Comfrey&lt;/strong&gt; may also work. &lt;strong&gt;Chives&lt;/strong&gt; may work, if you plant enough of them. None of these are 6' tall, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Irises&lt;/strong&gt;, though not tall, are flowers that may smother them out eventually, with their thick, tuberous roots (don't expect results the same year, though, unless you plant a lot of them).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Snowball bushes&lt;/strong&gt; (not sure what they're technically called) are pretty tall and nice-looking, and depending on how you let them grow, and perhaps the variety, they can potentially cover the ground quite well with their branches. They are wide in all directions, though (so you may or may not want to put them a little ways away from the road).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-01-12T05:21:44.753" LastActivityDate="2016-01-12T05:21:44.753" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22768" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-12T21:41:23.720" Score="3" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;I discovered there are bottled off-the-shelf liquid nutricient mixtures available to buy. Is there some special factor in them (a.k.a. secret magic) or is this just mumbo-jumbo and there are just basic &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_nutrition&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;plant nutritions&lt;/a&gt; in different quantities?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;the primary macronutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K)&lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;the three secondary macronutrients: calcium (Ca), sulfur (S), magnesium (Mg)&lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;the micronutrients/trace minerals: boron (B), chlorine (Cl), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not to mention super dumb names &quot;ORGATREX&quot;,&quot;Magic Green&quot;, &quot;Amino Root&quot;, &quot;Root Complex&quot; etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6855" LastActivityDate="2016-01-13T15:54:26.833" Title="What is special in commercial off-the-shelf liquid nutricient mixtures?" Tags="&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22770" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-13T08:39:33.230" Score="5" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;So we got a christmas tree in a pot this year.&#xA;As far as I can work out it is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picea_abies&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picea_abies&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;I know it won't have been grown in the pot, and the roots are probably not in very good shape and all and chances are generally not so good for this tree. ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, my question is specifically about what it means when the needles start falling off for this kind of tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand they don't like it in dry indoor conditions, you're ideally supposed to spray them and water the pot, and they will be happier outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you let them dry out, the needles start falling off (or fall off more quickly), and it gets so the needles are kind of hanging on by a thread, and whenever you disturb a branch you get a shower of needles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is then, when it gets to that point, is it already 'too late' for these needles?&#xA;Or, if it is put outside, and misted with a bit of water, is it possible for these same needles to 'firm up' again and the branches survive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By implication, then, is it worth while treating it very delicately, and trying to avoid knocking the branches when the needles are all ready to fall off?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13676" LastActivityDate="2016-01-13T15:37:35.237" Title="Is it 'too late' for our christmas tree (picea abies I think) when the needles start falling off?" Tags="&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22772" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22776" CreationDate="2016-01-13T15:05:09.290" Score="7" ViewCount="198" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was browsing among the succulents section of this department store, and I found this offspring plant fallen apart on the floor! I took it to plant it since it was going to die there. The plants in the succlents sections weren't named, so I'm wondering if this is a real aloe vera. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read the previously asked questions regarding aloe vera, and it was mentioned that it can be reproduced from these offsprings. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used a small pot with the soil mentioned in the picture, but the plant was very unsteady in the pot, kept falling with smallest moves. I also read that the soil should be completely dry, so I'm drying it on the radiator at the moment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However I wonder if this is a real aloe vera and if the soil is ok to be used with this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y35pw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;coconut soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/87YtS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the succulent plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastActivityDate="2016-01-16T10:00:19.840" Title="Is this soil appropriate to plant this succulent baby?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22773" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22770" CreationDate="2016-01-13T15:37:35.237" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, it makes no difference, dying and dead needles will fall off eventually on their own anyway. The trick, IF your tree has roots, is really to not keep it in the house long enough for that to happen - but some hardening off is required before placing outside permanently, so it can acclimatize over 4 or 5 days to outdoor temperatures compared to indoor ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-01-13T15:37:35.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22774" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22772" CreationDate="2016-01-13T15:42:36.937" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, that pup you have there, whilst it does appear to be Aloe vera, does not have any roots - usually, when you separate a pup or offset from the mother plant, you'd remove some soil from its base and cut carefully, making sure there are roots attached so the pup can survive. If it was anything but a succulent plant, you could have tried sitting it in a saucer of water to see if roots would be produced, but succulents do not respond well to this treatment, usually succumbing to fungal infection and rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-01-13T16:06:17.490" LastActivityDate="2016-01-13T16:06:17.490" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22775" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22768" CreationDate="2016-01-13T15:54:26.833" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're just different formulations, in both quantity and ingredients, and used differently, of the basic elements plants require. That doesn't mean, however, that they might not be useful - Orgatrex is used often in hydroponic growing, but for general use in the garden or for potted plants, the most important thing to note is the N-P-K. There's usually a readout for those (and if there isn't, I'd suggest not buying the product) along the lines of, for a general purpose fertilizer such as Growmore 7-7-7, showing that it's balanced. If you're growing tomatoes in pots, then a specialist tomato food will have a completely different N-P-K, usually with a high potassium level. Miracle Gro General Purpose has a much higher N than any other ingredient, so depending on what you're growing, especially in pots, a choice should be made regarding the elements your plants will particularly need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for something like Magic Green, that's a foliar feed, and I was unable to establish what the NPK readout was.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-01-13T15:54:26.833" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22776" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22772" CreationDate="2016-01-13T16:24:51.400" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bamboo is right that generally you do need roots to replant an aloe vera pup, but anecdotally I know people who say they've been successful replanting a rootless pup. You've already got the pup and the soil, so I'd keep going with it. The coir is fine as a planting medium, but I disagree with the advice to dry it out. For the plant to root, it will need to be watered regularly. I would suggest using some sort of staking to keep the pup upright (bamboo skewers work well). If you happen to have rooting hormone on hand, you could dip the stem to give it a better chance. Otherwise, I think you just need to wait and see. If it does work, you'll start to see roots. If it does not, the pup will simply shrivel and die. It should be fairly obvious in a month or so if it is going to make it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2016-01-13T16:41:08.440" LastActivityDate="2016-01-13T16:41:08.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22777" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-13T19:50:16.307" Score="6" ViewCount="295" Body="&lt;p&gt;I made a couple of containers for my garden out of pallets. I wanted to protect them from rain, so I stained them with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Thompson-s-WaterSeal-1-gal-Semi-Transparent-Sequoia-Red-Waterproofing-Stain-TH-042831-16/204813839&quot;&gt;an exterior waterproof seal&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But later I read someone mentioning to avoid using treated lumber for containers in which you would grow edibles. I'm wondering how unsafe it could actually be or is it just a minor thing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13679" LastActivityDate="2016-01-14T11:25:45.623" Title="Is it safe to grow vegetables in a container made of stained wood pallets?" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;safety&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22778" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22777" CreationDate="2016-01-14T05:40:55.547" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your concerned about how chemicals might leach into the soil over time you may want to take this to the chemistry stack exchange.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll just say that unless I'm talking to someone who truly understand the chemicals within the sealant, I would not accept their recommendation unless it was a warning.  So, as in the game of knights and knaves you are bound to get the wrong answer, the only answer would be to defer to caution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what might be in those pallets from the sealant but I can't imagine any of it is OK.  As well, I would expect any chemical to diffuse into any surrounding matter.  As that is what all compounds do.  Look at as milk in your tea but slower because we're dealing with a solid and not a liquid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;IMO, don't even burn them.  Get rid of them in the most responsible way and move onto another material for your project.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13591" LastActivityDate="2016-01-14T05:40:55.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22779" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22783" CreationDate="2016-01-14T07:17:52.877" Score="6" ViewCount="156" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not aware what the flower name is but they flower all around the year.&#xA;I am attaching a picture here, please help me identify the black crawling bug on the flowers and how can I control them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qb2Ml.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qb2Ml.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;crawling black bug on the flowers&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They were not there a day before, I don't know how in a matter of day an entire colony has got created.I have washed them off today through a jet spray of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is also infected with aphid population :(&#xA;The average day temperature here right now in about 25 degree centigrade.&#xA;The plant gets direct sunlight for about 4-5 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please help, everyday I end up finding a new kind of bug in one plant or another :(&#xA;Are potted plants more prone to pests?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13562" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T10:06:46.037" Title="What is this black bug, how to control?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22780" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-14T07:23:54.227" Score="9" ViewCount="125" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you identify these two trees please? I live in Western Australia if that helps. I believe the first one is a blood Gum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1uJ75.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1uJ75.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree one - Blood Gum?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BBxJa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BBxJa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree one - Leaf Detail&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My dog likes chewing the lower branches of this second one, so really want to make sure that's not a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zf01v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zf01v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree two&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13677" LastActivityDate="2016-01-20T15:30:35.017" Title="Can you please identify these trees?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22781" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22792" CreationDate="2016-01-14T08:49:48.500" Score="10" ViewCount="1965" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two succulent Aloe vera shoots easily fell off a friend's aloe plant from readjusting a pot. This plant is potentially under watered and, from looking at the main plant or by just observing the two crowns below, this plant is pretty etiolated and receives little sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/viUMB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/viUMB.jpg&quot; width=&quot;440&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GyDP0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GyDP0.jpg&quot; width=&quot;220&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lbcv8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lbcv8.jpg&quot; width=&quot;220&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these plants savable and what propagation method (plant as is-- stem propagation? division propagation) would be recommended?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I saw &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1566/can-i-save-my-damaged-aloe-vera-plant&quot;&gt;Can I save my damaged Aloe vera plant?&lt;/a&gt;&quot; however I'm asking in regards to crowns whose stems may look a little dry. I'm not sure if the same actions would be taken regarding propagating these crowns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13637" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-02-16T13:25:44.033" Title="How can I save these etiolated aloe crowns with under watered stems?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22782" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22777" CreationDate="2016-01-14T10:26:47.483" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The concern is regarding pallets treated with methyl bromide. If you use pallets you should use heat treated pallets, marked HT. If you use anything not marked HT, then you should line the inside with thick plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stain you used doesn't mention the chemical makeup, but it is designed to be water resistant and probably uses a silicon polymer, and is not supposed to come off on contact with a moist substance. It's probably safe but without knowing the exact chemicals used, you're probably be happier lining it with plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-14T10:26:47.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22783" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22779" CreationDate="2016-01-14T10:52:49.200" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;The black bugs are the larvae of ladybugs.  They are there to eat the aphids. As larvae or adults ladybugs are efficient beneficial predators.  There is no need to wash them away they are working for you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wonder if you have other plants that have aphids.  Some adults have wings and fly to new hosts.  Check your other plants for aphids.  As they are soft skinned they can be easily controlled by a solution of 5 ml of dish soap in one liter of water applied three times with a hand sprayer at five to seven day intervals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-01-14T10:52:49.200" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22784" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22777" CreationDate="2016-01-14T11:25:45.623" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Graham Chiu about methyl bromide. According to Toxipedia, Methyl Bromide is used as a pesticide to control pest insects, nematodes, weeds, pathogens, and rodents. In the U.S., methyl bromide has been used in agriculture, primarily for soil fumigation, as well as for commodity and quarantine treatment, and structural fumigation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can enter your body through inhalation by air contaminated with methyl bromide. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The symptoms of inhalation of methyl bromide are abdominal pain, convulsions, dizziness, hallucinations, headache, vomiting, weakness, loss of speech and in-coordination. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, ever since 2005, methyl bromide has not been used to fumigate pallets. There are many more things you need to consider before trying these techniques. Getting a help from landscaper would be an added advantage for you. For more info on this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orlandogreener.com/orlando-landscape-maintenance/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;go here&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13680" LastActivityDate="2016-01-14T11:25:45.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22781" CreationDate="2016-01-14T14:33:06.357" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not positive, but I think you can just throw those in a glass of water and it will put out roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2016-01-14T14:33:06.357" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22787" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22790" CreationDate="2016-01-14T17:52:08.397" Score="5" ViewCount="832" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found this houseplant in a store, marketed as &quot;assorted tropicals&quot;.  It seems to resemble Coffea Arabica, but I'm not sure how to tell for sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any tips in general on how to identify a plant, starting from no knowledge of where it is native?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LXwyU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LXwyU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;houseplant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8596" LastActivityDate="2016-01-14T23:35:50.927" Title="What is this tropical houseplant with alternate leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22788" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19569" CreationDate="2016-01-14T21:44:40.930" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just plant it when the root mass is big enough so that it won't fall out of the hole ie. can support itself, and not so big that you can't fit it through the hole.  So, clearly the size of the plant depends on how big a hole you've made in your upside planter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-14T21:44:40.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22789" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22793" CreationDate="2016-01-14T23:25:02.207" Score="10" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got a rain barrel that has a spigot coming out of the side about 5&quot; above the bottom. This seems inefficient, since it means that there's always going to be 5&quot; of standing water in the barrel below the level of the spigot. I imagine the water acts as a weight to stabilize the barrel, but I don't like the waste and mosquito breeding risk in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any downside to adding a new spigot on the floor of the barrel so virtually all the water drains, and strapping the tank to something solid for stability?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2016-01-19T23:17:15.423" Title="Any reason not to add a spigot to the bottom of my rain barrel?" Tags="&lt;rain-barrel&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22790" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22787" CreationDate="2016-01-14T23:35:50.927" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this plant is coffea arabica or the coffee plant. Not regularly found in the &quot;assorted&quot; bin it does make a handsome house plant if given the right conditions. In our location in the Northern Hemisphere it requires&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bright diffuse light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cool temperatures ( &amp;lt; 20 deg C) are better than hot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water thoroughly and let dry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;this plant is sensitive to soil ph and will exhibit iron/manganese deficiency if given alkaline water. Try and maintain a soil ph of 6.5 or less  or use acid plant fertilizer once in a while&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Identification key points:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;glossy leaves come to a point&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;alternate leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;veins on leaves are alternate&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;raised veins on the underside of the leaf&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;new stem growth is almost flat with a subtle groove down the midline&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-01-14T23:35:50.927" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22791" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22789" CreationDate="2016-01-15T00:04:23.130" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only downside is if it break and/or leaks. You can lose all your water. You may want to install a gate instead of a spigot. Water can run faster and they are harder to clog.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-15T00:04:23.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22792" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22781" CreationDate="2016-01-15T11:01:33.560" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Actually, I was in a similar situation a few weeks ago: A friend gave me an aloe crown that looked exactly like yours (i.e. slightly dry stem, no roots). What worked for me was to simply plant it into a pot with a mix of normal potting soil and some sand, water it and wait. It seems to have rooted quickly, at least it already started growing one or two new leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think an important point here is to avoid overwatering, or the plant would rot. The soil should be moist, but not too wet. I kept it in a rather warm and sunny spot near the window, but that most likely isn't necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3505" LastActivityDate="2016-01-15T11:01:33.560" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22793" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22789" CreationDate="2016-01-15T12:50:08.243" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have a downhill run from your rainbarrel you could simply add a curved pipe to the inside of the spigot you have (down to the bottom) and the water will be siphoned out without making an additional hole. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To the extent that placement &lt;strong&gt;might&lt;/strong&gt; have been a deliberate design choice, it would allow dirt and roof grit to settle on the bottom and not clog up your hose attachements. You may want to filter in, out, or both if you are eliminating this simple settlement filtration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-01-15T12:50:08.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22717" CreationDate="2016-01-15T14:19:44.057" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problems with your rose plant appear to be cultural as much as anything else - I would suggest you buy some decent potting soil if you must keep it in a pot, but bear in mind that, unless the rose is a miniature or patio variety, most hate being contained in a pot and don't do well, particularly after their first year, because they want to put down deep roots. The trouble with using soil from the garden or just from outdoors is it may have pathogens within it, and whilst plants cope with things like that actually in the ground, when you put the soil in a pot, there's nowhere for the pathogens to go, because its contained in such a small space. That alone may account for the problems you're seeing, but it may also be that the soil is poor in terms of nutrients. Roses like heavy, fertile soil conditions, growing best in rich, clay soils, and do not like to dry out completely, though drought conditions usually don't kill them, they just don't grow and flower very well. They are also a high maintenance plant, being prone to many fungal infections and insect infestations, and its usual to either use a preventative spray regime fortnightly during the growing season (with a combined fungicide insecticide such as Roseclear Ultra) or to inspect regularly and treat with either a fungicide or an insectide, depending on any problems seen. They also benefit from feeding in early spring and again about 8 weeks later with a specialist rose food to help keep them strong to resist all the pests and diseases they're very prone to get.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you know that your rose is a reasonably small variety, and you want to continue growing it in a pot, on the assumption you can buy something decent to grow it in, take it out of its pot, brush off any soil you can without damaging the roots, rinse the roots in a bucket of water, clean the existing pot thoroughly, fill up with the new potting mix and replant the rose, watering well. Then I suggest you prune back to healthy growth, to an outward facing bud, and start a proper care regime as already mentioned. If you're wondering what potting mix you should use, I would recommend John Innes No. 2 or 3, but I've no idea what's available where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-01-15T14:19:44.057" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22795" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22814" CreationDate="2016-01-15T16:49:32.703" Score="5" ViewCount="255" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help me identifying this bonsai plant. &#xA;Also what can i do to grow it more quickly and create a better bonsai.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KD4OM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KD4OM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2818" LastActivityDate="2016-01-16T17:22:49.823" Title="Help me identifying this bonsai plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-02-29T16:19:08.987" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22796" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22802" CreationDate="2016-01-15T19:57:18.417" Score="4" ViewCount="223" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what this plant is but I've had it for for 3-4 years. I've watered it about twice monthly and it's right by a giant window. For the last month, the branches have been getting weaker and more droopy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please help me identify this plant so I can help it heal! &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6grsK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6grsK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;ponytail palm&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13688" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-01-15T23:38:54.613" LastActivityDate="2016-01-16T11:49:04.633" Title="What is this &quot;palm&quot; looking houseplant and how do I take care of it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22797" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14182" CreationDate="2016-01-15T21:04:25.633" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Steve Solomon recommends kelp over azomite as a better source of trace minerals. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/homemade-organic-fertilizer-zmaz06jjzraw.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/homemade-organic-fertilizer-zmaz06jjzraw.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Kelp Meal (dried seaweed) has become expensive, but one 50-pound sack will supply a 2,000-square-foot garden for several years. Kelp supplies more than just a complete range of trace minerals, it provides growth regulators and natural hormones that act like plant vitamins, increasing resistance to cold, frost and other stresses. Some rock dusts are highly mineralized and contain a broad and complete range of minor plant nutrients. These may be substituted for kelp meal, but I believe kelp is best. If your garden center doesn't carry kelp meal and can't order it, you can get it from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply of Grass Valley, Calif.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He has written books on the subject of increasing nutrient density by soil analysis, and amendment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-01-15T21:11:31.877" LastActivityDate="2016-01-15T21:11:31.877" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22798" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22799" CreationDate="2016-01-15T21:16:28.570" Score="5" ViewCount="24805" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased a new home this year and the yard maintenance of the previous owner was almost non-existent. As such the lawn has many small bumps and is &quot;lumpy&quot;. I have looked into using a lawn roller but found there are many different types and sizes (hand or tractor pulled and all assorted weight capacities). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not own a tractor so I would be using a hand model. Obviously I can only use up to weight I can pull physically by myself. My question is how do I know if this will be enough weight to smooth out the lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13313" LastActivityDate="2018-08-27T11:44:20.930" Title="How to know how much weight I need in a lawn roller?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22799" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22798" CreationDate="2016-01-15T22:02:58.960" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;A lawn roller is not intended to be used for flattening out a bumpy lawn - I quote directly here from D. G. Hessayon's The Lawn Expert &quot;the purpose of a roller is to firm the surface of an already smooth lawn. It is totally wrong to use it to iron out bumps - it usually makes matters worse by depressing the hollows even further, and compacting the soil&quot;. Its intended use on an already smooth lawn is after winter, when some of the turf may have been lifted by hard frosts, and the roller on the back of an ordinary cylinder mower will do this job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since your description of the bumps and hollows suggests they are fairly minor in nature, probably the easiest solution is to broadcast finely sifted soil over the area, raking it over to fill in the hollows. For deeper hollows, the soil should be added in stages rather than all at once, unless you want to seed on top of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-01-15T22:02:58.960" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22796" CreationDate="2016-01-15T22:44:04.877" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it may be the ponytail palm or elephant Palm &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nolina recurvata.  The base of the 'trunk' being a water store, so doesn't need watering very regularly. &#xA;The leaves feel slightly abrasive on the edges and can be anything up to several feet in length. Can be quite a statement in the right setting. &#xA;I don't know if you could take one of the side branches off as a cutting and start again with that one so it grows straight , rather than as a clump which may become lopsided.  There are many others on this site who would be able to advise better than me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-01-16T11:49:04.633" LastActivityDate="2016-01-16T11:49:04.633" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22801" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22779" CreationDate="2016-01-15T22:53:42.880" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The ladybirds and their larvae will do the work for you in controlling aphids, now that you have a food source for them. They are a welcome site in my garden but saw very few last year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-15T22:53:42.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22802" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22796" CreationDate="2016-01-15T23:48:35.663" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, Rosie is correct this plant is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaucarnea_recurvata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ponytail Palm&lt;/a&gt; or Beaucarnea recurvata and also known as Nolina recurvata.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is not a palm tree at all and is native to Mexico where it thrives in full sun and low water requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stores water in the bulbous trunk&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grows better when pot bound&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;does not flower when grown indoors&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can be attacked by scale, false scale, mealy bug and thrip but this is rare&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;slow grower&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this were my plant I would do the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;move to the highest light area possible&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut all the stems back leaving a few inches from the main trunk (they are dying anyway)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not water until new buds are visible from where it is cut back. This could take months&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;after new growth is started in the spring consider down potting a few sizes to a clay pot with a more freely draining soil  (tropical plant mix with more perlite or vermiculite should do)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;examine the underside of the leaves for brown bumps (scale) or cottony tufts (mealybug) and apply 5 ml soap to 1 litre of water only if found&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-01-15T23:48:35.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22803" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22804" CreationDate="2016-01-16T06:04:43.760" Score="14" ViewCount="1144" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a dozen &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;adenium&lt;/a&gt; plants and on a few of them these mysterious bugs appeared this morning. It's winter season here, the current temperature is ranging between 7°C to 20°C (45°F to 65°F). What should I do about this bug? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/exqo1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/exqo1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZNBUR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZNBUR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2818" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-16T20:11:07.127" LastActivityDate="2018-09-02T12:35:32.280" Title="What is this bug on my adenium plant and what should I do?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22804" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22803" CreationDate="2016-01-16T06:28:42.317" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look to be aphids. You can squish them with a pinch of your thumb and forefinger (you do not need to squeeze so hard as to crush the leaf). Repeat every time you see them, until you don't see them anymore.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are also easily jetted off with a spray from a garden hose, but I doubt you want to do this with an indoor plant. Most insecticides, including systemics will nix them, if you prefer the 'nuclear option'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-01-16T06:28:42.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22772" CreationDate="2016-01-16T10:00:19.840" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've nothing to lose, plant it and support it with a couple of twigs to keep it still. That way any possible new roots will not be broken.  water occasionally from below and keep the soil moist but not wet. As Michelle and Bamboo have said its not a forgone conclusion but worth a shot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-16T10:00:19.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22483" CreationDate="2016-01-16T12:03:44.577" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could try washing off the sooty mould with a wash containing a weak solution of soap, if you have aphids they can be farmed by ants who then feed on the sticky exudate. Do you have ants crawling up and down the stems and branches? You could also try ensuring that there is enough air flow around the branches to minimise the mould. placing  a bird box very close or in the trees to encourage birds nesting who will feed off any aphids, or an insect house to accommodate beneficial insects like ladybirds who will along with their larvae feed off the aphids too, all might help. &#xA;On line pesticide purchases can prove problematic. For Europe on-line buying, you can purchase and import sprays and chemicals that are banned from use in the uk. There is sometimes no way of telling you are getting the chemicals you want in the concentrations you need unless from a reputable source. This may also apply to different states in the US? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-01-16T12:09:09.433" LastActivityDate="2016-01-16T12:09:09.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2924" CreationDate="2016-01-16T13:20:55.273" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watching Monty Don, when he was in Italy, their soil was very stoney. This helped with drainage, aerating the soil. The stones also warm up and hold the heat like little storage heaters overnight. This didn't affect the quality of their produce. So all stones are not bad.  If you want a bowling green lawn or grow root veg, they need to go, if you want to grow fruit bushes and top fruit they're OK. Get rid of the ones you need to. &#xA;So all in all, you may not need  to get rid of them all. You can possibly use the waste stones for paths. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-16T13:20:55.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22809" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22803" CreationDate="2016-01-16T13:41:57.840" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agreed, its an aphid infestation, specifically what's known as Oleander Aphid, which affects plants in the Apocynaceae family (which Adenium belongs to) as well as Asclepiadaceae - more info in the link below, if you really want to know about it in detail, but if you've got neem or horticultural oil as a spray, that should work in getting rid of them. I suggest you check all your plants, inspecting the underside of the leaves as well as the tops, and deal with any aphids you find.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/shrubs/oleander_aphid.htm&quot;&gt;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/shrubs/oleander_aphid.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-01-16T13:46:58.190" LastActivityDate="2016-01-16T13:46:58.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22810" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22483" CreationDate="2016-01-16T14:53:07.710" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming you've not yet isolated and treated the infestation, and without the requested photographs showing the problem, the most likely cause is, in fact, scale insect, but even were it aphid, neem spray or a horticultural oil spray should work, though you would need repeat treatments. You are right when you say sooty mould is a consequence of an infestation, though any infestation is by insects rather than animals, and dealing with the infestation means the sooty mould will eventually disappear without specific treatment - the link below gives extensive information in regard to Sooty Mould and its causes, prevention and treatment in general&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74108.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74108.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-01-16T14:53:07.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22811" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2924" CreationDate="2016-01-16T15:21:50.590" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why do most people take the hard way for this task? Flat and shaking - I shake my head at that...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All you need to do to make this relatively easy and efficient is build a LONG screen frame (mine is about 8 feet - 2.5 meters long by 2 feet/60 cm wide) and prop up one end at an angle (I have legs that hinge attached at the top) so that soil shoveled onto the top rolls down the screen. If the soil just sits there, it needs to be steeper. The smaller stuff goes through, the larger stuff collects at the bottom, no shaking, pushing by hand or effort beyond shoveling the soil is required. Sometimes one does have to pause and pick out a few rocks that are oddly shaped and stick in the screen mesh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-01-16T15:21:50.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22812" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22813" CreationDate="2016-01-16T16:47:28.643" Score="5" ViewCount="111" Body="&lt;p&gt;Would anyone know the trick to deliberately spreading an existing bamboo patch? Along my back fence a neighbors patch has spread into my yard and is providing a great natural privacy screen. So I'd like to encourage it to grow along the rest of the fence line faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried taking clippings and using the root setter powder stuff you can buy at any store, but couldn't get anything to grow. So I'd love to know how I could add another 20 sprouts or so down the fence? Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found lots of articles for how to remove bamboo patches, but not a lot about spreading an existing one on purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13691" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T03:43:35.383" Title="Spreading existing bamboo patch deliberately" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;bamboo&gt;&lt;privacy-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22812" CreationDate="2016-01-16T17:21:35.550" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The rhizomes and plants above the ground all support one another. If you can dig out a section of 5-10 rhizomes as a clump, they'll have a better chance of surviving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are very careful, you can also dog away the dirt around the leading edge of the bamboo. Leading edge means where the new growth is moving to. You can carefully remove the youngest shoots, as these will be ready to sprout quickly, and may establish themselves easier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-16T17:21:35.550" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22814" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22795" CreationDate="2016-01-16T17:22:49.823" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is some sort of jade or similar succulent. Not exactly a bonsai as they stay that size naturally, but it's still a beautiful example of a bonsai presentation for a jade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-16T17:22:49.823" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22815" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-16T21:46:13.460" Score="7" ViewCount="122" Body="&lt;p&gt;I ordered podocarpus seeds, they gave roots but the issue is that they begin to grow and the seeds soon were raised above the ground but the leaves don't come out of the seed shell. They don't seem to have the strength to do it. So from 10 germinated seeds only one was success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought that maybe I should plant germinated seeds deeper, but again the seeds are raising but the leaves are still in the shell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13694" LastEditorUserId="1916" LastEditDate="2016-01-17T08:31:08.970" LastActivityDate="2016-02-04T22:34:51.810" Title="Podocarpus leaves cannot tear seed shell" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22816" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22822" CreationDate="2016-01-16T23:59:26.227" Score="6" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a blueberry in a pot that was repotted without amending the soil. Now it seems to be growing okay but rather then repotting it again, I'm wondering if I can apply a coffee grounds mulch while it still has a few berries, and i mean only a very few berries compared with the numbers on it when i bought it just on a year ago. Or should I wait?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't tested the soil pH, and I don't use tap water for watering, but fish water from my gold fish. I did put some citrus fertiliser on it once late last year, and we're now in mid summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-21T01:00:22.403" Title="When to apply amendments to blueberries" Tags="&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22817" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22821" CreationDate="2016-01-17T02:43:56.453" Score="7" ViewCount="149" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had several situations where my houseplants get a thin white dry-looking mold growing on the surface of the potting soil.  I live in the desert Southwest of the U.S. Sonoran desert.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm diligent in my watering but show restraint and patience.  The dryness can make you water more than you should but the watering frequency is certainly more frequent here.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had people tell me it's calcium build up but our water isn't hard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I can find a picture later I will update the question with an image.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9703" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-21T21:21:20.900" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T04:22:19.630" Title="What can I do to prevent mold in houseplants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22812" CreationDate="2016-01-17T03:43:35.383" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Timing is, IME, important. I got 3 bamboo (A Phyllostachys that I vary between thinking is one of 3 or 4 specific cultivars) that were rudely chopped off and dug up in the middle of the summer (the house it came from was being sold...) One survived, barely, and has since gone on to be a moderately decent stand given that it's not fully hardy here and all top growth is killed over the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have since potted up a section of it, and moved some about. The time to do this is (IME) just before the shoots take off in the spring. One of the bamboo nurseries makes or made much of their secret process for preparing bamboo to be potted in the fall - I'm pretty sure the secret was to pot it up in the spring, and wait.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you see shoots (mine tend to be purplish, but that may vary) in the spring, don't wait - they are one of the fastest-growing things on the planet when they take off. Gently excavate and follow the rhizome (which looks very bamboo-lke with joints and all) back for a ways so the shoot has some supplies, cut and put it in its new home (being very careful of the tender new shoot.) The essence of doing it right then is that the plant will naturally scale itself back (as it's shooting up) to what it can support in its newly severed and transplanted condition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T03:43:35.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22819" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-17T06:53:13.220" Score="9" ViewCount="802" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just noticed this on my store bought plant (not grown from seed). It's now fruiting, and I don't see any white spots on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://imgur.com/W5Fgindh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;original stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: 25 Feb 2016 with close up of the stems and an more distant view of the plant health&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/3nL8kzw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of affected stems&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/AqJo6cA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant health&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-02-25T07:28:12.190" LastActivityDate="2016-02-25T07:28:12.190" Title="Is this powdery mildew on my tomato?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1433" CreationDate="2016-01-17T09:08:09.500" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The family in the following video has 4 members and they use 1/10 (0.1) acre to feed themselves and get $20.000 a year by selling surplus food. If you divide that by 4 then you get 0.25 acre per person, similar as the other answers. Their diet mostly includes plenty of vegetables, chicken, eggs, honey and some grains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCmTJkZy0rM&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;---&gt; This is the video&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13695" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T09:08:09.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22817" CreationDate="2016-01-17T15:26:14.977" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;So there are two possibilities here, one is that you are indeed seeing mold, the other is you are seeing salts and mineral deposits on the surface of your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mold is minimized by watering only when needed, but you should water deeply to prevent salts from developing on your surfaces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Salts develop when you have hard water (including softened water). If you water without flushing the water clear through your pots and planters, the excess minerals never flush out and they start to build up. They begin to grow crystals on the surfaces (soil top and sides of terra cotta pots) because that's where the water is drying first, so the water is continuously moving to the edges carrying along those minerals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the answer is, if you're able water only when necessary to prevent mold but water deeply to assure a full watering and to flush the excess junk out of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-21T21:25:34.517" LastActivityDate="2016-01-21T21:25:34.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22822" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22816" CreationDate="2016-01-17T17:52:03.497" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Amendments for blueberries in the fall. Goldfish pond water is probably good because the organic material in the water lowers the ph some. However blueberries like acidic soil. They grow under the canopies of great trees in the wild which keeps the soil pretty acidic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blueberries also like lots of water. You want a very loose humus that will dump all the water and not stay wet, but you need to water often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T17:52:03.497" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17961" CreationDate="2016-01-17T19:30:56.767" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Needles live on spruce trees for 2 to 3 years then drop.  You don't notice this on most trees, as the bare twigs are on the interior of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Few spruce tolerate root immersion for more than a few days during the active growth period.  P. glauca tolerates immersion in spring during the melt. -- O2 demand by the roots is low, since the top is still dormant, and cold water carries more O2.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overwatering results in root death.  Then, with roots unable to move water, the top shows the same symptoms as drought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most spruce have a chilling requirement -- a minimum number of hours below 5 C before they will break bud.  This can vary both by species and provenance.  I've read figures as low as 300 for coastal sitca spruce to as high as 1300 for interior white/engelmann spruce.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spruce inside in winter tend to dry rapidly.  Our central heating produces very dry air.  Dryness can provide perfect conditions for spider mite -- another disease of escaped punctuation.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P. glauca var conica is very susceptable to small bug infestations due to the branch density.  A normal P. glauca is open enough that birds and larger predatory insects have free access to the needles, and keep the pests in check.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T19:30:56.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22824" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-17T19:41:00.417" Score="8" ViewCount="164" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in zone 3, central Alberta.  Temperatures are well below freezing for 4-6 months of the year, with cold snaps lasting weeks between -20 and -35 C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have noticed that some conifers go quite yellow in winter.  One cause of this:  Once water transport has shut down, the tree cannot repair the damage when chlorophyll is split by UV.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this were the only cause, then I would expect it to be most prominent in thin needled trees such as eastern white pine, bristlecone pine, and swiss stone pine, and less prominent in the much thicker needles of the two needle pines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overall the worst yellowing occurs in Scots, Lodgepole, and jack pines.&#xA;The least in mountain, ponderosa and korean pine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Balsam fir and concolor fir seem unaffected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Among the spruce, colorado (both green and blue) are not affected much, while white is the worst.  Meyer's and Black Hills and black spruce are intermediate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to reduce or eliminate the amount of yellowing of conifers in cold climates.  I am looking at either a fertilizer/watering regime and/or a spray to reduce UV damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2016-01-19T19:45:46.840" Title="Keep conifers green in winter" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22825" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22662" CreationDate="2016-01-17T19:45:56.733" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Normally you can't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Caveat:  I don't know this species in particular, but in all the diecious woody plants I know, none of them can be told apart before they bloom.  Unlike mammals, there is no consolidation of sex related genes onto a single chromosome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Eventually we should be able to detect differences from sequencing the DNA.  Not trivial.  Most plants have a lot more DNA than mammals, and the interactions get messy.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T19:45:56.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22826" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18127" CreationDate="2016-01-17T19:54:50.127" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blueberries have relatively shallow, small root systems.  They like consistent moist soil.  (They are bog plants)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The spacing is dictated more by the tops than by the needed space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Broadly speaking they fall in three size categories:  Low bush, high bush, and  hybrids.   Low bush tend to be under two feet high, with a similar spread.  High bush top out about 8 feet.  Hybrids run about 4 feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The hybrids are the better ones for production.  At 4 feet, picking is convenient.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So in a 4 x 16 foot garden:  3 high bush, 4 hybrid, or ~12 to 30 low bush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blueberries do reasonably well in containers full time.  It's easier to keep the pH acidic to keep them happy.  The size of the container is dictated mostly by keeping them from blowing over.  A #15 to #20 pot is good. Be sure you put in  enough drainage holes. Half barrels ends work well.  In this form you can use them as patio plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T19:54:50.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22827" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22746" CreationDate="2016-01-17T20:06:27.000" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Willows tolerate pruning, pretty much any time of year up to about 2 months before freeze up.  Not much you can do will hurt it.  It's a lot easier to do when they are dormant, as the structure is easier to see, and leafless branches less bulky.  If you take off too much at once, the root system is now much larger than the top, and you will get a flush of new shoots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A: Decide whether you want to keep dual trunks indefinately.  If you want a single trunk, cut the other one off as low as you can.  If you take off one trunk, that should be your pruning for now.  Wait a month or two to continue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;B:  I don't like to have branches below head height.  Just makes it easier to mow underneath, but you can't do this all at once.  Generally you can take off about 1/4 of the branches total at once.  You decide if you want to take off low ones, or thin the middle of the tree.  Me, with this one, I'd take off 1-2 feet of low branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is a tree form will, I'd probably thin it out to 2 branches in quite different directions per foot of main trunk.  On branches only prune sub branches where they cross.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;C:  If you want a bush form willow. cut it off at the ground or a few inches up.  Each stump will send out 5-30 shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T20:06:27.000" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20121" CreationDate="2016-01-17T20:10:48.460" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mint:  Prune hard.  New branches will start from the axils. (place where leaf attaches to stem)   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the prunings:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take cuttings 6-8&quot; long.  Put in water.  Set in cool but cloudy bright place.  (North facing porch or window works.  If you house is dry put a bag over the container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They will root in a few weeks.  Pot up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As they grow, pinch the tip every time it does another 3 inches.  This will keep them bushy and attractive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T20:10:48.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22829" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19908" CreationDate="2016-01-17T20:40:49.577" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have found that black box spring traps work well with my gopher problems.  Gopher and mole seem to be used somewhat interchangeably.  Our pocket gopher is a vegetarian, living on roots mostly.  There is usually no hole in the mounds they leave.  Almost never seen in daylight, about 12-18 cm long (not counting tail) and weighing about a quarter to half a  kilogram.  This description also matches moles.  But look at the paws (second link)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopher&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pocket Gopher on Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thegopherguy.com/pages/pestid.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gopher versus moles&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6WiFS.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6WiFS.png&quot; alt=&quot;Victor Black Box Trap&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a technique to setting them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Work around the mound, poking a long tip screwdriver (20-30 cm long) You can find the tunnel this way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Excavate a chunk of the tunnel.  The face with the hole in it should be close to vertical and flat.  Cock the trap.  Place the open end against the tunnel.  Bury the trap with loose dirt, but do NOT cover the open hole at the back.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In operation the rodent senses that his tunnels are open and will come to close it off.  Because the open hole is behind the wire loop he sets off the trap while investigating.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trap is fairly humane, usually crush the rib cage and asphixiating the gopher in a couple minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Caveats:  Local dogs, coyotes, and foxes soon learn that a buried trap is a possible box lunch.  And if the gopher detects the trap, he will bury it.  I now tie the trap to a brightly painted stake to make finding them easier. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T20:40:49.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22830" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20677" CreationDate="2016-01-17T21:33:55.163" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lots of fancy grasses are sold commercially as plugs.  To harvest them they use what looks like a lawn aerator but about 1&quot; to 1.5&quot; in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To cut plugs like for your purpose you need to make a tool.  I would try this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a shovel and cut off the blade about 4&quot; down from the foot rests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a chunk of electrical conduit about 8&quot; long by 1&quot;  to 1.5&quot; diameter.  (Look in the back of an electrical contractor in the dumpster for scraps.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With a saw or cutoff wheel, cut a slit about 4&quot; long.  This slit goes through both sides of the pipe, so you end up with a deep narrow notch, like what is used on an arrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;cut off one side.  You now have a chunk that is a pipe for 4&quot; on one end, and a half pipe on the other end.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flatten out the half pipe, so that the end is close to flat.  Leave as much curve in as you can, consistent with a straight or nearly straight end.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bolt this flat part to the remainder of the blade of your shovel.  Use 3 bolts, one about an inch above the join between half pipe and pipe, and two near the upper edge of the flattened half pipe.  You may find it works better to bolt to the backside of the blade depending on the blade shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In use:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mow the area you are going to harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water it well the day before you harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place end of pipe on ground.  Step on foot rests.  This will gouge a plug.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Repeat.  The second plug will push out the first.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This same tool can be used to plant them in a new location.  Techique is slightly different:  Insert your new plug tool, but not quite as deep.  Wigge in a circle to slightly expand the hole. Pull a plug, and push a transplant in. Since it's not as deep, it runs out of room.  Stomp hard to make it expand into the hole.  You may find it works better if you let the plugs dry for a day to shrink.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may find it easier if you make a somewhat longer chunk of conduit and cut the end off at a 45 degree angle.  Sharpening the end is optional.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2016-01-17T21:33:55.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22831" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-17T21:49:55.347" Score="9" ViewCount="485" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am interested in purchasing a miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) plant and would love to plant it in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, one of the main issues is that miracle fruit likes extremely acidic soils and AZ has alkaline soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know of a potential rootstock that would be compatible with miracle fruit and allow it to grow in alkaline soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot find anything on Google about grafting miracle fruit and do not even know how to identify other plants in the same family to determine potential rootstock for miracle fruit. I don't even know if what I am trying to do is even possible so any help is appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13700" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-01-18T10:49:24.340" LastActivityDate="2016-01-18T16:54:43.470" Title="Is it possible to graft miracle fruit to a rootstock that tolerates alkaline soil?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22832" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-18T04:27:00.700" Score="8" ViewCount="199" Body="&lt;p&gt;Manure is often part of a prescription for hot composting, and soil enrichment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But why? Is it just for nitrogen? Is that why people go and get the excrement of vegetarian mammals to add to their gardens?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's nitrogen, why not use locally produced nitrogen instead rather then using energy to transport from outside to ones garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-02-05T18:59:55.373" LastActivityDate="2016-02-06T16:41:29.240" Title="What are the main benefits and cons of using manure?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22834" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14249" CreationDate="2016-01-18T05:24:09.987" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on what you mean by human waste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If solids, then these need to be composted first.  A hot composting system can render these into compost in 18 days and can kill off all pathogenic microbes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If not, then you need to leave it for longer, up to 2 years depending on the composting method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If liquid, then it needs to be diluted before being delivered to the soil otherwise you might burn the roots.  Urine has a NPK ratio of approximately 10:1:4, and needs to be supplemented with wood ash if you want to use these as a complete fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://permaculturenews.org/2011/11/27/urine-closing-the-npk-loop/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://permaculturenews.org/2011/11/27/urine-closing-the-npk-loop/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that pathogenic e-coli can be taken up into the stems of plants so don't use untreated urine if you have a urinary tract infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-18T05:24:09.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22835" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22832" CreationDate="2016-01-18T13:51:50.963" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, it's not just for the nitrogen content, which is usually pretty low by the time the composting process has taken place (fresh manure should never be used on open ground, it needs composting first). Adding humus rich, or organic,  material such as composted manures or garden compost (produced by anaerobic means or not) to soil increases the bio diversity within the soil, and usually, trace elements - more bio diversity means more nutrient availability for plants growing within the soil. Humus rich materials are a 'catch all' prescription - they help poor, thin, sandy soils, and also help heavy, claggy soils. Soils which constantly produce crops and which are never treated to the addition of humus rich materials become poor and thin - the chemical fertilizers used to feed the crops growing within that soil simply provide nutrients to the crops, but do nothing at all for the soil. And it's the soil you primarily need to care great care of, rather than the plants growing within it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to know more about bio diversity, or the organisms present in soil, there's some reading here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilandplantlaboratory.com/pdf/articles/BeneficialSoilMicrobes.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.soilandplantlaboratory.com/pdf/articles/BeneficialSoilMicrobes.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regard to the addition of manure for aerobic (hot) composting, this is usually added as an 'inoculant', meaning it contributes organisms which help with the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to the edit you've made in your question, I'd query precisely what you mean by 'locally produced nitrogen', particularly since there's an implication in the latter part of the final sentence that this 'nitrogen' source could be one from inside your own property, as opposed to bringing in a 'nitrogen' source from outside. I suppose if you have horses, maybe cattle of some sort, you might consider composting their dung with straw for a year or so and using that instead of buying it in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would reiterate, though, that the use of composted animal manures on soil is not done primarily for nitrogen content anyway, as explained in the first paragraph of this answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-02-06T14:05:08.147" LastActivityDate="2016-02-06T14:05:08.147" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22831" CreationDate="2016-01-18T16:54:43.470" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) belongs to the Sapotaceae family, and you'd need host roots from a plant within that family, though whether there are any suitable or compatible isn't something I know. But why not grow it in a pot - it's said to do well and fruit in containers, given the right conditions, even though it won't achieve its full, in the ground height of 10-15 feet. More info in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/plant_wk/synsepalum.htm&quot;&gt;https://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/plant_wk/synsepalum.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-01-18T16:54:43.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22837" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-18T18:11:50.180" Score="9" ViewCount="401" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not certain of the exact species of this Yucca (Maybe Yucca Guatemalensis?)&#xA;But there are several of these trees growing in the front yards of several homes in a co-workers neighborhood in the San Francisco peninsula area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently, mushrooms started growing on the trunk near the base of a few of these yuccas, one of which is now clearly dead &amp;amp; the one that the mushroom pictured below was harvested from looks to be on the way out too. I would guess that the yuccas were already sick &amp;amp; dying if these are indeed oysters, as they are a  saprotrophic mushroom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had never heard of oyster mushrooms growing on a yucca, nor can I find any mention of this happening through several google searches, so I am not quite sure what to think of this apparent oyster mushroom. It is fairly large (as big as my hand) and I find it a bit odd how broadly fussed together the caps are at the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9C7ZM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9C7ZM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is one of the mushrooms, cut from the yucca next to the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GZVEg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GZVEg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dysu8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dysu8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gh11o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gh11o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13523" LastActivityDate="2016-02-03T19:42:49.980" Title="Can Oyster mushrooms grow on a Yucca tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22838" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-19T00:51:32.430" Score="5" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;What kind of houesplant is this and in what climate does it best grow in?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i5lV0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i5lV0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13702" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-01-19T10:49:51.333" LastActivityDate="2016-01-20T13:33:59.403" Title="What kind of houseplant is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-01-25T14:51:25.380" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22839" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22843" CreationDate="2016-01-19T01:44:58.160" Score="9" ViewCount="133" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have all the tools to do a bonsai from my family in Japan and my mother.  I want to start my first real bonsai.  Part of growing up was helping my mother with her Japanese Rock and Moss garden in Berkeley, CA which had a perfect climate for such things.  The weather seemed exactly the same in southern Tokyo where we would visit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm now in the desert southwest of the US in Arizona with a very harsh environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My Question&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a recommended tree or plant to start with?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Taking into consideration the environment and a desire to have the plant outside during most of the year, pulling it in during the summer, is it possible to select an indigenous plant for this purpose?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty much a neophyte at these things but managed well with knowledge I have and seem to have a good track record of keeping children, dogs and plants alive for an extended period of time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said, does that effect any recommendations?  I'm not a cherry but I'm far from a journeyman.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TIA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did my best to look for dupes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9703" LastEditorUserId="15103" LastEditDate="2016-07-03T10:05:35.027" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T10:05:35.027" Title="I want to start a bonsai. I'm not sure where to begin" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22840" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22935" CreationDate="2016-01-19T01:50:11.453" Score="7" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/22691/what-are-the-benefits-of-solarization&quot;&gt;I asked a solarization question earlier.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;BUT&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not 100% on exactly how to do it.  It's the first time I've heard the term and seemed to me that it mapped my frame of mind and didn't use chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Can someone explain to me how to do it?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do I just spread out some black plastic sheets on the ground I want to 'solarize' and get on with it?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do I seal the edges of the plastic to prevent heat from escaping?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this question isn't too fundamental.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9703" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-01-27T00:29:38.513" Title="What is solarization?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22841" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-19T02:16:02.327" Score="7" ViewCount="447" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a many year-old supply of Charlie Carp (fish emulsion) fertilizer that has &quot;gone off&quot;. Namely, it has a strong ammonia smell.  It's &quot;commercial strength&quot;, meaning it's very concentrated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it a good idea to use this?  I've tried it on a few plants, and it didn't kill them, but I'm wondering what chemical change has happened, and if the ammonia might be killing off beneficial soil micro-organisms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13703" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-20T19:21:02.660" LastActivityDate="2016-01-21T21:36:42.560" Title="Is rotten fish emulsion safe for plants?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14262" CreationDate="2016-01-19T02:26:43.370" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I often find red wrigglers (composting earthworms) in my potted plants - both indoor and outdoor!  They get around - travelling at night when it's moist out.  Amazingly, I've even seen them up walls and a few metres up in a palm, between the sheath attaching the leaf and the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, they get into pots.  And what they tend to do there is make a dense mud out of your mix - same as vermicompost (makes sense, right?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether this is good for plants or not, I have not determined. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13703" LastActivityDate="2016-01-19T02:26:43.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22843" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22839" CreationDate="2016-01-19T05:31:51.270" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am assuming that you are in the desert areas south of the Mogollon Rim. I suggest that you consult/contact the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.phoenixbonsai.com/&quot;&gt;Phoenix Bonsai Society&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonsai is generally dominated by pines, but I think the extremely low daytime humidity might be too taxing for Japanese black pine (pinus thunbergii). However, I do know that Aleppo pines (pinus halepensis) can be grown successfully. You can always begin by treating it like a white pine:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;partially pinch candles in the spring as they begin to extend &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;once the new needles have hardened (needles are dark colored and don't pull off easily) cut back to leave 4 or 5 rows of new fascicles.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;optionally, you can cut a shoot back in early spring to observe fascicular budding and whether the new terminal bud will push in the same season (meaning it could be treated like a Japanese black pine) or next (meaning it cannot). Branches of all trees are largely autonomous - you can experiment on a few without risking the entire tree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other species may be possible, depending on exactly where you are in Arizona. If you are near Sonora, for example, you are not far from the famed Oak Creek Canon and oaks and other deciduous species and conifers are possible. Again, consult the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.phoenixbonsai.com/&quot;&gt;Phoenix Bonsai Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-01-19T05:31:51.270" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22844" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22845" CreationDate="2016-01-19T06:12:11.003" Score="4" ViewCount="351" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/22837/can-oyster-mushrooms-grow-on-a-yucca-tree&quot;&gt;reading a post&lt;/a&gt; about a Yucca having one these mushrooms grow on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The OP mentioned that the Yucca appeared to be on its way out after discovering the mushroom.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do these mushrooms do that can be fatal to a host?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What part of the world are these mushrooms indigenous to?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9703" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T22:19:03.263" Title="What is a saprotrophic mushroom?" Tags="&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22845" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22844" CreationDate="2016-01-19T07:10:01.983" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the context of mushrooms, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saprotrophic_nutrition&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;saprotrophic&lt;/a&gt; just means that the fungus uses already dead or dying plant material for sustenance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is in contrast to parasitic fungi, which will actually hasten the death of their host plants; for example &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganoderma_zonatum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ganoderma zonatum&lt;/a&gt;, or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi_mushroom&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;reishi mushroom&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your trees and landscaping are not really threatened by saprotrophic fungi unless they are already sick or dying, which can happen anywhere. That said, you will find saprotrophic &amp;amp; parasitic fungi of varying types pretty much all over the world. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The possible fungus mentioned in the post you reference (Oyster Mushrooms) are in fact not parasitic, but consume already dead or dying material &amp;amp; are a choice edible! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, (to the OP's knowledge), not found on non-hardwood species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13523" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-21T22:18:01.350" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T22:18:01.350" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22846" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-19T12:19:13.310" Score="9" ViewCount="18817" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a red amaryllis plant that is currently looking like it's doing well. It hasn't yet flowered and it is in a fairly early stage of growth. The plant care instructions said that it's important to water it enough to keep the soil always moist. However, white mold is starting to appear in the soil and around the base of the bulb. Should I water it less?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a photo of the plant currently: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SkTvw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SkTvw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13702" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-19T00:28:55.977" LastActivityDate="2019-03-08T16:09:15.603" Title="How often should I water an Amaryllis plant?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;mold&gt;&lt;amaryllis&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22847" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14262" CreationDate="2016-01-19T14:32:48.600" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is a pretty good question and I've been experimenting myself. I made a small terrarium out of a glass bowl from Walmart. I started it with a layer of gravel, weed cloth to keep the dirt out, activated carbon, potting soil, then the plants. I've since had to take it apart, clean it, replace the dirt, and repot everything. The plants have done fine, but I've wondered if I couldn't take the ecosystem a bit further and add worms. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So as I've planted or dug holes around the yard, if I'd find a random earthworm, I'd drop it in the terrarium. For the most part, I don't think they survived, because I'd never see them. They could have just been in the middle of the dirt, not liking light, but I don't know for sure. I do know that one earthworm I dropped in there was there for months. He didn't seem particularly bright. He made a tunnel around the perimeter of the bowl and would often follow the tract around and around. He would go into the center of the dirt sometimes and I'd occasionally catch him on top, especially after I watered. I was much more careful with my watering as there were no drain holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've since started a vermicomposting bin. I've learned that earthworms are solitary creatures and they don't survive in shallow systems. They aren't any good for this type of thing. However, red wrigglers should be ideal. They like to mass together and only operate in the top 18&quot; of soil. They don't actually eat the food they are provided, but the bacteria that break down that food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I started reading up on a site called &lt;a href=&quot;http://redwormcomposting.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;redwormcomposting.com&lt;/a&gt; The man there often experiments with his worms. He'll put them in larger and smaller containers, use different bedding, inside and outside bins, alternate air flows, etc... He did an experiment where he put 4 worms in a cool whip container. They did fine an propagated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I think your worms could very well survive in the pot and possible thrive. I think they would be able to eat bacteria on dead and dying roots and help improve the plant. I think they'd help clean up and fallen plant matter. I think there waste would provide a small quantity of vital nutrients for the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you'd like to put a little more effort into it, you should look into setting up a small worm bin. The small ones are fairly easy to maintain. Us just use a couple of Rubbermaid containers, one with holes for the worms and one to catch any drainage. Then just feed them your kitchen scraps as they eat them. They'll turn cardboard and potato peels into quality plant food. You'll get a much bigger benefit than just having a few in the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, keep in mind that while the worms produce fertilizer, it's really a situation of you get out what you put in. So a couple of worms in a pot are going to eat a little dead plant material and produce a little fertilizer. A vermicomposting bin is going to turn vegetable matter, egg shells, coffee grounds, etc... into a rich fertilizer and do it on a larger scale. You can then empty the bin, put the worms in new bedding with food, and dole out the worm casting (poo) to your pots as needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So give it a shot. If you don't feel like making a whole worm bin, then make sure to put bury the occasional scrap of lettuce or potato peel in the pot. It doesn't have to be deep, just covered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-01-19T14:32:48.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22848" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22789" CreationDate="2016-01-19T17:33:50.797" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is done to get above the sediment in the bottom of the barrel. If you put a valve lower, you may spend a lot of time cleaning it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13705" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-01-19T23:17:15.423" LastActivityDate="2016-01-19T23:17:15.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22849" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22846" CreationDate="2016-01-19T17:34:36.037" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;How much to water is a complex question where you have to evaluate how much light is present, the relative humidity and the water needs of the plant.  Bulbs do not normally like wet feet.  The amaryllis is now in a period of fast growth using up the energy stored in the fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the pot has drainage at the bottom and it is in high light then water thoroughly until water comes out the bottom of the pot.  Let the top half inch (1 cm) of soil dry out before watering again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants benefit from being outside in the summer if they are allowed some time in the shade to get used to the much higher light levels present outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-01-19T17:34:36.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22851" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22824" CreationDate="2016-01-19T19:45:46.840" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My superficial understanding of the machinery of photosynthesis is that the role of carotenoids is to protect against the destructive effects of light and reactive oxygen. The yellow coloring xanthophyll, in particular, combats reactive oxygen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo system 2 (PSII) captures photons to hydrolyze water, creating reactive oxygen in the thylakoid lumens. The rate that this happens is controlled by the photon flux (light intensity) and does not depend on temperature. The rate at which the biochemical processes controlling the reactive oxygen levels, on the other hand, decrease with decreasing temperature. There are only two possible ways to head-off destruction of the thylakoid membrane:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;increase the ratio of xanthophyll/chlorophyll (i.e., turn the foliage color toward yellow)- photobleaching that you mention is one such way to do this&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;shade the PSII light-harvesting complex (i.e., reduce the incident light level)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, shading your trees is the best way I can think of to keep them green through the winter. I speculate that blue to almost white coloration of spruce and ‘candy cans’ white fir, for example, is because of a layer of cells that reflect sun-light, shading PSII.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As best I know, the thylakoid are contained in cells that are a few cell below the needle/leaf surface. I think this would explain why your conjecture about needle ‘thickness’ fails. Your observations may, in part, be related to needle lifetime. For instance, I know that white pines have a short needle life of only 2 seasons (last year’s new needles will be dropped in the fall next year - I think this occurs because the xylem connections are lost). As such, it seems to me that the investment in maintaining the chlorophyll would not return much benefit; hence these species would be prone to photobleaching. It would be interesting to contrast the propensity for long lifetime needle species such as mugo pine to yellow in your climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-01-19T19:45:46.840" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22852" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-19T21:03:32.340" Score="1" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found White/translucent-worms and I want to know what they are, how to take care of them and do they produce on their own?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13707" LastActivityDate="2016-01-19T21:03:32.340" Title="White/translucent-worms what to do?" Tags="&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-01-19T21:35:45.840" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22853" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-20T04:30:44.080" Score="5" ViewCount="142" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my first year growing chili peppers in my hydroponic setup and I didn't have very good luck in terms of fruit. Most of my super-hots only dropped flowers, though I did get one singular ghost pepper, which I named Gary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of my major problems was not understanding pruning, so I ended up with these really leggy plants. Now I have a much better idea of what I should have done, so I decided to cut my losses and cut back the plants, most of them to below the Y, but I'm wondering if starting them over will be effective. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have great roots, and they seem to be growing a lot of new shoots, but seeing as I don't really know what I'm doing, I was hoping to get some confirmation that I'm not wasting my time here. Some of the less hot ones did produce some fruit - does that make a difference? Should I just take the time to start from seed again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13485" LastActivityDate="2016-01-20T14:23:53.673" Title="Starting over pepper plants" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22854" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22853" CreationDate="2016-01-20T05:00:04.063" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are you doing for pollination?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They do self pollinate, but without wind nor insects it can be hard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I only overwinter my habanero plants indoors, but the best I've got from fully indoor flowers has been 3 habaneros from two different plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of them had about two to three viable seeds, so I could be wrong but I'm assuming it's more a matter of uneven pollination rather than lack of nutrients or light conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13276" LastActivityDate="2016-01-20T05:00:04.063" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22855" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-20T05:34:49.710" Score="7" ViewCount="199" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have grown maples 4 times. Every time it was 1 or more seeds from a sugar maple and the seeds were viable(I could feel the seed inside).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First attempt:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting time: March 21st 2010&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Number of seeds in pot: 4 of them equally spaced&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Result: Nice growth during spring and summer but no bark formation&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hypothesis: Too much competition and root entanglement which broke the roots and thus none of the trees got enough nutrients to form bark&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second attempt:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting time: March 21st 2011&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Number of seeds: 2&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Result: 3 years of growth but none of them had leaf buds even in May of the fourth year. During the 3rd year 1 tree got wounded a lot in the bark. I would put tape on the wound, leave it there, and then gradually take it off until it was completely healed. I had a second pot which held the groundwater. This helped during dry spells to keep the soil moist for the trees. Some of these wounds were during mid-winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hypothesis: Wounds leading to nutrient drainage + standing water&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Third attempt:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting time: Don't know exactly but it was in May 2014&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Number of seeds: 3&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Result: Only 1 of them grew and during the fall the bark formed from top to bottom instead of from bottom to top which was unusual. The very bottom never grew bark(I don't think it was a very small creature eating the bark like my momma did, otherwise I would have seen an irregular pattern of bark and no bark and I did not see an irregular pattern).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fourth attempt:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting time: May 20 2015&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Number of seeds: 1&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Result: This was my worst attempt. I planted it in shade  and then watered a small radius. Then it rained for several days straight during the morning. I thought &quot;Hmm, maybe it needs more sunlight to sprout.&quot; since it wasn't sprouting the day after I planted it like all my other attempts have. So during the sunny afternoon I put it in a sunny spot and 2 days later it sprouted. However things got worse from then on. It started growing and the leaves were growing too(I can tell my maples from weeds by the size of the baby leaves(maples have larger baby leaves than weeds) and always pull out weeds when I see them) It then started to yellow like it was overwatered but I did not water it for several days because of rain and moist soil. Then 1 baby leaf fell off. The second one fell off. I was hoping it would grow back because I knew that the roots of trees, both old and young can give rise to new trees if the older one dies but isn't uprooted. However it never grew back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hypothesis: Viral disease of the plant maybe? I don't know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I never stratified these seeds, just found a viable seed in the spring and planted it right away. I think that the increased annual temperature helped during 2011-2013 since it got up to 104 degrees fahrenheit in Columbus, Ohio during 2012 and the older sugar maple that I got all these seeds from has survived that increase in temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But from 2014 to this year it has been cooler summer and warmer fall and winter weather only staying in mid-winter. There have also been quite a few cold snaps during the spring these past few years which is why the planting time was delayed to May instead of March in the 2 most recent attempts. There have also been green leaves on trees during December(which I think is due to the warmer fall which feels like a longer summer to the deciduous trees).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the second attempt did very well without stratification for 3 years, I was hoping that I could get similar and in fact longer results by planting a single tree instead of 2.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So how could I improve the growth of my maples other than no standing water, growing them in sunny areas, reducing competition for nutrients, vermicomposting(that is making compost with the help of worms), and adding a worm or 2 to the pot I am growing the maples in to constantly fertilize the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would putting a heat mat underneath the pot during the spring and summer and taking it off during the fall and winter(since they seemed to do better when it was hotter spring and summer and colder fall) help at all when it gets to just low 80s during the summer and there are cold snaps in the spring? I would have to water it more often but that isn't a big deal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any plants that would help the maples grow? The ravine a few feet away from where I live has a lot of maples, elms, and oaks so maybe trying to grow elms and oaks along with maples will help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is also a fungus called Chicken of The Woods that grows there on old logs. It isn't poisonous and I have actually had it once and it was good(I usually don't like mushrooms so it was kind of a surprise when I tasted it). Moss and Ivy also grow a lot there, I am not sure how a parasitic plant like Ivy would help(Ivy most often grows on Oaks in the ravine and leaves maples alone) or how a fungus like Chicken of the Woods or moss would help but I will try just about anything to improve the growth of my maples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13109" OwnerDisplayName="Caters" LastEditorUserId="13711" LastEditDate="2016-01-20T07:16:14.600" LastActivityDate="2016-01-21T00:57:40.453" Title="Improving Maple growth?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22856" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22959" CreationDate="2016-01-20T09:07:12.507" Score="7" ViewCount="140" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm rather new to gardening, and I bought some pumpkin seeds today, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seedsavers.org/queensland-blue-squash&quot;&gt;Queensland Blue&lt;/a&gt; if it matters. I planted some and was planning to keep the rest, but they all accidentally got a little wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will these seeds now germinate unavoidably? If so I'll make space to plant them all, but if there's any way to keep them for future years I'd prefer that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13712" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-20T19:38:20.980" LastActivityDate="2016-01-28T19:18:31.603" Title="Can I store pumpkin seeds that have gotten damp?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22857" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-20T11:49:18.760" Score="6" ViewCount="706" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Spain, and this year my orange tree has turned yellow all over, with no flowers or fruit. What could it be? I have taken a picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xaiv0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xaiv0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13714" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-20T19:10:13.803" LastActivityDate="2016-01-20T19:10:13.803" Title="Why has my orange tree turned yellow and stopped bearing fruit?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22858" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22856" CreationDate="2016-01-20T13:28:42.620" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dry them off and put them on a paper towel. If they still sprout, you can plant them then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9649" LastActivityDate="2016-01-20T13:28:42.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22838" CreationDate="2016-01-20T13:33:59.403" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a Beaucarnea recurvata - we used to have one years ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9649" LastActivityDate="2016-01-20T13:33:59.403" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22860" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22853" CreationDate="2016-01-20T14:23:53.673" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you described it seems to be a pollination problem. In indoor gardening, &lt;strong&gt;you can use a q-tip to manually fecond the flowers&lt;/strong&gt; or simply shake your plants and rub them with each other. Take a look at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/pepper/hand-pollinating-peppers.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As &lt;em&gt;gengren&lt;/em&gt; explained, if there is no air movement nor insects the &lt;strong&gt;pollen&lt;/strong&gt; (the flower &quot;sperm&quot;) cannot land on the &lt;strong&gt;gynoecium&lt;/strong&gt; (which contains plant ovules) and fecondate the flower. As for human reproduction, without fecondation, there won't be any fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;To answer your question, if there is no flower nor little fruit anymore you should restart from seeds.&lt;/strong&gt; If you're doing hydro, I suppose that you have a specific flowering bulb (for the light) which you set on summer end cycle. As pepper is a annual plant, they die after producing fruits, or in your case, after a vegetative phase.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13715" LastActivityDate="2016-01-20T14:23:53.673" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22861" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22855" CreationDate="2016-01-20T14:30:27.457" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind trees play the numbers game.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am making some numbers up here, but it should still represent reality somewhat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A maple drops say 25,000 seeds, let's say only 1/5th germinate, and only 1/20th of those make it past the first year for whatever reason.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After their first year is when the tree has a good chance of making it if it can survive rabbits and deer for the first several years. So that's why you don't see a million trees squeezed into a a few square feet even though you'd think so with all the seed drop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The way to get a good maple tree is to plant a BUNCH (like 20+ if you can) of seeds, keep only the best in each pot and cull the others, and then after 2 or 3 years pick the best one out of what you get from that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-20T14:30:27.457" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22841" CreationDate="2016-01-20T14:46:48.560" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The short answer is, probably. Rot is part of the cycle, even if it's putrification which is partially what I am guessing your fish emulsion did. Though it might not be pleasant to work with and it may even have pathogens you yourself don't want to be exposed to, but strictly speaking, for the plants it's probably ok.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2016-01-21T21:36:42.560" LastActivityDate="2016-01-21T21:36:42.560" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22863" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22857" CreationDate="2016-01-20T15:02:24.860" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you may know, plants can be victim of different kinds of affections :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nutrients deficiency&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Parasits assaults&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Meteorological perturbations&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First of all, you should check for parasits, &lt;strong&gt;even if I don't think the leaf color is caused by a predator or a disease&lt;/strong&gt;. Return a leaf, better with a magnifying glass, and try to spot living / moving creatures. For example, &lt;em&gt;aphids&lt;/em&gt; look loke little black dots and make leaves sticky.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondly, find information about citrus culture in your specific region (if you live in Andalousia or in Galicia, climate change from oceanic to mediterranean). &lt;strong&gt;Yellow but not dry leaves&lt;/strong&gt; are often caused by too wet soil (bad water extraction, too much rain...).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At last, check for agrum tree deficiencies. &lt;strong&gt;In my opinion, this is a nitrogen deficiency&lt;/strong&gt;. Treat with some grow fertilizer or, if you prefer more natural way, &lt;strong&gt;ashes, nettle manure or garden compost&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/nutrient-deficiency-trees-and-shrubs&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;This link&lt;/a&gt; can give you an idea on how to diagnosis affliction, but you should find something more accurate for your citrus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13715" LastActivityDate="2016-01-20T15:02:24.860" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22864" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22780" CreationDate="2016-01-20T15:30:35.017" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure this is an eucalyptus. For being 100% sure :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bark is constently peeling in thin shred,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leaves have a strong (and pleasant) smell&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you suggested, the red flowers suggest a &lt;strong&gt;corymbia ficifolia&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13715" LastActivityDate="2016-01-20T15:30:35.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22865" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22855" CreationDate="2016-01-21T00:57:40.453" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tend to agree about the numbers game.  Sugar maples run about 50% viable seed.  The most frequent occurrence is that 1 seed of a samara (double wing helicopter) is viable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your technique of getting seed in spring is valid.  The stratification occurred during the winter.  I would expect some decline in viability due to mold and insects, but not too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;New twigs often don't look 'barky' Go look at the end twig on the parent tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Young trees are in a race condition:  Can they develop enough root to survive the dry period; can they develop enough stem to keep the leaves above the grass and weeds.  For most, the answer is no.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The commercial tree seedling growers hedge their bets, planting 2 seeds per cell, then culling when they have a couple of true leaves.  Because of the cost of greenhouse space,it's cheaper in the long run to pay someone to cut 35 extra stems in a 40 cell tray than it is to have 5 cells empty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water is critical.  In a pot, you can have issues of either too dry or too wet.  Potting mix is designed to drain, so if you are using potting mix, you need to water every day.  On the other hand watering too often washes nutrients from the soil.  Using garden soil in a pot, usually drowns the tree.  Garden soil has a tough time draining through pot holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One trick I did with a batch of amur maple seeds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Started them in the standard 10&quot; x 20&quot; flats, perforated for drainage, by putting in 4 grooves, adding 25 seeds per groove and covering.  When they were 2&quot; tall I transplanted them into 45 cell styroblocks, 15cm deep.  This gave them reasonable depth to help with drought.  Both of these were with ProMix #6 planting mix.  At the end of 2 years they were about 16&quot; tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2016-01-21T00:57:40.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22866" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22816" CreationDate="2016-01-21T01:00:22.403" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Test the pH.  Blueberries do best with a pH between 4.5 and 5.5.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blueberries are bog plants.  They like a soil with lots of organic matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are not heavy feeders.  More than just a trace of nitrogen will result is lots of lush green leaves, but not many berries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blueberries are nominally self fertile, but will bear far more heavily if you have a different cultivar in the neighborhood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2016-01-21T01:00:22.403" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22798" CreationDate="2016-01-21T01:12:34.793" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Taking a contrarian view, my neighbor George uses a farm roller to flatten the gopher hills in his fields, indeed to push the rocks back down so he doesn't hit them with the haybine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For that purpose he pulls a 2 foot diameter roller that is filled with water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's important to do this at the right soil moisture levels.  To dry, and the bumps don't squish.  To wet, and even the bottoms squish down and you have a set of roller wide grooves.  You will need to experiment, but off hand, a day after a significant rain is when I would start trying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't see how a roller would make hollows deeper.  The advice about soil compaction is valid, however, and this is more likely when rolling wet. I would suggest dethatching your yard before, and aerating it after rolling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A fertilizer spreader is a time consuming way to do it.  Figure:  A 40 x 60 foot lawn is 2400 square feet.  If the hollows average an inch deep, then you need about 1/2&quot; * 2400 square feet = 1/24 foot * 2400 square feet = 100 cubic feet of soil.  Most of those hand crank spreaders do no more than 2 liters. (quarts)  That's roughly 1500 trips to the dirt pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good solid wheelbarrow is 2 cubic feet.  2 cuft does 48 square feet of lawn or about 6 feet x 8 feet.  So 50 loads.  Figure out your spacing, mark them some way, drop a wheelbarrow load on each marker, spread with the back of a rake (splurge:  buy a landscape rake -- 3 feet wide.) water and roll.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2016-01-21T01:12:34.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22868" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-21T02:12:11.140" Score="7" ViewCount="4083" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something is eating the leaves of several plants in my vegetable garden. Can you help determine what is causing this and how I can prevent it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This affects several of my vegetables: Turnips, Lettuce, Spinach, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Los Angeles, CA and this is taking place now (January).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/if0FN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/if0FN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TDKp6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TDKp6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QSUoQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QSUoQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jskq7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jskq7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo 4&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2591" LastActivityDate="2016-01-21T06:30:39.240" Title="How do I prevent holes in the leaves of my vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22869" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22872" CreationDate="2016-01-21T05:50:54.160" Score="6" ViewCount="3411" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a Norfolk Island Pine that was doing reasonably well...until we moved. Unsurprisingly, being packed up in a wardrobe box and driven across the country in a moving van (this was in December, so also in very cold weather) has not been good for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the moment it is extremely droopy - most of the branches don't feel dry, but rather limp. We had to shift it in the soil, because it was no longer stable, which I expect is similar to being repotted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the moment, we're in a dry climate, and the plant is indoors, facing a window, and is watered ~ once a week or when the top inch or so of soil is dry. It hasn't shown much improvement in the past few weeks, and I was wondering if there is anything else we should be doing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GH0eY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GH0eY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tx9tx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tx9tx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1455" LastActivityDate="2020-05-17T18:21:47.093" Title="How Do I Rehabilitate my Norfolk Island Pine?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22870" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22868" CreationDate="2016-01-21T06:30:39.240" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience, &lt;strong&gt;this kind of hole is often caused by slugs&lt;/strong&gt;. Slugs stay hidden during the sunlight period and pop out during wet night and rainy days, making them difficult to spot. Note that it can be caterpillar, &lt;em&gt;thumbtack&lt;/em&gt; (not sure of this translation) or even birds. For identifing the &quot;pest&quot;, watch for your plants patiently and minutely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To fight the slugs, you have a lot of options :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If there is no big rain planned for next days, spread ashes around your plants -&lt;em&gt;it dries the slugs and fertilize growing vegetals&lt;/em&gt;,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put beer in little bowl (like bottle cap) at ground level -&lt;em&gt;slugs love beer and can die ... from ethylic coma&lt;/em&gt;,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't let any bush developp next to your plants -&lt;em&gt;this their favorite refuge&lt;/em&gt;,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have no other option, buy anti-slug granules.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13715" LastActivityDate="2016-01-21T06:30:39.240" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9705" CreationDate="2016-01-21T07:58:49.417" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a grower in a nursery and we have the same problem. This is a leafminer.  It would be interesting if you can check if the pupae are still in the leaves or if they fell into the ground, because even if you take off affected leaves the problem can persist as the adults emerge from the ground.&#xA;These pupae are normally about 5cm deep. Cut and destroy the affected leaves, and try to control if there are pupae under the ground. There are natural predators for this insect, but maybe as you are up there, it is difficult for them to fly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13717" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-22T22:35:42.110" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T22:35:42.110" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22872" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22869" CreationDate="2016-01-21T11:04:04.417" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is reaction to the cold and there is not much you can do in addition to providing bright diffuse light and consistent watering. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucaria_heterophylla&quot;&gt;Norfolk Island Pine&lt;/a&gt; is quick to tell you about it's environment:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grown outside in the tropics the leaves point upwards&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grown inside in lower light the leaves arch downwards&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;too dry environment leads to whole branches being shed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;too cold leads to branches drooping down&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With your plant it may slowly shed all the branches it has over time but the tip looks in good condition so it will continue to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not cut this plant back. It is a tree with strong &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apical_dominance&quot;&gt;apical dominance&lt;/a&gt; and only grows from the tip.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-01-21T11:04:04.417" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22873" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-21T14:14:40.847" Score="6" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;This was a Halloween plant from Morrisons, it came with a Witch on a stick&#xA;and a bow. Nearest i can find is a Flaming Katy but i am not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5gTyW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5gTyW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13718" LastEditorUserId="13523" LastEditDate="2016-01-21T18:10:26.603" LastActivityDate="2016-01-21T18:10:26.603" Title="Help to identify this plant Please" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22874" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-21T14:51:47.983" Score="8" ViewCount="125" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1XUG6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1XUG6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My Cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hi all,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently bought this cactus but haven't had much luck identifying it. Any help or ideas would be very much appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13719" LastActivityDate="2016-02-03T03:00:00.227" Title="Does anyone know what type of cactus this is?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22873" CreationDate="2016-01-21T16:08:34.390" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes that's a kalanchoe also known as Flaming Kate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-21T16:08:34.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22877" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22922" CreationDate="2016-01-22T02:13:30.737" Score="9" ViewCount="741" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &quot;raised&quot; beds are infested with weeds and way too high maintenance, so I am planning on completely obliterating the garden, putting down weed block fabric, topping it with sand and rocks and pavers, and then getting some aluminum feed containers with fresh soil to plant in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, there is a large blueberry bush I don't want to leave behind. I could try digging it up and replanting it in one of the containers, but worried I will kill it and maybe even take the weeds with it's soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or maybe there's a way to block the weed around it? Maybe tape up the stems and seal the ground with weed block fabric and rocks? Anything like that exist? I tried a rubber tree ring, but the weeds climb up through the gaps anyways. Mostly the vine weeds (morning glory?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any good ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2824" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T14:38:28.900" Title="Save my blueberry bush from weeds?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22878" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22817" CreationDate="2016-01-22T04:22:19.630" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to prevent mold (if it is mold you're dealing with), I highly recommend increasing your plant's (and soil's) light exposure. Certain kinds of light (especially unfiltered sunlight that still has UV rays in it) will probably help more than others. Mold generally prospers when light is dim and conditions are moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also found that sea minerals reduce the amount of mold that grows on the surface of the soil. However, although plants (peppers, anyhow) seem to love sea minerals, they probably will decrease your plants' drought-tolerance for a while, especially in your area. I do believe plants eventually get used to it, though. That seems to be the case, anyway. However, if you aren't dealing with mold, but rather mineral deposits, sea minerals will probably increase the visual aspects of the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T04:22:19.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22879" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22803" CreationDate="2016-01-22T04:46:03.667" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree they look like aphids - aphids come in a variety of colours, so you might not have seen this type before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To control aphids, I just spray the plant all over with a spray bottle containing water and washing up liquid. I add a bit of salt too, but it is not really necessary. Make sure you spray the top and bottom of the leaves, and around the buds and so on. The aphids don't die straight away, but will be dead in a couple of days. You can just respray when you see more bugs, or do it on a regular schedule. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1339" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T04:46:03.667" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22880" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-22T05:44:20.470" Score="5" ViewCount="7062" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a fairly well established fern which recently started drying out regardless of frequent watering, to the point where there was nothing green left on it. &#xA;I went away for a week and when I came back a new frond had come out fully green and healthy looking, with another not far behind. &#xA;Now the new growth seems to be wilting pretty badly again. &#xA;It has been pretty hot but I'd think it's still getting enough water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13723" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-22T22:48:19.777" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T22:48:19.777" Title="Why is my fern wilting and drying out?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22881" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22880" CreationDate="2016-01-22T10:54:47.887" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is likely that the roots of your plant have grown to occupy the entire volume of soil in the pot.  There is no soil left to retain moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can check this by popping the plant out of its pot.  If all you see is root then it is time for a larger pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Purchase a pot one size larger than the existing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;add fresh soil to the bottom of the new pot.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the plant from the old pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;make a series of shallow cuts in the root ball from top to bottom.  This will allow new root growth to start growing in the new soil.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place in the new pot, add soil, water and you are good to go.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably a good time to check for scale on the underside of the fronds. Scale looks like little brown bumps but should not be confused with the brown flat areas on some leaves where spores are produced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consider investing in a self watering pot as this will provide a moisture cycle more suited to ferns.  They tend to like not too wet, not too dry, just moist all the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-01-22T12:17:39.863" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T12:17:39.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22883" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22952" CreationDate="2016-01-22T16:31:42.737" Score="4" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to grow my persimmon tree, but my country has a very cold weather in winter and a few months with above freezing daytime temperature in summer (USDA hardiness zone from 2 to 4), so I am growing this seedling indoors. What can I do to keep it alive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KJyR5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KJyR5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13726" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T09:43:26.193" Title="How can I keep my persimmon tree warm?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22884" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-22T17:10:41.823" Score="6" ViewCount="1569" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for a fruit tree which I can make into a bonsai, but I have a lack of patience. Please suggest a fast growing tree in Delhi environment that could easily be bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13727" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-22T22:45:23.763" LastActivityDate="2016-08-07T05:14:55.117" Title="What are some fast growing bonsai fruit trees in Delhi?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22885" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-22T18:34:30.810" Score="5" ViewCount="132" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TJTF0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TJTF0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Palm tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what type of palm tree this is. This is taken in Arizona. I think it is a canary island date palm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13728" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-22T22:52:58.297" LastActivityDate="2016-01-23T13:13:17.883" Title="What type of palm tree is this, including its scientific name?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22886" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22884" CreationDate="2016-01-22T18:53:23.240" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A bit unconventional, but if you want something that will grow quickly, train well &amp;amp; produce beautiful flowers and fruit with proper care, you could try a chili plant. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fatalii.net/bonsai_chiles_bonchi&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;fatalii.net&lt;/a&gt; has some wonderful examples of chili plants trained like bonsai. Scroll down his page for info on growing &amp;amp; more photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bolivian Rainbow Chili Bonsai&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vf0ac.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vf0ac.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Results like some of those on his website can be achieved in less than a year &amp;amp; the plants, if taken care of well, can live for many many years!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If something like that is not appealing to you, Mulberries are sometimes used for bonsai &amp;amp; are relatively fast growing (perhaps the white mulberry &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morus_alba&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Morus alba&lt;/a&gt;&quot; would be a good choice).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the quickest results, you would want to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATcollectring%20trees%20from%20the%20wild%20W%20Pall.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;collect a reasonably grown wild specimen&lt;/a&gt;, or purchase one locally rather than grow from seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;White Mulberry Bonsai&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8TufJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8TufJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13523" LastEditorUserId="13523" LastEditDate="2016-01-22T21:42:22.307" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T21:42:22.307" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22887" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21940" CreationDate="2016-01-22T20:34:57.817" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pineapples commercially induced to bloom and fruit by spraying with a dilute solution to 2,4-D, among others, such as various growth hormones, and ethylene gas. (Mentioned by my botany professor -- 40 years ago, as an illustration that toxicity is in the dose)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=s0006-87052005000400001&amp;amp;script=sci_arttext&quot;&gt;Survey of induced flowering in pineapple in brazil&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Raft of references in the article.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://journal.bsi.org/V15/5/&quot;&gt;Paper in the Bromeliad Society journal&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen citrus bloom and bear fruit indoors, but usually the smaller ones.  Kumquats and such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try on the gardenweb forum, and on the UBC botanical forum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastEditorUserId="2067" LastEditDate="2016-01-24T15:54:27.097" LastActivityDate="2016-01-24T15:54:27.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22888" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22885" CreationDate="2016-01-22T21:40:43.867" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am pretty sure that's a sable Palm which has a lot of AKAs such as cabbage Palm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sabal palmetto is one scientific name and also like the common name has many taxonomic synonyms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T21:40:43.867" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21940" CreationDate="2016-01-22T22:41:11.607" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Would the frequency range of the lndoor lighting have anything to do with the plants growth to fruition? Natural daylight being made up of a range of light frequencies, and indoor lighting is more restricted. Natural daylight bulbs may help whilst your plants are indoors over the winter months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T22:41:11.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22890" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22880" CreationDate="2016-01-22T22:44:59.883" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If a new frond appeared after a week of absence was it being overwatered? Some ferns like dry shade, others damp shade. Which type is yours? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-22T22:44:59.883" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22891" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-23T08:57:40.597" Score="6" ViewCount="905" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a little apple sapling that I planted using a seed from an apple at the super market. I live in Auckland, New Zealand and my apple sapling is about 10 cm (4 in) tall. Recently it became very limp. I tried giving it more water, less water; more sun, less sun. I've kept it indoors and outdoors in both the shade and the sun. None of these things have improved its condition. What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13729" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-23T20:23:30.113" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T09:20:52.190" Title="What would make my apple seedling wilt and looks like it's dying?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22892" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13905" CreationDate="2016-01-23T10:28:22.707" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are several kind of goji berry. I'm sure your goji berry is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Lycium+barbarum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lycium barbarumL&lt;/a&gt;, which likes cool weather.  In the California Bay Area, maybe you should plant &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lycium+chinense&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lycium chinense Mill&lt;/a&gt;.  This kind of goji berry grows well in warm place. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FYI: Chinense is also called &quot;false goji&quot; or just &quot;wolfberry&quot;. They are mostly grown for their roots not their berries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13730" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2016-08-22T23:21:30.217" LastActivityDate="2016-08-22T23:21:30.217" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22885" CreationDate="2016-01-23T13:13:17.883" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like Phoenix canariensis to me, which is, indeed, commonly known as Canary Island Date Palm, although it doesn't produce dates - the one that does is Phoenix dactylifera. It does produce drupes, the flesh of which is edible, but thin and not worth eating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.capeoasis.com/garden/html/phoenix_canariensis.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.capeoasis.com/garden/html/phoenix_canariensis.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-01-23T13:13:17.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22894" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22895" CreationDate="2016-01-23T14:35:57.490" Score="0" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;What do you feel are the most important environmental conditions that affect vegetable production in a greenhouse?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13731" LastActivityDate="2016-01-24T08:57:30.997" Title="What are the most important environmental conditions that affect vegetable production?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-01-25T03:21:39.883" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22895" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22894" CreationDate="2016-01-23T16:51:03.780" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nutrients, heat, humidity, water and light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-23T16:51:03.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22896" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23860" CreationDate="2016-01-23T19:18:35.917" Score="7" ViewCount="655" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know more information about this seed. Could you please tell me the seed's name?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QtRFF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QtRFF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is also video of this seed on YouTube for more information &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/AyuxpqqaZM8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/AyuxpqqaZM8&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is also the seed size: &lt;a href=&quot;http://s9.postimg.org/lh7w5f98v/IMG_0969.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://s9.postimg.org/lh7w5f98v/IMG_0969.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture close to the cracked side: &lt;a href=&quot;http://s9.postimg.org/4i3rjjxnj/IMG_0997.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://s9.postimg.org/4i3rjjxnj/IMG_0997.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13732" LastEditorUserId="13732" LastEditDate="2016-01-29T15:46:43.077" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T21:50:54.703" Title="What is the name of this brown, cracked, oval shaped seed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="16" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22897" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22894" CreationDate="2016-01-24T08:57:30.997" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Airflow to prevent moulds - &#xA;adequate ventilation, some seeds germinate better when cool, others won't if they get hot.  Basic research will tell you what conditions your seeds or plants would like. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-24T08:57:30.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22898" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-24T10:44:37.673" Score="7" ViewCount="2189" Body="&lt;p&gt;It has been a wet winter, and the grass verges have been driven over and got mangled. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking a bit like this :&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zADFs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;chewed up grass verge &quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't really want to replace it with hard standing, so it will probably be a dig over and reseed. Although I am thinking a &quot;football pitch&quot; seed mix. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was wondering if anyone could suggest any better approaches, that would leave this green,  but a little more durable (I know making it indestructible is impossible) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11591" LastActivityDate="2016-01-25T01:44:16.233" Title="Repairing a grass verge" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22899" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-24T12:09:11.990" Score="9" ViewCount="304" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently (yesterday) received a lemon tree as a gift. It's a little more than two meters tall, and comes with a giant pot, maybe around 50 cm in diameter and height. I'm planning on growing it indoors, but I have two questions about the viability of doing this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is this the right sized pot for a tree of this size?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The tree will be facing a very large window, but the top branches, right now, will still be above the height of the start of the window - which means they'll get light, but no direct sunlight. Is this OK? Lower down, this window gets a few hours of direct sunlight every day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1239" LastActivityDate="2016-01-28T04:53:36.910" Title="How big a lemon tree can I grow indoors?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22900" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22899" CreationDate="2016-01-24T13:27:00.227" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;We get a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/citrus&quot;&gt;lot of questions&lt;/a&gt; about member of the citrus family. Some varieties will flower and set fruit indoors.  So, yes, you can grow citrus indoors but they are challenging to keep looking nice at the size of your plant without a greenhouse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is the pot the right size?  This depends on whether it is pot bound or not. It sounds about right.  This is part of the challenge of potted citrus.  If the soil becomes alkaline due to the organic matter being used by the tree and the water you add then manganese and iron become unavailable in the soil and you will see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3340/499&quot;&gt;nutrient deficiencies&lt;/a&gt;. The best way to tell is to see how firmly rooted the plant is in the pot.  If it is firmly rooted then take it out for an inspection.  A pot bound plant can be root trimmed have some soil added and go back in the same pot with an hours work.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;any time you have parts of a citrus plant that are not receiving high light then the foliage will thin out over time. The branches above and below the high light area will shed leaves faster and grow slower.  You can counter act this by thinning the high light areas to let more light below and pruning the tree a little smaller.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With indoor citrus it is always prudent to keep watching for common pests.  Spider mites thrive on citrus in the typical low humidity levels indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most common pest is &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/8218/499&quot;&gt;scale&lt;/a&gt; of which there are multiple varieties that are controlled with soap and water and repeated applications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You do not mention if this plant is from a grower or a seedling.  Commercial citrus do not come true from seed.  If your plant is a named variety then you could get some fruit from it.  If not then it's hard to say.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-01-24T13:27:00.227" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22898" CreationDate="2016-01-24T13:52:20.603" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can try a sports pitch mix, but really, turf of any description is not able to withstand vehicles driving over it when it's wet, and you'll still end up with the same mess you've got now, so I'm not sure the extra cost of using something harder wearing is worth it. It will withstand foot traffic a little better, but not enough to make it a worthwhile investment, and any ordinary, dry turf will tolerate the occasional incursion by vehicle wheels, but if it's very wet, having sports grade turf will make no difference I'm afraid. This is equally true of any other type of planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live opposite a sports field - currently, it's a mess from lots of rugby played in very wet conditions. What you're maybe not aware of is just how much work it takes by the groundsmen to repair and keep the turf in good condition, it's a full time job, and the same would be true of your roadside verge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-01-24T15:03:42.323" LastActivityDate="2016-01-24T15:03:42.323" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22902" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22898" CreationDate="2016-01-24T18:13:27.397" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is the grass verge yours? It's difficult if it's a public verge. My sympathies in trying to prevent this from becoming a passing space. It may benefit in trying to build up the height of the verge which would emphasise that it's a verge and not driving space. Would your local parish council be of any help in sorting this out if nothing else but advice on what you are allowed to do next to a public highway? If it's yours would you be allowed to put bollards there? Large enough to be seen by drivers, but you would need to be able to mow around them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-24T18:13:27.397" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22903" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-24T18:26:57.837" Score="7" ViewCount="623" Body="&lt;p&gt;If they lay eggs only once, this fact could help in eradicating them. If one has an extra pot of soil without a plant in it and waters this one day before watering the plants, then this pot may be targeted first for laying eggs. The next day the potted plants can be watered with less chance of having eggs laid in them. The plantless pot of soil could be thrown out every week along with the fresh eggs thereby avoiding a generation of gnats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This requires that you water your plants infrequently so that the soil in the planted pots are not attractive to the gnats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would this work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13733" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-01-25T14:32:58.947" LastActivityDate="2016-01-25T14:32:58.947" Title="How many times do Fungus Gnats lay eggs?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22904" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22912" CreationDate="2016-01-24T18:29:34.110" Score="7" ViewCount="500" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant has started growing in my bougainvillea and there's some debate going on in the house whether it is a weed, or part of the bougainvillea, perhaps the male part. I'm unable to find any pictures of bougainvillea's that have this in them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant in question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0HRog.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0HRog.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Questionable plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bougainvillea:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nrsQi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nrsQi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bougainvillea&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13692" LastActivityDate="2016-03-08T08:19:32.617" Title="Is this part of my bougainvillea or a weed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22905" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22898" CreationDate="2016-01-24T20:33:57.137" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something in place like 'Hoggin' It's a semi hard mix of stone, gravel and earths.  It's tamped into place. Often seen as driveways and paths in stately homes.  It's natural and can be naturalised by grasses and other plants, but is hardish wearing and relatively cheap, especially if you need to repeat patch.  It might be an option.  If it's on a public highway you may not be allowed to put kerb stones and build up the verge that way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-24T20:33:57.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22904" CreationDate="2016-01-25T00:55:58.847" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a mint or a very closely related labitae. Even the flower spike looks like mint. Is the stem squarish?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case it is certainly not part of your bougainvillea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-25T00:55:58.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22908" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-25T01:39:18.813" Score="8" ViewCount="92" Body="&lt;p&gt;Will I harm my trees if I put sports field turf around them? Should I keep a certain distance away? Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13736" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T12:45:40.450" Title="Carpet for Tree mulch" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22909" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22898" CreationDate="2016-01-25T01:44:16.233" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is installing some type of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=grass%20grid&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1070&amp;amp;bih=593&amp;amp;site=webhp&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjkivjn6sPKAhUS82MKHU9ABPkQsAQITg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;grass grid&lt;/a&gt; possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-01-25T01:44:16.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22903" CreationDate="2016-01-25T11:05:19.587" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fungus gnats have a busy but short life. As &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/do-your-potted-plants-have-fungus-gnats-0&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; indicates&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;An adult fungus gnat lays up to 200 eggs during the one week it spends&#xA;  as an adult winged gnat. The adult then dies. Legless larvae hatch out&#xA;  in about four days. After two weeks of feeding, larvae spend about&#xA;  three to four days as pupae before emerging as the next generation of&#xA;  adults&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using another area as a trap or decoy can work with some pests. If you have a plant with fungus gnats then they will not move to a trap area as they are weak fliers.  Also the effort to set the soil trap does not seem practical for larger interiorscapes or greenhouses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For fungus gnats control measures &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7448.html&quot;&gt;focus on the larvae&lt;/a&gt; as &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;most of the fungus gnat’s life is spent as a larva and pupa in organic&#xA;  matter or soil, so the most effective control methods target these&#xA;  immature stages rather than attempting to directly control the mobile,&#xA;  short-lived adult&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ensuring the soil medium is not always wet&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;yellow sticky traps&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil drenches with soap and water or other pesticide&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a chunk raw potato can be placed on the soil and removed. Evidently it is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7448.html&quot;&gt;attractive to the larvae&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-01-25T11:05:19.587" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22904" CreationDate="2016-01-25T11:56:08.240" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agree with @Escoce's answer, point given, but note also there is no separate 'male part' in Bougainvillea, the flowers contain both male and female components, although they are not self fertile. This is definitely a separate plant growing behind and through your Bougainvillea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-02-07T12:44:13.033" LastActivityDate="2016-02-07T12:44:13.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22912" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22904" CreationDate="2016-01-25T13:33:06.863" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;After some further research, and with the help of @Escoce's and @Bamboo's answers, I believe this is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/59091/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sweet Almond Bush&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Family: Verbenaceae&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Genus: Aloysia &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Species: Virgata &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qAOa8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qAOa8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sweet Almond Bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;©Dave's Garden / &lt;a href=&quot;http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2006/05/07/aprilwillis/bfe970.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2006/05/07/aprilwillis/bfe970.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13692" LastEditorUserId="13692" LastEditDate="2016-01-26T13:27:25.120" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T13:27:25.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22913" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-25T19:01:12.497" Score="6" ViewCount="404" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to buy a post for a potted pothos like I've seen many times, but I don't know what they're called. None of my searches have had any results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The type I'm referring to is generally square in cross section and seems to be made of loosely compressed fibers of some sort, possibly even grape vines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6951" LastActivityDate="2016-01-25T21:14:10.110" Title="What do you call the support post for a pothos?" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;&lt;trellis&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22913" CreationDate="2016-01-25T19:24:46.943" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you are looking for a moss pole. They come in round and square shapes. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=moss%20pole&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1521&amp;amp;bih=904&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjG7raa18XKAhVHyYMKHSLRDSUQsAQIGw#imgrc=_&quot;&gt;Google Images Moss Pole&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2016-01-25T19:24:46.943" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22915" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22913" CreationDate="2016-01-25T21:14:10.110" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Searching on Amazon for &quot;moss pole&quot; based on Debbie M's suggestion, I found &quot;tree fern totem&quot; which seemed to be closer to what I'm looking for. Searching for the latter on Google, I found that they are commonly used for orchids and a couple of references to use with pothos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6951" LastActivityDate="2016-01-25T21:14:10.110" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22918" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22930" CreationDate="2016-01-26T03:55:31.427" Score="6" ViewCount="1605" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking to plant a no-maintenance prairie in my desert southwest yard (Northern New Mexico, zone 7B, sand and heavy clay soil, 7 inches of annual rainfall). Two years ago I planted a bunch of Blue Grama and it does well with no irrigation. One year ago I planted Streambank Wheatgrass elsewhere and that does well too, also with no irrigation. Streambank wheatgrass retains a bit more color in the winter, so I'd like to add it to my grass mix when I plant more to fill even more of my large and very sad-looking dirt yard. So my question is: can I plant these two grasses together? Blue Grama is a warm season grass and Streambank Wheatgrass is a cool season grass. Is there any problem with such an arrangement? Will they grow together? Will one dominate and crowd out the other, wasting the money spent on the loser? Will it look stupid in the winter with big weird clumps of green Streambank Wheatgrass amidst the dormant yellow-gray Blue Grama?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastEditorUserId="2874" LastEditDate="2016-01-26T06:45:23.397" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T17:28:28.650" Title="Is there any reason not to mix warm and cool season native grasses?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;native-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22919" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22920" CreationDate="2016-01-26T04:35:27.407" Score="8" ViewCount="217" Body="&lt;p&gt;I came across this very interesting looking plant while browsing the Internet. Apparently, it is edible (seeds, plants, and maybe the pod), but I just can't find the name of it. It grows in the desert, but I'm not sure exactly where.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures of the plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RBteu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RBteu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SLnjS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SLnjS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l8Nna.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l8Nna.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i1SH7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i1SH7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uZfMJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uZfMJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/olwRl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/olwRl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UmgpO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UmgpO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are pictures of the pod:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jRaYS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jRaYS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bhxti.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bhxti.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P66U9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P66U9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QXGD5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QXGD5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1dlbs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1dlbs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MFcGq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MFcGq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iCC2D.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iCC2D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture of the seeds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aTV6B.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aTV6B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2082" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T06:05:50.557" Title="Edible Desert Plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22920" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22919" CreationDate="2016-01-26T06:05:50.557" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on a Google image search it seems to be glossonema edule, and is found in and around Qatar. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T06:05:50.557" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22891" CreationDate="2016-01-26T09:20:52.190" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since your apple tree seedling doesn't respond to changes in watering, and you're not describing an infestation of the leaves, then it's most likely you have a root problem.  Suggest you remove the seedling from the pot and see if the roots are rotting from previous over watering or an infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T09:20:52.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22922" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22877" CreationDate="2016-01-26T09:44:02.933" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blueberries can be transplanted if they're in an area that's no longer suitable. You need to do this when the bush is dormant, so in the USA this is November to March.  There's no tap root so trench one foot from the roots and one foot deep, and move to the pot using an azalea potting mix.  And then mulch with pine needles/bark when summer arrives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organicauthority.com/organic-gardening/how-to-transplant-blueberry-bushes.html&quot;&gt;http://www.organicauthority.com/organic-gardening/how-to-transplant-blueberry-bushes.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T09:44:02.933" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22877" CreationDate="2016-01-26T11:41:59.713" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As other answers  you could dig it up, and plant it into one of your new aluminium containers, just as long as you remember to use ericacous (sorry spelling)  compost and water with rainwater.&#xA;Please also bear in mind that all metal containers will heat up and this heat may scorch the roots on any plants they contain. And freeze them in winter. This will do them damage. You could get this effect by buying larger Ali pots and lining them with polystyrene to guard against extremes of temperatures and still get a big enough planting space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-01-26T12:13:56.540" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T12:13:56.540" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22924" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22563" CreationDate="2016-01-26T12:20:12.917" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut and come again stuff like salad leaves, annual herbs grown in succession e.g coriander parsley. Chives, mint, there's a wide variety of types and 'flavours' e.g. Apple mint. What is expensive in you location and seen if you could grow that easily? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T12:20:12.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22925" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22908" CreationDate="2016-01-26T12:45:40.450" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would probably harm your tree as has been suggested. You can get a great variety of stuff you can mulch with, from broken slate, bark, even glass to use instead. Would it be a thought depending on location to under plant the tree with something like spring bulbs e.g crocus or snowdrops, they prefer to be dry in summer so would cope under the tree. Depending on what type of trees you have.  If they're conifer, not much will grow under them at all, so a bark mulch would be better to allow any rainfall through. Birds like chucking it around though in search of worms and bugs for food. ( I am presuming it's AstroTurf - plastic grass you mean and not sods of turf with a sports grade grass mix that's growing) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T12:45:40.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22926" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-26T13:41:12.253" Score="2" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants can be fed organically ( avoiding the use of pesticides, using organic matter to provide nutrients), inorganically ( using chemical fertilizers ), or soilessly when the roots are fed by a hydroponic solution or bathed in an aeroponic mist.  Which of these methods leads to the best plant health, and does this also translate to highest nutrient density?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6855" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-01-28T07:38:54.500" LastActivityDate="2016-01-28T14:13:44.957" Title="Which method of growing food crops leads to the healthiest plant with the highest nutrient density?" Tags="&lt;organic&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-01-26T16:36:56.493" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22927" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22926" CreationDate="2016-01-26T13:55:10.343" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is not evidence either way about which taste better, and which have more nutrients. However, organic farming is generally associated with sustainable techniques which reduce or eliminate the amount of artificial inputs into the system. So if you are conscious of things like that, then organic is the way to go. I personally am an organic advocate, but I don't proselytize because it just hurts the movement to do so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T13:55:10.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22926" CreationDate="2016-01-26T14:18:14.710" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is some evidence which suggests that food produced organically in soil has more nutrients than food grown non organically. With regard to hydroponics, I don't have any information, but given that a lot of fertiliser used in hydroponics is of non organic origin, then likely it is lower in nutrients. See link below for info on soil grown crops, organically grown and non organically grown&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.eatingwell.com/food_news_origins/green_sustainable/organic_or_not_is_organic_produce_healthier_than_conventional&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.eatingwell.com/food_news_origins/green_sustainable/organic_or_not_is_organic_produce_healthier_than_conventional&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's certainly true that fruit and vegetables these days do not contain the same levels of nutrients as they did 60 years ago - I can't quote this with any certainty, but it was something like, the nutrients in one orange 60 years ago are equivalent to 3 or 4 oranges today. An explanation for this is likely to do with growing methods and a switch to chemical fertilizers by producers, whereas organic growing concentrates on keeping the soil healthy rather than feeding plants directly, but it's something I've been meaning to do research on, particularly with new indoor, year round growing methods in soilless (though not necessarily hydroponic) mediums using LED lights being successfully trialed and eventually available commercially.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From a health point of view, foodstuffs grown non organically will have some nutrition - it just might not be optimum nutrition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-01-28T14:13:44.957" LastActivityDate="2016-01-28T14:13:44.957" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22929" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22877" CreationDate="2016-01-26T14:38:28.900" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you decide to transplant your blueberry (removing weed roots from the rootball is probably essential) I wouldn't recommend you plant it in acid compost in an aluminium container. Aluminium becomes soluble at a ph of 5 and lower, and blueberries like a ph of 5 or lower, so you might find problems with the plant itself, or there's a risk of uptake of excess aluminium into the plant and fruits. Choose a container of a different material for this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T14:38:28.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22930" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22918" CreationDate="2016-01-26T15:22:51.957" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am going to say that there is really no reason not to blend them. Will one out perform the other? Possibly, but then you know you have the variety better suited to the conditions that grass finds itself in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T15:22:51.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22931" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22266" CreationDate="2016-01-26T17:01:40.777" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes. This is similar to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2154/how-do-you-save-an-aloe-plant-whose-stem-is-weak-and-appears-to-be-rotting?rq=1&quot;&gt;another thread&lt;/a&gt; which has a more detailed answer to this question. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My aloe plant displayed the same symptoms when it was potted in a regular potting soil. When I replaced that soil with play sand with just a few clumps of manure the problem disappeared. I didn't need to apply any medicine to the plant, and it is now over 10 years old. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The roots grew back as soon as the moisture level dropped. To give you an idea how dry the soil should be, in one area that aloe is grown commercially typical rainfall is about 4 days a year. Regular, peat based, potting soil is just not dry enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6900" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T17:01:40.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22932" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22934" CreationDate="2016-01-26T19:46:33.840" Score="7" ViewCount="8143" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a kentia palm some months ago, and during the last week one stem/group of steams is turning out yellow. Also there are some big white stains on the leaves. Some leaves also have small white spots which I can imagine are mealybugs.&#xA;The leaves with the green stems are still healthy. &#xA;I live in a cold but humid place (sometime mold problems) and maybe I over-watered the plant, but I am not sure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you give me some advice? Thanks!&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eQu4W.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eQu4W.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;White stains&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UMaFJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UMaFJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yellow group of steams&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13741" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T23:41:44.497" Title="Kentia palm dying. Advice? :(" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22933" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19816" CreationDate="2016-01-26T21:51:32.613" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pests like aphids just appear brought in by the wind normally, and then setup in an area by laying eggs on trees, fallen leaves to survive the winter.  However, I have seen basil plants being sold by an organic shop that was infested with aphids.  A shop that specializes in selling plants is less likely to sell you infected plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a number of strategies to deal with infestations but since they rapidly multiply, you need to deal with them straight away.  Sticky traps give you early warnings of what you are dealing with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's a very early infestation then removing the whiteflies by vacuuming them up in the early hours of the morning while they're less active and removing their eggs by syringing with water might work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used to destroy leaves heavily infested with aphids but now if I see that some of the aphids are parasitized by wasps, I am putting the leaves into a jar so that the wasps can hatch and kill the aphids for me, and the aphids won't be able to crawl from the jar onto other leaves.  Time will tell if this is going to work.  Any ladybirds I catch I also place under my netting to help with aphid control.  But I don't buy ladybirds as I don't wish to risk bringing in ladybird diseases into my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T21:51:32.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22934" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22932" CreationDate="2016-01-26T23:41:44.497" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The big white stains on the leaves could be a few things&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;powdery mildew: unlikely given the hard waxy coat on the leaves. Wipe it off with a damp soapy cloth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dried salts from overhead watering in the nursery. Were the stains there when you bought it? Wipe it off with a damp soapy cloth with a touch of vinegar and then another wipe off with water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pesticide residue from the last spray at the residue. Wipe it off with soap and water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Small white spots&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;unlikely to be mealybug as they look like cottony tufts&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;possibly scale or &lt;a href=&quot;https://ipm.illinois.edu/greenhouse/insects/armored_scales/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;boisduval's false scale&lt;/a&gt; which is flatter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get a soft toothbrush or cloth soaked in 5 ml dish soap to 1 litre water and scrape them off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Die back of one stem:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's all over for this stem, cut it back to the ground. The other stems can do quite well if you try the following.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;move to an area with bright diffuse light.  Even a bright south window with sheer curtains will do.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water less, this is the cause of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4dmg/Plants/guidline.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;most interior plant failure&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kentia palms are the royalty of the palm world due to their tolerance for a wide range of conditions and long life.  However this applies to plants that are well rooted.  A common situation is to buy a plant that has been shipped from the nursery a little too soon. The roots have not been well established and the change to the low light, low humidity conditions so typical of interior conditions makes them an ideal candidate for root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let the top inch of soil dry out and then water until it comes out the bottom of the pot.  Let dry and water again.  Typical watering cycles inside can be every 14 to 18 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-01-26T23:41:44.497" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22935" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22840" CreationDate="2016-01-27T00:29:38.513" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soil solarisation is the process of using a green house effect with plastic to kill some pathogens and weeds in the first 6 inches layer of soil. It also helps break down organic materials on the surface making them more available to plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clear PV resistant plastic is used in hot regions to allow greater transmission of solar radiation to the soil, and the aim is to maintain soil temperature to 110-125 deg F for 4-6 weeks. Black plastic deflects some of the heat so you would have to do this for longer. Thinner plastic allows more energy in, but also is more easily damaged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The process is done during summer. The soil needs to be wet before the plastic is laid down as this allows the heat to be more easily transferred through the soil. The edges of the plastic need to be dug in to prevent heat loss at the edges.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html&quot;&gt;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-27T00:29:38.513" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22936" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-27T01:56:54.747" Score="6" ViewCount="140" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found in backyard in Sydney, Australia. Can someone please identify this plant. At first I thought it was a kind of hosta.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7wzCq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7wzCq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11905" LastActivityDate="2016-01-29T00:50:45.943" Title="Is this a weed, please help me identify this plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19417" CreationDate="2016-01-27T06:20:16.053" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bougainvilleas are a tough drought resistant plant that likes full sun.  When sunlight levels drop, it can drop its leaves.  When this has happened it's recommended to then put the plant into storage watering it a couple of times a month until summer arrives again when it should be put out under the full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are pretty tough.  My decades old bougainvillea was cut to the ground by accident a year ago, and has regrown from the ground.  So, your plant may survive if you haven't already tossed it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-27T06:20:16.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22938" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22733" CreationDate="2016-01-27T06:37:02.720" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It may have outgrown its pot. Perhaps take it out and see how densely packed the roots are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-01-27T06:37:02.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22939" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16131" CreationDate="2016-01-27T06:39:58.017" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could be rust. There are many products available to treat rust, and you can find recipes for solutions you can make at home too. Also it looks a little pot-bound, perhaps replant it in a larger pot and give it some fertiliser/nutrients as it may be hungry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-01-27T06:39:58.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22940" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16085" CreationDate="2016-01-27T06:44:19.057" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My first guess is Jasminium polyanthum. However, it has not grown much. It may just be a weed that came up in the soil you had - this can happen all the time, even when you are careful to keep weed seed away. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try re-potting it and giving it food/water, it may start to grow faster. Perhaps move the pot around to see if it prefers different conditions, ie more sun, less sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-01-27T06:44:19.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22942" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20514" CreationDate="2016-01-27T06:51:47.623" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the 3D imagery has been done in SketchUp, and then the pages have been composed in InDesign (adding the images and text, headings etc). There are plenty of online tutorials for beginners in this software, particularly on YouTube, but it is probably best to enroll in a class at a local Tafe or tertiary institution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-01-27T06:51:47.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22943" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22146" CreationDate="2016-01-27T07:00:49.343" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A good technique to help promote growth for any citrus - pee on it. Sounds silly, but it works every time. Citrus generally prefer acidic soils that are not suitable for most plants, so perhaps you need to improve the soil around its roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you are pruning, as a rule you should make an angled cut (between 45-60 degrees) at the nodes (where new stems or buds are forming) only. This discourages rot along the cut stem and encourages the node to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-01-27T07:00:49.343" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22945" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22896" CreationDate="2016-01-27T08:06:11.323" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think they are Marijuana Seeds&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thebestartt.com/seeds-cannabis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://thebestartt.com/seeds-cannabis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Illegal in Australia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11905" LastActivityDate="2016-01-27T08:06:11.323" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22946" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22874" CreationDate="2016-01-27T08:31:49.183" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is Euphorbia obesa&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.pinterest.com/pin/304415256036848192/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.pinterest.com/pin/304415256036848192/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11905" LastActivityDate="2016-01-27T08:31:49.183" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22733" CreationDate="2016-01-27T13:05:14.387" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adenium obesum is a succulent. Like most succulents, it needs very little watering and will suffer if over-watered. These problems can be made worse if the soil is not a rapidly draining medium. You say that the soil appears to be peat-based, which is not good for a succulent. Peat helps to hold moisture in, which is the opposite of what a succulent needs. A little peat is okay, but high peat content is not. I suspect when you gave it 'extra water' before leaving you over-watered the plant causing some of the roots to drown. This particular plant also doesn't like going under 10 degrees C, so if the temperature dropped enough that may also have caused some injury.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would suggest re-potting the plant into a cactus/succulent potting mix, watering less frequently and keeping it off the radiator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-01-27T13:12:35.797" LastActivityDate="2016-01-27T13:12:35.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20334" CreationDate="2016-01-27T22:50:06.637" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're on the right track with the sheets. Try a double layer if you are thinking of using this under a gravel mulch. The mulch should be a minimum 100mm deep. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you would prefer plants to take over instead, there are many effective species but it does depend on where you are, and what environment it is (ie sunny, part shade, frosts, soil quality). Do you have a photo of the area?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-01-27T22:50:06.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22949" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22733" CreationDate="2016-01-27T22:52:30.743" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it's on a window cill, maybe the temperature immediately around it is colder than you imagine. Your room temperature maybe one thing, but if it's placed behind curtains it will be considerable colder. We've had temperatures to well below 0'C in your part of the U.K., I'm within about 50 miles  of you, so have been aware of local temps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-27T22:52:30.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22950" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19775" CreationDate="2016-01-27T22:57:11.670" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the centre one I think you could be right in guessing Allium fistolosum, however it could be Allium schoenoprasum. Sorry I don't know any others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-01-27T22:57:11.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22951" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22899" CreationDate="2016-01-28T04:53:36.910" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lemon trees require about 7-8 hours of sunlight daily to grow and fruit properly.  Outdoor trees that don't get that also get indirect light even in the shade.  Indoor lighting is approximately equivalent to the light levels at twilight.  So, if you want your tree to thrive, you're going to have to use artificial lighting to supplement the small amount of natural light your lemon tree is going to receive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-28T04:53:36.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22952" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22883" CreationDate="2016-01-28T05:19:33.860" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;After a week it is growing well at -10°C (14°F). I don't know its soil temperature, but I am using the following method to keep it warm:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;During night I am covering it with plastic bag and blanket.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tq7rm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tq7rm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;During daytime I am trying to let it get more sunlight by using metallic kitchen paper.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RpOWG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RpOWG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor's note:&lt;/strong&gt; I believe the temperature indoor might be indeed -10°C (14°F) because outside it's usually -30 to -40°C (-22 to -40°F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13726" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T09:40:19.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22953" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22954" CreationDate="2016-01-28T05:40:48.193" Score="5" ViewCount="1898" Body="&lt;p&gt;About a week ago I planted a strawberry plant. New leaves are growing fine but the old big leaves are turning yellow. I don't know what the problem is. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7KhCu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7KhCu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13726" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-31T00:37:51.893" LastActivityDate="2016-01-31T00:37:51.893" Title="Why are my strawberry leaves turning yellow?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22954" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22953" CreationDate="2016-01-28T05:53:46.633" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is natural for plants to die back or drop leaves when they have been planted or re-planted, as they can be experiencing shock or are just adjusting to the new conditions. However, if the browning/yellowing continues, it is probably not happy with the location of the pot, or the nutrients in the soil. The new growth should indicate that it is quite happy though, so perhaps give it some more time and wait and see what happens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-01-28T05:53:46.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22955" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22956" CreationDate="2016-01-28T07:25:32.067" Score="5" ViewCount="681" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hcNwg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hcNwg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Hello&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About an year ago, I found this plant in the streets. I couldn't let it die there, so I took it my home. What is its name so that I can take care of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I searched the Internet with no luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13726" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-11-13T15:43:50.187" Title="What is the name of this onion like plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22956" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22955" CreationDate="2016-01-28T08:49:03.217" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is pregnant onion, Albuca bracteata.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11905" LastActivityDate="2016-01-28T08:49:03.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22856" CreationDate="2016-01-28T19:18:31.603" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In order for a seed to germinate it needs to imbibe sufficient water to rehydrate the food sources and molecular machinery inside the seed, and this results in the seed swelling. This is also a temperature sensitive process. So, if the seed hasn't swollen, dry it off to prevent it imbibing any water and store in a cool location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-28T19:18:31.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22960" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14622" CreationDate="2016-01-28T21:10:01.783" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I put down twenty pineapple seeds picked out of fruit. Placed in seedling box with lid sprinkled soil over. Only one came up but its been 2 months n starting to look good&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13749" LastActivityDate="2016-01-28T21:10:01.783" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22962" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22985" CreationDate="2016-01-29T00:14:35.907" Score="8" ViewCount="3637" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believed that my tomato plants suffer from potassium deficiency, and by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com.ph/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&amp;amp;ion=1&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;es_th=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8#q=tomatoes%20potassium%20deficiency&amp;amp;es_th=1&quot;&gt;searching it on google&lt;/a&gt; it states that I can easily fix it by putting potassium fertilizer in my soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am now thinking on how can I organically put potassium on my soil? Is there anything that I can easily found on the kitchen to make my soil potassium rich? Something &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mamashealth.com/garden/eggshells.asp&quot;&gt;like this&lt;/a&gt;, it states that by putting egg shells on my tomato plants can make the soil calcium rich.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Place egg shells in the soil near tomatoes. Calcium is very useful to tomatoes because the extra calcium will help prevent blossom end rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am just a beginner when it comes to planting so please guide me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7178" LastEditorUserId="7178" LastEditDate="2016-01-29T03:46:54.093" LastActivityDate="2016-01-31T02:36:10.710" Title="How can I organically make the soil potassium rich?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22963" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-29T00:19:26.200" Score="1" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can permaculture techniques feed the world's nutrition requirements? Are we stuck with GM crops to feed the worlds burgeoning population? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13751" LastActivityDate="2016-01-29T00:19:26.200" Title="Permaculture and World Food Needs" Tags="&lt;permaculture&gt;&lt;sustainability&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-01-29T00:26:34.750" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22964" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22936" CreationDate="2016-01-29T00:32:41.393" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thank you very much Debbie M, for the direction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I now think it is Alstroemeria psittacina after some image searching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11905" LastEditorUserId="11905" LastEditDate="2016-01-29T00:50:45.943" LastActivityDate="2016-01-29T00:50:45.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22962" CreationDate="2016-01-29T00:41:46.267" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;on a small scale, putting bannana peels into your compost is a great way to add organic potassium!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13752" LastActivityDate="2016-01-29T00:41:46.267" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22966" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22979" CreationDate="2016-01-29T02:06:25.970" Score="4" ViewCount="3838" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just noticed these spots appearing on some of the leaves of my Maori potatoes being grown in a jute coffee sack. Plant otherwise looks healthy, and i don't see any insects. It's not new or old growth affected.&lt;img src=&quot;https://imgur.com/8FOt4zI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;polka dots on tomato leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-01-29T20:07:00.417" LastActivityDate="2016-01-30T12:28:33.293" Title="What are these yellow spots on my potato leaves" Tags="&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22967" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22968" CreationDate="2016-01-29T02:29:28.020" Score="7" ViewCount="459" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let me start of by saying that I am a person with very little experience of gardening. I have just been growing some plants in my balcony and in the process fell in love with this hobby and stumbled upon Hydroponic gardening. Since then I have been reading a lot about hydroponics but one thing has been confusing me and I would like someone to clear confusion revolving around nutrients. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand that all the nutrients that plants need in hydroponics are provided through water. I am not clear about the following things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should I use normal hydroponic nutrient (sold in two parts A &amp;amp; B) or&#xA;should I use so called hydroponic fertilizers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If I start with A &amp;amp; B Nutrients, should I replace them with&#xA;fertilizer at the later stage when plant starts producing flower,&#xA;should I mix them both or will simple nutrient formula be enough for&#xA;the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Can I use ordinary soil fertilizer, for hydroponics and save some&#xA;money or will it not be enough?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know the question of nutrient will depend heavily on the plant under discussion so I am taking chilli peppers and tomatoes for reference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13754" LastActivityDate="2016-01-29T02:59:48.883" Title="Hydroponics Nutrients and Fertilizers, are they same?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22968" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22967" CreationDate="2016-01-29T02:59:48.883" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hydroponic solutions can be made up yourself and you need to supply npk as well as the 10 trace elements. However, the components required for these recipes usually come in 25-50 pound bags. So, for small scale growing you need to purchase solutions that are premade. Some of these concentrated solutions are incompatible so they are split into a solution A and B. The bottles will say whether they are designed for vegetative growth or also support flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can't use soil fertiliser since it will be missing many of the trace elements, and you won't know how much to add.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-29T02:59:48.883" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22969" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-01-29T06:24:05.267" Score="4" ViewCount="118" Body="&lt;p&gt;Construction workers have cut a large section of roots from the base of the trunk of the tree in question and I'm trying to find ways to save it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some background information: It's a 50 foot tall, perhaps 40 year old tree in the polyalthia family.. Similar to the polyalthia longifolia in terms of leaves etc but just a bushier variety it seems. I live in bangladesh and it's winter now. below are wiki links to the different types etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;variety.&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyalthia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyalthia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyalthia_longifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyalthia_longifolia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They were cut without my permission, to install a pillar and the roots are very big since it is from the base. I am watering it daily on the sides and at the base where they cut it every other day to prevent rot. I did however add an organic mix fertiliser by raising the ground level just a few inches, both of which I hear might not be a good idea. Though the tree is supposed to shed leaves this season and grow new ones at the same time, chunks of leaves are going yellow which is not normal and the baby leaves seemed to have stop growing.. I would have attached photos but could not find a way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree has a lot of sentimental value and I'm trying ways to save it and would love to hear some expert advice. I'm also thinking of loosely tying the tree to a two storey building next to it in different directions to stop it from falling over when it gets windy since two very major roots were cut, which in my opinion were some of the most important ones as there is a brick sewer on the other side and I think the roots on that side would have had to go down instead of laterally making the severed lateral roots integral for structural stability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would greatly appreciate some advice to save this tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13755" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-01-29T10:57:28.193" LastActivityDate="2016-01-29T12:48:24.837" Title="Construction damage to tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22970" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22971" CreationDate="2016-01-29T08:32:58.220" Score="7" ViewCount="2033" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is my first time planting anything from seeds, and certainly my first time with cherry tomatoes. I've watched many tutorials and read many articles, so I have a fair knowledge about the subject. What I'm not sure of is whether or not the sunlight from my window will be strong enough for the seedlings to grow. Here's a picture of the window where the plants will be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ThPc7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ThPc7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sunlight on my hand &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13757" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-01-30T16:52:17.467" LastActivityDate="2016-02-01T21:27:16.163" Title="Is sunlight from my window enough to grow cherry tomato seedlings indoors?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22970" CreationDate="2016-01-29T08:47:38.857" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seeds don't need light to germinate, they just need moisture and heat.  But they need light to grow.  Fruiting plants need the most light of all edible plants as the energy from sunlight is needed to create the carbohydrates etc that form the bulk of the fruit.  Vegetables that are only leaves such as lettuce, and root vegetables, need less light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, unless you get a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight through that window shining on the leaves, you'll need to add grow lights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-29T08:47:38.857" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22972" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22974" CreationDate="2016-01-29T09:28:49.900" Score="6" ViewCount="561" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small cumquat tree, and sometimes it grows new, low branches, which I suspect are suckers. But how can I be sure, how can I decide whether to prune them or not?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of the latest suspect on my tree:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CRSVL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CRSVL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cumquat with sucker-suspect near bottom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to me that the graft was made very low - you can see (what I think it is) here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/30kmf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/30kmf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;possible graft location near the bottom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the question is, do I cut the lowest branch? Is it a sucker?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I've referenced &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14906/what-is-a-sucker-and-how-does-it-differ-from-a-water-sprout-or-branch&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;, but I can't make up my mind whether to cut it or not)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1239" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-01-29T14:03:46.690" Title="Practical identification of suckers on a cumquat tree" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;suckers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22973" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22969" CreationDate="2016-01-29T12:48:24.837" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;By the time a tree is 40 years old they have adjusted to the neighborhood and do not like changes in the level of the soil or amount of roots.  These suggestions work for most trees:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not raise the level of the soil more than a half an inch (1 cm) per application.  Do top dress up to twice a year with compost or other organic matter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;after the damage to the roots the best practice is to water the whole area under the tree and leave it alone.  Pruning is not required.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some leaf drop is inevitable as the roots that support those leaves are gone. If the area of roots removed is less than a third of the area under the tree there is a good chance the tree will recover&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if the tree is loose in the ground and could fall and damage property or people then removal should be considered.  Loosely tying a tree that is 50' tall will not stop it falling in windy conditions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/1989-49-4-tree-roots-facts-and-fallacies.pdf&quot;&gt;reference&lt;/a&gt; is fairly technical but does show that there are a lot ideas about tree roots that are not correct. The life of a tree is immensely complex and there is much more to learn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-01-29T12:48:24.837" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22974" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22972" CreationDate="2016-01-29T13:57:19.480" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would seem the scion is at the base of your plant, as shown in the second picture. Therefore, the branch you're concerned about is not a sucker because it doesn't arise from below the scion, or graft, or from below soil level. It might be a watersprout, although it doesn't look overly vigorous, and you will know whether its growing much faster than the rest of the tree. If it is growing much faster than the rest of the plant, then you might want to remove it, or you may want to remove it because you're restricting the plant's size. So called watersprouts usually arise from adventitious buds on the stem or on thick branches, and are often caused by excessive pruning - but that's something you're probably having to do because your plant's in a pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From its appearance in the photograph, it just seems to be a new branch - but you may not want it that low down. With regard to pruning, you should really cut off the nubs or stubs where you've pruned back - you need to leave a small collar at the base of a branch you remove, but its best not to leave remains that stick out for an inch or so, you're more likely to get dieback.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-01-29T14:03:46.690" LastActivityDate="2016-01-29T14:03:46.690" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22976" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22999" CreationDate="2016-01-29T16:19:22.587" Score="8" ViewCount="560" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was wondering if someone could help me with my Nepenthes 'Lady Luck' plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I ordered it from a dealer off of Amazon a few months ago. I bought it because it was supposed to do well enough inside a house, without a terrarium. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When it arrived, it looked like it was properly packed. It had a peat moss/dirt around its roots and came with a very small pot and some sphagnum moss to pot it with. I had a 4&quot; pot on hand, so I upgraded the pot size. There were traps that looked healthy when I unboxed it, but I expected to lose them from shock and shipping. I did lose all of them. I currently have it planted in straight sphagnum moss, in a 4&quot; pot. I keep it near a window and under a lamp that I leave on from 6.45am-10.30pm. I keep the sphagnum moss damp. It has dried out on me twice, though. I thought it was still damp, but I felt it, and it was dry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant seems to have done okay, and that's really what I expected. I figured it'd just hang and maybe drop some leaves from shock, then recover and start growing again. It's now been a few months and the plant maintained for a long time. I expect it to start growing again, but now it's loosing more leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm watering it with well water and letting the sphagnum moss get &lt;em&gt;damp&lt;/em&gt; before watering again. It's currently inside, as I said, under the lamp and by the window, so it should be getting enough light. I live in the upper part of SC, USA, so this summer, I plan to move it outside, slowly, where it can enjoy the hot and super humid climate. Can anyone help me prevent this plant from dying?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read that with venus flytraps, you can take a weak solution of miracle grow on a q-tip and brush the undersides of the leaves to give it a small fertilizer boost without harming it, can you do that with these, as well? Thanks for the help. I will post answers if you have more questions about my setup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the pictures I promised:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rPPPc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rPPPc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eFcpx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eFcpx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been referring to it as one plant for simplicity, but there were two shipped to me, and I didn't want to split them when they were already stressed. The leaves you see dying have been healthy for a few months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2016-07-02T16:11:51.043" LastActivityDate="2018-04-28T21:56:48.683" Title="Nepenthes &quot;Lady Luck&quot; Help" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;nepenthes&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7071" CreationDate="2016-01-29T23:20:17.947" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The idea behind the straw bale technique is to take a predominantly carbon source, add nitrogen to parts of it to create compost, and to grow plants which are going to use the compost/humus while it is being created.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The nitrogen provides the energy for composting bacteria to convert the straw to humus thereby freeing up the nutrients in the straw so that it becomes accessible to the plant roots.  The plant will then take up what it needs.  So, in a normal garden, you add nutrients for the plant. Here you create them in situ.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Someone has calculated the carbon in a straw bale to be 8.5 kg or 18.7 lbs (&lt;a href=&quot;http://earlywarn.blogspot.co.nz/2010/08/carbon-offset-value-of-straw-bale.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://earlywarn.blogspot.co.nz/2010/08/carbon-offset-value-of-straw-bale.html&lt;/a&gt;).  The carbon nitrogen ratio for straw is 70:1 so the amount of nitrogen present is 18.7 / 70 which is 0.25 lbs.  To make compost effectively, we need a ratio of carbon to nitrogen of over 30:1.  Ratios of 30:1 and over minimize nitrogen loss which would otherwise be lost through volatilization.  So, we need to add approximately a further 0.25 lbs of nitrogen to compost the straw bale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Joel Karsten advises adding over the 12 day conditioning period 2.25 cups of a lawn fertilizer, and finishing on day 10 with a cup of 10:10:10 fertiliser. With 4 oz per cup, the total weight of fertilizer being added is 0.81 lbs.  This seems to result in a ratio higher then 30:1 for the whole bale but this makes sense as he wants to compost the inside of the straw bale, and not the outside which is providing insulation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-01-29T23:20:17.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22978" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22970" CreationDate="2016-01-30T00:42:25.967" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, that level of light is probably not direct or strong enough to support the seedlings.  Even if it was, seedlings reach for the light, so they'll not only be leggy, meaning with tall but skinny stems, but they're liable to actually break as they bend towards the window. I've had it happen, and it's sad to see things germinate, only to watch the new babies break in two and fall over. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-01-30T00:42:25.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22979" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22966" CreationDate="2016-01-30T12:28:33.293" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks almost as if the leaves have had something dropped on them, but the likeliest explanation is, unfortunately, some type of potato virus - if the lower leaves start to go completely yellow, or other symptoms appear, you'll know its a virus. However, sometimes there isn't that much to see on the leaves, but the tubers will be affected in some way. There are a lot of viruses which affect potatoes and many haven't even got proper names, being listed as things like 'potato virus Y' or whatever, but there is some information in the link below regarding viral infection&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/NewsArticles/Potato_Virus.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/NewsArticles/Potato_Virus.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-01-30T12:28:33.293" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22980" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22982" CreationDate="2016-01-30T16:19:08.567" Score="8" ViewCount="612" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a young peach tree (18 months old, never gave fruits) in my yard in Florida that recently lost all its leaves. The leaves are eaten but also covered with brown spots. I'm wondering if the issue is caused by bugs, or a disease, or both, and how I should treat them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BvQO1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BvQO1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13761" LastEditorUserId="13761" LastEditDate="2016-01-30T16:26:03.533" LastActivityDate="2016-01-30T19:31:53.170" Title="How to treat diseases and bugs on peach tree?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22981" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22980" CreationDate="2016-01-30T19:29:28.517" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like beetle damage to me. Beetles will sometimes not chew the veins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-01-30T19:29:28.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22980" CreationDate="2016-01-30T19:31:53.170" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peach trees are deciduous and lose their leaves in the winter, so don't worry about that. The leaves can turn gold/brown before they drop. Some munched leaves on a healthy tree are not a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully you have a tree that requires very few chilling hours to produce, if it was purchased locally you should be okay. It is very young, but you should get a few peaches this year. It does look like it might be starting to bloom. You will get blooms before new leaf growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just keep the tree pruned, watered and fertilized as recommended, and you should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2016-01-30T19:31:53.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22983" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22962" CreationDate="2016-01-30T21:32:21.750" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Potassium is easily obtained via wood (or other plant material) fire ashes - &quot;pot-ash&quot; is the source of the name potassium (and while &quot;potash&quot; is now used more to refer to mined material, the ashes were the original source that the mined material is also named after.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-01-30T21:32:21.750" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22962" CreationDate="2016-01-31T02:12:53.310" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know of anything ubiquitous off-hand in the kitchen that is both high in potassium and ready to use on plants without composting or some other such. Kelp is supposed to have some. So, maybe if you have kelp in the kitchen, it could work. If you have any potassium bicarbonate (used for leavening) in your kitchen, that might work, but I don't know how much plants like it as a potassium source, and I don't know if it's organic approved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If banana peels are high in potassium like Jacob Knight says, then if you're in a hurry and can't compost (and have indoor plants), I imagine you could incinerate some banana peels and put some of the ashes on your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably the easiest way to add organic potassium to the soil is to use potassium sulfate (at least some potassium sulfate is organic approved, by the way, even though it's water soluble and a mineral chelate like a lot of stuff that isn't organic approved). The problem with potassium sulfate is that it's water soluble (which might not be much of a problem if you have more clay in your soil, or if your plants are in containers, but it could leach through regular land soil, I imagine, instead of adding potassium in your soil long-term). I used potassium sulfate a lot last year. It's effective (and works quite well with tomatoes). Look for the certified organic stuff if you want to be sure it's the organic kind. Purity levels seem to differ depending on where you buy it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can use wood ash for potassium, but it is also high in calcium and can raise your soil PH. You don't want to use too much, or it could be disastrous. Also, I've heard that wood tends to collect heavy metals from the soil. So, it's likely that wood ash could be high in them, although if you're only recirculating wood grown on your own land every time, it probably won't alter the levels much, unless the heavy metals come from way down low.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Greensand has a little bit of potassium in it. It is supposed to be a long-term solution, but not much of a solution, since it doesn't have much potassium. I'm sure you can safely use a lot more greensand than you can use wood ash, however. Greensand has other touted benefits (like improving soil structure and such).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Granite dust is a rockdust that is also supposed to add a small amount of potassium to the soil. I'm not sure how much or how effective it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both greensand and granite dust will add certain other minerals to the soil, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can get potassium from compost, but odds are, you'll have a lot of nitrogen in it, too. I understand nitrogen and potassium compete with each other and help to balance each other. So, compost will likely help a lot, but most of the benefit will likely not be a potassium benefit (even though there should be a potassium benefit). I imagine adding wood chips to your compost would decrease the nitrogen and increase the potassium, if you needed that. Wood chips are, of course, made from wood, which is what wood ash comes from (and hence must contain potassium). However, wood takes nitrogen to decompose. So, it should lessen the nitrogen in the compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some potassium magnesium sulfate (Sul-Po-Mag) is organic approved and may also be a good source of potassium for you (but it also adds sulfur and magnesium). To be fair, potassium sulfate also adds sulfur. This is a quick-release form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-01-31T02:36:10.710" LastActivityDate="2016-01-31T02:36:10.710" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19775" CreationDate="2016-01-31T09:24:30.727" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you would need to grow them and let them flower to be sure of which one is which. Until then there is likely to be an unanswered question &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-01-31T09:24:30.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22987" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4483" CreationDate="2016-01-31T14:26:30.437" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I put an extremely superficial lengthwise cut to the husk on the clove, then leave the clove in shallow water overnight. It sprouts within 24-hours, at which point I move the sprouted clove to the soil ~ 3&quot; deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2847" LastActivityDate="2016-01-31T14:26:30.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22988" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22992" CreationDate="2016-02-01T04:14:51.627" Score="5" ViewCount="519" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am very confused as to the naming of this plant. I learned it as Dracaena reflexa (common name 'Song of India') but apparently it has been renamed as Pleomele reflexa. When trying to find out which name is correct I read that the name was changed &lt;em&gt;from&lt;/em&gt; Pleomele &lt;em&gt;to&lt;/em&gt; Dracaena. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JseQr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JseQr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Does anybody know which is the previous name and which is the current name?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-02-01T13:02:25.313" Title="Dracaena reflexa or Pleomele?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22989" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22990" CreationDate="2016-02-01T05:04:25.627" Score="7" ViewCount="230" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our landlord planted a beautiful Santa Cruz Hibiscus in the front yard, Zone 9b, its natural habitat more or less, which grew into a small tree. The main trunk has a nice iron rod stake. Of the three main branches, one died last fall, so I felled it this winter, hoping to make space for a new one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, we had excessive wind today and one of the other branches fell off and the last branch snapped off the main trunk. The branches are no more than about an inch and a half or so in diameter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I staked it with a spare curtain rod and a couple of garden stakes and multiple tie-straps to try and shore up the branch as best as I could. The wind was pretty much trying its best to stress the branch cyclically and take it down, so I ran off to our local hardware/garden store (Orchard Supply Hardware) in the hopes of finding a magical cement or glue that would help the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They had no such thing and told me to write of the branch/tree. My brother found some people using &quot;Gorilla&quot; wood glue and I had already picked up this thing called &quot;Plastic Wood&quot;. I brought it back, and the gorilla glue of course was less viscous and so that just flowed down, so I applied the plastic wood copiously, but that also didn't seem to do much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am a bit &quot;stumped&quot; as this is the first time I have had to try and save the last branch in a tree.  Does anyone know quick fixes/bandages that I can buy and/or use? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-03T16:24:54.060" LastActivityDate="2016-02-06T19:04:20.260" Title="How can I save a branch injured by wind stress?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;branches&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22989" CreationDate="2016-02-01T06:07:49.920" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You cannot 'save' the branch if it has completely separated from the plant. This is possible only if the branch is still connected by a strip of bark (and cambium). It is possible to graft a severed shoot onto a woody plant like this, but this requires some well-practiced skill as well as some luck. It may also possible to root the broken stems, but this requires rooting hormone, a humidity tent, rooting media (well aerated soil), and maybe even a heating pad as well as some luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest that you cut the branch stubs so that they are clean cuts and not splintered and then worry about something else. It is sad to have this happen, but the plant should send out new shoots this spring and should not be worse for the wear. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then, I think you should think about occasional pruning to keep it from again becoming such a lanky, injury-prone plant. Pruning will stimulate one long branch to be two (or more) moderate length branches, not only giving you a stronger plant, but more flowers! Occasionally harvesting blooming stems for a vase in the house is a good way to ease the 'trauma' that I am guessing you'll feel about pruning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastEditorUserId="13580" LastEditDate="2016-02-01T06:13:45.117" LastActivityDate="2016-02-01T06:13:45.117" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22991" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-01T06:46:04.857" Score="7" ViewCount="149" Body="&lt;p&gt;My back yard, about 1/8 acre or 500 m2, is covered in convolvulus (and wandering willy). It's even coming up in the middle of my raised beds that I protected with cardboard ( should have used weed mat ). Normally they tell you to dispose of it removing from the property but that seems like a loss of nutrient from the land in that it violates the law of return.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a safe way to extract the nutrient? I can't drown it, solarize, or bag it up. And I lack enough browns to safely hot compost it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://imgur.com/u0kguEi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bindweed&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-02-02T21:20:31.630" LastActivityDate="2017-01-13T01:36:07.443" Title="How to use the nutrients in convolvulus sepium without further spreading the infestation?" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22992" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22988" CreationDate="2016-02-01T11:02:54.160" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/GardenPubsAZ/Dracaena_Reflexa_Fact_Sheet.pdf&quot;&gt;publication&lt;/a&gt; from the University of Florida extension department describes the Pleomele as a discarded synonym or common name.  This plant has always been sold as Pleomele but only in the last few years have I seen it classified as a Dracaena for taxonomy purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the advent of cheap DNA analysis there has been even more flux in the world of botanical taxonomy.  What were once species in their own right are often reclassified as a variant of another.  Just looking at the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Dracaena_(plant)&quot;&gt;Dracaena&lt;/a&gt; family you can see that the Cordylines and Liriope have been kicked out and the Pleomeles added in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-02-01T13:02:25.313" LastActivityDate="2016-02-01T13:02:25.313" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22993" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22991" CreationDate="2016-02-01T13:06:34.557" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, there isn't a safe way to release any nutrients it has - frankly, I wouldn't even risk adding it to an aerobic, hot compost system. Convulvulus has the ability to regenerate from the tiniest fragment of root (as does Japanese knotweed, which is usually burned by specialist contractors after removal), so I'd be burning it (if you're allowed to) or disposing of it away from my property, as you've already been advised.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-02-01T13:06:34.557" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22994" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23093" CreationDate="2016-02-01T13:07:05.860" Score="13" ViewCount="341" Body="&lt;p&gt;I frequently see trees that are in construction areas where roots have to be pruned or grade changed.  What practices are most likely to keep trees healthy in the long term where there is root or branch pruning or grade changes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am looking for answers backed up by references from University/College/Trade organizations as I found a lot of conflicting information based on hearsay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T02:57:18.303" Title="What are the best practices for keeping trees healthy in a construction area?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22995" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23000" CreationDate="2016-02-01T13:45:09.557" Score="8" ViewCount="1107" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry for asking a really novice question but I have searched a lot and not found a yes no answer so I am still confused with this!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to buy CFL bulbs to grow some tomato plants. I have seen different types of lights in the store. Some with 2700K and 6500K output. I know I have to buy these two types of light but some of the bulbs have word CFL written on them and while others simply say Energy Saver. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these both same types of bulbs and can they both be used for growing plants or is there any difference?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13754" LastActivityDate="2016-02-01T16:14:34.520" Title="Are CFL and Energy Saver bulbs same and used for growing plants?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22996" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22995" CreationDate="2016-02-01T14:17:37.490" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the UK and had never heard of CFL bulbs -having looked it up, it appears what we call low energy bulbs are the same thing, CFL or compact fluorescent bulbs, so it seems to be just a different terminology by manufacturers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following link might be of interest in terms of actually using them as grow lights&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-plants-cfl-lights-43203.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-plants-cfl-lights-43203.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-02-01T14:17:37.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22997" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="22998" CreationDate="2016-02-01T14:30:53.160" Score="8" ViewCount="5947" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to grow a bay tree for cooking purposes. Since it is not frost resistant I have to at least partially put the plant inside. Are lighting conditions without additional artificial light sufficient? Is there anything else to consider?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11967" LastActivityDate="2020-09-06T03:37:12.360" Title="Can I grow a bay tree (Laurus nobilis) indoors?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22998" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22997" CreationDate="2016-02-01T14:57:50.580" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can grow a bay tree indoors. It will need the sunniest spot available and plenty of fresh air (it doesn't mind draughts) so near a slightly open window would be good, and should be watered sparingly in winter, when it's easy to overwater as its growth naturally slows with changing light levels. Best kept trimmed as a shrub 3-4 feet high max, and placed outdoors in summer. When indoors, mist leaves regularly, keep in a cool position away from heat sources, but preferably good daylight and with some sun, repot as necessary in spring. When moving it outdoors, harden it off first, and expect some 'transition shock' symptoms when you have to move it back indoors again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-02-01T15:04:07.303" LastActivityDate="2016-02-01T15:04:07.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="22999" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22976" CreationDate="2016-02-01T15:43:32.340" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As it's a CFL bulb, it won't be getting baked because of the low heat output. According to my houseplant book, Nepenthes likes to be constantly moist, but not waterlogged, not just slightly damp, and likes to be surrounded by humid air, so maybe using a pebble tray arrangement, half filled with water with pebbles sticking out for the pot to sit on top of would be useful. It also says they should be watered with rainwater - not sure what's in your well. As you say, you're just trying to nurse it along till it can go outdoors, which is a good thing, because they're not longlived as houseplants. My book also suggests dropping tiny bits of meat or dead flies 'occasionally' into the pitchers, though now you've posted pics, I can see you don't have any pitchers to do this with. I can't find anything which says its okay to do the Q tip thing you mention I'm afraid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-02-01T16:17:27.723" LastActivityDate="2016-02-01T16:17:27.723" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22995" CreationDate="2016-02-01T16:14:34.520" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;CFL is compact fluorescent lighting. It's basically a low energy using spiraly bulb. You can grow with them and you're correct that you would probably want at least one each of the 2700k and 6500k bulbs. These numbers are referring to the colors the bulb is putting out. One is going to be a warmer color and will be your reds and the other will be the colder colors and light in the blue spectrum. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I remember correctly, plants only need the red and blue spectrums. I read somewhere that if you only have one, use the 6500k.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you can definitely use these as grow lights and usually come out cheaper, because they aren't labeled as special &quot;grow&quot; bulbs. You can buy the special grow bulbs and they may cover both of these spectrums in on bulb. Or maybe they're a long bulb so you can cover a greater area. There are charts as to how high any light bulb needs to be above the plant and how large a radius it's recommended to cover. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is another type of bulb I've never used called 'metal halide'. They are supposed to be good bulbs and are used in large grow houses, but they're expensive and dangerous. They get searingly hot. Not only can this burn your plants, but you as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An alternative to the CFL bulbs are the LED bulbs they're starting to come out with. The light looks purple, because it's alternating straight blue and straight red lights. It gives it a pinkish purple haze. I think I read somewhere, though, that while these are great for plants, they aren't great for human eyes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will give you something to look into and hopefully point you in the right direction to learn more about your lighting sources. I'd personally stick with the CFL bulbs, because they are low energy and give off very little heat. Just look at the charts on the internet to see how many you need for a given number of plants. (IE: You'll need x amount of bulbs at 18&quot; to cover so many square inches of plants, like a 17&quot;x22&quot; nursery tray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-02-01T16:14:34.520" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23001" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17665" CreationDate="2016-02-01T17:06:36.967" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ok, so I agree with the post that discusses increasing the pot size. If you do decide to use the leaves or lop off anything, you actually need to dry them out and wait until they start putting out new roots. They will do this most of the time. The stump that was left in the original pot will also start to regrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This webpage really helped me!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://needlesandleaves.net/blog/2013/5/31/propagating-leggy-succulents&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://needlesandleaves.net/blog/2013/5/31/propagating-leggy-succulents&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13770" LastActivityDate="2016-02-01T17:06:36.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23002" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-01T17:19:45.230" Score="1" ViewCount="36" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is a corm in plant ?&#xA;What is a bulb of a plant ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13769" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-02-16T13:27:29.677" LastActivityDate="2016-02-16T13:27:29.677" Title="Corm and bulb please for god tell me something ?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2016-02-01T17:28:25.197" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23003" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22874" CreationDate="2016-02-01T17:48:23.590" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it might be Orbea variegata, previously called Stapelia variegata&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scoop.it/t/succulents?page=3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.scoop.it/t/succulents?page=3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-02-01T17:48:23.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22970" CreationDate="2016-02-01T21:27:16.163" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to tell how much light you're getting. So, it's hard to say. Here's my recommendation:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get some shade-tolerant tomatoes. There are at least a few out there, but they might not be ideal for your purpose. If they're heat/cold/drought tolerant, and parthenocarpic, that's even better, but I'm not sure if any one tomato meets all of that criteria, yet.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Give them plenty of soil. I find that outdoor soil encourages fruiting on indoor plants more, but it may have diseases or pests that may stick around in your house and infest your houseplants, too. (So, I don't recommend outdoor soil particularly.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Learning about plant regulators (plant hormones) may help. Some are supposed to help prevent blossom drop. (Which tends to be a problem indoors).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Really, though, I'm guessing you could do with some grow lights. Just get some CFLs or something. Make sure some of them are lower color temperatures so as to get enough red light (which is important for flowering). Higher ones (which is what people tend to recommend) help mostly for leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would recommend trying Grandpa's Home peppers instead of cherry tomatoes, personally. They're supposed to do well on limited light, and are said to be usable as houseplants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-02-01T21:27:16.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23005" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23006" CreationDate="2016-02-02T05:03:29.217" Score="6" ViewCount="167" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found very little information that will help me grow a gingko biloba plant at home. To the T, i'm a novice in plant nursery with a new zeal/interest. Now, I've been watering a young sapling every alternate day. There are about 7-8 stems out of which 3-4 are dying. I don't understand what could be the reason as I have put new composting ( bought from a store ). I have placed this plant on the window where there is direct sunglight but a acrylic sheet covering the plant from direct light. Weather wise , mumbai is not very hot, not cold currently. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How does the watering system in plants works ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13774" LastActivityDate="2016-02-02T07:40:42.170" Title="how to grow gingko biloba young sapling at home" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23006" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23005" CreationDate="2016-02-02T07:40:42.170" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The key thing with any plant in a pot of compost is that the roots must get air (oxygen, actually). Overwatering is the most common error.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stick your finger on the soil surface and drag it across the surface a short way. If it feels wet and soil sticks to your finger, you should not water. An alternative is to use a wooden skewer/stick/chop-stick. Shove it into the soil to the bottom of the pot. Periodically (say daily), pull it out and check that it is damp - water only when it isn't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, there will be problems if the soil gets too dry. When this happens, the leafs and young stems will suddenly be limp. You should then water and see them recover turgidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Likely you need to water less. I suggest that you not water until turgidity is lost and observe how the soil feels to your finger and/or the stick appears and feels. Then water ASAP - now you know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing to consider is the root temperature - the roots need to stay below 95F (35F). Put a meat thermometer probe in the soil amongst the roots and observe. You may need to cover the pot of soil with something (aluminum foil, a damp white towel, etc) to keep the roots from getting too hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The issue with growing a ginkgo in Mumbai is likely to be getting the necessary winter dormancy. Temperate trees all require something between 1,000 and 2,000 hours below 40F (5C). You may need to put the tree in a refrigerator to achieve this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-02-02T07:40:42.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23007" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-02T16:03:18.717" Score="4" ViewCount="6621" Body="&lt;p&gt;I moved my Japanese Maple tree from a pot and planted it in my garden over a year ago. Since the leaves shriveled and died the tree seems to also have dried out and is not producing new buds, has it died completely or can it be saved? I have posted pics below. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MnvWH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MnvWH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dying Japanese Acer&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jiENn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jiENn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;root of Acer&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13777" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-18T19:28:38.533" LastActivityDate="2018-04-18T19:28:38.533" Title="Has my Japanese Maple completely died?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23008" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22991" CreationDate="2016-02-02T16:12:50.367" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The medicinal part of most Convolvulus species is the root. They're contact laxatives, that is, they will make you poo very effectively. They work by irritating the gut walls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're not currently used, though, because there are less painful laxatives.&#xA;(Scammony is a convolvulus.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a lot of information about a few medicinal convolvuluses, with texts from a few old medicinal herb books: &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://henriettes-herb.com/plants/convolvulus/scammonia.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Scammony&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://henriettes-herb.com/plants/convolvulus/arvensis.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Field Bindweed&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://henriettes-herb.com/plants/calystegia/sepium.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Greater Bindweed&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I quite like this tidbit from Sturtevant on greater bindweed (Calystegia sepium): &quot;Calystegia sepium R. Br. Convolvulaceae. Bindweed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Temperate climates. It has edible stalks which are eaten by the Hindus. The roots are said to be boiled and eaten by the Chinese, who manage, says Smith, to cook and digest almost every root or tuber in spite of the warnings of botanists and chemists.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9649" LastActivityDate="2016-02-02T16:12:50.367" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23009" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-02T19:45:41.820" Score="12" ViewCount="397" Body="&lt;p&gt;My son bought me a bonsai tree for Father's day in June last year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It grew new leaves and shoots for a while and has been watered regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has now dropped all its leaves and there does not seem to be any new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to know how I can tell what type of tree it is and whether it has lost its leaves for the winter or if there is something more seriously wrong with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pictures are from mid-December when it started to loose its leaves and now it is a bare tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree has been kept on the window ledge in the kitchen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e7Xvo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e7Xvo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13778" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-03T04:46:04.960" LastActivityDate="2020-08-09T03:10:01.700" Title="What is this bonsai tree with serrated elliptic leaves and why has it lost all its leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23010" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23009" CreationDate="2016-02-02T22:35:15.803" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like an elm of some kind. I am unsure of the specific variety, but I will say that &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zelkova_serrata&quot;&gt;Zelkova serrata&lt;/a&gt; (white bark Chinese elm) is a popular bonsai species. I understand that some elms will behave as an evergreen indoors, but generally they will drop leaves in response to shortened daylight hours (I keep mine outdoors and they seem to drop leaves primarily because of the first frost).  Based on the health of the tree depicted in your photo, I would expect it to start leafing out again in a few weeks time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, you can scratch the bark with your thumbnail (all the way down to the wood inside). If you see a line of green around the wound, your tree is alive. You can also watch the buds that are located where the leaves used to attach to the stem and soon enjoy them getting larger, then 'cracking', and watch your new leaves emerge!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, meanwhile, be careful not to overwater. The soil should feel dry (at and near the surface) before you water. Roots must get oxygen; overwatering will literally drown the roots and kill your tree. Of course the roots must remain moist, but the most common beginner mistake is to overdo it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-03T04:49:07.550" LastActivityDate="2016-02-03T04:49:07.550" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22207" CreationDate="2016-02-03T01:57:41.787" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The paper refers to ethanol, and not isopropyl alchohol which is a larger molecule and also toxic to humans.  There are also differences in their effects on living tissue which is why isoproply alcohol is used as a skin preparation rather then ethanol.&#xA;It may therefore have different effects on the roots from ethanol.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the authors of the paper ( &lt;a href=&quot;http://horttech.ashspublications.org/content/16/2/294.full.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://horttech.ashspublications.org/content/16/2/294.full.pdf&lt;/a&gt;) have only tested ethanol, and do not know the mechanism of action, then you're conducting a different experiment.&#xA;It's unfortunate that their paper uses the word alcohol in the title.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the math, if you dilute it 50% 4 times, you'll reach a final concentration of 4.35% which is close enough to their working range, and easy to do for experimentation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I found another website that also claims isopropyl alcohol worked just as well. It's unclear if the claim is just being repeated, or if it's based on experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thetrustygardener.com/blog/2010/12/09/alcohol-drinking-paperwhites/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://thetrustygardener.com/blog/2010/12/09/alcohol-drinking-paperwhites/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tippling Tips for Paperwhites . . .&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get a 5% solution from a 40% distilled spirit like gin, vodka, whiskey, rum, or tequila, add 1 part of the booze to 7 parts of water – this is an 8-fold dilution, yielding 5% alcohol.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) works just as well. It is usually 70% alcohol when purchased, so use 1 part rubbing alcohol to 10 or 11 parts water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not use beer or wine, as the sugars in them will cause problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As with humans, paperwhites can suffer alcohol overdoses. Do not give them more than 10% alcohol.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's thought that water stress is differentially affecting stem and leaf growth, but does not affect the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T21:24:45.430" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23012" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22874" CreationDate="2016-02-03T03:00:00.227" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think it is a cactus...&#xA;if you give it a tiny knick is the juice clear or milky?&#xA;clear would lean me to stapelia, milky to euphorbia...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;it looks like a stapelia to me, generally, but the flower or the latex would be a more definitive test.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2016-02-03T03:00:00.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23014" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23016" CreationDate="2016-02-03T06:57:12.660" Score="9" ViewCount="1170" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine is currently abroad in Africa, and she took this photo of a brilliantly-colored flower in Malawi:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DRxZy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tall flowering plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd love to have something at home so brilliant, but obviously I have no idea what it is. My first thought was of some kind of lupine, but the gradual shift from brilliant blue to muted pink and the shape of the petals seemed uncharacteristic of any of the &lt;em&gt;lupinus&lt;/em&gt; flowers I've seen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other information I can provide is that this was taken somewhere near Dedza, in Africa, and that it appears to just be the flowering tip of a larger plant or tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13781" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-03T15:39:30.877" LastActivityDate="2018-07-29T03:08:35.683" Title="What is this African shrub with spikes of brilliant blue flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23016" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23014" CreationDate="2016-02-03T08:07:27.877" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe I've found it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pycnostachys&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pycnostachys urticifolia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, more commonly called Blue Witches Hat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oYWPl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;blue witches hat from Annie&amp;#39;s Annuals&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.anniesannuals.com/special_pgs/pom/0408/default.asp&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Annie's Annuals&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Stunning, bright cobalt blue, “Witch’s Hat” blooms delight us Fall through early Spring on this easy-to-grow, evergreen perennial/shrub from South Africa. Fast growing to 4’ or 5’ tall &amp;amp; almost as wide, it creates a multi-branching shrub, eventually forming quite a solid, woody, main trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13781" LastEditorUserId="13781" LastEditDate="2016-02-03T14:43:22.040" LastActivityDate="2016-02-03T14:43:22.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23017" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23007" CreationDate="2016-02-03T12:56:12.897" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the bark color, I will guess that the tree has completely died. Do a scratch test, but I'm pretty sure it's dead at least from the ground up. I'm guessing it died from a root infection. Check the roots. I would expect the bark to be black/dark and peeling. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next time, try not to let the soil stay wet right after planting. Slightly moist to the touch, but not wet, for a month or so of growth. This will allow the roots to adjust to the heavier garden soil without harm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-03T12:56:12.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23019" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-03T14:28:07.677" Score="6" ViewCount="110" Body="&lt;p&gt;Will allowing a cable eye bolt to become overgrown damage the trees or must the cables be replaced?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13784" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-03T15:38:39.790" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T15:11:50.713" Title="What problems will result from overgrowth of cable eye bolts in silver maple and tulip trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23020" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-03T18:15:25.420" Score="10" ViewCount="125" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm getting ready to start some tomato plants. We do a lot of canning and want to get some highly productive plants for making sauces. We live in USDA zone 5. Looking for meaty tomatoes from plants that have high yields.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have an area about 35 feet long against a fence that is 6 feet tall. It faces directly south, gets full sun and I can tie off the plants to the fence as they grow. Looking for semi determinate to determinate plants so I'm not spending the entire summer making sauce a little at a time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had some regular roma's last year along with other varieties. I wasn't happy with the production from the roma's.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastEditorUserId="13786" LastEditDate="2016-02-03T18:52:25.580" LastActivityDate="2016-02-05T09:11:24.420" Title="What are some of the top producing tomato plants for use in sauces?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23021" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22837" CreationDate="2016-02-03T19:42:49.980" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They certainly do look like Oyster's. Without seeing the stem it's hard to know for sure. A white spore print is also a good indication. I've seen many Oyster's that split off like that as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did find one forum that addresses whether or not they can grow on Yukka. It seems that the major consensus is yes. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/12812751&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/12812751&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastActivityDate="2016-02-03T19:42:49.980" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23022" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23026" CreationDate="2016-02-03T20:09:07.687" Score="16" ViewCount="4227" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have never planted root vegetables before so I don't know how to tell whether it is ripe or not without pulling the root out of the soil and seeing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I love beets and I love carrots also but if I ever grow them, I am going to have to know when they are ripe without pulling them out of the soil. One solution I can see to this is hydroponics where you grow plants in nutrient enriched water. There is just one problem with that. Roots, whether you are talking about the edible roots or the non-edible roots, need oxygen and the little bit of oxygen that is dissolved in water is not enough. However too much oxygen can kill the plant if it isn't doing cellular respiration fast enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So how would I know when a beet or a carrot or any other edible root is ripe without pulling the root out of the soil or risking lack of oxygen and oxygen poisoning with hydroponics? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13109" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-23T20:55:31.100" LastActivityDate="2016-02-23T20:55:31.100" Title="How can I tell when root vegetables are ripe?" Tags="&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23023" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23020" CreationDate="2016-02-03T20:16:29.360" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;One variety you might want to consider is Mariana Hybrid. It is a determinate paste tomato. In my experience, it is very productive and has good flavor. They have nice large fruit that are well-shaped. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-02-03T20:16:29.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23024" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23022" CreationDate="2016-02-03T20:38:06.163" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most root foods don't actually &quot;ripen&quot; and can be harvested at any time. If you're looking to maximize the size of the root, some things like carrots and beets will start to show the crown of the root above ground giving you some indication of their size. Other roots like potatoes is pretty much going to be a trust with timing depending on what size you are going for but no matter the size, they are all edible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastEditorUserId="13786" LastEditDate="2016-02-03T21:45:19.867" LastActivityDate="2016-02-03T21:45:19.867" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23025" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23022" CreationDate="2016-02-03T20:40:26.537" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;For carrots it depends on the type.  The seed packet will give the best idea on how many days it will take, but here are some general guidelines:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Baby carrots: 50-60 days&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mature carrots: around 75 days&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In most cases, you can look for the tops of the carrot to be about 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For beets, again the seed packet will give you a good estimate on the length of time to let them grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They can get up to about 4in in diameter, you can pull them when they are the size you'd like after about 45 days (once again take a little soil off the top and you can get a feel for the size of the beets).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13659" LastActivityDate="2016-02-03T20:40:26.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23022" CreationDate="2016-02-03T20:53:40.463" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, it is so easy, it will probably surprise you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beets and carrots grow partly &lt;em&gt;above the soil&lt;/em&gt;, especially when they mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Especially beets - you may assume that about half of the thick, fleshy part remains exposed. See this picture and note how only the lower part shows traces of soil:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QIT1S.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QIT1S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;(&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oekogarten-voelklingen.de/themen-gemuese-rotebete.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similar for carrots, but you &lt;em&gt;may&lt;/em&gt; have to wipe away a tiny bit of soil to get a better idea of the current thickness:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1xWRZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1xWRZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;(&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.neulichimgarten.de/blog/gemueseanbau/moehren-ohne-maden-ernten-dank-gemueseschutznetz/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The dates on the seed packets will give you a good idea about when you should &lt;em&gt;expect&lt;/em&gt; them to be fully ripe, but you might choose to harvest sooner (&quot;baby beets&quot;) or later, if you feel they &quot;need a bit more time&quot;. Roots don't spoil like fruit does.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Practical side notes: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you planted the seeds a tad too close (like in the carrot picture above), you can harvest baby carrots etc. to give the remaining plants adequate room. Likewise, you can stretch your harvest by pulling the largest specimens for your current kitchen needs and letting the smaller ones grow a bit longer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This does apply only to some extent to radishes, they can get woody or hollow if too old. Here you have only a few days of leeway between &quot;fully grown&quot; and &quot;too late&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2016-02-05T12:06:15.723" LastActivityDate="2016-02-05T12:06:15.723" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23027" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7497" CreationDate="2016-02-04T08:56:48.743" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You also have to be very careful about your nutrient solution concentration because if the solution is too concentrated the process of osmosis comes into play leading to plant wilting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13790" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-04T13:24:29.693" LastActivityDate="2016-02-04T13:24:29.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23028" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23020" CreationDate="2016-02-04T09:25:37.663" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Of those I'm about to list, I've only ever actually grown Roma, San Marzano and Yellow Pear. Roma was quite productive, but San Marzano probably needed to adapt to my hot &amp;amp; dry area better; I could tell it could be quite productive in ideal conditions. Roma produces all season, but we get a lot at the end of the season, normally. Because I'm sure lots of different strains of Roma must exist, the kind we had last (I don't know where the earlier ones were from) was from Home Depot (bonnieplants.com tags) in Ontario, Oregon, in 2014 (and the tomatoes were pointed, unlike the grocery store Romas).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read and/or heard that these are productive tomatoes great for sauce:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/opalka.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Opalka&lt;/a&gt; (indeterminate)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/gilbertie.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gilbertie&lt;/a&gt; (indeterminate)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.highmowingseeds.com/organic-non-gmo-seeds-roma-vf-tomato.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;VF Roma&lt;/a&gt; (determinate; this is supposed to be a disease-resistant tomato to supplant the regular Roma, I believe; I know someone who quite loves the taste; so, it sounds like more than disease-resistance was improved.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dollarseed.com/pd-tomato-roma.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Roma&lt;/a&gt; (determinate)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_oroma.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Oroma&lt;/a&gt; (determinate; parthenocarpic; half Roma and half Santiam)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_saucy.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Saucy&lt;/a&gt; (determinate; parthenocarpic; half Roma and half Santiam)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/federle.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Federle&lt;/a&gt; (indeterminate)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/napoli.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Napoli&lt;/a&gt; (indeterminate)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/polish-linguisa.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Polish Linguisa&lt;/a&gt; (indeterminate)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/san-marzano.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;San Marzano&lt;/a&gt; (indeterminate)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.timeless-tomatoes.com/amish-paste1.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Amish Paste&lt;/a&gt; (indeterminate; I hear it's on the juicy side for a paste tomato, though, but people like it.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Heat/drought/cold/humidity/aridity/disease tolerance can also affect your productivity. So I recommend studying up on which tomatoes do best in your area, too. Usually local retailers will sell some that do well. Saving your seeds and planting again the next year every time may also improve productivity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might try &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amishlandseeds.com/russian_tomatoes.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Yellow Trifele tomato&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amishlandseeds.com/russian_tomatoes.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Red Trifele Russian tomato&lt;/a&gt;. They're supposed to be very meaty and productive. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_yellow-pear.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Yellow Pear&lt;/a&gt; is also supposed to work as a sauce tomato, and is extremely productive (but very indeterminate). &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mariannasheirloomseeds.com/heirloom-seeds-catalog/mariseeds-heirloom-tomato-seeds/yellow-orange-tomatoes/mexican-yellow-detail.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mexican Yellow&lt;/a&gt; is supposed to be meaty and extremely productive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on your stated requirements and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.territorialseed.com/product/Saucey_Tomato_Seed&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this description&lt;/a&gt;, I'm guessing Saucy might be a pretty good choice. I could be wrong, but it looks perfect. It's determinate. It holds well on the vine; so you can get one large harvest, they say. It's supposed to taste great. It's very meaty. It's supposed to be very productive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-02-05T09:11:24.420" LastActivityDate="2016-02-05T09:11:24.420" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23029" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-04T19:03:17.717" Score="1" ViewCount="23" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have read that the more red a hot pepper is, the hotter the pepper. Drying also increases the heat. However my momma says that the more red a hot pepper is, the fruiter it is which suggests that since I like very few kinds of hot peppers(only a lot or a few banana peppers and only a few jalapenos) that if I do grow hot peppers, I should let them completely ripen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But is this correlation between the color of the pepper and the heat of the pepper true that the redder the pepper, the hotter the pepper? Or is my momma right on that the redder peppers are fruitier regardless of whether they are sweet peppers or hot peppers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13109" LastActivityDate="2016-02-04T19:03:17.717" Title="Correlation between hotter peppers and further ripening" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-02-04T19:36:16.147" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23030" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-04T20:03:04.257" Score="7" ViewCount="1047" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some notocactus seeds sometime in September and many have germinated since then. A few weeks ago, there was an incident where some of my succulents may have experienced frost and I can't be positive which ones (other than the obvious effects: I had to throw many away as a result of succulents drooping and oozing). I haven't noticed any obvious growth in the notocactus seedlings recently and pictures I've taken fail to help me identify growth due to the extremely small seedlings' sizes (see below).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D0PgL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D0PgL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Notocactus seedlings&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm curious as to whether my cactus seedlings have died or not. &lt;em&gt;They seem mushy when probed with a small toothpick&lt;/em&gt;, which I know is a sign of succulent death. Is there a definitive way to be able to tell whether my notocactus seedlings have died or they're just going through typical slow growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13637" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-11T01:03:03.630" LastActivityDate="2016-02-11T01:03:03.630" Title="How can I determine if cactus seedlings are dead?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;frost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23031" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22815" CreationDate="2016-02-04T22:34:51.810" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you tried soaking or scoring the seed before planting? Scarification and stratification are two methods to help plants break through hard seeds shells. Try some of the methods on this site: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/pretreatments-slow-germinate-seeds&quot;&gt;http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/pretreatments-slow-germinate-seeds&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13772" LastActivityDate="2016-02-04T22:34:51.810" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23032" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-05T00:53:25.980" Score="6" ViewCount="270" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a plant without a name tag (in the picture). I'm guessing that it might be a Pothos, but I wasn't sure. What is the name of this plant and how should I plant and care for it? I plan to grow it in my apartment room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hmoer.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hmoer.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13795" LastEditorUserId="2276" LastEditDate="2016-02-05T07:53:05.650" LastActivityDate="2016-02-05T11:08:18.127" Title="What is the name of this plant and how should I plant and care for it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23033" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23032" CreationDate="2016-02-05T03:11:35.793" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have an Aglaonema - common name Chinese Evergreen. There are many different varieties. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a hardy plant, that's easy to keep. It likes to be indoors, can tolerate low light and doesn't like to be overwatered. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Detailed information on caring for it can be found here at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/chinese-evergreen/chinese-evergreen-plants.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardeningknowhow&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2016-02-05T03:11:35.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23034" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-05T03:39:48.273" Score="6" ViewCount="131" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large jade crosby plant. The plant is 2'4&amp;quot; tall, with a 7&amp;quot; trunk circumference at the base. It sits at a south facing window in my apartment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was wondering about watering schedule. I read online that during winter I should water about once a month. However, I haven’t been able to find how much water I should be giving it, since it is a larger plant. Right now I have been giving it 16oz of water every month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant has been dropping leaves and branches consistently for the past 2 months. However, it also has some new growth. I am not sure whether this has been an over or under watering issue. There is not any other visible disease or pests on the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How often should I water, and when I do how much water should I be giving it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/PsJoe&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;imgur album&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/ZiRQ0iv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;jade crosby&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/qprMFL8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;jade closup&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13796" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-02-06T17:57:41.807" Title="Watering Schedule: Large Jade Crosby" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23037" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23032" CreationDate="2016-02-05T11:08:18.127" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieffenbachia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dieffenbachia&lt;/a&gt;, a member of the Arum family which includes the Spathiphyllum and Anthurium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The care conditions are: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bright diffuse limit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keep a little moister than you would normally&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;under low light conditions this plant stretches out and flops, do not be afraid to cut the stem back to just a few inches above the soil as new growth will bud easily&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The major claim to fame this plant has is that it has been described as fatally poisonous due to presence of oxalic acid in the leaves. Yet if you actually look for statistics on fatalities from houseplants it's hard to find much. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hoax-slayer.com/killer-house-plant-warning.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; has more details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not let anyone or any pet eat any part of this plant or they will get minor irritation.  With any toxicity claims the amount you ingest is as important as what.  Stick with salads...   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-02-05T11:08:18.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23038" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23034" CreationDate="2016-02-05T13:35:07.350" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a very nice Jade plant.  The leaves look plump which means they have enough water.  How much you should water depends on the light levels, soil type and the pot arrangements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in winter months reduce water quantity so the leaves are still plump to the touch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;optimum soil type is sharp sand (builder's sand) with a little organic matter like peat moss or fine compost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it looks like the inner pot is surrounded by white Styrofoam peanuts.  Is it possible that the plant is sitting in water?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although a bit messy I recommend removing the plant and inner pot to have a look at what is happening inside the outer pot. Jades tend to have a dense but fine root system.  They will not do well if they are sitting in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the quantity of water I recommend cutting the amount by half for the next few months and then slowly increasing as spring arrives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-02-05T13:35:07.350" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23040" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5061" CreationDate="2016-02-05T21:50:44.023" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;To answer the question, yes, the white butterfly does repeatedly lay eggs even on infested plants, selecting those leaves with the highest nitrogen content which are the growing parts of your brassicas. Even if you remove all the caterpillars you see, you'll miss some. I can remove all from my large Brussels sprout to find large caterpillars the following day. Clearly they didn't grow to that size overnight, so they were too camouflaged for me to see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've even seen larger caterpillars under netting so the eggs must have been laid for the short time we had the netting off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-02-05T21:50:44.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23041" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23125" CreationDate="2016-02-05T22:03:51.317" Score="6" ViewCount="802" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen various articles/posts to say that decoy artificial white butterflies, such as the one I just made, are effective in preventing attack of brassicas by the white butterfly Pieris rapae. The thesis is that the insect is highly territorial and will fly off if it sees a competitor. But are these reports just publication bias or does it really work? I'm looking for controlled studies.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://imgur.com/e9f0J4X.png&quot; alt=&quot;white butterfly decoy&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-11T00:58:02.507" LastActivityDate="2018-01-18T02:17:04.587" Title="Do white butterfly decoys work against Pieris rapae?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23043" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23034" CreationDate="2016-02-06T05:04:39.610" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a sure sign of stress.Don’t water your jade plant on a schedule. Rather, water your jade plant when the top of soil is just dry to the touch. Also see the soil at the base of the plant, if it's dry water it.The most important factors to consider when growing jade houseplants is water, light, temperature, and fertilizer.Every plant needs some type of light. Also the room may be too warm for the plant and that may be drying it out.We used to grow them. They are somewhat temperamental.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13566" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-06T05:05:29.190" LastActivityDate="2016-02-06T05:05:29.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23044" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23232" CreationDate="2016-02-06T07:30:30.693" Score="6" ViewCount="526" Body="&lt;p&gt;What summer flowers can be planted in northern India in March? The summers are humid and very hot (35 °C average temperature). My garden is covered by a translucent &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibre-reinforced_plastic&quot;&gt;FRP&lt;/a&gt; sheet (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) so the plants receive medium sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13801" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-06T16:39:52.947" LastActivityDate="2016-03-22T08:32:34.423" Title="What are good summer flowers for humid and hot conditions in northern India?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="457" CreationDate="2016-02-06T12:24:52.460" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the pot is big enough.  I am growing about 6 or 7 plants in a pot smaller than that.  I get about 3-4 chillies every month from each pot( i have 3 pots) . Its my first time planting chillies and I don't know how much they grow.  They have stopped growing now and they are about 1.5 feet high.  I think your pot is big enough. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13285" LastActivityDate="2016-02-06T12:24:52.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23046" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-06T12:28:44.650" Score="6" ViewCount="39" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to plant capsicum in a pot.  Is it possible?  If yes is a pot of 5 litres enough?  Also how much  does the plant grow?  Please help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13285" LastActivityDate="2016-02-06T18:36:57.457" Title="Capsicum potted plants" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;capsicum-pubsecens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23047" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-06T12:39:11.033" Score="4" ViewCount="39" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have chilli plants in 3 pots.  Each pot has about 6-7 plants.  Each pot is about 3 to 5 litres. Is it more than the capacity? Shall i repot them? If I repot them will I get more yield?( now I get about 3-4 chillies every month from each pot) How shall I repot them without damaging the roots? The plants are 1.5 feet.  Will they grow more if I repot them?  Please help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13285" LastActivityDate="2016-02-06T19:15:38.583" Title="Size and growth of chilles (repotting needed?)" Tags="&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23048" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23022" CreationDate="2016-02-06T14:41:42.830" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless you are a farmer producing for some bulk processing use, odds are high that you'll harvest over a period of time anyway. As such, yanking a sample is not detrimental to the overall harvest - it's part of it. If you are a farmer, you'd be sampling anyway. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both beets and carrots normally need thinning (reduction of plants in the row/bed to allow adequate space for the remaining plants to attain full growth) anyway, and the thinnings are all edible, as well as giving you some idea of progress in growth. And, of course, there's the number of days from when planted and/or emergence - harvest by calendar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are aiming for a bulk harvest to store for personal use, you'll need to plan the planting time so it's ready to harvest (or mulch for later digging, if storing in the ground) when frost comes, and it won't much matter what size it actually is, as that's all you'll be getting that year - which is once again harvesting by calendar (by planning the planting date.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-02-06T14:41:42.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23049" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22832" CreationDate="2016-02-06T16:30:34.350" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;We use aged manure on our tree crops and it's fine, as long as it's aged. It's full of ammonia and will absolutely burn up veggie crops if not seasoned (aged). Manure that's aged is wonderful for pasture lands, some vegetable, trees, shrubs and that's about it. We have poultry houses and we have lots and use a lot also in our tree farm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fresh manure has microbes in it that may be dangerous. It should be incorporated into the soil when it is aged or composted. Do not apply fresh manure to edible crops that will soon be harvested or store manure next to produce storage or handling areas. If manure touches foods, it can cause foodborne illnesses. If it is stored rather than incorporated into the soil, make sure there is no runoff into sources of drinking water or food production areas. Wheelbarrows, buckets and equipment that have touched fresh manure should not touch produce that will be eaten raw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13566" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-06T16:41:29.240" LastActivityDate="2016-02-06T16:41:29.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23052" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23046" CreationDate="2016-02-06T18:36:57.457" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A 5 litre pot should be ample. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But not to worry, plants are often sold in plastic pots that are about 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm, or even smaller. They possibly will do well in this small space for a  a month or two. One can pop off this pot, loosen the roots on the outside of the soil mass and put it into a larger pot with additional soil. This process can be repeated again and again, in any season, as the pot becomes filled with roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The simplest indication that the pot may be saturated with roots is that roots are growing out of the pot's the drainage hole(s). Then one just gently removes the pot. If the exposed soil mass is wrapped in roots, time for a new pot. Else, the pot its in is adequate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-02-06T18:36:57.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22989" CreationDate="2016-02-06T19:04:20.260" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut the branch off even with the tree trunk. If its not any larger than 1/2&quot; in diameter, another will grow back. It will die if it's completely separated from the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13566" LastActivityDate="2016-02-06T19:04:20.260" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23055" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23007" CreationDate="2016-02-06T19:06:40.137" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Break a branch off the tree. If the inside is a brown color, it's dead. If it's a whiteish-green it's alive. Please remember, unless you live in a coastal warm state, deciduous plants and trees looks dead in the winter time. Do not think it's dead until you break a branch. It may surprise you this spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13566" LastActivityDate="2016-02-06T19:06:40.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23056" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23047" CreationDate="2016-02-06T19:15:38.583" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chillis need a pot size of at least 10 litres. The soil should be heavily organic since they are heavy feeders and ready draining. Smaller pot sizes, assuming non-root pruning pots, cause the chilli to become root bound stressing the plant so that it flowers more readily, but produces a much smaller crop. The added stress might make the plant more susceptible to attack by aphids etc. It also then needs more frequent watering in a small pot and feeding to maintain the crop. Unless you're prepared to lavish all this attention on it, you are better off going for a pot size of at least 20 litres per plant. Depending on where you live you may need to bring them inside for winter as they are highly sensitive to frost, and don't like strong wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-02-06T19:15:38.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23030" CreationDate="2016-02-06T19:27:32.760" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see green on them. If they are dead they won't be mushy, they will be dried out and brown. Cactus plants have very little moisture in them so they seldom will get mushy because they require a superficial lack of moisture to grow. If they have green on them, they are alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8586" LastActivityDate="2016-02-06T19:27:32.760" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23059" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-07T04:14:43.427" Score="5" ViewCount="343" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've come upon a serious love for Hibiscus tea. We want to plant several Hibiscus plants for our own use. So many types to choose from and not sure which ones to choose for this purpose. Anyone with experience with this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-07T04:35:33.853" LastActivityDate="2016-02-07T13:28:54.270" Title="What variety of Hibiscus grows best in Northern Kentucky?" Tags="&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;hibiscus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23061" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22994" CreationDate="2016-02-07T05:14:37.353" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;No one digs up a tree and root prunes after it's planted.That's insane. They may see a need to transplant and that required digging the tree up and replanting. No one ever digs a tree up and root prunes it. I am a horticulturist. Your not going to find the answer to this question, especially from a university.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for pruning, all trees, 90% of them need cut back in the fall.It's good for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your talking about how to keep trees from being damaged during construction?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep Heavy Equipment away from the trees buy placing something big around them. I bought some concrete blocks, the type you lay for home construction and placed all around one of my trees where we had 2 rooms built on our house. They are big and are easily felt with machinery if one got too close to our trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13566" LastActivityDate="2016-02-07T05:14:37.353" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23062" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23059" CreationDate="2016-02-07T13:20:04.643" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you've been buying Hibiscus tea, the variety of Hibiscus that's used is Hibiscus sabdariffa, which has magenta or deep red sepals (calyx), and that's the part that's used to make the tea. Where you live, you'd have to grow it annually from seed started off indoors, because it won't survive your winters - it does fine in USDA Zones 8 upwards. More information in the link below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.tyrantfarms.com/hibiscus-a-tasty-addition-to-your-edible-landscape-or-garden/&quot;&gt;https://www.tyrantfarms.com/hibiscus-a-tasty-addition-to-your-edible-landscape-or-garden/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In theory, any hibiscus can be used to make a sort of tea (it's really a tisane) but it won't taste the same as tea made from H. sabdariffa, and you may find its tastier using the leaves or other parts of the plant of the variety you choose. There is no definitive information regarding the edibility or otherwise of newer varieties of Hibiscus, but there is a general belief that they're all edible. The other variety that is generally accepted for making tea, in this case using the leaves to make an astringent drink, is Hibiscus rosa sinensis, but again, this isn't hardy in your zone. You might be interested to read the information in the link below regarding  the general edibility of hibiscus, with a little information about tea&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hiddenvalleyhibiscus.com/misc/edible.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.hiddenvalleyhibiscus.com/misc/edible.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The one that will grow and tolerate your temperatures is Hibiscus syriacus - no idea what the tea from that tastes like, it can be made from the leaves or flowers, but the tea may have side effects which you perhaps don't want, as implied in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Hibiscus+syriacus&quot;&gt;http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Hibiscus+syriacus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-02-07T13:28:54.270" LastActivityDate="2016-02-07T13:28:54.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23063" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23852" CreationDate="2016-02-07T15:54:30.090" Score="8" ViewCount="1367" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you help me identify this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dZ8q9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dZ8q9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It opens in the morning and closes in the afternoon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is growing in my backyard in Buenos Aires, Argentina.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It started growing a few months ago, it does not have scent and this is the first flower it has.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1151" LastEditorUserId="1151" LastEditDate="2016-02-11T15:16:45.980" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T19:07:34.960" Title="What is this plant with serrated leaves and small white/yellow flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23064" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-07T17:58:23.550" Score="10" ViewCount="211" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant, originating from a flower seed mix, is the only survivor of the central European winter on my balcony.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The flowers have a mild scent of roses&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Other plants in the package that I could identify are cornflower (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurea_cyanus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Centaurea cyanus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) and bell flower (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campanula_medium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Campanula medium&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plant in the picture has been exposed to temperatures ranging between -5°C and +35°C&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AWfQt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AWfQt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13806" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-14T04:32:11.233" LastActivityDate="2016-02-21T12:22:52.040" Title="What is this hardy plant with purple flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23065" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-07T19:19:29.177" Score="8" ViewCount="1127" Body="&lt;p&gt;I picked up this plant from a plant shop in Phoenix. This white scaly stuff seems to be spreading. I had a second plant just like this that had much more growth on it and it eventually died. I'm really hoping to save it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea how to treat this or what it is? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/amozCqS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;a busy cat&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13807" LastActivityDate="2016-02-08T06:15:07.573" Title="What is this white growth on my euphorbia stenoclada (spiky succulent)?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23066" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23084" CreationDate="2016-02-07T20:50:19.790" Score="6" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my country I don't have fertilizer products, but I know that I can get nitrogen from any greens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I already knew that I can soak them in water to make liquid fertilizer, but what if I want to make slow release fertilizer? Someone told me just to bury them in the soil. Is that true? Is there a better method to get use of the greens as a fertilizer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&#xA;I live in Egypt.&#xA;I want to grow cherry tomatoes in containers.&#xA;The green is kind of grass. &#xA;I don't have space to make compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13757" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-25T00:34:26.073" LastActivityDate="2016-11-25T00:34:26.073" Title="Can I use greens, such as grass, as a fertilizer for tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23067" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-07T21:06:07.457" Score="9" ViewCount="3589" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are purchasing some land in northern KY. and want to start growing food in the wooded area. We plan to plant ginseng but beyond that we are looking for other suggestions as to what we can grow in this thick woods. Very little undergrowth, older forest with a creek near by. Lower level floods in the spring for a short while so that could be helpful with certain plants. Mostly hardwoods, in hardiness zone 6b. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8m2fl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8m2fl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T03:42:53.850" LastActivityDate="2021-04-03T05:43:03.873" Title="Growing beneficial, edible plants in the woods" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;&lt;woodland&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23067" CreationDate="2016-02-07T21:27:08.553" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;What a lovely opportunity, could try Runner beans Phaseolus coccineus, Blackberries Morus Nigeria, but they can go a bit mad, so plant with caution. Ben Law, is a woodsman, who lived in a wood (strangely) he built a house of straw bales, and came to prominence via Grand Designs a tv programme in the uk. He planted many fruits, nuts   and other types of fruit and veg. He has written a book, which may be of some help. There are a couple of nut trees that you may be able to grow, depending on whether or not you have 'livestock' that may graze on your produce. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-02-08T06:37:53.190" LastActivityDate="2016-02-08T06:37:53.190" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23069" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-08T00:28:25.237" Score="8" ViewCount="505" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have one of those 5 in one apple trees and actually got a couple of apples off of it last year. It seems like we have more trees growing off of it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some branch like things sprouting from the bottom of the tree or out of the dirt. From reading another question here, I think those might be non-fruiting suckers. Are they just where the tree is growing new trees off of it, because I'm told this type of tree does that? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are suckers what season should I clip them? Some places say wait until summer and some say cut as soon as possible. It's been rainy here and with El Niño no one knows whats going on. I'm in zone 8.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13809" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-08T21:39:57.773" LastActivityDate="2016-02-08T21:39:57.773" Title="How and when should I prune my 5 in one dwarf apple tree, including the suckers?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23070" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23069" CreationDate="2016-02-08T01:11:48.540" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Take a close look.  Usually the main graft of a fruit tree is a few inches above the ground.  It will appear as a lump in the trunk.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a multiple cultivar graft, it may be higher.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, any branch coming from below the graft will be coming from the root stock.  This will usually be either a special purpose root stock, or a crabapple.  In either case it will be unlikely to produce edible fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clip them off as close to the trunk as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Multiple cultivars are a balancing act:  The vigor of different cultivars often makes one grow at the expense of others.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this doesn't work, or is hard to manage look at getting several semi-dwarf root stock, and graft one scion of each cultivar to one root stock.  Google 'tall spindle' apples on youtube for an alternate approach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2016-02-08T01:11:48.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23071" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23067" CreationDate="2016-02-08T01:19:04.473" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;All of the currant family (red, black, gooseberry, lingonberry...) do reasonably well in shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;High and low bush cranberry do well in shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have light shade, look at nut trees.  It will be a good while before they produce, but it's worth a look.  Hickory, hazelnut, walnut, beechnut are possibilities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recall that one of persimmon and pawpaw do ok in shade.  Same source said that one is wonderful and two is tiresome for both fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most plants that produce significant surplus for eating, need full sun or close to full sun.  E.g. Raspberries will grow well under a dense poplar canopy, but will only produce a few raspberries per cane, where the same plant in full sun will produce dozens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another possible product for you is mushrooms.  There are a bunch that are fairly easy to produce on logs.  Here the big ones are Shitake and Oyster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another consideration is to clear &lt;em&gt;some&lt;/em&gt; of the land.  Your photo looks like a fairly mature forest.  You could clear half to 1 acre clearings.  One acre is several year's fire wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastEditorUserId="2067" LastEditDate="2021-04-03T05:43:03.873" LastActivityDate="2021-04-03T05:43:03.873" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="23072" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-08T01:41:29.233" Score="5" ViewCount="5977" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an amaryllis plant that is getting ready to bloom, and I know that I won't have enough time to cross pollinate it with a snowdrop so I want to know if it's possible in general to preserve pollen for extended periods of time and if so, for how long?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13702" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T02:14:28.293" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T02:14:28.293" Title="Can I preserve plant pollen?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;hybrids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23073" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22994" CreationDate="2016-02-08T01:44:30.653" Score="6" Body="&lt;h3&gt;Some rules of thumb after 12 years in the nursery and landscape trade.&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mimic natural processes if you can.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Changes in the natural world are either gradual or fatal.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't change the grade between the trunk and 1 to 1.5 times the radius to the dripline.  (I've seen this number range to as small as 3 feet.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of the feeder roots are within a few inches of the surface.  Add more soil to that surface, and you starve the roots for oxygen.  Scalp the soil back, and you remove feeder roots.  Google &quot;grade adjustments&quot;  Usually your best bet is to build a wall  a few feet outside the dripline, with no grade changes inside the wall.  I have heard of adjustments being made slowly -- 1/2 inch a year, but can't cite sources for that. This is in essence a mimic of the natural accumulation of duff under the tree.  Lightweight, gradual, measured in inches per decade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Working from common sense, trees that are tolerant of heavy soils, and substantial flood time will be more tolerant of added grade materials -- their roots have evolved to tolerate low oxygen levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From that same unreliable source, raising the grade with lightweight material that is porous and breathes well will do less harm than paving stones. (Mimics duff and sod growing.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't drive over the root zone. (1.5 times radius of trunk to dripline)  Vehicles compact the soil.  This reduces both air and water exchange with the top few inches. Google &quot;Soil compaction&quot;  Most of the references will be to agriculture not arboriculture.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But check your species.  Birch have roots that can extend to a radius of 5 times the height of the tree.  However these are the exceptions, not the rules.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do have to make changes inside the zone, make those changes to a small fraction.  Most trees will tolerate loss of a quarter of their root area, and will compensate elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If working with a large stand of trees don't remove more than 1/4 to 1/3 of the trees in any given year.  Trees adjust to a given level of wind stress.  Take out too many at once, and the remaining ones don't have enough root to withstand the wind.  Google &quot;windthrow&quot;  This one you should be able to find in standard introductory forestry texts in the chapters on selective cutting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't prune more that 1/3 of the tree in a given year.  Tops or roots.  Try to balance both.  Try any reference on fruit tree pruning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have to root prune, water the tree thoroughly 48 hours ahead of time.  This will give the tree a reserve.  Conversation with the plantation manager at Classic Landscape who claimed that a 3&quot; caliper elm could be moved with a 4 foot spade in mid summer if watered this way.  But he also said that this was the only tree he would move in mid summer at this large a caliper to spade ratio.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you can, do your work on the tree in the dormant season.  Root systems are active at temperatures above about 5-8 C.  Roots can recover somewhat during the warm soil temps extending into fall, while the top is dormant.  Also, if the ground is frozen soil compaction is minimized.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Why this information is hard to find&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot provide sources.  This stuff is not generally written up into papers.  Horticulture and landscaping seem to be web-phobic in their reluctance to write stuff down.  Stuff that gets written down is usually in connection to a product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, the stuff that IS written down ain't necessarily so.  I have found numerous references saying that you could not grow trees in above ground pots in zone 3.  20,000 trees here say otherwise.  That said, some trees don't do well above ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In cases where there is actual science done, it is either so broad or so narrow as to be useless.  If I want to know if people can keep a spruce tree indoors in late December, I need to know the chilling requirements to recommend proper care.  Research cites a range of 300 to 1500 hours below 40F.  A range of 5 answer isn't useful to me.  Other writings about propagation give specific recipes for a specific cultivar in specific climate, with contradictions from other sources.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's very hard to make generalizations about this sort of thing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Trees aren't cut from the same cloth. Different trees will react differently&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The tree's history affects it.  E.g.  A tree that is watered once every 3 weeks with 3 inches of surface water over the entire plantation will have a very different root structure than one watered for 30 minutes once a day with a pair of 2 gph drippers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The soil makes a difference.  Heavier soils allow adequate anchoring at shallower depths, and require feeder roots to be shallower to obtain adequate oxygen  Some trees adapt by putting roots at a different level, others just refuse to do well in the wrong soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Most research projects need to be done in the time span of a single grad student's thesis.  Lots of things with trees require years.  So you end up with pragmatic recipes that work, not actual controlled experiments.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;To do research with large trees, you are gambling with irreplaceable things.  A 40 foot 100 year old red maple's owner is unlikely to allow you to experiment.  In a few cases, it's 'do it or lose it' and people will try something.  Some of these work, some don't but they aren't done in statistically valid numbers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While some trade associations have guidelines, most of them regard these as guild secrets.  The materials are either unindexed, or require paid memberships to access.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general terms the most useful information for me has come from the extension services of the land grant universities, and from the U.S. Forest Service.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastEditorUserId="2067" LastEditDate="2016-02-08T21:17:02.430" LastActivityDate="2016-02-08T21:17:02.430" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23074" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23069" CreationDate="2016-02-08T03:56:21.633" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are &quot;suckers&quot;, growing from the root stock. Remove them immediately. It is the rootstock trying to take over &amp;amp; is robbing your scions (fruiting grafts) of growth &amp;amp; nutrients. Here is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/hDVSTWL9G_w?t=35&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;video&lt;/a&gt; on pruning suckers (specific for citrus, but same concept).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14906/what-is-a-sucker-and-how-does-it-differ-from-a-water-sprout-or-branch&quot;&gt;This post&lt;/a&gt; also contains a bit more information about sucker growth as well as other irregular tree growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As &lt;em&gt;@Sherwood Botsford&lt;/em&gt; pointed out, you may have to do some judicious pruning on the rest of the tree to keep the different varieties balanced. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13523" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-02-08T03:56:21.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23075" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23066" CreationDate="2016-02-08T04:22:59.740" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should start a &lt;a href=&quot;http://eartheasy.com/grow_compost.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;compost pile&lt;/a&gt;. From the linked source, be aware that the type of material you compost does make a difference in how much nitrogen you get in the end. IE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;fruit &amp;amp; vegetable scraps   - Nitrogen&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;leaves    - Carbon&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;grass clippings   - Nitrogen&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;lawn &amp;amp; garden weeds   - Nitrogen    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;shrub prunings    - Carbon&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13523" LastActivityDate="2016-02-08T04:22:59.740" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23076" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23065" CreationDate="2016-02-08T06:15:07.573" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks vaguely similar to scale, but I really don't know. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest that you dip a Q-tip in isopropyl alcohol and then touch a few of these spots. If they fall off you know it is scale or some similar bug. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can treat the whole tree by taking it outside to spraying it with NEEM oil (at the label prescribed dilution). One spraying will wipe out most if not all of what you see. Be prepared to repeat the spraying again in one to two weeks time as eggs laid by these guys will have hatched.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the Q-tip test doesn't have any effect, it might be fungal/bacterial. Again I don't know what it might be, but spraying with hydrogen peroxide will kill most fungi and common horticultural bacteria. Dilute at the rate of two tablespoons of 3% peroxide per one quart of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-02-08T06:15:07.573" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23077" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23078" CreationDate="2016-02-08T14:40:35.080" Score="11" ViewCount="1758" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KazJE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KazJE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tgTk2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tgTk2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5JjJX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5JjJX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had these in my garden for years but only saw the inside of one today. I remember seeing something like this in a salad once.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it, and is it edible? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Greg Zaal" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-08T16:12:56.880" LastActivityDate="2019-08-06T17:49:23.577" Title="What is this red corn-like fruit?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23077" CreationDate="2016-02-08T14:45:17.823" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomegranate&quot;&gt;pomegranate&lt;/a&gt;. The fleshy, juicy seed pods are known as &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aril&quot;&gt;arils&lt;/a&gt; and are most certainly edible. The outer husk of the fruit and the interior membranes that separate the arils are generally not eaten.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on the color, the specimen in your first picture may be a little unripe. The outside will turn red when the pod is fully ripened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Congratulations! That looks very tasty indeed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="logophobe" LastActivityDate="2016-02-08T14:50:34.617" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23079" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23067" CreationDate="2016-02-08T17:04:27.703" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are going to have a very difficult time growing much in the forest portion of your land. Yes, currants and gooseberries, black raspberries, and possibly sour cherries will tolerate the shade and fruit, but most things will not. As far as vegetables go, you should be able to grow leafy greens - especially in the spring before the trees have leafed out, but I wouldn't expect too much more. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where you will have an opportunity is at the edge of your woods on the upper right side of the photo, and possibly along the creek. Many fruits and veggies grow very happily in the margins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As others have mentioned, look into resources on Forest Gardening. I like &lt;em&gt;How to Make a Forest Garden&lt;/em&gt; by Patrick Whitefield, personally. The rub is, though, that most of the books out there on forest gardening that I have seen are about taking a relatively empty lot and planning out a garden that will eventually grow into an edible forest. They help you plan a forest-like garden with tons of margins where yes, there are big trees, but there is also a lot of sun light. To start with a mature woodland like you have, you will either need to work at the margins that you already have like I have suggested, or be willing to take down some trees in the center to create a margin of your own where the edible plants will get some sun. Otherwise you will be very, very limited in what edibles you can grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2016-02-08T18:42:38.337" LastActivityDate="2016-02-08T18:42:38.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23080" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23069" CreationDate="2016-02-08T18:39:21.417" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In zone 8 so I am not certain whether this is an issue for you, but if you are in an area where rabbit and rodent damage tends to be a problem, I'd recommend removing the suckers each year at the end of winter. Yes, they sap a little energy from the tree, but if your tree is younger they offer good protection against rodents. The rodents will chew through the suckers and leave the main trunk alone (since the bark is less mature on the suckers). I learned this trick from Sepp Holzer, a permaculture teacher, and it really does work in my experience. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-02-08T18:39:21.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23081" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23066" CreationDate="2016-02-08T18:50:38.600" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience, composting in place in a pot does not work well. I would recommend against that option. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that you don't have space for a compost pile and will be growing in containers, I think that vermicomposting would be your best option. A worm bin does not need to be large - it can fit in a kitchen cabinet or on a veranda. They're easy to put together and fairly easy to care for (you just need to add your greens and make sure it doesn't dry out. The vermicompost that you get from them really can't be beat. I did a quick search to see whether bins are readily available in Egypt and found this article:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.madamasr.com/sections/environment/small-mighty-earthworms-could-save-egypts-soil&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.madamasr.com/sections/environment/small-mighty-earthworms-could-save-egypts-soil&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it seems that while you may not be able to get a commercial bin, there is a good chance you'll be able to find the worms and you can make a bin on your own. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-02-08T18:50:38.600" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23082" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23067" CreationDate="2016-02-08T19:30:16.307" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;No undergrowth forest plus creek makes me immediately think of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_ursinum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;allium ursinum&lt;/a&gt; (European variety) or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_tricoccum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;allium tricoccum&lt;/a&gt; (US native). Both are happy to cover the forest floor in spring and disappear later in the year. If you are lucky, they take hold and propagate themselves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not exactly a mass food source, but a spring kitchen staple for me. Used fresh in spring, stored as pesto or herbed butter for the rest of the year. Both are considered &quot;cleansing&quot; foods in spring, I just love the taste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another garlicky herb is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliaria_petiolata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Garlic mustard&lt;/a&gt;, which makes a nice &quot;garlicky spinach&quot;. It's an invasive plant in the US, so please do not introduce it, but there is a good chance that you already have it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Europe, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Fichtentrieb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;soft new growth&lt;/a&gt; of of European Silver firs (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abies_alba&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Abies alba&lt;/a&gt;) and Norway spruce (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picea_abies&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Picea abies&lt;/a&gt;) is turned into a sugary srup that is used both as tasty &quot;honey&quot; and cough syrup. Depending on what grows in your woodland, you might find some, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the wetter areas closer to the water have light / somewhat sandy soil, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseradish&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;horseradish&lt;/a&gt; might be quite happy there. You can go the full harvest / replant route or simply let it grow wild and harvest what you need. Note that horseradish also has invasive / wandering tendencies, but can be kept in check with underground barriers, if necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your forest doesn't allow enough sun for raspberries and blackberries, note that their young leaves can still be used in herbal tea mixes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another common &quot;nuisance&quot; are stinging nettles (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica_dioica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Urtica dioica&lt;/a&gt;), that make an excellent &quot;spinach&quot; and a herbal tea which is also described as &quot;cleansing&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the water of your creek is clean enough, consider a &quot;trench&quot; for &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watercress&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;watercress&lt;/a&gt; or plant it right on the bank. The trench might give a higher yield, but obviously needs more care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claytonia_perfoliata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Purslane&lt;/a&gt; also loves coolish, wet conditions, as the days get hotter, it turns red and the season is over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-02-09T12:21:24.923" LastActivityDate="2016-02-09T12:21:24.923" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23083" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23085" CreationDate="2016-02-08T19:31:20.353" Score="6" ViewCount="295" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wanted to know the best way to encourage lots of fine feeder roots for a healthy plant. I started a couple of lemon trees from a drink cup seed last year as an experiment. I used a wicking system to start them and one seed had about half the room of the other. They both started very well and grew, but the one that had twice the volume of dirt as the other grew twice as big in the same time frame. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I talk about the amount of space, I mean that I used two 20oz soda bottles with the tops cut off, inverted and set in the bottoms with strings dangling down into water. one bottle I cut off the top third and the other bottle I cut almost in half.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the roots in these and many other of the plants I repot, tended to grow straight down with a tap root. Of course I did get some branching roots, but I don't get anything as pretty as when I buy a potted plant from a nursery or store and remove the pot to find there are almost as many fine roots as dirt. I just feel like these fine feeder roots are more healthy than the just having the large stringy roots. I'd like to know how to encourage them to form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I lost one of the lemon trees for an undetermined reason. The other grew a couple of feet tall, but started to die off when I moved it outside and slowly acclimated it to the sun last summer. It's inside for the winter and only has one leaf left. I don't have a lot of hope for it and I'll start over soon. The eventual goal is to have one lemon tree in a large pot that I'll move inside for the winters and outside for the hot and humid SC summers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know you are supposed to move up pot sizes gradually, to prevent the roots from taking off and not using all the pot space. Also, so that when you water the pot doesn't hold more water than the plant can uptake, leading to root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand. I started two plants in exactly the same manner and conditions, just separate container sizes and the larger container size did better. It wasn't leggy or anything. As a matter of fact, the smaller container was too small and I ended up having to move it to a bigger container because it was looking sickly. It recovered in the larger pot, but ultimately died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help you can provide me in encouraging fine feeder roots will be greatly appreciated. I'm just not sure how to balance it. If smaller containers encourage more fine roots, but you have to disturb them by repotting to a larger container, it seems counter productive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-02-09T03:47:18.187" Title="How to develop fine roots in potted plants" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23066" CreationDate="2016-02-08T19:48:10.673" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have a household, you can generate enough waste to start some Bokashi bins. You can purchase these from Green Zone Egypt. These create compost in buckets but the process needs to be finished off in soil. So when the bucket is full, and left for 10 days, take some of the material out, and put it into the bottom third of your container. Cover with potting mix. And plant on top. If you don't have potting mix you can use peat mixed with sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can add additional fertiliser by using dilute urine, and complement that with wood ash for the potassium. Studies show this to be a complete fertiliser.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can get access to the building roof, see if you can start a roof garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/how-grow-rooftop-garden-and-wring-pollution-s-neck&quot;&gt;http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/how-grow-rooftop-garden-and-wring-pollution-s-neck&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-02-08T19:48:10.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23085" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23083" CreationDate="2016-02-08T22:30:44.457" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tree roots are genetically programmed to grow outwards, and downwards in a branching structure together with the tap root. This allows it to maximize the use of the usually infinite space available to it. If the roots hit an obstacle, they divert around it. If they hit air, as in a cliff face, they stop growing and signal the plant to send another root out from the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants grown in pots therefore become root bound as they hit the impervious sides of the pot, and start to circle around in a futile attempt to circumvent the obstruction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Air pruning pots take advantage of the signal sent by roots that meet air to start growing new roots, and this results in a much denser and healthier root structure.  For example, Air-pot.com claims citrus growers in California can get fruit in 3 years instead of 5 with their pots.  Grow bags may have the same advantages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you grow anything in air pruning pots, the plants readily dehydrate so it's best to set up a drip irrigation system for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-02-08T23:07:19.950" LastActivityDate="2016-02-08T23:07:19.950" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23086" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4064" CreationDate="2016-02-08T22:59:03.977" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably this is not safe.  I found a PRODUCT SAFETY DATA SHEET for Polyethylene Sheeting, which includes the Husky brand sold at big box stores.  It says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This product is not FDA, CPSC or NSF compliant. It is unsuitable for use&#xA;  in applications such as direct or indirect food contact, toys, medical&#xA;  device or pharmaceutical applications or for potable water application. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.buildsite.com/pdf/polyamerica/HUSKY-Plastic-Sheeting-MSDSSDS-1338404.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.buildsite.com/pdf/polyamerica/HUSKY-Plastic-Sheeting-MSDSSDS-1338404.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13812" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2020-05-26T21:12:01.053" LastActivityDate="2020-05-26T21:12:01.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="23088" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-09T00:34:03.200" Score="11" ViewCount="380" Body="&lt;p&gt;I inherited 3 trees when I bought my house and all three have thorns on the branches with two trees having what appear to be lemons with orange highlights.  When opened they have a very thick skin, are easy to peel and have a light orange and lemon smell.  They are not sweet and not as tart as a lemon but edible nonetheless.  The third tree has what I think are lemons and limes but they are all small and mostly I think to be limes.  I cant seem to find any grafting on the trees, however they are over 5 years old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What the heck is going on here? Does anyone have any idea what they might be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MmtA3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MmtA3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FOtBj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FOtBj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13813" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T22:03:43.427" LastActivityDate="2016-02-14T17:05:52.313" Title="Lemons? Limes? Oranges? These trees are wierd!" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23089" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23083" CreationDate="2016-02-09T03:47:18.187" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Roots branch by pruning just like the top of tree branches because of pruning. If you never prune the branches, they will tend to become long and lanky. Likewise with roots. Root pruning is what develops lots of fine 'feeder' roots close to the trunk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the tree is young, you pop it out of the pot, and slice off the outer portions of the root 'ball'. Use a small gardening cultivator or a root hook to scrape out the roots and remove the soil from the outer portions of the 'ball'. Cut off all the roots flush (or nearly so) to the new surface(s). Then it can be put back into the same pot or a different one with some additional soil. Alternatively you can use a small pruning saw to just cut soil and roots away in one step, but the cuts of the roots aren't as 'clean'. &#xA;Several fine roots will grow from the cut root ends and new roots will branch off the cut root further back in the undisturbed soil. Repeat each spring for a few years, then only every second spring, keeping the tree for ever more in the same, or same sized, pot. Be a little more aggressive if you are wanting to reduce the size of the root mass. A little less aggressive if you want it to ultimately be larger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting the tree in a pond basket, colander, air pot, or Anderson flat for a few years is the carefree way to do this development. When a root tip escapes through a hole it gets 'air pruned' which, in turn, causes branching along the root back inside the container. So you can just let one these pots do the work for you, in effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are wanting to be rid of tap roots and have a root pad that is just a few inches deep, you will first need to unpot and progressively thin the root 'ball' for a few years. Then you can take it easy with the carefree way for several years. That is, if you aren't wanting your tree in a pretty pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, if your tree is so large and heavy that it is impractical to remove it from the pot, you can saw around the tree inside the perimeter of the pot (I find a keyhole saw works well for this), then dig out the peripheral soil and severed root ends, replacing with fresh soil. I recommend that you use the same 'mix' for replacement as this will minimize potential problems with uneven water distribution in the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, bear in mind that it is easy to keep a tree with deep roots in a deep pot of heavy soil stable. However, this becomes more and more difficult the shallower the root pad. Movements of the trunk then more easily lift and tear the delicate single cell hairs that take on most of the mineral nutrients and water (of course, this is part of why many species have tap roots). It can easily become necessary to wire the tree into a rigid pot to keep them stable in the soil/pot (ala bonsai).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-02-09T03:47:18.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23090" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-09T06:43:56.550" Score="17" ViewCount="50268" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing cherry tomatoes for about four years now. My method is hardly scientific. I throw the bad fruit on the ground and let them germinate the next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year I got some different varieties which I thought I would add to my veggie patch. I don't know the names of the different varieties. I took four tomato fruits and directly planted them in soil in December. It is now February and I've only had a good level of success with one of them. I have about 30 seedlings which I have since separated. One of the other tomatoes has only grown two seedlings so far and it is nearly the end of summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also had four seeds from a tomato that I ate that dried out on my cutting board. I sowed them and each of them sprouted within about a week into a healthy seedling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I partially dug up one of the non-sprouting tomatoes and noticed that a lot of the flesh was still around the seeds and quite moist after over a month. I know it's a bit late in the year with autumn starting in March but if I can get any of them to sprout I am considering keeping them indoors over winter to stop the few cold days we get from killing them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I have cut the tomatoes open to let the seeds dry out before sowing them? Do tomato seeds need to completely dry before they will sprout? Do some varieties not grow from seed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13802" LastEditorUserId="13802" LastEditDate="2016-02-09T07:34:45.127" LastActivityDate="2019-10-18T02:56:41.607" Title="Do seeds from fresh tomatoes need to completely dry before they will sprout?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23091" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23090" CreationDate="2016-02-09T07:01:59.557" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tomato seeds that have never been dried can germinate. I've tried it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes can actually germinate inside the fruit, sometimes (wherein the fruit is still good to eat, at that).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read that the gel sacks around the seeds are supposed to inhibit germination. You may have greater success if you remove the sacks. I could be wrong, but I don't think drying the seeds is going to affect the process much. Just remove the sacks. Seeds will still germinate with the gel sacks after drying, in my experience (but maybe not as many, and there may be drawbacks to this).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally, however, people recommend that you ferment your seeds before storing (and probably before planting). This is supposed to reduce disease, filter out non-viable seeds and stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All tomato varieties (unless they've been genetically modified or crossed with a significantly distant relative of a domestic tomato) should have viable seeds, if they have seeds (parthenocarpic tomatoes are sometimes seedless). It's possible a mutant variety out there won't, but don't count on that making it to the commercial scene (unless they only sell it as plants propagated from cuttings).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-01-21T05:58:56.043" LastActivityDate="2018-01-21T05:58:56.043" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23092" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23019" CreationDate="2016-02-09T14:08:19.710" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Both trees are generally relatively short lived trees.  Silver Maple has weak joints.  You are eventually going to lose the tree.  You may want to start a replacement tree 10 feet to the side.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the bolt being engulfed by the tree is no big deal.  There may be issues with the flex and motion of the cable keeping a wound open.  You may want to fill it with some flexible material. (I'd suggest silicone based window caulking)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bolt IS a big deal to someone taking down the tree.  Hitting a bolt with your chainsaw is not a good start to the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2016-02-09T14:08:19.710" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23093" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22994" CreationDate="2016-02-10T00:23:14.133" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This answer will be based on a tool from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uga.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;University of Georgia&lt;/a&gt; Cooperative Extension Service Forest Resources Unit. I have changed it somewhat over the time I've used it, but I was sure to make it as universally applicable as possible, for use over as many species/climates/environments as possible. It's now one of my staple tools, and will be of use to the homeowner as well, for outdoor projects that take place near trees, either DIY or by paid workers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Introduction&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Minimal damage&lt;/strong&gt; to any plant that has an extensive root system, during a time of soil disruption, crown disruption, has everything to do with &lt;strong&gt;prevention&lt;/strong&gt;. To gain the knowledge of basic prevention principles, one must understand better the root system of a tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A key element in assessing developmental impacts on trees located in construction sites is the systematic evaluation of damage. Under the scrutiny of a systematic assessment, these patterned damage forms can be prevented or minimized. Some types of damage (one-time, one-spot, chance occurrences) can be assessed but are difficult to prevent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This answer will attempt to act as a broad guide, covering in detail the prevention of damage to trees, especially their root zones, in the construction site.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;As developmental activities occur on a site, continually monitor damage to tree quality and site resources. Develop a damage class assessment to quantify managerial responses and to project expected tree life-spans and losses. Expected tree reactions to construction damage vary from: immediate and out-right death; single year decline and death; multiple year decline and death; and, decline with major living mass loss. The last two are the most common expectations among residual trees, and  the most difficult to prove a cause and effect relationship with construction activities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As mentioned above, classed damage assessment is key. Below is a guide to classing damage. &lt;strong&gt;Note&lt;/strong&gt;: The damage classing is &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; necessarily part of the damage prevention system, but is a useful tool to precisely gauge damage. Remember that no assessment tool has the site-specific species-specific knowledge/wisdom that a tree-literate professional observer will be able to offer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Damage Classing - 8 classes of damage for worksite assessment:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use this classing system along with the tools (see farther down).&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;General root system destruction&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;A) rooting area loss (surface area and volume) -- TOOL #1, #2, #3&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;B) critical rooting distance violations (trenching) -- TOOL #4, #5&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;C) open soil surface area loss -- TOOL #6&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Root collar and structural support root damage&lt;/strong&gt;  -- TOOL #7, #8&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;A) root plate area and the zone of rapid taper (ZRT)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;B) exposed large structural roots&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mechanical / structural damage to stem&lt;/strong&gt; -- TOOL #9&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;A) chemical or fire damage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;B) wood damage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;C) bark disruption&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;D) hardware / signage damage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil surface problems (top 12 inches)&lt;/strong&gt; -- TOOL #10, #11,#12, #13, #14&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;A) compaction / fills / cuts / rutting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;B) soil, equipment, or material storage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;C) soil erosion / water availability changes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;D) natural litter loss / soil surface crusting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;E) micro-climate changes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wind load changes (tree failures under wind loading)&lt;/strong&gt; -- Note that this&#xA;  class affects edge or island trees where clearing or thinning has left trees prone to&#xA;  windthrow. This is the only damage class not necessarily a result of direct mechanical&#xA;  or soil damage&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Major branch damage (number of cuts and heartwood exposure)&lt;/strong&gt; -- TOOL #15&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Health decline (PHC)&lt;/strong&gt; -- TOOL # 16 &amp;amp; #17&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;A) tree damage exposure values and timing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;B) recovery times&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instituting obstructions&lt;/strong&gt; -- changes in surroundings that will modify growth&#xA;  success and management activities now and into the future (growing space interference&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;new lines, barriers, hardscapes, buildings, trees)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is a detailed tool, which I have somewhat changed from the original. Because the text is still largely original to UGA, I will still have it in quote format. I have used this guide for many years, and it is very accurate. There are times when you have to go by feel, but especially for people with less experience, this guide is gold. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like I said, this is almost entirely related to the root area. That is because the root area is the main area of damage in a worksite, and the area where most people have the most ignorance.  There are some parts of the tools that have crown coverage. Just remember that after extensive removal of crown material, the tree is generally best to be removed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Tools:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are what you need in prevention, as guidelines for how close to a tree certain activities can be performed, for the maintenance of the tree's health. They can also be used with the damage assessment classing system, above. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;sub&gt;920 sq. feet of healthy soil per square foot of tree's cross-sectional area; 2.5 times diameter of tree (inches) = critical rooting distance (feet)&amp;lt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Soil area overlap values per tree based upon site-occupancy values (2.5 X diameter inches) for use where trees share soil space in linear, island, or clump plantings.&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;code&gt;number of          allowed&#xA;  equal size         area&#xA;  trees neighboring  overlap values&#xA;  tree A             with tree A&#xA;  2                  40%&#xA;  3                  30%&#xA;  4                  20%&#xA;  5                  10%&#xA;  6                  0%&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Critical rooting distance to minimize tree damage:&#xA;  Root colonization area and limit of disruption based upon tree diameter at 4.5 feet above the&#xA;  ground (DBH). Do not trespass or work closer to the tree trunk than the critical rooting distance.&#xA;  (Table values calculated using 920ft² of biologically healthy soil area per square foot of tree cross-section.&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ETKR1.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ETKR1.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Walking toward the tree - percent of rooting area disrupted&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7wUCE.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7wUCE.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/orKkl.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/orKkl.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Fp7i.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Fp7i.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;7.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Root plate radius (in) (stem diameter (in) times &quot;X&quot;)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0gyL4.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0gyL4.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;8.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structural Critical Rooting Distance to Minimize Catastrophic Tree Failure. Root plate size (i.e. pedestal roots, zone of rapid taper area, and roots under compression) and&#xA;  limit of disruption based upon tree diameter at 4.5 feet above the ground (DBH). Significant risk of&#xA;  catastrophic tree failure exists if structural roots within this given radius are destroyed or severely&#xA;  damaged&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XsWcy.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XsWcy.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Determine and record the following items in the field&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ol&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Diameter of stem or branch at site of recent injury:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;sub&gt;If the stem / branch area that includes the injury area has little or no taper along its&#xA;  longitudinal axis then measure the mid-injury diameter of the stem / branch.&#xA;  (midDIAMETER)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;sub&gt;If the stem / branch area that includes the injury area has significant taper along its&#xA;  longitudinal axis, from injury top to bottom, then measure the diameter of the stem /&#xA;  branch at the top and bottom of injury. (topDIAMETER &amp;amp; bottomDIAMETER.)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Dimensions of the new injury:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Total linear height or length (along longitudinal axis) of injury on stem / branch.&#xA;  (injuryHEIGHT)**&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Total linear width (perpendicular to longitudinal axis) of injury - not circumference&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&#xA;  of injury area. (injuryWIDTH)**&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Depth of injury at deepest point (as best as can be determined or estimated).&#xA;  (inj uryDEPTH)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Estimate number of annual rings and tissue types breached in the injury.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Location of the injury section in the tree.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Species of tree -- attempt to gauge effectiveness and efficiency of tree reactions to injury.&#xA;  To determine the DAMAGE ASSESSMENT VALUE for a tree:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;STEP 1A: &lt;strong&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Determine stem / branch whole segment volume (no taper) =&#xA;  injuryHEIGHT * 0.785 * (midDIAMETER)²&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;STEP 1B: &lt;strong&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Determine stem / branch whole segment volume (significant taper) =&#xA;  injuryHEIGHT * 0.262 * (topDIAMETER)² +&#xA;  0.785 * (bottomDIAMETER)² +&#xA;  SQUARE ROOT (0.616 * (topDIAMETER)² * (bottomDIAMETER)²).&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;STEP 2: &lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Determine injury segment volume (ellipsoidal shape factor) =&#xA;  0.5 * injuryHEIGHT * injuryWIDTH * injuryDEPTH.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;STEP 3: &lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Determine DAMAGE EXTENT SCORE =&#xA;  (VOLUME of injury segment (STEP 2) / VOLUME of whole segment (STEP 1)) * 100&#xA;  Dr. Kim D Coder, 1996&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;STEP 4: &lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Determine DAMAGE SEVERITY SCORE. Estimate the number of annual rings&#xA;  and tissue types breached in an injury.&#xA;  Select one description that most fully matches the depth of the injury:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ol&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bark to xylem (score = 0)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Expanded growing points, one, or two year old xylem (score = 1)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three to seven year old xylem - 100% sapwood (score = 2)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Seven year old xylem to end of sapwood - 100% sapwood (score = 5)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Heartwood (score = 11)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Existing damage-modified heartwood and discoloration / decay columns&#xA;  (score = 23)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;STEP 5: &lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Determine injury location in the tree.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ol&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Root collar / stem base area - two feet out and four feet up (score = 7)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Root plate area - zone of rapid tapering (ZRT) of pedestal roots or roots that&#xA;  support the tree under compression - see TOOL #7 &amp;amp; #8 (score = 6)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stem base of the live crown (score = 5)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stem / trunk (score = 4)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Injury into reaction wood on basal l/4 of the length of primary scaffold branches -&#xA;  upper side tension wood in angiosperms / lower side compression wood in nonangiosperms&#xA;  (score = 3)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ground contact / rain splash / direct irrigation wetting area (score =   2)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South and southwest exposure with full sun (score = 1)&#xA;  Location numbers l-5 are unique positions and are non-additive (See Figure).&#xA;  Locations 6 and 7 are additive with other location scores. These scores comprise the&#xA;  DAMAGE LOCATION SCORE.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;STEP 6: &#xA;  &lt;code&gt;DAMAGE ASSESSMENT VALUE =&#xA;  DAMAGE EXTENT SCORE +&#xA;  DAMAGE SEVERITY SCORE +&#xA;  DAMAGE LOCATION SCORE&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Species and individual tree differences play a critical role in setting management objectives for&#xA;  an area and acceptance thresholds / tree removal decisions using the DAMAGE ASSESSMENT&#xA;  VALUE. For long-term tree quality, suggested threshold values for increasing managerial notice&#xA;  should occur at 15, 22.5, and greater than 30. Removal should be considered at a DAMAGE ASSESSMENT&#xA;  VALUE of 3 1 and above.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YuRfW.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YuRfW.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;10.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil Compaction: Soil physical attributes, by soil texture class, where root growth becomes significantly limiting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DsyK0.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DsyK0.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;11.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil Compaction Values&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6PlmT.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6PlmT.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;12.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Approximate amount of soil fill, by texture class, that can be applied before having significant&#xA;  negative impacts on tree root health and growth. (These are highly variable values depending upon&#xA;  crusting, compaction, aeration/drainage, native soil attributes, residual structure, application method,&#xA;  organic matter content, and other compounding soil / site problems.) All types and quantities of fill&#xA;  can lead to root suffocation and other acute and chronic problems that permanently damage the tree.&#xA;  Judging the threshold of potential damage is a professional decision beginning with site management&#xA;  objectives.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vikPT.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vikPT.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;13.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Approximate amount of soil removal, by texture class, that can be taken away before having&#xA;  significant negative impacts on tree root health and growth. (These are highly variable values depending&#xA;  upon compaction, aeration/drainage, native soil attributes, residual structure, removal method,&#xA;  organic matter content, and other compounding soil / site problems.) All soil removal can mechanically&#xA;  disrupt root tissue leading to acute and chronic problems that permanently damage the tree.&#xA;  Judging the threshold of potential damage is a professional decision beginning with site management&#xA;  objectives.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/og6Pe.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/og6Pe.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;14.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ddP8P.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ddP8P.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;15.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Construction damage to major branches is judged after the injuries have been properly cleaned-up&#xA;  and a standard pruning cut is made. Only after the final pruning cut is completed can full branch damage be&#xA;  assessed. Additional damage can occur after the construction injury as a result of improper pruning tools,&#xA;  techniques, and skills. In this assessment system it is assumed that proper standard pruning practices will be&#xA;  followed. Within standard pruning practices, heartwood and decay column exposure will be used to estimate&#xA;  damage to the health and structure of the tree now, and into the future.&#xA;  This assessment system provides a user with the maximum number of cuts per wound damage class&#xA;  that should be made without significant and permanent damage to the tree. The basis of this system is examination&#xA;  of the cross-section of the living base of any properly pruned branch. It is critical that assessors differentiate&#xA;  between heartwood, sapwood, and chemically altered wood areas (decay, discoloration, and defensive&#xA;  responses)&#xA;  Types and number of branch pruning cuts remaining after the tree is cleaned-up from construction&#xA;  damage (significant injury and liability risk exist in the damaged tree):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oU1Nr.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oU1Nr.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7bFpi.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7bFpi.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;16.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;One of the most important aspects of assessing construction damage to trees is the amount of&#xA;  time development activities occur on a site. Both the absolute time span and the timing of damage in&#xA;  comparison to tree growth patterns are critical to assessing damage and estimating recovery times.&#xA;  Use of a construction damage timing table is both a method of training new assessors and a means of&#xA;  quantifying the potential extent of damage to trees.&#xA;  This assessment process develops a “Tree Damage Exposure Value.” This Exposure Value is&#xA;  determined by establishing a time-line for beginning and ending construction activities on a site.&#xA;  Components of the Tree Damage Exposure Value include the number of different tree growth seasons&#xA;  the construction activities have spanned, which season construction activities began within, which&#xA;  season construction activities ended within, and how many full years have been involved in the construction&#xA;  process.&#xA;  Below is given an example time-line for calculating potential damage exposure timing for trees&#xA;  on construction sites.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8uifz.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8uifz.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MKLLE.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MKLLE.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Calculated Tree Damage Exposure Values&#xA;  To determine a Tree Damage Exposure Value, begin at the top of the table and identify when construction&#xA;  activeties began on the site (by tree growth season). Next move downward in the appropriate starting column until you&#xA;  reach the row representing the end of construction activities on the site. The number presented is the relative “Tree&#xA;  Damage Exposure Value.” Abbreviations: DORM = dormancy season; GS 1 = first portion of growing season; GS2 =&#xA;  second portion of growing season; SENC = senescence season.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9J0nh.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9J0nh.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;17.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Once the construction damage exposure timer (TOOL # 16) has been used to determine relative&#xA;  tree damage from construction activities, tree recovery times should be calculated. Recovery time&#xA;  begins when construction activities end on a site. Landscape disruption and installation are the final&#xA;  parts of construction on a site and can be extremely damaging, especially to any mature trees present.&#xA;  When the last machinery has left the site, and the landscape and hardscape are completly installed,&#xA;  recovery time can begin.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recovery timing uses the same time-line and four seasons of tree growth as the construction&#xA;  tree damage exposure value (TOOL #16). For each tree growth season affected by construction&#xA;  activities, a specific length of recovery should be observed. From the moment of injury, the recovery&#xA;  timing begins. Because of tree biology, recovery time periods are not additive, but run&#xA;  CONCURRENTLY as each tree growth season is affected and grown past&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LHQ3q.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LHQ3q.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T02:57:18.303" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T02:57:18.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23067" CreationDate="2016-02-10T01:43:35.020" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nuts of course, and some floor plants, will be naturals, but so as not to repeat others' answers, I thought I'd point out the issues/other things I noticed about your idea, rather than listing plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No undergrowth means there isn't enough sun for the undergrowth. The lower tiers, and the floor, all depend on the amount of light let through the top canopy. If there isn't even enough light for those, you will have trouble growing almost all cultivated foods. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the summer, everything uphill from the creek will become very dry, and the food crops (especially those yielding fruit) will need irrigation. You will find more underbrush near the edge (up by the road). If you clear that out, the edge biome will have a much more diverse set of options. And the grassy strip at the top will grow quite a lot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I'd plant in only a portion of the woods, because mature hardwood forests in a steady cycle aren't all that common anymore, and replacing the natural habitat can throw some things off. I would fence off the planting area with 8' deer fence (remember, deer don't always find specially grown food crops in the woods, and will make short work of a lot of them). Berry plants will need protection from birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T01:43:35.020" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23095" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23072" CreationDate="2016-02-10T02:13:39.497" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Like you said, flowers for cross-pollination don't always coincide. Here's how to harvest and save pollen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After the flower is open, the anthers have burst/opened, and you can see mature grains of pollen, take a fine brush, and gently remove some of the pollen and put it onto a white sheet of paper. You can use pollen from more than one flower, as long as it's from the same plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place the paper in an area of warm temperatures and low humidity. It should be very dry in less than 6 hours. If there is no dry place, put it in a small sealable bag with a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14724/what-is-a-desiccant-and-is-it-helpful-when-saving-annual-snapdragon-seeds-for-th&quot;&gt;desiccant&lt;/a&gt; such as silica gel, and put that in a sealed container (such as a canning jar, or tupperware container) and set in a warm place for a few hours.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After that, fold the paper containing the pollen, and place it into a small, dry tightly sealed container with a desiccant (contained, not loose). Place this in an area between 32 and 40 degrees F. until use.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When the flower you want to pollinate opens, take the desiccated pollen, and apply it to the receiving pistil(s) with a fine brush. Then raise the humidity, without directly wetting the pollen. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a few months, the pollen may lose over 50% of its vitality, but applied heavily enough, it will be sufficient. On another note. The amaryllis (&lt;em&gt;Amaryllis sp.&lt;/em&gt;) and the snowdrop (&lt;em&gt;Galanthus sp.&lt;/em&gt;) are only related by family (Amaryllidaceae), and are almost certainly not genetically capable for cross pollination. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T02:13:39.497" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23096" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22587" CreationDate="2016-02-10T02:48:38.600" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to say I believe that is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=527&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Morus alba&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, white mulberry, which is becoming quite invasive in Argentina (and pretty much everywhere else it's been introduced). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's hard to tell at this stage, but that's my best guess. If you want to let it grow out a bit, that might make an absolute identification apparent. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-11T19:51:06.577" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T19:51:06.577" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23098" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-10T03:54:37.507" Score="9" ViewCount="280" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard there are many fast growing trees. Can  anyone tell me the fastest growing one suitable as a shade tree near a house? I bought a new house and need a super fast growing tree. I love maples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8586" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-10T04:16:40.837" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T10:54:44.600" Title="What's the fastest growing shade tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23100" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22273" CreationDate="2016-02-10T13:26:07.077" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;For native species, some of your best bets will be Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Limberger. I'm not sure if you can legally grow American/American-European cross grapes in Turkey, but if you can, just about all of those will be hardy in your area. Especially the American ones. They also have a faster ripening time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T13:26:07.077" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23101" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19906" CreationDate="2016-02-10T14:59:44.390" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In most cases, a yew such as you have described will not harm footers/foundations. There is one case where they can be an issue. That is if your foundation is an old stone foundation. My house has a 100 year old stone/mortar foundation, in direct contact with the soil. The outside has some areas underground where the mortar has broken down enough that roots could get in. Technically, they could grow into the cracks, increase in diameter, and cause foundation failure. But even though I have aggressive rooting norway spruces right up to the house, I have no issues. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your foundation is a block or poured foundation, I wouldn't worry about it at all, so long as the tree isn't right up against it. The main roots taper quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do get it cut, remember that most of the moisture it picks up is from the top 2 feet or so, and if it's removed, a tree that size won't really affect the foundation moisture wise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T14:59:44.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19909" CreationDate="2016-02-10T15:04:52.677" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fully ripened needles (from the last growing season) will last longest. In most areas, needles are fully ripened by late summer. Before that, use needles from the previous season. Also, naturally, the cooler the temperatures the needles are kept in, the longer they will last. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Older needles can be used too, but each year you go back there will be some deterioration in the strength and quality.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T15:04:52.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20203" CreationDate="2016-02-10T16:12:33.433" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you have is a fungal disease known as Coryneum blight. From &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/coryneum-blight08.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Coryneum blight, also known as shothole blight, is a fungal disease that can cause damage on peach, nectarine, apricot, almonds  (ornamental as well as nut bearing) and, to a lesser degree, cherries (tart and sweet). Coryneus blight is caused by the fungal pathogen &lt;em&gt;Wilsonomyces carpophilus&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iygP1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iygP1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the control methods listed by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FRUIT/DISEASE/shothole.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;University of California&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Prune and dispose of infected tissue as soon as it appears. After leaf drop, inspect plants carefully and prune infected buds and twigs with lesions. Diligent sanitation and water management can provide adequate control where the incidence of shot hole is low. Avoid overhead sprinklers or use a low angle to avoid wetting foliage. Also, some varieties may be less susceptible. Where disease incidence is high, fungicides such as Bordeaux mixtures or fixed coppers may be applied. On peaches and nectarines, a dormant spray of copper in late fall will work well. On almonds, spray fungicides at petal fall in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T16:12:33.433" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20205" CreationDate="2016-02-10T16:18:09.497" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;With that level of root hair damage, your chances of life for the Gardenia (a plant rather root sensitive) are rather slim. You probably won't be able to salvage this one. You could try potting it up in a moist acidic mix (not a potting soil) and keeping it damp in a cool to warmish humid area, in low light. And don't fertilize. There's a chance it can come around, but I wouldn't count on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T16:18:09.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23106" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20220" CreationDate="2016-02-10T16:37:55.380" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;About the sides, .25&quot; every 6 inches would indeed be adequate. I'd personally go with 1/2&quot;, but a 6&quot; grid sounds great. The pvc idea could work, if they are cleaned regularly. I'd suggest using at least a 2&quot; pipe for that, 4&quot; being what I might personally use. That makes it far less likely to clog. Also, worms will go into the pipe through the holes, so if you were considering drilling straight through both pipe walls once, I'd suggest placing the pipe with the holes facing up and down, rather than sideways. That's because worms tend to go either up or down when trying to get back to their home environment, and you would trap less worms this way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About collecting the water, your idea works but I would short sections of piping to the holes, to ensure drainage into the bucket, and not along the bottom of the tank as it will naturally do in the slow flow you will be getting. You could add valves or not. I'd also cap it with white is it's outdoors (the cap to prevent flooding/drowning worms and excess evaporation, white in color so that they don't cook in the sun). One of the biggest failures I see in larger vermicomposters are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;high temperatures - sometimes from materials heating in decomposition,. or from sun against the composter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lack of proper air flow, oxygen for the worms - Too much moisture can cause this, as can highly compacted conditions even in a properly vented system. You don't want the bedding to sour and poison the works either. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wrong level of moisture - to a degree the worms are adaptable, but in open topped systems, I often observe to wet and to dry conditions killing the worms. This can also occur in a capped system, but it's much easier to monitor and control there.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T16:37:55.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19684" CreationDate="2016-02-10T17:01:43.770" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you stated you have several options. First, I'll answer a few questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;do I need to do anything special when I use a sod cutter on this unevenly leveled soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No, specialised sod cutters cut through sod at a certain depth, which can be set low enough for most applications. If it doesn't get everything (very unusual) you can re-cut the area or use a sharp spade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;is the beginning of June a good time for this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Toronto, yes. Just make sure the new lawn is kept well watered until established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get my lawn back I can either buy sod or seed and wait for the grass to grow back. This should be easy with the wet summer that we are in for here in To.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any pros and cons ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both should be equally successful if done well, with the sod being faster, at a cost. Both can be a great lawn, and in a year or so of good growth, differentiating between them isn't often possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About your two options: cutting the sod, regrading, and replacing the old sod, and your other option of rototilling and reseeding/sodding, Here are some pros and cons for each:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Method 1, cutting the sod:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;That doesn't look like the greatest sod; I wouldn't reuse it, but you could if you want. Just mow it off rather short beforehand.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you want to add new sod, this is the best option. It also makes it easiest to regrade.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you want to seed, this is a good option also, although you will have a pile of composting sod sitting by, and the lawn level will be lowered.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Method 2, rototilling:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Green grass decomposing in the soil has allelopathic qualities which inhibit/retard the growth of new grass, especially seeded.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This method keeps all the topsoil in place&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You will likely need to regrade after complete decomposition, because of shrinkage and settling.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kill the lawn by herbicide or tarping, then regrade and replant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use new soil to fill in the uneven areas of the lawn, and then overseed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, you won't go wrong by adding compost to the soil. It would also be a great time to do some testing and find whether your lawn could use lime, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T17:01:43.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23108" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19809" CreationDate="2016-02-10T17:08:37.490" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those mixes are convenient, no lie, but they are no comparison to a proper seeding job. What I do is not only loosen the soil, but add new high quality soil in a layer, sprinkle seed, rake in, and water. It's better not to fertilize until after the 3 leaf stage. Waiting until the seedlings tiller wouldn't hurt either. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also realize that i you have sandy patches, bare spots may be a yearly issue unless you irrigate thoroughly. I also feel that grubs may be an issue for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T17:08:37.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23109" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19824" CreationDate="2016-02-10T17:19:20.667" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;An issue with whiteflies is that they don't have a yearly time of emergence, and so are not nearly as easy to prepare for as some others. They hatch when it's warm enough, which varies from year to year. This is usually when temperatures stay mostly above 60 degrees F. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And then they cycle quickly through life and multiply rapidly throughout the season they can tolerate. It varies every year, and in some areas they can be a year round problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T17:19:20.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19830" CreationDate="2016-02-10T17:24:41.540" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can afford enough of the mix, then use it. It is usually well blended for optimum drainage while retaining moisture, a brilliant combination when it comes to starting grass. It would be a great start, but especially if the soil underneath is heavy, make sure it is also loosened up, so the new lawn can root into it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About the screened excavation soil, if they didn't say it was topsoil, it's not. Don't use it. Even with good lawn care lawns just don't flourish in subsoil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T17:24:41.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20527" CreationDate="2016-02-10T17:36:12.123" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Correct! Generally the rule of thumb I use is, if a combination of chemicals applied are not compatible with each other (that is, adversely affect the availability of another, thus affecting absorption into the plant), then use them separately. Most nitrates are readily absorbed through the leaf stomata, even more so than through the root hairs, so your idea should work quite well. Especially if you apply to the leaf undersides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T17:36:12.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20637" CreationDate="2016-02-10T17:46:39.607" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You haven't specified your application of the light, which is an important detail, so here's a useful listing of 4 common modes of lighting. When shopping for your metal halide light, remember that 1 lx = 1 lm/m2, or 1 lux equals 1 lumen divided by 1 square meter. Then you can use the listing below to judge whether any lamp in question has the output capacity fitting to your needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Deep shade (too low for the average plant to thrive) is about 1,000 lux.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Normal house lighting is about 60-100 lux.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Full daylight (not full sun) (good for shade loving plants) is about 10,000–25,000 lux.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Direct sunlight (ideal for most plants) is about 32,000–100,000 lux.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T17:46:39.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22819" CreationDate="2016-02-10T22:29:40.620" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;That appears to be Southern Blight, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athelia_rolfsii&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sclerotium rolfsii&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a fungal disease from the soil, and affects many species of plants. You cannot cure plants infected with it. From the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r783100711.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;University of California&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Rotate to nonhost crops, such as corn, sorghum, rice, or small grains, for at least 2 years to reduce inoculum.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Deep plowing to bury plant refuse may help to destroy sclerotia.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Keeping the tops of beds dry in tomato fields helps reduce the disease in furrow- and buried-drip-irrigated fields.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For potted plants, I'd recommend disposing of the potting medium, and sterilizing or disposing of the container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JYoUZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JYoUZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T22:29:40.620" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23114" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20205" CreationDate="2016-02-10T22:36:06.913" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If there is any viable shoots can I suggest you take some cuttings, pot them up, so if this one dies (it's looking likely I'm afraid) you will eventually have your gardenia back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T22:36:06.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23115" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23098" CreationDate="2016-02-10T22:43:02.027" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fast growing trees are lovely to create a mature looking space quickly, but ..... They then continue to grow fast when they've outgrown the space you've got for them. You may then have a monumental problem of pruning, pruning and more pruning.  Grow something that fast to create a boundary whilst others mature more slowly, then cut down the fast growers leaving the more beautiful specimens behind to do the job you want. You could also invest in large plants to start with which would give you maturity more quickly.  Choose wisely not impulsively for this one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T22:43:02.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23116" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36461" CreationDate="2016-02-10T23:16:58.600" Score="11" ViewCount="240" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is long and semi-waxy, but soft. I was just outside re-potting some other plants and was thinking about pulling some other flowers that had spread and came across this. It's like.. hair. It doesn't hold itself up and really long. It makes like a 'U' shape at the base but the ends are flat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jYgGo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jYgGo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mystery plant. long&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5dFmb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5dFmb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flat on one end, &amp;#39;u&amp;#39; shape at the base.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: Sap is just liquid-y. Not sticky, not a lot comes out unless you squeeze it. The smell is...a mix of fresh cut grass and the smell of when you are scraping out a pumpkin, but it's &lt;strong&gt;really&lt;/strong&gt; subtle. You have to have it close to your nose and breath really deep to smell it. I also took another picture of how long it is compared to my foot. I wear a size 8 and a half in womens and it takes 3 of my feet to come close to the length.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RaImD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RaImD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sap&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RaqJs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RaqJs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;length&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT! &#xA;So it's is now Oct! And the flowers ha e bloomed but I'm still not sure that they are. They are red and bloom in a cluster. I have a picture of them with my Purple Hearts. I can't upload from my phone right now though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13579" LastEditorUserId="13579" LastEditDate="2016-10-03T16:15:15.940" LastActivityDate="2017-12-13T08:37:39.037" Title="Mystery plant growing in yard? TX" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23117" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-10T23:33:51.453" Score="7" ViewCount="1442" Body="&lt;p&gt;This was outside just noticed it growing. Long waxy leaves, bright green, and seems to come from a very solid base. It's growing really close to a tree in a cluster of 4.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cmONl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cmONl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves, waxy, green&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/11Yb3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/11Yb3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;long leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fpbe4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fpbe4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;base&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LCfPu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LCfPu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cluster&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13579" LastActivityDate="2016-02-11T00:07:04.660" Title="Unidentified bright-green long-leaf plant? TX" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21862" CreationDate="2016-02-10T23:40:35.450" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can test your magneto (can also be called a coil) directly to see if it works. If you have the coil off of the engine, you can do a resistance test on it to see if it's fried. I don't know what the exact make of the engine is, since Craftsman power tools utilize many different brands and re-brands them. It could be a Briggs and Stratton, but more than likely it's something else. Here are the testing steps for a B&amp;amp;S, but it should allow you to test yours and get an idea if the coil is at issue:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NOTE:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/a9N38-kOi7g&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here is a video of how to test it.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the magneto&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get your ohm meter and set it to 20k ohm setting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place the positive (red) lead to the metal part inside the spark plug wire lead&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place the negative (black) lead to a ground spot on the magneto body (is usually the laminated metal part which bolts to the engine)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Take the ohm reading &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reading should be between 2.5k to 5k ohms (for a B&amp;amp;S, anyway). If less than that or you have direct connectivity, you most likely have a ground fault where it will not produce a spark (the energy created goes directly to ground). If you have greater resistance than that (higher than 5k ohms or even infinity), there is too much resistance. Either way, you'd need to replace the magneto. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is looking good, you may also want to try and move the spark plug lead around while you are testing to see if the reading changes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From your description it appears your magneto is having a ground fault issue. Until you measure it you won't know for sure, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9728" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T23:40:35.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22474" CreationDate="2016-02-10T23:41:59.333" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, They are both warm season perennials, and as such will be similarly affected by any treatment from selective herbicides. The only reliable method of removal will take out your lawn as well (tarping or herbicide). Once it's dead, you can prevent germination for the most part with a pre em. And if you do see a small clump shoot up, you can take care of it while small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T23:41:59.333" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23120" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19299" CreationDate="2016-02-10T23:51:36.327" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You'd basically have to rebuild the tool from the ground up. It would be easier to stick a drill/spacer system on an already powered motorized machine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I find is that if the soil is properly worked and smoothed, these manual seeders work quite well. I use one that is almost 40 years old. And if you're working an area too large for that to be practical, a gasoline powered self propelled seed drill would be perfect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I absolutely do not see any way to create a DIY practical electric powered seed drill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T23:51:36.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23121" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19429" CreationDate="2016-02-10T23:59:25.370" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;DIY and small scale soil-less systems are becoming rather popular, especially for out of season indoor production. In ground outdoor crops are still far more economical and produce more natural produce, but I'd say if you want to grow some veggies in the off season, go for it! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-10T23:59:25.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23117" CreationDate="2016-02-11T00:07:04.660" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Hymenocallis speciosa, but I am not certain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-02-11T00:07:04.660" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23123" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23098" CreationDate="2016-02-11T00:09:12.587" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;All species of Ficus grow very fast, however they have vigorous and invasive root systems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-02-11T00:09:12.587" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23124" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23088" CreationDate="2016-02-11T00:10:35.650" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could be a mandarin. As mentioned above, hybrids are quite common. Also if it is a mandarin, the fruit will taste sour (like a lemon or lime) if it is not ripening properly, or is lacking in vitamins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-14T17:05:52.313" LastActivityDate="2016-02-14T17:05:52.313" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23041" CreationDate="2016-02-11T00:57:05.323" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;They do not help at all. The presence of another butterfly will often attract these, and you will often see numbers of them visiting the same plants. Even when finding a spot to lay eggs. They avoid a spot that has another butterfly on it (because of caterpillar food competition), but it really doesn't stop them from taking advantage of the plants. My neighbor used decoys similar, and reported absolutely no difference. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He said the plants near the decoys took the same hit as the ones further off. And that didn't surprise me at all. I think a better option would be to cover the plant(s) with floating row cover or similar. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-11T00:57:05.323" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23126" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23030" CreationDate="2016-02-11T01:02:40.847" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If they get hit by frost, they will go dark, translucent, and mushy. In a while they will dry off and shrivel. If alive, they will remain rigid, and slowly increase in size as they grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can magnify them and get a better look, that would help. If you're still in question, wait a week and note any differences. If they haven't shriveled atall, they're still alive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-11T01:02:40.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23129" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1039" CreationDate="2016-02-11T14:36:34.053" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I water my plants with fountain water.  Then I use chlorinated water to refill the fountain.  The chlorine kills algae and mosquito larvae. The running fountain removes the chlorine.  Repeat a day or two later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13832" LastActivityDate="2016-02-11T14:36:34.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23131" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-11T18:49:41.647" Score="8" ViewCount="1100" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our redwood trees were too big and too close to the house so we had them cut down. Now we will grind out the stumps and remove the large roots. However, the ground is totally saturated with the smaller old redwood roots.  What should we do about them before we landscape? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13834" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-13T05:06:02.487" LastActivityDate="2016-02-13T05:06:02.487" Title="What should I do about old invasive redwood roots after the trees are cut down?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;grading&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23132" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23098" CreationDate="2016-02-11T23:55:40.247" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lindens/Tilia&lt;/strong&gt; have a medium growth factor (&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/fast-basswood-trees-grow-98548.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;13 to 24 inches per year&lt;/a&gt;). &lt;br/&gt;&#xA;With their large leaves they create a very tight shade. Plus, the flowers release a very pleasant and sweet scent in the Summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Eucalyptus&lt;/strong&gt; can grow extremely quick but their shade is sparse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13142" LastEditorUserId="13142" LastEditDate="2016-02-12T00:02:41.940" LastActivityDate="2016-02-12T00:02:41.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23131" CreationDate="2016-02-12T04:22:02.223" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tree roots stop growing immediately after the tree has been felled, but may take weeks to months (and longer) to die unless the stump has been poisoned with a herbicide. If the stump is not treated, then the roots may send up sprouts, and the roots will start to grow again. While they are alive, trying to advance their decomposition will not work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is recommended that any major construction work wait for 6 months after killing the roots so that any ground settlement can occur.  If the house were close to the redwood such that the roots were able to extend underneath, then the house may settle a little as well.  Presumably your arborist can advise how far the large roots have spread, and whether this is a possibility or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-02-12T04:22:02.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23134" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23136" CreationDate="2016-02-12T04:44:56.697" Score="7" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;Which species of Goji is edible for food purposes (not just medicinal purposes), or are they both for food? I'd like to get the one wherein the berries are used for food for our garden, but there seems to be little information on the subject available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it Lycium chinense or Lycium barbarum? I heard Lycium chinense was used for food and Lycium barbarum for medicine, but I'm not convinced, since Lycium barbarum is so much more common, and I didn't find other sources to verify that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know they're both used for tea, and I'm pretty sure you can eat the leaves of both species (but I'm looking for something I can use for things besides tea, too).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-02-12T06:14:18.397" Title="Which Goji Berry species is for food?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;lycium&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23135" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-12T04:50:51.930" Score="7" ViewCount="202" Body="&lt;p&gt;How many years does it take &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/goji-berry-lycium-chinensis/&quot;&gt;Lycium chinense&lt;/a&gt; to grow fruit, when grown from seed? Lycium chinense is one of the species of Goji Berries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in southwestern Idaho (the hardiness zone ranges between about 4a and 6b, depending on the year, but usually -10 to -15° F. is the coldest it gets). It gets very hot (the hottest it's gotten has been about 116° F., but usually between about 100–110° F. is the yearly high), dry and semi-arid in the summer, and is often wet in the spring/winter and late fall. Our soil is clay-loam.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that the link refers to it as Lycium chinensis, but I've verified that this is indeed Lycium chinense. The Goji plants there are Lycium barbarum, though. Goji are in the Solanaceae family (along with peppers and tomatoes), but they're perennial shrubs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-02-12T05:02:14.523" LastActivityDate="2016-05-13T03:50:17.133" Title="How long does it take Lycium chinense to grow fruit (from seed)?" Tags="&lt;lycium&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23136" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23134" CreationDate="2016-02-12T06:14:18.397" Score="4" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Lycium fruit is the red berry obtained from two closely related plants, Lycium chinense and Lycium barbarum, naturally occurring in Asia, primarily in northwest China (mainly in Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia, but east as far as Hebei and west to Tibet and Xinjiang).  The fruits from these species are considered interchangeable, though larger fruits are preferred and are more often found on plants of L. barbarum. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.itmonline.org/arts/lycium.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.itmonline.org/arts/lycium.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-02-12T06:14:18.397" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23137" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-12T15:45:18.000" Score="9" ViewCount="6180" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this shade plant in my home. The leaves are becoming dry, turning yellow and developing black dots on them.&#xA;I don't know whats wrong with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's a lack of food, I can give it compost, compost tea or kristalon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you please tell me what's wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TKiUZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TKiUZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h8WI3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h8WI3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Black dots on leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jvvde.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jvvde.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dry leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YNlXp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YNlXp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yellow leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13757" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-12T23:53:33.547" LastActivityDate="2016-02-13T08:24:38.340" Title="Why are the leaves on my houseplant turning yellow and getting black spots?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23138" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23137" CreationDate="2016-02-12T22:13:52.600" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant appears to be an &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dypsis_lutescens&quot;&gt;Areca palm&lt;/a&gt; which is now known as Dypsis lutescens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This looks like a combination of factors:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;overwatering promotes anerobic conditions in the soil which promote fungus. The black spots and brown spots are indicators of this.  Another identification is the classic signs of fungus growth which is a spot with a ring on the inside of a different colour.  The fungus grows and consumes plant material and then stops which causes the ring.  The next round of growth increases the size of the spot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the leaves with green veins and yellow areas could be an iron deficiency.  This is common with a peat based soil mix and alkaline tap water.  As time goes and the organic matter is consumed the soil becomes alkaline and iron/managanese are harder for the plants roots to take up.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repotting the plant with new soil less plant mix&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;moving to an area with higher light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;one or two applications of acid plant fertilizer at half strength at two week intervals&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water less often&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-02-13T00:52:43.550" LastActivityDate="2016-02-13T00:52:43.550" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23135" CreationDate="2016-02-13T02:23:33.950" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.restorationseeds.com/products/goji-berry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.restorationseeds.com/products/goji-berry&lt;/a&gt; says 4-5 years to reach maturity. But not all bushes grown from seed produce fruit so it's recommended you start with a bush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-02-13T02:23:33.950" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23140" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-13T05:44:24.400" Score="10" ViewCount="3777" Body="&lt;p&gt;I buy, re-pot and take care of Norfolk Island Pine trees in my office. They're mostly decorated and displayed around Christmas time, but I take care of them year round and sometimes decorate them for other seasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I purchased a few and potted them with an organic soil, a fast-draining mix that included sand and pine bark, which is what my trees require. All was normal until this month rolled around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of a sudden, after watering my trees and draining the drain trays, these thin, mostly translucent worms would suddenly begin crawling out of the pot and into the drain tray. I'm not really squeamish about this kind of stuff, normally, yet they seem to be multiplying pretty fast. It went from just seeing one in the tray one week, to seeing around eight squirming around the following week. The number is always random. As I said, they're see-through and most of their innards look very black. I also see bits of red/pink and yellow on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IdIQT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IdIQT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The worms&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're starting to really bug me, now. I don't know why they appeared so suddenly, but they're really gross. I have a secondary tray under all of the drain trays for humidity, so I don't really have to worry about them escaping, but I did find one escaped onto my rug when the humidity tray was shallow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think they're earthworms because I've never seen any adults in the soil, and I've never seen one evacuate through the top of the soil, it's always in the drain tray. I don't know how to identify them, can anyone help? If I can identify them, I might be able to find out what I can do about them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13839" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-14T06:12:59.010" LastActivityDate="2016-02-14T06:12:59.010" Title="What are these long, mostly translucent worms in my potted trees?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1782" CreationDate="2016-02-13T07:50:49.403" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Birds are supposed to love the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/mulberry-trees/illinois-everbearing-mulberry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Illinois Everbearing Mulberry&lt;/a&gt;. Make sure you're ready to commit to having a large tree if you plant it, though. I mean, if you ever want to cut it down, make sure you can without risk of damaging a house or such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I noticed robins eating our blackberries, this year. I haven't particularly noticed any birds eating our black currants (although they might eat some of them). They seem to like cherries and sour cherries. I've heard they like dogwood fruit. Some birds like sunflower seeds (you can get a variety of sizes). You can always grow some seedy plants that birds like, such as millet. Birds like to nest in certain kinds of large trees. Some trees, they seem to leave alone, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing you can do is have lots of leaves on the ground. Birds sometimes ferret through leaves to search for worms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a feeling birds like weed seeds, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure that places birds are to frequent are not accessible to cats. I noticed more birds in our pine tree after we removed several of the lower branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want hummingbirds, you can plant lots of flowers (including roses).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or, you can always just move to Kentucky or southern Indiana. Birds are everywhere there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just for fun, you could play some music outside. A certain bird (some kind of large jay, I think—the likes of which I had never seen before) came and looked rather curious when I was playing some classical music with the door open.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-02-13T08:09:49.583" LastActivityDate="2016-02-13T08:09:49.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23143" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23137" CreationDate="2016-02-13T08:19:34.020" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like manganese deficiency to me. Palms like plenty of manganese, I've read. Manganese can be less available when the PH gets too high. So, if there's calcium that's been added to the soil, that can raise the PH and be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would give it some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greenwaybiotech.com/products/manganese-sulfate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;manganese&lt;/a&gt; and maybe some nitrogen, too. The link links to a manganese sulfate product I purchased once. It seemed to be good quality. The link also talks about manganese deficiency in palms (how it's a common problem and how regular application of manganese will benefit palms).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-02-13T08:24:38.340" LastActivityDate="2016-02-13T08:24:38.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23145" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23088" CreationDate="2016-02-14T01:37:32.877" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would guess that is a tangelo: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangelo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangelo&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The 'characteristic &quot;nipple&quot; at the stem' (from wikipedia) seems to hold true for the photo.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fruit looks ok but not fantastic, the leaves are mostly healthy but show a slight yellowing. I would foliar spray with manganese, water in some iron chelate and mound around the drip line with sheep manure (or goat/cow/horse, not chicken) and mulch well. It's also a good idea to clean up the dropped fruit to avoid encouraging pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13843" LastActivityDate="2016-02-14T01:37:32.877" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23146" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23098" CreationDate="2016-02-14T01:42:49.483" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want shade in a hurry maybe consider a clumping bamboo of an appropriate height. You could then plant the trees you want long-term and eventually remove the bamboo. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13843" LastActivityDate="2016-02-14T01:42:49.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23147" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23157" CreationDate="2016-02-14T03:29:50.413" Score="7" ViewCount="9907" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rauvolfia_serpentina&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;serpentina plant&lt;/a&gt; from the Philippines. I'd like to use it to grow some more. How do I propagate it? Do I need cuttings or does it have seeds? If it has seeds, how do I find them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ej9Z4.jpgs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ej9Z4.jpgs&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fUFkr.jpgs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fUFkr.jpgs&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WQXxz.jpgs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WQXxz.jpgs&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7178" LastEditorUserId="7178" LastEditDate="2016-02-15T10:54:03.533" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T03:55:40.337" Title="How should I propagate a serpentina plant?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23148" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23140" CreationDate="2016-02-14T06:11:53.310" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure about the specific species, but they appear to be worms from the family &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchytraeidae&quot;&gt;Enchytraeidae&lt;/a&gt; (commonly known as potworms). They are not earthworms, but similar. They feed on/live in decayed organic matter, and do not harm plants. They need moisture to thrive, and prefer a low pH. When the conditions are right, they tend to multiply rapidly. They are often found in vermicomposting systems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control methods are not often attempted, as these do not harm mature plants in any way. Most plants prefer drier soil conditions and higher pH, which would not be suitable for a potworm population explosion. If your plants require these conditions, and you want to remove the potworms, try laying wide slices of raw potato flat on the soil surface. It attracts them, especially at night, and you can pick them out. You can also pick them out as they move into the drain tray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-14T06:11:53.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23149" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23152" CreationDate="2016-02-14T09:40:33.050" Score="8" ViewCount="203" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this plant in my garden, I am looking for the name of the purple, small leaf plant. I like it very much. It is like creeping plant, but I don't know its name, please does someone know what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; I am looking for purplish, small leafed plants name.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GbtSe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GbtSe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Click here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13845" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-02-16T13:27:44.350" LastActivityDate="2016-02-16T13:27:44.350" Title="What is name of this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23151" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23149" CreationDate="2016-02-14T15:17:36.053" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It has a few names, the most common one being Sorrel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also called Oaxala.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although this is the classic shamrock shape, shamrock more often refers to true clovers with similar shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-02-14T15:17:36.053" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23149" CreationDate="2016-02-14T15:40:57.080" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;After so much searching I have found out the name of that purplish plant as Callisia repens&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is Callisia &lt;a href=&quot;https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callisia_repens&quot;&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;more info &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenseeker.com/indoor-plants/callisia_repens.htm&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is also called as turtle vine&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13845" LastEditorUserId="13845" LastEditDate="2016-02-14T15:48:58.413" LastActivityDate="2016-02-14T15:48:58.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23153" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23181" CreationDate="2016-02-14T19:34:15.790" Score="11" ViewCount="22841" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had this plant of aloe for years, and it has always given me great satisfaction. Easy to take care of, I had separated it into different pots but now decided to keep it all together into a large one - and it has been a great idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It withstood changes in the position too: from a south-facing window sill, when I put it all together it was placed outside on the western porch, receiving a lot of light and it sprouted even more. I brought it in for the winter, and placed it in a well-lit area and it was fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, one day I had the terrible idea of putting it outside in the winter for some sunlight (we had an unusually warm winter) and obviously I forgot to taking it back in at night and obviously it turned out to be the coldest night of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves turned white almost immediately, but the damage was very limited. I thought it was just the cold, so I kept it inside, placed it where it gets a lot of light but no direct sunlight and waited to see if it could get some color back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It turned worse, as you can see in the pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qvptr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qvptr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CVx8E.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CVx8E.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some even started to brown&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8yvGb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8yvGb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aloeplant.info/aloe-vera-and-sun/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; where they say it could be sunburnt. However I don't know how that's possible, it's been in almost direct sunlight in August and it didn't turn out like this.&#xA;And I know from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/17646/how-do-i-make-my-aloe-plant-beautiful-again&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; that the damaged brown leaves will have to be cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So finally my question(s):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is it a sunburnt aloe as the article states? Is the damage recoverable?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13220" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T15:18:05.410" Title="Why are my aloe leaves turning white and brown?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23155" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-14T22:38:11.093" Score="11" ViewCount="2256" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can somebody identify this plant? I received it for my Dad's passing and it isn't doing so well. I just moved it and it may be in shock. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bSNC3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bSNC3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13850" LastEditorUserId="44" LastEditDate="2016-02-16T03:29:53.050" LastActivityDate="2021-04-07T08:11:17.410" Title="What is this tree-like houseplant with long thin leaves? Is it sick?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23155" CreationDate="2016-02-15T03:45:08.627" Score="9" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1786/&quot;&gt;Ficus maclellandii&lt;/a&gt;, Narrow-leaf Fig or Banana Leaf Ficus. One of the&#xA;  best indoor and patio Ficus for ornamental use, with several&#xA;  similar-looking cultivars, including 'Alii' and 'Amstel King'. In the&#xA;  wilds of Southeast Asia and Northern Australia, this tree can grow up&#xA;  to 50 feet or more. But the cultivars available in most nurseries are&#xA;  mere dwarfs of this species and are relatively small trees, up to&#xA;  about 12 feet tall. Narrow-leaf figs have lanceolate leaves that are&#xA;  thick and plastic-like, up to six inches long (resembling elongated,&#xA;  thick Ficus benjamina leaves) and one inch to two inches wide&#xA;  depending on the cultivar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Positive identification will be to make a tiny break in the leaf and watch for white sticky sap which is an Id for all members of the fig family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main problem this plant has had is low light.  These plants are tropical and grow outdoors in full sun for the best appearance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend cutting the dead stems back to a major branch and moving to a high light situation.  New growth should start within a month.  Fertilizer is not needed at the moment until you see new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_maclellandii&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; and my own experience notes that this plant has been sold under various names but the long leaves are the key identification feature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-02-15T03:45:08.627" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23157" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23147" CreationDate="2016-02-15T08:56:29.013" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The image you are using (&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nw9ie.jpgs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://i.stack.imgur.com/nw9ie.jpgs&lt;/a&gt;) is of Andrographis paniculata.  Some places ascribe copyright to emeritus Prof Kazuo Yamasaki.  Is there a reason you did not take your own picture of your plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: the new pictures you posted are of the same plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;An erect shrub, Andrographis is green with sparse lanceolate leaves up to 5 inches long on green stems. The leaves are scentless. The shrub’s small flowers are tubular-shaped and white with pale violet streaks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/132160-propagation-andrographis.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenguides.com/132160-propagation-andrographis.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The seeds of Andrographis paniculate are covered with a hard coat of wax, making them difficult to germinate. A Chinese agronomist recommends scarifying the seeds with fine sand to remove the layer of wax, then soaking them in warm water for 24 hours. Agronomists at Kerala Agricultural University, in Kerala, India, recommend soaking the seeds for six hours before sowing them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.herbsarespecial.com.au/isabells_blog/isabells-articles/king-of-bitters.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.herbsarespecial.com.au/isabells_blog/isabells-articles/king-of-bitters.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Description: Easy to grow, annual/biennial bush to 1 meter high, with lanceolate leaves 4-12cm long. Small white flowers 1-2 cm long, set along a thin upright stem. Tubular flowers can have purple coloured flecks on the inside of the lip-like formation. A fine oblong seed capsule 1.5 cm long contains several very small round seeds. Seeds will readily disperse if not picked. Leaves have no aroma. Flavour of the whole plant is extremely bitter. Propagation is by seeds, cuttings and layering stems. Plant seeds, spring and summer, germination may be in 10- 30 days. Plants will grow in a wide range of soils, in full sun or shade and thrives in moist conditions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-02-16T06:26:58.547" LastActivityDate="2016-02-16T06:26:58.547" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23158" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23159" CreationDate="2016-02-15T12:49:56.807" Score="10" ViewCount="505" Body="&lt;p&gt;Today I purchased an &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_barberae&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aloe barberae&lt;/a&gt; tree from the nursery. During the time it was delivered to my home it split itself on the trunk where it has two branches. The split is approximately 120 mm (just under 5 inches) long and about 5 mm (1/4 inch) wide. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tied both branches together with rope to close the split and removed some of the lower leaves to make the branches lighter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm just wondering if this plant will heal itself in time, and if there's anything more I can do to ensure that it has the best chance of healing itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a couple of photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H5UIz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H5UIz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RmJbf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RmJbf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AnyyQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AnyyQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13854" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-16T03:42:43.727" LastActivityDate="2016-02-16T03:42:43.727" Title="Can I save an Aloe barberae tree with a split in the trunk?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23158" CreationDate="2016-02-15T18:33:11.833" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tying the branches together with a string is the only way to save it. It will either work or it will not, but you did the right thing. Cotton is the best material for this treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-02-15T18:33:11.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23160" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23161" CreationDate="2016-02-15T21:27:14.620" Score="10" ViewCount="299" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw this flowering tree on the Greek Island of Aegina which was very fragrant, with round yellow buds. Picture was taken in February. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z98KC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z98KC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13855" LastActivityDate="2016-02-15T21:45:08.127" Title="What is this tree with round yellow fragrant smelling buds?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23161" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23160" CreationDate="2016-02-15T21:45:08.127" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it might be an Acacia Caven. I'm not sure if a common name is Mimosa for this one &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-02-15T21:45:08.127" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23162" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-16T00:11:16.973" Score="8" ViewCount="134" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone recognize this plant?&#xA;I'm on Los Angeles, CA&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UhsOs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UhsOs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13858" LastActivityDate="2016-02-16T13:20:30.903" Title="What is this plant growing in my backyard? I believe it's some kind of vegetable" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23164" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23180" CreationDate="2016-02-16T04:14:33.850" Score="8" ViewCount="737" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a thick ceramic planter that's made to hang on the wall. The back is flat.  The sides and top round out to a diameter of 4 inches, and it's 5 inches tall. There are no drainage holes, and no viable option to make any. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought it for a lucky bamboo, as I believe they do well in that type of container, but my house could really use some color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any flowering houseplant that will thrive in that pot? If so, what do you recommend? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-17T04:07:37.940" LastActivityDate="2018-01-21T12:08:42.953" Title="What flowering houseplant can I grow in a ceramic container with no drainage holes?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23165" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23167" CreationDate="2016-02-16T05:15:45.020" Score="9" ViewCount="1079" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a small succulent plant that sat indoors (in Austin, TX) and did absolutely nothing for years.  Then in the spring of 2010 it produced this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ckosw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ckosw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A long tendril with delicate flowers.  The dimensions of what is visible in the image are about 2 inches across, 4 inches tall.  Here's a picture of the whole plant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/59pk6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/59pk6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to identify it if possible so I can obtain another one.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I do find another one, is there a method to induce this flowering, or does one just have to wait years?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13860" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T06:58:14.347" Title="Succulent identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23166" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23164" CreationDate="2016-02-16T06:31:10.347" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many of the philodendron family can be:  Caveats:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't over water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Change the dirt every year or two.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My mom kept both cut leaf philodendron and pothos (aka devil's ivy) in non-draining containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A better technique is to put a standard draining pot inside a larger non-draining pot.  The inner pot is supported a couple inches off the bottom of the outer one.  Now if you overwater you can just remove the inner, drain the outer, and put back together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general this should work with any plant that can be kept in water indefinitely.  This would include many ivys, many willows, and possibly yams.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2016-02-16T06:31:10.347" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23167" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23165" CreationDate="2016-02-16T07:30:37.423" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's an &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echeveria&quot;&gt;Echeveria&lt;/a&gt; of some sort.  Just pick off one of the daughter plants from the side and pot it up, for your new plant. No further purchase required. Mine live in an Unheated greenhouse in the uk over winter and on the step of the house for the summer, frost free. Kept dry in well drained soil. They flower each year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-16T17:47:58.500" LastActivityDate="2016-02-16T17:47:58.500" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23168" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1941" CreationDate="2016-02-16T07:36:51.060" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;As one suggested pick off the flower heads. The prime reason for a plant to grow and produce flowers is to reproduce. You can stop the situation worsening by rigorously picking off the flower heads.  There's an old adage &quot;one years seeds, seven years weeds' which I subscribe to and try to keep my own dandelion population in check. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-02-16T07:36:51.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23162" CreationDate="2016-02-16T10:14:38.883" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like lettuce in flowering stage&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13715" LastActivityDate="2016-02-16T10:14:38.883" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23162" CreationDate="2016-02-16T13:20:30.903" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like white stemmed Swiss Chard, and it's about to flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rhsplants.co.uk/plants/_/leaf-beet-swiss-chard/classid.2000014686/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.rhsplants.co.uk/plants/_/leaf-beet-swiss-chard/classid.2000014686/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13861" LastActivityDate="2016-02-16T13:20:30.903" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23116" CreationDate="2016-02-16T13:33:58.813" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Daffodil (Narcissus) - Probably one that's come up blind/not flowered due to lack of nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_(plant)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_(plant)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;OR since October Update&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hesperantha coccinea 'Major'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=1806&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=1806&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13861" LastEditorUserId="13861" LastEditDate="2016-10-04T21:47:13.630" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T21:47:13.630" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23173" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23175" CreationDate="2016-02-16T15:50:44.173" Score="13" ViewCount="6160" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm aware of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Clean_Air_Study#Chart_of_air-filtering_plants&quot;&gt;NASA clean air study listing plants with air purification qualities&lt;/a&gt;. I'm interested if there are any &quot;air purification&quot; kind of plants that can survive a range of temperatures found in enclosed cars (-5 &amp;deg;C to +40 &amp;deg;C)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any air purification plants I can count on surviving in a car?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13866" OwnerDisplayName="Alex Stone" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-16T18:17:39.933" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T09:32:37.163" Title="Are there &quot;air purifier&quot; plants that can grow/survive in cars?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23173" CreationDate="2016-02-16T17:17:38.847" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basically, it is going to depend on the conditions you can maintain in a car, where I live in the great basin temperatures get to 100+f and temps in a car can easily get to 140f which will pretty much kill anything green...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;another challenge would be physical stability, something like a sansavaria would be pretty hardy through a pretty good temperature range, not need to much water, but not appreciate being &quot;jostled&quot;...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;the one thing that that study failed to study (at least this was my takeaway when a read it) is the soil... I suspect a fair amount of the metabolism that they saw was through the soil associated with the plants and not from the plants themselves... so you could with much less effort keep some soil microbes in your car... you could even mix activated charcoal to help sequester hydrocarbons, and the soil oxidizing bacteria could eat them...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2016-02-16T17:17:38.847" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23175" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23173" CreationDate="2016-02-16T18:16:12.263" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have read the &lt;a href=&quot;https://archive.org/stream/nasa_techdoc_19930072988/19930072988#page/n13/mode/1up&quot;&gt;original NASA studies&lt;/a&gt; and the plant industry has misused the findings to sell more stock.  Yes, plants do filter air but only when their metabolism is going at full speed, that means lots of light, lots of air circulation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Outside light levels in the tropics are &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight&quot;&gt;hundreds to thousands of times more intense&lt;/a&gt; than anything inside your car.  Light in your car or inside a house can be as low as 100 lux whereas outside light levels can be 120,000 lux.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A plant in your car behind glass will not be working at full speed.  It will be just getting by or coasting on stored food reserves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The original study link quoted above also mentions Grady Player's point that more of the filtering seemed to involve the soil.  Even plants without leaves can filter air when in sealed containers with high light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to actively filter the air in your car it would be effective to get an upgraded carbon filter for the car.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a99/1272511/&quot;&gt;Most cars have two or three cabin air&lt;/a&gt; filters and upgraded after market filters are available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-02-17T03:38:22.877" LastActivityDate="2016-02-17T03:38:22.877" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23176" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2016-02-16T18:34:30.267" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2016-02-16T18:34:30.267" LastActivityDate="2016-02-16T18:34:30.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23177" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2016-02-16T18:34:30.267" Score="0" Body="Moving plants from one pot to another" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-02-17T01:25:50.283" LastActivityDate="2016-02-17T01:25:50.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23178" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23164" CreationDate="2016-02-16T21:56:37.813" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Sherwood Botsford. We have the philodendron all over the office at work. It gets crappy lighting and still grows like crazy. When it touches the ground, I break it off and stick it in another pot. I water mine a little every week, but they can be over and under watered with little ill affect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plastic pot inside the decrotive is a good idea as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Petunias are another plant that would do well if you had a lot of light and monitored the water a little more closely. They're more work, though. You have to pinch off all the dying flowers every day or it looks like trash and stops blooming. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think an air plant would work really well, well. Just pop it in there, pull it out and soak it, and pop it back in. Some of them do flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you can put the drainage hole in the bottom without much trouble. It'll only drip when you water, so just put a catch cup under it when watering and a paper towel on the floor if you're worried. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option that I'm working on for a glass bowl &quot;desert&quot; terrarium, is a way to remove excess water. I'm going to lay down aquarium gravel and a piece of weed cloth cut to go to the edges of the bowl. This will help keep a clean line of dirt and gravel and create a place for excess water to go. To prevent over watering, I'm going to run a piece of aquarium air hose down to the very bottom, through the weed cloth. I'll leave it long and back fill the dirt and plant the succulents. After they're planted. I'll cut the tube down to behind a plant or decorative rock. Then I'll use an extra horse syringe we have to block the mouth of the tube and suck out excess water. This way I don't have to be super obsessive about the amount of water I give my succulents and can prevent root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-02-16T21:56:37.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23180" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23164" CreationDate="2016-02-17T04:06:45.473" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;First off, possibly your brightest and fastest color would be forced bulbs. Temporary, but easy and well suited to the application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than that, you will be looking more long-term. I find that one can, with a bit of practice, water these holeless containers in such a way that the plant gets sufficient moisture without having wet feet. I use them in my house (actually the majority of my indoor containers do not drain). Alternatively you can use an insert.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing to note is that that is a rather small pot size, so although many plants will grow/flower in it when young, many will eventually grow out of it, and will have to move on/be propagated. This includes many of the species I have listed. Also, plants which are grown for flowers generally require brighter light than foliage plants. If this is an issue for you, you could consider growing multiple flowering plants in a bright area, and moving each into the darker area in turn as they are about to climax. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for plants, I'll list a few, and note what moisture/light levels they prefer. There are quite a few, so I'll just add the few that I've grown in similar conditions to what you described.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disocactus_flagelliformis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Disocactus flagelliformis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: This is a multi stemmed and very colorful spreading cactus that looks great in a hanging basket. It likes bright indirect lighting, and moist soil during the growing season. Best to repot yearly with new medium.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthurium_andraeanum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Anthurium andraeanum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: An upright, larger leaved plant, with brightly colored inflorescences. They Like medium lighting, and moist soil (allow to dry some between waterings). May outgrow your pot...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Begonia_species&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Begonia sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: Many types. Some have colorful foliage, many flower throughout the year. They like bright lighting, especially sunlight to promote flowering. Water often during the growing months.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelargonium&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pelargonium sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: Same as for Begonia, indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browallia_speciosa&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Browallia speciosa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; varieties: Vividly colored violet/blue flowers. Likes some direct sun during the day. Water moderately. Some people treat as temporary.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campanula_isophylla&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Campanula isophylla&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: Trailer. Easy to grow. Readily will flower profusely in bright light. Multiple star shaped white or blue flowers. Likes bright light, preferably with some direct sun. Do not let the mix dry between waterings - but do not overwater, as these can be prone to fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandevilla_sanderi&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mandevilla sanderi&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: Twining vine (great for use with a support) with very large, showy, and colorful flowers. Likes bright filtered light. Water moderately while growing. During rest period, only enough to keep it from completely drying. May outgrow your pot.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=EPCU2&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Episcia cupreata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: Pretty plant. Can be kept contained. Furry oval leaves and small, very bright red flowers. This is one of my favorites. It slowly creeps, and throws runners like a strawberry plant. Likes bright filtered light, and keep the mix constantly moist, but not wet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saintpaulia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Saintpaulia sp.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: African violet. They like quite bright conditions, although hot sun can burn them. Keep moderately moist, allowing for some drying time between waterings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-17T04:06:45.473" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23153" CreationDate="2016-02-17T04:46:36.850" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, here is what sunburn looks like on an aloe leaf:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uz00p.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uz00p.jpg&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here is what &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/14668/419&quot;&gt;etiolation&lt;/a&gt; looks like on an aloe (this one's actually mine :o):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GO02T.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GO02T.jpg&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mine is etiolated because it's in the basement under fluorescent lighting, which is on 24/7. That plus the warm temperatures are confusing to the plant. Mine responded by trying to grow (although I haven't watered it since September of 2014). It stays outside during the summer. Most of mine I treat better than this one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's how to avoid etiolation. If the aloe is kept outdoors over the no frost months (highly recommended), and you don't have an indoor location with several hours of direct sun, the best method of overwintering is to make the plant go dormant. You don't want the plant to grow while dormant, as that growth will not be as robust as summer growth, but will be permanent nonetheless. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Place it in an area that stays between 40 and 60 degrees F., ideally around 50 - 55. Give it bright light for 10 hours a day. That is a very short day and helps the plant 'winterize' naturally. Let the soil just about dry out. Watering will cause growth. You don't want it all as dry as dust, but you're gonna get pretty dang close. Do not fertilize. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can usually keep the plant healthy in these conditions for at least 4 months, which is enough in most areas to get them through the winter. When moving them outdoors, you will have to harden them off carefully, so as not to sunburn them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have an area indoors with direct sunlight several hours a day, you can keep the aloe there year round, growing constantly. Putting it outdoors for a time (much brighter) and then bringing it back in will throw it off, and can cause etiolation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T15:18:05.410" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23182" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23192" CreationDate="2016-02-17T04:57:35.387" Score="11" ViewCount="362" Body="&lt;p&gt;Everywhere, when discussing moving a plant to a new location/climate, people mention hardening it off. What does this term mean?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-18T04:38:21.017" Title="What is 'Hardening Off'?" Tags="&lt;terminology&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23183" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23197" CreationDate="2016-02-17T06:47:07.680" Score="6" ViewCount="2128" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had some pansies and similar flowers in a horse trough outside on a balcony in San Francisco. They were doing well, and had done for around six months. Then it got very windy, and also very rainy, and my flowers shortly died (see photo).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it more likely that it was the wind, or the rain? What could I do to help in the future?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used standard potting mix, and fertilized the flowers pretty regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Sorry the photo isn’t very good; I can try again tomororw. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H01cv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H01cv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dead pansies&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3410" LastActivityDate="2016-02-18T01:29:13.540" Title="Why did my pansies die?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23184" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23183" CreationDate="2016-02-17T07:02:03.540" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most likely the rain, they may have been saturated and consequently drowned. Sorry for your loss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-02-17T07:02:03.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23182" CreationDate="2016-02-17T07:06:33.207" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basically plants from a nursery are &quot;soft&quot; i.e. they have been grown in very controlled, specific, routine conditions, and monitored regularly. When they are then taken out to site and planted, they are exposed to conditions that are completely foreign, be it aspect, exposure, moisture and soil composition etc. The 'Hardening Off' term applies to the period of &quot;toughening&quot; (read adjustment) that the plants go through during establishment at the new location. Some survive, some thrive, some die. Others may experience stunting or a slowing of growth which is then resumed when it has adjusted and comfortable in the new conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The specifics obviously depend on the species and the location, but generally some things to take notice of are moisture, nutrients and damage. Keep it watered (but not too much), look for signs of nutrient deficiency and damage from the sun, frost or wind. Many trees and large shrubs will loose leaf when replanted, this should be temporary and discontinue after a short time if the conditions are suitable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastEditorUserId="13742" LastEditDate="2016-02-18T04:38:21.017" LastActivityDate="2016-02-18T04:38:21.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23187" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-17T08:15:16.087" Score="10" ViewCount="2223" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a few questions on this site based around the fastest growing plant of a specific type (vegetable, tree etc.) but can anyone give me a list of the fastest growing plants by mass. To be clear I mean the plant that (once mature if appropriate) increases in mass by the greatest percentage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonus points for anyone providing a list of different plants!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13870" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-17T21:34:41.117" LastActivityDate="2020-09-30T15:19:20.293" Title="What are some of the fastest growing plant by mass?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19468" CreationDate="2016-02-17T10:22:26.037" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're watering the plant regularly then it is likely to be the PH of the soil. Passion fruit like a more acidic soil, a good does of chook manure should help, spent coffee grounds are also effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there is any yellowing in the leaves then you'll want some Iron chelate watered in around the root zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some passion fruit are sold as grafted plants, worst case your plant my just be the rootstock where the fruiting graft has died off. If the plant is healthy you may be able to graft a known good fruiter onto your healthy rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13843" LastActivityDate="2016-02-17T10:22:26.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23189" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23183" CreationDate="2016-02-17T16:33:31.873" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They don't look completely dead, just completely battered and flattened. If you had torrential rain and high winds, I'd expect this to be the result, given they were obviously at least six months old, which is quite mature for a pansy. It's hard to see how many plants were present in the trough, and it may be they were overcrowded as they grew anyway, but I'd certainly try cutting them right back (provided the weather's not too cold) to see if they regrow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A close up pic, though, might reveal some level of Pansy Downy Mildew infection, its impossible to tell currently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-02-17T18:12:36.350" LastActivityDate="2016-02-17T18:12:36.350" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23190" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23199" CreationDate="2016-02-17T16:39:13.870" Score="10" ViewCount="1585" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 4 year old Japanese Larch and would like to prune the leader as it grew very quickly last year and has very few branches compared to the bottom half of the tree which is nice and bushy. I would also like to control the size of the tree (sort of like an 8 foot bonsai). Will I damage the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13873" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-17T21:17:19.320" LastActivityDate="2016-02-18T13:23:37.683" Title="Can I keep my Japanese Larch small by pruning?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23190" CreationDate="2016-02-17T17:14:53.350" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can snip that whole leader off without ill effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You ought to look into some bonsai resources to look at so you know what good pruning vs bad pruning is in a bonsai context.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2016-02-18T13:23:37.683" LastActivityDate="2016-02-18T13:23:37.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23192" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23182" CreationDate="2016-02-17T18:05:47.900" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;'Hardening off' is the process by which plants which have been somewhere sheltered and warm are toughened up or gradually acclimatized to live happily somewhere less sheltered and less warm. Plants sold at garden centres which are under cover or inside will need hardening off, but those outside in the open won't need hardening. &#xA;Seedlings you've grown yourself in controlled conditions, once potted on and growing strongly, will need to be hardened off before planting outside, as will any plant which has been kept inside or under cover over winter, and which you now might want to place back outside. It's important that the correct time for hardening off is chosen, depending on the plants involved - you'd only harden off a tender plant once you know that the temperatures outside are not currently, nor likely to become, cold enough to damage or kill the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The procedure involved for hardening off is to choose a still, mild day,  move the plants outside for three or four hours in the middle of the day, preferably not in full sun, then bring them back inside. Carry on doing this every day, extending the time they have outdoors over a week or so, until eventually, preferably on a mild night and in a reasonably sheltered spot, they are left outside all night. Once that's achieved safely, the plant is now hardened and can be either planted out, or its pot placed in a desirable position.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-02-17T18:26:40.093" LastActivityDate="2016-02-17T18:26:40.093" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23193" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23187" CreationDate="2016-02-17T18:12:19.480" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know if it's quite what you mean. Rhubarb when in forcing sheds you can hear growing (it crackles) it's so quick. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-02-17T18:12:19.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23194" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23190" CreationDate="2016-02-17T21:16:40.483" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because the tree in question has the genetic potential to grow far taller than 8', and so in keeping it at that low height, you will essentially be &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/14560/419&quot;&gt;pollarding&lt;/a&gt; the tree. You may not really like the result. It's normal for trees to grow tall and lanky before filling out. Usually, if people want them to look full and bushy as they grow, it is done by heading back (taking the last season's growth back, but not entirely removing it). This causes more branching, but also maintains proper proportions regarding to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14536/what-is-apical-dominance&quot;&gt;apical dominance&lt;/a&gt;, so you can maintain a healthy leader. If you cut the whole leader off, the plant's response the next season will be to put out a whole club of new leaders, which is not natural looking, or in the long run, structurally sound. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I would recommend heading back as possibly the heaviest pruning you should do, taking back up to 3/4 of all the new growth (if it is very long/whiplike), and then do similarly as the tree grows and matures. Just remember, the further you cut back, the more long shoots the cut end will throw out. For an '8 foot bonsai' look, I'd choose a tree with a maturing height in the 8' range. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-02-17T22:20:14.480" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23195" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23187" CreationDate="2016-02-17T21:33:34.743" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of the large tropical bamboos will put out new growth at a rate of 3' a day (about 1&quot; every 40 minutes),&lt;sup&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-growing-plant/&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sup&gt; which when it is a stalk diameter of over 8-10&quot; is really rather impressive (eventually reaching over 100' in height). They can do this because of their huge, aggressive rhizome system. The new stalks come up like an asparagus stalk, then stretch and open up once they are the mature height, doing almost no growing after that point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Giant sequoias do grow over 4' a year when young (not as fast as others, but still noticeable). I'm mentioning because the mature ones are going to be the plants that put on the most average yearly mass (as per your question). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than that, the only thing that, you have kudzu vines (up to 1' a day - but much more slender), Hybrid poplar (up to 10' a year), and if you count algae, it's blooms put on enormous quantities of mass in less than a day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-17T21:33:34.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23196" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23187" CreationDate="2016-02-17T23:00:27.940" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think duckweed may take the prize for daily increase (of course, it's aquatic, and individually tiny - but it grows like mad.) Then again, possibly algae of some sort do better. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kelp or bamboo win in the &quot;linear growth per day&quot; sort of sweepstakes. With bamboo, it very much depends on the day, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Giant sequoia presumably win the &quot;seed to plant mass&quot; unless that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-largest-organism-is-fungus/&quot;&gt;4 mile mushroom&lt;/a&gt; from a presumably much lighter spore gets to compete; and since it purports to be the largest living organism, I guess if it plays, it wins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-02-17T23:00:27.940" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23183" CreationDate="2016-02-18T01:29:13.540" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lot of experience with pansies because they grow well here in Massachusetts, Zone 6. I like that they're among the first plants hardy enough to be outside in the spring, sometimes as early as April. When tended to properly, which involves only a few minor things, they'll bloom into the fall, sometimes until the first frost. They grow easily from seeds too, if you're a person who likes to do some of your own germinating. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You mentioned wind and rain, but I'd like to know if this happened during your hottest months. Pansies are not fans of high heat and humidity, especially if they're in direct sun, and that could easily be part of the problem. If I don't move my pansies out of the direct sun during July and August, they'll lie down, become limp, and stop producing flowers. Once the temperatures get back down below 80° f, they perk back up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like you may have them planted in a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kinsmangarden.com/category/Hayrack-Liners&quot;&gt;coco fiber liner&lt;/a&gt;. These tend to drain well, sometimes to the point where plants dry out and need more frequent watering. If that's the case, I'd be even more encouraged that, although the weight of the rain may have done this, drainage has likely been sufficient enough to prevent full root rot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm with Bamboo here; there are enough green leaves to make me think at least some are salvageable. It's definitely worth investigating before throwing them out.  I too would cut them all back to within an inch or two of the top of your soil. It's not just that the weight is causing them to droop, but any energy left in the roots is being sapped in an effort to help the plant grow. Cutting them back is your best chance to give the roots time to concentrate on absorbing the nutrients from the soil and, essentially, to start from scratch. Then dig down a little and see if you have any viable roots. I suspect you'll see some life under there, especially on the plants with the most green leaves. If so, gently pull apart what you can, and choose which to save. Replace your soil with something fresh and dry, or move them to a different container. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trimming is important even at their healthiest. Once they've grown to a point where the stem is spindly and hanging over, pinch it back to where the next bud or bloom is. It not only keeps the plant healthier, but it also makes a fuller and prettier shape. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also agree that they're overcrowded. This happens to me all the time. I want the container to look full, so I put too many plants in, only to find that, four or five weeks later, the roots are fighting for space and flowering slows down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Much of what I've already discussed is useful for the future. To sum it up:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't overcrowd the pot. Either leave a few inches between plants, or split them once they become root bound. They transplant really easily, so if you choose to go that route, it's not a big deal. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep them well trimmed. Pinch off mature flowers to encourage new growth. Also, any stems that are brown and brittle should be clipped off right away. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Avoid high heat and humidity. Take them out of the hot sun in your warmest months. If you can't move them, make sure they stay well-watered, and don't worry if they stop producing flowers for a while.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water them regularly and make sure they have good drainage. The roots are generally very hardy, so they're a lot less picky about water than some other plants, but they do appreciate some drainage. If it's easy to move the container out of the way of an oncoming storm, do that, but, if not, check them after to see if you need to do anything. If they're in a small enough pot, you can even gently tip it and pour off the excess water.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Use a well-balanced potting soil. Obviously you already do that. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope you can save some of those plants, and that you have continued success in the future!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-02-18T01:29:13.540" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23198" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17509" CreationDate="2016-02-18T02:18:05.400" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sow the seeds in an organic (non - soil) seed starting mix, in cell pots, preferably indoors. Keep moist. Within 2-3 weeks, the seeds should germinate, and you should keep them in a brightly lit area (sun is good, but not midday sun in your warm climate). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After they reach the 3 leaf stage, you can start lightly fertilizing. Soon  they will be pot bound in the cell, at which point you can safely move them to the new planter without the root ball collapsing. Plant them in a much larger container (preferable with at least 3 cubic feet of potting soil in it), and keep moist there. Keep weeds down, and fertilize regularly with a balanced fertilizer (not as necessary in the ground). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are in a warm climate where these can be tricky to bring to head without premature bolting. Keep the plants out of midday sun, don't let the soil dry out, make sure they have plenty of nitrogen... You basically want to spoil it in every way you can if it has one stressful thing (in this case the high temperature), because stress makes the plant want to flower/seed faster (bolt), and you want to put that off as long as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-18T02:18:05.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23190" CreationDate="2016-02-18T03:57:15.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You will have to prune more than just the apex if you want to maintain your larch at this size. It isn't a great deal of work, amounting to a few hours two times each year. Since you are wanting a landscape planting to remain about 8 feet tall, you will need either a pole mounted tree pruner or (better) a 3 legged gardener's ladder and a hand pruner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want to do structural pruning in late winter (i.e., buds are about to are are beginning to swell, but haven't cracked showing green - even then is okay, but no later). Cut back to a bud. The most distal (farthest from the roots) will usually become the apical meristem for that branch. If there should happen to be too many buds too close together somewhere, just pick off some until the concentration of buds is about like elsewhere. Shorten all branches near the top so that only one bud on one stem is the highest from the ground - this will be the leader.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In spring prune off part to most of the new growth at the branch ends when the new shoots have extended and their color has has darkened. This will cause branching back inside the canopy which must have in order to keep the tree at whatever size you want. These interior branches must get some light, so you may need to do some thinning of the foliage so that light gets to the interior.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You likely could start within the next few weeks or so, doing your first structural pruning. Shorten the leader and branches, remove branches heading back toward the trunk, etc. Anywhere there are more than three branches emerging from a point, reduce it to only two (this prevents knobs from forming). Generally a branch will die if you remove all the buds on it - always leave a bud if you want the branch.&#xA;Then (probably about May), cut back the new growth and enjoy your tree. Next year about this time, you'll again do structural pruning, shortening branches (back toward those new ones you made with the late spring pruning), fixing mistakes, etc.; pruning harder in those areas where growth has been more vigorous than in less vigorous areas (restore 'balance').&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-02-18T03:57:15.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23200" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23242" CreationDate="2016-02-18T09:13:34.143" Score="9" ViewCount="262" Body="&lt;p&gt;The backyard of my house has a small slope and because of that little puddles of rain water are accumulating. Because of this, the mulch in the nearby vegetable beds are wet all the time. I want to fill this slope with some dirt. I would like to know what kind of dirt is best suited for this so that it will help the vegetable beds as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-02-18T12:08:04.293" LastActivityDate="2016-02-22T08:07:00.183" Title="What type of dirt to use for filling the backyard before preparing the vegetable beds?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23201" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23200" CreationDate="2016-02-18T14:58:15.780" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good quality topsoil is probably best, preferably with some organic or humus rich composted materials added (composted animal manures, leaf mould, spent mushroom compost, garden compost, anything like that), though the latter component should only be added if you're not growing root crops like carrots, which will fork badly in manured or very rich soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on the gradient of the slope and the size of the area, you may need a surprising amount of topsoil to make it level though, so that should be worked out beforehand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-02-18T15:03:17.617" LastActivityDate="2016-02-18T15:03:17.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23202" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23204" CreationDate="2016-02-18T15:05:19.580" Score="7" ViewCount="752" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a stone fruit tree someone could recommend for northeast Indiana? I have a half acre backyard and want to cut down on space and maybe grow something for the farmer's market. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13875" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-18T15:18:10.950" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T19:47:45.787" Title="What is a good stone fruit tree for northeast Indiana?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23202" CreationDate="2016-02-18T15:38:09.237" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fruiting cherry should work, but unfortunately, because you're in the North East, it won't be sweet cherries, it'll have to be the tart type, because of the vagaries of your weather there - more info in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-9.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-9.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peaches might work, depends which USDA zone you're classed as there - they work best in Zones 6 and 7, but will grow in zone 5, see link &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.almanac.com/plant/peaches&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.almanac.com/plant/peaches&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's probably worth consulting a specialist fruit tree seller in the area, because some varieties of peach are hardier than others - there are likely also some plum varieties that will do well in your region. Stark Brothers has one called Stanley Prune-Plum which is recommended for Zones 5-7, for instance. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/plum-trees/stanley-prune-plum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/plum-trees/stanley-prune-plum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The link below gives broad, general information about trees for Indiana which might be of interest&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tytyga.com/Indiana-trees-a/280.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.tytyga.com/Indiana-trees-a/280.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other factors to consider though - your soil type and exposure will make a difference to what you can successfully grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-02-18T15:38:09.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23202" CreationDate="2016-02-18T16:34:20.690" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;In Northeast Indiana, you're in zone 5. There should actually be quite a lot of stone fruit trees that do well for you, depending on your soil. Stone fruit trees tend to be short-lived in our climate. In my opinion, they're still worth trying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sour cherries should do very well for you. Montmorency is an easy one to find that does well in zone 5, but North Star is also an excellent one - very hardy and a heavy, consistent producer with good flavor. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Conventional wisdom is that sweet cherries do not do well in the Great Lakes region, but I've had good luck with a Stella Compact that I've had for almost 10 years now. It is a self-fertile, dwarf sweet cherry. Self-fertile is important because few people around here attempt sweet cherries, so fertilization can be an issue if you only want to plant one tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plums do fairly well here, but are susceptible to borers. Mount Royal and Stanley should be easy to find for dark plums. Toka is a hardy red plum that also shows up at a lot of nurseries around here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want peaches, go with Reliance or Madison. I have a Reliance, and when I get peaches off of it, they are certainly better than store peaches, but not as good as the peaches you get off of the fruit trucks that come up from down south. It is not a reliable cropper - I get fruit every two years if I am lucky. It tends to have some die-back that needs to be cut out ever year. Also, the Japanese beetles love the fruit, so I have to cut away beetle damage to eat them. If you have a extra space and want to try a peach tree as a novelty, go for it. I wouldn't recommend a peach otherwise, though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2016-02-19T19:47:45.787" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T19:47:45.787" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14819" CreationDate="2016-02-18T16:45:10.480" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My potted Echinocereus reichenbachii has withstood multiple winters of zone 6 out in the open...rain, freezing rain, and snow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13876" LastActivityDate="2016-02-18T16:45:10.480" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23206" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-18T23:35:17.153" Score="8" ViewCount="105" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can see the problem in the picture! I've grown chilies here for 25 years without problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jcP4O.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jcP4O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13880" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-19T00:11:25.483" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T00:11:25.483" Title="Why does my banana chili start to wilt and seem to die off when it reaches 500 mm high?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2017-02-25T02:41:07.707" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23202" CreationDate="2016-02-19T03:13:46.127" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cherries and plums will grow in regions with light to moderate winter frosts and/or snow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13881" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T03:13:46.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4" CreationDate="2016-02-19T07:50:30.103" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The new growth is often sweeter, with the older larger stems being tougher, less flavour and more fibrous. The root is very deep. It's recommended that it's dug up every couple of years and moved. I've not moved mine for 10yrs and it was already ancient when I moved in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T07:50:30.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23209" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22846" CreationDate="2016-02-19T07:52:44.817" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will have a period of very rapid growth and may need some support to prevent it toppling over. To keep this growth going it may need watering more frequently. Keep an eye on the compost if looking dry on top, water, but not kept waterlogged. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T07:52:44.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23210" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23211" CreationDate="2016-02-19T11:36:04.287" Score="16" ViewCount="692" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have got a bunch of flowers, and under the leaves I noticed that there are  a lot of spots. I do not know  what type of leaves they are and I am not sure if the spots are eggs. Should I be worried about them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E9poA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-19T19:09:18.300" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T19:09:18.300" Title="What are these spots under the leaves in my cut flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23211" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23210" CreationDate="2016-02-19T13:15:57.027" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves in the picture looks like ferns. As you may know, ferns use &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spore&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;spores&lt;/a&gt; to reproduce. It appears to me that it is just the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sori&lt;/a&gt; under your leaves (the Sori is made up of groups of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporangium&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sporangium&lt;/a&gt;, which produce and contain the spores).  Nothing to be worry about!&#xA;You can even try to grow more from these. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13715" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-19T19:05:38.827" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T19:05:38.827" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23212" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23214" CreationDate="2016-02-19T17:15:24.107" Score="11" ViewCount="475" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't seem to identify this little guy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vi6Cj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vi6Cj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13886" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-19T17:28:43.197" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T17:40:09.223" Title="What is this houseplant with dark green linear leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23214" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23212" CreationDate="2016-02-19T17:40:09.223" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a not terribly well Asplenium nidus, common name Birds' Nest Fern. It may be yours is suffering from insufficient light as well as a dry atmosphere, they do like a lot of humidity, so bathrooms and kitchens are often good places for these. In terms of light, bright daylight is best - a little winter sun won't do any harm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some care instructions in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.houseplantsexpert.com/birds-nest-fern.html&quot;&gt;http://www.houseplantsexpert.com/birds-nest-fern.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T17:40:09.223" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23215" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-19T17:51:41.533" Score="8" ViewCount="1177" Body="&lt;p&gt;I aerated, overseeded and applied starter fertilizer last Sept 15th.  Would I be safe to apply a pre-emergent such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/turf-builder-with-halts-crabgrass-preventer/prod100056&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Scotts fertilizer with Halts&lt;/a&gt; pre-emergent this spring, or would some of the grass seeds from last fall still be germinating and/or too weak to survive the chemicals?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I'm in Minnesota, so I expect ground temps to be around 50° around mid-late April.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13887" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-02-19T18:48:47.377" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T18:48:47.377" Title="How long should I wait after overseeding, before I apply pre-emergent weed preventer?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;crabgrass&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23215" CreationDate="2016-02-19T18:46:57.667" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The pre-emergent used in that product is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendimethalin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pendimethalin&lt;/a&gt; (3,4-Dimethyl-2,6-dinitro-N-pentan-3-yl-aniline), and its mode of action is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hracglobal.com/pages/classificationofherbicidesiteofaction.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;microtubule assembly inhibition&lt;/a&gt; in very immature plant shoots (In other words, it inhibits microtubules, the structures which pull cells apart in cell division (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitosis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mitosis&lt;/a&gt;), thus shutting down growth). This is the same mode of action that &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifluralin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;trifluralin&lt;/a&gt; based pre-ems use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For this pre-em, I'd wait until the 3 leaf stage (where most of the seedlings have 3 blades each). This will ensure that they are finished taking nutrients from the old seed, and are mature enough to live independently. You could probably do it before that point, but when working with herbicides, safe is always better than sorry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T18:46:57.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7248" CreationDate="2016-02-19T18:55:14.003" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are several modes of action in pre-emergent herbicides, but they all have one thing in common, which is targeting young, immature plants that are still dependent on the parent seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From my answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/23216/419&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I'd wait until the 3 leaf stage (where most of the seedlings have 3 blades each). This will ensure that they are finished taking nutrients from the old seed, and are mature enough to live independently. You could probably do it before that point, but when working with herbicides, safe is always better than sorry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doing that, you should also be in time to prevent the first crabgrass, as your seeded lawn should reach this stage far earlier in the spring, while the temperatures are still cooler.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T18:55:14.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23218" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22161" CreationDate="2016-02-19T19:45:53.987" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look like nematode galls. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Galls are abnormal plant growths caused by various organisms (insects, mites, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, and viruses). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be something similar to root-knot nematodes: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root-knot_nematode&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Meloidogyne&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QHiVP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QHiVP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Root-knot nematodes of the genus Meloidogyne are one of the most economically damaging genera of plant-parasitic nematodes on horticultural and fields crops. M. incognita attacks many vegetables and fruits, including bean, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrot, celery, cucumber, eggplant, okra, onion, pepper, potato, pumpkin, radish, squash, sweet potato, tomato, turnip, watermelon, and many more species. Feeding of the nematode stimulates the development of enlarged nodules (galls) along the roots up to 20 mm in size. When the galls are sliced open, pinhead sized female nematodes can be seen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T19:45:53.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23220" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23224" CreationDate="2016-02-19T20:48:42.243" Score="9" ViewCount="210" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few outdoors vegetable boxes and live in the San Francisco Bay Area.  To get a head start for the growing season, I would like to start by planting seeds indoors using a heating mat.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are good vegetable seeds to plant now? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-02-19T23:48:53.113" LastActivityDate="2016-02-20T09:07:50.623" Title="What vegetable seeds should be planted right now?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23221" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23223" CreationDate="2016-02-19T20:53:54.490" Score="8" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have started some vegetable seeds indoors (SF/Bay Area) in small 1&quot;x1&quot; pods.  The seeds have sprouted but not sure when is a good time to move them to 4&quot; indoor pots before planting them in the outdoors vegetable box?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-02-22T05:35:59.170" Title="Timing to move indoor vegetable seedlings to 4&quot; pots" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23222" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23200" CreationDate="2016-02-19T21:59:00.640" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;For vegetable garden box, along with the soil, I used a combination of steer manure and chicken feed as fertilizer last year and had good results. 3 parts steer manure and 1 part chicken feed did it for me.  You should include fertilizer in your consideration since you are planning to grow vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-02-19T22:15:50.623" LastActivityDate="2016-02-19T22:15:50.623" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23221" CreationDate="2016-02-20T00:21:51.993" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's recommended that you wait until after the first true leaves appear before transplanting seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plant my seeds into small grow-bags made of plant-fiber.  The roots can then grow right through the bottom and when this happens i know it's time to transplant. I also seed mine outside so I don't need to harden off. And I can then plant without removing the grow bag minimizing root shock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-02-22T05:35:59.170" LastActivityDate="2016-02-22T05:35:59.170" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23220" CreationDate="2016-02-20T09:07:50.623" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you ask yourself what wegetable you should grow at a given time, you should use a seasonality table like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thompson-morgan.com/static-images/tandm/in-the-garden/veg-seed-guide.jpg&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt;. This kind of document can help you to chose and optimize your cultures by planning at month scale every phase of your cultivated vegetables. &lt;strong&gt;Find a similar document at a local gardening store to be sure it is suitable to your location&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To answer your question, you could plant :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leeks and other member of the onion family,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lettuce and similars (endive, chicoree),&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Large leaves vegetables like spinach, cabbage or rhubarb.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13715" LastActivityDate="2016-02-20T09:07:50.623" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23225" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23226" CreationDate="2016-02-20T11:44:56.700" Score="8" ViewCount="1849" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a hyacinth planted in a pot indoors. From what I have read, I should cut the stalk and let the leaves die naturally. So I cut the flower stalk but it seems now after about two months, the leaves are still alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water it almost every day. Where I live the plant occasionally gets sunlight. This is due to most of the time the weather is overcast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I continue to water it every day or let the plant dry?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Possibly I would like the bulb to flower next year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13892" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-02-20T16:18:36.257" LastActivityDate="2016-02-20T16:18:36.257" Title="Care for an indoor hyacinth after blooming" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;hyacinth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23226" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23225" CreationDate="2016-02-20T12:23:35.880" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Couple of things - when you bought your hyacinth bulb, was it a prepared, pre treated one, sold specially for growing indoors? Or was it just an ordinary outdoor one? It's usual to buy a prepared one for indoor growing, to ensure they flower in late winter rather than waiting for late spring, as they naturally do, so the fact yours has already finished flowering probably indicates it was a prepared bulb. As such, it will not perform in the same way this coming winter, and won't flower till late spring, so the best thing to do with it now is to plant it outdoors and let it revert to its natural growth habit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd just add that, while the foliage is present, that is the time to feed the bulb, so that it can store enough energy to create a good flower for next year. If you have space outdoors to plant it, and it's cold where you are now, take the opportunity to add some fertilizer when you water, while it's still got leaves, then transfer it outdoors after hardening off (see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23182/what-is-hardening-off&quot;&gt;What is &amp;#39;Hardening Off&amp;#39;?&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-02-20T12:30:31.503" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23227" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23064" CreationDate="2016-02-20T13:27:12.210" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Orychophragmus%20violaceus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Orychophragmus violaceus&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This relative of mustard is biennial, native to east Asia and it has edible flowers. In Europe the plant is rather rare I believe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13894" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-02-21T12:22:52.040" LastActivityDate="2016-02-21T12:22:52.040" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23228" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-20T20:38:03.370" Score="8" ViewCount="315" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what this plant is called?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Aao7Z.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks tropical-ish to me, but I don't know.  Some bromeliad, maybe?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have access to the plant shown in the picture, BTW.  I found the picture online, without any other identification info.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found some candidates by scanning results from Google Image Search.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Interestingly enough, none is a bromeliad, or even tropical.  In order of similarity (to my eyes) to the picture above:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Veratrum californicum&lt;/em&gt; (aka California corn lilies) &lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/false-hellebore-pattern-veratrum-californicum-picture-id131409908&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/false-hellebore-pattern-veratrum-californicum-picture-id131409908&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Veratrum viride&lt;/em&gt; (aka false hellebore)&lt;br/&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://nhgardensolutions.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/7-false-hellebore.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot;/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Allium tricoccum&lt;/em&gt; (aka [wild] leeks)&lt;br/&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f8CxT.png&quot; width=&quot;300&quot;/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After some more scanning, I'm inclined to call it some species of &lt;em&gt;Veratrum&lt;/em&gt;/corn lily: a local beauty with an exotic look.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13896" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-01-16T23:04:39.190" LastActivityDate="2019-01-16T23:04:39.190" Title="What is this (tropical?) plant called?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="23229" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23234" CreationDate="2016-02-20T23:27:33.837" Score="13" ViewCount="5948" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a northeast Connecticut boarding school, and have ten tillandsias on the windowsill of my dormitory room. I cannot collect rain water for them because I have no tools to do so, so the water I use to water them was the water from the drinking fountains. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After coming to the school, I began watering them by soaking them upside-down in plastic containers, just like I used to do back at home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I dried them up by placing them upside-down on paper towels. When I performed this process back in Pittsburgh, they grew quite well (the only difference was that I used rainwater then). I've watered them twice after coming here, but they only turned black on their bottom leaves and didn't look healthy at all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I have refrained from watering them for an incredible three months now, and I know you will blame me for doing this, but I was quite sure they would all turn black and die if I kept watering them. Now, all of them have dried up considerably, but they all still have healthy leaves in the middle and their leaves have stopped turning black. I really want to resume watering them, but I don't know how. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have several varieties of tillandsias, but they all seemed to exhibit the same symptoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to know why their bottom leaves turned black and shriveled after watering, and how I can change my practices to better care for them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have not been able to find answers online about tillandsias' leaves turning black after watering, so I hope this site will be able to help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read somewhere that spring water is good for Tillandsias. Do you recommend using it? If so, what counts as spring water and where can I obtain it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, does Brita water filter work for removing chlorine as well as softening the water? (If that's the case, I will just buy a Brita jug to fix the water problems.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CrmmZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CrmmZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This is a selection of the varieties of tillandsias that I have.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8q0Kp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8q0Kp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This is an example of the blackened bottom leaves that I described before.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13897" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-03-01T15:33:08.990" LastActivityDate="2019-06-24T19:06:33.537" Title="Tillandsia (air plants) Turning Black and Dying After Watering" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;water&gt;&lt;tillandsia&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23230" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-21T07:39:54.567" Score="7" ViewCount="812" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found these seeds but I lost their tag. Could you please help me identify which plant these are from?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xv7L5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-23T00:56:27.970" LastActivityDate="2016-02-23T15:44:42.420" Title="What are these dark seeds?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23231" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-21T07:48:09.143" Score="9" ViewCount="2284" Body="&lt;p&gt;I hope you can help me out. I bought this gorgeous capsicum plant (together with other plants) from local garden shop 10 days ago and planted it into my SFG. We are in Western Australia (Perth). &#xA;After couple of days from planting the leaves in the capsicum started to curl, initially I thought that to be from the shock of replanting but today I took the below pictures and it does not look good. It affected only capsicum plants so far and one of them in particular. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sqzRS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sqzRS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j48uM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j48uM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants are being watered 2 times a day and are in full sun. I fertilised with blood and bone 5 days ago... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like the leaves are curling and deforming. The new levels at the top are wilting and very deformed. Same goes for the new flower buds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone please help.  Is that calcium deficiency? Or do I water to often, it is hot here at the moment. Or is this a virus and I better pul the plug on them? Help!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13898" LastActivityDate="2016-02-22T20:46:11.857" Title="Capsicum leaves are curling and deforming" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;capsicum-pubsecens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23232" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23044" CreationDate="2016-02-21T08:21:27.570" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many tropical plant varieties would grow happily in this type of setting. It all depends on the mix you are looking for. You should try to consult with a local agricultural college, and speak to the nurseries as well. To date, my mother consults with TNAU in Combatore and the local nurseries and the recommendations usually pan out quite well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would make recommendations for monocots like the Birds of Paradise, Strelitzia reginae and variants of Musaceae you can get. This page appears to offer a nice mix of angiosperms: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/aboutflowers/tropical-flowers&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/aboutflowers/tropical-flowers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also have some bulb varieties. Of course, you are going to be dependent on what local nurseries carry, so do talk to them. You can compare what grows in Florida, US and that should be comparable, since Floridian summers can be quite hot and humid as well. Parts of Kerala get quite humid too, so you can look to what grows well there for comparison. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, Marigolds, Oleanders (the fruits are poisonous to humans and cats, so beware) and even some hardy wood roses will do well in the bushy variety. You should see if Cestrum nocturnum (colloquially, Raat Ki Rani) will grow well in your area (ask or see this in people's houses in your neighborhood - another great way to steal planting ideas). We have had one in my home in Coimbatore for ages and it is one of the most exotic, wonderful things that endeared me to botany and gardening. Hibiscus rosa sinensis, or generally Hibiscus, should grow well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similarly, you might be able to mix in a succulent, Epiphyllum oxypetalum - another night flowering plant which my mother and I successfully grew and waited till midnight to watch it flower. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of variety, it comes down to how much space you have. If you have space for trees, several varieties of Fabaceae should grow quite well. Many varieties of Liliaceae ranging from the Jasmine to many exotic varieties should grow fine. I would also recommend Neem, Azadirachta indica if you have space for deep roots. And in that shade, you may be able to grow some plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bougainvilleas will grow quite well in hot, humid conditions I believe. Geraniums, if you can get them in nurseries would grow quite well - they can adapt to almost any condition on this planet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NOTE:&lt;/strong&gt; Several of my recommendations above tend to attract snakes. This includes the Bougainvilleas which attract snakes that want to use the thorns to shed, so be advised of that.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could definitely grow many varieties of Cactii and succulents, which adapt quite well to quite a variety of climactic conditions. Some succulents like the Jade will flower in winter, making your garden look interesting round the year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hot, humid weather might be too much for varieties of Crotons, but look for hardy ones in nurseries. Or, try to see if any varieties of Pittosporums will grow in your climate. It is good to mix in color foliage, as they can offer a nice complementary color splash.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, you could also experiment with a green house and try varieties of orchids. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on the mix you choose, you can get flowers or color throughout the year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastEditorUserId="7499" LastEditDate="2016-02-21T08:26:36.593" LastActivityDate="2016-02-21T08:26:36.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23229" CreationDate="2016-02-21T10:07:24.490" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your tillandsia has been damaged by using chlorinated water.  You can dechlorinate water by leaving it to stand for 24 hours but if the municipal authority uses chloramines instead, then you will have to use a dechlorinating solution that you can purchase from a pet shop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rain water is naturally very soft.  You can not use distilled water as that is too soft.  If you use dechlorinated tap water, it may still be too hard for your plant, and the trichomes could block up dehydrating the plant by preventing uptake of any further water.  You could try removing the calcium from the water by first passing it through sphagnum or peat moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-02-21T10:07:24.490" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23235" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23247" CreationDate="2016-02-21T18:03:47.627" Score="7" ViewCount="3688" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the UK and have a &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinopsis_lageniformis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Trichocereus bridgesii/Echinopsis lageniformis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &quot;monstrose&quot; cactus that I bought from a garden centre 3 years ago. Every year in early summer several new stems grow from sections on the existing stems near to the spines, starting as a bright green colour and growing throughout the summer until they slow down and turn a darker green around September.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately I've always found that near the end of this growing period the surface of some sections of the new growth appears to &quot;dissolve&quot; - looking almost as if it has been burnt off by acid - revealing bright green flesh underneath which quickly forms into a white crust. Luckily once the growing season finishes this whole process stops too. Here's a picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uCTpb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uCTpb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure whether this is a pest or a fungus or otherwise something to do with the plant itself. It spends most of the year inside and sheltered from the damp cold UK weather with minimal watering during the autumn/winter months and every 2 weeks or so in spring with regular feeding. In the summer I put it outside when it's warm and sunny, and I wonder if it could be getting infected when I do this, but I've never seen any small insects on the cactus. Also the repeated occurence of this white crust every year - as well as the fact it stops spreading when the plant stops growing in autumn - makes me suspect that pests might not be the problem. But I'd like to be able to stop it happening this year because it looks very unsightly and I'm quite fond of this cactus!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If anyone recognises this disease or has experience with this species of cactus and can give me any tips on how to prevent it returning this coming year I'd be really grateful. Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13900" LastEditorUserId="13900" LastEditDate="2016-02-21T18:18:58.527" LastActivityDate="2016-02-22T15:19:56.777" Title="What is this white crust forming on my cactus during the growing months?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23236" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19388" CreationDate="2016-02-21T21:12:35.730" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you updated with &quot;yes, it's an orchid&quot; but no picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphyte&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;epiphytic&lt;/a&gt; orchids have &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_root&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;aerial roots&lt;/a&gt; - roots that do not go down in potting soil, but actually pick up water and nutrients from rain water, dew etc. falling on them in the wild. So when we plant them in a pot, the roots will have a tendency to &quot;spill&quot; or &quot;wander out&quot; of the pot.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-&gt; Perfectly fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-02-21T21:12:35.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23237" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23243" CreationDate="2016-02-21T22:12:51.137" Score="20" ViewCount="9669" Body="&lt;p&gt;What would be the best way to amend clay soil on half an acre? We want to grow our usual garden plants like tomatoes, cucumbers and such but the soil on the land we just bought is small rocks and clay. Short of bringing in 4' of topsoil, is there anything else I can do? We have a whole year until we will be growing on it if that matters. Property is in Northern KY and hardiness zone is 7a-b.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastActivityDate="2019-06-25T21:45:44.990" Title="Amending clay soil on a large scale" Tags="&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="10" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23237" CreationDate="2016-02-21T22:54:16.447" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Clay soil is the most hard work, but is also the most nutritious. It holds onto the nutrients and water very well. Try working as much as you can with what you have. Adding a huge amount of  organic matter manure will open up the soils structure a bit.  Just as long as it's not compacted, (if it is you'll need to rotovate or dig over somehow) &amp;amp; don't walk all over it once rotovated. You'll need to lay a very thick layer of manure/organic material over it and let the worms do the rest. &#xA;If you need to walk on parts of it, make paths through for access. Potatoes grown will also open up the structure I'm told. &amp;amp; Legumes will add nitrogen. &#xA;If you can't do it all in one go easily, start with a portion of it first, that way get a portion into cultivation which will hopefully spur you on to do the next portion. I hope you have a local supply of manure/organic matter &amp;amp; keep adding it. &#xA;Sorry it's an uphill struggle, but once going it will be a very productive. There's a very good reason why I have had a pottery nearby me - I garden on clay on a plot smaller than yours, so can emphathise&#xA;If you have large stones remove them, but leave the smaller ones, they will warm up quickly and keep the soil warm. You may be able to use some of  the stones to form a path or two.  Do you have family &amp;amp; friends that you can enlist to help, and take along a vat of soup to keep them fed whilst they work? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-02-21T23:00:05.037" LastActivityDate="2016-02-21T23:00:05.037" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23239" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23237" CreationDate="2016-02-21T23:08:49.050" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think applying gypsum or horticultural lime is an easy and effective way to loosen up clay soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Covering pathways with wood or bark chips will alleviate compaction from foot traffic and can be tilled into the soil at some future time or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-02-21T23:08:49.050" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23240" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23245" CreationDate="2016-02-22T00:10:10.917" Score="12" ViewCount="300" Body="&lt;p&gt;These plants/weeds are everywhere in my garden. Could someone confirm whether they are weeds or a plant (ground cover perhaps)? They are slightly different as you can see one of them has an actual leaf shape.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/txe2k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/txe2k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whilst the other one is round and grows in small clumps everywhere.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Navbh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Navbh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm from Sydney, Australia. Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13904" LastActivityDate="2016-02-22T14:35:26.387" Title="What is this plant growing all over my backyard?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23241" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23266" CreationDate="2016-02-22T02:57:09.513" Score="10" ViewCount="848" Body="&lt;p&gt;My potted persimmon tree is almost 2 months old and it's growing fast, but the place where the stem comes up from the soil is turning brown. Is it serious or just a normal part of growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please look at marked area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/URwIr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/URwIr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13726" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-26T20:36:32.223" LastActivityDate="2016-02-26T20:36:32.223" Title="Why is the base of the stem of my persimmon tree turning brown?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23242" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23200" CreationDate="2016-02-22T08:07:00.183" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem sounds more like one of drainage.  Water is draining to the lowest part of the garden where your vegetables are.  The way the water drains depends on the level of compaction in the soil, so if you reduce the gradient by back filling, you're still not solving the problem except by placing the pool of water deeper to where you plant your vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd suggest in the first instance you dig a drain to divert the water away from your vegetables, and if that works, put in a more permanent field drain.  Once the drainage issue is fixed, you can use whatever good quality soil you like to level the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-02-22T08:07:00.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23237" CreationDate="2016-02-22T08:43:47.737" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Clay soil is composed of extremely small clay particles formed by the breakdown of rocks by erosion and organic activity.  The particles have a high surface area with the capacity to hold lots of positive ions (cations) such as calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium which are essential for plant growth. And it has a capacity to hold a lot of water. The degree to which the clay is compacted is determined by the calcium to magnesium ratio.  High levels of magnesium lead to tighter soils.  Without first correcting the calcium/magnesium ratio, adding organic material to form humus may be ineffective in achieving good crop growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Albrecht's ideal ratio for healthiest crop growth is where the soil's ability to hold cations, the cation exchange capacity, is 65% calcium, 15% magnesium, 4% potassium and 1-5% sodium.  Because magnesium tightens soil, in a clay soil you instead want a base saturation of 70 - 80% calcium, and 10% magnesium to loosen the soil up.  The remaining percentages are occupied by copper, zinc, iron, and manganese with exchangeable hydrogen which then determines the soil pH, and sets this at about 6.4.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just testing soil pH is inadequate. A soil can be alkaline but also be low in calcium. When clay soils are deficient in the 4 major cations, it rips free hydrogen from the water to bind to the negatively charged sites on the clay particles instead. Testing pH only tests the free hydrogen in soil water, and so will mislead you. Restoring the major cations restores pH as they will replace the hydrogen bound to clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, the first step is to get a soil analysis done.  You can then calculate how much agricultural lime you need to add, or whether you should use gypsum which has added sulfur.  You won't probably want to use dolomite (calcium magnesium carbonate) because of the magnesium.  The soil analysis will also advise you of any other imbalances that need correcting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After you have amended the soil minerals, you can then add organic material to create humus in the soil.  Humus greatly expands the cation exchange capacity of the soil thereby greatly increasing the resources available to the plant roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soilminerals.com/Cation_Exchange_Simplified.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cation Exchange Capacity in Soils, Simplified &#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-10-03T15:24:11.583" LastActivityDate="2016-10-03T15:24:11.583" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23245" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23240" CreationDate="2016-02-22T14:28:44.420" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first picture shows what appears to be Sweet violet foliage (Viola odorata), though I'm not sure this is something which grows readily where you are - link below contains a couple of pics of the foliage&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildheartpermaculture.co.uk/?p=2177&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.wildheartpermaculture.co.uk/?p=2177&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is violets, you'd be seeing small lilac coloured flowers a bit later on, or in spring anyway. If you've already got a violet or two somewhere, its likely that, because they do seed themselves readily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is something else in the same picture with different leaves, just four leaves are visible in the centre of the pic, not sure what that is, but its not the same as the violet leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last pic, showing the much rounder leaves, could be Asara, as already suggested by Michelle, but could also be Violet, hard to be certain at this stage. Either way, you probably don't want quite so many in the border...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-02-22T14:35:26.387" LastActivityDate="2016-02-22T14:35:26.387" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23246" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23237" CreationDate="2016-02-22T14:44:31.893" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agree with Rosie's answer, but with one caveat - what's important is the ratio of rock to clay. If you have mostly rocks, small and large, with only small amounts of clay soil in comparison, it probably would be best to buy in some top quality topsoil and spread that, as well as incorporating as much organic, composted material as you can get hold of. You might also check whether there is bedrock a spit or two beneath the top material - this is sometimes the case with a high level of rock and some clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-02-22T14:44:31.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23247" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23235" CreationDate="2016-02-22T15:04:48.937" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you're seeing there is quite normal callous formation - it's a bit like a scab when you've cut yourself. The cause of the corky callous layers is damage - either from insects, or sudden chilling, physical injury and sometimes, underwatering in summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm no cacti expert, but it's possible, from your description of some of the new growth 'dissolving' towards the end of the growth period, that it's being caught by colder temperatures, particularly if its outdoors. New growth would be particularly vulnerable to changes in temperature, and that might explain why those areas die back. Once they die back, callous formation is both inevitable and healthy, although, of course, unattractive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may also be that you are overfeeding, causing excessive growth which will be particularly weak and susceptible to both sunburn and a drop in temperature - this particular cactus is not a fast grower. As you're in the UK, I'd be inclined to keep it indoors all the time, but somewhere with good airflow, bright daylight and a little winter sun, to avoid both the possibility of anything 'grazing' on the plant, or fluctuations in temperature damaging the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some info in the link below which might helpful - you will note it talks about this plant being pretty cold hardy, but that's only once its acclimatized, it won't like sudden changes in temperature&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/TRICHOCEREUS/Trichocereus_bridgesii/Trichocereus_bridgesii_mostruosa_B/Trichocereus_inemis_mostruosus_inemis_B_penis_cactus.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/TRICHOCEREUS/Trichocereus_bridgesii/Trichocereus_bridgesii_mostruosa_B/Trichocereus_inemis_mostruosus_inemis_B_penis_cactus.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, cactus can get scale infestation - these look like raised little beigy brown discs or bumps, so you might want to check that isn't a problem by inspecting the smaller areas of damage to make sure there's not an active infestation currently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-02-22T15:19:56.777" LastActivityDate="2016-02-22T15:19:56.777" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23237" CreationDate="2016-02-22T18:03:44.310" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Graham's answer seems very sound. I can't say anything about the chemistry, but the basic advice, &quot;Get a soil test FIRST,&quot; is the place to start.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had good luck with copious additions of organic matter, after correcting chemistry. Also, since you have time, I find that corn and clover do an excellent job opening up the soil. For half an acre (assuming you don't have a tractor), I would start with clover. Once that's established, you can plant corn in a striped pattern to further open the soil and encourage worms to do the really hard work for you! ;) Just rototill (or mow) a path through the clover, tilling the clover into the soil, and plant corn seeds along the edge of the path. (As others have suggested, DO NOT walk on the tilled soil.) You may or may not get a yield from the corn, but as long as the stalks get tall the plants have done their job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13909" LastActivityDate="2016-02-22T18:03:44.310" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23250" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23237" CreationDate="2016-02-22T20:35:22.283" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Clay with small (and not so small, but fewer of those every time I find one) rocks pretty much describes my garden &quot;soil&quot; prior to generous additions of manure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kinda depends on what you are willing to do, and on what scale. You certainly don't need 4 feet of topsoil; but 6&quot; of manure (i.e. about 25 15 yard dump truck loads) would be a big help. Since you have a year to work it up, plan a succession of cover crops - perhaps oats starting Real Soon Now, then a legume over the summer, then winter rye over next winter. If you till (or have someone with a tractor till) each of those in, it's home-grown &quot;green manure.&quot; If you can have the brown kind hauled in inexpensively, do as much of that as you can manage, too. Daikon radish (with one variety being trademarked as &quot;tillage radish&quot;) is another option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check and correct chemistry as well, to the extent that you can, and remembering that you might want to preserve a more acid section for potatoes, blueberries, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You CAN also mix in sand, but you need to do so in concert with organic material (aka manure, whether the green kind or the out-of-a-horse kind) or you risk getting concrete-like soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-02-22T20:47:49.597" LastActivityDate="2016-02-22T20:47:49.597" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23231" CreationDate="2016-02-22T20:46:11.857" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would be good to know what other plants you bought that are not facing this issue. Still, when only one of them suffers, it tells you something. Do you have a pH meter? Your soil ought to be slightly acidic for this guy to be happy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears though, that as you have suggested, calcium deficiency might be one issue. Given the plant's sickness, give it just a moderate quantity right now, if you want to try that. Plus, lime brings UP the pH, which you don't want in excess. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, sometimes, plants do have one of two transfer problems. The plant may have already been on its last legs just around when you bought it (which is when clever stores will put them on &quot;sale&quot; sometimes) or some plants will go into transfer shock and some just wont recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try adjusting your watering schedule, check your pH, calcium and sunlight access for the capsicum plant (they love a lot of sun unless it is too harsh, summer for you guys right now I assume) and see how it goes. Right now, unless the plant is in real shade, I would leave it be even if it is not getting too much sun, till it recovers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or, at least in the US, a lot of stores will take returns. So you could try returning the plant. I'd do that as a last recourse. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-02-22T20:46:11.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23252" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-22T20:59:33.570" Score="8" ViewCount="260" Body="&lt;p&gt;The criteria I am looking for are :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;very cheap plant/seed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grow very fast&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;give fruits very fast (if the plant gives fruits)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can replant from the plant itself (I don't want to buy seeds/plant ever again after my first planting)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Preferably but not required&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;be a superfood&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can be planted in March, May or April&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;examples are :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;garlic &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ginger &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mint &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;parsley&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Specs : &#xA;weather : Mediterranean (south France)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have done some research on the subject but want answers from experience&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, my question is different from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/22563/what-are-the-easiest-vegetables-fruits-to-grow-in-your-apartment&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13911" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-02-22T22:59:20.620" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T01:09:26.513" Title="What are the easiest and fastest growing eatable plant you can grow in garden" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23237" CreationDate="2016-02-22T23:51:36.240" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;We amended a similar plot of dense clay on a half-acre in zone 7a in North Carolina. The main work was done by a flock of about 60 chickens. We fenced the chickens in on the half-acre, and then spread leaves over the whole area. The town public works department delivered two giant truckloads of shredded leaves (mostly deciduous) from street-cleaning to our property. We carted them over to the chicken yard one wheel-barrow load at a time (that's a lot of work!) and let the chickens scratch around in the leaves and spread them evenly. After 2 or 3 months, we moved the chickens to another area, and let the ground rest for another few months. The amazing thing to watch was the earthworms. They are drawn to both the chicken manure and the leaves. The high-carbon leaves are a good balance to the high-nitrogen manure, and together, the leaves and manure feed the soil in an amazing way. About six months later, we planted a giant crop of garlic on that land. We mulched the garlic heavily again with leaves. It grew beautifully.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13913" LastActivityDate="2016-02-22T23:51:36.240" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23256" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23257" CreationDate="2016-02-23T07:56:10.773" Score="11" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have lots of scratch paper here and am wondering if I should put it in my vermicompost or just throw it away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Would it be dangerous for worms?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will the soil benefit from it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the type of worms that I'm using, I am still looking for the worms that I can buy so for now there's just a little amount of worms that I've randomly found on soil. I am in the Philippines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7178" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-23T20:59:10.977" LastActivityDate="2016-02-23T20:59:10.977" Title="Can I put scratch paper on my vermicompost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23257" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23256" CreationDate="2016-02-23T08:11:27.387" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Paper is just cellulose pulp. Woody stems are largely cellulose also. So putting scratch paper in you compost should be okay. Just as it is better to have small pieces of compostables, paper will compost faster if you can shred it or tear it into smaller pieces. But, even if you don't, it will be okay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-02-23T08:11:27.387" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23258" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23263" CreationDate="2016-02-23T12:46:37.780" Score="8" ViewCount="224" Body="&lt;p&gt;If determinate tomato plants are leggy, should they be pruned or not? Is it ever too late to pulled and planted deeper?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13092" LastActivityDate="2016-02-23T16:57:22.623" Title="Should I Prune Determinate Tomato Plants?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23259" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23260" CreationDate="2016-02-23T13:40:27.440" Score="9" ViewCount="150" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an amaryllis plant that has nearly run its course and I want to replant it again. I'm growing it inside, so I have a year-round growing season. Once I cut the leaves and roots off for the bulb to grow again, do I need to let it be dormant for a period of time, or can I just replant it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13702" LastActivityDate="2016-02-23T14:07:43.247" Title="Does an Amaryllis plant *need* to go into dormancy?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;&lt;amaryllis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23259" CreationDate="2016-02-23T13:50:28.157" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, and no (see below), but it does it naturally, and there is no need to 'cut off roots and leaves'. You just leave it in its pot, allowing the foliage to die down, pull off the shrivelled, brown foliage, then just water very occasionally and sparingly so the compost doesn't completely dry out and shrink to a solid lump. When you see new growth starting, increase watering and move to a lighter position, if you've previously moved it while dormant to somewhere out of the way. It is, though, valuable to fertilize the plant while its leaves are still present, before it dies down, to help it produce good flowers the next time it grows. Use either a balanced fertilizer or one with a higher potash content.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is possible to keep the plant 'evergreen', in other words, constantly growing, but this is more often done in hotter areas where the plant can reside outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the time span of dormancy, should be 8-12 weeks, when in theory, you could try to force it to start growing again, but I usually just wait for a little bit of green to start showing at the top of the bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some info in the link below, but it is a little confusing and not well laid out in terms of information, a lot of it pertains to growing outdoors, so needs careful reading!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/flowers/growing-and-caring-for-amaryllis/&quot;&gt;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/flowers/growing-and-caring-for-amaryllis/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-02-23T14:07:43.247" LastActivityDate="2016-02-23T14:07:43.247" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23261" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23252" CreationDate="2016-02-23T15:34:40.523" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;None of those are particularly &quot;fast&quot; examples. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Radish is fast - 3 weeks to harvest for the small types. I don't like it much, but it's fast. You'd need to let some go to seed for seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since your &quot;not actually very fast&quot; examples seem to mostly be things that are usually propagated by clone, potatoes, sweet potatoes/yams, shallots, sunchokes, horseradish. The latter two can approach being weeds, so choose a spot carefully.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not having to buy seed would suggest perennials - if you are south enough, olives; chestnuts, almonds, peaches, pears, apricots, mulberries, apples if not too far south, grapes, currants, raspberries, strawberries, asparagus, kiwifruit, rhubarb, blueberries...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any open pollinated variety can serve as its own seed source - given how slow most of your examples are, that leaves pretty much all vegetables and grains open to include.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can manage to be somewhat polite and sociable MANY things can be had for free (or a little labor) by contacting a gardener who is already growing them, and getting some prunings/slips/divisions or excess seeds. Be prepared to do the same in return, when the time comes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-02-23T15:40:23.540" LastActivityDate="2016-02-23T15:40:23.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23262" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23230" CreationDate="2016-02-23T15:44:42.420" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look like Ceratonia siliqua seeds but probably are too dark&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13922" LastActivityDate="2016-02-23T15:44:42.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23263" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23258" CreationDate="2016-02-23T16:57:22.623" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't prune determinates. If they are anywhere close to pushing out buds, then you'll lose all those tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-02-23T16:57:22.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23264" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23265" CreationDate="2016-02-24T01:35:52.623" Score="11" ViewCount="1745" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently planted a Bing cherry tree but learned after the planting that the cherry tree would need another cherry tree to make it bear fruits. Another way is, I was told, to graft a second cherry tree to the planted one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than those two methods, is there any other method for making my cherry tree bear fruits? We do not have a space to plant another one, and grafting does not sound easy for me.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11360" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-24T23:43:01.087" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T23:50:22.403" Title="How can I make a single cherry tree bear fruits?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23264" CreationDate="2016-02-24T02:00:24.607" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on where you live there could be a compatible cherry near enough that you will get fruit. Fortunately there are good resources out there to find good pollinators for stone fruit. Typically the male part of the flower will become active at a different part of time than the female part, to help eliminate self pollination, so variety X may be suitable to pollinate variety Y, but not vice versa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;from: &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/good-pollinators-bing-cherry-trees-57515.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/good-pollinators-bing-cherry-trees-57515.html&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;(a result of a quick googling and not any real research on my part)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Several cultivars with overlapping bloom times are suitable for &quot;Bing&quot;&#xA;  pollinization including &quot;Lapins,&quot; &quot;Stella,&quot; &quot;Black Tartarian,&quot; &quot;Black&#xA;  Republican,&quot; &quot;Van,&quot; &quot;Sam&quot; and &quot;Windsor.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-24T23:50:22.403" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T23:50:22.403" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23266" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23241" CreationDate="2016-02-24T03:55:34.067" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The stem is rotting above the soil line, and the causes include fungal, bacterial infections, and over watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should have used a potting mix instead of soil for a seedling planted into a pot, as that improves the drainage, and makes it less likely to get an infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T03:55:34.067" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5249" CreationDate="2016-02-24T05:26:29.220" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is definitely FLOWERING QUINCE. Have had 2 for 20+ yrs, one in poor cold soil, one among trees in back yard. Some yrs a beautiful bloom-others puny. In good years there scads of small fruit of no consequence and are attacked by little bright orange sucking critters I've not identified. Their thorns are plentiful AND dangerous. Trimming branches must be handled with good gloves as the thorns are needle sharp and hard to see on new spring growth. They are not a people-friendly shrub but attractive much of the year and provide roosting for many birds. Tho slowly invasive, the more adventurous plants wound up with other plant enthusiasts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13927" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T05:26:29.220" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23268" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23271" CreationDate="2016-02-24T10:04:45.497" Score="11" ViewCount="145" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my area it is very hard to buy a worm that is a good fit for vermicomposting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a vacant lot in my area and I am thinking if gathering worms there might be a good idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Questions:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it sufficient if I gather worms there?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will the worms that I gathered survive?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it ideal to gather worms instead of buying?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm from the Philippines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7178" LastEditorUserId="7178" LastEditDate="2016-02-24T22:57:42.643" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T22:57:42.643" Title="Gathering worms for vermicomposting" Tags="&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23269" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22225" CreationDate="2016-02-24T10:53:26.950" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think they are eggs of some parasite, Coccoidea Handlirsch or aphid. Spray on some decoction, you can try Cinnamon, Garlic, Chili Pepper, Nettle or simply Marsiglia Soap. Not all of them together of course XD&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13922" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T10:53:26.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23270" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23272" CreationDate="2016-02-24T13:04:43.977" Score="31" ViewCount="1616" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, I took a look at my apple store over this weekend. It being February, the apples have been in there a number of months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In previous years I haven't had a massive amount of success storing apples but I've learnt some lessons (secure the store against rodents, don't store windfalls) and I'm getting better results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This autumn, for the first time, I decided to store apples from &lt;strong&gt;different trees&lt;/strong&gt; in &lt;strong&gt;separate trays&lt;/strong&gt;, instead of mixing them up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Huge difference in success rates! We have four trees. The trays from three of them (two eaters and a cooker) are pretty clean and the apples have lasted well. The trays from the fourth tree (a cooker) are 100% brown and unusable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe this was my problem all along in previous years! Mixing them up, I just didn't realise that one variety was rotting out the whole store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it normal for one variety to completely fail to store? Is store-ability widely variable depending on &lt;em&gt;variety&lt;/em&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="99" LastActivityDate="2016-02-25T18:31:08.770" Title="Hugely different results storing apples from different trees?" Tags="&lt;apples&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;storage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23268" CreationDate="2016-02-24T13:43:13.997" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I actually just started looking into vermicomposting myself over the last summer and got mine set up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, you won't be able to collect worms from the vacant lot next door. The reason is because the type of earthworms you're going to find in the ground are not composting worms. They're a type that likes to live a solitary life, running around tunnels they've already created, eating bacterial they come across. When you put them in a shallow composting container, then they'll end up dying pretty quickly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are actually a couple of types of good composting worms. They are the preferred Eisenia fetida (commonly known as red wiggler, brandling, or manure worm) and European Nightcrawlers (Eisenia hortensis / Dendrobaena veneta).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The red wrigglers are the best, because they work the top 18&quot; or so of soil and like to be piled on top of one another. These are the ones that you'd see &quot;eating&quot; food scraps. They're actually eating the bacteria that are breaking it down. The European Night crawlers don't pile on top of each other like the red wrigglers do, but they go deeper. You could mix the two types in a deeper bin. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Luckily, it's not hard to find either one. They're often sold as fish bait and you might be able to go to a Walmart or gas station and pick up some worms. Just make sure they are European Nightcrawlers and not Canadian. Also, make sure the red wrigglers are Eisenia fetida.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can't find them there, you can order 1000 of them from &lt;a href=&quot;https://unclejimswormfarm.com/&quot;&gt;UncleJim'sWormFarm.com&lt;/a&gt;. That's where I got my starter batch. You can easily start with just a few worms and propogate them up to a lot. They're self regulating based on amount of food and space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if you want a lot of good information, go to &lt;a href=&quot;http://redwormcomposting.com&quot;&gt;redwormcoposting.com&lt;/a&gt; That's where I learned a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T13:43:13.997" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23272" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23270" CreationDate="2016-02-24T14:17:17.693" Score="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;Quite normal. Some varieties store well, some don't. As a rule, the better storing apples are harder than the not so good for storing apples as they come off the tree. If you know the variety (beyond it being a cooker) you might even find that noted as part of its description - in any case, you now know it for yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An alternate storage method might suit the one that does not store as well (I made gallons of dried apples last fall, as well as apple sauce and apple butter.) You can also make sure that any stored whole apples from that tree are the first ones to be used, and to be sure to use them up before February (depending when the last time you checked the store was, you might have some idea how long they did last.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit, Add:&lt;/strong&gt; If you are not already doing so, you may also benefit from &lt;a href=&quot;http://postharvest.tfrec.wsu.edu/REP2010B.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;scalding your trays&lt;/a&gt;, to greatly reduce mold populations and perhaps also carryover of codling moths.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-02-25T18:31:08.770" LastActivityDate="2016-02-25T18:31:08.770" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23273" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23270" CreationDate="2016-02-24T14:20:12.510" Score="20" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, how well an apple stores is definitely dependent on the variety. Many nurseries even market some of their trees as &quot;good keepers&quot;. And some apples, like Spitzenburg, improve in flavor after they are stored for a few weeks. Others, like Empire, have the best flavor when you eat them straight from the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a general rule, most apples that ripen early in summer tend not to store well, often lasting just a couple weeks. Apples that ripen late in the fall tend to keep best, and are often fine 3-5 months after picking if stored properly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T14:20:12.510" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23274" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23228" CreationDate="2016-02-24T14:52:26.200" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nice search, it could be also a variety of Dracaena's family&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KTcOx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KTcOx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is also a plant very similar to Veratrum, Gentiana Maggiore.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fx757.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fx757.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13922" LastEditorUserId="13922" LastEditDate="2016-02-24T15:53:59.000" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T15:53:59.000" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23275" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23264" CreationDate="2016-02-24T14:54:26.227" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You really have 3 options: plant a second sweet cherry tree, graft a limb on your current cherry tree, or take your chances and hope one of your neighbors somewhere near by has a sweet cherry tree in their garden that will pollinate yours. Not knowing where you live, I have no idea how likely this third option is, but if many of your neighbors have fruit trees, it is possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You mention that you don't have room for another tree, but would you perhaps be able to find room for a small one? Compact Stella is a small sweet cherry. It grows to 10-12 feet tall naturally, but can be kept smaller with pruning. I have had no trouble keeping mine at about 8 feet tall, so I don't have to get a ladder out to pick. Stella is a pollinator for Bing. Even if you do not have room for a full-sized cherry tree, maybe you could find a spot to tuck a Compact Stella into? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T14:54:26.227" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23276" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23268" CreationDate="2016-02-24T15:38:11.240" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have a hard time buying them, you could try attracting &quot;the right sort&quot; (rather than digging up the wrong sort) by building an outside compost pile and letting it stew for a while. If you have any local worms that might work, they would occupy the pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T15:38:11.240" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23277" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23278" CreationDate="2016-02-24T15:48:44.873" Score="11" ViewCount="340" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got a catalog from Johnny's seeds the other day and saw their soil block makers. I've been looking into them and I'm thinking about trying them to start my garden plants this year as an experiment. I'll make my own soil block maker to test and may buy the nicer ones if I continue using them. I do have a few questions about their use I was hoping you could help me answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One question is about the compacted soil. It's my understanding that with plants, especially young seedlings, you want to make the soil light and airy to allow it to spread it's roots easily. However, if you're compacting the soil enough to hold a block shape, does this not prevent easy spreading of the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another is about potting up. I've seen with ones from Johnny's Seeds, that they make an indentation the correct size to drop a 3/4&quot; cube into the top of a 2&quot; cube. Would it be preferable to just start the seed in the bigger cube if you knew it was going to need the extra room before transplant or would you start it in the smaller cube and transfer it up. Maybe you just put it in the bigger cube if you needed more time than you thought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What signs are you looking for to indicate that it's time to pot up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How durable are these? I know you water them with a wicking action, but how long do they last? It seems to me that they'd tend to want to come apart. Are they just meant for the short time period (~2months max) that you'd start a garden plant before transplanting it into the ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, for this Q&amp;amp;A, has anyone used these for cuttings with success. It seems like they might be good for that purpose. Thanks for the help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some links and pictures of the soil block makers for sale at Johnny's Seeds at Sue's request.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.johnnyseeds.com/search.aspx?searchterm=soil%20block%20maker&amp;amp;isusersearch=1&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.johnnyseeds.com/search.aspx?searchterm=soil+block+maker&amp;amp;isusersearch=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8087-hand-held-4-soil-blocker.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8087-hand-held-4-soil-blocker.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p04Rz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p04Rz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;4 - 2&amp;quot; block maker&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fOjZR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fOjZR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;In Use&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x2lrb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x2lrb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&amp;quot; and 3/4&amp;quot; blocks in tray&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="9731" LastEditDate="2016-02-24T18:20:25.890" LastActivityDate="2016-02-26T14:33:55.027" Title="Questions about soil block usage" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23278" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23277" CreationDate="2016-02-24T16:18:01.843" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never heard of a soil blocker, so have read with great interest the 'Instructions for Use' on the website. What they're recommending is a high peat mix with perlite or grit to create the soil blocks from, in fact, they give a recipe there as to how to make it. I'd be a little concerned about the inclusion of a 'bucket of garden soil' myself - garden soil varies enormously, and may contain pathogens. Given the ingredients in that recipe, they will likely be quite successful, assuming your garden soil doesn't contain anything nasty and is of reasonable quality, and your 'well decomposed compost' has been produced using a hot, aerobic process, and that you invest in the dome covers they suggest to stop the blocks drying out completely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, on the other hand, you were thinking of using any old seed or cutting compost and not using covers, there could be an issue, depending on the formulation of the compost or potting medium you've chosen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And no, it wouldn't be preferable to start seeds off in the larger block, best to start with the small one and then pot on later because you want root development to be contained, not wandering all over the place with large gaps of soil between in a larger block. On the other hand, a larger block for cuttings might be more appropriate, but it depends which plant you're talking about. Whether you want to bother to invest in something that makes a specially shaped hole to accommodate the block and seedling you've grown is up to you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I imagine the usual advice regarding potting up applies, although there may be more information on the site about this - it's usual to prick out when the seedlings have one or two true set of leaves, but in a block, you would probably wait a bit longer, depending on the variety of plant, maybe 4-6 sets of leaves, possibly more, because you'd need a fairly solid, well developed root system to be developed, or the block would fall apart when you tried to put into something larger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It strikes me that all of this will work out quite expensive - getting the right ingredients for the block mix, the cost of the block makers themselves, together with covers, so frankly, I personally wouldn't bother. I've never had any trouble starting seeds off in trays, then pricking them out into either plugs or small pots and growing them on, but you may feel differently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How useful or not blocks of soil would be for cuttings is hard to say - depends on the cuttings/which plants they are, and the size of the block you're using. I'm not sure I can see any real advantage over cuttings rooted in ordinary small pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-02-24T16:33:39.073" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T16:33:39.073" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16078" CreationDate="2016-02-24T16:19:48.273" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Also, bear in mind that pruning depends on how badly your plants are infested. You could easily snip off a leaf or two, but when it's your entire plant you definitely need to take other pest control measures. Neem oil is very effective in combating that problem. You can also try introducing predatory insects as these feed on the larvae when they're injected into the plants by the mother leafminer. Here's a reference you can use for more info on getting rid of leafminers. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.onlinepestcontrol.com/7-ways-to-control-leaf-miners/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;7 ways to get rid of leafminers&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also found this video online that I think should provide a glimpse of what is involved in pruning. The entire video is not about pruning but the guy did mention something to that effective. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IifXXkJzncs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IifXXkJzncs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13874" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T16:19:48.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23280" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22234" CreationDate="2016-02-24T17:22:11.437" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it in vase or directly on ground?&#xA;If you have only one and it's in vase, I suggest to take it away, clean the roots, and replant it with new soil. Lack of magnesium or phosphorus could cause that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there cultivation near you? It could be contamination by some pesticide or by some fungi like Phyllosticta.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13922" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T17:22:11.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23281" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23289" CreationDate="2016-02-24T18:02:28.387" Score="10" ViewCount="514" Body="&lt;p&gt;I put some fava beans in my vegetable raised bed during the winter months to add nutrients to the soil.  The seeds have sprouted and I have some healthy plants growing.  Question I have is what next?  As I understand it, the roots will provide nitrogen to the soil so I can remove the leaves and leave the roots in place but not sure what is the best time to do that.  Also, what do I do with the leaves? Is there any use for the leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y4QQm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y4QQm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T22:42:59.723" Title="Managing Cover Crops" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;&lt;fava-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23282" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-24T19:35:37.200" Score="6" ViewCount="3073" Body="&lt;p&gt;What varieties of trees are compatible for grafting with cherries other than other cherries? Plum, what else? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13931" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-24T23:31:17.967" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T23:31:17.967" Title="What trees are compatible for grafting with cherry trees?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23283" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23281" CreationDate="2016-02-24T19:43:50.223" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Normally with cover crops you want them to grow as long as possible, where possible is influenced by:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When you plan to plant the actual crop (including some time for breakdown of the cover crop residues.) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is the cover crop about to set seed and become a weed through self-seeding?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tops/leaves are also valuable material - you can either incorporate them into the soil directly (sheet-composting in place), or cut and place in your compost pile. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Typically about 3 weeks from the time you intend to plant the next crop is a common recommendation for when to cut (or cut and till in) the cover crop, but that can vary. There are also no-till approaches where you either cut and leave or &quot;crimp and roll&quot; the cover crop, and plant through the residue, rather than trying to till it in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your schedule allows and you eat fava beans, you could also let them go all the way to harvest and harvest the beans, then cut the tops, but at that point we'd call it a &quot;rotation&quot; rather than a &quot;cover crop&quot; - semantics due to &quot;growing a crop that you harvest&quot; (even if it also helps the soil) .vs. growing a crop just for benefitting the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T19:43:50.223" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23281" CreationDate="2016-02-24T19:47:01.830" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually, you would wait until the plants are in full flower, and have no ripe seeds, then cut/mow the tops down and turn them under. This will add the most nitrogen to the soil (the green tops are very high in Nitrogen), and the soil microorganism population will jump, increasing nutrient availability. In a raised bed, if you don't want to turn the tops under, you can cut them for compost, and plant crops after the roots have died. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just be sure the tops are well decomposed, because they can have &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allelopathy&quot;&gt;allelopathic&lt;/a&gt; effects on germinating seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T19:47:01.830" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23285" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23288" CreationDate="2016-02-24T20:09:07.933" Score="7" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have started germinating seeds indoors and they are starting to sprout.  Once they have their true leaves I am planning to move them to 4&quot; pots and still keep them indoors.  I am growing different types of vegetables ranging from kale, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, zucchini, melons, carrots, etc.  I live in the San Francisco/Bay area.  My question is related to the timing of moving these young plants outdoors into a raised bed.  Is there a guide that tells me when it would be safe to move these plants outdoors given the general weather conditions in my area.  For example, I have heard that kale, lettuce and root vegetables can be grown in cold weather so those would be safe to move out any time.  Others have to wait until the last frost.  A definite guide would be helpful to refer to for now and future years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T21:27:05.670" Title="Right time to move vegetable plants outdoors" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23286" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23295" CreationDate="2016-02-24T20:10:50.277" Score="9" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;When dealing with cover crops, green manures, and in other things I see the term 'Allelopathy', especially regarding replanting an area. What does this term mean? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-02-25T15:09:06.610" Title="What is 'Allelopathy'?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;&lt;toxicity&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23282" CreationDate="2016-02-24T20:11:21.620" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;IIRC, anything from the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;&lt;em&gt;Prunus&lt;/em&gt;&quot; family&lt;/a&gt;, which includes plums, apricots, peaches, nectarines, and almonds as well as cherries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My personal rootstock preference is for &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/wasco/sites/default/files/sweet_cherry_rootstocks_pnw619.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mazzard&lt;/a&gt;&quot; but that may depend on your soil type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The link I revised the Mazzard mention to point to does note some specific cultivars having issues with specific rootstocks other than Mazzard, which probably means that some other in-family members may not actually work with at least some cultivars. But generally, they all at least could work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-02-24T20:19:09.407" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T20:19:09.407" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23288" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23285" CreationDate="2016-02-24T21:27:05.670" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can get the &lt;strong&gt;average&lt;/strong&gt; last frost date for your area from various sources, such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://ucanr.org/sites/gardenweb/files/29030.pdf&quot;&gt;this one from UC Ag Extension&lt;/a&gt;, or one I cannot seem to find for your area from the National Weather Service. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What that means in any given year is somewhat variable. If you also keep your own records you can in some cases infer patterns from the relationship of the published data to your precise location/microclimate - but to some extent it's always a bit of a dice roll, and having some reserve plants a few weeks behind the earliest ones that you can plant if you need them (due to killing the earliest ones when the weather turns harsh off schedule), or give away if you don't is often a good idea. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Waiting until there's no possibility of frost is also being delayed in roughly half the years when the last frost date is earlier than average. Planting everything on the average last frost date is asking to get whacked in half the years when it's a bit later. The linked page has 10% dates as well, but at least in the colder regions we usually throw a few out there early in case the year is mild, and they'll have a head start, and save a few in case it turns out nasty, with a certain dose of trying to prognosticate the particular year from whatever information we can glean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also do a lot with &quot;floating row cover&quot; or other means (wall-of-water, covering at night with buckets, etc.) of mediating slight dips below frost/freeze temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Carrots, for instance, transplant poorly (IME) and take cold well, so getting those (or some of those - succession planting works) planted out there sooner rather than later may be beneficial. You may want to direct seed some and compare with your transplants (see if your experience indicates that you'd want to transplant, or not, in future years.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T21:27:05.670" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23281" CreationDate="2016-02-24T22:42:59.723" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;An important thing that many people miss is that if a cover crop produces fruit and seed (beans in your case) it is no longer a cover crop or green manure, but a crop, which depletes the soil rather than rebuilding it. That is, all the nitrogen a legume has put into the soil during the growth stage, is consumed by the plant during the fruiting stage. So if you want a cover/green manure crop, cut it (at ground level) as soon as it flowers. The tops can either be taken to use in building compost, in which case you probably want to add some previously finished compost to the bed to replace what you have just taken away, or it can be mulched in place (spread the green material evenly over the bed and put some straw over it. The latter method requires more time (maybe six weeks) before planting the next crop, so use the take and compost if you need to replant quicker than that.&#xA;We regard green manure as the first step in the rotation. Then comes heavy-feeding fruit/seed crops (referring to the part you eat), followed by flower or leaf crops, and finally, root crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13936" LastActivityDate="2016-02-24T22:42:59.723" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23286" CreationDate="2016-02-25T00:15:11.517" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basically allelopathy is a mechanism where one species of plant affects the growth of another via chemicals (typically exuded from roots). It can be both positive and negative, although gardeners usually use the term in its negative (growth inhibiting) context.&#xA;A classic example is the black walnut tree which produces a chemical, juglone, which inhibits many species from growing beneath the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Inhibition might be general or quite specific - I would very much like to get hold of some of a variety of marigold which is claimed to prevent convolvulus growing in its vicinity.&#xA;Many companion planting effects, both positive and negative, may be the result of allelopathy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The term is relatively new (hence you won't find it in a lot of books) and has been the matter of some debate, both over definition and whether it is measurable and distinct from other concepts such as resource competition. (see &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allelopathy&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allelopathy&lt;/a&gt; for more background).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13936" LastActivityDate="2016-02-25T00:15:11.517" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2016-02-25T00:15:11.517" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23291" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23252" CreationDate="2016-02-25T00:54:41.170" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most plants go through a pattern of germination, leaf development, flowering then fruiting/seeding. It therefore follows that plants where we consume the leaves are often the quickest to harvest:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lettuce&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Swiss Chard (silverbeet)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spinach and New Zealand Spinach&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Basil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of these, only spinach is regarded as a superfood (I guess that nutritional density takes time, so there is a trade-off between speed and nutrition).&#xA;Spinach is more of a winter crop, while NZ spinach (totally different family) is fine in summer, has a spreading growth habit and is cut-and-come again.&#xA;Most of the above are annuals. You would probably want to avoid biennials, as you face a two year wait for seed, which ties up bed space. One approach is to have a large production bed of a crop, and two smaller beds devoted to seed plants, a year apart.&#xA;And of course you have to avoid hybrids, which won't breed true.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of the others you mention, garlic is a winter planting (December in Northern hemisphere) and takes six months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A well-organised seed catalogue should give all the information that you need to make decisions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13936" LastActivityDate="2016-02-25T00:54:41.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23237" CreationDate="2016-02-25T04:13:29.663" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Organic matter can help temporarily in my experience. Peat moss is pretty nice because it's acidic and clay is often more alkaline. Plus, peat moss is inexpensive and takes up a lot of space. A temporary solution is going to be a lot easier than a long-term one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing lots of zucchini (which can grow well in clay) and using the fruits for organic matter for your soil is supposed to work (according to someone in my town).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Greensand is supposed to help loosen compact soil. You'd probably need a lot of it (like truckloads), and it might be really expensive. Gypsum is supposed to help, too, but I've read mixed things about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clay isn't all bad. As has already been noted, clay has lots of nutrients in it. Some things grow quite well in it. Most peppers tend to have trouble with it, it seems, though (but California Wonder may be more tolerant than most). Tomatoes seem to be okay with it. Amaranth seems to love it. Regular cucumbers may have trouble with it, but you should be able to get great results with Armenian cucumbers (e.g. Metki Dark Green Serpent melon). Some kinds of tomatoes shouldn't have a big problem with clay. Regular carrots will have trouble in clay, but you can try Parisian carrots, which are said to handle it well (they're shaped like radishes). Muskmelons/cantaloupes can handle clay-type soils better than many plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clay can be an advantage in hot, dry, arid areas, because it holds moisture well, for a long time. It may not absorb the moisture from a watering quickly, though. I think it's an advantage in containers for this same reason (because they don't dry out as fast), although you might be hard-pressed to find another person to recommend clay in containers (but I like it in hot, dry, arid areas). Fast-draining soils can really set plants back in hot, dry, arid areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bringing in some topsoil probably isn't your worst option, actually. You probably won't need four feet of it, though, especially as most plants don't grow nearly that deep (you may get much better results in partial clay than full-on clay, too, if you mix it together). You could always amend just part of the area with some feet of it if you really need to grow some stuff that can't handle clay. A half an acre is a lot of land; you can grow a lot on that, clay or no clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, it looks like you're in Kentucky. It's pretty humid and not dry there (I used to live there). So, all that ranting about hot, dry, arid areas is for the benefit of others looking for the same stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd personally be more concerned about your soil pH, fertility, the level of organic matter and such, then about how clay-like it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-01-23T00:14:19.393" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T00:14:19.393" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23294" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23270" CreationDate="2016-02-25T13:18:36.587" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ripening fruits produce ethylene, which in turn triggers ripening in not-already-ripening fruits - a feedback mechanism.  So it may also be that by separating the fruits into different trays, you are localising this effect, so that the one bad apple doesn't spoil the whole damn bunch, or rather, the one ripening tray doesn't influence the other tray as much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13939" LastActivityDate="2016-02-25T13:18:36.587" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23295" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23286" CreationDate="2016-02-25T14:13:21.747" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The word 'allelopathy' is defined as '&lt;em&gt;the chemical inhibition of one plant (or organism) by another, due to the release into the environment of substances acting as germination or growth inhibitors&lt;/em&gt;'. The term first appeared in the 1930's, coined from the Greek derived compounds allelo and pathy, meaning respectively &lt;em&gt;one another&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;each other&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;mutual harm&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;suffering&lt;/em&gt; - therefore, the term allelopathy, in horticulture certainly, &lt;strong&gt;always&lt;/strong&gt; refers to deleterious effects on plants. Separate from that, from Man or a grower's point of view, there may be a perceived benefit if certain weeds or unwanted plants are suppressed because they're being affected by allelopathy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bracken is a plant associated with allelopathic behaviour, and there is some evidence to support it; there is also a suggestion that many ferns, and certainly many grasses, all use allelopathy to reduce competition from other plants, but the amount of research into those is pretty small. Research is ongoing, though primarily with regard to how mankind can benefit from allelopathy, more reading here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs186&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs186&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-02-25T15:09:06.610" LastActivityDate="2016-02-25T15:09:06.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23296" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-25T17:47:35.430" Score="8" ViewCount="337" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our office Dracaena Fragrans (called Wilson) is not healthy looking. The stalk of the plant is beige, woody and completely dried out. Once it was cut (before my time) a new stalk developed. This is also turning beige at the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way of transplanting the healthy portion and growing roots on the appendage of the original dead woody stalk? (perhaps something like a Dieffenbachia plant, which you can graft to grow new roots)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13940" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-10T13:20:20.017" LastActivityDate="2018-02-10T13:20:20.017" Title="Dracaena Fragrans Grafting?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23296" CreationDate="2016-02-25T19:24:14.363" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, in good light the Mass Cane, or &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Dracaena_fragrans&quot;&gt;Dracaena massangea&lt;/a&gt; as it is also called propagates readily without grafting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the stem has died you take a sharp knife or sequiteur and cut off the healthy portion.  All of the methods below have worked for me:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if the stem is over six inches you can plunge it into a soil less mix and provide light and water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stems also root readily in water in a jar.  When the roots are three inches long or so move to a soil less mix&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;placing the stem in a rooting medium such as moist perlite or vermiculite and moving to a soil less mix&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rooting in water in bright diffuse light is very practical and foolproof as long as the cutting is in good shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-02-25T19:24:14.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23298" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23299" CreationDate="2016-02-25T20:30:38.433" Score="6" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the San Francisco / Bay Area and have a few raised vegetable beds.  I have tried growing seeds outdoors (recently I sowed carrot, beet and cilantro) but have not had any luck with germination.  I have done this indoors in a heating mat without issues.  What am I doing wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-02-26T00:51:25.407" Title="Growing seeds outdoors" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23298" CreationDate="2016-02-26T00:51:25.407" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the soil temperature is adequate, the seeds are good, the depth is correct, then likely the seeds are rotting in the ground or are being eaten by animal life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's why people use seed mixes to plant seeds into, to avoid bacterial and fungal pathogens, to avoid competition from other plants (allelopathy), and for good drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-02-26T00:51:25.407" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23300" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23304" CreationDate="2016-02-26T01:28:41.100" Score="9" ViewCount="195" Body="&lt;p&gt;What can I do to help this Variegated Arboricola to grow healthy and stop wilting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z0H3Q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z0H3Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Variegated Arboricola&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in Southern Florida. I was spraying my lawn with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ortho.com/smg/goprod/ortho-weed-b-gon-max-lawn-weed-killer-hose-sprayer/prod70200&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ortho® Weed B Gon® Weed Killer For Lawns Ready-To-Spray2&lt;/a&gt; which is near these plants. Prior to the spraying/treatment the plant was looking far better. The leaves were sticking straight out rather than drooping. I am not sure what to do now to nurse them back to health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please let me know if you need any additional information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11949" LastEditorUserId="11949" LastEditDate="2016-02-26T06:35:34.610" LastActivityDate="2016-02-26T11:04:53.400" Title="Variegated Arboricola shrubs leaves wilting" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23301" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23277" CreationDate="2016-02-26T03:31:27.390" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried this supposedly-plant-nirvana-inducing method one year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Suffice to say that it was a one-year experiment. Some folks seem to love them, and write paeans to them, but I just didn't find much actual difference in my seedlings .vs. cell-trays. It certainly was more fuss. YMMV. But you sure can spend money on tools to do it with, which would be Johnny's angle on it, in my rather jaded opinion. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I, as you plan to, cobbled up my own blocker rather than enriching them. It made pretty decent blocks (I did buy materials for a proper mix.) Results did not encourage me to spend money on tools for it, nor to continue with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keeping the blocks moist without causing them to fall apart while you are waiting for roots to grow is more of a problem than paean-writers admit to, as one experiential observation. When they get pretty full of roots they are moderately durable, but up until then they like to shed corners, and rather than &quot;perfectly air-pruned&quot; they ended up horribly matted together on the bottom, in the soil mix that fell down between blocks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Presumably one point to the 3/4&quot; block method would be that you don't make the 2&quot; block until the roots have filled the 3/4&quot; block, so it falls apart less than if you plant a seed in the 2&quot; block. It also takes up less space when things have not germinated yet. But large seeds (cukes or squash) are liable to split a 3/4&quot; block when sprouting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-02-26T14:33:55.027" LastActivityDate="2016-02-26T14:33:55.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23303" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23305" CreationDate="2016-02-26T10:18:44.917" Score="11" ViewCount="3886" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found these little black solid spots on the back on my strawberry leaves. They look like seeds but they are very soft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What causes them, and should I do anything to treat them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zYbS9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zYbS9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Black spots 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5RXMN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5RXMN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Black Spots 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13757" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-26T15:26:02.257" LastActivityDate="2016-02-27T02:27:37.187" Title="What causes very small black solid spots on strawberry leaves?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23300" CreationDate="2016-02-26T11:04:53.400" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The active ingredient of the herbicide used is Dicamba Mecoprop. It also affects broad leaf shrubs and trees.  From this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=5&amp;amp;cad=rja&amp;amp;uact=8&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwi_o93voJXLAhVCKx4KHUYLCakQFgg6MAQ&amp;amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fjoa.isa-arbor.com%2Frequest.asp%3FJournalID%3D1%26ArticleID%3D1944%26Type%3D2&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNHVTh8sTE2XNHVUdC6HFebswOUAAw&amp;amp;sig2=U7oUXuOaGeql5EeS6Jb0WQ&quot;&gt;pdf&lt;/a&gt; by the International Society of Arborists&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Once the material is absorbed there is no treatment to alleviate the symptoms&#xA;  except to avoid watering and fertilization. Removal of the tree should &#xA;  wait the second year because often a tree will recover&#xA;  and over a period of one to two years will regain its former appearance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although this article is about trees there are many other references with the same conclusions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not fertilize&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wait and see&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://pace.oregonstate.edu/courses/sites/default/files/resources/pdf/diagnosing-and-preventing-herbicide-injury-to-trees.pdf&quot;&gt;most woody plants will tolerate the injury and recover&lt;/a&gt;&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-02-26T11:04:53.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23305" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23303" CreationDate="2016-02-26T13:54:10.840" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are aphids whose lifestyle is to live off the plant juices in the leaves.  They can be found almost everywhere during the growing season and prefer plants with soft leaves.  You will rarely find them on plants with hard waxy leaves as the cuticle is too hard to bite through.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control is easy with 5 ml dish soap to 1 litre of water.  Agitate and spray the underside of the leaves.  For plants with edible fruit you may wish to wait a few minutes and then wash the soap solution off with more water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Repeat this at five to seven day intervals until control is achieved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-02-26T13:54:10.840" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23306" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23308" CreationDate="2016-02-26T17:03:45.657" Score="7" ViewCount="194" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it practical or possible to grow hot peppers on the West Coast in North America? It seems they require a ton of sunshine, and that's not exactly something we get in abundance. I'm a rookie with gardening, and all I've ever had to manage is some spider plants and cacti.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to try growing ghost peppers and scotch bonnets, but I'm not quite sure where to begin. Also, I don't want the local hydro company thinking I'm growing marijuana, so I'm trying to figure out the power requirements for indoor growing of something that requires so much sunshine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this something I could reasonably accomplish?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13944" LastActivityDate="2016-02-26T21:21:21.243" Title="Growing hot peppers indoors on the West Coast" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23307" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23303" CreationDate="2016-02-26T17:18:41.400" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Going off of what Kevin said (I can't make comments yet :). I used to work in a greenhouse for a year in high school.&#xA;There is another way other than dish soap and water as well as picking them off yourself which I used to do, however it depends on where you plants are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could release lady bugs as they love eating them. Lady bugs tend to get ridd of them rather rapidly, faster than the aphids reproducing anyways. However the downside is that if you have too many, they will start to eat your plants like the aphids. So ventilation definitely helps get them out if it's in an enclosed area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dish soap and water helps, just keep applying just like Kevin said every 5-7 days. Usually we did it every weekend and don't do too much as you don't want your plants absorbing soapy water. I used to take cotton swaps and wipe the areas where they were infested at, mostly under leaves and on the stems until they were gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13945" LastActivityDate="2016-02-26T17:18:41.400" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23308" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23306" CreationDate="2016-02-26T18:13:37.417" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Read all you can about &lt;a href=&quot;http://c2cpeppers.proboards.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;indoor growing&lt;/a&gt; &amp;amp; seek out varieties that are know to do well in containers. &lt;a href=&quot;http://pepperlover.com/pepper-seeds/heal-leve/hot-very-hot/datil-detail&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(Example 1: Datil Pepper)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://pepperlover.com/pepper-seeds/heal-leve/hot-very-hot/pineapple-rocoto-detail&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(Example 2: Pineapple Rocoto)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://pepperlover.com/pepper-seeds/heal-leve/world-hottest/bhut-jolokia-indian-carbon-detail&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(Example 3: Bhut Jolokia / Ghost)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most important things for you will be &lt;strong&gt;light&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;strong&gt;nutrients&lt;/strong&gt; (a good fertilizer applied properly &amp;amp; at the correct intervals).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get a grow light &lt;a href=&quot;http://smile.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticulture-Commercial-Fixture-Choice/dp/B00HDZJFZ6/ref=sr_1_30?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1456508604&amp;amp;sr=8-30&amp;amp;keywords=apollo%20grow%20light&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(Example 1)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://smile.amazon.com/Ourkens-Indoor-Garden-Hanging-225led/dp/B012N55VSK/ref=sr_1_62?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1456508543&amp;amp;sr=8-62-spons&amp;amp;keywords=grow%20light&amp;amp;psc=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(Example 2)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4dNFE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4dNFE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1MbhP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1MbhP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and set it up hanging from chains so its height can be adjusted as the plants grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ghost &amp;amp; Scotch bonnets are members of the &lt;em&gt;Capsicum Chinense&lt;/em&gt; species, most members of which do better with &lt;strong&gt;higher temperatures&lt;/strong&gt;, so you will need to keep that in mind, keeping them in a warm room, with well circulating air either relying on your grow lights or a heating pad / element to provide additional warmth. Not that they will not grow in sub-optimal temperatures, but they will not produce as well. My Habanero (same species as ghost) is in my south facing office window, with no additional light or warmth &amp;amp; still has eight peppers forming on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By contrast, peppers in the &lt;em&gt;Capsicum Pubescens&lt;/em&gt; species (Like the Pineapple Rocoto linked to above), do better with &lt;strong&gt;cooler temperatures&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am on the west coast also &amp;amp; have no outdoor growing area &amp;amp; am currently growing Habanero, Rocoto, Bolivian Rainbow &amp;amp; Black Pearl indoors in simliar, frankly sub-optimal conditions &amp;amp; they are all doing fairly well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a good (if short) guide on &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-bhut-jolokia-indoors-25763.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sfgate&lt;/a&gt; specifically for growing Ghost Peppers indoors. They suggest the grow light as an option, but I wouldn't expect to get as good results without one, even in a well exposed south facing window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13523" LastEditorUserId="13523" LastEditDate="2016-02-26T21:21:21.243" LastActivityDate="2016-02-26T21:21:21.243" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23309" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14380" CreationDate="2016-02-26T18:36:14.253" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree that it's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Liriodendron tulipfera&lt;/a&gt;. The picture on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a878&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;left&lt;/a&gt; shows the leaves and the bark. On the &lt;a href=&quot;http://greatplainsnursery.com/product/tuliptree-2/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;right&lt;/a&gt;, you can see its lovely flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Interestingly, even though it's frequently called yellow poplar or tulip poplar, it actually belongs to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnoliaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;magnolia&lt;/a&gt;, not the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;poplar&lt;/a&gt;, family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for larger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5kmAx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5kmAxm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/whHWA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/whHWAm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-02-26T18:36:14.253" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23310" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23335" CreationDate="2016-02-26T20:47:17.930" Score="8" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;Now that strawberry season is upon us, I wanted to be proactive to maximize the output of my 7-8 small strawberry plants.  I have had these plants for 4 years now and the results have been mixed in terms of fruit production.  I am wondering if I am doing anything wrong. Any guidance as to what I should or shouldn't with these plants to get good results this season would be appreciated.  I am into organic gardening so organic suggestions only please.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-26T22:48:54.560" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T00:34:26.667" Title="What's the best way to care for and feed my strawberry plants?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19816" CreationDate="2016-02-26T22:27:38.130" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;While you don't want to seem as if you're jumping the gun, it's best to take drastic actions before things get out of hand. There are various methods you can try out. Trying introducing predators (or beneficial insects to your garden). If that option repulses you, use insecticidal soaps and water to wash them off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All the best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13874" LastActivityDate="2016-02-26T22:27:38.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23303" CreationDate="2016-02-26T23:17:07.660" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yep, Aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@JStorage and any other passersby,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First I wanted to address &quot;Organic&quot;: &#xA;&quot;Organic&quot; is a somewhat flexible term. Science would define it as an object or substance with a carbon-based molecular structure, like a human or petroleum. The USDA/NOP/OMRI certification of &quot;Organic&quot; hinges on a laundry list of various arbitrary requirements and is more subjective. An apple is sill an organic object regardless of how it was grown, and I may be inclined to eat it either way. However, I would not chase it down with &quot;organic&quot; toilet cleaner under the assumption that it would be healthy somehow. Don't get too caught up in all the hype of labeling. Pay more attention to ingredients and keep things simple but logical. If you want to get old-school, call up a vendor like Ferilome or your local County Extension Office and have a chat. I have known producers of great organic products that did not go through all the hassle of obtaining official &quot;organic&quot; certification. A lot of it is smoke and semantics. And don't think for one minute that companies like Monsanto will ever stop trying to muddy the waters further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the dish soap:&#xA;For years people have recommended a dishsoap mixture to combat soft-bodied insects in the garden, but this tradition probably began when dishsoap was a more simple concoction. Nowadays, dishsoap can contain a wide variety of fragrances, lotions, antibacterial agents, etc. It's somewhat of a crapshoot whether or not the dishsoap will kill or damage your plants. People using the dishsoap method are actually trying to reproduce a commercial product referred to as &quot;Insecticidal Soap.&quot; True &quot;Insecticidal Soap&quot;, has a far more predictable ingredient list. It's active ingredient is generally the same across all brands, potassium salts of fatty acids. This stuff is super cheap, especially if you purchase the small bottle of concentrate and mix your own. It may even be cheaper than dishsoap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to answer JStorage's question, the homebrew dishsoap insecticide will only be &quot;organic&quot; if the dishsoap is &quot;organic&quot;, but even then you still run the risk of killing your painstakingly tended crops. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other popular &quot;organic&quot; insecticides include the bacteria known as BT, or bacillus thuringiensis, Neem oil, and  even petroleum oil based products which effectively smother the insects to death. Neem oil is a favorite of mine as it also works on hard-bodied insects like scale, and it's said that the smell of the oil continues to deter insects after application.&#xA;Oils can also supresses the spread of fungal spores.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the bonus round, I try to stick to calcium, copper and sulfur for my dedicated fungicides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13948" LastEditorUserId="13948" LastEditDate="2016-02-27T02:27:37.187" LastActivityDate="2016-02-27T02:27:37.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23313" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14712" CreationDate="2016-02-27T01:53:48.103" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since the time that I asked the question, I've discovered that sour tomatillos can turn sweet if you leave them in the refrigerator for months. I'm not sure if they'll ever turn sweet outside the refrigerator, but they will stay good for months outside the refrigerator (at least the variety I tried outside the refrigerator, which was Amarylla, which was still sour after a really long time, but I could have waited longer, perhaps; I'm not sure what the variety was that I refrigerated, but it was green and large).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-02-27T02:00:45.167" LastActivityDate="2016-02-27T02:00:45.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23314" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19816" CreationDate="2016-02-27T02:22:41.563" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience, pests attack shaded plants a lot more than plants in full sun. So, giving them plenty of sunlight will probably help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Making sure they have enough (not too much) potassium, calcium and silica should also help to increase the insect and disease resistance. Make sure the nitrogen is balanced with the potassium and probably the calcium levels, too. If you get too much nitrogen, the potassium probably won't do its job well. If you get too little nitrogen and too much potassium/calcium, the plant will grow slowly and if severe, may actually be more susceptible to disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some kinds of aphids are a much bigger problem than others. Some can devastate peppers, I've found (and some hardly touch them). I had some that blew in with the wind on our Ethiopian eggplants last year (but after we tried dousing the eggplants with cayenne, they spread to the peppers, too). They were large, fast, armored aphids that bred really, really fast and wouldn't let the peppers grow. When I fertilized with a foliar spray of calcium nitrate, they didn't like the peppers so much anymore (but the ladybugs, which came and ate the remaining aphids, didn't mind). I imagine a foliar spray of sea minerals might repel pests (since they're salty, and these pests like juice; they might dehydrate with the spray concentrated on the leaves). I haven't tried it, yet (just in the soil, which peppers like), but it's a hypothesis. Sea minerals in the soil did strengthen my indoor potted pepper against its spider mites infestation, and it did eliminate a fungal infection it was suffering from. It didn't eliminate the spider mites, though, unfortunately (but they're not as much of a problem).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as aphids on tomatoes go, we only had black, winged aphids on them, and not in large numbers (they weren't a big problem).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people talk about using cayenne against aphids, and although it works temporarily, if the aphids are bad, they'll probably bounce back from it with a stronger taste for peppers. Diatomaceous earth might help to control them, but not to get rid of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might consider growing Solanum galapagense, which is supposed to have whitefly resistance. Whiteflies don't bother my tomatoes terribly, though. They seem to prefer other plants in the area (including grapes, Ethiopian eggplant, and peppers, especially the Early Jalapeños we grew).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-03-01T02:31:14.277" LastActivityDate="2016-03-01T02:31:14.277" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23316" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23319" CreationDate="2016-02-27T05:01:41.147" Score="9" ViewCount="446" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've searched already regarding this topic, it seeem that in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3547/safe-to-use-chicken-manure-in-my-compost&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; the OP is not using worms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/vermicomposting/care-and-feeding-of-worms.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; it states that &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Don’t feed the worms pet waste or any “hot” manure. “Hot” manure is uncomposted animal waste and its addition may result in heating the bin too much for the worms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While &lt;a href=&quot;http://articles.extension.org/pages/17453/vermicomposting-animal-manure&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;in this article&lt;/a&gt; it says that it is okay&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Earthworms will consume most organic materials, including animal manure, agricultural crop residues, organic byproducts from industries, yard trimmings, food preparation scraps and leftovers, scrap paper, and sewage sludge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7178" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-03-18T08:50:20.657" Title="Is it safe to put animal manure on vermicompost?" Tags="&lt;manure&gt;&lt;worms&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14712" CreationDate="2016-02-27T05:19:08.357" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chillis are not climacteric fruits so can be removed from your list.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mpg.de/5934313/peppers_ethylene_maturity&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.mpg.de/5934313/peppers_ethylene_maturity&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-02-27T05:19:08.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23318" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23324" CreationDate="2016-02-27T05:34:18.020" Score="7" ViewCount="568" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tonight I tried to give 4 hours of direct sunlight to my seedling, but after 4 hours of sunlight it looks so stressed the leaves went down. What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13726" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-27T18:38:37.987" LastActivityDate="2016-02-27T18:38:37.987" Title="My seedling looks stressed and the leaves are wilting." Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23319" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23316" CreationDate="2016-02-27T05:55:09.693" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's no conflict between your data. Worms clearly eat animal manure, and the bacteria and fungi that comes with it. But it's recommended that you use aged (horse) manure to avoid heating up the worm bin when the manure starts to compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-02-27T05:55:09.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23320" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-27T13:34:56.060" Score="9" ViewCount="1267" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had somebody remove some oak tree roots from the ground one month ago. Now a couple of branches look dried. Others have no new leaves growing and the old leaves are dropping. This is in Houston, Texas. What should I do to save this tree? Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13952" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-27T18:29:15.737" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T15:18:42.243" Title="How should I save an oak tree wounded by ground root removal?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23321" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23322" CreationDate="2016-02-27T15:30:49.653" Score="9" ViewCount="3062" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just picked this plant up from the store. What is the best way to take care of it? Can I leave it like it is and let it sit in the sun? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fj8Cy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fj8Cy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13954" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-27T21:02:28.893" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T22:21:10.807" Title="How should I take care of a Hyacinth bulb growing in a vase of water?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;hyacinth&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23322" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23321" CreationDate="2016-02-27T15:47:54.563" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the assumption you mean indoors in the sun, it would be best if it wasn't in full, hot sun all day because it might affect the roots - the glass may magnify the sun's rays and cause burning, and will certainly cause a fair amount of condensation on the glass under the bulb. A little sun is fine though, and yes, you can and should leave it as it is in its container until it's finished flowering. It is not meant to be kept outdoors, in case that's what you meant, although it can be planted outdoors once the leaves have all died back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-02-27T17:43:24.310" LastActivityDate="2016-02-27T17:43:24.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23323" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23320" CreationDate="2016-02-27T15:52:37.570" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It may not be possible to save the tree - if you're lucky, some parts will survive, and when you see where the dead areas are, you could have those removed. Cutting out roots like that means you've effectively interfered with the tree's means of survival - you can remove branches at the right time without ill effect, but removing roots, particularly if they are large, is much more serious. There is nothing you can do - only time will tell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-02-27T15:52:37.570" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23324" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23318" CreationDate="2016-02-27T15:54:57.410" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You haven't said what the seedling is, nor whether the sunlight was outdoors or in, but as a general rule, small seedlings should not be exposed to direct sunlight until they're grown on a bit and have established a good root system and several leaves. Once removed from the sun, if it doesn't recover on its own over time, there isn't much you can do,other than ensuring the soil didn't dry out too much in its time in the sun, and watering if it did so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-02-27T15:54:57.410" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23325" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23316" CreationDate="2016-02-27T21:42:13.297" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ask any kid who grew up on a small ranch or dairy who's kicked apart the cow pats. They're mostly grass, the nitrogen has mostly been extracted by the digestive process (Go Ruminants!). And the red worms take over the cow pats pretty quickly after a week or two and go to town. If you're getting cow pen waste, it's a different matter as the urine content rises, it will need some composting with other organic matter. With manure compost piles, there is a kind of bell curve that the red worm population goes through, when it starts to deplete, you have rich black earth, best as a soil amendment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Horse apples have more nitrogen because well horses don't digest grass well and will need a little composting before worm binnage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The hot stuff is urine and chicken manure will burn plants and worms equally, mix it with high C stuff like leaves and sawdust and you can take the edge off, not recommended for vermicompost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stay away from predator manure, it'll have bacteria in it that you don't want in your food supply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2016-02-27T21:42:13.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23326" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23320" CreationDate="2016-02-27T21:50:59.353" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a large (massive) Elm tree that had all the roots on one side cut about 6 feet from the tree due to an idiot plumber running a sewer pipe.  This was a deep trench, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used an in-ground water injector to pump root stimulator into the soil all around the tree base.  I went around with a hose and penetrated the ground around the tree about 20 feet apart in concentric rings about 10 feet apart around the whole tree.  I would inject just the water for about 30 minutes then pour the root stimulator into the hose and then turn the water back on for 30 minutes.  I did this over a 1 week period working around the tree.  Don't do too much too fast or you will saturate the ground and the tree could fall over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Despite this happening during summer in Atlanta, 10 years later the tree is still huge—roots are growing like crazy.  A water injector is a pipe you can get at garden store. It's a pipe about 3 feet long, and you screw the hose in the top. There is a valve that lets air in the line as the water runs to help oxygenate the soil.  I would push this in and then as the hard soil loosened I would push it all the way in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope you are able to save it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13958" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2016-02-28T22:45:19.583" LastActivityDate="2016-02-28T22:45:19.583" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23327" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23320" CreationDate="2016-02-28T01:19:57.597" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NLmLJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NLmLJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree with roots dug up (stackoverflow.com)&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oak trees along with cotton wood are good at enduring dug up roots as long as they are not punctured heavily (deep cuts). As long as the roots are covered by soil and there's a constant supply of water then the tree should heal its wounds. Other than that there's not much you can do to save the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13959" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-29T15:18:42.243" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T15:18:42.243" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23328" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22346" CreationDate="2016-02-28T06:46:26.413" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are branches and then there are suckers. Most people remove suckers (the growth occurring in the angle between the main trunk and stem) so that this maximizes fruit production at the top of the plant. If the lower suckers are left untouched, then fruit can form on these low suckers and bend the branches so that the fruit and branch ends up on the ground, and can rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Suckers are also removed differently depending upon whether you have a determinate or indeterminate tomato plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To properly prune a determinate tomato, pinch all suckers from the ground level to the first flower cluster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FarOj.png&quot; alt=&quot;determinate pruning&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To properly prune an indeterminate tomato, prune all suckers from the ground level up to the second flower cluster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rERNB.png&quot; alt=&quot;indeterminate pruning&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The effect of removing the lower suckers is to increase the air flow through the plant and discourage insects and disease. If other branches are not looking healthy, you can also remove these. Removing healthy branches for no other reasons can reduce the size of your fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lsuagcenter.com/topics/lawn_garden/home_gardening/vegetables/home_garden_crops/pruningtomatoes&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;LSU Agricultural Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-01-18T11:25:53.690" LastActivityDate="2019-01-18T11:25:53.690" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="23329" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-28T08:28:55.403" Score="8" ViewCount="259" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many garden websites recommended that you remove 50% of the tomato plant (Cordon Variety) leaves in order to increase the yield.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's my first time growing tomatoes, and I am growing Sweet Million, Sungold and Sweet Aperitif cherry tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question is, if I remove 50% of the leaves of my plant, will I have new fruit trusses? Or do I do it in the last crop of the season?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13757" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-28T18:17:43.083" LastActivityDate="2016-03-01T13:43:09.693" Title="Should I remove tomato plant leaves to Increase yield?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23321" CreationDate="2016-02-28T12:38:10.690" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to Bamboo's answer, keep the water level to just below the bulb. Don't let the bulb sit in water otherwise it will rot.  You may wish to add some liquid plant food to the water to further feed the bulb. Cut off the spent flower head and plant up in bulb compost being careful with the fragile roots. They can then take up nutrients needed and be used next year in the garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-02-28T12:38:10.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23331" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23332" CreationDate="2016-02-28T16:05:53.553" Score="8" ViewCount="189" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother has this plant on her window sill and we don't know what species it is. All I know is that it resisted temperatures below 0°C this winter. Any idea? I can take other pictures if necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b7jGf.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b7jGf.png&quot; alt=&quot;this plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13963" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-28T17:50:54.003" LastActivityDate="2016-02-28T17:54:45.600" Title="What is this small shrub with variegated glossy ovate leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23331" CreationDate="2016-02-28T17:49:44.303" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griselinia_littoralis&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Griselinia littoralis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &quot;Variegata&quot;. It's an evergreen shrub native to New Zealand. Because of its dense growth, it is used widely in Britain and Ireland as a privacy hedge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Identifying characteristics are the alternate, ovate leaves with the smooth cream colored margins. The interior of the leaves are yellow-green to mid-green, sometimes with more variegation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If left to grow, it can become an extremely large shrub, but responds well to being trimmed back regularly. It will definitely outgrow the container that you currently have it in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compare the results from a Google Image search for &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=griselinia%20littoralis%20variegata&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot;&gt;Griselinia littoralis Variegata&lt;/a&gt;, and see some more information at the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=3017&quot;&gt;Royal Horticultural Society&lt;/a&gt; page.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-28T17:54:45.600" LastActivityDate="2016-02-28T17:54:45.600" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23333" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-28T20:57:34.357" Score="8" ViewCount="516" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the pot I see small lumps that look like rocks, but they crush like dirt. Additionally, there's fuzz on the main stem that looks like a spider's web. Finally (what a brown thumb I've got) there's what looks to be red-orange creep near the base of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure it's got web blight, but I'm a new gardener and wanted to be sure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://imgur.com/LlJNvNA.png&quot; alt=&quot;image 1&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://imgur.com/zG9ktoV.png&quot; alt=&quot;image 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13964" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-01T01:09:58.047" LastActivityDate="2016-03-01T17:29:48.437" Title="Does my mint plant have web blight?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;mint&gt;&lt;blight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23334" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-28T21:00:17.430" Score="6" ViewCount="111" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want some nice smelling plants to improve the smell in my room. They should be functional year-round and low maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1336" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-02-29T04:38:14.327" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T14:56:56.973" Title="Fragrant plants for nice smelling room?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23335" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23310" CreationDate="2016-02-29T00:34:26.667" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Strawberry plants can produce fruit for 6 years or so but production rapidly drops off after the first few years with onset of diseases and pests.  So, the best thing to do is toss them and start again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next time you could propagate new plants from runners so that you keep renewing your stock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/growfruitandveg_strawberries1.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/growfruitandveg_strawberries1.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T00:34:26.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23336" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-29T01:10:23.427" Score="7" ViewCount="348" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why does the tree trunk grow in diameter even though you cut the roots and tips of branches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13966" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-29T15:17:48.910" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T15:17:48.910" Title="Why does the tree trunk grow in diameter?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;branches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23336" CreationDate="2016-02-29T03:14:31.707" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pruning does not kill the tree, at least if it's still pruning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A living tree adds a layer of cells to its diameter each year. These growth rings are a defining characteristic of wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want the trunk not to get thicker, just kill the tree, that's the only way to stop the normal process of growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Root&lt;/strong&gt; pruning is not a normal tree-care technique outside of perhaps bonsai. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T03:14:31.707" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23338" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23334" CreationDate="2016-02-29T06:32:57.930" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lacking information on lighting, seasons, temperature, room size, and scents required, I'd suggest you just buy some Potpourri with a scent you like, and just renew it when the fragrance has gone.  Since the leaves are already dead, you won't need to maintain them apart from replacing them if they start to decompose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T06:32:57.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23339" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3837" CreationDate="2016-02-29T06:58:30.957" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't see this mentioned before, but an orchid might be suitable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.beautifulorchids.com/orchids/orchids_potted/phalaenopsis/phalaenopsis_care.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.beautifulorchids.com/orchids/orchids_potted/phalaenopsis/phalaenopsis_care.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Phalaenopsis should tolerate indoor lighting fine, and is okay with being unwatered over weekends and public holidays. They get filtered light through the canopy in the wild, and as an epiphyte draws some moisture from the air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the humidity levels are not high enough, you could keep it inside a Wardian Case or a terrarium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orchidplantcare.info/growing-orchids-in-terrariums/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.orchidplantcare.info/growing-orchids-in-terrariums/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've potted mine in leca removing all the organics, and let capillary action draw up water as required from the tray it sits in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T06:58:30.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23340" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-29T13:43:23.270" Score="4" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very big and beautiful Dieffenbachia. How do I get these plants to regrow? Do I take a piece from the roots or can roots be grown from leaves? My plant is over 6 feet and growing. I feed it with all my veggies: I make a brew and it loves it. It has some sick leaves lately: what could possibly be wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13969" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-02-29T15:16:23.717" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T15:16:23.717" Title="Dieffenbachia plant" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-03-02T07:59:28.050" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23334" CreationDate="2016-02-29T14:07:00.013" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you've asked for is planting that scents the air year round, and that isn't possible, regardless of the growing environment in your room. For one thing, 'scented plants' can mean more than one thing - many have fragrant leaves, but the fragrance is only detectable if the leaves are bruised, brushed against or crushed. Then there are fragrant flowering plants, and although, for instance, indoor hyacinths, freesias, jasmine, stephanotis and some lily varieties may well scent the air whilst the flowers are present, the maximum amount of flowering time will be between 2-8 weeks, and only if the conditions are right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid you will have to find another way to deal with the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T14:07:00.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23342" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23316" CreationDate="2016-02-29T14:08:21.093" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should look at &lt;a href=&quot;http://redwormcomposting.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Red Worm Composting&lt;/a&gt;. I've found a lot of useful information there. I was recently looking into this, because I have 6 horses and they're full of. . . worm food. So I was looking into the use of it in my vermicomposting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The guy that runs the site was posting about it and he was saying to let it age for a few reasons. One is that animal wastes have a high salt content and aging it helps remove some of that and keeps it from harming your worms. Also, like another poster said, it can heat up your worm bin and harm your worms, where it wouldn't if it had been pre-composted. I believe another issue was the gas that freshly decomposing manure gives off inside of what is usually a closed environment with vermicomposting. If you have an open outdoor pile, it's probably not as big of an issue. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He actually said, that you can sometimes find compost worms on farms in old manure piles and you can also add fresh manure to outdoor composts with out much issue, because there is plenty of air flow and the worms can simply move somewhere else in the pile until the manure is perfect for them to begin working on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, I may be misremembering and it may have been another animals waste (I know you aren't supposed to use human, cat, or dog), but you had to let it break down to help destroy any bacteria in the feces that are harmful to people. If it isn't probably decomposed and processed, then when you put it in with your garden plant, the water can hit it and splash the bad stuff up onto what you plan to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T14:08:21.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23343" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23334" CreationDate="2016-02-29T14:26:52.567" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most plants that grow well indoors aren't especially fragrant, and there aren't any that would be fragrant year round. One option you might consider, though, are forced hyacinth bulbs. They are incredibly fragrant for a week or two, very pretty, and easy to care for once you've done the work of forcing them. If you can but forced hyacinth bulbs, they are no work at all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To force the bulbs yourself, you basically need to refrigerate the bulbs for 12-14 weeks. After that time is passed, you can take them out and pot them up or put them in a forcing vase. If you put new bulbs in the fridge every 2 weeks and potted a new set up bulbs up every 2 weeks, you could hypothetically have a constant supply of hyacinth bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure this would help much if you have an actual odor problem, but if you want to add a sweet smell to a room it would work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T14:26:52.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23344" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23334" CreationDate="2016-02-29T14:56:56.973" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oat grass is easy to grow, and has a lovely grassy smell if you run your hands through it a few times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T14:56:56.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23345" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1372" CreationDate="2016-02-29T16:24:31.593" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I also use a finger to pollinate indoor peppers. I manage to pollinate about 90% of the flowers and I don't give it too much thought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13972" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-02-29T22:55:22.313" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T22:55:22.313" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23346" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-02-29T16:27:42.950" Score="14" ViewCount="389" Body="&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&#xA;On inspecting all the other branches, I found one of the branches in the following state. It shows the bark beginning to fall off the tip, explaining how the other branches have developed.I cut it off, sealed it in a box and put it in the fridge whilst I wait for an identification of the problem. It is still unclear what has started it - i suspect some sort of parasite?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZijK1.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZijK1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;early stages&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This has happened to one of my apple trees over the past few years, I'm now concerned because it is happening to other branches and there is very little one year growth on the tree. &#xA;This is the shape of the tree, and ringed in red are the branches that are affected.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pSyed.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pSyed.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Does anybody have any ideas what might be causing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ol6P.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ol6P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;ringed tip&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's another picture from a different angle, clearly showing the cambium layers and the profile of the edge on them. Nobody else has pruned the tree to our knowledge, could an animal have caused this type of damage? &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9S0KQ.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9S0KQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Here's a shot of the same damage having occured to another branch&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M8rjO.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M8rjO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;another inflicted branch&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastEditorUserId="13971" LastEditDate="2016-03-07T21:53:53.117" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T13:56:46.440" Title="What is causing this damage on my apple tree?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23347" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23349" CreationDate="2016-02-29T16:50:16.143" Score="10" ViewCount="662" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Tillandsia Cyanea that I have to do something with. It's by Living Trends and they put it in a small drainless pot with a magnet on the back. It's technically in a small pot within that pot, but it's still not healthy. Recently, while perusing youtube.com, specifically the Brad's Greenhouse channel, I saw that he had unpotted a Tillandsia Cyanea completely and made it into a hanging air plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He said that many people want to pot them in dirt, but that it really doesn't need it anymore than any other air plant because it's an epiphyte. I'd like to do something similar. It's obviously working for him, because he did an update video showing where he'd gotten a good bit of growth and two flow spikes off of it. He did say that he's roots had died, but that it wasn't a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing lacking in the video is how to water it. His plants are in a greenhouse, so you have high humidity. I'm also sure he probably mists it. However, I wanted more information, because the leaves on this plant are very grassy. It's not like my other Tillandsia that turns silver when dry and green when wet. That plant obviously absorbs moisture through it's leaves. It's not obvious to me that the Tillandsia Cyanea absorbs water this way. I don't want to dehydrate it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone tell me how these absorb water? It's not through the roots, or at least no solely, because he said his roots pretty much died off. His is also growing in multiple directions, so I don't think the water is sitting in the base of the leaves like a regular bromeliad. Can anyone tell me how I'd water and fertilize this plant if I completely removed the pot and simply suspended it from wire? Thanks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T19:59:55.320" Title="How to water a potless Tillandsia Cyanea?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;tillandsia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23348" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11269" CreationDate="2016-02-29T16:54:55.103" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are planted very very close to either the fence or property, whatever it is.  They will be in the rain shadow, and will likely as not, get only a hint of natural rainfall. If they are against a fence it's less of a problem than if they are against a property with foundations and it looks like against a path also with foundations.  Neither of which will have water bearing soil, they and any replacements are likely to be in very small parched soil pocket/trench that will require constant monitoring for watering. Recommended planting distance from any structure in a similar way, should be 12-24&quot; as a minimum I would think. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T16:54:55.103" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23349" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23347" CreationDate="2016-02-29T19:59:55.320" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The quote below from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.livingmemoriesofmaui.com/plant-care/lava-rock-tillandsia-cyanea/&quot;&gt;http://www.livingmemoriesofmaui.com/plant-care/lava-rock-tillandsia-cyanea/&lt;/a&gt; discusses watering in a pot with rocks. Since you're going to be growing it suspended, you're going to need to mist it more often so that your plant grows well. If your humidity levels are not high enough, that's also going to increase the need to mist your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In its natural environment it would receive a regular drenching of rain water. So if your plant doesn't do well with misting, then you may need to immerse it regularly in a bucket of rain water. Note that it doesn't like water with high metal content, or chlorine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;WATERING: The curved leaves allow for the natural collection of water, and by misting the plant thoroughly once a week, or twice a week in drier environments, its reservoir  should remain moist. However, be careful not to over water which could result in fungal growth.  The bowl with cinders are used as a humidity tool for this plant. The rock that the plant is growing in sits on above the water that is filled into the bowl before too dry the rock will then absorb water like a sponge.  A good rule of thumb is to have 2 cm of water in the reservoir at its fullest.   The roots don’t like to stay too wet, so find the balance that works best for your individual plant.  Keep in mind that since the environment will change with the seasons, with heating vs. air conditioning, etc. it is important to adjust how much and when you water with the conditions of the environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And to specifically address the question&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Tillandsia are epiphytes, and normally use their roots only to attach themselves to the host plant. Moisture and nutrients are gathered from the air (dust, decaying leaves and insect matter) through special cells on the leaves, known as trichomes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-02-29T19:59:55.320" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23351" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20687" CreationDate="2016-03-01T03:08:40.067" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on the building.  If the building wall is made from brick, concrete etc, then a climbing vine is unlikely to damage it. If it has a textured plaster finish, then the vine will damage that.  If it is wood, then it will tend to make the wood damp, and this can encourage borer attack.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you're better off with a wooden house not to allow vines to attach to the timber.  I have a Bougainvillea against mine, and the only damage that happens is from the nails I put into the weatherboards so that I can tie it in place.  Since it likes direct sunshine, the boards behind it don't suffer from dampness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-01T03:08:40.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23329" CreationDate="2016-03-01T04:49:53.573" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes are, in South America, a perennial tender fruiting vine which are grown as annuals in regions where there is frost.  As a result of being grown in its non-native climate, accommodations have to be made to optimize yield before the first frost appears.  So, pruning is both climate, and variety specific.  Opinions are varied as well as to whether you should or not prune the suckers (side shoots), but the varying success people get with the same pruning, or lack of pruning, may reflect other management such as heavy mulching and preventative spraying for fungal diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For indeterminate varieties, which only stop growing once the frost arrives, it is recommended by some that you prune the suckers up to the second set of flowers.  However, if they have become too large, then to leave them alone as you risk causing damage to the stems by removal.  There is another method of pruning which just removes the growing tip of the sucker.  You should also prune back to allow good airflow through your plant to reduce the chance of moisture settling on the leaves and stems which would allow fungal diseases to get a hold.  But you need to leave some leaves to cover the fruit to prevent it from sunburn.  If you remove too many leaves you remove the part of the plant that creates the sugars that are needed for the fruits and growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you have flowers still forming towards the end of the season, and you can calculate that the fruits will never reach an adequate size or mature in time, you can remove those as well.  Removal of flowers will mean that the sugars and growth will be concentrated in the remaining fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-01T04:49:53.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23353" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23354" CreationDate="2016-03-01T06:41:45.733" Score="2" ViewCount="1829" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got the plant in the picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uRfMA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uRfMA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which plant is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="778" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-03-02T11:02:59.180" LastActivityDate="2016-03-02T11:02:59.180" Title="What is this plant with long skinny leaves with red margins?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2016-03-01T14:44:44.763" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23354" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23353" CreationDate="2016-03-01T10:07:47.490" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's Dracaena marginata&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have one in my garden, I cut it off at ground level because it was in the way for painting the house. It grew back. The bits I cut off got thrown in an old broken bucket with some crappy dirt in a place that gets a bit of sun and they're still alive 5 years later. Basically if it is what I think it is then it's tough as old boots and looks pretty decent in the process. Cut it back if it gets too long and leggy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13843" LastActivityDate="2016-03-01T10:07:47.490" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23355" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23329" CreationDate="2016-03-01T13:43:09.693" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The professional association in my place also recommend to prune leaves, but not so much, and not in a single pass. Their reasoning:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;bottom leaves are at risk to bring of fungal diseases (with irrigation).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;the bottom fruits (nearly ready to be gathered) will color more irregularly (shadows with many leaves), so clients will judge them as less quality.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Possibly it depends on location and variety, but I would try this year with one or two plants to prune much more leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-03-01T13:43:09.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23333" CreationDate="2016-03-01T17:08:42.803" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The red growth at the base of the plant is sphagnum moss, which has probably been included in the potting mix if its been made with sphagnum moss peat - you might be able to pull it off without destroying the roots of the mint, depends whether the moss is mixed in or just sitting on top. Either way, it won't harm the mint, but the fact its growing in this way may indicate you're either overwatering or the soil in the pot is generally wet, or drainage is poor. Water when the surface of the potting mix is just about dry to the touch, water thoroughly, then empty any outer tray or container after 30 minutes, so the plant isn't left standing in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't see any webbing - I can see short hairs at the base of the mint stems in some places, but that's quite normal. The foliage and stems I can see look to be pretty healthy, no obvious problems, and no evidence of web blight - the lumps could be fertilizer pellets, perlite or vermiculite, or just clumped up, lumpy soil, or some other component of whatever potting medium has been used. I've got one question though - it looks as if the base of the plant is slightly proud of the surrounding potting mix. It might just be a trick of the light in the photograph, or the extra height of the layer of growth where the sphagnum moss is, but if you potted the plant on into this mix, ensure it isn't standing up above the surrounding soil level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-01T17:29:48.437" LastActivityDate="2016-03-01T17:29:48.437" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23357" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14706" CreationDate="2016-03-01T18:31:55.567" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe you have crown rot on that orchid. Basically, water got down in the leaf and sat there, causing rot. I don't know for sure, but I don't think that the main plant will recover, because it's damaged where the new leaves come from. Also, since Phals typically produce spikes from below the third leaf (counted from the top) I don't know if you'll get another spike that you could get a keiki off of. If you do have a spike currently, I'd consider ordering some keiki paste and see if you can get it to produce some. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While doing some quick research I did see a couple of instances where a new plant grew up at the base of the old one, but I don't know how likely that is. I'll post a link to a video on orchid crown rot here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6tm65p29tk&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Brad's Greenhouse: Crown Rot&lt;/a&gt;. You should look at all this guys stuff. I watch his videos a lot. He has lots of them and is always posting new stuff. Based on this post and your other one, I think you could get some solid info on orchid care from him. I know it's frustrating not to have the knowledge that you want. Good luck and I hope you can salvage your orchids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-03-01T18:31:55.567" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20399" CreationDate="2016-03-01T19:34:39.290" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blackberry seeds need to be scarified and stratified in order to germinate. Furthermore, it seems that drying the seeds first may induce dormancy inhibiting germination.  So, maybe you went wrong in one of the above procedures?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/30/1/124.full.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/30/1/124.full.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-01T19:34:39.290" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23359" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23361" CreationDate="2016-03-02T00:05:15.343" Score="11" ViewCount="395" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just got yesterday my worm compost and I am so happy about that. My question is what are the foods that I should and shouldn't put in my vermicompost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've done my research and in general they say that I should put fruits and vegetables and papers, I need to limit citrus, manures should be put if they are not warm, garlics and potatoes can be put but there are chances that it will grow roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bonus point:&lt;/strong&gt; I am willing to give &lt;strong&gt;+50 points&lt;/strong&gt; to anyone who can give me a &lt;strong&gt;printer friendly version&lt;/strong&gt; of should and shouldn't put in my vermicompost, I will post this in our house. This way all of us can be informed and be reminded of what should we dispose in our garbage and what should be put in my vermicompost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt; I am using &lt;strong&gt;ANC&lt;/strong&gt; (African Nightcrawler)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7178" LastEditorUserId="7178" LastEditDate="2016-03-02T06:39:07.027" LastActivityDate="2016-10-12T16:14:38.173" Title="What are the foods that I can put in my vermicompost?" Tags="&lt;worms&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5249" CreationDate="2016-03-02T01:38:04.157" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Crab apple. The most primal ancestor to the apple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13979" LastActivityDate="2016-03-02T01:38:04.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23361" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23359" CreationDate="2016-03-02T01:50:49.050" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can print out page 9 of this pdf &lt;a href=&quot;http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/23949/em9034.pdf&quot;&gt;http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/23949/em9034.pdf&lt;/a&gt; and stick it near your bin.  Just a list alone is not so useful as it won't give the reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Food that is okay.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Fruit and vegetable scraps and peels. Potatoes&#xA;peels are okay, but worms tend to avoid them&#xA;(figure 14).&#xA;• Eggshells or other source of grit (see page 8).&#xA;These should be ground or pulverized.&#xA;• Coffee grounds, filters, and tea bags with&#xA;staples removed. You can mix them into the&#xA;worm bin at any time.&#xA;• Plain cereal, bread, and pasta. Use small&#xA;amounts only, as they tend to clump up. Be&#xA;sure to wet them first.&#xA;• Dryer lint (natural fibers only, such as cotton,&#xA;linen, or wool). Lint provides the “fabric” for&#xA;air circulation.&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Food items that are NOT acceptable&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Though your worms will eat just about any&#xA;organic matter, some types of food may entice&#xA;undesirable insects and animals to live in the&#xA;worm bin, too. The foods in the list below are not&#xA;appropriate to feed the worms because they attract&#xA;pests, can be toxic to worms, or create unpleasant&#xA;odors.&#xA;• Meat, poultry, or fish (bones, skin, or&#xA;drippings). These develop odors and easily&#xA;attract other pests.&#xA;• Oils (such as butter, salad dressing, or&#xA;mayonnaise). These smother worms (they&#xA;breathe through their skin).&#xA;• Dairy products. These products may cause&#xA;anaerobic conditions and odors.&#xA;• Highly acidic or spicy foods, such as citrus&#xA;(especially peels) or onions. These may&#xA;produce acidic conditions and may be toxic to&#xA;worms.&#xA;• Pet feces. Feces can contain large quantities of&#xA;pests that are not beneficial to worms or to the&#xA;final compost product.&#xA;The guideline for vermicomposting is: When in&#xA;doubt, leave it out&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-02T01:50:49.050" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23362" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22033" CreationDate="2016-03-02T03:19:21.143" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks irretrievable with all the leaves rotting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you said, you over watered it. It's important to make sure after watering it does dry out otherwise fungal and bacterial infections can take hold. Also you should use rain water, and not tap water as chlorinated water can also do this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are the only part that needs watering as water is taken up in a  specialized leaf structure. There is no need to get water on the root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-02T03:19:21.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23363" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23364" CreationDate="2016-03-02T06:21:01.310" Score="5" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bunch of plastic containers from take away food I have ordered over a period of time. I have few container ranging from 200ml to 1 Litre capacity. I was wondering what could I plant in these containers (if possible) indoor or outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have searched the web and all I could find was annoying websites making me click 10 times to see 10 pictures and names of plants. I would appreciate if someone can point me to a decent site to look for plants or share few plant names I can look out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't plant cactus or any other thorny plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13980" LastEditorUserId="13980" LastEditDate="2016-03-02T06:28:19.903" LastActivityDate="2016-03-02T07:54:21.517" Title="Plant recommendations for extremely small pots" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23364" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23363" CreationDate="2016-03-02T07:54:21.517" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;A multitude of species can be grown for decades in pots smaller than 1 litre. Exactly what species, though, will depend upon your climate. Tropical species can be grown indoors, but (generally speaking) only if you can provide artificial light approximating sunlight. In the line of tropicals, pemphis and small leafed figs (ficus) are two species that come to mind. Jade plants (crassula) do very well in low light indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the line of temperate plants, pinus thunbergii (Japanese black pine) is the classic bonsai tree, and can even be grown in the tropics. There are a multitude of small azaleas that are relatively carefree to grow in small pots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am a bonsai enthusiast, living in USDA plant zone 8. I have many varieties of maples (acer palmatum, acer ginnala, acer platanoides,and acer rubrum) that I have kept in pots smaller than 1 litre for 5 or so years now. I also have Douglas firs, lodgepole pines, pinus parviflora, pinus strobus, pinus mugo, spruce (Colorado blue, picea abies, and picea abies 'nidiformis'), cedars (Atlas and libani), elms (ulmus parviflora 'Suiju' and Zelkova serrata), cotoneasters, pyracantha, forsythia, varieties of prunus, malus and pyrus, stewartia, boxwoods, junipers, escallonia, ceanothus, and a few others that I'm not recalling right now. For bonsai we look at species with short internodes and small leaves or ones that will exhibit this behavior when confined to small pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, there are a number of slow growing miniature cultivars that are sold in the U.S. for 'rock gardens'. Chamaecyparis obtusa (hinoki cypress) 'chirimen' is one that comes to mind that will do just fine with little attention for about 5 years in a 1 litre container. Cedrus libani 'Kenwith' and 'Green Prince' are a couple more of this type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The issue really isn't what plants can be grown in pots smaller than one litre (just about any species), but the materials and techniques to do it successfully. Otherwise, just look for slow growing, miniature, 'rock garden' plants at your local garden center.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-03-02T07:54:21.517" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22375" CreationDate="2016-03-02T08:50:45.440" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thanks for answers. Apparently, it was dying but the leaves from the bottom were dying and slowly slowly it also affected the top ones. Most probably it was fungus and it looked like some type of Wilt fungus but I'm not an expert of fungus so I might be wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastActivityDate="2016-03-02T08:50:45.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23367" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-02T13:02:19.943" Score="9" ViewCount="97" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small garden and it is full of cactus, wild aloe vera and beautiful pink roses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I buy vegetables from a organic farmer and some of them have brown garden snails. Instead of throwing them away or kill them, I simply put them in a big pot that contains half a meter of soil and full of grass. I thought that they will die because in my country it does not rain a lot. Surprisingly, I found six in this pot that were alive and I sprayed some water for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that my garden in cacti-based, is it an issue to let the snails live in my garden? After all, is there a beneficial use of snails in the garden? Perhaps, do they eat some pests or only leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastActivityDate="2016-03-02T13:34:01.457" Title="Should I let brown snails in the garden?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;snails&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23368" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23367" CreationDate="2016-03-02T13:34:01.457" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Garden snails eat plants, fungi and algae, depending on the type of snail, so no, I'm afraid they won't be eating any pests... you could provide food for them in the form of lettuce or dandelion leaves, if you really want to encourage them. Snails will eat rose leaves if they can reach them, but that's usually in more humid or wet regions (such as the UK) because its quite difficult for them to move around easily in arid areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-03-02T13:34:01.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23370" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-02T17:08:24.893" Score="7" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a leveled yard, all except for one area of the yard which was a vegetable garden many years ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The area is built up with cinder blocks and filled with dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I remove both to level the area like the rest of the yard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13986" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-03-02T18:52:17.450" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T11:07:03.633" Title="How to level an area that was once a vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23371" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8579" CreationDate="2016-03-02T19:34:56.890" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the cause may have been lack of water. I set the sprinkler out for 45 minutes once a week, but it wasn't enough. I actually needed to water about 3hrs once a week to get the proper inch of water.&#xA;It looks much better now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2850" LastActivityDate="2016-03-02T19:34:56.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23373" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-02T20:14:54.357" Score="10" ViewCount="642" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have heard several times that banana peel can be used as a fertilizer for garden plants (especially so for roses it appears) and verified it with a quick search on the Internet. As it happens, I sit on quite some banana peel right now (well, not literally) from producing jam. There seem to be various ways to use and prepare the peel beforehand:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cutting it in small pieces and mixing it with the soil surrounding the plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;charring the banana peel in the oven and spread it afterwards in the garden&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soak the peel in water for a couple of days and water plants with it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;putting it in the compost and use the resulting mix of fruit and vegetable leftovers as usual&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the advantage of using one form and not the other (if any)? Could you recommend a certain way based on your experience? Is banana peel and the way it is prepared appropriate for all plants equally?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13989" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T04:34:32.767" Title="How to use banana peel as a fertilizer?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23374" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23370" CreationDate="2016-03-02T20:44:21.410" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is kind of a fun project.  Go to a rental equipment place and get a little bobcat.  They deliver and pick up as well! They teach you how to use it (very simple) and takes just a few minutes to master.  Using the bucket you pick up physically and place the cinder blocks in the bucket to move somewhere else (do you need a garden wall somewhere? don't trash them for sure if at all possible).  If not using a bobcat you can do by using a tarp and dragging to where you want.  Then rake smooth and compact with a water drum roller that you can also rent.  Then reseed for lawn.  If plant beds don't do the compaction part. They also have 'dingos' that work just as well!  Think about drainage...having some slope away and not allowing puddles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-03-02T20:44:21.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23375" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="700" CreationDate="2016-03-02T22:15:06.940" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are growing from seeds I would definitely use tap water. This is clean water and free of any microbes, bugs etc., that may cause damping off or rotting etc. Rain water from water butts would be fine on most outdoor plants. Rainwater is also as others have said is generally softer than &#xA;hard processed tap water, so things like orchids or acid loving/lime hating plants would prefer rain water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-02T22:15:06.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23376" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23377" CreationDate="2016-03-02T23:57:50.803" Score="6" ViewCount="957" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just noticed these brown areas on my plant today when I've arrived from work. I had moved this plant from my bathroom window which had given my plant indirect sunlight to my livingroom window where there is direct sunlight. I've left it there for about 3 days straight. I don't want to loose this plant as I've had it since it was very small. Will my plant survive? Should I cut the brown foilage off? I'm not sure what to do or what happened to it. Will my plant survive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W9P1a.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W9P1a.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TdCAr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TdCAr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9kCHI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9kCHI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bVlyJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bVlyJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bc65E.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bc65E.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastEditorUserId="13114" LastEditDate="2017-08-06T20:43:56.173" LastActivityDate="2017-08-06T20:43:56.173" Title="Brown spots on my Fiddle Fig plant" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23377" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23376" CreationDate="2016-03-03T00:55:42.173" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Will my plant survive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, but you may wish to consider cutting back the stem to a 6 or 12 inch length to encourage new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I cut the brown foliage off?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too early to say, this looks like sunscald when moving from indirect to direct light.  If the brown area turns brown and dry then you can remove the leaf for aesthetic purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_lyrata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ficus lyrata&lt;/a&gt; is a tough plant but the leaves are hard and take a while for each one to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look for scale (brown bumps) or mealybug (white cottony tufts) on the underside of the leaves but this does not seem likely from the description you gave.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutting it back is a good solution as it keeps the plant smaller and encourages new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have asked about where to cut on the stem to encourage new growth.  Wait and see if the leaves with brown spots continue to die back. If they do, remove the leave at the stem and cut the stem back with a sharp sequitur to six or twelve inches from the base of the plant.  If this means no leaves, no problems!  The plant will bud out from the cut and grow new leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T01:23:08.880" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23378" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-03T04:55:33.363" Score="6" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have Realtime Landscaping Plus 3D landscape design program and I cannot find any way to see what the the final height of the ground is in my design. The design has lots of slopes, height grids, terraces and such all overlayered and adding or subtracting from the final height. I need to figure out drainage, check the rise on slopes, and translate the design heights onto the yard and build it. How do I access the ACTUAL height of any given point in my design?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13992" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T04:55:33.363" Title="Realtime landscape plus design program, final ground height" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;hard-landscape&gt;&lt;grading&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22287" CreationDate="2016-03-03T05:09:28.707" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you have there is a whisk fern. Psilotum nudum. A very very ancient plant, somewhat similar to Equisetum. However, horsetail does not branch and has a pointy cone on top of each long pencil thin bamboo-like segmented stalk. These things, whisk fern, are living fossils, and once established are easy to care for. They spread by spores and will never develop leaves. They do not like to be transplanted and dislike too-wet soil. The tiny spores float all over the world and these things can show up anywhere. Its a cool little specimen and should last for years, enjoy!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13992" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-13T16:41:38.723" LastActivityDate="2016-07-13T16:41:38.723" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23380" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20334" CreationDate="2016-03-03T05:49:48.847" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are trying to kill most everything that is already there, before starting fresh with seeds of a groundcover or grass which will grow in thick and not allow any weeds, You can cover the entire area in large sheets of black builders plastic and solarize (bake in the sun)the whole area. It will take six weeks, more to be safe, and the neighbors may think you have lost it. Water the ground heavily before you put the plastic down, (the heat and moisture should make everything sprout that's down there) and wait to do this until its hot, which should be no issue in Utah. I have not found that 'weed barrier' is effective, as anything that is permeable to water, which it has to be to have any plants at all, Is eventually permeable to sprouting plants as well. A really thick layer of gravel is about all I have seen to really prevent weeds, but good gravy is that an ugly solution. Find something that will grow thickly and do some work to get it established, pulling invasive weeds till it fills in, then you should be able to enjoy your outdoor space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13992" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T05:49:48.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23165" CreationDate="2016-03-03T06:58:14.347" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This Echeveria looks very similar to a variety called 'topsy turvy' (Echeveria Runyonii) which is available for sale&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vVJ4z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vVJ4z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; in Austin, TX. It flowers in a very showy orange, the color of the plant itself is an icy silver-blue and it is also more cold hardy than is typical for an echeveria going all the way down to 20degrees, and making it (if you have a mild winter) a year round outdoor plant. It has a freakish growth form which can only be propigated vegitatively and is one of the only Echeveria that will stay true to its altered form when grown from cuttings. It tends to send out a lot of new baby plants and can form colonies fairly quickly. It tends to bloom in late summer/early fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13992" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T06:58:14.347" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22561" CreationDate="2016-03-03T07:35:27.330" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks quite a bit like Persian Cress. (Lepidium Sativum) I have a Jhonnys seed catalog and its pretty much the only green that looks like that leaf type, pretty distinctive serrated edge and oval shape. The bright true green color is right on too. Catalog says the flavor is mild. 21 days to maturity at 2-6&quot; long. Yum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13992" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T07:35:27.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23383" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9024" CreationDate="2016-03-03T07:59:01.243" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes it is a type of asparagus. This is a Ming Fern (Asparagus Macowanii or A. retrofractus, same plant). The growth pattern of the Ming is very distinctive and it is the only variety I know of that has the brown colored stems. Most other Asparagus species are all of a color. They are poisonous, have small thorns and since they are not a true fern they can thrive in pretty dry conditions, and like to at least dry out between waterings. They prefer full sun, but will adapt to all but the lowest light conditions, though this will slow their growth proportionally. They are a great easy care, unique, elegant, beautiful plant, and can sometimes be hard to find. The berries (seeds) stay green. Don't eat them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13992" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T07:59:01.243" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23384" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22918" CreationDate="2016-03-03T08:24:45.663" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are in full sun then give Buffalo Grass a try (Buchloe Dactyloides) It is fine textured, thrives on almost no water once established, does not need fertilizer, does not need to be MOWED! mature height is about seven inches. And suffers from no pests or diseases. There is a great company called Native American Seed that sells a buffalo (80%) and blue grama(20%) seed mix and in this years catalog they have photos of the stuff thriving in peoples yards all over Texas. The above answer is right, when you mix seed types the one that suits the conditions will generally out perform and dominate. There is also a native shade mix with eight different species in the catalog and it is a 'mixture of cool season and warm season species providing year round cover'. I think that pretty much clears up any doubts. Since 70% of our water use where I live is for irrigation, I really hope this stuff catches on nationwide like it is starting to here in TX. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13992" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T08:24:45.663" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23370" CreationDate="2016-03-03T08:44:30.193" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Buy a slab of beer, some steak and sausages and invite your mates around :-) You'll be surprised what 6 blokes with shovels will get done in a few hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said per stormy's answer it is probably a good excuse for hiring a machine. For this a mini-loader will probably do but I've found mini-excavators more useful generally. They are a little more complex to learn and a bit more expensive to hire but they are worth it. Many mini-excavators will have a dozer blade on the front for the final levelling out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13843" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T08:44:30.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22462" CreationDate="2016-03-03T09:10:08.377" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The flower looks very much like skullcap, which has a distinctive oddball insect looking form like your plant. Its also a member of the mint family which would make it an agressive spreader. However most all scullcaps have very matte leaves, not shiny at all, and covered with a lacework of veins. I looked around at various skullcaps though and the plant and its leaf forms is pretty variable and there were a couple shiny varietes. Its the flower that makes me think its a skullcap, but this is little more than a guess. Maybe this will lead someone else here to the right species of skullcap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13992" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T09:10:08.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23387" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22462" CreationDate="2016-03-03T11:02:34.503" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a &lt;em&gt;Cymbalaria&lt;/em&gt;, maybe a &lt;em&gt;Cymbalaria muralis&lt;/em&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymbalaria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymbalaria&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the second part (advice), assuming it is a &lt;em&gt;Cymbalaria muralis&lt;/em&gt;. AFAIK she is not a competitive plant, but she can live in dry places (muralis = walls) where few other plants could live, so she will not invade other places.  I have &lt;em&gt;her&lt;/em&gt; in many walls, but it seems she is not to causing any problems with roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDITED: added second paragraph.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2016-03-03T11:26:48.303" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T11:26:48.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23388" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23370" CreationDate="2016-03-03T11:07:03.633" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;How you do this will depend on size of job to be done, mini digger for largish area by yourself, and beer and mates for small areas both excellent ideas and workable solutions.  What size is the job you need to do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is always the option to have a split level garden if your circumstances dictate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T11:07:03.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23389" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23373" CreationDate="2016-03-03T12:07:22.423" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Putting it on the compost gets my vote every time. In the research you did, you probably discovered that banana peels contribute primarily potassium, with only small amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and magnesium. Because different plants have slightly different requirements regarding levels of different nutrients, most requiring nitrogen in balance with potassium and phosphorus, then that small amount of nitrogen or higher level of potassium may not be appropriate for all plants. If you have a lot of peels, then using them all at once in any of the other ways you suggest would seem to be quite difficult and time consuming, so putting them on a compost heap and allowing the nutrients to contribute to that, in common with other composted materials, then eventually used in the garden, is the most sensible and, in my opinion, valuable option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can, though, eat banana peels provided they're organically grown and clean, but they do need a lot chewing, or you can whizz them up in a processor to make a smoothie...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-03T13:16:13.917" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T13:16:13.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23390" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-03T13:08:21.280" Score="4" ViewCount="146" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm using african nightcrawler worm and I've been thinking whether all kinds of dust can be put in vermicompost. For example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Household dust&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dust when I cleaned my laptop, computer or electric fan.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dust from outside of my house (Includes sand, dust from house construction)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7178" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T21:35:48.040" Title="What kind of dust can I use in my vermicompost?" Tags="&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23392" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23394" CreationDate="2016-03-03T20:38:05.453" Score="12" ViewCount="4607" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yesterday I found a box of two asparagus plants among some bags of bulbs at a local store. I couldn't open it, so I don't know what they look like, but the box was about 6 inches tall and 3 inches front to back. Although I have a lot of experience with flowers, this would be my first vegetable. I've been told they're not easy to grow, but I'd like to try, especially because asparagus is so expensive to buy!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The box said both of the plants were male, as did all of the other boxes on the shelf. I assume that's important to know, or else it wouldn't have been made clear. What's the difference between the male and female? Does it matter when it comes to growing? Would I need some of each in order to produce a crop, perhaps for the purpose of pollination? If so, is there a certain way I should position them in the garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2020-05-29T19:23:17.050" Title="What is the difference between male and female asparagus plants, and is it important for growing?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;asparagus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23393" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23395" CreationDate="2016-03-03T20:41:18.990" Score="6" ViewCount="434" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought some celery and placed the small remaining stalk in a glass of water. It's been growing pretty decently but still has no roots. Still mostly green maybe a tiny bit a yellow on a couple leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking of waiting until I saw the stalk begin to root as an indication that the plant was beginning to look for something else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When should I put it in soil? Do I need to put it in soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-08-23T19:06:43.373" LastActivityDate="2018-08-23T19:06:43.373" Title="How long can celery grow from water alone?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23392" CreationDate="2016-03-03T20:51:43.937" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Male asparagus plants don't produce seeds; female plants do. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With asparagus, you need to allow some stalks to grow fully over the growing season in order to provide energy for next year's growth. Since female plants are putting some energy into making seeds, they don't store as much, so they'll produce fewer spears than a male would.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The crop is the growing shoot, so you don't need a mix of male and female plants. In fact, if you have females, they can drop seeds which can grow and crowd your existing plants, reducing the overall yield. This is why you'll usually only find male plants for sale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's no special way to plant them, other than to dig a 1 foot deep trench for them, mix the soil with composted manure to enrich it, then put some of the loose soil underneath the crowns as you plant them. Space the crowns a couple of feet apart, and backfill the trench as the plants grow. You also need to wait a couple of years before harvesting any spears because you want the plant to have put all its energy into growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-03-03T20:58:56.577" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T20:58:56.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23393" CreationDate="2016-03-03T21:31:05.260" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends. I'm currently grown some philodendron vines in water for propagation purposes. They will stay in water for a long time with no ill effect. However, I believe that all the plants growing is coming from it's own energy stores. Eventually those will run out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll need to replace those. Whether that's in dirt or water is up to you. I'm sure you can keep it in the water, since that would be aquaponics, but you'd definitely have to add nutrients to the water and make sure they stayed balance. Also, with aquaponics, you often have to put an air bubbler in the bottom so that oxygen is getting to the roots. If not, it's like taking a potted plant with no drain holes and filling it up with water. The roots will rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the answer is no, you don't have to take it out of the water, but the effort and money it might take to set it up for long term sustainability might not be worth it when you can pop it into a pot with some soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, celery is cheap. I suggest you buy a bundle of it and pop a cut off stalk in multiple jars of water. Set them up differently. Maybe three in straight water, three in water that has miracle grow fertilizer mixed in, and three that you pop into different types of media you keep wet. It could be sphagnum moss and perlite, miracle grow, and clay hydro balls. Just set up an experiment with different variables to test. Take notes and take pictures. I'd be interested to see what you come up with. Also, light intensity would be something cool to play with. You could have one from each group by a window sill, by natural light, but with a lamp nearby, and just with a 6500k daylight bulb in a lamp. Good luck, I hope this answered your question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T21:31:05.260" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23396" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2016-03-03T21:35:57.863" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2016-03-03T21:35:57.863" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T21:35:57.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23397" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2016-03-03T21:35:57.863" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2016-03-03T21:35:57.863" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T21:35:57.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23398" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="183" CreationDate="2016-03-03T21:37:42.763" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid it's lots and lots of organic matter.  And keep adding it. There was another question on this just recently also with some good information.  There is good information in these answers.  You've the most nutritious soil, but the most hard work. Potatoes and some legumes will break up the soil. Time your tilling to a couple of days after rainfall, it will be less sticky. I live in the south Midlands in the UK on heavy clay, so I have felt your pain. I've also added grit and grit sand, but this is expensive. I haven't had many failures in my garden, so persevere it will be worth it. If you can bear to do it, double dig, this will prevent or get rid of an iron pan. Scaffold planks used to walk on, will preserve the soils structure, and prevent, compaction.  If your plot is big enough, is there the capacity to use a rotovator? Then leave until broken down by frost. The worms will come you've no need to add them, especially if they are in the manure that's rotting down. Like Shanna, I don't recommend peat and for the same reasons.  I put anything on my clay, from an old bag of compost that's been hanging around too long. Grow bags usually used for tomatoes, anything to lighten the soil. &#xA;There is a very good reason why there is a pottery near me the good local clay soil .......... Hard work or not a toss up between clay or sandy soils - clay all the way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-03-03T21:58:02.597" LastActivityDate="2016-03-03T21:58:02.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23399" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23485" CreationDate="2016-03-03T21:39:33.730" Score="6" ViewCount="639" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a raised bed where I grow vegetables (Kale, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, carrots, melons, etc.).  Something comes by at nights and eats some of the fruits and vegetables, in particular the melons.  How do I figure out what is sharing my food?  I have a net covering the plants so I don't think it is birds so it is either a mouse or squirrels or something else.  They seem to be getting through the net or under the net.  I live in the San Francisco Bay Area&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a68T1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a68T1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-03-04T17:46:18.640" LastActivityDate="2019-06-20T17:59:45.650" Title="Something is eating my vegetables - what is it?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;rodents&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23400" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-03T22:43:16.720" Score="8" ViewCount="2510" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 10 loosely tied bags of topsoil from a nursery that have been sitting outdoors for 2-3 years.  I read an answer to a similar question, but I have some follow up questions.  The soil smells normal, but there is a green discoloration of the inside of some of the bags that looks like algae.  In the other answer, the writer said it would be okay to use the old soil in &quot;small&quot; areas, and that makes me wonder whether this soil will come back to life soon enough and well enough to make vegetables and flowers grow in a 60 square foot garden this spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13996" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-03-04T06:25:21.413" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T18:35:28.517" Title="Can I use 3 year-old bagged topsoil for a new garden?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23400" CreationDate="2016-03-04T02:14:14.230" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;yeah, I would just mix it in to the earth and call it good... the only possible harm I could think of is if you have acid soil and the garden soil has sort of soured... like added ph 3 soil to ph 5.5 earth... but that isn't likely going to hurt anything, it will likely just make the earth better like most organic (like things from life, not like &quot;Organic&quot;) amendments, by making the soil texture better and adding P and N.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T02:14:14.230" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23402" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23400" CreationDate="2016-03-04T04:14:44.530" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ordinary soil was created by the movement of glaciers against rocks grinding into small particles. So, the basis for soil is ground rocks, and is inorganic. When you purchase topsoil, there may be some organic matter in it (humus) but likely it's all decomposed now sitting there for three years without water, and any nutrient has either been lost, or is bound tightly to clay particles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, you can still use it, but it won't be as good as fresh, and you will have to add some organic material into it such as compost to increase the nutrients available to plants, and feed the soil web.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-04T18:35:28.517" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T18:35:28.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23373" CreationDate="2016-03-04T04:34:32.767" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I see a plant that is fruiting, and could do with a bit of potassium, then I'll take any banana peels that we have, blend it with some water (any stick blender), and then pour it around the roots. I then cover it with a little dirt. Covering it stops flies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blending it reduces it to very fine particles increasing the surface area to bacteria, and worms, and so more readily releases the nutrients in a controlled fashion. Composting it would take weeks to months, and would not suit my purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T04:34:32.767" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23404" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23392" CreationDate="2016-03-04T04:47:15.617" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Asparagus beds can last for 50 years so you need to do some planning. The roots can extend down 10 or more feet deep so if solid is not that far down, I'd suggest you use a raised bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also need to have a bit of space around the bed because as the shoots appear, they become tall fern like structures that drape over your beds, and without some space around then you risk damaging them as you walk past.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Allow 3 years before you harvest any spears so that the roots have 3 years of growing first. In my first year, my spears are only less then 5 mm thick. I started with Mary Washington crowns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T04:47:15.617" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23405" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23390" CreationDate="2016-03-04T05:01:55.773" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The aim of creating worm compost is to create something useful for your plants from kitchen waste. Most dust is dirt blown in from the street etc, with a small amount of dead skin cells. So, we have a not very nutritious mixture which won't kill your worms, but won't help them much either. Ground up egg shells are a better form of grit to use for the worms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-04T21:35:48.040" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T21:35:48.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23407" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23408" CreationDate="2016-03-04T10:27:54.497" Score="7" ViewCount="548" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got this plant, but I have no idea of its name. Which plant is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1HMCn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1HMCn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uDxF6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uDxF6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14003" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-03-05T18:35:03.667" LastActivityDate="2016-03-05T18:35:03.667" Title="What is this houseplant with narrow, pointed, waxy leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23408" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23407" CreationDate="2016-03-04T11:07:03.203" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a type of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Aloe_species&quot;&gt;Aloe&lt;/a&gt;. There are hundreds of species. Positive identification is based on the tiny barbs at the end of the leaves and the thick waxy cuticle on the leaves.  There are some pale spots on the leaves which might indicate that it is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_vera&quot;&gt;Aloe Vera&lt;/a&gt; but most specimens are much more upright so it might have been grown under low light or be a less common species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This genus comes from Africa but the Aloe Vera species is now grown and naturalized around the world.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Care:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;provide bright diffuse light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not overwater! This will cause root rot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when repotting use a free draining soil such as tropical plant mix with more sand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;generally pest free&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can be easily divided by removing a stem, letting it dry out and rooting in soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T11:07:03.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23409" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23400" CreationDate="2016-03-04T12:15:31.490" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sure too that it would be fine.  The algae will die once in the open and out of the bags. If there is little by the way of nutrients left in it, it will still add something to the soils structure. I'd spread it out on the top and let the birds pick away at any bugs that may be lurking.  Anything that can survive will do so. It also clears away some bags you have loitering for an opportunity to be used. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T12:15:31.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23410" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23390" CreationDate="2016-03-04T12:17:36.887" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;All of the books or articles I've read say that vacuum cleaner contents should not be used as composting.  I'd hazard a guess that this shouldn't either, as it would mainly be the same. Worms generally have a preference to process organic material  like kitchen scraps.  Wormfarmfacts.com have a good page of care of these critters. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-03-04T20:35:13.343" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T20:35:13.343" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23400" CreationDate="2016-03-04T13:27:02.230" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A word about topsoil as opposed to composts (either potting or composted materials) - topsoil is used where there isn't enough soil in an area already for whatever reason. It is not generally sold with added nutrients, and simply tops up the soil level where you need it to be topped up. If you're looking for something which improves the quality of soil, then composted, humus rich material is more appropriate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the bags you have, there should be no problem with using it anywhere you need a higher soil level, but if you were using it simply to 'improve' or fertilize areas where you want to grow plants, it would be best to use humus rich,composted materials instead, or as well. How fertile or not the bagged topsoil you have is is hard to say - fertility is largely dependent on the activity of diverse life forms within the soil. Given you've got algal growth, the chances of it still being reasonably fertile are probably relatively good, because the algae wouldn't be there if the soil was completely dried out and inhospitable to life, but I'd still recommend the addition of organic composted material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T13:27:02.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23412" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23416" CreationDate="2016-03-04T20:14:18.453" Score="7" ViewCount="169" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm lost in a sea of articles with none of them actually answering my question so I turn here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Currently I plant mums every year in my front yard (Midwest region: Kansas, Lots of sunlight on the area) and I'd like to stop the costly act especially since you can only really enjoy them in the fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, can someone tell me of a similar or as equivalent as possible plant type as the mum that offers the same large compact rounded ball flowering look of a mum. That could be enjoyed at least through spring/summer/fall that will grow back after winter and flower again? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Preferably in a white color to keep my curbside appeal but allow me to forego the purchasing/planting of new plants every darn year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13691" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-22T20:12:08.223" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T20:31:37.463" Title="Hearty Flowering Perennial for curbside appeal" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23413" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23414" CreationDate="2016-03-04T20:45:21.303" Score="9" ViewCount="40287" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have to build some 6' x 2' planter boxes, I'm not sure what's going to be planted in them; probably &quot;garden-y&quot; stuff like oregano, basil, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know how to build things but I know nothing about plants except that every one I touch dies (I even killed my cactus).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm basing the boxes on instructions I found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Wooden-Planter-Box&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rp7Mv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rp7Mv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How big should drainage holes be and how far apart should they be spaced?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The screen at the bottom will be vinyl, nylon, or some other inert plastic. How fine should the screen be? Does it matter?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How deep should the boxes be? I don't really care about minimizing volume, I just want to make sure the plants have a nice place to grow.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The box will be cedar (non-treated). Underneath the boxes will be a few inches of open air, then concrete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming the person I'm building them for will be filling them with a bit of gravel and some soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7388" LastEditorUserId="7388" LastEditDate="2016-03-04T21:42:44.723" LastActivityDate="2016-03-05T00:39:20.553" Title="Drainage in planter boxes" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23414" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23413" CreationDate="2016-03-04T21:19:16.773" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks good and of a decent size.  If you're growing herbs depending on what type e.g. Mediterranean requiring good drainage I would expect to have about 12&quot; depth of planter or thereabouts. That can give space for about 2-3&quot; of good sharp drainage. Less drainage can be used if growing herbs that require a more moisture retaining soil.  The container can also be used for small alpine plants as its deep enough to not dry out too quickly.  The drainage holes about 9&quot; apart across the bottom, but avoid where you think the supports will be placed, and approx 3/4&quot; in diameter. &#xA;The screen at the bottom? What is this going to be made from? Marine ply perhaps? If this is to be a mesh of some description make it a fine one so that the drainage doesn't drop through and get wasted.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-03-04T21:31:54.823" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T21:31:54.823" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23415" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23417" CreationDate="2016-03-04T21:26:48.023" Score="8" ViewCount="113" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am very much in favor of getting a composting bin (like the one below).  Before I do that, I want to get your thoughts on the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does it attract unwanted pests/rodents (bugs, mice, etc.)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does it create an undesirable odor that can bother the neighbors?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions on the questions above and the bin shown below would be great&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kGe0D.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kGe0D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T22:35:59.763" Title="Composting Bin - Experiences" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23416" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23412" CreationDate="2016-03-04T22:28:10.827" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Convolvulus cneorum as a possible starter? Up to 60cm in height. A shrubby bindweed, silvery leaves, with the buds slightly pink, planting something pink as well as a contrast.&#xA;Lavenders? I'll keep thinking.....&#xA;Pelargoniums will flower for a long time if dead headed. They can be over wintered in an unheated  but frost free space. Can provide cuttings for the following years.&#xA;Short stemmed dahlias that may need to be lifted and their tubers stored frost free overwinter. The colour and variety depending on your colour preference. As they grow they can be used to produce further plants that can be used to replace some lost over winter. Some have dark red leaves others green, with a broad range of colours. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-03-04T22:34:23.497" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T22:34:23.497" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23417" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23415" CreationDate="2016-03-04T22:35:59.763" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Composting requires a series of temperatures rises to grow the right type of bacteria in order for composting to occur in a timely fashion. Therefore most sites will tell you that you need a sufficient volume of plant material in order to generate and retain the heat, and this minimum volume is 1 cubic metre. Below this your pile will not sustain the mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria that do the work. So, the bin pictured, although sold in garden centres world wide, is not suitable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for mice etc, they are attracted to animal products such as meat, and dairy so keep these out, or compost then separately using a Kobashi bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And smell is caused by incorrect carbon to nitrogen ratios, that is mainly too much nitrogen, and not enough aeration causing an anaerobic pile. You need sufficient carbon to capture nitrogen and prevent it being released into the atmosphere. Most sites recommend a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 30:1 but I believe Ecology Action recommends 60-90:1.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For information on how to compost, ending up with a high carbon product, giving you high brix produce, look for the books from Ecology Action written by John Jeavons et al.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T22:35:59.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23418" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23413" CreationDate="2016-03-04T23:00:15.633" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem with that design is that all raised beds have a problem with drying out readily. This design doesn't allow for much tolerance to keep water in the box, but only prevents over watering. So it shares the same fault as every garden pot with a drainage hole or holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be better to line the bottom with impervious plastic to a depth of 2 inches to collect water, and put drainage holes in the sides just below the 2 inch line. You could also put some piping in there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having water at the bottom encourages the roots to go deep to get water, and if you feed this sub surface water reservoir with a pipe, you avoid irrigating the surface preventing much fungal growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look for designs on sub irrigation planters. You'll need a minimum of 30 cm depth for most vegetables.  If you increase the depth to 60 cm, you'll reach the depth of a double dug garden.  This then allows much closer spacing of your plants as they can grow their roots vertically rather then horizontally.  The close spacing also creates a living mulch which reduces the soil evaporative losses.  But then you'll also need a strong box to hold all this weight, or, well spaced supports.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-05T00:39:20.553" LastActivityDate="2016-03-05T00:39:20.553" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23419" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23413" CreationDate="2016-03-04T23:04:42.593" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any wood will rot when in contact with moisture. It's just a question of how long.  As a DIY project if you are happy with it lasting a few years then what you have is fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are those among us who aspire to build long term.  I am usually reminded of this when I want to change something in my garden and find it to be immovable. Then I know I was having one of those moments...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this case if you want the planter to last ten or fifteen years you need a liner between any wood and soil.  Some methods I have seen used include using:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;20 mil plastic sheet on the inside of the box with drainage holes over holes drilled in the wood&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;same as above only with EPDM food grade pond liner&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;using a disposable inner box of moulded plastic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keeping the plants in pots inside the planter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-03-04T23:04:42.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23420" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23421" CreationDate="2016-03-05T08:08:38.397" Score="4" ViewCount="329" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have more than 10 plants on my balcony, and almost every one of them has long stems with no branches. We water them every morning, and the sunlight is good. They are like this throughout the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have made a figure to illustrate this. The green colour represents leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/niSp8.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/niSp8.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main stem is tall, but there are no branches developing from it, except around the top.  It's the case with every plant. All are different types of plants, but it's the same case with every one of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A healthy plant should look like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8bbKR.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8bbKR.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's wrong with them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of them is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucaria_heterophylla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Araucaria heterophylla&lt;/a&gt;, also called Norfolk Island pine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;UPDATE 2:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Difficult to notice the details, as there are many plants nearby :D&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TpHOn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TpHOn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-03-06T11:11:17.580" Title="Why do my potted plants have stems but no branches?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23421" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23420" CreationDate="2016-03-05T16:53:35.640" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If one of them is Araucaria heterophylla, and the other potted plants are also large (eventually) plants, and you say the light is good, then the problem is likely to be the size of the pot. The Araucaria wants to become a large tree, so if it doesn't have enough root room, you are likely to get a long stem with some growth on the top over time. Photographs showing the plants and their pots would have been useful to decide whether what I'm saying is genuinely a problem, but Araucaria also actually prefers mostly shade, with some early or late sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've provided a photograph - first, yes, the Araucaria is in a pot that's too small for it. Given the height of the main stem, it would appear it's been in that pot for some time, even allowing for poor light levels, because this is a slow growing plant. On the other hand, since this plant wants to spread out as much as it grows up, I would say you haven't sufficient room on your balcony for such a plant anyway - in the ground they get up to 20 feet wide, particularly at the base, and whilst a well grown potted one would be less wide, it still will make 4-6 feet. Second, although you said light levels on your balcony were good, they appear to be anything but - there is, as you pointed out, a bunch of plants growing the other side of your balcony which are blocking light. Given that's the case, unless you choose shade lovers, I'm sorry to say most plants will do poorly in such conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-06T11:11:17.580" LastActivityDate="2016-03-06T11:11:17.580" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8137" CreationDate="2016-03-05T17:23:59.330" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Roundup, in anywhere close to the correct mixture, does not kill purslane. I was foreman of a landscape maintenance crew, and had standing orders for the crew to remove by hand (or foot KICK!) any purslane that was spotted in areas we were keeping weed free. We sprayed roundup mixed with scythe rather frequently (one of the many reasons I quit and started my own concern) and the purslane would be the only thing left the next week when we returned, happy and growing and looking not at all ill effected. (you may take this as a warning not to eat any purslane growing in an area that may be maintained by commercial or other landscape crews) You may consider that this has been well tested and proved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13992" LastActivityDate="2016-03-05T17:23:59.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23423" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-05T18:31:47.420" Score="7" ViewCount="1057" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently I've noticed my &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_braunii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;lucky bamboo&lt;/a&gt; houseplant had been withering from the top down. I've had it for over a year now and I'm wondering why it is dying. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UAPgZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UAPgZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My lucky bamboo plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is in a glass bottle of water (changed once when it dried out last summer). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/zvkK5&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; are some more recent photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do about this? Has it aged too much? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2634" LastEditorUserId="2634" LastEditDate="2016-03-06T22:36:16.797" LastActivityDate="2019-07-11T14:12:12.807" Title="Is my lucky bamboo dying and what can I do about it?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23424" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-05T18:42:59.090" Score="10" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are the best ways to care for my new baby loblolly pine trees? Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14011" LastActivityDate="2016-04-01T03:31:00.383" Title="Newly planted pine tree saplings" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23425" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23426" CreationDate="2016-03-05T18:53:57.967" Score="7" ViewCount="730" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just bought a house. There is a fenced off area of the backyard with raised garden beds, but it is overrun with weeds. There is nothing currently growing there that we want to keep. The weeds are mostly dead, but in certain spots, some are growing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to kill and remove the weeds? We are planning on planting vegetables, so any weed killers need to be safe for edible plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14012" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-05T19:14:41.650" LastActivityDate="2016-03-06T15:00:19.323" Title="How can I get rid of weeds in an overrun garden?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23426" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23425" CreationDate="2016-03-05T18:58:56.773" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well you could use chemicals such as glyphosate, but given you want to grow edibles there, the healthiest and safest option is actually to dig them out, whilst at the same time digging the area over and incorporating organic material such as well rotted composts. Unless you want to grow root crops like carrots, that is, they do not appreciate animal manure composts, but are fine with other kinds. Glyphosate can remain present in certain soils in certain conditions, and may be uptaken by any crops you grow there for anything up to a couple of years, despite claims that it leaves no trace after use. Many other chemical herbicides make the same claims, and whilst I might not mind risking it for ornamental plants, I wouldn't be too keen for an area where I intend to grow food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I came back to add something and you'd accepted the answer already, but I wanted to say, if you don't intend to plant the area for a year, you could just cover it with thick, black plastic, anchored down firmly, to exclude all light, air, and moisture, but it would need to be in place for at least one year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-05T19:30:25.783" LastActivityDate="2016-03-05T19:30:25.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23427" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23430" CreationDate="2016-03-05T19:48:33.150" Score="7" ViewCount="689" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two small blueberry bushes that I planted last summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During winter I've had a hare/rabbit that has chewed them up. Only the 2-3 innermost biggest core branches of each plant remains and these have been cut to 3/4 of their original size. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On these remaining branches part of the bark on the top of half has been stripped off by the animal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants have lost about 1/2 of their original mass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's still winter right now. Should I expect these plants to be able to recover this year or maybe next year and eventually produce some fruits?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or should I just uproot them come spring and buy new ones?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastActivityDate="2016-03-06T05:42:51.763" Title="Damaged blueberry plants" Tags="&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23428" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23429" CreationDate="2016-03-05T19:59:05.790" Score="8" ViewCount="769" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lately this weed has been growing all over my property. It is bright green, has tiny white flowers and kind of creeps along the ground as vines. It comes up fairly easily in clumps when I pull it, though I have no idea if I'm getting the roots when I do, but it's everywhere. I think it's spreading from an unmaintained property next to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BkpEc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14013" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-03-06T06:15:44.733" LastActivityDate="2016-03-06T06:15:44.733" Title="What is this weed with ribbed stems and whorls of 1&quot; to 2&quot; long thin leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23429" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23428" CreationDate="2016-03-05T20:36:48.750" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galium_aparine&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Galium aparine&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, which has many common names including goose grass, cleavers and robin-run-the-hedge. It's an annual weed, native to Europe and Asia that is now naturalized throughout the world.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Identifying characteristics are the whorled leafs around the ribbed stems, and the hairs that cover the leaves, stems and fruits. Those hairs are hooked, and can attach themselves to animal fur or clothing, which helps with spreading the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control can be done by pulling the plants before they go to seed. The stems break easily (because it's part of their survival strategy), but if you break them at ground level, I haven't noticed them regrowing. They will also respond to herbicides if you're willing to use them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-03-05T20:43:23.860" LastActivityDate="2016-03-05T20:43:23.860" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23430" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23427" CreationDate="2016-03-06T05:42:51.763" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since poorly maintained blueberry bushes can be pruned right to the ground, it's likely your plants will survive their animal pruning. You will need to tidy them up though, and protect them from animal damage in the future. The good thing is you are in the right month in the northern hemisphere to prune.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;www.fruit.cornell.edu/berry/production/pdfs/blueberries/bbprunerejuv.pdf&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-06T05:42:51.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23431" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23446" CreationDate="2016-03-06T08:15:19.977" Score="6" ViewCount="178" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will be going to a nursery soon. If I find some carnivorous plants there, would it be wise and safe for the plant to keep them inside, even though I don't keep insects in the house for them to eat? Or are they not indoor plants? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-07T19:20:15.067" LastActivityDate="2016-03-07T19:20:15.067" Title="Can carnivorous plants grow well indoors?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23432" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23433" CreationDate="2016-03-06T08:21:03.287" Score="4" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;Delhi is very polluted. We are thinking of getting some plants for home. my mother wants beautiful and big flowering(with big flowers) plants. However, I couldn't find any flowering plants that also cleans the air. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-03-06T09:45:58.797" Title="Flowring Plants that eliminates pollution or aids in cleansing of the room air?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23433" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23432" CreationDate="2016-03-06T09:45:58.797" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A quite extensive list of &quot;air cleaning&quot; plants can be found in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Clean_Air_Study&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NASA Clean Air Study&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Taking your desire for (large) flowers into account, you should consider&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathiphyllum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;peace lilies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthurium_andraeanum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;flamingo flowers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerbera_jamesonii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;gerberas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysanthemum_morifolium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;florist's daisies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrobium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;dendrobium&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalaenopsis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;moth orchids&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now keep in mind that they have different filter properties so you should do some research which pollutants you want to reduce (some green, non-flowering plants may provide stronger &quot;filter power&quot;). The general recommendation is &lt;em&gt;at least one fully grown plant per 100 square feet&lt;/em&gt;. Healthy plants filter way more than weak and struggling plants. Their cleansing power can drop to nearly zero. So keep them in good health, fulfill their needs with regards to water, light and nutrition and they will pay you back with flowers and somewhat cleaner air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-03-06T09:45:58.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23434" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-06T12:35:47.023" Score="6" ViewCount="737" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have some land but won't be living on it for another year. I've purchased a few apple trees and peach trees with about a 1 inch thick trunk and about 6' tall. I know about using the flexible black drainage pipe to protect the trunk of the tree but what can be done to protect the branches? I'm worried the deer might nibble on those and kill the trees. Should I even be concerned?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastActivityDate="2016-03-06T19:54:49.843" Title="Protecting young fruit trees from deer?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;deer&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23434" CreationDate="2016-03-06T13:31:48.343" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're wrapping something round the trunks already, then that's likely to protect the bark from nibbling deer, and from their rubbing against it. However, you can also get proper Tree Guards, usually made of out of strong mesh, pre formed for you to use on your trees. They come in different heights, and if you have larger deer about, as opposed to something like muntjacs, then you'll need the taller ones - link below is to a European site, there may be something similar where you are, or they may supply USA anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tubex.com/products/mesh-tree-guards-nets/treeguard-mesh-for-trees/overview.php&quot;&gt;http://www.tubex.com/products/mesh-tree-guards-nets/treeguard-mesh-for-trees/overview.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-03-06T13:31:48.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23436" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23425" CreationDate="2016-03-06T15:00:19.323" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd rake, then till, then level, water and plant.&#xA;Unless the beds are huge, a small tiller is all that's needed.&#xA;If the tiller doesn't get all the roots, it will give your seeds/seedlings quite an advantage over the remaining chopped up roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2016-03-06T15:00:19.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23437" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23434" CreationDate="2016-03-06T15:21:55.463" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are concerned about deer nibbling the new growth on your branches, then your best bet would be to build a deer fence. There are various designs, ranging from very tall ( &gt;8 ft ) woven wire ones, to nicer looking short electric fences that deter the deer from coming near.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/deer/deer-eating-fruit-trees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/deer/deer-eating-fruit-trees.htm&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Whether or not you should be concerned really depends on if you've seen evidence of deer damage already, and how important that peach harvest is to you :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2016-03-06T15:21:55.463" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23439" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1815" CreationDate="2016-03-06T17:09:17.913" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know of three ways to chemically reduce a stump:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sodium hydroxide -- Drano/lye.  You are doing the same process as making paper, but more slowly.  The very high pH tends to make clay into rock, and will take a long time to wash free.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer.  Wood is composed mostly of cellulose and lignan.  Neither has significant nitrogen.  Adding nitrogen is essentially fertilizing the fungi that will be attacking the material anyway.  This doesn't help much on rot resistant roots.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fungi spawn.  Now you are adding fungi to help with the rot.  This can work, if the spawn is matched to the wood and the climate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an additional measure, drilling holes and adding soap may help water move in and out of the wood. This may help with stumps that are naturally oily, such as cedar, redwood, and larch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;None of the chemical or fungi methods are swift.  Time is measured in years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stacking fresh manure on the stump will work as well as any of the chemical methods. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any drilling of holes you can add to the stump will speed up decomposition substantially.  They don't have to be huge.   1/2 inches, 6 inches deep, 3-5 inches apart will allow fungi sports to enter into the wood, and for manure nutrients to penetrate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also burn out the stump.  You need a steel barrel with one end removed.  Add two tubes the closed end, about 18&quot; long, one pointing in, one pointed out.  This will work as a downdraft heater.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other ways to deal with stumps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut them off flush.  Put a planter on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Add a slight mound of dirt.  (This is what I do on my trails in my woods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2016-03-06T17:09:17.913" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23440" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23434" CreationDate="2016-03-06T19:54:49.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant them together correctly spaced and put deer proof fencing around all of them in a single area, as otHers have suggested. If you're not on-site as you suggested in another question, it may be too late when you find out you do have deer nibbling them.  Protect them from day 1 and you won't have wasted your time or money. Alternatively plant in a Smaller area and plant in their final position once you are on site, but protect as before. The black flexible tubing placed at the bottom of trunks can still be used to protect against rabbits if they are a problem&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-06T19:54:49.843" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23441" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23423" CreationDate="2016-03-06T21:41:48.737" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a number of possible explanations for the problems you're having.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are growing the plant hydroponically.  Hydroponic plant roots need oxygen from moving water, or a large enough water surface to replenish oxygen.  If they don't, they can rot.  I suggest removing the plant from the water and smell it to see if the roots are rotting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant should also have regular water changes using distilled, spring, or rain water.  Both chlorine and fluoride in tap water can damage the plant. You can vent chlorine by letting water stand for 24 hours but you can't remove chloramines or fluoride this way.  You also need to fertilize the plant once in a while.  You can either use a specialty lucky bamboo fertilizer ( a few drops ), or some aquarium water which is what I do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Letting the roots dry out as you said happened once, can damage the plant.  Did this damage start shortly after that incident.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the plant likes diffuse lighting and not direct lighting.  I note that you have it near a window, and it may be getting too much light which can turn the leaves yellow, and I see your plants leaves are yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd be inclined to prune the plant below the brown area, and seal the cut with candle wax.  Change the water with bottled water or rain water once a month until it recovers, and move it from the window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-06T21:41:48.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23442" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23431" CreationDate="2016-03-07T00:18:54.107" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Carnivorous Plants like full sun generally though you could place your plant on a window sill with high levels of solar insolation if wanting to keep as a house plant.  They live in nutrient poor boggy soils so you are going to need to water them frequently with distilled or rain water in summer.  You can feed them freeze dried insects once or twice a month and these can be purchased from pet shops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-07T00:18:54.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23443" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-07T05:35:27.060" Score="6" ViewCount="540" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's been a slight tear on my indoor alocasia plant and I was wondering if it'll heal? Is there anything I could possibly do to help it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zKmAa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zKmAa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14016" LastEditorUserId="14016" LastEditDate="2016-03-08T18:44:53.690" LastActivityDate="2016-03-09T07:17:24.680" Title="Tear in alocasia calodora" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23444" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14401" CreationDate="2016-03-07T05:39:29.657" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without knowing what meter you are using, and whether the readings are linear or not then, one would have to guess.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's recommended that avocados be watered 3 time a week to simulate what happens in their native environment, and potted into a free draining soil. This is important as the roots can rot if submerged for a day. However the pot should not be allowed to dry out completely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the tree is potted into a sandy loam soil, then your meter should read towards the moist side eg. 8 but if in a loamy soil, then aim for near mid way eg. 6. The corresponding tensiometer readings are 20 cb and 40-45 cb where 0 cb is when the soil is saturated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-07T05:39:29.657" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23445" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23443" CreationDate="2016-03-07T10:59:41.870" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants deal with injury in a different way than mobile organisms.  Their mechanism is to let the cells surround the area with specialized wound tissue. Leaves in particular are disposable compared to roots and stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the tear in the leaf will &quot;heal&quot; when dead cells wall off the wound area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;most indoor plants don't have enough light and too much water from their owners so you could see if you could provide more light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-03-07T10:59:41.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23431" CreationDate="2016-03-07T16:07:54.750" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Graham is right. There are carnivorous plants that can be kept it inside. I wanted to add a few things, though. One is that some carnivorous plants will stay alive inside, but they might not do extremely well. They may need brighter light or higher humidity than your house provides. You can compensate if this is what your particular species requires by purchasing light bulbs that help to replicate daylight. You can look into all of that on a carnivorous plant (CP) forum. I've actually started looking into that aspect myself recently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing to consider is that some CP's need a dormant period or they will die. For instance, Venus Fly Traps and Sarracenia need to go dormant in the winter time. If you don't allow them to do this and keep them in a bright warm house all winter, then they'll grow and grow and then start getting weaker and weaker till they die. People who want to grow them inside often put them in the refrigerator or under their house for the winter. Just wrap the pot in plastic to help retain the moisture and check on it maybe once a month. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be honest, though, they're very easy to grow out side most places. The like the bright light intensity and the hot summer and cold winters. If you live somewhere really cold, then I'd suggest you go on youtube and check out 'Brad's Greenhouse'. He lives in Canada and grows all kinds of orchids, CP's and air plants. While he does have a greenhouse, he also grows stuff outside and has many well made videos. Also, I tried to grow venus fly traps on and off for a few years with bad instructions from the internet. I found a book called 'Savage Garden' by Peter D'Amato. It had really good information and his method of growing was not only much easier for me to do, basically having to keep a water tray full, but the plants went gangbusters. The only problem I had with the water tray method was that the dogs, who had clean water 3' away, insist on drinking from my plant water trays. Good luck growing your CP's.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-03-07T16:07:54.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23447" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="224" CreationDate="2016-03-07T16:49:18.010" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard of a chemical called &quot;Milky White&quot; that is supposed to work awesome without killing the grass. Old housemates used it on their yard with success. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14018" LastActivityDate="2016-03-07T16:49:18.010" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23448" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-08T00:30:00.443" Score="11" ViewCount="1095" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4w7u9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4w7u9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found this very cool looking flower but have not been able to identify it.  If you know what it is called please post your answer.  Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14019" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-08T22:54:10.207" LastActivityDate="2016-03-08T22:54:10.207" Title="What is this flower with purple and white petals that roll up to form a tube?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23450" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24238" CreationDate="2016-03-08T01:54:13.170" Score="9" ViewCount="125" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live in the desert. The previous house owner had the back yard landscaped with a plastic layer on top of levelled sand and then 2-3 inches of rock on top. Rock size 1-2 inches across. The wind blows the sand onto the rocks and weeds often break through the plastic, or even just grow in small pockets of sand on top of the plastic. I've no idea why proper weed barrier wasn't used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is how to get rid of at least &lt;strong&gt;some&lt;/strong&gt; of the sand? We've something like 5000 sqft to deal with so sieving by hand is going to be backbreaking (dig, pile onto a small aperture chicken wire mesh, replace).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wondered about a leaf blower that has a vacuum and bag. I've never even used a leaf blower, let alone tried it with sand - picking up the sand while leaving rocks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any other solutions welcomed. Ultimately it'll be a major plant hire and done properly but we can't afford that right now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14021" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T00:52:20.200" Title="Getting sand out of rockery" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;rocks&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23451" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23465" CreationDate="2016-03-08T02:10:00.917" Score="6" ViewCount="321" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/TjHsx99.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;corn cob from sucker&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My very small patch of corn grew lots of large suckers with cobs mixed in with tassels which I thought was odd since corn is &lt;a href=&quot;http://passel.unl.edu/pages/informationmodule.php?idinformationmodule=1087230040&amp;amp;topicorder=4&amp;amp;maxto=9&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;monecious&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I wonder if there's any reason I should not use these ears to grab seeds from for next year, or will I be encouraging a strain that produces suckers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: while I expect that answers will say that I should select the largest cob to save the seeds from, I expect the kernels from the sucker cobs to have almost the same genetic material packaged into smaller seeds. Each kernel will be different depending on which other plant fertilised it. And seed size only provides an advantage with higher carbohydrate reserves when growing initially. But I will be growing into grow bags, and not broadcasting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-08T19:33:18.773" LastActivityDate="2016-03-09T11:27:03.670" Title="Should I save seeds from corn suckers?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;corn&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23448" CreationDate="2016-03-08T04:47:50.120" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think that's an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oakleafgardening.com/plants/osteospermum-whirlygig/&quot;&gt;osteospermum whirligig&lt;/a&gt;, also commonly known as African Daisy or African Cape Daisy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a perennial in USDA Zones 10 or 11, and sub-tropical regions, and is a long-blooming annual in cooler climates. It's shrub-like in shape, low-growing, and measures 8&quot; to 12&quot; high and 12&quot; wide at maturity. Very versatile, it's a great garden bed or border plant, will trail over a rock wall, and also grows well in containers. It prefers sun and well-drained soil, but is very adaptable, making it easy to grow, even for beginners. Each of those unusual flowers lasts a long time, but dead-heading them encourages faster, more profuse growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further information can be found &lt;a href=&quot;http://depts.washington.edu/uwbg/news/2013/08/30/september-2013-plant-profile-osteospermum-whirligig/&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mooresvalleynurseries.co.nz/catalogue/Perennials/d0696851-b6e2-4551-b2dd-63263c763dfa/catalogue.aspx&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-03-08T04:47:50.120" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23451" CreationDate="2016-03-08T09:38:35.133" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the sake of 1 or 2 decent cobs this year I would take your seed from the strongest/best looking plant with the best cob. You appear to have a decent little crop just in that photo so it shouldn't be too hard to sacrifice a few. Consider it an investment :-) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13843" LastActivityDate="2016-03-08T09:38:35.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23451" CreationDate="2016-03-08T12:47:34.510" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fact the plants are monoecious does not preclude formation of tillers, most corn plants do produce suckers or tillers, and if you're lucky, they will go on to produce a few extra ears of corn, though often, they don't. Planting them closer together often prevents tiller formation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would though, as already suggested, save seed from the best, healthiest looking cob or two rather than a smaller, weedier looking one, simply to ensure you've got the best possible seed you can have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/corn/removing-suckers-from-corn.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/corn/removing-suckers-from-corn.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-03-08T12:47:34.510" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23456" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23457" CreationDate="2016-03-08T15:45:51.903" Score="8" ViewCount="6660" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sprouting wheat grass indoors and its growing pretty well. I've been following video's that I've seen on YouTube to sprout it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem I have is that I've reached the stage that I remove the lid for the grass to start getting sunlight and I see white fuzz in/around the roots (I've been growing them on a white paper towel and on coconut coir (as an experiment).).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that healthy air circulation and managed humidity prevents mold but will adding in that air circulation now help kill off the mold to let the grass continue to grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ISJq4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ISJq4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;growing on the paper towel&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14024" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T19:04:07.307" LastActivityDate="2019-03-09T14:16:30.993" Title="How to prevent creation of mold while sprouting wheatgrass indoors?" Tags="&lt;mold&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23457" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23456" CreationDate="2016-03-08T16:03:02.893" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might, it might not, but there's no point in not removing the lid and exposing it to the air - it's come this far, and it may just be fine. If its not, then you'll have to start again, there isn't anything you can do to get rid of the mould (if that's actually what it is, and not just masses of tiny root hairs) anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-03-08T16:03:02.893" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23458" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23359" CreationDate="2016-03-08T16:04:20.397" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some cardboard is a good idea if the bin tends to run wet (I have to cover some of the air holes in mine in the winter).  Or indeed damp cardboard can keep it from drying out in the summer.  Pizza boxes are a good source if they can't be recycled in your area due to food contamination.  Some manufacturers do suggest cooked meat is OK, I don't put it in deliberately but don't worry too much if plate scrapings might have contacted cooked meat.  A small amount of dairy seems to be OK, e.g. scrapings of macaroni cheese.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I mainly put cooked food in mine as I have compost bins for the raw stuff+coffee/tea waste.  And they seem to like bread, even quite mouldy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastEditorUserId="7288" LastEditDate="2016-10-12T16:14:38.173" LastActivityDate="2016-10-12T16:14:38.173" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23456" CreationDate="2016-03-08T17:54:51.827" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it is mold, spraying or drenching with an hydrogen peroxide solution should kill it. Two tablespoons of 3% peroxide in a quart of water. It won't harm your sprouts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-03-08T17:54:51.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23460" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23467" CreationDate="2016-03-08T18:25:19.937" Score="11" ViewCount="3695" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a novice gardener living in the San Francisco Bay Area.  When I created my vegetable/fruit garden, the landscaper recommended grafted fruit trees (ones which produce 6 different varieties of fruits).  As a result I have one pear tree which should be producing 6 different varieties of pears.  I also have one apple tree with 6 different varieties.  The trees were planted about 4 years back.  So, I have a couple of questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should I be pruning the extra branches that have been growing every season down to what the original tree looked like (on step, 6 branches)? - see picture of what is looks like today&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What else should I be doing to get a good fruit crop this summer?  I guess I should fertilize them, but is there anything else?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Opfah.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Opfah.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pear Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Snxe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Snxe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Apple Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-03-10T18:32:53.480" LastActivityDate="2016-03-10T18:32:53.480" Title="How should I care for my multi-variety apple and pear trees?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23461" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23463" CreationDate="2016-03-08T23:09:06.157" Score="8" ViewCount="141" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have over a dozen fruit trees I raise as a hobby.  I recently purchased some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/ultrapure-oil-horticultural-insecticide-miticide-and-fungicide-p-2363.html&quot;&gt;Horticultural Oil&lt;/a&gt; to apply this spring.  The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/msds/Ultra%20Pure%20Oil.pdf&quot;&gt;label&lt;/a&gt; states the following commercial application rate:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DORMANT OR DELAYED DORMANT:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;  Use 1-2 gallons per 100 gallons of water at 100-800 gallons per acre.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  (Concentrate Spray: Use 3-8 gallons per&#xA;  acre in a minimum of 20-100 gallons of water per acre.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I calculate how much to apply using my small pull behind garden sprayer?  I would probably only mix up 25 gallons of water at most and 3 gallons of concentrate seems like too much!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1053" LastActivityDate="2016-03-09T00:58:30.910" Title="How do I calculate residential fruit spray application rate for commercial spray?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23462" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23461" CreationDate="2016-03-08T23:45:27.690" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your question gives the answer. It says use either a 1-2% mix, or up to 8%.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-08T23:45:27.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23463" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23461" CreationDate="2016-03-09T00:58:30.910" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're using 25 gallons of water, you are using only 25% the amount of water on the mixing instructions, so use only 25% the amount of concentrate, around 1-2 quarts. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Application rate is 100-800 gallons of mix per acre, but with only a dozen or so trees you're looking at significantly less than an acre. Figure out how much of an acre you're working with and do the same math for how much mixed spray to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2016-03-09T00:58:30.910" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23443" CreationDate="2016-03-09T07:17:24.680" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The tear is likely to heal over as Kevinsky has said, but probably as a hole. As this will very slightly reduced the strength of the leaf, I'd try to let it dry, callous and heal over and then stick the two edges together with a slither of superglue! It was developed to stick skin together as small wounds, so this isn't a million miles away from that. It might be worth a go. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-09T07:17:24.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23451" CreationDate="2016-03-09T11:27:03.670" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you have there is referred to as a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/timeless/TasselEars.html&quot;&gt;tassel-ear&lt;/a&gt;. You are correct that corn is a monecious flower, but the way it develops is a little different. When the flower (both tassel and ear) first form they are perfect flowers (both male and female). During normal development different hormones are sent to the tassel and the ear, causing the tassel-flower to become male and the ear-flower female. However, when the corn plant is tillered things can get messy, a few misdirected hormones and suddenly the plant is trying to grow an ear where there should be a tassel. The exact cause isn't fully clear, even to Agriculture Universities like Purdue, but it mainly happens on tillers, rarely on the main-stem tassel. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for saving the seeds, the genetic information should be the same, but there is a potential for problems with the physical seed. The tassel ear lacks a husk, which creates a very high potential for bird damage, weathering and disease, all of which can take a serious toll on your seed's fitness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2016-03-09T11:27:03.670" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23466" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23470" CreationDate="2016-03-09T15:03:04.317" Score="5" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a new home owner and I have no idea how I should start to care for my lawn. Should I fertilize before seeding? Should I kill weeds first? Should I used a shade friendly seed? What about aerating the lawn? I basically would like to know what steps I should be taking to grow a beautiful green and weed-free lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lawn info:&lt;/strong&gt; I live in the upper mid-west. The lawn is mostly shaded by very tall trees around the perimeter. The soil seems to be pretty damp as I had an enormous mushroom problem last fall (if those two are related). The grass seems to be pretty thinly spaced with soft soil underneath. I am planning on removing some landscaping around the house that has rocks/pebbles and instead plant grass from scratch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14005" LastEditorUserId="14005" LastEditDate="2016-03-09T16:14:50.613" LastActivityDate="2016-03-09T18:34:39.650" Title="What lawn care steps should I take?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23467" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23460" CreationDate="2016-03-09T15:09:57.973" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You definitely need to do some pruning. Before you start pruning a tree, you should find all of the graft points. Since you have multi-graft trees, there should be one graft at the point where each main branch comes off of the trunk. As you are pruning, keep in mind that if you cut a grafted branch off or cut it back so close to this graft that it will have no branches/leaves left, you will lose that variety altogether.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that you know how far back you do &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; want to prune, let's figure out what you do want to prune out:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Take off any wood that is dead or diseased. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove any suckers. These are branches that are sprouting from the ground near the tree or from the trunk below your first graft point. I believe I can see at least one sucker in the top photo - it looks almost like a new trunk coming up 6 inches in front of the main trunk. These cuts should be flush with the trunk, taking care not to damage the collar - the small swelling where the branch connects to the trunk. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Take off any water sprouts. These are branches that grow absolutely straight up to the sky. Again, these cuts should be flush. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Take off any branches that are growing back towards your house or fence. Again, in the top photo I can see a few branches that are brushing against the wall of your house. Those should go. Again, these cuts should be flush. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thin out the remaining branches until you have 6 inches or so airspace around them. Again, these cuts should be flush. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Finally, trim the remaining branches by taking off 20% or so of the growth they put on last year. This will encourage the branches to grow stronger and thicker. These cuts will not be flush, of course - make them a fraction of an inch above a bud that is poking out in a direction that you want the branch to grow in (ie., don't make this cut directly above a bud that is pointing straight at your house). Since you have a multi-graft, some of your branches are doing better than others. Cut the most vigorous ones back a little more than 20%, the least vigorous ones a little less. This will help you balance out the tree a little bit. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you take the pruning one step at a time like this, it isn't overwhelming. Take your time and look at the tree as you go. You want to keep it balanced and make sure that none of the grafts is given the chance to overpower the others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am a little concerned about some of your grafts, though. It is hard to tell from the photo, but the two horizontal branches on the lower right corner of the first picture look like they may not be doing very well. Be careful with those. I'm hoping you didn't lose either of your grafts there, but they may have died back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-03-09T15:09:57.973" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23469" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23466" CreationDate="2016-03-09T17:01:16.130" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've done these simple steps on two Ohio homes with great success and little effort.  Use the WeedBGone spray with the hose every other month to get weeds under control; especially thistle.  Overseed in the dead of winter so that the freeze thaw cycle creates little crevices for the seeds to drop down into and the wet spring takes care of the rest.  Just be sure to not to use Halts and kill the seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2016-03-09T17:01:16.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23470" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23466" CreationDate="2016-03-09T18:34:39.650" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am on the west coast but can tell you what I do.  I remove weeds manually (it is more work but I avoid chemicals in the process) by pulling them out.  Also, at the beginning of spring, I fertilize the lawn which helps keep it green and growing.  I don't put any seeds (not as yet anyways) and I don't have any big trees around the lawn so it is fairly well exposed to sunlight.  Of course, water it well during the summer months to keep the lawn healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-03-09T18:34:39.650" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8158" CreationDate="2016-03-09T19:52:24.190" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My 20'x20' garden is laid out like the 2nd diagram (domino-grid looking); I will be putting a keyhole garden in the center. I originally had rows, but I get lots more linear feet of growing space with this design. Is enclosed with 6' high trellis fence for vining plants; a gate at the center (as shown here) that opens to my chicken pen. When ready, I just let the chickens in and they keep it weeded for me. I also have a gate at top right corner (seldom use, but gives access w/o going thru chicken pen. Love it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14031" LastActivityDate="2016-03-09T19:52:24.190" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23472" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-09T20:41:02.363" Score="9" ViewCount="1836" Body="&lt;p&gt;I moved into my house back in December of 2015. We still have a dirt yard and want to try and get something in before summer time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had a few quotes that are a little out of budget for me so I was thinking about taking this project on myself and then anything I cannot do I save up for and have done professionally (possibly cement).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My yard has a slight grade at the retaining wall going towards the house. The front left of the house is where the draining areas are on the bricks. That is the direction that the yard is flowing towards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My question:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Since the yard is pretty tough right now, with a few holes from the dogs digging, what would be the first recommendation in terms of leveling out the yard?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Do I need to till the yard to break up the hard dirt and then screed it out and make it level?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will be adding in sod, rock and eventually a cement area for seating/fireplace.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am just trying to figure out how to give myself a good starting area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4eq4y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4eq4y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CEyMU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CEyMU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b926A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b926A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For those who care to see what I ended up doing, pics are below. Also added a citrus tree in the middle of the back wall (not pictured). Most difficult part of the process was getting the ground level for the bricks, the rest kinda fell into place. AZ dirt is a pain in the ass, especially for the trenching, the machine struggled :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kNZoD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kNZoD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RLRzr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RLRzr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gE4bR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gE4bR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14032" LastEditorUserId="14032" LastEditDate="2016-05-24T18:22:24.307" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T18:22:24.307" Title="New House, Dirt Yard, Ideas in Mind, where to begin?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;hard-landscape&gt;&lt;grading&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23473" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-09T20:52:50.203" Score="17" ViewCount="1764" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree is growing in a garden in Johannesburg, South Africa. I'm pretty sure it's evergreen (turns out it's not). I'm not sure whether or not it is indigenous to this area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for full size.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8xpIE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8xpIEm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hpLIx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hpLIxm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CsDEt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CsDEtm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hWGEt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hWGEtm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had the opportunity to visit this tree in Winter for the first time last week. It is not evergreen, after all. Unfortunately, this means that it is not a Redwood (right?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TWAZV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TWAZV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qfIUf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qfIUf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Another update:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;The tree has produced cones this summer!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mJadA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mJadA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BeyBt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BeyBt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IHu2N.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IHu2N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7249" LastEditorUserId="7249" LastEditDate="2019-01-03T12:37:11.620" LastActivityDate="2020-10-02T00:25:27.517" Title="What is this cone-shaped tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23474" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23476" CreationDate="2016-03-09T20:56:58.570" Score="7" ViewCount="545" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had a small sprout of lemon tree (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/store/principal-lemon-trees.html?page=shop.product_details&amp;amp;flypage=flypage.tpl&amp;amp;product_id=138&amp;amp;category_id=10&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Eureka lemon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, if I trust the label) for a few months, and for the past two it has been looking weak and sick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In particular, it's not making new leaves (although it did grow a little) and the three existing ones appear sick and dry, with spots on them (see picture). At first, there was also some web-looking white fluff on them, although it seems to have stopped (for a while, I assumed a spider was building its web on the sprout).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnror.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnror.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pBZMX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pBZMX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried using water enriched with nutrients (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonide.com/products/houseplant/view/108/liquid-plant-food&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt;) for the past month, but it did not seem to improve. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do — any idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can try to get better photos if these ones are of too poor quality: my cellphone is sort of a shame in that regard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14033" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-25T17:12:18.433" LastActivityDate="2020-06-01T12:00:01.313" Title="Does my very young Eureka lemon tree have leaf disease?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23475" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23478" CreationDate="2016-03-09T21:02:06.557" Score="11" ViewCount="2440" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this tree growing on a farm on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa. It has really nasty thorns sticking out all over. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for larger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/11zyT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/11zyTm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MQmnu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MQmnum.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xyWhX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xyWhXm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ebHd6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ebHd6m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xRWpS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xRWpSm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7249" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-09T23:10:20.293" LastActivityDate="2016-03-16T14:10:53.023" Title="What is this thorny tree with small, oval leaves, and seed pods?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23476" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23474" CreationDate="2016-03-09T21:04:20.167" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks in your photos as if you have it in a small cup with no drainage.&#xA;I would surmise from that &amp;amp; the condition of the leaves that it is over-watered and probably suffering from root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Replant it into a container with drainage holes with a rich, well draining potting soil. Keep the soil damp but not soggy and give it some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z8bCL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z8bCL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13523" LastEditorUserId="13523" LastEditDate="2016-03-09T21:44:47.163" LastActivityDate="2016-03-09T21:44:47.163" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23477" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-09T21:09:07.167" Score="15" ViewCount="258" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this tree growing on a farm on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xS9ET.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xS9ET.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1lhk0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1lhk0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QHA3Q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QHA3Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c5KhF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c5KhF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;p.s. The pink fabric is not part of the tree :p&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7249" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-10T22:46:53.693" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T18:36:04.233" Title="Please help me identify this tree with irregular leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23478" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23475" CreationDate="2016-03-09T21:54:23.177" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a Honey Locust. Not sure what it's doing in South Africa though, as it is native to North America. Someone must have planted it there. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_locust&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_locust&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: From &lt;a href=&quot;http://tcpermaculture.com/site/2013/08/01/permaculture-plants-honey-locust/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;tcpermaculture.com&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;History:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;  Native and widespread in central North America. It was used by Native Americans as a supplementary food source. It has been used in more recent times as a fast-growing, ornamental, shade tree, and thornless varieties have been developed. It has been naturalized in most of eastern North America and it &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;has been introduced&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; to India, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;South Africa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, New Zealand, and Australia. Some consider it a weed tree in these locations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f4UXL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f4UXL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13523" LastEditorUserId="13523" LastEditDate="2016-03-10T00:50:24.643" LastActivityDate="2016-03-10T00:50:24.643" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23479" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23472" CreationDate="2016-03-10T01:46:01.177" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The ground looks very compacted, so first step would be to aerate and loosen the surface. Some easy tips here: &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/improving-compacted-soil.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/improving-compacted-soil.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the block wall around the perimeter of the yard retaining any soil behind it or is it there for security/screening. If it is retaining I would do some more investigation before trying to direct the overland flow/drainage. Otherwise the key is to make sure the ground falls away from the building, so creating a simple swale to direct the overland flow away from the house is probably going to drive the design.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-03-10T01:46:01.177" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23480" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23482" CreationDate="2016-03-10T07:26:31.280" Score="13" ViewCount="1519" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm hoping that using a Popsicle tray I can freeze 6 cloves of garlic and once removed transplant them into an indoor garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would a fridge freezer be cold enough to trigger the budding process in garlic? If so how long would they need to stay in there for? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How large would the Popsicle cone need to be to accommodate the roots growth experienced during freezing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If its dependent on the type of garlic please let me know the differences. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14039" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T18:12:00.297" Title="Harvest garlic year round?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23481" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23474" CreationDate="2016-03-10T10:56:50.057" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The dark green veins and light green leaf material also indicate an Iron/Manganese deficiency which is very common with citrus grown on alkaline soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/20357/why-did-my-lime-tree-stop-growing/20358?s=1%7C0.1548#20358&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more detail.&#xA;Repotting with new soil, more light, more drainage and a touch of acid or citrus fertilizer should fix all the symptoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-03-10T10:56:50.057" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23480" CreationDate="2016-03-10T11:03:32.090" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can just buy a clove of garlic from the store.  No need to freeze it. Just break apart the cloves and plant them.  They will grow indoors but require the much higher light levels that outdoors has.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do not provide the light levels that usually come with &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium-vapor_lamp&quot;&gt;High Pressure Sodium&lt;/a&gt; or other indoor hydroponic lighting then their &quot;growth&quot; will be using up the stored energy in the bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having tried this in window sill light you can get a stalk over 12&quot; tall that dies afterwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-03-10T11:03:32.090" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23485" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23399" CreationDate="2016-03-10T17:37:07.437" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could easily be slugs; to find out you need to catch them. Go out after dark with a flashlight and look at the leaves, especially on nights after rain or when it is a bit moist. If that is the problem crushed eggshells spread around the plants will help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14043" LastActivityDate="2016-03-10T17:37:07.437" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23486" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-10T18:20:43.550" Score="7" ViewCount="2057" Body="&lt;p&gt;I installed five Japanese Yews (Podocarpus) in the fall, November,  of last year here in Austin TX. I checked up on them about a month ago and everything was fine. Now the leaves are turning pale/white/dry, one is almost completely gone, and all are suffering the same condition. The other plants in the rest of the yard and nearby are fine. I ammended with organic compost when installed. They were put in correctly, watered in, given enough water (or so the new owners claim, I see no reason to doubt) they are not in full sun, nor full shade. The guys at the nursery say they have had no issues with any of the rest of the Podos that came in that shipment. The only thing I can think is maybe they do not like the rather alkaline soil from all the limestone bedrock in Austin, but they seem to do fine elsewhere in town. Maybe they are prone to root drowning due to over-watering? Will someone who is familiar with installing and caring for Japanese Yews please advise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13992" LastEditorUserId="13992" LastEditDate="2016-03-13T04:56:19.630" LastActivityDate="2018-07-29T23:43:34.497" Title="Why are my Japanese Yews (podocarpus) suddenly dying?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23487" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-10T19:03:45.953" Score="9" ViewCount="1346" Body="&lt;p&gt;Florida, Zone 9b.  I've got a lot of unused space around a screened in pool so I'm planning to do some container gardening.  Three walls and the roof of this area are window screen material held up by aluminum posts.  The area that I am planning to use gets about 10 hours of direct sunshine diminished only be the screen material and an occasional post shadow.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the purposes of plant selection, should I consider this area full sun or partial shade?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, what if anything, can I do to minimize the affects of the chlorine vapors from the pool?  What flowering plants would thrive despite the presence of chlorine?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14034" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T12:57:32.473" Title="Is a screened in porch full sun or partial shade?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23488" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-10T20:20:21.500" Score="12" ViewCount="230" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/seZSP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/seZSP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant grew from seed to about 2' high within 3 months. I'm sure it's not done growing. I have no clue what it could be, since I'm in the bad habit of sticking anything that looks like a seed into the soil. It could come from the grocery store fruit or veggie, it could be a seed that I did not label etc. It's inside a greenhouse, growing in an aquaponics bed. I hope it is edible :-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14044" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-11T22:57:04.823" LastActivityDate="2016-10-13T21:41:16.693" Title="What is this thin-stemmed plant with narrow leaves in an aquaponics bed in my greenhouse?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;aquaponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23489" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-10T21:42:03.640" Score="7" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;A small corner of my lawn has gone bare (see attached picture). I wanted to know if I should wait it out hoping that adjacent grass will start growing in spring and slowly cover the patch. Or should I put seeds there to grow the same grass variety or do something else. Note that I live in the San Francisco area where we had a drought last year and had to cut down on watering. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hMnV0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hMnV0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-03-10T22:49:26.770" Title="Recommendations on fixing my lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23490" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23472" CreationDate="2016-03-10T22:30:19.337" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use the link from the answer above as a good starting point. Do any hard landscaping e.g. paving, paths first. As long as it doesn't impede access for any heavy equipment you may need.  All prep now will pay dividends later on. Get the soil right from the start and any plants and trees will establish better, quicker and strongly. That will reduce losses of sometimes expensive plants purchased. I don't know what the building industry is like where you are, but generally in the uk, a lot of contractors will scrape off the top soil (with the nutrients and humus and organic matter) before construction and retain this.  The subsoil left behind becoming compacted from the construction. Some less scrupulous will leave rubble and rubbish and bury this, before turfing over it. You at least don't have that one to sort. I don't know if what you have visible is the top soil or the sub soil. It looks from the picture to be quite sandy. If you have sub soil only, hire a rotovator and ensure that to a depth of about 18&quot; there is no compaction. Levelling as you want to. Then you will need to import top soil (from a reputable source to ensure there are no noxious weed seeds in it) and then use this for any cultivation.  If top soil is present, take care not to dig this into and under the subsoil.  In any event add as much organic matter as you can. Test the soil for pH and nutrient deficiencies. Remedying this to start with. Then start your gardening.  Take care to put the glasses in the fridge along with the drinks, to enjoy the fruits of you labour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-10T22:30:19.337" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23491" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23489" CreationDate="2016-03-10T22:49:26.770" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would think you don't have to do much to restore this. Scrape the surface to reduce and remove mosses, sow some grass seeds, cover with sand or a light dusting of soil, taking care to keep these well watered during germination and their early stages of growth.  Don't cut with a mower for a while until well established, use shears on this small portion, even though it may look slightly untidy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-10T22:49:26.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23492" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23480" CreationDate="2016-03-10T23:21:35.677" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some people put their garlic in the fridge for about 2 weeks.  You aim to get a temperature of about 4 - 6 deg Celcius, so your fridge might not be cold enough.  Some people have reported that garlic stored in the freezer sprouts just fine.  It may be that they used hard neck varieties which are more suited to the cold since they originated in the cold climate of central Asia.  Soft neck varieties were developed from the hard neck. However, garlic is normally planted below the frost line outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When garlic is in the ground before winter, it does grow roots which help prevent frost heave but that is not going to be an issue for 2 weeks in the fridge.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Budding doesn't need cold temperatures though as garlic planted in spring does bud too in temperate climates induced by the increasingly longer days, but you'll end up with smaller bulbs by the time it's finished.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When people grow garlic inside, they do that to eat the greens and not grow bulbs.  To grow bulbs inside you're going to need either a sunny window with all day sun or artificial lighting.  And you'll need a pot that is about 1 foot deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Garlic can also be grown all year round in temperate climates.  We normally plant the cloves on the shortest day of the year and harvest on the longest day.  I planted mine late last year in late spring into pots and pulled them out in late summer. The bulbs were just a bit small, though.  And I had a problem with onion aphids which may because I used a potting mix high in nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-25T18:12:00.297" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T18:12:00.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23493" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23508" CreationDate="2016-03-11T01:08:10.027" Score="7" ViewCount="678" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't usually put scrap foods on top so I am curious why african night crawlers are always on top of my bin? Is it because there's a lack of oxygen on the bottom part of my bin?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7178" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-16T21:11:15.037" LastActivityDate="2016-03-16T21:11:15.037" Title="Is it normal that african night crawlers are always on top of my compost bin?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23494" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23472" CreationDate="2016-03-11T01:23:31.773" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had to do the same thing when I moved into my new house a few years back.  However, I used outside help but can tell you the sequence and steps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get a detailed design together as to what you want the yard to look like.  This includes all drainage, electrical, gas lines and irrigation&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if you need to get approval or permits but that would be the next step before you start the project.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Figure out what you want to do and what to outsource to others.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Start with the drainage.  It is important to get this piece right and before the concrete is laid down&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get the electrical and gas lines in place&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get your concrete or tiles done&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finally, prepare the soil, lay down the irrigation and finally plant the trees, lawn, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T01:23:31.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23495" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-11T02:51:09.953" Score="6" ViewCount="438" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed this white fungus a few weeks ago on some flowers in my garden which I ignored. But now it's appearing on my zucchini leaves. I was under the impression the fungi are plant specific, but could this be spreading from the flower leaves to my zucchinis?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not a milk drinker but I'm going to have to buy some to try and control it. I've removed the most infected zucchini leaves, and wondering if I should do the same to the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flowers:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/7VXkZZM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flower leaf close up:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/lp6W4kw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Zucchini leaf:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/5HttOvj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;zucchini leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-11T03:03:14.737" LastActivityDate="2016-03-14T10:56:46.920" Title="Is powdery mildew spreading through my garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23496" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23495" CreationDate="2016-03-11T04:03:27.033" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Powdery mildew occurs only when it is relatively cool, still, and quite humid (maybe I should say foggy). Usually the mildew will vanish when these conditions pass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can spray with a solution of 2 tablespoons 3% hydrogen peroxide per quart of water. It should take care of it. Repeat as needed. Note that peroxide has no prophylactic effects - it only acts on an infection that exists at the time of application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This spray has no cumulative effects. Peroxide releases reactive oxygen that kills fungi as well as bacteria and becomes ordinary water in the end. Most 'fungicides' (such as daconil), on the other hand, require careful use because of accumulative environmental and/or potential toxicity issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T04:03:27.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23497" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23501" CreationDate="2016-03-11T04:18:33.940" Score="12" ViewCount="351" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wanting to grow potatoes in a garden bed. Unfortunately, suitable wood is relatively expensive (~$2 a foot for 1x12 cedar) and space is scarce. Would this be too small for half a dozen seed potatoes or so?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14045" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T08:07:21.483" Title="Is a 4x4x1ft raised bed too small for potatoes?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23498" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23499" CreationDate="2016-03-11T04:52:59.397" Score="8" ViewCount="380" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been looking at the root pruning pots and wanted to experiment with them this year. I've seen people on YouTube using A cloth like root pruning bag and they'll set it in a kiddy pool of water. They just keep the water topped up and the pots wick up what they need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question was, when the roots grow down to where the water level is, will the root tips die and cause back branching on the root the same way it does when exposed to air?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can see it going either way. I could see the plant knowing it and grow into water and killing the tip that's touching it, causing the roots to back branch. I can also see it rotting and allowing bacteria in. Obviously, plants can be grown this way, because plenty of plants (non-water plants) grow beside water and there are the YouTube videos where they get better than expected results, but does it prune the roots and would it be healthy for the plant in the long run, like if you were trying to start trees from seeds or cuttings and were worried about them drying out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-03-18T20:04:15.707" Title="Will water prune roots with an air layering pot?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23498" CreationDate="2016-03-11T07:03:35.807" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my kiddie pool sub irrigation planter with a couple of dismal looking tomato plants, and one bag with 4 corn and one Apple tree seedling. I probably over did it! Two of the corn look very weak.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I've observed, apart from the mosquitoes breeding in the water, is that the roots grow into the water which is well oxygenated. So, they don't prune unless you let the pool dry out, and then they die back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because it's sitting in water mostly I would expect the roots to circle at the bottom. So, I wouldn't use this method to prepare trees for transplanting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A standard root pruning pot, such as the air pot, has a gap at the bottom to prune the bottom roots.  And they pretty much stress that you need to drip irrigate them since they dry out so quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, in summary, using air permeable bags made from recycled PET bottles ( preferably from ones known to have low lead levels ) is good for growing plants for final use, but I doubt that they'll be as good for transplanting as a proper air pruning pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/shKNw0d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;kiddie pool planter&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: this is the corn cob from the above plant after microwaving. Surprisingly all the kernels are fertilised even though it's the tallest plant of 4 from one grow bag. It appears foreshortened due to the angle the picture was taken.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/VNFIngX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;kiddie pool corn cob&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-18T20:04:15.707" LastActivityDate="2016-03-18T20:04:15.707" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23500" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23497" CreationDate="2016-03-11T07:23:24.023" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's just about big enough, some grow potatoes on barrels, but could you make it deeper? It would allow space to earth them up and for the roots to be deep enough What would this be standing on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T07:23:24.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23501" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23497" CreationDate="2016-03-11T07:30:04.420" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;My potato bag is one square foot in diameter, and just under 2 foot high.  You have 16 square feet in your bed so you could potentially plant one seed potato ( or part of one with at least 3 eyes ) per square foot.  One foot deep is about the minimum you can go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming you have good drainage, and you're using a well fertilized soil, you can plant each about 2 inches off the bottom of the box ( above the ground I'm presuming ), and just cover it to the top.  Although some sites advise you to furrow and keep hilling, others say the potato has enough vigor to grow right through those other 10 inches without the need to keep hilling them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hilling is where you continue to put dirt around the growing potato plant.  Farmers do it to prevent sunlight hitting any new potatoes turning them green, and not to try and get more potatoes.  A green potato is toxic throughout the whole potato due to the formation of solanine.  The green part is just formation of chlorophyll which is not toxic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also want to plant them near the bottom since potatoes grow from modified stem structures so tend not to appear below where the seed potato is placed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;BTW, if you want your cedar to last longer, or, want to use a cheaper wood, you can try preserving it using the shou-sufi-ban method of charring the wood.  This protects it against rot, and termites.  But I presume you will need a blow torch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thefreshexchangeblog.com/2013/06/garden-raised-bed/&quot;&gt;http://thefreshexchangeblog.com/2013/06/garden-raised-bed/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-11T07:54:03.887" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T07:54:03.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23502" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23497" CreationDate="2016-03-11T07:59:08.437" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking at the measurements of your garden bed, it sounds like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_foot_gardening&quot;&gt;square foot gardening&lt;/a&gt;. And yes, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net/potatoes/&quot;&gt;potatoes are included&lt;/a&gt; in that method, one seed per square, so sixteen for your bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One issue with potatoes is depth: For a good harvest the emerging sprouts are covered with soil to encourage more root mass and more tubers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In &quot;standard&quot; gardening, this is acchieved by &quot;hills&quot; of soil that are built over the plants, container gardeners start with a shallow layer and fill up as the plants grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For your 1ft deep bed, you &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; think about making it a bit higher (if your budget and garden design allow it), leave it as it is or mound the soil a bit higher than the planks, obviously risking some loss in heavy rain. If your main focus is not maximizing the yield, just use your bed as is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other alternatives are bags and similar for potatoes, following the same principle, but you can even roll the rim up and down depending on the required hight at any given time. Some bags are almost 3 ft deep, with good care and nutrition, they result in a lot of potatoes per bag...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-03-11T08:07:21.483" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T08:07:21.483" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17949" CreationDate="2016-03-11T08:08:51.430" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in precisely the same position with my tall palms over 30 years old. I'm not certain about telescopic pole chainsaws, given the potential for hazardous kickback at extended heights. I'm presently looking at manual high quality blade pole saws at this site &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.forestrytools.com.au/index.php?id=24&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.forestrytools.com.au/index.php?id=24&lt;/a&gt;. And specifically the Silky Hayate 7.7m Pole Saw, aluminium pole saw, which is their longest reach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14046" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T08:08:51.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23504" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23495" CreationDate="2016-03-11T12:35:16.053" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like some kind of Verbena in the top pic, possibly Verbena bonariensis - these are prone to getting powdery mildew, particularly towards the end of the growing season, and the usual cause is dryness at the roots, and yes, powdery mildew can spread to other susceptible plants. If the soil is dry, its worth watering, but otherwise, yes, the milk remedy will work - 1 part cow's milk to 9 parts water, doesn't matter whether the milk is skimmed or full fat, so long as its cow's. Repeated treatments may be necessary, as with hydrogen peroxide, works as a contact treatment only.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following your comment, I did a bit more checking - it appears there's more experimentation with milk as a treatment for powdery mildew, so the recipe of 1 part milk to 9 parts water can be varied, using a higher ratio of milk to water, and yes, it seems the treatment is best applied on a bright day, link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/using-milk-to-prevent-powdery-mildew/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/using-milk-to-prevent-powdery-mildew/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd add my personal preference is for using skimmed milk - tends to be fewer problems with being smelly than with higher fat/cream milks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-14T10:56:46.920" LastActivityDate="2016-03-14T10:56:46.920" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23505" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23487" CreationDate="2016-03-11T12:57:32.473" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it's filtered sunlight, so that counts as partial or dappled shade, just about. There may be increased ambient light levels because of the reflected light off the pool, and possibly from the hard surfacing material round the pool if its a pale colour, but that's still not direct sunlight. Even so, that effect is probably enough to stick to plants that like partial shade - total sun lovers may well lean forward trying to get at the brighter area just beyond their reach, not an effect that's attractive over time with growing plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the chlorine, the link below has some information, but it doesn't sound like its anything you should worry about too much - the vapours from the chlorine won't affect the plants, though extreme and consistent water splash might, but it would have to be a lot and often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/ff/Chlorine_in_Pool_Water_and_Nearby_Plants.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/ff/Chlorine_in_Pool_Water_and_Nearby_Plants.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wanted plants that somehow lessen the smell of the chlorine from a human point of view, there won't be any, unless you count strongly scented flowering plants, which won't mask it, but might contribute a more pleasing scent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T12:57:32.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23506" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-11T13:23:41.043" Score="11" ViewCount="442" Body="&lt;p&gt;Following up &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23487/is-a-screened-in-porch-full-sun-or-partial-shade/23505#23505&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;, I have a rock filled border surrounding the outside of the screened-in porch.  I'm planning to have container plants both inside the screened-in area, and outside on that border.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Periodically, I am planning to switch the outside plants for the inside plants and vice versa, to give the inside plants access to bees, direct sunlight and fresh air. My goal is to keep the plants (and the local bees) healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After each switch, the formerly outdoor plants will live next to the pool, inside the screened in area; and the formerly indoor plants will stay outside until the next switch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming mostly flowering plants, how often should I perform this switch?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14034" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T17:26:01.867" Title="Rotating indoor plants outdoors for pollination, fresh air, etc. How often?" Tags="&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;crop-rotation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23506" CreationDate="2016-03-11T13:38:49.270" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't recommend you do this switch at all, frankly.  If you choose plants that like filtered sunlight, they're not going to respond well to suddenly being pushed into direct, strong sunlight - equally, the sun lovers will not appreciate being placed in a much shadier area. Choose sun lovers for sun and dappled shade lovers for the rest - as for bee activity, that only occurs on flowering plants, and if there's something in flower under the filtered area, they'll find it anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T13:38:49.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23508" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23493" CreationDate="2016-03-11T17:21:50.010" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not necessarily - if you mean they're in the top layer of the contents, rather than separate from them and hiding in the lid of the container, they tend to consume stuff near the top of the pile for preference, operating primarily in the top layers - more info in the link below, including good things to include for ANC specifically&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wormfarmfacts.com/African-Night-Crawler.html&quot;&gt;http://www.wormfarmfacts.com/African-Night-Crawler.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T17:21:50.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23509" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23506" CreationDate="2016-03-11T17:26:01.867" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I move some plants outside in the spring and put them in shade for a few weeks so they won't burn.  Then it's full sun for the rest of late spring and summer.  I move them inside in early fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most tropical plants grow quickly outside in full sun in the northern hemisphere as long as they have constant access to water.  I have never found any bugs on the plants when I brought them back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only issue I have had with this practice is that the plants need to be re potted yearly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree with the esteemed Bamboo that doing this for the bees doesn't make a lot of sense.  Planting perennials in your garden will provide what they want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T17:26:01.867" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23510" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7313" CreationDate="2016-03-11T20:11:24.943" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Corn is a kernel not a seed. However, it can be planted in the ground to grow corn stalks. My friends have been able to grow corn this way. Have fun gardening!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14047" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T20:11:24.943" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23511" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23512" CreationDate="2016-03-11T20:46:25.890" Score="7" ViewCount="360" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few years back I removed a shady patch of lawn and planted it to ground cover plants. One half was planted to Lamium, the other half to &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajuga_reptans&quot;&gt;Ajuga Reptans&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;. In the years since the Ajuga has taken off and carpeted it's area, meanwhile the Lamium has limped along and struggled to get going. I'm considering killing off what's left of the Lamium and replacing it with more Ajuga, but how best to do it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it should be possible to divide the existing plants and transplant half, but I want to be sure it won't damage them too much. I know it spreads by runners (rather aggressively), but my previous efforts to pull up the younger runners and move them haven't been very successful, they seem to dry up before they really get going.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T23:18:47.680" Title="How should I propagate Ajuga" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23512" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23511" CreationDate="2016-03-11T23:18:47.680" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ajuga is fairly shallow rooted. You should be able to take a sharp spade and cut out 6&quot; wide squares.  Plant in the new area.  Top dress where you made the cut and then stand back, way back as it spreads even more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I too have found Lamium does not deserve it's reputation as a good groundcover in Ontario.  Summers are too hot and the soil gets too dry.  It ends looking rather sad in August.  If you don't want an all Ajuga bed you could consider top dressing the Lamium and watering more during the hot months which some years are July and August.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-03-11T23:18:47.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23514" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23493" CreationDate="2016-03-12T01:09:10.877" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wormfarmfacts.com/African-Night-Crawler.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bamboo's answer link&lt;/a&gt;, I would like to quote the information that helps me&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Typical of all composting, or vermicomposting, worms &lt;strong&gt;ANCs come up to&#xA;  the surface of their bedding to eat decomposing matter&lt;/strong&gt;. So &lt;strong&gt;they thrive&#xA;  near the surface layer of top soil or bedding&lt;/strong&gt;. African night crawlers&#xA;  literally gobble up decaying matter. Watching a few hundred ANCs feed&#xA;  on some fruit or vegetable scraps is an amazing thing, we have simply&#xA;  not seen any composting worm pounce on food in this way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems that it's the habit of &lt;strong&gt;ANC's&lt;/strong&gt; to be near the surface layer top soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7178" LastActivityDate="2016-03-12T01:09:10.877" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23515" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21750" CreationDate="2016-03-12T04:51:00.507" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I dry my basil in the fridge. First I wash it after cutting the stems, dab dry it as much as I can, and then remove the leaves. I then loosely wrap the leaves up in tissues, and put it in one of the closed small compartments in the fridge. The fridge is actually designed to remove any moist air inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over a few weeks the basil dehydrates without loss of the oils, and turns quite brittle, and brown. I would expect any eggs to dehydrate as well over this period. I then take the dehydrated leaves and store them in an air tight glass container. I guess in the unlikely event there were any eggs that survived the dehydration process they would now hatch at room temperature but you would see them in the jar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could add a food grade desiccant bag to keep the moisture levels down. They normally change color if the moisture rises.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This method can be used with most herbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-12T04:56:02.973" LastActivityDate="2016-03-12T04:56:02.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21750" CreationDate="2016-03-12T08:05:38.230" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure about spiders and insects on herbs, but if there are just eggs that might hatch later, you could always pickle your herbs or something (they shouldn't hatch after that). That should also help against pathogens. However, that doesn't answer the question (but just in case you didn't think about pickling them, I thought I'd say that).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, as far as fungus goes, you could dry your herbs in brown paper bags. They wick moisture away very well from wet seeds, anyway, and this prevents them from molding where they otherwise would mold in a dark or dim area. I imagine the same thing could work with herbs. Keeping the moisture away should help to keep fungus away. I've never tried it, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try adding a substance to the herbs that keeps bugs away, although it may affect the taste or appearance of your herbs. Cinnamon and/or diatomaceous earth might work, but that doesn't sound ideal at all for herbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-03-12T08:05:38.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23517" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-12T14:24:12.603" Score="8" ViewCount="213" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FudOu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FudOu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has a fragrance and it's also edible, I suspect it could be Mentha Longifolia, but I'm not sure. I try to propagate it through placing it in a cup filled with water near the window in order to get the sunlight that encourages the growth of roots. In a matter of 4 days the roots started to grow.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10920" LastEditorUserId="14476" LastEditDate="2016-07-16T14:16:24.730" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T22:15:13.767" Title="What is the name of this fragrant and edible plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23518" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23519" CreationDate="2016-03-12T16:44:28.090" Score="6" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;All of the lilac bushes I've ever grown have been in the sun. I assumed that was important for their survival.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When cleaning up the yard yesterday in preparation for spring planting, I found a lilac in an area that gets very little, if any, sun, especially on a regular basis. It's under large branches from a pine tree, and has some shade-loving plants and ground cover around the base. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bush is healthy, and beginning to show buds, so obviously it's thriving. We don't need or want it in that spot though, as we can't see and enjoy it. Can I transplant it to a sunny area near our others, or does it need to be in the shade? Is it an anomaly, or are there shade-growing lilac varieties of which I was unaware? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-03-12T17:39:39.643" Title="Can I transplant a shade-growing lilac into a sunny spot?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;lilac&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23519" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23518" CreationDate="2016-03-12T17:34:34.103" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, doesn't need to be in shade - lilac does prefer full sun, but that doesn't mean it won't cope with any shade. It may be getting more sun than you're aware of, but whether you can move it successfully or not is dependent on how long its been there - if you don't know that, then it depends how big it is, and whether its a dwarf variety. If it's been in that position for longer than three years, it will have a significant root spread, particularly if it's not a dwarf variety, but it might also be difficult to tell the difference between its roots and those of the tree growing behind. If it's showing flower buds, moving it now means they will probably abort, unfortunately. It's down to how keen you are to remove it from where it's currently growing whether you risk it or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-12T17:39:39.643" LastActivityDate="2016-03-12T17:39:39.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23520" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23534" CreationDate="2016-03-12T22:33:40.490" Score="6" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning out a vegetable garden that will have 3 large raised boxes. I have made a list of what I want to grow. How do I figure out a good location for each type of vegetable?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My list includes:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Tomatoes&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Cucumbers&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Peppers&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Carrots&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Radishes&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Cauliflower&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Lettuce&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Garlic&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Peas&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Zucchini&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Strawberries&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Basil&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Cilantro  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am a newbie and need a place to start! Thanks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13787" LastEditorUserId="13787" LastEditDate="2016-03-15T19:06:53.807" LastActivityDate="2016-03-15T19:06:53.807" Title="What guidelines should I follow when planning out my garden?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;layout-planning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5582" CreationDate="2016-03-12T22:36:06.190" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nepenthes live for 400 years before decomposing, if there are other things in the way of threats bugs, droughts, ect, they will not live much longer after the insatint&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14052" LastActivityDate="2016-03-12T22:36:06.190" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23523" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2109" CreationDate="2016-03-13T05:06:08.270" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hostas need cold in the winter to come back strongly the next year. They tend to slowly lose vigor if they do not get enough cold. What zone are you in and have the winters been particularly mild lately?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13992" LastActivityDate="2016-03-13T05:06:08.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14541" CreationDate="2016-03-13T08:10:20.523" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't know if this could help, but, just as information, I have some tulips in plane ground, very deep, actually (after some years they were planted, some soil was added because of works to the garden; I believe that they are more then 50-70 cm deep, now). Some years ago, they survived to a very cold winter, during which temperature reached -24°C. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7262" LastActivityDate="2016-03-13T08:10:20.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23525" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-13T08:26:07.730" Score="10" ViewCount="261" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my garden I preserve some &quot;wild&quot; tulips. I say &quot;wild&quot; because they were planted many years ago by some ancestor of mine, I believe around late 1700-beginning of 1800. They are of a quite raw quality, not as beautiful as modern hybrids. They have long leaves, very thin, like if they were made of paper, red flowers with cuspid-like petals, and they flower very early, about 1 month before the other tulips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture of them: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.panoramio.com/photo/105948977&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.panoramio.com/photo/105948977&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During time, they spread around all the garden. The point is that I notice that many of them are much smaller then usual and do NOT flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it a genetical issue (in what they have never been mixed)?&#xA;Or just a question of exposure to the sun, soil, of some other kind of environmental condition (bulbs are very very deep in the ground, maybe more then 1 m: think that in the same place, my granmother used to work the ground to plant tomatoes, but bulbs were deeper!)? Or perhaps they just belong to joung generations?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, is there a way to make them flower?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I already checked many questions, such as &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/19539/7262&quot;&gt;Should I keep tulip bulbs that didn&amp;#39;t flower this year, or replace them with new?&lt;/a&gt; , but they seem not to exactly address my problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7262" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-03-15T15:04:12.180" Title="Tulips have small leaves and do not flower" Tags="&lt;tulips&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23526" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23525" CreationDate="2016-03-13T12:34:03.470" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;They might be species tulips rather than hybrids, although I'm not sure which - the pic's a little dark to see detail (looking for darker blotches at the base of the flowers). Many species tulips increase by seed naturally, some by stolons, but all like exposure to sun so that they bake a bit in the ground in summer, and any tulip which has spread itself by seed or offset will not flower for between 4-8 years, depending on the variety. If some of your naturally spread tulips have grown in cooler, shadier areas, that might explain some of the trouble, but the length of time between initial growth and actually flowering needs to be taken into account. The level of nutrients available while the leaves are present also makes a difference, because that's when the plant is gathering sufficient energy to swell the size of its bulb, over time, and eventually to create a flower that will arrive the following year, so it might be worth fertilizing those you know are not yet flowering during the time the leaves are present. You could apply a proprietary balanced chemical feed, or simply enrich the soil by adding humus rich materials to encourage the bulbs to grow on well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other alternative is to dig up the ones which haven't flowered and are shorter and not doing well and grow them on in pots, where you can control the conditions better, then plant out after they've flowered the first time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-15T15:04:12.180" LastActivityDate="2016-03-15T15:04:12.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23527" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23486" CreationDate="2016-03-13T13:25:33.077" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, I'm not familiar with 'installing and caring for Japanese Yews' outdoors. However, since the chances of anyone else on here being able to claim that experience may be vanishingly small, I offer up this piece of general horticultural knowledge:- usually, whitening of leaves indicates cold, meaning the temperatures are too low.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I note that Austin Texas is listed as USDA zone 8b, which means the average cold temperature is roughly 15-20 deg F. The link below confirms that, for preference, this tree likes temperatures of 18 deg C at night (63 deg F) and 25 deg C during the day (74 deg F). If you have had a cold snap within the last 2-3 months, that would explain the symptoms you're seeing on your trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://world-population.net/house_plants/en/k199k2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://world-population.net/house_plants/en/k199k2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may note that the link leads to a houseplant site, and I'd like to add that, in the UK, this plant is not considered hardy outdoors, and most of the UK is Zone 8, with not too dissimilar winter temperatures from yours, though with rather more wet. In your area, in a mild winter and planted in an extremely sheltered spot with sun in winter, Podocarpus might survive outdoors quite well - but it's not guaranteed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-13T13:47:37.783" LastActivityDate="2016-03-13T13:47:37.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17360" CreationDate="2016-03-13T19:47:04.270" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is &quot;Sour Guava&quot;. It is called &lt;a href=&quot;http://costarica.com/blog/fruit-of-the-month-cas/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;Cas&quot;&lt;/a&gt; in Costa Rica. You can make the most delicious drink in the world with it. I always wanted to know if I could buy &quot;Cas&quot; in the U.S. so I researched it a few years back and found that its name in english is &quot;Sour Guava&quot; of course it was all imported and $25 a pound. Super rare stuff outside of central america, Cas is in decline in Costa Rica too... Something environmental. Anyhow enjoy your tree and take care of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14055" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-14T01:17:50.557" LastActivityDate="2016-03-14T01:17:50.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23529" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-14T02:02:05.197" Score="8" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given some miniature hot peppers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jn5dc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jn5dc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I plant the entire pepper or do I cut it open and plant the seeds? These are so small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14056" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-03-14T17:42:36.337" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T19:46:06.387" Title="Do I plant miniature hot peppers whole or cut them open and plant just the seeds?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23530" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23529" CreationDate="2016-03-14T04:09:45.513" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut them open and plant the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The peppers appear dry to me, in which case you just need to break them open and the seeds will simply fall out. If the peppers are not dry, clean them of any pepper flesh and plant them should be all that you need to do. It should not be necessary to stratify them first since they are not a temperate species, per se. Temperate species require something like 6 weeks below 40F before they will germinate. The procedure is to place them on a small rectangle of plastic that is folded over and that is placed in damp towelling in a plastic bag in your refrigerator for about 6 weeks before planting&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastEditorUserId="13580" LastEditDate="2016-03-26T19:46:06.387" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T19:46:06.387" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23531" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23532" CreationDate="2016-03-14T04:54:40.823" Score="10" ViewCount="151" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GeUjM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GeUjM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1b7G0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1b7G0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of tree is this?  Blooming now in central Missouri, USA. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some trees look like this (more bush-like), while others look more tree-like. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13659" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-24T00:58:56.617" LastActivityDate="2018-01-24T00:58:56.617" Title="Unknown flowering tree, what is it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;magnolia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23532" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23531" CreationDate="2016-03-14T06:30:43.847" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is &lt;em&gt;Magnolia stellata&lt;/em&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_stellata&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_stellata&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-03-14T06:30:43.847" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23533" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-14T07:24:12.657" Score="7" ViewCount="1128" Body="&lt;p&gt;Someone gave me &lt;code&gt;1 sack of rice husk&lt;/code&gt; and &lt;code&gt;multiple sacks of clay soil&lt;/code&gt;. I've been thinking if just planting in a pure clay soil is enough or do I really need to mix it to rice husk?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I need to mix it, what are the ratio?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are the cons and pros of mixing and not mixing it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Right now I try to put pure clay soil and after watering my plant it looks like &lt;code&gt;mud&lt;/code&gt; to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7178" LastActivityDate="2016-03-17T03:43:48.173" Title="Do I need to mix rice husk and clay soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;clay&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23534" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23520" CreationDate="2016-03-14T10:14:20.903" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;How you plan your garden depends on the land available, the soil, topography, what you are trying to grow, and sunlight. You also need to know where the sun falls in winter as the sun is much lower in the sky and your garden site might be shaded but have full sunlight in summer. You don't want your raised beds vegetable garden in an area that is going to get flooded in heavy rain with a site with good drainage preferred.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are planning a large garden you might want to get a soil analysis done first. This costs about $25 in the USA, and will tell you how you need you amend your soil before you start.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a number of different gardening philosophies as well that will determine your layout. The &lt;a href=&quot;http://soilandhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/0302hsted/030201/03020100frame.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;no watering method&lt;/a&gt; says your plants need to be widely spaced so that they have adequate nutrition from the soil, with good aeration to prevent diseases. The &lt;a href=&quot;http://squarefootgardening.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;square foot&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/160774189X&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;biointensive methods&lt;/a&gt; specify close planting. The former specifies an artificial soil mix to allow greater plant densities, whereas the latter explains that double digging allows greater plant densities because of deeper root systems, and that close planting creates a humidity bubble over the whole garden reducing evaporative losses from the soil. The no watering method relies on a hardened soil layer to keep moisture losses down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You ideally need 11 hours of sunlight for your vegetable garden but some leafy crops can do with much less, and most cope with 7 hours. Some plants that can do well in shade can be grown behind, or amongst,  taller plants that will shade them. Usually taller plants are planted at the back of the beds (where the front faces the equator) so that they don't shade plants that also need full sun. You then only have trellises on one side of your bed. But some methods of companion planting, such as the Indian three sisters, specify a spiral or matrix planting intercropping method, i.e. squash (for weed suppression), corn for climbing, and climbing beans to tie the corn together to provide some protection against wind, and to provide nitrogen for the following year).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other known growing combinations include corn also providing good shade for potatoes, peas, cucumbers, and tomatoes giving good shade for onions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The biointensive method says you should lay out your garden in a square with narrow (1 foot) paths in order to create that humidity bubble. You might want a wider path for a wheelbarrow. Your beds should be reachable without ever standing on the raised bed. This means about 5 foot wide for most people.  You can use wood to form the bed but this allows insects a place to hide. And wood will eventually rot. Just mounding the soil eventually works as the plants and fungi will keep the edges in place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you're not going to be using your paths between raised beds for growing, you can remove the top soil from them, and add it to your raised beds. The paths can then be paved using pavers, weedmat, and sand. Or you can just put down tree mulch. When that eventually decomposes into compost, you can spread it into your beds, and put a new layer down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tree mulch is also used as a mulch between your plants in the Back to Eden gardening method. The underside of the mulch slowly decomposes releasing nutrients to the plants while retaining moisture and suppressing weeds. But it steals nitrogen from the soil in order to decompose so you need to add a nitrogen source such as chicken manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many methods specify the need for crop rotation so that each year you grow a different family of plants so that diseases that affect one family do not get a chance to persist into the following year's crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should also think about growing a compost crop eg corn, wheat, cereal rye every year. Some compost crops are able to reach deep into the soil to extract minerals below a level that most vegetables can reach. Others are cut leaving extensive root systems to compost into the soil. You don't necessarily eat these crops but use them for providing structural carbon and minerals for your compost heap. So, it's a way to move minerals from below into the soil above, or increase the organic matter in soil. It's not a good idea to import compost from other sites to put into your garden long term though you might have to do this initially. And there is also the issue of safety. Sometimes bought compost has been alleged to contain weedkiller which then kills your vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding your particular selection of vegetables, some of those are summer vegetables, and some are winter. If you look at the seed packets that should tell you which are grown when.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-14T18:49:33.730" LastActivityDate="2016-03-14T18:49:33.730" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23535" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23536" CreationDate="2016-03-14T12:20:11.020" Score="17" ViewCount="4523" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a tree with a fairly heavy growth across its trunk and branches; I suspect that it's a form of lichen but I'm not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dbevk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dbevk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this something that will negatively affect the growth or health of this tree? Should I spray it down or leave it be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14060" LastEditorUserId="14060" LastEditDate="2016-03-15T15:19:03.273" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T10:21:16.867" Title="Is this heavy blue-green growth on my tree trunk and branches a form of lichen?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;algae&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23536" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23535" CreationDate="2016-03-14T12:58:16.297" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;These look like the tree lichens that are growing on my own trees. A lichen is a composite organism where by a fungus lives together with an algae in a symbiotic relationship. They don't hurt the tree, and are more commonly seen on the bark of older trees where the bark is not constantly being shed and regrown. So, it may also be an indicator of poor health if a younger tree is not growing as well as it should.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although more common in damp areas, they can require very little moisture to grow, and do better in clean air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-14T12:58:16.297" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23537" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23535" CreationDate="2016-03-14T17:26:58.033" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;As Graham says they are lichen and moss.  A tree will commonly live in a symbiotic relationship with millions of macro and micro-scopic organisms.  In tropical and temperate rain forests overgrowth on the the bark is very common.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot find any research which indicates that they harm the tree in any way at any age &lt;a href=&quot;http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/H-167.pdf&quot;&gt;as&lt;/a&gt; these &lt;a href=&quot;https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/fs1205/&quot;&gt;publications&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/non-harmful-tree-conditions/&quot;&gt;indicate&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That they are growing so well indicates good things about the environment!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-03-14T17:26:58.033" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23538" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23541" CreationDate="2016-03-14T17:37:00.583" Score="7" ViewCount="2296" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have noticed this plant growing near my fruit bushes and it is spreading. Its leaves are shaped like arrowheads and have black splotches on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it a weed or friendly plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f1ziG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f1ziG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14059" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-03-14T17:45:51.633" LastActivityDate="2016-03-14T19:06:37.173" Title="What is this plant with arrowhead shaped leaves with black splotches?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23539" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-14T18:05:25.907" Score="13" ViewCount="5363" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've started growing garlic each year, with the idea being I'd store most of it for seed the next year to gradually increase the amount I was growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year, I planted 100 cloves, and saved about 80 head of garlic in July when I harvested. I hung them in a shady, warm location for a week, and then put them in a bowl and forgot about them till October.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The skin of the cloves was still in pristine condition, but the actual clove has shrunk - I think it had dehydrated. I managed to salvage enough cloves to plant 100 again, but I'd like to avoid this set back again &quot;Growing Great Garlic&quot; but the author didn't really address the storage of garlic for seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Searching the internet hasn't really clarified the issue. Some people claim that you should store it in the fridge at a specific temperature and then state it will sprout at that same temp. The University of Georgia says commercially, garlic is stored at 0 Celsius and that home refrigerators are too warm. I've heard people say to store it in a damp terracotta bowl with a lid, but that seems to be a recipe for mold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do other people store their garlic?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On a side note, I let my garlic produce scapes, and I harvestedthe bulbils. They dried out fine and had no issue with dehydration, and I'm currently growing them to adjust the garlic to my micro climate..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14063" LastActivityDate="2018-08-21T18:35:36.623" Title="Storing Garlic for Seed" Tags="&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23540" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23529" CreationDate="2016-03-14T18:28:29.640" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I have done is open up the peppers and then clean and dry the seeds out.  I subsequently store the seeds and plant them at the appropriate time in the season.  In my case I plant them indoors in early January on a heat mat and subsequently transfer them outside.  This will give you a head start to the season.  I plant them in a seeding mix.  Generally, you want to plant them one seed length deep in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-03-14T18:28:29.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23541" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23538" CreationDate="2016-03-14T18:33:03.100" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Arum maculatum - this plant sometimes has these black markings on the leaves, sometimes doesn't, but either way, the berries it produces in autumn (fall) are highly toxic. There aren't many cases of poisoning from it though because they burn the mouth so people spit them out if they try them. The sap can be extremely irritant to the skin, and all parts are toxic, but this plant occurs in the wild and in less cultivated parts of gardens all the time, and is classed as a 'wildflower'. Common names in the UK include Cuckoo Pint as well as Lords and Ladies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info here if you're interested&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://easywildflowers.wordpress.com/about/green-wildflowers-of-the-uk/arum-maculatum-the-wild-arum/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://easywildflowers.wordpress.com/about/green-wildflowers-of-the-uk/arum-maculatum-the-wild-arum/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-14T19:06:37.173" LastActivityDate="2016-03-14T19:06:37.173" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23542" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23546" CreationDate="2016-03-14T20:03:35.907" Score="9" ViewCount="650" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most orchids are grown in a mix that's primarily composed of bark chips.  Sometimes bark chips are also a component in soil mixes for other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I was stacking firewood, I realized I happen to have a fairly large supply of bark.  It tends to be from temperate forest trees - sometimes from pines, sometimes from hardwoods.  It breaks off fresh firewood all the time.  It's not rotten, since the trees have been recently felled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything wrong with breaking up this bark, baking it to kill pathogens, and growing orchids in it?  Any potential hazards to making my own bark chips?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8596" LastActivityDate="2020-08-01T18:18:55.903" Title="Any reason not to make my own bark chips for orchids?" Tags="&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23543" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23551" CreationDate="2016-03-14T20:08:10.783" Score="6" ViewCount="1491" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the ideal temperature for growth for an Aeroponic Garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13337" LastActivityDate="2016-03-16T07:23:17.860" Title="What is the ideal temperature for growth within an Aeroponic Garden?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23544" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23539" CreationDate="2016-03-14T22:58:43.370" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;One opinion here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/garlic/save-garlic-next-year.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/garlic/save-garlic-next-year.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Proper storage is also crucial when saving garlic stock for planting. While garlic will keep for a short time at room temperatures of between 68-86 degrees F. (20-30 C.), the bulbs will begin to degrade, soften, and shrivel. For long term storage, garlic should be kept at temps between 30-32 degrees F. (-1 to 0 C.) in well ventilated containers and will keep for six to eight months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, however, the goal of storing garlic is strictly for planting, the bulbs should be stored at 50 degrees F. (10 C.) at a relative humidity of 65-70 percent. If the bulb is stored between 40-50 degrees F., (3-10 C.) it will easily break dormancy and result in side shoot sprouting (witches brooms) and premature maturation. Storage above 65 degrees F. (18 C.) results in late maturations and delayed sprouting&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and slightly different here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/food/6-ways-make-garlic-last-longer&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/food/6-ways-make-garlic-last-longer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Garlic keeps longest when stored at 60 to 65 degrees and in moderate humidity. This is what makes storing fresh garlic throughout the winter so hard: Heated winter homes tend to be very, very dry—so dry that garlic cloves will shrivel up and turn rock-like inside their papery skins after just a month or two (if that ever happens to yours, just toss 'em, skins and all, into your next batch of vegetable stock). One trick is to store garlic under an unglazed clay flowerpot in a cupboard, creating a small humidor without completely cutting off air circulation, which can lead to rot problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clay flowerpots usually have a drainage hole which will give you that little bit of ventilation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-03-14T22:58:43.370" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23542" CreationDate="2016-03-15T07:23:56.823" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tree barks historically are used to grow orchids as that simulates their natural habitat where as epiphytes they cling to the branches as an air plant. In NZ pine bark is used, heat treated to 400 deg to sterilise it, and it may last 5 years without rotting which could damage your orchid roots. As they decay there may be some nutrient released to the roots, but this is offset by the need to use a higher concentration of nitrogen in the fertiliser.  You might be better off to save yourself all these potential issues and use an inert media such as expanded clay pellets which are inexpensive, have a suitable wetting capacity, and can be resterilised for reuse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-15T07:23:56.823" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23547" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23539" CreationDate="2016-03-15T14:04:53.153" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your goal is for planting then treat the garlic as you would bulb flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig them up in the fall, choose what you want to keep to eat vs. what you want to plant for next year. Make any soil amendments you want right away. Split the bulbs into individual cloves and plant them back in the soil. They'll grow new roots over the winter, develop some new cloves and sprout as soon as they are able in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By next fall they should be just as big with almost as many cloves as you got in the store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-03-15T14:04:53.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23543" CreationDate="2016-03-15T16:05:56.413" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The optimum temperature is somewhere in the range between 70F and 95F - the specific optimum(s) certainly vary by species and even cultivar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Simple chemical reaction rates increase rapidly with temperature. This means that metabolic activity and growth tends to increase rapidly with temperature. The same is true for photosynthesis except that the activity of the key enzyme RUBISCO saturates (stops increasing) at a temperature in the neighborhood of 90F. So, above 95F (or thereabouts) metabolic activity outpaces the rate of photosynthesis and growth ceases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rooting of cuttings is often done with bottom heat. Temperatures around 70F are most frequently used in large scale production. It seems reasonable to presume that this might be the optimal temperature for root growth and hence a lower limit to the 'ideal temperature'. Nevertheless, roots may indeed grow faster at temperatures above 70F (i.e., this 'optimum' maybe occurs because of factors unique to rooting cuttings, such as the need for minimal transpiration).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-03-15T16:05:56.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23549" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="390" CreationDate="2016-03-15T17:36:18.793" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know this was posted 4 years ago but I've been looking into it myself for Arkansas. We have very hot summers and the soil is well drained, but the problem we have is too much humidity and possibly too much rainfall. If the soil is well drained I don't see it being a problem of too much rain as long as there's no standing rain around it which would promote root rot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another idea to think about if the pistachios you want to grow aren't working is to graft your own on a Chinese Pistachio tree rootstock since they are more suited for our climates and rainfall. You will need to do a little research though because the Chinese Pistachio only gets about 25-40 feet tall and you don't want to graft a pistachio tree onto it that grows faster or taller than the rootstock can handle. I would like to hear how you're doing as I am also in zone 7.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14067" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-15T20:54:34.770" LastActivityDate="2016-03-15T20:54:34.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23551" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23543" CreationDate="2016-03-16T07:23:17.860" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A terrestrial plant maintains a greater range of temperatures in the parts above ground (canopy), and usually lower and more stable temperatures below ground.  The same applies for aeroponics.  The root zone should be kept between &lt;a href=&quot;http://aeroponicsdiy.com/aeroponics-misting-frequency-for-root-growth/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;62°F - 71°F&lt;/a&gt;.  This is because the highest dissolved oxygen occurs at 68F (9ppm DO), and oxygen is transported inside the plant as dissolved oxygen even though the air roots might be exposed to higher oxygen levels.  However, it should be noted that some plants, such as lettuce, are less sensitive to levels of DO then other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The canopy can be kept at higher temperatures. The leaf temperature range for fast growth is &lt;a href=&quot;http://aeroponicsdiy.com/right-place-for-our-aeroponics-system/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;72° (minimum) to 86°F&lt;/a&gt;. As a rule of thumb plant growth approximately doubles for every 10°F rise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Within limits, rates of photosynthesis and respiration both rise with increasing temperatures. As temperatures reach the upper growing limits for the crop, the rate of food used by respiration may exceed the rate at which food is manufactured by photosynthesis. For tomatoes, growth peaks at 96°F.[1]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The temperature may also need to be lowered when plants flower and fruit.  Chilling the nutrient solution also helps protect the plant against heat stress, and lower temperatures are used for cool climate plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note also that lighting has an effect on the plant.  LED lighting does not generates infra-red and so has no major effect on plant tissue temperatures, but HID lighting can raise tissue temperature by 5-7°F which is why it only appears that LED lighting is not as effective as high intensity discharge lighting. The effect of IR heating forms a gradient on the plant as distance increases from the light source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;CO2 requirements rise with temperature, and enriching the grow room with CO2 does allow also for higher temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At night you can drop the temperature by 10°F from the day period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[1] &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/Gardennotes/143.html#temp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/Gardennotes/143.html#temp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-16T07:23:17.860" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23552" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="390" CreationDate="2016-03-16T14:03:13.007" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know if you are growing in ground or in a pot, but either way I think you can take some queues from bonsai and use pumice or lava rock as a medium.  It won't hold water long to cause root rot.  And drains well.  And both should be easy to get in TX.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2016-03-16T14:03:13.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23553" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23475" CreationDate="2016-03-16T14:10:53.023" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tamarind? It is from Africa. Unlike Honey Locust  &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarind&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarind&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2016-03-16T14:10:53.023" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23554" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23555" CreationDate="2016-03-16T16:19:36.600" Score="6" ViewCount="293" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a heavy infestation of bark scale on 4 mature rhododendrons and 3 &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=e680&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pieris japonica&lt;/a&gt;. I applied dormant oil to the rhododendrons yesterday and would like to do the same to the pieris.  However, the pieris is already in full flower - is it too late to apply a dormant oil?  I also have superior oil, would that be a better choice if the trees are already flowering? I live outside of New York City, zone 6b.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11818" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-21T16:55:44.037" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T16:55:44.037" Title="What's the best way to deal with scale insects on Pieris Japonica?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;rhododendrons&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23555" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23554" CreationDate="2016-03-16T16:57:29.523" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check the instructions on your dormant oil - if its a newer formulation, it should have instructions regarding dilution rates for use on non dormant plants - a weaker dilution, in other words. Otherwise, your superior oil, intended for use on greenleaved plants, might be better, but again, check the instructions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best to check your Pieris during winter, while its dormant, next year, to see whether the scale has cleared - dormant oil applied at the right time in the right concentration may be more effective, depending on the type of scale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further reading about horticultural oils here, if you're interested&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4dmg/PHC/hortoil.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4dmg/PHC/hortoil.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-03-16T16:57:29.523" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23533" CreationDate="2016-03-17T03:43:48.173" Score="3" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Loam, a soil type considered by many to be the optimal garden soil, is composed of 45 percent sand, 25 percent silt, 25 percent clay, and 5 percent organic matter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clay is composed of the tiniest of soil particles.  Sand and silt are larger soil particles. If you're starting with 100% clay, and want to make it into loam, then it's a task that most people will not attempt.  You're talking about adding silt, sand and organic material to make it usable, and being able to mix it adequately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding organic material doesn't help much as you haven't changed the soil type.  And once that organic material (humus) is gone, it's just clay again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try adding the clay to a sandy soil if that's what you have, but it's hard work getting the two to mix well enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-17T03:43:48.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23557" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23558" CreationDate="2016-03-17T05:38:03.170" Score="6" ViewCount="2343" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a small (about 5' tall) weeping willow tree we bought from a home improvement store. It was planted in our yard about 2 years ago. There have been a few new branches that have grown, plus the leaves appear healthy going by this and other sites I've looked at. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is this: we have not been regularly watering it during dry spells, and this past dry spell has been especially dry. Would ensuring it has plenty of water encourage new growth, or should I prune or fertilize it to promote more growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14073" LastActivityDate="2016-03-17T06:42:23.840" Title="Weeping willow not growing" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;weeping-willow&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23558" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23557" CreationDate="2016-03-17T06:42:23.840" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Water, water, water for the first year or so. Once the tree is established (thriving) you can do as you have been. Be sure to water the area around original root ball to a bit beyond the hole in which it was planted. Fertilizing this zone (and a bit beyond too) will speed up this process, but fertilizing isn't essential.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roots just meander 'any ole which way'. Ones that don't have water die. Ones that don't get oxygen die. Roots are stupid. They don't really seek out water or minerals, even though the end result is something like they did.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;BTW, there are &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0006GT6C6&quot;&gt;leaky bags available&lt;/a&gt; that seem to do a nice job of continually watering new trees, if you prefer to just hook up the hose to refill the bag every few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-03-17T06:42:23.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23559" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23571" CreationDate="2016-03-17T14:09:09.743" Score="8" ViewCount="1814" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Croton is top heavy and I'm not sure what to do to fix it. I'm afraid that the stem will break. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I prune it, and if so, how would I go about doing that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bweTz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bweTz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Top Heavy Croton&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14076" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-03-17T14:29:42.653" LastActivityDate="2016-03-18T10:45:55.190" Title="What should I do with a top heavy Croton?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23560" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23712" CreationDate="2016-03-17T17:20:12.240" Score="6" ViewCount="117" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Phalaenopsis orchid that appears to be doing very well. It has been in bloom for at least 4 months, and the flower spikes continue to put on new blooms. Based on the number of buds on the spikes, I suspect it will be in bloom for at least another month. During the time it has been in bloom, it has added a new leaf, and I can see new roots growing, as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would there be any benefit in the long term for this plant to limit its bloom time? For example, if I were to cut the spike back now rather than letting it continue blooming for a month or more, would that mean a stronger, healthier plant in the future, or a plant that was more likely to rebloom? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T23:42:45.790" Title="Is it beneficial to limit a Phalaenopsis orchid's bloom time?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23561" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23573" CreationDate="2016-03-17T19:16:19.257" Score="6" ViewCount="10016" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an overgrown limonium perezii that I want to propagate it to the nearby areas. I tried cutting a branch (without any root) and planting it into moist soil. That didn't work. I also tried just spreading the withered flowers (seeds) onto bare soil. That didn't work either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone suggest the most effective ways to separate or propagate it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture reference: &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W6vsQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W6vsQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;limonium perezii&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14078" LastEditorUserId="14078" LastEditDate="2016-03-17T21:21:53.967" LastActivityDate="2019-10-21T00:16:20.817" Title="How to Separate or Propagate Limonium Perezii aka: Statice?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23562" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-17T19:39:31.697" Score="9" ViewCount="1514" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've gotten 3 fig trees and I had a question. I have a Celeste that's planted in the ground, a Brown Turkey that's in a pot, and a Kadota that I received yesterday that's bare root. I'm in SC clay country in zone 8A. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted the celeste last spring. I amended the clay soil with some compost and chopped the edges of the hole so the roots would catch and grow out, like I always do when planting. I don't want them to grow round and round in the clay. I then mulched with about 3-4inches of bark mulch. The plant grew pretty well. It put on a decent amount of growth, had nice big leaves, and I didn't notice anything off about it when watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It actually started to put out some fruit in the spring. I kept an eye on them, and they started to grow and get bigger, but eventually they dried and fell off, one by one. I didn't think much about it, because it had just been transplanted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It did the same thing in the fall. It had good vigorous growth, it started producing figs, they grew the size of a shooter marble or regular gumball and then fell off. I also sustained damage to the plant around the same time. I'm not sure if deer ate some of it or what.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just want to know if it's me or the plant. I haven't ever had a fig before and don't know what to expect. I would guess that it's just because it was transplanted into the ground that year and didn't have the resources it would have when it's better rooted this year or the following years. However, I don't know if that's true or if I'm doing something wrong. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't fertilize it and followed my normal watering routine. When I plant a new tree/shrub/bush/etc... I amend the hole with compost, chop the edges, plant to the recommended depth, water when the hole is half back filled to remove air pockets, water again once all dirt is back filled, mulch 3-4&quot; in whatever diameter a bag of mulch gets me, leaving a gap around the trunk and forming a rough water well. Then I water with 1-2gal of water once a week, less if it rains. That's the first year. The second year I water when it's hot and dry. After that I only water during really dry spells. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So that's what I'm doing. Does anyone have any ideas? As for the other two, I've actually had the Brown Turkey since last spring as well, but a combination of laziness and not knowing where I want to plant it caused me to sit the plant in a semi shaded area with some other plants and I just watered it in the pot about once a week. I suspect the roots have grown into the ground, but it actually started budding this year before the one in the ground. The Kadota just came in the mail yesterday when I ordered a bunch of other nursery plants. I know where I want to put it and will be planting it today. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T11:00:10.010" Title="Fig fruit fell off before ripe" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;figs&gt;&lt;fruit-drop&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23563" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-17T19:57:20.843" Score="9" ViewCount="1872" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for options to cover some ground around a cabin we will be building soon. It will be a heavily wooded lot. Don't want to deal with mowing it every week either. I'll have a path that goes where we need one&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Want to stay away from anything too intrusive that would get into our stone dust path. I will have landscape fabric under the stone dust though. What are my options? I also want to keep it low to the ground so we can enjoy the views.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastActivityDate="2016-03-23T08:50:39.083" Title="Lawn options for wooded lot?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;woodland&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23564" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5470" CreationDate="2016-03-17T20:34:12.500" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Both terms are used to giving a desire shape to the tree or shurbs but &#xA;Topiary is for aesthetic purpose and pruning is for maintainance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14079" LastActivityDate="2016-03-17T20:34:12.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23565" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-17T20:48:43.947" Score="7" ViewCount="151" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning on doing my own backyard to save a bunch of money on labor. The first step will be digging the trenches for my sprinkler system. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before I begin, i was hoping to get any thoughts or opinions on how I have the sprinklers / drippers laid out which would change up my trenches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the image below, P=Plant, S=Sprinkler, green lines are the two proposed trenches. One zone will feed all the plants/flowerbed and veg bed. The other will be for the grass. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ybe5L.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ybe5L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14032" LastActivityDate="2016-12-26T17:03:29.890" Title="Spinkler System Layout" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23566" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-17T21:55:11.623" Score="11" ViewCount="471" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in bucolic neighbourhood outside of town. Around here, when we trim evergreens we make a fire and burn them. It gives off a lot of smoke. Is this the best approach to deal with these?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I store them until they're dry and then burn them?  Are these compost-able?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nobody complains about the smoke, it just doesn't feel right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11762" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T07:57:11.800" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T07:57:11.800" Title="Should I be burning evergreen trimmings?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;&lt;bonfire&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="23567" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23570" CreationDate="2016-03-18T01:44:19.137" Score="12" ViewCount="187" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a bare-root Gala apple tree last year, and it's waking up now and budding all over. However, a good number of the buds are close to the ground, and they're coming out along the entire length of the young trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I prune the buds close to the ground to encourage growth at the top? Or will this stress the tree too much when it's just getting established?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For reference, the tree is planted in clay loam soil with a wide mulch basin in zone 7B in northern New Mexico, with spring conditions of 100% sun (all supplemental irrigation), 35-70f daily temperatures, and 10-50 MPH winds, so conditions are rather harsh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2016-03-18T06:51:20.290" Title="Should I prune the lower buds of my bare-root tree that's waking up?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23568" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23566" CreationDate="2016-03-18T04:04:05.690" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I personally would shred them all and use it as tree mulch. Stuff that can't be shredded can be buried, and you can &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;plant over it&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although incinerating tree material is considered a carbon neutral activity, it doesn't take account of the loss of nutrient from the soil. The law of return says that which is taken from the ground must be returned otherwise there's a net loss of nutrients and therefore degradation of soil health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-19T02:56:50.080" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T02:56:50.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23569" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23559" CreationDate="2016-03-18T04:11:46.213" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like it could need a larger pot to help stabilize the base. Some species of croton, such as the broad leaf one you have, can have a more droopy form. If it only has one stem don't prune it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-03-18T04:11:46.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23570" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23567" CreationDate="2016-03-18T06:51:20.290" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every bud can become a shoot/branch. If you don't want branches where buds appear (like on the trunk close to the ground), just rub them off. If you've waited so long that they are now shoots that you don't want, remove them with your pruner. That's all there is to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruit trees are frequently grafted to roots of a different variety, or even a different species. The rootstock is chosen for tolerance of growing conditions that the desirable fruit-bearing plant doesn't cope well with on its own. Under some conditions the rootstock will send up shoots we call 'suckers'. You ought to also remove suckers as they appear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These actions (in and of themselves) will not harm your tree, but pruning can infect your tree if the cutting tool is carrying a pathogen from their prior use on an infected tree. Since you often may not know that the other tree was infected, it is a good idea to always sterilize you cutting tools before using them on any given tree. If you know that your tree is infected and you are pruning to remove the infected tissue, it is a good idea to sterilize before/after every cut. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Isopropyl alcohol (70%) is good for this purpose and will not corrode your cutting tools. Household bleach works well for killing pathogens, but will corrode your tools. With knifes and scissors/pruners I find it convenient to wipe the cutting surfaces with a alcohol soaked paper towel (or some such). Saws I drench (pour alcohol onto the teeth).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-03-18T06:51:20.290" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23571" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23559" CreationDate="2016-03-18T10:45:55.190" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codiaeum_variegatum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;croton&lt;/a&gt; is a member of the family Euphorbiaceae and can be found around the world. Although native to Asia you can see it used as hedging in Florida and Mexico.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If grown outdoors in full sun it can grow ten feet tall (3 M).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant is doing quite well as it has leaves all over the stem.  These are high light plants and the most common appearance is a lot of bare stem where the lower leaves have dropped off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Croton's bud readily from old wood so if it gets too tall you can cut the stem almost anywhere and it will bud out and resume growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rotating the plant a quarter turn every week.  Plants grow towards the light and your light source seems to be from one direction. Rotating it will keep it more upright.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you repot one size up it will stop putting on top growth for a while as the roots find more nutrients.  I recommend taking the plant out of the pot: cutting an inch of roots from the bottom and adding fresh soil less mix at the bottom instead.  No need to buy a new pot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;crotons are commonly attacked by spider mites, mealybug and thrip. Look on the underside of the leaves on a regular basis for whitish salt crystal size objects (spider mites) or whitish cottony tufts (mealy bug).  If you observe any take a picture and ask another question.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-03-18T10:45:55.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23572" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23566" CreationDate="2016-03-18T12:26:53.213" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Evergreen trimmings certainly are compostable, but if there are lots of large, woody branches, they'll take a very long time to compost down. If you have a shredder, you can speed that process up by shredding the wood first. If you dried out large branches, preferably removing the green leafy parts for composting first, they'd burn quicker and more cleanly, but only if you were able to store them for up to a year out of rain and damp. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-03-18T12:26:53.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23561" CreationDate="2016-03-18T12:42:42.027" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are three different ways to propagate this plant - if the clump is very large, you can dig it up in spring, split it and replant the section/s. Otherwise, you can try semi ripe cuttings, in mid to late summer, from non flowering shoots, some instructions in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.garden.org/regional/report/arch/inmygarden/200&quot;&gt;http://www.garden.org/regional/report/arch/inmygarden/200&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, collect the seed when it forms, removing husks and dried bits from the flowers, and sow where they are to flower outdoors, or, more successful, ensure the seed is dry, contain it in some foil and then a plastic bag, or just in a sealed plastic bag, pop it in the fridge to store the seed over winter, and start off indoors the following year 6-8 weeks before you want to plant them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-18T12:47:50.050" LastActivityDate="2016-03-18T12:47:50.050" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23574" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23583" CreationDate="2016-03-18T19:44:33.193" Score="9" ViewCount="16868" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got this plant from IKEA, and transplanted it with a cactus soil mix. However, the leaves are turning yellow from the bottom ring of leaves and spreading to the top ring. What may be the reason and how can I fix it? &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JCVCX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JCVCX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13795" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T04:48:11.390" Title="Why is my Sago Palm (Cycas Revoluta) leaves yellowing?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23575" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23579" CreationDate="2016-03-18T20:07:21.880" Score="6" ViewCount="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't remember his name.  I think he was active in the 50's to 70's.  His techniques involved creating berms of fallen branches and twigs, and later incorporating the decayed matter into his soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help would be appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14085" LastActivityDate="2016-03-18T22:30:44.767" Title="What is the name of the French pioneer of organic/sustainable farming?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;sustainability&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23576" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23563" CreationDate="2016-03-18T20:31:46.820" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;How about some small evergreen ferns? &#xA;Which ones would depend on whether dry shade or damp shade.  How about a carpet of primulas/primroses, or cowslips? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-03-23T08:50:39.083" LastActivityDate="2016-03-23T08:50:39.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23577" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18187" CreationDate="2016-03-18T20:43:28.700" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it's a shoot with blooms it's got chemicals within it to programme it to bloom, and not grow roots. There are unlikely to be nodes along its length which the stem can be cut to length near. If present, cut just below the leaf node, there is just an outside chance it will form roots, but this is highly unlikely. Plant in gritty compost and keep moist. There are unfortunately no leaves on the stem to keep the stem fed via light sources until any roots are formed. &#xA;Alternatively place on window cill in bud vase and enjoy the blooms if they flower. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-18T20:43:28.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23578" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-18T22:29:26.980" Score="6" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;In most of the websites they say that I need to maintain a good airflow in my worm bin to prevent making it anaerobic, but most websites only says that I need to have a good worm beddings and enough holes. For me it seems reasonable to turn over the soil, putting the soil from bottom part to the top part, do you think it is good?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've asked this question because my worm bin seems okay but after digging I notice that there are many spoil foods at the middle part, the smell is very bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7178" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T05:58:38.167" Title="Do I need to turn over the soil when vermicomposting?" Tags="&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23579" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23575" CreationDate="2016-03-18T22:30:44.767" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The berms of branches and twigs practice is referred to as &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%BCgelkultur&quot;&gt;Hügelkultur&lt;/a&gt; The technique dates back a few centuries in Germany and Eastern Europe. In the 1960's it gained new life when &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepp_Holzer&quot;&gt;Sepp Holzer&lt;/a&gt; (an Austrian) put it to use along with numerous other techniques to improve farm yields on his land.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2016-03-18T22:30:44.767" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23580" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23562" CreationDate="2016-03-18T23:28:52.877" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check to see if it gets enough water and sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14078" LastActivityDate="2016-03-18T23:28:52.877" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23581" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23563" CreationDate="2016-03-19T00:05:26.140" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large amount of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=u760&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;vinca minor&lt;/a&gt;, which I think would be a good choice for you.  It's low-growing, reaching about an inch at maturity. It's also vine-like, with long trailing stems that cover the roots of even your biggest trees. It has very shallow roots, so even if it gets near your path, all you have to do is pinch it back or pluck it out. The dark oval-shaped leaves are pretty all year round. Lovely, low-lying purple/blue flowers bloom profusely in the spring and fall, and sporadically through the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vinca is hardy in zones 4-8 (I'm in 6), tolerant of most types of soil, especially the type of moist ground that's common under trees, and is very easy to grow. Even though it's mostly a shade plant, it thrives in some sun, and I use it as a border behind some sunny annuals like marigolds and salvia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also transplants very easily. This year I pulled some out, stuck the roots in potting soil and it became a really pretty trailing element in my shade-growing window boxes, where it's held its color all winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people call it invasive, but for me, that's a good thing. As you can see from my picture, it quickly fills in any space. It will also wrap around sedum, hostas, and any other shade plants in the area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on picture for bigger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RINYw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RINYwm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Vinca Minor&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-22T22:14:45.333" LastActivityDate="2016-03-22T22:14:45.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23582" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23588" CreationDate="2016-03-19T04:15:16.287" Score="7" ViewCount="469" Body="&lt;p&gt;1) I think this is a &lt;em&gt;Sansevieria suffruticosa&lt;/em&gt;, but I'm just guessing based on internet pictures.  Does that seem right?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It made these flowers once, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U3hL2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U3hL2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and looks like this at the base.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WaSCD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WaSCD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) It's grown extremely long and lanky-looking.  The leaves are &gt;30 inches long, and sprawled and twisted all over the place.  Are they supposed to do this?  Should I have been pruning this in some way to prevent this from happening?  I've seen similar plants where the spines go straight up, but it doesn't look like mine would do that based on the way they fan out at the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XkNMg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XkNMg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14081" LastEditorUserId="14081" LastEditDate="2016-03-20T01:30:40.200" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T01:30:40.200" Title="How can I make this succulent less splayed-out and lanky?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23574" CreationDate="2016-03-19T04:48:11.390" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yellowing leaves are almost certain to indicate root problems. The only exception that is likely to occur is chlorosis, which is an iron deficiency and is identified by yellow tissue riddled with green veins. This is not your pattern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most common root problem and likely your problem is root anoxia - the roots are not getting enough oxygen. In other words, you are probably watering too much and the roots are drowning. The remedy is to not water so much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't water if you wipe your finger tip across the soil surface and soil sticks to your finger. Dig down into the soil with your finger. Don't water if it feels soggy/mucky - wait until it feels loose and barely damp. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can substitute a chop stick for your finger. Plunge it deeply into the pot and use it like the dip stick used for checking the oil in the engine of your automobile. Pull it out occasionally and check if the chopstick is wet. If it is, don't water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you were to stop watering altogether, your plant likely will begin to turn green and then it would eventually lose turgidity, meaning the stems will droop. If you then water, turgidity will return in a matter of a few minutes to a few hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, there is the possibility that your plant has root rot (a Phytophthora infection). If so, your plant will not perk when you stop watering. Then I suggest you get some 3% hydrogen peroxide at your local pharmacy; put 2 tablespoons of peroxide in a quart of water and drench the roots with the solution (i.e., pour it on the soil surface so that it will drain through all of the soil; make more if a quart isn't enough). Then resume not watering until you absolutely know it needs watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T04:48:11.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23584" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23578" CreationDate="2016-03-19T05:58:38.167" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is likely you are feeding them incorrectly based on your previous question.  African night crawlers are surface feeders but you've been placing food below the surface.  They feed on the surface and drag decaying food into their burrows.  For this reason you should not disturb the bin as you'll destroy their burrows.  And you should only feed as much as they remove by the morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the bin is an anaerobic pile now, you will likely have to move them to a new bin.  However, if you can remove the decomposing food, you can start to surface feed them only as much as they can eat&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T05:58:38.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23585" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-19T08:08:53.807" Score="5" ViewCount="949" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a hedge of bay trees (Laurus nobilis). I cut it out, as it was puffing out too much and I decided to keep only a single plant (see picture to get the idea).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jCVC2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jCVC2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My point is that very often a lot of basal shoots come out from the old hedge roots and I have to cut them every time, unsuccessfully.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I have some hints about how to effectively prevent basal shoots from proliferating?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7262" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2018-07-24T21:18:48.917" LastActivityDate="2018-07-24T21:18:48.917" Title="How do I prevent basal shoots from bay laurel (Laurus nobilis)?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;suckers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="23586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23585" CreationDate="2016-03-19T09:52:24.037" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you just cut down the unwanted plants and left the roots in situ, they will continue to try to grow all the time. The only way to stop that is to treat the stumps with stumpkiller, something like SBK brushwood killer (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vitax.co.uk/home-garden/sbk-brushwood-killer/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.vitax.co.uk/home-garden/sbk-brushwood-killer/&lt;/a&gt;, by drilling into them and applying the product to the wells or holes you've made. If there aren't any visible stumps, you'll need to dig around and treat major roots in a similar way instead, obviously being careful that you don't treat the roots of the tree you want to keep by mistake. If you can't find SBK, there should be similar treatments available where you are, but if you do use SBK, although it tells you to dilute it, I never do for killing tree stumps, I simply apply the product neat, and very, very carefully, to the holes I've drilled, and cover afterwards. It's important not to spill it anywhere else, including the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other option is to remove all stumps and roots to a depth of a foot to 18 inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T09:52:24.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23587" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23566" CreationDate="2016-03-19T10:15:48.107" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a way for your community to have a community composting scheme? Many benefits including bringing the community together.  Or a local authority green collection/collection point? Personally I would only burn if it's the only option and last option. Failing that as others have suggested shred and compost all but diseased cut material. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T10:15:48.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23582" CreationDate="2016-03-19T10:16:33.967" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think its actually Sansevieria cylindrica, and as such, it needs higher light levels than many of the other varieties. Grown in bright daylight, it will be more erect and is less likely to collapse the way yours has done, though some stems may still splay to an extent. It also looks as if it needs to be set just slightly lower in its pot, so that the soil is supporting the base of the plant better. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can find a spot for it where it will get bright daylight, even with some sun, then I'd cut out the more splayed out stems, leaving the more upright ones. As the pot its currently in is almost full to the brim, I suggest you find a slightly taller pot, but &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; bigger otherwise, and repot, increasing by not more than quarter to half an inch the depth at which its planted, or just add horticultural grit to the top of the pot to provide a bit more support, again no deeper than quarter of an inch, and see what happens. With regard to the height of the pot, its better to always have one that's tall enough to leave a clear half an inch at the top with no soil or plant roots, to facilitate watering (stops it running over the edge before penetrating the soil). With better light conditions, it should produce more erect growth. More info about this plant generally in the link below - growing as a houseplant, scroll down the page&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantsrescue.com/sansevieria-cylindrica/&quot;&gt;http://www.plantsrescue.com/sansevieria-cylindrica/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-19T10:24:23.160" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T10:24:23.160" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23589" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23535" CreationDate="2016-03-19T10:21:16.867" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lichens are a marker for air purity.  They vary from algal lichens to the mossy shrubby lichens you will see hanging from the branches of pristine forests.  The more complex organisms  they are the purer the air.  They're very good to see close by.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T10:21:16.867" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23590" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23562" CreationDate="2016-03-19T10:53:37.147" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The likeliest explanation for loss of fruit in this way is actually insufficient water - any fruiting plant, once the fruit is forming, needs extra supplies of water to complete the process, particularly during their first five years. If the water supply is insufficient, the plant will sacrifice its fruit to save itself. Given your Celeste has only been in the ground a year, it would have needed extra water supplies when the fruitlets formed, which it doesn't sound as if it got - reducing your own watering if it's raining (unless it's absolutely torrential for some hours) may mean there's simply not enough water available for the roots to take up, particularly if the plant is against a wall or fence for support. As the plant matures, it will spread out roots far and wide to find what it needs, but will likely still need watering by you in very dry spells for the first four or five years if it's forming fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Figs also will drop fruit naturally if there's too many fruitlets, or if some of them are infested or infected, but unless there's a widespread infestation or infection, it wouldn't be usual to see loss of all fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-19T11:00:10.010" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T11:00:10.010" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23591" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23594" CreationDate="2016-03-19T12:31:31.267" Score="7" ViewCount="1475" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a gravel driveway in my front yard that I want to remove to put a garden bed. The gravel is large (1/2&quot; to 1&quot; dia.) and very compacted, so it is nearly impossible to remove by hand. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to rent some small power equipment to do the task, but I'm not sure if a skid loader, excavator, or something else is the right tool for the job. Opinions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14087" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T14:44:26.367" Title="Best power equipment to remove compacted gravel?" Tags="&lt;gravel&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23592" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-19T12:37:26.027" Score="7" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not sure if this will fit here or on lifehacks.SE.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have an African night crawler escaping from my vermicompost bin and it's really hard to pick them up carefully without hurting them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Things that I've tried so far:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pick them using my hand - This takes a lot of time, specially if they are on the wet places.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use broom and dustpan to transfer them back to my bin - it seems that I'm still hurting them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is how do I quickly transfer worms to my bin without hurting them? Is there a proper way to transfer them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7178" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T17:59:55.147" Title="How to properly pick worms?" Tags="&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23563" CreationDate="2016-03-19T14:35:00.617" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A shady mix lawn could be done. It will likely need maintenance/reseeding every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A mix of low-growing native forest edge plants could be used. This could include some of the native prairie grasses, which grow naturally in forest openings in your area, but won't be lawn-like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moss is also an option, but in my experience it is pretty fragile and may require a lot of maintenance to keep it going if there is any foot traffic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also consider hardscaping the area immediately around the house with something like flagstones, and then planting low-growing perennials, like violets, in between the stones. This would be a lot of work to build initially, but afterwards the maintenance is minimal, you have an area you can easily walk through, and it looks quite lovely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T14:35:00.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23591" CreationDate="2016-03-19T14:44:26.367" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last time I rented a bobcat to dig out a compacted clay bank even with a toothed bucket it could not break up the clay.  Compacted gravel could be equally hard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend hiring a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backhoe&quot;&gt;backhoe&lt;/a&gt; which has a hydraulic bucket on the back.  Bonus is that the person/company owning the backhoe usually has a dump truck to pull a trailer.  You can get them to break and load the gravel into the truck in one operation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T14:44:26.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23595" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23600" CreationDate="2016-03-19T15:48:46.877" Score="10" ViewCount="625" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm attempting to grow some Sequoiadendron giganteum (Giant Sequoia) from seedlings I received from a friend. I plan to bonsai them, since i don't really have the need or space for a 300ft tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The 2 that had leaves were green and awesome when I got them. I put them under a 480 Lumen 5000k led lamp at about 3' above, and near a heat register. I gave them 12 hours of light, and they started dying. Obviously, they weren't happy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have 3: #1 is still sprouting and is difficult to judge, #2 has 4 leaves and is now mostly black in the stem and curled over, and #3 has 4 leaves which have browned a bit and the stem has a small amount of brown and curling towards the top. It has 4 new leaves that haven't turned brown yet, but the top is now at 90deg from vertical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, realizing there was obviously a problem, I started attempting to mitigate the situation with the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been keeping the soil moist (not wet) by misting, and have attempted to raise the humidity by setting the pot above a dish of water. It being winter, I knew this could be a problem, but didn't realize how dry it was.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For light, I'm using an 800 Lumen, 5000k led bulb sitting about 12 inches from the pot, that is timed to stay on 12 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3 days, and I'm not seeing any improvement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: what am I doing wrong? Is there any saving any of these, or should I get some new ones?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iJwiR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;one in the best shape&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E1CPm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the other two&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14088" LastEditorUserId="14088" LastEditDate="2016-03-19T20:01:26.967" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T23:17:32.870" Title="Giant Sequoia Bonsai" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23596" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23598" CreationDate="2016-03-19T16:12:19.973" Score="8" ViewCount="219" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what kind of plant this is? Note that it will most likely bloom, something I've never seen it do, and I've had it for many years! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lsZPW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the unknown plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13697" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-20T00:12:38.280" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T00:12:38.280" Title="What is this houseplant with leaves that grow in a circular pattern?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23596" CreationDate="2016-03-19T16:23:41.520" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, that's such a coincidence - this is the second question on this particular plant today. It's Sansevieria cylindrica - confirmation of ID can be achieved once the flowers are fully out. Your specimen is getting enough light and is growing well - this particular variety of Sansevieria does appreciate much brighter daylight than other varieties, and it flowers more readily than other varieties too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantsrescue.com/sansevieria-cylindrica/&quot;&gt;http://www.plantsrescue.com/sansevieria-cylindrica/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T16:23:41.520" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23592" CreationDate="2016-03-19T17:59:55.147" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There was a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/feb/08/research.highereducation.&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;study&lt;/a&gt; conducted by the Norwegian government that concluded that worms do not feel pain but exhibit reflex avoidance behaviour. They simply do not have the nerve density to feel pain as we do. That being said they can still learn avoidance behaviour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The worm nervous system shows that nerves are concentrated around the head so it seems logical to avoid that region in picking them up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XbWHc7QzOec/UVmcEHdv8KI/AAAAAAAAB00/AnZZiCeeHNY/s1600/Nervous+System+of+Earth+Worm.JPG&quot; alt=&quot;worm Nervou system&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That worms are leaving your bin indicates the possibility that your bin is becoming toxic due to overfeeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:37.013" LastActivityDate="2016-03-19T17:59:55.147" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23600" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23595" CreationDate="2016-03-19T18:18:29.717" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you are not supplying enough light. Natural sunlight is on the order of 10,000 lumens per square foot. The grow light standard is a 4 foot long, 4 or 5 tube T5 fluorescent fixture. Now there are full-spectrum LED equivalents that only use about 30% of the electricity, which means they produce less heat and can be placed closer to your trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over the time span of a few weeks, the lack of light might induce yellowing foliage and maybe even leaf drop, but shouldn't be fatal to the tree. So you very well may have additional problems (possibly fungal). Regardless, your cheapest and simplest remedy is to keep the trees outside. Making bonsai is a process of wiring &amp;amp; bending, pruning, and grafting to achieve your ends. Indoor growing is very challenging (lighting, air flow, humidity, bugs and other pathogens, etc.) - good luck with your project. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Black color implies the cambium has died. Loss of turgidity implies more water being lost to transportation than supplied by the roots through the xylem (wood). When the cambium dies it also causes the xylem to be sealed off. So, the tops of your trees might be getting cooked by heat from your lights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Possibly your little seedlings are just desiccating. You can put a zip loc bag over the pot and all or the top of an empty clear plastic bottle (with the bottom removed) or similar to make a little terrarium that will maintain higher humidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastEditorUserId="13580" LastEditDate="2016-04-08T23:17:32.870" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T23:17:32.870" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23601" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23607" CreationDate="2016-03-19T20:28:13.823" Score="10" ViewCount="672" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought some seeds of coffee to grow a plant in my living-room.&#xA;I put them between a couple of paper towels and I wet them.&#xA;Then I covered them with a dish, so that light cannot affect them, and I keep them in my living-room, at about 20 °C.&#xA;After some days, I cannot see any improvement, yet (the seeds absorbed some water, but they haven't germinated, yet).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I wander how long should I wait, before giving up and throw them away...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I checked &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/8871/7262&quot;&gt;How do germinate the seed of a coffee plant?&lt;/a&gt;, but it doesn't say anything about time)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7262" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-03-03T08:19:35.027" LastActivityDate="2021-03-03T08:19:57.283" Title="How long do coffee seeds require to germinate?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="23602" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24187" CreationDate="2016-03-19T21:06:29.233" Score="11" ViewCount="2783" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it important that the clove for garlic is pointed end up, or can it grow just as good on its side, and look a little funny?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-03-20T21:16:40.260" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T23:31:35.683" Title="Does the garlic clove need to grow pointed end up?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23603" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23602" CreationDate="2016-03-20T00:11:14.303" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it depends on what you want. If you are going to harvest it later on then you probably want to plant them mostly straight up and down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you aren't harvesting, it'll probably grow just fine and new cloves and divisions will likely to grow straight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T00:11:14.303" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23604" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-20T00:51:59.080" Score="5" ViewCount="38" Body="&lt;p&gt;My courgette plants are growing well and started to have flower buds. However the buds did not bloom and instead the tips turn brown and they drop off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14090" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-21T21:06:47.913" LastActivityDate="2016-03-21T21:06:47.913" Title="My courgette flower not blooming" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-03-28T19:40:15.710" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23605" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23602" CreationDate="2016-03-20T10:16:43.427" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't plant the whole bulb, but split them into cloves, and plant each of the cloves separately. Each clove will develop a new bulb that will be oriented correctly. I doubt it matters if the tapered end of the clove is pointed up or laterally since the stored mass is used to grow the new leaves which then create the new bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you plant the clove upside down, then you will get a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/fruit-vegetable/growing-garlic-in-minnesota/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mishapen bulb&lt;/a&gt; produced, and likely smaller bulbs as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-04-20T04:34:45.613" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T04:34:45.613" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23606" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23636" CreationDate="2016-03-20T10:24:51.707" Score="7" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this unknown plant in my garden, anyone know what it is?&#xA;It grew initially with purple leaves but are now green since small flowers have appeared. I am from Sydney, Australia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ad7BH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ad7BH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JQq8c.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JQq8c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14091" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T22:50:42.407" Title="What plant is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-11-28T07:19:28.927" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23601" CreationDate="2016-03-20T10:25:21.427" Score="7" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The potential for germination will continue for almost four months, but after this time the germination rate is several fold less and germination time is significantly longer.  Fresh seeds should germinate in 2.5 months, but old seeds can take as long as 6 months. Coffee in pergamino is even better. If this is available plant the coffee face down in the pergamino.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is advisable to pre-germinate the seeds.  First soak the coffee seeds in water for 24 hours.  Then sow the seeds in damp sand or wet vermiculite in which the excess water has been drained.  Otherwise, you can place the seeds between moist coffee sacks, which should be watered twice a day and drained well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coffeeresearch.org/coffee/homegrowing.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growing Coffee Beans at Home&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So looks like it takes a long time to germinate a seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-03-03T08:19:57.283" LastActivityDate="2021-03-03T08:19:57.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="23608" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-20T10:37:22.393" Score="7" ViewCount="9933" Body="&lt;p&gt;My dracaena has been losing a lot of leaves recently, and it seems to me that they all have brown spots. They turn yellow and then they fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My mom says nothing has changed in the way she watered it during the entire winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the pictures for larger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zXG7r.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zXG7rm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dracena&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0PzcZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0PzcZm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pELPw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pELPwm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/agnTD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/agnTDm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Junction&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update on 4/1/16: still losing leaves, and every leaf has brown areas on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update on 4/20/16: nothing has changed...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14092" LastEditorUserId="14092" LastEditDate="2016-04-20T07:03:54.433" LastActivityDate="2021-03-26T13:04:01.617" Title="Why are my Dracaena marginata leaves getting brown spots and falling off?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23608" CreationDate="2016-03-20T12:01:09.383" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_(plant)&quot;&gt;Dracaena marginata&lt;/a&gt; which is now an unlikely member of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagaceae&quot;&gt;Asparagaceae&lt;/a&gt; family.  These plants are native to Africa and are usually trees which grow in full sun in dry conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The picture shows a couple of sunken lesions which are typical of fungal/viral/bacterial action.  This is not likely to be the cause of the issue, only the symptom. The other items I notice are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;new growth looks healthy&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stems look firm, not dry and dead&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;red margin is quite prominent indicating adequate light levels&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fresh soil with a high peat/organic matter content appears to have been added&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sunken lesions indicate the a soil that is too moist.  This plant grows in full sun in hot environments.  I suggest removing the top dressing of organic matter and reducing the amount of water.  Observe the plant for the next month. If there is no improvement repot with a soil that drains faster.  Sharp sand, perlite, vermiculite, small gravel ( .5 cm diameter) are all suitable things to add to an existing soil mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Follow these diagnostic checks to determine if the most common causes are present:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;check the underside of the leaves for what appears to be tiny grains of salt. These are spider mites and can be controlled with 5 ml dish soap in 1 litre of water applied to the underside of the leaves with a cloth three times at five to seven day intervals&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;check the crown of the plant for pale growth.  There is a less common spider mite that chooses to live in the apex rather than the leaves.  Treatment is the same but not normally as successful.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;check for white cottony tufts on the underside of leaves or the crown which are mealy bug.  On this plant they are very hard to get rid of. Soap and water as described above is a good start.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove the plant from it's pot and examine the roots. Healthy root are firm and white.  Larger roots have a yellowish colour.  Roots that are soft or black have root rot which is typically found in over watered plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;feel the stems of the plant.  If they are soft or feel hollow then they are dead or dying.  The most common cause is overwatering.  This will cause slow leaf drop as the amount of nutrients reaching the leaves is inadequate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;check for adequate light levels.  When grown in high or moderate light this plant will normally have red margins on the leaves.  In low light these are less prominent.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-03-20T15:10:01.420" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T15:10:01.420" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23610" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23616" CreationDate="2016-03-20T12:48:14.857" Score="10" ViewCount="3784" Body="&lt;p&gt;On a recent &quot;field trip&quot; I noticed the prominent rings that palm trees have where leaves were attached.  Can you tell how old it is from these?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uXim3.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uXim3.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="13523" LastEditDate="2016-03-20T16:52:04.657" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T16:52:04.657" Title="Can you tell the age of a palm tree by its leaf scars?" Tags="&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23611" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-20T14:45:42.270" Score="3" ViewCount="34" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a little plant of Polyscias fruticosa in my living-room. It is about 1 m tall and more then 10 years old. It is not exposed to direct light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year it started to look a bit painful and, indeed, its root were starting to rot. I changed its soil, adding some sand to it, to drain water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After one year, it is still alive, but still very painful: very few leaves, not of that usual, beautiful, dark green color. Also, since some years, it is not flowering. It also used to have a strong scence of liquorice, that now is almost unnoticeable (I must admit that this last consideration could be just an impression).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions to make it feel better?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: I already checked a similar questions (e.g.: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/20542/what-kind-of-tree-is-this&quot;&gt;What kind of tree is this?&lt;/a&gt; ) about Polyscias fruticosa, but replies to it do not actually address my problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7262" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-03-21T07:52:28.897" Title="How to maintain indoor Polyscias fruticosa" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23612" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23847" CreationDate="2016-03-20T15:28:14.143" Score="7" ViewCount="610" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Drlv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Drlv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Can anyone identify this house plant - it has broad leaves and a rosette center?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pLuCm.jpg![plantidunknown]&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pLuCm.jpg![plantidunknown]&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14093" LastEditorUserId="14093" LastEditDate="2016-03-20T16:35:30.280" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T23:39:19.630" Title="Can anyone identify this house plant - it has broad leaves and a rosette center? Dracena Family(?) but short trunk" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23614" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22514" CreationDate="2016-03-20T16:23:19.030" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are the answers to your questions in order:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut the leaf as close to the base of the plant as possible to be able to extract as much of the Aloe Vera Gel as possible.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;About 2-3 inches of leaf should provide a tablespoon of juice if cut at the widest part of the leaf.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Always leave a couple of leaves on the plant to keep it healthy enough to regrow. I buy my Aloe Leaves at Wholefoods, their stores stock them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As I mentioned about don't cut all of the leaves off unless you want the plant to die.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Top tip! Make sure you remove the Aloin compound which is the yellowish slimy layer underneath the skin of the leaf and only use the pure gel underneath for juicing. The Aloin compound is a natural laxative. Beware! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For more top tips on Aloe Vera Check out the link below.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aloeverahq.com/how-to-make-your-own-aloe-vera-juice/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.aloeverahq.com/how-to-make-your-own-aloe-vera-juice/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14095" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-20T18:06:46.947" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T18:06:46.947" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23615" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="536" CreationDate="2016-03-20T16:30:03.983" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, garlic flowers are delicious. Pull the petals off and use them in your cooking. We generally put them in salads, on steaks, in rice or mashed potatoes.. Etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14096" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T16:30:03.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23610" CreationDate="2016-03-20T16:36:43.090" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.conifers.org/topics/oldest.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;dendrochronologist says&lt;/a&gt; that some people extrapolate the age of palms from their leaf scars, and the time it takes to grow a leaf, but that the method is just a wild guess. But there is no other method that can be used intrinsic to the palm i.e. you can't count rings, and you can not carbon date.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T16:36:43.090" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23618" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30164" CreationDate="2016-03-20T18:59:34.827" Score="5" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most leaves on my Euphorbia pulcherrima falled down, there are only left on the top of plant. It now looks a bit odd&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fItle.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fItle.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Euphorbia pulcherrima&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to ask what to do with it. Can I cut the top (will the top grow if I plant it?)? If I can cut it, where / when?&#xA;Thank you for your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3022" LastActivityDate="2016-12-11T20:47:10.387" Title="Only top leaves left on Euphorbia pulcherrima" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23619" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23621" CreationDate="2016-03-20T19:09:21.933" Score="5" ViewCount="12572" Body="&lt;p&gt;My friend almost killed this aloe, it was just a dead stalk, and gave it to me to try to fix.  I've got it to grow again:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2015-08:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EZYMA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EZYMA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;but now it's drooping over the edge of the pot:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2016-03:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bfJas.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bfJas.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Overwatered&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Underwatered&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Just grown too big for its pot/roots to hold it up?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water it once every week or two, when I remember.  The soil always feels dry to the touch when I do.  It's in &quot;Cactus palm and citrus soil&quot; from Home Depot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves feel the same firmness as my other aloe that seems to be doing well:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5AyOE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5AyOE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my aloe&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14081" LastActivityDate="2020-03-02T18:56:33.700" Title="Aloe is drooping, is it ok?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23620" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23743" CreationDate="2016-03-20T19:15:59.947" Score="9" ViewCount="1122" Body="&lt;p&gt;I left some leeks in the ground from last year, and they shot up to form a bulb in December. They flowered shortly afterwards at a height of about 6 feet. I expected the seeds to be ready for planting this year but it's already into autumn and the seeds don't look ready. I've examined a few and they are still green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know how long I need to wait for the seeds to go black? And can I cut the flowers off and let the seeds harden off the plant, or do I need to leave them on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Wo1E4SS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leek flower head&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-22T01:05:13.433" LastActivityDate="2020-01-05T20:54:10.357" Title="Leeks, how long from flower to dry seed?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23621" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23619" CreationDate="2016-03-20T19:35:31.983" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to tell from the photos but the leaves on your problematic aloe seem different to your &quot;other aloe&quot;. Perhaps they're different species and thus will have different different habits ie. not supporting themselves well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like you have have three aloe babies growing in that one pot. It'd be better if you lifted them into separate pots, placing them upright so they're roots have the chance to support them upright. To do this, you should lift the whole plant out and brush off as much soil as you can. Then carefully separate the baby plants from the main plant, the best way is to cut them off with a sharp knife.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to your 3 suggestions, you should rightly be wary of overwatering Aloe since it can lead to root rot. It doesn't look like it's suffering from this particularly. If I overwater my aloes I see a build up of fruit flies around the pot, suggesting something is rotting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should be equally careful of underwatering, especially if your soil medium is peat based. Aloes like to be dry whilst they're dormant through winter, however if you let peat dry out then you'll never be able to rehydrate it. Which is a mystery to me why it's often marketed at cacti / succulent growers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe growing space is the issue here, but technically not due to pot size. Aloes form shallow horizontal root systems, so with 3 plants crowded into one pot they're likely to be in each other's way. Certainly transplant them into bigger pots, but think wider not deeper.&#xA;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2016-03-21T10:36:48.117" LastActivityDate="2016-03-21T10:36:48.117" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23622" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-20T20:19:20.077" Score="6" ViewCount="316" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a magnolia 'Little Jem' that is about 4 years since I planted it in my backyard. It gets very good sunlight. However it is not flowering very well (see attached picture). I am in the San Francisco Bay Area. We had good rains so water is not the issue. Any suggestions as to what I should be doing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xgzZu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xgzZu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-25T18:01:05.910" LastActivityDate="2017-12-25T18:01:05.910" Title="Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem' not flowering" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;magnolia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23623" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-20T20:22:05.717" Score="6" ViewCount="494" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a vegetable raised box where I grow various vegetables in spring and summer. I noticed quite a few Rollie pollies in the box. Wondering if they will harm my vegetable crop this year and what if anything I can do to prevent that. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ec8Hq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ec8Hq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-03-20T22:17:57.403" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T22:23:33.403" Title="Rollie pollies - are they harmful to vegetables?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2016-03-26T02:43:50.563" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23624" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23642" CreationDate="2016-03-20T20:29:16.560" Score="8" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some fava beans a few months back as cover crop in my vegetable raised bed. They grew very well and as suggested my members of this group, I cut the top part and left the roots inside to provide nitrogen. I am wondering what to do with the top part. I think the recommendation is to bury that I the soil and it provides additional nutrients. Do I have to bury those ASAP or after it dries up?  Also, how deep do I bury it and can I bury it next to the roots itself(between the rows I planted)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AHiW5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AHiW5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-03-26T20:28:24.323" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T20:28:24.323" Title="Ground cover - maximizing value" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;cover-crop&gt;&lt;fava-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23625" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-20T20:47:49.900" Score="7" ViewCount="1448" Body="&lt;p&gt;This year I installed netting that was supposed to protect my plants from insects. However, what's happening is that although I've largely excluded pieris rapae, I'm getting largely uncontrolled aphid growth. The mesh is likely excluding lady birds, and possibly some predator wasps though I do see some aphids that have been parasitized. Snails, and wetas seem to be able to climb under the net.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have found some lady birds sitting on the mesh trying to get in, and I've picked them off and put them inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I go to a smaller mesh size to try and keep aphids out I think this will produce too much lowering of the light intensity, and ventilation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And my Brussels sprouts are now over 6 feet tall pulling the mesh upwards creating gaps at the bottom indicating that small hoops with mesh don't work for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, what's the best balance?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/g2SXg9S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mesh&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/oSn82AC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mesh over hoops&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-04-02T22:12:07.230" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T22:12:07.230" Title="Ideal mesh size for insect control" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23626" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23624" CreationDate="2016-03-20T21:13:32.590" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Firstly, you should dig the bed over to break up the beans' nodules and release nutrients evenly throughout the bed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't even have to bury the top growth: you can lay it on the bed as a mulch. Doing this it'll make no difference whether or not it has dried out, although damp foliage is heavier thus less likely to blow away. Mulching will feed the soil for the next growing season whilst preventing weeds colonising the bed and converting the nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, you should dig them into the top 10 inches of soil. Leave the bed for a couple of weeks before replanting, since the breaking down foliage will affect new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, according to the RHS ( &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=373&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=373&lt;/a&gt; ), only fix nitrogen into the soil during the summer. Unless you're bean plants were about to flower you might not be turning much into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T21:13:32.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23627" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-20T21:16:17.180" Score="7" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;First year in a long time starting tomatoes from seed. They're doing very well. When do most people decide to cut down the ones you don't want to continue growing? I know it's a little early at this point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T22:01:52.293" Title="When is a good time to thin your seedlings?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23628" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23635" CreationDate="2016-03-20T21:49:20.013" Score="10" ViewCount="555" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are the beads this guy is scooping out in this video:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/3Gjd5DRyeks&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/embed/3Gjd5DRyeks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T22:46:48.450" Title="What are those hydroponic beads called?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23627" CreationDate="2016-03-20T22:01:52.293" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A lot can happen between now and &lt;em&gt;then&lt;/em&gt;. I usually wait until there are a few true leaves and it's clear which plants have &lt;em&gt;taken off&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year, I had one little runt that never grew more than a few inches tall while its neighbors were already a few feet tall, so don't cull &lt;em&gt;too&lt;/em&gt; early. Some just never get the message that it's time to GROW GROW GROW.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T22:01:52.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23630" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23619" CreationDate="2016-03-20T22:06:56.080" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should definitely re-pot the three &quot;babies&quot; in separate pots, to get them away from the old dead material which is a constant risk for attracting bugs, fungus diseases, etc. Possibly they are not getting enough light - I think the plantlet at the front of your picture looks a bit &quot;leggy&quot;. Remove the old damaged leaves (using a sterilized knife) when you re-pot them, as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously the easiest way to save a dying plant is to try to get it to grow, but in general it would be better to keep them dry and almost dormant over winter, especially if you want them to flower in summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T22:06:56.080" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23631" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23628" CreationDate="2016-03-20T22:13:21.103" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are called by various names but the one I am familiar with is LECA. It stands for Lightweight Expanded Clay aggregate and is made by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.leca.ae/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this company&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having seen this material used in twenty and thirty year old installations I can attest to its durability.  Lightweight?  Not so much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-03-20T22:26:31.343" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T22:26:31.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23632" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-20T22:20:58.250" Score="8" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hello I have an err 1 on my rain bird controller and all the zones work except for one and two which are in the same place could this be a solenoid gone bad. If so I have found the wire that runs out of the controller does this run to the solenoid box?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14100" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T22:28:32.293" Title="Finding solenoid box" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23623" CreationDate="2016-03-20T22:23:33.403" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The wood at the bottom of the bed looks pretty dark in comparison to the rest of the side. It's most likely that the woodlice are feeding off a decaying box, rather than anything in the bed. They'll only be recycling nutrients from the wood into the bed. They'll cause very little damage if any, mainly to soft fruit or seedling. If anything, they're highly beneficial to the soil structure, aiding the composting process and maintaining biodiversity within the soil&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=723&quot;&gt;RHS - Woodlice&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T22:23:33.403" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23634" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23632" CreationDate="2016-03-20T22:28:32.293" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Welcome to Stack exchange Brandon. Have you had any frost recently, this often causes damage to solenoid valves in irrigation systems? I would work out which pipes should water the broken zones and trace those back to the solenoid. This solenoid is most likely the faulty part and should be replaced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T22:28:32.293" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23635" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23628" CreationDate="2016-03-20T22:46:48.450" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;That look like Hydroton, which explained above is expanded clay. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is highly porous and holds moisture very well, and is used in a lot of Deep Water Culture/Aquaponic/Hydroponic applications. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14101" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T22:46:48.450" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23636" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23606" CreationDate="2016-03-20T22:50:42.407" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like perilla frutescens, also known as Shiso.  These leaves also have a distinctive smell, and are used in Japanese cuisine.  It is invasive here in the USA and could well be in your area as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13998" LastActivityDate="2016-03-20T22:50:42.407" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23637" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23638" CreationDate="2016-03-20T23:09:26.633" Score="7" ViewCount="610" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm working on setting up a prototype aquaponics demonstration environment, and was wondering what I could use for a cheap priced demonstration of an aquaponics research plant? The part I'm stuck on specifically is the tanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13971" LastEditDate="2016-03-21T14:06:00.737" LastActivityDate="2016-03-21T23:49:43.433" Title="What would be good for aquaponics containers to keep prices low, that can sit on the ground (not in the ground)?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;aquaponic&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23638" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23637" CreationDate="2016-03-21T00:14:21.047" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;White plastic 20 gallon pails are available for a nominal price at many hardware stores.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are thinking big then think used &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.containerexchanger.com/bulk-containers/ibc-totes-for-sale&quot;&gt;totes&lt;/a&gt;. These large plastic containers with a top opening and bottom valve are often used to ship food grade vegetable oil or similar. Sizes come in 275 Us gallon or 330 Gallon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My local recycler stocks these and used olive barrels which are smaller but more attractive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As with any used product it is buyer beware in the matter of what was in them before and whether they leak. Olive barrels have a fairly distinctive odour that tells you what they were last used for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-03-21T00:14:21.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23637" CreationDate="2016-03-21T04:37:47.927" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most people seem to use recycled ibc containers that were used to store food before. They are then cut in half so that you end up with two containers. Not elegant but it works.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Barrels, and other containers that are taller then they are wide tend to be less appropriate as they lack the water surface area you need for oxygenation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's a really small system, you can get second hand aquarium tanks fairly cheaply. But of course they're harder to move around with all the glass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any aquaponic system is likely to be more stable the larger volume of water you start with. But then also it may take longer to get nitrifying bacteria and archaea  into your system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-21T23:49:43.433" LastActivityDate="2016-03-21T23:49:43.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23641" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-21T05:58:21.417" Score="7" ViewCount="64" Body="&lt;p&gt;Before I go and try to remove a Bahia Grass infestation in my turf, I'm wondering if Glyphosate will be effective if I apply it only along the stalk that the seed-head grows out of? There is a lot of surface area as they are 1ft tall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastEditorUserId="11909" LastEditDate="2016-03-28T00:45:18.470" LastActivityDate="2016-11-24T01:37:09.800" Title="Spot application of poison on seed head stalk" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23642" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23624" CreationDate="2016-03-21T07:01:56.230" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fava beans are a favored fall cover crop because they enrich the soil, protect against nutrient loss, feed the rhizobacteria, and produce a high protein food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's usually sewed straight after your summer crop so that you get a month or so of growth and nitrogen fixation before the cold weather sets in slowing growth down.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should be cut to the ground two weeks before you do your spring planting. The roots can be left to decompose and release their nitrogen. If you leave your planting too late, you'll lose some of the nitrogen released by the decomposing roots. But you should leave any greenery to dessicate so that green bugs don't get a chance to cross over to the next crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Typically green manures are either dug into the ground or left as a mulch. Fava beans are rather woody so may take a longer time to decompose and release their nutrients. You may be better off adding your compost to the first few cm of soil and use the cut fava bean growth for your compost heap as it provides a good source of structural carbon. I believe the biointensive method is to use it for creating compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-21T07:10:59.400" LastActivityDate="2016-03-21T07:10:59.400" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23643" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-21T14:12:04.843" Score="8" ViewCount="146" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some mushrooms showing up around my landscape. Do I just remove them like any other weed or do I need to do anything special?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pL2w5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pL2w5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-21T22:22:24.587" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T22:22:24.587" Title="What should I do with these mushrooms in my yard?" Tags="&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23644" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-21T14:15:05.663" Score="6" ViewCount="326" Body="&lt;p&gt;See attached plant. Leaves seem to have some issue as identified by dark spots. Any idea what could be wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TQILC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TQILC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2018-08-20T08:19:01.237" Title="Unhealthy plant with dark spots on leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23645" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23643" CreationDate="2016-03-21T14:23:03.913" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you take the fruiting body (mushroom) off, you'll leave behind the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycelium&quot;&gt;mycelium&lt;/a&gt; (&quot;roots&quot;) which are busily turning your wood mulch into finer mulch. Ask yourself if you have a moisture problem in that area, and if so, attempt to fix it. If it's been raining a lot, just pull the mushroom and keep an eye on the area for a few weeks. You may just have a transient problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2016-03-21T14:23:03.913" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23646" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23637" CreationDate="2016-03-21T14:47:53.513" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on the size of the demo, but if you're going for 1-2 plants for a demo, you could run to the dollar store. You could pick up a cheap mop bucket or 12&quot;x8&quot;x5&quot; or so Rubbermaid tub for your demo. If you're going for something larger, you can still get the larger rubbermaids at Walmart relatively cheap or you can get a few 5gal buckets from Homedepot. Also, like another poster said, you can often go to grocery stores and get the empty containers from the deli section.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-03-21T14:47:53.513" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23647" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23641" CreationDate="2016-03-21T15:00:01.747" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's possible and definitely something to test. Glyphosate, from what I read, is supposed to be absorbed through the actively growing portions of the plant. Whether a seed stalk is absorbent enough or not, I can't tell you. My thinking is that it might not be. A seed stalk is meant to be tough enough to stand upright under the weight of the seeds and get them high enough to disperse, while transferring nutrients to grow the seeds. The leaves of plants are designed more to absorb morning dew, which would help them take in the poison. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you test it and it works, you could try putting the chemical, mixed properly if it's a concentrate, in one of those reservoir handles with a sponge on the end. You can get them for $1 at the dollar store. They're meant to hold dish soap so you can wash your dishes with out having to get more soap. You could load it with your poison, the sponge would load up without dripping, you could tape it to a stick so you didn't have to bend over and then just walk along your problem areas, rubbing the sponge on what you wanted to kill. This might help you target your problem areas without affecting the grass you don't want to harm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just remember that when dealing with chemicals, wear protective gear, like rubber gloves or anything else you deem appropriate to safely handle chemicals. I would wear long pants you can wash and real shoes to keep it off your feet, not flip flops. You may walk through where you dispersed it. Also, dispose of all of it appropriately, not where unsuspecting people or animals can come into contact with it. It's serious stuff. Good luck. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-03-21T15:00:01.747" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23648" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-21T18:10:02.273" Score="9" ViewCount="271" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm using mulch on my trees and shrubs here in upper SC. We have heavy clay soils. I've been putting mulch around all the trees and shrubs I plant, but I feel like some of them don't need it anymore or at least there is a point when the benefit doesn't out weigh any expense or effort. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For instance, we planted a maple tree in the yard. There aren't any flowers or berries that need the extra moisture retention and I'm sure after the 3-4 years it's been since I planted it, the roots have grown deeper and wider than the one bag of mulch I put on it can cover. I feel like I'm wasting my time and effort. Like it's only there to prevent someone from hitting the trunk with the mower. The same thing goes with my crepe myrtles. I feel like they're starting to get big enough that my bag of fertilizer isn't doing what it once was.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other of my plants, I'll probably continue mulching because I feel it helps with flowering or fruiting. For instance, my azaleas, small magnolias, flowering cherry, figs, blueberries, etc... However, I just planted some pecan trees and I feel like once they get big enough, it's no longer helping enough to justify buying it and putting it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Occasionally, they have a good deal around here with Homedepot putting it on sale at 5 bags for $10, so it's not that expensive, but at current count, I'm taking care of 28 trees, shrubs, etc... It'll add up. Not to mention me having to lug them around and put them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what do you guys think? Is there a certain point where it's no longer helpful to mulch? Like if they get over a certain size or if they've been planted a couple of years and you're not trying to get fruit off of them. Thanks for the help. I'm in Zone 8A.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-03-24T16:24:46.740" Title="How long to use mulch when establishing a tree?" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23649" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23655" CreationDate="2016-03-21T21:00:45.493" Score="8" ViewCount="8107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know someone who insists on using new, unused motor oil to burn garden waste (in a garden area). Somehow, I'm pretty sure this can be bad for the garden and/or people's health who eat the stuff grown in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you please tell me what, if anything, is wrong with this (besides risk of burns and fire spreading)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, can you tell me healthy alternatives that I can suggest that would work just as well? (If unused motor oil indeed makes the ashes unhealthy for the garden, I mean.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2019-03-16T05:27:01.493" Title="What are the health concerns of burning with motor oil?" Tags="&lt;disposal&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23650" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23622" CreationDate="2016-03-21T21:05:02.547" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;that picture looks like a bloom that's gone over. Sorry lots of questions, What happens to the blooms? I'm presuming it's the small variety of the large grandiflora?   Where in your garden is it planted? for example in the middle of a flower bed/border or against a wall or fence. It likes a reasonably well drained soil and should have gone into a large well prepared planting hole.  If you have very heavy clay soil, could the root ball be restricted? Magnolia are prone to root girdling, with roots trimmed before planting into final space. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-03-21T21:25:42.517" LastActivityDate="2016-03-21T21:25:42.517" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23651" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-21T21:30:36.033" Score="9" ViewCount="1443" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a low spot in my yard that I want to fill in.  It is an 8' diameter spot that is about 4&quot;- 6&quot; lower than the surrounding grass.  The grass in this spot it mostly dead from this being a small pond for an extended period of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The two options I've seen are&#xA;1 - Add an inch at a time and let the grass come through.&#xA;2 - Use a sod cutter to remove the grass, add soil, and re lay the sod.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since there is not much grass option one really won't work.  My question is around option 2.  If I don't care about the grass is it ok to just cover it or do I have to remove it first?  I'd rather not rent a sod cutter if I don't have to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14108" LastActivityDate="2016-03-22T15:02:33.673" Title="Filling low spot in yard" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;sod&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23652" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23657" CreationDate="2016-03-21T22:16:01.757" Score="6" ViewCount="346" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just ordered two tiny little plants and I transplanted them about a week ago. They are still alive, but I see that there are shriveled and sickly leaves, and the leaf edges are brown. I'm nervous that I am either overwatering or underwatering, or I am doing something wrong. If you have experience with musa basjoo bananas, does this look like something is going wrong? Has anyone seen this sort of thing before? &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gtOlV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gtOlV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;They get indirect light right now, because they are indoors until it warms up in zone 7b. Please help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11676" LastActivityDate="2016-03-22T11:44:35.697" Title="Banana transplant not looking too good...help? water? light?" Tags="&lt;wilt&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23651" CreationDate="2016-03-21T22:50:01.537" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut it into strips with a sharp spade, roll it up and level out the soil. Then relay the original turf, or if you have spare change then buy some new turf.&#xA; Actually, you might want to relay the original grass and see if it recolonizes the space. If not, there may be a bigger problem that's causing the turf to die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2016-03-21T22:50:01.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23649" CreationDate="2016-03-21T22:55:10.327" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;What! If the smoke is sufficient call the fire brigade.  I'm sure they will put this person straight on this. The noxious fumes are deeply unpleasant and unhealthy, releasing all sorts of exhaust fumes and pollutants Into the atmosphere.  (we are constantly being told to reduce use of fuels for global warming etc.&#xA;Do you have an environmental health dept you could contact? Local authority, or local bylaws to prevent this? It's they who should respond to this nuisance. &#xA;If they want to burn rubbish, why do they need an accelerant  of any description.  It's not that difficult to start a fire with some kindling and a couple of matches. &#xA;If you're attached to this person, it would be a difficult situation to remedy without causing a lot of angst.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-21T22:55:10.327" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23655" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23649" CreationDate="2016-03-21T23:00:19.547" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Composting is a pretty healthy alternative. Here in the UK you can buy electric garden shredders for under £100, allowing you to compost almost anything. In the long run you'll save on buying motor oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also seen people woodburning stoves by dousing in cooking oil, if it's edible then the residues left should be safe enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2016-03-21T23:00:19.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23656" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-22T06:33:10.347" Score="5" ViewCount="92" Body="&lt;p&gt;What material would I want to use to build the walls, and ceiling of for a  4 season greenhouse around the 45N,93W &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bachmans.com/Zone-Map/divHomePage.html?categoryCode=02&amp;amp;cnb=ZoneMap&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;(4a)&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-03-24T04:17:35.307" LastActivityDate="2016-03-24T04:17:35.307" Title="What is a 4 season greenhouse wall/ceiling made of?" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;climate&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="10" ClosedDate="2016-03-26T02:42:51.657" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23657" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23652" CreationDate="2016-03-22T11:27:07.620" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm concerned about the size of pot too, and it looks as if not all the potting medium has been watered properly, some looks very dry, some damp. Because of that, its hard to say whether the plant is beginning to  suffer from low humidity or insufficient water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You describe the plants as 'tiny' - if the rootballs were also tiny, bear in mind the pot you use initially should leave no more than 2 inches of free potting medium around the rootball. Once planted, they should be watered in by soaking the pot thoroughly, then allowing it to drain down freely, before placing into any tray or outer pot. After that, water as needed, not allowing the plant to dry out completely at any time, but don't allow the pot to stand in water in a tray or outer pot, empty it after 30 minutes. As the plant grows on, you will need then to move it into a larger pot, and so on, until its in the size pot you want and which is suitable for the plant's needs, whether that's indoors (initially) or outdoors (later on).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Needs bright daylight and, if possible, some sun, needs warm temperatures, not below 60 deg F, even at night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-22T11:44:35.697" LastActivityDate="2016-03-22T11:44:35.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23658" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23651" CreationDate="2016-03-22T14:06:59.420" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't worry about it. Just cover the old grass with your fill dirt. I'd personally use something either rich, like compost, or mix some cheaper dirt with the rich compost. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bring it a little higher than the surrounding ground, because we all know from potting that dirt settle a little over time. You can offset this some by watering the dirt as you put it down, just like when planting a tree to remove air pockets. You can just plant your new grass on top, seed/plug/sod, and water it in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you watered the soil in as you put it down, you can bring it to ground level when using sod, because it has a couple inches of height on it's own and you want to be level with the rest of the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The old grass will just break down and turn into fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-03-22T14:06:59.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23659" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-22T14:12:20.973" Score="11" ViewCount="1291" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to remove about 250 square feet of grass/topsoil and then lightly grade for drainage below a future deck. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Man up with a spade &amp;amp; a rake? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rent a sod cutter &amp;amp; go deep? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use some tool I'm not aware of but you're about to explain? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14112" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-22T22:13:10.607" LastActivityDate="2016-03-22T22:13:10.607" Title="What's the best way to remove grass/topsoil to prepare for grading?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;grading&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23660" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23651" CreationDate="2016-03-22T14:55:15.447" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If its only four to six inches lower, I'd be inclined to remove the existing sod - you don't need a special tool to do it, you can just do it with a spade or even a half moon edger, if you don't want to hire a machine. Whilst the sod that's there might not cause too many problems, it's probably compacted and may mean poor drainage for quite a long time, not good for new grass. I'd also only top up with good quality topsoil because its hard to guess how much a lot of organic material is going to shrink down over time. Once you've lifted the sod, spread the soil over, leave it slightly proud and then wait a week or two to allow for settlement. I recommend this because its very difficult to get new sod level with surrounding, existing sod, and waiting a while before you attempt it gives you the best chance to get it level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-22T15:02:33.673" LastActivityDate="2016-03-22T15:02:33.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23662" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23674" CreationDate="2016-03-22T18:39:58.933" Score="12" ViewCount="7256" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a device on the market (preferably battery or solar operated) which can be left in a garden from dawn to dusk, and afterwards, report on how many hours of direct sunlight it received?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to see which of the sometimes building shaded areas on my property get enough sunshine for planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14034" LastActivityDate="2016-03-23T12:57:33.157" Title="Direct sunlight measuring device?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23663" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-22T18:53:34.527" Score="10" ViewCount="4441" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was told to add coffee grounds to my blueberries. After I did the leaves on two of them turned dark red and they all fell off. Leaves have returned and loads of flowers, but the berries seem to not be developing well. It is also about a month after my berries should have been picked. I am in Largo Fl. Is this due to coffee grounds and why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14114" LastActivityDate="2018-07-17T00:19:46.063" Title="Blueberry bushes leaves turned red and fell off" Tags="&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23664" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23662" CreationDate="2016-03-22T19:32:06.070" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know how accurate it would be, but if you download 'Google Earth' you can make it show you the passage of the sun and shadows based on it's rendering of buildings and trees. It would be something completely free that would give you an idea of the sunlight in that area. It seems to be able to go forward or backward in time. I don't know how far. I think it uses the GPS coordinates and the position of the sun relative to the earth to predict where they will be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's worth a shot since it's free.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-03-22T19:32:06.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23665" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23659" CreationDate="2016-03-22T19:50:51.167" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on whether you want to keep the sod or no and if the ground is already pretty flat. I haven't used a sod cutter, but I think the ground has to be fairly level. I don't think it works well if there are dips in the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think for 250sq/ft, which is around 16'x16', you can man up with a shovel and a pickmatic. Figure out where you want to have your graded area and put stakes at all 4 corners. You can get cheap bamboo stakes from the garden center, it just has to be able to hold some light tension. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take some cheap string and tie it to one corner on the high end of the grade. Wrap it a couple of times so it doesn't slip and take it to the stake, on the same side, at the bottom of the grade. By on the same side I mean the two furthest from the house or closest to the house. So, high and low on the outside and high and low on the inside. Use a line level: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-line-level-67765.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-line-level-67765.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oLkSN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oLkSN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Line Level&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;to make sure the line is level (get it? line level.). Then give it a couple of wraps to prevent slipping and tie it off. You need to know your grade you want. For instance, if you want a 2% grade, that would be 1:50 or 1&quot; drop for every 50&quot;. At 16' on one side of your 250sq/ft area, that would be ~3.84&quot; of drop. Let's round it to 4&quot; for easy figuring. Tie a new piece of string from the same point at the high end and 4&quot; lower at the bottom of the grade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More than likely you won't be able to, because your ground will be fairly flat. You'll have to go ahead and start using your shovel to dig a sloped trench till you can pull the line tight and it clears the ground. Repeat this on the other side and then you can use a piece of line stretched between them to check your grade. You can tie a slip knot or however you want so it slips, but it needs to be tight enough not to sag in the middle and give you a false read. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's simple, though. You dig and scrap where the line touches and fill in when there is gap under it. When it cleanly goes from the top to the bottom and just barely makes it over the ground, you've got your grade in that area. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-03-22T19:50:51.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23666" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23649" CreationDate="2016-03-22T22:09:04.330" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lot's of issues&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't use it for anything, it's an environmental hazard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just get rid of it in the least impactful way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Used motor oil has a plethora of bad chemicals and compounds in it that eliminate for another use once it has been inside your engine for an extended period of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aside from the hydrocarbons&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;lead&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;phosphorous&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;berium&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;zinc&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;bromine&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;aluminum&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;arsenic&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;calcium&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;chromium&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;copper&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;iron&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;magnesium&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;manganese&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;potassium&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;silicon&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;sodium&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;tin&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;toluene&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;benzene&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;xylene&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;ethylbenzene&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp102-c3.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's a link from the CDC.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9703" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-03-22T22:09:04.330" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23667" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-22T23:16:37.943" Score="5" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have chopped down a long willow hedge on our allotment and thus have lots of wood / woody stems to burn. There is a strong prevailing wind, and I'm wondering what is the most efficient way to build a fire to burn it quickly. I've heard of techniques like lining up the branches in the direction of the wind from friends in the conservation volunteers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T07:24:03.523" Title="What's the most efficient method for burning cuttings?" Tags="&lt;disposal&gt;&lt;bonfire&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23668" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-23T03:24:06.860" Score="11" ViewCount="3309" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Sago Palm (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rhapisgardens.com/sagos/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cycas Revoluta&lt;/a&gt;) has weird-looking clumps in its roots. Is it a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=542&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Phytophthora&lt;/a&gt; root rot infection? If not, what is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JKS7l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JKS7l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Root of a Sago Palm&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13795" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-24T23:38:03.487" LastActivityDate="2016-03-24T23:38:03.487" Title="Does my Sago Palm have root rot?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23669" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23668" CreationDate="2016-03-23T03:34:24.333" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, it is not. Those are nitrogen fixation nodules, similar to what alfalfa roots do. It is the result of symbiosis with a soil bacterium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With root rot the roots die and things get a little stinky. Pinch an affected root with a thumb and forefinger and tug - the epidermal tissues will slide right off the xylem or woody core. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-03-23T03:34:24.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23670" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23672" CreationDate="2016-03-23T04:17:42.047" Score="10" ViewCount="4904" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a variety of areas in our lawn where the wild strawberries are consistently killing our grass. Is there an organic way to control these? We have been fairly successful at tackling other weeds (Dandelions/Crab grass) by letting the grass grow longer and using pre-emergents, but this has been a bit out of control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14119" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-23T16:33:08.040" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T05:24:25.483" Title="Is there an organic way to remove wild strawberries from a lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23671" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23620" CreationDate="2016-03-23T08:27:56.367" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did the flowers get pollinated for seeds to form? If it's the seeds casing that you say are still green, I would take one or two flower heads and put them in a paper (not plastic) bag, hanging in a warm, dry dark room.  The seeds should mature, the casings split and the seeds drop into the bag, for sowing when your season comes around. The outer seed pod would remain brown, containing the very small black flaky seeds. The rest I would leave on the plants, they may get eaten by birds, or simply mature on the plant, for harvesting later. If nothing else they are a very architectural structure in any garden or veg plot.  I would have thought that from December until March that is long enough time to mature.  For a basic estimate, If each flower head yields approximately 150 seeds of which 75% being viable and you take 3 flower heads, you can get approximately 330 seeds.  That would be enough for most unless you're growing commercial quantities. Onion seed remains viable for 2 to 3 years, so the seed from one or two seed heads would be sufficient.  Once the flower stalk starts to become dry the seeds will ripen and mature.  If left on will naturally disperse. The time taken will depend on temperature and humidity, so very location dependant. But would be measured in weeks not months.  The seed casings would be designed by nature to open when the conditions for natural sowing would be right, in the spring, warm, &#xA;dry and a light breeze. You can mimic that by the collection of the seed heads as above. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-03-25T07:55:17.587" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T07:55:17.587" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23672" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23670" CreationDate="2016-03-23T08:42:50.373" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apart from digging them by hand, either on your hands and knees or use one of the weed diggers available, for use when standing. Depending on your situation/location/size of lawn; would keeping chickens on the lawn be an option for you, they will scratch around and clear the lawn of everything including the grass for you to re seed later.&#xA;Rake the lawn to comb the runners and then cut with mower very short.  That will remove the easy bits and expose the rosettes of leaves for you to more easily target the plant for removal.&#xA;If it's really bad and you wish to have a lush green sword do you want to go down the root of returfing? In which case, remove and compost the top layer, returf, and then once composted down, your previous top soil and turf, will be a more enriched top soil to be used as a top dressing (hopefully free of strawberry seeds). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-23T08:42:50.373" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23673" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23668" CreationDate="2016-03-23T12:47:37.620" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agree with Jim Young's answer, point given, but would add these are referred to as coralloid roots, and are common on Sago palm, image below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cycas_revoluta_coralloid_roots.JPG&quot;&gt;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cycas_revoluta_coralloid_roots.JPG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-03-23T12:47:37.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23674" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23662" CreationDate="2016-03-23T12:57:33.157" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are various devices on the market for measuring sunlight - the link below contains three or four different ones, although I can't speak for the accuracy of any of them. Although it's easy to judge that an open, south facing area with no surrounding buildings or tall trees will receive any sun that's going, within the average garden or planted area, it's not quite so easy to judge if you're not there all day, observing over time, so it's probably worth getting one if you really don't know, given the amount of sunlight an area receives can differ enormously throughout the year, depending on the height of the sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B002XZLLXU&quot;&gt;http://www.amazon.com/Luster-Leaf-1875-Rapitest-Calculator/dp/B002XZLLXU&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-03-23T12:57:33.157" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23346" CreationDate="2016-03-23T13:15:19.070" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have this kind of wounds of your apple tree because it was not pruned correctly. It cannot heal at the tip of the cut, so you must cut close to where the other buds or living branches are. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Opposite to other trees, you must cut very close to the buds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is how to prune: very close to the parts that will go on handling life in them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Gu2i.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Gu2i.png&quot; alt=&quot;How to prune apple tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What not to do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cqt2A.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cqt2A.png&quot; alt=&quot;Avoid leaving extra wood&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-03-31T13:06:58.907" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T13:06:58.907" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23676" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-23T13:38:28.393" Score="8" ViewCount="244" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was trying to make a Hawaiian ipu drum out of a gourd grown from a seed I planted that was marketed as a &quot;birdhouse gourd&quot; and dried this winter.  I've been looking up what ipu drums are made out of and apparently it's supposed to be a calabash.  I consulted the Book of Knowledge for  &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calabash&quot;&gt;calabash&lt;/a&gt; and it didn't reference a use as a birdhouse.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently I talked to some gourd artists and they didn't seem to know what a birdhouse gourd was, so I'm guessing I'm just calling it by what it was marketed as, not necessarily what it is.  So, I'd like to know, how much variation is there in the calabash variety of gourds and what kinds are good for birdhouses  and what kinds are good for ipu drums?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2016-03-23T14:33:50.067" Title="Is there a difference between a birdhouse gourd and a calabash?" Tags="&lt;gourds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23677" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23676" CreationDate="2016-03-23T14:33:50.067" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;No they are the same species, some people call different shaped calabashes different things, bottle / birdhouse / calabash... same gourd...  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;also most other gourds (dipper, giant african, crook neck) are the same species &lt;em&gt;Lagenaria siceraria&lt;/em&gt; just with different shapes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2016-03-23T14:33:50.067" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23679" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-23T15:12:22.813" Score="13" ViewCount="2164" Body="&lt;p&gt;So far, I had germinated my seeds using the paper bag approach. I must say that it was quite successful. Having said that,  I have an almost-zero success rate when I try to germinating seeds directly in compost. I tried to germinate spinach, radish, nigella flowers,  fly trap, chamomile and parsley. Only some of the parsley and the fly trap had germinate successful. My compost mix generally consists of 2/4 compost, 1/4 vermiculite and 1/4 perlite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am very keen about method and I would like to have a higher success rate. Any tips how can I do so?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastActivityDate="2016-04-12T08:35:13.943" Title="What is the best way to germinating seeds in compost?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23680" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23679" CreationDate="2016-03-23T15:32:14.450" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spinach and Nigella do not require heat to germinate and the success rate is higher in cooler conditions - spinach is usually sown directly out doors, as soon as the soil can be worked, around 6 weeks before the last frost. Nigella can be sown in seed trays a couple of months before the last frost date and then placed in an unheated greenhouse or cold frame, or sown directly outdoors at a later date. Chamomile needs bottom heat to germinate; parsley can take up to three weeks to germinate, and the seeds are best soaked for 12 hours in warm water before sowing. Radish also doesn't require heat - some varieties can be grown outdoors during winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given you've not said in what environment/cultural conditions you've been keeping your unsuccessful attempts at growing seed, this information may or may not be useful, but it should at least point out that each plant has different requirements for successful germination, so it's always best to check the precise needs for the seeds you want to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding 'compost', when you use that term, I'm assuming you mean seed and cutting potting compost commercially purchased. If you mean you're using your own garden compost, then for potting purposes, it needs to have been created using a hot, aerobic system rather than a cold, anaerobic system - compost produced using the latter method is not pathogen free.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-25T16:57:21.043" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T16:57:21.043" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23681" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23679" CreationDate="2016-03-23T15:39:19.613" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Beware of not having too moist conditions for your germinating seeds, because your compost contains germs and other organisms that could harm the baby plants. Ideal is to have moist / dry cycles, but it depends on the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2016-03-23T15:39:19.613" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23682" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23648" CreationDate="2016-03-23T18:54:48.413" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on the tree and its natural habitat. If the tree is normally found growing in a forest with its roots shaded by other trees, and its roots covered by forest litter, then that's what you should be aiming to do. Mulching helps protect the roots from heating up in strong sun light, fertilises the roots, and maintains a moisture layer around the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example deciduous trees drop their leaves in fall to seal their branches from winter, to suppress the growth of competitors around their bases, and to recycle the nutrient from the leaves to their roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-23T18:54:48.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23683" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23679" CreationDate="2016-03-23T23:09:15.470" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I plant my seeds indoors in small pods (1&quot;x1&quot;) using potting mix.  So far the results are pretty good for most vegetables like chili, tomatoes, zuccini, cucumbers, etc.  I was even able to germinate carrot and cilantro indoors although I hear they can go outdoors directly.  I did not have as much success with green onions and basil for some reason.  I did use a heating mat to provide additional help with germination.  Subsequently after germination, when the true leaves appeared, I moved the plants to 4&quot; pots and started acclimatizing them to outdoors a few hours per day.  Like you, I have had limited success outdoors and it could be a result of birds eating away at the seeds so you have to watch out for them.  I also think that given sufficient time the seeds with germinate and the time it takes will depend on the type of vegetable and the temperature it gets exposure to.  Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-03-23T23:09:15.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23684" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23679" CreationDate="2016-03-24T01:29:21.533" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;re:  &quot;Any tips how can I do so (i.e.: have a higher [genermination] success rate)?&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ensure your compost is well decomposed.  If it is too hot or it contains too much tannins from unfinished decomposition, it can prevent germination of some seeds. Note:  Tannins are found in source materials such as walnut, pecan, oak, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ensure you follow the the proper sowing/planting instructions for your seeds.  Proper temp, sunlight, soil, planting depth, moisture, etc can make a huge difference in germination rates.  Temp is very important for many garden seeds (68°F being ideal for many seeds).  The higher the soil temp above 68°F, the lower the germination rate for many garden seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water your seeds with captured rain water (or tap water that has been open to air for at least 24 hrs).  The chlorine concentration in the tap water of some municipalities can cause adverse affects on germination &amp;amp; plant growth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You might want to get your compost mix professionally tested.  It's not so important for germination as it is for optimal seedling growth rates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have clayey soil, so I usually use 2/3 compost to 1/3 soil for my seed starter mix.  I use 1/4&quot; screened finished compost for my seed mix &amp;amp; it works very well.  You can certainly add more expensive amendments for aeration, but I find I never need to do that for seeds.  When I want more aeration for potted transplants, I just add a bit of sharp sand to my mix.  Remember, ideal farm soil is 1/3 clay + 1/3 sand + 1/3 silt.  I simply substitute finished compost for the silt part of the seed mix &amp;amp; add sand for pot mixes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14127" LastEditorUserId="14127" LastEditDate="2016-04-12T08:35:13.943" LastActivityDate="2016-04-12T08:35:13.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23685" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23670" CreationDate="2016-03-24T05:07:27.083" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on how big your area is, vinegar (acetic acid) could be a option.  You can test household vinegar in a small area to see how well it works; however, since wild strawberry is a perennial, you will probably need a concentration that's greater than the household 5%. (5% household vinegar works better for small, annual weeds.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stronger solutions will be labeled as herbicides - it's required by law to be labeled as such. Follow directions on the label. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please note:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Vinegar solutions greater than 5% are considered hazardous and&#xA;greater than 10% can burn your skin or cause serious damage to your&#xA;eyes, so wear protection and follow the directions on the label. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spray it directly on the plants so that they are completely, I mean&#xA;completely, saturated.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The vinegar will kill the grass too.  However, you can take a large&#xA;plastic lid or plastic tablecloth or something similar with you&#xA;to cover the grass where you might over-spray.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spray on a sunny, windless day. The hotter the day the better.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Test a small area first to see if it works.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you want to increase the effectiveness of household vinegar, add salt:&#xA;1 cup/gallon vinegar. Keep in mind, a lot of salt in your soil will&#xA;change the pH of the soil. (See the tip above.) You can also add 1&#xA;tablespoon dishsoap to help the salt and vinegar solution cling to&#xA;the plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sources:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Purdue University &lt;a href=&quot;https://hort.purdue.edu/ext/vinegar.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://hort.purdue.edu/ext/vinegar.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;University of Illinois Extension: &lt;a href=&quot;https://web.extension.illinois.edu/cfiv/homeowners/070913.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://web.extension.illinois.edu/cfiv/homeowners/070913.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14035" LastEditorUserId="14035" LastEditDate="2016-06-14T05:24:25.483" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T05:24:25.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23667" CreationDate="2016-03-24T14:01:09.787" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most efficient way for disposing cuttings and avoid to disturb neighbors with the smoke is to use a shredder for the smaller branches. You can then use it mixed with mulch to fertilize you trees or garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then you can keep the big ones to dry and burn in your BBQ or for the bonfire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also read that you could bury the branches and plant directly on the top of them, but it requires lots of energy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2016-05-10T07:24:03.523" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T07:24:03.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23648" CreationDate="2016-03-24T16:24:46.740" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In principle, t's always helpful to mulch, provided the mulch is organic in origin - the mulch breaks down and improves the soil beneath. As to whether you really need to use it, that's another matter  - if it gets extremely hot and very dry during summer, that mulch will conserve moisture and may act as a barrier to hot sun. As far as I'm aware, where you live does have high summer temperatures, but also high humidity, and the average precipitation is relatively high, but that's an average. If you regularly get three months of dry and hot weather, then the mulch is serving a useful purpose. If you get regular rainfall despite the heat, then you might choose not to use it around plants which have been in situ longer than 3/4 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-03-24T16:24:46.740" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23688" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23667" CreationDate="2016-03-24T19:58:06.347" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know someone who used regular firewood to get the kind of fire needed to burn a bunch of fresh tree branches. It seems to work. While maybe not the most efficient method in some regards, you should save a lot of time over most methods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand there's not always room to compost, and you may not have a truck to haul the branches away. And, you may not have a wood chipper sufficient for your branches. But, if you can chip and compost, you might try that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-03-24T20:05:00.793" LastActivityDate="2016-03-24T20:05:00.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23689" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-24T20:39:37.970" Score="8" ViewCount="396" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pomegranate tree that I planted 4 years ago. The tree is heathy but the fruit production is not great. The flowers fall off before developing into fruit or soon after.  The fruits crack open and the size of the fruit is average size but that may be a function of the tree I have planted. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cU5Q6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cU5Q6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zqt6m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zqt6m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-03-25T22:40:50.197" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T07:19:29.520" Title="Caring for my pomegranate tree" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;pomegranate&gt;&lt;fruit-drop&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23690" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-24T23:44:24.570" Score="8" ViewCount="5857" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got this basil from a friend when it was about half this size. It was a bit spindly and looked like it wasn't pruned enough. Since then I cut it regularly and it got some branches and the base even began to grow out some.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Arizona, so the winter was mild with no frost, and it gets full sun. About a month ago it decided to flower, and I can't keep up pulling off all the buds. In that time it hasn't grown at all, and now the leaves are small and yellowing, and falling off lower down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I give it water about twice a week since it gets pretty hot and dry here. I'm afraid my father in law may have drowned it when he visited two months ago (he's a hobby grower) but that may be unrelated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on picture for larger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ttXZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ttXZl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Basil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13317" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-25T00:03:37.657" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T13:50:16.533" Title="Why are the leaves of my basil yellowing and falling off?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23691" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-25T01:21:55.623" Score="13" ViewCount="992" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves on my lemon tree are yellow and white, and the fruit doesn't look normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g2DXJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g2DXJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14132" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-25T23:43:13.453" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T23:43:13.453" Title="Why does my lemon tree have multi-colored leaves and strange-looking fruit?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23692" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23691" CreationDate="2016-03-25T01:33:42.257" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is variegated and is likely to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/802/pink-variegated-eureka-lemon/&quot;&gt;Citrus limon 'Eureka Variegated Pink'&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Described by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/02/dining/lemons-yes-but-please-dont-squeeze.html?_r=0&quot;&gt;New York Times&lt;/a&gt; as&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A mutant found on an ordinary Eureka lemon tree in Burbank, Calif.,&#xA;  around 1930, its immature fruit has green and white stripes; the older&#xA;  fruit loses the stripes and develops flesh pigmented pink from&#xA;  lycopene, which also colors pink grapefruit. The trees are usually&#xA;  poor producers, perhaps because their variegated leaves are low in&#xA;  chlorophyll.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So there is nothing wrong with your lemon tree. It is a unique curiosity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T01:33:42.257" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23693" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-25T01:35:13.640" Score="8" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can plum trees bare fruit if they arise from the rootstock of another plum tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14133" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-25T05:57:22.633" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T05:57:22.633" Title="Do plum trees fruit if an offspring of another one?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23694" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23693" CreationDate="2016-03-25T02:22:12.927" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, but the fruit might not be the best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plums that bear tasty fruit are usually grafted into a different variety rootstock that is selected for having better root vigor and/or resistance to soil pathogens that the desired fruiting tree may lack. Peach is also used for a plum rootstock sometimes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is unlikely that a 'flowering' variety that cannot bear fruit was selected for a rootstock - such trees would be quite valuable for landscape uses. So (otherwise) yes, a root cutting from a plum tree could be grown into a fruit bearing tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T02:22:12.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23695" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-25T05:46:03.467" Score="7" ViewCount="2123" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had two camellias planted in November (spring) by my landscaper, from the same nursery. They've been fertilised the same at planting and watered the same, and are only 3 feet away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One is losing its leaves, yet the other looks fine. Three other camellias also planted the same time are also good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume it's a root issue, but could it just be a feeding issue somehow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bad:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Ikia0CD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;camellia losing its leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the normal:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/8qcPFln.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;camellia not losing leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 20 Dec 2016&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The landscaper replaced this tree a few months ago.  He said the root ball just didn't grow.  And then today he came to replace another one, as well as plant a new one next to another sick looking camellia.  So, we're talking about 3/6 either died or looking sickly.  Yet I have other camellias in the same area that are doing well, though they're a broad leaf variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We examined the roots of the one we removed today, and some of the larger roots were not very strong, snapping easily or just pulled away.  But lots of fine roots were present.  So, not much closer to an answer.  He's going to take it back to the nursery to ask them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-12-20T02:23:35.607" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T02:23:35.607" Title="Camellia losing its leaves" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23696" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23695" CreationDate="2016-03-25T07:51:47.827" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are the planting holes the correct size and is your soil acidic?  The root balls of camellias are quite small. If into alkaline clay or a borderline neutral soil , the planting hole may well be acting like a pot, and possible water logging. A 2 x yearly watering of rain water containing sequestered iron will remedy any iron deficiencies. There are deciduous rhododendrons, are there deciduous camellias? I don't think so. In which case you may need to ask for a replacement if they haven't been in for a very long time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T07:51:47.827" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23697" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23585" CreationDate="2016-03-25T07:59:40.747" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think that basal shoots can be permanently removed.  This plant tends to grow like a bush or multi stemmed tree.  If you want to grow it like a standard (single stem) you will have to go against its natural tendencies. So regular pruning of the shoots whilst young and small would be the easiest, and probably the only option. Using stump killers would be fine as Bamboo has suggested on the rest of the hedge, if these are separate plants you wish to get removed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-03-25T22:37:09.413" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T22:37:09.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23698" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-25T08:57:04.250" Score="8" ViewCount="168" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can I use the waste water mixed with dish washing liquid from kitchen for watering my garden? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14135" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-03-25T10:17:00.427" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T15:53:55.350" Title="Can I use waste water from kitchen for plants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;greywater&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-03-27T17:37:11.147" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23690" CreationDate="2016-03-25T09:16:33.703" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it's flowered it may have come to the end of its life.  Take some cuttings from non flowering stems and root them.  Use the new plant instead.  Once flowered a lot of the flavour once in the leaves would have reduced. But as Graham has suggested - feed may be required&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T09:16:33.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23700" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23718" CreationDate="2016-03-25T09:22:44.943" Score="8" ViewCount="412" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our corn and pumpkin seedlings appear to have been decimated by &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutworm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;cutworms&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're actually caterpillars, and quite destructive ones at that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kjrqf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kjrqf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're interested in getting rid of them organically, any suggestions greatly appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plot is 60m x 20m (200' x 65'), split 50/50 between the two crops. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The corn was planted at roughly 30cm (12&quot;) apart in rows 50cm (20&quot;) apart. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pumpkins were about 80cm (32&quot;) apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14136" LastEditorUserId="14136" LastEditDate="2016-03-25T09:37:33.727" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T12:02:33.517" Title="How can I get rid of cutworms in my corn and pumpkin patches?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23701" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23702" CreationDate="2016-03-25T10:39:03.770" Score="7" ViewCount="384" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an &lt;em&gt;Epipremnum aureum&lt;/em&gt; (once rooted from a cutting) in a soil pot. It took some time, but then it grew at an incredible rate, with a thick stem (fingerbreadth) and large leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other side, where it’s stuck in the soil, it’s decreasing in diameter (width like a slim pencil), and leaves are withering now for some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It’s healthy, bushy and leafy on one side, and waning on its only access to the ground. I don’t want to cut it in pieces just yet. I’d rather preserve its tiny canopy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Can I do anything to improve the stem’s health and thickness near the ground level?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Can I safely grow roots along the shoot parts (like covering it with soil to let it take root)?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I’m afraid growing roots along the stem will confuse growth and water transport. Here’s a picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt; ﾠ  ﾠ &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tukqx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tukqx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Epipremnum aureum with lean stem near the soil (left) and bushy growth (right)&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;: I knew about &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layering&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;layering&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;below&lt;/em&gt; the ground, but I never heard of &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=marcotting&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;marcotting&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; (a form of &lt;em&gt;air&lt;/em&gt; layering). I didn’t cut the “bark” of the stem and—since I don’t have any Sphagnum handy—strapped some earthy garden moss around three clusters of nodes (here the stem gets thicker again). This surely isn’t optimal, but I’ll keep it moist and see if it takes root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ihirx.jpg&quot; width=&quot;366&quot; alt=&quot;Epipremnum aureum stem with moss attached to it&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14139" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2016-03-27T14:45:19.407" LastActivityDate="2016-03-27T14:45:19.407" Title="Growing Epipremnum aureum stem roots on potted plant" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23702" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23701" CreationDate="2016-03-25T12:12:25.160" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a vigorous tropical climber. It can be propagated in numerous ways:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cuttings rooted in water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cuttings rooted in a medium like vermiculite or perlite&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layering&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;layering&lt;/a&gt; where you root part of the stem in another pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As long as you have a node on the stem this plant is not fussy, almost anything goes!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The one method of propagation that is unlikely when grown as a houseplant is setting seed. This plant will not flower unless it is grown in high light levels and has mature leaves.  A picture of the inflorescence of a relative is &lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dragon-Tail_Plant_(Epipremnum_pinnatum)_6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See my answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/7084/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems like you also want to know how to rejuvenate the plant. There are many ways:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut it back to the ground with at least one node on the stem&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut the plant into sections with at least one node on the stem, root, pot up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;layer a stem back into the pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is tough so I like the methods that are the least work.  Put in  a higher light location and cut all the stems back hard to the pot with at least one node.  Reduce water and wait for new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T12:12:25.160" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23703" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-25T13:30:38.900" Score="16" ViewCount="406" Body="&lt;p&gt;This Old House recently published an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,20412713,00.html&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; about splitting overgrown perennials.  They suggest doing so every three to six years--however, I have a large bed of daylilies, and it's hard for me to imagine how they'd be considered &quot;overgrown.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a necessity for the plant, or is it just a cosmetic issue?  And if cosmetic, I assume this only applies to small plantings, not an entire bed?  It would be helpful to see an example of what people consider &quot;overgrown&quot; to look like vs. a more desirable appearance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="58" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T14:21:52.717" Title="Do perennials need to be split?" Tags="&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23704" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23703" CreationDate="2016-03-25T13:39:56.010" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Day lilies are perennial, yes but they are not &lt;strong&gt;A&lt;/strong&gt; perennial. The group of plants called Perennials are grouping plants that share the same root structure. That's like Mums and montauk daisies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Daylilies are actually in the bulb group. Each Daylily is its own independent bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, bulbs also can benefit from being split by giving them more room to divide and grow nice big healthy bulbs, but Daylilies in my experience don't need this treatment. They are very prolific and will spread with decent swiftness on their own and may even become a pesky weed if you let them get out of control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something interesting about Daylilies is that the bulbs are edible and a viable and sustainable food source. If you have enough of them you can supplement your food root supplies with the bulbs. The bulb itself is interesting, looking kinda like a snail shell in so far as its pattern of growth. It tastes like a nutty flavored onion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another interesting edible, which has a lot of flavor variety between strains is the dahlia which is similar to a sweet potatoe but with varying flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T13:39:56.010" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23705" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23690" CreationDate="2016-03-25T13:50:16.533" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basil is an annual even in the tropics. Since its flowering it wants to go to seed. Let it, then collect the seeds for the next crop of basil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you plant basil in a large enough pot so that plenty naturally falling seed will land in the pot, you can have a near never ending culture of basil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's how I raised basil when I lived in Florida. Living in Iowa and Connecticut it's a bit different. When winter approaches I move all my Tropicals into my sunroom, the basil weakens all winter long until it's barely alive by spring, but there are always a few stems to keep me in some basil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the flower spike dry out, I snip them off and put them in a paper bag. In the spring right before I am ready move my basil pots back out side, I strip the flower spikes right over the soil and the cycle begins again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T13:50:16.533" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23703" CreationDate="2016-03-25T14:21:52.717" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;The harm potential for overgrown perennials is largely cosmetic, but in a severe enough case it is possible for it to become a health issue. When perennial plants with shared root systems, such as Astilbe, Hostas etc. become very large the center of the plant may begin to wilt, decline or even die out completely. The easiest fix for the problem is to divide the plant as described in the link in your question or as described &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/558/how-do-i-split-hostas&quot;&gt;in this question.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason your day-lilies don't seem to have a problem is partly due to differences in root structure (day-lilies have individual tubers, rather than a shared root system) and partly due to the fact that day-lilies are very hardy plants that can and will grow &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/19795/re-missouri-clay-how-well-will-day-lilies-hemerocallis-fulva-grow-in-this-m/19867#19867&quot;&gt;nearly anywhere.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T14:21:52.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23707" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23698" CreationDate="2016-03-25T15:53:55.350" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Even if you remove all the solids first after washing your dishes as they might attract flies and rodents, you may still have a problem with sodium being added to your soil. So the type of liquid detergent is important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ecologycenter.org/factsheets/greywater-cleaning-products/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://ecologycenter.org/factsheets/greywater-cleaning-products/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol start=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Household Cleaners / Dish Soap / All Purpose Liquid Cleaner:&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Recommended:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Oasis dishwash/all-purpose cleaner for handwashing dishes, body &amp;amp; shampoo&#xA;Ecos: Creamy Cleanser; Parsley Plus; Furniture Polish; Window Kleener; Floor Kleener; Carpet Shampoo&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Limit:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Bon Ami (it is biodegradable and has no perfumes, dyes, chlorine, or fragrance, but does contain sodium carbonate)&#xA;Ecos: Shower Kleener (sodium gluconate, sodium citrate)&#xA;Dr. Bronners: Sal Suds (sodium laurel sulfate)&#xA;Citra Dish (sodium chloride)&#xA;Ecover Dishwashing Liquid (sodium laureth sulfate, sodium chloride)&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Avoid:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Ajax (sodium carbonate, bleach, fragrance, color);&#xA;Comet (bleach, +?);&#xA;Ajax (?);&#xA;Ivory (?);&#xA;Palmolive (?);&#xA;Joy (?);&#xA;Dawn (?)&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T15:53:55.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23708" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-25T16:37:04.293" Score="14" ViewCount="4323" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for an extensive answer with references that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lists many of the plants that can be attacked by spider mites&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the conditions that encourage them&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;brief information about their lifecycle&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;how to identify them and the damage they cause&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;all the control methods, organic or pesticide based with detailed instructions on how to use the control agent&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-03-30T16:16:34.237" LastActivityDate="2018-09-10T21:18:41.910" Title="How do I identify and control spider mites" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;spider-mites&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23709" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8217" CreationDate="2016-03-25T17:07:48.697" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I have done a bit of research here on this picture and looking up other pictures that look like. I can't say for 100% certain, but it seems this and other discussions of these pictures seem to indicate it is the an instar of the Citrus Blackfly (a species of white fly). Luckily I only seem to have a few of these, and I can pluck them off by hand, but I would hate to deal with an infestation of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T17:07:48.697" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23711" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-25T23:11:40.973" Score="5" ViewCount="585" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's nearing the end of the season for zucchinis for me, and some of my zucchinis are showing signs of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/environmental/blossom-end-rot/blossom-end-rot-of-cucurbits.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;blossom end rot&lt;/a&gt;. However, other fruit on the same plant are fine. Now BER is said to be caused by either an actual or functional deficiency in calcium. So, since some fruit (the largest) are not affected, but only some of the smallest are, is there a critical period for this to happen, and can I prevent it by removing larger fruit so that more calcium is available to the smaller ones?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants are also affected by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growingagreenerworld.com/controlling-or-eliminating-powdery-mildew/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;powdery mildew&lt;/a&gt; and I've been spraying with a 10% milk solution which hasn't helped so far, and as a foliar spray of calcium, it doesn't seem to have helped either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-27T01:53:45.407" LastActivityDate="2020-01-23T21:01:50.157" Title="When is the critical period for blossom end rot in zucchinis / courgettes?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;&lt;blossom-end-rot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23560" CreationDate="2016-03-25T23:42:45.790" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Orchids undergo cycles of root growth, new leaves, and flowering. When the spike starts to brown with the flowers falling, it's generally recommended that you cut the spike so that metabolic energy is not wasted on the dying stem. You should cut the stem close to where to arises in young plants, and in older plants with large roots, you may be able to cut below the brown stem, and above a node in the hope of getting more blooms. However, these flowers tend to be smaller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It therefore seems reasonable that by cutting the stem while in flower, you will shift the orchid into a cycle of new leaves and roots, but I've never heard of anyone doing this since you may have to wait another year for the next bloom. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I look at old leaves I see that they are much thinner then new leaves, and I presume it's because the stored carbohydrates in the leaf were used to produce the flowers. So larger leaves might well produce larger blooms. You should ensure that new leaves be larger or at least the same size as older leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-25T23:42:45.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23713" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-26T00:30:50.263" Score="8" ViewCount="1482" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always seem to get black onion aphids in my deep water culture, and flood and drain beds affecting my green onions and garlic chives. They also attacked my terrestrial garlic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The deep water culture floating raft ones I can blast off with a strong spray of water (but they come back quickly), but I can only wash them into the grow media (hydroton) in the grow bed as pictured and they bounce right back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neem and soap are no good for my gold fish. What else can I use that is fish friendly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/GuUxt2t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Green onions infested with aphids&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2021-02-13T13:08:17.420" Title="How to control onion aphids in aquaponics?" Tags="&lt;aquaponic&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23714" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23715" CreationDate="2016-03-26T01:54:32.927" Score="7" ViewCount="199" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have got this shrub and I have no clue what it this plant (Fruit or Flower or what). Any ideas? Looks to me like a perennial green shrub. Location is Sydney, Australia.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Zs7P.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Zs7P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rf9R6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rf9R6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ggCqc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ggCqc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14147" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T20:33:47.787" Title="What shrub is this?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23714" CreationDate="2016-03-26T02:49:38.147" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your blueberry plant is looking a lot better then mine!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: as bamboo says this is probably not a blueberry after all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The calyx end of a blueberry forms an indented perfect 5 point star, and your berries are flat. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lilac color looks good. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your leaves are also widely serrated, but the serrations on my plants are very fine, and are more easily felt then seen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are alternating on a brown stem with no thorns as they should but I think one should see vegetative budding at the base of the leaves by late summer, early autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One might also expect to see a little red in the leafs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I guess if the berries don't turn blue you have your answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-26T20:33:47.787" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T20:33:47.787" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23716" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23689" CreationDate="2016-03-26T07:19:29.520" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the USA pomegranates are grown in the driest parts of California ( and in Arizona ) with commercial cultivation centered in the southern San Joaquin Valley.  It prefers low humidity, and long summers.  The fruit takes 5-7 months to mature after blooming, and should be picked when it is a deep red hue.  When mature it has a metallic ring when tapped.  But if left past maturity, the fruit has a tendency to crack open, for example when rained upon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Pruning: Plants should be cut back when they are about 2 ft. high. From this point allow 4 or 5 shoots to develop, which should be evenly distributed around the stem to keep the plant well balanced. These should start about 1 ft. from the ground, giving a short but well-defined trunk. Any shoots which appear above or below should be removed as should any suckers. Since the fruits are borne only at the tips of new growth, it is recommended that for the first 3 years the branches be judiciously shortened annually to encourage the maximum number of new shoots on all sides, prevent straggly development and achieve a strong well framed plant. After the 3rd year, only suckers and dead branches are removed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees take about 3 years to start bearing fruit, but a larger crop of fruit may take from 5 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't look from your pictures that much, if any, pruning has been carried out.  And it may be that the tree needs another year to get a good crop.  The fruit splitting open likely means you've left it too long to pick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pomegranate.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pomegranate.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T07:19:29.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23708" CreationDate="2016-03-26T09:17:18.293" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Keep a cotton bud dipped in tea tree oil very close to your indoor plant. This will keep insects away from your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14135" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T09:17:18.293" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23718" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23700" CreationDate="2016-03-26T10:05:42.573" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are quite a few websites giving information on the management of these pests.  There isn't however chemicals to control these available to the general public. Spraying with a bleach solution has been mentioned. Most state that the eggs are laid in grass, sometimes long grass and the larvae are active at night.  If the ground was previously grassed, this may be the reason you have so many. What seems to be recommended is to till the soil the winter before planting, and again just before planting  to bring the grubs to the surface.  Birds and wildlife including toads, shrews and chickens can then pick off these and reduce the population to start with. Hoeing is recommended, to keep weeds down (reduces egg laying places) along with putting collars around individual plants, but in your situation this would be backbreaking and very costly as you have a large plot to do this on. With pumpkins scrambling along the ground I would presume that it's not just the juvenile plant but their shoots as well that could be vulnerable. Moth traps are also suggested for the adults &amp;amp; using insect killing nematodes or amongst others Tachinid flies can be an option. When planting on a small scale, using diatomaceous earth, used coffee grounds or egg shells around the base of each plant would make it uncomfortable for the grubs to crawl over. A head torch and manually picking up the bugs in the evening, could make for an unusual entertainment, but possibly only feasible on a small scale.  A decent border of bare earth/dry soil around the plot to discourage grubs from crawling across dry soil is an option if you have the space. As are planting sunflowers to attract them (and away from the real crop), as their favourite food. Cutworms also like cornmeal so spreading this around may help. &#xA;Knowledge of life cycle of these moths could be used to time the planting of your produce for when the adults would have emerged and therefore no grubs around, having about 3 life cycles per year. This is similar to planting to avoid the carrot root fly activity. Vigilance to spot the grub and remove it before it moves into the next plant may help. &#xA;It would seem to be there are several things you can do - prior tilling of soil, timing of planting to avoid grub emergence, moth traps, feeding them, keeping down long grass nearby and watering in the morning so that the top soil is dry by the evening when that are active, are your current options. &#xA;Websites that may be of use for you. Www.almanac.com; www.planetnatural.com; www.motherearthnews.com; and uric.ucdauis.edu.  Hope this is of some help and I'm sure there are others who have had more experience who may be able to offer alternative suggestions. But an attack on them from different directions will hopefully reduce the grubby attack to an acceptable level. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-03-26T12:02:33.517" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T12:02:33.517" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23719" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-26T11:43:58.257" Score="6" ViewCount="2625" Body="&lt;p&gt;My whole pak choi spring harvest is bolting right now (I sowed in a green house very early to get a second one in if need be). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However I read that with pak choi when the plant is bolting it usually does not turn as bitter as other plants. I also read somewhere (I cannot find that source) that you can cut off the flower stem and the plant will continue as usual. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone here done that? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14150" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-26T15:55:14.617" LastActivityDate="2020-05-24T00:23:14.223" Title="Should I cut off the stems of my bolting pak choi?" Tags="&lt;brassicas&gt;&lt;bolting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23720" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5312" CreationDate="2016-03-26T12:15:23.247" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Would any of you have access to any birds of prey that need exercising on a regular basis? &#xA;Some large stadia and public spaces in the uk regularly employ the services of a falconer to fly their birds around their areas. This stops pigeons roosting quiet effectively.  Falconry is I guess not a cheap sport, but might be worth looking into for larger scale fruit production. A local school visit to the orchards when fruit is ripening along, with a falconry display might educate and get rid of albeit temporarily the problem pest at the same time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T12:15:23.247" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23721" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-26T13:22:19.467" Score="9" ViewCount="3184" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am from the eastern part of India i.e. Ranchi (Jharkhand ). Can anyone recommend some trees I can plant along the boundary wall of a school campus? They should provide good shade, temperature reduction, noise reduction and be fast growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We also have a 25 feet wide and 1000 feet long straight road in the campus which can be developed as a beautiful avenue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What about malia dubai, spathodea, tecoma and tabebuia rosea? Can they serve my purpose?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14151" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-26T16:10:42.333" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T08:27:19.333" Title="What trees would be good along a boundary wall and avenue in India?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23722" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23649" CreationDate="2016-03-26T19:01:18.603" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A lot of commercial hothouses burn used motor oil - which is worse than new stuff.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If done correctly its quite safe to eat the fruits produced, but its not great for the environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are quite a few bad things in it - in a commercial greenhouse heater these are ducted out the hothouse.  That said if the units are not looked after properly, they can leak contaminants into the house which can hurt the plants.  Be especially aware of carbon monoxide - which can silently kill people working in it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Note: that the air fuel ratio is important in reducing the amount of contaminants released into the atmosphere.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In some places oil can also be used to heat outdoor areas like orchards - again, not great for the environment, but commonly done commercially to save crops from frost - but more so in yesteryear I think.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="14153" LastEditDate="2018-01-28T21:08:13.783" LastActivityDate="2018-01-28T21:08:13.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23723" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23727" CreationDate="2016-03-26T19:18:15.107" Score="8" ViewCount="191" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leafed branches that are at the end of this larger branch look fine, but I am concerned that the damaged bark has allowed the layer underneath to die. Did anything need to be done for this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am getting errors trying to upload a photo from my phone. It used to work fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aoYzK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-27T18:48:53.290" LastActivityDate="2016-03-27T18:48:53.290" Title="Is this crab apple branch doomed?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23724" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23729" CreationDate="2016-03-26T20:08:46.803" Score="6" ViewCount="202" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every year I spread grass seed in the yard. However a part of the lawn still became yellow and even died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few weeks ago I put on Scott Turf Builder Southern Gold Grass Seed. It still died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WUfKA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WUfKA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am despaired. I guess that I lack knowledge in this area. What I should do now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1454" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-26T21:44:40.530" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T22:13:35.430" Title="How can I prevent yellow and dead grass?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23725" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24807" CreationDate="2016-03-26T20:23:11.113" Score="6" ViewCount="298" Body="&lt;p&gt;See attached picture. Is this growth normal?  If not, what do I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bN12k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bN12k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T19:08:52.163" Title="Weird growth on wisteria stem" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23726" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13922" CreationDate="2016-03-26T21:30:11.277" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If this is still a problem, to help keep pests away, plant garlic nearby, but maybe not in the same bed(it can affect flavour in some plants I think? I don't really remember.. xD) also, using a yellow solo cups with Vaseline to catch aphids is something I'm trying this year!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14154" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T21:30:11.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23727" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23723" CreationDate="2016-03-26T21:36:45.653" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not to worry. The tree has or soon will compartmentalize the damage (CODIT). Over time new wood and bark will grow in from the sides and it may eventually close completely. Of course, the more foliage there is above the wound, the faster this process will proceed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When bark is damaged exposing the xylem (wood) there are some cambium cells or xylem initials left on the surface. If covered immediately with polyethylene (e.g., HDPE wrap, visqueen), silicone film, or any other film which is a moisture barrier that transmits oxygen, the tissues will regenerate quickly from those residual cells. But after a day or two they will be dead and covering the wound will no longer accomplish anything productive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I suggest you leave it be and do not reduce the foliage on that stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T21:36:45.653" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23728" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23725" CreationDate="2016-03-26T21:57:20.350" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is crown gall, a bacterial infection. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably your best course of action is to carefully remove the plant from where it is growing, before the disease spreads to some other, and possibly more valuable plants you may have. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since crown gall is caused by is a soil borne bacterium, you might avoid planting anything in its place for a couple of years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T21:57:20.350" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23729" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23724" CreationDate="2016-03-26T22:13:35.430" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you have developed a 'hard pan': the soil has become compacted and won't absorb water well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Applying gypsum or garden lime to the area may help. It might also help to poke around to loosen the soil in those areas (like stab it repeatedly with a garden fork or a lawn aerator).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-03-26T22:13:35.430" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23730" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23731" CreationDate="2016-03-26T22:24:57.720" Score="6" ViewCount="261" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought four Arabian Jasmine saplings from local nursery. I re-potted them into bigger pots. But then it looks like I made the criminal offense of the Jasmine world. I added NPK fertilizer granules and some Osmacot Rose granules too. Added some cow dung manure too. All into potting mix. I did add water too since I was re-potting them.The result is yellow leaves on two of the Jasmines. The one on the left in the picture below is one of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LsnCI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LsnCI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these all doomed or will they pull through. I am keeping them in sun hoping that the roots dry out if this was a case of over watering. No more watering for a week at least.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anything else I can do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14147" LastActivityDate="2016-03-27T01:37:05.030" Title="Is this Jasmine doomed?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23731" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23730" CreationDate="2016-03-27T01:37:05.030" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably not doomed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cow dung, if not composted (i.e., aged) contains a lot of urine = urea. Even though urea is a potent nitrogen source, in higher quantities it reverses the osmotic balance and draws water out of the plant through the roots. This is known as fertilizer burn. The fertilizer granules add to this though they may take a bit longer to dissolve. Osmocote prills, on the other hand, release their contents slowly (over the span of months) and so aren't contributing to your problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will help if you can scrape off all of the cow dung and fertilizer granules on the surface of the soil that you can. Then water repeatedly. Fill the pot to the top with water, let it drain, and repeat many times, lets say 10 times. Then wait two or three days and repeat if your plants are not already greening. You are trying to flush all that extra nitrogen salt from the soil. Once done, your roots will be able to adsorb water again and they will 'perk up'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, you are right. You committed a cardinal offense of gardening and horticulture in general, not just the world of Jasmines. What you need to understand is that plant roots take in mineral salts by an active biological process. This biological process needs to produce a higher concentration of the salt in the root cells than outside. If so, water then moves into the root cell by the chemical process of osmosis to balance the salt concentration inside the cell with the concentration on the outside (in the soil). Too much mineral salt on the outside makes water moves the other way, out of the root into the soil = 'fertilizer burn'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is very simple. A little fertilizer is a good thing. A lot of fertilizer is not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-03-27T01:37:05.030" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23732" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-27T15:19:25.547" Score="7" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a landscape plant at my mothers work she wants to identify. We live in upper South Carolina and it's currently in full bloom as of 3/27/2016. I've included pictures of a branch she snapped off. I've tried to included an overall picture as well as a close up of the leaves and the flowers. The flowers seem to be pretty distinct, being magenta, thin, and wavy, multipetal flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8r8bd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8r8bd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CU6QU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CU6QU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/km3b7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/km3b7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1nv9Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1nv9Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T00:03:36.527" Title="Help Identify this Pink Flowering Landscape Plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23733" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-27T15:44:05.133" Score="6" ViewCount="4898" Body="&lt;p&gt;The inchplant (&lt;em&gt;Tradescantia zebrina&lt;/em&gt;) is popular due to its undemanding nature and appearance. Considering its purple underpart and silvery texture, I never would’ve dared to &lt;em&gt;taste&lt;/em&gt; (or eat) it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yYCoG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yYCoG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tradescantia zebrina leaves (public domain image from Wikimedia Commons)&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From its &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradescantia_zebrina&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia article&lt;/a&gt; however, I discovered that in Central America, a cold drink is prepared from the leaves, called &lt;strong&gt;(Agua de) Matalí&lt;/strong&gt;. I merely found three non-free pictures (&lt;a href=&quot;https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CCffpNTUkAACABb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;two&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bR12hdhlF9E/TnUGO8v70FI/AAAAAAAAR8M/03Vv_o32nNc/s1600/004+-+Copy.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;glasses&lt;/a&gt; and a &lt;a href=&quot;http://charricos.com.mx/wps/wp-content/gallery/jugos-carla/matali-limon-maguey.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bottle&lt;/a&gt;). Looks good!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant usually grows abundantly lush (even in radically different ecosystems). Sometimes you even have to thin out some shoots. It’d be great if you could cultivate it not only for its beauty, but also for its nutritional properties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is there any reliable evidence for its edibility?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14139" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2016-03-27T20:39:35.337" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T21:30:52.433" Title="Is Tradescantia zebrina (inchplant, wandering jew) an edible “crop” plant?" Tags="&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" ClosedDate="2016-11-02T14:25:20.680" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23734" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29906" CreationDate="2016-03-27T15:49:30.883" Score="9" ViewCount="927" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm moving into a new house that has a good sized strawberry patch on one of the corners of the lawn. I want to build a large raised bed for it and help it spread out more. If I build the border of the bed, and just gradually fill it in with soil, will strawberries be able to handle that? If so, how quickly can I fill it up and when would be the best time to do this? Is there anything I should avoid?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, is there a term for this? &quot;raised bed&quot; seems to only refer to a structure built before plants are planted, which makes sense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14156" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-11-18T03:21:14.620" LastActivityDate="2019-12-25T19:03:32.480" Title="Can I add soil to strawberries, creating a raised bed?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;soft-fruit&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23735" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-27T16:00:25.960" Score="8" ViewCount="602" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just brought home my first bonsai.  Looking at some of the guides online I think it needs some pruning after the flowering period.  It still has wire on most of the growth.  Any suggestions about where to begin are appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks,&#xA;Joe&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fn0qf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fn0qf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14157" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T15:44:43.227" Title="Tips for first Serissa Bonsai" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23736" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-27T18:46:09.957" Score="5" ViewCount="6307" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found some pretty reasonably priced 1x8 knotty cedar (.75&quot; x 7.5&quot; ), And I'm looking to make some raised beds using it and wondering If i brac it every 5 feet or so, if that will be think enough to hold back the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11239" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T15:17:54.280" Title="Is 1' x 8' cedar thick enough for raised beds" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23737" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23742" CreationDate="2016-03-27T20:31:28.157" Score="12" ViewCount="3155" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to grow a cherry tree from a seed. It's not that easy though and I need some time and patience. I have experience with pine tree and orange, though these are quite easy trees to grow compared to cherry and maple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the same time I saw some guys in a YouTube video who advised removing the seed shell for lemon seed to improve germination. They say it works very well and normally you will have at least 4 of 5 seeds germinated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With cherry it's a bit more complicated. Normally seeds need stratification.&#xA;Is it acceptable to treat cherry seeds in this way at all or it will just destroy it? If I remove the shell, do I need to stratify it or can I simply put it in moist and wait?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14161" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-27T21:31:19.057" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T14:38:07.557" Title="Can I grow a cherry tree from seed without stratification?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23733" CreationDate="2016-03-27T20:54:58.623" Score="6" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Agua de Matali with Mint and Lime&#xA;  Adapted from Chef Christian Bravo, Restaurante Punta del Mar, Merida, Yucatan&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Matali is the Mexican name for Tradescantia zebrina (striped) or Tradescantia pallida (purple), a species of spiderwort native to the Gulf Coast of eastern Mexico. In the US, it's known as inch plant, purpleheart, and wandering jew, and it's used for ornamental planting. In Mexico, the leaves are infused to make agua de matali, a refreshing, cool tonic. Chef Christian Bravo riffs on the traditional drink to make a mocktail that he serves in his restaurant Punta del Mar in Merida, Yucatan. Matali grows all over Austin, so we can enjoy it here, too. The purple variety makes an especially pretty presentation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;1 cup washed matali leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;3/4 cup sugar&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;4 cups water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;fresh mint leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;2 tablespoons lime juice&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Crushed ice&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Lime wedges for garnish&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In a saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil; add matali leaves and remove from heat. Cover and let rest for five minutes. Strain infused liquid and cool to room temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Place ice in a tall glass, add lime juice and mint leaves, and fill with matali liquid. Stir, then garnish with a slice of lime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/food/2012-10-11/latin-flavors-american-kitchens-symposium-at-cia-san-antonio/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/food/2012-10-11/latin-flavors-american-kitchens-symposium-at-cia-san-antonio/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And since it's Easter, the plant gets its name from the Jew who was cursed to live forever (well, until the second coming) for mocking Jesus of Nazareth who was on his way to Golgotha to be crucified.  Like this unfortunate immortal, the plant is indestructible, and gets everywhere in your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-27T22:09:31.443" LastActivityDate="2016-03-27T22:09:31.443" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23739" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23732" CreationDate="2016-03-28T00:03:36.527" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Chinese fringe flower / Loropetalum chinensis&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.absolutewonder.com/loropetalum.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.absolutewonder.com/loropetalum.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13998" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T00:03:36.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23740" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23736" CreationDate="2016-03-28T00:20:40.627" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This will work for at least five years if you take a few extra steps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;at the corners and halfway along the length of each plank attach a 2&quot; x 2&quot; or similar post with galvanized or similar outdoor grade screws.  The posts should at least 30&quot; inches tall so you have 15&quot; supporting the planks and 15&quot; in the ground.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;for a really durable raised bed get &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=pond%20liner&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pond liner&lt;/a&gt; or similar food grade impermeable plastic and lay this between the planks and the soil of the bed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stakes will keep the planks from shifting and the liner will keep the soil away from the planks.  Soil against any wood will cause rot sooner or later. The liner prevents this and stops soil from washing out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T00:20:40.627" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23741" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="195" CreationDate="2016-03-28T01:24:17.577" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I start my garden veggies like tomatoes, indoors and have noticed a purplish color under the leaves as well. It's definitely not bugs or a virus. The ONLY factors it could be in my case are ambient / temperature being too cold - @68 &amp;deg;F, or too much fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been starting my veggies in my basement for over 10 seasons now, and just noticed the discoloration, which coincided with an application of fertilizer at @ 700ppm in strength with week old tomato plants. I usually add just tap water (@125ppm) and have never had a problem with purple leaves, but I grabbed the wrong container of water (fertilizer water @700ppm) and didn't notice it until the next day. I drained the water and soaked plants in tap water to purge any fertilizer out of the seedlings. They are all doing fine and continue to grow but still have the purple color on the bottom of the leaf with the veins dark purple as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe it was a result of a combination of cold water / ambient temp and the fertilizer locking out the seedling's ability to absorb phosphorus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14162" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-03-28T19:43:01.137" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T19:43:01.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23742" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23737" CreationDate="2016-03-28T02:45:19.917" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cherry seeds need both warm and cold stratification to overcome the seed's dormancy.  But you can germinate fresh cherry seeds using the plant hormone Gibberellic acid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In March 1969, partially stratified (3 months) seed&#xA;  from 14 families were removed from cold storage,&#xA;  endocarps were removed by cracking, and 10 to 20&#xA;  seeds from each family were assigned to each of the&#xA;  following three treatments:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ol&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Control: 18-hour soak in distilled water, followed&#xA;  by a 20-minute soak in Captan (1 gram per liter of water).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Gibberellic acid: 18-hour soak in 100-p.p.m. GA3.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Gibberellic acid-Captan: 18-hour soak in 100-p.p.m.&#xA;  GA„ followed by 20-minute soak in Captan.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;After treatment, seeds were planted approximately 5&#xA;  mm. deep in flats of coarse sand, treated with Pan-ODrench&#xA;  .3 Flats were placed in a greenhouse and watered&#xA;  with distilled water as needed to keep the sand moist.&#xA;  The following germination percentages were observed 3&#xA;  weeks after planting:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VVPxy.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VVPxy.png&quot; alt=&quot;germination table&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;GA3 stimulated germination, but Captan did not&#xA;  significantly enhance this effect or prove essential in&#xA;  reducing seed infection. After germination was&#xA;  evaluated, seedlings were gently washed from the sand&#xA;  and transplanted to loam-filled clay pots where about 95&#xA;  percent of them developed into normal plants.&#xA;  In a second test, conducted in late summer with&#xA;  freshly collected fruit, seed from five trees were given the&#xA;  same three treatments used above. The experiment was&#xA;  a randomized complete block with five 10-seed&#xA;  replications of each tree-treatment combination. Mean&#xA;  germination percent at 3 weeks was almost identical to&#xA;  that in the previous test:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Farmer, R. E. Jr.; Hall, G. C., 1971: Gibberellic acid induces germination and growth of dormant Black Cherry seed. Tree Plant. Notes. 22: 2, 26-8&#xA;See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rngr.net/publications/tpn/22-2/pdf.2005-06-08.2788112812/at_download/file&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-03-28T14:38:07.557" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T14:38:07.557" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23620" CreationDate="2016-03-28T07:52:50.533" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It takes approximately 20 months to go from seed to seed. And you should have about 15 plants to save the seeds from to ensure adequate pollination. Each of the 100s of flowers will produce 2-3 seeds so that each plant will have hundreds of seeds. If your leek has a second flower head near the base of the plant, remove and discard it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seeds are covered in a thin green seed coat and this changes color as the seeds mature.  When trying to determine when to take the flower head from the stem, sample a few of the seed pods from around the flower head to see if there are any black seeds present.  If they are present, you can remove the whole flower head.  As the seed pods age, they become more papery white and you can see the black seeds inside.  But if you leave them too long on the stem, you can lose them to the weather as they open and fall to the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you remove the flower head, place it upside down in a cardboard box, allowing some space for ventilation.  Leave the seeds to dry and mature over winter in a warm room, eg. 15 deg C, and the seed pods will open up dropping the seeds into your box ready for spring planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTRmFo_V5kM&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTRmFo_V5kM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To plant from seed, sow indoors 8-10 weeks before the last expected spring frost. Plant seeds 1/2 inch deep in pots at least 6 inches deep, thinning to 1 inch apart when the seedlings are 3 inches tall.  Transplant when seedlings are hardened and the ground can be worked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-28T08:01:36.597" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T08:01:36.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10972" CreationDate="2016-03-28T12:20:56.743" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think there is salt in your water. I had the same problem but when I changed  the water the tree started to look alive again: new branches, new leaves  and fruits.  You should also fertilize it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14165" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-03-28T19:41:33.050" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T19:41:33.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23745" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23733" CreationDate="2016-03-28T12:50:52.810" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is conflicting information on the web regarding the edibility of this plant (for humans), and most of it doesn't seem to be from any major reputable scientific source. It is not listed in any of the Herbal Dictionaries I've checked, including Wiki's list.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way, from what information is available, Tradescantia zebrina is not considered one of the culinary herbs, and its use has generally been restricted to medicinal purposes, in the same way as, say, St. John's Wort or Valerian. Considered to 'strengthen the blood' (the jury's out on what that actually means, I've no idea, sounds like nonsense to me), and has been used as a treatment for colds, tuberculosis, high blood pressure and 'problems of the uterus' (again, ?). Some people may have a strong reaction to this plant, either by contact or ingestion, depending on their individual sensitivities. It is, though, perfectly safe for reptiles to consume, though likely only in small amounts:- &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.anapsid.org/resources/edible.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.anapsid.org/resources/edible.html&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/spiderwort-edible-91547.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/spiderwort-edible-91547.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-medical-uses-of-tradescantia-zebrina.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-medical-uses-of-tradescantia-zebrina.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the taste of any tisane or tea made from its leaves, I'd imagine most of the pleasure in taste will come from the high amount of sugar and citrus juice rather than the Tradescantia leaves themselves, judging by the recipe given in another answer (reminds me of the recipe for 'nail soup', an old Serbian joke...) So, ultimately, no, I don't think you could consider Tradescantia zebrina a 'crop' plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-28T14:25:03.583" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T14:25:03.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23746" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23749" CreationDate="2016-03-28T13:21:24.790" Score="9" ViewCount="18258" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning on completely re-doing the landscaping around my house and I would like to replace the rock pebbles with mulch. Should I put down a layer of plastic or landscaping fabric before adding mulch? What are the pros/cons of doing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14005" LastEditorUserId="10945" LastEditDate="2016-05-18T13:04:55.100" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T13:04:55.100" Title="Is it beneficial to put plastic or landscaping fabric under mulch?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;landscape-fabric&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23747" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23748" CreationDate="2016-03-28T13:29:47.603" Score="5" ViewCount="527" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just got this cactus with large red and white spines and I'd like to know its species. It looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/FEROCACTUS/Ferocactus_emoryi/Ferocactus_emoryi/Ferocactus_emoryi.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;ferocactus emoryi&lt;/a&gt; except the spines are not hooked. But it could be something else as there are so many different species of ferocactus. Some species of gymnocalycium also look like this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dAlAs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dAlAs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KOzDh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KOzDh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13963" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T13:53:10.593" Title="What's this cactus with large red and white spines?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23748" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23747" CreationDate="2016-03-28T13:53:10.593" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're close with Ferocactus emoryi, but it's a different variety - I think it's a young Ferocactus recurvus, also known as Bisnaga recurva, image in the link below, scroll down a bit to find it&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/CACTI/Family/Cactaceae/4295/Bisnaga_recurva&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/CACTI/Family/Cactaceae/4295/Bisnaga_recurva&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T13:53:10.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23749" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23746" CreationDate="2016-03-28T14:03:35.083" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely not plastic - landscape fabric needs to be water/air permeable. The reason fabric's used is to reduce or stop weed germination, particularly when stones are laid over the top. Even that's not a permanent fix though - over time, particles of soil gather in the stones and eventually weed germination can take place in that top layer of stones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're going to use organic origin mulches instead, a layer 2-3 inches deep is necessary to hold back weed germination if you don't use landscape fabric, less if you do. But, adding organic mulches straight onto soil is beneficial in other ways - the mulch will break down over time and enrich the soil beneath, and retain moisture in the soil, but will need topping up probably yearly. It's also easier to hoe over to remove anything which has germinated in the mulch or soil without fabric present. Plus there's the advantage that any perennial plants or bulbs present will be able to increase their size/width in the soil because they're not restricted by being planted through a hole in landscape fabric. Laid over fabric, a mulch will still need topping up, but if you used, say, chunky bark chips, it will last longer. So it really depends on what plants you're growing and why you're using the mulch - if the main reason is to improve the soil (without digging) and retain moisture, then you don't need the fabric. But for weed suppression, fabric works better, although you should be aware that, even with fabric laid, weed seedlings are perfectly capable of germinating in the organic mulch layer on top of the fabric, and obviously harder to remove because you'd need to do it by hand so as not to disrupt the fabric beneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-28T14:20:45.877" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T14:20:45.877" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23750" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-28T14:56:43.817" Score="5" ViewCount="205" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a home-brewer living in zone 9 and I would like to grow my own hops.&#xA;I've found a few varieties which list 9 as their maximum planting zone, but most of my favorites recommend no higher than 8.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that I need to start my seeds in a refrigerator, and I'm planning to put in a raised bed in a tree-shaded area to cut down on direct scorch from our sun.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What techniques can I use to grow plants in warmer than recommended climates?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14034" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T17:08:59.897" Title="Tips for planting out of the recommended zone" Tags="&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;&lt;hot-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23736" CreationDate="2016-03-28T15:17:54.280" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think if you are raising the soil 15&quot; as mentioned in one of your comments, that you probably would be better off using 2x lumber.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ceder is rot resistant, but it weakens quickly when exposed. This is fine for roofing and siding because it's not providing any structural support. But in this case I think the soil will bust out the sides sooner than expected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you use 2x12, it may not be a full 15 inches, but I think you'll get 5 years of use out of it. Although the interior will begin to rot within a year or two, the lumber will remain flexible and so won't bust out until the last few fibers give way. Cedar when it weakens remains brittle, so when it goes it'll just split and crack from the pressure of the soil And probably in the winter from Ice heaving if you live in a freezing zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, instead of using posts in the corner, I use angle irons around the outside. This provides the greatest structural support because the pressure is perpendicular to the nails or screws. If you put angle irons on the inside or if you put posts on the inside then the pressure is &quot;pulling out&quot; the nails and screws and so those connections will fail much sooner. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T15:17:54.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23752" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23750" CreationDate="2016-03-28T15:28:21.860" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant them behind the north face of a fence, shed or your home. Although the USDA zones are generally accurate, there are micro-zones all over the place that can be as much as one or even two whole zones warmer or colder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may not get as deep a cold as actually being a full zone north, but the average winter temp of the north face of your house and it's shadow will be measurably colder than the south face. Low spots in the shade will collect cooler air as well, so if you have a natural trench or valley on the north side of your house, you will get it even cooler.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Iowa, I lived in zone 5, however I lived on the south face of the river valley (meaning the river was north of me and the sun was mostly uphill from me). My Microclimate was zone 4, and arguably zone 3 depending on where I measured temps on my land in the winter. Although the official temps in the area were as low as -28 for about 6 weeks, there were days I measured -40 degrees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2016-03-28T17:08:59.897" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T17:08:59.897" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23750" CreationDate="2016-03-28T16:32:34.940" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Escoce's advice is great. I'll just add that hops produce best if they have a chill period of 30-90 days. If you find that they aren't producing well even after planing on the north side of your fence, you could try banking ice around the base of the plant daily for a month. This is a trick that can successfully trick a lilac into blooming in zone 10 and while I can't guarantee it, it may just work for hops as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T16:32:34.940" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23754" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23759" CreationDate="2016-03-28T18:16:34.687" Score="6" ViewCount="1790" Body="&lt;p&gt;What could have caused the damage in some of the leafs of this pothos? Fungus? Drought? Pest? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Factors:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It appeared suddenly, at the end of winter time, beginning of spring&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is an indoor plant, and the windows have been closed for several months, since it is winter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is not over a heating vent&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is not directly exposed to sunlight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It has not been treated with any chemical&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There was a plant in the same room infested with white flies (removed now), but there are no signs of white flies in this plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There was a plant in the same room infested with fruit flies (removed now), but there are no signs of fruit flies in this plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not all the leafs are affected, only 5% of them. And not even in the same stem.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A sister plant that lives besides this one has started to show the same damage (three leafs).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Notice the row of little holes in one of them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I could not see any pest or eggs on the backside of the leafs, using a magnifier.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0nQSc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0nQSc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QFvwy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QFvwy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PCPLu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PCPLu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TWw6V.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TWw6V.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7271" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T19:45:25.683" Title="Disease / pest identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23754" CreationDate="2016-03-28T18:55:07.067" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am going to take a stab at this one. I don't think this is pest induced, but rather the longer term effects of mechanical damage. A leaf getting folded, brushed up against too many times, or the slightest of breezes making the leave rub against something else. Being the end of winter, there hasn't been much new growth and this tropical plant has just been maintaining itself, and these leaves are now simply just too old and weak to push off the effects of having been &lt;em&gt;handled&lt;/em&gt; in some way or fashion over the last several cold months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T18:55:07.067" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23756" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10972" CreationDate="2016-03-28T19:10:24.730" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like wind damage to me, especially as the edges are browned and dry. The same can be seen if leaves on delicate shrubs like acers are exposed to wind. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T19:10:24.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23757" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23754" CreationDate="2016-03-28T19:16:27.357" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree it may be mechanical damage, but it may well also be the leaf coming to the end of its life.  Especially if there are only a few on the plant, and they look as though they are mature and not juvenile. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T19:16:27.357" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23758" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-28T19:36:33.510" Score="5" ViewCount="36" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see what I believe to be grape ivy growing on oaks, sumacs and other chaparral in the San Diego back country. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will this harm those plants if allowed to spread?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14167" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-03-28T19:44:29.597" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T13:18:12.877" Title="Will grape ivy harm oak and sumac if allowed to spread?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23759" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23754" CreationDate="2016-03-28T19:45:25.683" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaf with the line of holes in it shows signs of mechanical damage as Escoce suggests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other damage is strongly suggestive of fungus/virus/bacteria  brought on by over watering.  Identification is suggested by:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sunken lesions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;irregular areas of dead tissue surrounded by dying tissue surrounded by a thin line&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no signs of insect eggs/frass/adults&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants co exist with a multitude of other organisms in the soil and their tissues.  When a stress is put on the plant like lower light and too much water these organisms can get out of hand and multiply to cause the damage you see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Increase the light, decrease the amount of water and the plant will outgrow the problem.  In the spring trimming the roots and re-potting with fresh soil may be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-03-28T19:45:25.683" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23760" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-28T19:46:40.317" Score="6" ViewCount="98" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few fruit trees (apple, pears, oranges, grapes) and need to fertilize them.  What is the best way to fertilize them?  I am planning to use a mix of chicken manure and horse manure.  Do I need to add anything else? What proportion of each should I use?  Do I just spread it around the tree base or do I have to dig soil around the main step?  My concern around digging the soil is potentially damaging the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-03-29T06:02:19.717" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T16:14:36.310" Title="Fertilizing multi-variety fruit trees" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23764" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23767" CreationDate="2016-03-28T23:28:20.913" Score="7" ViewCount="2433" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wanting to grow (from seed + my own grafting) an Avocado tree in an IBC container.  IBC Containers are about 1m x 1m x 1m.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How practical is this, and is this space enough for an avocado tree to yield a meaningful quantity of fruit (assuming I get the grafting right and it is able to pollinate).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Relatedly, are dwarf avocados special cultivars or can any avocado be made into a dwarf by constraining its root system and pruning it ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T17:24:57.397" Title="Growing Avocado in large Container" Tags="&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23765" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5838" CreationDate="2016-03-28T23:38:09.540" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Boxwood are &quot;pinched&quot; or thinned in the summer, and sheared in the winter.  If you shear them in the spring, all the beautiful new growth will be removed, leaving last year's old growth.  Once you see the buds in Spring it's too late to shear, unless you really must.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thinning is very important.  Rather than repeat it all here, I'll just reference a really good paper on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thepruningschool.com/Articles/boxwoodPruning.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Boxwood Pruning&lt;/a&gt;, by Peter Deahl.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shearing is not as important.  Some boxwood, esp English, look wonderfully rustic when left unsheared.  If you want a formal &quot;box&quot; hedge or topiary, shearing is the only way.  But if you do this in the winter, when the new growth happens in spring, the leaves cut and killed by the shearing will disappear under the fresh new growth spurt. Even if you shear regularly, pinching is still just as important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14172" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-18T16:53:30.383" LastActivityDate="2016-04-18T16:53:30.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23766" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-29T00:37:58.833" Score="6" ViewCount="194" Body="&lt;p&gt;Should my &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=r440&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Euonymus alatus&lt;/em&gt; 'Rudy Haag'&lt;/a&gt; (Burning Bush) be pruned in spring or not at all? This is my first spring after planting it last spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14173" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-30T00:52:05.857" LastActivityDate="2016-03-30T00:52:05.857" Title="Should a Rudy Haag Burning Bush be pruned?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23767" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23764" CreationDate="2016-03-29T04:28:33.467" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is a bad idea.  Avocados require freely draining soil, and if you're planting inside an IBC, then you're going to need most of a cubic ton of an artificial soil mix. But most of that might be wasted since the tree is shallow rooted and the main feeder roots are in the first 6 inches of soil.  Trees can potentially grow 60 feet high, so you're continually going to have to prune it to keep it under 2 metres, but it's already one metre off the ground making your task harder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When planting a dwarf avocado they suggest you start with a 60 cm pot, and repot every second year, and change the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your IBC might last 5 years more or less under NZ's high UV levels just when your tree is about to start first fruiting.  And then you'll need to repot it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're looking for a meaningful amount of fruit and you have to plant into containers, then maybe purchasing a number of dwarf varieties is the way to go.  You'll do better with two avocado trees anyway for cross pollination, a type A and a type B.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dwarfing is usually done by grafting the scion onto a dwarf root stock.  The root stock controls the height of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-03-29T04:33:38.430" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T04:33:38.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23768" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23766" CreationDate="2016-03-29T06:25:52.197" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A winged burning bush. Sounds interesting. However, it is just a woody plant. Spring is the best time to prune!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you like how it is growing, let it grow. If you want the stems to be thicker, let it grow. If you don't like how it is growing, prune it: remove stems you don't want, decapitate stems you want to 'split' into branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First thing in spring (so to speak) up to the time the buds are just breaking is a good time. All energy is stored locally as starch grains in living cells. What you have removed doesn't 'steal energy' from what you have left. The buds closest to where you cut will become new shoots; maybe the next one or two down the stem will too, but they almost certainly will pop leaves. A distal bud point in the direction the new shoot will go. If you don't like it, just rub that bud off or prune a little lower. If there is only one bud, the stem won't branch into two. It will just make the one stem abruptly change direction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After bud burst you should not prune. You should let the new leaves open and 'harden'. At this point the foliage is now feeding the tree so that it can grow. Some of those sugars is also being stored (converted to starch grains) - the plant is 'building strength'. Certainly by the summer solstice, the plant has gained enough strength that you can prune again to shape the plant to be as you want without sacrificing its vigor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now it should be easy to appreciate that if the plant is growing too vigorously, you prune closer to the time the foliage on your plant hardens. Likewise you could also prune a third time after the solstice (i.e., in 'official' summer) to reduce vigor, though the degree to which this third occasion affects the plant varies by species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then you let it be and enjoy the wonderful fall color. After the leaves have dropped,it is easy to see the branch structure. You can correct this to your liking immediately or you can wait until when the buds begin to swell the next spring to prune it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The wings, which may be your reason for choosing this variety, appear with age of the internodes. There will always be some new stem sections with no wings, and below those, internodes with two opposed wings, and below those, ones with 4 wings, and etc. Pruning or not doesn't change this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, of course you can prune Rudy Hagg burning bush. The only reason not to is that you like its natural growth habit and just want to let it grow and just 'do its own thing' (and there is nothing wrong with that).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are very good reasons to NEVER PRUNE IN WINTER, but I suspect you are at least as tired of reading as I am writing and proofing this, so I'm not going to write anything further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Enjoy your spindle tree. Don't be afraid to prune it! It will grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastEditorUserId="13580" LastEditDate="2016-03-29T15:50:04.413" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T15:50:04.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23770" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23679" CreationDate="2016-03-29T09:27:54.990" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The main problem I see with germinating seeds in compost is that compost is often rich in nitrogen. If it has a lot of nitrogen, they call it hot. Too much nitrogen will burn plants and prevent seeds from growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can successfully grow plants in a mixture of mostly worm castings with a little peat moss. Pure worm castings might work, too. Worm castings aren't 'hot'. The plants I'm sprouting in this mixture this year are doing fine in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you want to use regular compost (instead of worm compost), you might try adding some extra potassium to the compost. Getting the potassium and nitrogen balanced should make the nitrogen much less harmful and may even allow seeds to sprout. However, if you get too much potassium, it can also prevent seeds from sprouting. Balance seems to be the key (not amount, although there is such a thing as too much fertilizer, even if it is balanced). You could also potentially add wood chips or something to the compost, since they take nitrogen to decompose (and they contain potassium and calcium). Anyway, I haven't tried amending compost to allow seeds to start in it (and I don't know of anyone else who ever has, either), but in theory, it might work, although you probably wouldn't know off the bat exactly how much potassium you would need in order to be successful. So, don't put all your eggs in one basket if you try this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T09:27:54.990" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23771" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23782" CreationDate="2016-03-29T12:27:54.580" Score="6" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;My yard is almost 50% weeds. I'm planning to renovate my lawn by killing it off and growing a brand new lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are the following the right sequence of steps ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apply non-selective herbicide. Wait for 3-4 weeks. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Core aerate the lawn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make soil amendments (I've sent soil samples to the lab for tests)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Reseed lawn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover the new seeds with a layer of top soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water the lawn every day till the seeds germinate. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mow the lawn after the grass grows 3-4 inches. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14177" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T23:15:53.917" Title="Lawn renovation" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23772" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23758" CreationDate="2016-03-29T13:18:12.877" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it is one of the Vitis sp., especially Vitis californica, then it is a native and best left alone. So you should try to find out the species to be sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The English Ivy is definitely being discouraged in California because it covers the ground and will not allow any other species, especially low light natives to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neither kind, will typically affect Oaks. Chaparral and Sumac may be choked if the non-natives mound at a certain height and cut off both light and ground to spread. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You said &quot;back country&quot;, so it is best to identify the species through this site, Cal-IPC or the California Chaparral Institute and then decide whether to allow it to spread or not. Natives are best allowed to do as they please. If non-native, you may want to take the usual prescribed action. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T13:18:12.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23773" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23780" CreationDate="2016-03-29T16:41:30.693" Score="6" ViewCount="993" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've tried to provide this image to help describe the issue. I have a line of evergreen trees that goes through the back of my house. I'm not an expert at landscaping (hardly even a rookie), but those looks like new trees/roots that are taking up and I'm not sure if I should be clearing those out or doing anything with those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similarly, for any branches which hang over while cutting the lawn, anything I should do with those?  I really appreciate the community here and taking time to answer questions like these for newbies like myself. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AlnXv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AlnXv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3394" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-12T07:55:48.820" LastActivityDate="2021-02-12T07:55:48.820" Title="How should I treat overgrowth on tree line?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="23775" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23777" CreationDate="2016-03-29T17:16:34.143" Score="10" ViewCount="5536" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7347/how-do-i-fix-the-worst-lawn-on-the-street&quot;&gt;I have a corner lot with several large trees&lt;/a&gt;, which makes fall a not so desirable time to work outside. My yard is not large enough to warrant a riding mower, so that idea is out. Here is what I've tried:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leaf rake, leaf chute, and lawn bags&lt;/strong&gt;. Nope, nope, nope.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leaf blower/vac, leaf chute, lawn bags.&lt;/strong&gt; I got a pretty powerful Husqvarna handheld that blows and mulches. The blower works great, so does the vac. Several issues with this approach:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Large lot, the handheld gets a bit heavy after a while. Not a huge deal, but if I'm looking for a new solution, it's something worth mentioning. It's akin to holding a 10lb weight in one's hand for an hour or so. If any solution suggested requires a blower I will probably pursue a backpack blower, and forego the vacuum if necessary or look into a separate vac.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The bag the blower came with was entirely too small, and after I blow all the leaves into a huge pile before I vac( it just seems intuitive to do that) I can't get a good vac rhythm going before it's time to empty the bag. I've seen the huge aftermarket leaf bags, so that's worth a try, but a benefit of the small bag is less lower back strain from repetitive bending over, which goes away if you have a single large bag, as I'd always be bending over digging leaves out of the larger chute to put in the smaller paper lawn bags.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I have researched recently:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leaf Tarp/Net&lt;/strong&gt;. The idea is to blow the leaves onto a tarp or net and haul them off somewhere. Unfortunately my local doesn't do curbside sucking, and I don't have a truck to haul them off somewhere. If there was a cheap enough net I'd be glad to set it out with the trash, as bagging them sort of sucks right now.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SuperNet&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qFaKka2DAI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This guy might be onto something&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally I'm looking for a reasonably priced approach that will save me time, right now it takes at least 1/2 - A full day to get the first batch of leaves up, and there's always a second back that takes slightly less time. I realize no solution will encompass everything, but knowing what others do will at least get the idea wheel turning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2162" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2019-10-27T13:10:22.210" Title="Easiest way to remove large amount of leaves from yard" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23776" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23764" CreationDate="2016-03-29T17:24:57.397" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Graham that this is not likely to produce the results you want if you use regular Avocado stock.  There is a dwarf avocado called &lt;a href=&quot;http://mgorange.ucanr.edu/Edible_Plants/?uid=127&amp;amp;ds=530&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the Wurtz&lt;/a&gt; which will successfully crop when grown in a container.  It gets about 3M (10') tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Issues will be your temperatures which are right on the edge of what it will tolerate ( -3 Deg C or 25 Deg F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pollination is another matter of concern. To get good fruit set you need a type of avocado that complements the Wurtz pattern.  I had no idea how complicated this is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are two types of avocado trees,Type A (Wurtz) and Type B,&#xA;defined by the time of day that the flowers are open and are available&#xA;for pollination.  Each flower opens as female either in the morning&#xA;(Type A) or in the afternoon (Type B). It closes, then reopens on the&#xA;second day as male, and then closes permanently. This pattern occurs&#xA;reliably when the temperatures are ideal - above about 70 degrees day&#xA;and night. When temperatures are below about 60 degrees, or if&#xA;pollinators are not present when both male and female flowers are&#xA;open, fruit set is poor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you will need some dwarf avocado in containers and a full sized version to pollinate.  Protection from cold during winter and flowering is important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any trees in containers have an increased demand for water (ten to twenty gallons a day!) so I recommend an automated system.  Regular fertilizer and top dressing are required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Due to the avocado's tendency to shallow rooting any plants in containers should be protected from strong wind.  Guying and staking may be a good idea if windy weather is anticipated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T17:24:57.397" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23777" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23775" CreationDate="2016-03-29T17:26:43.257" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use a lawnmower with a bagger.  The blades chop the leaves and reduce the volume by up to 80%.  The finely shredded leaves are great mulch for plant or vegetable beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut my grass low in the fall as we get a lot of snow and this reduces the chance of snow mould.  You may have to adjust your cutting height depending on the amount of leaves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This method does mean you have to empty your bag frequently.  I dump the shredded leaves directly on the garden beds. It sure beats raking. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-03-29T17:53:05.890" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T17:53:05.890" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23778" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24041" CreationDate="2016-03-29T17:53:41.523" Score="11" ViewCount="4113" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where I live, we have a severe rodent problem during the winter, such that when spring comes around, I have little vole/mouse trails in my lawn and patches of dead grass where the rodents had made nests. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I began raking the dead grass (not even sure if I should do that?) to find the grass was completely detached from the soil. There were a few green strands of grass here and there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also have patches of grass left untouched by the rodents, but it has dead/brown grass mixed in with the healthy looking stuff. This problem persists during the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I be removing the dead grass in either case? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: &#xA;I am living in Northern Utah (Cache Valley). As far as what type of grass I have, it is a thick grass; from what I've been able to find, it looks like I either have a Ryegrass or a Kentucky Bluegrass. I am by no means a grass expert, and by that token, very experienced when dealing with lawn care. I'll post pictures as soon as the snow goes away :) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/opGyN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/opGyN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A nest, grass is all dead&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CiolK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CiolK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trails&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1JBaD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1JBaD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dead grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that the snow is gone (hopefully for good!), I was able to snap some pictures. This is the current state of my lawn; my watering schedule is every other night (I believe M, W, F). Should I rake all this dead grass? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14180" LastEditorUserId="14180" LastEditDate="2016-04-08T03:42:37.237" LastActivityDate="2016-04-11T20:18:33.780" Title="Dead grass in lawn after winter" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="15" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23775" CreationDate="2016-03-29T18:09:18.080" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a wooded area that we'll occasionally burn. You'll want helpers and don't do it on a windy day, but it works pretty well and all that ash seems to give the grass under the trees a good kick start. It looks better than when we leave them alone or mow the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course you'll need to check regulations in your area and call about any relevant burn permits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T18:09:18.080" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23773" CreationDate="2016-03-29T20:57:56.937" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you should be clearing those out. That looks like a bunch of deciduous trees coming up in front of the conifers. We have the same problem with the woods in our pasture. Basically, what'll happen is the tree branches will grow out into your yard, causing you not to mow out as far, then new trees will grow up under the branches and extend further into the yard. Eventually, you start loosing your yard. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the pasture, I just poison under the limbs and take a chainsaw to them if they start to stick out to far, which the will when reaching toward the light. However, with this being a yard, you might want to take a different approach. With the smaller amount of work, I'd just do it manually. You need to make a decision, though. I'd take out all the small trees, without doubt. The decision you have to make  is with the coniferous trees. Ideally, they would have been set back far enough from your yard when planted, that when full grown, they wouldn't be hanging over into your yard and preventing you from mowing the yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your two options at this point would be to either let them have that amount of yard, or limb them up to a height where they don't affect your mowing. You can trim back just the branches that are hanging over your yard, but it might not look good. You can always do that and if you don't like it, limb them back to the trunk and up to a height where they don't affect your mowing. It's really an aesthetics thing, once you know that you have to cut it. I know those trees look good when they have branches all the way to the ground, but they can also look fine limbed up a bit. So either give them some of the yard or limb them up. Definitely clean up that scrubby stuff, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T20:57:56.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23781" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2644" CreationDate="2016-03-29T22:47:45.823" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Great that you have called LOCATE and have those lines marked.  If you have clay soil I would not use a rotary tiller.  It would make concrete if there was any moisture in the clay soils.  Your PLANT beds need to be at least a foot or more higher than the lawn area so you DON'T HAVE TO take away good soils.  A trench made with a flat edge shovel between the lawn and plant beds is essential. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might have to dig down further for your lawn area and bring in a few inches of GOOD topsoil depending on your grade.  Or cover with your own topsoil if it doesn't deplete your plant beds. All lawns should be graded so there is at least a 2% slope directing water where you decide WHERE the water should flow so you don't have standing puddles near your plants and grasses.  Possibly into a dry well that you make by digging a hole and dumping drain rock to allow the water to filter back into the water table. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure that no soil touches the bottom of your fence or siding. Ideally 4-6&quot; below any wood. You might have to install PT dimensional lumber to make a barrier between the bottom of your fence and your fluffed up plant beds.  I've built my plant beds up to 3-4' (yes feet) using turned over old sod and soils, within a few months they are reduced to 1'by decomposition of organic matter in your soil (a very good thing).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure that your lawn edges are either perfectly straight with 90 degree angles or curves with continuous radiuses...When you make a curve it continues within the same radius until you go the other way and then again another continuous radius.  No wiggly lines or compound radiuses if you can help it!  Your eye sees the edges of the lawn far more than the homogenous green of the grass.  That is why the extra effort manually digging and forming the edge and trench around your lawn is critical for a professional look.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The MOST important thing you need to do is ROLL THAT SOIL BEFORE installing sod or seed!!!! Rent a roller that you fill with water and roll your lawn, compacting the soil.  Use your rake to fill in any depressions and knock down any hills.  Roll again.  This is the number one reason people get hilly, lumpy lawns...the soil wasn't rolled and graded properly.  Honest Injun!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure that you read all you can about lawns on this site, how high to cut your grass (3&quot; no shorter for cool season grasses), sharpness of your mower blades, types of grass seed (ZERO weed seed), sun, shade (I wouldn't bother with planting a lawn in the shade, better alternatives), slope (too much won't allow water to get down into the soil profile properly), watering is critical.  CRITICAL. After your lawn grasses are well rooted from sod or seed you need to train those roots to be drought tolerant.  Never water everyday.  Water deeply and do not water again until you see your footprints in the grass stay down and visible, then water deeply again down to 4-6&quot; into the soil profile. Etc.  Lots more to know about this creature the 'LAWN'...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try not to get rid of good topsoil and then have to go buy new topsoil.  A waste. Hope this helps fill in a few gaps...!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T22:47:45.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23782" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23771" CreationDate="2016-03-29T23:15:53.917" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Using glyphosate only kills actively growing plants.  Not the seeds of which there are millions...or lots 'n lots!  I would not use herbicide.  I would use SOD not seed! That puts a barrier to the sun so any seed will not be able to germinate. I would rent a SOD CUTTER.  After mowing as low (called scalping) as possible I'd take up the top 1 or 2 of roots and soil.  I always use my old sod to beef up new plant beds turning the sod over and covering with 4-6&quot; of top soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also include ROLLING to compact the soil, rake/grade, and re-roll. After installing the sod (look this up as well) I'd also roll the installed sod.  Seed is fine for large areas but sod is worth a few extra bucks if you have lots of weed seed! Tilling is not at all recommended for the lawn bed.  Depending on your top soil depth you might have to bring in GOOD topsoil to cover at least 2&quot; deep (width X length divided by 81 divided by 2 will give you yardage to order).  Make dang sure you rake, grade and roll and do it again!  Decide where the water should drain and slope towards that area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read all you can about lawns.  Very much a gnarly creature that can suck up money if you don't understand about mowing height and watering! Mow no lower than 3&quot; for cool season grasses!  Water deeply and allow to dry before mowing again! Use an extended release EXPENSIVE organic fertilizer at least 3X per season!! And the only time to do aeration is after you've got a vigorously growing lawn that is at least a year old...aerate by pulling PLUGS of soil and leaving them on your lawn to disintegrate back with no help from you...at least once per year. The mowing, fertilizing and watering is CRITICAL for you to understand. I bag my clippings on smaller lawns large lawns I mow at least 2X per week and allow the clippings to disintegrate. Mulching mowers I still do not think work well.  The expensive fertilizers actually add this super bacteria to help decompose clippings and old roots so that you don't have to worry about dethatching ever. (Dr. Earth Lawn Fertilizer just blew me away with the results)! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do sod, not seed.  Seriously.  Instant beautiful lawn.  No roundup or herbicides. Keep that grass at 3&quot; watered properly and fertilized (just enough not too much), aerated once per year...you won't have to worry about redoing all this work again!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T23:15:53.917" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23783" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23775" CreationDate="2016-03-29T23:51:24.330" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I let the grass grow a little higher than usual for a week or two before the leaves fall, set the mower on the highest setting and mow twice at that setting.  This mulches the leaves in place.  I do this for subsequent weeks, progressively lowering the blade.  By the time I am ready to use the bagger a lot of the material is composted on the lawn; since leaves are still falling it does not make that much of a difference in appearance of the lawn.  Great natural fertilizer for the lawn, reduces volume and I use the bagged leaves clippings on my final lawn mow of the season for mulch in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14182" LastActivityDate="2016-03-29T23:51:24.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23784" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23775" CreationDate="2016-03-30T00:17:39.790" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;One time I did a huge complex using tarps. We just blew everything into the tarp and then took that to the truck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user14159" LastActivityDate="2016-03-30T00:17:39.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23785" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-30T02:45:16.463" Score="6" ViewCount="127" Body="&lt;p&gt;When one desires to germinate seeds in the seedling tray, he/she has to keep a humid and warm environment. But this environment is also favored by fungus. Other than sterilizing the soil, how can one prevent fungus growth on baby plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also if you sterilize the soil will you have the same germination rate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14183" LastEditorUserId="14183" LastEditDate="2016-03-30T02:52:20.030" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T17:33:41.297" Title="How can one prevent baby/recently sprouted plant disease?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23786" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23785" CreationDate="2016-03-30T03:35:53.213" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;re: &quot;How can one prevent baby/recently sprouted plant disease?&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;With knowledge &amp;amp; proper care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;re:  &quot;When one desires to germinate seeds in the seedling tray, he/she has to keep a humid and warm environment.&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Depending on the type/s of seeds that you are trying to germinate, you may not need a warm &amp;amp; humid environment.  Most garden seeds germinate fine at 68°F when planted in open soil (i.e. no cover required on top of the seed tray).  Just plant, water, &amp;amp; mist occasionally.  I never use seed tray covers &amp;amp; I never have problems with seed germination or disease caused by fungus or other undesirable factors that favor humid conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;re:  &quot;Other than sterilizing the soil, how can one prevent fungus growth on baby plants?&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Start with good soil &amp;amp; then allow air to circulate around your seedlings (don't use a seed tray cover--it isn't necessary in most cases).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;re:  &quot;Also if you sterilize the soil will you have the same germination rate?&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Seeds germinate fine in sterile soil, however, beneficial microbes often help plants grow better due their symbiotic relationship to plant nutrient availability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14127" LastEditorUserId="14127" LastEditDate="2018-02-04T17:33:41.297" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T17:33:41.297" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23787" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23785" CreationDate="2016-03-30T05:56:49.130" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can help prevent fungal diseases by using a high quality seed raising mix in which to germinate your seeds.  It will have been either sterilized so that it will be free of fungal spores, or, will have beneficial fungi as such as Trichoderma added which encourages healthy soil conditions.  You can also add &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichoderma_harzianum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Trichoderma harzianum&lt;/a&gt; pellets or powders to your seed raising mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You only need to enclose your seedlings if the weather is too cold to germinate at room temperature, by creating a mini-glasshouse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-30T05:56:49.130" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23788" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-30T07:17:52.153" Score="9" ViewCount="1431" Body="&lt;p&gt;The pot-in-pot method of growing uses a production pot inside another pot which is in ground.  This allows you to swap pots easily, and some 20 good reasons why this might be a good idea are listed &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.floridafriendlyplants.com/Blog/post/2009/03/03/Pot-in-Pot.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other reason I came across was that if you had one production pot sitting on say 4 inches of soil in the ground pot, the latter would reduce perching of water in the production pot improving the aeration of the roots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can see this being useful for me as plants wouldn't get blown over in the wind, and watering would be easier if I had frost tender plants in the garden with the rest of the plants. And then I can pull them out for over wintering inside the house, and replace with a winter plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, are there any particular characteristics of the pots that are needed for this to work?  Obviously both pots need to drain, be light weight, durable, and you need a light growing medium.  Anything else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hKKFS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hKKFS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree nursery using pot-in-pot method&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-04-02T00:25:10.667" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T00:25:10.667" Title="What sort of pots are used in the pot-in-pot method?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23789" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23663" CreationDate="2016-03-30T09:22:04.267" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Reddening of the leaves of blueberry plants can be caused by a lack of phosphorus. Although coffee grounds contain phosphorus, they are also highly acidic. If your blueberry plant were already in acidic soil as it should have been, you could have made it even more acidic rendering phosphorus insoluble and unavailable to the roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Nitrogen (N), Potassium (K), and Sulfer (S) are major plant nutrients that appear to be less affected directly by soil pH than many others, but still are to some extent. Phosphorus (P), however, is directly affected. At alkaline pH values, greater than pH 7.5 for example, phosphate ions tend to react quickly with calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) to form less soluble compounds. At acidic pH values, phosphate ions react with aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) to again form less soluble compounds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nutrientstewardship.com/implement-4rs/article/soil-ph-and-availability-plant-nutrients&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.nutrientstewardship.com/implement-4rs/article/soil-ph-and-availability-plant-nutrients&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's why it is suggested that if you're adding a lot of coffee grounds to your compost pile, you also add some agricultural lime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-30T09:22:04.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23790" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23788" CreationDate="2016-03-30T09:59:51.613" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This technique is used by commercial growers for tree and shrub production&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the pots you use should be identical and readily available in bulk quantities&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sandy soil is probably not the best if you are growing trees as it will shift in high winds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ready access to water. Plant material using this method can dry out faster and a drip or bubbler irrigation system is commonly used in the summer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-03-30T09:59:51.613" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23791" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23773" CreationDate="2016-03-30T14:15:09.603" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;At least one of those trees looks like a maple and the one next to that looks like a cherry. Both of these at this young stage are very hardy to pruning, and by this I mean if you lop the tree of at the crown, new suckers are likely to develop. I would dig them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The as mowing you lawn, use a push mower to mow underneath the low canopy of evergreen branches. This will keep anything that's trying to grow underneath the canopy at bay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-03-30T14:15:09.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23792" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-30T14:40:30.013" Score="7" ViewCount="978" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a quick question, because I'm trying to figure up my mulch and fertilizer needs for this Spring. I had bought my father a couple of blueberry plants, among others, because that's what he wanted for his birthday. They've been in the ground about 2 weeks and I've been watering everything, but I need to get it mulched before the hot dry weather kicks in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In South Carolina, we have the Clemson Ag Extension which puts out great info on local plants and their care. They suggest making a mound around the plant of peat moss and sand to help with water amounts and acidifying the soil. The say that if you mound it you have to water it more often. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being honest, I wouldn't water the 2-3 times per week they say you need to, with dry spells, using this method. I use a mulch that goes on sale every year made of 100% ponderosa pine bark. It seems to work well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, should I use the peat/sand mix on the blueberries and my azaleas and rhododendron, and if I do, will it help cool the soil and retain moisture the same way as the pine mulch? If it's going to be helpful to these plants and work about as well as the pine mulch, but I don't want to have to replace it but once a year and I don't want to water it very much more often than I do with the pine bark. I'd much rather use an acidify fertilizer to achieve the same effect with the bark. Thanks for the help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2020-06-30T15:35:00.293" Title="Pine Bark vs Sphagnum Peat/Sand for Blueberries and Azaleas" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;&lt;rhododendrons&gt;&lt;azaleas&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23793" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23792" CreationDate="2016-03-30T16:31:06.790" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would use bark and not peat; in fact I do. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once peat become dry it is seems impossible to wet again and when it is dry it easily blows away. It may be that peat and sand will do the job but I've acquired a strong prejudice against the stuff. Fir bark is inexpensive and easily available here in western Washington, so I have no cost incentive to even think about peat. I use medium size bark in my garden beds of numerous varieties of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, roses, and etc. Small bark does seem to 'disappear' more readily, but may be more aesthetically pleasing in your setting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few inches of bark mulch does a good job of preserving soil moisture, but I think you will still be watering those new blueberries two or three times per week for much of this season - such is the way with newly planted species. It just will not turn into being every day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-03-30T16:31:06.790" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23788" CreationDate="2016-03-30T17:10:47.993" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The overwhelming reason for pot-in-pot is to lower root temperatures in commercial nurseries. Black pots adsorb a lot of solar energy (i.e., they look black because that adsorb light rather than reflect it). Near the pot wall the soil temperature of a pot sitting out in the sun can easily exceed 95F, the temperature at which root growth has stopped and 115F where roots die. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-03-30T17:10:47.993" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23795" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23821" CreationDate="2016-03-30T17:47:56.517" Score="7" ViewCount="1508" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to figure out what is killing my lawn. The pictures below were taken a few days ago.There is only the one area of this occurring and the yard is about 1/2 acre. The dead area has been growing since last year. It seems to have grown most over the winter and once the snow melted the moss started to appear as well. I have a lawn maintenance company (TruGreen) treat the lawn regularly. They planted seed in the prime growing season last fall, but it did not take.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1wmGz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1wmGz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dead spot overview&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P03MZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P03MZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;moss close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/93udc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/93udc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dead close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;At the request of @bamboo I added some pictures from further away as well as picture of a &quot;clean&quot; area of the yard. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/naepL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/naepL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;farther away&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i7bq0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i7bq0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;other side&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wcRyi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wcRyi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white stuff&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XO2Yi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XO2Yi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;normal area&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13313" LastEditorUserId="13313" LastEditDate="2016-05-20T16:05:19.960" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T16:05:19.960" Title="Dying Lawn - brownish/white with moss and clumps" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23796" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-03-30T18:06:55.490" Score="5" ViewCount="6657" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a number of vegetable seeds (zucchini, cucumber, peppers, kale, etc.) indoors in 1&quot;x1&quot; pods.  They germinated quickly and well.  Once the true leaves appeared, I moved them over to a 4&quot;x4&quot; container with potting mix.  The plants look healthy but they are not growing as fast as I would have thought.  I now leave them outdoors (in the shade) and have been out there for about 4 weeks.  What else should I be doing so that they can grow and I can move them to my vegetable raised bed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-03-31T06:13:32.180" Title="Concerned about slow growth of my seedlings" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23797" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23800" CreationDate="2016-03-30T18:50:05.090" Score="6" ViewCount="944" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a fair amount of poison ivy growing on one part of my fence.  Now that spring is here, it's just barely started to grow again, and buds that will turn into the dreaded leaves have began to appear (note the slightly lighter colored growth along parts of the darker core of the plant):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eoHNP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eoHNP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I go ahead and start spraying it with poison ivy killer now, or is it only really effective once the leaves have fully appeared first?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or perhaps is it better to simply use poison ivy spray directly where the vine originates from the ground, meaning I can start now and do it repeatedly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14187" OwnerDisplayName="Derek" LastEditorUserId="14187" LastEditDate="2016-03-30T23:32:07.150" LastActivityDate="2016-03-30T23:32:07.150" Title="Is it best to wait for poison ivy to fully sprout leaves before spraying it?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;&lt;poison-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23798" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23796" CreationDate="2016-03-30T19:05:33.973" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm by no means an expert, however I am pretty sure that, at least for Zucchini, Cucumber and peppers 1% more light = 1% more growth.  Thus in order to increase growth, maybe you should start moving these into full sun.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-03-30T19:05:33.973" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23799" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23797" CreationDate="2016-03-30T19:22:23.093" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tear off what's there in order to trace it back to its origination, pulling the vines up &amp;amp; out off of the surface &amp;amp; out of the grass. Removing what you can now is safest. Without leaves &amp;amp; actively pumping oil you'll be much more able to contain any oil to your gloves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After that yes, wait for any remnants to sprout &amp;amp; produce leaves before spraying them. You can only kill poison ivy through its leaves. With your newly &amp;amp; dramatically shortened plant your herbicide will definitely kill it back entirely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14189" LastActivityDate="2016-03-30T19:22:23.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23797" CreationDate="2016-03-30T19:42:03.650" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Glyphosate pesticides (most notably, Roundup) are supoosed to be sprayed on the leaves; plants translocate the glyphosate into the root. However, I've found that poison ivy is realtively difficult to control with glyphosate pesticide. But, glyphosate is still the go-to solution as far as over-the-counter herbicides are concerned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking, the products specifically &quot;designed&quot; for poison ivy are just highly concentrated glyphosate (30%-50%). Those products usually instruct the user to cut the vine and apply the herbicide to the area of the cut stem (the lower half, with roots in the ground).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the best way to deal with a large poison ivy vine is to simply cut it off as close to dirt level as it is convenient to do, and then spray regular strength (2% glyphosate) herbicide on any newly emerging sprouts (on the leaves) in the surrounding area which will emerge over the next few weeks. Also, I have found that poison ivy is more susceptible to nonanoic acid (fatty acid) herbicides than many plants. But to be fair, nonanoic acid is a defoliant, not a root killer, and mixing too much nonanoic acid will cause the leaves to die before glyphosate can translocate; but if you only use a little (about 2 oz per gallon), then it will help the glyphosate penetrate the leaf and increase the efficacy of a typical 2% glyphosate solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the removal of poison ivy vines... the oil (urushiol) can remain viable for many years. So use caution and care when removing old vines, and do not burn them. Urushiol can volatilize and kill you if you breath it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastActivityDate="2016-03-30T19:42:03.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23801" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23796" CreationDate="2016-03-30T19:51:01.287" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBLuNpR5vNs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;harden&lt;/a&gt; your seedlings now so that they are ready to be transplanted into your garden bed.  Since your pots are on the small side, there's a risk for some plants that they'll get the signal to start bolting.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBLuNpR5vNs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;video&lt;/a&gt; from the biointensive grow method explains the transplanting process.  They advise using 6 inch deep flats, wait until the plant is 6 inches high, and transplanting in a hexagonal pattern to maximize soil use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-30T19:51:01.287" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23802" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2979" CreationDate="2016-03-30T22:04:22.670" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an Amaryllis plant. It is planted in the ground in the back yard and has been there for over 50 years. No special care, just watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14193" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2017-02-22T15:09:03.157" LastActivityDate="2017-02-22T15:09:03.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18063" CreationDate="2016-03-30T23:50:27.100" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's been sitting in a really sunny location and it wasn't use it yet... Make sure it gets some water and move it away from the window a bit and move it closer in 2 weeks or so&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14194" LastActivityDate="2016-03-30T23:50:27.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23804" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23809" CreationDate="2016-03-31T01:17:22.450" Score="8" ViewCount="135" Body="&lt;p&gt;At a farm market this Spring I saw a display of garlic (hard-neck, if it matters) for sale that had started to sprout. The leaf-blades were at least an inch past the ends of the tip of the cloves and I wondered, would it still be possible to plant them and get any kind of harvest? It's still early Spring here with at least a few weeks of mostly cold days left, including a few freezing nights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T03:29:05.553" Title="Will garlic that sprouted on the shelf produce new cloves?" Tags="&lt;garlic&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23805" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23807" CreationDate="2016-03-31T01:21:51.583" Score="7" ViewCount="3981" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant shown below puts up new green stalks in early spring, growing to 3 to 7 feet tall.  It puts out its yellow flowers in late March or early April (in the Willamette Valley of Oregon), soon after leaves begin to emerge on the stalks.  It's in a garden area and not seen elsewhere, so unlikely to be native to the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LSg0d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LSg0d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gZKNB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gZKNB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13711" LastActivityDate="2018-12-22T09:06:53.927" Title="What is this tall spring plant with yellow flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23806" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23804" CreationDate="2016-03-31T01:34:10.540" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted my garlic out of season ( early spring ) and it did fine. I dug them up in late summer, and although the bulbs were a little small, I did get enough to make it worthwhile since locally grown organic garlic is so much more expensive then the imported stuff from China&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/jkaFT9y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;late garlic planting&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-03-31T01:34:10.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23805" CreationDate="2016-03-31T01:38:34.153" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerria_japonica&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Kerria japonica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &quot;Pleniflora&quot;. &lt;em&gt;K. japonica&lt;/em&gt; is native to China and Japan, and has single flowers with five petals, but this variety has been cultivated to have double flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Identifying characterists are the double yellow flowers like pom-poms which are about 1&amp;frac14; to 1&amp;frac12; inches (3 to 4 cm) wide, the alternate, serrated leaves which start a pale green and darken over the course of the year, and the green bark on newer growth which gradually browns as it ages. It's a multi-stemmed shrub whose stems can grow to about 8 feet tall; they can also trail onto the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-03-31T01:44:35.423" LastActivityDate="2016-03-31T01:44:35.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="709" CreationDate="2016-03-31T02:28:04.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tip to remove tiny bugs in rose petals of blooms I cut from garden for arrangements: after initial cut of rose stems, a quick up-down motion of dipping rose heads in bucket of water, then a gentle shake, and rest, with stem submerged in water, and a second, fresh stem cut whilst under the water, and few seconds rest in water before moving them into vase. Nearly all insects are gone in the dipping step, BUT THE PETALS DO APPEAR A BIT DAMAGED, a tiny rim of BROWNING appears ON EDGES, ESPECIALLY AS DAYS PASS. SO, bugs, or longevity, seems the only choice. Any other ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14196" LastActivityDate="2016-03-31T02:28:04.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23809" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23804" CreationDate="2016-03-31T04:47:35.990" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have sprouted garlic, don't hesitate to plant it. It's on sale because the &lt;em&gt;culinary&lt;/em&gt; value of sprouted garlic is decreased and because it can't be stored longer. The cloves &lt;em&gt;want&lt;/em&gt; to grow now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming your farmers market sells locally grown produce, I would assume the breed to match your local climate, so it should do reasonably well in your garden:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cold/frost tolerance depends a lot on the breed, some are very hardy and get planted in late fall, similar to flower bulbs and are ready for harvest in late summer. Others (e.g. the mediterranean types) are less tolerant and are better planted in early spring, ready for harvest in the fall. This method typically yields smaler heads, but that's not crucial for small-scale home gardening, IMHO.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Follow the usual instructions (10 cm / 4 in apart, well-draining soil etc.) but be extra careful not to break off the sprouts when separating and planting the cloves. At this time of the year, you shouldn't need extra cold protection. If you &lt;em&gt;want&lt;/em&gt; to add a cover like a foil tunnel it won't hurt, but unless you expect hard frost and a few feet of snow, your garlic should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't throw out my sprouted cloves from my kitchen stash - either they go in the garden or during the midst of winter, I stick them in pots, sometimes even as &quot;subtenant&quot; in other house plants, and harvest the greens. The latter method won't give me new bulbs, of course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-03-31T11:48:40.870" LastActivityDate="2016-03-31T11:48:40.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23810" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23815" CreationDate="2016-03-31T05:37:58.770" Score="7" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have taken rose seeds from my garden and put them in the fridge between moist paper towels. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anybody know what size pot I should put the rose seeds in that have germinated in the fridge? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14199" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-31T22:27:35.383" LastActivityDate="2016-03-31T22:27:35.383" Title="What's the best pot size for rose seeds germinated in the refrigerator?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23811" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23424" CreationDate="2016-03-31T05:48:31.467" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mulch around the tree frequently, and pull out any small plants growing at the base of it.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Only water if soil is dry, because overwatering is a major killer.&#xA;Only prune dead or diseased branches.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;To protect it from animals a plywood sunscreen can also protect it from insects.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;However if you live with large animals like deers, you  may need a plastic tube or chicken wire fence to protect it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14199" LastEditorUserId="14199" LastEditDate="2016-04-01T03:31:00.383" LastActivityDate="2016-04-01T03:31:00.383" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23812" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23796" CreationDate="2016-03-31T06:13:32.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seedlings (from my observations in &lt;em&gt;my&lt;/em&gt; area) don't tend to grow very fast outside in containers in the spring, when exposed to the raw outdoor air and light. They seem to require more warmth. I don't know how warm your area is, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you can put a humidity dome over them outdoors, that should help them to grow faster (provided there's nothing wrong with the plants or the soil). You can make a humidity dome out of an empty milk jug. Throw the cap away (air and circulation is important), cut the bottom off, and put it over your plants (make sure wind won't blow it away). Plants grow faster under them until it gets too hot to use them without killing them. When it's hot enough to germinate cucurbits via direct-seeding, you should probably think about removing the humidity dome soon, if not right away (or at least widening the hole to let more air in and prevent the sun from cooking the plant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose it's possible that the plastic of the milk jugs filtering out UV rays would help the plants to grow faster. The increased warmth would certainly help (the jugs will even protect from frost). The protection from wind and pests would also likely help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kale should be able to handle cool temperatures better than the other kinds of plants you mentioned and so should be in less need of a humidity dome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-03-31T06:13:32.180" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23708" CreationDate="2016-03-31T06:46:33.417" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to check for spider mites&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Spider mites live on the underside of leaves, and are reddish brown or pale in color, oval-shaped, and very small.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Obvious signs of infection are white webbing, yellow blotches on leaves, and even silver or bronze streaks. If an infection gets particularly bad, leaves can start falling off. &#xA;To confirm an infection, take a leaf and shake it over a sheet of paper.&#xA;A few spider mites will fall off. They can be then looked at with a magnifying glass.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Check more often in dry and dusty conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dealing with them naturally&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;* Wipe leaves with a sponge regularly.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;* Spray plant with a hose on high pressure, targeting the underside of leaves.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;* Rubbing alcohol on leaves will kill spider mites.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;* Remove infested leaves immediately and discard &lt;strong&gt;in trash&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;* Remove weeds, particularly broad leafed ones, because these give spider mites hiding places.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;* Make your own miticide: Boil a quart of water then take it off the heat. &#xA;Once it has cooled slightly add two teaspoons of crushed fresh garlic. Once it has cooled, add a squirt of dish soap to the tea, and then put ina spray bottle. Spray the underside of infected leaves with the tea every three days.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;* Encourage the presence of ladybugs and other insects that prey on spider mites.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;* Some other natural miticides: Neem oil, rosemary oil, cinnamite and pyrethrum.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dealing with them chemically&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;* Use sulphur.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;* Buy products at a garden store to kill them. Follow the manufacture's instructions.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;* Use a strong insecticidal soap inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plants that are highly prone&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plants that are highly prone to spider mite attacks are listed here:&#xA;Alocasia 'Frydek.'&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Aspidistra elatior 'Milky Way.'&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Chamaedorea elegans.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Calathea roseo-picta&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Codiaeum variegatum 'Petra.'&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Cordyline fruticosa 'Kiwi.'&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Hedera helix (English ivy)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Pachypodium lamerei&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Strelitzia nicolai.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Acorus spp. (sweet flag, Japanese rush)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Adenium obesum (desert rose)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Alternanthera spp. (including A. dentata 'Purple Knight')&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Aspidistra elatior (cast-iron plant)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Breynia disticha cvv. (snow bush, snow on the mountain)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Brugmansia cvv. (angel's trumpet)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Chamaedorea seifrizii (bamboo palm)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Cissus rhombifolia (grape ivy)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Colocasia cvv. (elephant ears)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Datura cvv. (devil's trumpet)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Dieffenbachia spp. (dumb cane)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Dracaena marginata (Madagascar dragon tree)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Dracaena thalioides&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Gardenia jasminoides (gardenia)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Hedera canariensis (Algerian ivy)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Heliconia psittacorum cvv.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (tropical hibiscus)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Impatiens spp. (impatiens)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Jasminum sambac (jasmine)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Maranta leuconeura cvv. (prayer plant, rabbit tracks)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Musa spp. / Ensete spp. (ornamental banana)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Plumeria cvv. (frangipani)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Polyscias balfouriana (balfour aralia)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Polyscias fruticosa (ming aralia)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Primula vulgaris (primrose)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Ravenea rivularis (majesty palm)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Schefflera arboricola (umbrella tree)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Schefflera elegantissima (also known as Dizygotheca elegantissima) (false aralia)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Stromanthe sanguinea cvv.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hope I helped&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;References:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plantsarethestrangestpeople.blogspot.com.au/2010/01/list-houseplants-which-are-highly-prone.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://plantsarethestrangestpeople.blogspot.com.au/2010/01/list-houseplants-which-are-highly-prone.html&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://m.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Spider-Mites&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://m.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Spider-Mites&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14199" LastEditorUserId="14199" LastEditDate="2016-04-04T23:55:44.707" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T23:55:44.707" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23814" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23708" CreationDate="2016-03-31T07:12:35.860" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are so many species (and genera for that matter) of spider mites that one set of guidelines is likely not going to fit all of them. If you ask about a specific kind of spider mite, you might get a better answer (provided much is known about it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend learning which spider mites are indigenous to your area, and observing how they behave. Expect there to be differences between them and spider mites in another area, however small or large.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the spider mites in my area (which is in southwestern Idaho), I have no idea what kind they are, but they're pretty interesting creatures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Firstly, they're almost always invisible.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Secondly, they don't really do any noticeable damage to outdoor plants unless it's both hot and dry. The hotter and dryer it gets, the more damage I notice.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On indoor plants, they seem to do the least damage when it's cool and the most when it's warm (whether or not it's dry). So, if you don't heat a room that has plants in it, they may cause less damage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spraying outdoor plants down with regular water every day or two seems to stop them from damaging the plants (it works for indoor plants, too, but it's more tedious and needs to be done more often). I'm not really sure why. Maybe they're thirsty. Maybe it sprays them off the plants. I don't know, but it works (no need to use soap and stuff; regular water works fine).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They do more damage to peppers indoors than outdoors (they left my outdoor peppers alone, both the hot and the sweet peppers).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They very noticeably afflict the following outdoor plants: apple trees, watermelon, ground cherries, garden huckleberries, tomatillos, pepino melons, eggplants, and roses (the leaves).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They affected litchi tomatoes, too, but less severely.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They seem to afflict regular tomatoes on rare occasions, but leave most of them alone. They may have affected my cucumbers and Shark Fin Melon, but I'm not 100% sure.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;My muskmelons and Red-seeded Citron watermelon were mostly unafflicted, but that could have just been the location (hopefully not, though).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They seem to be capable of infesting most houseplants, although the damage seems to be less than to outdoor garden plants when it's hot and dry (and less than the damage to indoor peppers).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They did not &lt;em&gt;noticeably&lt;/em&gt; affect the following outdoor plants: peppers, Ethiopian eggplant (Burkina Faso), weeds, peach trees, nectarine trees, cabbage, arugula, milk thistle, mizuna, our apricot tree, and other stuff.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Attempting to entirely eliminate spider mites does not seem to be a very practical endeavor by most approaches. However, you might try predatory mites, which are supposed to eat them. Be careful not to kill any predatory mites that already exist (they may appear to be spider mites if you're not careful). There may be effective pesitcides, but spider mites can gain resistance fairly quickly, as I understand it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On indoor plants they spin webs from the soil to the plant often (especially when either the soil dries out or first becomes wet). I'm not really sure why they do this, unless they partially live in the soil or something. However, it's possible that if you cut them off from the soil, they may be less prolific. So, mulching might potentially help considerably. We didn't mulch any of our plants that have had spider mite problems. So, I can't tell you how effective this is.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On my indoor pepper, spider mites caused significantly less damage when I applied sea minerals, but they would eventually cause damage again until I used them again. I recommend a foliar spray since that would be less likely to make the soil too salty quickly. The excess salt in sea minerals can indeed cause problems if you use too much (but it takes a while before it gets to that point). I purposefully used too much (directly in the soil) to discover this. It's possible that using sea minerals on the leaves may protect the plant more than applying it to the soil does, but I'm not sure, since I haven't tried it, yet (my pepper plant is now in a container outdoors; hopefully it'll recover from all that salt now that it has new soil; the roots may have rotted, however, perhaps due to the stagnation of growth caused by the excess of sea minerals or the smallness of the container).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On my indoor pepper, spider mites caused by far the most damage on new growth.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've read that spider mites can contribute to the spread of anthracnose. I'm not sure if that's true, but it seems anthracnose does perhaps often coincide with spider mite infections. So, if you grow watermelons, anthracnose-tolerant varieties may be helpful.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spider mite webs are said to help protect them against predators, but in my observation, they seem to use them to travel to new locations, too. Although spider mites are said not to move very fast (I can't see them; so, I don't know if this is really true for our species), they do infect neighboring plants rather quickly indoors (within a day or two). They may or may not spread so quickly outdoors. Clearing the webs might help some.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The damage to outdoor plants appears different than the damage to indoor plants. Affected outdoor plants may have webs on them. The leaves may appear speckled. On indoor plants, they seem to cause leaf deformities, and little spots that can turn into edema if it's humid. They can spin webs to close up leaves. They can cause leaves to curl.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Faster-growing plants seem to have an advantage. You might consider giving them more nitrogen to see if it helps. Our plants had lots of rockdust and potassium, which could slow growth increase the need for nitrogen. They were kind of slow-growing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, the Wikipedia article on spider mites is quite insightful. It talks about a lot of the stuff you're probably interested in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overall, in summary, this is what I would recommend:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spray your affected plants with water every one or two days.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get and/or attract predatory mites.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Getting ladybugs wouldn't hurt, either. I heard a rumor that they'll eat spider mites. I don't know if this is true, however. I got ladybugs, but spider mites were still a huge problem (I only got one batch of them, once, though).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Experiment with mulching.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Maybe experiment with foliar sprays of sea minerals to see if it helps.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-03-31T07:36:35.933" LastActivityDate="2016-03-31T07:36:35.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23815" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23810" CreationDate="2016-03-31T08:51:22.187" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;All plants should have pots matching the plant size, otherwise you risk root-bound plants or trouble with watering. That's why we re-pot as needed and only go up a few pot sizes at a time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roses like to go &lt;em&gt;deep&lt;/em&gt; with their roots, so I would aim for a pot of ca. 5 cm / 2 inches height right now, once the seedling is established, take it from there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally, roses prefer pots that are deeper than wide or, if those aren't available or feasible, let the height be the determining factor rather than width. If you want to keep them in pots permanently (And not all roses like that - especially with seeds from grafted plants you may be in for a few surprises!), they tolerate an undergrowth of shallow-rooted companion plants well to utilize the &quot;extra width&quot; in standard containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-03-31T09:55:15.193" LastActivityDate="2016-03-31T09:55:15.193" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23816" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23820" CreationDate="2016-03-31T12:21:10.610" Score="8" ViewCount="197" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have fern and horsetail spores. I have some Water Gels too. Can I grow fern and horsetails in Water Gels in a dry climate (not too dry, kind of moderate weather)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need a special fertilizer or anything?&#xA;(Can I grow these out of spores?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14200" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-01T02:21:04.417" LastActivityDate="2016-04-01T02:21:04.417" Title="How do I grow primitive plants in Water Gels?" Tags="&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23817" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23760" CreationDate="2016-03-31T14:30:15.610" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a good thing to have mixed fruit trees. I hope they are not too close together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best fertilizer is nature. But nature needs time to do its work. You should store leaves and mulched grass beneath your trees, and you shall see a lot of little beasts doing the fertilizing work for you. Of course some of them will take their share of the fruits, but if there is a sufficient variety of life beneath your trees, the balance between predators should allow you to have your share too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is how it looks on my field -- see how big the grass grows around the tree:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pNpha.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pNpha.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fertilizing walnut tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And after I worked around and spread the mulch&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;right its a peculiar sense of beauty, but just because we're not used to it &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;note that mulch should not be disposed too deep close around the trunk. It can &#xA;over-heat and over-moist the plant and kill it. Keep a 2 inches space free &#xA;around the trunk, and remove wild weeds too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6TnfL.jpg&quot; height=&quot;450&quot; alt=&quot;fertilizing prune tree&quot; &gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HdmGY.jpg&quot; height=&quot;450&quot; alt=&quot;fertilizing prune tree and complicate branch building&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2016-05-22T16:14:36.310" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T16:14:36.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23818" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23819" CreationDate="2016-03-31T16:26:18.970" Score="12" ViewCount="1132" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife and I just bought a property and I don't know anything about plants or trees.  Can someone tell me what the large trees/bushes/plants are and also how often do I need to water them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YHuez.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YHuez.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plants in my yard&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14160" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-03-31T22:40:43.663" LastActivityDate="2016-03-31T22:40:43.663" Title="What are these tall, tree-like shrubs and how often should I water them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23819" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23818" CreationDate="2016-03-31T16:35:41.407" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Judging by the new growth being red, I'd say these were Photinia fraserii 'Red Robin'. I can't tell if they're pleached or not, can't see any framework within the foliage, so its possible they're just trained by pruning to this shape. Unless you live somewhere that gets very hot and very dry in summer, they shouldn't need much watering because they have access to the soil beneath the paving, and they're obviously already fairly mature plants - unless, that is, the former owners bought them recently as mature plants for 'instant' effect, which is possible if this is a recent property sale. If that's the case, they should be watered whenever the weather becomes hot and dry for a week or so, giving them a few gallons twice a week. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you will need to do, though, is keep them pruned to maintain the shape and form they've currently got - left to its own devices, a Photinia will grow into a small tree of about 20-25 feet, with the usual 'crown' shape. You will probably need to trim back at least twice a year, maybe more. You should probably remove the short stems already appearing on the lower trunks of the plants by cutting them off close to the trunk with a clean and sharp pair of secateurs, up to the level of the more dense, top foliage, to keep the trunk areas visible and allow for other plants to have some light beneath. To the left of the picture, there looks to be a shoot or branch coming up from the ground, or possibly from the base of that particular plant - I'd clip that out too, but you'll need a good sharp pair of loppers for something that thick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-03-31T16:42:37.617" LastActivityDate="2016-03-31T16:42:37.617" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23816" CreationDate="2016-03-31T20:33:39.713" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well this is new!  To WANT to plant horsetail is something I thought I'd never hear uttered.  If you plant horsetail DO IT IN A POT or an area that has metal down at least 1 1/2 feet into the ground.  Voracious plant considered a weed everywhere else.  If you are a gardener, horse tail can be dried, put into 'tea' to water other plants once or twice per year.  The silica from Equisetum makes other plants more hardy.  Bamboo is another plant that needs to be potted or inhibited from spreading.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ferns need at least partial shade and clayish soils more moisture as well as a more acidic pH.  If you live in a hot, dry environment with sandy soils you will have to do some work.  Heavy shade and consistent moisture.  Not too much but those gells I'd throw out!  I wouldn't use them even in pots and baskets.  Ugh.  Just my opinion after trying them a few times and threw up my hands.  Make sure you do not use gravel or rock beneath the soil in pots but make dang sure that there is plenty of drainage and no sitting water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-03-31T20:33:39.713" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23795" CreationDate="2016-03-31T20:49:45.403" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like snow mold to me.  Did you pile your snow there after scooping it off the patio?  Did you fertilize with high nitrogen last fall before the snow?  No problem...you will have to 'scrape' the dead grass off down to the soil.  You can do that with a weed wacker.  Rake up the dead grass and dispose.  Rake up and soften the top of the soil then reseed.  Cover LIGHTLY with soil (not peat moss, too acidic) perhaps an 1/8 inch. Walk all over it this one time.  Only fertilize when the rest of your lawn is fertilized.  Rope off these areas so dogs and people stay off.  Keep these areas moist until the grass gets 3-4&quot; tall then mow. Train these new grasses drought tolerance by watering deeper and allowing to dry out until established grasses and new grasses have the same root depth.  Then water deeply 4-6&quot; deep and allow to dry before watering again.  Should get you back to once a week watering of 1&quot; (use a kitty food can to check for depth of water)...do not water until your footprints on the lawn stay down.  Seriously.  Fertilize with organic slow release fertilizer 3X per year.  Make sure you do not use a fertilizer with high nitrogen as your winter application (the first number should be less than the second and third numbers for the formulation).  To allow vegetative growth with high nitrogen as your last fertilizing of the year makes very weak and susceptible grass to snow mold.  Check the pH of your lawn soil...it should be 6.5 to 7.0.  If lower than 6.5 you need to lime.  Use slow release fertilizer, organic...you'll pay a bit more, use less and see a slower greening of your lawn.  Which is a very good thing.  Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer just amazed me...and aerate once per year.  Mow no shorter than 3&quot; I am kidding you not!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-03-31T20:49:45.403" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23822" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24513" CreationDate="2016-03-31T22:11:29.733" Score="6" ViewCount="697" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been given a bonsai tree by a friend who knew I was interested in learning about them. Unfortunately all it said on the pack was 'bonsai tree'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've done a little research looking for the name of it, my best guess is a fukien tea tree but I'm not totally convinced on closer inspection.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tJ2cA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tJ2cA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Wide view &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3lHsT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3lHsT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Berries and leaves 1 &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/If8KJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/If8KJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Berries and leaves 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got it with some berries already on it, in the dark purple, red and white / light green. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves seem to be pointed oval with toothed edges in an alternating pattern on the branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help would be greatly appreciated as I want to try shaping and pruning it soon and would love to do it some justice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastActivityDate="2019-09-16T19:22:44.780" Title="Help identify my bonsai tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23823" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23829" CreationDate="2016-03-31T23:48:28.773" Score="6" ViewCount="12173" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 3 areas on my lawn where water pools when it rains. My soil is clay and the water takes a long time to be absorbed into the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of these area is bordered by a planting bed and patio, preventing the water from running off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other areas are shallower and I noticed that the grass is less strong there. Maybe because of the pooling, or is the pooling because of lack of grass?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a photo taken in the early spring before the lawn has had a chance to start growing again (in summer it's greener). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/51tY9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/51tY9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This was taken about 2 hours after it stopped raining. During the rain the area was bigger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do to lessen/solve this problem? Are there alternatives to re-levelling large portions of my lawn (even if they are less efficient)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in zone 4/5 if that matters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastEditorUserId="11555" LastEditDate="2016-04-01T00:15:50.647" LastActivityDate="2016-04-01T11:43:15.677" Title="How to deal with water pooling on lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23824" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23823" CreationDate="2016-04-01T00:25:51.187" Score="6" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Add organic matter.&lt;/strong&gt; Whether you are trying to get a heavy clay soil to drain better, or light sandy soil to retain water and nutrients, one of the surest ways of improving your soil is to add organic matter. Spread 2 to 4 inches of compost or well-rotted manure, for example, and work it into the soil after you kill the vegetation. Make additional applications as often as you can. Grass clippings, leaves, organic mulches, peat moss, and topsoil are other good sources of organic matter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Avoid compaction.&lt;/strong&gt; Avoid walking on the soil or working it when it is wet. Create permanent walking paths between planting beds, and only walk in&#xA;those paths. If you make wider beds, place stepping stones&#xA;strategically to help you reach areas for weeding or maintenance&#xA;without walking on the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reference: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/misc/soilbasics.html&quot;&gt;http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/misc/soilbasics.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13946" LastActivityDate="2016-04-01T00:25:51.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23825" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23823" CreationDate="2016-04-01T01:09:34.927" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apply gypsum or gardening lime (aka 'soil sweetener'). This will break up the clay (on a microscopic level) and allow for better drainage. I would venture to guess that in the heat of the summer you also have dry areas at which water just seems to roll off. This is the other extreme of clay-laden soil and the same fix of applying gypsum or horticultural lime will remedy your problem.  You can find what you need at your local hardware store or garden nursery. Apply as directed on the product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-04-01T01:09:34.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23826" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23823" CreationDate="2016-04-01T03:16:29.140" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;One sure fire way to quickly move the water away from that area is to install a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.easydigging.com/Drainage/installation_french_drain.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;French Drain&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Drainage problems near to your foundation (you say it's by your patio, so I'm not sure how close that is to the edge of your foundation) can lead to the soil swelling under your foundation and damaging it. I am currently having this problem and it is not cheap!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For other options, this is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.easydigging.com/Drainage/Garden_Drainage_Guide.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;best guide&lt;/a&gt; I have found on the internet so far on diagnosing drainage problems, and it may have other suggestions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastActivityDate="2016-04-01T03:16:29.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23827" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-01T05:06:02.710" Score="11" ViewCount="5178" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm working with my campus garden and we're thinking of putting fruit trees next to our garden as an excellent addition to our repertoire of fruits and vegetables. However, as the garden is in Buffalo in a field that is very well know for being in an open (wind-swept Hoth-like hellscape of a) field. Usually it pretty windy, and in the winter it's snowy and pretty cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of considerations should go into choosing fruit trees for a colder, open field? Are there ways that the trees may suffer that we should consider?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T06:57:28.370" Title="What should I consider when planting fruit trees in a windy field?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;wind-damage&gt;&lt;snow&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7689" CreationDate="2016-04-01T11:32:07.667" Score="2" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Brassica oleracea is the species of plant that includes many common foods as cultivars, including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, savoy, kohlrabi and kai-lan.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica_oleracea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica_oleracea&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your plants were anywhere close to other vegetables of the same species, it's very likely their seed has been contaminated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The result would be a more ancestral plant, with fewer of the derived traits one would expect from each parent. I think that's what you are seeing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possible that hybrid means you already have a broccoli x non-broccoli cross, rather than broccoli x broccoli, so you could even get seeds that are mostly non-broccoli from hybrid broccoli alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastActivityDate="2016-04-01T11:32:07.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23829" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23823" CreationDate="2016-04-01T11:43:15.677" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had a similar problem. As I see if you have these choices:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Reduce the source of the water. In my case, run-off from a nearby shed was adding to the volume of rainwater - guttering on the shed reduced the problem.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add some sort of slope to the affected area. If there's any way you can put a 1-2 degree slope on the lawn, then the water will all run to the bottom of the slope, where you'll then have the same problem, but can do different things to solve it. You may even find just building up the affected area a little bit spreads the problem around sufficiently that it's not so much of a concern.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant water-loving or very thirsty plants in or around the area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make a soak-away: Take up a bit of the turf, and then using a fence post auger dig a very deep hole, all the way through the clay base and as far as you can into whatever is below it (often, rocks). Then, fill the hole with pea gravel and then a decent layer of compost/topsoil mix and then replace the turf.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Take the drainage of your whole garden, and to some extent that of your neighbours in account and put in a full drainage solution. You'll need a professional to specify this, but it'll involve lots of pipes and a sort of 'sump' with a pump that will pump water into a sewer or similar.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As others have said - increase the amount of organic material in your topsoil by a huge amount (so mix in compost regularly).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, my problem wasn't too terrible to deal with. Guttering on the shed stopped water pooling, but the area was still boggy. A bit of a soak-away pretty much solved it completely. However, in a clay-soil area, you can never use enough compost, so every time you do anything, anywhere in the garden, add a generous amount of compost!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A word of warning though: Adding soak-aways or drainage can actually make the problem worse! It all depends on the slope of the surrounding area. In some cases, if your garden is good at dispelling water, then you can find all of your neighbours gardens just end up draining into yours. Get a professional to take a look if you're in any doubt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14203" LastActivityDate="2016-04-01T11:43:15.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23830" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23827" CreationDate="2016-04-01T11:51:24.100" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apples are a traditional crop however&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Apple trees are best planted in areas that are protected from high&#xA;  winds as they are generally shallow rooted (roots within the top 12&#xA;  inches of soil are the most functional) and therefore could fall over&#xA;  in high winds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.evergreen.ca/downloads/pdfs/Fruit-Tree-Production.pdf&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. For fruit and similar plants which do not do well in summer with strong winds you could:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant dwarf or trellised (espalier) plants as jmusser suggests.  More maintenance with pruning but less chance of damage to tree or crop in high winds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant cultivars hardy to at least one zone colder than the site.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant a fast growing wind break on the side where the coldest, strongest winds tend to come from.  Cedar is the usual choice but arctic willow will grow like a weed as well. You could even borrow from permaculture and plant a tough fruit crop as a wind barrier.  Wait a few years then plant apples. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://deepgreenpermaculture.com/backyard-orchard-culture/&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more ideas.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;research heritage plants that have grown in your area.  The crop may be less suitable for large scale agriculture but may have other strengths such as: &#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;apple trees that flower later and don't have the bloom nipped by frost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fruit that bruises less easily&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it is difficult to evaluate grower's claims for fruit crops as much depends on where they are grown and how they are grafted but &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.welshmountaincider.com/index.php/apple-pear-tree-nursery&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; and this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.treesofantiquity.com/&quot;&gt;one&lt;/a&gt; are relevant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;don't limit yourself to traditional fruit crops.  Hazelnut shrubs are tough once established.  You do become a patron of the squirrels. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-04-01T11:51:24.100" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23831" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23834" CreationDate="2016-04-01T12:17:29.117" Score="5" ViewCount="597" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received this Christmas Cactus as a cutting from a larger plant about a year ago. It has been growing and doing well over that time. In the past month I have noticed some of the end leaves begin to turn a reddish color. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is this normal?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ak87h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ak87h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;far&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GIHW2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GIHW2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE&lt;/strong&gt; 04/05/2016&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant was root bound in the pot. I have transferred it to a larger pot and added new soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13313" LastEditorUserId="13313" LastEditDate="2016-04-05T23:43:01.627" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T23:43:01.627" Title="Christmas Cactus leaf discoloration" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;holiday-cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23832" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23795" CreationDate="2016-04-01T12:58:27.610" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think its worth your looking at the link provided under Graham Chiu's comment, and watching the Youtube video link within it. It might be cultural mismanagement, Large Patch disease (if you have warm season grasses) or Brown Patch disease, but my money's on a disease or infestation, or a combination of both. Given you're paying a specialist lawn company to take care of your lawn, I'd be getting in contact with them and making a fuss - whoever they're sending out to do the work has not noticed or bothered to do anything about the problems you're experiencing, and I think it's time they sent out a more well informed person from their team to examine the turf. If its Large Patch disease, high nitrogen feeding makes it worse, and I still can't think of an explanation as to why some of the grass is beautifully green and other parts are not - uneven application of feed, possibly? There's even a stripe of brighter, lusher green showing in your fourth photograph in the middle of what appears to be normal grass which has not been affected by disease. And whilst some areas around the paving are bald, which might suggest something's washing off the paving, other areas are not - there's a strip of green between the paving and the bald areas, or healthy grass. Either way, you're paying them, and they're not doing their job properly...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-01T15:08:33.040" LastActivityDate="2016-04-01T15:08:33.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23834" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23831" CreationDate="2016-04-01T13:23:44.780" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This reddening is usually the response of some form of 'shock'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could possibly be one of two things in my understanding of this plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Too much sun is reaching the leaves affected.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Or it isn't getting enough nutrients.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check that it hasn't become too root bound in its current pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.garden.org/searchqa/index.php?q=show&amp;amp;id=105701&amp;amp;ps=8&amp;amp;keyword=cactus&quot;&gt;This&lt;/a&gt; gives a little more detail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastActivityDate="2016-04-01T13:23:44.780" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23835" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-01T14:53:45.893" Score="7" ViewCount="1132" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning on putting raised beds on a concrete pad.  However the concrete slab is sloped so the runoff will end up in the wrong area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know how to put a bottom on a raised bed that will not rot too quickly and will counteract a slight slope?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14204" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-01T14:54:58.873" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T21:49:47.373" Title="Raised bed on concrete that is sloping the wrong way and thus there will be a drainage problem" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23836" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-01T16:31:56.433" Score="4" ViewCount="375" Body="&lt;p&gt;A co-worker gave me this pretty plant, but she doesn't know what it is. Can someone help identify it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7RDYq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7RDYq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's the one with the red flowers. Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14076" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-01T23:14:24.807" LastActivityDate="2016-04-01T23:14:24.807" Title="What is this potted plant with dark green leaves and clumps of red flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-04-03T18:20:02.797" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23837" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-01T16:33:43.907" Score="5" ViewCount="130" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bed that is next to a wall, the bed is on the east side of the wall, NW England.    As the bed has been dug out, I can control what soil I put in.&#xA;Will heathers cope with not being in sunlight all day?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="231" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T16:04:17.480" Title="Heathers in an East facing bed?" Tags="&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23838" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23837" CreationDate="2016-04-01T17:36:40.600" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The two genus generally classed as heaths, lings or heathers are Calluna or Erica. Calluna won't tolerate lime in the soil, but there are some varieties of Erica that will, though generally, the larger proportion do not like it. What all these plants have in common, though, is a liking for an open and sunny position - given your bed faces east, although it may get quite a bit of sun in summer, given the longer days, in winter, it will only get morning sun. If the aspect is open in front of that bed, and there's nothing that may shade it, like surrounding buildings or trees when the sun is low in winter, you might get away with it. You could try one or two to see what happens, but I'm not sure I'd recommend you plant the whole thing with heathers, unless it is very open.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding soil conditions, if you know your soil is alkaline, even if you 'import' ericaceous soil to fill the bed with, over time it will revert to more or less the ph of the surrounding area anyway. If your soil is neutral, then there's a better chance of success for longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other ideas for planting - primarily, low maintenance shrubs, mostly evergreen, mixed colours, with bulbs and ground cover. You've said the bed is 3 feet deep by 15 feet long, it has a wall behind it and a driveway nearby. 15 feet long, whilst it might sound a lot, isn't actually - if you imagine the average smaller shrub gets 3 x 3 feet high and wide or more, you can see 5 shrubs that size will fill the border from side to side and front to back. So when you check out the plants listed below, consider not only their leaf size and shape, colour, growth habit, whether they're deciduous or evergreen, but also their spread, to make sure you don't have to go out with a machete after 3 years. Here's a list of ones to consider - I certainly am not recommending you get them all, but have a look at the list, decide what you like, then try to decide how to arrange them in your border. It's easiest to do that on a piece of squared paper, drawn to scale. All are hardy, the majority evergreen - where exceptions are listed, its mentioned&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sarcococca varieties&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Skimmia varieties (be sure to get a male and female plant if you want berries)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Euonymus fortunei varieties - Blondie is a particularly brightly coloured one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Osmanthus goshiki&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mahonia aquifolium&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Liriope varieties (some have variegated leaves)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Iberis sempervirens&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Berberis (deciduous) atropurpureum '&lt;strong&gt;nana&lt;/strong&gt;'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Brachyglottis 'Sunshine'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Miniature daffodils such as 'Tete a Tete'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crocus&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crocosmia 'Lucifer'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hebe youngii (listed H4 hardy, meaning you might lose it in a very, very cold winter)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Euonymus alatus (deciduous)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yucca flaccida 'Golden Sword' (listed as full sun, but they tolerate some shade)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Phormium 'Sundowner' - has dark red and light red streaked leaves, listed as full sun, but colour's better in part shade&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Phormium 'Cream Delight' or 'Yellow Wave' - again, colour is best with some shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Phormiums may die in a very severe winter (as in the one we had in 2010)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ground cover: Campanula portenschlagiana (syn 'muralis' NOT C. carpatica or any of the other ones at the garden centre), Ajuga reptans, Lamium 'White Nancy' or 'Beacon Silver'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also add Verbena bonariensis in between plants towards the back - a tall, light, wiry, narrow perennial which seeds itself - original plants may die in a very wet and cold winter (f you live in or near Manchester, wetness will probably be a consideration).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you think the soil is acid enough, you could add Rhododendron, azalea type, but most of those are deciduous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-03T16:04:17.480" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T16:04:17.480" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23839" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23822" CreationDate="2016-04-01T18:08:30.613" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on the fruit, leaves, and what little detail I can get from the trunk and bark, I would have to say this is some sort of plum tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe in the realm of a Stanley plum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-04-01T18:08:30.613" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23840" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23836" CreationDate="2016-04-01T19:44:47.110" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2673/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Kalanchoe blossfeldiana&lt;/a&gt; or Christmas Kalanchoe. It could be one of many cultivars.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is characterized by its succulent leaves, brilliantly colored 4 petal flowers.  It requires little but regular watering if you want it to flower again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-04-01T21:55:50.137" LastActivityDate="2016-04-01T21:55:50.137" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23841" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23477" CreationDate="2016-04-01T21:44:00.537" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do believe this to be Melia azedarach, also known as Chinaberry or Bead Tree. (Not to be confused with Azadirachta indica as so many Google images appear to portray).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A photo of flowers or fruits could help confirm. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://blog.growingwithscience.com/2012/09/seed-of-the-week-chinaberry/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://blog.growingwithscience.com/2012/09/seed-of-the-week-chinaberry/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://research.pomona.edu/bfs/2012/11/05/new-bfs-plant-melia-azedarach-chinaberry/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://research.pomona.edu/bfs/2012/11/05/new-bfs-plant-melia-azedarach-chinaberry/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-04-05T18:09:58.197" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T18:09:58.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23804" CreationDate="2016-04-02T03:29:05.553" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will grow something. If you'd like to give it a whirl, do that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It won't grow as much as if planted in the fall (personal experience doing it both ways - I have planted well into December on years I've gotten behind, because what I have gotten from spring planted garlic has always been &lt;em&gt;pathetic&lt;/em&gt;.) A lot of important root development goes on over the winter in fall planted garlic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Frost should not be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T03:29:05.553" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23843" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-02T06:54:04.447" Score="6" ViewCount="195" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given this phalaenopsis or moth orchid a few years ago but lately have perhaps unwillingly mistreated it. I've never fertilised it except by watering it with aquarium water, never removed the stems after flowering, and never removed dead roots. Worse after I left it outside for some rain, I brought it back inside and didn't notice the butterfly egg which hatched leading to the two fenestrations on the newest leaf. I also left it on the window sill in full sun resulting in leaf burn ( the white patches). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I remove any of the yellowed, burnt and eaten leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/TJbY5RY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;frazzled orchid&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T15:36:08.550" Title="Do I need to remove some of these orchid leaves?" Tags="&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23844" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-02T07:09:04.333" Score="6" ViewCount="126" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this eggplant over 4 months ago but made the mistake of planting it in the back yard where it only got a few hours of full sun, and was also under netting. It's now starting to flower but we are well into autumn now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An eggplant is a perennial, and I'm wondering whether I can dig it up and pot it, and keep it inside hoping it will fruit. I might order a grow light as well since I'll be moving it to my office which only has a few hours of sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leafs are showing signs of aphid damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/UhOUXBi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;eggplant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T06:27:57.483" Title="Can I get any fruit from this eggplant?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23845" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-02T13:37:12.240" Score="5" ViewCount="156" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know I should transplant spring bulbs in the fall.. but I didn't.  There are a bunch of day lilies in the ditch down the road and I'm wondering if I can transplant them right now?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Surely the worst that could happen is that I don't get very vigeroius growth until next year, right?  If the alternative is waiting till this fall to transplant, then why not do it now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T15:00:12.470" Title="Transplant established bulbs in the spring?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23846" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23845" CreationDate="2016-04-02T13:52:38.233" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Daylilies are not bulbs - older types produce rhizomes, more modern hybrids don't necessarily, and the roots are quite fragile. The important thing when digging up and splitting a daylily is to ensure each division has roots, part of the crown and some foliage - the crown lies between the roots and the upper parts. That said, if you wanted to dig up and divide now in your garden, and you currently have cool spring weather, I'd say go ahead and try - but I'm not sure about the legality of digging out a clump on public land - it would be illegal to do so in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T13:52:38.233" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23847" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23612" CreationDate="2016-04-02T14:43:46.877" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;After much research I have discovered that this is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callisia_fragrans&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Callisia Fragrans&lt;/a&gt; Plant (Synonymous: Spironema orthandrum or Spironema Fragrans)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also known as a False Bromeliad, Chain Plant, Basket Plant, Family Doctor Plant. It is of the Commelinaceae Family. Considered a Subtropical with Holistic-Medicinal properties. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Acccording to &lt;em&gt;plantrescue.com&lt;/em&gt;: Callisia fragrans is epidemic to Mexico and naturalized in the West Indies. Callisia fragrans is a long-lived creeping herbaceous plant with leaves crowded into rosette-like clusters and spreading laterally via long runners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Callisia Fragrans grows fast and produces white or cream flowers from its tips. It prefers bright light including about three or four hours of direct sunlight each day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to both kevinsky and Sue for their generous input.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14093" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-04-02T15:14:17.440" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T15:14:17.440" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23848" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23845" CreationDate="2016-04-02T14:49:20.863" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the daylilies &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.daylilies.org/AHSFAQsNew.html&quot;&gt;faq&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;When is the right time to plant daylilies?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;North&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In the North, spring planting is normally preferred. Fall planting in colder climates can prove fatal for daylilies because they often do not have adequate time to form new roots and to begin to anchor themselves before winter comes. Experienced gardeners, however, can plant in the fall provided they:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Know the hardiness of the plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Take some preventative measures such as mulching.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Learn the time of the year after which it is not safe to plant in their location&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;South&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In the far South, early spring or very late fall are the most desirable planting times. Please be aware that daylilies planted in July, August, or September when temperatures and humidity are extremely high (i.e., over 90°), face a high probability of rotting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T14:49:20.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23849" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23845" CreationDate="2016-04-02T15:00:12.470" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't had much trouble thinning and spreading daylilies just dig them up move them to where you want them, divide them into clumps of 3-5 plants... if they are a in a good new home they should flourish, and if the new home isn't great... they should still do pretty good... I suspect that there are some that like more or less sun and more or less water, but in generally they are a very hardy bunch of plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;even if things aren't perfect the plants should live, even if you don't get a great flowery show this year, you probably will next year...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T15:00:12.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23850" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23844" CreationDate="2016-04-02T15:05:48.983" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There isn't anything magical about being inside or outside, the main thing is getting enough light, and that looks like it already isn't getting enough light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;if you need eggplant, and you want to grow it yourself, you could invest in some grow lights and make an indoor oasis for this eggplant... your eggplants will end up costing you US$45 each, but you will have eggplants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;the plants are self fertile, but would benefit from hand pollination (assuming a lack of wind and vibrations and bees in your home.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T15:05:48.983" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23851" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-02T16:50:57.757" Score="6" ViewCount="557" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are these spider mites?  Will they migrate to my tomato plants? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the picture to get a closer view.&lt;/em&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JpmFS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JpmFS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here]&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-02T18:09:07.147" LastActivityDate="2018-02-07T05:05:26.620" Title="Are these spider mites on my potato vine?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;spider-mites&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23852" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23063" CreationDate="2016-04-02T19:01:21.027" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe it's Sida rhombifolia - Arrowleaf Sida. The leaf form seems to vary from narrow to broad, based on the pictures I scrolled through, and only occasionally displays those prominent horn like features at the sides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14210" LastEditorUserId="14210" LastEditDate="2016-04-02T19:07:34.960" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T19:07:34.960" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23853" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23851" CreationDate="2016-04-02T19:04:01.920" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes. That looks like spider mites (from my experience with them--particularly that web). Spider mites can afflict tomatoes, but the ones in my area seem to prefer most other members of the Solanaceae family to tomatoes and peppers. They pretty much left them alone and ravaged other stuff. I don't know about the kind of spider mites in your area, though. There are lots of kinds of spider mites. From things I've read, they don't always have the same tastes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your plants are indoors, I would be very concerned about them migrating to your tomatoes, &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; houseplants. They might already be on them. I'm not sure how much damage they'll do, though. They might just cause tiny wounds that trigger edema (which might seem scary, but it isn't). Or, they might cause serious issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those white flecks don't look like they're from spider mites, though (just the webs). Those could be aphid skins, or something from another pest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possible you have a real spider that made the webs, but if you remove it and it comes back, it's probably spider mites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-02-07T05:05:26.620" LastActivityDate="2018-02-07T05:05:26.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23854" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1840" CreationDate="2016-04-02T19:32:39.890" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would recommend planting in open areas for your plants (away from trees). Pests tend to afflict shaded plants the most, in my experience, probably because they're weaker and don't have as many beneficial insects around them. This may not be true for every kind of aphid and certainly not always for spider mites, however. I observed this mostly with whiteflies and grape leafhoppers, but also with aphids on members of the Solanaceae family and beans. Aphids ravaged cabbage in open areas, though. Spider mites did more damage to tomatillos in our open area, though, than in the shade, but less damage to watermelon in direct sun than the shaded portions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to causing shade, trees can also harbor spider mites and aphids. Spider mites like apple trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mulching should help to prevent dust problems that might attract spider mites. Keeping plants well watered should also help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keeping plants healthy, strong and vigorous is definitely a boon against spider mites and aphids, too, I believe. Make sure you don't have too little or too much potassium and calcium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sea minerals seem to strengthen plants a lot against spider mite damage. A foliar spray once in a while should help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, before you go defending against spider mites and aphids, you're probably better off just gardening as usual and keeping plants healthy and strong until you notice a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ladybugs can help against aphids as can lacewings and other things. Predatory mites can help against spider mites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aphids don't seem to like foliar sprays of calcium nitrate fertilizer. It's probably toxic to them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spider mites cause serious damage when it's hot and arid, with dry soil. In fact, just spraying plants with water can prevent them from doing damage for a day or two. I haven't noticed a relationship between aphids and moisture, yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-04-02T19:39:24.540" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T19:39:24.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23855" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23625" CreationDate="2016-04-02T20:19:55.457" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aphids can probably squeeze through even the finest mesh, Best to let in the predators, even buying some praying mantises could be worth it. They'll hopefully hang around until all the aphids are gone. I had a spider move into a potted citrus once which worked a treat. If you end up going sans mesh, just plant some sage between the plants to keep out the cabbage moth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure if white oil, even the milder version of 1 part dishwashing detergent to 4 parts vegetable oil can be used on brassicas. I read somewhere else that just soapy water might work so you could try that first, at least on the parts you don't plan on eating. Even if you test a plant or two then you'll know the outcome for next season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I should also mention that the white oil would also need to be diluted in water but I'm unsure of the best concentration of either white oil to water or detergent to water for brassicas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14210" LastEditorUserId="14210" LastEditDate="2016-04-02T22:01:55.920" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T22:01:55.920" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23856" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23835" CreationDate="2016-04-02T20:27:29.770" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Set forms and pour &lt;em&gt;concrete sloped the right direction&lt;/em&gt; on top of the &lt;em&gt;concrete sloped the wrong direction.&lt;/em&gt; Or, take a jackhammer or sledgehammer to the &lt;em&gt;concrete sloped the wrong direction,&lt;/em&gt; Then fix the slope of the soil underneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T20:27:29.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23857" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-02T21:08:10.023" Score="5" ViewCount="152" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought some steer manure from Home Depot last year. It came in bags. I was not able to use it last year and the bags are unopened so am wondering if I can use it this year. I stored it outdoors and the bag rips very easily. Also the manure is green from inside. Wondering if I should use it in my vegetable raised bed or fruit trees or for general landscaping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T19:34:51.487" Title="Life of steer manure" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23835" CreationDate="2016-04-02T21:49:47.373" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;No matter how many raised beds you add, the amount of surface area does not change so that the amount of run off from rain water will not increase.  So, unless you put in some automatic irrigation system you will not increase the existing issue of run off heading the &quot;wrong way&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To level the beds on concrete, I suggest you create sub irrigation planters (SIPs).  Basically you line the beds with heavy plastic or pond liner.  You then put some sand down to protect the liner and then put a layer of a neutral filler with lots of gaps when packed ( something that doesn't alter its pH in contact with water eg broken bricks ) which is level, but say 6 inches deep at its lowest point.  You drill an overflow point just below that, say 5 inches and put in an overflow pipe.  This ensures that the raised bed water level does not reach the bottom of the dirt.  You then lay down some type of root impermeable layer, eg weed mat, and create holes in it so that you can push some large net cups into which meet the bottom liner/sand.  Fill those with potting mix.  Then fill the whole raised bed with potting mix or similar artificial mix with easy drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What happens now is that the water reservoir at the bottom can provide water for the whole bed by wicking up through the &quot;feet&quot; that you've poked through the weed mat by capillary action.  And if there's a heavy rain, the water no longer perches above the weed mat, but drains into these legs and out the overflow hole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can google plans for a SIP planter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T21:49:47.373" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23860" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22896" CreationDate="2016-04-02T21:50:54.703" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It should be &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerbera_odollam&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cerbera Odollam&lt;/a&gt;, a fake mango also called &lt;em&gt;Bintaro&lt;/em&gt; in Indonesia. See the pictures below. Apparently is highly toxic!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YRDlY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YRDlY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T21:50:54.703" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23861" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-02T22:30:20.877" Score="6" ViewCount="228" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed these sugary white granules on my tomato leaves a couple of months ago, and saw some insects which I thought were aphids but didn't look closely. Now it looks as though my potatoes are infected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tomato potato psyllid (TPP) arrived in this country in 2006, presumably from the USA, and I was quite unfamiliar with it. I suspect that this is my problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sugar granules on tomato leaf&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/vcuc3BA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sugar granules on leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nymphs and winged adults&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/aXzXo7J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;young and older psyllids&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomato caterpillar lying amongst psyllid sugar&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/ByF8DJ0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sugar and caterpillar&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potato leaf curl&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/FL7UIex.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;potato leaf infected with psyllid&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to remove and bag up the infected plants, but a couple of weeks ago before I realized what was wrong I pulled the spuds out and put them into the compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to remove them from the compost pile or is it too late? And should I remove all guest potato plants from the garden, infected or not?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-06T23:12:17.703" Title="Is this the tomato potato psyllid?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23862" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-02T22:56:38.473" Score="6" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;p&gt;My question is not about depth, but area.  For a given individual plant, do I amend the soil for an area the size of its seed spacing recommendation (12 in., etc.)?  Or is less required?  I am a complete beginner.  Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sarah&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13996" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T14:37:19.430" Title="For how much area should I amend the soil for a given plant?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23863" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-03T02:52:50.910" Score="9" ViewCount="511" Body="&lt;p&gt;I keep seeing claims that currant cuttings will &quot;root enthusiastically&quot;. I'd love to have another black currant bush or two, but so far I haven't been able to get one to survive. They usually last long enough to drop the original leaves and start growing new ones and new stem, then give up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Had one in a pot this winter, which survived just about until weather improved enough to consider moving it outside. Frustrating. Brown thumb strikes again...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice would be welcome!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Additional notes&lt;/em&gt;: Boston area, climate zone 6. The red currants are quite happy; black seem to be struggling a bit. Russian expatriot tells me I absolutely need to add a white to complete the set.,:-) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5734" LastEditorUserId="5734" LastEditDate="2016-04-03T15:49:07.050" LastActivityDate="2016-04-10T22:43:26.443" Title="Cloning currants shouldnt be this hard..?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;soft-fruit&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23864" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23870" CreationDate="2016-04-03T03:37:42.010" Score="8" ViewCount="356" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a breed of blackberry bush in my backyard that is unlike any other blackberries I've had in the past and I'd very much like to plant more just like it. What part of the plant do I need to plant to make a new bush and what's the best way to do this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Added photo as requested:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M4KUG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M4KUG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7368" LastEditorUserId="7368" LastEditDate="2016-04-03T19:17:41.460" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T19:17:41.460" Title="What part of a blackberry bush do I plant to make a new bush" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23865" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23863" CreationDate="2016-04-03T04:19:25.867" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds as though you aren't keeping the cutting in a humidity tent. In other words, I think your basic problem is desiccation of the cutting. I've found it convenient to root cuttings in one gallon containers - 1 gallon zip lock bags fit snugly over the top. People frequently make little terrariums by cutting the bottom off 1 liter soft drink plastic bottles. Anything that will make the relative humidity of the air above the cutting stay close to 100% will do the job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Until the cutting actually has roots, the water in the wood is all the water it has. But leaves take in carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and, in the process, will lose water to the air if its relative humidity is less than 100%. However, the water in the xylem of the cutting is all the water it has until roots have been grown - it is a race to grow roots before it runs out of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All the cells of a new leaf (or flower) exist in the bud. The leaf emerges because cells are inflated by the osmotic flow of water into those cells. Expression of new leafs exhausts (or nearly so) the water available in the xylem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can instead air layer thicker stems. In this technique you remove a ring of bark (a girdle) and wrap it in a growing medium. The nice aspect of layering is that the clone is supported by the mother plant because the xylem is left in tact. Most commonly the girdle is covered with damp sphagnum and wrapped in plastic, though a pot can be split, fit round the stem and filled with some other growing medium such as pearlite (a bit of sphagnum works to fill the gaps). A pot of medium will need to be watered occasionally, whereas if it is sealed under plastic it will have all the moisture that is needed. Then you just wait until plenty of roots have grown by late summer or early fall, sever just below the girdle, remove the covering, and pot/plant your new clone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An important tip is that layering most frequently fails because of the growth of residual cambium cells on the xylem (people call it bridging). If you simply let the girdle sit for a day or two before covering it, the residual cambium cells will be desiccated and die. It runs contrary to instinct/intuition, but there is absolutely no reason to be in a rush with layers. Basically, the girdle can be made anytime. Just as buds are swelling is usually a good time - no foliage in the way and the bark peels off easily. Again, just like with cuttings, nothing productive happens until after the foliage is expressed and hardened. You can even wait until after the foliage has hardened to cover the girdle!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastEditorUserId="13580" LastEditDate="2016-04-03T04:54:38.933" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T04:54:38.933" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23866" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23862" CreationDate="2016-04-03T05:15:21.520" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should amend the soil to the width of the expected growth of the root mass. So, if you have very hard soil, and you only loosen the soil to the size of the existing roots, then you can potentially create a pot made of impenetrable soil surrounding the root ball.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T05:15:21.520" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23844" CreationDate="2016-04-03T06:27:57.483" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just asked my wife (who has a lot of knowledge specific to growing eggplants commercially).   When she came across this problem she pruned back the yellow leaves, and the plant was fine - indeed I've seen plants a lot worse then that come back to life just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I very much doubt it will thrive indoors as they require a lot of heat (24-28 degrees centigrade are ideal), as well as light - although it will will probably grow at a reduced rate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T06:27:57.483" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23868" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22839" CreationDate="2016-04-03T14:35:41.397" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're interested in getting started with bonsai trees, there's a great publication created for &lt;a href=&quot;http://ligustrumbonsai.com/ligustrum-bonsai/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ligustrum Bonsai&lt;/a&gt; trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may not be interested in this specific variety, however the knowledge is pretty universal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14219" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T14:35:41.397" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23869" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23862" CreationDate="2016-04-03T14:37:19.430" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best is to prepare an entire area thoroughly before planting by digging it all over properly, incorporating organic composts if you feel its appropriate for whatever you're growing. That might mean a whole planting bed, or a border, but its best to dig it all first, let it settle for a week or so, then its all ready to plant, rather than 'spot' digging where you want plants to grow. Only digging small parts means the plants may be restricted by compacted or unamended soil surrounding where you've dug - plant roots want to go where the nutrients and water are, and that's often hard to predict, especially with larger plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T14:37:19.430" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23870" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23864" CreationDate="2016-04-03T14:46:27.737" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If we're talking about commonly referred to Rubus, most plants in the genus can be propagated 3 ways, by cuttings, by sectioning off suckers - the easiest if there are suckers present already, or by tip layering - burying the tip of a stem a few inches below ground to encourage the plant to produce a sucker.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14210" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T14:46:27.737" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23857" CreationDate="2016-04-03T14:52:03.100" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't see any reason why you shouldn't use it anywhere you want to - the green growth is likely algae, which will grow in damp conditions in daylight or sunlight inside the bag. Home Depot seems to sell a combination product of steer manure mixed with organic compost, so maybe that's what you've actually got - either way, the steer manure should be well aged by now. You may need to let it dry out a bit so that it spreads more easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T14:52:03.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23872" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3815" CreationDate="2016-04-03T15:09:43.490" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have deer in your yard...  Drill holes in stump as deep and as large as possible.  Fill holes with table salt and water in with warm water.  Put salt lick (block) on stump.  Wait for deer to find it. Continue adding granular salt to stump and dissolving it with warm water. Wait a little longer until they are frequent visitors and enjoying the salt lick.  Remove the salt block.  Deer will &quot;discover&quot; salty stump and decide it is as tasty as the salt block AND that it adds fiber to their diet.  Continue to apply salt and water into stump ( or dissolve salt and make brine water...).  Adding some molasses anywhere along the way to the water/brine mixtures involved will make it both sweet and salty.  If you successfully recruit a deer herd, you'll be surprised that (with a bit of patience and a little motivation) deer hooves are great stump grinders). At some point it may be necessary to fill the hole with soil and that will work only if the deer are not finding much salt in the hole.  Move salt block to next stump and repeat process, the herd will figure it out!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14221" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T15:09:43.490" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23873" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23843" CreationDate="2016-04-03T15:15:43.967" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should certainly clip off anything that looks yellow or brown, even if it's just the tip of a leaf or root or the whole thing just above the core. The bite holes can be left, that's purely aesthetic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also wouldn't recommend watering it with aquarium water as there could be microbes in it which may have contributed to some of that yellow growth on the roots, and the nutrient mix mightn't be ideal for something as fussy as orchids. A specialised orchid fertiliser, either home made or store bought, is best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14210" LastEditorUserId="14210" LastEditDate="2016-04-03T15:36:08.550" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T15:36:08.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23874" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23875" CreationDate="2016-04-03T16:04:08.810" Score="5" ViewCount="217" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am new to this so forgive me if its basic.&#xA;We are hardware engineers investigating the development of hardware systems to home hydroponic small gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After reading a lot, I could see that there are some factors you need to keep, some of them are : ph in water, ppm, water conductivity, temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I still have a few holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I saw some simple DIY systems where people just use the Kratky method, where they put water in a box, with a little air left to the plant, and it works great without checking all of this stuff like pH, DO, E.C , etc. So, measuring them is a most, or just an enthusiasm of beginners? Do you really need that if not in a big scale?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;As hardware engineer i have checked all ph and E.C sensors, the basic sensor, without any circuit to analyse it, costs more then 70$ , why is that ? It's the same for E.C , so I have started to ask, can you get this data from other aspects of the water like temperature? moisture ?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seems that turning it to be smart, costs too much for home applications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14222" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-04-03T17:51:53.337" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T01:49:47.430" Title="Hydroponic sensors are so expensive?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23874" CreationDate="2016-04-03T17:43:47.867" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/hawaii/downloads/Three_Non-circulating_Hydroponic_Methods_for_Growing_lettuce.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kratky method&lt;/a&gt; works for lettuce largely because lettuce is relatively  insensitive to dissolved oxygen levels and because its growing cycle completes to a point of harvest before the nutrient solution concentrates to a point of nutrient burn. It may work for a few other leafy vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're going to dump the whole nutrient solution periodically then you don't need do much to calculate the electrical conductivity given a known starting EC of your water source because you're starting afresh each water change.  But that's expensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are going to recirculate your water, then you are going to need to measure. Otherwise you'll need algorithms based on experimentation based on crop growth, temperature, some measure of evaporative losses, plant type to calculate how to adjust the nutrient solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See also on root temperatures &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/23551/1894&quot;&gt;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/23551/1894&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T17:43:47.867" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23876" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-03T17:55:01.360" Score="6" ViewCount="202" Body="&lt;p&gt;My dracaena has several leaves with this kind of quite big brown areas on them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZpoTw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZpoTw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1mkG201ZcEnZ2hXZWtvV21FV1k/view?usp=docslist_api&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Photo source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this look like a disease or might it be only bad caring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23608/dracaena-marginata-losing-many-leaves-with-brown-spots&quot;&gt;separate post&lt;/a&gt; related to falling leaves, but now I see these brown areas on green, seemingly healthy leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14092" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T18:46:24.993" Title="Are these brown areas on my dracaena leaves a disease?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-04-06T01:29:00.127" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23877" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-03T19:06:09.863" Score="8" ViewCount="485" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N3BBR.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N3BBR.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone tell me the name of this flower please.&#xA;Please and Thank you!! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14223" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T21:03:34.117" Title="Can someone please tell me the name of this Flower???" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23878" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-03T19:18:56.143" Score="9" ViewCount="1059" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have large roots from a huge &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/silver-maple&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Silver Maple&lt;/a&gt; tree that are partially above ground and interfere with mowing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I shave them so the mower can pass over them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14224" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T02:30:03.843" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T02:30:03.843" Title="Can I shave exposed roots from a Silver Maple tree to avoid damage when mowing?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;maple&gt;&lt;mowing&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23879" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23877" CreationDate="2016-04-03T19:56:07.057" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like an orange lily or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Lilium+bulbiferum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lilium bulbiferum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T19:56:07.057" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23880" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23877" CreationDate="2016-04-03T20:16:15.047" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a Hemerocallis - A day lily Cultivar. It is however a member of the Lilliacae family, hence the similarity. There are wide number of cultivars available. Found I think, originally I North America. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-04-03T21:03:34.117" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T21:03:34.117" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23881" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23912" CreationDate="2016-04-03T20:33:13.760" Score="7" ViewCount="2672" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently planted some sunflower seedlings and they have been doing fairly well. The only problem I had noticed was that the tips of the leaves were slightly burnt, but even then, the burns weren't spreading and the plants seemed to be doing fine. In the past couple of days, however; the stem of one of the seedlings became shriveled mid way up the stem. The strange part is that the base of the stem is fine, and the top of the stem too is fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no idea what is wrong with it. My only guess is that the soil is too basic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y6LIN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y6LIN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rl9GP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rl9GP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the whole plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had been careful not to destrub the stem for a while, and I have it less sun and somehow it has survived and is now nearly completely healed!&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KolMX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KolMX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Healed Stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;      Thank you all for you helpful advice!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13702" LastEditorUserId="13702" LastEditDate="2016-04-16T16:29:00.867" LastActivityDate="2018-03-25T01:32:23.937" Title="Why is the stem of one of my sunflower seedlings shriveling?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23827" CreationDate="2016-04-03T20:36:44.100" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any windbreak would be a good idea, along with the rest of Kevinskys'answer. It's beneficial effects can be felt for about 10x its height in distance.  Make it semi permeable and it will slow the wind down sufficiently to do the good it needs to. If it's too windy, pollinators like bees will not fly.  Would you have enough space or the right location for beehives? &#xA;Espalier or step over trees are always an option too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-04-05T06:57:28.370" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T06:57:28.370" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23883" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23885" CreationDate="2016-04-03T20:47:26.220" Score="8" ViewCount="371" Body="&lt;p&gt;This morning I was walking in Saint-Bruno national park in Quebec, Canada and I happened upon this large patch of ground cover. It was particularly striking as it seemed to be an evergreen herbaceous plant. Apart from conifers I don't remember seeing green anywhere at this time of year in the woods or forests of Quebec.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This leads me to believe it might not be an indigenous plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was located in a zone 5B small deciduous forest that is near a small lake and very close to a suburban area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lnnQy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lnnQy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F75nr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F75nr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VzntU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VzntU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T22:11:38.800" Title="Identification of ground cover in small decideous forest (zone 5B)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23884" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23878" CreationDate="2016-04-03T21:46:20.980" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, you shouldn't interfere with them or damage them in any way, you may compromise the tree if you do. If possible, remove the grass that's near the roots, plant ground cover instead or just mulch around the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T21:46:20.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23885" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23883" CreationDate="2016-04-03T22:03:13.893" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it looks remarkably like Pachysandra terminalis to me, an evergreen groundcover which does well in shady conditions. Tends to look a bit floppy, as per your picture, when its in sun or if its been very cold.  See link below for info&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oakleafgardening.com/plants/pachysandra-terminalis/&quot;&gt;http://www.oakleafgardening.com/plants/pachysandra-terminalis/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and a clearer pic here, though not showing flower buds - should flower April/May, any time soon&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://espacepourlavie.ca/en/ground-covers&quot;&gt;http://espacepourlavie.ca/en/ground-covers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-03T22:11:38.800" LastActivityDate="2016-04-03T22:11:38.800" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23886" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23891" CreationDate="2016-04-03T22:50:13.033" Score="5" ViewCount="649" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_fig&quot;&gt;Black Mission fig tree&lt;/a&gt; that's getting removed soon, and in order to (after a fashion) rescue it, I've taken some cuttings from it using the instructions I found &lt;a href=&quot;https://chriscondello.wordpress.com/2013/02/28/practical-permaculture-rooting-fig-cuttings/&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  The cuttings I've taken have lots of leaves on them since spring is here and that's what happens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I trim the leaves off my cuttings, or leave them on?  Maybe just remove the big ones and leave the newly-budded leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14225" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T14:19:46.503" Title="Should I trim the leaves off my fig cuttings?" Tags="&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23887" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23894" CreationDate="2016-04-03T22:57:48.030" Score="6" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;The more I look into it, the more confused I'm getting about frost protection.  Any advice to help me get a grip on the issue would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a property in Dairy Flat, which is rural Auckland, New Zealand.  Our temperatures tend to get 4 degrees centigrade colder then weather forecast (but not when there is lots of cloud), and I measured - probably inaccurately, a minimum of -3.5 degrees C last year - which came along with ice forming in water outside (and a burst hosepipe).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A large local tree seller not far away advised they got down to -5 degrees C - which killed their outdoor trees, but the trees which they place in the sheltered area were unaffected - the sheltered area being a large hothouse like structure covered in shade cloth down to 40cm above ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I understand that structures on the property and area can create micro-climates which make a big difference, but I am struggling to work out out how to accurately predict micro-climates around my property, not having had sufficient knowledge to observe these over the past year I've been at the property)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm struggling to understand - &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How a sheltered but not waterproof area can provide such a high degree of protection as advised by the tree company - and if this is only beneficial to large plants like trees, or if it can be applied to plants like tomatos ?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What US hardiness zone would be comparable to Rural Auckland (Knowing this would appear to open a world of knowledge applicable to the USA I think) ?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Why a hosepipe in an area near a small, enclosed citrus fruit orchard&#xA;(about 6 trees) would freeze and burst but all of the citrus trees &#xA;were fine ?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What this means for my avocado avocado trees (which are 1 year old, in a &#xA;semi-sheltered environment and have been ravaged by sheep and thus &#xA;have very limited foliage going into autumn)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If using an unheated 6m x 3m polytunnel will provide protection sufficient&#xA;to allow me to grow tomatos, eggplants, zuchini, Cucumbers and the like&#xA;through winter ?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can frost-tender plants survive sub-zero temperatures if protected from moisture, and how to work out down to what level ?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice, help, resources or pointers would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-04-07T09:28:49.010" Title="Auckland Rural Zone and Confusion about Frost Protection" Tags="&lt;frost&gt;&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;&lt;plant-hardiness&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23888" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-02T17:44:43.960" Score="6" ViewCount="1228" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for a weed-eater head that does not have any plastic thread spool or ongoing feeder. It should have metal or sturdy plastic blades that don't wear away quickly?  I am (a) sick of having to deal with spooling problems and fixing the feed and (b) not keen on having tiny bits of plastic building up all over my yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there is such a thing what is it called?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="zipquincy" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-03T23:38:51.533" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T11:49:33.673" Title="What is the name for a weed-eater head with metal or plastic blades?" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23888" CreationDate="2016-04-02T19:44:49.540" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your trimmer may or may not support them, so you may need a new trimmer. I picked my last one on the basis that it would support them...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stihl (I'm just a customer) calls theirs:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A &quot;polycut head&quot; (plastic blades)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Two different &quot;metal blade&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Brush Knife&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Circular saw blade, scratcher tooth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Circular saw blade, chisel tooth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first three fit in in the &quot;grass/weeds&quot; job classification - the others get into brush/trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Walmart (and perhaps others) sell a thing called a &quot;grass gator&quot; which they claim &quot;fits most straight shaft trimmers.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Realize that if one of these things contacts you, it's going to be rather more serious than getting whacked with string, and if one sheds a blade, it may become a hazardous projectile. The steel variety also add the possibility of sparks from hitting rocks potentially causing a grass fire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for search terms, I found the walmart thing (and many others) with &quot;string trimmer metal blade&quot; - and &quot;string trimmer plastic blade&quot; also gets results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.stihlusa.com/WebContent/CMSFileLibrary/downloads/Cutting-Heads-and-Blades-Selection-Chart.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.stihlusa.com/WebContent/CMSFileLibrary/downloads/Cutting-Heads-and-Blades-Selection-Chart.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" OwnerDisplayName="Ecnerwal" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T22:48:30.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23890" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23888" CreationDate="2016-04-02T19:47:48.893" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe the google term you're looking for is &quot;weed trimmer blades&quot;.  That will show a variety of the blades and hubs they go onto.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course the blades -do- wear out, but they aren't as constant a nuisance like the string. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't overlook a big advantage to string: if you rack the trimmer up on something hard, it only costs you a few inches of string. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19827" OwnerDisplayName="Harper" LastActivityDate="2016-04-02T19:47:48.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23891" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23886" CreationDate="2016-04-04T00:33:44.250" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, you should not. Without at least one leaf, your cutting is unlikely to grow any roots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photosynthesis is necessary to grow roots. The leaves must take in carbon dioxide and as a consequence will lose water to the air if the relative humidity is less than 100%. Hence, you need to make a humidity tent or terrarium around the plant so that the air inside will stay humid so your cutting won't desiccate and die. Some people cut the bottom off plastic soda bottles for this purpose. I most often put cuttings in 1 gallon nursery containers - a gallon size zip lock bag fits over the pot quite nicely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T00:33:44.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23892" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23878" CreationDate="2016-04-04T01:28:24.907" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Far better to mulch the area or otherwise remove it from mowing. A huge tree is a huge issue when it's in trouble, and cutting roots is very likely to cause trouble, as the tree depends on the supplies from those roots, their physical support, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T01:28:24.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23874" CreationDate="2016-04-04T01:49:47.430" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without knowing for sure, I see several things&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You may be shopping &quot;laboratory grade&quot; sensors. Then again, you may need them...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;An &quot;EC&quot; sensor may require platinum or other exotic/expensive material to remain stable in constant contact with the nutrient solution. Using copper electrodes would be subject to corrosion, contaminating the solution with copper and also changing the behavior of the sensor over time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For a large scale hydroponic operation (greenhouses) this is not a large cost. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For a smaller scale illicit operation it's also not a large cost. I don't know about your area, but every &quot;hydroponics shop for the small-scale grower&quot; I've seen pop up is either IN a &quot;head shop/smoke shop&quot; or gives off the same vibes. There surely are some folks using them for legit purposes on a small scale, but...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There likely isn't a particularly large set of users not fitting the above two conditions to drive high-volume, low cost sensors.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You might (or might not) find lower cost sensors that MIGHT be adaptable to hydroponic use in a (slightly) higher volume market, such as marine aquaria.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T01:49:47.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23887" CreationDate="2016-04-04T02:33:39.483" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, a word on how USDA Hardiness Zones are determined. USDA Hardiness Zones are based on the Average Annual Extreme Minimum Temperature. So, the average of the coldest temperature on the coldest night, that's where we're looking at. If you're thinking that's around -3.5 to -5 C that likely puts you in Zone 9a according to &lt;a href=&quot;https://davisla.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/new-zealand-plant-hardiness-zone-map.jpg&quot;&gt;this map&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The shelter is adequate because it traps in heat. The ground under the shelter is warm still. The shelter traps that heat in while it escapes outside. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on exact species, citrus can tolerate a few degrees below freezing. In particular the blossoms are very tender, but the tree itself can handle a bit more cold with minimal effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Avocado depends on variety. Some cultivars can handle down to -9 C, others will barely tolerate 0. Putting a cover on it on cold nights might make the difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You probably could keep the plants alive over the winter with a polytunnel. However they won't be terribly vigorous until it warms up again, those species like it warmer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Frost tender plants can absolutely be kept alive through sub-zero nights. Covering them up overnight can get you through a moderate frost. I've used everything from old bed sheets to cardboard boxes. Anything that traps heat in will help. Interestingly, on bigger things that are you can't reasonably cover (like your citrus trees) you can actually save them by spraying them with water. Water is very resistant to temperature changes. For a leaf that is soaked from irrigation to freeze first the water on the leaf has to freeze before the leaf can even begin freezing. If you're just a degree or two under freezing it can make the difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a more thorough discussion on frost, I recommend &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/weather/frost.pdf&quot;&gt;this guide&lt;/a&gt; from Cornell University.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T02:33:39.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23895" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23887" CreationDate="2016-04-04T06:35:02.437" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theprow.org.nz/people/dick-roberts/#.VwYoHDFmzEY&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Edible Tree Crop Farm&lt;/a&gt; was Dick Robert's pioneering permaculture site in Nelson, NZ before the term existed.  A sub tropical climate was created with the use of North (equatorial) facing hillsides, ponds for thermal mass and heat reflection, wind breaks to divert cold winds, rocks etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A description of micro climates can also be found here. &lt;a href=&quot;https://treeyopermacultureedu.wordpress.com/chapter-5-climatic-factors/microclimate/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://treeyopermacultureedu.wordpress.com/chapter-5-climatic-factors/microclimate/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sepp Holzer's book should be in the public library and gives more practical advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-04-07T09:28:49.010" LastActivityDate="2016-04-07T09:28:49.010" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23896" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23898" CreationDate="2016-04-04T10:56:00.587" Score="11" ViewCount="1639" Body="&lt;p&gt;We recently had a cherry tree planted in our garden. I don't know the age of the plant nor the exact species but it's currently below 2m (6 ft) tall, including the branches, with a thin trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are 6 branches with plenty of buds. These just started opening although I can see other cherry trees were full of flowers already at the end of February.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What care does my tree need? Is it growing normally?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE&lt;/strong&gt;: The tree was planted early February by the estate builder. They didn't mention what kind of three it is (just &quot;A cherry, the one with pink flowers&quot;) nor the age. They didn't put any compost, just dug a hole and put the tree inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Kent, UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE 2&lt;/strong&gt;: There are a few flowers now on the tree and more are coming out but they are &lt;strong&gt;white&lt;/strong&gt;, not pink. Wonder what they've planted in my garden...&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ux1eF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ux1eF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;full size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7YKGk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7YKGk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10804" LastEditorUserId="10804" LastEditDate="2016-04-22T07:45:41.437" LastActivityDate="2016-04-22T07:45:41.437" Title="How should I care for a young cherry tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23897" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23888" CreationDate="2016-04-04T11:49:33.673" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it goes by the following names (possibly among others)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Brush Saw &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clearing &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Saw Brushcutters&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T11:49:33.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23898" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23896" CreationDate="2016-04-04T13:04:42.650" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you say 'recent', if that means within the last year, the only thing you need to do is keep it well watered during dry spells for its first 2-3 years. Hopefully you dug the soil over well and added organic composted materials prior to planting - if you didn't, you could mulch round the bottom of the tree with something like composted animal manure this month, but don't let it sit against the trunk. I've seen what part of the world you're in (same place as me) and currently, we've had plenty of rain, but if, as temperatures rise, we get a dry week or two, you'll need to ensure it gets a good few gallons twice a week, specially if its very hot in, say, June, July or August.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding why yours is only starting to grow now, you haven't said whether yours is an ornamental cherry or fruiting cherry, but either way, different varieties flower or start into growth at different times, depending on local climate as much as anything else. The time to worry is if it doesn't leaf out or produce flowers at all...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER - You've said you didn't plant it, the builders did, and they just said it was a pink flowering cherry. Likely its ornamental then, and as you haven't described it as 'like a flagpole' it isn't Prunus amanogawa, and you haven't said its weeping, then its one of the more upright versions, but it could be one of many varieties even so. It won't need pruning, and as they didn't emend the soil, I would definitely get a bag of composted animal manure from the garden centre and spread it around the base of the tree, with a handful or two of Growmore granules spread underneath it - assuming there's no lawn there (which there shouldn't be, with a new tree, to answer your query I've only just noticed - 2-3 feet all round bare of any growth, though not so critical after the first 2 or 3 years as its not grown for its fruit). If its set in paving, hopefully there's some visible soil around it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's hard to say from the pics whether its Prunus amanogawa or not - I suspect not, but you'll know as it grows on. Be good if it was, because if it isn't, its too close to the fence...if it develops a wide spread crown, it'll be touching or crushed up against the fences, until the main trunk gets taller. It's obviously not going to flower this year - but should do so next year, otherwise looks healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-06T20:15:44.703" LastActivityDate="2016-04-06T20:15:44.703" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23899" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23886" CreationDate="2016-04-04T14:19:46.503" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you take stem cuttings you want to denude most of the cutting of leaves because those leaves draw water from the cutting which in unable to to provide it yet, however you will want to leave a leaf at the tip of each cutting so it can get what it needs from the sun and so you don't inadvertently damage the tip bud, which is where the tree will want to grow from for a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will help to put a clear plastic bag over the top of the pot you are rooting your cuttings in to keep the plant in humid conditions so it doesn't need to draw as much water from the ground to support itself and so any transpiration that does occur will be kept in place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T14:19:46.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23900" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23901" CreationDate="2016-04-04T15:23:58.543" Score="18" ViewCount="1070" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a backyard compost bin for our vegetable garden and a few flower beds. Forgive me for being a total noob on this, but can someone offer me couple of good resources on what's ok and not ok to put in it and some best practices? Currently we are trying to only put in food scraps like the fruits and veggies, used tea leaves, coffee grounds... Is it ok to put bread in it? Cheese? I think it's not ok to put in meat or highly processed foods, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over the winter, we mistakenly used the compost as more of a garbage disposal and it has too much processed food in it. Is it still useable? It's kindof a large bin and we're a few weeks away from planting our garden and don't want to lose everything in there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit to add: The compost bin is about 2' x 2' x 3' and it has a lid and sliding door opening toward the bottom. My husband turns it often. And we do add grass clippings, leaves, and other small backyard organics (dug up plants, etc) to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11935" LastEditorUserId="11935" LastEditDate="2016-04-05T01:47:51.427" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T21:15:29.420" Title="Do's and Don't's for a backyard compost?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23900" CreationDate="2016-04-04T15:57:43.790" Score="17" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think in general, most people stick to using produce scraps, tea leaves and coffee grounds for their pile. There are a few concerns with other types of scraps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some scraps will attract vermin (meat, dairy, fats, breads, processed foods)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some scraps could carry pathogens that are unlikely to be killed during the composting process (meats, food from the plate of someone who is ill, and feces of course)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some scraps contain preservatives or compounds that won't break down well in the pile (processed foods, excessive amounts of citrus)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some will say that if you are willing to put in the diligence required to properly maintain a hot compost pile, meat dairy and other scraps are perfectly fine. Given how common e-coli and other pathogens are, though, and how difficult they are to kill in a home-scale compost pile, I'd be extremely hesitant to try these. Personally, I do compost bread items and have not yet (knock on wood) had any vermin issues. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2016-04-04T18:27:58.870" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T18:27:58.870" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23903" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-04T18:32:57.577" Score="8" ViewCount="4370" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am making some raised beds for my garden. What would be best to lay at the bottom? Would newspaper, rocks, stuff of that sort work the best?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will be put directly onto tilled dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-07T23:47:20.950" LastActivityDate="2016-04-07T23:47:20.950" Title="What should go under a raised bed that is on top of tilled dirt?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23904" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23878" CreationDate="2016-04-04T18:59:20.327" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would not do that, shaving off the roots can really hurt or even kill the tree. I would just go around the root then come back with scissors and cut around the root. You could also use a weed wacker to get close but try not to hit the root. It will not do much to the root but it could break you string on the weed wacker. Then get were you need to go with the scissors. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T18:59:20.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23905" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-04T19:41:31.190" Score="16" ViewCount="4238" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can this wonderful flower, when planted mature, keep away animals and bugs? I have read this on a few sites and want to know if it works. Is it true or even partly true? Has anybody done this themselves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-04T20:40:06.273" LastActivityDate="2020-10-12T05:42:22.910" Title="Can Marigold flowers keep animals away?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23906" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-04T19:49:41.917" Score="6" ViewCount="1022" Body="&lt;p&gt;A 12&quot; square catch basin collects water from my driveway and transports it under the lawn to adjacent stream about 150 ft away via 4&quot; corrugated buried pipe. They used corrugated covered w/stone (vs pvc) (20 yrs ago) so as to also collect surface water from the poor-drainage yard. The drain pipe is down to a trickle due to tree roots that infiltrated the 4&quot; pipe. In a downpour the basin overflows. In the past (2X) it was cleared by a roto rooter type power auger. This time it can't get through and they are suggesting that a hi-pressure jetter could do the trick (maybe) at a cost of $600-800. A lot of money but much less than excavating, digging up &amp;amp; replacing the 150 ft pipe. Does the jetter stand a a chance or am I throwing money away? It could also possibly damage the existing pipe but that might not matter if the pipe needs to be replaced anyway. Would appreciate any comments and perhaps alternate approaches to this problem. Thank you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14230" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T14:05:13.337" Title="Tree roots in storm drain" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23905" CreationDate="2016-04-04T20:00:05.013" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh cute...Marigold plants are said to help keep predators/insects away but I've never seen anything that would verify this...grow marigolds for their beauty...they are STINKY so maybe that helps.  Grins, I've never seen that marigolds helps with; cutworms, aphids, slugs, earwigs, powdery mildew, or any regular problem for other ornamentals. Vigilance, going out at night for instance to see what is going on...is the bestest pesticide ever.  Some very simple concoctions are worth their weight in gold.  Such as high pressure water stream.  Making sure you keep the humidity down especially at night.  Milk (1:9 ratio) is incredible with powdery mildew, cats for mice (do not use poison), and I use Neem when truly challenged.  Great stuff.  But read the dang information closely!  Best to use preventative measures not the bandaids of pesticides.  Companion planting is cool but in all my years of education and experience never have I seen a difference.  Takes a broader and more educated understanding to make a difference.  Ventilation...lots of moving air, not so much moisture...takes pruning and adding more ventilation...going out at night to chop cutworms in half...there would be only a few, slugs same thing only get them on the lawn, poor things, earwigs; get rid of their 'condominiums' and favored habitat...do not rely on Marigolds for any kind of protection.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T20:00:05.013" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23908" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23903" CreationDate="2016-04-04T20:15:51.437" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably the only important thing you can put down is hardware cloth if you suffer from voles. Otherwise the several inches of dirt usually does the trick to keep anything underneath growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T20:15:51.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23909" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23900" CreationDate="2016-04-04T20:24:38.070" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general, there is no problem with composting bread scraps.  I highly recommend some kind of fortification to prevent critters from entering your compost pile.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The folks at GardenWeb have created &lt;a href=&quot;http://faq.gardenweb.com/discussions/2766659/a-brief-intro-to-composting&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;A Brief Intro to Composting&lt;/a&gt;.  Composting has more to do with volume and the categories of the contributions.   For example, you need a certain percentage of &lt;em&gt;greens&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;browns&lt;/em&gt;.  There are certain minimum volume required for an efficient compost pile.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had a compost pile, 4' x 4' base and it required at least 3' in height before I got heat out of it.  My daughter and I &lt;em&gt;fed&lt;/em&gt; it vegetable scraps and bread scraps.  The pile would &quot;eat&quot; our contributions.  Remember to bury stuff so that the birdies don't get to things.  As my daughter once said, &quot;don't forget the wormies&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14231" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T20:24:38.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23910" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23914" CreationDate="2016-04-04T21:02:29.937" Score="9" ViewCount="154" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fHLwv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fHLwv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Is it a fern?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few of this plant is growing in our front yard. Though the leaves look like fern they don't grow like a fern. You can the small ones that just sprouted in the background.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastActivityDate="2017-10-26T02:26:24.737" Title="What plant is this? Is it a variety of fern?" Tags="&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23903" CreationDate="2016-04-04T21:03:04.633" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Raised beds made from lumber are to be treated just like pots.  USE just sterilized potting soil that has mychorrhizae and bacteria incorporated.  Do not use GARDEN soil.  Do NOT USE rock, gravel...perhaps landscape fabric but voles and moles and shrews are just not a big deal.  Drainage is.  If you use gravel/rocks you actually make a perched water table which means the drainage has been compromised, big time.  I've actually suggested use of old nylons if loss of soil on a deck is a problem and it seems to slow the drainage down as well.  MAKE SURE that you use sterilized potting soil, I kid you not.  Garden soil is a big no no and if you want the entire why not I can explain and/or find on this site.  Plants that aren't planted in the garden need all the help they can get and that means great draining soil, no pathogens that have no biological controls...do not use garden soil!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Treated lumber especially railroad ties are full of super toxins...as long as you do not EAT your crops fine. But otherwise, gross.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are worried about weeds...just pull them out or use a mulch without weed seeds such as human poo poo decomposed mulch.  Super stuff but not recommended for edible crops...heavy metals.  Ornamentals and plant beds are thrilled to have this stuff if you can find a resource!  Never ever ever ever use landscape fabric for weeds.  Stops the entire process between organics, decomposed organics and the micro and macro organisms required for health of the plants.  Bad idea.  They say it is 'weed fabric' to get uninformed people to buy it and use it...horrible idea!  The only reason for this stuff is to put beneath gravel so that the 'fines' don't percolate back up through the coarser stuff...so you can watch your gravel go bye bye and needing to be replaced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not use pressure treated nor the railroad ties for any edible plants!  Use pressure treated lumber that is lined with plastic except allowing for big holes for drainage.  Plants in pots or these kinds of raised beds are susceptible to root cold damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are you growing, why do you need raised beds...I've got much better ideas and how to keep plants in pots alive through winter, if you have gnarly winters?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Excellent question by the way!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-04-04T21:03:04.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23912" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23881" CreationDate="2016-04-04T21:14:52.827" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most likely sun scorch on the leaf tips, because they may not be used to all the sun light if you do not. As for the stem, it is a fungal dry rot. The soil is too wet and it looks like there is mold growing around it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-07T14:56:45.120" LastActivityDate="2016-04-07T14:56:45.120" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23905" CreationDate="2016-04-04T21:39:44.860" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't done specific research, but am happy to provide you with my personal experience. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every year I grow many varieties of marigolds and they're always among the least bothered in my garden. Animals who eat annuals and perennials planted alongside my marigolds almost always completely ignore them. Those include chipmunks, rabbits, squirrels, and larger things like raccoons and opossums.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if I don't have any other flowers at all, the marigolds are somewhat vulnerable, but not in a fatal way. Very rarely, if there's nothing else at all, one of my outdoor friends will bite the stem, leave the flower on the ground and not bother the root system. The marigold basically looks like I've dead-headed it, and pretty soon it produces more flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never found bugs of any kind on either the flowers or the leaves, even when they've decimated related species, such as dahlias, in the same garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't use pesticides, and am frequently willing to give up a plant if something living out there wants it that badly. One of the reasons I grow so many marigolds is that I know I'll have a very long season and a lot of happy plants!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a baby bunny resting under my marigold. The hole to the left of its head is from a young snapdragon plant which had been uprooted by a chipmunk. I know it was a chipmunk because I saw him do it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nc7sS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nc7sS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Rabbit resting under marigold&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-09T19:10:55.123" LastActivityDate="2017-09-09T19:10:55.123" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23910" CreationDate="2016-04-04T21:46:56.843" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd say this is definitely Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum). It's an invasive pest and is known to have allelopathic effects on some surrounding plants, which is how it so readily colonizes an area. Difficult to control, if you need to, it has extremely thick, brownish black underground stems that can and do travel long distances. Some information in the link below, but its from the RHS, based in the UK - you will need to check what treatments are available in your own area, if you wish to control it. As a point of interest, there are higher rates of cancer in individuals who are constantly in a bracken ridden environment, perhaps working in woods where there's plenty of it, etc, though the risk is no higher than anywhere else for people who are simply visiting or passing through occasionally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=445&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=445&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-30T21:39:22.730" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T21:39:22.730" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23915" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23905" CreationDate="2016-04-04T22:00:18.537" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many people plant marigolds (Calendula officinalis, not the French marigold, Tagetes) as a 'trap' crop, but the 'trap' attracts aphids, particularly blackfly. The theory is, if the blackfly inhabit the marigolds, they won't inhabit your roses or whatever it is you're trying to protect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, blackfly do love marigolds - not quite as much as they love nasturtiums, possibly - but there are so many of them, not only are the marigolds covered in blackfly, but so are any surrounding plants they particularly like. Doesn't stop me growing calendula anyway - I love their cheerful colour and their repeat flowering habit (if you deadhead, that is).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for Tagetes, the French marigold, this one is said to be a companion plant underneath tomatoes to keep whitefly away. In general, there's very little scientific evidence for the idea of companion planting, but that doesn't mean some of the ideas don't work - there just hasn't been much scientific testing going on. Here's a link for more information&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.sarahraven.com/articles/companion_planting_-_protect_with_plants.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.sarahraven.com/articles/companion_planting_-_protect_with_plants.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-07T16:28:48.140" LastActivityDate="2016-04-07T16:28:48.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23916" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23903" CreationDate="2016-04-05T00:00:19.080" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would recommend having 24&quot; of soil for your roots to work with.  I would not put anything that roots cannot get through (e.g. rocks) in the top 24 inches which would make it harder for roots to get through. Every year I would recommend turning over the top 2 feet of soil so that it is loose for roots to freely grow and to mix the nutrients.  Other than that, enjoy the new raised beds.  Sounds very exciting! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T00:00:19.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23917" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23903" CreationDate="2016-04-05T00:40:03.503" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can put anything non-toxic - including when it breaks down - under your raised bed.. or you can put rocks.  I have gardened and farmed organically for over 30 years and have put in many raised beds.  If you wanted to raise a low area or just make a deeper bed, you could use good dirt.  I have gotten potting soil on sale for as little as $1/40-lb bag and used that. With a deeper bed, you can rotate crops that make deep roots, or you can make permanent plantings of deep-rooted crops that you don't want to spread, such as horseradish or comfrey.  Hope this helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14233" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T00:40:03.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23918" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23708" CreationDate="2016-04-05T00:46:44.013" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spider mites attack just about everything, it seems.  You can control them with soapy water with some vegetable oil in it.  Be sure to use soap, not detergent.  I buy Kirk's Castile soap &amp;amp; shave a bit into the water I plan to drench the plant in.  You mix it well, of course - for small amounts (1 gallon or less, e.g.) I mix with a standard kitchen mixer or get a paint mixer &amp;amp; use a drill (prefer battery-powered to avoid the possibility of shock that exists if a corded one gets wet). Another possibility you can use on many plants is to make very thin batter of dry milk, water and flour &amp;amp; drench the plant with it - let it dry, then rinse the plant. When the batter dries, it shrinks. This kills any mites &amp;amp; suffocates their eggs. Not all plants like milk, though, so be sure to rinse the earth well, too. Obviously, you don't let this sit for hours before rinsing. If you have the problem on apple trees, you want to rinse the earth under the tree inside the drip line as soon as the branches stop dripping without waiting for the tree itself to dry; apple trees dislike milk in their roots &amp;amp; won't set fruit if they 'drink' milk. Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14233" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T00:46:44.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23919" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23905" CreationDate="2016-04-05T00:50:18.770" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Marigolds will keep &lt;em&gt;some&lt;/em&gt; animals away - works best on insects. Some people say marigolds will keep cats out of a bed, but I have had some feral cats that hadn't read this and they went in the beds and did their thing where the marigolds were. Marigolds will keep nematodes away from the members of the Solanacea family - tomatoes, peppers, petunias, tobacco, potatoes..  (For anyone who wants to get uppity about tobacco - I'm a Traditional Indn; we grow tobacco because it is Holy so you need not offend us by patronizing us about our use of it. Thank you.) Cheers!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14233" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T00:50:18.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23920" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23900" CreationDate="2016-04-05T03:26:27.840" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I went to a composting workshop recently (in NZ) and the guy running it put a whole dead sheep in his compost pile and it broke down in around 2 weeks, so I don't think there is a hard and fast rule about not putting in meat. Note that this was a &quot;hot&quot; compost pile i.e. all the ingredients were put together to start with in about 1 cubic metre of space. He said he measured the temp at around 55 (celsius) in the middle of the pile. His take on attracting vermin was that you are going to attract them anyway, so just be aware of it and put down traps if it is an issue. A good mix of green and brown was also required, but anything could go in as long as it was in smaller pieces and had previously been alive (including old cotton t-shirts !)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14236" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T03:26:27.840" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23921" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-05T06:58:14.723" Score="8" ViewCount="202" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a nice garden which I have made using vermicompost. Plus I have used cow dung manure. I get a lot of flying cockroaches in that. How to get rid of this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14237" LastActivityDate="2016-08-21T19:20:58.763" Title="Vermicompost cockroaches" Tags="&lt;vermicomposting&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23922" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-05T10:54:25.390" Score="4" ViewCount="2151" Body="&lt;p&gt;Someone told me, that there is a plant, that keeps away snakes and other lizards. All you have to do is plant it near the fences and the house.&#xA;Is it true and if yes, what is that plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14239" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T11:41:15.560" Title="Is it true: plants, that keep snakes away?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23922" CreationDate="2016-04-05T11:41:15.560" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to some research there is plants that act like snake repellent. Just keep in mind they are not guaranteed to work but here are a few plants that can help keep them away. In order from best to least --&gt; Wormwood (Artemisia), Tulbaghia Violacea, West Indian lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus), Sarpgandha (Rauwolfia serpentia) and, Andrographis paniculata.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Tulbaghia Violacea is very good snake repellent but have some other uses as well. The smell this flower gives off repels fleas, ticks and mosquitoes, but only were the plant has been crushed (or a rip in leaf). The fresh bulbs could also be boiled and the decoction can be used as a orally to clear up coughs and colds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;West Indian Leomon grass, the snakes do not like the citrus smell from the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also make a garlic mixture and spray that in places to help repel the snakes as well. It is 10 bulbs (purple is the best as they are very potent), 4 Table spoons of garlic oil or any other vegetable oil, and some water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For preparation....&#xA;1. Take the blender and add some water. 2. Separate the garlic into cloves and add them to the blender. 3. Start blending it until a smooth nice paste is formed, then add the oil. 4. Leave the mixture in a plastic container for an hour with the lid on. 5. Now it is ready, and place a few drops in any srea you don't want snakes to be seen. Repeat the process after it rains.&#xA;The mixture usually lasts for at least three weeks, then you need to make a new batch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T11:41:15.560" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23924" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23906" CreationDate="2016-04-05T13:29:46.373" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Listen, if roots are infiltrating, you least expensive solution is to dig it out, retrench, and put in a new drain. You may also wish to trim back the roots, and make a wider trench with heavier gravel at the point where the tree is infiltrating to slow it down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why is this cheaper? Because it's going to happen again and again, and you are going to be forced to replace it again anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the French drain is 20 year old anyway, it's probably due for replacement here or there along the line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use PVC where it's being infiltrated, and make it a longer  than apparently needed because eventually the roots are going to find the ends of the PVC.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do yourself a favor and save money in the long run. Trying to save money today is going to cost you even more later, and maybe even have to spend it right away if the jetter doesn't do the trick. If it does the trick you'll be facing the problem again next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2016-04-05T14:05:13.337" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T14:05:13.337" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23925" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23936" CreationDate="2016-04-05T16:51:31.687" Score="7" ViewCount="466" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was thinking about making a short retaining wall for a flower bed in front of my house. We like the way Tumbled Bluestone looks and I was looking for any pointers anyone may have with laying such a material. It wouldn't be very high - I'm guessing a foot and half at the highest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, any experience in cutting the stone? I'm assuming at some point I'll have to do some cuts on it to get it all to lay right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My thoughts are to do three tiers, the bottom one driveway level up a foot and half or so, the next one about a foot and half above that one and then the top one which is the same height of the walkway to the house. Not looking to do a patio with it (yet). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6876" LastActivityDate="2016-04-06T10:20:58.573" Title="Tumbled Bluestone retaining wall" Tags="&lt;hard-landscape&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23926" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23925" CreationDate="2016-04-05T17:13:17.237" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you say 'retaining' wall, that means there will be soil or something behind the wall, being supported/held up by this wall you want to build. If that's correct, then I'm afraid its not as simple as you've laid out in your question. A retaining wall has to take a fair amount of weight and needs to be very solid and stable, so will need foundations, below soil level, usually of concrete. Some guidance in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/retainingwall.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/retainingwall.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for 'tumbled bluestone' the only type I know about is that sold in various sizes as pre cut paving, but the most important thing to do is to research how to build a firm, strong retaining wall, whatever materials you choose to use for the visible parts. With regard to cutting stone to the right size and shape, if you're not skilled with a cold chisel and hammer, then probably an electric cutter will need to be hired - but dust and noise is an issue with those. More information on that in the link below (but its to a UK site, not sure where you are)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pavingexpert.com/cutting.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.pavingexpert.com/cutting.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-05T17:24:05.443" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T17:24:05.443" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23927" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-05T18:07:13.827" Score="3" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wanting to experiment with a quick-and-dirty Polytunnel (6m x 3m).  I expect this experiment to last for 1-2 seasons only (and then I expect to build a properly constructed hothouse) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've managed to more-or-less clear a space for it, however the ground is very loose.  I'm wondering if anyone has a low-cost way to compress the ground - Is it worth buying a second hand Lawn Compactor (ie is it heavy enough when filled with water), do I need to hire a plate compactor [ which is stupidly expensive relative to its value - about US$80 for a day ] or some other equipment, or is there an obvious way to do this without purchasing any machinery which I've not thought of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-05T21:17:13.757" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T21:17:13.757" Title="Dirt cheap way to create Polytunnel foundation" Tags="&lt;foundation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23928" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-05T18:24:56.360" Score="6" ViewCount="329" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mzF58.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mzF58.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What type of plant is this? It's tall with white flowers and narrow leaves. It is a variety of vegetable .&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14241" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-05T19:37:50.910" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T20:32:45.633" Title="What is this tall plant with narrow leaves and white flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23929" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23905" CreationDate="2016-04-05T18:40:55.427" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I seem to have fewer aphids on my runner beans when I plant marigolds nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I try to plant the marigolds at the same time as the beans. Planting marigolds after aphids appear does not get rid of them, in my experience. I have not taken any 'scientific' measurements, this is just a subjective observation. In about 30 years of growing beans, the 4 (approximately) with marigolds suffered less from blackfly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14242" LastEditorUserId="14242" LastEditDate="2016-04-07T14:38:22.610" LastActivityDate="2016-04-07T14:38:22.610" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23930" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23928" CreationDate="2016-04-05T18:45:01.490" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;My first impression is MULLEIN.  Check out this file of pictures.  Truly a weed but has medicinal value.  Not sure which one but you might be able to recognise what you've got.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=mullein%20leaf&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1067&amp;amp;bih=533&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;imgil=S0vOdVaasNBidM%253A%253B9lemdLHGkPZwEM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fcommons.wikimedia.org%25252Fwiki%25252FFile%25253AVerbascum_thapsus_mullein_leaf_rose_dewy.jpg&amp;amp;source=iu&amp;amp;pf=m&amp;amp;fir=S0vOdVaasNBidM%253A%252C9lemdLHGkPZwEM%252C_&amp;amp;usg=__y7t2DqkyD4dV-4iL4aI0ue4RBgw%3D&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwj01PfikvjLAhUS0GMKHe2YBOwQyjcIqQE&amp;amp;ei=gwYEV7SHBpKgjwPtsZLgDg#imgrc=S0vOdVaasNBidM%3A&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mullein pictures&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T18:45:01.490" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23931" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23927" CreationDate="2016-04-05T19:00:55.630" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ok...where is it that you live, what is the USDA zone?  Have you ever used a greenhouse?  Will it be heated and if so how?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had a polytunnel greenhouse until this last winter when we got tons of snow.  Completely collapsed the greenhouse. Had a couple of mild winters so got lulled into complacency, sigh. We are doing a better and more permanent greenhouse now.  I have lots of perennials and most seem to have made the winter being squished under a ton of snow and expensive plastic cover.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't do pots, the greenhouse would have to be heated and plants constantly being transplanted up...I use the soil the greenhouse is built over.  Just like a garden out of doors.  I have used lots of decomposed compost and keep the beds mulched with fresh decomposed compost.  I've got raised beds (without borders) walks and I can grow a heck of a lot.  I use a few pots for tomatoes and starts but I can keep blueberry shrubs, bosenberry vines, kiwi vines, asparagus, strawberries, herbs alive season to season.  I would simply double dig 3' wide rows/penninsulas with deep trenches to allow for better drainage.  Or even 6' wide beds with a narrow walkway on both sides A main path that supports my beloved cart width and tiny little foot paths between the big fluffy penninsulas/sections. Growing stuff in pots wastes so much resources and labor.  My opinion.  Do you have snow?  You do know that we aren't in global warming, yes?  Grins!!  More like global cooling...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And do you really want such a small greenhouse?  A tad bigger wouldn't cost much more!&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Iz9md.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Iz9md.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my first polytunnel using floor as garden&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-04-05T19:46:42.033" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T19:46:42.033" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23932" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-05T19:27:25.277" Score="6" ViewCount="1139" Body="&lt;p&gt;I left my fern outside like I do every year. When its leaves fell off this year, an odd plant was growing in with it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does any one know what this plant is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1tik3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1tik3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9404p.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9404p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14243" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-05T19:38:21.210" LastActivityDate="2018-11-19T12:10:00.483" Title="What is this plant with serrated narrow leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23933" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23928" CreationDate="2016-04-05T20:05:46.780" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look like broad bean plants to me (Vicia faba)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-04-05T20:32:45.633" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T20:32:45.633" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23934" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23903" CreationDate="2016-04-05T20:06:42.130" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You haven't mentioned why you're creating raised beds on tilled earth so I'm going to assume it's aesthetic reasons rather then necessity due to a compacted base, or drainage issues.  Since the manufacturer of copper compound pressure treated timber doesn't recommend laying directly against vegetable garden soils, you're going to need to put a layer of plastic to protect the soil.  On the other hand, other experts say the plants are more likely to die from copper poisoning before we do!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since your raised bed is only 8 inches high, you have the alternative of not using the timber, and just use rounded edges.  Eventually it will hold itself in place as the soil web rebuilds, and without the timber there, you don't give a place for snails/slugs to hide during the day.  You also increase the surface area for planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you've seen, there are many opinions on how to create a raised bed.  Since the earth has been tilled, I'm presuming it's now loose, but you could loosen it further using a spading fork to a depth of 16 inches so that your total depth of uncompacted soil is going to be 2 feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have straw readily available, one of the easiest things you can do is to create a &lt;a href=&quot;http://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/no-dig-gardening/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;no-dig garden&lt;/a&gt;.  In your case you can just layer down manure and compost, and lucerne straw, and then water it in.  No-dig gardening attempts to replicate the way that nature creates the soils that give rise to the forests etc.  All the digging is done by earth worms for you ( or deep rooted crops ).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-04-05T21:23:31.173" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T21:23:31.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23935" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-05T21:48:44.773" Score="8" ViewCount="5316" Body="&lt;p&gt;The contractor at my neighbors house was washing out his brushes with turpentine or paint thinner and dumping the liquid right next to my tree. Is my tree going to die? What can I do to help it survive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14245" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-11-18T03:30:18.230" LastActivityDate="2016-11-19T00:11:37.733" Title="Will paint thinner poured in the soil kill my tree?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;toxicity&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23925" CreationDate="2016-04-05T22:23:31.963" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't need a concrete foundation for a small wall.  You can make a dry stone wall.  There are ones like this that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.viralnova.com/stone-walls/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;last hundreds of years&lt;/a&gt; with the odd bit of maintenance.  Even in areas where it the temperature ranges from -40 to +30 deg C a wall can be stable with some preparation:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a two or three inch base of compacted stone dust&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some longer stones to act as &quot;deadmen&quot; to stabilize the wall (optional for short walls)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;four inch drain pipe with sleeve at the inside base of the wall to allow drainage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a taper on the wall so it leans into the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;geotextile fabric to keep soil from washing out&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See an example for more details &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/5861/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T22:31:15.880" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23937" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23940" CreationDate="2016-04-05T22:48:51.223" Score="5" ViewCount="191" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in the lucky position of building my own house in Southern Ireland and have have a 'winter garden' room which will have three tall walls of glazing with one side facing south. The roof is very high so a lot of light will be let in.&#xA;I plan on growing various shrubs, climbers and plants that grow in temperate regions such as Kenya (where I am originally from hence the choice of planting) + some tropical plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have two main questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1 - The glazing in the house will be triple glazed with a UV % rating of 20 Tuv - I know that the temperature, humidity and light the room will receive will dictate what will grow well or at all in this region - but what impact will this type of glazing have? I may be able to opt for different glazing (e.g. double glazed instead). The glass has a U-value/Light/Energy rating of 0.5 / 62 / 42&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2 - I will have limited access to fancy soil - can anyone recommend a sensible soil mix that can be sourced here in Ireland for this type of planting and anything I should be aware off (generally, I am asking what soil composition I should be choosing).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14247" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T01:00:30.660" Title="Growing temperate and some tropical plants in an indoor 'winter garden' in Ireland" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23938" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7595" CreationDate="2016-04-05T22:57:35.113" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your second plant looks like a variety of mint. Here is a link with various types of mint: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/mint/mint-plant-varieties.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/mint/mint-plant-varieties.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pinching off a leaf and smelling it should verify this. Mint roots can strangle out all other small root plants near it. Be sure to clear as much of the mint roots as possible and pluck any new growth you find. Remove all the root bits you can as mint may regrow from a small bit of root.&#xA;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14248" LastEditorUserId="13580" LastEditDate="2016-04-05T23:13:54.763" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T23:13:54.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23939" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23937" CreationDate="2016-04-05T22:58:26.033" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Each pane of glass will reduce the number of lumens coming in which means less light for your plants, which as close to the arctic circle as you will be will starve your plants for light during the winter months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would opt for double glazing, take the savings from that and invest in a high quality wood stove that will allow you to keep the glass house warm and also allow you to keep large pot of water on top to keep the humidity up and give you warm water for your hands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T22:58:26.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23940" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23937" CreationDate="2016-04-05T23:30:28.590" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;more light = more growth, although I'd imagine if you are growing this for personal edification rather then produce yield, this will be much less of a factor.   If I understand the Light value of 62 to mean 62%, this figure does seem very to me to be very much on the low side - I'd have expected figures &gt; 80%.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect you are aware that light has multiple wavelengths, but I'm not sure if you are aware that plants respond mainly in certain wavelengths (blues and reds) - so it is the transmission of light through these wavelengths that is important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another consideration might be artificial lighting - Googling leeds me to believe you only get about 1600 sunshine hours per year, and, of-course, very short days in Winter.  Plants like a LOT of light (a typical sunny day would be 50000-100000 lux, a well lit indoor area typically 1000.  If money is not an issue you may want to consider getting some growing lights [ height adjustable ones, or woven among the plants ] so you can get adequate lighting in the middle of winter.  (I doubt it makes sense to try provide that level of lighting to the entire place - and the further the light from the plant, the more wasteful it is).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also consider ventilation - I understand that in the height of summer it can get well over 25c outside - unless you have good ventilation the area could get to hot for the plants to handle !   (I don't know how expensive triple glazing is to double glazing - but it might be worth considering getting a heat pump instead - which will give you better control of temperatures throughout the year - including cooling in the heat of summer - which (at least for Eggplants, which are a tropical crop I'm familiar with) would be advantageous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-04-05T23:30:28.590" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23941" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-05T23:42:21.010" Score="4" ViewCount="715" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 3 ft stump of a green ash tree that I pulled out of the ground. I cut 3 root stubs with a chain saw. It's coming from a triple trunk that was rotting out. Is there any way I can regrow the roots where I made the cuts? I'm trying to bonsai the tree. How can I get the roots to grow? The root stumps are 3 inches thick. Thank you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14249" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-08T01:06:22.747" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T01:06:22.747" Title="Can I re-grow roots from a piece of a trunk cut from my green ash tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23943" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23949" CreationDate="2016-04-06T07:28:52.323" Score="9" ViewCount="500" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anybody know what plant is this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bjZQc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bjZQc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tropical shrub in my office&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14092" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-25T16:19:19.020" LastActivityDate="2017-12-25T16:19:19.020" Title="Office plant identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23944" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25080" CreationDate="2016-04-06T07:36:34.367" Score="11" ViewCount="238" Body="&lt;p&gt;At my work, everyone has his own plant and needs to take care of it. I was wondering if you guys could help me out taking care of my plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A picture of my plant can be seen below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, by that, I have a couple of questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What's the name of this plant?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the best way to take care of this plant?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V4cng.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V4cng.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14254" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T13:32:40.620" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T13:32:40.620" Title="Office plant identification and care" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23925" CreationDate="2016-04-06T10:20:58.573" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another option is simply to build a wall out of foundation block and concrete, and then veneer the face and cap off the top of the wall. You can point up the veneer cleanly so you can hide all the mortar joints and it appears to be a dry laid wall, but this takes practice. It is a stable option though and will hold the weight and pressure of the bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3004" LastActivityDate="2016-04-06T10:20:58.573" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23948" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-06T12:33:51.670" Score="6" ViewCount="156" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Bromley (southern England) and was given a gorgeous amaryllis a few years ago. It is a Hippeastrum Monte Carlo. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately my wife seems to be allergic to the pollen but loves the flowers. Last year I tried to trim off the stamen which helped, but not enough. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a semi-sheltered, semi-shaded balcony. I was wondering if it is viable to place outside whilst in flower? It has just started sending up its first flower this week, so I expect it to open soon (mid April).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-06T15:26:20.427" LastActivityDate="2016-04-06T20:12:38.827" Title="Can I plant my amaryllis outside?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;amaryllis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23949" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23943" CreationDate="2016-04-06T13:52:23.590" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree looks like a Ficus Benjamina or close relative. These are also common office and house plants because they are fairly easy to care for. They tolerate low light levels fairly well, though they may not support as many leaves when the light is so low.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In humid conditions they sometimes grow air roots out of their branches. If the roots touch the ground, they develop into secondary truncks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You just have to keep them watered properly. Which is to say, loose well draining soil but watered often enough that the soil never gets dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-04-06T13:52:23.590" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23950" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23948" CreationDate="2016-04-06T14:26:48.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The last week of May is the last frost date in the UK, Avierose, but its just a guide - we've had frost on 4th June before, and I was living in your borough the last time that happened. Unfortunately, by end of May, it will probably not be flowering. They're not hardy outdoors here in the UK, and although the bulb benefits from being placed outdoors for a while in June and July, actually having them as a flowering plant outdoors is difficult. If your balcony was southfacing and in full sun, well sheltered from winds, I might have suggested you try hardening it off and see what happens, but I suspect what would happen is the flowers and foliage would shrivel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info here  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=118&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=118&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do have a suggestion though; since the problem is because of pollen sensitivity, why not grow one of the double forms of Hippeastrum? Like other double flowered forms of plants, they have no pollen or stamens at all, especially the red or red and white bi colour ones (see Exotic Peacock as a variety, picture here &lt;a href=&quot;http://cactus-spb.narod.ru/4.12.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://cactus-spb.narod.ru/4.12.html&lt;/a&gt;), though some double forms of Hippeastrum do produce pollen at the edge of a normal petal instead, varies according to variety. White double versions often have petaloid stamens, often with pollen though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-06T20:12:38.827" LastActivityDate="2016-04-06T20:12:38.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23951" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23953" CreationDate="2016-04-06T18:00:54.417" Score="9" ViewCount="1523" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to start composting my yard and kitchen waste and use the compost to fertilize vegetables in my raised bed and some fruit trees I have.  Right now I am not doing composting.  My options are do nothing or use one of the smaller bins (pictures below) that are available through Costco or my city.  The other option is to buy a larger composting bin (I heard 1m x 1m is the minimum).  If that is the preferred option, can someone recommend a bin and whether it would be okay to keep that bin on concrete vs. having it sit on the soil. Dimensions of the City Compost bin is 28x28x30 inches&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pnqcm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pnqcm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Costco Compost Bin&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/acFHF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/acFHF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;City Compost Bin&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GBRUn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GBRUn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another Costco Bin&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z0f8e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z0f8e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Geo Composting Bin&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-04-06T23:25:59.667" LastActivityDate="2016-11-20T20:04:32.880" Title="Recommendations for Composting Bin" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23952" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23951" CreationDate="2016-04-06T18:23:26.127" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sitting on soil allows worms and other critters to enter and exit the bottom of the bin. Also, I would think the drainage would be poor and you &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; get an anaerobic smelly mess at the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As another alternative, I have had good experiences with &lt;a href=&quot;http://geobin123.com/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://geobin123.com/&lt;/a&gt; . My mother has had one for almost a decade and it hasn't degraded at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the other products that I have seen are either too small (including all the tumbler varieties) or outrageously expensive. If you have the space, I recommend the geobin or building your own 1mx1mx1m cube out of wood. Something simple like 1 of the 3 square areas in this picture is more than sufficient:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FZRdb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FZRdb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastEditorUserId="3473" LastEditDate="2016-04-06T20:32:30.353" LastActivityDate="2016-04-06T20:32:30.353" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23953" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23951" CreationDate="2016-04-06T19:46:44.623" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've tried 2 bins similar to the picture on the left. They did not work well. They took a very long time to break down the compost. It was difficult to turn the pile because it was so small. They filled up way too fast because they were so small, and stayed full because they were inefficient. I ended up selling them both and using the money to buy wood to build my own bin instead. It was the best decision I could have made (short of going straight to the build-my-own solution and skipping them altogether). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead, I'd highly recommend looking for plans on line to build your own bin. It should be at least 1 cubic meter. Beyond that, it can be as fancy or as simple as you like. If looks are important, you can make it look like a small fenced in area and use a nice wood like cedar. If looks aren't as important, you can use less expensive wood with wire fencing in between. IF you have minimal building skills/tools, there are designs that have you affix 4 pallets together to form the walls of the bin (although I'd be a bit careful about where you get the pallets, since many pallets are treated with chemicals to keep insects away. Apparently, pallets with the letters 'DB' on them are untreated and safe for use). Any of these options will work far better than the plastic bin. I would place any of these bins on soil, rather than concrete, if at all possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the tumbler - I have never used one myself, but a good friend has one. If you don't have a good supply of brown material to go with your kitchen scraps, it will get very slimy and smelly inside, and if you have a lot of kitchen waste, it will quickly become too heavy. That said, if you are willing to turn it daily and watch the mix of browns (leaves, straw, etc.) and greens (yard clippings, kitchen scraps), it does work quickly and well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2016-04-07T03:26:03.263" LastActivityDate="2016-04-07T03:26:03.263" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23954" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23958" CreationDate="2016-04-06T20:39:47.297" Score="7" ViewCount="118" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that (generally speaking) yellowish to lime-green leaves combined with slow/weak growth in a plant are an indication of inadequate nitrogen, and one must fertilize accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, does the same apply for a plant that is showing considerable growth but with pale-colored leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consider this calamansi (&lt;em&gt;citrofortunella microcarpa&lt;/em&gt;):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CdGNF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CdGNF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The previous growth (before I bought it) consists of small, dense, dark-green leaves. The growth since then takes the form of much larger and paler foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do fertilize (though not too much), and the leaves are from the same stem so it's not graft vs host.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I doing anything wrong or is everything normal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14060" LastEditorUserId="14060" LastEditDate="2016-04-06T21:52:19.503" LastActivityDate="2016-04-06T22:07:32.990" Title="Citrus plant with strong growth but yellowish/lime-green leaves" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23955" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23956" CreationDate="2016-04-06T20:58:11.450" Score="8" ViewCount="282" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an apricot tree that is 4 or 5 years old.  It is doing well, but one of the main branches has a weak crotch and included bark.  My peach tree had the same problem, and got split in a wind storm last year.  So I wanted to proactively take care of the problem with the apricot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The weak crotch can be seen here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vYJOq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vYJOq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is the branch on the right side.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jOQSD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jOQSD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: Should I prune that branch back heavily to prepare to take it off next pruning season? I think the other branches are now thick enough and developed enough that the shape of the tree won't be hurt too much.&#xA;Suggestions and comments are welcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-08T17:33:12.250" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T17:33:12.250" Title="Should I prune off a branch connected to a large weak crotch on my apricot tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;apricots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23956" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23955" CreationDate="2016-04-06T21:42:15.017" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pruning the branch back hard/heavily is about the only thing that will keep the crotch from splitting, aside from guy wiring it to other parts of the tree. For all practical intents, that joint will never get stronger. However, there is no reason to wait until next season. You can remove the branch anytime during the growing season (trees naturally compartmentalize damage by an active biological process; most rapidly when the tree is actively growing). Of course, it would be wise to cut it back hard first, as you've planned, then saw off the branch stump at the trunk. Then you won't split the trunk in the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read that high levels of cytokinin lead to stronger branches that emerge from the trunk at wider angles. Cytokinins are tree hormones that to some degree reflect the availability of nitrogen. In other words fertilizing may help to prevent new branches from emerging at acute angles like this. But none the newer growth on this tree appears to be like the base of this one particular branch. So, this is just some trivia for now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-04-06T21:42:15.017" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23957" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23951" CreationDate="2016-04-06T21:53:42.870" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just picking between these 3, the tumbler is the easiest to turn and seems the most sturdy. I bought one of the square flat-pack options and I've had no end of grief, I've just bought a small second-hand dual tumbler for foodscraps and the veggie beds, and I'll relegate the square one to lawn clippings and prunings for compost to use for non-edibles (Our soil is high in lead). All this being said, seriously consider the other answers or building your own tumbler using feed drums.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14210" LastEditorUserId="14210" LastEditDate="2016-04-06T22:00:14.593" LastActivityDate="2016-04-06T22:00:14.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23958" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23954" CreationDate="2016-04-06T22:07:32.990" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look like a normal growth of fresh green new leaves to me.  They are often a paler green for a time until they mature over the seasons growth.  It looks very healthy to me There may be deficiencies but it's not clear to me from this picture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-04-06T22:07:32.990" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23951" CreationDate="2016-04-06T22:47:47.463" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Be sure and check with your local city - they may have a composting program where you can get some training and a low to no cost bin (Long Beach has one).  I recommend a bin like the brown one situated on the ground in the OP.  Put it on the ground directly - The compost bins at my kids' school were placed on a bed of gravel to keep the bugs out - why would you want to do that?  If it gets too slimy, add &quot;brown&quot; material (straw or shredded paper works great) if it gets too dry add water.  Resist the urge to &quot;turn&quot; the pile - you don't need to.  Make a pit in the middle for new material and pull the material off of the sides to cover it. Pull the finished compost out of the bottom, tossing any un-composted material back into the bin as you do it.  It's really pretty simple.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14260" LastActivityDate="2016-04-06T22:47:47.463" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23960" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-07T00:21:27.013" Score="8" ViewCount="438" Body="&lt;p&gt;My entire yard has been destroyed by gophers and rabbits. The rabbits and gophers ate all my grass and ground cover that bloomed beautiful pink flowers. I want to replant, but need to get rid of these pests first. Now there is only dirt in my back yard, but the rabbits still come. There are always five or six in the back and two in front. My dog was great at chasing them away, but I no longer have her. I tried to plant fruit trees, but the gophers ate the roots. I don't want to kill them, just keep them out of my yard! I am in Menifee CA. We have a lot of wild rabbits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14261" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-04-07T01:50:20.300" LastActivityDate="2016-04-07T07:10:23.487" Title="Gophers and rabbits" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;rabbits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23962" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-07T04:32:06.080" Score="9" ViewCount="543" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a bonsai beginner and a friend gifted me a ficus bonsai. A stray cat got into the house and jumped on the table where I had kept my bonsai pot, tipping the table and breaking the pot. I wasn't around at home when this happened and my dad did the best he could and carefully transferred the bonsai into the nearest pot. This is the pot:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zq6ZW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zq6ZW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the pot is deep, my bonsai has started growing more new leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am afraid to transfer it again as I feel it will hurt the bonsai but the friend who gave me the bonsai said now that the pot is deeper, it has started growing and that's not good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whats the best thing to do now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13906" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2018-02-07T08:08:59.550" LastActivityDate="2020-08-17T09:43:01.523" Title="Bonsai pot broke due to accident" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23963" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23962" CreationDate="2016-04-07T06:09:04.350" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your Bonsai will grow bigger if it roots deeper and that appears to be happening. The good news is the Bonsai survived the cat! Bonsai will need pruning of roots at some point, so transferring is not as bad as you think. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can do this carefully, and transfer the Bonsai back to a smaller pot. You might want to prune both the roots and the shoots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-04-07T06:09:04.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23964" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23960" CreationDate="2016-04-07T06:56:20.303" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Always a tough prospect. Two things you can try:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Natural deterents. Moles and gophers, do not like castor oil. There are several over the counter mole and gopher deterents, but almost all are some variation of castor oil and maybe some garlic and such. Spray/sprinkle some around active areas, and in particular around plants they would eat. The oil disrupts their digestion/ gives them tummy aches and they move on to greener pastures. If this doesn't deter the rabbits, perhaps try a Liquid Fence type product or Shake Away granular coyote urine. Any of these will have to be reapplied frequently.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Physical barier. Line the hole of any new planting with sharp rocks. Again there are several branded products that all take the same approach (Soil Perfect or from Espoma comes to mind). You may be able to get away with something as simple as brick chips. This works because sharp rocks are sharp, and not very plesent to dig through.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13948" LastEditorUserId="13948" LastEditDate="2016-04-07T07:10:23.487" LastActivityDate="2016-04-07T07:10:23.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23965" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-07T07:17:59.723" Score="6" ViewCount="1183" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are these small sugar crystal like thing under my ladyfingers leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0ePNJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Okr&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13442" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T19:31:00.533" Title="Something under ladyfinger leaves" Tags="&lt;okra&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23966" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23951" CreationDate="2016-04-07T08:30:43.943" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In order to select the best compost container for your garden, you need to understand how composting works as otherwise it's potentially a hit and miss affair.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The different types of composting range from hot composting which can reduce a pile in 18 days, to a cold pile that can take a year or more.  Given time, any container you use will not stop the natural process of decomposition, and some will accelerate it.  However, some people say that poorly made compost can unbalance your soil so that it degrades it, leaving you worse off than if you had never added it to the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most people talk about trying to create a hot compost pile.  This is a pile of organic matter of a minimum of 1 cubic metre.  The size is important in that less then that will not allow the centre of the pile to reach the correct temperatures to grow the correct &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.boundless.com/microbiology/textbooks/boundless-microbiology-textbook/culturing-microorganisms-6/temperature-and-microbial-growth-64/classification-of-microorganisms-by-growth-temperature-388-5509/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bacteria&lt;/a&gt; that do the decomposition.  The composting bacterial march starts with psychrophilic bacteria (55 - 70 deg F), then mesophilic (70 - 100 deg F), and finally thermophilic (113 - 160 deg F).  Since these are aerobic bacteria, you need to aerate the pile, and turning it by moving material from the outside to the inside provides more food for the bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like to think of a compost pile as a nuclear pile.  The nitrogen based material provides the energy for the decomposition process for the bacteria.  Carbon rods are inserted to moderate the process.  Not enough carbon causes the pile to become an anaerobic mess that is likely to go nuclear and upset the neighbours.  Carbon slows the process down, and a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 30-60:1 allows for orderly decomposition with minimal nitrogen loss from oxidation. Too much carbon causes the pile to cool and become inert.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In order to get the right ratios of carbon to nitrogen, you can look up tables of the carbon:nitrogen ratios of the vegetation that you add.  Or, just consider mature plants at the end of their annual/biennial lives carbon products, and immature plants nitrogen products.  If you mix equal layers of mature vegetation with immature, and some soil, you'll get a ratio of 30:1.  If you use 3 parts mature to 1/2 part immature, and 1/4 part soil you'll get C:N of 60:1.  Piles that create high carbon compost lead to superior nutrition for plants, remembering that we, and what we grow, are all carbon based life forms, and carbon forms the skeleton of all organic life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given the above, we can see that the commercial products you illustrate above, do not generally achieve the volume to achieve a hot compost pile.  Instead you'll achieve a warm or cold composting system that will take a long time. I suspect that's why many bins are black, to try and add additional heat that is not supplied by the pile to help composting.  Some tumbling systems are made of metal which might also allow them to heat up more easily from the sun so that they can hot compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, the choice of system depends on your circumstances, how long you're prepared to wait, how much material you want to compost, how much labour you want to use to aerate/turn the pile, and the weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-20T20:04:32.880" LastActivityDate="2016-11-20T20:04:32.880" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23967" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23941" CreationDate="2016-04-07T11:02:40.127" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're expecting a piece of cut trunk from an ash tree to develop roots, I'm sorry to tell you it's not going to. Now it's been cut, it's in the process of drying out, so effectively, its already dead. Which is probably just as well, because if its an ordinary ash, they have large composite leaves, and are not ideal subjects for bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can grow your own bonsai from seed - you just need to think about what plant you want in relation to where you are going to keep it. Indoor bonsai plants are different from those that need to be outdoors for most of the year. Some information in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://growabonsai.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://growabonsai.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-07T11:02:40.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23968" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23962" CreationDate="2016-04-07T12:34:47.067" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I understand, ficus is a pretty hardy tree. The way a bonsai works is that people either collect a bonsai from the wild, grow one, find a nursery plant that will work (either a random nursery or specialty bonsai nursery), or you purchase/receive an already started bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are put into bigger containers or even the ground to encourage growth, just like a regular plant. The idea is to encourage lots of growth so you can begin to work it into it's bonsai shape. They focus on thickening the trunk and growing lots of limbs to choose from. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once they have material they can work with, the move it either into a bonsai pot or a training pot. Basically, that mean completely rinsing the dirt off the roots and transferring it to a bonsai media. Typically, bonsai media contains very little organic matter. You simply water more frequently and provide fertilizer for the nutrients. The pots they go into are also smaller, often necessitating the trimming of the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A tree grown this way can be perfectly healthy, but two things are going on here. One is that it really slows down the growth. If you think about how much growth some plants can put on, you'll see your bonsai can quickly get out of hand. You actually don't want it to change very much throughout the year. Granted it will always change, but you don't want it to change very much and you want to keep up with that change through wiring, pruning, pinching, etc...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second thing it does is provide balance and perspective. You can take the same bonsai tree and put it in different pots, different ways and completely change how it looks. For instance, putting the tree off center looks better than putting it in the middle in most, but not all cases. If you had a tree that leans way out and the branches come back over the pot, it might look better in the center. So you have to pick a pot that complements what you're doing with the tree. If it was in a wide shallow pot, you want to put it back into a wide shallow pot, unless you're changing the style.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot you pictured is typically used for some variation of the cascade style. This simulates a tree hanging off a cliff and tree actually grows down past the edge and sometimes even below the bottom of the pot before there is growth. You can look this style up on the internet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if you're friend is saying it isn't right, then they're probably referring to your decision of pots changing the style of the bonsai. That would be up to you whether you want to do that or not. With the ficus being a more tropical plant, I'd assume that you could repot it anytime without hurting it as long as you haven't stressed it recently. Also, if it's putting on that much growth, even in a new and deeper pot, it kind of makes me suspect it isn't in bonsai soil. I see a lot of plants at Walmart and places like that where they label a tree as bonsai, because they hacked off some of the limbs, put it in an bonsai looking pot and glued some rocks to the top. It would be helpful to other answering if you included a picture to show the style of bonsai it is, how it's potted, and in what media. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-04-07T12:34:47.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23969" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23943" CreationDate="2016-04-07T13:05:06.077" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a ficus retusa. They're often used as bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14271" LastActivityDate="2016-04-07T13:05:06.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23970" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-07T14:55:05.547" Score="6" ViewCount="414" Body="&lt;p&gt;An irrigation company, in order to get to a sprinkler head and pipe, grinded several roots from my neighbors oak tree. The tree is at least 6' around at the base and the trunk divides into three trunks and one of those again into another. It is on a hill and leans slightly towards my home. The repair was done two feet away from the trunk. All roots were removed 12&quot; to 15&quot;s down and approximately 40&quot;s wide. &#xA;I am worried that this tree has been damaged as well as compromised and might fall on my home in a storm. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14272" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-04-07T15:24:50.113" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T09:42:15.850" Title="Tree roots grinded near trunk" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23970" CreationDate="2016-04-07T15:38:56.843" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't say what part of the world you're in, and that makes a difference to legal procedures, but if the tree is close enough to damage your house should it fall, here in the UK, I'd advise my buildings insurance company of what's happened, and hopefully, they'd either arrange for a Tree surgeon to attend and assess the situation, or pay for a tree surgeon to come out and assess. If it is considered a danger, the insurance company will then take steps by approaching the neighbour and have the tree removed or whatever is the right thing to do depending on the Tree Surgeon's advice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds as if they removed a significant amount of root material, including some large roots, and that is, as you fear, very likely to compromise the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-07T15:48:39.733" LastActivityDate="2016-04-07T15:48:39.733" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23972" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-07T17:10:41.303" Score="10" ViewCount="1069" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this very tiny plant from a hospital.  I was visiting someone and it caught my eye.  It was about an inch or less high when I got it.  The person in the shop told me that it was an orange tree plant.  I was excited to think that one day I would have an orange tree plant so I nurtured this plant and re-potted it many times.  My father, who knows some things about planting, told me that it was not an orange tree plant, but he did not know what this plant was.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About two weeks ago, I noticed these purple berries growing.  I think that they are beautiful, but it really got me to thinking.  What kind of plant do I have?  Here I am.  Can anyone tell me what is this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IoZUO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IoZUO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14275" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-07T23:54:15.897" LastActivityDate="2018-06-25T15:03:45.207" Title="What is this potted plant with small purple berries?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23973" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22145" CreationDate="2016-04-07T20:26:03.333" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;They made me think of Robin's pincushion galls immediately - they look like galls to me, but I've no idea why they would be on the bark chips or compost in that pot - unless they've fallen from above. Was there definitely a seed inside, or do they look like the pic in this link when cut open (you'll need to scroll through the pics...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thenaturalhistorian.com/2013/10/01/gall-wasps-fuzzy-orange-galls-on-pin-oak-leaves/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://thenaturalhistorian.com/2013/10/01/gall-wasps-fuzzy-orange-galls-on-pin-oak-leaves/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2016-12-05T19:00:37.473" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T19:00:37.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23974" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23985" CreationDate="2016-04-07T23:09:37.517" Score="10" ViewCount="587" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a phalaenopsis orchid at home.  I have not done much to it in terms of taking care other than watering it. The base looks healthy but the top stem has dried up. What care do I need to take to get it healthy and flowering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WwXmU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WwXmU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dried stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Es4sl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Es4sl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;base&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eh1vt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eh1vt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-07T23:41:57.730" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T15:23:36.913" Title="What's the best way to take care of my potted orchid?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23975" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23937" CreationDate="2016-04-08T01:00:30.660" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;First of all, I want to caution you regarding the amount of humidity a grow room is going to produce, especially if it's heated. Depending on what your walls are made out of, the humidity may eventually damage them or encourage mold on them. So, make sure that's accounted for. I've had a problem similar to that before, but you probably have more light in the room to help keep mold away. If you can get heat mats, or heated pots, that may be a lot safer than heating the room, since it shouldn't make the room as humid. Edema should be less of a problem if the air is cooler, and less humid, too. Insulated pots can also be helpful. The coldest air goes to the ground (that's how frost happens outside when it's not freezing where the thermometer is). So, raising plants higher may help them stay a few degrees warmer, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondly, I'm guessing the UV index is pretty low where you are in Ireland. You know where you are specifically; so you can find out. Although UV rays do damage plants, they can also make them more nutritious. They can also kill microbes that could be bad for your plants and house. I imagine they can also damage (crack/fade) things like wood and plastic over time, unless it's designed to reflect the rays, maybe. They can also help humans produce vitamin D. So, if you have stone walls/floors that wouldn't be damaged by UV rays, I recommend not worrying about blocking them much. If you have lots of stuff that would get damaged, blocking them would be pretty smart. The glass may or may not already block UV rays without the glaze, too. I'm not sure how you'd test it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stores sometimes have large bags of compost you can buy. I'm not sure about in your area. That might help out with the soil fertility considerably. You might visit a garden center, see what they have, and ask them what they think.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T01:00:30.660" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23976" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23977" CreationDate="2016-04-08T02:42:13.437" Score="9" ViewCount="213" Body="&lt;p&gt;My fiancee and I just bought our first home and I'd like to start my journey of vegetable gardening.  The previous homeowners have 3 raised beds on the South side of the house.  We haven't moved in yet so I'm not able to verify the amount of sunlight they get, but I'm going to assume (for now) that it's in an adequate spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I take over their raised beds?  I have no idea how good of condition their soil is in (i.e. maybe they haven't touched the garden in years or perhaps they take great care of it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I do a soil test when we move in?  Or should I assume the soil is lackluster and instead put in a mixture of compost and topsoil?  Or should I do something entirely different?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14280" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T18:57:25.413" Title="How do I take over a previous owners raised beds?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23976" CreationDate="2016-04-08T02:56:08.897" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Topping with compost is always a good idea, it should be an annual fall event, however it won't hurt to do it in the spring when you move in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case it's always good to bring some samples from each bed to your agricultural extension office and get a full test done. It will tell you what the soil has and what it should be amended with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T02:56:08.897" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23978" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7166" CreationDate="2016-04-08T04:51:16.113" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use the same rule I use with snakes. If you do not know if the mushroom is poisonous count it as automatically poisonous. Its better to mistake a non-poisonous mushroom for a poisonous one, than a poisonous one for a harmless one. I'd say just remove the mushrooms using gloves and wear a mask. Or teach your child not to touch any unfamiliar mushrooms. That's basically what my mom told me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14282" LastEditorUserId="9731" LastEditDate="2016-04-08T15:52:58.047" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T15:52:58.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23979" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23976" CreationDate="2016-04-08T09:01:53.537" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soil is mainly composed of eroded rocks with some water, air, and some organic material. Compost is derived from organic matter which has been decomposed into a form that can be used to add organic matter into soil. They are not interchangeable. So there's no point in adding top soil if you already have soil in your raised beds unless it's really poor quality or hard to work with such as clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost as well as adding organic matter which feeds the soil life, also helps to retain water, provides carbon, nitrogen and some micronutrients that can be slowly released. However, it's not a substitute for a soil that has been depleted of specific cations such as calcium, and potassium etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A soil test can't be done at home easily. The easiest thing you can do is a pH test which might hint at a calcium issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the soil test results you can then amend the soil that might be missing any particular minerals. Otherwise you can spend a year or two trying to grow things and find out that they don't grow well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're not going to get to the vegetable beds soon, you could try and grow a green manure crop so that they're not sitting unused. Manure crops pull nitrogen into the soil, and add carbon from CO2 that you can dig in at the right time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-04-08T18:22:42.747" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T18:22:42.747" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23970" CreationDate="2016-04-08T09:42:15.850" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a rule of thumb, you should not prune the roots of a mature tree closer then 3 times the diameter I.e. 6 feet in this instance, and you should not prune any roots when the tree is on a lean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, it seems you need an arborist to come and inspect the damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T09:42:15.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23981" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23974" CreationDate="2016-04-08T09:59:10.933" Score="6" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Orchid need light. You should keep it in a well-lit place, but avoiding too much sunshine.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Temperature should remain above 18°C.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Orchid need to have &lt;strong&gt;breathing roots&lt;/strong&gt;: you must make sure your pot allows sufficient air circulation. Your pot does not look like a regular for orchids. Here is an example:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ogyig.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ogyig.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;its ok to see the roots (I would remove the moss that hide them in your picture) &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZBsGS.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZBsGS.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Think about watering it every week by soaking the pot completely for one minutes in a bucket of water (not too cold) -- I use vegetable washing water that I collect from my kitchen. It has microbes and my orchids love it!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;shorten the stem; you can keep a part of the dried stem since it can allow you to hold it above the water bucket. It is agreed that you should reduce the stem &lt;strong&gt;before&lt;/strong&gt; it dries up -- new flowers could come back on it -- , but for you it is too late: you must wait for a new stem to grow; this can take 10-20 months!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is something I don't like from your picture: the moss. I think this could keep too much moist to the base. I had bad experience with moss around my orchid. I believe it helped a bunch of cochineals settle on my plants. I would replace it with some bark pieces.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Be patient with nature&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But It could take time before you get new flowers on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2016-04-08T10:06:45.317" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T10:06:45.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23778" CreationDate="2016-04-08T13:00:25.447" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like grub damage to me, and the rodents looking for them as well.  Rake off and reseed.  I'm not sure this is a problem in that area of the country.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T13:00:25.447" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23983" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23986" CreationDate="2016-04-08T13:03:18.143" Score="9" ViewCount="3824" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 2 bush bean plants, should I prune these to a single stem if I'm growing them in a square foot garden?  I'm not familiar with growing beans, so caring for them is all new to me.  This is the variety: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seedsavers.org/pencil-pod-golden-wax-bean&quot;&gt;http://www.seedsavers.org/pencil-pod-golden-wax-bean&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3218" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T18:54:19.120" Title="Pruning suckers from bush beans?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23984" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-08T14:49:47.237" Score="9" ViewCount="3151" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just bought 28 acres of land with a 30 year old existing house in the center on about 1 acre cleared, the rest is completely tree filled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a natural slope only a few degrees heading from the back of the house towards the back yard, downward. About 100 feet back is a large drop downwards that goes out for at least 1000 feet and down about 150 feet. It is at least a mile or so of very slight downgrade to the nearest neighbor behind that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As with most houses in my area, the ground stays slightly wet until late March because the &quot;water table&quot; is only 1.5-2 feet below the surface, because my yard is almost 100% clay with hardly any topsoil and very little grass, mostly moss. This confuses me that the water doesn't follow the slope downwards and away from the house. My guess is that it can't travel horizontally through the clay even with the downgrade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to make a level yard with nice grass and no water issues. This requires me to put a lot of fill towards the back of the yard to level it (because of the natural slope).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The yard will be about 150' wide by 80' long from the back of house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My project thought was this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove 1.5 feet of the entire top layer of yard (all clay) and move it to the back part of the yard that needs to be raised. This would give a nice sturdy base to the back end of the yard&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when removing the clay, keep a slope going away from the house at 'one inch drop per ten feet horizontal run'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;put 4&quot; (suggest a different amount if not correct) of #57 stone (suggest different if something better) to create a natural water way, away from the house to the back part of my yard that drops down&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fill the rest of the yard back up to desired level with 1 foot of topsoil on top the stone&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant grass and enjoy :)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like the yard to be level, but the stones underneath to be sloped for water runoff, so less topsoil close to the house and deeper topsoil as approaching the back of the yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am no expert, but was a heavy equipment operator in the Seabees a few years back and feel comfortable on a backhoe/front end loader that I can rent locally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do realize that the cost of the stone/topsoil will be a lot, guessing around $10K (more/less?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will also be putting an automatic watering system in at the same time.  I will also be running PVC pipes from the downspouts of the house past the end of the yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fsXMN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fsXMN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;backyard&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14285" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-08T17:49:52.300" LastActivityDate="2016-04-09T21:44:35.543" Title="Clay filled lawn with bad drainage, needs solution" Tags="&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;clay&gt;&lt;yard&gt;&lt;grading&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23974" CreationDate="2016-04-08T15:23:36.913" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Alright, so the first thing I'd suggest is looking up a channel on youtube.com called 'Brad's Greenhouse'. It's a dude in Canada that has a ton of great videos, including a pretty extensive one on these store bought phals. I'll try to give an overview here. I'll be honest in saying that while my phals are healthy, mine haven't re-bloomed. I also haven't really put the effort into it, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Typically, people see one of these phals(Phalaenopsis or moth orchids), in a grocery store or home improvement store, in bloom, and pick them up. The important thing to know here is that the vast majority of these are not potted with the intention of giving the orchid proper care, but instead, causing them to retain their blooms for the longest period of time after leaving the nursery as possible. Most people aren't going to buy an orchid that isn't pretty and full of flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To that end, they tend to stuff them with straight sphagnum moss and soak them. Sphagnum moss retains a lot of moisture for a long time. In the long run, keeping the roots soaked like this will rot them. In the interim, it'll keep the plant hydrated and prevent the flowers from falling off when the store employees forget to water them. Lots of times, you'll even find when you unpot it, that there is a small, cheapo orchid pot, stuffed with sphagnum and the rest of the pot is a mix of old plastic pots, dirt, or some other filler and they top dress it with sphag or orchid bark to make it look good. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most, but not all, orchids are epiphytes. This means that in nature they grow on or in the branches of trees. Down here in the southeast, the most common examples I can think of are Spanish Moss that you see hanging from the trees. Lichen might be an epiphyte as well, I'm not sure. The point is that in the wild, they're adapted to clinging to trees. This gets them above the other plants and gives them an advantage. What this means for you is they like plenty of air around their roots, they like their water in bursts from rain showers and dew, and they aren't going to like things that are nutrient heavy, instead getting their nutrients a little at a time from rain, leaves, etc... This will be mimicked by you with a basic orchid fertilizer (urea free). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the interest of this, you'll want to repot your orchid. You should be able to easily find an orchid pot, such as: (If the link breaks, it's just a ceramic pot with holes and a built in tray.)&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LixUB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LixUB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ceramic Orchid Pot from Lowes&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or if you can't find one of those, just use a drill, soldering iron, or hot nail to put lots of holes in the side of a pot. People like the clear, because it's cool to see the roots. I think they are also supposed to photosynthesis to a lesser extent. You can buy these pots premade from amazon and other place or go to your local grocery store and see if they have any clear containers that food had come in. If your orchid is light weight you can set it inside a heavier decorative pots as long as there is an air gap around the pot. This method also helps the potting mix stay moister longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for what to pot it in, there are lots of possibilities. You can leave it in pure sphagnum, but there is a greater chance of root rot. They also have these little clay pebbles that are suppose to be good. I forget what they're called. They use them for hydroponics systems as well. There is also a mix that's usually called 'orchid bark' you can find at most garden stores. It'll have fir bark, perlite, maybe some coco coir. Personally, I prefer a mix of the orchid bark and sphagnum moss. I'll vary the amount of sphagnum moss depending on the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For instance, I have a Miltassia Shelob &quot;The Weed&quot;.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8alnc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8alnc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Miltassia Shelob&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had originally potted it in straight bark, because it has bulbs to retain water, but they wrinkle when I just water it once a week. When I repotted, I added some sphag moss to help retain water between watering and now it's good to go with once a week watering. If you have a climate where you can put yours outside, you'll loose water faster and maybe need more sphag. For a Phal, I'd probably do 50/50:bark/sphag or maybe 50/40. They don't have a good way to store water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll notice the thick green roots on your phal. I can see one peeking out on the bottom picture. These aren't actually the roots, but a spongy coating over them. When it rains or you water it, they absorb the water and turn green. As the roots that are on the inside absorb the water or it evaporates out of them, they start turning silver. You don't want them wrinkling and turning whitish, but it's okay if they get a little greenish silver between waterings. A note here is that the roots become adapted to the media they're in, so if you repot, make sure any roots that were under the media stay under the new media and any hanging in the air (air roots) stay in the air. Otherwise, they'll slowly die. If you can't help it, don't worry about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should also give your orchid an orchid fertilizer. Mix it per the directions and give it to your orchid every two weeks while it's actively growing and once a months when it's not. Once every month, you should flush the pot of excess minerals by running clean water through it. When fertilizing, always pre-water your orchids, if you don't then they'll absorb too many nutrients and can be harmed. Water with straight water first, then fertilize.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for blooming, I know that phals are supposed to spike from under the third leaf down. So if you count from the top leaf, down three leaves, the spike should come from underneath that leaf. When the flowers start you can switch to a fertilizer meant to help with flowers, but you don't have to. Also, when they all eventually die, you can cut the stem back to a node and it may respike off of it. The nodes are the little fat parts of the flower spike. There is actually a little leaf like think covering each node and you can gently peel it off, being careful not to damage the growing tip under it to encourage it. You may get nothing, you may get another spike that will produce more flowers, or you could even get a keiki. A keiki is a baby orchid. You'd let it grow leaves and roots, then cut if off and pot it. They sell keiki paste to help encourage it to do this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Getting out of what I'm familiar with, I believe that phals need a period of lower light or cooler temps to help encourage spiking. Someone besides me will have to comment on that. I do know that phals are good with lower light anyway. They don't like really bright light and will burn in straight sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I've covered most everything you need to care for this orchid. I'd go ahead and cut the dead spike off, unless you would like to use it to stabilize the orchid in the new pot till it grows more roots, but you don't really need to. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T15:23:36.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23983" CreationDate="2016-04-08T15:41:33.557" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Allow the side shoots to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bush beans are bred to be bushy, so by removing them you're fighting the plants' natural growth habit. The side shoots also carry leaves, which will provide more energy for making baby beans, and flowers, which will turn into those baby beans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The typical spacing that I've seen for bush beans is 6&quot; between plants in a row, so you should have more than enough room in a square foot for one plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that the variety you have, Pencil Pod Golden Wax beans, are a bush bean, but the page you linked to actually contains instructions for pole beans, which have different support requirements: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pole beans are usually planted closer together than bush beans, and grow as vines so they require support such as wire or string netting or a trellis to grow on. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bush beans are free-standing plants that don't generally need support unless they happen to grow very tall or have a heavy crop to pull them over.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-08T18:54:19.120" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T18:54:19.120" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23987" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="23991" CreationDate="2016-04-08T15:59:19.953" Score="7" ViewCount="229" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are several of these in my yard in Augusta, GA, hardiness zone 8a. I would like to know what these are before I mow them all down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have violet-colored flowers growing up a central stock:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oZB6U.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oZB6U.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image of flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are flat on the ground with red-violet-colored stems:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K6Qbl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K6Qbl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image of a leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The roots look small and stringy:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7LQLr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7LQLr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image of the roots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="368" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-01T19:28:07.657" LastActivityDate="2018-04-01T19:28:07.657" Title="What is the identity of this plant with violet-colored bell-shaped flowers and red-veined lobed leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23988" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23984" CreationDate="2016-04-08T16:11:42.150" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You will want 3-4&quot; diameter perforated pipes in the stone layer (also sloped 1&quot;/10ft), and you will probably also want filter fabric on both sides of the stone layer, or it will become a layer of clay with rocks embedded in it soon enough. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might also want some much deeper &quot;french drains&quot; to deal with the water, rather than only having drainage 1-1.5 feet below the surface. You're doing major earthmoving anyway, so that should not be overly costly on top of what you are contemplating. At least below frostline, (which varies with where you are) and preferably also below the basement floor (if there is a basement.) You want those to run &quot;out to daylight&quot; on the slope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As usual when digging, call dig-safe (or local equivalent) before starting, and also locate your own private services (well, septic, etc) which dig-safe won't know about and can't mark for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The moss is generally a sign that you have shade (lots of trees around) and acidic soil (typical for clays in my area.) If you were open to a less-drastic approach at much reduced cost, some tree cutting at the forest edge, a LOT of limestone and/or gypsum (do a soils test) and just doing french drains as Kevinsky suggests might get you there eventually. You might start with tilling the whole yard and planting cover crops for green manure, even. The lime will take time to work, and will also probably be an annual maintenance exercise. Your description of the current slope of the lawn does not sound like a huge problem unless you are putting in grass tennis courts or lawn bowling...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-04-08T16:28:11.477" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T16:28:11.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23989" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23984" CreationDate="2016-04-08T16:16:45.400" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;This sounds like a lot of work.  The picture you show of the backyard looks nicer than some other lawns I have seen where people have a maintenance firm do the fertilizing and cutting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just some points to note:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you raise the grade anything more than an inch or two this will kill any trees inside the raised area.  Trees don't take grade changes well.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;to do this kind of work a backhoe is more practical than a bobcat or smaller loader as the bucket capacity is larger&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As the knowledgeable Ecnerwal points out you could get a drier lawn in the back with a lot less digging.  Some french drains and a few trenches with drainage pipe with sleeve will let the backyard dry out sooner in the spring at a fraction of the cost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you do decide to add or remove soil in bulk when calculating what the volume to remove or order delivered add 30% to the volume. When you remove soil it occupies more volume after removal.  New soil will compact up to 30% after being spread.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-04-09T21:44:35.543" LastActivityDate="2016-04-09T21:44:35.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23987" CreationDate="2016-04-08T16:43:22.973" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like it is &lt;em&gt;Salvia lyrata&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="368" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T16:43:22.973" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23991" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23987" CreationDate="2016-04-08T17:07:09.680" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think its Salvia lyrata, a native in the USA, mostly in the Eastern parts, but technically its a woodland plant and considered a wildflower&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.backyardnature.net/n/h/lyresage.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.backyardnature.net/n/h/lyresage.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T17:07:09.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23992" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23976" CreationDate="2016-04-08T18:57:25.413" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another suggestion when you get going on the raised beds is to turn the soil over.  It helps mix the existing soil and with compost (if you decide to add more compost).  It will also help loosen the soil particularly if the beds have not been maintained.  This will help your new vegetable plants grow easily rather than having the roots spend energy trying to break into hard soil.  I would say atleast loosen the top 12 inches (24 is better if you can).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T18:57:25.413" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23993" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23900" CreationDate="2016-04-08T19:03:00.730" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds as though you've been using your compost bin as a rubbish dump filling it with your winter kitchen waste. It's likely to be a large anaerobic pile, and very smelly from the loss of nitrogen compounds e.g. ammonia to the air. A pile should be built in one go, and by adding to it continuously, you are delaying the pile as the last material added determines when the pile will be ready.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that your bin will likely be full of immature nitrogenous waste, you now have the opportunity to build a proper pile. If you can get hold of a bale of straw, which is mainly carbon, you can build a new layered pile alternating layers of straw, bin materials, and dirt, watering each layer  unless already sopping wet, until you have a cubic pile that is a 1 metre high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have access to many bales of straw, you can insulate the pile with them to prevent vermin getting in, and to keep the heat inside the pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With luck, watering, and turning, you'll have decent compost fit for your garden in a few months time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T19:03:00.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23965" CreationDate="2016-04-08T19:31:00.533" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are calcium oxalate crystals formed by fluids released by the leaf pores, and then drying out to form crystals. They will probably drop off in time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That they are on the undersurface of the leaf distinguishes them from psyllid sugar crystals which I see on the uppermost part of the leaf in susceptible plants of which okra is not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T19:31:00.533" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23995" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23857" CreationDate="2016-04-08T19:34:51.487" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree that the bag of manure is just as good now as it was last year.  I sometimes find that there is really not much manure in there and that it is a lot of other material.  I like to go to a local farmer and get manure and then let it sit for a year or two to rot and decompose and I have excellent luck with it.  Just don't get fresh manure and use it right away - will burn all your plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14286" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T19:34:51.487" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23996" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23951" CreationDate="2016-04-08T20:13:45.807" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a tumbler like the sun-mar 200 on this page: &lt;a href=&quot;http://green-living-made-easy.ultimate-online-services.com/compost-tumblers.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://green-living-made-easy.ultimate-online-services.com/compost-tumblers.html&lt;/a&gt;, but the stand wasn't strong enough to bear the weight of all the compost and it broke pretty early on. I kept using it, just rolling it along the ground for quite a long time after that, but it was pretty silly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I moved I got a double tumbler similar to the one in the upper left picture. I think this was it: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tanksforless.com/p/984/lifetime-dual-compost-tumbler&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.tanksforless.com/p/984/lifetime-dual-compost-tumbler&lt;/a&gt; I got it at costco. I love it. The tumbling action is great for speeding the composting, I get virtually no smell, so I can keep it close to the house (in particular, close to the kitchen), and I love being able to fill one half, then fill the other half while the first batch is composting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;HOWEVER, after about 2 years, the latch on one of the tumblers rusted solid, so I can't spin it effectively anymore. I haven't tried any rust remover yet, so I can't say whether it's fixable, but I think it's safe to assume that it's a common problem for this kind of composter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14288" LastActivityDate="2016-04-08T20:13:45.807" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23997" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24000" CreationDate="2016-04-09T00:57:32.953" Score="10" ViewCount="1074" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was about this ask this question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23976/how-do-i-take-over-a-previous-owners-raised-beds#comment28973_23992&quot;&gt;in a comment&lt;/a&gt; from a different question of mine, but I thought it deserved its own question since it may help a fellow novice gardener.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How often should I loosen the soil in a vegetable garden?  Do I want to loosen it deeply (12&quot; to 24&quot;) before planting?  Should I loosen it at all after planting?  Should I do it in the Autumn once the plants have died to get ready for next year?  Or should I simply do it a week or two before planting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14280" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-04-11T18:13:28.480" Title="How often should I loosen soil?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23998" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23984" CreationDate="2016-04-09T01:03:35.860" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your looking to make sure the grass actually performs well, you should be sure to amend the soil with a decent amount of compost.  I'd recommend at least 1 inch, but if it was me and I was making such a large investment in time and money with the other aspects of the project, I would go with 2 or even 3 inches .  At 1 inches depth, simply multiply the area in square feet you need to cover - 12000 sqft - by 1/12ft (1 inches high) and this will give you the cubic feet you need 1000 cubic feet.  Then divide the cubic feet by 27 and this will give you the cubic yards you need -37 CY-, which is how compost is sold.  Now 37 CY is a fair amount of compost, it's about a transfer truck full so you're going to want to make sure you didn't return that front end loader just yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The compost is going to be important for a few reasons.  First, when you're scraping off all that clay, you're removing the A horizon which has all the nutrients and if you put down sod right onto the B horizon it's not going to do well. When state department of transportation agencies like TxDOT, Caltrans, WSDOT and other states need to establish vegetation on a roadside cut for erosion control, they'll apply a blanket of compost. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, the compost is going to improve the drainage so there's less risk of the sod sitting in standing water.  It's hard to know exactly what's causing that high water table without knowing where you are exactly.  If you look at this soil map of the US &lt;a href=&quot;http://casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/gmap/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/gmap/&lt;/a&gt;, you can find the type of soil your house is situated on and why exactly there is a high water table.  The map is zoomed into Davis California, but you can scroll to wherever you are in the US.  If your soil is poorly draining because of the heavy clays, you can apply gypsum with the compost and this will help to flocculate the clay and improve drainage.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd rather have a good front end loader than the backhoe/excavator for moving everything around but if you can get a front end loader with a backhoe than I guess you'd have the best of both worlds.  4&quot; over that area is an enormous amount of rock.  You're looking at 148 CY.  That's several semi trucks.  You might want to think about amending the soil with compost a little bit more, using less rock over the entire area, but then putting in good network of french drains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, at the back end, where you're just dumping the clay, I would watch out for erosion.  It sounds like you get a decent amount of percipitation so you should have something to retain back end of this yard.  Otherwise you're going to start losing the back end down the slope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd echo Kervinsky in that it looks like you're yard is already pretty nice, but if you really want to level it out and have sod you have to maintain, the most important thing to remember is to add quality compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14290" LastActivityDate="2016-04-09T01:03:35.860" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="23999" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23997" CreationDate="2016-04-09T02:03:27.083" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless it is rock hard you really do not loosen the soil, because when you do you should keep in mind all of the weed seed under will be giving them a chance to sprout (unless it came in a bag). Otherwise I would just do it to you needs. I till the top every 2 weeks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-04-09T02:03:27.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23997" CreationDate="2016-04-09T02:25:58.683" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Once, and then don't walk on it. Since you are starting with raised beds, which presumably have not been walked on since they were made, I'd not get overly concerned about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are, to be sure, contradictory opinions on this. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some folks like to stir everything up - it feels like they are doing something. I'm presently of the opinion (having done the tedious double-digging thing with no particular effect/benefit) that the approach of leaving the soil as undisturbed as possible/practical and allowing the natural processes that are upset by enthusiastic tillage do their jobs is at least as good, and perhaps better. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are not walking on the soil, then roots and earthworms should provide all the loosening it needs. Feed it from the top and let the worms worry about moving that downward. If you think you have some sort of major compaction, you have on the one hand the option of mechanical approaches, and on the other using things with strong roots (such as diakon radish) to break it up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-09T02:25:58.683" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24001" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-09T09:43:10.247" Score="8" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;situation&lt;/strong&gt;: There’s a double garage (precast concrete) with a flat roof of roughly 30 m² (approx. 320 sq ft), and it’s unused space. I often thought about putting &lt;em&gt;anything&lt;/em&gt; alive up there (preferably of the kingdom &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/plants/plantae.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Plantae&lt;/a&gt;), the one downside being the necessity of a ladder to look after whatever’s up there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding &lt;strong&gt;weather&lt;/strong&gt;: While the garage finds itself located…&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in temperate climate (hardiness zone 8a), …&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it’s frequently overcast and drizzly, with 16 rainy days per month all year and…&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;4-6 sunshine hours daily between May and September with…&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;average temperatures ranging from 8-18°C (46-64°F) in May and 13-24°C (55-75°F) in July.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I look for specific &lt;strong&gt;recommendations&lt;/strong&gt; to plant greenery atop the garage. Suitable candidates will have to adhere to some considerations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I don’t want to put tons of soil or raised beds on it (excess floor load, max. 200 kg/m² ≈ 370 lbs/sq yd), so I figured &lt;strong&gt;window boxes&lt;/strong&gt; (with drainage) would do nicely. They’re easy to provide, align and (re)move.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plants will have to &lt;strong&gt;endure full sun&lt;/strong&gt;, storm, heavy rain or even hail. While these conditions do apply to the garden below, exposure is literally elevated and the surface might get a lot hotter (tar paper). Building a canopy for shelter is too expensive yet manageable if required.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Since there are no stairs, plants shouldn’t &lt;strong&gt;need to be tended&lt;/strong&gt; to permanently. Some climbing is okay though, like checking every few days or so.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there any &lt;strong&gt;robust crop plants&lt;/strong&gt; that thrive in window boxes (i.e. limited width and depth)? Alternatively, what ornamental plants make sense on a garage roof?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be clear: I do &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; intend to permanently vegetate the entire roof area. It should be limited to a few planters during the growing season. I think it’s a bit different from a “typical” rooftop garden, which is a regular garden on top of a building.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14139" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2016-04-10T09:20:44.163" LastActivityDate="2016-04-10T13:33:54.523" Title="What are some recommendations for planting garage rooftop window boxes?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;roof-garden&gt;&lt;window-box&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24002" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24003" CreationDate="2016-04-09T10:20:20.860" Score="7" ViewCount="1049" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been planting a few beans in my backyard, in a pot. The plants sprout well and start growing well. After a week or less the leaves have these white lines and patches on them. I had pepper plants and they had small white flies under the leaves. There were so many that the leaf turned white. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these both the same problem? How do I get rid of them? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9nfps.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9nfps.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14294" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-09T15:58:59.370" LastActivityDate="2016-04-09T15:58:59.370" Title="Are the white sections on my bean plant's leaves caused by white flies?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24003" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24002" CreationDate="2016-04-09T12:12:33.297" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, they're not the same problem by the sound of it, though it could be. What you seem to be describing on your beans are leafminers, which are the larvae from eggs laid inside the leaf by a female fly that looks greyish in appearance. As the eggs hatch, the larvae then tunnel their way through the leaf, eating as they go. As this is is an edible crop, you don't want to be using true chemical insecticides, so something like neem oil would likely be the safest and most effective treatment. More info in the link below, which gives information on control of this problem, with an image of leafminer damage on a leaf;- I know it mentions houseplants, but the information is still appropriate. You may have different types of leafminer where you are - even so, neem is probably the way to go for both whitefly and leafminers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/houseplant-pests/leafminer-control/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/houseplant-pests/leafminer-control/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-09T12:21:23.163" LastActivityDate="2016-04-09T12:21:23.163" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24004" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24005" CreationDate="2016-04-09T13:16:40.760" Score="6" ViewCount="2955" Body="&lt;p&gt;Somebody gave me this cactus and I noticed that the base is getting white.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it normal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other information:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I live in Canada&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The cactus is indoor and facing the sun all day&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I used soil for cactus that I bought at Canadian tire&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I don't water it (I don't know if I should or not)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZSQKp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZSQKp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tylzx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tylzx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14295" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-09T15:39:45.147" LastActivityDate="2016-04-09T15:39:45.147" Title="White spots at the base of a cactus" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24005" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24004" CreationDate="2016-04-09T14:06:09.753" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is Trichocereus peruvianus - the discolored area at the base is typical of callous formation following damage of some sort. No idea what could have caused it though, there's nothing glaringly wrong with it otherwise, but it can be caused through physical injury, insects or sudden chilling, so you might want to check or keep an eye on it in case there's some kind of insect infestation within the soil. I can actually see tiny white flecks sitting on top of the soil in the second picture, just in front of and to the left of the calloused area. If they move when you disturb the soil, they may be insects of some sort, but it's probably worth taking a magnifying glass and examining what they are - they may be nothing at all to worry about, but they may also be tiny eggs. I can also see a slightly 'wet' or darker looking area above the callous formation though, which almost looks like an infection, damage or sogginess due to being cold, or the start of shrivelling, which wouldn't be surprising given you're not watering it. Keeping it in full sun, especially in winter, is the right thing to do, but hopefully the temperature in that position, on the windowsill, does not drop too low at night, especially if you draw drapes across and the cactus is between those and the window pane.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil it's in seems rather lumpy and uneven, but that might be because you don't water, and you need to. As spring arrives, watering should be increased  until you're actually watering as you would any other houseplant during summer. As summer moves into fall, watering should be reduced and in winter, only sparingly applied to prevent shrivelling. Once that soil is damp, you may be able to get a more even level around the base of the cactus, so that wet lumps of soil are not sitting against the main stem. After watering, always empty out the tray at the bottom of the pot, because the plant should not be left sitting in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-09T14:11:27.257" LastActivityDate="2016-04-09T14:11:27.257" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24006" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-09T14:53:00.987" Score="6" ViewCount="3157" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to sort out a patch of grass at the back of my garden. It's covered in moss as you can see from the picture. I'm not an expert of any sort when it comes to the garden but I would like it to look nice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So please can you give me your best advice for eliminating the moss and replenishing it with healthy grass? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't particularly state my soil type but I live in the UK and the patch of grass which I'm looking to repair is at the end of the garden which doesn't get direct sunlight and is a damp spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a rental property so I'm looking for the cheapest but most efficient solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any solutions are more than appreciated! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the picture for a bigger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4JK9J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4JK9Jm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11872" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-09T15:36:30.333" LastActivityDate="2016-04-09T19:43:55.233" Title="What's the best way to eliminate the moss in a shady, damp area of my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24007" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24006" CreationDate="2016-04-09T15:14:09.400" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, there isn't an easy long term answer - the reason there's moss there is because of the conditions you describe - shady and damp. What happens over time is, the moss takes over, grass dies out, and weeds grow in the barer patches along with the moss. The usual way to resolve this problem is to remove the offending patch of lawn, since it'll always be a problem, and create shade planting there instead, but you've said you're renting. I can suggest you apply lawn mosskiller/weed/feed preparations, wait six weeks, scrape the top up into a fine tilth and sow Shade Grass Seed, but you still won't have lovely green lush grass in that area for any length of time - the moss always returns. You can do as I've suggested, or for a quick but short term solution, cut out the offending area to an inch and a half deep, then go to the garden centre and buy a strip of turf, cut to size and lay in that spot, ensuring as far as you're able to that its at the same level as the rest of the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-09T15:14:09.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24008" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24006" CreationDate="2016-04-09T15:46:07.517" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since you are a renter, I would suggest embracing the moss as a short green groundcover that tolerates the conditions, since grass won't, and as a renter you can't solve the conditions that favor moss over grass growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you were not a renter you could (possibly, sometimes even owners don't own the trees that make their lawns shady) remove whatever is shading the area;  improve drainage, and correct soil chemistry (moss is almost always on acid soil IME) to favor grass. Or you could accept the shady damp spot and plant more appropriate things for a shady damp spot than grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a sense, the moss has already done the latter for you, and as a renter, you probably can't do more unless the landlord wants, supports, and hopefully will help pay for a more effective solution. If you absolutely, positively want grass there and can't solve the damp and shade, install fake grass (artificial turf), it's the only kind that will tolerate that. And you still might get moss growing on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-09T15:46:07.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24001" CreationDate="2016-04-09T15:54:40.343" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, there are two things that might scupper your plan - the weight bearing capacity of the roof, and the necessity to water daily or twice daily when the weather is hot and dry, or simply just hot - very little rain gets into containers when the plants are in full leaf in summer. Whether you intend to actually walk on the roof or not, planted up containers with damp soil are surprisingly heavy, and it may be that the roof is not appropriately built to take any kind of weight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let me just reiterate that I am not recommending placing containers on the roof you describe, you do so at your own risk. However, you've asked for plant recommendations for window box or trough type planters. Because the depth on those isn't usually more than 6-8 inches, and that means you're restricted to small plants rather than good sized shrubs, the best thing from an aesthetic point of view is to plant them twice a year - once in late spring/early summer with whatever summer annuals are available where you are, in particular those that trail (surfinia petunias, trailing lobelia, helichrysum petiolatum for instance, combined with upright pelargoniums - don't use Fuchsia, they won't tolerate insufficient water, but pelargoniums are pretty good about dryish conditions), and then disposing of all that in Fall and replanting with a winter display, again something that will only need to last six months. Not sure what you can get in your area for winter, but here, garden centres sell small versions of evergreen shrubs such as Euonymus aureus, Osmanthus heterophyllus 'goshiki', Skimmia japonica, dwarf conifers, so two or three of those in a box with something like pansies and some small trailing ivies, maybe some bulbs such as Narcissi 'Tete a Tete' or dwarf tulips. You will need to replace the potting compost in the troughs if anything becomes diseased, particularly fungal disease such as Pansy Downy Mildew, and the compost should be changed bi yearly anyway, though if there hasn't been disease or infestation by soil inhabiting insects, then you can leave it a bit longer. Note that the summer bedding will look much better and get much larger if you feed it regularly, on a weekly basis, with a liquid or soluble fertiliser (something like Miracle Gro all purpose is fine), and if they are given sufficient water for their needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might be able to grow some of the smaller tomatoes instead in summer, but there is some difficulty with this - because of where they are, you are likely not to be able to give them the significant amount of care and attention they require in terms of water supply as well as monitoring for pests,diseases and nutrient deficiencies and treating/controlling any that occur.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-10T13:33:54.523" LastActivityDate="2016-04-10T13:33:54.523" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24010" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24359" CreationDate="2016-04-09T17:08:31.447" Score="11" ViewCount="1099" Body="&lt;p&gt;Live in zone 9 in USA. This shrub is about 6 feet tall and we have to trim it every year or else it'll grow taller and block windows.  Planted 5+ years ago. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;White flowers it looks like too. Would like to plant this in backyard too for privacy. House faces north. Backyard has 12 hours sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Edit: it looks more and more like waxy leaf ligustrum but it's been trimmed in to a rectangular shape.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hSca6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hSca6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;photo 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h4sHn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h4sHn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;starting to flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bb33L.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bb33L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;front view&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Better quality pics &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O54uk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O54uk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flowers bloom white&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bqp1l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bqp1l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;zoomed in&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9745" LastEditorUserId="9745" LastEditDate="2016-04-18T05:45:30.620" LastActivityDate="2016-04-28T09:49:21.810" Title="What is this shrub?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;privacy-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="16" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24006" CreationDate="2016-04-09T19:38:06.997" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Moss is an opportunist.  If conditions are right; shade, dampness and bare soil then you will get moss.  Moss is NOT competing with the grass at all.  Grass grown in shade and dampness will die out leaving bare soil and THEN the moss takes over.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the landlord is amenable, you could get a sod cutter and cut out the moss and grass and dead roots of the grass, dig down a bit more, make a new plant bed with the debris (unless there is the plastic of purchased sod left behind get rid of that part), lay landscape fabric down (this is NOT for weeds and was NEVER meant for weeds) and install the finest gravel you can find. 5/8 minus is a bit large and hard to walk upon.  3/8 minus (you want the fines) is great.  Before dumping the gravel on top of the landscape fabric, install 2X4's pressure treated between the gravel and the lawn in the sun.  Score with a skill saw for curves and secure with stakes SCREWED into the 2X4 (don't use nails with wood, just screws).  Any other type of edging that is thinner is worthless.  Trex  dimentional lumber that is made from plastic bottles in ONLY dove gray to match the gravel is a good choice as well.  More cost initially but it flexs for curves.  Careful to do this in warm weather and slowly.  In cold weather you could use a propane torch to soften and bend for curves. One also has to drill a hole before securing to the stakes with screws. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Install and compact the gravel. The gravel should be as deep as the top of the 2X4's. Ideally 4&quot;. Makes a great informal seating area or patio!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depends on how much you live out of doors and how you feel about the outdoor room (s) of your rental.  I always left a rental with a beautiful landscape.  My landlords sometimes paid for the materials and I added the labor.  Otherwise, I just did it because I asked and I could and I had lots of materials and plants I dragged home from work.  Landscape construction...I got my deposits back though!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you find moss in the rest of your lawn it is because you are maintaining that lawn incorrectly. I'd just rake it out and reseed. Make sure to read all the stuff on this site on proper lawn care.  Don't trust any material from a fertilizer company like Scott's or Ortho...they WANT you to screw up and buy their chemicals to fix the problems us humans created.  Because of improper information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't use sulfur or 'moss-kill'.  Lawns like a more alkaline soil, sulfur brings the pH down into the acid realm.  Then you have to test, lime, test, possibly relime until the pH is around 6.5 to 7.0.  If you keep your lawn mowed no shorter than 3&quot;, once per week minimum mowing, fertilize with organic slow release fertilizer 3 to 4 times per season, water deeply and allow to dry out (when you walk on the grass the leaves stay down and your foot prints left) BEFORE you water deeply again, get together with your neighbors once a year and aerate leaving the plugs or cores right where they land...You will not have moss in healthy, vigorous grass. A healthy crop of grass will easily compete and win with all the other lawn weeds. And taking care of the yard is just a super way to get exercise, whether it is your home or a rental, yard work is a wonderful part of life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-04-09T19:43:55.233" LastActivityDate="2016-04-09T19:43:55.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24012" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-09T20:27:36.960" Score="8" ViewCount="1891" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Canada, and have several cacti and large agave plants. It's soon going to be time to take them outside as the weather starts to warm up. They are potted in a mix of coir, sand, fast draining cactus soil and a small amount of regular potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have advice on particular types of fertilizers/fertilizer ratios that would be best suited for these types of plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14297" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-11-18T03:39:24.773" LastActivityDate="2018-09-17T15:50:34.793" Title="What fertilizer should I use on agave and cactus?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24014" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-10T05:34:13.177" Score="5" ViewCount="485" Body="&lt;p&gt;When starting a garden off, you often need to dig in compost.  Ignoring the point that it may not be best to bring in compost from off site to improve your soil, how does one determine which of the composts are the best for your garden?  I often see cheap composts at half the price of the more expensive ones, and I always go for the cheaper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-10T11:20:16.993" Title="How to tell a good quality compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24015" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24016" CreationDate="2016-04-10T08:48:55.677" Score="4" ViewCount="463" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have this cactus that I believe was supposed to be red at the top but is just dried and shrivelled but the stranger thing is the weird extra cactus growing out the top. Any ideas what it is, I don't suppose it can be replanted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5OfN1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5OfN1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cactus with growth&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1537" LastActivityDate="2019-02-21T13:33:43.583" Title="Cactus with a growth" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24016" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24015" CreationDate="2016-04-10T10:19:22.013" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you first got this cactus, with its red ball like growth on top, it would have been named Gymnocalycium  mihanovichii friedrichii (common name Hibotan or Red Cap cactus), but really, that name only refers to the upper, red part, which will have been grafted onto a plain green cactus because the red cactus lacks chlorophyll. What's happened with yours is, the graft has failed, so the upper red cactus has died, leaving the green cactus to grow on its own. The red part will never recur, and the green cactus is now producing secondary growth of its own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-10T10:19:22.013" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24017" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24014" CreationDate="2016-04-10T10:29:23.437" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's impossible to say whether a compost is 'good' or not without knowing what type of composts you're looking at - it's certainly a question more often asked about potting composts rather than compost generally. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The noun 'compost' on its own is confusing - there are two main forms of composts; first, &lt;strong&gt;potting&lt;/strong&gt; compost of varying types for various purposes (multi purpose, seed and cutting, loam based, ericaceous, cacti for instance) and second, &lt;strong&gt;soil conditioning&lt;/strong&gt; composts, of organic origin and meant to be spread on the soil, and that type of compost would include things like your own garden compost, animal manure composts, leaf moulds, spent mushroom compost and the like. It's safe to assume that commercially produced potting composts are sterile, or pathogen and weed free. As to the quality of the potting compost, that can vary enormously, depending on the brand, regardless of any description made about quality on the bag, and often, experience in use is the only way to decide which is good and which isn't. In the UK, we are lucky enough to have John Innes composts available - these are loam based, and are considered the best, though somewhat heavy once wetted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil conditioning composts are not usually sterile, which is why they're good for the soil - which one is 'good' or not is again hard to say - if an outlet is selling 'organic composted animal manure' for instance, then that's what the bag should contain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the circumstances you describe, you'll be looking to choose a suitable soil conditioning compost; some of those I listed above aren't readily available in all areas (spent mushroom compost, for instance) so I'd usually recommend composted animal manure. The only time I wouldn't is if you were growing root vegetable crops, because they do not appreciate manured soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore, it rather depends what form of compost you've seen that's cheap, and what you're intending to grow in the emended soil, in order to decide whether it will fit the bill for your purposes, or, to quote your question 'whether it's good or not'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-10T11:20:16.993" LastActivityDate="2016-04-10T11:20:16.993" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24018" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-10T13:40:23.927" Score="10" ViewCount="4496" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've just put all new soil in our flower bed and due to it being slightly moist it was a lovely deep rich black colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to keep it that black colour even when dry?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14299" LastActivityDate="2016-04-11T08:13:28.033" Title="How to keep soil a rich black colour" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24019" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24018" CreationDate="2016-04-10T15:21:49.657" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well soil is just the color it is. Some soils are dark brown, some are red, some are&#xA;yellow. After several years of conditioning with good compost all soil will darken with organic material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you really want it to look dark right now, you will probably best be served by top dressing your soil with a dark colored mulch. Mulch however, unless it's dyed is also going to get lighter as it dries and gets sun faded eventually into a silver color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a reason you need dark? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2016-04-10T17:25:20.383" LastActivityDate="2016-04-10T17:25:20.383" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24020" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-10T19:00:24.430" Score="7" ViewCount="225" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apart from lilac I am looking for a spring blossoming shrub which has flowers in the mauve to purple range, suitable for a temperate climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally it would flower earlier than lilac.  Are there any?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13881" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-10T21:10:29.433" LastActivityDate="2018-02-08T07:56:02.557" Title="Mauve to purple spring flowering shrubs" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24021" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-10T19:12:58.043" Score="7" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our garden currently has a small gravel border all the way around.&#xA;When removed it leaves a few inches before it reaches the foundations for the wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If we were to turf the lawn, after filling the border with soil, would the turf grow in such a short depth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose what i am asking is can turf survive with just a few inches of soil beneath it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14299" LastActivityDate="2016-04-10T21:31:51.830" Title="How much soil is needed for turf to survive?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24020" CreationDate="2016-04-10T19:23:25.107" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lavender, rosemary, salvias, or indeed almost anything in the mint family. Most varieties are somewhere in that colour range. As well as spring, they'll also bloom at other times in the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fushias are a personal favourite, although they are only half purple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14210" LastActivityDate="2016-04-10T19:23:25.107" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24023" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7900" CreationDate="2016-04-10T19:46:35.767" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Be aware that concrete is alkaline and so over time the pH of your garden soil is going to be less acidic than it would be otherwise. You can think of cement as man-made limestone, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cement#Chemistry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;calcium carbonate&lt;/a&gt;. Crushed limestone is often added to soil to raise the pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14300" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-10T21:17:59.523" LastActivityDate="2016-04-10T21:17:59.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24024" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24020" CreationDate="2016-04-10T20:01:47.310" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what you mean by temperate, but I live in Zone 6, (as low as -10F or -23 C), and my favorite spring bush that works well with my lilacs is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1212&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Weigela&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They come in a number of colors, including various shades of pink and purple. Mine bloom for a number of weeks beginning in late May, and then again in the fall when the cooler weather returns. The leaves are variegated and pretty, making it a lovely-looking plant even between periods of flowering. If you prefer a &quot;leggy&quot; look, let the many branches shoot out. We like a more rounded, compact look, as you can see by my picture on the left, so we prune and shape it, which is very easy to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers and leaves vary among the different cultivars, both in shape and color. They blend nicely with other spring shrubs. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weigela&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This page&lt;/a&gt; has a picture of one planted in a bed with a lavender, as Ben Cannon recommended. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our weigela blooms just a few weeks later than the lilacs, but there are so many varieties, it's worth checking to see if you can find one that blooms earlier. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are pictures of one of mine. I wasn't going to post them because they're so blurry, but I thought I'd give you a general idea! Click on them for a larger view. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WVRL3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WVRL3m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g2ROd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g2ROdm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also have another good option for you. Last fall we bought two young purple/pink azalea bushes. I didn't expect them to bloom until late May or June, with my other rhododendrons, as they belong to the same family. While thinking further about your question, I took a walk outside, and found them all budding, at the exact same time as the nearby lilacs! In fact, according to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://azaleas.org/index.pl/faq.html#blo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Azalea Society of America&lt;/a&gt;, a number of varieties bloom as early as March; most in April through June; and some will flower again in the fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-11T21:16:00.610" LastActivityDate="2016-04-11T21:16:00.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24025" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-10T20:42:32.843" Score="8" ViewCount="5598" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been having trouble re-planting a bare patch of lawn at the back of my small garden. I was wondering if birds had been raiding the seeds (and I have bought some plastic netting ready for next attempt), but just a few hours ago at dusk, I spotted a mouse hopping out into the sown patch and helping itself. The mouse came back about 30 seconds after being scared off - so it clearly found getting into the garden for the seeds worthwhile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The garden backs onto a small woodland area, and I don't think I can realistically mouse-proof entry to the garden physically (e.g. with wire mesh).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want to bait or poison any mice. First I don't like the idea, also these are just wild mice, just taking an opportunity to fill up from my garden, they aren't an infestation, there are none in the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is not a huge area, I have about 4 square metres of lawn to return from bare mud to grassy. Overall the garden is also small - just 5 metres by 5 metres.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;What is my best option to get a green patch on the lawn?&lt;/em&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideas I have considered:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read that peppermint oil is repellent to mice, but will putting a line of it or something similar along the back fence be effective? Is there any other way to mouse-proof my grass seed in the garden long enough for it to sprout before being eaten? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, I may be better off pre-germinating the grass somewhere mouse-proof and spreading it out after a certain time as in this question: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/19398/will-pre-germinating-grass-seed-produce-a-green-lawn-in-less-time-than-just-seed&quot;&gt;Will pre-germinating grass seed produce a green lawn in less time than just seeding and watering properly?&lt;/a&gt; - if so, how long is good enough to not be interesting to the mouse?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14301" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T13:18:23.537" Title="Mice eating sown grass seed" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24025" CreationDate="2016-04-10T21:24:26.727" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is not so small an area. Four square meters  ~=  43 Square feet&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would just sod this and have the job finished in a few hours. A typical sod roll measures 24&quot; x 81&quot; or 2 ft x 6.75 ft. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bluegrass-sodproducers.com/howtomeasureforsod.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Each roll of sod will cover 1.5 sq. yds or 13.5 sq. ft&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So this could require up to 4 rolls of sod depending on wastage.  Where I live this costs about $5/roll or $20.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You would have similar after care requirements of rolling to ensure good contact with the ground and watering.  A real guarantee of success is to overseed spring and fall with more grass seed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-06-05T18:35:34.467" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T18:35:34.467" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24027" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24021" CreationDate="2016-04-10T21:31:51.830" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You use the word &quot;survive&quot;. I have seen grass grow on solid clay.  It looked fine until the dry times in summer when in went brown fast. If all you want is survival a few inches of soil will do.  It will brown out in hot times and then thin out and weeds will get a hold.  This is due to the roots being unable to get enough moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want grass to do well and out compete weed seeds then six inches ( ~12 cm) will provide a good chance of success.  If you are ambitious then 12 inches or ~30 cm of soil will really give you nice looking grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-04-10T21:31:51.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24028" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-10T21:35:30.903" Score="6" ViewCount="70" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some roses that look like they are infected with &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoperonospora_cubensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pseudoperonospora cubensis&lt;/a&gt;. I currently do not know how to treat this disease and would like a course of action. I have not applied any pesticides/fungicides as I do not know which one to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14302" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-11T14:24:44.387" LastActivityDate="2016-11-30T14:33:32.820" Title="How do I eradicate Pseudoperonospora cubensis on roses?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-12-19T07:59:19.607" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24029" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18045" CreationDate="2016-04-10T21:48:59.297" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just to throw my 2 cents in on this old thread that someone may find like I did, don't forget to water the weed seeds. This is a hard lesson I learned converting an old field into wildflowers. An applications of glyphosate would kill the plants the spray touched, but those plants were sheltering seeds and seedlings under them, which took off once the competition was gone. We sprayed the new seedlings and killed them off. When it was all brown with no green we burned it all with propane, creating a beautiful black bed for our wildflower seeds. Big mistake. As soon as we started to water the wildflower seeds, the dormant weed seeds in the ground took off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So here is what we learned, painfully. This is not a quick process. If it's an old field, expect this to take more than a year. Apply glyphosate as soon you can. Burn it to expose the soil to the sun if you can. Kill the next flush of weeds, and the flush after, that, and the flush after that. If you think you are ready to put your new seed down, water what you think is &quot;weed free&quot; for a couple weeks. You will be surprised. Kill that flush, and THEN sow your seeds. Do not disturb the ground during this process because you will expose old weed seeds to depths where they can sprout. This is not a quick process, this is a long term investment you will have to put work into.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14303" LastActivityDate="2016-04-10T21:48:59.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24030" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24018" CreationDate="2016-04-10T22:39:05.940" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;From my own experience I've found that if your plants can tolerate a little acidity, you can blend in dark hemlock bark fines.  They can be had around my area for about 20 dollars a cubic yard. Dark when dry, JET BLACK when wet!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As they break down offer a good food source to the microbiology. I believe the mycology (fungus) in the soil particularly utilize it, breaking it down further in to inorganic matter making it bio available to the plant life. Having raised beds that have been amended with dark hemlock fines you can really see the difference. The soil in this beds is VERY dark. Even when dry, it is considerably darker than surrounding soils. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other interesting thing worth mentioning is that after just the first year, you cannot tell that its tree bark. It has the texture, consistency, and look of dirt! I personally love it as a cheap way to get fungus friendly organic matter into my garden beds. I also don't worry much about pH issues. I do everything in small increments and do my best to foster soil life / microbiology. When the microbes are happy, issues like pH work themselves out without intervention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14304" LastActivityDate="2016-04-10T22:39:05.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24031" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23863" CreationDate="2016-04-10T22:43:26.443" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try winter hardwood cuttings instead of softwood summer cuttings.  With a little rooting hormone (I like good old dip n grow), and almost no effort, you can get 40-60% survival, which works out pretty well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have used 6-8 inch stem cuttings in the past.  I've switched to using hardwood cuttings whenever possible because it's so much less work.  I use Dirr's reference guide to woody plant propagation to check hormone concentration, can look it up if desired.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course this doesn't help until the coming winter, so you can try the softwood this summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13998" LastActivityDate="2016-04-10T22:43:26.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24032" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-11T01:21:37.313" Score="7" ViewCount="3708" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning on purchasing an avocado tree (grown from seed) online, as the seller has agreed to provide me with a cutting from his mature, fruit bearing plant, and I want to experiment with grafting.    Unfortunately the avo trees  (I think they are 1 or 2 years old) I'm purchasing are already in the ground - so they need to be dug up as well.   [ I expect the trees to be very cheap, so it doesn't really matter if I fail, but I'd like to get as much right as possible ]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions -&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I understand that avocado trees have sensitive roots.  Are there any tips for relocating an avocado which is already in the ground ?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do avocados have tap roots, and if so, how far down would they typically &#xA;go ?  (I've heard and read a lot of conflicting information here)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-11-16T06:35:37.493" Title="Avocado Transplanting and tap root" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24033" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-11T03:40:01.723" Score="8" ViewCount="4842" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a huge Aloe. I've had it for about 3 years and it was huge before I got it. It just blossomed for the first time. Actually I should say it has a first time bud. All I do is water it and leave on an indoor sunny porch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got busy with work  and she mass produced. Here is my problem, when I transferred her to a larger pot she was perfectly centered, she looks very healthy but now is lying over the side of the pot. I want her more centered. Any ideas? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14305" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-11T14:21:18.337" LastActivityDate="2021-03-30T21:50:40.273" Title="How to straighten an Aloe vera plant?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24034" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19500" CreationDate="2016-04-11T03:41:00.390" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not all lemon flowers get fertilized which means that you won't get fruit on every flower and you have to be patient &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14306" LastActivityDate="2016-04-11T03:41:00.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24035" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24018" CreationDate="2016-04-11T08:13:28.033" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few ideas:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Keep&lt;/em&gt; it moist by putting in some hydrogel near the surface. Mind that it becomes more difficult to tell when watering is needed.&#xA;You could also make it so there is less evaporation from the surface, but then you don't get to see it as much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A light-colored crust forms at the top? Filter chlorine out of your water, and use less fertilizer. Also replace the top layer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The dark mulch washes out? Replace once in a while. The darkest natural I've found, kinda like black clay, had been collected from drying puddles in a forest. Does brighten when dry, but still darker than many soils. Just check the pH, and mix with something larger-grained. mr-fackler's idea of dark hemlock fines is great, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternative: Iron(II) oxide (black paint pigment) mixed into the mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or: a layer of black stones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14309" LastActivityDate="2016-04-11T08:13:28.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24036" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-11T09:23:08.527" Score="5" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;How does the self-cleaning function of a dripping hose work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14311" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-11T14:19:13.763" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T18:55:59.610" Title="How does a self-cleaning dripping hose work?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24038" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23997" CreationDate="2016-04-11T18:13:28.480" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in the process of forming an opinion as well and have heard both sides of the story.  As indicated in the previous responses, leave it alone after loosening it once.  There is also a technique called double digging that has been popularized by John Jeavons (&lt;a href=&quot;http://communitycrops.org/education/double-digging/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://communitycrops.org/education/double-digging/&lt;/a&gt;) and you can read a lot about it online and watch videos.  I think you will have to form your own opinion on this one and follow it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-04-11T18:13:28.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24039" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-11T19:13:37.490" Score="10" ViewCount="7093" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few raised beds where I grow vegetables every year (organically).  Vegetables I grow include root vegetables (carrots, beets), leafy (kale, lettuce), tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, etc.  Every year I enrich the soil by mixing in some steer manure and chicken feed that I get from my local big box store.  Then as the plant starts growing and bearing vegetables, I will add some organic fertilizer (Jobes).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently read on one of these posts that root vegetables don't take manure enriched soil very well (not sure what that means).  That prompted my question and more generically, does the method I am using sound reasonable for growing the types of vegetables I am growing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-11T21:20:06.370" LastActivityDate="2016-04-11T23:20:10.843" Title="Is it okay to grow root vegetables in soil enriched by manure?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;manure&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24040" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24039" CreationDate="2016-04-11T20:11:35.737" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Root vegetables should be just as fine as any other root plant in my mind. They will take in those nutrients and everything like any other. I say they will be fine and that is that. Maybe they were talking about fresh manure, which would burn the plant/root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-04-11T20:11:35.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23778" CreationDate="2016-04-11T20:18:33.780" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can go crazy sweetie with raking the crap out of those dead spots! Right down into the soil. Fluff the top of those spots with your rake, reseed. I'd need my 'loop' to see what disease this is for sure but sure looks and acts like a fungus disease like snow mold. The grass looks awfully green. If one uses a fertilizer with a high number as the nitrogen (NPK...10-5-5..10 percent is nitrogen, 5 percent is phosphorous and 5 percent is potassium...the nitrogen is obviously higher than the phosphorous and potassium) just before winter kicks in you'll get too much vegetative growth.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much new, vigorous top growth going into the winter is a sure fire way to get a fungal disease. The fall fertilization is very important but make sure that first number is LOWER than the P and the K! Grubs will only be a problem if one has applied a pesticide to kill ALL INSECTS. No way to select for grubs. A healthy soil will prevent grub damage. And grub damage will look like this in the late spring early summer...not after the snow melts. Rake and reseed! Use a good organic fertilizer like Dr. Earth. Comes with bacteria for thatch. Great stuff and worth the bucks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just remembered a 'test' for grubs...take a bucket of soapy water and dump on the soil. If it is a grub problem you'll see the fat grubs come up for air. If you find 12 or more grubs in a square foot then I might be asking you other questions, but go ahead and get rid of dead grass. Allow the birds to eat them up and in time the grubs mature and fly away. Build up the microbiology of your soil. Have you ever used a pesticide to kill the grubs? This is not a solution just makes one's lawn vulnerable to grubs! Otherwise looks to me like fungus disease.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-04-11T20:18:33.780" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24039" CreationDate="2016-04-11T20:45:22.583" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are two possible problems that could come from using manure on root vegetables, one of which only applies to fresh manure and the other is more applicable to fresh manure also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first, and the most obvious, is the potential for contamination. If you're putting the manure into the soil, the part of the vegetable you eat is growing in direct contact with potential manure-borne bacteria, like E-Coli. If those bacteria enter into the root they can make you very sick. But, if the manure has been composted properly those bacteria should be dead from composting heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second complication comes down to how root vegetables grow. For root vegetables like carrots, radishes and beets you want one straight tap-root. If the root branches early it leads to a misshapen vegetable. If the manure has high enough nutrient density, the plant may fork, sending off feeder roots to the side to grab that manure nutrition. The result is an oddly shaped vegetable. Not exactly the end of the world, but it can sometimes make them harder to work with in the kitchen. For example, washing dirt out of all the odd creases a branched carrot has.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2016-04-11T20:45:22.583" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24043" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24039" CreationDate="2016-04-11T21:39:58.927" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;For pathogen concerns, stock/standard advice often enshrined in regulations is &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2510e/&quot;&gt;not less than 120 days before harvest.&lt;/a&gt;&quot; So if you are adding fresh steer poop (which you should not, in most cases) do so a minimum of 4 months before your planned harvest date.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an instance where you might actually do this, consider the &quot;compost in place&quot; approach where you'd build a compost pile on the garden in the fall, possibly using fresh manure. By the time you are harvesting spring crops, more than 120 days has passed (in most climates that have a winter to speak of), all is good. If the manure has been composted for 120days or more, you can apply it whenever you like. &lt;strong&gt;If what you actually apply is &quot;bagged composted steer manure&quot; you have little if anything to worry about here.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The primary reason to &quot;avoid heavily manured plots for root vegetables&quot; is that some will react to abundant nitrogen by growing a lot of leaves, and not so much roots; branching/forking (as already mentioned by GardenerJ) is another possible negative side effect. This will apply whether or not the manure is composted, and for other, non-manure sources of nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-11T21:39:58.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24044" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22736" CreationDate="2016-04-11T21:48:52.923" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;To beat USD 0.109/kWH you'd have to create a &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; DIY system, possibly including auction lots of seconds (damaged goods) from eBay or a similar source of solar cells from China, and install them yourself. You might check whether there are any incentives available in your area to help offset the cost of an installed solar power system. In my area (Massachusetts) solar is not beating that cost yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a recent article about the cost of solar power in the US that you might find interesting:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://theconversation.com/when-will-rooftop-solar-be-cheaper-than-the-grid-heres-a-map-54789&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://theconversation.com/when-will-rooftop-solar-be-cheaper-than-the-grid-heres-a-map-54789&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, in practical terms, your electricity cost probably makes some high value crops economically viable already for 100% artificial light, without solar. Let's say you grow leafy herbs such as basil or high end lettuce and other salad greens. If you buy or build high efficiency LED lighting, you can expect to adequately light ~0.5m^2 with 100W. In that space you might be able to fit 6-10 plants depending on the variety. I recommend that you research crop yields from vertical hydroponic systems and talk to potential buyers in your area to gauge their demand for locally grown produce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14313" LastActivityDate="2016-04-11T21:48:52.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24046" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24039" CreationDate="2016-04-11T23:20:10.843" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a big difference between manure from ruminants (e.g. cows) and non-ruminants (e.g. horses, chickens, etc). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Non-ruminant herbivores produce poo which is relatively bulky and contains a lot of undigested plant material. This material is degraded rather quickly by bacteria, but until that happens the manure is traditionally described as &quot;hot&quot;, and indeed if it is stored in bulk it can become physically very hot because of the biological processes going on in it. In the 19th century horse manure was the standard way to grow tropical plants in &quot;hot-beds&quot; or &quot;hot-houses&quot; in temperate climates - just plant them into neat horse-manure that would easily heat up to 50 degrees C or more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using it in that state is &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; a good idea for root veg, because it may cause cosmetic surface damage to the roots. Also it is releasing a big rush of easily absorbed nutrients which can cause distorted growth (e.g. forked roots), or induce the plant to flower (bolt), set seed, and die while there is a lot of food available for its seeds to germinate, instead of slowly storing up food reserves in its roots which is what you want it to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Manure from ruminants has already been &quot;reprocessed&quot; several times before it leaves the animal, and is therefore less bulky, often has a high water content until it has dried, and has a lower nutrient value - but it is still useful as a soil conditioner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aside from any issues with pathogens, you can use cow manure for root veg pretty much &quot;straight from the cow,&quot; but horse manure needs to be stored (which is effectively the same as composting it) until the bacteria have finished doing their thing with it, and it has (literally) cooled down. Most of the pathogens will have been killed by the heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using &quot;chicken feed&quot; as manure seems a rather strange idea - unless you are letting some chickens process it first, of course!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-04-11T23:20:10.843" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24047" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24064" CreationDate="2016-04-12T02:04:22.547" Score="5" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need some help.  I set up two half barrel planters this spring, filled with nice bagged soil from Lowe's, but have had no luck growing plants from seed after about two months.  I think my issues are twofold - I have read that barrel planters dry out very easily (making it hard to get seeds to germinate and then grow for those that do), and I have seen a number of sparrows peck at the dirt (could they be eating seeds and shoots?).  It seems like it should be easier to grow in the easier planter than in the ground.  What am I doing wrong, and how do I make it better?  Regarding plants, I seeded poppies and two types of lettuce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14216" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T16:39:32.570" Title="Growing in barrel planters" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24048" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24051" CreationDate="2016-04-12T03:46:38.383" Score="7" ViewCount="767" Body="&lt;p&gt;This 7 m (23 ft) tall tree has been growing over my deck for some time, and I've ignored it until I saw a &lt;a href=&quot;http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/tui&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tui&lt;/a&gt; eating its fruit the other day. I'm in Wellington NZ.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My landscape designer didn't know what it was when in flower, but I guess the native birds do know so maybe it's a native.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture from the deck&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/b8t0JcS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruit with leaves, it's sweet&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/2R662cS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves and fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And cut fruit with seeds&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/CcgBUgD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cut fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-13T00:34:40.937" LastActivityDate="2018-10-17T02:24:00.447" Title="What is this tall tree with narrow leaves and sweet red fruit?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24049" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24050" CreationDate="2016-04-12T07:15:06.227" Score="10" ViewCount="1084" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am interested in bonsai, but I'm having difficulty finding the design that I want because when searching the internet most of the bonsai styles don't have pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could we create a compilation of bonsai styles here? It will be much better if we can add pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7178" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-25T23:48:52.770" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T23:48:52.770" Title="What are the different styles of bonsai trees?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24049" CreationDate="2016-04-12T07:16:45.463" Score="10" Body="&lt;h1&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaimary.com/basic-bonsai-styles.html&quot;&gt;Basic styles&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Formal Upright Style (Chokkan)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DrD4A.jpgs&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DrD4A.jpgs&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Informal Upright (Moyogi)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mtIvi.jpgs&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mtIvi.jpgs&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Slant (Shakan)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XcOVl.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XcOVl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cascade - Kengai&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LUJ3c.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LUJ3c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;5&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Windswept - Fukinagashi&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4dEqj.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4dEqj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;6&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Raft Style - Ikadabuki&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rJ6Em.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rJ6Em.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TkpFV.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TkpFV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;7&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Forest Bonsai - Yose-ue&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1AA0k.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1AA0k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RJZUg.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RJZUg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;8&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Broom Style - Hokidachi&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FPMH2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FPMH2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaimary.com/bonsai-styles.html&quot;&gt;Unique Bonsai Styles&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;At first glance, many bonsai styles can be identified by the basic&#xA;  descriptions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;They may also be combinations of shapes, such as a 'windswept&#xA;  semi-cascade.'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Or they may be something totally unique, such as this pine by bonsai&#xA;  artist Walter Pall (Germany.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Windswept Semi-Cascade&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0pnJo.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0pnJo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Root-Over-What&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9gmwd.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9gmwd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Figurines and Bonsai&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MvOYq.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MvOYq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7178" LastEditorUserId="7178" LastEditDate="2016-04-12T23:57:59.390" LastActivityDate="2016-04-12T23:57:59.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24051" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24048" CreationDate="2016-04-12T08:12:42.453" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_kousa&quot;&gt;Cornus Kousa&lt;/a&gt; luckily an edible fruit if you tried it before asking!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14317" LastActivityDate="2016-04-12T08:12:42.453" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24052" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24054" CreationDate="2016-04-12T09:34:24.723" Score="4" ViewCount="153" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've asked this question already here:  &lt;a href=&quot;https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/88497/dead-tree-how-to-stop-rotting&quot;&gt;https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/88497/dead-tree-how-to-stop-rotting&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But realise now it should have been asked here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a very large eucalyptus tree. I have recently been told by at least two tree surgeons that the tree is dying and should be taken down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its a beautiful tree and very large and does present a safety risk. I can see that part of the base of the trunk is crumbling, however above the crumbling area it all looks good. We have decided to have the tree removed leaving about 12 foot of the stump.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question is, is there anything I can treat the crumbling area with to harden it and stop it crumbling further? I'm not looking to save the tree, but I would like to carve the trunk into something but would need to harden it first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14320" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:22:11.787" LastActivityDate="2016-04-12T11:43:55.357" Title="How to stop trunk from crumbling" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;rot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24053" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-12T09:34:30.970" Score="1" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;My name is Nawaz Khan from Pakistan, Abbottabad. Kindly, tell me that what is the best time for propagation of Oranges trees citrus trees, orange sucker, and roses???&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14319" LastEditorUserId="9731" LastEditDate="2016-04-12T12:46:06.393" LastActivityDate="2016-04-12T12:46:06.393" Title="best time for propagation" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-11-21T18:41:00.103" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24052" CreationDate="2016-04-12T11:43:55.357" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the 'crumbling' area is at the base of the tree, it sounds as if the problem causing it to die is coming from the root. You haven't said what the diagnosis from the tree surgeon was as to the cause of the tree dying, but if he did tell you, that would be useful to know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the assumption that the problem is at the base/root of the tree, then the twelve foot of trunk above that you would like to leave in place will just die and fall, and if the cause is disease, there is nothing you can do to prevent that happening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-12T11:43:55.357" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24055" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1171" CreationDate="2016-04-12T13:01:28.633" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maybe we should rethink the way we garden!  I, too cut the main head off that was huge on my fall cauliflower.  But it had been planted next to a new fruit tree and I did not want to disturb the roots so I left it there thinking that it would decompose on its own.  In the spring it produced 4 side shoots - each producing a very full head.  I cut those off and guess what - it produced again in the fall.  Unfortunately, my chickens got out and ate the plant for dinner one cold morning.  I have an eggplant that is 3 years old and still producing along with various peppers and a cabbage that has 3 medium size heads on it at the moment.  All of these plants are heirlooms and maybe we should all take a look to see if traditional pulling and replanting is really the optimal way to go.  Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14324" LastActivityDate="2016-04-12T13:01:28.633" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24056" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24049" CreationDate="2016-04-12T13:54:28.983" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is a good picture list of Bonsai styles:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/anZSD.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/anZSD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-04-12T13:54:28.983" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23721" CreationDate="2016-04-12T15:49:14.677" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you need to to grow fast I'd go with a clumping ornamental bamboo Bambusa chungii or the like.  If you need it higher than 10m go with bambusa oldhamii which grows 25m.  If you really want a tree and can't afford the bamboo I believe Neem is easy to find in India and grows very fast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14325" LastActivityDate="2016-04-12T15:49:14.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24058" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24108" CreationDate="2016-04-12T19:46:13.237" Score="8" ViewCount="7714" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning to plant the following trees in my new home (yet to build). I think I will not get much space between house foundation and compound wall. What is the recommended space to grow the coconut tree? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Coconut Tree &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Teak Tree &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lemon Tree &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Jack Fruit Tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you recommend any trees (Hot climate - India) that will not damage the house foundation but will give sun shade along with other benefits?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14326" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-13T00:22:52.603" LastActivityDate="2016-04-15T23:38:34.737" Title="What is a good distance to grow coconut tree from house and compound wall?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24059" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1171" CreationDate="2016-04-12T21:26:48.530" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unlike some of the responses, I have experienced secondary growth after harvesting the main Cauliflower head.  So, I would suggest keeping the plant and giving it a change, assuming you don't have any other use of that space i.e. you are not ready to plant something else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-04-12T21:26:48.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24060" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23721" CreationDate="2016-04-13T08:27:19.333" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apart from Bamboo varieties you can also try &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyalthia_longifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; title=&quot;Asoca&quot;&gt;Asoca&lt;/a&gt;  &amp;amp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminalia_catappa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; title=&quot;Badam&quot;&gt;Badam&lt;/a&gt; trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Asoca will have very little leaf fall through out the year and can grown upto 30 feet tall. They attract very few birds in my observation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Badam tree attract lot of birds and squirrels but are prone to leaf fall during winters. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another variety you can try is Ficus Benjamina. Ficus benjamina is ever green and has very little leaf fall. It has thick shade and can attract lot of nesting birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2691" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T08:27:19.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24061" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24062" CreationDate="2016-04-13T10:42:22.420" Score="8" ViewCount="9131" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small mint plant that a friend grew from a cutting and gave me. He had it in a tiny pot, so I transferred it to another pot in pretty short order, and it's certainly been growing. I have not yet used any sort of fertilizer on it. Recently, I've noticed some of the stems are purple, and those purple stems have dead leaves. Here's a picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/viwS1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/viwS1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One possible cause that I'm aware of is that it's gotten too much water. I generally keep it out on a window sill, but it's been raining a lot the past few days. Would it be better to keep it inside until the weather clears up (or at least until the soil dries out a bit)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But more to the point, should I actually be worried about this at all, or is this considered normal behavior for mint?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14332" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-13T16:54:30.733" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T16:54:30.733" Title="Should I be concerned about these purple stems and dead leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24062" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24061" CreationDate="2016-04-13T11:07:19.867" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks pretty healthy to me. A lot of plants in the mint family get purple stems as they mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not unusual to have a mix of dying, seeding, and new growth intermingled in common mint. Even when the whole of the plant seems to have died back, you can still have new runners appear from underground later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Common mint thrives along riverbanks or under dripping taps, so it's pretty hard to waterlog, it's more in danger of death from drying out if it's too long between water or burning in the hot afternoon sun, especially if it's kept in a pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14210" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T11:07:19.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24063" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24065" CreationDate="2016-04-13T13:36:50.053" Score="8" ViewCount="1142" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Edited to add more detail and an update at the end)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a small Eureka lemon tree that is few months old, and is currently showing signs of weakness that are worrying me. In more detail, some time ago it was withering: following &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23474/does-my-very-young-eureka-lemon-tree-have-leaf-disease&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;, I moved it to another pot with drainholes and changed the soil, after which it started making new leaves (while the 3 it had before, probably dead, kept on withering).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But now, for a couple days its new leaves have started pointing downwards, and folding (picture below). This looks quite abnormal to me (isn't it?), and I have started worrying: what is wrong, and what can I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yQucP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yQucP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Rk: the big leaf behind is one of the 3 from before it got better, and probably dead. The other ones however are new, and for instance the small one at the top is folded...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xzgbC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xzgbC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Too much water? Not enough? Too cold? The pot is inside, next to a window pointed East.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt; after a few days trying to give it more sun (moving it to a South-facing window whenever possible in the afternoon), it does not have improved, far from it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GO07V.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GO07V.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(the picture was taken this morning, just after I watered it)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, in case this was not clear: the transplant was 3 weeks/one month ago, not a couple days. Now, not only the leaves, but also the stem is getting brown and dry. I am really at a loss, and am afraid it is dying quite fast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14033" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T08:39:30.393" Title="Why do the leaves of my (very young) Eureka lemon tree look folded?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24064" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24047" CreationDate="2016-04-13T14:24:55.087" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the comments that suggest you'd have more success if you started your seeds in smaller containers and then moved them into the barrels are spot-on. Using a seed tray or small starter pots makes it easier to ensure that you're providing the optimal conditions for the seeds to grow. It may also mean you can find a place for them that you'll keep an eye on better than the barrels, which you've mentioned dry out easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, if you still want to start the seeds in the barrels, you could form a makeshift greenhouse over the seeds. This would prevent birds from eating them, and help prevent them from drying out in between watering. An easy way to do this it to cut the bottom off of a clear 2 liter soda bottle, remove the cap, and place the bottle over the spot where you planted the seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2016-04-13T16:39:32.570" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T16:39:32.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24065" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24063" CreationDate="2016-04-13T14:31:10.223" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is probably suffering in part from transplant shock. Give it some time to adjust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, make sure you are not over-watering. If you stick your finger an inch or so into the soil, it should feel cool &amp;amp; damp, but not soggy. Let the soil dry to this point, but not completely dry &amp;amp; then saturate when watering. Wait until the soil has dried to the point of being only slightly damp again before watering again. For a plant that size in that size of container, this may be only once a week, but you'll need to test it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, its light green color (as opposed to a healthy dark green, indicates that it is not getting enough light, try placing it in a south facing window if you can, or under a grow light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13523" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T14:31:10.223" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24066" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-13T15:28:53.443" Score="9" ViewCount="1989" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A0Zua.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A0Zua.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;weed?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Can anybody tell me if this is a weed or a nice plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14335" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-13T16:53:20.977" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T18:14:14.907" Title="How can I tell if this is a weed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24067" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-13T15:35:49.180" Score="4" ViewCount="406" Body="&lt;p&gt;I already read &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1617/what-is-a-good-watering-routine-for-a-bonsai&quot;&gt;this great answer&lt;/a&gt; about water a bonsai, which was very helpful, but I'm very confused and I would love some help, as my previous bonsai died drowned and I don't want that to happen again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a 5 years old zanthoxylum piperitum, semi-evergreen bonsai. It came with a tiny general instructions reference for bonsais, that says I have to water it by putting it on a plate with water for 2 minutes twice a week... But actually in the greenhouse I went to buy it, was statically in that state. (and it's different than the tips I read over here), so I'm concerned that the amount specified it's not enough and needs more water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil is a bit dry, but the ribbon in the bottom of the pot is damp. Also I bought it a fertilizer, but I use very few. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone who has the same or similar bonsai tree can tip me on how to take care of it propertly and water it (with a can or the way I said), please? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11874" LastActivityDate="2016-04-14T21:10:10.740" Title="zanthoxylum piperitum 5 years old bonsai watering and care?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24066" CreationDate="2016-04-13T16:52:05.787" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on the shape of the leaves, It looks like something in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassicaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Brassicaceae Family&lt;/a&gt;, more specifically probably the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Genus Brassica&lt;/a&gt;. Although that is far from certain without knowing your location and also maybe not without seeing it bearing flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The characteristic that identifies this as a Brassica to me is the lobes occurring on the leaf stem below the main leaf, although there are other plants that do this too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica_oleracea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Example of Wild Cabbage Leaves&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XxrQq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XxrQq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This family includes Mustards, Radishes, Cabbage &amp;amp; many other food crops however, there are many, many wild &amp;amp; introduced variants that are considered weeds, even at that though, you would need to more precisely identify it based on location and mature specimens to determine if it is useful or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13523" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T16:52:05.787" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24069" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-13T17:42:12.220" Score="7" ViewCount="302" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very uneven back yard, from a combination of settling, bad maintenance, and a very enthusiastic dog (digger) that a previous owner kept out there. As part of a large backyard landscaping project, we will be flattening this lawn and growing clover instead of grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My current plan is to fill in the low spots and spread a couple inches of soil over the whole area (~75' x 35'). I'll cut the grass as low as I can, but will there be problems from leaving the root systems in place? I've considered renting a tiller or power rake, but I'm worried about destroying a rented tiller, and I'm not sure how deep a power rake is going to get. There are plenty of mid-sized rocks and hidden concrete pavers out there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: my big concern is what will happen to the soil itself with a layer of dead grass underneath. I'm not as concerned with some grass growing up through the new top layer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14336" LastEditorUserId="14336" LastEditDate="2016-04-13T22:15:20.660" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T22:15:20.660" Title="Can I add new soil on top of existing lawn without trouble?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;yard&gt;&lt;grading&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24070" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24066" CreationDate="2016-04-13T18:14:14.907" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can tell it's a weed if you didn't plant it and if you don't want it (whether it's a nice plant or not).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks a lot like arugula to me, but it looks rougher. It's possibly edible, and is very likely related to arugula, but I wouldn't risk eating it without certain knowledge of exactly what it is. Hopefully you'll get an ID on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T18:14:14.907" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24071" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24072" CreationDate="2016-04-13T18:22:35.063" Score="14" ViewCount="1245" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is still cold nowadays (mid-April) in east-France, so I started my vegetables inside a winter garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted some tomatoes seeds in a large pot of mine, which I had previously filled with garden earth and home-made compost. Since the compost contains various seeds, I got lot of life growing in there!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iXCDs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iXCDs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;compost with garden seeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And what a surprise when I saw there was mushrooms growing too:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NvTl1.jpg&quot; height=&quot;140&quot; &gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qgm7w.jpg&quot; height=&quot;140&quot; &gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ey9D7.jpg&quot; height=&quot;140&quot; &gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They look to me as they belong to the &lt;em&gt;Coprinus&lt;/em&gt; family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If my experiment goes well and I am able to raise my black radishes to a point where I can eat them, is it going to be an issue to have mushrooms growing around? I was thinking it could be an issue because mushrooms root may mix together with my radishes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mushrooms grow close to my plants:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/24Xlm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/24Xlm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;radishes and various weeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;I ate the reddish in the end&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And they do taste great! No mushroom taste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T14:46:35.650" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T14:46:35.650" Title="Is this mushroom going to make my black radish taste weird or be poisonous?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;&lt;radishes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24071" CreationDate="2016-04-13T18:37:54.893" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, it's not going to make your radishes inedible, toxic or taste funny. I agree they look like Coprinus of some variety, and Coprinus are edible, though I wouldn't recommend eating them without a definite ID. Regarding the radishes you're growing, bear in mind that, although you can see the mushrooms right now, they are only the fruiting body of underground mycelium, which is obviously present in the soil in your window box (probably came in with the garden soil or, if your garden compost had woody bits on it, with that). Soil outdoors has numbers of different mycelium in it of which we are unaware until they suddenly produce a crop of mushrooms or toadstools, so even if you'd planted your radishes outdoors, having already dug in your garden compost to the soil, they may well have been surrounded by the same mycelium present in the box. Remove the mushrooms as they appear, unless you like the look of them, they will eventually stop appearing. Over time, you may find other things appearing in the planting mix in the trough - you don't say whether you produce your garden compost using a hot, aerobic method to kill pathogens, but even if you do, adding soil straight from the garden would render the growing medium unsterile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T18:37:54.893" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24073" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24069" CreationDate="2016-04-13T18:52:58.340" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on the grass (certainly with kikuyu), it will break through the additional soil very quickly (I made this mistake recently).    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might consider spraying the grass with glyphosate [ie the active ingredient in most common weed killers - often called &quot;Roundup&quot; ] first - although this could harm the trees if significant quantities get onto the leaves - so try and do this on a sunny, windless morning, and keep the spray low to the ground.   (Theoretically roundup becomes inactive on contact with the soil and doesn't affect the roots, there are arguments arround that it leaves residue - which are denied by most companies).  NOTE:  Do not cut the grass before spraying, and note that it can take 2-3 weeks for the grass to die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T18:52:58.340" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24074" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24075" CreationDate="2016-04-13T19:25:51.400" Score="4" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a science to regulating lettuce indoors in a way that prevents or minimizes bolting/flowering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T19:29:59.577" Title="How can I regulate lettuce indoors so it doesn't bolt/flower?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;&lt;bolting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24075" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24074" CreationDate="2016-04-13T19:29:59.577" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Control the lighting so it never exceeds 12 hrs. And keep it cool, below 70 degrees F if you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why you growing it indoors though, that's not usually done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T19:29:59.577" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24076" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-13T20:22:15.770" Score="0" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted fruits trees and vegetables (raised beds) in my side yard.  Every summer i have visitors (not sure which ones) in the form of gophers, squirrels, rabbits (maybe), mice (maybe) that eat my fruits and vegetables.  I would be happy to share some of my production with my visitors but sometimes I feel it is unfair (they ate my entire Kale plant and did not leave me anything).  Any ideas on how to deter these visitors from eating my share of the loot.  I cover my vegetable raised beds with a net but somehow these guys get in from under the net (not the raised bed).  Any recommendations on what i can do without hurting them and doing it organically?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T20:22:15.770" Title="Best way to deter pests (gophers, squirrels, rabbits) from my fruit and vegetable area" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;rodents&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-04-13T23:51:28.973" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24077" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-13T20:48:19.390" Score="8" ViewCount="92" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen beautiful plantations of herbaceous perennials plants under mature deciduous trees and I would like to plant something similar. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My concern is for the tree itself (an Autumn Blaze maple in this case). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have often read on this site that trees respond badly to changing the height or grade of the soil above their roots. So this precludes simply adding 6 inches of soil inside the drip line section.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I once tried digging around but the three (planted 2 years ago at that site, bought at a nursery it was about 8' to 9' tall) already has many small roots in all directions which I assume are from this tree and I fear that by digging holes I will be damaging it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to proceed or is this just a bad idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T22:16:00.170" Title="How to plant herbaceous perennials under an existing tree without harming it" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24077" CreationDate="2016-04-13T22:16:00.170" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just going by your description of how this tree roots, it doesn't appear ideal for planting around, either by digging or by raising the bed. So, I'd suggest placing containers with herb starters, carefully not where roots are present. This way, if desired, your roots could be grown and fertilized organically, while you could feed the tree itself differently. I tend to plant shade lovers at the base and around trees and have had success. Some herbs will not grow too wildly in the shade, but if you pick the right ones, you should do fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-04-13T22:16:00.170" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24080" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24082" CreationDate="2016-04-14T14:17:23.800" Score="6" ViewCount="872" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm very inexperienced with gardening and I got two growing sets from IKEA, including sets for basil, parsley, peppermint, coriander, oregano and thyme. Most of them have begun to grow and it seems they are in good shape so far:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ebdSz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ebdSz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/OS6bX&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imgur.com/a/OS6bX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought the basil, parsley and peppermint first and the other 3 were added later. Now the IKEA instructions don't tell me a lot about how to take care of the herbs, which is why I'm asking here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do I have to repot them at some point? In the IKEA pictures, it seems they can be left in the included pots for a very long time, but I don't know if that's a good thing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If I have to repot them, can I put a few of them (say 2-3) in a single pot or do I have to put them in separate pots?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;They are currently sitting on a window sill facing east inside my living room (I don't have a lot of light in my kitchen unless I turn the lights on). Should I put them somewhere else where they are not exposed to direct sunlight or will they be fine?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How often should I water them? I have some other indoor plants too, and the way I have to take care of them varies a lot, some need the earth to almost always be wet whereas others should be left until the earth has become a bit dry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to use fertilizer at some point? Which one?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What do I have to pay attention to if I want them to survive the winter?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;And most importantly: When do I know that I can use them for cooking? What do I have to pay attention to when I use them? Should I only use a few branches every time?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks a lot in advance for any help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14349" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-31T15:32:23.603" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T15:32:23.603" Title="What do I have to pay attention to with pre-potted growing sets of herbs?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24081" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="761" CreationDate="2016-04-14T15:18:41.770" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I regularly bring home whiteflies on organic farm stand greens.  I used to wash those greens in the kitchen sink, and the aphids would fly up to the potted herbs in my kitchen window, and so my problems began.  Eventually I discovered that if I place my affected herbs in a breezy window for a while, and gently shake the plant every once in a while, the aphids are sucked against/through the screen.  I also make sure to wash my herbs, one at a time, in the laundry room, so when the aphids fly off, there's no other plant for them to go to.  I also started washing my greens outside, before I bring them in, then put them straight into the fridge (in a container or bag).  The next day I give them a more thorough washing in the sink, and the (dead or stunned) flies wash right off, instead of clouding.  All these measures haven't eliminated my problem, but it allows me to keep the herbs healthy enough for me to continue using them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14350" LastActivityDate="2016-04-14T15:18:41.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24082" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24080" CreationDate="2016-04-14T15:29:31.350" Score="5" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The pots you have look quite small (maybe 9 cm across?), but you should be able to keep your herbs in them. I have 3 herb pots on my window sill that are about the same size, and my herbs have been quite happy in them all winter. You do have a LOT of plants in each pot, though, so I would thin them out a bit. Maybe leave 1-3 plants in each container. You can use the plants that you thin out - don't throw them away! Personally, I'd thin them out slowly as I needed the herbs, so they don't go to waste. Here are pot size recommendations from Cornell U: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/misc/containers.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/misc/containers.pdf&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you choose to repot them, you could combine them into a couple pots. They have slightly different requirements, so I might combine in more than one. Oregano and thyme both like to be a bit neglected. Basil, parsley and coriander can take a bit more watering. Mint likes to take over and will try to outcompete the others. Three pots might work best.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure which direction your window faces, but your herbs should be fine in the living room window. Herbs generally like a lot of sun.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I covered water requirements in #2 above - oregano and thyme will need the least. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In general, herbs do not need a lot of feeding, but in pots they do need a little bit. You can use a slow-release fertilizer for herbs in the pots. I use an organic 5-7-3 that is marketed for vegetables and herbs. I feed them once a season. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I don't think you'll have any problem getting them to last, but keep their life cycle in mind. Coriander will go to seed at some point, and will need to be repotted. If it is kept cool in the house, it should last a good long time. Once the heat of summer hits, though, it is likely to bolt. Use it before then! Parsley will last for about a year before it bolts. It is a biennial, so this is normal. You'll need to reseed it, too. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the photos I see that your plants have their cotyledons and are just starting to get their first true leaves. Once they are about four inches tall and have more true leaves you can start using them. To use the basil, thyme, mint, and oregano, pinch or snip the top part of a stem off, leaving at least a couple of leaves on the plant. This will cause the plant to grow bushier. With coriander and parsley, I'd just be sure to leave a few stems behind from each plant. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2016-04-14T16:43:38.447" LastActivityDate="2016-04-14T16:43:38.447" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24083" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24080" CreationDate="2016-04-14T16:06:32.043" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;With most plants indoors, insufficient light is one of your greatest enemies. It can lead to &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiolation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;etiolation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; or, plainly long, lanky and pale stems and unfortunately a higher tendency to attract pests or simply fall over. So give them as much light / sun as you can, do not move them away from the window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for your questions, it depends a bit on what you want to acchieve: just a supply of fresh herbs for the kitchen or a somewhat permanent solution. Some of your plants are pennials, so with good care, oregano, thyme and mint can be your &quot;green pets&quot; for years. Basil is a bit tricky, because it usually will go to seed and then die, but we had users here reporting a &quot;perennial&quot; effect from self-seeding basil. But that's probably in another climate, iirc. Parsley will bolt in the second year, coriander after one season, so those are more the &quot;use quickly&quot; type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are careful, you can keep them in those tiny pots for a while, but you need to be extremely diligent in watering and fertilizing and probably won't have them for too long. Larger pots give the individual plants more room, otherwise some of the seedlings might die off as natural selection (described &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/21952/keeping-basil-fresh-as-long-as-possible-should-i-remove-the-plastic&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;) or - worse - hinder each other from growing. -&gt; I would go for at least 12 cm or bigger, especially mint likes to put down roots. Small pots outside (see below) are also hard to keep sufficiently watered on hot summer days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a safe (= can't fall down) window box or similar, move your seedlings outside once they have developed the first set or two of true leaves - that would also be a good time to transplant them in small groups into their new pots or window boxes. Keep thyme and oregano separate, because they need less water (and consider adding a rosemary, says the cook). Do not move them outside instantly, you need to harden them off. More about this can be found on this site.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Choose the window which gets the most sun dring the day, not your north-facing one. Parsley and mint will cope with less, but as you don't have a south-facing window, I suggest your east kitchen one, meaning you can reach them easily for cooking. Note that sunlight will not only let your plants grow well, but also increase the aromatic oils we so desire in our herbs for cooking. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A food-safe (read the lable) fertilizer will keep the softer plants happy, a slow-release one means you fertilize only once, a liquid one lets you adjust better if you feel they need more or less at any given time. Let thyme and oregano &quot;starve&quot; a bit, they need probably half the standard dose. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water &quot;as needed&quot;, meaning somewhat generously for basil, mint, parsley and coriander (you want lots of leaves!) do not keep thyme and oregano wet all the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can start harvesting single leaves (or tips) once the plants have a few leaves, just don't leave the stem &quot;bare&quot;. Harvesting the mint and basil tips encourages new growth from lower nodes and bushier plants. Let oregano and thyme grow into little bushes, then snip branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for overwintering, see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/22344/how-to-prepare-herbs-for-winter/22345#22345&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, for example.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-04-14T16:15:42.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24084" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-14T18:50:17.123" Score="10" ViewCount="520" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to treat my azaleas for lace bugs without harming my honeybees. I'm especially concerned since it's not just wild bees. I've started a hive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been looking into it and my local AG Extension website shows three chemicals I'm interested in. One is 'Acephate' which is a foliar spray that is systemic. I think the effects my last 1-3 weeks. The other two are 'Imidacloprid' and 'Dinotefuran'. The last two are either granular or a drench, but they're also systemic and are supposed to treat for an entire season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd love to use one of the latter two, but I'm worried for my bees. A couple of my azaleas try to grow every year and end up damaged and poor looking. I'm almost positive it's lace bugs after doing some research this year. A lot of last years leaves are yellow and spotty and have dark spots like insects or insect poop on the underside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know the systemic poisons can be harmful to bees, because it can travel up and enter the pollen and nectar. However, I was hoping someone could tell me if it's harmful to them if applied after flowering has stopped. If they aren't flowering, then they won't have nectar and they bees won't ingest the poison. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know, however, that azaleas start growing the following years flowers when the ones from this year drop. So, will they systemic poison applied after flowers drop this year, pollute the nectar for next years flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for any help or info on this. I'd like to see my azaleas do well this year without harming my bees. I'm open to other suggestions on treating for them, but I'd like something that's fairly effective. I don't want to have to go out and coat every square inch of leaf surface with neem oil every too days. It would be ineffective, time consuming, and I'd probably miss a lot of the undersides of the leaves, leading to a reinfestation. Thanks for the help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-04-14T21:43:41.703" Title="Treating Azaleas without harming Bees" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;&lt;azaleas&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24085" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24084" CreationDate="2016-04-14T19:12:11.183" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, I wouldn't be using any of those, particularly not imidaproclid, and I don't keep bees - that substance has been or is about to be withdrawn in the EU for two to five years to see if it impacts on the bee population, because there is such conviction of its environmental impact on bees generally, never mind whether its sprayed on open flowers or a plant with no flowers. Acephate appears to be an organo phosphate, and I'm surprised you're still allowed to use those; all organo phosphates marketed for garden use were withdrawn in the UK and Europe at least three years ago. Organo phosphates cause neurological damage in humans in the long term at the very least, and once in the body (absorbed through skin or any other route), they never leave. Therefore, I see no reason to suppose the other one you mention will be any better, but then, after many years of gardening experience, I've become an absolute sceptic or, if you like, unbeliever when it comes to pharma companies declaring their products to be safe, or safe if used in a particular way. I'll admit its tempting to use these products, and certainly, many of the ones withdrawn over here are much missed, without suitable substitutes, but I'd rather not poison the environment nonetheless. I wonder whether you've tried a more organic route, such as neem oil or insecticidal soaps - more general info regarding lacebug control in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/azalea/azalea-lace-bug.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/azalea/azalea-lace-bug.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-14T19:25:28.867" LastActivityDate="2016-04-14T19:25:28.867" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24086" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24088" CreationDate="2016-04-14T20:51:15.590" Score="10" ViewCount="410" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm travelling around various family members all over the UK for the next week. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The family members I'm with at the moment have a really gorgeous cherry tree that I would really like a cutting from, but won't get it home to do the actual rooting (hormone and potting) for another 5 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long after taking the cutting off of the tree will it remain possible to successfully root it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to maximise my chances of getting it home healthy? I would obviously take a few cuttings to increase my chances, but wondered if it is even worth it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastActivityDate="2016-04-15T02:14:43.660" Title="Taking a cutting from cherry Tree" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;rooting-hormone&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24067" CreationDate="2016-04-14T21:10:10.740" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A good way to get calibrated about when any bonsai needs water is to not water until it loses turgidity. As soon as you see the foliage sag and get 'weepy' make note of the look and feel of the substrate and your monitor (ribbon, chopstick, etc.). Then water immediately – turgidity will return within an hour or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I keep my Japanese pepper tree in an inorganic substrate called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.turface.com/products/infield-conditioners/mvp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Turface MVP&lt;/a&gt;. I use it simply because it is inexpensive and readily available where I live. Volcanic 'soils', pumice, scoria, and lava rock in particle sizes of about 2mm may be the best substrate, but just about any porous inorganic will do. The advantage of these is that they retain very little water between the grains, so a lot of air gets to the roots and it is nearly impossible to overwater - you will have little reason for your current worries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live near the water between Seattle, WA and Vancouver, Canada. It is generally overcast and raining except in the summer. My tree sits outside on a shelf (on the ground when there is freeze danger) exposed to the elements. Sometimes it is being 'watered' for days on end by the rain with no problems. Organic substrates (potting soil and the like), retain quite a lot of water and the danger is that the roots don't get enough oxygen (i.e., that they literally drown). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless of which kind of substrate you have, there will always be a zone or layer at the bottom of the pot that is saturated with water. The smaller the grains the higher/deeper this saturation zone will be. It is there because of capillary action – water is held against gravity by the wetting attraction of water to the particle surfaces. So after watering you can tilt the pot on its side (not so far that the medium starts to fall out). This will reduce the saturation zone. I often do this for the first few weeks after repotting, returning the pot to its normal stance once the water has stopped dripping from the pot. And, when it is expected to be raining heavily for an extended time, I prop the pot so it sits on a slant for the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I’ve had my pepper tree in several different depth pots. Last year it was in the shallowest, one about the same depth as yours and it was not as vigorous as it had been in deeper ones. So, I moved it to a pot about 5 cm deep when I repotted it a month or so ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-04-14T21:10:10.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24088" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24086" CreationDate="2016-04-14T21:24:27.950" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cannot answer the detailed questions, but put the cuttings in a plastic zip-top bag with a few bits of damp paper/cardboard/sphagnum moss/etc. - seal it tightly, but leave as much air inside as is practical if they are leafed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It isn't essential, but the longer you can keep them refrigerated until you can strike them, the better. Also, if you have 3% hydrogen peroxide handy, mix it with water at the rate of 2 tablespoons per quart. Drench your cuttings and shake them off before bagging them. This should nix possible bacterial/fungal issues for the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck (is always needed).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-04-14T21:24:27.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24089" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24084" CreationDate="2016-04-14T21:43:41.703" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use NEEM for such problems = sucking insects, though whitefly is the only one with which I specifically have had trouble on my azaleas. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My understanding is that NEEM won't affect bees or other pollinating insects (unless sprayed directly on them). Not liking to get up early, I usually spray late in the day and I try to avoid spraying when the azalea is in bloom. For me that isn't a problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendation is to spray the leaf undersides with NEEM as a dormant spray in fall/spring as a prophylactic to kill eggs if you've had a heavy infestation; otherwise only as needed and avoid spraying during flowering if at all possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The nuclear options are just a last resort, IMHO.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-04-14T21:43:41.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24090" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24098" CreationDate="2016-04-14T23:34:04.230" Score="4" ViewCount="455" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had a deck removed recently and had sod put in about 10 days ago. The problem is the soil was not leveled prior to the sod being added and now the new lawn is taller than the rest of the lawn. I tried removing the sod by hand, but with all the water and rain it is already stuck to the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have St. Augustine sod/grass and the area which I am trying to fix is mostly sunny. We live in Texas. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How would I go about leveling the area? If it is possible I would like to save and reuse the same sod/new lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wDnPW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wDnPW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T9Rpk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T9Rpk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14351" LastEditorUserId="10904" LastEditDate="2016-05-09T15:24:03.000" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T15:24:03.000" Title="Recommendations on fixing my uneven lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24092" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24086" CreationDate="2016-04-15T02:14:43.660" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having tried this (unsuccessfully) with &quot;spring cuttings&quot; (friends were moving and leaving their house with cherry tree, so it was then or never) my research into it suggested taking cuttings in the fall and letting them develop roots over the winter as being much more likely to succeed. As such, while you certainly could try to pack in damp newspaper and keep cool now, if your family will still be there in the fall, that would be a better time to take cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-15T02:14:43.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24093" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-15T02:55:39.183" Score="7" ViewCount="357" Body="&lt;p&gt;I posted before about the powdery mildew affecting my verbena plants. I have now observed that some leaves have died, and small (1 mm or less) insects are present. They're mobile so not eggs, white and not obviously winged so they may be a larval stage. I'm looking for identification, and whether they are just feeding off dying leaves (in which case why are they still amongst the dead leaves), or caused the leaves to die.  I am not seeing them on the healthy leaves. The plants seem otherwise okay, and starting to flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flowering&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/FVZMdr0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowering&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dead leaves&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/7Anpclk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dying leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bugs&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/U4UemqX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dead leaf with insects&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More bugs&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/CWqVMUb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;more bugs on dead leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-15T02:55:39.183" Title="Are these primary or secondary verbena pests?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24094" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24097" CreationDate="2016-04-15T05:09:26.697" Score="6" ViewCount="6344" Body="&lt;p&gt;What will this become?  Found just north of Washington, D.C., tan with black triangles, about 1.5 inches.  The fibres around its head are not part of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sliOw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sliOw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Caterpillar in DC&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YmvJO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YmvJO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Caterpillar in DC&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14354" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2016-04-15T09:32:12.673" LastActivityDate="2016-04-15T11:30:11.690" Title="Caterpillar identification: tan with black triangles" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24095" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-15T09:26:45.800" Score="8" ViewCount="7885" Body="&lt;p&gt;About two months ago I bought an Alocasia black velvet for on my desk. My office has a large window and the plant stand at a distance of around 3 meters from the window, so not in direct sunlight. I water it twice a week, letting surplus water drain from the bottom. Recently the plant's leaves are showing brown spots, shown in the picture. I've tried watering the plant less but then the leaves tend to hang a lot lower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anybody tell me what I'm doing wrong? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k1Gxd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k1Gxd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14355" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-15T13:55:24.337" LastActivityDate="2020-08-07T17:19:01.127" Title="What is causing brown spots on my Alocasia Black Velvet?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24096" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25346" CreationDate="2016-04-15T10:54:03.313" Score="8" ViewCount="536" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted this plant 4 years ago and it didnt even bloom. I'm not sure what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OOXxt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OOXxt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13726" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2016-04-15T14:11:52.920" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T21:12:19.853" Title="What is this houseplant with glossy leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24094" CreationDate="2016-04-15T11:30:11.690" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like one of the armyworm caterpillars, probably one called Yellow Striped Armyworm, link below for image, although there are other images on line that are much more brightly coloured, showing distinct yellow and black coloration. They do vary a bit in appearance according to maturity and time of year, but either way, its an armyworm, and they turn into moths, and its probably not something you want in your garden if there are lots of them&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://bugguide.net/node/view/473723&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://bugguide.net/node/view/473723&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And information about armyworms generally here, with control methods if its necessary&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/garden-pests/armyworm-control/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/garden-pests/armyworm-control/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-15T11:30:11.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24098" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24090" CreationDate="2016-04-15T13:19:46.770" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you should go ahead and fix it now. Your sod is trying to grow into the ground, which is why it's stuck, but I think it's one of those things where you'll regret it if you don't fix it. Even if you damage the grass and loose some, at least you won't have a bunch of time and energy into it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't look like a big area. Just take a square-nosed shovel and have someone lift it while you scoot the edge under the sod. You'll be cutting the roots attaching it to the ground. However, it still has plenty of good roots in the sod's soil. Roll it up if it came that way or set it to the side if it was in squares.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hose it down so the roots don't dry out while you're leveling. The level your ground and get it back down as soon as possible. I would probably rent a tiller if you don't have one and run over the whole area to loosen the soil. Maybe amend it with some organics if you don't naturally have them in your yard. Then level your area off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a little bit of a guessing game at this point. You need to the dirt the sod will be placed on, lower than the surrounding soil to compensate for the thickness of the sod. However, after you've 'fluffed' it up with the tiller, it's going to settle some. It'll have a lot to do with the type of soil you have as to how much it'll compact. I'd probably try to press it down to get most of the settling out of it. The soil will still be plenty loose, but I'd walk on it or throw a piece of plywood down and run over it with the mower a few times. You can probably just run your mower over the area period. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also opt for a little low versus a little high, because you can always add a thin layer of compost over the top every year and the grass will grow up through it. You can eventually get it perfectly level that way. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-04-15T13:19:46.770" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24101" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24102" CreationDate="2016-04-15T14:55:11.993" Score="8" ViewCount="5170" Body="&lt;p&gt;About 8 weeks ago I stuck a couple cut fig branches in a glass of water in a sunny space.  As of today, one of the cuttings has sprouted a couple of leaves out the side of the branch, but I don't see any roots developed at the bottom where initially cut.  I would eventually like to plant the cutting outside.  What do I do from this point on to make sure there is something I can plant that will be viable?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14216" LastActivityDate="2016-04-16T15:36:47.473" Title="What to do with fig cutting in water?" Tags="&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24101" CreationDate="2016-04-15T18:02:52.147" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you need to do a few things. First, put the cut end into a watered 'airy' medium like vermiculite or pearlite or even sphagnum (orchid moss) -many other things meet the need but aren't so commonly available. It will also help to dip the cut end into rooting hormone. I know the big box stores carry RooTone powder that will do what you need. It is quite helpful, but isn't essential.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then you need to make a humidity tent so the cutting doesn't desiccate. Moisture in the cutting will be drawn out through the leafs to dry air. The only way to slow this process is to keep the relative humidity of air around the leaf as close to 100% as practical. This is what a humidity tent does. Lastly, you want to keep it out of direct sun light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many ways to gen up a little greenhouse/terrarium. I happen to have lots of 1 gallon nursery containers,so I partially fill (about half) with rooting medium, strike the cutting, and fit a one gallon plastic bag over the top. Some people often cut the bottom off a plastic soda bottle instead of a plastic bag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rooting seems to generally occur most rapidly at temperatures around 70F, so you could keep the struck cutting in its little terrarium inside your house on a north facing window sill if you want. I have a heater pad from an old water bed that I've rigged up in a shady spot outside to provide 'bottom heat'. I've gotten more success using that heater than without; again, it is quite helpful, but isn't essential.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck (always needed with rooting cuttings).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-04-15T18:02:52.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24103" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7089" CreationDate="2016-04-15T21:17:33.257" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trap crops may be effective at keeping the grasshoppers away from your usual plants. I've heard that trap crops can be effective for grasshoppers. Lubbers sound even more voracious than regular grasshoppers, though. So, I don't know how effective this will be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure about Lubbers, but grasshoppers in our area seem to prefer amaranth (the weed version we have) and comfrey. So, you might look into those and other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Amaranth is easy to grow fast. It's a leafy annual that produces lots of seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Comfrey takes a few years, but is a perennial (it also attracts bumble bees). Once established, it will grow back easily if the leaves are entirely removed. (It can be difficult to get rid of it, in fact.) So, if the Lubbers eat all the vegetation, it shouldn't be a worry (after the first few years).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sunstatepest.com/2014/all-about-eastern-lubber-grasshoppers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Eastern Lubber&lt;/a&gt;, they say removing water sources may help. They like to nest near them. Lubbers are toxic to opossums and some kinds of birds, unlike regular grasshoppers. So, attracting birds won't help much if they're the wrong kind of birds, unfortunately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Loggerhead_Shrike/lifehistory&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Loggerhead Shrikes&lt;/a&gt; are supposed to be Lubber predators. I'm not sure how to attract them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dusting or spraying your plants with diatomaceous earth might deter them. I don't know, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-04-15T22:01:36.710" LastActivityDate="2016-04-15T22:01:36.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24104" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-15T21:17:51.863" Score="7" ViewCount="892" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm currently growing some lavender from seed and I was wondering if I should go ahead a prune it. I know with basil it helps with improving yields and bushiness but I'm not sure if I should prune lavender as aggressively or if it's even necessary (all the lavender on google images I see look like they have a lot of long stems, hence the confusion).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14361" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-15T21:48:53.473" LastActivityDate="2016-04-16T12:10:37.930" Title="When and how should I prune lavender?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;lavender&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24104" CreationDate="2016-04-15T21:47:09.887" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lavender is a plant that can get straggly if it's not pruned, but it's a small perennial shrub, so its needs are very different from basil which is an herbaceous annual.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Essentially, you allow lavender to grow until it's reached the size you want for the place you've planted it. Then, every year after that, you cut it back by about &amp;frac13; of its size; it will grow back to the original size during the following growing season. You generally do this after it has finished flowering in autumn to tidy up the dead flowers, but you can also do it in early spring before new growth starts. I use a garden shears to get mine to roughly the shape that I want, and a pair of bypass pruners for trimming any old wood that the shears can't handle easily. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lavender will recover if cut back to old wood, so you can also use this as an opportunity to shape the plant if desired, cutting it back more in places that are overgrown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you're growing it from seed, you won't need to do it for at least a couple of years. Pinching out the growing tip can encourage the young plant to become bushier, but lavender will generally do that on its own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-16T01:09:42.397" LastActivityDate="2016-04-16T01:09:42.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24106" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24104" CreationDate="2016-04-15T21:48:33.337" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every plant and tree can use a bit of pruning. The rules pertain mostly to when you can safely prune based on where you are, whether you should prune soft wood versus hard wood, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Old gardening tales aside, nowadays, sites like this and others help us quite a bit. I have definitely made pruning and repotting mistakes and lost some plants along the way, so be prepared for that to happen, at least to a small enough percentage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All said, the rules for lavender are quite easy, assuming this is the regular kind. Wait till summer is close to ending (check your zone for when this is) and then cut them down. Older lavenders will re-shoot easily than younger ones, so if this is their first year, I'd wait. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope that helps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-04-15T21:48:33.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7897" CreationDate="2016-04-15T22:44:35.020" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This study is regarding Manzanillo but it demonstrated that a compatible cross-pollinator can increase production dramatically compared to a incompatible cultivar or even the same type. There is something to the genetics here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/32/6/1056.full.pdf&quot;&gt;http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/32/6/1056.full.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm also looking around for an Ascolano for my Mission for this reason. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14362" LastActivityDate="2016-04-15T22:44:35.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24108" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24058" CreationDate="2016-04-15T23:38:34.737" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother, a seasoned farmer, has had no problems planting coconuts right by the house foundation. The challenge actually comes from the tree either leaning on the house or from things falling right on to the house, or people walking below etc. So, leave some distance from the house, at least 2m and if you have space, more. Space them so that they are at least 1m within your fencing. Bananas may be grown in the shade but will need copious water depending on variety. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We also had problems with one coconut tree close enough to the main power line, it became a fire hazard and fire service actually had to be called. I am not trying to scare you. With proper planting, co-seeding and fertilization, you can receive years worth of crops if you have the right climate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lemons grow nicely in hot weather, never really get too tall to give shade unless you plan to sit under them. Check with the nursery though, if they can recommend tall varieties. Lemons are very good and worthy trees to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neem, Indian &quot;strawberries&quot; and mangoes as well as tamarinds can give you plenty of shade, but each will need a good deal of spacing, like 3ft all around themselves or on the sides. In our house and in our farm in South India, we grew all these very successfully, except tamarind, our place being slightly cooler than needed. Almost of all of them will need some soil conditioning. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Teak will need pruning and harvesting, but can be eye catching and give good shade. Make sure they will grow in your area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Figs are another option, but they can root quite deep and cause hassles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't recommend Eucalyptus unless you have cool climate, live near the coast and/or require wind-breaking. They consume quite a bit of water and are a fire risk in summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I can tell, Jack Fruit grows tall, in neighboring Kerala where humidity appears to aid it quite a bit. It needs about 1.5 - 2ft or more in spacing, and plenty of patience for the fruit to be produced. They need quite a bit of fertilizing, care and humidity, just so you know. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before planting, my mother always consulted with the nurseries, and with the local Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. These chats can help you quite a bit, saving time and money. I recommend you do this. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-04-15T23:38:34.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24109" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-16T00:00:58.073" Score="6" ViewCount="94" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 3 raised beds in my backyard that I want to maximize use for.  Does someone have an approximate calendar (does not have to be perfect) which outlines what activities (growing, harvesting and maintaining) should be during different months of the year and at the same time keeping the raised bed always producing rather than letting it idle.  For example, grow root and leafy vegetables between November and February.  I realize that there can be many different answers but any suggestions would be helpful.  Right now, my main planting and harvesting is spring through fall and rest of the time it is idle or I grow cover crop (fava beans).  I live in the San Francisco/Bay Area&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-04-17T23:06:39.677" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T21:18:01.603" Title="Gardening calendar for vegetable beds" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;&lt;cover-crop&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1008" CreationDate="2016-04-16T03:15:35.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;i've had good luck with insulated leather gloves and my hands don't feel especially uncomfortable on a 100° day. barberry thorns are thinner and impossible to avoid. they go through the leather occasionally; and once it's happened, it will happen more frequently in the same spot. 'thought about adding some duct tape to the grip areas......un-insulated are no good for thorns; insulated suede are okay but not as good. i will not use rubber or plastic dipped for thorn-work again. that was painful! doing some research, i now see why. they are &quot;cut&quot; or &quot;slash&quot; resistant because they're woven with resistant materials; but thorns will travel in-between the weaves. the coating itself offers little protection,it seems........it may help to note that rose thorns point inward -wild (invasive)multi-flora even more so; so if you can avoid sticking your arm in you may avoid getting sliced. i often use a short pole-pruner to clip toward the base of the stem, (such as this 5' one: &lt;a href=&quot;http://cdnll.gardenersedge.com/images/500/9234_1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://cdnll.gardenersedge.com/images/500/9234_1.jpg&lt;/a&gt; )then pull it out by the tip of the branch. i may have to make a few cuts because of cross-branches, but it's still easier than going against the direction of the thorns.(&amp;amp; safer)......i am considering trying these: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.magidglove.com/assets/item/hero/TRX550_HERO3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.magidglove.com/assets/item/hero/TRX550_HERO3.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14364" LastActivityDate="2016-04-16T03:15:35.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24109" CreationDate="2016-04-16T05:28:59.560" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your idea of green manure in winter is a good one, beans help put some nitrogen back into the soil. Otherwise the most simple rule for rotation is to leave it a while between plantings of things in the same family. Some do yearly rotation, some do seasonal. I just have 2 beds for veggies, so my rotation this year looks something like this, I've also included a couple of the companion plants I've used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;First Bed:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Summer - Nightshades (Tomato,Peppers) + Basil&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Autumn - Brassicas + Sage&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Winter - Beans&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spring - Apiaceae + Onions&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Second Bed:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Summer - 3 Sisters - Corn, Beans, Squash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Autumn - Apiaceae + Onions&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Winter - Asian Greens (Small quick growing brassicas) + Sage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spring - Asters - Lettuces + Jerusalem Artichokes (which I've heard also fix nitrogen)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And then the next year I would swap the beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a short guide from Gardening Australia:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/vegieguide/crop_rotation.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/vegieguide/crop_rotation.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14210" LastEditorUserId="14210" LastEditDate="2016-04-16T05:37:42.397" LastActivityDate="2016-04-16T05:37:42.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24112" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24113" CreationDate="2016-04-16T09:06:24.463" Score="8" ViewCount="811" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've noticed these guys in the garden for years but never bothered to find out what they are. They are bright red, move with great speed, have a single body, and 8 legs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/KEBUUBc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mite&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seems it's actually a whirligig mite which is supposed to be a predatory insect that eats mites and aphids, and possibly scale insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What role do they have in pest management in a home garden? Should I move them to aphid or pysllid infested plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found them roaming amongst the carrots and what's left of the potatoe leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T15:57:53.670" Title="How helpful are whirligig mites?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24112" CreationDate="2016-04-16T11:55:42.040" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whirligig mites will eat whatever is small enough for them to catch and pierce with their mouthparts, when they suck out the contents of the body of whatever it is they've caught, usually aphids and so on. They are a reasonably useful predator for small insects and shouldn't be discouraged or killed, but I wouldn't worry about moving them where you want them - a hungry insect (or in this case, mite) will roam far and wide looking for food, and if you put them where you want them, they will make their own choice about where they want to be anyway - it'll be wherever the pickings are easy and rich enough for them to stay for a while (much like any other living thing, including us). Link below briefly describes the life cycle&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_PmCyEAxCVMC&amp;amp;pg=PA17&amp;amp;lpg=PA17&amp;amp;dq=what+do+whirligig+mites+eat&amp;amp;source=bl&amp;amp;ots=R3peMHCLVE&amp;amp;sig=fKLWoqUIOvJL4LEPpkPCC94s1yw&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwiz3pfZi5PMAhVFbRQKHYLHA_0Q6AEIJDAC#v=onepage&amp;amp;q=what%20do%20whirligig%20mites%20eat&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_PmCyEAxCVMC&amp;amp;pg=PA17&amp;amp;lpg=PA17&amp;amp;dq=what+do+whirligig+mites+eat&amp;amp;source=bl&amp;amp;ots=R3peMHCLVE&amp;amp;sig=fKLWoqUIOvJL4LEPpkPCC94s1yw&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwiz3pfZi5PMAhVFbRQKHYLHA_0Q6AEIJDAC#v=onepage&amp;amp;q=what%20do%20whirligig%20mites%20eat&amp;amp;f=false&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-20T15:57:53.670" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T15:57:53.670" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24114" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24104" CreationDate="2016-04-16T12:10:37.930" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are some pruning rules that must be acknowledged regarding lavender - certainly I agree don't prune until they've flowered the first time, then clip over the bush with a pair of shears or pruners, taking a tiny amount of foliage (less than an inch if they flower this year) at the same time. Subsequently, they should actually be pruned twice a year, immediately after the main flowering in late spring/early summer (varies according to region) and then again very late summer or early fall. Each time you clip back, you should take a small amount of foliage - in the plant's second year, take a good inch of foliage each time. The reason for doing this is because lavender is one of those plants that does not respond to pruning of old wood, and hard pruning back to old wood of a more mature specimen (over 3 years) may well kill the bush. Therefore, to prevent leggy, woody growth over time for as long as possible, it's best to prune twice a year. Even so, the average lavender bush will inevitably become woody and leggy after five years, and are frequently replaced between 5-8 years. It is, though, easy to raise cuttings yourself from the plant for replacement purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-16T12:10:37.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24115" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24101" CreationDate="2016-04-16T15:36:47.473" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Figs are very susceptible to fungal disease while rooting, so managing moisture well is important, and using a rooting hormone w a fungicide is a good.option.  I typically cut the leaves to reduce moisture loss, but would prob not do that since you took them a while ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I greatly prefer taking winter hardwood cuttings of figs, as there is virtually no work required.  If you girdle the branch a month prior to taking the cutting, it allows the auxins to build up and you don't even need any rooting hormone.  Also you can root them directly in the spot they will grow, which is important as even after rooting there is significant loss during transplantation as the root systems develop slowly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that is not a direct answer to your question but keep that in mind if your current venture goes south.  Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A long time ago (before kids) i had visions of a fig cooperative, and wrote up some info on my experience w fig propagation in the DC area.  You might find it helpful if you go w winter hardwood propagation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://figs.20712.org/resources/propagating-figs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://figs.20712.org/resources/propagating-figs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13998" LastActivityDate="2016-04-16T15:36:47.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24116" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-16T16:34:26.760" Score="4" ViewCount="3464" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 3 bird of paradise plants in a 16&quot; pot, and I am worried that they are getting too crowded. I water them 1-2 times per week and fertilize about every 3 months using 19-6-12 Osmocote smart-release plant food. I live in Seattle, WA, so they have been inside about October-April, and I just moved them outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand they like to be crowded, but I wonder if their current condition is too crowded. Should I divide them, or get a bigger pot? Or should I just leave them as is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aouaj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aouaj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YGg3g.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YGg3g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iu51i.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iu51i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dQmpO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dQmpO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j3dif.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j3dif.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13483" LastEditorUserId="13483" LastEditDate="2016-04-16T16:49:55.187" LastActivityDate="2016-04-16T22:36:06.103" Title="Is my bird of paradise too crowded? Should I divide or repot it?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24117" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-16T17:01:02.903" Score="5" ViewCount="7453" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to trim my rubber tree because it is too tall, but many of the leaves have fallen off. Now, there are only a few leaves left, and they are all at the top. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water it about once per week and fertilize about every 3 months using 19-6-12 Osmocote smart-release plant food. I live in Seattle, WA, so it has been inside about October-April, and I just moved it outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, instead of cutting off the branch, I was going propagate the trimmed section into a separate plant using &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/gardeningguides/propagation/techniques/learnhowtoairlayer.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;air-layering&lt;/a&gt;. But where should I cut it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the plant hasn't been doing very well because it lost a lot of leaves over the winter while indoors. I just moved it outside, so I hope to strengthen its stores before beginning the trimming/air-layering process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ALLeu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ALLeu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/us7bQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/us7bQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wlmx8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wlmx8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Update:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I will follow @stormy's and @Bamboo's advice by doing the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repot the plant and only use distilled water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut down the mainstem to the highest lateral, and propagate it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;air layering on the side of the longest remaining lateral and propagate it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have suggestions about the timing of these tasks? Here is my schedule: I repot first, wait 3-4 weeks, cut mainstem and propagate, wait 1-2 weeks, air-layer and propagate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, just to be sure, where should I cut the mainstem and where should I perform the air layering on the longest remaining lateral? Here is a labelled photo of my plan:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FUupA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FUupA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13483" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-02T21:42:11.277" LastActivityDate="2021-02-03T11:48:40.100" Title="How to trim a rubber tree plant when all of the leaves are at the top" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;air-layer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2016-04-17T15:37:16.287" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24117" CreationDate="2016-04-16T18:11:51.267" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, let me just say that you should not leave your rubber plant outdoors all night if you haven't hardened it off first - it needs to be acclimatized gradually, over a week or so, before its outdoors all the time, if its warm enough where you live for one of these to be outdoors during summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant as it stands is markedly unattractive because of the leaf loss and damaged leaves. I note there is a single main stem with two lateral stems, and because of its general appearance, I would be drastic and cut down the mainstem to the highest lateral, then use the small amount of growth on the top of the stem you've removed as a cutting, rather than air layering. Air layering can be a very slow process, up to two years sometimes, and in the meantime, you're looking at a plant with lots of bare stem and all the growth on top, with a plastic baggy attached to the side of the stem. Instructions as to how to do a cutting are in the link below, but basically, you need a cutting about 6-8 inches long, strip off the lower leaves, use hormone rooting powder if you have it and plant it into a pot with dampened, good potting compost, then cover with a plastic bag or similar to keep the moisture in and stop the cutting drying out. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/rubber-tree/propagation-rubber-tree-plant.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How To Start A Rubber Tree Plant: Propagation Of A Rubber Tree Plant&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Feed the main plant after pruning back. The lowest lateral branch does have many damaged leaves, and you may want to consider cutting that branch off later on, when new growth has been generated elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER - In light of a comment below, and having thought about it, maybe you could follow the route I've outlined, but try your air layering on the side of the longest remaining lateral (side branch) - that way, you've got two chances of creating a new plant, the cutting and the air layering. Given you've said it's too tall, it's only going to get taller this summer, with all the growth on the tops of the stems, so pruning some of the height off seems to be a good idea, and you might as well use the leafy growth as a cutting anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-03T11:48:40.100" LastActivityDate="2021-02-03T11:48:40.100" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="24119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24116" CreationDate="2016-04-16T19:21:50.350" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dividing is up to you (I'd recommend both), but at least repot them. More than anything else, they look unstable and if you took them out the container, I bet the roots are now wrapping around the edges and strangling each other. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants are top heaving and could tip in heavy wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good Luck! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-04-16T19:21:50.350" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24120" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24123" CreationDate="2016-04-16T19:41:14.160" Score="6" ViewCount="4597" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small backyard with patchy grass. I killed most of it during a recent project, always with plans of laying sod after. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read that just tilling the existing grass isn't suggested when planting seed, but haven't read anything about sod. Instead of digging up the remaining grass, can I just till it into the soil before laying the new sod?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14366" OwnerDisplayName="Evil Closet Monkey" LastEditorUserId="14366" LastEditDate="2016-04-17T16:59:07.373" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T16:59:07.373" Title="Can I Till Existing Grass Before Laying Sod?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;tilling&gt;&lt;yard&gt;&lt;sod&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24121" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24145" CreationDate="2016-04-16T20:06:50.187" Score="5" ViewCount="628" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I were to prune a branch, it would interrupt the flow of auxin in the cambium and release buds below that have been held in stasis (of course there must be cyokinins in the tissues below to release the buds; i.e., the plant is actively growing). If instead I girdled the branch, I would also interrupt the flow of auxin to the tissues below and this ought to release buds in stasis just like decapitating the branch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I right/wrong that girdling and pruning are equivalent in this respect (and why please)? In other words, is girdling and pruning equivalent as far as the response of the rest of the plant is concerned?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Girdling is removing a ring of bark completely around the stem. This also removed the phloem or inner bark in which sugars from photosynthesis are transported down the tree from the foliage toward the roots. This also removes nearly all of the vascular cambium through which auxin is transported from cell to cell (like a bucket brigade). However within a day or two exposed to the air any residual cambium cells desiccate and die - in effect, girdling also removes all of the cambium. The xylem (wood) remains in tact, supplying water and minerals to the portion of the branch above the girdle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A girdle cuts off the flow of auxin to the branch just below the girdle as well as sugars from above. Pruning cuts off the flow of auxin and sugar as well. Yet many people tell me that pruning will release more buds than making a girdle. I cannot understand how this could be true. Is the effect really different? And if it is, I am very interested in an explanation of why.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastEditorUserId="13580" LastEditDate="2016-04-17T20:03:43.303" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T21:06:19.390" Title="Pruning versus girdling" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24121" CreationDate="2016-04-16T21:44:26.493" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I understand, they are the same but the buds should not fall off. Done this before and nothing like this has happened. I would say that it will be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-04-16T21:44:26.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24123" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24120" CreationDate="2016-04-16T21:47:03.413" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can indeed till right into the grass and not dig it up. Just understand that there is a good chance that the grass can get tied up like hair in a motor (If that made any sence). Done this many, many times and usually nothing wrong happens. Just simply remove the grass. If anything I would do it because then you just have to rack up the tilled grass :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-04-16T21:47:03.413" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24124" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24116" CreationDate="2016-04-16T22:36:06.103" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There looks to be lots of top area to grow in.  You would repot if they dried out quickly after watering or stopped flowering.  Birds of paradise rarely flower indoors, your performance may vary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have frequently seen this species grow indoors to 8' to 10' ( ~3 m) tall in similar size pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to tell is to take the plant out of the pot and look at the roots at the bottom.  If they are  a solid mass circling around and no soil is visible at the bottom then you can take a sharp knife and cut a few inches off the bottom of the root ball.  Add fresh soil to the bottom of the pot, put the plant back in: job done!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-04-16T22:36:06.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24120" CreationDate="2016-04-17T00:28:39.557" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you used a sod cutter?  This would be the best way to get rid of the old grass and roots.  I would make new plant beds with this excess material.  Valuable organic matter.  If the roots are below the surface by 3 -4 inches, buried by clean topsoil, mulch they will not regenerate.  If they do they are so easy to pull.  The sod cutter will get rid of the live grasses and the thatch from your lawn. I turn the cuttings from the cutter over when I add them to a new planting bed.  Not an existing plant bed as it could cause problems with shallow rooted plants. Tilling is just not necessary to make a new lawn.  Rake, grade, ROLL, rake more, make sure that your lawn drains somewhere, where you want it to drain at least 2% slope.  Roll again (water filled roller works well), definitely use sod butted up closely to the neighboring sod pieces.  Keep the grass of the sod from bending and getting between the sod pieces.  If you make sure to mow your grass no lower than 3 inches (cool season grasses), water deeply (4-6inches deep in the soil), allow to dry before watering again (the best test is to walk on your lawn and if your footprints remain then it is time to water again, fertilize with slow release organic fertilizer (Dr. Earth was wonderful), aerate once a year minimum...you should not have to worry about lawn weeds again.  Mow any lower the weeds seeds that are blowing in all the time will get a chance to germinate.  Water every day, you'll be hanging a neon sign out to all weeds to come and join in...fertilization should be 3-4X per year and make dang sure the formulation matches the time of year.  Especially the fall.  Sharpen your blades obsessively.  Never miss a week of mowing.  Twice a week is great.  I'd bag clippings using them on plant beds to smother weeds.  But thinly.  Do not use herbicide plus fertilizer.  Just organic fertilizer labeled for the time of year.  Tilling would do you no good whatsoever.  But if you do make dang sure to ROLL and rake and ROLL some more.  Do not use seed to grow grass if you've got roots and weed debris.  Sod is the best option for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T00:28:39.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24126" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24121" CreationDate="2016-04-17T00:51:54.557" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry but the two are extremely different.  Girdling is killing the cambium all the way around a branch, trunk of a woody perennial or tree.  The Cambium is an extremely thin layer just below the bark.  If one cuts this layer all the way around then that is called girdling. It will kill everything that was growing above that line as the xylem and phloem the food and water lines feeding the plant are cut/damaged and will never work again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning on the other hand is doing for the plant what it already wants to do.  When branches and their leaves are NOT producing for the plant using photosynthesis the plant will start killing its own branch.  To prune is to understand the plant, botany and what its ideal form should be.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning very very simply means getting rid of branches that cross, branches that are angled to the inside of the plant, branches that are unhealthy or injured, thinning vegetation so that the plant gets more ventilation less disease.  Never prune more than 1/3 of the plant.  If you are a newbie to pruning don't ever do that much.  Use clean (wipe with alcohol) and sharpened blades every single time you prune and before pruning another plant.  Use only by-pass pruners.  Do not use anvil type (pinching) pruners.  Do not coat the cuts with anything, ever.  Keep the main, the largest blade of the by-pass pruners closest to the main trunk or stem when you cut.  This will leave less of a stub.  Any branch that is hugely smaller and out of proportion to that branch should go.  Tiny thin little branches that come off a branch that is established and very thick in relation to little tiny thin branches should go.  One should be able to see the main branching through the leaves.  Don't mess with the 'leader' (the main branch that determines the tree's shape) on trees unless you know what you are doing.  Trees should be THINNED, shrubs should be headed and not viseversa unless you know what you are doing.  Heading is trimming the ends of all branches.  Thinning is pruning entire branches off from the main branch and/or trunk. If your trees/shrubs are planted too low in the soil so that the trunk with bark is below the soil or below the mulch or below the decorative rock you will be girdling and killing it.  Bark on the trunk should be out of the soil and have nothing that will hold the moisture next to the bark.  Just below the soil the roots will take off.  There is a line between the 'bark' and the 'roots'.  If one buries the trunk too low the moisture from the mulch or soil will allow bacteria to GIRDLE the plant.  It might take a few years for the tree or shrub to die but this is such a common mistake that I keep harping about it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bulk of the energy in a branch of any kind is in the apical or terminal bud.  When one cuts that off the energy is then transferred to all the axial buds all along the stem.  Not great for trees, but usually great for thick shrubs. Make sure that the lower branches, trees or shrubs are longer than the ones above it.  Kind of a big salad bowl upside down.  That way the leaves on the bottom are getting as much sun in relation to the branches above it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;OK...that is as simple as I feel I can get away with.  Grins!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T00:51:54.557" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24117" CreationDate="2016-04-17T00:58:28.347" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bamboo is correct but I just have to add your plant is suffering from high salts in your soil.  Stop using tap water.  I'd either flush this pot with lots and lot of water or better yet use good potting soil and replant this guy.  Also it could use more light. Put it on the porch if the porch is in complete shade, no direct sun. Only water when the soil dries.  And use distilled water or rain water.  Tap water is too full of salts.  The burning on the edges is the key.  What are you doing for soil and fertilizing and watering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T00:58:28.347" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24128" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-17T01:01:57.320" Score="3" ViewCount="270" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I used a patch fill seed mix from a big box store. This year those patches have taller and lighter colored grass than the surrounding lawn. In the picture below, these would the grass on the left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uld0I.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uld0I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) What type of grass is this and how do I get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) I am planning to reseed my lawn with bluegrass seeds this season, am wondering if I should indeed get rid of these tall grasses before I reseed the lawn. Will the bluegrass smother out the tall variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some close ups&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q5cWA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q5cWA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WM0PO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WM0PO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S7oCO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S7oCO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some more pics&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i905P.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i905P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PorlS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PorlS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14368" LastEditorUserId="14368" LastEditDate="2016-04-22T20:59:30.147" LastActivityDate="2016-04-22T20:59:30.147" Title="Grass identification and removal" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24129" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24135" CreationDate="2016-04-17T05:56:15.397" Score="6" ViewCount="133" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm brand, brand new to gardening, and I have a feeling this may be a silly question... but I've found myself wondering it nevertheless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've bought a basil growing kit (a pot, some soil and some seed) and have grown a small plant that I'm using the leaves from every few weeks. I started to look into how to promote further growth in the plant (i.e. whether I should repot it into a larger pot; plant it in the garden; etc etc).... when I realised that basil is an annual plant, and my dreams of always having basil to pick may not become a reality.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've found a quick guide on how to use basil cuttings to grow additional plants (basically, put them in water, wait till roots grow, then replant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And thus my question: assuming this works, can this technique be used in general, to kinda make an annual that will last forever?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14050" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T11:37:26.390" Title="Can annuals work like perennials if you keep using cuttings?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24130" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24132" CreationDate="2016-04-17T06:16:44.897" Score="7" ViewCount="45" Body="&lt;p&gt;This pot plant used to be double the size it is now, and was sitting on our outdoor table when some hungry cockatoos knocked it off and snapped off the other half of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NmVUZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NmVUZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've since moved it to where they're unlikely to play with it, and have been watering it regularly hoping what's remaining will stay healthy. The leaves have been going a bit brown, but other than that it looks like it's neither dying nor thriving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question: is it likely that this will always be a half-plant? Is there anything I can do to 1) help it stay alive or even 2), help it grow to be more bushy again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14050" LastEditorUserId="14050" LastEditDate="2016-04-17T06:26:17.667" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T07:39:25.420" Title="What's the best way to care for this damaged plant?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24131" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24138" CreationDate="2016-04-17T07:16:21.217" Score="8" ViewCount="123" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've recently bought our first home and I'm slowly getting in to the garden. I have a lot to learn, so starting small - amongst some basic composting and herb growing I'm also trying to fix our lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd love a nice healthy lawn, but it currently looks like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zxgc8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zxgc8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eVUcX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eVUcX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first photo is the sunny part of the lawn, and the second photo is the shady part. Obviously, the sunny part is looking a lot nicer, but does still have some bare patches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We live in Melbourne, Australia - fairly unpredictable weather but generally cool apart from summer when we do get some hot days. So far, I've been watering the entire lawn regularly, and bought some PatchMagic (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.scottsaustralia.com.au/lawn-builder/patch-magic/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.scottsaustralia.com.au/lawn-builder/patch-magic/&lt;/a&gt;) because it looked pretty difficult to get wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The part where I used it to test is along the bottom of the second photo. It hasn't helped &lt;em&gt;much&lt;/em&gt; but there have been some some tiny patches growing here and there. There have also been some new patches growing up along the left of the second photo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been mowing - mainly in the sunny part - every few weeks or so, whenever the lawn starts to look a bit longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I guess there's a few questions here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How long should I be waiting to see results, before deciding that what I'm doing isn't working?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I even be trying in the shady area? Should I instead be looking into alternative uses of this part of the lawn and/or getting rid of the tree that's causing the shade?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there a better product I could be using rather than something that markets that it grows on concrete?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14050" LastEditorUserId="14050" LastEditDate="2016-05-17T22:56:28.853" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T22:56:28.853" Title="Growing a healthy lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24132" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24130" CreationDate="2016-04-17T07:39:25.420" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the image, I can tell you, it is still doing okay. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondly, I think you are doing everything you are supposed to, for now. Just like us, plants also need time to heal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend some compost or moss on the top to let more of the stem not be showing it is the way now. This is just something I do, and has worked to keep plants warm, retain moisture and also protects more of the stem and the root. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not able to tell how long it has been since the injury, but if it has been about 2 - 4 weeks, a very diluted 10-10-10 might help. Dilute as much as possible as plants may burn out faster when recovering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just a note, fertilizing is not a must right now, but it could help especially if you have been fertilizing the plant in the past. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T07:39:25.420" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24135" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24129" CreationDate="2016-04-17T13:05:59.707" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, yes and no, or maybe. Annual plants have one purpose - to grow, flower, be pollinated and fertilized, set seed and die, all in a year. Then there's biennials - these form, usually, a basal clump of leaves one year, then flower the following year, set seed and die. Other plants that are considered 'annuals' may actually be perennial, but either look unattractive or lanky after the first year, or they're growing somewhere it gets too cold in winter and the winter kills them, and an example of this sort of plant is petunias. There are other groups of plants - hardy herbaceous perennials, which die back to the ground and reappear the following spring, and hardy perennials that remain evergreen, and separately, sub shrubs, shrubs and trees, which are mostly the woody based plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With your basil, which is, as you say, an annual plant, it may be possible to overwinter cuttings you've taken towards the end of summer, and have them growing the following year, taking cuttings of new growth again and so on. You could certainly give it a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T13:05:59.707" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24136" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8814" CreationDate="2016-04-17T14:05:59.103" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get a spray bottle and spray straight ammonia in the entry holes. The next day you will see the dead rodents on your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14372" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T14:05:59.103" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24137" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23412" CreationDate="2016-04-17T15:23:28.647" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you do have access to a poly tunnel or greenhouse, you may want to consider buying annuals as plug plants and growing them on.  That will reduce the costs considerably, just a thought &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T15:23:28.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24138" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24131" CreationDate="2016-04-17T16:12:43.063" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the shaded areas try a blend which has high portion of fescue grasses and consider trimming a few branches to reduce the shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;IMHO patch packs are a waste of money. They typically have less than 10% seed, that too fast growing but unimpressive ones and the rest is mulching material. Here in the US, we can buy grass seed packs which contain more than 80+% seed. Put down the seed and cover it with a very thin layer of compost, 1cm will do. Water daily for two weeks and you will have a lush green lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14368" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T16:12:43.063" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22624" CreationDate="2016-04-17T16:53:05.757" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like plants my Grandmother &amp;amp; Mother had indoors in The Bronx; we called it Snake Plant &amp;amp; when I moved to the DC area folks called it Mother in law's Tongue? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14375" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T16:53:05.757" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24140" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-17T17:12:40.380" Score="4" ViewCount="1964" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in South East Tennessee. About 7 years ago I planted two Lilac bushes in my front yard. One is the regular purple kind, the other is called a &lt;em&gt;French Lilac&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The purple one started to get too congested in the middle, so I cut out all the middle branches that looked dead. I also started getting Kudzu growing around it. This year it is doing better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B4q3i.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B4q3i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lilac Bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The French Lilac looks like half of it is dead and I don't know what to do. I planted both of these bushes the same year, but one is huge and the other is only half as tall as it was when I planted it. Maybe it is supposed to be that way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pFfXO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pFfXO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;French Lilac&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut some of the branches down and the sucklings at the bottom. Now what?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is planted in what became a low spot in my yard after having my yard dug up to have pipes from house to sewer replaced. They just filled in the yard and planted grass seed. It is no longer level. Could it be the drainage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a greenish white spot where the stem meets the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f4UVS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f4UVS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lilac white spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14376" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-05-13T16:26:11.660" LastActivityDate="2017-05-13T16:26:11.660" Title="Dying French Lilac" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;lilac&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24141" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24148" CreationDate="2016-04-17T18:28:11.207" Score="6" ViewCount="2036" Body="&lt;p&gt;I intend to grow a foliage wall in my bedroom by using English Ivy. For convenience and aesthetics I'd prefer using ropes as support. But will it climb?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14377" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-06T00:23:48.050" LastActivityDate="2018-01-06T00:23:48.050" Title="Ropes as climbing support for English Ivy?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;support&gt;&lt;english-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24131" CreationDate="2016-04-17T18:59:27.673" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am having a similar issue with my lawn but at a smaller scale compared to yours. In my case I suspect the ground has gotten hard and preventing the grass from spreading there. I loosened up the soil and mixed it with compost. Am watering it daily and hoping the grass will spread to the affected areas. If that does not work I am planning to put seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T18:59:27.673" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24143" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24141" CreationDate="2016-04-17T19:02:01.077" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think it matters what material you use to train them, but what type of structure you provide for the plants to climb up.&#xA;To create a foliage &quot;wall&quot; you'd be better off providing a net, in order for the ivy to spread out. Hanging ropes will lead to the thick &quot;green lines&quot; growing around individual ropes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cZyiM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cZyiM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.slideshare.net/jinadevkv/green-wall-57239570&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.slideshare.net/jinadevkv/green-wall-57239570&lt;/a&gt; slide 9&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T19:02:01.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24144" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24149" CreationDate="2016-04-17T19:58:25.493" Score="9" ViewCount="4185" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a septic tank with multiple chambers, the output of which is then pushed into a field (by design).   As I'm new to living rurally, I asked a whole bunch of questions to the people who came to service the tank.  I'm not sure there answers make sense, and I'm still a bit confused.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone advise how it is appropriate to use the output of the septic system - I was told that its great for fruit trees, but bad for things like tomatoes, zucchini etc - even if applied only to the roots - a claim I'm a bit skeptical of. (The reason for my skepticism stems in part from reading I did relating to &quot;The Martian&quot;, and apparently growing potatoes in human waste is viable).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was also told that it is toxic to people (which makes sense), but would not affect my goats or sheep (which doesn't make much sense to me, but I believe is probably correct) - Does anyone know the ins-and-outs here ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm contemplating laying a new line parallel to the existing one and using it to continuously feed a line of trees - Apples, Lemons, Figs, fejoas and stone fruit.  Is this a good idea ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T23:57:05.597" Title="Output of Septic tank as fertiliser" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24145" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24121" CreationDate="2016-04-17T21:06:19.390" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might have answered it in your question - &quot;The xylem (wood) remains in tact, supplying water and minerals to the portion of the branch above the girdle.&quot; I don't know enough plant physiology to provide a definite answer, however here's my theory.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When trees are girdled death is not instant, since the tree will &quot;temporarily transport water and minerals from the roots to the leaves. Death occurs when the roots can no longer produce ATP and transport nutrients upwards through the xylem.&quot; - &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girdling&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girdling&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It involves the concentration of minerals ( or [m] ) at the point where the buds develop (X). &#xA;When girdled, the [m] remains constant at X. Buds are stimulated to grow by the absence of auxin.&#xA;When pruned, buds are also stimulated to grow. The rate of flow of water in xylem will be lower, so [m] will decrease as the buds grow. This stresses the plant and triggers a defensive response to grow more shoots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it concentrations are involved, I think it may be incorrect to say more buds are produced by pruning. By pruning, the buds produced are healthy and grow bigger. The same number of buds probably grow either way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T21:06:19.390" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24146" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-17T21:20:51.567" Score="6" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anyone know what this is. It looks like a ground cover, it came up after buying a store-bought mulch. In one year it has taken over my garden, the roots are close to the surface. No flowers appear. I live in Ontario canada&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sTt37.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sTt37.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14379" LastEditorUserId="13580" LastEditDate="2016-04-17T23:38:13.703" LastActivityDate="2016-04-18T10:46:55.637" Title="Anyone know what this ground cover is" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24147" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24063" CreationDate="2016-04-17T21:23:16.473" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did you see what Escoce commented on your original question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23474/does-my-very-young-eureka-lemon-tree-have-leaf-disease&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; , about transplanting it? &#xA;Can you remember what the roots looked like when you transplanted it? It's possible there weren't enough roots for a transplant so it might die whatever you do now&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T21:23:16.473" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24148" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24141" CreationDate="2016-04-17T22:26:11.120" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;English Ivy (hedera helix) climbs by thin roots penetrating whatever it clings to. So if you want to use rope, it would be better to use natural fibre rather than nylon which may be too smooth for it to get any grip. It won't climb by wrapping its stems &lt;em&gt;around&lt;/em&gt; the rope or net like bindweed, honeysuckle, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another issue is that ropes will presumably move around quite a lot (e.g. because of air currents), and ivy naturally clings to relatively stable supports like walls, tree trunks, etc. It may never succeed in attaching itself to something as mobile as a rope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your foliage wall is intended to cover an actual wall, the ivy will probably soon be putting roots into the real wall, which is presumably not what you want! Beware that so far as Ivy is concerned even solid rock is &quot;porous&quot; if it's left undisturbed for long enough to get a grip on it. Plaster, dryboard, bricks, concrete, etc, won't be much of a challenge for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ignoring your aesthetic preference, I think either a wood panel (with enough spacing behind it so the ivy roots can't penetrate through the wood and into whatever is behind it) or a free-standing wood structure like a pole, tepee, etc, would work better than rope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T22:26:11.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24149" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24144" CreationDate="2016-04-17T23:57:05.597" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're going to be dripping partially treated effluent onto the ground near some fruit trees.  The main concern is splash back of pathogenic bacteria onto some edible fruit.  Though this risk is less when the fruit is in a tree, there is still some risk especially if someone picks fruit off the ground to consume.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's clearly more of a risk with vegetables closer to the ground such as zucchinis and tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Contamination of food crops with E Coli, Yersinia etc appears to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://cnsnews.com/news/article/organic-food-has-significantly-higher-contamination-study-finds&quot;&gt;more of a risk&lt;/a&gt; in organic grown vegetables which has had manure come into contact with the crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The safest way to apply human manure to edible crops is to compost it first, and then let it stand.  This might be 2 years depending on whatever the local bylaws suggest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In countries such as China where human manure was once commonly applied to the fields, the risk was reduced since vegetables were always cooked before consumption, and water was always boiled first and drunk as tea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you're using a drip line, I presume that the tree roots have no way of following this back to the septic system, or invading underground lines of the system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-17T23:57:05.597" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24150" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24151" CreationDate="2016-04-18T04:42:32.657" Score="6" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just removed a carrot that I grew in my backyard. It is very different from the carrot you get in the supermarket. Wondering why the core is yellow instead of orange. The taste is not great either. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See pictures below. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j6Txk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j6Txk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RfWLS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RfWLS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PNnvF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PNnvF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/epCeM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/epCeM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-04-18T05:01:29.463" Title="Carrots grown in my backyard look different" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24151" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24150" CreationDate="2016-04-18T05:01:29.463" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The outside is just fine. Supermarkets and the farms that feed them throw away carrots that aren't &quot;perfect&quot;, giving the myth that there is exactitude to the shape of the carrots&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The inside is a different story. Does it taste woody or too tender? It appears that the carrot is either too ripe or too tender. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have to check your zone and also try to identify the variety you are growing to see what the right gestation period is for pulling carrots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I had to bet, I actually think you pulled this one too soon. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-04-18T05:01:29.463" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24152" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-18T05:06:14.090" Score="7" ViewCount="421" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently moved several small potted succulents from partial shade to full sun, which proved catastrophic for many of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Specific genera among the casualties:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Echeveria&lt;/em&gt; / &lt;em&gt;Graptopetalum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Faucaria&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sedum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sempervivum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can these plants regrow from the roots if the aboveground structures have died?  What can be done to maximize their survival chances?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11271" LastActivityDate="2016-04-19T20:59:43.187" Title="Saving sun-scorched succulents" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24153" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24146" CreationDate="2016-04-18T10:36:45.807" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As @Nic mentioned in his comment this should be ground elder. One of its dominant optical features is that the number three is the dominant number of leafs and forks it has.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;For some more information about the plant click  &lt;a href=&quot;http://healingweeds.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/ground-elder.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14382" LastEditorUserId="14382" LastEditDate="2016-04-18T10:46:55.637" LastActivityDate="2016-04-18T10:46:55.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24154" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24171" CreationDate="2016-04-18T14:08:53.850" Score="9" ViewCount="2088" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm an amateur gardener and I've tried growing sweet peas, yard long beans, cucumbers with no results. The plants grow but never bear fruit. The only thing that grows in my soil is tomatoes. Can anyone explain why only tomatoes grow in my garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14383" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-18T16:34:01.103" LastActivityDate="2017-08-04T16:20:07.547" Title="Plants grow but not fruit" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3791" CreationDate="2016-04-18T20:40:29.813" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had a pear tree above our compost pile (the pile was at the bottom of a small 5 foot dip). Anyway, that tree was amazing. Actually, it's still there. This was at my college in Virginia. The tree just gave tons of fruit and was absolutely amazing. I think we sold $300 worth of pears and that's after the students took a good share. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14387" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-19T00:05:54.613" LastActivityDate="2016-04-19T00:05:54.613" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24156" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-18T21:34:41.207" Score="5" ViewCount="923" Body="&lt;p&gt;My garden hose faucet leaks out of the valve knob center whenever it is on. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GtWZH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaks out of the valve knob center.&quot;&gt; Can this be fixed? How?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14373" LastActivityDate="2016-04-19T04:48:15.030" Title="How to fix a garden hose faucet valve leak" Tags="&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24157" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24152" CreationDate="2016-04-18T21:51:27.410" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry I don't know the cause of your damage, but I have a lot of experience with sedums, and can reassure you that a healthy plant can grow even if the top is damaged, dead, or broken off; and even if the roots have come out of the soil and completely dried up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;growing zone 6&lt;/a&gt;, (-10°F, -23°C) and have a number of varieties of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sedum&lt;/a&gt;, both upright and creeping. Some thrive in an area that gets up to 6 hours of sun a day, even at the height of the summer, but most do best in part shade or full shade, with a maximum of 4 hours of indirect sun. I frequently move them, but keep them in the same conditions, so I don't have the problem you're having. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's an animal in my yard who rearranges mine. I regularly find them dug up, broken into pieces and scattered all over the place. Generally the top growth is dead or absent and the roots are dry and shriveled. If I ignore them and go back a few weeks later, there is already new growth. The pictures below are of a piece from a large plant that I found with no foliage growth at all on the lawn about two weeks ago. I threw it under the bird feeders. Today I found it in a different spot, lying sideways on top of the ground, with dead-looking roots and nice new growth!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you've figured out the problem, you may need to transplant it. If so, I've had success with just digging a hole and dropping it in, but when starting with a compromised plant, this is what I recommend to maximize chances for future growth:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check for bugs or other damage to the root. If you find anything, gently scrape it away.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dig a hole (or use a container with room for a hole) about twice the size of the root ball.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Partially fill with some loose soil. Some people use compost, but I generally just loosen up some garden soil until it's light and aerated. If you're using a container, I recommend a potting soil made for that purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Set the plant into the fresh dirt, keeping the top of the root ball at ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water it well for the first few days, then switch to a regimen of waiting for the topsoil to dry out before watering again. In general, once, established, most sedums would rather be too dry than too wet. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/58XV1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/58XV1m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AIF8z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AIF8zm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-19T20:59:43.187" LastActivityDate="2016-04-19T20:59:43.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24158" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24156" CreationDate="2016-04-18T22:16:33.310" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cute! Love that old faucet. Have you tried turning the water off at the street, disassembling this faucet and using plumber's tape on the threads? Otherwise, get a new faucet! Depending where you live you might find a stand alone faucet called frost proof would be a good idea to install. Not tough to do at all. Otherwise, looks like you could screw that old head off, scrub the rust off and use plumber's tape. Great great stuff! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-04-18T22:16:33.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24156" CreationDate="2016-04-18T22:20:00.603" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently had a similar problem (different style tap).   I believe what you probably need to do is -&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;turn off the water to the tap (ie at the mains)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Undo the tap by using a spanner turning anticlockwise on the hexagonal&#xA;part beneath the tap handle.  Unfortunately this is likely to be quite&#xA;tight as its been painted over.  [ It might be easier to unscrew the tap&#xA;off the wall, then put it in a vice to get it off ]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove and replace the washer  beneath the tap - This is the key part.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apply plumbing tape (about 10-20 turns - 30cm/a foot or so of tape) to &#xA;the male part of the hex part of the tap&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Screw tap back in as tight as you can.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cross fingers, turn mains on, turn tap on to see if problem is solved.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do note that when I attempted part 3, I noticed that the brass underneath the washer was actually stuffed, so I dug up another tap and fitted that instead of replacing the washer - I expect taps are cheaper in the US, but&#xA;I paid about US$20 for a replacement tap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-04-18T22:20:00.603" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24161" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-18T22:57:30.117" Score="2" ViewCount="2614" Body="&lt;p&gt;This insect was found just north of Washington, D.C., in mid April.  It resembles a large black ant with an especially large abdomen, and lacks developed wings.  What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cqRVC.jpg%5C&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cqRVC.jpg%5C&quot; alt=&quot;subject&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B5Pxs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B5Pxs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;subject&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14354" LastActivityDate="2016-04-18T22:57:30.117" Title="Insect identification: black, flightless, ant-like, with exaggerated abdomen" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-04-18T23:40:40.487" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24162" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24161" CreationDate="2016-04-18T22:57:30.117" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This appears to be a &lt;strong&gt;blister beetle&lt;/strong&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blister_beetle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Meloidae&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) of the genus &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meloe&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Meloe&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, also known as an oil beetle, perhaps &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugguide.net/node/view/284614/bgimage?from=0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Meloe Americanus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14354" LastActivityDate="2016-04-18T22:57:30.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24163" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24165" CreationDate="2016-04-19T00:03:48.480" Score="7" ViewCount="5466" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn has an underground sprinkler system. Many of the heads are old, leaking, and hard to adjust. So I've been swapping them with Rainbird 5000 series heads. They look like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kJdrs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kJdrs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's the thing. These things are &lt;em&gt;impossible&lt;/em&gt; to dig up by hand. I spent 3 hours last night replacing 3 of these. They just screw off of the valve beneath them, counter clockwise, but can be a little stiff. I had to use one of those neat grippy jar opener things to get the 3 off, and my hands are now trashed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The head, as you can see in the picture, has a texture. There must be some wrench or tool that works to quickly grip and twist these things off, without having to dig like crazy all around them in the yard (destroying the lawn in the process).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What tool would work for this? What tool is best for this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14390" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-19T00:41:51.880" LastActivityDate="2017-02-01T15:16:50.293" Title="Best tool for underground lawn sprinkler system head removal?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24164" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24170" CreationDate="2016-04-19T01:26:14.177" Score="6" ViewCount="279" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to save an indoor potted &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachira&quot;&gt;Pachira&lt;/a&gt; (probably &lt;em&gt;P. glabra&lt;/em&gt;, &quot;Money Tree&quot;) that has become &quot;leggy&quot; from &lt;strike&gt;years&lt;/strike&gt; decades of mistreatment. I'd like to take a cutting and start a new tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few sites suggest rooting hormone (e.g., &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/propagate-pachira-aquatica-cutting-water-soil-91004.html&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt;) but others (e.g., &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/pachira-aquatica.42763/&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt;) seem to suggest that it's not absolutely necessary. I'd like to avoid the rooting hormone (most practically because I haven't got any handy...) but I'll do so if necessary. I've only got a couple candidate stalks to work with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had hoped it would root/propagate easily in the fashion of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schefflera&quot;&gt;Schefflera&lt;/a&gt;, since it seems to have superficial resemblance, but seems to have no relation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have propagated many plants before in this way (so I have some experience), but never Pachira, so I'm most interested in suggestions particular to this plant. Must I use rooting hormone, or will it sprout on its own -- or perhaps in a jar with a rooting Schefflera? What other techniques might I use to ensure success? E.g., let it dry, where to cut relative to a node, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6932" LastEditorUserId="6932" LastEditDate="2016-04-19T11:10:59.837" LastActivityDate="2016-04-19T11:10:59.837" Title="How can I propagate Pachira?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24165" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24163" CreationDate="2016-04-19T01:56:43.023" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few tools available to help you with this process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would suggest getting a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/7-in-Donut-Sod-Cutter-26061/100373176&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;donut sod cutter&lt;/a&gt; or a Sprinkler Head removal tool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're designed to cut a small hole around the sprinkler head to allow easier access without having to dig up a big area around the head.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lVFpQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lVFpQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sod cutter&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also get a &lt;a href=&quot;http://amzn.com/B00UIBXLL6&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sprinkler head wrench&lt;/a&gt; to help free the head from the pipe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dDa6w.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dDa6w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sprinkler head wrench&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could get away without having the wrench if you have access to a pair of channellocks, but, the right tool for the job always makes things easier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;note: images are from Amazon and Home Depot&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14392" LastActivityDate="2016-04-19T01:56:43.023" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24166" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-19T02:35:48.103" Score="6" ViewCount="207" Body="&lt;p&gt;The potted trees in nurseries always look perfectly healthy. What do nurseries generally give their trees to keep them that way? Let's narrow down the question and focus on plum trees as an example as I understand that each tree variety might have different requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1110" LastActivityDate="2016-04-19T13:58:44.170" Title="What do nurseries feed their potted trees to make them so healthy?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24167" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24166" CreationDate="2016-04-19T02:46:51.340" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure they don't give them anything initially, although if the tree does not sell within a few months, I imagine they would give them slow release fertiliser appropriate to the plant - something with equal N-P-K values is, I believe, good for stone fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that as far as the health of the tree goes, its also that they have been planted in soil with known and ideal properties &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Note:  I have no insider knowledge here, just observations while shopping for fruit trees recently, and also because &quot;The Big Tree Company&quot; near us sells slow release fertiliser like I see in their trees at the end of the season.    I also know that the instruction for my trees did not require they  be fertilised when they are first planted, almost certainly because of nutrients in the soil )&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-04-19T02:46:51.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24168" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24156" CreationDate="2016-04-19T04:48:15.030" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to replace the stem packing. The stem that the knob is affixed to the end of is sealed with a packing nut which has either a packing washer or a quantity of packing material under it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can buy &quot;string packing&quot; at the hardware store. Loosen the packing nut and jam a few loops of it up under the nut, then tighten it back down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2et4n.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2et4n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6969" LastActivityDate="2016-04-19T04:48:15.030" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24169" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24172" CreationDate="2016-04-19T06:15:03.313" Score="9" ViewCount="281" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/GPidF9Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bad apples&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Close up of lesions&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/3XH1uK5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Close up stem side&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/hxu7DAa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stem disease&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had this Apple tree for a couple of decades which I had always assumed it was wild since it had always produced sour small apples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For some years the skin has had these blemishes which extend a little way into the pulp.  I never worried too much since I rarely ate the fruit, and if i did it was cooked first. But now to my surprise i am getting some decent sized fruit which for the first time actually tastes sweet. But the fruit is a bit inaccessible since the tree is now two storeys high, and tucked into a poorly accessible area shaded by a tall rhododendron.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I'm wondering if this is a fungal disease that I can treat easily noting poor access.  It doesn't seem to match the description for bitter pit disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I just realized that I had brought another apple tree onto the property this year, though in a container.  Perhaps the pollen from this one caused the fruit on the older one to improve?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-04-19T08:11:14.553" LastActivityDate="2016-04-19T15:40:33.343" Title="What is this Apple disease?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24164" CreationDate="2016-04-19T07:05:16.360" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it has milky sap, a rooting hormone is a more reliable way to propagate from cuttings. I don't know the species, sorry, but if the host plant you are taking cuttings from is doing poorly, it might be better to take cuttings from a healthier host. Cuttings are like cloning, the new plant will have the same characteristics as the host plant (both desirable and undesired).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-04-19T07:05:16.360" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24154" CreationDate="2016-04-19T11:38:03.743" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems to be a pollination/fertilization issue, because you've said all your plants flower, but only the tomatoes go on to produce fruit. That would indicate there's nothing wrong with the soil ph nor your fertilizer, if you're using any. Are you treating the tomatoes differently compared to the other things you're growing, such as, growing in a different area of the garden, or watering more regularly and so on? Tomatoes don't need insects to be pollinated, movement of air will do it, but cucumbers, for instance, do need pollinating insects, and without those you may need to pollinate by hand. As for the beans, you haven't said which variety of beans, and some do require insect pollination, though many don't. I'm also not sure what you mean by 'sweet pea' - sweet peas in the UK are a flowering climbing plant, grown for flowers, not for fruit. If you think there might be a lack of pollinating insects in your growing area, it would be wise to consider what flowering plants you can grow nearby that would attract them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other possibility is that the flowers are dying or falling off before they're able to be pollinated, and that might be a water or temperature issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I suddenly noticed you mentioned yard long beans as the ones you're growing - they do, indeed, need pollinating insects to fertilize the flowers. Good in hot areas and pretty drought tolerant, so we're back to the major problem being lack of pollinating insects. In relation to flowers to attract insects, native, or wild plants, and herbs (plants used for medicinal or culinary purposes) are usually the best ones to use, provided they're not too invasive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-19T13:35:45.490" LastActivityDate="2016-04-19T13:35:45.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24172" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24169" CreationDate="2016-04-19T12:41:50.047" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably Apple Scab, which is an issue where you are, as it is in many parts of the world. It's caused by a fungus, and it affects the twigs behind the fruits and often the leaves too. Some info in the link below, but it looks as if you'll need to spray with a copper solution to get some kind of control. How easy that will be in a large tree, I leave you to work out...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ediblebackyard.co.nz/managing-pear-apple-scab/&quot;&gt;http://www.ediblebackyard.co.nz/managing-pear-apple-scab/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and extra info here, though it also covers other problems with apples and doesn't recommend any chemical treatments, since its an organics only site&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://nzgardenswap.handyman.co.nz/newsletter/feb2002/page3.htm&quot;&gt;http://nzgardenswap.handyman.co.nz/newsletter/feb2002/page3.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Re the pollen from one improving the other, that's very unlikely to happen - the pollination process just means you get fruit, it doesn't change the variety of fruit you get. It's more likely the nicer apples are explained simply because the tree , somehow, is or has been getting more water at the right time and possibly more sun to encourage swelling, sweetening and ripening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-19T15:40:33.343" LastActivityDate="2016-04-19T15:40:33.343" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24173" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24154" CreationDate="2016-04-19T13:55:58.283" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should look into hand pollination as well if the local pollinators are not cooperating.&#xA;I had this same issue with my cucumbers and squash when I first started my garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;First, identify the male and female flowers. This is easiest to do by&#xA;just looking under the base of the flower:&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Females will have what looks like a miniature squash or cucumber under the flower.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Males will have a plain stem. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pick a male flower and expose the &quot;anther&quot; on the inside of the flower. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rub this gently to the center of the &quot;stigma&quot; on the inside of the female flowers. &#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can use one male flower for several females.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will be producing in no time, and hopefully from every female flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14396" LastEditorUserId="14396" LastEditDate="2016-06-28T14:58:01.127" LastActivityDate="2016-06-28T14:58:01.127" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24166" CreationDate="2016-04-19T13:58:44.170" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bear in mind that many commercial outlets do not actually grow trees in pots, they simply buy them in from a specialist supplier. The actual supplier will raise the saplings under controlled conditions (temperature, light, potting medium) usually under cover, and pesticide/fungicide treatments will be relentlessly used, many of which are not even available to the average gardener. Which is why you're told not to eat the lemons present on a tree when you buy it, so it's not so much how they fertilize that counts, it's those controlled conditions and use of chemicals. Once the trees are hardened, they're sold on to commercial outlets - from then on, they're at risk of picking up the usual diseases and infestations, so any outlet wants to shift them as quickly as possible, before anything gets to the trees, otherwise they're having to monitor and care for them properly over time. In practice, if they have the trees in pots for too long, they dispose of them rather than spending money on the costly upkeep (spraying, feeding, potting on).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-19T13:58:44.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24175" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24186" CreationDate="2016-04-19T20:08:41.557" Score="5" ViewCount="151" Body="&lt;p&gt;I decided to plant 2 heads of garlic this spring, and noticed that one is upside down, so I was wondering how to properly plant the clove so the side of the garlic that grows the roots has the correct side up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FYI: It is planted about half way in the ground on its side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2020-04-16T07:23:39.030" Title="Is it bad to turn over an upside down plant?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24176" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24192" CreationDate="2016-04-19T20:22:50.100" Score="4" ViewCount="158" Body="&lt;p&gt;We got a lot of rain in Austin over the last few days and now there are mushrooms popping up all over my vegetable garden. The garden bed is raised and only about two weeks old. I'm worried the mushrooms are growing too fast and too close to the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what they are, and if I should try to get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vAU6H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vAU6H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mushrooms&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14399" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T07:04:55.070" Title="What kind of mushroom is this and should I get rid of it?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;&lt;rain&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24177" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-19T20:38:11.277" Score="2" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;i have dark green clumps in my yard that look like grass but when pulled there are bulbs attached almost like little onions. The green part and bulbs do not have any distinct fragrance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14400" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-19T20:57:08.043" LastActivityDate="2016-04-19T20:57:08.043" Title="landscaping plant in yard" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="8" ClosedDate="2016-11-29T20:23:38.493" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24178" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24198" CreationDate="2016-04-19T20:49:18.790" Score="6" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased a Sunchoke from my local organic grocer, and was wondering if a sunchoke, like a potato will grow from its &quot;fingers&quot;, and the main ball.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;What I'm meaning specifically is cut the sunchoke fingers off, and plant them individually from a big tuber I purchased.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-04-20T18:03:33.340" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T18:03:33.340" Title="Will Sunchoke grow from &quot;fingers&quot;?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24179" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-19T20:51:03.050" Score="3" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;Will tumeric that you plant with the &quot;stick, hole, cover&quot; method grow well vertically?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically my planting method is to break off a piece of clean dead stick, push it in the ground, put the turmeric in the ground, then cover it up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-04-20T18:06:42.043" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T18:06:42.043" Title="Is it acceptable to plant turmeric vertically?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;ginger&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24180" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24213" CreationDate="2016-04-19T22:49:23.090" Score="7" ViewCount="713" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had planted some asiatic lilies last year that looked wonderful.  They appear to have multiplied, however I noticed an odd growth in one area of my early lily plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've attached an in image of this strange large growth, surrounded by more standard lily growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone tell me what this and why this happens?  Please ignore the nearby hyacinth stem overlapping over the lilies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y40oT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y40oT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lilies odd growth&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11184" LastEditorUserId="11184" LastEditDate="2016-04-20T00:33:15.623" LastActivityDate="2020-09-16T22:51:33.213" Title="What's this strange large growth on my new asiatic lily?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24181" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-19T23:57:51.783" Score="5" ViewCount="1897" Body="&lt;p&gt;While I was in Japan a few weeks ago I picked up a small cherry blossom sapling to bring home (I believe it's a Yoshino cherry blossom). My girlfriend's grandfather who we were staying with on his farm, wrapped the roots up after dipping them in some sort of liquid to help them survive (I'm not exactly sure) to prepare them for my travel back to Ontario Canada. Luckily I was able to make it home without it being taken away at the airport. When I got home I did as much research as I could and found that Cherry blossom trees do best in soil with good drainage. The same day I went to my local hardware store and picked up some &quot;cactus potting soil&quot; that said it provided good drainage and aeration of the roots. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g0cZS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g0cZS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I transferred it into a pot on April 4th and within a day the blossoms started budding, but after a few days, just wilted and died but in their place came bright green leaves so I just assumed it was because it was the end of the blooming season.&#xA;I proceeded to water it every second day, letting the water begin to drain before stopping. I later changed it to every three days. Within about a week the bright leaves started to wilt and I'm not sure exactly what to do. I don't want to let this tree die. I've waited about 5 days to water it since then and the soil still feels moist. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3skx1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3skx1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;It is in a place with moderate light beside a window facing east, so it only gets light in the second half of the day. I'm not sure if it is transplant shock or over watering or if I need to grab better soil with more drainage, but I really don't want this tree to die. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you so much! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Just as another note, when I bought this in Japan, the soil it came in was very stoney and had amazing drainage, draining out water almost immediately.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14401" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T05:33:02.747" Title="Leaves on my Cherry Blossom Tree are Wilting" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24182" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-20T01:50:57.783" Score="5" ViewCount="2690" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tips needed for protecting my plants from animals like cows and goats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14403" LastEditorUserId="14050" LastEditDate="2016-04-20T14:22:31.273" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T14:22:31.273" Title="How can I protect my plants from cows and goats?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24183" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24182" CreationDate="2016-04-20T01:59:47.707" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to build a fence, or a wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T01:59:47.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24184" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24178" CreationDate="2016-04-20T02:05:58.693" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will grow from wherever it has the means to sprout, as with potatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is also almost impossible to eradicate once you establish a bed, so pick your location carefully, thinking about the long term.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T02:05:58.693" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24182" CreationDate="2016-04-20T02:31:41.257" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You will have some difficulty (at least from goats).   There are a few solutions I'm aware of -&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kill the goat(s) - Its the only way to be sure.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put goats on a chain or in a run (arguably more cruel then (1) above.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Build a fence.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For me, 3 was the only realistic option - actually we had a fence, but the goats kept on walking through it as if it wasn't there.   Assuming your goats are not jumpers you will need something at least 1.2 meters high, and with fencing wire no more then 30cm apart at the top, and much closer (and taught) at the bottom.   If your goats are jumpers, you may need to add an electric fence.  (Note the fence pic below is suitable for content adult goats - when they were small, our goats would have gotten through this easily - they just could not be bothered as there were no people to play with on the other side)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AXC1V.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AXC1V.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fence&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A technique which helped us A LOT was to build lightweight yokes (3 pieces of wood, each about 50cm long, shaped in an overlapping triangle attached to the goats necks - this made it a lot harder for them to evade the fences) - See below.  You need to make sure the wood is fairly strong initially, as they will break it otherwise - or maybe a different design - this is just something we came up with based on a loose description from an aquaintance, it helped a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qx89t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qx89t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Goat Yokes&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have little expertise with cows, but I understand they are a lot easier to contain - our neighbour runs cows onto our land and simply uses an electric wire.   If you do build a [non-electrified] fence, it will need pretty sturdy poles in case the cows lean on it.   Cows are not interested in escaping like goats though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T02:31:41.257" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24186" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24175" CreationDate="2016-04-20T02:40:42.023" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should plant garlic cloves base down, tip up, and in most places (yes, even with real winters) in the fall. I got mine in very late this year (Boxing day) but I have terrible results from spring planting as compared to fall (or early winter) planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The base is the part of the clove that was attached to the head. The tip is the pointy end. If you've planted entire heads, things may be a bit odd and clumped together, but it will still work out, just not as well as properly spaced out cloves would.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is what happens when you plant them upside down:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UICeg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UICeg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;upside down garlic bulb&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23602/does-the-garlic-clove-need-to-grow-pointed-end-up&quot;&gt;Your similar question last month&lt;/a&gt; was answered (incorrectly IME) that &quot;it didn't matter, they would come out normally since the clove is used up in making the plant&quot; - I would say that it doesn't matter much, but you will get weirdly shaped garlic heads and probably give up some growth potential. Not my picture, but I've grown these when I screwed up placement of some cloves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My experiences with transplanting garlic would suggest leaving it alone - it may be a little weirdly shaped, but it's likely to do better without additional transplant stress from trying to  &quot;correct&quot; it. But if the clove (or head) is not buried, you will want to heap additional soil around it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This Q&amp;amp;A may be beneficial reading more generally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13653/how-do-i-select-garlic-which-will-continue-to-produce-large-heads-in-future-repl/13663#13663&quot;&gt;How do I select garlic which will continue to produce large heads in future replantings?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T03:00:06.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24187" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23602" CreationDate="2016-04-20T03:04:17.730" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It matters. Not in the &quot;critical and you won't get garlic&quot; sense, but you will get weird misshapen garlic if they are not base down, tip up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UICeg.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UICeg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;upsidedown garlic&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not my picture, but I've grown these, and it's due to mis-oriented cloves at planting time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some sideways examples:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HnP6k.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HnP6k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sideways garlic&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-04-20T23:31:35.683" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T23:31:35.683" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23480" CreationDate="2016-04-20T03:14:34.877" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just grow sufficient garlic and even without the fanciest storage (ie, not a super-cold refrigerator with controlled humidity and ventilation like the commercial producers use) you can eat it year round. As the year winds down toward next year's garlic harvest I do have some losses in storage, but I can always get usable garlic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T03:14:34.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24181" CreationDate="2016-04-20T05:33:02.747" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think your tree's roots are damaged. It is important to keep the tree from desiccating before the roots can recover. You need to make a little terrarium for it. This will reduce the rate moisture is lost to the air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put a clear and/or translucent plastic bag over it or cut the bottom off a clear and/or translucent plastic container (e.g.,milk container, soda bottle) and fit that over the plant down to the soil level or enclosing pot and all. Then keep it out of direct sun, but exposed to indirect sunlight - in a shady spot outdoors or in a north facing window. It will need little if any watering during this time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photosynthesis is necessary for your tree to regenerate roots. I am pretty sure that it cannot be saved if all of the leaves wilt, wither, and turn brown. On the other hand, if it is recovering, the leaves will develop a darker green color and won't be particularly curled - you'll know. But, be patient. Don't be too hasty deciding that it has recovered or died.h&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T05:33:02.747" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24191" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24364" CreationDate="2016-04-20T06:40:03.610" Score="6" ViewCount="236" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anybody identify this fern? I found it in the mountains of central Thailand. It is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphyte&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;epiphytic&lt;/a&gt; mostly, but also grows on the ground. &#xA;It has tough leathery leaves and is from an area that has a long dry season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was very common in the area that I found it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gCBkd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gCBkd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fern&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14407" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-20T21:14:09.100" LastActivityDate="2019-07-13T15:39:34.380" Title="What is this epiphytic climbing fern with narrow leathery leaves, found in Thailand?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24192" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24176" CreationDate="2016-04-20T07:04:55.070" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like typical wooden-linked mushroom. They come here to feed on the wood you put to feed your earth and this is a good thing: It shows that life is working around your plants in your garden. They won't be a problem to your young plants because they feed on something different, and even better, they enrich the soil for them!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mushrooms will disappear as soon as soil isn't moist enough for them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They aren't dangerous mushroom, so you have nothing to do, just let them do their work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T07:04:55.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24193" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24203" CreationDate="2016-04-20T07:57:36.057" Score="5" ViewCount="156" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YGJe7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YGJe7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found these tiny white web-like spots on many leaves of my plant. What are these specks? And what should I do with them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ignore them?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wash/Wipe them away with water?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pluck the infected leaves?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is Holy Basil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-20T23:16:23.280" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T23:16:23.280" Title="What is this white speck on the leaf of my plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24194" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-20T09:02:42.837" Score="3" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am living in Maldives, this country is full of islands. all over surrounded by ocean. Climate- mostly summer and sometimes rainy ( April to July- occasional raining). Sandy land.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please help me out- what type of vegetables and flowers can I grow in small pots ( both indoor and outdoor) and how?&#xA;Thanks in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14411" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T09:02:42.837" Title="Maldives-PLANTATION - VEGETABLES AND FLOWER" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-10-11T22:01:35.493" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24195" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="125" CreationDate="2016-04-20T13:12:43.810" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its the behavior of the cats you want to change. Its pretty hard to stop them pooping everywhere without trying to stop them coming in. So if you like have cats in your garden you'll have to put up with it.&#xA; When we moved house we got loads of cat poo, in a largeish city garden. Using scent markers - tiger urine etc - requires to much and has to be reapplied. Those ultrasonic devices only covered a small area, and were pretty anti social since all the kids could hear them.&#xA; So every time we see a cat we tend to chase it out, clap at it. Any way to scare it so that it doesn't want to come in pur garden, thus not needing to 'mark' our garden with the scent of it's poo. There's very little poo nowadays.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T13:12:43.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24196" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14824" CreationDate="2016-04-20T14:31:50.777" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Almonds have been grown in Nigeria which is also a tropical country.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14415" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T14:31:50.777" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="125" CreationDate="2016-04-20T14:34:40.453" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I buy cheap cinnamon from the dollar store and sprinkle it around. I have to redo it after every rain. It really does work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T14:34:40.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24198" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24178" CreationDate="2016-04-20T14:38:06.360" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, I have sunchokes. The bigger the &quot;finger&quot;, the more stored energy the tuber has, and the bigger the plant will be. I generally plant fingers/tubers that are at least 1 inch in the thickest portion. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are fun plants. I even got them to overwinter in the ground in Michigan zone 5b.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T14:38:06.360" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24129" CreationDate="2016-04-20T14:54:07.990" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Possibly, but there are other ways. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Why not take a chunk of basil at the end of the year, roots and all, and put it in your house in a pot? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can also let the basil outside die back and collect the seed. Or collect seed anytime seed pods dry out. Then you know the seeds are &quot;ready&quot;. &#xA;Myself, I just collect the seeds in clean medicine bottles and label the bottles with the seed name and year collected. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastEditorUserId="11061" LastEditDate="2016-04-21T11:37:26.390" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T11:37:26.390" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8814" CreationDate="2016-04-20T14:57:09.053" Score="0" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The moles are there because their food is there: mostly likely grubs. Put down grub killer per directions. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plug all holes but one and light a large smoke bomb (farmer sized, at farm stores, sold for gophers), and put it in the final hole. Close up the hole and wait. It should kill them. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T14:57:09.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24201" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24163" CreationDate="2016-04-20T15:08:34.400" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I dig out enough earth around them to get my hands in there for better leverage. I dig a wider hole about half way down the head then grab and twist. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But your local hardware store, or sprinkler store should have a special tool. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastEditorUserId="11061" LastEditDate="2017-02-01T15:16:50.293" LastActivityDate="2017-02-01T15:16:50.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24163" CreationDate="2016-04-20T15:41:41.113" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A &lt;strong&gt;Strap Wrench&lt;/strong&gt; would be the generic approach to this (intended as an example of the type, not a specific recommendation of brand or store) (&lt;em&gt;and in my usual process of answer the question then read other answers and comments, I see that's what you did in a comment - If you'd like to post that as an answer I can get rid of this one&lt;/em&gt;):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FYAx2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FYAx2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;strap wrench&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't care about the ones you are removing (because you are removing them to replace them) &lt;strong&gt;Chain Locking Pliers&lt;/strong&gt; would also be an option - more robust, more prone to damaging or marking what they are used on (intended as an example of the type, not a specific recommendation of brand or store):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EO6Is.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EO6Is.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;chain locking pliers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-04-20T15:48:05.867" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T15:48:05.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24193" CreationDate="2016-04-20T15:50:57.843" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Forgetting the name of the bug, these bugs as I call simply milk bugs make these webs under the leaves to have there young. These bugs do eat the leaf so I would wipe them away and see if they return. No need to pluck away the leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T15:50:57.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24129" CreationDate="2016-04-20T16:31:38.660" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you use a large enough pot, say 24 inches, you can just let the basil reseed itself, but it depend on the basil. Some basil grow tiny little black seeds that don't drop from the flower hips so easily, and some basil have larger white seeds that just fall out when they are ready.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you buy seed, you'll know which you have. The big white seeds are easier because you don't have to do anything. The tiny black seeded varieties need a little help. When the plant dies back, carefully pull it out of the soil, then run your hand down the flower spikes to rub off the flower hips into the pot. Don't worry the seeds will germinate and sprout right inside the flower hips if they are sitting on the soil and the soil kept humid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will have never ending basil just like you wanted and almost like a perennial because you'll always have some plants at every stage of growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T16:31:38.660" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18198" CreationDate="2016-04-20T19:37:04.047" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yours does not look like a heavy infestation - yet. Mowing may not do much in this case as the shoots can be maintained from the neighbor's population. Manual removal will be a part of any management strategy, but &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.invasive.org/gist/esadocs/documnts/phraaus.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this document&lt;/a&gt; by The Nature Conservancy lists some other tools that would be useful. I think the injection of roundup into the top of cut stalks looks promising - 90% eradication. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However any such efforts will be in vain if you don't block the rhizomes and stolons (which can travel more than 40'). The barrier method suggested above will be essential to permenant control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2016-04-20T19:37:04.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24207" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-20T20:30:34.297" Score="3" ViewCount="49" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read the remarks about the silver maple - and wondering: There is a silver maple in our town, street side, that may be 150 to 200 years old. Huge! Developers want to take it down to, as Joni Mitchell sang &quot;...put up a parking lot.'' Is the tree likely to live much longer anyway, or should we let it go?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14419" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-04-21T10:24:19.307" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T10:24:19.307" Title="Back to the silver leaf maple" Tags="&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-04-20T21:03:14.037" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24063" CreationDate="2016-04-20T23:16:11.863" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Droopy leaves is the loss of turgidity which occurs whenever water is lost by transpiration faster that it can be resupplied by the roots. This will happen when the soil is dry. This will happen when there are few active roots. This will happen when roots are dying because they are drowning and cannot get the oxygen that is necessary for the metabolic processes of life. Sick, damp roots are also a good target for phytophthora, commonly known as 'root rot'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you repotted after it was failing in a pot with no drainage and it perked up, then began declining again. Possibly it contracted root rot. When you repotted it would have been a good idea to dip the roots in a solution of 2 tablespoons 3% hydrogen peroxide in a quart of water as this would have killed any such infection. But this solution only acts on an existing infection. Possibly root rot is a recent development. You can simply pour this solution into the current planting as a root drench.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now the issue is that the plant undoubtedly has serious root troubles. Photosynthesis is required to recover the roots from the damage of repotting and/or death by drowning. But you have a situation in which it clearly is desiccating - that is what the loss of turgidity means. Putting it in full sun is exactly the wrong thing to do as it heats the leaves and makes them lose moisture to the air even faster. This is why the stem is now withering. The leaves needed to be in air that was as close to 100% relative humidity as possible! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should have covered it with a plastic bag or a plastic bottle with the bottom cut out so that you have it in a little terrarium which will have high relative humidity. Then it should be in shade so it doesn't cook. A lot of photosynthesis can occur with just indirect sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your tree simply had yellow leaves, inadequate sunlight might have been a possibility, but not with lost turgidity. When root cells die for lack of oxygen they produce a signalling compound that goes into the xylem stream. When it reaches the foliage it is converted into ethylene and causes the foliage to look like it does before it is shed (yellow, but sometimes orange-red in some species). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In other words, yellowing, droopy foliage = roots are dying! #1 stop watering, #2 put it in shade and, if it doesn't quickly recover turgidity, in a humidity tent and/or terrarium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now you should find another plant and try again (i.e., get back on the bicycle) because this one is certainly going to be dead if it isn't already. On you next try, don't water until you see the foliage start to droop - it will recover normal turgidity within an hour or two at most. Learn how the soil feels right after you water and just as the plant loses turgidity. Practice until know when to water by the feel and look of the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will do better with the second plant because you have this unfortunate experience and should now understand what the signals mean and know what to do if you ever see them again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants are fairly simple. They make themselves out of carbon dioxide and water via photosynthesis in the leaves. They get water through their roots. Water is drawn up the plant by evaporation from small pores on the leaves (transpiration). Every living cell in the plant must get oxygen to live (oxygen is a byproduct of photosynthesis).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;... not meaning to be overbearing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastEditorUserId="13580" LastEditDate="2016-04-21T05:45:46.403" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T05:45:46.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24209" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29655" CreationDate="2016-04-21T00:07:24.807" Score="8" ViewCount="380" Body="&lt;p&gt;We bought a pecan tree that is basically a 2' tall stick right now. It was planted in an opening with other trees and should get about 75% of available daylight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How many years would you think it should take for it to start producing? How much taller will it get each year once it has established itself? Also, what can I do to help it along?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-18T22:41:31.520" LastActivityDate="2017-11-18T22:41:31.520" Title="How much growth should I expect from my pecan tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;pecan&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24210" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24212" CreationDate="2016-04-21T01:27:32.023" Score="6" ViewCount="299" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if I should personally water garlic every day in the spring, or just let mother nature take care of it for the most part so it can grow big quickly, then allow it to do its own stuff over the summer/fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T16:41:22.810" Title="What should the watering schedule for garlic be to ensure optimal growth?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24211" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24880" CreationDate="2016-04-21T04:58:32.737" Score="10" ViewCount="1182" Body="&lt;p&gt;How much sun do standard peach trees (pruned short) need in order to set fruit, if they have plenty of heat?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These particular peaches are seed-grown (so probably not exactly like the parent, which I think was an Elberta peach), and they may have crossed with our old nectarine tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, a relative of mine wants to plant them somewhere where other trees will be blocking most of the morning and early afternoon sun. I'm not certain they'll have enough sun to set any fruit (when they're mature; they're currently only about three years old, growing in a raised bed, in need of transplanting out). The rest of the afternoon sun will likely be partially filtered, too, but much lighter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T14:12:44.103" Title="How much sun do peaches need to fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24212" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24210" CreationDate="2016-04-21T11:45:23.973" Score="6" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Let the soil dry out a bit before watering. Dig down 1 inch into the soil. If the 1 inch of soil is dry, water it. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If the leaves are wilting, or &quot;deflated&quot;, it needs water. I mention deflated leaves for onions and garlics because they are round, hollow, and structurally strong, so they may not literally fall over until they are near death from lack of water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In general I water all my garden in the morning to reduce mold and fungus, but I don't have a special problem with fungi. My soil is loamy so it drains very well. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you water in the evenings and don't have any mold problems, just continue what you're doing. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It will do better if you give it enough water. In Michigan most summers, we get very little water in July and August. It's rare if the sidewalks get barely all the way dark and wet in those months. That's when I water stuff. So your watering schedule depends on your weather too.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I naturally let my onions die off in August, the hottest part of the year. That's normal for this cool weather plant and does not harm it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T11:45:23.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24213" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24180" CreationDate="2016-04-21T12:03:52.557" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have asiatic lilies too. Do you mean the compressed growth in the center of the other lilies? That's just the main, bug bulb that's growing. It will eventually get taller, telescope upward, and &quot;decompress&quot;. That's normal for asiatic lilies.&#xA;The smaller lilies surrounding the &quot;mama&quot; are just baby bulbs growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T12:03:52.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24214" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24216" CreationDate="2016-04-21T15:41:59.437" Score="10" ViewCount="5762" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this plant in the recycling room in my building and its taken quite well to its new home. But what is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GRUhu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GRUhu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14422" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-21T20:32:17.290" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T20:32:17.290" Title="What is this plant with a thick woody stem and waxy leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24215" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24214" CreationDate="2016-04-21T16:11:50.203" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a rubber tree to me. If you break a leaf off, is it sticky milky ooze?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T16:11:50.203" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24214" CreationDate="2016-04-21T16:20:31.833" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the rubber plant, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ficus_elastica&quot;&gt;Ficus elastica&lt;/a&gt;.  It has white sticky sap and can grow into a tree (100 - 200 feet 30 - 60 M) tall when grown outdoors in the tropics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant will tolerate shade, neglect and more.  A nice appearance and good health is maintained with &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;diffuse high light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;regular watering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fertilize lightly once a year&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repot yearly if you want a big plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not be afraid to cut back hard if it looks leggy. This plant will bud slowly from old wood&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pests are infrequent due to the hard waxy coating but mealybug and scale can occur.  Soap and water applications at 5 ml/l will control the problem.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T16:20:31.833" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24210" CreationDate="2016-04-21T16:41:22.810" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Would not water every day, you can create problems. You can for one: kill the plant, there would not be any air going to the plants root and would kill of the roots. two: You could grow mold around the plant and on the plant. In the end killing it as well, plus then you would have to toss out the dirt to stop it from spreading. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T16:41:22.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24218" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24221" CreationDate="2016-04-21T17:42:14.140" Score="10" ViewCount="144" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have these leaves sprouting all over my lawn and property. What is it? Should I be worried?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NOTE: This is in Wisconsin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9hkER.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9hkER.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14005" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T21:25:20.280" Title="What are these plants growing on my lawn?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24219" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7347" CreationDate="2016-04-21T17:54:24.710" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seems like you've put an awful lot of effort into trying to improve that lawn. I think you're in the States but here in the UK a lot of us are moving over to artificial grass or synthetic lawns now the technology has improved so much. I just finished another one last week (see photo).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U8vTm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U8vTm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;new artificial lawn laid; dog likes it&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14425" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2016-05-22T20:54:58.617" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T20:54:58.617" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24220" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34257" CreationDate="2016-04-21T19:44:06.780" Score="6" ViewCount="2939" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying my hand at balcony tomatoes and sowed some in mid March. I already transplanted them once from the seed nursery to small drinking cups of about 200ml. Since they were bending too much towards the light, I decided to accustom them to the weather outside gradually and have been doing that the last 3 weeks. Now yesterday I found some plants were having dark leaves' edges which then seemed like they have been cooked and the edges just fall off. I didn't put them in direct sunlight and have been watering them regularly. Here is a pic:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J6RNy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J6RNy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Withered edges of the leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the cause of this behavior? I certainly hope not some parasite or fungus. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14426" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-21T20:28:39.213" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T02:18:05.323" Title="Why are some leaves on my tomato seedlings turning dark and falling off?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24221" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24218" CreationDate="2016-04-21T21:25:20.280" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;How I envy you.  To get this plant to grow in my garden I have to buy bulbs and nurture them along.  This plant is the yellow trout lily, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythronium_americanum&quot;&gt;Erythronium americanum&lt;/a&gt;, a native bulb and a real treasure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best thing to do with these is nothing.  They do not transplant well and have specific requirements of moist deciduous woods that are hard to meet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant also has a neat habit.  It comes up in early spring, flowers and then disappears for the rest of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T21:25:20.280" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24222" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24636" CreationDate="2016-04-21T22:44:25.703" Score="6" ViewCount="133" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large bougainvillea that I've trained to climb onto an 8ft arbor.  From there it runs horizontal.  The 8ft stock running up to the top of the arbor is bare (no leaves or shoots).  My question is, is there a way prevent the bougainvillea from growing new shoots from the base and stock?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14428" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T12:24:06.807" Title="Stop bougainvillea from generating shoots from the stock?" Tags="&lt;bougainvillea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24223" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24228" CreationDate="2016-04-21T22:50:13.503" Score="8" ViewCount="70" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm shocked at how fast my garlic stems are growing (about 1 inch per day, and there has only been about 2 weeks of growing weather), so I was wondering how the size of the garlic bulb compares to the stem of the garlic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're wondering how I picked it, I looked for the stuff they intended to throw out due to sprouting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-04-22T01:20:58.780" Title="How does the head of a garlic compare to its stem?" Tags="&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18063" CreationDate="2016-04-21T22:59:47.980" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know this is an old post, but wondering if the issue got better?  I wanted to add, that I have the same plant, which I believe is &lt;em&gt;Aloe chinensis&lt;/em&gt; (or, Aloe vera var. chinensis).  Don't believe me?  Look up pictures and tell me it's not the same thing!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had a number of these healthy plants for a long time, having grown them from pups from my mom's plant (which is still growing like crazy after 30 years!).  I've always had them grow indoors on my window sill, where they get sun for a few hours a day.  I recently moved them outside to get more sun and warmth (compared to my air conditioned apartment).  I live in Washington, DC, so the days have been mild, in the mid to upper 70's.  Within two days, they started to turn pale, and thin.  They looked EXACTLY like your photos.  So, I just brought them back inside, and I pruned the leaves that became thin and dry.  Kept them away from the sun for a few days, and they've started to get that green color back.  I guess they'll stay inside by the window. :) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14429" LastActivityDate="2016-04-21T22:59:47.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24225" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24237" CreationDate="2016-04-21T23:08:31.590" Score="5" ViewCount="163" Body="&lt;p&gt;Approximately how long does it take for sunchoke to go from planting to sprouting above the ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T00:05:50.250" Title="Approximately how long will it take for sunchoke to appear after planting?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24226" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24234" CreationDate="2016-04-22T00:00:02.407" Score="7" ViewCount="2410" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this fruit?  Its ripening now, which is early autumn here in New Zealand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OpYsq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OpYsq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f9Sp3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f9Sp3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14430" LastEditorUserId="392" LastEditDate="2016-04-22T01:57:34.507" LastActivityDate="2016-04-22T15:39:16.517" Title="What is this small red fruit with a passion fruit like pulp inside?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24227" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24230" CreationDate="2016-04-22T00:16:38.480" Score="5" ViewCount="1838" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to make a rhubarb plant multiply so you can get about a 2 foot area of rhubarb?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-04-22T00:49:33.710" LastActivityDate="2016-04-22T01:39:59.990" Title="Should I grind up rhubarb root to make it multiply?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;rhubarb&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24228" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24223" CreationDate="2016-04-22T01:20:58.780" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Studies show that the size of the final bulb is determined by the size of the clove that is planted. Larger cloves put out bigger leaves which results in greater photosynthesis and more energy for bulb production.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're serious about growing garlic, it's suggested that you buy local garlic seed aka bulbs as local varieties will be suitable for your local environment.  If you grow from sprouting bulbs in your local grocer's which have come from wherever, it is just not ideal but I guess you've lost little.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-22T01:20:58.780" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24229" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24227" CreationDate="2016-04-22T01:38:19.407" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should not grind it. It is not like horseradish which you probably could grind up to multiply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rhubarb you need to let it multiply naturally and divide it after its growing multiple crowns. It's a slow process, but it's the only way to go. You could always buy more crowns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-04-22T01:38:19.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24230" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24227" CreationDate="2016-04-22T01:39:59.990" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grind isn't the word I would use. More like split.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you want to do is dig up the plant. You dig 6-8 inches deep all the way around, then pry the plant up out of the ground. If the plant is relatively old, this may be difficult as the roots can get very tough and wooden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you have the plant uprooted, you split the root mass. You want to have one to three buds per section and at least a fist-sized clump of roots. Plant the sections with the top-most portion of the roots 2 inches deep and you're good to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2016-04-22T01:39:59.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24231" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-22T02:00:07.733" Score="1" ViewCount="192" Body="&lt;p&gt;How would I go about crossbreeding two root vegetables to make a super-vegetable with properties of both? I'm thinking about crossbreeding garlic with something like turmeric/ginger to attempt to make a hardy turmeric with all the medicinal properties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-04-22T20:52:17.267" LastActivityDate="2016-04-22T20:52:17.267" Title="How can I cross breed two root vegetables?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;hybrids&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="7" ClosedDate="2016-04-22T15:27:55.440" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24232" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24226" CreationDate="2016-04-22T02:20:33.643" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks a lot like mangosteen, though it would be easier to be sure if it was peeled rather than sliced. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never had decent ones in the USA; it's a very unique flavor. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit based on comments:&lt;/strong&gt; Marble-sized - yeah, probably not mangosteen. As for pomegranate, not nearly enough seeds, I'd think, though perhaps at that scale it's a reasonable number - never seen them that small, but I don't know how small they grow that simply don't show up in markets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-04-22T14:19:45.617" LastActivityDate="2016-04-22T14:19:45.617" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24233" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20562" CreationDate="2016-04-22T08:38:02.723" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;When peaches are ready depends a lot on your tastes. However, if they're falling off the tree in large numbers, and you want to save all the peaches, it's probably a good idea to start picking them (or you'll lose a lot). You might just put something below to catch them and cushion their fall, and then shake off the ones that are loose; you can let the others ripen longer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I prefer to pick peaches when they start to get soft (and sweet). You can tell by pressing on them gently. Some people like peaches firmer, though. They'll be more tart when firm. If they're extra firm, they'll be crunchy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the fruit isn't large, it might be dropping prematurely. The fruit is probably still usable, though (for cooking, at the very least). It's also possible the tree needed more potassium or something (potassium is supposed to help with fruit size). It also &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; need more water (although peaches can be pretty drought-tolerant). Mulching might help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-04-22T08:38:02.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24226" CreationDate="2016-04-22T15:39:16.517" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on the way the fruit is clustered, and similarly the way the leaves are clustered. I think what you have is &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Psidium_cattleyanum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Psidium cattleyanum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;. Common names include: Cattley guava, strawberry guava, and cherry guava.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's a similar type, &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ugni_molinae&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ugni molinae&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; (chiliean quava), but I think the fruits look more like cherries as they have longer stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Strawberry guava fruit are edible (including the skin), though I think they're most commonly used for jellies/jams rather than eating plain. Here are some pictures I found for comparison (click them for more).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tastyislandhawaii.com/2008/05/18/strawberry-guavas-by-the-buckets/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x1wdh.jpg&quot; width=&quot;325&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R4rBf.jpg&quot; width=&quot;325&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2984" LastActivityDate="2016-04-22T15:39:16.517" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24235" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24242" CreationDate="2016-04-22T17:40:13.533" Score="5" ViewCount="198" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm making some potash for my garlic plants, and have a lot left over, so I was wondering if it would be a good idea to share the potash wealth with my turmeric. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T08:27:38.290" Title="Does turmeric like potash?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24236" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24240" CreationDate="2016-04-22T20:04:08.870" Score="5" ViewCount="1424" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was reading up on garlic fertilizing, and was wondering how much potash to give my garlic plants. I don't know much about it, except the fact it is garlic from a single clove off a bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T02:37:00.677" Title="How much potash should I give garlic?" Tags="&lt;garlic&gt;&lt;potash&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24237" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24225" CreationDate="2016-04-23T00:05:50.250" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on when it is planted. I planted mine in mid December ( early summer for me ) and it came up 2-3 weeks later which is what one expects.  It's now 8 foot tall in mid autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T00:05:50.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23450" CreationDate="2016-04-23T00:52:20.200" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't like answering my own questions but, after speaking to my neighbors, just about the only solution is to dig the whole lot out and start again. I did just this on a smaller area with bigger rocks and it's laborious by hand - but works. Dumping the rocks onto a concrete pad and then literally raking them a few feet dislodged and exposed most of the sand which could then be swept away (prevailing winds helped blow some in the right direction too!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to the original, far, far bigger area with smaller rocks, well that will be a digger job. A couple of hundred US$ to rent for a day but might take 2 days at a guess. Dig it up, dump on an elevated mesh prep surface so the sand falls through (hopefully), maybe hose down too. Spike down weed barrier, replace rocks. Repeat ad nauseum. Relax with beer afterwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A small wall may help resist some of the sand returning, the sort blown at a low level over the few inches of retaining curbstones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14021" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T00:52:20.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24239" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24252" CreationDate="2016-04-23T01:34:53.657" Score="6" ViewCount="4386" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large pot that sits on top of a pillar, so I wanted to buy some flowers that would hang over the edges of it. We ended up buying a hanging arrangement of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a119&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;calibrachoa&lt;/a&gt;. Now I'm wondering if I'm better off trying to transplant the flowers from the hanger into the pot, or if I should simply remove the hanging apparatus and place the bowl on top of the pot. If you do recommend that I transplant them, do you have suggestions on how to do that effectively? The hanging bowl is about twelve inches in diameter, and the pot is about eighteen inches in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14437" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-23T16:45:27.700" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T15:20:57.480" Title="Replanting from a hanging planter" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;hanging-plant&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24240" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24236" CreationDate="2016-04-23T02:37:00.677" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Garlic’s demand for K ranges from 125 to 180 kg K2O/ha (Bertoni and Morard du L. Espagnacq, 1988; Zink, 1963).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're autumn planting where this is Oct-Nov, then the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/how-to-grow/how-to-grow-garlic-advice-from-the-rhs/&quot;&gt;RHS advises&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt; Apply a general fertiliser, such as Growmore, at planting time at 2oz per sq yd (50g per sq m) followed by a light dressing of 1oz sq yd (25g sq m) of sulphate of potash in February.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But if your soil has plenty of potassium, you should not need to add more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T02:37:00.677" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24241" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-23T07:59:52.547" Score="7" ViewCount="868" Body="&lt;p&gt;I intend to grow a wild Fig tree (Indian) from a cutting I broke off the foot path. Will it sprout roots faster in water or should I pot it and hope? The Pipal cutting has both root buds and branch sprouting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14413" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-24T20:31:59.913" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T16:07:24.367" Title="Will a cutting from a wild fig tree grow more quickly in water or soil?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24242" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24235" CreationDate="2016-04-23T08:27:38.290" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adding potash to the soil your Tumeric is growing in will not hurt it as long as it doesn't make the soil too alkaline. When potash is added to soil it acts as a source of potassium, and also shifts the soil to a higher (more alkaline) pH. Tumeric likes a pH between 6.0 and 7.8.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If soil with potash becomes too alkaline, you can add decomposing organic material (decaying leaves or animal dung), and that will make the soil more acidic. The potassium provided by potash is used by plants for many things but is important for formation of flowers, seeds, and to help a plant winter harden itself (to survive well over the winter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14300" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T08:27:38.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24241" CreationDate="2016-04-23T09:22:08.000" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never tried such with bonsai, but I found this &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1477124/how-to-root-a-ficus-cutting&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; (with images) on how to root a ficus cutting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It describes trimming the cutting to the desired form first, then planting it in a highly aerated medium so the cutting is &lt;em&gt;above&lt;/em&gt; the water. Then place this in a highly humid environment and lots good indirect sunlight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14317" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T09:22:08.000" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24241" CreationDate="2016-04-23T10:58:34.197" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;We tried rooting a rubber plant, which is technically a fig, in water once. It didn't work (the cutting was in the water, and alive, for a super long time, too, but it never got any roots). So, if you're left between those two choices, I would go with the soil. Soil generally works better and faster for rooting cuttings anyway, though (as long as it's a new, suitable seed-starting mix or something, and you keep it out of bright light for a while). Figs might take a different process than say tomatoes or watermelon, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How fast the roots sprout isn't necessarily the important thing, though. The important thing is whether it will live and grow after it sprouts roots and is transplanted. I've found that even when cuttings grow roots in water, they're still susceptible to damping off after you transplant them. So, if soil will rot a cutting being rooted in it, it can also rot a cutting with roots transplanted into it. I've found that using 2700k CFLs by the plant can stop damping off from happening, however, as can strong south window sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, plants rooted in water can become depleted of nutrients if it takes them very long to root. The main advantage of water (other than that you can see the roots form) seems to be that sun doesn't damage the cuttings as much the first few days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-04-26T00:31:15.457" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T00:31:15.457" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24245" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-23T14:36:57.950" Score="5" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;After moving from South Carolina to New England in February   both my Mass Cane plants turned  black. I have trimmed  it all back, cutting below the rot. I put wax on the newly  cut &quot;stalk&quot; to seal it. I want to repot them. Is it going to grow back or do I move on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14441" LastActivityDate="2016-09-27T16:56:44.687" Title="Mass Cane turned black after major move" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24246" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-23T15:11:22.990" Score="6" ViewCount="289" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this tree? Located in Northeast Ohio...&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cp9Y8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cp9Y8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XogOC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XogOC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11754" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T21:31:03.817" Title="What is this tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24247" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24312" CreationDate="2016-04-23T15:25:12.090" Score="7" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a young tree that was planted a couple years ago. Is it possible to id from these pics?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4OmOF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4OmOF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8NAKr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8NAKr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WLCUf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WLCUf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11754" LastEditorUserId="11754" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T18:52:27.440" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T23:28:49.850" Title="What kind of tree is this with reddish leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24248" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24250" CreationDate="2016-04-23T15:30:19.887" Score="4" ViewCount="235" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are these flowering perennials with white flowers (growing in a yard in Northeast Ohio)?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lyyEJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lyyEJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dgFyA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dgFyA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11754" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T15:55:16.297" Title="What are these flowering perennials with white flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;yard&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24249" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24275" CreationDate="2016-04-23T15:53:29.407" Score="5" ViewCount="2679" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wanted to see what it grew into. It's really a pretty interesting plant, about 6 feet tall with a plume of flowers at the top. These pics are from several years ago and I've discovered this thing is really aggressive if you are stupid and let it grow to full size and spit out seeds. But still, pretty cool looking. I would like to know what it's called and the latin name if possible.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lcLoI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lcLoI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/632m1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/632m1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hp7tC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hp7tC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11754" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T16:10:07.187" Title="What is this interesting weed growing in a yard in Northeast Ohio?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;yard&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24250" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24248" CreationDate="2016-04-23T15:55:16.297" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well they're Yucca - I think they're Yucca flaccida rather than Yucca aloifolia (Spanish Bayonet) because the outermost leaves appear to be flopping outwards rather than remaining upright. Although I can't see any filaments dangling from the edges of the leaves, if there are lots of them, then its Yucca filamentosa. Pic of Yucca flaccida in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/68112/Yucca-flaccida-Ivory/Details&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/68112/Yucca-flaccida-Ivory/Details&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T15:55:16.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24246" CreationDate="2016-04-23T16:36:58.807" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A first guess, based on the samaras (known as &quot;keys&quot; or &quot;helicopter seeds&quot;) and the lance-shaped leaves, (very) slightly toothed on edges: an &lt;a href=&quot;http://treedoctor.anr.msu.edu/ash/ashtree_id.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ash tree&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14438" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T16:36:58.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24239" CreationDate="2016-04-23T16:43:13.157" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can actually do whichever you want. I've done both. If the plants are healthy, feel free to take the plastic hanger supports off and set it on top of the other pot or somewhere else in the yard. Make sure there's enough drainage from that bigger pot so that when you water it, it's not sitting in stagnant water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, any time you have a bigger pot, my recommendation is to transplant, and this plant will generally look better in a larger container, Calibrachoa likes some some space. The bigger pot also gives you the option of adding more flowers, especially in the center. Something that stands tall is pretty for that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Massachusetts, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;growing zone 6&lt;/a&gt;  (−15°F, -26°C), which is somewhat east of you, they grow very profusely and easily. Since a trailing element is often a staple in a hanging plant, nurseries will sometimes use a lot to make the plant more attractive. The hanging plants I buy in the spring tend to be packed very tightly to give them a &quot;finished&quot; look, and, in my opinion, justify the high cost! After a while, they're either too crowded to produce good flowers, something else in the pot has pushed them aside so they become stringy at the base, or you just want to put them somewhere else. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're an easy plant to transfer, very much like petunias, if you've ever grown those. Some people say that pH and nutrients are important for a healthy outcome. Rather than try to figure out the proper conditions, I just use potting soil that already has fertilizer in the mix, and that's what I recommend if you're transplanting from one pot to another. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To transplant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove the hanging supports. This will make it easier to reach the whole thing and minimize breakage that can occur when extracting the plant. This is a good rule of thumb in general when taking things out of hanging pots, but especially for trailing plants, as they're likely to have wrapped themselves around those supports. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Choose a time of day when the temperatures are on the cooler side, and the plant is not in full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prepare the new pot by filling it loosely with new soil, to about 2 -3 inches from the top. Even if you're going to transfer all the dirt from the existing pot, the new soil adds fresh nutrients and is free from the surface debris and bugs which may have accumulated in its current home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wet it thoroughly. It shouldn't be drenched, like mud, but you should be able to feel moisture all the way through. This is to encourage the roots to spread easily, and minimize the shock of transplant. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you're moving the entire plant, gently lift it out of its existing pot. If the roots are all tangled, or seem dry, pull them apart just a bit, but be careful not to break them. Leave the existing soil around the root ball, as it's already established. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Set it on top of the dirt you just prepared, keeping the plant level with the pot, or a little lower.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gently settle the dirt around it so that it's well-supported. If it's leaning sideways, it's more likely to pull out of the pot as it grows. Since, the roots are fairly shallow, a good wind or rain can tip it over. The branches also spread more easily, and look prettier, when rising out of a compact center. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water again, especially at the root ball, keeping an eye on the new dirt, so it doesn't too far below the level. Again, it doesn't like to be soaked. In fact, it doesn't like to be too wet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To remove only some:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gently remove the part you want to separate, being careful not to break roots of the other plants. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Use the same method as transplanting the entire plant. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Add fresh soil to the place in the hanging plant from where you took them, as the remaining plants in the hanger need good support.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is an extremely easy plant to transfer, and even though it seems like a number of steps, you really don't have to baby it too much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-24T15:20:57.480" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T15:20:57.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24253" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24254" CreationDate="2016-04-23T18:14:31.557" Score="2" ViewCount="2747" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was doing some research into potash, and it appeared that they had a fire all winter long, and made a lot of potash to spread in the summer. They called it pot ash, is there a difference between the two?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The type of wood being burned all winder is Oak with a little bit of random mixed in over a MN winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-04-23T20:57:59.287" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T20:57:59.287" Title="Is there a difference between pot ash, and wood ash?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;potash&gt;&lt;woodash&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24254" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24253" CreationDate="2016-04-23T18:24:41.610" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure who you mean when you say 'they had a fire all winter long'... wood ashes do contain small amounts of potash, but the actual potash content varies hugely on what type of wood/plant material is burnt to produce it. It also does not keep - if it becomes damp, any potash content leaches out quickly. The term 'pot-ash' originally applied to the substance left behind after soaking ashes from burnt plants in a pot with water - after evaporation, any white coating round the pot was potash and used as such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sort of potash most commonly used by gardeners is Sulphate of Potash, which is created chemically, and its used primarily around fruiting plants. Mined potash has chloride in it, and this is used much more in agriculture, often for cereal crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info here   &lt;a href=&quot;http://acceleratingscience.com/mining/potash-a-look-at-the-worlds-most-popular-fertilizer/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://acceleratingscience.com/mining/potash-a-look-at-the-worlds-most-popular-fertilizer/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T18:24:41.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24255" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20091" CreationDate="2016-04-23T19:36:25.590" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Avoid Linden trees...they are very messy, drop leaves, fuzzy balls, sap. Worst tree ever. I have one at the front of my house, it is huge and has large surface roots that spread everywhere. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a Corkscrew Willow in my backyard that has grown 30 ft in 8 yrs. It is a beautiful and unusual tree. Nice shade in summer then has wavy branches for winter interest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14445" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T19:36:25.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="581" CreationDate="2016-04-23T21:00:38.667" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw my neighbor place a large trash bag over the low-mowed grass in the flower beds.  Then he used topsoil spread over the bag. The grass did not get sunshine and it died.  Every so often he picks small grass bunches by hand but that was it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14446" LastEditorUserId="13580" LastEditDate="2016-04-24T21:01:47.220" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T21:01:47.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24257" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24246" CreationDate="2016-04-23T21:31:03.817" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's probably Acer negundo, common name Box Elder - that variety of maple has variably shaped leaf arrangements, as well as variation in individual leaves. I can't see how the leaves are arranged in the picture, but the shape of some of them would indicate one of the Acers (not all have the classic fan shaped, five pointed leaf), and the fact the keys or samaras are held in pairs on long stems in clusters rather than in a single, long raceme fits with Acer negundo. Image of leaves, showing a typical arrangement, plus images of flowers, shoots and bark (which we can't see detail of in your picture) below for you to compare&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/tree/boxelder&quot;&gt;https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/tree/boxelder&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-23T21:31:03.817" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24258" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-23T22:05:29.863" Score="13" ViewCount="10946" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an orange tree for about 4 years. It bears flowers but they fall off. I have seen only 2 fruits from this tree. What may I be doing wrong.  See pictures. Some leaves have holes. Not sure if that has anything to do with it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uaQTP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uaQTP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ocg0d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ocg0d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qhBsc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qhBsc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-03-05T05:08:23.487" Title="Why is my Orange tree not bearing fruit" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24259" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24263" CreationDate="2016-04-23T23:12:20.723" Score="6" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;My front flower-bed is separated from my lawn by a row of edging stones about four inches tall half-buried in the soil. Unfortunately, between being hit by the lawn-mower a few times (oops!), being in a climate prone to frost-heaving and probably some settling action, much of the edge has fallen over into the lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking to re-set the border, but I feel like if I just dig a new trench and re-bury the stones I'm likely to end up right back here in another year or three, even if I do stop bumping them with the lawnmower so much. Is there anything to be done to reduce the amount of frost-heave/settling problems so that I can fix this once and be done with it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-24T20:08:44.950" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T01:36:47.400" Title="How can I ensure my new garden border doesn't tip out like the current one is?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;border&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24260" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-24T00:36:11.287" Score="6" ViewCount="623" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a beautiful, thick, well established patch of pachysandra in my yard that is now decimated. To put it mildly, I don't have a green thumb and since I have a full time job and three young kids I also tend to neglect my yard/plants. I do, however, have enough sense to notice if something isn't quite right, and I will admit that I noticed the pachysandra was a little leggy last summer/fall. By that I mean there were several plants that &quot;stuck their necks out&quot; above the rest. They were lighter green/yellowish than the rest. I didn't make much of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, this spring after the snow melted the pachysandra is 95% gone. As in, not there AT ALL. The few stragglers left are sickly looking-the leaves have brown, shriveled, dry tips and there are only a few of those at the very top of the plant. The stems are long and bare. We didn't have a worse winter this year than last. We did have a late snow storm (April) for our region (Southeast New England) but the pachysandra was like this before that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the research I've done I think it might have been blight. How can I tell since I don't have many plants and of the survivors there is so little foliage to examine? I'm thinking it doesn't matter; I am probably going to have to start over with new pachysandra plants or perhaps some other ground cover. In either scenario, is there something I should do to prepare the area (in case it was a fungus or some other pathogen?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/reWdG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/reWdG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;survivors:&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nFIZ0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nFIZ0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KSu1f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KSu1f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZAZmm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZAZmm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14448" LastEditorUserId="14448" LastEditDate="2016-04-24T16:06:25.963" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T17:47:54.220" Title="How to start over-pachysandra decimated" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24261" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24265" CreationDate="2016-04-24T02:42:03.820" Score="5" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is growing in Utah, USA. Here are two pictures of it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8t09K.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8t09K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tJa5Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tJa5Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14450" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T06:20:45.740" Title="What is this plant, growing in Utah, USA; called?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24262" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-24T02:53:39.767" Score="9" ViewCount="1029" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just started composting. In addition to putting lawn clippings, kitchen waste and dry leaves what else can I put in?  Is it okay to put branches of trees (fruit, olive, etc) in the compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-04-27T22:42:33.107" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T09:36:13.157" Title="Putting fruit tree branches in compost" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24263" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24259" CreationDate="2016-04-24T03:57:13.567" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can use metal edging which is supposed to resist frost heave.  Steel rusts into a nice patina look, but will last about 40 years.  Then you can look at doing it again.  Aluminum doesn't rust but is not as strong if you know you're going to ding it now and then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T03:57:13.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24264" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24262" CreationDate="2016-04-24T04:07:44.820" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dry leaves should be shredded first as otherwise they might form an impenetrable mat in your compost pile.  If you don't have a shredder, it's easiest to just collect a pile of leaves and run the lawn mower over it a few times.  This provides the &quot;browns&quot; or high carbon material for your pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Composting uses bacteria to break down the organic material.  But wood needs fungi, a different microbe that breaks down lignin at a different rate from non-lignaceous products.  So, you'll likely end up with all the branches largely intact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's better to just bury all your woody material and plant on top of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-04-27T03:46:22.987" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T03:46:22.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24261" CreationDate="2016-04-24T06:20:45.740" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like a young &lt;strong&gt;weeping cherry tree&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main trunk is quite gnarled in this specimen (hence the supports, possibly from a cutting and not grafted?), but the hanging (&quot;weeping&quot;) flowering braches are quite distinct.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T06:20:45.740" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24266" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24271" CreationDate="2016-04-24T07:34:39.227" Score="6" ViewCount="767" Body="&lt;p&gt;New to gardening, many species are unknown to me. This one (and many of its friends) with nice metallic colored stripes just apppear on my lavender, rosemary and slightly less on honeysuckle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PT0yn.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PT0yn.png&quot; alt=&quot;The bug&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is its name? It looks (to me) like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysolina_americana&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rosemary beetle, or Chrysolina americana&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it harmless to the plants?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If not, what actions should I take (preferably without heavy chemicals): handpicking? I sometimes use black soap spray on ants for instance.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14438" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T12:02:09.480" Title="Identify striped bug on plants: safe or suspect?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="581" CreationDate="2016-04-24T07:48:58.423" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have a packed border and you don't want to disturb anything.  The weeds growing through are a right pain.  For the odd weed: If you have a plastic bottle from fizzy pop, coke etc that is big enough  (&gt;1 litre size).  Cut the bottom off, up end it so the top (cap removed) and neck are pointing down. Push the weed or grass through the open hole toward the cut off bottom of the bottle. With the original neck now sitting near the soil, and using a brush or hand spray. Spray weed killer into the bottle and onto the leaves of your weed which is encased in the bottle. Leave to dry and then gently remove the bottle, leaving the weed intact which has been coated with weed killer.  The surrounding plants should be weed killer free.&#xA;Hopefully next time you look the weed will have died. &#xA;If you've got too many weeds, follow the good advice already given. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T07:48:58.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24258" CreationDate="2016-04-24T08:32:53.393" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your tree had some oranges in the past and not now, but it has been growing normally, then likely you don't have enough pollinators, bees, in your garden. To compensate for that you can transfer pollen from the stamens to the pistils of another flower using a small brush.  Repeat for all the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, looking at your pictures, I see only pistils and no stamens so it looks already too late.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T08:32:53.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24269" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24063" CreationDate="2016-04-24T08:39:30.393" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your plant isn't already dead, what you could do is remove it from the soil, and wash it all off the roots.  If any of the roots are rotten, cut them off. Then suspend the roots in a hydroponic solution with an air stone to provide oxygen.  The oxygen will prevent the roots from rotting further, and you'll plenty of oxygen and water for the roots.  You may need to cut the dead stem off as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have not done this to dying plants, but I have taken very small tree branches and germinated roots from them this way in my aquarium.  And here you're starting with some roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T08:39:30.393" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24270" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24258" CreationDate="2016-04-24T11:50:22.620" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've said your tree is 'about' four years old - most orange trees do not produce fruit till they are between 3-5 years old anyway. It's common for a large percentage of the flowers to just fall and not produce fruit, so other factors, such as the amount of sun, fertilization, and most importantly, water, become much more important in getting the tree to produce fruit, because there are other causes for flowers to drop prior to pollination/fertilization, such as dryness at the root or sudden cold temperatures when the flowers are present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is possible to pollinate by hand, should you wish to try it, and there's a video here showing how to do that&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSRX2g8pZs4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSRX2g8pZs4&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Orange tree flowers can be pollinated by hand, by insects such as bees, or by movement, either by gently shaking the tree yourself or the wind doing it on its own. Pollination of flowers on oranges is a little more complicated than it first appears - the variety of orange tree can make a difference, and there is some useful background information on the pollination requirements and process in citrus here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/130740-pollination-orange-trees.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenguides.com/130740-pollination-orange-trees.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And some more general info here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/oranges/no-fruit-on-orange-trees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/oranges/no-fruit-on-orange-trees.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree itself does not look as if it is in full health - check the backs of leaves and all the stems for signs of infestation by insects or other problems which may need treatment, and you may wish to use an appropriate feed/fertilizer to boost the plant's strength.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T11:50:22.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24266" CreationDate="2016-04-24T12:02:09.480" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is Rosemary beetle, certainly. How much of a pest it is depends on how many there are; if there are a lot, they can reduce a lavender or rosemary plant to virtually woody stumps by eating it all, so if you were a professional grower, this pest would be taken very seriously. However, in the average garden, they may not be too much of a pest and can be controlled with simple physical intervention. Given they like rosemary, a culinary plant, it's not a great idea to use most pesticides, so some sort of organic control or spray would be best. You can hand pick them off, or take a bag or large sheet of plastic and shake individual branches over it, disposing of the fallen beetles afterwards. Pyrethrum sprays should be okay to use, and there may be other organic treatments in your area, designed for use on food crops, that will likely deal with a heavy infestation. There is information about this pest in the link below, also describing its life cycle and when is the best time to treat with a pesticide if you need to, though its primarily talking about rosemary beetle in the UK, so some of the treatments listed may be unavailable to you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=555&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=555&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T12:02:09.480" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24272" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24301" CreationDate="2016-04-24T13:19:10.440" Score="5" ViewCount="12807" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a recommended spacing when planting new trees so they do not interfere with each other's growth? I want to group a number of the same tree species together as densely as possible while still allowing sufficient sun so they grow almost as if each tree were alone in a field. Essentially, I do not want to create a forest of trunks with leaves only at the top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there simple rule or formula for this? As a made up example: Minimum distance between trees should be 1.5 times the expected height or 2 times the expected crown spread (whichever is larger) for typical trees in the species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there is not a general rule of thumb for all species, I would appreciate recommendations for spacing between white dogwoods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14452" LastEditorUserId="14452" LastEditDate="2016-04-24T13:33:29.450" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T22:18:31.960" Title="How much space between trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24273" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24279" CreationDate="2016-04-24T14:16:38.920" Score="5" ViewCount="490" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've grown some apple tree seedlings from a shop bought apple for the purpose of turning into a bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A high percentage of them have germinated and I've ended up with more than I bargained for (12 in total).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've potted on the strongest ones into separate pots, and placed 3 into a single pot grouped together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n1dHx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n1dHx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The three apple seedlings&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My thinking behind this is that as they grow, they may fuse together to form one main trunk and I can train that tips of the plants into separate main branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, now that I have done it, is it likely that this will indeed happen, or will they simply fight each other for resources and only the strongest will survive? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seedlings are all roughly 2 weeks old from sprouting and have two true leaves each.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastEditorUserId="1929" LastEditDate="2016-04-24T21:11:20.987" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T21:35:15.320" Title="Fusing apple seedlings for bonsai" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;crabapples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24274" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-24T14:24:11.930" Score="4" ViewCount="4321" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was wondering if someone could help. I have had an avocado plant for years, I've kept it small by pruning it and it's become part of my family in a way. It lives on my windowsill and has been thriving recently!&#xA;However, yesterday we had some really strong sun which came through the double glazing and basically cooked my avocado plant :( it is now a green stem with dried leaves accessories.&#xA;Is it possible to cut it right back, water well and feed it and have it grow again or is it the end for the little plant?&#xA;Thanks for your time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14454" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T15:56:33.237" Title="How do I save my avocado plant?" Tags="&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24275" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24249" CreationDate="2016-04-24T16:10:07.187" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://weedid.missouri.edu//weedinfo.cfm?weed_id=115&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Conyza canadensis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; to me. Common names include Horseweed and Marestail. It grows to upwards of 6 feet in one tall stem, before branching to produce many small white flowers which then proceed to produce LOTS of tiny seeds with little white tufts to help it spread in the wind. Leaf shape of your weed appears to match up, long with a few serrations along the edge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's becoming an increasingly troublesome pest in agricultural settings because many populations have developed immunity to Glyphosate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T16:10:07.187" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24276" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24290" CreationDate="2016-04-24T20:04:17.223" Score="6" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;Re blueberries, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.perennia.ca/Fact%20Sheets/Horticulture/Fruit/Grape/Pruning_Principles_for_Grapes_and_HBB.pdf&quot;&gt;this URL&lt;/a&gt; says &quot;prune back to new wood&quot;.  The meaning is not obvious to me.  They don't say to remove &lt;em&gt;all&lt;/em&gt; old wood, from the base.  In fact, from the context, the rule seems meant to apply to tips/ends.  But, wouldn't any such necessarily be 'newer' than what they're growing out from?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11429" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T14:42:30.507" Title="What does &quot;prune back to new wood&quot; mean?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24277" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-24T20:09:31.027" Score="3" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not a gardener by any stretch so I need some advice and a game plan for a very simple project I have. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a small front yard (about 70sq ft or so) that recently got partially dug up to repair a sewer line. The yard was never in the best shape so I'd like to just till the whole thing over and start fresh. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My problem is the whole area of the trench is hard clay with a large number of small to medium sized rocks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plan right now is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove as many of the rocks as I can. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove any weeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rent a tiller and till the whole yard &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lay down fresh topsoil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tamp down the topsoil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant fresh grass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is I'm not sure what kind of tiller I should rent or what kind of small rocks a tiller can handle. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice on this would be appreciated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14459" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T20:09:31.027" Title="How do I prep for tilling over my yard" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;tilling&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24278" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24533" CreationDate="2016-04-24T20:45:19.343" Score="5" ViewCount="340" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z0XDC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z0XDC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;woody light red-brown stem with dark waxy leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This vine grows on the ground in our front yard, creeping out from under the hedgerow. We've always just mowed it. But, I am curious as to what it is. Apparently planted by previous owners. I almost ID'd it as a Hoya but not sure the stick like stem qualifies. The stem reminds me of honeysuckle without the fuzz. Seems it might make a wonderful topiary wrap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14460" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T19:58:32.483" Title="Please help to identify this vine" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24273" CreationDate="2016-04-24T20:57:20.243" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you leave them be the roots from the plants will become thoroughly enmeshed to make one solid root pad. This is how forest/group plantings are made. &#xA;As they thicken over the years, the trunks will begin to fuse. How long this takes, of course will depend upon how far apart they are and how fast these particular trees' trunks thicken. In a bonsai pot or on a stone slab, the rate of stem thickening will be so low that the individual stems can remain individual stems for decades and more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another way you could fuse a group of trunks together is to thread branchless seedlings though the drainage hole of an old pot bottom or a hole you've drilled in a ceramic tile. As the stems thicken they will fuse and also ground layer themselves (i.e., your new 'keeper' root pad develops atop the tile). This method definitely will fuse the trunks together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again it depends on how tightly the seedlings are packed through the hole and how fast the stems thicken each year, but this method is likely to produce fused trunk more quickly than what you have done. Try it this way with a new group of seedlings before they leaf out next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There may be problems when mixing species, but there are no 'kill-my-neighbor' issues with groupings of the same specie.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fun stuff!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastEditorUserId="13580" LastEditDate="2016-04-24T21:35:15.320" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T21:35:15.320" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24280" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34444" CreationDate="2016-04-24T22:48:49.317" Score="2" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am transitioning to using natural products for my cat litter and have seen many people recommending the use of Safflower seed for their liquid-repelling properties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, Safflower seeds are quite hard to obtain in Australia in bulk.  Are there any other commonly available seeds that have a similar liquid-repelling nature?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14461" LastActivityDate="2020-03-11T07:52:31.603" Title="Are there other seeds that repel liquid like Safflower seeds?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24281" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-24T23:35:42.287" Score="7" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing kale and this is the first year. It is the blue vates variety. My question is when and how to harvest. Days to maturity is 65 days (and it has been 65 days since I started the seeds indoors) but I don't think the plant has matured. I started with indoor seeds and slowly migrated them to 4 inch pots and last week to my raised bed. Any guidance on how and when to harvest?  Should I wait for the plant to fully develop and then remove it in it's entirety?  Should I be taking older leaves off and use them and if so how do I ensure that the new growth is not impacted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MK6zv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MK6zv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-04-25T19:57:34.070" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T04:35:22.817" Title="Best time to harvesting blue vates kale" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24282" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24032" CreationDate="2016-04-24T23:50:17.103" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;(Posting because no one else did, and a partial answer is probably better then no answer)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Avocados do have tap roots, but they do not go down very deep at all, so much so I'd hardly even call them tap roots.   (Source - I dug up a couple of smallish avocado plants yesterday).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm still dubious, but the person who's plants I dug up recons they just dig up the plants about at the tree line without going to deep, and gently pull out the plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-04-24T23:50:17.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24283" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24285" CreationDate="2016-04-25T01:33:08.520" Score="3" ViewCount="402" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have raised beds, and I noticed sunchokes beginning to grow this spring. I cut down (and thought I had ripped out) the single sunchoke I planted last spring sometime around Christmas last year thinking that was the end of it (didn't even try it after my friends told me horror stories about &quot;severe gastrointestinal distress&quot; they had experienced). I went to dig them up and ended up harvesting over 3lbs of sunchoke tubers (yeah, I weighed them, 3lbs 4.3oz). I'm feeling more adventurous now, and am curious if anyone has experience eating them after such a late harvest (they were sprouting new plants and were about 6 inches tall above the soil, and some of the tubers were over a foot deep. I really &lt;em&gt;dug&lt;/em&gt; these things up).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are they worth cooking, or should I just toss them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14462" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T01:52:04.637" Title="Harvesting Sunchokes in Spring?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24259" CreationDate="2016-04-25T01:36:47.400" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;IMPE, the way to have a 2&quot; above the ground border that stays put is to have 8-10 inches of border, most of which is buried. Ideally you'd take it all the way below frostline, but that's VERY impractical where I have and do live (48&quot; or so.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To do that with your edging stones that are only 4&quot; tall, I guess you could pour a concrete foundation  and mortar the stones to the top of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for hitting it with the mower,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A: I'm unclear how you think hitting it with the mower causes it to&#xA;fall INTO the lawn, since presumably the mower is on the lawn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;B: it should stick up above ground less than the mower height so that&#xA;you can mow over it without damage to mower or edging.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T01:36:47.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24283" CreationDate="2016-04-25T01:42:10.880" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Before they sprouted I'd have said they were in ideal condition to eat, having been frozen in the ground (which is the time to eat them and not suffer &quot;SGID&quot; not to mention the soapy taste of them unfrozen.) Having sprouted, probably not. One of the roles they filled for us was something that could be harvested from the garden over the winter and into early spring when nothing was growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for being done with them, uh, good luck with that. It IS possible to get rid of them; but it's going to be a long process where you cut off every stem you see every week, or more often than that. They are a persistent weed once you decide that they are a weed rather than a crop. If you plant them in a lawn area rather than a garden bed you can mow them to contain the bed, and mow the whole bed (repeatedly) if you decide that you are done with them. That's harder in a garden bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-04-25T01:52:04.637" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T01:52:04.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24286" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24288" CreationDate="2016-04-25T02:50:17.687" Score="4" ViewCount="182" Body="&lt;p&gt;To add to the recent garlic posts, I thought I'd make my own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I noticed that some store bought garlic was starting to sprout in the fridge, and so took some out to see if they might be viable for planting now that it's close to winter.  Now, this garlic is imported from China, and is supposed to be fumigated and treated to prevent sprouting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g61bb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g61bb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;garlic bulb infested with aphids&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;but what I found when I split it open was that it was full of onion aphids.  I'm guessing that some eggs were laid inside the bulb at some stage and then hatched after we bought them from the store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, my question is, what are the recommended cultural practices for planting garlic cloves that are bought, and how to prevent pests and diseases being imported into your garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T03:37:27.383" Title="How should I prepare garlic bulbs prior to planting?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24287" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24295" CreationDate="2016-04-25T03:20:59.000" Score="12" ViewCount="382" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some beetroot from store bought seedlings in November, and they're fine.  But this chap grew up with them, and I don't remember if it came with the others, or just grew from where ever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just don't know what it is.  Doesn't look like a turnip to me. And the leaves looked like a kind of spinach which is why I left it so long in the ground occupying valuable real estate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/10n6t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/10n6t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;guest vegetable&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And a single leaf against a dibber with 2.5 cm markings&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UouNQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UouNQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mystery vegetable&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-04-25T03:36:50.593" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T10:41:43.923" Title="What is this root &quot;vegetable&quot;?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24288" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24286" CreationDate="2016-04-25T03:37:27.383" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd start with &quot;consider the source&quot; and leave this stuff at the store. Importing pests to the garden from doubtful seed sources is a learning experience you should not need to go through personally to learn from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either buy certified, inspected seed (cloves, of course, not actual seeds, but it's referred to as seed garlic in the trade), or get garlic from a reputable local grower (need not be certified, or even a farmer) - a gardener I know and trust gave me some of &quot;grandma's garlic&quot; that their family has been growing for at least 3 generations, from the garden right here. The less you know and trust, the more you need some sort of certification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While some folks do seem to enjoy trying to make garlic from the grocery store shelves, it's a poor and dangerous seed source - poor because the varieties may be ill-suited for your local area, and dangerous since it's not held to the same standards that seed is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T03:37:27.383" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24276" CreationDate="2016-04-25T04:22:34.887" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is that the word 'make' is missing. That is, I believe it should say&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol start=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Remove the brushy, twiggy or diseased wood; a good rule to follow is to &quot;prune back to &lt;strong&gt;make&lt;/strong&gt; new wood‟&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T04:22:34.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24276" CreationDate="2016-04-25T06:34:55.477" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have some old wood that needs pruning, you prune it back to where new wood is arising off that old wood.  On roses this might be a few inches above from where the stem originates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is another example of the term found on a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&amp;amp;t=5163&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;home orchard forum&lt;/a&gt; about pruning blueberries from Gifts of the Planet Farm in Washington:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First get your pruning done me March 15th if at all possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Start at the bottom and prune any low spreading branches that will droop to the ground with berries. Next, thin the center of the plant if it is too crowded. Next, remove twiggy old growth that will produce few berries. One rule is to prune back to new wood (easier to ID on some varieties). Finally remove the laterals that will produce berries to far inside the plant ( hard to pick) or that are too far out (on a limb) from the center, that will droop toward the ground when loaded with fruit. Remember most berries are formed on 2 and 3 year old wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize twice (I like Fish Emulsion) in the spring after flowering and before harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T06:45:10.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24291" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24294" CreationDate="2016-04-25T08:35:15.567" Score="22" ViewCount="2530" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine has bought a garden in Dresden recently. The previous owner has left a few strange bundles of sticks hanging around, but we can't figure out what their purpose is. Any idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7cypm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7cypm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;misteryous bundle&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/52dr7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/52dr7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hung from tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14463" LastEditorUserId="14463" LastEditDate="2016-04-25T09:15:58.247" LastActivityDate="2019-06-17T15:04:00.000" Title="What is the purpose of this bundle of sticks?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24292" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24291" CreationDate="2016-04-25T08:53:31.887" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lots of purposes, including support for many plants (including small Eggplants, tomato plants etc - When we were growing Eggplants, they came with similar (but more expensive I suspect) sticks from the nursery.  These sticks may have come with plants the previous owner bought ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also used them to keep frost-cloth from touching the leaves of my plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T08:53:31.887" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24287" CreationDate="2016-04-25T10:02:29.413" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is really a beetroot (&lt;em&gt;Beta vugaris&lt;/em&gt;). Just there are many different sorts.  This seems something in direction of Swiss chard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably the seeds got mixed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T10:02:29.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24294" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24291" CreationDate="2016-04-25T10:15:53.613" Score="27" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are impromptu homes for beneficial insects, from tiny bees or wasps to earwigs. They are intended as shelter, especially for overwintering, and as place to lay their eggs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More complex structures use different materials and hole sizes, the common German term would be &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insektenhotel&quot;&gt;Insektenhotel&lt;/a&gt;&quot;, English &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect_hotel&quot;&gt;insect hotel&lt;/a&gt;&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-04-25T10:20:57.937" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T10:20:57.937" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24295" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24287" CreationDate="2016-04-25T10:41:43.923" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think what you have here is a slightly misshapen Sugar Beet. Both Beetroot and Sugar Beets are &lt;em&gt;Beta vulgaris&lt;/em&gt;, they're just different cultivars. The seeds are identical so telling them apart at planting would be impossible, and they cross-pollinate freely so it's no big surprise a sugar beet seed could have slipped into the mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T10:41:43.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24296" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24299" CreationDate="2016-04-25T11:06:37.500" Score="11" ViewCount="5962" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a 2nd year gardener and am just now building a small 6x9' greenhouse onto the side of a shed.  I've got some indoor starts that are beginning to take up a lot of space (my okra is ~9&quot; tall!), and I'm anxious to start using the greenhouse.  But I really don't know anything about a greenhouse environment and I'm concerned about killing all my starts - up til now they've been spoiled in my diy indoor greenhouse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is how to avoid killing plants when I move them out of the house?  I'm particularly curious about:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are the lowest temperatures that I can safely keep plants at?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much wiggle room do &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/11087/how-to-protect-plants-from-freezing&quot;&gt;things like draped row-cover&lt;/a&gt; give me?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do the plants need to be hardened off as part of the transition?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How can I learn which plants are more/less vulnerable to lower temperatures?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there any good reading on this topic, online or otherwise?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in northern Vermont and our last frost days is around mid-May.  I don't have any heat source or electricity in the greenhouse - though I could run an extension cord out there if it's really necessary.  This isn't a particularly insulated greenhouse; it's airtight, but there's a lot of single-pane glass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2020-05-05T02:10:21.777" Title="How to safely keep plants in greenhouse at low temperatures" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;frost&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24297" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-25T12:00:55.027" Score="3" ViewCount="978" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems that only two systemic fungicide are still on the UK market sold for rose black spots being &lt;strong&gt;Triticonazole&lt;/strong&gt; (&lt;em&gt;UK brand name: Fungus Clear Ultra - Scotts Company&lt;/em&gt;) and &lt;strong&gt;Tebuconazole&lt;/strong&gt; (&lt;em&gt;UK brand name: Bayer Garden Concentrated Fungus Fighter&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone point me in the direction of any research that shows how there effectiveness compares with each other?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(At present I try to use both in year and need to spray my rose hedge every few weeks to keep it clear of black spot.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="231" LastEditorUserId="231" LastEditDate="2016-04-25T12:17:38.380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T14:01:00.587" Title="Choosing between Triticonazole and Tebuconazole for rose black spot" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24297" CreationDate="2016-04-25T12:57:47.303" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Neither product is massively effective, simply providing some control of the problem, and neither one is any better than the other, as far as I can tell in use. The one I usually recommend for roses is Roseclear Ultra, which is a combined preparation of an insecticide and a fungal treatment (triticonazole), so it deals with aphid infestation too. Can only be applied 4 times in a year, and should not be used while the bees are still working, if the flowers are open.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.lovethegarden.com/products/pests-disease/roseclear-ultra&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.lovethegarden.com/products/pests-disease/roseclear-ultra&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, given you've got a hedge, where black spot is much more likely to occur anyway, and it's difficult to get a spray to reach all parts because of the 'thicket' like nature of the growth, then I'd suggest a natural, non harmful treatment for fungal infection, particularly black spot - cow's milk. Mix one part milk to two parts water in a sprayer, and spray till run off. And you can use that mix as often as you like or as necessary, without harming anything in the environment.... link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2012/05/got-black-spot-get-milk/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2012/05/got-black-spot-get-milk/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-25T14:01:00.587" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T14:01:00.587" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24296" CreationDate="2016-04-25T13:33:43.883" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants grown warm, indoors, will need hardening off to transition to an outdoor greenhouse that's unheated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One aspect you may not have considered with a &quot;simple greenhouse&quot; is cooking the plants on a bright, sunny day - an unventilated greenhouse can become a solar oven. There are unpowered wax-based automatic vents, or else you need a person on the job and not to forget in either direction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the most part if night-time temperatures in the greenhouse stay above freezing you'll be good, though 45-50 F is a better place to shoot for. It very much depends on the plants - peas, carrots spinach are fine out in the frost and freeze (&lt;em&gt;i.e.&lt;/em&gt;, the open garden, right now), tomatoes (eggplants, peppers) not so much, basil less than tomatoes, tomatillos are the most delicate darlings I have personal experience of (all wiped out on a night when even the basil was fine.) I would suspect but don't know that okra would be in the very tender end of things and a real challenge to grow in Northern Vermont.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the fall or next year you might consider adding a layer of greenhouse film (plastic) unless you have some objection to it that keeps you on glass. The double layer will add a great deal of insulation and greenhouse film (as opposed to generic plastic that breaks down in sunlight) will easily last 4 or even 6 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T13:33:43.883" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24300" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24276" CreationDate="2016-04-25T14:42:30.507" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;New wood is usually 1 yearish old growth.  I.E. stuff that isn't green stems, that just turned woody.  Probably still flexible.  Old wood is of course the older, thicker stuff.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T14:42:30.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24301" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24272" CreationDate="2016-04-25T17:05:40.060" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on the trees selected and the effects you want. In an orchard setting trees are often planted between 15-25 ft apart depending on what you are growing and harvesting techniques, etc. Hardwoods which grow tall and broad in their older years should be a lot farther apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees of different species sometimes fight each other allopathically and you'll see where the tops of two trees meet, they don't merge but have boundaries. Sometimes one tree wins and you can see that tree grows full while the other tree is retreated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some trees grow very well together, and these are often used in hedgerows, trees like these are mulberries, hawthorns, bush apricots, and I am sure many more. After they grow 12 - 15 ft tall, they get hedge laid, where the trees are skillfully cut part way through the trunk and laid down lengthwise to the hedgerow and then knitted together with others already laid down. There is an art to hedge laying so that you don't kill the trees and they continue to grow. It makes for some mighty impressive and impenetrable hedgerows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T17:05:40.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24302" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-25T17:16:32.047" Score="7" ViewCount="2018" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2x3vK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2x3vK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dkYyN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dkYyN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have three cucumber plants planted on my balcony.  The plants started great and went on growing.  What looked like a promising start is looking like a disappointing end.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It started with white mildew. I used one tablespoon of baking soda in one liter of water solution to spray the leaves.  The solution was too strong because it would burn the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now all the leaves are yellowing and dying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants produce fruits that turn yellow prematurely and die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can be the problem? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update.  Unfortunately all three cucumber plants completely died out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14465" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-15T15:21:52.640" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T15:21:52.640" Title="How can I revitalize cucumber plants after spraying them for mildew?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24303" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26446" CreationDate="2016-04-25T17:43:24.283" Score="8" ViewCount="456" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the name of the following plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/awdpS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/awdpS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14466" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-25T18:11:06.840" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T18:02:12.180" Title="What is this succulent with dark green paired ovate leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24296" CreationDate="2016-04-25T20:16:52.387" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adding to @Ecnerwal excellent answer -&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Draped row covers will provide a little additional support by trapping in more heat - maybe 1-3 degrees c - the key would be to take them off during the day to help heat the soil beneath them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you look at what hardiness zones plants can be grown in and when you can plant them, that should give you an indication as to how frost tolerant they are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are planning on running a heater into it - and you value safety over plants, you want to connect it to an RCD adaptor (these check if electricity is shorting to ground and trip, and are a very valuable safety protection - the cost being that if things get a bit wet they will trip the fuse).   If you are doing this, I'd turn the thermostat on it low - you probably don't need it to get to more then 5 degrees centigrade in the hothouse to provide adequate frost protection, and the cost of raising it above 10 centigrade will be very expensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are looking for better insulation by adding additional plastic, there needs to be an air gap between the plastic and glass for it to be effective.  Having it on the inside will help the plastic last longer (shield it from the UV which breaks it down).   Possibly an easier to apply alternative (for Winter only) would, apparently, be bubble wrap. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatos are more slightly more cold-tolerant then eggplants (and, I believe Capsicums/peppers).  For eggplants (only place I have real plant knowledge) the ideal minimum is 16 degrees centigrade, but if the plants are hardened off, 11-12 is OK, and they will survive an occasional temp to 3 or 4 centigrade (as long as they don't get hit with frost)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T20:16:52.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24305" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24296" CreationDate="2016-04-25T20:23:37.233" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a resource you can consider Eliot Coleman's &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1603580816&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep-Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses&lt;/a&gt; which discusses growing in unheated greenhouses, and the use of floating row covers to provide extra protection against sub zero temperatures. This was a method pioneered by Prof Emmert in the  1950s.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He also discusses which winter vegetables do best with this method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can download a sample from Amazon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-04-25T21:32:45.743" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T21:32:45.743" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24306" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24333" CreationDate="2016-04-25T21:05:47.110" Score="5" ViewCount="88" Body="&lt;p&gt;The oldish, commercial, heated hothouses I have have a floor with a  layer of polythene which is black on one side and white on the other - with the white side facing up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What are the pros and cons of this ?&lt;/strong&gt;  Is worth throwing some down on the floor of the polytunnel I'm putting together.   (Unlike the hothouses, I do not intend to heat the polytunnel overnight, and I'm less concerned about the speed of plant growth and more concerned about raising the minimum temperatures at night)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T14:37:05.160" Title="Effect of white/black polythene floor in polytunnel" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24307" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24281" CreationDate="2016-04-25T21:28:08.887" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's best to harvest kale after it's been through a frost.  Like most leafy vegetables you can harvest 20% of the leaves for eating, and let the remainder keep growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At my local farmers market, they sell kale leaves.  So, they just harvest the outer leaves for sale.  And then these leaves are about 2 feet in length, but a home grower might not get this size initially.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T21:28:08.887" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24310" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24258" CreationDate="2016-04-25T23:53:47.337" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are getting pollinated well enough, you can see the young fruit hips in those pictures. If there wasn't any fruit set, the ovaries would fall of the same time as the flower and you'd see no hips. Your problem is either lack of or too much nutrition and water. Wide temp swings can also cause infant fruit to fall off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-04-25T23:53:47.337" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24311" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25269" CreationDate="2016-04-26T00:11:30.927" Score="6" ViewCount="117" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a mature Mugo Pine that is looking rather haggard these days due to pine sawfly larvae chowing on it year after year. I first noticed them two summers ago. There were so many of them that I could hear them chewing whenever I was weeding around it (I didn't even know what the sound was the first few times I heard it-I thought I was going crazy!) I was able to identify them quickly enough and I had some Sevin in the garage so I used it. I normally try to avoid pesticides but the bush was seriously infested (75% covered, the other 25% eaten).  Because I know Sevin kills pretty much all bugs, I put a tarp down around the bush to direct the water/pesticide runoff down the driveway into the crushed stone and not into the garden soil. I had to repeat this 4 or 5 times that first summer to get rid of them all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year, I tried to catch it early, and noticed what I discovered to be the eggs on many of the lower branches. I pruned as many as I could without disfiguring the bush. Then I repeated the Sevin applications each time I found some of the disgusting little buggers munching away. It was better last year, I only had to spot treat the bush instead of hosing the whole thing down. I did the same thing as last year with the tarp too, trying to be mindful of all the beneficial bugs that may be lurking under the bush. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year, I again found the eggs all over the bottom branches of the bush. I cut a few more off but I really can't remove any more branches at this point. Between the sawflies, the heavy snow load these that two winters, and the pruning the poor thing is suffering. I am prepared to treat w/Sevin again but am thinking there must be something else I can do. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can I do something to prevent the eggs from hatching besides cutting the branch off and discarding it in the trash?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can I treat the soil somehow to kill the sawflies pupating there at the end of their feast?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd appreciate any suggestions because at this point (between this, my dead lawn, disappearing pachysandra and other problems I haven't posted yet) I'm ready to sell my house w/a fully landscaped 3/4 acre lot and get a condo. I can't keep up!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14448" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T14:39:34.543" Title="Pine sawfly eradication once and for all" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24247" CreationDate="2016-04-26T00:29:13.303" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a dogwood to me, w the reddish leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/cornus-florida-cherokee-princess&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/cornus-florida-cherokee-princess&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that there are photos of the flowers, it's very clearly a pink dogwood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is another good link w images and description from a Kansas botanical garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://powellgardens.wordpress.com/2008/05/05/flowering-dogwoods-missouris-state-flower/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://powellgardens.wordpress.com/2008/05/05/flowering-dogwoods-missouris-state-flower/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13998" LastEditorUserId="13998" LastEditDate="2016-05-28T23:28:49.850" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T23:28:49.850" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24313" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24315" CreationDate="2016-04-26T00:37:11.020" Score="8" ViewCount="126" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s4NnP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s4NnP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was given this plant but can't remember the name. Can anyone identify this type of plant? Or maybe even know where to get information about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14469" LastEditorUserId="14050" LastEditDate="2016-04-27T06:32:14.043" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T06:32:14.043" Title="What kind of plant is this, and how do I care for it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24314" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-26T00:49:58.207" Score="10" ViewCount="8153" Body="&lt;p&gt;I transplanted vegetables 2 days ago and they are turning white and wilting off. Pretty much looks like they are dying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I grew all of these from seeds indoors under 8-10 hours lights and they were doing so fantastic. As soon as I transplanted them outside (they were all at least 6-8 inches tall), they're dying on me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my first vegetable garden, so any and all help is appreciated. I'm not sure whether it is transplant shock or powder mildew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14470" LastEditorUserId="7298" LastEditDate="2016-04-26T07:02:25.977" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T07:02:25.977" Title="My transplanted seedlings are all dying!" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24315" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24313" CreationDate="2016-04-26T01:04:25.903" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celosia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Celosia plant.&lt;/a&gt; It's also known as a &quot;fire&quot; flower because of its yellow, orange, and red colors. It can come in a couple of other colors. It's a full sun flower that drops its seeds so it can overtake a garden if you don't collect the seeds (or just plant it separately) &quot;so they say&quot;. I have planted them successfully with impatiens and they did great... Hope that helps!!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14470" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-27T00:12:11.410" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T00:12:11.410" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24314" CreationDate="2016-04-26T01:47:28.203" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lesson the first - plant more than you need, and hold some in reserve. If everything goes well, you have plants to give away. If things go wrong, you have spare plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The transition from indoors, warm, no wind, constant (rather dim from a plant's point of view, for the most part) light to out in the wind, sun and variable temperatures can be rather shocking. Normally plants are &quot;hardened off&quot; by exposing them to favorable outside conditions for a short period, getting longer each day (and skipping very unfavorable days) before getting to the point of transplanting them to put up with it for 24 hours a day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional protection for the outside location might also be used at first (my &quot;water teepee&quot; things are in place now, prewarming some spots, and I'll transplant the first tomatoes into them - floating row cover, cloches, or plastic tunnels may also be used.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The height of a seedling may not be a reliable indication of its health - seedlings can be tall and spindly/weak, especially if grown with insufficient light and no exposure to wind/breeze. The ideal seedling is &quot;short, stocky and full&quot; (in general) indicating lots of light and perhaps the use of a fan to provide some air currents. Underlit seedlings can easily burn when put into full sun for a full day. 8-10 hours is also quite short for light time - it's at least 12 hours outside at the equinox, and gets longer as spring heads towards summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T01:47:28.203" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24318" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24314" CreationDate="2016-04-26T02:10:17.407" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming it's transplant shock, and you haven't hardened them off, perhaps you could try putting some cloches over them to increase the humidity, and also floating row covers over the cloches to protect them from the heat and sun until they recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can make a simple cloche by cutting the bottom off a soda bottle and then place it over the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T02:10:17.407" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24319" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-26T04:04:12.127" Score="6" ViewCount="170" Body="&lt;p&gt;It can get very dense and plump but I can't seem to figure out what combo of light and water it needs to keep it that way. It gets baked by too much direct light and it has tendency to get really leggy if its in the shade. If I knew the name I could get some insight into its natural environment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7zGUa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7zGUa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eMla2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eMla2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13807" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T02:37:03.260" Title="What plant is this? A succulent of some sort" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24320" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24332" CreationDate="2016-04-26T04:33:12.593" Score="9" ViewCount="6146" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was reading about how Garlic keeps insects away, and was wondering if just growing garlic in the garden will keep insects like Mosquitoes away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T13:33:20.060" Title="Will growing Garlic in a garden keep insects away?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24321" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24281" CreationDate="2016-04-26T04:35:22.817" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A good rule of thumb for Kale harvesting (and other plants) is to freely take any leaf that is losing a third of its sunlight to new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're harvesting for personal use, don't worry about the &quot;days to maturity&quot; bit. Growing Kale to full maturity in the spring/summer takes a slightly pro touch, as it's vulnerable to a variety of pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get the plant to 8&quot; or taller with a healthy stalk, and freely take any leaves that are missing out on sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On your first harvest, the bottom leaves might be tough and taste bad - this is not uncommon. The rest should be tasty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sunlight rule of thumb, removing leaves that aren't getting as much light as they were, won't have any adverse effects on new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To harvest, use a sharp tool and snip the leaf about 1/4&quot; from the main stalk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember to feed when necessary. Working compost into the soil around the plant every 1-2 months is a good idea as well, as it feeds the plant and the process aerates the soil. (For small/raised gardens, I recommend a garden tiller - combination tool with a 16&quot;-18&quot; handle, with a hoe on one side and fork on the other. The heavier head and longer handle easily give the fork enough force to work aggregate into the growing medium.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kale's soil should be always moist, but not wet. If the soil is wet, it needs some TLC, typically some worked-in compost, but an end-of-season overhaul works too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T04:35:22.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24322" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24362" CreationDate="2016-04-26T05:40:19.893" Score="7" ViewCount="591" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know the species of this epiphytic cactus? Even the genus would be a step forward. Could it be a Disocactus sp.?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The open flower is less than 2 cm (just under an inch) in diameter. The colours on the photo look pretty realistic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ihpvo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ihpvo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A species of Disocactus?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14476" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-28T20:57:00.357" LastActivityDate="2016-04-28T20:57:00.357" Title="What is this epiphytic cactus with small orange flowers along the stems?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24323" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24326" CreationDate="2016-04-26T06:37:45.867" Score="5" ViewCount="3998" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves on my chili plant have started wrinkling up. This is happening on even the new leaves. The plant is still flowering and producing chilis though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oKRI1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oKRI1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pic1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GBYMD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GBYMD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pic2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas as to what is causing this? I don't think it is over watering because I only water if the soil is not damp and I have another chili plant, of a different species which is not showing these symptoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it matters, I recently repotted the plants to a larger pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14408" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T09:10:26.040" Title="Chilli plant leaves wrinkling" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24324" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18028" CreationDate="2016-04-26T07:45:18.963" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like springtails (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springtail&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Collembola sp.&lt;/a&gt;), although it's a bit difficult to assess from the picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I often find them in my papyruses, and I like to think that they play a beneficial part of the small eco-system. They don't do the plants any harm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14476" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T07:45:18.963" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24325" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3402" CreationDate="2016-04-26T09:10:07.503" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to point out that plants do not have an &quot;anaerobic&quot; phase. Plants ALWAYS &quot;breathe&quot; O2. Just the net balance during the day is the production of O2 by photosynthesis because that only occurs under influence of light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically two reactions occur: (Simplified)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;reaction one: glucose (C6H12O6) + 6 O2 --&gt; 6 H2O + 6 CO2 (+ heat)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This reaction releases about 2900 kJ/mol (dG ~ -2900 kJ/mol)&#xA;That energy is used to drive the synthesis of ATP, the &quot;universal energy currency&quot; of all organisms we know of. I will not go further into this as this strays too far off the subject.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;reaction two: 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + hv  --&gt; glucose (C6H12O6) + 6 O2&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In which hv is the energy of a photon of a particular wavelength. I again want to again point out the simplification of this example, as for one glucose is not the only carbohydrate produced and this is just part of a complex system of reactions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Imagine the cellular respiration (reaction one) occuring at a constant rate, lets say 30 reactions per second (All rate values are arbitrarily chosen). Reaction two is light-dependant so at night the reaction might only occur at a rate of 1 per second due to stray photons. So the net reaction would be 29 times reaction one per second. As the dawn approaches and the plants light exposure increases, so does the rate of reaction two, until it eventually reaches, lets say 100 reactions per second at maximum light exposure. This will mean that at this point the net reaction is 60 reactions per second of reaction two. But the plant still also consumes oxygen (meaning it is NOT anaerobic)! The plant just produces more oxygen in the same time period. If the day and light periods last equally as long the average rate of reaction two would be around 50 reactions per second versus 30 reactions per second of reaction one. This means the overall average reaction rate would be 20 reactions per second. Enabling the plant to store carbohydrates (glucose in this example) and to oxygenate the atmosphere other aerobic organisms require to live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The requirement of a day-night cycle depends on the particular plant. However all plants do require light at some point, for the reasons above. Also most plants can not grow properly under continuous light due to oxidative stress (accumulation of free radicals) and deregulation of various plant processes (Exhaustion of crucial compounds). I like to imagine it to overdriving an engine, although that damage is irreversible wheras the damage done to plants is partially reversible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14477" LastEditorUserId="14477" LastEditDate="2016-04-26T09:17:44.380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T09:17:44.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24326" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24323" CreationDate="2016-04-26T09:10:26.040" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;(Using Eggplants as a proxy - they are the same family - I've never grown Chilies though) - This is probably not something to worry too about - its most likely simply due to stress (ie stress of transplanting).   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could also be related to extremes in temperature.  You may want to ensure the plants are getting adequate water, but the leaves look healthy enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T09:10:26.040" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24329" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24096" CreationDate="2016-04-26T12:28:15.250" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;looks like a rubber plant to me, and i don't believe it blooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14436" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T12:28:15.250" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24033" CreationDate="2016-04-26T12:35:45.547" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;omg,,, i have one too..!i repotted mine also, same thing.i think because the leaves are so fleshy the weight pulls them over. i would just go with it,or,thin it out and start over. if nothing else you have a conversation piece.. Graham,it will just continue to grow as long as it has room. I suggest either thinning it out and get some new ones growing from the off shoots, re-pot it again or just get rid of it. Maybe start some new ones and sell them.?!Remember they are medicinal. Mine is a monster. I just may get rid of it. I already have plenty of plants. Sorry if my 1st answer wasn't complete.Good Luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14436" LastEditorUserId="14436" LastEditDate="2018-10-31T21:26:35.397" LastActivityDate="2018-10-31T21:26:35.397" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="24331" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18028" CreationDate="2016-04-26T13:01:21.027" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have no idea what type of bug that is, but if you determine that it's detrimental to the plant and you need to get rid of it, the safest thing to use is diatomaceous earth. It kills bugs with hard exoskeletons by microscopically puncturing their shells and dehydrating them. It does no harm to animals or plants without exoskeletons. In fact some farmers in the US will feed it to their animals in the thoughts that it helps get rid of intestinal parasites. I even read that some people consume it for the same purpose. I have no idea whether that's legit, because as I said, it's only supposed to work on hard exoskeleton and air to dry it out. Either way, it's a great substance. You can also shoot it into hard to get to places in your house and as long as it doesn't get wet or blow away, it'll continue killing bugs in your house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can't find that, then I used straight rubbing alcohol. I had it in a small spray bottle for cleaning my cutting tools. I sprayed a Sarracenia with it to kill some aphids. I let it sit for a couple of minutes and then thoroughly hosed it off with water. It didn't seem to harm the plant at all and it went gangbusters that year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On that note. The first thing I'd try is just putting it in the sink and blasting it with straight water. There is a good chance you'll knock most of the bugs off that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T13:01:21.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24320" CreationDate="2016-04-26T13:52:18.047" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I can tell, there is very little empirical data on garlic and mosquitoes. And all of the studies I have seen show mixed results for ingesting garlic or using garlic as a mosquito repellent.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That leaves you with anecdotal evidence, so here's mine. My garlic patch used to be 30 some feet from my deck. A few years ago, I moved it so it is now just a few feet off the deck. I have seen absolutely no change in the number of mosquitoes that swarm us when we are out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T13:52:18.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24333" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24306" CreationDate="2016-04-26T14:37:05.160" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;White up reflects more light to the plants, and keeps the soil cooler (from sun) probably also keeps fuel-based heat in the soil better if the ground was what was being heated in the commercial hothouses. If the air was being heated, makes little difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Black up warms the soil more effectively from sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either should block most weed growth under them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd guess that there's probably a small benefit in the &quot;black-up&quot; direction for overnight temperatures in the unheated case, but I don't know how significant that might be without some actual experimental data.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T14:37:05.160" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24334" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24320" CreationDate="2016-04-26T17:11:46.713" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From my research, sort of. The garlic plant itself does not keep bugs away but when you make a paste or spray garlic water onto the plants that acts a lot like the pesticide that can be used. It helps keep them away, which is nice. It can also keep away snakes from above. You can even use this to help keep moles, voles, and ground hogs from getting to the roots. All you have to do for that is put the garlic into the tunnels crushed. These critters are very sensitive to the smell, keeping them away. Great thing is, If you do plant the garlic that is there best use, they keep them away! In the end, planting them does not keep the bugs away but they do help with moles, voles ground hogs and snakes. Garlic flavored water and garlic past keeps the bugs away from your garden. Hope this helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T17:11:46.713" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24335" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24336" CreationDate="2016-04-26T17:22:03.670" Score="11" ViewCount="25162" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother bought this plant but she didn't bother to even ask what was its name and what type of care does it need. Can any of you identify it, so that we can find info about the proper care it should be given? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tces6.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tces6.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It tends to stand up still in the night but leaves come down during day. I'm saying this partly in case it helps to identify it and because if you know its name, you probably know if this behaviour is expected. Anyway just giving its name would be enough and very much appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/umj2f.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/umj2f.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10933" LastEditorUserId="10933" LastEditDate="2016-04-27T09:59:41.630" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T09:59:41.630" Title="What is this plant with red-pink lines/veins on its big green rounded leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24335" CreationDate="2016-04-26T17:27:58.260" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the Prayer plant (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maranta_leuconeura&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Maranta leuconeura&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), named because the way the leaves fold up at night is reminiscent of hands held together in prayer. This particular plant is &lt;em&gt;M. leuconeura var. erythroneura&lt;/em&gt;, which has the prominent red veins and white spine on the leaves shown in your photographs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Care tips:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They're native to the tropics so they don't like cool temperatures.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They also like a humid environment. Mist them regularly to keep the humidity up.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep the soil moist at all times. They don't like to dry out. You can reduce watering a little while they're dormant during winter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They like mid- to bright light. I have one next to a south-facing windowsill and it seems quite happy.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They can be susceptible to spider mites. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23708/how-do-i-identify-and-control-spider-mites&quot;&gt;How do I identify and control spider mites&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T17:53:32.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24337" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-26T21:38:46.777" Score="7" ViewCount="900" Body="&lt;p&gt;I never had this happen but one of the 3 ball bearings on the female end of a Nelson quick connect is stuck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried soaking it in vinegar, and lubricating it with oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any tricks or tips to freeing it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eoKwM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eoKwM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;female quick connect&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13998" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-27T14:27:18.513" LastActivityDate="2021-01-24T13:23:09.643" Title="How do I free a stuck ball bearing on a garden hose quick connecter?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24338" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24272" CreationDate="2016-04-26T22:18:31.960" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Escoce is right.  Completely depends on the genus of tree you chose.  I LOVE to use GROVES in my designs.  Some of the trees I use are Amelanchier (Service berry), Sambucus (Elderberry), Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen), Viburnum (V. opulus), Acer circinatum and glabrum work well.  They form the walls and ceilings of an outdoor room and thrive. They can be planted 4 or 5 feet apart easily. I prefer the multi stemmed to the single stem.  I'd do one or the other for consistency and more...punch. Oh there are far more trees than this but not every tree does well in a grove.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are you trying to create?  These are typically 'understory' trees in an evolving forest that stay about 15 to 20 feet high and wide.  Does well with partial shade and tough soils.  What kind of soil do you have?  Is a lawn involved?  By White Dogwood what do you mean?  Cornus kousa?  Dogwoods are an understory, 'patio' tree and should do just fine.  Doing this makes a CEILING of leaves AND trunks for definition of the space.  Graveled floor works well.  Informal patio to die for...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-04-26T22:18:31.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24339" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-26T22:35:25.757" Score="7" ViewCount="132" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live on a sloped lot in desert country. There is little vegetation on the lot - bushes and small trees. When it rains there is 99% runoff. I want to channel the water so that it does not eat away existing structures. I have earthen (natural soil) ditching now. I am looking for ideas of what to use to remove the water without losing too much cover - with some esthetic appeal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14482" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-04-26T23:45:26.203" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T13:29:32.137" Title="How do I channel heavy water runoff on my sloped desert land?" Tags="&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24340" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24348" CreationDate="2016-04-27T00:26:51.090" Score="6" ViewCount="1765" Body="&lt;p&gt;My grandmother brought me a bunch of shade-loving plants from her garden to help me fill in a few gaps in my own. She had most of them identified but this one had her stumped. Here's what I know from her:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a perennial that thrives in shady conditions. It grows about 5 foot tall and produces small, but very fragrant, white blossoms in July or August. It spreads easily without human intervention. It was found in New York and may be a native species, but that is not guaranteed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a picture of the plant a few weeks after it emerges in Spring:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/loRcz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/loRcz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sorry about the smudge&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Early Summer Update: Flower buds have formed.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3KDnw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3KDnw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Early Flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-05-30T01:22:32.917" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T01:22:32.917" Title="What is this tall perennial with fragrant white flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24342" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24344" CreationDate="2016-04-27T04:31:06.847" Score="13" ViewCount="111" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just been reading some Q's here and through that, learnt about the need to harden plants before moving them outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm planning to do the reverse soon, and move a small basil plant from outside to inside... due to it starting to get quite cold. (I'm in Melbourne, Australia, where our winter is just getting started!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was wondering if, both in general and in this case, a reverse sort of &quot;softening&quot; would be required to help the plant get used to an indoor environment? In basil's case, I know it loves the sun!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14050" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T22:38:35.993" Title="&quot;Softening&quot; plants before they go inside?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24343" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24339" CreationDate="2016-04-27T05:11:50.047" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're living in desert country, you should be aiming to capture as much rainwater as possible, and prevent it from leaving your property if you can.  If the property is sloping, you need to &lt;a href=&quot;http://permaculturenews.org/2015/07/24/how-to-build-a-swale-on-contour-successfully/&quot;&gt;build swales on contour&lt;/a&gt; with the dirt excavated from the swale used to build berms on the downhill side of the swale where you then plant deep rooting plants to hold the berm in place.  If there's a lot of water, it can also be directed into ponds for storage or underground storage if it's really a desert.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Geoff Lawton has done a lot of work in Jordan in &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1rKDXuZ8C0&quot;&gt;re-greening the desert&lt;/a&gt; using various permaculture techniques, and the first part of the video discusses water capture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T05:11:50.047" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24344" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24342" CreationDate="2016-04-27T05:30:10.877" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never heard of the need.  The issue with hardening is that you're taking a plant in a largely controlled environment with low light levels, and a steady temperature, no wind, to a highly varied environment with strong sunlight, a wider range of temperatures and wind.  The stems have to harden, the leaf wax increases, and probably lots of other adaptations occur.  Bringing the plant back in again requires no adaptation as it is already capable now of meeting the indoor environments.  The main issue I'd guess would be loss of light, but you can compensate by using a grow light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T05:30:10.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24345" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24340" CreationDate="2016-04-27T07:16:12.710" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Missing a picture of the blossoms, I can only go by your description and the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Going by the leaves, the love of shade and the scent, I would identify this is an &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astilbe&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;astilbe&lt;/a&gt;. The tiny flowers are then clustered in large &quot;feathery&quot; or &quot;cloud-like&quot; plumes above the leaves, mostly upright, but there are also cultivars with more cascading flowers. Some cultivars are heavily scented and typical colours are white and pink tones. Leaf shapes vary a bit, from very narrow and serrated to more broader types and smoother rims, a lot of hybrids were created over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Astilbes like damp (semi-)shade, e.g. along ponds and can tolerate heavy clay. They multiply and spread easily if they like the conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T07:16:12.710" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24346" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24302" CreationDate="2016-04-27T07:36:25.970" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This kind of plant needs much sun and air to thrive. Try making here a better place on your balcony.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is possible there is nothing you can do for it, sorry. And we can see that it has already a very long tail with no leaves. It must be quite old already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2016-05-15T06:34:30.337" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T06:34:30.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24347" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24337" CreationDate="2016-04-27T12:12:51.813" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spray some WD-40 and then try to move the balls with a piece of rubber, or with your finger wearing rubber gloves. I've used this technique to free a sensor wheel from a thermal heater clogged with mud and debris.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14489" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T12:12:51.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24348" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24340" CreationDate="2016-04-27T13:08:04.267" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am confident that this is Valeriana officinalis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Valerian is a perennial flowering plant, with heads of sweetly scented pink or white flowers that bloom in the summer. Valerian flower extracts were used as a perfume in the 16th century.&quot; ~ Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Description: &lt;a href=&quot;https://davisla.wordpress.com/2013/07/19/plant-of-the-week-valeriana-officinalis/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://davisla.wordpress.com/2013/07/19/plant-of-the-week-valeriana-officinalis/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How to grow: &lt;a href=&quot;http://theherbgardener.blogspot.ca/2013/04/how-to-grow-valerian.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://theherbgardener.blogspot.ca/2013/04/how-to-grow-valerian.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Identification images: &lt;a href=&quot;http://wildflowerfinder.org.uk/Flowers/V/Valerian(Common)/Valerian(Common).htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://wildflowerfinder.org.uk/Flowers/V/Valerian(Common)/Valerian(Common).htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Descriptive identification key (Expand &quot;Show All Characteristics&quot;): &lt;a href=&quot;https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/valeriana/officinalis/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/valeriana/officinalis/&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-04-27T20:57:58.003" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T20:57:58.003" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24349" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24319" CreationDate="2016-04-27T14:23:33.480" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a type of Aloe to me, but I can't be sure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T14:23:33.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24350" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24302" CreationDate="2016-04-27T16:12:58.097" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lets first take care of the basics.  Consider removing some of the affected leaves so the mildew (or disease) does not spread to other leaves or plants.  Secondly, when was the last time you fertilized the soil to ensure healthy growth?  I am not sure what the baking soda did to the plant but that is not something you can undo any more.  Hope for the best and be patient.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T16:12:58.097" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24351" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24302" CreationDate="2016-04-27T16:55:20.283" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have removed most of leaves and not that many  left. I have been fertilizing the plants with manure tea every week. I also added Epsom Salt, Calcium and zinc.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fsyaQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fsyaQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14465" LastEditorUserId="14465" LastEditDate="2016-04-27T23:00:04.850" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T23:00:04.850" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24340" CreationDate="2016-04-27T17:38:37.983" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the flowers on this plant are long, cone shaped, yet still small, it's Cimicifuga racemosa, also known as Actaea racemosa, common name Black Cohosh or Bugbane. Perennial, flowers around July, does well in shade, highly fragrant white flowers, height up to 6 feet, usually between 4 and 6 feet, including the flowers - the first link shows the leaves, flowers and seeds, the second is general information. Depends on whether you can remember what the flowers are like as to ID of Valeriana or Actaea!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://swamptromp.tumblr.com/post/105698124917/plant-2-black-cohosh&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://swamptromp.tumblr.com/post/105698124917/plant-2-black-cohosh&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=j790&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=j790&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-27T19:59:36.923" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T19:59:36.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24353" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7270" CreationDate="2016-04-27T18:03:11.313" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I deadheaded the dandelions in my lawn a couple of years ago,  tossing the yellow flowers into the grass. Much to my surprise, and chagrin,  I later found that many of them had continued to develop into the  seed stage, despite being plucked.  Now I gather them up into a little cup and throw them in the trash. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone recommend a good tool for digging up dandelions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14492" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T18:03:11.313" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24354" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24109" CreationDate="2016-04-27T21:18:01.603" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you say, planting calendars are highly localised as even in a smallish area there may exist microclimates.  What you are looking for in San Francisco can be found here &lt;a href=&quot;http://smsf-mastergardeners.ucanr.edu/Vegetable_Schedule_for_San_Francisco_-_San_Mateo_Counties/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://smsf-mastergardeners.ucanr.edu/Vegetable_Schedule_for_San_Francisco_-_San_Mateo_Counties/&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use this one for NZ &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardengrow.co.nz/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardengrow.co.nz/&lt;/a&gt; so everyone needs to search for the one that suits their location, either online or in books.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T21:18:01.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24355" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24342" CreationDate="2016-04-27T22:10:09.577" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some plants are sensitive to light changes (such as Shark Fin Melon). I think this is partially because Shark Fin Melon is supposed to rely on light changes to know when to set fruit, but even though it may wilt for a while, it recovers. I don't know of any issues with basil. However, if there are issues, I recommend just keeping the plant as strong and healthy as possible, and giving it high amounts of light, if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One major issue you might encounter with bringing plants inside is that they might have such as fungal pathogens on them that weren't obvious outside, and they may kill the plant inside. That's what happened when I tried taking a cutting of an outdoor cucurbit and bringing it inside to root. I didn't have any such problems rooting cucurbit cuttings from plants I already had indoors (that germinated indoors).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you'll want to be careful of pests. You might be bringing aphids (I had that happen with mint), spider mites (I'm not really sure how these got inside) and other creatures in the house with your plants, even if you don't see any on the plants outside. Pests can carry and spread plant diseases, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-04-27T22:38:35.993" LastActivityDate="2016-04-27T22:38:35.993" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24356" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-28T01:48:31.033" Score="1" ViewCount="19" Body="&lt;p&gt;Has anyone been successful in getting rid of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equisetum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;horse tail weed&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; in an environmentally safe way? It's starting to sprout in many places. If I pull out one, 5 start to grow in the same place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastActivityDate="2016-04-28T01:48:31.033" Title="How to get rid of horse tails from the garden?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-04-28T01:54:01.470" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24357" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24361" CreationDate="2016-04-28T01:58:31.473" Score="5" ViewCount="126" Body="&lt;p&gt;We bought this flowering plant from Home Depot but forgot its name. Does anyone know what this is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gp1yW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gp1yW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastActivityDate="2016-04-28T10:46:53.700" Title="What flowering plant is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22331" CreationDate="2016-04-28T03:42:19.130" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wondering if you could install a lattice support using a pipe frame (maybe copper) and then wire lattice work.  You could have the frames on hinges do they would open like French doors and you could trim the inside of the vine to keep&#xA;It from growing on the house walk itself.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14498" LastActivityDate="2016-04-28T03:42:19.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24359" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24010" CreationDate="2016-04-28T09:49:21.810" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've confirmed the leaves are paired, so I'm pretty sure its a Ligustrum - seeing the flower sprays when they're fully out would help, but probably L. ovalifolium (though the leaves seem a little large for that) or possibly wax Ligustrum, but the leaves just don't seem, in the picture, to be thick and shiny enough for that variety. But it would appear to be Ligustrum of some variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-28T09:49:21.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10962" CreationDate="2016-04-28T09:58:47.363" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Over the past few years I have found that hand pulling is effective if you start early.  As soon as they start appearing wait until they are a few inches tall and pull on the stem as close to the ground or below ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks tedious but if you are persistent over several years the amount of work is less every year.  You cannot get rid of them this way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-04-28T09:58:47.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24361" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24357" CreationDate="2016-04-28T09:59:01.393" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;On current showing, it looks like a Chrysanthemum variety, but it seems very early for one of those to be showing flower buds at this time of year (if you're in the Northern hemisphere) unless its been forced. Another pic when it's in flower would confirm or deny this ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other possibility, and this one is a little more likely to be about to flower, is Tanacetum parthenium, or Feverfew, previously classed as Chrysanthemum, but not usually sold as a large plant like this. Again, open flowers would decide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-28T10:46:53.700" LastActivityDate="2016-04-28T10:46:53.700" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24362" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24322" CreationDate="2016-04-28T14:58:53.297" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this to be Pfeiffera monacantha.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Synonym(s): Rhipsalis monacantha, Acanthorhipsalis monacantha, Pfeiffera monacantha, Acanthorhipsalis incahuasina, Pfeiffera incahuasina, Acanthorhipsalis monacantha, Lepismium monacanthum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regards to its taxonomy, the International Plant Names Index (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipni.org&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ipni.org&lt;/a&gt;) shows that the generic name Lepismium was changed to Pfeiffera in 1994 (and nothing about it changing back to Lepismium).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To fortify this, The New Cactus Lexicon (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.newcactuslexicon.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.newcactuslexicon.org/&lt;/a&gt;) reaffirms the genus Pfeiffera with 9 species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Details about its range and and taxonomy can be found here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://media.eol.org/pages/5181624/hierarchy_entries/57218552/overview&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://media.eol.org/pages/5181624/hierarchy_entries/57218552/overview&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;General culture for epiphytic cacti: &lt;a href=&quot;http://cactus-epiphytes.eu/z_page_culture.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://cactus-epiphytes.eu/z_page_culture.htm&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.abbeybrookcacti.com/epi_culture.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.abbeybrookcacti.com/epi_culture.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-04-28T14:58:53.297" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24363" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-28T16:11:36.243" Score="6" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this grass or weed that has sprouted up in my healthy fescure? Please see picture. I have a pretty good tall fescue lawn that I have been working on getting out the crabgrass and various weeds with &quot;0.28% Barricade pre-emergent Weed-Feed fertilizer applied in late March and a good post-emergent spot-spray weed killer this spring. So far, so good. The fescue yard really looks great.  BUT...I have a new patch of this unidentified grass or weed with seeds at the top that just popped up a week or two ago as shown in the picture. It's in an area 20x20 feet only...and it was an area that got a good strong dose of the weed and feed in March. The unidentified interloper is a bit lighter shade of yellow-green (at the top of the picture) than healthy dark green fescue (at the bottom of the picture). And it has what appears to be seeds at the top. I live in zone 7. Thank you. Mark &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xpfUe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xpfUe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14501" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T22:41:22.530" Title="Can You Identify This Grass?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;fescue&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24364" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24191" CreationDate="2016-04-28T18:03:04.773" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe that the species shown here are both of the genus Pyrrosia. Specific identification might be possible from the given photo but since frond division, a popular method for fern identification, isn't very possible with this genus, you might need to rely on the arrangement of sporangia, (which aren't present in this photo). Since there are about 100 species of Pyrrosia, positive specific identification might require a Pteridologist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some species to consider for the longer fronded specimen could include Pyrrosia lanceolata, Pyrrosia rasamalae, Pyrrosia rupestris and Pyrrosia adnascens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the ovate fronded specimen, perhaps Pyrrosia nummularifolia or Pyrrosia rupestris.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pyrrosia Lingua (Shi Wei) is used in traditional Chinese medicine for several ailments: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.chineseherbshealing.com/pyrrosia-lingua/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.chineseherbshealing.com/pyrrosia-lingua/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The American Fern Society has published a comprehensive PDF on Pyrrosia which can be found here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://amerfernsoc.org/ffa/Fiddlehead%20Forum/FF%20Volume%2035-36/Fiddlehead%20Forum%20Vol%2035%20No%202-3.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://amerfernsoc.org/ffa/Fiddlehead%20Forum/FF%20Volume%2035-36/Fiddlehead%20Forum%20Vol%2035%20No%202-3.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-04-28T18:03:04.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24365" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24466" CreationDate="2016-04-28T19:47:26.003" Score="3" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found these buggers growing on a peach tree in my yard. This is located near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Identification?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are they harmful?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If harmful, effective control measure.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qti9J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qti9J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13313" LastEditorUserId="13313" LastEditDate="2016-04-28T20:30:23.397" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T13:25:22.433" Title="Worm/Caterpillar identification and control. white webs" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24366" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24373" CreationDate="2016-04-28T21:55:14.340" Score="5" ViewCount="3097" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last fall I planted a number of small &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscari&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;grape hyacinth&lt;/a&gt; bulbs in my garden. It's now spring, and they're all in bloom, but instead of being in the garden, they're spread throughout the lawn. My suspicion is that they were moved by a chipmunk or something else before the ground froze. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My husband is planning his first lawn mowing of the season, so if I don't move them, he'll mow them down. He's also going to do the spring filling of holes and lawn re-seeding, so if I'm going to dig anything up, now's the time. In his defense, they're virtually impossible to mow around, and I wouldn't ask him to baby them in that way!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume that if I just leave them, they'll continue to naturalize in the lawn, but I'll have the same problem next year when there are twice as many, none of which will be in the garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand they're not that expensive or difficult to replace, but if I can save at least a few, I'd like to. I'm not as concerned with losing the flower now as I am of killing the bulb at this sensitive time. If transplanting now is likely to prevent them from blooming next spring, I'll just leave them alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/18023/how-should-i-transplant-tulips-which-are-almost-blooming&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;, which is similar, although my flowers are farther along in the bloom cycle, and I only want to move them once, and into a garden rather than a pot. If the same advice holds true, though, I'd consider this a duplicate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T21:31:59.147" Title="Can I transplant grape hyacyinths while in bloom?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;grape-hyacinth&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24367" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24365" CreationDate="2016-04-28T22:30:02.007" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those look like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tent_caterpillar&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;tent caterpillars&lt;/a&gt; to me. Not sure of which specifically, but they are all pests. They are harmful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have any good advice regarding removal; I can only tell you how not to do it: my dad got rid of them by dousing the tent in gasoline one night (when all the little buggars are in there) and lighting it (and the tree, and the tree next to it, and all the grass around it, and one of the 4x4 supports for our deck...) on fire. Don't do it that way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14448" LastActivityDate="2016-04-28T22:30:02.007" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24368" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16338" CreationDate="2016-04-28T23:14:24.077" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a pumpkin plant I have the exact same thing growing but I planted the seeds&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14503" LastActivityDate="2016-04-28T23:14:24.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24369" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24382" CreationDate="2016-04-29T00:10:41.780" Score="5" ViewCount="6424" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm having a wedding in my backyard a week from now. It's looking like its going to rain during the week and I'm worried about my lawn turning into a swamp. We have a tent for the wedding so we can handle some rain during the actual wedding but I'm worried about the week leading up to it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can work from home during the week leading up to it so I can do as needed tarping if that's reasonable (I'm thinking like a baseball grounds crew). Is that a good idea? Is there a better way to keep my lawn dry leading up to the big day?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fJzak.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fJzak.png&quot; alt=&quot;Back to the house, looking at the wedding site&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DHovm.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DHovm.png&quot; alt=&quot;Looking at the house from near the rocks visible in the first picture&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14505" LastEditorUserId="14505" LastEditDate="2016-04-29T12:33:01.470" LastActivityDate="2018-02-13T14:35:37.210" Title="How to keep my lawn dry leading up to my wedding?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24370" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-29T00:13:44.623" Score="4" ViewCount="701" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few oleanders and was wondering what I should be doing to keep the plant in its best condition?  All I do is feed it compost once or twice a year.  Anything else?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6QpsV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6QpsV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T12:18:30.200" Title="Maintenance of oleander plants?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24371" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24374" CreationDate="2016-04-29T04:18:55.593" Score="6" ViewCount="1682" Body="&lt;p&gt;I heard about &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yac%C3%B3n&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Yacón&lt;/a&gt;, a tuberous vegetable cultivated in the Andes, and was wondering if I can grow Yacón in Minnesota.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-04-29T13:52:40.777" LastActivityDate="2019-07-12T19:40:28.473" Title="What USDA zones can I grow Yacon in?" Tags="&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24372" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24370" CreationDate="2016-04-29T07:26:58.047" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like there is broad information about this over the Internet: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/oleander/oleander-growing-tips.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/oleander/oleander-growing-tips.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even in the garden, oleander shrubs require minimal care. Although the shrubs are drought-tolerant, they look their best when they are watered during dry spells. However, take care not to over water them. Yellowing leaves indicate that the plant is getting too much water. If the soil is poor, feed the plant lightly with a balanced fertilizer during its first spring. Once established, oleander shrubs don’t require routine fertilization.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, from &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/trimming-caring-oleander-bush-71563.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/trimming-caring-oleander-bush-71563.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water newly planted oleanders regularly and deeply to establish a deep, wide-spreading root system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oleanders are fast-growing and need annual trimming to shape the plant and to keep it to the desired size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T07:26:58.047" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24366" CreationDate="2016-04-29T07:28:53.077" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most of the advice from the (possible duplicate?) other question holds true - dig them up, plant in the new spot, they should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just make sure they get enough nutritients at the new place to fill up energy for next year. For those you transplanted, I'd recommend you cut off spent flower stalks to make sure all energy goes into the bulb, for this year at least.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But another thought:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Muscari are in one point different from ornamental tulips: they also multiply from seeds, at least some kinds. If you let the spent blooms wither, they will drop their seeds which will then grow to tiny plants that look like blades of grass or baby chives - be careful with weeding, mulching and working the ground:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qn9Qb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qn9Qbm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-&gt; More details and pictures from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Muscari&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pacific Bulb Society&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest you dig up most of your muscari from the lawn, but if some are in a place where they can be spared from mowing, let those go to seed, collect the seeds and scatter them where you want them. You need a bit of patience, though, because it may take some time until they are mature enough to bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-04-29T12:17:40.973" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T12:17:40.973" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24374" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24371" CreationDate="2016-04-29T08:16:03.523" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can, provided you have a warm and sunny spot - like where tomatoes would be happy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Currently there are ongoing promising studies from the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.uni-hohenheim.de/english&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;University of Hohenheim&lt;/a&gt; regarding commercial production in warmer regions of Germany, but many hobby gardeners report good success in home gardens. Yes, the plants rarely bloom and stay smaller than in their natural habitat, but 2 meters instead of 3 isn't bad and the yield of tubers is still plenty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that neither the plant nor the roots / tubers are frost resistant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant them in your garden after the last frost. Choose a well draining spot with plenty of sun and warmth. &quot;Wet feet&quot; can cause rotting. The fast growth needs lots of nutrients, so choose a fertile ground or add compost / fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once the first fall frosts have caused the stalks to wither, dig up the roots for the kitchen and store the core (the perennial rhizome it grows from, which will produce a new plant or can even be divided next spring) in a cool, but frost-free place below 10 &amp;deg;C, e.g. in slightly wet sand or peat like you would for storing carrots or overwintering dahlias.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If everything went well, you can take apart the overwintered core in early spring (February or March) and plant individual pieces (&quot;eyes&quot;) in small pots indoors. Do not cover entirely, the eye should remain open. Plant outside after the last frost. Others simply wait and replant like for dahlias.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overwintering is reportedly the most tricky part. If you are ok with possibly buying new tubers every year, you should still be able to get a good harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2019-07-12T19:40:28.473" LastActivityDate="2019-07-12T19:40:28.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="24375" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24262" CreationDate="2016-04-29T09:36:13.157" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used to put branches on my compost pile, but it takes years until they decompose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However it is possible to use them if you reduce them in small pieces with a shredder (if not too many of them). If you usually put your mowed lawn on it, it will be very good to balance between nitrate rich and carbon rich inputs...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://humanurehandbook.com/manual.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;humanure manual&lt;/a&gt; provides interesting information about how to handle a composting pile - even if its not to compost humane manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About the shredder, which can be expensive depending on the size of the branches you have, you could see with your neighbors if you can borrow one, or by one together with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T09:36:13.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24366" CreationDate="2016-04-29T11:03:43.337" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can move them now, but you need to keep the foliage intact - bulbs use their leaves whilst they're present to photosynthesize and store enough food in the bulbous root to enable flowering the following year. If you cut off or damage the foliage, you won't get flowers next year. That means, when you dig them up, you need to take enough of a plug of soil around them so they don't notice they've been moved, and retain their leaves. You can cut off the flower stems if you like though, but if you move them with enough of a rootball, that shouldn't be necessary. The trouble with keeping a good plug of soil around them is, obviously, you'll have some fair sized holes in the lawn...but its probably important to move them out of the lawn - they do love to spread, and certainly in the UK, are second only to wild onion/garlic in their invasive nature. Whether you transfer them to pots and plant out in the autumn, or move them into a border is largely irrelevant - in some respects, they'll be easier to care for in terms of water supplies in a pot, but that's up to you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-29T11:19:13.477" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T11:19:13.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24377" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24386" CreationDate="2016-04-29T17:09:06.723" Score="6" ViewCount="3371" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a strange-looking pile of dirt in my lawn that I'd never noticed before, so I'm wondering if it's a sign of a pest, say a mole or some kind of burrowing insect:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lLfSH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lLfSH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The patch of dirt is about 4 or 5 inches in diameter.  Because of the way it's not flat and instead composed of small particles of dirt, I'm wondering if something tried burrowing through there.  This is on a slight hill, and we just had strong rains two nights ago, so I wonder too if this could simply be due to the way the water pooled up and drained off my property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14187" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T05:34:54.813" Title="Is this pile of dirt in my grass a sign of a pest?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24377" CreationDate="2016-04-29T17:52:31.620" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's from a burrowing animal pushing dirt out of a hole. Poke around and you may find a tunnel. Water isn't going to do that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether or not it's a &quot;pest&quot; depends on what level of bother it is or is not actually causing. Aeration from tunnels can actually be beneficial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T17:52:31.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24380" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="926" CreationDate="2016-04-29T18:42:38.610" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this to be an epiphytic fern and not an orchid. Most likely Pyrrosia. Please see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24191/what-is-this-epiphytic-climbing-fern-with-narrow-leathery-leaves-found-in-thail/24364#24364&quot;&gt;What is this epiphytic climbing fern with narrow leathery leaves, found in Thailand?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T18:42:38.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24365" CreationDate="2016-04-29T19:26:47.563" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Eastern Tent caterpillar I'd say - if they're a major problem on your tree/s every year, treatment might be necessary, otherwise, not too big a deal, easier to remove the egg masses when they're on the twigs really. They're laid in clusters on the twigs and overwinter there, so removing them in fall or in winter will solve the problem for next year -  more info in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://lancaster.unl.edu/hort/articles/2004/easterntentcaterpillar.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://lancaster.unl.edu/hort/articles/2004/easterntentcaterpillar.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-29T19:32:21.093" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T19:32:21.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24369" CreationDate="2016-04-29T19:47:17.113" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Im by no means an expert, but based on the pics I believe using tarps sparingly could help as there is plenty of space for water to drain to below. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said it looks like the grass is not well established ( or needs TLC), so leaving it under a tarp for too long will probably damage it further.  I posit light rain could be beneficial, but if you are going to have solid blocks of heavy rain, putting down tarps over that perod might be the lesser of 2 evils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T19:47:17.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24383" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24370" CreationDate="2016-04-29T19:47:26.100" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant looks as if it could do with a good prune, it's got a bit 'staring', that is, too much stem and not enough leaf. I grow these in London, UK, outdoors in sheltered spots, and the one I saw last week is now so bushy, thick with leaves and large, despite a good prune last year, it could do with pruning now - but it's about to flower. It's in this condition despite technically being too tender for outdoors in the UK, and having come through what passed for winter this year, so it'll be twice the size it is now in 3 months. I don't feed it at all, nor give it compost - but it's planted with its roots in shade, behind a low wall, and its upper parts in sun, which means it's probably always got access to moisture deep in the soil under the wall and paving. I'm guessing yours probably could do with a lot more water from late spring throughout summer to get good, bushy, green growth and more bouts of flowering. When pruning, don't get the sap on exposed skin - some people have a strong dermatological reaction to it. If you decide to prune, you can either do it now and sacrifice the early flowers, or wait till the usual, early crop of flowers is over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to your comment, I almost mentioned the fact that your plant appears to be a 'standard' but I find many people don't understand the term even in the UK, and it confuses the issue! So what you're describing as 'a long step' means you have a straight stem with all the growth coming from the top, often grafted at that point, on the top of the stem, but sometimes a plant is simply trained to grow that way, and that is called a standard. A half standard is similar, but has a shorter stem. I can't see from the pic whether there's a graft at the top of the stem, but either way, you can't cut back past the top of that stem, so shorten all the growth down to 5 or 6 inches if you want, always cutting just above a leaf node, but no lower than that. This might encourage more unwanted growth elsewhere because yes, when you have a 'standard', you do remove any growth coming from the ground or off the long straight stem, to keep the form and shape. Even so, if you rub out or remove the unwanted growth as soon as it appears, the topgrowth should still grow thicker and bushier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-30T12:18:30.200" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T12:18:30.200" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24377" CreationDate="2016-04-29T20:50:12.480" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is not going to be from a burrowing insect (unless you live on a 'Dune' like planet) but rather a burrowing mammal; e.g. mole, vole, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you allow it to stay you are going to get a lot more of these strange piles of dirt. If they have taken up residence then a lot more. Probably more than you would care to put up with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First off, a very effective deterrent is sprinkling used cat litter around every opening (aka &lt;em&gt;'strange-looking pile of dirt'&lt;/em&gt;) that you can find. If you do not have an in-door cat then I'm sure one of your neighbours will and they will very likely be more than happy to have you empty a litter box or two for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;btw, on the subject of neighbours: you may want to proactively alert your neighbours about this. If you use a non-lethal eradication method like used kitty litter then the burrowing rodents are going to set up shop somewhere close by. Alerting your neighbours now will save a possibly embarrassing conversation later. &lt;em&gt;&amp;lt;them:&amp;gt; Darn it! I've just got a bunch of burrowing rodents in my lawn!  &amp;lt;you:&amp;gt; That's strange. I had a bunch last week but got rid of them!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My second point is in regard to the long term health of your lawn. The burrowing mammal(s) has chosen to make a home there for a reason. It is very likely that your lawn contains insect grubs or other tasty morsels that have attracted it/them in the first place. Get rid of the problem at the source that is attracting them and they won't come back in the future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user14512" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T20:50:12.480" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24387" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24369" CreationDate="2016-04-29T20:54:55.467" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is the ground aerated or compacted? If it's compacted you may like to spike it and aerate it.  It's quite a large area so would take a while by hand.  Or can you ask some others to help you?  You can hire tools to do this. Brush sand into the holes to keep them open. Give the lawn a good feed at the same time, and hope that it rains a bit to improve the quality  and coverage. Any heavy rain will hopefully drain down into the roots and not sit on the surface. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T20:54:55.467" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24388" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24366" CreationDate="2016-04-29T21:31:59.147" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If these are the common variety I can certainly testify to their invasive qualities. Am still trying to get rid of them years later. There are other varieties that are not invasive and are more decorative.  If you wish to keep these, the previous advice is very sound. Any bulblets that have been left will grown and can be mown off.  These will eventually become exhausted and not regrow. Any bulbs you transplant will readily regrow and flourish, making a haze of bright blue in your spring garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T21:31:59.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24389" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-29T21:46:56.570" Score="4" ViewCount="709" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will be carrying out some heavy pruning of some over grown trees (mixture of deciduous, fruit and a few conifers) over the next few months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am already planning to save some of the thicker, straighter sections for woodwork, sculpture and log fires, most of the thinner stuff will probably end up going through a shredder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24262/putting-fruit-tree-branches-in-compost&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; that it can take a long time for the wood to decompose. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So My question is, what beneficial use could I put a substantial amount of chipped wood to? Mulch? Bottom layer of raised beds perhaps?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T00:11:28.173" Title="What useful things can I use shredded branches for?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24390" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10962" CreationDate="2016-04-29T21:52:58.793" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a very good reason why they are one of the ancient plants that have existed for 000's of years or are the direct descendants of the pre historic plants, darn it. They prefer moist soil so improved drainage may lessen their enthusiasm for growth. Burn and not composting any you pull or weed will reduce further infections. Hopefully you can get your neighbour on board with control too, which will lessen ingress  from that direction. Good luck in your endeavours with this one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T21:52:58.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24391" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24363" CreationDate="2016-04-29T21:56:08.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not very good on grasses, but it looks like Poa Annua.  A variety of grass contained in a standard mix of grass varieties for use in uk lawns. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T21:56:08.587" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24389" CreationDate="2016-04-29T22:04:16.173" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a mulch in the top of flower or veg beds, around fruit bushes as a weed suppressant, and keeps in moisture. Don't waste it underneath. I put clippings over my rhubarb crowns for the winter as a bit of protection. As a soft path over compacted soil on an allotment. On top of a weed membrane as a semi formal path between beds.  ok it won't last more than a couple of years, but can then be topped up with more, or swept up and composted before being replaced. &#xA;I've a load I'm about to put around my strawberries instead of straw for when then fruit to keep them clean. The conifer will smell lovely when freshly cut. &#xA;You could also sell bags to your neighbours if you have that much, if not as an income for yourself then donate monies to a local charity? Give it away to a elderly residential home or local school for similar uses as your own. Some pay a tidy sum for bark and chipping as a mulch. &#xA;Some wood repels insects and spiders - would any of that fit the bill? &#xA;I'm sure others will have uses too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastEditorDisplayName="user13638" LastEditDate="2016-04-29T22:10:42.390" LastActivityDate="2016-04-29T22:10:42.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24393" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24389" CreationDate="2016-04-30T00:00:21.760" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another option is to shred the branches with a shredder and put it in your compost. It will decompose much faster if shredded.  If you don't have a compost bin, you can bury them underground and let it decompose there on it's own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T00:00:21.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24394" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-30T00:06:20.353" Score="6" ViewCount="371" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a calendar of maintenance tasks that need to be performed on fruit trees? For example, when do I prune them, when do I fertilize them, etc.  If it helps, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and am growing apples, pears, oranges, grapes, pomegranates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T07:59:29.867" Title="Calendar to maintain fruit trees" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24389" CreationDate="2016-04-30T00:11:28.173" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tree mulch, and wood chips are used in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.backtoedenfilm.com/how-to-grow-an-organic-garden.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Back to Eden&lt;/a&gt; garden method which uses the chips to mulch, and slowly release decomposing nutrient to the soil. It's combined with a nitrogen source such as composted animal manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have specific hardwood species such as oak, you can use 3-6 inch diameter branches for mushroom cultivation, though these need to be grabbed at leaf fall to maximise the amount of carbohydrates available to the fungi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T00:11:28.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24396" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-30T01:12:25.850" Score="5" ViewCount="801" Body="&lt;p&gt;How can I revive a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goji&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Goji berry&lt;/a&gt; bush after it has gone into shock.  I moved the bush to a separate larger space and it was OK for the first and second day, but has continued to wilt from then.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will I have to get rid of it or is there a way to save it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14514" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-01T18:21:53.303" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T18:21:53.303" Title="How do I revive a shocked goji berry bush?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16338" CreationDate="2016-04-30T02:00:38.193" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like Hollyhock. The stems will grow tall with beautiful flowers&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14368" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T02:00:38.193" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24398" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24396" CreationDate="2016-04-30T02:11:43.490" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems that you caused too much root damage and the roots now cannot load up water as fast as it is being lost through the leaves to the air - hence, the loss of turgidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to put it in a humidity tent or makeshift terrarium. In this limited space the relative humidity will stay near 100% and, in essence, no more water will be lost by transpiration. If the plant is small, you can make a tent with by cutting the bottom off a plastic container and placing it over the plant or you can use a translucent plastic bag. If it is a large plant you may need to make a frame around the plant, pot, and all that you cover with clear/translucent plastic (polyethylene) sheeting. The tent needs to be closed, but not 'hermetically sealed'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course the tented plant needs to be in shade where it only gets indirect sunlight. You can spray inside the tent occasionally with a solution of 2 tablespoons 3% hydrogen peroxide in one quart of water. This will kill most fungi and bacteria that might infect your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T02:11:43.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24399" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24396" CreationDate="2016-04-30T05:05:59.553" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I concur with Jim Young that only giving it indirect sunlight, and putting a humidity dome is a good idea (for pretty much any transplant). A humidity dome may not work if it's too hot, however. The hotter it is, the more ventilation you may need. I would personally give it at least a little ventilation whether or not it's hot, though. However, I would also like to add that giving it some extra potassium (such as potassium sulfate) should help it, too. Potassium should help the plant to absorb water and be good for the roots. Phosphorus may or may not also help. Nitrogen will hurt it, at this point, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potassium sulfate has always seemed to help transplants, in my experience. Putting a milk jug (no cap) over transplanted tomatoes and stuff also helps, in my experience (if it's not too hot).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't concur with Jim Young about 3% hydrogen peroxide. In my experience, it hasn't done anything to limit fungi (at least the kinds I tried it for). Plus, the 3% kind can have toxic stabilizers in it (like organophosphates; I know, because I contacted the manufacturer of mine). These may or may not hurt your plant, but they are toxic to humans. If you want to use hydrogen peroxide, I recommend using the food grade kind that is super potent, and dilluting it (for safety and efficiency). It should be free of weird chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard a rumor that rockdust is helpful for transplants. I don't know if it's true, but I've used powdered basalt a lot for transplants and it didn't hurt, at least. It seemed to help, if anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-04-30T05:27:12.497" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T05:27:12.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24400" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24377" CreationDate="2016-04-30T05:34:54.813" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Derek, those little mammals...probably moles are going to be few in number.  They are part of the system that keeps crane fly in check and cut worms and all kinds of insect pests.  At the same time they are aerating and pulling up piles of earth that all you need to do is blow it with your gas blower or rake it into the surrounding grass.  I used to charge lots of money to have my guys dump piles of top soil all over a lawn and then rake it in.  These guys do it for free.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your grass looks like a nice length and very healthy.  I am seeing that your mower blades need sharpening badly from the chewed up tips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T05:34:54.813" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24401" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-30T07:12:21.853" Score="6" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I grew a bunch of large fruit trees of a sort very, very desirable to birds (robins, mockingbirds, etc.), out in the middle of nowhere where few birds had previously dared to roam (no trees besides mine), would this increase my harvest potential, or would it draw birds like flies?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a hypothetical question. I'm not actually doing it right now, and perhaps not anytime soon, if I do it at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potential kinds of trees might be cherries, mulberries, or whatever else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems like there were a lot less birds in my area years ago when there were less trees (and less birds as pests). So, it seems like it might work, but I wanted to get the perspective of others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-04-30T07:19:17.720" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T12:00:05.767" Title="How many trees are needed to attract birds as significant pests?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24402" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24401" CreationDate="2016-04-30T07:50:35.350" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Birds were very absent in my garden when I moved in, but there again there was no where for them the perch or roost on. Now there is and I have a good population. If I put food for them , there are a lot more. Birds will be attracted to an orchard, along with bees I would hope to pollinate the flowers. I'm sure a lovely crop of cherries, would be very welcomed by your bird population.  An orchard may well become an oasis in a desert. Encourage your neighbours to do something similar and your area can be used as a beautiful blossom trail. It would be a lovely space for a community annual picnic. Go for it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user13638" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T07:50:35.350" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24394" CreationDate="2016-04-30T07:59:29.867" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pruning typically should be done when the tree is dormant (fall/winter/spring). I think most prefer the spring, but winter might have advantages. It's not uncommon to prune trees soon after they break dormancy. Anyway, one reason for pruning while the tree is dormant is so you can see what you're doing without leaves everywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard a rumor that trees store their strength in the roots while dormant (so, pruning won't remove this beneficial strength from the tree then), but I don't know if this is true. &lt;a href=&quot;http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-02-17/features/ct-sun-garden-0220-morton-prune-20110217_1_new-growth-vigorous-growth-shrubs&quot;&gt;This link&lt;/a&gt; provides advantages to pruning while dormant (I'm to tired to list them now: someone else feel free to).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many believe fruit needs to be thinned if there's a lot of it growing on the tree. Organizations with orchards seem to have a regular schedule of when to do what (but it may rely more on how far along the fruit is than the time of year for such as thinning). You could always visit such a place, and take a tour, or volunteer, asking questions while you do so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/article/fertilize-new-fruit-trees&quot;&gt;Fruit trees generally can be fertilized between early spring (after the buds come forth) and early midseason. Do not fertilize when the trees are starting to go dormant.&lt;/a&gt; I wouldn't do it within a month or two of harvest, either. (It's my belief that nitrogen has a negative impact on taste if applied near harvest time, although some may disagree that there's sufficient evidence for this.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T07:59:29.867" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2016-04-30T07:59:29.867" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24404" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-30T11:03:33.430" Score="4" ViewCount="2271" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small lawn 5x5m which has some issues with moss and damp on one side where it's in the shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been scarifying using a hand rake to get up dead thatch and moss which works, but in the worst places the turf itself seems to be either getting shredded, or pulled up. I know scarifying can make the lawn look bad but leaving bare earth can't be good!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I doing it too roughly or are these patches of lawn that are just really damaged and need re-seeding after the stuff gets torn up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T20:29:56.993" Title="Scarifying my lawn seems to be pulling up the turf, is this OK?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24405" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24434" CreationDate="2016-04-30T11:46:19.540" Score="4" ViewCount="4515" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been growing some starts in this little hot-house thing I made after seeing something similar at a local gardening store.  It seems to work great - with a heating pad under one of the flats it's warm, humid and plants grow like crazy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6yrEl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6yrEl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I'm planning to move them outside into a greenhouse I just built.  @Ecnerwal &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24296/how-to-safely-keep-plants-in-greenhouse-at-low-temperatures&quot;&gt;mentioned in a previous post&lt;/a&gt; that I need to &quot;transition&quot; the plants, but I'm not sure exactly what that means.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I look up instructions for hardening off plants, they seem to be preparing plants for being put in the ground.  Most instructions talk about going from ~30 min outside in light shade to a full day over the course of 7-14 days (not very specific, really), and to cut back on watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm hoping to have them in the greenhouse for 3-5 more weeks (depending on the plant) at temperatures between 40°F at night and 80-85 max during the day. I expect to be watering them regularly and hoping for them to get pretty big &amp;amp; stocky.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if someone could suggest (in detail, ideally) a good process for going from indoors to outdoors?  Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T15:55:00.970" Title="How to prepare plants to move to greenhouse from indoors?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24401" CreationDate="2016-04-30T12:00:05.767" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Birds are no different than other animals. They look for food, water and shelter. If all you have is food in the form of fruit then you will get birds dropping in for breakfast or a snack before bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually with fruit trees and homeowners the methods to keep the harvest are to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant trees on dwarf root stock and prune to keep small.  Then you can harvest from the ground.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;netting a smaller tree is easier and usually only necessary just before and during harvest&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;give some consideration to the other usual suspects that can make it hard to harvest: insects and mice/squirrels.  Larger mammal like deer, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-14842999&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;elk&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/16/drunk-elk-sweden_n_3936590.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;moose&lt;/a&gt; are not above snacking either.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/List_of_misquotations&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;misquote&lt;/a&gt; from the Field of Dreams, &quot;If you plant it, they will come&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T12:00:05.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24407" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24410" CreationDate="2016-04-30T12:08:43.983" Score="3" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started collecting coffee grounds over a week, kept it moist. Before adding the starter, I microwaved the damp coffee grounds in the hope of killing off anything dormant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After adding the starter and letting it sit in a basement it now looks like this. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cv91X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cv91X.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Building the base&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I then took an egg carton and old newsprint, dampened them, and again microwaved in for a few minutes to sterilize. I then mixed a bit of the starter in (see smaller container). The smaller container has some cut outs on the side. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t1dmx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t1dmx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is all a pilot run for me to see what happens. It's all happening in a darkened basement outside of my living space. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My question&lt;/strong&gt; is am I doing anything obviously wrong or unsafe? Is microwaving wet material before use sufficient enough to preserve the purity of the feed (coffee grounds for the starter and paperboard for the mushroom development)? How would one determine the edible-ness of the final product?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I said this is a dry run before I run this project. If it fails, I still learn something. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14518" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T13:12:28.887" Title="Am I on the right path to growing these Oyster Mushrooms properly?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24408" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24396" CreationDate="2016-04-30T12:38:11.640" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Decided to answer anyway, although I would have liked more information. If you're saying you dug up from the ground a goji bush and replanted it elsewhere, it would be handy to know how big the bush was, or how long you'd had it in the ground, and whether you pruned back the topgrowth when you moved it. Assuming you did dig it up and replant, it now lacks the ability to seek out water for itself via its roots - those particular, delicate roots will have been destroyed or compromised by being moved. You can save it, it needs frequent and heavy amounts of water, until those fragile roots have re-established themselves, or grown anew. So water, water and more water - shade from any hot sun would be beneficial at the moment, if its exposed to that. And you will need to keep watering for at least a fortnight if your weather isn't torrential rain - a little bit of rain will do nothing for those roots, you'll still need to water. If the plant was large, and assuming you're in the northern hemisphere, its usual to reduce the topgrowth by a third so that the plant has less growth to support (reduction of transpiration) while it adjusts to its new situation and recovering from the damage caused, but its hard to say whether you should do that now without knowing how big the plant is and whether you did actually dig it up or simply moved it from a pot into the ground. If you moved it from a pot into the ground, the same thing applies - water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You haven't said where you are in the world, but although water loss is the most likely explanation, if you're somewhere cold and the plant was in full leaf when you moved it to a more open position, then its possible its reacting to increased exposure compared with its previous position.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-30T12:54:28.673" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T12:54:28.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24409" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-30T12:40:07.317" Score="6" ViewCount="92" Body="&lt;p&gt;IN the image below, I have some milkweed seeds germinating on a damp paper towel in a covered container. I've noticed about four white string looking &lt;em&gt;roots?&lt;/em&gt; appearing. Next, I believe I wait for green shoots. How soon after that do I pot them? What are my next steps to keep these going?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My hope is to have a monarch window box. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ftZCn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ftZCn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Milkweed seeds germinating&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UspSV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UspSV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot; here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14518" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T19:56:09.357" Title="When is the right time to put milkweed seeds in soil?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24410" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24407" CreationDate="2016-04-30T13:12:28.887" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usual method of growing on coffee grounds is to use fresh grounds collected from a coffee shop - if they're fresh, they're already sterile from the brewing process, so not sure whether microwaving grounds you've collected over a period of time would be good enough, it might be. You didn't really need to add anything else, you could just have left the starter to get on with it after mixing it in with the grounds in an appropriate container - more info on the method in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/growing-gourmet-mushrooms-at-home-from-waste-coffee-grounds/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/growing-gourmet-mushrooms-at-home-from-waste-coffee-grounds/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The idea of using a fairly sterile medium is to prevent other undesirables growing in with your mushrooms rather than worry about what the mushrooms will contain when grown. Generally,  so far as I'm aware, a non poisonous mushroom doesn't take up poisons which could affect you when eating them as it grows, though it's possible some pathogens present might prevent the mushrooms growing at all or properly, or growth of other things like moulds or algae or the like will knock them out by competing too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T13:12:28.887" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24411" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-30T13:50:33.720" Score="9" ViewCount="9027" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm unclear if this is something that should be done only when a lawn has problems, or as part of normal maintenance every X years? I guess you could even do it every spring but I imagine that's overkill and puts the lawn out of use for a few weeks just as you want to start enjoying it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastActivityDate="2016-07-19T00:44:58.893" Title="How often should you overseed a lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24412" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24409" CreationDate="2016-04-30T17:51:02.887" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you collected these seeds from plants growing wild, chances are they would have germinated and grown outdoors if you'd simply sown them straight into a windowbox. Alternatively starting them in seed trays (as per the link below) or flats as you call them there, pricking them out when they had their second leaves into individual small pots, growing them on, hardening off and then planting in your window box was probably easier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.monarchwatch.org/milkweed/prop.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.monarchwatch.org/milkweed/prop.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now the seeds have started producing roots, I'd pot them, carefully, now, into small pots, and grow them on, then hardening off etc ready for planting outside. Handle with care so as not to break the root though, its going to be a fiddly, delicate job...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&#xA;See comments below - you may need to pot on or up into deep pots more quickly as the plants grow, and you will likely need a deeper pot than a window box for the plants, given they develop a long, thick taproot (assuming it's not a tropical variety, which it probably isn't if you collected the seeds locally).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-30T19:56:09.357" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T19:56:09.357" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24413" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-30T18:13:06.040" Score="4" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 7 x 7 big max resin shed, resin floor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm putting in the corner of my yard for about year until we do some serious landscaping then it will be moved to a new location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I use for foundation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking 2-3 inches of gravel then 0.5 inch piece of treated ply wood.  Thoughts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2628" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T18:59:55.217" Title="Big Max Shed Foundation" Tags="&lt;concrete&gt;&lt;gravel&gt;&lt;foundation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24414" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24413" CreationDate="2016-04-30T18:59:55.217" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always liked 2' x 2' concrete paving slabs as they are reusable.  A piece of plywood, even on top of gravel will be worse for wear after any really wet period. They are a bit tricky to get perfectly level unless you compact the gravel underneath first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Paving slabs will drain water but any leakage inside will sit on plywood or be absorbed&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T18:59:55.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24411" CreationDate="2016-04-30T19:08:27.990" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it all depends on what kind of lawn you want and the effort you want to put into it.  If your ambition is to have Perfect grass: perfectly flat, no weeds, no dead spots then over seed twice a year, every year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This keeps the turf thick, helps out compete weeds and doesn't take very long to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't care so much then just over seed in the fall in the bare or patchy spots and then top dress with compost or organic matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T19:08:27.990" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24416" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24418" CreationDate="2016-04-30T19:42:19.920" Score="4" ViewCount="285" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing catnip for, you guessed it, cats and the bunch I have is continuously growing flowers. I've been chopping them off but it's never ending.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a cause or will this just always happen?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastActivityDate="2021-02-05T12:41:53.327" Title="What causes Catnip to flower?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24417" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24428" CreationDate="2016-04-30T19:48:32.013" Score="4" ViewCount="703" Body="&lt;p&gt;What does a sunchoke look like right after it begins to sprout?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-02T19:31:49.190" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T09:19:12.023" Title="What do sunchokes look like when they're sprouting?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;sunchoke&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24418" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24416" CreationDate="2016-04-30T19:52:32.777" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it will always just happen. Nepeta is programmed to flower, and I'm not at all sure why you don't want the flowers - unless you're growing an annual variety, when it will flower and eventually die, most are perennial, and flowering is part of its natural cycle. Although most plants which flower can look a bit tatty after flowering, they recover and grow more foliage over time. I certainly didn't notice my cats disliking the flowers, but I never managed to keep plants for long - four cats fighting over them and rolling around in them consistently for hours on a daily basis meant they always gave up the unequal struggle and died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-04-30T20:18:28.943" LastActivityDate="2016-04-30T20:18:28.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24419" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25218" CreationDate="2016-04-30T19:54:02.247" Score="6" ViewCount="134" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was watching some videos on gardening, and was wondering how often a sunchoke will look like a ginger root system (a giant clump of one tuber).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Example:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vq5Oj.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vq5Oj.png&quot; alt=&quot;sunchoke like ginger&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-31T19:25:21.437" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T19:25:21.437" Title="How often do you get a sunchoke that looks like ginger?" Tags="&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;&lt;ginger&gt;&lt;sunchoke&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24420" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-30T21:11:53.877" Score="3" ViewCount="2116" Body="&lt;p&gt;I came across a jack in the pulpit in the woods of a local park. Sitting there all by itself. The park is heavily hunted for all sorts of stuff and I want to save this thing. When and how would be the best time and way to transplant this to our land about an hour and a half south of here? How fast do these spread?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R2aGa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R2aGa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T12:34:30.853" Title="Transplanting Jack in the Pulpit" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24421" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-30T23:42:42.193" Score="13" ViewCount="8659" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large tree in my front yard and last fall I noticed a crack down the middle. Six months later, it appears the crack is getting larger (see pictures below). Is there any way to save the tree, or does it need to be removed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4bGqN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4bGqN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;front view&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1636/26738228235_c2af1bd6e9_k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;back view&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1510/26738258115_6341819fbd_k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;whole tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14522" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-01T12:16:31.440" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T12:16:31.440" Title="Any way to save a large tree that's starting to split/crack down the middle?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24422" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-04-30T23:47:45.380" Score="7" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a tree in my back yard that the bark seems to be coming off of. There are leaves growing, but seem thinner than past springs. Last year, I added a tree ring with landscaping blocks and mulch... did I kill it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1709/26671907381_2b3f1f2539_k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;wide view&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1661/26465505300_e7d3861300_k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;stump&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1678/26738275645_1bdc247e59_k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14522" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T12:15:32.467" Title="Any ideas on what is wrong with this tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24423" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24421" CreationDate="2016-05-01T00:25:12.713" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get it removed asap. There is no way to save the tree unless you plan in putting rope around it. Get it cut down when you can... it will keep going till it falls over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T00:25:12.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24424" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24422" CreationDate="2016-05-01T00:28:51.547" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;To make it simple there are two things that can be the problem. 1) The tree is simply shedding the old bark off because new bar is coming in from the underneath. 2) Look under the bark, there should be just wood or new bark, if you find tunnels or any trace of bugs, that could very well be killing the tree. You could do chemicals and everything but they can be everywhere in the tree so it would take effort... if it works. 3) Same as 2 but instead of bugs it could be sick. Look for signs of the tree being sick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T00:28:51.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24425" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24422" CreationDate="2016-05-01T00:32:04.570" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes - you violated the prime directive of tree health &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don't change the soil level around a mature tree (especially - any tree, really) by more than an inch (up or down) or you'll probably kill it&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Death seems to be proceeding. I don't know if (rather doubt) there's any hope for saving it now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T00:32:04.570" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24426" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24421" CreationDate="2016-05-01T00:34:52.333" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is an emergency situation.  I'd recommend immediate removal unless you want some serious damage to your house.  Get on top of this NOW!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T00:34:52.333" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24427" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24421" CreationDate="2016-05-01T00:38:07.710" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Consult a tree surgeon. If you want to save it, it might be possible to cable the top parts (not &quot;tie a rope around&quot;) to keep it from spreading wider. Depending on the decay of the trunk, this might or might not make any sense to do. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JOziH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JOziH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cabled tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image from &quot;ask this old house&quot; website at:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/asktoh/question/0,,1597909,00.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/asktoh/question/0,,1597909,00.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T00:38:07.710" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24428" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24417" CreationDate="2016-05-01T04:08:22.533" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;sunchoke&lt;/a&gt;, also frequently called Jerusalem artichoke, is a species called H. Tuberosus, in the Helianthus genus of Asteraceae, which is a large plant family that includes sunflowers and daisies. Even though it grows from a tuber root rather than a seed, the plant when it emerges looks very much like any other flower in that group. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/single_weed.php?id=1&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ohio Perennial and Biennial Weed Guide&lt;/a&gt; shows an excellent progression of the stages of the plant, beginning with the answer to your question. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The first leaves to emerge (cotyledons) have a united base in the shape of a short tube. Young leaves are elliptic, dull green, and covered with short stiff hairs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a picture of a newly sprouted plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6xnti.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6xnti.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;First sprouts from a sunchoke&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This picture is of a group of young seedlings, in the stage right after the first appearance of leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ApYzJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ApYzJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Group of young seedlings&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T04:08:22.533" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24429" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24420" CreationDate="2016-05-01T11:57:30.990" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If its growing wild in a public, wooded area, leave it where it is. If you want some of this plant for your garden, buy some - they're corms, and now is not the time to attempt to dig it up -this is best done in autumn, after all the foliage has disappeared, when you likely won't be able to find it again anyway, luckily, considering the ethics of the situation. You could, though, go back when the red berries are present and take a few of those and grow on from the seed. More information about this plant in the link below, including hints on where to buy it, and how to grow from seed, together with growing conditions&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/flowers/jack-in-the-pulpit/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/flowers/jack-in-the-pulpit/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-01T12:34:30.853" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T12:34:30.853" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24430" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24421" CreationDate="2016-05-01T12:06:55.167" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, a professional arborist could save the tree using cabling and bolts as the practical Ecnerwal illustrates.  This would be something you would do as soon as possible. It appears that the two halves are held together by little more than bark. This tree would now be classed as a physical hazard to you and anything close to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you did choose cabling and bolts the problem does not go away as the tree will continue to grow and put on weight.  Trimming on a regular basis would be recommended. The usual finding on close inspection is decay and rot have set in where the tree splits.  If this is the case then cabling is not appropriate as it could still be a hazard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the cost of an arborist the best solution is to get the job done once.  Have it removed and the stump chipped out and plant a new one.  Your tree had issues due to &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_fork#Bark_inclusions_and_fork_strength&quot;&gt;included bark&lt;/a&gt;. These tree care &lt;a href=&quot;http://hort.ufl.edu/woody/split-easily.shtml&quot;&gt;sites&lt;/a&gt; note that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.iastate.edu/newsrel/2001/aug01/aug0112.html&quot;&gt;included bark&lt;/a&gt; is a key reason for quick action, usually removal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T12:06:55.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24431" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24422" CreationDate="2016-05-01T12:15:32.467" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The tree may be salvageable as the area covered is small in comparison to the total root area.  Here are some diagnostic checks:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove a piece of bark and examine what's underneath. More bark is good, insects or any signs of decay is bad&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is the tree leafing on all branches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the tree is a centrepiece and you value it you should remove the mulch and concrete bricks.  Did you, by any chance, follow the recommended requirements for a retaining wall such as a trench 6&quot; deep underneath the wall back filled with gravel?  That could be fatal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you choose to remove the wall then rake out the mulch to a layer less than half an inch thick around the whole tree.  This spring get an arborist to do an assessment and fertilize if recommended.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T12:15:32.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24432" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23090" CreationDate="2016-05-01T12:37:50.003" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;No need to dry them out usually, and large varieties of tomato will grow exceptionally well with the right conditions. Here in Florida we just slice the tomatoes and lay the slices on top of the soil. The sun does all the work and the seeds fall through the slice and grow up through the rotting tomato slice; almost acting like its own self-made compost in the early stages of growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14527" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-01T18:20:12.137" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T18:20:12.137" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24433" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-01T14:57:54.743" Score="6" ViewCount="783" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my first season trying to grow tomatoes. I bought three different types (cherry, heirloom,  and super sweet),  and planted them in a large pot on my porch. They seem to be getting a lot of sunshine, and the soil is mildly moist. They're starting to develop yellow leaves with brown spots and some of the smaller branches are dying. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do they need Epsom salt or are they getting too much water? Do I need to move them to their own pots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14529" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-11-18T03:52:30.880" LastActivityDate="2016-11-29T01:03:25.997" Title="Why are my tomato leaves turning yellow, with brown spots?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24405" CreationDate="2016-05-01T15:55:00.970" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Principle is basically the same; gradual acclimation to different conditions. In your case the different conditions are the greenhouse, not &quot;outside&quot; (or at least not yet) but otherwise the process is similar - move the plants into the greenhouse for a short period, possibly with some artificial shade at first, or taking advantage of a time when the greenhouse is in partial shade, if that happens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you care to get fussy, say 30 minutes on day 1, 1 hour on day 2, 2 hours on day 3, 4 hours on day 4, 8 hours on day 5, 16 hours on day 6 and leave them there on day 7, as one option for a schedule. For a longer schedule, you could make the increment more like 150% time rather than double-time from day to day [30, 45, 1:08, 1:41, 2:20...)  I freely admit to not being so regimented about it, but I start moving my plants out when the conditions outside are favorable, and increase their time outside gradually, without getting overly clock-watchy about it. I do watch the plants fairly closely for any signs of distress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you'll be watering you can keep doing that, but you may want to cut back a bit just because they will use a bit less when they are colder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your GH temperature is going to 85F you might want a bit more ventilation - most places run vents full-open when the temperature exceeds 70F.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T15:55:00.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24435" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24437" CreationDate="2016-05-01T17:21:29.717" Score="3" ViewCount="186" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will be laying sod in the next week and want to put down fertilizer before. Everything I've read calls for a low-high-high fertilizer mix, but the only &quot;starter&quot; fertilizer at my local big box is 24-25-4.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lab is further confusing in that it talks up how great it is for spreading before seeding, and that is is also great for sod (but not if it is great before/after laying). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would such a starter mix more likely hurt the sod laying process?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14366" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T18:05:24.807" Title="Can I Spread 24-25-4 Fertilizer Before Laying Sod?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;sod&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24436" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-01T17:29:37.997" Score="6" ViewCount="1583" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live in southern Alberta, south of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethbridge&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lethbridge&lt;/a&gt;.  We have a 5 acre farmyard that had multiple gorgeous &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_spruce&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Blue Spruce&lt;/a&gt; trees that were well maintained for 20 years.  The trees were thick, lush, and magnificent.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About 5 years ago we suffered a flood in our farmyard and the water did not recede fully for a week or two and even then the soil was saturated for a good period of time.  By the next spring our trees had lost half of their needles and were in sad shape.  It is five years later and they survived and have recovered somewhat but are not the thick beautiful trees they once were.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any pruning method or other remedy we could attempt to help the trees restore to their former thickness?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14530" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-01T18:24:16.067" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T22:30:37.150" Title="How do we revive Spruce trees that lost 50% of their needles after a flood?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24437" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24435" CreationDate="2016-05-01T18:05:24.807" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know what type of grass your sods will contain, but in the UK, I'd only apply what's known as a general purpose fertilizer with an NPK of 7-7-7. Different varieties of grasses may have different requirements, but I'd have thought 24-25-4 unsuitable whatever grass it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've just checked the recommendations for fertilizer beneath buffalo grass sods - it says general purpose, NPK around 5-6-5, so not a lot different.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T18:05:24.807" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24436" CreationDate="2016-05-01T18:40:45.590" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sadly, I'm not sure you can. Whilst its possible to prune these trees, new growth will only occur at the tips of the branches, so cutting back or pruning may involve shortening branches, but never cutting back to dead parts. Once a branch has died back and all the needles gone, it will not regrow. Given the fact the trees were sitting in water logged soil for some time, this may have caused root rot to set in, which could be why they look so unhappy now. I recommend you seek the advice of a tree surgeon (arborist), who should be able to say whether the trees are affected by rot, and if not, whether anything can be done to make them look better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T18:40:45.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24439" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24440" CreationDate="2016-04-30T21:12:24.207" Score="9" ViewCount="362" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing garlic in my garden this year, and was wondering if it turns woody (undesirable for cooking) if you let it grow for too long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" OwnerDisplayName="a coder" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T19:41:20.163" Title="Does garlic get woody if you let it grow for too long?" Tags="&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24440" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24439" CreationDate="2016-05-01T08:51:00.653" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is more for gardening SE but as I've been growing garlic for years I'll give you an answer. As it involves the major types and differences it'll be of interest to anyone interested in using garlic. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Garlic will not get woody. Bushy herbs like sage get woody, where the growth gets old and inflexible and the leaves don't have good flavor.  All you need to do is prune the woody limbs aggressively and it will grow new shoots. If you let garlic grow too long what will happen is that the outer layers of skin will deteriorate and then the bulb will separate, here's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sgaonline.org.au/harvesting-and-storing-garlic/&quot;&gt;link to what that looks like&lt;/a&gt;. If you lose the outer layers of skin your garlic has a much more limited shelf life, and even less so if the bulb splits. You can still use it, but you'll need to use it soon after curing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are 2 major types of garlic: hardneck and softneck. Hardneck garlic has bigger bulbs with fewer larger cloves and tends to be stronger in flavor. Softneck garlic bulbs tend to be smaller and have more numerous and smaller cloves. Softneck tends to store longer than hardneck, although my garlic from both varieties lasts me a whole year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The two types are very different when it comes to knowing when to harvest. Hardnecks send up a flower bud about 1-2 months before they are fully grown, you pinch these off as soon as you see them (use them in stir fries, they are delicious - and strong!) as if you let them grow into flowers they take much of the growing power away from the bulbs. Hardneck stems stay strong throughout the growing season and you can tell when they need to be harvested when about 1/3 of the foliage on the stem dies. If you leave it any longer you'll lose the bulb's protection and it could split. If you lift too soon your bulbs will be smaller than they should be. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Softnecks do not send up a shoot, and you can tell they are ready to harvest when the stems get soft and lay flat on the ground. This is known as &quot;going weak at the knees&quot;. You'll want to lift them very soon after this or they could rot in the ground. When harvesting any kind of garlic you want to get deep under the bulbs with a shovel and lift them up from underneath, if you try and pull them up by the stem you will just rip the outer layers and ruin your bulbs.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14532" OwnerDisplayName="GdD" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T08:51:00.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24441" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-01T20:04:47.717" Score="4" ViewCount="154" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some bunching onion (green onion) seeds. I have been trying to grow them indoors in small 1x1 inch pods. I also tried to plant them directly outdoors in my raised bed. I had no success so far in getting them to germinate. Any pointers on how to germinate bunching onions would be appreciated. I am in the San Francisco / Bay Area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-05-02T06:06:58.917" Title="Growing bunching onions from seeds" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;spring-onions&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24443" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24436" CreationDate="2016-05-01T22:30:37.150" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As the knowledgeable Bamboo points out new growth in most evergreens only occurs at the tips of new growth.  No pruning or fertilizing will change the overall appearance.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few things you could consider.  If your property flooded once it could do so again.  Why not plant some new trees in front of the spruce that like wet flooded soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://plantwatch.naturealberta.ca/choose-your-plants/tamarack/&quot;&gt;tamarack&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larix_laricina&quot;&gt;Larix laricina&lt;/a&gt;) or larch is native to Alberta and does well in boggy or moist well drained soils. Every fall it's needles change colour to a lovely golden yellow.  It then &lt;a href=&quot;http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/fall_needle_drop_a_natural_phenomenon_in_conifers&quot;&gt;drops these needles&lt;/a&gt; which occasions a few panicky calls every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I live you can buy a 2 foot tall (60 cm) potted plant for less than $20.00 retail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you buy seven of them and plant them in front of the blue spruce you would get fall colour and a plant that likes wet soil. Tamarack do not tolerate shade so these would replace your blue spruce as they age out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-01T22:30:37.150" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24444" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24463" CreationDate="2016-05-01T23:57:30.330" Score="6" ViewCount="590" Body="&lt;p&gt;I transplanted a few sugar snap peas into my raised bed a week or two ago and noticed that some of the leaves were turning white. The whiteness starts at the base of the leaf and radiates out from there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't give much time for the plants to harden because once the shoots started coming up they started growing really fast (I started them in a seeding tray and their cells looked a bit small for them). I suspect it might be sun damage from that but I'm not sure since I can't seem to find any images that match what I'm getting so I'm wondering if someone could confirm. If it is, should new growth be okay?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B1zAa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B1zAa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pea plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14534" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T11:15:43.017" Title="Are these pea plants sun damaged?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;peas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24445" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33247" CreationDate="2016-05-02T01:47:56.830" Score="6" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to plant basic things like carrots, radishes, lettuce, and many more. People have been buying there seeds but in a seed tape form. How could I make my own here at home? What is to not be used for while doing something like this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T00:45:09.807" Title="how to make DIY seed tape?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24446" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24447" CreationDate="2016-05-02T02:03:38.173" Score="7" ViewCount="268" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the organic way to prevent rhubarb leaves from having holes eaten from them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2017-07-25T18:54:15.680" Title="I noticed spots being eaten from my rhubarb,what should I plant to prevent them from being eaten?" Tags="&lt;organic&gt;&lt;rhubarb&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24447" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24446" CreationDate="2016-05-02T02:18:37.913" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Step one - if the holes are not particularly large/numerous, ignore them, you don't eat the leaves anyway unless you have a death-wish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Step two - identify the pest - often a quick trip at night with a flashlight is the most effective method - day or might, look under the leaves if you don't see things on top. You can't control or manage an unknown pest very effectively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you identify the pest, control options can be considered - hand-picking, organic-blessed poisons (Bt, rotenone, diatomaceous earth, ...) encouraging or importing predators (attracting birds, buying ladybugs, predatory wasps, etc...) Many control options will have side-effects (organic-blessed poisons can poison beneficial insects/animals too) and the goal is acceptable damage levels (see step one) not eliminating anything that might eat a hole in the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-02T02:18:37.913" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24448" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-02T04:33:32.613" Score="5" ViewCount="145" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves on my Hibiscus bushes have developed big wart-like bumps. They are spreading rapidly and it seems like they are killing my bush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are they, and how can I cure them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14536" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-02T15:06:30.367" LastActivityDate="2016-05-02T15:06:30.367" Title="What are the big wart-like bumps on my hibiscus leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hibiscus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2017-09-07T20:30:16.197" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24449" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24441" CreationDate="2016-05-02T04:45:39.157" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can answer how I grew mine. I collected the seeds from one that I planted from the supermarket. In mid summer I  scattered the seeds onto some potting mix in a raised bed (an old bath), lightly covered it with more mix, and then spread black weed mat over it to protect from birds as well as increase the humidity level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seeds germinated in less then two weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/jEvdI3Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Onions germinating&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-05-02T06:06:58.917" LastActivityDate="2016-05-02T06:06:58.917" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24450" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-02T14:39:35.213" Score="3" ViewCount="815" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a very novice gardener.  In one potato sack I planted about 10 seed potatoes which I have since learnt is far too many.  Is my potato harvest doomed?   Can I remove some of the plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14538" LastActivityDate="2016-05-02T19:53:02.460" Title="I've planted too many potatoes in 1 container" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;&lt;thinning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24451" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-02T15:34:56.793" Score="16" ViewCount="11453" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do the dying/dead leaves that fall off young plants provide any nutrients or any benefit to the existing plant, if left in the soil around the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14541" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-02T23:18:30.633" LastActivityDate="2016-05-02T23:18:30.633" Title="Are there any benefits from leaving dead leaves in the soil around a plant?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24452" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25182" CreationDate="2016-05-02T15:37:51.673" Score="7" ViewCount="215" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help me identify this plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zf9hh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zf9hh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We just got some seeds and this grew. Unfortunately, these seeds might not even be local, so telling you that I'm in Austria won't be much help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14539" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T15:56:36.703" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T15:56:36.703" Title="What is this herbaceous plant that I grew from seeds?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24453" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24451" CreationDate="2016-05-02T15:50:41.500" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaving dead leaves on top of grass for too long can actually kill your grass.  The grass needs the rays from the sun to give it strength and to help it grow.  You could take the leaves and put it in some composite pen or &lt;a href=&quot;https://mantis.com/compare-mantis-composters/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;composter&lt;/a&gt; and take whatever you have in the composter the following year to add to flowers beds, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But leaving it on top of grass and hoping it will help your current plants is a lost cause.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2016-05-02T15:50:41.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24451" CreationDate="2016-05-02T16:28:20.843" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaves are good compost if they are shredded.  If left as is on garden beds or lawns they tend to clump and can smother the smaller perennials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To do my fall clean up I put a bagger on the mower and go at it.  I can put up to six inches (12 cm) of fluffy shredded leaves on top of rhubarb and by next June or July the worms have eaten it up.  They will do the work of aerating the soil and enriching it for you if they have something to work with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the same way we have some native wildflowers who have no problems coming up from underneath 3 - 4 inches (6 - 8 cm).  A load of leaves is typical for where they grown and we have had no problems with fungus/virus/bacteria.  The plants that worked for us include Meadow Rue (Thalictrum), Bloodroot (Sanguinaria), Trillium, Hepatica.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although dead leaves have very little nitrogen in them if they are shredded they are an invaluable and free compost.  Just don't put it on too thick on delicate plants like primula's.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-02T16:28:20.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24451" CreationDate="2016-05-02T17:46:12.743" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dead leaves are definitely a good source of nutrients to your plants.  You can try and crush or shred them and then mix it with the soil.  If you leave it as is, too many leaves may accumulate around the trunk and result in two potential issues (1) the layer of leaves would take a long time to decompost and prevent light and water from going through (2) the moist underneath may attract insects such as rollie pollies that you infest your yard and potentially eat new growth.  Overall, leaves are good if you can take some care of your yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-05-02T17:46:12.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24456" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24450" CreationDate="2016-05-02T19:53:02.460" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did that with beets and carrots a few years back.  What happens is the vegetables start competing for space underground and end up either being smaller in size or malformed.  I would suggest gently taking out 7-8 of these and transplanting them.  Of course, it would all depend on where they are in their maturity cycle&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-05-02T19:53:02.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24457" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24459" CreationDate="2016-05-02T20:52:44.243" Score="8" ViewCount="2002" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend has just given me an Aloe Vera with pale brown tips. Different sources  have lead me to multiple non-conclusive possible causes; mainly: pests, etiolation, wrong type of soil or overwatering...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/pests-and-diseases.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;The Guide for House Plants&quot;&lt;/a&gt;, for example, warns that brown stains and seeing insects are a sign of &lt;strong&gt;pest or disease&lt;/strong&gt; (I saw a small insect that looked like a black aphid but haven't seen it again)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, the post &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23153/why-are-my-aloe-leaves-turning-white-and-brown&quot;&gt;&quot;Why are my aloe leaves turning white and brown?&quot;&lt;/a&gt; here in Stackexchange, points to &lt;strong&gt;etiolation&lt;/strong&gt; as the cause of this, mainly because the center steam is somewhat pale. Yet, in my case, the pale part is mostly covered by the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K8GWZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K8GWZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BavDO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BavDO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Ms5M.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Ms5M.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moreover, the &lt;strong&gt;soil&lt;/strong&gt; of my plant looks dark and peat-like rather than &quot;desert-like&quot; (which would drain faster), and it also looks pretty &lt;strong&gt;soaked&lt;/strong&gt;. My friend told me she watered it yesterday and that she did it about each 3 weeks (when the soil looked totally dry), pouring about half a glass of water into it. It doesn't sound enough for a 20cm radius pot (near 8 inches) but I could introduce my finger almost through the bottom and it is all wet. So it might have been &lt;strong&gt;overwatered&lt;/strong&gt;... (?) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not able to reach a conclusion and obviously the treatment for each of the causes would be different...  Is there any way to nail down the cause? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10933" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T21:34:59.167" Title="Pest, etiolation, soil or overwatering? Other causes of pale-brown tips in Aloe Vera" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24458" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24462" CreationDate="2016-05-02T21:53:24.210" Score="6" ViewCount="987" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use Nemaslug nematodes to control slugs in my garden. I don't normally bother fertilising my lawn but this year its looking a bit sorry for itself so I want to try out some slow release (6 month) fertiliser.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will this kill off the nematodes and leave me overrun with slugs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="599" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-02T22:08:40.440" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T14:41:52.900" Title="Could Lawn Fertiliser kill off slug-control nematodes?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;nematodes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24457" CreationDate="2016-05-02T22:05:45.890" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on the plump, browning tips on the leaves, this initially appears to be classic aloe over-watering response. &lt;strong&gt;BUT&lt;/strong&gt;, once every three weeks isn't necessarily an unreasonable watering schedule for an aloe, if the soil is appropriate. As you have correctly observed, the soil is a very dark peat-based soil. It holds water very well and drains out slowly, which is the exact opposite of what an aloe needs. The treatment for this is going to be re-potting into a lighter, free-draining soil appropriate for a cactus or succulent. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Insect damage is unlikely, the black insect you saw is probably a fungus gnat that is feeding on fungus in the damp soil. They're harmless, if occasionally annoying, and they won't stick around once you change the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Etiolation might be possible given the uncommonly yellow tint on the new growth, but it isn't the main problem. The paleness under the soil-line is natural, chlorophyll makes plants green, and plants don't make chlorophyll below the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-05-03T01:26:58.297" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T01:26:58.297" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24460" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24477" CreationDate="2016-05-03T04:16:01.167" Score="3" ViewCount="223" Body="&lt;p&gt;I heard about Crosne from growing your greens, and thought I would try growing some, so I was wondering where/how I should grow them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T18:10:47.030" Title="What zones can I grow Chinese Artichokes aka Crosne in?" Tags="&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24461" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24457" CreationDate="2016-05-03T07:25:38.937" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect the problem is drainage - are there holes at the bottom of the pot ?  If not, the plant is most likely sitting for long periods in wet roots, which it would not like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the soil is heavy, that would not help drainage either - but the color does not necessarily tell you there is a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T07:25:38.937" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24462" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24458" CreationDate="2016-05-03T10:04:08.523" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From this &lt;a href=&quot;http://garden.org/subchannels/care/soil?q=show&amp;amp;id=198&amp;amp;page=3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because of its high nitrogen content, fertilizer can reduce nematode&#xA;effectiveness. Manufacturers recommend that fertilizers not be used&#xA;two weeks prior to and after nematode application. Again, check the&#xA;package instructions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said your mileage may vary depending on soil type, soil temperature and type of fertilizer.  A slow release is definitely the kind to apply.  You could probably achieve similar results by top dressing with organic matter twice a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T10:04:08.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24463" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24444" CreationDate="2016-05-03T11:15:43.017" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whitening of leaves is usually to do with cold, not sun - if you started these inside or under cover, then didn't harden off properly, that'll explain what's happened. The newer leaves in the picture don't seem to be affected, so hopefully, the plant will grow on well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T11:15:43.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10962" CreationDate="2016-05-03T13:15:43.210" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a person who has conquered both poison ivy and bamboo. You just have to first pull up all the roots you can find, and then spray it...every single weekend. Use a garden claw to loosen the soil first, that will help you pull up more roots. &#xA;These are very tough weeds you are dealing with. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or dry out the area they are living in. They prefer damp soil, like on the edges of ponds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T13:15:43.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3532" CreationDate="2016-05-03T13:19:25.227" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.johnnyseeds.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Johnny Seeds&lt;/a&gt; has stevia seeds, product 2305. The might even have organic seeds too, but that's not the same as heritage seeds either. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T13:19:25.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24466" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24365" CreationDate="2016-05-03T13:25:22.433" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tent caterpillars. They are usually bad because they have huge appetites as this is their growth stage, so they can strip all or most of the leaves off a tree. We used to light a firecracker in their tent and blow it up. You might want to treat with Bt, Baccillus thurengiensis powder on the leaves. They have to eat Bt for it to be effective. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T13:25:22.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24467" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24339" CreationDate="2016-05-03T13:29:32.137" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can dig small 6&quot; deep ditches, and it's legal (it's illegal in most US campgrounds to use even 1&quot; deep trenches around a tent or anywhere else), and they stay formed, use that to collect and redirect runoff. If not, line the ditches with house gutters and stake them in place somehow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know exactly how your soil is, but you might have to put a 6-12&quot; stake in a hole in the bottom of the gutter. Before putting the stake in the gutter hole, fill the hole with silicone caulk to prevent leaks, then pound the stake right through the hole and the caulk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T13:29:32.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24468" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24320" CreationDate="2016-05-03T13:33:20.060" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;huge mosquito target here. I've tried almost everything to keep mosquitoes away from me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is some anecdotal, and my personal evidence, of keeping insect pests away using garlic and other &quot;smelly&quot; herbs planted near other plants. The problem is, it only works in about a 6&quot; diameter circle in perfectly still weather. Any breeze at all blows away the fumes the insects find noxious. The same applies to citronella candles and citronella spray. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So in practical terms, you can try it to keep insect pests away from plants that are very close to the garlic, but don't expect miracles. &#xA;There are too many factors at work here. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T13:33:20.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24469" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24311" CreationDate="2016-05-03T13:35:38.467" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you tried sprinkling Bt (Baccillus thuringiensis) powder on the leaves? When the larva ingest the Bt on the leaves, they die in about 3-4 days. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately I've found Bt kills most insects, and by my experience, all small aquatic invertebrates (daphnia, ostracods, etc). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T13:35:38.467" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24470" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24302" CreationDate="2016-05-03T13:39:09.547" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Baby it and here's how. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They don't like wet feet, they need well-drained soil. Your potting soil might retain too much moisture. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do not over water. Water ONLY when the first inch of soil is dry. So use your finger to do a little digging in the dirt to determine if it's dry enough to water. I found my small yogurt containers I sprout seeds in dry out very fast, and bigger containers stay moist longer. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They like warmer weather with nights above 60F. Give them that. They love it when it's 80F outside and sunny. Cold nights might be causing some of the mold and baby cuke dropoff problems.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep their leaves dry, do not use automatic sprinklers to water them or get the leaves wet. Use a drip system instead. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep cuke plants separated if you can so the leaves will dry quickly if they do get wet. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastEditorUserId="11061" LastEditDate="2016-05-15T14:02:54.137" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T14:02:54.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24471" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-03T14:01:14.223" Score="4" ViewCount="757" Body="&lt;p&gt;My sister just bought a place and she's asking for help getting her lawn back in order. I'm not sure the way we've come up with is the best way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's my plan of attack. I would appreciate a sanity check and suggestions of other ways about it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut off small tree limbs &amp;lt; 3&quot; in diameter, chip them onto the lawn or discard&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut the tree down, cut into logs, get 'em out of the way&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grind the stumps down&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Till the lawn up - mixing in wood chips&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rent one of them rollers. Flatten the lawn, compact the ground&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seed the lawn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Re-roll&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water frequently&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen some people suggest killing everything first with a black tarp. I don't think I agree with that. Weed seeds will survive, it's not hot enough out yet, my tiller isn't going to have a problem ripping it up one way or the other. I can't figure out why I see that suggestion around. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other option:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Manually weed the lawn or try to use a spray (The grass is pretty thick and decent looking. It just has these little blue flowers popping up everywhere and other small, frequent weeds)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rent a sod cutter, peel it up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove trees, grind it up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Level ground&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Unroll sod&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Roll it over&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14551" OwnerDisplayName="kavisiegel" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T03:50:24.180" Title="Weedy uneven lawn with tree stumps: grind, chip, till, roll and reseed?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24472" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24471" CreationDate="2016-05-03T14:27:05.983" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Time is your friend; speed is expensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Solarizing is something you do for quite a long time, so &quot;not hot enough yet&quot; is really not a problem. You see the suggestion because many weeds find a quick trip through the tiller as a great opportunity to spread far and wide - they bounce back a lot faster than any grass seed you put down starts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Likewise, the fall is the best time to seed a new lawn - whether you solarize or plant and then till in a smother crop or two, taking some time over the summer to get the ground ready will make success more probable. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that a lawn roller does not do the &quot;level&quot; step particularly well. You need to move dirt to make it level, before you start compacting the dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you seek a picture-perfect lawn in a busy weekend, turf or astroturf is your best bet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T14:27:05.983" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24473" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-03T15:27:41.077" Score="7" ViewCount="127" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently, I saw a video about &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIfWt7Y4dLQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;reforestation in Thailand&lt;/a&gt; by dropping millions of seed bombs and thought about doing something similar in my own area (at least to start with).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have zero knowledge about gardening... But I would like to take an initiative about growing more trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why do I want to grow trees?&lt;/strong&gt; It feels right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I really like nature and the life-cycle of different animals. One animal eats another animal. Those animals eat plants. Plant grows flowers. Some bees rely on flowers. Some plants become trees. Birds build their nests on trees. And we chop those trees for our bed and furniture. I'm not against the use of furniture, but we should at least grow more trees to meet our need.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When I go to my office, I see people walking on footpaths under 35-40 degree Celsius (sometimes it touches 45). There is no shade. Many people died from heat stroke last year in my city. Providing shade to pedestrian helps.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I need expert advice on how I can help my community. What sort of seeds would I need to buy and plant in my neighborhood. And anything else I need to know?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Karachi, Pakistan.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14550" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-05-03T18:11:11.353" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T18:49:43.120" Title="Reforestation in my town" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24474" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-03T16:03:53.170" Score="2" ViewCount="449" Body="&lt;p&gt;My husband and I are new to gardening. We bought a basil plant a month or so again, and we've been cutting it and starting new plants. Today woke up to this weird mold or fungus. I can't seem to find pictures of it anywhere online, and I also can't seem to upload pics of my own. But it's pale orange/white. It kind of looks like Ritz cracker crumbs. It's in 3 separate localized areas on the soil at the base of my basil stems. We don't over water, just give it a good soaking every few days when the soil feels dry, but yesterday we had quite a rainstorm. My phone said it'd be light rain so I left the plants outside -- I had calendula growing in pots without drain holes, which flooded and I had to do &quot;emergency gardening&quot; and replant them. Is this just from too much water from one day? It's in well draining soil, and in a pot with a large hole with rocks at the bottom. &#xA;Help! Do I leave it and it'll go away once the soil becomes really dry? Or do I need to scrape it off and/or an inch or two of soil out? I sure wish I could post pics!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14553" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T16:03:53.170" Title="New fungus or mold on my basil plant soil" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2016-07-30T20:37:36.550" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24475" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24476" CreationDate="2016-05-03T17:04:05.400" Score="6" ViewCount="266" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just got an Aloe Vera that was planted on peat, which can't drain the water well so it is making it suffer from overwatering (see my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24457/pest-etiolation-soil-or-overwatering-other-causes-of-pale-brown-tips-in-aloe/24459#24459&quot;&gt;previous post with pics of it&lt;/a&gt;). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Re-potting it with more filtering/draining soil like river soil and/or anything different than peat or sea sand, is the recommended action. But I've read it is necessary to wait until the soil is dry to re-pot it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The issue is that it was just watered 2 days ago and it might take at least 2 weeks before the soil dries, so I guess the damage could be lessened if I accelerate the drying process by something like putting the Aloe outside in the window sill for short periods; this would make it receive direct sunlight which would evaporate the water faster, but it might also burn the Aloe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you think putting it outside for around 90 minutes in the morning and 90 minutes in the evening, avoiding the 12 to 4 pm period when the sun UVA UVB is stronger here in Madrid (this week would be an average of 21 Celsius degrees or 69.8 Fahrenheit), is a good idea or a bad one? Do you think it could be a good/better idea to change the length or periods of time? Do any of you have a better idea of how to dry the soil faster without damaging the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10933" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2018-10-24T00:08:44.347" Title="What's the fastest way to dry peat before re-potting an overwatered succulent?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24476" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24475" CreationDate="2016-05-03T17:22:34.057" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well I wouldn't worry about drying it out first - simply tip it out of its pot, preferably wearing gloves, carefully, and with any luck, most of the wet soil will fall off immediately anyway. The plant appears to be quite small for the size pot its in, so its unlikely to be full of roots. They're quite forgiving of being potted on, but have a pot and your new, sandier or grittier soil ready and, having removed as much wet soil as possible without seriously damaging its roots, pot up into the new container.  Water in well, allow to drain freely - the pot should have one large or several small drainage holes in the bottom, and you should not let it stand in any outer tray which has collected water - empty that away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to move it outdoors, harden it off first to get it acclimatized to the new conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T17:22:34.057" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24477" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24460" CreationDate="2016-05-03T18:10:47.030" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Crosne is hardy in zones 4 (−34.4 °C, −30 °F) - 8 (−12.2 °C, 10 °F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will grow in a variety of soil conditions, including sandy, loamy or even heavy clay. A pH of 6.5 to 7.5 is recommended. The most important consideration is that the soil needs to be quite moist, but well-draining, so the tuber (root system) isn't sitting in stagnant water. It will grow in the sun, but prefers some shade in warmer climates, especially in the afternoon. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If starting from scratch, use tubers that are firm, and haven't yet sprouted. Plant them about two to three inches deep, and at least a foot apart. As the plant grows, it will look like mint, as that's the family to which it belongs. Keep the plant clipped to about six inches all year round, and don't let it go to flower. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can take many months until it's ready to harvest, so it's easier if you have a plant that's already growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Much of this information was sourced from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vegetablegardenplanner.com/vegetable_guides/crosne/garden_guide&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Vegetable Garden Planner&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Stachys+affinis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Plants for a Future&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T18:10:47.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24479" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14058" CreationDate="2016-05-03T18:42:37.640" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without disrepsect for your answer, @J. Musser, This plant is actually Persicaria orientalis, formerly Polygonum orientale as noted by @Mayra, commonly known as &quot;Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fqrFK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fqrFK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persicaria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia article&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Persicaria is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the knotweed family, Polygonaceae. Plants of the genus are known commonly as knotweeds or smartweeds. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species occurring nearly worldwide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;General Info with Photos: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=852&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=852&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Info and Culture: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.houseplantsforyou.com/kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate-polygonum-orientale/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.houseplantsforyou.com/kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate-polygonum-orientale/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T17:24:18.573" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T17:24:18.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24480" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24473" CreationDate="2016-05-03T18:49:43.120" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to contact whatever your town's version of a city planner is. If you go around planting random trees, they're liable to poison them or cut them down. They don't want them growing into peoples septic systems or breaking the sidewalk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Present your idea tot he city planner and let them know you're interested in trying to get people throughout the city interested in planting and you want their help in coming up with an acceptable list of plants. Probably something that provides shade, doesn't have super aggressive roots, and lives a long time. Around my area, they mostly plant oak trees. They'll plant crepe myrtle or Bradford pear if they want a little more decoration or just smaller trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you can agree one what types to plant, they need to make sure that the relevant parties know about them and agree not to damage them. This would be anyone that sprays poison, cuts trees, sanitation who might damage them while making their stops, road repair crews etc... It would be a project like a neighborhood garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T18:49:43.120" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22588" CreationDate="2016-05-03T19:39:17.343" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Brachychiton rupestris, commonly known as the narrow-leaved bottle tree or Queensland bottle tree, is a tree in the family Malvaceae native to Queensland, Australia. ~Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9oikV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9oikV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wikipedia: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachychiton_rupestris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachychiton_rupestris&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a houseplant (bonsai): &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.indoor-plant-care.com/plant-list/brachychiton-rupestris/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.indoor-plant-care.com/plant-list/brachychiton-rupestris/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Identification Photos: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=brachychiton+rupestris+houseplant&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=921&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwia6J6A0b7MAhWHmIMKHcU-D24QsAQIGg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.google.ca/search?q=brachychiton+rupestris+houseplant&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=921&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwia6J6A0b7MAhWHmIMKHcU-D24QsAQIGg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T19:39:17.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24483" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24404" CreationDate="2016-05-03T20:29:56.993" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without pictures I can tell you that you are doing fine.  If grass comes up that easily it is not rooted well.  Rake rake rake, remove debris to the compost pile.  You will have to reseed.  Does this little lawn get full sun or is it in the shade or is part of it in the shade most of the day?  Do you get puddles when you water or it rains?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why did you think you needed to thatch?  Normally if you can see a matrix of roots an inch thick or deep then thatching is recommended.  This gets rid of this matrix that is stopping proper water infiltration as well as added chemicals necessary for the grass plants.  Thatching IS brutal and kills lots of grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd mow THIS TIME ONLY very very short after you've raked as much debris as possible. (Most mowers act like a vacuum cleaner).  Reseed with a hand held 'spreader' over the entire lawn.  Make sure the seed you buy is ZERO weed seed. Try to find seed for shade as well as sun. After seeding, rake again lightly.  I'd get a roller (rent this and fill with water for weight) if your lawn bed is pretty roughed up and roll the whole mess until there are no depressions or bumps.  That means to add more soil to the depressions and rake the bumps level, then roll.  If necessary do this again until you have a level bed.  Hopefully this lawn already has a bit of a slope so that it drains somewhere...you can assist this drainage of 1-2% at this point.  Do not worry about the live grasses.  Thatching is kinda sorta starting all over again to repair the bed of your lawn so don't sweat killing live grasses.  Remember thatching is NOT MAINTENANCE.  It is the second to the last trick to renovate a lawn.  The next is a sod cutter and completely removing any grass and roots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing from seed can be a bit of a headache.  There are millions of weed seeds in the soil.  No matter what you do this is a fact.  The trick is to prevent having to ever thatch again and maintain a nice grass mix without any weeds. Following are the basic must do rules:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mow no shorter than 3&quot; (cool season grasses)!  Critical. Not 2 1/2&quot; Not 2&quot;...not 1 1/2&quot;!! This length helps to slow evaporation of water and shade the lawn bed.  Shading the soil with 3&quot; grass will prevent most of germination of weed seeds. More importantly our cool season grass species have genetically LARGE ROOT SYSTEMS.  If the top growth is NOT 3&quot; then the plant doesn't make enough FOOD for the roots.  Fertilizer is NOT FOOD.  Plants make their own food and if there isn't enough photosynthetic top growth the roots aren't being fed correctly which makes for a whimp, unable to compete grass.  Not vigorous, not healthy, not deep green but a whimpy crop of grass. The following is how to change this... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mow a minimum of once per week with SHARP mower blades.  Remove the clippings to the compost bin.  I've yet to find a mulching mower that can cut blades of living grass small enough to not cause thatch eventually. Grass grows slower the longer it is.  So each week you'll be just buzzing the top for a level field. Far less clippings and with such a smallish lawn I'd bag the clippings and take to the compost pile anyhoo.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering is a critical component for training your lawn to be drought tolerant as well as eliminating an awful lot of weeds that are shallow rooted.  When you water you water DEEPLY.  4-6&quot; deep within the profile of your lawn bed.  Use a shovel.  Then the trick is to let that lawn DRY OUT until (this is the best way I've found to know when to water again) when you walk on your lawn your footprints stay.  The grasses you bent down stay down.  THEN and only then should you water again and very deeply. Work up to 1&quot; per week of water (use straight sided cans to measure how much water you are putting on the lawn bed...all over the lawn to see the uniformity of watering as well)  Depending on your soil type this could take 20,30 minutes or an hour to get the soil wet at least 4 -6&quot; deep.  As you allow the lawn bed to dry out, the grass roots are growing deeper to get at the moisture.  By doing this you are allowing your cool season grasses to develop the deep and large root systems that are genetic. (And have 3&quot; top growth at all times). Between watering sessions your grass will be lush and green because of the deep roots.  The weeds if they germinate at all (usually very shallow rooted) will die of water depravation.  This includes moss...and btw moss is not a competing 'weed'...it is an opportunist and if there is enough shade and moisture and there is bare soil because the grass can't stand shade and whimps out...you'll get moss. Better than bare soil...thank goodness, huh?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then there is pH.  If you have lots of rain or water an awful lot or if you've used peat moss...the lawn bed soil will probably have a low pH meaning too acidic for lawn grasses.  Get a soil test. Lawns thrive within 6.5 and 7.0 pH. If it is below 6.5 I would then add lime.  I would do this in stages, you do not want to put too much lime on at a time.  Get a soil test, best by your cooperative extension agents (or a University program for gardening/composting/preserving food).  There are 'kits' to do these tests but kinda iffy.  Do not add lime without testing first!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once per year or twice even, aerate your lawn bed.  This means renting a core aerator that takes soil plugs out of the bed.  Leave them sitting right there on the lawn to disintegrate.  Do NOT remove the plugs from the surface of your lawn.  Do not use tine type aerators as they actually compress your lawn bed soils.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you get a mole or two (usually no more than a little couple) they will aerate, control soil insects like crane fly grubs as well as 'top dress' your lawn with those little piles.  Just rake them down.  Those little guys are doing you big favors for free.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;OK and here is a biggie.  Fertilize with extended release organic fertilizer.  Do not use 'fast' stuff by Scott's or Ortho...I was blown away with using Dr. Earth's lawn fertilizer.  A bit more expensive than the fast commercial lawn fertilizers but worth every penny.  You can easily cut fertilizing down to 3/4 so the cost is mitigated.  This particular brand also includes bacteria that are responsible for breaking down thatch!  There are others and when you try a great fertilizer that is organic (I am very careful with 'organic' or 'natural' but this really makes a difference in lawn fertilizing) you will flat out be blown away.  Make sure the formulation is appropriate for the time of year, ie) higher nitrogen in spring and summer and lower nitrogen for the fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mowing height, sharp blades, regular obsessive mowing or buzzing the tops of grasses, your watering technique and root training, aeration once per year and great fertilizer...you should never have to thatch again, nor get weeds.  Make clean edges and you'll have the healthiest, prettiest little lawn in your neighborhood!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T20:29:56.993" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24484" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24471" CreationDate="2016-05-03T21:19:01.603" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You do not want to solarize the soil. This also kills beneficials that your lawn depends upon for health. You do not want to rototill that lawn.  Make sure your lawn has a bit of a slope 1-2% to drain where you want it to drain. DO NOT USE BARK CHIPS IN THE LAWN BED.  Undecomposed stuff needs nitrogen to feed the decomposer crews.  Takes awhile to decompose.  Don't use non decomposed anything in your soils unless you are able to wait a year or two and use more nitrogen than normal which could hamper certain plants, burn others and it would be tough to monitor correctly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You DO WANT TO ROLL.  Excellent you picked up on that.  If that lawn is healthy with deep roots why would you need to renovate?  Need more information about that from you.  Rake and rake and rake, roll and if there are any depressions or bumps rake them out and roll again!  You are maintaining or creating a healthy lawn bed.  Please send pictures; up close and a wide view of all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maintenance techniques are your best friend to eradicate weeds and make your lawn more competitive, healthy.  No weeds can grow if the grass shades the soil at 3&quot;.  In addition, no weeds will thrive if you train your grass to have deep roots and only needs watering once per week at 1&quot; each watering. The grass will be able to get at the water while the weeds with shallow root systems can not. Do not water again unless you see your footprints on the lawn.  Shoot, I've written some great lawn care ESSAYS on here...please look them up!  The lawn is a very curious creature that needs understanding to not eat up the bucks!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've just written a thorough essay on lawn care...the important points are mowing height (3&quot; no less), aeration (pulling plugs) once a year or twice, mow once or more per week, sharp blades, great fertilizer (no fast stuff by Scott's or Ortho) find slow release organic lawn fertilizer with bacteria to decompose thatch.  Worth every penny and you don't need to fertilize as often (Dr. Earth for an example), always use a mechanical spreader never do by hand, no shade (give it up grass only thrives in sun) and water deeply then allow to dry before watering again. Bag do not mulch unless you've got a pasture to deal with.  Grass growth slows at 3&quot; so that you are only doing 'buzz cuts' with little debris.  Trust me, no shorter than 3&quot; and get the ruler out to make sure.  Go find all the stuff on lawns on this site!!  Of course these rules are different for warm season grasses than the cool season grasses that I am referring to.  Not much of this information can be ignored if you want a healthy, vigorous, no weeds and drought tolerance to save on your water bill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T21:19:01.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24485" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24457" CreationDate="2016-05-03T21:34:59.167" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;What kind of water do you use?  Is it city water from the tap? Too many salts, fluoride and chlorine in our tap water.  I would not even drink tap water these days... This is salt buildup in your soil. Use distilled water or (gulp) rain water and never allow any water to remain in your saucer.  What fertilizer have you used?  That could also add too many salts to your soil.  This is purchased, potting soil from bags, yes?  Do not make your own potting soil.  I know what I am doing and I would NEVER make my own soil.  You can also get a sterilized potting soil for cactus/succulents.  Water and fertilizer for this guy...hey less is better!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-05-03T21:34:59.167" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24486" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-03T23:17:22.837" Score="1" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trying to identify small white larvae that is killing plants like &lt;a href=&quot;http://heucheras.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;huchera&lt;/a&gt;. It is about 1/4&quot; long with legs on its front half.  Hates light. Very mushy. When squeezed it has no color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14558" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-04T00:47:24.077" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T00:47:24.077" Title="What is a small white grub-like larva destroying my huchera?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2018-02-27T16:38:37.343" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24487" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24488" CreationDate="2016-05-03T23:53:40.360" Score="7" ViewCount="134" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this strange plant growing around my garden, like a weed, but never seen it before. Any idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UX6Nd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UX6Nd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14559" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-05-05T19:22:01.090" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T19:22:01.090" Title="Need help identifying this plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24488" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24487" CreationDate="2016-05-04T02:55:46.670" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Equisetum arvense, the field horsetail or common horsetail. It is a herbaceous perennial plant, native throughout the arctic and temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. ~Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KCskZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KCskZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Benefits: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-horsetail.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-horsetail.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Eradication: &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/plants/green-industry/news/2012/weed-of-the-month-field-horsetail-equisetum-arvense&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://extension.psu.edu/plants/green-industry/news/2012/weed-of-the-month-field-horsetail-equisetum-arvense&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-05-04T03:01:30.327" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T03:01:30.327" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24489" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24495" CreationDate="2016-05-04T03:02:37.543" Score="5" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;A mature Douglas fir stands on my property. Its Western half receives no sunlight, causing nearly all of its foliage to have grown Eastwards over my home. Due to its unfortunate growth trajectory, I'm trying to assess the risk that it will fall and cause property damage. We'd like to keep the tree if we can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Zvs0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Zvs0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;douglas fir&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(The tree stands at the bottom left edge of the circle in the Google Maps photo.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're currently unable to change the tree line West of it, since any trees West are on a neighbor's property. Said neighbor is unresponsive, and their maple grows fully over their property (but blocks sunlight from the West onto my own). Any action I can take needs to be on my own property, along the property line (left border of the Google Maps photo).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I talked to a local arborist prior to this post. The options he laid out were:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Crown reduction of upper foliage. This would put less pressure on the tree, but only reduce the risk of the fir falling. As it grows above the maple, we'd be at greater risk of winds toppling the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove the top of the tree. This would expose the tree to rot, and would greatly increase topple risk when the tree dies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove the tree. Safe, but costly, and reduces the foliage of our property.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my question: when a Douglas fir grows severely lopsided (~50% of live branches in a hemicircle, East-leaning) along an outer treeline, how likely is it for high winds (&gt;60mph) to topple the tree? I've already had my arborist and the county I live in give me an opinion, but I'm looking for a third opinion here to determine if there's any way to save this tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14562" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-04T10:00:41.983" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T10:07:48.530" Title="Saving a lopsided Douglas fir from needing to be removed" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24490" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24492" CreationDate="2016-05-04T04:59:59.610" Score="8" ViewCount="8917" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you can see I have mushrooms in my soil. Are they bad? Are they going to cause root rot in my plants? Also, are the mushrooms infectious through the air?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's my testing soil. I plant different plants in here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nps0z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nps0z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13726" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-05T00:07:06.867" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T00:07:06.867" Title="Is it good or bad to have mushrooms growing in the soil of my fruit tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24491" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2937" CreationDate="2016-05-04T05:04:04.783" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's what we eventually did to save the plant, mostly following the answers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Removed the dead leaves and cut the dead parts off of other leaves. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pruned the roots, and cleaned the green goo. This is pretty easy by washing the roots under a faucet.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Changed the pebble, because it was covered with green goo. We use potting soil instead of the pebble it came in (I think they sell them with pebble just because it looks nicer).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Moved the plant to a bigger, &lt;em&gt;opaque&lt;/em&gt; pot (I think a clear pot and sun exposure allowed the green goo to grow on the roots)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Propagated a cuttings. The next generation is not doing as well as the parent.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Added plant stakes, because they both had trouble supporting themselves, and started having odd shapes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We prune the roots and change the potting soil periodically.&#xA;We forgot to do it for a while and the cutting was sad, but it's doing better now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aiyCu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aiyCul.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="225" LastEditorUserId="225" LastEditDate="2016-05-04T05:12:51.807" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T05:12:51.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24492" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24490" CreationDate="2016-05-04T06:06:09.073" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;While I don't know anything about those particular mushrooms, I'm confident that they're not a problem. In fact, they &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be a sign of beneficial microbes (maybe not). However, your soil looks pretty wet. A lot of people think overwatering contributes to root rot. Infected soil, low light, no ventilation and such are also factors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythium&quot;&gt;Pythium, one of the pathogens that can cause root rot, spreads through water. Although it might spread through air (I don't know that it can), it typically doesn't. Fungus gnats can spread it, however, if Wikipedia is right.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've personally found that 2700k CFLs and/or lots of sunlight can keep damping off (and thus pythium) away in my area. Damping off is a more frequent concern in my area than root rot. In my area, it's invisible and primarily affects seedlings and cuttings. It seems to affect plants that aren't growing due to soil conditions, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There may be other soil pathogens in your area, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your soil looks rather wet. You might be over-watering. I don't know what you're growing, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your mountain soil appears to be topsoil, in which case it likely has pythium in it. So, precautions against root rot are especially necessary, I think (at least if this is an indoor container). But the mushrooms aren't the concern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if mushrooms spread through the air, they shouldn't be difficult to remove, and they most likely won't cause problems. Overwatering can cause problems, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-05-04T06:29:17.367" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T06:29:17.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24493" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-04T07:33:59.567" Score="6" ViewCount="166" Body="&lt;p&gt;I plan on growing a few different brassicas such as cabbages and bok choy, and I'd like to collect seeds from these open pollinated varieties so that I don't have to keep buying seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I prevent cross pollination occurring between different varieties so that they breed true?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-05-04T09:43:54.373" LastActivityDate="2019-01-16T21:37:20.813" Title="Brassicas seed saving" Tags="&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24494" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24493" CreationDate="2016-05-04T09:26:01.407" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I guess you can do it as for other varieties? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://seedworld.com/cross-pollination-8/&quot;&gt;http://seedworld.com/cross-pollination-8/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Cover the flower heads. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This technique (also known as &quot;bagging&quot;) will need to be done before the flowers open so that bees and any other pollen transporting insects are preventing from getting to them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For covering the flowers only, try such items as:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Toilet rolls&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Muslin or similar sachets or bags (these can be tied in place)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Handkerchiefs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plastic beverage or food containers (cleaned).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is also a more complete explanation on how to do at &lt;a href=&quot;http://howtosaveseeds.com/isolate.php&quot;&gt;http://howtosaveseeds.com/isolate.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Hand pollinate&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the surest way is &lt;strong&gt;Bagging and hand pollination&lt;/strong&gt;... But it is much work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If you just want to avoid buying seeds every year&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you only grow one variety to flowers, and your neighbors don't, then you can probably take the risk to grow one variety of seeds per year by just leaving the plants as they are. This assumes most of the seeds will give the same kind of plants, and some will have been pollinated from far, but only a few. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However I know you cannot do that too many times, and must buy new &quot;commercial&quot; seeds. Leave this hard &quot;hand-made pollination&quot; to small biological farms, and buying seeds to them will help them sustain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2016-05-04T09:33:17.617" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T09:33:17.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24495" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24489" CreationDate="2016-05-04T10:07:48.530" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think you can get a better opinion than an arborist on site.  I will note that topping any tree is not a solution and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/fnr/fnr-faq-14-w.pdf&quot;&gt;should not be recommended&lt;/a&gt; at all.  It creates the conditions for rot to start and weakly attached growth at the cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees that fall have some things in common:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;at the edge of the forest or fully exposed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;thin layer of soil over bedrock &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pre existing disease or poor growth habit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;older trees have more weight up top than younger trees&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think that only crown reduction is a solution but this cannot guarantee anything.  If the tree could fall and damage people or property then it is a potential hazard.  Your decision should rest on what is in the path where it could fall.  If there are things you don't want to take a chance with then it should be removed.  Might be good idea to check your house insurance for potential coverage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T10:07:48.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24496" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24500" CreationDate="2016-05-04T10:39:17.500" Score="5" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's my first time growing tomatoes. I know that I have to remove the suckers (sideshoots) for the cordon (indeterminate) variety, but this is a little bit difficult to me as it's my first time. The image below is for my sweet aperitif cherry tomato plant. Can you please tell me if the part in the red circle is a sideshoot or not?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v7irP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v7irP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13757" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-04T22:26:10.647" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T22:26:10.647" Title="Is this a sideshoot (sucker) on this Cordon Tomato Plant?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24497" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-04T10:58:34.220" Score="8" ViewCount="8683" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/czi9o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/czi9o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My avocado is 3 years old. Except summer time, it is always difficult time for it. Due to cold and windy weather, Avocado is always in-door during these seasons. There is not enough sun light in my place, so during day time I turn on bulb to provide additional light to it. Everything was relatively alright with avocado till recently.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P5g6R.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P5g6R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;A few days ago, the bottom leaves started to turn brown at the middle + I can see yellow pattern on the leaves. The process is very quick (within several days). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From time to time, I was able to see a small worm in the pot, but It seemed like not to be a problem at that time. But now, I not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water it everyday around 150 ml (room temperature). &#xA;From my opinion the pot is big enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help is highly appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you in advance,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional pictures, it took 1 night, from normal leaf to these&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yTRn8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yTRn8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W6O9b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W6O9b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dxmed.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dxmed.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14563" LastEditorUserId="14563" LastEditDate="2016-05-06T03:17:41.230" LastActivityDate="2019-07-23T02:06:40.813" Title="Avocado leaves turn to brown at the middle" Tags="&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24498" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24496" CreationDate="2016-05-04T12:15:39.377" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't class that as a sideshoot - it's just the top of the main stem has divided into two and is growing in opposite directions. A side shoot would be appearing between the existing leaves, off the main stem, usually lower down, so I'd leave it in situ.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following Ecnerwal's answer below, I've had a closer look at the picture. Not sure about the reference to a tie, but where you've drawn your red line in the picture, the bottom part of it, is that covering what looks like a branch or stem with leaves on the end of it? Which would mean the entirely visible top stem with leaves on the right is a separate stem growing out from that junction? If so, you could remove one or the other, but frankly, it isn't really necessary, it's more the ones that arise lower down the plant as time goes on you need to worry about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-04T18:18:45.470" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T18:18:45.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24490" CreationDate="2016-05-04T12:26:29.517" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know you've accepted the answer already, but I'll add this extra information anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They look like Coprinus of some variety, and they're not a problem at all. If you want to reduce their spread, twist off the caps and stalks as they appear with a plastic bag over your hand - some mushrooms disperse spores from the gills beneath the cap. However, the mycelium (roots) from these will be present in the soil you're using, so you may see further crops of these at times. They are not related to any kind of fungal root rot, and will not cause that sort of problem. There may, though, be other pathogens present in the soil you've used if you just took it from outdoors, because it's not sterile, so there's always a risk of problems when using soil taken in this way within containers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: although I've said they may be Coprinus, and they are generally edible, I do not recommend you eat the mushrooms without a full and definite ID, for which a better, clearer photo and a mushroom expert would be required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T12:26:29.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24500" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24496" CreationDate="2016-05-04T13:36:00.190" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I thought yes, at first, and then I noticed that the thing just below the red circle appeared to actually be a tie, rather than a leaf stem. If so, that's just a leaf stem, there is no shoot there yet, and if you are following the pole you want another tie above that one, since your main stem is veering away from it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The shoots one typically removes appear between the main stem and the leaf stem, so they are always the centermost of 3 bits of vegetation right at a leaf stem. If I'm not seeing what I now think I'm seeing, and there is a leaf stem rather than a tie just below the lower part of the red marking, it's a shoot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T13:36:00.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24501" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-04T15:34:25.683" Score="9" ViewCount="3915" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew tomatoes in my raised bed last year. At the end of the season I removed the plants since they had all dried up. This year, without planting seeds I have a couple of tomato plants that have germinated and are growing. Is it advisable to leave the plants and enjoy the produce or should I remove them?  I have other tomato plants that I germinated from seeds that I can replace with. Just trying to figure out if this &quot;wild&quot; tomato plant will be as productive as my seedling that I germinated. I am in the San Francisco / Bay Area&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*** Update: This volunteer is growing like a weed. Starting to see flowers and hopefully tomatoes soon **&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See picture. It is growing like crazy and taking over a quarter of the raised bed. It has flowers but have not seen any tomatoes. I was told that volunteers don't fruit. Is that true? Recommendations?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E7V43.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E7V43.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-05-22T00:21:16.617" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T03:04:54.590" Title="&quot;Volunteer&quot; tomato plant in my vegetable garden - good, bad, indifferent?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24502" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24497" CreationDate="2016-05-04T16:22:22.087" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bulrush is correct.  Very few plants need to be watered every day.  A better technique is to let the top inch of soil dry out and then water thoroughly until water comes out the bottom of the pot.  You do have drainage holes in the pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This damage does not look like fungus/virus/bacteria to me as it lacks the alternating bands of light and dark material which is characteristic of the growth and pause cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen similar damage on our avocado when it was too close to a light bulb.  The signs of this would be the dark area is dry and papery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that the avocado is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Avocado&quot;&gt;tree that wants to grow up to 60 feet&lt;/a&gt; (~20 M) tall you need to keep it smaller unless you plan to get a bigger house.  Consider these steps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove the plant from the pot and inspect the roots.  Firm white roots are healthy, soft black roots indicate rot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove approximately 10% of the root ball from the bottom&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;add fresh soil to the bottom of the pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;return the plant to the pot, water thoroughly and let the top dry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will establish if there is rot and help it grow new leaves.  For a more dramatic solution just cut the plant down leaving 6 to 12&quot; ( ~10 cm) of stem. Reduce watering, increase light and wait for a bud to start from the stem.  This will force new leaf growth and keep it shorter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T16:22:22.087" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24501" CreationDate="2016-05-04T16:47:48.077" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer really depends on how much space you have to grow tomatoes. The reason most people choose to start with tomato seedlings or plants in areas that are not tropical is that the growing season is relatively short. By the time your volunteer tomatoes start to give fruit (about 100+ days after they start growing for a lot of the short-season varieties, which fruit 60+ days out if you buy plants), the season is nearly over. If you are hoping to start harvesting tomatoes mid-season, you are unlikely to be able to do so with your volunteers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, if you have space, you could keep the volunteers and just accept that they will start giving fruit near the end of the season. If you have space for these tomatoes and a few starts from the store, you'll still get good coverage. In my experience, the volunteers tend to be very healthy and sometimes keep producing well after the seedlings I've purchased have stopped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do be aware that the tomatoes you get from the volunteers may not resemble the tomatoes you planted last year. Many of the tomatoes we grow are hybrids, and will not grow true to type from seed. If you were growing heirloom varieties, they are more likely to come true to type. If variety is very important to you, that would be another reason to buy new plants rather than going with the volunteers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2016-05-04T17:03:48.567" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T17:03:48.567" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24504" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24508" CreationDate="2016-05-04T17:01:30.173" Score="8" ViewCount="5290" Body="&lt;p&gt;My succulent has been growing sideways for a while. Today the planter tipped over because of the unbalanced weight. I moved the plant to give sunlight exposure from different angles but that didn't really help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is causing this and is there anything I can do to help it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wYf4P.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wYf4P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;succulent&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7517" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-04T19:30:45.643" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T22:03:46.607" Title="How can I prevent my succulent from tipping over its pot?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24505" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-04T19:27:32.920" Score="6" ViewCount="1051" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may already have heard about the 53 year-old sealed bottle garden, but I would like to know why &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradescantia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;spiderwort&lt;/a&gt; is a particularly sustainable plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k4UVX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k4UVX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are some other plant species that require little care, and would survive in a closed mesocosm with:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A source of direct sunlight&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Generally damp conditions&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Soil that contains bacteria that can decompose dead matter and shredded newspaper?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14567" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-04T19:45:32.637" LastActivityDate="2018-03-13T15:14:47.477" Title="Why is spiderwort a good plant for mesocosms?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24506" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24521" CreationDate="2016-05-04T19:34:48.313" Score="4" ViewCount="361" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does Burdock grow from the root of the plant, or do you need to plant a seed to get it to propagate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T21:38:04.090" Title="Will Burdock grow from the root?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24507" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24524" CreationDate="2016-05-04T19:44:54.520" Score="4" ViewCount="88" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where would be the best place to plant Burdock so that it won't irritate me when digging in the garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T15:07:58.187" Title="I've read that burdock contact can cause irritation, where can I plant it?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24508" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24504" CreationDate="2016-05-04T19:53:56.090" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is fairly normal behavior for these plants.  As they grow, the stems get longer, and since the leaves are full of water, the weight of the top of the plant pulls the stem over to one side.  It's not really indicative of a &lt;em&gt;problem&lt;/em&gt;, but it can be a little annoying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've got a couple of options as I see it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can get a heavy, possibly ceramic pot that won't be so easily tipped over, and either re-pot the plant into it, or place your existing pot inside of it.  The plant will continue to grow as it has been though, and the dangly bit will become even danglier over time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You have a new shoot growing at the base of the older stem.  You can take advantage of this and &lt;a href=&quot;http://pieceofeden.blogspot.com/2010/04/echeveria-propagation.html&quot;&gt;propagate the plant&lt;/a&gt; to get a second (and a third, fourth, etc. if you want) plant out of the deal.  You can cut the long stem off near the base of the plant, using a clean knife or shears, trim off some of the excess stem and set the pieces aside for a day or two to let the stem ends callus over a bit.  Once they've callused, you can try rooting the trimmed stem cuttings, end rosette, and even any fallen leaves separately to see if they take.  You place each cutting in its own small pot, or next to each other in a larger one, and wait to see if they root.  Many of them will, and you can soon find yourself with a whole grove of plants.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14555" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-04T19:58:28.607" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T19:58:28.607" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24510" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24504" CreationDate="2016-05-04T22:03:46.607" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The cause is usually not enough light, or the light is very directional (for example if the pot is near a window). The remedy is to turn the pot regularly (i.e. every day or two) to keep the plant growing straight. You can't &quot;straighten out&quot; a plant that has grown as twisted as your picture, though. Best to start again from cuttings, as in the other answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you really want to &quot;start from scratch&quot; with this type of succulent, gently pull a few of the lower &quot;leaves&quot; from the stalk and put them somewhere clean,  dry, and well-lit (but not scorched with strong direct sunlight). The don't need any compost, and in fact they are less likely to rot or get other diseases &lt;em&gt;without&lt;/em&gt; any compost. There is enough water stored in the old &quot;leaf&quot; to start off the new plant. Pot them up when they look like the picture, which may take a week or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ul5Cd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ul5Cd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;http://gardeninggonewild.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/IMG_3404.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Image source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardeninggonewild.com/?p=24797&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://gardeninggonewild.com/?p=24797&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T22:03:46.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24511" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24501" CreationDate="2016-05-04T22:46:00.033" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually volunteer tomatoes do not grow large enough to bear fruit before it gets cold again.  But if you have the space there's no harm in letting it grow.  I have tomato plants that come up in the compost every year and they sometimes bear fast enough for me to get a fruit or two.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14571" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T22:46:00.033" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24512" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24493" CreationDate="2016-05-04T22:49:39.067" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cover the plants with lightweight fabric or row covers, and hand pollinate them yourself.  It's a lot of work, and keep in mind that brassicas are biennial so you'll have to wait until year 2 to get flowers and seeds.  Also be forewarned that most of the brassicas are really large and ugly when they set seeds.  I did this with kale one year and I won't do it again.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14571" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T22:49:39.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24513" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23822" CreationDate="2016-05-04T23:58:35.013" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had it confirmed today that it is in fact a Sageretia Theenze (Chinese sweet plum, or Bird plum).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sqEVE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sqEVE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Comparison image &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some Identifying factors:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;New leaf growth is a reddish brown which matures into the green colour &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Back buds very easily, even from mature wood &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Small white flowers give way to dark blue / purple Berry type fruits &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Semi tropical (evergreen indoors, deciduous outdoors in temperate zones)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Incase it helps anyone in the future, a good care guide can be downloaded from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaitoolchest.com/v/vspfiles/caresheets/chinese-sweet-plum.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastActivityDate="2016-05-04T23:58:35.013" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24514" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-05T04:09:25.097" Score="1" ViewCount="125" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to work on building a permaculture garden, and was wondering what I should plant in USDA zone 4A.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally I'm looking for a list of each bed with crop combinations to have them help each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-05-05T20:15:14.513" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T20:15:14.513" Title="What permaculture crops should I grow together in USDA zone 4a?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;permaculture&gt;&lt;design&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="7" ClosedDate="2016-05-06T10:01:47.927" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24515" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24523" CreationDate="2016-05-05T04:32:24.297" Score="5" ViewCount="4148" Body="&lt;p&gt;I get my papaya seeds straight out of fruits. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually, each seed has this slimy, transparent membrane around it. Should I remove that before planting them? And, whether yes or no, why? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard that I need to dry the seeds before planting them. Is this the case? And, whether yes or no, why? If yes, then what is the best way to dry them in the tropics?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd prefer answers either from personal experience or with a source. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14572" LastEditorUserId="14572" LastEditDate="2016-05-05T08:36:16.660" LastActivityDate="2021-04-19T12:53:41.097" Title="What should I do to papaya seeds prior to planting?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24516" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24518" CreationDate="2016-05-05T04:48:57.630" Score="7" ViewCount="732" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some used fireplace bricks, so I was wondering how can I convert it to rock dust for my garden nutritional value.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2018-06-26T04:02:04.027" LastActivityDate="2018-06-26T04:02:04.027" Title="How do I make rock dust?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24517" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24519" CreationDate="2016-05-05T10:03:45.060" Score="4" ViewCount="657" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently my mint has been looking less and less healthy. Here's what it looks like right now:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jcJPo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jcJPo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mint&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I made two changes since when it looked relatively healthy and when it started looking like this, which may be the culprit. First, I added a spoon of fertilizer, mixed with a cup of water. The instructions say to use two spoons for a pot of that size. Second, I started watering it every day. I suspect the second is more of a culprit, because when I tested the soil yesterday, and noticed that when I pressed down on it, water actually squeezed out the bottom of the pot. This was several hours after I'd watered it, so I'm guessing there isn't very good drainage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I carefully removed the mint from the soil, which was easy, since the roots hadn't spread very far, and squeezed the excess water out of the soil. It was like ringing out a shirt after jumping into a lake with it. Then I broke up the soil to aerate it and replanted, and I haven't watered it today.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What, if anything, can be done to save this poor thing at this point?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14332" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T10:47:22.720" Title="Mint is becoming more withered" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24518" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24516" CreationDate="2016-05-05T10:06:03.597" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockdust&quot;&gt;Rock dust&lt;/a&gt; is used in organic gardening where basalt and granite is crushed into a fine powder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bricks are made of clay, sand and lime and where &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;limestone... is often deficient in the majority of essential&#xA;  macro-compounds, trace elements, and micronutrients&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if you did have access to a commercial rock crusher to crush your bricks they would not add much to your garden.  You are better off adding compost or other organic matter to your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T10:06:03.597" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24519" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24517" CreationDate="2016-05-05T10:47:22.720" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I remember your first question about this plant, and have just checked the image you provided then, where it looks much healthier than it does now. I note also you posted a comment under that question to me, but didn't ping me so I didn't know it was there, so didn't respond. As you know, I don't think this is regular mint, I think its Mentha pulegium, and you asked if it was safe to consume - it is safe, if you're male and you consume it very sparingly, but not particularly safe for females of breeding age, so bear that in mind if you ever make your mojitos for female friends, especially if they're pregnant and especially early stage pregnancy (its an abortifacient) until its ID becomes clearer (flowers will confirm or deny ID). You had intended to post a pic of the parent plant, which I don't think you have, or at least, I can't find one. Makes a good insecticide, and most animals avoid eating it, including deer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know whether you've actually used any of the plant yet, but you shouldn't until you've managed to get it growing better. You've obviously realised you're keeping it far too wet, so water only when the surface of the compost is just about dry when you touch it, then water thoroughly, allowing any excess to drain away freely. It may require more light, though not particularly sunlight, just bright daylight, and if you've been keeping it indoors, it may actually do better outside after hardening off, if your outdoor temperatures aren't currently cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info about this plant here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.victoriananursery.co.uk/Pennyroyal/&quot;&gt;https://www.victoriananursery.co.uk/Pennyroyal/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T10:47:22.720" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24516" CreationDate="2016-05-05T14:07:28.663" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Crushed fire bricks won't make good rockdust. There just aren't enough minerals present to justify their addition to your medium, or the labor and cost of crushing them into dust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Contact a quarry or gravel pit, or buy some online. Granite and basalt make the two most nutrient-rich, but with basalt be sure you can look into its composition (there are nutrient-rich basalts, and there are some that are 99% Silicon Dioxide and Aluminum Oxide - essentially inert).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T14:07:28.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24506" CreationDate="2016-05-05T14:32:54.820" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Burdock&lt;/a&gt; is a binennial and widely considered a noxious weed. While it does not appear to be on the MN statewide list, there may also be county lists, so check that before planting any.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Year one, it grows from seed and makes leaves and stores energy in the root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Year two, it makes a tall stalk with highly annoying burrs. Those burrs spread the seed far and wide, which comes back to it being considered noxious.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would advise against introducing it to an area that does not have it, whether or not it's actually prohibited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/weed/broadleaf/basal/cburdock.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This page from UMN extension&lt;/a&gt; has a broken link that calls it a &quot;Minnesota Secondary Noxious Weed&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-05-05T21:38:04.090" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T21:38:04.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24458" CreationDate="2016-05-05T14:41:52.900" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received an email from BASF who manufacture nemaslug.  It is inline with kevinsky's answer but specifically addresses slow release fertiliser so I thought I would share it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A slow release fertiliser should not affect Nemaslug.  It is advisable to wait at least one month after the application of a non-slow release fertiliser, as a high concentration of standard fertilisers can be detrimental to nematodes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="599" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T14:41:52.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24523" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24515" CreationDate="2016-05-05T14:54:34.463" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The removal of the membrane around papaya seeds (the sarcotesta) will slightly increase germination rate and slightly decrease germination time. Typically, sarcotestas exist so some of the many seeds in plants like papayas and pomegranates will survive the digestion process of a consuming animal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're planting the seeds just after removal, it's not necessary to clean and dry them, just remove the sarcotesta and plant several seeds near each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, papaya trees grow fruit year round and produce many seeds, and the only effects of not removing the sarcotesta is a slightly decreased germination rate and a slightly increased germination time - so you really can just scoop out the sacs and stick them right into the ground. Plant as many as you want, because culling weaker plants is an integral part of growing papaya.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During their growth, cull the weaker plants when they become obvious underperformers. Eventually get down to the 4-6 healthiest plants until you can determine sex.  You need only one male or hermaphrodite to pollinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you decide to remove the sarcotesta, drying is unnecessary if you plant immediately because drying the seeds is intended to keep them safe from mold and pests while storing them (or from damaging them if they are stored frozen/refrigerated).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you intend on storing the seeds, first wash them thoroughly to remove everything but the seed. For a generous drying process, dry them with a towel, then leave them on a towel for two days, flipping them daily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T14:54:34.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24507" CreationDate="2016-05-05T15:07:58.187" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Burdock does not cause irritation unless you are allergic/sensitive to it, which is rare.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a good article: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenersnet.com/vegetable/burdock.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenersnet.com/vegetable/burdock.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T15:07:58.187" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24525" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-05T17:10:39.770" Score="3" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are new to this house and to gardening so don't always know if something is a plant or a weed. These plants are growing among some lavender plants, and in the brick paving next to the beds. Can you help me identify what these are and what is the best way to get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ijx1I.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ijx1I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Weeds in lavender flower bed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: Netherlands&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I tried: scrolled through a google image search of weeds ('onkruiden' in Dutch), but nothing seems to match these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14577" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T17:10:39.770" Title="Help identifying this weed/plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2016-05-06T07:05:09.653" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24526" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24530" CreationDate="2016-05-05T17:14:01.960" Score="6" ViewCount="20520" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have read that for plants that have been just re-potted you have to wait some days. For the Aloe Vera in particular, I have seen some saying to wait for 2 days and others 2 weeks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just repotted it so that the soil was special for cactus as the previous one didn't drain properly and the tips were getting brown. The new soil looks dry after just one day, and I was supposed to water it just when the whole soil is dry. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fOPT8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fOPT8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I really have to wait more? For how long? Why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10933" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T16:50:03.270" Title="Do just-repotted plants really need to wait for days before watering them? Why?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24527" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24528" CreationDate="2016-05-05T17:20:14.540" Score="5" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some people recommend to leave the plants, in particular the Aloe Vera, lying down out of the pot without soil in its roots for up to 3 days before re-potting. But  I always come to find some people contradicting what I have just learned. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, is this right? Is this for all succulents? Is it just for the Aloe Vera or for all potted plants in general? What's the rationale behind that? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10933" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T17:42:48.203" Title="Do succulents need to be kept out of the pot for some time before re-potting?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24527" CreationDate="2016-05-05T17:23:56.417" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The rationale is simply to allay as much chance for rot as possible. Succulents in particular are susceptible to rot and newly-broken roots from them, especially so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, it's purported that the dry soil will encourage new root growth, strengthening the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would suggest that if there is any major breakage of any thick, fleshy roots, that any broken pieces be removed and that this method of allowing a few days to dry be used to allow the wound(s) to callous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe that there is some exaggeration to this claim and as long as you don't water-log your newly potted plant you should be OK. Be sure to use a quality, well-draining soil mixture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-05-05T17:31:07.680" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T17:31:07.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24529" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24527" CreationDate="2016-05-05T17:42:48.203" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is not something you would do with any plants other than, possibly, succulents - none of the other plants like roses or herbaceous perennials or shrubs appreciate their roots being exposed to air for any length of time at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T17:42:48.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24530" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24526" CreationDate="2016-05-05T17:48:15.447" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The trouble with gardening is, ask a panel of experts a question and you'll get 3 different answers. I remember your original question on this plant and then, you believed you should wait for the peat soil it was in to dry out before attempting to repot in different soil. That wasn't true, and I don't think this latest thing is any more true either - when I suggested you should repot immediately, I also said 'water in well' after repotting, and 'allow to drain freely'. And that, as far as I'm concerned, is exactly what you should do, assuming the new potting mix you've used is gritty/sandy and free draining. However, that said, an aloe will go for some time with no water at all, and  yours was apparently suffering from being overly wet, so if you prefer to follow the advice of whatever other source you're using, it probably won't come to any harm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And not watering immediately after repotting any other type of plant is exactly the opposite of what you're supposed to do, so if you repot, say, a shrub or a perennial, you water, thoroughly, immediately after you've finished potting, but always allowing water to drain out of the bottom of the pot without any obstruction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T17:48:15.447" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24531" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-05T18:02:26.713" Score="4" ViewCount="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am redoing the landscaping around my house and there are always tons of deer nearby. What types of plants are deer resistant but still look pretty(flowering). Location is in Wisconsin. The landscaping will get moderate sunlight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14005" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T23:41:03.600" Title="What shrubs/flowers are deer resistant?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24532" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-05T18:44:11.473" Score="3" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the fall I bought a few trees from Arbor Day. I planted the birch and plane tree on the north side of my house and they haven't budded, bloomed, or leafed yet while my other trees have. I did the scratch test and they're still green under the bark although the plane tree's top did die back. I'm in Chicago zone 5b/6, we had a very mild winter so I don't know want the problem is &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14578" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T03:06:43.533" Title="Why haven't my Birch and London plane tree leafed out yet" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24533" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24278" CreationDate="2016-05-05T19:58:32.483" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A nearby car dealership has this as a ground cover in several areas. The lawn maintenance tech says it is jasmine. Lucky me! Maybe it will flower if we stop mowing it. Or, as my research shows, it could be a non-flowering faux jasmine, which still makes an awesome ground cover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14460" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T19:58:32.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24534" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24554" CreationDate="2016-05-05T20:53:09.803" Score="5" ViewCount="113089" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 17 month old boy that loves to play outside. I just put weed killer down and I didn't see anything on the label saying when it would be safe for kids or pets. How long should I wait before its safe for him to play in the yard again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hazardous Ingredients:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dimethylamine Salt of 2,Methyl-4 Chlorophenoxyacetic Acit 13.72 %&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Trimethylamine Salt of 3,5,6 Triclpro-2-Pyridnylox acetic acid 1.56%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dimethylamine Salt of Dicamba (3,6-dichloro-o-anisic acid) 1.35%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Product:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.earlmay.com/products/?super_brush__weed_killer&amp;amp;show=product&amp;amp;productID=21119&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;SUPER BRUSH &amp;amp; WEED KILLER&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Material Safety Data Sheet: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.earlmay.com/sitevizenterprise/website/cgi-bin/file.pl/earlmay/media/products/687889MSDS_128DF68DB09EC.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;MSDS Sheet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2708" LastEditorUserId="2708" LastEditDate="2016-05-06T14:54:26.860" LastActivityDate="2019-04-05T09:54:13.603" Title="How long do I need to stay off the lawn after applying weed killer?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24535" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-05T21:15:38.733" Score="3" ViewCount="5049" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that in real life worms will eat both fresh and dry leaves at night or when it rains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not putting earthworms in the soil yet but I will soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am trying earthworms and  mix of old and new soil to improve the growth of my maples both in speed and duration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The new soil has more nutrients than the old soil. Leaves and fruit and vegetable scraps will improve this more. But worms can turn leaves and food scraps into compost in their digestive systems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I think that maybe adding fruit and veggie scraps periodically to the soil will help both the worms and the trees. I am not all that worried about earthworms eating roots because it isn't a main part of their diet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ravine has maples, elms, and oaks. I am thinking that fresh leaves would be best but that means either one of these 3 things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Pick leaves off trees(which I wouldn't do)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) Wait for falling branches and then pick the leaves off(This I think would be best)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;or&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) Wait for leaves to fall(that is until summer, fall, and the beginning of winter)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am expecting to see maple seeds soon since the maple trees are getting their leaves and I always see seeds soon after I see leaves when it comes to maples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I was thinking of putting earthworms into the soil after I move the pot to on top of the hot tub(this area gets the most sunlight overall and the most rain so I don't have to water them as much during the first year and only really during dry parts of summer from then on. They also will produce the most nutrients for bark production and winter survival here) and plant a maple seed and give it a deep watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then I figured that maybe once a week or once a month I will give food to the worms. Since they are true hermaphrodites I don't have to worry about telling male and female worms apart because regardless, I am going to get baby worms to aerate the soil even more and produce new soil faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, should I give them fresh leaves from this year off of fallen branches or dry leaves from last year's fall as a staple food(since I might not always have fruit and veggie scraps for worms)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And how many worms do you think I should start with? I am thinking maybe 2-10 but I don't know for sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My pot is in the shape of a truncated cone and is about 1 foot wide at the base and 1.5-2 ft wide at the top in case you need those dimensions. It is also about 1.5-2 ft tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13109" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-05-05T22:58:13.033" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T14:06:14.293" Title="What leaves should I feed worms?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;earthworms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24536" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24534" CreationDate="2016-05-05T23:34:28.517" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say to be off the lawn for at least 3-4 weeks. The more water that is put on the the better in the sense of getting ride of the stuff. Because it will go into the ground more. But at the same time could delude the stuff. The longer, the better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T23:34:28.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24537" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24531" CreationDate="2016-05-05T23:41:03.600" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance/&quot;&gt;https://njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A great list of what plants are good for deer resistance and what will get hurt. Keep in mind you are more than likely able to put certain plants by others to keep the ones that can not safe. They do not actually keep the deer away, but the deer hate eating some of these plants, which should keep them away. But like I said, plant the ones the hate by the ones they like or love! Hope you find this list of great use!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T23:41:03.600" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24538" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24534" CreationDate="2016-05-05T23:54:28.933" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Read the label of the product you are using. The label will state a re-entry interval. Without the label we don't know what is in the specific spray you are using, so we can't give a proper answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T23:54:28.933" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24539" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24535" CreationDate="2016-05-05T23:59:59.433" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Worms will eat a LOT of stuff. They can eat any of your food scraps, cardboard, sawdust, leaves (any), fruit rinds, and almost anything else they will have access to in the wild. As long as the worms pretty much have these three ingredients they will eat it. The ingredients being bacteria, fungi, and algae. They will more then likely take a bite out of something that is rotting or decaying. There really is nothing more to that. Hope my research has proved some use to you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-05-05T23:59:59.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24540" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24564" CreationDate="2016-05-06T05:48:23.660" Score="3" ViewCount="73" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a friend  who is building a sunroom garden, and we need to make sure the soil drains well drain into the overflow tank, while still allowing the soil to always be moist. How deep should the soil be so that it gets to the well draining sand, and brick scraps?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T18:50:54.980" Title="How much drainage is considered &quot;well draining&quot; for a bed that doesn't fully drain?" Tags="&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24541" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24545" CreationDate="2016-05-06T06:48:14.497" Score="6" ViewCount="46" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I planted my strawberry plants which I bought from Walmart into a 2.5' (Length) x 2.5' (Width) x 10&quot; (Depth) cedar planter, I filled ~5&quot; with top soil and then layered about an inch of steer manure and then topped it off with ~3&quot; of top soil. Its been more than a month and we are not seeing any fruit. The plants are really healthy with big leaves. But no fruits so far :(. Researching on the internet many say it could be because of high nitrogen in the soil. So my question is, what can I do now? Can I relocate the plants to the ground so that it will reduce the nitrogen content in the soil? And then transfer it back to the planter in mid-late fall (which is ~4-5 months away) with just top soil in the planter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-05-06T10:13:16.550" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T10:13:16.550" Title="What to do with strawberry plants planted in a soil with lot of nitrogen in it?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24542" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-06T06:54:01.560" Score="4" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have broccoli, kale and onion in one of our vegetable beds. Some tiny worms are eating the leaves of both broccoli and kale. My question is, what are some of the environmentally safe ways to protect the plants? Not just broccoli and kale but other plants too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any plants that act as bait for these worms so they will be attracted to those plants? I'm sure there are certain combinations of plants which protect each other. And there are some plants which attract bugs that attack certain plants. I would like to know these combinations. Does anyone know any of these techniques?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T13:21:59.167" Title="What's the environmentally safe way to get rid of worms that eat the vegetable plants?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;&lt;onions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24543" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24557" CreationDate="2016-05-06T08:20:52.453" Score="5" ViewCount="258" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to make a bonsai with a ginko tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is two years old and has really big leaves that would not give a balanced impression on a bonsai.&#xA;Just by googling &quot;ginko bonsai&quot; I can see that the leaves on such a kind of bonsai are generally twice or more times smaller than the ones on my ginko. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I induce the tree to make smaller leaves? Is it too soon to begin the conditioning?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14583" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T16:27:11.370" Title="keep bonsai leaves small" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24544" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-06T09:37:44.190" Score="6" ViewCount="293" Body="&lt;p&gt;My friend tells me I should place papaya seeds in direct sunlight for about 20 minutes just before putting them into the soil. She says this will be beneficial to germination, among other things. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any truth to this, or is it just a myth? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14572" LastEditorUserId="14572" LastEditDate="2016-08-09T20:36:32.087" LastActivityDate="2016-08-09T20:36:32.087" Title="Is it really beneficial to put papaya seeds in the sun for a few minutes before planting?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;papaya&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24545" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24541" CreationDate="2016-05-06T09:54:35.280" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Patience. One of the hardest parts of being a gardener.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Strawberry plants rarely produce berries the first year they are transplanted. Instead they spend most of their resources and nutrients establishing a strong root system so they are ready to fruit next year. By that time most of the Nitrogen content of the manure will have either been A) taken up by the strawberries to fuel early growth or B) washed from the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-05-06T10:08:53.147" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T10:08:53.147" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24546" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-06T10:22:11.480" Score="1" ViewCount="174" Body="&lt;p&gt;I look for the Aloe Vera plant(s) for &lt;a href=&quot;https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/29743/increasing-prevalence-of-allergies-and-poly-sensitivity-in-athletes-why&quot;&gt;exercise-induced (EI) hypersensitivity&lt;/a&gt; such as allergic rhinitis. Which Aloe Vera plants has the most healing property?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1850" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:46:51.957" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T11:21:40.180" Title="Which Aloe Vera plant has the most healing property?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-05-07T11:33:21.083" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24547" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-06T12:21:41.817" Score="7" ViewCount="5133" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkGM_xTR8rI&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Youtube&lt;/a&gt; shows videos where the crystal gel of Aloe Vera plant is used for a smoothies. I am confused because some Aloe Vera plants are marketed as not for consumption and some are called medical aloes, I am unsure whether this is just marketing. For example, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20282758/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;IKEA's Aloe Vera&lt;/a&gt; has a mention not for consumption while &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantagen.fi/laakeaaloe-100015636-fi&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plantagen's Aloe&lt;/a&gt; called medical aloe. So&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Are all Aloe Veras suitable for consumption? How to choose Aloe Vera plants for consumption and smoothies?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1850" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T16:39:49.183" Title="Is the gel of all Aloe Vera plants suitable for consumption?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22514" CreationDate="2016-05-06T12:25:01.130" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is this juice for skin care or consumption?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The juice for skin-care does not need to be as carefully extracted as the juice for consumption. The below videos show the processes&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HFCnSAiUJs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Use An Aloe Vera Plant For Skin Care&lt;/a&gt; where the instructor cuts the Aloe Vera plant just besides the end of the leave not damaging other leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkGM_xTR8rI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Prepare and Eat Aloe&lt;/a&gt; where the instructor avoids the yellow juice while eating the clear gel inside the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;where it is important that the yellow juice is not used for consumption. The first video is shorter with skin care focus while the second longer with consumption focus. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Needed&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get Spatula and a knife to extract the non-yellow gel and juice inside the green leaves. Rinse the inside with water to extract the yellow, not for consumption, while the white gel with white content can be consumed. A blender is nice for smoothies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Other Aloe related Questions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24547/is-the-gel-of-all-aloe-vera-plants-suitable-for-consumption&quot;&gt;Is the gel of all Aloe Vera plants suitable for consumption?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24546/which-aloe-vera-plant-for-exercise-induced-hypersensitivity&quot;&gt;Which Aloe Vera plant has the most healing property?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1850" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T12:30:22.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24549" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35282" CreationDate="2016-05-06T12:26:23.457" Score="4" ViewCount="646" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to grow a indoor herbs garden. I have reused soil from flowering pots from another location. The herbs didn't grow at all (I think bad seeds), but in one of the pots this appeared.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mhg87.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mhg87.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a closeup of one of the tips&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JdJ96.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JdJ96.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And one of the stem at the base&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KsD9U.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KsD9U.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13428" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T16:24:38.690" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T16:24:38.690" Title="What is this plant with dark green ovate hairy leaves in my indoor pot?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24550" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24542" CreationDate="2016-05-06T13:21:59.167" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &quot;cabbage worm&quot; which is really a caterpillar of the cabbage moth is best prevented by preventing the moth from accessing the plant - hoops of floating row cover are commonly deployed over cabbage-family plants (such as broccoli and kale) to provide this protection. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once they are present, the most common &quot;generally considered environmentally safe&quot; approach is Bt, which is fairly specific to caterpillars. Prevention is preferred.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This may or may not be the &quot;worms&quot; you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hand-picking is always an option - wear gloves if you are squeamish about touching them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T13:21:59.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24551" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24535" CreationDate="2016-05-06T14:06:14.293" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would start off with the older leaves and either bag the newer leaves (shredded if you can) with a little bit of water and small bit of dirt or put them in a round wire cage as you accumulate.  The wire cage method will over a longer term (1 year) provide leaf mold which the worms will eat and will of course attract worms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bag method will break down the leaves via beneficial organisms from the small handfuls of soil/dirt into a rich soil.  Some people put them in bags in the fall so that they will have the amendment for their garden in the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also just layer the leaves via lasagna gardening style under the trees: Newspaper section first over grass then a small layer of leaves (browns) then food scraps, grass cuttings, coffee grounds (greens) then a layer of leaves.  Repeat process as you get greens.  This is probably the easiest way, you would just need to store your leaves (browns) then layer them on the bed when you have available greens.  Resist the meats, dairy products, fats, oils, citrus.  They are good, but this will usually attract scavengers that will dig it up or it may stink as it breaks down.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding worms, if you build it they will come.  If you are anxious then I would put what you can get in the beds.  Composting worms can eat their own weight every 2 days under ideal conditions.  But if conditions are right the worms you put in there are going to produce worm cocoons so they will reproduce to accommodate the resources that are available.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different worm species live at different depths some will live in the compost (Eisenia Fetida a.k.a Tiger Worms, compost/manure worms).  The leaf litter worms (epigeic like lumbricus rubellus a.k.a Red Worms) never burrow, but live and feed in leaf litter.  These types will probably be most prevalent in your beds once established.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The burrowing worms are endogeic or anecic (night crawlers and such) will either make horizontal or vertical burrows.  I can't remember exactly but I think the vertical burrowing worms like nightcrawlers will will come up to mate or feed by  dragging the leaves down in the soil to feed on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if you decide to buy worms from a bait/pet store or online I would get the nightcrawlers or the Red Worms.  The Red Worms may be Composting worms like Eisenia Fetida.  It depends on the bait supplier.  You can google for pics of the different types.  The composting worms can be bought online or acquired at a cow pasture in or near the (older decomposing) cow patties.  The Composting worms need rich compost to thrive so unless you have a steady stream of greens I'd stick with the Red Worms (leaf litter worms) or the Night Crawlers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good Luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14587" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T14:06:14.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24552" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14274" CreationDate="2016-05-06T14:25:16.670" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Comfrey is a chop and drop perennial plant that is very beneficial.  The plant leaves can be cut off 2-3 times a season and used as a stinky tea or used as a mulch.  There is little cellulose in the leaves so they break down quickly.   The roots go deep once it is established and like trees it gets the minerals deep in the soil.  It is considered invasive by some.  The Hybrid variety like the Russian Comfrey Bocking 14 strain does not produce seed, but does flower.  It can be propagated via root.  The non-hybrids produce seed.  If you consider comfrey just understand that once it is there it will be hard to remove it. Most people opt for the hybrids and put them in areas they do not till or dig in and then harvest the leaves for their gardens or for healing poultices.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get them established I use my post hole digger and made a 4-5 deep hole and filled with compost and other soil amendments then plant the root (I use Bocking 14).  They will get 2 feet wide and 1 1/2 foot tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14587" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T14:25:16.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24553" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14274" CreationDate="2016-05-06T15:05:54.883" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Applicability will vary with what you consider &quot;lawn&quot; - some people are very grass-centric there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clover, particularly &quot;Dutch White Clover&quot; can indeed be added to a lawn in difficulty (such as described) and will, over time, benefit it, being a legume, and a nice short green mowable plant. For people that douse lawns with broadleaf &quot;weed&quot; killers, this does not work, as those &quot;weed&quot; killers will kill clover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T15:05:54.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24534" CreationDate="2016-05-06T15:10:49.023" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The MSDS lists three active ingredients, and another product, Bonide BK-32 has the same formulation (active ingredients and proportions).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonide.com/assets/Products/Labels/l330.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bonide BK-32's instruction booklet&lt;/a&gt; includes the following notes in various portions of the booklet:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Do not allow people (other than applicator) or pets on treatment area during application.  People and pets may enter treated area after spray has dried.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If on skin or clothing&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Take off contaminated clothing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Rinse skin immediately with plenty of water for 15-20 minutes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Call a poison control center or doctor for treatment advice&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Users should ... remove PPE (personal protective equipment) immediately after handling this product.  Wash the outside of gloves before removing.  As soon as possible, wash thoroughly and change into clean clothing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the above suggests that this weed killer isn't safe. I expect that if you follow the instructions and wear shoes on the grass after it dries, then you won't have any problems, but I worry about children who, barefoot or not, have a lot more skin to grass contact than adults in a typical outside play period.  Particularly for toddlers and infants who may not only put their skin into contact with the treated surface, but may subsequently put their hands or other objects in their mouths.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two of the three active ingredients I've found in the more common Scott's products which have more explicit information regarding kids, pets, and cautionary statements:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/turf-builder-weed-and-feed/prod11670004&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/turf-builder-weed-and-feed/prod11670004&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dimethylamine Salt of 2,Methyl-4 Chlorophenoxyacetic Acit 13.72 %&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Kids and pets&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Keep people and pets off lawn during application. Do not allow people or pets to enter treated areas until dusts have settled. Particles should stick to weed leaves for at least 24 hours after application, so it is best to limit activity from kids and pets for 24 hours after application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/scotts-touch-up-weed-control-for-your-lawn/prod10590018&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/scotts-touch-up-weed-control-for-your-lawn/prod10590018&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Do not apply this product in a away that will contact any person or pet. Keep people and pets out of the area during application. Do not use this product for controlling weeds in vegetable gardens, flower beds, shrubs, or ornamental plants. Do not use around fruits, vegetables, or flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This product does not have a suggestion for when kids and pets can access the area after application. The notes about vegetable gardens could signal some bioincompatibility with humans, or simply that it kills vegetables as though they were weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I could not find a good example of the third ingredient.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This particular product is a very strong weed killing product, though, and all the uses suggest that it isn't meant for lawns and play areas, but heavy brush or spot weed treating.  I'd suggest you not use it as a general application for lawn and [play area use, but only for spot treating, or heavy brush/weed areas, and excourage limited contact until a week and/or a good rainstorm later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4643" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T15:10:49.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24555" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-06T15:16:45.877" Score="3" ViewCount="3981" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something has been nipping away at my kale leaves. These are growing in a raised bed and I don't see any snails around. I have also covered up the bed with a net to keep away squirrels to the extent I can but they may be getting in. Any ideas or other pests that may be enjoying my kale?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3VDlW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3VDlW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m85f9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m85f9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T16:43:35.537" Title="What is eating my kale leaves" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24556" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24560" CreationDate="2016-05-06T15:40:47.843" Score="5" ViewCount="568" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's my first time growing garlic, and it seems like the first cloves I planted have leaves splitting leaves apart, why is that?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ptIfa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ptIfa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;garlic growth photo 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hMB56.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hMB56.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;garlic growth photo 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-05-06T15:51:29.777" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T00:03:25.163" Title="What causes garlic leaves to grow through each other splitting them?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24557" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24543" CreationDate="2016-05-06T16:27:11.370" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe with ginkgo trees, leaf reduction is most commonly achieved through regular pruning in spring and autumn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few things to note however:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the leaves do not reduce by much, so they are naturally more suited to medium to large bonsai.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ginkgo trees don't heal well after pruning, so never cut flush to the trunk or concave. Leave a stub and remove it after roughly a year once it has dried out.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when pruning back leaves, cut back to 2-3 leaves in the leaf cluster, making sure that the top most leaf is on the outside of the branch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To answer you second question, the recommendation for starting to train a ginkgo bonsai is by using a 2-3 year old sapling. So if you are happy with the progress of the trunk and nebari, then I see no reason why you can't start with your 2 year old tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good care instructions can be found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaioutlet.com/ginkgo-biloba-care/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://swindon-bonsai.co.uk/2011/01/05/introduction-to-ginkgo%E2%80%99s-as-bonsai/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. Good luck with it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T16:27:11.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24558" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24547" CreationDate="2016-05-06T16:31:23.947" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The short answer to your question's title is no, not all varieties are safe to consume, because I'm guessing, when you say aloe vera, you mean any aloe rather than that particular variety. There is a great deal of confusion about Aloe and its varietal names. Many people refer to any Aloe as Aloe vera, even though they are not - although they may be Aloe, there are many different varieties. Most varieties are probably harmless if consumed, though the medical fraternity still has some argument about that, but some are actually toxic, so if any Aloe you see is labelled as not suitable for consumption, don't consume it in any way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aloe barbadensis (synonymous with Aloe vera) and Aloe arborescens are the two most commonly commercially grown and used by the food and cosmetic industry, so either of those should be fine. It appears that many of the Aloe varieties (and there are an awful lot) have not actually been scientifically evaluated in terms of their toxicity or consumability, so sticking to Aloe vera is probably safest. More info in the link below - I refer you to the section titled Botany of Aloe for a little clarification regarding the varieties of this plant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3551117/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3551117/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-06T16:39:49.183" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T16:39:49.183" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24559" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29910" CreationDate="2016-05-06T16:32:45.337" Score="5" ViewCount="105" Body="&lt;p&gt;With &quot;adopting&quot; a lot of monarchs last year (to see them grow), and starting a sunchoke patch, has anyone had any luck with their sunchoke patch attracting butterflies and caterpillars?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-11-18T04:03:00.310" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T04:09:14.463" Title="I've read that butterflies like sunflowers, do they also like sunchokes?" Tags="&lt;sunflowers&gt;&lt;butterflies&gt;&lt;sunchoke&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24560" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24556" CreationDate="2016-05-06T16:38:00.190" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's common with garlic.  I don't know if there's anything specifically that causes it but you can just separate or split the leaf that's constricting the growth and it'll be fine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14571" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T16:38:00.190" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24561" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24555" CreationDate="2016-05-06T16:43:35.537" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like caterpillar damage to me.  You can sometimes spot and remove the caterpillars at night, or else a spray with Bt (Safer brand &quot;caterpillar spray&quot;) is a safe and organic way to kill them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14571" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T16:43:35.537" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24562" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24526" CreationDate="2016-05-06T16:49:23.670" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The theory behind not watering immediately after repotting is that you are inducing the roots to grow a little more vigorously to search for water and therefore 'rooting the plant in'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally find the with enough care whilst transplanting, I.e. Spreading the roots, making sure there are no air pockets in the substrate, etc. You will have a decent transplant straight away. I prefer to get the plant watered and have never had a problem with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T16:49:23.670" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8213" CreationDate="2016-05-06T18:34:27.387" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try Diatamaceous Earth (Food Grade) if you are concerned about bugs in the bin.  Other options to consider are homemade gnat traps using plastic bottles where you can trap the fungus gnats.  You can search online for how to easily make the traps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also freeze or microwave the vegetable/fruits before putting them in the bin to destroy the eggs that are laid on bananas and fruits.  For us it is usually fruits where we have the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14587" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T18:34:27.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24564" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24540" CreationDate="2016-05-06T18:50:54.980" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the same problem as a potted plant with the same best practices:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not add a layer of gravel, crushed brick or sand at the bottom. This does not improve drainage but just creates a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13774/what-is-a-perched-water-table&quot;&gt;perched water table&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sand does not improve drainage as much as you think.  It tends to move in the soil and pack down &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do use things which promote drainage: perlite or &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/23631/499&quot;&gt;leca&lt;/a&gt; which is a baked clay product which is quite useful&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not use topsoil, use a soil less potting mix and add more perlite or leca&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if your container is large enough you can use my favorite garden tool:  &#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/19442/499&quot;&gt;four inch drain pipe with sleeve&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Run a section down the bottom of the pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;angle up to above the soil level and cap it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;this allows you water from the bottom or, more importantly pump out excess water if overwatering occurs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T18:50:54.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24565" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-06T18:51:14.840" Score="5" ViewCount="284" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts and I'm trying to get my grass greener. My grass has many spots that are thin and light green. Also, there are some spots about the size of a basketball that are just a big empty spot with nothing growing. Other spots are thicker and also a deeper green color which is what I want. In some spots I can see visibly a line of where different grasses are. Maybe the type of grass is different or it was seeded at a differne time with different seeds. I'm not sure. How can I get my spots that don't grow thick to grow thicker and greener? I've already applied &lt;strong&gt;Scotts® Turf Builder® Halts Crabgrass Preventer with Lawn Food&lt;/strong&gt; about 3 weeks ago on about 11,000 square feet of lawn. I also dethatched before that. Do I need to just keep waiting and do my normal watering and mowing? Do I need to overseed? I read on the Scotts website in the reviews that there is only a 2% chance that overseeding on existing grass will do anything. Do I need to target specific seeds? So I need to apply a grub preventer? Most of my lawn faces east and gets a lot of light. Some of the lawn faces south as well and gets a lot of light too. The opposite side on the north does not and have a lot of spots of dark thick green grass and tons of moss. I'm asking because I moved into this new house so I have not cared for this lawn before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(click images below for larger size)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/lqISBD1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/lqISBD1.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/TDvgRpu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/TDvgRpu.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14591" LastEditorUserId="14591" LastEditDate="2016-05-13T12:09:19.030" LastActivityDate="2020-02-01T01:09:27.040" Title="How to thicken grass" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24566" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1344" CreationDate="2016-05-06T18:52:27.997" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another cheap solution is to get a plastic bucket/pail drill several holes in it then dig a hole near the center of your garden to accommodate the bucket/pail leaving approximately 5-10 cm above the ground.  Put the scraps in the bucket and apply moist bedding then put a lid over the bucket/pail to keep the moisture in.  Apply worms or let native worms find the scraps through the holes and go in and out as they please.  Depending on your environment (heat and rainfall) you may have to monitor the moisture so that it doesn't dry out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When full you can harvest the vermicompost after a few months.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've done better with small plastic tubs with newspaper or burlap covering the tops to keep in the moisture because I can move them to cooler or warmer areas as needed.  I just feed them and monitor the bedding and usually after a few months I harvest and swap out containers.  I've also done the commercial versions with stackable trays, but in my opinion they are overpriced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14587" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T18:52:27.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24567" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24698" CreationDate="2016-05-06T19:10:00.397" Score="6" ViewCount="951" Body="&lt;p&gt;This succulent is about 1.5 feet tall. The leaves are flat with a white hairy type substance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it called?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ALrjy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ALrjy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14297" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-11T19:52:28.253" LastActivityDate="2018-05-20T21:17:38.690" Title="What is this succulent with flat hairy leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24568" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24570" CreationDate="2016-05-06T19:37:02.687" Score="10" ViewCount="381" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have dried leaves, tons of dirt (seriously), and dead grass. How do I make compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I have tried to decompose the dry grass clippings and the leaves, but that did not work. I also researched this afterwards and apparently, you need to use some dirt. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14592" LastActivityDate="2016-05-14T03:10:33.427" Title="How do I make compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24570" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24568" CreationDate="2016-05-06T20:15:10.383" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many many resources on the internet but you seem to have the ingredients necessary to start the process.  I would follow these basic steps&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(1) take some dry woody branches and lay them down on soil to create the foundation.  This provides air to circulate from the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(2) On top of the branches, lay down alternate piles of dry leaves, grass clippings and soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(3) Water each layer if you are able to&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(4) throw in some kitchen waste into the mix, if you have some.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be patient because it does take time for this to work.  You will have to maintain the temperature of the pile so it does not get too hot or too cold.  Spray water as needed and turn the pile every few weeks to ensure that the outside part gets a chance to decompose inside the pile&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-05-06T20:38:15.867" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T20:38:15.867" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24571" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1344" CreationDate="2016-05-06T20:19:41.460" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did similar research a few months back and have also posted similar questions.  General consensus is to build your own vs. buying something readymade.  Having said that, not all situations are the same so you will have to decide which one works best for you.  I ended up purchasing something because of a few reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(1) I live in a residential area with neighbors so I had to be mindful of that.  If I was living in a farm or a ranch, my decision would have been different&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(2) I am composting for the first time so instead of potential making a mess (foul odor, mosquitoes, rodents, etc.) I opted for something enclosed that let me to purchasing something off the shelf&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(3) I wanted to try it out so instead of building something permanent (structure),  I opted for a commercial version that I can discard if I don't enjoy it any more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No results to share as yet about my experience since it has only been a few weeks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T20:19:41.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24572" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8213" CreationDate="2016-05-06T20:24:28.850" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Few suggestions from someone that had been in a similar situation.  I ended up purchasing a closed compost bin to hopefully reduce the bugs.  As mentioned, you will have bugs so you can't totally avoid them but reduce it by covering up the bin.  Secondly, don't put meat and other kitchen was in the compost.  It will likely attract rodents as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T20:24:28.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24573" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-06T20:50:08.873" Score="6" ViewCount="2379" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VJTQe.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VJTQe.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/22772/is-this-soil-appropriate-to-plant-this-succulent-baby&quot;&gt;Is this soil appropriate to plant this succulent baby?&lt;/a&gt; is relevant to some unknown Aloe but this question is specifically related Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller, Stockton variety that has most nutrients, most healing power proven of all Aloes by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvMUY6TNrR4&amp;amp;t=18m30s&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;video&lt;/a&gt;. I want to understand the usage of soils for the Aloe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The point 31 min may be answering this, sandy soil with rocks is optimal soil for the adult Aloe? Now we need verification for this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Which soil should be used with Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Which soil should be used for potting the new Aloe baby? Watered nutritient-rich soil? Which NPK nutrition profile in the fertiliser? Fertilization needed?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Which soil should be used with the adult Aloe?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What is the purpose of rocks in growing the Aloe? Only landscaping?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1850" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T17:23:05.020" Title="Which soil should be used with Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller, Stockton variety?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24574" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24582" CreationDate="2016-05-06T22:14:04.133" Score="5" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;How does sorrel come back every year if you pick it all, when people say it's an annual?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T02:26:38.953" Title="I've read that Sorrel is a permaculture green, but an anual, how does it come back?" Tags="&lt;annuals&gt;&lt;permaculture&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24575" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24576" CreationDate="2016-05-06T22:14:04.413" Score="5" ViewCount="358" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently added a Maranta Red to a room with large &quot;bubble&quot; type skylights. It sits on top of a book case and with the position of the room it DOES get hit by direct sunlight for roughly 45 minutes a day as the sun is in just right the position later in the afternoon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question, is this too much light for a Maranta? I got it for it's obviously vibrant colors etc, but I'm also a male bachelor suggesting I can barely care for myself let alone other things competently. It's the perfect spot for it aesthetically but I would appreciate someone more experienced saving me from potentially harming it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did read some articles, but they basically just reiterate that it's not a fan of direct sun light without really specifying how much is too much or too little. So here we are. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13691" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T22:43:10.953" Title="How much light is too much for a Maranta Red house plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24576" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24575" CreationDate="2016-05-06T22:43:10.953" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is nowhere near a full sun location. It's hard to say so your best tool is observation. Signs of too much light:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;brown tips on the leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leaves hanging down indicates too dry which can go hand in hand with too much light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;older plants can sometimes have nitrogen deficiencies under very high light. You would see the new leaves be a lighter green&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most likely your plant will be too dry.  Consider wicking technology outlined in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/4495/499&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; for a different plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-05-06T22:43:10.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24578" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-07T00:28:52.870" Score="5" ViewCount="66" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MELMw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MELMw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would cause the bark to fall off a tree like this? See the squiggly markings on the trunk?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14594" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T02:07:18.680" Title="What would cause the bark to fall of a tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24579" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1097" CreationDate="2016-05-07T01:13:30.470" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had one of these bamboo plants for approximately 10-11 years I use distilled water on it and indirect light and it just keeps growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14595" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T01:13:30.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24580" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4757" CreationDate="2016-05-07T01:43:11.053" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A tea of goat dung has been use since before I was a kid that was 65 years ago and my grandmother told me about that and she passed at 87 abut 40 yrs ago they lived and didn't get diseased and the tea helps the plant to thrive. secondly after raising a herd of over a hundred goats I've found that a 39 inch woven wire fence with two strands of barbed wire with a strand of electric wire between them and one half way up on the woven wire does good also if you can rotate them bi-daily and into areas that has some brush that seems to entertain them and they aren't so apt to want to got out as quick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14596" LastEditorUserId="13580" LastEditDate="2016-05-07T02:18:54.750" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T02:18:54.750" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24581" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24578" CreationDate="2016-05-07T02:07:18.680" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Death. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree has been beetled to death, or beetles have come and munched on it after it died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bark_beetle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bark_beetle&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T02:07:18.680" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24582" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24574" CreationDate="2016-05-07T02:26:38.953" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some things are annuals in some places (usually colder) and perennials in other places.&lt;/strong&gt; And some people say things that are not strictly true. Tomatoes are perennials - in the tropics, or in a heated greenhouse. But we treat them as annuals in the colder regions, normally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I find &quot;French sorrel&quot; to be an unreliable perennial in my garden - I will get a few survivors, but they don't all survive. French tarragon is similar, though actually better at surviving in general for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.territorialseed.com/product/French_Sorrel_Seed/op_gourmet_greens_seed&quot;&gt;seed company describes it as a perennial&lt;/a&gt;, but also says zone 6-10, so not surprising that it expires in zone 4/5 many times. Much permaculture literature is from balmy climes, I have noticed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some are annuals that reliably self-seed.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wood sorrel is one of those, and has largely taken over the &quot;sorrel&quot; role for me as a result. I don't use a huge amount of it and have so far not been noticeably impacted by its oxalic acid content (which regular French sorrel has as well, I note the seed company claimed theirs had been bred for &quot;low oxalic acid content&quot; though I don't know what the relative amounts might be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T02:26:38.953" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24532" CreationDate="2016-05-07T03:06:43.533" Score="4" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Option A; they are dead (don't go too hasty on this option, it might&#xA;be wrong)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Option B; they know, or think they know, something about your &quot;mild&#xA;winter&quot; that you don't, and are biding their time, hoping to miss a late frost/freeze.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T03:06:43.533" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24584" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24588" CreationDate="2016-05-07T04:21:09.957" Score="6" ViewCount="4477" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is the plant Hens and chickens edible, or will it poison you if you eat them?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7UGUG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7UGUG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hens and chickens 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XM9bA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XM9bA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hens and chickens 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T07:36:33.133" Title="Is the plant &quot;Hens and chickens&quot; edible?" Tags="&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-07-15T19:37:10.767" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24585" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2016-05-07T04:23:52.250" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants or parts of plants that are fit to be eaten by humans. &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/safety&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;safety&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;safety&lt;/a&gt; is the first concern when it comes to the usage of different &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/chemicals&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;chemicals&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;chemicals&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/pesticide&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;pesticide&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;pesticide&lt;/a&gt;s or &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/herbicide&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;herbicide&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;herbicide&lt;/a&gt;s on edible plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-09T00:09:44.870" LastActivityDate="2021-02-09T00:09:44.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="24586" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2016-05-07T04:23:52.250" Score="0" Body="Plants or parts of plants that are fit to be eaten by humans. Use this tag with questions about whether a plant or fruit is edible or what [pesticide], [herbicide] or other [chemicals] are safe (use tag [safety]) to use on edible plants." OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-09T00:09:29.617" LastActivityDate="2021-02-09T00:09:29.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="24587" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-07T05:18:22.270" Score="4" ViewCount="155" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a windowsill with a number of avocados growing from seed (I'm in Rural Auckland - so US Hardiness zone 9b, heading towards winter) - A couple of my plants have just started to poke out the top of the Avo (ie stems, not roots).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For now, am I better off leaving them inside my house, which would have a more constant temperature of around 18-24 degrees c, or putting it into my unheated polytunnel which will get warmer during the day, but much cooler at night.  I'd imagine 8c - 35c [ eventually going down much colder - I expect temperatures are a bit marginal in winter here ] and with greater humidity and probably more overall light ?    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if i'm moving them to the polytunnel can I transplant them now, or am I better to wait until they are 15cm's or so tall ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-05-08T07:28:54.877" Title="Avocados from seed - inside house or polytunnel during germination?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24584" CreationDate="2016-05-07T07:25:31.907" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many species of Sempervivum (Hens and Chicks), and each may have a different edibility status. &lt;a href=&quot;http://rawedibleplants.blogspot.com/2012/04/common-houseleek-sempervivum-tectorum.html&quot;&gt;However, Sempervivum tectorum is edible&lt;/a&gt;. That appears to be the same kind you have, but I don't know. They're called Common Houseleeks for a reason.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ours appears to be S. tectorum, and I've eaten lots of it without any toxic symptoms whatsoever. I've even sliced it on pizza. The taste varies from sour (like an unripe apple) to highly astringent. I like it fresh or cooked. It's refreshing fresh, I think. Despite what my link above says, the taste and texture of the new and mature leaves is exactly the same, in my opinion, and I would think, the edibility, too. I've primarily eaten full-sized leaves, as they make an easier meal than the small ones. Very old, mature leaves also taste similar, but may be softer and seem faded. I also don't think they taste anything like cucumbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-05-07T07:36:33.133" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T07:36:33.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24589" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19740" CreationDate="2016-05-07T08:11:05.480" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Weed killer meant for Poison Oak works better as it is designed to break through the waxy barrier Horsetail uses to protect itself. But it just kills the visible portion. It grows back. I am redoing my rock garden with a wide section of pond liner so I at least have some areas free of this menace from prehistoric times. I'll use rubber mulch from Home Depot to give an appearance of formality. Hoping the Horsetail doesn't pierce the liner. It grew right through my kids vinyl pool liner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14597" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T08:11:05.480" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24591" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24546" CreationDate="2016-05-07T11:16:25.130" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recommend &lt;strong&gt;Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller, Stockton variety&lt;/strong&gt; on which related &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24573/which-soil-should-be-used-with-aloe-vera-barbadensis-miller-stockton-variety&quot;&gt;Which soil should be used with Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller, Stockton variety?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;where the stockton variety is the Aloe having the most healing property by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvMUY6TNrR4&amp;amp;t=18m30s&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;video&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1850" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T11:21:40.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24592" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24593" CreationDate="2016-05-07T12:48:19.037" Score="4" ViewCount="32813" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my recent backyard (since 1.5 year), I have been clumsy (and lazy). This not so young lavender (Lavandula) was blooming last summer, and I neglected cutting the flowers at the right time. I just let it go. During Fall, I looked at garden for dummies' advices. I tried to pruning branches on &quot;green&quot; parts only, as suggested. And circled it by a wired to keep the shrub straight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understood dead branches  won't bloom again. I probably pruned too much, this is the present look. The front looks quite dead. It has a lot of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24266/identify-striped-bug-on-plants-safe-or-suspect&quot;&gt;rosemary bugs&lt;/a&gt; that I handpick, but I cannot blame them, honestly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GzbvT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GzbvT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lavander&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What should I do, and when  to revive the plant, and have it grow away from the bottom and not the back and  top only?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Would one  suggest me to leave it a little time, and try for instance propagation by cuttings?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14438" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2021-03-26T15:44:33.170" Title="Revive a dying lavender (for a dummy)" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;lavender&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24592" CreationDate="2016-05-07T12:54:27.800" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;To be honest, I'd have those plants out of there, totally remove them, and plant new ones. Doesn't have to be lavenders if you can't keep up with the maintenance on them, and they may recover a bit anyway, if your weather has been cold during spring as it has here in the UK. So, you can either just wait and see if they put out new growth, if you can stand looking at them as they are, or take them out and replant. Lavenders aren't long term plants really - with correct maintenance, you can keep them going and looking quite good for five years quite easily, sometimes longer if you've been particularly rigorous, pruning correctly and often enough, but after 5-8 years, they're usually replaced because of their refusal to grow from old wood. If you do replace with lavender (I'm assuming its a full sun area, because that's what they like) choose dwarf or smaller varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to your comment, yes you can certainly take cuttings, they strike quite easily, and you could grow them on and maybe replant with those next year, or even by autumn if they're big enough. Softwood cuttings should be taken within the next month though, link contains propagation info&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=127&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=127&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-07T14:02:44.780" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T14:02:44.780" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24594" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-07T13:40:35.330" Score="4" ViewCount="318" Body="&lt;p&gt;For a while now the top of my cactus had been dislodged from the rest of it, the dislodged area is brown and dead, but since the accident the area below it has also stopped growing. After 2 years of no growth I have decided to take the dead part off from the top, this has left the 'new top' area exposed and (I imagine) susceptible to various kinds of damage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please can someone provide information on the best course of action to ensure it continues to grow ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the part I have removed.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Teegb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Teegb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in an image of the cactus.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9jdvH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9jdvH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a slightly better quality image of the full cacti, for identification purposes.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w9gzH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w9gzH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help is very much appreciated, iv had this nipper for around 14 years. Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14601" LastEditorUserId="14601" LastEditDate="2016-05-09T05:18:40.457" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T05:18:40.457" Title="How to ensure survival and growth of broken cactus" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;damage&gt;&lt;dead-branch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24595" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-07T13:54:53.533" Score="7" ViewCount="1312" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 2 semi dwarf cherry trees. One is a Rynbrandt and the other is a Blackyork. I've looked for information online about how far to space them and can't find a thing. My tags don't tell me either. Does anyone know how far apart these should be planted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also. would it be OK to plant them near apple trees or should they be put in a different area?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T19:20:17.637" Title="Spacing for semi dwarf cherry trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24596" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24595" CreationDate="2016-05-07T14:17:48.490" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You won't find what you're looking for because that information doesn't exist. Planting of fruit trees is done according to how they're going to be trained and pruned, so, if you were growing trees cordon style, then you'd plant much closer together. If you're not intending to train or regularly prune your trees, then your guide to planting distance, one from the other, is down to the eventual crown width of each tree. Since you've said they're semi dwarf, I've managed to establish that Black York will have a spread of 10-12 feet and has a rounded crown, but can't find a spread mentioned for Rynbrandt. That information may or may not be on the label supplied with the tree, but if its not, then you'll have to just make sure you plant it an absolute minimum of 15 to 20 feet away from the Black York, no closer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I note also that neither of these trees is self fertile, and needs other trees for fertilization purposes - Rynbrant appears to be listed as early to mid in bloom terms, whereas Black York is listed as mid season bloom. Hopefully, they'll be in flower at the same time for at least some of the bloom time, though maybe you already have other trees that will help with this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's fine to plant in the same area as apple trees - but again, not too close, considering the size of the apple tree and the size of the cherry tree's crown. You should leave probably 15-20 feet between them, but it depends on the size of your apple tree, and try to make sure one tree doesn't cast too much shade on any of the others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-07T19:20:17.637" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T19:20:17.637" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24597" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24598" CreationDate="2016-05-07T14:48:24.880" Score="5" ViewCount="850" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this rose (photos below)? I'm wondering if it's a climbing rose or even a rambling rose. And does anyone know how I should care for it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stems are quite long and thin and don't have many shoots coming off of them, although this could be because it hasn't been pruned correctly for some years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It produces white flowers that bloom once a year. The leaves come in clusters of 5. (I read this means it's not a rambling rose, but could be a climbing rose...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We live in Sweden, where the summer temperature reaches about 25 Celcius and winters usually have several months of snow and are about -10 Celcius.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for any help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LAWtO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LAWtO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rose stems&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xa3Im.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xa3Im.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rose flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14602" LastActivityDate="2020-10-19T10:53:55.073" Title="Can anyone identify this rose?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24597" CreationDate="2016-05-07T15:27:33.353" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, its going to be tough to identify what type of rose it is because of its current condition - it looks unpruned, unfed and generally uncared for. It does appear to be producing 'thicket' like growth, which would point towards a rambler, but again, it hasn't been pruned at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, you say it blooms only once, and I assume you mean all at once, that is, the flowers come in clusters, probably around June time, and then it doesn't flower again. That would also indicate a rambling rose - climbing roses are usually repeat flowering (though not always). However, although it's quite hard to gauge the actual size of the bloom in the picture, it seems to be a good size, and the majority (though not all) of ramblers produce clusters of smaller flowers than this. I'm also not seeing the 'cluster' effect in the flowers present with rambling roses (see link below to demonstrate what I mean).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/rosa-rambling-rector/classid.1282/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/rosa-rambling-rector/classid.1282/&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the fact it doesn't reflower might simply be because it's growing in very poor conditions and isn't being cared for. It doesn't look like an HT rose, though seeing a flower in bud would help to decide that, could be a floribunda, could be a shrub rose, could be a climber, but even that is difficult - there's a rose called Iceberg which comes as a climber or as a freestanding bush, with somewhat similar flowers to this, with a faint pink flush (that I can see in the flower behind) disappearing to pure white, and other varieties of rose have both climbing and bush forms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is one other complication - I can see what looks like two main, woody stems which are much thicker than all the others - I can't tell if they have growth coming off them at the top, but the other possibility here is, the thinner growth from the ground all round the outside is actually sucker growth coming off the rootstock. If they are suckers and not the original rose, they will have open, single usually pale pink or white dog rose type flowers, and the sucker stems themselves will be longer and usually have more leaflets of a different colour from the parent bush. If there is no growth on the larger, woody stems, it may be the original grafted rose has died to be replaced with rootstock growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the only way to find out what it is is to care for it, properly - cut out any very thin, weak or crossing stems, to the base, with a clean, sharp pair of secateurs, but try to leave at least three stems in place, perhaps just pruning back to a healthy, outward facing bud near the top. Feed with a specialist rose food (Toprose in the UK, you may have an equivalent there) and then topdress round the base with well composted animal manure to add both moisture retention and fertility to the soil, without letting the manure sit against the stems at the base. Water during dry spells, and wait and see what it does. I have a hunch its probably a rambler or climber, going by what I'm seeing and what you've said, but time will tell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And by the way, the business of it's only having five leaflets is not a very reliable guide to any kind of ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-07T15:49:03.907" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T15:49:03.907" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24599" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24774" CreationDate="2016-05-07T16:02:49.000" Score="8" ViewCount="2457" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received this damaged Aloe Vera about 5 days ago and I found help, here mainly, to determine the source of its problems. So everything was on track now, until I realized that it had  soil in between its leaves that I couldn't remove and I had the &quot;smart&quot; idea of using an air compressed can to clean it -pressing it half way. It worked like a charm with the first leaf. With the second I may have pressed pass beyond the half way and the whole burst of air did what it is supposed to do. You can imagine the whole soil explosion scene and the cleaning chore it led to.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The real problem, though, is that it blew up more than the soil itself. The leaves have been damaged down at the root level. See the vertical crack in the white part of the plant that circled the left and right leaves: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dlk8L.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dlk8L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I have realized that it already had a horizontal crack in the leaf/steam inside and above the part already mentioned that you can see clearer in this pic: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dHc1J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dHc1J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seen the images and that I have just repotted it 3 days ago into a pot filled with special-for-cactus soil, do you think it can still be repaired? And if yes -hopefully- do I need to cut the two outer leaves (and then can I replant them)? Or what should I do? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More pics of it made 4 days ago - before repotting it: &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24457/pest-etiolation-soil-or-overwatering-other-causes-of-pale-brown-tips-in-aloe?noredirect=1#comment29844_24457&quot;&gt;Causes of pale-brown tips&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update (May 9): &#xA;The two bottom leaves are rotting at the stem, one of them has already fallen down -it is just supported by the pot- and the other is becoming brown at the stem so it will too... Is it better to remove the rest of the corresponding layer of stem (is a white part...)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ocnT0.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ocnT0.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kZwDR.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kZwDR.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ee7BU.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ee7BU.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;May 10, the leave in worst condition collapsed: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9pb7n.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9pb7n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;May 15, the entire plant collapsed. It stayed up for a couple of days after propelling it with a stick, but it seems it has definitively collapsed today and the stem is almost flat at the base, where the plant bent: &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jpbjm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jpbjm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1kgWT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1kgWT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3thhA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3thhA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I guess at this point there's nothing to be done... (?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10933" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2021-01-18T17:58:49.893" Title="How should we treat cracks in the stem of Aloe Veras?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;&lt;damage&gt;&lt;repair&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24600" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24609" CreationDate="2016-05-07T17:09:46.783" Score="6" ViewCount="887" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in identifying this weed so as to find a method of controlling it. This weed grows in the same location each year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G71xU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G71xU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UIzwa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UIzwa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14605" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T23:02:16.957" Title="Weed identification - urban Minnesota" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24601" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24605" CreationDate="2016-05-07T17:57:12.190" Score="4" ViewCount="2130" Body="&lt;p&gt;How to kill long grass in an establish lawn? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7c07r.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7c07r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jtGiN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jtGiN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I went to Home Depot, a stuff said there is no way to kill long grass. The way is to mow the lawn often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1454" LastEditorUserId="1454" LastEditDate="2016-05-07T19:41:02.147" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T19:44:27.670" Title="How to kill the long grass in an established lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24602" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-07T18:25:57.577" Score="4" ViewCount="12581" Body="&lt;p&gt;I brought my happy green aloe plants outside for sunshine and they all turned a sickly gray color. What happened and can I reverse it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14606" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T18:58:24.840" Title="My aloe plants turned grey when I took it outside" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24604" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24602" CreationDate="2016-05-07T18:58:24.840" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Too much sun, no easy, slow transition from dim inside light to right out in the harsh sun - Aloes really hate that, IME. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put the poor things in the shade and give them time. Eventually they can be out in full sun, but they need time to adapt to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More generally, this is a case of needing &quot;hardening off&quot; for the transition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T18:58:24.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24605" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24601" CreationDate="2016-05-07T19:44:27.670" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you've got clumps of grass in a lawn that grow faster and get taller than the rest of it, chances are it's an invader, a meadow or wild grass of some sort. Any total weedkiller will also kill your lawn grasses, and any weedkiller meant for lawns doesn't kill grass, so the best thing to do is dig out the clumps of taller grass, fill in the holes, level and reseed those parts. The only other alternative is to, as you say, cut it more often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T19:44:27.670" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24606" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24600" CreationDate="2016-05-07T19:50:03.957" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is plantain.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=plantain%20weed&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjCgPb918jMAhUS-GMKHZ_cB-sQ7AkIKQ&amp;amp;biw=1067&amp;amp;bih=533&amp;amp;dpr=1.5&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;plantain&lt;/a&gt;  Where is this location? Do you remember the flowers?  If you don't allow these guys to go to seed you'll be able to pretty much control them in one year or two.  Pulling or hoeing while they are small.  Don't wait for the flowers. If you could find a decomposed organic mulch, pile at least 2&quot; and no seeds will be able to germinate.  Along with dandelions, plantain is a pretty cool weed to have around if SHTF!  Grins... &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.livescience.com/15322-healthiest-backyard-weeds.htmlhttp://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;healthiest weeds&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T19:50:03.957" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24594" CreationDate="2016-05-07T19:54:09.050" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Now you've cut off the top (which, by the way, is impossible to see, its so blurry, could be a tiny hedgehog for all I can tell, and it doesn't look particularly dead anyway), all you can do is wait and see - it should form a callus (like a scab) which look like a corky area. You should leave that alone. What I'm curious about is why this happened in the first place - you mention an 'accident', do you mean a physical injury? Did you notice any indication of infection of some sort in the damaged area afterwards? If the tip of the cactus is damaged in some way, usually, after a while new growth occurs off to the side, not at the tips, but this seems not to have happened with yours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's hard to ID it properly because the picture is so out of focus, but I'm guessing it's likely Echinopsis peruviana (previously Trichocereus peruvianus), which is what I'm basing its regrowth after damage information on. Hopefully, that ID is correct, because this particular cactus is pretty tough and resistant to all sorts of damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-07T19:59:47.017" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T19:59:47.017" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24608" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-07T22:26:25.127" Score="6" ViewCount="431" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently I was preparing an area for planting, so dug up a lot of rocks and stones. These are a variety of sizes and shapes, mostly between 5cm and 30cm. So now I have a large pile of rocks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to do something with these rocks, to benefit wildlife in my garden. So how should I arrange them? Better as one big pile, or several smaller piles? Or maybe build a dry stone wall, or other structure? And whereabouts in the garden should I put them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And what sort of wildlife could it attract? Specifically in Scotland.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14515" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T09:04:34.263" Title="What can I do with rocks to encourage wildlife?" Tags="&lt;rocks&gt;&lt;wildlife&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24600" CreationDate="2016-05-07T22:56:44.887" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recognize this plant as I was weeding one out today.  It is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/ontweeds/creeping_bellflower.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Creeping bellflower&lt;/a&gt;, Campanula rapunculoides.  Although many Campanula are welcome additions to the garden and well behaved this one is not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Identification points:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hairy stems&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;heart-shaped, irregularly toothed leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;white tubers can be found by digging up the area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tubular blue flowers on a long stem in late summer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looks like this&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IYsFe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IYsFe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Courtesy Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is deceptive as it looks innocuous when small. A native of Europe it is naturalized all over North America.  In late summer it sends up a stalk with the familiar blue trumpet shaped flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does not stay where you find it and can spread out of control.  It seems to favour moister soils but I have seen it contained in dry dusty soil under house eaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can be stopped by digging a 6 to 8 inch (12- 16 cm) deep ditch and lining it with pond liner  (40 mm EPDM, not pool grade).  Backfill,top with flagstone and hope for the best as &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campanula_rapunculoides&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;eliminating it is nearly impossible&lt;/a&gt;&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course chemical controls such as Roundup are available but are not a guarantee.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More labour intensive but organic control methods such as smothering with paper or cardboard are described &lt;a href=&quot;http://nativeplantwildlifegarden.com/a-native-alternative-to-invasive-creeping-bellflower/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-07T23:02:16.957" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T23:02:16.957" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24610" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24608" CreationDate="2016-05-07T23:14:20.530" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stone walls and piles provide a number of things for wildlife and plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;shelter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;habitat in the form of a microclimate&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a garden I favour a dry stone wall as it is more functional and of nicer appearance than a pile of rocks.  However wildlife cares little for aesthetics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anything you build will take time to become lived in.  If you don't have any other features in your garden then new tenants will take a while to arrive.  What will have them lining up to use your wall or rock pile is if these are also located closeby:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water- shallow water is used by birds to drink and bathe, dragonflies lay their eggs in persistent ponds, toads and frogs will use &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernal_pool&quot;&gt;vernal pools&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;food - flowers, berries, seeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Toads like to overwinter underground in a sheltered area.  If you dug out an area and created some underground chambers they could be potential tenants. Shrews and voles are possible too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One must take a relaxed attitude towards providing accommodation. You just don't know who will take up your offer. You hope for VIP's and get burrowing rabbits..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-07T23:14:20.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24612" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24608" CreationDate="2016-05-08T06:32:39.427" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I stack any larger rocks I find when gardening onto piles. I find that these piles attracts snakes and lizards who like to live between the rocks and sunbathe on top of them. The snakes and lizards eat mice and insects, so I like to encourage that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When deciding where to make your pile, find a location that gets some sunlight to encourage animals, but also consider if the location will block your future needs for your property. Once you create a large pile of rocks, you won't want to move them again, and that can be a problem if you need to drive or push a wheelbarrow through that location to reach some other spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to soften the appearence of a rockpile there are some plants (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hen_and_chicks&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;example&lt;/a&gt;) that are happy to grow on rocks. As Kevinsky mentions in his post, providing a reliable water source nearby helps attract animals; in summer you can't let this water go dry and in winter you should make sure non-frozen water is still available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14300" LastEditorUserId="14300" LastEditDate="2016-12-18T09:04:34.263" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T09:04:34.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24587" CreationDate="2016-05-08T07:28:54.877" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Avocados are a subtropical species that like high humidity and a climate without even mild frost. They prefer deep, well drained soil that has a pH around 6.2 (slightly acidic).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since they don't like any temperature below freezing, growing them indoors is probably best during winter in your zone. Once you are sure no freezing will occur you can move them outside as long as they are sheltered from any wind to prevent low humidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to your transplanting question: transplanting causes stress, which you want to minimize as much as possible. The best time to transplant is late fall after leaves have fallen or early spring before new growth. Best time of day is late afternoon and during a cloudy, non-windy day if outside. Disturb the root ball as little as possible and make sure it stays moist. Water the plant well after transplanting. After transplanting to a new pot, wait a few days before moving the pot outside. Orient the plant so it faces the same direction relative to the sun as before the transplant. In general, the younger the plant, the better it deals with the stress of a transplant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some problems you may eventually see:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;--Purple or brown leaf discoloration may indicate a spider mite infestation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;--Yellow or dropping leaves may indicate overwatering/root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be aware that avocados can grow pretty big (60' tree for Hass Avocado), so re-potting and moving them may eventually pose problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14300" LastActivityDate="2016-05-08T07:28:54.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24614" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24617" CreationDate="2016-05-08T08:13:16.170" Score="5" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;I threw some infected tomato, and potatoe plants into a bath, and hope to drown all the pests including psyllids. But then these slimy things appeared in the liquid. Their body is the same size as their tails, and they have feet like caterpillars, but swim under the water. I was using the water as a compost tea but they block the nozzles of my water can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never seen anything like them before.  I'm in New Zealand. I'm guessing it's some type of larvae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pests with tails&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/2jzmMVn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;insect soft bodies on bath&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pests swimming in the bath&#xA; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/TGpmHv6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;soft bodied insect swimming in bath&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-08T12:08:15.453" Title="What sort of insects are these?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;compost-tea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24615" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24616" CreationDate="2016-05-08T10:13:08.557" Score="11" ViewCount="4571" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a thick, beautiful lawn that borders my garden. Unfortunately, I am struggling to keep the grass from infesting my garden. I have used a variety of herbicides, mostly RoundUp, along the garden border, but nothing I have used so far seems to have much of an effect. My only success in controlling this grass is to dig it up, but this is difficult due to the deep root system, and often requires that I uproot healthy garden plants in order to remove the grass and its roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to identify this grass, which I hope will help me learn additional ways to control it. The identifying characteristics include long root runners that look like the roots of bamboo. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JMeU5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JMeU5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bamboo-like root&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another feature is the presences of nodes in the root system, from which many large and small tendrils extend. These nodes tend to appear at depths up to 4 inches or so, but the runners tend to run rather deep in the soil, often reaching down 8 inches or more. The following image shows the root node of a small grass clump.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hREAV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hREAV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;root node&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here is the foliage of this same grass clump.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PwRjF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PwRjF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will appreciate any help in identifying this intruder and some means of controlling it. I have been fighting it for several years, and am hoping that there is a tactic other than sinking a deep root barrier to keep it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, and this is probably important information: I am located in southeast Texas, north of Galveston Bay and east of Houston.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;---------  Additional Material ---------&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both GardenerJ and alephzero appear to be correct. I accepted GardenerJ's answer as the correct one, only because he answered first. Thank you both for your answers!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Elymus repens (also known as couch grass and quackgrass, and, according to &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elymus_repens&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; also as twitch, quick grass, quitch grass (also just quitch), dog grass, scutch grass, and witchgrass) is nasty and difficult to control. My whole lawn was originally planted with St. Augustinegrass, but the quackgrass also appears throughout.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been successful in extracting it manually, but it is never a complete job, and you have to keep after it. After extracting every bit that I can find in the garden (sometimes the rhizomes are as long as 5 feet long), I keep looking for new foliage, and dig that out as soon as possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have used RoundUp along the garden perimeter, and that helps, but the rhizomes run deep and can survive the poisoning. Also, it is necessary to keep the lawn cut, in order to prevent the Elymus repens from going to seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11010" LastEditorUserId="11010" LastEditDate="2016-05-09T14:09:00.790" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T14:09:00.790" Title="What kind of grass is this, and how can I keep it out of my garden" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24615" CreationDate="2016-05-08T11:15:59.853" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;With those long underground rhizomes (the thick white runners you see) and upright growth this appears to be quackgrass (&lt;em&gt;Elymus repens&lt;/em&gt;). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, controlling it isn't much easier with that bit of knowledge. Quackgrass is a tough competitor. There are no selective herbicides that can kill it without killing the lawn grass, and as you've discovered digging it up is... challenging. It's roots go very deep, and it can regrow from very small segments of rhizome that are left behind. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your long term options are drastic, you could use Round-up to follow the quackgrass back into the lawn to get rid of the quack. But then you'll have to re-seed the lawn. Or, you can try putting down a deep root barrier. I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but I think it's the least painful option available. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2016-05-08T11:15:59.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24617" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24614" CreationDate="2016-05-08T12:08:15.453" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've created a drone fly nursery! These are the rat tailed larvae of drone flies - they love stagnant, contaminated water, specially if its got faeces or manure or rotting organic material in it, the more stinky the better. I hope that's not your bath in the house... more info in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2006/03/19/rat-tailed-maggot/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2006/03/19/rat-tailed-maggot/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uksafari.com/dronefly.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.uksafari.com/dronefly.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Drone flies themselves are not bad things, act as pollinators some of the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-08T12:08:15.453" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24618" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24615" CreationDate="2016-05-08T16:53:48.643" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the UK it's called &quot;couch grass&quot;, or (possibly a dialect word) &quot;twitch.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bad news is, there is no &quot;cure&quot; except total extermination. Digging up the turf to a depth of 5 or 6 inches and leaving it upside-down on the surface to dry out in the sun will kill it. Burning the turf after it has dried is even better, if that doesn't violate your local laws. You can re-use the ash and sterilized soil after burning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are in a cold climate, you can leave the turf upside down through the winter and the frost will kill the roots, but that is probably irrelevant in Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another way to remove it after digging and inverting the turf is to get some chickens, which will pick the rhizomes out of the soil and eat them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Attempting to dig it out piece by piece is futile, because every tiny broken bit of rhizome will quickly re-grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roundup will work best if you first cut down all the leaves and apply it to the new growth, but don't do any cultivation until at least two weeks after it looks &quot;completely dead&quot;. Otherwise you will break off small pieces of rhizome which have not yet been killed, and they will all grow back again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-05-08T16:53:48.643" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24619" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24641" CreationDate="2016-05-08T18:18:12.167" Score="3" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;Established Tree: Apple&#xA;Planting Bush: Blueberries&#xA;Goal: not damage apple tree root system&#xA;Question: How do I plant a blueberry bush under an apple tree without damaging the roots of the apple tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T15:04:29.293" Title="What is the proper way to plant a bush under an established fruit tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;companion-planting&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24620" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24629" CreationDate="2016-05-08T18:39:39.300" Score="5" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got some Blueberry bushes from my neighbors garden store, and was wondering how should I plant them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T01:45:21.607" Title="How do I plant blueberries?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24621" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-08T18:49:20.433" Score="3" ViewCount="55" Body="&lt;p&gt;What do I need to do so that I can dig up some peat without having the grassroots to sprout when the plant is in the ground, because I live on the edge of a peat bog area, and was planning to dig my own peat for planting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-08T18:49:20.433" Title="How do I dig peat to avoid getting grass to come with it?" Tags="&lt;peat&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24622" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24625" CreationDate="2016-05-08T18:50:45.223" Score="9" ViewCount="4882" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read that ash changes the PH of soil, so I was wondering how it changes the PH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2019-04-13T12:01:37.777" Title="What does ash do to the PH of soil?" Tags="&lt;ph&gt;&lt;woodash&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24623" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24622" CreationDate="2016-05-08T19:56:40.483" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming this is wood ash from a wood burning stove.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a rule of thumb, wood ash contains 15-30% Calcium Carbonate (Lime), 3-8% Potassium (Carbonate and other salts), 1-3% Phosphorus and other trace elements depending on where the wood was grown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It changes the pH the same way as applying Lime will, being alkaline, it raises the soil pH. It's a good idea to soil test if you apply any quantity of wood ash, both for pH and for Potassium. I've seen gardens poisoned by indiscriminate dumping of wood ash, you then have to lower pH and do something to remove potassium depending on the testing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2016-05-08T19:56:40.483" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24624" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24619" CreationDate="2016-05-08T21:15:12.107" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't - if you want to plant close to a tree, it has to be done when you first plant the tree, at the same time, in other words. You could plant near the apple tree, but not under the canopy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-08T21:15:12.107" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24625" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24622" CreationDate="2016-05-08T21:48:43.967" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;The carbonates and oxides that are left by the burning of wood can be used to neutralise acidic soil as wood ash is highly basic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will contain all the elements that were present in the wood except those lost as gases such as nitrogen and sulfur.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hard woods contain large amounts of calcium whereas soft woods have very little. Interestingly North American trees used to be burnt and exported to Great Britain for their potassium carbonate content.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wood ash rapidly leaches its nutrients when wet so it's better to use it in your compost pile if wanted for its nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-08T21:48:43.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24626" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24599" CreationDate="2016-05-08T22:53:20.950" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Succulents do not 'heal' in the traditional sense from cracks or tears. Leave it be, unless it is starting to rot, and hopefully the plant will continue to grow and a new leaf will come up. You could trim the damaged leaf at the stem, but this is not necessary and will just turn brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-05-08T22:53:20.950" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24627" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-08T23:41:22.423" Score="4" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;Planted my tomatoes two weeks ago, and returned from a week long trip to find them full of holes and generally looking sickly.  The last week has been very rainy and borderline cool, which I know is not weather that tomatoes like, but I also see some tiny little bugs on the plants that I think might be the culprit.  Seeing the damage on 4 different varieties, with pics posted below.  In central Virginia BTW.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zJF6S.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zJF6S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;T1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mp4QC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mp4QC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;t2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ns6qc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ns6qc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;t3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tDGMM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tDGMM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;t4&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dW6pQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dW6pQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;t5&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14216" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T00:31:52.077" Title="What is killing my tomato plants?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24628" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24627" CreationDate="2016-05-09T00:31:52.077" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did you look and see them on or under the leaves? It looks like beetles/aphids are doing a number on your plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would take some organic insecticides/pesticides, usually ones that contain oils and spray them on. Or, a very diluted soap solution, preferably something biodegradable. I'd then spray water gently to get the bugs completely off the leaves. You could also try to gently use a wet paper towel to scrub the branches and maybe the leaves. Remove all dead, yellow leaves. Apply very mild fertilizer to let the plants fight back and grow. Once they grow in strength and put out new leaves, you can add stronger fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look around your garden. Are only your tomato plants affected? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd apply the insecticide/soap solution on any other plants that seem to have the issue, and try to separate at least the potted tomato plants from the rest of the garden. Young tomato plants can also be transplanted safely. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep a close eye, keep removing any bugs on your plants and keep applying diluted insecticide till they are healthy again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best Wishes! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T00:31:52.077" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24620" CreationDate="2016-05-09T01:38:13.880" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blueberries are acid loving plants so depending on your soil ph you may need to amend the soil if it isnt acidic.  If you dont know your soil pH then you should get a test kit and test the area where you are going to plant.  If your soil pH is neutral to alkaline then you will need to apply  sulfur or an amendment that would be used for acid loving plants to lower the pH.  I try to get it around the 5 and then check it again with a cheap soil probe to get a rough estimate after fruit has set. I do on some occasions water with coffee that we didn't drink (after it has cooled of course ) since it is acidic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blueberries have a shallow root system and will have a hard time during the hot dry spells if they don't have moisture. You will need to put down a good mulch and form a bowl so that any rain will be directed to the bush.&#xA;Pine straw is a good mulch but it isn't as acidic as people claim it to be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have Sandy soil that we amend with acidic peat and shredded leaves.  In Florida it doesn't last as long as it should so I tend to mix the peat and leaves with the pine straw mulch on top with a light and shallow cultivation in late winter.  Go light on the compost in the planting hole. It will raise the pH back up to neutral.  I normally don't add it to the planting hole.  I still put a small amount between the mulch and the soil.  I would do about a 2 or 3 foot diameter planting hole with peat.  I think I did 4 parts peat to 1 part leaves shredded and 2 parts sand.  Near the end when I was running out of materials it was more sand than peat or leaves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For clay soils you will need to mix in some acidic peat and a little sand down to about 12-16 inches (30-40 cm).  You might be okay with just 10 inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We water about once or twice a week depending on how much rain we get.  We try to slow drip with a plastic jug with pin holes but a soaker hose works better. If the bush doesn't get enough water it will take it from the berries. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the berries appear I do a foliar application of epsom salt at 1 tsp per gallon via the watering can about once a month.  I use fish emulsion fertilizer for the soil, but my uncle uses the miracid  (miracle grow for acid loving plants).  We have about the same results so it really depends on your gardening preference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A sunny place is better but they can tolerate some shade.  Mine are in the sun all day while my uncle has a large pine that provides his about 2 hours of partial shade in the morning and they still produce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck with your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14587" LastEditorUserId="14587" LastEditDate="2016-05-09T01:45:21.607" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T01:45:21.607" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24630" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24634" CreationDate="2016-05-09T03:27:54.303" Score="1" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;I spent part of the day digging topsoil for planting, and was wondering what the best way to clean dirt out of the groves in my shoes would be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-05-09T03:38:48.227" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T11:10:30.420" Title="After spending a day digging topsoil, what should I do to clean the bottoms of my shoes?" Tags="&lt;topsoil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24632" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-09T05:50:32.510" Score="8" ViewCount="1838" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I harvest bell pepper, will it grow back? (I control the temperature 25 C* in my small greenhouse)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If yes, I pick bell pepper fruit only or it needs pruning also after harvesting? how to do it correctly? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14614" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T11:48:19.257" Title="If I harvest bell pepper, will it grow back? (I control the temperature in my small greenhouse)" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;&lt;winter&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24632" CreationDate="2016-05-09T06:08:58.530" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, it will not grow back. The pepper is the result of a pollinated flower, as is a peach, an apple, a tomato, etc. However, save some of the seeds inside the pepper and you can plant them to have a new plant that will flower and will produce more bell peppers once they are pollinated by your local flying insect helper (e.g., a bee).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you have a greenhouse, you could plant plant those seeds directly. Without a greenhouse you would need to dry the seeds to hold them over until next spring. Some will lose viability over time, but most should remain dormant but viable as long as they are kept dry and will sprout in a few days after being dampened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T06:08:58.530" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24634" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24630" CreationDate="2016-05-09T06:32:09.110" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have no idea what is truly 'the best way'. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I simply remove my shoes/boots and holding one in each hand, clap the soles together a few times. Then I leave them in the garage (or let's say in the mud room) overnight. By morning, residual mud has dried and shrunk enough that repeating the sole clapping effectively removes all the remaining soil. When I need to be really thorough, I then apply a dry scrub brush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I suspect you are wanting a more immediate solution and some fashion of washing and clapping the soles seems to be required. With hiking boots, I look for a shallow puddle to step in, then stomp out - repeat. Then I look for a patch of moss of 'lawn' to use like a door mat. Logically, one could fill a plastic tub with about an inch of water and follow the same wade &amp;amp; stomp process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T06:32:09.110" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24635" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24630" CreationDate="2016-05-09T11:10:30.420" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just use the garden hose on high to blast mud out of the grooves in my shoes, especially if there's any possibility of manure being present. Rubbing my boots into grass doesn't work for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course I prefer to wear Wellingtons and not get my shoes muddy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T11:10:30.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24636" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24222" CreationDate="2016-05-09T11:27:05.720" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, not really. You could, in theory, add a geotextile membrane (weed preventer fabric) round the base of the plant, close up against the existing stems, to try to prevent any new growth arising from the roots, but you'd still need to 'rub out' or clip off any shoots coming off the eight feet of stem/s leading to the horizontal growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-09T12:24:06.807" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T12:24:06.807" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24637" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24632" CreationDate="2016-05-09T11:48:19.257" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Will the pepper grow back? Not exactly. However, after you harvest the pepper the plant likely will produce more flowers, which can be pollinated and grow into more peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T11:48:19.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24638" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24652" CreationDate="2016-05-09T13:14:02.130" Score="6" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am raising lettuce in my green house. It works, the lettuce is tasty, however it is not nearly as crisp as the lettuce I grow outside the greenhouse (same variety). What can I do to make my green house lettuce more crisp?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14619" LastEditorUserId="14619" LastEditDate="2016-05-09T13:43:17.030" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T07:31:55.683" Title="How to get crisp lettuce in a green house" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24639" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24638" CreationDate="2016-05-09T14:01:38.547" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Turn off the heat, open all the vents - add more vents if that's not enough, or just grow the lettuce outside, if you like outside grown lettuce better, or want other crops/plants that are not as hardy as lettuce to stay happy in the greenhouse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T14:01:38.547" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24640" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-09T14:47:39.137" Score="4" ViewCount="328" Body="&lt;p&gt;I dipped lettuce seeds in distilled water for 12 hours than transfer it to Petri dishes that having Whatman filter paper double folded and moisten with distilled water.After that i give 72 hours continuous light but seeds cannot germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What the reason behind this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14620" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-14T23:41:11.420" LastActivityDate="2018-01-14T23:41:11.420" Title="lettuce seeds germination in Petri dishes" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24641" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24619" CreationDate="2016-05-09T15:04:29.293" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, it sounds like you're attempting to set up a guild around a mature tree? When you're setting up a guild, you really have to think about how all of the plants will interact, and what role the plants will each play in the guild. Other than your fruit tree, the plants you choose should either repel pests, attract beneficial insects, suppress weeds that would compete with the tree, either in the way they grow or because you can cut them down as mulch, or help accumulate nutrients. Some plants will fill more than one of these functions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you think about the blueberry and how it will fit into one of those roles, you'll realize that it won't. The blueberry will be demanding, and it will need different nutrients than the apple, so it would be competing rather than contributing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So that means you need to think of different plants to go in your guild. One option for a shrub would be a goumi berry. It will give you fruit (which is why you'd chosen the blueberry, I assume) and it is a nitrogen fixer, so it will fit in the accumulator role. It is also vigorous and can take the shade of the tree. As others have mentioned, you can't safely plant it under the tree, but you could plant it just outside of the drip line. That will be close enough for the apple to take advantage of the extra nitrogen and it will decrease the chance of harming your tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T15:04:29.293" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24642" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24661" CreationDate="2016-05-09T15:31:10.347" Score="4" ViewCount="125" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to plant a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaeagnus_multiflora&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;goumi berry&lt;/a&gt; bush underneath an apple tree.  My goal is to have as much fruit as I can. I am in Minnesota, USDA zone 4a.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What variety should I order?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-10T13:54:50.700" LastActivityDate="2016-05-11T14:02:38.617" Title="What variety of Goumi berry will thrive under an apple tree in USDA zone 4a?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;soft-fruit&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24643" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24644" CreationDate="2016-05-09T15:59:48.470" Score="4" ViewCount="55" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I was planting my blueberries today I thought it was strange to see that the blueberry plants were planted in some sort of matting (think the stuff for wire plant baskets). What was it planted in, and why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-08-15T18:32:13.957" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T18:32:13.957" Title="What was the blueberry plant potted in?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24643" CreationDate="2016-05-09T17:00:50.920" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a woven cocoa fiber mat.  Growers put a round disk with a hole for the stem of the plant to cut down on weeds.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does degrade slowly so it is not reused. The cocoa fibers can be chopped and composted for reuse in your compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T17:00:50.920" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24645" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24646" CreationDate="2016-05-09T18:12:22.893" Score="2" ViewCount="442" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bare area in my lawn where weeds grow fast. I want to buy many bags of nuggets to cover the area to stop the weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do pine bark nuggets stop weeds from growing? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1454" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-09T22:00:58.610" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T22:00:58.610" Title="Do Pine Bark Nuggets stop weeds from growing in a lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24646" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24645" CreationDate="2016-05-09T18:20:24.030" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you mean bare areas of soil producing lots of weed growth of varying sorts, it depends which plants are growing as to how effective bark chips (pine bark nugget) will be. That said, any weed smothering mulch should be 3-4 inches deep, but there are some pernicious weeds that will still grow through regardless. You can use membrane beneath the chips for better weed prevention, but again, certain plants (Equisetum, Japanese Knotweed) will puncture through weed membrane too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-09T21:42:25.283" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T21:42:25.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24647" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19346" CreationDate="2016-05-09T19:37:40.300" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The University of Missouri identifies it as poison hemlock (Conium maculatum L.).  Look here - - &lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.missouri.edu/IPCM/2012/2/Weed-of-the-Month-Poison-Hemlock/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://ipm.missouri.edu/IPCM/2012/2/Weed-of-the-Month-Poison-Hemlock/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14624" LastActivityDate="2016-05-09T19:37:40.300" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24650" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24659" CreationDate="2016-05-09T23:11:03.777" Score="4" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless you've dug around in a swamp you probably haven't seen the dirt that's permanently black (or the dirt that's built up over 1000s of years from decomposing plants), so I was wondering how rich the nutrients in that soil is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-10T14:27:29.447" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T14:27:29.447" Title="Approximately how rich is the soil that's permanent-black dirt?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24651" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-10T01:15:51.587" Score="3" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;The last 3 years something has eaten everything young in my garden, other than potatoes, onions, and chives. They just mow off the leaves, and sometimes the stems to the ground. They also dig the corn and sunflower seeds out of the ground!they leave everything alone once it gets bigger. No visible tunnels or footprints.  This year I started plants indoors and moved them to the greenhouse. Most things are bigger, but I had some young peppers, maybe 2 inches high that have been eaten! I know a rabbit couldn't climb, but that doesn't make them innocent in the garden. Help!!!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14626" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T03:56:24.097" Title="Garden &amp; Greenhouse pest! Mice? Vole? Rabbit?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24652" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24638" CreationDate="2016-05-10T01:20:07.960" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;@Ecnerwal answer is correct, the book &quot;The Winter Harvest&quot; by Eliot Coleman [speaking of some vegetables including Lettuce] states &quot;No only do many of them tolerate cold conditions and even temperatures well below freezing (as long as they are spared the desiccating effects of cold winter winds) they actually thrive and are sweeter, tenderer and more flavourful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe he also explains that in response to cold temperatures many vegetables produce more sugars as a type of anti-freeze to help the plants cope, which makes them taste better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="14153" LastEditDate="2016-05-10T07:31:55.683" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T07:31:55.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24651" CreationDate="2016-05-10T02:39:01.353" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;...chipmunks/squirrels are not on your list (and should be), but everything on the list is plausible in the garden - depending how tight the greenhouse is (if you are saying the greenhouse is also getting hit) that might remove a few from the list.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These days, if you can't catch them by going out at night with a flashlight, you can set up a video camera with IR lighting and capture images of what's after your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the greenhouse, at least, screening all the openings with a fairly fine mesh should stop most things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T02:39:01.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24655" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-10T01:04:44.803" Score="6" ViewCount="2913" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started demolishing an old brick walkway in my backyard and I found sand underneath about a good 3 inches worth of sand. My question is: If I leave the sand underneath and add about 2 inches of topsoil over the sand, will my grass grow on this top soil sitting on top of sand? Is it a bad idea to leave the sand down there? Should I remove it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Eric" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-10T03:12:34.637" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T14:26:43.533" Title="Should I leave or remove sand under a demolished brick walkway to allow grass to grow?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24656" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24651" CreationDate="2016-05-10T03:56:24.097" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most animals love the smell of dryer lint, so you could put some of that in the garden to choke the animal eating your food. If you want to make it smell sweeter you could add some sugar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T03:56:24.097" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24657" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24640" CreationDate="2016-05-10T05:35:50.153" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you also placed a cover over the damp filter paper with the seed? If not, the seeds may actually be drying and this would keep them from germinating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I'm sure you realize that continuous light is not necessary (else there would be no lettuce in the world!). Lettuce seeds are also know to no germinate if they get too hot, so set your covered petri dish out of direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, seeds are not guaranteed to germinate within 3 days at 70F, so be patient. It might take as long as a couple of weeks. Just be sure the seeds remain damp and not in complete darkness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T05:35:50.153" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24658" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24655" CreationDate="2016-05-10T09:39:18.923" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just put the topsoil over the sand and seed it. The earthworms, and other dirt fauna will eventually mix it together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It wouldn't hurt to mix it yourself perhaps with a hoe, but it's not really necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-10T14:26:43.533" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T14:26:43.533" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24659" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24650" CreationDate="2016-05-10T09:41:53.517" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It can be pretty rich, but color isn't really an indicator. The super dark color comes from an unusually high carbon content, which itself is good, but not enough to sustain forever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you use this soil in a pot, and water properly the free nutrients will mostly drop out as soon as any other soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T09:41:53.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24660" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24655" CreationDate="2016-05-10T11:26:05.890" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend removal - a little bit mixed in with soil is fine, but 2 inches of topsoil over 3 inches of sand means, although your grass will grow okay, if its a high traffic area, it won't be 'stable', meaning it'll slip and slide about a bit, so won't remain level and even. If, though, it's not a high traffic area and the only walking across it will be you with a mower occasionally, it'll probably be okay. As its an old path, the risk of salts in the sand will be minimal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T11:26:05.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24661" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24642" CreationDate="2016-05-10T13:46:38.607" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Goumi bushes can be a bit tricky to buy. There are only a handful of nurseries in the US that sell them, most of those do not sell named varieties, and some of them are even selling other Elaeagnus species mislabled as goumi berries. The only two named varieties I've seen are called Sweet Scarlet and Red Gem. Anecdotally, I've heard Sweet Scarlet tastes better. Personally, I have an unnamed variety from Raintree nursery (I hope it is OK to list the nursery - I am not affiliated in any way, except as a happy customer), and the flavor is good. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2016-05-11T14:02:38.617" LastActivityDate="2016-05-11T14:02:38.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24662" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-10T16:01:35.480" Score="4" ViewCount="126" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to use my Miracle-Gro spray attachment for spraying a soap solution on my lawn and plants since I have very high silicon in my soil.  we used &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naiadcompany.com/products.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Naiad wetting agents&lt;/a&gt; on the golf course where I used to work, but that is on a much grander scale. Any ideas for a good mixture? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14631" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-10T17:14:50.397" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T17:14:50.397" Title="What mixture of liquid soap to water should I use for soil with high silicon content?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24663" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24662" CreationDate="2016-05-10T17:10:22.963" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few solutions to your soil problem:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;top dressing twice a year with compost or similar with high amount of organic matter combined with watering slowly and deeply so the soil does not dry out.  This takes time to take effect, possibly several years&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;surfactants are available for homeowners, usually at your local feed/agro products store.  Companies like &lt;a href=&quot;http://aquatrols.com/turf/golf/products/soil-surfactants/revolution/?LOCALE=CA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Aquatrol&lt;/a&gt; have a number of products for golf courses and similar.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dish soap at 5ml/litre can be applied. Do not use anti bacterial soap. Apply then water in to move it down into the soil. Do not repeat until you have seen the effect. This is only a short term solution. Apply once a month during the growing season.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T17:10:22.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24664" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24668" CreationDate="2016-05-10T18:27:45.053" Score="5" ViewCount="104" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have this tree in our front yard and it isn't looking that good.  I am guessing it was put in when our house was built in '64 so it is over 50 years old.  I'd love to be able to save it if something is wrong with it but I know very little about trees.  The very bottom branches have no needles on them and then as you go up the tree the branches become fuller and fuller. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know some coniferous trees shed their lower limbs but even at the top of this tree it looks like it is losing some needles.  We just moved in the house and I don't know any of this trees history.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's some more photos in an album: &lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/XbW5ADuuSNK93SKY9&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://goo.gl/photos/XbW5ADuuSNK93SKY9&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0rjhx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0rjhx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14632" LastEditorUserId="14632" LastEditDate="2016-05-10T19:09:20.297" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T22:14:02.107" Title="Is this tree sick and is there something I can do about it?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24665" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-10T18:42:11.273" Score="7" ViewCount="233" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow vegetables and fruit in my backyard.  Everything is grown organically so I don't have any concerns with pesticide or chemicals on my edible fruits and vegetables.  However, they do get exposed to insects and other animals (squirrels).  I am not sure if insects lay eggs on my leafy vegetables or some of them get eaten by caterpillars.  Whatever the case may be, I would like to know what care I need to take prior to consuming these fruits and vegetables.  I am growing leaf vegetables (lettuce, kale), root vegetables (beet, carrot), tomatoes, zuccinni, cucumbers, peppers, apple, pear, grapes, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T20:10:46.680" Title="Cleaning homegrown vegetables prior to consumption" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24666" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24665" CreationDate="2016-05-10T19:18:30.573" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you subscribe to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygiene_hypothesis&quot;&gt;hygiene hypothesis&lt;/a&gt;, then there's no need to wash anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're not keen on eating insects and eggs, then a good immersion in warm salty water removes insects, and inspection is needed to remove eggs.  Insects are a good source of vitamin B12 for those who are strict vegetarians.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T19:18:30.573" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24667" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24665" CreationDate="2016-05-10T20:10:46.680" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just wash them all in clean tapwater - the hardest are the leafy greens, so the way to do that is immersion in a sink full of water, then picking out the leaves and running them directly under the tap, at the same time as inspecting for eggs and caterpillars. Then a salad spinner if you've got one, or just leave them to drain down in a colander. You may need a vegetable scrubbing brush for the carrots if you're not going to peel them before cooking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T20:10:46.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24668" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24664" CreationDate="2016-05-10T22:14:02.107" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;An arborist who can do an onsite visit is always going to be able to see more than pictures can show.  These are the things I see from the photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no signs of recent grade change which trees don't do well with&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;base of the trunk is free of grass which competes for water and nutrients&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;closeup of the trunk shows branches that have been cut are healing over which is a sign of good health&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no other trees too close&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no sign the local hydro company has been doing pruning to keep the tree out of their wires&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no signs of holes in the trunk bleeding sap which indicate a insect problem&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the main trunk has split into two leaders about 20' (7 m) up. This can be a problem later.  If a strong wind comes up the tree can split at the union of the two leaders.  The smaller leader could be removed now.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't see any cause for concern unless you have noticed a change recently that can't be seen from the pictures.  Keep in mind that older trees like it just the way it is.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can call in an arborist for an assessment but beyond removing the smaller of the two leaders and taking off some of the lower branches I don't see anything that needs doing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you could do is water the tree deeply once every few weeks during the summer and fall. Get a drip hose and leave it on overnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-10T22:14:02.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24669" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24567" CreationDate="2016-05-11T04:36:57.057" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe it is Cotyledon tomentosa bear's paw. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I originally forgothow I got to this conclusion. Thanks to comments below, here is my reasoning: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I grow different species of Cotyledon. I grow Cotyledon orbiculata - I have a really well grown orbiculata plant. I also have the &quot;mint truffles&quot; variety and a possible variety of Cotyledon &quot;ladismenthsis&quot; or a variance thereof. So, I started looking up Cotyledon varieties, and found a few different images references to the tomentosa bear's paw. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastEditorUserId="7499" LastEditDate="2016-05-12T15:21:20.600" LastActivityDate="2016-05-12T15:21:20.600" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24670" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18070" CreationDate="2016-05-11T06:32:15.743" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's comfrey. Look up videos on comfrey, I just watched like 10 last night, it all had white or blue flowers. Look up &quot;comfrey identification&quot; and go to videos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14636" LastActivityDate="2016-05-11T06:32:15.743" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24671" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-11T10:25:41.683" Score="7" ViewCount="1521" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently I bought in grocery store edible husked Cannabis sativa seeds &#xA;Can I start a plant out of eadible husked seeds? If no then why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm asking if a plant will actually start out of &lt;strong&gt;husked&lt;/strong&gt; seeds, not if it's legal to grow Cannabis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6855" LastEditorUserId="6855" LastEditDate="2016-05-11T12:32:18.003" LastActivityDate="2020-10-13T02:36:06.243" Title="Can I start Cannabis sativa out of edible husked seeds bought in grocery store" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24672" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24671" CreationDate="2016-05-11T11:50:03.870" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are you absolutely certain that the seeds you've bought are Cannabis sativa? I'd be very surprised if they are, they're much more likely to be Cannabis indica, commonly known as hemp seeds, and they are edible and relatively nutritious, like most seeds. They are also readily available in the UK in health food shops, unlike Cannabis sativa seeds. However, in law, there is no distinction between Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica, so generally, home growing of these plants is considered illegal. You may want to check the law for the area where you live, in case there's some exception.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cannabis indica (hemp) is commercially grown here in the UK, mostly for industrial purposes, but it would still be illegal for an individual to grow their own, even though its not actually Cannabis sativa (this last being most definitely illegal to grow, certainly in the UK).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information in the link below regarding the differences between the two plants, particularly in relation to the content of psychoactive substances&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.leafscience.com/2014/09/16/5-differences-hemp-marijuana/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.leafscience.com/2014/09/16/5-differences-hemp-marijuana/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following your edit to your question, your seeds are obviously husked, but should also be sterilized, meaning 'cracked' which should prevent them from growing - but doesn't always. I should add that, if they were not sold as Cannabis sativa, they will definitely be Cannabis indica, hemp in other words. If you still want to bother to try to grow them, sow some and see what happens. Here's a thread from 2008 on this subject, may be of some use, not sure&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?showtopic=140125&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?showtopic=140125&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-11T19:13:50.717" LastActivityDate="2016-05-11T19:13:50.717" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24673" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-11T13:31:12.730" Score="9" ViewCount="255" Body="&lt;p&gt;When we open a package of lettuce seeds and use some of the seeds, then keep the remaining seeds in their package at room temperature, does it affect their viability? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14620" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-11T20:10:52.763" LastActivityDate="2016-05-11T20:10:52.763" Title="Does keeping lettuce seeds in an open package affect their viability?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24674" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24673" CreationDate="2016-05-11T13:59:29.003" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, this will affect the seeds' viability but depending on your climate, it may not be enough to worry you. In general, lettuce seeds last about 2-5 years. If your climate is hot and humid, the shorter end of that period will apply. If it is cool and dry, they might last longer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are in a hot, humid climate and want to extend their life, you can store them in an air-tight container in your refrigerator. If you have any silica packets on hand, you can place those in the container to help keep the humidity inside the container low. If you do not have any silica packets, you can wrap a little powdered milk or rice in a facial tissue and place this packet in the container to control the humidity. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-05-11T13:59:29.003" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24675" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-11T18:04:36.260" Score="6" ViewCount="1334" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cSezm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cSezm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2xhk7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2xhk7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I am a newcomer to Canada and have been experimenting with growing vegetables here in my garden.  I did sow some seeds of chilli, pumpkin and tried with some potato as well.  They seem to have come out quite good.  I hope I am getting what I started with.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QwDcK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QwDcK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Please help me to reconfirm that the image uploaded is of chilli only.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3CtjM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3CtjM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;chilli&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will upload rest of pics soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14640" LastEditorUserId="14640" LastEditDate="2016-05-12T17:52:45.533" LastActivityDate="2018-06-14T06:08:41.800" Title="Is this plant with paired lance-shaped leaves a green chilli?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24676" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25217" CreationDate="2016-05-11T18:56:25.847" Score="3" ViewCount="37" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some large PVC pipes near my sunchokes, so I was wondering if it's been known to damage PVC pipes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T19:18:51.710" Title="Will the power of sunchoke ruin plastic?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24677" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24673" CreationDate="2016-05-11T19:01:41.870" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used lettuce seeds from a year ago and got them to germinate this year so I guess they worked for me.  All I did was keep them in the original package and wrapped a rubberband around it&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-05-11T19:01:41.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24678" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="46092" CreationDate="2016-05-11T20:35:05.637" Score="3" ViewCount="961" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read this well-researched post &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1089/garden-hoses-how-safe-are-they&quot;&gt;Garden Hoses: how safe are they?&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;But it focuses on &lt;strong&gt;hoses&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is about a &lt;strong&gt;hose reel&lt;/strong&gt;. I've seen enough &quot;drinking water safe&quot; hoses (usually polyurethane and rubber), but I am yet to find a &quot;drinking water safe&quot; hose reel. On the contrary, any hose reel that is sold in US as well (I am in Canada), has the California Prop 65 warning. Those that don't have the warning are Canadian only, therefore they don't require a California warning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, with that in mind, what should I be looking for in a hose reel, to make sure it is &quot;drinking water safe&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are &quot;solid brass fittings&quot; automatically a no-no? (The &quot;drinking water safe&quot; hoses usually have chrome-plated brass fittings).  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What about plastic connector fittings, like Gardena? Are they safe as long as they are PVC-free?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14643" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2019-06-05T01:20:39.730" Title="Drinking Water Safe hose reel - what to look for?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24679" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24683" CreationDate="2016-05-11T20:49:29.213" Score="7" ViewCount="150" Body="&lt;p&gt;I asked a local coffee shop to save up their used coffee beans for my garden, and was wondering what the best uses for all the beans would be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my garden I have:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Apple tree&lt;br&gt;&#xA;4 blueberry bushes&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Sunchokes&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Garlic&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Turmeric (experimental for zone 4a)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;2 Tomato Plants&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Some flowers&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-05-12T22:15:52.103" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T13:46:55.737" Title="What are the best garden uses for 5 gallons of used coffee beans?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24680" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24599" CreationDate="2016-05-11T20:55:03.367" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would just leave it. This happens in the wild and plants are fine. It looks like a fairly new/small plant so pruning that much leaf structure might do more harm than good. If it's lacking support or if the leaf is pulling apart because of it's own weight then you could prop it up or tie a string around the plant to keep the leaves from falling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14641" LastActivityDate="2016-05-11T20:55:03.367" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24681" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-11T22:33:49.243" Score="6" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Meyer's lemon tree that is several years old and this year it has flowered, I pollinated because we don't have many bees, the fruit has set but I am finding that quite a few of the baby lemons are turning yellow and falling off the tree.  Any idea why this would be happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14647" LastActivityDate="2016-05-12T01:13:28.680" Title="Problem with my Meyer's lemon tree" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;fruit-drop&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24682" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24684" CreationDate="2016-05-11T22:34:03.917" Score="5" ViewCount="167" Body="&lt;p&gt;While I was walking, I found this tree with amazing blue and white flowers and am really curious to know its name. It also has long strap-like leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is its name?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on picture for full size.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Kijl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Kijlm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14511" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-13T23:55:33.947" LastActivityDate="2016-05-13T23:55:33.947" Title="What is this tree with blue and white flowers and long strap-like leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24683" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24679" CreationDate="2016-05-11T22:40:10.363" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;We get 30 litres of coffee grounds once a month from the local deli.  We're on a list of people who take the stuff to stop it going into landfill.  It just goes straight into our compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Newly cooked grounds are sterile enough so can be used for growing some mushrooms, and they don't then get competition from other fungi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people use coffee grounds as a soil acidifier for their blueberries.  Does it really work?  The ground is a huge pH sink, so I have my doubts that any acidification will be permanent unless your plants are in pots. But it's a high nitrogen source so you wouldn't want to put them down unless you're wanting to promote leaf growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-11T22:40:10.363" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24684" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24682" CreationDate="2016-05-11T23:12:19.747" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strelitzia_nicolai&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Strelitzia nicolai&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, commonly known as the Giant Bird of Paradise. It is a tropical plant, native to Africa, but can be grown in USDA zone 13 with protection from the cold. It is a relative of the hardier and therefore more widely grown &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strelitzia_reginae&quot;&gt;S. reginae&lt;/a&gt; (the Bird of Paradise flower), which has similar shaped flowers but in shades of orange blue and white.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The identifying characteristics are the flower, which has:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;a dark blue bract, white sepals and a bluish-purple &quot;tongue&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can grow to 30 feet tall, and has gray-green foliage similar to banana plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-11T23:19:00.827" LastActivityDate="2016-05-11T23:19:00.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24685" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-12T00:16:28.707" Score="10" ViewCount="35286" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew a mango tree last summer from seed in a pot. In the beginning it was extremely healthy looking and fast-growing. When the summer was over, as it gets very cold here in Canada, I took it indoors and placed it in the window frame. I fertilized it once or twice only during summer. Indoors, the lighting was less than ideal during the winter but it could get some sun light for a few hours per day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, after some time, I saw that leaves started to get brown, dry and fall off. Curiously, the browning pattern was quite peculiar as in many leaves it first starts as an isolated regular-shaped segment that then spreads to the whole leaf. Sometimes only the segment that has gotten brown gets dry while the other parts are still green and soft. In some leaves the browning is less regular and can come like an overall shade of brown. This second type starts with a tint of brown more or less everywhere and then it gets darker and darker all over the leaf. In both cases, the browning can exist in a segment, in very tip of the leaf or at the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant has lost many leaves. Even new coming leaves can be affected and fall off. It seems that some of them can be diseased even before unfolding. I water it somewhat regularly, only when the soil is dry. I also gently transplanted it into a bigger pot. I thought it may help but it didn't. When changing the pot, I saw some kind of yellowish powder near the root. I'm not sure if it was fungus or some color that had come off the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now it's summer and I can put it outside but it seems that it is dying. Is there any way that I can save this lovely thing? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I love plants but I am not very knowledgeable in caring for various plants. I really appreciate your comments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sxZ6Y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sxZ6Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GhAWq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GhAWq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14648" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-12T15:13:35.143" LastActivityDate="2019-01-09T05:33:08.117" Title="Why are the leaves on my mango tree turning brown and drying out?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24681" CreationDate="2016-05-12T01:13:28.680" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The tree will drop what it can't support. So, it needs sunlight, nutrients, and water to make fruit to surround seeds to make more lemon trees (from its perspective) and will either reduce fruit load to match inputs available, or give up on fruit entirely in the hopes that it can survive to next year and try again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's only &quot;several years old&quot; it may not be able to support many fruit even with adequate resources available, as it may not be large enough. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-12T01:13:28.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24687" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24689" CreationDate="2016-05-12T03:55:20.357" Score="5" ViewCount="236" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a problem with my plants; they have mealybugs, aphids and fungi. Tonight I sprayed them with agricultural pesticide, also cutting the infected branches and even exterminated some plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wanted to know how they could be stronger (because I use strong chemicals and I hope this kills the plague). Can I give them fertilizer the next night, and can I put vermicompost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14623" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-21T21:44:33.843" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T21:44:33.843" Title="Can I fertilize my plants after putting pesticide?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24688" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24675" CreationDate="2016-05-12T07:52:57.833" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No. I've seen many peppers, and that does not look like a chile pepper (granted, I've seen a few peppers that I didn't think looked like peppers while young—e.g. my greenhouse-grown Aji Omnicolor peppers; the indoors one looked like a regular pepper, however). Your plant looks more like basil, but I don't really know what it is. It doesn't look like a pumpkin or potato plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pepper leaves typically are not serrated. They're usually broader (although that can depend). They're usually somewhat thicker (those leaves look thin). The new leaves grow differently. Pepper stems usually look tougher (that one looks very pliable).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that's basil, you should be able to identify it by smell and/or taste (if you know what basil smells or tastes like—but be careful not to swallow, in case it's an unidentified poisonous plant). There are many kinds of basil (and many taste or smell different), however. The most popular ones have broader leaves than that, but some, such as various kinds of Thai basil, have narrow leaves. Possibly Spicy Globe basil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other pictures should help us identify it better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A green chile is just a green hot pepper (not a specific variety, either). Green peppers are normally unripe, although they may be fit to eat at a certain point while green; so, the plant won't normally have green in the name, and if it ripens red, as most peppers do, it's no more a green chile plant than a red chile plant. However, some peppers may be better suited for green picking, even if they ripen red—so take what I said with a grain of salt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If what you have &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; a chile pepper, the leaves probably are spicy (or contain some capsaicin), too. Some pepper breeds have leaves that are supposed to be edible, but I have no idea which ones. (So, I don't recommend swallowing that or leaving it in your mouth long if you try it.) However, Spicy Globe basil and other plants may or may not be spicy, too (but probably in a way that feels different).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-05-12T08:43:37.407" LastActivityDate="2016-05-12T08:43:37.407" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24689" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24687" CreationDate="2016-05-12T09:26:45.110" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes of course you can fertilize them after you put all those pesticide on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But next time, you must fertilize them &lt;strong&gt;before&lt;/strong&gt; anything bad happen to them! I know and am sorry it is too late. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In fact, most plants get diseases and attract pests because they are not healthy enough. To avoid having to treat your plants, you should choose plants adapted to your location, and feed them right so that they don't get sick. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But it can be difficult to find the right fertilizer to give them, because it depends of the kind of plants and the season time. Vermicompost on the other hand should do because it contains lots of good nutriments and feeds on the long run.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2016-05-12T09:26:45.110" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24690" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24691" CreationDate="2016-05-12T10:53:34.600" Score="14" ViewCount="9517" Body="&lt;p&gt;My apartment is very humid, and I regularly use a dehumidifier. Is it OK to use the resulting water to water my indoor plants? Since it's basically distilled water it does lack minerals. I usually use tap water that I leave for a day or so to remove chlorine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13428" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-12T20:01:13.480" LastActivityDate="2017-01-07T23:07:37.433" Title="Can I use &quot;distilled&quot; water to water plants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24691" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24690" CreationDate="2016-05-12T12:47:58.477" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Provided that you are feeding the soil/plants the macro and micro nutrients they need there shouldn't be an issue. Epsom salt (1tbsp/gallon) every now and then helps with some of the micro nutrients.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Minerals for your plants can be supplemented via plant food, rock dust, azomite or greensand if needed or through the soil/potting mix of the plants unless you are using a sterile potting medium.  Provided that you repot every now and then you should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like everything else it depends on the plants and their needs.  Some believe you should provide as many trace minerals as possible and let the plant decide what it needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14587" LastActivityDate="2016-05-12T12:47:58.477" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24692" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-12T13:22:24.150" Score="10" ViewCount="32861" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few weeks ago I planted two different types of tomato seeds. Everything went as usual. I was amazed about how fast they germinated, they pushed up their cotyledons, the first set of true leaves started to emerge....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qxvZM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qxvZMm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;...and then: &lt;em&gt;Nothing&lt;/em&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They appear like &quot;frozen in time&quot;. No more growth, but no signs of disease or wilting either. The stems are thick and solid, the not-yet developed leaves dark green. The cotyledons have turned a bit yellow lately, though. (Colours in the photo are slightly off.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had suspected lack of nutritients and the roots had been &quot;wandering out&quot; their original pots, so I transplanted them in the next pot size (which I'd normally do at a later stage), but still &lt;em&gt;absolutely no change&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did my tomatoes discover the secret of eternal youth and I should sell them to a pharmaceutical company, or what did I do wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I gave up - no further growth except for &lt;em&gt;slightly larger&lt;/em&gt; leaves in one pot. We'd need an exceptionally long and warm autumn to even have a chance of a harvest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would accept Escoce's comment if I could.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-06-04T07:15:09.550" LastActivityDate="2019-04-04T12:01:23.960" Title="Why did my tomato seedlings stop growing after their first set of true leaves?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24693" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-12T13:28:02.427" Score="1" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is an insect in my garden that I would like to remove. It lives in a garden covered in pine bark. My location is Miami, FL. It can deliver a sting/bite that can last 5 days or more:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given the severity of the bite I want it removed from all my gardens, as opposed to the &quot;just wear gloves&quot; solution . What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remove all the pine bark, do &quot;something&quot; to the soil, put in new pine bark? What about using cypress mulch? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14652" LastEditorUserId="14652" LastEditDate="2016-05-13T02:53:23.367" LastActivityDate="2016-05-13T02:53:23.367" Title="How can I remove this dangerous insect from my garden?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2016-05-12T13:50:08.733" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24695" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24699" CreationDate="2016-05-12T13:56:30.333" Score="8" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my friend's large garden, mealybug is the main pest. They spread quickly, often killing whole plants if left unattended. Sometimes they even attack trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The garden and many of its affected plants are rather large, so the process can't require tedious, leaf by leaf removal or application, or anything like that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My friend has several edible plants and is conscious of the local environment. Therefore, we prefer answers that are as eco-friendly as possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The climate is arid tropical, except for periods of heavy rains once or twice a year. We are in southern India. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14572" LastEditorUserId="14572" LastEditDate="2018-05-21T13:20:57.517" LastActivityDate="2018-05-21T13:20:57.517" Title="How can I combat mealybug in a large garden?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;mealybugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="24696" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3977" CreationDate="2016-05-12T15:31:44.830" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know I start nearly every garden from store leftovers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I buy organic rainbow carrots and an &quot;Alaskan-grown&quot; orange variety I don't know. Right before the time they get old and rubbery, most sprout a little more green. I whack off the top and plant it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nearly all varieties of my lettuce and celery grow from a store cutting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All onions, potatoes and garlic, I grow from the bulb leftover of my store purchase. I also grow my garlic this way. I've recently moved onto avocado,  that's about 50/50.  My starfruit, de-husked store coconut and pineapple (Dole, non organic) are all growing as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My peppers (all kinds) are from inside a purchased pepper, my melons are from store melons (took a million tries but got 1 honeydew and started grabbing those seeds). I start my peas from a bag of dried bean soup mix, and my corn is from a specific kind of popcorn mix (it's cheaper than seeds). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I buy a 50lb bag of barley chicken feed for my barley, that's about $9 for up to &amp;frac12; acre.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All in all, I only use seeds for radishes,  extra lettuce, tobacco and trees. But a lot of my trees and berries are clipped as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14654" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-12T15:49:17.887" LastActivityDate="2016-05-12T15:49:17.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24697" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24690" CreationDate="2016-05-12T15:49:36.350" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just over a hundred years ago, in 1915, a chap called M.C. Merrill did some &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.jstor.org/stable/2990114?seq=11#page_scan_tab_contents&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;experiments on this&lt;/a&gt; (that link may be paywalled, sorry) and found that, while plants would grow with distilled water, it was not a great choice. (If you prefer to read the very lengthy report of that study in its entirety, it's available for free in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.com/books?id=sf8VAAAAYAAJ&amp;amp;pg=PA459&amp;amp;lpg=PA459&amp;amp;dq=M.C.Merrill+distilled+water+plant&amp;amp;source=bl&amp;amp;ots=mFjVw59X6V&amp;amp;sig=sI6d-u3A9qjJYB4rSRuoh6zI1y4&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwirmZSSq9XMAhVCJR4KHRbGBHIQ6AEIJzAD#v=onepage&amp;amp;q=M.C.Merrill%20distilled%20water%20plant&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden&lt;/a&gt;.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As Charles says, you'll probably be okay if you're adding liquid fertiliser, but your plants will likely be happier if you stick to tap water instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14655" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-12T20:28:40.917" LastActivityDate="2016-05-12T20:28:40.917" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24698" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24567" CreationDate="2016-05-12T15:59:30.760" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is one of the Kalanchoes, Kalanchoe beharensis, probably the variety 'Fang', judging by the furriness, the scalloped, brownish edges to the leaves and spiky looking protruberances beneath the leaves. Link to image here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/m1/Succulent_2/Kalanchoe_beharensisFang2917.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/m1/Succulent_2/Kalanchoe_beharensisFang2917.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2018-05-20T21:17:38.690" LastActivityDate="2018-05-20T21:17:38.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="24699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24695" CreationDate="2016-05-12T16:26:09.497" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few options I think will come to good use for you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use predatory bugs such as ladybugs, lacewing, or the mealybug&#xA;destroyer &lt;a href=&quot;https://biocontrol.entomology.cornell.edu/predators/Cryptolaemus.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cryptolaemus montrouzieri&lt;/a&gt;. These guys should help cut them down.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use a bug blaster attachment to a hose and spray them off to reduce the number of bugs. Use leaf shine or neem oil because this discourages future infestations and the current one.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Try insecticidal soap, though I'm not sure if this is safe, but I think it would be. It kills the bugs, so you can spray this on the plants as well. This stuff will dehydrate the bugs and they die within a few hours.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If it becomes a huge problem then get a short lived, natural pesticide to treat them. This will not persist in the environment but do check the label.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-12T00:21:25.830" LastActivityDate="2018-01-12T00:21:25.830" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24700" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24690" CreationDate="2016-05-12T17:16:20.747" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Disclaimer: I've done all of this in my own apartment too, and is based on my personal experimentation/research.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently grew plants hydroponically in distilled water. It worked fine, but I had to manually measure and re-add the required minerals for the plants to be healthy. If you can't or don't want to carefully re-add minerals I recommend you avoid distilled (or reverse osmosis or similar) water for plant survival.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also trialled adding a product based on chloramine (marketed as &quot;Pythoff&quot;) to the hydroponic setup, which is a chemical sometimes used in tap water (chlorine + ammonia), to stimulate root growth and it worked quite well. It basically works by giving the plant roots a sterile environment to grow in, removing both good and bad bacteria. Removing chlorine from tap water is absolutely not necessary for plant growth and will simply encourage bacteria and mould growth, for better or worse. Depending on the environment, you may not want to encourage this type of growth in your garden. If your apartment is very humid, it might be better to leave the chlorine in the water to help fight unhealthy microbeasties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Currently I have an aquaponics setup with live fish, worms, snails and a beneficial bacterial colony. For this I cannot use chlorine or chloramine as these chemicals would kill all bacteria immediately. Without bacteria to process fish poop, ammonia would quickly build up to the point of becoming lethal to fish. Chloramine itself is also lethal to fish. Chlorine + fish poop = Chloramine. If you want live animals (including bacteria) in your water, you do have to remove the chlorine somehow, but a tiny amount of vitamin C will neutralise both chlorine and chloramine (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/vitamin-c-for-chlorine-chloramine-removal.76953/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/vitamin-c-for-chlorine-chloramine-removal.76953/&lt;/a&gt;). However, building beneficial bacteria colonies requires specific environmental conditions (oxygen, light, temperature, time, food, substrate). If you can't reliably provide these conditions 24/7, you're more likely to be left with only bad bacteria/mould as it tends to outcompete the good bacteria outside these specific conditions. This bacteria/mould can make your plants sick in the long term, especially so if they are nutrient deprived (from persistent use of distilled water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may also be worth checking that your water is actually being treated with chlorine and not chloramine (check with your local water supplier). In the case of the latter, simply leaving it out may not be enough for the chemicals to break down/off-gas (this is why chloramine is used, as it tends to stick around).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on my own experience/experimentation however, I would recommend that you either simply use tap water directly on your plants, or commit to creating a setup that accommodates distilled/RO/de-gassed water in a healthy way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13589" LastActivityDate="2016-05-12T17:16:20.747" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24701" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-12T18:16:09.573" Score="9" ViewCount="253" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently inherited a garden on my university campus in Buffalo, New York. We think that it's a fruiting plant, but we're not sure what it is. Can anyone help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VoVY2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VoVY2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9xDWW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9xDWW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UPnXa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UPnXa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastEditorUserId="2000" LastEditDate="2016-05-14T20:51:40.117" LastActivityDate="2016-10-14T22:00:03.430" Title="ID this plant from an inherited garden" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24702" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24678" CreationDate="2016-05-12T18:24:22.867" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a miracle so many of us survived childhood.  I drank from hoses all the time, and I've lived to tell the story.  Even so, it's not a safe practice.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you know, there are several &quot;drinking water safe&quot; hoses out there.  Using a reel, as I also do, is efficient, but does little to prevent the growth of bacteria in the residual water left in the hose.  I use gravity to empty my hoses before winding up, but there's no way to &quot;dry-out&quot; a hose, making it an ideal bacteria farm. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plus, little critters enjoy a nice drink also.  Seen or unseen, you can bet there are insects and spiders enjoying a drink from your hose.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look for &quot;Lead Free, BPA free, and phthalate free&quot; hoses, often marketed for RV's, boating, and camping. I'd avoid brass fitting for the metallic taste alone.    If you want to continue using your current reel set-up, consider adding a filter, such as &quot;Camco 40043 TastePURE Water Filter with Flexible Hose Protector,&quot; which over 12,000 Amazon reviewers seen to like.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Cheers, Slav!&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nGbZu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nGbZu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yHLiO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yHLiO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14658" LastEditorUserId="14658" LastEditDate="2016-05-12T18:30:11.123" LastActivityDate="2016-05-12T18:30:11.123" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24690" CreationDate="2016-05-12T21:16:21.493" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to point out that the water produced by your dehumidifier is not &quot;distilled&quot; but &quot;condensed&quot;.  Distilled water has been raised to a boil, converted to STEAM and then the steam is captured and allowed to cool, this water should be exceptionally clean, because impurities have been removed by this process.  The water produced by your dehumidifier is referred to as 'condensate', has NOT been brought to a boil and is probably not very clean.  It is probably all right to water your plants with it, but by no means should you drink the condensate.  It is NOT pure &quot;distilled&quot; water by any means!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14663" LastActivityDate="2016-05-12T21:16:21.493" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24705" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24715" CreationDate="2016-05-12T22:08:08.660" Score="4" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just had SOD installed in my yard. I live in Arizona so our dirt/soil is not the best. I checked under some of the SOD cuts and didn't see that any mulch/seeds/nutrients were used which worries me a little.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On top of the watering, is there anything I should apply on the grass it self in terms of nutrients/seeds that will help the grass take root? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to refrain from having to lift back each piece of SOD and put down seeds, but if that's my only options, please let me know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14032" LastActivityDate="2016-05-13T17:31:28.380" Title="New Sod Installation - TLC" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20474" CreationDate="2016-05-12T22:29:56.300" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just read your issue sorry friend..  Yes they are definitely aphids..you've got your share for sure. Heres your inexpensive and convenient answer. Dawn liquid dish soap (just a little maybe two teaspoons or tablespoons) &amp;amp; water in a water bottle. Spray the plant leaves top and bottom generously. It won't hurt your plants and it works. Check your other plants because they're good little eaters.you can thank me later good luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14669" LastActivityDate="2016-05-12T22:29:56.300" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24707" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-12T23:07:45.943" Score="5" ViewCount="448" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing zucchinis in a raised bed and am wondering the timing for harvesting the zucchini.  In prior years, I had zucchinis of many sizes and shapes (will try to dig up the photo and post). However, I am trying to determine this year the timing for harvesting zucchini.  I know the guideline is to use what is on the seed packet but the zucchini is not a one time harvest.  It keeps on giving over a period of 1-2 months. &lt;em&gt;(Ignore the cucumber in the 2nd picture.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wyzjN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wyzjN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pgu3I.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pgu3I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-13T21:25:23.263" LastActivityDate="2016-05-13T21:25:23.263" Title="What's the best time to harvest Black Beauty zucchinis?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24707" CreationDate="2016-05-12T23:22:08.567" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your question is quite unclear.   Generally you can pick Zucchini whenever you want - although the ideal is supposedly about 6 inches (15cms).  As they get bigger they apparently loose their flavour and texture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is unclear why you think the multiple harvests are important - but you will find that picking them smaller encourages growth of more plants (but you will probably also find that by weight, fewer larger zucchinis will provide a larger yield.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-05-12T23:22:08.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24709" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24707" CreationDate="2016-05-12T23:29:52.293" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I understand you right, you just want to know what size to harvest your zucchini at.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most people harvest them when they're small (maybe four inches long, give or take a few inches). They think they taste better then than when they're huge. It's a matter of preference, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I, being rare, personally prefer them large  (about half size to probably just before they reach full size or about the time they do). One of my reasons for this is that they lack that sticky substance that immature squash have. They taste more substantial. When you slice them, they're the right size for a sandwich or hamburger. However, if they get too old, they can taste bad and have thick skin. Some of them taste great old, though. I'm not sure if that's the variety or the soil or both that makes the difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Smaller zucchini are most likely the best choice for salad. Bigger ones are great for zucchini bread.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-05-12T23:39:25.540" LastActivityDate="2016-05-12T23:39:25.540" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24710" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24707" CreationDate="2016-05-12T23:42:30.840" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just leave them on the vine until I need to eat them. But if they get too large, I remove them for the fridge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-12T23:42:30.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24711" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24712" CreationDate="2016-05-13T00:27:26.630" Score="3" ViewCount="1147" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently purchased a home in January. Now that it's Spring the grass is starting to come through. However, I've noticed a variety of grass patches of different colors and lengths before I mowed for the first time:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OBfbZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OBfbZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Before Mowing&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assumed this was because I had waited too long to mow my lawn (truthfully, I did). However, after mowing for the first time I noticed these grass patches were yellowish:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XdHib.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XdHib.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;After Mowing&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After reading online it seems like if your grass is too yellow after mowing it means you cut it too low, but the rest of my lawn is perfectly fine, so that leads me to believe that this grass is something that shouldn't be there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I dig these patches up and re-seed? If not, how should I deal with these?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14670" LastEditorUserId="14670" LastEditDate="2016-05-13T00:33:40.240" LastActivityDate="2016-05-13T01:18:02.763" Title="How should I handle tall grass patches in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;mowing&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24711" CreationDate="2016-05-13T01:18:02.763" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd simply mow it a few more times before freaking out and &quot;weeding&quot; it out. It may just be yellow now because it was taller before you mowed, so the lower parts were more shaded. Could be those patches had excess fertilizer, causing the higher growth. Mow it to the same length for a while and see if the color evens out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-13T01:18:02.763" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24713" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-13T08:12:43.697" Score="4" ViewCount="241" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have multiple of this tree growing on my college campus and I cannot figure out what type of tree it is. I've never seen anything like it. It has a light green leaf that always grows on top of a darker green one with a flower/fruit forming on top of that. Thanks for your help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/33SSW.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/33SSW.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/23yGA.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/23yGA.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14674" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T00:00:56.977" Title="What is this tree? Please help me identify this tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24714" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24713" CreationDate="2016-05-13T10:15:13.573" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a member of the linden family, or Tilia.  This tree is probably &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilia_cordata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tilia Cordata&lt;/a&gt; or the little leaf linden which is native from Europe to western Asia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A favourite with landscape architects in Europe in the 17th and 18th century and in North America from 1950 to the late 1970's due to the sweet smelling flowers and modest size when mature (~65' 20M) this tree is no longer planted widely due to these issues:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/24255/499&quot;&gt;significant litter problem&lt;/a&gt;, something is always dropping year round&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8489/control-aphids-on-a-linden-tree&quot;&gt;subject to aphids&lt;/a&gt; who excrete sticky sap on vehicles nearby&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;attractive to bees and yellow jacket wasps&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hort.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/tilcora.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;not very tolerant of drought&lt;/a&gt; which results in leaf scorch&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tendency to have multiple leaders which can produce split trunks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;japanese beetles can &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/7925/499&quot;&gt;completely defoliate the tree&lt;/a&gt; in a bad year&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The North American tilia, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ontario.ca/page/basswood&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;basswood&lt;/a&gt;, is a better choice for some locations if you have moister soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-05-13T10:20:44.560" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24705" CreationDate="2016-05-13T10:35:56.013" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you've had this sod 'installed', that would strongly suggest you paid someone to install it. That someone should be able to tell you precisely what preparation of the soil they made beforehand, including any emendments, and precisely which fertilizer they used, if any.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Preparation for sod usually involves removal of pernicious and ordinary weeds, turning the soil over, raking or spreading to level off, allowing the area to settle or consolidate, raking up the top couple of inches and applying a balanced fertilizer, then laying the sod. So before you start thinking of applying any kind of fertiizer on top, you need to establish exactly what happened prior to the sod going down. It also would not be wise to fertilize at this stage - you need to wait for the turf to root into the soil beneath before doing that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've said you know the gardener you employed did no preparation other than raking the soil flat, then just laying the sods on top. If you only moved in December 2015, it's hard to know what would have grown in it if it had been left, but you haven't mentioned any obvious plant/weed growth being present prior to the turf going down. As the soil itself had been untouched, then it would already have been consolidated, so hopefully, the person who raked it over didn't leave any 'soft spots', which would cause sinking in the grass in those spots over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless you want to take the lot up and start again, then just carry on watering copiously and frequently, particularly with such high temperatures. Once it's taken root and starts growing properly, that's the time to add a lawn fertilizer. Sometimes the grass grows even before the sods have rooted into place, so just check by trying to lift a bit to test, preferably in the middle of the sodded area rather than the edges, don't pull it too hard, just see if it lifts up easily. If it doesn't, its rooted in. Rooting into the soil beneath, at this time of year, should take place pretty quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be fair to the gardener you employed, if the sods were already on the property, waiting to be laid, he didn't have much choice but to lay them immediately, with minimal preparation, though he could have applied some fertilizer. It's usual to do the soil preparation first, then wait a week, check the area, then order the sods, spreading general purpose fertilizer underneath just before laying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-13T17:31:28.380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-13T17:31:28.380" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24716" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24717" CreationDate="2016-05-13T12:20:53.800" Score="4" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most local nurseries in my area keep perennial plants outside during the summer months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is one nursery which grows and keeps everything inside a greenhouse all the time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In zone 4 or 5, does this mean that those perennials should be acclimatized to the outside like I would normally do for seedlings started inside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a risk if those plants are planted outside directly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-13T21:14:31.250" LastActivityDate="2016-05-13T21:14:31.250" Title="Should perennials purchased at a greenhouse nursery be acclimatized before planting outside?" Tags="&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24716" CreationDate="2016-05-13T13:11:48.217" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the plants apparently have never (or not for a while) been exposed to strong sun and wind, I would &lt;em&gt;definitively&lt;/em&gt; recommend hardening them off or shielding them a bit: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the plants look basically robust, e.g. if you suspect they have been bought by the nursery from another supplier that grew them outside, leaving them outside in dappled shade and with some wind protection might be already enough, no need to do the &quot;full babying&quot; routine we do for seedlings. If planted right away in full sun, consider shading them a bit for the first days.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you buy and plant the plants during a spell of overcast weather and mild temperatures and they show no signs of etiolation or general &quot;softness&quot;, you might be ok with planting them immediately, but consider transplant shock plus sudden exposure to full sun - that might be too much.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the plant obviously is etiolated and weak, think twice before purchasing - it might also be more susceptible to pests and infections. If you have your mind set on such a candidate, yes, do the full hardening off routine. Come fall they should be established enough to deal with the upcoming winter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-13T13:26:44.163" LastActivityDate="2016-05-13T13:26:44.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24720" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-13T18:20:51.593" Score="3" ViewCount="300" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LgxJZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LgxJZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JKXu2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JKXu2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l0JMx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l0JMx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Leaves of some my Cucumber and tomatoes plants are browning with yellow frames. also some of the stems of tomato plants appear to have a dark brown rust on them.  Is this a fungus? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5kICG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5kICG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14465" LastEditorUserId="14465" LastEditDate="2016-05-13T18:30:00.000" LastActivityDate="2016-08-19T21:57:05.700" Title="Brown spots with yellow on cucumber and tomato plants" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24723" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24727" CreationDate="2016-05-13T20:36:26.263" Score="5" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;To help control weeds in garden beds between my plants I have put newspapers down on the ground and added a layer of mulch over this. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also done this where there are trees in the garden beds (an Autumn Blaze maple and a Japanese Lilac).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am wondering if it was a good idea after all when it comes to the trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As well as making fertilizing more difficult, I'm afraid that the additional layer of newspaper will prevent some water and nutrients from going into the ground and may restrict oxygen going down to the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I remove the newspaper layer? Could it be detrimental to the trees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastActivityDate="2016-05-14T01:23:00.147" Title="Can a newspaper layer underneath mulch be harmful to trees" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24724" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24726" CreationDate="2016-05-13T22:25:54.343" Score="4" ViewCount="847" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been very careful with the string trimmer. I think the damage is from the original city planting or freeze damage. Should I use a chisel and cleanup the wounds or just let it be?  It is a Maple and the presence of the insect in the photo is alarming as well. The tree us doing well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AcU7u.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AcU7u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/55Vhg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/55Vhg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-16T00:00:10.090" LastActivityDate="2020-06-30T15:40:52.223" Title="How to help young tree with damaged bark?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24725" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24733" CreationDate="2016-05-13T22:34:04.123" Score="1" ViewCount="87" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted rows of sunchokes in my 10'X15' community garden, so I was wondering what I should plant between the rows of sunchokes. I'm looking for something that I can leave in the ground all season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're spaced about 2 feet apart for plenty of growing/spreading room my first year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-15T19:04:13.740" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T19:04:13.740" Title="What can I plant between rows of sunchokes?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24726" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24724" CreationDate="2016-05-14T01:15:27.603" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not everyone treats trees with care.  This looks like the kind of damage that would happen if you had a potted or balled and burlapped tree and let it bounce on the gate of a pickup truck once or twice. Or this could be a lawnmower butting against the trunk two or three times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might think this is trivial but trees deal with wounds differently than animals and people.  Trees compartmentalize damage.  They grow callous at the edge of the wound and the edges gradually close up over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For this tree at least one third of circumference is no longer transporting nutrients up to the top growth.  You should expect to see slower growth on that side. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/20373/499&quot;&gt;Bridge grafting&lt;/a&gt; is a possibility.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The least effort solution is to remove the grass up to three feet (1 M) away from the trunk and mulch or top dress annually.  This will reduce competition for nutrients and water and reduce the possibility of further trimmer damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not take a chisel or other tools to the bark.  &amp;quot;Leave her be&amp;quot; is the best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-05-14T13:36:32.453" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24727" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24723" CreationDate="2016-05-14T01:23:00.147" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Newspaper is not anything like impermeable to water or oxygen, and will break down naturally in a fairly short time - I would anticipate no issues whatever from a layer of newspaper, unless it was thicker than 1/2 inch or so of paper (and I'm not sure even that much would be much of an issue.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees, in general, are not in much need of fertilizer, and are more often damaged by a well-meaning excess than a lack of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-14T01:23:00.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24729" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24568" CreationDate="2016-05-14T03:10:33.427" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm fond of the in-ground composting &quot;worm tube&quot;. You take length of PVC pipe, drill holes in a the lower section of it, and bury the lower portion. Then put your green and brown into it. The idea is that worms crawl in and out the holes, taking the nutrients with them. A sort of in-place vermiculture. I'm shocked at how quickly I can fill the tube and the materials in it collapse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a good reference. Mine are not nearly this tall, but still seem to work just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://offbeathome.com/worm-tube-composting/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://offbeathome.com/worm-tube-composting/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14681" LastActivityDate="2016-05-14T03:10:33.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24730" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-14T08:01:37.523" Score="2" ViewCount="26" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there any advice someone can give me before I look into planting the American groundnut?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-14T08:01:37.523" Title="What should I know before planting the American Groundnut?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2016-07-04T17:58:38.170" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24731" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24736" CreationDate="2016-05-14T08:14:37.053" Score="2" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have bought a Kalanchoe and it was healthy when I bought it. I have four more plants with the same problem (all purchased from a place like ikea in Ecuador). I wonder if it is a fungus, and how to fight it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nomA2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nomA2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14623" LastActivityDate="2016-05-14T18:13:58.847" Title="Is this a fungi on my plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24732" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-14T13:22:57.977" Score="2" ViewCount="249" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have birdhouse gourd vines growing up my fence. I started with a river cane trellis pushed into the soil in the tubs the gourds are growing in. This initial trellis can not support the new growth. I don't want to use any more river cane. What is the best way to trellis my gourds to the left and right along the fence without using nails? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xpn56.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xpn56.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Birdhouse gourd vine and original river cane trellis&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14683" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-14T13:55:27.780" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T19:48:40.467" Title="How can I support Birdhouse Gourds without nailing anything to my fence?" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;&lt;support&gt;&lt;fence&gt;&lt;trellis&gt;&lt;gourds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24733" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24725" CreationDate="2016-05-14T13:38:37.660" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem with planting something that will grow all season is that it is going to need to compete with the sunchokes, which will be tall and aggressive. I think you might be able to get a round of radishes and baby lettuce out of the plot before the sunchokes get too tall, but they of course won't last the whole season. Native prairie plants could coexist, but I think you are looking for edibles. Your options are limited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-05-14T13:38:37.660" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24734" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-14T15:17:47.417" Score="3" ViewCount="195" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what this plant is that is popping up near my pansies and daylillies?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kS8Pv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kS8Pv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14685" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-14T16:49:32.523" LastActivityDate="2016-10-11T19:30:11.343" Title="What is this plant with narrow leaves at the edge of my flower bed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24735" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24734" CreationDate="2016-05-14T16:38:28.967" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A very &quot;stab-in-the-dark&quot; answer would be emerging leaves of a kind of asteracea - one of the coneflower varieties rudbecia / echinacea / ratabida, just going by leaf shape and structure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let them grow a bit more, wait for flowers and update your post and I can either confirm or remove this answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-05-14T16:38:28.967" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24736" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24731" CreationDate="2016-05-14T18:13:58.847" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure, fungus/virus/bacteria, brought on by too much water and/or not enough light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Diagnostic signs:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;usually on the older growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sunken spots on the leaf that start brown and go black&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sometimes in thinner leaves you will see a light dark spot in the centre surrounded by lighter tissue with a thin line between the two. This is the growth/pause cycle in action&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most plants can outgrow these problems if their needs are met. Try this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut back to within one inch from the stem&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;move to higher light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;reduce watering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;increase ventilation or open a window&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kalanchoes are pretty tough.  Don't worry that you will kill it by pruning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-14T18:13:58.847" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24737" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24732" CreationDate="2016-05-14T18:52:10.707" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trellis netting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/seF0S.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/seF0S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;trellis net on fence&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture is from Gardener's Edge (not affiliated, might have bought something from them once, I don't recall for certain) and could practically be your fence. The 6&quot; string mesh can be hooked between the boards on top to hold it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beware of tangles. I thought this stuff was a much better idea before I got some and had to detangle it after the first use and storing away for the winter. It can get into fiendish knots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-14T18:52:10.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24738" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24742" CreationDate="2016-05-14T19:05:57.080" Score="2" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing F1 Cherry tomato (Sweet Aperitif,Sweet Million, Sun Gold), they set flowers, and some flowers drop and start to get fruits, the weather is clear and between 23C to 30C most days, but yesterday and today the weather was 40C all the morning, I know that the high temp more than &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/info_tomtemp.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;40C degree is reducing fruit set&lt;/a&gt; , but is this true for my case which is just 2 days of high temp?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13757" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T12:31:09.260" Title="F1 Cherry Tomato Plant Temperature" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24739" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-14T20:02:09.373" Score="1" ViewCount="66" Body="&lt;p&gt;This orchid has been with me for one week. I don't know if she's ok, she has little points on her flowers and her stalk isn't brown at all. I watered the plant the same day I bought her and yesterday. She's in a garden with a ceiling but the sun enters in the sides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the pictures for larger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HNgMu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HNgMum.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L9EYd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L9EYdm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14623" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-14T23:32:06.453" LastActivityDate="2016-05-14T23:32:06.453" Title="What are the pigments in my orchid?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2017-06-24T13:46:36.570" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24740" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5130" CreationDate="2016-05-14T21:54:24.263" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a service berry tree that developed a weeping canker likely because of mechanical damage caused by the staking as it is a young tree. It weeps a lot of sap daily but the sap is not frothy or stinky. Anyways, I tried everything to help it heal but no luck. Ants and wasps were having a hay day, I can tell you!&#xA;Then I read something about cinnamon and its anti microbial and anti fungal properties. So as a last resort I made a very thick paste of cinnamon and water.  First,  I trimmed the brown wood away from the canker then I filled the hole in the trunk with the cinnamon paste. I then tied a piece of mesh bag that onions come in so that it could breathe and (hopefully) form a cinnamon/sap scab and stop weeping. It took about a month but the weeping has now stopped. I am cautiously optimistic and hope now that the tree will wall off the injured part and heal. I wanted to share this so others can try it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14691" LastActivityDate="2016-05-14T21:54:24.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24741" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24755" CreationDate="2016-05-14T22:38:52.587" Score="1" ViewCount="2651" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was sprouting some French marigolds and noticed some spots on the leaves. They didn't look good, especially since one of the plants didn't get them. I looked them out on the internet and figured it was some kind of leaf spot (though I don't know anything beyond that). Figuring it might have been because of being overly damp, I planted a second set except I started them outside (also in a seeding tray). I just checked them today and it looks like the cotyledons are starting to show signs of the spots along the outer edges though I won't for sure for a couple days. None of the other plants I sprouted with the same potting mix are showing any problems like this. The variety is Disco if that helps at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So a couple questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are these spots and are they a problem?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What can be done to prevent them?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I give up on them and root them up?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will I be able to reuse the potting mix, or should I get rid of it too?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vtT4i.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vtT4i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;French marigold with first couple sets of true leaves coming out&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14534" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T05:44:17.173" Title="Spots on marigold leaves" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24742" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24738" CreationDate="2016-05-14T23:07:43.193" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is quite hot, but in my experience they can handle a few hot days (with adequate water). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Proper Nighttime temp is critical for fruit set - if nights are too hot they just won't set fruit and flowers will drop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This article has good details&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/m/#publication?id=HS1195&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/m/#publication?id=HS1195&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The article specifies that&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Tomato flowers must be pollinated within approximately 50 hours or they will abort and drop off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And also that &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If nighttime temperatures fall below 55°F or rise above 70°F, or if daytime temperatures rise above 85°F, the pollen becomes tacky and nonviable, preventing pollination from occurring and causing the blossom to dry and drop &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So 2 days at 40c is pretty close to that 50 hours, so very possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also note that very high temps can directly cause blossoms to drop&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Temperatures over 104°F for only 4 hours can cause the flowers to abort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So overall I would say yes the two days at 40c are likely responsible, but that depending on the strain and the growing environment it's possible for tomatoes to withstand some pretty high daytime temps provided nighttime temps drop to an appropriate level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13998" LastEditorUserId="13998" LastEditDate="2016-05-15T12:31:09.260" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T12:31:09.260" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24744" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-14T23:57:17.487" Score="3" ViewCount="55" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found these on the leaves of my Brussels sprouts. Just wondering if I should remove them or leave them be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/AATxUx6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;insect eggs&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, snail damage present as well so I need to remove from under the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T04:55:35.773" Title="Who left these eggs behind?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24745" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24751" CreationDate="2016-05-14T23:57:51.790" Score="5" ViewCount="2017" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard about using coffee grounds on tomato plants, and was wondering what it does to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T04:40:36.677" Title="What does coffee grounds do to plants like tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24746" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24749" CreationDate="2016-05-15T00:01:17.170" Score="6" ViewCount="350" Body="&lt;p&gt;What beneficial thing does eggshell do to tomatoes as a fertilizer? Does it heal leaf health, flowers, taking up nutrients, or something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T02:43:02.773" Title="Why do tomatoes like egg shells?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24748" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24745" CreationDate="2016-05-15T01:16:10.757" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a good answer on how to generally use coffee grinds as a fertilizer right &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/803/14534&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a good source of nitrogen, though your plants won't be able to directly use it until it's broken down. The direct benefits on a tomato plant specifically come from the fact that coffee grinds are slightly acidic and that tomato plants like their soil slightly acidic (most sources from a quick Google search say around 6-7, &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/tomatoes-acidloving-plant-54205.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://garden.org/foodguide/browse/veggie/tomatoes_getting_started/358&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.offthegridnews.com/survival-gardening-2/25-fruits-and-vegetables-to-grow-in-acidic-soil/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14534" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T01:21:31.633" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24749" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24746" CreationDate="2016-05-15T02:43:02.773" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Eggshells are a calcium source. Tomatoes need sufficient calcium in the soil to prevent blossom end rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oyster shell and egg shells are a source for slow release calcium as they need to break down in order to make it available. Composition for both of these is mainly calcium carbonate crystals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;General usage of calcium soil amendments: If you determine you need calcium because the fruits are developing black rot on the blossom end, you will need to test the soil pH to determine whether you can add lime (Calcium Carbonate) which raises pH or add gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) which is more pH neutral. Lime helps make the soil less acid, gypsum is more appropriate for soil that is within the target pH range for the type of plant you're growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T02:43:02.773" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24745" CreationDate="2016-05-15T04:40:36.677" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Coffee grounds come up in gardening because they're a daily source of &quot;green&quot; (Nitrogen) fuel for the compost pile. The other half, browns, are easy to come by (leaves, tiny twigs, etc), and generally a 50/50 ratio is necessary to maintain for good compost. Hence, piles are always hurting for greens so gardeners are happy for a daily dose, even if it's just a filter full of used coffee grounds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to what they add to compost besides nitrogen, not much chemically besides having an almost neutral pH while many greens are acidic. They're just a great green source all around.  They won't go bad and smell so you can store them in your house until you compost them, and they decompose quicker than most greens. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Seemed opinion-heavy so I hunted this up:) &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/fertilize-tomato-plants-coffee-grounds-35715.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/fertilize-tomato-plants-coffee-grounds-35715.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding coffee grounds without composting to your garden is asking for trouble. Before they produce nitrogen for plants to use, they have to decompose. The decomposition process rips nitrogen out of the soil, and will negatively affect your plants.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/sites/default/files/documents/cffee07.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/sites/default/files/documents/cffee07.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're looking to turn household waste into garden fuel - by all means take up composting. But it's never a good idea to go from the kitchen right to the garden bed.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vegetable-gardening-with-lorraine.com/homemade-compost-bin.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.vegetable-gardening-with-lorraine.com/homemade-compost-bin.html&lt;/a&gt;  (no school like the old school)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T04:40:36.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24752" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24760" CreationDate="2016-05-15T04:54:23.033" Score="2" ViewCount="625" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just moved into a home (zone 5) and there's a small part of our backyard that is often wet from how the water flows with the surrounding homes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any fruit trees that consume more water than others (and in turn would help some minor water issues in the backyard)?  I'd love a fig tree and supposedly Hardy Chicago Fig's can survive in zone 5.  However, I'm not sure what their water consumption is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14280" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T12:31:40.430" Title="What fruit trees requires the most water?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24744" CreationDate="2016-05-15T04:55:35.773" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look like Moth eggs to me, and the larvae that turn into moths could be responsible for that damage. (Moth larvae:Moth::Caterpillar:Butterfly)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possible they're slug eggs. It's uncommon but not rare for snails to lay eggs on vegetation. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/slug-snail-eggs.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/slug-snail-eggs.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going with moth, because most snail eggs are round and most snails lay eggs on the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T04:55:35.773" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24741" CreationDate="2016-05-15T05:44:17.173" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally, small black spots on seedlings aren't much to be worried about. The probable cause (or a catalyst when combined with nutrient overdose) is over-transpiration - the plant is evaporating too much water because its soil is too warm and too moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully, this is the result of over-watering and over-heating. Keep the roots cooler (&gt;60F during the day is fine) and let the soil dry out more between watering (the time for constant &quot;very moist&quot; soil is over). Wait for the soil to dry out somewhat, then water until saturated.  This stimulates root growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it IS nutrient burn, then when you water, flush the soil (6x the container's size worth of water or more) to flush some of the readily-available nutrients away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is an issue seen with some organic starter mixes, especially since the move away from sphagnum. Too much organic material is ham-fisted into the mix, resulting in an overabundance of Nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck.  (It looks like over-transpiration to me, but I've never grown Marigolds so I won't give a &quot;it is absolutely THIS&quot; diagnosis.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T05:44:17.173" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24756" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-15T07:49:35.557" Score="3" ViewCount="64" Body="&lt;p&gt;When the ambient temperature is between 30 to 35 &amp;deg;C in summer, will lettuce seeds germinate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14620" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-17T18:54:58.010" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T18:56:08.187" Title="Will lettuce seeds germinate in summer?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24758" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-15T08:38:51.743" Score="1" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's happening to my herbs? I keep them in the garage with the growing lights and they were doing great until a few weeks ago when I started noticing the green powder all over the lids and the leaves looked like this. I have not seen any bugs around them.I'd appreciate any ideas.&#xA;Thanks.&#xA;here is the link to the photos I took&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/dZjrRjFNtiTg9ibp8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://goo.gl/photos/dZjrRjFNtiTg9ibp8&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14695" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T15:49:23.087" Title="GREEN POWDER FALLING FROM HYDROPONIC HERBS" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24759" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24763" CreationDate="2016-05-15T11:43:29.220" Score="6" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KqIWx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KqIWx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown blue flower tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks a bit like a lavender but it doesn't really have a scent (and it's a tree!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13870" LastEditorUserId="705" LastEditDate="2016-05-15T13:15:50.323" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T14:21:21.137" Title="What tree is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24760" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24752" CreationDate="2016-05-15T12:31:40.430" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There really are not many fruit trees that will tolerate wet feet. They may grow OK for awhile, but their lives are likely to be shortened by root rot. You might be able to grow Juneberries there. They're a small native tree with blueberry-like berries. They tolerate wet soil better than cultivated fruits. I'd plant the fig tree elsewhere if you want to grow one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T12:31:40.430" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24761" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24756" CreationDate="2016-05-15T13:38:38.080" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lettuce seeds show &quot;high-temperature inhibition&quot;, or, plainly put, won't germinate at temperatures over 85 &amp;deg;F / 30 &amp;deg;C. Considering the fact that they are native to the Mediterranean, that's a wise mechanism: summers tend to be dry there and the seeds would be at risk of drying quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While they will germinate between 40 and 85 &amp;deg;F /  5 and 30 &amp;deg;C, you will get the best results in the 55-70 &amp;deg;F / 12-21 &amp;deg;C range.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your nights are cool, sowing in the evening and shading / watering during the day might suffice; otherwise consider germinating them indoors, e.g. using the paper towel method or flats / trays, then transplanting them. Don't forget to harden them off, in this case not because of the temperature, but because of the sun, and choose heat-tolerant breeds or your lettuce will bolt and get bitter quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-17T18:56:08.187" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T18:56:08.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24758" CreationDate="2016-05-15T14:16:25.303" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see what look like aphids at the base of the plants, on the growing medium. Certainly, the torsion and distortion of the leaves (I'm assuming they're Basil, these herbs, hard to tell 100% because they're so distorted) would indicate a very heavy aphid infestation. Because they're edible plants, you can't use ordinary pesticides, so neem oil in a spray is probably best, but other options are also outlined in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-spray-plants-keep-bugs-away-basil-leaves-90744.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-spray-plants-keep-bugs-away-basil-leaves-90744.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T14:16:25.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24763" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24759" CreationDate="2016-05-15T14:21:21.137" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to be a Ceanothus - as to which variety, I can't tell from the photograph (because I can't see the leaves properly), except to say its one of the larger varieties - Ceanothus vary in height from around 5 feet up to around 20 feet, some are evergreen some are not, other varieties have larger, looser and paler blue flowers later in the year. If you'd like to add a close up photograph showing both a flower in detail and the leaves, it should be possible to refine the ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T14:21:21.137" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24764" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24758" CreationDate="2016-05-15T15:49:23.087" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There could be a bug issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looks to me like the plants are drowning.  My experience with hydroponics is limited, but that's the sort of curled, bulbous look leaves have when a plant is enduring over-transpiration (evaporating too much water from the leaves) coupled with too much water / too little oxygen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those plants are of a size where they can't just sit in un-aerated water.  I don't know if that's the case, but if it is, I'd suspect drowning before anything else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The green powder is a combination of two things. First, it's trichromes. Most plants have them, tomatoes in particular are well known for their powder. They're secretions from the plant and its hairs and perform many tasks, including pest control (to a degree) and moisture regulation.  Second, it's tiny bits of the outer layer of leaves flaking off as the inner layer dies underneath it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look to aeration and keep an eye out for pests. Don't automatically exclude cannabis-based websites from your searches on solutions for problems encountered with hydroponic growing - I don't grow it myself, but some of those stoners are absolute mad scientists in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T15:49:23.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24765" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18210" CreationDate="2016-05-15T16:16:40.760" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I know, Brown tips like that are caused by the oils from people or animals touching them. If you have animals, move them out of reach, and if you handle the leaves a lot, stop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14699" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T16:16:40.760" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24766" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24767" CreationDate="2016-05-15T17:03:28.353" Score="7" ViewCount="1293" Body="&lt;p&gt;At first, not knowing how it looks, I thought it is yellow poppy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But then seeing pictures of it I now know that it is something else. But what?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I especially like the flame-formed orange to yellow color gradient on the petals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Found in France on a meadow. It was quite wet during this spring and relatively warm as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KLNDM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KLNDM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T17:29:17.853" Title="What is the name of this plant orange/yellow flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24767" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24766" CreationDate="2016-05-15T17:20:47.817" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschscholzia_californica&quot;&gt;California poppy (&lt;em&gt;Eschscholzia californica&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main identifying characteristic is the single flower with four petals in yellow and orange. They come in various shades from a middle yellow to a deep orange, and can be single colored or have a gradation like in your photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are alternate on the stems, and are somewhat feathery with deeply divided leaflets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's native to the western US, but naturalizes easily in warm dry climates. It can be perennial if conditions suit it, and it reseeds itself well so even if it's in a climate where it grows as an annual, you can have a sustainable population. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-15T17:29:17.853" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T17:29:17.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24768" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-15T17:40:04.937" Score="3" ViewCount="445" Body="&lt;p&gt;We found this fungus and are not sure what it is. Any help is much appreciated; thank you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UKmhK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UKmhK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14700" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-15T22:57:01.993" LastActivityDate="2016-07-15T22:57:01.993" Title="What is this fungus?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-07-17T18:39:30.530" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24769" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24768" CreationDate="2016-05-15T18:10:27.097" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks very like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otidea_onotica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Otidea onotica&lt;/a&gt; commonly growing on wood mulch ; In France we call this &lt;em&gt;Hare's Ear&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;edit suggested by Stephi&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure it is that one, even if wikipedia pictures is a little too colored. Here's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/otidea-onotica.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;another place to confirm&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T07:11:37.380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T07:11:37.380" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24770" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24793" CreationDate="2016-05-15T18:59:12.717" Score="3" ViewCount="472" Body="&lt;p&gt;European Union wanders if its going to allow glyphosate to be used inside its frontiers...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/08/eu-vote-on-controversial-weedkiller-licence-postponed-glyphosate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;from the Guardian&lt;/a&gt;: If no new arrangement is found then the licence for glyphosate, a core ingredient in Monsanto’s $5bn-a-year Roundup brand, will expire at the end of June.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/2987554/european_parliament_votes_to_ban_most_uses_of_glyphosate.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; I read that the European Parliament adopted a resolution strongly opposing the Commission's proposal to reapprove the weedkiller glyphosate for use in Europe for 15 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This question is hugely controversial and there is so much money at stake! But if this product is discussed, it's must be based on some real ground that it's dangerous to use it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may guess where I want to go with this. But is there really a positive impact on the life and gardens of the many to use dangerous chemicals? Of course the very few benefit from it, and it could be very useful in some cases to uses powerful chemicals to feed us if we don't have any other choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question relates only to small Sunday Gardeners. Do we benefit in the end with the use of chemicals in our gardens? Or shall we only grow what grows easily? If mushrooms or &lt;em&gt;Aegopodium podagraria&lt;/em&gt; grow easier than rose in my garden, then what?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T11:50:50.783" Title="Should we use glyphosate (or other non-ecological chemicals) in our gardens?" Tags="&lt;organic&gt;&lt;chemicals&gt;&lt;ecological&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24771" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2016-05-15T19:03:08.533" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ecological farming is a way to do sustainable agriculture. Ecological farming is not same as organic farming, however there are many similarities and they are not necessarily incompatible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It includes all methods, including organic, which regenerate ecosystem services like: prevention of soil erosion, water infiltration and retention, carbon sequestration in the form of humus, and increased biodiversity. Many techniques are used including no till, multispecies cover crops, strip cropping, terrace cultivation, shelter belts, pasture cropping etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The chemical allowed in such production are strictly limited and controlled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T14:13:53.140" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T14:13:53.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24772" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2016-05-15T19:03:08.533" Score="0" Body="the branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, including other organisms" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-15T21:49:48.623" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T21:49:48.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24773" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24770" CreationDate="2016-05-15T19:48:38.737" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Glyphosate is a blanket herbicide. It's not used in gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weeds are controlled in gardens by proper tilling (very little), mulching (carbon for walkways, compost near plants), and pulling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No one with a lick of sense uses glyphosate anywhere near their roses.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.denverrosesociety.org/education/murder_by_roundup.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.denverrosesociety.org/education/murder_by_roundup.pdf&lt;/a&gt;  And the preparation for glyphosate to be used in vegetable gardens is so extensive, one could learn how to keep even a large garden relatively weed free without weed killer in half the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you see Goutweed growing in your rose garden, remove its root, identify how it got through your anti-weed measures, and carry on.  Mushrooms? Squash with your bootheel, stop overwatering your rose garden, and carry on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-herbicide in any way. I've had invasions of Grapevine, Trumpet Creeper, Virginia Creeper, and Ivy that all took less than a year to obliterate with undiluted triclopyr, a foam brush, sandwich bags, and zip ties. If I'd tried pulling them, I'd be doing it several hours a year for the rest of my life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But even the use of triclopyr was targeted. Cut-stump method on larger roots, baggied and zip tied the applications so there would be no runoff to healthy nearby trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not a question of whether or not weeds will grow easier in your garden than the things you want - they will.  But there are ways to make weed control easier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Most people over-till their soil.  There's no reason to till the whole thing. The only thing that accomplishes is giving weeds a great environment between your wanted plants. Hoe the 4 inches around your plants weekly and that's it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) Mulch. Toss down all manner of mulch between rows. For my perennials, I use shredded cedar. It's cheap, resistant to pests, looks fantastic and natural.  In my veggie gardens, I use shredded leaves from my &quot;I'm waiting for greens&quot; pile next to my compost pile. Pests that eat dead plant matter, for the most part, aren't going after the living plant matter.  The leaves aren't tilled into the soil so there's no nitrogen robbing during decomposition, and at the end of the season I can mix composted manure (cheap and N heavy&quot; with the leaves for some in-garden composting over the winter months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The area just around the plants gets fresh compost. Any weed root will have to compete with an established plant's, and any growing weed with the shade from the established plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If weeds get through, yank 'em.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A sunday gardener shouldn't be thinking about chemicals unless its pesticides for a specific pest they're having trouble with. They should never be thinking about herbicides unless its for sidewalk cracks or an invasive plant elsewhere in their yard (an invasive won't get a foothold in a garden with even basic attention paid to it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From experience, I can attest that herbicide isn't even something someone with a half-acre garden should ever have to worry about if they know how to garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm getting very long-winded because I don't want to come off harsh to anyone reading, but I guess the brutal truth of it is: if you have substantial weed problems in your garden, you need to learn how to garden. The problem isn't that you're not using the right chemicals, it's that you lack basic gardening knowledge.  Which is fine - no one comes out of the womb knowing these things. Google, youtube, stack exchange, and about a million blogs are here for you. It's a skill - it requires knowledge, practice, and failure to develop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T19:48:38.737" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24774" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24599" CreationDate="2016-05-15T20:06:38.230" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_vera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aloe vera&lt;/a&gt; is a succulent that has naturalized across the world from China to North and South America.  It &quot;requires well-drained, sandy potting soil and bright, sunny conditions&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a few &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=aloe&quot;&gt;questions&lt;/a&gt; here about &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/22266/is-this-aloe-vera-root-rot&quot;&gt;watering&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/14676/499&quot;&gt;soil mix&lt;/a&gt; that are relevant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant has root rot brought on by too much water in a soil that has too much organic matter for this kind of plant. It is possible to save it by starting an offset or cutting but unlikely as the rot is advanced. Seeing as they are commonly available why not try another in a soil with more grit/sand/perlite and a location with more light and less water&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T20:06:38.230" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24776" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2016-05-15T20:35:33.470" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_mite&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Spider mites&lt;/a&gt; are a very common pest for home and greenhouse plants.  Plants under stress or without a thick waxy cuticle are favourites. They can be seen with the naked eye and resemble grains of salt.  Control is possible with 5 ml dish soap mixed in one litre water.  Like many methods of controlling pests success is accomplished by repeating the treatment to get the next generation when they hatch. Three treatments at intervals of five to six days is usually sufficient.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other control methods include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hosing down with water daily for several weeks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;moving outside under shade and washing down with water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;chemical pesticides and systemics &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-15T20:35:33.470" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T20:35:33.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24777" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2016-05-15T20:35:33.470" Score="0" Body="Spider mites generally live on the undersides of leaves of plants where they can cause damage by puncturing the leaf to feed. They feed on several hundred species of plants." OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-15T20:35:33.470" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T20:35:33.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24778" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24779" CreationDate="2016-05-15T20:59:05.423" Score="6" ViewCount="9020" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/shrub/weigela--cardinal-shrub-/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;weigela&lt;/a&gt; bushes which have been healthy for at least five years. (That's how long we've lived here, so I can't say their exact age.) I don't know the specific variety, but it has variegated leaves and pink flowers.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Northeast United States, Zone 6 (−10 °F, −23.3 °C ), and they're quite hardy. They bloom for a month or so beginning in May, and again when the weather cools off in September or October.  The leaves remain beautiful for many months, often beyond the first frost. Twice a year, after the flowers drop, we prune them to maintain a shape and size we like. We leave the bottom leggy because it's a resting place for small birds we wouldn't otherwise see. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's currently mid-May, and one is becoming more lush and full of leaves each day, and budding on schedule. The other has many brown, brittle branches which appear to have died. Some look totally lifeless, while others are bare at the base and tip, but have some off-shoots in random mid-sections which have new foliage and the beginnings of buds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A close examination doesn't reveal any unusual growths or mold on the wood, although the picture on the bottom right does show some stripping on a section of an older branch. The new leaves are free of bite marks, curling, discoloration, or anything I generally associate with insects. There are no holes around the base, so I don't think chipmunks, squirrels or rabbits or our other usual visitors have been digging at the roots. There are some shriveled looking leaves in sections of the dead wood, but I'm pretty sure they're left over from last year, as that's common and happens to both plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bushes are a few feet apart in the same soil, which we don't treat with anything, especially pesticides. They experience the same weather conditions. The shape of the affected one hasn't been altered, and none of those branches have snapped beyond what we pruned. In fact, up until the other plant behaved as expected, we assumed they were both fine, just preparing for the spring. I waited before becoming concerned as I thought it might just be running behind the other in terms of timing. Sadly, though, I see no signs of life at all on the affected branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The brown sections are brittle and easy to break off, although I haven't done so, because I'm awaiting advice.  I've considered cutting off the totally unproductive branches and pruning back the others to the point of the new growth.  However, a friend told me the plant is using all its energy to produce growth in general, and those scattered sections may be doing more harm than good. Obviously I'm going to lose symmetry either way, although I suppose I could prune the other to match! My bigger concern is the future of the bush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should be my next course of action?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for larger size.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KNzn7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KNzn7m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Current healthy plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8K6vP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8K6vPm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sad sack&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mdnfL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mdnfLm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Side by side&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xQfdl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eYxsTm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Also side by side&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FwG5w.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FwG5wm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shoots with new growth&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kP8dA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kP8dAm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Section at base with stripped wood&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update as of August 2016, three months after the original post: We partially tough-loved it, meaning we cut down all the dead sections to the root level, and left the rest alone. It was lopsided and looked silly (still does because we haven't trimmed it), but it grew back already, and even has a flower! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6pPDVm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6pPDVm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Almost all better now!&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-28T19:00:23.270" LastActivityDate="2016-08-28T19:00:23.270" Title="How should I treat a weigela bush with a large section of dead branches?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;damage&gt;&lt;dead-branch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24778" CreationDate="2016-05-15T21:10:42.170" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If this plant still has a good root system and is not dying due to being water logged or root rot then the tough love approach works:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut everything back to the ground&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when new growth starts fertilize lightly once this year in the spring&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;there are numerous choices for fertilizer:&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/brewing-compost-tea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;compost tea&lt;/a&gt; for those who prefer the organic do it yourself approach&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;seaweed kelp compounds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a fertilizer with an N-P-K ratio of 20-20-20. I find the quoted application rates to be way too strong and there is discussion about commercial fertilizer depressing the activity of bacteria and other microfauna in the soil.  So I use this common fertilizer at half strength only where it is needed. After cutting down a plant a little bit more nitrogen will help it with new growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it does not come back you have lost nothing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T16:58:10.417" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T16:58:10.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24770" CreationDate="2016-05-15T23:12:21.937" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Using blanket herbicides disturbs the billions of bacteria, fungi and other organisms in the soil, and although they might kill the weed in question, they deplete the soil of the biological diversity and resilience needed to fight other pests and infections.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The same is seen when the human biome is disturbed by broad spectrum antibiotics, we can get pathogenic overgrowth of such bugs as Clostridium difficile, and when the gut recovers, there is less diversity present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil fungi etc produce antibiotics all the time to resist bacterial invasion, and herbicides also upset the fungal populations so that your plants are then liable to get other problems.  Glycosphate is also said to persist up to 2 years in soil adsorbed to clay particles, and can also affect micronutrient availability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, for the long term you're better off not using broad spectrum herbicides, and instead emulate how nature controls weeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-15T23:12:21.937" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24781" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-16T00:25:06.870" Score="2" ViewCount="1124" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I was a child we had a sun filled yard. We planted a number of trees for fun and over the years the trees have grown and crowded each other out. I'm looking for some advice on which one(s) to remove to make the yard more balanced and to grow some grass (currently we can't grow any grass and the soil has begun to erode). The pine tree in the middle (left) seems to be the heartiest, but also is blocking the most light because it is on the south side of the yard. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dDokm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dDokm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11239" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T00:59:58.353" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T21:06:23.587" Title="Which tree should we remove to allow more light into the yard" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24782" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-16T00:59:25.123" Score="1" ViewCount="798" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) that I had successfully grown indoor (tropical climate here) into a rather bushy tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really want it to have a more full tree shape, with a clear trunk and denser treetop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the proper way to achieve it is to prune all the branches lower than some midpoint and let the tree grow up by itself (always pruning any new branch lower than that point).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm just wondering if it is possible to take those pruned branches and graft them onto some higher branch, so I can get my full tree faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14705" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T04:31:01.813" Title="Prune a lower branch and graft it higher up" Tags="&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24783" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-16T01:36:42.360" Score="5" ViewCount="533" Body="&lt;p&gt;Poorly pruned cypress are abundant.  Is there any way to stimulate growth in the lower portions of an adult cypress?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14706" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T17:21:38.570" Title="Possible to force new growth in Monterey Cypress Tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24784" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-16T02:21:28.667" Score="2" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/91XsB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/91XsB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please help me identify this tree. I think it may be a box elder but I am not certain. Any thoughts or confirmation would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14707" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-19T22:16:22.520" LastActivityDate="2017-06-19T22:16:22.520" Title="Please help me identify this tree. Is it Box elder?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-12-02T03:11:54.990" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24785" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-16T03:47:53.557" Score="1" ViewCount="31" Body="&lt;p&gt;I water my plants daily, yet the chilly plat is drying off, all the leaves are almost dead, plz help me, all suggestions accepted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14708" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T03:47:53.557" Title="The leaves of my chilly plant is drying inspite of water in them daily" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-05-18T14:11:15.617" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24786" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24782" CreationDate="2016-05-16T04:31:01.813" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;My first piece of advice is that you should get used to the idea that some branches sole purpose is to hold foliage that make the trunk thicker or just help the tree from getting bigger. Once that purpose has been accomplished you should simply discard it - it is of no use any longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are, however, many circumstances in which the plant will not produce a new branch where you might want one to be. Grafting is the only way that you will ever get what you want, so you should give it a try (several times, actually - grafting success is mostly a matter of practice).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you seem to have in mind is a side graft. You would make an angling cut in the stem into which you will fit the branch you pruned (the scion). The challenges are that you much make the cambiums of both parts align and you must provide a humidity enclosure specifically around the scion's foliage so that it will not desiccate. For the graft to take, the cambiums must grow to produce a connected xylem (wood) that will supply water and minerals to the scion from the stock's (mother tree's) roots. This can take months to occur. Most frequently, a small plastic bag with a bit of damp sphagnum is closed around the scion stem, enclosing all the scion's foliage. Another way that can be used with conifers is to wrap the foliage in parafilm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The alternative method is approach or thread grafting. These methods have the advantage that the scion is either a long branch still attached to your ficus or is another young seedling that has its own roots. With thread grafting the thin stem (whether be an existing branch tip or a seedling stem) is threaded through a hole drilled in the trunk, just like threading a needle. This can only be done with a bare stem that can subsequently grow new leaves. In your case, you would carefully cut off the leaves, being careful not to damage the axillary bud at the base of each leaf petiole. Once threaded through the hole, the scion must be stabilized so it doesn't move which can be done by wedging tooth picks in the hole under the scion. Once the graft has taken, the scion is cut loose on the entry side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Approach grafting is similarly done, but instead one cuts a slot across the stock's stem into which the branch/stem is snugly fit and then secured with a zip tie, padded wire, or thumbtacks/nails. Again, as the scion grows it fuses with the stock which take months, and maybe more than one growing season, to happen. The reason for the ties/nails is that the growth of the scion cambium also tends to push the scion out of the groove. First carefully cutting away the bark and cambium, exposing the wood, on the side of the stem against the stock will ameliorate this, but may also accidentally kill the scion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, you could just try to root the branches you remove. In addition to just giving you more plants to work with, you can use rooted cuttings as scions for thread or approach grafts - you just need to secure the pot to the stock tree until the graft has taken. This way might be more rewarding as you will still have your live rooted cutting even if you've used it trying to make grafts that failed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T04:31:01.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24787" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-16T04:50:09.497" Score="5" ViewCount="176" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few grape vines that are growing out of control. I would like to prune them back but don't want to sacrifice fruit for this season. Any ideas of what I should do?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H1ikN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H1ikN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0dSRG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0dSRG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T01:38:55.140" Title="Taking care of grape vines" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24788" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33246" CreationDate="2016-05-16T06:33:17.987" Score="3" ViewCount="823" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard that &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stachys_affinis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Crosnes&lt;/a&gt; is a good crop to grow, and was wondering how to plant/grow it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-17T22:28:17.773" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T00:04:39.010" Title="How should I plant and grow Crosnes?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24789" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2016-05-16T06:34:31.853" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T06:34:31.853" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T06:34:31.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24790" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2016-05-16T06:34:31.853" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T06:34:31.853" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T06:34:31.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24791" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32936" CreationDate="2016-05-16T07:10:12.983" Score="3" ViewCount="144" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this mysterious plant in my back garden. Seems like it might be a tree, can anyone have any idea what it might be?&#xA;If it help, I live in eastern part of UK. Plant was always in a pot outside, and is around 2 years old.&#xA;I'm happy with answers  which gives me rough ideas what is that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N8QnD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N8QnD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/juNSD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/juNSD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;As requested I added close up on leaves.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/13BU7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/13BU7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14694" LastEditorUserId="14694" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T14:20:23.040" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T15:09:49.507" Title="Can anyone help me to identify this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24792" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24787" CreationDate="2016-05-16T07:24:56.497" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut any green shoots with no grapes, flowers or buds. New bunches won't appear at this stage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pluck all leaves growing &lt;em&gt;below&lt;/em&gt; the bunches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; cut woody branches until winter dormancy, as water loss from the wounds could kill the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastEditorDisplayName="user10810" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T07:31:05.140" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T07:31:05.140" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24793" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24770" CreationDate="2016-05-16T10:53:21.410" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll chip in my contribution here anyway, despite an answer being accepted, J. Chomel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roundup is a big issue - I haven't used it for 8 years once I found out its worse than glyphosate on its own, because of the other additives contained within it making it, in theory, 'more effective' but also far more toxic. In the early days, Roundup was marketed as 'bio degradable within 7 days' a claim which appeared on the label of the product. This had to be removed from the advertising and packaging within two years of its appearance, because it turned out not to be true at all.  I have used glyphosate concentrate occasionally, in particular as a treatment on ground elder, once or twice, after which it gets dug out, so no further use of the product is required. Even though I've been a professional gardener, I've had the same bottle of glyphosate concentrate for eight years, since stopping using Roundup, and it's only a 500ml bottle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's not clear to me from what I've read so far is whether the EU is particularly concerned about Roundup, or glyphosate in particular, everything I've seen so far appears to be conflating the two products, or mentioning one and the other as if they are interchangeable when they are not, and that I will do more research on for my own interest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most good gardeners I have known only use pesticides and herbicides when its essential, and then only sparingly, particularly in the UK. The problem with ordinary home gardening is the people who are not really gardeners, and who believe general routine applications of various chemicals is the way to go and will save them time, not really wanting to become 'gardeners' as such. Or worse, ignorance causing them to use more toxic substances in the false belief they are somehow less toxic than a bottle of chemical stuff - petrol, deisel, bleach or salt, for instance, which whilst they may represent no  threat to the human using it, will poison the soil for quite some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, all of this pales into insignificance when you look at agriculture - the biggest users of Roundup are agricultural crop growers, and particularly those who are growing GM crops (luckily for us, not in the UK, yet). Monsanto particularly created GM crops resistant to glyphosate, meaning growers could broadcast glyphosate on the crops on a regular basis, thereby killing the weeds but not the crop. This seems to me to involve questionable ethics, but this is probably not the place to have that conversation. And this agricultural use of glyphosate/roundup on a wide scale is why the EU is looking at not extending the licence for Roundup in particular, rather than home gardeners spraying the weeds occasionally. It will inevitably have a knock on effect on home gardeners, but here, there's nothing unusual about that, many weedkillers and fungicides particularly have been withdrawn - now, there is currently no effective chemical fungicide available to amateur gardeners in the UK, although I do not believe that is true in the USA, where pre-emergent weedkillers are still in use, along with some fungicides we can no longer use here. As a result of that, there has been a consequent growth in knowledge re the 'organic' method of dealing with fungal infection - milk treatments for both powdery mildew and black spot, for instance. Peat is now not available here and hasn't been for some years, and is restricted to a minimal percentage in commercial potting composts; that came about for the same reasons - use by agriculture and horticultural businesses rather than home users being the major problem. As far as I can tell, peat appears to be still freely available in the USA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are, clearly, times when a herbicide has to be used, on pernicious and persistent weeds - eradicating ground elder is next to impossible without use of a herbicide at some stage in the proceedings, but whether that herbicide has to be glyphosate is another matter - it doesn't, really, other herbicides are available, but glyphosate (as Roundup) was well marketed by Monsanto and has become the obvious and most well known choice for the average gardener, and the most freely available. I personally would applaud its withdrawal, but technically, it won't be a withdrawal - it will be a refusal to relicence the product for use within the EU, which means it will, presumably, still be freely available in the USA and other parts of the world.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To come back to the last sentence of your question, its a definite that Aegopodium will grow more easily than roses, and not only will it grow, it will spread as far and wide as it is able to without meeting a large, physical obstruction, or severely inhospitable conditions. If we want to cultivate certain plants in our gardens, then weeds do have to be dealt with; many can be hoed out or dug out or simply pulled out by hand, weed fabric and mulches will help, but Aegopodium, along with one or two other pernicious weeds, will require some chemical intervention along with the more traditional approach of digging out. Education and knowledge is key, because certain chemical treatments will always be required; knowing how much you need and exactly when, using whatever it is judiciously and rarely, rather than expecting to be able to manage certain things on a wing and prayer, or with a pile of mulch or many other 'alternative' methods isn't going to work for those rare occasions. To put it in perspective, if you have a cold, you don't need antibiotics, you need TLC - but if the cold develops into a serious pnuemonia, you probably do need antibiotics, even though the treatment will kill both good and bad bacteria in the body. There's always a price for everything, and the same principle applies in gardening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T11:50:50.783" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T11:50:50.783" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24794" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-16T13:30:08.727" Score="4" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lawn that is mostly shaded so I have purchased dense shade grass seed. However, there are parts that get mostly sunlight and little to no shade. If I used the dense shade seed on those areas will there be issues?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14005" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T02:35:28.987" Title="Will using dense shade grass seed in a non shaded area cause problems?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24795" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-16T14:05:03.157" Score="7" ViewCount="1232" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently I moved to a new house and there was a bonsai tree that seems to be very weak. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of bonsai tree is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sODQn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sODQn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14712" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T14:16:21.813" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T17:03:50.430" Title="What kind of small/bonsai-tree is this pictured one?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24796" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-16T15:04:04.170" Score="4" ViewCount="1608" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see more and more wood mulch along the roads, around houses, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DjHT6.png&quot; height=&quot;140&quot; alt=&quot;wood mulch mass&quot; &gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KiOyo.png&quot; height=&quot;140&quot; alt=&quot;guys spreading wood mulch along the road&quot; &gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GiXVT.png&quot; height=&quot;140&quot; alt=&quot;wood mulch around plants&quot; &gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At first thought it seemed a good thing to me, because it allows lots of life to grow around, while not releasing a lot of CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; into the air -- apart from burning fumes which can be horrible to neighbours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But are there disadvantages with this technique?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;First thing which I think might be wrong, is if a large pile produces methane while decomposing. The greenhouse impact would then be a concern.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Second, if I spread wood mulch around my salad greens in the garden, is it an issue for the edible properties of the little ones? Could it add too much sulphur to the soil for example? And would this make my vegetables inedible or toxic?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I heard it could also be harmful to germinating seeds. Is this remotely true?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there any other disadvantages you might think of?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T18:00:40.570" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T12:15:25.133" Title="What are the disadvantages of using wood mulch as a cover?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;toxicity&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24797" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24795" CreationDate="2016-05-16T15:29:55.960" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;My first reflex was &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassula_ovata&quot;&gt;Crassula ovata&lt;/a&gt;, aka. jade plant or money tree, but after taking a closer look, I now id it as &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulacaria_afra&quot;&gt;Portulacaria afra&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, the &lt;strong&gt;dwarf jade plant&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both are succulent plants from southern Africa, looking quite similar on a first glance and both are popular bonsai plants. But the Crassula ovata has egg-shaped leaves , the Portulacaria afra more round to heart-shaped ones. Also, the latter tends to have more &quot;ribbed&quot; stems while the former is smooth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T17:03:50.430" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T17:03:50.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24798" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24795" CreationDate="2016-05-16T15:33:24.680" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears much like a dwarf jade plant (Portulacaria afra); thick ovular leafs, segmented trunk and stems are all very jade-like. Portulacaria afra is a tropical plant that can and often is grown indoors. It can be propagated by simply breaking off a leaf and sticking it into damp soil. Crassula, known commonly as 'jade' tends to make thicker stems than the photographed plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T15:33:24.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24799" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5108" CreationDate="2016-05-16T15:40:21.757" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I was growing up on the farm, we used a long-curve-handled scythe for lots of weeding, but it was used by my great-grandparents for harvesting oats, barley, wheat, and wild hay before they could afford a horsedrawn reaper-binder. You can clear an acre of straight-standing weeds or grain in three hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For smaller jobs, use a hand-held curved sickle,  if you can find one.  I could not get one in my city hardware store, but I did get a hand-held one with a straight cutting head.  I use it for weed control along a trail and creek.  It is as fast or faster than an electric weed whip in lots of applications, with the benefits of no electrical/gas cost, noise, nuisance, or pollution, and it keeps one's arm in shape, with good, fluid exercise once you get into the swing of things (in the sense in which this phrase originated). Once you get into a rythm and your body is toned for it, you can scythe or sickle for hours with only a few stops to rest or mop your brow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14714" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T15:40:21.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24781" CreationDate="2016-05-16T15:43:13.547" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're so cute when they are small...and then they get big.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I'd cut any pine/evergreen if you are looking for light and grass. While you could have it limbed into a pom-pom/lollypop to let more light in, it's not a good look for them, and they are otherwise more-incompatible with those goals than other types of trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you didn't specifically want grass, but just to have green cover and stop eroding, myrtle or pachysandra can do well under pines (and other trees) but don't take traffic too well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reducing the other trees to more of a single-stem form (as opposed to the &quot;grown in the open&quot; bush/multistem form epitomized by the leftmost tree) and removing lower branches would be a large start on letting more light in, but may also be expensive to have done in such tight quarters (looking at &quot;narrow strip&quot; nature of the yard and neighboring fences.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-05-17T21:06:23.587" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T21:06:23.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24801" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24815" CreationDate="2016-05-16T15:50:15.833" Score="2" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an apple tree that is developing a lot of branches close together after it lost half its height due to a deer attack. As the tree grows taller again, will the new branches eventually grow with more space between them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T18:05:35.240" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T05:06:48.393" Title="Will branches on my damaged apple tree grow farther apart from each other as it gets taller?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;branches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24802" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24781" CreationDate="2016-05-16T16:14:09.603" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know what the broadleaf, deciduous tree on the right actually is, can't tell from the pic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wanted to create a proper garden and have some good grass, and you were in the UK and I'd been called to do a redesign, from what I can see just in the photograph, I'm afraid I'd unhesitatingly propose removing all the trees, with the possible exception of the one in the foreground on the right (depending what it is). I'd replace one, two or three trees with something a bit more decorative and generally smaller than what's there, and add other planting. But then you're not in the UK and you're not asking for a redesign. Even so, removing one or two on the left (south side) would seem to be appropriate in order to grow any grass at all, and lessen the general 'untended forest' appearance of the area. The trees on the right will have been deprived of good light levels simply by the proximity and height of the evergreen trees on the left - if you took out the ones on the left, you can expect more vigorous growth on the remaining trees. Which might or might not be a good thing, again, depending what they are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T17:36:02.417" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T17:36:02.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24796" CreationDate="2016-05-16T17:31:57.350" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It rather depends what you mean by 'wood mulch'. Bark chips are not the same thing as wood mulch, for one thing, and they are more commonly used as mulch. If its fresh wood mulch, which wood it came from is important - whether its been through a chipper and was once a tree, what variety of tree it was, whether fresh wood chippings have been composted for a few months first before use, and which plants they're going to be spread around, all these things make a difference. Fresh wood chippings (which are essentially cellulose) from a felled tree, if spread on planted ground, will, at the very least, deprive the plants growing in that area of nitrogen for a while, since the bacteria responsible for breaking down the wood require nitrogen to function, so they rob it from the soil, leaving a shortage for plants. This can be addressed by applying nitrogen before applying the wood chips though, and over time, the nitrogen deficiency corrects itself without intervention, as the wood chippings decompose, so on unplanted areas, it doesn't cause a problem. Wood chippings from treated woods should not be used for horticultural purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding whether wood chips are harmful to seeds, again, its down to the wood used, and the size of the chippings - smaller seeds may find it difficult to grow through a 3 inch thick layer of chunky, raw wood chips for one thing, but I wouldn't recommend wood chips being used where seeds have been planted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the subject of methane gas, a large pile of wood chips may well produce methane gas because it'll become anaerobic if its not turned regularly, and that leads to methane production. Regularly turning or stirring the pile will prevent that happening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's quite a lot of information in the link below - much of it applies to trees, and the information is American based, but the general principles are outlined, with some detail regarding various compositions of wood mulch and their possible negative/positive effects on plants. With regard to your salad garden, I wouldn't recommend wood mulch for an area like that - its best use is in areas planted with trees or shrubs, where regular digging and replanting doesn't take place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://grounds-mag.com/mag/grounds_maintenance_mulching_basics_covered/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://grounds-mag.com/mag/grounds_maintenance_mulching_basics_covered/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-16T17:45:00.133" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T17:45:00.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5108" CreationDate="2016-05-16T18:41:41.153" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A goat. I knew a guy who never mowed his lawn, just let sheep or goats onto it for short periods of time. It always looked nice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T18:41:41.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24806" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19359" CreationDate="2016-05-16T18:58:22.157" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted sprouting seeds from our lemon tree about four years ago.  I kept one and gave the other one to a friend.  My tree is now about 8 ft. tall and is planted in our back yard.  No fruit as yet but I'm hoping to see some blooms soon!  The tree I gave to my friend is also doing well but like mine ...no blooms yet.  The tree we have in the front yard that I got the seeds from gives us fruit you wouldn't believe!  Lemons bigger than grapefruit that makes the best lemonade ever!  We live in Arizona so the trees get plenty of sunshine.  We also have orange trees in the back yard so maybe when my lemon tree starts to bear fruit I'll get lemoranges!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14717" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T18:58:22.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23725" CreationDate="2016-05-16T19:08:52.163" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had my gardener cut off the abnormal growth and the plant seems to be doing fine over the last month.  No new growth detected on the plant so far.  Much simpler option rather than to remove the plant or move it elsewhere&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T19:08:52.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24796" CreationDate="2016-05-16T23:42:23.523" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thesoilguy.com/SG/RegeneratingSoilsWithRamialTwigWood&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;paper&lt;/a&gt; recommends the  use of ramial chipped wood ( RCW ) as a way of soil regeneration.  The wood is taken from branches less then 7 cm in diameter, with dead leaves and chipped, and then incorporated into the soil.  You should avoid the use of conifers, and use hardwood branches instead.  Humus made from hardwood RCW can last over 1000 years, whereas humus made from herbaceous plants is short lived.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If using as a mulch, instead of mixing it in with the first 5 cm of soil, then you don't have to worry so much about nitrogen theft since the decomposition of wood is mainly by fungi and not bacteria.  And since it's lying on the surface, it can't steal nitrogen from inside the soil.  It may end up mixed anyway so it may have the same soil amendment effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since it's used to suppress growth of plants, you need to plant established seedlings if using it as a mulch.  However, I'm not aware of any draw backs using it as a mulch apart from providing a place for insects to live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-16T23:42:23.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24811" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24820" CreationDate="2016-05-17T01:56:52.930" Score="0" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;Will a rhubarb stalk that got attacked by the lawnmower heal itself, or is it better to pick it, and feed it to the animals?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T10:49:46.447" Title="Should I pick the rhubarb that was attacked by the lawnmower?" Tags="&lt;rhubarb&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24812" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24813" CreationDate="2016-05-17T02:27:54.427" Score="4" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;We uncovered this old neglected Rose bush after starting to clear the back garden which had been overgrown in field bindweed, and wandering Jew.  It has a diameter of 10 cm so a bit larger then the other Rose bush I have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/bxoT68q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Rose bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to build a shed at this site. Can I move the Rose at all to another site in the garden? The shed will be 1 m off the ground so I could leave it there but it would be largely shaded.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T02:52:22.587" Title="Moving an old Rose bush" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24812" CreationDate="2016-05-17T02:52:22.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like the top has already been severely pruned, so the inevitable root damage should be balanced out - go ahead and move it, I say. If you know someone with an excavator, it might be the easier way to go about that...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T02:52:22.587" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24814" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24818" CreationDate="2016-05-17T04:39:17.307" Score="2" ViewCount="134" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have access to about 3 5 gallon buckets per week for my 150 foot personal garden, how should I spread it on the garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's going to be over my sunchoke patch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-05-17T05:19:25.490" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T10:10:13.000" Title="What is the proper way to spread used coffee grounds?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24815" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24801" CreationDate="2016-05-17T05:06:48.393" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, they will not. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees get taller by the extension of growth at the branch tips. The trunk and  branches will get thicker, but they do not move. If you have a tree with a branch 4 feet from the ground, say, the center line of that branch will forever be 4 feet from the ground. In time it will become thicker, but it does not move.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The knot of branches you have now will rapidly turn into a big ugly knob. As each branch gets thicker they will fuse together making this knob bigger. You can, of course, prune the ends to steer their future growth into whatever directions you might wish, but this won't change where they now join the tree. So, if you do nothing, a big ugly knob with a spray of branches emerging from it will become the prominent feature of your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to choose two or three branches you want to keep and selectively remove all the others. If you do this immediately, the tree will likely grow into the attractive tree you want and you won't be able to tell this ever happened. The longer you delay the more difficult it will be to accomplish and the less likely it becomes that the result will be pleasing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T05:06:48.393" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24816" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24783" CreationDate="2016-05-17T05:23:08.777" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In bonsai, Monterey cypress are treated similarly to junipers. So, yes, you can grow new branches, but it is a many years long process and hit or miss about getting a bud where you want it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively you/one could graft on a branch (or branches) just where you want it (or them). Even though this is faster than generating a branch from a bud, it is a several year long process - skill, some luck, and lots of patience are required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T05:23:08.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24817" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24814" CreationDate="2016-05-17T06:21:18.133" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;To grow sunchokes you should have well composted material in the ground before planting.  Adding cooked organic material to the soil surface as coffee grounds is not a very efficient way of composting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T06:21:18.133" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24814" CreationDate="2016-05-17T10:10:13.000" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You shouldn't spread that much on the garden around or over anything. The best use of coffee grounds is in the compost pile or heap, and even then, only a maximum of 20% coffee grounds in ratio to other ingredients of the heap, preferably less. If you want to put some straight onto soil, a very thin layer with, if possible, wood chips or other organic mulch on top would be okay - a thick layer of coffee grounds on its own may well 'bond' together and create an impermeable 'waterproof' layer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T10:10:13.000" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24819" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24787" CreationDate="2016-05-17T10:40:14.163" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just cut long branches, e.g. to the 7 or eight leaves. This is a usual summer pruning work on commercial vineyards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Only leaves near a grape will help the grape, and the flowers/grapes after the first series (sort dependent, usually after the fourth leaf) will not ripen (and the grapes are usually small).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-05-20T01:38:55.140" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T01:38:55.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24811" CreationDate="2016-05-17T10:43:32.307" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends how bad the damage is - it may form a callous, a woody area you won't want to eat anyway. Leave it, pick it, up to you, but if you're feeding anything with it, don't give the leaf, its toxic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-17T10:49:46.447" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T10:49:46.447" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24821" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-17T15:39:53.290" Score="1" ViewCount="34" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lot of cheap compost available from my local landfill, but I would like to create a fungi dominated compost tea to apply to my perennials. Is it possible to create such a tea by using a lower pH water when brewing the tea? It's my understanding that fungi dominated soils are lower pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6856" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-18T17:37:05.403" LastActivityDate="2017-03-18T17:37:05.403" Title="Can I create a fungi dominant compost tea by brewing it in lower pH water?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;compost-tea&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24822" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="306" CreationDate="2016-05-17T15:46:54.090" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Compost is created when bacteria and fungi break down the organic material, so when you have a finished batch of compost, you have a huge amount of these soil microbes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From reading &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://amzn.com/B008K8HACU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Teaming with Microbes&lt;/a&gt;&quot; I learned that plants are greatly dependent on soil bacteria and fungi for protection from pathogens and for nutrients.  The idea behind compost tea is all about distilling out the microbes so you can apply the microbes directly to the plants to boost their health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6856" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T15:46:54.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24783" CreationDate="2016-05-17T16:46:44.827" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;With evergreens, Yews and Hemlocks are fair/poor at generating new growth from old wood, and almost everything else doesn't (except in rare cases when the stars align).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the bright side, Cypress often lose their lower branches for a variety of natural reasons, including lack of wind resistance or animal presence. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G9ysE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G9ysE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;http://i.imgur.com/yAKS6b3.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, probably the most famous Monterey Cypress is &quot;The Lone Cypress&quot; in Monterey, CA &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/S3DUr9A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/S3DUr9A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;monterey cyrpress&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; also with no lower branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps you should allow it to generate some vegetation and see what you can work with. Here's an example of a top heavy Monterey Cypress bonsai that I think is stunning: &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4g1Pr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4g1Pr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Monterey Cypress&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-17T17:21:38.570" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T17:21:38.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24824" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24837" CreationDate="2016-05-17T17:27:19.193" Score="2" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard that you can mold coffee grounds into any shape you want, so I was wondering how would I want to mold coffee grounds into edging for a water collection basin to keep all the water for everything I plant inside the garden (think like a seasonal sand castle of coffee grounds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is doing something like this even a good idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T02:42:48.753" Title="Is there a good way to make a coffee ground water collection barrier?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24825" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24781" CreationDate="2016-05-17T17:28:11.667" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Keep the trees, you have everything you need for a green lawn right there!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looks like you have a healthy dose of beautiful moss already growing.  All that's needed to &quot;moss up&quot; the other area is a little raking, and some transplanting to hasten the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The moss will spread to bare soil, but it's not invasive. For transplanting, take a patch from the established moss, about 2&quot;x2&quot;.  In the new area, tamp down the soil, then lightly rough up the surface. Next, lightly brush away clumps of soil from the bottom of the moss patch.  Mist both areas, then press the moss very firmly into place (you can step on it gently, but don't mash it in too hard). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The moss will spread, transplanting helps, and for even more help you can purchase a 25sqft grab bag of moss online fairly cheap (a lot cheaper than having a tree removed) and/or gather moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gathering: moss is part of the ecosystem, so be gentle. Taking a 2&quot;x2&quot; patch from a 1sqft patch is fine, and in a deadwood-heavy forest you can take a small portion of moss-covered bark from deadwood or even some moss-covered fallen branches.  Filling a 1-gallon ziplock on a short walk is easy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best part is what you can do b/c you don't have to mow the area. I mean, not mowing is okay (I actually don't mind mowing), but because there's no danger from the mower, you can put shade-loving plants/ferns wherever you like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's also a variety of shade-loving groundcovers you could install.  I'm a moss hound, so that's the first place I go, but those others would work as well.  I had a batch of &quot;shade-tolerant&quot; grass fail on me once, and that - coupled with many folks telling me that there are no &quot;shade-loving&quot; grasses - got me to moss, which has developed into a full-fledged obsession.  I'm not proposing you get addicted, but it IS an option and it's a wonderful one, imo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T17:28:11.667" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24826" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24756" CreationDate="2016-05-17T18:53:44.107" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You also have the option to germinate the seeds indoors assuming temperatures will be much cooler and conducive to lettuce seed germination.  You can then transplant them outdoors.  In my case I do that to avoid cold temperatures that may prevent germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T18:53:44.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24827" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-17T19:28:43.797" Score="1" ViewCount="550" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing an Avocado tree.  I was told that the tree needs to be cut back.  However, I am afraid of damaging it.  My question is whether cutting back is recommended and how do I do this without damaging the tree&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14724" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-05-17T19:35:35.357" LastActivityDate="2016-11-22T20:20:09.090" Title="Cutting back Avocado trees" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24701" CreationDate="2016-05-17T20:07:58.370" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am going to go with my first impression...GARDENIA...not at all sure of the variety.  Most of the pictures even looked like the nitrogen deficiency inherent in Gardenia leaves.&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=gardenia&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1067&amp;amp;bih=533&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjzjqXy8-HMAhUJnJQKHfuNB34QiR4IqQE&amp;amp;dpr=1.5http://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gardenia pictures&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T20:07:58.370" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24829" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-17T20:17:45.363" Score="3" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to convert this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5G7D8m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5G7D8m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;basic retaining wall&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To look like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/geviHm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/geviHm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;vegitable wall&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a few thing I need to know:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How far should I space the bricks?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How far should I space the rows?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do I hold the soil back?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What would be acceptable wall growing plants?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What would be ideal spacing for a landscaping wall?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-05-17T20:40:45.917" LastActivityDate="2017-09-23T22:31:54.460" Title="Is there a good way to seed perennial vegetables between landscape bricks?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24830" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24824" CreationDate="2016-05-17T20:29:30.947" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gosh, coffee grounds have 2% nitrogen and a bit of potassium.  NOT readily available for quite awhile to plants or soil micro/macro organisms until processed by the 'decomposers'...great for organic matter for ACID LOVING plants and the soil but to use coffee grounds for fertilizer is kinda lame.  I would only use coffee grounds in a large outdoor garden to thinly spread around...blueberries for instance would love this addition, your lawn would NOT.  Otherwise they are fine in your compost pile.  To rely on grounds for fertilizer or soil ammendment is not a good idea. Decomposed organic matter is far better to pile on top of your soil. Decomposed is the main word here! Lots of plants love acidic (low pH conditions) but there are other plants that need slightly alkaline such as grasses and cannabis (grins).  Far better to test pH with a real soil test from your cooperative extension service (nearest university),  know your specific plant needs and rely on decomposed organic mulch (tilled into new garden soils or put on top of the beds...the organisms in the soil come up and eat the decomposed organic matter, go back into the soil profile to poop it out aerating and mixing organic matter into your soils)...using coffee grounds as a 'structure' is a waste of time sweetie.  The magic in a garden is knowing as much as you can about botany, soils, waters and specific needs of each plant.  Planting plants that have the same needs together for instance is proof of one's gardening know hows. Find those organic fertilizers that add bacteria and mychorrhizae and are slow release.  Worth every penny...instead of using synthetic fast fertilizers.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T20:29:30.947" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24831" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24781" CreationDate="2016-05-17T20:59:43.803" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd get rid of the front left tree in the picture. Might not give you more light than getting rid of one of the others, but it will make your yard look and feel more open.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14641" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T20:59:43.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24832" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24835" CreationDate="2016-05-17T22:44:06.037" Score="3" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every now and then I come across an answer here that suggests &quot;adding a bit of compost&quot; to a plant - eg. for example to help it bounce back from an injury.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm composting using a bokashi bin in my kitchen which, when full, has its contents buried in a hole in the backyard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this considered compost at the stage of burying? Or should it be left in the ground and then dug up after a certain time (how long?) before it could be safely added to a plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14050" LastActivityDate="2020-06-07T07:55:07.290" Title="When can bokashi be considered &quot;compost&quot;?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24833" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24824" CreationDate="2016-05-17T22:49:28.573" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can form firelogs from coffee grounds with wax, sugar, molasses.  See this instructable &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-FireLog/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  It mentions other recipes but it sounds like a lot of work for little gain. But you'll end up with logs, or other shapes, that might withstand the weather and water for a while to do what you want to do with them.  And since you have heaps of coffee grounds, you can keep making them when they fall apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-17T22:49:28.573" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24834" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14241" CreationDate="2016-05-18T00:04:21.017" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Comfrey, nettles and kelp are all you need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once or twice a season let the crops get a douse of sea water for good trace elements. In the fall bury fish in the garden beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Old timers used this with excellent effect&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14728" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-18T14:07:44.303" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T14:07:44.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24835" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24832" CreationDate="2016-05-18T00:08:05.080" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bokashi is food that has been pickled by the use of Effective Microrganisms in an anaerobic process.  This purportedly makes it unattractive to animals when buried ( though I've had animals dig up my bokashi ).  When mixed in with a normal compost pile, or buried in the ground, it undergoes normal decomposition much faster than if just buried/composted fresh, taking a few weeks rather than months.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd dig it up once it looks like regular compost if you want to redistribute it in your garden.  But I regularly dig in my Bokashi at the bottom of a hole, add a soil layer on top of the Bokashi, and then plant something on top of that, and I've had great results.  I grew my corn, zucchinis, and now my garlic that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="705" LastEditDate="2020-06-07T07:55:07.290" LastActivityDate="2020-06-07T07:55:07.290" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="24836" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24841" CreationDate="2016-05-18T01:25:44.653" Score="4" ViewCount="64" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I planted one already flowering lily plant, in north eastern North Dakota. This year in its spot lots of shoots are coming up but there seems to be 4 different types of shoots coming up. Can someone please explain this to me?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HlTdP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HlTdP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lilies&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fMsv0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fMsv0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lilies2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Follow up, not sure how it happen but the lilies grew into 3 different colors&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OTmt7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OTmt7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3colors&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14729" LastEditorUserId="14729" LastEditDate="2016-07-02T17:07:12.970" LastActivityDate="2016-07-02T17:07:12.970" Title="Different kinds of shoots" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24837" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24824" CreationDate="2016-05-18T02:42:48.753" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;To answer your questions: No, there, is no good way to make a coffee ground water collection barrier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can certainly mold damp coffee grounds into any shape you like, and then you can watch them fall apart when they get wet - or dry. Not much use for water collection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No, &quot;something like this&quot; does not appear to be a particularly good idea. Coffee grounds can be useful in the garden, but not as a construction material in the garden. Compost them, as already advised.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The closest I can even think of &quot;working&quot; would be the &quot;mushroom foam&quot; approach from  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ecovativedesign.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ecovativedesign.com&lt;/a&gt; but that is based around materials with more cellulose, and I don't think it will hold up well to garden conditions, water, and weathering - but you can evidently get a bag of their stuff and try it out, if you like (not affiliated, had heard of their product sometime in the past year and looked up the site.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can get things that have been &quot;molded&quot; out of cow manure, too - they also break down in the rain, but they hold together a bit better than coffee grounds (so I hear - spending money for molded cow manure has never seemed like a great idea to me, but evidently some folks like to do that.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T02:42:48.753" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24838" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-18T02:54:06.800" Score="6" ViewCount="161" Body="&lt;p&gt;i have 4 large zucchini plants. 3 of them are growing beautifully so far this year, however im having issues with 1.  all the leaves are dark green, large, and look healthy- except for new growth leaves which are yellowed &amp;amp; deformed. the fruits are not setting, even with hand polination. the flower buds are all small, deformed, and show a blackish-dark brown hue around the edges. some flowers have almost no petals, but most flowers fail to grow at all as they have that same black tipped look- they just shrivel up and die before they get any larger than the size of a pinky fingernail. the one fruit that did grow earlier on, was 15&quot; long, but uunfortunately grew in the shape of a large letter &quot;c&quot;. it was fat and bulged at the ends and thin through the middle. i suspect the issue may be due to japanese grub beetles deep in the soil, likely eating the roots, however thats just a guess. any help is appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14730" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T11:57:52.783" Title="zucchini plant issues- fruit not setting, blossom buds black tipped &amp; small" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24839" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24840" CreationDate="2016-05-18T04:06:28.277" Score="1" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard of compost tea from John Kohler, and have an excess of swamp water at home, but can't exactly transport much of it well to the community garden, so I was wondering if I could make &quot;bog coffee&quot; from table scraps, coffee, and water I've let sit for at least a day to evaporate chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T06:49:32.700" Title="Is there a way to make &quot;swamp coffee&quot; with kitchen waste?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24840" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24839" CreationDate="2016-05-18T06:49:32.700" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The idea of compost or manure &quot;tea&quot; is to extract the nutritients from the compost into the water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those nutritients were made available in the compost by various life forms from worms to bacteria and fungi &lt;em&gt;digesting the scraps and &quot;pooping out&quot; the broken down materials&lt;/em&gt;. That's the  definition of &quot;composting&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you steep kitchen scraps in water, you will get some kind of &quot;soup&quot;, but not the nutrition-rich compost tea you are looking for - simply because you didn't compost them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T06:49:32.700" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24841" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24836" CreationDate="2016-05-18T10:11:31.363" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lilies are bulbs and can &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/chiwonlee/plsc368/student/papers02/mwebster/easterlily.html&quot;&gt;propagate from just one plant&lt;/a&gt; by growing bulbils, bulblets or &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=101&quot;&gt;offsets&lt;/a&gt;. Offsets grow near the parent in the ground and take a few years to flower.  Leaves are normally the same colour but shorter. Depending on species the juvenile leaves can have a slightly different shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen the same thing you have observed in purchased bulbs in the second season or after major trauma like a chipmunk digging up the parent.  If the parent puts everything into flowering the next year the parent may not flower but it will have a lot of offsets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No action is necessary, sit back and wait and you will have more lilies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T10:11:31.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24838" CreationDate="2016-05-18T11:57:52.783" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You haven't said whether all four zucchini plants are growing in the same area, or whether they're in separate areas of the garden, but, if you can find no evidence of aphids or spider mites (webbing under the leaves, usually), or if the leaves are actually patchy or mottled yellow rather than all yellow (which would suggest viral infection), I recommend you dig up that particular plant and dispose of it away from the growing area. It would be useful to inspect the soil around and beneath its roots once you've dug it out to confirm or deny your suspicion about larvae affecting the roots, but given you've got three healthy zucchini growing, I'm not sure its worth risking those in case what's wrong with this one starts to affect them as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information regarding zucchini problems here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.harvesttotable.com/2009/06/zucchini_growing_problems_trou/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.harvesttotable.com/2009/06/zucchini_growing_problems_trou/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T11:57:52.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24843" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24850" CreationDate="2016-05-18T12:00:13.637" Score="5" ViewCount="611" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can get some satisfaction out of a freshly weeded bed of veggies, but weeding paths is just a chore.  So I'm looking around for a good solution.  I don't mind investing some time and effort, as long as the pay off is worth it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My current thought is digging down a few inches, laying down some cardboard, pinning down some landscaping fabric, and putting a few inches of wood chips on top of that (I think I can find free wood chips from local logging operations).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is that overkill?  should I skip the fabric?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;how long can I expect this to last?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;would this be as weed free as I'm hoping?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And of course if you have a faster, easier, effective approach, I'd love to hear it.  Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T14:49:54.967" Title="Most durable approach to preventing weeds in garden paths?" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;landscape-fabric&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24844" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2016-05-18T12:06:36.843" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Landscaping fabric is a ground-covering layer designed to reduce or stop the growth of weeds.  May be used in conjunction with pebbles or mulch.  Also known as weed mat or weed barrier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11559" LastEditorUserId="11559" LastEditDate="2017-06-13T16:06:47.330" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T16:06:47.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24845" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2016-05-18T12:06:36.843" Score="0" Body="Ground-covering layer designed to reduce or stop the growth of weeds.  May be used in conjunction with pebbles or mulch.  Also known as weed mat or weed barrier." OwnerUserId="11559" LastEditorUserId="11559" LastEditDate="2017-06-13T16:06:39.007" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T16:06:39.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24846" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24843" CreationDate="2016-05-18T12:09:55.187" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Skip the cardboard - it'll rot down very quickly and won't provide any stability for such an area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many people who have vegetable gardens simply lay fresh chipped wood or whole branch cuttings onto 'paths' or areas intended for walking on between beds. These sort of layers are not always easy to walk along, particularly when you stop to cultivate or tend an area, and can be a trip hazard. Putting weed fabric beneath bark chips or smaller wooden chips will stop most weeds from growing through the layer, but there is still some possibility of things germinating in the top layer of chippings or bark over time, and it will need topping up annually. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Laying the weed fabric is best done on compacted soil, so that it doesn't simply get trodden in and become lumpy and uneven over time, so best done on an undug, uncultivated part. It will, though, significantly reduce the amount of weeding you have to do on pathway areas, certainly for the first year. The hardest thing is preventing the chippings sliding off the membrane onto the beds themselves, particularly as you're walking over them, so inserting some sort of edging will help prevent that happening (log roll I've seen used, or sometimes a roll of green plastic edging, if you can find one deep enough). Serious veggie growers eventually tend to lay a true path, constructed from concrete beneath with slabs or bricks on top, pointed between, but this does not allow for changing planting area sizes because obviously, its a permanent fix. Well, until the pointing needs redoing, because once that starts to deteriorate, things germinate in the cracks between!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T12:09:55.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24847" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24849" CreationDate="2016-05-18T13:41:19.373" Score="5" ViewCount="6273" Body="&lt;p&gt;How does beetroot look when it is ready to harvest?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long can it stay in the soil after that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14731" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-18T14:07:00.863" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T01:42:03.610" Title="How will I know when beetroot is ready to harvest?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;beetroot&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24848" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24679" CreationDate="2016-05-18T13:46:55.737" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Coffee grounds are good to use as mulch or fertiliser. I am not sure if you have them in the form of grounds or beans though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a helpful article: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/coffee-grounds-gardening.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/coffee-grounds-gardening.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14731" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T13:46:55.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24849" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24847" CreationDate="2016-05-18T13:56:17.567" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A full-sized beet is about 2-3&quot; in diameter. Generally, the top of the root is visible above the soil, and you can guesstimate the root's size based on what you can see. It is OK to pick them smaller, too - some people prefer 'baby beets' to full sized ones. I wouldn't let them grow much larger than 3&quot;, though, unless you are growing a variety that is advertised as an extra-large variety. Beets left in the ground too long become woody inside and aren't pleasant to eat. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T13:56:17.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24850" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24843" CreationDate="2016-05-18T14:49:54.967" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Personally, I have tried weed fabric/landscape fabric and I now have a seething hatred of the stuff. YMMV. As the wood chips  (or whatever is on top of it) break down, weeds start to germinate &lt;strong&gt;above&lt;/strong&gt; the fabric, while the fabric interferes with normal processes in the soil. I consider it worse than useless in the long term.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Given the age of your garden&lt;/strong&gt;, I'd suggest just adding woodchips (or newspapers under woodchips) to what you have (not going to the effort of digging out right now), and running a lawnmower over them if your paths are wide enough for a lawnmower, or a hoe through them if not, because &lt;strong&gt;I'd bet you have not arrived at your final path/bed layout&lt;/strong&gt; yet - &lt;em&gt;voice of experience...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you are sure you've arrived at a long-term layout, if woodchips are easily available to you, a simple 4-6 inches of them makes a pretty weed-free (and easily weeded, if need be) path that can be maintained by adding an inch or so of fresh chips yearly, and which does not have an annoying plastic layer lurking under the surface. I'm unclear how Bamboo finds them a potential trip hazard, for anything I'd call chips, rather than chunks. I find that they make a nice smooth path, and you can roll them if you like. The best way to keep the chips on the path is to keep the path lower than the beds - and  little chip migration at bed edges is not a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other approaches include turf (do size for a lawnmower, and consider edging (the process) if that's not something you consider by default - virtually all the British gardens I've visited edge/trim turf edges, it seems a far less popular concept in the US), thyme-turf and chamomile-turf, stone slabs with thyme in the joints, concrete, etc. - in my garden, the introduced european fire ants make hard surfaces a dubious proposition, as they like to set up housekeeping under them (and are both very annoying and hard to kill.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T14:49:54.967" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24852" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24853" CreationDate="2016-05-18T15:55:09.730" Score="3" ViewCount="168" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm building a 6x3 raised bed in my brooklyn ny backyard however, i wanted to know if i set it up at the left side it would be half under a mulberry/blackberry tree and the right side it would be in full sun but no berries falling on it. &#xA;So my question is whats better choice?&#xA;having berries falling (when in season) on the vegetable garden &amp;amp; in partial shade.&#xA;Or full sun &amp;amp; no berries, if that's even an issue.&#xA;Please let me know the pros n cons on each scenario.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks a ton guys.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll post pictures tonight or tomorrow of the yard&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7525" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T18:28:51.247" Title="Help me decide in a location for my raised bed garden" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24853" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24852" CreationDate="2016-05-18T16:33:02.117" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Full sun - most vegetables like as much sun as possible, although in very, very hot countries, some shade from the midday sun may be beneficial.The berries falling doesn't matter either way, but they'll be a pain to pick up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T16:33:02.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24854" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-18T16:51:20.310" Score="1" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some ornamental chili plants and they started to make chili. However they started to turn brown in colour as shown in the pictures. They started to turn brown a couple of weeks ago but they haven't increased. Why do you think this is happening?  I water them regularly once every two days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RXGQz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RXGQz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kDBOS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kDBOS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-18T17:42:56.783" LastActivityDate="2017-03-18T17:42:56.783" Title="Why are my ornamental chili plants turning brown?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24855" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26456" CreationDate="2016-05-18T17:58:11.793" Score="4" ViewCount="539" Body="&lt;p&gt;I scooped out a bunch of seeds from a fresh papaya (a very good one, seems like prime genetic material). I didn't have time to clean them right away, so I put them in the fridge to prevent the pieces of pulp and sarcotesta around them from decomposing and smelling until I could clean them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My fridge is a bit unstable, and it turns out the seeds ended up below zero. Probably only by a few degrees, at worst. They would have been in that state only for a few hours. However, ice crystals had formed on them, and the pouch had hardened a little bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have now taken them out to thaw. How will this episode affect germination?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if a plant does sprout from these seeds, can it be any different because of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; They sprouted! This subject now &lt;a href=&quot;https://biology.stackexchange.com/q/47922/23347&quot;&gt;continues on Biology SE.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14572" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:48:10.153" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T11:09:02.110" Title="I accidentally froze my papaya seeds, how will it affect them?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24857" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24858" CreationDate="2016-05-18T18:58:38.057" Score="8" ViewCount="1612" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently acquired a ponytail palm, which is alive, though it wasn't taken care of well prior to my acquisition. One thing I noticed is that the pot was covered in rocks, that appear to be fused together to make some sort of covering over the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd imagine that the covering was intended to help lock moisture into the soil, but ponytail palms, like all succulents, have their own ways of holding moisture and prefer drier soil. Could this rock covering be harmful to its roots and promote mold and root rot? Or should I remove it to allow the soil to dry and air normally?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I'm growing this plant inside (upstate NY), and I have it on a shelf so it can get direct light most of the day. It's in a typical ceramic pot with one hole at the bottom - seems to drain well. And the dirt inside feels dry to the touch (though I'm not sure of the last time it was watered).&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1XcCX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1XcCX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;full Palm&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8ZXY4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8ZXY4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the rocks next to the plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K8SeE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K8SeE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the rocks and base&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14480" LastEditorUserId="14480" LastEditDate="2016-05-19T12:05:20.493" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T03:52:47.073" Title="Covering soil of Ponytail Palm" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24858" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24857" CreationDate="2016-05-18T19:36:25.587" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've only seen this practice a few times in plants sold through the big-box stores. I believe they glue the gravel together so it doesn't fall out of the pot during shipping. The gravel is meant to keep the leaves off of the soil, and also to be decorative. Glued as it is, it offers no benefit to the plant at all and should be removed if you can. Sometimes removing the plant from the pot and soaking it for an hour or so will help loosen the glue. If you are unable to get the gravel close to the stem loose without damaging the plant, I'd remove as much as you can and hope the rocks close to the stem loosen up over time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T19:36:25.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24859" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24861" CreationDate="2016-05-18T19:54:54.193" Score="2" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking about putting some &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_onion&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;walking onions&lt;/a&gt; in the garden, and was wondering how fast they will populate the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-18T20:02:18.273" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T20:56:24.713" Title="How many walking onions will a walking onion produce in a season?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;onions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24860" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24862" CreationDate="2016-05-18T20:09:21.123" Score="3" ViewCount="1305" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently dug up a 3 year old self seeded specimen from my garden that I intend to bonsai after I move house. I originally thought it was a field maple (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_campestre&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Acer campestre&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) but am starting to suspect it may in fact be a sycamore (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_pseudoplatanus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Acer pseudoplatanus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U0Ka2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U0Ka2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Zjhi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Zjhi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stem an buds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help / confirmation of the species / variety would be very much appreciated, as I know sycamore can be harder to achieve leaf reduction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-10-29T22:08:42.827" LastActivityDate="2017-10-29T22:08:42.827" Title="Is the pictured seedling a Sycamore or field maple?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24861" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24859" CreationDate="2016-05-18T20:12:53.850" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They aren't incredibly fast, but do spread. A single plant I put in about 5 years ago is now a solid patch about 1' by 3' long. I have done some weeding out of plants that spread where I didn't want them, but not a lot. (ETA: This is in zone 4b.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a plant I think anyone who likes green onions should have. I use the green onions from early spring through June. After that, the sets start developing on the top of the plants and the greens are no longer tender. The bulbs themselves are too small to use in my opinion, but I do use them on occasion when I run out of onions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2016-05-18T20:56:24.713" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T20:56:24.713" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24860" CreationDate="2016-05-18T20:26:15.707" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaf margins are serrated, which makes it a Sycamore. From the Wikipedia article for &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_pseudoplatanus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Acer pseudoplatanus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The leaves are opposite, large, 10 to 25 cm (4 to 10 in) long and broad, palmately 5-lobed, with pointed, coarsely serrated lobes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Acer_pseudoplatanus_leaf_Weinsberg_20070506.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AAcer_pseudoplatanus_leaf_Weinsberg_20070506.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;sub&gt;image source&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And for &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_campestre&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;A. campestre&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The leaves are in opposite pairs, 5–16 centimetres (2.0–6.3 in) long (including the 3–9 centimetres (1.2–3.5 in) petiole) and 5–10 centimetres (2.0–3.9 in) broad, with five blunt, rounded lobes with a smooth margin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Acer_campestre_dig._Sariano_06-05-2006.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AAcer_campestre_dig._Sariano_06-05-2006.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;sub&gt;image source&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-18T20:37:13.887" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T20:37:13.887" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24863" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24859" CreationDate="2016-05-18T20:31:43.663" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some last year and if anything the patch has shrunk.  So, at least in my climate it takes some time for them to spread.  They were planted into a bath being used as a raised bed into potting mix so no competition from weeds, and intercropped with carrots.  I'd imagine in less favourable circumstances they take a long time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T20:31:43.663" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24864" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24855" CreationDate="2016-05-18T20:35:56.447" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seeds that need to be cold stratified with freezing are those native to regions with periods of extreme cold.  This is so that the seed dormancy does not break too early with the seedling emerging in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, seeds from tropical plants do not require such mechanism, and likely have not evolved any protection for the seeds to be frozen.  And usually before freezing the seeds need to be gradually dehydrated to remove as much moisture as you can.  So, my guess would be that the seeds are now toast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T20:35:56.447" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24866" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-18T21:34:22.610" Score="1" ViewCount="32" Body="&lt;p&gt;We hear a lot of negative things about genetically modified organisms (GMO), are they harmful to humans when consumed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14736" LastActivityDate="2016-05-18T21:34:22.610" Title="Is consuming GMOs safe" Tags="&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-05-18T21:36:19.120" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24867" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24900" CreationDate="2016-05-19T01:13:53.457" Score="12" ViewCount="330" Body="&lt;p&gt;Honeysuckle seems to grow abundantly in my neighborhood in Virginia. I have read online about honeysuckle being an invasive species many sites refer to it as a &quot;bad guy&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have considered growing it in the backyard to attract birds and for the fragrance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything inherently bad if I were to grow honeysuckle in my backyard from a clipping?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14737" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-31T20:33:06.480" LastActivityDate="2018-01-31T20:33:06.480" Title="Is growing honeysuckle bad?" Tags="&lt;invasive&gt;&lt;honeysuckle&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24868" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24794" CreationDate="2016-05-19T02:35:28.987" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should be fine. It's not that the grass likes the shade it's that it's more tolerant of shade. They'll do fine, probably better in most cases, with more sun. Dense shade mixes primarily consist of fine fescues like creeping red fescue, hard fescue, sheep fescue and chewings fescue. Fine fescues are frequently used in low maintenance lawns in full sun such as highway medians because they can tolerate salt, infrequent mowing, drought (they'll go dormant), cold and less nitrogen input.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people just like the fine fescues compared to other grasses because of the fine texture, high density and soft feel when walking on it barefoot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They do have some disadvantages though such as not holding up as well to traffic as other grasses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T02:35:28.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24869" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24879" CreationDate="2016-05-19T02:36:26.680" Score="3" ViewCount="12449" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a small apartment. A couple days ago I added Jobes fertilizer to several potted plants. My home now reeks of noxious pulverized bone meal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do (short of removing the plants) to eliminate the odor?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="491" LastActivityDate="2018-09-15T17:52:14.050" Title="How to eliminate fertilizer odor from home?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24870" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-19T04:26:50.957" Score="6" ViewCount="4695" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have just discovered I have some Deadly Nightshade plants growing on my property, and I'm not sure of the best way to deal with them. The plants seem pretty well established - they must be about 2 meters high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My thinking is along the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;First pick off the berries and dispose of these (i.e. throw them in my tip - I have kids and would prefer these are not around)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Next spray the plants with glyphosate on a sunny morning and leave for a few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut the top half of the plants and burn (or chop into logs and put into tip. Attempt to pull the bottom half of the plants out and burn, along with the roots. If the plants won't come out at roots, cut them off at ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a practical solution - are there better ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2018-07-24T21:49:13.210" LastActivityDate="2019-03-11T22:04:04.040" Title="Getting rid of deadly nightshade" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;nightshade&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="24871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7900" CreationDate="2016-05-19T05:51:14.070" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;there's something appealing about raised garden beds isn't there? Not only are they practical but they look great too. I have two in my back garden, mostly to grow veggies (but also some herbs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're set on placing them on concrete, definitely drill some holes in the bottom and place a thick layer of stones/gravel on the bottom of the beds for aeration and circulation. Also, invest in top notch soil that will provide your plants with the necessary nutrients to compensate for any deep roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, in my experience, grass very rarely grows through garden beds so if that's your only concern I'd consider just raking and removing the grass over your desired area. I'd say this is your best bet. You can always turn that concrete patch into the centrepiece of your backyard with some innovative garden designs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best of luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14739" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-05-19T07:19:31.583" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T07:19:31.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24872" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14929" CreationDate="2016-05-19T06:30:00.137" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a great question, and one many gardeners face sometime along the line. No matter whether you think bunnies are cute or a total pest, it's important to safeguard against rabbits, because if you don't, they'll clean your garden dry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were you, I'd think less about types of plants rabbits will avoid and more about your infrastructure...as in, how to create a rabbit proof garden that will allow you to grow whatever you want and look attractive in the process. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are numerous resources out there that focus on improving your garden design and helping you to eradicate the problem before it even reaches your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you don't want to take this route, check out this great &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bhg.com/gardening/pests/animal/editors-picks-top-rabbit-resistant-plants/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Better Homes and Gardens article&lt;/a&gt; answering your question. It mentions some plants that rabbits tend to stay away from, including Alliums, anise hyssop, daylilies, bee balm, catmint, lavender, yarrow, and other plants that may or may not be edible, with details on each.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14739" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-06-15T05:59:48.977" LastActivityDate="2018-06-15T05:59:48.977" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="24873" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20514" CreationDate="2016-05-19T06:50:13.733" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, I agree with Viv. The photos you've taken look like they combine some basic 3D imagery before using something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.adobe.com/au/products/indesign.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Adobe's InDesign&lt;/a&gt; to prettify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a few software packages I've heard of that are great for architecture and landscaping and garden design&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chief Architect  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;My Garden Planner &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plan a Garden &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sketch Up &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Realtime&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Landscaping Plus&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14739" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-05-19T07:23:25.897" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T07:23:25.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24874" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3516" CreationDate="2016-05-19T07:01:31.323" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, there are so many great products out there. Your hardware/garden store will have all sorts of sprinklers, hoses and timers to match your needs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other methods to automatically water a garden too. One DIY method I've used is to buy a cheap hose and poke holes in it before I bury it under a thin layer of soil. The tap is then timer-controlled. This creates a very cheap, very effective irrigation system that distributes water (more water escapes nearer the tap, as the pressure is higher, and where my water-intensive plants are).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trick is to come up with clever garden designs that enables whatever watering system you have in place to be most effective. Good luck to you. Let us know how you get on. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14739" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-05-19T07:20:30.443" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T07:20:30.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24870" CreationDate="2016-05-19T07:53:18.860" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Personally I would pick up the plant and dispose it as garbage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Between nightshade and glyphosate, what is the most dangerous? I think the second one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally I would not burn such plant. I think it could release in the air the active drugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T07:53:18.860" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24876" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24870" CreationDate="2016-05-19T09:58:55.927" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where I live in USDA zone 4 deadly nightshade is weakly climbing vine up to six feet or 2 M.  There are patches around the neighbourhood. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can be eradicated over a few years by hand pulling. If the roots put up a fight a sharp spade will do the job. Dispose of the material by bagging to the garbage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Follow up every spring to remove seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T09:58:55.927" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24877" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24878" CreationDate="2016-05-19T10:57:18.603" Score="6" ViewCount="333" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trying to control snails/slugs organically in a very small garden but I don't want to kill them myself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14741" LastEditorUserId="14741" LastEditDate="2016-05-19T13:07:40.870" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T13:07:40.870" Title="What are the natural predators of snails/slugs?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24878" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24877" CreationDate="2016-05-19T12:02:39.427" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The main natural predators include hedgehogs, some birds (song thrush for instance), some beetles, shrews, frogs, and newts. There's a more comprehensive list in this link&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.haywardm.supanet.com/predators.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.haywardm.supanet.com/predators.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trouble is, some years when the winter has been mild and damp, the population of both snails and slugs rockets, and there are nowhere near enough predators to make a significant impact (this is the case this year in the UK, where we're expecting 50% more of them about than usual, and there's too many in a 'normal' year anyway).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T12:02:39.427" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24879" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24869" CreationDate="2016-05-19T12:52:31.637" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you used the spikes, I'd be surprised if you could smell those to the extent of your apartment 'reeking', but its simple to remove them. I suspect, though, you probably used the bagged granular formulation, and that would cause a stink, and there's not much you can do about it except to wait for it to pass, which it will, eventually. Either that or repot all your plants in fresh potting medium, removing most of the medium they're in now by gently washing it off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For future reference, anything with bonemeal, blood or fishmeal is always best used under the top layer of soil, preferably outdoors. Like at the bottom of a planting hole...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T12:52:31.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24880" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24211" CreationDate="2016-05-19T13:54:52.653" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;From experience, in the hot summers of northern Portugal, peaches fruit even under partial shade but the fruit is not very sweet. The more direct sunlight the sweeter the fruit seems to be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14741" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T13:54:52.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24881" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24211" CreationDate="2016-05-19T14:12:44.103" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agree with Organic's answer - you may get fruit setting, but without sufficient UV rays on the foliage, less starch will convert to sugars within the fruits. They may ripen quite well, but will be less sweet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T14:12:44.103" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7617" CreationDate="2016-05-19T15:37:42.880" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;My thinking is: If the ground is soft, mowing in different directions will bend the grass enough to allow the soft ground to move allowing to aerate your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14744" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T15:37:42.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24883" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24852" CreationDate="2016-05-19T18:28:51.247" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would suggest going with full sun.  Most vegetables you grow will need full sun.  I am talking from personal experience and have 3 raised beds on the sunny side of the house in California.  I don't think mulberries are issues but I don't have them or anything above.  I prefer not having anything drop in my vegetable patch and like it to be clean and clear&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T18:28:51.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24884" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24692" CreationDate="2016-05-19T18:37:48.690" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be a number of things. Since you already ruled out root bound, here's what else you should check:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil too compacted so roots can't expand.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Poor quality compost, such as too coarse and therefore not properly decomposed (this is actually a common problem, my experience is that good quality properly decomposed compost is hard to come by).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Compost is simply low in nitrogen.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Low temperature or sunlight.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be a combination of any of these but I would bet on number two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14741" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T18:37:48.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24885" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24993" CreationDate="2016-05-19T18:44:54.873" Score="10" ViewCount="588" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k1rni.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k1rni.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4WatV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4WatV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vqsYl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vqsYl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PA6Tl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PA6Tl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Does anybody know what this tiny wildflower is? It was just 1/4 of an inch across when fully open (about noon). It was fully closed by about 6 o'clock.&#xA;It has the smaller, oddly shaped leaves, with the stronger veins. (The larger leaves that you are seeing are pachysandra.) It doesn't seem to be very invasive, since I've never seen one before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. It is in a protected spot just around the west corner of my house, where it receives strong southern afternoon/evening sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The original flower here was living under a gutter downspout, and was decimated by a recent downpour. But, I did find the same thing growing nearby after my friend weed-wacked. The leaves and the stems look the same, with the furry edges. Also, I remember that the smaller leaves had an even shape, while the larger ones grew into an asymmetrical shape. Perhaps this pretty wildflower/weed is more common than I thought!&#xA;I'm going to try and add the new leaf pictures (as requested), now.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="14745" LastEditDate="2016-05-23T15:31:02.570" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T19:24:01.850" Title="Tiny, colorful wildflower/weed" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="15" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24886" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25046" CreationDate="2016-05-19T19:30:28.457" Score="12" ViewCount="267" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lovely trunk / rootstock that I want to use for bonsai. It is a field maple (acer campestre). I don't particularly want to foliage though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will have (hopefully at the end of the season) some Japanese maple (acer palmatum) saplings. Would it be possible to graft these saplings to the field maple seeing as they are both acers? Or do they have to be more closely related?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T16:27:01.177" Title="How closely related do plants have to be for grafting purposes?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24887" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24893" CreationDate="2016-05-19T19:40:30.197" Score="13" ViewCount="5678" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just started composting a month back and have some basic questions.  I have been putting garden and kitchen waste in my compost bin every week.  I have been turning the pile every week to mix up the ingredients and to make sure flies and insects (which have started to appear) don't get a chance to lay eggs and multiply.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Typically how long does it take for compost to form so I can remove it and use it?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If I keep turning the ingredients, I will never get good compost because it will be a mix of fresh ingredients and compost.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I am doing something wrong and looking for guidance &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T12:36:57.693" Title="How can I tell if my compost is ready" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24888" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24887" CreationDate="2016-05-19T20:02:17.830" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It'll depend on your climate and on how warm/active your compost pile will get. For best results you should also ensure that you have the right ratio of greens and browns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Your composter or compost pile needs a proper ratio of carbon-rich&#xA;  materials, or “browns,” and nitrogen-rich materials, or “greens.”&#xA;  Among the brown materials are dried leaves, straw, and wood chips.&#xA;  Nitrogen materials are fresh or green, such as grass clippings and&#xA;  kitchen scraps. [...] The ideal ratio approaches 25 parts browns to 1&#xA;  part greens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://compostguide.com/compost-materials/&quot;&gt;http://compostguide.com/compost-materials/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost can be ready within a year if the conditions are right but it may take longer. You'll know it's ready when it is all broken down into small particles that look and smell like soil without any unpleasant odour. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14741" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T20:02:17.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24889" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24891" CreationDate="2016-05-19T20:52:39.887" Score="5" ViewCount="2334" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to identify this succulent I got from a friend. It spreads in two ways:&#xA;- Sometimes a stalk will tip to the side, and then sprout roots downward to creep along. One of the photos below documents this.&#xA;- More often, though, seeds form along the edge of the leaf, drop to the ground, and start new plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From my findings so far, the best I can figure is that it's some sort of kalanchoe - but I'm not entirely sure about that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other info:&#xA;- Leaf parings alternate: one pair will be front and back, and the next will be left and right&#xA;- the leaf edges are serrated, and bear a thin red line along them&#xA;- I'm growing it inside, in a pot. It loves direct sunlight most of the day, and is thriving near windows&#xA;- I water it weekly, allowing it to completely dry between waterings. It seems quite happy with this arrangement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ChmIL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ChmIL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the whole plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z2rka.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z2rka.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7l7pn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7l7pn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the dropping and rooting behavior&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14480" LastEditorUserId="13637" LastEditDate="2016-08-01T05:35:58.013" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T05:35:58.013" Title="What is this succulent with pointy leaves that seeds constantly fall from?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24890" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-19T21:22:57.367" Score="2" ViewCount="117" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a white cocoon type nest in a small apple tree in my backyard.  I can see small bugs inside and I want to kill them before they hatch.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14748" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T02:31:56.363" Title="How do I kill the bugs that are inside of a white cocoon in my apple tree?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24891" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24889" CreationDate="2016-05-19T21:27:44.233" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From your description of 'seeds' falling from the edges of the leaves, and the plant's general appearance, its likely Kalanchoe daigremontiana (now called Bryophyllum daigremontianum), image here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/166243/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/166243/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Common names include Mother of Thousands, Mother of Hundreds, Mexican Hat plant. Care information here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/kalanchoe/growing-mother-of-thousands.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/kalanchoe/growing-mother-of-thousands.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T21:27:44.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24892" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24890" CreationDate="2016-05-19T21:32:23.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you say 'bugs' I'm assuming you mean larvae, because it sounds like a tent caterpillar infestation. Its easier to wait until the egg masses are laid at the end of summer or in fall and scrape those away, but removing the tents is possible - but best done before the larvae start to feed. the commonest one is Eastern Tent Caterpillar, though it depends where you are which ones you have. More info here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/tree-pests/tent-caterpillar-control/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/tree-pests/tent-caterpillar-control/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T21:32:23.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24887" CreationDate="2016-05-19T22:12:02.333" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Organic's answer about the ratio of materials in a compost pile. The trouble is, you're adding stuff whenever you've got it, like most of us do, and most instructions for 'efficient' composting are expecting you to have quantities of so called browns and greens all at once, and mixing them together all at once, then turning regularly, without adding anything else. Because a compost pile that's turned regularly, with the right moisture level and kept covered to trap the heat, becomes aerobic and hot, the resulting compost is ready much quicker - 3 to 6 months, depending on air temperatures where you are, and if you are able to turn the pile at least twice a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you're adding stuff and turning it regularly, then you will inevitably end up with some parts composted down into blackish soil (that's what it looks like when it's ready), mixed in with other, as yet uncomposted material. Some compost containers have a door at the bottom on the front - this is to allow you to get at the bottom of the heap, which will be ready before the rest of heap, so you can remove what's ready and leave behind what's not. But usually, that sort of compost arrangement is aimed at creators of cold, anaerobic heaps, where its not turned regularly and just left to rot down quietly on its own, with stuff being added all the time on the top. After a year or two, the stuff on the bottom is, of course, ready for use when the top is still covered in fresh materials - cold anaerobic composting is fine so long as no weed seeds or diseased materials have been added, you're prepared to wait longer, and you're not intending to use the compost for anything other than adding back to the soil in the garden/yard. If that's not the type of compost bin you've got though, then you either wait till its full and all composted and then use it, or try to sift through and extract what's not ready for use after spreading it and replacing the uncomposted stuff in the compost bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many people get round this problem (if they have the room) by having more than one compost pile or composter - they fill one up, then start the next, not adding to the first one any more, just turning it regularly, then when its ready, using the contents, and then start another compost pile in there when the second bin or container is full. If you have a lot of stuff to compost, then three compost bins works really well, but most of us don't have those sort of quantities. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're not doing anything wrong as such - in an ideal world, you'd have masses of browns and greens all ready at once, 3 compost bins and the ability to construct the right sort of pile of compost in one go, but the world is not ideal, and for most of us, we do what you do. But however you do it, you will eventually get useable good stuff from the compost bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-19T22:29:46.927" LastActivityDate="2016-05-19T22:29:46.927" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24894" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24919" CreationDate="2016-05-20T00:52:02.163" Score="2" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this growing on my arborvitae? Is it good or bad?  My trees have lots of them.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nvKAI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nvKAI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5735" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T20:19:43.193" Title="What is this growing on my arborvite" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24895" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24847" CreationDate="2016-05-20T01:42:03.610" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to the great response from @michelle, if you planted these from seeds or bought them in the store, they typically have a harvest time on them.  That along with the tips from @michelle is a good way to make sure you don't leave them in the ground for too long.  A good practice I learnt was to put a tag next to the plant with the name of the variety and the time you put it in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T01:42:03.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24896" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24890" CreationDate="2016-05-20T02:31:56.363" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used to get horribly complicated with these - rural legend had it that you had to cut of the infested branch and burn it. This legend was probably sustained by boys who liked to play with fire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An entomologist friend laughed and said all you need to do is rip the webs open and let birds take care of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have webs, and things moving, you (likely) have caterpillars, not eggs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T02:31:56.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24897" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34487" CreationDate="2016-05-20T02:54:59.160" Score="3" ViewCount="97" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am thinking about planting Hens and Chicks and the likes in this planter that is on my porch. The orientation is north west, so it gets some sun in the afternoon and it gets rain every now and then when the direction of the rain allows it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n47x0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n47x0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a good place for a miniature rock garden? What do I need to know before attempting to do this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:17:45.960" LastActivityDate="2017-07-13T11:50:09.903" Title="Is a northwest facing porch a good place for a miniature rock garden?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;rock-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24898" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24906" CreationDate="2016-05-20T03:00:11.553" Score="5" ViewCount="1252" Body="&lt;p&gt;Today I had the battle of my life with the dandelion on my front lawn. First a question about this: I removed every piece of it by using a long knife that I used to laterally insert as deep as I could so I could cut the root. Then I grabbed the plant and pulled it out from the soil quite easily. &#xA;My friend would bet his life on it saying that the dandelion will get back to life from that root (most of the times it was cut like an inch under the soil level) Is he right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="15821" LastEditDate="2016-10-25T14:26:03.057" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T14:26:03.057" Title="Removing dandelion by cutting the root one inch below the ground level. Will this work?" Tags="&lt;dandelions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24899" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-20T03:02:16.100" Score="4" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;Today while I was removing dandelion from my lawn I came across this plant&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zfTwU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zfTwU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems that it naturally grew there by some miracle and I would like to relocate it and multiply it. What is the name of the plant and how can I use it and multiply it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-05-20T05:25:03.633" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T08:00:39.693" Title="What plant is this and how can I relocate it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24900" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24867" CreationDate="2016-05-20T04:03:58.110" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just be sure that you plant the right type of honeysuckle!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That white/cream colored honeysuckle that you are seeing/smelling everywhere right now is Japanese honeysuckle. It is extremely invasive, and once it is established, is nearly impossible to eradicate. I also live in VA, and have personally seen older roots as big as my wrist. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You mentioned birds. Coral honeysuckle vine is a variety that is native to VA. It is good for attracting hummingbirds, and is grown at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. &#xA; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miraclegro.com/smg/goART2/InfoHowTo/grow-coral-honeysuckle-vine-for-hummingbirds/16400044&quot;&gt;http://www.miraclegro.com/smg/goART2/InfoHowTo/grow-coral-honeysuckle-vine-for-hummingbirds/16400044&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Jim Young in comments had an answer, too.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="14745" LastEditDate="2016-05-20T04:52:55.690" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T04:52:55.690" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24899" CreationDate="2016-05-20T08:00:39.693" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is some &lt;em&gt;Sedum&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Move the plant with enough ground, and give no additional care (or similar care as the wild place).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T08:00:39.693" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24902" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24908" CreationDate="2016-05-20T08:52:42.090" Score="7" ViewCount="141" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a plant which I've been told is a Deadly Nightshade - but the more I look into it, the more skeptical I am - for a start the berries are in large clusters, and it looks to me like a tree rather then a bush ( This relates to question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24870/getting-rid-of-deadly-nightshade&quot;&gt;this link   &lt;/a&gt; where I ask how to get rid of it !).  I'd really appreciate help identifying this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I speculate that it must be some kind of nightshade based on the flowers and leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in North Auckland, New Zealand, equivalent to US Hardiness zone 9.  I suspect that the plant is not more then 2 years old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QZJ5K.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QZJ5K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant Image&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t1d4g.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t1d4g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup of Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y9wxG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y9wxG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup of Flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PftyK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PftyK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup of Berries&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The berries are about the size of cherries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of these on my property - about 20 meters apart, but they do not appear to be &quot;taking over&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T17:55:45.603" Title="Help Identifying this Plant" Tags="&lt;nightshade&gt;&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24903" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-20T11:15:22.460" Score="7" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in Kuwait where it gets very hot in summer (up to 50C).&#xA;I plan to build my greenhouse using polyCarbonite. Can I use another color than clear to avoid the heat inside the greenhouse? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14751" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T14:00:50.933" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T14:45:28.077" Title="What are colors other than clear suitable for avoiding the heat inside a greenhouse?" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24904" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24867" CreationDate="2016-05-20T11:21:29.860" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why not grow a honeysuckle cousin, Honeyberry (Lonicera caerulea)? With this non-climbing fruiting bush you get flowers in spring followed by tasty edible berries (similar to blueberries).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Honeyberries are native to eastern Russia and hardy to -40F (zone 3), but can be grown as far south as USDA hardiness zone 8, so in Virginia I see you having no problem growing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14741" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-05-25T15:11:14.647" LastActivityDate="2016-05-25T15:11:14.647" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24905" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24903" CreationDate="2016-05-20T11:30:50.097" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm rather wondering why you need a greenhouse in such a hot region, but regarding shading of greenhouses, you can buy green coloured shading, usually plastic or polycarbonate of some sort, see link for example&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amazon.co.uk/Greenhouse-Shading-5m-x-6m/dp/B001P3SPIU&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.amazon.co.uk/Greenhouse-Shading-5m-x-6m/dp/B001P3SPIU&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bear in mind, though, that shading also reduces light levels - more information in the link below. Although its aimed at the UK market, the basic principles regarding methods of shading and cooling are the same&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=732&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=732&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T11:30:50.097" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24906" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24898" CreationDate="2016-05-20T11:32:34.337" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, he is right - you need to remove all the tap root, right down to the pointy bit at the end, or it will regrow, usually producing a 'double' plant, that is, with two lots of leaves as if there are now two plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T11:32:34.337" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24897" CreationDate="2016-05-20T11:38:29.977" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not a great situation for rock plants, apart from its being out of the way of lots of rain. Hen and Chicks (Sempervivum, or House Leek) is an alpine plant, so it likes a very open situation, full sun, free draining, gritty and poor soil. Most 'rock' type plants are alpines, and all prefer similar conditions. In such a situation as you describe, a better choice would be plants that prefer shade and don't mind dry soil conditions, such as Lamiums.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T11:38:29.977" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24908" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24902" CreationDate="2016-05-20T12:14:24.953" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weedbusters.org.nz/weed-information/solanum-mauritianum/59/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Woolly Nightshade&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;Solanum mauritianum&lt;/em&gt;:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DExv2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DExv2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eQvC2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eQvC2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Seeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Invasive in NZ, gets up to 10 meters tall.&#xA;Comes from South America. Once established in a new area, it's spread by birds.&#xA;In Africa, they call it &lt;a href=&quot;http://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/eafrinet/weeds/key/weeds/Media/Html/Solanum_mauritianum_%28Bugweed%29.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bugweed&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_mauritianum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;berries are toxic&lt;/a&gt; to humans, containing &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solasodine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;solasodine&lt;/a&gt;, a chemical relative of the potato skin toxin, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;solanine&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastEditorUserId="724" LastEditDate="2016-05-22T17:55:45.603" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T17:55:45.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24909" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24887" CreationDate="2016-05-20T12:36:57.693" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;To do it efficiently you need to monitor the temperature of your pile. If it never heats up, you have too much carbon material present.  If it does heat up, but then cools down, then that's when you need to turn it so that fresh material is ready to be moved into the centre of the pile with more oxygen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you need a thermometer.  An oven meat probe on a stick might work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or just let it sit for a year without turning it at all, and use it then. Everything decomposes in time without our intervention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The point of getting carbon nitrogen ratios right, and turning, is to optimise the process, and avoid losing too much nitrogen from oxidation, and loss to the atmosphere. Or ending up with an anaerobic stinking pile due to too much water, nitrogen, and not enough oxygen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T12:36:57.693" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24910" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-20T13:20:18.670" Score="3" ViewCount="853" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read in many places that pine bark is light weight and heavy rain will wash out the mulch. &#xA;Can I use two layers? First layer of Pine bark and second layer on the top of Cedar mulch. So the pine bark will decompose and provide nutrition to the soil and top Cedar layer will protect the mulch and keep it in place.&#xA;Is this a good idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14752" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T11:11:53.417" Title="Using Pine bark mulch and Cedar mulch together" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24910" CreationDate="2016-05-20T14:32:45.540" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes. That will work to help keep it in place. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also layer the Pine Bark Nuggets with Shredded Pine Bark Mulch, if it is available. I have slight flooding problems during heavy rains, and I have always used that mix. It has worked well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, recently the garden centers were out of Shredded Pine Bark Mulch, and I had to substitute Shredded Cedar with the Pine Bark Nuggets in one area. It flooded the next day, and it didn't move, at all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only disadvantage is the cedar not breaking down as fast, and providing as much nutrients (as you probably already know). It also might discourage beneficial bugs, to some extent, which is not something I wish to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Edited) I probably should have mentioned that in hurricane season, we have to move our cars to higher ground, so buoyancy of the mulch is a major issue. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even though I suggested an answer to your question, I am curious about what works best for you and everyone else, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some links:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://safarilandscapedesign.com/landscaping-with-garden-mulch/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://safarilandscapedesign.com/landscaping-with-garden-mulch/&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://safarilandscapedesign.com/landscaping-with-garden-mulch/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://safarilandscapedesign.com/landscaping-with-garden-mulch/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here is one that came up from this very site! &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13777/what-are-the-pros-cons-of-different-mulches&quot;&gt;What are the pros/cons of different mulches?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T03:53:58.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24912" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8699" CreationDate="2016-05-20T15:24:33.003" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are a developer you can check out &lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/damwhit/harvest_helper&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://github.com/damwhit/harvest_helper&lt;/a&gt;.  I have a more well structured database of only 45 common vegetables.  Would love it if folks would contribute to the repo and especially the database. Its built in Ruby on Rails and there is a json api as well if you visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://harvesthelper.herokuapp.com/developers&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://harvesthelper.herokuapp.com/developers&lt;/a&gt; it will tell you how to access it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14753" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T15:24:33.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24914" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-20T17:36:39.897" Score="3" ViewCount="613" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was walking around town with my kids the other day and this bush caught my eye. I just love it and want one of my own lol. Can someone help me out in identifying it please. It's located in north eastern North Dakota.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zorgn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zorgn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flowerbush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14729" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-05-20T17:42:19.193" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T18:14:56.250" Title="What kind of bush is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24915" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8699" CreationDate="2016-05-20T17:53:36.753" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Things that come to mind, but which still include things you evidently don't want to see:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hortus Third (visit a copy at a library to decide if it's for you before spending money.) North American; includes but not limited to vegetables. No pictures, a few line drawings, buckets of text and assumes you know (or will spend the time to learn) the scientific terminology. Indeed, a tome. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Gardening - British, includes but not limited to vegetables, nice color pictures. Coverage variable/inconsistent, but a pleasanter winter read than the above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T17:53:36.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24916" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24914" CreationDate="2016-05-20T18:06:53.227" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it looks like a double flowered blossom, so its probably a Prunus variety, but as to whether its a Japanese flowering cherry such as Prunus Kanzan, or Prunus triloba, flowering almond, is hard to say, need sight of the trunk, overall growth habit and close up of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would just offer a piece of advice though- there are myriads of Prunus flowering blossom trees, many with double flowers, and all vary enormously in size and growth habit, so your choice of blossom tree should be based on where you're going to plant it, so that you know it's not going to get too tall or wide for where it is, as much as what the blossom looks like. Regarding blossom, bear in mind its only there for a couple of weeks, in a windy year it'll be ripped off the tree quicker, and then you're looking at just the leaves for six months, so choice should also be related to overall appearance &lt;em&gt;without&lt;/em&gt; the blossom present. And be prepared for the piles of browning blossom petals on the ground as the blooms fade!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-20T18:14:56.250" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T18:14:56.250" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24917" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24920" CreationDate="2016-05-20T18:54:54.817" Score="1" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does the darker tomato plant look healthy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is about an inch of coffee grounds on top of the new potting soil. The taller plant has a darker stem but the smaller one has lighter foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F8zcN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F8zcN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dark tinted tomato plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-20T20:22:07.983" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T20:22:07.983" Title="Is a blackish-green tint to a tomato plant still a healthy plant?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24918" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8699" CreationDate="2016-05-20T19:15:37.297" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;My personal favorite in Tanya Denkla's A to Z Guide to Growing Organic Food:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bookpage.com/reviews/3405-tanya-l-k-denckla-gardeners-z-guide-to-growing-organic-food#.Vz9g3dm9LCQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://bookpage.com/reviews/3405-tanya-l-k-denckla-gardeners-z-guide-to-growing-organic-food#.Vz9g3dm9LCQ&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This book is laid out by vegetable, with planting requirements and growing suggestions for each. It covers only common vegetable, though, and also covers fruits and herbs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are looking for something more technical, you could also try John Jeavon's How to Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growbiointensive.org&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.growbiointensive.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both cover only organic methods, but are excellent resources regardless. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T19:15:37.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24919" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24894" CreationDate="2016-05-20T19:22:37.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Bagworm. Some seasons they really infest arborvitae. I don't know where you live, but I saw them quite a lot when I lived in NJ. Get rid of them as soon as possible, before they start to hatch (May/ June).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can just cut off the nests that you can reach, directly into a plastic bag (a double layer of recycled grocery bags would do). Make sure that the bags are really sealed off before disposal,  so that the moths don't hatch and spread. You may want to look into spraying, or other options for the ones in the trees that you can't reach. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a link to start you on your research- &lt;a href=&quot;https://uconnladybug.wordpress.com/tag/arborvitae/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://uconnladybug.wordpress.com/tag/arborvitae/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="14745" LastEditDate="2016-05-20T20:19:43.193" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T20:19:43.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24920" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24917" CreationDate="2016-05-20T20:08:59.013" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't explain why one tomato plant is darker than the other, but I can tell you that coffee grounds and tomatoes don't go together - tomato plants don't respond well to coffee grounds, plus an inch of coffee grounds round anything isn't a great idea, best to use about half a cup or a small cupful and work into the soil (in the border). See link for further info and confirmation&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/coffee-grounds-gardening.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/coffee-grounds-gardening.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I realise its very fashionable to shovel coffee grounds endlessly round the garden, or any growing thing at the moment, there are wondrous claims for its usefulness all over the web, many of which are either not at all, or not particularly, valid. I'm sure coffee shops must be thrilled that so many people want their waste product, must be saving them bundles of money, but quite honestly, absolutely the best use of grounds is on the compost heap - or small amounts around acid loving shrubs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-20T20:14:51.963" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T20:14:51.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24921" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24922" CreationDate="2016-05-20T20:18:06.697" Score="2" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is somewhat of a general question, as it applies to several things I'm growing, but to be specific enough, I've chosen to ask it about one plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Zone 6 (−5°F, -20°C). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I started some &lt;a href=&quot;http://parkseed.com/magellan-ivory-zinnia-seeds/p/04701-PK-P1/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Magellan Ivory&lt;/a&gt; zinnia seeds indoors under gro-lights. They outgrew the seed-starter pods, so I transplanted them into two-inch pots. They have three sets of true leaves, are becoming root bound and have begun to look unhealthy. The weather has been warm, and I've been hardening them off, so they're just about ready to go into the garden bed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've purchased the same seeds from this company and grown them successfully for years, and know they perform best in full sun. This year I'd like to put some in a new spot, but it may be too shady at the moment. It's fully shaded in the morning, then gets about three hours of mottled sun, followed by an hour of full sun, in the late afternoon. Within about three weeks, the sun will be there for six to eight hours per day, so I know they'll do well for months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I risk planting them in a spot that isn't quite ideal yet, or do I need to transplant them into bigger pots and keep them in the sun for a while? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T20:46:05.177" Title="Can I plant sun-loving annual seedlings in partial shade if the area will have full sun in a few weeks?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24922" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24921" CreationDate="2016-05-20T20:46:05.177" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you've hardened them off in sunlight, so they're used to sun already, I'm afraid I'd recommend you pot them up and plant into the currently shady area when its brighter. If they've been hardened off in sunlight, given the speed of growth in annuals particularly at this time of year, the lack of it for the next three weeks may cause etiolation, and they won't look good even when the sun gets to them later on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-20T20:46:05.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24923" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24935" CreationDate="2016-05-20T22:19:08.273" Score="2" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently became aware of two varieties of mulberries with very long fruit which are supposed to be very tasty. They are known as &lt;strong&gt;Taiwan&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Pakistan&lt;/strong&gt; mulberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't seem to find much information on these varieties specific to the UK climate. Does anyone know if they are hardy like the common Black Mulberry? If so, where to buy them online and have them shipped to the UK?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14741" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-10T17:28:47.707" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T17:28:47.707" Title="Will these varieties of mulberry survive the UK climate?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24924" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-20T22:33:34.920" Score="4" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small garden in my backyard (a 4x4 &quot;square foot&quot; garden). It has a variety of different plants in it. Recently I tried to grow melons in it (watermelons and cantaloupes). But, shortly after it grows a couple leaves I return the next day to find the leaves torn off the stem of the plant. Just the stem is left and torn pieces of the leaves. My other plants don't have this problem, it's just the melons. I replanted, and the same thing happened again. What could be doing this and how can I defend against it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The photos below are from other plants in my garden that were damaged in similar ways. I'm not sure if it is from the same pest or not, but maybe it will provide a clue.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JTP48.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JTP48.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Damaged lettuce&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NdWp9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NdWp9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Damaged peas&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2591" LastEditorUserId="2591" LastEditDate="2016-05-24T18:47:48.817" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T22:06:55.223" Title="Who keeps tearing the leaves off my melons?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;melons&gt;&lt;square-foot-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24925" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-21T00:31:31.857" Score="1" ViewCount="37" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've noticed that sunchokes are often bumpy. Does anyone know why sunchokes are bumpy? Do they fuse together, or do they just grow like that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-21T14:50:36.183" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T14:50:36.183" Title="What makes sunchokes bumpy?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24926" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-21T00:46:03.333" Score="5" ViewCount="282" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have all of this burdock growing and I can not seem to remove them effectively. What should I be doing to remove it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have already dug some of them up and that worked but what are my other options?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-05-21T02:57:34.697" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T02:57:34.697" Title="How do I remove burdock from my yard?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24927" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17491" CreationDate="2016-05-21T01:06:47.647" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;My plant is also dropping young chilis. I picked a dropping pod(chili) and opened it for examination. I saw some black/gray excreta and when I closely looked with my hand held lens, it surprised me. I saw some insect larvae moving. I don't know what kind of pest it is. Might be one kind of moth that pierces the chili and lays eggs. Larvae came out from the eggs and start eating soft tissue. I'm pretty sure that's the cause of dropping. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14758" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-22T22:13:59.187" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T22:13:59.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24926" CreationDate="2016-05-21T01:52:53.900" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Presumably you mean &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;burdock&lt;/a&gt;. I don't find them all that much trouble if I put the least effort into them - only if I ignore them for too long do they become a problem - there are much worse weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Burdock is a biennial, which means you have  whole year where you can just cut the tops off and they will never make a flower stalk and the annoying burrs. If you learn to spot them in the first year, you also have a much better chance of pulling up the whole root while it's small. In the second year, if you keep cutting off and composting the leaves, and any incipient flower stalk, they will eventually give up. They are large plants, which means that even a dense patch of them is a finite number and can be dealt with, and produces a satisfying amount of compostable material (which does not turn into more burdock, so long as you don't let it go so long that you have burrs.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While you can go to the bother of trying to dig out the whole root, repeated pulling or cutting the leaves for compost or mulch is much easier, and beneficial to the compost/garden. You just can't ignore them for a month or more without risking burrs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-05-21T01:57:55.907" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T01:57:55.907" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24929" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24930" CreationDate="2016-05-21T02:02:02.417" Score="6" ViewCount="444" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mpm08.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mpm08.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree is growing in Escambia county(in panhandle of Fl). It is, roughly measured by comparing to our 6ft tall fence, about 10-12ft tall. It is growing in my neighbors yard but it grows over the fence, dropping the fruits into our yard when they are ripe every late summer. I am assuming it is a fruit tree, but I don't know what kind. Are the fruits safe to eat? It is probably 7-10yrs old, but I'm no tree age expert. The flowers were a dark color, maybe a brown/maroon? I didn't think to take pictures of it when they were blooming so maybe that was the flower color just before turning to fruits. Thank you for the help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14757" LastEditorUserId="14757" LastEditDate="2016-05-21T02:09:14.680" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T03:15:42.577" Title="What type of fruit tree is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24930" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24929" CreationDate="2016-05-21T03:15:42.577" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persimmon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;persimmon (Diospyros or Diospiros)&lt;/a&gt;. The fruits can be quite tasty when fully ripe though some variety's fruit continues to be quite astringent even when ripe. The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/Fuyu-Persimmon-Tree.htm?gclid=CjwKEAjw6_q5BRCOp-Hj-IfHwncSJABMtDaiTWcR-7vffqnFv5NCy1LiO41TzFFnybK_3mbLrGbdHBoCLv_w_wcB&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Fuyu cultivar&lt;/a&gt; grows rapidly, is self-fertile, and produces sweet fruits. I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you what variety/cultivar you have - there is a multitude of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T03:15:42.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24931" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-21T08:21:02.473" Score="5" ViewCount="190" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R5h4t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R5h4t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We can't remember what type of basil this is. We've been growing it in an aquaponic setup. The leaves have started to grow really large and they are quite a deep green colour. It's got quite a fragrant smell. It's not purple at all (only slightly so on the larger, thicker stems) and we've never let it flower (we always harvest it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not hairy on the stem or leaves. It grows with a grow light and directly in water (from cuttings) and we're not sure if that changes the flatness of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14759" LastActivityDate="2018-11-24T13:25:01.560" Title="What type of basil is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24932" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24933" CreationDate="2016-05-21T08:38:49.773" Score="2" ViewCount="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an indoor vermicomposting bin. It has served me well for 3 years. Since the bin is indoors, and I live in a small apartment, I'm fairly cautious with feeing the worms. I don't want to overwhelm my red wigglers or cause anaerobic decay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But this spring I'm expanding the garden out on the roof and I need more dirt. This seems like a simple thing, but in NYC there aren't many sources of dirt except for ... buying it. Which I can't stand. That's why I started with the worms in the first place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to ramp up the bin for higher production? Many guides online talk about making worm food out of old ground dry soy beans that have gone stale, and other pantry items. But these are geared for making fat bait worms and that isn't my goal. Also I'd never use my babies as bait!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, how can I go about getting the worms to have more offspring and eat more? What scraps are fairly safe to bulk up on for indoor set ups?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Right now I put in kitchen cuttings, but if I end up with a bad head of lettuce I might skip it since it seems like too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have lots of cardboard, peanut shells, wilted leafy greens etc. I just need some advice about how to go about adding more to the system without throwing it out of whack or making a big stench. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, how aggressively can I harvest?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really need to get more dirt over the next two months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14760" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-21T14:55:45.950" LastActivityDate="2020-04-18T07:53:11.747" Title="How can I encourage my indoor vermicomposting bin to produce more dirt?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24933" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24932" CreationDate="2016-05-21T10:54:43.237" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless I'm misinterpreting what you're saying, you want your worms to produce more compost so you can use it for plants. Without any other type of soil, is that correct? Assuming that's what you're intending, you need to know that vermicompost should be used in roughly a 1 to 3 ratio to other potting mediums or soil, or comprise 20% of a soil mix, rather than vermicompost being used on its own. In other words, vermicompost is a soil emendment rather than a potting compost. If you want to create more vermicompost, you could consider starting another wormery so you've got two on the go, and double your production that way, but since it shouldn't be used on its own anyway, that might not be necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T10:54:43.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24934" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30217" CreationDate="2016-05-21T11:05:43.237" Score="3" ViewCount="906" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wanting to get some peanut seeds to plant. However, I'm thinking about saving some that I buy now for next year (as well as harvesting my own to save). How long do the seeds generally stay viable?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T04:08:22.317" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T04:08:22.317" Title="How long do peanut seeds stay viable?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;legumes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24935" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24923" CreationDate="2016-05-21T11:30:18.710" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Taiwan mulberry probably won't do well here in the UK - it prefers temperatures to be around 23-25 deg C year round, or at least, the newer hybrid Morus atropurpurea (syn M. alba) Miaoli No. 1, bred in 2008, does. It also does not appear to be self fertile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Morus macroura, the Pakistan mulberry, is available in the UK - it will need full sun and free draining soil, and although it should be hardy in Zone 8 (most of the UK) it will not appreciate cold, wet winters much. Known as a 'low chill' tree, it would prefer temperatures no lower than -5 deg, but will tolerate down to -15C. However, as with many plants in the UK, its the combination of cold and damp that might be an issue and that might affect fruit production. It's said to be self fertile, and is listed with Reads Nursery, 01986 895555. Link here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.readsnursery.co.uk/mulberry-pakistan/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.readsnursery.co.uk/mulberry-pakistan/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T11:30:18.710" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24925" CreationDate="2016-05-21T11:36:35.553" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's the nature of the beast, they are known to be a lumpy bumpy vegetable, fiddly to peel and prepare. Not very nice to eat either, though that's obviously personal to me - we always had trouble using them up, no one liked them much, we used to cover them with cheese sauce and serve as a starter before meals. Pretty healthy though, full of inulin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T11:36:35.553" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24925" CreationDate="2016-05-21T12:38:24.783" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are supposedly varieties that are somewhat smoother than the standard / common variety. I have not personally grown those, so I don't know if there's any truth to that claim. If I opt to put a patch in somewhere [somewhere well away from any other garden, where they can be mown to control as needed), I'll probably seek some of those out, in the hopes that there is some truth to the claims.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tuscorara #1 appears to be one such from the few with images at SSE site below. Fuseau is also mentioned as a supposedly smoother one, but no pictures there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://exchange.seedsavers.org/catalog/results.aspx?type=browse&amp;amp;cat=87&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://exchange.seedsavers.org/catalog/results.aspx?type=browse&amp;amp;cat=87&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T12:38:24.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24938" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24939" CreationDate="2016-05-21T15:23:02.163" Score="2" ViewCount="811" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something has laid eggs (I think?) on my grape vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/NUjNjDA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/zQlOrIj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are all over the main branches of this vine, which is decades old. Don't recall seeing them before. They are maybe 4mm long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Excuse the rain!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ants seem to be attracted to them - unsure if they are anything to do with the ants, whether the ants are somehow tending them, or attacking them, or something else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location is south-east UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anything I need to worry about?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14761" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-21T16:09:10.120" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T16:09:10.120" Title="Unknown pest identification - eggs? On a grape vine, UK" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24939" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24938" CreationDate="2016-05-21T15:47:02.870" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're scale insects, in particular, brown scale. Ants are attracted by the honeydew they produce, and won't be causing any harm to your grapevine - deal with the scale and the ants stop coming. Unfortunately, they suck the sap of the plant and reduce vigour - the honeydew they produce often causes a subsequent attack of sooty mould, but that's related to the scale infestation too. Treatment for these is best carried out in winter, or in July when the nymphs hatch, but it might be worth spraying with something suitable for food crops now (Westland Resolva Bug Killer for instance), although it may not have much effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=455&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=455&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there aren't too many, you could try methylated spirits, but don't get it on the plant, particularly not the leaves - the method is to use a cotton bud, dip it on the meths, apply liberally (but not enough to run down the plant) to each scale individually, then scrape or pick them off. Sometimes they come off quite easily with this treatment, but sometimes they don't...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T15:47:02.870" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24940" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2016-05-21T16:13:57.133" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Scale insects feed on a wide variety of plants, though particular species commonly are specific to particular host plants or plant groups. For example, various kinds of cochineal are restricted to cactus hosts. Some scale insects species evolved symbiotically with some ant species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many scale species are serious crop pests. The waxy covering of many species of scale insects protects them effectively from contact insecticides, which are only effective against the first-instar nymph stage known as the crawler. However, scales often are controlled by use of horticultural oils, that suffocate them, systemic pesticides that poison the sap of the host plants, or by biological control agents such as tiny parasitoid wasps and Coccinellid beetles. Insecticidal soap may also be used against scales. It is commercially available or can be made of certain types of household soap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-21T16:13:57.133" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T16:13:57.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24941" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2016-05-21T16:13:57.133" Score="0" Body="Scale insects vary dramatically in appearance; some are very small organisms (1–2 mm) that grow beneath wax covers, to shiny pearl-like objects (about 5 mm), to creatures covered with mealy wax. Adult female scales are almost always immobile and permanently attached to the plant they have parasitized. They secrete a waxy coating for defense; this coating causes them to resemble reptilian scales or fish scales, hence their common name." OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-21T16:13:57.133" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T16:13:57.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24942" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-21T17:10:16.647" Score="5" ViewCount="238" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a large Ash tree stump ground out of my yard and now have a huge hole to contend with to restore the lawn in this area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I use old weathered bricks to partially fill a large stump hole leaving 4 - 5&quot; for topsoil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14763" LastEditorUserId="705" LastEditDate="2018-04-08T16:23:36.000" LastActivityDate="2018-04-08T16:23:36.000" Title="Clean fill for a large stump hole" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24943" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-21T18:02:59.563" Score="2" ViewCount="333" Body="&lt;p&gt;Three weeks ago I bought a roma tomato plant from Home Depot.  It was probably about 8 inches tall.  Since then, it was in my apartment for a few days and then my friend's apartment for about two and a half weeks (I was on vacation).  It has not been planted yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in New Jersey, and it's been pretty humid these last few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I got the plant back today, I noticed some funny spots, as well as some leaves that were dying near the base of the plant.  The dying leaves are only on one branch.  The spots are on a few branches, mostly clustered together, but most of the branches are fine.  Pictures below.  What is happening to this plant, and what can I do to save it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Extra information, as per a request: I will plant it in the ground.  The pot it is in now is about 6&quot; across.  The sunlight it was getting in my friend's apartment was indirect: next to a window, but the window was facing north so never direct sunlight coming in.  I don't know how often or how much it was getting watered, but it was probably getting watered daily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ez699.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ez699.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PNBQa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PNBQa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DNvDT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DNvDT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11211" LastEditorUserId="11211" LastEditDate="2016-05-21T22:38:30.783" LastActivityDate="2018-03-25T12:21:38.337" Title="Brown spots appearing on roma tomato leaves" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24944" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24942" CreationDate="2016-05-21T18:10:50.633" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure you could. Personally, I would break the bricks into smaller chunks, as much as it may be unnecessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The important thing, IMHO, is that it be similar, drainage-wise, to the subsoil nearby; else the different drainage can cause the lawn to appear conspicuously different than its surrounding - different color, different vigor, and possibly even drier and weaker growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the only thing this really means is don't order the bricks into a nice plane that could create a pan - just throw them in 'willy-nilly' with some dirt (so you don't accidentally create hollows that will collapse sometime in the future giving you some annoying surface sinks).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T18:10:50.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24945" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33728" CreationDate="2016-05-21T18:55:17.013" Score="3" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to start a sunchoke patch (for perpetual farming), and was wondering how much I should be watering them to get them to sprout quicker similar to an artificial spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T17:17:19.210" Title="How much should I water sunchokes to get a patch going?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;sunchoke&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24946" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24720" CreationDate="2016-05-21T20:26:14.110" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can't say with certainty without more close-up pictures and info. But, I'm going with Black Spot at this time, because both your tomato AND cucumber are affected. If that is the case, treat it very soon, or you won't have any viable fruit.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could also be two different issues for the different plants (Black Speck, Canker, etc.), but that is less likely. If you update your post, I could help more. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the meantime, here's a link to get you started.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/DiagnosticKeys/TomLeaf/TomLeafKey.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/DiagnosticKeys/TomLeaf/TomLeafKey.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T20:26:14.110" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24942" CreationDate="2016-05-21T22:23:28.757" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could do this, but I would be cautious about it. Presumably the stump hole is deep as well as large in diameter. In effect, you have just dug a well in the middle of your lawn, and are asking if filling it with rocks won't affect anything. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best material would be as close to the surrounding soil and subsoil composition as possible. Even then, don't be surprised if it takes a few years for the in-fill to finish settling, and the reseeded grass (or new turf) to really &quot;blend in&quot; with the surroundings. An alternative would be to make this space into a flower bed, or some other feature that was intentionally &quot;not just more lawn&quot; and supposed to look different.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I once encountered the reverse of your situation. A lawn had a large patch that never grew as well its the surroundings  despite several years attempting to correct the problem with re-seeding, fertilizing, etc. Eventually we decided to dig up the entire lawn and start afresh. At that point, we discovered that the house-builders had &quot;buried&quot; a few hundred bricks in the subsoil for some unknown reason. We dug them all out and re-leveled the whole area, which took a few months of part-time work - but after that, there were no more lawn problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-05-21T22:23:28.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24948" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-21T23:15:50.563" Score="2" ViewCount="155" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing some spinach this year. Compared to the baby spinach we get in the store, my plants already have leaves the same size. Yet there are only 6 leaves total.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, can I pinch off these baby leaves, and will the plant keep producing new leaves? Can I keep doing this for a while, and keep getting baby leaves? Obviously I wouldn't take too much, wanting to keep the plant growing. Maybe just pinch off the two biggest leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11423" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T05:03:58.893" Title="Harvesting Baby spinach" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;spinach&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24949" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24948" CreationDate="2016-05-22T00:02:01.097" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally in leafy vegetables, you can remove up to 20% of the leaves without too much trouble, and the plant keeps growing. Though of course you will slow the growth down a little.  Leaves supply carbohydrates used as energy for growing the roots, and other plant structures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T00:02:01.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24950" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24958" CreationDate="2016-05-22T01:17:36.867" Score="5" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some gerbera daisies a little over 2 weeks old (since cut). One of them seem to be growing tinier flowers in the center. Could someone explain what this is, and why it is happening? I am curious.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other daisies do not seem to have similar things growing in the center. If needed, I can attach pictures of those as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qXPZn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qXPZn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14766" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T22:18:59.987" Title="Is my daisy growing smaller flowers on itself?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24951" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24501" CreationDate="2016-05-22T02:29:01.993" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Reseeded tomatoes can potentially be a very good thing. In my experience, they are quite drought-tolerant compared to transplants. They are also stronger, and don't require hardening off. There are really only a few problems with this scenario that come to mind:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The parent plant might have been a hybrid. So, you might get a different kind of tomato than you had before. This isn't necessarily a bad thing (although some people will try to convince you it definitely is). While F2 hybrids aren't always as desirable as the parent, in my experience, sometimes they're &lt;em&gt;more&lt;/em&gt; desirable. I've had both more and less desirable tomatoes come from Husky Cherry Red F1 in the F2 generation. F1 is the first-generation hybrid (if you planted a hybrid, that's what it would have been last year). F2 is what it would be this year. F3 is what it would be next year. And so on.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The tomato may have been cross-pollinated by other tomatoes. Although this isn't terribly likely, it happens. In this case, you'll get a brand new F1 hybrid that you may or may not like. It will probably be at least as productive as the most productive parent, however (given the same conditions and amount of time to grow).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Reseeded tomatoes are usually in soil where tomatoes had been the year before. This means there may be less nutrients that tomatoes like in the soil. This can result in smaller tomatoes. Adding extra potassium and other nutrients may help them to get larger, if they used a lot the year before. You could transplant them elsewhere or amend the soil to help matters here.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Reseeded tomatoes are usually on ground where tomatoes had been the year before. There may be more diseases and/or pests present in that ground as a result. However, your tomato may or may not be at least slightly more acclimated to the growing conditions than one that has never grown in them before (which growing conditions may or may not include pests and diseases).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The tomatoes may not be exactly where you want them. You may also have to cull or transplant some of them if there are too many or if they're too close together. You may still want to cage them, too.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They may be late-season tomatoes. If your growing season isn't very long, they may not have time to get a good harvest (because you didn't start them in a protected environment early when it was too cold for tomatoes). Early tomatoes should be fine reseeded. Midseason tomatoes may or may not be okay. If they germinate early enough for the number of days you have left in your growing season, you shouldn't have a problem. Giving them extra phosphorus might help them mature faster.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than that, I'd say, enjoy your tomatoes. Everything else is probably a pro.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing from saved seed is definitely a good idea, as it can help your tomatoes to acclimate to the growing conditions. If they're already acclimated, or used to the conditions, you may not notice a benefit, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Early, determinate and/or dwarf indeterminate tomatoes are probably the best kinds to let reseed, I'm guessing. You might consider the following varieties if you want to do it on purpose (squirt the seeds where you want them the year before), provided they actually do stay viable over the winter (not all varieties seem to do that readily):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;New Big Dwarf&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Payette&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;McGee&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Siberian&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Glacier&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Stupice&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kimberly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Alaska Fancy&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mountain Princess&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Taos&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Legend&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Siletz&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Oroma&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Saucy&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gold Nugget&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Santiam&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't let late-season tomatoes reseed unless you're experimenting, or unless you have a long season. I would be leery about mid-season tomatoes, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To encourage tomato seeds that have overwintered to germinate, you'll need to water them, if the ground is dry. They'll grow a lot sooner if you do that. Tilling up the soil before you water it may also help. This spring (2016), I had some germinate from soil I put in a bucket and watered in early to mid April or so, here in Idaho (but the remaining ones in the ground took a lot longer to germinate). I should note that we've had a warm spring. Our last frost and/or freeze this year was around April 16th or so (I covered the seedling on that last frost).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you like the idea of reseeding, you might consider growing tomatillos. They can spread a lot of seeds even with just a few fruits (like weeds). They do great reseeded. Ground cherries and other garden berries may also do well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-05-22T03:04:54.590" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T03:04:54.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24952" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24976" CreationDate="2016-05-22T03:50:49.020" Score="0" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just heard about the american beautyberry, and was wondering What zones can I grow it in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds very intriguing, and would love to try having different foods for me to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-05-23T03:40:05.950" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T03:40:05.950" Title="Can &quot;I&quot; grow american beautyberry?" Tags="&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24953" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24964" CreationDate="2016-05-22T04:10:35.617" Score="3" ViewCount="275" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just heard about the yaupon holly, and would like to plant some. Where can I plant them to get my caffeine fix?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-08-15T18:32:42.150" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T18:32:42.150" Title="Where can I grow yaupon holly?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24954" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-22T04:20:49.537" Score="1" ViewCount="41" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just heard about the edible weed called magenta spreen lambsquarters, and was wondering where I can grow it for medicinal purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T04:50:10.327" Title="Where can I grow magenta spreen lambsquarters?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24955" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24953" CreationDate="2016-05-22T04:33:59.743" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Zones 7b - 9, acidic soil, be sure to have both sexes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T04:33:59.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24956" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24954" CreationDate="2016-05-22T04:50:10.327" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does best in full or part sun, slightly acidic soil (though as a weed it can handle neutral or slightly basic with little issues). Zone is N/A as it's an annual but wait for temp to be &gt;55F before taking outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chenopodium giganteum has no medicinal purposes, but it's decently nutritious.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T04:50:10.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24957" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24948" CreationDate="2016-05-22T05:03:58.893" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A good rule of thumb with leafy vegetables is: after the plant is established you can freely take any leaf that is losing 1/3 of its light to newer leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not something you MUST do, but if you're periodically harvesting all season it'll serve you well when you're wondering which are safe to take.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For most leafy veggies, the first 1-2 sets of leaves can be ill tasting compared to what the plant will deliver when it's established. If those sets lose &gt;2/3 of their light and aren't growing anymore, pinch and throw away then commence the weekly/bi-weekly harvesting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T05:03:58.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24958" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24950" CreationDate="2016-05-22T06:08:37.650" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is a pseudanthium where the flower head is comprised of hundreds of tiny flowers. This picture shows it better.  The actual flowers are tiny, and are called florets, but the combined flower can be quite large as in sunflowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/un6gF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/un6gF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pseudoanthium in a gerbera daisy&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T06:08:37.650" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24959" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-22T10:13:43.307" Score="3" ViewCount="794" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several different varieties of very small succulents (mainly &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithops&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lithops&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conophytum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Conophytum&lt;/a&gt;) in small pots indoors. They have been in the same pots and soil for about 4 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure when it's the right time to move them to a bigger pot, because they don't seem to grow in size. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some Conophytum even started to die back and I wonder if it's a lack of soil fertility since I have never changed their soil or fertilized them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14741" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-13T22:23:10.657" LastActivityDate="2016-10-14T00:38:07.563" Title="How often should I repot Lithops and Conophytum?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24960" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24962" CreationDate="2016-05-22T10:30:22.300" Score="7" ViewCount="97749" Body="&lt;p&gt;When cleaning my lawnmower I have to put it on its side so that I can clean its underside.  However, I keep on reading that you can only put it on one side, not the other, otherwise oil and/or gasoline leaks into other components.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a PowerPlus POW63771, which has a 4-stroke engine. There is no information in the manual saying on which side to put it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is how it looks:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w3mGW.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w3mGW.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.marionmowers.com.au/service_tips/21597.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;MarionMowers&lt;/a&gt;, It says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If your lawnmower is four stroke (which it is), tip the mower so that the spark plug is pointing skyward, never tip it on its side with the spark plug to the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot work out on which side to tip my lawnmower. Given my picture where the spark plug is almost in the middle of the mower, should the oil cap (which is truly on one side) be pointing to the ground or to the sky?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14770" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T17:47:47.087" Title="Which way to put lawnmower on side?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;mowing&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24962" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24960" CreationDate="2016-05-22T11:03:45.740" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Before you start doing anything on your mower disconnect the spark plug wire and make sure it's away from the spark plug so the engine doesn't accidentally start if you turn the blades. Think of how old prop planes were started by turning the prop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On lawnmowers I've used and seen there spark plug has always been either on the front or back but tipping it forward or backward doesn't leave it in the most stable position to clean it. Your manual states &quot;Hose under deck by tilting the mower so that the spark plug is up&quot;. That would indicate you remove the bag and tip it backwards so the handle is touching the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you tip it so the spark plug is down oil can get to the spark plug and foul it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many times I tip it to the side, I used to have a mower with the spark plug in the back, because it's more stable that way in some cases and if the spark plug is pretty much center front or back the spark plug doesn't get oil on it. I make sure the air filter and muffler (usually on same side for mowers I've used) are pointing up. Don't want oil flowing into the carburetor or air box. One old mower I had years ago would leak oil out of the muffler if tipped on that side and then smoke up the next time it was used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And before you start cleaning double check to make sure the spark plug wire is disconnected. Yes I know I said it twice. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-05-23T18:31:44.020" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T18:31:44.020" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24964" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24953" CreationDate="2016-05-22T13:10:23.353" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_vomitoria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ilex vomitoria&lt;/a&gt; is known as the Yaupon holly is native to North America from New York State to Florida and west to Texas.  It was introduced to cultivation in 1700 and has many cultivars: dwarf, weeping, yellow berries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It normally grows in USDA zones 7 to 10 up to 20' (~6M) tall and can be used for screens, hedges, specimens and mass plantings.  The key attraction is the bright scarlet berries produced in quantity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is found in the wild in wet swampy areas but can adapt to a wide variety of soils and conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The vomitoria in the latin name is a misnomer as it does not contain emetics. Europeans observed Indians preparing an infusion from the leaves to cleanse impurities in the body and soul.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Caffeine levels are similar to that of black tea and it is currently served in at least &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/08/04/429071993/heres-the-buzz-on-americas-forgotten-native-tea-plant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;one restaurant&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cultivation description quoted from this &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1588748685&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;reference manual&lt;/a&gt; by Michael Dirr.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-22T14:55:22.870" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T14:55:22.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24965" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-22T13:59:11.340" Score="4" ViewCount="6056" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please tell me if this Aloe Vera leaf is healthy. Most of the leaves are green but there are some leaves with these black patches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it safe to consume these leaves raw?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sVwFK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sVwFK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14771" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-05T22:50:32.163" LastActivityDate="2016-10-05T22:50:32.163" Title="Black patches on aloe vera leaves" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24966" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24971" CreationDate="2016-05-22T17:48:17.027" Score="3" ViewCount="158" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whenever I water my new blueberry bushes they seem to lose some flowers for some reason. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I water them without losing the flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-22T21:27:41.150" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T21:27:41.150" Title="How can I water blueberries without losing a flower?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24967" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24973" CreationDate="2016-05-22T17:52:17.720" Score="7" ViewCount="1291" Body="&lt;p&gt;My landlord has this plant in his garden. (See pictures at the bottom.) I water it for him several times a week, using water from a closed well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't usually rain here. There's maybe one or two periods of rain each year. The rest of the year we have a dry, tropical climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No matter how much I water it, this plant never flowers. I've tried copious amounts of water, frequent watering, etc. It doesn't matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, when it rains, like it did this week, it only takes a few days for the plant to give these beautiful flowers. As far as I have seen, this rule never fails. The plant &lt;em&gt;never&lt;/em&gt; flowers after being watered with well-water, but &lt;em&gt;always&lt;/em&gt; flowers after rains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is the name of this plant?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We are in southern India. The plant may be native to this area, it might be native to somewhere else. I'm not sure. But it does fine here, except for the well-water thing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for &lt;em&gt;why&lt;/em&gt; it only flowers after rain, that is not the purpose of this question, but people are welcome to mention that. I intend to ask it in a sepreate question once I have ascertained the name of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZXtKa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZXtKa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KLPjP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KLPjP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With a DVD for size comparison:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MioXt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MioXt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14572" LastEditorUserId="14572" LastEditDate="2016-05-22T22:03:39.597" LastActivityDate="2017-10-07T09:09:24.953" Title="Plant only flowers after rain, and not from being watered. What plant is it?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;rain&gt;&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24968" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-22T18:36:39.870" Score="3" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a small lawn and very active in the children. In the winter when it is wet the grass is completely destroyed mostly from games of soccer.  What can we do to protect the grass other than telling our children not to go outdoors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I noticed online something called &quot;grass reinforcement mesh&quot;. Is this the best method?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14776" LastEditorUserId="14776" LastEditDate="2016-05-22T18:47:59.483" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T02:27:21.327" Title="How to protect your grass in the winter months" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24969" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24970" CreationDate="2016-05-22T19:23:02.367" Score="4" ViewCount="743" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to find out what type of flower this is, what the black spots are and if they're normal. They appear to be seeds but I cannot tell for sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in the Northwestern United States, hardiness zone 7B. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JGg6r.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JGg6r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14392" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T04:17:19.737" Title="Flower identification and black spots diagnosis" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24970" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24969" CreationDate="2016-05-22T20:01:39.570" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitalis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Foxglove (&lt;em&gt;Digitalis sp.&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;, probably the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitalis_purpurea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Common Foxglove (&lt;em&gt;Digitalis purpurea&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; which is native to Europe and western Asia, but has naturalized throughout much of north America. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Identifying characteristics are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the tubular flower, spirally arranged on the stem&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the lines of spots that you noticed leading to the back of the flower&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The black spots inside the flower are normal and form what is called a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nectar_guide&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;nectar guide&quot;&lt;/a&gt;. They are fluorescent and they show up brightly in ultraviolet light. Bees can see ultraviolet so the spots lead the bees into the flower where they can take the nectar and pollinate the flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-22T20:19:46.783" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T20:19:46.783" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24966" CreationDate="2016-05-22T21:10:38.640" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blueberry bushes need consistently moist soil. To avoid breaking the flowers, and to keep them healthy, they should be watered at the root level. According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.networx.com/article/three-tips-for-growing-blueberries&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; about growing blueberries, the best choice is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soakerhose.com/&quot;&gt;soaker hose&lt;/a&gt;. Although I don't grow blueberries, I use soakers on various annuals, perennials and bushes, and absolutely love them! They're easy to use, very efficient and comparable in price to good quality regular hoses. Most are made of a mesh-type material. When turned on, the water seeps through the pores of the hose, distributing a constant supply directly to the roots. There's no flower or fruit breakage, and you can be assured that the water is being delivered where it's needed. That doesn't always happen when watering from above, or even from the sides, as runoff from the plant can go in different directions, not always landing on the part of the roots that need it most. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soaker hoses are very versatile. They're round, pliable and can easily be formed into various shapes. You can lay them along rows of plants, bend them to curve in numerous directions, and wrap them around roots. For plants that need mulch, including blueberries, just bury the hose under the mulch. As the circumference is the same, they can be cut and attached by couplings to regular hoses. I love that feature, because I don't always need water everywhere. The regular hose carries the water to the soaker, so there's no water waste. An excellent product choice is this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeners.com/buy/snip-n-drip-soaker-hose-watering-system/40-205.html?SC=XNET9436&quot;&gt;Snip-n-Drip System&lt;/a&gt;, although with a few tools, you can make the same system yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further information and instructions for use can be found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/soaker-hoses&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.savingwater.org/cs/groups/public/@spu/@swp/documents/webcontent/04_009354.pdf&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T21:10:38.640" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24972" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24968" CreationDate="2016-05-22T21:44:30.190" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best method is to disallow football in the winter, and take the kids to the park for football instead. Grass reinforcement mesh is intended for use on grassed areas where you may want to park a car, or where you need to walk regularly, or where you're expecting heavy foot traffic - it is not intended for people to skid, slide on their knees or fall over heavily onto, and may cause damage to the skin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Football pitches are obviously played on in winter, and do develop bald, muddy areas - but the groundsmen are at work year round carrying out regular maintenance and repairs, which is their particular skill. Trying to achieve this level of care on a smaller area in a home garden would be onerous, and expensive to pay someone else to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't want to stop soccer being played, then I'm afraid you'd need to either regularly replace the grass, or carry out repairs frequently. Alternatively, consider replacing the lawn with artificial turf, in particular, the sports grade version.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-22T23:13:57.697" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T23:13:57.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24973" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24967" CreationDate="2016-05-22T22:01:32.027" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is Zephyranthes carinata, a bulb with the common name Rain Lily. There are lots of hybrids these days, but the reason they're called rain lilies is because they flower after rain. Some only flower once a year, and that is later in the summer/autumn, when the autumn or summer rains arrive, but some of the newer hybrids flower more often and do respond to watering. However, this one probably only ever intends to flower at certain times, and however much you water inbetween times, it will not force the flowering - that's programmed within the bulb itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info here, though the picture in the link is not of this particular variety&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/g-52-rain-lily-zephyranthe-planting-guide.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/g-52-rain-lily-zephyranthe-planting-guide.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I should have said, these plants require periods of drought, and when they flower in response to rain, its because the humidity is higher, which triggers the flowering response; that doesn't happen with you watering copiously, the humidity may increase a little, but not enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dawn.com/news/883145/nature-talk-rain-lilies&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.dawn.com/news/883145/nature-talk-rain-lilies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-07T09:09:24.953" LastActivityDate="2017-10-07T09:09:24.953" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24974" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24965" CreationDate="2016-05-22T22:05:45.473" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've no idea whether its safe to consume or not, but I wouldn't consume it - it may well be a fungal infection, so if you're sensitive to moulds and fungus infections generally, its probably not a good idea to eat it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usual cause of this problem is cultural, that is, the watering regime isn't quite right, more info here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-aloe-plant-dark-spots-94444.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-aloe-plant-dark-spots-94444.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T22:05:45.473" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24975" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24950" CreationDate="2016-05-22T22:18:59.987" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artmar07/bj-gerbera.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt;, it is a composite bloom, with a few different types of florets on the same flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The center ones are called Disk Florets, which are the ones you are asking about. They contain the male stamens for the flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The slightly larger petals are called the Trans Florets and the largest ones are called the Ray Florets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears the area in the center without any petals can vary in size, with either more &quot;blank&quot; space or less. I assume more Disk Florets just started to grow in, filling up the empty space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14767" LastActivityDate="2016-05-22T22:18:59.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24952" CreationDate="2016-05-23T00:15:36.780" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;American beautyberry is actually Callicarpa Americana; it's an ornamental plant rather than an edible one. The berries have been used to treat colic, in the form of tea, so I guess, if you suffer from colic, you might find it useful. Deciduous shrub, usually around six to nine feet tall, depending on conditions and whether it's pruned regularly, bright purple berries held in drupes which often persist for some months, though cattle may forage some. However, you'd need a greenhouse with heat in winter in your USDA zone; it grows in zones 7 to 11.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-23T00:28:09.040" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T00:28:09.040" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24977" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-23T01:26:28.947" Score="3" ViewCount="2972" Body="&lt;p&gt;My parents have had a lilac tree in their backyard for about 25 years. It came from saplings given by a neighbour. Over the years, some secondary shoots (&quot;suckers&quot;, I think?) were removed as they broke under the weight of snow. Up until a year or two, it bloomed consistently every spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year, it looks like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G3M3n.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G3M3n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Large areas of the top have no flowers, only dried bits from last year, although all branches have leaves. There seems to be three main shoots that are devoid of any flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e0nWH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e0nWH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the older shoots, there seems to be moss or some white stuff on the bark. I don't know whether this is normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VzH70.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VzH70.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think my parents have done any pruning of this tree over the years, except for removing obviously broken branches. They are now thinking about cutting the base of all the trunks that have no flowers. I asked them to wait until I could verify whether they could be salvaged. Is there anything we can do to make these trunks flower again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14780" LastEditorUserId="14780" LastEditDate="2016-05-23T14:57:53.530" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T14:57:53.530" Title="Lilac tree has branches without flowers" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;lilac&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24978" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24968" CreationDate="2016-05-23T02:27:21.327" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't know what part of the world you're in but in the US there are different places across the country, mostly universities, that conduct turf trials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grass isn't just one type of plant. There are many different cultivars of grass. Different cultivars have different characteristics which may be different in different regions. One of the characteristics they test for is traffic wear. How well the grass will hold up over foot traffic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;since grass is used on many playing fields, there is quite a bit of research on &quot;sports turf&quot;. There will be blends of seed marketed as sports turf but I personally like to see independent research from the various turf trials around my area. in the US theres also &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ntep.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;NTEP&lt;/a&gt; which helps organize or at least colates the turf trial data.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should also look for information on how sports turf is managed. There is much written on the subject and you should hopefully be able to find information for your area. You can also try talking to people in your area that manage the grass for sports fields and get their advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can't really protect the grass but you can get grass that will withstand that type of abuse better and spend a little more time taking care of it so it will look good. At least during the parts of the year when it's growing. In the winter, depending on your climate, it's not really growing so can't recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A couple of things you'll want to do is aerate the lawn to relive soil compaction and overseed to fill in bare/damaged portions. Depending on how much abuse the lawn gets you may need to overseed and maybe even aerate spring and fall. Also make sure you fertilize according to the type of grass you use so your grass is healthy enough to withstand the abuse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may not have the best looking lawn in your neighborhood but with some care it should be better than you describe and your kids will still get to play. What's the point of having a nice lawn if they can't enjoy it anyway. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T02:27:21.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24969" CreationDate="2016-05-23T04:17:19.737" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Foxglove, and you should know this is VERY VERY TOXIC! Since you didn't know what plant this, please make sure to not eat it, and wash your hands after touching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(This doesn't answer the question, downvote, I don't care, but I can't comment and don't want someone to die)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14781" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T04:17:19.737" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24981" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24977" CreationDate="2016-05-23T05:02:46.340" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Flowers are an apical meristem, which means flowers occur only at branch tips. Hence if one never prunes their lilac bush, it winds up being exactly like what you have - a bunch of long stems/trunks with possibly a flower cluster way up high at each stem/trunk end.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The basic principle of pruning is that decapitating (or pruning off the end of) a stem will release latent buds that will produce new shoots (more branches). With a lilac, one can remove a significant length of a stem to lower the canopy and this will as well produce more shoots which means it multiplies the number of potential flower sites. You can even go so far as to chop the entire lilac bush down within a foot or so of the ground in late winter, and it will regrow. You can do this if you are frustrated and just to start over creating the bush. However, it takes about 3 years before it will again bear flowers like you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, instead, you might want hard prune about one-third of the stems this season (anytime until the flowers have completely faded/browned is okay). Prune down to a level below where you want to have the canopy in three years (about half that height). Next year do another third and the year after next, the remainder. Obviously, choosing stems scattered throughout the tree each time will give you the smoothest transition, but it is strictly up to your preference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One should also do some maintenance pruning every year after flowering (that is if you want the flowers; else you can do it before) just to shape the plant - keep it looking open and pretty. You can easily make a bush covered with blossoms, a shorter broom with flowers only at the top, or some other style with just a simple annual pruning/shearing. If it starts turning into something you don't like simply change where you cut to make it be more like what you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T05:02:46.340" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24544" CreationDate="2016-05-23T09:28:22.473" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some people dry them in the sun for a couple of days to help remove the (germination inhibiting) aril but if you can remove it in other ways that's fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The idea is to get a clean seed into warm soil, that doesn't stay moist as their roots rot easily.  They can take a month to germinate, so perhaps leaving it out just before planting might help trigger germination if your soil is not at ideal temperature but it seems unlikely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T09:28:22.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24984" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25018" CreationDate="2016-05-23T14:18:48.613" Score="8" ViewCount="158" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a beautiful, large citrus tree that hubby grew from a seed 25 years ago. It lives in a pot due to cold winters here, but spends as much time as possible outside - better for the tree and us. Now that the days are getting warmer, the tree seems &quot;hungry&quot; and the growth phase should kick in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously potted plants need extra nutrition and so we went to our local garden center to get a new fertilizer. And promptly started wondering:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Brand A&lt;br&gt;&#xA;3-1-5 NPK plus 0.8% S (sulfur), 1.5% Na (sodium), 0.3% Fe (iron)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Brand B&lt;br&gt;&#xA;3.5-6 NK plus 0.01 Fe&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Brand C&lt;br&gt;&#xA;7-3-6 NPK plus 3% S (2% soluble S), 1.0% Na, 0.1% Cloride&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;All&lt;/em&gt; are labelled as fertilizers for citrus plants. And while I see some similarity between A and B, C is in a totally different range.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what should we do? And why do I have that nagging feeling that I'm missing an essential part of the big picture here?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QqEMz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QqEMzs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;whole tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pXRqa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pXRqas.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SHqsw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SHqsws.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;emerging growth&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L5WFl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L5WFls.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;trunk size&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-05-23T14:38:49.190" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T13:24:11.427" Title="Why do fertilizers for the same plant type have significantly different ratios?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24985" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26449" CreationDate="2016-05-23T14:31:09.770" Score="7" ViewCount="2591" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a young oak tree (ETA: It is a White Oak) that has been in its current location for 7 or 8 years. This year it is very late leafing out. In fact, it has only just started getting leaves in the past week. All of the other trees in the neighborhood (including mature and immature oaks) have been fully leafed out for about 2 weeks now. Reasons I've considered:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The tree does not seem to be located in a frost pocket. This is the first year it has leafed out significantly later than the other trees.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We did have several late spring frosts/freezes - but again, no other trees in the vicinity seem to have been affected to this extent.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When looking at the tree, I see no obvious signs of disease or injury. The bark is intact, I see no damage to the trunk or roots. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What am I missing? Or is the most likely explanation simply that it was more susceptible to the late frost than my other trees? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZYncV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZYncV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FxseW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FxseW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2016-05-23T15:24:40.117" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T20:12:14.450" Title="What factors could cause a young oak tree to leaf out late?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;frost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24986" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25003" CreationDate="2016-05-23T14:55:13.157" Score="4" ViewCount="3968" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the name of this plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t4zlA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter imaged description here]&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fT5lE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter imaged description here]&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13372" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-23T15:46:06.373" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T12:46:54.560" Title="What is this prickly weed found in Pennsylvania?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24987" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-23T14:55:16.160" Score="4" ViewCount="89" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two years ago, I planted the Autumn Revolutions cultivar of bittersweet near a garden trellis. The vines took over the trellis quite nicely, but it has not fruited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know most varieties of bittersweet require both a male and female plant to produce fruit, but this cultivar is supposed to have both male and female parts on the same plant, and thus be self-fertile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did try to plant two separate vines on either side of the trellis, but only one thrived.  I have not seen any flowers on the established plant either year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am about to re-plant the second vine, but was wondering if I there is anything else I can do to encourage fruit production on the established plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps the plant I purchased was faulty and did not actually have both the male and female parts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14787" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T15:15:12.470" Title="Autumn Revolutions bittersweet not fruiting" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24988" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="24991" CreationDate="2016-05-23T14:58:57.647" Score="5" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found a very large branch in my yard.   Looking up, I was surprised to see a a bare tree amongst the leafy ones, from which this branch had fallen.  Not a tree expert but I'm guessing this one is dead/dying and will eventually damage my house.   Based on the photos, can anyone confirm this tree is a goner (I don't know if it's dormant or why it would in May in the southeastern US)? I'd like verification before I call a tree service to have it removed.  Is there any way to tell from the photos what disease is affecting this tree? I also would appreciate suggestions for what I should look for in a tree removal service.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZFwx0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZFwx0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bare tree amongst the leafy ones&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xeum7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xeum7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Place where the branch broke off&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11364" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T18:25:34.510" Title="Diagnosing if a tree is dead" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24989" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24987" CreationDate="2016-05-23T15:15:12.470" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.firsteditionsplants.com/autumn-revolution-bittersweet&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;grower's site&lt;/a&gt; indicates &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The majority of the flowers formed on Autumn Revolution are perfect,&#xA;  meaning that the flower itself has both male and female parts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you do not need two plants.  It can sometimes take a few years for a plant to get established and able to flower and fruit.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T15:15:12.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23921" CreationDate="2016-05-23T16:48:58.193" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could try sprinkling food grade diatomaceous earth around the garden area where they frequent, but it requires reapplication once it gets wet.  It will desiccate the insect's exoskeleton (it doesn't discriminate the good from the bad).  Roaches tend to clean themselves frequently so they should get it on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would mix in a ratio of powdered sugar or cocoa powder (between 1:3 to 1:1) and place bait in containers or LIGHTLY sprinkle areas that they frequent that are dry like near bricks and stones and other hiding places that they go to.  Other than that you'd have to go with a commercial product like the baits that use boric acid or another chemical or skip the dung if the roaches continue to be troublesome.  If there is a food source then they will find it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good Luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14587" LastEditorUserId="14587" LastEditDate="2016-05-23T17:08:26.597" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T17:08:26.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24991" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24988" CreationDate="2016-05-23T18:25:34.510" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Likely dead. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The simplest verification is to peel a narrow strip of bark from the trunk (at a point about chest high, say). If you see NO GREEN = DEAD. If, on the other hand you see green, there is still life. If it should turn out that the tree is alive, the wound you've made will regrow. This regrowth will happen much faster by wrapping it right away with plastic film (e.g.,saran, visqueen, a plastic trash bag); leave it in place for a couple of weeks. Of course, it won't matter if it is dead (all brown inside).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With smaller plants or twigs one can usually scrape the bark with a thumbnail or cut it with a pocket knife to see if there is any green cambium beneath the bark, atop the wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another verification is to look for (leaf) buds on the twigs. Buds are dry and fall off easily or are missing altogether is indicative of a dead twig. Twigs all dead indicates a dead branch. Branches all dead indicates a dead tree. Even though you tree isn't one, it is worth noting that leaf buds on species such as Katsura and Cercis (Redbud) can be very difficult to identify when the tree is in winter dormancy. Otherwise, buds are 'obvious' on most North American species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T18:25:34.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24992" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-23T18:58:22.033" Score="2" ViewCount="266" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have pink rain lilies (&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/24973/14572&quot;&gt;Zephyranthes Carinata&lt;/a&gt;) in the garden. In my personal experience, I've found that they always flower, without exception, shortly after rains. However, there are roughly ten totally dry months each year. During this time, even though I water them regularly with well-water, I've never seen them flower. I've tried copious amounts of water, and frequent watering, but to no avail. They seem to &lt;em&gt;depend&lt;/em&gt; on rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rains here come at different times each year. We just had a totally unexpected rainstorm in May, causing them to flower. We are inland in southern India. It's very hot here, and the climate is quite dry in the periods when it's not raining.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is it about the rain that makes this plant flower? (No need for excessive details on this.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How can I utilize the answer to #1 to make them flower even when there is no rain?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZXtKa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZXtKa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14572" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T20:35:09.337" Title="Why do pink rain lillies flower after rains, but not from being watered? How to make them flower?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;lily&gt;&lt;rain&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24993" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24885" CreationDate="2016-05-23T19:24:01.850" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wow! I found it! Thank you all for all of your helpful questions and suggestions, which led me to the answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Carolina Modiola, Carolina Bristle-mallow, Creeping Mallow, Red-flowered Mallow &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/340738/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/340738/#b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NHsUW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NHsUW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T19:24:01.850" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24992" CreationDate="2016-05-23T20:35:09.337" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not the rain as such, it's the high humidity when it rains that triggers flowering. As said previously, they need periods of drought and they are bulbs, which means they may repeat flower, but can't be in flower all the time, or whenever you wish them to be, if that is frequently. If you could find a way of raising the humidity of the air around them, that &lt;strong&gt;might&lt;/strong&gt; trigger flowering, and the only way I can think of doing that is by creating a humidity tent over them, or put them in a greenhouse and keep the humidity high in there, as well as watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-23T20:35:09.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24995" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25004" CreationDate="2016-05-23T22:24:44.693" Score="7" ViewCount="1765" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anybody know what plant this is? I'd like to make sure the berries aren't poisonous for my cat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fLkxZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fLkxZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14789" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-24T02:24:43.850" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T13:56:35.017" Title="What is this low-growing bush with variegated leaves and red berries?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24996" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-24T00:57:15.137" Score="3" ViewCount="248" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had sod installed about 12 days ago and its taking really well in 95% of the yard, nice and green and is taking root. There are a few sprinklers near the back brick wall that are not far enough back and don't provide enough water to the surrounding grass. I have been manually watering these areas since the installation when I noticed it wasn't getting enough water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aside from the continual water, is there any amendments I can apply to those patches or the dirt underneath them? I can pick the back sections up as if they were just laid on top, they haven't taken root in the browned areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2eDEy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2eDEy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ch9ba.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ch9ba.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14032" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T22:00:21.803" Title="Sod not getting enough water?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;sod&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24998" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24996" CreationDate="2016-05-24T01:18:01.583" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best thing you could do is simply get a little longer hose or invest in a sprinkler that has a higher pressure to water bigger areas at a time. You could also go and water the little bit manually, if that is not a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T01:18:01.583" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="24999" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-24T04:35:52.307" Score="4" ViewCount="624" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is in its second year now, with lots of tiny Brussels sprouts. They don't seem to grow much at all in size, and many are rotting with the leaves going brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's causing this, and how can I get a decent crop?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in late autumn now with temperature down to 5 deg C at night. Frosts expected in a few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/hGnaitf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sprouts rotting&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T19:53:57.347" Title="Why are my Brussels sprouts rotting" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25000" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25011" CreationDate="2016-05-24T05:53:36.260" Score="4" ViewCount="528" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sk89t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sk89t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Newspapers under mulch&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5CBt3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5CBt3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Newspapers under mulch&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FPmWV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FPmWV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;[Box bottom listing dyes]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have always saved and used layered newspapers (without the dyed circulars) as a weed barrier, under the mulch in my gardens. When I am done, the papers are not visible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, I'm tackling a large area and ran out of the regular newsprint (even with friends/neighbors saving it for me).&#xA;I'm considering using the sales circulars, magazines and dyed cardboard as weed barriers. We aren't growing edibles in this specific area, but it does flood.&#xA;I've tried to research this, but all of the sites seem to strongly disagree about the pros and cons. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(i.e. Pro- They hold up longer than the regular newsprint, which can be helpful in some cases. Con- The dyes leach into the soil.)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So...Should I go ahead and use them in my own yard, or should I just put them in the recycling bin to go to the landfill and leach their dyes into the soil there? Everyone seems to be up in arms about these dyes! How bad can these dyes really be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="14745" LastEditDate="2016-05-24T17:18:09.960" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T17:23:49.773" Title="Dyed circulars and cardboard, for weed barriers under mulch" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;&lt;pollution&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25002" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24960" CreationDate="2016-05-24T12:32:32.883" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;IN this case, the direction to tip the mower is back...I.e. Place a cinder block on the handle to hold it down to the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As noted in another answer, pull the spark plug wire. Most mowers have an electric cut-off at the handle you have to hold but still always better to add extra steps of safety than it is to be sorry you didn't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T12:32:32.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25003" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24986" CreationDate="2016-05-24T12:46:54.560" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a thistle, though which variety is hard to tell until it blooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However. In many locales it is illegal to allow thistle to grow. And if you let that thistle go to seed, next year you may discover why. It will be everywhere and it's a very hardy plant. It will survive your lawn mower by staying low instead of growing upward.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thistles are wonderful plants in the right circumstances, they can hold soil in place very well to inhibit erosion on hillsides, and they are an amazing bee plant in rural areas, but you really do not want these growing in a residential neighborhood.once they've taken hold in a general area they are very hard to get rid of because if you miss but a single plant, then thousands of seeds will blow in the wind and spread them all over again for your next year's joy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T12:46:54.560" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24995" CreationDate="2016-05-24T13:45:08.427" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without disrespect to your answer Sue, I do believe that this is actually a variegated form of Holly (Ilex spp.). Upon closeup of some of the leaves, you will see the telltale leaf spines. Also, Euonymous berries usually, if not always, retain their &quot;wings&quot; and hang in clusters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jT3U6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jT3U6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cultivation: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/3295992/How-to-grow-holly.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/3295992/How-to-grow-holly.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/bob007/8109981001&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.flickr.com/photos/bob007/8109981001&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/gardening/article-2009783/ASK-MONTY-Why-holly-borne-flowers-berries.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/gardening/article-2009783/ASK-MONTY-Why-holly-borne-flowers-berries.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alas, like Euonymous, Holly berries can be toxic to humans and pets: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.poison.org/articles/2014-dec/holly-berries&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.poison.org/articles/2014-dec/holly-berries&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-05-24T13:56:35.017" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T13:56:35.017" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25005" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24984" CreationDate="2016-05-24T14:08:07.903" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is no &lt;em&gt;correct ratio&lt;/em&gt;, so manufacturers label suitable fertilizers as useful for citrus plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally the ratio has also not a real meaning alone. Plants care about nutrient substance, so you need to multiply the ratio with the quantity you supply to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually don't care about Sulfur, Natrium and Cloride (the other part of molecules containing N, P or K, these are chosen for slow or fast release and acidity).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mg&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Fe&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;B&lt;/strong&gt; are other essential elements, but plants uses them in a small quantity, so ground and a fertilizers every few years should be enough. (But it depends on the plant and fruits).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ratio are calculated from what a plant will give away every year, so the extra annual wood, the foliage (but on professional cultures, the foliage is not accounted: it is assumed that it will remain on ground, so on long term it will balance) and harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So foliage and harvest have significance, but these depends a lot on variety and how it is cultivated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T14:08:07.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25006" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25013" CreationDate="2016-05-24T14:48:38.003" Score="4" ViewCount="395" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard that there's a lot of trace elements in coffee when it breaks down. What trace elements are in the soil that coffee breaks down to?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T19:27:52.030" Title="What trace elements are in coffee when it breaks down?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25007" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25006" CreationDate="2016-05-24T15:22:46.577" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257418689_The_chemical_composition_of_exhausted_coffee_waste&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The chemical composition of exhausted coffee waste&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;spent coffee samples showed high carbon (&gt;58%), low nitrogen (&amp;lt;2%), and low ash (&amp;lt;1%) contents and low polarity coefﬁcient (O + N)/C (&amp;lt;0.5). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All the mineral components are in the ash, so less than 1%, or 10ppm. According to table 1 from the above link, that consists mostly of calcium and sodium with a little magnesium, potassium, and iron in the mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plenty of carbon compounds in there, to add organics to the soil, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T15:22:46.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25008" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24984" CreationDate="2016-05-24T15:30:21.763" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;3-1-2 is a general &quot;all-purpose&quot; NPK ratio, and it's a proper ratio for container citrus, afaik.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never seen 3-1-5 recommended for Citrus - I'm not a citrus grower but I'm familiar with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I make my own plant food nowadays, but for this guy, fert-wise, I'd recommend all-purpose miracle-gro shake and feed.  But don't shake it - dig a 1&quot;-1.5&quot; trench (looking like a moat) in the soil about halfway between the trunk and the pot, all the way around, and apply the CRF there. Then cover the CRF. I'd also add a pinch of epsom salt into the trench.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I reco the MG because it's got a good supply of micronutrients. Lime is an even better micronutrient amendment (use lawn lime - garden lime is slightly more concentrated and 5x the cost, so buy lawn lime and use a tiny bit more).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also look into how much woody growth you should be keeping every year. Like I said I'm not a citrus grower, but for typical container trees that's far too much wood.  It's too much green competition for an apple tree as well, so there may be sunlight discrepancies with some of the growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Okay, I'm starting to write a novel.  Breakdown:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use Miracle-Grow All-Purpose (12-4-8) Shake and Feed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apply it trench style with a pinch of Epsom&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Micronutrients don't displace a plant's uptake of NPK unless ridiculously overused, so if the soil is old you can throw some lime on.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Look into how much woody growth to prune yearly - the trunk is mighty and good-looking but there may just be too much wood&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Check some youtube videos on pruning citrus (seems too competitive to me)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure your growing medium is properly amended for aeration and drainage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Look into proper citrus root pruning for the next time you repot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T15:30:21.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25006" CreationDate="2016-05-24T15:43:51.320" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Composted coffee grounds have a 20:1 C/N (carbon/nitrogen) ratio so they are a &quot;Green&quot; compost (Nitrogen source).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If adding to a compost heap, toss them on and cover with just enough light browns (shredded leaves) to cover them and you're golden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as trace elements go - organics give a boost to a soil's micronutrients, but if you're looking to truly affect a soil's micronutrient levels, you have to use a micronutrient boosting amendment like Lime (use lawn lime, garden lime is slightly more concentrated and 5x the cost, so use lawn lime and just add a little more).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thick, yearly applications of good compost helps keep micronutrient levels balanced, but if working from a deficit it will take many years, and can't be done with just coffee grounds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(There is a ton of false info about coffee grounds exploding lately. The reality is that it's just a very good, usually pH neutral or slightly acidic green compost source.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T15:43:51.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25010" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25017" CreationDate="2016-05-24T16:11:29.963" Score="3" ViewCount="1311" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted whole cloves of garlic without breaking them up a few weeks ago. Now I see I should have broken them... they have formed lots of roots and small shoots. Should I break them up now? or just cut my losses and let it grow from here?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14760" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-22T00:28:40.033" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T00:28:40.033" Title="What should I do with garlic I planted as whole cloves instead of breaking them up?" Tags="&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25000" CreationDate="2016-05-24T16:27:31.747" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Brochures and coloured flyers do not have to disclose what inks are used to print them so there is no hard and fast answer to your question.  Different printers could use different inks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Printing inks can be divided into a few different types which are detailed &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theprintinginkcompany.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/CPIMA-Guide-What-are-VOCs.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lithographic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;heat set lithographic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;coldset lithographic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;flexographic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water or solvent based gravure inks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;UV inks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www1.mscdirect.com/MSDS/MSDS00006/00196030-20111110.PDF&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is a material safety data sheet for a black printers ink. There are some alcohols,resins and carbon black none of which seems very toxic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A more detailed list of Material Safety Data Sheets is found &lt;a href=&quot;http://americanoffset.com/resources/msds-information/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. A cursory review shows the components mentioned above and manganese and cobalt which are found in the soil. I found this &lt;a href=&quot;http://file:///C:/Users/kevilaro/Downloads/AAW-0242%20Ink%20-%20Yellow%20IJ050-9003-23.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;MSDS&lt;/a&gt; which states &quot;In compliance with local, state and federal regulations. The product should not be allowed to enter sewers&#xA;or water streams.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The absorption of anything into the soil or plants depends on unique soil chemistry, time of year, type of plants and other factors so it is very difficult to say if there is a health risk.  Probably not to you, perhaps to anything downstream.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A worst case assumption is that when you put anything in contact with the soil it starts to degrade.  Over a variable period of time, depending on many things such as rainfall, soil type and so on everything in the flyer will be in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that bags of mulch are commonly available for a few dollars a bag I would rather use them than an unknown quantity.  It is very difficult to tell what inks are used on flyers and what their effect will be on the environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-24T17:23:49.773" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T17:23:49.773" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25012" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-24T18:44:39.660" Score="8" ViewCount="4168" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently, several of my plants have developed these translucent spots on their leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GJgFs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A leaf with a translucent spot[1]&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is causing this? What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2591" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-05-03T09:03:12.693" LastActivityDate="2018-05-03T09:04:51.163" Title="Translucent spots on leaves" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="25013" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25006" CreationDate="2016-05-24T19:27:52.030" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The trace elements found in coffee include zinc, strontium, manganese, silicon, copper, iron, barium, boron and aluminium. The exact profile depends on where it is grown. All of these should return to the soil, whereas nitrogen can be lost on decomposition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Coffee: Emerging Health Effects and Disease Prevention &lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=fL2lSAMfdwcC&amp;amp;pg=PT82&amp;amp;lpg=PT82&amp;amp;source=bl&amp;amp;ots=AE3YovHHsp&amp;amp;sig=5MBhEeMMzQhH4COjxSgEpxIl5xI&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwi40fzgtfPMAhVFJZQKHWdtCgYQ6AEIHDAG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T19:27:52.030" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25014" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24996" CreationDate="2016-05-24T22:00:21.803" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You will likely need to cut out those severely browned areas and fit new sod in. Try to get the sod from the same grower, if possible, to match. Make sure the soil in the problem areas is highly amended with rich humous and peat prior to resoding. Those red bricks sure can heat up and I believe that's a lot of the problem in those areas. Water, water, water. Consider a soaker hose to run along the bricks until the grass is fully established. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T22:00:21.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25015" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24924" CreationDate="2016-05-24T22:06:55.223" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be snails or slugs.  You won't see them during the day but if you can go out after dark with a flash light you may be able to find the culprit (snails, slugs, rabbits, squirrels).  You can also put a night vision camera outside if you want to see what is visiting you at night.  You can also look below the leaves to see if you can spot any insects (caterpillars) that may be feeding on these leaves.  These are all issues I have seen in my garden at various points in time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T22:06:55.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25016" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25030" CreationDate="2016-05-24T22:50:56.737" Score="8" ViewCount="8787" Body="&lt;p&gt;This seems to be doing the rounds lately.  I saw it on pinterest last night.  Basically you take a slice of a ripe tomato, place it on some potting mix and then cover it.  10 days later you get tomato seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zibau.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zibau.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The issue I have with this is that you need a ripe heirloom, or open pollinated tomato in the first place,  which implies that it would be a mid season tomato.  And then you get seedlings which are going to be starting late which means that you'll never get a crop before the season ends.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, unless you have a glasshouse, is this really a viable way to start tomato seedlings, or should you do it the traditional way of sieving out seeds, and storing them for the time when you want to start them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2020-05-25T22:50:46.107" Title="Is using tomato slices really viable for starting seedlings?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25017" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25010" CreationDate="2016-05-24T22:55:00.940" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just take the bulb out of the ground, separate them into cloves and plant them again.  If you don't you'll end up with tightly crowded garlic bulbs each competing with each other for space and nutrients. ( bulb formation needs some cold weather )&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've got a root system, and some leaves, you'll be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T22:55:00.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24984" CreationDate="2016-05-24T23:35:27.900" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm with Giacomo in that specific NPK ratios for certain plants seems to be mostly marketing but there may be other micronutrients and elements included that benefit certain types of plants. Iron, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, pH adjusting additives, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant doesn't care what the NPK ratio is on the bag. It only cares about  whether there are enough accessible nutrients in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One popular approach is the &quot;sufficiency level&quot; approach. If your soil has enough potassium for example, you don't need to add more potassium. Nitrogen gets used up pretty quickly and leaches out of the soil with water so the addition of that is usually required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil testing by a good lab will tell you exactly what's in the soil and provide recommendations on how much N, P and K to add based on what you tell them you're growing. You're better off having your soil tested than trying to guess which bag's NPK formula is best for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check your local university's cooperative extension office if you're in the US. You can use out-of-state labs as long as your state is not on their exclusion list. I found the prices at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soiltest.uconn.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;UConn soil testing lab&lt;/a&gt; reasonable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium the plant actually winds up using, and how much washes away is going to vary based on different growing conditions. I believe fertilizer manufacturers formulate their NPK ratios based on generalizations they think will work best. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you really want to provide optimum nutrition to your plants it's worth doing a soil test every 1-3 years, add the recommended lbs of NPK based on the results and keep track of what you add and how the soil changes over time to see if the plant is getting everything it needs or if you're adding too much of something and it's building up in the soil. You may notice that phosphorous keeps increasing so you can cut down on the amount of phosphorous you add.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't want to do soil testing you can just pick a bag of a fertilizer you think is good and see how the plant responds. Various nutrient deficiencies (or sometimes excesses) will cause physical changes in the plant or different results that you can see. Make adjustments based on that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-05-26T13:24:11.427" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T13:24:11.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25019" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-24T23:39:20.460" Score="4" ViewCount="138" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've noticed that the tips of my hard neck garlic leaves are dying, and was wondering if this is normal, or not, because the flower stalk hasn't come up yet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Time:right before summer&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Location:full sun flower bed&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5AWLV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5AWLV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hardneck garlic dying tips&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;What am I doing wrong/right?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;What should I do for them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-06-01T03:50:03.673" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T16:35:26.487" Title="Why are the tips of my hardneck garlic plants dying?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25020" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25022" CreationDate="2016-05-24T23:37:42.080" Score="3" ViewCount="3827" Body="&lt;p&gt;My garden hose does not have a threaded female connector at the end. In that case, how can I connect a nozzle to the hose? I tried to find if there is any type of threaded connector that can be inserted into the hose to make a connection but couldn't find any. Is there any such kind of connector?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11360" OwnerDisplayName="DSKim" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-25T13:47:08.793" LastActivityDate="2016-05-25T13:47:08.793" Title="How do I connect a nozzle to a hose that doesn't have a threaded connector?" Tags="&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25021" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25016" CreationDate="2016-05-24T23:56:07.910" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Think of how tomatoes grow &quot;in the wild&quot; fruit drops to the ground, slowly rots, and when conditions are right a new plant emerges. So cut open the fruit and cover it in soil, the results are not surprising.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't see why this method wouldn't work for people who just want a &quot;tomato&quot;. The types of people that will save seeds from store bought tomatoes and don't care that the tomatoes from their new plants will be genetically different, thus possibly having different taste, texture, size, shape, etc. or maybe for people that live in a region where they can grow tomatoes all year long and start them any time, if such a place exists.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I am the tomato growing season is fairly short. I start my tomatoes a couple months before they get planted out. At the end of the season there's a long, cold gap until the next season. It's more practical to just keep the seeds instead of the fruit flesh which will decay and stink in that time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So does it work? Of course, that's how the fruit is designed to work. Is it practical for most people? No. Unless you aren't particular about what types of tomatoes you grow and are happy to just have a red, squishy ball you can eat. If you're going to spend the time to grow tomatoes, spend the $3 to buy a packet of seeds or save seeds from heirloom tomatoes you grew previously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found the video out of curiosity and I didn't have that &quot;duh! why didn't I think of that!&quot; moments it was just plain &quot;duh!&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T23:56:07.910" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25020" CreationDate="2016-05-24T23:56:52.537" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, search for a male garden hose replacement fitting, they are available at most home stores for under $5.  They have a barbed fitting that goes into the hose end and a clamp. (On garden hoses and pipes the male end has the threads on the outside and is furthest from the water source, since it goes &quot;inside&quot; of the female end)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lowes.com/cd_Repair+a+Garden+Hose_1400094211947_&quot;&gt;http://www.lowes.com/cd_Repair+a+Garden+Hose_1400094211947_&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14799" LastActivityDate="2016-05-24T23:56:52.537" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25024" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25026" CreationDate="2016-05-25T02:18:14.307" Score="6" ViewCount="205" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have received a cactus that is a bit curvy. Here's some pictures to give you an idea:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yrCKZ.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yrCKZ.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G2FEJ.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G2FEJ.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's doing well right now but I'm concerned that the curve will eventually break it. Is it possible to cut this into segments and pot them separately?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13436" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-26T01:22:31.227" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T01:22:31.227" Title="How should I cut a long, curvy cactus?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25024" CreationDate="2016-05-25T10:45:42.143" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very much so. I have done similar cuts many times on cacti and succulents. If you cleanly cut off the top 6 inches or so and pot it up it should root quite easily. And then remove all but the bottom 6 inches and leave it to regrow and you will have two lovely cacti!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14801" LastActivityDate="2016-05-25T10:45:42.143" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25027" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25051" CreationDate="2016-05-25T11:22:29.127" Score="7" ViewCount="3636" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some shallots (clumping onions) which I had saved over winter. They are looking really healthy but some started to grow flowering shoots. I wonder if removing these shoots will improve the quality of the shallots since I don't want to save their seed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is what they look like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tRD0hl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tRD0hl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14741" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-26T01:19:55.853" LastActivityDate="2020-11-05T00:29:40.123" Title="Should I remove the flower shoots of shallots?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25028" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25029" CreationDate="2016-05-25T11:38:06.087" Score="11" ViewCount="1331" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here in the UK we have many garden birds that feed from the small cracks in our brick-paved patio. Unfortunately, those small cracks are also full of various weeds and grass at the moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way of killing it all, but without poisoning the birds that eat from the ground?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I appreciate it can be weeded meticulously by hand, but I feel that way lies madness...!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14803" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-10-26T11:26:23.423" LastActivityDate="2017-10-26T11:26:23.423" Title="Bird-friendly weedkiller for patio?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25029" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25028" CreationDate="2016-05-25T11:59:29.677" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your best bet is probably to pour boiling water on the weeds. The heat will kill the plants, and the water will of course be harmless to the birds as soon as it cools. Just be careful not to burn yourself! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-05-25T11:59:29.677" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25030" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25016" CreationDate="2016-05-25T12:18:40.573" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't do the slice method. In addition to what you stated in the question the other issue is that if it is the seed from a hybrid you most certainly aren't going to get the same tomato variety as from the parent.  I live in US zone 8 so I am fortunate to have 2  growing seasons (second is a little shorter), so the delay in germination wouldn't be much of a problem.  The delay may reduce the yield because some blossoms may not set fruit due to the timing and heat. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem with just putting the slice is that the gel encased around the seed inhibits germination probably to allow the seed to be eaten by animals and survive so that the seedling travels a little further.  So for those with shorter seasons you are delaying germination a little longer if the gel remains.&#xA;So it is possible it would work, but you could also get a beautiful plant filled with blooms or green tomatoes then a cold snap hits you and you don't get to harvest any ripe ones (Greens under the bed to finish ripening with a banana or fried greenies).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would probably be better if the tomato was squeezed in a clear plastic cup, the top of the cup was covered with a cloth or paper towel and secured with a rubber band and put away in a cool dry place.  After the seeds had fermented and you get a gunk on the top then spray/wash with water to remove the gunk.  The seeds that sink are viable and can be used, the ones that float aren't.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had volunteer plants in my compost without the fermentation, but as far as seed saving tomato plants I seem to have better seed germination/viability with my heirlooms (Box Car Willie, Mule Team, Azoychka) if I do the fermentation.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't comment on hybrids since I've been sticking with seeds from Heirlooms.  I would guess that since their parents are mostly cherry tomatoes that they would sprout and may produce ripe cherry tomatoes before a cold snap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it depends on your growing season, days to maturity, yield and such.  Again, I would prefer to increase the seed viability and get them in the ground.  Just my two cents.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14587" LastActivityDate="2016-05-25T12:18:40.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25031" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-25T14:50:43.293" Score="4" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm running into a slight grass problem where I planted my blueberry bushes, and was wondering how thick I should make my coffee ground mulch around the blueberry bushes to prevent the grass from coming up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-25T16:40:57.233" Title="How thick do I need coffee grounds to be in order to keep grass back?" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;coffee-grounds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25032" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25028" CreationDate="2016-05-25T14:54:58.073" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They make tools for just this purpose with the slightly-rude sounding name of &quot;Crack Weeder&quot;. They are either a very narrow hoe / knife, or a metal-bristled brush. Using one of these is less tedious than hands-and-knees pulling of the little weeds. For expensive and high quality tools see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?cat=2,2300&amp;amp;p=33275&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?cat=2,2300&amp;amp;p=33275&lt;/a&gt; - no affiliation except they have a lot of my money and have always given good service - where you can see that some people prefer a 6&quot; handle and they get down to the ground, while others like a long handle like a hoe. I am sure you could find similar things in your local hardware and gardening store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2016-05-25T14:54:58.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25033" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25031" CreationDate="2016-05-25T16:35:40.060" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd be careful on how much of the mulch consisted of the spent coffee grounds.  They are a great soil amendment, but if they aren't mixed with soil or another mulch they may dry and then cake up.  This may repel water absorption of the roots directly below them.  I would mix it with the soil a bit then have another mulch on top of that.  Just be careful not to disturb the roots.  You might even be better off just getting soil/peat/compost/mulch and mixing it with the grounds instead of cultivating the soil under the bush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have an answer on an alternative mulch for weeding grass.  I am currently using pine straw with peat with a few dead leaves 1 - 3 inches total (some are shredded and some are not), but still have mixed results.  The centipede and Bermuda (Devil's grass) I have still tends to get under the bushes, but I add a little more leaves after harvest and then in Jan/Feb.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Still envious of your soil :) I have the sandy soil that I'm trying to build up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14587" LastEditorUserId="14587" LastEditDate="2016-05-25T16:40:57.233" LastActivityDate="2016-05-25T16:40:57.233" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25034" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25041" CreationDate="2016-05-25T17:23:24.850" Score="10" ViewCount="2150" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a really nice pear tree. Last year I saw a dead branch in the middle of the tree so I cut it. But this year there are a lot of dead branches in the middle of the tree. I'm afraid I'm doing to lose my tree. Is there anything that could cause this problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seems like my question got popular. I ended up paying someone to inject product in the soil to help the tree grow. I removed a lot of ants and made small hole to help with drainage. I cut down the dead branch and the tree is growing better than ever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QZg5B.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QZg5B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11954" LastEditorUserId="11954" LastEditDate="2019-07-18T17:36:41.917" LastActivityDate="2019-07-20T03:57:45.540" Title="What would cause branches in the middle of a pear tree to die?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="25035" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-25T17:50:46.330" Score="4" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought 3 grape vines about 1 month ago.  I got busy and forgot about them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am now ready to plant, but the plants don't look too happy. Most of the leaves have fallen off, or are brown.&#xA;The stems are brown and dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you think they will recover if planted, or should I just go and buy new ones now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kwjb4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kwjb4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;This isn't the best photo, but it might help. The one on the right, the stalk is all brown and dry which worries me.  The one on the left is mostly brown, the one in the middle has some green stalk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14804" LastEditorUserId="14804" LastEditDate="2016-05-26T02:39:39.767" LastActivityDate="2016-07-06T23:58:26.210" Title="Should I plant grape vines in poor condition?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25036" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25092" CreationDate="2016-05-25T18:03:48.277" Score="7" ViewCount="219" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 3 houseplants that I'm trying to care for despite my poor history with houseplants. I have a gardenia, a peace lily, and a hypoestes. These plants all like humidity so I regularly spray them (plus my apartment tends to be on the humid side), and they all like indirect sunlight. Unfortunately for them, my apartment is east facing. So, they get direct sunlight for a couple hours in the morning and sunlight reflected off the windows across the street in the evening. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I create an environment suitable for my plants despite this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14805" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T14:35:57.617" Title="How to handle direct sunlight-disliking plants w/ only east windows?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25037" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25034" CreationDate="2016-05-25T19:39:04.737" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fire blight is a common disease of many fruit bearing trees.  As the name implies branches that are infected have dark &quot;burn&quot; marks on them.  This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7414.html&quot;&gt;reference&lt;/a&gt; describes the disease and symptoms as:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In spring, branch and trunk canker symptoms can appear as soon as&#xA;  trees begin active growth. The first sign is a watery, light tan&#xA;  bacterial ooze that exudes from cankers (small to large areas of dead&#xA;  bark that the pathogen killed during previous seasons) on branches,&#xA;  twigs, or trunks. The ooze turns dark after exposure to air, leaving&#xA;  streaks on branches or trunks. However, most cankers are small and&#xA;  inconspicuous; thus infections might not be noticed until later in&#xA;  spring when flowers, shoots, and/or young fruit shrivel and blacken.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bacteria that causes this is Erwinia amylovora.  Control methods include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spraying &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7481.html&quot;&gt;bordeaux solution&lt;/a&gt; multiple times during the growing season&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cutting off affected branches during the summer.  Sanitation of tools is important!  Disinfect between cuts.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This disease can be bad one year and nothing the next due to different weather.  Some varieties are more susceptible than others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-25T19:39:04.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25038" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-25T20:11:13.277" Score="3" ViewCount="1118" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CowEN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CowEN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Last January I had a dying rose. It only produced 2 new flowers. Now I currently have 2 bushes side by side with 11 dying flowers which are growing new buds out of them. One flower has a minimum of 9 new buds growing out of it. I've never seen this before. Is this common? The location is in Huntington Beach CA, close to the ocean, and nothing but yearly pruning is done. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o5Luz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o5Luz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14806" LastEditorUserId="14806" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T01:15:00.553" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T16:01:50.640" Title="Can a new rose flower grow from inside a dead flower?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25039" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25044" CreationDate="2016-05-25T22:24:33.947" Score="7" ViewCount="1463" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 1 acre area of soil in Upstate NY, The soil has been disturbed from construction, and its full of rocks. How do i clean them and prepare them to grow a lawn/grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1Zh5j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1Zh5j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14807" LastEditorUserId="14807" LastEditDate="2016-05-26T03:10:49.063" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T03:10:49.063" Title="How to prepare a soil that is compacted and has a lot of rocks" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25040" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25039" CreationDate="2016-05-26T00:41:44.123" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a device that attaches to heavy equipment like a skid steer called a screening bucket that will screen out rocks from dirt. For such a large area that's probably your best option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You take a bucket full from the ground, the soil drops out, the rocks remain and you dump them somewhere else. The come in different designs but here's a video of one to give you an idea. &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/eKvrc5NDlj4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/eKvrc5NDlj4&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doing it by hand with a soil sifter shovel fulls at a time would be too much work and take a lot of time. If it's only on the surface though, maybe you can just rake them away using a bow rake or large landscaping rake. There's probably heavy equipment that can rake it up too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-05-26T01:14:37.840" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T01:14:37.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25034" CreationDate="2016-05-26T01:29:19.000" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would guess winter freezes killed the branches and that the live parts of your tree will live without the problem progressing, per se. This sort of thing is fairly common with fruit trees, from what I've seen. Insects and/or nutritional issues may also have contributed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could have been caused by fire blight from &lt;em&gt;last&lt;/em&gt; year, but your tree doesn't look particularly infected with it now. [EDIT 19 Jul 2019: One of our pear trees got it badly a year or two ago and had been clear for a couple years (but it still had some kind of disease with symptoms dissimilar from fireblight, although I imagine it came from the same bacteria).] If the problem was fire blight, you likely would have seen black, burned-looking leaves and branches where the dead ones are now last year. I don't see evidence of any remaining blackness from the picture you provided.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2019-07-20T03:57:45.540" LastActivityDate="2019-07-20T03:57:45.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="25042" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25043" CreationDate="2016-05-26T01:35:20.780" Score="5" ViewCount="3666" Body="&lt;p&gt;The mint plants grown in pots has some white mold type deposits on the leaf. See picture below. Does anyone know what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xT5qV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xT5qV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mint leaves with some white spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T12:25:39.947" Title="Does anyone know what the white spots (see picture below) in mint leaves are?" Tags="&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25043" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25042" CreationDate="2016-05-26T01:44:01.567" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks just like powdery mildew that we had on our spearmint. I would pronounce it powdery mildew. You could treat it. I hear &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growingformarket.com/articles/powdery-mildew-solutions&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;milk&lt;/a&gt; works great for the purpose. There are probably a lot of sites that explain how to treat it. Another solution might be better with mint, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-06-09T04:19:57.167" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T04:19:57.167" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25044" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25039" CreationDate="2016-05-26T01:59:20.233" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends on what you really have, soil-wise, what want to do with it and how you will do that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bury it in 3-6&quot; of topsoil is a perfectly normal option - not one I usually reach for, but common enough, and it solves the rock problem without having to move any of them, since rocks down in the roots of a lawn are just fine. If what you have is basically subsoil, rather than abused topsoil, hauling topsoil in is certainly the quick and easy way to fix it, if you can stand the price.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there's some approximation of topsoil there, but things are mucked up from construction, you might be able to rake the rocks, till and rake more rocks, and plant grass or lay sod. Aside from the &quot;screening buckets&quot; there are also &quot;power rakes&quot; that have teeth attached to a rotating cylinder which will rake rocks out and make a seedbed, and York rakes that are like a large tractor-pulled hand rake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise for almost any option that involves growing things, you may need to commit to a while growing other things to build some soil to work with; and you will probably want to remove most of the rocks, via some mechanical means. &quot;Green manure&quot; crops such as buckwheat or vetch in spring/summer and winter rye (not ryegrass - rye, the grain crop) in the fall, tilled in before they make seeds and become weeds in their own right are typical on-site soil-building methods - hauling in other types of manure or compost will also be beneficial. The roots help to loosen the soil, and the green material of the tops helps to make humus as it breaks down. That will greatly improve the stand of grass you get after a year or so of building the soil, .vs. trying to seed a batch into poor soil directly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should also do soil testing to see if you should apply lime (and perhaps gain some insight as to how much help your soil needs more generally.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T01:59:20.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25045" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-26T04:19:38.030" Score="4" ViewCount="93" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a coppiced Manna gum tree which is flourishing. It has three or so trunks. I'd really like to know if it's possible to turn this back into a single trunk tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14809" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-26T05:25:24.977" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T16:29:56.710" Title="Can a coppiced manna gum with three trunks be turned back into a single-trunk tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25046" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24886" CreationDate="2016-05-26T04:43:51.437" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The short answer is that they must be of the same species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are lots of practical problems making successful grafts, but putting these aside (i.e., assuming grafts are done by masters of the trade), the chances of success decline, the less closely related the plants to be grafted are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Essentially, there are no problems within a species, such as different cultivars of acer plamatum. It is worth noting that there are a few exceptions, however; some varieties of Douglas fir are incompatible, for example.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It’s about even odds (50/50) that species within the same genera can be grafted and it is virtually zero across families (there is an exception between two succulents).&#xA;So, as far as your desire to graft acer palmatum foliage on ace campestre, it cannot be ruled to be impossible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;This side is heads, this is tails, call it in the air …&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;wink, wink, nudge, nudge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen a number of nice campestre bonsai by Walter Pall and others, but I've not encountered this being attempted before. Post back in 3 to 5 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Fixed typo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastEditorUserId="13580" LastEditDate="2016-05-26T16:27:01.177" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T16:27:01.177" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25047" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25045" CreationDate="2016-05-26T05:07:44.767" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it is possible to restore a coppiced tree to a single trunk, thanks to the phenomena known as 'apical dominance' and 'gravitropism'. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Simply remove or at least shorten the competing leaders. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The highest branch tip will wind up being the top of the tree and the line to it, the trunk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may, however, need to exercise some persuasion in the form of again pruning the competition later this season and next. But, if you have no interest in manipulating the competing leaders into being branches, just remove them and the process will happen more quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An aside, that I cannot help but mention, is that a common practice in developing bonsai is to 'chop the trunk' (i.e.,coppice it) and 'wire a branch up' to be the new leader. So if you find this project kinda fun, you may want to take up the hobby of bonsai!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastEditorUserId="13580" LastEditDate="2016-05-26T16:29:56.710" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T16:29:56.710" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25048" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25038" CreationDate="2016-05-26T08:14:29.223" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Botanically, roses have 5 petals (but few with 4 petals).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gardeners have selected and cultivated roses with mutations (stamens that become petals), and to build new cultivar, they selected roses that tend to mutate easily. These roses also don't produce fruits, so there is less adaptation and natural stability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thus it is not unexpected that roses could have additional &lt;em&gt;defects&lt;/em&gt;, especially in the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T08:14:29.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25049" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25035" CreationDate="2016-05-26T08:23:12.537" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think they would recovery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grape vine are very resistant plants, and tend to recover and to rebuild roots and leaves. Really the cultivated grapes already passed few stages where the plants were completely cut several times, leaving only a short wood branch (no roots or leaves). This both for multiply a clone and for grafting (so that all branches have same size).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The more you cut them (leaving two or three buds/leaves), the more quickly they recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T08:23:12.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25012" CreationDate="2016-05-26T08:28:14.003" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would ignore the spots. I find them regularly, but they don't expand, and it seem not to damage the plants or reduce harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just check them regularly, and if they take only a small fraction of surface (compared to all other leaves), just ignore them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On new plants (so with less leaves), I would worry a little bit more, but I have no solution other than than planting more beans and later selecting the better plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-05-03T09:04:51.163" LastActivityDate="2018-05-03T09:04:51.163" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="25051" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25027" CreationDate="2016-05-26T09:28:07.793" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just let it flower and drop the seeds into your bed and give you lots more clumping onions.  Or take the flower off when it's in bloom and grab the seeds.  That's what I do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's only going to affect the one onion that is flowering ( takes 2 years to flower so you must have had it for a while now ).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T09:28:07.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25052" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-26T11:17:41.377" Score="7" ViewCount="697" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just transplanted my kale starts and I'm going to put my cabbage &amp;amp; broccoli plants in next.  Last year we had some significant damage &amp;amp; developmental delays from cabbage moth caterpillars and I want to avoid that this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I've been reading, row cover looks like a good option for me.  However, I haven't come across information about when the plants need to be covered or for how long.  Where can I find this information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(FYI, I'm in northern VT, zone 3-4.  For reference, the lilacs are just now beginning to bloom.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T15:25:05.307" Title="When do cabbage moths lay their eggs?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;&lt;row-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25053" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25052" CreationDate="2016-05-26T14:48:29.987" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm far from expert on the subject, but covering when you set them out is advisable; the white cabbage moths are active in cooler weather, and I'm certain I saw the little beasts the very day transplanted my first cabbages out (into wall-o-waters once I refreshed my information enough to realize that they only take freezing well when mature, not as seedlings.) As far as I know, for anything that does not need pollinated, you can keep them under cover the whole season, but I gather that the moths may be less active in hot weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've only started growing cabbage this year, after getting into making sauerkraut last year (I like that, I don't like unfermented cabbage) and I have tried growing broccoli once before with poor results (trying that again this year - we'll see.) Mine is not covered, but that's because I'm 6 ways behind and disorganized this year so that didn't happen; I'm hoping to be more organized when I get the crop for late fall/winter harvest in place. Ha! I can dream...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T14:48:29.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25052" CreationDate="2016-05-26T15:25:05.307" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where I am the cabbage moth was active the whole summer until mid autumn. In fact people said it was such a good summer that we had several generations of cabbage moths this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried row covers over hoops but found the following issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I couldn't easily inspect the plants so missed seeing insect damage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Moths still managed to get in possibly because they hatched inside the covers, or just crawled through some cracks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The mesh size was small enough to largely exclude them but kept aphid predators out as well while allowing aphids to flourish.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am going to try BT next year instead of covers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T15:25:05.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25055" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25062" CreationDate="2016-05-26T15:31:30.807" Score="1" ViewCount="93" Body="&lt;p&gt;physical description:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;not hairy&lt;br&gt;&#xA;grows in a ring (think rhubarb)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;oval shaped&lt;br&gt;&#xA;not oily&lt;br&gt;&#xA;USDA 4A&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Found thought the grass in the yard&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E7S7L.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E7S7L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F5Ny6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F5Ny6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-05-26T19:16:35.813" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T20:32:43.730" Title="What is this lettuce feeling oval shaped plant that grows similar to a rhubarb bush?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25056" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25036" CreationDate="2016-05-26T15:34:42.740" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have a look at the plants to see how they cope with the morning sun. If they're suffering you could try some removable plastic film on the window glass over summer to reduce the light intensity without losing your view. I wouldn't worry about reflected light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T15:34:42.740" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25058" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25059" CreationDate="2016-05-26T17:02:59.997" Score="8" ViewCount="392" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am wondering what the name of this flower is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YnXaG.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YnXaG.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the name of the flower?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1798" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-05-26T17:15:40.627" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T17:14:45.383" Title="What is the name of this pinkish flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25059" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25058" CreationDate="2016-05-26T17:05:06.207" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Nelumbo nucifera, the Sacred Lotus. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelumbo_nucifera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia article&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Nelumbo nucifera, also known as Indian lotus, sacred lotus, bean of India, or simply lotus, is one of two species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. The Linnaean binomial Nelumbo nucifera (Gaertn.) is the currently recognized name for this species, which has been classified under the former names, Nelumbium speciosum (Willd.) and Nymphaea nelumbo, among others. (These names are obsolete synonyms and should be avoided in current works.) This plant is an aquatic perennial. Under favorable circumstances its seeds may remain viable for many years, with the oldest recorded lotus germination being from that of seeds 1,300 years old recovered from a dry lakebed in northeastern China. Native to Tropical Asia and Queensland, Australia, it is commonly cultivated in water gardens. It is also the national flower of India and Vietnam.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T17:14:45.383" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T17:14:45.383" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25060" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25061" CreationDate="2016-05-26T18:20:46.800" Score="17" ViewCount="2351" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this monster weed? It grows back every year and I yank it, but I can't dig out the tap root because it's too close to the gas line. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is in Norfolk, VA, USA in full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm kind of curious about whether it will flower, and I decided to let it grow this year for identification. It's over 6 feet (&gt;1.8 m) tall at this time, and looking rather wilted today in the heat. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reminds me of a thistle, but it doesn't really have that many barbs, and the ones that it has don't prick my finger when I touch them.&#xA;I don't want to let it grow much longer, because I'm worried about it going to seed and spreading!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1kpir.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1kpir.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Monster Weed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ca2ge.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ca2ge.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1zmMH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1zmMH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EGZyW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EGZyW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Top&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0a86Y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0a86Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2016-11-23T22:19:24.087" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T22:19:24.087" Title="What is this monster thistle-like weed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25061" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25060" CreationDate="2016-05-26T19:17:51.533" Score="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;After a bit of research, I believe my suspicion was correct. It seems to me that you have Tall Blue Lettuce (Lactuca biennis).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactuca_biennis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia article:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Lactuca biennis is a North American species of wild lettuce known by the common names tall blue lettuce and blue wood lettuce. It is widespread across much of the United States and Canada from Alaska and Yukon south as far as California, New Mexico, and Georgia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Lactuca biennis is a biennial herb in the dandelion tribe within the daisy family growing from a taproot to heights anywhere from one half to four meters (20 inches to over 13 feet). There are deeply lobed, toothed leaves all along the stem. The top of the stem bears a multibranched inflorescence with many flower heads. Each head is just over a centimeter (0.4 inches) wide and has many whitish to light blue ray florets but no disc florets. The fruit is a mottled achene about half a centimeter (0.2 inches) long with a brownish pappus. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Facts, characteristics and images: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/lactuca/biennis/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lactuca biennis (tall blue lettuce)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SMNXs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SMNXs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wzo7F.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wzo7F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LnXPx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LnXPx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-08-26T12:53:32.630" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T12:53:32.630" CommentCount="16" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25062" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25055" CreationDate="2016-05-26T20:32:43.730" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like the plant you have is Plantago Major, commonly known as Broad-leaf plantain. It's commonly found anywhere there is poor or disturbed soil, including as a lawn weed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You asked whether it is edible. The answer is apparently yes, although I've never tried it myself and couldn't tell you whether it is worth eating. I can tell you that as the leaf matures, it develops strings not unlike those in celery, but much, much tougher. I think you'd probably want to stick to very early leaves if you were to eat it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-05-26T20:32:43.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25063" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-26T20:55:30.523" Score="3" ViewCount="728" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother had this rose plant for years, it's from the farm she grew up on. When she passed I transferred a piece to my place and it's growing beautifully. She had always just called it an old fashion rose. Can anyone tell me what this rose is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IRXGt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IRXGt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/71yd3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/71yd3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14817" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-26T22:32:38.540" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T11:57:14.250" Title="What is this bushy rose plant with large pink flowers with many petals?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25064" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25079" CreationDate="2016-05-26T22:33:46.183" Score="2" ViewCount="613" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Internet has led me to suspect this is a nutrient issue but I can't figure out which nutrient or if that's true. This is a cherry tomato plant. It gets moderate sun- direct sun for about 3 hours per day in Southern California. It has been chilly here lately (~65 day, ~55 night) and randomly ~75ish. This plant was last fertilized 3 weeks ago with Jobes tomato spikes. Brand new leaves show no sign of disease- new leaves at base of plant show no sign of disease. Some flowers fruiting, others drying up without fruit. The lower leaves yellowed completely in 3 or 4 days. Upper leaves appear dry and have small light brown thin spots- not concentric circles. Other leaves have holes- usually the holes are in the center areas of the leaf and do not affect the tips of the leaf.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WRrpz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WRrpz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;yellow&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rWB5t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rWB5t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;holes&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;[![leaf damage][3]][3]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14818" LastEditorUserId="14818" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T01:45:53.320" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T10:53:16.567" Title="Tomato plant-Yellowing of older leaves with necrosis of green leaves- flowers falling off without fruiting" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25065" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25091" CreationDate="2016-05-26T22:47:05.733" Score="5" ViewCount="16286" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a peace lily that was attacked by my roommate's cat a few months ago. Somehow the cat survived, despite peace lilies being toxic, but the roommate is gone now so the cat is no longer an issue. However, my poor plant's leaves did take a bit of a beating. Luckily, it does have new growth so it should be okay. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I prune the damaged leaves, or let them be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some photos. Apologies, the combination of night lighting + my cell phone cam makes for less-than-ideal quality. If it is needed, I'll take new photos during the day. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eXKOk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eXKOk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TnFgd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TnFgd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14805" LastEditorUserId="14805" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T02:55:46.620" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T15:49:24.747" Title="Should damaged leaves be removed?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25066" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25063" CreationDate="2016-05-26T23:19:32.340" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_%C3%97_damascena&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;damask rose&lt;/a&gt;. How lucky! They're used for making rose-based perfumes and rosewater. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14805" LastEditorUserId="14805" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T11:57:14.250" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T11:57:14.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25067" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25237" CreationDate="2016-05-27T01:04:10.650" Score="6" ViewCount="269" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw these trees on Google Street view, and I really want to know what they are. They are located outside the back entrance to the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I may be able to physically visit if more detailed pictures help in identifying the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2jCOh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2jCOh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hotel Tree 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K7wi8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K7wi8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CbQOt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CbQOt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A4WXX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A4WXX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pTd09.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pTd09.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bark&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14821" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-31T22:57:25.200" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T03:43:29.403" Title="What are these potted trees with leafy branches beginning a few feet up a narrow trunk?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="14" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25068" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25075" CreationDate="2016-05-27T01:34:44.053" Score="3" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;When reading about plants I've heard that plants only produce for a few years, then die. Why can't they produce for as long as they're healthy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T03:58:20.530" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T15:32:56.560" Title="Why do people say perennial food crops only produce for a few years?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25069" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-27T01:38:17.137" Score="1" ViewCount="32" Body="&lt;p&gt;My rhubarb colony has a couple yellow leaves, but everything on the surface prior to picking was green. Will the yellow leaves turn green?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T01:38:17.137" Title="Will yellow undergrowth rhubarb leaves turn green?" Tags="&lt;rhubarb&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25070" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25065" CreationDate="2016-05-27T02:13:44.873" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I usually leave damaged leaves as they are.  If they're still have (normal coloration) green and are alive, they're photosynthesizing and contributing to the overall health of the plant.  However, if they are diseased, then I would remove them to stop any disease spreading to healthy leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T02:13:44.873" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25071" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25068" CreationDate="2016-05-27T02:19:59.703" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's called evolution.  Different plants have different strategies to help replicate their genome across the planet.  Annuals, or bi-annuals have found it best to flower in the first or second year.  So, you'll see cabbages etc change their shape dramatically as they become tall and flowery so that they can disperse their seeds as far as possible.  Once they have fulfilled their purpose, there's no biological need to persist and compete with their offspring, so they die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T02:19:59.703" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25064" CreationDate="2016-05-27T02:28:58.063" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's likely too cold for your tomato plant.  The roots need to be kept above 60 deg F in order to be metabolically active and absorb nutrients.  Below that you get functional deficiencies, with typically phosphorus being the main one which causes a blue/tinge to the leaves.  You might also be over watering the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd bring the plant inside until the weather gets hotter, or stick it in a greenhouse.  A temperature probe might also show you what the roots are experiencing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also that pot looks too small for a tomato plant, so you're going to need to repot it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T02:28:58.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25073" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25078" CreationDate="2016-05-27T04:09:04.050" Score="4" ViewCount="652" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planting some new grass in a ~50 sq ft area, plus in the spaces between a hundred or so newly placed stepping stones. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Against all the advice I've seen, I mistakenly laid down my mulch before my grass seed. I had spread some lime and fertilizer before this mulching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I just go ahead and spread the seed on top of the mulch? If so, should I do just that, or get some more mulch to place overtop again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or should I attempt to remove the mulch first, and then spread the grass seed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14826" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T05:35:04.003" Title="I mulched before grass seed, is that a mistake? + how to fix?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25075" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25068" CreationDate="2016-05-27T04:41:05.503" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nothing lasts forever.The term perennial simply means a plant that will last for more than 2 years. That can mean 3 years that can mean 50 years or more. As the plants age they can lose their ability to produce the same quantity or quality of fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perennials don't live forever. They do eventually die or lose their ability to produce. For example asparagus is said to only produce for about 20 years. Lavender will survive for about 15 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to their expected life span, other issues such as pests and disease can be a problem. These issues can build up over the course of many seasons. For various reasons it's suggested that strawberries be removed and new ones replanted every 4 years for example.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might get a more meaningful answer if you indicate specific plants you're interested in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T15:32:56.560" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T15:32:56.560" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25076" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24910" CreationDate="2016-05-27T04:58:40.500" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Be careful using dirt to compost bark. The decomposition process will initially rip a good amount of nitrogen out of the area. If you're mulching over an area with roots near the surface, it could be affected. (Easily countered by feeding, though.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't had any trouble with pine bark mulch washing away. While Cedar is my go-to (because it interlaces very well and you can turn a blower on it without it dashing off), I've used pine bark nuggets and don't find them any less effective than most mulches. And on the positive side, if you have leftovers you can compost them a heck of a lot easier than shredded cedar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But yeah - should be fine. If the rains are heavy enough to carry away 2&quot; of tamped-down pine bark nuggets, you have rougher things to worry about and should possibly consider starting to gather two of every animal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T04:58:40.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25077" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25064" CreationDate="2016-05-27T05:25:21.740" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think it's the temperature. Colder temperatures (50F) stunt a plants growth. A deficiency/excess occurs when a plant is growing and there is a nutrient imbalance within the uptake. 55+ is okay (not great) for tomatoes, 60+ is better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That amount of pest can't be ignored, it is certainly affecting your plant's overall health. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yellowing of older, bottom leaves on a tomato plant is typical. Yours are yellowing a bit too far up to be considered normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Brown spots can mean a variety of issues. Typically nutritional problems affect leaf tips before they spot, but in seedlings it's not uncommon for spots to occur and in established plants it's not unheard of either. Still, brown spots on established plants, not on the leaf tips, is usually fungal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be the pests alone, or it could be the double whammy of pests and fungus.  (This is assuming the tomato spike is doing its job).  There could even be some underwatering at play, which would bring in issues of nutrient uptake. Tomatoes are on the far spectrum of water-lovers - if grown in bags, the bags can be set in 2&quot; of water all season and the plants will love it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wish I hammer down definite answers for you. Good luck. Keep the soil very moist. If bent on saving the plant, pesticide and a soil test might serve you well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T05:25:21.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25073" CreationDate="2016-05-27T05:35:04.003" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm still not sure what mulch you're using. My answer is likely going to be the same but I'd be interested to see pictures of it as I've never heard of an organic gass seed starting mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grass seed needs to have good contact with the soil. The mulch is supposed to sit over top of the grass seed and soil to help keep everything moist. If the seed is on top of the mulch it will dry out more from wind and direct exposure to heat/sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can manage to remove the mulch and then reapply it that's what I'd try to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T05:35:04.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25079" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25064" CreationDate="2016-05-27T09:19:44.077" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Edit: I didn't notice your mention of fertilization when I wrote my answer below. Jobe's Tomato Spikes are a 6-18-6 fertilizer. That means they're mostly phosphorus. Depending on your soil, that could be a good or a bad thing. I still think your plant is nitrogen deficient, and that the soil is drying out too quickly. It may also have other deficiencies. The roots &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; be damaged, but I wouldn't count on it. Most plants planted in containers in random unamended potting soil where I am exhibited strange issues like this (including the dry spots on the leaves), even without being root bound. I think the soil is the main problem. I'm guessing you have enough phosphorus, however! :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bringing it in the house will probably improve the plant in some regards while in its current soil, but the same thing will likely happen again within a week of putting it outside again, even if warms up. I might say, especially if it warms up. Putting a humidity dome around it with a UV filter would probably have a better result, but I still don't recommend that because it'll have to leave the dome some day. So, I would still recommend pre-fertilized Miracle Gro soil for vegetables, and/or topsoil, instead (and more soil). Or, if you don't want to repot it, I'd give it more nitrogen and potassium (without giving it more phosphorus), and a little rockdust, as well as something to make it not dry out as quickly (like compost, maybe peat moss, greensand, clay or something).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possible that Miracle Gro soil might dry out fast, too, if your area is dry or windy. So, adding some clay or something to it may or may not still be beneficial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit (again): In light of the humidity you mentioned (if that's typical), unless it's pretty windy, I wouldn't be worrying about the soil drying out too fast. However, I'd still be worrying about minerals, nitrogen, and maybe potassium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When plants are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.haifa-group.com/knowledge_center/crop_guides/tomato/plant_nutrition/nutrient_deficiency_symptoms/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;nitrogen deficient&lt;/a&gt;, it affects the lower leaves first (because it's a mobile nutrient, nitrogen from the lower leaves can be moved to new growth). Nitrogen deficient leaves are yellow, including the veins. Magnesium deficiency is similar, but the veins don't turn yellow. Iron deficiency causes new growth to be yellow, as does sulfur deficiency (but it looks different). Phosphorus deficiency makes the leaves have purple on them. Potassium deficiency makes the edges of older leaves turn yellow; it can also result in weak plants, smaller fruit, less heat-tolerance, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00103629809370068&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Phosphorus toxicity&lt;/a&gt; is a possibility, too. The soil may have had enough already before the fertilizer spikes. This would reduce available zinc and increase available manganese. In this case, adding peat moss would be a bad idea, because it's acidic and more acidic soil has a higher availability of manganese. Overwatering can also increase available manganese. Manganese toxicity may be what is causing the dry spots. Adding rockdust would assuredly help it several ways, if this is true. It would increase the soil PH (due to the calcium in it). It would increase the need for phosphorus. It may also increase the need for potassium, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Original answer:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like your plant has nitrogen deficiency. It also appears to have insect damage on the leaves (maybe from a caterpillar or something).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't worry too much about the insect. There doesn't seem be enough foliar damage to merit much concern. I think Paul Nardini may have thought there was insect root damage, but I don't think there's sufficient evidence that the roots are damaged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I definitely don't think you should bring the plant inside or put it in a greenhouse, in my opinion, unless it's a particularly sensitive variety (cherries are usually pretty hardy to weather, though), but maybe not even then. Bringing it inside will shorten season considerably, and you may need to harden it off again. In my experience, tomatoes aren't bothered much by those temperatures. It just needs fertilizer and/or better soil, in my opinion. The yellowing lower leaves indicate nitrogen deficiency. The insect damage indicates that the plant could use some more potassium, as well as perhaps calcium and/or silica. Healthy plants don't get eaten as much, normally. Extra phosphorus should make the plant more cold-tolerant. All three fertilizer components should help your flowers: Phosphorus is most known for it, but nitrogen plays a role with higher numbers of fruits (not higher total mass of tomatoes harvested, though); so, nitrogen may help with those extra flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The container looks quite small. That's probably one reason you're getting deficiencies so early. I recommend giving it much more soil, if you can (5 gallons or so). You might try some pre-fertilized Miracle Gro meant for vegetables or some such. Since it's not a seedling, buying pre-fertilized soil should be safe. Don't transplant it while the sun is shining, though, or it could get bad transplant shock, depending on several factors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like the soil might be drying too quickly for the plant's tastes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A little rockdust or something should help with calcium and silica, but the Miracle Gro pre-fertilized soil likely has enough of everything. I've heard of someone getting about a hundred tomatoes on an Early Girl plant in Miracle Gro soil in a container (I don't think she even added extra fertilizer later in the season, but I could be wrong). So, it should be okay for your cherry tomato.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally like to use our topsoil in outdoor containers where I live, though, but a lot of people seem to think that's taboo for some reason. Nevertheless, the plants don't suffer in it, in my experience, so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T10:53:16.567" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T10:53:16.567" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25080" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23944" CreationDate="2016-05-27T10:44:58.563" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I hope it's still alive,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's definitely a fern, which usually grows beneath the canopy of trees where it's usually shaded and humid. Picture a walk through a misty forest, full of moss and ferns in their home. Humidity and mild lighting are key. Keep it away from ceiling lights because they're fluorescent lights which are actually used in horticulture to cultivate seedlings and propagate cuttings. Keep it about midway from ceiling lights, away from any direct sunlight and mist it with a spray bottle two or three times a day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh and this applies to all plants, &lt;strong&gt;Please do not over water them, it will drown and the roots and they will die, roots require oxygen(or can live in high amounts of dissolved oxygen in the water which must be maintained at certain temperatures ), only water when the soil feels almost dry to the touch&lt;/strong&gt;, but if you can, one watering every 4-8 weeks, depending of type of plant, you want to thoroughly flush the root system out with mildly fertilized water using a fertilizer specified for the type of plant you're caring for, in usually half the dose specified on the package because  &lt;strong&gt;with fertilizer more is BAD&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope I could help. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14828" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T10:44:58.563" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25081" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25151" CreationDate="2016-05-27T10:47:25.680" Score="2" ViewCount="1931" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a cactus standing on my windowsill and for years it seemed pretty healthy, but last month its leaves started to turn a light brown-pinkish, kind of like a salt stone lamp. They also look a bit dry, but don't feel very different. Some of the other leaves are starting to look purple as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It hasn't been moved for about five years.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I don't really water it regularly, just when I remember it or when it looks dry.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I live near Munich, and yes, we did have &lt;em&gt;a bit&lt;/em&gt; weird weather pattern lately. (Four weeks ago it was still snowing, and now it's about 30°C, 86°F.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's wrong and is there something I can do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q0edt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q0edt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14829" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-29T21:17:55.200" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T21:17:55.200" Title="Why are some of the lower leaves on my cactus turning brown?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25082" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25099" CreationDate="2016-05-27T10:51:12.487" Score="4" ViewCount="2577" Body="&lt;p&gt;My cukes can get stressed during July and August, the hottest months of the year in Michigan. Will black weed barrier work as shade cloth or will too much heat build up behind it and further stress the cukes? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2018-07-09T19:34:09.570" Title="Will weed barrier work as a shade cloth?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;cucurbits&gt;&lt;shade-cloth&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25083" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2016-05-27T10:52:06.223" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T10:52:06.223" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T10:52:06.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25084" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2016-05-27T10:52:06.223" Score="0" Body="A covering made of cloth or plastic used to control the amount of sunlight to which plants are exposed. Commonly used in commercial and smaller greenhouses this product also finds uses on a smaller scale for garden plantings and with arbors and pergolas" OwnerUserId="11061" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T16:53:37.910" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T16:53:37.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25085" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23098" CreationDate="2016-05-27T10:54:44.600" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will suggest both trees to use and trees to avoid. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Maples are good in temperate climates. Some grow faster than others. My Japanese maple  grew slower. I had a maple that produced seeds twice a year. Anyone know what that was? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Elm, but don't use elm. They are considered junk trees and are the first trees to fall over in a storm, and their lifespan is fairly short. As a matter of principle I pull up any elms I find as I find them. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chinese Mulberry, but I advise against it. Very fast growing, but the berries are prolific and can make a big mess. The area around my mulberry tree often smelled like a brewery in the warm summer months. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T10:54:44.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25086" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25093" CreationDate="2016-05-27T10:54:55.623" Score="9" ViewCount="591" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is in a domestic garden, in Cornwall, UK. What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NRmsj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NRmsj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d2D6m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d2D6m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14830" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T18:57:43.540" Title="What could this object in a tree be?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25086" CreationDate="2016-05-27T11:02:55.337" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tent caterpillars. Very common in the US and they can be very damaging if they strip all the leaves off the plant. Cut open the &quot;tent&quot; and you should see baby caterpillars in there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get a good fire going then cut off the branch and burn it immediately. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T11:02:55.337" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25088" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25016" CreationDate="2016-05-27T11:06:40.900" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, if the tomato (and seeds) are &quot;ripe&quot; enough. Immature seeds won't sprout very well, if at all. They also won't sprout if it's some type of hybrid of GMO plant that produces sterile seeds, which is how some seed companies make money. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to collect and use seeds from your veg use &quot;heirloom&quot; seeds, they will not produce sterile seeds and the children from the seeds will have the same properties as the parent fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cherry tomatoes are famous for coming back on their own the next year from fruit that has dropped. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T11:06:40.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25089" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24910" CreationDate="2016-05-27T11:11:53.417" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes some mulch can wash away but that also depends on the slope of your area with mulch, any edging that might retain said mulch, and how heavy the rain really is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T11:11:53.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25090" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25065" CreationDate="2016-05-27T11:16:46.317" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You seem to have a couple leaves that are at least 50% yellow and seem to be dying off. I would remove those, but not the others. Look at the overall health of the leaf. If it appears to be getting worse over time, then I remove it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T11:16:46.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25091" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25065" CreationDate="2016-05-27T14:17:25.413" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trim off the chewed up leaves and leave the healthy ones. The leaves are not going to &quot;heal&quot; and look nice again. The ragged pieces are doing nothing for the plant, and new ones grow pretty quickly if the plant is happy. Also, it will be easier to monitor the overall health of the plant if you can actually see what is going on. For instance (from the photo) it looks like you have some yellowing leaves, too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I worked for years in garden centers and flower shops, and have cared for thousands of these plants. Sometimes we had to cut off up to 1/3 of the leaves if the stems got broken in shipping. Even if you cut off nearly all of the leaves, new ones will grow. (It just might take a while.)&#xA;I have also had friends give me near dead ones that I nursed back to health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are links that may help you determine why your leaves are yellowing. (They also recommend snipping off the unsightly yellow or brown leaves.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/peace-lily-turning-yellow-64884.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/peace-lily-turning-yellow-64884.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/peace-lily/peace-lily-leaves-yellow-brown.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/peace-lily/peace-lily-leaves-yellow-brown.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From your other post that you referred me to, I now understand that this plant is getting sunburned. Get it away from the windows and put it on a table, or even on the floor across the room. They like low, indirect light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This site actually recommends 6 to 8 feet from a window. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.proplants.com/guide/peace-lily-care-guide&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.proplants.com/guide/peace-lily-care-guide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="14745" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T15:49:24.747" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T15:49:24.747" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25092" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25036" CreationDate="2016-05-27T14:57:15.323" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your photos from your other post showed sunburn on the Peace Lily. Move it away from the windows. You could put it on a table, or even on the floor across the room, where it doesn't get direct light. Maybe even into another room, with less windows. They really do well in very low light! Once it recovers, and has dark green leaves again, you can try giving it a bit more sun to help it to flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This site recommends placing the Peace Lily 6 to 8 feet away from a window. It also says that they have been known to grow fine in rooms with no windows at all, using only a plant light. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.proplants.com/guide/peace-lily-care-guide&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.proplants.com/guide/peace-lily-care-guide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your hypoestes, or &quot;Polka Dot&quot; should be fine near your Eastern window. But, you may find that the new leaves are less vibrant, or grow in solid green if they aren't getting enough sun. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/polka-dot-plant.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/polka-dot-plant.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gardenias prefer indirect light (preferably near a southern) window where they receive sun for at least half of the day. So, I wouldn't worry about your gardenia getting too much sun near your eastern windows. &lt;a href=&quot;http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Gardenia_Indoor_Care&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Gardenia_Indoor_Care&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="14745" LastEditDate="2016-05-28T14:35:57.617" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T14:35:57.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25093" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25086" CreationDate="2016-05-27T15:05:41.870" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, they are tent caterpillars. No, you really don't need to burn them. Just rip the tent open and the birds should take care of the caterpillars, without their protective tent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rivercare.org/news/tent-caterpillars-are-for-the-birds&quot;&gt;https://www.rivercare.org/news/tent-caterpillars-are-for-the-birds&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.watoxics.org/files/tentcaterpillars.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.watoxics.org/files/tentcaterpillars.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T15:14:03.130" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T15:14:03.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25094" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-27T15:22:14.277" Score="1" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do i include pictures?? Impossible without them. If i remember correctly, i planted them from seed two years ago.  Never has bloomed.  This year it has large buds on it and as of now has not opened.  It is about 3 feet tall.  Has very long fragile hairy individual leaves that start right at ground level. If i remember right, i think it was not a perennial for my zone 4 and i protected in winter and it came back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14832" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T15:22:14.277" Title="need help to identify this plant, please!" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2016-05-31T18:15:31.723" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25095" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-27T16:25:08.013" Score="3" ViewCount="562" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone please tell me what kind of flower this is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JF2X0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JF2X0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14833" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T16:48:53.483" LastActivityDate="2020-05-07T06:24:56.120" Title="Can someone please tell me what kind of flower this is?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25096" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25095" CreationDate="2016-05-27T16:57:42.333" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Monarda citriodora or &quot;Lemon Bee Balm&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarda_citriodora&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia Article&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Monarda citriodora is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, that is native much of the United States and Mexico. Common names include lemon beebalm, lemon mint (this may also apply to Melissa officinalis) and purple horsemint. When crushed, the leaves emit an odor reminiscent of lemons. This odor is sometimes described as more resembling oregano, especially late in the season. Its purple flowers are highly attractive to butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is an annual plant although it readily reseeds itself once established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MOCI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MOCI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1N1p8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1N1p8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tHPIh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tHPIh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T17:08:21.013" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T17:08:21.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25099" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25082" CreationDate="2016-05-27T19:50:10.587" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on the weed barrier.  If the weed barrier is too thick it would diffuse too much of the sunlight.  Your cukes need the sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let me preface this by saying I haven't done this.  If you could somehow arrange the cloth with trellises or poles in a manner so that the plants would receive some shade for the hottest part of the day (12 - 2?) it would lower the temps a bit during that period.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you already have a trellis setup you could probably attach additional poles at an angle with the weed barrier cloth zip tied to those poles.  Maybe like a window awning, but with the bottom portion loosely attached so that it would move with the wind. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14587" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T19:50:10.587" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25100" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-27T20:05:25.123" Score="6" ViewCount="1461" Body="&lt;p&gt;As &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13466/why-do-blueberries-need-acidic-soil&quot;&gt;Why do blueberries need acidic soil?&lt;/a&gt; points out, it seems that iron is really the biggest nutrient to suffer in alkaline conditions. Even an answer there, despite a nice emphasis on the broader soil ecology, ends up focusing on this nutrient:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Acidic soil … to release phosphates, iron, magnesium which your blueberries love. The iron particularly is needed …&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similarly an answer to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2323/is-it-really-important-to-give-blueberry-plants-acidic-soil&quot;&gt;Is it really important to give blueberry plants acidic soil?&lt;/a&gt; quickly introduces a similar claim:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;At higher pH, the bushes will have an iron deficiency…&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So as much as I appreciate building good soil, I've seen doubts cast that I'll really be able to pull it off to the extent blueberries theoretically need. (E.g. &quot;pine needles aren't really acidic&quot;, &quot;sulfur discourages worms and/or mycorrhizal fungi from thriving&quot;, &quot;all your irrigation water is going to be alkaline anyway&quot;… I'm not particularly intending to debate those claims here.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got some chelated iron around (HEDTA if memory serves) that I use in my aquaponics systems. It is iron bound to a &quot;helper&quot; molecule such that [they claim] the plant can take in the iron and use it, at much higher pH levels than where iron is normally available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would happen if I simply gave my blueberries an occasional foliar application of iron, or periodically top dressed the soil with some of the powder, and didn't worry so much about changing the actual pH of the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14838" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T12:15:09.330" Title="Can I ignore soil pH and just give blueberries chelated iron?" Tags="&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25101" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2016-05-27T20:24:23.123" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Related tags:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/soil-amendment&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;soil-amendment&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;soil-amendment&lt;/a&gt; for other questions about changing the soil composition.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;External links:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wikipedia on &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;pH&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T20:24:23.123" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T20:24:23.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25102" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2016-05-27T20:24:23.123" Score="0" Body="pH is a numeric measure of how acidic or alkaline the soil or other growing medium is. Acidic soils have low pH and alkaline soils have high pH. Use this tag for questions about measuring or adjusting the pH of your soil." OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-27T20:24:23.123" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T20:24:23.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25103" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25100" CreationDate="2016-05-27T21:34:08.457" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could apply a foliar spray of chelated iron once or twice a season, but that's not fixing the problem which is the soil pH is not allowing the plant to access the nutrients in the correct proportion.  It's very unlikely to see iron deficiency in soil itself, and like you, I have chelated iron on hand for my aquaponic plants which do get iron deficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I only water my blueberries using rain water (neutral) or from my various aquaria so that the water tends to be a bit acidic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, you might be able to (inefficiently) correct iron with a foliar spray but what about the others?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gDal7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gDal7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-27T21:34:08.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25104" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25107" CreationDate="2016-05-27T23:03:44.083" Score="1" ViewCount="4492" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what part of the blueberry bush turns into the actual berry? Is it the flower, the bud, or something else? What should I be looking for?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-28T00:32:33.143" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T08:25:53.040" Title="What part of the blueberry bush forms the blueberry?" Tags="&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25105" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25117" CreationDate="2016-05-27T23:35:25.927" Score="5" ViewCount="1312" Body="&lt;p&gt;We recently built a step-based garden beside our path. There are only a few wide levels, and the slope is not very steep. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know of many plants that will work well there, including annuals; ground covers; perennials; and some trailing plants, like certain varieties of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pda_64ce.html&quot;&gt;nasturtium&lt;/a&gt;. I'm also looking forward to making a rock garden, as I don't have one, and I have many ideas of what I can use for that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since I don't have a trellis or fence for climbing plants, I'm wondering if I can plant what's usually a climbing plant in that spot and let it trail down. My first choices are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/aboutflowers/tropicalflowers/morning-glory&quot;&gt;morning glory&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&amp;amp;id=2105&quot;&gt;wisteria&lt;/a&gt;, but I'm open to suggestions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can understand that the roots may be less supported if the weight of the plant pulls down rather than stands up. However, perhaps there's a way to set them into the dirt to avoid that type of strain. That may not even be an issue, it just came to mind.  It may also be that those types of flowers won't tolerate lying down, but I'm hoping to be wrong about that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any reason why I can't use those, or other, climbing plants as trailing plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you look at the pictures, please note:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The pansy is something I put there this year. It's happy but easy to move if necessary. All the other things are coming up on their own and will probably be left alone, except for the specific areas I'll clean out to plant something else.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The top step is always shaded by the house, and the rest are in full sun. Since I believe the specific plants I'm asking about are sun plants, they'd start on the second level. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Even though I do want some part of it to be a rock garden, the existing stones can be moved or rearranged if it would increase my options. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the pictures for a larger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uHf9V.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uHf9Vm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u8hxc.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u8hxcm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T17:47:26.273" Title="Can I grow a climbing plant as a trailing plant?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;morning-glory&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25106" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29296" CreationDate="2016-05-28T03:01:34.640" Score="9" ViewCount="18891" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a beet plant that I grew from seeds. They started off great and healthy. In fact I plucked some leaves to use in a salad. After that some of the leaves are turning yellow and drying up. What could possibly be the reason?&#xA;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o7Syf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o7Syf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant #1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lw70W.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lw70W.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant #2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-05-29T17:11:13.523" LastActivityDate="2020-08-09T18:09:47.353" Title="Beet plant - leaves turning yellow-brown" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;beetroot&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25104" CreationDate="2016-05-28T03:05:11.793" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berry_(botany)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;berry&lt;/a&gt; can develop when &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollen&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pollen&lt;/a&gt; is deposited on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gynoecium#Role_of_the_stigma_and_style&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;stigma&lt;/a&gt; of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gynoecium#Role_of_the_stigma_and_style&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;style&lt;/a&gt; in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gynoecium#Pistils&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pistil&lt;/a&gt; forming the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gynoecium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gynoecium&lt;/a&gt; or female part of the flower. The pollen then grows a tube that reaches the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovule&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ovules&lt;/a&gt; within the ovary and the fertilized ovary develops into the fleshy &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;fruit&lt;/a&gt; containing the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if your blueberry bush flowers and the flowers get &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollination&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pollinated&lt;/a&gt; by bees (or more likely bumblebees) carrying pollen from flower to flower, the base of the flower can grow into blueberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit with photos as requested (click to enlarge).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note the three future berries right in the centre: you can see they lost their petals, one style has dried and shrivelled, the other (younger) on the right is still light green. The ovum facing away fom the camera has started to swell to form the berry:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q5tsv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q5tsvm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here you see a cluster of immature berries, petals in various degrees of wilting and ovae transforming into berries. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7L72b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7L72bm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you buy blueberries you will sometimes find some remains of the style (like a thin thread in the center of the crown-shaped dimple) - see first picture - and dried petals that didn't fall off completely - see second picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And before you have to ask: it's the same for all types of &lt;em&gt;fruit&lt;/em&gt; including nuts, from blueberries to pumpkins. But we do not only eat fruit, but also &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_root_vegetables&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;roots&lt;/a&gt; (think carrots, beets and radishes) and storage organs like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulb&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bulbs&lt;/a&gt; (onions), &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuber&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;tubers&lt;/a&gt; (potatoes, sunchokes), &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;corms&lt;/a&gt; (taro) and &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhizome&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;rhizomes&lt;/a&gt; (ginger) or leaves (lettuce, spinach) of plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-05-28T08:25:53.040" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T08:25:53.040" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25108" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-28T03:05:23.660" Score="4" ViewCount="233" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many lighting products with different rated power. What is the typical grow light intensity (power per unit area) for edible greens?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3309" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T17:50:46.790" Title="How many watts should grow light supply per unit area of edible greens?" Tags="&lt;light&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25109" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-28T06:16:17.427" Score="1" ViewCount="28" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have quite a lot of potting mix and compost, but no unused topsoil or similar.   I do, however, have access to a large quantity of used cocopeat blocks (they were used to grow Courgettes, and before that eggplants)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it feasible to mix compost with the cocopeat from the cocopeat blocks and use that as a vegetable mix ?   Should I add some slow release fertilizer granules to it as well ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure exactly what I want to grow yet, but they will be winter vegetables or leafy greens - which i'm going to throw into a .5m^2 plastic sandpit with holes drilled in the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(If the above is not feasible, I also have quite a lot of bark chips - I assume that mixing these with compost would not be as good ?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="9703" LastEditDate="2016-05-28T21:46:37.423" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T21:46:37.423" Title="Creating Vegetable Mix Analog" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;peat&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25067" CreationDate="2016-05-28T06:47:19.040" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I really don't know, but I get the impression they might be &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;magnolia&lt;/a&gt; trees. The leaves in the close-ups look about the same. They're a cold-hardy evergreen, and a nice sight. I used to see them all over Kentucky when I lived there. They have nice flowers. The trees can get large.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might be a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.south-florida-plant-guide.com/little-gem-magnolia-tree.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Little Gem magnolia&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-05-28T07:03:22.357" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T07:03:22.357" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25111" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-28T10:49:10.950" Score="1" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in the plan to plant and grow some apple trees in my land in kashmir. I want to know answers for the following questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How to plant it in proper manner?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what is the method of weeding it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the yield can i have from apple trees?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When should i water the trees?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much amount fertilizers i need to apply to the trees?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14843" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T10:49:10.950" Title="What is the maximum yield of apple tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-05-29T16:59:28.040" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="801" CreationDate="2016-05-28T14:06:42.450" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've dumped coffee grounds right on my roses and other bushes for years and years -- to no ill effect.  I have had to travel at short notice so I have had a lot of veggies go bad on me - which I've dropped on the garden.  Also, no bad effects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got huge, flowering bushes and my garden is starting off great.  One thing - coffee with double or triple the number of worms in your garden.  I have thousands of worms in the garden now.  They seem to pursue the coffee grounds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Course, I live in Montana where it is cold and dry - so we don't have a lot of mold in the air.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also added Jobe's knock-out rose food to the roses - because it makes them flower more profusely.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14844" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T14:06:42.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25113" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-28T14:38:30.237" Score="2" ViewCount="196" Body="&lt;p&gt;I once owned a Polish clematis which changed name approx 10-12 years ago &amp;amp; since moving to Scarborough would like to obtain again. Unfortunately I only know it by it's old name which I can only spell phonetically - &#xA;                               Maximawenya?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a very vigorous, white plant, late flowering. Hope you can help? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14845" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-28T14:59:57.503" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T23:16:39.823" Title="Clematis identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25114" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25281" CreationDate="2016-05-28T15:19:18.753" Score="6" ViewCount="2324" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not as massive as it might seem on this picture. The insect is about 1 to 2 mm in length. The web is very fine, you don't see it if you're standing a meter away and only the upper shoots are affected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's located in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany, has direct sun and its neighbours are sage and lavender. They have no signs of infection. Will it hurt them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are those insects on my rosemary and how do I make them go away?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bspB4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bspB4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Macro shot of the pest&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A picture of the plaque. The brownish thing is not related to the pest:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HhhgP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HhhgP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry for the low quality. This is one of those insects. They currently reside on the underneath of nearly every leave.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dI4Pd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dI4Pd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14846" LastEditorUserId="14846" LastEditDate="2016-05-29T16:30:08.110" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T19:37:27.880" Title="What Pest is That on My Rosemary?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25116" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25113" CreationDate="2016-05-28T15:53:17.040" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This isn't really an answer as such, but there's too much to ask to put in a comment. Phonetic spelling of the name isn't much use I'm afraid. You've said its late flowering and vigorous, so its likely a Prune group 3 or viticella group type, but it would be helpful if you could describe the flowers and foliage. For instance, were the flowers very large, or were there lots of small flowers? What colour were the stamens in the centre? Were the flowers double or single? How vigorous was it in terms of height and spread, around 15 feet or 35 feet high? was it deciduous or evergreen?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are hundreds of varieties of clematis, so this extra information should help to narrow down the field, so please edit your question adding as much information as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-28T17:21:13.937" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T17:21:13.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25117" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25105" CreationDate="2016-05-28T17:47:26.273" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can allow 'climbers' to trail by not providing support, but Wisteria is a poor choice - the flowers are formed as dangling racemes, so they wouldn't look great flat on the ground in contact with the soil. Wisteria is also very vigorous and would smother the whole area you've shown in the photos, reaching 35 feet by around 12 feet when mature, with a very solid, treelike trunk. Clematis varieties, smaller ones, would work, morning glory should be okay, but bear in mind, morning glory twines, so will twine round itself and anything else it can grab onto, and clematis will use their modified petioles to wrap around any branch or stem or growth that's thin enough, so you may end up with what looks like a  tangled mess by the end of the growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not clear just how big these planting areas actually are, so pick  your plants carefully so they don't ramble well outside the areas you want  them in. Clematis vary in height and spread from around  6 feet up to 35 feet, so checking the height and spread is important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T17:47:26.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25108" CreationDate="2016-05-28T17:50:46.790" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Full sun conditions are about 100,000 lumens per square meter. LED and fluorescent lamps produce about 60 lumens per watt which would mean 'burning' about 1.7 kW of electricity per square meter - a fairly astounding number. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, probably something like 20,000 lumens per square meter would be adequate if the light was tuned to only produce wavelengths adsorbed by chlorophyl - there are 'grow lamps' that are tuned just this way. So, you will need about 350 watts per square meter with LED or fluorescent lamps, maybe a bit more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T17:50:46.790" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25119" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25125" CreationDate="2016-05-28T19:15:53.473" Score="3" ViewCount="537" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an apricot tree. It was neglected a few years, and then in the last few years I've been trying to prune it. It has never given fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now its leaves have turned yellow and curled, and the bark has black patches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Click any photo for full size / hover for description&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LOzj8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LOzj8l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;yellow curled apricot leaves&quot; title=&quot;yellow curled apricot leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WO6mH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WO6mHl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;black apricot bark&quot; title=&quot;black apricot bark&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the matter with it, and what can I do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location is southern Ontario.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3392" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-28T19:26:09.480" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T20:51:53.970" Title="What causes yellow curling leaves and black bark on an apricot tree?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;apricots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25120" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25114" CreationDate="2016-05-28T19:35:05.507" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like cat or dog hair and an immature flea.  What is wrong with your rosemary other than these fine hairs/webs?  There will always be all kinds of insects on your plants but what was it that drove you to look so closely. Maybe this should be a comment not an answer I guess.  I'd just take a hose and with a firm stream hose your rosemary off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Webs would rarely have 'loose ends'.  They would also bend with weight and age.  The main problem is how your rosemary has been damaged?  Please send more pictures and details. This picture is absolutely gorgeous and I am not at all sure about a flea!  There are so many insects out there and MOST of them are beneficial!  Very, very few insects are a problem to our gardens!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T19:35:05.507" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25121" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25173" CreationDate="2016-05-28T19:47:32.757" Score="6" ViewCount="338" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yaLc9.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yaLc9.png&quot; alt=&quot;overview&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking into building a cabinet sized greenhouse for my balcony. I have a very limited income so its a low budget project. I have looked at ready-mades but none fit my budget or space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a bit unsure if the materials I have selected are ideal:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I was considering building the frame out of 45 x 45mm (1.7&quot;) pine.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For the back I was planing on a sheet of plywood painted black.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For the bottom i'm considering a galvanized steel plate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For the glazing I considering using channeled polycarbonate (about 8mm).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Access will be by sliding the front panels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Are there better choices for this project?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aluminium could be an option but I don't have any experience with metalworking really. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is the best way to fasten the polycarbonate sheets to the frame?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I only have basic hand tools to I'm looking to avoid tongue and groove.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Site&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in an apartment building so I cannot fasten it to the wall. I can fasten it to railing on one side to prevent tipping. The balcony is south facing and on the second floor of 4. There is a balcony above it so does get wet in a storm but not soaked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in northern Sweden. The Köppen climate zone is Dfc (Cool Continental / Subarctic). We often have snow from november to the beginning of may. Winter temperatures often drop down to -25°c (-14F)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason I want a greenhouse is that June, July and August are the only guaranteed frost free months and nighttime temperatures plummet down to 4°c (39F) during may and september. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I intend to bring it inside when winter comes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;What do I want to grow?&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to be able to grow tomatoes, peppers and maybe physalis and kiwi berries and maybe cool down my indoor citrus plants in the fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My tomatoes, peppers grow ok at there now, but I have to haul them inside every night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ciFC9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ciFC9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Site today&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Size&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The overall size is 320 * 1100 * 2000mm (12&quot;*43&quot;*78&quot;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f3dN6.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f3dN6.png&quot; alt=&quot;Wireframe&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nZ4gk.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nZ4gk.png&quot; alt=&quot;Wireframe&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IcXuQ.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IcXuQ.png&quot; alt=&quot;Wireframe&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14422" LastEditorUserId="14422" LastEditDate="2016-05-28T21:06:16.453" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T15:04:41.650" Title="Material choices for DIY greenhouse" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="13" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25067" CreationDate="2016-05-28T19:53:28.453" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't really know, either. But, this type of leaf and fruit was identified as Camellia Azalea in an older garden stack member post. I found it while I was searching &quot;camellias&quot; on google because the &quot;fruits&quot; or &quot;nuts&quot; look like the ones on my own camellia japonica (but the leaves are different than Camellia Azalea). I will post the other member's pictures, and look for separate confirmation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see from further research that is also called &quot;Camellia Changii&quot;, and one site said that it was pretty rare and new in the USA. This may possibly be grafted onto different root stock (although apparently that is still challenging experts.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems likely that the ritzy Palace Hotel could afford such a gem. &#xA;I look forward to confirmation from them about whether it is a camellia azalea, a magnolia, or neither one. (I also see that there are many members of the &quot;theaceae&quot; family that look similar, but I do not see such a close match to leaf type.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the link to the enlarged google street view that I posted above. You can see the fruits. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.instantstreetview.com/@37.787596,-122.402262,52.99h,4.64p,2z&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.instantstreetview.com/@37.787596,-122.402262,52.99h,4.64p,2z&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From a post 3 years ago- &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/6003/what-are-these-sphere-like-things-on-my-camellia-azalea-tree&quot;&gt;What are these sphere-like things on my Camellia azalea tree?&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rlc7N.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://i.stack.imgur.com/Rlc7N.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More pics here- It has the same leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/157556/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/157556/#b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Camellia Changii- &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/kamelienfreunde/20391131664&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.flickr.com/photos/kamelienfreunde/20391131664&lt;/a&gt; Camellia changii  (syn. Camellia azalea)&#xA;Picture&#xA;Camellia changii&#xA;everblooming camellia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This remarkable species was discovered in 1984 and was introduced into the United States recently. It is now in a few public gardens and in the hands of commercial growers and breeders but, in 2015, is not yet available in nurseries or catalogs. The bright red flowers may be produced throughout the year, including summer months. It is reported to grow to about eight feet tall. Reportedly, flower size varies. The largest flowers are four to five inches across. With its summer flowering season, this plant could be a very important addition to the world of camellia gardeners. However, it is reported to be challenging to propagate and camellia hybridizers are having difficulty crossing this species with others in the genus. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T23:20:31.370" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25123" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25114" CreationDate="2016-05-28T20:10:35.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;It appears to be an aphid&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many immature insects have a common look and identifying them can be challenging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This particular pest appears to be an aphid.  The strands 'silk' are also a telltale sign of aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fw82Jm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fw82Jm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9703" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T20:10:35.587" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25124" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-28T20:37:43.183" Score="3" ViewCount="7423" Body="&lt;p&gt;My kentia palm has begun having some dark spots which have already damaged some leaves. Can you give me some advice about it? I may have bad luck with kentias, because I like them very much but I have problems with them every time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/keJeG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/keJeG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;kentia1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kgTrg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kgTrg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;kentia2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13741" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-28T22:38:47.557" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T23:24:54.497" Title="Why do the leaves on my Kentia palm have dark spots?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;palm&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25119" CreationDate="2016-05-28T20:51:53.970" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That branch likely is infected with a fungus, many of which are called cankers. Fungi like verticillium that is renowned for afflicting Japanese maples gets into the xylem (wood) and clogs the lumens. This means the leafs cannot get enough water to replenish what is lost by normal transpiration, so they loose turgidity or wilt. Shortly thereafter they will turn brown and hang on the tree (they will not drop because leaf abscission requires life processes that no longer exist for the lack of water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fungi like nectria canker infect the cambium. When the cambium dies a phytohormone is produced that causes living tissue in the wood to clog the xylem lumens. This process is a normal damage response (for pruning, say) just on a massive scale. The pathogen causes the cambium cell walls collapse and makes the bark a blackish oozy mess which will dry in time leaving a canker and everything above the canker dies in a similar fashion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless of the specific canker affecting your branch at least part of the solution is to remove that branch - all of it down to the crotch where it originates. If there is more tissue below that is obviously infected, remove the bark to the point that you believe the remaining tissue is healthy. Then, lightly burn all the exposed wood with a butane torch (even the little kitchen gadgets for making creme broulee are enough). This cauterization should kill any residual canker. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And yes, carefully and properly dispose of the removed branch and bark, of course. &#xA;And I advise that you spray fungicide, such as Daconil, around the area several times over the remainder of this season (attempting to nix spores).&#xA;And, be certain to sterilize your cutting tools afterward - I recommend 70% isopropyl alcohol.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question I cannot answer is whether, in the longer term, there is enough well-structured tree left to keep. If you decide to keep the tree and not remove it altogether, another season or two will clearly tell how successful any attempt to save the tree has been. If there is any residual tissue infection, the effects will return!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T20:51:53.970" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25126" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5169" CreationDate="2016-05-28T21:21:49.407" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have a sprinkler system, water at intervals about the time that the rabbit feeds on you lawn.  Rabbits hate water and getting wet.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14849" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T21:21:49.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25127" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29846" CreationDate="2016-05-28T21:39:56.447" Score="4" ViewCount="332" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do bulbing bunching onions multiply like non-bulbing ones and potato onions, do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/he-shi-ko-bunching-onion/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;one source&lt;/a&gt;, there is a non-bulbing variety that does multiply (and is a perennial): the He Shi Ko bunching onion. I have yet to find such a source about bulbing types.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.highmowingseeds.com/organic-onions-bunching-growing-and-seed-saving-info.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;High Mowing Seeds establishes that bunching onions (not particularly bulbing ones) are hardy perennials&lt;/a&gt; that are for some reason usually grown as annuals, but it does not say if or how often they generally multiply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homesteadandgardens.com/bunching-onions-growing-guide-bunching-onions-true-scallions/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Another source&lt;/a&gt; says that technically the non-bulbing ones are bienniels, but people often refer to them as perennials because they multiply, leaving a continual supply. So, are the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/crimson-forest-bunch-onion/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bulbing ones&lt;/a&gt; the same in these regards?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-11-03T06:29:27.573" LastActivityDate="2016-11-12T00:23:05.587" Title="Do any bulbing bunching onion varieties multiply like potato onions?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;onions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25128" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25113" CreationDate="2016-05-28T23:16:39.823" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The clematis you describe is probably the sweet autumn clematis which is sold as C. maximowicziana, C. paniculata and C. dioscoreifolia and is also remarkably similar in habit and appearance to the better behaved &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.perennials.com/plants/clematis-prairie-travelers-joy.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Clematis ligusticifolia 'Prairie Traveler's Joy'&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.onrockgarden.com/plant_of_the_month/2015-09&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Clematis mandshurica&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hardy from zone 2 up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fragrant autumn bloomer with small cruciform pure white flowers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;climbs at least 20 feet (~6 m)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;medium well drained soil and tolerates shade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;aggressive self seeder which has escaped cultivation in the US Eastern and Midwest&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a300&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for details&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This image is from Wikipedia labelled Clematis paniculata&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M2eWn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M2eWn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T23:16:39.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25129" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25124" CreationDate="2016-05-28T23:24:54.497" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The spots are caused by virus/fungus/bacteria.  They are opportunistic and only get a hold in a plant that has been overwatered in low light. Prevention is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;move to higher light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water less&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;as a test remove plant from pot and check for soggy black roots which is a sign of root rot.  If found remove damaged roots and pot up in one size smaller pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T23:24:54.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25130" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8209" CreationDate="2016-05-28T23:59:33.467" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay, a few things here. Firstly, Aluminum Sulfate in too high volume is not good. Nor is anything else. This depends where you live and how rapidly you'd like to adjust the soil.&#xA;When mixed with water it will act with an acidifying factor to your soil. It's MUCH more immediate than most other things you might add. It's cheap and readily available and when you add the correct portion it WILL NOT harm your plants. That's because people do silly things and go outside the recommendations. I would ONLY use it as a soil amendment initially. No need to add this stuff year over year. That's why you'd add elemental sulfur. &#xA;My soil starts at about 7.25 which is too extreme so I can add this and mix in with my initial planing and that's it. I've never seen harm come from following the recommended levels. &#xA;Do a pH test first! Determine how badly you need it. And yeah, there are other ways to accomplish this task. The acid is what releases the nutrients for the plants. With alkali soil those nutrients are locked up so no, it does no good to just keep on adding those nutrients without getting pH right from the very beginning. Before you follow some of the recommendations abouve do something easy, ask a farmer, it's their livelihood to grow green things. They's NEVER use Aluminum Sulfate but they will say pH matter MOST. &#xA;So, pH first, then get the nutients right. If you get the pH corrected then there's usually enough nutrients in the soil to get things started.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14850" LastActivityDate="2016-05-28T23:59:33.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25131" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3815" CreationDate="2016-05-29T02:24:25.090" Score="2" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A case of beer (a 6 pack does me)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A Saturday night&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Campfire over stump&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Smores are a nice add on &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Repeat as necessary&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14852" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T02:24:25.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25132" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25140" CreationDate="2016-05-29T03:15:54.643" Score="2" ViewCount="224" Body="&lt;p&gt;I installed a drip system for my garden using mostly 180 degree and 90 degree adjustable spray jets on spikes (got them from Home Depot).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z4vER.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z4vER.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I keep running into a problem where the tips get clogged. I'm guessing there's some insect crawling into them for the dampness. I've unscrewed the tip and turned the water on to make sure nothing in the line was clogged it and everything appeared fine - I've even replaced the tip with a new one and it worked fine again... until it gets clogged again of course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know of a way to clean the tips out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7368" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T18:18:49.193" Title="Adjustable spray jet tips keep getting clogged" Tags="&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25134" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-29T05:44:44.393" Score="8" ViewCount="497" Body="&lt;p&gt;What methods have you seen work other than the standard netting over a plant for keeping birds off plants like blueberries?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T18:01:17.223" Title="How can I keep birds off my berries for cheap?" Tags="&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25135" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25134" CreationDate="2016-05-29T07:20:39.810" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I diverted the birds from my blueberries by placing them next to my cornus kousa tree which kept them fed.  That fruit was much bigger then my berries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise there's no realistic option other than building a cage and stringing bird netting over it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T07:20:39.810" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25136" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25114" CreationDate="2016-05-29T07:46:48.630" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks as though there is some fuzzy white stuff over the stems like powdery mildew which is common in household rosemary plants.  This leads to secondary attack and webs are a common sign of spider mites.  The insect pictured might just be another opportunistic passerby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that you've said they're all over the underside of the leaves, I'd spray the plant with pyrethrum to eradicate them. There's a holding period, but check the bottle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-05-30T10:15:49.833" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T10:15:49.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25137" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-29T10:46:12.083" Score="4" ViewCount="982" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently 3 of my rosemary bushes seems to have some (multiple) illness and/or pest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am an absolute amateur, so I just hopelessly see their day by day worsening condition. I know it is hard to diagnose by photo, I did my best when I was taking the pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could anyone identify what the problem(s) is/are, and most importantly what to do to cure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Detailed plant and environment info:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location is Budapest, Hungary, it's springtime now. All plants are in pots. There are two different plants on the photos, they are approx 4-5 years old, from the very same source. There is a 3rd plant from that source which has exactly the same symptoms. The plant in the second photo 1.5 years ago was cut back to approx 10 cm (no leaves at all), then &lt;em&gt;grew a beautiful healthy 30 cm greenery&lt;/em&gt; until it now produces the symptoms. I have two other rosemaries 2 years old from an other source which seem to be completely healthy, despite of the fact they are literally between the sick plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Please note...&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can use only absolutely harmeless chemicals and methods, as I have no appropriate protective gear, besides of this sometimes we use these plants in our recipes... and I am afraid of toxic and &quot;toxic but safe to use if...&quot; chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pRnbL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pRnbL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I020W.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I020W.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1y2Wv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1y2Wv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14853" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-05-29T13:11:57.697" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T15:02:33.657" Title="What illness/pest has this rosemary and what to do with it?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25138" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25100" CreationDate="2016-05-29T11:11:41.080" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The crux is that its not just about the amount of iron in the soil. It has to be in a form that the plants can absorb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Plants mainly acquire Fe from the rhizosphere. Although Fe is one of&#xA;  the most abundant metals in the earth's crust, its availability to&#xA;  plant roots is very low. Fe availability is dictated by the soil redox&#xA;  potential and pH. In soils that are aerobic or of higher pH, Fe is&#xA;  readily oxidized, and is predominately in the form of insoluble ferric&#xA;  oxides. At lower pH, the ferric Fe is freed from the oxide, and&#xA;  becomes more available for uptake by roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Joe Morrissey, Mary Lou Guerinot,&lt;br&gt;&#xA;   &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2764373/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Iron uptake and transport in plants: The good, the bad, and the ionome&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your best bet may be to either grow in a container or a buried tub since &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/what-do-if-your-soil-too-alkaline&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;correcting the PH aggressively with sulphur will harm microorganisms&lt;/a&gt;. And lime will leach from the surrounding soil which will raise the PH gradually anyways. You may be able to find a used bathtub or plastic barrels used to ship cheap wine and grape juice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keeping the PH low can be done by adding organic matter and mulches which are low in ph. With peat moss from sphagnum being a popular choice since it has a very low PH. Bear in mind though that peat bogs store large amounts of carbon and clearing and draining bogs for mining releases huge amounts of greenhouse gasses as well as deprives many endangered species of their habitat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Providing nutrients by way of chelated iron and other supplements is going to be very expensive. You need far more than in a hydroponic system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is aslo a very good chance that the plant roots may not be able to thrive in an alkaline soil anyways since they have spent millennia adapting to peat bogs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14422" LastEditorUserId="14422" LastEditDate="2016-05-29T12:15:09.330" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T12:15:09.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25114" CreationDate="2016-05-29T12:11:29.687" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't help but conclude this is one of the spider mites - there are certainly tan coloured mites, but what's odd is, rosemary oil is often used as a treatment to get rid of them. Even so, there are mites that will infest Rosemary, but I've never seen this in colder parts of Europe, they're usually indoors or in hotter countries, so I'm wondering whether the very sheltered situation the Rosemary occupies, along with direct sun, has enabled them to infest the plant and survive outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would treat with Neem oil, since you can't just use any pesticide because its an edible plant, and that will deal with most insects anyway, including scale, although I wouldn't expect webbing with scale infestation. More info here, but its an American link, because that's one of the countries that does have plenty of spider mites living outdoors&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardening.yardener.com/Problems-Of-Rosemary&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://gardening.yardener.com/Problems-Of-Rosemary&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T12:11:29.687" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25140" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25132" CreationDate="2016-05-29T12:45:31.490" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most drip components I'm aware of, including this micro sprinkler you're using are very susceptible to clogging. It is not uncommon for there to be sediment in the water supply that will clog the filters which is why manufacturers of these systems also provide filter kits that will screen out sediment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you have is a DIG micro sprinkler. If you want to stick with the same manufacturer you can get the DIG D57A Hose Thread Screen Filter if your system is hose connected. If it's connected to your irrigation system there are special control valves for drip systems that I believe include a filter or one can be added inline. If it's connected to a converted sprinkler Rainbird has a conversion kit that includes a a filter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One more ting to note about these systems is they usually work best with low pressure in the 10-15 psi range. This one is rated for up to 30psi but I believe is meant to be used at 25 psi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually a connection to a drip system involves 3 components. A hose-bib vacuum breaker to prevent water from flowing backwards into your home in the event there's an unusual pressure drop in the main line, a pressure regulator and a screen filter. All three of these should be available at your local Home Depot where you purchased the sprinklers. Each of them currently costs less than $10 with the filter being the most expensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-05-29T18:18:49.193" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T18:18:49.193" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25141" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25137" CreationDate="2016-05-29T15:02:33.657" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check the plants carefully, examining them closely to make sure there is no evidence of spider mite (webbing, tiny red or brownish insects). Assuming there isn't anything to find, you've said the plants in the photographs are 4-5 years old, and you have two other plants which are only 2 years old which are fine. If the 4-5 years old plants which are showing signs of ill health are still in the same size pots, and have been in those pots for 4-5 years, turn them out of their pots and check to see if they are rootbound, which they likely will be if you've never potted them on. If they are, pot up into something larger, with fresh potting medium, first scraping the rootball a bit to unravel the roots a little.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These yellow markings on the leaves are either down to insect infestation, or it could be cultural, that is, in this case, possibly because they've run out of root room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T15:02:33.657" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25142" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25145" CreationDate="2016-05-29T15:38:27.793" Score="1" ViewCount="160" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for plants that can survive and grow with no sunlight(direct or indirect), which purifies air. I got some air purifiers but they need either direct or indirect sunlight. I have to get some more plants for air purification in the back room, a room which is on the back side where not a bit of sunlight comes. But so far I haven't found any plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2017-08-19T18:45:26.817" Title="Plants that don't need direct or indirect sunlight for air purification?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25143" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25086" CreationDate="2016-05-29T15:39:25.153" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know you've accepted an answer, but I'll add this, because, without knowing quite what they are, you may be endangering your or your family's health by trying to deal with them. Given where you are, these are likely to be Brown Tail Moth tent caterpillars - if you are asthmatic, or anyone in your family is, you have to be very careful not to inhale the fine hairs from the caterpillars, which may also be mixed in with the tent fibres. These hairs are also highly irritant to the skin, so protective clothing should be worn if you wish to tackle the tents yourselves, although this is best done in winter rather than now. When we had these in late spring three years ago in street trees here in West London, the area was cordoned off and a crew wearing full hazmat suits and breathing gear came to cut them out, paid for by the Council. Shouldn't think Councils can afford to do this any more, but it's worth a try - otherwise, advice from East Devon Council as to how to remove them safely in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://eastdevon.gov.uk/pest-control/brown-tail-moth-caterpillar/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://eastdevon.gov.uk/pest-control/brown-tail-moth-caterpillar/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-29T18:57:43.540" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T18:57:43.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25038" CreationDate="2016-05-29T15:56:11.627" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a classic case of what's called proliferation - the cause is not fully known, but has been attributed to damage of some sort (like sudden frost), though there is no certainty regarding this anomaly other than its being down to disrupted DNA. It may occur on just one flower and never happen again, or on one or two flowers occasionally. I can certainly see what appear to be two normal flowers to the left of the second picture. However, if most of the bush does it all the time, then the likely cause is a virus and the plant should be removed and burned. More info below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.examiner.com/article/proliferation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.examiner.com/article/proliferation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-29T16:01:50.640" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T16:01:50.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25145" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25142" CreationDate="2016-05-29T16:04:34.047" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I doubt you will find any either. The very thing that makes a plant a plant is that it has chlorophyl which converts light and carbon dioxide into oxygen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are plants that can grow with little light such as Dracaena, Philodendron, Sansevieria and mosses but all plants require some form of light during there lifetime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing that grows without any light are fungi (mushrooms) and they use oxygen and output carbon dioxide just like us.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While you could use a grow-light, it is going to be less energy effective than proper ventilation or a an air purifier by an order of magnitude. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14422" LastEditorUserId="14422" LastEditDate="2017-08-19T18:45:26.817" LastActivityDate="2017-08-19T18:45:26.817" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25146" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-29T16:27:56.007" Score="5" ViewCount="245" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm working with an inherited garden, and all of us working with the asparagus have been &lt;em&gt;shocked&lt;/em&gt; to find how well it grows! One of the things that we've been curious about though, is that there seem to be three types of stems that pop up. The first looks a bit like a Christmas tree, the second looks like the asparagus that you would buy at the store where the top is tight and the little parts &lt;strong&gt;do not&lt;/strong&gt; grow out, and third, like the second form, it looks like the asparagus from the store but some of the parts at the top have grown out a few inches depending on its maturity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CJq6o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CJq6o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&amp;quot;Christmas Tree&amp;quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lJVB2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lJVB2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&amp;quot;Regular&amp;quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rVxgv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rVxgv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Grown out&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-29T16:40:00.950" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T11:23:06.537" Title="What are the differences between these three &quot;shapes&quot; of the same variety of asparagus?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;asparagus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25147" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-29T16:52:43.317" Score="2" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something is attacking a lot of the leaves on my new superior blueberry bush, and I have a few fruit flies around it, what should I do to save it before it gets destroyed?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WYdco.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WYdco.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-05-29T23:31:20.520" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T23:31:20.520" Title="An unknown pest or animal is heavily attacking my blueberries, what should I do?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="7" ClosedDate="2016-05-30T21:55:10.253" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25148" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25028" CreationDate="2016-05-29T17:10:34.200" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want a viable low maintenance solution you should consider removing the bricks/tiles and replacing any soil with underneath or in between the bricks/tiles with crushed rock. You can usually buy it cheap in quantity if you have a quarry nearby. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't want to dissemble the patio you can try to scrape out as much dirt as you can from between the cracks and fill them with finely ground stone. Make sure to use a breathing protection when handling it. You can use an old chisel or a flathead screwdriver for this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14422" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T17:10:34.200" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25149" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25146" CreationDate="2016-05-29T19:05:44.103" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the first one is, in fact asparagus, it's a very small shoot that was too small to harvest that has leafed out. The middle picture is harvestable, the last is past harvesting for this year. The second will turn into the third shortly. The first, if it is asparagus, will turn into the second and third in a few years. The third is what puts energy into the root to grow the second next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first one might also be a weed of similar structure, I just can't say for sure from the picture. On third thought, it's probably a &quot;weed&quot;, that just happens to be seedling asparagus (the single-sex plantations to avoid these are so common I forgot about them for a while there.) You can either weed them out or transplant them to grow on to full-sized crowns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-05-29T19:39:56.070" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T19:39:56.070" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25150" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26698" CreationDate="2016-05-29T20:09:18.493" Score="4" ViewCount="4964" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just moved into a new home, and the flower bed drip irrigation is buried under mulch and about 2 inches of sandy loam.  This isn't a correct install is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14857" LastEditorUserId="14857" LastEditDate="2016-05-29T21:31:25.053" LastActivityDate="2018-11-09T02:14:09.987" Title="How deep should drip irrigation be installed?" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25151" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25081" CreationDate="2016-05-29T20:44:08.723" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is doing okay. The bottom browned leaves are dead. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wish, you could repot in a bigger pot, and/or add fertilizer (not really needed, but you can give a very little bit)/more water, or just leave it alone, and it will probably do okay for a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do want to help it or have it look greener, you can cut off the lower, dead leaves, allowing for more ventilation, and repot it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T20:44:08.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25146" CreationDate="2016-05-29T20:48:52.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Asparagus is a fern like plant that looks very different from the product you buy in shops because you only buy the young shoots.  These shoots become larger and larger as the plant develops a larger root system which depends on leaving the shoots to develop into ferns to put growth into the roots.  So, that's why it's recommended that you not harvest any shoots for the first three years after transplanting crowns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of those pictures look like the stuff that grows in my just past one year old asparagus patch.  I'd be inclined to not harvest any of it. If it hasn't been looked after it might need some compost and general fertiliser.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T20:48:52.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25153" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-29T21:29:18.467" Score="3" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given a ground cover conifer for free, and accidently planted the side with branches in the wrong direction. Should I replant it, or let it grow out as is?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XPvLk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XPvLk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;conifer&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T23:39:54.490" Title="Will ground cover conifers grow branches on a former house side of the plant?" Tags="&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25154" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-29T21:32:00.450" Score="4" ViewCount="156" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to get a new conifer from a ball of roots that I planted after manhandling the removal process to get some roots out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Example: side of part A:&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qlzAH.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qlzAH.gif&quot; alt=&quot;simple root system drawing&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-05-30T05:26:34.907" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T05:26:34.907" Title="Can I get a conifer to grow from a ball of roots?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25154" CreationDate="2016-05-29T21:44:03.927" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No. Most conifers, once cut down, will die, so if you removed all the trunk and topgrowth, the rootball on its own is the equivalent of incipient compost. Or doomed, dead, extinct, basically, not going to grow again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-29T23:43:00.083" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T23:43:00.083" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25153" CreationDate="2016-05-29T21:46:35.393" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you've only just planted it, dig it up and reposition it if you want, if you think it'll look better that way. It may not grow from the side which currently has no branches anyway. Keep well watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-29T23:39:54.490" LastActivityDate="2016-05-29T23:39:54.490" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25157" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-29T22:11:10.847" Score="5" ViewCount="1973" Body="&lt;p&gt;I took cuttings of this rosemary plant, and put them into a aquaponic bath. It took several months but they rooted and then a month ago I transplanted then into potting mix. However a month later the transplants leaf tips are yellowing. What might be the issue? Ambient temperature is about 10 deg C in mid autumn, and parent plant is still doing well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/MD7FpFx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Parent rosemary&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/5aKYt5G.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Offspring&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-07-13T16:49:12.630" Title="Rosemary leaves yellowing at tips" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25158" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25165" CreationDate="2016-05-30T01:11:11.750" Score="7" ViewCount="20142" Body="&lt;p&gt;Growing on the edge of my yard I have a small clump of perennial plants that produce small white flowers in late May or early June. The flower itself is white, with six petals, and they are produced at the tips of a small branching flower stalk. The plants they come from has long, narrow, hollow leaves, with a white-ish mid-rib. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's currently in somewhat of a bad place, close enough to the lawn that it almost gets mowed and right where a roof down-spout empties. I'd like to move it somewhere better, but first I need to know what it is, and where is best for it. Growing in USDA Zone 6.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JeOe5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JeOe5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;single flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wCibX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wCibX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower-stalk and leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-05-30T10:17:10.270" LastActivityDate="2018-12-06T19:16:06.127" Title="What is this six-petaled white flower with long narrow leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25121" CreationDate="2016-05-30T02:07:06.230" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;For eggplants, tomatoes, and, I believe, Cucumbers you will need heating - if the plants get frost its immediately &quot;game over&quot; - and they really need to be kept above 14 degrees C (although a single night at 4 degrees won't kill them)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as construction goes, more light = more growth - there is no magic to the construction - you can quite easily get away with wooden frames - it will slow growth down very slightly because of less light, but probably a better choice because aluminium will conduct the cold through it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Polycarb is a good choice as it is, effectively, 2 skin insulation - although the research I've done indicates that you may be better off with thinner=cheaper polycarb and put the extra money into a heat/light source. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may want to reconsider painting the wall black - I've not yet done any tests, but you would probably be better off with a highly reflective coating so the light gets reflected back off the plants - I'm guessing amount of light is going to be a major issue.   A black floor would probably be a good idea though.   There is also talk on the Internet about lining the inside with bubble-wrap to provide more insulation.   Also, if you could make the unit bigger it might retain a bit more heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The water bottles referred to by another poster would help with heat buffering, but are unlikely to be sufficient - and if you are going to boil water for them (which will be of most help when its least needed - ie when it starts getting cold, rather then at the coldest), you are probably better off spending the money on incandescent lights to provide heating and a bit more light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T02:07:06.230" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25160" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25158" CreationDate="2016-05-30T02:46:59.930" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks to me like Zephyranthes candida, Rain Lily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T02:46:59.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25162" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-30T03:51:43.027" Score="3" ViewCount="87" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I had a bougainvillea that was over a walkway for decades. I had an HVAC condenser installed next to it and it was fine, then it got used a lot one year and the tree just died. Termites came in and ate the corpse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really want to plant in the same place. Here to see what people think about my theory of why the other one died, and also what sized plant I should purchase to put there. I am usually not wanting to get larger plants as the roots are probably impacted, possibly dooming the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dit4D.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dit4D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sites of the original bushes&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The circles show where the 2 prior plants were then they formed an arch over the walkway. The fence has been replaced. It was completely eaten through by termites. The house is redwood so there was no damage there. Doubt the termites killed the bougainvillea but maybe? They are gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So any thoughts on optimal replacement strategy is my question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3523" LastEditorUserId="3523" LastEditDate="2016-05-31T18:03:38.227" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T18:03:38.227" Title="Replanting a Bougainvillea: Need a Plan" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bougainvillea&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25163" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-30T04:30:57.867" Score="1" ViewCount="28" Body="&lt;p&gt;i bought 2 little pitcher plants from Bangkok which is sealed in a bottle for the past 7 months until now i feel it needed a bigger place to continue growing.&#xA;Now my question is should i sealed the bigger bottle once im done transferring?&#xA;thanks y'all&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14861" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T04:30:57.867" Title="Can i just simply sealed a bottle of plant and expect it will grow well?" Tags="&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-09-14T14:50:53.683" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25164" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25166" CreationDate="2016-05-30T07:46:19.420" Score="6" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23944/office-plant-identification-care&quot;&gt;my previous question&lt;/a&gt; about the plant at my office is so well received, I thought it would be nice to get some information about another plant at my office.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A picture of my plant can be seen below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, by that, I have the same questions from my previous:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What's the name of this plant? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the best way to take care of this plant?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RtlrK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RtlrK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My office plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14254" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T13:34:07.610" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T13:34:07.610" Title="Office plant identification and care - my 2nd plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25165" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25158" CreationDate="2016-05-30T08:04:17.813" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;To me it's an &lt;em&gt;Ornithogalum&lt;/em&gt;, maybe a  &lt;em&gt;O. umbellatum&lt;/em&gt; (grass lily, nap-at-noon, or eleven-o'clock lady). Same family of &lt;em&gt;Zephyranthes&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants should build a lot of small bulbs. You can try to dig around roots and move such small bulbs in the new place, to see if they like the new place.  And as all bulbous plant, when the plant seems dead, just move the bulbs (putting them in similar deep as you collected).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T20:07:08.737" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T20:07:08.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25166" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25164" CreationDate="2016-05-30T10:05:19.593" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is an &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthurium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Anthurium&lt;/a&gt;, a member of the aroid family, who are identified by the flower structure of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathe&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;spathe&lt;/a&gt; and spadix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;high intensity filtered light, not direct. If it doesn't flower then the light levels are too low&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a free draining soil such as peat moss, perlite and pine bark&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water thoroughly and let dry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;underwatering or low humidity levels will give brown tips to the leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fertilize at half strength every other month with a flowering plant fertilizer. Something like 15-30-15.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pests: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/scale&quot;&gt;scale&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/7730/499&quot;&gt;mealy bug&lt;/a&gt; are possible, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3906/what-are-these-black-spots-on-white-splotches-appearing-on-my-tomato-seedling/3980#3980&quot;&gt;thrip&lt;/a&gt; have been seen but are uncommon in a house or office&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T10:05:19.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25167" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25169" CreationDate="2016-05-30T10:25:56.660" Score="5" ViewCount="388" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few months ago I asked a what kind of plant my office plant is and how to take care of it. I got a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23944/office-plant-identification-care/25080#25080&quot;&gt;clear answer&lt;/a&gt; on that recently, but I just discovered orange spots on some of the leaves (NOT ALL!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've made 2 photos to give you a clearer idea of what I mean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does someone know what those spots are (and if they are dangerous or something)? And does it need some kind of a cure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AoEHcm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AoEHcm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Detailed view&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wLmBr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wLmBr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14254" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-03T17:43:44.663" LastActivityDate="2018-02-03T17:43:44.663" Title="Orange spots on Polypodium" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25168" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25142" CreationDate="2016-05-30T11:46:16.503" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You say you have a peace lily already (Spathiphyllum) and that does not like direct sunlight, so that should work, along with Dracaena marginata and Sansevieria, common name Mother in laws tongue. There is a caveat though; all three will do better being placed close to the window, particularly in winter, and prefer an even temperature that doesn't get too cold, and without very dry air, some humidity is necessary. This might be difficult to achieve if there is a radiator or heat source under the window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-30T11:51:34.703" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T11:51:34.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25167" CreationDate="2016-05-30T12:05:36.827" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't get a close enough image to examine the spots thoroughly, but because they're evenly spaced, its most likely these are sporangia, or spore cases. It's a sign of a healthy plant and the spores are produced as part of the reproductive process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rust infection can be a problem on these plants in some areas, but the orange spots are randomly spaced, so if the plant seems otherwise very healthy, they're spore cases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://beyondthehumaneye.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/polypody-fern-with-golden-sporangia.html&quot;&gt;http://beyondthehumaneye.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/polypody-fern-with-golden-sporangia.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-05-30T12:16:33.103" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T12:16:33.103" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25170" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-30T15:03:53.357" Score="2" ViewCount="325" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend received roses, and on the back are these mysterious things. It's not everywhere, but it's behind the back of many of the leaves. Anyone know what they are?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mTYFg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mTYFg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14865" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-05-30T16:27:28.883" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T16:27:28.883" Title="What are these alien egg-like things on the back of rose leaves?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2016-05-30T18:16:45.810" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25170" CreationDate="2016-05-30T15:18:52.523" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is not a rose, but a fern. Fern usually have sori (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorus&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorus&lt;/a&gt;), which are used to disperse spores.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ferns have no flowers, so no seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note the white flowers come from a different plant, which is also not a rose, but I cannot identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T15:18:52.523" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25172" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-30T15:38:16.563" Score="6" ViewCount="303" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Most of the previous threads around such plants are centered/ biased around western nations, so finding ones that fit this Asian/ Indian city is different and key.  &#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Also, it would help apply to lots of people in polluted Asian cities. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which of these plants would work best for outlined Mumbai Weather &amp;amp; conditions:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Better fit for Mumbai Weather  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pollution cleansing; If needed I can try to post pollutant information for a major crowded Metropolitan city in Asia like Mumbai  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Low Maintenance for an apartment Window/ Balcony  &#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Current window/ balcony is South facing; so should get enough sunlight except during days in monsoon where there is darker cloud cover&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tall sliding windows with a 8-12&quot; ledge on outside and 8&quot; ledge on inside of window. Open to suggestions that work for both inside and outside  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please advise on what would be a more fitting shortlist from these. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NASA Clean Air Plants &amp;amp; Reference Answers with recommendations on SE:&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Clean_Air_Study&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Clean_Air_Study&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1283/suggestion-for-houseplants-that-can-clean-the-air/1291&quot;&gt;What are some houseplants that can clean the air, especially chemicals from cigarettes?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1239/what-are-some-low-maintenance-plant-choices-for-apartment-indoor-living?rq=1&quot;&gt;What are some low maintenance plant choices for apartment (indoor) living?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13506/what-houseplants-will-best-filter-the-air-for-a-retirement-home&quot;&gt;What houseplants will best filter the air for a retirement home?&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Infographic - &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.lovethegarden.com/community/fun-facts/nasa-guide-air-filtering-houseplants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.lovethegarden.com/community/fun-facts/nasa-guide-air-filtering-houseplants&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mumbai Weather Information:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XSrcy.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XSrcy.png&quot; alt=&quot;Average Temperature Graph for Mumbai&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UDD3b.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UDD3b.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sources &amp;amp; More information:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.worldweatheronline.com/mumbai-weather-averages/maharashtra/in.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.worldweatheronline.com/mumbai-weather-averages/maharashtra/in.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Mumbai&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Mumbai&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=30034&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=30034&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13330" LastEditorUserId="13330" LastEditDate="2018-11-05T12:09:06.960" LastActivityDate="2018-11-05T12:09:06.960" Title="Which of these Air &amp; Pollution cleaning plants best fit a window/ balcony in Mumbai Weather?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;hot-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="25173" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25121" CreationDate="2016-05-30T16:47:35.847" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a pretty short season and your main issue is going to keep the greenhouse warm at night. During the day if it gets enough sunlight it can get quite hot on it's own. So much so you will probably need to provide ventilation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took a shot at coming up with some modifications to your design that I think would work well in your circumstances. Forgive me but I'm going to be mixing mm and inches because I'm more familiar with materials in inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;45x45 (2x2 in USA) for the main framing should be sufficient.&#xA;22.5x45 (1x2 here in USA) for the door frames, top angle members and shelf slats&#xA;Polycarbonate twinwall panels for the clear panels&#xA;2&quot; rigid foam insulation with a reflective foil face for the back and bottom&#xA;1/2&quot; plywood for the bottom to provide more strength instead of just the foam&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since it will be sheltered by the balcony above and because most of the wood will be covered by poly panels I don't think you need to be too concerned about a rot resistant wood unless water pools on the floor of your balcony in which case you might want to consider using something like cedar for at least some of the framing. The framing will also be getting wet when you water your plants so if you can I would suggest a naturally rot resistant type of wood. You'll also want to try to anchor it to the side of the building just to provide more security so it won't tip over. Think of the type of safety straps they have for tall furniture to prevent kids and pets from knocking them over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to have two rows of gallon milk jugs you may need to make it slightly deeper than 320mm depending what the actual dimensions of the equivalent of a gallon of milk is over there or whatever containers you can get cheap to use. The milk jugs can store hot water to heat it up at night. If you paint them black they can heat up during the day if they get enough direct sunlight or you can put hot tap water in them in the evening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How many you need I don't know. I chose to make 2 sets of doors so you can replace jugs without releasing as much of the heat inside. There's a lot of information on heating greenhouses with water that is heated by the sun. I wish I could find the source but there was a guy with a cool hoop house in Massachusetts or near there that was growing in his hoop house year round and heat was provided by storing heat in large water containers. It's all about having the right amount of water for the volume of greenhouse space. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Foam weatherstripping around the door frames to help keep air in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/InWY4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/InWY4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-05-30T16:54:04.377" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T16:54:04.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25174" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25181" CreationDate="2016-05-30T17:18:57.290" Score="7" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;My strawberry plants have some kind of coating on their stems. It looks like dirt, but I've removed it several times and it keeps coming back. It also follows the stem. It doesn't seem to harm the plant, but it sometimes covers stem ends. This is what it looks like:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WAFAp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WAFAp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14866" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T22:35:49.720" Title="What are these coatings on strawberry stems?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25175" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25172" CreationDate="2016-05-30T18:47:47.690" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on all three links that you have provided, as well as the availability of the said plants in Mumbai, these plants will not only survive, but thrive, as well as clean the air. They are low maintenance too. &lt;strong&gt;I'm already growing them in my south facing window in Mumbai.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Very Important:&lt;/strong&gt; Remember to remove the plates under the pots of the 'outdoor' plants, or keep them overturned ONLY during monsoon. If you don't, all the plants (ANY, even those beyond this list as well) are susceptible to root rot (death).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following are the plants I'm growing from your list:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata 'Bostoniensis') (outdoor preferred)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;English ivy (Hedera helix)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) (indoor preferred)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Devil's ivy, Money plant (Epipremnum aureum)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Variegated snake plant, mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii') (indoor preferred)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron cordatum)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Selloum philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragrans 'Massangeana')&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) (outdoor preferred)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dumb canes (Dieffenbachia spp.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Aloe vera (Aloe vera) (outdoor preferred)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Janet Craig (Dracaena deremensis &quot;Janet Craig&quot;)&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;Given the oncoming monsoon&lt;/em&gt;, I would suggest the following for outdoors (marked above):&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;Boston fern, English ivy, Money plant, Chinese evergreen, Heartleaf philodendron&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a side note, you must have noticed 'palms' missing from the above list, because I'm not a fan of the category and I'm not growing any from the list currently. But you can grow ANY PALM in a south facing window, although I would suggest growing them indoors, as during the monsoon, they tend to rot more easily as the large and spread out leaves tend to collect more water. But, in my opinion, your 8 inch indoor ledge maybe too small for them in the long run.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13368" LastEditorUserId="13330" LastEditDate="2016-06-06T14:43:25.907" LastActivityDate="2016-06-06T14:43:25.907" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25176" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25177" CreationDate="2016-05-30T19:49:34.623" Score="2" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a particular time of the year that sunchokes bolt in order to get them to get more energy production before they die in the fall? If yes, how should I promote more springtime growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-05-30T23:57:59.197" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T23:57:59.197" Title="When do sunchokes &quot;bolt&quot;?" Tags="&lt;sunchoke&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25176" CreationDate="2016-05-30T20:06:00.670" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bolting refers to plants going to seed.  So, in that situation they normally put all their growth into flowers and not tubers.  So, if anything, you're supposed to cut the flowers off to divert energy into tuber production.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T20:06:00.670" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25178" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25179" CreationDate="2016-05-30T20:33:09.187" Score="7" ViewCount="1384" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the UK and I have a very large maple tree in my garden and just noticed it has white spots on the trunk and some branches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what it could be and what I can use to cure it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JX6ho.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JX6ho.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vfbhs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vfbhs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14870" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-30T21:38:53.803" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T21:38:53.803" Title="White spots on large maple tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;maple&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25179" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25178" CreationDate="2016-05-30T21:15:23.863" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most likely horse chestnut scale, common on large and small Acer varieties in the UK, as well as lime and horse chestnut trees. Although it's unsightly, on large trees it's impractical to treat, and won't kill the tree anyway. On smaller trees, you can use disposable cloths moistened with a little methylated spirits to rub over the affected woody parts, rubbing off the scale, then using a cloth moistened in ordinary water afterwards, but this is difficult to do on ridged bark, though works well on smaller Japanese maples. More info below, with image so you can confirm (or not) that this diagnosis is correct&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=650&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=650&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now you've posted a photo, that confirms horse chestnut scale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T21:15:23.863" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25180" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20713" CreationDate="2016-05-30T21:45:45.483" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it not a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatsia_japonica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Japanese Aralia&lt;/a&gt;? A split leaf philodendron doesn't have the same lobulated leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14871" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-05-31T14:37:10.233" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T14:37:10.233" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25174" CreationDate="2016-05-30T22:35:49.720" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Patrick B's question is well placed, because this deposit has the look of ant activity, that is, ant nest building, where you're likely to see little piles of fine soil from their excavations. In this case, they may well be building a nest beneath our around this particular plant, underground. It won't kill your plant, unless their activities disrupt the soil too much round the roots. They don't generally eat strawberries in particular, just in case you were wondering, but if possible, it might be worth lifting the plant to see what's going on (preferably wearing gloves) and  relocating it elsewhere if you discover a nest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T22:35:49.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25182" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24452" CreationDate="2016-05-30T23:52:31.373" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Dianthus barbatus, commonly know as &quot;Sweet William&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianthus_barbatus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia article:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Dianthus barbatus (Sweet William) is a species of Dianthus native to southern Europe and parts of Asia which has become a popular ornamental garden plant. It is a herbaceous biennial or short-lived perennial plant growing to 30–75 cm tall, with flowers in a dense cluster of up to 30 at the top of the stems. Each flower is 2–3 cm diameter with five petals displaying serrated edges. Wild plants produce red flowers with a white base, but colours in cultivars range from white, pink, red, and purple to variegated patterns. The exact origin of its English common name is unknown but first appears in 1596 in botanist John Gerard's garden catalogue. The flowers are edible and may have medicinal properties. Sweet William attracts bees, birds, and butterflies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Culture: &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-dianthus-barbatus-65887.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-dianthus-barbatus-65887.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=Dianthus%20barbatus&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwisr4LW_oLNAhVJ2oMKHW43ANMQ_AUIBygB&amp;amp;biw=1680&amp;amp;bih=886&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Images for comparison to help identify cross/type.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-05-30T23:52:31.373" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25183" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25204" CreationDate="2016-05-31T01:04:53.817" Score="7" ViewCount="3757" Body="&lt;p&gt;This 4 petaled flower is growing in partial sun, slightly on the moist side. Stalk is 2 to 5 feet high. Blooming in May in Oregon. Flowers range from white to medium lavender and have a slight pleasant fragrance.  Don't know if is a self-seeding annual or a perennial that dies back in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U5ay3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U5ay3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8IGEZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8IGEZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here]&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qwtZ8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qwtZ8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13711" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T12:13:18.553" Title="What is this four-petal lavender to white flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25184" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25196" CreationDate="2016-05-31T01:44:41.207" Score="9" ViewCount="3712" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the Boston area, and this vine is growing in the public land behind my property.  The vine is a very aggressive grower and will overtake anything in it's path, including my fence.  I've ripped out several hundred square feet of it already, but there is much more remaining.  The stems were woody, reaching 1/2&quot; - 3/4&quot; in diameter, with several nodes anchoring to the ground.  I would like to ID this plant, to help me learn how best to control it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've done a bit of research, and it looks somewhat like Virginia creeper, but not quite.  As far as I know, it does not flower.  Any help would be appreciated.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7G28z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7G28z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Aggressive Vine&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am adding a few pictures.  The pictures I took trying to show tendril were not in focus.  Only 1 was OK. I'll need to dig out my good camera for better results. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OOspL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OOspL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Climbing vine&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Gus7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Gus7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leading end of vine&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tkXl6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tkXl6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Small portion of the area&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8p9gp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8p9gp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;One of the bigger leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some better pictures of the tendrils.  Hopefully, there is enough detail for someone to identify.  To my eye, I do not see any evidence of &quot;disc shaped tendrils&quot;, which suggest that the vine is a false Virginia creeper.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vm7Je.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vm7Je.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tip of growing vine&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HNu42.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HNu42.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Climbing up fence&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M378n.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M378n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tendril&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14872" LastEditorUserId="14872" LastEditDate="2016-06-05T00:16:30.413" LastActivityDate="2020-08-15T01:21:32.710" Title="Please help identify this aggressive vine?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25185" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-31T03:35:57.630" Score="2" ViewCount="142" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got some spare wood from a downed pine tree that's been around for a year. I've asked the local garden labourers to cut the rounds up and stack it on the boundary so I could plant it out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I just dump everything except invasive weeds, tree branches, leaves etc, and then cover it with a huge amount of soil, before planting? Was this a big mistake and should I burn it instead ( cut into firewood and sell) as I read somewhere that pine resins inhibit roots.  The pile is currently 5 foot tall and growing, with more native bush to be levelled and added. Is it too tall?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/AEJCO6K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;wood pile&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T04:28:59.587" Title="How to build a hugelkultur?" Tags="&lt;hugelkultur&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25186" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25214" CreationDate="2016-05-31T04:08:32.900" Score="2" ViewCount="275" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mom loves having hostas around the yard, and garden, so I was wondering if all of them are edible, or just some of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2018-05-03T08:59:28.947" Title="Are all hostas edible?" Tags="&lt;hosta&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2016-05-31T16:52:45.600" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25185" CreationDate="2016-05-31T04:22:48.413" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen in pictures that people dig a small pit, and pile all of the wood in the middle, then put dirt packed on top of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You build the wood pit similar to this:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Eha3d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Eha3d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hugelkultur wood pit&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The initial look is like this with dirt on top:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/StwtQ.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/StwtQ.png&quot; alt=&quot;1 month&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-05-31T04:28:59.587" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T04:28:59.587" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25189" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-31T04:43:40.263" Score="2" ViewCount="34" Body="&lt;p&gt;What seed crops should I look into putting in my pack outside of a change of cloths for my trip? I was blessed with money, but some places where I'll be going are hard to get Mana Pack too, so I figure I might as well bring some high production crops on my trip, and was blessed with a good income, but I'm a big believer in &quot;teach a man to fish he eats for a lifetime&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to Guatemala on a mission trip this summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T10:49:13.480" Title="What seeds should I get approval for importing food crops to a third world country?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ClosedDate="2016-05-31T14:30:26.590" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25190" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27410" CreationDate="2016-05-31T09:11:21.290" Score="8" ViewCount="812" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted carrot and beetroot seeds outdoors (UK) nearly 2 months ago. Only a few seeds have sprouted, out of two full packets (probably 30+ seeds of each type). The seeds were planted into freshly prepared soft ground. I think we have the right kind of soil for carrots and beetroot, fairly decent loam. The weather has been warm and fairly wet, however, I'm worried they might not have had enough water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will the seeds have simply rotted by now, or is there a chance that they could still germinate, with extra watering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14873" LastEditorUserId="14873" LastEditDate="2016-05-31T11:23:03.010" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T08:47:58.640" Title="Carrot &amp; Beetroot seeds not sprouting" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;&lt;beetroot&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25189" CreationDate="2016-05-31T10:49:13.480" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;In many countries you must get approval before bringing in GMO seeds. Monsanto  broke the law in India by growing GMO crops without approval from the Indian regulatory agency. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://goo.gl/rZ0wX5&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, in the US, I don't think there are any requirements to label seeds as GMO, at least at the retail level (for those little seed packets). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also issues where some countries consider X to be an invasive plant but you shouldn't have that problem with most food plants, but double check to make sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T10:49:13.480" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25193" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25121" CreationDate="2016-05-31T11:10:46.360" Score="1" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;NOT pine. It will only last 1-2 years outdoors, if that. Avoid wood for this. Pine is considered a soft wood and rots quickly. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;PVC works better. Get the thickwall type and it will be more ridgid. I made a 6'x4' A-frame trellis for only $15usd/125 krona. (Not including 1/4&quot; plastic grid.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Aluminium could be an option but I don't have any experience with metalworking really. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For aluminum you really just need a drill, a hacksaw, and file to remove rough edges. Just don't cut the aluminum indoors as the shavings will get all over. And it might just work better than PVC for holding the polycarbonate panels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see your 4 shelf wooden shelf thing. You could wrap 3 sides in clear plastic, then make a frame for a door for the 4th side, and wrap the door with plastic, then put the door on hinges. Get the thicker plastic, it will last longer and is worth the price.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now it's easy to get to your plants. I try to find ready-made shelves for this type of thing and modify it as needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T11:10:46.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25194" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25146" CreationDate="2016-05-31T11:23:06.537" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Asparagus gets real fern-like later in the summer. &lt;a href=&quot;https://bonnieplants.com/growing/growing-asparagus/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Various pictures here&lt;/a&gt;. Female plants also produce red berries, see site I gave.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T11:23:06.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25195" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25134" CreationDate="2016-05-31T11:27:18.397" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check the price of tulle at the fabric store, maybe get a clearance color in bright pink or something. :) My friend uses that and it works great for keeping away insects and birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We made a hoop tunnel over each of my friend's raised beds out of PVC, then bought special clamps to clamp tulle over every tunnel. &lt;a href=&quot;http://smile.amazon.com/White-Snap-Clamp-Inch-Inches/dp/B00AIE89CY/ref=sr_1_2?s=lawn-garden&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1464694009&amp;amp;sr=1-2&amp;amp;keywords=pvc+clamp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Clamps come in various sizes&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spinning flashy pie pans or CDs also work well in most cases. My grandparents swore by them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If English Sparrows are a problem they are considered an invasive species in the US and you might have to trap and kill them. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=English+sparrow+trap&amp;amp;ie=utf-8&amp;amp;oe=utf-8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;A Google search for English Sparrow trap&lt;/a&gt;. AKA &quot;house sparrow&quot;. English sparrows are a big killer of US native song birds, they kill for no reason at all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/managing-house-sparrows-and-european-starlings/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Managing house sparrows&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T11:27:18.397" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25196" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25184" CreationDate="2016-05-31T11:31:38.537" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Virginia creeper. I have this in my backyard. And I had to learn the difference between this and poison ivy as young VC vines have only 3 leaves at the growing end.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T11:31:38.537" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20567" CreationDate="2016-05-31T11:37:34.050" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ediblewildfood.com/sheep-sorrel.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sheep sorrel&lt;/a&gt;. My yard is a small lot shaded by some trees and other buildings and this grows fine in mostly shady areas. But most food plants need some sun during the day. &#xA;It has a tart lemony flavor and is literally a weed, so is easy to grow &lt;em&gt;given reasonably good conditions&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Frankly I'd get a grow light, or some other type of bright light (like for Seasonal Affective Disorder) on a timer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T11:37:34.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25198" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25183" CreationDate="2016-05-31T11:44:35.757" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it appears to be Lunaria, common name Honesty or Moneyplant, (the latter name coming about because of the coinlike silver seedcases) most likely Lunaria annua, which is naturalized in your region, and does come in white and this deep purplish pink, and lighter pink. However, the leaves up the flowering stem are a little longer and narrower than those we see here in the UK, where this plant is indigenous, which gives me a little doubt. Images below of various colours and of the seedcases&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/honesty-lunaria-annua-brassicaceae.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/honesty-lunaria-annua-brassicaceae.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And you may be interested in the following&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.landscapeofus.com/garden/lunaria-annua-perennials/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.landscapeofus.com/garden/lunaria-annua-perennials/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are cultivars available for purchase of this plant, and the flowers on those may be more prolific, and in stronger colours, but always in the white through pink to purple range.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I've seen the other answer, mine's wrong, that one's (Hesperis matronalis) is right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-01T12:13:18.553" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T12:13:18.553" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25199" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-31T11:59:29.073" Score="5" ViewCount="1697" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a Victoria Plum tree 3 years ago, but haven't had any fruit yet. It had quite a bit of blossoms last year, but no fruit, and very few blossoms this year. Any advice please.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14874" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-31T19:48:15.663" LastActivityDate="2020-06-03T16:13:39.663" Title="Why isn't my Victoria Plum tree fruiting?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25200" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25206" CreationDate="2016-05-31T12:02:14.800" Score="2" ViewCount="1176" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are installing a platform/dock on a newly built freshwater pond. The property has a great amount of red cedar available for our use. How long could we expect red cedar posts to last if used as pilings? How much longer would black locust last?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T13:25:56.783" Title="Are red cedar posts a viable option for freshwater dock pilings?" Tags="&lt;pond&gt;&lt;cedar&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25201" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-31T12:50:01.663" Score="3" ViewCount="6086" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two weeks ago I laid down new sod on the lawn. I'm watering it really well, and it is greening up. So far no issues with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, is it too early to weed and feed it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Note: It is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.american-lawns.com/grasses/centipede.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;centipede grass&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10966" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-31T19:35:42.143" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T19:35:42.143" Title="When can you weed and feed new sod?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25199" CreationDate="2016-05-31T13:04:25.827" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Three years is very young for a plum tree. I know many nurseries will tell you that their plants will begin to bear fruit in 3-5 years, but in my experience, 6-7 is more likely. It is also not uncommon for an immature tree to flower for a year or two but set no fruit. I'm afraid the only thing you can do with a young fruit tree is wait.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While I'm quite certain that age is the major factor for you, a cold spring can also prevent a flowering tree from setting fruit. The blossoms can be damaged by frost, or can simply go unpollinated if it is too cold for pollinators to fly at the critical time when the tree is in flower. Again, there is very little you can do when this happens, but you could try covering the tree at night if there is a frost when it is in bloom (depending on the size, of course)  and hand pollinating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T13:04:25.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25186" CreationDate="2016-05-31T13:13:06.913" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosta#Toxicity&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia info&lt;/a&gt;, all hostas are edible. But do not trust me or Wikipedia blindly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, I would not eat it too much and too often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-05-03T08:59:28.947" LastActivityDate="2018-05-03T08:59:28.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="25204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25183" CreationDate="2016-05-31T13:17:30.503" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Actually, I think this is Dame's Rocket, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesperis_matronalis&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hesperis matronalis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It has a four-petaled flower that is white or lilac and fragrant, blooms May-June in most places, 1-3 feet tall, with oblong, toothed leaves that alternate up the stem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is an escaped ornamental garden plant and is listed as a noxious weed in most (if not all) of the US. It reseeds very easily, and spreads this way. I know in our area it is hard to get rid of, because people love it and are hesitant to pull it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-05-31T16:21:43.270" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T16:21:43.270" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25201" CreationDate="2016-05-31T13:22:33.203" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Weed and feed products are best not used in centipede grass, so you should only use a lawn fertilizer which isn't too high in nitrogen, more info on centipede grass and fertiliser here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.todayshomeowner.com/when-and-how-to-fertilize-centipede-grass/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.todayshomeowner.com/when-and-how-to-fertilize-centipede-grass/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given its only been laid for two weeks its probably too soon to apply fertilizer, it takes around 4 to 6 weeks for sods to root into the soil beneath, but centipede grass is best fed after green up in spring but before temperatures reach 85 degF - whether there'll be time to wait another two weeks or so before that happens rather depends on where you live. You could try gently lifting one of the sods to see whether its rooted in, but don't tug too hard and test one in the midst of the area, not at the outer edges. The outer edges are usually the last to root in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information here from Scotts - if they're anything like Scotts in the UK, they have an information and advice line (because they assume you're using their products) so that might be worth trying&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotts.com/smg/goART3/Howto/how-to-plant-centipede-grass/33800019&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.scotts.com/smg/goART3/Howto/how-to-plant-centipede-grass/33800019&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T13:22:33.203" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25200" CreationDate="2016-05-31T13:25:56.783" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't tell you exactly, but they don't last as long as you'd want them to. We use eastern read cedar as horse fence posts through the woods, occasionally. I've had them go down in as little as 8 years. Others last longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having recently had to repair a dock, it's worth it, due the large amount of physical effort it will require to install the posts, to use quality posts. Not to mention the hassle, if they begin to rot, of removing them. You'll be much better off using a treated post. If you can find them, creosote telephone poles would probably be ideal in price vs quality. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are only two issues with them. One is that I believe they've outlawed creosote wood. I don't know if that's just in my state or nationwide, but I know you can't find it around here any more because they just don't do it. I don't know if it was toxic or what, but even with railroad ties, I believe they're going to compressed recycled plastic ties. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other issue is that the telephone company might not allow you to buy them, even if they have them. They used to let you buy old telephone posts as they replaced them and my grandfather built many fences, barns, and even the posts for our pier out of them. Some of them have been in the water for 50+ years and are still solid. However, they decided to quite selling them to the public in the last few years around here, because they decided that people were using them to build structures and they didn't want the liability of someone building say, a barn, with their posts when they couldn't guarantee there structural soundness, and have the barn fall in. So they just stopped selling them to the public.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can't find them, I would go with a treated post of some sort. If it's a small dock on a pond, you might get away with treated 6&quot;x6&quot; posts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also suggest you look on youtube.com for one of several videos where people make homemade pile drivers. I saw one guy from Australia who imbedded a chain in a 5 gal. bucket he filled pure Portland cememnt. He imbedded a piece of .25&quot; metal on the hammer side for some extra support. He then made a block and tackle rig with 2&quot;x4&quot; that he would attach to the post to be driven. Helpers in the water would use guy lines to keep it straight and others would lift and drop the &quot;hammer&quot;. He drove a large post with considerably less effort than I was able to drive my much smaller posts in. I think it would be worth it in the future for me to make one of these. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T13:25:56.783" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25207" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-31T13:30:13.470" Score="4" ViewCount="152" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bunch of Roma tomato plants. Initially they were growing really well. I water them quite a bit, and every few weeks I add some organic &quot;food&quot; to them (I think it's just dried compost).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But in the past couple weeks they seem like their growth has tapered off and almost seem wilty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the fruit has rotted at the bottom oddly enough. It is growing tomatoes, some even large (for Roma tomatoes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts from the picture?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sQHlo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sQHlo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10966" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-05-31T19:28:14.457" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T19:28:14.457" Title="What could be happening to my tomato plants?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25134" CreationDate="2016-05-31T13:32:06.220" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never tried it myself, but they say you can paint strawberry sized rocks read and set them near the strawberry plants, the birds come in to try and eat them and find out they're no good. Then they avoid them for the rest of the season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would try this with the blueberries. Before they're ripe, hang some blue beads or something they wouldn't like in the bushes. That might help keep them at bay. But like another poster suggest, having an alternative bush nearby that has fruit you don't want seems like a good idea as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is one of the painted strawberries:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JepbL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JepbL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, something that may or may not work is called a scarecrow. It's a motion activated sprinkler. It's a better deterant for something like dogs, cats, deer, but it might work. When it senses movement it sets off a sprinkler blast to startle them. You're plants get watered at the same time. You probably wouldn't have to paint anything though, just go to a craft store and get some blue beads and tie them up with fishing line. You just have to let the birds think they're getting something and realize that those bushes' berries are &quot;bad&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000071NUS&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Scarecrows Sprinkler&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="9731" LastEditDate="2016-05-31T18:01:17.223" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T18:01:17.223" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25209" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25207" CreationDate="2016-05-31T14:28:46.767" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, you should always know what you're using to fertilize your plants and why you're doing it. Anything sold as plant food/fertilizer is required to have a guaranteed analysis (3 numbers x-y-z) at least in the US. What exactly are you putting around your plants and how much? Looks like a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the leaves in the picture are curling up. This is an indication that you may be watering too much. Over-watering is a common problem with tomatoes. Wilting leaves get limp and fall down not up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rotting bottom of the fruit is called blossom end rot. It could be from inconsistent watering, too much fertilizer, insufficient calcium in the soil, unsuitable pH, high levels of ammoniacal nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This page on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/hot_topics/2009/08blossom_end_rot.html&quot;&gt;blossom end rot&lt;/a&gt; from Clemson's Cooperative Extension Office has a lot of useful information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water the plants only when they need it but water them deeply. The top of the soil should be dry. If you stick your finger about 1-2&quot; in the soil and it's still feels moist then you don't need to water. Or you can wait until the plant seems like it's starting to wilt a little. The plant quickly recovers from a bit of wilting. Too much water is usually harder to recover from and too much water can have a negative result on the taste of the fruit, making it less sweet or diluting the flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest you get a soil test to check your pH and nutrient levels in your soil, if not for this year, for next year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-05-31T14:41:32.377" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T14:41:32.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25210" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25199" CreationDate="2016-05-31T14:35:43.730" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a plum tree (not a Victoria but a similar variety).  After about 4 years in the ground (I planted it as a 2/3-year-old fan) I had a single plum.  The next year I had several kilogrammes.  Since then nothing for about 5 years -- not even blossom -- until this year, when I got loads of blossom and the fruit are starting to grow.  My pruning has been rather haphazard (space constraints are important).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's very easy to get unlucky with the weather with plums.  I wasn't paying attention at first, but I'm sure in some years the buds have been killed by frost.  A late frost after a warm spell could be the issue, which we just avoided this year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another factor to watch out for is birds eating the buds.  We didn't get any bullfinches in our garden this winter/spring, and we often do.  They eat buds, as do parakeets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plums aren't &lt;em&gt;too&lt;/em&gt; fussy about soil so long as it's not flooded or parched.  If it's unhappy you're more likely to get a poor crop or fruit that don't ripen, and the leaves should give you a sign as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T14:35:43.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25211" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25134" CreationDate="2016-05-31T14:40:50.310" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our blueberries are in pots (the soil pH is too high otherwise).  With the pots at the far end of the garden near the hedge, losses were unacceptable despite a cat.  Now I've moved the pots and they're against the house wall, the birds take very little.  We do occasionally see blue tits, robins and even wrens in the bushes in the breeding season (which overlaps with the fruiting season), but they're all more likely to be going for insects at that time of year.  We tend to have food out for the birds all year round, well away from the house and therefore the blueberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T14:40:50.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25212" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25121" CreationDate="2016-05-31T15:04:41.650" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of suggestions to consider. One thing to think about is that 320mm. That's not as wide as it seems. Some of those plants, such as the tomatoes and peppers can get large. I suppose you can keep them pruned back, but they'll probably still touch the sides of the container and there can be a significant difference in temp between the interior and right up against the outer walls. I think you could easily grow herbs in this size container, but you might need to make it larger for some of the plants you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think it really matters what material you build it out of, because you should coat it in some kind of sealant. I don't know if you have similar approximations over there, but I'd seal the frame and back with something like pond sealant or a garage floor finish. It'll make it last much longer as well as giving you a darker color to help absorb heat. To help combat temp loss, I'd suggest having all the walls insulated. You can do this with high density foam in the rear wall and the side walls if they aren't going to be clear to let light in. You could also just stuff it with newspaper and get some decent insulation value.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would probably build it out of 2&quot;x2&quot; (50mm x 50mm), which is just about perfect for adding the HDF and putting panels on either side. Our local supply store even sells the textured plastic 4'x8' (1.2m x 2.4m) sheets of textured plastic. Typically you see it used as the lower walls in fast food restaurants, because it's easy to clean. You could use this inside the green house to so it doesn't matter if it gets wet or not. I would use the double walled poly carbonate where you want light to come through. It adds extra insulation value.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on an idea another user suggested, I do have a modification that might help. They suggested using PVC to build the frame. This isn't a bad idea. The only issue is that it can degrade and become brittle in sunlight, but a coat of paint will help with that. My idea was to paint the frame black and fill it with sand. The black pipe will absorb more heat and hopefully transfer it to the sand as a heat sink through the night. I've never attempted that, but it popped into my head and seemed like a good idea, worth trying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other alternatives to help heat a greenhouse like this without power are to make a solar heater. You can look up instructions on youtube.com, but basically you build a shallow box with a clear front. You stack soda cans you painted black and punched holes in the bottom of, in rows. The theory is that the light comes through the glass and heats the cans, that heats the air in the cans, and you can rig a computer fan and thermostat to pull that air through into the greenhouse when the temp drops. You will be able to easily overheat this greenhouse as well, so be careful. You'd be surprised how hot one can get even on a really cold day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another alternative that is relatively cheap is a clay pot and saucer with a tea candle. Again, I've never used it, but I understand it can put out a significant amount of heat. People set the saucer down and light a tea candle on it. Then they put the pot upside down over it. The candle heats the pot and the pot radiates the heat. You could put more candles in one or find some way to rig it to light a new candle when the old one burns out. I'm sure you could devise a way to have one candle light the next as it burns low. I hear they're super cheap and you can use them to heat a small greenhouse through the winter. Enough to keep vegetables from dying. Probably wouldn't work for orchids or anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, you need to consider air flow. Your plants will mildew and rot without air flow. You should install a couple of small computer or desktop fans and wire them to a solar panel. We can get small ones here, fairly cheaply, from discount tool stores like Harbor Freight. They would probably power a couple of these fans and you can have them orientated to circulate the air. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck and I hope this gave you a few ideas. Sorry about what's probably a horrible metric conversion on my part. :))&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T15:04:41.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25213" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4134" CreationDate="2016-05-31T15:35:40.077" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I also have the same problem with my cucumber plants wilting. My plants were really happy indoor until I decided to suddenly move them out. The leaves are really weak like you said. I also think it might be because of the heat and because of overwatering as I too have had the same problem but after cutting down on the water and placing them in a shadier and hotter spot they seem to be recovering&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14875" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T15:35:40.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25214" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25186" CreationDate="2016-05-31T16:34:54.603" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seems they are - they belong to the Asparagacaea family, and are apparently eaten frequently in Japan and other countries. As with many food plants, the young leaves are best - older leaves can become tough, stringy and bitter. Some varieties are used more commonly than others as vegetables, H. seiboldii and H.montana, but they can all be eaten. They'll behave like a cut and come again crop, producing more leaves to replace those you've cropped. More info here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rawedibleplants.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/hosta-species.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://rawedibleplants.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/hosta-species.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://scottishforestgarden.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/hostas/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://scottishforestgarden.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/hostas/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T16:34:54.603" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25215" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33797" CreationDate="2016-05-31T17:14:18.560" Score="6" ViewCount="785" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think I over fertilized my raised vegetable garden. A few days after I fertilized, the leaves are starting to go limp and point downwards. Is this what it looks like? And if so, is there any recovering from this? How can I help my garden get better? &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FYKmX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FYKmX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TkuPM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TkuPM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14876" LastEditorUserId="14876" LastEditDate="2016-05-31T17:56:59.000" LastActivityDate="2017-07-09T21:18:30.670" Title="Did I over fertilize my vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25028" CreationDate="2016-05-31T17:41:40.233" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a propane weed torch that I use to burn the weeds in cement cracks.  I got mine from a gardening supply store, but they are on Amazon.  I can't use it near the house or the porch screen (plastic screen), but it works pretty good on driveways and cracks.  You may have to revisit the weed area about every month or so.  Just be sure to inspect all of the fittings for leaks when you attach it to a propane tank and every time before use.  The one I have is a little cumbersome to carry around and I wish the hose was a little longer, but you could put it in a wheel barrow or wagon and move it around the yard.  I cannot open the propane valve all the way.  If I do open the tank valve all the way and try to use the squeeze valve on the handle the pressure will sometimes put out the flame.  It may just be the one I purchased.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've only had it for about 2 years but it works.  It just isn't fun to do in the middle of the day in the heat and humidity.  The burnt weed/plant may discolor the tile/bricks black.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14587" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T17:41:40.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24676" CreationDate="2016-05-31T19:12:12.533" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't seen this discussed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I recently pulled my sunchokes out and was quite surprised at how small the root ball was, and how big the tubers were.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pipes get damaged by invasive roots and these didn't look like those at all. And of course the pipes need to be damaged so that roots can enter. So I'd not worry about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before roasting in solar oven&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/f8wvbgF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Oiled and flavored sunchokes before baking&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T19:12:12.533" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25218" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24419" CreationDate="2016-05-31T19:17:50.903" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many of mine looked like that. Though some were a lot smaller, and I suspect these tiny ones are the ones you miss that let the patch grow again. On the other hand I did a second look a few days after removing all the sunchokes I could find, and still found several large ones!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it must be common.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T19:17:50.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25219" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25221" CreationDate="2016-05-31T19:48:24.637" Score="4" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've noticed that some of my chives are twice as wide as other chives of the same type, and was wondering why some are wider than others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T19:40:10.590" Title="What makes some chives twice as wide as other chives of the same type?" Tags="&lt;chives&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25220" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-31T20:11:11.150" Score="3" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the technical (latin and common) name for the perfumed roses used to make Indian rose drinks? Is there one type our several ? I would like to get a few and plant them in my garden. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14878" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T20:44:06.093" Title="Indian rose drink rose name" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25221" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25219" CreationDate="2016-05-31T20:29:18.260" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the reason that you should grow from local open pollinated seeds in that you grow the plants that are best suited for your local environment.  Seeds purchased in packets might have been grown in a distant part of the country where conditions are far different.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, when some seeds of purportedly the same variety grow differently, it's likely they have had environmental selection applied to them, and the ones that grow better came from a location that is similar to your own.  And this is the reason you save the seeds from the best plants so that you keep getting the best plants for your region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T20:29:18.260" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25222" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-31T20:42:10.600" Score="5" ViewCount="1968" Body="&lt;p&gt;after placing plastic bag over grass to kill it, can I leave bags down, put compost on top, then plant flowers or seeds in the compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14879" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T12:59:34.850" Title="Killing thick grass in flower bed by layering with plastic bags" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25220" CreationDate="2016-05-31T20:44:06.093" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/rose+essence&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt; says rose essence can be used for the drink.  Rose essence is made from &quot;centifolia, damascena and gallic (rose variants)&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, this leads to  Rosa × centifolia,Rosa × damascena, and Rosa gallica&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T20:44:06.093" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25222" CreationDate="2016-05-31T20:57:40.610" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could, but it would eventually become kind of a mess. The plastic bags will break apart over time, and the compost will break down, so in a few years time you'll likely have shredded plastic bag sticking up through the soil. It isn't a look most people are going for. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want something that will kill the grass and that you can keep in place, I'd suggest going with a thick layer of newspaper or cardboard. You can then cover it with compost and/or mulch and plant the bed. By the time the cardboard/newspaper breaks down, the grass underneath should be dead. I've done this in multiple beds and it works great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-01T03:44:11.927" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T03:44:11.927" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25225" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25227" CreationDate="2016-05-31T22:48:57.027" Score="8" ViewCount="684" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted some cucumbers (forgot what species) and they have all sprouted, however, I have noticed that one still has the seed shell/case thing (not sure how to describe it). I am not planning on doing anything to it but it got me wondering, would taking it off actually do anything? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14882" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-01T00:04:17.867" LastActivityDate="2018-05-13T00:46:25.670" Title="Should I take seed casings off newly sprouted cucumber seedlings?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25226" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-05-31T23:30:45.943" Score="3" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a home recently (southeast US) and the previous owners were neglectful of their back yard. It is pretty much a variety pack of weeds: buffalo weeds, dandelions, wild strawberries, etc. There are a couple of types of ivy taken over several spots as well. I guess a couple batches of failed grass growing attempts also appear in small parts. Now that summer has rolled in, I can see that much of the back yard stays very shady throughout the day, while some spots are medium-level sunny. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like a grass lawn (which the neighbors have seemed to achieve), but I am very inexperienced. Should I buy an herbicide and kill off everything, and then throw down some grass seed? Is that the right move? Will herbicide harm my peach tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking for general recommendations and maybe some specific product suggestions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14883" LastActivityDate="2016-05-31T23:30:45.943" Title="New homeowner with weeds instead of grass" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25227" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25225" CreationDate="2016-06-01T01:30:56.963" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some people call it a hammerhead. Some will tell you to just leave it and it will come off on it's own and if you try to remove it you risk damaging the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, if the seed shell is still attached to both cotyledons (the first seed leaves) then it usually doesn't come off on its own. In some cases the cotyledons will grow out anyway but still stay pinched together and growth will be stunted. In other cases so much of the leaves are covered the plant won't grow any more. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can remove the seed then the plant will grow normally. You can try to remove it but there's a chance you can accidentally rip of one or both cotyledons or damage the plant in some other way but if you remove it the plant will grow better. At least that's been my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I do is spray water on the seed and let it soak in about a minute or so. Then I try to pinch the sides of the seed to open it up like you might do with a sunflower seed. Then slowly see if it will pull off gently. If not I might wait and try again the next day. Most of the time I get it off without incident. Cucumber seeds are pretty big so easy to handle but try to get it off before the cotelydons get too big.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-06-01T14:00:32.693" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T14:00:32.693" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25228" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25225" CreationDate="2016-06-01T01:32:12.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just leave them alone. Nature has had millions of years to deal with them. I've seen the same on my spring onions, left them, and they eventually fall off. If they don't, and the plant suffers, well, that's evolution. And that plant won't be propagating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T01:32:12.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25229" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25241" CreationDate="2016-06-01T01:38:51.900" Score="2" ViewCount="5784" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this Mountain Magic plant 3 days ago. The woman at the garden store told me to wait about a week to let the ground warm up before planting. So I gave it still in the pot near where it will eventually be planted. It looked fine 3 days ago but now the branches are all limp and the leaves are curling.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/shy6J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/shy6J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11754" LastEditorUserId="44" LastEditDate="2016-06-01T02:52:18.213" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T07:52:18.627" Title="Why are my young tomato plant's leaves drooping and curling inward?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25230" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-01T01:54:38.340" Score="3" ViewCount="759" Body="&lt;p&gt;So the Miracle Gro All purpose fertilizer says to use a gallon for every ten square feet and gives me the dilution rate.  I get that.  However, a gallon of water isn't enough to fully water ten square feet of soil.  Do I a) keep mixing up new gallons to finish watering, or do I b) top it off with just plain water?  A seems like it would add too much fertilizer and B seems like it would overly dilute it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14884" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T19:36:21.803" Title="How to use Miracle Gro fertilizer?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25231" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19630" CreationDate="2016-06-01T02:22:55.093" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try Loquat. Large dark shiny leaves, fast growth, and the citrus fruits are small, tart, orange-melon type flavor and they don't keep well so you need to get them fresh off the tree. I have one in Austin TX (no idea about your climate) and it is quite vigorous. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13992" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T02:22:55.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25232" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-01T02:34:49.710" Score="5" ViewCount="790" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some large hardy geraniums in my yard. At their best, they are about 2 feet tall and look beautiful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DOFh2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DOFh2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, after a storm, they flatten out and do not look nice:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bSKYi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bSKYi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We get heavy storms frequently this time of year, so the flattening happens every year. The plants do not bounce back; once they are on the ground, they stay there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any way to prevent my geraniums from flattening in the event of a storm? And if not, are there any tricks for making them look appealing again? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T23:29:46.657" Title="Is there a way to keep hardy geraniums upright?" Tags="&lt;rain&gt;&lt;geraniums&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25233" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24319" CreationDate="2016-06-01T02:37:03.260" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree that it looks like an Aloe of some sort. The whitish spotting on the leaves is a good indicator. Does resemble some ice plants though, if it blooms with outer-space looking daisys an inch wide its that. One thing about ANY succulent type plant though is that the root structures are going to want to breathe. Most succulents respirate through their roots and so even if you have just given one its thourough soaking (after having the soil dry out completely) the growing medium is going to want enough gravel, grit, sand, bark-whatever so that the roots will continue to get air at all times. Full sun for sure as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13992" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T02:37:03.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20093" CreationDate="2016-06-01T02:53:56.283" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably too much water, they rot. Also not everything with 'fat' leaves is going to propigate from fallen or harvested leaves. If it pops right off the stem you are probably good, if you have to get out pruning shears and cut it off not so much. Its recommended that you leave the succulent leaves that you harvest laying about drying in the sun for a week+ or so before transferring them to a very grainy, gravely, non-water retaining medium. Most will tell you when they want to move to pots by sprouting roots. don't stick them down into the mix like seeds or cuttings, instead you essentially just toss them right side up in the pot and maybe tap the low end in a bit and sprinkle a tiny bit of the gravel-grit around it. Water it thouroughly but only once the roots get into the mix, then let the pot dry out completely before watering again. A lot of succulents do not need total searing all-day sun either, they will do fine as long as they get some direct sun in a day. Ironically, too much care and attention (like what a 'normal' plant would want to root a cutting) will kill these suckers fast. good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13992" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T02:53:56.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25235" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25248" CreationDate="2016-06-01T03:09:14.087" Score="12" ViewCount="8783" Body="&lt;p&gt;When trying to identify or describe plants, it's helpful to be able to give specific details about the leaves. I know some of the basic shapes, but would like to learn what to call the different parts. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm hoping for a comprehensive description of each feature, including common and botanical terminology. Illustrations or links to pictures would be great too!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-16T23:21:13.007" LastActivityDate="2017-12-01T10:15:13.357" Title="What are the names of the parts of leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25236" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25238" CreationDate="2016-06-01T03:33:47.893" Score="7" ViewCount="5084" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the secondary branches on my apple tree broke just where it joins the main branch:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PEXIq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PEXIq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The branch is now hanging by just a little strip of wood and bark:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click any photo for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G4KAn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G4KAnm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gPJv5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gPJv5m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xf0Ih.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xf0Ihm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand that the wound can't be repaired and that I should remove the broken branch. If possible, I want to do that in a way that preserves the rest of the main branch (it's the biggest one on the tree, and will be even with this part missing).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Exactly where should I cut the broken branch? At the wound site or a little further down the branch?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do I treat the wound on the main branch to prevent diseases or infections from getting a foothold?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T16:38:22.427" Title="How do I treat a wound where a branch broke off my apple tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25237" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25067" CreationDate="2016-06-01T03:43:29.403" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The hotel has responded. The tree is the New Zealand Christmas Tree, scientific name &lt;em&gt;Metrosideros Excelsa&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently, the tree was popular in 1980s San Francisco, but residents have since discovered that its roots are particularly problematic because they destroy underground infrastructure lines. - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/us/27bcjames.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;New York Times&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14821" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T03:43:29.403" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25236" CreationDate="2016-06-01T04:48:22.367" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the end you want the wound to approximately follow the plane of where the branch split from the tree. You don't want to have a split or a shelf that would collect water as it will lead to rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would begin by cutting upward with a saw to finish severing the branch. Let us say the broken branch and tree trunk form an inverted 'V' - cut upward through the apex of the 'V'. Take the branch away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the branch out of the way, I often find it easier to cut upward again from below any split, attempting to remove any split wood, cutting a surface that intersects the top of the split (shown in the photos). You will have to analyze your situation and apply your saw appropriately to remove the split wood on the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you've fashioned this into a surface that won't retain water (the rough split surface shown is fine as is), leave it be. &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;DO NOT PAINT ANYTHING ON IT&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. Trees compartmentalize damage and as far as this wound is concerned, your tree will be just fine. Sealers either have no effect or encase pathogens that would otherwise have not affected the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-09T16:38:22.427" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T16:38:22.427" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25240" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25230" CreationDate="2016-06-01T07:48:23.410" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would just dilute more. The plants have some needs some elements to build up their organs (usually some milligram or some grams of N, K, P, etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So ten square feet needs a quantity of fertilizers. You can dilute more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: usually it is best not to use less water, because too high concentration could be toxic, it could change acidity, or just make difficult to the plant to absorb it and distribute to other cells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much water could bring away good substance, especially on sandy or rocky grounds, but I don't think you will use so much water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional note: the fertilizer seems a &quot;all purpose&quot;, so possibly it is also over-fertilizing (but if you have a demanding ground), so I would have no problem on adding more water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T07:48:23.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25241" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25229" CreationDate="2016-06-01T07:52:18.627" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would plant the tomato. It seems a big plant (a lot of leaves) for a small vase. Probably it needs more water and fertilizers. But it will recover. On worse case, you will have a delay of a week in harvesting tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T07:52:18.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25242" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-01T08:02:44.000" Score="2" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm studying the nutrient uptake by plants in hydroponics. I found that in many literatures, the uptake rate was expressed as xx (mg m&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt; hour&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;). Does anyone know what does that per square meter mean? Is it per leaf area or per root area? You can find similar expression in this paper &lt;a href=&quot;http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11104-004-3093-z#/page-1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt;, in Table 1., the uptake was expressed as xx mol m&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt; s&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14888" LastEditorUserId="14888" LastEditDate="2016-06-02T07:46:13.027" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T07:46:13.027" Title="Units of nutrient uptake rate in hydroponics?" Tags="&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25028" CreationDate="2016-06-01T08:28:07.647" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on how much time you want to sacrifice, you can also plant something in the cracks which will shade the weeds and make garden look nicer, here are some examples:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jul/26/gardens-plants-cracks-paths&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jul/26/gardens-plants-cracks-paths&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T08:28:07.647" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25245" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25190" CreationDate="2016-06-01T08:42:15.057" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any chance slugs ate them ? What you can try is plant some of the seeds you got in for example clumps of 4 in the module trays and then transplant outside when they are big enough this is the safest bet to avoid slugs and you will confirm at the same time if problem is not with the seeds you bought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T08:42:15.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25246" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-01T11:16:14.040" Score="8" ViewCount="3921" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a plum tree that is around six years old (possibly a year or two older - I forget exactly when I got it). I'm very keen that the tree not get so big that I have to use a ladder to pick the fruit, so I've been pruning it to keep it around two metres high. This is what it currently looks like (the tree isn't leaning, that's my bad camera work :-):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rXQOF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rXQOF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The instructions I got from the friend who gave it to me were to thin out the centre and remove overlapping branches so the shape is sort of like an inverted cone. This I've been doing and I'm basically pleased with the shape so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is that I get very few flowers and plums. I know it's quite a young tree but I was expecting a bit more fruit by now. I wonder if it's my pruning that's to blame. The trouble is that to keep the tree size down I have to remove most of the new growth each year, and some Googling suggests it's on last years new growth that the plums appear. If this is true I'm sabotaging the tree's attempts to fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd be grateful for any comments on how to encourage the fruiting and/or advice on looking after the tree and how to keep it at a manageable size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14891" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-01T13:56:01.263" LastActivityDate="2021-05-29T10:08:04.073" Title="Does pruning a plum tree to maintain its size and shape prevent it from fruiting?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25247" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25235" CreationDate="2016-06-01T13:05:08.237" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this question is too generic, so I'll give you a generic answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;check &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf&lt;/a&gt; : it is very precise on terminology.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T13:05:08.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25248" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25235" CreationDate="2016-06-01T16:11:41.807" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TgGLX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TgGLX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf layers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nEnYI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nEnYI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;diagram&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o4ED7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o4ED7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/97t4w.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/97t4w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vxq3e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vxq3e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this is what you were looking for. These pictures are all from the site of the Colorado Master Gardener Program.   (There's much more extensive information there than I can copy here.) They have more diagrams, and the explanation are very good. You can also print them out:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cmg.colostate.edu/GardenNotesUpdate.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.cmg.colostate.edu/GardenNotesUpdate.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one gives definitions using examples of different leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.robinsonlibrary.com/science/botany/anatomy/leafparts.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.robinsonlibrary.com/science/botany/anatomy/leafparts.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one is cute. You can test yourself after each section to see if you really get it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botanical-online.com/lahojaangles.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.botanical-online.com/lahojaangles.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-01T10:15:13.357" LastActivityDate="2017-12-01T10:15:13.357" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25246" CreationDate="2016-06-01T18:28:21.250" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Knowing nothing about your particular plum variety, or growing conditions, I will simply report that I have had 5 Japanese plums of 3 varieties for 21 years. For 20 years the harvest was 0, 1, or 2 plums (for all 5 trees) more or less. The deer and chipmunks got a few more, some split, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year, there were 50+ pounds harvestable. This was not a gradual increase. I have no idea what I'll get this year, if anything. The weather at flowering time was a bit dubious.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While a variety of factors go into this including weather in the current and prior years, this appears to strongly support the advice that &quot;&lt;em&gt;the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, and the second-best time is now&lt;/em&gt;&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While I hope it does not take 14 more years for yours to take off, it might. I'll also take a moment to inquire about pollination sources (even &quot;self-fertile&quot; trees often do better with other varieties) and pollinators (support your native and/or feral bees, give them habitat, forage, etc.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are trying to stick to 2 meters, you might want to consider putting up a sturdy wire fence and espaliering. Or you could let it grow a &lt;em&gt;bit&lt;/em&gt; taller and learn to use a can on a stick (or a pole picker, if you prefer store-bought tools) to pick with, which you can do from the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-06-01T18:39:43.033" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T18:39:43.033" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25250" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25232" CreationDate="2016-06-01T18:28:52.107" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wonder if this &quot;Flexible Tie&quot; would work for you. It's really useful! Very bendable, and has a really soft rubber coating that doesn't cut into plant stems. It's almost like a stronger, longer version of a twist tie, and you can re- bend it quite a bit without the inner wire breaking. You could use something a little more rigid for low stakes, and then loosely loop this stuff around in the middle of the plants to offer support where the green color will blend in, without it being unsightly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's available near me at The Dollar Store, in VA, USA. It's really inexpensive, and there is a lot on the roll to experiment with. I don't know where you live, so you might have to look online to find a place that sells it near you. &#xA;(And, if it doesn't work for your geraniums, it would still be useful to tie up other plants, shrubs and trees.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WVfxh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WVfxh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flexible tie&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="14745" LastEditDate="2016-06-01T20:34:05.260" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T20:34:05.260" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25232" CreationDate="2016-06-01T19:09:31.343" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I only do this for peonies, but I don't see why it wouldn't work for geraniums.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stake around the plot (whatever sort of &quot;garden stake&quot; you typically use should be fine.) Tie string around the perimeter, and for large clumps, criss-cross through the middle as well. For taller plants, it is sometimes helpful to run two or more levels of strings. The strings can be placed and the plants allowed to grow up through them, or you can work the strings through the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The garden-industrial-complex also offers steel grids for the purpose. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T19:09:31.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25230" CreationDate="2016-06-01T19:36:21.803" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;While I have chosen to avoid the stuff for years [and we'll leave the differing opinions at that], your problem is easily sorted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are confusing &quot;the application of fertilizer&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;with &quot;irrigation&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are not the same process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water adequately, or &lt;em&gt;just&lt;/em&gt; under adequately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then &quot;apply fertilizer&quot; by spreading 1 gallon of mix across 10 square feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you &quot;overdilute&quot; or &quot;fertilize and then water (if your plants need serious irrigation)&quot; you may wash your soluble fertilizer right out of the root zone before it does any &quot;good.&quot; &quot;watering in&quot; dry type fertilizers would again be a LIMITED application of water as part of the &quot;fertilize&quot; step.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T19:36:21.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25219" CreationDate="2016-06-01T19:40:10.590" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some are flower stalks, some are regular chive leaves. Chive flowers are edible - a bit harsh on their own, quite nice on sour cream or cream cheese on a cracker. The stalks are not very good eating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T19:40:10.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25254" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25232" CreationDate="2016-06-01T20:32:54.790" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this alternate solution that might be easier, less visible, and possibly more attractive. (That is, if your geraniums have not already grown too tall for this to be feasible this year. Of course, then it won't work.)   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the link: &quot;This rather poor photo shows how I support a hardy geranium (G. sanguineum) with a simple tunnel of bent wire mesh placed over the plant before growth start.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BO5P0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BO5P0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardenchitchat.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/003.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I offered another answer, and I liked Ecnerwal's answer, too. It's a different answer, and so I was not sure whether to just edit my other answer or post a new answer.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="14745" LastEditDate="2017-05-28T23:29:46.657" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T23:29:46.657" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25255" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25256" CreationDate="2016-06-01T22:33:20.927" Score="8" ViewCount="520" Body="&lt;p&gt;An out of state friend of mine has just moved to a new place in Knoxville TN, and her new gardener has offered to remove the following plants (pictured) claiming them to be both poison ivy and poison oak, and charging her accordingly for the hazard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm no expert in ivy, and only have the attached picture for reference, but I don't believe the ivy in question is noxious; mainly due to the old adage: &quot;leaves of three, beware of me&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are the pictured plants indeed trouble, or is it simply a well established harmless set of plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PzVn2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PzVn2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown Ivy&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1739" LastEditorUserId="1212" LastEditDate="2016-06-02T15:38:40.123" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T18:26:40.440" Title="Do I have poison ivy, poison oak, or some other noxious weed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;poison-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25255" CreationDate="2016-06-01T23:23:05.953" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in the UK, and we don't have poison ivy, oak nor sumach, so I've never actually seen them. However, the small leaved plant covering the ground in between the Hosta leaves and the one with palmate leaves appears to be Vinca minor, common name lesser periwinkle, usually has blue flowers in spring. The palmate leaved plant looks like Parthenocissus, or Virginia Creeper; there also seem to be what looks like random blades of grass. Images of Virginia Creeper and Vinca minor below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/vines/virginia-creeper/virginia-creeper-control.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/vines/virginia-creeper/virginia-creeper-control.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fire.sref.info/plants/vinca-minor/Vinca%20minor%20foliage.jpg/view&quot;&gt;http://www.fire.sref.info/plants/vinca-minor/Vinca%20minor%20foliage.jpg/view&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found the link below; according to that none of these plants is poison ivy nor poison oak, but as I said, never having seen the plants in real life, I'm reliant on internet info only, hopefully someone who's actually seen the poison plants and been able to identify them with 100% accuracy will confirm. It seems the gardener you've employed is either unable to recognise them, or is hoping to charge more for dealing with 'poison plants'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.teclabsinc.com/tips-info/images-video/images/poison-plant-identification/&quot;&gt;http://www.teclabsinc.com/tips-info/images-video/images/poison-plant-identification/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-02T12:05:24.323" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T12:05:24.323" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25257" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25258" CreationDate="2016-06-01T05:28:08.510" Score="2" ViewCount="6295" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not a big fan of mowing the lawn, and am planning to cover the current lawn with washed rock completely (also to prevent weed growth). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to prep anything beforehand? Or can I simply have to cut the grass, and leave the cut grass in the lawn as is, and then lay the washed rocks over them directly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14908" OwnerDisplayName="KubiK888" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T11:49:09.310" Title="How to replace lawn with rock garden" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25257" CreationDate="2016-06-01T09:36:44.673" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Simply putting down rock will not stop vegetation growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To attempt to eliminate all vegitation growth you need to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the sod and top soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spray the area with pre-emergent vegitation stopper to stop any seeds in the soil from germinating&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put down a layer of compacted sand to restore the height of the removed top soil minus the thickness of the stone&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put down heavy duty landscape fabric&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put down the washed stone.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even after all this you will probably have to spray certain spots with vegetation killer a couple times per year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grass, in all its varieties, is the single most successful plant on land. It will not be stopped easily or for long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20575" OwnerDisplayName="ArchonOSX" LastActivityDate="2016-06-01T09:36:44.673" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25259" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25257" CreationDate="2016-06-01T18:26:36.043" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did what you are planning to do about seven years ago.  I followed the ideas ArchonOSX lists but used pea stone gravel.  So the soil profile from bottom to top is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;compacted soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;heavy duty geotextile or landscape fabric&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;thin layer of stone dust&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;about 1/2 to 1 inch of pea stone&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Issues I have encountered:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pea stone does not deal well with slopes, larger size stone should stay put&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in the fall autumn leaves are not easy to rake.  If wet they do not blow easily.  I put the lawnmower on high, attached a bagger and &quot;mowed&quot; the pea stone. Neighbors laughed but it was quite effective&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;significant other did not understand the key principle which is &quot;Do not cut the fabric&quot;.  Anywhere I cut the fabric a weed sprouted within a year.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;after five to six years the amount of organic matter in the pea stone is enough for weeds to take root.  A hoe makes short work of them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I place a premium on the crisp no maintenance look so the 45 minutes a week I used to spend on lawn mowing is replaced by a few hours in spring and fall. Time well spent.  Like any weeding timing is everything. You have to get out and spend some time weeding in the spring before they get huge, not later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" OwnerDisplayName="kevinsky" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T01:25:43.317" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25260" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25264" CreationDate="2016-06-02T03:01:28.930" Score="3" ViewCount="131" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are expected to have 100+ degrees Fahrenheit for the next 3 days. My plants are already looking pretty wilted. They get 12 hours of sunlight, often dry and windy as well. I'm really worried I will lose some of the weaker plants during this heat, but I don't want to shade them if I will hurt them from growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have two tomato plants (beefeater, and cherry tomatos), a yellow bell pepper and red bell pepper, an eggplant and a jalapeno pepper. And two blueberry bushes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14876" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T18:32:37.820" Title="Do I need to shade my veggie garden during a heat wave?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;hot-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25263" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-02T08:22:03.603" Score="2" ViewCount="93" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted various varities of tomatoes a couple months ago and they're all dieing. Based in Baghdad (Iraq), weather is 35 deg c midday, 25 deg c at night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They were all healthy, started producing tomatoes. Now half the plants are dead, basically like they've dried up. I've tried to ID the problem but am unable to. I thought it might be tomato bacterial wilt but there's no oozing. Any help will be greatly appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fwz22.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fwz22.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WXEvm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WXEvm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14898" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T11:03:01.597" Title="Help Identify Tomato Problem" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25264" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25260" CreationDate="2016-06-02T10:10:17.293" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;For tomatoes: yes, they don't like very high temperature. On professional greenhouses, it is customary to shadows them on summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think aubergine could have similar problem, and heat could block the growth of the fruits, so when they have better temperature they could take strange forms, or not growth again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think peppers would have problems (but also no problem if you shadow them).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T10:10:17.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25263" CreationDate="2016-06-02T13:00:01.230" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There may be a viral involvement, but the obvious problems are periods of drought, extremes of temperature, possible sunscald, and the possibility that some creature has been 'grazing' the tomato fruits. The plant looks as if it's suffering from insufficient water, the fruits suggest infrequent and irregular water supplies (evidenced by the cracking and splits in the skin, caused by the fruit beginning to swell but the skin not keeping up). The patchy areas in the skin may be caused by something grazing, but the biggest problem does appear to be cultural.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its important that tomatoes are given frequent, &lt;strong&gt;sufficient&lt;/strong&gt; and regular water, particularly as the fruits start forming - irregular water supplies cause this typical cracking of the fruits. If the plant doesn't have sufficient foliage, or the foliage has withered or drooped, then the fruits are also more exposed to extremely hot sun, without the shading effect of leaves. Equally, extremes of temperature, particularly between day and night, can cause troubles - it may be useful to provide some shade for tomatoes where you are during the hottest part of the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info in the link below, but some of the problems mentioned are localized to USA, particularly those regarding insect troubles - generally, though, it may be helpful for future growing of tomato crops&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/visual-guides/tomato-fruit-problems.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/visual-guides/tomato-fruit-problems.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-05T11:03:01.597" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T11:03:01.597" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25266" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25260" CreationDate="2016-06-02T13:05:22.323" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Providing some shade during the hottest part of the day (usually roughly between 11-3 pm) if the sun is shining would be beneficial in such high temperatures, but sometimes, it's hot without sunshine, in which case, there's not much point in providing shade. If its dry and particularly windy as well, and the plants are already wilting, you certainly need to increase your watering,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T13:05:22.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25267" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25268" CreationDate="2016-06-02T13:15:51.370" Score="4" ViewCount="661" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been told that Diatomaceous earth will help with the many slugs that enjoy the buffet that is my garden, since the micro-fossils irritate their slimy bodies. But will it help with other insects and caterpillars, especially gypsy moths? I purchased a bag that says &quot;food grade&quot; but I don't know if it is as effective as non-food grade DE. Any experience in this area would help. This is turning out to be an expensive organic garden this year!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11676" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T17:20:17.963" Title="Diatomaceous earth: food grade or not?" Tags="&lt;organic&gt;&lt;slugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25267" CreationDate="2016-06-02T14:12:33.760" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do not use this in my gardens. I only use it sparingly, in certain areas, for serious infestations. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Slugs love beer. I pour a bit of beer in a shallow bowl, and they crawl in at night and drunkenly drown. (Recycled cat food or tuna tins work well, because you can just throw out the whole ugly mess.) If you don't drink beer, there are slug baits for sale.   That being said... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes. Food grade Diatomaceous Earth will nonselectively kill all insects and caterpillars (both bad and good). But, it has to be dry in order to work. Even a slight dew will make it ineffective. It does not harm the earthworms under the soil when they eat it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not use the pool grade stuff! It is only meant for use in swimming pool filters, has been linked to health risks and might kill your plants. (In fact, it's recommended that you avoid inhaling even the food grade kind, as it can cause respiratory distress in some people. I just avoid getting it in my eyes.) You are probably (harmlessly) eating some food grade Diatomaceous Earth every day, because grain and vegetables, etc., are stored in it, in the warehouses. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I put a small amount in a &quot;puff&quot; bottle so I can apply it very selectively, and keep the bag sealed against moisture. I bought a plastic bottle for $1 (the type use for ketchup or salad dressing) and that works really well. Some people use a shaker bottle for large areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While it supposedly is effective on gypsy moth caterpillars, unfortunately I have been unable to find any sites dealing directly with that ugly problem for advice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This site is very informative about food grade Diatomaceous Earth. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.richsoil.com/diatomaceous-earth.jsp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.richsoil.com/diatomaceous-earth.jsp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one discusses the pros and cons (like concerns about bees), and has suggestions on how to apply it to a garden. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2015/07/diatomaceous-earth-garden.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2015/07/diatomaceous-earth-garden.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This site discusses avoiding putting it on the flowers to try and protect the pollinators. &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/diatomaceous-earth-garden-pests-84812.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/diatomaceous-earth-garden-pests-84812.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Used to control slugs &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.diatomaceousearth.com/natural-slug-control/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.diatomaceousearth.com/natural-slug-control/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="14745" LastEditDate="2016-06-02T17:20:17.963" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T17:20:17.963" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25269" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24311" CreationDate="2016-06-02T14:39:34.543" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There isn't a permanent answer I'm afraid, other than removing the Mugo pine and planting something the sawfly isn't interested in, which in the end, might be the best solution. You can use horticultural oils such as neem instead of pesticides, and other ways of managing the pest are described in the link below - but in the end, that's all you're doing, 'managing' it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.treehelp.com/european-pine-sawfly/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.treehelp.com/european-pine-sawfly/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T14:39:34.543" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25270" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-02T15:33:30.217" Score="2" ViewCount="45" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves are turning yellow on my geraniums. Am I over watering them or are they getting too much? What is causing this? I have only had them a couple of weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14901" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-02T15:39:31.003" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T15:39:31.003" Title="How to take care of geraniums?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;geraniums&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2016-12-15T09:25:45.650" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25272" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26609" CreationDate="2016-06-02T17:51:53.620" Score="9" ViewCount="1465" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some multi-varietal fruit trees (primarily apples and pears) that are starting to fruit in bunches of 3-4 per cluster.  I am debating whether I should thin these clusters to 1-2 fruits (breaks my heart to lose 2 fruits per cluster) or let them grow to full size.  What does the latter do to the quality of the fruit.  The other related question is whether these fruits will thin on their own (survival of the fittest)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T00:49:32.480" Title="Fruit thinning - is that really required?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;pear&gt;&lt;thinning&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25273" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-02T17:52:22.677" Score="2" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am going to take cuttings from an &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelanchier&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Amelanchier&lt;/a&gt; tree this spring. I would like to know what differentiates the various species (height, leaf shape, bark, etc.) in order to identify it. The tree is part of a landscape around a school in Quebec, Canada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14904" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-02T18:01:06.413" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T18:01:06.413" Title="How to identify Amelanchier species" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25274" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25272" CreationDate="2016-06-02T17:57:56.390" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;A picture would be nice. If the trees are young, they may not yet have an extensive enough root system and canopy to support all the fruit so you end up with lots of small fruit rather then larger specimens. And do you want growth wasted when they drop prematurely as the tree sheds those it can't support?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another reason is that low lying branches laden with fruit can get diseases from contact with the ground, fungi, animals browsing etc. So you want to stop this too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T17:57:56.390" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25275" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25328" CreationDate="2016-06-02T18:04:16.280" Score="4" ViewCount="556" Body="&lt;p&gt;In trying to help answer another person's question, I realized that I have one of my own. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I try to manually remove the tent moths from my trees every year, using both a step ladder and extension ladder. But, I still can't reach them all. I live in Virginia, USA. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How effective/harmful would spraying Diatomateous Earth in liquid form be (using a hose sprayer) be on those tents that I can't reach, so that they don't spread? We would only be specifically spraying the tents. (And no, I don't use it in my gardens or yard, myself.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a very sweet neighbor who has different views on things. (He loves grass. Not gardens, bugs, and birds.) We have always been able to compromise, and he no longer sprays pesticides and weed killers onto my property with his hose, but we do have some trees that border our properties, and I am hoping to come up with a solution that will make us both happy this year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I welcome any and all advice (including alternative solutions) as an answer to this question! Thanks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Added info) The hose jet-streaming method (although being the ideal solution) has not worked to break open these tents unless you are pretty close to them. It doesn't work on the higher tents, even when I am trying to shoot them from a ladder, with the strongest water pressure that we have.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="14745" LastEditDate="2016-06-02T20:29:56.093" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T15:00:52.030" Title="Would Diatomaceous Earth work for spraying unreachable Tent Caterpillar nests?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25277" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25275" CreationDate="2016-06-02T18:19:26.367" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Diatomaceous earth as an insecticide requires that the bugs slide across the surface of the DE which then acts as little razors shredding their epithelial layers so that they lose the ability to retain fluids, and so dehydrate and die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if your caterpillars are hiding in a nest, and don't come out, it won't affect them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe you can use a high pressure hose to open up the nest to let birds get them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T18:19:26.367" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25278" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25260" CreationDate="2016-06-02T18:32:37.820" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in the San Francisco/Bay Area and we occasionally get 100 degree days as well.  I don't have any shelter in my raised beds to protect from the sun and my peppers and tomatoes do just fine.  The only thing I have to do is ensure I am watering them manually (in addition to the automatic drip) so that they don't start wilting.  I do have my house fence which provides some wind protection but not a whole lot.  As suggested, it would also depend on where you are located.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T18:32:37.820" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25279" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-02T18:36:23.477" Score="4" ViewCount="747" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 3 raised beds in my backyard where I am growing vegetables (tomatoes, bell peppers, etc).  Right now, I don't have any mulch covering the soil but am thinking that would be a good thing to do to preserve moisture in the soil particularly as summer is upon us.  I am only using organic materials in the vegetable garden (no pesticides, organic fertilizer only) so wanted to know what organic mulch are people using?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T15:19:57.700" Title="Organic mulch for raised bed" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25280" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25279" CreationDate="2016-06-02T18:56:44.823" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the vegetable garden I like using black plastic mulch. 3 mil or thicker black poly sheeting is readily available at hardware stores and is inexpensive. It is not an organic substance but it is allowed under the National Organic Program provided it is removed at the end of the season and it's not PVC. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/5%20Mulches%20incl%20biodegradable%20FINAL%20RGK%20V2.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Allowed Mulches on Organic Farms&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than plastic mulch I like items that decompose quickly so they're virtually gone by the next spring. Grass clippings are great provided you care for your lawn organically or don't use herbicides. They have a lot of benefits but I don't like robbing my lawn of those benefits any more. You can collect and save fall leaves and use them as is or make &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf_mold&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;leaf mold&lt;/a&gt; over the winter. Straw is a popular choice. There are less weed seeds than hay. Paper, newspaper and cardboard that are not glossy and don't have glossy inks can be used as a base and then something more attractive on top like grass clippings, leaves or straw. A thick 3&quot; layer of compost is also used for mulch which seems counter-intuitive since things grow well in compost but if it's thick enough it will suppress weeds. If you see a weed popping up in it it's usually easy to pull it out if you catch it young. It's also great for your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know there are other no-till options but I till my vegetable garden beds in early spring to clear out old roots and incorporate fertilizers. For that reason I don't like long lasting mulches like wood chips. I did try some of those compressed coir mulch blocks last year. It worked well, looked nice and was easy to use but not enough of it broke down the next year. Looks like maybe 2-3 years to break down but it can be tilled into the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Still, black plastic poly sheeting is cheap and easy, has many known benefits and is NOP approved. I like it because it helps warm the soil and I can plant earlier, suppresses weeds, retains moisture and has been shown in university studies to increase yields. Red plastic mulch has been shown to increase yields even more but the black plastic is easier to find locally and cheaper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-06-03T01:03:57.293" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T01:03:57.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25281" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25114" CreationDate="2016-06-02T19:37:27.880" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As of now, some of those larvae evolved and they really look like thrips. Also, the picture of the larva I posted in the question looks really similar: &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BYuWY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BYuWY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14846" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T19:37:27.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25282" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25272" CreationDate="2016-06-02T20:26:43.263" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;What &quot;full size&quot; IS depends on what you do or don't do (and/or what &quot;June-drop&quot; does or not do for you.) More smaller fruit - don't thin. Less larger fruit - do thin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the tree's point of view the smallest, seediest fruit that will still be considered edible by some animal who will transport the seeds elsewhere is &quot;big enough.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you thin the fruit, there are more resources to divide among fewer fruit, so each fruit gets more. This does not give you James's Giant Peach if you thin the whole tree down to a single fruit (unless you have a bag of magical  green bugs, and are a character in a book), but is a good reason to thin, in general, if pollination/fruit set went well. The earlier you thin, the less wasted resources go with the culled fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T20:26:43.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25283" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25190" CreationDate="2016-06-02T20:44:57.247" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have experienced similar problems before as well.  I now use a seeding mix when I plan seeds directly in the ground.  That seems to be working for me since this year I got both carrot and beet seeds to sprout from the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T20:44:57.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25272" CreationDate="2016-06-02T20:56:38.803" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;As well as the issue of small-sized fruit, another consequence of letting a  tree over-crop by not thinning is that the tree may start a cycle of only producing a good crop once every two years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This problem affects apples and pears more than other tree fruits. Some varieties are more prone to &quot;biennial bearing&quot; than others, but curing it is difficult - the most effective way is pruning the fruit buds before flowering, or removing the flowers before the fruit sets. This is much more tedious, and more time-critical, than thinning the fruit later in the year when you can easily see it. Once the fruit has set, the &quot;trigger has been pulled&quot; on the 2-year cycle so far as the tree's biochemistry is concerned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far as the tree is concerned, the two year cycle doesn't matter much. It only &quot;needs&quot; to produce one new tree from the thousands of fruits it will set over its natural life of 100 years or more. But that's not why &lt;em&gt;you&lt;/em&gt; are growing fruit trees!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastEditorUserId="11120" LastEditDate="2016-06-02T21:01:49.490" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T21:01:49.490" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25279" CreationDate="2016-06-02T20:58:13.200" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I quite happily steal from the lawn (and neglected hayfield, if you have access to one) to feed the garden - fresh grass clippings make a great mulch IF you don't get them more than 2-3&quot; deep in any one application - they mat well, but that's thin enough that they don't turn into hot slime as they will if piled 6&quot; or more deep. If you can source newsprint to go under it, so much the better; that's not quite as widespread a resource as it used to be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can even get more creative and plant a part of the lawn to alfalfa, vetch, clover or other things that you then cut specifically to make mulch from. Kinda depends how much you have the &quot;lawn&quot; disease .vs. how much you are willing to suborn that to garden purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I enjoyed the smell of cocoa-husk mulch, but was not over-fond of the price, nor the tendency to mold. May also be a hazard to dogs (not a problem for my garden.) &quot;Mulch hay&quot;, if you are near enough to agriculture to get it easily is hay that got rained on too much to be good animal feed, and cheap. Hay or Alfalfa that are good enough for animal feed are also good mulch, but more expensive. Cubed alfalfa is widely distributed, even in not-so-rural areas. Pine bark and cedar are essentially useless, and also the most common bagged mulches for sale. Straw is nice, but in my area costs more than feed quality hay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shredded leaves/leaf mold are good, (though leaf mold is pretty much right up there with &quot;mulch with compost&quot; - nice if you have too much of it, but that's a problem it's not common to have, in practice. And you may not HAVE a large quantity of last fall's leaves handy NOW.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wood chips are OK when you have a semi-permanent path layout, for paths - not so good as mulch on beds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-06-02T20:58:13.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25286" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-02T21:17:12.700" Score="4" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a budding avocado tree* that is infested with these weird spiderweb-like things all over. I can not see an actual animal that is causing this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've treated it with soap water and alcohol and it &lt;em&gt;feels&lt;/em&gt; like it's getting better, but I'm not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this infestation, and do I need to do anything else to treat it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;* = at least I think it is an avocado tree. I've been told it could be a mango. I can't tell from the fruit yet. :) &lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IBF1h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IBF1h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T04:44:07.430" Title="What is this pest attacking an avocado tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25288" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25299" CreationDate="2016-06-02T22:43:07.937" Score="5" ViewCount="1421" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend said to me:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Using a little detergent can help revive a potted (or planted) plant that has not completely died but has been under watered almost to the point of death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm dubious; using detergent on a plant sounds like it would kill it rather than revive it. I found &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/7413/14050&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; here which does imply that detergent (or at least some types of detergent) are best kept away from plants in general, not to mention those that are close to death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any truth to my friend's recommendation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14050" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T13:54:11.003" Title="Is using detergent on plants a good way to revive them?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;plant-hardiness&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25289" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-03T00:00:24.663" Score="4" ViewCount="2375" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some morning glory vines (&lt;em&gt;Ipomea sp.&lt;/em&gt;) outdoors in a box about 10 weeks ago (mid-March, I'm in Zone 8) and they've been underperforming the whole time -- the vines are not even a meter long, and many of the new leaves have been small, pale, and twisted, while the older leaves are irregularly-discolored and sort of raggedy-looking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/kPOnToH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;morning glory leaf 1&quot;&gt; &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Ugdkmmy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;morning glory leaf 2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/KpLhGea.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;morning glory leaf 3&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/VxLxZEQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;morning glory leaf 4&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/KrHFphH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;morning glory leaf 5&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/mqn5SC1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;morning glory leaf 6&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Their planter contains a loose, acidic, slightly sandy topsoil, to which I've added a variety of liquid fertilizers over the past several weeks (see below) in a largely unsuccessful attempt to remedy these symptoms  The vines receive about 7-8 hours of full sun per day, and get watered regularly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The morning glories share the planter with some of the most exuberantly healthy-looking nasturtiums I've ever seen, which suggests that these conditions are not generally inhospitable to plant life.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspected some kind of nutrient deficiency (though nothing in particular quite seemed to fit the symptoms) and at roughly weekly intervals I have tried liberally fertilizing with one of the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Miracle-Gro (12-4-8)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Epsom salt solution&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chelated iron&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Calcium phosphate suspension&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I'm assuming the plants aren't deficient in N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, or Fe, at least.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sadly, none of the above seems to have helped much.  If I had over-fertilized the container, I might expect to see some problems with the nasturtiums, but those just keep accelerating.  Moreover, the slow growth and pale-twisted leaves on the morning glories preceded the addition of any liquid fertilizers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this look like some kind of disease?  A virus, maybe?  I don't see any pests on the vines, with the possible exception of an occasional red mite.  I have a microscope, in case examining the leaf tissue at higher magnification could be diagnostic.  I'd appreciate any suggestions, I'm running out of ideas.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE: Found some aphids hiding down by the dirt in the lowest leaves of the morning glories.  Maybe they came for the nasturtiums and stayed for the morning glories?  The worst-affected leaves are not the ones that currently have aphids on them though, and I've never seen aphids on the upper leaves.&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE 2:  Grabbed this little bugger off one the worst-affected leaves -- looks like a thrip.  Maybe that's my problem.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/fGcuLMa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;thrip&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14906" LastEditorUserId="14906" LastEditDate="2016-06-03T23:25:32.887" LastActivityDate="2018-06-28T08:35:58.397" Title="Why are my morning glories stunted/deformed?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;&lt;morning-glory&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25290" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25297" CreationDate="2016-06-03T01:43:15.463" Score="6" ViewCount="13432" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few football-sized holes in a yard where I removed some rocks. I have access to a large amount of finely chopped wood mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I encourage the mulch to decompose into fill dirt?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14907" LastActivityDate="2017-07-26T22:36:46.670" Title="How can I encourage mulch to decompose?" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25291" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25290" CreationDate="2016-06-03T02:36:51.273" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basically it is a simple matter of keeping the mulch damp to get it to decompose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Small bark chips/shreds actually make an excellent growing medium because it admits lots of oxygen (air) and holds fertilizer well. It is fair at water retention, but I would mix in a bit of the soil dug from the hole you are trying to fill, just to make the fill more similar to the soil around the hole and hence will be less noticeable in its effect on the grass growth. It likely will matter little if you mow frequently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T02:36:51.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25292" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25290" CreationDate="2016-06-03T02:39:07.223" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The highest nitrogen fertilizer you can easily find, and water to keep it damp/humid, but not so much as to wash the fertilizer out of it. If you have sufficient privacy, or a dog, urine will also help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, it does not become &quot;dirt&quot; it becomes humus. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want &lt;strong&gt;dirt&lt;/strong&gt; you'll need some sand and clay as well. If you need fill dirt, buy fill dirt, or scrape out a shallow layer of dirt and replace with a shallow layer of humus, after you use the actual dirt to fill the holes. If they are only football sized a $2 bag of bagged dirt at a hardware store/garden center will do at least a couple of holes, probably for less than the cost of fertilizer to help break down the wood, and without the wait. Once the wait is over you can spread a thin layer of the resulting humus over the entire lawn (might as well make a lot if you have access to lots of raw material) and somewhat more on any garden areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-06-04T17:22:15.147" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T17:22:15.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25279" CreationDate="2016-06-03T04:41:16.317" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The French biointensive method doesn't use mulch but closely grown plants. The leaves overlap and create a microclimate which didn't need mulching to trap moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But since it's too late now, I'd just use tree mulch which is usually pretty cheap, if not free. As long as you don't mix it in the soil, it ain't going to steal much nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T04:41:16.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25294" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25286" CreationDate="2016-06-03T04:44:07.430" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you see webbing, but no insects, it's likely spider mites, and you need a hand lens or very good vision. Check all the &quot;threads &quot; on spider mites here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T04:44:07.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25295" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25290" CreationDate="2016-06-03T05:03:53.440" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw a video on the life of worms, and you can get them easily by:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;put a metal circle on the ground with a few metal probes in it&#xA;about a foot down&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;take a car battery to force them to surface (a mild pain for them will force them to surface)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grab the worms&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;put them in the compost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leave the worms eat the compost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T05:03:53.440" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25288" CreationDate="2016-06-03T08:13:01.170" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basically when soil is dehydrated below 30%, Fe-containing molecules form on organic surfaces, rendering surfaces hydrophobic. Detergents antagonize this acting as a wetting agent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I'd just drop the whole plant into a bath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1481271/dishwashing-liquid-added-to-plant-water&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1481271/dishwashing-liquid-added-to-plant-water&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T08:13:01.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25290" CreationDate="2016-06-03T12:25:07.223" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are several steps you can take to speed up decomposition of organic material. Decomposition of organic debris is both a physical and chemical process. Some of the steps listed below are needed to counteract some of the side effects of mulching that slow the mulching process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The amount of heat generated by your mulch pile is an indicator of how fast breakdown is occurring. More steam from the pile interior when you mix it indicates a faster chemical breakdown but this higher heat also means you will need to perform regular physical mixing of the pile and keep adding water to keep the pile from getting too hot and killing the fungus and bacteria inside (slowing breakdown). It is entirely possible if you don't keep the pile wet enough it may get hot enough to come close to ignition, so keep a close eye on the pile during early mulching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the other answers here mention adding worms to the pile. The problem with this is that if you are trying for a fast  breakdown, the heat inside will tend either cook any worms inside or drive them out of the pile. Worms are great as natural aerators in slow decomposition mulch piles or in normal soil, since neither of these create the large amounts of heat that &quot;fast&quot; decomposition does.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;1) First, use mechanical force to break the contents of your mulch&#xA;  pile into as many small pieces as possible. Set your wood chipper to&#xA;  &quot;liquefy&quot;. The smaller the starting mulch pieces, the faster the&#xA;  mulching breakdown process. Thin organic matter like tree leaves and&#xA;  grass break down faster than wood chips and twigs which break down&#xA;  faster than large wood pieces like branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;2) Add water as needed to keep your pile wet. Moisture encourages&#xA;  faster breakdown by encouraging bacterial and fungal growth. Usually&#xA;  keeping the pile covered by a plastic cover sheet keeps too much water&#xA;  from escaping the pile and keeps the surface of the pile moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;3) Mix your mulch pile on a daily basis using a garden fork. If your&#xA;  pile is breaking down quickly, you will notice steam coming from&#xA;  inside of the pile due to the heat from chemical reactions during&#xA;  breakdown. Mixing allows heat to escape from the pile as well as&#xA;  spreading bacteria and fungus around and aerates (allows air to mix&#xA;  into) the pile. Add more water as needed to help keep things moist as&#xA;  well as to cool the mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;4) Mix some crushed lime into the pile using a garden fork a few days&#xA;  after starting the mulching process. The acid level of your pile will&#xA;  increase over time as your mulch pile breaks down, and this slows&#xA;  bacterial growth. Adding lime will decrease acidity, encouraging&#xA;  bacterial growth and speeding breakdown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The steps listed above apply to any mulch pile, but if you added a lot of wood to your pile when you created it, there are two further steps you might want to use. Wood in a mulch pile changes the chemical breakdown process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;5) Mix nitrogen fertilizer (such as ammonium nitrate) into the mulch&#xA;  pile. Nitrogen is used up during chemical breakdown of wood fiber, and&#xA;  insufficient nitrogen slows this breakdown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;6) Sprinkle/mix fungi into the pile. Fungus (such as mushrooms) breaks&#xA;  down the physical structure of wood pieces so the bacteria can get&#xA;  into the interior of the wood chips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Eventually your mulch pile will no longer be warm and you will no longer see steam escaping when you mix it. This means that the breakdown of the mulch is slowing and is mostly complete. There may still be some wood chips mixed into the black organic crumbly mass of the decomposed mulch. Once the mulching breakdown slows like this, you can choose to age the pile for a few months longer to allow the mulch to completely break down, or if you are in a hurry you can use the mulch as is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you choose to age the mulch further, you won't need to mix the pile as often as you did during the early mulching process. Continue to mix the pile once a week or so and add water when needed to keep it moist. Continued aging will allow any remaining un-decomposed matter such as wood chips to completely decompose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you decide to use the mulch without aging it completely and wood still remains in the mulch, you should add nitrogen fertilizer to the mulch before using it on plants. If you don't add nitrogen, you risk starving the plants if when the wood decomposes it uses up all the nitrogen out of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14300" LastEditorUserId="14300" LastEditDate="2016-06-05T05:51:04.140" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T05:51:04.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25222" CreationDate="2016-06-03T12:59:34.850" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The less water permeable you barrier is the more reluctant I'd be to leave it in place for any amount of time. Even with the cardboard, I know some people have good success. I'd still worry about it, because it's forming a barrier between the roots and any water that comes from above. That becomes less of an issue as it breaks down, but then it's not doing what you want in the first place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plastic bags would do this more so. The water would be able to run around them more readily, because they cover a smaller area, but they're completely impermeable to anything that lands on top of them. I'd consider using a grass killer and spot treating. I even saw a recent commercial for one brand that has a long sprayer stem and a little bell over the end so you can target your spray. Let that die off and had pull what's right up against your flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T12:59:34.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25288" CreationDate="2016-06-03T13:54:11.003" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This sounds like one of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Baker_(author)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Jerry Baker's&lt;/a&gt; wacky tonics although even he doesn't recommend detergent except for dish detergent aka regular dish soap. A real detergent will likely harm the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While some of his suggestions are odd and I don't think there's much scientific research done on his tonics as a whole there is some merit to a few of his ingredients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dish soap contains surfactants and surfactants can help hydrate soils and relieve compaction but only for soils that have become hydroscopic. Some people use baby shampoo instead. However research indicates that it's very rare that a homeowner would have hydrophobic soil and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2009/05/does-liquid-aeration-work.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;mechanical aeration is better than surfactants&lt;/a&gt;. (link to my website)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're talking about a potted plant with a peat based potting medium then those can go hydrophobic when they get very dry. In that case a surfactant or wetting agent may help quickly hydrate the potting mix but you could also place the container in tepid water to speed up hydration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soaps also contain phosphates so if your soil/plant needs phosphorous it's another way to give it to it but it's not like you can't get phosphorous to fertilize your plant with. Commercial growers tend to use wetting agents when hydrating their potting mixes because it's faster and time is money. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So a detergent like laundry detergent no, it will likely harm the plant. Dish soap and baby shampoo might offer some benefits under certain conditions but you can achieve the same results with other products or methods meant for use on plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T13:54:11.003" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25300" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25307" CreationDate="2016-06-03T14:30:49.013" Score="7" ViewCount="9017" Body="&lt;p&gt;I googled and it seems that basil does turn woody after some time but the leaves on these browned stalks look really unhealthy, like I haven't been watering them. Also, the stalks got thinner after they've woodened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I sprayed them with garlic because I thought it might be a fungus but it doesn't seem to help. What's going on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture of stems at the base:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I322Q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I322Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture of individual stems with wilted leaves:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7OY2v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7OY2v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14914" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-03T16:19:43.507" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T17:07:08.310" Title="Why are my basil's stalks turning brown and dying?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25301" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25279" CreationDate="2016-06-03T15:19:57.700" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;For raised beds, I recommend mulching between rows with browns (shredded leaves) and near plants (where you hoe) use compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then, at the end of the season, you have browns already in your garden, and can till in green compost (or a good nitrogen composted manure, which is cheap) and boom - soil rejuvenation is taken care of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you lack a supply of shredded leaves, (actually, anything I write here is just a variation of &quot;get a garbage bag and go get some).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you find the soil too settled next spring, I find diatomaceous earth to be an amazing amendment for drainage and aeration. (Napa Auto Parts, Oil Absorber #8822). You can also mix 50/50 with Bentonite, which is a more expensive name for Arcillite, which is a fancy way of saying Calcined Montmorillonite Clay, which you can find for $8 a bag at Auto Zone, also as an oil absorber (made by the same company as the 8822, EP Minerals).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember a little goes a long way with drainage amendments, and adding more is easy while removing pebbles and sand is a pain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Back to the mulching - make it work for you instead of turning its removal into another end-of-season chore. Using browns for between rows is a time-tested method, and it's especially good in raised/isolated beds where nutrients are removed by plants. (Also, don't forget the lime every couple of years - use lawn lime, it's a little less concentrated than Garden Lime, but it's the same minerals and 1/5 the cost).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T15:19:57.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25302" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25308" CreationDate="2016-06-03T15:27:58.953" Score="7" ViewCount="10647" Body="&lt;p&gt;One key principle in maintaining healthy turf is mowing regularly enough that you never cut more than 30% of the blade length in any single cutting. In peak growing season it can be difficult to keep up with the growth. So say I find the grass to be 6&quot;, and want to get it to 3&quot; (which is another tenet of healthy turf). Since I don't want to chop off more than 30%, I'll cut 1.5&quot; in the first cut, then another 1.5&quot; in a second cut at some later time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long do I have to wait after the first cut before making the second cut?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I do the second cut immediately? Later the same day? The next day? When? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand that if I wait too long the grass will grow more and require more cutting - but let's ignore that for the moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T00:24:28.787" Title="How long should I wait to mow my lawn a second time when I try to avoid cutting more than 30% of the blade in one cutting?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;mowing&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25303" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25305" CreationDate="2016-06-03T15:35:07.657" Score="3" ViewCount="27892" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I had &lt;a href=&quot;https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/66131/why-did-my-mower-suddenly-start-running-slower&quot;&gt;this problem&lt;/a&gt;. This year I'm having a problem with the mulching mower not mulching. The grass is clumping up and clogging whatever you call the 'chamber' where the blade spins and is supposed to chop up the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like it's running high or faster, based on what I did last year with the throttle/governor spring. Could this have anything to do with it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had the blade sharpened and balanced recently by a friend and it is plenty sharp. But I think he only sharpened the front main edge. Are there edges on the back edge where it's turned up that also need to be sharpened? Does this actually cut, or just force the cuttings up so they can be chopped up more?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I generally mow when it's dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually cut it pretty long, on the 2nd or 3rd highest setting, going by those notches and ridges where you manually change the height of the mower near the wheels. I've read you're only supposed to cut 1/3 of the height. I'm not out there measuring it, but sometimes it's been longer with all the rain we've had.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14916" OwnerDisplayName="user26270" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:22:11.787" LastActivityDate="2018-07-27T14:45:25.970" Title="Why is my mulching mower clumping and not mulching?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25302" CreationDate="2016-06-03T15:40:44.913" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Three days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are things to look for, like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;uneven surface of blades (healthy grass growing strong again)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;clippings have settled&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;shorter grass acclimating to new sunlight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But in reality, those will almost always happen by day 3.  So... three days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T15:40:44.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25305" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25303" CreationDate="2016-06-03T15:41:20.423" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the 1/3 cutting rule is mainly for the health of the &lt;em&gt;grass&lt;/em&gt;, not the proper function of the mower. If you let the grass grow long it may choke up the mower even if you are only cutting 1/3. Try setting the deck on a higher setting to see if it goes better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also are you moving the mower too quickly? Not sure if yours is a push mower or has an adjustable speed. If the grass is long you may need to take time to work through it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2212" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T15:41:20.423" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25306" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25289" CreationDate="2016-06-03T16:47:33.317" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Had a bit of trouble working out what your container looks like, but you seem to be saying its five feet long, by 9 inches wide with a depth of 7 inches from top to bottom. Jury's still out on whether you really mean 7 inches wide and 9 inches deep from top to bottom, that's what I'm not entirely sure about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way, 10 morning glories and 8 trailing nasturtiums means a lot of roots in a relatively small space, and most climbers/trailers do better with more depth of soil, rather than width, so it may be you've simply got too many plants in too shallow a container, so the reason the morning glories are stunted is because the roots are stunted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also add that nasturtiums shouldn't really be fed - they flower best in poor soil, so it's not unlikely that you'll finish up with lots of lovely leaves on the nasturtiums and very few, if any, flowers. Not good bedfellows really, plants that need feeding regularly and nasturtiums.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T16:47:33.317" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25307" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25300" CreationDate="2016-06-03T17:07:08.310" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's damping off disease - hopefully, you're not overwatering now, and the rest of the plant still looks healthy, but you may find, as its a fungal infection in the soil, that the rest of it goes the same way, though that's uncommon in more mature plants like yours. Good airflow round the plant helps to keep this at bay, but there is no effective fungicidal treatment once its got a hold. It usually happens when plants are at the seedling stage, and is associated with using unsterilized soil or soil in dirty pots. The link below is mostly about growing sage, but if you scroll down to the bottom, you will see an image that is almost exactly the same as the one you've posted of the three affected stems&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.onthegreenfarms.com/fruit-vegetable/how-to-grow-organic-sage/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.onthegreenfarms.com/fruit-vegetable/how-to-grow-organic-sage/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info regarding damping off disease generally here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/plant-disease/damping-off/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/plant-disease/damping-off/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T17:07:08.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25308" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25302" CreationDate="2016-06-03T17:35:52.873" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I usually mow my lawn on the highest setting on my mower so there's not much I can do when it grows too high. Don't worry too much about it if it's not something you do frequently. Sometimes life or weather gets in the way. The grass will recover if it's otherwise well cared for, fed, watered and gets good sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you cut the grass it loses some of its ability to photosynthesize. When you give it a drastic cut root growth slows or stops temporarily and carbohydrates stored in the plant are used to produce new leaf growth. If you cut like this repeatedly you can use up all the carbohydrate reserves. Doing it once in a while isn't going to cause much damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But to answer your question.. Depends on various factors but 2-4 days should be fine. Aim to do 3 cuts to get down to the final height since the grass will grow some in between mowings. The tip of the grass at the cut will brown out a little and seal the end like a scab on a cut. Wait at least one day after that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you cut your grass the tear at the top causes it to lose moisture faster. If you're using a rotary mower the tearing is worse than if you're using a reel mower but I'm not aware of many reel mowers that can cut at 4.5&quot;. It would be beneficial if your blade is sharp to get a cleaner cut. There's lots of info on how to sharpen a mower blade so I won't go into that here but I do want to add before doing anything under your mower or near the blade disconnect the spark plug wire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you could cut the second time with a reel mower that would be better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try to avoid mowing if the weather is above 90 degrees to reduce moisture loss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-06-04T00:24:28.787" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T00:24:28.787" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25309" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25303" CreationDate="2016-06-03T17:43:35.507" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You probably have a slicing mower blade (standard blade sold with lawn mowers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you need is a mulching mower blade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T17:43:35.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25310" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25303" CreationDate="2016-06-03T17:55:32.007" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The biggest reason for clumping grass is mowing when wet and or not mowing frequently enough. If you're not mowing when grass is wet or trying to mow too much grass at once and your blade is sharp and motor is running fine then that really only leaves one thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the underside of the mower deck is clean. The design of the deck is important for mulching ability and a build up of debris and grass clippings under the deck can reduce how well the mower mulches. Remove spark plug wire, tilt mower so you can access the deck and scrape the deck to remove debris. It's good to do this at least once a year. I use a plastic putty knife and a brush. I prefer to do it after I have removed the blade and quadruple checked the spark plug wire is disconnected.  Use a dust mask.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a mower that has a port to attach a hose for cleaning, use it to help keep the mower deck clean in between thorough cleanings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T17:55:32.007" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25303" CreationDate="2016-06-03T20:26:19.287" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am often forced to cut the grass when it's long and it always jams the blade ( this is a horizontal spinning blade ) if I mow too fast.  I don't use the collection bag at the back of the mower because I want the cut grass to be dumped back on to the grass.  When the motor dies, I have to unplug it (electric), turn it on its side, remove all the wet packed grass from the inside the stomach and pylorus, spin the blade manually, and then reconnect it up again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I've found that if the grass is too wet, and even if I'm on the highest setting off the ground, it's simpler if I mow with the front wheels off the grass so I just cut the tops of the grass letting much less grass into the stomach of the mower, and this stops the jamming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T20:26:19.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25312" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25315" CreationDate="2016-06-03T23:07:50.020" Score="6" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted this peach sapling in mid April in Western New York:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/brNLll.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/brNLll.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's about 3 and a half feet tall. It's planted in an area that yields about 8 hours a day of direct sunlight and we have been watering it every few days since planting it. The nursery that sold it to us said it likely wouldn't yield fruit for a few years. But in the last week, these little walnut-sized fruits have sprouted!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rrctn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rrctn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Forgive my ignorance, but can we expect these to grow into mature, edible fruit from a sapling? They told us years and it sprouts fruit in a matter of weeks? I feel like I'm missing something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11935" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-04T00:18:04.010" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T02:05:27.633" Title="Will peaches on a sapling grow into mature fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25313" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25312" CreationDate="2016-06-03T23:19:43.540" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;They will most probably yield some fruit, which may be edible - it probably won't grow very large.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is also a school of thought which says its better - long term - for you to remove these fruit so the plant can concentrate on growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-06-03T23:19:43.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25314" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25316" CreationDate="2016-06-04T01:50:03.893" Score="5" ViewCount="642" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to identify the plant shown in the picture, the flowers are a little larger than an inch wide, with deep 6 lobed leaves, all plants are about a foot tall. Growing in North Eastern Ohio. If you need any additional observations let me know. Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X1MHo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X1MHo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="112" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T03:11:39.160" Title="Assistance identifying plant, white flowers, 6 lobed leaves, almost a foot high?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25315" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25312" CreationDate="2016-06-04T02:05:27.633" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;We often see fruit, small or full size, on saplings sold by garden centres, and these are surprisingly small trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the tree can't support the fruit, they'll just drop off. But if you want to give it the best shot of getting larger fruit, you should probably remove half the fruit at each location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T02:05:27.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25314" CreationDate="2016-06-04T03:11:39.160" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is an anemone. I am unsure of the variety (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemone&quot;&gt;according to Wikipedia there are about 150&lt;/a&gt;). I have two. One that gets about 3 feet tall blooms in August (I have white, pink, and red). Another that is only about 9 inches and blooms in May/June (mine are only white and like photographed). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are the ultimate weed (and I mean that in flattering terms) - carefree, pretty and require no special care. I just pull them from where I don't want them. They will be back. They do not spread aggressively (California poppies spread far more prolifically) and I would not call them noxious. The spent blossom will become a little bulb atop the stem. This bulb will turn into a fluffy mess (somewhat like dandelions) and seeds will go everywhere; so 'dead head' if you don't want them to spread (prolifically). Or don't dead head and pull them from where you don't want them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T03:11:39.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25317" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25319" CreationDate="2016-06-04T04:11:58.223" Score="9" ViewCount="27591" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just moved into a home that had three existing garden beds.  We're using them for vegetables.  Next year I was thinking of building a new and smaller bed to use for herbs.  I saw a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B--i7Cv8ffA&quot;&gt;video from Lowe's&lt;/a&gt; that seemed to show a relatively easy way to build a bed.  After removing the sod they roll out landscape fabric that will sit under the soil in the bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the purpose of using landscape fabric?  And more specifically, would it be useful in a vegetable or herb garden bed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14280" LastActivityDate="2018-03-17T00:25:34.693" Title="Why use landscape fabric in a raised bed?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;landscape-fabric&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25318" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-04T04:17:19.650" Score="0" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone help me to identify the dried tree on the following image?&#xA;Any info where I can get it would be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DBk9j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DBk9j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14917" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T04:57:44.763" Title="Can someone help me identify this dried tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-06-04T13:43:47.147" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25319" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25317" CreationDate="2016-06-04T04:35:11.687" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without looking at your video, I would expect the landscape fabric is being laid as a weed mat to inhibit weeds from regenerating from roots left in situ and coming up in the middle of the raised garden bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people use layers of newspapers, and others old wool carpets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T04:35:11.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25320" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2016-06-04T04:45:34.477" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2016-06-04T04:45:34.477" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T04:45:34.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25321" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2016-06-04T04:45:34.477" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2016-06-04T04:45:34.477" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T04:45:34.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25322" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25318" CreationDate="2016-06-04T04:57:44.763" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, it's not a photograph so it could just be something the artist made up. In fact it's an artist rendering for some apartments in Marina Del Ray, CA. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.openlistings.com/p/4080-glencoe-avenue-305-marina-del-rey-ca-90292&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.openlistings.com/p/4080-glencoe-avenue-305-marina-del-rey-ca-90292&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My guess is it's not a supposed to be a tree but rather tree branches. That's normally what I see in this form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may want to look at Manzanita branches or sage trees. It's not exactly the same and maybe it required special care to get this form. Found this site which might be useful. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.decorativebranches.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1817&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.decorativebranches.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1817&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also want to see if you can find the artist and ask if he has any info. If such a piece actually exists I have a feeling it might not be something you can get at the above website for a few bucks but more of an art piece or a very rare find.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's very nice though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T04:57:44.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25323" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25317" CreationDate="2016-06-04T05:24:21.730" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the main reasons people build raised beds for vegetable gardens instead of planting directly in the ground is because it's often easier to fill a raised bed with a good soil than it is to try and improve poor soil in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Raised bed are commonly filled with either good topsoil and compost mix or something more like a soilless or a peat-based potting mix. I use a peat based potting mix for a raised bed I do &lt;a href=&quot;http://squarefootgardening.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;square foot gardening&lt;/a&gt; in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In either case the soil in your raised beds will be nicer than the soil in the ground. Nearby tree, shrub and plant roots may find their way into your raised bed soil and realize how nice it is in there and decide to stick around. They will compete for water and nutrients with the plants you want to put in your raised bed. The landscape fabric will help keep them out  but some roots may still find their way in. Landscape fabric doesn't last forever either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The depth of the soil in the raised bed should prevent weed seeds that are in the existing soil underneath from germinating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have burrowing animals like gophers you may also want to use some hardware cloth on the bottom of your raised bed too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-06-04T17:13:46.440" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T17:13:46.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25324" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25326" CreationDate="2016-06-04T06:40:47.520" Score="6" ViewCount="1967" Body="&lt;p&gt;Almost three years ago I bought a smallish cyclamen from IKEA to decorate my second bathroom. I fully expected it to be &quot;produced as disposable&quot; and to bloom for a bit and then .... whatever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since then it has been blooming constantly for three years(!) and I have become very fond of it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From all cyclamens I or my mom ever had or that I read about, they are &quot;supposed&quot; to drop all leaves and go dormant during summer, pushing out new foliage and flowers when you start watering them after that. I always found mine to indicate the beginning of their dormancy phase with the end of flowering and leaves turning yellow and consequently reduced and stopped watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But not this one. Yes, a few leaves shrivel up and die and the number of flowers once went down to &quot;only&quot; five, but at the same time it pushes up new leaves and there are dozens of flower buds in various stages of development under the dense foliage. It never had that &quot;slightly scraggly&quot; look I have always associated with the onset of the dormancy phase.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I've been wondering:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Does a cyclamen need the dormant phase for its long-term health or can I continue caring for it the way I do and enjoy it year-round?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2020-08-28T17:59:02.203" Title="Does my cyclamen need to go dormant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25325" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24692" CreationDate="2016-06-04T12:51:43.587" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry to hear.  It is possible that the roots were in air pockets or damaged to where they could not get nutrients, but tomatoes when repotted and buried 2/3 of the plant will usually form roots on the stem when exposed to the soil. The cotyledons should provide them enough oomph to get established.  It might be something else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This isn't the solution to your current problem and since they didn't survive it isn't applicable, but rather some growing tips to increase the survival rate and health of tomatoes for other readers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have two growing seasons where I live and for the first season I try to get them started early before the sweltering heat and hungry insects eat the fruits of my labor.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Determining When to Sow Seeds&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Determine the last frost date in your area and work backwards. Subtract 1 week for germination, then 4-6 weeks which is usually the age they use for the Days to Maturity.  That should be your sowing date.  If it is cold at time then you can start them inside under a heating pad on low power to warm the soil since they are tropical in nature.  Also be mindful of the days to maturity in case you have a shorter growing season.  Some varieties like Azoychka have a shorter days to maturity than the larger beefsteak varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Germination&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do it via wet paper towels in a small plastic sandwich bag, but you can do it in a tray with a small amount of potting mix with a clear tray cover for a greenhouse.  When they sprout you gently transplant them to your pots.  I use a sterile potting medium and bury them 1/2 to 2/3 of the plant height deep.  I repot as necessary staying away from the peat pots.  Always bury them 2/3 deep for stronger root structure.  I keep the soil warm to trigger plant growth otherwise they slow down so I keep them inside and/or keep them under the heating pad at night on low to keep the soil warm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunlight&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Light from a southern window isn't enough for tomatoes and also your glass my have UV coating.  Even if you have the window open they may not be getting hours of daylight they need.  I setup a fluorescent shop light and put the tomatoes under them.  They aren't hot so keep them within 1 inch(2.5cm) of the top of the plants day and night so that they will get as much light as possible.  Sunlight is preferable, but at night you should still give them light as well.  For me it is easier just to keep them under shop lights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the Tomato plants grow upwards toward the light move the light so that the top of the plants remain within the 1 inch (2.5cm) spacing.  You can also put a small fan about 3 yards (1 meter) away from them on low power for a few hours.  This wind will activate hormones in the plant so that it won't be spindly/leggy and a more stockier plant.  You can do the same thing by gently moving your hand over the top of the plants daily.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Watering/Feedings&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I alternate waterings with feedings every other week with a diluted fish emulsion or kelp at 1/4 to 1/2 the recommended rate. I have the pots in a tray and water from the bottom to reduce the chance wetting the leaves.  If you prefer to use synthetic liquid fertilizer you will need to figure out the ratio, but start at the low end ratio like 1/4 ratio to reduce the chances of burning the plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Repotting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the 3rd or 4th week I may repot if they are getting root bound.  If you use clear plastic cup or the hydroponic basket style pots where the soil is visible you can montitor the roots.  Again, for every transplant try to bury the plant in the new pot at 2/3 depth (remove bottom leaves if needed) so that the plant can have a good root system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hardening Off&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the weather forecast calls for a mild or warm temperature slowly harden them off by taking them outside gradually (an hour at first then longer periods) and increase the outside time until they are about 5-6 weeks old.  Eventually have them out overnight in a place free from pests/animals.  This will reduce the amount of transplant shock when you do put them in your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Planting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tend to have more plants than garden planting space so I pick the best plants and give the remainder to my family and friends.  Again make the planting hole at a depth that is 2/3 the height of your plant and remove bottom leaves/suckers if they are below the soil.  You can put a handful of crushed eggshells mixed with bottom soil.  It is better if you grind them in a blender or coffee grinder so that they are dust rather than shells.  This will make them more readily available.  I put a handful of vermicompost in hole as well.  I put a top dressing of compost with about 4-5 inches (10-12 cm) of mulch.  Water well.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Remove any flowers to encourage plant growth.  Keep the soil well fed and alive with amendments and organic material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14587" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T12:51:43.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25326" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25324" CreationDate="2016-06-04T13:05:39.517" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If they're growing in perfect conditions (and it seems yours is) then they may very well keep going until they stop altogether from exhaustion. In theory, you're supposed to wait till the main flowering is over, then reduce watering and stop feeding. The pot gets placed on its side in a cool spot and is kept dry until midsummer, at which point, you repot into fresh compost, burying the tuber to half its depth, then stand in a cool well lit spot (in your case, your bathroom) and resume watering to keep the compost moist. Those instructions apply primarily to Cyclamen persicum, the larger plant with larger leaves and flowers - some of the smaller varieties don't do so well after a resting period. They may regrow, but are never as vibrant and floriferous as they were initially, so its usual to replace those rather than try to keep them going.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It probably will eventually run out of steam if its not given a rest - on the other hand, you never expected it to be a permanent plant anyway, and it sounds like one of the smaller varieties, so you can either carry out the 'resting' procedure described above, or just let it do its own thing, enjoy it and carry on with what you're doing and if it gives up completely, bin it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T13:05:39.517" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25327" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-04T13:53:26.443" Score="2" ViewCount="366" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my first year gardening and it is quite exciting watching my plants grow overtime. My question is that my blueberry plants have these dark spots on their leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what they are or what I should do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qm0db.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qm0db.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Blueberry plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14919" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-04T13:58:07.180" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T09:30:57.443" Title="What is causing dark spots on my blueberry plant's leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25328" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25275" CreationDate="2016-06-04T14:53:30.933" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know if Diatomaceous Earth will work but I see a couple of problems with using it that way. The way DE works is that it physically injures the bugs so it works better with crawling insect that will crawl through it. They're small creatures so to them it would be similar to us having to crawl through glass shards. Even if you get it up on the tree by spraying in a solution, it may wash away in rain. DE is also harmful to breath in as is most fine dust so I don't like the idea of spraying it on a tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One alternatives is to physically remove them. If you can't get up with a ladder you can try using a pressure washer or a different nozzle which may be more effective than your previous attempts with a hose. If you don't have a pressure washer you can try some of the high pressure hose end nozzles like Little Big Shot or Bulls Eye. They're both small nozzles that look something like this and at least Little Big Shot is available at places like Home Depot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F8GEB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F8GEB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;high pressure hose nozzle&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional organic controls are &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bacillus thuringiensis&lt;/a&gt; and neem oil. You can even try to attract more birds to the area which are predators of tent caterpillars. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One strain, Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, is what's in Mosquito Dunks. Bacillus thuringiensis is a bacteria that is used as a biological pesticide and &lt;a href=&quot;http://landscapeipm.tamu.edu/types-of-pest-control/biological-2/microbials/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bt can be used on tent caterpillars&lt;/a&gt; but the caterpillar must ingest it. The city of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/caterpillars.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Seattle uses Bt to control tent caterpillars&lt;/a&gt; as a secondary method to mechanical removal. There's some good info on that page.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neem oil is another choice that seems to work and some products indicate they can be used on tent caterpillars on their label. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would try mechanical control first. If you then decide to go with a pesticide, follow proper safety procedures when applying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-06-04T15:00:52.030" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T15:00:52.030" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25329" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26359" CreationDate="2016-06-04T15:05:59.870" Score="4" ViewCount="152" Body="&lt;p&gt;We see these berries or fruits often in the Houston area, Texas. It looks evergreen, not sure if it's citrus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A2t5v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A2t5v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13197" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-06-07T16:58:14.950" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T16:58:14.950" Title="What are these evergreen berries/fruits?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25330" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-04T15:46:43.920" Score="2" ViewCount="110" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the name of this little beetle?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wjKhX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wjKhX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery beetle on a suqash plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see in the bottom right, the leaves of my two week old squash plant have big gaping holes with bite marks in them. Could he and his friends be the ones that have been devouring my plant basically overnight? Or could there be another culprit that's eating my squash plants' leaves, and seeming to leave most other plants alone?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To help narrow things down, this guy was found in middle of Illinois (a tiny town in the middle of a bunch of corn and soy fields) and that photograph was taken this morning (the beginning of June).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14921" LastEditorUserId="14921" LastEditDate="2016-06-04T23:44:20.107" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T11:39:47.167" Title="What is the name of this beetle, and is he eating my squash plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25331" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-04T16:02:24.553" Score="3" ViewCount="277" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got some &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_onion&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;walking onion&lt;/a&gt; from someone at the community garden, and was wondering if I should take anything into consideration when planting them. There was a little bit of damage to them, and one stem was all present except for a tiny bit holding it together, what should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-10-12T18:36:58.477" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T20:13:27.307" Title="How do I transplant walking onion?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;onions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25330" CreationDate="2016-06-04T17:21:06.677" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried to find out what this was because I thought I saw something similar yesterday in my yard but after looking at pictures what I had wasn't this but I found mine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your looks like Poecilocapsus lineatus aka a Fourlined Plant Bug. It does eat plant leaves so it's possible it is eating your squash plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can find more info at &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poecilocapsus_lineatus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poecilocapsus_lineatus&lt;/a&gt; and info and pictures at &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugguide.net/node/view/546225/bgimage&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://bugguide.net/node/view/546225/bgimage&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-06-05T03:17:22.763" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T03:17:22.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25333" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-04T17:26:05.857" Score="6" ViewCount="105" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like I have about 2 acres of cedar trees on a southwest facing slope. If I clear all this land and open it up can I start an orchard (apple and cherry) on it right away or will I need to do something to the soil first. I have heard that nothing grows under cedar trees but not sure if it's because of all the shade or it the dead needles actually do something to the soil. Anyone here ever done this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What other things should I check for before investing in all this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-06-04T20:41:53.437" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T21:03:30.183" Title="Can I start a fruit orchard where cedars used to grow?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;cedar&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25334" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25333" CreationDate="2016-06-04T17:43:57.353" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;As with any other agricultural endeavor (especially of large and or potentially for profit nature) start with soil tests, before you even cut a single tree, unless you are doing that anyway. Since you are investigating at the &quot;thinking of investing&quot; stage, either get the current owner/seller to do the testing, or arrange permission for doing your own testing (and refuse to share the results unless the costs are also shared.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending where it is there may be a tendency to acidity, some from the needles, some simply from not being limed, if in an area prone to going acid if not regularly limed. Apples will take a fair degree of acidity, but have a preferred range that's closer to neutral. Your local agricultural extension service office should have plenty of information on what apples and cherries like, general advice on their success as a crop in your area, and soil testing services. According to your profile: &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.osu.edu/lao&quot;&gt;http://extension.osu.edu/lao&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be aware of larger terrain issues - aside from the direction of the slope, not being at the bottom of the slope is generally advisable for orchards to avoid &quot;frost pockets&quot; cause by cold air drainage down the slope. You may need to take particular care against &quot;southwest injury&quot; or sunscald, but it's just something to be aware of, not a reason to avoid the site.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T17:43:57.353" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25335" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27072" CreationDate="2016-06-04T17:49:36.237" Score="9" ViewCount="1477" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having looked around the net I think the tree in the photos here is a Western White Pine - certainly the cone seems to suggest that - but the very long pendulous needles and the vivid purple flowers seem somewhat at odds with the other photos I've seen. To answer the question in the comment from Paul Nardini, mostly there are three needles per fascicle, though there are one or two that have four. I haven't noticed any with just two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is around 50-60 years old, in lowland Cambridgeshire, England, and as a whole is quite open in habit. The branches photographed here were around 2m (6.5 feet) off the ground; they droop to a considerable degree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pq7if.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pq7if.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pine tree - western white or something else?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14924" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-05T15:45:10.390" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T14:17:53.567" Title="What is this pine tree with long pendulous needles and vivid purple flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25336" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-04T17:51:22.307" Score="2" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a friend giving my some plants from his new yard in Calgary. Does anyone know what this plant is?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/X0EV1LG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14593" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T18:36:19.530" Title="Need help identifying plant, please." Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25336" CreationDate="2016-06-04T18:22:43.123" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's one of the Sedums, most likely Sedum spectabile (now rechristened Hylotelephium spectabile) the commonest form of which is Sedum 'Autumn Joy' or 'Iceberg', but there are others with different coloured flowers. Likes full sun and free draining soil, flowers early to late Fall - the dead bits from last year should be clipped off as growth begins the following spring - or now, in this case! Link below shows one called 'Brilliant', and gives some cultural details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://davisla.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/plant-of-the-week-sedum-spectabile-brilliant/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://davisla.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/plant-of-the-week-sedum-spectabile-brilliant/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-04T18:36:19.530" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T18:36:19.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25338" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25336" CreationDate="2016-06-04T18:23:19.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hylotelephium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sedum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, probably a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hylotelephium_spectabile&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hylotelephium spectabile&lt;/a&gt; if I interpret last year's flower stalks correctly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T18:23:19.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25339" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25340" CreationDate="2016-06-04T19:27:44.367" Score="3" ViewCount="2594" Body="&lt;p&gt;The shrubs in front of our home look great. The ones in back were transplanted three years ago and have been doing fine and recovering. The only issue I've had is psyllids. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are in various stages; yellow, orange, yellow and orange, brown, and dead. I fertilized for the first time a month ago. I just sprinkled some 10-10-10 granules onto the mulch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oADuk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oADuk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vkvty.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vkvty.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T20:00:05.173" Title="Why are my boxwood shrubs dropping yellow leaves?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25340" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25339" CreationDate="2016-06-04T20:00:05.173" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect it's root rot. It's a fungus-like organism that feeds on unhealthy roots and grows to feed on healthy roots. Likely due to soil being too packed and too wet for too long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fix: Amend the soil for aeration/drainage (I prefer diatomaceous earth (#8822 oil absorber from Napa). Let the soil dry to 1/2&quot; down between watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More time-consuming but much better fix: Dig it up, remove surrounding soil, prune/treat the roots, and replace.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not my favorite website, but: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/disease/what-is-phytophthora.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/disease/what-is-phytophthora.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/boxwood/boxwood-care.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/boxwood/boxwood-care.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other, less-likely possibilities:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pests. Boxwoods are fairly vulnerable plants. Use an insecticide in case it's Leaf Miners. May be root worms. Either way, feed regularly (not too much).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Too much love. Could be as simple as overwatering / overfeeding. Waxy-leafed plants don't show early signs of TML like others do. Fix: Find a companion plant. (idk the proper one for Boxwoods, but it's similar to planting Impatiens with Rhododendrons, because the Impatiens will let you know the watering situation long before the Rhodos)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mulch. Make sure there's a 2&quot; gap between the trunk of the Boxwood and the mulch, or this can seriously increase the risk of root rot. Also, if that's pine and fresh, it's possible that dust contributed to a pH spike that the Boxwood didn't like. Fix: make sure it's away from trunk and test the pH of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T20:00:05.173" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25343" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23473" CreationDate="2016-06-04T20:49:26.167" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a redwood tree to me: right foliage, right bark, right habit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14924" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T20:49:26.167" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25344" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22183" CreationDate="2016-06-04T21:01:02.313" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Transplanting is something best done if/when a plant is dormant; if that can't be achieved then done using a maximal amount of surrounding soil, so the roots (even the fine ones) are not cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this case I would agree entirely with kevinsky - don't transplant, do water enough to keep the soil damp but not saturated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might be helpful (not sure) to ensure the plants are in at least dappled shade, to reduce transpiration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14924" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T21:01:02.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25345" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25333" CreationDate="2016-06-04T21:03:30.183" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since the trees are a fire risk, and the ground is sloping, this implies to me that you're at risk of soil erosion if you remove all the trees with out doing something to protect it. And rain water strategies need to be developed to stop all the water running off the land if the roots aren't there to soak it up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd get advice from an experienced permaculture designer who can then do the soil tests, design any swales, and ponds that you might need, and other ways to keep the land as productive as it can be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T21:03:30.183" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25346" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24096" CreationDate="2016-06-04T21:12:19.853" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not sure, but I agree it looks very like a Camelia, but the Ficus option is almost as good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tipping point for me is that Ficus has a smooth stem with joints, while I cannot see any joints here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will say it looks as if it's not happy and probably needs more light and perhaps better compost. Yellowing leaves suggest, to me, a lack of phosphates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14924" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T21:12:19.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25347" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-04T21:29:08.270" Score="4" ViewCount="1515" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few vegetables growing in containers.  Let's say the soil is starting to dry out, but it's supposed to rain tomorrow.  Would you fully water the plants now? Or just give them a bit of water to hold them over till the rain comes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14884" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T01:59:49.940" Title="How do you adjust watering based on rain in the forecast?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;rain&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25348" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25347" CreationDate="2016-06-04T22:33:03.953" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on what the aim is.  If you want healthy looking plants, then sure, make sure that they have a regular supply of water.  But over watering also results in (micro)nutrient loss from the soil as it gets washed into the lower layers beyond the reach of the roots.  So, in this respect it might be better to retain the water in the soil (with mulching) rather then more frequent watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other issues is the health benefits to you from eating the vegetables.  If the plant is stressed and susceptible to more insect attack, it starts to activate greater defenses against insects etc, and this leads to higher concentrations of antioxidants and other plant chemical defenses. Often these chemicals are considered beneficial for human health, though the taste might then tend to being more bitter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T22:33:03.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25349" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="25352" CreationDate="2016-06-04T22:37:51.933" Score="3" ViewCount="33" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a rainbird drip system for my raised vegetable bed. Some of the drips are blocking the water to go through to the plant (seems like it is blocked). I replaced the drip and now water goes through. My question is whether I can fix these drips rather than throwing them away. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e4zHw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e4zHw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T04:06:18.440" Title="Fixing drips that are no longer working" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;&lt;repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25350" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25347" CreationDate="2016-06-04T23:22:30.447" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the plants are in containers, you water as normal - unless rain is torrential and persistent, it doesn't make much impact on potted plants, especially as the season progresses and topgrowth/foliage increases in size, helping to keep even more rain off the soil in the pots. I'm assuming the containers have drainage holes...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-04T23:22:30.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25351" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-05T00:28:33.157" Score="2" ViewCount="2199" Body="&lt;p&gt;What should I do when transplanting black currants?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;How deep should I plant it?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Where should I plant it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-05T00:31:38.260" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T23:34:27.953" Title="How do I transplant black currants?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;currant&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25349" CreationDate="2016-06-05T00:31:01.557" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your water is hard, you may find that calcium deposits have blocked the holes.  Perhaps you can soak them into a vinegar solution of distilled/rain water over night to see if you can dissolve the concretions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or, even try &lt;a href=&quot;http://thecocacolaexperiment.blogspot.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;coca cola&lt;/a&gt; ... though I don't know what all those acids will do to your drippers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And you perhaps should put some kind of filter on the tap so that particulates don't end up down in the drippers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-06-05T00:48:10.057" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T00:48:10.057" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25353" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24692" CreationDate="2016-06-05T01:27:54.057" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have experienced this after transplanting them from 4&quot; pots to raised bed. I think you need to fertilize them so they keep growing and that typically does the trick for me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T01:27:54.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25354" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-05T01:42:26.953" Score="2" ViewCount="474" Body="&lt;p&gt;My yard has a high water table (creek, and 4 foot elevation about 4 foot elevation over almost all of the yard), where tree roots often just sit at the surface, so I was wondering how low the water table should be in order to consider something well draining.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T13:37:45.737" Title="How low should the surface water table be in order to be considered well draining?" Tags="&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="25355" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25347" CreationDate="2016-06-05T01:59:49.940" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't recommend the habit of giving any plant &quot;just a bit of water&quot; if that means &quot;less than it really needs&quot;. Over time it can lead to poor development of the plant, like a shallow root system to catch most of the &quot;bits of water&quot; in the short term at the expense of getting a proper supply of water and nutrients from deeper in the soil in the long term.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you think the plant needs watering right now, then water it normally. If you are confident it will survive until it rains tomorrow, don't water it at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A complete answer would depend on the local climate, the type of plants you are growing, etc, etc - in gardening, &quot;one size fits all&quot; rarely applies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T01:59:49.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26351" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25354" CreationDate="2016-06-05T02:08:48.817" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not remotely related. The level of the water table has nothing to do with how well the soil drains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;High water table can be in clay that doesn't drain very well at all, or in a gravel pit that drains exceedingly well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you filled a bathtub with each soil and set the water level to 4 inches from the top, it would be the same place for ether type. If you pulled the plug on the bathtub, they would drain very differently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are places where you have to drill hundreds or thousands of feet to find water, but the surface turns to a slimy clay mess when it rains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-06-05T02:14:55.347" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T02:14:55.347" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25351" CreationDate="2016-06-05T02:36:34.787" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is what we do and it works every time:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get a shovel and start making a circle around the plant, the bigger the plant the bigger the circle.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Start to dig around the plant and go deep and try not to break to many roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When the plant has been dug around start to work the plant out of the ground, again not trying to break roots if possible.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get a bag of any kind that will not break to easy (like a feed bag) if going a long distance.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When you get to the desired area take out of bag and plant like you normally would, make sure to give plenty of water. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is that. For &quot;Where to plant it&quot;: it really should not matter. We moved ours from one place to the next. Another thing to note, IT IS BEST TO DO THIS IN THE SPRING OR FALL. Doing it in the summer is not the best thing to do, not sure why but it is better to do it in cooler climates. Thus fall and spring. This works for a lot of plants that need to be transplanted, such as currents, gooseberries, strawberries, rhubarb and many others that I could think of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="15448" LastEditDate="2016-07-27T22:52:43.157" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T22:52:43.157" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26353" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26413" CreationDate="2016-06-05T02:38:08.670" Score="4" ViewCount="3036" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was looking for plants to add to containers along with red geraniums (pelargoniums) and came across this photo but after much searching couldn't find any information on what the white trailing plants in this basket are. Can anyone identify them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looks like it might be two different white flowers. The trailing ones in front and then the ones in the back that look a bit like chamomile flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd be happy even with something similar. Ideally a trailing annual that I can use in a similar container arrangement with red geraniums that has small white flowers that is preferably not toxic to pets and that I can start from seeds.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P4qo5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P4qo5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-06-07T18:43:10.797" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T02:01:15.453" Title="What are these trailing plants with white flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26354" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26353" CreationDate="2016-06-05T02:46:27.383" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have found a flower that may suit your needs, looks similar but is not the same. It is called 'Bacopa'. They come in white, pink, lavender, blue, coral red. These are annual and have flowers almost all year. Look more into these if you want but I think these will do you well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's an example of red geraniums with white bacopa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6rhHC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6rhHC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.indianapolisorchard.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.indianapolisorchard.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-06-07T21:04:32.483" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T21:04:32.483" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26355" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25349" CreationDate="2016-06-05T04:06:18.440" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use a 150 mesh screen filter on your water source to keep out sediment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if this isn't city or well water, you can have issues with algae growing in the lines and clogging the drips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are several types of emitters available. Fixed orifice types are the cheapest and most prone to clog.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use pressure compensating self cleaning drip emitters, the PC diaphragm allows them to clear themselves whenever there's a pressure fluctuation (start of irrigation cycle).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the PC emitters don't work out, use flag emitters, the flag can be turned 1/4 turn to pull the core out, allowing manually cleaning of the labyrinth flow channels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dealing with mineral buildup is answered in the other answer, flag emitters are the easiest to give this treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T04:06:18.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24025" CreationDate="2016-06-05T07:07:41.157" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is what I actually did, and it worked around my mouse problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I pre-germinated grass seed mixed with cheap potting compost, I'd guess around 1/8 seed by volume, and heavily watered. I kept this mix in a container kept in a simple covered &quot;growhouse&quot; next to the house which seemed not to attract the mice. The initial germination time was about 2 weeks due to the seed I chose and time of year - this can vary a lot according to temperature and type of seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used the mixture when it had only just started growing - there were roots 0.5 to 1cm long from most seeds, and just a few glimpses of green shoots here and there. I spread this germinated mixture out relatively sparsely - making a thin but full covering layer of compost - where the ground was bare, and essentially treated it as if I had sown it as seed according to the instructions on the packet (i.e. I prepared the ground beforehand and watered afterward)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The germinated seed seemed a lot less interesting to the mice. For comparison I also sowed grass seed normally in a few other patches. Mice ate that seed and ignored the larger patch that I had sown with pre-germinated seed, which has now grown into a full covering over the bare mud.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My lawn is still not perfect, and it has taken fair amount of time to get to this point. This approach did however work out a lot cheaper than getting the whole garden re-turfed. As I had budget constraints, and wanted to use shade tolerant grass (which is slower to grow, plus more expensive to get turf for), this has worked for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14301" LastEditorUserId="14301" LastEditDate="2016-06-06T15:54:11.960" LastActivityDate="2016-06-06T15:54:11.960" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26357" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="168" CreationDate="2016-06-05T09:15:26.620" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very similar issue with Lupins, 2 plants bought at the same time that have previously flowered well in the same bed are being stripped of the flowers, just leaving a damaged stem, I have no issues with slugs or snails, the plants leaves are good, however one plant is affected and the other is not, the damage is being caused by Sparrows seeking bugs from the young flowers, I have been spraying bug spray and there are no signs of bugs, however the Sparrows still look for them and cause damage to the young flower, once fully flowered they seem to leave them alone, it is only the young flowers, most of the buds are knocked off by the birds early in the morning, one day it's fine and the next they are stripped and the fallen buds are just sitting on the leaves below. How I stop the Sparrows doing this... I don't know, and why they seem to only strip one plant and not the other is a mystery too, maybe one gives off a slightly different scent or maybe one sits in the flight path of the Sparrows so it's the one they land on first, then when they find no bugs they don't bother with the other plant??&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ncaBA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ncaBA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14926" LastEditorUserId="14926" LastEditDate="2016-06-05T13:51:22.360" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T13:51:22.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25330" CreationDate="2016-06-05T11:26:17.960" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is a grasshopper, one of the many species. You see clearly the long leg, used to jump.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grasshoppers eat vegetables, but it seems a too high damage for such small grasshopper. Maybe there are much more (and also bigger/adults). Or the large damages are done by other bugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Birds like to eat them (but if these are the vegetarian one, which like to eat your salads).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T11:26:17.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26359" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25329" CreationDate="2016-06-05T11:28:38.363" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems a loquat ( &lt;em&gt;Eriobotrya japonica&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loquat&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loquat&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a evergreen, and produce edible fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T11:28:38.363" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24274" CreationDate="2016-06-05T15:56:33.237" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience, and as was recommended to me by other avocado growers, the plant should be kept out of harsh, direct sun as long as the stem is still green and hasn't yet formed proper bark.&#xA;Outdoor plants are often covered, and I have ended up setting my avocados up under a 5000K grow light, that way they get all the light they need without the heat from the sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant will come back next season! If it starts to wilt from the top down, wait until it sets out new shoots and then cut off the dead stem just above the new shoot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend using blinds to regulate the sun at noon in the warmest months, or moving the plant to a cooler location. Again, grow lights are a great way to give it the light it needs without the risk of scorching it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck with your plant!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14928" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T15:56:33.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26361" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-05T17:15:23.420" Score="4" ViewCount="993" Body="&lt;p&gt;2009 diseased honey locust:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Enjfi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Enjfi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2009 diseased honey locust&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;June of 2016 full view:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zFKGG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zFKGG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;![2016 full view&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a honey locust that developed a disease within it's first year and an arborist saw it.  He told me it is what they call herpes for trees.  It had cankers of some sort on the trunk that had killed the majority of the tree.  He said we could cut the main trunk off and create a new main trunk with a zip tie, the nearest large branch, and patience.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After 7 years, it has flourished, somewhat. The trunk has grown around the dead part and it appears sturdy.  However, I'm afraid too much of the inner trunk is dead wood and will not provide a sturdy enough trunk as the tree continues to mature.  No branches really grow on the affected side of the tree either.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do we bite the bullet and remove the tree now or will it be okay in the years to come?  We love our little sad tree...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I replaced the close up of the trunk with a full size view.  You can still zoom in to see the damage. It starts as a &quot;V&quot; near the base and moves up.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With this new view, do you still recommend removing the tree? And is it a disease or poor transporting/planting? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14929" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-13T23:37:28.600" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T23:37:28.600" Title="What should we do with a 7-8 year old honey locust tree that has been damaged by disease?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;honey-locust&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26362" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26361" CreationDate="2016-06-05T18:43:48.040" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your picture shows that new growth has almost enclosed the old bole. As time goes on, the gap will close and new wood will be added each year all around the trunk. Structurally the tree will be okay for at least a decade or two or more. Along this 'seam' and its edges, however, it is (almost) certain that branches will never develop. In other words, that one side of the trunk will never produce any branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your tree appears to have only three or four branches that are alive. The ones without leaves, I think are dead and should be removed sometime. Were it mine, I would 'chop' it down to just above the lowest leaved branch and try to make it be the leader by repeating the exercise you've already been through. I would use a couple of zip ties to anchor a pole to the trunk and then tie this one branch up into a more-or-less vertical position. At the same time I might prune off maybe half of this branch's length. This will cause new branches to form from the buds at the bases of the leaves at the pruned end. While this doesn't leave you with much tree for now, you will have at least as much foliage by the end of this season and with the beginnings of what could be a nice tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I find these kinds of projects fun - that is why I am into creating bonsai. However, this tree will continue to look rather ugly and will demand some pruning attention to shape it over the next few years. You likely can replace it with another tree that will be beautiful in a fraction of the time for a minimal cost. Honestly, right now I am thinking about how I would like to chop it down to about 6 inches tall and see if I get shoots from the stump. If so, I'll dig it out this fall and put it in a pot and try to develop it into a bonsai. Then, either this fall or next spring I would plug a new tree into its place in the yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, my honest opinion is: replace it;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;even though it could be okay for many, many years to come with a bit of work. If its a project you want to take on, I'm rooting for you! You will likely learn a lot about trees in the process (water goes up through the wood, goodies from the leaves come down in the inner bark, there's cambium in between that makes the bole diameter increase annually, etcetera, etcetera).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T18:43:48.040" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26365" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24999" CreationDate="2016-06-05T19:35:49.663" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This link &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.plantvillage.org/en/topics/brussels-sprouts&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.plantvillage.org/en/topics/brussels-sprouts&lt;/a&gt; discusses the problems seen with Brussels sprouts. Small buds can result from boron deficiency, and black/brown leaves from fungal disease such as alternaria leaf spot. The plants also need 6 hours of sunshine ( mine are mostly shaded in winter), and plenty of organic matter due to reduced microbial activity in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T19:35:49.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24025" CreationDate="2016-06-05T19:44:49.737" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seeds need heat and water to germinate, and they don't need light. So, under the constraints you imposed, I would have sewn the grass and just covered it under black plastic ( in colder weather so as not to solarize the soil), and used bricks to hold it down so the mouse could not feed. Once the seeds had germinated, I would have removed the covers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T19:44:49.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26367" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26370" CreationDate="2016-06-05T19:57:00.397" Score="4" ViewCount="1892" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a round bush, which I didn't plant, growing in what is usually my &quot;annual&quot; garden. It's about two feet high and the same width. At the end of the stems there are clusters of small, bright yellow flowers, somewhat resembling buttercups. The flowers have no odor, although the leaves smell unpleasant in a way I can't really describe. In some areas narrow seedpods are appearing. The seeds are white, very small, and lined up in a row, like peas in a pod. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been blooming for about a month. I think it's pretty, and have been hoping it would stay for a while. To that end, I decided to deadhead the flowers and stems back to the next junction.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I pinched off the main stems, I found that they're filled with a bright orange substance. It behaves like a line of paint from a tube, thick at the end and growing thinner and more pale as I squeeze the stem. The same substance is in the base of the cluster of seed pods. It is not, however, in the small stems which join the flowers to each other (I have a feeling stem is not the right word for those, and would appreciate a correction), or in the flowers themselves, even if I open a bud. It's odorless, spreads easily to any skin it touches, and, although not sticky, requires soap, water, and a bit of effort to remove.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a few questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What is this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What is the orange substance called?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If I deadhead it, can I extend its blooming period?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If I open the seedpods and scatter the seeds around some other areas, might they produce more bushes next year? I'm too lazy to gather the seeds and do what's necessary to overwinter them, so that's not an option. I thought about propagating from a cutting, but it doesn't seem woody enough to do that. I understand birds, other backyard visitors, and wind, might carry the seeds away. I just wonder if, in general, doing that might increase my chances of having more. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the pictures for larger views.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XaDcY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XaDcYm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UMuTW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UMuTWm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower, leaf, seedpod&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FndyH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FndyHm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Painted finger&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UFrLG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UFrLGm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;substance coming from stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QP5mL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QP5mLm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stem joining cluster of seedpods&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kvqCd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kvqCdm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Broken stem, bent flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2020-04-25T17:09:03.900" Title="What is this bush with small yellow flowers and an orange substance in the stems?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26368" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26367" CreationDate="2016-06-05T20:09:53.020" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looked interesting so I tried to search for it. Not sure but looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelidonium&quot;&gt;Chelidonium&lt;/a&gt;. Flowers and leaves look the same, seed pod and even the yellow to orange latex in the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing to note is the plant is toxic, the latex can cause contact dermatitis and eye irritation so I hope you washed your hands thoroughly and keep them away from your eyes. Has some therapeutic uses too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T20:09:53.020" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26367" CreationDate="2016-06-05T22:21:26.000" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is definetively &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelidonium&quot;&gt;Chelidonium majus&lt;/a&gt; or greater celandine. In the US it's a neophyte, probably imported by early settlers that used the orange milk to treat warts&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; and other skin conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does contain various alkaloids, so you'd better not eat it, but the sap tastes sharp and very bitter, nothing you'd eat by accident. Wash your hands and do not touch your eyes or mucous membranes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It prefers nitrogen-rich damp conditions - often a gap in a stone wall will suffice, but I have occasionally found it in drier spots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a biennial or perennial, so it will come back if you let it grow. You might find its seedlings in other spots because it uses ants to carry its seeds: the seeds have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaiosome&quot;&gt;caruncle&lt;/a&gt;, a little fleshy attachment the ants like to eat. So they will carry the seed to their nest, eat the caruncle and deposit the seed outside. That's probably how you got it in the first place. You can definetively mimic the ants' behaviour by scattering the seeds as soon as the pods ripen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The blooming period is quite long per se - some sources say until October - but if you dedhead it, you &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; get more blooms. Frankly, it's usually considered a weed here in Europe, so there are few sources about &lt;em&gt;care&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; It is even available as cream against warts, but applying the sap a few days in a row has been documented as effective. The mechanisms are unclear, it may be the proteolytic compounds or those that have anti-viral effects (proven in-vitro), or both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-06-05T22:27:00.540" LastActivityDate="2016-06-05T22:27:00.540" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26371" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-06T04:00:50.467" Score="4" ViewCount="283" Body="&lt;p&gt;I dug out all the moss in my backyard in early May and reseed with Scotts sun and shade grass seed. After a month there are some weed or some kind of grass growing. Just wondering what kind is it. I cut across the stem and is flat. The leaves are glossy on the underside and no hair or nodes. I have not mowed the lawn for over a month since reseeding. Should I dig it out or should I just leave it. I am in Pacific Northwest. &#xA;Thanks for your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Scotts sun and shade grass seed consists of 42% creeping red rescue, 34% turf type perennial rye grass and 24% Kentucky blue grass. I check on the internet, it looks like those weed/grass is turf type perennial rye grass. But I am not 100% sure.&#xA;It looks like the same as this :&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/19773/is-this-a-grass-or-weed-or-what-type-of-grass&quot;&gt;Is this a grass or weed or what type of grass?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6oASR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6oASR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SI5Sr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SI5Sr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More pictures to show the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wPyEx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wPyEx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DRHvA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DRHvA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More pictures to show the size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Rx5T.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Rx5T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YF6eF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YF6eF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14933" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T12:14:49.747" Title="Please ID weed/grass" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26374" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-06T05:37:40.373" Score="7" ViewCount="951" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard wiggling is good for plants, because it promotes root spreading. Does artificial wiggling do the same thing? if so how much should I wiggle the tree artificially?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-06T12:22:48.123" Title="How much wiggling for trees is too much?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26375" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26374" CreationDate="2016-06-06T06:38:33.520" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is an article here &lt;a href=&quot;http://woodlandsteward.squarespace.com/storage/past-issues/windaffe.htm&quot;&gt;http://woodlandsteward.squarespace.com/storage/past-issues/windaffe.htm&lt;/a&gt; that discusses the effect of wind on tree growth but not of artificial movement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically different trees respond to wind stress in different ways, and continued movement appears to disrupt the root soil interface so that trees end up shorter, and more stout. If the movement is primarily from one direction, the roots are forced to grow larger on the other, presumably by hormones such as ethylene.  So in a forest, the edge trees are smaller then one protected from the wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, there is a cost to the stress of movement, and that is to trunk growth, but it could increase the roots to protect them from winds that might otherwise uproot the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an aside, if you're growing seedlings inside, some people recommend brushing them as you pass by to simulate wind stimulation enhance root formation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would your trees benefit from eg. banging your head on the trunk regularly? Probably not as you might be stimulating unnecessary root growth for the tree's local environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-06T06:38:33.520" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26376" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-06T09:19:29.450" Score="2" ViewCount="251" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a huge pot with a plant in it in the hall way of our company. Nobody knows what it is and if it's fake or not (some photos can be seen below). We never give it water as well and it doesn't seem he needs it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's not fake, what kind of plant is it and does it need some kind of care?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves feel cardboard-ish. Maybe that's some information you need to identify this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aYAlKl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aYAlKl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hall way plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hm7UOl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hm7UOl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hall way plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14254" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-25T16:21:14.937" LastActivityDate="2017-12-25T16:21:14.937" Title="Identification office plant, fake or real?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-06-07T13:41:13.417" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26377" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1407" CreationDate="2016-06-06T09:35:44.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pollinate the early batch of flowers by hand, rather than relying on insects. Pick an open male flower (which doesn't have a swelling at the base) and strip off the petals to expose the stamens and pollen. Then just rub them thoroughly against the stigma of a female flower (which has a swelling or an immature fruit at its base).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14936" LastActivityDate="2016-06-06T09:35:44.440" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26378" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26376" CreationDate="2016-06-06T09:57:35.863" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a bromeliad, likely a variety of Aechmea Fasciata.  See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3519/what-is-this-houseplant/3521#3521&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-06-06T09:57:35.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26374" CreationDate="2016-06-06T10:42:12.533" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're probably talking about a response to movement of air, or movement by mechanical means, known as thigmomorphogenesis, some technical reading on the subject here &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00027213#page-1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00027213#page-1&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may be useful to introduce a fan on a low setting into a greenhouse when you're growing seedlings so that there is gentle air movement around them, causing the seedlings to develop thicker stems and shorter growth rather than becoming tall and spindly. It's also useful to stake newly planted trees in a manner which allows for the stem or trunk to respond to wind with a little movement in the upper parts, so that the trunk thickens and becomes stronger as it grows in response to that, although it shouldn't be staked in this fashion in such a windy spot that its roots rock too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This, though, does not mean trees (or other plants) will necessarily respond well to a good thrashing about or 'wiggling' performed by you or anything else, so I'm in agreement with Graham here - leave 'em alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-06T12:22:48.123" LastActivityDate="2016-06-06T12:22:48.123" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26380" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-06T09:31:04.030" Score="8" ViewCount="498" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple of months ago I planted some silver fern spores. For a while nothing happened, but now I have 2 different types of plants growing in my pot, and I'm not sure if I should be removing one of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my pot:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WcrT8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WcrT8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My flower pot &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can se there are 2 different types of plants. The first one: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SlfVM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SlfVM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;first plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the second one:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ySx4Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ySx4Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;second plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think that the second one is the first stage of the fern growth cycle, but I don't really know much about plants so I'm not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if one of them is the fern, should I be removing the other things that grow in the same pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Backside of fern:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UG3NM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UG3NM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;back side of fern&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More recent photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UhsTj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UhsTj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gpLz1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gpLz1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT 2:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Here is the same planta a couple of  months later:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BxwFB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BxwFB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;baby fern&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sI8vK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sI8vK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;baby fern&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oQqdM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oQqdM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fern leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Zgl5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Zgl5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;backside of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14939" OwnerDisplayName="Topo" LastEditorUserId="14939" LastEditDate="2016-08-12T21:59:24.880" LastActivityDate="2016-09-23T06:57:43.217" Title="Is any of this a Fern?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="15" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26381" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26383" CreationDate="2016-06-06T13:44:02.403" Score="3" ViewCount="481" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have moved to Wichita Falls, Texas. This is Hardiness Zone 7b. We're at the southern end of the Southern Plains, near the Oklahoma border - 2hrs from Oklahoma City, Lubbock, and Fort Worth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The garden has a pond and a reasonable amount of shade. Can I grow &lt;em&gt;Sarracenia&lt;/em&gt; in these conditions? I'm thinking it should be possible to grow it as a marginal in a pot that is on a pond shelf (ie. base is submerged), but raised up so that the soil (or coarse sand) surface is an inch or two above the pond surface.  Is that possible? Has anyone tried something like this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking of &lt;em&gt;Sarracenia alata&lt;/em&gt; because of the size (18-24in) and I have seen it growing in the wild in East Texas (shaded bottom-land forest/swamp).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T10:31:58.300" Title="Growing *Sarracenia* in a pond in the Southern Plains" Tags="&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;pond&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19211" CreationDate="2016-06-06T14:19:50.640" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think frost will damage it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I noticed that on spring the Redwood tend to brownish, but later in end spring it will return green (blue green at the beginning).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-06T14:19:50.640" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26383" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26381" CreationDate="2016-06-06T14:22:18.550" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen these plants growing wild in USDA zone 4.  It should be possible to duplicate the conditions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;full sun&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;constant access to water but not in the water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sited at the edge of a hummock of grasses over compacted dead plant material&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would use dried sphagnum moss if you can find it at florists or craft stores. Failing that shredded coconut husk or even wading into the local bog for a quick sample.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never underestimate the positive effects of local microflora and microfauna on the growth of these plants.  I have no reference but suspect that a dash of the local swamp in your planting medium will be of immense help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-06T14:22:18.550" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26384" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24025" CreationDate="2016-06-06T15:01:59.213" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-202877&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Chilli powder&lt;/a&gt; has been suggested to keep mammals off bird seed (birds don't have a recptor for capsaicin; peppers have evolved to be spread by birds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try mixing some chilli flakes with the seed (this might be more durable that chilli powder).  If some chilli seeds germinate they'll be taken out by the first mowing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2016-06-06T15:01:59.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26385" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26390" CreationDate="2016-06-06T23:01:13.163" Score="7" ViewCount="1139" Body="&lt;p&gt;My new house came with this berry plant which a landscaper identified as  raspberry.  The fruits are ripening black. The taste of ripe fruit is nice, if a bit sour, not quite raspberry nor blackberry.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which is it? Should I prune the trailing branches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Oa3z0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Oa3z0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HoSHN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HoSHN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unripe showing leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f1NJ6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f1NJ6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fruit cut open&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a wider shot&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NxK5F.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NxK5F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;wide shot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13860" LastEditorUserId="13860" LastEditDate="2016-06-07T01:04:49.800" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T02:07:41.993" Title="Is this a black raspberry or a blackberry?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26386" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-07T00:09:01.993" Score="2" ViewCount="1696" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my neighbors moved away and the new property owners bulldozed their house for new construction&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They left behind their raspberry bushes so I want to root some clippings from the plants to put in my garden area before the plants are torn out as well&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14942" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T01:07:33.093" Title="Can I use miracle-gro all purpose plant food to root raspberry clippings?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26387" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26386" CreationDate="2016-06-07T01:07:33.093" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Miracle Gro All Purpose Plant Food is a fertilizer product. What you want is a rooting hormone product. It doesn't appear that Miracle Gro Plant Foood has any rooting hormones in it but Miracle Gro does make a rooting hormone product. You don't necessarily need a rooting product but it may increase your chances of success. Just stick the cutting in some potting soil or water and wait for roots to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking of doing something similar and found this blog on &lt;a href=&quot;http://agrowingtradition.blogspot.com/2012/03/propagating-raspberries-root-cuttings.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;rooting raspberry plants&lt;/a&gt;. She did it without any rooting hormone, just put the sucker cane cuttings in moist potting mix and sealed them in a plastic bag for a month. Seemed to work out well as you can see in a follow up post &lt;a href=&quot;http://agrowingtradition.blogspot.com/search/label/fruit%20propagation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T01:07:33.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26388" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26385" CreationDate="2016-06-07T01:29:51.533" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Heh, Dr. Frank Lang did a little talk on plants of the Pacific Northwest and noted as a joke that getting rid of blackberries in Western Oregon is nigh impossible as there is one single root that runs from Portland to Ashland and grubbing it out is a Sisyphean task. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blackberries are manageable as a berry vine, don't let the fruit drop so they seed out. Smooth, thornless varieties are available from our local grower's coop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you have has been well maintained and kept in trim, enjoy the berries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to invasiveness, a Loganberry is pretty impressive as to the sheer growth, it will nearly run you off the property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T01:29:51.533" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26389" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26398" CreationDate="2016-06-07T01:35:15.660" Score="4" ViewCount="94" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some climbing plants need a support to climb. For example some (all?) Clematis species which climb a trellis but not a bare wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other climbing plants can climb on walls without a support, for example English Ivy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do these two types of climbing plants have names/categories that differentiate this climbing habit? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or otherwise do they have a common characteristic that differentiate them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T14:36:59.370" Title="How to name/characterize climbing plants by climbing habit" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26390" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26385" CreationDate="2016-06-07T01:44:08.727" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on the pictures at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.blackraspberrybuzz.com/the-difference-between-black-raspberries-and-blackberries&quot;&gt;this website&lt;/a&gt; and some general knowledge of my own what you have is a blackberry. Blackberries are shiny fruits with large cells and a white core just like the picture you show. By comparison, black raspberries are less shiny with smaller cells and, when fully ripe. come off the plant hollow inside, giving them another common name of 'Blackcap'. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For pruning blackberries there are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/blackberries/blackberry-pruning.htm&quot;&gt;two stages&lt;/a&gt;. The first is done in early spring and is called tip-pruning. When you are tip-pruning you cut the top few inches of the tips of the canes off. This encourages the canes to branch out more, leading to more berries. It's also a good time to clip out any canes that look unhealthy or damaged so the plant focuses it's efforts on stronger canes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second stage of pruning is done in summer. Once your blackberries have all been harvested the canes they just came off of are done. They will not fruit (or even grow) again next year, so this is a good time to cut them out, which will encourage the plant to send up more new canes that will eventually bear next years crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-06-07T02:07:41.993" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T02:07:41.993" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24303" CreationDate="2016-06-07T02:39:39.087" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe it is a Crassula Lactea, we have one that looks very similar to this! I'd post a photo with my answer but I just joined and can't figure out how to post a photo with my questions or answers&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14943" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T02:39:39.087" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26393" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26459" CreationDate="2016-06-07T02:52:40.500" Score="4" ViewCount="1717" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm considering getting a Quince (Cydonia Oblonga) tree for my dad for father's day in zone 4A, and was wondering how long after planting it would start producing fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2020-01-02T19:37:05.507" Title="How many years does it take for a Quince to fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26395" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26397" CreationDate="2016-06-07T07:09:38.250" Score="6" ViewCount="2348" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a plant growing beneath our wine. What kind of plant is it? Flower or weed? Five little leafs are on the white blossoms. It is growing very fast. Leaves are large and heart shaped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QTNwy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QTNwy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FUro2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FUro2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6902" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T10:19:44.993" Title="Is this plant with small white blossoms a weed or a flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26396" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4134" CreationDate="2016-06-07T09:22:15.803" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had pretty much the same thing happen last year. I think I just kept them indoors way too long before transplanting (they were huge and I even got a fruit before transplanting). I think that's your problem, too. I'm not sure the ideal size to transplant, but I'm pretty sure eight inches is too long. After that, I just direct-seeded new seeds outdoors and they were fine. Granted, I should have used heat/drought-tolerant varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T09:22:15.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26395" CreationDate="2016-06-07T10:10:09.000" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckwheat&quot;&gt;buckwheat&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; from the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fagopyrum&quot;&gt;fagopyrum&lt;/a&gt; family (I would expect some reddish tinge especially on the lower stem for buckwheat - but your photos only show the tips).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether you consider it a flower or a weed is up to you - beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I have it amongst other annuals in my wildflower / insect food border and it self-seeds well. Note that most &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygonaceae&quot;&gt;polygonaceae&lt;/a&gt; tend to proliferate (and hence are typically seen as weed), so you &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; want to cut it before it goes to seed. But it's quite controllable by ripping out seedlings, unlike thistles etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-06-07T10:19:44.993" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T10:19:44.993" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26398" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26389" CreationDate="2016-06-07T10:30:52.700" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Climbing plants do it in three different ways - self adhering (or self clinging), twining, or scrambling (sometimes called tendril climbers). Those which are self adhering use small rootlike growths to penetrate into a suitable surface, as with Hedera varieties, and some penetrate a surface more than others. Virginia creeper, for example, only lightly adheres to a surface rather than penetrating as deep as something like Hedera (English ivy). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Twining plants, as the name suggests, twine round supports, themselves, or any nearby suitable object, like a bamboo cane or another plant; examples of that type of plant are Honeysuckle and Campsis radicans. Scrambling plants use modified petioles or tendrils to cling onto a support - clematis and sweet pea are good examples of this. Both need thin supports to cling to, such as clematis mesh, thin canes, their own stems or another plant, but the tendrils won't be able to wrap themselves round thick supports, such as those found in trellis, so mechanical intervention by us is needed to persuade them to climb up those, by tying them into place, or wrapping the stems around the wood slats. This method of persuasion is often used for larger, species varieties of clematis which we know will need strong support, such as Clematis montana, which over time develops thick, woody stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The term 'climbing' is often used for plants which do not climb at all; it's applied to some roses, pelargoniums and even fuchsia, but none will 'climb' or be high up without being supported or tied to a support. Left to their own devices, they would grow to a certain height and then sprawl, or grow across the ground. The definition of a true climber would be a plant that attempts to haul itself upwards by attaching itself in some way to whatever's available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-07T14:36:59.370" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T14:36:59.370" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26399" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-07T05:25:28.733" Score="5" ViewCount="6867" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for a privacy hedge which is dense, grows to at least 6 ft tall, has small leaves and is evergreen and can sustain harsh winter of northeast USA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like boxwood &quot;Green Velvet&quot; for its leaf size and color but it doesn't grow that tall and growth is slow as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see a lot of hedge videos on YouTube from Australia but not as much in the USA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really like Moonshadow Euonymus which has awesome leaves but it doesn't grow tall and have not seen any pictures showing as hedge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14948" OwnerDisplayName="zar" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-07T13:52:02.533" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T17:02:26.903" Title="What is the best privacy hedge for the US northeast?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;privacy-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26400" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26399" CreationDate="2016-06-07T12:48:29.670" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you considered some of the varieties of &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privet&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;privet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is used extensively in the Northeast US as a hedge along property lines, especially &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligustrum_ovalifolium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ligustrum ovalifolium&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, and grows up to 15 ft. high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/64Iw3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/64Iw3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;privet&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is often sheared to achieve flat or rounded sides and tops. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14947" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-07T13:40:55.963" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T13:40:55.963" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26381" CreationDate="2016-06-07T13:12:33.570" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes that should be possible. But read up on the details below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq5552.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;How to grow Sarracenia&lt;/a&gt;. From the Carnivorous Plant FAQ. Good link. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq3000.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The whole FAQ&lt;/a&gt; is also helpful.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Above says &quot;zero-nutrient, acid medium&quot;. So I assume that means zero nitrates? If you have algae in  your pond then you probably have too many nitrates they are feeding on. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastEditorUserId="11061" LastEditDate="2016-06-08T10:31:58.300" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T10:31:58.300" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26402" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24025" CreationDate="2016-06-07T13:18:23.537" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sprinkle hot pepper powder or juice on the area especially the seeds. This will react with their feet and their mouth. Chili powder generally is not hot enough. Mammals can taste the heat but birds cannot. So this will help with the mammals, but not with birds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Treat again after every rain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T13:18:23.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25354" CreationDate="2016-06-07T13:37:45.737" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your water table is 4 feet down from the surface of the soil, that should be fine for most garden plants. But if you have soil that has a lot of clay, that retains too much moisture for too long, you will have to mix in some sand where you plant your garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most plants don't like feet that are wet all the time. Water logged roots = dead roots = dead plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Example: My normal soil is very sandy in most places, so I have to water more often as almost no water is retained there. But I got some potting soil and started some seeds in there in pots, and this soil keeps moist for much longer so I had to water much less or the roots would get diseased from too much moisture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does that help? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T13:37:45.737" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26404" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-07T13:55:42.630" Score="4" ViewCount="3160" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought some turf rolls and on finding out I didn't have enough, had to panic lay some further rolls from a different vendor. These extra rolls are a deeper green than the originals laid, so will these blend in colour eventually or will there be a differentiation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14949" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-07T14:13:40.680" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T20:23:50.443" Title="Will differently coloured rolls of turf become the same colour over time?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26405" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26404" CreationDate="2016-06-07T15:27:31.877" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Short answer: Probably not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Turf, or grass or sod is a general term referring to a wide variety of plants. Just like saying vegetables can refer to a wide variety of edibles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Within the world of grass are certain types of grass such as tall fescue, fine fescues, kentucky bluegrass, perennial rye, st augustine, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Within those types are specific cultivars. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of different cultivars such as Dakota tall fescue, Taos Tall Fescue, Midnight Kentucky Blue grass, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different types of grass exhibit different characteristics in terms of growth habits, texture, color. Even within a certain type different cultivars have differences. Some cultivars are genetically different colors and respond to different management differently which can affect their appearance. Some have vastly different colors. Some are dark green and some are a lighter green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want your lawn to have a consistent look you should plant the same mixture of grass throughout. If you're laying sod you should get the same type of sod from the same sod farmer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is possible that different sod farmers would have the exact same blend but one would have fertilized it more or it was more recently fertilized but chances are you have two different types of grass that do not exhibit the same characteristics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-06-07T20:23:50.443" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T20:23:50.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26406" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-07T15:52:17.097" Score="5" ViewCount="234" Body="&lt;p&gt;this appeared under Norway maple, but nowhere else in my yard. Can't find it on the Internet (yet). Deer/something ate it at first but stopped.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4jW4C.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4jW4C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YsdPT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YsdPT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;roots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iIDeN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iIDeN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've added a picture of the stem. I think the other weed had opposite leaves, while mine doesn't. The stem is hollow, and does not exude any sap. It does not have a significant taproot. There are no spines/prickers on the leaves.I think it is a Nabalus albus/Prenathes alba, a/k/a White Snake Root or White lettuce. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14950" LastEditorUserId="14950" LastEditDate="2016-06-08T18:24:56.333" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T18:24:56.333" Title="Need help identifying a new plant/weed? in my garden" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26407" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26399" CreationDate="2016-06-07T17:02:26.903" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leyland Cypress is a popular privacy tree on the west coast, and will also grow well on the east coast from what I have heard. It can be planted as a dense hedge, and provides year round color. They are very hardy, and with fertilizer/good soil can grow 3 feet a year. They will get quite tall if you don't keep them under control, but they accept pruning well, and can be kept manageable. The only thing I've ever seen kill a Leyland is being girdled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bhhth.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bhhth.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Manicured as a hedge&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Manicured as a hedge&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8ggRF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8ggRF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;More natural shape&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;More natural shape&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14336" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T17:02:26.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26408" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28924" CreationDate="2016-06-07T17:04:48.403" Score="4" ViewCount="6726" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small space in front of my townhouse that I would like to put a paver patio.. There is a great tree that I would like to keep there. I would like to fill the whole area with pavers, but dont know if i need to keep a certain distance from the tree, or if there will be enough water and oxygen getting through the base rock and leveling sand. Can I still do this project without killing the tree? &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U4tZ0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U4tZ0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14951" OwnerDisplayName="scott.schaffer" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T12:53:21.223" Title="Putting patio pavers around a tree" Tags="&lt;patio&gt;&lt;pavers&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26410" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26415" CreationDate="2016-06-07T18:23:52.067" Score="6" ViewCount="209" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a question on the identification of two trees, which I am pretty sure are hawthorn species. First of all, where I live: Gants Hill, London, England, UK. I took the two photos below in the middle of last month, i.e. mid-May.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/5c/0f/06/5c0f06c3e819ad174b3697192675b99d.jpg&quot; /&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/2c/97/7f/2c977ffb47c84fbb09993cede8dd09b3.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I’m very sure the top one is Common Hawthorn (&lt;em&gt;Crataegus monogyna&lt;/em&gt;) but not so sure about the bottom one. I think it may be Midland Hawthorn (&lt;em&gt;Crataegus laevigata&lt;/em&gt;). The leaves are clearly different: those of the &lt;em&gt;C. monogyna&lt;/em&gt; (top) have lobes with deep cuts while those of tree below have shallower lobes – characteristics which are consistent with what I’ve gathered from my own Google research on the two species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, does anyone know if the bottom one is &lt;em&gt;C. laevigata&lt;/em&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14952" LastEditorUserId="14952" LastEditDate="2016-06-07T18:41:43.897" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T21:54:31.937" Title="Hawthorn identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25255" CreationDate="2016-06-07T18:26:40.440" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in up-state N.Y.. The  5 leaved plants in the fore-ground look like the same stuff I have growing up one of our trees. It also trails along the ground. A couple yrs. ago I tried pulling it up, got itchy blisters on my hands and feet.. either p. ivy or oak..IF it's one of those, check and see if it's running along the ground. If you do the newer leaves are almost reddish, and be careful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14436" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T18:26:40.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26353" CreationDate="2016-06-07T19:19:40.670" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The white trailing plant to the left is Achillea ptarmica 'Gypsy White'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dxDUA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dxDUA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/2586/gypsy-white-yarrow/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Monrovia's&lt;/a&gt; Description:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Abundant tiny, bright white flowers bloom above fragrant, deep green,&#xA;  needle-like foliage on a semi-trailing habit. This butterfly attractor&#xA;  is a wonderful addition to mass plantings, containers or as a&#xA;  specimen. A long-lasting cut flower. Very heat tolerant. Perennial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/achillea-ptarmica-gipi-whi-gypsy-white-pp18120/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Further Info&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/awards/44974&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Awards&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achillea_ptarmica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia's&lt;/a&gt; entry for this plant lists its species as &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_plants_poisonous_to_equines&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;toxic to equines&lt;/a&gt; but it doesn't actually appear any longer on the list itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The small leaf that appears under the daisies to the right indicate to me a cultivar of Marguerite. More than likely, Argyranthemum frutescens as shown here on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/argyranthemum/molimba-helio-white-marguerite-daisy-argyranthemum-frutescens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Proven Winnners&lt;/a&gt; website.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BnL7U.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BnL7U.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-06-08T02:01:15.453" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T02:01:15.453" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26414" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-07T19:47:00.747" Score="1" ViewCount="487" Body="&lt;p&gt;Water washes away the soil around papaya roots, leaving their upper parts partly exposed, like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zo376.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zo376.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Close up:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9UQcC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9UQcC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree in the photos is the most serious example I have. Yet it seems perfectly healthy, even though the roots have been like this for months. Is it a big deal? And whether yes or no, why? In the beginning, I tried packing earth around them, but the earth was so loose that it just washed away again quickly with the water. Should I do anything, and if yes, what?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14572" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T19:47:00.747" Title="Is it a big deal if the upper parts of papaya roots are exposed like this?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;papaya&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26410" CreationDate="2016-06-07T20:09:52.833" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Certainly looks like C. laevigata, possibly the variety 'Paul's Scarlet', though that usually has double flowers, so perhaps 'Crimson Cloud' but C. laevigata either way - the coloration does differ somewhat between individual trees, and over time. Link below showing C. 'crimson cloud'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.greenplantswap.co.uk/plants/5389-crataegus-laevigata-crimson-cloud&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.greenplantswap.co.uk/plants/5389-crataegus-laevigata-crimson-cloud&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most images show Crimson Cloud as quite red, but in real life, they may start out quite red but turn more pink, or be more pink than red in the first place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-09T23:17:28.753" LastActivityDate="2017-11-09T23:17:28.753" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26416" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26418" CreationDate="2016-06-07T20:13:49.483" Score="5" ViewCount="556" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some kale that I planted in a raised bed.  It is growing well and I take out leaves as and when I need it.  Of course, it keeps growing new leaves.  My question is at what point will the kale stop producing (or die)?  The motivation for my question is to start planning for the next set of plants to put in place of the kale when they eventually stop producing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-07T20:27:58.437" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T20:24:20.267" Title="At what point does kale stop producing?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26417" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25335" CreationDate="2016-06-07T20:28:27.717" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like 5 needles per fascicle?  I blew it up and pretty sure this is a white pine...Pinus strobulus or close. I SEE 5 needles.  Are you sure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T20:28:27.717" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26418" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26416" CreationDate="2016-06-07T20:46:04.023" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on the zone you are raising Kale the main sign that that Kale plant will stop producing is when it flowers/produces seed.  Bolts...keep those flowers off that plant, use higher nitrogen when fertilizing and it should last most of the season.  It is an annual normally.  An annual has only ONE purpose in life and that is to make seeds, babies.  You cut those babies/flowers/reproductive structures OFF and that annual gets bigger, healthier and REALLY starts producing.  Now an annual where you only want vegetative growth you make dang sure you NEVER allow any energy to go into seed making. You do that by using NPK ratios so that the N is higher in number than the phosphorus and potassium.  You cut off chop off any reproductive growth that starts.  When the daylight hours shorten you'll not be able to keep up as that is another trigger telling that plant time is short and you need to make seed!  I am not advocating LOTS OF FERTILIZER.  It is simply the PERCENTAGE between the three vital chemicals plants need to have in a domestic garden.  Higher the number on N, you get vegetative growth...leaves.  Lower than number below the P and the K and you'll get more reproductive growth.  Once that plant sets seed...hey its life is fullfilled and will start dying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If a gardener wants more of a vegey, definitely what you intuit is to start fresh crops every 2 weeks apart...hey, what do you use your kale FOR?  I love Kale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T20:46:04.023" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26419" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-07T21:36:31.323" Score="3" ViewCount="6336" Body="&lt;p&gt;My fiancée and I bought our first house last December and the previous owners did a fantastic job with the garden. Beautiful plants, shrubs etc, and a small pond (estimate about 2m x 1m and 2m deep). Up until a few weeks ago the water was fairly clear with a few lilies. I noticed we had frogs (I counted 8) and they produced frog spawn which has since given birth to lots of tadpoles, although I haven't seen them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem now is that we've suddenly hit summer and duckweed has blanketed the pond. I would like to manage the duckweed as I know it's hard to get rid of completely, but I'm not sure if I'll be harming the tadpoles and frogs if I remove it as they might like it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have absolutely no idea, its the first time I've had a garden with grass let alone an ecosystem! So any advice would be really appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14954" LastActivityDate="2018-04-21T07:24:56.073" Title="Small pond with frogs is covered with duckweed. Is this OK?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;pond&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26420" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26419" CreationDate="2016-06-07T22:21:14.030" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Congratulations on your new neighbours. I have frogs in my pond for some of the year.  They have no problems with duckweed or plants.  They do like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;areas of water that do not move, perfect for duckweed!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;shallow areas where they can sit and pretend to be invisible&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lots of bugs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Frogs and fish do not go well together.  Fish will eat frog eggs.&#xA;Pesticides, herbicides and chlorinated water are not advised for a frog habitat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can leave the duckweed as it takes up nitrates in the water.  Harder to control is stringy algae. Nothing eats it and it will cover the surface of the pond and shade out everything else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried UV lights and algaecides but the most effective and least intrusive method was a copper anode moderated through an electrical current. Expensive but effective.  You might find this to be a problem later in the summer.  See here for comments on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/staff/rbir/copper.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;large scale use&lt;/a&gt; or here for a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aquascapeinc.com/products/iongen&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;retail product&lt;/a&gt; that I use for algae control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-07T22:21:14.030" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26421" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26424" CreationDate="2016-06-07T23:28:23.693" Score="6" ViewCount="3907" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have three rows of potato plants that are growing really well. I have another row of carrots in the same bed. The carrots have sprouted, but they are still small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves of the potatoes in the nearby row are just starting to get next to the carrots and I'm worried that they will eventually start to shade the carrots before they have a chance to fight for the sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was considering trimming the potatoes, but I wasn't sure if that would significantly inhibit their growth or cause some other undesirable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14280" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T20:45:52.173" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T20:45:52.173" Title="Can I trim my potato plants?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="26422" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-08T00:06:39.990" Score="3" ViewCount="449" Body="&lt;p&gt;I really like the 'boxwood green velvet' for privacy hedge but I ideally need at least 5 ft of height. Most sources for example &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b704&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; says it grows 2 to 4 ft but at least one claims it grows 4 to 6 ft &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/Green-Velvet-Boxwood.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone grown it more than 4 ft? Is there really any chance it can grow 5 ft even 6 ft?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am considering this for north east US (boston area) where it should withstand the harsh winter as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14948" LastEditorUserId="14948" LastEditDate="2016-06-08T13:42:09.263" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T13:42:09.263" Title="How tall can Boxwood Green Velvet really grow?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26423" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-08T00:19:35.117" Score="2" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is growing in one section of my backyard. But don't know if its some sort of herb or weed. Any details on this plant will be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VeRgb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VeRgb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bwezl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bwezl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T00:19:35.117" Title="Is this a weed or what kind of plant is this [see picture below]?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2016-06-08T00:28:25.630" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26424" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26421" CreationDate="2016-06-08T00:47:10.093" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Carrots are shade tolerant so I wouldn't remove the potato leaves.  Any leaf reduction will reduce the amount of carbohydrates being stored in the tubers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they're early season potatoes, you may well have harvested them all before the carrots are mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T00:47:10.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26425" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26419" CreationDate="2016-06-08T00:53:59.643" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Duckweed is just annoying if you have fish because then it reduces your surface visibility so that you can't see them. But otherwise there's no down sides. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you use a net to remove the duck weed and put it in the compost, or feed the chickens, you may find that the increased light levels might stimulate algae growth if there's a lot of nitrates etc in the water.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the tadpoles need oxygen, they can come to the surface.  Or, you could just install a cheap solar fountain to help aerate the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do get algae problems, one way around this is to heavily plant around the pond edges so that the plants take up all the nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-06-08T01:00:44.660" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T01:00:44.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26426" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-08T02:06:22.053" Score="3" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was watching a youtube video on picking sea buckthorn, and was wondering what type of shears they were using.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Video about the tools I was wondering about:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXy3w27_Zz8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXy3w27_Zz8&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;another video:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8TIHsukiQI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8TIHsukiQI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-06-08T20:54:23.333" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T17:49:27.250" Title="What type of clippers is suggested for berry picking?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26427" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-08T02:39:02.830" Score="1" ViewCount="493" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a dracaena marginata plant in a pot in my room upstairs.  This room has a westward facing window which provides direct sunlight for some portion of the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would it be better to put my plant in or close to the direct sunlight? or would this plant grow better in the corner of the room with much more limited sunlight?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14737" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T10:01:11.853" Title="Where to position dracaena in room?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26428" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26421" CreationDate="2016-06-08T03:18:27.870" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you plant potatoes with the recommended spacing along the rows and between the rows, you can expect them to make a complete leaf canopy that shades out everything. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This shade is a good thing, because the shade stops annual weeds from germinating, so you don't need to do any cultivation between earthing up (hilling) the potatoes and harvesting them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you cut back the leaves you will reduce the potato crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to grow something between potato rows, choose plants that will grow quickly early in the season before the potatoes really get going, or alternatively something tall that will grow above the potato leaves. Bush beans (French Beans, Haricot beans) work well, and their roots also fix nitrogen which improves the yield of the potato crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T03:18:27.870" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26429" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-08T05:11:39.903" Score="2" ViewCount="437" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have some pots/room in the garden to plant elephant garlic into, so I was planning to plant in 5 gallon pots. What do you suggest I do to make them into pots, but can use them in the winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T11:51:34.727" Title="How should I convert 5 gallon buckets into pots?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26430" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-08T05:26:49.813" Score="3" ViewCount="384" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm charged with keeping these two orchids alive this summer. Neither look really great right now. The first is a phalaenopsis that was a Christmas gift with beautiful blooms in December. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VQ060.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VQ060.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;moth orchid&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second is several years old, and has a tag that says Lc. Maxima's Aflect 'Arbec'&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qa07X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qa07X.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;orchid&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both look kind of leathery and the second one has some yellowing of two leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are indoors, in good indirect light. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to water and how often? What else can I do to at least maintain them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I don't have a good track record with orchids.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T14:55:28.087" Title="Plant sitting two orchids and need advice" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26431" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26434" CreationDate="2016-06-08T07:11:17.187" Score="6" ViewCount="897" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to build an aquaponic system, that would suffice a family of 4 all year round. I would like to know what space would be required to build the system. Moreover, what should be the size of fish tank and grow beds for the plants? Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14960" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T08:18:02.037" Title="Space required to grow 36 kg beans and 60 kg sweet corn?" Tags="&lt;aquaponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26432" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26429" CreationDate="2016-06-08T07:22:16.000" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can drill some holes for drainage, and use potting mix so that it drains properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted some garlic into air pruning pots over the weekend to see how they'd go since my soil is very water logged at present.  We've just short a few days of the shortest day of the year, the traditional time to plant garlic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing you're not in the southern hemisphere, so what season are you planting yours?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Q1xXTTV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;garlic in air pots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T07:22:16.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26433" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26427" CreationDate="2016-06-08T10:01:11.853" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b592&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dracaena marginata&lt;/a&gt; grows best in bright indirect light.  If you put it in the corner of the room chances are good it will only be getting enough light to get by.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will survive but people tend to water too much in lower light which can cause root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could always rotate the plant between the two positions every month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T10:01:11.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26431" CreationDate="2016-06-08T10:14:49.453" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd advise against growing corn aquaponically to feed your family.  Consider that you need to space the plants out about a foot, and say one plant gives you 1 kg for ease of calculation, and that you can grow 3 crops per year, then you'll need 20 square foot for each crop, which is a pretty large grow bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consider also that the bulk of the corn is in the roots, stems, leaves and cobs.  The only edible part is the kernels.  But you have to buy in fish food to feed the fish enough so that they produce enough waste to provide the nutrients for all that largely wasted plant material that you can't use.  Now a farmer would put that material back into the ground for composting, but you can't do that unless you also have a farm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best crops to grow in this expensive manner are those where you can eat as much of the plant as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of energy density, the best crops to grow are root and tubers such as potatoes, sunchokes, turnips etc but they are not suited for aquaponics.  So, you're better off growing leafy vegetables that you can then exchange for these other vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-06-09T08:18:02.037" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T08:18:02.037" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26431" CreationDate="2016-06-08T10:39:00.897" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Former aquarist here and I did try to do hydroponics by growing things on top of my fish tanks. There are several things to consider there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tilapia grow larger, about 12 inches. The size of your tank will be the size for &lt;em&gt;full grown fish&lt;/em&gt;, not for the babies.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The bigger the tank the better for several reasons. The first grow bigger, the waste is spread out more (though you still need a filter system), and the temperature is more stable in a bigger tank with more mass. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will you need to heat the water during certain times of year? If so you need to get a bigger heater than your tank. If you have a 100g tank you will need a heater for 120 gallons for those unexpected extra cold days. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What about cooling? Does it get too hot in your area for the tilapia? If so you will need a chilling system of some sort. Or put the tank in your basement if you have one. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Smaller tanks with too many tanks cause increased stress for the fish, leading to disease, stunted growth, and more concentrated wasted. I don't recommend it. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You must understand how a closed ecosystem like this works, and how fish waste (ammonia) is turned into nitrites and then to less harmful nitrates which can be used to feed plants. Understand that the water tests are important, and test strips expire and are also more expensive than the drop tests per test. The drop tests are cheaper per test, last longer after opening, and are more accurate. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep notes on what you learn. There are several free Windows applications to track notes in a tree-like or wiki format. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tiddlywiki.com&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tiddlywiki&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfFgmYnVkjQ&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Video&lt;/a&gt; on aquaponics in India. This has links to more videos of a similar nature. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=aquaponics+in+fish+tank+India&amp;amp;num=20&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwielfzUnpjNAhVM44MKHSnbCdsQsAQIMQ&amp;amp;biw=1001&amp;amp;bih=663&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;This Google image search&lt;/a&gt; can help you find ideas on how to build it using different materials.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.krishijagran.com/farm-mechanization/innovative-initiatives/2015/01/Aquaponics-Growing-Fish-Plants-Together-Moving-From-the-Realm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aquaponics in India&lt;/a&gt;. You might get some more handy info here.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/group/bharatponics/forum/topics/active-aquaponics-in-india-anyone&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;A forum post about aquaponics in India&lt;/a&gt;. That forum might be helpful for you. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://theurbanfarmingguys.com/category/aquaponics&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;UrbanFarmingGuys&lt;/a&gt; looks like small scale aquaponics. They have a forum and a wiki.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastEditorUserId="11061" LastEditDate="2016-06-08T11:31:41.683" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T11:31:41.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26436" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26422" CreationDate="2016-06-08T11:06:54.757" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The link you've given does indeed suggest a possible, very mature and eventual height of up to 6 feet. However, every other source on the net says 2-4 feet high and wide, so the odds are with the smaller height. This plant is a cross between B. smpervirens and B. microphylla koreana, and the latter is a dwarf version of Buxus (Box) - it is a relatively slow growing plant, so even were it to make 6 feet, it might take twenty years to get there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you really want this plant as a privacy hedge, I think you have to accept it's not going to get the height you want in any useful timespan from a privacy point of view. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b704&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b704&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your USDA zone appears to be 7a or 7b - have you considered Lonicera nitida, (the yellow leaved version is sometimes called 'gold box honeysuckle') which is hardy down to Zone 6? Although it's one of the honeysuckles, this one is not a vine, but a free standing, small leaved shrub which responds well to clipping - it makes a good, low, evergreen hedge, usually up to 5/6 feet for the yellow variety. There is a variety with green leaves; 'Baggesen's gold' has yellow leaves, and there's a newer variety called 'Lemon Beauty' with variegated green and yellow leaves. Its use as a substitute for box hedging is becoming more widespread because of the disease problems with Buxus varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plantlust.com/plants/16954/lonicera-nitida-baggesens-gold/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://plantlust.com/plants/16954/lonicera-nitida-baggesens-gold/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-08T11:13:14.850" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T11:13:14.850" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26437" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26429" CreationDate="2016-06-08T11:16:19.210" Score="2" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drill some holes (2-4) in the bottom for drainage. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How are you going to make sure it gets enough light of the right type? Keep in mind most grow lights must be replaced every 6 months. They don't last forever with 12-16 hours of use every day.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In the cooler months in your house how will you control mold? I use this solution to water: 1 part hydrogen peroxide and 10-12 parts water. It works great. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastEditorUserId="11061" LastEditDate="2016-06-12T11:51:34.727" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T11:51:34.727" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26430" CreationDate="2016-06-08T11:28:51.570" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The second pic looks like it has not had enough water. The bottom part of each stem should be swollen with moisture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different people water them different ways. But the orchids come from high humidity, low-light jungles mostly. So...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mist them every day with clean water without chlorine or chloramines, not tap water. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;To water you can pour clean non-city water over them once a week, or soak them in a pan of clean water for 5 minutes. The pan should be filled up 3-4 inches so the roots will be under water for a few minutes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They can be in indirect sun but NOT direct sun. I've seen orchids thrive and rebloom in a bathroom with a small window. Both the low indirect light, and the humidity, really helps them. I was jealous. :)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T11:28:51.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26439" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26371" CreationDate="2016-06-08T12:14:49.747" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like one of the 3 grasses in the grass mix you planted. The varieties grow at different rates for a reason. The fast-growing grass helps shade and protect the more tender slow-growing varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does not look like a weed, or nut grass, or crab grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T12:14:49.747" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26440" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26491" CreationDate="2016-06-08T12:31:52.160" Score="3" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was told I need to continuously measure the pH of my growth solution and modify it if it exceeds a certain range.&#xA;Is it really that crucial? I mean no one pays attention to pH of soil in a pot...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is crucial, would once a day with litmus paper suffice or do I need to get a continuous electronic measurement?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3309" LastEditorUserId="3309" LastEditDate="2016-06-09T00:24:27.680" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T16:15:16.467" Title="How crucial is it to measure pH of hydroponic growth solution for leafy greens?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26441" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-08T14:44:26.183" Score="3" ViewCount="502" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is causing the new leaves of our &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okra&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ladies' Fingers okra&lt;/a&gt; plants to become thin and curl? One of the plants has started to dry at the bottom part of the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: Kolkata, India.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HxLZ6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HxLZ6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves curling&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b172j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b172j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stem drying &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13442" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-08T22:09:08.987" LastActivityDate="2017-03-24T02:18:10.303" Title="What is causing damage to my okra plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;damage&gt;&lt;okra&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26442" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26430" CreationDate="2016-06-08T14:55:28.087" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Both of those orchids are extremely dehydrated. I don't know about the second one, but the first one isn't going to plump back out. Any new leaves will be full, but the ones that are severely wrinkled are going to stay that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most orchids are epiphytes. That means that they grow in trees. The reason for this is that they get an advantage over the plants growing on the ground. They get more light, without having to expend the energy growing as tall. Most of them grow in trees, but the canopy of those trees also shades them and keeps them in low light. There also usually high humidity and frequent rain falls. Depending on the area where the plants came from, they could see constant rainfall all year long or it could be seasonal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keeping that in mind, what does that mean for the home environment. Most homes are low humidity environments. We keep them that way on purpose, because it prevents mold growth and rotting in our homes. We're also not comfortable at those higher humidity levels. It feels sticky and gross to us. So you'll be fighting that right off the bat. There are a few ways to help counteract this. Of course you can mist the plant, but that only helps for a short period of time. Once that small amount of water evaporates, you lose all benefit of having done it. A humidifier in the room with the plants isn't a bad idea, but if you don't use distilled water in them, they can leave hard water residue all over the room where the mist settles. That could be more money than you wanted to put into a baby sitting project. Any easier way is to either put them  with a lot of other plants and they'll raise the humidity as a group or put evaporation trays under them. The group of plants will loose water into the air, which is all humidity is and they'll all increase the humidity together. A simulation of that would be the evaporation tray. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lots of people take a large drip tray and put gravel in it. The set the pot on the gravel. This keeps the pot out of the water and keeps you from over watering your plant. However, the more rocks the less room for water you have. I would just put some kind of spacer for the pot to sit on and you'll have to refill the water less often. As it evaporates into the air, it will increase the humidity to a degree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next is watering. You'll see many store bought plants that have tags saying to just put a couple of ice cubes in every week and the plant will be fine. If anyone stops to think about it, you're taking a tropical plant and putting ice on it's roots. That's not a solid plan. I assume the theory is that the ice slowly melts over a period of time and gives the roots a chance to absorb the smaller amount of liquid. It's not a bad plan, except the cold damage you cause.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead, think of how they manage in the wild. Again, they're up in the trees. They're probably growing in the crotch of the tree if they aren't a climbing plant, because that's where the windblown seed would have been caught. They grow clinging to the bark. There may be a small amount of nutrients from plant matter that has decayed after being caught in the same crotch, but that'll be sporadic. They also get flushes with rain on a regular basis. Maybe multiple times a day. So with the plants only having access to water on very short spurts, the plants have adapted to catch a lot of water quickly. On the Phalaenopsis you'll see really fat healthy roots. Not like the dead air root you have pictured.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those fat roots aren't the actual roots. They are dead tissue over the actual root, which is like a small white thread. They act like a sponge and soak up rain water. Then they hold it against the roots till they absorb what they need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Orchid roots are highly adaptable. They can grow into many different environments, that you might think would be harsh on an orchid and be fine in that environment. The only key to remember is that they have to adapt to that environment and once they do, they're stuck with it. You change that environment and they begin to die. That's why when you repot, you wait for sign of new root growth. As they grow, they'll adapt to the new media and replace the old roots, which will die off. This is true even when going to a newer version of the same media as the plant has grown roots used to the old media that is breaking down. The only case where this probably wouldn't be true is like with semi-hydroponics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Their basic requirements are plenty of air around the roots (just like when they're in the trees), frequent short bursts of rain they can catch, and a smattering of nutrients that are carried in the rain water or washed down the tree, low light to simulate the tree canopy, and high humidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an orchid care giver, you need to simulate this to the best of your ability. So, bright indirect sunlight, frequent short waterings, small amounts of nutrients, and high humidity. Being honest, we won't be able to meet all of these to the plants perfect satisfaction. We aren't going to raise the humidity in the house till it begins to rot to satisfy the orchid. We also aren't going to be watering an indoor orchid 5-6 times a day. Because of this, we make compromises and come up with solutions that will keep the orchid healthy while inconveniencing us less.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each plants care and preferences will differ and you'll have to use experience and research to determine what the best solution is for you. I could tell you how I do my orchids in the southeast, but if you live in the southwest, it probably won't work for you, because it's much dryer and less humid than here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should let your friend know that you've gone on this site and someone told you that the orchids were in poor condition. Make sure they understand that you're not familiar with orchids and that while you'll take the best care of them that you can, they may not make it. If they aren't comfortable with that, then they need to find someone else. Next, you need to ask them how they've been caring for them. That will give you a good starting point as you begin to change things for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first thing to check is the plant and the media it's in. Look the plants over and check to see if you see any signs of rot or disease. The yellowing leaves can stay on as long as they aren't rotting. They should dry up and come loose easily. Currently, they're just aesthetically displeasing, but aren't detrimental to the plant. If they really bother you, you can use a pair of sterilized scissors and remove them. Then check the media. I don't know what media you're using, but it'll make a huge difference in how the plants are treated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the phal, it looks like a set up I've gotten before. They put the orchid in bark or a bark sphagnum mix, inside of a plastic orchid pot. They set this inside of the taller decorative pot. There also appears to be some decorative sphagnum moss on top as well. This isn't necessarily a bad setup. The decorative pot does two things. It provides weight to keep the plant from tipping over and also creates some humidity by preventing water from escaping in all directions. The only thing to remember is that it probably doesn't have a drain hole. To water plants in a setup like this, I typically just fill them to the rim with water and let them soak for a while. 30min-1hr. Then I pull the pot out and let it drain in the sink. I dump out the decorative pot. I then run water through the plastic pot and allow it to drain before putting it back in the tall decorative pot. There is usually space at the bottom of the decorative pot to allow some draining without having the water touch the plants pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason I run water through and you should too, is because of the reason mentioned before. Orchids typically get very few nutrients in the wild. While it's our natural inclination to think more nutrients equal a better plant, this is only true in a limited sense. Orchids do need nutrients to thrive and I recommend providing them in the form of a non-urea orchid fertilizer. I even recommend cutting the recommended dose in half and fertilizing them once a week for three weeks. However, on that fourth week, you need to flush with clean, pure water. The reason is that the nutrients and salts can build up in the media and actually harm the plants roots. A good flushing (aka running water through the pot, helps break down these minerals and flush them out to prevent this. I mentioned non-urea above. Basically, there are fertilizers for plants that are coated in this to cause them to release the nutrients over time as it dissolves from waterings. However, orchid media is so loose and you water so much more frequently, that it gets flushed before the plant can absorb and utilize it. So try to get an orchid fertilizer that says no urea. Also, don't waste your money on bloom boosters. The plant will get the nutrients it needs from the regular fertilizer and every plant will try it's darndest to propagate and put out flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your media will determine your watering schedule to an extent. Remember that your plants need plenty of air around their roots. So medias you can get are usually a combination of water retention and chucky materials that provide air flow. The most common chunky material is medium-coarse orchid bark and the most common water retention material is sphagnum moss. Not to be confused with Spanish moss or sphagnum peat moss. Long Fiber Sphagnum (LFS) is actually the dried form of the living sphagnum moss plant. Some people use live sphagnum, but that's more for carnivorous plants and you really need greenhouse conditions for it to live. When it the sphagnum moss begins to decay and break down, it turns into sphagnum peat moss over a very long time. For orchid purposes, though, just use the LFS.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ratio will depend on your environment and time. If you add more LFS, then you don't have to water as often. Too much, though, and you can rot your roots and block off air flow. Some people can successfully grow in straight LFS or straight orchid bark. As a matter of fact, some people mount orchids on wood and can grow them like that. Just remember that the less water retention you have, the more frequently you have to water. I have one mounted orchid in the house and it needs to be watered twice a day. That's really more than I want to do and it gets harder the more orchids you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot will determine the ratio as well. For instance, a clay pot can loose water from the side as well as from the top, so it'll dry out a lot faster. This can be an asset to plants that like to dry slightly between watering. On the other hand, if you have an orchid that never likes to completely dry out, you could use a glazed orchid pot. This would help prevent loss through evaporation. Holes in the sides of these pots are great for providing air flow to the roots, but can also cause quicker evaporation. You just have to experiment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should talk to the owner before repotting and watch lots of youtube videos, but I'd suggest repotting and adding some sphagnum moss. I'd start watering much more often until then. You can also keep them in their same media and just really up the watering schedule. Maybe every day or every other day till you see some improvement and then back it down slowly. I wouldn't soak them, just run water through. Remember that as long as air can get to the roots and they aren't holding water, then you can watering them multiple times a day even with no ill effect. The only thing to remember when watering is to not get water in the crown. This is the top of the plant where new growth is coming from. If you get water here, it can cause rot and, almost always, when you get rot in the crown, the plant is as good as dead, because even if it doesn't kill it, it won't grow from that point. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's less of an issue in a house, because air circulation and lower humidity causes it to dry out pretty well, but it can still happen in a house. If you do get water sitting in the crown, then just twist up a square of toilet paper and stick in in there. It'll absorb it up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck and I hope these orchids thrive under your care so you can give the person back a much better plant than they got.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T14:55:28.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26443" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26444" CreationDate="2016-06-08T14:57:59.893" Score="6" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have read countless times that asparagus cannot be harvested in the first two years. I do not own my property so do not want to invest that time into something I leave behind. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any gotchas around growing asparagus in something small and movable, should I need to?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2296" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-18T15:54:16.080" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T15:54:16.080" Title="Can I grow asparagus in a small container?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;asparagus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26444" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26443" CreationDate="2016-06-08T16:15:53.887" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Asparagus roots can extend down about 12 feet. The need to develop such an extensive root system is one of the reasons that you should leave it alone for the first 3 years before harvesting. So, it's not practical to grow asparagus in containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T16:15:53.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26445" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-08T16:43:49.637" Score="5" ViewCount="1659" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have many problems with snails and slugs in my garden. When I want to plant something I usually grow it far away enough from the garden until the plant is big enough to support some &quot;attacks&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was quite surprised today when I found 2 slugs and one snail in a plant, around 4 meters away from the garden (grass and other plants) and that is actually hanging in a wall support. I don't think they came with the plant so they had to spot it from the garden, walk 4 meters in pavement, risking their lifes, climb the wall, and then down the support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This makes me think that I should reassess where I make my seed plot place and makes me wonder how far can they see or how do they find plants like this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12001" LastEditorUserId="12001" LastEditDate="2016-06-10T15:12:44.677" LastActivityDate="2016-08-09T15:17:30.860" Title="How far can snails see?" Tags="&lt;snails&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24303" CreationDate="2016-06-08T16:56:01.077" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is a &lt;em&gt;Peperomia&lt;/em&gt;, most likely a &lt;em&gt;Peperomia obtusifolia&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peperomia_obtusifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia description&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Peperomia obtusifolia (baby rubberplant or pepper face) is a species of flowering plant in the family Piperaceae, native to Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean. It is an evergreen perennial growing to 25 cm (10 in) tall and broad, with cupped leathery leaves and narrow spikes of white flowers up to 12 cm (5 in) long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/peperomia/growing-peperomia-houseplants.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Peperomia Care&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eRdsW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eRdsW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14476" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-06-08T18:02:12.180" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T18:02:12.180" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26447" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26451" CreationDate="2016-06-08T17:48:28.327" Score="4" ViewCount="3903" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is wrong with my pepper plants? Some of them are showing deformations on young leaves. See this picture: &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oILN7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oILN7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;crippled leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Some of them are showing small holes or cracks, usually with brown edges. Some have irregular shapes, not the typical pepper leaf shape.&#xA;I can not find any signs of pests, except that I had a very minor case of aphids (less than 20 insects per plant) in the past two weeks. They are 99% gone now. Is this damage caused by them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm watering once every 1-3 days depending on temperature. The plants are in pots outside on my south/west facing balcony. I'm using 3g/liter of FloraSelf Tomato Fertilizer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;(N)     6 %&#xA;(P2O5)  5 %&#xA;(K2O)   9 %&#xA;(B)     0,01 %&#xA;(Cu)    0,002 %&#xA;(Fe)    0,02 %&#xA;(Mn)    0,01 %&#xA;(Mo)    0,001 %&#xA;(Zn)    0,002 %&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just pulled one plant out of its pot and this is what the roots look like: &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/txU2e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/txU2e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;roots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any Ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14963" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T22:46:24.633" Title="Crippled young leaves on pepper plant" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26448" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-08T19:35:00.733" Score="4" ViewCount="6521" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an avocado tree that is approximately 1.5 meters tall and all its leaves are in the top 30cm. I'd like to cut the tree back to 20cm but then it won't have any leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I do this, will it die or will it be able to live and grow back leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;btw, its more like 2m tall and here is a picture: &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/hu2nxAK&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imgur.com/hu2nxAK&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14964" LastEditorUserId="14964" LastEditDate="2016-06-09T06:39:46.633" LastActivityDate="2019-02-16T11:57:54.470" Title="Will pruning back a leggy Avocado to below the leaves kill the tree?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26449" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24985" CreationDate="2016-06-08T20:12:14.450" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trees vary widely in leaf-out time, oaks are a long-lived species that plays it very safe in order to not die out due to a warm spell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Factors influencing leaf-out include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Warm, sunny location, such as a south-facing hill (will leaf-out&#xA;earlier) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cold, shady location (will leaf-out later)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;White Oak is among the last species to leaf out.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oak needs a combination of &lt;strong&gt;chilling requirement&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;warm temperatures&lt;/strong&gt; and a &lt;strong&gt;specific sun/day length&lt;/strong&gt; before it will leaf-out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oak, has a “&lt;strong&gt;chilling requirement&lt;/strong&gt;”, (a certain number of cold days between 0 and 10 degrees Celsius or 32 to 50 Fahrenheit) before the buds will break dormancy. The &lt;strong&gt;chilling requirement&lt;/strong&gt; depends both on the tree type and the weather of the preceding growing season. Once the requirement is met, it will break its dormancy at the next significant warming spell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oak must also meet the &lt;strong&gt;photo-period&lt;/strong&gt; requirement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oak will only leaf out once it gets sunshine for a certain number of hours. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf-out conditions were probably not met for your oak tree, due to one of the above factors.  I'm guessing the late frosts were a factor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14965" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T20:12:14.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26450" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26448" CreationDate="2016-06-08T22:04:30.597" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the plant has its seasonal high starch reserves, it likely can be 'chopped with abandon' (so to speak). This would be when new leaves are just starting to emerge. Even then it is a good practice to cut back retaining one or two leaves to branch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest you cut back to one or two leafs. This bit of foliage will assure that there is enough of an auxin flow to continue to signalling 'life above' in the branch/trunk. It will, as well, maintain a food source (sugars from photosynthesis) with which to build buds and express new foliage and shoots lower on the branch/trunk that were previously suppressed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T22:04:30.597" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26451" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26447" CreationDate="2016-06-08T22:46:24.633" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The roots look healthy enough. Given it's a pepper it's probably ok it is getting potbound, but it will need a new pot (only 1&quot; to 2&quot; bigger though) sometime. I guess you know removing a plant from its pot is very stressful for the plant so only do it when repotting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves look very like they're being attacked by something, probably an insect. I doubt it would be the aphids, although if the affected leaves were very young at the time of attack it just could be. More likely would be some sort of leaf miner. As the name suggests, they live inside the leaves -- between the top and bottom, so you never normally see them. The plant tends to curl up in response. Sometimes you can see where they have eaten the cells from within the leaf, but you need to look very carefully.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are just a few leaves so affected, I would be tempted to pull them off and destroy (as in fire, et al) them, but don't remove lots: in that case, seek further help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P.S. To my mind the amount of watering seems on the verge of too much. I think of peppers as plants that produce the best fruit if they are under watered. That is, water (well) when the compost is dry, and then not again until it is quite dry again. I would expect that interval to be 7-10 days. It may be that your variety differs, or I'm just wrong, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14924" LastActivityDate="2016-06-08T22:46:24.633" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26448" CreationDate="2016-06-09T00:10:04.707" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not an expert with Avocados yet, but when my goats did something similar to one of my avocados about 6 months ago, new leaves did arrive on the scene, but the avo has still not grown back - it was about 60cm high, its now still 15 cm's high - but has a lot of leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is possible that part of the reason is that I pruned it back a few times before (not nearly as drastically, and when the plant was small).   If it were me, I'd probably not cut it down that drastically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T00:10:04.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26453" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26440" CreationDate="2016-06-09T01:53:12.640" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.co.nz/url?q=http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/hawaii/downloads/A_Suspended_Pot_Non-circulating_Hydroponic_method.pdf&amp;amp;sa=U&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjQ9Lqk2pnNAhUkKKYKHatfBjcQFggdMAc&amp;amp;sig2=Cfwg3NSK0lLGGXqiHg8HoQ&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNH-IwGipbknSW3qj_U7gQTPj0N88A&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Kratky method&lt;/a&gt; is a way of doing non recirculating hydroponics which also avoids the needs to measure EC and other water parameters for mostly lettuce, but it may have been tried in other leafy greens.  It relies on there being enough solute present in the initial mix, and this is used by the plants with out the need for top ups. Remember also that 80% of the plant matter comes from the air, so this is how these plants can grow with little intervention and few inputs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T01:53:12.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17949" CreationDate="2016-06-09T02:21:47.183" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use a battery and 12V reciprocating saw with a good Diablo DS0905FG5 blade from Home Depot and they cut like butter. If you don't like ladders, hire somebody!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14970" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-09T03:03:27.667" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T03:03:27.667" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26393" CreationDate="2016-06-09T06:45:30.630" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most quinces where I live are sold as mature trees. So, if you get a mature quince to transplant then it should fruit normally if looked after.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T06:45:30.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26456" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24855" CreationDate="2016-06-09T10:53:46.407" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;They sprouted! Maybe they weren't exposed to below zero temperatures for as long as I thought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This subject now &lt;a href=&quot;https://biology.stackexchange.com/q/47922/23347&quot;&gt;continues on Biology SE.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3iDg4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3iDg4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14572" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:48:10.153" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T11:08:12.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26457" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-09T11:06:19.457" Score="5" ViewCount="858" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have various bits of garden furniture and this is the kind of furniture that can be left out.  Our neighbour has a male neutered cat that sprays literally everything, including our conservatory and now the garden furniture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can we do to stop this happening?  Is there a way to stop cats marking their territory or put them off?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We don't want to harm the cat in any way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14320" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-09T14:16:00.460" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T00:22:29.170" Title="How can I prevent my neigbour's cat from marking its territory in my garden?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;domestic-animals&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26458" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26457" CreationDate="2016-06-09T11:17:17.147" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most effective method is a sprinkler linked to a movement detector which turns on when it detects movement in the area, and stops  when movement ceases. There are several available at various prices (Amazon has a range) and they're sold as motion detector sprinklers. Link below is to Amazon in the UK&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;keywords=motion+sprinkler&amp;amp;tag=googhydr-21&amp;amp;index=aps&amp;amp;hvadid=28710841568&amp;amp;hvpos=1t1&amp;amp;hvexid=&amp;amp;hvnetw=g&amp;amp;hvrand=4894428948365043153&amp;amp;hvpone=&amp;amp;hvptwo=&amp;amp;hvqmt=b&amp;amp;hvdev=t&amp;amp;ref=pd_sl_mc7s0y2h5_b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;keywords=motion+sprinkler&amp;amp;tag=googhydr-21&amp;amp;index=aps&amp;amp;hvadid=28710841568&amp;amp;hvpos=1t1&amp;amp;hvexid=&amp;amp;hvnetw=g&amp;amp;hvrand=4894428948365043153&amp;amp;hvpone=&amp;amp;hvptwo=&amp;amp;hvqmt=b&amp;amp;hvdev=t&amp;amp;ref=pd_sl_mc7s0y2h5_b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds as if the cat next door is a tom, and likely it's un-neutered - if the owners ever get it neutered, you won't have so much of a problem. Although some male cats continue to spray after the surgery, the rank scent associated with it will be gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-09T11:20:12.897" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T11:20:12.897" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26393" CreationDate="2016-06-09T11:38:57.380" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two different plants in the same Family produce quince fruits - Chaenomeles japonica (shrub) and Cydonia oblonga (tree). Unfortunately, neither is hardy outdoors in Zone 4a - even if the plant survives, the likelihood of getting usable fruit is vanishingly small - quince fruits need a long period of ripening in warmth on the bush or tree. Further info below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1453/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1453/#b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/49917/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/49917/#b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Information here regarding fruiting requirements&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/fruit/quinces?type=f&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/fruit/quinces?type=f&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to try anyway, buy a larger specimen of Cydonia oblonga, you may even get fruit the first year, but definitely  by the second, all other things being equal (it survives, it flowers and the flowers don't get caught in cold, the flowers get pollinated, etc).&#xA;Chaenomeles are not usually grown for their fruits, they're more an ornamental shrub, but you should start getting fruit (in a year with good weather) within 2-5 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-09T17:25:21.357" LastActivityDate="2016-07-09T17:25:21.357" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26460" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-09T12:51:47.537" Score="2" ViewCount="769" Body="&lt;p&gt;My beautiful palm tree started showing black spots on the stems near the roots and then further up the stems as time progressed.  Some of the leaves have a brown tinge to them.  It hasn't stopped growing new stems/leaves.  I cleaned the stems with soapy water and most of the spots disappeared but now they are reappearing faster than ever. Leaves are starting to die off at the ends. The only thing I haven't done is change the soil totally - I'm scared that it will die if I disturb it too much. Any advice appreciated. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N3BBD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N3BBD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14971" LastEditorUserId="14971" LastEditDate="2016-06-09T13:45:55.253" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T13:45:55.253" Title="black spots near roots and up stems" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26461" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-09T13:03:53.113" Score="3" ViewCount="3668" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year, I had a blight pretty bad in my raised beds.  I imagine it was because of the long wet spring and summer we had here in Ohio.  This year, I made sure to put a heavy mulch bed down of cut grass to prevent splashing of the soil underneath the leaves.  My tomato and pepper plants are all growing really well and were raised from seed.  I noticed the stems below the grass are turning brown and look a bit dried out.  Is this bad or normal?  I can't recall ever seeing this before.  I fear the plants will die soon.  Below are photos, including one of a healthy stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did use &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.espoma.com/product/tomato-tone/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tomato Tone&lt;/a&gt; when I planted.  I mixed three tablespoons per plant in with the surrounding soil.  In the past, I have sprinkled it on top during the season with no adverse effects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/680KS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/680KS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1RKkr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1RKkr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ulQYP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ulQYP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T20:03:14.477" Title="Lower stems on tomato plants turning brown" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26462" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-09T13:59:09.847" Score="6" ViewCount="87" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a young (3 year old) apple tree growing against a wall about 5 feet high. One branch is growing towards the wall and would be perfectly placed to go &lt;em&gt;over&lt;/em&gt; the wall except it's about a foot too low.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering as the tree grows will the branch actually move upwards, or will this branch's joining point on the trunk forever remain where it is and I need to remove/train the branch?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T21:34:48.350" Title="How do apple trees grow?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26463" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26462" CreationDate="2016-06-09T14:06:59.047" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The insertion point of the branch in the trunk will not move upwards, so you can leave it for few years and get apples next years, and only in few years you will create a branch above, or just prune it now and select a new branch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="13971" LastEditDate="2016-06-10T21:34:48.350" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T21:34:48.350" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26461" CreationDate="2016-06-09T14:09:40.060" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like you had the grass mulch up against the stem of your tomato plant. You should give the stem some space so it's not directly touching your mulch. In some of your pictures you can see roots starting to grow where the mulch was.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on what I'm seeing it looks like you spread the grass soon after cutting when it was still green. Green grass clippings are high in nitrogen and contain a high amount of moisture. When grass clippings start to decompose they can get quite hot. The high nitrogen and moisture may have damaged the stem as well as the high moisture, reduced air flow might have been a good environment for disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first two pictures don't look too bad and I think the plants will be fine. The third picture looks like more damage to the stem and I think at the least the plant will suffer a little bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pull back the grass from your existing plants and next year remember to leave space so the grass mulch isn't touching the stems. When I used to use grass clippings I would pile them up in one section of the garden after mowing then a few days later after they browned out a bit I would spread them around plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the heat generated by grass clippings this is a portion from Missouri Unversity's Extension Office. &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6958&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6958&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Yes, grass clippings used as a mulch should be built up gradually to a&#xA;  1-inch layer using dry grass. Greater thickness can inhibit the&#xA;  penetration of moisture and oxygen into the soil, and excessive heat&#xA;  and foul odors may develop. Mulching thickness can be increased by&#xA;  mixing in a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio of compost, dry leaves or wood chips with&#xA;  fresh grass clippings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-06-09T20:03:14.477" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T20:03:14.477" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26461" CreationDate="2016-06-09T14:12:39.283" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant in the second figure seems ok.  When trunk is wet, shadowed, the tomato tend to create new roots, and this is fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really don't like the trunk in the first figure and in last figure (this is a pepper, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would not put so much mulch: fermenting, without much air, could burn the other plants. I would use just a small layer of mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T14:12:39.283" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26466" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26462" CreationDate="2016-06-09T15:07:02.583" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could point it upward with a slip knot on a rope that's attached to something on the roof if it's not too close to the house, and still bendable enough. from what I've read it will only get fatter over time, and I did form some of my own branches that were pointed downward that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T15:07:02.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26467" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-09T15:55:08.973" Score="4" ViewCount="149" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does my cauliflower need all its leaves to reach  maturity? I'd like to harvest some for roasting and juicing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14974" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-09T17:26:34.883" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T16:50:07.053" Title="When can I harvest cauliflower leaves for juicing?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;cauliflower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26468" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26469" CreationDate="2016-06-09T16:40:30.400" Score="5" ViewCount="1896" Body="&lt;p&gt;My husband and I purchased a home in Sterling, VA (zone 6b) about 4 years ago.  There are two Japanese Maple shrubs out front.  Since we've purchased the house, one of them comes back less and less each year. The other has some dead branches, too. This year, we're worried it has completely died. We'd like to figure out how/why, and what we can do to save the other one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We mulch around them each year. In previous years, I've done my best to prune off dead branches each spring. We've not fed them, other than any food they happen to pick up from the roses next to them, but from what I understand, they're not supposed to need feeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The shrub that's doing better has black tape around the base of it.  I'm wondering if these trees were grafted, and the graft has slowly failed on the dying shrub. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have input on what to do for these?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5QpRw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5QpRw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Failing Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rxD8A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rxD8A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Better Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14975" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T01:13:04.897" Title="Japanese Maple shrub dying" Tags="&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;dead-branch&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26469" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26468" CreationDate="2016-06-09T17:41:42.410" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is certain that they were grafted, but I see no indication of graft failure. Root grafts fail over time because of a difference in growth rates between the root stock and the cultivar/scion. Typically the root stock grows to a much larger diameter and a line of separation appears at the joint - a physical crack through the bark that eventually goes almost all the way around the tree. This cuts off the roots from a supply of photosynthate, so they starve to death and the tree suddenly collapses. I don't think this is your problem and I have no idea what the tape is about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I see in your pix is that these red-leafed maples were planted in the shadow of the house. Most common red-leaved varieties of acer palmatum need full sun (the red color comes from a compound that shades chlorophyl somewhat analogous to sunglasses). Without enough sunlight,the tree becomes progressively weaker - fewer and fewer leaves each season, more and more dead branches each spring. The other phenomenon that tends to occur is that sprouts will emerge from the root stock - I cannot tell for sure whether this is what has happened with the shrub in the first pic. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;IMHO, the tree in the first pic is as good as dead. I would remove it and replace it with a green leafed variety or some other species. The second could be relocated next spring ('as buds swell' but before the leaves emerge) and placed in a sunnier location, if you have one; else you may want to have it removed as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T17:41:42.410" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26470" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26457" CreationDate="2016-06-09T18:41:09.553" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This works for me. You can put little plastic containers of cinnamon where the cats go. They don't like the smell. Make sure the containers are small and have tiny holes so the odor escapes. Change the cinnamon after 2-3 rains. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Containers should minimize spillage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also take potted plants, sprinkle the dirt in them with cinnamon, and place those around the sprayed area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastEditorUserId="11061" LastEditDate="2016-06-10T10:46:59.030" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T10:46:59.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26445" CreationDate="2016-06-09T18:55:49.110" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.molluscs.at/gastropoda/index.html?/gastropoda/morphology/eyes.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;A page about snail vision&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They have better eyesight than other animals in their group. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They can avoid larger obstacles. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They can't focus they eye. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Vision is not the most important requirement in terrestrial gastropods, because they are mainly nocturnal animals. &#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_organs_of_gastropods&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;From Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T18:55:49.110" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26472" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26473" CreationDate="2016-06-09T19:35:40.163" Score="3" ViewCount="145" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wave-rave.com/WaveFamily/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wave petunias&lt;/a&gt; in a hanging basket. One of the Wave characteristics is that they have long trailing stems with many flowers, which either hang from a pot or lie on the ground, as opposed to some other varieties which stand taller and more upright. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They do tend to get leggy, so I prune them back to encourage fullness. I recently clipped off a few flowering stems and just threw them. They landed a few feet away. Two weeks later, I went to clean up that area, and found that some of the pieces had rooted and were growing. The interesting thing is that the roots had sprouted along the stems between the flowers, but not at either end. I covered the freshly-rooted areas with some dirt, and they're sending healthy new shoots in all directions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've transplanted petunias before, but only by moving the actual roots. I've never seen this. Is it a trait of all petunias, just Wave petunias, or was this more of an anomaly than the norm? It would be fun to just prune, scatter, and grow!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T20:46:48.760" Title="Do petunias have roots in the stems?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26473" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26472" CreationDate="2016-06-09T20:41:28.497" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lucky fluke I think - many plants can be propagated by layering, when they will form rootlets from the stems, but usually, a shoot is layered while its still attached to the mother plant, until it forms roots of its own, at which point it's severed and grown on. Plants like ivy (Hedera), Jasmine and many others commonly produce roots along their stems if they're in contact with the soil all the time, and they do this without any help. Conditions must have been perfect for this to occur, but had you trimmed them back in, say, July, or if the moisture/warmth levels were different, this probably wouldn't have occurred. Worth a try though, even just as an experiment!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-09T20:46:48.760" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T20:46:48.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26474" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-09T21:04:41.210" Score="1" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've noticed that all the plants I put coffee grounds on are huge about 2 months into the growing season, and was thinking that since those plants do so well I may want to use more of them on my father's day gifts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is what I will be planting for him:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;3 strawberry plants (freebees for my zone)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;5 sea buckthorn (1 male, 4 females)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T21:04:41.210" Title="Is it a bad idea to make coffee ground decomposable baskets when planting?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26475" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26468" CreationDate="2016-06-09T21:06:37.443" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They both look as if they're suffering from dieback, which is a common affliction with Acer palmatum varieties. I agree the worst affected one should be removed, but with the other, prune out the dead parts back to healthy wood. Don't cut into healthy wood, Acers bleed at this time of year, make the cuts just at the point where the dead part stops.This plant may go the same way as the other one, but sometimes they recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't worry about moving it - it's clearly getting enough sun to produce a good colour in the leaves, so insufficient sunlight isn't an issue. If you live somewhere with lots of sun and high temperatures in summer, Japanese acers suffer in full sun - it burns the leaves causing a frazzled  appearance. Judging by the thickness of the trunk, it looks like these trees are pretty mature and may have been heavily pruned, which  in itself can contribute to die back. If you've had some very wet winters and your soil is heavy, then verticillum wilt might be the problem, so when you cut off branches, split them open afterwards - verticillum shows itself as black streaks witin the tissues. It may not show in completely dead wood though, and there is no treatment for this fungal infection anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, feeding isn't necessary, but it might be worth giving a balanced fertiliser to the one you're keeping to give it a boost. However,if your mulch is of organic origin, it's likely the plant already has all it needs. Some further information below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=345&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=345&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is something I'm wondering about though; I can see white patches on the trunk (and branches in the almost dead one) but can't tell what they are - are they just lichen deposits?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-09T22:27:24.037" LastActivityDate="2016-06-09T22:27:24.037" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26476" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-09T23:33:54.370" Score="9" ViewCount="561" Body="&lt;p&gt;Six years ago I planted a fig tree that was given to me.  I was told it was a &quot;dwarf&quot; fig but there has never been anything dwarf about it.  Within a couple of years of planting the tree it began producing very large (nearly the size of an egg) figs that were very juicy and the best tasting fig I've eaten.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then three years ago we had a snow storm (rare here in Alabama) with single digit temperatures and the tree died back to the roots.  It has since grown back to its original size (probably 12' tall) but has never produced another fig.  We do not water or fertilize the tree and never have.  The tree I was given was started from a cutting and was not grafted.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TQ0pk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TQ0pk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The fig tree in question&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know why this tree has become sterile?      &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14976" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-06-11T01:49:44.480" LastActivityDate="2016-09-02T14:32:25.727" Title="Why did my fig tree stop making fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26477" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26481" CreationDate="2016-06-09T23:38:24.060" Score="2" ViewCount="328" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard that wind pollination is how the sea buckthorn is pollinated, but I plan to put the trees crosswind. would this work for proper pollination of all plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T14:18:28.663" Title="What is the radius of wind pollination for sea buckthorn?" Tags="&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26478" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26480" CreationDate="2016-06-10T01:09:27.463" Score="2" ViewCount="255" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have successfully germinated 10 lettuce seeds from a tissue and transplanted them into a pot. They grew more and showed new leaves, but after some time I noticed that their stem from the base started to turn brown and become thinner. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I googled it and I confirmed that my lettuce seedlings experienced what they called damping off. I read about how to prevent it and many said that the soil must be baked in an oven or sprayed with some anti-fungal, but that's not advisable because it may be toxic to plants and to people. The problem is that we don't have an oven to use and even if we have, my mother will not allow that method. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next possible thing I can do is to let the soil dry from the sun but I don't if it's OK to do that, or are there other alternatives to prevent damping off from occurring again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13577" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-21T22:33:29.937" LastActivityDate="2016-11-22T14:01:51.263" Title="How do I prevent damping-off of my lettuce seedlings?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26479" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26468" CreationDate="2016-06-10T01:13:04.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are a few observations based on my experience with Maple.  First, they tend to do better in a shaded area of the house.  It does not take direct sunlight very well so depending on the location of each plant, it may explain why one is doing fine and the other is not.  Secondly, I experienced something similar and it was due to lack of water.  I started watering it one more time a day and it seems to be doing better.  I will keep my fingers crossed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T01:13:04.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26480" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26478" CreationDate="2016-06-10T01:35:45.423" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a number of herbs and spices such as cinnamon, carnation, garlic, thyme and more that have shown effectiveness in preventing damping-off disease. You can see the results of a study &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantprotection.pl/PDF/47(3)/JPPR_47(3)_05_El-Mougy_2.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The extracts were more effective than just the spice powder but the spice powder had some effectiveness and is more readily available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had some plants with issues with damping off in the past but none since I started using cinnamon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lettuce seeds are usually small and you tend to get a lot of them. You might have better success either sowing them directly where you plan to grow them or grow them in some potting mix and wait until they get bigger before you transplant them. Might be better off trying it that way instead of using a towel. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-21T22:36:04.280" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T22:36:04.280" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26481" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26477" CreationDate="2016-06-10T06:07:16.100" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As sea buckthorn tends to get large, most sources discuss &lt;em&gt;minimum&lt;/em&gt; distance... ^_^&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I did find one &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.eggert-baumschulen.de/products/de/Laubgehoelze/deutsch-botanisch/S/Hippophae-rhamnoides-Pollmix.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt; (in German, sorry), that claims up to 50m still works and that insects aid in pollination. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.baumschule-horstmann.de/shop/exec/product/728/2024/Sanddorn-maennlich-Pollmix.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Another&lt;/a&gt; warns not to exceed 10m downwind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally would be a bit wary of that first claim - I guess 50m if the female plant is downwind from the male and wind speed is usually high and I have never seen insects at my blooming sea buckthorn, neither male nor female.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One reassuring fact, though: ours are planted exactly the wrong direction&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; and still we got enough berries for about a pint of jam from just one young female plant (ca. 1.80m / 6 ft high). The nice thing about wind is that it usually does not blow from exactly one direction but shifts and the air moves in different directions. And a male plant releases &lt;em&gt;a lot&lt;/em&gt; of pollen: on a sunny spring day you can sometimes observe a real &quot;cloud&quot; of it billowing around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If planting totally cross-wind, I would probably put the male plant in the center of the row, not at the end.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; We tried to plant it correctly, but our nursery had them mixed up. Unless they are blooming or fruiting, you can't really distinguish the plants. And by the time they bloomed the year after planting, they were so firmly rooted, that we let them be, opting to plant a second male on the other side of the row if necessary. (Apparently not...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-06-10T14:18:28.663" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T14:18:28.663" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26484" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26486" CreationDate="2016-06-10T13:28:28.090" Score="4" ViewCount="2158" Body="&lt;p&gt;Due to a trimmer accident I currently have an entire branch of a red currant bush at my hands. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All sources I could find tell me that currants are best propagated in fall from one-year old wood cuttings. Instead I have &quot;old wood&quot; parts that were fruiting and &quot;very new&quot; soft green growth:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KsJ9m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KsJ9mm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;sup&gt;(click to enlarge)&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a chance that I could get at least a new plant out of the accident and how should I proceed? Where do I cut and should I keep or remove the leaves? How about the tips of the branches? Right now the branch is in a bottle of water (in the shade!) until the community chimes in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or should I dump it in the compost and mourn the loss in silence?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just a quick update:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Out of the five sticks I cut the original branch into, four are growing strong, even without special protection during the winter. They are even so bold as to bloom (which I will remove, to encourage &lt;em&gt;growth&lt;/em&gt; not &lt;em&gt;fruiting&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xXceH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xXceHm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-04-03T15:11:47.310" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T15:11:47.310" Title="Emergency propagation of red currant cutting in early summer" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;currant&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26486" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26484" CreationDate="2016-06-10T15:06:08.937" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best way to propagate ribes (currents, gooseberries,jostaberries) is by layering, however cuttings can work, but they work best in the late fall like many fruit trees by overwintering the scion and rooting it as the spring thaw begins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you put your cutting in some wet sand that is mixed with some ground willow bark, and denude the branch except for a couple of tip leaves (this reduces water loss to respiration) you may induce rooting. I would be reluctant however to put the cutting in the ground until the worst of the summer heat has passed, and wait until september-ish before putting in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2016-06-11T14:35:44.477" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T14:35:44.477" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26487" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26489" CreationDate="2016-06-10T15:20:25.743" Score="3" ViewCount="4448" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my front yard I have two sprinkler zones. I have all areas working great, except for one area of the yard. The area gets no water and I would like to install a spray head to take care of that. I have read that doing so is not good since the rest of the sprinklers on that zone are rotary heads and they do not put down the same amount of water. It is about a 6x8ft area that is getting missed, which seems to small for a rotary head. The dry area is represented with the brown area in the image. Any thoughts what my best bet would be, besides replacing all the heads to be spray heads?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f4VI4.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f4VI4.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14990" OwnerDisplayName="junta" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T23:02:03.797" Title="Using rotary and spray sprinklers on the same zone?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26488" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26487" CreationDate="2016-06-10T15:49:11.673" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The zone origin is probably right there by your sidewalk. Why not just run a third zone pipe from there to the along the side of house to corner of the brown area. Then you can deploy the correct equipment for that area without impact to the other areas. Plus coverage from that corner looks like it should be easy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14630" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T15:49:11.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26489" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26487" CreationDate="2016-06-10T15:50:40.867" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just noticed you said you wanted to install a spray head so I'm editing my answer. One spray head is not enough. Something like 4 spray heads, one in each corner like you have in the other areas. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4GQF3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4GQF3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally you want to have head to head coverage where the end of one sprinkler pattern stops there's another sprinkler head. You're close enough I think you can get away if you can extend the range of the 2 sprinklers near the house to 8' if there's nothing that would mind a bit of water to the left of your diagram.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sprinkler heads vary in there precipitation rates. Rotor sprinklers generally have lower precipitation rates than spray sprinklers but recently some spray type nozzles have come out with lower precipitation rates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hunterindustries.com/irrigation-product/nozzles/mp-rotator&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hunter MP Rotators&lt;/a&gt;. They have a precipitation rate of 0.4 inches per hour  (depending on various factors) which is similar to most off their rotors. Some people use both on three same zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The consumption (GPM) of the MP Rotators is pretty low too so they are fairly easy to add to an existing system. You're still going to need to make sure that zone you're adding on to will have sufficient leftover capacity to operate those 4 sprinkler heads. If you plan to do it yourself I suggest you spend some time reading &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may be easier to put in another zone as Michael Karas suggested. If your system can handle 4 rotor sprinklers on one zone, 4 MP Rotators will be fine. It's really hard to say without more information and doing some calculations. The link I provided above should help you figure it out yourself if you put in the time. Or you can hire a local irrigation contractor to do it for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-06-10T23:02:03.797" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T23:02:03.797" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26490" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26549" CreationDate="2016-06-10T16:01:11.493" Score="3" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the edges of my garden hilled up so I can keep watering, and keep watering until pools begin to appear in between the trenches. Is this a good way to water the garden with a drip line every few days?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13971" LastEditDate="2016-06-10T20:45:39.900" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T07:45:34.020" Title="Is there a better way to tell when to stop watering by drip line?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26491" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26440" CreationDate="2016-06-10T16:15:16.467" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;pH is important in both hydroponic and soil gardens. An incorrect pH level can make certain nutrients unavailable in both and in hydroponic systems may even cause some nutrients to precipitate out of solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason it is more important to monitor pH in a hydroponic system is that the pH of water can be changed faster and easier than the pH of soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You shouldn't need to measure it constantly though. Daily should be fine unless you notice big swings in which case maybe two times a day would be better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T16:15:16.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26492" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26467" CreationDate="2016-06-10T16:50:07.053" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;More more leaves left alone, the faster the plant will mature. Why don't you use cabbage or broccoli to juice rather than cauliflower leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T16:50:07.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26493" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-10T19:03:31.423" Score="7" ViewCount="414" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to put some mosquito-repelling plants in the terrace of my apartment. We live in the Latin America, where there's sun and heat all year (this week's been 32°C, or 90°F). I can water and maintain the plants, but the only shade is from neighboring buildings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the best mosquito-repelling plant for this kind of environment? They would be placed in regular plant pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14590" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-24T12:43:38.310" LastActivityDate="2019-11-18T11:15:27.347" Title="Best mosquito repellent plant for a sunny terrace?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;mosquito&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26494" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26493" CreationDate="2016-06-10T19:14:29.947" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read that in Malta it is frequent to use basil to repel mosquitoes. It likes sun, but it should be watered often to maintain the green leaves and smell (though it is also resilient to dry periods).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="27450" LastEditDate="2019-11-18T07:04:44.133" LastActivityDate="2019-11-18T07:04:44.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="26495" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-10T20:02:05.873" Score="2" ViewCount="169" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I've just finished planting this yew hedge in a box and am thinking about laying some drip hose to water it. It occurred to me that I ought to have buried the hose &lt;strong&gt;before&lt;/strong&gt; planting.&#xA;I'm in bergen, Norway so too much rain is normally the problem! I'd like to train the hedge outward so all the soil is covered, but I guess this'll drastically reduce the amount of rain getting into the plant.&#xA;Does it make any difference to bury the hose for a hedge like this, or is surface irrigation sufficient enough?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pWp67.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pWp67.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastEditorUserId="13971" LastEditDate="2016-06-10T23:42:59.770" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T00:55:53.947" Title="Irrigation of a hedge in a raised planter" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26496" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-10T20:22:04.170" Score="4" ViewCount="1336" Body="&lt;p&gt;I dug up and brought a Stalk Thornless Blackberry home in a big chunk of its own ground, and put in in my ground with a bit of manure compost on top about a month ago in Idaho, (Early May) and one of the big stems had leaves and broke off so I stuck it in a two litre soda bottle full of water and placed it on the back porch. Both get sun all day except the one in the bottle gets shade about 3 pm. Now,(early June), the one in the bottle looks healthy and strong, has a flower but no roots, and the one in the ground is just sitting there being a plant... no new growth. The mother plant where I got this from is blooming, so maybe its late because it endured a move? Will my flowered cutting root? Also, I'll take any pruning tips. (as I am asked to add tags to this post I see there is &quot;rooting hormone&quot; which I have not used. Is it necessary? Ill go read up on that. ;) )&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14987" LastActivityDate="2021-02-26T14:00:36.510" Title="Thornless Blackberries, can I root from cuttings?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;&lt;rooting-hormone&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26497" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26416" CreationDate="2016-06-10T20:24:20.267" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had kale survive on my allotment over winter to April this year ( middle of the UK, ~200m high ). The hardiness depends a lot on your variety, but as long as you keep pinching off the flowers it'll last for a long time. At some point the taste will become unpleasant as it puts all its energy into seed production. Its probably better for you to decide when you need to plant the next crop than to guess the lifetime of Kale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T20:24:20.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26498" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26487" CreationDate="2016-06-10T20:35:52.453" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As long as you have the appropriate GPM available to support the system at the pressure required for the heads to operate, it makes no difference whatsoever the type of head you use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can purchase spray heads/nozzles in practically any GPM delivery rate. If you are concerned about uneven precipitation rate, research the rate delivered by your rotary heads and buy a spray head to match.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6969" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T20:35:52.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26496" CreationDate="2016-06-10T20:42:57.433" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have a runner, you can use the runner to make more if you &quot;staple it&quot; to the dirt at the place the leaves come out. I don't know if it will or not after you removed it from the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T20:42:57.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26500" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26493" CreationDate="2016-06-10T21:24:34.917" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the assumption you mean plants suitable for pots outdoors, lemon scented plants such as Citronella and Lemon Balm are good. Plants offered for sale under the name citronella vary - the one to look for is &lt;em&gt;Cymbopogon nardus&lt;/em&gt;, or &lt;em&gt;Citronella winterianus&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;em&gt;Cymbopogon&lt;/em&gt; does not like cold temperatures, and should be fine with your climate, but regular (possibly daily, or twice daily, depending on size of container) watering will be necessary for any plants in pots in full sun in those temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lemon scented geraniums are also worth considering, along with lavender, rosemary, basil and catmint (&lt;em&gt;Nepeta&lt;/em&gt;). Note that Basil will likely need replacing annually. All will be fine in containers, though rosemary can get too large and leggy over time, and likely will not cope with such high temperatures year round. More info and suggestions &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naturallivingideas.com/11-plants-that-repel-mosquitoes/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, and lemon scented Geraniums are available on &lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0088CPI40&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Amazon&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found this today - looks as if you'll need to crush or bruise the leaves on the citronella grass for it to have any effect on mosquitoes&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.medicaldaily.com/citronella-grass-your-best-bet-natural-mosquito-repellent-summer-247634&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.medicaldaily.com/citronella-grass-your-best-bet-natural-mosquito-repellent-summer-247634&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-24T12:47:01.373" LastActivityDate="2018-03-24T12:47:01.373" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26501" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26512" CreationDate="2016-06-10T21:28:01.523" Score="4" ViewCount="15205" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a small tree or large woody shrub in our garden with fragrant flowers appearing in June in Oregon.  Although four-petaled and white, they seem different from the dogwoods we have.  The petals seem to be true petals and not sepals, and they bud differently.  The leaf edges have occasional teeth rather than smooth wavy edges, and the leaves have three veins rather than the one central vein of the dogwood leaves.  Very pleasant plant and would like to identify it in order to be better able to encourage it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gu0GP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gu0GP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5M3Kq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5M3Kq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13711" LastActivityDate="2019-06-04T03:01:42.873" Title="What's this tree/shrub with white 4-petal flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26502" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26495" CreationDate="2016-06-10T21:35:01.803" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is that if you bury the hose, it will be like a drain, and roots will grow into the holes following the water source.  Best to keep it above ground so that you can keep the drip holes clear, and so that there is some surface water for the upper roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T21:35:01.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26484" CreationDate="2016-06-10T21:43:04.313" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I find that most things that are in the garden will root given time.  But it must have the right conditions.  Since you have two cuttings if you split it at the fork, you could try rooting one in sand as Escoce says.  The other way is just stick it in hydroponic solution, and use a bubbler to keep the water oxygenated.  If you had an aquarium once, you probably have one lying around. I find it a useful technique to get things to root without needing to purchase rooting hormones, or making it myself.  You do need to cover the glass bottle from sunlight to stop algae forming, and reduce the number of leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-10T21:43:04.313" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26504" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26495" CreationDate="2016-06-10T22:18:52.883" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You normally don't bury the drip hose in the soil. You place it over the soil and you cover it with mulch. Make sure you use drip emitter tubing instead of soaker hoses. Soaker hoses don't water evenly. They put out more water near the water source than at the end and if there's a slope it makes things worse. Yews are pretty sensitive to too much water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But before you do anything. Make sure you even need any type of irrigation. Depending on where you live you may not need any irrigation at all. Yews like well draining soil and too much water will be bad. You don't indicate where you live but in many places yews will only need watering when you first plant them and then maybe a little bit in the summer. I have some yews in the ground and I've never watered them. Rain takes care of it. In containers like you have it will probably need more watering but it's going to depend on your soil and climate. If I were you I'd wait and see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="2448" LastEditDate="2016-06-11T00:55:53.947" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T00:55:53.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26505" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26508" CreationDate="2016-06-10T22:46:35.153" Score="3" ViewCount="186" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read that sea buckthorn needles are lethal, so I was wondering how sharp they are. Are they like sewing needles, or like a pen point?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TNdyJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TNdyJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T02:19:54.853" Title="How sharp are sea berry thorns?" Tags="&lt;berries&gt;&lt;thorns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26493" CreationDate="2016-06-11T00:02:24.897" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can manage to get a few &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.almanac.com/plant/marigolds&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;marigolds&lt;/a&gt;, plant those. They thrive on a lot of sunshine, can be grown in pots, and are good at repelling mosquitoes and most other insect pests. The beautiful flowers are a bonus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14991" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T00:02:24.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26508" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26505" CreationDate="2016-06-11T02:11:31.813" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems the sharpness of the thorns depends on the cultivar&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Normally sea buckthorn has thorns surrounding the berries which also vary in density, shape, size and sharpness. In Russia, Germany and Mongolia, thornless or near thornless cultivars have been bred.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.statpub.com/index.php/gab/article/54228&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.statpub.com/index.php/gab/article/54228&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;http://vegetolab.com/Seabuckthorn_an.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Harvest Moon&lt;/a&gt;, a largely thornless variety&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wQV3y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wQV3y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;thornless cultivar&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-06-11T02:19:54.853" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T02:19:54.853" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26509" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14947" CreationDate="2016-06-11T05:31:58.327" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wandering Jews are awesome plants, and it's very easy to take cuttings of them (much as it's easy to take cuttings of spider plants, golden pothos plants, the houseplant version of creeping Charlie, etc.) As a teenager, I had a wandering Jew plant (it was all one color), and I would regularly take cuttings of it, rooting them in water (just take a piece about 4 to 6 inches long and sit it in a cup of water (with one or more of the intersections where leaves grow in the water) on the windowsill until it grows roots—which shouldn't take too long—and plant it in potting soil when it has enough roots). That was very easy to do with this plant, in my experience. I imagine it's even easier to root it in seed-starting mix (although you might want to repot it in potting soil after a while, since there isn't much nutrition in seed-starting mix).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I imagine what J. Musser says in his answer is correct. I just wanted to share my experience, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T05:31:58.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26510" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26511" CreationDate="2016-06-11T06:16:58.590" Score="4" ViewCount="2087" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a plant that I think had a high salt content in the soil, likely from watering it with tap water instead of distilled water. To fix this, I followed someone's recommendation to re-pot the plant using new potting soil. However, there was lots of soil in the root ball that I wasn't able to remove for fear of damaging the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried to shake/brush off as much soil as possible, but how much is enough? Are there any other techniques or suggestions about how to handle the tradeoff between replacing enough potting soil vs avoiding too much damage to the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand that this issue my be solved by getting a &quot;feel&quot; for it. But I'm a fairly novice gardener, so a thorough description about how to remove the proper amount of soil from the root ball would be very helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pics from my repotting attempt:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before the repotting:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R1OND.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R1OND.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The initial rootball:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DSqDJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DSqDJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Rootball after shaking off some soil:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ba43E.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ba43E.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;After fingering through the rootball, here it is before replanting:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bqLIl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bqLIl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13483" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T04:49:07.257" Title="How much soil to remove from root ball when repotting?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26511" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26510" CreationDate="2016-06-11T09:19:28.937" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In theory, when you perform a transplant you should avoid damaging any of the roots at all, since any damage to roots causes the plant stress during transplant. In practice, you will always damage some small number of roots no matter how careful you are, unless you transplant a gigantic sized root-ball. So my answer to your question is you should move a root ball large enough to hide/contain all of the roots in the plant if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some other transplant advice that might help are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Best time to transplant is late fall after leaves have fallen or early&#xA;  spring before new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Best time of day is late afternoon and during a cloudy, non-windy day&#xA;  if outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Disturb the root ball as little as possible and make sure it stays&#xA;  moist. Water the plant well after transplanting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;After transplanting, orient the plant so it faces the same direction&#xA;  relative to the sun as before the transplant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;There are also plant supplements you can add that reduce transplant&#xA;  stress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as your plant having &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.howplantswork.com/2013/01/31/how-salt-stresses-plants-or-not/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;too much salt&lt;/a&gt; from tap water, there are several types of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_water&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;'salts'&lt;/a&gt; in tap water. The most common salts in tap water are sodium chloride (table salt), magnesium salts and calcium salts. Magnesium and calcium salts are actually needed by plants, so if you use distilled water you will want to supplement it fertilizers with those elements, since distilled water has no salts at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your case, your problem was too much sodium chloride in the soil, which causes a plant to dehydrate. Fixing this in a potted plant is most easily done by flushing the salt out of the pot soil rather than trying to replace the soil by transplanting. To do this, just move the potted plant to a location where you don't mind extra water (like a shower if indoors) and overwater the plant with a non-salty water (like distilled). Salt is water soluble, so as the water passes through the soil it will pick up and carry any salt away as runoff. This flushing process will remove other water-soluble nutrients from the soil, so add them back in (fertilizer or plant food) to avoid nutrient starving your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14300" LastEditorUserId="14300" LastEditDate="2016-06-16T04:49:07.257" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T04:49:07.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26512" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26501" CreationDate="2016-06-11T13:13:46.093" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This appears to be a Philadelphus variety, most likely Philadelphus coronarius (or one of its cultivars) judging by the yellow stamens of the flowers and the slight hooked appearance at the edge of some of the leaves. Photo of flowers here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.latin-wife.com/blog/colombia/philadelphus-coronarius/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.latin-wife.com/blog/colombia/philadelphus-coronarius/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Information and more pictures here - leaves of P. coronarius are shown lower down the page&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/Mockorange/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/Mockorange/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its often called 'mock orange' because the scent is said to resemble orange blossom. In warmer regions, they may remain evergreen, but are generally deciduous shrubs. This shrub and its varieties are very common in the UK, and here it is deciduous and is generally pruned back after flowering, with some shoots removed at ground level as it matures to keep the size in check and reduce the chances of congestion and dead branches towards the centre. Not sure if this is necessary where you are - if its growing tidily, flowers well and isn't too large for its space, it may not need it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-11T13:39:12.517" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T13:39:12.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26513" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8715" CreationDate="2016-06-11T15:20:52.560" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know the original poster asked for identification 2 years ago but the plant in question looks to be Philodendron, maybe &lt;a href=&quot;http://garden.org/plants/view/71882/Tree-Philodendron-Philodendron-bipinnatifidum/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://garden.org/plants/view/71882/Tree-Philodendron-Philodendron-bipinnatifidum/&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://garden.org/plants/view/613519/Philodendron-bipinnatifidum-Hope/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://garden.org/plants/view/613519/Philodendron-bipinnatifidum-Hope/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14995" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T15:20:52.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26514" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17366" CreationDate="2016-06-11T15:29:41.947" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree that it appears to be a Clerodendrum, perhaps a &lt;a href=&quot;http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/GardenPubsAZ/Starburst_Clerodendrum.pdf&quot;&gt;Clerodendrum quadriloculare&lt;/a&gt;, also called Starburst, Starburst Clerodendrum, Shooting stars, and Firecracker bush. Although it used to be classified as a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/flowers/hgic1175.html&quot;&gt;Verbena&lt;/a&gt;, scientific studies now place it in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/Plant_Families/Lamiaceae.htm&quot;&gt;Lamiaceae&lt;/a&gt; family, which is extremely large and includes varieties of mint and other herbs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.floridagardener.com/pom/shootingstar.htm&quot;&gt;Starburst&lt;/a&gt; can be used as a small tree or shrub, depending on your preference. The maximum height is generally 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 meters). Pruning is easy, and, like many shrubs, is best done in the fall, or in the spring before budding. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It thrives best in USDA Zone 9b-11 (minimum of 25°F, -4°C), which is probably where you are in Florida. It prefers acidic soil, with a pH of 7.5 or below, especially to produce full, strong leaves.  Once established, though, it requires only moderate care to keep it healthy for many years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on the specific variety, leaves can be a solid color, like yours, or variegated. The tubular flower clusters attract hummingbirds and long-nosed butterflies, so keep an eye out for some pretty visitors!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T15:29:41.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26515" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-11T16:36:01.147" Score="5" ViewCount="123" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have three hydrangea bushes. We didn't trim the dead sticks on them because of so many stories being told to us saying yes, trim them back because it will help them bloom more; and no because the dead ones are what makes them bloom. I'm also told if you don't it drinks the juice from the plant. So could somebody give me the actual answer please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14989" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-08T08:14:52.300" LastActivityDate="2021-02-08T08:14:52.300" Title="How do I treat a Hydrangea?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26517" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26515" CreationDate="2016-06-11T17:50:50.707" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hmm, an interesting collection of misinformation! It depends what variety of Hydrangea, is the answer - if you have Hydrangea macrophylla (those with large, mophead flowers or lace cap flowers), you don't cut those until growth begins in spring.&#xA;When you see new shoots, that's the time to trim off dead flowerheads from the previous year, along with dead bits of stem, but other than that, any further cutting back will reduce flowering. The reason for not deadheading is the spent, dead flowerheads provide a little more protection for the upper parts of the plant in cold weather during winter. Some images of Hydrangea macrophylla types here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/search-results?form-mode=false&amp;amp;query=hydrangea+macrophylla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/search-results?form-mode=false&amp;amp;query=hydrangea+macrophylla&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have Hydrangea paniculata (or any of its varieties, usually cone shaped flowers), they can be deadheaded after flowers are finished if you want - they can also be pruned right down in Fall (autumn) and they'll still flower the following year. Conversely, if you did that with a macrophylla type, you wouldn't get any flowers at all the next year. An example of a paniculata type shown in the link below - in this case, its Hydrangea paniculata 'limelight' but it does show the difference in shape of the flowers&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/154246/Hydrangea-paniculata-Limelight-(PBR)/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/154246/Hydrangea-paniculata-Limelight-(PBR)/Details&lt;/a&gt;'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then there's  the climbing ones such as Hydrangea anomala - these are usually left to their own devices, although spent flowers can be removed in spring, left until then for reasons similar to macrophylla - more cold protection, but in milder regions, you can remove them after flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You haven't said what variety of Hydrangeas you have, but hopefully you can work it out from this answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-11T18:09:44.133" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T18:09:44.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26518" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26519" CreationDate="2016-06-11T19:01:06.940" Score="3" ViewCount="1017" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f2atx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f2atx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The tree- full height&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LSfAl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LSfAl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another one but only the lead part without the trunk, which about 8ft tall &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/91AGb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/91AGb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A sucker from a chopped tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZUa39.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZUa39.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A tiny plant (sucker) off from the chopped tree&amp;#39;s root&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree is all over our backyard and it keeps coming when i cut down, want to know if its a useful one if not, want to cut them down and apply glyphosate to the left over trunk..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11489" LastEditorUserId="14277" LastEditDate="2016-08-22T18:53:05.490" LastActivityDate="2016-08-22T18:53:05.490" Title="What's the tree with many leaves in one branch and grow tall" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26519" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26518" CreationDate="2016-06-11T19:12:44.943" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Possible that it is &lt;em&gt;Ailanthus altissima&lt;/em&gt; 'tree of heaven'. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are known for sending up suckers from their shallow root system. They originate from China, and were brought over to Europe in the mid 1700s and onto the United States later on in the century.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never been near one, but they can apparently develop a horrible odor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ailanthus_altissima&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ailanthus_altissima&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T19:12:44.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26518" CreationDate="2016-06-11T19:51:12.557" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think its suckers from Rhus typhinus, or one of the sumachs anyway. They're fast growing and will appear along the length of roots under the soil from the original tree, so you may find as many as 5 or 6 sucker growths along each main rootline. If the original tree has died or been cut down, that simply means more suckers with more vigorous growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's probably necessary to cut each one down and treat the stump or base with a brushwood or stumpkiller, now they've taken hold. Wear gloves when handling the foliage, the sap can be highly irritant in some people, and sometimes the suckers have thorns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T19:51:12.557" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26521" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-11T19:53:59.540" Score="2" ViewCount="232" Body="&lt;p&gt;This grows in my backyard and its leaning on the divider and would like to know few more details about it before trimming it. For that if like to know what tree is this first..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S59l2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S59l2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The full tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;--&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cURIC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cURIC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of a small trunk with the black fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;--&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0NPcC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0NPcC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Single branch&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;--&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iVEjd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iVEjd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunk of the tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;--&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WPSy5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WPSy5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;--&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cIo8s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cIo8s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Smashed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;--&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RMe85.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RMe85.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Seed &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11489" LastEditorUserId="11489" LastEditDate="2016-06-11T22:25:17.557" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T22:25:17.557" Title="What tree is this which is 12 ft tall and 15ft wide with tiny black fruit" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26521" CreationDate="2016-06-11T22:03:56.470" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sigh, my first impression was Crepe Myrtle.  Your pictures don't show the leaf arrangement very well but they should be OPPOSITE.  There will sometimes be weird alternate looking leaves.  You SHOULD be able to remember the flowers, if indeed this is Crepe Myrtle.  If it is you are one lucky person!  These trees in the correct location like where you are...are one of the most beautiful and hugely flowering SMALL trees ever. If you lived there last year and do not remember a huge flower display then perhaps not.  Of course if they were fertilized with too much nitrogen the flowers would have been miniscule.  More pictures!  This looks like a very wonderful small tree and should be thinned to show the trunks/branching...and help with formation, health.  MORE PICTURES!  Regardless, this is a great little tree and will be a boon to your landscape when you know what it is and how to prune it...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T22:03:56.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26523" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-11T22:26:08.113" Score="4" ViewCount="626" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to grow/maintain in pots trees or shrubs that can offer decent shade for someone to sit under them when there's lots of sun?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have an open good-sized &lt;em&gt;concrete&lt;/em&gt; rooftop in a building and I'd like to have a tree that offers decent shade. The pot can be any size, but it has to be a pot. Or any other ideas besides pots are welcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14590" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T15:15:59.180" Title="Trees or shrubs with decent shade that can grow in pots?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26523" CreationDate="2016-06-11T22:56:09.090" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can grow trees in pots. Many people do this. But you need a tree that is suitable for the pot, and isn't going to out grow the pot.  Containers also tend to easily dry out so you need some way of keeping the tree well watered in hot conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To calculate the size of the tree, you need to know where the sun is at the time you want the shade.  If you're on the equator, then the sun will be directly overhead and you won't get much shade from anything without an extensive canopy.  If the sun is not directly overhead, then you can calculate using geometry the final height of the tree needed to provide shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may also need to find out the engineering loading for your concrete roof.  Concrete is strong in compression, but weak in tension.  Likely your roof has been reinforced with steel, but it will still have a rated loading.  The reason you need to know this is that some trees keep growing.  An oak starts from an acorn.  With the wrong choice of trees, you might be exceeding the roof loading specifications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-11T22:56:09.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26525" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-11T23:05:31.313" Score="0" ViewCount="311" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found that there are several holes, digged by chipmunk, in the back yard. Would you like to let me know how to handle these little animals, or how to push them move away from the yard? Thank you very much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3010" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T21:52:53.250" Title="make chipmunk leave the back yard" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;protection&gt;&lt;yard&gt;&lt;domestic-animals&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-06-13T01:35:58.540" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26526" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26518" CreationDate="2016-06-12T00:04:26.373" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sumac and Ailanthus look very similar. Your stems look reddish brown, if they're also fuzzy it may be sumac. If you smell the leaves and it smells like what a plant fart would smell like if plants could fart it's ailanthus altissima. Ailanthus are horribly invasive trees and not ones you'd want to keep around but they're very hard to control.  Ailanthus can not only take over your yard, your neighbor's yard it can also find it's way to natural habitats where it can harm the natural ecosystem. The roots can cause damage to sidewalks, foudnations, sewers, etc. Sumac while a native tree is also very invasive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're not very attractive trees and Ailanthus stinks. When they get big they release hundreds of thousands of seedpods everywhere. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do everyone around you a favor and get rid of them. If you search around different forums you'll find plenty of people complaining about how difficult they are to control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pvcblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/sumac-eradication-techniques.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sumac eradication&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/programs/woodland-steward/DNR_TreeOfHeaven.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ailanthus control&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/aial1.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;More detailed information on Ailanthus altissima control&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More on Ailanthus from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ecolandscaping.org/05/invasive-plants/tree-of-heaven-an-exotic-invasive-plant-fact-sheet/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.ecolandscaping.org/05/invasive-plants/tree-of-heaven-an-exotic-invasive-plant-fact-sheet/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;By the early 1900s however, tree of-heaven began losing popularity due&#xA;  to its prolific root sprouting and weedy nature in human-occupied&#xA;  areas coupled with the foul odor of its stems and leaves (DiTomaso and&#xA;  Kyser, 2007). Presently, in this new era of exotic invasive plant&#xA;  awareness, Dirr (1998), states that tree-of-heaven has no&#xA;  horticultural value because there are many other tree species of&#xA;  better quality for designed landscapes. Similarly, Whitcomb (1985&#xA;  p.51) states that although it is an “indestructible tree” it “should&#xA;  be avoided”.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Someone on my block let an ailanthus grow in their yard and it's now huge. During the warm months I'm plucking a half dozen or more seedlings from my yard every week. If you see one in your yard do whatever it takes to eradicate it before it gets too big and costly to do something about it. If you have a neighbor that has some growing, educate them about the tree. Of all the invasive plants people have planted in my area this one is by far the worst. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read this deleted answer from someone who is suffering with this tree. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/8339/2448&quot;&gt;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/8339/2448&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T05:17:20.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26527" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26525" CreationDate="2016-06-12T00:11:28.027" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Te best and most effective would be to kill them, but not everybody likes to do that and there is some other option. You can plant some plants that chipmunks hate. The 2 best are narcissus flowers or daffodils. Narcissus is the best because the are toxic alkaloids and calcium-oxalate crystals in them (do not think it kills them). There is something called U scram 'cat and chipmunk deterrent', this is a cork tree that you put into the ground and releases a safe unpleasant order that they hate and they will go away. The only thing with this is that you might not like it yourself... one of these I think you will find useful. I like the plants because that is what I did and it seems to work pretty well. The other things is what my neighbors around the block did and they say it works well for them to. I did little some research on the flowers for ya. Hope that bug goes away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T00:11:28.027" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26523" CreationDate="2016-06-12T05:01:46.977" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a number of issues with trying to grow a shade tree in a container. To get a good amount of shade you'll need a large container. Large container, lots of soil and water means lots of weight so you need to make sure your roof can support it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most trees grown in containers are dwarf varieties that won't get too big and they tend to grow slowly. To get a mature plant that will be large enough to provide shade won't be cheap. Most are grown for ornamental value or possibly for fruit and don't provide much shade. Maybe with a large enough container (huge) you can get something going with maybe a dwarf apple or japanese maple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like the concept. I'm not sure it's very practical. I think a better option would be to get a heavy patio umbrella stand and a good patio umbrella. Cheaper, cleaner, easier, faster. You can take it down in the cold months or when it's windy. It doesn't need water and it won't die on you. Create a nice setting to lounge in with some containers with plants you use for ornamental reasons or even some for food production if you want to bring some nature to the space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T05:01:46.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26529" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26575" CreationDate="2016-06-12T06:50:46.650" Score="6" ViewCount="3537" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow Super Sugar Snap peas in large containers every year, and every year I see the same thing -- around the time they flower, they start dying from the bottom up. This happens quite early -- the attached photo is of the stage where the first peas are starting to appear on the vines. I can still harvest from the plants as the tops are still healthy-looking, but they're gradually dying and will stop producing pretty soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this part of a normal life cycle for this variety of peas, or is something wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K2XcX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K2XcX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;damaged pea plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15001" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T12:15:39.637" Title="Why are my peas dying from the bottom up?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;peas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26530" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26496" CreationDate="2016-06-12T08:01:25.303" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blackberries fruit on two year old canes - so the one that broke off is one. Your accident is similar to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/26484/emergency-propagation-of-red-currant-cutting-in-early-summer&quot;&gt;the one I had a few days ago&lt;/a&gt; - but as most gardeners know, blackberries are very eager to propagate, either from roots or tips that bend down and grow roots. My thornless one is manageable, but wild blackberries can drive a gardener mad...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So putting your cutting into soil should work, follow the usual recommendations of &quot;three to four buds, keep them right side up, reduce foliage and tent to reduce evaporation&quot;. Remove the flower. (Depending on the length of this cane, you could even get multiple pieces.) I haven't heard of them rooting in water, but considering their &quot;invasiveness&quot;, who knows?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For your plant, it depends (pictures would help...) what you have: Last year's canes won't really grow longer in their second year, but develop little bushy twigs that flower and fruit. In the first year, new canes will grow a considerable length, but look kind of bare, because they have only single leaves at those places where next year's fruiting twigs will be. The new canes are often a few shades lighter or greener than old canes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your transplanted just &quot;sits&quot; (but without wilting), let it be, it could be transplant shock. If you have only new canes left after your accident, they will basically &quot;sit&quot;, once they are done with growing to their length - or they might get over transplant shock now, then push for more length. Second year canes are probably just a bit later. Again: pictures would get you a better answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for pruning:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;After fruiting / in fall, the second year canes should be pruned out to make room for new growth. Those pruned canes are propagating material if you want... In spring, you could cut the tips of those canes that will be fruiting, but I'm usually skipping this step.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T08:01:25.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26531" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26493" CreationDate="2016-06-12T13:22:02.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many web sites that make wide ranging statements about plants that repel mosquitoes.  I cannot find any academic research that supports this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can find university sites that say that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1400-20.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;there is no plant that acts as a mosquito repellent by just being there&lt;/a&gt;. Any essential oils in the plant leaves must distributed in the air or applied to skin before a mosquito will be repelled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The controls that do work are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clear nearby areas of standing water where they breed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fans which blow mosquitoes and the CO2 that attracts them away&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use or make a product containing DEET, citronella or any of the plants listed in this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/young-naturalist-awards/winning-essays2/2009-winning-essays/the-effectiveness-of-botanical-extracts-as-repellents-against-aedes-aegypti-mosquitoes/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;excellent study&lt;/a&gt; as skin lotion or candle&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further references:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aces.edu/dept/extcomm/specialty/marigolds.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;dispelling Marigold Myths&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/marigoldsandnematodemanagement.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Data is lacking as to whether marigolds actually deter insect pests&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ng045&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Marigolds control some nematodes in the soil&lt;/a&gt; which is probably the source of the idea that Marigolds can repel mosquitoes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.quora.com/How-many-marigold-plants-or-other-mosquito-repelling-plants-catnip-citronella-rosemary-etc-are-needed-to-make-a-noticeable-difference-in-the-number-of-mosquitoes-in-an-outdoor-area-where-children-play&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Short answer from a biologist&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/hortiscope/flowers/margold.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;It doesn't work so don't get your hopes up&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="27450" LastEditDate="2019-11-18T11:15:27.347" LastActivityDate="2019-11-18T11:15:27.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="26532" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5748" CreationDate="2016-06-12T14:05:51.727" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try DIVISION.&#xA;Like Spirea and Hosta, Privets grow new stems from the ground. When a new stem establishes, you can dig around it, separate/sever the roots of the new stem from the main plant, and replant the new growth.  It's not a fast way to get a lot of new Privets, but it's almost guaranteed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For normal propagation, like the other answer said, it might just be where you're taking the cuttings. Most woody plants (ime with Spirea and Wisteria) respond better to propagation if the cutting is taken from new-woody growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T14:05:51.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26533" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26523" CreationDate="2016-06-12T15:15:59.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with the other answers (tree in pot will not do much shadow). So I reframe:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of plant that you can put in arbor, which will give you a lot of shadow in summer, but relatively light plants, so they could survive well in pots.  I like wine grapes: large leaves, relatively rustic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Google image (rooftop tree / arbor / ..) will give you many interesting ideas (and we can give you an advise with some more concrete plan).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T15:15:59.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26534" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26536" CreationDate="2016-06-12T17:28:05.757" Score="2" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a part of the yard that is incredibly rich top soil, can I plant them in the soil to give them the initial boost for a few years?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T18:03:54.967" Title="I keep reading about sea buckthorn in sandy soil, can I plant them in rich black soil for better results?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26535" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26525" CreationDate="2016-06-12T17:46:21.627" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have daffodils in my garden.  They do not repel chipmunks or squirrels.  They are not eaten by rabbits or deer in most circumstances due to &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_(plant)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;the alkaloids&lt;/a&gt; in them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chipmunks will spend time in your garden if you are providing any combination of food/shelter/water.  If you remove or restrict access to &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipmunk#Diet&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;the things they eat&lt;/a&gt; which include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;seed and nuts, bird feeders bring them in, acorns&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fruit: strawberry, service berry, blue berry, haskap berry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when they are hungry in the spring tree buds, bird eggs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;vegetables: tomatoes...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/wildlife/wildlife-nuisance-and-damage/small-mammals/wildlife-damage-control-13-chipmunks&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; recommends these control methods:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;live trapping and relocation. Keep in mind that at a typical urban density of two to four chipmunks per acre with territories that overlap an ongoing effort may be required.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove areas of continuous cover leading to the area. Hedges, rock walls, tall grass provide cover that chipmunks use to conceal themselves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cutting grass short in the area you want to control&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repellants such as  bitrex, thiram, or ammonium soaps of higher fatty acids can be applied to plants you want to protect.  They are labelled as squirrel repellents and must be reapplied after rain &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found this to be effective in the short term.  Hunting shops will sometimes sell fox or coyote urine.  Mark the perimeter of the area with this and reapply every few days. Unless they are really hungry most rodents will avoid areas where they smell predators.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T17:46:21.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26536" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26534" CreationDate="2016-06-12T18:03:54.967" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sea buckthorn loves, loves, loves &lt;em&gt;light and airy&lt;/em&gt;, nutrient-poor soil, the sandier the better. They handle dry spells, but not permanently &quot;wet feet&quot;. Even the commercial breeds get little fertilizer, for home gardens it is recommended to fertilize for perhaps a year or two after planting, then let them mostly fend for themselves, except a light dose of compost evert other year or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the really crucial bit about replanting them is - you probably won't be able to after a few years. They have a tendency to really anchor themselves and send roots (and offshoots) everywhere. And they grow &lt;em&gt;fast&lt;/em&gt;! So better to think &lt;em&gt;first&lt;/em&gt; where you want them, then plant. Amend the soil with lots of sand, if necessary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T18:03:54.967" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26538" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26539" CreationDate="2016-06-12T18:33:56.443" Score="3" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is wrong with my Camellia?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It hasn't been looking too happy recently but I just returned from a 2 week holiday and it looks like this (I live in London, uk and it should get sun most of the day)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LOL7v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LOL7v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Help me&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11576" LastEditorUserId="11576" LastEditDate="2016-06-12T20:31:58.737" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T20:37:59.383" Title="What is wrong with my Camellia?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26539" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26538" CreationDate="2016-06-12T19:01:38.087" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like drought. I don't know where you are in the world, so its hard to judge what your weather might have been like while you were away, and I also can't judge whether this plant is sited in sun all day or not. If it has half a day's sun, the temperature was up, and no-one was coming to water, that would explain this - even if they were coming, this one has been missed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've said you're in the UK, so its defnitely drought - there's been some good weather while you were away. I suspect it needed a bigger pot too, and if its potbound, it would have dried out more quickly. The only thing you can do now is cut it back by a half to two thirds of its height, move it somewhere shady and keep it well watered. You might get some regrowth, you might not, depends how dry the roots got. A plant in drought will sacrifice its leaves first, but that doesn't necessarily mean the roots are dead, only time will tell I'm afraid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-12T20:37:59.383" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T20:37:59.383" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26540" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26541" CreationDate="2016-06-12T19:25:45.497" Score="3" ViewCount="433" Body="&lt;p&gt;A flower grew in my yard which I did not plant. Yesterday it was incredibly beautiful, but today it has already started to wilt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has a very long 3-foot stem with the flower at the top of it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CWPF5.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CWPF5.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sbuIY.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sbuIY.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" LastEditorUserId="15013" LastEditDate="2016-06-13T10:55:28.163" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T10:55:28.163" Title="What is this beautiful flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26541" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26540" CreationDate="2016-06-12T19:35:59.310" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the leaves are sword shaped, that is a Bearded Iris, botanical name Iris germanica, not sure which variety, colours are too faded to tell. Similar one shown further down in this link, but there are many colours and colour combinations&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://datab.us/i/Iris%20germanica&quot;&gt;http://datab.us/i/Iris%20germanica&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Better in sun, the rhizomes at the base need to bake to some extent during summer for increased flower production. Conversely, flowers usually last a few days, so long as they're not in hot sun, which frazzles them quickly. Thus proving the old saying 'you just can't win'... However, I don't know where you are, but these usually flower earlier in the UK, certainly before end of May, when the sun is not usually that hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-12T19:44:26.517" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T19:44:26.517" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26542" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26556" CreationDate="2016-06-12T20:10:37.157" Score="3" ViewCount="635" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this plant that grows like a weed in my yard (I live in Massachusetts). It has very small 5-pointed flowers which are blooming right now (2nd week in June). The flowers are purple. The plant grows somewhat like a vine and has a tendril, but does not climb very high and it seems to like the ground. The flowers are quite small, about the size of an eraser on a pencil, or slightly larger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are simple, opposite and spade-shaped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jWotC.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jWotC.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T17:21:07.523" Title="Ground cover plant with small purple 5-pointed flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26543" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26525" CreationDate="2016-06-12T21:52:53.250" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chipmunks live in woodpiles. I have never seen chipmunks except in places where there is a lot of dead wood lying around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can live trap them, but if you have wood piles, new chipmunks will just move into the vacant territory (Oh! Wow! An unoccupied wood pile, let's call U-haul and move the family in!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically there is a simple strategy for getting rid of chipmunks: make sure you have no piles of dead wood or fallen logs near your house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" LastActivityDate="2016-06-12T21:52:53.250" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26544" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26546" CreationDate="2016-06-12T22:39:56.497" Score="6" ViewCount="2289" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some tall grass in my back yard and I would love to cut it but I am worried I could kill it by cutting like more than 80-90% (Hopefully not exaggerating) will kill the plant. Should I try to slowly cut it down to size or would it be fine if I gave it enough water. I would like to not have a brown patch in the back yard, even though it will not be seen to easy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T12:07:55.840" Title="Cutting tall grass (2-3ft) to short (2-3in) kill it?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26545" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26544" CreationDate="2016-06-13T00:54:09.970" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Turf care position: Oh Noes!!! Also, 2&quot; is too short, unless you are going for a golf-green, which is a whole other level of fuss (and even shorter.) 3&quot; is about as short as you should cut normal lawn grass. Among other things, cutting the top too short kills off the roots which makes it less able to get water for itself. Taller grass equals deeper roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Practical &quot;whacking the overgrown stuff in the orchard&quot;: it will probably live.  I can't say I care much if that stuff turns a bit brown for a while, so I suppose it might. But you might want to put your mower as high as it goes, then give it a week, then cut it back to 3&quot;. But hayfeilds put up with &quot;several feet&quot; to &quot;a few inches&quot; multiple times a year without expiring....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-06-13T12:19:45.870" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T12:19:45.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26544" CreationDate="2016-06-13T01:13:19.097" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The lower parts of the grass probably aren't green right now because they're not getting much light or good air circulation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's usually not recommended to cut more than 1/3rd of the grass at a time. So you'd cut it down to 24&quot;, wait a few days then cut it down to 16&quot;, wait a few more days and cut it down to about 11&quot; and so on. Well take about 6 or 7 cuttings depending how fast it grows in between cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With grass that high though it still may have other issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it were me I'd just cut it down all in one shot or maybe 2 because it looks bad. Maybe bring it down too about 1ft with a string trimmer then about a week later go through the area with a take to clean up rocks and other debris and hit it with the mower on the highest setting then work down to your desired height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try to avoid mowing when the temp is greater than 90f. Start maintaining the lawn after you cut it. Give it some fertilizer and mow it regularly.  Outs not going to l look great right after you cut it but it will recover. In the fall overseed it to help fill in any week areas which you'll undoubtedly have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There was a similar question recently and you might find my answer to that one helpful as well. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/25308/2448&quot;&gt;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/25308/2448&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T04:27:19.270" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26547" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26544" CreationDate="2016-06-13T01:32:24.693" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you're trying to make hay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;follow these steps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut it down&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;collect it (so it doesn't cover your good grass)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use it for animal feed, or take it to the compost pile&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T01:32:24.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26548" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26550" CreationDate="2016-06-13T05:25:02.070" Score="3" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems like a lot of my sunchokes are right next to each other, and I have about 3 feet of room. should I pull some up to move them a few feet so they all have room to grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T08:11:28.017" Title="Is there a good way to know if you should transplant sunchokes to spread them out a little bit?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;sunchoke&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26549" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26490" CreationDate="2016-06-13T07:45:34.020" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can control the time when water comes, &lt;strong&gt;only water during the night&lt;/strong&gt;.&#xA;Then if you have an input from temperature, &lt;strong&gt;only water when its above 80°F&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From experience, I know that watering too much can be armfull. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It really depends what you intend to do. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you want to grow vegetables in the intensive way, then you might want to water all the time and have chemicals around to fix the moisture induced illnesses and slushes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you want to waste as few water as possible, then you should plant things that are adapted to your region's climate. And instead of watering, use vegetable cover, that will both avoid water evaporating and prevent wildness to grow around your loved plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15012" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T07:45:34.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26550" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26548" CreationDate="2016-06-13T08:11:28.017" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They will sufficiently spread when they will be tall.  Let them grow as is, and remove some if they are too close to each other. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I doubt it would be a good thing to transplant the ones you will be removing in the process. There is various sites where the explain &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.harvesttotable.com/2009/03/how_to_grow_sunchoke/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;how to grow them&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/vegetables/growing-jerusalem-artichokes-zmaz10onzraw.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; they say its more an issue to contain them than to spread them...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15012" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T08:11:28.017" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26551" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19593" CreationDate="2016-06-13T08:38:13.753" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks to me as a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=plant+sunburnt&amp;amp;qpvt=plant+sunburnt&amp;amp;qpvt=plant+sunburnt&amp;amp;qpvt=plant+sunburnt&amp;amp;FORM=IQFRML&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;sunburnt&lt;/a&gt;. In the store, the plant was sheltered from direct sun. Then you put it outside, and that's too much sun for the leaves it had grown in the shades back there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its not too bad for it I think, and new leaves won't develop such weakness since they will grow in the sun. Maybe just remove it from full-day sunlight and leave it a week or so to adapt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15012" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T08:38:13.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26552" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26568" CreationDate="2016-06-13T14:04:37.053" Score="5" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a rented house, with minimal space for planting in beds, and am not allowed to modify the garden enough to change this. I grow a variety of fruit and vegetables in large pots, mainly tomatoes, courgettes, peppers, chillis and aubergines. Tomatoes are definitely in the majority.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being the UK, the weather is often wet, even when warm, and we've had the odd attack of blight. I grow a few varieties of toms, some more resistant than others. I'm normally pretty vigilant, and quarantine or destroy any showing the early signs. Never had a catastrophic epidemic. I've often reused soil without properly keeping track of what it's previously been used for, which I assume increases the likelihood of blight and other diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I've shelled out to replace all of the soil in pots, but it's a fair old expense, and I'm wondering if there's a way I can mitigate the disease and pest risks when reusing any soil. Also it's a pain to ferry the pots of soil to the tip, and I have nowhere else to dispose of it. Is plant rotation the key?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15015" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T04:42:34.490" Title="What precautions should I take when reusing soil in pots?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26553" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-13T14:35:26.930" Score="6" ViewCount="2382" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I bought Japanese ELM seed to grow my own bonsai. The thing is, I read everywhere that it need a lot of sun, especially in the morning. But where I live, I the sun doesn't reach the window until late afternoon and almost the same if I put it outside in the morning...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will my bonsai be happy if I use an artificial light to replace the sun? And what are your recommendation for such use case?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15016" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T12:05:27.440" Title="Growing bonsai using artificial lighting" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26553" CreationDate="2016-06-13T14:54:29.300" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on the light. Normal household light is very very wreak for plants. A test: turn on the light at noon, and you will not find differences on your room, and from sun you will have only indirect light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many (illegal) Cannabis cultivation uses artificial light, but much more powerful, and so usually utility bill (or fire) cause the indoor cultivation to be uncovered).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So: possible, but not practical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T14:54:29.300" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26555" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26557" CreationDate="2016-06-13T16:20:47.777" Score="5" ViewCount="286" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have this medium sized magnolia in a pot since a bit more than a year. It survived the winter with us ocassionally taking it inside the house to prevent it from frosting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When spring came it started to bloom, and in a matter of a week the flower buds that it so slowly grew opened and fell to the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then the leafs started to appear. In the beginning they had a healthy tone of green and it was leafy. But over the course of the last month, the color of the leafs have changed, they show ocasional black spots, and they tend to dry very quickly (although I think it is not due to underwatering). It has slowly, but constantly, been loosing more and more leafs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this period I found green plant louse and later on cobwebs. In both ocassions I have fumigated it, and no insect has ever appeared again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am a bit clueless. I'm not sure what it has or how to help it. I appreciate any feedback.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I6FFM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I6FFM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d28U3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d28U3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eLh4S.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eLh4S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M5qVF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M5qVF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE: A month later&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following Stephie's suggestions, during the last month I've been watering this magnolia just with distilled water and fertilising once a week with a iron and magnesium rich fertiliser.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The results are wonderful (see pics below). New leafs grew healthy and green, no more burnt/dried points or yellowed. The majority of old, already yellowed leafs, have recovered a healthy green color. The also feel better to touch, more soft and silkier, and less carton like. Overall the tree has increased its foliage drastically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures 5 weeks after I started treating it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tSEJE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tSEJE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ndaiq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ndaiq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15017" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-23T23:20:09.400" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T23:20:09.400" Title="What is wrong with this magnolia?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;magnolia&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26542" CreationDate="2016-06-13T17:21:07.523" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I finally figured out what this stuff is. It is, as Sue said, of the periwinkle family. It is an invasive plant from southwestern Europe called &quot;black swallow-wort&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;BLACK SWALLOW-WORT&lt;/strong&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Cynanchum louiseae&lt;/em&gt;) Herbaceous, perennial vine twines 3 – 8 feet high. &lt;strong&gt;Leaves&lt;/strong&gt; opposite, 2 – 5 inches long,&#xA;  toothless, narrowly to broadly oval, pointed tips, dark green and&#xA;  shiny. &lt;strong&gt;Flowers&lt;/strong&gt; tiny, dark purple with 5 pointed, downy, triangular&#xA;  petals that are as long as wide. &lt;strong&gt;Seedpods&lt;/strong&gt; milkweed-like, slender&#xA;  and tapered, 1.5 – 3 inches long. &lt;strong&gt;Seed&lt;/strong&gt; on silky filaments.&#xA;  Threatens woodlands, forests, grasslands and savannas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T17:21:07.523" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26557" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26555" CreationDate="2016-06-13T17:25:37.240" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The light green areas are &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorosis&quot;&gt;chlorosis&lt;/a&gt;, often an indication of iron or manganese deficiency. Magnolias are very quick in developing chlorosis if they don't have enough iron available - typically not because there is too little in the soil, but because the ph is too high, which binds the iron so that the plant can't pick it up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, if you have hard water, stop using it for your magnolia, rainwater would be better. Then use a fertilizer that contains iron - read the label. A single dose of special iron fertilizer may be advisable, but be careful, some are toxic and / or can stain your patio. Read the instructions and follow them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T17:25:37.240" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26558" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4427" CreationDate="2016-06-13T17:46:23.130" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;i receive rain water to my house in southeast Alaska. the plants i grow love it. Once in  while i have to get some city water. The plants hate that cloramine water and have to adjust ph every time. so to say it does not bother plants, i say otherwise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15018" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T17:46:23.130" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26559" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="167" CreationDate="2016-06-13T20:25:11.633" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This the first time I used greywater to water my plants.  I have a vegetable garden.  My father used greywater in the past for his garden and we ate the vegetables from it all summer and we did not get sick.  As for the greywater harming the plants, I've never seen plants that look so healthy. Our garden is thriving.  The water includes shower, laundry and dish water.  We use Aussie as shampoo, dial glycerin soap, and dawn dishwashing liquid.  We have no filtration system.  The radishes are fantastic.  I have not gotten sick in the past and I have not gotten sick now either. We use extra laundry detergent also &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15019" LastEditorUserId="15019" LastEditDate="2016-06-13T21:01:37.167" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T21:01:37.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26560" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26564" CreationDate="2016-06-13T20:37:03.597" Score="7" ViewCount="1442" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two months ago, we sowed tomatoes and tomato seeds in a big pot. We watered them daily. Yesterday, instead of tomatoes, white mushrooms suddenly appeared in the pot. What happened? And what should we do to get tomatoes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: here are some pictures of the mushrooms. The diameter of each mushroom is about 2 cm. What are these mushrooms? Are they edible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rbcqa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rbcqa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u4ZFD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u4ZFD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2748" LastEditorUserId="2748" LastEditDate="2016-06-15T18:40:04.127" LastActivityDate="2016-06-15T19:59:34.203" Title="Mushrooms instead of tomatoes" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26561" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26563" CreationDate="2016-06-13T20:49:57.117" Score="4" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw below arbust in Geneva. It was planted into a hail behind a metallic fence. It has started blossoming lately in the beginning of June.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wander what it is. Does anyone know?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PAbCS.jpg&quot; height=&quot;450&quot; &gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ippmI.jpg&quot; height=&quot;450&quot; &gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has great perfume and I'm considering planting one at my place. But I live 250 meters (820 feet) above Geneva, and temperatures can be -20 deg.C (-4 deg. F) for a night or two. Could it be a possibility for my garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-28T00:38:55.677" LastActivityDate="2016-06-28T00:38:55.677" Title="What is this perfumed arbust and can it survive deep frost?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26562" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26553" CreationDate="2016-06-13T22:38:33.343" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't say where about in the world you are, but most commonly Chinese elm is an outdoor plant (especially in the summer. If you are in a fairly mild climate then bringing inside or some decent frost protection outside should be taken.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some good general advice on this bonsai is available &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/chinese-elm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of artifical light, that really depends on your budget. Most commonly some form of metal halide light is used as grow lights, these however are costly to buy and also costly to run - usually burning 400w of electric per hour. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are cheaper alternatives, there have been some good developments in LED lighting rigs, but you need to make sure that the set up is providing the right spectrum of lighting (usually a combination of red, blue and a couple of UVs for good measure. Again you will find that there are some cheap ones available (can't comment of their usefulness) and more expensive ones that have been shown in tests to yield good results. But that does come at a cost, although the cost of running them are far lower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other thing I would mention, when reading into this myself a while ago, I came across this &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaihunk.us/WikleArticle.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Article&lt;/a&gt; where the guy used normal strip lighting placed fairly close to the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would be inclined to stick it on your best window ledge / spot in the yard for a while and see how mother nature gets on. Then if it seems to be struggling for light, try out some of the cheaper options as suplimentary lighting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T22:38:33.343" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26561" CreationDate="2016-06-13T22:43:22.290" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Trachelospermum jasminoides, an evergreen twining climber. Unfortunately, its only hardy down to -10 degC as a minimum temperature, so if your winter temperatures regularly fall lower than this, its not a good choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/18287/Trachelospermum-jasminoides/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/18287/Trachelospermum-jasminoides/Details&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-13T22:43:22.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26564" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26560" CreationDate="2016-06-13T22:51:29.867" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know the source of the soil in your pot - the likeliest explanation is that the tomato seeds did not germinate at all, but there was mycelium in the soil, and that's what's grown. Mycelium are present throughout soil and mushrooms or toadstools are the fruiting bodies it produces at various times. If you used garden soil, this is the most likely explanation, and depending on the consistency and quality of the soil, may also explain why your tomato seeds didn't germinate. A photo of the mushrooms would be interesting to see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't see the toadstool/mushroom detail clearly in the photograph, but the most likely ID is Lepiota cristata, pic in the link below, you'll need to scroll down to find it. These arise naturally, which means the mycelium was present in the soil in your pot, and, if that's what they actually are, they are most definitely &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.team2010.altervista.org/3b/Mushrooms.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.team2010.altervista.org/3b/Mushrooms.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if you didn't wash off the tomato tissue from around the seeds, that might explain why they didn't germinate - the presence of the mushrooms wouldn't have affected germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-15T19:59:34.203" LastActivityDate="2016-06-15T19:59:34.203" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26565" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26555" CreationDate="2016-06-14T00:02:32.797" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to get the best from magnolias, treat them as lime-hating plants That means ericaceous compost, slow-release ericaceous fertilizer, and no hard tap water!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They will certainly tolerate &lt;em&gt;some&lt;/em&gt; lime, at least when grown directly in the ground in UK climate and weather conditions. But remember the general principle that whatever goes into a pot stays there indefinitely if the plant itself doesn't absorb it, so anything that the plant doesn't like will steadily increase in concentration over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T00:02:32.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26567" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26560" CreationDate="2016-06-14T01:52:41.530" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Too much water, most likely, for one thing, could be combined with poor drainage depending on the details of the pot and soil mix. Probably some other things [planting depth?] to not get &lt;strong&gt;any&lt;/strong&gt; tomato seedlings (I gather that you &quot;planted tomatoes&quot; [fruit] rather than transplanting tomato plants) such as excessively cool temperatures or not noticing the seedlings before they got whomped by damping off (another fungus.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomato seeds in good conditions (70F/21c or more is best) should yield seedlings within a week or two at most. If they don't I replant, and sometimes I have one of the original seeds come up late; but not often. Given the low, low cost of known good seed I'd suggest buying that, at least until you have a better handle on growing tomatoes, when saving heirloom seeds might make sense. Random tomatoes of unknown type are not a great seed source, especially if they are hybrids. Tomato seed in casual storage conditions (dry, but not in a fridge/freezer) is typically good for 5 or more years&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-06-14T02:41:41.907" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T02:41:41.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26568" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26552" CreationDate="2016-06-14T04:42:34.490" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should track which pots are used with which, and practice crop rotation in your pots.  People recommend normally a 3 year cycle, and some even leave fallow for one year for the soil to recover.  The point of all this is to not allow pests, and diseases for a plant to persist in the soil, over wintering to re-emerge for the next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds somewhat extreme swapping out the soil.  Assuming it was potting mix, then it would be mainly inorganic soil, some stuff to help drainage ( also inorganic ), some organic material ( humus ).  You just need to replace the organic material (compost/humus) in order to feed the plants and some fertilizers ( possibly organic as well ).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/gardening-techniques/healthy-soil-crop-rotation-zmaz10fmzraw.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/gardening-techniques/healthy-soil-crop-rotation-zmaz10fmzraw.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T04:42:34.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26569" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-14T07:36:31.780" Score="4" ViewCount="4150" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves of my french marigold are wilting, and the flower droops over due to its weight and skinny stem. (I have positioned the flower to lean against the glass this time).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the 2nd time already!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why do the leaves keep wilting, a few at each time? Is it too little watering, air too dry or insufficient sunlight? I have tried to spot for pests and signs of infection... nothing!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Singapore, the pot is 6 inch deep. I used to water it once every 7 days until the water runs out from the bottom. Right now I poke my finger in every 3 days and water it when it feels dry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot is placed at a south west facing window (in my office around 25 degree celsius) which will get around 5 hours of sunlight behind a glass pane.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t94Jy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t94Jy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;wilting leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/im4WW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/im4WW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;stem is thin&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15022" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-16T23:37:33.043" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T23:37:33.043" Title="Why are the leaves of my french marigold wilting and causing the flower to droop?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26570" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26560" CreationDate="2016-06-14T09:50:36.120" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems there are two questions here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Why mushrooms? &#xA;That is covered by other answers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Why not tomatoes? &#xA;Where did you get the seeds? If you bought the seeds and followed the instructions on the packet, they should germinate. If you kept seeds from purchased tomatoes, they are unlikely to be alive. It is very rare to get viable seeds from any commercial fruit. (I don't know if the supermarkets or their suppliers irradiate fruit so it lasts longer.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually keep some seeds from my home-grown tomatoes. They are usually successful. My method is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a few seeds from a ripe tomato. Place in a small sieve and wash well. Repeat for several tomatoes. Spread the seeds on a tissue and leave to dry. Store the dry seeds (usually they stick to the tissue paper) in a cool, dry, dark place over the winter. Sow one seed per small pot, you can tear the tissue and sow a bit of paper and its attached seed. Leave in a warm place, watering as necessary, until the plants are about 6 inches, 150 mm tall and there is no risk of frost. Plant out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14242" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T09:50:36.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26571" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26569" CreationDate="2016-06-14T11:52:36.803" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the info provided and the pics it's not under watering if anything over watering will cause the leaves to wilt and stay green also not enough heat/sunlight.  Another thing is the pot sounds to small your more than likely pot bound where your roots have no where to go.  My suggestion would be to repot and place the plant in the sun out side.  In a week or less your plant will be happy again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15026" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T11:52:36.803" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26572" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26553" CreationDate="2016-06-14T12:05:27.440" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's all about lumens when using indoor lights.  Doesn't matter what type of lights leds, hids, cfls, or regulars florescent.  Best would be 75 watts of hid like high pressure sodium, now these can be expensive and get very hot but they give off lumens that are similar to the summer sun (lower lumens but still 75-100watts). The most cost effective would be 65-75 watt CFL in a good reflector (flat white is the best for reflection. The other thing you will have to consider is putting your lights on a timer no more than 14 hrs of light a day. Also the air around the plant needs to be circulated constantly (a small fan will do the trick).  Last thing is temp and humidity I don't know much about bonsai but I would find out what type of temp and humidity they like.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15026" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T12:05:27.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26544" CreationDate="2016-06-14T12:07:55.840" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;No it may look dead for a while but it's fine.  Grass is pretty tough go ahead chop it down and let it get some sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15026" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T12:07:55.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26574" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19593" CreationDate="2016-06-14T12:10:21.713" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like powdery mildew.  And if it starts spreading it will move to all your plants.  If that's what it is it's very hard to treat but there are seats you can get that will get rid of it.  If I was you I would keep an eye on it and do a little research on powdery mildew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15026" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T12:10:21.713" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26575" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26529" CreationDate="2016-06-14T12:15:39.637" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pot bound, it looks like there may be some root rot going on.  Repot and add some perlite to keep the soil aired out the roots need to breath too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15026" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T12:15:39.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26576" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26476" CreationDate="2016-06-14T12:20:03.047" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants are asexual if there was a time that it started getting less light or more light it can flip the plant into stay INTHE vegetative state.  Really there is nothing to do but wait and see if the summer months bring out the female in the plant and it will then if the lighting is good flower or produce fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15026" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T12:20:03.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26578" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8069" CreationDate="2016-06-14T14:46:03.787" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a lavender known as &#xA;LAVANDULA X GINGINSII - Goodwin Creek Grey Lavender. Wanted to clarify that it is not Russian sage from a previous answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15029" LastEditorUserId="15029" LastEditDate="2016-06-14T15:13:18.817" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T15:13:18.817" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26579" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-14T14:46:42.217" Score="4" ViewCount="725" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was repotting some Sansevieria (Mother-In-Law's Tongue) for my mother. I'm not very familiar with the plant, though, and I'm not sure how deep to repot it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I repotted one bunch where the junction of the leaves at the base was right above the surface of the soil. My thinking was that if I potted it any lower that water would seep into these junctions and cause rot. I planted it and used a stake and twine to tie them up. After several months of being tied, I let them loose and they were extremely floppy. Some of the other growths I looked at appeared to have those junctions under the soil. I repotted the plant, burying it deeper. There was no flopping and the plants seemed very sturdy in the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a period of time, several of the &quot;plants&quot; have rotted away. There are still some that look fine and healthy, though. So my question is how deep do you pot this plant when repotting it. I can find plenty of videos of the actual repotting, but none show how deep. Most of them are about propagating the plant. I haven't had much luck there either as they seem to rot on me as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not overwatering the plant and in fact I've gone 6 weeks without watering it before. I water based on the soil dampness. I only water when it feels dry down to about 3&quot;, give or take. It may be that my soil is holding to much water, but the question is still valid. How deep do you bury this plant when repotting. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2019-01-11T08:19:54.780" Title="Question Repotting Sansevieria (Mother-In-Law's Tounge)" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26581" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8820" CreationDate="2016-06-14T17:34:31.860" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are confident of a high germination rate then you can plan one seed per hole.  With that strategy, would waste less seeds but risk the chance that that particular location may be underutilized if the seed does not germinate.  The main reason people plant multiple seeds in a hole is to ensure that something grows in the designated space to ensure maximum utilization of space and produce while sacrificing a few seeds.  So, it is really a trade-off depending on what you want to maximize and how confident you are with the germination rate.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T17:34:31.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26582" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26569" CreationDate="2016-06-14T17:53:09.497" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The trouble is, this isn't an indoor plant, it's an annual bedding plant (Tagetes patula) - the thin stem is probably a result of lack of air movement around the plant (gently moving air helps to thicken up stems) as much as anything else, and that's why it's not able to support the weight of a single flower. It's not possible to see what size pot it's in, but if its rootbound because it needs potting up into something bigger, it would dry out more quickly. I suspect you probably have a tray or outer pot to stop water running everywhere, so its possible the plant is, at times, sitting in water in that outer container, and these plants like well drained soil and full sun. Either or both of those things may cause wilting and browning leaves. Empty out any outer pot or tray 30 minutes after watering, repot if its rootbound, not much you can do about its developing thin, weak stems, unless you have the window open to give it some air movement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T17:53:09.497" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26583" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26594" CreationDate="2016-06-14T17:57:15.620" Score="2" ViewCount="41" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased some elephant garlic from Walmart after it was beginning to break apart on its own, the center was a spongy consistency, but there hasn't been a shoot from any of the bulbs after a week. Should I just dig it up, and use it, or wait for a few more weeks to see if it will sprout?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-06-14T23:29:21.587" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T23:29:21.587" Title="Does garlic being green automatically mean it will sprout?" Tags="&lt;garlic&gt;&lt;onions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26584" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26592" CreationDate="2016-06-14T18:03:06.273" Score="6" ViewCount="2250" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are cautioned against keeping soil (and, as a result, the plant roots) constantly wet in order to avoid rot and fungus from harming the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can understand why ebb and flow systems would have some resistance, but why don't raft tanks and NFT hydroponic setups suffer from ceaseless blight? The constantly moist roots seem the perfect breeding ground for fungi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14921" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-06-14T21:48:48.540" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T21:48:48.540" Title="Why don't hydroponic systems suffer from constant root rot?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;rot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26585" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26587" CreationDate="2016-06-14T18:06:58.580" Score="2" ViewCount="35" Body="&lt;p&gt;Will taking a lot of dead twigs blown down from a windstorm, and tossing them in a pile create the cover required for an insect hotel?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T18:48:10.990" Title="Can I make an insect hotel from sticks that blew down in a windstorm?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26586" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26589" CreationDate="2016-06-14T18:12:40.153" Score="4" ViewCount="158" Body="&lt;p&gt;Along with my previous question about &lt;em&gt;Sarracenia&lt;/em&gt;, I'm also thinking of growing floating &lt;em&gt;Utricularia&lt;/em&gt; (bladderworts) in the pond. Still not quite decided on the species (there are invasive issues to consider), but I am looking at suppliers. If I chose seed instead of plants, how would I germinate them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would getting a jar of pond water (should be full of microbes and daphnia) and dropping the seeds in, be sufficient? I don't want to drop them straight in the pond, because I think the fish will eat the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T19:06:31.727" Title="How to grow aquatic floating bladderworts from seed?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;pond&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26587" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26585" CreationDate="2016-06-14T18:48:10.990" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes and no.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The idea of an insect hotel is to provide &lt;strong&gt;shelter&lt;/strong&gt; (overwintering!) and &lt;strong&gt;places to lay their eggs&lt;/strong&gt; for beneficial insects. Different species have different requirements, but while for overwintering many types of cavities are an option, wild bees and wasps typically need some kind of tube for laying their eggs, sometimes dug in dirt (mimicked by clay with poked holes or bricks with holes), sometimes hollow or soft-cored twigs (sambucus niger!), pieces of bamboo or decorative grasses. They should be closed at one end and be around 10 cm / 4 inches long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your twigs probably won't provide a place to nest, but a pile of twigs can provide shelter for many animals, from insects and spiders over lizzards and toads to hedgehogs and other small mammals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a great proponent of working &lt;em&gt;with&lt;/em&gt; nature in a garden, not &lt;em&gt;against&lt;/em&gt; it, so if you have a convenient spot where the pile won't bother you, go for it. If instead of wild bees a toad moves in that eats your slugs, you still benefit from it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T18:48:10.990" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4171" CreationDate="2016-06-14T18:58:30.480" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like two issues. The crystal / sand paper effect on the leaves may be edema, look it up on google images. Not sure what the brown could be though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15031" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T18:58:30.480" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26589" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26586" CreationDate="2016-06-14T19:06:31.727" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am currently trying to germinate bladderwort from seed.  I prepared a very moist soil less mix in a plastic transparent egg carton and put them under indoor lights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Six weeks later progress is slow.  The seedlings are one to two millimeters high. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe the real difficulty will getting them large enough to out grow the algae that will start growing in a few months on the soil less mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T19:06:31.727" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26590" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-14T19:18:01.553" Score="-2" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can easily get hay, because my neighbor mows the ditches near me, so I was wondering what exactly the difference between using hay (keeps grass down) for cover, and a pile of sticks for cover is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Specifically what beneficial insects will live in:&#xA;a pile of sticks&#xA;hay&#xA;pine needles&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-06-15T00:35:33.960" LastActivityDate="2016-06-15T00:35:33.960" Title="What's the difference between hay, and stick bundles for beneficial insects?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26591" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-14T19:25:59.940" Score="4" ViewCount="165" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few cucumber plants growing in my raised bed.  Instead of training them and providing a vertical trellis, I am allowing the cucumber to grow horizontally in the soil.  Is that a fine approach or not recommended?  If that is a fine approach, do I protect the cucumbers that are lying in the soil by putting some mulch or other material so it does not touch the soil?  This is all organic gardening so no chemicals in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T20:10:28.040" Title="Best way to grow and tend to Cucumber plants" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26592" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26584" CreationDate="2016-06-14T19:39:10.003" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since you're starting with soiless systems, the time for severe fungal infections takes longer to develop.  But they do.  And it may be that the seedlings get infected before transplantation into the hydroponic systems as they may not be grown in sterile media.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Run to waste systems seem more prone to symptomatic infection then recirculating systems seemingly because the other microbes can compete against pathogenic fungi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Not all of the root diseases occurring in hydroponic systems are readily dispersed or transported by recirculating nutrient solutions, but those fungi that are well adapted to living in water provide the most severe disease problems. Pythium, Phytophthora and Rhizoctonia species are often referred to as water moulds as they are particularly well adapted to water borne dispersal with the first two having motile (swimming) zoospores as well as other spores and fruiting bodies that can be carried by water. The corky root fungus ( Pyrenochaeta lycopersici ) is not spread in NFT solutions, but Didymella lycopersici can be spread in NFT solutions, although such spread does not normally result in stem lesions (7). Most diseases caused by Fusarium species, and by some Verticilium species, and black dot disease of tomato roots (Colletotrichum sp.) appear to spread well through nutrient solutions, as do many bacterial and virus diseases. Nematodes are not general a problem in hydroponically grown food crops in NZ, but are readily spread in recirculating nutrient solutions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ghvi.co.nz/NFT/Disease_in_Hydroponics.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ghvi.co.nz/NFT/Disease_in_Hydroponics.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T19:39:10.003" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26590" CreationDate="2016-06-14T19:42:20.113" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't want hay.  Hay is food for animals and includes all the seeds.  If you use that as a cover, the seeds from the hay will propagate and you'll actually be seeding the grass.  You should use straw instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T19:42:20.113" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26583" CreationDate="2016-06-14T19:51:15.687" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did you purchase seed garlic that was spongy?  If so, take it back and ask for a refund!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Garlic is supposed to be planted when there's a chance for frost.  The cold stimulates bulb formation.  Otherwise you will likely just end up with tiny bulbs and a lot of leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And, if you're planting from garlic that was meant to be eaten, well, you take your chances for reasons that have been discussed many times already here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T19:51:15.687" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26595" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26591" CreationDate="2016-06-14T20:10:28.040" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the past I left the cucumbers to grow horizontally.  Possibly they get more water (using the adventitious roots).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I found two problems:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it is more difficult to remove the weeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hidden cucumbers (it is much more difficult to find them and harvest before it is too late)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I never had rotten cucumbers (without using mulch). Anyway mulch could help on both problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T20:10:28.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26596" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26579" CreationDate="2016-06-14T20:26:08.443" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Sansevieria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sanseveria&lt;/a&gt; does best in a freely draining soil in typical interior low light conditions. In high light you can actually grow it in a regular soil less mix. It's natural habitat is in bright dry locations in Africa not far from the equator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is best potted with the roots just under the surface of the soil. During repotting it is important to remove all soft or rotting roots.  Good roots for this plant are firm and white, sometimes orange.  I suggest your issues with this are about how you water the plant and the amount of light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After repotting:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;move the plant to the highest light area you have. South facing windows work well.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water thoroughly till water runs out of the bottom of the pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;let at least the top inch, maybe the top two inches of soil dry out&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-14T20:26:08.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26597" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8820" CreationDate="2016-06-14T21:59:34.087" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Germination rates are not always accurate, let alone in every kind of soil. Some soils are difficult to germinate seeds in, and if you just plant one seed in each hole, you may get no plants at all in any holes. If your season is short, you may not have time to try again effectively, especially where plants take weeks or months to germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're not familiar with how well seeds germinate in your soil because it's the first time you've tried that seed source in your soil, planting lots of seeds can be helpful, for insurance, if you like insurance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an example, I direct-seeded lots of okra seeds per hole (four holes for each of six varieties), and I only got germination in six of the twenty-four holes (well, maybe eight or nine, but some of them died). If I had only planted one seed per hole, I might not have gotten any, statistically speaking. I also planted all the peanut seeds of two packs, and so far I only have one plant. The corn, squash and cucumbers on the other hand, had better germination. I imagine it's just a difficult soil for some plants to sprout in. There's probably a nutrient issue. Also, it's a different sort of climate. I imagine wetter, less desert-like areas would be easier for germination with direct-seeding. I could have had better rates if I started them in small containers in the greenhouse (or indoors).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, when I save seeds this year, I imagine those seeds will be more disposed to sprout in our soil than the parent seeds, which were grown elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, to answer your question (because I haven't really done it, yet), there are other reasons to plant multiple plants per hole, in a variety of contexts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some plants need a pollinator. Growing two or more in the same hole can potentially help with that. Some plants do better than others in this situation.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some plants will be smaller while growing with another plant, and still produce fruit, whereas they might be huge otherwise. Tomatillos are an example here. If you want smaller plants, this may be helpful.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you're breeding plants, it helps to have lots of plants. If the traits you're selecting for show through when they're planted together, this can save you space and time. There's a lot to be said for genetic diversity, even within the same variety.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some plants don't seem to suffer from being planted with another. However, they may end up using soil nutrients faster, and may suffer as a result at the end of the season.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, you can have at least up to three cucurbits per hole with decent results. Tomatoes usually like to have their own space, though (at their final transplant location; starting lots per container inside before the transplant and then dividing them at transplant time can work if you know what you're doing). Physalis don't seem to mind much being planted with lots of seeds per hole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-08-11T19:33:43.530" LastActivityDate="2016-08-11T19:33:43.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26598" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26599" CreationDate="2016-06-15T01:40:55.273" Score="2" ViewCount="398" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it easy to grow sea buckthorn in pots anchored into the ground (since I don't have the rights to plant into the soil).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-06-15T06:58:40.453" LastActivityDate="2016-06-15T10:54:41.233" Title="Is sea buckthorn able to be grown in pots?" Tags="&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26598" CreationDate="2016-06-15T07:10:51.873" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You would need &lt;em&gt;really, really large&lt;/em&gt; pots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sea buckthorn's roots go between 1.5 and 3 m (5-10 feet) down and on average 5 m, but up to 12 m (13 yards) horizontally, if space permits.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Of course you can block at least some of the horizontal runner roots, but a 5 m tall bush needs a certain amount of root mass not only to anchor it, but also to ensure a sufficient supply of water and nutritients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Heavy pruning to keep it small is not an option if you want berries. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So all in all, I don't think it's a feasible plan.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-06-15T10:54:41.233" LastActivityDate="2016-06-15T10:54:41.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26602" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-15T14:42:51.000" Score="2" ViewCount="259" Body="&lt;p&gt;Talking to a few people I've heard they're afraid of the plant being planted. Why is that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One reason I heard was because it's related to the russian olive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-15T14:42:51.000" Title="Why is there so much fear surrounding sea buckthorn?" Tags="&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26603" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-15T20:00:25.290" Score="3" ViewCount="495" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this plant or flower? Does anyone know what sort of seed/bud this is? I have not seen it before and it's not ringing any bells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Q5cg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Q5cg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15041" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-16T00:08:54.680" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T17:11:58.800" Title="What plant does this seed pod shaped like a bulb with tendrils come from?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26604" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26603" CreationDate="2016-06-15T20:20:12.933" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is an unripe seed pod of &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigella_damascena&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Nigella damascena&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, also known as love-in-a-mist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a common garden annual, partly so because it is attractive through various stages, from bloom to seeding. Also, it has a tendency to self-seed, making it a relatively hassle-free ornamental. Seed pods are also dried for dried flower arrangements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most common colour for the flowers is blue, but cultivars with white, pink or lavender tones are also available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jQCvo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jQCvos.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;blue&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QZd3a.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QZd3as.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pale blue&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oZLDq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oZLDqs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sup&gt;(click to enlarge)&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Side note:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The seeds of its cousin &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigella_sativa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Nigella sativa&lt;/a&gt; are a common spice in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-06-17T17:11:58.800" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T17:11:58.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26605" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8820" CreationDate="2016-06-15T21:32:11.543" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used to work planting onion seeds in plug trays on a farm. They found that small onions sold better than giant onions, I think due to portion size when cooking. So I would sow 3-4 seeds in each plug to ensure small plants grew into a valuable crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2016-06-15T21:32:11.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26606" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-15T23:38:08.257" Score="2" ViewCount="110" Body="&lt;p&gt;My friend has a bonsai plant that they won at a door prize and it is in a container where it came in and all the little pebbles are glued together. Is there a way to unglue the pebbles? Or if I were to take it out and break away the little pebbles, would the plant be fine or go into shock? I want to know because one day it is going to need the roots taken care of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-15T23:46:45.520" LastActivityDate="2016-06-15T23:46:45.520" Title="Can I safely remove glued gravel on top of my bonsai plant's soil?" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;gravel&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-06-16T13:52:27.840" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26607" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26608" CreationDate="2016-06-15T23:59:41.247" Score="14" ViewCount="67439" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm gearing up to plant some red potatoes from the grocery store that sprouted in the pantry. When I plant them do I plant them stem-side-up? And, should I plant them shallow so the stems poke out of the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And last, would this be considered planting or transplanting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user14984" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-16T00:10:25.993" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T13:47:16.723" Title="How do I plant potatoes that sprouted in my pantry?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26608" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26607" CreationDate="2016-06-16T00:25:17.350" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, if the potatoes are big, you should cut them into smaller pieces so that you have one or two eyes (the bit that's sprouting) on each piece. Leave the cut pieces out for a day or so to allow the cut surface to dry out a little. This will help to prevent the potatoes from rotting in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While you're waiting, dig a trench about 12&quot; (30cm) deep to plant the potatoes in. Potatoes like a light, well-drained soil, so if yours is heavy, consider mixing the diggings with some compost to help lighten it. Backfill the trench with about 4&quot; (10cm) of the dug soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Place the potatoes with the growing stems pointed up, about 16&quot; (40cm) apart, and cover them with 4&quot; (10cm) more inches of the dug soil. Be careful not to damage the shoots, but it's OK to cover them a little: potatoes contain a lot of energy so they'll have enough to grow and emerge from the ground when they can start making energy themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the plants grow, you continue to fill in the trench; don't cover them completely after that first time. Eventually you will want to mound more soil around the stems, up to around 12&quot; (30cm) high by the time the flowers die back, which is when they start putting energy into making tubers. Potatoes grow on the covered stems, so you want a good amount of the stems covered by that point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-16T13:47:16.723" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T13:47:16.723" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25272" CreationDate="2016-06-16T00:29:03.870" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's not much to add to all the other answers, except to say that thinning also allows sunlight and air to reach more of the fruit, aiding good ripening/sweetening, and considerably lowers the risk of brown rot occurring from fruits touching each other if the weather is very wet. Younger trees producing heavy crops may be set back and not grow so well (as trees) for the following year too, and your trees are young enough for this to apply. The link below is from the RHS and is primarily aimed at growers in the UK, but is still relevant and includes information on how much to thin out&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=340&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=340&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees left to their own devices will still produce fruit - they thin themselves naturally if there is too  much fruit by 'June drop', but the tree only drops a number of fruits it cannot continue with without draining its resources, and this may not be sufficient for larger, sweeter fruits to develop. Untended trees will almost always perform biennial fruiting, with bumper crops one year and only one or two the following year. The incidence of brown rot is also greater in untended trees, and the fruits are likely to be smaller and less sweet. On the other hand, many gardeners don't bother with thinning, and do get a very reasonable crop of fruit some years, even if it is every other year rather than yearly, but thinning does increase the chance of larger, healthy and sweeter fruits yearly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-16T00:49:32.480" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T00:49:32.480" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26610" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26607" CreationDate="2016-06-16T00:59:30.697" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't grown potatoes, so I can only answer the last part of your question, which is quite interesting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your process would be considered planting. Planting takes place when something, frequently a seed, bulb, or other type of root, is put into a growing medium, in this case your garden, for the first time. Your potato is the result of something that has been planted, so the question makes sense. However, the sprouting parts, or eyes, are actually where the roots for the next potato will form. Therefore, you'll be planting those potatoes for the first time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Transplanting involves removing a plant from its current soil or other growing medium, and placing it somewhere else to continue growing. For instance, if you had already planted the potato in a pot or different area of your garden, the act of digging it up and moving it to where you're now growing it, would be considered transplanting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T00:59:30.697" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26611" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26607" CreationDate="2016-06-16T03:15:58.703" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Staring with the basics, potatoes will take about 12 weeks from planting to cropping, and the plants will be killed by the first frost. (The actual potatoes will be fine since they are underground, but the plant's leaves won't survive). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what the climate is like where you live, but midsummer is probably about the latest time you can usefully plant outside. On the other hand, you can grow potatoes in pots or containers indoors, if you have a large enough space and plenty of light. A single potato plant will grow leaves that cover an area more than a foot in diameter. Indoors, you can plant them in August and harvest &quot;new potatoes&quot; at Christmas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Grocery store potatoes&quot; are not the best source of seed, because you probably don't know what variety they are (i.e. whether they are &quot;early&quot; or &quot;late&quot; varieties - quick or slow growing). They may also have been in storage for a long time, and treated with a growth inhibitor. They may also have been infected by plant diseases which have no effect on humans, but may affect growing them for a second season. &quot;Genuine&quot; seed potatoes are grown separately from potatoes intended for eating, and special precautions are taken against disease infection. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the potatoes are carrying virus diseases, they may infect the soil and the diseases may be transmitted to related plant species in subsequent years. The most common related plants in a vegetable garden are tomatoes, aubergines, and chillies, but there are also common garden flowers like nicotiana (tobacco plant) and petunias.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just a final safety warning since you mentioned a 3-year-old: your potato plants may flower, and then set seeds which look like small tomatoes. The flowers can look quite pretty, but &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;the seeds are poisonous&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. Don't forget that potatoes are related to deadly nightshade! Removing the seeds and disposing of them safely won't affect the potato crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T03:15:58.703" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26612" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-16T04:17:53.183" Score="3" ViewCount="938" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1438142/can-goji-become-invasive&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; that goji berry spreads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How badly does it spread?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I worry about it spreading?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-16T14:42:25.763" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T14:42:25.763" Title="How badly does Goji berry spread?" Tags="&lt;berries&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26613" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26615" CreationDate="2016-06-16T04:32:07.970" Score="5" ViewCount="153" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this orchid that's sprouted some growths. From two places on the old flower stems, there are growths that look like they might become leaves. There is also a shoot emerging from the base just above where the roots are, but it is growing upwards and the top appears to be splitting - it does not look like a root. What is this orchid doing (I have no prior experience with orchids)? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GiI80.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GiI80.png&quot; alt=&quot;leaves on flower stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JqGQ5.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JqGQ5.png&quot; alt=&quot;move leaves on flower stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UXEMG.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UXEMG.png&quot; alt=&quot;growth near base&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13436" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T05:56:20.783" Title="What is this orchid doing?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26614" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26607" CreationDate="2016-06-16T05:30:23.987" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the potato has a decent sprout, you can remove it from the potato, and plant it by itself, and eat the potato!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CRPTN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CRPTN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;planting sprouts&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The aim of hilling the sprouts is to prevent sunlight from reaching the new tubers which turns them green, and poisonous.  If you try to hill to get the stems to produce more tubers, that's a waste of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I presume that you're coming into summer now and the problem with that is that the heat will stop tuber formation if it gets too hot.  So, don't expect much from this little experiment.  And, if you're using grocery potatoes, you risk potato viruses getting into your soil.  Best to use certified seed potatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.growveg.com.au/guides/what-to-do-with-sprouting-potatoes/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.growveg.com.au/guides/what-to-do-with-sprouting-potatoes/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T05:30:23.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26615" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26613" CreationDate="2016-06-16T05:56:20.783" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;These all look like flower shoots ( spikes ) that are developing.  The one at the base is typically 3 leaves below the youngest.  The others are second spikes developing on existing spikes.  Some people recommend not letting the second spikes to flower since it might exhaust the orchid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T05:56:20.783" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26616" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26617" CreationDate="2016-06-16T07:10:19.733" Score="0" ViewCount="2639" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read that the wood of an elderberry plant is poisonous, is a green berry just as poisonous?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T10:52:49.730" Title="Are green elderberry berries poisonous?" Tags="&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-06-16T13:51:29.900" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26617" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26616" CreationDate="2016-06-16T10:10:53.983" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;All parts of Elderberry are toxic, except the flowers and the flesh of the berries - ripe berries need cooking before use to destroy the cyanide like compound in the seeds they contain. I can't imagine why anyone would want to use the green berries for anything, any more than you'd use unripe blackberries -they're unripe and untasty, but the same rules apply - the seeds are toxic, and I'd imagine the green berries themselves may be somewhat toxic; that's hard to establish because no one eats them anyway, so they've not been tested.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Toxicity of the berry seeds is thought to vary between species of Elder - the one most commonly used for its flowers and berries is Sambucus nigra, but Sambucus nigra canadensis (American elderberry), which also has black berries, can be used too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information here &lt;a href=&quot;http://normsfarms.com/are-elderberry-bushes-poisonous/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://normsfarms.com/are-elderberry-bushes-poisonous/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-16T10:52:49.730" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T10:52:49.730" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26618" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26612" CreationDate="2016-06-16T10:27:54.107" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whether it becomes invasive or not depends entirely on its growing conditions - if it likes them, then it will be highly invasive, if its not keen, not only will it not spread, it won't be too productive either. Here's some reading on the plant and the conditions it likes&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lycium+barbarum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lycium+barbarum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T10:27:54.107" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26619" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26607" CreationDate="2016-06-16T11:07:38.377" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately I cannot comment, because it's not a complete answer, but every year when I invariably find some sprouting potatoes in a drawer, I just put them in some big pots (no more than 2 per pot) on the patio, plant them about 1/3 down (roughly 15 cm of soil on top, 35 cm underneath) and 'benignly neglect' them afterwards. When the plant has grown and starts looking tired I go and dig out the potatoes with my daughter and every year we find an abundance of small but perfectly tasty potatoes.&#xA;This might be an alternative for a three year old that doesn't have patience, but would like his 'own' plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15046" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T11:07:38.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26621" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-16T12:41:33.423" Score="5" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to plant some root edibles (is it correct to call these vegetables?) near my house which will either remain a viable food source for longer than a season, or propagate so that there will always be a viable source of food in the area.  I have read that yams grow fibrous after the first year and some onions don't last long in the wild.  Could you give me a list of plants that could fill this purpose?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the south eastern united states, zone 7/8.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15048" LastEditorUserId="15048" LastEditDate="2016-06-16T16:26:23.733" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T21:12:40.960" Title="Which root edibles can be harvested in the following years after they are planted?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26623" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26621" CreationDate="2016-06-16T13:37:33.910" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could plant sunchockes, otherwise called &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke&quot;&gt;Jerusalem Artichoke&lt;/a&gt;, earth apple, topinambour. This was widely used during WW2 in remote campaign places in France at least. And it will grow beautiful flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you leave nearer to the equator (e.g. the Peruvian Andes), you may simply grow potatoes!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yams may grow fibrous when getting old, but I recon you can select the young ones at the edge of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T13:37:33.910" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26625" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26627" CreationDate="2016-06-16T16:05:42.470" Score="4" ViewCount="41" Body="&lt;p&gt;I keep hearing about things I want to grow being cold hardy to zone 5, but I live in zone 4, will I still be able to grow those plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T16:51:45.963" Title="What is the difference in plants rated to 1 zone warmer than where they grow?" Tags="&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26626" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-16T16:35:32.213" Score="1" ViewCount="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've looked all over the internet, and can't seem to find any Nanking Cherry seed images. Can someone please post one?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm considering one as a gift since it's not invasive, and easy to maintain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T16:35:32.213" Title="How large is the Nanking Cherry seed?" Tags="&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26627" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26625" CreationDate="2016-06-16T16:51:45.963" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes you can. The winter hardiness zones is an approximation and meant to guide you in which plants to select, however it's broad sweeping. Each area will have microoclimates that are +/- 1 or two full zones depending on circumstances.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A south facing slope will be warmer, and so will the ground on the souther face of your house or other building.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Northern facing slopes, the north side of your house as well as dips and valleys in the ground where cold air can flow to and settle will be also be colder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if you have a north slope, and or the south face of your house and the ground in front of it is in full sun during the winter months, you may have good luck with plants that are zoned warmer than your zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oftentimes, many trees and shrubs you can select have a colder hardy variety you can select that will produce similar results to its warmer cousin. It may not be exactly the same taste or texture but if that's what you have to work with, then use what you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T16:51:45.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26628" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26631" CreationDate="2016-06-16T18:02:40.853" Score="8" ViewCount="735" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live in a townhouse with a &quot;backyard&quot; that is 20ft x 15ft, with raised garden beds along 2 sides of the fence that extend out to 4ft. We grow the typical tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, and a small patch of alpine strawberries. My wife collects the dead plant matter and tosses it in the dumpster which makes me uneasy since I view it as fuel for the garden. We also toss out about half a pound of plant matter per month from cooking or left overs that sat in the fridge too long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if all the plant matter could be composted in a small bin in the backyard with limited odor. I'm stressing 'plant matter' since any other biological matter might make an odor unpleasant for my family and the neighbors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15042" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T00:07:23.223" Title="Is it feasible to compost small amounts of plant matter?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26628" CreationDate="2016-06-16T19:07:43.787" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is always a good idea to compost plant matter and reuse it in your garden.  It is generally recommended that you have a large enough compost bin (3 ft x 3 ft minimum) for best results but if space is a concern or if you don't have enough material to compost, then you can always work with smaller size bins (or stacks).  I know some people that are using much smaller bins for composting and are happy with the results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of odor, you need to make sure you have a good mix to avoid any type of odor.  As long as you have a good fix of greens and browns in your compost bin, odor should not be an issue.  Also, having a closed bin helps in that situation.  I avoid throwing in meat or processed food mainly due to concern around attracting rodents.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing you could consider is burying the plant matter (assuming you don't have much) into the vegetable garden and let it do its work naturally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-06-16T19:24:31.420" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T19:24:31.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26630" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26634" CreationDate="2016-06-16T19:09:37.217" Score="2" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking at building a food forest, and was wondering what breeds of animals will make the best &quot;lawn mowers&quot;, but leave my trees/bushes &quot;alone&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-06-16T19:17:08.520" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T22:15:19.620" Title="What animals make good &quot;lawn mowers&quot; for a fenced in food forest?" Tags="&lt;domestic-animals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26631" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26628" CreationDate="2016-06-16T19:14:04.227" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suggest you look into vermicomposting. One great reference is &lt;a href=&quot;http://redwormcomposting.com&quot;&gt;RedWormComposting.com&lt;/a&gt;. Basically, vermicomposting is like regular composting, except you are using composting worms. There are different types, but you'll want the red wrigglers. Those are the same red wrigglers you can buy for fishing bait. They're scientific name is Eisenia fetida.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can't just use worms out of your garden, because those types of worms not only don't do well with temperature swings, but they're mostly solitary, going over a small territory. Red wrigglers on the other hand love to be clumped together and do well with hot and cold temps. The benefit for a small area like yours is that the worm compost/casting (aka worm poop) that you get off of them is an extremely good fertilizer and you should actually cut it with regular soil when planting. Someone with a little more experience than me can chime in, but I don't think they will burn your plants roots if over done, the way a chemical fertilizer like miracle grow might do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other benefits are that you can keep them in the house. A properly maintained bin should have no smell. You can add all kinds of kitchen waste to feed them, more than you might put in a straight compost pile. You can also make worm tea from the casting as well. This is great to water you plants with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I won't go into any more detail as there is are multiple books of info on the subject, but I think this is a great alternative for green minded people with little space. You get more bang for your buck, so to speak. More so that a small amount of composting will get you. You could also make a small compost pile and feed that into your worm bins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I started on a slightly bigger scale. I started last year with a 100gal Rubbermaid horse tank that was cracked beyond repair. I drilled a bunch of air holes. I try to check on them once a week, but they really don't need anything. I spray them down with a hose when the top starts looking dry, but that's about it. I've currently got more scraps than they can eat and the only thing I've dumped in there in over a month are the cuttings and leaves that I clean off the top of the mower deck every week or so. Good luck and I hope this helped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T19:14:04.227" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26632" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-16T19:30:39.577" Score="5" ViewCount="11015" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started with a few tomato seeds indoors in 1&quot;x1&quot; pods.  Once the seeds germinated and the seedling was a good 2&quot; tall, I transplanted these to 4&quot; pots.  From there, after it was about 6&quot; tall, I transplanted them to my raised vegetable bed.  Some of the transplanted plants are doing well and starting to bear tomatoes.  There are two in particular that look perfectly healthy (looking green and all) but are not adding any new growth.  No new leaves or flowers and they are still the same height as they were when I planted them.  I have fertilized and watered them regularly so that is not an issue.  What could the possible reason for this behaviour and how can I reverse it so the plant starts growing?  I can post pictures later but this has been bugging me for a few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-01-11T01:17:00.253" LastActivityDate="2020-04-27T03:17:50.183" Title="Why did my tomato plant stop growing after transplanting?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26632" CreationDate="2016-06-16T21:33:06.773" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Simple, those plants need to produce roots in the new and larger soil available..to support the obviously future larger top growth.  The growth is under the soil where you can't see.  One of the reasons it is wrong to transplant small plants into too large of pots.  Relax.  Make sure you are using fertilizer that is lower in Nitrogen than Phosphorous and Potassium.  Do not overwater tomatoes like to dry out a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When transplanting make sure you 'fruff' the roots a bit.  Pulling out roots to learn a new direction, cutting a few.  Also stimulates better root growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T21:33:06.773" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26634" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26630" CreationDate="2016-06-16T22:15:19.620" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Goats are incredible.  Depends on what kind of shrubs and trees you have.  If goats are fed regularly they won't necessarily destroy, just prune.  Rabbits are great at pruning the underside of shrubs. Again, trouble is augmented by feeding them...although I don't necessarily recommend feeding bunnies...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The underside of shrubs usually produces little food for the shrub as there is less light reaching those photosynthetic leaves. Rabbits do well until one bright little shit starts pulling down branches to strip them.  Bunny fencing, chicken wire installed around plants you don't want pruned is incredibly effective.  I know 'cause I've been feeding my wild bunnies and now I have an awful lot of bunnies...ohhhhh, baby bunnies!!  I've got blueberry shrubs and a huge garden, all blocked from bunnies and deer.  Nice harmony at present.  I might need to pitch my tent later until I get better fencing...grins. Otherwise, feeding wildlife will help to keep them happy and not into digging under fences. I keep a few bales of hay outside the perimeter of our property for deer.  This can be viewed as a good or a bad thing.  When living in a transition zone with wildlife I think it works very well and very entertaining/educating. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, bunny fencing has to be buried 4-6 inches beneath the surface of the soil!  Works very well. I am the idiot to start feeding the bunnies and now have an awful lot of bunnies who are proliferating and it is lots of fun when a herd of bunnies come running at you instead of away. The cutest thing are bunnies so comfy and secure they can stretch out with their back feet getting some sun. I've learned bunnies are nature's damn convenience food for predators.  One gets inured to daily missing bunnies...or raptors carrying off beheaded baby bunnies (lighten the load)...sigh.  Their little poop pills fertilize this pumice soil, giving nitrogen to the decomposers, improving the native crap soil and our pines are doing far better than others. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rabbits can dig but prefer to use tunnels and hidey holes made by other creatures rather than dig their own.  Very interesting creatures.  Great parents, lots of babysitters, sentries...so what if the babies aren't their own!  The thumping thing is a marvel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Goats are great in the more wild areas of property, not around a home with landscaping.  You are the best option for control of artificially created landscapes. Unless you live in the wilderness, NO animal can do the work better than you for artificial landscapes. Get some books on pruning, forget getting animals slaves, grinning widely! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-16T22:15:19.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26635" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26643" CreationDate="2016-06-16T23:09:56.467" Score="3" ViewCount="1299" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted 12 pieces of potatoes ~2-3 weeks back and see few sprouts but don't know if they are weeds or actually the potato plants. The plants look like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QXpak.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QXpak.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RSrq5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RSrq5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-16T23:19:24.970" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T17:03:31.893" Title="Is this a potato plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26636" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26646" CreationDate="2016-06-16T23:11:05.890" Score="3" ViewCount="862" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do these pictures of the strawberries look okay or are they drying up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KFWl0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KFWl0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tRs0H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tRs0H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-16T23:22:13.733" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T08:28:20.507" Title="Are these strawberries drying up?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26637" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26628" CreationDate="2016-06-17T00:02:50.857" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A good way to make small quantities of compost is to use heavy-duty (and non-bio-degradable!) plastic garbage bags, say 30-gallon size. Fill the bag with equal volumes of &quot;brown,&quot; &quot;green,&quot; and earth. Ideally, add a bit of compost from another source, to kick-start the colony of bacteria. If the material is dry, add some water as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seal the bag so it is airtight and leave for about 6 to 8 weeks. Either leave the bag outside in the sun to provide heat (so long as it is somewhere where it won't be punctured, and preferably sheltered from rain and wind), or you can keep it in a basement, garage, etc, in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't over-fill the bag, you can mix up the contents (about every 2 weeks) without opening it, unless it is too wet and everything inside is stuck together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If some of the material hasn't decomposed in 8 weeks, or the contents don't smell nice, just re-seal it and wait longer. Don't add new material - you are trying to make one batch at a time, not operate a continuous process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you end up with an evil-smelling sticky mess, the initial mixture was wrong (usually either too wet or too much &quot;green&quot;), but you can still bury it in a trench in your garden. It will break down and improve the soil quality eventually, though it might take a year or longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't have enough material even for this small scale, you would be better off trying something else like vermiculture, or just dig &lt;em&gt;disease-free&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;weed-free&lt;/em&gt; vegetable waste direct in the garden and send the rest to landfill. (Proper composting generates temperatures that are high enough to kill most disease-carrying organisms and weed seeds - a good compost heap can heat up to 50 degrees C or more).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Incidentally, some local councils in the UK collect compostable material as part of their recycling schemes and supply the compost free on a &quot;collect-it-yourself&quot; basis (bring your own bags and shovel!) That is the easiest way to process a regular but small supply of compostable waste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T00:02:50.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26638" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26628" CreationDate="2016-06-17T00:07:23.223" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can't build a compost pile of 1 cubic meter in size, you won't be about to retain the heat that characterises a hot compost pile. So, you end up with a cold pile that takes about a year to decompose, and does not remove weeds, and seeds. But, you do keep more nitrogen which would otherwise be oxidised and leaked back in to the air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The smell is not related to size but constituent matter, and aeration. If you have equal amounts of mature, and immature plant material, you should be fine. If you have too much immature material, or nitrogen sources, you risk a smelly anaerobic pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T00:07:23.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26639" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-17T02:12:04.863" Score="2" ViewCount="2104" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an Operculicarya decaryi. I got it about half a foot long, and now it has &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3DGw5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;grown quite a bit&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems reasonably healthy and not in danger of dying, though I don't know much about these trees and can't say if this counts as prime health. It is about 2.5 ft long and 1.5 ft high. I like the plant but I'd like to improve its appearance. My issues are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Branches are too long and wild, looks like a bramble and not a tree.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leaves are too spaced out, looks &quot;unhealthy&quot; like a desert tree in a barren environment, not like a thriving plant pampered with active care.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Trunk (as well as branches) curving in strange spiral way, makes the tree look crooked and unstable.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The bulb looks too small.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to make it more compact and bushy by trimming and pruning. Ideally I'd like a lush, bushy, nicely rounded appearance like these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mestrebonsai.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/operculicarya-bonsai-1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://mestrebonsai.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/operculicarya-bonsai-1.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a0/d4/b7/a0d4b7a42cdeeda5498e0a0e29f7698c.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a0/d4/b7/a0d4b7a42cdeeda5498e0a0e29f7698c.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although alternatively, a more &quot;stylized&quot; look like these would also be fine (if it is easier):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l47/ttermine/DSC_1952_edited-1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l47/ttermine/DSC_1952_edited-1.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gondwanalandtradingcompany.com/images/thumb/elephanttree1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gondwanalandtradingcompany.com/images/thumb/elephanttree1.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaiboy.com/catalog/media/k2550.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.bonsaiboy.com/catalog/media/k2550.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://images.bidorbuy.co.za/user_images/651/390651_101024214826_Operculicarya_decaryi2_thumb.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://images.bidorbuy.co.za/user_images/651/390651_101024214826_Operculicarya_decaryi2_thumb.JPG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no bonsai experience - I realize that the pictures I posted are probably the result of years of work and extensive skill. However, even small improvement would satisfy me. In particular, I would really like to improve leaf density (if even a little) and make the leaves more evenly distributed with less long, naked branches everywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any simple principles I can follow when pruning to slowly move in the direction of my goal? How frequently should I prune? Should I start cutting only the tips of undesired branches and slowly work my way in, or just cut the branch at the trunk? How do I encourage leaf growth in the middle of a long, bare branch? How do I avoid pruning too much and stressing the plant? Should I plant in a bigger pot to encourage more robust leaf growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt; After looking at this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/24049/15057&quot;&gt;question about bonsai styles&lt;/a&gt;, I think I probably want either a moyogi or chokkan (whichever is easier), hokidachi or kabudachi style. I definitely don't want any slant, windswept or cascade appearance, and more complicated styles like incorporating rocks or sharimiki would probably be beyond my ability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15057" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2019-06-02T17:30:15.663" Title="Jabily/elephant tree (Operculicarya decaryi) bonsai" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26640" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-17T02:37:11.430" Score="1" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live in the city and have a roughly 10' by 10' grass/dirt area. Rats are living/nesting in it and there are burrows everywhere. How can I redo the area in such a way that it's rat proof? I'm really trying to avoid cementing/paving it or filling it complete with stones/gravel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone used &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildlifecontrolsupplies.com/animal/XG900.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.wildlifecontrolsupplies.com/animal/XG900.html&lt;/a&gt;? It sounds promising, though expensive. I'm thinking about trying just that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My other idea was to dig out about 18&quot; and dump about 12&quot; of stone and then put just 6&quot; or so of dirt on the top for the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or I could do a combo. Stone, then Xcluder Geo frabic and then dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for feedback on the above ideas and other ideas. Cost and time to implement are definitely a concern, but most importantly I want something that works well and permanently. I might do it myself, but am open to hiring someone if I can find the right company for the job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that we're in the city, a restaurant is nearby, and there are neighbors with rat problems too. I know that I can't solve all these problems, but I think I can at least prevent them from living in our yard. We have two kids and I'd like them to be able to play out there safely (no fear of rats jumping out of the ground, which has happened to me multiple times when digging).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15058" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T02:37:11.430" Title="Rat proofing lawn in the city" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;rodents&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26641" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26664" CreationDate="2016-06-17T03:22:55.823" Score="6" ViewCount="14762" Body="&lt;p&gt;My friend wants some of my &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosta&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;hostas&lt;/a&gt;. I have about ten varieties, and they've been growing pretty much wherever they want for many years. As you can see in the pictures, the locations and sizes rule out digging up as an option. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I cut some leaves can she propagate them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If so, where on the stem and how should I make the cut?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What method should she use for rooting and planting? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does the timing matter? I'm in Massachusetts, and they're about midway through this year's growing cycle. They won't bloom until about two months from now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, some are in the shade, others in the sun. Would it be correct to assume that she should place them in the same type of conditions in her yard? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Here are just a few! Click on them for larger size.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1HpFg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1HpFgm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H6CYD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H6CYDm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q81Iq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q81Iqm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uYLd7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uYLd7m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2020-08-04T10:30:55.660" Title="Can I propagate a hosta from a leaf?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;hosta&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26643" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26635" CreationDate="2016-06-17T06:03:57.553" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry, neither is a potato plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A potato sprout is medium to dark green (sometimes with reddish undertones just when breaking through), looks like a little whirl of wrinkly, thick leaves, then unfolds to the typical compound leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U1TTA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U1TTAm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7RzEA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7RzEAm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;sup&gt;(click to enlarge)&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first plant in your post is probably a wood sorrel or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;oxalis&lt;/a&gt;, the second a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clover&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;clover&lt;/a&gt;. Without flowers and more details a precise id is near impossible, but I can at least tell you that these are not your potatos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many gardeners would pull them up as weeds immediately, you can enjoy the flowers first, then pull before they go to seed - or use your own judgement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-06-17T17:03:31.893" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T17:03:31.893" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26632" CreationDate="2016-06-17T07:38:44.307" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to provide an alternative answer.  This is from John Jeavon's book, and other sources.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeds should be germinated in 6 inches of soil.  This gives a large root mass and makes it easier to transplant.  Seeds should be broadcast onto the seed mix, and when the first true leaves appear, you then select the best seedlings from these to transplant again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You lift the seedlings by their true leaves ( don't disturb the stems or roots ) and transplant them closely into another 6 inch flat. By closely planting your seedlings, you ensure that the soil mix has enough roots to remove as much water as possible so that air is drawn to the roots.  Having a deep flat means that the roots don't hit the bottom early as in some plants, that sends a signal to the plant to stop growing.  So, that's an issue using small pots to grow seedlings in.  Transplant into the garden when they're 6 inches tall.  The doubling handling seems to stimulate more root growth vs just seeding straight into the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, your transplants may have insufficient roots when transplanted so are now catching up, or, may have been stunted by growing in too small a container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T07:38:44.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26646" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26636" CreationDate="2016-06-17T08:28:20.507" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are perfectly okay!  The berries get heavy and droop, those leaves are perky and lush.  Make sure you pluck off rotting berries as soon as you are able, carefully and dispose away from your garden...or pots.  Don't overwater!  Water deeply and then allow to dry out. If these are in a greenhouse get some major ventilation going.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T08:28:20.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26647" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-17T08:35:59.017" Score="4" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am new to hydroponic growing and I followed a few tutorials on the basics and in doing so I guess I missed a step when I sowed the seed because, like I do in soil growing, I sowed multiple seeds in to the rockwool. I have a bit of an issue with some seeds that sprouted that look like they're suffering a bit. I was thinking of just clipping the weakest ones and hope that everything except the strongest one will die. My spinach and onion look like they are suffering the most here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15062" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-17T15:38:24.270" LastActivityDate="2016-07-17T15:42:28.187" Title="Rockwool - Over germination" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26649" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26647" CreationDate="2016-06-17T13:19:53.653" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Culling the weak is an important step in multi-seed plantings. (Or &quot;Selecting the strongest&quot; as I've heard it called in recent years.)  Eliminate under-performers as soon as they display their under-performance, and don't wait too long to cull the weaker plants from all of your cubes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I recommend going down to 1 seed per cube. Rockwool says 1-2 seeds, and seed packages may say more, but if you're decent with the process you'll experience a germination rate &gt;95%, and culling the weak is just extra, unnecessary work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This seems like a decent enough tutorial video (he talks about seeds at ~3:50): &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7FZ45hEsEA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7FZ45hEsEA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T13:19:53.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26650" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26657" CreationDate="2016-06-17T13:51:50.753" Score="2" ViewCount="4073" Body="&lt;p&gt;I often see and hear people saying &amp;quot;this plant needs light&amp;quot;. What is light? Just sunlight(direct and indirect) or what else? My room doesn't get a bit of sunlight, direct or indirect, but there is light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help me with all this light requirement by plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dFJvA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dFJvA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant 1: Under indirect light?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant 2: Under direct or indirect light?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the actual confusion. Wouldn't it be weird to say that Plant 1 is under no light, Because there is light, and that's why we can see it, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-06-19T00:30:32.787" Title="What is light when it comes to plants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26651" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26656" CreationDate="2016-06-17T13:54:24.860" Score="3" ViewCount="5894" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do all plants emit CO2 at night? I heard that plants do respiration all the time but in sunlight they utilises more CO2 and releases more oxygen. During day with sunlight: CO2&gt;Oxygen. At night or plants that are in shade, they don't produce oxygen at all but produce CO2? Correct?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, If suppose a tree is getting light but only one part, What will be the consequence of this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I am okay if this question migrates to Biology if this is not suited here)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-06-19T20:56:55.693" Title="Do all plants emit CO2 at night and day?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26652" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-17T15:23:22.460" Score="3" ViewCount="1340" Body="&lt;p&gt;I garden in an &quot;arid desert&quot; zone, with almost no rain and little vegetation. We have a number of fig trees, which I recently cut back. I separated the leaves from the twigs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PX2Hd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PX2Hd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read that desert soil generally tends to contain little organic matter (obviously) and tends to be on the alkaline side (I should do a pH test, I know!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Under these circumstances, does it make sense for me to crumble the fig leaves after drying them a couple of days, and mix them in next time we start a bed? Would it be beneficial for the soil, and would the soil have to be permanently moist for it to have any effect? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T23:28:52.353" Title="Does it make sense to mix dead fig leaves in my soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26651" CreationDate="2016-06-17T16:47:59.923" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants respirate co2 and expire oxygen during the day. At night, the respire oxygen and expire co2, but to a much lesser degree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T16:47:59.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26652" CreationDate="2016-06-17T16:56:42.527" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should definitely do that to enrich your bed.  The dead leaves will give back the nutrients to the soil.  I call that natural composting.  As an alternative, you can also start a compost bin and dump leaves and other plant matter into the bin to create compost which you can then use in the bed to enrich the soil&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-01-12T22:29:59.983" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T22:29:59.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26655" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26650" CreationDate="2016-06-17T17:00:14.837" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants needs lights (with some exceptions) and this light is used as energy input of plants, which is then converted is some chemical molecules, so that the &lt;em&gt;energy&lt;/em&gt; distributed in the rest of the plant (sugars and other molecules).&#xA;Animals needs to eat, in order to get energy. Note: roots give nutrients but usually no energy (energetic nutrients) (again with some exceptions, some plant &lt;em&gt;steal&lt;/em&gt; food from other plants using their roots).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general all sources of light could help a plant to grow, but this light should be energetic. Our eyes could see also with very low light, and artificial light has very low energy compared to sun. So with artificial light, you need to provide a lot of energy, so using a lot of powerful lamps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then some type of lamps are better then other: incandescent (bulb) lamps uses the black body principe (so with heating), which is similar to sun surface, so incandescent lamps have similar frequency distribution of sun. (really they are not so hot, so not so &quot;blue&quot; like noon sun, but instead more reddish, like late afternoon sun light). Other technologies have different distribution of the frequency of light, so they could be less suited (but also not every plant want full sun-light), but because our eye is more sensible with the &quot;green&quot; part of light (also because it is the most strong frequency of visible light of sun), most of lamps have high emission in green frequencies (too much blue is not so good for eyes)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T17:00:14.837" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26656" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26651" CreationDate="2016-06-17T17:12:06.943" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, plants emit CO2 day and night. CO2 is an end product of metabolism which is the burning or oxydation of sugar that occurs in the mitocondria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Calvin cycle of photosynthesis can occur only in light or in daytime,if you wish. However the intake of CO2 varies across species. CAM species, of which jade (crassula ovata) is an example, take in CO2 at night and store it in malic acid. This means the stomata can be closed during the heat of the day, but the Calvin cycle can operate, unlike the common C3 species that have no means of storing CO2 and must take in CO2 during daylight as well. The third type, C4 also utilizes metabolism of malic or aspertic. Maize and sugar cane are expamples of C4 plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The critical piece of carbon fixation is an enzyme known as RuBisCo (an acronym for a very lengthy chemical name). RuBisCo does the actual fixing of carbon into elemental sugar. I also sometimes incorporates oxygen instead. The rate of fixation increases with temperature, however, the rate of fixing oxygen increases more rapidly than that of fixing carbon so that at temperatures near 95F (35C) and above, there is no net carbon fixing. Malic/aspertic acid in C4 and CAM plants is a mechanism of effectively blocking oxygen from RUBISCO and so allows carbon fixation to occur at higher temperatures. Hence, these are typically tropical species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So plants continually emit CO2 because of the process of life. They emit more the hotter the environment, so this goes up and down though the course of a day. Carbon fixation occurs only via photosynthesis. Most species are C3 and will release more oxygen than carbon dioxide during the daylight hours and while the temperature is below 95F (35C). The same for C4 plants, except that there will continue to be a net fixation of carbon at yet higher temperatures. CAM, plants, however, will take in carbon at night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;SHORT VERSION: you are correct, but for plants such as crassula ovata and pineapple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T17:12:06.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26657" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26650" CreationDate="2016-06-17T17:15:51.510" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;With regard to plants, direct sunlight and daylight are two different things. Technically, all natural light is derived from the sun, but there are many plants which do not appreciate direct sunlight, preferring instead dappled sun, or partial shade, or indirect light with no direct sunlight at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding houseplants, proximity to a window means more light, and there are differences in natural light requirements between different varieties of plant, even those described as not liking direct sunlight. An Aspidistra, for example, will be fine in very low light conditions, whereas many Dracaena varieties will do better closer to natural light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're considering whether there are any plants you could grow in your room, there will be, but your choice may be more restricted if the ambient light is low, i.e., there's a tall building opposite and not far from your window, or a tree very close. Equally, a heat source like a radiator beneath your window will mean you can't put a plant very close or on the windowsill, but there will be something you can grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have no window, then you will need a growlight of some sort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think your confusion is with terminology as much as anything - both plants in the image you've added are in indirect light, or shade conditions - the word 'direct' is usually applied to sunlight rather than just light. Plant 2 is in good light, plant 1 is in poor light, so plant 1 needs to be one that tolerates low light conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-19T00:30:32.787" LastActivityDate="2016-06-19T00:30:32.787" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26658" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26669" CreationDate="2016-06-17T17:18:32.147" Score="4" ViewCount="12887" Body="&lt;p&gt;This grass is slowly taking over my yard, and it's highly irritating as it grows at 3-5 times the speed of the rest of the lawn. I'd dearly love to get rid of it, but broadleaf weed killer is not effective and pulling several hundred if not thousands of them is less than ideal. What is it, and can I kill it without killing the surrounding lawn? It has broad leaves that grow off a circular red stem with a red base. It also has a very thick root that I believe hosts several shoots. Most blades I pull pop off with a dozen or so short thin roots, but after I pulled a couple out that had much thicker woodier roots I realized I wasn't going to do much good by pulling alone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this, and how can I get rid of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An example of the plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ghrd6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ghrd6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And an example of the root:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XNlU8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XNlU8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7103" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2020-04-15T16:54:58.560" LastActivityDate="2020-07-08T21:09:25.017" Title="What is this whispy grass stalk with a red base and thick woody roots, and how can I get rid of it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="26659" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26666" CreationDate="2016-06-17T17:55:52.073" Score="4" ViewCount="962" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard that you shouldn't water mid day, but should you water more during the day, or night?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the rule of thumb on what part of the plant you want to affect more?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-18T03:23:57.567" Title="What is the difference between watering your plants early in the morning and late at night?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26660" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26659" CreationDate="2016-06-17T18:06:12.670" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watering in the morning gives your plants more free water to use during the day, watering at night can promote fungus growth due to excessive sitting moisture. Think like towels and mildew. Drop and wet heap of towels on the ground at night and by the morning they'll start to stink, but hang them to dry in the sun and they'll smell like the countryside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as the plants go though it doesn't matter too much if once in a while you have to water them at night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T18:06:12.670" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26661" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26668" CreationDate="2016-06-17T19:13:08.130" Score="2" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am getting three plants. But I have selected six plants from websites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Janet Craig&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chinese Evergreen&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fancy leaved Caladium&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Massangeana Plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Philodendron&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Snake Plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Snake plant is well known and so I am definitely getting one. However, I don't have much knowledge about plants, and I want the best plant from the above mentioned plants. Best in terms of following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;low light requirement&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dry to mid-humid environment&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;that can survive in winter and summer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;best air-purification(one guy guided me to a blog which said that all plants are good at air-purification, but I want the best of them.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can only get three plants. I know this is sort of a personal choice but as I have said before, I don't have much knowledge about plants. I am confused as to which one to get that meets the above mentioned requirement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-06-18T02:09:53.227" Title="Which three of these six plants should I get?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2016-06-20T07:41:59.140" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26663" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26659" CreationDate="2016-06-17T20:15:12.817" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you water at night, the water has a greater chance of penetrating more deeply into the soil without being lost due to evaporation and transpiration from plant leaves. The downside is that you are more likely to have water sitting on leaves, and other plant structures that might promote fungal growth. So be sure to water the ground and not the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you water in the morning, you have to use comparatively more water due to faster losses due to evaporation. But you can water the leaves and wash off dirt on the leaves that might be interfering with photosynthesis. The sun will dry the water off lessening the chances of fungal attack.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nature doesn't care. Rain falls day or night, and plants adapted to the local conditions do well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might see sometimes written that you shouldn't water mid day as water sitting on the leaves act as lenses and burn the leaves. That's a myth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if there's a water shortage, water at night. Otherwise water in the morning. But water appropriately for the ground conditions, and weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T20:15:12.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26664" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26641" CreationDate="2016-06-17T20:52:34.760" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suppose you might be able to, but I think you'd be well into cell culturing rather than &quot;stick a leaf in damp soil and get a plant&quot; ala African Violet - but I have not tried it (since I've never seen it suggested and it appears from my experience likely to fail.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Division is the only way I've ever propagated hosta, and I don't see your claim that &quot;digging up is not an option&quot; - a small division from the outer edge of the plant need not involve a great deal of digging, and gets some root to go with the leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T20:52:34.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26665" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26621" CreationDate="2016-06-17T21:12:40.960" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most likely you can grow root vegetables all year round where you live.  However, there may be a problem with burrowing rodents etc that might eat your crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Traditionally people did not leave their vegetables in the ground though, but pulled them out and kept them in a cold cellar to preserve them.  This freed up the ground to plant another crop, using crop rotation techniques.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T21:12:40.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26666" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26659" CreationDate="2016-06-17T22:54:40.877" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience, watering at night allows the water to penetrate deeper, but it does promote slugs,snails, mildew and mold etc. During winter the water can also freeze on the plants and damage them. (much more than frost would).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think that watering early in the morning is the best (like 4am) - avoids the freezing problem, and in my experience can actually &quot;melt&quot; frost. If you are still watering in early Winter/Autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering during the day has the benefit of cooling the plants off when it's SUPER hot. But it really wastes a lot since most of it will evaporate and won't penetrate the ground. If you are lucky enough to have a greenhouse - I think this is the best time to water, because you cool the greenhouse down and you get nice humidity ( i.e. foliar irrigation ) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I had an endless amount of water .. I would water really well (20-40 minutes)at around 4-5am  ( just before sunrise ) .. and then 10-20 minutes sometime around 1-2pm when it is hottest.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But definitely never water after 5pm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15068" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T22:54:40.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26667" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4043" CreationDate="2016-06-17T23:08:44.487" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see this is a rather old question, but the answers don't address the over watering of houseplants problem. My wife has murdered &lt;strong&gt;MANY&lt;/strong&gt; indoor plants, and the reason is very simple, she thinks they are thirsty ALL THE TIME. She believes that they are always thirsty. NOT TRUE!! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Always make sure you water the plant when the soil is DRY to the touch. Also: make sure there is a hole at the bottom of the pot so if you overwater them, the extra water can escape. Most plants sold at stores are put in &quot;presentation&quot; pots and covered in cellophane extra ..  unless you make the effort to remove the presentation wrapping and put a whole into the bottom of the pot, it is going to die. So if you want to keep it, make sure you allow the extra water to &quot;escape&quot; when you water it, otherwise it's going to rot and die. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15068" LastActivityDate="2016-06-17T23:08:44.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26668" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26661" CreationDate="2016-06-18T02:09:53.227" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have worked with all of these plants.  Let's make it clear from the start that when you talk about significant air purification by indoor tropical plants it only been demonstrated in a sealed environment under extremely high light conditions.  See the &lt;a href=&quot;http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930073077.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;original&lt;/a&gt; and follow on study &lt;a href=&quot;https://ia800300.us.archive.org/35/items/nasa_techdoc_19930072988/19930072988.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best plants for low light of your selection:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chinese Evergreen or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglaonema&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aglaonema&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dracaena Massangea and its relative Janet Craig&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best plants for a dry (low humidity) environment&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sanseveria&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fancy leaved &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caladium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;caladium&lt;/a&gt; tends to go dormant if it gets too dry. The papery thin leaves have brilliant markings but do better in a high light and higher humidity environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Philodendrons can be great plants but there is such a variety of types.  They range from weakly climbing vines to massive plants like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philodendron_bipinnatifidum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Philodendron Selloum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are just starting with plants I would get an aglaonema.  They normally grow in low light areas and can be quite tough and easy to propagate.  Unlike Mass Canes or Janet Craig's they do not have a sensitivity to fluoride in the water that can give brown tips and eventual leaf spotting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-06-18T02:09:53.227" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26669" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26658" CreationDate="2016-06-18T03:18:34.543" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pretty sure this is good ole crabgrass.  Ecnerwal asked how high you were mowing your lawn.  Keeping your lawn (cool season grasses) mowed NO LOWER THAN 3&quot; will inhibit germination of any seeds below the 'canopy' of the grasses and is the best preventative measure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another method that should be used in conjunction with mowing height is using a bit of glyphosate.With protective gloves, wet the fingers (no drips) with glyphosate/roundup and paint the leaves of this grass. Takes 3 weeks to kill including the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mowing no shorter than 3&quot; prevents weed seeds from germinating.  Also, slows water evaporation.  The grass slows growth at 3&quot; so less matter is removed from your lawn each mowing, weekly.  Healthy lawns can out compete this weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water deeply, allow to dry before the next deep watering (look this up on our site) and fertilize at least 3 X per growing season with appropriate NPK levels for the season.  Use organic, slow release fertilizer...I am not kidding, this makes a huge difference. Fast acting scotts, ortho is worthless in promoting a healthy lawn. Check out Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer.  Worth the extra bucks!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aerate by pulling plugs, leave to disintegrate on your lawn, minimum once per year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-18T03:18:34.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26670" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26659" CreationDate="2016-06-18T03:23:57.567" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &quot;don't water midday&quot; rule comes from folks saying that water droplets focus the sun's rays and burn the foliage. My counter to this is purely anecdotal, but I've never seen leaf burn on anything and I have seen the positive effects of cooling off plants just after the midday sun bake is over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering in the morning will allow a lot more water to get to roots, because it won't be evaporating at the staggering rate it does later in the day.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Target the entire plant. If it's fragile, just mist the foliage every now and then to clean it, and water the base deeply.  If it's hardy then give it the full shower.  Most plants respond well to being battered around by water (ime, Barberry, despite being a hardy plant, doesn't do well with recovering its shape, but almost everything else that appears hardy does, especially vines).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Only rule of thumb I see broken on a routine basis is: don't over-water. It's harder to over-water outdoor plants, but it's far from impossible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-18T03:23:57.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26673" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26675" CreationDate="2016-06-18T06:02:33.920" Score="1" ViewCount="23" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read that a dwarf fig can grow in zone 4 (jujube figs can't grow there), so I was wondering if I can grow dwarf fig trees in my zone well. What made me wonder is &quot;Root is hardy anywhere, but the top will die back below 5° F&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-18T11:35:34.047" Title="Do I need to cover up Dwarf Fig trees in the winter time?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26673" CreationDate="2016-06-18T11:35:34.047" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Figs in the north are a lot of work. You have to keep the tree small, partially uproot it and tip it over and bury it in fall, unbury it and stand it up in spring (sometimes referred to as mounding, if looking for more info on it) - or keep it in a pot and move the pot inside, or grow it in a greenhouse. The &quot;wrapping&quot; approach is not reliable in serious cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theitaliangardenproject.com/tuck-in-fig.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.theitaliangardenproject.com/tuck-in-fig.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theitaliangardenproject.com/michele-uncover-fig.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.theitaliangardenproject.com/michele-uncover-fig.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theitaliangardenproject.com/wake-fig-tree.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.theitaliangardenproject.com/wake-fig-tree.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-06-18T11:35:34.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26676" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26677" CreationDate="2016-06-18T14:01:27.220" Score="8" ViewCount="565" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple of years ago a guy claimed to have brought a Brazilian plant from the jungle. He wanted to bring a banana but as soon as the plant grew it was obvious that this was no banana plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you water it properly (meaning really a lot!) it grows superfast and if you take a dead part of the &quot;root&quot; and put it in soil it starts growing again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant grows like a banana, the &quot;branch&quot; creates a leaf, it unfolds and then the branch keeps growing until there is a new leaf which unfolds...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because it was supposed to be a banana and is growing amazingly fast, we called it &quot;bananorris&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The thing is: I have this plant for about eight years now but I couldn't figure out what kind of plant it is.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anybody recognize it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lgayh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lgayh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13498" LastActivityDate="2016-06-18T14:23:26.937" Title="Mysterious Brazilian jungle plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26677" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26676" CreationDate="2016-06-18T14:05:36.127" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks exactly like ginger, though exactly WHICH ginger is going to have to await flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zingiberales&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zingiberales&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedychium_coronarium&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedychium_coronarium&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowering types I grow appear to be in a different sub-family than the common ingredient in commerce. They smell quite possible when repotting, but I have not tried eating them nor seen a definitive yes/no answer on that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-06-18T14:23:26.937" LastActivityDate="2016-06-18T14:23:26.937" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26678" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-18T15:03:34.657" Score="7" ViewCount="133" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a fair amount of live oak chips/dirt from a stump I just ground. Is it a good idea to till these grind 'spoils' into the dirt of an area we plan on laying new sod into? Will the decomposition of the oak deplete the soil to the point that the sod struggles? Is the oak too acidic for sod? Should I incorporate top soil or another amendment as well? Thank You&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15073" LastActivityDate="2016-06-18T22:05:58.370" Title="Tilling in oak stump grinding chips for new sod lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26679" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-18T15:36:33.137" Score="1" ViewCount="3171" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monstera_deliciosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Monstera&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; about a week ago and the bigger leaves started to look floppy. I thought this was because I didn't water it enough, so I watered it more. I'm guessing this is where I went wrong because after that some brown spots have appeared on the new leaves and on the bigger ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot is about 3 feet from a window that gets morning light. The plant is in a clay pot that has a saucer and I removed the excess water from the saucer once I watered it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I did over water it, do I have to sit it out and see if the leaves will be okay, or is there something I can do to get the plant and leaves to look healthy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15075" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-26T07:55:25.790" LastActivityDate="2021-02-26T07:55:25.790" Title="Monstera/Swiss cheese plant with brown spots on leaves?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;monstera&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="26680" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26701" CreationDate="2016-06-18T16:31:34.757" Score="4" ViewCount="364" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have one eggplant plant that I planted about 2 months ago. It is about 4 feet tall and has a large number of flowers. Should it have started to bear fruit? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live on the Gulf Coast in Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yg1g7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yg1g7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15076" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T02:05:16.073" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T02:12:57.993" Title="Should my healthy, flower-covered eggplant be producing fruit yet?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26683" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26678" CreationDate="2016-06-18T19:11:21.420" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want a nice uniform lawn, the important part is that the soil composition is uniform. In other words don't till in the chips just at he site of the stump - spread it out a bit. Albeit, some nitrogen is required for decomposition of cellulose, but it shouldn't be an issue; add a bit of high nitrogen fertilizer as every suburbanite does, if needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-06-18T19:11:21.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26684" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-18T21:04:18.767" Score="1" ViewCount="43" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read on a plant catalog that sparkle berries are good to zone 5, but other places say it's good to zone 4, what should I believe?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-18T22:11:15.333" Title="What zone should I believe about where I can grow sparkle berries?" Tags="&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26685" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26678" CreationDate="2016-06-18T22:05:58.370" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't till in the oak chips - they're best composted first and then reused on the garden.  They will deplete nitrogen as they break down; wood chips take a good while to decompose, so they'll be robbing nitrogen ongoing while they do, which won't be a great start for your lawn. You also need a loose friable surface to lay the sods on to facilitate good rooting into the soil beneath - if you till in oak chips, they're not something that could be described as friable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-18T22:05:58.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26684" CreationDate="2016-06-18T22:11:15.333" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Listed as Zone 6 through to 9 by Floridata (see below) and I'd be more inclined to trust that as a source, especially if your conflicting information is from sellers of the plant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://floridata.com/Plants/Ericaceae/Vaccinium%20arboreum/954&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://floridata.com/Plants/Ericaceae/Vaccinium%20arboreum/954&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-18T22:11:15.333" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14731" CreationDate="2016-06-18T23:43:20.913" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's NOT an Elephant Ear. . . . It's a &#xA; Haemanthus albiflos more commonly known as a Blood lily or a Paintbrush lily. They like WELL DRAINED soil and do best in a rock garden.  Depending of the species it will want full sun or part shade.  An Elephant Ear bears extremely large leaves ( up to 3 feet long and almost as wide ).  The leaves bear a resemblance to an actual Elephant's ear, hence the name.  I have entered a picture of an Elephant Ear in the response. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Blood lily (or Paintbrush lily), which you have, is a completely different species from an Elephant Ear, and comes from the southern regions of Africa.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CWD9B.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CWD9B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15083" LastActivityDate="2016-06-18T23:43:20.913" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26688" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-19T04:45:20.973" Score="1" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read that the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.directgardening.com/4313-edibles/3072-sparkleberry#/quantity-1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sparkleberry&lt;/a&gt; is a &quot;native shrub is so closely related to the Blueberry, that some experts actually consider it to be one&quot;. Does this mean it would do well in a row of blueberries for pollination?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-06-21T01:55:36.247" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T01:55:36.247" Title="Can a sparkleberry be pollinated by a blueberry?" Tags="&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26689" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26690" CreationDate="2016-06-19T08:03:31.053" Score="4" ViewCount="364" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are the stages in a vegetable's lifecycle?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Example: Seed to maturity to harvest)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15085" LastActivityDate="2016-06-19T12:33:22.977" Title="What are the stages in a vegetable's lifecycle?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26690" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26689" CreationDate="2016-06-19T08:24:19.433" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A good links is the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBCH-scale&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBCH-scale&lt;/a&gt; and the link to the original document (it is long!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The phenological development stages are different on different plants, but in general:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;seed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cotyledon: usually one (monocots) or two (dicots) or many (conifers)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leaves development (the green vegetables)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;building reserves (on biannual or perennials) on trunk or belowe ground, important for the &lt;em&gt;root vegetables&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;flowers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fruit -&gt; seed that will mature (low temperatures or water or digested by animals). Sometime the new plants grow directly in the flower and will be diffuse as a plant and not as seed (e.g. some garlic types).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;on perennials continuing to building reserves and then, when losing leaves, putting the reserves (amid) in trunk, roots, bulbs or tubers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;on perennials continue the cycle on next grow season (starting with leaves or with flower according species). Some perennials will create again all parts above ground (garlic, onion, potato, asparagus), some plant will just continue to grow, with new branches (e.g. fruit plants, or pepper in warm climate)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But there is a huge variation, especially on vegetables, where we harvest different parts according the plant. The link on the wikipedia has the phases of the most important (economically) plant species. Ferns, mosses and lichens are totally different, but usually they are not grow as vegetables, but harvested in wild for medical uses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2016-06-19T12:33:22.977" LastActivityDate="2016-06-19T12:33:22.977" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26691" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26688" CreationDate="2016-06-19T10:33:20.387" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maybe someone else will know, but the link you got that information from regarding sparkleberry does not say botanically what plant they're talking about, which means its impossible to establish whether its genuinely hardy, genuinely edible, needs more than one for pollination, or will cross pollinate with anything else at all. I suspect (but don't know for sure) what they're actually talking about is a variety of cranberry, given the picture showed it has red berries; both Cranberry and blueberry are Vaccinium varieties (V. oxycoccus or V.macrocarpon for Cranberry, and V.corymbosum for blueberry).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-19T11:17:21.590" LastActivityDate="2016-06-19T11:17:21.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26692" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26693" CreationDate="2016-06-19T14:29:06.320" Score="5" ViewCount="3715" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Found in West Michigan zone 5b. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It tolerates cool and heat well. It emerges about the same time as chives but it does not have a single hollow stem like chives. It has an occasional leaf that comes off the stem like grass. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The stem is very skinny like grass, but strong and tall, it's 24&quot; tall now.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Stem does not appear to be hollow. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flowers look a lot like chive as they appear at the end of a stalk in a bunch when it's still cool, when temps in the mid-60s F.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Now the flowers are gone there are seed-like structures on top each with a long skinny chive-like green &quot;stem&quot;. &quot;Seeds&quot; are brownish red.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When breaking a stem it does not smell like onions or garlic. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It grows among other grasses near a fence in full sun.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It comes back every year on its own even surviving harsh Michigan winters.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Could it be some type of reed?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm familiar with equisetum (aka rushes, horse tails), chives, onions, leeks, garlic and it's none of those. I even have top onions and it's not that either. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I thought it might be a corkscrew rush but it's not cork screwy (unless that happens later in summer). Besides it thrives in dry sandy soil. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GzmkM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GzmkM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Better pic: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OjmFA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OjmFA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-19T23:21:40.043" LastActivityDate="2017-01-19T23:21:40.043" Title="What is this plant which looks like chives?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;chives&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26693" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26692" CreationDate="2016-06-19T15:29:44.977" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's wild garlic (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_vineale&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Allium Vineale&lt;/a&gt;). They're a weird-looking type of ornamental onion. Wouldn't smell any more like an onion than most of the decorative types (which is barely if at all, depending on growing conditions.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-19T23:03:05.400" LastActivityDate="2017-01-19T23:03:05.400" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26694" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26708" CreationDate="2016-06-19T19:08:20.620" Score="5" ViewCount="151" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking into building a compost pile, and was wondering if I need to water a compost pile if I put it on the edge of a creek.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T09:36:51.123" Title="Do you need to water a compost pile on the edge of a swamp?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26695" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26651" CreationDate="2016-06-19T20:47:33.910" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oxygen is one of the products of photosynthesis.  Part of ventilation is blowing away the O2 so that CO2 is more readily available to the plant's leaves.  Photosynthesis uses CO2 and the byproduct is O2.  I have never heard of photosynthesis happening in the dark, nor have I ever heard CO2 is a product from photosynthesis.  O2 is produced by photosynthesis while there is sufficient light.  The plants use CO2 primarily for synthesis of the plant's food via photosynthesis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A shrub or tree or any plant that has leaves that aren't doing a great job because of less light than the top leaves are actively gotten rid of by the plant.  The plant won't direct nutrients towards photosynthetic leaves (stems) that aren't producing as much in relation to the leaves on top of the plant. Slow death of interior and shaded plant material.  Remember photosynthesis provides the plant with FOOD.  Chemicals are necessary for photosynthesis that we have to provide when too little of these chemicals exist in the soil.  Plants MAKE THEIR OWN FOOD!  Pruning out obviously dying branches, leaves just helps plants direct their energies more effectively.  Part of the art of pruning, getting rid of plant material not helping the plant make food or thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Respiration is more than O2, it is also water through the stomata...especially when temperatures are too high.  Maybe I am wrong but I can't imagine that a plant would ever respire CO2.  At night photosynthesis is stopped.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-06-19T20:56:55.693" LastActivityDate="2016-06-19T20:56:55.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26696" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26705" CreationDate="2016-06-19T22:24:42.460" Score="2" ViewCount="573" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just built a compost pile on top of swamp dirt on the edge of the yard after digging up all the grass, and went into the woods to find dead rotted wood to inoculate the compost pile with, then piled grass clippings on top of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that the correct way to build a compost pile if you have the energy, and don't want to spend a lot of money?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T14:21:53.693" Title="What is the proper way to inoculate a compost pile with things you can find in the woods?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26697" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-20T00:38:11.543" Score="4" ViewCount="1884" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a lucky bamboo with two stalks. One stalk (right to the bottom and left at the top - blue turtle) looks green and healthy, but the most recent leaves started look yellow-ish. The other stalk (left to the bottom and top at the top - purple turtle) turned pale and after inspection I found the wounds. The bamboo doesn't smell bad but certainly looks harmed and weak. Is this some kind of mold/mildew on the stalks? What could I do to cure my plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit. To be more precise, I'm not worried about the yellow leaves. I'm afraid my plant is suffering from some kind of mold or mildew. Please see my last picture in detail and you'll find some similarities with &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140623131327.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; picture: the skin of the plant is getting hurt and some small black dots are growing over the scars. How can I cure this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vzrho.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vzrho.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;See yellow leaves to the left, but the stalk is green&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zu1eP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zu1eP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cnoa1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cnoa1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pRZYV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pRZYV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15092" LastEditorUserId="15092" LastEditDate="2016-06-20T01:56:37.140" LastActivityDate="2018-03-17T16:14:26.807" Title="Is mold/mildew in the stalks killing my lucky bamboo?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26698" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25150" CreationDate="2016-06-20T01:45:15.073" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a variety of drip irrigation configurations, some are meant to be underground while others are meant to be above ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An example of underground drip system could be found at: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dripworks.com/category/dripworks-drip-tape&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.dripworks.com/category/dripworks-drip-tape&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This type of drip tape could be buried anywhere from 0&quot; - 5&quot; of depth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An above-ground system would be an irrigation system that you could get at most hardware stores.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mainline of above-ground drip systems could be buried while the emitter lines and drip emitters should be above-ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15085" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T01:45:15.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26701" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26680" CreationDate="2016-06-20T04:54:46.020" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, if it's anything like the varieties we grew (commercially, in a hothouse), looking at the size of the plant it should have started bearing fruit. Do you know which variety you are growing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few possibilities why it might not be getting fruit, potentially including lack of a pollinator, although many varieties are, I believe, self-pollinating; and weather extremes. I've not seen it, but plants don't like temperatures above 30c/86f or so.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might also want to prune the tree back drastically, which sends a signal to it to produce more fruit and will provide better yields.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T02:12:57.993" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T02:12:57.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26702" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26715" CreationDate="2016-06-20T05:22:03.447" Score="2" ViewCount="70" Body="&lt;p&gt;My house is a north facing house.....however I feel like there isn't really an actual shady spot anywhere? Even the northside gets the morning sun for quite a bit of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a bleeding heart plant that is on the northside of the house that does well, but Im wanting to plant ferns and lungworts/astilbe and im not sure if it would be shady enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do? My house is only a one story so it isn't particularly tall? I mean the north-side SHOULD be the &quot;shadiest&quot; part correct?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15095" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T21:03:03.867" Title="Wanting to plant shade plants? But where?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26702" CreationDate="2016-06-20T05:44:57.597" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Conifers always make great spots for shade loving plants. as they grow, the shade will be produced to protect the plant, and if it gets big enough you can always cut back the branches so it goes underneath the conifer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T05:44:57.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26704" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26692" CreationDate="2016-06-20T06:14:49.357" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is an &lt;em&gt;Allium&lt;/em&gt;. Allium is often viviparous (the small children plants growing from the &lt;em&gt;flower&lt;/em&gt;), and characteristic is also the horizontal spate bract (the light brown &quot;leave&quot; just below the &lt;em&gt;flower&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not so sure about the which garlic species is it. (wild garlics are difficult to determine).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T06:14:49.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26705" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26696" CreationDate="2016-06-20T06:18:38.060" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The correct way to build a compost pile is unrelated to physical energy, and cost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Decomposition occurs naturally in nature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bacteria that compost organic matter in a pile are derived from the air, and differ from the fungi that compost rotting wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to accelerate the composting by using materials from the forest, you could find composting leaves, dirt from your forest floor, and layer that between each layer of mature, and immature vegetation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-06-20T07:46:14.180" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T07:46:14.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26697" CreationDate="2016-06-20T06:50:23.127" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd suggest changing the water using fresh bottled water, and putting the plants into separate containers so whatever is affecting one won't affect the other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The yellow leaves can be removed as they are dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T06:50:23.127" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26707" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27159" CreationDate="2016-06-20T08:01:56.347" Score="4" ViewCount="192" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently got this plant and I looked up on internet but couldn't find one. I don't know anything about this plant and so my question. What plant is this? Corn Plant or Janet Craig or none?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/56TS5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/56TS5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eM6wl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eM6wl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fFz0r.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fFz0r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vRMgh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vRMgh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="14009" LastEditDate="2016-06-24T06:39:21.017" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T00:57:53.250" Title="What plants is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26694" CreationDate="2016-06-20T09:36:51.123" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The water in a compost pile needs to be right through the pile if you want the composting to occur throughout the pile.  If you site the pile near a creek, how's the water supposed to get from a flowing creek up the bank to the pile?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The consistency of the pile should be like a slightly damp sponge.  Too much water and it'll become anaerobic as the pile needs oxygen for the primarily aerobic decomposition to take place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T09:36:51.123" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26709" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26713" CreationDate="2016-06-20T10:54:51.573" Score="2" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it Lemon Lime plant? and it is a kind of Dracaena?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wOLzV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wOLzV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MUjfM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MUjfM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="14009" LastEditDate="2016-06-20T11:40:16.043" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T11:56:41.400" Title="Is this plant a Lemon Lime Plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26710" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26948" CreationDate="2016-06-20T10:57:08.600" Score="3" ViewCount="512" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sbAqM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sbAqM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I care for this one?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZyKj0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZyKj0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T17:57:58.173" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T17:57:58.173" Title="Identify this Dracaena" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26711" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26712" CreationDate="2016-06-20T10:58:43.777" Score="3" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;I googled, and it looks exactly like a Trinette plant. Am I correct? or is it different?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/izAZG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/izAZG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T11:13:43.973" Title="Is this Trinette plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26711" CreationDate="2016-06-20T11:13:43.973" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have no idea what a Trinette is, but the plant in your photo is Schefflera arboricola variegata (may also be known as Heptapleurum) - variegated forms of this plant require higher light levels than their plain green cousins and do not get quite as tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/umbrella-plant-schefflera&quot;&gt;http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/umbrella-plant-schefflera&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE - Apparently, 'Trinette' is one of the common names which may be applied to Schefflera arboricola. It's more frequent common name is Umbrella plant, although there are other varieties of plant which also  are known by umbrella plant. Whether you call it Fred or Johnny, its a Schefflera...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T11:13:43.973" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26713" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26709" CreationDate="2016-06-20T11:56:41.400" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, I'm not 100% (there are so many Dracaenas) but I think, with leaves that length, it might be Dracaena deremensis - I've got one listed in my houseplant directory (UK version) as 'yellow stripe', but  can only find images of Dracaena deremensis Lemon and Lime on line, which appears to be the same as yellow stripe, or very similar anyway. Either that or its a variety of D. massangeana, but the fact its got crispy brown bits means its more likely D. deremensis, they easily get these patches, so yea, it may well be 'Lemon and Lime' as you call it, which would make it a D. deremensis variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T11:56:41.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26714" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-20T12:46:57.273" Score="5" ViewCount="323" Body="&lt;p&gt;We bought a bonsai tree in Houston, TX and we spotted something on the branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it? Should we remove them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CLUtz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CLUtz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Something on the bonsai&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As suggested I've taken more pictures and investigated further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JrhI1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JrhI1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;also on other branches&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I removed more:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AKAwH.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AKAwH.png&quot; alt=&quot;I took some smaller ones attached to a loose twig&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ujNja.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ujNja.png&quot; alt=&quot;They&amp;#39;re wrapped around the twig&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mzT3A.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mzT3A.png&quot; alt=&quot;Another view&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut one open:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YPKFc.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YPKFc.png&quot; alt=&quot;I cut one open&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I decided to look at the contents with a small microscope:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6UeNT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6UeNT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;I had a small microscope handy&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of them move:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kbREt.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kbREt.png&quot; alt=&quot;And they move&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/QJxSHv9&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://imgur.com/QJxSHv9&quot; alt=&quot;video of movement&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what is the best way to kill any that might be left once I remove them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15097" LastEditorUserId="15097" LastEditDate="2016-06-20T20:24:22.560" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T20:24:22.560" Title="Are these insect eggs on the bonsai?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26702" CreationDate="2016-06-20T13:49:56.417" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are correct that in the Northern hemisphere, the north side is the side of the house that is in the shade the most, but that does not mean it is necessarily the shadiest spot in your yard. The north side on my house is shady in the winter when the sun is low, but also gets too much sun in the morning and mid-day during summer, because the sun is so high in the sky. I can grow part-shade plants there, but not plants that like full shade. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other plantings and structures in your yard might offer more shade than the house. Do you have any trees? large shrubs? fences? If the neighbor's house is close on one side, you might actually have more shade on that side of the house than on the north side. You should identify likely spots for shade, and then you'll need to observe. Check those spots at least three times a day for a period of time - once in the morning, once mid-day, and once later in the afternoon. It's best if you can do this over the course of a season, because the angle of the sun changes from month to month. If you can't do that, you can take a chance and plant based on a one-time observation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T13:49:56.417" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26716" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26696" CreationDate="2016-06-20T14:21:53.693" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perhaps one of the best ways to inoculate and feed your compost pile is to urinate on it. I know this may seem distasteful, but the free nitrogen in the urine really helps the nitrification cycle kickstart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water the pile, turn it over and water it again so the wet throughout, and so that your Browns and greens are mixed well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T14:21:53.693" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20075" CreationDate="2016-06-20T16:16:25.387" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are several varieties of hydrangeas.  I am guessing you have one that only blooms on old wood.  Use one/two tablespoons of Holly-Tone fertilizer in early May and once again in late June.  I also recommend putting your used coffee grounds in the soil, hydrangeas love that.  Do not fertilize after August.  In the winter after a good frost, cover the plant very generously with mulch such as straw/hay (I am talking about a big mound to protect all the tiny flower budlets on the old growth wood).  Sometimes a very hard winter can not be protected against and you will have a bloom-less year.  Avoid pruning completely.  After all danger of frost has passed, remove the mulch so the sun can penetrate.  Do not over-water the plant.  Droopy leaves are normal in afternoon sun, the plant will perk up the next morning, no need to add water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15100" LastEditorUserId="15100" LastEditDate="2016-06-24T16:10:50.783" LastActivityDate="2016-06-24T16:10:50.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26718" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-20T16:23:43.600" Score="2" ViewCount="6268" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mower needs a new spark plug. It won't start and the plug is covered in crud. It has been cleaned a couple of times before so I think I will just go for new. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The spark plug model needed is NGK BPR6E. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is whether there are different spark plugs for cars and mowers? Or whether I can buy any BPR6E and it'll do the job?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I raise the question because, for example, Halfords site lists the same model number in both auto and gardening sections, in different packaging, but specs seem the same. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15101" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T19:02:11.723" Title="Are there specific lawnmower spark plugs?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26719" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-20T16:29:47.017" Score="4" ViewCount="6001" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I just bought a tiny farm (2+ acres, mostly of pasture land). I rented a flail mower yesterday, but it took a good 7 hours of mowing to get 3/4 of the land done - and the thing bogged down probably 50 times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I'd like some advice. I need to keep this land somewhat maintained (probably mowing bi-weekly or a little less), as well as the area directly around the house well-maintained (weekly mowing). The 2 acres of pasture land is flat, but not smooth. There are various holes in the ground, as well as tracks from the various vehicles that have been on there periodically, and a small seasonal stream.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The land also has a couple of trees, but no small trees. The majority of the growing stuff is thistle and grass. There are little to no rocks on the land.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The land around the house which needs to be mowed weekly is perfectly flat and smooth, with no branches/rocks/other obstructions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: What type of mower should I buy to be cost efficient? Should I pick up a cheaper riding mower and just mow the entire property more regularly? A combination of heavy duty brush cutter and riding mower? Something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15102" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T14:01:52.987" Title="Mowing 2+ acres of pasture" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26720" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26739" CreationDate="2016-06-20T17:10:30.850" Score="4" ViewCount="1344" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wish to thicken my trunks on a few ficus hawaii, ficus benjamina, maples and juniper trees in a shorter space of time.&#xA;What species of bonsai and to what effect will vertical cuts thicken the trunk? Does wiring the trunk tight create a thicker trunk? Is it best to grow it in the ground instead?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What techniques can be used to thicken trunks without compromising the health of the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15103" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T02:42:33.243" Title="Thickening trunks of bonsai" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26721" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26714" CreationDate="2016-06-20T17:15:07.467" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never seen such a thing and it isn't clear to me what it is. However, it certainly is a bug if it moves. Sucking insects like aphids and scale would be on the leaves or petioles where they can tap into the little tubes (phloem) that transport the sugars from photosynthesis away from the leaves. This thing is on a woody stem and probably not a sucking insect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest you do a little investigation to give us more information for answering your question or to figure out for yourself whether it is something to worry about. If you have isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol around, wet a cotton swab and dab it on the thing. This is a test for scale, a sucking insect - does the thing fall off? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next, just snip off the end of the twig with the thing (i.e., look it over more thoroughly; maybe use a magnifying glass). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't recognize what it is, I suggest you try to remove it from the severed twig-tip - just break it off with your fingers, if you can. If the place where it was looks similar to the cut end of the twig-tip, the thing is a growth of some kind. Else, it is something foreign to the tree and you will likely want to pluck all the rest of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, it may be helpful to slice one of these in half. I would use an Xacto knife, razor blade, or the like. It may be a hard 'nut' that is very difficult to cut - if so, that is enough. Otherwise, you will likely need to use a magnifying glass to see the interior structure at the cut and will likely recognize if it is a bud or a gall (a growth caused by a bacterial/viral infection).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastEditorUserId="13580" LastEditDate="2016-06-20T17:43:40.290" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T17:43:40.290" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26722" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-20T18:20:22.487" Score="4" ViewCount="242" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there some good rules of thumb to what symptoms map to sorts of deficiencies. If leaves are turning yellow out of season, what sort of deficiencies could be responsible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read the following and would like to know how accurate such information is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lack of BORON&#xA;New tip growth dies and the plants become brittle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lack of CALCIUM&#xA;Tips of young leaves curl and die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15103" LastEditorUserId="15103" LastEditDate="2016-06-30T18:01:54.350" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T18:01:54.350" Title="Symptoms of nutrient deficiencies in trees" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26723" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-20T18:32:10.050" Score="6" ViewCount="274" Body="&lt;p&gt;I spaced my potatoes about 3 feet and between each I would like to put about 3 tomatoes to save space. Will this create problems in the near future? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T10:48:49.050" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T10:48:49.050" Title="Planting potatoes between tomatoes, bad or good idea?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26724" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26760" CreationDate="2016-06-20T18:51:13.090" Score="5" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've got a few 15 year old decorative broadleaf evergreens around our house as hedging. We're selling, and had to get the foundation fixed as part of the sale. While the foundation contractor was working, he uprooted two of the trees to gain access to the foundation, and replanted them when he was finished. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trees are not dead (we cut some branches and they are still green around the edges) but all of the leaves have turned brown and died due to transplant shock. We pruned off the dead leaves and are hoping that it will bounce back in the next 3 weeks before closing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We plan to water the crap out of it obviously, but is there a fertilizer or soil additive out there that we could use to help it along? We live in middle Tennessee if that helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this doesn't do the trick, is there a cheap 7-8 foot broadleaf evergreen we can go out and buy that will make a suitable replacement to the untrained eye and is resistant to shock?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Pictures of the healthy trees (looks like 2 species, maybe Cleyera, and some kind of Holly?): &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XO58e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XO58e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uf3W2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uf3W2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Ek1Y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Ek1Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eLEMv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eLEMv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1RDZx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1RDZx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i0LCD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i0LCD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k9d5z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k9d5z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15104" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-21T20:14:27.297" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T21:05:19.337" Title="How do I revive a couple shocked trees?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26725" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26723" CreationDate="2016-06-20T19:00:02.823" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;When it gets hot and humid tomatoes grow fast, and they can block the light to the potatoes which don't grow so big. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T19:00:02.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26726" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26718" CreationDate="2016-06-20T19:02:11.723" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes there are different plugs for different engines. Usually you need the engine model on your mower, and take in the old spark plug to the hardware store. Ask for someone to help you find the right spark plug and tell them your engine model and mower model. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually near the spark plugs at the store there is a booklet showing your old model of spark plug and what model the brand in front of you is compatible with. If not, someone behind the counter might have that book. They get used and abused a lot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T19:02:11.723" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26727" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26723" CreationDate="2016-06-20T19:16:46.040" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general, try not to mix plants of the same family (and in this case both share &lt;em&gt;Solanum&lt;/em&gt; as genus), both for competition on same nutrients (they share similar metabolism), and their can share diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomato plants don't have deep roots, so I think you can have problem harvesting potatoes without damaging the tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I never had problem with shadow: I don't think tomatoes does so much shadows, and potatoes (and tomatoes) growth well in the shadow of trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2016-06-21T06:28:28.497" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T06:28:28.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26728" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26722" CreationDate="2016-06-20T19:31:18.927" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, there are no simple rule. And often excess and deficiency can have the same symptoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lack of nitrogen: usually paler leaves (on all surfaces, all leaves)&#xA;. Plant will grow less&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Excess of nitrogen: too much grow, possibly with less fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other deficiencies gives paler leaves on/near veins, or far from veins. Iron deficiency could give small yellowish/brown leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: excess of some elements could cause difficulty of the root to absorb other elements. Also wrong pH could totally change the symptoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But like excess of lack of water, the symptoms could be different according severity, and very different according species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS: my rule of thumb: Ask Google for a specific plant and specific deficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T19:31:18.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26729" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26723" CreationDate="2016-06-20T20:10:26.670" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's harder to control blight when the two are planted in close proximity.  Late blight caused a devastating epidemic in the 1840s in the North Eastern USA. &lt;a href=&quot;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Potato_LateBlt.htm&quot;&gt;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Potato_LateBlt.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But there are plants that have cherry tomatoes grafted onto potato stock eg. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.edible.co.nz/fruits.php?fruitid=77&quot;&gt;http://www.edible.co.nz/fruits.php?fruitid=77&lt;/a&gt; which I guess is a case of putting all your eggs into one basket.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, generally, don't intercrop potatoes with tomatoes.  It's harder to control diseases if you do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T20:10:26.670" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26730" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26719" CreationDate="2016-06-20T20:25:20.227" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you are just suffering from mowing a pasture for the first time. Once you've got it all cut for the first time it will go much faster to keep it cut. However you don't want to use a flail to keep the grass down, use a regular blades lawn mower. It will do a neater job. A flail is for knocking down tall stuff and shrubbery but not for &quot;lawn mowing&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each acre should take you one hour with a proper deck mower of 42-48&#xA;Inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T20:25:20.227" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26731" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20075" CreationDate="2016-06-20T20:26:32.353" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can share my experience with you.  I have hydrangea in my courtyard where is gets sun for only part of the day.  I have had them for 4 years and have not really fertilized them much (I probably should).  I had flowers all 4 years and they are particularly doing well this year.  I did prune the dead flowers and I was told that they should only be pruned AFTER new growth starts appearing below the dead flower and not before.  This is something you should be aware of as well and may not be directly related to what you are experiencing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T20:26:32.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26732" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-20T20:45:32.183" Score="4" ViewCount="163" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 3ft x 3ft compost bin and have been putting garden and vegetable waste into the compost on a regular basis.  I have also been turning the pile every week.  I have started to measure the temperature of the pile but wanted to find out what is the temperature I should be maintaining at the center of the bin?  Also, how can I control the temperature if it is not in the recommended range. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T04:55:31.383" Title="Managing Temperatures in my compost bin" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26733" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21943" CreationDate="2016-06-20T21:42:10.297" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is Zizia aurea or Golden Alexander. It will have yellow umbels/flowers later. I am researching whether it is edible, I've read contradicting information thus far. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15105" LastEditorUserId="15105" LastEditDate="2016-06-20T22:20:58.387" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T22:20:58.387" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26734" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26732" CreationDate="2016-06-20T23:31:01.993" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There isn't really a simple answer to the question of temperature, except to say between 55 deg F up to 160 deg F - different aerobic bacteria operate at different temperatures, but in order to have a fairly sterile product at the end, the temperature should reach up to 160 deg F for a period of time. At that temperature, it will be thermophilic bacteria doing the work - mesophilic operate at lower temperatures, and psychrophylic at 55-70 deg F. Keeping an even temperature is difficult - it will fluctuate according to water content, how often its turned, whether you continue to add new materials and what those materials are, and the outer parts of the heap will always be cooler than the interior. In larger heaps in hot climates, it's possible for the temperature to get much higher than 160 deg F - at higher temperatures, bacteria cannot operate and start to die out. More information in the link below regarding the three main types of bacteria and the temperature ranges they operate at&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://m.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost/science.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://m.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost/science.cfm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The link below suggests turning as a measure to take should the temperature get too high, though there is some argument as to how effective more frequent turning is when a pile is too hot - turning increases air supply which initially cools the heap, but also increases aerobic bacterial activity, so the heap (in trials) has been shown to be just as hot, or hotter, three or fours after turning as it was beforehand. This is more of a problem with large heaps in hot climates than it is with smaller ones in cooler regions, but there isn't really any choice but to turn it frequently to try to keep temperatures down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://compost.css.cornell.edu/physics.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://compost.css.cornell.edu/physics.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For small heaps (the size of yours) in cooler climates (like in the UK) a layer of old carpet on top of the heap is recommended to help maintain temperature. It's not intended to rot down or contribute to the compost, but to act as a sort of lid to trap more heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-20T23:58:38.397" LastActivityDate="2016-06-20T23:58:38.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26735" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26720" CreationDate="2016-06-21T00:06:42.663" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Growing in the ground for a couple of seasons will almost certainly thicken up the trunk (if it is a species that will tolerate your winter months).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other techniques involve sacrifice branches - where you allow branches at key points to grow without pruning for a season or two, which will thicken the trunk as it requires more energy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have heard of using tight wiring and allowing it to dig in to the point that the tree grows around and over the wire. This will always produce some pretty ugly scars which depending on the look you are going for / species your growing may or may not be a good thing. Bear in mind though that this will almost certainly reduce the vigor of your tree for a good few years and may kill off a weaker specimen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I would opt for field growing (planting in the ground) and digging out up when the trunk is at the required thickness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-21T00:21:48.270" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T00:21:48.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26736" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23972" CreationDate="2016-06-21T01:35:23.097" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found your post while looking for the same plant. A friend of mine found hers growing in a pot with a houseplant that she had purchased in SC. &#xA;I believe it is allspice. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://nurserylive.com/buy-aromatic-plants-online-in-india/all-spice-plants-in-india&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://nurserylive.com/buy-aromatic-plants-online-in-india/all-spice-plants-in-india&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;We think it fell into a pot at the nursery, then was sold to the  store she bought it from.&#xA;If you kept scrolling after clicking the link, it has a pretty informative description after the first paragraph. &#xA;When her berries come again we are going pick the unripe ones, dehydrate them, and grind to see if they actually smell like allspice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15108" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T01:35:23.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26737" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26719" CreationDate="2016-06-21T02:15:44.490" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fill the holes and ruts, it will save you time in the long run. And if it's pasture, see to the fence and put critters in it. The only thing you should be cutting in pasture is the unpalatable weeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You either graze it, hay it, or its a dang big lawn you're wasting money on, not a tiny farm. For haying a good scythe will do the job if you are willing to learn to use it. If you're having a big lawn, I guess a big lawn tractor would be the thing to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T02:15:44.490" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26702" CreationDate="2016-06-21T02:23:49.247" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can built a lath-house or other dedicated shade structure (shade-cloth being the more modern approach to the lath-house, but not as classic), such as a grape arbor or pergola (which will cause shade underneath itself due to the plants growing on it.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T02:23:49.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26739" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26720" CreationDate="2016-06-21T02:42:33.243" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, vertical cuts do not make the trunk thicken; they just produce vertical scars. Sometimes the lip of the scar protrudes slightly and self proclaimed 'gurus' claim the bole is thicker. People have also advocated punching the trunk with knife tips, but 'going Psycho' on it is just a way to make your tree vulnerable to a serious fungal infection. It has also been advocated that one literally hammer their trunks - the problem is that it is almost impossible to avoid killing the cambium in some places (so, at best, it produces mixed results).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A trunk/branch thickens more rapidly the more foliage it carries. It also thickens faster if the extension growth is allowed to run. Decapitating a branch will slow the rate of its thickening, but with many species the increased leaf area that comes as a result of ramification can more than compensate for the setback. This process, though, produces a stem with negligible taper. Therefore, one eventually must prune off most of it and start the process anew with another ‘sacrifice’ in order to make a tapered trunk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With conifers great care must be taken to keep small lower branches alive – once they are gone, they are gone (ala Yogi Berra) because there is little chance of regenerating them. So the sacrifice is usually bent so that it will not shade those low branches. Likewise, foliage on the lower portions of the ‘sacrifice’ is also usually removed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is easier to control the growth in containers, but trunk thicknesses are practically limited 2 to maybe 3 inches. Thicker trunks need to be ‘field grown’ in mother earth. However, progress will be even slower for the first two or three years in the ground as the tree gets ‘established’. Once established, the sacrifice whip’s wagging in the wind will cause the base to thicken or flare. A negative, though is that the roots become a few heavy/thick ones with the fine ‘feeder roots’ far away from the trunk. It then is a challenge to subsequently generate fine fibrous roots close to the trunk and a nice nebari. This is avoided by container growing; in fact, growing in oversized containers of a bonsai substrate is just about the only means of developing the roots necessary for bonsai containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Applying a wire tourniquet to a trunk will eventually barricade the flow of sugars from photosynthesis and polar auxin transport (PAT) which results in a region of enhanced radial growth just above the tourniquet (i.e., a ‘flare’). If this is covered with a damp material such as sphagnum moss, vermiculite, pearlite, or a bonsai substrate, roots will eventually be produced (this is a trick to make an air-layer explant that has a nicely flared base). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wire spiral wrapped around the trunk will have a similar effect as the wire ‘bites in’ over the course of a season or two. The wire can be left in place and eventually the growth will cover the wire though the traces remain visible for a number of years. An irregular/artistic wrapping pattern is needed to obscure this, but with junipers spiraling shari is much admired – this is a way to achieve it while hastening the thickening of the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With deciduous trees, one doesn’t need to worry about low branches as they can/will be regenerated with heavy pruning if not by spring budding. Hence, a branchless deciduous species seedling can be threaded though the hole in a CD, a hole drilled in a tile, a drain hole of an old ceramic pot bottom, or etc. and grown. As the tree thickens, will automatically generate a nice basal flare and ground layer itself (note: the ‘tourniquet’ is under the substrate surface). Analogously, one can start with an air layer and screw it to a tile/board – this will develop basal flare and eventually a ‘pancake’ nebari.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last point about thickening is heavy applications of fertilizer will help. Lots of nitrogen, though, tends to produce long internodes, which we want to avoid in our bonsai (because branches and ‘back budding’ generally can only occur at nodes). So one wants to start with a seedling/sapling/trunk that has short internodes, particularly the last internode to be retained; after that one doesn’t care because it will be cut off. Then one wants the next segment to be suitably short – it will help to restrict nitrogen while it is being grown, then again switch to high nitrogen after it is set to thicken. Basically this nutritional manipulation is only possible in containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T02:42:33.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26740" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21943" CreationDate="2016-06-21T03:40:33.750" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Parsnip.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Heracleum Maximum's terminal leaflet has more lobes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Golden Alexander has distinctive stems on its leaflets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Parsnip roots are edible, and very popularly so. Its leaves are toxic to the touch, so wear gloves. (I had an itchy crook between my thumb and hand for about 2 weeks last year from clearing out a small patch of these suckers. Didn't know what they were and had never even heard of them beyond their occasional mention as food in a book or two.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To further verify, uproot one of them (you'll need a tool unless the ground is soaked). If the root is a parsnip, the plant's a Parsnip. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Disclaimer: never eat anything unless you are 100% sure what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T03:40:33.750" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26741" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26732" CreationDate="2016-06-21T04:02:14.397" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;With a smaller pile, it's important to confine the compost. I found this article &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vegetable-gardening-with-lorraine.com/homemade-compost-bin.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.vegetable-gardening-with-lorraine.com/homemade-compost-bin.html&lt;/a&gt; a couple years ago and I've used it to great effect.  Makes turning and harvesting easy as pie, provides enough oxygen, and confines/insulates the pile.  (Mine is only 30&quot; on a side and I get my 160).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sun always helps, especially morning sun. The inside temperature of your pile is always competing with the exterior temperature. Sunlight is often the difference between a good pile and a dud (at least that's what I read when I had a dud pile going in full shade a few years ago when I first started composting).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water may cool the pile initially, but it adds weight, and pressure and temperature go hand in hand. Don't let your pile get too dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I turn every other weekend, and stab the pile a few times with the pitchfork on the non-turn weekends to introduce some oxygen. I water after the turn/stab and on Wednesdays.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The site I linked has a lot of great info about small-scale composting, and the DIY bin is the bee's knees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T04:02:14.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26742" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26744" CreationDate="2016-06-21T04:29:58.003" Score="3" ViewCount="1883" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think I have some sunflowers on my plot from a previous owner in the community garden, and was wondering how I can tell the difference between sunflowers and sunchokes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please provide images.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T06:28:46.790" Title="How do you tell the difference between sunflowers and sunchokes?" Tags="&lt;sunflowers&gt;&lt;sunchoke&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26732" CreationDate="2016-06-21T04:55:31.383" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The point of having a temperature probe is to confirm that the bacterial procession in your pile is proceeding correctly. With a pile that size, the absolute minimum for a hot pile, you won't get extremely hot temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The initial rise in temperature is what you're looking for to confirm that the pile has been constructed correctly. If it doesn't rise, you have too much carbon material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should reach a maximum temperature for a few days, and then start to cool down as the material in the centre of the pile is exhausted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You then need to move the pile so that the outside of the pile forms the new centre of the new pile. The centre of the old pile forms the outside, insulation for the new pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can use sticks, or whatever, to push through the pile to ensure adequate oxygen reaches the centre of the pile to allow the oxidating reactions to continue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T04:55:31.383" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26742" CreationDate="2016-06-21T05:59:06.840" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sunflowers and sunchokes are both members of the genus &quot;helianthus&quot;, hence related and some similarities are to be expected - think family resemblance amongst cousins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sunflowers' Latin name &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus_annuus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Helianthus &lt;strong&gt;annuus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; indicates that they are &lt;strong&gt;annuals&lt;/strong&gt;, so if you have seedlings coming up, they will probably be sunflowers, not sunchokes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sunchokes (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Helianthus &lt;strong&gt;tuberosus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) are perennials that reemerge from the &lt;strong&gt;tubers&lt;/strong&gt; left in the soil or planted in spring, so they will push up leaves, not cotyledons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once taller, sunflowers have larger broader, heart-shaped leaves, sunchokes are narrower, more pointed ovals or even the characteristic rhomboid of the asteraceae family, not with the indentation on the stem side a sunflower typically has. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sunchokes' flowers are like &quot;simplified&quot; sunflowers - often smaller, with fewer ray flowers (&quot;petals&quot;), typically 10-20 in a single layer, whereas sunflowers often have way more and in multiple staggered rows. The center is smaller, too, hosting 60-100 disc florets vs. a few hundred in sunflowers. Some sunflower breeds have multiple flower heads per stem, which I've never seen in sunchokes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if all methods fail, carefully dig down along the stem, the presence or absence of a tuber should clear up all doubts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-06-21T06:28:46.790" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T06:28:46.790" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26745" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26747" CreationDate="2016-06-21T06:59:59.517" Score="8" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm confused about how to grow garlic. I'm planning to grow it from a clove.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After it grows, do I take the seed from the flower and plant it again, waiting for the second year to harvest the garlic?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or can I harvest  it in the first year, straight from the clove which I've planted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15110" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-22T14:18:40.340" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T14:18:40.340" Title="Do I need to wait a year before harvesting garlic?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26746" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-21T07:16:30.703" Score="1" ViewCount="1655" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few months ago, I tried to get some citrus seeds from flea market fruit to sprout, but they didn't so I just buried them inside the pot of my grapefruit plant. Last week, I noticed that there was a new plant growing from 1 of the seeds! But it was white? Any Idea if this is normal? I believe the seed might be from a Mandora citrus.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C19wY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C19wY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup of the plant, and it has a friend growing close to it, green though&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;There is also another plant growing very close, when should I seperate them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, here is a photograph of my 1 year old grapefruit plant in Toronto.&#xA;Its been kept at the window since I planted it last July, mostly because I'm scared that a squirrel will dig up the plant, or insects will infest it.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fvOdo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fvOdo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Its been growing in spurts, last month over 2 weeks it grew 5 leaves, but then stopped growing. I also noticed that there was a growth on the top of the plant that appeared to be tiny leaves, but it dried up and fell off. Will this affect the plant later on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you for your time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15109" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2018-09-09T01:06:30.650" Title="Albino citrus seedling? and 1 year old grapefruit plant" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26745" CreationDate="2016-06-21T07:21:53.807" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Garlic is grown from cloves and not from seed.  You plant individual cloves and these form bulbs.  You then save the largest bulbs to plant the cloves the following year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is because soft neck garlic doesn't usually produce seeds and even if they do, they are not true.  That's why it's usually propagated by the planting of cloves from bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T07:21:53.807" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26748" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-21T13:45:21.993" Score="4" ViewCount="699" Body="&lt;p&gt;Per the title really.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It seems to be quite invasive and pops up all over the place, often entangled into the centre of an existing shrub&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's a pain to dig out but it can be done&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's quite (but not completely) resistant to home-use weedkillers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The bark strips off the stem quite easily when you try to pull it up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The stem feels somewhat like a eucalyptus - fast growing wood - when cut with secateurs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's very fast-growing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It happily regrows when cut near the base, from just below the cut&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It seems to be quite widespread locally (Berkshire, UK)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In other people's gardens, there are unchecked examples, and it's well over 10 feet tall - looking a lot like an established tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what it is&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;what, if anything, can I do about it, that I'm not doing already.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NTSQP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NTSQP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/REm2Y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/REm2Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lDIkM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lDIkM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5qJXe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5qJXe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 4&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14761" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T16:07:01.413" Title="Help identifying a weed/unwanted plant that pops up all over and unchecked, grows into a tree!" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26748" CreationDate="2016-06-21T16:07:01.413" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems a &lt;em&gt;Fraxinus excelior&lt;/em&gt; (Ash). It grows fast and it likes stony places (like walls, streets).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Young trees sometime have such reddish look (trunk, branches), especially on dry places.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T16:07:01.413" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26752" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4172" CreationDate="2016-06-21T16:23:42.173" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have experienced the same problem where the mint started taking over the raised bed and also started expanding beyond that.  I did not want that problem to re-occur so I basically removed all the mint from the roots.  So, it involves hard work where you will have to pull out the mint and all the root system.  It may take 2-3 attempts because you will inevitably leave some roots the first time around and they will sprout.  Once you go through that process you will have a mint free area.  If you want to keep the mint, you can always transplant some of the one's you are removing to a pot (note that I have not tried this)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T16:23:42.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26745" CreationDate="2016-06-21T16:36:06.210" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Garlic is grown from either cloves or bulbils - normally cloves. Bulbils [the small bulbs formed in the &quot;flower&quot; (it's not really a flower) of a hardneck (or &quot;scape-forming&quot;) garlic scape] are vegetative clones, the same as cloves, but they are smaller, there are more of them, an they have no soil contact if properly handled - as such, bulbils may be used when looking to quickly increase stocks (many more offspring from a single plant) or to break disease cycles (no soil contact.) Otherwise they are often cut off well before full bulbil formation, both as a secondary crop, and to encourage larger bulb formation. Depending on the size of the bulbils they may take 2-3 years to form a full-sized plant (smaller ones tend to produce a &quot;single-clove&quot; the first year (or two for ones that are very small), but if that is replanted normal full-sized garlic will result.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience spring-planted garlic has always been inferior in yield to fall-planted garlic, so if you are planting now, I hope you are in the Southern hemisphere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Typical practice is to plant seed cloves in the late fall and harvest in summer. For maintaining stock I tend to save the best 20-25% or so of heads for seed stock; (I maintain about 100 heads at present, which means I get 75 or so and plant the larger cloves from 25 or so) when trying to increase stocks you will need to save more heads for seed to get more heads the next year. The larger the clove, the larger the resulting head of garlic, all else being equal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-06-21T23:18:00.157" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T23:18:00.157" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26754" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26757" CreationDate="2016-06-21T16:54:16.300" Score="9" ViewCount="907" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a riding lawn tractor with a 460 cc Kohler engine. The manual says to change the oil every year. This year, I noticed the price of conventional and synthetic oil was about the same, so I wondered if I could buy synthetic oil and go perhaps two years between oil changes. Would that be wise? Are the any pitfalls in using synthetic oil in a lawn tractor?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5715" LastEditorUserId="5715" LastEditDate="2016-06-21T21:43:08.957" LastActivityDate="2016-12-28T01:56:48.983" Title="If I use synthetic oil in my lawn tractor, can I go more than a year between oil changes?" Tags="&lt;small-engine&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26754" CreationDate="2016-06-21T19:08:03.960" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oil life is typically measured with distance or time&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1 year on a tractor for oil life of a synthetic is a reasonable expectation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mobile makes a claim about their synthetic oil stating that it will last up to 10,000 miles rather than interval that most mechanics claim for a synthetic at 5,000 miles.  Most manufacturers state that 12 months is the limit for their products.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Going 24 months between oil changes does not seem reasonable as it is well beyond manufacturer suggested intervals.  Keep in mind that many manufacturers have increased their oil lifespans from 3,000 miles to 5,000 and some have recently stated 10,000.  I do not see this 12 month interval as a revenue ploy.  Being able to state a greater interval can drive sales just has the increased mileage has.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my opinion 24 months is not a reasonable expectation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9703" LastEditorUserId="9703" LastEditDate="2016-12-28T01:56:48.983" LastActivityDate="2016-12-28T01:56:48.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26756" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26763" CreationDate="2016-06-21T19:19:17.537" Score="6" ViewCount="1042" Body="&lt;p&gt;I reside in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and wish to start out on minor landscaping projects, and continue to work my way up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need formal certification that is required by law to operate? I realize that there are courses available, but is a license required to operate? For softscaping, do I need permits? Do I need permits for hardscaping? As long as I do not touch any buildings, remove walls etc. do I need a permit to dig and modify outside land? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15116" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T01:19:25.103" Title="Do Landscape Designer/Architects require a license or permits in Canada?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2016-06-23T11:00:27.820" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26757" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26754" CreationDate="2016-06-21T19:20:17.737" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the big problems, especially for seldom-used (and if you are not running a lwn-care business, your lawn tractor qualifies, in hours per year, even if you mow and blow snow with it) is that without an oil change, you are building up condensed water and various breakdown products, and storing them in the engine for a long time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;As an opinion, I prefer the model of changing the oil on seasonal equipment just before you put it away for the off-season, so the crud is not sitting in the motor while the motor sits. For higher-hassle than most of us want to put up with, you can store it filled with a storage oil and replace that before running it in the next season; I don't do that, but I have manuals for some old military equipment, and they did that.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, that is the primary reason that very long (time) intervals for oil changes are a bad idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-06-21T23:12:43.520" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T23:12:43.520" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26758" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26724" CreationDate="2016-06-21T20:48:10.793" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well you're right about Cleyera, that's what you're showing in the top and final pictures, but I don't recognise the other plants, though I'm pretty sure one of them is a Prunus or cherry laurel of some variety. The ones the foundation guy replanted won't regrow, so you're either off to the plant suppliers trying to find something large enough you can plant immediately, or do as Ecnerwal suggests - speak to the buyers and come to an arrangement with them. Either way, you may as well go out and remove the plants he dug up and put back in; even in the remote chance they did regrow, it certainly won't be any time soon, and having two dead trunks in the ground will look worse than an empty space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T20:48:10.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26760" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26724" CreationDate="2016-06-21T21:05:19.337" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Explain that the required foundation repairs killed the trees (it very likely did, even if they are not &quot;all dead&quot; yet) and knock off the price you'd pay for replacements from the house price if there's a fuss, letting the new owners decide whether to replace them or rip the others out and do something different. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you need to do something like this in the future, get a tree guy to deal with the trees, don't let the foundation guy do that...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T21:05:19.337" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26761" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26754" CreationDate="2016-06-21T21:16:36.190" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a great question.  Basically, our lawn mowers, blowers, trimmers...CARS, etc. will last forever if we can keep the dirt out of these machines.  Changing oil is one of the best ways to remove dirt and lengthen the life of your machine.  Take that to the bank!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T21:16:36.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26756" CreationDate="2016-06-21T21:35:59.173" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;To use the title 'Landscape Architect' you have to be a licensed Landscape Architect.  That license, as I know well, is a humongous testing after (usually people do a few years in the field before taking the exams for licensing) going through the entire curriculum minimum of 4 years after being accepted...in a certified Landscape Architecture program. akin to Lawyers and Doctors.  Not kidding.  Akin to saying one is a black belt when only a white belt in martial arts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am sure you can call yourself a landscape designer but that is it.  I am not absolutely sure this is true in Canada, I've not looked but I couldn't believe such a cool country would allow anyone to call themselves a Landscape Architect without rigorous curriculum and testing...same with a lawyer/doctor.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lucky for you...most people have no idea what Landscape Architects are taught to be able to do!  People actually allow anyone with a pickup truck that mows their lawns to give them advice on landscaping!  Sad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can't believe anyone who wants to excel and be responsible to work in this field would not go get the education and get the proper licenses.  Have you passed the pesticide applicator licenses?  Master Gardener licenses?  Just to get those licenses you'll begin to see the necessity and how greatly this education would blast you past the other yayhoos deceiving others in your competitive field.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Landscape Architecture will open your world and humble you.  It is a wonderful occupation that requires far more knowledge than Architects, Lawyers and Doctors!!  Seriously.  If you could enroll to become a Landscape Architect, you might be able to pass the test to actually call yourself a Landscape Architect.  You would be very very glad you spent the time and money!! So would any client that depends on you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hardscape depends on permeable surface percentages within any codes, whether or not it could be construed as a 'building', using water (water features), lighting absolutely!  Low voltage is now regulated.  Like you said, can't be attached to the already permitted buildings, then there is drainage constraints (a big big deal and one of my specialties, so I taught a 6 credit core program in grading and drainage), adding boulders/yards of soil/gravels and especially anything that will affect the neighbors, the sewer waters.  Stuff like 'landscape fabric' is one of the horrors you need to watch for...have to remove that crap.  Have to be able to educate your clients!  How about insurance?  Weedwackers are high velocity weapons...you do all your work by yourself or are you hiring employees that you just might to have to be there on the site supervising??  Oh gosh, I could go on and on...landscape designers are best used within the envelope of a larger company with insurance and others that can educate and know what needs permits and what doesn't...they can design like crazy without any of the knowledge 4-5 years formal education and testing.  Kind of irresponsible and when you really really know what you are SELLING you will thrive.  Otherwise...takes one bummed customer to ruin you completely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-06-21T21:47:03.057" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T21:47:03.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26763" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26756" CreationDate="2016-06-21T22:11:02.000" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a former landscaper who lives in Ontario I can answer this question. If you advertise yourself as a Landscape Architect then you must be one and a member of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://oala.ca/&quot;&gt;Ontario Association of Landscape Architects&lt;/a&gt;.  Degrees and diplomas from other countries or provinces may be accepted as credit towards a degree in Ontario.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Landscape firms are another matter.  There are hundreds in the city where I live ranging from one person and a truck to multi million dollar operations. They often have &quot;landscape designers&quot; whose qualifications may range from nothing, community college diploma,certifications or more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need formal certification to operate as a landscape designer or landscaper?&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;No&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you need some paperwork to operate as a business? &#xA;&lt;strong&gt;Yes&lt;/strong&gt;: charging HST/GST, business insurance requires some preparation. Consider&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Employees require paying salaries, Workers Compensation, Canada Pension etc&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Contractors require payment so you need a business bank account&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normally a truck is considered a minimum entry level to the trade which can imply a bank loan, insurance, backup plan when the truck breaks during the most inconvenient time&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For softscaping, do I need permits? &#xA;&lt;strong&gt;No&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need permits for hardscaping?&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;No&lt;/strong&gt; unless your work involves extensive grade changes&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need a permit to dig and modify outside land?&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;No&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Things you must do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;call &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.on1call.com/&quot;&gt;Ontario One call&lt;/a&gt; before you dig.  Even after calling them to locate utilities I guarantee you will hit telephone, cable, water, gas, sewer sooner or later.  Your only protection is to have done your due diligence and called them first.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;have some type of business insurance: liability at a minimum&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;know your competition: many firms offer a free landscape design if you sign with them to do the hard and soft scaping. Can you compete with free?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;know your market and margins: a typical landscape design build is $200 of design, $20,000 of interlock and some plants and shrubs to fill in the rest.  Margins on interlock are slim for small quantities so you make money on labour. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most suburban buyers are not interested in a unique experience that shows your talents.  They want low maintenance, cheap and fast. You can make money if do volume quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stormy's answer has some excellent points. A good deal of thought is required before entering the industry.  Although possibly out of scope for this question this joke has the ring of truth for many:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A landscaper won a large amount of money in a lottery. When asked what they were going to do with it they replied:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Just keep landscaping till the money's gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-06-22T01:19:25.103" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T01:19:25.103" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26764" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26719" CreationDate="2016-06-21T22:32:36.523" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two acres is not a huge time expenditure but you do have to get a damn good mower.  There are commercial mowers where you could also get a stand aboard platform for the 2 acres.  I used to mow 5 acres of lawn with an old craftsman riding mower with no problemo.  Wasn't flat so I didn't get bored, grins.  Do not wimp out spending money on equipment.  Never purchase electric.  Stihl is one of the best brands for commercial/residential use.  You should also own a gas blower and a gas trimmer (get rid of shield and go to a single strand replacement head).  Forget the scythe (Ecnerwal you are so cute!!).  You do not want the grass and weeds to get high enough where a scythe would work!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;SHARP BLADES!  Keep those filters changed out!!  Keep the dirt out of the engine and your equipment will last forever!  Never ever use any gasoline with ethanol!! One mowing per week is MINIMUM for your lawn areas.  Keep the lawn grasses no shorter than 3&quot; and I am not kidding!!  The pasture grasses will do fine with twice per season mowing depending on your expectations.  Goats will be great. Pigs not so much (love pigs, brilliant animals but are able to dig up large areas of pasture...if just slightly unfed), chickens?  Forget it.  They will not eat the grasses or weeds.  Perhaps eat the weed seeds and young starts but not good for maintenance.  Goats are great.  If you live next to BLM, or a greenway...BAD idea.  Cougars, who are everywhere especially since we've been gobbling up territories from them LOVE GOATS! Another reason to never erect a playground next to greenways, native areas and pastures!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grasses, not including domesticated lawn grasses, NEED to be cut down for health.   A great weed wacker works well, 2 acres twice per year???  Make sure your riding lawn mower or your wide commercial deck can be adjusted...3&quot; MINIMUM for your lawn (cool season grasses)...and I wouldn't cut less than 4-6&quot; for pasture.  The HIGHER your cut, the higher you leave the grass blades the SLOWER the growth.  Too low and you are cutting off photosynthetic growth necessary to support the roots and you'll wig your grasses out big time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't forget!  Your lawn needs at least 3X or 4X fertilizations that are seasonally made compositions.  Your pasture needs at least ONE great fertilizing.  Don't use fast acting Scott's, Ortho, or any big chemical company.  The best fertilizer I have ever used is ORGANIC (I hate using that word), SLOW RELEASE (intrinsic), with bacteria and micronutrients not found in the FAST STUFF.  After decades of fertilizing grasses I was just blown away at the difference.  Here is one and you can look for similar brands...Dr. Earth Lawn Fertilizer.  Make sure the last fertilizing before winter is LOW NITROGEN.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you aerate your pretty lawn, aerate your pasture (once per year minimum).  Only use the aerators that pull plugs of sod and soil out...leave to disintegrate on your lawn/pasture.  If you have goats to take care of the pasture...they might be a bit tough on eating the grasses down too far and one needs to cut the fertilizer way back.  Include dividing your pasture into sections so once one section has been eaten down, put the goats in the other.  This allows your pasture to come back, a good time to reseed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-21T22:32:36.523" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26707" CreationDate="2016-06-22T02:14:34.667" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could be a young Janet Craig, but also looks like a leggy Green Jewel to me (its more compact). All fall under Dracaena anyway, so if you Google image search Dracaena, I'm sure you'll find a match rather quickly. All have similar care requirements; moderate exposure, moderate moisture. Too much water is quickly displayed by yellowing tips. Very hardy and one of my favorite houseplants due to the fact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: This site may help you pin down what you have. It actually looks like the Elegance Cane they have pictured:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miamitropicalplants.com/product-category/tropical-foliage-by-miami-tropical-plants/dracaena/&quot;&gt;MiamiTropicalPlants.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This site also:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.planttruckcart.com/available.jsp&quot;&gt;PlantTruck.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13948" LastEditorUserId="13948" LastEditDate="2016-06-22T05:30:27.083" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T05:30:27.083" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26767" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-22T03:01:49.600" Score="5" ViewCount="2186" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing some vegetables in my garden and I also have a pond where some turtles and fish live together. I thought maybe when I change the water of my pond could I use that water to irrigate my vegetables? I know that fish and especially turtles can contain bacteria and other parasites so those can also infect my vegetables and even worst, if we eat some of the vegetables could be harmful to our health? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15121" LastEditorUserId="13580" LastEditDate="2016-06-22T04:22:26.060" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T11:02:36.393" Title="It is good to use water of a pond to irrigate my garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pond&gt;&lt;greywater&gt;&lt;parasites&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26768" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26773" CreationDate="2016-06-22T04:14:03.550" Score="1" ViewCount="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a &quot;bubble&quot; created by plants that are deer resistant to protect deer prone plants from being attacked?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T11:01:19.497" Title="If you plant deer resistant plants with plants that deer like, will the deer resistance work?" Tags="&lt;deer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26769" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26767" CreationDate="2016-06-22T06:47:19.437" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You only need to be worried about some pathogenic e coli that can be incorporated into plant tissues. And generally these are not found in aquatic environments. The other bacteria, viruses and amoebae can be washed off. In all cases, all are destroyed in cooking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;People use fish ( unsure about turtles ) in aquaponics systems where the waste water is filtered by plant roots, and I've not heard of any disease outbreaks with this growing method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T06:47:19.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26770" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26771" CreationDate="2016-06-22T06:55:38.040" Score="4" ViewCount="1423" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a solitary eggplant that has several fruit growing (picture below).  It's not terribly tall, in part because of the more successful squash nearby, but my soil is very good quality (amended with 3&quot; of mushroom compost this year). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How many eggplants should I let it grow at once?  Should I let all of them develop, or cut most of them off?  Is the plant even big enough to allow it to make any fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SPE6S.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SPE6S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;eggplant picture&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uQvem.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uQvem.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;garden picture&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7052" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T07:41:38.513" Title="Pruning eggplant for optimal fruit" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26771" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26770" CreationDate="2016-06-22T07:41:38.513" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its extremely difficult to tell much from your pictures - it would be good if they showed the height - but from what little I can see, there are way too many flowers on the tree (although it looks quite healthy).   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Commercially we would let to stems grow, with 2 fruit per stem at a time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe you will get a better yield if you greatly reduce the number of flowers - at minimum get rid of all except for 1 flower for each clump (it looks to me like you have clumps of flowers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your plant is only 50cm or so in height, I'd be surprised if you wanted it to have more then 3 fruit growing at once.   (more fruit puts more stress on the plant, as well as slower growth/yield)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T07:41:38.513" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26772" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26768" CreationDate="2016-06-22T08:21:57.077" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have three solutions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;thick plants that physically keep out deer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thorny plants (maybe a climbing rose)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Enclosure (possibly with wood) or wire mesh (this could be small and enclose also a single plant).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And possibly keep some ground for them, so that they will stop where you care less.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T08:21:57.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26773" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26768" CreationDate="2016-06-22T10:56:00.443" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No. Deer resistance is based on taste, not smell. You are confusing mammal pests with insect pests. If you look at the odor-based deer repellents they are super strong, and sometimes don't work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Deer resistant&quot; plants are plants the deer do not prefer, but they still still eat them if it's a harsh winter and there is no other food. We've had deer eat hosta and daffodils, which are supposed to be deer resistant. &#xA;Now thorny plants will be even more deer resistant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The harshest time of the year is the spring before many shoots and berries are available. So that's when the deer are the hungriest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you value your plants, put hot pepper powder on them and replace after every rain. Mammals can taste the hot pepper juice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But your best protection is a 6 foot high fence. But even then SOME occasional desperate/stupid deer have been known to jump those and get trapped in the garden. lol.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastEditorUserId="11061" LastEditDate="2016-06-22T11:01:19.497" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T11:01:19.497" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26774" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26767" CreationDate="2016-06-22T11:02:36.393" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That depends on if you eat vegetables raw, and how paranoid you are. Properly cooked veg should not be a problem. If you are paranoid, just don't put pond water on root vegetables, or cook them well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.anapsid.org/salm3.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Turtles can&lt;/a&gt; also carry salmonella.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T11:02:36.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26775" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26778" CreationDate="2016-06-22T09:21:18.247" Score="5" ViewCount="892" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live near an oil refinery (probably about 1 mile away). I have a small back yard with sparse grass. I have some planter beds with bushes. I have a lawn in the front. I'm concerned that I may have lead in my soil. I have two kids below the age of 5. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lead testing costs $400+ depending on what you want to test.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What precautions should I take (assuming that I do have lead) that will reduce or eliminate exposure to my kids?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2547" OwnerDisplayName="milesmeow" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-22T13:03:36.600" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T20:40:59.823" Title="How to remedy lead in soil?" Tags="&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26776" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26775" CreationDate="2016-06-22T12:36:40.350" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lead is often present in soil, but not because of oil refineries necessarily - it may occur naturally, but most is there because of man's activities. Soil near to major roads may well be contaminated from the lead that was once in petrol, and the other major source was paints, those used in and outdoors, because they also contained lead. Lead particles tend to accumulate in the top two inches of soil, unless the soil is regularly cultivated, and may be present in airborne particles too small to see. There's more information in this link here, including possible remedial action&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/plants/crops/esi/lead-in-soil&quot;&gt;http://extension.psu.edu/plants/crops/esi/lead-in-soil&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;but there may be other reasons why your grass is sparse, depending on your maintenance and care routine. It appears the addition of humus rich materials such as well rotted manure, garden composts, leaf mould, anything organic, to open soil on a regular basis will reduce any possible lead contamination, or at least render it less of a threat. If you suspect there is medium to high lead contamination, don't  grow edibles in your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-22T12:44:38.703" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T12:44:38.703" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26778" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26775" CreationDate="2016-06-22T13:06:46.887" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;By remediation, I think that you mean transforming the lead into a less toxic or inert form. However, there are many ways that are being used to deal with lead and this is a very intensive and lengthy subject (books are written about it). Unfortunately, for the time being, the more common methods for dealing with lead is to bury it or cover it with top soil, or remove (excavate) the lead soil and move it to a landfill or designated holding facility. Also it is common to mix the contaminated soil with portland cement (binder) before transferring it to a landfill or elsewhere. Having lead extracted is kind of uncommon (still in the more experimental phases), unless the level is extremely high (and something must be done).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Transforming lead involves one or more of three strategies: thermal, biological, and/or chemical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thermal: Incineration (burning) contaminanted soil in either solid, liquid, or sludge form. Incinerator types- fluidized-bed incinerator, multiple-hearth furnace, rotary kiln, and liquid-injection incinerator. Air pollution is a potential problem for hazardous-waste incineration. For remediation of vaporized lead a filter/scrubber would be used to collect the lead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Biological/bioremediation: Plants or microbes that can metabolize the lead may be added to soil, along with nutrients. With phytoremediation, lead is taken up (absorbed) by the plants... so the concentration of lead is higher in the plant, so the lead is easier and more efficiently extracted or disposed of. See more about &lt;a href=&quot;https://clu-in.org/download/studentpapers/henry.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;phytoremediation&lt;/a&gt;. Genetically engineered species of plants are being studied. Microbes are not currently used for practical lead remediation, but that is likely to change (perhaps with the aid of genetic engineering). Heavy metal remediation using bacteria and/or fungi would be used to concentrate or change the form of lead for improved solubility/extraction. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chemical: Technically, chemical methods only include ion exchange, precipitation, redox reactions, and acid/base neutralization, while the &quot;physical&quot; methods are sedimentation, flotation, and filtration. But the distinction between these sciences at this juncture seems more nominal to me. Also, phosphate stabilization is a chemical alternative, where phosphate is added to soil to bind up the metals (in the soil) so they are not absorbed into the body when swallowed. This method depends on the phosphate reacting/binding with the lead in the soil. EPA allows this (on a case dependent basis), but at the same time, heavily restricts the use of phosphate fertilizer because of pollution problems assosiated with phosphates (like algal blooms).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit- What precautions should I take (assuming that I do have lead) that will reduce or eliminate exposure to my kids?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EPA says, &quot;if you plan on gardening in areas with lead and cadmium&#xA;contamination:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Consider a raised garden bed. This should be accomplished by&#xA;bringing in soil you know is not contaminated.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thoroughly wash all vegetables and peel root vegetables.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Limit exposure to young children to contaminated garden soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoid transporting contaminated garden soil into the home on shoes,&#xA;clothing, and pets.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit2: See also &lt;a href=&quot;http://landarchs.com/5-best-plants-for-phytoremediation/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;5 Best Plants For Phytoremediation&lt;/a&gt; listed below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Willow (Salix species)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Poplar tree (Populus deltoides)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) (Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus L.) (Helianthus annuus L. common&#xA;sunflower)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastEditorUserId="14191" LastEditDate="2016-06-22T20:40:59.823" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T20:40:59.823" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26719" CreationDate="2016-06-22T14:01:52.987" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think all of the posters so far have made good points. I got on google maps the other day and figured out I'm cutting ~3.2 acres of yard. Then we have several acres of pasture. It takes me a little over 3hrs to cut all of the grass in the yard with a Husqvarna CZ4817. So Escoce is right about the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would just treat it like a big yard and mow it all the time. I would mow the &quot;pasture&quot; on the highest setting you had. I'll tell you now, though, I would pay someone to come in to till the pasture, smooth it, and plant grass. It will be well worth the investment to have a smooth &quot;lawn&quot; out there. My front yard and back yard are very flat and fairly smooth. I can fly over my yard if I do it once a week and drastically cut my time. However, when I mow where we get the horses feet trimmed or around my bee hives, the ground it rough. Not holes and rocks, just slightly bumpy. If I try to build up any speed it beats the heck out of me. I will guarantee you that it'll be worth your time to get it smoothed out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other poster was right as well, though, simply pay someone to come in and cut it the first time and then work on it yourself. I've turned plenty of field into lawn before and after the initial cut where it takes forever and you're bogging the mower down on cutting and tall grass, then going over it another hundred times to get the strands that just laid down, it's easy to cut. If I cut mine every week I can fly over it and it cuts nicely. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A last option, if your pasture are is fenced in, it to let someone put their goats or horses on it temporarily. They'll beat it down super quickly. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T14:01:52.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26780" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-22T14:46:11.413" Score="3" ViewCount="1469" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have recommendations for permeable driveway/paving for cold climates? Not a fan of the plastic grids with grass. Here in Eastern Ontario (Canada), there is lots of snow and ice so it must be shovel-able and stand up well to freeze-thaw cycles.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;We have -20 degree(C) or colder winters, as well as humid 30+ degree summers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12007" LastActivityDate="2017-06-02T06:18:24.150" Title="Permeable paving in cold climate" Tags="&lt;hard-landscape&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26781" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26780" CreationDate="2016-06-22T15:54:31.070" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are concrete grid and grass systems, if it's the plastic you don't like. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://stormwater.wef.org/2012/01/porous-pavement-performance-in-cold-climates/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This page&lt;/a&gt; claims that porous asphalt systems stand up to freezing better than normal asphalt, and stand up to salt better than concrete systems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dot.state.mn.us/research/TS/2015/201530.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This is a rather more in-depth review&lt;/a&gt; of various systems and maintenance issues, with one reult being a suggestion that regular maintenance is required to maintain permeability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T15:54:31.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26782" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26780" CreationDate="2016-06-22T16:17:13.107" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ecnerwal has provided a most detailed study from Minnesota which has a similar climate to Eastern Ontario where you are.  From a practical point of view your choices resolve to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;traditional gravel driveway&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;interlock driveway&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are the only two solutions which I know are available to homeowners and meet these criteria:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;must be able to be cleaned by manual or power snow removal tools&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;must withstand loads from cars, sunlight, rain&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can withstand the occasional salt, sand or other ice melting product. Eastern Ontario is notorious for now and again ice storms. Finding your driveway has become a skating rink overnight requires a surface that can be made safe quickly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;should be able to be repaired&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gravel is much cheaper but harder to shovel.  Interlock is expensive but requires less maintenance.  Both solutions require a deep stable base in order to last. A typical suburban driveway may have 12&quot; of compacted gravel and then the top layer. For areas with heavy clay soils a base of 24&quot; will cost more preparation but provide a longer life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a side note if the point of asking for a permeable surface was to reduce water runoff going into storm drains then you could accomplish a considerable reduction by redirecting downspouts from gutters into buried four inch drain pipe with sleeve and french drains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T16:17:13.107" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26783" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26784" CreationDate="2016-06-22T16:19:45.643" Score="2" ViewCount="1425" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mom said it produces purple berries.&#xA;can I eat it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lTkXN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lTkXN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QrQNk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QrQNk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-08-15T22:06:43.953" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T22:19:53.717" Title="What type of tree is this that produces purple berries?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26784" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26783" CreationDate="2016-06-22T16:32:56.327" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/invasive-species/CommonBuckthornBCP.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Common Buckthorn&lt;/a&gt;, though it's hard to see. Those berries would be a laxative... or it might be &lt;a href=&quot;https://igrow.org/gardens/gardening/chokecherries-and-buckthorn-whats-the-difference/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;chokecherries&lt;/a&gt;, which are edible. Again, it's really hard to tell from the photo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chokecherries usually hang kind of separately from the leaves (compared with Common Buckthorn).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tvmh4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tvmh4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit- Taxonomic and other common names added for clarification:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rhamnus cathartica&lt;/em&gt; (buckthorn, &lt;strong&gt;common buckthorn&lt;/strong&gt; or purging buckthorn) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Prunus virginiana&lt;/em&gt; (bitter-berry, &lt;strong&gt;chokecherry&lt;/strong&gt;, Virginia bird cherry, and western chokecherry)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastEditorUserId="14191" LastEditDate="2016-08-15T22:19:53.717" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T22:19:53.717" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26785" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-22T17:46:16.533" Score="2" ViewCount="185" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few basil plants that I am growing in pots.  They look healthy so far and I have not harvested any leaves from the basil.  I am wondering if it is recommended to pluck some leaves on a regular basis to promote growth or leave it alone and consume the entire plant at some point (not sure when that would be).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-22T20:17:19.510" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T20:17:59.747" Title="Should I prune a basil plant as it's growing?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26786" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26775" CreationDate="2016-06-22T19:05:01.677" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're worried, do the test and see if there are metals and other hazards present. If you have neighbors with children, perhaps they can share the cost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants have been used to remove heavy metals from the soil in a process called phyto-remediation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mustard greens were used to remove 45% of the excess lead from a yard in Boston to ensure the safety of children who play there. Pumpkin vines were used to clean up an old Magic Marker factory site in Trenton, New Jersey, while Alpine pennycress helped clean up abandoned mines in Britain. Hydroponically grown sunflowers were used to absorb radioactive metals near the Chernobyl nuclear site in the Ukraine as well as a uranium plant in Ohio.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blue Sheep fescue helps clean up lead, as do water ferns and members of the cabbage family. Smooth water hyssop takes up copper and mercury, while water hyacinths suck up mercury, lead, cadmium, zinc, cesium, strontium-90, uranium and various pesticides. Sunflowers slurp a wide range of compounds – not just the uranium and strontium-90 from radioactive sites, but also cesium, methyl bromide and many more. Bladder campion accumulates zinc and copper, while Indian mustard greens concentrate selenium, sulphur, lead, chromium, cadmium, nickel, zinc, and copper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps the most magnificent hyperaccumulator, though, is the simple willow tree, Salix viminalis; it slurps up copper, zinc, cadmium, selenium, silver, chromium, uranium, petrochemicals and many others. Also, once its bio-mass has concentrated the heavy metals, it can be harvested and used for many practical things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.resilience.org/stories/2014-08-11/using-plants-to-clean-contaminated-soil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.resilience.org/stories/2014-08-11/using-plants-to-clean-contaminated-soil&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T19:05:01.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26787" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26785" CreationDate="2016-06-22T19:21:29.577" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you see flowers starting to form, you then need to remove those otherwise the energy of the plant goes into making flowers and not leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's generally recommended that you want to make your basil bushier by removing the upper stem with the leaves above a node.  I remove the upper 1/3 of basil plants, and dry the leaves for later use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-22T20:17:59.747" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T20:17:59.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26788" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26805" CreationDate="2016-06-22T20:29:05.673" Score="4" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the traditional ways potato's are often grown is by slowly piling up dirt and straw around them as they reach around 7-8 inches above the last layer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am wondering when would be the best time to water at a time when the are ready for another layer. Should i water them and then put on another layer or put on a layer and then water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14882" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2016-06-23T10:05:37.700" LastActivityDate="2016-06-23T13:20:26.957" Title="Proper potato watering time" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26789" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26821" CreationDate="2016-06-22T20:37:22.037" Score="4" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard that strawberries will vine out, but will any breeds grow as a bush so that I don't need to put out lines to keep the berries off the ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-24T06:37:33.837" Title="Is there a strawberry that grows as a bush?" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26790" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26702" CreationDate="2016-06-22T21:03:03.867" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well not knowing what zone your in, I can only say: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't be afraid of failure - buy some ferns and plant them where you want to see them. Water them in well and see if they survive there. Might take a couple of years before you know they will survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We are in the PNW - growing zone 8B.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted an epimedium on the north facing side of our house that gets pretty good sun during the summer and after 3 years, it's gone gangbusters. I picked it off our back stone wall that is completely shaded and it doesn't do nearly as well there as it does in the current, partly sunny location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fuchsias do well in that same location - for us.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You just never know till you try it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15126" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T21:03:03.867" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26791" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26780" CreationDate="2016-06-22T21:33:36.713" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Throughout Northern Europe, Scandinavia and Great Britain the go-to paving solution for drastic weather variations is a combination of porphyry and a mortar called GftK. Porphyry (ancient greco-roman for &quot;purple&quot;) is a tough and beautiful, naturally occurring cousin of granite. If you have been to Europe or South America and have seen the cobbled streets, you know porphyry. I believe the Road to Carthage (the actual road, not the movie) was built with porphyry in about 50 AD. GtfK is an epoxy-based mortar that can be applied at temperatures down to 3.33 degrees (C) and even in the rain. If done correctly this application--which, by the way is permeable--will last for decades with NO MAINTENANCE REQUIRED. It can bound unlike materials with differing expansion rates, it doesn't shrink so there won't be any mortar valleys, and it can withstand daily power-washings. It doesn't stain and water can actually be captured underneath and recycled. The only place in the US and Canada that sells this combination is Milestone Imports Inc. out of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Their site has a ton more information, including testimonials, specs and CAD drawings: www.milestoneimports.com.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15127" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T21:33:36.713" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26792" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="700" CreationDate="2016-06-22T21:56:06.407" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Water from a hose is usually delivered at a faster rate than rain falling on say pottered plants. Usually all the rain falling on a potted plant remains in the pot but the outflow at the bottom of the pots with hose water will take many leached nutrients with it. &#xA;Another factor is the build up of hard deposits on the parts of the plant which take in the water when tap water is used. Note this similar effect also happens when a car is &quot;washed&quot; with rain how clean it gets ... remember the scale build up on taps! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15129" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T21:56:06.407" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26793" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-22T23:36:05.277" Score="4" ViewCount="3167" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing a few cucumber plants in a raised bed.  I find that each plant produces a number of flowers and only one of the flowers turns into a cucumber and the rest of them dry up/wither.  After I pick the cucumber, the same thing happens and only one of the flowers survives.  Is that the expected behavior?  Does the cucumber take up took many plant resources that it does not allow other flowers to convert to a cucumber?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T02:02:19.543" Title="Does a cucumber plant only produce one cucumber at a time" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26793" CreationDate="2016-06-22T23:40:55.463" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No a single plant can produce many cucumbers at once. It mostly depends on how long the cucumber vine as able to grow before flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first flower is usually male, the ones that follow are the females and what produce the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-06-22T23:40:55.463" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26797" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26808" CreationDate="2016-06-23T05:04:23.773" Score="2" ViewCount="236" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) seed that sprouted in a soil filled pot with no other plant in it. Its about 2 inches tall. We'd like to try to salvage it by transplanting it to a larger pot with a 2 foot diameter and about 3 foot depth. We aren't sure what the safest way to transplant the sapling would be. We are assuming it would be safe to grow in a large pot for a year or so until it is big enough to plant at my grandfather's place without being trampled on by lawn mowers and kids running around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15042" LastActivityDate="2016-06-23T16:34:09.627" Title="What is the safest way to transplant a sycamore maple sapling (Acer pseudoplatanus)" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26798" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33239" CreationDate="2016-06-23T07:16:09.567" Score="6" ViewCount="17234" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know how to recognize males and females (based on flowers), but how can I recognize a hermaphrodite papaya?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14572" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-14T21:06:43.057" LastActivityDate="2021-02-21T04:30:55.650" Title="How do I recognize a hermaphrodite papaya tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;papaya&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26799" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-23T09:18:26.170" Score="1" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm asking how to clone an Echium pininana.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a single Echium pininana in my pot but unfortunately it's root has rotted due to excessive rain and bad soil, the plant is 30cm high and 6 months old. The bottom 5cm has rotted and is infected with fungus Athelia rolfsii.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For pictures see :&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/fdJIB&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://imgur.com/a/fdJIB&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have access to tissue culture labs but I have no idea how to clone it from the healthy parts, where should I cut? Can anybody help? Or perhaps it's possible to use air-layering technique to grow a new set of roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm also trying to restart from seed, but the seeds I have is very hard to germinate, not sure why.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15133" LastActivityDate="2016-07-23T10:48:25.477" Title="Cloning Echium pininana" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;rot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26800" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26803" CreationDate="2016-06-23T09:57:48.073" Score="4" ViewCount="960" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I was a kid, someone had brought us some flowers looked like multi-colored daisy. The petals felt dry, hard. When we sowed its seeds, to our surprise, many of them grew with no care. I'm surprised these flowers are not everywhere. They are like instantly preserved, without drying effort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;List of characteristics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;daisy-like&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;multi-color&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;petals feel hard &amp;amp; dry at touch&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;easily sowed again from its seeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;easily preserved without drying effort&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to grow them, but I newer saw them again. Do any of you seen such flowers? If yes, are they poisonous or something? Why are they not more prevalent? What is its name?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15135" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2016-06-23T14:48:15.863" LastActivityDate="2016-06-23T16:35:02.257" Title="Daisy like plant with multi-color dry hard petals?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26801" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26799" CreationDate="2016-06-23T10:02:24.293" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echium_pininana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Echium pininana&lt;/a&gt; is a biennial or triennial from the Canary Islands.  It is now grown in England and Wales as a garden plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to propagate this plant is from seed.  It is available &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thompson-morgan.com/flowers/flower-seeds/perennial-and-biennial-seeds/echium-pininana/6227TM&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  Instructions from this site are&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sow 3mm (1/8in) deep in good seed sowing compost from late May-late&#xA;July. Germination takes 7-14 days at 18-20C (65-70F). When large&#xA;enough to handle, transplant the seedlings to 7.5cm (3in) pots and&#xA;over-winter in a cool greenhouse, conservatory or on a well lit&#xA;windowsill with a temperature of around 7C (45F). Plant out the&#xA;following spring 1m (3ft) apart, into a sunny site with well drained&#xA;soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your specimen is in poor shape and I don't think you can get a healthy cutting from it.  Cultivation tips include protecting from wind and a well drained soil. New plants from seed will be more successful than anything from a weakened plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-06-23T10:02:24.293" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26800" CreationDate="2016-06-23T10:20:54.800" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may be thinking of strawflower, which is Helichrysum bracteatum (now reclassified as Xerochrysum bracteatum) - the flowers are variously coloured, like daisies when fully open, and when they appear, the cone shape in the middle opens last of all. The 'petals' are actually bracts, and are dry and crispy as soon as they appear, but cut stems do need drying if you wish to retain the stem. They should be cut before fully open, and certainly before the cone shaped part in the centre of the flower is fully open. They're a half hardy (in the UK) annual plant, so need to be sown yearly. Photo below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E9LuI.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E9LuI.png&quot; alt=&quot;Helichrysum-daisy-like&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used to grow these years ago and still have a handful of flowerheads mixed in some pot pourri, though the colours fade in sunlight over time. They are easy to grow in sun or part shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2016-06-23T16:35:02.257" LastActivityDate="2016-06-23T16:35:02.257" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26804" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-23T11:40:36.137" Score="8" ViewCount="251" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant was purchased from the Government Plant Nursery in Bryant Park, Kodaikanal town, in Tamil Nadu, India about 1 to 2 years ago. Since the Tamil language is very different and the in-charge gardener did not speak English, I asked for a tree fern via sign language pointing to the cyathea next to me which is endemic to the region. I bought this plant as a sapling then, at which stage I could not tell much. After confirming again with pointing to the real cyathea next to us, I bought it and brought it back to Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It's grown since then and it's spreading in the base of the pot. So I'm sure it's not a cyathea/tree fern. But it's unlike anything here in Mumbai. What specific type of fern is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note:The fronds are max 1 to 1.5 feet long. The cut frond in the photo is something a bird broke off. I don't like cutting it's beautiful green foliage :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photos:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YxS4P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/4N6n7Va.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/5icj75D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/d84Agw4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/r4S5QX9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/tnFAlYT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13368" LastEditorUserId="13368" LastEditDate="2016-06-23T12:45:33.400" LastActivityDate="2017-01-16T23:09:40.387" Title="What fern is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26788" CreationDate="2016-06-23T13:20:26.957" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Personally I would water them first since water can wash away the hill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You see, the plant doesn't need any water in the hill. The hill is strictly for preventing sunlight from getting to the young potatoes while they are growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An alternative to hilling is to stack boxes or tires around the plant and filling the stack with straw to stop light from reaching the new potatoes. No water needed and it's a lot less work than the careful digging needed to harvest the potatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastActivityDate="2016-06-23T13:20:26.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26806" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26809" CreationDate="2016-06-23T13:24:17.237" Score="5" ViewCount="231" Body="&lt;p&gt;When the wife and I bought our house a few years ago, the garden was an over grown mess. We hacked it down to make it presentable short term. When we came to sort it properly last autumn, budgets were tight and we probably didn't do what was best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had a handyman use a machine (a verticut?) to rip up the old turf (and seemingly about an inch of the topsoil) that was then skipped. They then went over the dirt with a rotavator to make the garden flatter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We then had a friend come and sow grass seeds onto the soil. He raked the dirt and pulled up loads of little stones before sowing the seed and fertliser.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This has resulted in some beautiful grass, but I think because of the poor quality of the soil, the grass it pretty patchy and the soil is very hard and quite bumpy.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dLl8G.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image]: ([![Garden&quot;&gt;&#xA;You can see a bit of the patchiness here where it has just been cut. It is worse near the bottom of the garden. I have tried seeding the patches but the ground is so hard any little bit of water just pools and the seeds float off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The grass is really high quality so i'd rather not dig it up and start again if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plan is to cut the grass a short as possible (2cm?) and then get some half decent topsoil and just rake it on top of the existing grass, gradually building up a decent layer of topsoil that will be easier to sow where its patchy, but also a little softer to be on. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose my question is;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is putting Topsoil on-top of existing grass a safe and effective way to to level the ground and help combat patchy grass?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15137" LastActivityDate="2016-09-30T07:22:55.887" Title="How can I fix my garden turf?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;topsoil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26807" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26817" CreationDate="2016-06-23T15:28:11.147" Score="6" ViewCount="1730" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd love help identifying this plant that I spotted in Amman, Jordan. It is about 3 feet tall, and nearly as wide. It seemed to be quite hardy, as it was growing in a break in the sidewalk. It has fuchsia colored flowers, about 1/2&quot; across, with long stamens. The leaves are about 2 - 2 1/2&quot; long. The two photos below are the only ones I have, but hopefully show enough of the flowers and leaves for an identification. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uppu1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uppu1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t5GJj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t5GJj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-06-24T00:32:52.327" Title="Plant Identification: Tall shrub-like plant with fuchsia flowers" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26797" CreationDate="2016-06-23T16:34:09.627" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not a good idea for several reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bamboo is correct.  This plant is native to Europe and considered an invasive plant in Eastern North America.  It even made the US Forest Service &quot;Weed of the Week&quot; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/invasive_plants/weeds/sycamore_maple.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a seedling a few inches tall should never be transplanted into a pot many times larger.  Repotting should be done into a pot one or two sizes larger.  With trees this can be done every year. I have maples that get to 12&quot; tall (~6 cm) in a two inch diameter pot so trees can get large in small pots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-23T16:34:09.627" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26809" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26806" CreationDate="2016-06-23T18:08:09.413" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think that the problem is that you don't have a layer of thatch built up yet. Most lawns have too much thatch and they have to work on removing it. If you can just stay the course, I think that it will work out for you. Eventually you will have a thatch layer. Also, it would help to not bag your lawn clippings when you mow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But to create thatch, I would just apply some straw. Also, for unknown reasons, I find square bale straw to be superior (for this purpose) to straw from round bales.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S220I.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S220I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastEditorUserId="14191" LastEditDate="2016-06-23T21:32:34.023" LastActivityDate="2016-06-23T21:32:34.023" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26810" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3141" CreationDate="2016-06-23T18:52:22.440" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing that you bought the fern from Walmart still in the pot? The cold may have gotten into the roots, which isn't particularly good. We have a lot of ferns here in Oregon and they get buried in snow or covered in ice, but they are just fine in the spring and summer. They survive winters by having their roots buried in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best you can try to do is plant it or if you are keeping it in a pot, put it in part sun/shade and keep it watered. If keeping it in the pot, put it in a larger one with fresh composted soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/potted-fern-freezes-93857.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/potted-fern-freezes-93857.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15126" LastActivityDate="2016-06-23T18:52:22.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26811" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11147" CreationDate="2016-06-23T19:37:12.513" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general, flowering will take all the energy from the plant so you don't want to reach that stage for basil or cilantro.  So, if you have already reached that stage I would remove the flowers for both plants. I have experienced that with cilantro and when that happens the new cilantro leaves don't have the same flavor as the original ones.  For basil, I would chop off the top third of the plant so it gets bushier rather than a tall plant.  This will give you more basil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-23T19:37:12.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26814" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26806" CreationDate="2016-06-23T21:26:11.380" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would try putting some fertilizer on that part of the lawn and providing enough water to see if that helps.  That should help with the overall health of the lawn and getting it to look like the right side (I am assuming they are the same type of grass).  For the patchiness, I would first loosen the soil (you mentioned it is hard) and then add some fertilizer/soil/sandmix with the right type of seeds in the bare area so that you get new growth there.  Keep that area well watered for a few weeks till the seeds germinate&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-23T21:26:11.380" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26815" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26806" CreationDate="2016-06-23T23:23:18.557" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I had your problem I would: Rent a SOD CUTTER.  Get rid of that mess, the lighter colored what ever.  Use that debris turned upside down for a new plant bed somewhere.  Get some topsoil from a local outfit to get the soil leveled to the soil of the healthy lawn. ROLL, ROLL, ROLL....keep adding soil until that new level is the same height as the soil of the old lawn.  (4&quot; new material= sq. ft. divided by 81...2&quot; divide by 2...8&quot; multiply by two...you get it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure that that entire piece slopes slightly towards the fence or somewhere.  That lawn and soil are TOO CLOSE TO THE BOTTOM OF YOUR FENCE. So it looks as if you get that level of at least 2&quot; (better at 4&quot;)below the bottom of your fence you'll have some slope for drainage of water.  There are other solutions but that would be the easiest not necessarily the best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did I say ROLL?  Rent a drum to fill with water that you can easily walk behind and compact your soil for the new lawn.  Keep grading (use a 2 - 3 foot grading rake), adding topsoil where you get depressions and raking down any hills.  ROLL again.  This is so critical for new lawns I just have to emphasize rolling. And make sure that lawn is 2&quot; below your fence. (4&quot; below siding on one's home)...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Go get SOD.  It is grown in your local, easy peasy to do, snuffs out weeds, discourages any weed seed AND WON'T WASH AWAY.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;DO NOT MOW ANY SHORTER THAN 3&quot;!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;WATER DEEPLY AND ALLOW TO DRY OUT BEFORE watering again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FERTILIZE AT LEAST 3x PER YEAR WITH PROPER SEASONAL FORMULATIONS (organic extended release to include thatch eating bacteria is best and only done 2X per year)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;AERATE using an aerator that pulls plugs of soil/lawn out of your lawn and deposits them on top of the lawn...leave them to disintegrate. Good stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;SHARP BLADES! Bagging clippings is best, I've never found a real mulching mower.&#xA;Allowing your lawn to get to 3&quot; and stay at that height, obviously controls weeds, reduces evaporation, the weekly mowings are so easy as there is little top growth per week to remove.  You'll just be brushing the tops.  Use on the back of your plant beds as mulch...spread thinly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using sod will solve the problems you are having, the rest will help you be successful with this creature we call a lawn...grins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-23T23:23:18.557" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26816" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26789" CreationDate="2016-06-23T23:41:44.887" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;NO.  And more importantly, expect no more than 2 years crop for any strawberries.  (I am squeaking by at 3 years).  If you want to ease harvest work get June bearing.  If you want all season long berries for your own use get ever-bearing.  For a time I worked in strawberry fields with tractor to fert, weed and scrape off.  (at the end of one side of the rows was a canal where the front wheels went over the canal and the big wheels pivoted me back...adrenaline).  Find new areas to plant strawberries, rotating the crops!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a 'Strawberry Tree' but has nothing to do with strawberries. Arbutus unedo.  And there is a dwarf variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-23T23:41:44.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26817" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26807" CreationDate="2016-06-24T00:19:15.107" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it might be Mirabilis, possibly Mirabilis jalapa, common name four o'clock plant because it tends to open its flowers in the afternoon. Some are annuals, others are tuberous rooted, but in cooler regions like the UK, they're usually grown as annuals&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=1282&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=1282&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and Wiki entry here &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabilis_jalapa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabilis_jalapa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other Mirabilis varieties - M.longiflora, M.multiflora and M. laevis&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-24T00:32:52.327" LastActivityDate="2016-06-24T00:32:52.327" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26818" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-24T03:50:48.837" Score="3" ViewCount="439" Body="&lt;p&gt;I notice a broken line in my yard and when I dug the line up I have a white tee connector. Looking online it looks like a Poly Pipe Kwikseal Saddle Tee. The nut is missing, which I assume has caused the leak. I am wondering what the best fix would be. Should I replace it with the same tee or is there another way? Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RpOXD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RpOXD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VJLVf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VJLVf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9sVMN.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9sVMN.png&quot; alt=&quot;What I Can Replace With?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14990" LastEditorUserId="14990" LastEditDate="2016-06-24T15:33:02.760" LastActivityDate="2021-04-08T19:45:56.630" Title="Broken Saddle Tee In Irrigation System" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26819" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26823" CreationDate="2016-06-24T04:19:10.100" Score="6" ViewCount="4031" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do plants use their stems to breathe for the whole plant, or do plants need to usually have slightly dry so they can grow better?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-24T20:12:33.260" Title="Do roots normally need air around them to grow better?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26820" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26822" CreationDate="2016-06-24T04:54:46.100" Score="2" ViewCount="35" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you put a thick layer of coffee grounds on top of a plant, like a tomato, or a blueberry bush, will girdling occur?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If so how do you easily fix it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-06-24T17:15:00.310" LastActivityDate="2016-06-24T17:15:00.310" Title="Will a thick layer of coffee grounds cause girdling?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26789" CreationDate="2016-06-24T06:24:56.220" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think what you want are &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.etsy.com/listing/121848531/red-alpine-strawberry-perennial?ref=market&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;alpine strawberries&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/strawberries/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;They typically don't send out runners&lt;/a&gt;. It's fairly common to grow them from seed, too. Just about any strawberry seeds you fine online will be the alpine-type strawberries. People sometimes prefer these sorts of strawberries when growing strawberries in containers since they don't typically send out runners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually, alpine strawberries have smaller fruits with more flavor and/or sweetness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even though they don't usually send out runners, you can divide them in the spring or fall to get more plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if this will solve your problem with putting out lines that you were talking about (it may depend on the variety). As I understand it, you don't want the strawberries to touch that ground. It looks (from an image search) like some go up as in the picture of the first link I shared, and some may be lower down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do believe alpine strawberry plants grow taller than regular ones, usually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-06-24T06:37:33.837" LastActivityDate="2016-06-24T06:37:33.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26822" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26820" CreationDate="2016-06-24T10:04:23.600" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girdling&quot;&gt;Girdling&lt;/a&gt; is the removal of a ring of bark around the circumference of a tree. This usually kills the tree and is often seen due to lawn mower or whipper snipper work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mulching with any organic matter will not cause girdling but could cause other problems. Depending on soil types, mulch, weather that season and plant types too much mulch could encourage fungal growth in the mulch and plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have mulch close to the stem of any plant or tree just rake it back and leave a clear perimeter of soil of at least one inch around the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-24T10:04:23.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26819" CreationDate="2016-06-24T12:55:32.850" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking, plants do not use their stems to breathe but there are always exceptions (like cacti). The rule is that plants respire through their stomata, which are (typically) located on the undersides of leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;edit/note: &lt;em&gt;A qualification should be made regarding my overly generalistic statement above. There are lenticels on stems which means that stems do breathe. But as a matter of comparison, there are (say on average) about 300 stomata per square millimeter of leaf surface, whereas there are (say on average) 1 - 5 lenticels per square inch on the bark (also, there's a lot more surface area on leaves). So stomata are by far, the primary portals for respiration (compared with stems).&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant stems are typically better off dry but there are many exceptions, as various plants are adapted to various environments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roots do need air &lt;strong&gt;(roots absorb oxygen primarily through root hairs)&lt;/strong&gt; because the plant (mitochondria) needs oxygen for cellular/overall metabolism. Plants also metabolize sugars and require oxygen to do this. So, you might ask yourself, why not take/use the oxygen waste from the leaves... or why is the oxygen that they produce from photosynthesis in the leaves wasted or not used for metabolic purposes. Again I'm sure there are many exceptions to the rule but the answer is because (primarily) segregating/sequestering hydrogen and releasing oxygen (waste) from the immediate vicinity of the photosynthetic reduction of water helps to bias the chemical equilibrium in favor of the reduction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;AND: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cellular respiration (via mitochondria) occurs everywhere in the plant (not just the leaves), and generally speaking, the fuel is coming from the leaves while oxygen is coming in through the roots &lt;strong&gt;(edit/note: oxygen is also coming in through &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenticel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lenticles&lt;/a&gt;- located on stems, leaves, and roots)&lt;/strong&gt;. More specifically, sugars (primarily glucose), proteins and other organic molecules are coming from the leaves. Transporting glucose and oxygen together from the leaves, would probably result in premature oxidation of the glucose  (in the phloem). In other words, to successfully transport fuels, you don't pre-mix them with oxygen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastEditorUserId="14191" LastEditDate="2016-06-24T20:12:33.260" LastActivityDate="2016-06-24T20:12:33.260" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26824" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5001" CreationDate="2016-06-24T13:21:16.067" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;there are many plants that will thrive in both shade and rockery environment. &lt;em&gt;Acaena, Granny's Bonnet, Bellflower&lt;/em&gt; et cetera. They will be beautiful and they will have no problem with handling the rockery without having full day of direct sunlight. There are lists with such rockery plants for shade online, you just have to do a bit of research. Since you're here, asking, I will simply point you to one such &lt;a href=&quot;http://genalorainne.kinja.com/10-shade-loving-rockery-plants-1698800034&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;list&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The author of this one is a professional gardener I know personally, so it is credible. Glad I could help, Best regards, Rob&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15143" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-06-24T13:21:16.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26825" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26819" CreationDate="2016-06-24T13:45:30.677" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;For most plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above-ground portions of plants should be dry the vast majority of the time. Fungus and insects love a moist plant. There is very little respiration/aspiration through green stems, and almost none through woody stems. Air flow requirements around a plant's stem are almost always pest-related.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roots need oxygen. Aeration/drainage amendments are an important part of soil. There's no such thing as too much aeration/drainage, just too much aeration/drainage for a reasonable watering routine.  Fabric/air pots have grown in popularity because of the slight (but demonstrable) boost in plant health they offer because of the increased air flow and the roots air pruning so the flow isn't lost. (Tree nurseries have been using similar methods for many years.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've ever heard of something like &quot;a rootbound plant can suffocate&quot; - it's because their roots have grown (and died) so thick at the base of the container that airflow is prevented upwards and the plant dies. It's not a common thing - it requires a larger plant whose roots are demanding oxygen - but it is a thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are exceptions to this, of course.  On one end of the spectrum there are plants like Orchids, Succulents, and Mosses who drink water from the air and require oxygen-rich potting mediums and can suffer if their roots aren't allowed to dry between watering. Even conifers can suffer if their roots aren't allowed to dry out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other end are plants that are either drought-sensitive or tolerate (or love) a constantly-moist growing medium, like Pussywillows.  Even for these, aeration is necessary if watered with a drip line (air has to flow up while the water flows down).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-24T13:45:30.677" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26826" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="43930" CreationDate="2016-06-24T20:10:40.843" Score="1" ViewCount="329" Body="&lt;p&gt;two big problems are happening due to automotive liquids, and the grass is dying because of it:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The other day I wan over a gas can, and there's a huge dead patch of grass in that spot where it happened.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The next day someone who bought my dad's car had a major coolant leak, of which most got on the driveway, but some got into the grass, and is now starting to form a dead patch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should be done about these problems?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2019-03-22T05:36:32.787" Title="What should be done about automotive fluids killing grass?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26828" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-24T21:09:58.257" Score="2" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;My dying rose bouquet is growing new leaves. I cut the dead flowers and placed the stem in water with some root hormone in a well lit area. Does anyone think I'll have any success? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15145" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-24T23:20:48.543" LastActivityDate="2016-06-24T23:20:48.543" Title="Is it possible to grow a rose from a cut stem in a bouquet?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-06-26T01:19:52.093" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26829" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26901" CreationDate="2016-06-24T22:15:09.093" Score="2" ViewCount="92" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was out looking at the apple tree today to see if I have any fruit forming yet. not this year it seems, but then I find a caterpillar sitting on a leaf, and it looks like it's floating on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What type of caterpillar is this?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DuLyo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DuLyo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;caterpillar&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-24T23:15:17.680" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T02:39:16.567" Title="What type of caterpillar is black with a white arrow on its back?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26830" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26831" CreationDate="2016-06-24T23:09:24.197" Score="4" ViewCount="3349" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought Burpee Nasturtium Fordhook Favorites Mix Nasturtium seeds. Yesterday I planted a few, using the sowing instructions for depth and distance. I obviously hadn't looked closely enough at the package because today I noticed this message above the sowing instructions:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;NOTE: To aid germination, rub seed with nail file. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've planted these same seeds for a few years, and they've grown well, so I'm wondering about the importance of that advice. It makes sense that the seed might sprout more easily if the coating isn't too hard, so maybe that's the point. However, I'm afraid I might damage the seed by giving it a manicure! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that is indeed important, how much rubbing is enough? Also, should I dig up those that I just planted or let them be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A picture of the seeds still in the packet shows all different sizes and shapes. The textured outer shells are fairly hard, and the dark brown seeds look like they've fallen out of the shells. In the past, I've just planted whatever I've found in the packet and ended up with lots of healthy plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a feeling I'm overthinking this, but am just asking since I've never seen this before, and of course I want maximum germination success. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ViJ7s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ViJ7sm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5A3qM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5A3qMm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dmevi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dmevim.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T01:07:41.350" Title="Should I rub my nasturtium seeds with a nail file before planting?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26831" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26830" CreationDate="2016-06-25T01:07:41.350" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This process is called scarification.  It can be a pretty low tech operation as the suggestion of a nail file indicates.  The purpose is to allow water to penetrate the hull of the seed and send the signal to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use a &lt;a href=&quot;http://home.howstuffworks.com/difference-between-grits-sandpaper.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fine grade sandpaper&lt;/a&gt; 80 or even 120 grit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place on a hard surface with grit side up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;place seeds on half the sheet&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fold the sheet in half so the seeds are between two sides with grit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;apply pressure and rotate&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;usually 20 to 30 seconds is good enough for small seeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;larger tougher seeds could need a minute&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T01:07:41.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26832" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26838" CreationDate="2016-06-25T01:39:39.937" Score="2" ViewCount="839" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received some free strawberries from an order, and was wondering what the best way to keep strawberries off the ground is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-06-25T03:44:05.820" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T19:44:56.920" Title="What's the best ways to keep strawberries off the ground?" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26833" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26895" CreationDate="2016-06-25T02:56:27.923" Score="4" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend spotted the flower in Monument, Colorado while walking near Monument Rock. I've never seen anything like it. A Google reverse image search was unsuccessful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BsUm6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BsUm6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15147" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T22:37:23.647" Title="Yellow flower with 13ish spiked petals, orange outer center, and yellow-green inner center?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26834" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26915" CreationDate="2016-06-25T05:39:05.233" Score="7" ViewCount="1660" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried to get some sea berries for the yard, but my parents made me send them back due to the suckering/invasive nature. Do I need to worry about anything with the mulberry tree similar to what I had to worry about the sea berry bush?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-13T10:36:30.190" LastActivityDate="2020-08-18T02:44:11.037" Title="Is there anything I need to worry about when growing the mulberry tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;berries&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26835" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26834" CreationDate="2016-06-25T07:12:19.430" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mulberry trees can grow roots that break up sidewalks and such. I wouldn't plant them next to a house, either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mulberries with dark fruits may fall on the ground, people may walk on them, and if they step on carpet in the house, it can really stain the carpet (so I've read). White-fruited mulberries are probably non-staining (but I could be wrong). It should be noted that White Mulberry is a species (Morus alba), as is Red Mulberry (Morus rubra) and Black Mulberry (Morus nigra). The color in the name doesn't refer to the fruit color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mulberry trees can get very large, unless you get such as dwarf trees or weeping mulberries. I'm not sure if these are safer to have by houses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mulberry trees can attract birds, which may eat the fruits and leave droppings all over the place. I don't know if this is a common occurrence, since I've never grown mulberries (but for some people it may be).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, they are great fruits, though, with a lot of health potential, I think.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read that birds may spread the seeds of mulberries. I don't know how often this happens, nor how invasive they are, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-06-25T07:17:36.817" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T07:17:36.817" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4701" CreationDate="2016-06-25T08:08:55.883" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want tomatoes to hold their weight better, giving them &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00L225EXI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;potassium sulfate&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://store.rockdustlocal.com/Microfine-Basalt-35-lbs_p_14.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;rockdust&lt;/a&gt; (I used basalt rockdust) will greatly strengthen the stems and plants. I'm not sure that the rockdust is strictly necessary to strengthen the stems, but calcium and silica, which are in rockdust, are supposed to help with strengthening plants, along with potassium. You should notice a significant difference within a few days, for tomatoes. I've done it many times when starting tomatoes and it strengthens the stems a lot every time. If your nitrogen is high without enough potassium to compensate, that might block the potassium and make the stems softer, too. If the plants have already fallen over, giving them these nutrients will strengthen them in their position, but it won't cause them to stand up again. What you can do is replant them deeper in an upright position, after the stems have been strengthened, and then they should be in a more sturdy, tree-like position.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Softer stems doesn't necessarily mean the plants are potassium deficient, per se, but it does mean they could use more if you want stronger stems. Some varieties of tomatoes need more potassium to prevent stem problems than others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like you're using a hydroponic system. Fortunately, potassium sulfate is water soluble and should work well with hydroponics. I'm not sure about rockdust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem probably isn't so much the nutrients in the system lacking as that they were started and separated. Plants are in need of more potassium when transplanted, as it helps them to absorb more water from the roots. Plus, they might have used more nutrients from the initial soil, due to lots of plants being in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Extra potassium is helpful during transplant time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, from the look of your plants, I'm thinking more potassium would probably benefit all the tomatoes, at least. They don't look bad, but they do look like they have plenty of nitrogen, and extra potassium wouldn't hurt, I'm thinking. I would use potassium sulfate, personally, as I've had good success there, but I haven't done hydroponics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most hydroponic NPK fertilizers are high in potassium compared to fertilizers for soil (e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.greenwaybiotech.com/products/tomato-fertilizer-4-18-38-plus-micro-nutrients?variant=1841458497&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;4-18-38&lt;/a&gt; vs &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Miracle-Gro-1-5-lb-Tomato-Plant-Food-2000421/100077406&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;18-18-21&lt;/a&gt;). The third number is the K, or potassium. N is nitrogen. P is phosphorus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potassium is even more important when light levels are low, I've noticed. Nitrogen doesn't seem in as high of demand when light levels are low. There is such a thing as too much potassium, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you use rockdust, be sure to realize that it may change your pH, which affects which nutrients are most available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-06-27T19:51:18.427" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T19:51:18.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26838" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26832" CreationDate="2016-06-25T10:06:48.340" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you don't want to put strawberries directly in the ground, choose window boxes or similar planters. This method can - depending on where you put them - keep them safe from slugs, protect from grey fungus and allow you to harvest without bending down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are even special strawberry &quot;towers&quot; available, basically tall pots with staggered holes for the plants all around:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hpqgu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hpqgu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fideldidu.de/abenteuer/basteltipps/erdbeertopf.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;You can mimic this by making a cylinder out of sturdy chicken wire or rush mats, similar larger constructions and building instructions abound on the net as &quot;potato towers&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you aim for a more decorative effect, strawberries can serve as underplanting in containers of large decorative plants, but in this case be aware of the types of fertilizers or insecticides you use, they should be safe for edible fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If everything else fails and you have just a few plants and a limited budget, you can tuck them almost everywhere, I've seen clay pots, old boots, cans, hanging baskets... Be creative and use whatever you have. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Place or hang in a sunny spot, feed and water according to their needs and they should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-06-25T14:51:07.773" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T14:51:07.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26839" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-25T11:58:46.173" Score="2" ViewCount="153" Body="&lt;p&gt;My tree is about 10 years old, it has six main trunks and is roughly 20' tall. The trunks don't seem to get any thicker and Now that it has bloomed, the flowers have pulled the tops to the ground. What should I do? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15150" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T13:52:18.120" Title="What am I doing wrong with my crepe myrtle?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26840" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26845" CreationDate="2016-06-25T12:24:44.377" Score="2" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have bearded iris growing at 7,000 feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to see which of the iris will rebloom this season, and when the blooms are finished, to split and propagate the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In either case, it's my understanding that the steps are to (a) cut the stem as close to the rhizome as possible while leaving at least two leaves, (b) do so quickly (days, not weeks or months) after the iris stops blooming, and (c) fertilize.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the bottom-most leaves of the iris are tightly wrapped up and around the stem. I tried loosening the leaves to cut the stem closer to the rhizome, but only succeeded in tearing the leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So bottom-line, I can cut to the rhizome, making the plant leafless, or I can leave two or more leafs intact by cutting several inches above the rhizome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What is the real importance of the two leaves? Is it just for looks, or critical to health and propagation? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If I need the two leaves, will they unravel from the stem, making it easier to cut to the rhizome, if I wait several weeks?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are re-bloom and propagation two different problems with slightly different steps? I.e., do I need leaves only for propagation?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15147" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T17:09:08.380" Title="Cut the iris stem to the rhizome or only as far as the bottom leafs?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26841" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26840" CreationDate="2016-06-25T13:13:14.157" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you don't have leaves, no energy is transferred from the sun to the rhizome for the next flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if &quot;as close to the rhizome as possible while leaving at least two leaves&quot; is your metric, cut above the two leaves, even if they are wrapped around. The main aspect is cutting off the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T13:13:14.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26842" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-25T14:51:25.353" Score="1" ViewCount="1743" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I try to mow my lawn to a normal shortish height it looks yellow as the stalks  (stems)of the grass are too long and the green leaves are cut off. It's there any way to make the grass put it's green leaves out at this lower height? Can't see how to add a photo sorry.Anyone know how? Grass is about 2 inch when I lift it straight but it doesn't stand up straight by itself. The stalks kind of lie down a bit in all directions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P5k28.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P5k28.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5NbJf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5NbJf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lawn2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15149" LastEditorUserId="15149" LastEditDate="2016-06-25T17:42:16.500" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T18:48:13.207" Title="How to cure brown lawn. Grass stalks look too long" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26843" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26842" CreationDate="2016-06-25T16:52:09.123" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grasses typically have an associated height at which they're healthiest, but most can be trained shorter or longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To train them shorter or is a process that takes a couple of weeks, with progressively shorter mows every 3-4 days, taking 25% or less of the grass when you mow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Very short (1.25 inches or less) grass, in the midsummer sun, is a pretty tall order for many species. Most can handle 2&quot;, if they're taken there progressively. Shorter than that, and you start running into roadblocks with some grasses who need some height to trap moisture or produce healthy blades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your grass is already brown, I suspect you either have a finicky species, or  there was too much cut off at one point.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you desire grass-only, I recommend you keep your lawn at 2&quot;-2.5&quot; while it nurses itself back to health. Water weekly, spread some lawn lime with a deep watering, don't feed NPK when it's this hot, though, unless you have a stellar sprinkler system. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you go freedom lawn, just mow it to the height you want and nature will fill in the gaps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T16:52:09.123" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26845" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26840" CreationDate="2016-06-25T17:09:08.380" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't sweat the &quot;as close to the rhizome as possible&quot; part. Cutting the flower stem is just an energy-saving measure; it prevents the plant from dedicating energy to seed growth, so the energy is spent in other areas (root growth, root division).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have Bearded Irises. They get some food collaterally because I feed the nearby Lilies, but I don't give them any boost (have never needed). Some years I don't even deadhead them, and I still have to cull a few every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They'll divide on their own. Attempting to hasten the process isn't necessary, and introduces labor and risk to an otherwise easy and safe process. Leave its leaves, let it become hardcore-established, and in a year or two it'll be bulbing out ridiculous numbers of babies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T17:09:08.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26846" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-25T17:19:28.617" Score="0" ViewCount="875" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have fairly mature Hebe (albicans, I think) which suffered badly in the late frost this year in the UK. After trimming back all the clearly dead growth, there are some big gaps. All the active growth appears to be just at the tips of the branches. Is the plant ruined, or does it have a chance of recovery? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other option might be to prune it all back at the end of the season - is this worth trying? There is roughly as much healthy growth as dead (now cut back)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ypneH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ypneH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hebe, trimmed after frost damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14938" LastEditorUserId="14938" LastEditDate="2016-06-25T18:20:10.780" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T23:07:15.827" Title="Will a hebe bud from old growth?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26847" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-25T17:54:45.687" Score="1" ViewCount="140" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is from a tree growing in central WA state, but since it's in a yard, it could be from anywhere.  The small seeds look very much like acorns, so it appears to be an oak of some kind.  But what kind?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are about 4.5 - 5 inches long, at the longest, and the acorns are tiny.  The tree was tall, at least 50 ft, and the owners said it grew very fast: they pointed out a branch that was several feet long and said that was all from this year.  They'd like to know what kind of tree it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ilwev.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ilwev.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="600" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T13:05:15.803" Title="Help identify this oak tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26848" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26888" CreationDate="2016-06-25T17:59:19.190" Score="2" ViewCount="66" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a two-year-old apricot tree about six feet tall growing in a salvaged water tank. Many if not most of the leaves have one or more of little &quot;blisters&quot; on their stalks, as shown below (each blister is about a millimeter across).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is my tree diseased? Can I cure it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if it's related, but there are several blobs of clear sticky resin on the main woody stem / branches (some up to the size of a small marble).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ndY5y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ndY5y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1052" LastActivityDate="2019-01-24T17:44:16.407" Title="Is my tree diseased? Can I cure it?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26849" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-25T18:17:40.243" Score="1" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;This leaf fell off the plant few days ago..&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AH7QI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AH7QI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lead&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I've been noticing this leaf one side dried for almost a month before that, is anything wrong with my plant, is it trying to tell me something?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water about 20oz alternate days, fertilized it with organic fruit fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the whole plant, the nursery told its about 1.5 years old, grafted (i could notice the cut in the bottom). About 5.5ft tall&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9eaOJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9eaOJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trunk of the plant&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PExzp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PExzp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunk and base&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf near base of the trunk&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6RuPU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6RuPU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf near base of the trunk&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf near top of the trunk&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xTWQF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xTWQF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf near top of the trunk&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11489" LastEditorUserId="11489" LastEditDate="2016-06-25T20:59:43.353" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T20:59:43.353" Title="What's the issue with my avocado plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26850" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-25T18:27:20.520" Score="3" ViewCount="4652" Body="&lt;p&gt;I heavily mulched both my garden and food forest with mulch and later learned that the mulch contained Black Walnut and/or Cenar chippings. As a result, I can tell you exactly which plants are susceptible to harm from it. Is there anything that I can add to the mulch layer that will mitigate the allelopafhic affect of this mulch? I&quot;m going to try Epsom Salt to see if that helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15152" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T17:41:10.310" Title="Counteracting Black Walnut or Cedar mulch" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26851" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26842" CreationDate="2016-06-25T18:48:13.207" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are two possible issues to address. Inadequate water or fertilizer. When was the last time you fertilized the lawn. Does the brown area get sufficient water ?  Check the sprinklers and adjust as needed &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T18:48:13.207" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26852" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-25T19:42:11.190" Score="2" ViewCount="47" Body="&lt;p&gt;every season a leaf-cutter bee chews hundreds of holes in my redbud tree's leaves. The tree is only three years old and I worry that it won't thrive. How can I protect it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15153" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T20:08:17.143" Title="how to protect young tree from leafcutter bee" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26853" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26832" CreationDate="2016-06-25T19:44:56.920" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on which variety you have. Early summer varieties send out lots of runners and should be grown in raised beds to accommodate all the runners. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;These include June-bearing strawberries such as 'Earliglow', 'Jewel,' and 'Cabot' are the most common. They produce in early summer and send out runners freely, quickly filling in a bed with their daughter plants. These grow best in raised beds where they have room to roam.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other varieties can be grown in containers as they don't send out as many runners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trouble though with pots is that the berries need lots of sun, and the pots dry out very quickly. I was having to water my potted strawberries twice a day in summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=201102-strawberry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=201102-strawberry&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T19:44:56.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26854" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26852" CreationDate="2016-06-25T20:08:17.143" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaf cutter bees are mason bees!  Sweet wonderful critical guys!  DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THESE.  I really don't think these could harm a baby much less a tree.  Please send some pictures of what is happening.  Bees are actually far more important than a tree (although cercis canadensis is a super wonderful tree).  Go out at different times of the day to observe.  Go at night in particular.  Send pictures of damaged leaves, the insects you find, I'd like to see the base of the trunk and what is happening between soil and bark.  Also, pruning these guys early is important, for their branching is one of their best attributes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are you using for fertilizer?  Watering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T20:08:17.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26855" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26859" CreationDate="2016-06-25T20:13:06.247" Score="4" ViewCount="944" Body="&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimina_triloba&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pawpaw tree&lt;/a&gt; sounds amazing, so I'm considering growing some.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that a bad idea for a small yard? How fast do paw paw trees sucker up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-23T10:41:15.370" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T10:41:15.370" Title="How fast do paw paw trees sucker up?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26856" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="167" CreationDate="2016-06-25T20:27:11.453" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This the first time I used greywater to water my plants.  I have a vegetable garden.  My father used greywater in the past for his garden and we ate the vegetables from it all summer and we did not get sick.  As for the greywater harming the plants, I've never seen plants that look so healthy. Our garden is thriving.  The water includes shower, laundry and dish water.  We use Aussie as shampoo, dial glycerin soap, and dawn dishwashing liquid.  We have no filtration system.  The radishes are fantastic.  I have not gotten sick in the past and I have not gotten sick now either.  The water has human scent to it so the rabbits have not eaten my garden.  I have had most of my vegetable garden grow from seeds to small plants within 5-7 days.  All of my plants are healthy an well watered.  The radishes were fresh and tasty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15019" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T20:27:11.453" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26857" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-25T20:50:10.587" Score="2" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm building an &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFDuM2P1E-Q&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;agroforestry (food forest)&lt;/a&gt; area in the yard, and was wondering how to exactly lay out the plants so they work well together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm putting in:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Aronia X2&lt;br&gt;&#xA;American Persimmon X2&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Red Colossal Gooseberry X2&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Red White Blue Currant X1 each&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Adams &amp;amp; John Elderberry X1 each&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Darrow Everbearing Blackberry X3&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Russian Mulberry X1&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Considering:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;paw paw tree X2&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Goumiberry X2&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-06-28T04:07:17.147" LastActivityDate="2016-06-28T04:07:17.147" Title="When designing an agroforestry project what is the proper way to design heights of different plants to work together?" Tags="&lt;design&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26858" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35294" CreationDate="2016-06-25T21:21:09.270" Score="6" ViewCount="215" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to identify this tree, and particularly to confirm or eliminate it as a possible host for &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/109741&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thaumastocoris peregrinus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; recently sighted nearby. The leaves are glossy and have no eucalyptol scent when crushed. The trees range from ~4-8 meters in height and, judging from the area where they've been planted, aren't expected to become very large.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(In the first image, only the two closest trees are the type in question.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z0rHv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z0rHv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;overview&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n3PWM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n3PWM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;trunk&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fXrCV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fXrCV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;opercula&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OVtbA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OVtbA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;foliage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yHOQF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yHOQF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;buds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11043" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T20:22:29.067" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T20:22:29.067" Title="What is this small eucalypt-like landscape tree in California?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26855" CreationDate="2016-06-25T22:57:45.367" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbor planted four pawpaws maybe ten years ago.&#xA;They haven't put out suckers, but the seeds have a high germination rate.&#xA;I pull or clip the ones on my side of the line at least a couple times a year.&#xA;Tasty fruit. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.americanforests.org/magazine/article/trees-that-miss-the-mammoths/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Need to find a few mammoths&lt;/a&gt; to eat the excess, so I don't spend so much time getting rid of saplings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T22:57:45.367" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26860" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26846" CreationDate="2016-06-25T22:58:04.420" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might. You can sometimes cut these back to about eight inches all over in mid to late May in the UK, give them a good feed (growmore granules turned in to the soil at its base will do) and they'll recover, but they don't always respond. The weather this year though wasn't warm enough at that time to risk it, but I wouldn't recommend your cutting back hard in autumn, with winter on the way, it's much more likely to give up altogether. You can either take a risk and cut it hard back now, though it's a bit late, or just put up with it till next spring and hope for a warmer season next year and cut it then. They're not expensive shrubs, so if it's looking unattractive, I'd wait and risk cutting it next spring rather than looking at it all season, and just replace it if it doesn't respond.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-25T23:07:15.827" LastActivityDate="2016-06-25T23:07:15.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26861" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26862" CreationDate="2016-06-25T23:46:03.637" Score="3" ViewCount="70" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Forsythia bush that over the last 16 years has swallowed up about 25% of my yard. It has not yet started to demand blood feedings. I think its plan is to take over the whole town and then run for Congress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the procedure for returning this thing to a smaller size? Just start cutting off branches wherever I want?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T19:15:43.633" Title="The Forsythia bush that ate New York" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26861" CreationDate="2016-06-26T00:07:11.077" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am going to quote &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/forsythia/forsythia-pruning.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;my source&lt;/a&gt; directly for this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;For the very oldest and most overgrown forsythia, pruning should be brutal, cropping the entire shrub to about 4 inches from the ground.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the bush is truly out of control, that is your method. Forsythias that are well established are &lt;em&gt;extremely&lt;/em&gt; resilient, so it won't kill it. Ideal timing for something this drastic is likely during dormancy, but avoiding the worst of winter. So either just after it loses it's leaves or just before it starts to bloom again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over the course of the next two years it will re-establish itself as a small shrub, then it's up to your pruning regiment to keep it to a manageable size. Normal maintenance pruning is best done just after the blossoms fade in the spring, before the forsythia has a chance to set new buds, which it does shortly after blooming. Once it's getting back up to your desired size, start pruning out the oldest sets of branches, this way the plant grows new growth every year, but doesn't expand and try to consume your friendly local everything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-06-26T00:12:11.353" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T00:12:11.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26863" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-26T00:40:41.810" Score="2" ViewCount="1581" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dark green Spatulate entire leaves, 5 petals light pink and darkening to deep pink at the edges. The petals fan outward.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W3pss.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W3pss.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My cousin bought the bulb and had no idea what it would look like until it flowered. She still has no idea. It's a beautiful flower. The leaves look hardy. I'd like to know the name, variety and origin. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15154" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-06-26T01:19:34.060" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T01:19:34.060" Title="What is the name of this pink flower wirh spatulate shape leaves and bulb root?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26864" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26863" CreationDate="2016-06-26T00:59:53.730" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Adenium obesum, common name Desert Rose, image below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adenium_obesum_(3).jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adenium_obesum_(3).jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a tropical plant classed as a succulent; it prefers temperatures in the range of 75-95 deg F. Flowers best in good light, doesn't do well in shady conditions, needs regular watering during the growing/flowering season, but should never be allowed to get too wet or waterlogged.  More care info below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep474&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep474&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Native to south Sahara, parts of Africa and Arabia, but grown in many places round the world as houseplants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-26T01:05:06.850" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T01:05:06.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26865" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-26T01:44:33.767" Score="1" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;This mint like plant is growing up against a stone wall. The stem is square and the leaves are opposite. There are small flower buds at every section of leaves, white in color. Very minimal mint smell, more musty. The leaves are variegated with a grey spot in the middle. Idk how to put pics on so plz help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15155" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T13:14:40.053" Title="found this mint like plant in my back yard, help?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26866" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-26T04:02:48.700" Score="2" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of avocado seedlings grown from pip (can't help it, its an addiction - I know Im better off with grafted ones, and have those too !) - I'm running out of space on my Window Sill and can't steal any more space in the house - so I want to move my Avocado seedlings into my polytunnel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We are going into Winter, and I expect the temperatures in the polytunnel to get pretty cold - but hopefully should stave off the frost.    Are Avocado seedlings which are only a few months old generally able to withstand temperatures around 0c ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="14153" LastEditDate="2016-06-26T05:41:18.670" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T20:33:01.237" Title="Avocado Seedlings cold tolerance" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26867" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-26T04:51:05.753" Score="2" ViewCount="408" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow sunflower named (teddy bear)&#xA;It was so amazing but now its stop making a new flowers&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should i do to make it grow more flowers?&#xA;And what the good way to cut them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want dry the flowers or save seeds i just want enjoying see these flowers and have them in my garden &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15156" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T20:02:46.470" Title="Cutting sunflower teddy bear" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26868" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26850" CreationDate="2016-06-26T05:48:50.227" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good news all around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cedars aren't toxic. It's a bit of an urban legend, based on nearby growth around wild cedars (different species, typically smaller) and lawn Cedars (&quot;dead zone&quot;). However, the dead zone around Cedars is the same as the dead zone around healthy Maples - just an area with very little moisture or sunlight (called &quot;dry shade&quot; and is a pain to deal with without a good sprinkler.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what I suspect and why:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect that what's affecting your plants is depleted Nitrogen and too much moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you work wood mulch into soil, two things happen. 1) As decomposition begins, it rips the Nitrogen from the soil and takes a long time to release it back, and 2) it lowers the pH of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On top of those two things, Cedar mulch is a BOSS when it comes to retaining moisture in the soil (that's why I use it with my Tomatoes, Snapdragons, and Wisteria). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Acidity isn't too affected, just a bit. But the Nitrogen consumption and moisture retention of Cedar mulch can take its users by surprise. You should apply a Nitrogen fertilizer a few days after Cedar is worked/watered into the soil to counteract the Nitrogen rip - on top of the regular feeding the plants get. (This is recommended for any wood mulch, but it's absolutely necessary for Cedar, ime.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Juglone (the chemical exuded by Walnut trees) is at its least concentration in the wood, but it's still there and still harmful.  Considering how expensive Walnut is, how it's processed, and how well-known it's killing properties are; idk if you'll see it in a mulch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Epsom salt is always a good addition, most soil is lacking Mg. Lime as well. NPK will displace minerals on plant uptake so as long as you keep an eye on your soil's pH you can be fairly aggressive with non-NPK feeding.  However, none of that is going to counteract Juglone if there was Walnut in the mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A soil test isn't a bad idea. It's not just a sheet of &quot;your soil contains THIS&quot; - it's gives recommendations on what to add to bring your soil back to a healthy place. I don't know if they'll return any info on Juglone because testing facilities are equipped to test for farmers, and farmers don't have Black Walnut trees growing in the middle of their fields (i.e. they probably don't even test for its presence, but you can ask beforehand, of course).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendation: the next time you need to water your plants, give them some Nitrogen.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep a good eye on your soil's moisture. One of the several places I'm using cedar mulch this year is on my upside-down cherry tomato planter (4 plants, each in 5 gallon bucket). I've got experience with cedar and I'm still surprised at how much of a barrier it presents against moisture loss.  All my other gardens/containers can be screaming for a watering, and the soil in those buckets will be pleasantly moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good Luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T05:48:50.227" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26869" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-26T09:16:25.007" Score="4" ViewCount="7211" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had this fiddle leaf fig tree (ficus lyrata) for about a year and it has grown a lot of new leaves along three of its branches, but not on any others. In fact, many small, dry leaves have fallen off of the other branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The three branches are getting a bit long now so I was planning on chopping them back about half way to the trunk. Will the tree cope with this? Is there a good time of year to attempt it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally, I'd like to encourage a few other branches to grow, but they look rather dead. Is there any way to get other branches to grow, particularly to grow upwards rather than sideways?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for any advice! :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f0mrR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f0mrR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QP0F2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QP0F2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EnoUv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EnoUv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14602" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-06-26T11:44:53.847" LastActivityDate="2020-03-14T05:49:16.087" Title="How to prune a fiddle leaf fig tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26870" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26875" CreationDate="2016-06-26T10:38:30.713" Score="4" ViewCount="1292" Body="&lt;p&gt;While growing chili plants indoors and lately holes in the leaves and brown spots have started to appear. Images:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1JJX4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1JJX4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5FeqH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5FeqH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hjm4v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hjm4v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are no bugs visible on the leaves. The plants are grown indoors, have ample sunlight and are grown with expanded clay pebbles below the layer of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Related questions on gardening.SE, but doesn't look like my plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/22234/why-are-the-leaves-on-my-capsicum-plant-curling-and-turning-brown&quot;&gt;Capsicum plant curling and turning brown&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/22387/what-is-causing-curled-and-deformed-capsicum-and-chilli-leaves&quot;&gt;Curled deformed capsicum leaves&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;: On a much closer inspection I did indeed find small black critters - probably aphids, judging from other images on the web. I have sprayed the plants with a solution of &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/apply-canola-oil-pesticide-76135.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;dish soap and canola oil&lt;/a&gt; - now we wait! ;-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15157" LastEditorUserId="15157" LastEditDate="2016-06-27T17:16:52.620" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T17:16:52.620" Title="Diagnosis: capsicum plants with holes in leaves, brown spots - no bugs visible" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26869" CreationDate="2016-06-26T11:44:17.093" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_lyrata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ficus lyrata&lt;/a&gt; is native to West Africa and widely grown as a house plant. They are great indoor plants as they are long lived, tolerant of a wide range of conditions and not subject to too many pests due to the hard waxy leaves. This plant has no problems dealing with hard pruning cuts as you can see on the old growth on the central stem. From the picture below (Credit wikipedia) you can see that when grown as a specimen away from other plants and not pruned it ends to be wider than taller:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/reiN1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/reiN1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ficus Lyrata&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For pruning you can go by a few ideas:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plants grow towards the light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they are more likely to bud out of new growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that you live where the ceilings are around eight feet tall (~2.5 m).  So you have as much room to go up as to continue going out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could certainly cut the new growth back a foot from the tips with a sharp pruning tool.  Watch out for the white sticky sap which is an identification key for the Ficus species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or you could do something different.  Seeing as you want it to stay at this width and new growth will likely come from the stems growing out at the sides why not wire the growth in the direction you want it to grow? If you have or can get common PVC coated electrical wire used in houses it has sufficient stiffness that you wind around the branches and use it to direct the new growth up.  Wind the wire around the more supple new growth and leave it on for a few months.  The stem should be set and you can remove the wire for reuse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T11:44:17.093" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26872" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26865" CreationDate="2016-06-26T13:14:40.053" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds like one of the Lamiums, commonly known as deadnettle - they have square stems, and when the stems are long, flowers at the nodes. They can have plain green foliage, but more usually, there's a degree of variegation, whether that's just a stripe down the middle, or much broader variegation,including solid areas of white in the centre, or yellow, cream or white variegation. Example image below, but it would be useful to see a photograph of your particular plant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.echters.com/12130005/Plant/8559/White_Spotted_Dead_Nettle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://plants.echters.com/12130005/Plant/8559/White_Spotted_Dead_Nettle&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T13:14:40.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26874" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26855" CreationDate="2016-06-26T15:10:01.990" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;In another answer you said you were in USDA zone 4a.  The paw paw tree or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimina_triloba&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;asimina triloba&lt;/a&gt; is listed &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/pawpaw/ppg.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; as good to USDA zone 5 or temperatures no lower than  -15 def F/-26 deg C.  This doesn't mean you can't try from plants grown locally that might be more cold resistant.  It does mean you are taking a chance that any time there's a really cold winter the trees will be killed back to the ground. This puts your next harvest another five years away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I notice they also require slightly acid (pH 5.5-7), deep, fertile, and well-drained soil.  You have to know your soil types to have success. For best fruit production they should be sited in full sun with protection from wind.  Perhaps a site with a shelter belt of evergreens would work well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also do not self pollinate and normal pollinators are &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-220.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;described&lt;/a&gt; as &quot;neither efficient or dependable&quot;.  The article recommends hand pollination for best fruit production.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After harvest ripe plants will only last two days at room temperature or a week at temperatures of 40 - 45 deg F (or approximately fridge temperature).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree is not ready for commercial fruit production due to the issues with specific habitat, pollination and storage but can be an interesting challenge for the home gardener.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T15:10:01.990" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26870" CreationDate="2016-06-26T16:03:12.520" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well something's been causing physical damage or nibbling on the leaves - on the twisted one, the damage would have taken place when the leaf was much smaller, causing it to grow in this distorted fashion. In the second photo, there appears to be something suggestive of black blobs (aphids?) at the base of the newest leaves, but I can't see what they are clearly, they may be nothing or they may be something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for keeping it in a pot without drainage holes, even with your 'buffer zone', I recommend you put it in a pot that does have proper drainage - water can sit for ages in the buffer zone at the bottom, and you may find it doesn't smell very nice when you turn it out of the pot it's in, because its become sour. It doesn't look as if the plant is suffering because of this at the moment, but it may well become an issue over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T16:03:12.520" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26876" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1184" CreationDate="2016-06-26T16:05:58.380" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Always drainage. Even semi-aquatic plants - in nature there is water movement through the root systems which introduces oxygen. There's no such thing as too much drainage, just too much drainage for a reasonable watering schedule.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Container material isn't too big of a deal. Clay's advantages are weight (no toppling over in wind), porosity, and sturdiness (roots aren't disturbed when the pot is moved).  Take care when moving your plastic pot so it doesn't jostle the roots too much, and don't let the soil dry out (for the obvious &quot;plant needs water&quot; reason but also so it doesn't fall over).  Best is fabric, but that's introducing a much greater deal of attention or materials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wanted to ask about where you said &quot;topsoil&quot;. If you filled your container with actual topsoil, this will be a problem. Topsoil is an amendment for ground or bed gardening, it's not a potting medium. Even when put in the ground, it has to be mixed with either native soil or a host of other ingredients to promote drainage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendation: Take it out of the pot, drill drainage holes, gently get as much soil off the roots as you can, gently wash off the roots, repot into a potting mix. (Standard Miracle-Gro Potting Mix is fine if you don't want the hassle of making your own.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personal note: I love lilacs. I have a 8'x8' patch in one corner of my lot, and six or seven 15'+ tall ones scattered on the wood border. When they bloom my backyard smells ridiculously amazing.  AND when they have to come down (had to take down a couple twenty-footers two years ago) they provide incredible wood for small projects - twice as hard as oak and the heartwood is an amazing pink-peach color that contrasts the bone-white sapwood.  So - good luck with that plant!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T16:05:58.380" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26878" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-26T16:32:49.880" Score="7" ViewCount="252" Body="&lt;p&gt;For our minimal budget garden (in LA) we have been using the city's organic compost as a soil amendment. This compost is made from yard trimmings. It's mostly broken down, but there are small sticks in it, so it's somewhere between a mulch and a compost. Are there drawbacks to using this as a soil amendment in our garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15161" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T19:17:45.710" Title="Organic mulch as a compost substitute" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26879" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26878" CreationDate="2016-06-26T17:29:29.697" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There shouldn't be any drawbacks, provided it was turned into compost using a hot, aerobic system. Many yard trimmings contain pathogens - fungal infections, insect infestations, so it needs to be processed in such a manner to ensure those things aren't still in the compost when you get and use it. The small twigs are often a component in compost you produce yourself at home via a bin or heap - you can either sift those out, or pick them off, or just leave them in if they're not large and continue to use it as a soil emendment - or a mulch. Either way, it will increase the humus content and the biodiversity in your soil, all of which is great for plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T17:29:29.697" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26880" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26878" CreationDate="2016-06-26T18:43:41.373" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There could be a problem depending on the collection and separation practices at the composting facility. If your municipal compost includes garden waste from people's green bins there is always the chance that plastic, metal or other contaminants including pesticide residues are in the finished mix.  Compost facilities do a great job of hot sterilising organic material but usually cannot separate plastic, beer caps or any of the other junk people throw in their green bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our local recycling facility used to accept sod at no charge as it went straight into the compost stream.  Samples are taken at regular intervals of the end product and they found &quot;hot spots&quot; consisting of motor oil.  People were using the sod as a free sponge to get rid of something they would normally pay to get rid of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.compost.org/English/qna.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this reference&lt;/a&gt; item 22 indicates there are standards for compost and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.newmoa.org/events/docs/53_59/GoldsteinCompostNov2012.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; says the same for the US whereas &lt;a href=&quot;https://extension.umd.edu/learn/gardener-alert-beware-herbicide-contaminated-compost-and-manure&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; alludes to problems with compost without quoting any sources.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are two tests that you can do yourself on compost:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;physical check:  do you see plastic, cigarette butts, pull tabs and other contaminants?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you are using compost on areas where you will be growing food sow some lettuce seed at the start of the season.  Lettuce is very sensitive to herbicides and pesticides.  It sprouts fast and failure to germinate and grow naturally is an indication of problems&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Timing will help too.  Apply compost in the fall after you have harvested and any problems will have had a chance to be washed out before spring planting&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1208/what-is-the-risk-of-soil-contamination-via-leaf-mulch-compost?rq=1&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for a similar question about using leaves. You have a simple question but the answer is not necessarily yes/no.  It depends....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T18:57:17.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26881" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-26T18:55:16.040" Score="8" ViewCount="1795" Body="&lt;p&gt;My beefsteak tomato is setting lots of fruit, but the larger leaves are curling, and have fine black spots.     &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot is 24x24 inches, and the soil is miracle gro. It's new in this pot this year. The temperatures have been 75-80F degrees and windy, but it is pretty protected from the wind (? It is a sunken patio). I've sprayed it twice with epsom salts and water, only have tap water, and water it about a gallon every two days if really hot and sunny. Every two weeks will give it a good deep soaking. There's no smoking anywhere near it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jG45o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jG45o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/POEjo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/POEjo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Uzti.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Uzti.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UMxtQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UMxtQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VeJxM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VeJxM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eWKvI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eWKvI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15164" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-28T01:08:06.893" LastActivityDate="2016-06-29T08:47:18.367" Title="What is wrong with my beefsteak tomato?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26878" CreationDate="2016-06-26T19:17:45.710" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you are buying are other homeowner's 'clean green'...normally lawn clippings are dumped at a separate location or at least not mixed with woody debris. There ARE problems with this stuff, I know because I've worked with it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Homeowners are notorious for buying pesticides and never reading the labels.  Homeowner debris can be so chemically infused with pesticides that you can't grow a petunia in it.  Topsoils sometimes are mixed with this compost to be sold already mixed...and many times that stuff wouldn't even allow weeds to grow.  Serious.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are also FILLED with weed seeds.  The process of decomposition, as you've seen, creates heat but not enough to get rid of weed seeds, pesticide residues and the pathogens Bamboo talked about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your instincts are correct however.  The BEST AND ONLY way to improve any soil is with decomposed organic matter...not sand, not gravel, not gypsum, not lime (mixed with clay and water is the recipe for concrete btw).  Making your own is the best way to make decomposed organic matter where you know what it contains. But unless you own a restaurant or an organic golf course, it'll take ages to make enough to use with any results in this lifetime, grins!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My favorite and soon was my ONLY compost I'd use isn't that available everywhere, much to my dismay.  Most of my time spent as a professional in this field was in the Seattle area.  There's a company called Sawdust Supply that used human sewage mixed with sawdust and completely decomposed and tested 5X (federally mandated).  They called it GRO-CO.  The most miraculous compost ever!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No pesticide residue, no weed seeds, lots of nitrogen and stunningly beautiful...dark taupe, FINE textured, no sticks, stems, clumps, rocks...nada.  This stuff fed the soil organisms like crazy.  All one had to do was use it as a mulch on top of the soil.  Within a year or two one would need to reapply because the soil organisms would eat this stuff and then they'd go back down into the soil and poop it out.  The organisms would mix this compost into your soil profile FOR YOU. That is the main difference between decomposed organic matter and raw organic matter.  Decomposed is readily available to ingest by the macro and micro organisms.  Raw or non-decomposed matter has to be decomposed FIRST and those organisms need NITROGEN to do the work.  That is what you've heard.  Depending on the type of organic matter, take bark chips for example...takes years to decompose.  Clean green, vegetable matter only weeks or months.  Clean green actually comes with lots of nitrogen (as well as pesticide residues and weed seeds).  I used this kitty litter made from alfalfa...great nitrogen, in my compost piles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a draw back with GRO-CO.  Well, first drawback is availability.  The stuff in bags at the nurseries is or at least what I've opened is disgusting...heavens...it wasn't fully decomposed!!  EEEuuuuwww.  GRO-CO smelled sweet and earthy (honest injun), if it smells at all like the original ingredient not good at all.  Second drawback is heavy metals.  Not that bad but in an ideal world I'd never use this on plants meant to eat.  Nowadays, there is more heavy metals in our tap water than there is in this mulch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't know where you live but I would check out your sewage facilities to see if anyone is making this stuff near you.  Lucky you if so.  They give you a print out of the tests that show EVERY chemical in this mulch.  Not going to find that with clean green or other commercial facilities making mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend getting your soil tested by your Extension Service of whatever University closest to you.  Talk to the Master Gardeners there...they'll be able to hook you up to super compost.  Don't worry too much about weed seeds...ie) decomposed horse poo, chicken poo makes great mulch...lots of weed seeds but weeds are like the easiest things to deal with.  Pesticide residue not so much.  Use those Master Gardeners!!  They know your area, your soils and places to get large amounts of good compost.  What plants work...that kind of thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T19:17:45.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26883" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26881" CreationDate="2016-06-26T19:19:16.457" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like too much water, try some coffee grounds with ground egg shell in it, water it less since the other leaves look healthy, and call me in 2 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T19:19:16.457" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26884" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26867" CreationDate="2016-06-26T20:02:46.470" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sunflowers are an annual.  Annuals have a short lifespan so their primary goal is to make SEED (babies).  Any annual will bust their little sepals to make seed before the season ends.  Thwarting them making seed by cutting off the flowers makes the entire plant get bigger and more vigorous and put out more flowers.  Sunflowers aren't the floriferous type...if you've pinched them back soon enough, possibly get another flower or two but sunflowers, once they've got a mature flower that will be it.  They last a long time as they are making seed and need to attract the pollinators to pollinate all those seeds.  Once they are pollinated, the flower is no longer necessary for attraction. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next year, plant more sunflowers and if you plant them 2 weeks apart you'll get successive and continuous flowers.  Cut 'em off and use indoors, this will entice the plant to produce more.  But sunflowers are seriously a one flower event...even if branched like some of the smaller varieties are...they get 4 or 5 flowers...still plant seeds every two weeks and you'll get more flowers.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sunflowers are the TOP of the evolution for dicots.  Orchids are the top of evolution for monocots.  Sunflowers know how to produce lots of seed and rise above other plants to compete for sunlight.  Because they are so big there isn't much chance of budding after the main crop is established. One flower is all they need to make to get a huge bunch of seeds/babies.  Other annuals depend on the numbers of flowers.  The best thing you can do other than watering and a little fertilizer is to remove the lower, yellowing leaves as soon as possible.  This reallocates energy to the flowers and producing leaves.  And definitely have other fun things to bloom at the same time or different seasons/times.  Sunflowers do last a long time for most flowers and they make anyone smile!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T20:02:46.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26885" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26881" CreationDate="2016-06-26T20:05:02.967" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks as if the roots haven't enough room - how big is the pot the plant is in? And I'm rather wondering if that circular rim I can see sticking slightly above the soil is actually a small pot which has been sunk into a larger one, with the plant inside that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each tomato plant should be growing in a 5 gallon 9 inch or 27cm pot as a minimum - if the roots don't have sufficient space, that could cause the lower leaves to shrivel up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other possibility is blight - with that you should be able to discern distinct rings or circular patches of brown before the whole leaf starts to shrivel; it starts at the bottom parts of the plant and eventually shows symptoms on stems and then fruits, but I'm not seeing those symptoms particularly here. I only mention it because you speak of 'black spots', so check the images and information in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://livegpath.cals.cornell.edu/gallery/tomato/early-blight/&quot;&gt;http://livegpath.cals.cornell.edu/gallery/tomato/early-blight/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, root knot nematode might be an issue, but there are various problems tomatoes can have - there's a list of these problems with descriptions here &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.harvesttotable.com/2009/05/tomato_problem_troubleshooting/&quot;&gt;http://www.harvesttotable.com/2009/05/tomato_problem_troubleshooting/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;along with action to take,including for root knot nematodes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T20:05:02.967" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26886" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26866" CreationDate="2016-06-26T20:33:01.237" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not necessarily...they need zones 9-11 USDA.  That means the minimum temperatures are 20-30 degrees F.  Somewhere I've read that an avocado made it through minus degrees F.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What zone are you in?  What kind of soil?  If you only have a few days of super cold (below 20 degrees F) then row cloth and or newspaper will do.  You just have to be on top of things with the weather.  I'd be more apt to drag my avocados inside for the winter.  Newspaper is the best insulator of all.  I dragged all my houseplants one winter to a new home during below zero temperatures...14 hours.  All I did was wrap all my plants in newspaper and every single one made it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another trick is to use burlap and christmas lights.  String christmas lights all around your plant and then cover and tie with burlap.  If your plants are in pots then make sure to dig a hole, and sink your pot in that hole.  Lots of christmas lights and burlap and/or straw.  The roots are the weakest link in a plant and potted plants are particularly susceptible to cold getting to the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much work to raise an avocado if one doesn't live in zone 9 to get lazy, grins.  ONE night below freezing will kill your plant.  A week at sub optimum temperatures will kill your plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Newspaper and row cloth are great if those avocados are planted in the ground.  In pots, I'd just take them in...depends on your zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T20:33:01.237" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26887" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14417" CreationDate="2016-06-26T21:10:43.740" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a young &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_nigra&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;water oak (Quercus nigra)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15167" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T21:10:43.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26888" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26848" CreationDate="2016-06-26T21:12:55.003" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is ok.  They seem the &lt;em&gt;extrafloral nectaties&lt;/em&gt; common in many &lt;em&gt;Prunus&lt;/em&gt;. They just seems larger then normal (but also the petiole seems larger and more red that normal, I think because of late season).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/lifeforms/antplants/extrafloralnectaries.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/lifeforms/antplants/extrafloralnectaries.html&lt;/a&gt; or with &quot;Prunus extrafloral nectaties&quot; in Google Image.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T21:12:55.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26834" CreationDate="2016-06-26T21:21:39.400" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're short lived (50-80 years), enormous, prone to leaf spot which they will spread all over the area they're in (at least they are here), and should never be planted in a back yard unless your yard is huge and can comfortably accomodate removing the tree when it's close to death - it will fall over one day. They're great for parks but terrible in the yard. I wonder why they're not planted in parking lots, as they grow incredibly quickly and provide wonderful, impenetrable shade. Also tons of very tasty berries. They attract a lot of wildlife, too. You do have to do some climbing if you want berries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaf spot is a very real problem if you intend to do any gardening. My neighbor has one and before I had it pruned back, it was infecting everything in my backyard with this dreadful disease. It doesn't seem to hurt the tree, but spraying such a huge tree with fungicide is not realistic. &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cercospora-leaf-spot-treatments-mulberry-tree-26386.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cercospora-leaf-spot-treatments-mulberry-tree-26386.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why not consider something more appropriate to a yard, such as blueberries or blackberries or whatever berries you like that grow in your area?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15167" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T21:21:39.400" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26890" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26857" CreationDate="2016-06-26T21:24:16.767" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well black thumb...now I get it.  I did this in a development and had a forest, seriously, that gave fruit, shade, interest and privacy.  We had to leave and they ripped ALL OF MY PLANTS and hard scape OUT.  Put back in lawn.  I am still grieving big time.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;There are things you need to consider.  For example; the cactus in this guy's yard along with deciduous plants that need more water.  Not cool.  Amazing his is working.  The shade for him might be a good thing with the temperatures. Otherwise forget trying to grow vegeys. I am not fond of soil irrigation, but I do not live in such hot hostile climates.  All of those trees thrive in his zone but need extensive pruning...to do better in such a small space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please use scientific/botanical names of the plants you are lusting after.  Common names can make huge mistakes.  Send a sketch of your ideas and plant materials to include your home, water lines, water availability (don't make the mistake thinking you'll get away with no maintenance...that will take time)...electrical lines, wind direction, neighbors... any underground covered up concrete, check with your neighbors to find out what they are growing and what they've done...come up against.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lawns, sadly are what most developments INSIST you have.  We can work with that...I've done designs and installations to incorporate 'forests' as well as abiding by the covenant. Hey, Elderberries are fantastic!  So are hops!  I need to know where you are for sure.  6' to the water table???  euuuuww.  Close and also impregnated with who knows what chemicals...check this out.  Are you on a well?  Or city water?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And before you get too invested, CHECK your covenants as well as your city's regulations.  This is NOT a normally allowed thingy!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T21:24:16.767" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26891" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-26T21:27:33.303" Score="8" ViewCount="503" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see this consistently - oaks, usually. Why not plant trees that are short lived and grow quickly (mulberry, tulip poplar, etc.) instead? And almost always the trees they plant never make it to adulthood as some other landscaper will come in, remove them, and plant newer, slow growing trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15167" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-07-02T02:12:28.300" LastActivityDate="2016-07-02T02:12:28.300" Title="Why do landscapers seem to always plant the most slow growing trees in parking lots?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26892" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20075" CreationDate="2016-06-26T21:34:02.570" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have to tell us what cultivar it is. The most common issue is that hydrangeas bloom only on old wood (save for &quot;Endless Summer&quot; and a few others). So if the plant was pruned back you will get no blooms that year. Leave it alone and see how it does. If as you say, you removed the old canes, that right there is your problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15167" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T21:34:02.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26891" CreationDate="2016-06-26T21:47:14.700" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;What FUN!!  You are incredibly observant!!  One of the reasons I hated commercial work was that you sat at a table deciding what to plant, where to plant without being able to even go to the site.  Deciding on types of trees and shrubs; number one priority was...what was on sale?  Gross. Second, what would last for a long time before having to be replaced...(oaks, maples).  I felt responsible for the HOMES given to the plants I chose from the nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And THEN they stake these these these STICKS!  Staking is so very wrong.  Only to be used temporarily when using bare root plants or wind blown mature trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I walk through a parking lot or development I CUT the straps of the stakes and around the tree and pull the dang mulch (non decomposed bark chips usually) away from the bottom of the trunk.  Just doing those two things doubles, quadruples the life expectancy of any tree.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I stayed with residential.  Cities were mind boggling retarded.  Sorry, but true.  Anyone can be a 'landscaper'.  So sad.  Landscraper...all one has to have is a mower, a weed wacker and a blower.  Then people think these guys know what the hell they are talking about.  So wow. So wrong.  So much money is thrown at these idiots.  When things don't go right, it is the client's fault, or the soil's fault, or better yet, the neighbor's fault.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T21:47:14.700" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26833" CreationDate="2016-06-26T22:08:08.370" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This was an obvious Sunflower type.  I checked and found SNEEZEWEED.  Not the same coloring but I was unable to spend anymore time (hubby is yelling at me...grins).  Check out Helenium autumnale.  Dying to know what this is...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T22:08:08.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26895" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26833" CreationDate="2016-06-26T22:19:55.573" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like one of the Gaillardias or blanket flowers, specifically Gaillardia commotion moxie, or something very similar - flower's a bit weedy looking, and it seems short on foliage, but that's not surprising, given where its growing, especially given its likely a garden escapee and may have been self set rather than actually planted there&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.perennials.com/plants/gaillardia-commotion-moxie.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.perennials.com/plants/gaillardia-commotion-moxie.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-26T22:37:23.647" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T22:37:23.647" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26896" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26891" CreationDate="2016-06-26T22:52:43.690" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this depends on the city and builders guidelines where you live. Where I live the standard tree in front of each new house was the Ash (Fraxinus) or the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/24714/499&quot;&gt;Linden&lt;/a&gt;.  Cheap because they propagated easily and a fast grower.  Oak trees and hard maples were usually an upgrade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sadly the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ontario.ca/page/emerald-ash-borer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Emerald Ash borer&lt;/a&gt; has decimated the Ash species which comprises up to one third of the tree stock in my city.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your question implies that Oaks are slow growing which is not always the case.  In my area a weedy tree can put on more than six inches a year of top growth but many oak species can do the same.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://mdc.mo.gov/trees-plants/tree-seedlings/tree-growth-information&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt; in missouri quotes growth rates of up to two feet a year for a number of species including oaks which I find astonishing but growth rates for trees vary widely depending on location, species and after care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most urban arborists understand that the best kind of trees to plant are a variety of species so one problem like the Emerald Ash Borer does not cause such a significant problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-06-26T22:52:43.690" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26897" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26898" CreationDate="2016-06-26T22:59:34.383" Score="2" ViewCount="277" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen people cut off lower branches on conifers so they could put stuff under it. Is this a bad idea for a 30 foot tall tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead of hostas doing low PH food bushes under pine trees:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X5Gq1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X5Gq1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T01:21:06.670" Title="Is trimming up the branches of a conifer a bad idea?" Tags="&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26898" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26897" CreationDate="2016-06-27T01:21:06.670" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not a bad idea, unless you wanted a tree with branches close to the ground. You can do pretty much whatever you want with trees as long as you don't do anything that will cut off oxygen from getting to the roots (e.g., pave over them, raise the ground level) AND always leave so green above ground. WYSIWYwG.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T01:21:06.670" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26899" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-27T02:15:37.953" Score="3" ViewCount="6630" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not knowing any better, I bought an Orbit watering timer, connected one side to the frost-free spigot and the other to a soaker irrigation hose. The spigot side of the timer was always turned on, and the timer turns the hose on for half an hour each day. After a couple weeks the anti-siphon valve failed spectacularly. It turns out that the anti-siphon valve is not intended to be under pressure for more than 12 hours or so. It will either leak; or it will stick open permanently, no longer performing its anti-siphon function. Is there any way to properly install this watering timer short of installing a new spigot without the anti-siphon? I went to the Big Box store and they didn't have any advice. They agreed you weren't supposed to attach a constant-pressure timer like this after a anti-siphon device, but said everyone does it. And if I wanted a sillcock without an anti-siphon device I'd have to order it online.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have two &quot;zones&quot; set up which are actually two hoses attached to a dual timer. One is for arbor vitae and huckleberry bushes which I water one hour every four days because they have bigger, deeper root balls. The other is for the vegetable-and-strawberry garden which I had watered for 20 minutes every evening around dusk. I am no plantologist but the veggies are doing better this year than they were last year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14338" LastEditorUserId="14338" LastEditDate="2016-06-28T03:04:21.197" LastActivityDate="2016-06-28T06:29:16.790" Title="Hose timer on outdoor spigots with built-in anti-siphon valve" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26900" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-27T02:24:45.160" Score="3" ViewCount="159" Body="&lt;p&gt;After every rainstorm here in south florida, the landscape has been full of sand and gravel that I rake every week, but it continues to appear again and again out of nowhere - Anyone with a suggestion or explanation for this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15171" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T13:00:46.233" Title="Sand and gravel appearing in garden" Tags="&lt;gravel&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26829" CreationDate="2016-06-27T02:30:08.140" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems like a young swallowtail caterpillar. Many swallowtail species share that &quot;white arrow&quot; bird-dropping stage. It should turn flashier in a few days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've only ever seen them on citrus trees, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastEditorDisplayName="user10810" LastEditDate="2016-06-27T02:39:16.567" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T02:39:16.567" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26902" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26900" CreationDate="2016-06-27T03:02:59.107" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you remember your bible stories, you're dealing with the same thing that caused frogs to rain. This works through the evaporation of water lifting sand into the air, because it's so small, and light it gets lifted very easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I remember it from a show on the weather channel, but here's the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_of_animals&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wikipedia answer for you&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T03:02:59.107" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26903" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26900" CreationDate="2016-06-27T03:23:26.883" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can agree with Black Thumb. I have the same problem. But there is another explanation for it, here it goes. In any place where it is cold enough (like winter) to freeze the ground you will experience this. The reason for them to come to the surface is because they are better conductors of heat than the soil. So the stone will conduct heat away from the soil beneath it. The colder soil under the rock then freezes. And since when water freezes it expands, pushing the rock up. When the ground thaws a space is left under the rock, and the dirt around it will fill in the gap leaving the stone rest higher. And with this repeating it keeps pushing the rock higher and higher, till it reaches the surface. Of coarse since your in Florida this more than likely does not aply to you, but this is what I found!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Resource: &lt;a href=&quot;http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/how-rocks-appear-your-garden/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/how-rocks-appear-your-garden/&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T03:23:26.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26904" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-27T03:26:59.017" Score="1" ViewCount="247" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know about the different shapes for string trimmer (weed wacker) like square and round and all the others. But there is plastic and nylon and stuff like that. I have a 0.065&quot; size trimmer and deal with fairly thick weeds. What should I get and what should it be made of? I would rather not have to buy a new weed wacker that uses bigger string, I love my Ryobi!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T22:43:24.520" Title="String trimmer lines, What types and whats best?" Tags="&lt;string-trimmer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-06-27T23:14:39.483" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26906" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26908" CreationDate="2016-06-27T04:26:32.560" Score="2" ViewCount="55" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was watching some videos on how to plant trees close together, and was wondering if doing a 3 in 1 planting will cause girdling, or any other problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-27T18:43:52.517" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T18:43:52.517" Title="Do 3 in 1 plantings cause girdling?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26839" CreationDate="2016-06-27T05:00:44.263" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is common with Crepe Myrtles, and some other shrubs. With most plants, there's an obvious feeling of &quot;large branches = healthy/sturdy plant&quot;, but with CMs, there's too much flowering and too much foliage on larger branches. The foliage/flower weight increases at a rate greater than what its branches can support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crepe Myrtles require yearly pruning in the end of winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the rest of this year, deal with the droop, and tend any snapped branches (go in with a trimmer/saw and lop off the snapped branch close to its parent).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next late winter / early spring (before dormancy ends), get in there with some heavy pruning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This seems like a good guide: &lt;a href=&quot;http://thedailysouth.southernliving.com/2009/02/24/what-concerns-p/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://thedailysouth.southernliving.com/2009/02/24/what-concerns-p/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T05:00:44.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26908" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26906" CreationDate="2016-06-27T05:22:43.487" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not girdling, but they can't be left to their own devices and be expected to thrive. It's possible one or two could be overpowered by the other()s, in terms of sunlight being blocked or limbs snapped by the weight of another plants'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I saw a small bit of this a long time ago, so I'm far from an expert. It seems very space-efficient, but there is definitely work involved. Lots of pruning and topping, and likely some rules for those that are applicable only in the practice of multi-tree plantings. But that's what youtube is for!  (This isn't me telling you &quot;damn, go to youtube&quot;, just &quot;I'd wager there's a host of mini-orchard owners with tutorial vids on the specifics of the practice&quot;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Google is returning a lot on &quot;Backyard Orchard Culture&quot;.  Seems like a good place to delve into it. From the skimming I did, they're treating this like it's a some kind of new innovation; but the instruction seems good enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Haven't even thought about this in 20 years. Growing up, one of my neighbors - retired sheriff, had a little shooting range on his property, good guy - kept a mini-orchard of 4 multi-tree plantings. When he was done harvesting, he'd let his horses in and they'd go crazy scarfing down what was left on the bushes (technically trees, but looked like big bushes). I got to see this once.  Those poor apples never stood a chance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hey - thanks for the memory recall!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T05:22:43.487" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26909" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-27T12:34:35.727" Score="1" ViewCount="672" Body="&lt;p&gt;My garden was full of unwanted plants which takes nutrition of my plants. Its growing again and again even after I removing from the garden. Is there anyway I can easily remove the Plants from my garden. So My plants will grow nutritionally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11437" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T12:34:35.727" Title="How to remove unwanted Plants from the garden easily" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;&lt;stump-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="7" ClosedDate="2016-06-27T19:23:09.513" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26900" CreationDate="2016-06-27T13:00:46.233" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Freeze-thaw isn't doing it in South Florida (nor &quot;after every rainstorm&quot;), and in normal weather conditions air transport is limited to dust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, your most likely option is critters that live in holes in the ground, from little ants on up through land crabs and larger things. The rain upsets their tunnels, so they clean them out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T13:00:46.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26911" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26921" CreationDate="2016-06-27T15:57:46.550" Score="2" ViewCount="1024" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a healthy three year old English walnut.  It is about 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide.  It was purchased at one of the large home improvement stores (I don't remember which) so the tree itself may actually be grafted onto a black walnut rootstock.  I have read that this is common for trees sold commercially.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On a local property there is a 5-year old chance seedling of a black walnut tree growing out of some old farm equipment.  The property owner plans to tear out the seedling, but is willing to let me take as much of the tree as I want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to convert about one third of the tree to black walnut if possible, but I'm wary of damaging an otherwise healthy tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do I graft a branch from the black to the English walnut?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I attempt large (1/2 in diameter) branches or just smaller twigs/buds?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When is the best time of year to perform the graft (I have until next spring)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What type of grafting technique should I use (whip, splice, bark, T-Budding)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14965" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T22:02:58.277" Title="Grafting black walnut onto English walnut" Tags="&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;walnut&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26912" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26913" CreationDate="2016-06-27T16:13:46.720" Score="4" ViewCount="170" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty certain my oak has &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taphrina_caerulescens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Taphrina caerulescens&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; symptoms. There is yellow bulbs on it since the beginning of the summer. Can it endanger the tree health? How can it be cured?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9hRLR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9hRLR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15177" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-27T18:41:38.470" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T18:41:38.470" Title="Oak Leaf Blister (Taphrina caerulescens)" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26912" CreationDate="2016-06-27T16:37:27.507" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe these are more likely to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/extension/4h/foresthealth/stress/galls.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;oak galls&lt;/a&gt;. This is not an issue for oaks. It is commonly found on oaks and no action is required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if it is the problem you describe, Taphrina, the Wikipedia links indicates that &quot;Watering and fertilizing infected trees can help reduce stress on the tree and can reduce disease symptoms&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can never go wrong watering your trees during dry times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T16:37:27.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26899" CreationDate="2016-06-27T16:48:48.870" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have used &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=63122&amp;amp;cat=2,2280,33160&amp;amp;ap=2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this product&lt;/a&gt; very successfully.  It is more expensive but works on city tap pressure or gravity feed from water barrels.  It must be brought indoors in the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has one threaded supply suitable for tap or hose and two outlets.  It does not have an anti syphon built in but one could be added.  I don't use irrigation equipment but understand that a backflow preventer is normally installed at the start of the line.  See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=43700&amp;amp;cat=2,2280,33159,43700&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this product&lt;/a&gt; as an example but any irrigation system should supply the add on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-06-27T23:13:58.297" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T23:13:58.297" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26915" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26834" CreationDate="2016-06-27T19:02:56.847" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just got rid of a mulberry tree this year, and I'm glad I did.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The fruit is so thick and dense that it covers the ground and not much else grows there. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They grow fast. A branch growing 3ft a year is not unusual. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They grow easily from seed. You will have seedlings every where. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The juice stains cars and clothing. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When it gets hot all those berries squashed on the ground smells like a brewery. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The berries are edible but usually birds peck at them a bit, so you're left with lots of pecked berries. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They are so messy they will likely decrease the value of your yard. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some cities might consider it a pest due to the huge mess. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastEditorUserId="11061" LastEditDate="2019-08-16T17:56:13.360" LastActivityDate="2019-08-16T17:56:13.360" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="26916" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26861" CreationDate="2016-06-27T19:15:43.633" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Forsythias have quite an extensive root system, which helps them be very resilient like GardenerJ mentioned. Prune it back a lot, but you will have to control the root system also by root pruning and perhaps throwing away large pieces of the plant, roots and all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's how I deal with my ornamental grasses. Every 2 years I throw away 75% of the bunch of roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T19:15:43.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26918" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26922" CreationDate="2016-06-27T20:47:58.797" Score="-3" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;The other day we had a tree June drop a main branch during a calm period on a windy day (I was in the yard at the time, and it probably would've fallen the other direction had there been some wind at the time). Why would a tree June drop a main branch (the tallest one) at the top of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T22:06:25.053" Title="What causes trees to june drop a main branch?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26919" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-27T21:22:17.393" Score="0" ViewCount="2704" Body="&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGnmaiHU8mw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this YouTube video&lt;/a&gt; people are suggesting planting with Aspirin, but would Advil, and Tylenol do the same thing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="1916" LastEditDate="2016-06-30T10:25:28.323" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T10:25:28.323" Title="Is there a difference between Aspirin, Tylenol, and Advil when growing tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2016-06-28T10:27:08.287" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26920" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-27T21:42:29.007" Score="6" ViewCount="10823" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have leftover lawn fertilizer (16-6-8) from the time I used to have a lawn.  Can I use this fertilizer for anything else, trees, vegetable garden, xeriscape plants, bulbs?  If so, how would I adjust its application.&#xA;Thx for your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15181" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T03:58:02.107" Title="Using Lawn fertilizer for other plants?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26911" CreationDate="2016-06-27T22:02:58.277" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;To begin with, I would collect some small branches/twigs and attempt to root those cuttings. You will probably want pieces that have one or two (compound) leafs and reduce each leaf to about 4 leaflets. The base of the cutting probably ought to be soaked in an IBA (rooting hormone) liquid or dusted with IBA powder of a strength something like 3000 ppm (0.3% IBA) or off-the-shelf RooTone (0.2% NAA). This just serves to kick-start the process of generating roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Strike the cuttings in something that is moisture retaining but with a high gas exchange rate, like vermiculite, pearlite, or even orchid moss (sphagnum). I frequently use 1 'gallon' nursery pots - a 1 gallon zip-loc storage bag fits right over it to make a nice humidity tent or terrarium. Clear plastic soda bottles with the bottom cut off works nicely as well. Bottom heat helps if you have something like an old water bed heater that can be set for 75F or so, but it isn't required. Put the covered pot of cuttings in a shady place and wait. Check periodically for fungal problems - spraying a solution of 2 tablespoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide in a quart of water will usually take care of it and it isn't a bad idea to just spray the cuttings every couple of weeks, need it or not. Unless all the leaves (plural of leaf) have dried/rotted, leave the cuttings alone, lest you will break off the newly forming roots.&#xA;Next spring you will repot your rooted cuttings - just dump them out into a bucket of water as the buds begin to swell or are just cracking. Then pot each rooted cutting separately into a small plastic pot, say 2 or 3 inch diameter (side length if square). You'll need to let them just grow, at least until the middle of next season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then you can use them to make approach grafts. You will make a vertical cut on the stock plant wide enough and deep enough to fit the rooted cutting's stem in. Then you secure the pot to the stock, fit the stem in the groove and hold it in the groove with thumb tacks, roofing nails, a padded wire, or a zip tie (this is to hold the stem in the groove for one an maybe two seasons).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, you could try bud grafting. You will do this in late winter before buds begin to swell. You begin by cutting a 'T' on the stock and then lift the flaps of bark (if you are too early it will be difficult to lift the flaps - wait a week or so and try again, until you can lift them). Then you will slice a bud off your cutting and slip it under the flaps - do some reading between now and next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With bud grafting it may not be necessary to root cuttings to keep the buds alive until late next winter. Instead, you may be able to store buds on cuttings in a plastic bag with some damp paper/sphagnum kept in your refrigerator until then. It would be best if you can wait until after leaf fall, but your neighbor may not wait. If so, cut the leaves off just below the leaflet pair closest to the stem (the new bud is at the base of this stem where the petiole joins the twig).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rooting cuttings is your best hope IMHO, and failure is the most likely outcome - it just ain't easy. But go for it!!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T22:02:58.277" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26922" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26918" CreationDate="2016-06-27T22:06:25.053" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Confusion of terminology; June drop refers specifically to fruits voluntarily dropping from a fruit tree during the month of June, and is not a term used for anything else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If a branch has fallen from your tree, then that branch has either died, or there was a problem where it was attached to the rest of the tree causing it to drop off. You should be able to tell if the whole branch was dead simply by looking at it, but you might want to check the tree itself thoroughly, just to make sure the rest of it is healthy, because the loss of this branch might indicate a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T22:06:25.053" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26920" CreationDate="2016-06-27T22:13:05.380" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Absolutely you can use 'lawn fertilizer' for other plants.  What you HAVE TO know is the entire chemistry of your fertilizer in that bag and what the your soil tests show and what you are trying to achieve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For instance, vegetables, such as leafy greens could possibly be ok with this high nitrogen fertilizer.  Does it have any herbicide included?  Then DO NOT USE IT EVER AGAIN. Is it sulfur based?  How much iron?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Purchase proper fertilizers and only apply them judiciously!  Read that label.  Organic, slow release fertilizer is the best.  Lower numbers are better...fertilizer IS NOT FOOD.  You are just replacing chemicals those plants we stuck in the ground need and is not available in your soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want flowers or most vegetables where you want reproductive growth you have to have nitrogen being the lower of the 3 numbers.  I used this stuff my hubby bought that claimed it was for vegetables...6- 5- 4.  6% of the bag of stuff was actual nitrogen, 5% of the bag (weight) was phosphorus and 4% was potassium.  And all I got was great leafy growth and little fruit/vegeys/flowers. That first number has GOT to be lower of the three if you want flowers or fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd use that stuff on your compost pile to help it decompose.  Now there is a great application of high nitrogen as the decomposers have to have nitrogen to do their thing.  Not a lot and a bit of moisture will help you decompose your kitchen scraps.  I am glad you've gotten over lawns.  Took me years to learn all about that monster...a little lawn is fun...too much is just dumb...oh, unless you are feeding animals with the grass...that is different.  That is a pasture not a lawn...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T22:13:05.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26924" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26919" CreationDate="2016-06-27T22:22:15.587" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well I'm confused. Aspirin, or salicylic acid, is said to mimic a hormone in tomatoes which aids disease resistance. That's one thing, but quite why Advil has been suggested I've no idea. Advil and Tylenol are certainly not the same - Advil is one of the nsaids, and its primary ingredient is ibuprofen, an anti inflammatory, whereas Tylenol is acetaminophen, or paracetamol to us in the UK. Ibuprofen is good at reducing inflammation, paracetamol is better at dealing with fever, both may reduce pain, but I can't see that either would mimic the action of actual aspirin for a tomato plant, unless the blood thinning (in humans) effect of both aspirin and ibuprofen means they mimic one another in a tomato plant, but I can't find anything on line about using Advil for tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Found this on the benefits of using aspirin as a spray on tomatoes&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantea.com/plant-aspirin.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.plantea.com/plant-aspirin.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Interesting - you've now edited the question to include aspirin, but I've already said that aspirin can be used for tomatoes, yet cannot see why advil and tylenol should be expected to do the same job - they are different chemical formulae, different drugs, as already advised. So the answer to your question in its new format is No, they won't do the same job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-06-28T00:37:38.277" LastActivityDate="2016-06-28T00:37:38.277" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26925" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26931" CreationDate="2016-06-27T22:38:08.570" Score="1" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;When watering my sunchokes I notice they get as cold as the water going on the plants. Why is the water cooling the plant so quickly instead of over time, and not staying at about the same temperature of the air, or the surface of the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-28T06:36:02.700" Title="Why does watering a plant cause temperature changes?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26926" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26904" CreationDate="2016-06-27T22:43:24.520" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;For any line trimmer, I think, one can get a different head other than the bump and go.  Gotta wear glasses and be on your toes about where you send rocks and other stuff that can kill, blind or bust out windows.  Those shields help but they actually cause more harm because we think they are protecting us from flying rocks. Bump and go heads with shields are like bicycles and training wheels.  Can't see what the heck you are doing and make one pretty complaisant to danger and effectiveness. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just go ask for a stationary head that fits your trimmer. One cuts off sections of line to fit and then threads them through the head.  Once it gets too short one just simply replaces the line.  Make sure the line is absolutely equal.  To do that turn the wacker upside down and trim your line on concrete or a big rock.  You'll hear the difference in sound...it'll go grrrrrrrrr at a lower tone and then rise...can't figure how to type it, grins.  You'll know.  Equal lengths are vastly easier on your motor and vastly more effective.  Hey, longer is not better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like the star shape, doesn't last as long but is viciously effective.  DID I SAY WEAR SAFETY GLASSES?  And gotta remind one when using gas powered equipment (the only ones to use in my opinion, not electric whimpy stuff) WEAR EAR protection as well.  I had to fire guys that would go around the corner and take their glasses, ears off.  I had two of those idiots lose an eye apeice.  Man, did I get pissed and no one ever heard the end of my admonitions!!  Dumb and dumber.  Like, I'd sit for hours until the idiots of my guys got their seatbelts on...most of my guys were brilliant and understood. sighs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other tools for thicker weeds to include a mower looking gismo that easily knocks down chews up bramble and woody shrubs.  Another is a small blade instead of line that will take down 4&quot; caliper trees.  Always use the right tool for the job or risk injury, ruining your equipment and/or looking like an idiot.  Grins!!  Hey, I considered going into a weed wacker competition, I think I know what I am talking about!!  Grinning widely!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T22:43:24.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26925" CreationDate="2016-06-27T22:59:26.063" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's no mystery here - if you pour cold water over something, it gets cooler or cold, but once the water stops, the temperature stabilises over time. Same thing happens on your own skin...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T22:59:26.063" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26929" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26881" CreationDate="2016-06-27T23:11:27.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like you have automatic watering.  What is the schedule?  Doesn't look like you have or will have problems with the dang tap water, this is an annual afterall.  Pots GROW GREAT tomatoes!!  Just cut off those bottom leaves that are non producers of food for your tomato and cut off those curled leaves.  Sterilize bypass pruners with alcohol...keep your fertilizer sparse and definitely the first number less than the last two numbers.  This tomato should do just fine.  Your plant looks very healthy...no smokers, can't imagine if these curled leaves are even a problem.  Cut leaves off at the main stem.  As long as this pot has no rock, gravel at the bottom and is full of just potting soil...water deeply and allow to dry down to an inch before watering again.  That pot would do best to be raised off the surface so there is an air gap to facilitate drainage.  Otherwise watch for powdery mildew which is common when plants are in pots under a roof and protected from wind.  Easy to control...if you get this ask away and we'll tell you how to treat and prune.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-27T23:11:27.527" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26930" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26899" CreationDate="2016-06-28T06:29:16.790" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The typical screw in device for garden hoses is a vacuum breaker. Anti siphon valves are different ways of handling the same need. I don't know of an anti-siphon valve meant for hose connections.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are you using the small plastic vacuum breaker or the brass one? I've had a brass one on the top side of a hose connected watering timer and haven't had any issues with it. I have pretty high water pressure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6vH27.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6vH27.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;photo from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/3-4-in-Brass-Yard-Hydrant-Vacuum-Breaker-VB34ANL/203449604&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.homedepot.com/p/3-4-in-Brass-Yard-Hydrant-Vacuum-Breaker-VB34ANL/203449604&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anti-siphon valves are usually plumbed into PVC pipe that is part of some hard connected irrigation systems. They have some specific requirements such as needing to be a certain height above the maximum sprinkler outlet. If the brass vacuum breaker doesn't work you might want to try one of these with appropriate stubs of PVC pipe and fittings to make a hose connection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's an example of an anti-siphon valve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uYMYR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uYMYR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/3-4-in-Anti-Siphon-Irrigation-Valve-with-Flow-Control-DASASVF075/100036021&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.homedepot.com/p/3-4-in-Anti-Siphon-Irrigation-Valve-with-Flow-Control-DASASVF075/100036021&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A third option would be to put the vacuum breakers on each of the exit ports of your timer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be mindful that there may certain codes that apply to how you hook up your system. Will vary by location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2448" LastActivityDate="2016-06-28T06:29:16.790" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26931" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26925" CreationDate="2016-06-28T06:36:02.700" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is physics, not botany.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water usually is colder then ambient (not really, it is just above the mean yearly temperature, which happens to be much cooler that one think, and it is lower than the day temperature). In general ground and water keep temperature more constant, so more you dig, less temperature changes you have. Around 10m (30ft) you have temperatures that don't change nor during day, nor during the year, so it is very like the mean temperature). Water pipe are installed on ground, so they are cooler than day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is also an additional reason. Vapor have much more energy than water, so, in order to evaporate, water take heat from ambient. One could try in the shower, with water temperature constant, changing the water stream size, it will change the &quot;apparent&quot; temperature.  Firefighters use vaporizers also for this reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if you need to water a plant, water the ground, with relatively large drops, or just a regular flow.  If instead you need to control the temperature (it is done e.g. on tomatoes in greenhouses), very small drops will reduce temperature, and they will also evaporate quickly, so without increasing risk of deseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-28T06:36:02.700" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26933" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-28T11:35:39.547" Score="4" ViewCount="1578" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an hortensia which is getting more and more brown leaves (see pictures)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uKd8V.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uKd8V.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2s75R.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2s75R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ground seems OK (not dry). Any idea on a possible cause?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am using tap water as I did for years, the same I use for all the other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This are the moisture level measured with Parrot Flower Power (I have no previous values due to a strange bug):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I2uF4.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I2uF4.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The vase has some gravel on the bottom and a hole at the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I added some fertiliser one week ago (a specific product for hortensiae from Gesal: 7% Nitrogen, 3% Phosphorus pentoxide, 5% Potassium oxide, 0,01% B; 0,002% Cu*; 0,05% Fe*; 0,02% Mn*; 0,001% Mo; 0,002% Zn*)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves began to turn brown a couple of weeks ago but in the last few days it seems that it is accelerating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="778" LastEditorUserId="778" LastEditDate="2016-06-29T05:35:56.467" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T06:39:41.057" Title="hortensia and brown leaves" Tags="&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26934" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-28T18:16:30.950" Score="2" ViewCount="2136" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read that pouring dish detergent down an animal hole in the garden will cause the animal to leave the area. Does this work and does it kill the plants? I have a problem with chipmunks in a flower bed. Thank for your help&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15188" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-06-28T18:30:32.330" LastActivityDate="2016-06-28T19:48:56.347" Title="Does pouring dish detergent down a chipmunk hole get rid of them from my garden?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26935" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-28T18:26:24.040" Score="1" ViewCount="2013" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why are there two kinds of spreaders and which one should I get? This is not a question of product recommendation, but rather, which kind of spreader is more popular and why? Or should I have one of each?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastEditorUserId="14191" LastEditDate="2016-06-28T18:27:08.477" LastActivityDate="2019-04-23T07:27:00.683" Title="What's the difference between drop spreaders and rotary spreaders?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;yard&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26935" CreationDate="2016-06-28T18:26:51.570" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The main difference is uniformity vs speed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most broadcast/rotary spreaders spread quickly (high volume, low accuracy); in other words, the average broadcast spreader typically spreads about triple the rate of drop spreaders. So for many products with a low application rate (usually pesticides and fertilizers) you may spread too much (here and there), or have a little accident where you ran out too soon with a broadcast spreader. Essentially you can't accurately adjust/calibrate rotary spreaders which is important for some lawn chemicals (like like 30-0-0 fertilizer, soil acidifiers, and pesticides), which need to be applied with a little care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The biggest drawback with broadcast spreaders (besides applying too much) is knowing the true application rate and achieving uniform application. Drop speaders are better for that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Drop spreaders easier to calculate and calibrate because you can measure the width of the spreader, and trust that the spreader is dropping granules uniformly, regardless of the speed at which you walk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Width multiplied by the length of the pass equals the (applied) area. Calibrating say a 24&quot; spreader by putting a couple of pounds of some product that covers (for example) 7000 sq. ft. per 20 lbs in it and walking 350 ft is how you calibrate a drop spreader (easy). At the end of 700 ft you should be out of this product. If you ran out early, then you need adjust the spreader settings to close the aperture... or if you have product leftover, then open the aperture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The better way to calibrate a broadcast spreader is to set out a pan and walk over it (at a certain pace), then weigh the contents of the pan and divide the area by the weight (sounds easy). However, the width and rate of application is variable (often more material lands along the edges of the application path) and it's simply more difficult to measure and calibrate (it's not really accurate without painstaking efforts).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The biggest drawback to a drop spreader is that it will be slower and will (almost always) require more passes (walking back and forth) than a broadcast spreader. If you are applying something like grass seed, you could apply it with a drop spreader, but it will probably take three times longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check out the &lt;a href=&quot;http://plantscience.psu.edu/research/centers/turf/extension/factsheets/calibrating-spreader&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;calibration methods from Penn State U.&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastActivityDate="2016-06-28T18:26:51.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26934" CreationDate="2016-06-28T19:48:14.967" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Messing with burrow entrances doesn't work for a lot of burrowing animals, including chipmunks, because their burrows have multiple entrances.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Going from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensalive.com/product/when-chipmunks-go-bad/you_bet_your_garden&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardensalive.com/product/when-chipmunks-go-bad/you_bet_your_garden&lt;/a&gt;  it looks like commercial deer repellent is a good option. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or you can make your own:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Puree 1 hot pepper and 1 clove of garlic into 1 pint of water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Strain with a cheesecloth (or rag or whatever)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put the strained liquid into a spray bottle&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add one drop of dishwashing soap&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spray on plants you wish to protect from animals&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as Dawn killing plants. There are conflicting stories but most are similar to mine: I've used very diluted Dawn on plants for other reasons and the plant was none the worse for wear (Dawn + water = excellent bug killer, btw - good for paper wasp nests).  But none of the things I've read, nor my experiences, are of the &quot;soaking the ground in Dawn&quot; caliber.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendation: If their damage is purely aesthetic, try an owl or hawk statue. They're surprisingly effective.  Or, there's scent deterrents you can get (or make) to keep rodents away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they're nibbling on your plants: spray the plants with the mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's just because there's chipmunks afoot but they aren't actually messing with the look or plant matter - let them do their thing. It's a free tiny bit of tilling. (But then, chips in my yard don't really do anything but zip out, eat the cracked corn I put out for the doves, and zip back into their hole.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think dishwashing soap has an aggressive enough scent to deter them. Scent deterrents are ghastly when you smell them close. And my completely anecdotal evidence that dishwashing soap won't annoy them: I've had pet rats most of my life, for 20+ years I've cleaned their litter boxes with Dawn, and some of them just love camping out in the freshly scrubbed litter box.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-28T19:48:14.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26938" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26934" CreationDate="2016-06-28T19:48:56.347" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No it won't work.  Chipmunks are coming to your yard for any combination of food, shelter and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To block the hole wait till you see the chipmunk outside the hole and stuff chicken wire down it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also used coyote or red fox urine which you can buy from hunting stores.  This only keeps them away for a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A better way is to remove what they are coming for.  Do you have a bird feeder or bulbs like tulips or lilies?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consider using daffodils or fritillaria which are not normally eaten.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-28T19:48:56.347" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26940" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-28T20:27:24.323" Score="9" ViewCount="201" Body="&lt;p&gt;Years ago, hiking in the Malibu CA region, I saw this very unusual inflorescence that looked like a dandelion but isn't like any that I've ever seen before or since.  The yellow flowers in the corner of the picture might give a hint as to what plant this is from--but it's also possible that those are from a different plant.  If anyone can help identify this plant, I'd really appreciate it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IZyWd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IZyWd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;OOOOOH!  Could it be &lt;a href=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Achyrachaena_mollis_seedhead.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Achyrachaena mollis&lt;/em&gt; (&quot;blow wives&quot;)&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or maybe it is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uropappus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Uropappus lindleyi&lt;/em&gt;, aka &quot;silver puffs&quot;&lt;/a&gt;.  I think this is a better match (an image search for &lt;em&gt;A. mollis&lt;/em&gt; shows very different seed head morphology).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15191" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-06-29T04:01:54.057" LastActivityDate="2016-06-29T16:00:29.030" Title="What type of dandelion is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;&lt;dandelions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26941" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19619" CreationDate="2016-06-28T22:32:15.293" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;By trying to pull out weeds by hand you will soon discover which have shallow roots and are easier to pull, and which have deeper roots, which break off when you pull the top out, and grow again later from said taproot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For shallow rooted plants, like crab grass: I use a garden claw to loosen the soil, then pull the plant out, roots and all. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For roots that go deeper or have a tap root: I use a shovel to pull up the plant, then I shake the dirt off the roots and toss the weed away.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-06-28T22:32:15.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26942" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26881" CreationDate="2016-06-29T03:56:08.900" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a Phosphorus Deficiency. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.harvesttotable.com/2009/05/tomato_problem_troubleshooting/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.harvesttotable.com/2009/05/tomato_problem_troubleshooting/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd wager that it's the result of too little P to handle that many flowers. I can't tell from the picture if you've got the suckers all pruned. (Suckers are the shoots that grow just above the terminal (sun) leaflets).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would prune that gal if I were in your shoes. I'd take the main stems down to 1 or 2, and be sure all the suckers were lopped. Ime, you'll still get more, better fruit off of 1 or 2 than the 4 you have, because the nutrient/water uptake will be more focused.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is just anecdotal, but with the fruits/veggies I've grown where there's debate over whether it's better to have more flowering stems or one stem with more flowers, I invariably have better performance with the latter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a good pruning guide, and it applies well even if you're not as concerned with space as they are (that's why I might keeping 2 main stems instead of just 1): &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPf7a96eOlQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPf7a96eOlQ&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For feeding, the retail tomato CRF (9-4-12) CRF just doesn't have enough P to meet the demands of a heavy-flowering tomato plant. Switching to a heavier P fertilizer in late season is necessary, or you get so-so fruit and purpling. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually use a 10-10-10 CRF, with lime and epsom mixed into the medium and some epsom spray later in the year - but Miracle Gro shake and feed &quot;For Palms&quot; is an 8-8-8 with micronutrients built-in, and it's a lot less work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't see anything you've written about what you've fed it.  If you haven't fed at all, relying on the fertilizer in the potting mix, that's almost certainly the issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't get me wrong, Miracle Gro, for as much flak as they get from some folks, does make good products. It's not that the MG mix is bad, it's that tomatoes are heavy feeders.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendation: to keep it simple, get the 8-8-8 Miracle Gro Shake 'n' Feed from Amazon. (I've never seen it in box stores, but have at nurseries. It's price there is usually inflated.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't want to lose a week before the feeding (shipping), order the CRF and pick up a small package / vial of liquid soluable fertilizer at the store to tide you over. It's a good thing to have on hand, even if you're only going to use it once on the beefsteak.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The 8-8-8 is a great all-around fertilizer for fruits and veggies. The MG &quot;all-purpose&quot; is better for decorative plants with moderate flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-06-29T03:56:08.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26943" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26950" CreationDate="2016-06-29T03:59:21.057" Score="2" ViewCount="1601" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a mature climbing rose. It's about 5 years old, so I think it has probably reached its maximum size. It's a little over 6 feet (~2 meters) high and about 2 feet (.6 meters) at its widest point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to plant a young rose of the same basic variety next to it, as close as possible. The preferred spot is to the right of the current one as you look at it, in the space before the fence post, which is about a foot away from the widest part of the existing plant. The leaves and flowers can spread as far as that fence post, or a few inches beyond, but the base must end at or before it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would that be too close? If so, what's the minimum amount of space I should leave between them? I don't mind if the foliage overlaps. In fact, I'd prefer it that way. I'm just concerned about crowded root space, especially for the younger one, which I haven't purchased yet, but is about 1½ feet (.5 meters) tall, and still quite narrow at the base. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, I don't know the variety of this rose, so I'm hoping the pictures will help. I'd have to go back to the store to check the variety of the new one. I didn't want to buy it without getting some advice, and since it's at a department store, rather than a nursery, I couldn't find someone with good knowledge of its growth habit. Actually, I'd love to cover more of that ugly fence, but assume that means a bushier plant with a bigger root ball, which I didn't think would fit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kevinsky's answer made me wonder if the companion plant really has to be a rose at all. I'm open to something else, if it meets the criteria. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pictures are from before it's in full bloom. It's usually prettier than this, with lots of flowers all the way to the top!! (Yes, I'm aware of the holes in the leaves! I thought I should either ask about those separately, or do some research on the site, where I'm sure I'll find some good diagnostic and treatment information.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l0g6W.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l0g6Wl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zlyOp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zlyOp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower full face&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i92gI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i92gIl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Side of flower with leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-01T22:45:11.393" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T23:40:53.670" Title="How close can I plant a new climbing rose to an existing mature plant?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26946" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26955" CreationDate="2016-06-29T08:10:09.713" Score="4" ViewCount="1327" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is winter time in Sydney Australia and the first frost came this morning. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it true that the sun rises and the frost crystals act like magnifying glasses and that is how the grass is damaged?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How do I protect my lawn against frost?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A friend suggested watering the lawn before the sun has a chance to &quot;burn&quot; it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I missed my chance this morning. I have an automatic watering system that can do this for a minute or two daily before sunrise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The grass is a broad leaf buffalo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="695" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T10:39:04.087" Title="How to protect a lawn against frost?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;frost&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26881" CreationDate="2016-06-29T08:29:50.797" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I concur with Paul Nardini that the purple leaves are due to the plant not taking in enough phosphorus. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.haifa-group.com/knowledge_center/crop_guides/tomato/plant_nutrition/nutrient_deficiency_symptoms/#%7BDFC641F4-7299-4652-9849-E4A32EA6E042%7D&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Necrotic spots&lt;/a&gt; can also be a classic symptom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hydroponics.net/learn/deficiency_by_element.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Curled and/or twisted leaves potentially with nectrotic spots are a symptom of copper deficiency&lt;/a&gt;, although other things can cause that, too. I honestly don't think you have copper deficiency there, by the way things look, but I thought I'd throw that out there. I wouldn't worry too much about the curling unless it gets significantly worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any blue fertilizer probably has copper in it (I'm not sure if it's an ideal amount, considering a deficiency), but you can get &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B005KECPOA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;copper by itself, too&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for phosphorus, unless you also need more nitrogen (which you might), I'd just recommend giving it a dose of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.greenwaybiotech.com/products/monopotassium-phosphate-0-52-34&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;monopotassium phosphate&lt;/a&gt;. That seems to work pretty well for my plants. I haven't always had reliable results with the standard comprehensive NPK fertilizers (especially bright colored ones). Some NPK fertilizers are pretty good, though. I tend to prefer to use my own fertilizer combinations. I can be sure to get the ones and forms I want that won't cause issues I'm wanting to avoid (like I don't want them to contain chloride salts or calcium nitrate, because they can harm soil organisms, I've read).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-06-29T08:47:18.367" LastActivityDate="2016-06-29T08:47:18.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26710" CreationDate="2016-06-29T09:15:16.743" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;After googling a lot, I now know what plant this is. This is Dracaena Reflexa or Song Of India . Link to know about care:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/dracaena-reflexa-plant-care-tips&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/dracaena-reflexa-plant-care-tips&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-06-29T09:15:16.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26949" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26972" CreationDate="2016-06-29T09:18:11.727" Score="3" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was watching a documentary on plants, and I came across this section that tells about the effect of music on plants. It says that Rock music kills plants while some other type of music encourages growth. One such music was composed by Roger Roger named &quot;Rhapsody in Green.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these plants music really helpful to plants? If yes, how often do I make them listen, and for how long?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the documentary:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-4w5xYLwiU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-4w5xYLwiU&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="14009" LastEditDate="2016-06-30T06:27:28.400" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T12:58:44.850" Title="Is music good for plants?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2016-06-30T16:32:09.257" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26950" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26943" CreationDate="2016-06-29T10:06:17.960" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The closer they are the more competition and the more pruning work for you. I have roses and clematis planted together within six inches of each other in two areas and it works fine if both are in good health and have a similar growth rate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This setup did not work well with a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/ambr.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Porcelain berry&lt;/a&gt; and a rose that were six feet apart.  The Porcelain berry grew right over the rose and attracted Japanese beetles that ate them both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When two plants are within six inches of each other and both climb or grow up you have to be constantly monitoring to keep them both in check.  It is more maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-06-29T12:55:36.230" LastActivityDate="2016-06-29T12:55:36.230" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26951" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-29T11:03:33.330" Score="3" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have two well-established crab-apples trees on our street, about 15 years old. The last few years they fruited pretty heavily and we were looking forward to harvesting fruit this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However there are no flowers at all this year. We had an unusually mild winter with hardly any days of frost and I wondered if this might be to blame? Do these types of trees rely on cold weather to 'reset their calendar'?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know trees sometimes just don't fruit but there are two of them and these aren't saplings - and literally not one single flower on either!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-06-30T00:46:12.827" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T17:12:46.423" Title="Crab apples haven't flowered this year - could a warm winter be to blame?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;weather&gt;&lt;crabapples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26953" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26956" CreationDate="2016-06-29T14:01:44.523" Score="3" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several potted plants. But my question is relate to general fact rather than about specific plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I have to water my plant when the top layer gets dry? I mean, I wake up in the morning and water my plant, which has dried soil by then. By noon the top soil again becomes dry. Do I water them again or the next day?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My pots vary in size from very small to medium an few big. I fill every pot 1-2 inch with water. Conditions are neither too hot, nor too cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of my plants are Ponytail Palm, Bamboo Palm, Norfolk Pine, Dracaena, Snake, Lime Plant, Sago Palm, Weeping Fig.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-06-29T17:45:06.357" Title="How much and how often do I have to water my potted plants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-06-30T03:51:19.580" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26954" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26940" CreationDate="2016-06-29T16:00:29.030" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let me just preface this by saying that I remember when I took that photo (which, based on the time stamp, was back in April 2013), I had searched on the internet with no success:  various searches by image failed, and searches using keywords like &quot;dandelion&quot; or &quot;star dandelion&quot; were hopelessly futile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And just by sheer luck, Ben Welborn's comment suggesting &lt;em&gt;Gilia sp.&lt;/em&gt; prompted an image search under that genus, which so happened to return a few results for &lt;em&gt;Uropappus&lt;/em&gt;, which I think was misidentified as &lt;em&gt;A. mollis&lt;/em&gt;, and eventually led to what I believe is the definitive genus, &lt;em&gt;Uropappus&lt;/em&gt;, probably &lt;em&gt;Uropappus lindleyi&lt;/em&gt;.  The resemblance in the seed head, at least, is unmistakable:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2QpqW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2QpqW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Source:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://nativeplants.csuci.edu/images/uropappus-lindleyi-3apr2013-35.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://nativeplants.csuci.edu/uropappus-lindleyi.htm&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, I wish to thank Ben, and everyone who provided feedback, for helping in identifying this distinctive plant!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15191" LastActivityDate="2016-06-29T16:00:29.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26955" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26946" CreationDate="2016-06-29T16:24:30.317" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grass is not normally sensitive to frost and is not burned by the sun due to frost crystals.  That is because when temperatures are low the plant goes dormant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information is found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/565.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; where the only issue seems to be a sensitivity to herbicides.  This &lt;a href=&quot;http://sapphireturf.com.au/buffalo-grass-characteristics.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;turf supplier&lt;/a&gt; in Australia notes that is cold tolerant down to -10 Deg C in Canberra.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As long as your lawn has been well watered over the summer months it will have no problems going into the Austral winter months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-29T16:24:30.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26956" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26953" CreationDate="2016-06-29T17:45:06.357" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;What matters is moisture and oxygen (from the air) where the roots are. Too much water = no oxygen --&gt; roots die. Too little moisture and the youngest growth will lose tugidity; i.e., they will droop/sag. It is best to water just before turgidity is lost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In bonsai, people often poke a bamboo chopstick into the soil and they judge when it is time to water by pulling it out and feeling how damp/dry it is to the touch. Just choose a weekend or another time when you will be with your plants all day for a few days. Put a chopstick in the pot among the roots of each plant. Purposely don't water until you notice the plant getting droopy. Since you were checking the chopsticks occasionally, note how the chopstick now feels --&gt; you are now calibrated. From then onward, you just need to check your chopsticks to water just before turgidity is lost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-06-29T17:45:06.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26957" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26962" CreationDate="2016-06-29T18:12:53.937" Score="4" ViewCount="6106" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every year I remove and clean out the raised garden beds and add to the soil. This is the second year using the raised beds. I've noticed that when I mix in new soil and hit the soil, mostly clay, that the beds are sitting on there are tons off roots coming from the clay and spreading out within the raised bed soil. Is there a fabric of some kind that I can lay between the clay and the soil to prevent the invasive roots from getting into the bed? Also is there an alternative way such as placing stone, or some other type of organic base to prevent the roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user14984" LastActivityDate="2019-05-02T19:53:34.317" Title="Preventing invasive roots in raised garden beds" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26958" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-29T19:06:52.093" Score="1" ViewCount="38" Body="&lt;p&gt;The squirrels are eating our strawberries :( We lost couple of our corn plants which were growing really well to the squirrels. Is there any safe way to keep them at bay?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastActivityDate="2016-06-29T19:06:52.093" Title="What is the environmentally safe way to guard the vegetable and fruit plants from squirrels?" Tags="&lt;protection&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-06-29T21:24:24.900" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2908" CreationDate="2016-06-29T19:32:07.167" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;My suggestion is similar to another answer but a little further.  Measure out the base of your pool and where it will go.  BEFORE you setup your pool, cut &amp;amp; remove the grass circle where your pool will go.  Outline it first and make sure you go 1-2 inches down that way you can roll it up like sod and keep it all as 1 piece.  It may actually be easier to do as a square instead of a round section like your pool.  You'll want to have a place where you can store this sod piece and keep it watered all summer while being removed to keep it alive.  You can use a baby pool and keep a little water in it or you can store it on a bed of newspaper, watering every few days enough to soak the paper to keep the grass alive.  The trick is when you put your pool away at the end of the season, you'll be able to replace the section of sod you removed and within a week or two, it'll reattach itself to your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15199" LastActivityDate="2016-06-29T19:32:07.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26960" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1187" CreationDate="2016-06-29T20:52:44.890" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the last two summers, I have been spraying a product called &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000HHM5T0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Critter Ridder&lt;/a&gt; around the outside of my tomato planting area. I haven't had any issues with squirrels since I started using it. Critter Ridder contains black pepper, piperine, and capsaicin (in fact, the spray smells strongly of black pepper), which deters certain animals. The Amazon reviews are mixed, but I've found it to be effective. I live in California, where it doesn't rain during the summer, so I only need to apply it two or three times per Summer to maintain its effectiveness.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="363" LastActivityDate="2016-06-29T20:52:44.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26961" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26976" CreationDate="2016-06-29T22:57:09.887" Score="2" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of avocado seedlings that I started roughly at the same time, one suspended over water and one planted in soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The water method seems to have worked slightly quicker, but it will soon get to the point where it needs planting on. I'm comfortable with doing that, my question is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I remove the pit from the sapling? If not now, when? Or should I ever? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are both to become house plants, not produce trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T20:20:05.073" Title="Planting on pit started avocado" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26962" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26957" CreationDate="2016-06-30T00:19:00.907" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If tree roots are getting in your bed every year then you could do one or both of these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;every spring trench around the bed and cut any roots that have grown towards it.  I suggest that either trees are close or water is in short supply if roots are that aggressive&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;food grade pond liner is environmentally inert, lasts for 25 years and roots cannot penetrate it.  Although not cheap it is a one time purchase.  You must ensure that water can drain out from the raised bed.  Something like: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;taking the bed down to clay&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;laying landscape fabric&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lay crushed 5/8&quot; gravel which is higher in the middle&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pond liner on top.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;top with soil &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T00:19:00.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26963" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26961" CreationDate="2016-06-30T04:50:57.070" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't remove the pit from the sapling, because the seed will provide plenty of nutrients to the tree while it keeps growing. I did this to an apple seed I got growing, and it died right after that. You should just plant the sapling as is, and let it grow out as part of the root ball.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope you have a 30+ gallon pot, because someone who is growing one in USDA zone 4A treats it like a seasonal plant that he puts out every year, and the root system is very big if not, you will need to trim the roots back with bonsai principles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T04:50:57.070" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26964" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26957" CreationDate="2016-06-30T05:17:03.107" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your raised beds are made with lumber or concrete and if you install a bottom you have created a POT.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normally roots do not grow up from the ground unless the tree isn't getting enough water.  How high are your beds?  What is supporting these beds?  Wood, concrete?  Using the garden soil can work for awhile but as you've noticed the clay stays and compacts with little organic matter. The clay is inhibiting drainage and kind of becomes a structural bottom making the raised bed literally a pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The critical zone for all plant roots is the top 4 to 6&quot; of topsoil.  That is where the roots are able to get air and water and sometimes chemistry (not nutrients) if that has been added by a human.  Something like 95% of all plant roots exist in the top 4 to 6&quot; of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this bed beneath the canopy of this tree?  Feeder roots normally are a mirror image of the tree's canopy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is easier and wiser to move the raised bed than it is to replace a mature tree.  Do you have any other space for your raised bed than under the tree?  This must be on the south side of the tree to get enough light, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kevinsky, you correctly hit on the fact roots don't normally grow upwards unless that tree is desperate to find water.  Watering the tree would make sense.  I've been able to control Quaking Aspen roots just by watering the Aspens religiously. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting anything under trees is not a good idea except for a few hostas or pachysandra? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kevinsky, roots are able to go through concrete and asphalt.  Pond liner surely?  Grins!  I've uninstalled pond liner because roots completely riddled that stuff.  I never use just one layer of pond fabric always 2.  I don't even think two layers would have stopped the roots of the willow above the pond.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A raised bed above the roots will kill the roots beneath; no air no water unless there is water the tree can get at by growing up into the raised bed to get at water and air.  One raised bed should not be a big deal, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, landscape fabric would work in this situation. I take back my first statement. With one caveat: ONLY if you use potting soil not garden soil above the fabric.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That fabric slows the drainage and causes a barrier between the flora and fauna of the larger body of the garden.  With that fabric installed, especially pond liner that raised bed becomes a pot.  Literally a pot.  And the hard and fast rule unless you 'make' your own soil and STERILIZE it in the oven, good old potting soil is the only medium to use in pots or 'planters'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2019-05-02T19:53:34.317" LastActivityDate="2019-05-02T19:53:34.317" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="26965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26946" CreationDate="2016-06-30T05:24:44.247" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know what frost is like in Australia, sadly...but here it is a big deal for lawn grasses.  The deal is to NOT WALK ON YOUR FROSTED LAWN.  This breaks the blades and crowns and if your grass is frozen enough will kill the grass you walk upon.  You'll actually be able to see your footprints in the spring.  Just stay off your grass when the lawn is frosted/frozen.  Seriously...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T05:24:44.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26966" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26968" CreationDate="2016-06-30T07:19:35.383" Score="9" ViewCount="8883" Body="&lt;p&gt;I went on vacation and left a generous amount of water in my supermarket bought basil pot that I keep outside of the window. But it is very sunny in that spot as it's high up and facing South, and the last couple of days have been hot I think, so the water was far from enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of the leaves are yellow or brown and the plant looks very thin and dry. But there are also some very tiny green new leaves and the blossoms it had are still there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rQBDF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rQBDF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the basil is very yellow&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is it worth trying to revive that thing or should I discard it? If I try to get it back up, how should I best go about it?&lt;/strong&gt; I already added water yesterday night, but that disappeared completely, so I added more this morning. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15205" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-06-30T07:51:14.460" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T15:38:19.500" Title="Can I revive my basil that wasn't watered for a week?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;window-box&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26967" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-30T07:47:08.820" Score="4" ViewCount="3605" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wanted to propagate a cutting from my rubber tree, so I followed the instructions in the guides below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/111828-propagate-rubber-tree-plant-cutting.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Garden Guides&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ehow.com/how_6352277_propagate-rubber-tree-plant-cutting.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;eHow&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/rubber-tree/propagation-rubber-tree-plant.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gardening Know How&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1485360/trimming-propagating-rubber-tree&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Garden Web Forum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I trimmed a long branch off of my rubber tree, cut it diagonally about 5&quot; from the highest bud, dusted it with rooting hormone, and set it in some potting soil. I then enclosed the pot and I have been keeping it watered and humidified with a water sprayer. Pictures are below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been about 2 weeks since this procedure, and I am wondering if there is anything more that I can do to ensure this cutting thrives. The instructions say that I should pull the plant from the soil and check for new roots, but I'm afraid that doing so might hurt the plant. Also, the leaves have become floppy and are now touching the sides of my enclosure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I pull up the cutting to check for new roots? What else can I do to help my cutting take root?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;BTW, this question is a followup to my original question about caring for a rubber tree plant, here:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24117/how-to-trim-a-rubber-tree-plant-when-all-of-the-leaves-are-at-the-top&quot;&gt;How to trim a rubber tree plant when all of the leaves are at the top&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the pictures for larger size.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LeanF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LeanFm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FiGlo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FiGlom.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8RxcL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8RxcLm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0So9I.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0So9Im.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13483" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-09-30T02:10:24.570" Title="How can I propagate a rubber tree plant from a cutting?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26968" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26966" CreationDate="2016-06-30T07:49:02.807" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Worth it&quot; is often personal taste. Of these plants (in those store-bought pots are many young plants, not one), the smaller ones with the large leaves on top will probably bounce back and grow a bit more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The large ones with blooms possibly not really - those will focus on producing seeds, then die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have in the past seen those pots as &quot;disposable&quot;. For an all-season growth it helps to take them apart in bigger or multiple pots so that the individual plants have more space. But at around 2€ per pot.... Also, those are in a pretty bad shape, and the dark stems near the soil could indicate some fungus, very likely from before the drying out incident.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you really want ro revive it, you need to be constant with watering and start fertilizing, but not at the full dose as long as the plants are this weak. As I said, I'm not sure the blooming plants will bounce back, but if you snip the blooms, there is nothing left for photosynthesis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For future pots, make sure to always harvest by pinching the tops, this significantly stretches the time until flowering - flowering means less leaf mass and often a change in taste. And pinching encourages branching out, giving you more leaf mass in total.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T07:49:02.807" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26969" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26949" CreationDate="2016-06-30T08:19:47.327" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I know, plants have no ears, or any other audio organ to &quot;hear&quot; or &quot;listen&quot; music. Many plants, of course, can be physically impacted by the vibration of sound and plants in general, do respond to external forces, such as gravity (geotropism), or your pruner. But sound, even those &quot;better&quot; sound (music)? It's almost nothing when compared with even the lightest wind or drizzle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the &quot; documentary&quot; states that &quot;Rock music kills plants while some other type of music encourages growth,&quot; Then there should be publication(s) documenting such astounding breakthrough and would have attracted a heckuva lot of attention. No, never heard of it, or just me living under a rock?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15206" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T08:19:47.327" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26970" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26966" CreationDate="2016-06-30T10:29:28.853" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes. It is very interesting to see a dry basilicum to improve within few minutes (so you see it in real time).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basilicum is a plant who originates in dry places, so it will not die, and at first rain it will restore.  I also don't remember changes in flavour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T10:29:28.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26946" CreationDate="2016-06-30T10:39:04.087" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, it depends on the type of grass. Some species are more robust, so you should seed the correct variety mix, and possibly complement with annual seeds on every early spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T10:39:04.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26972" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26949" CreationDate="2016-06-30T12:58:44.850" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This one &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/brother/br-jvmj2.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;goes back a ways&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In the early 1950s Dr. T. C. Singh, head botanist of the Annamalai University, India, discovered that the hydrilla, a water plant, reacted to Indian ragas played on violin, flute, and vina. Further experiments with various pitches of sound caused certain plants greatly to increase their yields. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://dengarden.com/gardening/the-effect-of-music-on-plant-growth&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;In the 1970's&lt;/a&gt;, Country music was found to have no effect on plant growth, Jazz is beneficial, and Rock will kill your plants. One of the researchers,  Dorothy Retallack, even wrote a popular book on the subject: &lt;a href=&quot;https://openlibrary.org/books/OL5430692M/The_sound_of_music_and_plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Sound of Music and Plants&lt;/a&gt; (1973).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Music does jiggle air around, but as far as I know, no mechanism of action has ever been tested, nor have there been any large scale trials. I'd think that, if music worked, people would know about it, and use it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T12:58:44.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26973" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26974" CreationDate="2016-06-30T14:36:07.220" Score="2" ViewCount="1367" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing a scorpion pepper plant and I have an issue. Since transplanting,  all of the new growth is white. I used miracle gro potting mix. The seedling was previously in a pot with a different plant of which I don't know what is in the dirt. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The picture shows the plant. The half green leaf was already half formed when transplanted. The existing green stayed while the new part became white, which is why that leaf is partly green and partly white. It has been 2 weeks and it is continuing to grow new leaves that look healthy, but they're green and white. It is kept indoors. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why would the leaves be growing white and green like this all of a sudden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xCyTi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xCyTi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15210" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-01T21:33:48.163" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T21:33:48.163" Title="Why did the leaves of my pepper plant become partly white after transplanting?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26974" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26973" CreationDate="2016-06-30T16:19:03.283" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should gradually move this plant outdoors for more light.  Start by putting it in a shaded area and move to full sun over a period of a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should green up (ie: produce more chlorophyll in the leaves) in response to higher light levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T16:19:03.283" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26975" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26967" CreationDate="2016-06-30T16:23:53.050" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is not really anything more you can do than watch and wait.  The propagation method you chose requires patience.  One reason is due to the Ficus family having white sap which can form an impenetrable barrier to new roots forming.  Often they root from the perimeter of the cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keep the humidity high&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;provide bright diffuse light.  (do not let it get too hot)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;patience&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did you consider just cutting down the old plant?  Most Ficus will readily sprout new leaves from the stem where they were cut  back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T16:23:53.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26961" CreationDate="2016-06-30T16:29:11.067" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure, leave the pit attached.  However I don't think you will have much luck keeping your avocado's at a foot or two in height.  These plants want to become trees and exhibit a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/13660/499&quot;&gt;strong apical dominance&lt;/a&gt;.  When you cut them back they put out &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/2176/499&quot;&gt;one new leader&lt;/a&gt; rather than several.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to keep them as house plants do not immediately put them in a big pot.  Gradually increase the pot size once or twice a year or when pot bound. This will ensure that the plant does more then grow roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T16:29:11.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26951" CreationDate="2016-06-30T17:12:46.423" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It can happen that you'll get no flowers due to missing the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilling_requirement&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&quot;chilling&quot; requirement&lt;/a&gt; (the tree's calibration for &quot;winter happened, OK to flower now.&quot;) That is commonly described as days below 45F, so freezing is not absolutely required for it, and it varies with different varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my area we seem to have lost the flowers (and thus fruit) due to some wild gyrations in temperature, with an overall warmish winter and some very warm early spring, but a sharp cold snap/hard freeze late that appears to have killed most of the buds. We had adequate chilling, but a freeze at the wrong time will kill the flowers once they have broken dormancy. Concentrating on pruning for form and hoping for better luck next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T17:12:46.423" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26978" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26992" CreationDate="2016-06-30T17:49:48.377" Score="5" ViewCount="258" Body="&lt;p&gt;For reasons unbeknownst to me one is not supposed to plant tomatoes and potatoes in close proximity to one another. But what about putting compost containing tomatoes onto potatoes or vice versa? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14882" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-06-30T18:23:08.850" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T06:54:51.803" Title="Do you recommend putting compost containing tomatoes onto potato plants?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26979" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-06-30T17:56:17.447" Score="2" ViewCount="126" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems obvious to not shock roots with hot or cold water when watering, but are there benefits to using water with a certain temperature?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, can temperature stimulate root growth or have any benefit at all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15103" LastEditorUserId="15103" LastEditDate="2016-06-30T18:53:41.167" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T03:30:38.610" Title="Watering plants and temperature" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-07-01T15:36:07.257" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26961" CreationDate="2016-06-30T20:20:05.073" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As per other excellent answers, no, don't remove the pit, it will likely damage or kill the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As another persuasive data point, I've bought trees which have been commercially grown which still have the pits attached.  Also, have a look at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyMogjYoldY&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this video&lt;/a&gt; - Lynwood Avocados are New Zealands premier avocado grower - if you go to 56 seconds into the video you will see clearly that the experts leave the pits on.  (Also 2:12 onwards)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-06-30T20:20:05.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26981" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26985" CreationDate="2016-06-30T21:48:38.923" Score="6" ViewCount="4920" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VbI50.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VbI50.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Meyer lemon tree as of 7/21/17[![Meyer lemon tree as of 7/21/17&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mfn4k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5bn5M.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;3&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5bn5M.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;3&lt;/a&gt;I discovered 2 days ago that my lemon tree appears to be dying. I'm not sure when it began. Because I have never had problems with this tree, I simply did not notice it turning brown. My neighbor noticed it and informed me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prior to this it was healthy, green and had green buds and flowers. It typically puts out beautiful, delicious lemons every year. Although it is watered perhaps every 2-3 days, it receives little water from the sprinkler as it is some distance from it. The soil does drain well and dries in between. It sits directly in the sun. I have never had to fertilize it, but I do keep it pruned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree was here when I bought my home 9 years ago. Nothing has changed in the management of this tree. However, about 2 or 3 weeks ago, I sprayed a very tiny bit of Roundup to kill a weed growing up through the crack of my driveway. I is about 8 feet from the tree and directly parallel to it. I have never used Roundup in this area before. I only use it at the base of my driveway because my yard is full of ornamentals. The only thing I can assume is that perhaps some of this herbicide leached into the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the leaves are brown and curled, but there are some green buds still present. Some of the branches are dried and brown when scraped, but others, while brown, have a green, moist texture underneath. I scraped the bottom of the tree trunk and it is moist and green as well(see pic). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There does not appear to be any fungus or infection of the tree trunk; actually, it appears quite healthy. I soaked the base of the tree one time and have gone back to the regular watering schedule to avoid drowning the roots. I don't know what else to do now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice on how I can save the tree if it is dying from the herbicide?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cYEcP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cYEcPm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xZLi7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xZLi7m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Brown Meyer lemon tree with scraping of base&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Keb6E.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Keb6Em.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rudfc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rudfcm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some updates on the tree's current status, with some new branches and buds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cWeYH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cWeYHm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oQu8V.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oQu8Vm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6RLw5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6RLw5m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15211" LastEditorUserId="15211" LastEditDate="2017-07-22T03:00:06.487" LastActivityDate="2019-01-05T21:59:34.303" Title="How can I save my Meyer lemon tree?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26981" CreationDate="2016-06-30T22:57:00.507" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I never thought I'd be saying this but that tree is DEAD.  For all intent and purposes, no one barring magicians or a god could bring that guy back.  Bummer for sure.  Let's figure out what happened that you could learn from, watering schedule, a picture of the bottom of that trunk in the soil, and a larger view of the other plants nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The low cover looks dehydrated by this picture.  The amount of concrete and paving and gravel could have easily cooked this guy's roots even with lots of water.  Where the heck do you live and what temperatures are happening??&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Very dead, sweetie. The trees in the background look stressed as well. I don't think any glyphosate could harm this cute tree without killing the groundcovers as well.  This appears to be heat damage and/or not enough DEEP watering versus a little now and then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-01T15:21:22.010" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T15:21:22.010" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26983" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27084" CreationDate="2016-06-30T23:26:13.280" Score="4" ViewCount="358" Body="&lt;p&gt;We bought 2 varieties of strawberries: Everbearing and June bearing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pictures below show the ones that were produced by the two ever bearing plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L5zNP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L5zNP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1GRbe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1GRbe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sQG53.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sQG53.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see the fruits are not getting big and they look as if they are dry. I mixed steer manure with top soil before planting them in the planter boxes. The June bearing plant is producing (though not a lot) decently sized fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My neighbor looked at these plants and suggested to use fish fertilizer as he thought it could be that the soil is lacking some nutrition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So can anyone tell me why these strawberries look this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt; Here's the picture of the strawberry planter box:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5MmVb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5MmVb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastEditorUserId="11971" LastEditDate="2016-07-06T21:52:35.673" LastActivityDate="2016-07-06T23:40:01.950" Title="Does anyone know what nutrient is lacking in these strawberries?" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26984" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-01T00:14:13.547" Score="2" ViewCount="576" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had new sod installed about 2 months ago, and am getting these weird dry spots. I'm not sure which type of grass it is (Colorado), and they seemed to appear after a few really hot days in the high 90's. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water about every other day for 15 minutes, and have started soaking the affected areas when I get home from work around 5:00 PM. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this just look dormant? The surrounding grass seems to be doing fine. I can see green blades peeking through a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pxhAh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pxhAh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;west&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kSiCm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kSiCm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;west close&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15212" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T03:18:04.177" Title="Fairly new sod dry spots?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;sod&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26981" CreationDate="2016-07-01T02:16:34.870" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have green living material under the bark then it might not be dead.  Lots of die back, yes.  I recommend cutting it back hard to remove all dead leaves and minor stems.  Then water and wait....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T02:16:34.870" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26986" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-01T03:13:55.103" Score="0" ViewCount="122" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you put about a 6&quot;+ of mulch on the a food forest floor, do you need to worry about nitrogen fixing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T14:45:41.913" Title="Do you need to worry about nitrogen fixing if you mulch heavily?" Tags="&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-07-01T15:56:13.880" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26987" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26984" CreationDate="2016-07-01T03:18:04.177" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best advice I can give you is to re-seed those patches. They may not be healthy for who know why. But with the grass coming in it might be fine giving some time. Otherwise I do not have much to say...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T03:18:04.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26988" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26979" CreationDate="2016-07-01T03:30:38.610" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hot or cold water will not benefit the plant in any way. Water that is hot (even the water in a hose that was left out in the sun all day) can scald the foliage and also harm the roots. While cold water can really damage the plant's roots, especially tropical houseplants. The best temperature is between 62f and 72f (or room temp.). Timing does play a role however. Watering in the morning is the best time. The temperatures are cool and less water will be lost do to evaporation from heat. Not saying you could not do it during the day, try to make sure the water is not hot from leaving the hose out as said before. Or even cold if it comes from a cellar like mine. It tend to be very cold. And in summer I have 90f weather. Do not water to often, for which wet foliage is susceptible to fungus infections.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T03:30:38.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26989" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26978" CreationDate="2016-07-01T03:34:30.240" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see nothing wrong with putting potatoes in by tomatoes because it will not seed as long as the spout is off, ,which will help. for tomatoes by potatoes I would be best off not doing. The seeds could start growing. Thou this can be good fertilizer you will have to put up with all sorts of tomatoes coming up. Not saying that you couldn't weed them out. Otherwise go ahead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also I can see if the potato is fairly well just a little old the roots of the tomatoes will just go around. At least I am thinking...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T03:34:30.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26990" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-01T04:42:17.763" Score="2" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;My sunchokes seem to getting bigger by the day, and may develop some rot if I'm not careful, so I was wondering how I should go about watering my sunchokes with &quot;free&quot; water to get the highest yield that I can possibly get.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-01T16:10:40.037" LastActivityDate="2016-07-02T02:27:55.497" Title="What procedure should I do when I water my sunchokes?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;sunchoke&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26992" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26978" CreationDate="2016-07-01T06:54:51.803" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The potential problem is due to the fact that potatoes and tomatoes are closely related, both members of the nightshade family, Solanum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This means, they are both susceptible to a few fungal diseases, which can &quot;jump&quot; from one type of plant to the other. Note that there are more members of the solanum family that are less susceptible, but can carry the diseases nonetheless, e.g. eggplant / aubergine (S. melongena), and even more distant relatives like (bell) peppers and chillies (Capsicum annuum) and petunias.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most prominent ones are early blight (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternaria_solani&quot;&gt;Alternatia solani&lt;/a&gt;) and late blight (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytophthora_infestans&quot;&gt;Phytophthora infestans&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Late blight, the culprit in the Irish potatoe famine, is an especially robust customer, the spores can survive easily in the soil, even for years, which is one reason crop rotation is recommended. But above all, &lt;strong&gt;infected plants should not go into your compost heap&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to get back to the original question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost containing originally healthy plant parts is fine, if diseased plants were composted, there is the risk of spreading the infection. This is not limited to related plants in the garden beds &lt;em&gt;right now&lt;/em&gt;, but you may be introducing the fungus to your soil, &quot;contaminating&quot; it for a few seasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T06:54:51.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26993" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26966" CreationDate="2016-07-01T10:58:07.960" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes. That one still has green leaves so it still has chlorophyll to make energy from the sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are planning on travelling put an inch of water in that blue container and it will self-water for a while, depending on ambient temperatures. I normally try to find white containers for the water to lower the evaporation rate a bit. You can also cover the water container, and base of the plant, with a white towel to further conserve water, depending on how long you will be gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastEditorUserId="11061" LastEditDate="2016-07-07T12:56:43.720" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T12:56:43.720" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1187" CreationDate="2016-07-01T11:06:21.087" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;When squirrels eat or just nibble on juicy fruits like tomatoes, they are looking for water. So give them a dish of water they can reach. They can climb almost anything. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T11:06:21.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26995" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26986" CreationDate="2016-07-01T14:45:41.913" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You appear to have confused nitrogen fixing (the process where bacteria and legumes work together to fix nitrogen from the air into the soil in a plant-usable form) with nitrogen depletion, a temporary condition caused by the breakdown of carbonaceous materials tying up nitrogen reserves in the soil and keeping plants from using them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;MY observation and methodology is that mulch, on top of the soil, not mixed in, has a limited ability to pull nitrogen from the soil, since it is only contacting the surface of the soil. So, I don't get too concerned about it. When or if it gets mixed/tilled in, you'll need to wait 3 weeks or so for the stuff to decompose, or things planted there will be nitrogen-starved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending what you are mulching with, 6&quot; is probably way over the top, which seems to be a recurring theme with you. Straw, which is hollow, does not pack easily, and has lots of air-space might be OK - your coffee grounds that we keep telling you to put in the compost pile would be a moldy disaster 6&quot; deep. You certainly need to maintain a clear area around the stems of plants and especially trees/shrubs or you will kill them with mulch that deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T14:45:41.913" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26996" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="26997" CreationDate="2016-07-01T16:16:09.127" Score="4" ViewCount="6400" Body="&lt;p&gt;Three weeks ago I bought a potted Ginkgo biloba from a local nursery, with strong green leaves. I've never looked after a Ginkgo before but I watered it every other day apart from the day we had heavy rain. It's been in a sunny spot and I've recently moved it into a part of the garden where it's shaded on one side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is how it looked the day I bought it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5mf5R.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5mf5R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And this is how the leaves look like now:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BUr27.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BUr27.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Almost every leaf is yellowing on the outside. I understand that one of the features of Ginkgo trees are their strong yellow leaves in the autumn but this seems a bit early.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the south-east of England.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="147" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2016-07-01T17:22:30.440" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T22:41:05.800" Title="Should I be concerned about Ginkgo leaves yellowing in early July?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26997" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26996" CreationDate="2016-07-01T17:24:47.360" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The yellowing and hint of browning indicates insufficient water. The pot its in is now too small and the tree needs planting, either into a larger pot or into the ground. Relying on rain, however heavy, to water plants in pots is not a good idea, they should still be watered anyway, and because this plant is probably root bound, it can't hang onto enough water because the soil to root ratio isn't right. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best thing to do right now is pot it up into something larger, keep it well watered, then plant into the ground come autumn, again keeping it watered during dry spells for the first year or two. If its going to stay in a pot for a while, water when the surface of the compost feels just dry to the touch, and  water copiously, allowing the excess to drain away freely from the base of the pot. And because of where you live (which is where I am too) another piece of advice - if you decide to keep it in a pot, keep a careful eye on it during October in particular, if October turns out to be dry and not very cold - it will still need watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-01T17:50:17.750" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T17:50:17.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="26999" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26996" CreationDate="2016-07-01T22:41:05.800" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a rule of thumb, the roots of a tree should be free to spread out to the same width as the growth above ground. That size of pot was only meant to contain the tree for a short time (i.e. a few days) in the nursery before it is sold, and to make it easier to move the tree after you bought it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get it into the ground as soon as possible. If you can't remove the container easily, consider cutting the pot open (with pruning shears or something similar) rather than risk damaging the tree roots by pulling the tree trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the roots are coiled up inside the pot, try to spread them out (without breaking them) and plant the tree in a big enough hole to accommodate them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will need to keep watering the tree until it is properly established, but if it were mine I would rather plant it now than wait, so long as you can plant it in its final location - you don't want to move it twice within a few months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can't plant it in its final location right now for some reason, it will help to put the pot in a hole in the ground, to reduce the heating and drying effect of wind and sun on the sides of the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T22:41:05.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26943" CreationDate="2016-07-01T23:35:08.093" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know you've accepted an answer already, and I don't disagree with that answer at all, but just wanted to add something. If your rose has been planted five years and it's meant to be a climber, it's not doing too well, or at least, not looking like a climbing rose should. Climbing roses usually have long, strong whippy stems which need tying onto supports, bending them a bit horizontally, and that's not what I'm seeing in your pics. They vary in height and width enormously, some being capable of covering a house wall top to bottom and side to side, others are more suited to growing up a pillar, and I can't tell which variety you have. If it's actually a climber, then you should expect it to get larger, and I wouldn't recommend planting another rose within five or six feet of it, especially another climbing variety. The other consideration with roses is the possibility of so called'rose sickness', which can occur if roses are removed and new ones planted in the same place; planting another rose very close to an existing one that's been planted for five years might mean the new rose suffers from this affliction because of its proximity to the roots of the other rose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could plant a hybrid clematis to grow up the fence, possibly to the left of the rose if you can find enough space to dig a hole to plant it, but you'd need a suitable support attached to the fence such as clematis mesh for it to cling to. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-01T23:40:53.670" LastActivityDate="2016-07-01T23:40:53.670" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27001" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26990" CreationDate="2016-07-02T02:27:55.497" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sunchokes are drought tolerant plants that prefer well drained soil. It would not be good to over water them in a poor draining soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's no fixed periodicity to water them as it depends on your soil and weather. Unless you have indicator plants such as oleus plants (Coleus blumei) that droop when the soil is dry, you are either going to need to inspect the soil, or use a meter.  Normally, you'd want to water deeply when they need it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-02T02:27:55.497" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27002" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27005" CreationDate="2016-07-02T02:55:14.493" Score="3" ViewCount="11764" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a whole bunch of chilli seeds from a dried chilli pack that I bought. They look golden brown and it seems they have been dried using heat, so I'm not sure if they have any chance of germinating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know if these can germinate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15219" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-02T15:38:36.903" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T09:02:48.830" Title="Can I germinate chilli seeds from dried chillies?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27003" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26981" CreationDate="2016-07-02T03:08:04.887" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since your tree has been defoliated, it will need to survive on stored energy reserves to able to grow new leaves. For this reason, avoid removing any branches that are still alive (green) as you will diminish the amount of stored energy available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the cause of failure is presumed to be heat and water stress to the roots, perhaps you need arrange for some timed watering system while the weather is still hot since it failed with your existing watering system which you have not changed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-02T03:08:04.887" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27004" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30484" CreationDate="2016-07-02T03:11:20.023" Score="5" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a potted dwarf Meyer lemon tree which is just entering its first flowering season (well at least the first that I've had it - I don't know how old it was when I bought it from the nursery.) I have seen a lot of things which say that it is very important to remove all the buds from citrus trees in their first year, or even their first few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this true? Would there be bad consequences if I left a couple of buds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13890" LastActivityDate="2017-01-16T19:00:46.997" Title="What are the consequences of not removing all the buds on my young lemon tree?" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27005" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27002" CreationDate="2016-07-02T05:08:56.137" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is always a chance, but if they have been dried using heat, that chance is small to vanishingly small depending on how hot!  - see &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/germinate-seeds-dried-ghost-peppers-41196.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this link&lt;/a&gt; - although they are specifying Ghost peppers, the advice would be the same.  [ You might be better off trying dried peppers then dried pepper seeds if you are desperate for a cheap solution ]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FWIW, I am doing a similar experiment with dried (for eating) Goji Berries (like peppers, members of the Nightshade family)- and I can confirm that I've just checked them and it looks like a small percentage of the seeds have just started to germinate.  (I am using a variant on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://faq.gardenweb.com/discussions/2766560/the-baggie-method&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Baggie Method&lt;/a&gt; with a better and more controlled heat source as its winter and to cold to put on the fridge), and its been about a week - I'd expect peppers to take 2-4 weeks to germinate if kept at 20-24 degrees C.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-07-02T05:08:56.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27006" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22976" CreationDate="2016-07-02T14:32:55.307" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know this is an old post, but I was searching for information about this variety of Nepenthes and came across it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know how your plant is doing right now, but I suspect your well water is the problem. Well water tends to be chock full of minerals and high in TDS (total dissolved solids), which Nepenthes can not tolerate. All carnivorous plants need to be watered with either rainwater or distilled/reverse osmosis. If you have a TDS monitor and can test your well water (or any water source), the water should have no more than 50ppm TDS. Some say up to 100, but I wouldn't risk it, personally. If it's 50 or lower, it is safe to use on carnivorous plants, like Nepenthes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15221" LastActivityDate="2016-07-02T14:32:55.307" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27007" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27030" CreationDate="2016-07-02T15:54:08.797" Score="5" ViewCount="1317" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 4' by 8' raised bed that I tend to overfill. :)  I have two zucchini plants that are growing very nicely.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To prevent them from covering other plants in the bed, I was thinking of guiding their growth off the edge of the bed so that they will extend over the ground next to the bed instead of covering other plants.  The bed is about a foot high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you think that will harm the zucchini plants at all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm adding some photos to confirm that Graham's advice was good!  I put a little box next to the bed to make the drop a little more gradual.  The zucchini split into three branches, and the neighbors are scared it will take over the neighborhood. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Mrp5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Mrp5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cMjxe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cMjxe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11671" LastEditorUserId="11671" LastEditDate="2016-09-09T12:25:02.240" LastActivityDate="2016-09-09T12:25:02.240" Title="Guiding zucchini growth off edge of raised bed" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27009" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27018" CreationDate="2016-07-02T17:48:50.413" Score="3" ViewCount="2045" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/19663/will-my-basil-plant-regrow-without-leaves&quot;&gt;Same guy, same wife&lt;/a&gt;, different basil plant, new problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I managed to convince my wife that, when removing leaves from the basil plant for use in cooking, she shouldn't remove more than half of the leaves. Well, first, she removed all of the leaves from one, claiming that she thought they all had the same roots. Now, she's removed all of the bottom leaves (since they were the larger ones), leaving a long spindly stalk with just leaves at the top. I have a gut feeling that the plant's probably wasting resources on the three inches of stem before it gets to the leaves. Can I break it off just below the leaves and repot it? Or am I better off just hoping that some leaves will regrow at the bottom (which, so far, they have not despite it being a few weeks since the incident).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11453" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-07-02T23:13:11.160" Title="Repot a basil plant with leaves only at the top" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27010" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27009" CreationDate="2016-07-02T18:18:05.573" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut down half the stems to about half an inch from the top of the soil. If you get lots of new growth, then cut the rest of the lanky stems, but it sounds as if you need several basil plants in order for your wife to collect sufficient leaves for culinary use from different plants rather than practically stripping one.... Whether it needs repotting or not I don't know - if it looks root bound, then do, if it isn't, don't. Were it my plant, I'd risk cutting back all the stems, and replace if it didn't work, but its safer to do it half and half...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-02T18:18:05.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27011" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27023" CreationDate="2016-07-02T18:20:59.530" Score="2" ViewCount="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm using a flower-box that has a ~5l water reservoir. When it's time to use fertiliser, should I use liquid fertiliser and put it into the reservoir or should I apply it traditionally by watering it with diluted fertiliser onto the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14846" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T01:08:18.653" Title="Fertilisation in Flower-Boxes with Reservoir" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27012" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27014" CreationDate="2016-07-02T19:00:37.243" Score="1" ViewCount="391" Body="&lt;p&gt;I put garlic between the hostas, and lilies my mom grows, and the leaves died back, what did I do wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T01:29:33.703" Title="My garlic tops were dying off, butI have tiny garlic to sho for it what did I do wrong?" Tags="&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27013" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-02T19:41:06.607" Score="5" ViewCount="10958" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cannot seem to get rid of this weed that looks like grass. Can anyone tell me what this is&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IbB0j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IbB0j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FAgg5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FAgg5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3BoVG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3BoVG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="146" LastActivityDate="2020-08-16T03:15:29.933" Title="Weed that looks like grass" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27014" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27012" CreationDate="2016-07-02T19:45:20.407" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Garlic needs to be planted in a vegetable garden not with the ornamentals. They need sun, fruphed up soil, proper chemistry and water. Such different plant needs planted together don't work well. &lt;em&gt;Garlic needs to be planted in the fall&lt;/em&gt;...it is a root crop and depending on the temperatures, you've got to plant in the fall for harvest in the late summer early fall the next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A double dug bed with proper nutrients for root growth and planted in an area where the soil doesn't freeze below a few inches is critical.  Ornamental beds are pretty 'used up' with nutrients, compacted and part of a little ecosystem not very amiable for vegetables unless you understand soils and fertilizers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plant garlic every spring because everything is frozen solid during the winter here in well prepared soil meant for garlic, onions, shallots. Shallots are impressing me big time!  New plants going through freezes and hot days and back to freezing and they are also in a raised bed, like a pot!  One of those fabric 'pots' and they are doing very very well.  Very vigorous. My zone is 1b.  Thrilled I can grow shallots. I am soon to have a completely self sufficient greenhouse where we can grow garlic, asparagus, artichokes, kiwi...tomatoes even during the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-07-03T01:29:33.703" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T01:29:33.703" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27015" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27013" CreationDate="2016-07-02T19:53:51.470" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get a little bottle of roundup and a pair of rubber gloves.  Carefully wet your glove covered fingers and stroke a bit of glyphosate/roundup onto the leaves of this...crab grass.  It will take a few weeks to kill the entire plant as this glyphosate is systemic and is transported to the roots where it kills the roots. Apply more if there is viable plant growth happening. Be very very careful NOT to spray, not to drip on any other plant material!  Digging this grass up would be a waste of time.  Keep the grass height NO LESS THAN 3&quot;.  Your grass near the concrete is getting fried because it is too short and too near a major heat sink.  Water deeply, allow to dry out before watering again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-11-23T06:08:10.287" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T06:08:10.287" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27016" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27038" CreationDate="2016-07-02T20:45:33.467" Score="0" ViewCount="207" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard a lot about planting trees together, and was wondering if Kiwiberry will guild well with John/Adams elderberry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-07-03T05:23:05.477" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T08:49:05.280" Title="Do kiwi berry guild well with with elderberry?" Tags="&lt;companion-planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" ClosedDate="2016-07-03T17:53:42.890" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27009" CreationDate="2016-07-02T23:13:11.160" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basil roots very easily. I would cut all the stems down to above their first or second joint and hope for the best. It might put out new growth. It might also be a lost cause. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take all the cut stems and put them in a jar with water. Normally I strip the bottom leaves but you've already got that done for you! Keep the water level up and the cuttings should root in a week or two. When the roots are about 1&quot; long you can pot them. Just don't let your wife take any more leaves until the plant is potted and established as that will stress the plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the basil is growing again you want to pinch it back regularly. The smaller/younger leaves have more flavor. Wherever you pinch back, the highest leaf node / joint will split into two more stems so keeping it regularly pinched back will give a better yield. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally you want to leave the bigger leaves alone. Not only are they not as flavorful as the newer leaves but they will be the leaves that take in the sun and keep your plant going as it gets pinched back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also recommend getting more basil plants. Your wife seems to need more than one plant for her cooking. If you keep propagating more plants you will eventually have enough but you'll have to protect them from her in the mean time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15225" LastActivityDate="2016-07-02T23:13:11.160" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27019" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-03T00:25:49.640" Score="3" ViewCount="67" Body="&lt;p&gt;I took my eggplant inside for the winter, and it's starting to flower again. But I've noticed a variety of insects on it. I see webs so assume that there are spiders around, I see aphids, and psyllids as well with their characteristic crystals deposited on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This guy, about 5 mm long, is one I don't recognise. It has about 6 segments, and some fluffy hair on its tail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/rubvVOA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Insect&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/eivffEG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ventral view of insect&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know how they survive since I sprayed heavily with pyrethrum yesterday.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T07:00:40.933" Title="What's this insect on my eggplant?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27020" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27032" CreationDate="2016-07-03T00:38:30.693" Score="2" ViewCount="1224" Body="&lt;p&gt;The nanking cherry needs 2 of itself to properly grow, but what if you have 2 different cherry types, will they pollinate each other?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T21:42:23.130" Title="Can Nanking Cherry cross pollinate with other types of cherries?" Tags="&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27021" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-03T00:49:53.773" Score="1" ViewCount="976" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a crop of mixed lettuce, raddish, carrots, kale growing in my 'salad bowl crop'a 6'X 6' area.  I just noticed the tiny shot holes of (flea beetles) all throughout the different varieties.  Never have had flea beetles in this garden so I was a bit surprised. (Could have come in via the bales of not so decomposed compost that I used to improve this pumice soil)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could be something else as I couldn't find a live beetle in the soil, roots or the leaves (during the day).  I'll be out there tonight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What else could it be other than flea beetles, any ideas? What I pulled up on the internet was kinda lame but I didn't search that hard.  The information said they fed during the hot temps of daylight? And yet all I could find were tiny possibly beetles dessicated in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any ideas so I don't have to use NEEM?  Gee, would that even work?  How about Bacillus thuringiensis made with beetles in mind?  I know they were working on one decades ago but haven't heard anything. There was one for caterpillars the one we know best, one for flies and mosquitos and one for beetles.  Three types of BT.  Have not yet seen the beetle and fly varieties yet.  Wouldn't it be a good thing to be able to have the BT for flies and mosquitos NOW? Let me know if you've heard anything about BT.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These beetles must come out at night...the leaves are completely peppered with some damage to the crowns of these lettuces.  Anyhoo, I am in the middle of majoring canning and dehydrating and getting frazzled.  I thought I'd ask for  help.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll send a picture by tomorrow of course...but tiny tiny little holes...shot hole only 1/4 the size and smaller.  Seem to love the arugula and a red leaf lettuce best.  Thanks...stormy&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T18:18:37.013" Title="Tiny shot holes in leaves of salad bowl crop" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27012" CreationDate="2016-07-03T01:00:52.760" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on your previous posts, I would say it's because you planted your garlic in spring, only 3 months ago, and you used store garlic that was sprouting, and not seed garlic bred to your local conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spring planted garlic is always going to be puny in comparison to winter planted garlic because it's the cold that simulates bulb formation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T01:00:52.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27023" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27011" CreationDate="2016-07-03T01:08:18.653" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It probably won't matter but if there's a risk that the insoluble components of the fertiliser precipitate out, it would be better to apply the fertiliser from the top, and use the reservoir for water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those reservoirs normally rely on dry soil wicking the water up and that should carry the fertiliser salts with it. But you've got more certainty the other way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T01:08:18.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27024" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-03T01:11:35.153" Score="2" ViewCount="249" Body="&lt;p&gt;So not thinking too swiftly, we have just tilled hog fuel (very large shredded bark/wood fibers) into our soil in prep for seeding lawn.  This is soil that was previously farm land.  We laid down a layer of hog fuel to keep down the mud for the winter (dogs) with our new build house.  The company we bought the hog fuel from told us it would be a wonderful soil amendment to till in at planting time this summer.  The landscapers who put in our sprinklers were horrified when we showed them our newly tilled yard with the hog fuel all nicely mixed in.  After research, I now see the error of our ways and the nitrogen problem.  We REALLY need to plant grass ASAP for mud control for THIS winter, if at all possible.  Please tell me there is a way around this mess without digging all of the soil out and bringing in new soil??  Unfortunately, this is a very large yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15226" LastActivityDate="2016-10-31T22:57:26.423" Title="Hog fuel on newly prepared lawn bed- horrible idea that can be saved?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27025" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27045" CreationDate="2016-07-03T01:24:51.043" Score="3" ViewCount="693" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this relatively large beetle in a pile of wood chips in my garden.  I found smaller individuals of the same species living about an inch underground in my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in central NJ.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The beetle is about an inch and a half long.  It has a hard exterior, and is entirely black except for some things that are orange: hairs on the middle pair of legs, the gap between the head and the midsection, I don't remember where else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The beetle makes a quiet sound, kind of like a hiss, when it gets flipped upside down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I know it can't fly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My top guess is that it is a black ground beetle.  Whatever kind of beetle it is, I would like to know:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does it post any threat to my vegetables/potatoes?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will it bite me?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FBhUi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FBhUi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11211" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T22:51:22.143" Title="Found this beetle in a pile of wood chips, harmful to my plants?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27025" CreationDate="2016-07-03T01:39:38.413" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like a female stag beetle.  Here's a link.  Females look vastly different than the males that have these big pincher 'horn's...&lt;a href=&quot;https://ptes.org/campaigns/stag-beetles/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;female stag beetle&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not only are they harmless (for one thing these beetles, once they become an adult DO NOT EAT ANYTHING...) the larvae eat dead wood, not vegetables or one's fingers! And to top it off they are actually on endangered lists. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-07-03T15:17:15.627" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T15:17:15.627" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27027" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-03T02:50:53.690" Score="0" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;My garlic heads that were dying already didn't turn out too well, and my elephant garlic isn't turning out yet, should I throw the pots in the freezer for a few hours in order to simulate to the garlic it's time to grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T03:39:01.283" Title="Will refrigerator freezing garlic in the pot for a few hours create the necessary cold time required?" Tags="&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27028" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27024" CreationDate="2016-07-03T02:51:37.083" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hopefully you aren't seeding, if so do all of this except the fertilizer and get your lawn sprayed onto your nicely prepared lawn bed.  Crazy to spend all this effort and money just to go throw (please use a spreader) seed and regret that you didn't do just a bit more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you've already installed the sprinkler system, (I am a bit of a ditz today)...I'd fertilize lightly after final rake/grading with high nitrogen, extended release and roll, with a water filled roller to compact soil.  Go back with your grading rake and fill the holes knock down the hills.  Roll again.  Do not forget this step!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For just a bit more sod will get you a nice crop of lawn without weeds.  The weed seeds and weeds below the sod are snuffed out. It just is worth the little bit of extra money.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fertilizer is primarily for decomposition of the hog fuel so for the first year expect to use slightly more. The decomposers will get the nitrogen first, lawn second.  Make sure the turf is laid perpendicular to the slope.  Tight connection from piece to piece edge to edge, and roll the entire lawn again. I would go both laterally then perpendicular to the first rolling.  It will be worth the time and it isn't tough.  Get two rollers, no big deal but not rolling is just lame.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't cut edges until very very last.  Use a garden hose to make curves and only one continuous curve/one radius before curving the other way...similar radius doesn't have to be the same!  The fewer curve changes the better (telling you this because this will come up sooner than later and the edges are a big deal).  Don't use concrete or rocks to line the edges... just a 4-6&quot; trench between plant beds and lawn. Work on that little by little over time. Makes a very pretty edge and the edge is what the human eye sees first! Put the sod against the sidewalk tightly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send pics to show slope of area and where everything is draining if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've laid sod out on gravel and had it last for months. Don't think a little hog fuel with be a bother.  Do not forget to roll or it will be a lumpy mess.  Did I tell you to roll after you've laid the sod?  Flag those heads and just use your knife to cut a circle to allow the heads to pop through.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will need mowing for any kind of success; a lawn mower hydraulic is best, check out commercial decks versus riding lawn mowers.  They have little 'decks' to stand upon for the commercial and I liked far better than riding...make sure that you are able to set whatever mower you get so that you are easily able to keep the height at 3&quot;. Always have an extra sharpened set of blades to change out when the cuts are frazzled on the ends...a line trimmer and I'd get a stationary head and remove the bump and go including the shield.  Just be careful, don't aim at the windows or people and always wear glasses and ear protection. No ipods....grins!! Get the star cross section trim line and use a light hand.  Quite an easy skill to learn.  And get a great blower... all of these should be gas powered (Stihl is very dependable) the world won't be helped at all with electric.  An acre of lawn? Also a rotary spreader for fertilizer. Drop spreaders make too many mistakes.  Just remember to blow any fertilizer off concrete. Once a year aeration pulling plugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know, this is long but I do know lawns very well and hate to see people start out wrong.  Lawns are a very interesting monster that if you understand what you are doing won't cause you any regret.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Allow 2 weeks before mowing...you should not be able to pull up sod at all!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize with an organic high nitrogen fertilizer (inherently slow release) that comes with micro nutrients and bacteria for thatch.  A good example is Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer.  Have to pay more but it evens out as you only have to use 2-3 times per season versus 4.  Check the ingredients but fast release high nitrogen from Scott's or Ortho is not that healthy (better than nothing) for your lawn.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At first you'll have to keep your soil bed under the new sod shallowly watered.  When your grass has been integrated with your soil bed, you can start training your grass to be drought tolerant by watering deeply down 4-6 inches and allowing to dry out before watering again.  The  best indicator is when you walk over the lawn your footprints will stay down.  Then water deeply again...allow to dry out again before watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Always use sharp blades.  3&quot; for leaf blades, no shorter! Cool season grasses have genetically huge root systems and if they aren't at least 3&quot; high there won't be enough photosynthetic growth to feed those roots.  (Fertilizer is not food) Line trimmer for the edges, easy peasy.   With all that hog fuel you'll have to be on your toes with fertilization.  Allowing the grass to stay at 3&quot; there will be very little every weekly mowing to remove.  This height will prevent weed seeds from growing, too much evaporation and the most lush dark green lawn you could imagine.  After training, only 1&quot; of water per week will be necessary unless you've got sandy soil and a lot of slope. After training your lawn, your lawn will stay green whilst others have gone dormant (not good for a lawn btw).  The lawn, as you are seeing, is a very expensive item. Do it right you won't have to do much to keep it the best lawn you could imagine.  (Hey, not 2 1/2&quot;, 3&quot;...seriously).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-01T22:26:39.833" LastActivityDate="2016-10-01T22:26:39.833" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27029" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27027" CreationDate="2016-07-03T03:30:04.437" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why don't you just pull it all out and eat it? It sounds too late to try and grow garlic from mid summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I can tell you're trying to grow store bought elephant garlic but there's a problem. That problem isn't stated. If it hasn't sprouted after being in the ground with your heat, it's probably never going to now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are starting with good garlic seed, and you want vernalization to occur, then:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If you miss the window for fall planting, ensure that your seed garlic gets 40 days at or below 40°F before planting, or the lack of vernalization will mean the bulbs will not differentiate (divide into separate cloves).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will your parents tolerate pots of dirt in the fridge for 1.3 months?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growingformarket.com/articles/how-and-when-to-plant-garlic&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.growingformarket.com/articles/how-and-when-to-plant-garlic&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-07-03T03:39:01.283" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T03:39:01.283" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27030" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27007" CreationDate="2016-07-03T03:36:01.577" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could do this, and it'll be fine. Or you could stake, or trellis it too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This link talks of staking using rebar, and removing leaves below the fruit when it is removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net/pruning-zucchini/&quot;&gt;http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net/pruning-zucchini/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T03:36:01.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27031" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27016" CreationDate="2016-07-03T03:59:03.843" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Elderberry is a large bush, and kiwi berry is a rapidly growing vine that can climb 100 feet up a tree. Physically they don't sound like a good pair. And furthermore you'll need a pair of both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kiwifruit is normally grown horizontally on trellises to make picking the fruit easier as it's quite labor intensive even without it climbing up a tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T03:59:03.843" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27032" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27020" CreationDate="2016-07-03T04:32:27.730" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not the same species as other cherries, but it is in the same genus. It may or may not be pollinated by other cherries. However, I think Nanking Cherries bloom a lot later than the other cherries we've had. So, that might be a problem. Ours didn't have a pollinator of the same species (but we did have a sweet cherry, which did not bloom at the same time) and we usually only got zero to a few fruits a year on the Nanking. I don't think it bloomed the same time as our sour cherry, either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nanking Cherries are Prunus tomentosa.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hansen Cherries are Prunus besseyi.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Regular sweet cherries are Prunus avium.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sour cherries are Prunus cerasus.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ornamental cherries can be from different species than listed above.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, in short, I don't know, but I wouldn't count on it, due to the species difference. Blooming times are important to know, too. You might be better off getting two varieties of Prunus tomentosa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might consider not growing any Nankings and grow &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1472560/cherry-bush-nanking-or-hansen&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;North Star Cherries&lt;/a&gt; instead. They're Prunus cerasus. I've read they may produce better and more abundant fruit. Nankings definitely aren't the easiest, it seems to me from my observations. So, that might be right. However, it looks like North Star is a sour cherry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;url=http://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/garden/07002.pdf&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwj37Yui2NrNAhUEHGMKHa4CAKIQFggmMAI&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNHQ9_bqAjcfr9PrqVrNCv2QpuHflQ&amp;amp;sig2=22hMjnO7qzFv1tYLuAJ4kA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sour cherries, Nanking and Hansen are supposed to be self-fruitful&lt;/a&gt;, but most sweet cherries aren't. Nanking didn't appear to be for us, though (maybe it needs a different kind of spring than generally occurs in southwestern Idaho). So, I'm not sure about that personally. Our sour cherry tree definitely produced a lot of fruit without another sour cherry tree, but we did have lots of other trees in the genus growing around it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-07-04T21:42:23.130" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T21:42:23.130" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27033" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-03T05:26:49.123" Score="3" ViewCount="3598" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've lived in my house many years and have always enjoyed this bush/tree plant in the front that looks a lot like an apple tree (blossoms, leaves).  It has clumps of little green berries (I'm sure not edible) but also every so often produces a couple of apples.  what the heck?  I've (carefully) eaten one or two of the apples and they seem just like regular old apples.  But why are there clumps of green berries (multiple, on little stalks, like cherries grow, only much smaller than cherries). I was just pruning it today and noticed there are a couple of apples on it.  But the little green berry things are confusing me.  Is this thing grafted?  I live in the Pacific Northwest.  Any idea what this shrub is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional photos are at &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/pwBaG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imgur.com/a/pwBaG&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on photos for larger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L0Xwx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L0Xwxm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UtSgW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UtSgWm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LGDAr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LGDArm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F17kS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F17kSm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/acRsI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/acRsIm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uBHTY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uBHTYm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15228" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-04T23:31:27.003" LastActivityDate="2018-08-09T10:49:12.707" Title="What is this bush/tree that has clumps of little green berries but also sometimes apples?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27034" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27035" CreationDate="2016-07-03T05:47:07.293" Score="4" ViewCount="4310" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pumpkin that's been putting out male flowers for about 3 weeks with no females yet. I'm worried I might not have any male flowers open when the females do bloom. Can I save some male flowers in the fridge or freeze the flowers/pollen for later use? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15225" LastActivityDate="2020-09-06T00:42:30.010" Title="Can I save a male pumpkin flower for later pollination?" Tags="&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27035" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27034" CreationDate="2016-07-03T06:47:02.520" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pumpkin plants normally put out female flowers when the plant is large enough to support the pumpkin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pollen can be frozen, and it's best done when dried first.  How long it lasts though depends on the variety of plant unless you have the resources of the seed vaults available to you.  It won't hurt to try saving the pollen. Collect the pollen first thing in the morning as viability drops off during the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pollen doesn't last more then a day in the fridge so that's not worth attempting.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And for information on hand pollination, &lt;a href=&quot;http://pumpkinnook.com/howto/pollen.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://pumpkinnook.com/howto/pollen.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T06:47:02.520" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27036" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27019" CreationDate="2016-07-03T07:00:40.933" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As I don't know better, and as Aphids were a common pest on my eggplants, I'd suggest this is an aphid.  The picture looks quite similar to the one in Wikipedia for &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphis_pomi&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Aphis pomi&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Speculating wildly, maybe the pyrethrum is not effective against this type of aphid, or maybe it has to do with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/19310501975.html;jsessionid=C79FD52AE4335580B0FAC4A9E9713C75&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;where the pyrethrum was manufactured from&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My wifes formula was water infused overnight with finely cut garlic + some soap, sprayed on the leaves as a spot treatment.  I do note that this was for a different type of aphid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T07:00:40.933" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27037" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-03T08:38:44.107" Score="2" ViewCount="210" Body="&lt;p&gt;When planting a seed, it is covered with a thin layer of earth. The initial shoot penetrates the soil and starts photosynthesis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there plants which can be planted (as a seed) much deeper than a few centimeters? What is the maximum depth a seed of any plant can be planted and still sprouts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15229" LastEditorUserId="15229" LastEditDate="2016-07-03T16:47:08.223" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T19:40:47.067" Title="What is the maximum depth a seed can be planted?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27038" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27016" CreationDate="2016-07-03T08:49:05.280" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sambucus canadiensis (or S. nigra subsp. canadiensis)&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; is not suited as &quot;support&quot; or &quot;trellis&quot; for &lt;em&gt;anything&lt;/em&gt; with significant weight, especially not for vines - and kiwiberry is thick and strong enough to support hanging bridges...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I harvest elderflowers or berries, I use a walking stick or similar to gently pull down higher branches. Young shots are very flexible. Old wood, on the other hand, is quite brittle and breaks easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So no, this is absolutely no feasible plan.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; I presume that's what we are talking about according to our previous discussions...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T08:49:05.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27039" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-03T08:52:17.667" Score="5" ViewCount="380" Body="&lt;p&gt;My oak appears to be dormant. I am in Cape Town, its winter and around 6- 14°C overnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My oak tree sprouted 8 suckers and they are growing strong. Why would the tree not sprout from the trunk or branches (buds are not swollen) but sprouting suckers with leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Suckers look extremely healthy, should I take them off the tree to preserve the energy for spring? Why would they sprout?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KFlI8.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KFlI8.png&quot; alt=&quot;oak bonsai&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15103" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-07-03T15:15:02.000" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T15:15:02.000" Title="Suckers on dormant tree" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27040" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27002" CreationDate="2016-07-03T09:02:48.830" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife successfully grows chillies from our cockatoo's bird food. Dried chillies in the food sprouted 100% success rate so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;She places them in coconut seed propagation disks and they sprout within 4 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15103" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T09:02:48.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27039" CreationDate="2016-07-03T11:55:06.827" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If its indoors, that would explain why its producing growth of any description - oak is really an outdoor bonsai, only being removed to shelter if temperatures fall low enough to freeze the soil and roots. There appears to be a bud on the main stem about half way up (in the picture) but I can't tell whether that's dead or not. First, check the main stem's condition by scraping back a bit of bark with a fingernail near the top to see if the main stem has died - if its greenish and moist beneath, it hasn't, in which case you should remove the basal shoots or suckers. It should still be outdoors though - the overnight temperatures you describe are not even minus ones, but now, you'll need to harden it off first. If the main stem is dead, then the only growth you're ever going to get is off the base, and you might then want to decide whether you want to keep the tree or not. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having said all that, I'm curious as to why there's no topgrowth in the form of branches, but merely a straight trunklike stem... what's the explanation for that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-03T13:10:10.360" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T13:10:10.360" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8363" CreationDate="2016-07-03T14:35:50.880" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will probably grow back as a wild apple if it was originally a grafter tree. If it does grow back, instead of poisoning the stump, just graft a new Apple variety of your choice onto one of the sprouts! You will get the choice of your apple variety, and it will grow WAY quicker than a new grafted seedling or sapling, because it ALREADY has a mature root stock, and now it can put all it's energy into above ground growth of the grafted part! And if you don't know how to graft, hire a tree expert (couldn't cost more than $50) or just google it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15230" LastEditorUserId="9703" LastEditDate="2016-07-03T23:45:04.797" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T23:45:04.797" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27043" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27073" CreationDate="2016-07-03T19:59:40.433" Score="1" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;My sunchokes are attracting about twice as many japanese beetles as a sunflower would, should I do anything to control them, or just let them be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vsBU9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vsBU9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;japanese beetles on sunchokes&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T18:02:24.703" Title="My sunchokes are acting like beacons for japanese beetles, should I do anything?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;sunchoke&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27044" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27051" CreationDate="2016-07-03T20:53:53.207" Score="0" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;W few years ago we decided to clean out the rocks under a huge basswood tree, and ever since then it was sending up many suckers from the base of the tree. How do I prevent this from happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.minneapolisparks.org/_asset/5rs7pm/large/suckers.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://www.minneapolisparks.org/_asset/5rs7pm/large/suckers.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-07-03T23:44:24.247" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T14:20:21.650" Title="How do I prevent suckers from coming up every few weeks on a developed tree?" Tags="&lt;suckers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27025" CreationDate="2016-07-03T22:51:22.143" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Actually, that's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passalidae&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bess beetle or Patent Leather Beetle&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Odontotaenius disjunctus&lt;/em&gt;). They eat rotting logs and are beneficial. Put it in the woods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HneAp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HneAp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastActivityDate="2016-07-03T22:51:22.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27046" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27061" CreationDate="2016-07-03T23:08:14.873" Score="5" ViewCount="9223" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was identifying a relatively young tree in my yard, and I'm pretty sure it is a Mulberry tree.  I live in Massachusetts and came across this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dfg/nhesp/species-and-conservation/nhfacts/morus-rubra.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; stating that red Mulberries are endangered in Mass so I was motivated to investigate further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Red and white Mulberries are the most common types, but it doesn't seem to be either one.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Red: The undersides of the leaves are not downy so it seems that it is not red. The undersides are somewhat scratchy. I also live close to Boston (Somerville) which seems like an unlikely location.  On the other hand, it is growing on the side of a hill in the understory of some large spruce trees which seems to be a preferred location for red.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;White: Looking at this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/fnr/fnr_237.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt;, the leaf margins do not look like a white.  The leaf edges of mine are pointy but white has more rounded edges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have some pictures below.  Would love to find out which kind of Mulberry it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More details in response to comments:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tree hasn't fruited yet&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leaves are about 4-7&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tree is about high 15' high&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can see a bud in the photos&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kTfG1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kTfG1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RFfnG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RFfnG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7ZSkL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7ZSkL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uwNJj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uwNJj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11671" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-10T18:24:42.430" LastActivityDate="2019-08-11T16:18:53.303" Title="What type of Mulberry tree is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27047" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-04T04:13:31.877" Score="0" ViewCount="33" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking at the space required for the plants I have on order, and some require full sun, and others can tolerate shade, so how much space do I need to leave between trees, and bushes to consider them to be full sun when they get older?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;examples:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;pression is 50 foot tall with a 40 foot span could be next to a hansen's bush cherry which is a 5 foot bush with an 8 foot span&lt;br&gt;&#xA;a russian mulberry is a 40 foot tree with a 20 foot span could be next to a blackberry which is 7 foot bush with a 15 foot span&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-07-04T04:19:39.207" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T05:21:24.760" Title="When properly spacing out plants how much of an opening do you need to consider something to be full sun?" Tags="&lt;design&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-07-04T19:28:24.223" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27048" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27050" CreationDate="2016-07-04T05:09:11.840" Score="3" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was watching a video on bare root tree planting, and was wondering if you really need to use mycorrhiza if planting a tree/bush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-07-04T05:17:32.267" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T06:23:53.087" Title="How important is it to use mycorrhiza if you're planting trees, and bushes?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27049" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27047" CreationDate="2016-07-04T05:21:24.760" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Full sun is about hours of direct sunlight received. If it gets more than 6 hours then it's full sun, although there are time-of-day and seasonal variations that can affect how much energy the plant gets out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think you can accurately predict how much shade you will get from a tree unless you place an upper bound and start hacking at the tree if it exceeds its sunlight allocation and even that would require a lot of micromanagement. Now do that for every other tree, bush and larger weed. Finding the optimal placement would make for an interesting Computer Science project, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd suggest planting now according to current sunlight and correcting later when you actually have trees blocking your sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T05:21:24.760" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27048" CreationDate="2016-07-04T06:23:53.087" Score="2" Body="&lt;h2&gt;In general, it is not important, you can't avoid it!&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most farmer knew nothing about it back in the days...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mycorrhiza will naturally occur in healthy natural environment. If you plant a tree with home grown compost, you do add &quot;mycorrhiza&quot; anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;One case I know it is: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Truffles&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They do this e.g. to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.micofora.com/index.asp?al=&amp;amp;idioma=EN&amp;amp;opc=39&amp;amp;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;grow truffles&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is important in this case for your crop yield in that case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Particular cases&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sure there are trees that cannot grow at all if they don't have one special mycorrhiza... But then it will be on the roots (even bare) when you plant it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T06:23:53.087" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27051" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27044" CreationDate="2016-07-04T14:20:21.650" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You answered your question yourself. You cleared out the base of the tree. The tree has the evolutionary instinct to reproduce. Therefore, it is putting out suckers. Without covering up the base in some manner, you will never be able to stop the suckers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can buy and spray some herbicides/weed killers from your local gardening store. You will not always have success and you may end up harming your tree for very little in return. You should research and make sure whatever you spray is not going to harm your specific tree. Following this, you will still need to restrict future growth somehow, anyway, so I'd forego this and just weed by hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can put down barrier cloths, which are no different from the idea with the rocks. So, you can choose to do something permanent, or, if you like doing things by hand, you could just go down once every so often and give them a good weeding. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, some trees take very unkindly to pruning and will put out shoots with a vengeance, so find out the right season where growth is about to slow down, like Fall, to apply growth restrictions such as plastic tarps/cloths, rocks, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T14:20:21.650" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27053" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-04T18:35:09.840" Score="3" ViewCount="291" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know if anyone has successfully eradicated this vine from their yard/flowerbeds. I have just ordered a gallon of Remedy herbicide and am going to attempt to cut the vine near the ground and paint the herbicide on the stem. I have years of growth to deal with as I didn't know what the vine was several years ago when it would have been easier to control. I saw a news article where helium was used to kill Kudzu vine, does anyone know if this would work for killing &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocculus_carolinus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cocculus Carolinas&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15235" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-07T02:29:41.570" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T02:29:41.570" Title="How can I get rid of Cocculus Carolinus vine?" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27054" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27055" CreationDate="2016-07-04T18:39:38.790" Score="1" ViewCount="548" Body="&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/dieffenbachia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/dieffenbachia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Light&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  Another false belief about Dieffenbachia's is that they need very little light. This is actually wrong, light shade is acceptable but nothing darker. To maintain a healthy plant you should be giving indirect bright light. Too bright however and the leaves will scorch, too dark and you will be left with a leggy and sickly looking plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have to light at least one light even during the daytime in our rooms. Rooms are small. Light spreads everywhere. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have dumb cane. How do I protect it from the tubelight? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="332" LastEditorUserId="332" LastEditDate="2016-07-05T05:47:33.760" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T05:47:33.760" Title="Have fluorescent lights in both rooms. How to protect Dumb Cane/Dieffenbachia?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27055" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27054" CreationDate="2016-07-04T18:57:59.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Dieffenbachia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dieffenbachia&lt;/a&gt; will grow under any kind of light.  There is no need to protect it from interior light even if it is on 24 hours a day.  See my answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3279/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe when you write about &quot;tubelight&quot; you mean fluorescent lights. There is no quantity of lights or length of artificial day light that will burn or scorch leaves as long as they are at least four feet from the light source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T00:36:57.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27056" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27053" CreationDate="2016-07-04T19:05:05.663" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ask.extension.org/questions/127077&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; suggests that&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;an individual stem treatment with trichlopyr, a 1% solution mixed in&#xA;  diesel or black oil seed. The chemical would be applied to 12 to 18&#xA;  inches of the basal vine stem, making sure that the chemical wraps all&#xA;  the way around the stem (method named basal stem treatment). A&#xA;  registered product that could be used in a lawnscape is readily&#xA;  available and is named &quot;Ortho's Brush-Be-Gone&quot; or &quot;Ortho's Poison-ivy&#xA;  Control&quot;. The instructions on the label of these two products should&#xA;  be followed. I am not aware of any chemical that is currently&#xA;  available that can be sprayed on the leaves .&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T19:05:05.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27037" CreationDate="2016-07-04T19:40:47.067" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sprouting depends on light (or absence of), heat, water, temperature, and oxygen levels. Soil type affects these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the seed successfully sprouts, the developing pumule and roots depend on the stored energy reserves in the seed to grow until it can penetrate the soil to reach sunlight. If it can't reach sunlight before its reserves are exhausted, it will die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A rule of thumb is to plant the seed at twice its diameter in ordinary soil conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T19:40:47.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27058" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-04T21:06:32.463" Score="7" ViewCount="372" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this caterpillar a few days ago, and at that time it was green with lighter green stripes running along its body, black spots on its head, and a few fine hairs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7A4h4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7A4h4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Caterpillar&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z9QyP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z9QyP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Caterpillar up close&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It had made a leaf of one of the purple coneflower plants in my backyard its home by curling it around itself using its silk. It had also eaten part of the leaf it was in. Wanting to show my younger brother to raise it into a butterfly or moth as a little project over the summer, I picked the plant and placed it into an unused aquarium. On that night it proceeded to a different leaf and made it its new home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over the next few days my brother and I took care of the caterpillar, and during that time it seemed pretty happy eating the leaves from the coneflowers that we put into the aquarium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I found it this morning within the now wilted, curled-up coneflower leaf, it was yellow. I don't think it has eaten anything at all for the past day either, and up until now it still hasn't. My thoughts were that it was getting ready to pupate, yet it still seems small and it refuses to climb any of the sticks in the container; also it crawls along the edge of the aquarium and is still doing so at this time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be nice if I could get some help with identifying this caterpillar so I can take the appropriate measures. So far nothing has come up when searching for caterpillars that feed on purple coneflower leaves, though the species of caterpillar that it seems to resemble most closely is the sleepy orange, &lt;em&gt;abaeis nicippe&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt; I added a little soil to the container and after a little crawling around the caterpillar pretty willingly dove in. Could it be a species that forms its pupa under the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15237" LastEditorUserId="15237" LastEditDate="2016-07-04T22:10:31.460" LastActivityDate="2020-08-07T18:15:21.270" Title="Help with caterpillar identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;butterflies&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27059" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27053" CreationDate="2016-07-04T21:32:07.160" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Triclopyr + cut stump = dead infestation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My lot was covered with Hell Vine (Trumpet Creeper), Virginia Creeper, and Grapevine when I moved in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grapevine was easy, Virginia harder because of so many smaller roots, Hell Vine basically roots like a sponge in the ground so I still occasionally get sprouts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's my tips:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hunt for a big root. If the root you're following disappears underground, you can mark or treat it, or ignore it and go for the daddy roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't use a foam brush - the solution will eat through the glue. Even a high-quality foam brush (Jen brand) will lose it's glue. Use a cheap regular brush, crush the metal with pliers for better hold.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't dilute the solution.  You're only applying one or two mL at a time, no need to dilute for cut stump on invasive vines.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you want to be super careful (I have in a few instances), then after applying to the root, cover it with a sandwich bag and zip tie it closed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A plastic cup is fine during the application process, but put the solution back in the bottle or it WILL dissolve the cup. (Found that one out the hard way)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This stuff is STINKY - nitrile gloves or you'll be stinky too.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's a PITA to hunt for and dig up daddy roots, and even more so if you're wearing nitrile gloves and carrying herbicide with you.  I recommend you pick up a $2 bag of marking flags from the hardware store and make it a two part process. Hunt/dig/mark, then cut/apply/secure.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apply to both sides of the daddy root, as the daddy root either a) goes to other sprouts, or b) will send up a gang of sprouts when it's cut.  (This applies to any root that goes back underground, actually).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You'll know in a couple of hours what foliage was affected and what wasn't. You can repeat the process as early as the next day, tracing healthy foliage back to the root.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T21:32:07.160" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27061" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27046" CreationDate="2016-07-04T21:48:13.680" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's a White.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaf margins look a bit off because they range from more saw-toothed to more rounded. The leaves with fewer lobes have sharper margins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ime (have 4 on my land, two old, two young) they'll be &gt;15' tall before the bark starts acquiring ridges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T21:48:13.680" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27062" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27063" CreationDate="2016-07-04T21:59:58.887" Score="1" ViewCount="193" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was planting a &quot;free July&quot; tomato plant, but when I was trying to pull it off the plant wall while planting, and accidently broke it off, what do I need to do to help it survive? I was planting it about an inch off the bottom of the pot so that it could grow roots all over the stem, in order to promote root growth as much as I was able to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The specific type of tomato if that matters was a purple cherokee.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T22:48:48.477" Title="If I accidently broke off the top of a &quot;july free&quot; tomato at the dirt level, what do I need to do to help it survive?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27063" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27062" CreationDate="2016-07-04T22:20:43.663" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can root the part that broke off in soil. The problem is, you'll probably want to shade it for a few days, or the sun might kill it. Just plant the cutting in the soil, water it, and shade it. After a few days, if it's still alive, it should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've done this successfully before for at least one tomato plant that a cutworm or something like one severed, granted I didn't need to shade it since the area was already partially shaded. The plant was severed more than once; so, I did it multiple times. The knowledge of sun killing new cuttings (and some transplants) comes from experience and observations with cuttings and transplants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Humidity domes can help outdoor cuttings, if it's not too hot (think less than 80° F.) but it's not really necessary for tomatoes here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Giving the plant a little extra potassium (e.g. potassium sulfate) should help the plant, too (to absorb water and other stuff), but again, it's not strictly necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the other part of the broken plant (the stem that already has roots) in the soil, it may or may not grow again. If it's only at the soil level, it will likely die. If you could put that indoors very close to a 22+ watt fluorescent bulb, it might grow new shoots, but it really depends. The more and closer the light, the better. If there are sections of stem where leaves are or were, that will help. If it has leaves, it has a greater chance of survival, unless, maybe, it's pretty young.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-07-04T22:48:48.477" LastActivityDate="2016-07-04T22:48:48.477" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27064" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-05T00:31:26.533" Score="2" ViewCount="994" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm running a test on growing tomato plants with about 80% coffee, and another with about 20% coffee in layers. What one should I expect to do better?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both have silty sand from the bottom of the compost pile, since I've heard that silt is excellent for growing plants in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T13:14:32.507" Title="Can coffee grounds be considered soil?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;&lt;coffee-grounds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27065" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-05T02:38:03.710" Score="2" ViewCount="2076" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the Boston metro area, which is a zone 6a/6b.  The grass we currently have does not do well in the summer at all.  The center of our yard is full sun most of the day and pretty much dies when the real summer heat arrives.  Therefore, I am considering planting a warm season grass in my yard.  For fun, I planted a patch of Bermuda grass this spring and it is thriving at the moment.  I know that it will go brown in the fall once the temperatures drop.  However, I do not know if it will withstand the winter and grow again in the spring. Winters in the Boston are are quite variable, year to year.  Some warm, with little snow and others modestly cold with lots of snow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone have experience growing a warm season lawn in the northeast?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14872" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T16:44:02.703" Title="Will Bermuda grass survive in Boston" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;plant-hardiness&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27066" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23473" CreationDate="2016-07-05T02:59:59.140" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not familiar enough with South Africa's trees to be firm on it, but it looks like a Yew or Redwood to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T02:59:59.140" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27067" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-04T22:31:24.710" Score="1" ViewCount="49" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have 2 Bradford Pear trees out front. This spring the one on the right was full of blooms, the left one was very scarce of blooms, the right tree is full of leaves, the left one is almost bare. We are very worried about our tree. Are there any suggestions you can give us to save our tree, and hopefully not have the one on the right catch whatever is wrong with the left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Linda Jackson" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-05T19:45:19.450" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T19:45:19.450" Title="Question on my Bradford Pear Tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27068" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-05T05:59:12.870" Score="6" ViewCount="180" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have Dieffenbachia, Money plant, Snake plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the signs I should look for to know whether they have outgrown their pot or not?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="332" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-07-05T10:05:16.693" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T20:07:44.913" Title="How to know whether an indoor plant has outgrown its pot?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27069" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27033" CreationDate="2016-07-05T08:58:27.300" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think Fiasco Labs has the right idea, asking about suckers. The tree appears to be growing like a bush. So, if it's growing on a rootstock (which most apples are), then some of those lower branches (suckers, some people call them) are probably from the rootstock rather than the apple tree it was sold as. Crab apples and such can be used as rootstocks. The branches growing higher from the original trunk (or what is left of it) should be the ones producing regular apples, if this is the case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing someone coppiced the tree and this encouraged the rootstock to produce branches, as well as the portion above the rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the look of the bark, I wouldn't be surprised if you got some mistletoe growing on there later on. So, if you get a surprising third fruit from the tree, that might explain why. In fact, it's possible those small fruits are some kind of rare, green mistletoe, but I'd rule out other things first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-07-05T09:32:44.457" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T09:32:44.457" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2016-07-05T09:32:44.457" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27070" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27068" CreationDate="2016-07-05T10:04:27.097" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are some diagnostics but the best way is the first one:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Once a year take the plant out of its pot.  If all you see is roots circling around then cut an inch or two (2 - 4 cm) from the bottom of the root ball, add more soil to the pot and put the plant and root ball back in. Water thoroughly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when watered the soil becomes dry quickly. Some water sensitive plants like spathiphyllum or peace lily can require more water only days later.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;little or no new growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;depending on species you might see fine hair roots all over the surface&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Snake plants (Sanseveria) tolerate being in the same pot much longer than other plants. I would not rush to repot this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-07-05T20:07:44.913" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T20:07:44.913" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27071" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-05T11:13:14.223" Score="1" ViewCount="594" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw water droplets on the leaves of my dumb cane. Where did it come from? Is it harmful? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the time being I wiped the water with a cloth. What's should I have done?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="332" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T14:10:00.110" Title="I saw water droplets on the leaves of my dumb cane. Where did it come from? Is it harmful?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25335" CreationDate="2016-07-05T12:44:45.557" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I inquired further about this particular tree, and got a name: this is actually a Bhutan Pine, Pinus Wallichiana, as here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_wallichiana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_wallichiana&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thought others might like to know :-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14924" LastEditorUserId="14924" LastEditDate="2016-07-05T14:17:53.567" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T14:17:53.567" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27073" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27043" CreationDate="2016-07-05T13:51:20.260" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience, there aren't many options for controlling Japanese beetles. The choices you have:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hand pick them off the affected plants. This isn't difficult, especially if you go out in the morning while it is still cool. The easiest solution is to hold a bucket of soapy water under the plant, and then pick or push the beetles off the plant and into the water. The problem is that as soon as you remove the beetles, more beetles fly in from elsewhere. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leave them. I haven't actually seen Japanese beetles kill a plant. They skeletonize my Holly hocks every year, but the plants survive well enough to set seed. They almost completely defoliated 2 young Linden trees in my street terrace (and at least a dozen more in my neighborhood), but none of the trees died. The plants just look terrible and may be set back a bit. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the plants they're attracted to. If you don't mind losing the sunchokes, you could treat them as a trap crop and pull them now (drowning the beetles as you do. The hope would be that there aren't other plants in the yard the beetles are willing to move to after the sunchokes are gone. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Convince your neighborhood to try milky spore. Milky spore is apparently quite effective in some areas for controlling the beetles. I've applied it to my yard in the past, but don't see a huge difference in the number of beetles I have compared to the number of beetles neighbors who did not treat have. From what I understand, it is far more effective if all of the neighbors surrounding you use it too. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2016-07-05T17:31:21.583" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T17:31:21.583" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27074" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27071" CreationDate="2016-07-05T14:10:00.110" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Likely &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guttation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;guttation&lt;/a&gt;. Wikipedia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;At night, transpiration usually does not occur because most plants have their stomata closed. When there is a high soil moisture level, water will enter plant roots, because the water potential of the roots is lower than in the soil solution. The water will accumulate in the plant, creating a slight root pressure. The root pressure forces some water to exude through special leaf tip or edge structures, hydathodes or water glands, forming drops. Root pressure provides the impetus for this flow, rather than transpirational pull. Guttation is most noticeable when transpiration is suppressed and the relative humidity is high, such as during the night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T14:10:00.110" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27075" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-05T14:53:11.053" Score="3" ViewCount="2060" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm have two bell pepper plants that seem to be attracting a hungry pest. I'm in Phoenix AZ.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What insect is causing this damage?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this a significant threat to the health of the plant? So far it looks like the plant can do just fine with this level of damage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do I stop it? I've never caught the culprit. I've checked around and under the leaves, and I've never seen any bugs or eggs of any sort. I removed a caterpillar once a few months ago before the damage started but that's it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do know there's some sun damage there - I was out of town during the worst of the heat and it got burned a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rlgcz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rlgcz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;eaten leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/waBDf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/waBDf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;eaten leaf closer&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, on another note - I planted these from seed in March. The package said around 70 day harvest. The larger plant is about 18 inches tall. When can I expect first flowers? This is my first year attempting to grow anything at all so I guess I should be happy with this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13317" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-07-05T20:00:58.963" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T20:00:58.963" Title="What's eating my pepper leaves?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27076" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27075" CreationDate="2016-07-05T15:19:50.783" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like the work of cutter bees to me. Their damage to the leaves of your peppers is often outweighed by their benefit in your garden as a pollinator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's some good reading on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/leaf-cutter-bees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/leaf-cutter-bees.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here's the Wikipedia article:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megachilidae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megachilidae&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T15:19:50.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27077" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-05T15:58:05.147" Score="1" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted chili pepper plants about four weeks ago along with other vegetables. All the vegetables are growing, even the seeds that I planted, but the peppers have grown slightly but seem to be at a standstill now. They are only about 2 inches, they are green and look healthy, but no growth. What do I need to do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15243" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-05T22:03:40.947" LastActivityDate="2016-07-06T02:24:49.987" Title="Why aren't my young chili plants growing?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27078" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27079" CreationDate="2016-07-05T17:08:08.307" Score="13" ViewCount="3276" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was watching a video from Jack Spirko where he said that tomatoes stay up on their own in the wild. How exactly do they stay up then?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2019-01-18T02:22:01.860" Title="Since tomatoes don't need cages in the wild, how do they stay up?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27079" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27078" CreationDate="2016-07-05T17:35:06.600" Score="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;The size of the tomato has been increased with human selection. Wild tomatoes are berry sized, so the plant doesn't need extra support. The same is true for most plants that humans have selectively bred, although for tomatoes, the plant is not fibrous or tough enough to bear much weight. Genetic engineering has come a long way, but it will be a while before jellyfish have (good) bones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2AZ7a.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2AZ7a.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T17:35:06.600" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27080" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-05T17:54:07.153" Score="2" ViewCount="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm familiar with tomatoes having two types, determinant, and indeterminant. Which ones are which, and how should I treat them differently?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T19:53:20.670" Title="What tomatoes should I sucker, and which ones shouldn't I?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27081" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27043" CreationDate="2016-07-05T18:02:24.703" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Spectracide-Bag-A-Bug-Japanese-Beetle-Traps-HG-56901-1/100012648&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This pheromone type trap&lt;/a&gt; will draw japanese beetles from just about anywhere. I once set one up about 100' from a japanese maple that was absolutely infested, and within 10 minutes there was a visible cloud of beetles flying off the tree and toward the trap. The thing must have finished the day with 500+ beetles in it. That said, they'll also draw beetles from the surrounding areas. So they work best if you can place them a fair distance from the area you are trying to protect - at your property line if you have the room. For several days the traps I set up had dozens and dozens of beetles flying around the openings and dropping into the bags (from which they did not escape). After a while the visitation numbers dropped, but so did my observations of beetles on my tree and garden crops. I didn't attempt to add more bait to the traps as my problem was solved to the extend I needed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I will never forget how impressive it was to see all those beetles leave the tree and head straight toward the trap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T18:02:24.703" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27083" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-05T19:18:00.143" Score="4" ViewCount="176" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Upstate New York and planted potatoes very late in the season. Some of the potatoes have sprouted and others have not.  For the one's that did not sprout, I carefully dug up my seed potatoes and they are very mushy. Is this normal and if not what should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15245" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-07-05T19:57:23.073" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T22:46:45.620" Title="Help growing potatoes" Tags="&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26983" CreationDate="2016-07-05T19:27:37.993" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am pretty sure that the steer manure was your first mistake.  I hope it was decomposed but steer manure is just nitrogen and organic matter.  Nitrogen is great for vegetative growth, not reproductive.  Reproductive growth would be the buds, flowers and berries which to me look more...confused than dried up. Look at those leaves, if there was too little water you'd see the leaves reacting as well.  In fact, those leaves are showing me that there &lt;em&gt;has been&lt;/em&gt; too much nitrogen, they are TOO dark green!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd mulch those berries with some non-decomposed straw, wood chips to divert some of the nitrogen to decomposition work.  If you haven't used any other fertilizers I'd find some light fertilizer with no nitrogen and just Phosphorus and Potassium.  I'd wait before using any fertilizer for a month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pick off ALL of the flowers and berries.  Then the excess nitrogen will be used to make bigger, lusher vegetative strawberres plants.  Those flowers and berries are just using up the nitrogen and energy from the plant.  When the excess nitrogen is reduced they'll set new crops of strawberries and hopefully you'll get good berries by the end of summer.  June bearing not so much but your everbearing should go nuts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I could see your entire bed and its surroundings I could also tell you if you should FLUSH your soil before mulching.  Depends on the type of soil and your drainage (slopes, trenches, raised bed styles) and that would help get rid of some of the nitrogen.  However the non decomposed mulch will bring in the decomposer teams who will need that nitrogen big time.  The mulch will also help with botrytis or gray mold by keeping the berries off the soil.  And too much water will cause other problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next year don't use any manure in your gardens for vegeys except perhaps for salad crops.  And check to see the source of any manure you decide to use in the garden.  You don't want to 'fertilize' crops for eating with heavy metals, innoculation chemicals or poo from animals forced to eat GMO crops.  Ugh. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T19:27:37.993" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27085" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27080" CreationDate="2016-07-05T19:53:20.670" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Determinant tomatoes are like a shrub.  Indeterminant more of a vine.  The latter needs guidance to keep from sprawling over the ground.  This indeterminant plant is great for vertical gardening to be able to grow even more tomatoes in less room.  Similar to everbearing and June bearing strawberries, June bearing produces a mass of tomatoes and then stops to do it again the next year&lt;a href=&quot;http://faq.gardenweb.com/discussions/2766765/what-is-the-difference-between-determinate-and-indeterminate-tomatoeshttp://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;tomatoes&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;, everbearing is more like the indeterminant vine-like tomatoe...produces until it dies from frost. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T19:53:20.670" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27086" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27075" CreationDate="2016-07-05T20:00:09.607" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I vote for cut worms.  Just takes one to damage plants.  Go out at night with a flashlight.  They can get fairly big.  Use scissors and cut it in half.  Where is this plant?  The guy might just be in the potting soil curled up for the day.  Dig around a bit.  Leaf cutter bees are the mason bees.  I've never ever seen them actually harm or cut up plants.  In fact, if I did I'd sacrifice that plant hands down for having them in my garden...sweet,  harmless pollinators.  Used to sell mason bees for gardens.  They even make cute mason bee homes...grins!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T20:00:09.607" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27083" CreationDate="2016-07-05T20:23:03.620" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I should read these questions more carefully.  You are saying that you dug up (gardener in the making for sure!) the seed potatoes that have not sprouted?  And they are mushy and &lt;em&gt;kinda slimey?&lt;/em&gt;  If they were not overwintered then we have a drainage problem.  Are the ones that are successfully growing planted shallower or deeper than the ones that have gone mushy?  Those seed potatoes are food for the new potato plant and what the plant doesn't need after it has green growth photosynthesizing to make  food for itself, what is left of the seed potato will become sorta mushy and not necessary anymore.  If the seed potato was larger and had more eyes did you plant them whole or did you cut them up?  Some seed potatos are very small and I just plant the entire thing.  Otherwise to cut them into 2 or 4 sections is necessary.  Gotta see where and what type of soil you are using.  Gotta have drainage, great organic matter and consistent (not lots) of water...and fertilizer.  A more ACID soil!  Check the pH!  I had no idea that potatos love acid soil and I've been lucky I guess for decades.  There are ways to grow potatos vertically with straw that helps grow more in less room.  Fine to start potatoes later as they do not take long to grow.  When the tops start dying, it is time to harvest.  Even before the tops start dying you can begin to sneak baby potatoes to eat.  Truly need lots more information, potatoes are such a cool crop to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-05T20:23:03.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27088" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-05T22:21:56.833" Score="1" ViewCount="781" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've always had a green thumb. Not sure how but it's natural to me. I started growing French dwarf marigolds and semi dwarf zinnias from seed early May. They're just now starting to bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because I wasn't sure exactly how many plants to have per pot and how well different flowers grew together, I planted 2 marigolds and 2 zinnias in a 4 1/2 in wide by 5 1/2 in tall plastic flower pot and I let them take off on their own. One of the zinnias died. The other zinnia is almost done blooming and the marigolds are growing their buds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During the hottest part of the day it starts wilting. I also have to water it 4 times a day. The zinnia I had to stake up because it keeps falling over. &#xA;I'm not sure how to repot flowers that are in one pot with 3 plants without damaging the stem of one of them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I repot my zinnia? Or should I leave them alone since they're doing okay? I keep my eye on them during the heat and put them in shade. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15246" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-06T03:50:30.837" LastActivityDate="2016-10-05T07:49:59.860" Title="Should I repot the zinnia that's in a crowded pot with some marigolds?" Tags="&lt;annuals&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27091" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-06T09:43:25.983" Score="6" ViewCount="175" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife bought me a small tree two years ago from a Garden Show. I am unsure of the variety, sorry!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It had a great summer on our decking, and was thriving. It wintered well, and came back glorious .... however, when we went on holiday, the neighbour watering plants for us, forgot about it. We returned to brown dead leaves. They all fell off, and we were left with three sticks ... I was gutted. &#xA;Instead of throwing it away, my wife left it in a corner of the garden, and amazingly, this year some leaves have appeared on one of them ... Was hoping for advice on what to do to help it recover? Are the others really dead? Do we need to separate and re pot the surviving tree?&#xA; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zYsBh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zYsBh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15252" LastActivityDate="2016-07-06T20:06:48.500" Title="'Dead' Bonsai Help" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27092" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-06T13:47:16.947" Score="12" ViewCount="46876" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have many plants in my balcony, around 20, and recently my Mom has noticed that rats are eating the plants. They finished Holy Basil in one night! All leaves are gone, even the buds. They are also munching on the new leaves of my Money plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I keep the rats off my plants? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is we also get frequent visits from squirrels, but they are not of nuisance, at least to us. They don't eat plants. They just forage in the pots looking for something to eat. My mom is sure that the culprits are the rats, as she finds rat's poop scattered all around the Holy Basil and Money Plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We don't want to hurt any squirrels or pigeons or birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="14965" LastEditDate="2016-07-06T23:41:10.010" LastActivityDate="2019-05-19T16:01:46.357" Title="Keeping rats from eating my plants" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="20" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27093" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27091" CreationDate="2016-07-06T14:27:01.487" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't need to do anything besides your regular regimen for now. Just make sure it's well watered and fertilized. Either the other trees will come back or they won't. If they haven't show growth by the end of the summer, I'd either scrap the bark and see if there is any green or gently bend different parts of the tree and see if the flex or snap. If they snap, then they're dead and dry. Even a healthy branch will break under too much force, though. Just gently flex and test for rigidity. Use a good branch to get the feel for what it should be like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if these trees survive, not all the branches it had before will, this will throw off the balance of the tree. You'll have to see what grows and what doesn't. Then you'll have to start working with it to bring it back into a bonsai shape. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know how your trees are in the pot either. It could be a raft or individual small trees. If it's a raft, you may get growth back on the other trees. If not, and if they don't show any signs of being alive, I'd repot the living tree into a different container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember to use a chopstick or skewer to tell when your tree needs water. It'll change throughout the season as it gets hotter, colder, or more or less humid. Also, fertilize often and with low strength. Maybe 1/4 strength what the fertilizer box says to use. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-07-06T14:27:01.487" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27083" CreationDate="2016-07-06T14:56:27.220" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you planted late, and some did not sprout, and those that did not sprout are basically rotten, you are probably doing about normal for a late planting and should enjoy, encourage and weed/mulch the ones that DID sprout. In the future, try to plant earlier, and be sure to let cut seed potatoes &quot;cure&quot; before planting. You can't do anything about that for this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Cut seed potatoes that are larger than a chicken egg into pieces about 1 inch across or slightly larger. Each piece should have at least one “eye” (the bud where the stem will grow from) -- preferably two eyes. Egg-sized and smaller tubers can be planted whole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Traditionally, cut seed potato pieces are allowed to cure for a few&#xA;  days to a few weeks before planting. This is because the cut potatoes&#xA;  need high humidity, plenty of oxygen and temperatures between 50 F and&#xA;  65 F to heal quickly. If you have excellent, well-drained soil that&#xA;  meets those conditions, you can plant the seed pieces without curing.&#xA;  But if conditions are not right, the seed potatoes will rot in the&#xA;  ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scenec6be.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scenec6be.html&lt;/a&gt; which just happens to be your local land-grant university and extension program. If anyone knows what works in your area, they would be it, and they are happy to help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-07-06T14:56:27.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27095" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27092" CreationDate="2016-07-06T16:45:56.713" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd be very surprised if its actually rats eating your plants - rats will eat almost anything, but plants would be the last thing on the list, unless its a fruiting vegetable plant such as corn. You may have rats coming to check out the balcony, especially if, at any time, you've eaten out there or left other foodstuffs lying around, including things like cat or dog food or birdseed, but if rats really are eating your plants, it can only be because there's absolutely nothing else around for them to eat - and that scenario is extremely unlikely. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Squirrels and pigeons both may attack plants, but the only way you're going to know for sure is to keep watch at night, to see if its a nocturnal visitor, whether that turns out to be rats, or something else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-06T16:45:56.713" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27096" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27092" CreationDate="2016-07-06T18:25:46.513" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wrong...Rats do eat plants and from my experience they especially like herbs.  I have tried to grow herbs for years in my &quot;city garden&quot;  and the rats destroy everything within the first week.  And unfortunately I have no cure - ours have moved on to also eating the electrical wires in our car and the cable tv wires.  Rats are a nuisance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15254" LastActivityDate="2016-07-06T18:25:46.513" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27091" CreationDate="2016-07-06T20:06:48.500" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=images&amp;amp;cd=&amp;amp;cad=rja&amp;amp;uact=8&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwiXz-mozd_NAhUC4WMKHd7KCdoQjRwIBw&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DZWAUAXn4ICw&amp;amp;bvm=bv.126130881,d.cGc&amp;amp;psig=AFQjCNGbl0YUIRL63BTvPkRSvI3GzsvAWQ&amp;amp;ust=1467920810089690http://&quot;&gt;larch bonzai forest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should see some similar bonzai here where the moss is removed and cleared from the base of the trunks...yours doesn't look like larch from this picture it looks more like Dawn Redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides.&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bonsaiboy.com%2Fcatalog%2Fmedia%2Fk3325.jpg&amp;amp;imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bonsaiboy.com%2Fcatalog%2Fproduct1821.html&amp;amp;docid=gaumzhwnmB2iXM&amp;amp;tbnid=qnw6guEWi4P7aM%3A&amp;amp;w=407&amp;amp;h=332&amp;amp;bih=726&amp;amp;biw=1455&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjdzNGQ0N_NAhUK6mMKHeRpAGEQMwg4KAUwBQ&amp;amp;iact=mrc&amp;amp;uact=8http://&quot;&gt;Dawn Redwood Bonzai&lt;/a&gt; By the way these are both DECIDUOUS CONIFERS.  So loss of leaves are normal.  If a plant gets overly stressed they will drop leaves to stop the need to take care of the top growth as a survival mechanism.  I am being optimistic here...please closeups of those buds and clean the trunks off like the first link is showing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-06T20:06:48.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27098" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27099" CreationDate="2016-07-06T20:23:16.257" Score="7" ViewCount="1551" Body="&lt;p&gt;I guess these are eggs of some pest which is infecting the kale and strawberry plants in our garden. Has anyone seen something similar to this? If yes, what did you do to get rid of them without any use of harmful pesticides?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NI1ej.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NI1ej.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9WrFI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9WrFI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T13:24:26.397" Title="Has anyone seen this kind of eggs in their kale and strawberry?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27099" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27098" CreationDate="2016-07-06T20:58:11.360" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think those are eggs. I think they are aphids. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put your gloves on and squish them. It will be easiest, and little is in fact lost, to just remove heavily infested tissue, such as the leaf you show; crush it as you discard it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A jet from your garden hose will usually remedy problems before they become serious if you just make a habit of 'blasting' the foliage when you water (or doing it periodically if you are using an irrigation system instead of hand watering).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aphids siphon off the sugars from photosynthesis, so you'll find them most prevalently on new growth and along leaf veins. If 'squish &amp;amp; blast' doesn't keep them at bay, it may be necessary to spray a pesticide such as NEEM to get back in control (comply with the label instructions!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-07-06T20:58:11.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27101" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27021" CreationDate="2016-07-06T21:46:50.707" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Regarding the Bt for beetles, they made it into a product, but it's not selling (well). I tried it and it didn't really work against japanese beetles. I don't think it's going to be around (on the market) much longer. But I don't know if it would work on flea beetles; I do know it was expensive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I'd say neem generally doesn't work well on beetles either; but I haven't tried it on flea beetles, specifically. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you think the pest is coming out at night, then one very common pest slides to mind, slugs. Slugs often leave tiny little holes, and they eat all of the above. Use (lager) &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqs4YHUr7Kg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;beer traps&lt;/a&gt; to control slugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastActivityDate="2016-07-06T21:46:50.707" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26847" CreationDate="2016-07-06T22:05:25.023" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Japanese Evergreen oak, or Japanese Red Oak &lt;em&gt;(Quercus acuta)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Informative link (including the &lt;em&gt;potential&lt;/em&gt; distribution map #2 shown below): &lt;a href=&quot;http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/QUEACUA.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fact Sheet from US Forest Service&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another informative link: &lt;a href=&quot;http://oaks.of.the.world.free.fr/quercus_acuta.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Oaks of the World&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g2rXD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g2rXD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See the distribution maps online:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ACTUAL DISTRIBUTION:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1LkcV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1LkcV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;POTENTIAL DISTRIBUTION:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O0VBg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O0VBg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastEditorUserId="14191" LastEditDate="2016-07-08T13:05:15.803" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T13:05:15.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27103" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23861" CreationDate="2016-07-06T23:12:17.703" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is this the tomato potato psyllid?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those green bugs are not &quot;The tomato potato psyllid (TPP)&quot; but they are definitely some kind of green psyllids (maybe boxwood psyllids). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do I need to remove the [infected spuds] from the compost pile or is it too late?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Psyllids can travel, but I don't think you have an invasive species... so strict quarantining might not be necessary. As for the compost, if you bury the potatoes (and plants) under a foot (or two) of compost, that should smother the bugs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;And should I remove all guest potato plants from the garden, infected or not?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If &lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7423.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;cultural and chemical controls&lt;/a&gt; aren't working (well), then I would bag them. Generally, neem oil and spinosad work on psyllids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastActivityDate="2016-07-06T23:12:17.703" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26983" CreationDate="2016-07-06T23:40:01.950" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;For my strawberries, I generally use a combination of steer manure and chicken manure.  The ratio I use that has worked for me is 3 parts steer manure and 1 part chicken manure.  I mix these with the soil before I plant my strawberries.  I also use fish emulsion when the plants start bearing flowers and fruit.  I also get rid of the strawberry plants after about 3 years since my experience is they tend to not be as productive as they used to be when you first plant them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-07-06T23:40:01.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25035" CreationDate="2016-07-06T23:58:26.210" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would give it a try.  I have grape vines that I trim all the way back and miraculously it comes back every year with new leaves in the spring.  Good luck and hope they survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-07-06T23:58:26.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27106" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27088" CreationDate="2016-07-07T06:53:40.060" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, go ahead and repot and please use potting soil.  No rocks or gravel at the bottom of the pot.  You aren't going to like this but please cut off all flowers!  These are annuals. Once they are able to set seed then the entire plant dies.  If you are bold cut the flowers off at the main stem.  All the energy going into making flowers and seed goes into the main body of the annual. This makes it larger and more vigorous.  In a week you should see massive buds and blooms. Only fertilize with low nitrogen higher phosphorus and potassium numbers! Try this...I did this for a living...and blew people away when I cut off every flower (well as many as I could) from the entrance 'color' to developments...and the next week there were 3X as many flowers as those I cut off.  And the plants flowered until frost...big time. Once an annual has made seed its one and only job in life has been completed.  If we thwart that plant's ability to make 'babies' then it gets more powerful and produces more flowers.  Keep cutting the flowers off.  Comes a time you can't cut them all off and towards the end of fall let the plants make seed and die.  At least cut off all 1 or 2 day old flowers!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T06:53:40.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27064" CreationDate="2016-07-07T07:54:53.090" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you're not really asking if this is soil, which requires inorganic materials ( ground rocks ) with some organic matter ( humus ), but whether this mixture is suitable medium to grow your tomatoes.  There are many different types of media including those used in hydroponics ( just water alone ), flood and drain systems which use gravel, and expanded clay pellets, to traditional soil.  The elements that provide the necessary growing media include support, nutrients, water and oxygen.  Your mixture of coffee grounds is mostly organic matter in a form not yet available to the plants since it hasn't been transformed to humus, doesn't offer support, doesn't allow free draining so that oxygen gets to the roots, and will just clog up with stagnant water. The coffee will decompose and rot the roots.  If any survive, it will be the one with the lesser amount of coffee.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T07:54:53.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27064" CreationDate="2016-07-07T13:14:32.507" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;100% coffee grounds will not make a great soil, you should mix it with at least 50-75% other soil. Also, coffee grounds are fine for plants that like a bit of acid (azaleas, rhododendrons, tomatoes) but will be bad for other plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should also check your soil pH to make sure it's a good range for the plant that will be in the coffee grounds. &lt;a href=&quot;https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B017GQ9VVY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;psc=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;I got this 3-in-1 tester&lt;/a&gt; for $13usd and it works well enough for me. It tests for light, pH, and moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T13:14:32.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27092" CreationDate="2016-07-07T13:19:41.217" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sprinkle all parts of the plant with finely ground, the hottest you can find, hot pepper powder or hot pepper juice. Spray juice from a mister after filtering out chunks with cheese cloth or a coffee filter. Refresh after every rain. Mammals, but not birds, can taste the hot pepper and after one taste, they will stay away. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can make your own hot pepper juice by soaking 1 part hot pepper powder in 1-2 parts water for 24 hours. Strain into mister through coffee filter in a funnel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wear gloves and do not touch your eyes or face!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T13:19:41.217" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27098" CreationDate="2016-07-07T13:24:26.397" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are aphids. Aphids come in many colors including gray, black, red, yellow, green, and brown. And I've seen them turn orange in the fall (after a frost I think) on a plant I had.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spray with soapy water so they come off. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Or cut off the branch and burn it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Or place the branch in a capped jar of alcohol for an hour. Then put branch in garbage, do not compost in case there are other pathogens on that branch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make a solution from tobacco, the cheapest you can find. Put a handful of tobacco in cheese cloth, tie with a string. Soak it in 2-3 cups water for 24 hours. Strain into mister bottle and spray. The nicotine kills many types of insects. If you are concerned, wait 1-2 hours after spraying and rinse with water to help out the pollinators.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T13:24:26.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22509" CreationDate="2016-07-07T14:20:16.257" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The bitterness is caused by heat. Lettuce likes cool temps, where they don't often get over 75F, if you don't want them to get bitter. When the heat becomes more consistent, certain chemicals are created for flowering, and producing seed. This is what causes the bitterness. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You cannot fix this batch of lettuce but you can grow another batch and keep temps cooler this time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SY2XJUE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;psc=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;recording thermometer, $37usd&lt;/a&gt;, is very handy for these issues. I have this one and it's one of the best deals I could find for the number of datapoints it stores. It also tracks humidity. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T14:20:16.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27114" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24505" CreationDate="2016-07-07T14:25:33.900" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had spiderwort for 10+ years. I actually have 2 varieties: the blue flowered type, and magenta flowered type, both appeared &quot;in the wild&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spiderwort is very tough under a variety of conditions. It does fine in cold weather, and hot dry weather. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It actually does fine if its roots are  very dry. It seems to have thicker roots to store water along with some type of water regulation system. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It does not need a super amount of sun but will survive with moderate sun. I haven't tried it but it might do well in a pot in your house in the winter in a south window.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastEditorUserId="11061" LastEditDate="2018-03-13T15:14:47.477" LastActivityDate="2018-03-13T15:14:47.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27115" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1694" CreationDate="2016-07-07T15:23:39.220" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The purple color is caused by retinal which is the precursor of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is way more effective at processing sunlight then retinal which is why plants ultimately replaced it with chlorophyll. Move your basil to a sunnier area and this shouldn't happen, but also having sweet basil (green) near purple basil will cause it to change as chlorophyll is a dominant gene while retinal is recessive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15263" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2018-07-31T16:50:57.167" LastActivityDate="2018-07-31T16:50:57.167" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="27116" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27119" CreationDate="2016-07-07T15:38:14.670" Score="3" ViewCount="1115" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought this plant ( about 3 weeks before ) and replanted it in my container.I used the desert mix, I live in redwood city CA and it is placed outside and gets a lot of sun ( more than 8 hrs). I have been watering it when the soil get very dry. I noticed these white patches and wasn't sure what to do?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VhN7e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VhN7e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;enter image description here&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's tips are also getting brown, should I be watering more? But I am afraid of overwatering as I have killed succulents before my overwatering them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eQGxm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eQGxm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15262" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T17:01:49.457" Title="What are the white patches on my succulent?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27117" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26966" CreationDate="2016-07-07T15:38:19.500" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it's got green, it might still make it. Basil's fairly hardy, so I'd wager all of those will survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're growing for leaves, pinch the blossoms off as soon as you can do so safely (without taking part of the stem with it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be careful of over-watering, because it won't be aspirating nearly as much. Go back to &quot;if it's dry 1/2&quot; down, flood it&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think those will be just fine. They'll look a little weird, but who cares when you've got fresh Basil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T15:38:19.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27065" CreationDate="2016-07-07T16:44:02.703" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Warm vs Cold Season is a little bit about how much of a sun beating a grass can take, but it's more about temperatures. A warm-season grass might survive the winter, but it'll turn green late and brown early because of the average spring and fall temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand that for a lot of the summer, temperatures in &quot;warm-season&quot; areas are only 5-8 degrees hotter than New England, but the spring and autumn temps have a much larger gap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're looking for something to thrive, my advice is buy a seed mix. Scotts sells one that's a combo of Kentucky Bluegrass, Ryegrass, and Fescue. Whatever doesn't survive will be displaced by something that will.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fescue is what's used for northern football fields. Kentucky Bluegrass and Ryegrass will soften up the mix.  I have some patches of Bent Grass and Kentucky Bluegrass that do just fine in full sun, Zone 5a, with no treatment or watering (except in &gt;2 week drought periods)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No grass will do well in full sun during drought periods if it isn't watered.  Basic lawn sprinkler is $8, and you only have to break it out a couple times a month, and that's only if it isn't raining. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have to do this so my three dogs don't polka-dot my lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Summary: full sun cool-season grass, rather than warm-season. Scotts blend of Kentucky Bluegrass, Ryegrass, and Fescue. Water during droughts. Should be golden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternative:  you could always go freedom lawn.  Just mow, and let the chips fall where they may. Eventually some kind of ground cover will move in. (As long as there aren't dogs dropping urea nukes - nothing survives that during a drought).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T16:44:02.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27116" CreationDate="2016-07-07T17:01:49.457" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's sunburn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When going from indoors/partially-shaded to full sun outdoors, plants need some transition to get used to the sun's intensity and the varying heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had the same thing happen with Jade Plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put it in a part-Sun location, or behind something that will block the midday sun, and it'll get used to its surroundings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The burnt leaves will likely remain on the plant. You can leave them or pinch and see if you can get a root off of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My healthiest Hen and chicks are the ones in part-Sun (no midday blaze). Their range is &quot;full sun to part shade&quot;, so it makes sense they're happiest right in the middle. The few I had in full sun did fine, they just weren't quite as boisterous or reproductive as their part sun sisters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T17:01:49.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27120" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27164" CreationDate="2016-07-07T18:12:05.647" Score="2" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;Three months ago, we bought &lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drosera_aliciae.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this sundew&lt;/a&gt; in a small pot. As told by the seller, we watered it with purified water poured below the pot. Now, its leaves are becoming brown:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PX3sT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PX3sT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought that maybe I should move it to a larger pot. But, I was told that it needs sterile soil, and all I found in the gardening stores was the usual soil (that comes with some fertilizers). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do? Is it a good idea to move the sundew to a somewhat larger pot with a standard gardening soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: I understand that standard gardening soil is not good for a sundew. I did not find clean soil in gardening stores. Where can I find clean soil? Can I e.g. collect sand from the seashore?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2748" LastEditorUserId="2748" LastEditDate="2016-07-12T09:56:46.993" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T09:56:46.993" Title="Sundew leaves are becoming brown - should I move it to a larger pot?" Tags="&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27121" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27130" CreationDate="2016-07-07T19:55:15.857" Score="4" ViewCount="1196" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree is growing outside my office and blocking almost all the light coming into my window. I don't necessarily want to kill the tree and I can't just blatantly chop it down, but I would like to get more light in my office. I'm also hesitant to prune it for fear of making it look holey. If the tree met an untimely end, I would not be upset.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What kind of tree is this?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What non-apparent things can I do to make it so that I get more light through my window?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QAkfM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QAkfM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qnHOG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qnHOG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Inside my office&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14641" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T14:24:30.077" Title="What kind of tree is this? And how can I kill it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27121" CreationDate="2016-07-07T20:10:33.380" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Need a close up of the leaves to be sure what it is - at the moment, I'm guessing possibly a Pittosporum, or maybe some kind of holly, but really need a better picture of the leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, however, I don't know who's responsible for the planting outside your office window, but you should speak to whoever it is and strongly suggest they remove the plant, because when something gets to that size and completely covers a window,it's a case of wrong plant, wrong place. If it's left in situ, it will soon cause a problem in the room above, where exactly the same thing is starting to happen, its already covering the bottom quarter of that window. Any replanting subsequent to removal should preferably be with something that doesn't get above windowsill height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There isn't anything 'unobvious' you can do otherwise - if you cut it right down, people will notice; if you selectively cut out some branches, everyone will notice that too, but it's not reasonable to allow a plant to completely cover a window -  should any repainting or repairs be necessary, the plant would have to be cut down anyway to allow access. By the looks of it, it must already be covering the downpipe from the guttering, and presumably the drain at the bottom - I'm surprised the owners of the building haven't done anything about it, not least because of its proximity to the building's foundations. Identifying it would mean you'd have some idea of just how tall its going to get - and how deep and wide the root spread may eventually be (though it must be fairly big already), so please add a photo showing  a branch and leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are methods for killing stumps, but they're not particularly effective without cutting the tree/shrub down first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-08T07:53:10.917" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T07:53:10.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27123" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27127" CreationDate="2016-07-07T20:20:10.423" Score="3" ViewCount="902" Body="&lt;p&gt;About a month ago, a friend of mine gave me a cutting (around 10&quot; with several leaves) off her golden pothos plant. Since then, I have kept it sitting in water with in view of sunlight. As far as I can tell, it hasn't rooted yet. Recently, one of the leaves yellowed, so I'm starting to worry. Should I have transferred it to soil right away?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14805" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-07-07T21:56:46.570" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T21:56:46.570" Title="How long should a golden pothos cutting remain in water?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27124" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27125" CreationDate="2016-07-07T20:24:47.370" Score="4" ViewCount="133" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently discovered a white substance on my queen of the night &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cestrum_nocturnum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cestrum nocturnum&lt;/a&gt;. I don’t know what kind of pathogen it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any ideas how to deal with this? I would greatly appreciate any help, suggestions, advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: Tunis &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b0EFo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b0EFo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cestrum_nocturnum disease&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13672" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-09T03:54:58.823" LastActivityDate="2016-07-09T03:54:58.823" Title="What is this white substance on my queen of the night?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27124" CreationDate="2016-07-07T20:48:37.703" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I can tell from the photo, that is a mealybug infestation - there's a newish one becoming a problem in Tunisia (first reported in 2014) called Phenacoccus madeirensis, common name Cassava mealybug because it primarily affects cassava crops, but among the other plants it infests is Cestrum -that seems to be what you've got on yours. Since its quite an extreme infestation, I recommend you seek out a systemic insecticide which professes to treat mealybug and use that - but try not to spray open flowers and try to spray at dusk, after pollinating insects like bees have stopped working. If you're fertilizing the plant regularly, stop - high nitrogen feeds applied regularly make the plant more attractive to these pests. Alternatively, you can try an insecticidal soap spray to see if that does the job first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The link below leads to a PDF with information about cassava mealybug - you might be interested to read it, but its mostly scientific info&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263658714_Phenacoccus_madeirensis_Hemiptera_Pseudococcidae_a_new_species_of_mealybug_in_Tunisia&quot;&gt;https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263658714_Phenacoccus_madeirensis_Hemiptera_Pseudococcidae_a_new_species_of_mealybug_in_Tunisia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-07T20:58:04.223" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T20:58:04.223" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27126" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27121" CreationDate="2016-07-07T20:56:40.713" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good call Bamboo...Don't you dare kill this SHRUB.  Grins!  It is healthy and beautiful and you should find a damn good pruner to THIN this guy.  A little this year and a bit more next if necessary.  This will allow more light yet still keep the light filtered and add movement, shadows, interest into your office.  I've never seen a more healthy and yet huge pittosporum...still gotta send closeups to be sure.  To have unadulterated sunlight where you have to use your blinds is just a shame.  You'll love what can happen with selective, professional and artistic pruning!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Definitely the wrong plant planted at least a decade ago but I would try to thin it, not remove it!  Planted so close to the foundation it is a miracle this guy is doing so well.  THIN it, it could look like a humongous bonsai!!  How are your summers?  Do other offices with straight sunshine have problems with heat?  Have to close their blinds from too much natural light?  I would LOVE to prune that guy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you HAVE to get rid of this plant, check around for a company that goes out to dig up beautiful specimens like this just to sell them on the market for THOUSANDS of dollars.  I am not kidding.  The company I am familiar with is BIG TREES in Washington.  You even have to pay them to do the removal, roots and all...good thing is that they have insurance.  I've seen shrubs like this go for 5-10,000 bucks!!  Hummmm.  Selective pruning would be wonderful for inside your office as well as from the outside!  Talk with Bonsai masters that prune big trees that look like bonsai...or Master Pruners from your cooperative extension service affiliated with your closest University!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T20:56:40.713" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27123" CreationDate="2016-07-07T21:12:31.890" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's usual, when rooting in water this way, to have  a cutting about 8 inches max, with about 4/5 leaves (having stripped off any lower ones) - rooting in water takes, usually, about 4-6 weeks, and its much easier done in a small clear bottle so you can see when roots are forming and how long they've got so you know when to pot it up. I wouldn't worry about some leaves going yellow, so long as the 4 or 5 at the top are okay, but you should check regularly for roots if you do not have it in a transparent vessel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-07T21:12:31.890" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27128" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27133" CreationDate="2016-07-07T21:41:17.210" Score="1" ViewCount="30" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there any good guidelines for how to space plants so that you can prevent plant diseases from being spread between plants, while still having them able to work together in order to pollinate each other?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My biggest fear is having one disease damage part of my &quot;family orchard&quot; (food forest) crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T00:36:29.197" Title="What should I do to prevent plant diseases from spreading while having them live close together?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27129" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27163" CreationDate="2016-07-07T21:58:28.343" Score="-4" ViewCount="2488" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard/seen tomato plants droop for a little while after planting them in bigger pots. When should you worry about your tomato plants after this happens?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i875.photobucket.com/albums/ab315/dreich_photo/tomato2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i875.photobucket.com/albums/ab315/dreich_photo/tomato2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-07-09T12:04:59.930" Title="When should you worry about tomato plants when they droop after transplant?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ClosedDate="2016-07-09T12:48:40.783" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27130" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27121" CreationDate="2016-07-08T00:01:17.770" Score="5" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get some lopping shears.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Open the window.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;From inside, lop off 2 or 3 of the lower, smaller branches, just enough to get a little more light in, and allow a few angles of view to the outside.  Don't overdo this.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Discard the branches inside (don't leave them laying outside on the ground).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wait a few weeks.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Either stop now or go to (2).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15265" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T00:01:17.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27132" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27121" CreationDate="2016-07-08T00:10:27.470" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a great looking tree, though I understand that you want more light. Trying to kill it will most likely result in killing off the stuff around it and you'll end up with a dead tree outside of your window until someone decides to remove it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe contact the building owner or property management and ask them to come out and see what can be done. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15266" LastEditorUserId="332" LastEditDate="2016-07-08T14:24:30.077" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T14:24:30.077" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27128" CreationDate="2016-07-08T00:36:29.197" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A food forest attempts to replicate the multi layer food producing elements the night be seen at the edge of the forest. Trees should be spaced according to their full grown sizes, and berries as well. Pollination should not be a problem since it's carried out by flying insects. Since you're planting different species of plants you don't have to worry about diseases that might affect a monoculture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the bottom of the food forest are your vegetables. You can either space traditionally ( see instructions on the seed packets), or grow closely together as in the French biointensive method. The later does give advantage of reduced watering due to the microclimate established, but does now readily allow pests to spread. However, proponents of this method says it results in strong plants that resist diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T00:36:29.197" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27134" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27121" CreationDate="2016-07-08T00:57:55.377" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;take a cup of salt water and splash it on the tree, at the trunk. do this every day until the tree dies. keep in mind, salination can prevent any plant from growing there for months or years. it's nonobvious and permanent (arguably too much so). it may also kill the plants around it, be prudent with the application of salt. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;this may be a direct violation of land management or tenant responsibilities depending on where you live. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15267" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T00:57:55.377" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27135" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27160" CreationDate="2016-07-08T02:50:44.263" Score="3" ViewCount="7906" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Cayenne pepper plant has been in relatively good health until about 1 month ago (coinciding with when I harvested its one ripe pepper and also a brief brush with aphids which were eliminated using soapy water). Since then the top leaves have fallen off and the tips appear burnt with some white spotting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspected that it might be too much fertiliser (currently alternate between Seasol and power-feed weekly) so drenched it in water last week and let the soil dry out, but there has been no improvement - if anything it has gotten worse. As for the soapy water I'd say that it has all been rinsed off previously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anybody comment on my problem as to whether it is a feeding or a disease problem or something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hy4yB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hy4yB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FbJ2T.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FbJ2T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x2RWb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x2RWb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eozNv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eozNv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15268" LastEditorUserId="15268" LastEditDate="2016-07-08T09:01:34.560" LastActivityDate="2016-08-31T01:30:34.797" Title="Why is my Cayenne pepper plant losing leaves and curling/burning at tips?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27138" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27144" CreationDate="2016-07-08T06:29:53.920" Score="7" ViewCount="494" Body="&lt;p&gt;A video by UC Berkeley on YouTube said that &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/kvy5sSdHPIM?t=35m48s&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;you don't want to put mint in compost&lt;/a&gt;. Why not? He also said no Bermuda grass, but I know why this is the case, essentially due to one of their other videos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="11453" LastEditDate="2016-07-28T16:53:36.303" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T16:53:36.303" Title="Why don't you want to put mint in a compost pile?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27139" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30145" CreationDate="2016-07-08T08:27:10.033" Score="15" ViewCount="324" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine came back from a nearby mountain with this flower from a wild shrub that was very common in the area where he walked. &#xA;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.fr/maps/place/Chalet+Restaurant+de+L&amp;#39;Anglettaz/@45.9647404,6.2382569,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x478b8be325bcd16f:0x57e1064b374e7b54!8m2!3d45.9638409!4d6.2433351&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;area&lt;/a&gt; where these are found is the west-Alps, around -1300- 1500 meters above sea-level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/31nVo.jpg&quot; height=&quot;260&quot; alt=&quot;here are the flowers&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b3MN7.jpg&quot; height=&quot;260&quot; alt=&quot;here are the berries&quot; &gt;&#xA;*After a while, I went back to take pictures myself and found flowers had turned into berries (some where already getting red) - see edit #2.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a very bee-attractive shrub, so he was considering planting some at his place where he raises bees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have any idea what this is? I'm sorry about the picture, which is of poor quality. I will try to add a better one if we go back to the area and see some more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;edit&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.forestry.gov.uk/treenametrail&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; and it lead me to my first guess that it was some kind of cherry tree: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-5mhe49&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-5mhe49&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;trail:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Simple - not lobed - linear - alternate - &amp;lt; 10 cm long - twigs shiny dark brown, and the leaf edged with small teeth / shiny dark brown twigssmall sharp teeth&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A9OV4.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A9OV4.png&quot; alt=&quot;result with (UK) identification site&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;... since its an UK site, mountain shrub are not there described ...  still looking ... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;edit 2:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I went back to where my friend had spotted the thing, and found the bushes, scattered every now and then. Here is how it looks in the real (flowers are now gone unfortunately) - that's the thing in front of the pine tree:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vIsXg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vIsXg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;how it looks in the real&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;And here is the biggest we found - about 2-3 meters long.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K0IoU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K0IoU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;how it looks in the real - biggest we found&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Very similar cousin&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has a very similar cousin that grows in the very same location, but much bigger (maybe 4-5 meters), with white flowers, and that has some kind of white feather beneath the leaves:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1K5Lz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1K5Lz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;shrub&amp;#39;s larger cousin&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bigger cousin is here compared with my mysterious shrub; it's the one on the right - very similar indeed:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D6T0P.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D6T0P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2016-08-01T20:05:27.870" LastActivityDate="2016-12-09T12:05:00.167" Title="Need help identificating this bee-attracting shrub" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;bee-attractive&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27140" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27145" CreationDate="2016-07-08T09:39:43.533" Score="5" ViewCount="1818" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some leaves on my money plant, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Epipremnum aureum&lt;/a&gt;, have been damaged by rats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I cut them or leave them? If cutting them is good for the plant, from where should I cut the leaves? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures of the leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf 1:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4o55L.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4o55L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf 2:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cw1pZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cw1pZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf 3:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dxehL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dxehL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf 3 (close-up):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FM8oZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FM8oZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf 4:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NGica.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NGica.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf 5:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Pufx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Pufx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ap2Dy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ap2Dy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-08T14:54:10.947" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T14:54:10.947" Title="What should I do with damaged leaves on my Money Plant?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27141" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27147" CreationDate="2016-07-08T11:02:59.360" Score="7" ViewCount="2451" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen a few chilli tutorials mention it is a good idea to soak chilli seeds in weak tea before planting them. Why do people do this and what does it supposedly achieve?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2835" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-08T14:38:50.930" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T14:38:50.930" Title="What does soaking hot pepper seeds in weak tea accomplish?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27143" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27153" CreationDate="2016-07-08T11:25:39.470" Score="4" ViewCount="4643" Body="&lt;p&gt;The attached photographs show a sick basil leaf (which is turning black) compared to a healthy basil leaf from the same plant. The black leaves need to be trimmed to keep the plant healthy. What can I do to prevent such leaves from turning black without using anything chemically poisonous to humans such as pesticides?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EPBBm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EPBBm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hao9J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hao9J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JjwFO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JjwFO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DUluI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DUluI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xbZzm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xbZzm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: My Italian dictionary sais peronospora can affect tomatoes as well. I'm not sure if the same fungus/algae can spread to both basil and tomato tomato  plants. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s1QZT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s1QZT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: In response to a comment, here is a better picture of the soil from the garden in approximately March. Not sure what &quot;white mud&quot; is but I guess soil can be quite different based on the types of fertilizer used etc... Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UgXUb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UgXUb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14878" LastEditorUserId="14878" LastEditDate="2016-07-08T21:19:39.733" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T21:19:39.733" Title="How to prevent basil leaves from becoming black" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27138" CreationDate="2016-07-08T11:39:19.600" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mint can be propagated using stem cuttings so you'll probably end up having the mint invade your compost pile. And you may not be able to easily eradicate it after that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T11:39:19.600" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27145" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27140" CreationDate="2016-07-08T12:06:28.300" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ah, so that's what you mean by Money Plant - this one's more commonly known as Devils Ivy or Pothos, but is, as you now say, Epipremnum aureum. It is on the list of plants toxic to rats, so again, I'd be very surprised if the damage has actually been caused by rats. That said, cut back the plant to remove badly damaged or unattractive areas - the odd hole in a leaf isn't much to worry about, but you can cut back to a leaf node, that is, cut the stem back to where there's a healthy leaf. If the growth is trailing over the ground, then you need to stand the plant on something so that doesn't happen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-08T12:13:39.707" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T12:13:39.707" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27146" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-08T12:30:40.053" Score="3" ViewCount="4284" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Purslane&lt;/a&gt; as vegetables, however I noticed some white spots on the leaves.  I used agriculture pesticides for aphids, whitefly and so on but nothing changed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you think these white dots are a fungal infection? If so what pesticide is recommended for it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am attaching photos for the infected purslane, hoping you can figure out what that is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/scmMi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/scmMi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Vker.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Vker.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oy0c3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oy0c3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UjQXr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UjQXr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RPucD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RPucD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11382" LastEditorUserId="11382" LastEditDate="2016-07-09T12:52:21.957" LastActivityDate="2019-10-22T20:59:43.780" Title="What are these white spots on my Purslane leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27147" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27141" CreationDate="2016-07-08T13:00:14.550" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;The aim of it is to mimic the action of a bird's intestines prior to pooing out the seed - many seeds which pass through a bird's digestive system germinate more readily, because the outer coating of the seed has been either thinned or softened as a result, making it easier for the seed to germinate. Chili pepper seeds (depending on variety) are known to be difficult to germinate, some varieties taking up to two months before they do so, and that's  largely because of their hard outer coat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This article here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thechileman.org/guide_starting.php&quot;&gt;http://www.thechileman.org/guide_starting.php&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;is useful to explain this, under the part headed Improving Germination, but essentially, it doesn't have to be weak tea - some people soak in water, or vinegar, or may scratch the outside of the seed by rubbing with sandpaper or something similar, whatever method they personally favour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-08T13:05:23.847" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T13:05:23.847" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27150" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27146" CreationDate="2016-07-08T14:23:47.703" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My best guess is they might be patches of eggs. I say patches of eggs because in picture #2 there is some that are just little dots ad the others seem very much the size. There is a VERY little red bug in my area that does that. But I have no idea of what the name is. My other guess is it can be a fungus. Again not knowing what it could be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But play it safe and remove all the leaves that have that stuff on them. It does not look harmful but why not be safe, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T14:23:47.703" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27151" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-08T14:27:55.390" Score="5" ViewCount="109" Body="&lt;p&gt;Reworded (updated) sorry for not being clear, anyway... I have been taking dried up grass clippings from the lawn and have been using it in my garden. I have been putting it around my tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, etc. It helps with keeping the weeds from coming up because there is no sun getting to the weeds underneath. I have been told that the grass clippings can also be very good for the plants because it gives nutrients and stuff of the sort as it decomposes. But being grass I am not certain that it is true, grass being a good fertilizer? Also was told that it makes the soil softer. Like adding sand. That I most certain think is not true but that is why I am asking. (again sorry for not being clear)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="14214" LastEditDate="2016-07-10T04:06:11.783" LastActivityDate="2016-07-11T17:46:29.367" Title="What are the benefits of putting grass in my garden, what precautions should be taken" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27152" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27154" CreationDate="2016-07-08T17:44:55.017" Score="5" ViewCount="1243" Body="&lt;p&gt;These sparsely branched trees appear all over northern Tuscany, is anyone able to help identify them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2z5Yr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2z5Yr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15276" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T19:10:59.520" Title="Tuscan tree identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27153" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27143" CreationDate="2016-07-08T18:39:26.227" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The images of the individual leaves above are not at a high enough resolution for me to detect the presence of spores or fuzz from Basil Downy Mildew, and whether it could be that or not is dependent, to some extent, on where you are. Link below with information and images of affected plant material for you to compare -  you may need to inspect the underside of leaves with a magnifying glass&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/NewsArticles/BasilDowny.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/NewsArticles/BasilDowny.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other common problems with Basil are Bacterial Leaf Spot,  an infection spread by water splash, and it could be that, or Fusarium disease, but your plants are not looking as if they're suffering from the latter. Info here regarding both these infections &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/basil/basil-diseases.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/basil/basil-diseases.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T18:39:26.227" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27154" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27152" CreationDate="2016-07-08T18:47:19.400" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;From this distance its impossible to see the foliage clearly, but I'm willing to bet they're Italian Stone Pines, or Pinus pinea, one of Italy's iconic trees, also sometimes known as Parasol Pine. The ones in  your photo have been pruned back so the crowns are smaller than they normally would be, and I must say they look extremely attractive, it's been very well done; there are some similar to these in shape in Rome. Photo in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://dryades.units.it/torlonia/?procedure=taxon_page&amp;amp;id=164&amp;amp;num=2918&quot;&gt;http://dryades.units.it/torlonia/?procedure=taxon_page&amp;amp;id=164&amp;amp;num=2918&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's in Italian, but that won't affect the image, and Google will translate the text if you want to read it anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-08T19:10:59.520" LastActivityDate="2016-07-08T19:10:59.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18034" CreationDate="2016-07-08T23:05:08.133" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Also be aware, depending on what time of the year and where you live when you watered these flowers, could depend on if you did damage to it, and what else was happening...&#xA;If you watered the flowers at the start of the night in the dead middle of winter in Melbourne, it would be about 2 degree's outside and you could just shy of kill it by causing it to be far too cold, as well as if it was raining a lot previously to you adding this water, it could be the roots are just too damp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15279" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-07-09T01:09:30.427" LastActivityDate="2016-07-09T01:09:30.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27156" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-08T23:59:56.877" Score="7" ViewCount="643" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, numerous questions on the subject but I have some nice photos. These bugs are running along the webs quite freely so the webs are presumably made by them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are on my indoor eggplant and I didn't see them last week. Only saw a few webs. But now they're obvious.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only hesitation I have in identification is that they're readily visible, though just under 1 mm (1/3 in) in size, but the references I've seen say you need a hand glass to see them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These photos were taken with a macro lens attached to my phone. I've since soaked the whole plant in neem oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/BiG7PUZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Spider mites&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/E7SSMS8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;More webs&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As per comment request, here's the whole plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/piKA5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/piKA5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;whole plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-07-09T21:29:24.403" LastActivityDate="2016-07-09T21:29:24.403" Title="Are these spider mites on my indoor eggplant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;spider-mites&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27157" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27156" CreationDate="2016-07-09T01:25:48.127" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, spider mites, and quite a heavy infestation.  Next they start &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.just4growers.com/stream/pests-and-diseases/all-about-spider-mites.aspx&quot;&gt;floating to other plants&lt;/a&gt;.  Get the soap and water out quick or throw the plant out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The key to success with soap is to apply at 5 - 6 day intervals to get the eggs after they hatch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding a bit of isopropyl alcohol as a desiccant can help&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-07-09T01:25:48.127" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27158" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14139" CreationDate="2016-07-09T02:28:06.840" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That cactus looks like it is trying to get more sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15281" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-09T20:36:22.090" LastActivityDate="2016-07-09T20:36:22.090" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26707" CreationDate="2016-07-09T06:30:22.997" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I asked the question on another garden forum, and they told me it's Dracaena Reflexa. After some google search, I found it to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/GardenPubsAZ/Dracaena_Reflexa_Fact_Sheet.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pleomele - Dracaena Reflexa&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-02T00:57:53.250" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T00:57:53.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27160" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27135" CreationDate="2016-07-09T07:06:28.250" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seasol is like fish fertilizer, kind of a bit of a booster.  Helps plants be more hardy.  The Powerfeeder is a problem.  You say you do this every week or alternate with the Seasol, right?  Seasol is NOT A FERTILIZER FERTILIZER...but Powerfeeder is.  The ratio is; 12-1.4-7.  HIGH NITROGEN. To give this to any plant every other week will be an excess of nitrogen, thus the aphids (possibly some scale) sucking up all the carbohydrates.  It is amazing you got one pepper off this guy.  High nitrogen promotes VEGETATIVE growth.  Of those three numbers the first is nitrogen, then phosphorus and potassium.  If that first number is less than the last two that will promote reproductive growth, flowers and fruit/seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This pepper plant looks to me a goner.  I'd get another one, replace the soil as it has too much chemicals.  Start a tiny plant in a tiny pot.  As it gets larger then upgrade the pot. Do not put a tiny pepper plant in this pot right away. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering as you are is fine for a baby plant but later you have to drench and dry before drenching again.  I wouldn't use tap water, either.  Don't drink tap water yourself...another story.  You could cut this guy back making sure it has as many of the healthier leaves with which to feed itself.  It might come back a it but you have to get rid of that high nitrogen/potassium soil and repot.  No rocks or gravel at the bottom, just soil.  Allow water to come out of the drain holes!  Then allow to dry.  Baby plant needs to be moist and you might have to harden off before allowing to be out of doors full time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-09T07:06:28.250" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27161" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-09T09:56:52.990" Score="2" ViewCount="34" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've got a plant I suspect is unwelcome growing in our front garden. This is our first time having a garden, so before doing anything about this I thought I'd ask for advice. I'm looking to find out vaugly &lt;strong&gt;what the plant is&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;if it should be removed&lt;/strong&gt; plus, any advice on removing it successfully, if that's the recommendation, since it looks like it's got a pretty hefty stem at the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Context: this is a brand new garden in front of a newly built house that the builders only laid and setup 2 months ago. We don't remember if this plant was in the garden when we were given the house, but what I do know is that it's now alarmingly tall (you can see it's height relative to the base of our kitchen window in one of the full images - so it's probably over a metre) and to me looks &lt;em&gt;suspiciously&lt;/em&gt; like it's going to end up being some kind of horrible big weed thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's two shots of the full plant from two angles. As said, you can see how tall it is relative to he window in the first image...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click all images for full size version&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/odwnT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/odwnTm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full length shot of plant from front&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ge1J4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ge1J4m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full length shot of plant from rear&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here's a close up of the leaves and base, in case it helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xgIZ1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xgIZ1m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MBOHS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MBOHSm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of plant pase&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="190" LastActivityDate="2016-07-09T09:56:52.990" Title="What is this plant in my garden and should I remove it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2016-07-09T10:49:27.753" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27162" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27135" CreationDate="2016-07-09T11:53:01.690" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes it could be salt damage from too much fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, what are the high temps for your area in the past 2 weeks in Fahrenheit? Peppers need full sun and I noticed you have a black pot. That pot will get real hot and could damage the roots especially if there is inconsistent watering. (Damp soil has a cooling effect and takes a bit longer to heat up, dry soil takes less time to eat up, in my humid summers and loamy soil anyway. YMMV.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I think you have a compound problem here. I've never had any luck with peppers or maters in pots. The roots just get too hot. The upper part of the plants like hot weather, the roots do not. You can try to transplant the whole plant into the ground or just put the whole pot under ground making the pot soil level with the ground soil, and just see if that helps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people get pot to work in hot weather. I never have. I need the thermal mass that planting in the ground provides. But your plant is really stressed for some reason.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also try this: Do not fertilize for 2-3 weeks, and water REALLY well every day to wash out any salts that have collected there. Just soak the plant until water runs out the bottom. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastEditorUserId="11061" LastEditDate="2016-07-18T13:02:29.357" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T13:02:29.357" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27163" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27129" CreationDate="2016-07-09T12:04:59.930" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wait 10-14 days. If you see new growth, it's fine. In the meantime &lt;strong&gt;make sure to water consistently every other day&lt;/strong&gt; r when they look droopy, sometimes you might have to water twice a day (I know I did). When you water, fill the pot with water until water comes out the drainage hole. But this assumes your temps have highs of 80F or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally when the temps hit 80F on any day, I water them really well. When high temps start reaching 88 I often have water the twice a day. If they look droopy, they are telling me they are thirsty, and I water them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-07-09T12:04:59.930" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27120" CreationDate="2016-07-09T12:08:31.993" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most carnivorous plants grow in soil that has very, very low nutrients, hence their need to get nutrients from bugs. Garden soil is probably too high in nutrients and may be wrong for your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read more here: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mycarnivore.com/carnivorous-plants-for-sale/sundew-plants-for-sale/sundew-plant-care&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sundew plant care&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thegardenhelper.com/sundew.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sundews&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growsundews.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Grow Sundews&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2016-07-09T12:08:31.993" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27165" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27146" CreationDate="2016-07-09T16:07:35.357" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the same problem. I let the purslane grow as a ground cover under my vegetable garden because I eat it too. I think the dots are leafminer eggs. If you see a lot of tiny flies in your garden that might be the problem. They lay their eggs on the leaves of some plants (they love the soft leaves of lettuce, spinach and kale). When the eggs hatch the larvae &quot;tunnel&quot; through the leaf and make a white wavy pattern. If you see leaves on other plants with that pattern, you probably have leafminer flies too. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gerbera.org/diseases/leaf-miner/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gerbera.org/diseases/leaf-miner/&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/houseplant-pests/leafminer-control/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/houseplant-pests/leafminer-control/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15282" LastActivityDate="2016-07-09T16:07:35.357" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27167" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27174" CreationDate="2016-07-09T23:03:18.960" Score="5" ViewCount="18530" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found a number of these plants tucked behind peonies, bleeding hearts and other perennials. They're primarily up against my cement foundation, and are growing in clumps. I didn't plant them, but don't know if they're perennial or something that re-seeded. They may have been there in previous years and escaped my notice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The furry leaves are a combination of green and gray. Each plant is only a few inches high, and the widest are about 8 inches (20 cm) at the base. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd appreciate an identification and a bit of information as to what I can expect from them as they grow. If they produce flowers, when will that be? Also, what will they look and smell like? Right now I don't see buds, just pairs of young leaves forming at each center. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're very pretty and different from anything else I have, so I want to move some to where I can see them. When can I do that? I've heard that a general rule of thumb in transplanting is either well before a plant flowers, or after the flower has gone by. The foliage alone is worth looking at, but if it's saving energy for flowering, I don't want to interrupt the process. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since they're all in the shade, is that a pre-requisite for optimal growth? I have both shady and sunny areas, so that would be helpful to know. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in zone 6. Our average high temperatures in the summer are between 80°F (27°C) and 90°F (32°C), although we usually get a few significantly higher spells. The location of these makes me think they're shielded from that level of heat, but I can't say for sure. I started seeing them just after our last frost, but if they've overwintered, they're hardy well below freezing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/89nYD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/89nYD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/946jm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/946jm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2019-05-05T20:04:26.370" Title="What is this low-growing plant with fuzzy green and gray leaves, and when can I transplant it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27168" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="38113" CreationDate="2016-07-09T23:33:07.063" Score="5" ViewCount="321" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this colony of what appear to be beetles I found on a dill seed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is my best description of the insects:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;nearly spherical&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;long antennae with 4 articulated segments - last segment is larger than the others&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;apparently no wings or wing covers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;black with six white marks on abdomen:&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Two large marks just behind the thorax half way between the dorsal center and edge of the abdomen&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Two smaller pairs of marks behind the first pair arranged near the dorsal center of the abdomen&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;insects are clustered around what appear to be eggs on the dill seed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Eggs are cylindrical and appear to be arranged in a honeycomb pattern&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There are two more dill seeds with what appear to be hatched eggs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BgWGn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BgWGn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/efu3z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/efu3z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15284" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:18:59.563" LastActivityDate="2018-04-15T04:21:58.960" Title="Colony of tiny beetles and eggs on a dill seed" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;dill&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27169" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-10T04:23:25.663" Score="6" ViewCount="174" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought my house last fall. All I knew was this is a Christmas tree. I wrapped it with Christmas lights and it looked merry last winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Come spring, it started sprouting new buds rapidly. Now it's summer and it's still sprouting new buds. Its needles look a lot like the 25ft Spruce tree in my front yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AbleB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AbleB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pUtb0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pUtb0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NHtlc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NHtlc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will this tree grow so big that its roots will destroy my house's foundation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I &quot;control&quot; it? It's &quot;hollow&quot; with no needles inside:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iVwbr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iVwbr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13395" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T14:06:10.860" Title="What is this tree and will it eventually destroy my house?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27169" CreationDate="2016-07-10T04:56:48.263" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;http://garden.org/learn/articles/view/3363/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dwarf Alberta Spruce&lt;/a&gt;.  (Well, it's a White Spruce, and because of how dense it is, my money's on Dwarf Alberta, a type of White Spruce.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Technically, you want at least 3' between one of those and a foundation, but if your foundation's in working order you can get away with 2'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Only grows to about 10-12 ft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like most conifers, it does not produce new growth on old wood, so if you want it pretty, read up on how and when to prune. The dead zone inside the tree is due to sunlight deprivation - it's common on a lot of conifers, and information on how to re-beautify it is easily found. (I'd link some but I gotta get going.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year's growth looks a bit stunted. A feeding, with micronutrients (or lime) may be in order.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastEditorUserId="11453" LastEditDate="2016-07-12T14:06:10.860" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T14:06:10.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27171" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-10T07:19:04.817" Score="1" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Bhut Jolokia that is supposed to be red but now turned from green to a chocolate brown and the pots are already becoming softer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did i may get cross-polinated Seeds and a Chocolate Bhut Jolokia or do they still turn red?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The form of the chili pepper is totally Jolokia with the long warty devils tong like shape&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15285" LastActivityDate="2016-07-10T11:34:56.730" Title="Help me with my Bhut Jolokia" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27172" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27176" CreationDate="2016-07-10T08:34:14.693" Score="3" ViewCount="2856" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not on all leaves, but, let's say, on 70% of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well-drained soil. Medium-bright indirect light. I water it every two days, ~250ml water. It was fine a few days back, but now the leaves are getting these yellow spots. Here are they:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HaQCI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HaQCI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the plant I am talking about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/26707/what-plants-is-this&quot;&gt;What plants is this?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Close-up underside pic of the affected leaf:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4UgYC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4UgYC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vbAie.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vbAie.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rQOlD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rQOlD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T00:59:54.920" Title="Tiny Yellow spots on Dracaena Reflexa Pleomele. What I am doing wrong?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27173" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27171" CreationDate="2016-07-10T10:45:41.230" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Photograph might be useful, but essentially no, they won't go red now, it sounds as if you have the so called chocolate version of Bhut Jolokia, which produces brown pods; if you bought the seeds, you were sold the wrong ones. If they're seeds you kept yourself and they were pollinated outdoors last year, in the open, then you can't guarantee that the red ones you grew outdoors last year will produce seed that is the same as themselves, because they don't come true. Best to pick and use these chocolate ones rather than wait for them to go either mouldy or shrivel up completely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-10T11:34:56.730" LastActivityDate="2016-07-10T11:34:56.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27167" CreationDate="2016-07-10T10:56:17.783" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's one of the Stachys, most likely Stachys byzantina, common name Lamb's Ears because of its velvety, furry leaves. There's one called Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet' which is good ground  cover but doesn't flower (see link below) but there are others which do flower; 'Cotton Ball' produces spikes of round, silver white bobbles for instance. Hard to say which one this is at this stage, but they do like sun and free draining soil, though in very dry conditions, the leaves may shrivel and dry out. What they loathe, though, is wet in the form of lots of rain, when they'll become a sad and soggy mess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/94455/Stachys-byzantina-Silver-Carpet/Details?returnurl=%2Fplants%2Fsearch-results%3Fform-mode%3Dtrue%26query%3DStachys%2Bbyzantina%26aliaspath%3D%252fplants%252fsearch-results&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/94455/Stachys-byzantina-Silver-Carpet/Details?returnurl=%2Fplants%2Fsearch-results%3Fform-mode%3Dtrue%26query%3DStachys%2Bbyzantina%26aliaspath%3D%252fplants%252fsearch-results&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information below - in this link its called Stachys lanata, which is what it was previously known as, but this may be more useful information if you're in the States. According to this, the plant 'travels' and doesn't stay where you've planted it (which isn't true at all in the UK - it spreads and may die out a bit where it once was, but essentially it remains in the same area)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/stalanata.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/stalanata.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you still think it's worth trying to move one or two to a more visible position, unless you're prepared and able to water daily with a couple of litres after moving now for four weeks or so, it's probably best to wait till the weather cools down as Fall approaches - either that or move them in early spring next year. But there may be a good reason why they're growing where they are - it's probably drier, it's out of rain, and certainly more sheltered up against your house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-10T15:31:06.347" LastActivityDate="2016-07-10T15:31:06.347" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27176" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27172" CreationDate="2016-07-10T14:29:07.420" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is most likely to be your watering regime.  You have an old established plant with a good root system.  You are wetting the top of the soil too often and keeping the rest of the root ball dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water every 7 to 14 days with a litre of water. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The top few centimeters of soil should be dry before you water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ideally some water should come out of the bottom of the pot after watering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spotting can be a sign of spider mites but there are none to be seen on the underside of the leaf and dracaena's have a waxy leaf which reduces mites. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9002/what-could-cause-brown-spots-on-the-leaves-of-a-song-of-india-plant-dracaena-re&quot;&gt;This question&lt;/a&gt; shows what poor watering habits can do with reflexas; they encourage one or all of virus/fungus/bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Confirmation would be if it started in the older leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-07-11T01:00:25.740" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27177" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-10T16:16:56.053" Score="2" ViewCount="1037" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the start of a long journey for me and hopefully it will end with a good looking garden. Short term objective: create the layout and select the plants. Long term...implement the above, so you will probably see lots of questions coming from me in the months to come&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the first: I have finished reading Residential Landscape Architecture by James E Hiss so now I have some good guidelines for proceeding with the design of our site. &#xA;I am going to use Visio (for a master paln) and Sketchup for 3D simulation and rendering. &#xA;Can anybody recomend any good Visio stencils and templates for Landscape Design? There is a Plants set of stencils but I am not happy with it all all. I think it should contain more that what it is included&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help will be much appreciated&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastActivityDate="2016-07-10T16:16:56.053" Title="Sketchup objects and Visio Stencils for master plan designing for my garden" Tags="&lt;design&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="8" ClosedDate="2016-07-10T16:25:19.283" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27178" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27180" CreationDate="2016-07-10T16:53:58.200" Score="2" ViewCount="93" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are plentiful right now, which tends to make me suspicious. I'm noticing them around the Brussels sprouts and zucchini, but they may be congregating elsewhere too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zao1p.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zao1p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastActivityDate="2016-07-10T21:47:47.557" Title="What's this little reddish beetle?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27179" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-10T17:17:10.760" Score="7" ViewCount="202" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first time ever my avocado seed grew a root so when it got really long I planted it and then nothing and I thought I had killed it so while in the dirt I broke off part of the seed just to find out it is fine and green so just wondering is it ok with half a seed?Thanks Karen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15287" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T11:48:44.807" LastActivityDate="2020-01-09T13:02:20.267" Title="Growing avocado from seed" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27180" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27178" CreationDate="2016-07-10T21:47:47.557" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Likely the &lt;a href=&quot;https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef311&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;striped cucumber beetle&lt;/a&gt; who is there for the zucchini.  However as J B S Haldane &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._B._S._Haldane#Quotations&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;said&lt;/a&gt; &amp;quot;The creator, if he exists, has an inordinate fondness for beetles&amp;quot;.  With over 400,000 species it may be a look a like.  These guys cause a bacterial wilt and row covers are the best organic control.  Site cleanup in the fall helps reduce the spring population&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SLU2N.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SLU2N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cucumber beetle&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;University of Kentucky Entomology&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-07-10T21:47:47.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27181" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27184" CreationDate="2016-07-10T22:25:48.007" Score="3" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't identify this flower that has been previously here in the garden since I have moved. Here's a photo. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H46aV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H46aV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14559" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:21:57.727" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T02:21:57.727" Title="What is this shrub with large heads composed of single flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27182" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-10T22:48:00.300" Score="4" ViewCount="87" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hoes are manufactured with both &lt;a href=&quot;http://lasher.co.za/index.php/product/hoe-raised-neck-1100g/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;inside&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nationalfirefighter.com/store/c/2040-Rogue-Fire-Tools.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;outside&lt;/a&gt; edge bevels. The most authoritative guide I see on sharpening is from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/htmlpubs/htm05232810/page06.htm#adze&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;US Forest Service&lt;/a&gt; and describes an inside bevel in all except one case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Intuitively, I see the bevel placed on the inside of the strike radius to force material in the desired directon, like a spade. I realise that a wood chisel is used in the opposite orientation when cutting a slot (when the chisel is used with only a small angle to the grain of the wood), but finishing of the edges is done in the same manner as a hoe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question is -- why is there conflicting advice on the choice of edge orientation, and whether any actual difference informs this choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An ILO publication on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/---emp_policy/---invest/documents/instructionalmaterial/wcms_432622.pdf#page=15&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Rural road maintenance training mofules for field engineers&lt;/a&gt; has an image showing the bevel orientation. An earlier edition (offline only) indicates that this prevents bounce during use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2051" LastEditorUserId="2051" LastEditDate="2016-07-11T20:21:56.280" LastActivityDate="2016-07-11T20:21:56.280" Title="Why are hoes manufactured with both inside and outside edge bevels?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27183" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27182" CreationDate="2016-07-10T22:59:32.440" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Double edges make for sharper edges that can be maintained.  Have you ever used a 'hula hoe'...?  Hoes were made to pull and push then they found by getting rid of the body of the hoe's head would make pushing easier.  Scissors are beveled on one edge but they only work because another one edge is working against the other to cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-10T22:59:32.440" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27184" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27181" CreationDate="2016-07-10T23:02:20.380" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=hydrangea%20macrophylla%20red%20beauty&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1455&amp;amp;bih=726&amp;amp;site=webhp&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;imgil=akE3dHJx8cHfhM%253A%253BUV4Ha3dH9PDUgM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.esveld.nl%25252Fhtmldiaen%25252Fh%25252Fhymrbe.htm&amp;amp;source=iu&amp;amp;pf=m&amp;amp;fir=akE3dHJx8cHfhM%253A%252CUV4Ha3dH9PDUgM%252C_&amp;amp;usg=__fRC0AcWSBzLop_ldUvhmL3mshsg%3Dhttp://&quot;&gt;Red Hydrangea macrophylla&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here we go...you lucky person!!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-10T23:02:20.380" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27185" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27219" CreationDate="2016-07-11T00:05:55.270" Score="4" ViewCount="347" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found these white bugs on my Carolina Reaper plant last week. They seem to leave white webs/fluff behind them, as you can see in the picture. From what I've read online, they appear to me to be mealybugs, except that these little fellas jump. Are they dangerous to the plant? How should I deal with them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can try and get a better picture or from a different angle, if that would help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I asked a buddy of mine who does landscape architecture, and he said it looks like some kind of spider to him, though he has no idea what kind. I looked at a list of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.spiders.us/species/filter/indiana/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;all spiders in Indiana&lt;/a&gt; (where I live), and didn't find anything that even comes close to resembling it. I used a similar website to look at common bugs in Indiana, but couldn't find anything there, either. I'm in Southern Indiana, if that helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: A Carolina mantis decided that s/he now owns the pepper plant. There are no more white bugs/spiders to be seen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qrFVQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qrFVQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15290" LastEditorUserId="15290" LastEditDate="2016-07-11T23:26:32.587" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T16:15:36.623" Title="What's this white bug?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27186" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-11T00:23:25.267" Score="3" ViewCount="902" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have about 100 feet of flowerbed that follows a damp drainage path. The area is 100% in the sun, no shade. I would like to plant some plants along this flowerbed that don't &quot;spread&quot; over time - can tolerate the damp soil of the drainage area, bloom, and come back every year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Separately - at the end of this bed, where it actually goes towards the drain, I would like to plant some kind of spreading moss or something that blooms and would spread so that it eventually can cover the drain. That area is also on a bit of an incline. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The top soil is kind of low, and shale-y, so I guess I will have to dig a hole and put in some topsoil at each planting location? The climate is near the Washington DC area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas on what could make this look great? I would also like any ideas on the right kind of edging for the outside edges of this bed. Here are some pictures&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qCxBm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qCxBm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EmBRm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EmBRm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15291" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-07-11T00:50:07.423" LastActivityDate="2016-08-11T17:57:20.023" Title="Help me make this drainage &quot;ditch&quot; look great" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27187" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-11T01:13:10.137" Score="5" ViewCount="1065" Body="&lt;p&gt;My corn patch has resulted in mature plants that average only 2 ft. tall and tiny ripe ears. The kernels on the ears are full size (but the ears are not filled out). Water has not been an issue nor has disease or insects, which leads me to believe there is a soil deficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my first corn planting in a raised bed which has a mixture of crappy sandy fill I mistakenly bought, some heavy clay soil from the ground that I mixed in (corn from the same seeds grew well directly in my ground soil a few years back), and a few bags of fertilizer enriched compost I bought from the store. Tomatoes are growing well in the same raised beds. I know... why did I bother with a raised bed,? I am asking myself the same question!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I realize there are probably lots of potential reasons, but I would like to know the &lt;em&gt;most likely/most common&lt;/em&gt; reason(s).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bjmmQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bjmmQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6969" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T16:06:26.760" Title="Why Do I Have Stunted Corn?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;corn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27188" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27223" CreationDate="2016-07-11T04:57:57.253" Score="5" ViewCount="584" Body="&lt;p&gt;Location is Pacific Northwest (15 mi W of Portland, OR)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A 2-inch diameter branch broke off my backyard maple tree at the trunk this afternoon.  The branch had &lt;strong&gt;many&lt;/strong&gt; healthy-looking leaves and seed &quot;helicopters&quot; on it. The leaves show no obvious signs of disease or insect damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, most of the wood was extremely brittle, as if it was dead or almost dead. The only parts with any flexibility were near the distal ends.  Branches closer to the trunk end snap like dry kindling, and this is why the main branch broke off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To my untrained eye there doesn't seem to be evidence of rot or disease, the wood is just very brittle and fragile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the tree in trouble?  The main trunk is about 24&quot; in diameter but splits into two trunks about 8 feet above ground. I don't know how old it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7RVAK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7RVAK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Closeup of trunk branching:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/skJWI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/skJWI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where the branch broke off, from the right side.  In the first image this is hard to see, it's about 5/6 of the way up on the right-hand trunk and points straight at the camera, so it blends in with the trunk behind it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5UOmM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5UOmM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Closeup of the broken branch trunk end&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/REIXl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/REIXl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another shot of the break, from the other side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eH5mA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eH5mA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As requested, a cross-section through the broken branch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5vVOW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5vVOW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13860" LastEditorUserId="13860" LastEditDate="2016-07-11T17:04:16.887" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T19:18:03.490" Title="Is my maple tree in trouble?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27191" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-11T11:20:17.510" Score="6" ViewCount="945" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've used aluminum sulfate to keep azalea blooms blue in the past. This season some new guys apparently missed a fair number of azaleas in a large grouping and we have pink blooms on enough plants to bother the homeowner. Would applying aluminum sulfate now &quot;correct&quot; the color for the rest of the season? If not, is there anything else, short of injection dyes or that kind of thing, that could make them blue quickly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: The soil is very sandy with little to no clay. Soil tests in neighborhood show 2-3% organic matter content, but these plants get an addition of compost annually so it is likely higher here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2016-07-11T14:17:38.163" LastActivityDate="2016-07-11T20:04:35.787" Title="Is there anything that can turn azalea blooms blue mid-season?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;azaleas&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27192" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-11T14:34:56.360" Score="4" ViewCount="172" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 3 cucumber plants that I started indoors from seeds. They were all off to a great start but after producing 1-2 cucumbers I noticed the don't look as healthy and leaves have turned yellow. I see new growth in some places. Is this normal?  Are we at the end of cucumber season?  What should I do differently?  I am in San Francisco area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5b08Q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5b08Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uq8cT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uq8cT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-07-12T16:30:53.010" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T16:30:53.010" Title="Cucumbers not producing" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27193" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-11T14:47:34.077" Score="5" ViewCount="371" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted this tree a few months back and it's been growing rapidly in the summer sun here in Cyprus. We have average daytime temperatures of around 40 degrees C (104 degrees F) at this time of year, and will for another two months or so before things start to cool down. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I be pruning this tree at this point in its life? I don't want it to get too gangly or take over the garden, and I eventually want a tree that has a canopy that I can walk under (to access other parts of the garden), so I'm eyeing the lower shoots as candidates at this time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anybody advise me on this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yADyG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yADyG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;At its tallest point, this tree is now six feet tall.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED:&#xA;As some have requested them, here are some more pictures to make it more clear how the tree is growing. Apologies for the state of the garden in general (work in progress). &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ECDsp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ECDsp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nbHGN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nbHGN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lower branch detail.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was also advised to expose the top set of roots. A local cat and her kittens have done a pretty good job of it, but I've made sure they're exposed. Is this good enough?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l5G8I.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l5G8I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;All I've exposed so far are the thin, spindly roots. I used some water to soften the soil. &#xA;Thanks for the input on this. To answer a question, I'd love a tree that gives both shade and fruit, if possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11133" LastEditorUserId="11133" LastEditDate="2016-07-17T12:47:18.250" LastActivityDate="2016-07-17T13:30:07.150" Title="Should I prune this new olive tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;olive&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27194" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27193" CreationDate="2016-07-11T15:58:53.493" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well I would, taking off the lowest branches certainly, and possibly the next tier, although the picture isn't very clear when it comes to judging which branches are coming from where in the lower parts. That would still leave some halfway down, but as the top is a bit sparse, and it's already July, I'd leave those in place till next year and remove them in late spring, or when the weather has warmed and growth is happening (which might be early spring where you are).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cover those thin roots back up immediately - they should not be exposed like that. I think the point someone else was trying to make was that any mulch laid over the top of the soil should not be in contact with the trunk of the tree, but it's absolutely not a good idea to expose fine, thin roots like the ones in your picture. Don't allow the soil you replace to sit higher against the trunk, that's the only thing to watch for, along with the same rule for any mulch you choose to use.  Much later on, as the tree matures, you may find large roots appearing above ground of their own volition (hopefully not because all the soil's been washed out by torrential rain, I don't mean that) and those roots should not be covered up. This, though, is unlikely to happen for some years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, my advice remains as above, that is, to remove the lowest tier of branches now, leaving any other pruning/shaping for next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-17T13:30:07.150" LastActivityDate="2016-07-17T13:30:07.150" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27195" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27192" CreationDate="2016-07-11T16:21:43.497" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A lot of things could be happening. Lack of nutrients or too much fertilizer. Could also be the ph. Test the soil. Cucumbers like a ph of about 5.5. I would also put mulch on the ground around them so the soil stays moist for a longer period. The ground looks very dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastActivityDate="2016-07-11T16:21:43.497" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27151" CreationDate="2016-07-11T17:46:29.367" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can certainly use fresh grass clippings as a mulch; they contribute nitrogen, give some protection for plant roots from heat and increase soil porosity.However, they should only be applied as a thin layer - thicker layers turn into a soggy, smelly mess. Link below is largely about leaving clippings on lawns, but does cover use as a mulch&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/mulch/mulching-with-grass-clippings.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/mulch/mulching-with-grass-clippings.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-11T17:46:29.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27198" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-11T18:12:58.723" Score="3" ViewCount="3612" Body="&lt;p&gt;On Saturday, my cucumbers looked perfectly healthy.  On Sunday, half of one of my cucumbers had very wilty leaves.  On Monday, the other half of the cucumber's leaves were all wilty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen cucumber beetles on my cucumber plants before, and still do.  I was previously unaware of the bacterial danger they posed to my plants so I didn't do too much to fight them, as the leaves weren't being eaten too much.  There was also another kind of beetle that I don't recognize and don't have pictures of, maybe twice the size of the cucumber beetles and having orange highlights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This cucumber is growing very close to/on top of some other cucumbers.  I also have a zucchini plant and some butternut squash plants pretty close to the wilted cucumber, as well as some more cucumber plants further away in the same garden.  My garden also has pinto beans, garden beans, carrots, roma tomatoes, and russet potatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gtxhp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gtxhp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does the bacterial wilt pose a threat to any of the other plants in my garden?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there a possibility of bacterial wilt spreading plant to plant? Should I remove the wilted cucumber, and if so how?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What should I do now to kill as many cucumber beetles as possible?  The space I garden in is assigned as an organic garden space.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11211" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-07-12T22:21:18.057" LastActivityDate="2016-07-13T01:18:43.657" Title="Cucumber with bacterial wilt, what to do to save other plants?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27191" CreationDate="2016-07-11T18:20:25.183" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anthocyanins are a common plant pigment. They change from red to blue and purple depending on pH (in fact, anthocyanins were used as pH indicators). The more acidic, the more the color shifts toward purple. I'll pose that the pH in the azalea blooms was made more acidic by the aluminum sulfate (i.e., soil acidity goes farther than just nutrient mineral availability). However, I think the cause-and-effect relationship is that the flowers lost their true color because of an acid deficiency. In other words you can make a purple flower fade to pink (inadequate soil acidity), but you cannot make a pink flower purple (its in the genes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might be possible to test my proposition by putting flower stems in solutions of different acidities (analogous to dyeing flowers). I've never tried it, but a pH test kit and dissolving some of your aluminum sulfate in water, might demonstrate this. Another thought is that foliar sprays might work as well. A product called Green Cure is sold for controlling downy mildew. It is potassium bicarbonate, a base (raises pH) that would shift anthocyanin color toward red/pink, if is is adsorbed through the flower stomata. Now, if we just had some blooming azaleas, the fun could begin ;-).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;... just an idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-07-11T18:20:25.183" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27200" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-11T19:27:23.573" Score="4" ViewCount="269" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few tomato plants growing in a raised bed.  I grew them from seeds. For some reason a few of the tomatoes don't look normal (see pictures). Also the size of the fruit is much smaller than I expected. These are heirloom beefsteak tomatoes. I am in the San Francisco region. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional information - I am following crop rotation.  I have 3 raised beds and last year I grew tomatoes in one of the adjacent beds.  Also, these plants were started from seeds indoors and later transplanted to a larger pot and eventually to the raised bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4h8pj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4h8pj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mURU3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mURU3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i2SBh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i2SBh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-22T21:44:14.027" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T21:44:14.027" Title="What are these abnormal tomatoes on my tomato plant?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;blossom-end-rot&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27201" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27200" CreationDate="2016-07-11T19:50:19.497" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://bonnieplants.com/library/conquer-blossom-end-rot/&quot;&gt;blossom end rot.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/hot_topics/2007/07blossomendrot.html&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is another source of info.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to the second link, which is from Clemson University:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;After tomatoes are planted, gardeners can minimize the potential for blossom end rot by doing the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Once transplants become established, encourage the production of a large root system by keeping plants a little on the dry side for a few weeks (until they begin to flower and set fruit). A large root system is better able to take up the calcium needed for the healthy development of the tomato fruit.&#xA;  After fruit set begins, keep soil evenly moist. (Avoid extreme fluctuations in moisture levels. Do not overwater!)&#xA;  Apply a layer of mulch to help maintain even moisture and keep soil cooler.&#xA;  Do not overfertilize. Especially avoid high-nitrogen fertilizer as it can cause problems with the uptake of calcium.&#xA;  Do not cultivate closer than 1 foot to plants to avoid damaging roots.&#xA;  If tomatoes develop blossom end rot, spray the foliage with calcium chloride or calcium nitrate when symptoms first appear. Follow the instructions on the label. Removing fruit with symptoms is also recommended.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2016-07-11T19:50:19.497" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27202" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-11T20:02:23.843" Score="5" ViewCount="728" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cut down a mimosa tree and now there are tiny sprouts coming out of the stump. Is there any way I can transfer and plant the tiny trees somewhere else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15297" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-11T20:14:20.613" LastActivityDate="2016-12-28T03:21:55.700" Title="How can I transplant sprouts growing from a Mimosa stump?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27191" CreationDate="2016-07-11T20:04:35.787" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to check the soil pH around the plants with a meter. If the soil is no longer acidic around only the plants that are displaying pink blooms, then you should add a soil acidifier again though it may take some weeks to work. This can include sulfur dust, ferrous sulfate, and aluminum sulfate. If you've been adding the latter yearly it's unlikely to be an aluminum deficiency. The pH meter will tell you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=82&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=82&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-11T20:04:35.787" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27200" CreationDate="2016-07-11T21:51:36.887" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Went out to the internet to look for early blight &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=early%20blight%20on%20tomatoes&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1455&amp;amp;bih=726&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjwrbeJrezNAhUE92MKHa5BCEQQ7AkIKAhttp://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;early blight pictures&lt;/a&gt;and gee, bummer, this is what I think you have.  Take a look, please send pictures.  If this is what you have you HAVE to pull up all your tomatoes and I'd bury them in a place far from your garden and your neighbors.  Next year you will NOT be able to plant tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes (any of the solanaceae family) in the same soil or anywhere near those beds for at least two years?  If this is what you've got, this fungus as well as late blight is your worst nightmare.  All of the tomatoes that were set are all infected.  The entire plant is infected.  What happens is ONE spore gets caught up in a splash of water, lands on a leaf/stem of the tomato and the ENTIRE PLANT is infected.  There is NOTHING one can do about it...nada.  I learned the hard way and lost 75 feet of 4' high gorgeous tomatoes...the black spots started and in 3 days the entire 3 rows of 25' heavily laden once healthy tomatoes were black. This was late blight.  I learned early blight is very similar. I harvested all the tomatoes right away, even the green and in another week every single tomato was black.  Ugh, tears, so sad!!  I did a project as a Master Gardener in our test gardens and covered tomatoes with row cloth, another group with plastic, another I pruned off all the lower leaves, and I also mulched with straw another with chips.  The only one that made it was the plastic covered with drip irrigation.  Just one spore, one raindrop and the tomato plant was DONE.  Rotating crops is critical!  Please tell us what you've done, did you have tomatoes in the same soil last year?  Where it is that you live?  Are your neighbors growing tomatoes, have they had the same problem?  Your soil might have been infected from your neighbors.  Perhaps it came in the soil from store bought tomato starts?  This is an expensive way to learn for sure.  Gardeners always have to go through this kind of training otherwise, one is just a book learned gardener that just will never understand and will keep making mistakes.  Silver lining and all that!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-11T21:51:36.887" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27205" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27212" CreationDate="2016-07-11T22:12:50.527" Score="5" ViewCount="145" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have vegetables growing in raised beds.  In response to another question I posted, someone recommended adding mulch.  Can I use home made compost as mulch or would I need something purchased from a store?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T00:11:39.533" Title="Can compost be used as mulch?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27206" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-11T22:14:19.980" Score="9" ViewCount="1550" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was told to measure the pH of my soil to help identify some of the symptoms on my vegetable plants.  Does anyone have recommendations of a device I can purchase to measure soil pH?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-13T16:08:54.100" LastActivityDate="2016-07-14T20:53:20.833" Title="How can I measure the pH of my soil?" Tags="&lt;soil-test&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27205" CreationDate="2016-07-11T22:24:43.810" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best mulch one could ever use is DECOMPOSED COMPOST.  Stuff you buy from the store is usually only partially decomposed.  The best is if you are making the compost yourself.  You have NO idea what is in any compost unless it is the human poo/sawdust compost I dearly love but not for vegey gardens!  I've used other composts, topsoils commercially that I couldn't grow a pansy in!!  It is tough to produce enough on one's own unless you've been at it for awhile.  Use your own.  You know what is IN your compost.  Non decomposed mulch is crap for covering topsoil.  The decomposers have to decompose the stuff so that the micro and macro soil organisms can eat it.  Then they eat it and go back into the soil profile to poop it out mixing organic matter into your soil with no work by you!  And done far better.  The ONLY way to improve any soil is the addition of decomposed organic matter, NOT UNDECOMPOSED wood chips...straw.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keeping decomposed organic mulch or compost on top of your soil suppresses weed growth, FEEDS your soil.  It is the best thing one can do!  Do not expect mulch to replace fertilizer.  To have a huge biological community in one's soil is the best thing for proper soil texture as well as aiding plants with uptake of chemicals the plants need to make their own food.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-11T22:24:43.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27206" CreationDate="2016-07-11T22:34:54.887" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best way is to get a soil test.  If you can find a COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE via the closest University, it is cheap and possibly free.  Otherwise there are cheap tests like the ones used for HOT TUBS.  There are also these pronged things that seem to work well.  I own a very expensive pH tester and test these other cheap LOWES or HOME DEPOT pH testers.  They have impressed me.  I always use at least two forms of testers.  Need to have moist soil and test multiple places.  Potatoes, blueberries need acidic soil; 5.0 to 5.9.  Other plants need more alkaline soil; 6.0-7.3.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;pH is one of the best ways to separate real gardeners from wannabees!  With this knowledge you can plant alkaline loving plants together and the acid loving plants together.  To plant any acid loving plants next to concrete you will find is nuts.  But one CAN change the pH of soils, slightly.  Harder to make soils more acidic.  Always do in stages, test again, add lime for alkaline (going up on the scale) and add sulfur (going down the scale towards acid)...go SLOWLY.  Takes weeks to months to see change.  Keep this in mind when you test.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-11T22:34:54.887" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27209" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27205" CreationDate="2016-07-11T22:42:45.443" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A mulch is anything that can be used to slow down evaporation of water from the soil, and inhibits the growth of weeds.  You can use plastic, stones, and tree bark and other organic material.  If you use things like wood chips, or tree mulch, it needs to be aged prior to adding as a mulch, and it will eventually add nutrients to the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to add nutrients to the soil now, then put your compost layer down first and then a mulch on top of that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-11T22:42:45.443" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27210" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27186" CreationDate="2016-07-11T22:56:09.300" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where does this ditch drain to?  Is there a perceptible slope?  I would continue with what you are doing.  I am hoping you put landscape fabric under the cobble.  That is the ONLY reason this stuff was made, not for weed suppression.  The fabric will make sure the FINES don't come up into your cobble/drain rock.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get rid of ALL THE REST of the fabric. You can easily 'weed wack' the lawn on both sides so the grass comes up to the cobble and stops.  Gotta be aware, get a fixed head for your trimmer and get rid of the shield.  That way you can see what you are doing.  WEAR SAFETY GLASSES OR I'LL KICK YOUR BUTT!  Grins...I had two guys lose eyes because they went around the corner and took their safety glasses off, sorta like teenagers!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a few LARGE boulders here and there along the perimeter.  Not uniform please.  2 or 3 in a group buried a bit and then one and then down closer to the center of your 'stream' with 4 or 5 and make them look like they've always been there.  One man boulders can appear as 4 or 5 man boulders if buried and put together, their bulk 'hidden' below.  Having lawn come right up to the rockery and trimmed once a week is BEAUTIFUL. Careful where the rocks will fly if you hit them!! I've busted out two of MY truck windows in the past!  Those shields do nothing except give one a false security.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And make sure you get a GAS blower!  Even your mower and trimmer should be gas. Get real about the environment!  Far more important things we should be doing than using wimpy equipment!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-11T22:56:09.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27212" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27205" CreationDate="2016-07-12T00:04:06.830" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, absolutely. You do not need anything from the store, and you can use your home made compost as a mulch without adding anything on top. If your compost has been produced using a hot aerobic system rather than cold and anaerobic, there's no more risk of weed growth from that than there is from ordinary soil. Even if the method you used was cold and anaerobic, provided you didn't add  seedheads from weeds and other plants to it, nor added anything that might grow from stem or root pieces, the risk of weed growth is still no greater than that with open ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's nothing wrong with buying in composted materials (composted animal manures, leaf mould, spent mushroom compost, anything like that) but if you have lots of home made compost, that saves having to buy stuff in. For weed suppression, it needs to be a minimum of 2 inches thick, preferably 3, but because it's humus rich, it will disappear quite quickly, being taken down into the ground by various soil organisms. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you're doing is in the time honoured fashion of no dig gardening, where you just lay humus rich, or organic, materials on the soil periodically without actually cultivating it. It has the convenient effect of suppressing weed growth for a while, and helping to retain moisture, together with improving bio diversity in the soil itself, important for healthy plants. Cultivating the soil as little as possible is better for soil structure, though of course, for most of us, specially for growing vegetables, a degree of soil cultivation is necessary in order to plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-12T00:11:39.533" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T00:11:39.533" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27213" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-12T01:06:45.780" Score="7" ViewCount="164" Body="&lt;p&gt;My backyard has just been cleared of convolvulus ( field bindweed ), and native bush/trees exposing what used to be a lawn a decade ago. I'm thinking I would like to try the no-dig method of layering down some newspaper, putting some compost on top, mulching on top of that, and then planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just wonder if there's any benefit from using a fork to loosen the soil ( not turn it over ), before I put the newspaper down.  This would be the same as the second step when double digging.  I do understand that it is claimed that vegetables are shallow rooting so don't need this step, but others claim that they're shallow rooting because the soil has not been double dug!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, does anyone who does no-dig gardening have any experience?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or should I just double dig and get out as many convolvulus roots as I can?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-03T00:19:13.773" Title="No dig methodology?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;no-dig&gt;&lt;double-digging&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27214" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-12T03:06:17.070" Score="2" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are two pictures of this berry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the name of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ALJki.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ALJki.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tZ1Fv.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tZ1Fv.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15303" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-12T14:20:08.330" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T14:28:32.997" Title="What is this hemispherical red berry with many drupelets?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27215" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-12T04:06:16.387" Score="3" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was asked to install a black walnut tree along a fairly flat creek bed. What should I look for when planting the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-14T22:26:31.487" Title="When choosing a site to plant a black walnut what should I look for?" Tags="&lt;walnut&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27213" CreationDate="2016-07-12T04:25:33.573" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KQMAw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KQMAw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my first garden in this crappy pumice soil and freezes every month see raised beds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;The first time new plant beds, vegetable beds are created, YES one needs to dig and turn over.  If you have sandy sandy soil then rototilling is ok.  If any clay forget it.  Simple to DOUBLE DIG.  I've always gone as deep as a foot (actually more but that was a different story).  Start at the head of the bed, remove a good 2' length of soil down at least a foot.  Then dig and turn the rest of the soil over beginning just behind the removed soil, replacing that soil and then replacing the soil you just removed.  At the end take the first removed soil and throw it back onto the bed.  I've had beds 4' high, raked down and compacted for planting and it was back down to 1 1/2 ' and soon 1' or less.  The less manipulation with clay the BETTER!  At the same time I add decomposed organic matter.  This is the last time I mess with manual digging and turning of the soil.  I always have 'raised' beds without any boards or blocks.  A trench along all of the sides between the walk and bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why the newspaper?  For weeds?  Forget it.  That soil is so full of seeds no barrier in this universe will stop weeds from growing.  Turning the soil over is HEALTHY. No dig is just plain SILLY.  Make your beds the right way the first time will be the last time.  This no dig stuff is nonsense.  You don't want any barrier, even newspaper to hamper the soil organisms from coming up to the top to eat decomposed organic matter and then go back into your soil profile to poop it out and do the mixing of organic matter into your soil with no manual help from you.  Get used to pulling weeds, so easy, such a non-issue I wonder about people that are afraid of WEEDS.  Mulch the tops of your beds and that will reduce any germination of weed seeds (which are by the millions in your soil).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mulch IS compost.  Depending on who is trying to talk.  What you want is DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER as mulch/compost.  Otherwise you have to wait for non-decomposed matter to be decomposed by the decomposers.  A year, 2 years...depending.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You WANT to dig into your soil, turn it over and just keep going.  Do it right the first time and you'll not have to do it again...depending on what you grow, how high you allow your 'beds' to be and what your soil composition IS.  The only ONLY ONLY way to improve soil is by the addition of DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER.  Nothing else!  After this first time to build your beds, all you have to do is add compost to the top of the bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-01-03T00:19:13.773" LastActivityDate="2017-01-03T00:19:13.773" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27213" CreationDate="2016-07-12T10:26:50.607" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;One thing - you've mentioned field bindweed, or Convulvulus. Whether the bindweed you have is Convulvulus arvensis or Calystegia sepium, I'm afraid you will need to disturb the soil, certainly annually, to try to keep it under control. I strongly advise you do not use a rototiller or cultivator or any kind of machine that turns the soil over where this weed is present - as I'm sure you're aware, regrowth will occur from a tiny fragment of its root, and any machine that turns the soil over will break up the roots and distribute them more or less evenly over the plot, making the problem worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you're intending to grow edible plants in the area, which effectively rules out the glyphosate solution (where you insert canes when you see bindweed appearing, let it twine up those to the top, then spray thoroughly with glyophosate, which is a reasonably effective method to control or actually destroy some of it), so I'm afraid it sounds as if the only thing you can do in preparation is to thoroughly and carefully hand dig the whole area, extracting bindweed roots as you go. Or as much root as you can, anyway, but there will inevitably be regrowth during the first year, because some root is always left behind, and more and more in the second and third years and so on...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The presence of this particular weed means that area is probably not well suited to the no dig method of gardening, I'm sorry to say.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-12T10:33:27.633" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T10:33:27.633" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27218" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27214" CreationDate="2016-07-12T14:28:32.997" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I can see in the photos, it looks like you have a thimbleberry. Thimbleberries are similar in appearance to raspberries, but are typically even more delicate and prone to falling apart. Their leaves are similar in shape to a maple leaf, and can have sawtooth or smooth edges. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your original question asked about edibility, and they are indeed edible. The ones I have had growing here in Wisconsin are absolutely delicious, but I've heard that the flavor varies a lot and in some places they are dry and tasteless. It is my understanding that there are no poisonous lookalikes for raspberries/thimbleberries, but please make sure you have a positive identification before eating them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T14:28:32.997" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27219" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27185" CreationDate="2016-07-12T16:15:36.623" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aha! After tons of Googling, I finally found that this is a &lt;strong&gt;Flatid Leafhopper&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently they aren't inherently dangerous to plants, but can carry a virus which is devastating to most herbaceous life. As such, I'll be getting rid of them. The recommended tool is neem oil, in case anyone else comes across this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some links:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalfa_pruinosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://bugguide.net/node/view/128325/bgimage&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bugguide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15290" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T16:15:36.623" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27220" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27222" CreationDate="2016-07-12T17:24:47.333" Score="5" ViewCount="1434" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a tree in our yard of which we do not know it's name. In other parts of the yard it grows more like a bush. It has thorns and grows small solid fruits that turn dark blue when ripe. On the picture attached one fruit still looks green. Question is: what is our tree-bush's sort?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bafID.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bafID.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QG4Ho.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QG4Ho.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15306" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-07-12T20:30:23.093" LastActivityDate="2016-09-10T10:35:44.820" Title="What is this tree/bush with thorns and small blue solid fruits?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;thorns&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27221" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27220" CreationDate="2016-07-12T18:49:27.847" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like a plum tree—probably a dwarf. It's possibly a Stanley prune plum, or a similar variety. We've had plum trees and I've seen several besides, and that's what it looks like to me, based on the close-up picture with the small branch and fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bamboo's suspicion sounds like a good one to me, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-07-12T18:54:45.013" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T18:54:45.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27222" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27220" CreationDate="2016-07-12T18:51:35.500" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect it may be Prunus spinosa, commonly known as Sloe - should have had creamy white flowers in Spring, and does have stiff, thorny branches. If left unpruned will reach about 16 feet in height, but is often seen as a bush or shrub. If it is, and you drink gin, time to make sloe gin! More info here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_spinosa#Description&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_spinosa#Description&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T18:51:35.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27188" CreationDate="2016-07-12T19:18:03.490" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I can see, that branch is beneath the canopy, yes?  It does have a bit of dead tissue.  The reason is, from the information you've given and a few assumptions, this branch and its leaves weren't producing as much food as the canopy of the tree in the sun.  Trees will get rid of (slowly) under-achiever branches and divert energy to the over-achievers.  If there was a lot of weight at the end of this branch trying to get more sunlight that could easily explain why this branch broke.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning branches that aren't producers will 'hurry up' the diversion of energy to the canopy.  Otherwise the tree will get rid of non-producing branches all by itself.  No big deal, very, very natural and normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you see branches of a tree with NARROW angles to their main branches (the crotch between the two main trunks in your picture), that is a sign of a weak connection.  The strongest connections are branches that have almost 90 degree angles to their trunk, main branch.  Like Oak trees.  Very strong connections.  Maples not so much. Kinda against our intuition.  The more weight of a branch, the better the connection. If that branch can get its photosynthetic 'factories' that make FOOD for the tree out far enough to compete with the canopy the connection will be even stronger. Your branch looks as if the tree gave it its walking papers, the pink slip?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd pull the moss off the bottom of that trunk near the soil.  Be gentle.  Moss will keep moisture up against the bark and bacteria could eventually girdle your tree.  The rest of the moss, don't worry about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send more pictures of your entire tree and a close up of the leaves, we could give you an ID and say more about pruning so branches don't willy-nilly break off.  If you are worried, call your cooperative extension service with your nearest University.  They might have Master Gardeners, Master Arborists in need of more points to finish their programs.  Or hire one to come out and check the health of your tree, give you ways to increase its health and how to prune correctly...or do it for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T19:18:03.490" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27021" CreationDate="2016-07-12T21:55:28.997" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Flea beetles have always been in all of my vegetable gardens.  But this year I was taken aback as the damage was very noticeable.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I've found is that early in the season, a TRAP CROP near the CASH CROPS is pretty much all one can do.  I sorta ended up HAVING a trap crop and it worked well!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My beds are raised (without any wood, blocks) with trenches at the bottom to direct excess water.  I HATE planting in lines, rows.  I think it is a waste of garden soil.  So I've learned (Michael Dirr) how to make a Salad bowl bed that is quite fun to do.  I dump all kinds of seeds (NON GMO)into a cheese shaker bottle, like pizza cheese shaker, to include radish, carrots, kale, mustard and a huge variety of lettuces and make a solid planting, this one 6X6'. The radish of course mature and I pull them and that makes more room for the rest.  Baby lettuce, arugula, kale...yumm, I pull them up roots and all to make more room for the rest.  I've got bunnies who adore me!!  All of my beds are like that...I've one bed where I used TAPED chard seeds and made ugh, rows, and not doing well.  And chard is a tough plant, usually very hardy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the mustard and kale were hit hard with the flea beetles. The tender lettuce hardly at all.  The potatoes and all my other crops were never bothered and there is only 3-4' between beds. The radish is perfect, not bothered at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flea beetles are done now, I've got to learn whether they fly away or what.  I use row cloth at night but I need to keep my Brassica crops covered for another month or two for the cabbage flies/moths. Next year, I'll make a trap crop specifically to waste on flea beetles (and my bunnies).  I'll keep part of it under row cloth to see if the larvae can travel much beneath the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bt for beetles (and the other Bt for flies and mosquitoes as well) is a conundrum. I'll try to find a source but as Ben said, it is expensive.  No, Neem won't work.  Pretty amazing seeing that NEEM is used for so many different applications.  Not in my vegetable garden though!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing I've found that works is a TRAP CROP.  I was lucky that I actually had one accidentally. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T21:55:28.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27225" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-12T22:06:28.783" Score="2" ViewCount="34" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a live oak tree on my front lawn. Roots from the tree are beginning to spread on to my neighbor's lawn which seems to be a problem to them. The roots in question are approx. 8 to 10 ft. from the trunk and at this time are not too large.  Can I safely cut these roots without causing damage to the tree? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15311" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-07-12T22:15:34.760" LastActivityDate="2016-07-12T22:15:34.760" Title="Cutting roots of a live oak tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-07-14T10:49:37.670" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27226" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27251" CreationDate="2016-07-12T23:58:09.917" Score="3" ViewCount="1717" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a tall skinny eucalyptus tree that I planted about a year and a half ago. When I bought it, its trunk was somewhat narrow, and tethered in at least three spots to a stake to keep it straight. However it seems that this has caused it to not have a strong trunk, as it hasn't had to fend for itself in the wind and weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fast forward a year and a bit, and it's at least another meter taller, but no stronger. I've released the tether except for one right at the top to prevent it from bowing over and breaking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To recover this, can/should I lop off the top in the hope that it re-sprouts further below and develops a stronger trunk on its own (without the tether)? If I do this, how far from the top should I cut?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z3SYF.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z3SYF.png&quot; alt=&quot;Tall thin eucalyptus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some close-ups for identification of the specific type of eucalyptus:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PSPnM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PSPnM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZMlfP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZMlfP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14062" LastEditorUserId="14062" LastEditDate="2016-07-14T07:18:27.823" LastActivityDate="2016-07-14T10:20:29.580" Title="Should I remove the top of a tall, skinny eucalyptus to promote a stronger core?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;support&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27227" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27198" CreationDate="2016-07-13T01:18:43.657" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would first confirm that this bacterial wilt. Confirm the disease is present with the below test:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a knife and slice open a stem along its length. If you see a substance resembling thick white liquid, then you have confirmed your plant indeed has bacterial wilt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With regard to how to save your remaining plants, remove all plants showing signs such as wilted leaves, as infected plants serve as vectors for cucumber beetles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13379" LastActivityDate="2016-07-13T01:18:43.657" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27228" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-13T02:24:44.383" Score="1" ViewCount="212" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have wild muscadine all over our woods. Problem is they are huge and are high in the tree tops so we can't reach the grapes. Can these be cut of at the base of the vine and trained to grow back on a lower trellis or would they just die off? Most of the vines are about 2 to 3&quot; in diameter at the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastActivityDate="2016-07-13T03:34:15.457" Title="Training old wild muscadines" Tags="&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27229" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27228" CreationDate="2016-07-13T03:34:15.457" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can just cut the trunk down during winter dormancy and it will sprout back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then train to your desired shape as if new.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Muscadines are only harder to root than other grape species. They are still vigorous weeds. The cut can be a vector for wood disease, but it is unlikely you will kill them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing I would consider is light as there is a reason they grew up to the treetops in the first place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastActivityDate="2016-07-13T03:34:15.457" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27230" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-13T07:19:16.863" Score="3" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_%C3%97_alba&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Michelia alba&lt;/a&gt; plant and I am considering purchasing a large self-watering container for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read a lot about drying out roots between watering, so I was wondering if a self watering container is a bad idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15312" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-13T13:53:16.613" LastActivityDate="2016-07-13T13:53:16.613" Title="Will my indoor Michelia alba thrive in a self-watering container?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27231" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-13T08:51:33.120" Score="5" ViewCount="154" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant breeders, farmers and gardening enthusiasts have for centuries been selectively breeding plants to develop plants with certain desired traits, be it larger roots or fruit, showy flowers or....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if one chooses to plant that is the result of some breeding effort in an area where the original wild version is at home, could that have negative effects on the wildlife? Like cross-pollinating and similar? And are there methods to avoid spreading of the cultivated type?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I distinctly remember some of the wild &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellis_perennis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bellis perennis&lt;/a&gt; in my parents' lawn suddenly showing a double layer of ray florets and pinker tinge after pink cultivated bellis were planted in a flowerbed nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would I risk a similar effect if I planted red-leaved variant of elder (&lt;a href=&quot;https://springmeadownursery.com/files/resource_files/Sambucus_Black_Beauty.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;S. nigra 'Black Beauty'&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://springmeadownursery.com/files/resource_files/Sambucus_Black_Lace.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;S. nigra 'Black Lace'&lt;/a&gt;) in my garden, in a region where Sambucus nigra is growing wild? Short of cutting off all flowers before bloom, is there a way to avoid it? Or is the risk only theoretical?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="32852" LastEditDate="2021-05-21T01:16:53.610" LastActivityDate="2021-05-21T01:16:53.610" Title="Side effects of introducing cultivated variants of a plant into an area where the wild version grows?" Tags="&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;native-conditions&gt;&lt;elderberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="27232" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-13T09:38:20.690" Score="6" ViewCount="125" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help me identify this one. I’ve got no idea where it comes from. Even the specialists at &lt;a href=&quot;https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cz.thran.flowerchecker&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;FlowerChecker&lt;/a&gt; couldn’t help me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All I know is that it’s quite robust (i.e. undemanding) and is able to quickly develop new branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qFsXd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qFsXd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;four pictures of the unidentified plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14139" LastActivityDate="2016-08-10T17:17:36.370" Title="What is this branching, brown-stemmed and fleshy-leafed plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;fleshy-leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27233" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-13T09:56:23.370" Score="6" ViewCount="3807" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had some uninspiring success growing avocados from the pit, by suspending them in a glass of water using toothpicks. Recently, I had set aside several pits to do the same, but didn't get around to putting them in water for over a week. Now the pits don't seem to be sending down roots or sending up shoots at all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a maximum amount of time that an avocado pit may be allowed to sit/dry out prior to being put in water for growing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15288" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-20T07:01:47.240" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T10:48:42.660" Title="How long may an avocado pit be left out after having been removed from its fruit?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27231" CreationDate="2016-07-13T10:10:55.170" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If, by red leaved elder, you mean Sambucus nigra varieties such as 'Black Lace', it will have no impact on the local population of wild S. nigra. The black leaved cultivars are not self fertile, so you need two for pollination purposes, but may well produce flowers anyway if there is any other Sambucus nigra variety in the vicinity. Usually, no viable seed is produced from flowers on black leaved cultivars, and even if it is, it doesn't come true, whereas your native or endemic S. nigra will freely produce seed which will come true, so any seed which germinates won't be one of the cultivars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-13T10:10:55.170" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27235" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-13T12:20:27.580" Score="2" ViewCount="275" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm currently growing a few chilli plants from seed in my apartment, but the largest one is having some problems. Some of the leaves are curling, whilst others have a dusty, salty substance on the bottom and light green patches on the top. Parts of the stem have started to brown.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Spk6o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Spk6o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NDUyu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NDUyu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qSvvH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qSvvH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;(Photo gallery here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/IPvEI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imgur.com/a/IPvEI&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I'm really new to growing plants in general, I have no idea of the cause - I've been watering them fairly frequently recently (around once a day/once every two days) as they live in a sunny windowsill (well, for the UK) and the soil appears dry. None of the plants it lives alongside (also chilli plants) are having the same issues, though it is the largest of the plants and may possibly require repotting? I've spent a long while Googling, but haven't been able to find anything that matches the exact symptoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15315" LastEditorUserId="13523" LastEditDate="2016-07-13T20:57:16.307" LastActivityDate="2016-07-14T00:54:58.163" Title="New to houseplants - what's wrong with my chilli plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27236" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27231" CreationDate="2016-07-13T12:49:12.787" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general the effect is minor. Natural selection already created optimum &lt;em&gt;natural varieties&lt;/em&gt; for local environments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cultivated varieties are weaker, for several reasons. One is that cultivated plants have less competition (removing weeds, planting in ideal positions, watering and fertilizing). An other reasons: cultivar have less genetic variety, so easier to get diseases (it costs less to cure, than to create a new variety with all positive traits, plus resistance). But the most significant factor (according my opinion) is: cultivated plants have other strengths: big fruits, large fruits, more sugar fruits, early productions, which takes a lot more energies for less vital things, so competitors have great advantage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: this is true for wild species. &lt;em&gt;Bellis perennis&lt;/em&gt; is not so wild: grass-cutting could help them vs competitors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: invasive species are different: They are not weaker version of wild plants, but probably adapted to a more competitive environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-07-13T12:49:12.787" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27237" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27260" CreationDate="2016-07-13T14:49:12.527" Score="4" ViewCount="258" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_lyrata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fiddle Leaf Fig&lt;/a&gt; tree is getting taller. I was wondering if I should change the pot to a bigger pot? I took the picture of my plant next to a standard cereal box so you can have an idea of how tall it is. Unfortunately, I don't have anything to measure it with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fysaA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fysaA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fig&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-13T14:56:04.827" LastActivityDate="2016-07-15T02:19:37.737" Title="When should I transfer my Fiddle Leaf Fig to a bigger pot?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27206" CreationDate="2016-07-13T15:54:59.703" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Measuring the pH of soil is cheap and super easy (I do this often). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get a (plastic) bowl.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put a sample of soil in it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add distilled (not rain or tap) water and mix it to the consistency of a milk shake.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wait 30-60 minutes, until the soil settles and you have mostly water on top.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Test the pH of the water/supernatant with a pH meter or litmus strip(s).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trouble shooting tip: If you added too much water, add more soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question: How do I know this is accurate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Answer: pH is logarithmic, so you can't go very wrong. In other words if you have a 100 ml of solution with pH of 6.60, and you add 100 ml of distilled water to that, the pH of the 200 ml solution will be 6.71. So, being off by less than double the amount of water will not mess up your results too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question: why do I have to use distilled water? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Answer: The pH of rain water is about 5.6, and the pH of tap water &lt;em&gt;should&lt;/em&gt; be between 6.5 and 9.5... and it often is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question: Where do I get litmus strips or a pH meter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Answer: Online (like eBay) will work; or the pharmacy, aquarium, pool, or lawn and garden section of many box stores (like walmart) should also carry them. There are (probably) thousands of pH strip products... they will all work for soil testing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shopping tips: For testing soil, any cheap pH strip (within range) should be good enough; &lt;strong&gt;look for strips that have good color definition around pH 5 - 9&lt;/strong&gt;. Pool pH strips might be more expensive and specific for the higher range (pH 7 - 10) and they might include other/unnecessary tests. On the other hand, if you have a pool, then having dual purpose strips makes sense. Otherwise, I would probably opt for something like urine or aquarium strips (which are usually meant to read pH in the range of 4 to 10). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For pH meters, look for a model with straightforward calibration techniques. Always check the product reviews before spending your grocery money.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qf2hX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qf2hX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastEditorUserId="14191" LastEditDate="2016-07-14T20:53:20.833" LastActivityDate="2016-07-14T20:53:20.833" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27239" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-13T17:57:04.940" Score="2" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was watering my sunchokes today in order to give them a drink of water they needed to tell them to grow again, and noticed that they had droplets forming on the leaves. Why did the droplets form, and is this normal when doing a heavy watering (15 minutes city water pressure in a 10X15 edges hilled plot on a PVC drip system)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-16T07:49:40.313" Title="Why did &quot;droplets&quot; appear on sunchoke leaves when watering on the ground to replenish the water supply right under them?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;sunchoke&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27241" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27343" CreationDate="2016-07-13T21:26:46.653" Score="2" ViewCount="534" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to solve this mystery plant. Could anyone verify if it is a fern at the very least?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The photo was taken at the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California_Botanical_Garden&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;UC Berkeley Botanical Garden&lt;/a&gt; in Berkeley, California two years ago. I have contacted the garden's horticulturist but he is on vacation and this is in sort of a time crunch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Updated&lt;/strong&gt;: From my memory the spread was quite big maybe a few feet, 2 or 3 feet, in width and the plant was as high as 3 feet? The width may be smaller but I do for sure remembering having to be on my tip toes to take this photo because i wanted this angle and I am 5 2&quot; so it had to be somewhat tall. For sure though, this photo was taken in July. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n5Cvw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n5Cvw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15320" LastEditorUserId="15320" LastEditDate="2016-07-14T19:42:57.797" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T21:45:25.173" Title="What is this fern-like plant with red stems and green, red or cream colored leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27242" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27248" CreationDate="2016-07-13T22:18:30.000" Score="11" ViewCount="10851" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can I leave ripe red tomatoes on the vine until I'm ready to use them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long do they stay good on the vine?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will picking them cause them to go bad faster or does it make any difference?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15225" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2018-10-02T19:35:04.060" LastActivityDate="2018-10-04T09:57:01.317" Title="What should new tomato growers know about growing tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="27243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27235" CreationDate="2016-07-14T00:54:58.163" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say that it is almost certainly looks like the result of some aphid/mite attack. But, you say it is just on one of many plants, which is noteworthy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it was a water/re-potting need, you'd usually see other issues, like say, yellow leaves, one possible sign of water retention issues. Besides, looks like you have been watering them well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would set the plant aside, as far away from the others as possible, wipe down the residue and treat the plant with a diluted solution of soap and water, or an organic insecticide. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Observe the plant closely over the next few days and see what happens. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you remember the type of breed/hybrid it is, you could look it up and see if this breed is particularly prone to any type of bugs or diseases. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-07-14T00:54:58.163" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27242" CreationDate="2016-07-14T02:04:51.587" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Once they are red or ripe get them off the vine/bush!  This promotes MORE fruit setting, ripening.  Keep them cool and eat them sooner than later.  Don't put in the refrigerator.  Keep apples and bananas away from other vegetables or flowers you don't want them to ripen or die quickly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-07-14T06:50:22.663" LastActivityDate="2016-07-14T06:50:22.663" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27246" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-14T04:15:01.557" Score="4" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;I own 5 acres of forest land in Northern Idaho. On one part there are many different species but many have died. There are a lot of dead birch trees laying around. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I helping or hurting by picking up all the fallen branches, sticks, etc. from the ground &lt;strong&gt;and&lt;/strong&gt; raking up what appears to be years of dead leaves? I'm trying to help but now I'm having doubts. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I help and not hinder and still clean up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15321" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-14T14:06:20.703" LastActivityDate="2016-07-14T14:06:20.703" Title="How to maintain forest land with a variety of tree species?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27247" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27246" CreationDate="2016-07-14T06:40:55.397" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Picking up debris is just fine.  It will help reduce fires, (which are completely natural, normal and necessary)...really tough question.  But picking up debris, getting it away from your home and building some debris piles for the wild animals.  Is the best one can do.  Leave the 'duff' alone if you can.  It is organic matter in the process of decomposition, crucial for great soil...even if you won't be alive to enjoy the soil, your progeny will.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep an eye on the duff.  I have seen first hand that fire can travel through thick duff without a puff of smoke.  Then burst into flame...taking days, weeks before igniting. Get trees away from your home (you don't happen to have a true log home do you)?, wood storage, fuel, batteries.  If you have a true log home you are a very lucky person.  A true log home with 12 to 18&quot; diameter logs is the safest place to be in a forest fire.  They've actually saved lives of fire fighters.  Also great in floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earth quakes...seriously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-14T06:40:55.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27248" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27242" CreationDate="2016-07-14T07:29:18.153" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It really depends on the variety. Some can stay on the vine for a long time after they're ripe (how long they can stay on is known as hang-time), and some have to be picked as soon as they're ripe. How picking affects the matter also seems dependent on the variety, as well as how ripe the fruit is when you pick it. It seems to me that if you pick them when they're still green they last longer after ripening. They don't have as much of a chance to split, crack, get eaten by wildlife and such, either, but this may affect the flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you pick tomatoes, some kinds are harder to pick than others (or take more force to pull off). For those, I recommend snipping them with scissors so you don't damage the plants or the fruit. Some tomatoes will come off very easily (either because the stem separates from the larger stem easily or because the calyx separates from the fruit easily. Even in this case, though, leaving the stem on can improve storage capacity and other things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some tomatoes are more prone to splitting and cracking than others, and this can affect the hang-time and the shelf-life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might be interested in RIN tomatoes (which stay firm/crisp even when fully ripe) and storage tomatoes, like Long Keeper. High anthocyanin tomatoes also have potential for increased shelf-life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people prefer extremely ripe tomatoes (whether ripened indoors or on the vine), but I generally don't like then so ripe, since they get really soft and juicy; they lose their acidic flavor; they sometimes taste more like chlorine (to my tongue). I prefer to pick them either as soon as they ripen or within a few days, depending on the breed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a list of a few examples of how tomato breeds differed, for me: Black Beauty has great shelf-life and great hang-time. Fruits could be left on the vine for a really long time, and they'd stay good in storage for a really long time. Galapagos Island, however, can stay good on the vine for a decent amount of time (and progressively gets a deeper color long after ripening), but it's very prone to splitting when I pick it. Paul Robeson in 2014 for me would burst into liquid, if left on the vine more than a day after ripening, but if picked in good time had probably a regular shelf-life. Some varieties like Burpee Gloriana crack easily and can go bad easily for this reason. Some tomatoes look like they'd keep well, because they're firm and flawless, but they don't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My source for terminology is just forums and other websites I've used for the last few years (people say hang-time in that context).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stores and forums are another general source of information (not just for terminology).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree with Stormy about picking the tomatoes sooner than later if you want a bigger harvest. The same goes for okra and many peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have mixed feelings about what Stephie said about refrigeration. On the one hand, she's right (you don't have to do it, they do often keep a good while unrefrigerated, and the taste &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; be much improved). On the other hand, it really depends. Tomatoes can sometimes (not always) taste better (or at least different, in subjective ways) if refrigerated. I thought Valencia tasted better refrigerated, anyhow. For other varieties, there's a certain taste and texture that refrigeration can impart, and it may or may not be what you're looking for (in my case, I was looking for it, at times). Tomatoes will ripen a lot more slowly in the refrigerator, too, whether or not they stay good longer (so if you don't want them over-ripe, and you want to store them a while, keeping them cooler should help). However, they may be prone to contracting fruit rot pathogens in the refrigerator, due to produce that may have gone bad in the past in the refrigerator (so, a cold storage area like a cellar is probably much better for long-term storage).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding Graham Chiu and Stormy's discussion:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://homeguides.sfgate.com/tomato-plants-annuals-58163.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tomatoes are tender perennials often grown as annuals.&lt;/a&gt; Some kinds of tomatoes will grow and fruit continually (indeterminates are supposed to do this, although in my experience some are more prone to fruiting continually than others), and some will stop and die after the first wave (these are usually determinate, but not all determinate tomatoes do this). (Some kinds will do other things.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm of the opinion that those  that would die after the first wave will live and &lt;em&gt;eventually&lt;/em&gt; fruit again if you prune them after harvest, though, provided they're healthy. As far as heat influencing ripening goes, I've heard often that it can hamper ripening, but I personally think something else that just often corresponds with the heat, is responsible instead, since I've seen tomatoes ripen just fine in very hot temperatures (and I've seen them struggle, too). The time of the season seems to impact ripening more than the temperature (same for green onion growth, if you harvest the greens and leave them to grow back), but I'm not sure what causes it. In my area, ripening and production seem to speed up considerably in mid August, which is &lt;em&gt;usually&lt;/em&gt; when the temperature falls a few notches, but yeah, it can be hot then, too, and the garden still improves. I kind of feel like it's something about the sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-10-04T09:57:01.317" LastActivityDate="2018-10-04T09:57:01.317" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="27249" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27250" CreationDate="2016-07-14T08:59:28.073" Score="6" ViewCount="465" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have tomatoes in a greenhouse. Most of the stem is fortified with a curled rod, so they don't break under the weight of their fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now they have outgrown their rod and are reaching the top of the greenhouse. I am wondering if I should cut them so they don't touch the roof. For once because there is no way I can further physically support them. But also, maybe they should put their strength in the remaining fruits?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14619" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-14T16:59:06.190" LastActivityDate="2016-07-14T16:59:06.190" Title="Should I cut tomatoes once they reach the top of the greenhouse?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27250" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27249" CreationDate="2016-07-14T09:31:16.643" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could do this, and it could indeed strengthen the remaining fruits - another option may be to encourage the plant to grow back downwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-07-14T09:31:16.643" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27226" CreationDate="2016-07-14T10:14:41.270" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think its probably Corymbia ficifolia, one of the eucalypts, and the time to prune it is as the seed pods (known as ground nuts) start forming, which is now for your tree. It's usual to prune back branches behind the flowers, otherwise, the tree puts energy into growing taller beyond the point where the seedpods are forming  rather than lateral growths. If your tree flowered last year and you didn't prune it afterwards, that would partially explain why it's got so tall, yet not thickened up. Because your tree is rather spindly, were it mine, I'd  certainly risk cutting it down by half, leaving no foliage at all, but whether you want to risk that or not is your choice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no idea how well it will respond to that kind of hard pruning, having only ever done that type of prune on Eucalyptus gunnii. The problem with doing that is, if it works, it will force branched growth from the point at which you've cut, and your tree is planted too close to a fence, so that any lateral growths will be butting up against it; if you want to risk it, you'll have to cut it just at the point where the fence stops. I'd also detach it completely from its stake to allow for more trunk movement,  especially as its proximity to the fence may means it's getting less exposure to any wind that's about anyway, adding to the lack of thickening of the trunk. General information regarding pruning in the link below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardendrum.com/2015/02/24/how-to-prune-a-flowering-gum/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://gardendrum.com/2015/02/24/how-to-prune-a-flowering-gum/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-14T10:20:29.580" LastActivityDate="2016-07-14T10:20:29.580" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27239" CreationDate="2016-07-14T15:36:42.213" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the key to the question is in your comments - you were watering at noon. This means that the stomata of your plants were open to allow the plant to take in CO2 and let out O2. This also means that water that the plant takes up can transpire through the open stomata. This could be what you were seeing - or it could be that you splashed water on the leaves and didn't notice. In general, you'll get the most transpiration when the day is hot, bright and dry. This is a normal process and is beneficial to the plant. If this is what you saw, it is not something you need to worry about. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, for more efficient watering, you should time it to take place in the morning or late afternoon. When the sun is lower in the sky the water has a chance to soak further into the soil and less of the water will evaporate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-07-14T15:36:42.213" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27254" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-14T21:39:05.937" Score="2" ViewCount="280" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently had a huge oak tree removed. It was ground to a stump. I'm going to pave that area soon.  Do I need to do anything to the area before paving? Someone told me to put salt in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15325" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-15T02:42:23.483" LastActivityDate="2016-07-15T02:42:23.483" Title="What should I do after oak tree removal, before paving?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27254" CreationDate="2016-07-14T22:12:13.687" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Salt will not do anything to help you pave the area over.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't recommend paving the area at all unless you are willing to excavate at least a foot deep for four to six feet around where the tree was.  The reason is that there are still roots and part of the stump in the ground.  These will start to decompose and shrink in volume.  As this happens the gravel and asphalt above it will sink when weight is put on or water moves through.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-07-14T22:12:13.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27259" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-15T01:29:09.697" Score="2" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some cucumber plants that are very infested with cucumber beetles (mostly striped, some spotted).  The plants are dying from bacterial wilt, and although it's hard to access all leaf surfaces to get an accurate count, there's probably at least one beetle per leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These cucumber plants are near some zucchini and butternut squash plants.  The zucchini seem a bit damaged by the beetles but so far are doing okay.  The butternut squash look undamaged by the beetles so far, but I have seen a few on them.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I want to prevent the spread of the bacterial wilt to my zucchini and squash.  What is the best way to do this?&lt;/strong&gt; I was thinking that removing the infected plants would be the best way, but I don't know if the beetles that are currently infecting my cucumber plants will then start wandering after the plants disappear and then congregate on my other plants in greater numbers.  If there was a way to kill the beetles as I removed the cucumber plants, I think that would be the best way to prevent the spread of beetles/bacterial wilt.  I don't know though, so please teach me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: I asked a similar question, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/27198/cucumber-with-bacterial-wilt-what-to-do-to-save-other-plants&quot;&gt;Cucumber with bacterial wilt, what to do to save other plants?&lt;/a&gt;.  This is where I got the suggestion to remove the plants.  Now I'm asking what to do about the soon to be homeless beetles that currently infest the cucumbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another note: &lt;strong&gt;I have woodchips down as weed control throughout my garden&lt;/strong&gt;, including under the cucumbers (with a few bare spots near where the stem enters the ground).  I think the beetles hide under the wood chips during the day, not sure though.  I don't see any on the plants during the day, but see a few crawling around the woodchips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11211" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-07-15T03:00:20.433" Title="How to keep cucumber beetles/bacterial wilt from spreading when removing infected plant?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27237" CreationDate="2016-07-15T02:19:37.737" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Main reasons for re-potting are that the soil is depleted of nutrients or the plant has out grown the size of the pot. Check the underside of the pot for roots coming through. This indicates the plant has reached the limit of the pot size.  If there are none, inspect the quality of the soil to see if it perhaps need a feed or if all the smaller, finer grains are gone and only larger clumps or pieces of bark/mulch matter are left. This would indicate that the soil needs replacing (which can be done and then place the plant back in the same pot).&#xA;Hope this helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-07-15T02:19:37.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27261" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27264" CreationDate="2016-07-15T05:13:28.377" Score="2" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since black walnut trees affect the plants growing around them, do the yields of more tolerant plants have yields affected by the toxin to produce less?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-19T13:18:11.130" Title="Does juglone affect crop yields?" Tags="&lt;food-crops&gt;&lt;toxicity&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27262" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-15T06:49:15.287" Score="4" ViewCount="2290" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently moved to a new apartment with a high balcony. It gets lots of sun, but also a lot of wind. Since I moved here about 1 month ago, my pepper plant leaves have started to become deformed (almost like an island undergoing erosion). I can't tell if it's because of pests, disease, or somehow the wind is causing it. None of the plants have flowered either, and I planted them from seed in mid-March (indoors, as we had a cold spring). What could be causing this issue?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Details:&#xA;I'm in southern Ontario, Canada and there are multiple plants growing from an outdoor planter which received new potting mix and some occasional fertilization. I've inspected the leaves but I haven't found any recent evidence of large pests. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0f3sA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0f3sA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zT5la.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zT5la.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11959" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-16T00:20:19.200" LastActivityDate="2016-07-16T22:13:09.880" Title="Why are my Bell pepper leaves deformed with contoured edges?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27263" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-15T09:20:12.270" Score="3" ViewCount="1391" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have three succulent plants that I believe are &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasteria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gasteria&lt;/a&gt;. One leaf in one plant has suddenly shrivelled and turned pale greyish brown. Sorry, no matter how I try, the colour in the picture is not very accurate. It looks a lot unhealthier in reality than it does in the picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jMpwd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jMpwd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Gasteria with shrivelled leave&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vzKoN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vzKoN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shrivelled Gasteria leave&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants are offspring from a large mother plant and have lived in ordinary indoor potting soil for one to two years (the mother plant lives in soil too). They have always been on a north-east window sill, and if they get any direct sun, it's at most one to two hours in the early morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water them every one to two weeks, and the soil dries out completely between watering. The water is ordinary tap water which in our place comes from a lake. Because I see fungus gnats every now and then, I add &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis_israelensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis&lt;/a&gt; tablets to the water about every second time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants have looked relatively healthy ever since I got them. The one in question has been repotted about half to one year ago, and I saw back then that it had made extensive roots. Another of the three plants is growing its own offspring above the bottom most leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There has been no change in watering that I'm aware off. I watered the plants two days ago and did not notice anything unusual, thus I believe this leaf has shrivelled and turned pale greyish brown relatively suddenly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could be the cause?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Additional information in response to comments:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot is the type normally used for expanded clay pebbles. To water, I remove the inner pot so that any excess water can drain from the many holes of that inner pot. I'm pretty sure there's never standing water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some months ago, I tried to fight fungus gnats with nematodes which required the soil to be kept moist for a few days, and these plants did not seem to suffer from that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our tap water is said to be the best quality for drinking. It's all I have ever used for my plants. Details are available &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/dib/de/index/wasserversorgung/Qualitaetsueberwachung/qualitaetswerte.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; (the page is in German but the PDF is available in English).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bacillus thuringiensis israelensis are from the gardening department of the supermarket, their website is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.doitgarden.ch/de/garten/pflanzenpflege/pflanzenschutzmittel/trauermuecken-stopp/pp.658501000000&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. One tablet is to be dissolved in 1 litre of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My watering can is about 0.8 litre, might such an overdose of bacillus thuringiensis israelensis be harmful to the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15328" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2016-07-18T20:23:24.593" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T20:23:24.593" Title="What can cause a Gasteria leaf to suddenly shrivel and turn greyish brown?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27264" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27261" CreationDate="2016-07-15T16:05:14.847" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does juglone (an allelotoxin from black walnut) affect (positively or negatively) the yield of juglone tolerant crops?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look into allelopathy... it's talked about in this SE as well as around the internet. I'm certain that this is a long winded answer with lots of examples. In general, allelotoxins affect the field like the desert provides a life for cacti. Without the desert, cacti would be out-competed by other plants. Although I would expect that very few plants would be positively affected by juglone, I'd bet that there are a few... besides other walnut trees... perhaps parasitic plants like trumpet vine would be stimulated in the presence of juglone (I asked myself this question years ago as I was considering how well the trumpet vines were growing on the walnut trees in my area).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Allelotoxins, like juglone from black walnut and sorgolene from sorghum, have been studied for many years to improve crop yields with rotation and companion planting- and for making herbicides- and for other discoveries. There are some new herbicide products on the market derived from the research. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Juglone especially affects tomatoes and solanaceous plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a good read about Juglone: &lt;a href=&quot;http://jem.forrex.org/index.php/jem/article/viewFile/119/473&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;A SUMMARY OF EXTRACTION, SYNTHESIS, PROPERTIES, AND POTENTIAL USES OF JUGLONE: A LITERATURE REVIEW&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastEditorUserId="14191" LastEditDate="2016-07-19T13:18:11.130" LastActivityDate="2016-07-19T13:18:11.130" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22403" CreationDate="2016-07-15T18:22:42.617" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;While cleaning the garden bed, I found the broken tag from this plant! It must have been in the pot somewhere or under the dirt at the root base, and I hadn't noticed it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gazania&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gazania&lt;/a&gt;, also called Treasure Flower. It's in the very large &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteraceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Asteraceae&lt;/a&gt; family which includes asters, daisies, a variety of sunflowers and other flowering plants. As Bamboo and others mentioned, it's in the tribe of Arctotis and is a hybrid. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nova.co.at/marsNova/en/instance/ko/Gazania.xhtml?oid=90555&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;many varieties&lt;/a&gt; of Gazania. This one is a New Day Red Shades, F1 Hybrid. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PfWo8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PfWo8m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Front of label&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/avLiM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/avLiMm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Back of label&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-07-15T18:22:42.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27267" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-15T21:11:53.080" Score="3" ViewCount="525" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this weird red sap on a few of my cucumbers. I was wondering if anyone has seen this before?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These cucumbers were grown in our conservatory in the back garden (facing south) in pots, grown up bamboo canes (not sure how helpful this information is)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2kM10.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2kM10.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Very close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rxtw4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rxtw4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A bit less close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15330" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-15T23:03:30.713" LastActivityDate="2016-07-16T01:30:12.990" Title="What is this substance that looks like red sap on my cucumbers?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;&lt;sap&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22387" CreationDate="2016-07-16T00:29:14.243" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is classic TMV....tobacco mosaic virus....super crappy for this to enter your garden. I'm no expert, but here's my experience...but not looking good. If you are, or there has been smokers in/around your garden it could very likely have it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I understand, it's a virus from cigarettes (not sure if it's just tobacco or cigarettes, I know tobacco plants show symptoms of the virus. Very hard to rid room/area/garden of virus. Can cling to tools, clothes, dirt, and will live years in dead plant material. Sustainable in hi temps (cooking dirt has not been effective). Once virus takes host it will spread, don't know exactly how. Signs of infection can very easily be misinterpreted for other bact./fung. Infections. Don't know if bugs spread it but I would assume  bugs may. Later years of severe infection, plants have shown stunted growth, deformed fruit, and complete loss of yield in some cases. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No cure yet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clean tools&#xA;Wash hands &#xA;Don't smoke &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either A) change all your soil out. B) hope for the best!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Minnesota. I'm experimenting with dumping gallons of milk in the soil in late fall...long story, we'll see what happens. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15333" LastEditorUserId="15333" LastEditDate="2016-07-16T00:52:15.210" LastActivityDate="2016-07-16T00:52:15.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27270" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7975" CreationDate="2016-07-16T04:30:24.250" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Coriander seeds. I cracked these open and spreaded the seeds in my soil. It is now growing as little seedlings. I want to see how many will come up. We have tropical climate so it was easy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15335" LastActivityDate="2016-07-16T04:30:24.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7975" CreationDate="2016-07-16T06:40:37.550" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it is possible, but the viability depends on the type of seed,age of seed and the processes they have been subjected to.  (Heat, for example can kill the seeds)  I've recently germinated Goji Berries this way.  Beans are very commonly grown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-07-16T06:40:37.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27272" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27239" CreationDate="2016-07-16T07:49:40.313" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the phenomenon of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guttation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;guttation&lt;/a&gt; when the humidity is high inhibiting transpiration, and root pressure forces water out specialised edge leaf structures (hydathodes).  Once the water evaporates from the leaf, it can leave minerals behind which burn the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KL0eU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KL0eU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-16T07:49:40.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27273" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27274" CreationDate="2016-07-16T10:05:28.093" Score="2" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have built myself a simple heated environment to start growing some plants (in the middle of winter).   Reading online I was surprised to see that the optimum temperature for germination of nightshades is around 29 degrees c - a lot higher then I had thought (I previously did it at 20 degrees c) - this got me thinking - does anyone have any insights into if temperature fluctuation is beneficial during germination and if so what the ideals are - also, will germinating at cooler temperatures make for a hardier plant - I can't keep them at that temperature once they start growing !)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-07-16T14:33:47.533" Title="Ideal climate for germinating nightshades" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;nightshade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27274" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27273" CreationDate="2016-07-16T14:33:47.533" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;For specific germination instructions, you'll have to be more specific on plant type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the wiki: The family ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of important agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and ornamentals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two pieces of unsolicited advice on starting plants in winter:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't start too early.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't worry too much about root bind (You'll tease the roots (or cut off the bottom half inch) when you plant outside anyway.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as making a hardier plant through exposure - generally you don't want to do that to indoor seedlings. As an indoors seedling, the developing root ball is more exposed to the elements than it ever is when the plant sprouts naturally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Naturally: the soil around the root ball insulates it from temporary, drastic fluctuations in air temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Indoors: the root ball is surrounded by air and has very little insulation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grow a strong seedling with ideal conditions, then transplant outside after the last frost.  A healthy root ball can weather the weather, and guide the plant to grow to suit conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on the type of Nightshade, there may be some winterizing to do when late autumn comes around.  I'm curious as to the species because of the high germination temperature. Is it an edible that germinates through digestion, vine that doesn't sprout until late spring and sleep/creep/leaps - must know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-07-16T14:33:47.533" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27275" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-16T15:38:55.363" Score="4" ViewCount="1912" Body="&lt;p&gt;My beans received fertilizer occasionally in the spring to get them going, and now each plant has several beans growing. However, I noticed that many leaves are curled, deformed (like an old scar), or have white patches. What could be causing these issues?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in southern Ontario, Canada. These are potted plants on a high balcony with plenty of direct sunlight in late afternoon (indirect at other hours).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lJAeX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lJAeX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sIeAO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sIeAO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11959" LastActivityDate="2020-04-15T21:17:09.047" Title="Why are my bean leaves curled with white splotches?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;beans&gt;&lt;green-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27277" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27242" CreationDate="2016-07-16T19:20:17.037" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes are climacteric fruits so undergo a burst of respiration at the time of ripening, and then will continue to ripen after being removed from the vine. If the temperature is too hot ( over 85 deg F), this can inhibit the ripening process so you can remove the fruit and let it ripen inside instead which might give you a 5 day headstart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, your question is about fruit already ripe, and most people seem to think that vine ripened fruit have higher sugar levels. It shouldn't get more sugar from the vine once it's ripe so likely will make very little difference if you leave them on the vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cvp.cce.cornell.edu/submission.php?id=91&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://cvp.cce.cornell.edu/submission.php?id=91&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-16T19:20:17.037" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27278" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-16T21:37:21.990" Score="4" ViewCount="105" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I bought my &lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drosera_aliciae.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Drosera Aliciae&lt;/a&gt;, I was told that I have to repot it in a clean soil - without any nutrients. Unfortunately, all gardening stores in my neighborhood sell only standard garden soil, that contains nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I get clean soil for my sundew? Can I e.g. collect sand from the seashore? Can I take garden soil and clean it somehow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2748" LastActivityDate="2016-07-17T22:15:41.700" Title="How can I get clean soil for my sundew?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27278" CreationDate="2016-07-16T22:04:53.977" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only way to get proper soil for anything you are planting in pots is to use a sterilized potting soil.  Do not try to make your own soil by adding anything other than decomposed organic matter, big no no.  All soil is ONLY improved by adding decomposed organic mulch and all one has to do it apply it to the top of the soil. Even and especially potting soil.  Lots of these potting soils come with Mycorrhizae and Bacterias.  One needs to FEED these micro organisms with decomposed organic matter.  Makes the sterilized potting soil come alive with organisms.  Garden soil is like taking a chunk out of an evolved environment and NOT at all good for a 'terrarium' like a potted plant.  I am not sure what you are calling 'nutrients'...are you talking about added fertilizers?  Then you are correct, do not use potting soil with added fertilizer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-16T22:04:53.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27280" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27262" CreationDate="2016-07-16T22:13:09.880" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any little insect nibble, injury will cause this deformity.  There is NOTHING wrong with your pepper that I can see.  Completely normal.  What are you fertilizing it with, what are your watering procedures, where is this plant?  Indoors, outdoors?  Is it flowering?  What kind of soil is this plant living in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Went back to reread your question!  Exactly what kind of fertilizer have you been using?  If this pepper hasn't flowered yet the main reason would be TOO MUCH NITROGEN.  NPK. Those 3 numbers, if the N has a number larger than the P AND K, you will get lots of vegetative growth (leaves) and little to no reproductive growth (flowers, peppers)...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-16T22:13:09.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27281" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-16T22:21:35.557" Score="2" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone ID the plant pictured in &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/CABHf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this album&lt;/a&gt;? It was seen earlier today (16th July) in southwest England, growing next to a road, and looks like it was coming under a fence from someone's garden. In case it's relevant, the pictures were taken at about 11 am.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LDTmM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LDTmM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Album flowers.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PpMGp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PpMGp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SonAb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SonAb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lz4KC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lz4KC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/CABHf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Image source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15340" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-17T13:59:42.627" LastActivityDate="2016-07-17T13:59:42.627" Title="Leafy plant with many small pink flowers" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-07-17T18:52:11.177" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27282" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27281" CreationDate="2016-07-16T22:34:19.303" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.naturallandscapesnursery.com%2Falnifolia.jpg&amp;amp;imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.naturallandscapesnursery.com%2Fclethra.html&amp;amp;docid=pgQxEQ-KGPaBaM&amp;amp;tbnid=FlKGlNV6aWAt3M%3A&amp;amp;w=666&amp;amp;h=474&amp;amp;bih=705&amp;amp;biw=1455&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjrho7UhPnNAhUU52MKHQj5AsIQMwhjKBswGw&amp;amp;iact=mrc&amp;amp;uact=8http://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Clethra alnifolia&lt;/a&gt;  I believe it is Clethra (alnifolia).  Beautiful shrub!!  Let me know if these pictures resonate with you...!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-16T22:34:19.303" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27283" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27285" CreationDate="2016-07-17T02:29:04.303" Score="4" ViewCount="2969" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found this in my garden today:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K0xOx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K0xOx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bad tomato&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My tomato plants appear to be quite ill. The lower stalk is covered in bumps, and it looks like they start at the base. Most parts of the plant are fine, but I am getting blossom end rot... I'm not sure if the two are related. Lack of calcium in the soil? I've grown tomatoes in the past in this garden, but this is the first time I've had a problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My garden is an eight by ten patch of my lawn that I've been tilling up the past few years. This is my only tomato plant. I'm also growing cumbers, which are thriving, potatoes, corn, and a bell pepper plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this look familiar to anyone? Anything I can do for my tomatoes? I imagine I'm going to have to pull the plant and try again next year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15341" LastActivityDate="2016-07-17T11:58:01.290" Title="Tomato Plant Stalk Appears Diseased" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27284" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-17T09:14:27.073" Score="4" ViewCount="500" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this tree?. I though it was a willow of some kind? but cant find a definitive answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has dark cracked bark, long drooping willow like leaves. The stems are red. There is a red vein running through the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This image taken from google earth on dick burton road, cape town. There are a good number of these lining the road.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WBvfO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WBvfO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iwfWw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iwfWw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;identify&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15103" LastEditorUserId="15103" LastEditDate="2016-07-17T10:15:46.563" LastActivityDate="2020-10-26T11:08:21.400" Title="What is this willow-like tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27283" CreationDate="2016-07-17T11:58:01.290" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look like adventitous root bumps to me - because there are so many, it likely means your plant is/has been very stressed. The usual cause is environmental, that is, things like poor or fluctuating availability of water, too much water, insufficient feeding, possible disease, and generally poor or crowded growing conditions. There may well be a problem with the roots, and/or a problem with the vascular flow inside the plant, and this is the plant's response, and would contribute to the problem with blossom end rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes often have adventitious root bumps, but not usually quite so many, more info here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tomatodirt.com/bumps-on-tomato-stems.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.tomatodirt.com/bumps-on-tomato-stems.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-17T11:58:01.290" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27286" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27289" CreationDate="2016-07-17T15:28:57.757" Score="4" ViewCount="16616" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was cheerfully eating all raspberries from the small plot in the backyard, including the 5% with white spots—pictured.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gQE3J.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gQE3J.png&quot; alt=&quot;raspberries with white spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today while pulling one of those with a white spot, I saw a little puff of white powder at the moment of pulling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm starting to wonder that the white spots may be mold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you shed some light on what they are, whether they're edible, and whether they indicate an upcoming wilder disease hitting the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15099" LastEditorUserId="15099" LastEditDate="2016-07-17T16:41:25.153" LastActivityDate="2016-07-17T19:14:15.703" Title="Are white spots on raspberries mold?" Tags="&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27287" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-17T16:52:05.417" Score="2" ViewCount="46" Body="&lt;p&gt;I remember from ancient history they used huge water tanks under buildings whenever it rained, and was wondering if that's the same principle for plants growing tubers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T10:12:22.557" Title="Are tubers used as water tanks?" Tags="&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27286" CreationDate="2016-07-17T19:08:20.280" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;White Drupelet syndrome (white spot) has the cell fully formed, no powdery residue, but the color is white instead of the normal color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's caused by excessive sunlight (UV damage) or heat and is typically found on late season set raspberries. I view it as a normal end-of-crop phenomenon that indicates cane maintenance will be in order soon for next year's crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Berries are entirely edible, you just won't be selling them. The first berry in the top row is a gold standard reference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/r71800111.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;White Drupelet Disorder&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your berries got damp, powdery mildew can also be a late season condition. The powder will be gray and the berries mushy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastEditorUserId="2197" LastEditDate="2016-07-17T19:14:15.703" LastActivityDate="2016-07-17T19:14:15.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2140" CreationDate="2016-07-17T19:17:54.420" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I simply used a shop vac. Just clean it out really good then turn it on and walk across your lawn in a sweeping motion accumulating the seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15345" LastActivityDate="2016-07-17T19:17:54.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27291" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27287" CreationDate="2016-07-17T19:48:55.537" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Food and moisture storage. Potatoes are storing starch surfaced with a protective skin containing growth nodes (eyes) in an underground root swelling. This is in order that the potato will have plenty of resources to regrow the next year with a fair burst of growth that will put its leaves well above the surrounding vegetation. In potatoes, the primary function is for food storage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2016-07-17T19:48:55.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27292" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-17T20:11:56.377" Score="3" ViewCount="17272" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the only yellow leaf and the plant is even sprouting out 4 new shoots. I keep the soil moist and let it dry then water again. I don't keep it in direct light. It's in a breeze way that's probably... 80 or so degrees. I'm in Texas where it's 100 outside. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ck43Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ck43Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;yellow leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More pictures:&#xA;Front of the whole plant. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tK3hM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tK3hM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;front plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Upclose of yellow leaf. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QsPgh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QsPgh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;upclose&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Back of plant. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/deA94.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/deA94.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;backside&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hidden leaf turning yellow. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vTavK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vTavK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hidden&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other parts of the plant. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QE5Q1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QE5Q1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;broken&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R8meD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R8meD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dark stem tips&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13579" LastEditorUserId="13579" LastEditDate="2016-07-18T21:55:26.540" LastActivityDate="2021-05-10T05:04:08.287" Title="Is this yellowing normal for a kalanchoe plant?" Tags="&lt;fleshy-leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27293" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-17T20:21:12.337" Score="0" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a bunch of different things. Bell peppers, squash, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bell pepper plants are all about the same size (10&quot;).&#xA;One grow on the very far side right next to where I started growing broccoli.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I fear it's not actually a bell pepper plant. It's about 4ft tall and has a ton of seeds blooming off of it. It has a stalk and leaves just like bell pepper plants I've googled, but I don't see anything that resembles what this is turning into.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/kRN8G&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imgur.com/a/kRN8G&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pSQXY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pSQXY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15346" LastEditorUserId="15346" LastEditDate="2016-07-17T20:33:45.260" LastActivityDate="2016-07-17T21:37:18.360" Title="I planted bell peppers. Is this actually a bell pepper?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="8" ClosedDate="2016-07-17T22:42:23.937" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27294" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27298" CreationDate="2016-07-17T20:35:23.397" Score="0" ViewCount="173" Body="&lt;p&gt;I ordered plants from a catalog, and the &quot;trees&quot; had their names taped on them. Should I let them grow for a while this way (so I know what tree is what), or remove the tape right away?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T01:39:59.063" Title="The company I ordered special trees from put tape directly on the tree, should I remove the tape?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27292" CreationDate="2016-07-17T22:05:19.410" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That leaf is on it's way out.  Plants discard leaves for various reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;overwatering: older leaves are discarded while still plump with water, usually seen with yellowing and sometimes the spotting from virus/fungus/bacteria&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;underwatering: leaves wither and die from the tip back.  They are dry and papery.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leaves accumulate waste products as they age and older leaves are discarded when they are no longer efficient&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remove this leaf cleanly at the stem and watch for more symptoms.  If more older leaves start yellowing cut back on the water.  This is most common cause of death of interior potted plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-07-17T22:05:19.410" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27278" CreationDate="2016-07-17T22:15:41.700" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most of the carnivorous plants require a soil that is free from pesticides, trace elements from chlorinated water and &quot;nutrients&quot;.  In this case nutrients refer to Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium that are commonly available in most soils and are higher in soils with more organic matter like compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What this plant needs is a soil mix that you can make yourself that mimics the natural environment where they are found.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;one part peat moss or sphagnum moss the fluffier precursor of peat and one part &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-silica-sand.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;sharp or silica sand&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This mix will draw water up from a substrate and have very few nutrients.  Once it dries out it will be hard to re wet so you can add some perlite if available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-07-17T22:15:41.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27294" CreationDate="2016-07-18T01:39:59.063" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get any tape, any labels any ribbon OFF the tree!  Prune that tree whilst it is easy to prune (for basic training).  I'll say this again, if that tree has a great heavy clay root ball in relation to the top growth, DO NOT STAKE.  I only stake bare root or damaged trees.  Huge difference in growth and hardiness!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T01:39:59.063" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27284" CreationDate="2016-07-18T01:55:38.627" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Salix arbusculoides  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbs=rimg%3ACfMx8mWbB_1xFIjhuo2sn6VnqMX8wJTYDhufnUGHCaQdSlQBdzGnQJFgK16JxeC_1_1NqH064ZWiAynCkCUyR-rF-sX_1ioSCW6jayfpWeoxEbqp_1dRGNjf3KhIJfzAlNgOG5-cRuqn91EY2N_1cqEglQYcJpB1KVABGDx7jt7l3VwSoSCV3MadAkWArXESnOo_1lrbmwxKhIJonF4L_182ofQRUqjm4ynHQUkqEgnrhlaIDKcKQBFj6atsbi9XqioSCZTJH6sX6xf-EQS-loHQ6XE2&amp;amp;q&amp;amp;bih=705&amp;amp;biw=1455&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjS7ujm8_vNAhUC4WMKHVySAZ0Q9C8ICQ&amp;amp;dpr=1.1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;willow with red stems&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T01:55:38.627" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27300" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27308" CreationDate="2016-07-18T04:40:43.407" Score="2" ViewCount="55" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was just introduced to Kang Kong/Kangkung/Chinese water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), and was wondering when it's too late to start growing Kang Kong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T12:21:41.400" Title="When is it too late to start growing kang kong?" Tags="&lt;spinach&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27301" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-18T05:23:25.237" Score="3" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ginger is a warm climate plant that can be grown in cool climates indoors with an ambient temperature of 25 - 30C (75-85F).  When you grow plants on the top of a hugelkultur, as long as the trees and other vegetation etc compost, heat is released into the soil.  So, if the soil were to reach that temperature, would that keep the plant alive over mild winter (5 - 10C) , or does the above ground temperature kill the plants?  ( I guess there would be a temperature gradient falling off from the ground upwards ).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T05:23:25.237" Title="Can you grow tropical plants (ginger) on a hugelkultur in a cool climate?" Tags="&lt;temperature&gt;&lt;ginger&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27302" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27304" CreationDate="2016-07-18T07:25:24.277" Score="3" ViewCount="321" Body="&lt;p&gt;Guidebooks I have show mulberries as having both the characteristic roundly serrated, multi-lobed leaves, but also unlobed leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this mean mulberries can have both lobed and unlobed leaves on the same tree, or are there different conditions under which the leaves are lobed/unlobed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-12T16:17:22.803" LastActivityDate="2017-11-12T16:17:22.803" Title="Mulberry trees can have both lobed and unlobed leaves?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27303" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27306" CreationDate="2016-07-18T09:21:49.200" Score="3" ViewCount="32996" Body="&lt;p&gt;We're about to order topsoil and turf.  Should topsoil be compacted first, or just leave it loose?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15350" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2021-03-14T13:37:33.547" LastActivityDate="2021-03-14T13:37:33.547" Title="Should I compact topsoil before laying turf?" Tags="&lt;sod&gt;&lt;topsoil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27302" CreationDate="2016-07-18T10:04:59.180" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;White mulberry (&lt;em&gt;Morus alba&lt;/em&gt;) could have both lobed and unlobed leaves in the same tree. I find more frequently unlobed leaves, but some plants (especially on young stages) can have mostly lobed leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And on my books, &lt;em&gt;Morus alba&lt;/em&gt; is describes as usual unlobed tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T10:04:59.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27305" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27287" CreationDate="2016-07-18T10:12:22.557" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tubers serve usually as method to survive unfavorable seasons (winter, summer, or both), protecting some part of the plant, so that it can growth back later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water tanks is done in steam (less energy to conquer some volume), see Cactuses, Stonecrops (&lt;em&gt;Sedum&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T10:12:22.557" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27306" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27303" CreationDate="2016-07-18T11:11:27.760" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well the answer depends on exactly what preparation you've already done to the turf bed. If you dug the area over and removed all weeds, especially perennial ones, that should then be raked level and left to settle. If you're then adding topsoil, spread it over, then walk all over it closely, using your heels, to find any soft spots, then relevel with a rake or a long board dragged over the area, so that you know its flat all over. It's not a good idea to use a heavy roller, you don't want to compress the soil deeply, you just need to make sure the soil is even and flat, without dips and hollows. This is necessary not only for good, complete contact in terms of the roots of each turf, but also for having a flat, even lawn over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can, wait a few days between spreading the topsoil and actually turfing,so ordering the turf to arrive a few days later would be best. The reason for this is that it gives the area a chance to settle and consolidate; any weed seeds or pieces present in the topsoil should produce growth quite quickly at this time of year, and you'll be able to remove those before turfing. Topsoil often contains quite a few largeish stones and pebbles, and they will need removing prior to laying turf - small or tiny bits of stone are okay. When your turf is delivered, you need to lay it pretty quickly, preferably within 24 hours, but certainly within 2 days, so having time to screen and spread the topsoil without the pressure of a pile of turf sitting waiting to go down makes things easier and you'll do a better job of it. If you can't get it down within two days, you need to unroll the turves and keep them watered till you're able to finish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The top two inches of the turf bed should be friable and relatively loose, to enable the turf roots to penetrate easily, so rake it up just before laying - it should also be damp, not dust dry, and given the weather we have in the UK at the moment, should it continue, that might mean you have to water it before laying the turf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-18T11:23:09.633" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T11:23:09.633" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27307" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27314" CreationDate="2016-07-18T12:03:13.630" Score="3" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SUr3V.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SUr3V.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Brought this guy home. Is there guidelines on when best to repot if I want this to live inside, on a southern facing Midwestern window sill. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BwpHp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BwpHp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/godxO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/godxO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14518" LastEditorUserId="14518" LastEditDate="2016-07-18T23:32:58.347" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T23:32:58.347" Title="How soon should I replant a grocery store rose" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27308" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27300" CreationDate="2016-07-18T12:21:41.400" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Too late where you are (from memory, you're in USDA zone 4, pretty much). Start off in early spring from seed, best grown in wide containers, but can be grown in the ground. In tropical and sub tropical areas, it can be harvested year round, will be more of a summer annual where you are&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://balconygardenweb.com/how-to-grow-kangkong-growing-water-spinach/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://balconygardenweb.com/how-to-grow-kangkong-growing-water-spinach/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T12:21:41.400" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27309" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-18T15:01:30.173" Score="6" ViewCount="431" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CrxFO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CrxFO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;new plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The previous owner left it when she moved out, and I'd love to be able to take care of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15352" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-19T15:13:52.823" LastActivityDate="2016-07-19T15:13:52.823" Title="What is this houseplant with glossy, elongated and variegated leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27310" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27302" CreationDate="2016-07-18T15:40:43.757" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Red Mulberry (Morus rubra) can also have lobed and unlobed leaves on the same tree. Young trees tend to have more lobed leaves, and mature trees tend to have fewer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T15:40:43.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27311" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-18T17:49:38.973" Score="3" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4M8jj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4M8jj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What type of plant is this?&#xA;Is it safe for children and pets?&#xA;Thank you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15357" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T20:45:51.993" Title="Plant Identification and Pet/Child Safety" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27311" CreationDate="2016-07-18T18:52:27.410" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is called the Corn Plant; Dracaena fragrans 'Massangeana'...and yours looks horrible.  More light? Here is a good link for care.  Not poisonous...&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/corn-plant.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Corn Plant and care&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-18T20:45:51.993" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T20:45:51.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27313" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-18T20:13:40.547" Score="3" ViewCount="1517" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in southeast Michigan. I built my house 2 years ago and had sod laid down last year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was told to water twice a day at least. The grass has held in and it came green during this season with no issues. I have reduced the watering to a single time a day and everything was perfect. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Suddenly within 2 days yellow spots appeared in different areas of the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used Grub control in May of this year.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I used Scott turf builder weed and feed in June.&#xA;I applied grass food in July.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is causing these yellow spots? How do I fix them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: here are some pictures from different areas.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lZTdT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lZTdT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3KvaP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3KvaP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;this is close to the garage &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X09H5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X09H5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and here is another picture in my back yard all by it self &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KrTWk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KrTWk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;this one is next to the side walk(and could be dog pee) &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wKnpK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wKnpK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14540" LastEditorUserId="14540" LastEditDate="2016-07-21T13:15:50.753" LastActivityDate="2016-08-20T14:05:58.503" Title="Yellow spots appeared in my lawn suddenly although all other area is green" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;sod&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="17" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27314" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27307" CreationDate="2016-07-18T23:26:18.837" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ah, well thanks for adding a picture of the label,but its not very informative, doesn't give a varietal name. It does suggest this is a mini rose, but that's not really a guide as to size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry to say that this plant will likely be a temporary visitor to your home - roses do not make good houseplants, so enjoy the blooms when they're on show, deadhead to encourage further blooms, keep watered but don't leave it sitting in water in the tray at the bottom. You can certainly pot it up into something bigger (certainly deeper) and it may last longer if you do - or it may not. If you have space outdoors, you could transfer it to the ground when the flowers are finished.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-18T23:26:18.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27315" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-19T00:33:35.870" Score="4" ViewCount="309" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started a watermelon in the ground as a small plant. It basically died in the ground, so I took it out. The roots had not really taken. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a few weeks, however, I repotted it in a container just to see if it would come back.  So it has and know I am wondering can I replant in the ground without it taking another hit?  Thoughts?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need to replant it as soon as possible!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15360" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-19T00:43:54.513" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T01:22:53.137" Title="Should I replant a watermelon that almost died when planted in the ground?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;&lt;watermelon&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24411" CreationDate="2016-07-19T00:44:58.893" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't overseed the lawn, you let it grow long (say 6 inches), then cut it back drastically (say 3 inches), but not so drastically that it will kill it off (say 1.5 inch), because if you do that the grass can evaporate from the surface a lot quicker than the grass can take it in. It will fill in the gaps that are in the grass, and you won't need to do anything to fill in the gaps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I experimented where I used to park my truck, even though it's coming back some I noticed it come back considerably when I let it grow to the top of my shoes, then cut it back to 2.5 inches, and it &quot;suckered up&quot; very thick all over the lawn, and looks incredibly healthy now. The concept works for trees, because if you remove a lot of growing points on the tree, because you took away a lot of the growing points for the tree, so I thought why not with grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-19T00:44:58.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27317" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-19T00:49:45.377" Score="2" ViewCount="67" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it a good idea to water the trees heavily for the first week to let the saplings take up water (like soaking for 12 hours), or let the dirt dry out to about 20% or so to let the roots breathe more?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-19T04:52:45.717" Title="How often should you water saplings that were shipped by mail for the first week?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27318" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27315" CreationDate="2016-07-19T01:27:32.900" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cucurbitaceae&lt;/em&gt;, which includes watermelons, hate any damage to their roots - even somebody just walking too close to them. If &quot;in the ground as a small plant&quot; means you planted a seedling, my guess is you damaged the roots when transplanting it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have planted seedlings from nurseries, but seed wherever you want them to grow is the safer bet if you can provide them with the needed conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;: If you transplant it, you are likely going to stunt its growth again. Grow it in the pot and call it a year. Feed it high nitrogen until it gets large enough and then switch to low nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastEditorDisplayName="user10810" LastEditDate="2016-07-20T01:22:53.137" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T01:22:53.137" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27319" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27317" CreationDate="2016-07-19T04:52:45.717" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should soak bare-root trees in water for about 8 hours.  Remove any dead roots and plant as soon as you can.  If you can't plant, water them and then rewrap in the material they came in until you can plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they have a tap root, you should water them through the spring as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The hole should be dug to the depth of the roots, and 2-3 x the root ball diameter, in a square shape.  This helps prevent root circling in the hole.  Amend the soil if you need with some slow release fertilizers, and bury to the same depth as it was originally buried.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-19T04:52:45.717" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27320" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27135" CreationDate="2016-07-19T08:35:55.233" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow cayenne as well.  At some point, the plant may have been slammed by very dry heat, with the results showing up a couple of weeks later.  Plus, you do appear to have aphids.  I pulled off the dead leaf ends with my fingers, washed the bugs off gently with a dripping wet sea sponge &lt;em&gt;(rinse aphids off the sponge into a bowl of water as you go)&lt;/em&gt; and added a Shade Dot to spot-shade the entire plant, which also helped it retain moisture. My cayenne is thriving now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mNyrF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mNyrF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shade Dot and Cayenne&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15361" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-19T15:07:37.200" LastActivityDate="2016-07-19T15:07:37.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27321" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27323" CreationDate="2016-07-19T11:27:51.273" Score="3" ViewCount="218" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a trumpet tree in a pot in my balcony. It has beautifully blossomed this spring and gave dozens of flowers. But since all the flowers fell down 1 month ago it has gotten worse and worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leafs started loosing it's green color (see the pictures). Some of the bigger ones started dropping off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was then that I noticed some very small cobwebs and looking hard I started to see very tiny white spiders all over the tree. I proceeded to spray the whole tree with an insecticide I have that, according to the label, is appropriate against spider mites. It didn't get better but it also didn't get worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yesterday I was watering the plant and it lost 5 or 6 leafs just for a little shake of the pot. I noticed again the spiders, this time many more than before, so I sprayed them again. This morning I found 15 more leafs on the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could this spiders be responsible for this? How can i get rid of them? It is also worth mentioning that I usually water the plan with hard tap water, is this bad as well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ioqSm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ioqSm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yRqhT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yRqhT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PciAX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PciAX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15017" LastActivityDate="2016-07-19T14:36:30.783" Title="Are this spiders killing this trumpet tree?" Tags="&lt;spider-mites&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2016-07-21T11:49:59.773" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27322" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27309" CreationDate="2016-07-19T11:58:31.823" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe your plant is Calathea lubbersii, which belongs to the Maranta group of plants. They are quite fussy about their cultural requirements, but whatever the owner (or you) have been doing has obviously been appropriate because the plant looks very healthy and is quite tall, though the depth of the pot may account for that as much as anything - my houseplant book says to plant this in relatively shallow but wide pots, but yours is doing just fine, and luckily, plants can't read.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one's grown for its marked leaves, but the colours fade somewhat if the plant is exposed to direct sunlight all day, they are better with indirect, bright light, so a well lit sunless spot is best. Average warmth, but with a minimum temperature of 60degF, relatively high humidity levels (mist the plant regularly, specially in winter when the heating's on), keep the compost moist at all times (but not sitting permanently in water in an outer pot), reduce watering in winter, and preferably use soft, tepid water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some images of various Maranta/Calathea plants (including yours) in the link below, together with basic general care instructions&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tropgard.com/plant-profiles/138-calathea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.tropgard.com/plant-profiles/138-calathea&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-19T12:12:07.967" LastActivityDate="2016-07-19T12:12:07.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27323" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27321" CreationDate="2016-07-19T14:36:30.783" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes this is a bad case of spider mites.  They are sucking the circulatory fluid out of the plant.  You need to treat this right away with 5 ml soap mixed in 1 liter of water.  Best success is to wet a rag with the solution and brush the leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23708/how-do-i-identify-and-control-spider-mites&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more detail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-07-19T14:36:30.783" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27324" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-19T19:38:45.667" Score="3" ViewCount="4201" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a 4 year old dwarf lemon tree. It has never flowered until this year. Many flowers and a lot of fruit, however the fruit seems to have stopped growing and has been stagnant for 3 weeks. We have 100 degree heat and this tree sees the morning sun. It is well watered. What can we do to get this fruit to start growing again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15364" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-20T01:19:40.827" LastActivityDate="2019-04-25T11:29:07.763" Title="Citrus fruit stopped growing, what to do" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27325" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-19T23:37:11.157" Score="3" ViewCount="1669" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haworthia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Haworthia&lt;/a&gt; started to have brown spots on its &quot;leaves&quot; after a month of owning it. It doesn't look too bad but I want to make sure it's not dying. My room only has a north facing window so that's where it gets its sunlight from, and I try to only water it once a month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ptKEp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ptKEp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15367" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-20T01:15:46.060" LastActivityDate="2016-07-22T00:32:33.207" Title="Why are there brown spots on my Haworthia?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27326" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-19T23:45:45.500" Score="10" ViewCount="223" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X8rrm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X8rrm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone identify this tree that I have growing at my home from these leaves and this &quot;fruit&quot;? The ground is covered with the green, plum like orbs but they are rock hard. The tree itself is at least 30 feet tall and recently was damaged by a falling branch during a storm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We live in the state of Virginia in the USA. We live in the middle of five acres of all kinds of trees so getting the age of the tree will be hard but we have lived here for forty years so at least that old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is currently summer here, temps in the 80s &amp;amp; 90s. The storm dislodged the &quot;fruit&quot; and in the winter we find hard, dark brown nuts of some type beneath these trees. I'll try to get a photo of the whole tree tomorrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15366" LastEditorUserId="15366" LastEditDate="2016-07-21T00:31:10.900" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T15:01:56.990" Title="Can someone identify this tree from these leaves and this &quot;fruit&quot;?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27328" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27313" CreationDate="2016-07-20T02:12:57.873" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes.  I walk in my suburban neighborhood.  Most laws are very green except for an expanse that is near the sidewalk, which has yellow patches of various diameters.  This is where dogs are walked daily.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree, it only takes one pee and the yellow appears.  I like dogs and cats, so I don't mind. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15369" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T02:12:57.873" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27329" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-20T02:51:37.970" Score="4" ViewCount="127" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the spring, a number of wildflowers, such as dandelions, buttercups, and some lovely purple things, pop up in our yard. I'm in Massachusetts, United States, so that means April and May. Others appear later and stay through the summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each year we're blessed with up to three generations of bunnies out there. Although they eat a wide variety of things, they seem to prefer something that looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifolium_repens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;white clover&lt;/a&gt;. I think one reason is because it lasts longer than the rest. For instance, it's mid-July right now, and most other things have already gone by, but that clover is everywhere. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We try to leave it for a while, and when my husband mows the lawn, he avoids some spots so as not to interfere with the needs of the rabbits. However, there does come a time when he really needs to mow the whole lawn, and all of the clover tops are lost. Also, at some point they do go by, and all the bunnies are not yet fully grown. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to grow that, or a similar type of clover, outside in a shallow container? It has to be no taller than 3&quot; or so in order for the littlest bunnies to reach, but can go up to 6&quot; or more for the older ones.  Picking the clover itself is not an option, because once it's been pulled out of the ground they don't go near it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For all those who think that bunnies are annoying and clover's a weed, I'll start by saying we love both, and this is a genuine request! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click to see the pictures bigger!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JbJqx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JbJqxm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Help, my clover&amp;#39;s going by&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nPjaw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nPjawm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Younger one, eating lying down&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1E5L8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1E5L8m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;I can share&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ahvOE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ahvOEm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hey, you&amp;#39;re not a bunny!&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-19T22:53:48.043" LastActivityDate="2016-08-19T22:53:48.043" Title="Can I grow wild white or other types of clover in an outdoor container?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;&lt;rabbits&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3402" CreationDate="2016-07-20T02:53:55.500" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow broccoli sprouts under a fluorescent bulb. I, too, wondered whether continuous light had an adverse effect on germination/growth. My experience has been that this species thrives in 24 hour light conditions. There may be some optimal on/off ratio that would produce even better results, but since the sprouts seem so happy, I don't sweat the details!  :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15370" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T02:53:55.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27331" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-20T05:29:22.577" Score="3" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;My sunchokes that I planted back around late April seem like they've stopped growing between 3 and 4 feet, but are suckering like crazy (3rd degree) why is this? Is the growth going to the tubers I'm keeping well watered, or do they grow out in phases where they grow up a few feet, out a few inches, and back up a lot of feet while going out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T05:29:22.577" Title="Why do sunchokes seem to be stunted?" Tags="&lt;sunchoke&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27329" CreationDate="2016-07-20T10:04:59.013" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted clover to open up an area of heavy clay and rock.  It took quite well to it. So much so that it has seeded between the flagstone pavers.  So the habits of the plant should lend itself to this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grows by new stems which behave like strawberry runners&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grows in very little soil or stone dust&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;although known as a plant with deep roots it seems quite happy in a medium of stone dust that is a half inch wide and six inches deep or more&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This all happens in full sun conditions so your experiment should work if you have that and any old soil as long as it drains freely.  It might take a year or two to establish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A container would probably work even better if you can use a deeper container and sink it into the ground so it is level with the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T10:04:59.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27333" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27349" CreationDate="2016-07-20T14:33:51.313" Score="3" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some landscaping work to do around my house. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am planning to start off with a 1.5' x 4&quot; trench around the house, followed by a ~4' x 12 &quot; plant bed , followed by a 2' x 6&quot; trench for a walkway. Attached is an image describing the scope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tjd5A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tjd5A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;landscape plan&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Couple of questions : &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are the trench depths okay ? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How do I go about with trenching out the yard (with different depths for each area) ? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other details : &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I've checked with utilities and its all good.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is a positive grade around the house. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance !&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14177" LastActivityDate="2016-07-21T00:53:59.593" Title="Excavating a yard" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;hard-landscape&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27334" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-20T16:00:02.490" Score="5" ViewCount="4311" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a healthy jalapeño pepper plant but noticed that the peppers have a black patch on them. What could be the reason for that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y1RCs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y1RCs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tbgzN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tbgzN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O8VHt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O8VHt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-20T19:22:39.230" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T19:22:39.230" Title="Why are my jalapeño peppers turning black?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27335" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-20T16:23:20.037" Score="6" ViewCount="1101" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have a patchy yard, mostly weeds that I want to turn into a cottage garden. My current method is removing (uprooting) all the weeds/grass that I don't want by hand/spade, it's a bit overwhelming as the stuff I don't want thrives and comes back very quickly. I really don't want to use chemicals. Is there a better/more efficient way to accomplish this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15375" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-20T16:32:27.820" LastActivityDate="2017-11-04T14:44:19.420" Title="How can I remove all weeds and grass from my garden without chemicals?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27336" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-20T16:22:49.790" Score="1" ViewCount="1286" Body="&lt;p&gt;My -so far- trusted gardena T1030d water timer has sprung a leak and I am at a bit of a loss.&#xA;I contacted the official service and they gave me advice but I am unable to reach the spot they indicated and I am also afraid to be a bit rough on the thing.&#xA;Anyway, I want to unscrew #7 to reach #8 but I cannot unscrew it.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vSf64.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vSf64.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am at this stage and #7, the grey thing is just revolving and not getting unscrewed with any kind of combination I tried (pulling &amp;amp; turning, pushing and turning etc..). I suspect I would may have to remove the little bolts (#9) but I am not sure if it is neccessary, or even how to do it. Any advice? THanks a lot &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Kr1k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Kr1k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15377" OwnerDisplayName="Est" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-20T16:34:33.940" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T13:37:26.940" Title="Fix leak in Gardena T1030d water timer" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;&lt;repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27336" CreationDate="2016-07-20T16:29:07.010" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't be sure from the diagram, but it doesn't look like #7 unscrews... it looks like it just pulls out; I think that you need to remove the pins (#9), and then pull #7 and #10 apart. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, you can't tell from the diagram whether the pins unscrew or not... they might be pushed in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" OwnerDisplayName="Ben Welborn" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T16:29:07.010" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27338" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-20T16:51:43.730" Score="3" ViewCount="423" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am presently in &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Ganganagar&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sri Ganganagar&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajasthan&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Rajasthan&lt;/a&gt; bordering &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjab,_India&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Punjab&lt;/a&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajasthan&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Rajasthan&lt;/a&gt;. I want to grow a miniature forest in my backyard, I request to suggest fast growing trees for shade &amp;amp; fruits. I have moderate water supply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15376" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-20T19:25:37.233" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T19:25:37.233" Title="Fast growing trees for shade &amp; fruits in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27339" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27346" CreationDate="2016-07-20T18:36:57.900" Score="4" ViewCount="6360" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought oregano seeds from IKEA a few months ago and after a while, it started to look really good and healthy:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GV0ly.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GV0ly.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since there were a bit too many plants, people &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24080/bought-fr%C3%96er-growing-sets-from-ikea-and-the-herbs-are-starting-to-grow-what-do&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; suggested I should reduce the amount of plants, which I did. Also, since the direct sunlight was very one-sided and not reliable, I bought some plant lamps to provide my herbs with artificial light during daytime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, a bit after I trimmed the plants and added the light, my oregano seems to be turning red:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j72yJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j72yJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does it get too much light, or what could be the problem here? The other herbs do not get the same red colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14349" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2019-01-14T17:46:29.537" Title="Oregano becoming red, what's wrong?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27340" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27342" CreationDate="2016-07-20T19:11:20.090" Score="3" ViewCount="1884" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing avocado from a pit. I've always had only one sprout growing out of a pit but this one has 3 sprouts. I'm wondering if I can leave it as it is or have to thin it. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wWtXo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wWtXo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;an avocado pit with multiple sprouts&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7517" LastActivityDate="2018-06-11T15:40:38.600" Title="Do I need to thin sprouts from an avocado pit?" Tags="&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27335" CreationDate="2016-07-20T19:16:25.680" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking, tilling and fertilizing controls weeds. Tilling chops, uproots, and buries weeds and nutrition (especially nitrogen) negatively affects germination of many plant seeds (but not grass, generally).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T19:16:25.680" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27342" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27340" CreationDate="2016-07-20T20:01:21.940" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can leave it the way it is.  Most likely 2 of the shoots will die off as Avocados have strong apical dominance.  If this doesnt happen, having multiple shoots won't hurt the tree.  (Multiple shoots apparently also indicates is a very good plant)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T20:01:21.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27343" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27241" CreationDate="2016-07-20T21:45:25.173" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the horticulturalists at the garden got back to me. In case anyone else is interested it is Pteridium esculentum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.aspx?ID=2230&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.aspx?ID=2230&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15320" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T21:45:25.173" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27344" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27339" CreationDate="2016-07-20T22:17:41.033" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This red color is a stress response.  Happens every fall and there are lots of plants that will show this red color.  Please explain where this plant resides, how much light, your watering attitude/procedures, fertilizer (how much, what kind), how long between pictures.  Is this plant indoors solely or do you take it outside from time to time?  Too much sunshine will cause this if your plant has not been accustomed to direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T22:17:41.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27345" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27347" CreationDate="2016-07-20T22:22:53.947" Score="5" ViewCount="429" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently moved into a new house. A tree in the backyard does not seem to have a &quot;main&quot; trunk. It has a lot of branches coming from the ground. What should I do with it? Remove it? Trim it, if so how? Leave it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/seQT1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/seQT1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/esQy7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/esQy7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15381" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-08T22:17:07.667" LastActivityDate="2017-12-08T22:17:07.667" Title="How to trim this multistem tree" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27346" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27339" CreationDate="2016-07-20T23:42:56.147" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did you purchase the seeds in a kit that came with a pot and a soil mix? The pots/soil that these kind of store bought plants come in are often only suitable for a short period of time. Base on the photos, I think it might be time to remove the plant from the pot (this will also provide an opportunity to inspect the roots). Re-pot it in fresh soil and give it a good water to help it re-adjust to the conditions. The nutrients in the current pot may be depleted or were not sufficient to start with. Hope this helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-07-20T23:42:56.147" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27347" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27345" CreationDate="2016-07-21T00:31:38.867" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is no immediate need to do anything.  This tree looks quite healthy.  I admit more homeowners like trees with a central leader but this is just a preference and will not affect growth or it's ability to cast shade. Some ideas:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;roll back the grass for a foot around the base of the tree and add up to 1/2 inch of mulch or compost. Top up annually.  Grass competes with tree roots for nutrients and a barrier next to the trunk prevents some of this and accidental whipper snipper damage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;follow &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6866&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;good pruning practices&lt;/a&gt;:&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;trim branches that cross or rub against each other&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;watch for poor crotch formation: branches that grow from the trunk at narrow angles.  These can be points of weakness and might split or shear years from now when they are larger.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;maples with this structure can get quite dense and end up with a puff of leaves around the exterior and nothing on the inside.  Prune on the exterior to let light and air circulate.  Maples bleed when pruned in the spring. I find pruning in the hottest parts of summer or the coldest parts of winter works great. Summer pruning will not induce new growth and winter pruning will.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no need to treat cut ends with anything.  Let nature take care of it and skip the wound paint which can cause more damage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-07-21T00:31:38.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27348" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27339" CreationDate="2016-07-21T00:42:41.480" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Remove the extra lighting - if you have your plant on a sunny windowsill, even if it only gets morning or afternoon sun, that's enough. Turn the pot weekly so that each side of the plant gets exposure to light. Whilst you may need extra lighting during the dark days of winter where you are, at this time of year, it's not necessary, and is the likely cause of the reddening of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm somewhat mystified as to what happened to all the stems that were present initially and now seem to be reduced to about half, but there is a little new growth showing at soil level. I also wonder whether that pot its in has a hole in the bottom for drainage - good drainage for herbs such as this is essential, so if it hasn't, find another pot with a drainage hole and stand it in a tray or outer container - but don't let water sit in it, that needs to be tipped out 30 minutes after watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some tips on growing indoors here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://houseplants.about.com/od/More_Plant_Profiles/p/Oregano-Growing-Oregano-Indoors.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://houseplants.about.com/od/More_Plant_Profiles/p/Oregano-Growing-Oregano-Indoors.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-21T00:42:41.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27349" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27333" CreationDate="2016-07-21T00:45:54.847" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your trench or excavated areas are in widths suitable for a bobcat bucket (48&amp;quot; - 60&amp;quot; depending on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ritchiespecs.com/specification?type=Co&amp;amp;category=Skid%20Steer%20Loader&amp;amp;make=Bobcat&amp;amp;model=S130&amp;amp;modelid=92186&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;model&lt;/a&gt;) then rent one of those for a day. More fun than you can imagine and good for moving any bulk item in quantity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise it is hand dig time.  A good wheelbarrow and dump bin located close to the work area are time and labour savers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When calculating volumes add or subtract a factor of one third to account for fluffing up of removed material and compaction of newly added material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also highly recommend a laser level and willing accomplice.  Nothing says professional more than straight and level where called for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't say what you want to do with the trench.  I know I would want to install my good friend &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/4-in-x-100-ft-Corex-Drain-Pipe-Perforated-with-Sock-04730100BS/100129255&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;4&amp;quot; drain pipe with sleeve&lt;/a&gt;.  You may have a positive grade to shed water from your roof away from the house but nothing says peace of mind better during that one in a hundred year storm than drain pipe installed around the perimeter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, if you are going to do a walkway in any part of the world where it gets cold you will want to provide a good base and dig deeper to do this.  Please provide more details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-07-21T00:53:59.593" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27350" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30498" CreationDate="2016-07-21T01:46:26.320" Score="0" ViewCount="97" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received my trees from the mail order catalog less than a week ago, and they're &quot;leafing&quot; very quickly. When should I generally move them into full sun to help them regenerate their sugars?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T17:23:00.790" Title="When should you move saplings from part shade into full sun?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27351" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27345" CreationDate="2016-07-21T05:49:41.117" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My you have a multi-stemmed tree that is to die for!  What do you have for tools?  What do you know about pruning?  It would be nice to help a bit more with the pruning!  Do you understand the difference and reasons behind heading versus thinning?  Wouldn't take much to ruin this beautiful tree so please keep asking questions.  I would get rid of all plant growth from the base of the tree out to the drip line.  Please go check out pruning techniques from books and before you go chopping, let us help.  Beautiful tree!!  NO HEADING, just thinning.  Get rid of smaller diameter trunks from the base.  Arghhh.  Is this a maple?  Acer ginnala?  Kevinsky's answer is great.  You have time to learn a bit more so you don't ruin your gorgeous tree.  Closer picture of the bark and leaves and buds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-21T05:49:41.117" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27335" CreationDate="2016-07-21T07:06:47.600" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best organic practices for suppressing weeds are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mulching&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Add 4-6 inches of dry leaves on the top soil to cover the weeds. It'll be most effective if you remove the weeds before mulching. Other ways of mulching are sheet mulching, wood chip mulching. Mulching is the best practice one can follow, with or without weeds. It will keep soil moisture, improve soil structure, favors mycorrhizal fungi (plant friendly) and eventually decompose and add organic matter to your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cover crops (they are weeds themselves)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cover crops will add nitrogen to the soil, hold soil from erosion and prevent weeds by competitive inhibition. They add nitrogen to  the soil by the help of nitrogen fixing bacteria. Just make sure to chop n drop the cover crops before flowering to recycle the nutrients back to the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also there are lots of edible leguminous cover crops you can plant to have a double benefit of nitrogen fixation and consumption.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Weed mat&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weed mats are the best option for quick weed removal. They block the sunlight right away and kill the weeds in a few days. Go for it if you want 100% success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13656" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-11-03T13:14:38.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27353" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27324" CreationDate="2016-07-21T08:18:30.063" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The major factors of citrus tree success are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sunlight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Citrus are tropical plants which needs plenty of sunlight. Some are also shade tolerant. So place it near a window which is facing north or south(according to the place you live) so that it can get maximum sunlight. More sunlight = More fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil acidity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It needs a soil pH in the range 6.0 to 7.0 for best results. So if your soil pH is very high(alkaline), you can bring it to the preffered range by adding Elemental Sulphur, which is most commonly used by organic gardeners. However, sulfur requires some time before it is converted to sulfuric acid with the aid of soil bacteria, to be plant available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the thing where most people get it wrong. Citrus needs a well drained soil(&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/NKljxG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://goo.gl/NKljxG&lt;/a&gt;) with infrequent watering, means over watering can cause root rot and kill the plant. So as a rule of thump water only when the top soil gets dry to 1-2inch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilizer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a promoter of organic farming I'll suggest that using compost/vermicompost with other green manures will do just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13656" LastEditorUserId="13656" LastEditDate="2016-07-28T17:46:01.373" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T17:46:01.373" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27354" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27355" CreationDate="2016-07-21T19:22:56.370" Score="2" ViewCount="135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a hot (now 42 &amp;deg;C to 25&amp;deg;C) and dry (14% relative humidity just right now) city, and I have around 15 hours of sunlight. I wanted to plant some flowers on my roof, where there are no shadows during the day. It also can get subzero (around -10 &amp;deg;C) and 60 to 70% humidity in winters. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What flowers do you recommend for such conditions? For example I have also some &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aptenia_cordifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Aptenia cordifolia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and they're growing well in similar conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11205" LastEditorUserId="11205" LastEditDate="2016-07-22T19:12:46.973" LastActivityDate="2017-09-24T11:09:06.080" Title="What flowering plants are recommended for a roof garden in a climate with hot dry summers?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;roof-garden&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27355" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27354" CreationDate="2016-07-21T22:18:29.447" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sedums!  They can be grown in very thin soil like a PICTURE.  They are used in breath taking rooftop live aboard boats as well as vertical on the sides of buildings, walls.  You will be blown away how beautiful, hardy and how they change with the seasons!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-21T22:18:29.447" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27329" CreationDate="2016-07-22T00:23:44.270" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rabbits like clover because it is a high protein forage, and it doesn't take as much to supply their needs. I've found that clover will pretty much grow anywhere it get get roots (as long as it's well drained), so yes, if your tray is drained they should grow&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you want them to self repair (regrow) quickly after 'harvesting', you want nice soil, at least 6&quot; deep, and keep it moist. In that condition, White (Dutch) clover will thrive (I remember having to control it in plant trays back at the nursery). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd even go as far as using a potting mix, as that'll drain so much better than soil, in a shallow tray. Just make sure it stays moist, and fertilizing it with something natural would be a huge help.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-07-22T00:23:44.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27357" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27325" CreationDate="2016-07-22T00:32:33.207" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those brown spots are dead patches in the skin. Not from lack of water. That's most commonly seen when a plant is brought from a low light area and gets some direct sunlight. It's not really going to hurt the plant in the long run, based on your picture, but it is unsightly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you're plant is &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14667/what-is-etiolation&quot;&gt;etiolated&lt;/a&gt;. Not enough light. See in the center, where the new growth is thin and yellow? Be careful though if you move it to a brighter spot, because even though the plant needs more light, it isn't accustomed to it, and high light levels will damage the leaves again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS: I'd water based on the moisture content of the mix, rather than monthly. I'd water whenever the mix dries out more than 1-2&quot; down, during the summer, and then just enough over the winter to keep it from drying out completely.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-07-22T00:32:33.207" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27358" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-22T01:38:07.107" Score="3" ViewCount="1072" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 3 avocado plants in a small pot. They are about 2 months old.&#xA;One leaf shows a grey discoloration with curling around the tip.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is causing this and how do I stop it from progressing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5HSTym.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5HSTym.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;avocado leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15389" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-23T01:28:37.777" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T17:02:46.073" Title="Why is this avocado leaf curling and turning grey?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27359" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27335" CreationDate="2016-07-22T03:00:27.757" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pull the weeds, till the ground, let it dry out in the sun for a bit, and then mulch. Or, till the ground, let it dry out in the sun for a bit, pick up the loose weeds, and mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the weeds have disturbed roots and the sun is strong and shining, it should make them wither and often stunt or kill those that would otherwise regrow their roots into the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, tilling is a pretty effective way to get rid of weeds for a while. (If you mulch soon afterward that should work, but even if you don't mulch, it should reduce the workload.) Till goes against the no-till gardening method that a lot of people like, these days, but I personally like it. Tilling is more effecient than just pulling weeds, because you disturb all the plants at once, basically (but if the weeds are severe, you'll probably have to pull some first).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pulling weeds is a decent amount of work, but it's probably the safest, most reliable method of dealing with weeds organically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Covering the ground with black plastic is another option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you mulch with straw or hay, make sure it's weed-free. Some of it can introduce a lot of weed seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cover crops that Sudeesh Subramanian mentioned are a good option. I might add that perennial cover crops could be great to investigate. Outcompeting weeds can be effective, and you can improve your soil with cover crops, too. I'd like to use red and/or white clover, myself (you can basically make a lawn entirely out of clover, and probably still plant stuff in it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-07-22T03:00:27.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27360" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-22T03:27:01.233" Score="3" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a black walnut establishing itself in a hanging basket pot on top of a 5 gallon bucket so it can get all of the water it wants. Is this a good, or bad idea? Why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wumlu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wumlu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-24T00:11:33.350" LastActivityDate="2016-07-24T00:11:33.350" Title="Is it a bad idea to put a pot over a bucket to mimic a water table?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27361" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-22T05:44:10.250" Score="6" ViewCount="177" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would be able to get a closer picture, if needed.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zKXF4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zKXF4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15390" LastEditorUserId="15390" LastEditDate="2016-07-22T05:52:01.217" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T12:09:37.123" Title="What kind of roses are these?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27362" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27364" CreationDate="2016-07-22T09:50:26.060" Score="1" ViewCount="1094" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found these tiny drops of white thing on the soil of my pot growing Dracaena Reflexa Pleomele. They are kinda hard to see, but they resemble salt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are these? How can I reduce or control this? Is this a good thing? What caused this white thing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qiGZd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qiGZd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JGvyE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JGvyE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pnBio.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pnBio.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ulVuC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ulVuC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="14009" LastEditDate="2016-07-23T11:03:58.270" LastActivityDate="2016-07-23T11:03:58.270" Title="What is this white salt and web like thing on the soil?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27363" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27384" CreationDate="2016-07-22T10:03:06.933" Score="2" ViewCount="126" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is this fungus or what? Appears to be root of something. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the potted plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HQIkP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HQIkP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EgWgm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EgWgm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ACm1E.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ACm1E.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ep74q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ep74q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="14009" LastEditDate="2016-07-23T10:58:20.400" LastActivityDate="2016-07-23T11:10:36.570" Title="What is this white snake like thing?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27364" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27362" CreationDate="2016-07-22T10:09:50.230" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Houseplants have a mini ecosystem in their pots but not to the same extent as outdoors.  The normal processes of decay that create mulch and return nutrients to the soil do not act in the soil of a houseplant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove all loose debris from the pot including dead leaves and roots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;whatever that white stuff is move it on out to the garbage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have asked other questions about this plant and leaf spotting which goes hand in hand with poor drainage and a source for virus/fungus/bacteria. I believe this plant does not have adequate drainage. The soil looks like topsoil which retains too much water.  I suggest:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;take the plant out of the pot and examine the roots: firm and white or yellow is good, black and soft indicates rot which should be cut away&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;examine what parts of the soil are wet.  Just the top or the bottom?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;confirm presence of a drainage hole in the bottom of the pot and that it is not plugged with roots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove any layer of stones that may be present at the bottom of the pot. These do not help drainage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider buying some soil for houseplants and re potting the plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-07-22T10:09:50.230" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27365" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27363" CreationDate="2016-07-22T10:12:20.757" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a root from a pot bound plant.  Fine to leave as is.  Providing a picture of the plant will tell us the species which will help identify if repotting is suggested.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-07-22T10:12:20.757" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27366" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-22T12:00:52.557" Score="3" ViewCount="2044" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to channel an electricity (and network) cable under the lawn to an outbuilding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand it would be best to shield the cable to stop anyone from danger when digging in the future, but what is the best way to excavate the small channel required for the cables and shielding?  I'm guessing there's some kind of tool that makes the job easier with the least amount of damage to the grass?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15350" LastActivityDate="2016-07-22T14:29:23.867" Title="What is the best way to channel an electricity cable under the lawn?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;electric&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27367" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27368" CreationDate="2016-07-22T13:23:18.917" Score="0" ViewCount="157" Body="&lt;p&gt;I photographed this unusual-looking bush/tree growing wild in central Texas in December of last year:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k8ihW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k8ihW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PaJ2T.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PaJ2T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It had beige-colored, spiky flowers/seed heads arranged in panicles (at least I think that's the right terminology). It had grown to about seven or eight feet tall. Does anyone know what kind of tree this is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8604" LastActivityDate="2016-07-22T13:50:28.477" Title="Identifying this unusual tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27368" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27367" CreationDate="2016-07-22T13:43:51.957" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could be a Buckwheat, if it's already flowered and pics are of seed pods. For tree/shrub ID, pic from a distance, pic of bark, pic of leaf arrangement, info on what it's done this year so far, your location - all useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastEditorUserId="14475" LastEditDate="2016-07-22T13:50:28.477" LastActivityDate="2016-07-22T13:50:28.477" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27369" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29450" CreationDate="2016-07-22T13:51:57.527" Score="2" ViewCount="1359" Body="&lt;p&gt;die from over-watering in soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question is simple: If I can grow a money plant(Devil's Ivy) in water, why over-watering it in soil can kill it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone explain?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-10-03T16:56:03.697" Title="If money plant can grow submerged in water, why it can..." Tags="&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27366" CreationDate="2016-07-22T14:23:15.290" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending where you are, you often have a minimum burial depth, which in my area depends on how you protect the cable. Pouring concrete around/over it reduces the depth it needs to be buried to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the digging, it depends on the amount of trench and you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Step zero - contact the local &quot;call before you dig&quot;, &quot;dig-safe&quot;, &quot;blue stake&quot; or whatever the service is called in your area to have existing underground services marked before you dig. If you call them and dig through a fiber optic cable that isn't where they said it was, that's their problem. If you don't call them and dig through one, it's your, very expensive, problem. While this may well be unlikely between your house and an outbuilding, it's better to get in the habit of ALWAYS having the area marked, even if what actually happens is a lot of flags saying &quot;No FO&quot; &quot;No Gas&quot; &quot;No Phone.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the low, cost, high manual labor end, you take an edger and cut the sod on both sides, then remove it with a spade, then spade and mattock your way down to the appropriate depth. Given you are concerned with lawn damage you might want to place plywood to dump the dirt on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the high-cost, low labor end, you rent a sod cutter (since you are concerned with lawn damage - a more typical &quot;contractor approach&quot; is to dig up the sod and reseed the trench, but you have a higher class job in mind, evidently)  then dig the trench with a ditcher (sort of a dirt chainsaw) or an excavator (those deal better with large rocks, if you have them.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having gone to the bother (and expense) of digging the trench, do yourself two favors and place conduit in the trench, [in my area, two separate conduits are required for network (low voltage) and electricity (high voltage)] so you don't have to dig the trench again, and place &quot;buried electric line below&quot; tape in the top 6&quot; of dirt as you refill the trench (it comes in a huge roll, typically, so I place it there, and also 6&quot; above the conduit in the bottom of the trench - but if it's only one place, the top one is most important, so that anyone digging in the future finds it BEFORE they find the wires/conduits.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally prefer to add an extra, empty (and capped off) conduit, so that if something else comes along later that I might want to run between the two buildings, I have a place to put it - conduit is very inexpensive compared to the cost (however you count it) of digging the trench to put it in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-07-22T14:29:23.867" LastActivityDate="2016-07-22T14:29:23.867" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27371" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-22T14:32:00.320" Score="1" ViewCount="4355" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got this bougainvillea plant as a gift a week or two ago. I read up on it and it said that it needed direct light for at least 5 hours a day and not a lot of watering.  But I live in central Texas and the days are 100 degrees. I would water it about every other day to two days when the soil looked like it was really drying. For now I have brought it in, re-watered it and now I'm not sure what to do with it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to keep it small and shrub like but from what I understand this keeps growing longer unless you cut it back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to cut it back and let it re-grow?  Or give it time and let it grow bigger before cutting? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit for pics. Click on them for closer view.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WYvHM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WYvHMl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bougainvillea wilt&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nO6aD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nO6aDl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;base&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13579" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-22T21:59:45.233" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T20:55:35.527" Title="Why has my bougainvillea lost almost all of its leaves?" Tags="&lt;wilt&gt;&lt;hot-weather&gt;&lt;bougainvillea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27372" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-22T15:05:50.550" Score="3" ViewCount="45" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had noticed how expensive square watermellon is and apparently the reason for that is because often times farmers will only grow one watermellon per vine as opposed to the normal four or five per vine because the logic is that by cutting off the other growing watermellons, you are saving the nutrients for the one watermellon thus making it taste much better and whatnot. Is this true? And if so, is it really that helpful to do so, because I would imagine that if a plant weren't able to handle that many fruits growing at the same time, they simply wouldn't grow at all, so simply cuting some off doesn't make all &lt;em&gt;that&lt;/em&gt; much a difference?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13702" LastActivityDate="2016-07-22T15:34:40.527" Title="Is it true that having only one fruit per vine makes it taste better?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;&lt;watermelon&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27372" CreationDate="2016-07-22T15:34:40.527" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect that MOST of the cost is that this is a hassle/extra-labor item for the farmer (buying special boxes to put watermelons into, putting the boxes on the melons, etc.), rather than anything having to do with number of fruits per plant. It's a niche product and they will try to recover those costs as much as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thinning/reducing the number of fruits per plant does normally alter the fruit quality in a direction that suits people more than the plant. The plant wants to make as many seeds as possible, with only enough fruit/sugar/resources to encourage something to eat the fruit and distribute the seeds. The beneficial effect of thinning does, however, have limits. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-07-22T15:34:40.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27374" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27379" CreationDate="2016-07-22T17:59:45.337" Score="2" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are faced with a devastating unexpected and unavoidable dig-up of our front yard due to sewer repairs. Our front gardens are large and established, and on Monday morning a track hoe is going to destroy half of it. We have two days to dig up and move what we would like to save, including some small shrubs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The garden is ringed by large, mature hostas and some of them fall in the area that's to actually be dug out. We'll move at least some of those to save.  However, the whole garden is bordered by similar mature hostas. The crew intends to drop plywood over part of the garden away from the trench on which to place excavated soil. If we allow the plywood to go down over the existing hostas in mid summer, can we hope or expect that they may return next spring, or will flattening by several yards of soil completely kill them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="342" LastActivityDate="2016-07-22T20:10:04.230" Title="Will flattened hostas recover and regrow?" Tags="&lt;hosta&gt;&lt;recovery&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27375" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27376" CreationDate="2016-07-22T18:03:26.193" Score="2" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;This picture is of a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsicum_annuum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;capsicum annuum&lt;/a&gt; Fresno pepper plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BqAqH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BqAqH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of unusual Fresno pepper flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is happening in this particular flower? Are there five fruits growing from it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How common is this?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this normal or is this a problem?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt; Unforunately, the flower/developing fruit dropped from the plant only 3 days after taking this picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14963" LastEditorUserId="14963" LastEditDate="2016-07-24T18:41:48.523" LastActivityDate="2016-07-24T18:41:48.523" Title="Are there five Fresno pepper fruits growing from this flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27375" CreationDate="2016-07-22T18:22:22.860" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not a problem no, it's just a bit of proliferation, be interesting to see how it develops over time, whether it actually forms whole fruits and how many. This kind of thing is relatively common in peppers, though more often in bell peppers, but usually on the inside of the pepper rather than the outside - ever cut one open and seen what looks like a misshapen baby pepper or two in there as well as the seeds? It's a similar thing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Proliferation of the kind in your picture is often caused by damage of some sort - physical damage from various sources including insects, weather conditions, or a bit of genetic miscoding in a particular part of the plant. It's only a problem if all the flowers/fruits are peculiar in this way on the whole plant, and the fruits are all badly malformed. I'd be interested in a photographic update as time goes by...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-22T18:29:49.490" LastActivityDate="2016-07-22T18:29:49.490" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27377" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-22T19:10:35.733" Score="1" ViewCount="568" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why are my jalapeño peppers suddenly  wilting at the tips of the fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15396" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-22T23:32:08.237" LastActivityDate="2016-07-23T16:56:36.233" Title="Why are my jalapeño peppers wilting suddenly just at the very tips of the fruit?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27378" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-22T19:29:52.030" Score="1" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having a patio put in and the guys hit a root on a 30-40' tree located about 10' away.  How should they proceed to cover the root and what damage might occur to the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15397" LastActivityDate="2016-07-24T22:44:43.980" Title="Tree root damage" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-07-27T19:58:43.717" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27374" CreationDate="2016-07-22T20:10:04.230" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends how long the ply and soil are sitting on top of the hostas - if its just a short period (2-3 months), they'll be fine, though they may have disappeared or look terrible when uncovered again. If its a lot longer, say 9 months to a year, then its anybody's guess whether they'll grow again - the odds are that they will, but no guarantees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-22T20:10:04.230" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27380" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14846" CreationDate="2016-07-22T23:15:37.953" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lowe's warranties their plants for one year from date of purchase. Go trade for another one. It's a gonner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15398" LastActivityDate="2016-07-22T23:15:37.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27381" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27412" CreationDate="2016-07-22T23:55:21.243" Score="4" ViewCount="2247" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have recently planted an upright herb garden. While setting up a watering system, two weeks later my oregano has this fungus or mould which is making its way to the thyme. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it and how do I treat it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ue9w0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ue9w0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;what is it?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I added the first image via the stack exchange iPhone app. I didn't expect it to be low quality. So here is another high res one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gxgCl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gxgCl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a side on shot of the upright herb garden if that will help.&#xA;(the oregano is in the second pot from the bottom.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZpSma.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZpSma.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7527" LastEditorUserId="7527" LastEditDate="2016-07-25T03:06:35.550" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T21:25:01.343" Title="What is this fungus or mould on my oregano, and how should I treat it?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19742" CreationDate="2016-07-23T01:59:38.820" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Youtube shows that &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJbDIaqK50U&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Hunts tomatoes&lt;/a&gt; grows them on the ground—100 of acres of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15399" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-07-23T04:51:43.940" LastActivityDate="2016-07-23T04:51:43.940" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27383" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27435" CreationDate="2016-07-23T05:43:57.407" Score="1" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;The summer is half over. I'm looking to grow strawberries next year. Would it be a bad idea to &quot;staple&quot; the strawberry plants for the rest of this season into the soil (to discourage strawberries from growing berries and get more plants next season)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking a few 8&quot;X10' vertical PVC pipes under the deck would be nice over the next few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-20T18:35:34.983" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T18:35:34.983" Title="Is it a bad idea to pin every branch of a strawberry plant to the ground?" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27384" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27363" CreationDate="2016-07-23T11:10:36.570" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Beaucarnea recurvata, common name Ponytail Palm. Although they will grow happily in the same pot for years, and quite like being a bit rootbound, now that the roots are try to escape looking for more space, its probably time to pot up into something larger, or wider at least. Not much wider, but large enough to accommodate those straying roots,so maybe one size up. Repotting of these is only done when its essential, and it looks as if it is, bit more info on this plant and being rootbound here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-ponytail-palm-become-root-bound-85247.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-ponytail-palm-become-root-bound-85247.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-23T11:10:36.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27360" CreationDate="2016-07-23T16:03:24.550" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nemahaweb.com/blackwalnuts/trees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Juglans nigra&lt;/a&gt; forms a large tap root:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Young black walnuts are very &quot;carrot&quot; rooted; their entire root system is comprised mainly of one large tap root. There is no root ball, no large fibrous mass of roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you'll likely have best results if you only keep it in that shallow pot the first year. The longer it's kept in shallow soil, the more likely the root will get distorted. That will hinder growth, even if you transplant later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2016-07-23T16:03:24.550" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27387" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27377" CreationDate="2016-07-23T16:56:36.233" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pictures would help on this, but the fruit tips showing distress is often an incipient indicator of blossom end rot in tomatoes, peppers and similar vegetable fruits is often a sign that there isn't enough free calcium available in their growing medium during the fruit growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Things that can mess up the calcium availability are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;not enough calcium in the soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;excessive watering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;allowing the soil to dry out, followed by a good overwatering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;over-fertilizing with nitrogen products or excess sodium/potassium&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2016-07-23T16:56:36.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27388" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27419" CreationDate="2016-07-24T02:30:06.590" Score="5" ViewCount="21447" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Ryobi P2200 hybrid weed whacker. It takes .065&quot; (1.651 mm) trimmer line. I have found better deals and much better shaped line. I have found a piece of (plastic) wire that was exactly .08&quot; (2 mm) and fed it through the hole and it fits with some room left over (did not run with wire in, very dangerous!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would naturally think there is a great possibility that it would work. But would there be a reason why it does not say in the manual it can handle .08&quot; (2 mm)? Will it mess with how it auto feeds, how it performs etc. Would it be worth trying? Not that I go spend $8 at a local store and it does not work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JV4xJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JV4xJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-05T14:23:01.173" LastActivityDate="2018-04-05T14:23:01.173" Title="Can my weed wacker designed for .065&quot; (1.651 mm) trimmer line handle .08&quot; (2 mm) one?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;string-trimmer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27389" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27393" CreationDate="2016-07-24T06:17:05.777" Score="2" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;My sis replaces water in the jar everyday, the plant grew well but it started turning yellow after couple of weeks. The plant was in bright indirect light. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought the plant needed less water changing, maybe I am wrong. I can't say why the plant grew well for few weeks and then started turning yellow. What's the reason for that? Is changing the water everyday the culprit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-07-24T13:50:02.240" Title="Is it good practice to replace water in Lucky Bamboo everyday?" Tags="&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27390" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27361" CreationDate="2016-07-24T11:10:35.973" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's next to impossible to give a 100% definite ID I'm afraid - it might help if you could provide a close up of a fully open flower and a bud that's showing colour but nowhere near open to decide whether its an HT or floribunda rose, but on current showing, it would appear to be a floribunda, possibly something like 'Mardi Gras' but there are literally thousands of rose varieties, some with only minor differences. Many flowers start out as one shade of a colour and change over a few days to a darker or lighter shade. You haven't mentioned fragrance, is there a fragrance? How many separate plants are in the picture? Height and spread can be another determinant of variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-06T12:09:37.123" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T12:09:37.123" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27391" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27392" CreationDate="2016-07-24T11:49:33.610" Score="4" ViewCount="864" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a blackberry bush in my garden, UK, its fruit is ripening at the moment, but many of them are discolored. I read that sunscald could be one cause, it does get direct sun for a lot of the day, and unfortunately I cannot move it as its too large. I have also wondered if it could be insects, but so far the only insects I have seen on the blackberries are one or two spiders, and what seems to be ants, who apparently only feed on already damaged blackberries. I have seen that the ants bulbous part on their body looks see through or partially see through on some them, but they do look just like ants. I have taken photos of the discoloration as well as the ants/insects. Is there any way to save the blackberries that haven't ripened yet? Some of the bunches of blackberries look almost 100% black like they should be, but many are like in the photo. thank you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GbtpZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GbtpZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The discoloration&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6xAnk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6xAnk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13071" LastEditorUserId="13071" LastEditDate="2016-07-24T12:03:52.407" LastActivityDate="2016-07-24T16:03:32.707" Title="Discolored blackberries, any solutions to fix this?" Tags="&lt;damage&gt;&lt;berries&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27391" CreationDate="2016-07-24T12:08:22.657" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may have a problem with raspberry beetle, which does affect blackberries too - it causes parts of the berries to dry up, as yours have done, although I've never seen whole berries so badly affected. Sunscald in the UK doesn't seem likely, but actually, the recent heatwave may have had some effect, though as its so recent, I suspect not. Its worth cutting open a few of the affected fruits, both those which are completely dry and those which are partially dry to see if there's a grub inside, which would confirm the presence of this pest. Information below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=522&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=522&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is some possible evidence of red berry mite too, which causes uneven ripening of fruits, but that's difficult to identify for sure because its still relatively early and the fruits may not yet have fully ripened anyway. Information regarding this pest here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=882&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=882&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the presence of ants, they might be after damaged fruits for the their juice, or they may be present because of aphid infestation on the plant, so a close inspection to determine whether there are aphids anywhere is a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-24T12:08:22.657" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27393" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27389" CreationDate="2016-07-24T13:50:02.240" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the past year I've only changed the water once for mine and they seem to be doing fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect the yellow leaves could be caused by the constant onslaught of chlorinated water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd suggest changing the water less frequently.  (Maybe every two weeks would make her happy.) More importantly, I'd recommend using declorinated water. One easy way to get that is to let tap water sit out for 24h first to let the chlorine evaporate. (If your water also has chlorimide that won't evaporate. I'm not sure if you'd need to worry about that, but filtering your tap water should also take care of that.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1096" LastActivityDate="2016-07-24T13:50:02.240" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27391" CreationDate="2016-07-24T16:03:32.707" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got a heat problem, this is UV damage or excessive heat during the ripening phase and referred to as White Drupelet syndrome (white spot). It's quite common on Raspberries during the final crops of the year as summer heat increases. Also occurs in blackberries. Last year, we had issues in the US Pacific Northwest with it, only a handful at end of season this year as we've had a cold, damp summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2016-07-24T16:03:32.707" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27396" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35284" CreationDate="2016-07-24T16:15:21.277" Score="3" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple of weeks ago I have planted seeds for both &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Nannorrhops_ritchiana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Nannorrhops ritchiana&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Mazari palm) and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/3151/new-mexico-century-plant/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Agave neomexicana&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Unfortunately, I forgot to put proper labels on back then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am now seeing two sprouts (currently 2 and 3 cm high, respectively) of one kind but not the other. So which one of the two plants are these going to grow into: Mazari palm or Agave neomexicana? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9AIWE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9AIWE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7190" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T16:37:34.387" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T17:57:20.750" Title="Are these seedlings Mazari palm or Agave neomexicana?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7456" CreationDate="2016-07-24T17:13:41.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pair of wooden 4x4 posts that are seriously beat up from my weed wacker, so I've decided to cut 6&quot; tall x 3.5&quot; wide strips of plexiglass and screw it on all 4 sides.  At a distance the plexiglass is all but invisible and the new posts are not being chewed up by the weed wacker.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15409" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-24T20:43:37.393" LastActivityDate="2016-07-24T20:43:37.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27398" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27399" CreationDate="2016-07-24T18:02:58.100" Score="6" ViewCount="1521" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wj77P.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wj77P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like it may be a type of Crassula. The leaves have a strong menthol/eucalyptus smell. The smell comes from oily hairs on the leaves similar to scented geraniums. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vIBf4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vIBf4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The underside of the leaves has very prominent veins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14407" LastActivityDate="2016-07-24T18:25:59.753" Title="Can anybody identify this smelly succulent?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27399" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27398" CreationDate="2016-07-24T18:20:49.853" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is Plectranthus tomentosa, sometimes called the Vicks plant because it smells a bit like Vick mentho rub, or of menthol/eucalyptus anyway. Some cultural info about this plant here, if you need it&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/123089/#b&quot;&gt;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/123089/#b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-24T18:25:59.753" LastActivityDate="2016-07-24T18:25:59.753" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27400" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27401" CreationDate="2016-07-24T19:18:51.200" Score="0" ViewCount="538" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been trying to grow a Night Blooming Jasmine, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cestrum_nocturnum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cestrum nocturnum Jessamine&lt;/a&gt;, plant indoors. The plant is growing pretty rapidly. I read that the height of the plant goes up to 8-10 feet, which is quite a bit for my small apartment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the techniques I could use to stunt the growth of the plant, but keep it healthy and make it bloom? Also, is it possible to bonsai train the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am a complete newbie and this is my first plant that has grown so well. So, please feel free to advise about any basics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YW622.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YW622.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15410" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-24T20:18:26.327" LastActivityDate="2016-07-24T20:24:57.550" Title="How can I stunt the growth of a Night Blooming Jasmine?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27400" CreationDate="2016-07-24T20:05:31.317" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You won't need to do anything to stunt its growth, the pot will do that for you. The height you mention is only attained by plants growing outdoors in open ground, and it won't reach anything like that in a pot. I have to say the plant already looks too large for the pot its in,so you should really pot up into something larger. But remember, a plant stunted by lack of room at the roots is unlikely to flower well, so you should aim to eventually have it in the largest possible pot you can find that you can still carry as it grows on. Give it the sunniest position you're able to find for it if its indoors all the time. With regard to bonsai,this is not a particularly good subject for that sort of treatment - it does not like being constantly pruned or cut back, but there's nothing stopping you trying if you want to give it a go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note though, that the fragrance from the flowers can irritate the airways of asthma sufferers, especially if it flowers indoors. All parts of the plant are toxic, the seeds/fruits being more toxic than the leaves. The smoke from any part of this plant, if burnt, should not be inhaled. To be honest, the scent from this plant when in flower is so strong, you'd probably have to move house till it finished, but maybe some people don't notice it so much as others. Some warnings in the two links below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://entheology.com/plants/cestrum-nocturnum-night-blooming-jessamine/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://entheology.com/plants/cestrum-nocturnum-night-blooming-jessamine/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mediterraneangardensociety.org/poison.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.mediterraneangardensociety.org/poison.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-24T20:24:57.550" LastActivityDate="2016-07-24T20:24:57.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27402" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27403" CreationDate="2016-07-24T20:16:38.217" Score="10" ViewCount="1520" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this stuff growing between and on the tiles in a moist, not too light corner of my garden. It looks funny, like a very small tropical island with palm trees :P&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I transplanted some of it in my mini-bog with carnivorous plants, where it seems to settle really nicely, but now I do start to wonder what it is, and I can't find much like it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's very small. It's mostly green, almost looking like a succulent plant. In the picture you can see some specs or pores, but these are so small, I didn't notice them before I took the picture. On the leaves are small 'cups'. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It grows stalks of about 3 cm which look remotely like palm trees, but up close they look like a roof of 'fingers' with some fluffyness underneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I pull it out, it's quite stuck to the bottom, with thin hairy roots. It looks like they are just thousands of hairs which grow straight from the whole ground facing side of the plant (?) straight into the bottom, which suggests to me that it may use this strategy to attach itself to rocks or (rotting) wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the picture you can see it. On the left you see parts of the leaves of Drosera Capensis Alba and Drosera Binata, to give an impression of the size. The 'log' in the front has a diameter of about 2cm. ;) The whole area on the picture is maybe 15cm wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried to google for various properties of it, but all I found is cup lichen, but it hardly seems related to that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xF74l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xF74l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The stuff&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;Overview: Tropical Island Resort for bugs&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eBjwx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eBjwx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Crop of the leaves (?)&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;Crop of what seems to be the leaves&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RwxAr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RwxAr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Crop of the flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;Crop of the 'flowers'&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Netherlands, hardiness zone 8&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Backyard (tiles), peat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The item in the picture is in a sunny spot most of the day (as far as the climate goes)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3317" LastEditorUserId="3317" LastEditDate="2016-07-24T21:42:10.013" LastActivityDate="2020-03-02T19:22:03.320" Title="What is this stuff? Some kind of moss, lichen?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;liverworts&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27402" CreationDate="2016-07-24T20:33:08.643" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's one of the Liverworts, or Marchantiacheae, which are flowerless, spore producing plants. The one in your picture is likely Marchantia polymorpha. They thrive in shady, damp, humid and nutrient rich conditions and can be quite difficult to control in gardens. The little 'palm' trees are part of the reproductive process and are female gametophytes - see the diagram of the plant below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Liverwort_life_cycle.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UbQse.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Life cycle of a Marchantia-like liverwort&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More extensive information &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marchantiophyta&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here on Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="3317" LastEditDate="2016-07-25T16:49:09.187" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T16:49:09.187" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27404" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27378" CreationDate="2016-07-24T22:44:43.980" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Need to include a picture to identify what tree you have.  &lt;em&gt;To ruin just one big root should be no worry.&lt;/em&gt;  If your patio is concrete then we need to know type of tree and whether that tree needs for pH. Concrete use for foundations, walkways, patios greatly influences soil pH.  If you send pictures we could help do some pruning to balance the root damage.  How long have you had this tree? (Maybe this should be a comment, not an 'answer'...), take pictures of patio, environment and tree all together, close ups of base of tree, close ups of leaves, buds, bark...is there lawn around this tree?  Is there a cleared circle of lawn, weeds, plants around the base of the tree, what are you using for mulch?  Fertilizer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-24T22:44:43.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27405" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27421" CreationDate="2016-07-24T23:50:37.143" Score="5" ViewCount="201" Body="&lt;p&gt;A bit of a whimsical question, but I'm curious nonetheless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Phosphoric acid (E338) - the stuff used to make coca cola tart/sour and useable as a cleaner is also used commercially to make soil more acidic for growing nightshades and curcubits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This leads me to wonder how bad using would coca cola be to poar on a plant (for example to lower PH, or because you spilled some by mistake)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2017-09-16T06:59:31.090" Title="Is Coca Cola bad for Nightshades and curcubits?" Tags="&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27406" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-25T00:14:47.403" Score="0" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;What herbs or other useful plants thrive in full sunlight?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to create a garden of small plants in the rooftop, but I would like to include only plants that are useful (ie. Cooking, medicinal, etc). I can water them daily, but except for a few hours of shade, they will be under full sunlight all year long. I live in the Caribbean, so that's 365 days of sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants should be able to live in 6&quot; pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14590" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-25T20:48:34.303" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T20:48:34.303" Title="What herbs or useful plants thrive in full sunlight?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-07-27T19:58:29.343" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27407" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22210" CreationDate="2016-07-25T00:45:02.353" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you catch them early, a spray with Neem oil would get rid of the mites, and it seems to strengthen the healthy leaves against powdery mildew and such. Since your climate is dry, mildew is not likely to be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My single squash mound is doing well this summer. I think the key is it gets lots of sun.  It was planted from a pot when about 6 inches high, and I used a row cover to protect it until it had grown a few big leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15417" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-25T15:07:48.757" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T15:07:48.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27408" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-25T02:59:02.117" Score="1" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this plant near a river in Wisconsin. The leaves look like a cattail but this thing grows pods! The pods are triangular and are waxy and smooth at the same time. The leaves are very much like a cattail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tOxYS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tOxYS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2016-07-25T15:07:30.990" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T15:07:30.990" Title="What is this plant with leaves like a cattail but with triangular waxy pods?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27409" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27406" CreationDate="2016-07-25T03:05:45.580" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.herbology.com.au/articles/garden/plants-for-a-tropical-herb-garden/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.herbology.com.au/articles/garden/plants-for-a-tropical-herb-garden/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&amp;amp;t=56851&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&amp;amp;t=56851&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;imafan26: &quot;Cilantro can be grown only in the cooler months or it will bolt in a month and a half. The tropical and Asian herbs fare better. MInts, basil, oregano, and marjoram are less fussy. Sage, thyme and oregano can be grown as well as stevia. I have better luck with them in pot so I can move them to better positions at different times of the year. Bay leaves actually will grow well in the tropics. Thyme, sage and oregano seem to like a more poorer more alkaline soil that is well drained. Pots are good because you probably have to bring them inside during monsoons. Ginger can be grown in a large pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You probably won't be able to grow French tarragon because it will not handle the summer heat, but Mexican tarragon is a direct substitute for the tropics.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;================================&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There will be some plants that can take the heat, but won't thrive in full sun. I recommend a covered table. Fasten boards/poles to the sides of the table and tie on some mosquito netting a few feet above. You can use a thicker fabric if it still hurts the plants too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;================================&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Much of the information I encountered routed me towards gardening in The Philippines, because most gardens' plants that thrive at that temperature come from the East. That might be a good place to start to select plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;================================&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T03:05:45.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27410" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25190" CreationDate="2016-07-25T08:47:58.640" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;So it turns out that I probably had a bad batch of seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After replanting from a new seed packet, under essentially the same conditions, I have some thriving carrots!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14873" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T08:47:58.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27411" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27423" CreationDate="2016-07-25T11:07:57.017" Score="5" ViewCount="176" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found some instructions on how to create fig saplings. But I didn't pull it off. ( Only little soon to be root stubs)&#xA;They all state, cut a branch with at least 2 twigs. Remove all foliage and put them in either water or growth - earth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut my two attempts, around May/July. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a better time? Where to put the branch after the cut?&#xA;Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15423" LastEditorUserId="15423" LastEditDate="2016-07-26T11:30:31.717" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T15:21:16.430" Title="How to create a sapling from a figtree" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27412" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27381" CreationDate="2016-07-25T11:45:21.840" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Change the environment to create one much more suitable for growing these plants. It's a good thing you told me where the Oregano was in the third picture, because it's next to impossible to tell. I'm afraid this particular planting arrangement isn't going to work because  all the plants are crammed much too close together, with no opportunity for air flow between them, and with growth flopping over on top of other plants. Added to that, you seem to be saying there are trays beneath the pots which trap  water, and only when the trays are full does the water drain away, meaning there is always some water in the trays.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most herbs like open, sunny situations with free draining soil; obviously, in pots, they need regular watering, but will not tolerate being left sitting in water, no matter how small an amount, over time. I'm sorry to say that the only time I've seen this sort of fungal problem has been when plants are cramped up together and there's too  much water around, either from excessive rain over days or as in this case, cramped conditions causing poor or no airflow and insufficient drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only way to save your plant/s is to separate them, and in the case of oregano, potting up into something wider - this particular plant is a strong grower and wants to spread quite quickly, but all of your herbs really have insufficient room for growth. Left as they are, you will probably find the fungal problem spreads to most of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to save the oregano and thyme (the ones already showing signs of fungal infection at soil level) take them out of their pots, strip away the infected parts, including at root level if its there too, repot into something bigger (with a drainage hole or three) and stand them, separately, in sun or partial sun if you're somewhere very hot, where they can have free airflow around them, keep them watered but not standing in water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have room in the garden, oregano makes a good edging plant, but will need digging up and splitting yearly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-25T21:25:01.343" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T21:25:01.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27406" CreationDate="2016-07-25T11:55:37.157" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agree with plant recommendations given in Paul Nardini's answer, but will add this - six inch pots are not big enough for many of those plants to grow properly, particularly not for sage and oregano; after a couple of months they will need potting on. Six inch pots in full sun will also need watering more than once a day, they'll certainly need it twice a day and possibly three times if its very hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T11:55:37.157" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27414" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-25T13:12:28.533" Score="4" ViewCount="2664" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted my bush this summer. It was in bloom when I bought it. Now all the blooms have turned brown. It's been extremely hot here in eastern Kentucky. Should I go ahead and cut off the dead blooms? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15424" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T21:13:41.997" Title="Hydrangea has turned brown" Tags="&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27408" CreationDate="2016-07-25T13:24:25.313" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a little hard for me to tell from the photo, but I suspect that you have a wild iris. Blue flag and yellow flag irises can both be found in the wetlands and near bodies of water in Wisconsin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T13:24:25.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27416" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="52728" CreationDate="2016-07-25T16:29:22.963" Score="7" ViewCount="224" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Japanese Knotweed problem in a limited area (about 15x15 feet).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is very difficult to dig up the roots because they can be a good 2 feet underground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore I am considering death by injection: cutting off the stalks about 6 inches above the ground and pouring imazapyr into the well of the stalk. Will this be effective? Is there a better approach?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One pamphlet I read described an experiment where they did something similar but used a mixture of glyphosate, triclopyr, and imazapyr. I am not really expert in different herbicides, so I am looking for some expert advice here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" LastActivityDate="2020-06-18T21:47:34.570" Title="Elimination of Japanese Knotweed by injection" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27417" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-25T16:33:50.280" Score="3" ViewCount="1084" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow basil plants from seed. They're approximately 1 month old. I gave them a little pigeon manure, and I think I burnt them. How can I normalize the soil and plant? Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LnIKa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LnIKa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xcbhU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xcbhU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15427" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-25T18:52:17.887" LastActivityDate="2019-12-27T10:18:41.613" Title="How can I treat nutrient burnt basil seedlings?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27418" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27416" CreationDate="2016-07-25T17:01:15.103" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The usual method is to pour glyphosate down the hollow stalks,not sure how well the one you mention will do. Repeat and ongoing treatments are necessary,but one other thing - if you're going to cut down any of this plant, don't compost it, don't carry it anywhere without bagging it up first, and if you can, burn it, if not, where you are, it should be possible to put it out with the trash. In fact, its probably safest to put each stalk you cut off straight into a bag rather than laying it on the ground till you have a collection, then bagging it. The tiniest fragment of this plant inadvertently dropped on the ground will grow. And, by the way, the roots actually go down 9 feet... information here re various treatments tried in your area,along with a note at the bottom about being able to bag it up and put it out with the trash&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cctvcambridge.org/Japanese_knotweed_Harvard_MIT&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.cctvcambridge.org/Japanese_knotweed_Harvard_MIT&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-25T17:21:56.963" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T17:21:56.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27419" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27388" CreationDate="2016-07-25T17:35:38.677" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like it could fit (in a pinch). I have successfully used different guages of line on other weedeaters (although I have never used this particular weed eater). So I'm just going to list some of the possible pros and cons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pros&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;0.08&quot; is commonly available, and might be cheaper (by the foot) in some areas.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thicker line should be more durable; so if it's about the same price, but it lasts longer, it would be generally more economical.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Trying will not cause the weedeater to explode.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;knowing whether or not it can use a different string will be handy&#xA;for future reference (it's better to test it at your convenience&#xA;than when your options are limited).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cons&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thicker line might require more power to move/cut through weeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thicker line will be shorter on the spool (in other words, you might&#xA;get 6 ft of 0.065&quot; line on the spool vs. 4 ft of 0.08&quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Feeding thicker line though the hole (especially during operation)&#xA;might be a problem, causing snarls.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Heavier line might cause vibrations (which can lead to a bent rod).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T17:35:38.677" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27420" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27381" CreationDate="2016-07-25T17:47:13.203" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fungus looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cannagardening.com/botrytis_cinerea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Botytris cinera&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; for what it's worth. There's a variety of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vitis-vea.de/admin/volltext/e049262.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;control products&lt;/a&gt; out there. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azoxystrobin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Azoxystrobin&lt;/a&gt; is what the big boys use. Copper is the organic choice. Also, the cultural methods that bamboo described are important (like, 90% of the issue/battle).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T17:47:13.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27421" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27405" CreationDate="2016-07-25T21:14:20.617" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer is commonly rated with an NPK ratio. The P stands for phosphorus (technically, P2O5), and it is the amount (percent by weight) of the fertilizer. So in a bag of fertilizer that is rated 4-10-6, the amount of P2O5 is 10% w/w.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The amount of phosphoric acid (H3PO4) in coke (original = 0.089%) (zero = 0.147%), and (vanilla = 0.147%). &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ukessays.com/essays/biology/analysing-the-chemistry-of-coke-chemistry-essay.php&quot;&gt;Source.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pound for pound, H3PO4 has less phosphorus than P2O5... and since sodas like coke have a relatively minute amount of phosphoric acid, the calculations (comparing it with fertilizer) are beyond trivial. Coke/soda is nothing like a fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The amount of carbon dioxide is about 2.2g per 355ml soda (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.reference.com/food/much-carbon-dioxide-coke-7819e71e1f057cde&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;). As we all know, plants consume carbon dioxide; so for what it's worth, compared with humans, that's about 48.6 breaths' worth of CO2.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Calculated from 2.3lbs CO2/day (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2009/08/7_billion_carbon_sinks.html&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;) and 23,040 breaths per day (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100112/ARTICLE/1121008&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;)... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2.3 lb = 1043.1g&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2.2g x (23,040/1043.1) = 48.6 breaths&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, soda also contain a fair amount of sugar (about 10% w/w) (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.reference.com/food/many-tablespoons-sugar-can-coke-59470b8af7a8f35a?qo=contentSimilarQuestions&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;) so pouring it on a plant will likely incite bacterial and fungal growth (which would not be very healthy).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T21:14:20.617" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27422" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27598" CreationDate="2016-07-25T22:25:03.260" Score="1" ViewCount="888" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant below has thin black seeds, almost needle-sharp, that are also slightly burred so their sides cling to fabric.  Seeds maybe a half-inch long. It grows in medium shade (not deep shade) at forest edges, reaching maybe a foot or two high.  It blooms in late spring, goes to seed in July in the Willamette Valley in Oregon.  The flowers are small at the end of thin stems, and yellow if I recall correctly.  Do you have an idea of what it might be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BQcIS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BQcIS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vaORI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vaORI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RMFLd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RMFLd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13711" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-26T03:04:00.353" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T21:19:31.107" Title="What's this spindly weed with sharp seeds?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27423" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27411" CreationDate="2016-07-25T23:47:16.103" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I highly recommend winter hardwood cuttings.  If you girdle the branch 30 days prior to taking the cutting you will have a higher success rate, but even w no girdling and no hormone you can easily get 30%.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best is to take them in situ where you want them to grow permanently.  Loss on transplantation can be quite high unless you leave them potted up for at least a full year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can find more details on another answer I wrote re fig propagation, as well as a link to a website I built years ago specifically about figs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/24115/13998&quot;&gt;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/24115/13998&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13998" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-07-25T23:47:16.103" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27424" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27422" CreationDate="2016-07-26T00:02:12.827" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect it may be Bidens pilosa - that produces tuft like seed heads after the flowers, and each seed is hooked or barbed, images below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://chalk.richmond.edu/flora-kaxil-kiuic/b/bidens_pilosa.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://chalk.richmond.edu/flora-kaxil-kiuic/b/bidens_pilosa.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers,though, are small with small white petals surrounding a larger yellow centre.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T00:02:12.827" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27425" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27417" CreationDate="2016-07-26T00:27:04.107" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's never a good idea to apply raw manure to the soil around plants because of the risks associated with bacteria, and the heat generated by decomposition. It should be composted first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normally if there is excess nutrient present, it can be flushed out with water. If it's in solid form that may not be possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is nutrient burn, I wonder why the younger leaves are not seemingly affected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T00:27:04.107" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27426" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-26T00:45:15.460" Score="2" ViewCount="305" Body="&lt;p&gt;What kind of cactus is this and what's wrong with him?  I got him at the farmer's market and he didn't have a tab that says what conditions or how often you should water. I spray him with water once a week but some of the leaves have wilted and turned orangish reddish.  Am I watering too much or is there anything I can do to save him?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hwPXI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hwPXI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MJUfv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MJUfv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15430" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-27T20:12:26.123" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T23:03:05.697" Title="What kind of succulent is this and why are the leaves wilting and changing color?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27427" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27426" CreationDate="2016-07-26T01:14:29.003" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;No idea on the name but i can confidently say - water once a week is a rough guide. You should use your index finger to poke into the soil and water thoroughly (let the soil soak up as much water as it can and drain off the excess) if the soil is dry. Succulents do not need constant watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From my devastating experience of drowning my Kalanchoe plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15022" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T01:14:29.003" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27428" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27416" CreationDate="2016-07-26T03:01:51.930" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;All photosynthetic plants need light to make their food.  If light or photosynthesis is denied, either by continually cutting off new growth or burying very deeply and combining the cutting of any green growth any plant will die.  This exotic 'weed' is one of the top most prodigious of all, only surpassed by purple loose strife and that European Birch, Paper?!  All those chemicals would only make everything worse.  Would not help at all.  I am a licensed commercial pesticide operator, supervisor and I know that it is far easier to not use pesticide and learn how to garden correctly as to prevent having to use bandaids for unnecessary mistakes.  I allowed our electric company who were in the process clearing electrical lines to dump their chips over this huge area of blackberries 6' deep.  Caused this cool fog all winter long from the heat and by the spring 6 feet ended up 6&quot; deep and not a single blackberry ever came back.  For Equisetum we routinely weed wacked the green growth and after 2 years the Horse Tail was gone.  I've tried chemicals from time to time but I am serious, they aren't worth the trouble.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-07-26T03:08:42.080" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T03:08:42.080" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27429" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-26T05:52:32.187" Score="1" ViewCount="20795" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently got this anthurium from Safeway. I put it away in my room from a south facing window. And then repotted it into a bigger pot with regular potting mix. The plants leaves started to get brown tips. So I put into another room which gets less light. But the leaves are still getting brown and new leaves dying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I water it throughly only when it gets dry. The soil did not feel dry till about a week. Should I wait till it gets dry or water every other day. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I did try to spray a little water on it every once in a while.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I read that anthurium prefer overcrowded roots but I repotted into a bigger pot, should I repot into a smaller pot.&#xA;More images on google drive:&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3wEFDNIV6IFNHZfU3YxRThFbmM&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3wEFDNIV6IFNHZfU3YxRThFbmM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nYff8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nYff8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15262" LastActivityDate="2020-11-18T01:47:07.083" Title="My anthurium's leaves are turning yellow and brown" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27430" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27433" CreationDate="2016-07-26T09:48:30.673" Score="2" ViewCount="1336" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought &quot;an&quot; olive tree and, to my surprise, it had two trunks that obviously belonged to two different plants planted right next to each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking around the shop, this appears to be their default MO with olive trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why would they do that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I have to worry about it harming the tree(s)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt; picture&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fo1jv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fo1jv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastEditorDisplayName="user10810" LastEditDate="2016-07-26T12:50:16.803" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T12:50:16.803" Title="Why would one plant two olive trees right next to each other?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;olive&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27431" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27429" CreationDate="2016-07-26T10:09:59.167" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Likely this is a problem with watering and humidity, about which this plant is fussy, rather than the fact you repotted. Anthuriums require high humidity and they do not like to dry out, so, unlike most plants, these should be given a little water every few days to keep the compost moist at all times - but don't leave it standing in water. To try to increase humidity around the plant, you can use a pebble tray - a tray that's twice as wide as the pot, full with pebbles and which you keep half full with water, and stand the plant on top of the pebbles (not sitting in the water though). The idea is the water in the tray creates a humid micro climate around the plant. Mist the leaves frequently with water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bright daylight in winter, and protect from summer sun are the other recommendations, along with average warmth - minimum 60degF in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T10:09:59.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27432" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27411" CreationDate="2016-07-26T11:18:32.233" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Figs respond well to &quot;Air Layering&quot;. Essentially wrapping the branch with soil while it's still attached to the tree. It will root into the soil and then can be cut off and planted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15433" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-07-26T15:21:16.430" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T15:21:16.430" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27433" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27430" CreationDate="2016-07-26T12:41:20.973" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;(Many) olive cultivars will not produce olives (very well) without a pollinator (an olive tree of a different cultivar)... so basically, you want/need two trees to produce (many) olives. (&lt;a href=&quot;http://olivetreegrowers.com/faq.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;source 1&lt;/a&gt;)(&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.floridaconcerts.org/answers_to_some_common_questions%20about%20olive%20trees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;source 2&lt;/a&gt;)(&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/olive-tree-doesnt-produce-fruit-89848.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;source 3&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T12:41:20.973" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27434" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-26T13:10:24.083" Score="6" ViewCount="410" Body="&lt;p&gt;In front of my North facing window, on a slight tilt, is this 1.5m x 3m patch of, well, mud.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V2bJF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V2bJF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Area of mud outside my window&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is are paving slabs just underneath the window, but the moss is happily growing which gives you an idea of how the whole bit often sits for a day in 1-2 inches of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried laying mesh on it then putting various rocks around it as you can see. I left big gaps for large pots, thinking I could put big plants in there that will give it some life over winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It rained hard 2 days ago and the whole lot just sat in about 4 inches of water and.. well.. it's just not working.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My wife suggested making it into a pond! I'm still liking the rockery idea but considered maybe putting something over the top, almost like decking, to life the rocks and plants out of the way. I'm clueless when it comes to drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For reference this is Aberdeen Scotland where the max temp in summer is about 25oC (77f) and min in winter around -5oC (23f). The area never gets sunlight and it rains every 3 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions for a way forward?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit - 2 more photos added with annotations. One looking &quot;head on&quot; towards the house. One where I crouched down so you can see the angle of the neighbours garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UJ5ZB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UJ5ZB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Front Image&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TWfRj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TWfRj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&amp;quot;Crouched Down&amp;quot; Image&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit 2: Some great advice on the comments. I've decided I can't ignore this problem so my next step is to dig in and around the area to see if I can work out why this ground isn't draining. The house is 30 years old so there's little chance this has been a problem from the start. I'll report back when I get chance to get dug in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15435" LastEditorUserId="15435" LastEditDate="2016-07-28T11:35:31.840" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T11:35:31.840" Title="Ideas needed to sort out this waterlogged, dark, mess in front of my house" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27383" CreationDate="2016-07-26T13:44:57.357" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what zone you are in but here in Zone 5 the runners on the strawberries can be transplanted during the next month in order to get rooted well before winter.  You can cut the runners off and replant or just retrain the runners to grow where you want.  Either way, since it is still fairly hot out they will need to be watered, especially if you cut them off to transplant them.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also of note is if you want bigger fruit next year it is best to cut all the leaves off the strawberry plants in July so that the plants do not spend all their energy into runner production.  Instead the plant tends to grow bigger berries the next year.  My old strawberry plants I cut off the leaves a month ago, and my new plants I just bought I am letting produce runners so I can propagate them before the winter.  No clue what you are doing with the pvc. Also for new plants it is best to cut the flowers off the first year to get the plant established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15436" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-27T14:27:21.350" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T14:27:21.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27436" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27434" CreationDate="2016-07-26T15:02:19.033" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not good for that water to be sitting around your foundation like that. I have a few suggestions that vary in the level of time, money, or practicality.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The simplest is going to be to add dirt and grade the area away from the house. That's going to depend on what's around you and where you want the water to go. Hopefully, your house isn't in a hole. I couldn't tell if you had gutters either. If you don't, that would help a lot, because otherwise your entire roof is shedding onto the ground right there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next, you could make a rock stream. I see these more frequently on pinterest and other places now. Basically, it's a little trench with a lined bottom. You fill it with pebbles or &quot;river rocks&quot; and make it weave a little through your lawn so it looks like a small stream. People will direct their gutter spouts into them, but even when they don't have water flowing in them, they look like a decorative &quot;river&quot; or &quot;stream&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vdzWA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vdzWA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing I sometimes see people do for decoration is the same thing, but instead of for a gutter spout, they'll use it to create an artificial creek. You need to have it on a slope, but they'll create a creek the same way as described above, they make the trench, line it, add rocks to cover the lining, position rocks to create sound as the water passes over them and then either empty them into a pond. If you don't want to care for a pond, you simply dig a hole and bury a plastic barrel with a screen top and liner around it. You cover it with small rocks as well as the liner. Line the outer edges with larger rocks. I creates a faux-pool. The water goes into the barrel sump and gets pumped back up the top of the &quot;creek&quot; to flow down again. The benefit here is that there aren't any fish to harm and you can treat for algae more easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lXJbz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lXJbz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0dVg5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0dVg5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another idea, that can be added to either of the ones above is to add in moisture loving plants. I wouldn't add something like a weeping willow, because while it would thrive on the conditions, it would probably crack your foundation, but you might find other water loving plants that would help soak some of it up. I think redirection is going to be your biggest chance of fixing it, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Barring any of these ideas, I would dig a small pit where you have those large rocks and fill with sand or small gravel up to about 4-6&quot; from the surface and then cover it over with dirt. This will give you a reservoir to keep it away from your foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T15:02:19.033" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27437" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27480" CreationDate="2016-07-26T15:21:26.770" Score="3" ViewCount="1090" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a basil plant that is approximately doubling in size every day while in standing water, and was wondering why people say not to overwater basil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-12-22T08:47:50.213" Title="Why do people say not to overwater basil, when it grows better in standing water?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27438" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-26T15:44:17.180" Score="1" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;i had a lovely garden but im not able now to look after it so i decided to decant the eartgh out all beds and cover with black membrane and then chip over it also have monoblocked and paved all other areas my thinking being that all i have to do is get someone in twice a year to power wash and sweep sand into monoblocks but i have lots of weeds and moss growing inbetween were sand has been washed out or blown away so i was told by a mature gardener that if i swept salt into crevices instead of sand that would control weeds londer advise please i do not intend to use garden again for growing&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15439" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T15:11:39.720" Title="diagnosis with salt" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27439" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27434" CreationDate="2016-07-26T18:18:25.957" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw this emergency solution on someone's youtube video: dig a hole out a few feet but close enough to drain water, take a pump, and pump away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A shop vacuum will work the same way as long as the container for the vacuum will work (to keep this going, you could probably crack the outlet a little bit so it has somewhere to put the water at while still sucking).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T18:18:25.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27440" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27441" CreationDate="2016-07-26T19:21:46.750" Score="4" ViewCount="2618" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw it at a resort in the Dominican Republic. I liked it because it seems to give decent shade but it doesn't seem to have a big trunk, so it's not heavy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you guys identify this tree?&#xA;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ebOhz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ebOhz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6WbLu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6WbLu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14590" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-27T21:08:11.177" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T21:08:11.177" Title="Identify this tree with thin trunk and large leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27441" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27440" CreationDate="2016-07-26T19:31:48.830" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ruffled fan palm tree (&lt;em&gt;Licuala grandis&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T19:31:48.830" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27442" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27388" CreationDate="2016-07-26T19:37:52.530" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get rid of that bump and go trimmer head!  What headaches!  Take it in and get a 'fixed head' for that trimmer.  Get rid of the shield.  The shield is supposed to be for safety but it is hard to see exactly what you are doing and I think that is far more important and safer to see what you are trimming.  I did this for a living and almost! went into competition with my little weed wacker!  All my trimmers were fitted with fixed heads and shields removed.  One has to be very vigilant the direction they chose and to make sure no kids, no pets, no windows are in that path and continually check.  Shields just make for a false sense of security.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ALWAYS WERE SAFETY GLASSES.  ALWAYS.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For fixed heads one needs to cut lengths of line, fit them through the holes that are made to hold onto that line, then cut as close as you can to equal lengths. Pull them together above the head (where the bump and go used to be) as centered as possible and cut to 4 or 5&quot;. The equal lengths or weights the trimmer has to spin is so important for the life of the motor and the precision of cutting that I also take that trimmer, turn it upside down, turn it on.  Then on concrete or a big boulder (making sure where the lines are throwing) touch the lines lightly on the surface.  You'll hear the change in RPM go up as the two lines become perfectly equal.  The length of those lines are usually no more than 4&quot; each.  Any longer and your trimming will be out of control.  Again, look where the line is tossing!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;DO NOT USE WIRE...you need to use the plastic!!  Get the star cross section. It is imperative that you use the plastic, there is no way to get the lines equal and when pieces of wire go flying, very dangerous.  I've never used wire.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And wear safety glasses!!  Watch for kids, people, pets and windows.  Those tiny little rocks become gnarly rockets.  Get used to trimming (edges of lawns) on both sides to be able to change your direction.  Mow your lawn first, then trim edges making sure the height of grass is the height you've mowed the rest of the lawn.  No shorter than 3&quot;!!!  Do the trimming next to concrete last as that melts your lines and make for more change outs.  Find the perfect length of line and cut 3 or 4 lines to loop in your belt loop and take with you.  Also take a small pair of cutters.  Be precise with your gas and oil mixture!  Do not guess.  And never use gasoline with ethanol!!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And wear safety glasses!!  Grins, sorry, but I had two of my guys, each took his glasses off when he went around the corner and each poked an eye out.  Kids...sometimes the more 'parent' one is the more childish they become.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T19:37:52.530" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27443" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27440" CreationDate="2016-07-26T19:40:26.603" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the fan palms, possibly Licuala grandis - gets up to 3 metres high over many years, likes tropical conditions, that is, reasonably high temperatures and high humidity&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Licuala_grandis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Licuala_grandis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T19:40:26.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27444" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27414" CreationDate="2016-07-26T20:49:30.213" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;All plants do better if one takes the flowers off.  An awful lot of energy by a plant is put into seed making (flowers) and once plants have set seed ( older flowers) they kinda take a break, stop making flowers and if we were talking about annuals they simply die.  Hydrangeas do better if one prunes the flowers off (then uses them for vases or to dry).  To allow the Hydrangea flowers to go all the way to making seed is a waste of energy for the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Absolutely, cut those flowers off!  Next year get them off sooner so all that energy that went into making seed would then be used by the plant to grow larger, healthier and even make a few more blooms.  Gorgeous as dried flowers!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T20:49:30.213" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27445" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-26T20:58:18.137" Score="2" ViewCount="248" Body="&lt;p&gt;we had an unusually dry season and my hydrangea blooms looks burnt I have noticed new growth is it ok to dead head the old flowers&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15441" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T21:20:36.120" Title="can I cut back hydrangea flowers?" Tags="&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2016-07-26T21:38:19.337" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27445" CreationDate="2016-07-26T21:20:36.120" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;All plants do better if one takes the flowers off. An awful lot of energy by a plant is put into seed making (flowers) and once plants have set seed ( older flowers) they kinda take a break, stop making flowers and if we were talking about annuals they simply die. Hydrangeas do better if one prunes the flowers off (then uses them for vases or to dry). To allow the Hydrangea flowers to go all the way to making seed is a waste of energy for the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Absolutely, cut those flowers off! Next year get them off sooner so all that energy that went into making seed would then be used by the plant to grow larger, healthier and even make a few more blooms. Gorgeous as dried flowers!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-26T21:20:36.120" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27447" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30727" CreationDate="2016-07-27T02:03:53.503" Score="5" ViewCount="144" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard that comfrey will sluff off layers when you cut it. Will the root of a comfrey plant die back too much if you mow it whenever you mow the grass?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have an apple tree that's not producing yet, so I thought I would plant some comfrey plants a couple feet from the base to help it collect the nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T22:56:02.060" Title="Will comfrey root sluff off too much growth if you mow it with grass?" Tags="&lt;comfrey&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27449" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30483" CreationDate="2016-07-27T04:47:42.880" Score="5" ViewCount="295" Body="&lt;p&gt;Someone asked a question on what woods not to use, so I'm wondering why you shouldn't use these wood types when building a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%BCgelkultur&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hugelkultur&lt;/a&gt; (raised bed used to either conserve water, or increase surface area on top of rotting wood):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cedar&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;camphor wood&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;black locust&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;black cherry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;black walnut&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pine&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fir&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-07-27T19:08:34.553" LastActivityDate="2017-01-16T18:38:58.510" Title="Why shouldn't you use these woods when building a hugelkultur?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;hugelkultur&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27450" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27464" CreationDate="2016-07-27T05:44:00.453" Score="3" ViewCount="790" Body="&lt;p&gt;Jack Spirko said that you don't want to use wood chips on the surface of soil. Why don't you want to use wood chips? &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Zwa1rEWpM&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T03:25:09.273" Title="Why don't you want wood chips on top of soil for an orchard?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27451" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27450" CreationDate="2016-07-27T09:12:00.590" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Orchards have wood, so chips could help wood fungus and other wood/root diseases to propagate and then to attack trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general orchards should have no dead wood any kind (e.g. prune and eliminate any dead branches).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T09:12:00.590" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27452" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27453" CreationDate="2016-07-27T10:48:16.727" Score="4" ViewCount="748" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what type of pepper plant this is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5gcQl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5gcQl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pepper plant with purple upright growing fruit.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zwJYK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zwJYK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Growing purple fruits on pepper plant.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qNJgU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qNJgU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves on pepper plant.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After searching a little bit online, my guess would be Numex Twilight but I don't know enough about peppers to be sure. Can someone confirm? Or is it something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14963" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T13:15:56.687" Title="Identify pepper plant with purple upright fruit" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27453" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27452" CreationDate="2016-07-27T13:15:56.687" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is difficult to be sure of the variety, but yes I would say it definitely looks like a &lt;em&gt;Capsicum Fruescens&lt;/em&gt; cultivar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tabasco and Twilight are probably the two most common cultivars, and these are the two I've grown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to lean towards Tabasco, because Twilight also ripens through yellows, oranges, and reds; in addition to purple. I'm not seeing this in your photo. See the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NuMex_Twilight&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;photo on the Wikipedia page&lt;/a&gt; for an example of the colors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way plant looks healthy. Personally I've probably had more success with Twilight but that might be 'luck' (seasons etc), they also look more colorful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T13:15:56.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26839" CreationDate="2016-07-27T13:52:18.120" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found that article a while back, but that's how I've always done any tree or shrub. I start with dead branches, then suckers, then I limb it up to whatever height I want it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even shrubs, because you need them high enough to mulch or string trim under. Then I go to crossing branches, removing the whichever one looks like it will conflict with healthy growth the most. Any branches growing to the inside pretty much have to go. If it's a shrub or tree that has multiple trunks, just pick ones that won't rub as they get larger in diameter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind while doing this that you shouldn't take more than 1/3rd of the plant off at one time for most plants (not all of them though, some you can cut to the ground and they're fine). Also, you need to try and imagine where the tree is going. Look at small branches and see that two will eventually cross and rub as they get larger. Save the tree the energy of growing one that you'll lop off later and take it when it's small. It's also important not to force a tree to try to grow to fit your expectations. I let it grow however it wants and remove material only to keep it healthy. If you have to turn it into a giant bonsai, then something is seriously wrong. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, keeping all of that in mind, sometimes something just has to go. For instance, we have one crepe myrtle that was planted from a 3gal pot. I've been pruning it this way one a year for 7-8 years now. It's currently about 9' tall, has several trunks and has just started to get the smooth pretty bark in the last year or two. I went to prune it this year and noticed that while 4 of the trunks had really nice growth patterns, one of them was leaning way out. It's just as tall and thick as the others, but it's just turned into a really horrible looking trunk, leaning way out to the side. It'll get worse as it gets older. I let one well positioned sucker grow off of this &quot;trunk&quot; and because of the fertilizer and good root system, it's now almost 5' tall and thumb thick just from a half summers growth. Next spring I'll just have to remove the one trunk and let the sucker replace it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T13:52:18.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27438" CreationDate="2016-07-27T15:11:39.720" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, salt will kill the vegetation and prevent emergence for a very long time. However, the amount of salt necessary to do that is probably more than you would expect. I suppose that if you kept adding a little salt and sand after a while you would reach the point where it killed the vegetation. Then the results last for a long time, and you won't need to add salt for years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using polymeric sand between the pavers will also be helpful for controlling growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T15:11:39.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27457" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27458" CreationDate="2016-07-27T16:13:12.753" Score="3" ViewCount="2924" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year, as my apples were finally approaching ripeness, nearly all of them got eaten or burrowed into by wasps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do this year to prevent this from happening again? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15448" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-27T16:59:39.803" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T19:54:17.417" Title="How can I prevent wasps from eating my apples?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27458" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27457" CreationDate="2016-07-27T19:00:01.643" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use wasp traps: a PET bottle with apple must, some sugar, few vinegar, and a few drop of dish detergent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will reduce damages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people uses nets (if tree is not too big). Only the big wasps are able to burrow apples, or better: only the big wasps could cut the peel (so letting also the other bees and insect to feed).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T19:00:01.643" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27457" CreationDate="2016-07-27T19:08:40.703" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/fegen/wasps-in-fruit-trees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;wasps eating apples info&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ok, I went out to check on this and I was wrongo!  This link explained an awful lot.  I've never had this problem but it is a real concern.  Since we are losing our bees, I have also been protecting wasps.  Hornets are a bit different.  You'd know if you were stung by a hornet.  Feels like a sledge hammer and keeps on going if you don't get that stinger out of your skin.  I was putting up a sign in the country and it was like 'on the count of 3 guys'!  They were under my shirt, in my hair and running did not help.  Finally got in my truck (with the buggers) and my dog (who eats these guys) couldn't understand why I was doing these weird frantic movements.  Docs pulled 47 stingers out of me, anaphylactic shock...hornets and wasps love meat and there was dead meat nearby.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know, TMI, hope this article helps.  Be careful using equipment near any nests as they will come out (hornets and wasps) to attack and somehow it is always in the butt cheeks!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="15448" LastEditDate="2016-07-27T19:54:17.417" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T19:54:17.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27460" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27437" CreationDate="2016-07-27T19:24:06.060" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just found that there are no answers here so here goes.  Growing stuff in water is just fine, if there is enough light, ventilation and proper amounts of chemicals/fertilizers.  One basil plant no big deal.  But most gardeners like to use the NORMAL way to grow plants that are not water plants in soil that is available all around us.  When one over waters in SOIL, like Bamboo explained, you've got the perfect conditions for ROOT ROT (and other fungal, bacterial conditions). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7095/if-its-possible-to-overwater-a-plant-then-how-do-plants-grow-hydroponically&quot;&gt;Oh look what I found!! Check this out!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T23:01:48.200" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27461" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27426" CreationDate="2016-07-27T19:32:17.677" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although you can't see the top of the plant very well it does look like one of the echevarias.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15450" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T19:32:17.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27462" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27470" CreationDate="2016-07-27T19:39:32.543" Score="1" ViewCount="455" Body="&lt;p&gt;OK, I planted out my Broccoli earlier this year without realising that the birds &lt;em&gt;love&lt;/em&gt; to snack on the leaves. They skeletonized the leaves, leaving only the veins on some of the larger leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've since put a rudimentary cloche over them which allowed some new growth to appear, though not much. Will they be able to recover, or is there something I can do to promote their return to health?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have managed to crop a few small florets (no more than a good handful), and they tasted amazing, so I'm quite keen to get at least another decent harvest off of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15448" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-01T23:06:53.540" LastActivityDate="2017-12-01T23:06:53.540" Title="Purple Sprouting Broccoli recovery from bird attack" Tags="&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27463" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27466" CreationDate="2016-07-27T19:52:55.550" Score="20" ViewCount="19603" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my frequent sources of material in my compost heap (I'm just getting into it lately) is kitchen scraps. My wife, bless her, has good intentions for eating more fruits and vegetables, but iffy execution, which means every few weeks, I wind up with moldy vegetables and fruits. I've been tossing them in the compost heap, burying them under some of the dryer materials, figuring that the heat is bound to kill off anything actively harmful, but I figured I'd get some input from others. I haven't noticed a bad smell from the heap, or large amounts of flies (although the deer seem to have decided the heap is an excellent buffet).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, long story short, is it likely to be harmful to add moldy foods to the heap?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11453" LastActivityDate="2017-09-13T20:01:55.670" Title="Is it OK to put moldy fruits and vegetables in the compost heap?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27450" CreationDate="2016-07-27T19:53:41.947" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wood chips are RAW dead organic matter that HAS TO BE DECOMPOSED.  Nothing one can do to stop decomposition once something alive has become dead.  Well, there are a few things but within this thin blue line of life on this planet something alive dies and immediately begins the process of decomposition.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The organisms that do this work require 'FUEL' with which to decompose.  LOTS of nitrogen.  The biggest worry is reducing the amount of nitrogen to the trees and/or adding too much nitrogen to compensate and reducing flowering and fruit production.  The chips would keep the grass in check, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grass or any plants within a tree's drip zone competes for chemicals necessary for growth including water.  All plants should be removed beneath the canopy of any...plant, really.  If a fruit tree is in a lawn one will have a conundrum...to fertilize the lawn or the tree.  The lawn requires lots of nitrogen which will severely inhibit reproductive growth for the tree.  Another reason for large base circles lightly mulched with decomposed organic matter.  Grass with all its 'nitrogen' is alive and growing will do nothing but suck chemicals it needs from the soil.  Unless it is decomposed first, that nitrogen is unavailable to any other plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Black Thumb, you would do well to take a Master Gardeners's course from your closest University's Cooperative Extension Service.  They teach the basics within months and then you pay back your education by working at fairs, conventions to answer people's questions as a Master Gardener... as well as creating a few test gardens with little placards to explain what you are doing.  With the knowledge you get on basics you would be able to answer most of your questions.  They give you these publications from the University with which to answer basic as well as more advanced questions.  You always have to look up the question from these publications, one does not give their opinion for answers when one is acting as a Master Gardener and wears the plastic tag.  One learns a lot of respect for information about plants (composting, preserving foods are other classes) already tested, publicized.  For you to imagine that you have found a new and better way to grow a plant is crazy.  Maybe someday but not with what you know today.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T19:53:41.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27465" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27467" CreationDate="2016-07-27T19:56:27.687" Score="3" ViewCount="862" Body="&lt;p&gt;In a section of our yard, I have a small field of beautiful &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylily&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;daylilies&lt;/a&gt;, nine varieties in all. (I can't take credit for them, as they were here when we bought the house a few years ago!) True to their title, the flowers are at their best for only a day or two before they begin wilting. At that point, I can either gently pluck them off, or wait until they shrivel up and fall on their own. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that with some plants, removal of the spent blossoms is important so the energy can be used to produce new flowers. With daylilies, is deadheading necessary, or even helpful? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand it makes them look better, but I'm not always in the mood to climb through the field to reach those in the back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;I couldn't resist adding some pictures! Click on them for full size.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PKZ9I.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PKZ9Is.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qroB6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qroB6s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9D1PD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9D1PDs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j2oFX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j2oFXs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rHqRT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rHqRTs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/utCxj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/utCxjs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-30T19:10:23.727" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T19:10:23.727" Title="Should I deadhead my daylilies?" Tags="&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;lily&gt;&lt;deadheading&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27466" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27463" CreationDate="2016-07-27T20:00:17.040" Score="21" Body="&lt;p&gt;Absolutely no worry at all. Moldy vegetables are already in the process of decomposition.  Make sure you turn your compost regularly, moisten when necessary and add nitrogen.  There used to be a kitty litter made from alfalfa pellets.  SUPER nitrogen source and cheap.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NO MEAT, no poop from omnivores or carnivores only herbivores, mix green stuff and leaves and small twigs, or layer then mix.  Lots of great articles and information on this site for you to read!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T20:00:17.040" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27467" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27465" CreationDate="2016-07-27T20:21:05.347" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't have to, although there are many sources that say you should for the reblooming varieties in particular. In reality, it doesn't make much difference to blooming. I've never bothered, frankly, unless I've got nothing else to do, so if you're  not busy, like a tidy garden and don't have a back problem, then it might be a useful and relaxing way to wile away an afternoon. Link below to an Australian site on this subject - its the most sensible article I've seen on this subject&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.decadentdaylilies.com/reasons-for-deadheading-daylilies/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.decadentdaylilies.com/reasons-for-deadheading-daylilies/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T20:21:05.347" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27468" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26850" CreationDate="2016-07-27T20:43:00.473" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't be so quick to assume its walnut chips or shavings causing the problem. I've used air-dried walnut shavings as mulch, and it hasn't kept anything down more than a store-bought bark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Juglone is mostly present in roots and leaves, which shouldn't be in a chip mulch anyways. The level in the wood itself is pretty small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you did somehow get leaf mulch, Juglone will break down in a couple weeks without a living tree to pump it out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.woodcentral.com/articles/shop/articles_841.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.woodcentral.com/articles/shop/articles_841.shtml&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2005/jul/070701.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2005/jul/070701.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cedar is also not toxic to plants, or at least no more so than any other kind of wood. Chips can cause respiratory problems in animals, but that's a mechanical process, and not applicable here. The duff (fallen needles) around old trees sometimes will give people the assumption that it's toxic, but that's because the needles smother out growth, and will make the soil acidic with decomposition. None of these would apply to chipped mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems probable there is something else in the mulch you used, possibly a chemical additive. Where did you get this stuff from?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would say, water well, keep the plants fertilized, and pull the mulch away from the dripline of plants you are worried about. Whatever is causing the problem will hopefully wash away, or at least become diluted in the soil. The only other option is removing all of the  mulch you laid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14336" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T20:43:00.473" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27469" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7780" CreationDate="2016-07-27T21:17:47.203" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm just a little south of you in the Seattle WA area, and there are tons of options when it comes to bamboo that will thrive around here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For planter use, I'd recommend a small clumping variety, like Rufa. It will be plenty hardy, can tolerate shade, and grows 7-10ft. You'll need to keep the watering up, at least until it is well established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be a good idea to find a local nursery for some advise, as they will know your exact area, and can provide better recommendations. You can also try Craigslist or other classified's, there are often people thinning or removing Bamboo that you could grab for free.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, stick to clumping varieties. They tend to be smaller, can grow denser, and are easier to manage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For some specific varieties:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.beautyandthebamboo.com/clumping.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.beautyandthebamboo.com/clumping.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14336" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T21:17:47.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27470" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27462" CreationDate="2016-07-27T22:07:58.647" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Skeletonized leaves are more likely to be caused by slugs and snails or other pests rather than birds - birds tend to go for the florets or flowering heads rather than leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cropping from sprouting broccoli is usually over a 4-6 week period, so it may be their time is up, but you could try giving them liquid fertiliser to see if that gives them a boost. More information on general growing of broccoli in the link below, including a timetable for sowing and cropping. It's not quite yet too late to grow more if you want to&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/vegetables/broccoli&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/vegetables/broccoli&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-27T22:13:31.130" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T22:13:31.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27471" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27472" CreationDate="2016-07-27T22:35:47.297" Score="5" ViewCount="92" Body="&lt;p&gt;In one corner of my yard I have two largish trees that are about 5 feet apart. One is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_negundo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;box elder&lt;/a&gt;, the other is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_platanoides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;norway maple&lt;/a&gt;. They both have trunks about 12-14 inches in diameter. The box elder is a little bigger and taller. It seems like the canopies of these trees are interfering with each other. Are they too close? Should I cut one down?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-18T17:47:18.960" LastActivityDate="2018-04-18T18:11:23.993" Title="Are my large box elder and Norway maple trees too close?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27472" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27471" CreationDate="2016-07-27T22:56:56.317" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely too close together - the crown of a mature Norway Maple (assuming you mean Acer platanoides) is more than 25 feet and the crown of a Box Elder is (if left unpruned) 25 to 40 feet, so they will crowd each other badly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can decide to take one out, or just keep the Box Elder constantly pruned, more like a shrub than a tree, though that won't be easy...probably best to remove one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-27T22:56:56.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27473" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27504" CreationDate="2016-07-28T01:17:35.267" Score="1" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Gladioli are coming up, but they are bent at about a 90 degree. They're in full sun with grass compost dirt. I planted them just a little bit under the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why are they doing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qSiqS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qSiqS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-29T13:32:49.037" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T13:32:49.037" Title="Why are my Gladiolus aiming at the sun?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27474" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9399" CreationDate="2016-07-28T01:35:53.880" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A picture would be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the cavity is less than 25% of the diameter of the tree, it may be able to survive. If the arborist is saying the decay is 35% of the way through, that will usually be fatal depending how wide the wound is. If it is narrow, like less than 5&quot; wide it might be ok.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With any chronic rot you should chip it out. Obviously the incision should be as narrow (up and down) as possible. The wound must be kept dry. This can be done by melting beeswax in an open-topped tea kettle and basting the wound with it. Do not use any kind of wax except pure beeswax. You can also hang a flap over the wound to keep the rain out. Do not seal it off with pitch, like some repairers do, because that will cut off the air supply, which is bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T01:35:53.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27475" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27481" CreationDate="2016-07-28T03:14:19.787" Score="0" ViewCount="678" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed two or three small, black insects tonight while sitting in my lawn, which is presumably where they're coming from. It seems to have wings, and I think it has a sharp thing which resembles a stinger. It's a little black speck to my eyes, and this picture was maxing out the cell phone camera I had at the moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The grass doesn't show any obvious signs of stress; it's a nice green color, but I'm still concerned that this insect might damage my lawn. I'm in the Northwest USA. Three questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is this insect?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Why is it in my lawn?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How can I kill them all?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The picture was taken while on my leg, not in the lawn. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MVAlf.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MVAlf.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6930" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-28T23:18:19.597" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T19:32:09.923" Title="What are these small black winged insects in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27476" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27450" CreationDate="2016-07-28T03:25:09.273" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have the bandwidth at present to look at your video, but it defies common sense. A summary of his argument should be presented.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees evolved in forests and the forest floor is covered in dead organic material including wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This paper &lt;a href=&quot;http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/45/4/637.abstract&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/45/4/637.abstract&lt;/a&gt; looked at different orchard floor management systems and found&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Trees with wood chip mulch performed well and had greater capacity to build N reserves, making wood chips ideal for establishing young organic apple orchards. However, as the orchard matures, it may be beneficial to switch to a groundcover that reduces tree vegetative growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T03:25:09.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27477" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27463" CreationDate="2016-07-28T04:06:45.287" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it is organic it goes back to the earth. &#xA;Mix soil with the compost to get worms started. &#xA;Move the location of pile often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15454" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T04:06:45.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27480" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27437" CreationDate="2016-07-28T05:59:50.160" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many plants grow fine in water. That's the basis for hydroponics. The main methods are deep water culture, flood and drain, and thin film. They all have in common moving water to ensure that the dissolved oxygen levels remain high enough so that the area around the roots doesn't become anoxic. If they do, the roots suffocate, die, and rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your basil plant is doing well in muddy water, then you must have enough surface area to allow sufficient oxygenation for the plant to survive. Basil is commonly grown hydroponically so it's a good choice to try this out. But muddy water is not a sufficiently controlled environment for commercial growers. It may or may not have enough nutrients for the plant, and growers want to control all the variables to get the best growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T05:59:50.160" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27481" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27475" CreationDate="2016-07-28T06:42:40.867" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like a Minute Pirate Bug (Hemiptera Anthocoridae) to me. They predatory and feed on aphids, spider mites and thrips, so can be beneficial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want them gone, it may be better to check to see if their food source is abundant in your garden, and treat that instead!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15448" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T06:42:40.867" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27463" CreationDate="2016-07-28T13:52:49.027" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The types of mold that would grow inside a modern hermitically plastic sealed house or a refrigerator, won't last long out doors. I would have some concern about having them in the house. We had a large piece of fruit, a melon I think, &quot;escape&quot; into a notch of bookcase somehow. Half the family came down a violent allergy apparently from the spores that grew off and then got endlessly circulated through the houses closed and insulated system. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're worried about global warming though, putting anything with readily available free sugars into a low oxygen mound of digesting bacteria will produce a much higher ratio of methane to CO2. Methane is 100 times as powerful a greenhouse gas than CO2 although it degrades more quickly. Producing more methane today will have a greater long term impact than the equivalent CO2. Some large installation that compost, e.g. vineries separate out high sugar items into fermentation vats were the decomposition produces CO2 instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1012" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T13:52:49.027" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27483" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27484" CreationDate="2016-07-28T14:06:52.427" Score="3" ViewCount="302" Body="&lt;p&gt;Should I transplant plants (herbs mainly) in 6&quot; pots that I buy at megastores like the Home Depot? It seems the soil's spongy; it doesn't even feel like soil. The plants aren't dead (or at least not yet) and I water them on a regular basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants are on an open balcony with a roof, so they don't receive direct sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14590" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T17:41:52.527" Title="Quality of soil in plants sold in 6&quot; pots sold at retail stores?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27484" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27483" CreationDate="2016-07-28T15:27:50.747" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not initially, no, it's not necessary, but within a short space of time during the growing season, you'll find they need bigger pots anyway as they grow because they'll need more root room, so do it then. How quickly they'll need potting on to something larger varies a bit between varieties of plant, so a rosemary, for instance, will need to go in something bigger quite quickly, but thyme not so rapidly. If they're already rootbound (turn them out of their pots to check) then pot on into larger containers immediately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T15:27:50.747" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27485" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-28T16:35:26.143" Score="1" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several plants hanging in my balcony &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ysSei.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;from something like this&lt;/a&gt;, so when I water them, the residual water naturally spills to the floor. So I was thinking of building a wood planter, similar to the image below, to pick up any residual water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll be building this planter with treated wood. So two questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Should I drill some holes at the bottom of the planter so that the plants in there don't rot from too much residual water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) If I do drill some holes, what can I do to avoid so that the residual water from the planter doesn't spill to the floor?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) I've read that there are materials I can put at the bottom of the planter to absorb any water. Would this be healthy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;4) Is there any special paint or treatment that I should use with this wood so that it doesn't rot from the combination of moisture, soil, water, humid &amp;amp; hot weather, etc?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;5) Any other creative ideas on how to pick up any residual water from the plants above? I particularly thought about this because I can use it to add more plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help is appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mYcex.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mYcex.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14590" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T18:39:25.947" Title="Ideas for picking up residual water?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27486" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27485" CreationDate="2016-07-28T17:04:55.797" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was going to say apply PVC pipe aquaponic theory.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you have board boxes:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;you should drill about 4 holes per foot approximately the size of a hanging basket to pass the water to the bottom container.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Use the bottom container with a few small holes out the side to take out excess water slowly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a rubberized 2 part paint that is used on ships that you could use if you worry about wood rotting that much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T17:04:55.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27487" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27483" CreationDate="2016-07-28T17:41:52.527" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;These plants are grown commercially in large quantities. Obviously the growers want their plants to grow well and look good (otherwise people wouldn't buy them!) but it's a reasonable bet that the growing medium will (1) be the cheapest that is available in bulk in the country where they were grown (not necessarily the country where you bought them!) and (2) it will be &quot;designed&quot; to be used with an automatic watering system, not hand watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A potting compost that is &quot;spongy&quot; and doesn't &quot;feel like soil&quot; probably isn't soil. For example it may be coir (coconut fibre) which is a good growing material, and an environmentally friendly way of using what would otherwise be just waste material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to keep the plants in the same pots for a long time, don't forget to feed them as well as watering them. Commercial growers are not going to give you a &quot;free&quot; long-term supply of slow-release fertilizer added to their compost. They are more likely to add (very dilute) liquid feed continuously to their automatic watering system, to give the plants just as much as they actually need while keeping their costs to a minimum. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Feeding may be a problem if you don't know what the growing material is, because different materials have different requirements to supplement the nutrients (if any) that the material itself contains. So repotting the plants may be the simplest way to keep them in growing well in the long term.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T17:41:52.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27488" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27485" CreationDate="2016-07-28T17:49:38.293" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you will need to drill holes in the bottom for drainage, about quarter inch across, probably about 8 to 10 holes, evenly spaced out, for a container the size of the larger one in the picture. The only way to solve the water seeping out the bottom problem is to also make a tray that fits beneath the box which you then empty out after watering so the trough and its contents are not sitting in water. If you could make the trough with short, stubby legs, say about 1 or 2 inches long from top to bottom, then stand it in a tray, that would assist with drainage, and you'd be able to see easily whether the tray needed emptying or not. Using materials inside the container to soak up excess water isn't a great idea - even commercially made self watering window boxes tend to be too wet at the bottom most of the time, which is good for neither most plants nor the wooden container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you may have already bought wood to make the trough/s from, but there are woods that resist rotting for longer such as teak and cedar, and do not need treating other than a coat on the outside occasionally if you don't want the wood to fade to an ashy colour, see link for more information&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/type-wood-needed-build-planter-box-52380.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/type-wood-needed-build-planter-box-52380.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The depth of your planter is quite important - if you want to grow only summer bedding type plants, then containers as shallow as the ones in the picture are fine, but should you want anything permanent with some height, say up to 3/4 feet, then an internal depth of 10 to 12 inches would be more appropriate, more for taller plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-28T18:39:25.947" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T18:39:25.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27489" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27324" CreationDate="2016-07-28T18:45:30.087" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Remove some of the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Producing fruit is very strenuous for the tree. Once I had a small orange tree. It fruited and then died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To take the burden off the tree you should limit the number of fruit it produces, especially if it is a young tree. As the tree matures, allow it to produce more and more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T18:45:30.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27490" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-28T18:55:36.793" Score="6" ViewCount="551" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a large Red Maple tree in a large back yard. The roots have pushed up the concrete on a walkway.  I have a friend who wants to practice concrete work for his university class and is willing to pull up and re-pave this section, but the top of the root will need to be shaved down so that the concrete doesn't have a large bulge in it.  I'm estimating that it is a section of about 4 feet long (this is how wide the path is).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would this hurt the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15464" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-28T19:21:42.730" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T23:00:33.963" Title="Will shaving the top of a Red Maple's roots hurt the tree?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;maple&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27491" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27490" CreationDate="2016-07-28T19:06:13.550" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry to say it will hurt the tree - over time, as they mature, many trees develop buttress roots at their base, but upheaval around the base of a tree, even without buttress roots, is to be expected. The roots are essential to the tree's survival, and should not be cut, shaved or removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps you could replan the walkway to leave space around the base of the tree to accommodate root growth, particularly as it's likely to increase over time. Either that or remove the tree. This is perhaps something your concrete laying friend might wish to remember when doing future work of a similar kind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-28T23:00:33.963" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T23:00:33.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27492" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27490" CreationDate="2016-07-28T19:08:44.703" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, of course it will hurt the tree - it will be cutting away part of the system that transports water and nutrients to the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Often in cases like this it's best to decide that you want the tree, or walkway, and get rid of the one you don't want. Either that or you need to modify the walkway so that it is compatible with the tree, since trying to modify the tree to be compatible with the walkway is typically either going to result in a slow death for the tree, or a partly-dead tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T19:08:44.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27493" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-28T19:13:12.933" Score="4" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;Location central Jersey (USA). I have a small garden next to the house. All my plants get watered nightly from the sprinkler system. My tomatoes and hot peppers are producing bumper crops, but the squash and pickle plants near them are just producing flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it too hot for them right now or is there some other issue?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15465" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-07-28T19:22:45.683" LastActivityDate="2016-09-27T08:36:55.887" Title="Why are my squash and pickle plants just producing flowers?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27494" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-28T20:30:04.530" Score="2" ViewCount="3483" Body="&lt;p&gt;For some reason my bell peppers are turning brown before full maturity. How do I avoid this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KGIkv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KGIkv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bVRiw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bVRiw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KpI2s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KpI2s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-28T23:01:09.757" LastActivityDate="2016-07-28T23:01:09.757" Title="Why are my green bell peppers turning brown?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;&lt;blossom-end-rot&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27495" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27500" CreationDate="2016-07-29T00:02:52.257" Score="4" ViewCount="469" Body="&lt;p&gt;A bunch of trees I had ordered finally arrived. None of them are in good shape though I was assured with water and fertilizer they will bounce back. One of the trees, an &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehretia_anacua&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ehretia Anaqua&lt;/a&gt;, has some odd, misshapen growth up and down the entire trunk.  What is this and is it something I need to worry about? I'd rather return the tree if it's diseased.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UQi5D.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UQi5D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Anaqua Tree Trunk Odd Growth&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XTUG8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XTUG8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Anaqua Tree Trunk Odd Growth&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15468" LastEditorUserId="15468" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T23:30:29.673" LastActivityDate="2017-04-07T05:32:38.437" Title="What is growing on my Anacua tree trunk?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27496" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27495" CreationDate="2016-07-29T02:41:41.617" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nope, looks like this is completely normal and part of this tree's identity. &lt;a href=&quot;http://haufc.org/tree-guide/small/fringe-tree/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Fringe tree bark&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-29T03:00:52.040" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T03:00:52.040" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27497" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27465" CreationDate="2016-07-29T03:07:35.117" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Daylilies are named perfectly.  The flower is ONLY open one day and then dies.  YES you should pop off those flowers, not only will it keep the entire plant healthier but all the unopened flowers will be induced to open, in succession per stem.  Flowers are meant to attract pollinators.  The plant has to use a tremendous amount of energy to make that flower! To compound that once the flower dies and if it got fertilized it then begins to produce seed/fruit.  Another huge energy expenditure.  If you are not growing for seed (trust me you are not) get those flowers off of that plant.  I even go out and pop off flowers in the evening.  All of them, or almost all of them when I have the energy.  You won't believe the response by the plant!  The more flowers you get off the plant and the sooner one can bear to do so the more vigorous, more floriferous your plant will become and there will just be too many flowers to worry about cutting them off. The energy you are saving the plant is directed to other aspects the plant needs...more leaves, thicker stems, more buds for flowers and fruit.  If one doesn't take those flowers off, the plant goes on trying to produce seed, or start the process of abscission where the plant cuts nutrients/water to the flower.  Causing the flower to dry up and fall off.  Still, waste of energy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;btw, I learned a few years ago that ALL of the 'lilies' are poisonous to cats. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T03:07:35.117" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27498" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-29T03:26:41.583" Score="0" ViewCount="20" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a drought tolerant fast growing grass mix that will work well with chickens in USDA zone 4A. What should I mix together for USDA zone 4a for feeding my chickens for planting it once?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T03:26:41.583" Title="What permanent grasses should I look into?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;domestic-animals&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27493" CreationDate="2016-07-29T06:53:31.747" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;One possibility is that your squash and cucumber plants aren't getting enough sun. Tomatoes and peppers can fruit with less sun than most cucurbits. I've had that experience (but I didn't exactly get bumper crops on the tomatoes and peppers; so, maybe this isn't what's going on with you).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing they're just not receiving the proper climate signals they need (whatever those are for your varieties) to decide it's time to fruit. The plants may also be stressed, or deficient of something (they might like some compost). Or, they could just be late-maturing varieties. Some take their time before they produce female flowers. If you clip off lots of the male flowers, I'm guessing they might produce female ones faster (I've done that with indoor cucumbers before, and they pumped out more flowers fast, and eventually some female ones). You can eat the flowers of both squash and cucumbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should try &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/monika-cucumber/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Monika cucumbers&lt;/a&gt;. I'm growing them this year, and they are rather prolific. They produce loads of female flowers (before any male ones, in my experience, and it's parthenocarpic; so, it can still set fruit without pollination). The fruits are tasty, and early. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reimerseeds.com/beit-alpha-cucumbers.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Beit Alpha&lt;/a&gt;, though not parthenocarpic, is doing pretty well for me, too, here. (The links there point to where I got my seeds.) Suyo Long is also doing well, but is later than the aforementioned. Little Leaf and Brown Russian are still without fruit, I believe; for me, I'm guessing it's the dry heat, and the soil nutrients that are responsible for this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might try a mostly gynoecious, parthenocarpic squash, too (one that produces mostly female flowers and doesn't need pollination to set fruit).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should be noted that not all parthenocarpic plants are gynoecious (or even mostly so), and not all gynoecious plants are parthenocarpic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might also try growing both gynoecious cucumbers/squash (whether or not they're parthenocarpic) and normal ones, too (to pollinate them).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every day watering sounds a little much, unless your soil is drying out every day (which it might in a container or something). This might have something to do with the lack of female flowers, but I would guess something else (I may be wrong).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-07-29T07:05:26.783" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T07:05:26.783" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27500" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27495" CreationDate="2016-07-29T11:01:04.703" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If this is Ehretia anacua, there's something  wrong with it - the bark should just look grey and narrowly furrowed, like the parts around the orangy coloured deposits. The deposits or growths look almost like solidified resin or sap, but I'm not 100% sure that's what they are - whatever they are, they shouldn't be there, nor should some of the bark be hanging off, as I can see it is about halfway down on the right in the second photo. Orange resin deposits present on a tree usually indicate bleeding, and the cause is often a precursor to death or at the very least, a sign of infection or infestation. I note also the leaves do not look healthy - unless your growing  zone is too cold for it and its starting the process of losing its leaves (its frost tender, but evergreen), they look as if they've got rust or some other infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would return it from whence it came and get my money back... image of what the leaves should look like in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.uniprot.org/taxonomy/99303&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.uniprot.org/taxonomy/99303&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the supplier sent this out, I'd be somewhat concerned about the condition of other plants you may have purchased from them - when you buy a plant, it should look in tip top condition, not as if they need to be in an Intensive Care Unit with the distinct possibility of an imminent  move to the Morgue - a little wilting due to stress if they've been in transit a long time is acceptable, maybe some physical damage from being packed, but that's all they should be suffering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image of bark in this link (on a mature tree), for confirmation&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mother-natures-son.com/blog/a-tree-grows-along-the-blanco/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://mother-natures-son.com/blog/a-tree-grows-along-the-blanco/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-29T11:47:49.467" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T11:47:49.467" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27501" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24180" CreationDate="2016-07-29T11:25:07.607" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If anyone is interested, after one month, this mutant Asiatic lily grew to the result shown below.  Quite an impressive result.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tqQ10.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tqQ10.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;after growth 1 month later&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11184" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T11:25:07.607" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27502" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24180" CreationDate="2016-07-29T11:44:40.280" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, if that flower head's larger than the others, or larger than normal, that confirms this is a case of fasciation, an anomaly which occurs from time to time on some plants, asiatic lilies being one of them. Certainly the clumped shoot in the first photo looks to be fasciated - it's nothing to worry about, it'll likely grow and flower normally next year. Fasciated stems often produce larger than usual flower heads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cause of fasciation is not always known, but usually attributed to weather or damage or simply a bit of genetic coding having a temporary blip.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T11:44:40.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27503" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27506" CreationDate="2016-07-29T11:47:25.253" Score="4" ViewCount="495" Body="&lt;p&gt;My new rear garden has had concrete slab paving for decades, resting on heavily packed and deep London Clay soil and a small amount of odd rubble. The paved area measures about 6x7m. The soil under the slabs is solid with weed roots, even where there's been no light for many years, and weeds (of all kinds) come up between the slabs continually. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to convert the paved area back to a nice garden and grass. The options I have heard about are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bulk replacement: excavate existing area some inches down, remove old rubble/soil/weeds, bring in new topsoil, compact a bit, lay new turf or seed. &lt;em&gt;Concerns -&lt;/em&gt; Guaranteed success, straightforward, completed quickly, but probably quite costly as work on this scale probably would need mechanical hire and grabber removal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove paving only (much less bulk), break up packed soil some inches down, sift manually for weeds, mix in compost/whatever, compact a bit, lay turf/seed. &lt;em&gt;Concerns&lt;/em&gt; - no idea how much work involved and time required (might drag on a long time), soil may end up poor condition than if new good soil was introduced and need regular prevention against deteriorating, and introducing new soil implies bulk removal and cost as above so will there be any net benefit compared to the 1st solution.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't had to do garden landscaping on this scale before and have no idea what I would actually have to do, nor the amount or work and cost and any practicalities involved, nor what mechanical equipment might exist could offer trade-offs between time, cost, final quality, and physical effort. I am open to hiring a contractor but will probably end up doing it myself, especially if a contractor would add a lot to the bill as expected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't expect sorting it out to be cheap, but I would like to feel once it's done, it mostly stays done (other than annual maintenance) and is &quot;low maintenance&quot;. For example, if it will help that the soil drains well, or retains water and nutrients, I'd prefer to ensure the soil the turf grows on actually has those characteristics for at least some of its depth, instead of needing to be &quot;propped up&quot; each year. I'd also like to ensure that any depth I work to is sufficient for the soil to retain water and nutrients enough for the grass to cope with future hot summers (ie if I only sort out the top 3 inches will there be issues with drying out/nutrients washing out). I'd like to &quot;do it once and do it properly&quot; as we hope to enjoy it for a long time to come.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The house is a terrace property so the only access to the garden is through or over the house itself. Large scale material movement would involve renting a conveyor, a narrow mobile digger, or at an extreme I could hire a mobile crane and hoist bulk material over the property roof (all of which could be acceptable options). Because of the residential neighbourhood and the terrace nature of the house, I'm doubtful that large scale manure and similar material (or chickens!) would be a good idea socially :-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need to dig up and remove about 15-18 cu.m. of packed soil and rubble and get it to the front and taken away, to get the basic ground level nearer the back of the house as I want it, so heavy bulk moving of material is already going to happen to some extent. I haven't yet decided how this will be done so that's open to being combined with the return of the paved area to turf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Naturally I'd like to minimise effort or cost. How much work is actually involved and how deep do I have to work? What are the options I should consider and how do they stand regarding time, money, effort and final quality?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The garden is mostly exposed (a few smallish trees, no overarching shade). It's north facing but raised (the house has a cutaway as it was on a hillside) so it doesn't get much shade from being behind the house. There will be beds and planting in places, and there's a small &quot;island&quot; in the middle (maybe 8 ft across) which has some small shrubs/trees and that will stay, but I'd like to put the bulk of the paved area back to turf. Below the paving seems to be almost entirely compacted soil and stone, any concrete or rubble layer I do find anywhere, when I get going, I can deal with. The pics show some of the area where a little paving has been lifted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The garden is about 3m of extension + 11m of paved area (almost all raised behind the small retaining wall). The overall plan is to level the first 2.5m of that paved area level to the back door of the house so that the when it's done, the garden is &quot;split level&quot; - the first 2.5m (about 1/4) of the current paved area &quot;behind&quot; the retaining wall&quot; is dug away and level with the back door, the current retaining wall is removed, and a new retaining wall (or gentle grass bank) replaces it, about 2.5m down the garden.  About 6m of the remaining elevated 8.5m of the paved area will be mainly grassed apart from about 2.5m at the very back which will be left as-is (shed etc). The 2.5m that is at the same level as the back door will have about 50% new paving for a small rear patio, and the other 50% grassed like the rear part. So the final garden will be about 2.5m lower level (50% grass, 50% patio) + retaining wall or grass bank + 6m elevated (grass apart from the 8ft island) + 2.5m left as-is. Plant beds and so on will largely stay where they are but might be reworked or improved later, but for now I'm hoping to sort out the turfing and landscaping, not the beds. I am reckoning I might have to lower the surface level a bit to lay more topsoil, but don't know if this is necessary or not. I'm not tied to any especial ground level so if the level rises by a few inches that's not an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://postimg.org/gallery/232jz2o3m/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Photos&lt;/a&gt; (including 1 of the paved area with most weeds cleared-for now anyway)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15470" LastEditorUserId="15470" LastEditDate="2016-07-29T15:29:11.677" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T15:43:07.293" Title="Returning a garden paved for 30 years with packed clay below, back to lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;topsoil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27504" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27473" CreationDate="2016-07-29T12:20:33.757" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a fairly common problem with gladioli, usually because they're not planted deep enough, or are not in full sun. I'm not sure what 'just a little bit under the surface' means, but they're best planted 4-6 inches deep, 4 inches apart. If you plant them 6 inches deep, you're much less likely to get this problem and its also less likely they'll need staking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-29T12:30:05.993" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T12:30:05.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27505" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27509" CreationDate="2016-07-29T13:08:30.700" Score="3" ViewCount="366" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a condo complex which employs a professional landscaping service to take care of garden area around the house. They all use equipment that is powered by two-stroke engines: leaf blowers, chain saws, hedge trimmers, lawnmowers, lawn edge trimmers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the leaf blowers and lawn edge trimmers they constantly play with the throttle, going between maximum and idle. I don't understand this really, is it impossible to hold them at half throttle?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sound of the two-stroke engine itself is annoying, but the change in the throttle makes the sound really hard to ignore. What is the motivation for using those devices this way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15472" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T15:56:11.657" Title="Why do landscapers constantly play with the throttle on a leaf blower?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27503" CreationDate="2016-07-29T14:01:32.700" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd hazard a guess that paving's been there longer - it seems to be largely crazy paving, and not laid on anything other than soil, though there may have been some sand initially. If it was done 50 years ago, there wouldn't have been sand underneath either, people used to just lay it straight onto soil if it was heavy clay soil, but there might be some areas of clinker or cinders yet to be revealed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not seeing any pernicious weeds such as bindweed, Japanese knotweed or equisetum, which is a good thing. I note also the steps seem to be fairly solid, and that the area is raised up, so I'm assuming they're going to stay, along with any retaining wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not as bad you feared, first thing to say - remove all the paving, that's the first step, also taking out any clinkers or cinders you find - if you find a patch of concrete (particularly from an old path) you might find it's very deep, but if it's not, a pickaxe should break it up. If there are the remains of a concrete pad anywhere, usually a good six to nine inches thick, I'm afraid that's a job for a kanga drill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you've cleared all stonework, next thing to do is dig it over, to a spade's depth, removing all weeds, paying particular attention to things like docks and dandelions, which are deep rooted. When you've loosened the soil, pick up a handful, squeeze it, see if it sticks solidly together, or just sticks a bit, with some crumbliness, compare it with a handful of soil taken from the border to see how similar it is. Examine the colour, if it's orange, that's not good, means its subsoil. I don't think it will be, it looks like there's still topsoil there. If you don't want to dig it all by hand, (use a garden fork, not a spade, it's easier with London clay) then just dig out the weeds by hand first, then turn the whole lot over with a rotovator or cultivator you've hired. If its very stony or full of pebbles, they need to be screened out, but small fragments of grit or stone are fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There isn't sufficient depth above the retaining wall to add a couple of inches of topsoil, so instead, use composted animal manure (from the garden centre), roughly a bagful per square metre. If you're planning on turfing this year, you'll need to turn it into the soil either with a rotovator or by hand with a fork, then leave it to settle for a good week, preferably two. Leaving it allows for settlement and consolidation, and also gives time for any bits of weed root you've missed to show themselves by starting to grow again, so a second chance to make sure you got all the weeds out. You could buy topsoil, but its expensive for the top grade, and if you don't buy top grade, it comes complete with weed pieces, weed seeds and plenty of stones, and is often clay, in other words, motorway spoil. Even if you did get some topsoil, you'd still need to add humus rich material (the composted animal manure) to up the fertility.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After that, mark out (with string or spray a mark onto the soil with water based aerosol paint) the areas where you want turf and where you want planting. For the areas you're going to turf, you may need to lower the soil level - you don't want the lawn higher than any planted areas, nor higher than the retaining wall at finished level, and turf is usually about 1 to 2 inches thick, so work that out before proceeding. That decided, rake the area to be turfed level, then walk all over it closely, on your heels, to get out any soft spots or invisible  sunken area. Re rake and level. The best time to lay turf in the UK is actually October, but only if the soil is not waterlogged; late August and September's a reasonable time to do it, so long as you have a sprinkler to keep it well watered after laying. The soil should be damp with a friable, loose surface on top prior to laying turf - I suggest you get yourself a copy of D. G. Hessayon's The Lawn Expert, which tells you everything you ever needed to know about lawns, including how to lay one. It's not expensive and you might even find one in the local library you can borrow - if its a very old copy, some of the chemicals it suggests using may well now not be available, but otherwise, the method and practice recommended in there is still good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To answer the last part of your question, in terms of labouring time, if you're on your own, you can reckon on probably a week to ten days for clearing and some preparation, depending on your level of fitness. If you paid someone to do it and they had two men working, I'd certainly expect it cleared, dug over, manured and levelled off within five days, assuming they don't come across something unexpected under the soil. In terms of final results, because the soil looks to be topsoil, even if it is clay soil, the addition of humus rich material such as composted animal manure will help to improve the clay - however, if it is really solid clay, the kind you could make pots with, and goes into a solid, sticky ball in your hand, it would be best to add in horticultural grit at a rate of a 40 litre bag per metre along with the composted animal manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ongoing, ordinary, proper lawn maintenance will be necessary if you want to keep the lawn looking good, and any planted areas will do better given humus rich materials every year or couple of years. This is not because you've got clay soil, clay soil is usually more nutrient rich, but because a good garden is only as a good as the care that goes into the soil ongoing. 'Low maintenance' is certainly achievable, but that  doesn't  mean no maintenance - it's a term usually applied to the type of planting rather than lawns, so choosing low maintenance plants is a good idea. Which wouldn't roses (I see one in your pictures)...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only reason you might need to sieve is if there's a high proportion of medium and large sized stones or pebbles. As for 'turning', if you mean digging, then of course you need to dig the area over. When it comes to incorporating composted manure (and grit if necessary), if you extract the weeds individually first, then spread over the manure and grit, then dig through that, it all gets mixed in at the same time, but will need to be left to settle for a fortnight. We're only talking about a spade's (or in this instance, a full sized garden fork, not a shorter tined border fork) depth (around 6 to 8 inches max), not double digging. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, having now read of your desire to change levels nearer the house and build a new retaining wall, I recommend you call in a landscaper to have a look, draw up plans and give you a quote. Stripping out the retaining wall and steps, changing the levels to give a flat area outside the house is a lot of earthmoving, and the drainage directly outside the extension in the newly paved patio area will need professional consideration, particularly if you're considering a slope of lawn down to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-29T15:43:07.293" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T15:43:07.293" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27508" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-29T15:18:15.923" Score="3" ViewCount="4178" Body="&lt;p&gt;Would mulch be good if I were to buy it this fall and save till next spring or would it get moldy in the bags. I was just  thinking if I could get a good deal and it would keep I may do this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15474" LastActivityDate="2016-09-01T13:25:56.250" Title="Can I buy mulch in the fall and keep till next spring" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27509" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27505" CreationDate="2016-07-29T15:56:11.657" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because it is how one should use the blowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When there is something to blow, one should full throttle, but when moving (e.g. to change the direction or flow, or to start from an other edge), it is better to have less air as possible, not to more dirt in the wrong direction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: also chain saws should be used only full throttle, when sawing, and then idle, and this is repeated for every trunk and branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T15:56:11.657" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27511" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27525" CreationDate="2016-07-29T17:18:00.333" Score="1" ViewCount="491" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing Camellia Sinensis in zone 8. I noticed yesterday that this tea tree suddenly wilted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GsiCy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GsiCy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Wilting tea tree.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was fine until two days ago. It has been hot for several days, often reaching 80F in the afternoon, which is when this tree gets sunlight. I didn't water it every day this week but I watered it as soon as I noticed the wilting yesterday and it still looks sad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why did this happen and is there anything I can do to help this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bIJRG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bIJRG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;I see some brown spots on a few leaves.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7517" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-29T23:20:38.400" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T12:00:49.003" Title="Why is my tea tree wilting?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;&lt;tea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27512" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-29T18:41:59.677" Score="3" ViewCount="111" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed a few piles of soil near plants in the garden. Not sure which critter is doing it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m4POz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m4POz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FBbSB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FBbSB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far I have not seen any damage to the plants. But I'm wondering if this critter will cause any root damage. How to guard my plants against critters like these?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-13T20:21:47.123" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T22:44:42.337" Title="What critter creates piles like these shown in the picture below?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27513" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27514" CreationDate="2016-07-29T18:43:55.080" Score="3" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;When my cilantro withered (sad), I noticed a strange herbal stem grew out of the dirt, but I didn't pay much attention. Until recently, I noticed the plant flourishing and now it appears there is &quot;fruit&quot; thingies on its branches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could someone help me identify this please? Thank you! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lI731.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lI731.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15477" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T18:49:45.207" Title="A strange plant grew out of where my cilantro used to grow, can someone identify?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;cilantro&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27514" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27513" CreationDate="2016-07-29T18:49:45.207" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a flowering stem off your cilantro - the little round things beneath the remains of the flowers are coriander seeds&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vegetariantimes.com/blog/edible-gardening-101-harvesting-coriander-seeds/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.vegetariantimes.com/blog/edible-gardening-101-harvesting-coriander-seeds/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You probably didn't notice the flowering stem arriving, and it would have contributed to the rest of the plant withering and dying back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-07-29T18:49:45.207" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27515" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-29T20:58:25.750" Score="2" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;40 year old Maple tree is sprouting new branches. Should they be cut off or allowed to grow ? How can I send you a photo?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15479" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T16:12:23.327" Title="Maple tree's new-sprouting branches" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2016-08-02T14:19:19.793" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27517" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27533" CreationDate="2016-07-29T23:00:42.520" Score="2" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an issue with my 2nd year blueberry bush. I purchased this &quot;Blue Jay&quot; (I think) variety of blueberry bush two years ago and it has fruited satisfactorily both years. However, it's now sending up much larger-leaved &quot;suckers&quot;. Am I looking at a possible grafted variety? Should I cut back the suckers? (They all appear to derive from under the soil). The suckers aren't flowering but I wouldn't expect them to anyways since they came up after the smaller leaved bush finished its fruits. I'm new to Vaccinium culture, would love some advice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ESU2v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ESU2v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: it seems that you were correct. I dug up the bush and found an entangled root system of 2 clearly different species. I didn't think blueberries were grafted but these shoots did have the same aggressive nature as suckers that appear from below ground with other grafted plants. After careful separation, I now have a perfectly happy blueberry bush and what I believe to be some sort of Salix. Thanks everyone!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jpPUW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jpPUW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-08-03T13:20:18.890" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T13:20:18.890" Title="How to deal with a blueberry bush putting off unusually large-leaved branches" Tags="&lt;blueberries&gt;&lt;suckers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27518" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27520" CreationDate="2016-07-30T00:22:29.470" Score="1" ViewCount="736" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fluffy stuff was all around the branches and leaves near the middle and base of the bush. The little critters were on the underside of leaves. I also included a picture of the flower in case someone needs to identify the plant in order to answer this question. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iPZB9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iPZB9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white silk&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n0JQu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n0JQu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white bugs under side of leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RvN48.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RvN48.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower of bush &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2547" LastEditorUserId="2547" LastEditDate="2016-07-30T03:22:57.577" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T03:47:05.150" Title="What is this furry white stuff and little white bugs?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27518" CreationDate="2016-07-30T03:47:05.150" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like White flies.  Nasty little critters.  When my heirloom iris got an infestation, I carefully removed the most infested leaves and put them in an enclosed bag and into the trash.  Then I blasted the leaves with my garden hose to scatter them.  I removed any thing else I found by hand and haven't had a problem since.  I read on the Old Farmer's Almanac to use an insecticidal soap like Safer Soap is a good idea too.  I just prefer using as little on my plants as I can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15450" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T03:47:05.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27521" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27527" CreationDate="2016-07-30T04:00:01.917" Score="6" ViewCount="830" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my first time growing tomatoes and some of them are growing with brown, rough patches that look like this. Any idea what could have caused them and what the remedy is? They are planted in the ground, fertilized with a 6-2-2 tomato fertilizer, watered regularly with a watering can (though there has been heavy rain recently), and sprayed with an End-Rot solution and insecticidal soap. Thanks in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tivfq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tivfq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0FKJV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0FKJV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15483" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T20:35:08.147" Title="Brown patches on tomatoes" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27522" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-30T04:42:03.710" Score="2" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm attempting to grow Curcubits and Nightshades (for eating) indoors (in the middle of winter).   I recently acquired a  (Red/Blue LED 120 watt) grow lamp - but my calculations are that it will eat a lot of electricity for the number of seedlings it will produce.  [ I'm growing everything in a 60cm x 40cm x 35cm high with my lamp situated about 10cm above the lid ]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A3dnB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A3dnB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I better off having this light come on  intermittently throughout the day and night to provide warmth and heating, or have it on a timer - say 4 hours per day, and rely on heating from a heat pad (actually a heating blanket under my plastic growing chamber) ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Unless it is not practical to avoid it, I would prefer not to leave the light on for 12 hours per day as it seems it will eat quite a lot of power)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I guess a third option would be to remove the heat pad and rely on the Light, but I think this would be inefficient for heating. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any ideas how best to optimise the setup of my &quot;growing container&quot; ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-30T19:13:00.570" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T19:13:00.570" Title="Artificial Lighting for Growing Seedlings" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;grow-lamp&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27522" CreationDate="2016-07-30T11:26:27.480" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't need light.  In fact, it is also frequent to cover seeds with paper, in order to have stronger seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the cotyledon stage, light is good, but I think that sun is enough (and more powerful then lamps, also in winter). In my opinion the temperature is more important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-30T18:24:29.473" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T18:24:29.473" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27525" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27511" CreationDate="2016-07-30T11:44:28.620" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You say you only planted it about 4 weeks ago, and the temperatures where you are have been high, reaching 80deg F in the afternoons, and that the Camellia does get afternoon sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a watering problem - the time to plant permanent, woody shrubs isn't in the middle of summer because its extremely difficult to keep the rootball moist enough. If you dug your plant up now, you'd find the roots were still potshaped, as they were when they came out of the pot, with no spread of roots beyond that - that means, although the soil around might be a little bit moist, that densely packed rootball is dry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have two options; if you have a hosepipe, leave the hose trickling at the base of your plant, very close to the branches at the base, for 4 hours or so, and thereafter, water the plant with several gallons of water every other day. Might sound like a lot, but watering the surface of the soil needs to be done sufficiently well to penetrate deep enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively (and this option is the one I'd recommend) carefully dig it up and soak it in a bucket full of water for a couple of hours, weighting the rootball down so its immersed. When you replant, find a short piece of pipe, preferably about 2 inches diameter, about 8 to 10 inches long, dig the hole for your plant, place it in position, insert the pipe so that the bottom  is pointing towards the rootball and the top is sticking out of the top of the soil, at an angle away from the plant, and push the soil back in place round both the pipe and roots. Tamp the soil down, and water in well. Pour a gallon or so of water down that pipe every 3 days while the weather is still hot or warm, even if it rains - the only time you don't  need to put water in the pipe is if you have absolutely torrential rain, but light rain makes no difference, you still need to do it. Once fall arrives and the weather is cooler and maybe damper, you can lessen the watering somewhat, stopping altogether as winter arrives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't have a suitable length of pipe, you can make do with a plastic soft drinks bottle, a larger one - leave the cap off, cut the bottom off and insert that in the same way as you would the length of pipe. Needs to be a narrowish bottle though, if you can find one long enough. Whether you use a bottle or pipe, that can be removed at the end of next summer, by which time (assuming your plant  recovers at all) the roots will  have spread out sufficiently well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-30T12:00:49.003" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T12:00:49.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27526" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27517" CreationDate="2016-07-30T13:03:52.483" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;At a glance, you have weeds, not odd blueberry parts. Pull them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T13:03:52.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27527" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27521" CreationDate="2016-07-30T14:01:32.240" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Someone with more in-depth analysis may have a better suggestion, but I note in your second picture that there is a fresh crack on the left-hand side, and my gut reaction is that this is cracks scabbing over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cracks can come from uneven watering (such as heavy rain), as the fruit swells when water becomes available and bursts the skin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given the level of fuss I'm &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; prone to put into growing the things, my personal response has been to shift production entirely to small or cherry tomatoes, as this seems to be a much worse problem (in my garden, anyway) for large tomatoes, and when a cherry tomato does crack badly it's a lot less waste if it's got to the point I can't salvage it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;...but I could be wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(it's also possible that something is nibbling on your green tomatoes and they are scabbing over, but that looks more like a crack to me.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hmm - this one just percolated up in my brain, though it's supposed to be more of a blossom end condition - &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/vegetables/disorders-of-tomato/#catface&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Catface&lt;/a&gt;&quot; (Minnesota Extension). &lt;a href=&quot;http://vric.ucdavis.edu/veg_info/catface.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;UC Davis&lt;/a&gt; does mention the water issue as a contributing cause. I guess Minnesota just calls that growth cracks (just above catface on their link.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-07-30T20:35:08.147" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T20:35:08.147" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27515" CreationDate="2016-07-30T16:12:23.327" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many old trees have new shoots. I would prune them as earlier as possible, but if the main trunk is not so healthy and you want to replace it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: because these shoots shares (get) the resource of the entire plant roots (many roots, some also deep), they tend also to grow very quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T16:12:23.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27529" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5234" CreationDate="2016-07-30T17:08:35.330" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;These Virginia creepers will take over everything in their paths.  The only thing I've come across to eradicate  them is roundup and plenty of it!!!  they also spread around the neighborhoods like wild fire!  Drought doesn't seem to hurt them though if your after foliage!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15489" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T17:08:35.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27530" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-30T18:07:33.037" Score="5" ViewCount="5200" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been loosing more zucchini than have been ripening, and I'm trying to figure out why.  This is what I've been noticing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Many fruits wither and die when they are just buds - before they fully blossom&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Many more fruits turn yellow and begin to rot at ~2 in. in length&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(they &lt;em&gt;usually&lt;/em&gt; start to rot on the blossom end, away from the plant)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The ones that don't die off grow to a nice full length and look great&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There are many &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/27178/whats-this-little-reddish-beetle&quot;&gt;striped cucumber beetles&lt;/a&gt; in the blossoms and around the plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plant itself seems very healthy (so far anyway)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5T6bR.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5T6bR.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what the problem is, or how to address it?  The beetles seem less common this week, but the zucchini aren't doing any better yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T14:07:46.873" Title="Why are my zucchini dying off so early?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27531" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-30T18:12:43.200" Score="2" ViewCount="38" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just finished pruning the foliage on my tomato plants and am wondering if other plants in the garden would benefit from a similar trim?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In particular, my eggplant and peppers have very dense leaves and honestly, cutting the leaves back would help me keep track of how ripe the veggies are.  I don't want to hurt or stunt the plants though.  And what about other veggies?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vK3rW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vK3rW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T00:57:38.847" Title="Should I prune other veggies the same way I prune tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27532" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27530" CreationDate="2016-07-30T19:28:15.140" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you have a pollination problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Roughly&lt;/em&gt; half the flowers just wither away to nothing because they are male flowers, and unless you pick them and stuff them, that's all they ever do. I can't say that stuffed squash flowers are a particular favorite of mine, but that is a way to eat them that's somewhat common.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers with the 2&quot; fruit that wither are female flowers that were not pollinated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can hand pollinate by learning to identify male and female flowers, paying attention to when they are about to open, and picking a freshly opened male flower, then using it to pollinate freshly opened female flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Taking steps to encourage pollinators in and around your garden may also help, but the &quot;by hand&quot; method is a lot faster to get results from, if you have both male and female flowers (sometimes you get the bad luck of having lots of one, without the other.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-08-01T14:07:46.873" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T14:07:46.873" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27533" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27517" CreationDate="2016-07-30T21:02:21.707" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check carefully to ensure that these are arising from the crown below the soil. If they are, then leave them alone. However, those leaves look much thinner then my blueberry leaves and one is suspicious that you've got another plant amongst it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you compare the leaves from the original plant and the new leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T21:02:21.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27534" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-30T23:07:44.960" Score="2" ViewCount="32" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in trying to dry farming tomatoes in Western Washington, zone 8. We have got dry summers here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will probably try some dwarf varieties anyway, but am curious if anyone has thoughts. Are the root systems stunted, and thus have a harder time reaching deeper groundwater? Or will the lack of foliage help them minimize water requirements, and let them do better?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And, any recommendations for an indeterminate dwarf variety that would work well with dry farming?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10887" LastActivityDate="2016-07-30T23:07:44.960" Title="How well do dwarf tomatoes do with dry farming?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27535" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-30T23:33:45.500" Score="2" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased a grape vine plant from a nursery today, its called a &lt;em&gt;vitis vinifera&lt;/em&gt;, or Flame Seedless. It seems fairly healthy and I would like to plant it now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is midsummer here in So. Cal and averages 80°F in the day. This plant was stored outdoors at the nursery (under shade-screen roof). Do I need to &quot;harden&quot; it before planting it in full sun, by bringing it in and out of the shade?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am considering planting it up against that stone wall to the right of the raised bed planter, (see pics, full sun 8 hrs./day in summer, faces S.W.) and training it to trail along the fence; perhaps maybe a high trellis built out from the top of fence horizontally a couple feet. Does this seem to be a decent plan?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rocky clay soil, I will mix in compost and a bit of sand when I plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VT776.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VT776.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zVXAH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zVXAH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6969" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-31T18:47:10.013" LastActivityDate="2016-07-31T18:47:10.013" Title="What's the best place to plant this grape vine?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27536" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27530" CreationDate="2016-07-31T02:52:57.697" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;All squash plants have two types of flowers; one is female the other male. The male flowers (very yummy to eat btw) die quickly having produced pollen for the female flowers.  If you &lt;em&gt;haven't&lt;/em&gt; been fertilizing with high nitrogen you might get plenty of squash.  Always have something floriferous growing to attract pollinators.  Don't always need pollinators, the wind works with an awful lot of plants.  If you don't have reproductive growth to be pollenized then no flowers/fruit/vegetables will be had.  What are you using for fertilizer?  How do you know when to apply more?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-07-31T02:52:57.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27537" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27538" CreationDate="2016-07-31T10:57:48.813" Score="3" ViewCount="482" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found some seeds when running outside:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dX0KN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dX0KN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted one for curiosity and it has 4 leaves now:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SlO1t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SlO1t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15495" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-31T18:21:22.477" LastActivityDate="2016-07-31T18:21:22.477" Title="What is this plant/seedling growing from hard, oval, mottled-brown seeds?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27538" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27537" CreationDate="2016-07-31T13:27:09.167" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a castor bean, &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricinus&quot;&gt;Ricinus communis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricinus#/media/File:Seeds_of_Ricinus_communis.jpg&quot;&gt;Seeds&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;If you have winter, they'll grow 10-14' (3-3.5 meters) in a year, with nice ball shaped flowers/seed pods. In regions without winter, they can grow to become sizeable shrubs, with roots that can damage foundations.&#xA;The entire plant, but particularly the seeds, are poisonous, containing &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricin&quot;&gt;ricin&lt;/a&gt;, the toxin used in the famous 1978 umbrella assassination of Georgi Markov in London.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're often used as a background plant in temperate zone gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2016-07-31T13:27:09.167" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27539" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27540" CreationDate="2016-07-31T14:02:13.927" Score="3" ViewCount="24876" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's been more than one month since I planted this Mother-in-Law's Tongue/Snake Plant. It was fine in the first few weeks. I had put it near my Wi-fi where less light reached it. It was doing fine until I noticed that a stem (leaf?) died, and I plucked it with ease, so I moved it to my north-facing window, as I thought low light was the cause of the dead leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now there is a hole big enough to see if the soil is dry or not. I water it once a month, and it's been around 20 days since I watered it. Lately, another leaf is getting yellow and brown:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nChsem.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nChsem.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing I observed is the plant is kind like wilting. They were all straight and tightly packed, like all snake plants are, but now they have gone wilting:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/30YIfm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/30YIfm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kwa8mm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kwa8mm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cP3z4m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cP3z4m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today, I tried to lift the drowsy stem, and I found that it had gone kaput. At least that's what I think happened. I pulled it with little to no effort, and it came out. Another leaf of the same stem came out easily, like someone just put it there:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/snbAJm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/snbAJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CKwblm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CKwblm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SxWo3m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SxWo3m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then, there is this young stem that came out completely:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/utwqTm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/utwqTm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0dV3Jm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0dV3Jm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lgqQbm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lgqQbm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In case it is needed, here is the soil:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xLdgk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xLdgk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What's wrong with this plant? Why so many weird things are happening?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-31T17:01:26.740" LastActivityDate="2021-01-31T17:01:26.740" Title="What is wrong with my Mother-in-Law's Tongue/ Snake Plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;snake-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27540" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27539" CreationDate="2016-07-31T14:09:09.163" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know what planting medium you've used, but it looks like mud rather than good potting compost, number one, and number two, it would appear the pot you've used has no drainage hole in the bottom. I'm assuming that because you have it standing on the floor in the house without any kind of receptacle outside to catch water when the pot drains down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Find another pot with a drainage hole, either one large one or several small ones, stand that inside an outer pot or tray, empty the outer container 30 minutes after watering the plant, to make sure its not sitting in water. Use some good potting compost to repot with, which should mean it drains down better. When you repot, try not to leave soil inside the bottom of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These two things are likely to be the cause of the problems you've been having.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You say there is a drainage hole, and  you previously had a different plant growing in the same soil that's in the pot. Turn the plant out of its pot, wash and sterilize the pot (doesn't look like that's going to be easy, since it appears to be rough clay or concrete) wash off as much soil as you can without damaging the plant, repot in new, proper potting compost, water in well, allow it to drain freely for 30 minutes or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-07-31T14:16:40.727" LastActivityDate="2016-07-31T14:16:40.727" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27542" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27546" CreationDate="2016-07-31T17:03:20.473" Score="3" ViewCount="1300" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had a medium-sized schefflera or 'umbrella' houseplant for about five years now, and it might have been as old when I first got it. Lately, I have noticed black spotting on some of its lower leaves - the leaves higher up don't seem to be affected. The affected leaves are slightly sticky.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/1koaEbA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close-ups of schefflera spotting&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/6oTE1lN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close-ups of schefflera spotting&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is twofold. First, is this caused by &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternaria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;alternaria&lt;/a&gt;? Second, what is the best means for dealing with it? I'm reluctant to use any sort of fungicide or bactericide as I have two cats that are fond of this and other plants. Can it be controlled with removal of the affected foliage, limiting the moisture of the soil, and ensuring that the remaining foliage is kept dry?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a bonus, I also encountered some small yellowish growths of what appeared to be a fungus on the surface of the soil a few months ago. Whenever I saw it, I would scrape it off and dispose of it, but it kept creeping back. I can't provide a picture, as it now seems to have departed, at least for the time being. Could this be related to the spotting of the leaves, or share a cause (overwatering)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15288" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-07-31T17:34:28.467" LastActivityDate="2019-12-28T16:40:36.733" Title="Is this spotting on my schefflera houseplant caused by alternaria?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27543" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-31T19:29:21.350" Score="3" ViewCount="309" Body="&lt;p&gt;My fescue lawn that is largely dormant right now because of the heat, but dallisgrass is thriving and driving me crazy.  I started pulling out by hand the tall seed pod stalks before mowing my yard, hoping to somewhat limit its ability to spread.  Here's an image of what I'm pulling up:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gPGZc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gPGZc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Note: I originally identified this as crab grass, but upon adding this photo, I realized that I'm mostly dealing with dallisgrass, not crab grass.  I do have a small section of lawn that has some crab grass in it, but that plant is spread closer to the ground and has a Y-shaped seed stalk).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand its seeds primarily germinate in the spring time during cooler temperatures, so I wonder if I am just wasting my time by pulling out the seed pods?  Am I just being overly cautious, and doing this is no more effective than applying a pre-emergent treatment next spring?  Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14187" LastEditorUserId="14187" LastEditDate="2016-10-26T15:13:14.210" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T15:13:14.210" Title="Am I wasting my time pulling dallisgrass seed pods before mowing?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27544" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28780" CreationDate="2016-07-31T19:37:27.057" Score="2" ViewCount="473" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Middle Tennessee and have a fescue lawn that is largely dormant right now, since we've been having 90+ degree F days for the better part of two months straight now.  Crab grass is thriving, though (I have &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/27543/am-i-wasting-my-time-pulling-crab-grass-seed-pods-before-mowing&quot;&gt;a question about that here&lt;/a&gt;, incidentally).  A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a new fast-growing grass popping up in my lawn, and I at first thought it was selective patches of the fescue thriving in partial shade after we had a lot of rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've since realized that it's a different type of weedy grass, and I'm wondering if I need to try to eradicate it now, as it seems to be spreading very quickly.  It's a lighter green than the fescue and has a different blade growth pattern:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V4vU4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V4vU4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Patch of lawn with fast-growing grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I'm referring to the lighter-colored grass in the middle/top-half of this photo).  Here's a closer look at this grass:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tkplq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tkplq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close-up of this weedy grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do about it?  I'm guessing this is probably a native grass that is invading my lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14187" LastActivityDate="2016-08-14T16:55:36.027" Title="Should I be concerned about this weedy grass popping up in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27545" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-31T19:46:54.573" Score="6" ViewCount="267" Body="&lt;p&gt;My late mother had a rose that was grown as a cutting from her grandmothers rose garden. I am very new to gardening, but I have managed to grow several cuttings (luck &gt; judgement). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be wonderful to know more about the rose. Especially if its a climber or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it might be a hybrid tea(?): &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LL234.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LL234.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Rose to identify&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOJdaQlnPurB7eccZjpRIuyiW-qAnVBK-V-4jBItUSU-tk6PLCTPjQ3PCLI2nWDSQ?key=VGJxNE5HQUdvR2RPTUlYSXJGbmVwSGl5WGpMOWFB&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;More pictures, of these roses, are at Google Photos&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's the pink one in the pictures (the fully grown one is my mothers, the ones in pots are my cuttings). I'm less interested in the peach coloured rose...but for a bonus point?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15498" LastEditorUserId="13333" LastEditDate="2016-07-31T21:07:47.647" LastActivityDate="2018-05-15T16:45:21.097" Title="Please can you help me identify a rose with sentimental value?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27542" CreationDate="2016-07-31T20:08:24.860" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this is &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/scale&quot;&gt;scale&lt;/a&gt; who exude a sweet sugar. It falls from them onto the leaves below and the fungus are growing on the sap.  However, to be sure, let's do the detective thing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;can the black spots be removed by wiping with a clean cloth? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if they cannot be removed then it is likely that they are caused by a fungus/virus/bacteria due to over watering. &#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Solution: change watering habits to allow at least the top inch of soil to dry out before watering again  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;OR&lt;/strong&gt; reduce watering and cut back the plant hard and wait for regrowth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If they can they are not a plant disease caused by a fungus/virus/bacteria as those grow inside the leaf tissue.  &#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;examine the underside of the leaves for small round bumps&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;look for sticky sap areas on the leaves that are lower down&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Solution: use soap and water as described &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/22386/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. Apply three times at five to seven day intervals.  Use a cloth or paper towel and rub all leaves and stems to maximize coverage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;OR&lt;/strong&gt; the take no chances solution: cut the plant back hard and apply soap and water.  When you only have a few stems it is a lot easier to control scale.  Scheff's bud out readily even from old wood so cutting it back is not a permanent change&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From your comments I looked at what you call soil fungus.  This is perlite that has discoloured due to dissolved mineral salts in the water. It is not a danger to the plant.  You can remove it or leave it be.  Top dressing with more soil less potting mix is always a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also looked at the trunk fungus and this is part of the normal bark growth.  Sometimes these plants exude a sap at the site of a mechanical injury and it is normal to see bumps which are areas where adventitious roots can grow from if the humidity is high or the plant is cut back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T17:24:14.213" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27547" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-07-31T20:17:26.190" Score="2" ViewCount="67" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am wondering, is there any best practice for starting tomato/pepper plants this late in the season?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be clear, I am talking about started plants that I am hoping to get heavily discounted from stores given that it is August 1st. We recently moved and were not able to start plants from seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It feels like I should be able to do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Buy a bunch of pre-started plants (for cheap)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Transplant to garden&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Profit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in zone 5 and our first frost is normally early October, meaning tomatoes/peppers planted today would have nearly 60 days to produce. I expect that really is more like 45 days as the end of the season will be pretty cool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a good way to approach this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14703" LastEditorUserId="14703" LastEditDate="2016-08-01T14:01:43.180" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T14:01:43.180" Title="What's the best way to grow tomato and pepper plants from seedlings late in the season?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27539" CreationDate="2016-07-31T20:22:01.480" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My best guess is that the roots are rotting, and therefore the leaves that are dying aren't really connected to the plant at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The usual cause is pathogens in the compost. It's easy to physically damage succulent plants like the Snake Plant when you repot them. Overwatering, or irregular watering, can also physically damage the plant below ground level if the roots or leaves swell too quickly as they take up a lot of water. Any small damaged areas will let the bugs get into the plant and rot it from the inside outwards. If you have any bigger bugs or insects living in the soil, they can also cause root damage (the OP is in India - I have no idea what bugs you might find on house plants there!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you get the plant out of the pot and remove the soil from the roots you will probably find that the healthy roots (if any) are light coloured and the diseased ones are darker. If there are hardly any healthy roots, you might as well just throw the plant away. Otherwise, sterilize a knife (e.g. wash the blade in household bleach and then rinse the bleach off it - and don't finish by drying it on a dirty towel and put another collection of bugs on it) and cut away all the diseased roots and leaves. Then replant it in fresh compost - and preferably not from a bag of compost that somebody bought years ago, which has been sitting around accumulating pests and diseases from the environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can sterilize soil and compost in a microwave. Add enough water to make sure the compost is damp, use a microwaveable container with a loose fitting lid (so any steam given off won't explode it!) and heat on full power for about 1 minute per pound of compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clean the inside of the pot thoroughly. Ideally you need to sterilize it as well. If it is glazed (smooth and waterproof) on the inside, you can scrub it clean using household bleach diluted 10:1 with water, and then rinse off the bleach with running water. Otherwise, the best way is to bake the pot in an oven at about 300C for 4 hours. If you put the pot in when the oven is cold, it won't crack. And don't forget the pot will be HOT (and stay hot for a long time!) after you baked it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;Curry Plant&quot; that was previously in the pot is actually a tree, and trees tend to be pretty tough at surviving diseases. Succulents like the Snake Plant aren't so tough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-07-31T20:22:01.480" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27549" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27547" CreationDate="2016-08-01T00:43:46.560" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Gamble&quot; seems more appropriate than &quot;profit.&quot; Seedlings that have been stuck in small pots for the past few months will not be at the same state of development as ones that have been in the ground or a large pot. Due to a variety of factors I have a bunch (spares from my own starts) and while I may yet put a few more in if I can claw holes in the mess (which is one of the factors, due to other factors unrelated to gardening other than taking time away from it) but they are surely gambles, not sure things, this late in the year, unless you are &quot;profiting&quot; from under-ripe fruits, or can provide some season-extending cover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gamble away, but keep those green tomato recipes handy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Methodology: dig hole in good soil, add plant, fill hole, water and wait. For tomatoes at least, dig a deep hole and bury a bunch of stem, which will make more roots. I don't like peppers so I don't grow peppers, so I don't know peppers (though I know that folks who do like them find it a problem to keep them warm enough to be happy around here.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Bye the bye, my entire seed order (of which these were a small fraction) was about $5 more than you are gambling, so if you like to grow them, consider planning ahead next spring and plant your own seeds, rather than buying plants.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-08-01T00:52:31.123" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T00:52:31.123" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27550" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27531" CreationDate="2016-08-01T00:57:38.847" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Forrest. I think your leafy eggplants and rotting zukes are related. I wonder if you have nutrient imbalance in your soil. Too much nitrogen, not enough other stuff. Blossom end rot is caused by too little of one nutrient (either calcium or phosphorus, I think.) I think the cucumber beetles are probably a red herring. I see them all ove the place in my garden. I think they just like the tastes of squash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, I don't see any harm in pruning these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15502" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T00:57:38.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27551" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-01T01:10:03.857" Score="3" ViewCount="5969" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had a mulberry tree for the past forty five years. It was fruiting heavily with almost a carpet of fruits falling. This year there were only a few fruits.&#xA;Can it be due to any disease of the tree or any chemicals in the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15501" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-12T20:57:49.607" LastActivityDate="2020-05-21T05:28:39.540" Title="Why is my mature mulberry tree not fruiting this year?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27552" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-01T03:04:19.403" Score="5" ViewCount="147" Body="&lt;p&gt;I left my garden for 10 days (in the care of someone else to water it) and I came home to find my Roma tomato plant in a very sickly state.  Pictures can be seen below.  Perhaps about half the leaves are significantly browned/yellowed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is happening to my tomato plant, and what can I do to fix it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in central New Jersey.  It has been pretty rainy while I was gone, to the point that there was some flooding nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some possibly relevant extra information: I only have one tomato plant in my garden plot, but my plot is in a much larger garden that has many, many tomato plants.  My tomato plant is near (indeed, is touching) some russet potato plants, which have shown some signs of blight and I believe potato mosaic virus.  I have also lost some cucumbers and zucchini to cucumber beetles, which are still present on the remaining zucchini and squash plants I have but are several feet away from the tomato.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ExK2f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ExK2f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xWlW2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xWlW2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iCSma.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iCSma.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11211" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-01-10T16:21:29.770" LastActivityDate="2017-01-10T16:21:29.770" Title="What is causing yellow and brown blotches on my Roma tomato's leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27508" CreationDate="2016-08-01T07:27:32.890" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on many factors. High quality mulch should not get moldy, especially if stored properly. You also have to make sure the mulch is packaged in a bag with holes to allow for good circulation. All said, it is unclear that the question can be answered definitely. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I have noticed though, at least here in California, mulch is very cheap, and deals come out twice a year, in Fall and Spring, obviously, the former meant to help you mulch around the garden before winter, and the latter for when you start actively planting in Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on where you live, this might be the case with you as well. You could talk to your local garden supply stores to verify this, and instead of worrying about preserving the mulch over the winter, you could just buy the mulch twice a year. This is more or less what I normally do. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T07:27:32.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27555" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27551" CreationDate="2016-08-01T07:29:54.800" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There could be many reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rain or frost during flowering.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Poor soil (after 45 years the mulberry could have &quot;eaten&quot; much of the nutriments)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wrong pruning: old branches will not produce fruits, but also the very young (of the last year).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;or also diseases or chemicals (as you wrote), but I think you will have noticed that from other signs (e.g. leaves).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T07:29:54.800" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27556" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-01T11:10:46.173" Score="3" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;Related: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/27172/tiny-yellow-spots-on-dracaena-refelxa-pleomele-what-i-am-doing-wrong&quot;&gt;Tiny Yellow spots on Dracaena Reflexa Pleomele. What I am doing wrong?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am having trouble taking this plant out to examine the roots. I have used some technique to take it out but it is not helping much. I watered it with at least a litre of water and let it be for 30 minutes so the soil softens up. The water quickly drained and the soil is now completely wet. When I tried to scrape the soil from the edges, the roots were damaged while scraping. The roots are all red and hollow and very soft. When I broke it, I found a very thin white root(or whatever.) Here is the pic(can upload more pics if required):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DFFge.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DFFge.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T15:07:13.600" Title="Are these roots healthy or bad?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27557" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27573" CreationDate="2016-08-01T12:20:24.660" Score="3" ViewCount="273" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a new pear tree, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/81695/Pyrus-communis-Williams-Bon-Chr-233;tien-(D-C)/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Williams Bon Chretien&lt;/a&gt;,  from a local garden centre yesterday and put it in the ground following the instructions. Watered roots while in its pot before planting, dug the hole suitable size and filled with the recommended soil and got it in with a stake and rubber tree tie facing into the most common prevailing wind. However the wind sometimes feels like it can come from any direction and it's not unknown to knock over some plant pots around the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spot too windy for a tree?&#xA;Stake and tie not being suitable?&#xA;Was the tree not good quality from the garden centre?&#xA;Stake badly positioned?&#xA;Weak tree type and a different type would work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree and the stake are solid in the ground still and the tree has snapped a bit under where the stake is tied as can be seen in the photos. I may have put the stake in too high/low?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The garden is surrounded by other gardens so I am confident to rule out animals causing this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I feel like this tree cannot be saved. If it can be could you point me in the right direction? I would still love to have a tree in this spot and neighbours have trees, any tips are appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FNI7z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FNI7z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pear tree snapped&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BDmGC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BDmGC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pear tree snapped close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15505" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-02T00:52:31.123" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T11:48:36.890" Title="Why did my new pear tree snap hours after planting?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pear&gt;&lt;wind-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27558" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27561" CreationDate="2016-08-01T14:21:03.147" Score="2" ViewCount="1443" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is some sort of fungus growing at the base of tree in front of my house. I believe the tree is a Callery Pear Tree. The location is on the sidewalk in Brooklyn, NY. I would like to know if this is something I should worry about and treat? How do I treat this? I tried looking at images of other tree diseases online, but couldn't find anything that looks similar. Thanks in advance for your time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k61up.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k61up.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture of fungus around base of tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PdHUp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PdHUp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close-up of fungus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15506" LastEditorUserId="15506" LastEditDate="2016-08-03T17:34:39.093" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T17:34:39.093" Title="I am trying to identify and treat white fungus at the base of a tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27559" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-01T15:04:50.283" Score="2" ViewCount="73" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking to get some shade and coverage, and just &quot;nice to look at&quot; natural scenery in my yard.  I stumbled upon the site &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;fast-growing-trees&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This almost seems &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Too Good To Be True&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;.  What are your thoughts on this?  Is this real?  Advised?  What's the downside?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10966" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T17:34:43.993" Title="Are &quot;fast growing trees&quot; a gimmick, or is this possible?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27560" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27559" CreationDate="2016-08-01T15:14:04.423" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having had a quick look at your link, they are not all fast growing trees - those that are have a growth rate per year listed. They appear also to be selling some 'mature' large plants - the drawback with those is, the older they are, the less easily they transplant into the ground compared with younger specimens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And yes, there is a major drawback with fast growing plants, which is they may quickly outgrow the spot you've planted them in. Always check the ultimate height and spread of any tree or plant described as 'fast growing', and make your decision based on that rather than the overall speed of growth. Finding that information on the site you've linked to might be impossible though; in terms of using botanical names and height and spread, I couldn't find anything useful at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T15:14:04.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27561" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27558" CreationDate="2016-08-01T15:24:58.227" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had another look and the fungal growth does appear to be on the trunk and base of the tree. I think you need to call an arborist to check the tree - it looks as though it may be unsafe either now or eventually, since the fungal attack is near the base, and there may be more fungal activity within the woody roots as well as inside the trunk which is not visible. If there is such infiltration, this will compromise the tree's ability to remain upright and may represent a danger to persons or property nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T15:24:58.227" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27562" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-01T15:47:21.033" Score="2" ViewCount="138" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got some more plants from a friend and before I plant them I want to make sure they are not creeping bellflowers. They are a little different, but I'm not completely sure. I'm hoping they are Harebell or something similar. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BMyQk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BMyQkm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HpAFk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HpAFkm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0FF2h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0FF2hm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zQQ77.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zQQ77m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/9Wh8P&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14593" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-02T00:43:05.983" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T00:43:05.983" Title="Is this plant a Creeping Bellflower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27562" CreationDate="2016-08-01T16:12:00.197" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Harebell is a non specific term applied to various, usually taller varieties of Campanula - the plant/s you're showing appear to be Campanula persicifolia. If by 'creeping bellflower' you mean varieties of Campanula such as C. carpatica or C. porscharskyana, the plants you show, whilst related, are not creeping ground cover varieties, but taller herbaceous perennials. C. persicifolia does seed itself, but not prolifically and they're easy to remove or move elsewhere. Information and image below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lightscapes.info/onewithnature/natures-garden/wildflowers/campanulaceae/peach-leaved-bellflower-campanula-persicifolia/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.lightscapes.info/onewithnature/natures-garden/wildflowers/campanulaceae/peach-leaved-bellflower-campanula-persicifolia/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-01T16:59:38.563" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T16:59:38.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27564" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27566" CreationDate="2016-08-01T16:24:52.290" Score="5" ViewCount="847" Body="&lt;p&gt;Next to our lawn, we have a strip of bark-covered earth where we grow blackberries and raspberries. Some fungus recently appeared on that bark. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yesterday it looked like a handful of wet yellow cereal strewn about. Today (after immense rain) it looks like a spongy carpet, and it's no longer yellow but rather salmon-colored. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it, and much more important: how do I get rid of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jy6TB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jy6TB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="453" LastActivityDate="2016-08-04T00:41:16.433" Title="What fungus is this, and how to get rid of it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27565" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27564" CreationDate="2016-08-01T16:31:57.030" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am to sure what this is. But I do know what would be best to get ride of it. I would simply get that stuff in a bag or something and get the stuff away from your plants. If it is removed it can not grow in that are no more the way I look at it. And once you have gotten all of the chips taken that have that stuff on it then put down more chips. If this keeps happening I would be wondering if this is coming directly from the chips. If this ends up happening then get all of those chips out and place different chips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T16:31:57.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27566" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27564" CreationDate="2016-08-01T16:43:48.577" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's just one of the slime moulds, and its there in association with your bark chips - it does get bigger and changes form if the weather has been wet, it likes lots of wet, its getting ready to produce spores. It'll disappear on its own over time, more quickly if it dries out, but if you don't like the look of it, remove the bark chips its growing on. It won't harm your plants, but does look rather unpleasant. More reading here about slime moulds generally&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slime_mold&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slime_mold&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T16:43:48.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27567" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-01T17:03:56.030" Score="2" ViewCount="571" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone please help me identify this bushy plant? It has narrow grey/greem leaves and white flowers. It was found in the Calgary region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O9YbD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O9YbDl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14593" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-02T00:38:39.090" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T01:00:57.643" Title="What is this bushy plant with narrow leaves and white flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27568" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27559" CreationDate="2016-08-01T17:34:43.993" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.arborday.org/trees/TREEGUIDE/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=908&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;some trees&lt;/a&gt; which, in suitable conditions and with suitable nutrition/water, can grow very fast. Those same trees also tend to be weak in the longer term (they break), and the growth rate may not be all that fast in your particular site, if your site is lacking soil, water or light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They can serve a useful purpose in a landscape plan by giving what they give (quick tall tree) and then being ruthlessly removed as other, slower-growing trees grow to plan. Or they can serve as a renewable fiber resource in a plantation setting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-08-01T17:34:43.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27569" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30231" CreationDate="2016-08-02T00:18:08.637" Score="2" ViewCount="73" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my sunchoke patch, I'm using grass as a cover crop for no till purposes. Is this a bad idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-16T00:24:31.527" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T00:24:33.637" Title="When doing no till gardening, is it a bad idea to leave grass to act as a cover crop?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;cover-crop&gt;&lt;sustainability&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27570" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-02T00:49:06.863" Score="3" ViewCount="670" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 30 year old redwoods.  One keeps sprouting a lot of suckers at ground level. All have suffered from drought in California. I have added water to help with this.  Should I prune the suckers or let them grow into a bush/tree?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15509" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T00:49:06.863" Title="Should I prune a redwood tree suckers?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27572" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-02T03:38:18.907" Score="3" ViewCount="1143" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some beautiful butternut squash I am growing in my garden.  Unfortunately, my squash are being viciously attacked by cucumber beetles and are starting to be attacked by squash bugs.  I don't know if the plants will make it through the rest of the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If a vine dies, or a whole plant dies, and the squash aren't ripe yet, is it possible to still ripen the squash?  And how would I go about doing that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11211" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T12:19:55.810" Title="How to ripen butternut squash if vine dies" Tags="&lt;ripening&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27557" CreationDate="2016-08-02T07:00:29.747" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I hate to go against the content of the comments from our other contributors but this tree is a write-off.  It looks like you are in a small suburban garden where you do not have space for trees that are not going to look nice or produce for many years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The break is above any graft point so it will rebud with fruit bearing growth but you will have lost a few years before it will establish any branch structure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My suggestions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;take it out of the ground and into the bin&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;get a new one&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant in the same area if convenient&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stake in the same manner. Staking is useful for the first year of a new trees growth particularly if you are planting over a hard subsoil like chalk or rock. Remove all stakes after the first year but be prepared to support heavy fruit bearing branches in later years if you do not thin enough at fruit set&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;after planting the new tree cut back the branches to establish a solid structure.  See this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/2303/499&quot;&gt;excellent answer&lt;/a&gt; for more on pears. This will decrease the weight the trunk has to support until it establishes itself.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to why it broke I suspect the branch that has been cut off near the break was a point of weakness.  Without a more detailed inspection it's hard to tell. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T11:48:36.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27575" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5746" CreationDate="2016-08-02T08:48:56.120" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually one third the thickness of the branch you wish to bend. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15511" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T08:48:56.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27576" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-02T10:18:07.850" Score="1" ViewCount="1965" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got this cute little succulent with thin stems and juicy triangular leaves. I noticed that the top leaves started getting dry, so it's obviously not very happy with my care. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you know the name please let me know or any tips on growing it would be highly appreciated as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7BJ6A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7BJ6A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15512" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-02T14:18:07.230" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T18:48:55.353" Title="What is this succulent with tiny triangular leaves and what care does it need?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27577" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27583" CreationDate="2016-08-02T13:14:24.493" Score="1" ViewCount="4430" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planning to seed a small lawn section.  I've killed all existing vegetation and tilled the soil.  I plan to roll (manually with a water filled roller) and level the soil before seeding.  Then, broadcast the seed and top dress with 1/4&quot; of compost.  My question is should I roll after seeding and top dressing?    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14872" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T04:59:50.747" Title="Should I roll after seeding lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27578" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27576" CreationDate="2016-08-02T18:48:55.353" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is definitely a Crassula species. These are beautiful, with heart shaped leaves. It is one of the easiest of succulents (and even plants, in general) to take care of and propagate. They also sometimes have understated, yet beautiful flowers during spring/summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the image, it is hard to tell what is going on. If you can take a better close up, we may be able to tell whether it is disease or just over watering, or crowding, given your plant appears to have grown quite well right now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could take some pictures, and then, we may be able to tell what is going on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From this photo, it still appears the plant is quite healthy and if you cut off the dying stem heads here and there, maybe repot it to allow more room to grow, or add very diluted plant food, you might do just fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should also make sure you are not over-watering the plant. The top soil needs to become dry in between watering turns. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T18:48:55.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27579" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27580" CreationDate="2016-08-02T19:25:47.173" Score="2" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone tell me their experiences with different plastic coverings for greenhouses.  This year we've built the structure (I've got to get a picture for you) with the vegetable garden growing beneath.  I am getting cross-eyed looking for information on decent plastic to cover this greenhouse through this next winter.  Next year we will use that double layered hard plastic.  But just want a good, CLEAR? plastic to last for this winter.  We'll be heating this structure...last year in October we got a snowfall that collapsed our 'polytunnel'...any ideas will be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-02T19:49:31.020" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T22:40:58.133" Title="What type of plastic covering would be good for a heated greenhouse in the winter?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27580" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27579" CreationDate="2016-08-02T21:53:00.607" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They make &quot;overwintering film&quot; (4mil, I think) which is supposed to work for 1 season. I have no experience with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have considerable experience (by now) with 4-year, 6 mil, IR-UV-AntiDrip greenhouse poly, which I think has been typically 11 cents a square foot, and it beats the heck out of using 6 mil untreated builders poly (vapor barrier plastic.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Attachments are key - you need to attach the film in such a way that the loads are spread out so the plastic does not simply tear out the fasteners. Rolling it around a wooden batten and nailing through the batten, special wiggle-wire channels, there are various means. Using a double layer and inflating the space between is helpful if you can afford ~50 watts of blower 24/7/365.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had more trouble with wind ripping it off (see, &quot;attachments!!&quot;) than snow loads - it's on 4 foot spacing, metal supports and I have at times wondered about the frame taking the load, but the film sure takes it just fine if it's attached.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Window-like clarity and good greenhouse film do not go hand in hand, from what I understand. Some films are even treated for extra diffusion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-08-02T22:40:58.133" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T22:40:58.133" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27581" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27572" CreationDate="2016-08-02T22:05:14.023" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience, squash will ripen off the vine if their shelf life is long enough, but they will not get bigger (and according to many, the seeds may not, or will not, develop further). C. pepo and C. ficifolia certainly ripen further off the vine, anyway. (I've had Tatume squash and zucchini, which are C. pepo, turn orange after sitting in storage) I'm not sure about C. moschata (that's what a butternut squash is), but I would think it would ripen. Some varieties of squash take a lot longer to ripen off the vine than others. Tatume seems to start turning orange right away; C. ficifolia took about eight months to ripen in storage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-08-03T12:19:55.810" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T12:19:55.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27582" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16185" CreationDate="2016-08-02T23:32:38.620" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did you use fertilizers like Miracle Glo on your snake plant?  I made the mistake of using Miracle Gro on my snake plant and the whole plant died like the plant in your pic.  Use only fertilizers for succulent plants on your snake plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15516" LastActivityDate="2016-08-02T23:32:38.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27577" CreationDate="2016-08-03T04:59:50.747" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes yes yes, I've never seen anyone OVERDO rolling a lawn! My only hesitation is what you used to kill vegetation?  If it is glyphosate you have to wait a minimum of 3 weeks, I'd go even longer.  Rolling is critical for a professional lawn.  Good job.  Make sure your seed says zero percent weed seed.  Do not use peat moss...too acidic and washes away easily.  What is your source for compost? Please use a mechanical spreader, never throw seed or fertilizer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T04:59:50.747" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27584" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27586" CreationDate="2016-08-03T05:34:57.490" Score="2" ViewCount="4880" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why manure is considered bad or risky for potted plants while they are considered good for plants on ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are risky or bad, why do the nursery sell them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T12:44:40.840" Title="Is manure bad for potted plants? Why?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27585" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-03T10:20:04.020" Score="0" ViewCount="236" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small garden , and i have planted a hydrangea in a large pot.But it gave me flowers for a very small time of the year. When i checked in net some one was saying &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.forever-ever.eu/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;forever and ever hydrangea&quot;&lt;/a&gt; are best in giving long time blooming.But i didn't find a place to buy near I live.I live in Dublin,Ireland.**Can some one help me to find a hydrangea variety that have long blooming time and suite for zone 9 ** Thanks in advance&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15264" LastEditorUserId="15264" LastEditDate="2018-10-10T08:25:45.790" LastActivityDate="2018-10-10T08:25:45.790" Title="Long time blooming hydrangea" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="27586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27584" CreationDate="2016-08-03T11:39:13.373" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a little bit complicated - properly composted manure can be added to potting mixes, but its the 'properly' composted bit where the problem arises. Manure should be composted with other materials for up to two years (horse manure with straw, for instance), and turned regularly so that the pile of composting manure heats up to pretty high temperatures. This ensures that the manure is, as far as possible, pathogen free, and is then safe to use, in ratio with other materials such as loam, sand, peat, etc., in potting mixes. If you're sure that any manure you have access to has been processed properly, then use it, but don't use anything that smells or looks bad. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Manuring open ground is not quite so risky because on open soil, any possible pathogens are diluted, so to speak, and will be diffused widely, which they are not when contained in a small amount of soil in a pot. Even on open ground, though, manure should be composted prior to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what part of the world you're in, nor what products you're referring to, so can't comment on manure based products on sale where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-03T12:11:58.600" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T12:11:58.600" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27587" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27585" CreationDate="2016-08-03T11:48:21.950" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having checked, your 'forever and ever' flowering hydrangea plants are said to bloom on old and new wood, unlike the usual H. macrophylla, which might mean they repeat bloom - but not necessarily in practice, according to some forums on the web. These plants are available in the States, and are just becoming available here - the RHS was selling them, so you need to do an internet search for 'forever and ever' hydrangea for your country.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You haven't said which variety of Hydrangea you have, but you have said its in a pot. In the ground, these plants (where you are, and assuming its Hydrangea macrophylla of some variety), grown in good conditions, would normally start to bloom in June and the flowers will start to fade easily by end of July or now. In a pot, the flowers tend to last a much shorter time. Unfortunately, if you have a small garden, a hydrangea is not a good choice because of their size when planted in the ground, although H. paniculata varieties are certainly worth considering - these can at least be pruned back hard in autumn, unlike macrophylla varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd add, though, that even with a forever and ever type, you may not get good growth and repeat flowering if the plant is not in the ground, despite their smaller ultimate size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-03T14:50:20.800" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T14:50:20.800" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27584" CreationDate="2016-08-03T12:44:40.840" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition of the answer from Bamboo:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Manure is slow to decompose, so it enriches the soil on long term, but in a pot one probably change the ground more often (one or two years). Also the roots are less developed. So I would use manure for long term sustainability of soil (especially for the P and K components), but not for a pot. Additionally it needs some bacteria to decompose it, which could not be available on a pot. Note: on chemical fertilizers, one could choose the chemical components in order to have a fast or slow decomposition, on manure one has not such choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Acidity could cause some problems in the pot (direct or indirect, by reducing assimilation of some minerals). On ground the plants have longer roots, so they will find anyway some less acid ground. (anyway over-fertilizing causes also problems on ground)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T12:44:40.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27589" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-03T16:05:28.623" Score="2" ViewCount="372" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had snails in the pot with my turmeric. I threw the infested plants away but left the soil as I have ginger sprouting in the same pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I have to throw the soil out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14413" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-01T21:58:27.120" LastActivityDate="2016-11-01T21:58:27.120" Title="Do I have to throw out soil in a pot that had snails on the turmeric?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;snails&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27590" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24241" CreationDate="2016-08-03T16:07:24.367" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It doesn't work! Best to get a plant from a nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14413" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T16:07:24.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27591" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27589" CreationDate="2016-08-03T16:36:49.833" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;No - just treat for snails; snails and slugs are always with us, everywhere, more noticeably in damp weather, so regular applications of slug and snail repellents are usual. Snails are easier to deal with, you can pick them off by their shells anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T16:36:49.833" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27592" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-03T17:33:32.303" Score="3" ViewCount="660" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 20 x 20 play area in my backyard and it seems I have to spray with weed killer almost every other month. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I dump some salt in the area to control the weeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15519" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-03T23:57:09.250" LastActivityDate="2020-10-19T13:52:38.277" Title="Can I use salt for weed control in a play area?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27592" CreationDate="2016-08-03T17:49:48.330" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would take a lot of salt, because grass grows back through salt, because every winter my mailbox area gets to shoe bottom depth, and I need to clear some salt from the edge of the road, and the grass grows back every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A thick layer of sand box sand would work a lot better, since it's a play area, because it won't dry out the skin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T17:49:48.330" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27594" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27603" CreationDate="2016-08-03T19:25:38.517" Score="7" ViewCount="5852" Body="&lt;p&gt;Upstate New York is experiencing a &lt;a href=&quot;http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NY&quot;&gt;severe drought&lt;/a&gt; that I never even thought was possible in what I have always known as a permanently wet and cloudy region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have left my lawn unmowed for over a month and in my neighborhood, more ground is brown than green, which is a first for me.  We have some trees providing shade so certain areas are better than others, but overall things are pretty dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I leave the lawn as it is and wait a while until we get more rain, or should I mow it sooner rather than later?  And for either action, is there a significant downside? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15520" LastActivityDate="2017-03-12T23:46:14.753" Title="Should I mow my lawn during a drought?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;mowing&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27595" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="27602" CreationDate="2016-08-03T19:41:31.877" Score="2" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;What would be some good container planting combination ideas for the winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A bit of extra info:&lt;/strong&gt; I live in Bristol, UK. And the containers would&#xA;  be in a courtyard on the North-East side of the house, but in front of a very busy&#xA;  road. On the other side of the road there is the river. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The amount of space available is reasonably big, and I have about a dozen of 15 litre pots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastEditorUserId="6795" LastEditDate="2016-08-03T19:53:41.093" LastActivityDate="2016-08-28T22:59:27.870" Title="Container plants for winter display" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27596" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14436" CreationDate="2016-08-03T20:21:12.587" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The biggest danger is that the saw will bounce back. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.stihlusa.com/WebContent/CMSFileLibrary/instructionmanuals/E20_Manual.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;user's manual for the Stihl E20 electric chainsaw&lt;/a&gt; says: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Kickback may occur when the nose&#xA;  or tip of the guide bar touches an&#xA;  object, or when the wood closes in&#xA;  and pinches the saw chain in the&#xA;  cut. Tip contact in some cases may&#xA;  cause a lightning fast reverse&#xA;  reaction, kicking the guide bar up&#xA;  and back towards the operator.&#xA;  Pinching the saw chain along the&#xA;  top of the guide bar may push the&#xA;  guide bar rapidly back towards the&#xA;  operator. Either of these reactions&#xA;  may cause you to lose control of the&#xA;  saw which could result in serious&#xA;  personal injury,'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have heard of kickback happening to other people in my area, the saw can bounce back into your face or shoulder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15521" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-03T23:54:56.307" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T23:54:56.307" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27597" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-03T20:33:16.260" Score="2" ViewCount="615" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZO89d.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZO89d.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is growing under our maple tree. Can someone help me identify what this is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can post some more close up shots of the leaves later this evening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt; Here's the picture of the shape of the leaf in that plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SVJo7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SVJo7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is right underneath the maple tree which has its small leaves like these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e6w2A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e6w2A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are not many plants nearby. We planted some roses and ~10-15 feet away we have a rhododendron and some &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypericum_perforatum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;St John's wort&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastEditorUserId="11971" LastEditDate="2016-08-08T19:37:11.383" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T22:04:41.557" Title="Does anyone know what plant is this [see picture below]?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27422" CreationDate="2016-08-03T21:19:31.107" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;After much poking about, I encountered the genus &lt;em&gt;Osmorhiza&lt;/em&gt;.  I now believe the plant in question is &lt;em&gt;Osmorhiza berteroi&lt;/em&gt; (aka &lt;em&gt;O. chilensis&lt;/em&gt;), commonly known as mountain sweet-cicely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MDFIO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MDFIO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sweet-cicely photo&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;(photo: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/photos/plant_diversity/5183142420/in/photostream/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Matt Lavin&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is &lt;a href=&quot;http://westerncascades.com/wp-content/gallery/seed-scans-f-n/osmorhiza-berteroi-seeds.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a seed closeup here&lt;/a&gt; (scale is in mm), &lt;a href=&quot;http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=Osmorhiza&amp;amp;Species=berteroi&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a good description with photos here&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_index&amp;amp;where-taxon=Osmorhiza%20berteroi&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;more photos here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possible that it is a different &lt;em&gt;Osmorhiza&lt;/em&gt; species, such as &lt;em&gt;O. purpurea&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;O. brachypoda&lt;/em&gt;, but I think it is most likely&lt;em&gt;O. berteroi&lt;/em&gt;.  That species has flowers are white or greenish-white, so my vague memory of yellow flowers must have been incorrect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13711" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T21:19:31.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27595" CreationDate="2016-08-03T21:26:52.777" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whatever you do, most of the pots should have something in common such as material (clay, metal), square, round...something that shows they belong to a 'family'.  They should (all or mostly all the pots) have bits of the same plants in common, ie) use two or three vines to droop over the pot edges...like the lime green potato vine, at least half the pots should have that vine planted in them to help tie these pots together.  Minimize the differences in these pots, maximize the unifying of similarities.  Lots and lots of room for surprises, a few specimen plants, but do not go crazy.  The human brain LOVES uniformity and can only bear incoming stimulation of THREE.  Just a basic rule of art. The rules deal with TEXTURE, FORM, RHYTHM, COLOR, LINE, MOVEMENT, (SEE ATTACHMENT). Choose one maybe two of these to CHANGE and keep the rest the same. For example, keep all the greens close to the same green and vary the textures.  For flowers, get a color pallet going and stay within the lines somewhat.  Warm reds, yellows, mixed with lime greens...Rich mauves, purples and chartreuse is to die for...If you don't know the rules of art very well, find pictures, note what is similar and what is dissimilar.  When watching movies, notice how the cinematography uses a palette of colors...how when turquoise is splattered throughout the entire picture to tie that picture together.  Or the use of ochre, reds...purples.  When an artist paints a picture, trust me, using JUST 3 or 4 colors is what makes that picture beautiful.  Otherwise a human gets 'too wigged out' even though they don't know why they don't like it, the THREE thingy is what is causing them to turn away. Enjoy...the process!  And GROUP the pots into little families...3's, 5's, singles.  Different heights...use unplanted pots as bases to raise other pots.  If all your pots are the same you'll definitely want to get ways to change the heights!  I could go on and on with super plant choices but when I go to the nursery I drag the client along and find what colors they like, whether or not they love the grasses (hope you do, find Mexican Feather Grass, super pot softener), and I start pulling in lots of the plants they like in the colors that will go together.  Never purchase JUST ONE!!  Get at least 5 or 10's!! I purchase an incredible SPECIMEN focal point plant or two such as gorgeous fern, palm plant, small trees (I love Katsura and Red bud, which get planted out in the yard after the season is done).  Look up each plant, as they should all be amenable to the same water requirements, sun, shade, pH of soil, that kind of thing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shoot, I just noticed you want WINTER display...GRASSES will be your best friend! Do you want privacy?  Don't forget to check out Contorted Filberts!! No flowers will be able to grow that I can think of but that contorted filbert with its catkins are precious.  I'd use Maiden Hair Grass, great for privacy as well and in the spring (if the winter wasn't too cold) cut the grasses down to 4-6&quot;.  Fountain grasses and the reeds for even more texture.  Make sure if you use an evergreen grass such as Blue Oat Grass careful with chopping it down.  Check out this link:&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/4822053/list/great-design-plant-blue-oat-grasshttp://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;blue oat grass, evergreen grasses&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composition_(visual_arts)#Elements_of_designhttp://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;rules of beauty and art&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-08-03T21:45:45.930" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T21:45:45.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27600" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27594" CreationDate="2016-08-03T21:45:13.977" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not normally, it's considered a &quot;cover crop&quot; to protect the soil, and will help more moisture stay near the surface. A few years ago we had almost no rain all summer, and living on a creek the grass was just fine, then took off when it rained.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Left to right based on clipping length in a rotational grazing system:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s3lIb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s3lIb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2017-03-12T23:46:14.753" LastActivityDate="2017-03-12T23:46:14.753" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27601" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27592" CreationDate="2016-08-03T21:58:05.963" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Salt is silly for weed control...this article talks about VINEGAR.  They also try to combine salt with vinegar but the coolest thing when one uses vinegar of a very high percentage, it changes the pH of the soil so the soil is unable to support any vegetation until...get this...when one decides they DO want to grow plants again in that soil all one needs to do is add lime, check and check and check to see the change in pH.  Salt would not allow that decision making and sorry, I know so many plants that would give a rip if salt was high!  There are actual plant products of vinegar weed control with very high percentage of vinegar to make the soil VERY low in pH.  Weed killer is just not great for play areas and kids. (never use the shredded tire stuff).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hey, is your play area backed up to a 'green strip' a natural area your development shares?  If so, rethink placement of your children's play area.  Most people don't realize these areas are traveled frequently by bear, cougar, bobcat...and you'll never see them.  Honest injun.  I track and know the wilderness well. Most of our developments are transition zones to the wilderness that used to support these wonderful animals (300 sq. miles per male cougar).  Working with clients, I got them to change the location of their play areas...just a thought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.everydaycheapskate.com/home-and-family/hands-down-the-best-way-to-kill-weeds-and-its-not-roundup/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;vinegar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T21:58:05.963" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27595" CreationDate="2016-08-03T22:08:18.133" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, exposed to north easterlies and all that frequent soft Bristol mizzle and rain...with some morning sun, and in individual pots rather than window boxes or larger containers...I'd go for evergreens, smaller ones, a mix between variegated and green leaves. It'll be difficult to make an arrangement or combination of plants in pots that size, so you'll need to group the pots to create that effect. The only flowering things you could consider are really Pansies or the little Violas - there are also little cyclamen available, but they stop flowering around Christmas. Ornamental cabbages are quite striking, but again, past their best by Christmas, and because of the amount of rain you get, would need protection from slugs and snails. You'll find primrose/polyanthus/primula available as box bedding, but they don't start flowering till at least February.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a few suggestions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pieris Little Heath&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pieris 'katsura'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Skimmia japonica (they'll be in flower when you buy them in autumn and the flowers last practically till around February)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Euonymus japonica microphyllus aureus&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Euonymus japonica 'luna'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Euonymus fortunei varieties - 'emerald'n gold' and others - these have a more spreading habit compared to E.japonica varieties&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Topiaried or clipped Box&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dwarf conifers - a large garden centre should have a wide selection available, with variously coloured foliage from blue to greyish green to green to yellow, but check the height listed on the labels, usually means after ten years, to make sure its not a rapid growing very tall one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll also find (in September) fairly cheap small versions of what will be large shrubs eventually - these are intended for use in pots and containers over winter, usually combined with ivies and pansies, so things like Choisya sundance, tiny versions of conifers, very small Skimmias, small hollies or Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Goshiki'. These will do for a year or so but will then need to be moved into larger pots, planted out in the ground or disposed of. Sometimes Ophiopogon nigrescens (looks like black grass) is sold, that's worth buying - it's evergreen and provides a good, low growing contrast to yellow or greyish plants. It will spread and can be planted in the garden later or divided and kept in pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Work out where you're going to stand the pots (best in groups, preferably with taller plants mixed with shorter ones, or groups of three of the same) and then work out whether you want two or three plants the same in a group, or a mix between what you buy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If we happen to have a winter like the one in 2010, move the pots somewhere sheltered so they don't freeze solid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-28T22:59:27.870" LastActivityDate="2016-08-28T22:59:27.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27603" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27594" CreationDate="2016-08-03T22:13:05.997" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lawns allowed to go dormant do not do well.  Sure, some will come back but weeds will be able to take hold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you TRAINED your lawn grasses to become drought tolerant?  When the roots are made to grow DEEP by watering very deeply and then allowing the lawn to dry until one can see their footprints on the grass before watering deeply again is the best way to save on one's water bill and in times of drought, your grass will be able to thrive far better and come back sooner without the weeds.  Aerate once per year, water deep deep deep (4-6&quot; below surface) and do not water again until the grass stays down after stepping on it, MOW ON HIGH!!  Do not mow shorter than 3&quot;!!  This helps with evaporation and doesn't allow weed seeds to germinate.  Grass (cool season grasses) have genetically huge root systems that have to have enough top growth to feed those roots. 3&quot; is the LOWEST one should mow to prevent any stress, prevent weeds and reduce water loss.  I am not kidding!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mowing dead grass leaves is no big deal!  Do NOT FERTILIZE!!  Now that would kill your grass if it isn't growing because of drought!!  Shallow watering is the worst thing people can do with any lawn.  OK when a baby lawn but if you don't train your grass, drought will pretty much screw up all the work you've done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T22:13:05.997" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27604" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-03T22:46:01.730" Score="3" ViewCount="336" Body="&lt;p&gt;So it's my first time growing a Pepper and what i noticed is that one fruit started getting little bit dark on one side and then almost all other fruits also got dark. Now i am thinking that is related to the sun/light as only window side got dark, but i am not sure, especially since i grow it indoors and direct sunlight only hits in the evening through the window for up to 2 hours a day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0D4aL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0D4aL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&amp;quot;Burned&amp;quot; side of the same fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&quot;Burned&quot; side of the first fruit to ripen&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8TbDw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8TbDw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Other &amp;quot;Burned&amp;quot; fruits&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Other &quot;Burned&quot; fruits&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my question is, what is this, should i do something about it or is it something normal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15522" LastActivityDate="2016-09-05T01:22:50.830" Title="Habanero pepper sunburned?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;habaneros&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27605" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27594" CreationDate="2016-08-03T22:46:36.280" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This happens a lot in the south of the UK - we still cut if its growing, but with the blades set high, and let the clippings fly, leaving them on the lawn, only clearing them away (if they haven't shrivelled and disappeared completely) when rain is coming or has arrived. Parts of the cricket field opposite where I live are currently brown and parched, are still being cut, but higher, and will green up very quickly when rain arrives. Some years though, the grass stops growing altogether, becomes crunchy to walk on and is completely brown, then there's nothing to cut, and yours may be in this state in more exposed areas. But it may be that your lawn grass is not the same type of grass we use here in the UK...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lawns which have suffered in this way in usually wetter regions do tend to produce more moss growth in the following months, and more weeds if recovery is patchy, so more maintenance is required, particularly in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-03T23:31:23.040" LastActivityDate="2016-08-03T23:31:23.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="27607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27564" CreationDate="2016-08-04T00:41:16.433" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's called (inappropriately) &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hsu.edu/Academics/ARNatureTrivia/Misc-blob.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dog Vomit Slime Mold or Dog Vomit Fungus&lt;/a&gt;, but it goes by other (more savory?) names as well (sometimes it is identified as scrambled egg slime when it is fresh/yellow). &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuligo_septica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Fuligo septica&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; is not really harmful, but has been proven to cause asthmatic issues. It starts out as bright yellow (for about 24 hours) before turning the color in the photo. As it ages it might begin to ooze or turn black or develop a crust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's relatively resistant to copper and silver based fungicides, and currently, there are no known (good) methods for controlling it, but some advice can be found here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://organicgardening.about.com/od/diseases/a/Identifying-And-Controlling-Dog-Vomit-Fungus.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Identifying and Controlling Dog Vomit Fungus&lt;/a&gt;. It is known to be carried by beetles and it is very common on mulch (showing up a few weeks after adding fresh mulch). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After about a week, it finally results in a brown pile of spore. For some more pictures and information see this: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.personal.psu.edu/sam21/dogvomit.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dog Vomit Fungus Pictures and Information&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastActivityDate="2016-08-04T00:41:16.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28607" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28616" CreationDate="2016-08-04T07:46:51.697" Score="4" ViewCount="605" Body="&lt;p&gt;Related question: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/27556/are-these-roots-healthy-or-bad&quot;&gt;Are these roots healthy or bad?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/27172/tiny-yellow-spots-on-dracaena-reflexa-pleomele-what-i-am-doing-wrong&quot;&gt;My Dracaena Reflexa Pleomele started having tiny yellow spots for some weeks&lt;/a&gt;. As a result, I was asked to take the rootball and inspect it. I took out the rootball, and here  it is(since I don't know much about roots and plants):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iPEiG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iPEiG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5KsX4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5KsX4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4lUuW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4lUuW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You see the fat root in the third pic? I broke it, The root was hard, but not stiff. When I squeezed it, water came out bubbling. The root smelled like peanut, so I think the root is healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the small ones just dropped when I gave a nice light rubbing. They are hollow and dried out. The small roots are dead? Here is the pic:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uL61B.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uL61B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I let the plant rest in the soil it has been resting? If not, what should I do? just get rid of the soil and plant it in another soil? &#xA;If yes, is this soil suitable for this plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pykN7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pykN7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-08-05T07:49:06.533" Title="Finally got the rootball out, please diagnose the roots and health of this plant" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28608" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28609" CreationDate="2016-08-04T11:30:56.317" Score="7" ViewCount="483" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F51Uq.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F51Uq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I saw this flower on the street but I don't know the name of this flower. Could somebody help me to find please? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15525" LastActivityDate="2016-08-04T18:39:11.170" Title="what is the name of the flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28608" CreationDate="2016-08-04T12:24:05.633" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Lantana camara, an evergreen shrub in tropical regions, also found commonly in America&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_picture_candidates/Lantana_flower_and_leaves&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_picture_candidates/Lantana_flower_and_leaves&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information here about this plant's toxicity (but only if eaten, and particularly the berries; even so, no worse than than over 50% of plants grown in the average garden), and the fact this plant is only evergreen in regions with suitable temperatures&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/lantana-camara/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/lantana-camara/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-04T18:39:11.170" LastActivityDate="2016-08-04T18:39:11.170" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28610" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22159" CreationDate="2016-08-04T13:15:53.867" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cs7C3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cs7C3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Purple Mexican Petunia[![][1]&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3RaHR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt; Pink Petunia. [![White Petunia][3]][3]Mexican Petunia can grow wild. It can be propagated by stem cutting. In my garden they grow wild especially the pruple species; there are three colours: purple, pink and white.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15526" LastActivityDate="2016-08-04T13:15:53.867" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28611" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28614" CreationDate="2016-08-04T16:07:21.817" Score="1" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some blueberry bushes of different varieties that were planted this year, and was wondering if I could effectively/safely spread branches of blueberry bushes so they naturally puff out more in future years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-08-04T18:31:55.663" Title="Is there a way to effectively/safely spread new blueberry branches?" Tags="&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28612" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-04T17:12:30.537" Score="4" ViewCount="2483" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a quick question. I was going to the beach last weekend and my mother noticed some Crepe Myrtles with an interesting shape. They almost had an umbrella shape. There were the ubiquitous multiple trunks, but the tops were almost symmetrically even domes. Almost like umbrellas. There was even an inverted bowl shape underneath, because the branches were hanging down. Everything looked sharp, so they could potentially be pruning it regularly to keep it looking that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is whether this is something the tree does naturally as it ages, or if it's a result of forcing the tree through pruning, which I don't want to do for the health of the tree and my time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I looked for pictures of similar trees, but couldn't find any. I've included two that are as close as I can get. It's more sharply defined than these two, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/INagg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/INagg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xmLkp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xmLkp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Here is a picture that is more representative of the Crepe Myrtles in my area. I know this one isn't that large, but typically, the ones around here grow up and out as apposed to drooping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0lxRP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0lxRP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="9731" LastEditDate="2016-08-05T12:35:58.453" LastActivityDate="2016-08-05T12:35:58.453" Title="How to grow Crepe Myrtle to look like umbrella?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28614" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28611" CreationDate="2016-08-04T18:31:55.663" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a significant difference between fruit trees like apples and bushes like blueberries&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tree&lt;/strong&gt; branches of young trees get trained in a certain shape and sometimes position, because the main branches will form the base structure of the tree for as long as it lives, pruning of adult trees mostly maintains that structure and keeps the tree productive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bushes&lt;/strong&gt; send up new branches from (near) the base every year and for continuous productivity, older branches that bear only little fruit get thinned out to make space for younger, more productive branches. For your blueberries, that means that after a few seasons you will start selectively removing the oldest ones. (Pro tip if you are unsure: mark non-bearing old ones during summer with a ribbon or similar.) The rule of thumb which canes should be cut and when differ between types of berries, so do your homework. Further training isn't necessary, except removing the occasional dead branch after a hard winter or perhaps if a branch really gets in the way. The bushes will spread out a cording to their natural growth habit&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; Note that the natural shape can differ between cultivars, I have blueberries that are &quot;tall and lean&quot; and others with a more &quot;short and stocky stature&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-08-04T18:31:55.663" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28615" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-04T20:13:47.320" Score="3" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very large Norway spruce on the corner of my screened in porch. The porch has a cement floor that has had a crack across the middle of it. Over the past 15-20 years, the crack has raised the floor. Could this be because of the roots from the tree, and if it is, can I break up the floor and sever the roots without hurting or weakening the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15530" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-28T02:42:27.633" LastActivityDate="2017-12-28T02:42:27.633" Title="Can the roots of a large Norway Red spruce tree crack a cement porch floor?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28607" CreationDate="2016-08-04T20:25:01.070" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is pot bound but that should not be the cause of the spotting.  Nonetheless repotting is a good idea:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;get a sharp knife and some interior plant potting soil. Something with extra drainage factors like perlite or vermiculite.  Do not use soil from the garden which will not drain as readily in a pot.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;remove the plant from the pot. Check that the drainage hole is not plugged&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;using the knife remove one quarter to one third from the bottom of the root ball in a flat slice&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;make several vertical slashes approximately one inch deep around the circumference of the pot. Remove the ends of roots that have been cut&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;add new potting soil to the bottom&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;return the plant to the pot, pack some more soil in, water thoroughly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of dead roots including the hollow ones in the pictures. That is why repotting is a good idea.  The picture of the soil you show is not suitable for indoor plants.  Consider adding perlite or vermiculite to improve drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-08-05T07:49:06.533" LastActivityDate="2016-08-05T07:49:06.533" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28617" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28615" CreationDate="2016-08-04T20:28:59.050" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, the roots are likely to be the cause of the cracks. Sadly you cannot remove the roots without hurting the tree.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a spruce or pine that is within ten feet or so of your house it is prudent to remove it anyway.  These trees can grow from 80' to 120' tall.  If it falls on your house what is the potential for damage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you really want to keep a large tree close to your house call an arborist and have them do a health check.  They will tell you how healthy the tree is and it's potential for a long life or otherwise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-04T20:28:59.050" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28618" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28612" CreationDate="2016-08-04T21:42:54.733" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is their natural form.  I've had single stemmed as well as multiple stems and they are supposed to be a large shrub/small tree.  I've never seen a crepe myrtle look other than this UMBRELLA, fountain shape.  They need a bit of pruning while young to get rid of errant branches, unhealthy branches, but otherwise this is what you get with a crepe myrtle...one of my loves and I've never been in a zone that is optimum for these guys.  Lucky you...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-04T21:42:54.733" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28619" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28620" CreationDate="2016-08-04T21:45:08.140" Score="3" ViewCount="2166" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a gardening noob and bought my very first small indoor tree less than one month ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a yucca elephantipes that looks very healthy: all the leaves are green and no insects/bite marks. I watered it for the first time this morning with 2 cups of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When checking on it this afternoon, I noticed that a lot of dead worms/larvae came out :(&#xA;After examining around the tree, it looks like some are still alive and crawling around it in the earth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's an image of the worms:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7qkJp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7qkJp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what they are and how I can remove them? I'm really scared of bugs and don't want them even if they're not harmful for the plant X_X&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance for your help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also including an image of the Yucca to show it's looking normal...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2aCq0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2aCq0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15531" LastActivityDate="2020-10-24T12:35:08.997" Title="Worms appearing in potted Yucca after watering" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28620" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28619" CreationDate="2016-08-04T23:04:16.300" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think they might be fungus gnat larvae, images lower down in this link,but ignore the rest of the information re fly traps, you're not at that stage&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/pest-identification-and-control-t6170.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/pest-identification-and-control-t6170.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever they are, I wouldn't want them in my potted houseplants either, so I'd consider returning it from whence it came and either exchanging (no guarantee a replacement won't have the same trouble) or getting the money back. Another option is to buy some new potting mix, take the plant outside, remove from the pot, stand it in a container full of water to get off as much of the  soil as possible (without damaging the roots). While the plant is sitting in the water, take the opportunity to thoroughly scrub the pot and rinse off so that its completely clean. Remove your plant from the water, leaving the soil behind, inspect the roots to see that they're not harbouring any more larvae, then carefully repot into the new potting mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, try a soil drench with nematodes which target fungus gnat larvae - the one in the link below claims to treat various invaders in the soil&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000MRD5JO&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.amazon.com/Pyes-Scanmask-Million-Beneficial-Nematodes/dp/B000MRD5JO?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;camp=1789&amp;amp;creative=390957&amp;amp;creativeASIN=B000MRD5JO&amp;amp;linkCode=as2&amp;amp;redirect=true&amp;amp;ref_=as_li_ss_tl&amp;amp;tag=smalfootfami-20&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ongoing, fungus gnats much prefer damp soil, so allow the top inch or two of the soil in the pot to dry out before watering, then water well and ensure the pot drains freely and is not left standing in water in a tray or outer pot after 30 minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-04T23:29:03.470" LastActivityDate="2016-08-04T23:29:03.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28621" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18045" CreationDate="2016-08-05T00:23:11.987" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a complex subject, soil management. I took a course for &quot;master gardener&quot; from the U of Oregon which was one of the better things I ever did. This then brings us face to face with soils and the problems of soils. First get a good soil test kit from a hardware store and find out what additives you will need. Then till in the additives to a depth of six or more inches and then retill and retill until the soil is loose and sort of fluffy. In clayish soils you may need to add in humus and sand. Till to a depth of at least six inches, then either disc or rake out. If rocky soil, rake out as much of the rock as possible larger than a golf ball. Remember rock is essential in soils but only the stuff no larger than a golf ball. Nemotodes actually eat rock I am told, but ever so slowly. Till in humus if you can, such as decayed grass clippings that have been put through a cement mixer or any other mixer to render them relatively dry and powdery. That and some sand especially if the soil is clayish. The result should be such that if you pick up a handful and squeeze it you should get a ball that tends to hold together. The big issue is mineralization, thus iron, powdered, may be needed and is sold in gardening stores. Best to buy a book on soil preparation and go from there. My purpose here is to make the reader take note that this is like everything else in life, you need to study up. Thanks for reading.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15533" LastActivityDate="2016-08-05T00:23:11.987" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28622" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-05T01:08:10.413" Score="5" ViewCount="2051" Body="&lt;p&gt;I love glories, particularly Grandpa Ott glories. They open in the morning, but by noon, they have closed. Is that because it is so hot here in Florida? The leaves showed some yellowing, and I figured it was from too much watering. But now I'm concerned about the blooms closing so early. What's going on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15535" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-08-05T03:34:26.657" LastActivityDate="2018-08-09T06:06:57.113" Title="Why are my morning glory flowers closing so early?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;&lt;morning-glory&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28623" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-04T21:00:05.827" Score="4" ViewCount="67" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am currently landscaping my yard. I plan on completing everything with the exception of planting a few small, narrow trees around the perimeter. I will be doing that next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While everything is a mess now, I am considering digging the holes for the future trees, putting ~5 gal buckets in the holes and then backfilling. My thought is that this will make it easier to come back next year, pull out the buckets, make any necessary small adjustments to the size of the hole and plant the trees without having to make a big mess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this an OK idea? Are there any problems with it? The only problem I can think of is that the subsoil is heavy clay which could really stick to the bucket, so getting the bucket out come next year could prove to be a challenge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19355" OwnerDisplayName="Brandon Tooke" LastActivityDate="2016-08-05T10:39:07.293" Title="Using buckets as placeholders for future trees?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28624" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28623" CreationDate="2016-08-04T22:02:54.167" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you leave the buckets empty, you may be starting a mosquito farm as water collects in them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Nick Allen" LastActivityDate="2016-08-04T22:02:54.167" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28625" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-05T02:21:18.893" Score="1" ViewCount="1083" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to grow a potted pomegranate tree in southern Ohio? I'm in zone 6, which means the lowest temperatures in the winter are generally in the range of −5 °F (−20.6 °C). I have a shed, but not a garage to move it inside during the winter. My backyard faces West and gets full sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will it survive the winter? If so, will it produce fruit eventually?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15536" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-05T16:42:23.730" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T18:55:49.403" Title="Will a potted pomegranate tree grow in Zone 6?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;pomegranate&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28626" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28622" CreationDate="2016-08-05T03:30:16.983" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's why they are called morning glories. That will happen any day that is warm/sunny. If it's overcast all day, and especially if it's cool, the blooms may remain open throughout the day, but if the sun is out, expect them to close as soon as it warms up for the day. The yellowing of the leaves is unrelated, and could be one of a number of things.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-08-05T03:30:16.983" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28627" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28623" CreationDate="2016-08-05T06:02:07.043" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did a small calculation:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;5 gal. soil weighs at least around 90 pounds, more when wet. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The bucket needs drainage holes unless you are in a very dry area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It does not stand freely, but is burried in the ground, causing it to &quot;stick&quot;, especially with your clay. The sand some commenter suggested won't help too much.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So next year you want to pull those buckets out again. That means:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You have to lift the weight against the resistance of the soil, which means more force than for the weight of the buckets alone. Multiple times and by hand, because machinery would ruin your lawn, which defeats the purpose.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I wouldn't be physically able to do this, but ok, I'm a woman and my back isn't in the best possible shape. So even if you are well trained:&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The bucket has only a handle, not an ergonomic grip, and it may not be designed to hold the weight. Especially after months of exposure to UV and temperature changes made the plastic brittle. But even if it holds:&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drilling drainage holes weakens the bottom of the bucket, making it likely to break - and you'll be back at square one, digging the hole for the tree plus excavating bucket pieces.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I have a few less technical points to consider:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You might want to double-check the required planting hole for your trees, 5 gal. could be a bit small.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;And finally, I would always want to keep my flexibility and dig when the trees have arrived. Preferably after standing them in their designated spots to check how it looks.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;What if your nursery is a tree or two short? Or gives you an extra? What if during the winter you have an epiphany and decide to make small alterations to the current plan? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-08-05T06:02:07.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28628" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28623" CreationDate="2016-08-05T10:39:07.293" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There may well be problems for the trees you plant in those previously 'bucketed' areas. You've said the soil is heavy clay, so let's suppose you put the buckets in place, wait a year, then 'remove' them and simply pop the trees into the holes and backfill, presumably with some good soil or compost. What you will have done is create a sump or well for water to collect in, because the surrounding soil hasn't been disturbed or dug for a year and is now pretty solid and impervious, therefore, any rain will soak into the hole where the tree is because the soil there is much less impervious - water will take the easiest route, so that's where it'll end up. Unless you live somewhere that's very dry most of the year, this won't be healthy for the tree roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With heavy clay soil, it's important to dig over an area at least 3 (preferably more) times larger than the rootball of the tree you're planting, to try to lessen this effect, a week or so prior to planting, and any emendments you make to the soil should be over that whole area, not just packed in round the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-05T10:39:07.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28629" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-05T20:07:14.373" Score="2" ViewCount="3658" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this Peace Lily which recently got this black spots on its flower, and also some leaves are becoming yellow. Do you guys have any idea of what may be happening? I water it regularly and the temperature here stays between 18-28 Celsius (64F-82F). I leave it indoors in my bedroom and I let it next o the window in the morning to get some light, and then I take it back to a shady area. There is a chemical industry near my house, not sure if this is related to it somehow. Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3sS0Y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3sS0Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aaZtC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aaZtC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15539" LastActivityDate="2016-08-05T22:00:05.197" Title="Peace Lily - Black spots on flower" Tags="&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28630" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28629" CreationDate="2016-08-05T20:38:11.293" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spathiphyllum (peace lily) does not appreciate direct sunlight, even through a window - keep it in a sunless but reasonably well lit (by daylight) spot - the black edges and blackened area on the white spathe are likely a result of sunlight exposure. However,in the first picture, that looks like a dusty black deposit, possibly of fungal origin - does it brush off? Check the rest of the plant, especially near the base, for signs of fungal growth - if everything's okay, it might just be the spathe/flower starting to fade, coupled with sun exposure (if it gets sun through that window).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-05T22:00:05.197" LastActivityDate="2016-08-05T22:00:05.197" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28631" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-05T20:48:26.913" Score="3" ViewCount="1243" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased four Yoshino Cherry Tree saplings. I want to know the best way to ensure their growth success in my region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am located in midwestern Indiana &lt;em&gt;(hardiness Zone 5a)&lt;/em&gt;. I've read that I need to place them in an area with plenty of direct, unobstructed sunlight. It is also recommended to have them in a well drained, relatively acidic portion of my property. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aside from watering regular over the course of the first year, what other best practices should I perform to ensure the trees are well taken care of during the early stages of soil prep, planting, wintering, etc.?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15540" LastEditorUserId="15540" LastEditDate="2016-08-05T21:52:12.873" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T00:04:13.810" Title="How to plant a Yoshino Cherry Tree successfully?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28632" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-05T21:04:05.660" Score="3" ViewCount="2080" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large evergreen tree which has English ivy growing up it all around. The ivy is just on the trunk and goes about 3/4 the way up. It does not seem to interfere with the tree, but the larger vines are deeply embedded in the bark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read conflicting accounts of whether ivy is harmful to trees. Some writers say it does no harm, but others say it is a threat to the tree and should be removed. Who should I believe?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" LastActivityDate="2019-09-11T09:26:14.160" Title="Does English Ivy harm a tree?" Tags="&lt;english-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28632" CreationDate="2016-08-05T21:26:53.133" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well you're right, there are mixed opinions about letting ivy grow up trees - I incline to the view (from experience) that it shouldn't be allowed to do so. Depending on the variety of ivy (so called English ivy covers a lot of varieties), and variety of tree, the likelihood is it will end up in the crown of the tree, blocking sunlight and air to the foliage and branches. Eventually, when you look at the tree, all you'll see is what looks like an ivy tree, with little sign of the tree beneath. The ivy roots into the bark only to climb upwards, it doesn't take nutrients from the tree via that route, though it certainly competes for both water and nutrients with the tree roots. Some gardeners believe Ivy only grows up trees which are already partially 'unwell', so to speak, usually because the tree often falls in later years - the likelihood is the weight and density of the ivy has completely smothered the tree and caused or hastened its demise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will by now be well rooted into the bark of the tree, so if you decide to remove it, just cut the woody and green stems at the base of the tree, but don't attempt to pull the growths off if there are a lot, there's a risk they may remove the bark if you do. The growths will shrivel over time and all the leaves will drop off. The stems may remain for some time, but should eventually start to disintegrate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-05T21:56:29.443" LastActivityDate="2016-08-05T21:56:29.443" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28634" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28704" CreationDate="2016-08-05T22:50:22.540" Score="2" ViewCount="25" Body="&lt;p&gt;How often should they be watered?  How much? Any parts that need cutting off? I have one potted plant which is pretty grown. And has pink flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15541" LastActivityDate="2016-08-09T07:15:17.413" Title="A good way to take care of Pelargonium" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28635" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28631" CreationDate="2016-08-06T00:04:13.810" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Be nice to see a picture of the trees and their new environment.  Are these trees bare root or balled and burlapped?  If bare root, light staking will be necessary.  If balled and burlapped with little canopy do not stake.  Do not plant too deeply.  Only the top of the rootball should be under the soil.  The entire trunk has to be kept free of soil, mulch, rock...so make sure when you dig that hole you do not dig deeper than the depth of the rootball otherwise the rootball and tree will sink and if that trunk is covered by soil anything that will hold moisture against the bark, you'll eventually lose your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig your hole, do NOT mess with any soil amendments!  This tree has to thrive in the native soil.  Are you planting on level ground or on a slope?  Tree wells and/or perforated PVC pipe will vastly help with getting water to the roots.  Fertilizer is just not necessary this year unless...welp, just send more information.  Mychorrhizae is a cool thing to add for any plant being transplanted!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send pictures of the tree's branching, perhaps we can help do the initial pruning for health as nurseries tend to promote crazy branching.  And water WELL.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, and place the root ball in your hole, then rotate to best view, stand it up straight and get that burlap off.  Any wire baskets are fine to leave in place but that burlap and ALL TIES ALL LABELS need to be cut off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try not to stake, your tree will grow and mature faster and provide its own support far more quickly.  Did you ever break a bone and get a cast?  Remember what happened to your limb after the cast was removed?  Trees NEED MOVEMENT to grow bigger, stronger root systems, more stout trunks.  Staking in my experience is just not necessary in most cases.  Trust me...?  Grins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T00:04:13.810" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28636" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27604" CreationDate="2016-08-06T00:45:57.673" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Completely normal, sweetie!! The colors change as they ripen into the dark reds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T00:45:57.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28637" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27567" CreationDate="2016-08-06T01:00:57.643" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This was my initial thought, Pearly Everlasting.  One of the best white flowers to dry and use in dried flower arrangements.  All I could remember was pearly and anaph...it just came to me as I do know this plant.  Another picture or two would be necessary to ID but I am so excited that I finally remembered the name I am sending it as an answer. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/?ion=1&amp;amp;espv=2#q=pearly%20everlasting%20(anaphalis%20margaritacea)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Anaphalis margaritacea&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T01:00:57.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28638" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28729" CreationDate="2016-08-06T02:12:01.103" Score="3" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;These nice yellow flowers were holding themselves quite well, then at one particularly heavy rainfall most of them fell down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MfCgk.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MfCgk.png&quot; alt=&quot;yellow flowers stooping&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I pulled them up with a cord. Am I doing this right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jb51a.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jb51a.png&quot; alt=&quot;yellow flowers pulled up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are rather tall (&gt; 6ft) for the slender stem they have. Could something in this environment be making them grow this tall against their nature?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15099" LastActivityDate="2016-08-10T23:48:30.050" Title="Tall-flower support" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28639" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-06T03:09:01.667" Score="2" ViewCount="214" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to grow mint, and lettuce in the window sill, and was wondering if just epsom salt with water is enough to keep the &quot;clippings&quot; alive for giving a crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T13:21:54.243" Title="Is epsom salt dissolved in water enough to keep most plants alive?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28639" CreationDate="2016-08-06T06:08:23.437" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have good soil, possibly it is enough for a year. According wikipedia epsom salt (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_sulfatee&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Magnesium sulfate&lt;/a&gt;) is &lt;em&gt;MgSO4·7H2O&lt;/em&gt; so it will give only few substances to the plants. On the wikipedia article is also described that epsom salt could be used as fertiliser in case of deficit in magnesium or sulfur.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the epsom salt lacks a lot of other important nutrients: see &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_nutrition&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plant nutrition (Wikipedia)&lt;/a&gt;. The most important components are N, P and K, but also other minerals are essential (but on very small doses).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I expect lettuce to have high requirements on fertilisers. Mints growths on poor soils, so it has less requirements, but for the flavours, it still needs minerals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-12-05T13:21:54.243" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T13:21:54.243" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28641" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28632" CreationDate="2016-08-06T07:28:28.700" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am visiting England at the moment and see large deciduous and conifer trees with English Ivy on them that appear quite healthy. Trees and other organisms &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2015/05/20/4236600.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;can live together&lt;/a&gt; in combinations of symbiosis or commensalism that are a community where all plants benefit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=192&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; indicates that where ivy is native it only harms trees that are already in decline.  For many other occurrences it provides nectar for butterflies and shelter for animals.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are managing the area for the overall health then you should leave the ivy on.  If it starts going to the top and covering leaf bearing branches then some pruning is in order. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T07:28:28.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28642" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-06T08:32:34.207" Score="2" ViewCount="748" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this date palm tree for a little over a year now and the leaves have started to turn yellow with some of the bottom leaves dying out, is there any way to rejuvenate the plant, should I cut away the dead leaves at the bottom? Also, am I ok keeping it in a patio plant pot, as I'd rather not plant in the ground as I don't really have space in the garden? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZU729.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZU729.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;date palm tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N15Sj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N15Sj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves at bottom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13777" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T18:54:03.777" Title="How do I rejuvenate my Date Palm Tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28643" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28646" CreationDate="2016-08-06T11:12:04.373" Score="4" ViewCount="12436" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hIhUU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hIhUU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fw6pa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fw6pa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wa5pg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wa5pg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And more importantly, how do I take care of this plant? This is a succulent plant, so it needs less water, right or wrong? On one site it says that I need to water it every time the top soil gets dry. I am confused as to how to take care of this plant. How do I take care of it and why the leaves are short.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-06T16:28:18.077" LastActivityDate="2019-03-09T03:01:31.990" Title="Why does this Jade plant have small leaves when compared to other Jade plants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28644" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28645" CreationDate="2016-08-06T11:16:24.653" Score="2" ViewCount="510" Body="&lt;p&gt;Should I get a small, medium, or large for this Jade plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EMud6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EMud6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TZUDa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TZUDa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant looks big, but I am not sure what size of pot to get for this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T12:13:41.003" Title="Pot size recommendation for this Jade plant" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28645" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28644" CreationDate="2016-08-06T12:13:41.003" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need a pot a couple of sizes bigger than the current size of the rootball, so you've got an inch or so of potting soil in the pot surrounding and beneath the rootball, not more than that. Over time as it gets larger and fills the pot, you'll need a bigger one, applying the same rule about size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T12:13:41.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28646" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28643" CreationDate="2016-08-06T12:37:19.843" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Jade plant is actually Crassula, usually Crassula ovata, but there are other varieties such as Crassula rupestris; even with Crassula ovata, there are varieties with slightly smaller leaves, variegated leaves and so on, so its possible you have a slightly different variety from the basic Crassula ovata. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the photo supplied with your other question on this plant regarding pot size, its also possible the plant is etiolated and has not had sufficient nutrients or the right conditions for the leaves to have achieved their proper size, so I'm not sure which of these is correct - its being a sub variety or just not kept in optimum conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of watering, these plants are prone to fungal diseases if kept too wet, but they still need water, particularly in summer, so they need good, free draining soil in a pot with good drainage. Water when the surface of the soil feels dry to the touch, water well, allow to drain freely, and water again only when the soil feels just dry to the touch. They need bright daylight but be careful about sunlight - if they're used to it already, they do very well in sun, but one that's grown without sun may burn when first exposed. More information regarding watering and general care here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thegardenhelper.com/crassulaargentea.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.thegardenhelper.com/crassulaargentea.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know the link refers to Crassula argentea, but that's just an alternative name for Crassula ovata, they're the same plant. Note that, although there is a recommendation for fertilizing regularly during the summer months, the plant will cope just fine with less feeding than is suggested. Recommendations regarding fertilizing are based on optimum rather than 'average' care. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-06T14:37:39.003" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T14:37:39.003" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28648" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-06T14:33:06.217" Score="3" ViewCount="791" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_nigra&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;water oak tree&lt;/a&gt; in my yard, which is a member of the red oak family. There seems to be some sort of insect burrowing holes into the tree at the darkest spot. Tannins are being washed down the bark from the wound--possibly rotting the bark. What sort of insect does this? There was no previous wound as far as I know. I just noticed it for the first time today. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in South Carolina. I've seen things that look like this in the region but never anywhere near my property. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MLGqX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MLGqX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have done some research into red oak boring insects. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.treehelp.com/about-tree-insects/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.treehelp.com/about-tree-insects/&lt;/a&gt;----Reccomends injecting, spraying,  and soil soaking with various insecticides. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/pests-red-oak-trees-42540.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/pests-red-oak-trees-42540.html&lt;/a&gt;---Recommend covering the tree in clear plastic sheeting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/treat-borers-oaks-68687.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Oak Borers&lt;/a&gt;---Recommends Imidacloprid insecticide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" LastEditorUserId="59" LastEditDate="2016-08-07T13:40:57.770" LastActivityDate="2016-08-07T13:40:57.770" Title="What is causing the open hole and damage to this oak tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;damage&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28649" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-06T14:44:35.100" Score="1" ViewCount="514" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was told to water everyday in summer time. I live in Las Vegas and we have had a heat wave for a week with temps over 110 &amp;deg;F. I watered each day and the 6 vines all are losing their leaves and seem to be dying. I think I may have watered too much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long should I wait to water again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15545" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-06T16:25:07.920" LastActivityDate="2020-09-14T06:24:17.013" Title="How long should I wait before watering my Cat's Claw vines in high heat?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28652" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28648" CreationDate="2016-08-06T18:04:59.567" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The symptoms shown in your photograph indicate bleeding canker - what I'm not sure of is whether Sudden Oak Death is an issue in your area, so far as I can tell, its a major problem in California but not where you are (yet). Sudden Oak Death is caused by infection with Phytophthera ramorum, but I'd expect some symptoms on the foliage too with that particular cause, so maybe die back of leaves or branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bleeding cankers have various causes; it sometimes sets in after damage to the tree, and once it starts bleeding like this, there's usually some bacterial and/or fungal contributory factor. Regular  monitoring of the tree is a good idea so that if it gets to the point where it's in danger of falling, you're aware before it happens. It may be that the heartwood of the tree is infected and this has caused erosion in the cambium layers and a hole has opened up. You probably should call an Arborist to inspect the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-06T20:19:30.650" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T20:19:30.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16338" CreationDate="2016-08-06T18:26:47.133" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you eat cantaloupe or muskmelon at your house? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WRiQw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WRiQw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;muskmelon aka cantaloupe&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few years ago I used some compost in my flower garden and surprise! I had a plant similar to yours growing amongst my marigolds. I let it keep growing, very sure it wasn't a weed. Like others have mentioned I thought it was a squash or cucumbers.  It ended up being a muskmelon. We eat it for breakfast a lot and so some seeds had ended up in the compost, then my garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately they require quite a long time to grow (80-90 days above 70 degrees F or something like that) so I never got to eat one of them. (I live in New England, so I would have had to start them much sooner and kept them warm)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let it grow and see what you've got. If it is a muskmelon, and you're in a more friendly zone for melons than I, pinch off all but one or two fruits so they are nice and sweet, and keep them on pea gravel or elevate them off the ground some other way so they don't rot on the soil. Once they start to ripen (you will see the flesh beneath the web-like texture start to turn orange) only water enough to prevent wilting, to further increase the  sweetness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14448" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T18:26:47.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28642" CreationDate="2016-08-06T18:39:52.573" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;By the look of the moss and lichen surrounding the base of the plant, which isn't present towards the outer edges, that's what I thought might have happened - it was in a smaller pot over winter, presumably.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Phoenix canariensis (which is what this plant is) isn't technically hardy outdoors in the UK - with mild winters, a sheltered position, a warmer part of the country and some winter protection, they may live outdoors for a while, but they generally look like yours does at the end of it, with browning or dead leaves. What I can't tell from the photos is whether there's been any new growth this year, from the centre at the top, its not visible in the photos if there is new growth - if the central growth point is dead, then your palm will die, I'm afraid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there is growth, then trim off the lower, damaged leaves, the two which are completely dead and brown, but leave the rest in place for the time being, though you can trim off the dead parts on the others near the top. Pull off the moss and lichen that's visible at the base - you may need to top up with a little compost to keep the roots covered afterwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With regard to pot size, so long as the pot its now in had sufficient room for there to be a good inch of extra potting compost all round the rootball, including beneath, it doesn't yet need a new pot - but will next year in spring, if it survives. I'm assuming there is a drainage hole in the base of your pot, and that it's not blocked, enabling water to drain away freely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plant dies and you would still like a potted palm, the hardy one here is Trachycarpus fortunei.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-06T18:54:03.777" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T18:54:03.777" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28655" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28663" CreationDate="2016-08-06T19:02:42.957" Score="3" ViewCount="3908" Body="&lt;p&gt;I stuck a bunch of avocado seeds into some mud, and surprise, they sprouted and seem to be doing quite well!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I need to move them to separate pots, however. Is there a general rule for doing this? Number of leaves? Plant height? There are some that are struggling (the two near the bottom of the pic), so I'll probably leave them alone for the time being.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MgAJy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MgAJy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Avocado saplings&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15549" LastActivityDate="2020-01-20T10:19:28.627" Title="When should I repot my avocados?" Tags="&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28656" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-06T20:23:29.587" Score="7" ViewCount="2444" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aaYIw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aaYIw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cucumbers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The top and light green cucumber is the one in question. I thought it was fitting to use a cherry tomato for scale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything wrong with letting a cucumber grow that large? Is there a well understood difference in flavor or texture? Any impact to the plant itself (aside from weight)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14280" LastEditorUserId="14280" LastEditDate="2016-08-07T00:40:28.563" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T20:47:25.727" Title="Is there anything wrong with letting cucumbers get large?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28657" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-06T20:35:02.463" Score="2" ViewCount="131" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted peppers from seeds a few months ago, and they have been doing great. Recently I noticed some damage to some of the larger leaves, as well as some curling and yellow areas on them. Any advice on what is going on, or what I can do would be much appreciated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the pictures for larger size.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2YezN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2YezNm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z3Q5T.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z3Q5Tm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jg6Sj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jg6Sjm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RzWPE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RzWPEm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/gallery/fntar&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Image source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15550" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-06T22:30:15.680" LastActivityDate="2016-08-09T16:34:39.067" Title="What do my pepper plants have damaged, curling, and yellow areas on the larger leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28658" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28656" CreationDate="2016-08-06T21:20:30.743" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have heard that letting them get too large makes them sour/bitter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://bonnieplants.com/growing/growing-cucumbers/&quot;&gt;https://bonnieplants.com/growing/growing-cucumbers/&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;They say, &quot;Don’t let the cucumbers get oversized or they will be bitter, and will also keep the vine from producing more.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15550" LastActivityDate="2016-08-06T21:20:30.743" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28659" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28656" CreationDate="2016-08-07T00:36:33.993" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, there isn't. Providing you check them for flavor and make sure they haven't aged too far. At about 2 inches diameter. Larger than that and you'll start noticing flavor change and flesh hardening which is the important indicator that they've gone too far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As long as the skin is soft, there is no flavor change and the flesh is fully moist, you will have a nice thin-slice cucumber for meal serving. We use a potato peeler to remove the skin, a sharp knife to cut them into 1/8-1/4 slices and either stack them on a plate or drop them in a bowl with a very light vinegar bath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2197" LastActivityDate="2016-08-07T00:36:33.993" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28660" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-07T01:32:16.237" Score="1" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would hope this is not off topic. But my question is very simple. When I cut grass around my yard I have some grass that is growing faster than the rest. But the only grass that is growing faster than the rest is the stuff that I did with the weed wacker. the rest done with the mower is not growing as fast. My best guess is that one does a better cut on the grass than the other. But if anybody could explain this that would be great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: I use a mix of a riding lawn mower a a push mower. Both set to about 3&quot; in height. The blades are slightly dull on the rider and the push mower itself is new. I usually never water my grass, I let the rain do that for me. I do not use any fertilizer. I am not sure about what types of grass I have. Some areas have grass that grows thing but thick, and others that grow pretty big but few blades per plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use the weed wacker around fence, the mail box, under my big trailers, around the house etc. I use .065&quot; 5-point star twisted line but will be going to .08&quot; twisted square once the other stuff is gone. The weed wacker is not the most powerful but is loved by the owner :). It could use a cord, or battery. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="14214" LastEditDate="2016-08-07T16:35:52.643" LastActivityDate="2016-08-07T16:35:52.643" Title="speed of how fast my grass is growing" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28661" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28686" CreationDate="2016-08-07T02:33:01.880" Score="4" ViewCount="6490" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently I bought a snake plant which I immediately re-potted to a slightly larger container. Shortly after brown liquid spots started appearing on the leaves as shown. What might be an issue and how to treat it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wh0P5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wh0P5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h724o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h724o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3IJK7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3IJK7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rVlnb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rVlnb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15082" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T16:25:27.693" Title="What is an issue with Mother-in-Law's Tongue/ Snake Plant leaves getting dried up?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28662" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22884" CreationDate="2016-08-07T05:14:55.117" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am working on several mulberry white and black when one plant I collected the parent plant over 30 years old had several stalks rooted and had leaves that were attached to the main stump I quickly cut them away and planted them now the are fruit bearing mini trees like a tiny orchard ..very happy I collected my own specimen..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15553" LastActivityDate="2016-08-07T05:14:55.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28663" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28655" CreationDate="2016-08-07T07:00:44.687" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Avocados are trees, growing up to 65 feet (19.8 m) tall. As houseplants they do not branch out readily and require full sun.  Most often they end up looking thin and spindly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.crfg.org/tidbits/AvocadoFromSeed.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;They take ten years&lt;/a&gt; before they fruit outdoors and because hybrids are grown you are not guaranteed that any fruit will be like what you planted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All your seedlings should  be gently separated immediately and planted in an indoor plant soil that has more drainage than the mix you currently use. A pot with drainage is essential for success. You may be able to find a pot that is for trees which is deeper than the usual ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/avocado&quot;&gt;these questions&lt;/a&gt; for more information on avocados which are a popular topic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-08-07T07:46:26.367" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28664" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-07T08:11:47.647" Score="1" ViewCount="161" Body="&lt;p&gt;I air layered this ficus. I think it is a microcarpa. Its an s-type they sell in nurseries. I am using it to make lots of smaller trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The image shows the roots that have developed.&#xA;I would like to know if this is ready to be cut and potted or shall I leave it for longer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6vjDV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6vjDV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0B56Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0B56Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15103" LastEditorUserId="15103" LastEditDate="2016-08-07T10:52:16.643" LastActivityDate="2016-08-20T10:59:17.187" Title="Are these Ficus air layered roots ready to plant" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;&lt;air-layer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28665" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-07T09:12:08.937" Score="3" ViewCount="121" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live in desert climate. The lawn was neglected for a long time and is not completely dry grass. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have never done garden work. What do I need to do and how long can I expect until my kids can run bare foot on the grass?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15555" LastActivityDate="2017-11-09T06:52:12.450" Title="How to revive the grass of a small garden that is completely beige dry grass?" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28666" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-07T10:47:23.850" Score="2" ViewCount="49" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for the potted plant that has the highest survival rate when planted outside on a balcony, in a small trough pot in &lt;em&gt;direct sunlight&lt;/em&gt;, supplied only with rainwater, without any regular human care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally it should also have &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;any color different from dried-up brown for a significant part of the spring/summer season and &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;either survive snow and temperatures slightly below zero during winter or automatically reseed itself in the spring.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;be strong enough to not be pushed aside or supplanted by other weeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In other words, what I am looking for is an organic plant that closely resembles astroturf or a plastic flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which plant would work the best in this setting? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The climate would be European continental with temperatures between about -3°c and 23°c. The pots/troughs would be long but narrow: 15cm * 15cm * 1m or 6in * 6in * 40in (they are permanently mounted to the outer wall of the balcony)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My current survival-of-the-fittest experiment show &lt;strong&gt;clover&lt;/strong&gt; to be a strong contender. However I do not know what sort of clover it is, just that it comes back each year and stays green for quite a long time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any other contenders? Is there a particular sort of clover that is specifically suited for this? Perhaps some form of cactus that can survive a few snow days? Some sort of sunlight-resistant moss? A nice-looking lichen?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15556" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-08-07T17:38:34.837" LastActivityDate="2016-08-07T17:38:34.837" Title="What potted outdoor plant most resembles astroturf in terms of required care" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28667" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28664" CreationDate="2016-08-07T11:22:30.197" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure is the answer - air layering is usually done on smaller branches with green leaves present, not on a large and woody main trunk. Ficus bleed profusely when cut, so bleeding from such a large area (once cut below the new roots) may be so excessive the plant doesn't cope, and that applies to both halves. I'm also pretty sure that the new roots formed (even if there were twice as many) will not be enough to support such a large amount of trunk and topgrowth once severed. It would have been better to air layer one or two of the upper branches instead, quite honestly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Info here about the method and choice of growth to air layer&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=405&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=405&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-07T11:22:30.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28668" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28666" CreationDate="2016-08-07T11:30:30.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Highly restricted range, I'm afraid - even air plants need misting regularly when they are not in humid environments, plus they won't survive low temperatures. Some cacti varieties might work, but will need watering occasionally and need to be under cover in winter; if your balcony has a roof, that might suffice, see here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organicauthority.com/cactus-varieties-for-cold-weather-climates/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.organicauthority.com/cactus-varieties-for-cold-weather-climates/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are drawbacks with most cacti though, which are that many varieties have sharp spines, and that's not ideal in a small area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sempervivum varieties,commonly known as houseleeks, might survive quite well, but will need watering until they've grown on a bit, after that, they may be fine being completely ignored, but do better in trough like (shallow but wider) containers than individual pots over time, see here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/plant-inspiration/growing-sempervivums/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/plant-inspiration/growing-sempervivums/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a small pot, relying on rain to keep the plant watered, no matter how regular that rain is, won't work well because unless its a large pot and a small plant, rain will not enter the pot. Any small amount which might won't be sufficient for most plants either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't like the idea of cacti or sempervivum, I'm afraid you'd be better off choosing a very good fake plant, which needs absolutely no care at all other than occasional dusting/cleaning - but in sunlight, it'll fade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-07T11:55:09.393" LastActivityDate="2016-08-07T11:55:09.393" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28669" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28734" CreationDate="2016-08-07T11:30:30.627" Score="4" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone recommend blueberry varieties for flavor, and also which ones to avoid. I don't like the bland mushy ones that seem to be standard in supermarkets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also how do I clone blueberry bushes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14407" LastActivityDate="2016-08-11T13:56:29.733" Title="Best flavoured blueberry varieties" Tags="&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28670" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30238" CreationDate="2016-08-07T13:25:20.323" Score="2" ViewCount="9814" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whenever I water my Dracena Reflexa(song of India, Song of Jamaica), pale yellow water runs out of the drainage hole. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this normal or something wrong with the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2018-07-28T17:13:29.733" Title="Why the water drained by my pot is yellow?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28671" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-07T14:39:15.287" Score="4" ViewCount="264" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Northern Arizona and globe willows do really well around here. However, I am having the opposite problem. Mine has went into shock twice this year. The first time I trimmed the dead branches back to the healthy ones. Now its in shock again (If I have my diagnosis right) and looks like the whole tree is almost dead besides some fresh growth. Any ideas how to stop this and get this tree back to healthy?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jSAJF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jSAJF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15557" LastActivityDate="2016-08-07T14:39:15.287" Title="Globe Willow keeps going into shock" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28673" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-07T18:03:15.413" Score="7" ViewCount="152" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live on an arid island and it's summer - meaning that most every plant that isn't irrigated or a succulent is dead or dying.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I walked through a disused quarry today and amid all the desert there was a  magnificent, huge bush brimming with life!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is extremely unlikely that someone is watering it, and it's located on a hillside so there doesn't seem to be any natural irrigation (other than the morning dew). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to propagate this plant and grow it where I live. We are at risk of flash floods and urgently need to stabilize the soil around the property. This bush looks like it could help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help me tell what kind it is - and in a next step perhaps, how to propagate it? (Although I might be able to find that out on the Internet as soon as I know the genus.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to all be coming from one stem, if that helps. It's not like a fig that grows loads of saplings underneath if you let it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FS5P3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FS5P3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6qrZK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6qrZK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastActivityDate="2016-08-09T17:54:50.617" Title="What is this extremely drought-tolerant bush with yellow flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28674" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28675" CreationDate="2016-08-07T18:55:21.060" Score="5" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;We planted several Mexian sages (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/mexican-bush-sage-salvia-leucantha&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Salvia leucantha&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) 3-4 weeks ago. They had taken very well to our hot, dry weather (&lt;a href=&quot;http://sacramento.about.com/od/communitiesneighborhoods/a/Usda-Plant-Zone-For-Sacramento.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sacramento, California - Zone 9&lt;/a&gt;) and being watered on a drip system. Here's a picture of one of them to show their former size/condition:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mzfij.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mzfijm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, this morning my 3 year-old son decided to stomp the ever-living daylights out of several of these, breaking off all or nearly all of the stems. Here are two pictures of stomped plants, with breakage locations and surviving shoots circled:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/At4xS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/At4xSm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Thh9g.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Thh9gm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the stomped plants have no surviving shoots; all that remains above ground is about two inches of woody growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I give up on these and replace them with new plants, or is there a chance they'll survive and recover? If they could recover, how long should I wait and what signs should I look for?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13833" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-05-22T10:29:25.697" LastActivityDate="2018-05-22T10:29:25.697" Title="Can a Mexican sage survive losing all its stems?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="28675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28674" CreationDate="2016-08-07T19:04:18.890" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;These things happen (in my case, my cats get excited and &quot;boticidal&quot;). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They just might survive. I would leave any leaves that are still on the plants there, protect them from any further damage, water them just to give them one less thing to worry about, and wait. If they already are in partial shade, that is great. If possible, you could give them some shade using cardboard/umbrellas and that might reduce some stress. The weather has been average to mild in No. Cal and if things stay that way, there is hope for sure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would not however add fertilizer or plant food at this point, as it would just be toxic. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wait for up to two weeks, and if by then all leaves are dead and absolutely no new shoots are visible, you could give up. Even then, you could pull them by the roots, add some dirt and give them water and shade and see. Plants, especially ones like the sages can be quite resilient. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-07T19:04:18.890" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28676" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-07T19:59:25.833" Score="3" ViewCount="135" Body="&lt;p&gt;The bottom leaves of my sunchokes are beginning to die in tall grass, and a reddish color (with a small bubble that looks like a boil from the long stems that come out) is going up the main stem on one of the plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does that mean I should dig them up, cut back on the water, or something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;finally was able to get some images of it from someone:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9kRKh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9kRKh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sunchoke red stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QvobZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QvobZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sunchoke red stem 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-19T04:33:06.200" LastActivityDate="2016-08-19T04:33:06.200" Title="What causes the stems of sunchokes to turn red and lower leaves to die?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;sunchoke&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28677" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-07T20:46:29.740" Score="5" ViewCount="164" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several self seeded oak sprouts under our pine trees. I know they can't stay there at the roots of the large pines. But want to see if the tree sprouts will grow we have 2 1/2 acres &amp;amp; would love more large trees to grow. Can I transplant to better location? When would I do this during the year? I am in Indiana, How do I protect from winter? Do I transplant before winter? Leave them there for winter &amp;amp; transplant in spring? How do I save these tree sprouts in a better location? some only have few leaves at about 6&quot; tall. One has many leaves at about 8&quot; tall. Do I need to keep them there til they are a certain size? Or better to move them as soon as possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15560" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T14:53:02.677" Title="Self seeded oak sprouts, want to safely relocate to see if they will take" Tags="&lt;oak&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28678" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28679" CreationDate="2016-08-07T21:01:16.583" Score="6" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wish to start a hot compost pile. I have access to a huge supply of free brown material (wood chips from the city).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am looking for a source of green material and someone has offered me a trash can full of dead browned Hemerocallis (day lillies) leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this green or brown compost material?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Garden waste is supposed to be green material but then again tree leaves are supposed to be brown. This Hemerocallis foliage is brownish leaves but it is garden waste so I'm confused as to what type it is... It seems to fit in both categories.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T08:15:23.817" Title="Is dead Hemerocallis folliage brown or green composting material?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28679" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28678" CreationDate="2016-08-07T22:10:59.090" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the leaves are completely brown,they now count as browns. 'Browns and greens' is a simple way of talking about C:N ratio, which means carbon to nitrogen - there's plenty of nitrogen in green leaves, but once they're brown, the nitrogen has gone and what's left counts as carbon, so you'd be better off not taking the hemerocallis leaves and seeking out greens instead, meaning green foliage, vegetable and fruit scraps, some weeds (without seeds and not pernicious weeds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-07T22:59:30.100" LastActivityDate="2016-08-07T22:59:30.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28680" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28677" CreationDate="2016-08-07T23:29:50.293" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dig your little trees up trying to not disturb their roots as much as possible.  Transplant into pots with POTTING SOIL.  Water when dry, no standing water, very little fertilizer or very dilute, plenty of light and allow them to adjust to the potted temporary homes at least until next spring.  In the spring you'll have to &quot;harden&quot; these baby trees before transplanting by allowing them to be in sunlight and weather a few hours and a little more each day.  Then transplant them to the location you'd like.  Make sure they are not planted with lots of weeds/grasses surrounding them.  Plant in holes the depth of their root ball with no amendments!  Plant the entire plant and soil from pot in the new hole and hope for the best.  Next year, go ahead and add fertilizer. (make sure that the trunk of this little tree is NOT buried or covered by soil, mulch...do not dig that hole any deeper than the depth of the root ball or your tree will sink and the trunk will be compromised by moisture held to the trunk by soil, mulch, rocks whatever).  Make a tree well or dammed circle around the initial roots  to allow water to sink into the soil below the clay surface soils. Remember that most roots are within 6&quot; of the surface, roots for collecting water and chemicals necessary for your tree.  Watering below that is unnecessary unless you are planting a Large Ball and Burlap tree on a slope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not stake!!  One thing you could do is to add Mycorrhizae fungal spores.  You can purchase in any decent garden store, nursery or better yet a cannabis store.  This will vastly help your tree's survival chances.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile get a soil test from your closest cooperative extension service...a common service provided by the larger Universities.  Watering regularly (do not drown or water until the soils are semi-dry) is critical.  You won't be able to plant and forget...The soil tests will tell you what is lacking in the soils that you should replace.  MORE IS NOT BETTER AT ALL.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any details we should know about to personalize this further?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-07T23:29:50.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28681" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28673" CreationDate="2016-08-07T23:41:31.730" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a willow which would be perfect for quick growth, hardiness, low disease/insect problems.  I would go to your nursery that seems to have knowledgeable people, and check for willows in 1 gallon to purchase.  My favorite is Blue Arctic Willow, Salix purpurea 'nana'.  Great shrub for wind breaks, soil retention and can even be pruned to stay small and tight...gorgeous plant.  Even the 'nana' grows to 20-30 feet high and wide.  Dense, gorgeous cinnamon brown flexible stems that look wonderful during the winters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't bother with propagating this shrub, at the nursery they will know the name of this plant and they should have great nursery starts very affordable.  If you are a major gardener of course you can get your own going...it will take a few years to get to a decent size to transplant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-07T23:41:31.730" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28682" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28676" CreationDate="2016-08-08T05:42:12.333" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Harvest when all the leaves have died back and after your first frost as that makes them sweeter. I left mine in the ground until I needed them which was late autumn, but some people leave them in the ground in winter as well. They'll keep better in the ground then out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T05:42:12.333" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28683" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28678" CreationDate="2016-08-08T08:15:23.817" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Take the leaves as mature vegetation or browns for their structural carbon content, but you'll also need greens or immature vegetation for their nitrogen content. Use the wood chips sparingly as they are primarily digested by fungi and not bacteria, and bacteria are responsible for a hot pile. A large amount of wood chips will cool the pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T08:15:23.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28684" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28717" CreationDate="2016-08-08T09:32:52.097" Score="4" ViewCount="771" Body="&lt;p&gt;OK, so I have set up my greenhouse with growbags and an irrigation system, and am having good results with growing several varieties of tomatoes and chilies. I'd prefer to automate the feeding of my plants though, so am considering adding a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tourwin-Irrigation-Venturi-Fertilizer-Injectors/dp/B01FP2T6K2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Venturi injector&lt;/a&gt; onto the main feed lines so that I can add feed directly via the drippers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is mixing Tomorite with every watering a reasonable idea or beyond stupid?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If it is reasonable, how should I adjust the amount of feed? The bottle says 4.5 liters + 20ml of feed per bag, twice a week, but for continuous feeding, I'm assuming I'd need to set the feed amount to some ratio that's much more dilute.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Has anyone done this and had success or problems?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ADDENDUM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I received a reply from the manufacturer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you for your email regarding Levington Tomorite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As yet we have not tested this product with automatic irrigation systems so cannot offer any advice. Continuous feeding can lead to a build up of &amp;quot;salts&amp;quot; in the compost which can harm plants if not flushed through with clean water on a regular basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to be on the safe side, rather than add a weak solution to the drip feeder, I'm going to opt to leave them unfed during my time away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15448" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-08-12T08:39:16.140" Title="Feeding Tomatoes via an irrigation system" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28685" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-08T11:12:27.370" Score="5" ViewCount="1884" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently made a small (approx 7-8 sqm) lawn by laying topsoil and then turf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It took hold nicely however I left it far too long before mowing and now have a problem!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I currently have a manual cylinder mower with is no good for the long grass (it jams and tears at the grass) and a strimmer which is also no good, I intended to cut it short enough to use the mower with this but it just flattens the grass (like crop circles) and does not cut it well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the grass has grown long, when short it does not look nice - yellowish and a bit sparse in places with small bare muddy areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to fix this?&#xA;I assume I can borrow a powered mower to get the grass short, then sprinkle seed to fix the worst of the bare patches, then just wait and it will fix itself as it is still fairly new (couple of months) good quality turf.&#xA;Is that correct?  Is there more to it?  Does the type of mower matter?  I was thinking a small hover mower would be the easiest in my small awkward garden but not sure if that's best for the grass or if it matters at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15564" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T21:30:46.337" Title="New turf left to grow too long - how best to fix?" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28661" CreationDate="2016-08-08T12:19:51.860" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those corky looking areas are damage caused by something, could be infection, infestation or physical damage - if the liquid spots have stopped appearing, that's good, it may be the plant had a problem when you bought it that only showed itself once you got it home. I would cut or remove at the base all damaged leaves (in case it's infection), then see how it goes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-08T16:25:27.693" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T16:25:27.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28685" CreationDate="2016-08-08T12:55:20.240" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hover mowers are fine and also good at dealing with long or wet grass, but, and it's a big but, if the grass is as long as you say, you may burn the motor out, so you need to do it stages, on the highest setting, a little bit at a time, without a grass box in place. The usual procedure in these circumstances instead of just mowing is to hack back the length of grass with hand shears, rake that off, then run the mower over. Don't cut it too short at this stage either - I don't know where you are in the world, but I'm hazarding a guess you're in Europe or the UK from the terminology you're using. If you're not then what I say in the next sentence or two might not be appropriate! Leave it a week or two to see how it looks, whether the yellowness and soggy areas recover or not before deciding on remedial action. Reseeding of bald areas is best done in September anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other difference with hover mowers is you won't get stripes on your lawn, and it's said they don't make a clean cut on individual blades of grass - in my experience, if they're 'chewing' the grass, the blade's not sharp enough. If it makes any difference, I've used hover mowers exclusively for the last 30 years because they're light, easy to carry, easy to manouevre in difficult spaces and will deal with long grass, damp grass and grass on slopes much more efficiently than a cylinder mower. They also don't leave behind those longer, stiffer flowering stems when the grass has been left too long - cylinders just don't touch those, whereas a rotary or hover cut through just as they do the rest of the lawn. Whilst I wouldn't recommend hover mowers for, say, bowling greens, luxury turf or obsessive lawn fanatics, I don't think they can be beaten for the average home lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-08T13:14:49.893" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T13:14:49.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28688" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28677" CreationDate="2016-08-08T14:53:02.677" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Self-seeded (or squirrel-seeded) oaks are pretty tough.  Unless you're maximising yield for a commercial operation you can be quite rough with them.  I loosen the soil and pull them up rather than digging, so as not to damage the roots of my fruit trees/bushes (but the top few inches of my soil are mostly composted plant matter mixed with light topsoil).  Maybe 1 in 10 don't come up cleanly this way if I get them while they're only a few inches high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then I chuck them in whatever soil/compost I have lying around (probably last year's potting compost) in whatever pots I have spare, in an out-of-the-way corner of the garden.  In pots they do need watering, but can survive drying out for a few days at a time. No saucers so they don't flood.  Maybe I lose another 1 in 10 (probably to squirrels) at this stage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd keep them in pots for another couple of years (assuming enough space and enough decent-sized pots).  My winters are warmer than yours but I put the pots in the otherwise-empty greenhouse (those squirrels again).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T14:53:02.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28689" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28669" CreationDate="2016-08-08T15:00:37.823" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in the UK as well.  I have three blueberries in pots, one of each of Earliblue, Duke, and Dixie.  All have more flavour than supermarket blueberries, though of the three, Earliblue aren't the best.  By having three varieties overlapping in time I get a good long season as well as being assured pollination partners (not strictly required but apparently helps).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect that the ones you buy are often picked underripe.  If I pick some underripe berries and ripen them indoors they're always disappointing.  But if you wait too long the birds can get there first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T15:00:37.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28690" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24337" CreationDate="2016-08-08T15:09:42.320" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thank you so much for the Silicone spray.  This worked on the one of three that I found was 'stuck'.  It took less time to fix this at the barn than trying to get the rubber washers in the correct way!  My horse was happy that he could finally have a rinse off without losing pressure.  I have a Nelson brass set that is about 12 years old.  The newer ones I call 'Brasstic', because they are light weight and last about a minute.  I have consistently kept all the old fittings, snaps, screw eyes over the years-some of the brass snaps are 30 years old and still work.  The newer ones do not last very long.  Sometimes it's good to be a bit of a hoarder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15566" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T15:09:42.320" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28691" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28692" CreationDate="2016-08-08T16:34:10.990" Score="5" ViewCount="220" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend found a yellow flower in her garden in the French Alps, at 1000 m altitude, above Evian:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TUlHa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TUlHa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown yellow flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2201" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T18:05:15.170" Title="Alpine flower with yellow blossoms?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;&lt;alpine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28692" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28691" CreationDate="2016-08-08T18:05:15.170" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is Lysimachia punctata, common name Loosestrife, so not exactly a wildflower - it is an herbaceous perennial which is widespread throughout Europe, including the UK, and, if grown in a dampish spot, can be highly invasive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aphotoflora.com/d_lysimachia_punctata_dotted_loosestrife.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.aphotoflora.com/d_lysimachia_punctata_dotted_loosestrife.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T18:05:15.170" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28694" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28685" CreationDate="2016-08-08T21:30:46.337" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you have a 'reel' mower, is that the same as hover mower?  Your line trimmer should have no problems getting the heft out of your lawn, once in a while, your grass will deal with it just fine.  Try to not lop off more than 1/3, if not short enough for your reel mower, wait a week and lop off another 1/3.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I am fairly sure you are doing is allowing your line to be TOO LONG.  Pull both lines up above the middle of your trimmer head, cut them off about 5&quot;.  Then to perfect the length of the lines for the sharpest most accurate cutting with a line trimmer...turn the trimmer upside down and touch the spinning line tips to concrete or a boulder.  You'll hear the rpms go UP and then you will know the lines are perfect to cut grasses, weeds and take care of the motor of your trimmer.  To squash down the grass like crop circles tells me your lines are far too long, tough on the motor of your trimmer and the speed at the end of the lines is so slow they are unable to cut anything.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is your trimmer gas or electric?  Do you have a blower? The only equipment I will use is gas powered.  Gas with NO ethanol.  Proper mix of the best 2 cycle oil you can find.  Keep your filters clean, changed out to keep dirt out of the engine and your trimmer, blower, mowers will last forever.  Electric is just too lame.  sorry. Gas is far more powerful and easier to use.  Get rid of the bump and go head, get a fixed head, proper line and also get rid of the shield so that you are able to see exactly what you are doing.  Always wear safety glasses and be aware of your surroundings...and where you are 'tossing' rocks, debris!  That shield in my opinion is worthless, giving the user the sense they don't have to be aware of the 'tossing'...a single little pebble becomes a bullet, no mistake!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I have to mow too long grass or too wet grass, I use my blower to fruff up the grass, blow moisture and weight off.  I'll do this prior to cutting and after and then a light touch up.  Bag clippings...mulching mowers aren't yet true mulching mowers and there is always a great place to use clippings (compost)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Talk to the lawn equipment service men...they can be your best friends.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;MOW NO SHORTER THAN 3&quot;!!  Unless you are a golf course, a home lawn needs to be 3&quot; (cool season grasses) or you will have weeds, wimpy grasses.  Keep the blades of your mower super super sharp.  Otherwise it will cause ratty ends and a grayish look to your lawn.  Aerate your lawn once per year pulling out plugs and leaving them on your lawn.  Water DEEPLY (4=6&quot;) and allow to dry out before watering again.  When your footprints on the lawn stay down, that is the perfect sign to water again.  Otherwise use a shovel and look at your soil profile.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And mowing once per week is minimum, twice is cool (always at 3&quot; no shorter).  Try not to allow your grass to grow too long, pretty stressful on both you and your lawn.  What are you using for fertilizer?  Believe it or not the expensive organic (extended release inherent) stuff is BEST.  Not the fast, commercial fertilizer by Scott's or Ortho...Try something like Dr. Earth's lawn fertilizer.  I was (as a veteran of lawncare) blown away with the results.  You don't have to use it more than twice maybe 3 times per year versus the absolute must of 4X per year.  Watch the formulation for different seasons!  You should never have to use any other chemicals ever with this methodology...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T21:30:46.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28695" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28684" CreationDate="2016-08-08T21:43:14.883" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I feel it is fine to have an automated system IF you know what you are doing and check virtually everyday what is happening with the plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, anything automated is going to get you in trouble.  Plants do not do well with schedules and charts.  If one can't grow successfully totally manual, automated will be a big bummer.  All plants even the same variety will have different needs.  Unless you are able to group all the plants with the exact same needs and MONITOR closely forget automation!  Check out Shane Smith's Green House growing...he is spectacular in detail.  Another priceless, new book is Jorge Cervantes 'The Cannabis Encyclopedia'...just because it is all about ONE plant (a weed at that) you will learn details and a way to understand how much us humans need to be aware to understand just by SEEING a plant what it needs or what it is getting too much of! And this is where automation becomes more necessary...with Cannabis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no FAST way to garden other than getting the basics down and the use of automated systems, heck, I am NOT at all interested with automation for my very large greenhouse or gardens. Not worth the expense or trouble.  Perhaps if doing huge commercial stuff but...otherwise, a waste of money and increase of distance between you and your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T21:43:14.883" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28696" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27597" CreationDate="2016-08-08T22:04:41.557" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks very much like a &lt;em&gt;Aesculus hippocastanum&lt;/em&gt; , as @stormy said, a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesculus_hippocastanum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Horse Chestnut&lt;/a&gt;. The other, a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_palmatum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Japanese maple tree&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;Acer palmatum&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15571" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T22:04:41.557" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28697" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23517" CreationDate="2016-08-08T22:15:13.767" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;strong&gt;estragon&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;tarragon&lt;/strong&gt;; &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarragon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;artemisia dracunculus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. I cannot comment, therefore I risk it and give it as an answer&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15571" LastActivityDate="2016-08-08T22:15:13.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28699" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-08T23:42:17.977" Score="3" ViewCount="765" Body="&lt;p&gt;I reseeded my lawn in early May with Scotts sun and shade grass seeds and Scotts turf builder starter 24-25-4. I did second feeding with the same fertilizer On July 2nd. The grass was growing nice until this couple of weeks it started to yellow. I am in the pacific northwest and the weather was not that nice this summer. We only have 3 or 4 sunny days. Mostly cloudy days mixed with some sun. There is also water restriction in my area. I water the lawn on Thursday and Sunday with about half an inch each time. Am I watering too much or the grass needs more nitrogen? Should I feed the lawn with Scotts turf builder 30-0-3? Thanks for your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pro2N.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pro2N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dfcma.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dfcma.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6sDQp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6sDQp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sLwv3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sLwv3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Oox4P.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Oox4P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14933" LastEditorUserId="14933" LastEditDate="2016-08-08T23:54:48.103" LastActivityDate="2016-08-09T09:20:31.370" Title="My reseeding lawn is turning yellow" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28700" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-09T03:53:40.917" Score="4" ViewCount="717" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've planted an avocado seed in dirt and it has begun to grow, only there are no leaves: just a skinny tall stalk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea as to why the leaves are not growing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15573" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-09T21:35:25.017" LastActivityDate="2016-10-09T06:56:50.720" Title="Why does my avocado seedling have just a tall stalk with no leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28701" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-09T05:07:13.050" Score="4" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KRepg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KRepg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;What is this?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is growing in a sunny yard in a planter in Northeastern Illinois near the Wisconsin border. It's growing in a planter that should be butterfly-friendly specific. Don't want to yank it if it's beneficial; it's pretty darn healthy!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15574" LastEditorUserId="15574" LastEditDate="2016-08-09T05:15:51.053" LastActivityDate="2016-08-09T08:52:22.307" Title="Is this some version of loosestrife?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-08-09T14:07:32.570" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28702" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28699" CreationDate="2016-08-09T05:35:57.920" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I think I am seeing is too much water.  The next thing I see is grass mowed too short.  Is this part of the lawn in full sun or shade?  How short are you cutting your grass?  It HAS to be 3 inches no less.  You fertilized in May and then July. Too much. Fertilization should be 4 times maximum per year.  Fertilized with a proper formulation for the season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When was the last time you pulled cores from the soil for aeration?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normally, with a 'well trained lawn' 1 inch per week of water is perfect.  But the pictures look like water soaked grass and soil. (how did you test for amount of water per session)?  There seems to be only one species of grass thriving (sort of) and the rest of the grass species have died out (water, shade, fertilizing grasses that are in the shade and mowing too short or a combination could easily stress lawn grass species).  Should not be able to see any soil when looking at your lawn.  That means your lawn is wide open to entertain weeds and moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you used any other products/chemicals on your lawn? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would wholeheartedly recommend trying Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer or one that is similar.  It's 'organic' versus inorganic thus inherently slow release.  Instead of 4 applications of fast acting Scotts, I only used two applications of this Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer versus 4 of the fasting acting fertilizers per year(there are other fertilizers in the same category but this is the only one I've used). After decades of residential and commercial lawn care using Scotts and Ortho, I tried this organic slow release fertilizer with micro nutrients, thatch eating bacteria!  Slower to change but I was so impressed with the health of the grass!! I was pretty blown away and I don't say that lightly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And mow no shorter than 3&quot;...please send more information and a few more pictures.  Oh, do you water both of those days even when it rains?  Thanks!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-09T05:35:57.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28699" CreationDate="2016-08-09T06:37:39.273" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thank you for your reply. I took the pictures on Monday and I watered the lawn on Sunday so it looked soaked. I have not watered the lawn for a week before Sunday due to cloudy weather I use two tin can to measure the water. One near the sprinkler and the other way far back. The lawn was mowed every two weeks on high. So the grass is actually more than 3 inches tall after mowing. The next mowing is this coming Wednesday. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have not used any chemicals or weed killer in my lawn. The lawn is pretty much weed free but I can see moss starting to show up because of the cloudy weather and there are trees shaded on one side. There are supposed to have three kinds of grass seeds. Creeping red fescue 34%, turf-type perennial ryegrass 24% and Kentucky bluegrass 24%. But you never know what you get in the bag. I am planning to overseed in mid September or October. Weather was really bad this Summer. I have tree peony on one side which bloom in late April and early May with sunny weather. After the blooming no new growth at all. Evey year I have to trim the peony leaves evey two or three weeks but not this year. Everything stops growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I fertilized lightly when reseeding in May and the Scotts package indicate that you fertilize every Six to eight weeks that's why I did one in early July. I will try some organic when I finish with my bag of Scotts. I am still not sure what I did wrong. Too much water or too much fertilizer or not enough sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14933" LastEditorUserId="14933" LastEditDate="2016-08-09T09:20:31.370" LastActivityDate="2016-08-09T09:20:31.370" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28704" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28634" CreationDate="2016-08-09T07:15:17.413" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pelargoniums are very low maintenance, drought resistant, and don't need much water. You can water them when the soil is dry to the touch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can remove dead flowers, dead branches and dead leaves, if any. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plant is fully grown, you can propagate the plant by simply using stem cuttings, and thus trim your plant down. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternately, you can re-pot the plant in a larger pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-09T07:15:17.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28705" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28701" CreationDate="2016-08-09T08:52:22.307" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;em&gt;Phytolacca americana&lt;/em&gt; (pokeweed).  It will become very tall. See also &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-08-09T08:52:22.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7213" CreationDate="2016-08-09T13:09:15.683" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;just had similar problem on a pals 240, turned out to be a bare wire going to the switch, very easy sort!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15575" LastActivityDate="2016-08-09T13:09:15.683" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28707" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28750" CreationDate="2016-08-09T15:43:47.360" Score="6" ViewCount="1654" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tenacity (mesotrione) is used to kill bentgrass, clover, and other non-desirables. I get how an herbicide could selectively kill broadleaf weeds while leaving grasses alone, but how does it manage to kill bentgrass and poa annua while not harming other turf grasses?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-08-15T21:51:45.207" LastActivityDate="2017-08-15T21:51:45.207" Title="Why does Tenacity® (mesotrione) kill bentgrass but not other grasses?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28657" CreationDate="2016-08-09T16:34:39.067" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When was the last time you gave them plant food? Some form of food, diluted will definitely help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other possibility is water. In high heat, water might be evaporating faster causing your plants stress. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would do this, watch for any bugs (the hole appears isolated, but definitely, keep an eye out). Feed the plants diluted food (any generic food will do, if you are organic, that is fine too, but remember to feed a little at a time), water them and do add mulch, so the pots can retain moisture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you live in a very hot area, make sure they get at least part shade for the day. Peppers usually like the heat, but not if it is sustained and very, hot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Give it a week or two, and see what happens. Usually with food and water, the plants will perk up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-09T16:34:39.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28709" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28673" CreationDate="2016-08-09T17:39:54.380" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this to be Acacia wirilda or retinoides or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_pycnantha&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pycnantha&lt;/a&gt;. As I mentioned in my comment to your question, the Acacia genus is huge and it could be one of many. But I truly think that this is an &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Acacia&lt;/a&gt; of some sort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;leaves&quot; that you see are actually flattened stems called phyllodes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a good link in regards to Acacia propagation: &lt;a href=&quot;http://worldwidewattle.com/infogallery/cultivation/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cultivation of Acacias&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xL6jm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xL6jm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MCxZz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MCxZz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OQMGd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OQMGd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-08-09T17:54:50.617" LastActivityDate="2016-08-09T17:54:50.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28710" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-09T17:58:18.510" Score="3" ViewCount="35" Body="&lt;p&gt;How should I store sprouts after they have sprouted in glass? I choose not to use plastic for environmental concerns. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15577" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-10T00:26:18.713" LastActivityDate="2016-08-10T00:26:18.713" Title="How should I store sprouts after they have sprouted in glass?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28711" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-09T18:24:41.027" Score="4" ViewCount="1186" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe there are voles getting into my compost bin.  I am not putting kitchen waste in the bin but no cooked food or meat.  I can't prevent voles from getting into the compost bin, so my questions are: How can I discourage voles from getting attracted?  What type of food should I not put in the bin?  Are voles detrimental to the compost or will the compost still be usable in my organic vegetable garden?  Should I put tea leaves, banana peels, watermelon rind, etc in the compost bin or will that attract voles?  For the most part, this is a cold compost bin because I don't think I am able to heat it up naturally (that is a different issue).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="15821" LastEditDate="2016-10-16T23:32:44.817" LastActivityDate="2017-01-23T14:19:55.043" Title="Discouraging voles from entering my compost bin" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28712" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-09T20:34:50.527" Score="5" ViewCount="7742" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my papaya trees has contracted this strange condition where the leaves are curling up into weird shapes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tE3Eh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tE3Eh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1QWK8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1QWK8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fcXuy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fcXuy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NVFay.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NVFay.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have many papaya trees, and this is the only one that is like this. I have watered this (and the other trees) with plenty of water. I have used compost soil and cow dung to fertilize them. It gets a fair amount of sunshine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is wrong with this tree? Is there anything I can do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14572" LastEditorUserId="14572" LastEditDate="2016-08-09T21:48:37.567" LastActivityDate="2019-10-31T13:44:48.440" Title="What causes papaya leaves to curl up into weird shapes?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;papaya&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28713" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28712" CreationDate="2016-08-09T21:12:25.210" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found this article...check this out and let me know what you think.  I am thinking you need to jerk that plant out if it does have virus, root rot.  Interesting stuff...I think my intuitions were right but now I just gotta know more about papaya.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000528/spectrum/garden.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;papaya culture&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="14572" LastEditDate="2016-08-09T21:16:44.850" LastActivityDate="2016-08-09T21:16:44.850" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28714" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28712" CreationDate="2016-08-09T21:24:36.303" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fiksdal...sigh, take a look at this article...my goodness it is right on with the pictures of your leaves.  I am sorry...&lt;a href=&quot;https://web.archive.org/web/20190222114915/http://www.apsnet.org/publications/imageresources/Pages/fi00176.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;curling leaves of papaya&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="24382" LastEditDate="2019-10-31T13:44:48.440" LastActivityDate="2019-10-31T13:44:48.440" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="28715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28707" CreationDate="2016-08-10T01:37:37.743" Score="-4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I checked on this herbicide and it's main use is for pre-emergence of grass seeds.  Guess it must work but lawns shouldn't get to the point where you are able to see the soil.  Haven't read the details for target species but pre-emergent chemicals can leach (move to other areas and into the water table), inhibit growth of other seeds in the garden and hamper growth of annuals and other young plants and then end up in our water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to not need this chemical is to grow dense, thick grass.  Minimum of 3&quot; in height.  Then sunlight is not able to reach grass seeds/weed grass seeds such as Poa annua.  Poa annua is very light colored and seems to always have seeds.  That grass is what many golf courses use as well as the bent grass.  One bird eats a seed, poops it out on a nice green lawn other than the golf course crop, if that lawn is too short then that seed will germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you live near a golf course?  Extremely important to understand how to promote your grass and not promote these shallow rooted golf course weed grasses. Keep your lawn thick so no sun gets to the soil and odd weed seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to encourage the lawn grasses you want and discourage the weed grasses is by watering.  Water only when the lawn bed is dry! When you walk across the lawn, your footprints will still be visible.  This is the best signal that your grass needs water.  This trains our genetically predisposed cool season grasses for the North West with huge root systems to grow deeper in an effort to reach further into the soil profile for moisture. This makes your lawn drought tolerant. Any little drought (like a day or two of no water) shallow rooted grasses will die out quickly and have little chance for seeds to germinate. While your lawn is thriving on once per week watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look up the MSDS sheets for this product and it will explain the chemical in far more detail.  I am just trying to explain how NOT to have to use any chemicals while having the best lawn you could imagine.  Chemicals are band aids. In the real world if lawns were at all natural we wouldn't have to even add fertilizer or water.  If it comes down to using chemicals then something is wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mow no lower than 3&quot;.  Fertilize when necessary and use extended release fertilizer.  Bag your clippings.  Mulching is a nice idea but still not doable. Sharp sharp blades.  What do you do for watering, for any chemicals added, for pH (lime addition)? For clippings...anything you can add we will be able to get your practices correct so you won't have to put band aids on problems produced by maintenance practices...a healthy lawn will never need any chemicals ever except of course fertilizer, possibly lime.  That is it.  Anything else is just a band aid for problems that can be prevented.  I read the Tenacity brochure and trust me it is made for the company's benefit.  No one needs this product.  Healthy lawn by basic healthy maintenance practice is POSSIBLE!  Get a soil test while you are focused with your lawn. Cheap, call your nearest Cooperative Extension Service of your main University.  Without a test, never add lime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-10T01:37:37.743" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28716" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28700" CreationDate="2016-08-10T05:51:28.020" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most likely something is eating the leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plant is small (less then 6&quot; / 15cm or so, it the leaves would possibly be very small and still folded. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-08-10T05:51:28.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28684" CreationDate="2016-08-10T06:10:31.537" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry, I disagree with Stormy here - and this is 1 area  I have experience - you absolutely can grow tomatos well on a schedule and with automated watering.  (I've done it sort of - I have done it proper with Eggplants - commercially - and had a couple of tomatos, cucumbers and Zucchini  just plugged into the identical system - while it is ideal for Eggplants, they all grew fine).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't speak on the figures for tomorite (but I would guess they would be similar).  The way this is done in a commercial hothouse is -&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water and liquid fertiliser are mixed into a large holding vat.  (Actually&#xA;the fertilisers comes in 3 parts - an A and B formulation + a separate&#xA;PH regulator)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A pump system combined with a CF meter and PH meter is used to control&#xA;the percentage of nutrients in the water.  I believe that simpler &#xA;systems do indeed do away with a pump and meters and simply use a&#xA;Venturi, although you will want to check the dosing periodically.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A solar counter is used to monitor the amount of light, and waters the&#xA;plants periodically by pushing the water/fert mix through pipes for a &#xA;very controlled amount of time (ie whenever the solar counter has &#xA;counted x amount of light on the plant).    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a couple of years away from doing this on a small scale, but I am absolutely certain you can do this whole thing with an arduino, sensors and some solenoid valves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another aspect is that growing is normally done in an inert medium like blown rock and/or cocopeat, with free drainage below the bags.  I suspect this helps reduce buildup of excessive fertiliser in the soil equivalent (and reduces some disease risks - but also as a technique for intensive farm - a cucumber plant only lasts 3 months commercially !)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another exciting system to look at - which takes automation even further (it does weeding, planting of multiple crops as well is &lt;a href=&quot;http://farmbot.io&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Farmbot&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm happy to answer follow on questions if you have them - this stuff is not really secret (there are tricks and optimisations, and over a large enough number of plants its still very labour intensive [or requires very expensive gear, but for a small garden you can largely automate it as you don't have the same pressures to produce high yields)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-08-10T06:10:31.537" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28718" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-10T08:03:46.210" Score="3" ViewCount="4021" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a problem with my echeveria, when I received it all its leaves where pointing up but then started to decay as if they where plastic in a hot place but I see new leaves so I think it was the normal cycle. However now the leaves are getting translucent like if they are converting into water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have water only 2 times in 5 months, because friends also got another and water them every month and got dead by the same symptoms of mine and I though the problem was too much water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About the light and environment, it doesn't receive direct sun light and is in a interior not near windows. Maybe is because it needs more light?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some photographs of the plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M9AfS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M9AfS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up image of the leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/apGHy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/apGHy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;With flash&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p48bl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p48bl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Translucent leaves details&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jEPiM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jEPiM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;General view of the plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15580" LastActivityDate="2016-08-10T11:41:50.087" Title="Translucent leaves in my echeveria" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28719" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28718" CreationDate="2016-08-10T08:32:18.220" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be a nitrogen deficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see, the apex (top part of the plant) is still growing new &quot;leaves&quot;. It requires a lot of energy from the plant. Usually, the growing phase is associated to a large consumption of nitrogen; nutrient used for leave and stem development.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nitrogen deficiency can be diagnostic by a purple-red color on stem and, for some species, on the leaves. The noticable light green (near transparency) of the newer leaves can be an hint too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To balance deficiency you could use grow fertilizer (with a high ratio of N) or simply use one of this natural source of nitrogen :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ashes,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;nettles (manure),&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;green waste compost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13715" LastActivityDate="2016-08-10T08:32:18.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28720" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28718" CreationDate="2016-08-10T10:01:27.847" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This translucence, coupled with reddening of the lower leaves, is not part of this plant's 'normal cycle', but more a cry for help. It definitely needs more light and likely more water than you've allowed it so far, given it's summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Echeveria needs bright daylight with some sun, although protection from very hot sun through a window in high summer is advisable,especially in the middle of the day. If you can find a well lit spot on a windowsill with, say, some morning or evening sun, that should improve the situation, if its not already too late. Full sun in winter is not a problem and may be beneficial. They also demand fresh air flow, so an open window nearby will provide that. This plant does better with a marked difference between day and night temperatures - keep cool in winter, 50 to 55 degF is ideal, particularly overnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Despite its requirement to be kept relatively dry, during the summer months, this plant should be watered well once the top of the compost is dry to the touch, allowing the pot to drain down freely and never leaving water in the bottom of a tray or outer pot - that should be emptied away after 30 minutes, or until no more water has collected. Reduce watering as winter approaches and water sparingly during winter, maybe every 1-2 months, depending on the temperatures its exposed to in your home (it may dry out more quickly in a very warm room) to prevent shrivelling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not fertilize the plant while its in such a bad condition, it won't help at all and may make things worse. If you can find somewhere sunny for it, you will need to acclimatize it gradually to direct sun, given it's currently so light deprived - strong sunlight all day at the moment is likely to kill it, so introduce sunlight gradually, starting maybe with an hour or so in the morning or late afternoon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-10T11:41:50.087" LastActivityDate="2016-08-10T11:41:50.087" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28721" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28656" CreationDate="2016-08-10T10:33:32.647" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some people complain of getting gassy from eating cucumbers and I've been told that the smaller ones have smaller seeds which do not cause this reaction as much.  If I pick a large cucumber I peel them, cut in quarters, and carve out the middle part containing the seeds.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15581" LastActivityDate="2016-08-10T10:33:32.647" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28722" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-10T14:52:59.937" Score="3" ViewCount="339" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to identify cause of the problem we have with our tree and the best way to treat it. Here is the image showing the growth on the tree's leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/InO9M.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/InO9M.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Growth, warts, galls, bumps on leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this cause for concern? We really want to preserve the tree as it's old and majestic and could spend money on professionals if this is treatable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, is there anything we can do on our own? Fertilize tree? Spray at root? Basically any suggestion that will help long-term care of tree is welcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11836" LastActivityDate="2016-08-10T15:58:23.530" Title="Treating tree disease that manifests as warts/galls/bumps on leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28724" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28722" CreationDate="2016-08-10T15:24:44.843" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't tell what tree that leaf has come from, so it's difficult to identify precisely the cause of the galls on the leaf. Regardless, the vast majority of gall growths like this do not cause harm to the host tree, and are not a 'disease' - but it can make it look a bit unsightly. Galls are caused by mites or wasps, sometimes bacteria or fungal invasion, and the gall is the response. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no treatment, by and large; further information on galls here &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(&lt;a href=&quot;http://idl.entomology.cornell.edu/files/2013/11/Galls-on-Plants-158myw7.pdf&quot;&gt;http://idl.entomology.cornell.edu/files/2013/11/Galls-on-Plants-158myw7.pdf&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-10T15:58:23.530" LastActivityDate="2016-08-10T15:58:23.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28725" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27284" CreationDate="2016-08-10T15:40:04.210" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;After viewing the full-sized image of the leaves, I question my initial answer of Podocarpus, (Poducarpus leaves are hairless). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I now believe this to be a species of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callistemon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Callistemon&lt;/a&gt;. Try &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=Callistemon+phoeniceus&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwil7YOzlrfOAhXL2xoKHYAID5oQ_AUICCgB&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=921#safe=off&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;q=Callistemon+linearifolius&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Callistemon linearifolius&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=Callistemon%20phoeniceus&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwil7YOzlrfOAhXL2xoKHYAID5oQ_AUICCgB&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=921&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Callistemon phoeniceus&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=Callistemon%20phoeniceus&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwil7YOzlrfOAhXL2xoKHYAID5oQ_AUICCgB&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=921#safe=off&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;q=Callistemon%20rigidus&amp;amp;imgrc=ak-MzuKlekZ_YM%3A&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Callistemon rigidus&lt;/a&gt;. It could be one of many species or related trees such as &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melaleuca&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Melaleuca&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The telltale flowers of the Callistemon would be a dead giveaway. Any chance you've seen any flowers since your original post?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7SkQt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7SkQt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-08-10T15:40:04.210" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28726" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27232" CreationDate="2016-08-10T17:06:11.700" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nematanthus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Nematanthus&lt;/a&gt; or &quot;Goldfish Plant&quot; of some sort, most likely N. gregarius which is the most common species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like most Gesneriads, they truly are robust and are easily propagated from stem cuttings or even fallen leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/imx51.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/imx51.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-08-10T17:17:36.370" LastActivityDate="2016-08-10T17:17:36.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28728" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28638" CreationDate="2016-08-10T18:52:11.157" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems natural for them to fall, but it is also okay to hold them up like you have. You have done a good job! High pressure watering through a hose or heavy rainfall causes a bunch of long stalked flowers like the Common Foxglove to go through this process. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They might be growing a bit tall because they are well fertilized, but that appears okay. I'd say, leave things the way they are and see what happens over time/the next rain, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-10T18:52:11.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28729" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28638" CreationDate="2016-08-10T23:48:30.050" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know specifically what your flowers are, but I have a number of perennials and wildflowers that do this. It's perfectly normal. As the summer goes on, they get tall, and, especially after the flowers bloom, become top heavy. A hard rain, or sometimes a wandering raccoon or skunk, will bend them over to the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't see clearly in these pictures exactly what your supports look like, but bringing the plants up gently and supporting them with minimal breakage is the goal, and, as Srihriri Yamanoor said, you're doing a great job! They look really pretty against your fence so I can see why you like them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Going forward, make sure to check on them regularly, and, if the bunch gets wider, loosen or rearrange the supports. That will continue to keep the supports themselves from breaking the stems. Once they're in full bloom, or if the flowers are too crowded, you can pick some and put them in water. Again, I don't know exactly what you're growing, but many summer wildflowers will last nicely inside at least for a few days. In fact, all the flowers I see in your pictures would make a very pretty mixed bouquet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When trimming, cut back to the next joint where the little branches meet. You might see a new flower starting at that spot, and taking off the older ones helps that bloom. If they're really unruly, you can cut them down farther than that, or even thin them by cutting some off at the base. I myself prefer that crowded look with flowers everywhere in random patterns! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also agree it's important to be careful when watering. You may already be doing this, but make sure to set your hose on a lower setting (if it's adjustable), and point it at the base of the plant, rather than at the higher sections, and definitely not from above. I've knocked over many a tall flower by turning my hose pressure too high, or aiming it at the wrong spot! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-08-10T23:48:30.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28730" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-11T00:38:20.617" Score="3" ViewCount="35" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm new to gardening and I'm loving it,  so much to learn and know. &#xA;I recently bought a barbados cherry tree that shared the same pot with a miracle fruit tree.  I thought, what a great idea. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I got home and thought about it, I figured out that it wasn't a good idea to keep these 2 plants together in 1 small pot.  I wanted to separate them. So I asked around and learned that it isn't impossible to separate them, with some risk. So I decided to separate them. Oh my goodness what a mess! There were roots everywhere, but needless to say I continued. I successfully separated them, lost some roots here and there. I got them each into their own pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any tips as to what I can do for possible success?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15585" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-11T03:56:28.560" LastActivityDate="2016-08-11T03:56:28.560" Title="What can I do to keep my recently separated barbados cherry and miracle fruit trees alive?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28731" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28749" CreationDate="2016-08-11T00:47:59.880" Score="6" ViewCount="3247" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently re-planted my carrots into my new garden and they've almost all turned purple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The carrots were originally planted in a pot and grew into about 3-4cm high green sprouts. I'm a newbie so planted way too many (100-200 in a pot about 50x50cm) but under the instruction of my grandpa I separated the small 4cm green sprouts which has small roots on them and planted them spaced apart in my new garden. They looked fine for the first few days but have now almost all turned a dark purple colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since they went into the new garden they've been watered very well, the soil is always moist. The old carrots (I had tonnes left) are still in the pot next to my garden and are a beautiful green colour, and I water them the same amount roughly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anybody answer why my carrots have turned this colour and what I should do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've updated the post with the pictures below as per request:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X5sBp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X5sBp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;One&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That shows the still planted carrots that are a normal green and I've circled the best examples of the purple. It's hard to see in the photos because of the soil and purple colour similarity. I'm aware of this and apologize.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's another of the carrots close up&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Uhqu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Uhqu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here's one of many of the purple carrots&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P4aAp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P4aAp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please let me know if I can help any other ways, I'll retake the photos in better lighting somehow if necessary. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15584" LastEditorUserId="15584" LastEditDate="2016-08-12T04:27:41.740" LastActivityDate="2016-08-12T14:05:13.637" Title="Why have my carrots turned purple?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28732" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28730" CreationDate="2016-08-11T01:44:07.500" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You did well!  Plants are not that fragile and like Siamese twins the earlier they are separated the better success for both.  I hope you used clean potting soil for these pots even if these will eventually be planted in the garden.  Roots and dirt everywhere is completely normal.  How big was the original pot? How big are the pots in which you transplanted these two trees?  All soil, no rock or gravel, no garden soil, LOTS of drainage hole (s), pot bottom lifted off surface, no sitting water, allow to dry until the pot feels light when you lift it!! Water deeply and allow to dry until obviously light to lift. Don't worry about fertilizing for awhile.  Allow these trees time to root and acclimate to their new home.  Don't stake unless their canopy is lush and thick and heavier than the pot.  Staking slows growth promoting more top growth instead of supportive roots and a thicker trunk.  Please send pictures so that we can get you more detailed information to include the genus and species of your trees.  Get the Scientific/Botanical names of these two trees.  Common names really don't work well as there are 5 or 10 common names for every scientific name and plant. Even different plants of different genus, species will have the SAME common name.  What is the environment like where these two plants 'live'?  How much sun, wind exposure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-11T01:44:07.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28734" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28669" CreationDate="2016-08-11T02:05:20.473" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Look for a &quot;lowbush&quot; cultivar if you don't have wild ones directly available. Most in the trade are &quot;highbush.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My unscientific opinion has long been that there's only so much flavor per blueberry, regardless of the size of the berry, so the small ones (&quot;wild&quot; per marketing, and sometimes wild in real life) are better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Absolute full sun is also best - the wild wild ones tend to be in wide barrens where no trees grow (or trees are eliminated  with human help, for commercial barrens and somewhat less wild bushes), or on top of mountains beyond where trees grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cloning is typically done with a mist propagation system - in the industry, quite large ones, with controllers that have a mesh exposed to the mist which is used to trigger the system on/off by how much it weighs (heavier with water on the mesh, lighter when dry) so that it's sensitive to humidity and wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-08-11T13:56:29.733" LastActivityDate="2016-08-11T13:56:29.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28735" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28736" CreationDate="2016-08-11T02:19:57.450" Score="5" ViewCount="154" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need help identifying a beetle I found in my garden.  I've never seen them before, but suddenly today there were many of them crawling around my russet potato plants.  They were quite active and walking all over the place.  What are they, and do they pose any threat to my potatoes or other plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rbkjq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rbkjq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11211" LastEditorUserId="15448" LastEditDate="2016-08-11T10:26:15.107" LastActivityDate="2016-08-11T10:26:15.107" Title="Black beetle identification, crawling on potato plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28736" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28735" CreationDate="2016-08-11T09:29:03.767" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those look like Blister Beetles: &lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG295/pics/fig171.gif&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG295/pics/fig171.gif&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They will chew up the leaves, and not just on your potatoes. They are toxic, so just be careful when treating them! More information here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/garden-pests/blister-beetle-control/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/garden-pests/blister-beetle-control/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blister beetles are a common field and garden pest best known for the welt-raising secretion they release when injured or crushed. The secretion contains a blistering agent known as catharidin, a substance used to treat the lesions caused by pox virus. Catharidin is so effective at destroying tissue that it’s used in wart removal products.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Humans who ingest the pest can expect severe damage to the urinary tract and gastrointestinal lining. Keep an eye on children who put things in their mouth if blister beetles may be present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to the threat presented by its toxicity, the beetle does damage to both garden and commercial plants, consuming a variety of leaf crops, plant blossoms, landscape flowers and hay crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Come July, a garden can be suddenly over taken by hordes of leaf-munching beetles. They usually work in large clusters, gathered on the edge of potato patches and lettuce rows. It’s best to remove as many beetles and the plants they’ve damaged as soon as they’re spotted and before they spread. Once well-established, they are almost impossible to eradicate completely, even if chemical or other toxic sprays are used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hand-picking can be effective in home gardens, particularly when their numbers are low. But never handle blister beetles with bare hands. Always wear gloves. Brush the beetles off plants into a small container with some soapy water. If shaken from plants, the beetles will often lie in the dirt and play possum rather than scurry away. Take advantage and gather them carefully.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15448" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-08-11T09:29:03.767" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28737" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8820" CreationDate="2016-08-11T14:54:51.780" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can plant more than one seed per hole. But make provision for possible competition for nutrient especially for plants that are heavy feeders.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15587" LastActivityDate="2016-08-11T14:54:51.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27186" CreationDate="2016-08-11T17:57:20.023" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although technically not &quot;Maryland&quot;, DC is probably about the same climate 7a/b. I would suggest making it a &quot;native area&quot; if possible for you; maybe even allowing some of that mowed lawn behind to become native wildflowers &amp;amp; prairie type grasses. You could &quot;edge&quot; the &quot;wild&quot; area using rocks as @stormy suggests and/or downed tree branches, limbs (good sized, not twigs), or even fireplace-type cut logs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few moist to wet but sunny area native plan suggestions are below. All are native perennials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;swamp, common, butterfly and other sun milkweeds(Asclepias incarnata, syriaca, tuberosa)  - endangered monarch butterfly: &lt;BR/&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://wildmaryland101.blogspot.com/2012/01/maryland-flora-guide-to-milkweed-of.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://wildmaryland101.blogspot.com/2012/01/maryland-flora-guide-to-milkweed-of.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;white turtlehead (Chelone glabra) - Baltimore checkerspot butterfly - highly endangered&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://wildmaryland101.blogspot.com/2012/09/maryland-flora-white-turtlehead-chelone.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://wildmaryland101.blogspot.com/2012/09/maryland-flora-white-turtlehead-chelone.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;joe-pye weed (Eupatorium dubium) - nectar plant for numerous pollinators and butterflies&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/joe_pye_weed&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/joe_pye_weed&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;May be more ideas at &lt;a href=&quot;https://washingtonareabutterflies.wordpress.com/gardening-for-butterflies/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Washington Area Butterfly Club&lt;/a&gt;, but I haven't hung out there much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be sure to obtain &lt;em&gt;native&lt;/em&gt; plants already adapted to local environment. I mistakenly bought A. tuberosa from a western supplier supposedly best suited for the clay area of my yard, but it hasn't fared as well as the locally (well,.. New Jersey) A. tuberosa even in that clay dirt section of my yard. I wouldn't use potting soil or similar, just local dirt. Keep the A. syriaca from spreading by clipping the seed heads before they dry &amp;amp; &quot;fly away&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, do not use any of the milkweeds if you're near horse or cow grazing land. I'm only guessing that you're not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3431" LastActivityDate="2016-08-11T17:57:20.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28739" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28656" CreationDate="2016-08-11T19:52:42.927" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From my &lt;em&gt;limited&lt;/em&gt; experience, generally, if they're still green, they're still good to eat. However, the more mature they are, the thicker the skins may be and the more well-developed the seeds may be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some varieties seem to taste fine even after yellowing to ripeness, though (e.g. Monika), while some are extremely bitter. The soil may affect how fast and if they get bitter, too. It's possible that still-green cucumbers may get bitter if they are mature enough, but I think the variety and soil conditions have a lot of influence here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To illustrate this, I had a friend in my county who grew awesomely huge, green cucumbers that were likely of the Bushy variety. She gave me one, and it tasted excellent. I saved the seeds and planted them the next year. They only produced small cucumbers, and if I left them on the vine a long time to yellow, they were extremely bitter. (I attribute the difference in size and flavor mostly to the soil.) The Jolly Green F1 cucumbers I grew along side them were not so bitter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In 2016, I grew Monika and Beit Alpha (among others), and neither of them had bitterness issues. Beit Alpha never turned yellow, though, but Monika eventually did, and still tasted great. Both Beit Alpha and Monika outperformed Bushy and Jolly Green F1 considerably, too, but I did water them differently. EDIT: While Beit Alpha never got bitter, I should note that really old fruits I tasted later in 2016 tasted like lemon cleaner smells (but they weren't bitter, and the lemon taste made them great for new culinary purposes). I think the lemon taste is the plant's reaction to anthracnose trying to make the fruit rot; the lemon-tasting stuff may be in order to fight the pathogen. That's just a hypothesis, though. But, there was anthracnose trying to infect at at least some of them (but it never went deeper than the skin in 2016).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaving fruit on vine longer often does mean the plant will produce less fruit than if you pick them sooner, with many, if not most, plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-11-18T01:38:45.787" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T01:38:45.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28740" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-11T22:58:13.257" Score="2" ViewCount="403" Body="&lt;p&gt;We bought a plum glory tree recently but it doesn't seem to be doing very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seemed perfectly happy when we bought it and it's started growing a few plums (They are still green). However since we moved it into a larger pot some of the leaves have turned yellow and in the last couple of days they've all started to curl up. &#xA;The most common problem on Google I've found is Aphids but there's no stickiness on the leaves.&#xA;At the moment I suspect I've not watered it enough but I wondered if anyone here has some good advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's only a young tree about a meter high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15589" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-12-19T20:25:27.610" LastActivityDate="2016-12-19T20:25:27.610" Title="Plum Glory tree seems to be dying" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-12-20T15:28:21.790" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28741" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-12T02:32:22.137" Score="2" ViewCount="1730" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently got this Bougainvillea from a vivarium but I've noticed there are some brown stains in its leaves, just on the bottom of the plant. Do you know what these are, and how I should treat it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For reference, it's in the garden, under a roof, with enough sunlight but not direct. For now, I have it isolated from the other plants, just in case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the bracts that cover the flowers are somewhat wrinkled, is that okay?&#xA;(pictures attached).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/57WYV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/57WYV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves stained, at the bottom of the plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vpdbd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vpdbd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the wrinkled bracts, around the flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14633" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-08-12T14:05:45.170" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T06:21:22.937" Title="What are these brown stains on my Bougainvillea's leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28742" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-12T06:42:38.180" Score="6" ViewCount="552" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this plant in the pre-Alps in Bavaria/Germany:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YKUqY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YKUqY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was located between 900 and 1200m above sea level on a forest meadow in the beginning of July. It was a hot day (&gt;25°C) but not sunny at that time on the meadow. Despite some efforts I can't seem to identify it. My best guess is that is is some sort of Centaurium, maybe Centaurium erythraea? Can you help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15591" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-12T23:37:36.073" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T16:56:18.223" Title="What is this plant with narrow stems and purple flowers found in Germany?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28743" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28744" CreationDate="2016-08-12T09:18:47.613" Score="5" ViewCount="2335" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine has this growing in her garden in South London. She is worried the berries are poisonous as she has a young child who picks things up and puts them in her mouth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please can someone identify this shrub?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NBPeO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NBPeO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OoRBB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OoRBB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15593" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-12T23:44:30.840" LastActivityDate="2016-08-12T23:44:30.840" Title="What is this low-growing shrub with small bright red berries?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28743" CreationDate="2016-08-12T13:09:05.987" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's plausible that this is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.looduskalender.ee/en/node/5213&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lonicera xylosteum&lt;/a&gt;, (Fly Honeysuckle), which does indeed have toxic berries. The toxicity is low, however, and it's not likely that one would eat enough to cause any severe poisoning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be another form of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeysuckle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lonicera&lt;/a&gt;. But for the most part, Honeysuckles should be considered non-edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is an article in regards to Lonicera, (Honeysuckle), toxicity: &lt;a href=&quot;http://motherhood.modernmom.com/honeysuckle-toxicity-6148.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://motherhood.modernmom.com/honeysuckle-toxicity-6148.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/064E8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/064E8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-08-12T13:09:05.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28745" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28753" CreationDate="2016-08-12T13:09:09.587" Score="0" ViewCount="6678" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think title is clear. By graphic instructions, I mean pics of soil/sand/gravel and potting mix. If this question is weird and off-topic, I will delete it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-08-12T18:01:19.803" Title="How to make a Snake Plant Potting mix in three category: Perfect, Good, and okay" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28746" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28751" CreationDate="2016-08-12T13:26:43.560" Score="4" ViewCount="1357" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are some important things to do and not to do when re-potting a plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know it varies from plant to plant, but can anyone give me some general Do's and Don't?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-08-17T18:51:33.977" Title="Do's and Don't's for re-potting a plant?" Tags="&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28747" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28748" CreationDate="2016-08-12T13:49:30.210" Score="5" ViewCount="3148" Body="&lt;p&gt;I photographed this flowering shrub in Minnesota last summer. It had pink to white flowers with 5 petals in many clusters and serrated leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VZNtq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VZNtq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Large View&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bslyu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bslyu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Detail&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried to identify it myself, but so far none of my searches have given me enough to go off of. Can anyone tell me what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8604" LastActivityDate="2016-08-12T14:00:59.757" Title="Identifying these Pink and White Flowers" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28748" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28747" CreationDate="2016-08-12T13:55:07.883" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=pink%20Spirea&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjsla2lg7zOAhUmBMAKHeOxDr8Q_AUICCgB&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=921&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Spiraea&lt;/a&gt; shrub. Here is a general article on the genus: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiraea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiraea&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are 10s of species and probably hundreds of cultivars. One of the most common garden Spiraeas is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=x320&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;S. japonica&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l3C4i.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l3C4i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/odTfR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/odTfR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-08-12T14:00:59.757" LastActivityDate="2016-08-12T14:00:59.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28749" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28731" CreationDate="2016-08-12T14:05:13.637" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have transplant shock on the one hand, and you have some very &quot;bunch of twigs and rocks&quot; looking &quot;soil&quot; on the other hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Much of transplant shock is from loss of roots (inevitable) in transplanting, and as a result you do need to make sure they are not water-stressed at all for a while, without making the soil soggy. Occasional misting of the tops may help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That extremely rough material playing the part of soil is likely not going to be loved by carrots, but it's what you have, so you'll basically just try to keep them from crisping (without drowning) and hope they start putting out some green foliage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For next year (plan now) try to prepare an area without all that big stuff in it, with some compost mixed in, and plant carrot seeds directly, as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring. as they grow, keep pulling carrots out to increase the space between them - the first ones won't have much worth nibbling on, but as they grow you'll have real baby carrots from your thinnings, not those things they sell in bags in the produce section.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-08-12T14:05:13.637" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28750" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28707" CreationDate="2016-08-12T14:40:49.147" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That particular herbicide is known as a HPPD inhibitor.  It works by blocking an enzyme in the plants.  The plants normally break down a particular amino acid (tyrosine) and use the components to build other needed substances.  I'm guessing that normal lawn grasses get their nutrition via a different method, so blocking that enzyme doesn't effect them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate_dioxygenase_inhibitor&quot;&gt;Wikipedia article on HPPD inhibitors&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastActivityDate="2016-08-12T14:40:49.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28746" CreationDate="2016-08-12T15:18:37.677" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're going to be disturbing the roots, so keep that in mind. You will stress the plant and there's no getting around that. Some plants take it better than others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are repotting because it's outgrown it's pot, then you will probably find a solid wall of roots in the pot. Do your best to pull it out without disturbing too much. You will want to unshape the roots so that they grow out into the new soil. Roots which have taken the shape of a pot will continue to grow in that shape and you will receive little benefit from the new space unless you unshape the roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on the plant, I sometimes do this very slowly and carefully, or I sometimes rip the roots apart. Hardy, easy-to-root plants don't need as much care. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sometimes helps to have the plant be a little under-watered before repotting. The leaves and branches are easier to move without damaging if they're a little sad and floppy. Don't take this too far (or at all with some plants!), but if the plant is plump and stiff with water the leaves can break off more easily. This is especially true of succulents which can handle going dry for a bit before repotting. If you water at the same time every day, plan to repot right before you water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will also sometimes water as I am unpotting to help loosen everything away from the pot. If the soil is hard and dry it will tend to stick to the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If possible, lightly squeeze the sides of the pot to help loosen the soil and roots from the sides. If it's not possible, you can try poking something from the bottom to push the soil up and out of the pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experiences I've found that after repotting, it helps to water. This helps settle the new soil around the roots and makes it easier on the plant. Just don't drown the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try to keep the plant out of direct sun for a day or so. It's easier on the plant if it gets indirect sunlight to settle in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15225" LastEditorUserId="15225" LastEditDate="2016-08-12T20:37:47.987" LastActivityDate="2016-08-12T20:37:47.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28752" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28743" CreationDate="2016-08-12T16:21:59.467" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lonicera chaetocarpa I think, one of the shrubby honeysuckles - it has somewhat dry and coarse or bristly looking, impressed leathery leaves like the ones in your picture, has pale yellow tubular flowers in pairs in Spring and the red berries arrive in summer, also in pairs. Had great difficulty finding a photograph of this plant online - there's one in the link below, and it does show a leaf or two,together with its spring flowers&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mobile.twitter.com/BensBotanics/status/673073333106294784&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://mobile.twitter.com/BensBotanics/status/673073333106294784&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lonicera generally is not listed on the Poison Garden website (UK based) at all, which likely means the berries aren't lethal in any way. However, this is an ideal opportunity to teach a child never to pick and eat any berries from anything at all without an adult (or mum) being present - there are other plants with bright red but poisonous berries, so it's an essential part of parental teaching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-12T16:21:59.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28745" CreationDate="2016-08-12T17:54:59.100" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The copy below is taken directly from the International Sansevieria Society's website at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sansevieria-international.org/cultivation.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.sansevieria-international.org/cultivation.htm&lt;/a&gt;, hence, I would say this falls into your &quot;perfect&quot; category. As it indicates below, Snake Plants are highly adaptable so long as their soil drains quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sansevierias are succulent plants and so need a well-drained compost and moderate watering. In the summer months they can be watered frequently and appreciate this, as long as the soil does not remain water-logged, but in the cooler months they are best left dry. A minimum winter temperature of 10°C is recommended. Short periods of lower temperatures may however be tolerated as long as the plants are dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sansevierias will grow in many positions but appreciate good light and dappled sun to grow naturally and produce good leaf shape and colouration. Long green leaves, often produced in low light situations, and admired my some collectors and growers, are not normal and the leaves tend to be weak and featureless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The soil used for Sansevierias can be adapted to suit whatever materials are available locally. The main constituent needs to be a material which anchors the plant in the ground but at the same time keeps the compost open to allow for excess water to drain through quickly. This could be pumice or lava or any other neutral material. To this needs to be added in about equal proportions some kind of material containing humus and fertilizer. Again almost anything will be suitable, peat or coir based composts or even orchid composts with a slow release fertilizer added.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sansevierias are difficult to keep in captivity as they always try to escape! Most spread through underground rhizomes. These are very strong and can split a plastic pot or shatter a ceramic one! Many species also send new shoots down vertically. In open ground these go so far and then turn upwards ensuring the new growth is not too close to the mother plant when it emerges from the soil. In a pot of course this habit has the effect of pushing the whole plant and soil out of the pot! The only solution is to repot into something deeper to allow the shoot to reach bottom and turn back upwards. Once the new growth has emerged and produced leaves it can be removed and potted separately if so desired. Potting in hanging baskets is another way to facilitate off-setting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Propagation is by division as described above. Most plants can also be propagated from leaf cuttings, but not the variegated forms. Plants can also be produced from seed although this is a slow process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-08-12T18:01:19.803" LastActivityDate="2016-08-12T18:01:19.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28755" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28756" CreationDate="2016-08-13T00:10:27.363" Score="3" ViewCount="242" Body="&lt;p&gt;Should I treat every infestation as I catch them or is some level of aphids &quot;tolerable&quot; and the presence of aphids in the garden unavoidable?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In other words should I only treat the worst cases?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure how bad it is for the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-13T13:01:36.017" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T23:18:40.170" Title="Should I treat every aphid infestation?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28756" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28755" CreationDate="2016-08-13T00:35:08.050" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Giles. Not really...there is no black and white but better a light gray.  Sooner one treats aphids the better.  Hard spray of water, NEEM sprayed at night as soon as you see crowds of aphids on your roses or vegetables.  But if you are on your way to a well-deserved vacation and as you go out the door and catch sight of aphids, keep going to your vacation.  When you get back you can take care of it or you just might have enough beneficals around that had a feast!  Aphids are so normal, gotta stay on top of them but it is not life and death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-13T00:35:08.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28757" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="123" CreationDate="2016-08-13T03:07:10.103" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leads to forking of the tap roots (which are the carrots)&#xA;Leads to high vegetative growth leading to small tap roots (carrots)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15603" LastActivityDate="2016-08-13T03:07:10.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28758" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28760" CreationDate="2016-08-13T12:08:58.633" Score="2" ViewCount="46" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm very fond of this tree/bush (pardon my ignorance), but I fear it's beginning to take over this corner of the garden. Any suggestions on how to trim it back without completely ruining it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iXWPL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iXWPL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;purple leaf plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A97in.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A97in.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13777" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-14T23:35:42.230" LastActivityDate="2018-01-14T23:35:42.230" Title="What is the best way to trim back this plant?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28759" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28762" CreationDate="2016-08-13T13:01:52.937" Score="9" ViewCount="10327" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've heard that dumping kitchen waste, like rinds of potatoes, cucumbers, gourds, onions, etc. is a bad idea. Why it is a bad idea? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if I dig that type of kitchen waste an inch or so in the soil and then cover up with soil any better? Apart from animals digging it up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know this question is asked before, but I need a detailed answer, if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-20T14:21:08.900" LastActivityDate="2019-04-08T19:04:00.223" Title="Why is dumping kitchen waste (like peels of a potato) in a potted plant a bad idea?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28760" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28758" CreationDate="2016-08-13T13:14:18.070" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant is Sambucus 'Black Lace' - its a rapid grower and if left, will reach 6 metres by 6 metres, like a small tree. Although it responds very well to hard pruning on a yearly basis,  it is very difficult to keep it as a medium sized or small shrub, and the constant cutting that's required to do that would mean no, or very few, flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The recommended time for hard pruning is actually winter, by mid-February but after November, so at this time of year, you should only reduce the longer lengths by half, and lightly trim the rest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-13T13:14:18.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28761" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-13T14:26:03.150" Score="1" ViewCount="548" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cutworms are killing all of my flowers. I'm trying to get rid of them. I'm thinking about using Dawn dishwater and a small amount of bleach, but will that kill my plants? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15605" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-13T19:43:40.407" LastActivityDate="2016-08-13T19:43:40.407" Title="Will Dawn dishwater and bleach get rid of cutworms without killing my flowers?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28759" CreationDate="2016-08-13T14:31:36.930" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can't have a compost heap, you can direct compost by digging down at least six inches into open ground, burying the kitchen scraps (not cooked food or meat), then covering back up with the soil. However, this isn't really possible in a pot - the scraps would be inserted amongst the plant roots, and every time you want to add a scrap or two, you'll be disturbing the roots of your potted plant, which is not a good idea. They also, obviously, can't be buried deep enough in a pot, so they are indeed likely to attract foraging animals (rats etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-13T14:31:36.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28763" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28761" CreationDate="2016-08-13T15:22:48.123" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cutworms live at or near the base of the plants they are eating.  Soap and bleach are not terribly effective on them as they are in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What works really well is diatomaceous earth around the base of the plant.  Repeat every few days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or you can take a trowel and work the soil around the base of the plants and pop any suspects into some soap and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-13T15:22:48.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28764" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28769" CreationDate="2016-08-13T15:24:50.447" Score="3" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a plant that I don not know what it is. I want to identify it, because I think it is getting ill and I want to know how to properly care for it.&#xA;The plant was bought in a store about a two years ago. I added some pictures of the plant and I hope it will be enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l9Dj1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l9Dj1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pic 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z9SE3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z9SE3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pic 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15606" LastEditorUserId="15606" LastEditDate="2016-08-13T17:21:56.753" LastActivityDate="2016-08-13T18:35:23.380" Title="What is this plant on the pictures?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28765" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28755" CreationDate="2016-08-13T16:08:26.260" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The presence of aphids is fairly common for many gardeners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aphids are said to be able to potentially transmit certain diseases to plants. Aphids can stress plants and reduce productivity and/or health of the plants. They can make plants sticky and less ornamental.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people like to blast aphids off plants with water. I haven't personally found this to be functional with a normal hose end. However, I've found that using an oscillating sprinkler or a nozzle on the shower setting every three days or so to spray the plants thoroughly (and to water where helpful) seems to keep aphids away, whether or not you aim to spray them off, and it definitely keeps spider mite damage at bay when the air is dry. This may not be recommended if you live in a humid area where the plants will stay wet a long time (and be susceptible to fungal infections). If you have hard water, this might additionally cause issues with your leaves. In my semi-arid, northern garden (where days are long and hot) with city water, the plants love it, though, and it keeps them growing and healthy. I don't guarantee that will work with anyone else's city water (you never know what they put in it). Usually, city water is thought to be inferior for gardening. Maybe pests just don't like chlorine/chloramine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had aphids on plants before I got a hose nozzle and an oscillating sprinkler, after which they mysteriously disappeared, thankfully. I guess it could be a big coincidence, but it's why I said what I did. Last year, I only watered the very base of each plant; the plants had more issues and didn't grow as fast. Now I water the whole area of ground, and the leaves and they grow fast and healthy; most people will probably say watering the leaves is a terrible idea, though, and it might be, for you; it depends.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year, we had a big aphid problem even though I got extra ladybugs. I did find that doing a foliar spray with calcium nitrate fertilizer on my peppers pretty much got rid of the aphids. They didn't like it. I don't seem to need to do that this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't noticed aphids spreading diseases much in my garden (possibly on a few plants last year), but I understand it can be a big problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aphids seem to prefer to feast on new growth, but they'll also feed on old growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some kinds of aphids may be more troublesome than others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, many pests prefer plants that are growing in the shade, and unhealthy plants/leaves most. Keeping your plants healthy should help to deter pests to a good degree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some kinds of plants are more tolerant to aphids than others. Which ones can vary from area to area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing I recommend is saving your own seeds and replanting the freshly saved seeds every year until your plants are used to the local pests and diseases. I use such as a Z4EX to get rid of any pathogens in the seeds (I put them in a jar of water and zap the water), and so far it seems to work. Last year, I grew Aunt Molly's ground cherries, and several watermelons. They were highly afflicted with spider mites and probably some anthracnose-like fungal infection that they might have spread. I saved seeds and zapped them. I grew them this year, along with several new varieties of ground cherries and watermelons. Before I got my sprinkler and nozzle, Aunt Molly's was one of the only ground cherries that didn't show any evidence of the same problems it had last year, and the only watermelons to have issues, I believe, were new ones. These issues all went away after I began showering the plants (except mysteriously on one Goldie ground cherry that receives less light; it's still alive and growing, however). Last year they eventually killed the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, acclimatization seems to be real, in my experience (and other people's). The watermelons from my saved seeds are bigger this year, too (especially the one whose parent was grown from a rooted cutting last year, which is now the largest in the patch: i.e. Ledmon). If you're going to be saving seeds with acclimatization to aphids and diseases in mind, exposure to aphids and diseases the first few to several years can be helpful (but it's probably best to keep them away anyway, if you want a harvest and a disease-free yard).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, leaving aphids alone altogether may not be so bad (it probably depends on how fast they breed and if they're spreading diseases). I haven't had major issues leaving the black winged aphids on tomatoes alone last year. The fast-breeding, quicker, armored aphids on the peppers weren't so harmless, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I recommend working more on aphid prevention. I wouldn't worry too much about a few aphids here and there, unless they cause problems. Here are some suggestions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant plants that attract aphid predators (unless they also attract aphids)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure the plants have all the nutrients they need.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Watch your soil pH, if possible. An optimum pH should make for healthier plants (and hence with less aphids). If the pH is too high or too low, it can cause nutrient imbalances, which may be inviting for pests.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Find out what kind of watering works best for your water, soil, humidity/aridity, climate, etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure your plants have enough silica, calcium, and potassium (but realize things need to be in balance with those nutrients, as calcium can raise the pH and potassium needs to be in balance with nitrogen).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure your soil is healthy and has good microbes in it. Organic matter should help, too.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hypothesize that a foliar spray of sea minerals might deter aphids for a while (it deters spider mites, for a while, if you put it in the soil; it seems to give the plants a growth boost, too; it did, however, make the rind of one of my Blacktail watermelons salty, interestingly, but it tasted pretty good). I don't recommend doing this a lot, due to the sodium in it, but once in a while should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have to be careful of some suggestions, since they may harm beneficial insects, too (e.g. neem oil, diatomaceous earth, etc.) I'm not sure if oil sprays would harm other insects, except for maybe predatory mites and whatever was on your plant at the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-08-15T23:18:40.170" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T23:18:40.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28764" CreationDate="2016-08-13T17:27:45.020" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a Dracaena of some variety, not sure which though. I would say the pot its in might be too small for a plant that size (hard to be sure because the pot's obscured by the outer container) and if you haven't potted up into something larger for the last two years, it's time that was done. You might turn the plant out of its pot to check whether its rootbound, but otherwise, its not looking bad at all, apart from some dry ends to leaves which might mean underwatering or insufficient root room in its pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other thing though - I note the outer container (which won't have drainage) the pot is sitting in. That will be too small once you've repotted, but remember that any outer container (pot or tray) should be emptied out 30 minutes after watering so that the plant is not left sitting in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-13T17:27:45.020" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28767" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28804" CreationDate="2016-08-13T17:59:38.303" Score="2" ViewCount="286" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed that next to my garden box (not from it, and not climbing into it) I have this vine?  Maybe a crawler?  I'm not sure technically what this would be called.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this?  Any thoughts?  It's the three-lobed leave vine.  Looks like some of the leaves are purple-ish, but mostly green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zWTRx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zWTRx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10966" LastActivityDate="2016-08-16T12:08:26.520" Title="What is this vine/crawler growing in my yard?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28768" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28800" CreationDate="2016-08-13T18:08:13.367" Score="4" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am thinking about making myself an office table. I want to put a plexiglass top on the table and then put small plants under it. My concerns are the water hazard and insects. Can we use something except soil to grow the plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3438" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-03T21:21:39.313" LastActivityDate="2018-02-03T21:21:39.313" Title="What can be used as plant media except soil?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28769" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28764" CreationDate="2016-08-13T18:35:23.380" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/106994/Dracaena-marginata-Tricolor-(v)/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dracaena marginata tricolor&lt;/a&gt;.  This cultivar requires much higher light than the species which has green leaves with red edges.  It also requires a light hand with the watering and vigilance for spider mites which can weaken it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best cultivation practices:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;high light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;free draining soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pots on the smaller side to keep the root ball compact&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;go easy on the watering.  This plant is commonly killed by root rot from too much water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-13T18:35:23.380" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28770" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28768" CreationDate="2016-08-13T18:41:45.323" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure, look at &lt;a href=&quot;http://ag.arizona.edu/hydroponictomatoes/media.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;hydroponics&lt;/a&gt; for different types of media which can include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;glass beads&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;baked clay beads&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;crushed volcanic lava&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no media at all - just suspend the plant over a nutrient solution (aeroponics)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rockwool&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;perlite&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;coconut coir or husk&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soilless mix for interior plants which has peat, perlite, vermiculite&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will have to be careful about leakage no water what you do.  Some plants grow better in some mediums than others.  For low light houseplants in a glass table I would choose coconut husk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you choose something other than soil you will have to compensate by providing nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium as well as trace nutrients.  Seeing as this is for an office it will be low light and you should be able to get by with fertilising two or three times a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-08-15T09:57:25.400" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T09:57:25.400" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28771" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4832" CreationDate="2016-08-13T20:00:52.373" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The pot looks small. It could be root bound. Any flowering/fruit bearing plant taller than 2 feet should get at least a minimum 5 gallon pot. 2 feet of above soil growth = minimum 5+ gallon pot. Roots need room to grow to allow for enough surface area. More root growth=more surface area= more nutrient absorption= healthier plants and more fruit. Ca deficiency can also be a by-product of root bound plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15609" LastActivityDate="2016-08-13T20:00:52.373" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28772" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-14T00:48:35.483" Score="1" ViewCount="46" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves have yellow spots which might turn grey at some point. They also have small white eggs in the bottom side. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the likely culprit and how can I remove it or help my squash recover. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R2Q9o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R2Q9o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tpE5k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tpE5k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7100" LastEditorUserId="7100" LastEditDate="2016-08-14T01:01:49.647" LastActivityDate="2016-08-27T15:53:51.193" Title="How do I help my squash?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28773" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-14T04:35:46.577" Score="2" ViewCount="24" Body="&lt;p&gt;I accidentally overwatered my sunchokes, and they started turning red, so now I'm watching them heal back to a very healthy plant. What part of them heals last?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-16T00:15:08.680" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T00:15:11.273" Title="What part of sunchokes is the last part to stop showing signs of overwatering?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;sunchoke&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28774" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-14T08:49:35.177" Score="1" ViewCount="184" Body="&lt;p&gt;While I was on my holiday in Greece, I passed by some nice looking conifers at one resort. I'm trying to find out what type they are. At first I thought they are some kind of thuja but now I'm not that sure. Can you guys help me identify them ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hVUCn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hVUCn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Thuja from Greece&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;Thanks in advance !&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15613" LastEditorUserId="392" LastEditDate="2017-06-14T00:52:30.663" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T17:49:19.653" Title="What type of conifer is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28775" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28878" CreationDate="2016-08-14T09:45:02.350" Score="1" ViewCount="153" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KOhLM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KOhLM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fungus image 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IVN3L.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IVN3L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fungus image 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tcLyS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tcLyS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fungus image 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What fungus is this? It looks like baby-mushrooms. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="14009" LastEditDate="2016-08-15T07:19:48.170" LastActivityDate="2016-08-21T00:46:24.097" Title="What type of fungus is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28776" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-14T13:18:48.703" Score="4" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/79x9y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/79x9y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dkE6A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dkE6A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rq8KR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rq8KR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T8U4y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T8U4y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wYmkk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wYmkk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why it's getting sick, and what can I do to prevent this? Is this damaging, like spreading to other plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-08-21T13:54:53.827" Title="Whats wrong with my Jasminum Sambac?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28777" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27592" CreationDate="2016-08-14T13:45:59.183" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just used salt on my gravel driveway that was becoming overgrown with weeds and it worked like a charm, within 2 days they started to die, by the 5th day the weeds were finally dead.........after multiple attempts of trying other weed killers. Salt will make the soil/sand have a much higher salinity concentration thus killing vegetation and making it an unfriendly growing spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15614" LastActivityDate="2016-08-14T13:45:59.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28778" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28821" CreationDate="2016-08-14T14:53:17.577" Score="3" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my other question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/28764/what-is-this-plant-on-the-pictures&quot;&gt;What is this plant on the pictures?&lt;/a&gt; I was asking about the identity of certain plant.&#xA;The reason I was asking was that this plant has gone for the worse recently.&#xA;The whole plant somehow faded and the liitle sprout seen on first picture has sagged and lost most of its leaves. Well, it went from bad to worse. The liitle sprout just toppled over with no roots left. My guess is that the roots have rotted away. My question is: Can I save that sprout and how. Would putting it in a water with a bit of liquid fertiliser help? Or is it gone.&#xA;My worry is that the big plant might follow soon. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qwWht.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qwWht.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I96Dt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I96Dt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15606" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-08-16T16:44:24.423" Title="How can I save this plant sprout?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28779" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28787" CreationDate="2016-08-14T16:52:15.010" Score="2" ViewCount="98" Body="&lt;p&gt;My well meaning father-in-law transplanted this plant into our flower bed, thinking it was a rose bush.  So far (2 years) we haven't seen any flowers.  It has some pretty serious thorns and is kind of growing wild, reaching out of the flower bed.  Therefore, I'm inclined to remove it, but before doing so I thought it would be a good idea to properly identify it and find out if it has potential to be a nice plant.  If you recognize this plant, or can lead me into the right direction, I would appreciate it.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pjlqy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pjlqy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Iab0E.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Iab0E.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g6TOK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g6TOK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14872" LastActivityDate="2016-08-14T20:44:12.627" Title="What is this plant, and is it worth saving" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27544" CreationDate="2016-08-14T16:55:36.027" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;As mentioned in my comment above, this turned out to be nutsedge.  Applying a nutsedge spray to the affected patches of lawn is making it turn brown and die:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aqUx3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aqUx3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This stuff spreads incredibly quickly, so if anyone else notices sedge in their lawn, it's best treated immediately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14187" LastActivityDate="2016-08-14T16:55:36.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28781" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28839" CreationDate="2016-08-14T17:04:42.097" Score="5" ViewCount="635" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that you can get these small powder bottles from stores like Home Depot or Lowe's. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So here's my problem: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;My mom got a rose bush from a neighbor. However, somehow, all the roots were ripped off by accident. So, my mom uses this powder and places the rose bush in a large pot. A month or so later, the roots did not grow, and my mom just threw away the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this because the powder cannot work for all types of plants or is it possible that some other factors messed up the process?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Neighbor did NOT give plant for keeping. My mom is well-known in my neighborhood for planting/gardening, and I just learned that the neighbor gave it to my mom to try to resuscitate it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15615" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-16T17:31:13.820" LastActivityDate="2016-09-17T05:36:39.360" Title="Is it possible to regrow the roots of any plant?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;rooting-hormone&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28782" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-14T17:59:58.363" Score="3" ViewCount="492" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm new to growing grapes and am having some problems. One of my vines is doing great, the other is not doing so well. I was hoping someone could give me some ideas of what my problem is and how to fix it. See pictures below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ocewC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/93VeN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K3TTa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2708" LastActivityDate="2016-10-14T08:53:09.130" Title="What is wrong with my grape vine?" Tags="&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28783" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-14T18:38:05.440" Score="4" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read that for greens like salad you can provide supplementary light hours (during night time) in order to increase the growing speed. Some species even tolerate continuous lighting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the same possible for strawberries?&#xA;I'm not sure as the daily light cycle is supposed to trigger flowering and fruiting...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15616" LastEditorUserId="15616" LastEditDate="2016-08-14T20:30:34.550" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T17:50:29.323" Title="Difference in supplementary lighting between greens and strawberries?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28784" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28785" CreationDate="2016-08-14T19:45:34.937" Score="2" ViewCount="19356" Body="&lt;p&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/27542/is-this-spotting-on-my-schefflera-houseplant-caused-by-alternaria&quot;&gt;this post&lt;/a&gt; I mentioned that the soil in my schefflera plant's pot had been host to some yellowish fungus, but I somehow managed to misidentify some discolored perlite as the fungus in question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I rediscovered the fungus yesterday; here a small growth can be seen about an inch in front of the base of the schefflera:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/pELrb88.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;schefflera soil fungus&quot;&gt;&#xA;And here is a closeup of the same:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Qy53ZNt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;schefflera soil fungus closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then, when I was watering my philodendron, I discovered what appears to me to be a very similar, fuzzy yellow fungus on the surface of its soil as well:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/FaMz0wv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;philodendron soil fungus 1&quot;&gt;&#xA;And:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/0h13A6u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;philodendron soil fungus 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't really look quite like &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13819/what-is-this-yellow-mold-or-fungus-in-my-container&quot;&gt;the dog vomit slime mold&lt;/a&gt; discussed here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I removed the schefflera soil's strange cylindrical growth with a toothpick easily enough; but is this fungus something about which I should be concerned, or will simply scraping it off whenever it appears keep the problem at bay? Should I repot the schefflera and philodendron in new soil? Water less often? Or is it beneficial, and OK to leave as is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15288" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-08-14T21:55:20.053" Title="What is causing this yellow fungus in my plants' soil, and should I be concerned?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28784" CreationDate="2016-08-14T20:16:07.890" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fungus are decay agents and can find a home where there is food (organic matter) and enough moisture to start. They will not cause any harm to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Solutions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leave them be&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;or take a trowel or similar tool and stir up the top inch or two of soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking fungus and mould will not continue to do well in a pot where proper watering practices are followed:  water thoroughly and let at least the top inch or two of soil dry out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-14T20:16:07.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28787" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28779" CreationDate="2016-08-14T20:44:12.627" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm very sure this is a wild rose.  Yes they can be invasive, but rather than just dumping it you might think about putting it in an attractive large pot and keep it.  They have the most delightful 5 petal blossom.  Most always a light pink, and the rose hips, though small, if saved can make an impressive and delicious herb tea. The other added benefit is that when they bloom when you water, or it rains their fragrance is  intoxicating.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15450" LastActivityDate="2016-08-14T20:44:12.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28788" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-14T21:00:48.587" Score="3" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a problem that could be taken care of easily if I wanted to use pesticides that kill spiders.  But I don't want to do that in my tiny space.&#xA;We live in a townhouse apartment with a small 35' x 12' yard on the back of our apt. and about 15' x 8' along the front side where our front gate is located.  I grow a few plants that I sell as individual plants and then recently have gotten into succulent, patio, zen and fairy tabletop gardens as well. I have a sensitivity to pesticides from an incident many years ago and besides, I know what they can do to other beneficial insects as well.  I would dearly appreciate any ideas to help get rid of my creepy crawly friends and their webs.  The spiders I don't mind (except for the wolf spiders ... urgggg) as much as I do their webs.  Any ideas?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15450" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T01:10:29.163" Title="Too Many Spiders" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28789" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23488" CreationDate="2016-08-14T21:02:47.180" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Also looks a bit like a mustard or rocket plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15450" LastActivityDate="2016-08-14T21:02:47.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28790" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23473" CreationDate="2016-08-14T21:11:49.477" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks exactly like the redwoods we have growing here in our area of California.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15450" LastActivityDate="2016-08-14T21:11:49.477" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28791" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28784" CreationDate="2016-08-14T21:55:20.053" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Additional to the (good) answer you've already been given, you might be interested to read the link below - yellow mushrooms occurring in houseplant soil are not uncommon, and I'd suggest the yellow cylindrical object you removed was, in fact, a burgeoning, not quite developed mushroom similar to those shown in the link&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://houseplantscare.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/yellow-houseplant-mushroom.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://houseplantscare.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/yellow-houseplant-mushroom.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-14T21:55:20.053" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28792" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-14T23:49:12.600" Score="2" ViewCount="55" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found in Portland Oregon. It came from a tree about 10-12 ft tall. It smells very sweet, almost like Jasmine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iq5Vk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iq5Vk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15618" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T08:51:50.753" Title="What is this tree from the NW?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28793" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-15T00:46:30.973" Score="2" ViewCount="157" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Mom gave me this plant after some animal (her neighbor said it was likely a cat) ate all the foliage off of it. She said it originally had leaves similar to my crappy drawing on the first picture. She had not watered it for ages and presumed it was dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took it in an effort to resurrect it and after 6 months it has a small new sprout (look closely at the second picture)!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is this plant?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I was told not to transplant it for fear of killing it but it has obviously outgrown its container, &lt;strong&gt;can I transfer it to a larger pot without killing it?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Obviously it prefers partial shade, but &lt;strong&gt;what else should I know about caring for it?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/097IS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/097IS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vz418.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vz418.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6969" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T02:11:58.850" Title="What the heck is this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-08-19T13:01:43.847" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28788" CreationDate="2016-08-15T01:10:29.163" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I find that if you destroy the webs with a stick or something the spiders will tend to move on after a while to less disturbed locations. You probably have a lot of spiders because there's a lot of food available for them. I would consider it a good thing personally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you just want your yard to look good for guests, I suggest cleaning up their webs regularly and you should find fewer of them each time until the majority of them find less conspicuous locations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15225" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T01:10:29.163" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28795" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28772" CreationDate="2016-08-15T01:15:18.507" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to tell from the blurry picture, but the eggs look like eggs for a squash bug. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/squash-bugs/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/squash-bugs/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had some on my pumpkins this year and they killed several of my plants until I started catching and killing them. Hope that helps. Good luck. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15225" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T01:15:18.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28797" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28782" CreationDate="2016-08-15T08:19:48.777" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think there are several problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking at the woody shot (and partially also on green shots), it seems that the grape is affected by the Dead-arm (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_arm_of_grapevine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_arm_of_grapevine&lt;/a&gt;), but on a so young grape, it could also be some root problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves shows also some lacks of nutrients (the dry/red parts, the borders, the missed shots/leaves).  This could be caused by the first disease, or by some insects (but I doubt it, the greens shots and stalks seems damaged by fungus or ev. by hail; insects doesn't seem to be the primary problem).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For now, try some leave fertilizers. At beginning of spring some Sulfur will cure the fungal disease. Check also the ground and the low part of the &quot;trunk&quot; if you see some fungal disease (e.g. white strips).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T08:19:48.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28798" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28792" CreationDate="2016-08-15T08:51:50.753" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It isn't a tree - if it was in a tree, it's because it climbed up into it, as it often does if it can. It's a climbing plant called Clematis vitalba, common name Traveller's Joy. Many other forms of clematis are incorrectly called Traveller's Joy, so best to stick to the botanical/Latin name of C. vitalba if you need to tell anyone precisely what it is. Grows wild in the UK and Europe, often found in hedgerows; I'm not sure whether it grows wild in parts of America too, or whether this one has been deliberately planted. Flowers July through to September and is, indeed, fragrant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflowersofireland.net/plant_detail.php?id_flower=290&amp;amp;wildflower=Traveller%27s%20Joy&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.wildflowersofireland.net/plant_detail.php?id_flower=290&amp;amp;wildflower=Traveller%27s%20Joy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T08:51:50.753" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28799" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-15T12:42:48.733" Score="5" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;A client recently lost a maple to a suspected case of Armillaria root disease. She is reporting that a nearby sycamore is showing signs of the same disease. We would ordinarily remove the tree and roots and burn everything, but due to the location and maturity of the tree, she is willing to try anything to save it - even non-organic options.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2017-10-10T12:54:18.980" Title="Are there any effective treatments for Armillaria root diseas (AKA shoestring root rot)?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28768" CreationDate="2016-08-15T14:30:13.080" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple more options which might offer a relatvely cool look (especially in an office) would be gels like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.chemistryland.com/CHM107Lab/Lab7/Lab7Exp3polyacrylate.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;agrosoke (polyacrylate) crystals&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gendepot.com/kb/subview.php?sel_a=25&amp;amp;sel_b=43&amp;amp;sel_c=&amp;amp;idx=375&amp;amp;sel_page=sub_view_new&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;plant agar&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lpqEA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lpqEA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the polyacrylate crystals, you will probably need to support the plant because the crystals are a loose substrate and polyacrylate expands and contracts with water amount, which causes upheaval, and essentially can cause the plant to fall over. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can't find agrosoke crystals or polyacrylate in your area, you can rip open a (clean) diaper to get the crytals. The crystals typically expand about 20 fold. Or, search online for plant gel... chances are you will find both products for sale (plant agar and polyacrylate).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastEditorUserId="14191" LastEditDate="2016-08-15T15:26:53.000" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T15:26:53.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28801" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28808" CreationDate="2016-08-15T16:24:57.110" Score="2" ViewCount="152" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do I have any chances to move this lilac without killing it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best time of the year for this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any recommendations in terms of tools, procedure, root cutting, replanting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MFzzU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MFzzU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;this is a lilac bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-15T16:36:05.307" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T00:55:17.260" Title="What chances do I stand to relocate this lilac bush?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28802" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28807" CreationDate="2016-08-15T16:44:58.760" Score="4" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do I have any chances to move this &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;thuja bush&lt;/a&gt; without killing it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best time of the year for this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any recommendations in terms of tools, procedure, root cutting, replanting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(This is about the largest of the three along the driveway)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/98lmE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/98lmE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the plant in 2007.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1k41W.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1k41W.png&quot; alt=&quot;Plant in 2007&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-04T18:37:55.053" LastActivityDate="2017-02-04T18:37:55.053" Title="What chances do I stand to relocate this thuja bush?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28803" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-15T17:45:33.533" Score="3" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;What would be a hardy evergreen flowering vine that can live in Southern Ontario (5b)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the map&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-ontario-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-ontario-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastActivityDate="2016-08-16T07:57:03.323" Title="What would be a hardy evergreen flowering vine that can live in Southern Ontario (5b)" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28804" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28767" CreationDate="2016-08-15T17:54:59.600" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's an ivy leaved morning glory (&lt;em&gt;Ipomoea hederacea&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y7BkA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y7BkA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastEditorUserId="14191" LastEditDate="2016-08-16T12:08:26.520" LastActivityDate="2016-08-16T12:08:26.520" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28768" CreationDate="2016-08-15T18:03:09.700" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can actually use soil, but you have to make sure it's free of pests and their eggs:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I take a big aluminum roasting pan, add soil and or potting soil and or compost, and then some water.  I cover it tightly with aluminum foil, put it on my gas grill, run my gas grill with the burners on medium for a couple hours.  The soil is well-cooked and pest free.  The water and sealing it keeps it from baking into a solid rock.  Before putting it into my indoor plant pots, I also mix in perlite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do it this way because there's organic matter in the soil, and it creates a pretty strong smell if you cook soil in your oven, though you can do it that way, too.  If you Google &quot;baking&quot; or &quot;sterilizing&quot; and &quot;soil&quot; you can probably get more accurate information on time and temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T18:03:09.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28806" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-15T18:18:48.780" Score="3" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to buy some more of these online but I'm not sure what they're called. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does someone know what this is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LU368.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LU368.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YOLo3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YOLo3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15623" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T20:00:50.720" Title="What is this called?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28802" CreationDate="2016-08-15T18:47:53.600" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Certainly possible, some investigation is in order first:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the more the soil drains quickly the farther out the root system will spread.  Take a space and trench around the perimeter of the plant. What kind of soil and how many roots do you find?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the older the plant the more established the root system.  Five year old seedlings pop out like Lego.  Twenty five year old plants don't move without a chainsaw and stumper.  How old is the plant?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Preparations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water the plant daily for a few days before the move&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;have the new destination dug out and ready.  Planting high is fine where clay subsoil is close to the surface. Planting below the established ground level is not advisable&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;have a sharpened spade and loppers handy.  Do not rip roots, cut them!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;don't bother planting with bonemeal or any soil that is different than the existing local soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After planting&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water, water, water.  This is the most critical part and is often forgotten. Particularly in summer temperatures cedars can dry out in a few days.  Water daily for at least a few weeks.  Greater success can be achieved by doing this work in the spring or fall.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you like to dig this is a great project.  Cedars like this can be purchased where I live for for $25.  How much time you want to spend on one of the least expensive evergreen shrubs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-08-15T19:12:02.977" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T19:12:02.977" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28801" CreationDate="2016-08-15T19:04:05.230" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The last two times I had to remove a Lilac I had to use a Bobcat or a heavy duty pickup with chains.  Both plants had been in the ground for thirty years or more. There was no way you could transplant them.  In fact even after dragging them out they popped up new shoots for the next three months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However this looks to be a cultivar and may not be so vigorous.  You could investigate with a spade and trench around the plant to see how thick the roots are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also want to ask yourself how much work you want to spend on a plant that you can buy for $39.99 list price at a nursery.  If you are spending more than a few hours to do this then buy new.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fall is the best time to do this.  Water the plant well for a few days before to loosen up the soil.  Be prepared for a deep root ball which means you will be digging down 2 feet (60 cm).  This can make a huge mess in your lawn so have some bags of top soil to fill the hole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have your destination hole ready to go before you start and plant it at the same level as it currently sits at.  No need to add bonemeal or amend the local soil in any way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A sharpened spade, secateurs and lopper are what you need if the plant is not too established.  For well rooted plants removal is the only option with a pickup truck and chains.  Safe operating practices are the only way to go!  Make sure you are wearing safety boots and gloves, have a good strong chain, keep  bystanders back some distance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your comments you mention that the plant is old with a diameter of 6' (2 M).  I don't think you can successfully move this without a tree spade as the roots will go down quite deep.  Better off to buy a new one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-08-18T00:55:17.260" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T00:55:17.260" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28809" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28803" CreationDate="2016-08-15T19:40:48.433" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Evergreen,flowering, climbing in Zone 5b - there isn't one I'm afraid. There isn't one that does that in the UK, and we're Zone 8, mostly, so I'm afraid it comes down to a choice between an evergreen shrub, or an evergreen climber like Hedera helix (Ivy) or a deciduous flowering climber.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you decide you can tolerate a non-evergreen flowering climber, Campsis radicans is fully hardy in your zone, but note it flowers much better in a very sunny spot I think this plant is commonly known as Trumpet vine where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.canadaplants.ca/display.php?id=307&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.canadaplants.ca/display.php?id=307&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-16T07:57:03.323" LastActivityDate="2016-08-16T07:57:03.323" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28810" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28806" CreationDate="2016-08-15T19:53:41.590" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it looks like Laurus nobilis, or Bay laurel, except the leaves are a bit yellow. That could be down to nutrient or light shortage, or possibly insufficient root room, but you don't mention any scent - the leaves are used in cooking, so there should be a distinctive scent, especially if bruised. Pic below, but if there's no scent, this ID is incorrect, and it may be an Elaeagnus variety instead&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Laurus_nobilis_002.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Laurus_nobilis_002.JPG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-15T20:00:50.720" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T20:00:50.720" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28811" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-15T21:10:11.840" Score="5" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have three of these and I think it will not be a good idea to leave them like that over winter. This is in Toronto Canada. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-ontario-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is the hardiness map. &#xA;I was thinking that storing them in a shed my work. How much light do they need? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4yt26.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4yt26.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: one year later&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qt6lP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qt6lP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Not a bad winter all in all. at some point the planters where full of ice, the plants were covered in ice because the water did not drain (the bottom holes plugged) and it froze filling the planters up&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="3078" LastEditDate="2017-04-11T23:24:48.990" LastActivityDate="2017-04-11T23:24:48.990" Title="How do I prepare planters with sedum and hen and chicks for winter?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;sedum&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28812" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28814" CreationDate="2016-08-15T21:30:42.970" Score="2" ViewCount="196" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had the hardest time making a seedling &lt;code&gt;Crepe Myrtles&lt;/code&gt; this spring. One died because I touched it like a noob then it bended an died -_-. The other one had not enough sun so it dried out and died, another one died because I tried inside and I think it was too cold... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then I finally manage to save one from death by putting it outside under the morning sun and inside a small greenhouse to keep humidity. It had now like 4 pair of leaves and it's still pretty small. I don't know what to do with it during winter since I don't have a lot of sun in my apartment and it's pretty cold (20-21 Celsius) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in &lt;strong&gt;Quebec City&lt;/strong&gt;, Canada where winter are long and very cold. So, I don't think I could let it outside, but at the same time, I can't really bring it inside since it won't be in a dormant state... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would it be safe if I buy an hydroponic lamp with a timer during winter? I read that it's not an Indoor Plant... Do you have any other suggestion ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qnbKF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qnbKF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bonsai&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4MZXc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4MZXc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bonsai&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EE4aP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EE4aP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15016" LastEditorUserId="15016" LastEditDate="2016-10-03T22:45:35.390" LastActivityDate="2016-10-03T22:45:35.390" Title="How to save my Crepe Myrtle bonzai from expected death during next winter?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28811" CreationDate="2016-08-15T23:11:01.670" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a dozen of more of these planted with various succulents and experiments and we garden in zone 5a which is colder than your zone.  Winter preparation is to move them to an area with good snow cover.  Snow is an excellent insulator from the wild changes in temperature that seem to be the new norm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Toronto weather tends to be moderated by the lake but this means your chief worry is the plants getting waterlogged then frozen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would move them to an area protected from winds, road salt and bright sun.  An easterly or protected northern site should do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then, to protect against them getting too wet I would make a little tent to keep the rain/snow off.  As long as it has ventilation it should not warm them up during the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-15T23:11:01.670" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28814" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28812" CreationDate="2016-08-16T00:32:42.800" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is definitely a solution here.  You have to bring your bonsai inside for winter unless you have a heated, very consistently heated greenhouse.  The way to do this is to HARDEN your plant (backwards I guess) to get used to the less humid, less light, drafty home environment.  Bring your plant inside for half an hour everyday for 3 or 4 days, increase the amount of time to and hour, then 2 hours then 4 hours. Give it a place of its own with lots of light but not direct light.  Definitely near a window.  If you see any stress in your bonsai cut the time inside by half.  Bonsai needs to be watered every day (discuss this with a Bonsai master depends on the size of your plant and its pot) and I found tap water to be a death wish.  Get distilled or bottled water.  Or use a friend's well water.  No saucer beneath, easy easy on fertilizer during the winter months.  Then in spring, harden your bonsai the other direction.  A great spot is a covered porch. The daylight will be short, the reduction in fertilizer will put your tree in a semi dormancy as if it were in a Japanese winter.  Put it in a sunny, cool room, like a guest room. No pruning, no cold or warm drafts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were you I'd get advice from Bonsai masters!  Bonsai is the ultimate training tool for gardeners!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-16T00:32:42.800" CommentCount="20" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28815" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-16T01:46:17.703" Score="5" ViewCount="530" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a 50' x 5' wide section in the back of the yard that will not grow grass.  At first I thought it was because the two trees in the back of the yard.  I pruned the trees and still no grass.  I dug up the dirt and see a sandy layer about 5&quot; down.  I tested this soil:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pH:   7.5, Alkaline&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nitrate:    low&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Phosphorus: high&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Potassium:  high&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The backyard is Bermuda grass.  By circumstance, some men dug up that area of the yard with a tractor and pulled up a bunch of limestone. &#xA;I seeded Bermuda, poured about 1&quot; of new dirt on it but it did not grow.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to make the grass grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Back of yard&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fp0M6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fp0M6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dirt: &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tmWYg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tmWYg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10951" LastEditorUserId="10951" LastEditDate="2016-08-20T20:24:36.227" LastActivityDate="2016-08-20T20:24:36.227" Title="Grass will not grow in the back of the yard" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28816" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-16T01:48:19.253" Score="2" ViewCount="146" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below you have the existing areas designated as marked. &#xA;Just below the access path to the left side I intend to install an outdoor sofa, parallel to the fence (it can now be seen in the 3Ds). The left side threes belong to my neighbor.&#xA;The green rectangle to left bottom side is a vegetable garden&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update as requested:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;-NNW is at the top of the page, vertical axe of the schematic diagrams&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-no drainage issues&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-vegetable garden positioned there because it is the least visible and close to the shed where the tools are. Shed is there ..because that is the best area for it :-)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-exterior brick veneer&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-no pets&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-USDA zone: 6a (Toronto)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-prefer perenials and evergreen (but not for trees)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-the trees in my design: Japanese Maple (Emperor wolf), Hybrid Dogwood, and again a green leaf Japanese maple.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-fence segment parallel with the garden will be a perennial flowering vine (Trumpets Vine or climbing rose)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-privacy was addressed by the below showed placement of the trees Basicall I need privacy in the patio area.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-I do not insist to have a lot of lawn&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-watering will be done with an irrigation system&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-no previous landscaping experience (if you check the homereno diy section of stackexchange you will see my work on the patio and some pictures)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;- I do not intend to post more pictures&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-no other areas other that what is suggested. &#xA;-the BBQ is next to the wall parallel with the patio table (so that is the kitchen for now)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I basically need help with a theme not with the detailed design, something like what is encircled in green belowk:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/RJXScvS.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://i.imgur.com/RJXScvS.png&lt;/a&gt; ☚ direct link to full size picture  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L9rGI.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L9rGI.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;-NNW is at the top of the page, vertical axe of the below diagram&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I8oi1.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I8oi1.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here is the best idea I could come up with. A rectangular theme where 1,2,3,4 have the same size. I must admit that it will be a challenge for me to create these areas (1,2,3) either with plants or some hardscaping materials&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would you change or how would you do it? What do you consider that I should change?   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;-NNW is at the top of the page, vertical axe of the below diagram&lt;/strong&gt;   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/52zht.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/52zht.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA; And here is a 3D &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bgp3Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bgp3Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here I added the sofa. That in the 3D is not exactly the style that I want. It will be more like this:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L6IA2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L6IA2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/93OjY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/93OjY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ARlqd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ARlqd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I could also center the sofa on the longitudinal axe of the biggest area of the backyard as below but that will squize the dwarf tree that would be planted in the that corner behind the sofa, corner that I want to be a second focal point (lights might be installed there) This will be a focal point for the viewer from the deck as well. (dwarf japanese maple of dwarf pine or strong color shrub) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GlVzf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GlVzf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;View from the kitchen with a view that I am trying to block. Basically my neighbor and myself see each other from the kitchen or deck. There was a tree there but the former owner cut it for unknown reasons. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zRNEu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zRNEu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also added the windows in the 3D so you can have an idea what the viewer sees from the house&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tyBEp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tyBEp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update: How about this idea:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sskjc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sskjc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="3078" LastEditDate="2016-08-18T22:00:49.423" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T22:00:49.423" Title="Please help me to select the best form composition for this backyard design" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;design&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="17" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28817" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28815" CreationDate="2016-08-16T05:48:21.893" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure the answer is that your pH is too high (that depends on who you ask) and especially that your nitrogen is too low (I think most will agree on this). If you have high potassium and low nitrogen that will probably inhibit germination and growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;People generally lower the pH with sulfur, but that can take a lot of time and it isn't always the best solution according to some. I prefer mixing/tilling peat moss in with the soil to lower the pH, since it adds organic matter, too, and is bulky. I'm not into lawns much, but I'm thinking ammonium sulfate, urea and such might be good for the nitrogen as might different nitrate fertilizers (but calcium nitrate would be a bad idea since your calcium seems to be high from the lime, and calcium nitrate is said to kill soil microbes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might also try growing inoculated clover in with your grass (if you don't mind extra bees in your grass), as it should help to increase nitrogen. Or, you could do only clover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grass is supposed to love nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I must admit that I don't know for sure that these measures will increase germination rates, although I believe the organic matter from the peat moss should help considerably, especially if the soil drains too fast. Composted manure may help too. People or sites might tell you not to use a high nitrogen fertilizer, but because your other soil nutrients are high, you need to balance them with extra nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my area, people usually put &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/put-straw-grass-seed-69669.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;straw&lt;/a&gt; or hay over new grass seed. It helps to keep the soil moist and probably eventually supplies natural nutrients. Straw is high in nitrogen. It is said to protect the seeds from being blown away or eaten by birds. I don't know if you did that, but it might be a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-08-16T08:50:57.003" LastActivityDate="2016-08-16T08:50:57.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28815" CreationDate="2016-08-16T13:08:56.737" Score="3" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I seeded bermuda. Poured about 1&quot; of new dirt on it. Did not grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm no expert, but from what I have read, grass seeds must be planted no deeper than 1/4&quot;.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14872" LastActivityDate="2016-08-16T13:08:56.737" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28819" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28820" CreationDate="2016-08-16T14:12:00.997" Score="5" ViewCount="192" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a simple, old, rusted chainlink fence at the back of my yard.  In the future, we want to replace it.  Therefore, we have been looking for ideas.  We recently spotted a very interesting fence-like setup in our neighborhood, which uses trees trained along cables (see pictures).  It will be a couple years before we do this project, but I would like to do some more research on this idea now.  My first inclination is that trees would be a bad choice, ultimately, because they will get too big.  Therefore, what would be an ideal plant choice?  Maybe a vine?  For your information, there is plenty of space on both sides of the fence we want to replace, unlike in the pictures below.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If possible, I would like: &lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Good foliage all year long (evergreen - zone 6b, Boston), to provide privacy.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Relatively fast growing&#xA;&lt;br/&gt;Relatively long lived&#xA;&lt;br/&gt;Friendly to birds (optional)&#xA;&lt;br/&gt;Flowering (optional)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bheLp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bheLp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GwrN3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GwrN3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the helpful answer below, I've been able to find many examples of what I'm considering.  For those who may be interested, I've found using the general term espalier to helpful when searching. The Belgian fence style is particularly relevant.  As to the subject of selecting an ideal plant, I think I can narrow down some of the option.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most important to me:&#xA;&lt;br/&gt; Good thick foliage for a good portion of the year&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Winter hardiness&#xA;&lt;br/&gt; Moderate to low water requirements&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I do not want:&#xA;&lt;br/&gt; No edible fruit bearing plants&#xA;&lt;br/&gt; No thorny plants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Off the top of my head, I wonder if a holly might be a good choice.&#xA;I welcome any suggestions for me to explore.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14872" LastEditorUserId="14872" LastEditDate="2016-08-17T15:58:39.767" LastActivityDate="2016-08-17T15:58:39.767" Title="Looking for advice on constructing a living fence, using trees or vine" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;fence&gt;&lt;design&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28819" CreationDate="2016-08-16T15:29:06.497" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your photos show a good example of what's known as cordon training - this is a method used mostly for fruiting trees, and it looks as if the trees in the photo may actually be apple, but its hard to be sure. Cordon training requires a basic framework to be in place, and the trees you choose will need regular pruning and tying in, so they must be able to withstand this kind of treatment - not all trees and shrubs will respond well. They don't get too big because you're expected to continue pruning and training (certainly annually, possibly twice a year, depending on growth rate and variety of tree/shrub) as time goes on. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because this is a relatively time consuming, high maintenance method, and the best subjects for it are fruit trees, and maybe Pyracantha, one or two other large shrubs, and possibly climbing roses, it's likely something you may consider unsuitable, given you really want an evergreen cover and may not have sufficient time. With regard to evergreen vines, there are none that I can think of which are hardy in your area, with the exception of Hedera helix varieties, which won't co-operate with this type of training. It might be better to consider evergreen shrubs or conifers which stand without support rather than a vine/climber.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info on cordon training below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=87&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=87&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following on from your comment, grapevines can be trained into all kinds of shapes. I wouldn't say they have attractive foliage for most of the year though, even in full leaf they're not a thing of beauty. You'd be safer choosing an American grape too, for hardiness reasons, so cultivars of Vitis labruscana. Link below to possible training techniques, but there's loads on the web on this subject, including videos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thewinedoctor.com/advisory/technicaltraining.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.thewinedoctor.com/advisory/technicaltraining.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could, though choose Pyracantha coccinea - its hardy, technically evergreen, though may be more semi evergreen with your winter temperatures, can be trained in various ways, has flowers around May and berries in Fall&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ilonasgarden.com/how-to-train-pyracantha/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ilonasgarden.com/how-to-train-pyracantha/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-16T19:58:36.293" LastActivityDate="2016-08-16T19:58:36.293" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28778" CreationDate="2016-08-16T16:44:24.423" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem is root rot due to over watering and insufficient light.  Very common with these plants as indicated in my answer to your previous question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is the possibility of spider mites. Examine the underside of the leaves with a magnifying glass for what appears to be grains of salt.  If present wipe the leaves, top and bottom, with a solution of 5 ml dish soap to 1 liter of water. Repeat three times at five to seven day intervals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not put the cutting in water.  Use a rooting hormone if available and pot up in a medium that keeps the roots moist, not wet.  You can use peat, coconut coir, perlite or sphagnum moss.  Be sure to put this in a high light area.  High humidity with air movement helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-16T16:44:24.423" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28822" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28826" CreationDate="2016-08-16T17:47:22.997" Score="3" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing my own Chilli's in the kitchen window sill, but this has resulted in a massive greenfly epidemic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried two different brands of bug spray Provado Ultimate Bug Killer and Doff All in one bug spray and they seem to be immune! Both are supposedly for use on fruit and veg but they don't seem to do a thing :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any recommendations for getting rid of them and also preventing them from coming back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am based in Derby, England.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice would be much appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cheers,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gareth&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15630" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T07:19:51.173" Title="Advice for getting rid of Green Fly?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28823" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-16T19:29:20.497" Score="2" ViewCount="4006" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've pinpointed the whitish band I'm talking about with two lines on the leftmost picture below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LcVbv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LcVbv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, the whitish band appears due to overuse of fertilizers (nitrates?) in growing tomatoes. But am I right? Do you happen to have a picture of a sliced tomato grown without any fertilizers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15632" LastActivityDate="2016-08-17T23:41:57.377" Title="Why do some tomatoes have a whitish band under the skin?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28824" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28823" CreationDate="2016-08-16T20:04:50.040" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The amount and colour of the flesh under the skin of a tomato is more or less entirely due to the variety of tomato being grown.There is no 'white band' inside a cherry tomato, even though they are commercially grown and sold in the millions, but the variety usually sold in the UK as 'salad tomatoes', which look like the ones in your picture, do have this paler band and thicker flesh on the inside. There's even a tomato with much more solid flesh and barely any pulp and seeds, grown specifically for commercial sandwich makers to use, and I've never noticed much of a paler coloured band with those either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-16T20:16:38.430" LastActivityDate="2016-08-16T20:16:38.430" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28825" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-16T21:04:06.323" Score="2" ViewCount="2170" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our honey locust is about 30 years old, 30-40 ft high.  This year it is constantly dropping &quot;debris&quot; onto our deck, including leaves, not yet formed leaves, pollen pods (?).  We clean it up and the next day there's a new mess. I write this in mid August but this has been going on since spring. I can't seem to find any cankers, but I'm not totally sure what to look for.  Is this tree at the end of its life?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15633" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-17T20:07:58.010" LastActivityDate="2016-08-17T20:07:58.010" Title="Why is our Honey Locust tree shedding leaves and other parts?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;honey-locust&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ClosedDate="2017-03-30T14:41:43.090" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28826" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28822" CreationDate="2016-08-16T21:43:19.393" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've said you used Provado Ultimate Bugkiller and Doff All in one, three weeks in a row. Provado Ultimate Bugkiller should only be repeated every 10 days, and is both systemic and contact in action. Because its a systemic, that's why it shouldn't be used more often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doff All in One bugkiller is a contact killer only - I've been unable to access the instructions for use, but given it only contains fatty acids, the likelihood is you need to  repeat treat every few days, ongoing. If it says you can use it every three days, then do so - when you spray, spray thoroughly, till run off, including beneath the leaves and including the stems.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid there is no permanent solution to aphid infestation - systemic sprays, if sprayed as described above, keep plants clear for longer, roughly a week to two weeks, depending on the product, whereas contact ones only kill what's on the plant when you spray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-16T21:43:19.393" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28827" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-16T22:07:01.777" Score="3" ViewCount="115" Body="&lt;p&gt;This shrub/tree is growing in an old pasture that I use for holding stock.  I've always wondered what it is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears to be spreading with its root system.  Growth rate medium. No fruit seeds or flowers that I can recall. If we don't have any ideas I'll update in the spring with some new pics. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Size is about 2 meters high and 4 meters in diameter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil is clay alkaline.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location is Utah. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Under the Köppen climate classification, It has a continental climate (Dsa)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;USDA zone 7&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k3OEm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k3OEm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/44IcL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/44IcL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shrub with fence in background&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14965" LastEditorUserId="14965" LastEditDate="2016-08-17T02:50:23.977" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T15:01:35.607" Title="Help with identifiying tree with deciduous maple like leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22146" CreationDate="2016-08-16T23:50:35.697" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can try to graft 3 or 4 shoots on the surfaces of the cut stems after bracing the stem with circular metal braces. Leave the bark alone. However, you can paint the stems with latex to protect from rotting. Fertilizing and acidifying of the orange tree with urine seem like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.regional.org.au/au/asa/1998/8/029condon.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;a scientific proved method&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15636" LastActivityDate="2016-08-16T23:50:35.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28829" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28833" CreationDate="2016-08-17T03:55:32.730" Score="3" ViewCount="5117" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have three indoor avocado trees that I have grown from seed (pictured). I have cut two off after they got fairly high and both have started a new branch (the one on the right has barely started its branch and the one on the left and in front has awhile ago). The one in the back I haven't cut off the stem, but I have pruned it extensively after the leaves got really big. It is now starting with some new growth at the top. I have also been picking off the leaves of the one in the front left. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want them to get very tall and I want them to branch out, but so far they don't like to grow leaves or branches unless it is more near the top. How can I do this? Is there any way to get the little bumps (that are present every so often up the stem) to turn into branches? How should I be pruning these trees - branches and leaves? Is what I have been doing so far completely wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hyL1n.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hyL1n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15637" LastActivityDate="2016-08-17T10:45:23.807" Title="How to Get Indoor Avocado Tree to Branch Out" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;branches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28830" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-17T01:24:46.653" Score="4" ViewCount="66" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to get some growth and color to my orange peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will they color quicker with more sun or less? What about more water or less water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, I understand that I should not cut them off the plant, but instead carefully pull off the whole pepper with the stem from the plant. Is this correct?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Jay" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-17T13:49:28.027" LastActivityDate="2016-08-17T13:49:59.447" Title="How do I promote ripening and harvest peppers correctly?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28831" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-17T07:24:52.103" Score="4" ViewCount="604" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a plant I am trying to put a name to so I can get relevant information on its care and propagation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has deeply lobed leaves, similar to a dandelion and pink petals that fade towards their tips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6y2I6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6y2I6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15638" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-17T13:46:17.963" LastActivityDate="2016-08-17T14:29:17.850" Title="What is this plant with lobed leaves and pink flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28832" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28830" CreationDate="2016-08-17T09:17:17.147" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sun is essential for full ripening and flavour; though they can be picked and ripened separately, they will be sweeter if left to ripen on the plant. Watering should be sufficient and frequent enough to keep the plant well supplied, but without leaving it waterlogged. You've not said whether your plant is in the ground or in a pot, but if it's in a pot, water when the surface of the potting compost is just slightly dry to the touch, water well and allow water to drain freely from the bottom of the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And no, you don't pull off the pepper, the branches of the plant are too fragile for that, you need to use scissors or clean pruners - instructions in the link below, along with more general growing and ripening information&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/pepper/harvesting-peppers.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/pepper/harvesting-peppers.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-17T13:49:59.447" LastActivityDate="2016-08-17T13:49:59.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28833" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28829" CreationDate="2016-08-17T10:45:23.807" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/avocado&quot;&gt;questions&lt;/a&gt; about avocado from people with the same issue.  Avocado's have strong &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apical_dominance&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;apical dominance&lt;/a&gt;.  This plant wants to be a very tall tree. The other factor is that when grown indoors it is rarely receiving the light levels required to put out a lot of leaf growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I cut back avocados grown indoors you would get one, maybe two, buds.  One would quickly become the leader and the result is that the tree would look the same, only shorter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When grown outdoors in the ground you can get a multi stem tree by cutting back the main stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a multi stem plant and you are growing it indoors you need a lot more light.  High pressure sodium lighting should do the job.  These are used for hydroponics and should be available in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-08-17T10:45:23.807" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28834" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28831" CreationDate="2016-08-17T14:29:17.850" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerbera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gerbera daisy&lt;/a&gt; (Gerbera Jamesonii, Gerbera Viridifolia, Gerbera hybrida, and more).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize them every two weeks with all-purpose water-soluble fertilizer. Water regularly to make sure the soil stays evenly moist while they bloom. After blooming for the season, allow them to dry out slightly. Remove dead blooms with garden shears to encourage the gerberas to keep blooming for as long as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some articles on their culture/propagation:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gerbera.org/care/gerbera-daisy-plant-care/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gerbera.org/care/gerbera-daisy-plant-care/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/gerbera-daisy/growing-gerbera-daisies.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/gerbera-daisy/growing-gerbera-daisies.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Gerbera-Daisies&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Gerbera-Daisies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And one specific to propagation:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/propagate-gerbera-60030.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/propagate-gerbera-60030.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aDU1n.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aDU1n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-08-17T14:29:17.850" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28835" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="140" CreationDate="2016-08-17T18:44:14.537" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;To try to get rid of nature, is like living in a bubble. Try to work with it and you'll probably be surprised. Last summer I was fortunate enough to flush out 4 baby rabbits before I ran over them with the lawn mower! I got them one by one and put them over in the woods-phew! I've seen a few in the back yard, but none bother my flower garden, mostly feed on certain weeds that are out there. Another deterrent is tabasco mixed with water, spray on or around the plants. As far as moles go, I've used a store bought repellent. They were so bad I had them in my flower beds. Eventually they've gone from the front yard towards the back. Stay diligent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14436" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-17T19:45:35.607" LastActivityDate="2016-08-17T19:45:35.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28746" CreationDate="2016-08-17T18:51:33.977" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Always remember to re-pot at the same depth that the plant was at before.Whether in a larger pot or in the ground.Depending on the size of the root ball,the new pot should only be about 2 in.larger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14436" LastActivityDate="2016-08-17T18:51:33.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28837" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28823" CreationDate="2016-08-17T23:41:57.377" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's more likely simply a manifestation or vestige of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.npr.org/2011/08/26/139972669/the-unsavory-story-of-industrially-grown-tomatoes&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;commercial tomatoes being picked green&lt;/a&gt;, and homegrown or closer to homegrown tomatoes being picked ripe, rather than ANYTHING to do with fertilizer. While the commercial crop will eventually turn red, it's not the same as vine-ripened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd make a reasonable bet that the folks at the farmers market are fertilizing - just organically. &quot;Unfertilized tomatoes&quot; (planted in raw ground with no help) don't amount to much. Planted in a rich garden/field, it's disingenuous to call them unfertilized. That soil didn't magically get rich all by itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-08-17T23:41:57.377" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28838" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28793" CreationDate="2016-08-18T02:11:58.850" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Also, you will loose leaves (eventually kill your plant) if you over water it.  To avoid this, you can insert a wooden chopstick into the soil (approx. 4&quot; deep &amp;amp; when it comes out dry, it needs water) water when the soil is dry. Transplanting typically causes a plant to stress so a good time released fertilizer (often granular you apply to the soil so when you water, nutrients are released) &amp;amp; good luck.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15647" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T02:11:58.850" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28839" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28781" CreationDate="2016-08-18T05:04:08.173" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of factors that govern plant propagation. Trust me, almost every gardener wishes we could just stick 'em in the ground and have multiple plant babies! Let us look at a few of the factors:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some plants will simply not like propagation through gels, root powders and other agents. They might need a lab setting with carefully delivered hormones. They might only like propagation by seed. Don't worry, roses are not in this category. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The season, how the cuttings are obtained, moisture, location of your propagation attempts all play a role. This, definitely affects the roses. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The type of rose - climbing, mounding, hybrid, etc. is another factor as well. Some might need hard wood for propagation, some might do better with soft wood, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gel versus rooting powder versus other growth media matter as well. I have seen wet cow dung being used successfully by my mother in India for roses. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, coming to what happened, I do not follow how all the roots fell off, but that accident probably distressed the plant. So sticking the rest of the plant with just a little bit of the rooting powder may not have been enough. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Setting the plant in water, and choosing a few branches to save while the plant was still alive might have been one way to try and save the plant. Also, when a plant is injured, it is best to remove flowers, buds and excessive branches helps the plant focus more energy on healing by rooting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Typically, for general propagation, you go to the mother plant, look for healthy branches, while they are still on the plant, and select a few, typically, soft wood (for vertical roses, those that still have green on them) and take a cutting, slicing at 45 degrees facing towards the ground. For certain varieties, you don't want cuttings from the hard wood branches, identified by hard, brown color, especially because that could also affect the health of the mother plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Identify the type of rose and follow general guidelines, but try to experiment if the guidelines don't yield results. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are variations, but I have had success with even thin branches, though the wait will be long, over several weeks (note, even with the one your mother threw away, a month might not have been enough). When propagating, I also like to remove all leaves, and you absolutely have to remove any flowers or buds, because you want the cutting to focus its energy on growing roots, and not feeding the flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Propagation, is really about trial and error. You should not give up after one try. You will also hear a lot of anecdotes about how different things work for different people, as well as how there really is only one sure fire way of doing propagation. The truth is in the middle. And sometimes, even after they put roots and shoots, plants can give up and die. It is part of the process. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next time, ask your mother to try to get cuttings, find a place away from the sun, good soil or growth medium such as the powder (the powder doesn't work for me) or gel, or whatever is handy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sticking the cutting into the medium, covering the top with a ziploc bag or translucent bag (to allow filtered sunlight) and placing it in a warm enough and light accessible location, but still away from direct sun (direct sun is never good when propagating, caring for injured plants, etc.) is a good way to start. Try 2 - 3 cuttings at a time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on your successes/failures, a few tries might be needed. It will eventually benefit both your mother and the neighbor, as they can have many roses to share. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, legality can be an issue. However, for private, non-commercial use, in many cases, you will be safe. It only becomes a problem, if after six months of success, your mom sets up a store front, and an online site, as well as an Etsy account and starts selling propagated plants, left and right. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have doubts, unless it is a known public domain plant, if you bought it at a run-of-the-mill store like Lowe's, Home Depot etc., assume that hybridized plants and ornamentals (anything with a branded Nursery/breeder's name, for example, David Austen) have some sort of patent issued to them. Nowadays a lot of tags will also say that, but again, most restrictions only apply to commercial use. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Personal Anecdote:&lt;/strong&gt; In the summer of 2014, I had a hardy rose bush in a pot, &quot;die&quot;. Everything browned out, and I set the pot aside to reuse the pot and soil aside, but for months, never removed the plant itself from the plant. One wintry day in November, I looked at the plant and my rose bush had happily sprung to life (I have a personal blog post about this, if there is interest). And, I promptly re-potted the sucker into a larger pot, gave it tons of plant food, and let it winter over in Zone 9B. Now, the plant is as vibrant as ever, producing beautiful  red roses. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, just keep experimenting! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T05:04:08.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28840" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28850" CreationDate="2016-08-18T06:48:31.567" Score="3" ViewCount="532" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this web-resembling white colored fungus(or spider webs? highly unlikely) on the soil in one of my houseplant(Devil's Ivy). I have no idea about this or any other fungus. Here are the pics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LaTmP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LaTmP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zTekU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zTekU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LOJZ7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LOJZ7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T19:06:42.240" Title="What Fungus is this? Is this a good or a bad fungus?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28841" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28851" CreationDate="2016-08-18T07:16:14.267" Score="5" ViewCount="7970" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Water Regime&lt;/strong&gt;: When the top soil feels dry to the touch. 1 litre of water every 7th day(cause they can do well with dry condition, right?). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Placement &amp;amp; Light&lt;/strong&gt;: Sitting right against the Northern window. Bright indirect light for all day long. Fluorescent light for 3-4 hour after dusk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil&lt;/strong&gt;: Good, well-drained soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plant Condition&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BFHxp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BFHxp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rigyo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rigyo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t40yk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t40yk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F0sWL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F0sWL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wS273.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wS273.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yH7eL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yH7eL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I removed a dead leaf(the one on the floor) 2-3 days back. Now there are some more leaves getting brown-yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the case? Overwatering, or underwatering, or insufficient light, or too much light?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T19:48:35.467" Title="Song of India(Dracaena Reflexa) getting yellow-brown leaves" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28822" CreationDate="2016-08-18T07:19:51.173" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most of us who have grown chillies have encountered this situation with greenfly/aphids already. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As Joy Michaud says in his guide &lt;em&gt;&quot;There is simply no way of avoiding the pest, and anyone who has not had a problem with aphids just haven’t YET had a problem.&quot;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.chilefoundry.com/2012/03/16/joy-michauds-guide-to-control-of-aphids-in-pepper-plants/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.chilefoundry.com/2012/03/16/joy-michauds-guide-to-control-of-aphids-in-pepper-plants/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is up to you, but you may want to consider using natural pesticides to reduce your greenfly or aphid problem if you intend on eating your chillies once they've grown. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Luckily, there are some great alternatives to synthetic chemicals, as mentioned here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gotscience.org/2015/07/ladybirds-and-other-natural-pesticides/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gotscience.org/2015/07/ladybirds-and-other-natural-pesticides/&lt;/a&gt; and these may work better than the products you have already tried: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Companion planting (some garden plants may inhibit or repel pests.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soft chemical measures (specially developed soap sprays, stinging nettle/rhubarb solution or essential oils)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ladybirds (Ladybugs) and other natural predators of greenfly (Since soap solutions aren’t recommended for all plants and trees, ladybirds may be an option for countering aphid infestation.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can take your plant outside that would also increase it's chances of meeting natural predators. Also see www.defenders.co.uk/ for more options.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15649" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T07:19:51.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28843" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-18T10:11:46.220" Score="2" ViewCount="530" Body="&lt;p&gt;A month or two ago I planted (1-year old) asparagus in a 6&quot; high raised bed. Now we want to raise it to 30&quot;, or more, (easier for my mum to pick). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would it be a problem? How best to go about it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15652" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-18T15:09:15.670" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T15:09:15.670" Title="How do I add height to an existing asparagus bed?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;asparagus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28844" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28845" CreationDate="2016-08-18T11:04:41.790" Score="3" ViewCount="109" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Obs2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Obs2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a row of (mini) sweet pepper plants grown from seed in a planter. The seeds are from peppers from the grocery store. They normally sit on the sill of a SE facing window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far they have been doing pretty well and are fruiting - but they have recently been invaded by aphids which seem especially attracted to the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried covering the roots and blasting the aphids off in the shower - but that also knocks off the flowers and buds. I have also tried spraying it with a mixture of soap and water, which is not very effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also tried pruning off the most infected leaves and squashing any aphids I find.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have considered some organic options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Neem oil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Natria Pyrsol (pyrethrin)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are they worth trying?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tPJrn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tPJrn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mottling under leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4cGbL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4cGbL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14422" LastEditorUserId="14422" LastEditDate="2016-08-18T12:04:45.850" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T12:07:39.733" Title="How do I fight off an aphid invasion on indoor peppers?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28845" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28844" CreationDate="2016-08-18T11:46:52.710" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Neem oil and/or agricultural, insecticidal soaps can work, but require diligence in repeated applications. Another, perhaps more immediately effective, option would be &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.planetnatural.com/product/pyganic-ec-1-4-pyrethrum/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pyganic&lt;/a&gt;(an OMRI listed organic pesticide) or another pyrethrin product. Make sure to read the labels as some pyrethrin products may contain other ingredients that would render them non-organic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A pair of applications according to label should do the trick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: THE PLANTS SHOULD BE MOVED OUTSIDE FOR SPRAYING.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2016-08-18T12:07:39.733" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T12:07:39.733" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28847" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28843" CreationDate="2016-08-18T12:31:48.027" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &amp;quot;the experts,&amp;quot; it would be better to start with new crowns. BUT since yours haven't been in the ground that long, they might not be all that established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Quoting from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.asparagus-lover.com/transplanting-asparagus.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Asparagus-Lover.com&lt;/a&gt; :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Transplanting Asparagus&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Transplanting asparagus is exactly what you do when you buy crowns to plant rather than planting from seed. We cover this process on our page on planting asparagus. However this page is all about transplanting established plants or lifting and transplanting your own young plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The crowns grown commercially and sold to plant in your garden will typically be one or two years old and clearly transplant absolutely fine. To get them established, growing and harvesting you don’t really want to move them again. Possible reasons for wanting to move your asparagus plants that I have heard cited include: Moving house, planting a bed in the wrong place, planting crowns too close and them not doing very well…. whilst you should do everything to avoid these pitfalls as it will inevitably disrupt your cropping many people report having moved their asparagus plants successfully.  If you do need to move your asparagus plants follow this guidance for the greatest chances of success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What Time of Year to Transplant Asparagus?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want to move your plants whilst they are dormant ideally in the spring just as or before the soil starts to warm and before the spears start to shoot. Alternatively you can also transplant them in the autumn just as the tops are dying back. One suggested method is lifting in the early spring whilst the ground is still cold and storing for a week or so and then planting as the soil warms up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moving established plants during the growing season is not recommended at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Transplanting Asparagus Plants - Preparation&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Exactly as when starting out with your first asparagus bed you need to do your preparatory work. Take a look at our instructions on choosing the right site and preparing the ground getting everything ready for the big move.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you think there is any chance of you not being able to identify where each crown is in the spring and you are planning on moving them put a cane into the ground near the centre of each crown in the autumn to make out where you need to dig.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Allow Enough Time to do the Job Well&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not underestimate the size of the job. If you are transplanting asparagus crowns that are even just a few years old their root structure will have developed and unless the plants are very well spaced they may be quite tangled underground. You need to try to lift the crowns with a little disturbance of the roots as possible. This may take a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason that transplanting asparagus is not very successful is that the roots can go down by over 1m in depth and up to 2m. You just won't be able to lift them without losing a significant part of their root system and this will weaken the plants for longer than it takes to grow new plants from fresh crowns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lifting and Moving your Asparagus Crowns&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a fork rather than a spade and start by digging gently around one of the crowns at the end of a row. Push the fork in lean on it to raise the earth and ease the roots out of the ground as best you can. Go around the plant in stages easing a little more on each dig. Try to bring as much of the soil and roots with you as you can and tease the roots apart. This can be the tricky bit separating one crown from the one next to it if the roots are very intertwined. You may need to be patient and get stuck in with your hands as well as the fork. Have a bucket on standby to pop the crown in for transportation to its new home. Once lifted take the opportunity to remove any weed roots that are tangled in with the roots and give the crown a bit of a drink of water before placing it in its new position on top of the mound of soil you will have prepared. Gently spread the roots down away from the crown and cover with soil after giving it a final drink of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Repeat for each plant then sit back and be patient hoping that your beloved spears will continue to come through. It may be wise not to crop too heavily (if at all) the first year after moving the asparagus to give the plant a chance to re-build its strength.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please Note the Experts Advice is Don't Try Transplanting Just Plant New Crowns&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have further questions about Planting and Transplanting Asparagus take a look at our frequently asked questions. If you still don't find the answers you are looking for please feel free to ask and we will try to get you an answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T12:31:48.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28848" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-18T13:24:59.790" Score="1" ViewCount="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;all. Over the years the backyard has got pretty overgrown with unpleasant plants and such. Weeds, crabgrass, nasty vines, etc. We want to rent a tiller and tear up the first 6-8 inches of growth to reestablish a proper lawn. Can anyone offer experience, opinion, or wisdom? Many kind thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="reportsfromLuke" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T15:17:05.327" Title="Tilling a yard to reestablish pleasant plant growth" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28849" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28848" CreationDate="2016-08-18T14:46:44.910" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, the good news is that fall is the right time to seed a lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should start by going out as soon as possible and taking samples for soil testing, and get the test results to guide what you may need to do to ensure success - in my area liming is pretty much required for a happy lawn, in other areas that might be a bad thing. Being overtaken by weeds is usually a sign of poor soil conditions which weeds tolerate much better than &quot;nice grass&quot; does.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll need to rent the tiller probably 3 times - first to till whats there, second and third at about 2-3 week intervals to do shallow tillage of the weeds that will sprout. Correct any grading issues before you seed - such as making sure that the ground slopes away from the house by at least 1 inch in 8 feet to reduce water infiltration issues. Beware of poorly buried sprinkler lines (if any) or landscape lighting wires - those should be deep enough that you won't till into them, but often are done in a substandard fashion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The high-budget quick route is sod, the lower budget method is seeding. Choose a seed mix appropriate for your area and whatever you think a proper lawn is (I'll now stand up and be counted as someone who thinks that white clover is a GOOD thing in a lawn - or AS a lawn.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" OwnerDisplayName="Ecnerwal" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T14:46:44.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28850" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28840" CreationDate="2016-08-18T19:06:42.240" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without a picture of the fruiting body, &quot;the mushroom&quot;, it's hard to provide a positive ID. There is a great chance, however, that this is simply a case of the very common &quot;flowerpot mushroom&quot;, known to mycologists and fungi fans alike as &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucocoprinus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Leucocoprinus&lt;/a&gt;, the most common species being &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucocoprinus_birnbaumii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;L. birnbaumii&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mushroomexpert.com/leucocoprinus_birnbaumii.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.mushroomexpert.com/leucocoprinus_birnbaumii.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lwh2U.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lwh2U.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WmG1l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WmG1l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T19:06:42.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28851" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28841" CreationDate="2016-08-18T19:48:35.467" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The pot surface looks quite dry to me. While they are water efficient, these plants do need sufficient watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The death of lower leaves is not that concerning, under normal circumstances, because as the plant matures, it drops off lower leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this particular case, looks like 7 days is too much of a gap, especially if the soil is draining and potentially, there is a low humidity situation going on where the plant is situated.The drying, withering leaf tip is a good indicator that the plant is not getting enough water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I grow this plant outdoors in Zone 9B, and they get water every 3rd day. The soil is draining, and mulched, and so far the plant is doing okay. For now, water the plant immediately, water every 3 or 4 days and see if the plant improves. Later on you can consider scaling back the schedule. Do not feed the plant fertilizers till it recovers, given it is currently distressed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-18T19:48:35.467" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28852" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-18T17:53:21.233" Score="4" ViewCount="653" Body="&lt;p&gt;They were on a large tree in the mountains of North Carolina.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/seI8n.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/seI8n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Mike" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-18T20:10:24.637" LastActivityDate="2016-09-01T22:18:25.113" Title="What is this fruit tree found in high mountains in North Carolina?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28853" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-18T22:15:18.250" Score="1" ViewCount="151" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this cactus for a while and at some point I kinda forgot about it. Then suddenly I had the aspiration to save it so I began watering it once a month or so. The only problem is now I have a fully healthy and nicely growing top to a dead and decrepit bottom. I don't know exactly how to help it and I was just wondering if I should try to salvage the bottom or find a way to transplant the top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15657" LastActivityDate="2016-08-19T19:08:07.547" Title="How to help/not hurt my half dead looking cactus?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-09-05T18:48:14.250" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28854" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28852" CreationDate="2016-08-19T01:19:57.563" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this is the paw paw tree or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimina_triloba&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Asimina triloba&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It does &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=astr&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;grow in North Carolina&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the leaves come to a sharp point as they do in the picture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it grows in a variety of habitats up to 40' (13 M) tall but usually not more than 25' (8-9 M) tall&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it has large clusters of fruit which start green and ripen to a yellow colour&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bark is &lt;a href=&quot;http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=155&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;described as&lt;/a&gt; &quot;Smooth, brown, splotched with wart-like lenticels, often with light gray patches.&quot; The patches can be seen on the smaller branches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;alternate simple leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Positive identification would be crushing a leaf and confirming a green pepper odor.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/26874/499&quot;&gt;This answer&lt;/a&gt; has more details on growing and the difficulties of harvesting the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-08-19T01:19:57.563" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28855" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-19T05:03:56.643" Score="2" ViewCount="349" Body="&lt;p&gt;My bonsai plant is not growing well. I used a &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0762409746&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mini Bonsai Kit&lt;/a&gt;. With 6 seeds, I was able to sprout only 2 plants and one is almost wilting. The other one was growing well for a week but it also seems to be dying soon. Have people used this kit? I have followed the exact instructions given in the book that came along with it. What could have gone wrong? What are the special bonsai pots? How big should they be? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15658" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-19T17:21:17.720" LastActivityDate="2016-08-19T17:21:17.720" Title="Why aren't my young Bonsai Plant seedlings growing well?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28856" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-19T06:20:35.063" Score="3" ViewCount="49" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a row of sunchokes that has branches interlocking, and was wondering if they will overcrowd, or not. I can water them every day, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/jerusart.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;found this article&lt;/a&gt; (done half an hour north from my house) that says I can do two crops in my area in a year, and produce a lot more than doing a single picking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is 2' spacing ok even if the branches are touching?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-16T00:00:59.850" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T00:01:11.357" Title="Can sunchokes be overcrowded?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;sunchoke&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28857" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28855" CreationDate="2016-08-19T10:50:04.483" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The comments from the product page indicate that you get jack pine seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you didn't keep them cold and damp in the fridge for 4 to 8 weeks you would see poor germination. Special pots are not as important at the moment as other requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Jack Pine (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_pine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pinus Banksiana&lt;/a&gt;) is an evergreen from the Northern Hemisphere.  It needs to be grown outside for the light levels and seasonal cues that a diminishing day length provide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even your little plant needs to have a winter where it is protected from drying winds but exposed to cold temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another &lt;a href=&quot;http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t14527-pinus-banksiana-jack-pine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;forum&lt;/a&gt; notes this about the Jack Pine as Bonsai:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;they don't like to have their roots disturbed. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&quot;Use a soil that will last and avoid repotting&quot; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Their normal environment has a neutral to acid pH so they are sensitive to long term pH changes from alkaline water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilize very lightly, if at all, or the needles look &quot;ratty&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-19T10:50:04.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28858" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-19T13:20:07.353" Score="3" ViewCount="2005" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are these very small seedlings? They just erupted out of nowhere. Should I leave it as it is? Or should I pluck it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ySDhD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ySDhD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XUHVa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XUHVa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7nOk9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7nOk9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-19T16:40:23.897" LastActivityDate="2016-08-19T16:40:23.897" Title="What are these cute little seedlings that are growing in my houseplant soil?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="39" ClosedDate="2017-01-12T17:32:56.287" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3801" CreationDate="2016-08-19T16:38:07.867" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd just like to add that the suggestions saying tap water will kill your plants is a massive generalisation. Buy a TDS/PPM meter and check your tap water. If your tap water is around 100 PPM or less you'll be fine. Getting towards 200 PPM is dangerous for your carnivorous plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll want to test the calibration with some water with a known PPM (check at your local store for mineral water which has its PPM on the packaging). If you test water which has collected in a saucer of a plant with a fertilised growing medium, or directly in water which has fertiliser dissolved you'll see a reading of serveral hundred PPM. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a cheap (£3 including delivery), fairly reliable and quick test to see if your tap waters appropriate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15662" LastActivityDate="2016-08-19T16:38:07.867" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28860" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28853" CreationDate="2016-08-19T19:08:07.547" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes I would say the bottom isn't dead if the top is looking good and I think that the &quot;dead&quot; part is just going to take longer to look better and grow new parts.... I have a rose bush that almost died on my move from Washington State to Las Vegas and it still has a lot of dead looking parts but there is new healthy parts growing out of them so it has to be alive. But I know they aren't the same plants or anything but its just my opinion, I do have a good amount of knowledge of plants and flowers and trees but I don't know much about Cacti! I would google the cactus and the type that it is and the best care! But a good watering regularly and some plant food should help it a lot! Good Luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15664" LastActivityDate="2016-08-19T19:08:07.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28861" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28862" CreationDate="2016-08-20T01:06:03.970" Score="5" ViewCount="24574" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are these little black bugs in my Chives, Welsh and Spring onions? They don't seem to be eating anything, they are clustered around the base and a short way up some of the stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R2xqT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R2xqT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/giGXh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/giGXh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7527" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-21T00:04:54.033" LastActivityDate="2021-05-19T17:20:40.140" Title="What are these little black bugs on my Chives, Welsh and Spring Onions?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;onions&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28861" CreationDate="2016-08-20T01:25:38.547" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I really can't tell much from the picture.  However insects are quite purposeful.  If they are on your plants they are not there for a vacation. The most likely candidate are aphids who come in many colours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try a spray of soap and water at 5 ml/litre.  Spray and leave on for a few minutes then rinse with water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they don't come back, job done!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-20T01:25:38.547" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28864" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28861" CreationDate="2016-08-20T08:54:35.423" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're onion aphids.  They infest my green onions, and garlic.  Although visible on the green garlic shoots, they get into the bulb. I've even found them inside garlic imported from overseas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just keep washing them off with water.  But I find that they keep coming back if the plants are in anyway weakened by non-perfect growing conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23713/how-to-control-onion-aphids-in-aquaponics&quot;&gt;How to control onion aphids in aquaponics?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-08-20T08:54:35.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28865" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28664" CreationDate="2016-08-20T10:59:17.187" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple of weeks later, I cut the trunk and potted in a mix of vermaculate/organic potting mix. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are both bottom and top. I have started a new layer on the top piece. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last time, I did not use any rooting hormone, this  time I have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The original question was whether I should leave it for longer. I can partially answer it. I waited 10 days more and the cut it. 2 weeks later new growth is occuring on both plants and its looking healthy..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LzHWM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LzHWM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VN4M4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VN4M4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PX8DI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PX8DI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15103" LastActivityDate="2016-08-20T10:59:17.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28866" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28867" CreationDate="2016-08-20T12:21:57.707" Score="0" ViewCount="692" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had a plant that I did not seed germinate and grow in my pot of chives. I have been told that it is most likely a tomato plant. The plant has been healthy for a couple of months now but about two or three weeks ago the lower leaves started to yellow and die. Now the leave just above them are starting to yellow. The top part of the plant is still really healthy and I even have some flowers this week. Firstly, is it a tomato plant and if it is, what could be the cause and remedy for the leaves dying?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nXJ5F.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nXJ5F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Close up of the lower trunk where the leaves have died. Strange white things.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y3vQW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y3vQW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dGTZF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dGTZF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7527" LastActivityDate="2016-08-20T12:55:17.670" Title="What causes tomato leaves to wilt and die from the bottom up?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28866" CreationDate="2016-08-20T12:55:17.670" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes, if grown in pots, should be individually potted into large, 9 inch pots, and kept fed and watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, you have chives in the same pot, sharing root room; second, the tomato (which is what it seems to be) is producing adventitious roots, which are the 'strange white things' you mention. Tomatoes often have little bumps on the stem near the base, and these are adventitious root buds - the fact that yours is producing actual roots, and is now dropping lower leaves, indicates the plant is very stressed. This is likely due to insufficient root room, insufficient water and probably lack of fertilizer. Although you haven't said whether you've been feeding it or not, I'd hazard a guess it hasn't been fertilized on a regular basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given you're in the southern hemisphere, it's probably worth taking the risk (and its a risk because its already flowering) of decanting it and potting up into a container on its own and feeding and watering regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-20T12:55:17.670" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28868" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28870" CreationDate="2016-08-20T13:41:41.267" Score="3" ViewCount="1381" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two rosemary plants, one is over six months old and the other was bought from a shop about 4 weeks ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the older one I grew from seed. It was the only survivor of 5 seeds I planted roughly 6-7 months ago. It was also one of four pots partly damaged by Cane Toads and I have neglected it for roughly eight weeks now. Its leaves are very powdery, cracking and frail looking. One stem had lost all of its leaves which I pruned today. Since I started watering it the lower leaves seemed to have that nice dark green color return but now they too are starting to look bad.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BkB7R.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BkB7R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my newer plant and it too is getting the powdery coating on its leaves. It has grown quite a bit in the last four weeks but has had the powder for about 2 weeks now.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xN0Mo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xN0Mo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have the new plant in an upright planter that does get lots of water so I'll be moving it to its own pot. The planter gets sun for most of the morning but by midday it is in shade from the house eves. During the coming summer they will get a lot more sun. The pots on the ground get the same amount in the morning but they also get the afternoon sun until about 4:30. The reason for the extreme moisture you can see in the pot was I had something eat a lot of my herbs so I moved to a small green house. This kept everything very moist and a fungus/mould started in quite a few pots for the week they were in there. I had already asked about the fungus earlier, and didn't think that a greenhouse would cause it too. So they are now back outside to dry and air out. (less than a day outside and my kale had 5 leaves eaten)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a close up of the leaves of the newer plant in the upright planter.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b7txA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b7txA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a close up of the older plant in the pot looking very sad.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0GZab.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0GZab.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An this is the entire herb garden early morning minus the trickle feed system that I normally have hooked up to the pots. The older rosemary plant is in the pot near the reddish pot, and the newer one is in the left hand side upright planter second bay from the top and on the right side of that pot. (there is a curry plant next to it in the middle)&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p3TqF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p3TqF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;UPDATE&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The milk spray has worked really well. This is the newer plant looking super healthy.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vkMys.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vkMys.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And this is the older plant after a prune and milk spray. It hasn't grown much at all compared to the newer plant but its looking really healthy now. It does have some new leaves though.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wlixK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wlixK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7527" LastEditorUserId="7527" LastEditDate="2016-09-26T08:32:33.763" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T08:32:33.763" Title="What is wrong with my rosemary plants and how do I help them?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28869" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28868" CreationDate="2016-08-20T16:09:22.467" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this may be powdery mildew.. does it wipe clean? Please post a good closeup pic of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If so, before resorting to fungicides try cleaning and changing its environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clean each leaf by wiping them down gently ensuring a clean green surface.&#xA;Make sure the plant is in a good sun spot.&#xA;If the powder returns, try a teaspoon of bicarb in 1l of water and clean again.&#xA;Ensure your soil is draining properly and not incessantly moist and dark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If its not helping you can look for a fungicide and apply it as per instructions. I believe an oil like neem can also help&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15103" LastActivityDate="2016-08-20T16:09:22.467" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28870" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28868" CreationDate="2016-08-20T16:52:20.773" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It does look like powdery mildew, but ensure they get plenty of sunlight, so if they're not in a sunny spot, move them if possible. Try the milk treatment - 1 to 3 parts cow's milk mixed in a sprayer, spray all parts of the plant, including under the  leaves, until run off. Repeat after two or three days if necessary - works best in bright light or in sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-20T16:52:20.773" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28871" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28881" CreationDate="2016-08-20T17:41:10.130" Score="2" ViewCount="1001" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pepper plant and I don't know what variety it is. Maybe someone can help me identify it. Some details about pictures and plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;3.7 liter pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant size is ~40 cm (~15 inches)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fruit are 5-10 cm long (2-4 inches)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fruit ripen from green to bright orange&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fruit have a very tough skin&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fruit are quite hot (hotter than Serrano pepper)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant loves sun more than my Serrano/Fresno peppers (40°C (100°F) in the sun is no problem)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uxSiE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uxSiE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown pepper plant variety&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h9Okj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h9Okj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown pepper plant fruit (orange)&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a second plant that I think is the same variety but it's fruit ripen from green to bright yellow:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VVacB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VVacB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown pepper plant fruit (yellow)&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can provide additional pictures/information if necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14963" LastActivityDate="2016-08-23T23:26:46.357" Title="What type of pepper is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28873" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-20T21:20:39.050" Score="3" ViewCount="1463" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its been a while that i brought this mint plant and it appears to have gotten black spots on its stem what to do?.Note the plant is in an ac room and i dont give it direct sunlight but it gets the sunlight from the window behind it also i water it if its looks dry or after a few days. Thank you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Hepr.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Hepr.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15670" LastActivityDate="2016-08-21T01:13:55.930" Title="Black spots on the stem of my mint plant" Tags="&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28874" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-20T21:26:02.037" Score="3" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had two different automatic water timers (&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B004INGS8S&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0001O0DXO&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;). Each one has worked pretty well for 2-3 years but eventually leaked internally and ruined the electronics. I take pretty good care of them- drain and store them during freezing weather, install them properly, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First question- am I doing something wrong or do these products not last very long?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second question- is there some sort of mechanical version that I don't have to worry about burning out the electronics? I know there are the kind that you twist to start that automatically turn off, but I would like it to automatically turn on on a schedule also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15671" LastActivityDate="2016-09-20T22:57:39.070" Title="Automatic watering timers keep flooding" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28874" CreationDate="2016-08-20T22:09:55.203" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;First you need to know these Lowe's or Home Depot type timers are always unpredictable and screwing up.  I've not found a one that lasted more than one season.  You seem to have gotten some great use out of yours!  What I'd like to know is what it is you are watering, why you need it on a timer (are you away for your job)?  Is this drip irrigation or overhead?  How large of an area you water, are you on multiple timers?  I am not a fan of automatic watering except for when one has to be absent.  Hand watering is even worse. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send pictures of what you are watering and tell us what your thinking is for schedule/timing/volume.  How much water is delivered within a certain amount of time?  Best way to test this without getting into water pressure/volume is to put out straight sided cans (kitty cat food cans are super) in many areas of your garden...water for 15 minutes and check the volume of water in your cans.  If there is 1/4 inch of water then only 3 more waterings during the week will be suitable. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With drip irrigation this is tougher.  Dig down into the soil to be able to see the depth of moisture after a period of time (15 minutes, half an hour).  You want to work towards 1&quot; per week or 4-6&quot; deep each watering, allowing it to dry out before watering again. Depends on what you are watering; plants, lawns, vegey gardens, ornamental plant beds (mature plants and newbie plants); type of mulch, whether or not you (cross my fingers you haven't) have used plastic below the mulch. Send pictures!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is your soil type?  Have you had a soil test?  What are you doing for fertilizer?  Any other chemicals you've used?  Sounds weird but watering habits affect all of these things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-21T22:45:51.363" LastActivityDate="2016-08-21T22:45:51.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28876" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28871" CreationDate="2016-08-20T22:39:25.960" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yup need more scale but I am pretty sure this is either Serrano or Cayenne peppers.  Did you plant this from seed or from seeding out of a store? What size pot is that?  6&quot; or larger?  Then not cayenne.  Another one of us on this site will know, just send something for scale.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree with Shule!!  Out of all these PEPPER varieties, this is what I was going to suggest.  Here is a great site to check out...need to see and bisect the flower for positive ID on variety but when I saw that Bulgarian Carrot I saw the resemblance...yummm!! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cayennediane.com/big-list-of-hot-peppers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;lots of pics of peppers to purvey and pick&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-22T21:05:57.233" LastActivityDate="2016-08-22T21:05:57.233" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28877" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28882" CreationDate="2016-08-20T23:49:57.083" Score="5" ViewCount="2259" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm seeking information about what appears to be a severe problem affecting the bark of three trees, which I think are birches. They were found in July by my husband in a state park, about ten miles from my home in Central Massachusetts, USA. It's heavily wooded, with many different types and sizes of trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main purpose of the question is that my friend and I have birches in our yards which, although much younger and smaller, have begun peeling in a similar way. (We took some of ours down last year, in response to advice received in other questions on this site.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My husband doesn't remember exactly where they were, and isn't likely to go back, so I understand if the details aren't enough to provide answers. He did take a few pictures, and I'm hoping a look at them will be enough to get at least some information, including:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;identification and diagnosis of the problem&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the likelihood of the same issue affecting trees in neighborhood landscapes, whether birch or not&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;direct contagion to nearby trees, again whether birch or not&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;potential preventative measures&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;recommendations and availability of treatment if caught early&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the only answer is an explanation of what's happening to those trees and nothing else, I'd still be interested, to satisfy my curiousity. Also, another friend said that, no matter what type they are, they're just going through a natural process of &quot;shedding&quot; the outer bark layers, and nothing is wrong at all. If that's the case, I'd like to know that too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I apologize for the lack of quality of the pictures. He was able to get a wider perspective as well as a few close-ups of certain areas. Clicking on some will enable you to zoom in a bit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mtDWR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mtDWRl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3 trees&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pdMEWl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pdMEWl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;middle tree damage a little closer&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GS5Wh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GS5Whl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of most severe damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HeR3A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HeR3A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;higher section where bark has already peeled off&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that I've seen some other questions about trees with missing bark. They don't look like exact duplicates, unless experts here think so! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@Kevinsky, although he didn't get a picture of the tops, he believes the trees looked healthy all the way up. From his vantage point, he saw no evidence of die-back or other damage, and only remarked that the higher sections were much smoother. Whether that means they already lost the curling/peeling layer, or it hadn't happened yet, he wasn't sure, although he thinks it was the former. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I had forgotten to add a picture of mine. Upon further inspection, though, it looks different than the others, and is probably sick!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jWpU3l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jWpU3l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My own trees!&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-21T20:41:16.990" LastActivityDate="2018-08-05T22:52:25.723" Title="Why are large sections of bark peeling off these birch trees? Is it contagious?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28878" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28775" CreationDate="2016-08-21T00:46:24.097" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a slime mold possibly in the genus &lt;em&gt;Trichia&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;Hemitrichia&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vE0kG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vE0kG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14191" LastActivityDate="2016-08-21T00:46:24.097" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28879" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30240" CreationDate="2016-08-21T00:46:30.547" Score="3" ViewCount="227" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently reworked a small section of my lawn (200 sqft).  This work included solarization, tilling in some compost, rolling flat, spreading seed, top dressing with compost and rolling again.  With the help of a water timer, I've been keeping the area moist for the last 2 weeks, to allow for germination.  The grass germination seems to be pretty good, not great, but ok.  However, this has also allowed weed seeds to also germinate.  The most prevalent and the most worrisome is purslane.  There are purslane seedlings everywhere!  In some sense, this is not surprising as I've been battling purslane weeds in my yard all year and it's all over the neighborhood.  But, it's kind of demoralizing.  I know that this weed can easily overpower grass seedlings and ruin my chances of success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At this point, what can I do to control the purslane but allow the grass to grow?  I'd prefer the least toxic option possible, but I realize that I might not have many options.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14872" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T09:04:58.870" Title="Need help controlling purslane germinating after seeding new lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28880" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28873" CreationDate="2016-08-21T01:13:55.930" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you're saying your mint plant gets daylight, but doesn't ever get any direct sun - if that's the case, its not ideal, mint is a herb and appreciates some direct sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You haven't said what the plant is growing in, but as you're keeping it indoors, I assume its potted. If the pot doesn't have drainage holes,  or is standing in an outer container in which excess water sits, that may explain what's happening, because it looks as if your plant has a fungal infection which is likely coming from the root, though its hard to be sure because so little of the plant is visible in the picture. You may want to post a couple more photos showing the whole plant and what it's growing in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-21T01:13:55.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28881" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28871" CreationDate="2016-08-21T02:02:46.537" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be any of countless varieties, since there are thousands of kinds of peppers. However, it could be a Bulgarian Carrot chile pepper (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=bulgarian+carrot+pepper&amp;amp;num=100&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;do an image search&lt;/a&gt;), by the appearance and your heat description. Some people think they're very mild, but some think they're extremely hot. I saw a YouTube video of a couple guys who tried them, thinking they would be about as hot as a jalapeno. You could really tell they were in pain. The variable heat could be due to growing conditions, but there are other factors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another noted similarity is that they start green and then turn orange. (Many peppers start yellow; so, this is good to know.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other pepper I'm personally familiar with offhand that it sort of looks like is &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mariannasheirloomseeds.com/seed-catalog/special-crosses/evil-jalapeno-detail.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Randy Sine's Evil Jalapeno F3&lt;/a&gt;, which is still not stabilized and can be orange or red, depending on which seed you use. By the look of it (from my peppers; not the picture), I would guess it's part Bulgarian Carrot, personally, but it has an amazingly good jalapeno taste (and depending on the pepper it can have next to no heat, or be super hot). With these, they go green to orange, and when they're more ripe, the orange turns a bit more yellow to my eyes. I know the picture in the link I gave doesn't look much like your pepper, but my peppers that I grew this year look similar (from one of my plants; the other plant has red peppers). Bulgarian Carrot is a much more likely match, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-08-23T23:26:46.357" LastActivityDate="2016-08-23T23:26:46.357" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28877" CreationDate="2016-08-21T05:13:12.707" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good news!  &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Totally normal and healthy&lt;/a&gt;!  No worries!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="14300" LastEditDate="2016-08-21T19:16:39.703" LastActivityDate="2016-08-21T19:16:39.703" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28883" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28885" CreationDate="2016-08-21T18:07:02.780" Score="6" ViewCount="10212" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Context&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have 2 ft (60cm) high retaining wall and 2 ft behind the retaining wall is a 4 ft (1.2m) high fence. Naturally there is backfill with 5/8&amp;quot; crushed stone directly behind the wall. This backfill goes back 1 ft (30cm), but only goes to a height of 9 inches (23cm) from the top of the topmost retaining wall block.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jTjSn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jTjSn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Goal&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We would like to plant trees at 6 ft (1.8m) apart (centered between fence posts) for some privacy from our neighbors. We live in a 3 story town-home so the trees have to be reasonably tall (10-12 ft [3m]?) to be effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We would like to plant 3 Japanese Maples (Blood Good) along the wall around 6 ft apart (and a Golden Raindrops in the larger corner). We want to buy the trees when they are already at a height of around 10 feet with a rootball of around 2 feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see, the roots can grow outwards, backwards (under the fence), downwards, but will be blocked from growing forwards. My question is what can we do to maximize the success here.. or is it a lost cause?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit 1, 2016-08-21&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We live in Seattle, USA.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There is a french drain behind the wall with crushed stone and geo-material for drainage. In the picture you can see the drain protruding out of the wall.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We can certainly protect the fence from the soil using water proofing material, thanks for the suggestions on this!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Our thoughts were the tree roots would grow under the fence (backwards) as far as they wanted, out to the sides and downwards. Naturally there would be no roots growing forward and this was our primary concern.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's not clear from the photo but the neighbors yard is dirt behind the fence. I did not realize the concrete they've spread would make the pH of the dirt unsuitable. Thanks for this info - is it a hopeless pH issue?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit 2, 2017-06-26&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We went ahead and did it anyway and it's working out well so far. I've built an irrigation system into the wall, and under the lawn. This picture is from a month ago, but now that it's summer they grass, plants and trees are thriving. Let's see how it goes in the long term...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w56KN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w56KN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit 3, 2020-08-05&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trees are happy and vibrant and have grown well. In the end it was a successful project, I'm glad I took the risk and planted them in that space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15673" LastEditorUserId="15673" LastEditDate="2020-08-05T16:17:05.333" LastActivityDate="2020-08-05T16:17:05.333" Title="Trees in narrow space behind retaining wall" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="28884" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28883" CreationDate="2016-08-21T21:39:37.677" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;NOOOOOO!!  Do not plant trees below that wall.  There is no room on your little wall.  Imagine a Japanese Maple you are hoping to grow.  The same size canopy equals the same size root ball below!  This is fine for perennials and small shrubs but NOT trees of any sort!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume you will be filling that space behind the wall with soil?!!??  Soil up against that fence will mean replacement of that fence within a year or two.  So not even good for any kind of plants.  Soil has to be kept minimum of 4&quot; below wood, fences, siding...etc.  You'll have to get pressure treated 2X12 lumber to shore up the bottom of your fence and ideally your neighbors need to be invited into the decision making!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you make an identical wall along the back on the fence you HAVE to get a liner between the fence and the concrete.  Also, don't imagine planting acid loving plants in your new 'planter' as that concrete will make the soil more alkaline no matter how hard you try to change the pH.  Nice wall, nicely done.  Tell us more about your plans.  Did you provide any drainage for this wall?  What did you plan to do between the fence for the back half of this 'planter'?  We can still help...you've done an awful lot of work and very nice wall!  How about a wall for seating?  More information!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-21T21:39:37.677" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28885" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28883" CreationDate="2016-08-21T22:18:01.233" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Stormy on this question.  You do not have enough area for a tree or group of trees to be successful.  Think of a similar situation where the city plants a tree in a sidewalk area.  They use a planting pit about 4' x 4' and even then the average life of a tree in urban areas is &lt;a href=&quot;http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/uf/briefs98/ufassess.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;less than ten years&lt;/a&gt;.  Too much retained heat, reflected heat, not enough water...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Things you can do now:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;place 4&quot; drain pipe with sleeve at the inside base of the wall. Cover with landscape fabric or geotextile.  This will ensure good drainage at base of the wall.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider putting EPDM pool liner between soil and any wood. This will help prevent rot.  Any wood, pressure treated or not, will rot when in contact with the soil.  It's just a question of how long it takes.  Replacing posts on a post would mean a lot of work which could easily involve digging up your bed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider planting climbing vines at the back of the fence: clematis, sweet pea&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant small shrubs at the front to give the impression of depth to the planting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-21T22:18:01.233" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28886" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-22T02:23:24.683" Score="1" ViewCount="138" Body="&lt;p&gt;The flower on my Calla lily has gone and now there are these seeds where the flower was. I was wondering if the seeds were able to be planted. How long would they take to start growing? Is there anything special they can be used for? Anything on them would be nice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:16:45.413" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:16:45.413" Title="Can you plant seeds from Calla lily?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28887" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28891" CreationDate="2016-08-22T02:40:21.910" Score="3" ViewCount="1971" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a vine that is deep rooted and is wrapping around the plants in my front yard. I haven't spotted any flowers or fruits on the vine yet. I've tried pulling it from its roots a couple of times, but I haven't been successful at getting rid of it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd greatly appreciate some help in identifying the vine and would like suggestions on how to get rid of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the Seattle, Washington area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PHg0l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PHg0l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q6t9e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q6t9e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UBTg8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UBTg8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15675" LastActivityDate="2016-08-22T10:30:11.403" Title="What's the vine that is wrapping around my plant and how can I get rid of it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2016-09-05T19:48:49.093" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28888" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28887" CreationDate="2016-08-22T03:47:28.623" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bindweed, or &quot;white morning glory&quot;, most likely. It's a difficult one, but start with removing what you can remove, more frequently, or at least cutting the stems as low as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-08-22T03:47:28.623" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28889" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30227" CreationDate="2016-08-22T05:45:41.073" Score="2" ViewCount="9934" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/578&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cordless trimmer&lt;/a&gt; about a month ago and was happy with it. However, I didn't realize the string head dispense the internal string from tapping down when operating. I tried to dispense the string manually by pushing and twisting the red and grey part of the string head. And by accident, I rotated the grey part enough to suck all the string into the string head instead (opposite of what I want to do).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have consulted the &lt;a href=&quot;https://manuals.ttigroupna.com/system/files/8354/original/RY40002_720_trilingual.pdf?2014&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;user manual&lt;/a&gt; and YouTube videos, none shows me how to replace the string for the current trimmer, or show me how to open up the string head to replace the string manually. Please advise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14908" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T23:51:51.337" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T23:51:53.463" Title="How do I replace string or open string head in RYOBI 40V-X Expand-it String Trimmer?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;&lt;string-trimmer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28890" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3402" CreationDate="2016-08-22T08:23:30.140" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just some observations of my own experiments with tomatoes. Concern about lighting costs and heat generation can be alleviated to a great degree by using LEDs. Also, full spectrum lighting is not needed. UV and infrared aren't necessary. White light is not even necessary. Tomatoes appear to thrive best under red light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now a red incandescent is good but for the electricity and the heat. LEDs have several frequencies of red light available.  I couldn't find the specific range that is best for tomatoes, so I created floods with several different &quot;colors&quot; of red LEDs. My results were amazing considering the size of my experiment of only 4 plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15676" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-22T19:18:37.210" LastActivityDate="2016-08-22T19:18:37.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28891" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28887" CreationDate="2016-08-22T10:04:43.493" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is, as said, one of the bindweeds, likely Calystegia sepium. Unfortunately, it's very difficult or next to impossible to get rid of, particularly where there is paving or concrete nearby, because the roots will be under the hard surfacing too. Digging it out is not worth attempting either - the roots are thick, but break easily, and the tiniest piece or fragment of root will regrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The usual procedure in the UK to try to eradicate this weed is to insert bamboo canes where growth appears at soil level, allow the plant to climb the cane, then spray all the growth on the cane thoroughly with glyphosate - no easy task, because you can only spray on a still day, and any plants surrounding the cane with bindweed must be protected from the spray. This treatment is repeated every time growth appears - with persistence, its possible to reduce the bindweed considerably or to eradicate it. However, because you have paving, the presence of roots beneath that paving means you may not be able to kill it off in one year - ongoing treatment for the next two or three growing seasons is likely to be necessary. This treatment is not attractive - bindweed usually starts to appear at ground level in May, so you'll be looking at what seems to be a forest of canes for a couple of months, but significantly fewer canes in the second year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, on the other hand, you decide to stick with just pulling off the topgrowth when it appears, the roots in the ground will simply spread further and you will have more and more topgrowth from the bindweed appearing as time goes on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-22T10:30:11.403" LastActivityDate="2016-08-22T10:30:11.403" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28892" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-22T10:34:21.923" Score="3" ViewCount="2450" Body="&lt;p&gt;I acquired a lemon verbena earlier in the year. I have been cutting sprigs for culinary purposes. In recent weeks, it has begun to look sad, i.e. wilting leaves, appearing spindly. Is this to be expected at this time of year or am I not tending it properly? It is protected from the wind in partial shade, and lives in a sizable terracotta pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1FOBx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1FOBx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15677" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-13T20:05:38.557" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T20:05:42.223" Title="Why is my lemon verbena showing signs of distress?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28893" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28895" CreationDate="2016-08-22T14:51:36.050" Score="1" ViewCount="1903" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have  a young Valencia Orange tree (&lt;em&gt;citrus senensis&lt;/em&gt;) which is doing great, and growing quite well. However, on one of its recent (small) branches, some sort of transparent secretion appeared in a single, localized spot. (It looks like crystallized sugar. I have added a picture below.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9UNLX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9UNLX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried removing it, but it came back. Is it something I should be worried about?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14033" LastActivityDate="2016-08-22T17:06:15.703" Title="Transparent crystal-like secretion on my orange tree" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-08-22T18:11:01.483" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7910" CreationDate="2016-08-22T15:09:57.677" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is quite late for you but Thorn, you have SWD - spotted winged drosophila in your raspberries.  This is a fruit fly new to the US in about 2008.  Unlike its cousins, this fly likes just-ripening fruit and lays its eggs there so that the fruit is spoiled by the time it is 'ripe'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For anyone else coming across this, contact you local Extension agent for help and recommendations to spray.  If you use netting, you will have to find some fine stuff and get it on before fruit colors at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The little black bugs are sap beetles or 'picnic' beetles that come to ruined fruit.  They are not causing the 'worms' you see in the fruit.  Unfortunately, since the culprit is a fly, those worms are actually called maggots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15678" LastActivityDate="2016-08-22T15:09:57.677" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28895" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28893" CreationDate="2016-08-22T17:06:15.703" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a phenomena called &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Guttation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;guttation&lt;/a&gt;. Plants work by pulling water up from the roots.  In situations where the relative humidity is high you may observe these drops being extruded from leaves or stems.  As the liquid contains various compounds when it dries it can leave a sticky crystal like drop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not a problem for your plant, no action required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-22T17:06:15.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28896" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-22T20:21:37.220" Score="2" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am considering planting some hydrangeas next to the seawall at a freshwater lake. Normally the water level is about 14&quot; below the top of the soil but about twice a month the water level will rise to about 4&quot; below the top of the soil. It will stay for half a day then return to 14&quot;. The soil is a sandy loam and the hydrangeas will receive about 6 to 7 hours of sun. I am located in the middle part of Alabama so it is hot and humid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is my understanding that the root system for a hydrangea is shallow but I am still concerned about root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would hydrangeas do well in these conditions? Are there other shrubs that I could consider as well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15680" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-23T00:14:26.720" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T19:25:28.990" Title="Will Hydrangeas Next to a Freshwater Seawall Suffer from Occasional Flooding?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28897" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28886" CreationDate="2016-08-22T21:00:28.803" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A guess at the name of the plant you might mean has been made above as a comment with a link to an image showing Calla palustris, and you have confirmed that's your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, there is a great deal of confusion caused by the use of the common names 'calla' or 'arum' for another plant called Zantedeschia - there are plants called Calla palustris and Arum (maculatum, italicum) which are unrelated, though they have vaguely similar flowers. Since you describe your plant as having white marks on the leaves, it won't be Calla palustris, because it does not have white marks on the leaves, so it must be either Zantedeschia or Arum. Image of Zantedeschia variety here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=3155&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=3155&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since its not entirely clear yet which plant you have, I'll just provide the link below which gives instructions regarding harvesting the seeds (note it refers to calla lilies, yet it means Zantedeschia) rather than quoting what it says&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/calla-lily/calla-lily-seed-info.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/calla-lily/calla-lily-seed-info.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you save and sow the seeds and they grow, it will be a minimum of three years before the new plants flower. You can, though, split Zantedeschia plants if you want to increase your stock more quickly. There is also a plethora of videos on youtube showing how to collect Zantedeschia seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, though, the plant you have with white marks on the leaves has produced a short stem covered in green 'berries' which are turning red, then its not Zantedeschia or Calla palustris - its Arum, and those seeds are toxic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: just as a point of interest, there is so much confusion about the name Calla, I found an SF Gate link regarding collecting seeds from Zantedeschia, naming the plant correctly at the top, though also using the common name calla thereafter, but the picture they have with the link is clearly Calla palustris, not Zantedeschia... information on the internet becomes less and less reliable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its probably a lot easier to give a clear, simple answer if you add a photo of your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-22T21:27:52.707" LastActivityDate="2016-08-22T21:27:52.707" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28898" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28899" CreationDate="2016-08-22T22:48:46.430" Score="2" ViewCount="178" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed that in my &quot;wild&quot; community garden plot I have small mushrooms growing in my garden, but I don't know what type they are. Is this a sign of good soil health?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-08-22T23:33:04.163" Title="Are mushrooms growing naturally in your garden a sign of good soil health?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28899" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28898" CreationDate="2016-08-22T23:33:04.163" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not particularly - mushrooms or toadstools are usually saphrophitic, meaning they're feeding off dead plant material, often of woody origin. This might mean your soil is high in humus of woody origin, or it might just mean you've got, or have used,  bark chips, or there's a tree stump or something somewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-22T23:33:04.163" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28900" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28896" CreationDate="2016-08-22T23:52:29.207" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, I just learned something new!  Bigleaf Hydrangea is extremely salt tolerant!  Sounds like the sun exposure is fine, partial shade is best anyway.  I would build a plant bed by 'fruffing' up the soil, double digging and allowing it to become a raised bed!  Are there any trees near the area you want to plant?  Roots of Hydrangea are only a few inches deep so if you make a raised bed (no need to put sides on it, just a little trench at the bottom 8&quot; wide and 6&quot; deep) to carry away excess water.  Careful with any mulch, you do not want to bury the roots any deeper!  Way cool!!  How about adding a Salix tortuosa Mansudana...a curly branched willow nearby?  They grow very quickly and can add a bit of shade later.  Just an idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So this is freshwater seawall.  Just start double digging the bed and allow the soil to get 4'!  It settles down quickly and the plant settles with it...it'll probably be only a foot high.  Check the pH of the soil, hopefully it will be more acidic; 6.2 - 5.5?  I am sure there must be a lawn so be careful that the lawn fertilizer doesn't get on the soil for the Hydrangeas, or few flowers.  Test the pH of the lawn as well, that soil should be more alkaline; 6.5-7.1?  If the soil of the lawn is acidic you need to lime the lawn.  If the soil for your Hydrangea bed is alkaline, you can slowly decrease the pH using sulfur.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best planting of Hydrangeas would be a mass planting to form a 'sweep'.  Unless you are planting just one.  Use unequal triangles for placement, nothing in a straight line.  Allow room for the size of hydrangea you use.  For instance a plant 5X5 should be planted 3-4 feet apart.  Hydrangeas are easy to control size but shallow rooted plants only use the top few inches and would compete if too close.  You want a mass of hydrangeas that run into each other.  USE only ONE SPECIES.  At their feet you could plant Sweet Box, Lonicera pileata something that grows only 2 feet and the flowers are insignificant.  A 'green frame'?  Sweet box (Sarcococca sp.) is delightfully fragrant.  Loves shade so if the hydrangeas are on the south they will shade this plant.  Lonicera pileata has a wonderful horizontal branching and is stunning grown in a mass planting.  This plant will thrive with more sun.  Create an 'eddy' to situate a few adirondack or rustic chairs, little table, to get closer to the water for afternoon cocktails??&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-08-24T19:25:28.990" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T19:25:28.990" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28901" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28904" CreationDate="2016-08-23T01:21:31.770" Score="2" ViewCount="16706" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to plant a privacy hedge with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=m550&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;emerald green arborvitae&lt;/a&gt;. I am trying to determine the most economical trunk-to-trunk spacing that will eventually result in a hedge you cannot see through at eye level. I know that emerald green arborvitae have a mature width of 3 to 4 feet, but I've read conflicting advice on how far apart to plant them: anything from 2 to 4 feet trunk-to-trunk. These trees are expensive, so I want to purchase as few of them as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts, but I doubt I am the only one with this question. If there is a mature emerald green arborvitae hedge in your backyard, please share a picture and let us know how far apart the trunks are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15683" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-23T01:43:46.170" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T00:49:47.640" Title="What is the optimal spacing for emerald green arborvitae?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28902" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28905" CreationDate="2016-08-23T01:37:17.537" Score="2" ViewCount="285" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking this is a weed. It's growing in one part of my backyard. Its really hard to uproot the plant. The root is thick and even the small plants grow off of the left over root in the ground. If I try to pull it with bare hands, the core of the stem stays only the outer cover with the leaves come off. Its slippery too. Has anyone seen this and know how to get rid of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fFRxX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fFRxX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rET1j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rET1j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: I live in the pacific northwest near Seattle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastEditorUserId="11971" LastEditDate="2016-08-23T17:03:26.050" LastActivityDate="2016-08-23T17:03:26.050" Title="What's the name of this plant/weed? See picture below" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28903" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28907" CreationDate="2016-08-23T02:11:21.193" Score="4" ViewCount="109" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this flower? My mother grows it in her garden. We live in Belarus and the flower was found here. Sorry for bad quality.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MtJvW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MtJvW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9o7QU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9o7QU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15444" LastEditorUserId="15444" LastEditDate="2016-08-23T02:24:45.420" LastActivityDate="2016-08-23T17:04:16.413" Title="Unknown flower in Belarus" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28904" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28901" CreationDate="2016-08-23T08:00:49.913" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends how quickly you want your privacy hedge to be dense - as you say, the predicted eventual spread is 3-4 feet, but at ten years, the spread is predicted at 24-30 inches per plant. If you don't mind waiting till the trees have reached full maturity, you can plant them 3 to 4 feet apart, but if you want the hedge to give full privacy within five years or less, you'd need to space them 2 feet apart or less. It all comes down to speed of growth to form a solid hedge - the more closely spaced the plants, the quicker you get that result: which is also why there's conflicting advice about how close to space plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-23T15:32:19.653" LastActivityDate="2016-08-23T15:32:19.653" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28905" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28902" CreationDate="2016-08-23T08:10:10.903" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I  think its a Dock, maybe Broad leaved Dock (Rumex obtusifolius), pic below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thepoisondiaries.tumblr.com/post/65918102719/rumex-obtusifolius-broad-leaved-dock-the&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://thepoisondiaries.tumblr.com/post/65918102719/rumex-obtusifolius-broad-leaved-dock-the&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has a taproot that may go down as far as 150 cm in soils it likes, and is very difficult to dig out because there's usually enough of the tap root left in the ground for it to regrow. Smaller, younger plants should be dug out as soon as they are seen, before the taproot gets too long. Spreads readily by seed, and is a real problem in lawned or grassed areas. As yours isn't in grass, it should be easier to find a herbicide which will kill it because you're not restricted to lawn herbicides. Check in your area what's available. More information in the link below regarding this plant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantwise.org/KnowledgeBank/Datasheet.aspx?dsid=48064&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.plantwise.org/KnowledgeBank/Datasheet.aspx?dsid=48064&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-23T08:17:03.103" LastActivityDate="2016-08-23T08:17:03.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28906" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28892" CreationDate="2016-08-23T09:42:59.897" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hard to tell from your picture, there seems to be white spots on some leaves which can be a sign of a fungus or aphids. Also, verbena will shed it's leaves when the temp gets colder, it can seem quite poor that starts to happen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15687" LastActivityDate="2016-08-23T09:42:59.897" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28903" CreationDate="2016-08-23T13:19:53.627" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicandra&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Shoofly Plant (Nicandra physalodes)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Nicandra is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family containing the single species Nicandra physalodes. It is known by the common names apple-of-Peru and shoo-fly plant. It is native to Peru, and it is known elsewhere as an introduced species and sometimes a weed. It is also kept as an ornamental plant.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hbc.bas-net.by/plantae/eng/plantinfo.php?kodnazv=6479&amp;amp;aaafamilia=eNortjI0sFIKzs9JzEtMTk1MVbIGXDA0pgW0&amp;amp;genus=eNortrKwUvLLTE7MSylKVLIGXDAlbAS_&amp;amp;species=eNortjI0sFIqyKgsTszJT0ktVrIGXDA3OwYE&amp;amp;aut_sp=eNortjI0slLS8NHTVHBPTC0qydNTsgZcMDTyBUQ,&amp;amp;intrasp=&amp;amp;type=ras&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plants of Belarus&lt;/a&gt;&quot; has a link to a PDF in Russian describing it with specifics to your region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3s1KI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3s1KI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-08-23T17:04:16.413" LastActivityDate="2016-08-23T17:04:16.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28909" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-23T17:28:24.557" Score="3" ViewCount="879" Body="&lt;p&gt;My brief online search tells me weeping willows can grow to 50ft talk and 50ft wide. Is there a smaller variety that would only be 20-30 feet wide? Or a similarly inviting shade tree that is smaller than a weeping willow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15691" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T19:46:00.060" Title="Is there a small variety of weeping willow?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;weeping-willow&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28910" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28925" CreationDate="2016-08-24T00:10:36.000" Score="4" ViewCount="3618" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an old John Deere 111, circa 1980, that seems to lose power when the blades are under an insignificant load. I'm not cutting very tall or abnormally heavy grass -- just your run of the mill yard here. The blades have been sharpened on a bench grinder and tested for balance. I've test the deck pulleys and they swing freely. Oil changed, cleaned the carb, and replaced the fuel filter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I engage the blades and without lowering the deck, they run at full power -- though it does leave an uneven, choppy cut on the grass. Now, when I lower the blades less than an inch, I can sense the blades not rotating at full power. The quality of the cut looks about like that of a mower being overloaded and choked out, but the engine runs fine the entire time. The quality improves when I reduce the speed to a snails crawl (2 of 5), but it is by no means perfect.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have some advice on to why my mower is cutting poorly and also losing power when I lower the deck? I know this is a smaller JD, but this is ridiculous. Thanks for your help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15694" OwnerDisplayName="wellington" LastEditorUserId="15694" LastEditDate="2016-08-24T01:00:37.530" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T13:35:48.470" Title="Lawn Mower Losing Power, Cutting Poorly" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28911" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28920" CreationDate="2016-08-24T00:53:53.947" Score="3" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since before we moved in to our house a year ago, the tree in the front yard has had lots of dead branches. In addition bark is missing at the bottom of the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We cleared 100+ dafodil bulbs that were growing around the base of the tree (along with other weeds) and removed dirt and a thick layer of old mulch piled 6-12 inches above the root spread.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We would like to keep the tree from dying.  Would it be helpful to cut back the dead branches?  Are there any soil amendments or anything else we can do to help the tree survive?  What should we put around the base of the tree (e.g. mulch)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r0l5E.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r0l5E.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q1h1q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q1h1q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Damaged base of tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15546" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T12:00:26.737" Title="How do I encourage my tree to grow a full set of leaves again?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28912" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-24T01:21:00.007" Score="2" ViewCount="1161" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the last 2 days I noticed there are light brown spots all over my coriander leaves. It's in a pot placed by the window. I live in Singapore so it's sunny throughout the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The patches and spots look like the plant has got measles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone advise me what is wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15695" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T23:31:58.480" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T23:33:24.860" Title="What are the light brown spots on coriander leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28913" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-24T02:13:54.970" Score="3" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like the bushes in our front yard to grow leaves on all sides. To do this, I think they need to be trimmed to let light in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best time of year to trim them? Should we cut them back to the main stalk or trim selectively?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Front view of bushes after some selective trimming of branches:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aOzaG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aOzaG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Front view of bushes after some selective trimming of branches&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Back view of bushes where leaves do not grow:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PIfz6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PIfz6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Back view of bushes where leaves do not grow&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PWQK3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PWQK3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15546" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T22:24:11.857" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T22:24:11.857" Title="How and when should I trim this bush?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="28915" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28919" CreationDate="2016-08-24T03:28:17.337" Score="3" ViewCount="1829" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is related to my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/27465/should-i-deadhead-my-daylilies&quot;&gt;previous question&lt;/a&gt; about deadheading daylilies. I did a good job of pruning some, although I neglected others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the flowers have gone by and I'd like to know when to remove the stalks. They die from the top down, so the tops can be gray and brittle even when there are green, pliable areas closer to the base of the plant. Are those green areas still providing nutrition, even when the rest is so far gone that further flowering isn't possible? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do the dead stalks affect the health of the neighboring live ones? If so, should I remove each one as it dies? I think each is connected to an individual tuber or root system, so it wouldn't matter, but I don't know if that's correct.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously the plants are prettier without dead stalks, but other than the aesthetics of it, is there a general rule of thumb?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stalks in this picture are mostly dead, although if you look closely, you can see a bit of green at the base of one or two. Unfortunately I don't have a picture that shows the process at an earlier stage, where the stalks are alive farther up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t9rNZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t9rNZl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T13:58:30.800" Title="When should I remove the spent stalks on my daylilies?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28916" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28918" CreationDate="2016-08-24T07:02:17.210" Score="4" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;While watering my rose plant this morning, I noticed it was covered in tiny brown bugs:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qqAjc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qqAjc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're on most of the leaves of the plant. What are they? Is there anything I can do? The plant is currently kept inside - should I move the plant outside to avoid an infestation? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3346" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T09:18:55.767" Title="What's hatched on my rose?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28917" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28916" CreationDate="2016-08-24T08:40:58.047" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look like rose spider mites.  You can use a miticide or insecticidal soap to get rid of them.  Repeat after 14 days to get the eggs that hatch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/roses/rose-spider-mites.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/roses/rose-spider-mites.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T08:40:58.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28918" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28916" CreationDate="2016-08-24T09:13:35.240" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree they do look like spider mites - however, you are in the UK, and red spider mite is only an issue on indoor plants here, never outdoors. I suggest you relocate your rose to the outdoors, and the spider mite should vanish on its own over a week or two, but if you happen to have any Roseclear Ultra, or another insecticidal spray, use that just in case the webbing is coincidental and what's actually on the plant are aphids. I note also there is some yellowing of areas of leaf on the plant - it's obviously in a pot if its indoors, so if you can find a sunny spot in the garden to plant it in the ground, it should grow more healthily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-24T09:18:55.767" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T09:18:55.767" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28919" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28915" CreationDate="2016-08-24T09:23:07.577" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have the time, clip out the flowered stems as close to the base as possible now; if you clip out one or two leaves by accident, that's not a problem, many professional growers deliberately remove weak, damaged or crowded leaf stems anyway. There are two reasons for removing flowered stems - one is to make the plant look a lot tidier, and the second is to prevent seeding, although that particular ship may already have sailed! It's not the end of the world if you don't get round to it, they'll still grow and flower next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that, as a basic principle, flowered stems do not contribute anything back to the rhizome/bulb/corm/tuber of a plant, quite the reverse if they produce seed, that takes energy away from the roots; it's the green leaves which do that job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-24T13:58:30.800" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T13:58:30.800" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28920" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28911" CreationDate="2016-08-24T09:38:56.827" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dead branches on trees are best being removed, especially when the trees are close to a building, because they may, at some point, break and fall and cause damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot see an area of missing bark in your pictures, although to the right at the base in the second picture, there is less ridged bark - this may be where the mulch you removed was piled against the trunk, but it doesn't seem to be missing bark as such. Although some mulch won't do the tree any harm, it's important that you don't allow  any mulch to cover the base of the tree trunk. You may want to call an arborist to remove the dead branches and to inspect the tree to assess its health and whether or not it needs more significant cutting back from a safety point of view.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-24T12:00:26.737" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T12:00:26.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5360" CreationDate="2016-08-24T10:00:36.320" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try using red wigglers to work the dry leaves! You will have great soil in a few months not years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenia_fetida&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenia_fetida&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://animals.mom.me/differences-between-red-wrigglers-earthworms-6358.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://animals.mom.me/differences-between-red-wrigglers-earthworms-6358.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15698" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-08T06:53:02.593" LastActivityDate="2018-04-08T06:53:02.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28922" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28909" CreationDate="2016-08-24T10:54:25.403" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This link is to a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/docs/uf/Small_Street_Tree_List.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;list of small trees&lt;/a&gt; for the Seattle area.  What you won't see on there are willows. Willows have an aggressive root system and tend to be always dropping leaves and branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a tree to sit under you want one that does not shed branches or fruit on you.  Wasps and other wildlife are attracted to ripe fruit so I would skip the crab apples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They list a magnolia but I find that they look great for three weeks and then are dull for the rest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also recommend a serviceberry which is a great tree but slow to grow and not very long lived.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best choices from the list are the smaller maples like Acer ginnala, Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) and the Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last part of the choice is what is available.  Start visiting tree nurseries and look at what they have and what shape it is in.  No point in buying a tree that has been dried out over the summer.  Pass over the ones with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/files/04_Identify_and_Manage.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;poor structure&lt;/a&gt; as this defect will not correct itself and can be a cause of failure in later years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T10:54:25.403" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23473" CreationDate="2016-08-24T12:07:16.057" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe it is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a396&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dawn redwood (&lt;em&gt;Metasequoia glyptostroboides&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; This tree looks and feels like a sequoia (and even terrestrial examples of bald cypress), but is not evergreen. Foliage turns red/brown before it drops it's leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info &lt;a href=&quot;http://conifersociety.org/conifers/conifer/metasequoia/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.arkive.org/dawn-redwood/metasequoia-glyptostroboides/image-G39823.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o7v9B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Metasequoia Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T12:07:16.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28924" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26408" CreationDate="2016-08-24T12:53:21.223" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The base rock and leveling sand should not be a problem. The photo below shows crape myrtles (which is what I believe is pictured in your photo) planted in a compacted bed of small crushed gravel and natural fines (rough sand) soon after planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oQvji.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oQvji.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Crape Myrtles in compacted base&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These trees have been in place for almost 4 years now, and they are thriving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With a structural base like that in place, compaction should not be an issue. However if too much of the surface area is covered with slabs of stone, oxygen exchange and water infiltration &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; be an issue. Leaving open spaces (un grouted) between the stones will reduce the negative effects of cutting off so much soil surface from the elements, but it will still be important to leave some space around the tree as shown below to provide contact with the atmosphere and leave room for growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ItUvI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ItUvI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Patio planting&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sbuEu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sbuEu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T12:53:21.223" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28925" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28910" CreationDate="2016-08-24T13:30:05.277" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The motor runs at full power&lt;/strong&gt; is a good clue here. While I, too, would reach for the low compression as a first guess, that seems less likely if the motor is running fine (and also if it starts fine - my mower that needs a rebuild is an absolute bear to get started when cold.) If you happened to have, or to know someone who has a compression tester that will fit, that would not be a bad thing to check, but it seems less likely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, the rough cut and acting up when lowering blades points to a problem in power transmission - bad bearings, mis-adjusted belts, old/stiff belts, something like that. I don't know your particular model that well, but If the power put in by the engine is not reaching the blades reliably, that's the part of the system where the problem is - dive in and look/feel for bearings that are either not rotating well, or that have excessive play in directions other than the rotating one. Evidently whatever is wrong is exacerbated when the mechanism is lowered, so you may need to arrange to be able to investigate that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thinking further&lt;/strong&gt;, the rough cut makes the bearings the blade pivots on seem most likely - and movement from those will degrade their belt contact, and thus power transmission. You say they pivot fine, but what I suspect is &quot;slop&quot; - movement in directions they should not be moving in. They are 36 years old unless you have already replaced them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember to disconnect the spark plug wire (or take out the plug) when mucking about in the deck/transmission area. Finish with the same number of fingers you start with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if mechanics would be particularly helpful - outside of the stack exchange structure there are several sites dedicated to old tractors, some including or even primarily lawn tractors, where you might find other people who have the same exact model and are familiar with common problems and symptoms for that exact model. I would suggest you look for those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-08-24T13:35:48.470" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T13:35:48.470" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28926" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30216" CreationDate="2016-08-24T18:09:40.320" Score="3" ViewCount="525" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, I grew some zucchini and the squash bugs finally proliferated on it. Today I was in the garden and I saw that there were squash bugs hanging out on my chili pepper plant, which is by the zucchini (it's probably half Carolina Reaper, and half something else, but it was supposed to be a Carolina Reaper).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are they just resting themselves there, or do they actually feed on chili pepper plants? Watching them, they just looked like they were hanging out, and I didn't see any damage, but there were a lot of squash bugs (all of them were fully mature bugs in appearance).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not looking for advice on squash bug control (just on whether or not they feed on peppers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry. No pictures right now. I need to charge my camera.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T03:49:11.313" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T03:49:11.313" Title="Are squash bugs a pepper pest?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28927" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28929" CreationDate="2016-08-24T19:14:19.483" Score="4" ViewCount="505" Body="&lt;p&gt;I successfully sprouted a lemon seed but after a month it stopped growing and its leaves started turning yellow. I was using heavy nitrogen fertilizer, so that can't be the problem. Then I tried some fertilizer with magnesium, since I thought that was the problem, but still no luck. Have any ideas? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the photo of the sprout.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WsVQa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WsVQa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sprout with yellow leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15701" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-24T21:01:29.490" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T21:01:29.490" Title="Why are the leaves of my Lemon sprout turning yellowish?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28909" CreationDate="2016-08-24T19:46:00.060" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want a weeping tree, you can look at weeping cherries as others have mentioned in the comments. As kevinsky mentioned, any of the fruit trees will attract bees in the spring and wasps when they're in fruit, but personally I've never minded this fact. If you keep the fruit cleaned up, I don't think it is generally unmanageable, and you can always just choose to sit somewhere else when it is in fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also a few varieties of weeping beech that are absolutely gorgeous and would be small enough for the space you described. Be careful, though, because there are some varieties of weeping beech that would get too large! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option would be a weeping hazelnut, but they may be smaller than what you are looking for - about 10 feet tall at maturity. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T19:46:00.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28929" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28927" CreationDate="2016-08-24T19:55:36.453" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have to post a picture but from what your questions states, sounds like OVER fertilization.  No plant needs 'heavy nitrogen' and depending on the age of your lemon tree you certainly want lower N percentage in relation to the P and K!  I've seen tiny little lemon tree twigs producing lemons.  Nitrogen will produce lots of foliage and little, malformed reproductive growth (lemons).  To fertilize again in one month is way too much.  You can easily kill a plant with just a little too much fertilizer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Baby plants should not be fertilized until they get their 3rd or 4th set of leaves!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send pictures, the formulation of both the fertilizers you used, what micro nutrients are included with both, how much you used, the size of the pot and what kind of soil you are using.  What type of water are you using?  How often you water and how much water at a time?  This could be a problem with high salts from tap water, too little iron...sounds to me too much fertilizer but this is just a lame guess.  What environment?  Indoors, outdoors, how BIG OF A POT are you using.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tiny little seedlings/plants need tiny little pots.  A big pot will cause root rot, too much water that can't be siphoned, drained or sucked up by the plant whose roots only occupy a small chunk of soil.  I hope you are using potting soil...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-24T19:55:36.453" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28930" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-24T22:11:39.507" Score="3" ViewCount="1559" Body="&lt;p&gt;It has been months since I put the worms in my pot. A bug ecosystem has been established and I bet those worms are reproducing fast. The bugs mostly come for the food I give them. Only a few like a red queen ant(which shouldn't be a fire ant but still, why red and not black?) would bother the worms and even then, I am sure the worms eat those as they are eating soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every time a batch is close to fully decomposed(so about every 2 weeks, longer for leaves), I take a sniff of the soil to make sure there isn't too much nitrogen. If it doesn't smell earthy(In my case I don't get an ammonia smell, thank god), I add more carbon along with the nitrogen or if it is too strong, stop the nitrogen. These past few times I fed them, I gave them carbon and only carbon in the form of leaves(both dry from last year and fresh from fallen branches) because the nitrogenous smell was too strong. Thankfully it is getting back to an earthy smell so I should be able to put fruit and vegetable scraps in there soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I have been keeping the large branches that fall off near my pot but haven't actually put any in there. I was wondering if I could safely add those branches if I break them into reasonable size sticks. I mean the wood could add some good nutrients and high carbon at the same time. Plus, there has to be a way to decompose them(not all of them of course, I will be keeping some of the bigger ones for making fires).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have a wood chipper so that is out. Is it safe for me to add sticks of reasonable size whole and allow the bugs and worms to decompose them or is it too risky(mostly dead wood I am collecting if you need to know that with a tiny bit of young green wood)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have looked it up and can't find anything on the safety or risks of giving sticks to worms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13109" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T02:23:28.240" Title="Can my worms eat wood?" Tags="&lt;vermicomposting&gt;&lt;branches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28931" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-24T23:27:03.517" Score="3" ViewCount="123" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help on identifying this vine?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vae7h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vae7h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15702" LastActivityDate="2016-08-25T03:17:11.183" Title="Strange vine growing in garden" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28932" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28931" CreationDate="2016-08-24T23:47:34.730" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Basella rubra, a vine commonly known as Malabar spinach. It would have had small, white or pink flowers, and these have now become the green seeds you're seeing on the stem, which then turn black. It's not actually a true spinach, but the leaves are edible and can be used in salads. It's a perennial plant, but only in areas which are frost free with warm winters. More info below, though the image isn't great&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/malabar-spinach/growing-malabar-spinach.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Malabar Spinach plant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a better picture of a &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1318/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Malabar Spinach plant.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-08-25T03:17:11.183" LastActivityDate="2016-08-25T03:17:11.183" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28935" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-25T02:31:08.460" Score="1" ViewCount="442" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what &lt;a href=&quot;http://i1.wp.com/sugarandcharm.com/scwp/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/MollywoodDesign-7.jpg?w=600&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;these trees&lt;/a&gt; are?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've got a tight retaining wall where we want to plant some trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/alDjI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/alDjI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15673" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-25T19:11:28.323" LastActivityDate="2016-08-25T19:11:28.323" Title="What are these trees with tall trunks and narrow wispy leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5168" CreationDate="2016-08-25T06:59:23.043" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your local hardware store usually has small concrete donuts that fit around heads easy to avoid and you can trim later&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15705" LastActivityDate="2016-08-25T06:59:23.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4524" CreationDate="2016-08-25T07:01:55.577" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would suggest a large weed Wacker and a helper&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15705" LastActivityDate="2016-08-25T07:01:55.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28938" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28935" CreationDate="2016-08-25T11:27:40.363" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The standards look like Olive trees, or Olea europae, interspersed with clipped Box balls (Buxus sempervirens) with a few Cyclamen persicum (the low one with white flowers) dotted about. The cyclamen shown may be purely temporary visitors because they're the houseplant variety in temperate regions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-25T15:20:36.233" LastActivityDate="2016-08-25T15:20:36.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28940" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28941" CreationDate="2016-08-25T16:00:57.153" Score="3" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;This insect creates a very small beehive like home in a corner of our pergola. What are they are how can I get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried spraying &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00C4TS86I&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ortho Home Defense insect killer&lt;/a&gt; but they came back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or maybe it's safe and I don't need to worry?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7ohTS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7ohTS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15710" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:23:39.430" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T02:23:39.430" Title="What is this yellow and black insect and how to get rid of them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28941" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28940" CreationDate="2016-08-25T16:23:46.740" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a yellow jacket or wasp which is a member of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Yellow_jacket&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Vespula&lt;/a&gt; genus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They build communal nests out of paper but can also build nests inside houses and other places we consider unsuitable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They can sting and are aggressive when defending their nest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is much easier to remove a small nest than a large one so act quickly and carefully.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At night when cooler temperatures promote less activity try and spray an insecticide with residual activity such as one containing Permethrin into the nest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option for the bold or lucky is to try and knock the nest down with a stick and put it in a sealed container for disposal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had a nest inside the siding of our house so a pest control company was the best solution for us.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-25T16:23:46.740" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28942" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29001" CreationDate="2016-08-25T16:40:32.043" Score="10" ViewCount="4432" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 5 year old basil plant growning in my window. Since I don't know much about gardning it has been a small hobby of mine to prune it and keep it alive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My idea was to create some kind of bonsai basil. Since the 5 year old plant seams to be a bit out of controle, because of bad trimming and pruning, I have made some clones where I tried to be a bit &lt;em&gt;harder&lt;/em&gt; when pruning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of these clones are now about 2 years old. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a few pictures: &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZitMh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZitMh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My 2 year old basil clone&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0XwYa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0XwYa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My 2 year old basil clone&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, can I bonsai this plant? And does anyone have any tips or experience doing this? As you can see I have already tried to shape it like a small tree, but my fear is that over some years I won't be able to keep it like this, since the plant is constantly growing. So eventually it might end up looking like my 5 year old basil, which has grown too tall with way too many long and empty stems. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for any tips or suggestions :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15709" LastEditorUserId="15709" LastEditDate="2016-08-25T18:17:25.810" LastActivityDate="2020-05-05T12:03:34.530" Title="Bonsai basil? Tips on herbal bonsai" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="15" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28943" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-25T17:31:50.297" Score="1" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 2 plants that are drying out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One is called &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglaonema&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;aglaonema&lt;/a&gt; and the other one is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ravenea palm&lt;/a&gt;. I water them every week and don't know why they're turning yellow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15711" LastEditorUserId="15711" LastEditDate="2016-08-25T20:20:42.307" LastActivityDate="2016-08-25T20:20:42.307" Title="Why are two of my plants drying out and turning yellow?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-11-28T07:20:18.637" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28944" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28913" CreationDate="2016-08-25T23:59:23.350" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think your shrubs are Osmanthus, possibly Osmanthus burkwoodii, which has fragrant, white tubular flowers in spring, and a rounded growth habit. Pruning is carried out immediately after flowering so as not to remove growths which would have flowered next spring if its done later - like now. Regardless of that, you have a choice to make - you cannot persuade the backs of these shrubs to grow as well as the front, even if you do cut them down. Over time, they will grow in the same way as they have now, because there is a structure not far away behind them (garage, maybe?) which means that side of the plants is too shaded as they mature. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possible they were planted to provide a screen to hide the structure behind to an extent, but whether you wish to keep them, or take them out and replant with hedging plants you can regularly clip over front and back, or lower growing plants further away from the structure to avoid this problem, is something only you can decide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-26T00:11:02.707" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T00:11:02.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28945" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28913" CreationDate="2016-08-26T07:32:31.703" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks to me as some kind of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buxus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;buxus&lt;/a&gt; commonly used in yards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once fair size is established it can be trimmed* after the year stems have grown, which is about end spring - beginning of June. Just cut the stems that grown on current year: you should be able to see the previous year's cut just edging out once done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*If you have patience, do it manually instead of using machinery, because trimmers arm a lot of leaves that stay attached and rot on the stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T07:32:31.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28946" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2538" CreationDate="2016-08-26T07:56:27.850" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the mid-ninties (probably '94), I planted several grapefruit seeds. Several germinated, and they all got some white fuzzy stuff on them that made them sticky, and all but one of them died (maybe it was scale or something). The one that lived recovered, and I didn't see the white sticky stuff again until about twenty years later (but there wasn't very much of the stuff, it didn't last long, and it didn't harm the tree).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree that lived grew fine treating it like the other houseplants. I just watered it, pretty much (and at first, I misted it once in a while, since I heard that was good for citrus trees, since I'm in a semi-arid area). When it got bigger, I gave it fertilizer once in a while (24-8-16). It grew and lived with the same soil and treatment as the other houseplants (it does like more light than a golden pothos, though; it likes to be by a window). It's still alive, today, in fact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We gave it bigger pots as it got bigger (and like many plants, it seems to get bigger the bigger the pot is). It has been an entirely indoor plant its whole life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should be noted that every once in a great while, my grapefruit tree's leaves shrivel up and then it puts on new growth (it's doing it now, in fact). It doesn't happen often (less often than once a year). I think it usually only happens if I forget to water it for too long, or don't give it enough light, or something (but it could be a coincidence and just do it on its own when it wants to). FYI: It's growing new shoots now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree tends to put on more growth when given fertilizer, or when given supplemental lighting (it got a little supplemental light one year when I was starting tomatoes, watermelon and stuff indoors, as my tree was next to the growing environment), but it can be fine not growing for long periods. My tree was very small for a really long time, and it grew very slowly, but gradually came to be able to grow faster as it matured. I imagine if you gave it lots of light early on, it would grow faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know the ideal conditions for grapefruit trees generally, but for my tree, that's my experience. My tree could be special, though; it is the only one that survived that infestation. Other than that, it hasn't been bothered notably by other pests (not even spider mites). It's never had any diseases, to my knowledge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Germinating the seeds is pretty easy. I think I sprouted mine in plain potting soil, since that's what we had (not seed-starting mix). So, they must handle larger amounts of nitrogen better than tomatoes do. Anyway, if you want to keep trying (if your trees didn't live), you might find a tree that lives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never had flowers or fruit on my tree. I'm guessing it might need more light and phosphorus for that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-08-26T08:01:45.123" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T08:01:45.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28947" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28948" CreationDate="2016-08-26T07:57:09.917" Score="2" ViewCount="16841" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the past two weeks my yucca has been looking sad. It's drooping and hanging over. I have given it a reasonable amount of water and it's pretty sunny out there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9WueR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9WueR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sad yucca&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15712" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-21T15:54:42.407" LastActivityDate="2018-10-05T22:16:17.803" Title="Why are the leaves and stems of my yucca drooping, and the plant looking sad?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28947" CreationDate="2016-08-26T09:59:59.680" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are pretty tough plants and generally only two things go wrong:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;not enough light: foliage can grow too heavy for stem and flop over&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;too much water: roots rot and the stem dies from the bottom up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The foliage still looks good but you should check the stem.  Grasp it firmly and check at a few places to see if the bark is still attached.  This plant can die from the roots up.  When it does the bark detaches from the main stem while the leaves are still green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stems that have flopped over are not going to return to an upright position.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With either problem you should cut the green offsets off near the stem.  Let dry for a few days and put the stems in a mix of potting soil and sand or perlite.  Keep the medium moist and they should be ready to pot up in four to six weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the main plant if the problem is over watering then it will dry up and can be gotten rid of.  If the issue is not enough light you can move it closer to a window and wait for three or four weeks for it to bud out new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T09:59:59.680" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28949" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29097" CreationDate="2016-08-26T14:06:33.767" Score="9" ViewCount="191" Body="&lt;p&gt;So a friend of mine gifted me with a bucket of worms mixed with dirt and food. It was a living colony and I maintained it so, even growing properly. I've followed quite a few proper rules, also taking into account prior post on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24568/how-do-i-make-compost&quot;&gt;how-to-make-compost&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I made several levels with 20 liters paint buckets with some holes in it (in the sides and below). From top bottom:&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Covered with cloth and some slight weight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;3rd level has the major colony where I throw food.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2nd level has a base of grass, dirt and is where they go down to reproduce.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1st level is empty with no holes to receive water from above layers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I already know &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/3176/how-long-does-it-take-for-the-compost-to-ripen?rq=1&quot;&gt;how long this takes in average&lt;/a&gt;, and that it should have &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24887/how-can-i-tell-if-my-compost-is-ready&quot;&gt;a balance between carbon and nitrogen&lt;/a&gt;. Now to the question. Once this is all done: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;How do I know, visually, if the &lt;em&gt;vermi-compost&lt;/em&gt; is properly ripe?&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14359" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-09-07T13:36:22.467" Title="How do I know vermi-compost is done?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28950" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-26T15:02:05.080" Score="2" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;So assuming I have &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/28949/how-do-i-know-vermi-compost-is-done&quot;&gt;a ripen pile of humus&lt;/a&gt;, I'd now like to remove the humus but don't know if I should keep in mind any type of cautions and techniques. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people have a proper door in the bin that allows to remove from the lower part of the bin, or some other people even have a filter that allows the humus to fall directly into a drawer. But I have a small amount of material in a couple of paint cans. Hence the question&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it ok to just remove humus with a regular filter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this advisable?&#xA;Or does this have some undesired results?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14359" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T05:36:10.220" Title="What are proper methods to remove ripe humus from pile" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28951" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28954" CreationDate="2016-08-26T15:16:51.890" Score="1" ViewCount="12864" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am wondering if anyone could possibly identify this houseplant.  I don't know much about it, as I received as a gift.  It's fairly slow growing and quite resilient.  Lack of water will cause leaf tips to brown, but it recovers very well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your help.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dkfSM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dkfSM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VJAui.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VJAui.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14872" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T18:06:12.257" Title="Identify houseplant with tall stem and long thin leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2016-08-26T18:22:42.010" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28952" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-26T16:04:25.887" Score="3" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;From reading and inference over the years, I've come to this basic model for 'ripening': (Confidence level is not high.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Photosynthesis in the leaves produces sugars.  These are available to nearby fruits.  This is good.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There's a process in the fruits that converts sugars to starches.  This is not good for flavor.  Heat and sunlight promote this process.  Ergo, tomatoes should be shielded from the sun.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this true/sorta true/bogus?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If (sorta) true, does it apply broadly - say to squash, cantaloupes, peppers, ...?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11429" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T21:53:37.957" Title="chemistry of ripening (tomatoes, and others)" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28953" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28952" CreationDate="2016-08-26T18:00:19.950" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, it's not even 'sort of true'. Sunlight on tomato plants, particularly intense sunlight,  means a lot of photosynthesis is going on, which means the plant can convert carbohydrates (produced by the photosynthesis) into sugars, acids and other flavoursome components in the fruits. Temperature plays a role too - tomatoes prefer to be cooler at night than they are during the day, and there is an optimum temperature range for the best tomatoes. Variety of tomato also plays a role in flavour, sweetness and acidity. Obviously, a balance has to be struck between the fruits getting sunscald in really intense sun, whilst still ensuring maximum exposure to sunlight. More info in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bonnieplants.com/library/the-basics-of-tomato-flavor/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://bonnieplants.com/library/the-basics-of-tomato-flavor/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm intrigued by your reference to 'process in fruits that converts sugar to starches', and this process being 'promoted by heat and sunlight' - can you provide a link to that information?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-26T20:37:49.873" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T20:37:49.873" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28954" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28951" CreationDate="2016-08-26T18:06:12.257" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Dracaena marginata; does well in low light conditions, should be watered when the surface of the compost is just dry to the touch, and watered well. Any excess water left in the tray under the pot should be emptied after 30 minutes so it's not left sitting in water. Dry tips can also be caused  by hot, dry air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T18:06:12.257" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28955" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-26T19:21:55.390" Score="4" ViewCount="1315" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read the other answers but this question is a bit different.  We've had 2 freezes each month this summer.  90 to 100 degrees (F) daytime and plummeting to 35 or lower at night.  We have covered with newspaper and row cloth and that really helped but then July and August we started feeling too safe and lazy.  Gorgeous tomato plants (30) laden with fruit.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few tomato plants (6) that weren't damaged at all. I am unable to figure out what is common about them; their placement, their variety? All of the tomato plants are laden with beautiful green tomatoes.  The weird thing is that the basil, cucumbers, squash, beans were not damaged.  The sweet potatoes are complete goners. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a chance by leaving the tomato plants alone (we built the new greenhouse right over the garden and just got the skin installed, no heat as yet)... that the green fruits will ripen?  Is there enough photosynthetic property within the green stems to allow this?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T03:42:34.733" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T03:42:34.733" Title="How should I care for freeze damaged tomato plants?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;&lt;foliage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28956" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28959" CreationDate="2016-08-26T19:49:30.523" Score="2" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an azalea bush and a Japanese barberry bush that are still in their original pots. Since we have not decided on the layout of our garden I would like to put them in the ground just to shelter them from the bad weather (5b) with the intention to plant them where we decide next spring&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a good idea? &#xA;Any recommendations? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T22:14:10.303" Title="Potted small bushes put in the ground without removing the pot, just for this coming winter" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28957" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28956" CreationDate="2016-08-26T20:38:05.210" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes MiniMe...super way to protect potted plants.  Watch for too much water.  Other ways are Christmas lights and burlap, row cloth and newspaper.  The azalea will be the tenderest if it is an evergreen.  Deciduous plants are tougher than evergreens.  The roots of any plant is their weakest link and burying those pots is great.  Better if you buried them in a raised bed so that they would be able to continue to drain.  Where are you located?  What zone?  What soil type?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if you are accumulating plants for your garden, the best time is in the fall when the prices are phenomenal.  Planting them in the fall is ideal.  They are able to put down roots without all the energy to support leaves and photosynthesis and transporting water and food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A piece of advice; NEVER buy one of this or one of that!!  Always buy at least 3, 5 or more of the same kind of plant.  A nursery is a tough place to visit because of all the stimulus of all the different plants.  Too many colors, too many textures, too many forms...humans are only capable to discern 3 things at a time comfortably.  Think MASSING with only a few specimen plants framed by your massed plants, also called a foundation planting or a skeleton planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a mass of azaleas on one side of a walkway or a driveway or along the perimeter make sure to have a few or more of the same azaleas on the other side of the walk, driveway.  Always lay your plants out in unequal triangles.  Never a straight line or boxes or equal triangles.  Doing hedges changes that rule; straight lines are not a good idea.  Offset or equal triangles for hedges is far better. You can offer more room for growth of each plant and if one dies not very noticeable.  Easy to repair. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want the landscape to appear as if it had already been in place before the human elements, the hardscape was installed.  Choose what is most important to you in your 'composition'; texture (fine, med, coarse) or form; (conical, horizontal, vertical, etc) or color; (of foliage bright greens, yellow greens, dark greens, purples, etc.) or flower color;( Yellows with Purples, Warm orangey reds with lighter oranges, yellows highlighted with bright blue for instance) or rhythm (getting into higher levels of art), theme; (Prairie, Cottage, formal etc.,), movement; (grasses are spectacular with this)...there are a few other categories but the point in making a composition (whether a painting, a sculpture, a home) is to chose ONE OR TWO of these categories to vary and keep the rest as uniform as possible.  Keep all your trees the same except for the rare specimen tree...keep your hardscape all the same color (best and least expensive is dove gray), try to make your hardscape have something in common with the home's architecture and materials.  The wood work should also have a common thread throughout your landscape.  I hope this makes sense.  These are but a few of the RULES we L.S. Architects are taught.  Otherwise one ends up with a landscape that looks unprofessional and feels uncomfortable...if one cares.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T20:38:05.210" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28958" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="874" CreationDate="2016-08-26T21:25:57.357" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Stanley Prune Plum is the quintessential plum variety for prunes (according to my mom, anyway). They do make great prunes, and they do taste excellent fresh (the best plum I've tried fresh, actually, but I haven't tried loads of varieties—just a few). They're fairly cold hardy, but our two semi-dwarf trees that we had (at separate times) seemed to have been prone to diseases when they got old (although they still seem to produce when diseased, as long as it doesn't kill them—fruit appearance may be impacted, however). The trees maybe lasted about ten years each, before getting diseased, I'm guessing. By the way it feels when I eat it, this variety seems to be very nutritious. They're substantial. The flesh is firm and not watery. You definitely need to chew it (even when fresh). They don't split or break easily. In my area, they are tart when first ripe, but gradually get sweeter (although they still maintain some acidity when sweet). Size is decent. They're not tiny like some plums (maybe a couple inches long, and over an inch wide). They have purple skin, and are not purple inside. They look kind of dark red when canned, interestingly, though (they're pretty nice canned, too).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a very productive variety (at least in my area, which is to say, southwestern Idaho, in the USA—the USDA hardiness zone is about 4-6, depending on the year, but usually -10° F. is about as cold as it gets; the record is about -25° F. or maybe a bit colder). You should get lots of plums on one tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We never had a problem with Stanley plums losing fruit to frost. We did have problems with apricots, apples and cherries losing fruit to frost, however. Perhaps the rootstock helped our trees, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We only had one plum tree at a time; so, I can vouch for the self-fertile quality of Stanley. We did have other trees in the Prunus genus, however (apricots, peaches, cherries, sour cherries, plumcots, and nectarines), which can potentially cross with them (and hence might pollinate to some degree). However, I don't think it was in bloom at the same time as any of them, except maybe the peaches and nectarines (which weren't there for our first plum tree; all we had on the property with the first tree was an apricot, which bloomed far too early, and on some years, some young cherry trees, which died). I think it avoided the frost damage by blooming a little later, but the blossoms were definitely more durable than apricot blossoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our area is not humid; so, I'm not sure how these do in humid areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have not tried the Damson plums suggested by Rincewind42, but they sound interesting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-08-26T21:51:43.797" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T21:51:43.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28956" CreationDate="2016-08-26T22:14:10.303" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree it's a good idea to bury the pots, but with one caveat - do not bury them till Fall is nearly over,and ensure you remove them from the ground as soon as the worst of the winter is over, in early spring. If you don't, there's a risk that roots will go through the hole/s in the bottom of the pot to the ground below, and you won't be able to dig them up to plant elsewhere without breaking those roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T22:14:10.303" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28960" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-26T22:42:08.067" Score="0" ViewCount="818" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 4 , 5 year old Almond trees in my yard. This is normally the first year they should produce. I didn't have much luck, plenty of blooms only 2-3 nuts on each tree. One tree had a softball size peach looking fruit. I wasn't real happy because I ordered Almonds not peaches. I took a couple bites out of the fruit and sure enough it was a peach. Same color same texture. I split the peach open and there was a perfect sized, perfect shaped almond. Bitter but that's expected. Not hard like a peach seed and no way resembled a peach seed.... What's up ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15714" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T22:54:12.030" Title="Almond inside of a peach." Tags="&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2016-08-26T22:55:42.317" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28961" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28960" CreationDate="2016-08-26T22:54:12.030" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peach pits are composed of two parts - the putamen or endocarp, which is the hard outer part, and the kernel inside which looks like an almond. That kernel contains cyanide, so you don't want to eat too many of those, but for some reason, likely a genetic blip, the outer hard casing didn't form inside the peach. Sometimes, though, when a peach is fully ripe, the putamen splits open, so when you eat the fruit, you can see the kernel revealed within the two halves, but that's not what you're describing. You may find that's the only fruit you get with a pit like that, but it would be interesting to know if other fruits from the same tree are also missing the outer case on the pit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does sound as if the trees have been mixed up at the nursery and you've ended up with a peach tree along with the almonds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-26T22:54:12.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28962" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28999" CreationDate="2016-08-26T23:35:16.027" Score="4" ViewCount="318" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's the dog days of summer in Central Texas, and for the last few weeks I've noticed a lot of these tiny, winged creatures in my back yard (disregard the cicada shell at top right):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/spnNO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/spnNO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;insect angle 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/080Yi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/080Yi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;insect angle 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KqkuM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KqkuM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;insect angle 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They seem to be everywhere, seeking shelter in shady areas such as the bottom side of leaves, blades of grass, and under awnings or overhangs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are they? Are they doing damage to my lawn or trees? If so, how do I control them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Incidentally, some of the leaves on my trees are already yellowing and falling even though we're still in the middle of summer. I can't be sure, but I suspect that these insects are at least partially responsible, as they appear to be more concentrated on yellowing leaves that haven't yet fallen. Here's an example of a yellow, damaged leaf that I picked up off the ground (from a common Cedar Elm):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kUEIj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kUEIj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf front&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uNyVr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uNyVr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf back&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll post a separate question about the leaves if it seems unrelated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6977" LastActivityDate="2016-08-30T03:18:39.943" Title="What are these small flying insects? Are they bad for my lawn or trees?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28963" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-27T13:54:36.847" Score="2" ViewCount="895" Body="&lt;p&gt;This bracket fungus is growing on an apple tree in my garden. I noticed one growing in the same position last year and just knocked it off. The tree is otherwise in pretty good condition. Should I try to remove it with a fungicide or just leave it be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/POYAF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/POYAF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bracket fungus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11769" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2016-08-28T14:55:14.130" LastActivityDate="2016-09-27T15:54:57.433" Title="Bracket fungus on apple tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28964" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28963" CreationDate="2016-08-27T14:50:16.143" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Keep a close watch on the tree if its in danger of falling on people or buildings when it falls, because it will, at some point. Bracket fungus like this on a tree trunk spells death I'm afraid, so its just a matter of time till it dies. As Ecnerwal says in the comment, this is just the fruiting body of fungal mycelium which have invaded the tree, and it will be progressing throughout the tree over time, destroying the wood as it goes. There is no treatment I'm afraid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-27T14:50:16.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28772" CreationDate="2016-08-27T15:53:51.193" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;After trimming some bad leaves off my plant those &quot;egg sacks&quot; when disrupted erupt into a powdery mildew. Getting a little deeper into the vine I can tell that this is the powdery mildew that kills the vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7100" LastActivityDate="2016-08-27T15:53:51.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28966" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-27T16:00:35.080" Score="1" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;I harvested Thai Basil seeds, but I cut off the flowering bud portion of the plant before it was entirely dried, though it was done flowering.  The seeds are a whitish color instead of the typical black that I see when others harvest when dried.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If a basil seed is harvested too early, will they still grow, or is it required that they be fully dried? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1501" LastActivityDate="2016-08-27T19:25:22.470" Title="Harvesting Basil Seeds Too Early" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28967" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-27T17:25:16.413" Score="2" ViewCount="509" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have river front property in Upstate New York, and I have finally given up the fight with fending off &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/forests/private/tools-resources/publications/invasive-plants-and-insects/wild-grape&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wild Grape&lt;/a&gt;!  I read that some insect can be released that will only eat and kill the Wild Grape but now I can't find it. I went to the Cornell University website but can't locate it. Does anyone out there know where I can find this info? Pulling it out only seems to make it stronger the next year.  It's too far gone at this point.  That and the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nyis.info/index.php?action=invasive_detail&amp;amp;id=31&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Mile-a-minute&lt;/a&gt;, (Persicaria perfoliata) that's even worse since it's so hard to pull out!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15717" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-08-27T20:20:05.220" LastActivityDate="2016-08-28T15:05:01.983" Title="How can I stop Wild Grape and Mile-a-minute vines from taking over my property?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28968" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28974" CreationDate="2016-08-27T17:30:35.357" Score="2" ViewCount="185" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there any edible perennial plants that does not require much care and can grow in &lt;a href=&quot;https://assets-production-webvanta-com.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/000000/51/74/original/visual-editor-uploads/Europe%20map.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;zone 4-5&lt;/a&gt; in a very sandy and iron rich soil? It's in a spruce/pine forest with a lot of lingonberry and blueberry as ground vegetation, so I guess it's quite acidic as well. The place I have in mind can get a decent amount of sun, even though it's in a forest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can do some initial preparations like soil improvements and then reoccuring maintence during one week in the summer of each year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the risk of pests, I'm satisfied with crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15718" LastEditorUserId="15718" LastEditDate="2016-08-28T21:29:03.887" LastActivityDate="2016-08-28T21:29:03.887" Title="Are there maintenence free edible plants for sandy iron rich soil in harsh climate?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;edible&gt;&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28969" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28977" CreationDate="2016-08-27T17:56:32.333" Score="2" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 3 potted citrus trees (or maybe more precisely saplings: two are 16 inches high, the youngest is maybe 6 inches high), that are growing on my window ledge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am a little concerned, however, by the fact that they are growing very lopsided, due to the one-sided exposure to the sun: all their leaves are turning the same way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the &quot;correct&quot; way to deal with this? Should I rotate them a little bit each day? Should I move them from window to window to ensure they have a &quot;full day&quot; exposure to the sun?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rn80J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rn80J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(I am trying the latter right now, and have put them outside for the afternoon. However, as a side question, I am a bit concerned about the wind, especially for the youngest of the three, which has very big leaves for its size. The wind is not very strong at all, but is there a chance that it may cause harm to the sapling?)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14033" LastActivityDate="2016-08-28T01:00:28.817" Title="Sun exposure of potted saplings" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;wind-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28970" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28972" CreationDate="2016-08-27T19:08:12.200" Score="3" ViewCount="1906" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a simple way to sharpen garden scissors without using a dedicated tool for that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2487" LastActivityDate="2019-07-03T12:13:44.833" Title="How to sharpen garden scissors without dedicated tool?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28966" CreationDate="2016-08-27T19:25:22.470" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The trouble is, the seed may not be fully mature, meaning it may not have completed its developent. That means it won't grow, but you've nothing to lose by trying anyway. When the basil flowers again, wait longer to harvest those seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-27T19:25:22.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28972" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28970" CreationDate="2016-08-27T20:23:08.570" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sandpaper works for straight edged tools.  A 120 grit or finer will take the little nicks out of the edge.  Of course, regular sharpening and not trying to cut things that are too hard or too large means less work to sharpen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For secateur and other tools with a curved blade any sharpening surface with a fixed edge works better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are any number of sharpening tools available for a nominal price which do a better job. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=10239&amp;amp;cat=2,54322,54326,10239&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This item&lt;/a&gt; has worked for me for five years on multiple tools.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-08-27T20:23:08.570" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28973" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28970" CreationDate="2016-08-27T21:56:42.847" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can pick up a rock and use that. If you find that some rocks work better, you're on your way to re-living the history of the natural sharpening stone industry in microcosm. It started with rubbing tools on rocks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It helps if you understand edge geometry and what you should be aiming for - a tool like @kevinsky linked to takes much of the thought and skill out of the process, replacing them with mechanical constraints, which is convenient. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without those mechanical constraints, you need to be thinking about and observing what your particular rock is doing to the blade, and what needs to be done to the blade to make it sharp, and manipulate things until one becomes the other. If that's not your idea of fun, the dedicated tool will work better, for sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-08-27T21:56:42.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28974" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28968" CreationDate="2016-08-27T22:11:38.393" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lingonberry, blueberry, and cranberry come to mind. ;^) Checkerberry (wintergreen) too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Give them more light (cut down enough spruce/fir to make some sun on the spot) and fruiting should improve. Or move the plants to the sunny spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potatoes actually like a light, acid soil pretty well, though they would probably appreciate more nitrogen than there probably is. They can approximate perennial in zone 4/5, or at least I haven't planted any for 3 years and they keep coming back, even after I've tried to dig them all out!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apples tolerate somewhat acid soil fairly well, but blueberry levels of acid might be a bit much - still, you could lime their area (and not the berry patch) initially and in your yearly maintenance. But YOU might not get much food from them if you are only there one week in summer - perhaps with an extreme summer apple like yellow transparent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rosa Rugosa is both hardy and relatively carefree, but again, the rose hips might be a bit late to do you any good in summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Garlic is a possibility - left to itself it does tend to shrink year to year, but if you dig it up and replant cloves in the &quot;summer maintenance&quot; it could work out. While common practice is to delay replanting, many folks do just replant when harvesting, and it's certainly disease and deer resistant. It would also appreciate a hearty dose of lime to get the soil near-neutral in its spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-08-27T22:22:06.597" LastActivityDate="2016-08-27T22:22:06.597" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28975" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-27T22:31:35.810" Score="6" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got yellow jackets at my house in the Pacific Northwest. Normally I wouldn't mind terribly much, they can be aggressive but if you don't go near their hives they're fine. And if you need to get somewhere they have a hive, it's generally easy to hit it with a fair amount of poison, and that's the end of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, we've got a lot of eves with peeling siding on the house we just bought, and I think they've gotten behind the siding in some places to build nests. What's the best solution for getting these guys to move on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've bought a few traps and they seem to be catching some, but there's still a bunch exploring around the outside of the house. Should I just use a few more traps with attractant? Is there a longer-lasting poison I could spray around the eves of the house that would get them as they come/go? Or should I bite the bullet and hire an exterminator to give the house a good spraying?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or, since it's later in the summer should I just avoid them until they die off in the winter, then try to capture/kill the queens when they emerge next spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, can yellow jackets and paper wasps actually do lasting damage to a (wood) house?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15102" LastActivityDate="2016-08-29T16:20:13.233" Title="Information on killing yellow jackets at the end of summer" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-09-05T18:51:48.470" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28975" CreationDate="2016-08-28T00:05:08.163" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like your last answer.  Just leave them alone.  The worst thing you could do is hire an exterminator who will kill everything to include beneficial insects, bacteria, fungi that keep your little environment in 'control'.  We are fast losing our honey bees and we will be left with wasps, flies for pollination.  Learning to live with other life forms is far more important than trying to control stuff we are unable to control without causing even more problems!  Is anyone in your family allergic to wasp stings? I'd feel better if you sent a picture of your wasps, nest.  I'd hate to make a mistake and kill mason bees or something similar. I've also done the'kill wasp nest duty'.  A few times and I feel so guilty. Not a pretty experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-08-28T01:49:55.013" LastActivityDate="2016-08-28T01:49:55.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28969" CreationDate="2016-08-28T01:00:28.817" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do not worry about lopsidedness.  Yes, rotating them is beneficial. When they mature into actual trees then pruning will be indicated.  Not now.  Is the environment these little trees are acclimated indoors, outdoors on a window sill, indoors on a window sill or do you take them out on this patio for a while each day?  A little wind is good for them.  Big wind, not so much.  What are you using for fertilizer and how often?  Be very careful with fertilizer at this stage.  They should have had a little by now but not much!  When do you know to water them?  They look great with the dry soil and perhaps will need to be watered soon.  Do you keep them outside at night?  Gotta let us know the temperature span...how hot are the daytime temps to how cold at night?  What is your zone of course?  Is this porch on the south side of your home (duh)?  Do you expect to plant these guys outside?  It will be awhile before they should be planted in the garden or even repotted. I like seeing the dryish soil, people usually water way too much. Those pots are almost too big but your little saplings look healthy. Until these little trees are able to get larger root systems be very careful watering.  When they get larger and are able to utilize the amount of water in their pots then you need to water deeply before allowing to dry before watering again. Try to keep the watering to the root zone right now.  The dry soil will wick water away so constant vigilance is necessary.  Soaking all that soil now would easily cause root rot. The little guy and his pot are ok with their pairing.  The two larger, both of them would have only required a gallon pot for this stage.  Just be careful with the watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each time you take them outside rotate them to another orientation.  More detail from you will get you even better information. Thanks!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-28T01:00:28.817" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28978" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29058" CreationDate="2016-08-28T08:47:35.053" Score="2" ViewCount="506" Body="&lt;p&gt;A recent post on this forum mentioned Litchi Tomatoes - which from what I can read are frost tolerant but have wicked thorns - I was under the mistaken impression that tomatoes could not be grown in cold weather !&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone suggest a variety of tomato which has small/no thorns, good eating and is frost tolerant (and is not a Monsanto product) ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="14153" LastEditDate="2016-08-28T09:53:33.913" LastActivityDate="2016-09-04T05:17:11.687" Title="Good Frost tolerant tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28979" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28991" CreationDate="2016-08-28T12:12:10.083" Score="4" ViewCount="317" Body="&lt;p&gt;Earlier on in the year (February I believe) I found a pine cone on the path. On the off chance that it might have a viable seed in it I took it home. I recovered just one seed and planted it in a small 4&amp;quot; pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It germinated and started to grow. This picture was taken on the 1st June.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KlB1k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KlB1k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Seedling &quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now (28th August) it is still the same size. It doesn't seem to be doing anything, although it appears to be alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this normal for pines to only grow such a small amount in the first year? Or is there something I can do to encourage more growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's placed in an area where it gets afternoon direct light and indirect shaded light in the morning. I'm in the south of England.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-08-29T22:05:39.417" Title="Help growing a pine seedling" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;alpine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28980" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-28T13:01:20.520" Score="11" ViewCount="6755" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've recently moved to a new house which has a lemon tree in the backyard in dire need of some TLC -- but we're not quite sure what exactly is wrong with it.  Two primary problems, which may or may not be related:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Lemons are covered to varying degrees in narrow black-brown scabby spots that come off when scraped.  Sizewise they look kind of like insects, but there's no obvious infestation of anything living.  The inside of the fruit is fine, and this seems to primarily affect the side of the fruit that doesn't get direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LPhhh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LPhhh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) The leaves have yellow-brown spots, and in bad cases are dried-up and crinkly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lGqx9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lGqx9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LaEhv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LaEhv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're in Sydney, Australia, which is warm and fairly humid, but neither of these seems to match up very well with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/137724/12-lemon-diseases.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the descriptions here&lt;/a&gt;.  Melanose, perhaps, but doesn't look quite the same...?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15722" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-25T21:04:59.273" LastActivityDate="2017-01-08T23:41:53.340" Title="Why does my lemon tree have black scabs on the lemons and yellow spots on the leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28981" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28967" CreationDate="2016-08-28T14:56:18.377" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think the thing you think you read exists, which is why you cannot find it. Or perhaps (reading the link Sue added) you've confused it with the &quot;mile-a-minute weevil&quot; which &lt;strong&gt;is&lt;/strong&gt; a host-specific insect for your other vegetative vine problem, which is an introduced invasive species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if there was some very grape-specific pest, one that selected only for wild and not cultivated grape is hard to imagine, and all the literature on wild grape control (there's quite a bit, from forestry programs)  does not mention any such thing being available. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut early, cut often, and spraying herbicides on the cut stump early in spring or late in fall seem to be the available methods, other than developing enough shade (mature tree canopy) that they can't grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I always cut the base of the vine a couple of times so that there's little chance of the top part reaching soil to re-root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/forests/private/tools-resources/publications/invasive-plants-and-insects/wild-grape&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/forests/private/tools-resources/publications/invasive-plants-and-insects/wild-grape&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/rp/rp548.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/rp/rp548.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-08-28T15:05:01.983" LastActivityDate="2016-08-28T15:05:01.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28982" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-28T14:57:12.177" Score="4" ViewCount="64" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a ground cover seed or seed mix that I can throw out around my yard during monsoon season that will take root and possibly displace the weeds that spring up after/during the rains?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15723" LastActivityDate="2016-10-08T14:23:41.883" Title="Grass Seeds to throw- AZ High Desert" Tags="&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28983" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28998" CreationDate="2016-08-28T17:19:57.213" Score="7" ViewCount="26426" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something has been eating my broccoli and kale plants. I haven't seen anything on it, so I'm not sure what it is. It started eating the leaves and has progressed to eating stems &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z4ltC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z4ltC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;broccoli with leaves and some stems eaten&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and recently seems to have cut one of the broccoli plants down to the base of the stem just above the soil.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rDnzO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rDnzO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;broccoli cut down to the base of the stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Particularly with the kale, sometimes I will see leaves cut off and left on the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rXGvn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rXGvn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;kale with leave left on the soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had been using bacillus thuringiensis - spraying it weekly and also after rain on the leaves. It seems to have not been very effective, if effective at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also noticed similar damage to a christmas cactus that was left nearby the broccoli and kale. We moved it to the deck about 15 feet away, and the same sort of damage still progressed - cutting off the leaves and dropping them in or nearby the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/upLJt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/upLJt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Christmas cactus damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd prefer a solution that doesn't involve pesticides that can be harmful to humans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Here are the only &quot;tracks&quot; (nondescript horizontal streaks) I found after one night. There was not any more plant damage that night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HcqM0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HcqM0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tracks&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;I had placed some cut paper towel tubes around the bases of the stems because at one point, I suspected cabbage loopers. Between 7:30 am and 7:00 pm, something knocked or pulled the tubes off and destroyed another broccoli plant, leaving most of the stem. And it ate a bit more of the kale too. Also, I saw some more tracks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QNnsD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QNnsD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;broccoli stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/snlH0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/snlH0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tmVQF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tmVQF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;detail of broccoli stem damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DqDN4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DqDN4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;detail of broccoli stem damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D9X0d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D9X0d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;detail of broccoli stem damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;update 2&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I set up a camera in front of the damaged broccoli stem and a fresh cabbage leaf three times in the day and early evening in the same spot but did not catch anything. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I just saw a squirrel rooting around on the deck nearby, sniffing and nibbling at some potted plants. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3my28.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;squirrel in pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 3&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I ended up building a cage to enclose the kale plants that remained. Still not sure what the pest was, but the cage seemed to prevent further damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15725" LastEditorUserId="15725" LastEditDate="2017-03-12T20:23:49.073" LastActivityDate="2018-04-22T13:13:45.993" Title="What's eating my broccoli and kale, and what can I do to prevent it?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28984" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28992" CreationDate="2016-08-28T20:10:50.860" Score="3" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last fall, we planted six cuttings from a friend's &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_syriacus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hibiscus syriacus&lt;/a&gt;. They were leafy, and sized from about 7&quot; to 12&quot;. They're pictured in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/20133/can-i-transplant-young-rose-of-sharon-plants-in-july-in-zone-6a&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; question. Though they lost all foliage, the stems held up nicely through the winter. I'm in Massachusetts, USA, and we usually get down to -5°F or -10°F in the winter. This year was unusually warm, and stayed mostly above 0°F, if that matters. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over these last few months (June, July, August) we've been experienced severe drought conditions, but we've been babying our little saplings, and they're growing nicely. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Five are leafing out, especially at the base, and not budding. They're each about 16&quot; high and 12&quot; at the widest point. However, one is much taller, about 40&quot;, but is pretty much a single stalk, and has 8 buds. (I couldn't get a good picture, but in some I can see the purple flowers beginning to unfold.) The taller plant is gently tied to a stake in a number of areas. It has a protective screen like the others, but I removed it to get a better picture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants are spread out around the yard, and each gets about 8 hours of sun a day, from about 9 am to 5 pm. (The taller has begun getting an hour or so less sun as we're heading into the fall.) We water them equally. We don't amend our soil or treat it with anything. We put fallen leaves around all the stems last fall, but haven't used any real mulch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bushier are in dirt that has only ever grown grasses, clover, dandelions. The tall one is in a section that up until last year was completely covered in a juniper ground cover, including everything you see, all the way to the big rock. We had to dig at least 8&quot; down to get all the roots, and then we aerated that soil. So even though we didn't add anything when we planted the hibiscus, the consistency was definitely looser. It makes sense that the soil in that spot might be more conducive to growth. In fact, I would think that a looser dirt and wider area might create a bigger, rounder, plant, but that isn't what's happening. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it that five are busy growing leaves, while the other is using its energy to produce flowers? If that is the case, though, is there are a reason it would be that specific one? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've posted a picture of the skinny one and an example of the others. Click on them to get a closer look. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ur9pD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ur9pDm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tall skinny stem (8 buds aren&amp;#39;t visible)&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uTREI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uTREIm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Example of a bushier one&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-08-31T01:59:20.887" Title="Why would cuttings from the same hibiscus exhibit different growing behaviors?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;hibiscus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28983" CreationDate="2016-08-29T00:14:00.613" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Skunks, perhaps but rabbits almost certainly.  Have you seen any track?  Deer are very obvious as well as any animal's track.  This looks like rabbit to me, since I've been feeding rabbits and having to protect everything I don't want eaten.  Big semicircular bites. Any other leafy plants getting eaten?  That Christmas cactus has been over watered by the way.  Go out at night and sit quietly.  Throw some salad leavings near these plants and watch.  Deer or rabbits are my guess. Have to know what the true bandit is before being able to set up a defense program.  For rabbits the plan is a simple 3' high field wire fence buried a few inches into the soil. For deer, much more complicated.  Do you have any motion detector cameras lying around?  Grins. Rabbits are wonderful WEEDERS.  I had to have a couple of old guys come in with the big weed wacker mowers last year to get the grass down before the grasses went to seed.  This year not a blade of grass, or weeds or shrubs (other than bitterbrush) can be found.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-29T00:14:00.613" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28987" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29027" CreationDate="2016-08-29T03:54:16.507" Score="2" ViewCount="293" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found an interesting tree fruit in Santa Cruz today on a couple trees with and without foliage. (Near Wilder Ranch State Park along the bluffs on the ocean)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The green colored fruit has three 'panels'. (The most unique aspect to me) It contains a large whitish hollow seed/nut and some smaller seeds. It weeps a clear sticky liquid from the stem and when opened the liquid froths a bit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tree leaf is single lobed, simple. Bark was grey and smooth if I remember correctly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15728" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-29T22:11:43.883" LastActivityDate="2016-09-01T18:41:49.917" Title="Tree Fruit from Santa Cruz, California" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28988" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-29T09:44:36.350" Score="10" ViewCount="686" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a fig tree in a pot in my balcony.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently it has lost a couple of leaves and they all display the same features: yellowish color on the front side of the leaf, and tiny small white dots on the reverse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the leafs in the tree are starting to experience the same symptoms, and I fear it is spreading more and more and that I could eventually kill all the foliage and the fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had during this summer a severe case of spider mite in another plan in the same balcony. However I haven't seen any spider or web so far. Making some research I'm starting to think I could be some sort of mildew (powdery mildew?) but I couldn't tell on my own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures you may find useful to diagnose.&#xA;Note: you may notices some leafs with holes in them, those were caused by a hail storm this late springñ&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r8gA8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r8gA8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fallen sick leaf from fig&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zpTQb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zpTQb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Reverse of fallen leaf. Notice tiny white dots.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/urW32.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/urW32.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Reverse of fallen leaf. Notice tiny white dots.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jISt5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jISt5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Other leaf in same tree displaying similar symptoms&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YHzqb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YHzqb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Other leaf in same tree displaying similar symptoms&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15017" LastActivityDate="2016-08-29T11:59:33.807" Title="What's wrong with this fig?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28989" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28988" CreationDate="2016-08-29T09:50:37.600" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those white dots are spider mites. There are a lot of them so you will need to apply at least three treatments of soap and water at a rate of 5 ml /liter at five to seven day intervals.  This will catch the next generation when they hatch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't put too much soap in the mix or you will burn the leaves with the fatty acid content of the soap.  If you have the time it would help if after applying the soap you gave the plant a quick rinse with water to wash the soap off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As this plant is not too large you could use a rag soaked in soap and water and wash each leaf top and bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-08-29T11:59:33.807" LastActivityDate="2016-08-29T11:59:33.807" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28975" CreationDate="2016-08-29T12:48:53.270" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get an exterminator. I am a strong proponent of organic landscape care - it's all we do in our company. Yellowjackets and other wasps can be terrific allies in controlling garden pests, and ordinarily we'd leave such nests alone. But there are cases where we might call in someone who does conventional treatments - and this is one. Here's why:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You say they've gotten in the eaves. An exterminator's treatment will be focused in those areas. The risk of collateral damage to pollinators is low.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Although nests are abandoned and workers die in areas with cold winters, they can and DO reuse nesting sites. I've seen it at my own house.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yellowjackets can chew through sheetrock to access house interiors. This, also, I have seen. The guy who came to exterminate our nest also claimed that this was why the consumer over-the-counter wasp sprays aren't good in situations where they are in the eaves: the spray will likely not reach the whole nest and the wasps will look for or make another exit (into your home, possibly) if their normal entrance is blocked.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand the viewpoints expressed here about not using toxic chemicals and learning to live with other life forms of this earth. In general I agree. However I look at it the way I look at antibiotics. They are way over-prescribed and should be avoided as much as possible. BUT there are certain cases in which antibiotics are the only way to prevent death or permanent injury.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2016-08-29T16:20:13.233" LastActivityDate="2016-08-29T16:20:13.233" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28991" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28979" CreationDate="2016-08-29T15:22:10.363" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;no, nothing you can do to hurry growth along - the only observation I'd make is the pot its in appears to be way too big for it - its always a good idea to pot things into a pot about twice the size of the rootball, and then pot up into something larger as it grows. If your seedling had a long root, then a narrower, taller pot would have been best. Not sure its worth decanting it after this much time and disturbing its roots, but the risk, with so much compost surrounding such a small amount of root, is that it becomes sour and somewhat toxic because, in order to keep the seedling supplied with water, the whole pot needs to be wetted thoroughly, and that's a lot of potting medium sitting damp with nothing growing in it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't tell from the picture whether you have a tray beneath the pot which catches water - if you do, empty that out 30 minutes after watering so the pot isn't sitting in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-29T15:22:10.363" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28992" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28984" CreationDate="2016-08-29T15:29:31.660" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't think of a reason why that one would be growing with a single stem, but you're right in that the others are busy producing new stems and this one has chosen to flower instead, which is where its putting its energy. Hibiscus don't initiate flowering in the previous year, they flower on new growth when they're ready, so its not that that particular cutting was already 'programmed' to flower. The fact this one is planted in soil that had recently been opened up and cultivated might simply mean its not much of an effort for the plant to grow good roots, so there's plenty of energy left over for flowering, but I'm only theorizing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This, though, is a great opportunity to create a 'standard' form of Hibiscus, something that's very expensive to buy - I'd have a go at persuading it to retain a single main stem till it gets to a particular height, then prune and train so you end up with growth on top which flowers, though you may not like this idea!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-29T15:29:31.660" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28993" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="28994" CreationDate="2016-08-29T20:31:19.853" Score="3" ViewCount="11534" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this young schefflera:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MHnqEl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MHnqEl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is growing well but I noticed that some leaves are turning yellow and some of them are falling. For example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MSs3Yl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MSs3Yl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/phTMOl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/phTMOl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do you think is causing this? Maybe overwatering, or excess of fertilizer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further information that could be useful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately I had to leave it without water for the first three weeks of August (holidays...). When I came back I was happy to see that it survived. I usually water it once a week but the week after my come back I watered it twice, as it was thirsty. I also gave it some fertilizer. Maybe this was a mistake. Also, it was pretty hot last week (almost 30°C in my apartment). My apartment faces south, so it receives enough light (but not too much direct sunlight).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a second question regarding this plant. As you can see there is only one stem. Will it keep on growing only vertically or will it eventually split? If not, how can I make it grow new stems and when should I do it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a beginner, I'd appreciate any advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13963" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-01T16:27:46.387" LastActivityDate="2016-09-01T16:27:46.387" Title="Why are some leaves on my Schefflera turning yellow and falling off?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28993" CreationDate="2016-08-29T21:15:31.850" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got good news for you!  This is totally normal and your plant looks healthy and your watering practice sounds very right.  3 weeks?  You must have trained your plant to be drought tolerant by watering only when necessary.  The roots have gone deep and are able to reach the last drops of moisture available!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves die off periodically until the entire plant dies. Normal and healthy. Just cut them off as soon as you see a leaf that is starting to be cut off by the plant itself...mainly because of old age and/or bad positioning to get light. The sooner you help your plant prune itself more energy is available for the entire plant.  All plants that have leaves not able to produce enough food and costing the plant more in energy to maintain than the energy made, will expend a bit of energy to cause abscission, cutting the leaf or branch off from water and chemicals and allowing the non or low productive leaves or branches to drop. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When we humans remove top soil and organics or even denude forests of long term existing vegetation and when we want to put plants in pots we humans have to add certain chemicals plants need so they are able to make their food through photosynthesis.  Less is far better than more.  Just a wee bit too much and one can quickly kill plants. Fertilizer IS NOT FOOD.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I prefer Osmocote for newbie gardeners and indoor plants.  Extended release, 14-14-14 will pretty much last half a year.  Great for foliage as well as flowers/reproductive stuff. I'd buy bottled water for indoor plants as our tap water is full of 'salts', fluoride, chlorine...on and on (shouldn't be drinking tap water yourself, unless you are on a well).  You'll start seeing browning of the leaf tips and margins.  Always use potting soil for potted plants.  Seriously a big deal.  Your instincts sound very good!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other detail, if you want your plant to get more branching you need to cut the 'apical' or 'terminal' bud off.  The very very end of a branch or at the top of the main branch at the top of the plant.  Most of the energy in a branch of a plant is in that bud.  When one cuts that off (called heading) that energy is then redirected to all the lateral buds down that branch.  This is what one does for shrubs and hedges.  This is not what one normally wants to do with trees unless one wants a bush on a stick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-29T21:15:31.850" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28995" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-29T21:42:03.280" Score="4" ViewCount="127" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have giant bare spots underneath two trees in my front yard.  The climate is that of North Texas near Dallas. The soil content seems to be a lot of clay and dirt that dries out easily. My house faces to the South if that helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The previous owners of the home had to have some of the house's foundation pillars replaced/worked on. I think this resulted in a lot of the lawn being upturned near the front of the home.  Even though it can get dry, most of the rest of the yard is overall healthy, even in dry stretches. I try to water the grass in those times to keep it going.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To try and solve this problem, I used a cultivator to loosed the soil. I purchased some Scott's grass seed that helps to retain water. I threw that down and proceeded to water everyday as instructed.  In addition, I've tried to help the soil by putting down weed and feed, hoping it would help to improve the soil quality. I saw very minimal results. Most of it never grew. I'm not sure if this is a result of the shade under the trees, the trees themselves, or bad soil. When I pick up the soil it's pretty loose, with a little stickiness to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, how do I grow grass in these bare spots?  Or is there another way to handle this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15655" LastActivityDate="2016-08-29T22:15:26.740" Title="How do I grow grass in a North Texas climate under trees?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28997" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28995" CreationDate="2016-08-29T22:15:26.740" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In Texas, the only place to grow grass at all is under the trees because of the water restrictions.  But even 'shade' loving grass seed is wimpy in the shade.  I assume you have a regular lawn?  If that is doing well your former owners must have had the knowledge to 'train' that grass to grow deep roots and be drought tolerant.  When you water do not do it by hand.  Soak it deeply and do not water again until you see your footprints stay down when you walk on your lawn.  Otherwise, you are wasting water and ruining the training of the lawn's roots.  Lawns with shallow roots are the first to go 'dormant'.  Lawns can survive a few 'dormancy' trials but they are vastly unhealthy for our expensive lawns.  Best to reduce the size of your lawn and baby a small, well defined and healthy crop of grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A professional lawn always has a clear, defined edge.  Curves have a definite radius and only changes when the radius central point moves to the other side of the lawn.  The only edge I will ever use is a shovel made trench between plant beds and the lawn (cutting from the lawn side, 6&quot; deep, 6-10&quot; width, throw the excess soil on the plant beds).  The human eye sees this edge as long as the bulk of the lawn is uniformly green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;It is critical to mow no shorter than 3&quot;&lt;/em&gt;!! This shades the soil and reduces evaporation. Water deeply and only water when dry...1&quot; per week, working towards watering no more than once per week (lots of other questions and answers worth your time to go purview).  Grass within the drip line of a tree competes for chemicals with the tree.  A pervious mulch such as crushed gravel creates a wonderful mini patio beneath a tree.  Not too deep, an inch and not at all touching the bark of the tree.  Get rid of any shaded areas or tiny struggling patches of grass. Be bold with clearly made edges. Do not use concrete, or rocks or bricks or foo foo plastic edging!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try using an 'organic' fertilizer such as Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer.  More expensive, takes longer to see results (far more healthy for the plants) and after decades caring for thousands of acres of lawn, I was blown away.  And instead of 4 applications per season, only 2 or 3 are necessary.  Any grass in the shade the worst thing one could do is fertilize heavily.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All soils are good soils.  The different types of soil need different management practices.  Clay is incredible for holding onto water and chemicals.  The less you manipulate it the better.  Clay plus gravel plus lime plus gypsum plus water and manipulated makes concrete!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-08-29T22:15:26.740" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28998" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28983" CreationDate="2016-08-30T01:14:13.007" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ouch!  It hurts to see such damage to your garden.  I have very similar symptoms except not to the same extent.  In my case (in california) I suspect either squirrels or voles/mice.  Have not figured out what it is but don't rule out that possibility as well.  I also have a net covering it but these guys get under it and eat my kale and other vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of the solution, once you identify whether it is a squirrel or vole or something else you can try the appropriate solution. Try putting a net on the plants to see if it helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-08-30T01:14:13.007" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="28999" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28962" CreationDate="2016-08-30T03:18:39.943" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Metcalfa pruinosa, the citrus flatid planthopper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalfa_pruinosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalfa_pruinosa&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&quot;As it feeds, it causes serious damages to field crops and ornamental plants.&quot; So yes, it is damaging your plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15225" LastActivityDate="2016-08-30T03:18:39.943" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29000" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29003" CreationDate="2016-08-30T16:12:25.670" Score="3" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone please ID the succulent seen in the image below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V6cpO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V6cpO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14297" LastEditorUserId="14297" LastEditDate="2016-08-30T16:18:55.810" LastActivityDate="2016-08-30T18:20:03.517" Title="Can someone please ID this succulent" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29001" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28942" CreationDate="2016-08-30T16:42:21.133" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bonsai means a tree in a pot and, therefore, presumes a woody perennial. Remarkable, what you've done with basil. Since you've done this, you likely can 'bonsai it' by applying some basic principles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every plant grows, so there must be a technique to keep the canopy of foliage more or less constant. This means developing ramification: as your view moves from the trunk, one branch becomes two, those two become four, and etc. As the plant grows it extends from the tips and enlarges the canopy. With ramification, segments can be removed from time to time, so that the canopy stays the same size (on average) over time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, ramification can be by threes or fours, but this often leads to unattractive, knobby nodes and an extremely dense canopy. An extremely dense canopy means no light gets to the interior and, therefore, there will be no leaves inside. So, when you cut back, it will create a 'hole' where there is no foliage. On the other hand, if the canopy is thinned, light can get inside and you can develop short replacement branches before you cut back branches segments that have gotten too long.As long as light gets to the interior, pruning (cutting back) should release latent buds, making new shoots and new foliage closer to the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With woody plants, stems can be wired (temporarily wrapped with wire) to shape them and to position foliage where you want it to make an pleasing image. This is very difficult to do with herbaceous stems, so you likely will only be able to use the 'clip and grow' technique to create 'movement' in the stems (as opposed to a static, straight stems). Aside from vines, a stem thickens most rapidly by letting it extend uninhibited with all the foliage it can support. Then it is cut back 'hard' (to a fraction of its length) and the let to grow again, directing it by removing buds/shoot going in the 'wrong' directions. This fat 'stub' won't thicken much until the new growth nears the same thickness, at which point you cut it back similarly and start the process over to eventually create a moving stem whose thickness tapers much more quickly and like the scale of your creation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last thing I can think of for your technique tool box is figuring out how to best create ramification. There is, of course, the standard of simply decapitating a branch. With Japanese maples, for example, it is best to keep two leaves. With satsuki azaleas and boxwoods, on the other hand, it is better to keep just the terminal leaves and remove all the leaves between them and the trunk - many of the axillary buds will release into new shoots. And, of course, there is complete defoliation - removing all the leaves by cutting through their petioles, individually, and removing the apical terminal. This might also be done by cutting back to remove all the leaves in one snip. You will need to experiment to see how this works out. Since branches are largely autonomous, you can try one treatment on one branch and another on another branch to answer this question in short order (frankly, I would have a hard time not defoliating and eating the trimmings!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basil as bonsai - WOW!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is an abundance of videos showing this techniques being applied to trees as well as blogs and web sites of which &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsai4me.com/bonsai_basics.html&quot;&gt;www.bonsai4me.com&lt;/a&gt; is one dependable resource. But, you are bravely going where man has not gone before, so you won't find anything directly about basil bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2016-08-30T16:42:21.133" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29002" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-30T17:19:39.220" Score="4" ViewCount="104" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first picture is from early spring, the second is a more recent picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have never seen this type of cactus before and would appreciate if some could identify it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ThJq5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ThJq5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/61w8r.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/61w8r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14297" LastActivityDate="2016-08-31T16:43:09.767" Title="Determine the ID of this cactus" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29003" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29000" CreationDate="2016-08-30T18:20:03.517" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think its Pachyphytum oviferum, also known as Moonstone or Sugar Almond plant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachyphytum_oviferum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachyphytum_oviferum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-30T18:20:03.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28982" CreationDate="2016-08-30T22:42:39.860" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found a perfect list for you.  Make sure you do not over water once established!  If you want to diminish weeds the higher the ground cover the better to shade seed.  Best to choose one or two, maybe three and make sweeps of masses.  Too many species won't look very professional.  Lawns look great because they appear as a uniform entity. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amwua.org/groundcovers.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;low water ground cover plants for Arizona&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="15225" LastEditDate="2016-08-31T13:04:37.793" LastActivityDate="2016-08-31T13:04:37.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29005" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-31T00:29:02.270" Score="6" ViewCount="154" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received a set of garden tools, and I'm not sure what a couple of them are used for.  Could you help me identify these tools?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FvoJn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FvoJn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rr2Se.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rr2Se.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15546" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T11:05:18.747" Title="What are these garden tools used for?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29006" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27135" CreationDate="2016-08-31T01:30:34.797" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a follow up, following stormys answer I cut it back and stopped using the fertilizers. Here is the result 6 weeks later:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LLrPQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LLrPQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15268" LastActivityDate="2016-08-31T01:30:34.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29008" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-31T05:58:38.820" Score="3" ViewCount="164" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbour showed it to me this morning, and she has no clue what this plant is. Her kid got this from school. I also have no idea what plant this is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wPoJy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wPoJy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aMuS4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aMuS4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Found this bigger version in a lawn. Probably this might help in the identification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o6zwB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o6zwB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jq9LN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jq9LN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="14009" LastEditDate="2017-10-19T14:32:36.133" LastActivityDate="2017-10-19T14:32:36.133" Title="Identify this plant, please" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29005" CreationDate="2016-08-31T13:13:14.830" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first one's a manual lawn edger, as shown here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://bestweedeaters.com/whats-the-best-manual-lawn-edger&quot;&gt;http://bestweedeaters.com/whats-the-best-manual-lawn-edger&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure what the second one's for, never seen anything like it, sorry. It's quite difficult to see if its got any gaps behind that front bar, pic's a little dark, might be worth posting more pictures showing it from beneath as well as other angles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-08-31T13:13:14.830" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29010" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27508" CreationDate="2016-08-31T15:27:42.313" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes it will still be good in the spring. However, it will be 6 months more decomposed, and probably last 6 months less. (If it is frozen most of the winter where you live this will be less of an issue.) That is not a bad thing though, my local municipality actually &lt;a href=&quot;https://ecop.plano.gov/PureProducts/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;charges more&lt;/a&gt; for aged mulch!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastActivityDate="2016-08-31T15:27:42.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29002" CreationDate="2016-08-31T16:43:09.767" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;After extensively combing over google images for the Cylindropuntia and Austrocylindropuntia genus, I have determined that the particular species in question is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cylindropuntia spinosior fa. monstruosa&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14297" LastActivityDate="2016-08-31T16:43:09.767" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29012" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-08-31T18:26:51.950" Score="4" ViewCount="1380" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing calla lilies in my front yard on the south side of my house under a large ash tree for about five years.  Each fall I dig up the tubers and store them in the basement in a large paper bag.  Each spring I turn the soil and plant the tubers about 4&quot; deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tubers are mixed, about half brilliant pink and half bright yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year the blossoms were not so bright, so last fall I spread a nice layer of compost after I dug up the tubers, hoping that they needed some ordinary nourishment.  No luck.  This year the blooms failed to reach their full intensity of color, exhibiting no strong hint of the expected color, but for the most part remaining more of an olive drab color.  The blossoms seem to be fully developed since some of them have grown seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I have read on the internet, it seems that they might not be getting enough light, but I am perplexed because of the success that I had the first few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it just a matter of light to develop full colors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15749" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-08-31T18:55:26.143" LastActivityDate="2016-08-31T19:45:12.343" Title="Why do my calla lilies not develop full color?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29013" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29012" CreationDate="2016-08-31T19:09:56.823" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;During five years or more, your Ash tree will have grown and now has a broader crown than it once did, even if you're unaware of it. Assuming you're still planting in the exact spot you've always done, this now means your Zantedeschia (calla lilies) are not getting enough bright light in that position, so you need to plant them further out from the canopy of the tree, or in a different position to improve their exposure to sunlight in order to get good colour on the spathes or 'flowers'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't mention feeding your Zantedeschia during the growing season - its best if you can feed them monthly while they're in active growth with a balanced fertilizer, and remove spent flowers before they go to seed, unless you're saving the seed to grow later. They also do better in soil that is regularly emended with humus rich material, because despite their preference for plenty of sun, they do prefer soil that doesn't completely dry out frequently, so using good garden compost, composted manures, leaf mould, anything like that will improve moisture retention and growing conditions generally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-08-31T19:45:12.343" LastActivityDate="2016-08-31T19:45:12.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29014" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29015" CreationDate="2016-08-31T23:06:32.693" Score="6" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in zone 4. I have been instructed to cut back some of my &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbaceous_plant&quot;&gt;herbaceous&lt;/a&gt; perennials plants before winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I do this to all &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbaceous_plant&quot;&gt;herbaceous&lt;/a&gt; plants? If not, how do I know which ones to cut back and which one to leave &quot;as is&quot; or just partly pruned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastActivityDate="2016-09-01T08:17:57.430" Title="Do I cut back all herbaceous perenials in fall?" Tags="&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29015" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29014" CreationDate="2016-09-01T08:17:57.430" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a very broad question - and there probably is no &quot;one fits all&quot; answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I &lt;em&gt;personally&lt;/em&gt; tend to leave most them alone in fall for four reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;decorative purposes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Many &quot;spent&quot; plant parts look spectacular when covered in frost and snow and give texture to borders that would otherwise look plain and empty. Some gardeners prefer the &quot;clean&quot; look, though.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;frost protection&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;A layer of leaves and stalks can act as protection during the winter, both during dry frost and by &quot;holding onto&quot; light snow that might be blown away otherwise.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ecological reasons&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The leaves and stalks are a place to overwinter for insects and other small creatures. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;sheer laziness&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;In fall, I am usually quite busy, so I tend to do only the bare minimum. Come spring, some material will have already mostly disintegrated without the need to place it on the compost heap and back on the beds. And the spring sun draws me out into the garden where I gradually make room for new growth. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This concept has its limits, though: do not leave plant material with diseases but remove it promptly. I also cut back what threatens to smother other plants or looks plain ugly. But that is an ongoing task through the growing season, not specifically a winter preparation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-09-01T08:17:57.430" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29016" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-01T13:02:39.923" Score="6" ViewCount="578" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vtNip.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vtNip.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;My question is a bit different because I'm leaving the oak tree in the ground where it started growing about 5 or so years ago.  I've been trying to keep it cut back each year to try to make it into an interesting looking bonsai-ish tree.  I'd like to add a picture for you to see so that you can help me.  I don't know how to go about cutting it back.  I think I've been doing it wrong and would like to know if I can salvage it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The oak tree is to the right of the red flowers on top of the large spiky leaves.  To the right of the oak tree is a taller butterfly bush. The butterfly bush will be cut down if I can get the oak tree to look nice.  If anyone can help with shaping it I would appreciate the help.  If you need more pics please let me know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15751" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-27T22:45:33.347" LastActivityDate="2016-12-27T22:45:33.347" Title="How can I grow an in-ground 'bonsai' oak tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27508" CreationDate="2016-09-01T13:25:56.250" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've done this and it's fine. Just try to make sure there are no tears in the bags and protect it from critters.  I had one bag infested with ants. I used it anyway after putting a little spray in the bag and sealing it for a while. Also, I found a mouse family in another. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15751" LastActivityDate="2016-09-01T13:25:56.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29019" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29022" CreationDate="2016-09-01T13:31:48.587" Score="1" ViewCount="352" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Father rescued some Snake plants yesterday and I potted them in  bad soil till I get a better one. Now after inspecting it, I found dirt settled in the plant. Here is an image to show what I mean:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AUaVv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AUaVv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XAy2n.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XAy2n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cleaned some of the dirt with a toothpick and some water, but it's not helping much. Also, the new shoots are drowned in dirt and I might harm the plant if I proceed on with the toothpick and water method. How should I clean them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought of the following methods:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Method 1:&lt;/strong&gt; Leave them as it is. In time, the new shoots will push the dirt up, up, and away. But if I leave them with dirt, wouldn't the dirt deteriorate the health of the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Method 2:&lt;/strong&gt; Pull the plants out, safely, and fire a water jet stream towards the dirt to wash it away. But wouldn't the water damage the roots? Or can I even wash the roots with water before re-potting in a better soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Method 3:&lt;/strong&gt; Proceed with the water and toothpick method. Throw some water on the dirt and then clear the dirt with thin and slender object. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What method is appropriate? Also, any other method? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing, am I making a mountain out of a molehill?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-30T20:35:59.777" LastActivityDate="2021-01-30T20:35:59.777" Title="What's the best way to handle dirt in my Sansevieria (snake plant)?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;snake-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29020" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29021" CreationDate="2016-09-01T14:20:49.373" Score="2" ViewCount="5263" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;em&gt;Sansevevieria&lt;/em&gt; (Snake Plant) and I'm looking for the best type of potting soil/mix for it. I checked some sites on google and couldn't understand a thing. Almost everyone has a different opinion on what kind of soil/mix to use for the succulent plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my neighbourhood, no one in any nursery here understands perlite or other things&lt;sup&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;, even after showing a picture. So please tell me what I can do to make the best soil for my Snake plant? Please include some pictures as it will also help me in identifying what type of soil you are talking about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1. They are not educated.&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-30T20:35:43.330" LastActivityDate="2021-01-30T20:35:43.330" Title="What's the best type of potting soil/mix for a Sansevieria (snake plant)?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;snake-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="29021" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29020" CreationDate="2016-09-01T14:48:06.310" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, I don't know what everyone else uses, but mine (10 years old) is growing in perfectly ordinary multi purpose potting compost, the same stuff I use for outdoors plants. It will have a proportion of peat, probably 50%, and the rest will be recycled and well composted (hot composted) garden waste I imagine. I don't add anything to it to alter it in any way, though its true that newer, low peat or no peat multi purpose potting compost tends to contain lumpy bits like stones and bits of uncomposted wood, so I'd remove those before use. For preference, I'd choose John Innes No. 2, which is loam, peat, sand/grit in ratio - more info regarding 'recipes' for John Innes type composts below, but I doubt you'll find the ingredients where you are: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=952&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;John Innes potting compost&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-30T20:35:39.330" LastActivityDate="2021-01-30T20:35:39.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="29022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29019" CreationDate="2016-09-01T14:52:39.287" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd attempt to remove that soil - I keep old paintbrushes, a small one and a larger one, the kind children use, for things like this - either one of those or a make up brush should do the job without causing damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-01T14:52:39.287" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29023" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-01T17:19:25.250" Score="2" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;My backyard has a fence built on a retaining wall of pressure treated wood which was built some 15 yrs ago to address height/level difference between my yard and backyard neighbor's yard. When I couldn't get a Bower vine to succeed there I dug in and explored. I found the cut off tops of the fence post had been buried there, rotted and left tunnels that water would escape through. (I filled them in.) It also left behind more chemicals. I've also had sweet peas, and morning glories fail there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had tons of rain this past winter, but it doesn't wash chemicals away. Existing shrubs (crepe myrtles &amp;amp; raphiolepis) which were there before the fence and retaining wall were replaced are doing fine, but could I expect new plantings to succeed there now? How far from the fence would be safe and not be affected by the chemicals?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15646" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-01T21:46:07.847" LastActivityDate="2016-09-01T21:46:07.847" Title="What are my options for plant choices near a pressure treated retaining wall at base of backyard fence?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;fence&gt;&lt;chemicals&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29024" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29037" CreationDate="2016-09-01T17:27:59.923" Score="4" ViewCount="2038" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've grown Ground Cherries (aka Pineapple Tomatillo) for a few years now and it always produced a neat little plant that only took a little work to gather the ripened fruit from around its base. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But this year, I moved it to another spot because I was told it was stunted by being so close to a tomato plant. The result was spectacular (and devastating at the same time). My plant got about 1 foot tall and then started to spread throughout the garden and today it has just about completely taken over a 4 foot by 8 foot raised garden box.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This caused 2 issues. First, it takes a long time to harvest the nearly 100 ripe fruit per day (boo-hoo) but it also killed off most other plants in my raised bed and then jumped nearly 2 1/2 feet to another garden box and started taking it over too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, can these plants be trained to a trellis or do I need to prune it back in the future? I know it’s called a &quot;Ground Cherry&quot; because it wants to be on the ground but I wanted to know if anyone had luck training it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7480" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-01T21:48:52.577" LastActivityDate="2020-08-23T17:21:09.487" Title="Can I train a Ground Cherry to climb a trellis or something else to get it off the ground?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;trellis&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29026" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-01T18:37:31.293" Score="2" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm just back from a few days away and my tomatoes need to be watered (they were watered almost daily by friends while I was away, but it hasn't rained in awhile so they need watering).  I also want to give them a tomato feed as they are still producing new fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does it matter if I water before or after I put the tomato feed? Will watering after feeding dilute the feed? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14532" LastEditorUserId="14532" LastEditDate="2016-09-01T21:38:19.370" LastActivityDate="2016-09-01T23:40:59.460" Title="Should I water before or after a tomato feed?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29027" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28987" CreationDate="2016-09-01T18:41:49.917" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fruit in question was a premature &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesculus_californica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aesculus californica&lt;/a&gt;, &quot;California Buckeye&quot;. Mature buckeyes fill the space and burst the three panels away from the swelled 'nut'. However, young/premature buckeyes have a small whitish pit surrounded by whitish fleshy fruit.&#xA;The plant is quite high in toxic neurotoxic glycoside aesculin. The weeping of the fruit as well as the flesh and nut were likely in high concentrations of the toxin. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rm3q7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rm3q7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;California Buckeye&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15728" LastActivityDate="2016-09-01T18:41:49.917" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29028" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28852" CreationDate="2016-09-01T22:18:25.113" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can tell you with confidence that this is Yellow Buckeye (Aesculus flava)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pawpaw was a good thought, but you're right, the fruit texture and shape isn't right.  Pawpaws are very smooth are more elongated.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you look at the picture closely, those leaves are palmately compound.  Pawpaw is a simple leaf and it is rarely found in high elevation areas of NC.  In fact, I rarely find pawpaw wild in the NC mountains in general.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yellow Buckeye is commonly found in high elevations, can become a large tree (I have found some about 6' dbh), and would have had fruit that size when you asked this question.  They are found in rich coves, or mesic slopes and are an indicator of rich soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you had pulled a fruit off the tree you could have opened it and found where it gets the name &quot;buckeye&quot;.  The seed looks like the eye of a buck.  You're supposed to keep one in your pocket for good luck, you know?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm going to take a wild guess.  Did you take this picture in Great Smoky National Park?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2016-09-01T22:18:25.113" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29029" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-01T22:59:28.510" Score="2" ViewCount="3000" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mint plant leaves are turning brown and drying up and the stems are getting brown scaly bumps all over them. A friend gave me a mint plant about 4 months ago. She was growing it outside. We live where it snows in winter, so I want it to grow it inside. I planted it in new potting soil, in a self watering pot. I keep the soil moist to the touch. At first I noticed holes in some of the leaves so I thought there was sone sort of &quot;bug&quot; there. There isn't anything on the underside of the leaves, no webbing, like from spider mites. The leaves are drying and curling up and now there are brown scaly bumps forming on the stems. Any ideas how to stop this? &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9vHum.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9vHum.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15759" LastActivityDate="2016-12-01T01:40:17.937" Title="Why are the leaves on my mint plant drying up and brown bumps are forming on the stems?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29030" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29029" CreationDate="2016-09-01T23:29:00.920" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suggest you put it in an ordinary pot with a drainage hole, and water when the surface of the compost feels just dry to the touch, water thoroughly, then pour away any excess water in an outer pot or tray after 30 minutes. The potting compost should be allowed to dry out a bit between waterings - keeping it moist all the time is not a good idea, and in my experience, self watering pots tend to keep the roots of the plant within too moist. Mint likes well drained soil conditions - if kept too damp all the time, root rot is likely. Cut off blackened stems and leaves when repotting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The scaly bumps appear to be dry adventitious roots - these sometimes form as a stress response to less than perfect growing conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-01T23:41:52.280" LastActivityDate="2016-09-01T23:41:52.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29031" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29026" CreationDate="2016-09-01T23:40:59.460" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;From my experience, it does not matter whether you water before or after.  I like to first fertilize and mix the fertilizer with the existing soil and then water.  I think it is much easier to work with soil before watering and hence my preference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-09-01T23:40:59.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29032" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-02T00:38:14.683" Score="2" ViewCount="2241" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planning ahead for over seeding this fall. There's a section of my yard that is virtually all Crabgrass. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does it make sense to pull it all up by hand or use a herbacide before putting down the new seed? I want to ensure the seed makes good contact with the soil. I plan on renting aerator (and possibly a power rake). Wondering if either of those tools would be able to power through the thick Crabgrass and give me enough soil contact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thoughts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15761" LastEditorUserId="15761" LastEditDate="2016-09-02T17:43:20.763" LastActivityDate="2016-09-03T01:57:42.120" Title="Pull Crabgrass before overseeding?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;&lt;crabgrass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29033" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29047" CreationDate="2016-09-02T04:18:50.857" Score="0" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted zucchini and honey dew melon and I was happy that they are growing healthy but after a few days I notice the yellow spots with brown center appeared in the leaves of my honey dew melon and my zucchini looks like it starts to die. Here are the pictures of the two plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RkFrv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RkFrv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Honey Dew Melon&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VCZMr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VCZMr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Zucchini&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13577" LastActivityDate="2016-09-02T20:51:45.270" Title="Zucchini and Honey Dew Melon health issues" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29034" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="721" CreationDate="2016-09-02T06:37:12.937" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Al's Gritty mix is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;For most kind of woody plants&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The basic mix is &lt;strong&gt;1:1:1, pine bark fines:Turface:crushed granite&lt;/strong&gt;. It's perfect to grow  that go 2-3 years between repots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;It's a little different for houseplants&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;(note that the 3 parts of all the primary ingredients still works out to a 1:1:1 ratio). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;3 parts pine or fir bark fines&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;3 parts Turface MVP (or equal)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;3 parts crushed granite (turkey or chicken grit - not crushed shellfish)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;1 part vermiculite&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;1 part coarse silica sand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;1 tbsp gypsum/gallon of soil (1/2 cup per cu ft) -- if you use gypsum instead of lime, add 1/8 tsp Epsom salts/gallon of water each time you fertilize&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Some tips:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you want to increase water retention, use 4 parts Turface and 2 parts granite, To reduce water retention, use 4 parts granite &amp;amp; 2 parts Turface. If you vary the recipe to suit yourself, try to keep the organic component at 1/3 or less. No peat/coir is necessary or even desirable in this mix.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Though there are a few exceptions, most plants will perform extremely well if you use a 3:1:2 ratio fertilizer (24-8-16, 12-4-8, 9-3-6, are all examples). &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizing frequently at lower doses works better.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2016-09-02T06:37:12.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29036" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29039" CreationDate="2016-09-02T11:19:02.257" Score="7" ViewCount="61266" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted my Snake plant today and chose the best from the bunch. However, some of the tips has either dried off or damaged by some other means. I am posting some pics for better understanding:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;div class=&quot;s-table-container&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;table class=&quot;s-table&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;thead&gt;&#xA;&lt;tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;th&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&#xA;&lt;th&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&#xA;&lt;th&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&#xA;&lt;/tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;/thead&gt;&#xA;&lt;tbody&gt;&#xA;&lt;tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pk6Uu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pk6Uu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&#xA;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TPDdp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TPDdp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&#xA;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Bmtb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Bmtb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&#xA;&lt;/tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;/tbody&gt;&#xA;&lt;/table&gt;&#xA;&lt;/div&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut the whole leaf from the bottom or remove the damaged part or leave them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-30T12:56:23.473" LastActivityDate="2021-01-30T12:56:23.473" Title="What to do with the damaged leaves of the Snake Plant (Sansevieria)?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;snake-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="29037" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29024" CreationDate="2016-09-02T14:19:31.263" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is possible to manage ground cherries, but they are a fairly wild plant.  I have faced this same problem as you before.  They can become utterly massive and sprawling and take over large areas.  But, they are worth it =].&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I have found is that to &quot;train&quot; them means to consistently go out and manually tie them up/weave them through trellises/supports.  They don't seem to respond by climbing more on their own, like a vine with tendrils or a twining vine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What has worked for me in the past is using a cattle fence panel as a trellis.  As the plant grows I weave the growing tips through the grate.  You have to stay ahead of the game because the mature stems aren't very flexible and becomes impossible to weave them through.  If it gets to that point you can tie them up with twine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2016-09-02T14:19:31.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29038" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26476" CreationDate="2016-09-02T14:32:25.727" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The reason your &quot;dwarf fig&quot; is not so dwarfed anymore is because it was reproduced via cutting.  The root stock that would have the cutting grafted to it is what determines the size of the mature shrub.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To answer your question though, I think it is probably still recovering from the stress of having to completely regrow.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2016-09-02T14:32:25.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29039" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29036" CreationDate="2016-09-02T15:05:49.450" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is up to you. Brown tips clearly indicate a problem, usually watering, soil imbalance or too much fertilizing. There is no need to do it. That is a dead part of the leaf and will cause no further damage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, do you know what caused it, and have you corrected it? Looking at the soil, watering seems to be the first suspect. Personally, since you just transplanted the plant, I'd give it a few days to establish, before doing anything. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can cut off the brown tips if you think it is an aesthetic issue. Be careful to cut to the edge, leaving perhaps a little brown sliver, so that the plant doesn't have a new injury to heal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the leaf where the damage is to the side, you can cut the leaf all the way to the bottom of the injury, if you so desire. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-02T15:05:49.450" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29040" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-02T17:50:08.147" Score="5" ViewCount="609" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a picture of the base of beech tree in my backyard in the Philadelphia area. I'm getting conflicting opinions as to the implications of the crack you see in the center of the tree. What is your opinion?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SWSTX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SWSTX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15764" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-09-02T19:03:54.913" LastActivityDate="2016-09-03T01:43:00.703" Title="Does a long crack in my beech tree's bark mean that it's as good as dead?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29032" CreationDate="2016-09-02T17:54:41.177" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears that it will be quite a bit of physical labor to pull the crabgrass by hand. It is probably not recommended. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should go with your plan of renting equipment, something to trim the grass down, and then water the area and use a power rake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will need to go deep, and yes, use a herbicide, as the seeds must be all over the soil. No matter what you do, crabgrass will come back and you will need to actively weed the area and other areas of your garden for well over a season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-02T17:54:41.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29042" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29043" CreationDate="2016-09-02T18:35:11.040" Score="4" ViewCount="899" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a medium pot where I've been trying to raise a guava tree until it can be definitely placed. Then I've been out for 2 weeks and when I came back, there was an invasive plant spreading all around, coming from its pot and, since I already grow some basil and mint to use as seasoning, I've got interested about:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What plant is this?&#xA;Is it edible? &#xA;Does somebody knows how does it taste like? &#xA;Could I use it as I use my basil, since both look equally harmless?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may be useful to know I live on the very south of Brazil on a wet and rainy region and that it seems very happy on a very dry mix of organic compound and soil from an eucalyptus forest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QbfUY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QbfUY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Its small white flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Fz3g.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Fz3g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the &amp;quot;epicentre&amp;quot; of the thing&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14842" LastEditorUserId="14842" LastEditDate="2016-09-02T21:32:51.220" LastActivityDate="2016-09-02T21:32:51.220" Title="Invasive herb w/ tiny white flowers" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;edible&gt;&lt;plant-uses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29043" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29042" CreationDate="2016-09-02T18:52:22.893" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the straggly growth pattern, tiny star-shaped white flowers and opposite, oval leaves, this is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellaria_media&quot;&gt;Common Chickweed (&lt;em&gt;Stellaria media&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Left to grow, it can eventually form a dense mat. It sprouts in fall or early winter (I've had it appear underneath a layer of snow and ice -- no chickweed before the snow, lots of it after the thaw), then flowers and sets seed in spring and summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As noted on the Wikipedia article, it can be used as a nutritious leaf vegetable. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For control, it responds well to broad-leaf weedkillers. Alternatively, when weeding by hand, I reach under the mat of leaves and grab the central stalk and pull straight up; if you don't grab the main stalk, the branches tend to break off. It produces a lot of seeds, so don't put it in your compost (unless you want a large crop of chickweed everywhere you use your compost).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-09-02T19:02:56.240" LastActivityDate="2016-09-02T19:02:56.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29044" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29045" CreationDate="2016-09-02T19:43:05.020" Score="3" ViewCount="235" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wanted to have a scented flower indoors, so I bought a potted lily, it seemed to be the suitable for my conditions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm aware it's only going to bloom for a few weeks, then die back, then - if I understood what I read correctly - regrow the next year from the bulbs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, most instructions mention the bulbs are to be replanted in a garden, which I don't have. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I have is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The windowsill in my bedroom. It's north-facing, so it gets good sun before noon, through a triple-glazed window. I use curtains on the inside of the room, not blinds, so the plant will get that light every day. &#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A small corner balcony on the other side of the apartment. There's a wall to the east side and it faces an inner courtyard, so it's only getting a little light during the afternoon.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This is the inner city, winters tend to be more soggy than cold. I'm guessing that near the walls there shouldn't be any significant frost. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was hoping that I'd just need to wait until the leaves die, trim the stalks to 10ish centimeters, and move the pot outside into the corner until it comes back to life in the spring, then move it closer to the balcony railing until I see flower buds. Would that be enough, or do I need to do something more involved? (Discard/replant extra bulbs or change out the soil.) I'd also be happy with any extra advice, this is my first nonsucculent plant I'm attempting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also be thankful for any tips on how to have preferrably scented flowers in my room for a longer time. Are there other plants that will handle my conditions that bloom at other times of the year? I've also read about forcing bulbs in a refrigerator to make them bloom earlier, but I've no idea how to store them and schedule that to cover a length of time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15765" LastActivityDate="2016-09-03T10:23:07.250" Title="How to overwinter a potted oriental lily in an apartment?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29044" CreationDate="2016-09-02T20:08:41.663" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plan as outlined is a good one - I'd just add that its a good idea to give a balanced liquid fertilizer weekly while the leaves are present, after the flowers are starting to fade, because that's when the bulbs are storing food to produce flowers the following year. After six weeks, cut the foliage off and move to that sheltered corner of your balcony and proceed as you say in your question. If your winter is cold enough to cause the potting medium to freeze, you will need to insulate the pot to prevent that. If you leave the pot out there to flower, it may not be too happy - lilies like a sunny situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other flowering houseplants which you might consider (though usually they're temporary visitors) are Stephanotis floribunda and Jasmine polyanthum, links for both below for more info:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/jasmine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Jasmine&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=623&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Stephanotis floribunda&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gardenias are often sold as houseplants and are fragrant - buy it in flower, but be aware they're really fussy and you're unlikely to persuade it to flower again once its finished. The other thing to consider are prepared hyacinths - these are available in autumn, often sold with planting medium and a dish or pot, for you to grow yourself indoors to have in flower by Christmas, or you can usually find them already potted and growing in late winter ready to take home. I would warn, though, that the scent is often overpowering or too strong in a smaller, warm rooms, and some are more strongly scented than others - usually the blue ones are very strong indeed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-03T10:23:07.250" LastActivityDate="2016-09-03T10:23:07.250" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29046" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-02T20:15:18.107" Score="4" ViewCount="318" Body="&lt;p&gt;I love using pieces of my peppermint plants in juices and creams and so forth, to give that cooling sensation and typical mint flavour. I started growing my own peppermints in a medium pot with mulch (just as it came, without adding anything to it). Now they are thriving and already seem to be pretty useful for what I've mentioned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to know if there are any known and tested ways, methods, tricks or something to enhance/make stronger the flavour and cooling effect of peppermint plants. I'm thinking it would mean improving its menthol production.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I came here with this question because I know there are ways to improve the production of specific chemicals on other plants, and wonder about something that would work for mint. I'm not a chemist nor a botanist and I know not how this usually works.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14842" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-03T20:20:10.103" LastActivityDate="2016-09-03T20:20:10.103" Title="How can I enhance the flavour of peppermint plants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;mint&gt;&lt;chemicals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29047" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29033" CreationDate="2016-09-02T20:45:52.057" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like they need more light and maybe also nutrients (probably &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=1&amp;amp;q=cucurbit+potassium+deficiency&amp;amp;oq=cucurbit+potassium+deficiency&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;potassium&lt;/a&gt;, since the leaf edges are yellowing first, and since the plants look kind of weak). More light should make them stronger, though. If these are indoors, or in low-light, a fungal infection is also possible, especially if they don't have enough potassium. If they already have enough nitrogen, adding nitrogen with the potassium could be a bad idea (since it might not change anything, as nitrogen and potassium need to be in balance).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like the melon has &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=spider+mites+anthracnose&amp;amp;num=100&amp;amp;hs=h2c&amp;amp;channel=fs&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;spider mite and/or anthracnose damage&lt;/a&gt;. It could be something else, like &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=1&amp;amp;q=scale+insect+damage&amp;amp;oq=scale+insect+damage&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;scale&lt;/a&gt;, though, but it looks like spider mite damage to me (on the top leaf in the top picture).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's more ideal to grow these types of plants in the ground (or at least outside in much larger containers). People usually direct-seed them in the ground if they can. I'm not sure when your season starts, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For indoor plants, you might try neem oil to get rid of spider mites. I've heard that can work. I think sea minerals would clear up the fungus, if it has a fungus (that's my experience with probably the same issue, but on a pepper plant; there may be fungicides that would work, though, but maybe not if it's anthracnose). Potassium sulfate would probably help nutrient-wise. A little wood ash might work for potassium, if you've got some handy. Wood ash would raise the soil pH, but I think cucurbits handle that better than a lot of plants (and they look like they might need the calcium wood ash provides).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wood ash aside, all that can get kind of expensive for a couple plants, though. If you can plant outside, I'd probably either just transplant them into the ground and/or plant new plants directly outside from seed. In future, you might consider starting plants in such as a Strong Camel greenhouse before transplanting (that's what I did, this year; cucurbits don't normally need to grow very long before you transplant them, though), or start them indoor under grow lights (or at least on the sill of a south window without anything blocking the light). If you're not in the northern hemisphere, a south window might not be what you want. If you used grow lights, it would probably be easier to start with new seeds, since they can beat out the growth of older plants, if they have bright, close light while young. Of course, they might suffer from the same problems again, if precautions aren't taken (but more light and potassium should help, in large part).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can potentially have good results with muskmelons started extra early indoors. I've done that before. I haven't had the same experience with squash, however (except for Shark Fin Melon squash, which is probably fine whether you direct-seed it or not).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-09-02T20:51:45.270" LastActivityDate="2016-09-02T20:51:45.270" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29048" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20227" CreationDate="2016-09-02T21:18:24.683" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased a venus flytrap in the middle of my roach erradication. (My ex roomies left their own roomies)&#xA;So far, one plant has captured twelve baby roaches that were drawn to the nectar.&#xA;Even baby heads of the flytrap have snapped on the tiny bugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15766" LastActivityDate="2016-09-02T21:18:24.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29049" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29040" CreationDate="2016-09-03T01:43:00.703" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, a vertical crack does not mean doom for the tree.  Very common.  Could be indicative of many other things such as watering, fertilizer, weather...I'd call your Cooperative Extension Service nearest University.  You might be able to get a free or inexpensive visit by an Arborist or Master Gardener. Good excuse to learn about this wonderful service available to almost everyone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutting horizontally on a woody perennial or tree, now that is life and death. The cambium is right below the bark in a thin, thin envelope around the tree.  To cut that is to stop the xylem/phloem vascular system and girdle your tree, shrub.  Vertical cracks the tree is usually able to shore up and protect itself.  The Arborist can answer all your questions as well as provide even more information you may not have to increase the survivability of all your woody perennials/trees.  They would be able to detect disease, help you mitigate any problems or advise you to remove a hazard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-03T01:43:00.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29032" CreationDate="2016-09-03T01:57:42.120" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your lawn is almost ALL crabgrass then glyphosate or roundup is indicated.  This is absorbed by the foliage and taken down into the roots where the KILL happens.  Takes at least 3 weeks.  Perhaps a second application.  Read that label 5 times I kid you NOT.  That is what they taught us as Pesticide Applicators.  Five times!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not spray in any wind, preferable to do in the evening when bees and birds and people are not around, regardless of the MSDS or label instructions. Before application DO NOT MOW.  Do not use any other herbicide.  The more vigorous the growth the better glyphosate works.  Wait until all growth is brown, yellow, black dead.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't wait 3 weeks minimum then any seed you apply will have trouble germinating.  Don't worry about aeration, now is not the time.  That is for an annual maintenance later once per year!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then look up the lawn maintenance stuff on this site, quite a bit of it for you to learn and know so this doesn't happen again.  Such as mow no shorter than 3 inches!  Water deeply allow to dry and do not water again until footprints stay down on your grass.  Fertilize 3-4X per year with season appropriate formulations.  Again mow no shorter than 3&quot;...ever.  Otherwise, you won't ever see me giving others prescriptions for pesticides/herbicides!  This is a major bandaid on a preventable problem but works well.  Nothing else in my experience will work.  Certainly not hand pulling, power rake for thatch...this will just leave roots and crab grass will definitely be able to come back if you are going to use seed.  Make sure you grade, roll, rake again, roll before seeding.  If you are going to use seeding I'd recommend hiring a grass seeding company to spray the seed and mulch and fertilizer at the same time.  Otherwise, consider sod especially in your situation.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-03T01:57:42.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29051" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29056" CreationDate="2016-09-03T13:17:24.937" Score="1" ViewCount="2064" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do I re-pot this weeping fig plant? Any more details related to it would be welcomed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pIFfD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pIFfD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qrA6S.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qrA6S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZmTD9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZmTD9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LLBBS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LLBBS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;EDIT&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I ma confused now which tree/plant is this. Is it Ficus Benjamin or Weeping Fig? When I google either of them, I get similar results. I have two of them. I have included some pictures of leaves to help it identify:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vE3ra.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vE3ra.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ruCE0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ruCE0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QZh5z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QZh5z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-09-04T13:00:37.553" Title="How should I re-pot a severely root-bound weeping fig plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29052" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29046" CreationDate="2016-09-03T13:23:47.740" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know of no way to enhance or strengthen the menthol content of a growing mint plant. Certainly, there are many varieties of mint available with differences in taste, some of which may be subtle differences, and it's said the taste is stronger just before flowering, and that the newer leaves have a stronger taste. I can't say I've noticed either of those things - the mint I grow is Mentha spicata, but there's a list of the different  mints available in the link below and according to this site, the strongest tasting  one is Mentha spp micromeria&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pepperpotherbplants.co.uk/acatalog/Mint_Herb_Plant_Varieties.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.pepperpotherbplants.co.uk/acatalog/Mint_Herb_Plant_Varieties.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-03T13:23:47.740" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29053" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14241" CreationDate="2016-09-03T19:01:39.613" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check out wheat bran. Ordinary bakers grade wheat bran contains over 2 1/2 % phosphorus by weight. Horse owners often feed it. Because of this feed stores often carry 44 pound bulk bags as do bakers wholesale supply stores. The bran also contains a balanced supply of nitrogen and potassium. It breaks down readily in the soil. Accordingly I apply it the fall before at 1 pound per 4 square ft area every year.(20 pounds to a 4'x20' bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15768" LastActivityDate="2016-09-03T19:01:39.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17469" CreationDate="2016-09-03T19:19:37.310" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;molasses ,honey and other sugars are said to increase soil microbials,enhance regrowth and make the plant's use of nitrogen more effective. Molasses will raise the energy level of the plant and acts as mild natural fungicide. Molasses is the secret ingredient in many organic fertilizers  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15769" LastActivityDate="2016-09-03T19:19:37.310" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29055" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29084" CreationDate="2016-09-03T20:27:17.380" Score="3" ViewCount="1112" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the name of the following plant?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/npHJQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/npHJQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it a kind of cactus?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14466" LastEditorUserId="14466" LastEditDate="2016-09-05T09:51:36.187" LastActivityDate="2016-09-05T19:53:23.497" Title="What is this plant with long narrow triangle leaves and prickles?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29056" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29051" CreationDate="2016-09-03T21:19:16.560" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is a member of the Ficus family. This plant is severely pot bound as it wants to grow into a 60 M tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To repot I suggest you first consider where you are going to put it.  If it is to be placed inside where your ceiling might be 2 - 3 M tall (~8') then this plant is probably too big already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants are rugged and can be cut back hard and will bud out from old stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are going to put the plant inside then consider the tough love approach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut the roots coming out the pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove the plant from the pot or break the pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove one third of the root ball from the bottom using a sharp knife&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;score the root ball with vertical cuts placed around the circumference to promote new growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut back the top growth of the plant to about 1 M tall (3')&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;either re use the old pot or get a new one &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;add new soil at the bottom and plant it up&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;place in high light but not baking in a south exposure&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water after repotting and then wait a few days to water again&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if no buds appear after a month fertilize at half strength&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;be patient, this is major surgery!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-09-04T13:00:37.553" LastActivityDate="2016-09-04T13:00:37.553" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29057" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-04T00:31:34.693" Score="2" ViewCount="7951" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few weeks ago I  bought a sunflower plant, the ones sold in big hardware stores with one flower that come in a 6&quot; pot. So I moved it to a bigger 12&quot; round pot the day after buying it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As of today, the flowers have died and the leaves are greenish-brown. Im no expert, but they're not doing well. A small one started to grow , but it's all brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water them every day, but it doesnt seem to help. I live in the Caribbean and they're in my rooftop with very little shade. In terms of temperature, we get 85 to 90-degree heat everyday, so it's horribly hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what can I do? Could it be that it's too hot even for the sunflower?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14590" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T11:12:14.340" Title="My sunflowers are dying. What to do?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29058" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28978" CreationDate="2016-09-04T04:49:41.550" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As Bamboo said, Litchi tomatoes are not tomatoes at all, although they, much like eggplant and wild tomatoes, are in the same genus (Solanum). It might be better if we call them Morelle De Balbis or Fire and Ice Plants (but that doesn't tell us what to call the fruit).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have heard several anecdotal accounts/claims of frost-tolerant varieties. However, none of them have been proven to the world, yet, and I've never grown a tomato that got anywhere near Morelle De Balbis for frost/freeze tolerance, personally. I am the one who grew Morelle De Balbis and reported its freeze and frost tolerance, though. It's a very interesting species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm growing Morelle De Balbis again this year, and the plants are doing much better than last year. They now set fruit much earlier and in the heat (unlike last year), and they have bigger fruit (the largest are about the size of a good sized salad cherry tomato; the largest were about half that size last year). The earliness and heat-tolerance could be differences in soil, light and watering, but I like to think acclimatization has a lot to do with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I've read, tomatoes are more likely to tolerate light spring frosts than fall frosts, but I wouldn't &lt;em&gt;count&lt;/em&gt; on either. I've also read that the reverse is true for &lt;a href=&quot;http://sustainableseedco.com/heirloom-vegetable-seeds/pe-t/tomato-heirloom-seeds/red-pink-tomato-seeds/wheatleys-frost-resistant-tomato-seeds.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;a certain variety&lt;/a&gt; I'll list below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a list of a few of the tomatoes that some people think have frost tolerance (although one or more of them may have been disproved):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/0-33&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;0-33&lt;/a&gt; (This is probably the one most likely to be true)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://sustainableseedco.com/heirloom-vegetable-seeds/pe-t/tomato-heirloom-seeds/red-pink-tomato-seeds/wheatleys-frost-resistant-tomato-seeds.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wheatley's Frost Resistant&lt;/a&gt; (it's in the name)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Anna Russian is said to tolerate mild frosts&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/flowers-and-plants/vegetables/short-season-tomato-varieties&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sunset's Red Horizon Huge&lt;/a&gt; (I don't know if this is the same as Sunset's Red Horizon, but Sunset's Red Horizon is supposed to be a good tomato.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.tomatofest.com/sunset-red-horizon-tomato.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sunset's Red Horizon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tomatodirt.com/cool-tolerant-tomato-varieties.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Coldset&lt;/a&gt; (I believe this has been disproven, or at least claimed against. I get the feeling it's just the seeds that have been shown to be freeze-tolerant to 18° F. rather than the plants.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23848&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Siberian&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23848&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sweet 100&lt;/a&gt; (according to one person, but not another)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally think it's possible to acclimate tomatoes to tolerate frosts (through generations), but I don't know of any frost-tolerant tomatoes that exist today with any amount of surety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should be noted that I've heard people talk about frost-tolerance in peppers, too, with some varieties/species, such as Rocoto and Goat's Weed. I've grown Rocoto and Black Cobra (which is similar to goat's weed), and I haven't found them to be particularly more frost-tolerant than other peppers. I think it's possible that there are different kinds of frosts, and they may resist some kinds but not others. Or, the frosts could have just missed those varieties (since it doesn't always kill things equally). It's also possible that my plants weren't mature enough to be frost-tolerant. Maturity seems to matter for some perennials to handle freezes, at least.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Morelle De Balbis (all the plants I planted) definitely survived a lot of hard freezes, though (and I think it might have even snowed on them). But they did die when it hit 15° F. The fruit wasn't as freeze-tolerant as the plants, but the fruits were still freeze-tolerant (maybe to like 17° F. or something; the fruits didn't freeze solid until then).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm curious to see if my Morelle De Balbis plants that came from seeds of frozen-solid fruits will resist temperatures any colder than 15° F. this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-09-04T05:17:11.687" LastActivityDate="2016-09-04T05:17:11.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29059" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-04T08:05:56.833" Score="2" ViewCount="631" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in west-central Minnesota on the border of Zones 3b and 4a (but within 3b). I started a couple of dwarf tamarillo trees this year from seed on the last day of February. I transplanted both of them once and have kept them outside in containers since the weather turned warmer in the spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have found many of the things I have read online about tamarillo trees to not be the case with my tamarillo trees. For example, I've read from numerous sources that tamarillo trees are not tolerant of wind, are finicky when it comes to watering, and take at least a year and a half to two years to set fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My trees have made it through several windy summer storms and I have just let the rains water them, and they seem to be doing well for the most part. And now today I noticed fruit is beginning to form, the plants being approximately 6 months old. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having never grown tamarillo trees before, I have some questions about their proper care. Firstly, both trees have 3 main trunks. Should I let these three main trunks be, or is it best to prune them down to one trunk apiece? Both trees are approximately a meter tall at this point. And, now that they have begun to set fruit, is it even advisable to prune them? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14071" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T18:43:44.783" Title="Dwarf Tamarillo Pruning and Care" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29060" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4629" CreationDate="2016-09-04T09:53:27.927" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the improved meyer lemon variety which will crack naturally and you can't avoid it. this variety is grown commercially in Afghanistan and almost 20% of the fruit is cracking.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Inf6G.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Inf6G.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lemons with cracks&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gw93O.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gw93O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Improved meyer lemon pictures&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15773" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-09-04T13:07:42.697" LastActivityDate="2016-09-04T13:07:42.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29061" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29057" CreationDate="2016-09-04T10:34:26.203" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In that kind of consistent heat, a little shade rigged up for the middle of the day would be helpful, but watering potted plants only once a day isn't enough in such heat either - even in the UK, in full sun and high temperatures (24 deg C or 75 deg F and upwards) twice a day as a minimum is essential. This is especially so after some weeks of growth, because the roots will have filled most of the available potting medium, meaning there's not much soil compared to root, so it can't retain enough moisture to supply the plant for 24 hours. High temperatures and full sun also mean using a tray or outer pot under the plant to trap excess water is, for once, very useful, though its important to note there is no other time when that's the case; I spend a lot of time telling folks not to allow pots to sit in any excess water, but in those conditions, often the planting medium dries out too much and any water applied simply runs out too fast and doesn't get absorbed, so a tray beneath helps with that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try trimming off the dead parts and increase your watering - maybe the plant/s will recover sufficiently to produce more flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-04T10:39:31.100" LastActivityDate="2016-09-04T10:39:31.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29063" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29064" CreationDate="2016-09-04T12:22:28.513" Score="4" ViewCount="1025" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know what species this plant is, I think either &lt;em&gt;Crassula ovata&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;Portulacaria afra&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GkeNO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GkeNO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also: What are the little white thingies coming out of the branches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nueBn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nueBn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15775" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-04T23:25:08.340" LastActivityDate="2016-09-04T23:25:08.340" Title="Crassula or Portulacaria and what are the little white sticks" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29064" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29063" CreationDate="2016-09-04T12:45:34.850" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassula_ovata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Crassula ovata&lt;/a&gt;: the leaves are more elongated (&lt;em&gt;ovata = &quot;egg-shaped&quot;&lt;/em&gt;) and larger than Portulacaria afra. Also, they are missing the indentation at the tip that makes &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulacaria_afra&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Portulacaria afra&lt;/a&gt; leaves heart-shaped. The growth of Crassula is &quot;stockier&quot; and the branches are smooth. Find a picture of a Portulacaria &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24795/what-kind-of-small-bonsai-tree-is-this-pictured-one&quot;&gt;in this question&lt;/a&gt; for comparison.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The white &quot;fibers&quot; are aerial roots: if parts of the branches touch the ground or if you break off a branch and place it on soil, it shold root quite quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-09-04T12:45:34.850" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29065" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29063" CreationDate="2016-09-04T13:01:28.633" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Crassula ovata yes, but, whilst aerial or adventitious roots on this plant are more commonly produced in humid atmospheres, they do not usually produce so many, and this is likely the plant's attempt to 'escape' and root itself elsewhere, away from the pot. I suspect it's doing so because it's growing in difficult conditions - maybe it's rootbound, needs a new, larger pot, which from what I can see in the photograph, may well be the case. I suggest you turn it out of its pot to see what condition the roots are in, and if they are overcrowded, pot up into something larger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-04T13:01:28.633" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29066" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29067" CreationDate="2016-09-04T13:26:23.710" Score="2" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got this plant a couple of weeks ago. The leaves were all soft and roots partly rotten. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I decided to cut away some roots, put it into new soil (not pasteurized though), cut away almost all leaves and put it in a bright spot. I gave it very little water first until the soil dried out, then I started watering slowly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It grew some fresh green leaves, but they too are rather soft and weak. It doesn't seem to take much water in at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Which plant is this?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What's it's ailment, some bacterial infection maybe?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are the long excrescences that I marked?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Nds0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Nds0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gcmet.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gcmet.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15775" LastActivityDate="2016-09-04T16:20:14.617" Title="Identification and question about possible sickness / parasite" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29067" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29066" CreationDate="2016-09-04T13:59:34.880" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;From its general appearance and the scalloped edges to the leaves, this appears to be what's commonly known as an Easter cactus, or Schlumbergera gaertnerii (previously Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri, and I think its recently been through another name change to Hatiori gaertneri). The 'excrescences' are adventitious roots, and these sometimes form when a plant is very stressed in its current environment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants are cacti, but they're forest types, meaning they grow in relatively humid, shady forest type conditions rather than hot, arid and sunny situations. It's hard to say whether the plant is still suffering, despite the new growth, because of environmental conditions or because the central core of the plant has a problem - I suspect its more environmental though because the simple fact you have new growth means, despite its appearance, its still a viable plant. It might be worth trying to propagate a part of one of the stems separately - instructions for that are included in the link below, along with other information and care instructions&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/eastercactus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/eastercactus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-04T16:20:14.617" LastActivityDate="2016-09-04T16:20:14.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29068" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-04T14:22:08.610" Score="4" ViewCount="1512" Body="&lt;p&gt;Almost a year ago I bought a &lt;em&gt;Dracaena fragrans&lt;/em&gt; plant of 2 meter in height which has since lost a lot of its leaves. The plant often loses leaves in a certain process. Every time a leaf is going to turn brown, it develops one or more yellow or brown marks in the middle of the leaf which are eventually connected until the leave has completely turned brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cB8u1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cB8u1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Early stage with a small yellow mark on the leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oAwgO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oAwgO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This leaf already has multiple brown marks&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kYFOr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kYFOr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This is what such a leaf looks like after a few weeks&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are photos of three different leaves in different stages of this process. Additionally, many leaves at the bottom side of the plant look limp. As you can also see in the picture, one branch completely or partially turned dark brown. About 3 out of 10-15 branches turned brown like that one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PE81l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PE81l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My apartment views the west, so in the summer on sunny days, the plant receives direct sunlight in the evening for a couple of hours at most. Recently I experimented by putting the plant outside in full sunlight, but that only burnt the plant so at the end of that day I had to remove about 15 leaves which had been scorched. Apparently lack of sunlight is not the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: the Netherlands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant does not look very healthy and I estimate that it has lost half of its leaves in the past year. What could be a typical cause of these brown and limp leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15778" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:18:02.477" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:18:02.477" Title="Why does my Dracaena fragrans lose its leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29069" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29068" CreationDate="2016-09-04T16:06:03.500" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen these symptoms on hundreds of Dracaena grown indoors.  There are some common factors:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;too much water makes the soil consistently wet. Leaving the plant sitting in water does the same thing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;overwatering encourages fungus/virus/bacteria which is what is making the spots on the leaves.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a soil less mix will degrade over time as the organic material is used up. It then compacts and drains poorly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;in areas where the water is alkaline  (pH 7 and greater) over time this affects the pH of the soil.  This affects the uptake of the iron/manganese micronutrients which weakens the plant. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On another note if you move a plant from inside to outside the chloroplasts are not able to adapt to the hundred or thousand fold increase in light levels.  The leaves burn as you found.  Many tropicals can benefit from a stay outside if they are moved to deep shade, then light shade, then full sun over a period of weeks. See more about hardening off &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4dmg/Garden/harden.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To resolve this problem I recommend:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repot the plant. You can use the same pot but put fresh indoor planting mix in the bottom third of the pot.  Use this opportunity to examine the existing roots which should be firm and white or with a yellowish tinge.  Soft and black roots are dead and should be cut off.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the stems are very closely planted together.  If they are not too grown together move them apart&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water less:  at least the top inch of soil must be dry before you apply enough water for it to run out of the bottom.  A seven to ten day cycle is common.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I favour the tough love approach to tropicals.  Your plant has a well entrenched fungus/virus/bacteria which it can outgrow. Consider removing all the leaves and cutting back the stems after repotting.  Cut back on the water and wait for new buds on the stems.  These plants bud out readily from old stems, it just takes some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-04T16:06:03.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29070" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-04T16:58:53.753" Score="2" ViewCount="111" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've asked many gardeners that I know what it is. I even used multiple plant identification sites, but no luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jQY3X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jQY3X.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;red leafy plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15780" LastEditorUserId="15780" LastEditDate="2016-09-04T18:35:19.937" LastActivityDate="2016-09-05T12:52:26.900" Title="Need help identifying red leafy plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29071" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29076" CreationDate="2016-09-04T17:44:08.587" Score="3" ViewCount="2467" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently adopted this &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassula_tetragona&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Crassula Tetragona&lt;/a&gt; plant from a friend. It's dropping leaves like crazy. This plant is in a south facing window in San Diego, CA. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't repotted it so I'm not sure about the soil mix it's in. There are both brown dried up leaves and green leaves falling. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could this be due to overwatering? Lack of sunlight? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RN7Mk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RN7Mk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;full plant &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IkV5j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IkV5j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m66be.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m66be.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;root offshoots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14818" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-04T19:36:05.373" LastActivityDate="2016-09-05T02:57:33.587" Title="Problem with Crassula Tetragona" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29072" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-04T18:58:50.247" Score="3" ViewCount="3282" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought these strawberry seeds from aliexpress. And while I am awaiting their arrival, I thought it would be good to find out if strawberries can grow on any soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Though I've not heard anyone say anything about that. Some think it can't grow in Lagos Nigeria. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone with experience in strawberry farming tell me if its possible to grow the plant in Lagos Nigeria specifically? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if not possible, I would like a sound explanation why they cannot grow here. Thanks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15782" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-09-05T10:17:52.527" LastActivityDate="2017-06-20T12:31:08.797" Title="Can I grow strawberries in Lagos Nigeria?" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29073" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29070" CreationDate="2016-09-04T22:25:48.320" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely amaranth, specifically, Amaranthus 'Red Army' or 'Red Garnet' are the likeliest&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.4seasonsseeds.com.au/Amaranth-Greens-Red-Garne&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Amaranth - Red Garnet &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's frost tender, younger leaves are edible, also used for medicinal purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-05T12:52:26.900" LastActivityDate="2016-09-05T12:52:26.900" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29075" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29072" CreationDate="2016-09-05T02:47:45.363" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Of course you will be able to grow strawberries!!  I've never grown strawberries from seed, just from starts.  Where will you be planting these seeds?  I think you should begin by starting them in flats, small tiny pots of POTTING SOIL.  As they grow larger put them in larger pots...for instance: Plant the seeds in 1&quot;X 1&quot;seed starting flats (use potting soil from the store, it is sterilized and there is much more information available on this site).  When roots start coming out of the drain holes, up pot them into 2&quot;X 2&quot; with POTTING SOIL. When they get large enough then transplant them into 4&quot; X 4&quot; pots with potting soil.  When they show roots though the drainage hole then you can harden them off to be able to be planted in the garden.  Start taking them out for half an hour, the next couple of days allow them an hour, the next couple of days allow them 3 hours...after a few weeks of hardening you will be able to plant them in your garden.  Please make raised plant beds...not with wood, concrete but just double dig down at least a foot adding decomposed organic matter.  The bed should be a few feet higher than the original surface at this point.  Dig trenches 6&quot; X 6&quot; at the foot of these beds to collect rain water and direct it where you want the excess water to go.  Use a piece of plywood to compact the soil a bit on the top of the bed (get on top of the plywood and using your weight jump up and down)...then plant your strawberries.  Now is a good time to use a bit of fertilizer but make sure the Nitrogen is lower than the Phosphorus and Potassium in percentage otherwise you will not get reproductive growth.  Strawberries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are planting in pots use STERILIZED STORE BOUGHT POTTING SOIL.  Water well and allow to dry before watering again. No rocks or gravel or anything at the bottom of the pot.  Make sure there are drainage holes. Same type of watering for planting in the garden. Water deeply and allow to dry before the next watering. Strawberries are supposedly only good for 2 seasons then need to be replaced with new plants in new soil, new location.  I am trying my third year in the same location.  Still looking great but I'm not in commercial production, either.  Lots of problems with disease and reduced production. The only time I ever use straw is with strawberries.  It is a great barrier between the fruits and soil and will mitigate botrytis, grey mold, very common, very normal.  As soon as fruits ripen, get them off the plant so others will ripen.  I recommend everbearing versus June bearing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-05T02:47:45.363" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29076" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29071" CreationDate="2016-09-05T02:57:33.587" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are over watering this plant.  It is a succulent which stores moisture for periods of dryness.  I would repot this plant in a clay pot about 2 inches larger in diameter.  No larger.  When you water water lightly and definitely allow to dry out before watering again.  Use only potting soil.  No rocks or gravel beneath the soil at the bottom of the pot.  Creates a perched water table that only exacerbates poor drainage.  Do not use city tap water.  I'd go buy some bottled water.  Do not allow any water to remain in a saucer, do not double the pots like this.  I'd get a wider than tall pot, in clay (breathes and is far better for plants sensitive to too much water).  Use Osmocote extended release fertilizer (14-14-14) once per year.  When roots start growing out of the bottom up pot again into a slightly larger pot same as before.  Make sure it is getting bright light, careful with direct sunlight at first.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-05T02:57:33.587" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29077" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29078" CreationDate="2016-09-05T13:32:58.160" Score="1" ViewCount="16366" Body="&lt;p&gt;With the help of the internet I think I've narrowed down a yellow leaf problem on some peach trees to a couple various causes. However, after comparing pictures - they look different. Back to the drawing board, trying to figure out where I went wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;Here's some other information that may be helpful.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;New trees, planted just this year. (My first time gardening actually)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trees received from someone who knows the importance of organics. Transplanted when they were about 3&quot; tall.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Up until this point, trees have been doing fairly well (aside from pests). The tallest being about 26&quot; (although it's the closest to a field, so I'm assuming it had something to do with fertilizer run-off.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Average tree height is around 12&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trees are planted about 5ft from a ditch line. It rains a couple times a month but I wouldn't think enough to be over-watering them. The ditch is hardly ever saturated except on the day it rains.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Had issues with various pests eating my plants so I spray (a couple times a month) &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000BWY6K2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Garden Safe Organic insecticidal soap&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Family members own a couple bunnies so instead of &quot;wasting&quot; their droppings (See what I did there? :) I put a large amount [big heavy garbage bag full] into a barrel, add water, let sit for several weeks and take 2 cups off for 1 gallon of water.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water them every night in the evening with 2 gallons of water total for 8 plants. About 1/4th gallon per plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;About two month ago, I put some rabbit pellets (plus mulch from cage) at base of plant. It's still there although quite dried out and lost most of the coloring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;First noticed something wrong about two months ago, where one tree in particular had what I thought might of been nutrient burning. The edges of the leaf were a rust looking color. I sparsely resumed using the fertilizer but not as much. [Picture #1]&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After a month, the leaves were still yellowing. I immediately stopped using the bunny fertilizer. [Picture #2]&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After about a month without, a yellow tint around outside of leaves appeared. The rest of the trees finally caught up. Resumed fertilizer yesterday in hopes of fixing because the plants are still moving toward a yellow-droopey state. [Picture #3] (Beware this picture's lighting is over-exposed)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The largest of the trees is still fairly green but is finally starting to yellow on some leaves. This is the color the other plants should be. [Picture #4]&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;Potential causes:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Over watering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nutrient deficiency&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nutrient burning (from manure; even though I stopped for over a month with no change)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Very hot and humid days (this summer got into high nineties (95%F+  at 80%+ humidity)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;Picture time:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;1 - Potential nutrient burning&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HfGH0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HfGH0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Potential nutrient burning&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;2 - First sign of yellowing&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H2c1o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H2c1o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;First sign of yellowing&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;3 - Over-exposed picture of yellowing&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T8RqZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T8RqZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Over-exposed picture of yellowing&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;4 - Largest tree, finally yellowing&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6uo5q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6uo5q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Largest tree, finally yellowing&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7469" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-05T15:14:56.990" LastActivityDate="2016-10-17T20:34:06.577" Title="Why are the leaves of my peach trees turning yellow?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29077" CreationDate="2016-09-05T13:53:28.193" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not 100% sure there's no other problem, but your watering regime is insufficient - young woody plants require probably around 5-8 gallons of water a week each if the weather is hot and dry. It's also best to water more copiously and less often - giving a little every day encourages surface rooting, that is, the plant is learning that water arrives daily, but in order to access it, it needs to put roots towards the surface, when what you want to encourage is deep rooting rather than it rooting in such a way its waiting for you to come along with a couple of pints on a daily basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;New trees also do better if the soil around them,to a distance of 12/18 inches all round, is bare of plant growth, including grass, preferably with mulch of organic origin on the bare soil (though not right up against the stem or trunk), otherwise there's competition for nutrients and water between them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether there are other troubles is hard to say at this stage - the symptoms you describe can easily be accounted for by poor watering technique.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further to your comment, I apologise, I didn't mean to sound reproving, if that's how it seemed; if it's any comfort, watering is the thing people most often get wrong. I'm not sure where you are, but if it's somewhere you get winter, then likely Fall approaches, so don't fertilize any more this year. Note also its never a good idea to give fertilizer to plants which look sick - if the cause isn't shortage of nutrients, the plant can't take the fertilizer up and it may cause additional problems. Diagnosis first, treatment after!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-17T20:34:06.577" LastActivityDate="2016-10-17T20:34:06.577" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29079" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29082" CreationDate="2016-09-05T14:47:58.763" Score="5" ViewCount="16920" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since the pots are plastic, they are not breathable. I made enough holes at the bottom to let the excess water seep out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some time ago, I made some, 1/4 of an inch, holes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AHYNF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AHYNF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But when I watered it with nothing in it, some of the water was retained along the sides(since the bottom is slightly curved inwards). So I made some more, even smaller than 1/4 of an inch, holes. Now much of the water is removed, but not complete. I will show some pics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More holes I made(looking inside the pot):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dj4uo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dj4uo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xrh0Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xrh0Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water retained(I hope it is clearly visible):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vVcPu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vVcPu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now comes the aeration/breathability. Should I make any holes on the side of the pots? If yes, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How many?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much bigger/smaller&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In what manner(refer to final pic with four pots with yellow dots that represents holes of diameter smaller than 1/4 of an inch)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I even bother? Will that be good or bad for my plant and soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6lRw9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6lRw9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-05T15:27:20.543" LastActivityDate="2018-08-06T12:13:18.010" Title="Would holes in the sides of plastic pots impove drainage and aeration?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;aeration&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29080" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-05T15:14:45.537" Score="2" ViewCount="558" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have access to a lot of free comfrey, and was wondering if it would be a bad idea to plant comfrey around the blueberry bushes to get them more nutrients easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-05T18:15:55.687" LastActivityDate="2016-09-05T18:15:55.687" Title="Should comfrey be a companion of blueberries?" Tags="&lt;blueberries&gt;&lt;companion-planting&gt;&lt;comfrey&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29081" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30213" CreationDate="2016-09-05T15:17:51.093" Score="3" ViewCount="67" Body="&lt;p&gt;My sunchokes are starting to flower, is there a special way to cut the flowers off, or should I just cut off the heads when they emerge from the foliage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T03:00:07.150" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T20:05:13.533" Title="Is there a special way to cut off sunchoke flowers?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;sunchoke&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29082" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29079" CreationDate="2016-09-05T16:09:18.873" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, don't bother, it absolutely is not necessary and not a good idea either. Just use the pots as they are - the fact that a little free water is sitting in the bottom of the empty pot in your image isn't an issue. People have been growing plants in plastic pots for decades (including me) without creating 'aeration' holes in the sides, and the plants are just fine. If you did put holes in the sides, as soon as you tried to water anything growing within, it would be pouring out of those holes before the water's had a chance to be taken up by the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-05T16:26:12.397" LastActivityDate="2016-09-05T16:26:12.397" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29083" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29080" CreationDate="2016-09-05T16:34:00.900" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;No. It's not a great companion for anything as a growing plant because it grows rapidly and takes up a lot of nitrogen and minerals from the soil as it does. Precisely because it does that,  though,  Comfrey leaves have their uses; they're often used to make a sort of tea (or sludge, depending) to use as home made fertlizer, or as a 'green manure/mulch' using chopped up leaves, more info here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://permaculturenews.org/2010/10/01/the-wonderful-multi-purpose-comfrey-plant/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://permaculturenews.org/2010/10/01/the-wonderful-multi-purpose-comfrey-plant/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-05T16:34:00.900" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29055" CreationDate="2016-09-05T18:14:09.657" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is indeed a member of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_vera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;aloe&lt;/a&gt; family. As others have said, there are hundreds of types. A good list is provided &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Aloe_species&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. I don't know enough to narrow it down. A &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=aloe+vera&amp;amp;bih=576&amp;amp;biw=1252&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwj4gdzLyfjOAhXGbSYKHWc4D_UQ_AUICSgC&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Google search&lt;/a&gt; brings up pictures which may be helpful. &lt;a href=&quot;http://ladyleeshome.com/aloe-vera-plant-care-and-uses/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; about identification, care, and uses for aloe has a picture that looks similar to yours. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aloe is easy to care for, and can live a long time as a houseplant. It's also happy in a pot outside, as long as you monitor the temperature. A few are hardy to −6.7 °C (20 °F) (hardiness zone 9), but in general temperatures above freezing are your best chance for success. On the other end of the spectrum, it will become brown and wilted in temperatures over 100°F, (38°C), so take it out of the hot sun at the height of the summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can be planted in the ground, but unless you live in ideal outdoor conditions, keeping it in a pot tends to be easier. That way you can move it around over the course of the year, and bring it inside when necessary. However, if you'd rather have it as part of your landscape, it will transplant easily back to a pot for the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aloe has shallow roots, so deep pots aren't necessary, but good drainage is essential. Special soil isn't required, but if you do buy a potting soil, choose a mixture made specifically for cactus and succulents. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water it infrequently, and only when the soil has almost completely dried out. If it's outside, sometimes the rain is enough to keep it going for a month or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Indoors, look for an area near a window that will provide six to eight hours of bright, but not direct, sunlight. If you don't have an ideal spot, supplementing with grow-lights can be helpful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for whether or not it's a cactus, I don't think so. &lt;a href=&quot;http://cactiguide.com/cactiornot/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; has a good list of plants that are commonly mistaken for cactus, but technically aren't. The aloe is listed as one of those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional Sources:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.almanac.com/plant/aloe-vera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Old Farmer's Almanac&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aloeplant.info/treat-your-aloe-as-you-would-like-your-aloe-to-treat-you/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;We Love Aloe!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thegardenhelper.com/aloe~vera.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Garden Helper&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ladyleeshome.com/aloe-vera-plant-care-and-uses/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lady Lee's home&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cactiguide.com/cactiornot/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cacti or Not?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-05T19:53:23.497" LastActivityDate="2016-09-05T19:53:23.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29085" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29086" CreationDate="2016-09-05T21:56:23.583" Score="3" ViewCount="6509" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few streets away, the homeowner said that if I can dig up and move the oak tree pictured below then it is mine. I would love to have this tree in my yard.  I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture, but this tree is a solid 15 ft tall. It may be upwards of 20 ft, it's hard to tell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the homeowner said this is a &quot;live oak&quot;.  What does that mean?  If it matters, I live in coastal North Carolina.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would a normal person like me with a shovel be able to dig up this beautiful oak tree and move it a few streets down to my house and transplant it in my yard?  What would the process be to do this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the picture for a closer view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rPy4X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rPy4Xl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10966" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-26T00:37:35.953" LastActivityDate="2017-12-26T00:37:35.953" Title="How can I transplant this large oak tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29086" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29085" CreationDate="2016-09-05T22:03:38.997" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say no, definitely not, even if you waited till dormancy in winter. It looks like its been in ten years or more, and by now will have an extensive root system both down into the ground and horizontally. A small crane and grab might do it, but even then, there's no guarantee the tree will survive the move. My advice is to leave it right where it is to continue its life and give pleasure to those around, and buy your own tree if you want one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following your comment which advises the tree is being removed anyway, you could attempt to remove it yourself or with a team of people with mechanical means - if it could wait till next year, then trenching this year and removal next year would likely be more successful. But its worth a try rather than just letting it be destroyed...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-06T19:54:04.940" LastActivityDate="2016-09-06T19:54:04.940" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29085" CreationDate="2016-09-06T00:41:40.373" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is possible, but you need heavy equipment. essentially you will be:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;call the tree mover&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tell them where you're pulling the tree from&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tell them where you're putting the tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;let them do the work&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pay the tree company&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2016-11-30T04:07:47.583" LastActivityDate="2016-11-30T04:07:47.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29088" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29094" CreationDate="2016-09-06T01:04:34.963" Score="5" ViewCount="1258" Body="&lt;p&gt;I brought this plant and it didn't have a name or instructions attached to it as other ones they sell. Would anyone know what kind of plant this is and how to maintain it? It's really pretty and I would hate for it to die due to ignorance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BqcMv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BqcMv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant view one&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9lIzq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9lIzq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant view two&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8JjB6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8JjB6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant view three&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sbbw4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sbbw4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant view four&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastEditorUserId="13114" LastEditDate="2016-09-07T00:28:00.570" LastActivityDate="2016-09-07T16:29:07.083" Title="What is this hanging, green-white plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29089" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-06T02:29:03.107" Score="3" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IwIv0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IwIv0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;White flower found on a lake shore in Maine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15787" LastEditorUserId="14952" LastEditDate="2016-09-07T01:37:20.270" LastActivityDate="2016-09-07T01:37:20.270" Title="What is this white flower found on a lake shore in Maine?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29090" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29085" CreationDate="2016-09-06T02:32:30.520" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't need to wait for it to be dormant in winter, but you do need to hire a contractor with the proper tools for the job, like this: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ruskins.co.uk/tree-spade&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.ruskins.co.uk/tree-spade&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Transwiki:Digging_trees_and_shrubs_for_transplanting&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Transwiki:Digging_trees_and_shrubs_for_transplanting&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a video of moving an oak tree:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8V886olvEQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8V886olvEQ&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will then need to water the tree &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; regularly for the next few months, until its roots have started to grow out into the surrounding soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But for a fairly average-looking specimen as in the OP's photo, you might prefer to save your money and just wait a few years to grow another tree to the same size as the one you are losing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastEditorUserId="11120" LastEditDate="2016-09-06T02:39:26.700" LastActivityDate="2016-09-06T02:39:26.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29091" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29092" CreationDate="2016-09-06T05:26:08.433" Score="0" ViewCount="146" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there more than just 2 bockings, if so what do you use them for, and how do you identify them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-09-06T19:34:01.790" Title="Why do you only hear of comfrey bocking 4 and bocking 14?" Tags="&lt;comfrey&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2016-09-08T20:39:02.400" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29092" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29091" CreationDate="2016-09-06T05:51:35.947" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aparently there are multiple cultivars 1-21 as indicated in &lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.de/books?id=MOnw2uftkm4C&amp;amp;pg=PT197&amp;amp;lpg=PT197&amp;amp;dq=comfrey+bocking+2&amp;amp;source=bl&amp;amp;ots=BooUK5ngJz&amp;amp;sig=RFS6iBo7wQ5HKw2fPfVKo0SyEtY&amp;amp;hl=de&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwigv-CDhPrOAhVJDJoKHRrFBHsQ6AEINDAI#v=onepage&amp;amp;q=comfrey%20bocking%202&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this book&lt;/a&gt; and mentioned in &lt;a href=&quot;https://permies.com/t/15975/plants/Comfrey-Bocking-Clarification&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;this forum&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason Bocking 4 and 14 are usually mentioned and available seems to be that those hybrids are those with the best results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In addition to what John said let me add, the term &quot;Bocking&quot; refers to a village subdistrict, in Braintree district, Essex in England. The term was applied to comfrey by Lawrence D. Hills who chose it during his research simply because it was the location of his research. He firgured that way Bocking would be universal and used in any language. Where had he said say variety 4, in Spain it would be variedad 4 and in say Italy it would be varietà 4, etc. Where as Bocking would be called Bocking by everyone.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;   [..]  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The next thing people ask than is what happened to Bocking 1-3 and 4-13 and are there any higher than 14. The basic answer is that 4 and 14 ended up being the two that grew best and worked best as fodder and fertility yields.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;sup&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://permies.com/t/15975/plants/Comfrey-Bocking-Clarification&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;(Source)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-09-06T19:34:01.790" LastActivityDate="2016-09-06T19:34:01.790" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29088" CreationDate="2016-09-06T06:55:44.537" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you have is &quot;Marble Queen&quot; Pothos, a variegated variety of Pothos, Epipremnum aureum. This is a very easy to maintain houseplant. It is also quite easy to propagate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please refer to the internet where extensive information on maintenance is available. Low to moderate light, moist soil and very occasional fertilization is all that is usually needed. I'd definitely keep the plant away from pets.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FYI, I grow this outdoors in Zone 9B in a very shaded area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-06T06:55:44.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29095" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29088" CreationDate="2016-09-06T10:42:36.950" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure this is Epipremnum (Pothos), I'm wondering if it might be Peperomia obtusifolia variegata.The leaves on Peperomia are thicker or more fleshy with a more generally rounded shape, whereas Epripremnum has more consistently pointed, heart shaped leaves. Image and info:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.south-florida-plant-guide.com/peperomia.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.south-florida-plant-guide.com/peperomia.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now you've added more pics, the way that longer stem curls back on itself means it has to be Epipremnum - but I'm pretty sure its not Marble Queen. Could be 'Pearls and Jade', a newer sport from Marble Queen, or even Epipremnum N'Joy, though the two are remarkably similar in appearance - image of E. N'joy in link below. Both these varieties are said to be more compact than others. Either way it's an Epipremnum, common name Pothos. Relatively easy to care for, does not appear to need higher light levels than the plain green version, retaining its coloration well in shade. They're not too keen on direct sunlight, so a position in bright to medium light should be fine. Water liberally spring through to end of summer, but allow the potting medium to dry out slightly between waterings - just so it's a little dry to the touch, but not so dry it's shrunk from the sides of the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.canarius.com/en/plants/epipremnum-aureum-cv-n-joy.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.canarius.com/en/plants/epipremnum-aureum-cv-n-joy.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also looks like it'll need repotting next spring, there's a lot of plant compared to size of pot. If you lived next door, I'd be nipping a cutting or two of that, it's a little beauty - never seen it here in the UK - yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-07T16:29:07.083" LastActivityDate="2016-09-07T16:29:07.083" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29096" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7213" CreationDate="2016-09-06T11:24:32.987" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can test the spark using a short test lead with alligator clips.  Remove the spark plug, reconnect the plug wire and using the test lead, connect the plug ground electrode to a good engine ground point. Turn on the ignition switch and pull the starting cord quickly.  You should see a spark in the plug gap.  Since the spark may be faint, it may help to do the test in a dark area. If there is no spark, check for a broken or shorted (bare) lead wire or bad switch.  I've had to replace the switch on my edger twice.  It uses the same switch as many other edgers and trimmers.  If it's not a lead wire or switch, replace the coil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15791" LastActivityDate="2016-09-06T11:24:32.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28949" CreationDate="2016-09-06T12:58:05.993" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How should it look like?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should look like very fine, dark-brown earth. And there should be no worm or very few in it: worms climb up your pile where fresh material is added.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nBOr6.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nBOr6.png&quot; alt=&quot;vermi-compost without worms&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually, this is what you will get at the bottom of your pile. You can't have your whole batch turn into compost entirely, since constantly have to add new nutriments on top otherwise your worms will get hungry and start migrating... elsewhere in your kitchen... no just kidding, you don't starve poor little wormy, do you?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How long to wait?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can take up to wait 6 moths to a year; but some say it can take less.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You can also us the smell:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want a nice earthy smell. If it smells sour or rotten there's probably got too much water and not enough air. If it smells of ammonia, you've got too much nitrogen (&quot;greens&quot;) and not enough carbon (&quot;browns&quot;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2016-09-07T13:36:22.467" LastActivityDate="2016-09-07T13:36:22.467" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29098" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29089" CreationDate="2016-09-06T13:09:57.937" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the assumption the foliage in the picture is part of the flowers (its hard to tell from the pic) it appears to be Chelone glabra, common name turtlehead, a plant which occurs in the wild in wet or damp ground, often near water. It's a perennial plant which is in flower between July and October.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/mobile.plant/ID/153&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/mobile.plant/ID/153&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-06T13:09:57.937" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29099" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-06T16:11:52.313" Score="5" ViewCount="1290" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to try growing some oak trees from acorns. When should I collect acorns for this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I pick them as soon as they appear on the tree? Or leave them a while to 'ripen', or change colour? Or wait for them to fall off the trees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Specifically in the UK, so Sessile oak (Quercus petraea) or Pedunculate oak (Quercus robur). Or maybe more exotic oaks if I can find any.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14515" LastActivityDate="2016-09-06T19:44:12.287" Title="When to collect acorns for planting?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29100" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-06T16:14:00.560" Score="3" ViewCount="1614" Body="&lt;p&gt;Had a small brush fire and 2 of my cedars were damaged and burnt, will they grow back.  The damage was pretty severe. It burned back to the main structure of the tree leaving the main trunk and bigger part of the branches black and stripped of any foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15792" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-08T15:22:58.730" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T15:22:58.730" Title="Will cedar trees damaged by fire grow back?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29101" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29099" CreationDate="2016-09-06T16:25:05.230" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are various methods for growing from acorns, many involving soaking them and peeling the skin off, or putting them in a refrigerator for a while (not necessary in the UK) but the simplest is probably the one outlined in the link below, aimed at children, where you just stick 'em in a pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can wait for them to fall from the tree, then pick them up as soon as possible, but they should not be old, damaged or dried out - the cap should come away easily from the bottom, and only use acorns which are undamaged. If you try picking them from the tree, you may find the cap doesn't part from the acorn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/gardening-children-schools/family-activities/grow-it/grow/oak&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/gardening-children-schools/family-activities/grow-it/grow/oak&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you stand the pot outside, if you have lots of squirrels around, it's probably wise to cage or protect the pot in some way to keep them from digging up the contents - the highest risk of this happening is from mid September up to mid November.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-06T19:44:12.287" LastActivityDate="2016-09-06T19:44:12.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29099" CreationDate="2016-09-06T19:20:18.727" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Collect them, as soon as they fall.&lt;/strong&gt; There is no need to climb a tree, as tempting as it sounds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good acorn is fresh, rather big, feels plump and heavy, the cap comes off easily and it shows no signs of damage like holes (insects), cracks or mould. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Left alone outside, the acorn will germinate in spring or, as I have observed, some rather eager quercus robur specimens will push out their taproot during late autumn already. Most sources suggest stratification (&quot;leaving them outside&quot; is the easiest method), but apparently a cold and wet autumn will be enough already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you want to sow them in directly the garden, burying them ca. 1 inch deep in a well-mulched bed is your best option in my experience: I have pulled dozens and dozens of &quot;volunteers&quot; over the years... If you want to transplant them, note that oaks have a strong taproot, so dig deeply and carefully. I suggest transplanting the seedlings in early spring, right after germination. Plant enough, in case squirrels, jays or other animals step by for their share - or consider netting.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In pots, the same rules apply: plant as soon as possible, leave the pots outside and enjoy your seedlings come spring. Don't forget to water during winter if necessary. Note that narrow, but high pots are better suited for oaks than shallow and wide ones, the kind used for roses is excellent.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no need to fuss with the seeds themselves, like breaking or cutting the outer shell. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2817/how-do-i-start-an-oak-tree-from-an-acorn&quot;&gt;Another question about red oak&lt;/a&gt; discusses the questionable necessity in detail and I simply wouldn't bother. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Side note, speaking from experience with quercus robur:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;They come in two varieties, one will drop all leaves in a very short time in autumn, the other will hold onto most of them until spring, when the new leaves literally &quot;push off&quot; the old brown ones. Apparently this is a hereditary trait with regional prevalence of either kind. If you like, you can observe your potential &quot;parents&quot; and pick whichever you prefer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-09-06T19:20:18.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29103" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29100" CreationDate="2016-09-06T19:58:30.427" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sadly, if the trees are still alive, they may regrow - but only at the top or the ends of any branches which are still viable. It will not regenerate or grow new branches or needles where they once existed. You might want to consider removing them and replanting, or just wait and see how they look if they do start growing again. This answer assumes you mean Cedrus varieties when you say Cedar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-06T19:58:30.427" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29104" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-06T20:43:45.817" Score="2" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing an obscure strain of &quot;tripled perennial wheat&quot; originally purchased from Caleb Warnock's Seed Renaissance. I've been learning about growing grains, and had made the ignorant mistake of mulching this patch with straw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect that has caused the disease that they are now showing. It has started to be the rainy season here (Western Washington state in September). Is there anything I can do to help these successfully set seed? I am trying to grow out my seed, and don't want to lose a year's progress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I found a few nifty wheat disease identification pages:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/smgrains/pp1552.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/smgrains/pp1552.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.utcrops.com/wheat/Presentations/Newman%20Wheat%20Diseases.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.utcrops.com/wheat/Presentations/Newman%20Wheat%20Diseases.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After reviewing those, it looks like maybe this is some kind of blotch. And I found another page that suggests that Stagonospora nodorum blotch is transmitted by... wait for it... wheat stubble. : (&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit 2: I think I'll try removing as much of the diseased leaves as I have patience for, and then applying a baking soda spray to try to prevent the remaining healthy tissues from being impacted. The disease is pretty advanced, but I just want to get some seeds if I can...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.naturalgardeneraustin.com/baking-soda-fungicide.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.naturalgardeneraustin.com/baking-soda-fungicide.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nrEuf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nrEuf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9OU1F.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9OU1F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10887" LastEditorUserId="10887" LastEditDate="2016-09-07T16:02:51.110" LastActivityDate="2016-09-07T16:02:51.110" Title="I've got a disease in my wheat... is there anything I can do organically?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29104" CreationDate="2016-09-06T22:47:07.907" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Western Washington State University...Do you mean Ellensburg or Pullman?  I went to WSU. I lived West of Ellensburg and took my third Master Gardener course by WSU there.  WSU has incredible horticulture/agriculture programs. Grasses, wheat, oats and agriculture is a tough thing to have learned or to be taught.  (My initial thought was Thrip from your pictures).  This environment in not a normal wheat producing environment, it is in a garden protected from wind, GMO and pesticides.  What are your goals here?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were you (I've been through WSU's cooperative extension service for Master Gardeners three times including any seminar I could take...all gardeners should take this course that is offered through Universities in every state) I'd contact them.  Central Washington College is in Ellensburg and has little that I know about in terms of horticulture, Landscape Architecture, Botany and Agriculture.  Also, other incredible courses are taught by the Pesticide Applicator licensing people who are also part of WSU extension service (Puyallup) They do not teach how to use pesticides, they teach how not to use any pesticide/herbicide.  How to read the label 5X.  They teach maintenance crews the basics of botany, entomology, soils and critical stuff to know to maintain gardens.  Seriously a super service!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-06T22:47:07.907" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29106" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-07T00:09:10.973" Score="4" ViewCount="2081" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted the vine in early Spring.  It seemed to grow quite well for the first few months.  However, over the last several weeks some of the older leaves have begun to yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UQ9J9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UQ9J9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;First image of grape vine&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tnGKF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tnGKF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(For what it's worth I have no experience with grapes.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14621" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T06:25:45.350" Title="Do yellowing grape leaves indicate a serious problem?" Tags="&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29107" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-07T00:51:05.317" Score="3" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is a few months old.  I'm in zone 10A.  Although the vines continue to spread, it has always looked sickly like this with curled up leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gkxi8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gkxi8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14621" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T12:18:19.650" Title="What's wrong with my weak cantaloupe plants?" Tags="&lt;melons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29109" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29115" CreationDate="2016-09-07T04:28:43.170" Score="7" ViewCount="775" Body="&lt;p&gt;I regretfully come posting asking for advice on how to get rid of a very tenacious spider mite infestation in one room of my indoor plants. I have become convinced these pests have become pesticide resistant because they have shrugged off neem oil, tobacco water, Sevin (Carbaryl), Malathion (a very strong organophosphate pesticide), Doktor Doom (pyrethrin, both the fogger and the spray), and something that came highly recommended called Wipeout.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each attempt was whole-hearted, with me applying the pesticide at least 4 times liberally on the undersides of the leaves, spaced 3 days apart to get rid of the newly hatched eggs. Each time I see improvement for about a week before the leaves start getting sucked dry at an even more accelerated rate. I have also tried dusting with diatomaceous earth, and wiping down the affected leaves, all to no avail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am certain it is spider mites and not some nutritional deficiency because their webs are noticeable, I can see the wretched creatures when I inspect the leaves with a high powered magnifying glass, and its affecting multiple species of plant. Unfortunately heavy spraying with water is a non-viable option as the plants (mainly &lt;em&gt;plumeria&lt;/em&gt; species) will suffer root rot if given too much water. I really do not want to have to discard these plants because they are fairly mature and rather unique varieties. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything on earth that will kill these vile pests without destroying my &lt;em&gt;plumerias&lt;/em&gt;? As you can see I am willing to use just about any chemical at this point, but I am open to just about any suggestion. Your help is much appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[UPDATE] I tried both of Shule's suggestions of wiping down the leaves with rubbing alcohol and I spent some money on the predatory mites recommended. Rubbing alcohol didn't seem to damage the leaves terribly, and was very effective on the large broad leaves of the &lt;em&gt;plumeria&lt;/em&gt; where it was fairly easy to wipe evenly. None of the leaves I wiped down suffered any additional damage. It was less effective on my ornamental peas where the small leaves made it difficult and tedious to wipe all the leaves. So I spent $60 on some &lt;em&gt;Phytoseiulus persimilis&lt;/em&gt; mites. I hope they become established and permanently rid my plants of the irritating spider mites. I guess the moral of the story is &lt;strong&gt;don't use pesticides against spider mites&lt;/strong&gt;. Thank you everyone for helping save my plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15797" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-22T16:44:35.940" LastActivityDate="2016-11-22T16:44:35.940" Title="Get rid of pesticide resistant Spider Mites?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;spider-mites&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29109" CreationDate="2016-09-07T06:38:11.257" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It makes me crazy to read that you may use pesticide &lt;em&gt;inside&lt;/em&gt;... I re-read your question and saw it was a plant garden. Never mind. Be careful with pesticide. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing you could try is to use &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Diatomaceous Earth&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. This will arm any insect or arthropods because its so thin that it goes inside their joins and break them down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plus, it is not a chemical you can't use in &lt;em&gt;organic&lt;/em&gt; gardens: its a natural occurring type of soil, with no known health impact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2016-09-07T06:38:11.257" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29106" CreationDate="2016-09-07T09:20:45.357" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should fertilize them. If it will not become much more severe, just do it this winter, else you can use additionally some leaf (liquid) fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a frequent problem on new plants, especially if there were in past other plants/herbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-09-07T09:20:45.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29109" CreationDate="2016-09-07T13:28:48.763" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spider mites like warm, dry conditions and will thrive in such an environment, so it sounds as if that's what you've provided them with. Plumeria species like to be kept evenly moist from spring through summer, with significantly reduced watering in winter when they're dormant. They also like moderate air humidity - humidity and a plant that's well watered means spider mites don't like the conditions so much. You've mentioned Plumeria, but haven't said what your other plants are, so as far as the Plumeria are concerned, you could use pebble trays half filled with water to stand the plants on to increase humidity around them. More info here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/plumeria-care.html&quot;&gt;http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/plumeria-care.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for chemical treatments, the latest recommendation is to use a specific miticide spray rather than general insecticides, so you could try that. There's one on Amazon in the States called Mantis, but I can't speak for its efficacy. You might be interested to read the link below - it speaks of spider mite outdoors, but says there is evidence to suggest that some insecticides actually increase spider mite population, although quite why is anybody's guess, other than the assumption that insecticides are indiscriminate and kill other insects which may prey on the mites. Sevin, pyrethroids and some organo phosphates are mentioned as having this effect, so you might have been unwittingly exacerbating the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://columbustelegram.com/news/local/use-caution-with-insecticides-to-control-spider-mites/article_b6213642-a087-5be6-9b3f-96def4881f42.html&quot;&gt;http://columbustelegram.com/news/local/use-caution-with-insecticides-to-control-spider-mites/article_b6213642-a087-5be6-9b3f-96def4881f42.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-07T14:03:57.420" LastActivityDate="2016-09-07T14:03:57.420" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29113" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-07T14:52:38.563" Score="3" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;My tomatoes seem to have a virus causing leaves to die and stems to turn dark brown and some tomatoes blackish but I still have tomatoes on the higher branches that look unaffected at the moment.&#xA;  Are they safe to eat?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15800" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-07T22:56:49.580" LastActivityDate="2016-09-07T22:56:49.580" Title="Tomato virus attack" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fruit-drop&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29114" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29113" CreationDate="2016-09-07T16:29:49.817" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, just because a tomato doesn't show signs of a pathogen, doesn't mean it is safe to eat. You need to get to the root of the problem first.  I would highly recommend you first remove all the bad tomatoes from the plant and toss them. Go here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tomatodirt.com/tomato-diseases.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;tomato help&lt;/a&gt; This may help in diagnosing your disease.  If it's a fungus follow my next point. Second, go get some fertilizer with fungal killer.  It's not necessarily a virus affecting your tomatoes.  Treat the tomatoes with that and see if they perk up and look normal again. Just follow the recommendations on the package.  If it is another kind of pathogen, follow the instructions on the website.  Don't risk your own health on something that may cause you to get sick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15655" LastActivityDate="2016-09-07T16:29:49.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29115" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29109" CreationDate="2016-09-08T00:50:48.483" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Predatory mites that eat spider mites might help. You can buy them, but they may be expensive. Make sure to remove any substances left on the plants that might kill the predatory mites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a similar problem. This may not be an option for you, but I decided just not to start my garden plants indoors because of the spider mites. They didn't seem to be a problem started in the unheated greenhouse while they were there, except on a few ground cherries that I left in there too long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think all our apple trees and rose bushes attracted the spider mites, and they made their way indoors somehow. I think they'll be less of a problem if we remove the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't found anything that I've actually used that gets rid of spider mites. I haven't tried predatory mites, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard that rubbing alcohol might be effective (I'm not sure about the eggs). I'm not sure if that would damage your plants. I haven't tried it. This makes me wonder if anti-lice shampoo would work, and if it would be safe. Probably not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the spider mites hang out in the soil, too (not just on the leaves and stems). I've seen webs going to and from the soil (so that's my rationale). They also seem to hang out on plants they don't damage (so they can help to reinfect other plants). So, if you missed them in the soil or neighboring healthy plants when you tried neem oil, maybe try it again, covering the soil and the plant, and &lt;em&gt;all&lt;/em&gt; the other plants. Neem oil is supposed to stop them from knowing they need to eat, drink and breed. I don't know that it kills them outright. Maybe a combination of that with a miticide at the same time would help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Predatory mites sounds potentially a lot easier than other options, though. I'm guessing they may need a water source like ladybugs do to keep them alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ladybugs don't seem to eliminate spider mites, by the way (even indoors; yes, we had some indoors once, with infected plants--not loads of them, though).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry I wasn't more help. I'm interested in the answers you get, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T00:50:48.483" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29116" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-08T04:31:43.590" Score="6" ViewCount="7630" Body="&lt;p&gt;My pumpkin vine is very healthy, but the pumpkins grow to about the size of a golf ball and die. I water them and they are in good soil. Why is this happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15803" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:19:12.383" LastActivityDate="2021-05-19T01:07:22.547" Title="Why are my pumpkins only growing small, then dying?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29117" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-08T06:22:47.650" Score="2" ViewCount="1060" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bronze loquat in my front yard and noticed some dark brown spots (see pictures) on the leaves. I need help identifying what the plant disease is and what I can do to get rid of it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9fAvg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9fAvg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vxE7g.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vxE7g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2019-04-03T16:05:32.233" Title="Need help with disease on bronze loquat" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29106" CreationDate="2016-09-08T06:25:45.350" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few grape vines and this is normal. As we approach the fall/winter season, the levels start drying up and wither. All that will be left is the stem. You should train the vine and prune off the excess branches so when new leaves sprout next spring, the stronger branches will develop the leaves and fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T06:25:45.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29107" CreationDate="2016-09-08T06:28:04.473" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like it needs water. I noticed that the soil is quite dry as well. I would try to give it more water especially if the temperatures right now are higher than normal&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T06:28:04.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29120" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-08T09:51:55.060" Score="2" ViewCount="432" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hundreds of aphids have decided to take up residency on the various veggies in the aquaponics system I help maintain; gorging insidiously on the plants and multiplying by the dozens. If not stopped soon, I fear it will be too late to turn things around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My relatively small recirculating system consists of two long/shallow grow basins (containing mostly lettuces, broccoli and parsley at the moment) connected to three barrel-like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barramundi&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;barramundi&lt;/a&gt; tanks housed in an adjacent space; we cycle the water through continually and maintain a constant growing temperature to ensure optimal crop yield. It's not a half-bad set up if I don't say so myself, and annoyingly these pests seem to think so too!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We need them evicted as soon as possible for the greater good of the plants, but doing so is proving a challenge. Any chemical or kitchen remedies for aphids - like the garlic and vinegar solution - were immediately scratched, since anything we spray on or around the plants will get into the water and effectively be sprayed on the fish as well. Hearty as they are, I'm sure barramundi don't particularly enjoy breathing garlic water. Plus, we're an all organic system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, any ideas on how to tackle this problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15804" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-08T15:07:16.380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T15:07:16.380" Title="How can I organically get rid of aphids in my aquaponics system?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;&lt;aquaponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29121" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29107" CreationDate="2016-09-08T12:18:19.650" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If this is not a vertical picture, which I don't think it is, allow the melons to grow up a trellis.  This is will help in the natural growth of your melons.  Then make sure to water your melons on a regular basis, providing the soil enough water to stay moist.  You don't want to overwater the melon but your vines look rather dry.  So I would recommend you increase your water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure how far apart you grew your melons but typical space between melons should be about 36-42 inches apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15655" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T12:18:19.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29120" CreationDate="2016-09-08T12:40:15.387" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately the products that can control aphids are either not organic or they are organic, but also toxic to fish (ex. pyrethrins). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems like you've got three options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Manual control - you systematically poke through each plant and smash the aphids OR you can use a strong jet of water to dislodge them (at which point they become Barramundi food?). This will take diligence and regular intervention as it is unlikely you will completely eradicate them. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Disconnect the terrestrial system from the aquatic system for a period long enough to treat the aphids with pyrethrins and to allow those pyrethrins to degrade. They break down relatively quickly in UV light.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Start over - here again you'll want to disconnect the terrestrial component from the aquatic. Then remove all the plants and planting media, sanitize the containers and hardware, then finally install new media and replant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T12:40:15.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29123" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29130" CreationDate="2016-09-08T12:59:17.777" Score="2" ViewCount="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few of these plants growing in my garden along a trelace fence in the south of the UK. Although I've seen them in my local area grown as more of a mounded shrub.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i78qt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i78qt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n0z2F.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n0z2F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see, the individual branches grow in long thin cane like structures with no discerning taper along their length. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never seen it flower or fruit, but it is usually kept trimmed and it seems to train itself up the trelace.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T18:55:28.610" Title="Help identifying this plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29124" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-08T13:24:30.063" Score="5" ViewCount="1272" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is this plant growing right out from the wall of my and my neighbor's balcony (1st floor). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this plant bad for the building/wall/balcony? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I let it grow? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I cut it? But if I cut it, new shoots will grow (happened before). What should I do to completely remove this plant?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yyfu4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yyfu4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q7ius.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q7ius.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4GZJj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4GZJj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RuLa1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RuLa1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-17T10:18:52.230" LastActivityDate="2018-04-17T10:18:52.230" Title="What to do with the plant/tree growing right from the wall of my and neighbour's balcony?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29125" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29129" CreationDate="2016-09-08T13:37:20.847" Score="2" ViewCount="898" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just bought a new house, with a somewhat overgrown front garden. Mostly I need to do some pruning and shaping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They planted some ground cover, including ivy. Strangely, while the ground cover seems well established, there's still a lot of tall grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sPieD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sPieD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;competing ground cover&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm curious about the best way to get rid of the remaining grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I just wait for the ground cover to strangle the remaining grass?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need a very thorough weeding?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7221" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T16:02:07.913" Title="How to get rid of grass between ground cover?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29126" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-08T13:38:03.017" Score="2" ViewCount="6878" Body="&lt;p&gt;After doing some work in my garden there are areas of the grass with dirt on it. What can I do to remove it effectively?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YUpL4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YUpL4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YUpL4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Picture source.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2487" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T19:31:52.157" Title="How to get rid of dirt that is lying on grass?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29127" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29135" CreationDate="2016-09-08T13:49:03.117" Score="4" ViewCount="485" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought the house in January. There are two apple trees side by side. One is more of a crab apple tree with mall apples that turn red. But the other tree grows bigger yellow-ish apples. I've picked enough to bake a pie and it was really good! Some are a little more sour than others but still nice and sweet.  I'm just wondering what type of apple it is. I googled it and got different answers, including Pristine, Lodi, Golden Delicious, Ginger Gold, etc.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway I'd love to know what apples these are when I share my next pie! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uva9V.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uva9V.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sFKtv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sFKtv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15805" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-08T15:11:17.980" LastActivityDate="2019-11-18T11:15:42.210" Title="What apple tree is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29128" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29126" CreationDate="2016-09-08T13:50:28.277" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pick up what you can with a dustpan and stiff brush, or other means, then just use a stiffish broom (not too stiff) to brush it in order to spread it out, till it more or less disappears. If this is caused by where you've dug plants up and put them on the grass, next time, use a tarp or sheet of plastic laid on top of the grass, then fold over, pick it up and tip the soil on open ground. Much easier that way...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T13:50:28.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29129" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29125" CreationDate="2016-09-08T13:54:57.913" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need a very thorough weeding because unfortunately, your ground cover plants will not out compete the grass, more the other way around, except for the ivy, which in itself is difficult to control. If you find its impossible to extract the grass roots without damaging roots of plants you want to keep, its probably best to wait till Fall (whenever that is where you are), then dig up the plants as well, extract all the grass roots, keep the plants covered or sit them in containers with the roots in water at the bottom temporarily, dig the area over to remove any remaining grass and replant the plants. Water in well. Best completed in a day if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that sounds like too much work, then you can always try spraying the grass with a weedkiller like glyphosate, but you'd need to protect the other plants around it from the spray or it will kill those too. Some weedkillers that work on grass might be available in a paint on form - I've never found them very effective, but maybe you have a bigger range of this type of weedkiller where you are than we do here in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-08T16:02:07.913" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T16:02:07.913" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29130" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29123" CreationDate="2016-09-08T18:55:28.610" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasminum_nudiflorum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Jasminum nudiflorum&lt;/a&gt; or &quot;Winter Jasmine&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Winter jasmine is a slender, deciduous shrub native to China. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental and is reportedly naturalized in France and in scattered locations in the United States.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;General Care: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/winter-jasmine-jasminum-nudiflorum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fine Gardening&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=1061&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Royal Horticulture Society&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Winter jasmine is best pruned in spring, immediately after flowering. Flowers develop on the previous year's growth. Pruning after flowering gives the new growth time to mature and flower next season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lLRta.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lLRta.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/agrsd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/agrsd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T18:55:28.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29131" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29132" CreationDate="2016-09-08T19:19:36.877" Score="4" ViewCount="782" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help identify this plant. The cutting rooted and it's now flowering,  but I have no idea what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mh1j5l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mh1j5l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15103" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:20:35.033" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:20:35.033" Title="Plant with pink five-petalled flowers and waxy ovate leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29132" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29131" CreationDate="2016-09-08T19:24:43.087" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharanthus_roseus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Catharanthus roseus&lt;/a&gt;, commonly known as the Madagascar periwinkle or rosy periwinkle. It is native and endemic to Madagascar, but grown elsewhere as an ornamental and medicinal plant, a source of the drugs vincristine and vinblastine, used to treat cancer. Other English names include Vinca, Cape periwinkle, rose periwinkle, rosy periwinkle, and &quot;old-maid&quot;. It was formerly included in the genus Vinca as Vinca rosea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i1khQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i1khQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-09-08T19:26:06.047" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T19:26:06.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29126" CreationDate="2016-09-08T19:31:52.157" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The tarp thing works so very well especially to collect yard debris.  I have to tell you this is no big deal for your lawn.  I charged money to 'top dress' or dump soil on the lawns. We used big wide not too soft of brooms to knock piles of soil we dumped on the lawn. Then we'd reseed and roll.  Grass is pretty tough stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After aerating leave all the plugs of soil on your lawn without messing with them at all.  Mole hills, just knock them down with a broom and be glad they are top dressing, eating grubs and aerating your lawn bed, for free!  I am much more worried about the health of your lawn.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are mowing either too short or this is warm season grass.  The color shows that fertilizer is needed and soon.  Don't use a fast, synthetic fertilizer...go find a good organic (extended release) fertilizer.  My favorite (and I used this commercially without charging my clients more) was Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer.  More expensive but so very worth the extra bucks.  Doesn't have to be Dr. Earth...but look at the ingredients and shop around a bit!  These new type of organic fertilizers are fantastic.  I am not an 'organic or natural' label lover at all but these slow release fertilizers blew me away with the results.  This one has bacteria included that is necessary to decompose thatch.  Far slower results than Scott's or Ortho's intense and fast fertilizers but the slower, longer acting fertilizers I think are healthier for plants.  The other upside is that it lasts longer.  I only had to use it 2 or 3 times per year versus 4 times per year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know where you live and a picture of your entire lawn.  This picture is showing too much space between grass plants.  Which means lots and lots of room for weed seeds to germinate.  Very stressed grasses.  When did you aerate last?  Have you used any other chemicals such as lime, moss killer (sulfur), weed killer?  And if these are cool season grasses please do not mow any shorter than 3&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Everyone loves to emulate a golf course. Golf courses use shallow rooted grass that are usually a 'weed' grass like Poa annua.  They choose this species mix so the grass is able to be mowed short, have little debris,  yet needs constant fertilizer and constant daily watering.  Sadly, the golf course grasses ruin all the lawns of the homes built around the edges of the golf course. Birds eat the grass seed of the Poa annua and poop it out on the dark green lawns of the homes. The golf course grasses are lighter in color and shallow rooted.  Even healthy lawns of the residences that were mowed no shorter than 3&quot;, fertilized correctly, watered deeply to train the roots to be deep and drought tolerant easily discouraging any shallow rooted grasses to germinate...still got this lighter grass of the golf course to take hold.  Looked awful. My clients gave up and I removed the lawns to install gravel walks, patios, plant beds instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mow no shorter than 3&quot;...not 2 1/2 but 3&quot;.  Water one inch per week and train your lawn to be able to enjoy one deep watering per week.  Lots of other lawn prescriptions on this site in more detail you should read.  You'll only be buzzing the tops of the grasses each week with little debris (I believe in bagging and using the debris on plant beds thinly, I've not found a true mulching mower).  Send more information if you are able!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T19:31:52.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29134" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22161" CreationDate="2016-09-08T19:42:02.453" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SYlxl.jpghttp://i.stack.imgur.com/SYlxl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SYlxl.jpghttp://i.stack.imgur.com/SYlxl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I moved the plant in spring back to it's original position (full sun and open ground) and cut all the stems off (which just left a little stump).  I fed it every two weeks and watered when needed and after a few weeks new shoots appeared.  New leaves appeared not long after and 4 months on the result is a beautiful healthy new bush with no sign of any nodules. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15808" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T19:42:02.453" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29135" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29127" CreationDate="2016-09-08T19:49:57.123" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are so very many cultivars of apples that unless you went to an apple orchard master or a botanist at a University who could put a flower on a microscope there is just no way to tell you exactly what you have in that pie!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This looks like a Golden Delicious type versus the tarter, firmer Granny Smith type.  There are probably 6 or 7 different other varieties for each of these two 'types' (my own description). If not more. Perhaps there will be someone else to answer that knows Apple species/varieties better than me!  You probably know what I mean by the Green 'Jonagold' (hybrid of Jonathan and Golden Delicious) and 'Granny Smith' types.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T19:49:57.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29136" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29124" CreationDate="2016-09-08T20:07:19.863" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, the plant, like most others is not going to be safe for the building. You would need to have the plant removed properly. If you do not have the required experience, a tree removal service should be called, so they can get to the roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to try to do the fix by yourself, you need to get as many as, and preferably all the roots of this plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then, you need to patch up the area to prevent future growth, by this, or other plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T20:07:19.863" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29137" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-08T20:10:36.867" Score="4" ViewCount="2517" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have white fig trees in my yard, and this year we are experiencing figs that seem to be waterlogged, and are now turning brown and falling from the tree.  Some that have remained on the tree have literally dried up (so much so that when I touch them they break off if my hand).  We have never had any issues with them before. What is wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15809" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T02:51:05.423" LastActivityDate="2019-07-28T02:26:33.297" Title="Why are the figs rotting on my tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29138" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29124" CreationDate="2016-09-08T20:30:05.570" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Shoot, I disagree.  That plant has been there for awhile and the building is still there, grins!  At first I thought it might be Clematis armandii the evergreen clematis vine.  White flowers, very fragrant?  That trunk looks old and if it hasn't caused problems it probably won't in your lifetime.  It was obviously planted for that screen.  I would leave it alone for awhile.  Certainly won't cause anymore damage but you'll know what it is and enjoy it before knowing enough to make final decisions.  Clematis armandii, thrives in shade, helps with privacy, fragrant and is evergreen.  A rare shade loving evergreen vine.  Could be something else, a flower would be lovely or a bud for ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To remove it do it in the winter during dormancy. You could dig it up and plant it elsewhere so it doesn't bother you or perhaps the structure.  Myself, I'd cut out that concrete so there is at least a 2 foot wide POT for this plant.  If you aren't happy with it in this position dig down around the perimeter, install plastic bags to inhibit root growth any further (probably not going to be necessary with this guy) to prepare this plant for transporting and transplanting during the late fall, early early spring when soil can be worked. This will help ensure the plant lives after transplanting (to get most of the feeder roots in one ball and reduce transplant shock). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is not a weed.  To purchase a plant of this size would cost bucks.  This plant is also part of your home and I know, I know.. I am sensitive to killing anything.  Depending on the ID of this plant you might have a prize to keep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T20:30:05.570" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29139" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-08T20:42:57.893" Score="5" ViewCount="688" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 6'x6' greenhouse structure built of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-1-2-in-x-14-Gauge-x-72-in-Zinc-Plated-Slotted-Angle-800517/204225758?MERCH=REC-_-PIPHorizontal1_rr-_-204225749-_-204225758-_-N&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;6' &quot;zinc plated slotted angle&quot;&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;I will likely build the shelving structure into the building frame using the same angle pieces in 6'x 2' segments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dI73p.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dI73p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;6x6 greenhouse build with slotted angles and corrugated plastic roofing panels&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any recommendations for shelving that won't rot, has good enough rigidity to span 6', and is permeable so to not hold water. (as with all DIY, wide availability and low price are priorities)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15728" LastEditorUserId="15728" LastEditDate="2016-09-22T22:32:45.103" LastActivityDate="2016-09-22T22:32:45.103" Title="DIY Greenhouse Shelving" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29140" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29139" CreationDate="2016-09-08T20:54:44.960" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You HAVE to show pictures of your greenhouse setup!  I am in the middle of building my dream greenhouse so I would love to see what you are doing!  I use the existing soil like a regular raised garden with a greenhouse above.  Putting in a rocket heater before this winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For shelves that won't rot the best material would be TREKS or a product similar.  Made from recycled plastic milk jugs.  TOUGH stuff.  Used for decks, handrails and edging between lawns and plant beds and gravel walkways.  One has to drill the hole before using the screws (never ever use nails for any dimensional lumber attachments).  Comes in lots of colors but if you are using in conjunction with your green house or garden or any hardscape don't use anything other than dove gray.  Trust me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-08T20:54:44.960" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29141" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-09T02:09:40.627" Score="3" ViewCount="438" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am wanting to grow some Goji Berry bushes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few months ago I soaked some (regular dried store bought) Goji fruit, then cut them open, used the baggie method to germinate the individual seeds and transplanted them.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants started growing, but all of them (and there were more then a dozen) died after transplanting them - I suspect I transplanted them way to early, and also the environment was wrong.    I want to try again now that Spring is on its way - but want to avoid the mistakes I made.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[ At the moment New Zealand is going into Spring its still quite cold - most days are 10-15 degrees C outside, but a lot of sun, and nights between 3 and 15 c.    I can keep them indoors in an artificial environment, but I suspect my growing light is not great for them.  I also have a polytunnel - this seems to be nice and warm during the day, but cut out a lot of light and probably only marginally warmer then outside at night ]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should I remove the Goji seeds from the Goji Berry when trying to germinate them or am I better just planting the whole Goji Berry fruit in the ground ?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Does the temperature of the ground need to be consistently over 22 degrees for germination to occur ?  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once germination has occurred how do I get the seedlings to a point where I can plant them in the ground outside without them dying ?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-09-09T02:09:40.627" Title="Growing Goji Berry from dried seeds" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;goji&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29142" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-09T02:35:54.880" Score="4" ViewCount="2410" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had this beautiful dark purple orchid that died when I was on vacation this year. Luckily, it did leave me a stem that has a baby orchid on it which I learned is called a keiki. Since my whole orchid had fallen apart, I cut the stem off and put it in some water hoping it would make it and it did get bigger. But it's been at least three weeks now since I've done so and no roots have showed up yet! The stem is starting to get fuzzy and the leaves not as stiff!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bwQ6A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bwQ6A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15811" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T02:35:22.197" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T02:35:22.197" Title="Why aren't roots growing from my Orchid that's growing from a stem?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29143" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29154" CreationDate="2016-09-09T02:45:22.983" Score="4" ViewCount="3595" Body="&lt;p&gt;A drought this summer has left my backyard in rough shape. Weeds have really been spreading. I didn't fertilize last summer, fall or winter but picked it up this year doing applications in spring and summer. The weeds had already germinated, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm debating about the next step. Do I apply Scott's Step 4 (which doesn't include weed control), Weed and Feed, or hire Tru-Green to get it under control?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15812" LastActivityDate="2016-09-09T23:14:04.333" Title="DIY fertilizing vs. Tru-Green" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29143" CreationDate="2016-09-09T06:33:34.917" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a subjective question, but the answer depends on a few things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How extensive the weeds are. If your judgment is that they are extensive, then you want to consider drastic measures, including professional help. Also, if the weeds are extensive, disposal might be an issue to consider. Most landscapers/lawn care companies will take care of that for you, at additional cost. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;DIY will involve a certain level of physical labor, in terms of pulling, spraying etc. That is a big factor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Unless you turn over your entire lawn, weeding is an ongoing, multiple year process (I am fighting that in my landlord's mostly uncared for yard, surrounded by neigbhors downtown who also don't care, so it is a cyclic battle). So, you could just have professionals come in this year, and then do it yourself. Or try it yourself now, and see how it goes and maybe call in someone later. Or, just do it yourself, year after year. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because of our pets, strays, possums and squirrels, and my unique situation, I pull weeds by hand 100%, and over the last 4 years since I started, it has become easier, and I am gaining insight into where, when and how the weeds attack, but it is quite labor intensive, yet preferable to me. For many, the garden needs to be on self-maintenance most of the time, so your goals will direct what path you eventually pick. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, there are many things to consider. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-09T06:33:34.917" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29145" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-09T11:16:14.653" Score="3" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted an apple tree (Red devil) this year , and it have some fruits (10-15). When i check the internet it says its Harvest period is first half of sep. When i tried one which was almost red color , doesn't seemed ripen enough.But some day i can see few fell down on ground (Not sure how) which is having slugs..&#xA;    My main worry is how to find my the best time to collect it from tree itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15264" LastEditorUserId="15264" LastEditDate="2016-09-09T11:39:47.383" LastActivityDate="2016-09-09T15:33:09.247" Title="How to know my apple is ripe enough to collect it" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-04-09T21:13:33.780" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29146" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29116" CreationDate="2016-09-09T13:29:09.197" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What do the vines, themselves, look like?  Are they turning brown and shriveling or rotting?  The biggest problem I have with pumpkins and squash are squash vine borers.  The moth lays eggs on a stem, the larvae burrow into the vines and eat out the middle of the vines, killing them.  You'll see a small hole right at the base/border of a branch of the vine, with what looks like sawdust (from the larvae burrowing in).  If you catch it early enough, you can rinse off the eggs before they hatch.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they burrow in, and haven't killed off that part of the plant entirely, you can take a sharp box-cutter or utility knife, slice open the vine, lengthwise, get those grubs out, then close up the slit by wrapping masking tape around the vine like a bandage.  The plant will recover just fine, and the tape doesn't hurt it at all.  Lacking photos or more details, I suggest this only because it happens to often to my plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastEditorUserId="15588" LastEditDate="2016-09-12T13:37:04.257" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T13:37:04.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29147" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29229" CreationDate="2016-09-09T15:01:02.717" Score="4" ViewCount="93" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to kill the EAB in my wood before they get to my trees. And if they do get to my trees what is a safe effective way of killing them? I would use pesticides if I want to but I would prefer to do something more natural. Anything on how to take them out would be great. And if possible provide the name of the thing or how to make something. Thank you all!&#xA;Edit: I did read the other question but really tells me nothing about how I could &lt;em&gt;Kill&lt;/em&gt; them. It helped with the preventing part. If I needed to kill them, what would be the naturally way to go. A small addition to my question is what bugs attack and kill the EAB? Is it worth trying a insect that would kill them? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="14214" LastEditDate="2016-09-14T22:48:14.687" LastActivityDate="2016-09-15T15:05:21.897" Title="Killing off Emerald ash borer (EAB)" Tags="&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29148" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29145" CreationDate="2016-09-09T15:33:09.247" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you manage to catch a windfall apple before the slugs, then try that one (maybe cutting off a bruised or only slightly slug-munched side, and eating the other). If it's tasty, others with a similar colour will likely be ripe too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can't get lucky with a windfall, give a few ripe looking apples a very gentle twisting tug, if they come away easily they are more likely to be ripe, try one and see if it's nice. If they resist the twist and seem stubbornly attached, leave them be for another few days or weeks. They might still be ripe, but generally the riper apples will be less firmly stuck on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is easier on a big tree with more apples, simply because it's less of a loss to pick one apple under-ripe to check. On my tree I just look for the nicest looking one and pick it, if it's nasty I toss it in the compost and try again in a couple of days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, as time goes by you'll learn roughly when they are best based on the experience of the previous year, it will get easier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="991" LastActivityDate="2016-09-09T15:33:09.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29149" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29116" CreationDate="2016-09-09T17:28:48.787" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you aren't hand-pollinating, a possible answer is that the pumpkins weren't pollinated well enough. If the female flowers don't receive adequate pollination they plant may try to put out a fruit but it may abort partway through the process. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant stress is also a possibility from pests, inadequate watering, or poor soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few links that may help&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pumpkinnook.com/howto/pollenfaq.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://pumpkinnook.com/howto/pollenfaq.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pumpkinnook.com/howto/pollen.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://pumpkinnook.com/howto/pollen.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15225" LastActivityDate="2016-09-09T17:28:48.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29150" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-09T18:54:53.180" Score="3" ViewCount="621" Body="&lt;p&gt;My first apricot seedling has leaves, but they are turning somewhat brown. I can't find any information about this, so maybe someone knows? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Could it be too humid? It lives in a little plastic greenhouse box.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Could it be too hot? It's in direct sunlight for about 5 hours in the mornings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They seem to be sprouting very easily, so it seems the conditions are at least somewhat okay. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M2GcS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M2GcS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Apricot seedling&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today I put it in indirect light, and took the plastic cover off so there is good ventilation, but I have literally zero idea what's happening. It may be too late for this little guy (or maybe not?), but there are a bunch more who just got their roots and I want those to live!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: another picture. This seedling is quite small, so I can't get a more zoomed in picture. The browning is pretty obvious though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0NGY2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0NGY2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another view of browning&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15549" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T02:26:20.987" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T02:26:20.987" Title="Why is my apricot seedling turning brown?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;apricots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29151" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29155" CreationDate="2016-09-09T20:08:49.150" Score="4" ViewCount="8359" Body="&lt;p&gt;Areca and Chamaedorea and Kentia are very similar. Whats difference between them in appearance. In the other word how can recognize each of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14466" LastActivityDate="2019-04-19T19:41:19.940" Title="Difference between Areca, Chamaedorea and Kentia in appearance" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7416" CreationDate="2016-09-09T21:28:50.467" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a couple of other reasons in addition to what has already been stated why you may want to transplant seedlings.  One reason is you are not sure how many off the seeds will germinate so you can plants extras in tiny pods and then transplant the healthiest one to the larger pot.  You can always plant multiple seeds directly in the pot itself, but remember to remove some if too many end up germinating.  The other reason is to get a head start on the planting. If you already have an existing plant in the pot that is approaching its end of life (e.g. a tomato plant approaching Fall will stop giving fruit), you can start the seed in a small pod so that you can transplant it when the plant in the pot is ready to be removed.  Otherwise you can loose a few weeks if you start off with a seed in the pot.  Again, this depends a lot on the volume at which you are gardening, weather conditions, type of plants, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-09-09T21:28:50.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29153" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-09T22:55:40.577" Score="1" ViewCount="3321" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some kale growing in my raised bed which are getting infested with aphids.  How do I get rid of those and secondly, are the kale leaves still edible (after cleaning them in hot water)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-10T00:14:45.770" LastActivityDate="2016-09-10T02:40:53.907" Title="How do I get rid of aphids on kale?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;&lt;kale&gt;&lt;leafy-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29154" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29143" CreationDate="2016-09-09T23:14:04.333" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;First you have to get everything vigorously growing again!  Allowing a lawn to go dormant is pretty bad for a lawn.  Ok for one maybe two times but you'd better be doing all the other practices necessary for this monster of our landscapes!  I didn't read that this was about your lawn and I think we are just assuming this is about your lawn.  Need to know what zone you are in, your maintenance practices when that lawn is healthy or at least growing, what fertilizer, how often you fertilize, any other chemicals used for moss, insects?  How often and how you decide to water your lawn (only water when you see footprints and water DEEPLY), how long has your lawn (plants) been dormant.  If your maintenance practices are correct you won't have weeds or very few which would indicate hand pulling.  Making your lawn drought tolerant, weed free depends on the height you mow (no shorter than 3&quot;), how you've trained the roots by only watering when you can see footprints and then water 4-6&quot; deep until you only need to water once per week.  Use an extended release organic fertilizer such as Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer formulated for the time of season.  Aerate by pulling plugs out of your lawn bed and leaving them in place to disintegrate. Keep your mower blades SUPER SHARP.  Bag your clippings and use them thinly on plant beds.  3&quot; high grass is able to produce enough food for the huge root systems that can grow deep to get at moisture other lawns that are watered shallowly and daily aren't able to use.  Deep watering provides moisture below 4-6&quot; to promote roots to 'come get it'. Watering everyday promotes a shallow root system that if a watering is missed will flip out and go dormant.  Dormancy creates a great canvas for weed infiltration.  3&quot; high vigorous grasses shade the soil so weed seeds are unable to germinate much less compete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not use Scott's or Ortho or any of the other big company chemical companies.  Fast release looks great real fast but is not healthy for your grass 'crop'.  Pesticides and herbicides are not necessary unless the maintenance was incorrect and a bandaid is necessary.  Fertilizer is A MUST because us humans have screwed up the soils and chemicals the plants need have to be provided by us humans.  Organic lawn fertilizers take longer to see results but those results are amazing.  They also add bacteria for decomposing thatch as well.  The synthetic fertilizers have to be done a minimum of 4X per year with attention to formulations.  The extended release of the organic fertilizers one only needs 2 or 3 applications.  Aerate once per year, mow no shorter than 3&quot; not a bit shorter (cool season grasses), sharp blades, collect clippings, water DEEPLY and allow to dry until you can see your footprints on the lawn and fertilize, follow directions with the new organic lawn fertilizers and your lawn should be lush and dark green.  Never OVER DO fertilizer, far worse than too little fertilizer.  Check out the lawn recommendations on this site to become a knowledgeable professional of the lawn monster and you will save money and be the envy of your neighborhood. Do a soil test before adding any chemicals such as lime!  Cheap at your closest Cooperative Extension Service if not free.  Pulling weeds by hand should not happen if you follow proper maintenance and fertilization practices.  Send pictures, please so that we are able to understand the extent of weeds and the health of your lawn.  NEVER USE TRU LAWN or other similar practices!!  I could go into more detail but first let's not worry about weeds just get your grasses healthy again, drought tolerant, mow high, water deeply, allow to dry out before watering again and try some decent fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-09T23:14:04.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29151" CreationDate="2016-09-10T01:32:45.520" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Kentia (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howea_forsteriana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Howea forsteriana&lt;/a&gt;) are normally sold as larger plants ranging from 3' to 6' or more (1 - 3 M).  They have stems that are normally 1&quot; (2 cm) or more in diameter at the base and have a fibrous husk from older stems at the base.  Leaves are pinnate and a dark waxy green with 25 or 30 leaflets on a large stem. These are among the more expensive plants to buy as they grow slowly. Pests include scale, &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/scales/boisduval_scale.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Boisduval false scale&lt;/a&gt; and the odd bit of mealybug. I have never seen it flower or fruit when grown indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Areca palms (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dypsis_lutescens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dypsis lutescens&lt;/a&gt;) are said to grow 12M tall but this must be in the tropics.  I have seen them sold as 6&quot; tall plants for fish tanks and 6' (2 M) specimens for larger interiorscapes.  Foliage is pinnate but smaller than a Kentia with thinner leaves and a lighter green colour, sometimes with a yellowish tinge. There are more leaflets per stem, up to 50 or 60 on a large one. When it flowers branching, yellow flower stalks emerge from below the leaves and droop downward. In lower light levels these dry quickly to a light brown. Smaller specimens are magnets for spider mites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bamboo palms are sometimes called &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaedorea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Chamaedorea seifrizii&lt;/a&gt; and are very common. Foliage also consists of thin pinnate leaves.  They tend to be thinner than Areca palms of the same height and more of a cylindrical shape.  They flower indoors and the fruit is an orange or red drupe which turns black.  The stems are usually one half inch or 1 cm in diameter. One identification is the dead light brown leaf sheaths that are found on the stems.  Leaf sheaths are all at the base. Pests are spider mites, mealy bug, thrip and rarely scale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2019-04-19T19:41:19.940" LastActivityDate="2019-04-19T19:41:19.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="29156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29153" CreationDate="2016-09-10T02:40:53.907" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;First and foremost, do confirm they are aphids. Pictures would help us confirm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you have been attacked by aphids, you are probably going to see them again. The real long term solution is to employ lady bugs. These guys will take care of the aphid problem quite well for you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stormy is right. Hot water is not a good idea, unless you are talking about using hot water after harvesting them. In that case, your Kale may not taste as good and you may lose some nutritional value. For cleaning, a thorough rinse with warm water and a scrub should be sufficient. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to help the plants while they are still in the bed, I repeat, hot water is not good. You then need to try a very diluted soap solution in water, and spray vigorously. You might have to do this over multiple cycles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Herbicides are not good, in general. The mechanical wash from your spray and the establishment of lady bugs over the long term for future harvests is best. You can actually buy lady bugs at stores, and must make some previsions for them to stay and be happy in your yard. In most regions, it is too late in the year (unless you are down under) for lady bugs as a long term solution, but it ought to be one of the first things you try in Spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Talk to local master gardeners, nurseries and/or agricultural colleges, should you have access for specific solutions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-10T02:40:53.907" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29157" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27220" CreationDate="2016-09-10T10:35:44.820" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be a bullace.fruits ripen after a frost. They make good jam. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15819" LastActivityDate="2016-09-10T10:35:44.820" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29158" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29124" CreationDate="2016-09-10T12:26:15.113" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe you've about as much chance of removing that plant and its roots without knocking down the building as I have of waking up thirty years old again, I'm afraid. I'm rather wondering where the roots go if its one floor up, there's a sizeable trunk or two on that plant... The leaves resemble either Ficus or Schefflera arboricola, although it is hard to decide if its the latter because it's difficult to tell if it has the same composite leaf arrangement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever it is, if you want rid of it, there's only one realistic approach, and that is to saw or cut it down as close to the base as you can get, then drill into the stumps with a woodbit of suitable size (or a manual drill if you don't have electric, anything to make holes), making holes about quarter to a half inch deep and then applying stump or brushwood killer, either liquid or crystal, and cover with something (upturned pot, sheet of plastic for instance). What products are available where you are I don't know, but two of the most commonly used are SBK, a liquid, and Roundup Stumpkiller - these products are best applied immediately after cutting down. You could try applying lots of salt to the holes and cut surface, but that's usually not as effective so quickly, and repeated/ongoing cutting and salt application will likely be necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just for clarity, the definition of a weed is simply a plant growing in the wrong place...or one you just don't want for whatever reason.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-10T12:46:28.023" LastActivityDate="2016-09-10T12:46:28.023" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29159" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29163" CreationDate="2016-09-10T13:58:08.320" Score="0" ViewCount="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in your opinions about the best nonleaking hose nozzle. I love all the different variable sprays and I do use them. But it drives me crazy when it drips on my feet. I've probably tried a dozen types.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, every hose I buy will kink at one point.  I love the little shrinking hose but that cannot be left in the sun because it springs leaks so it isn't the most convenient.  I'd like to hear what others think.  Thanks so much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15751" LastActivityDate="2016-09-10T21:00:22.930" Title="Looking for a non-kink hose and variable spray nozzle with NO LEAKS" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-09-14T14:49:55.410" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29160" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29197" CreationDate="2016-09-10T16:34:26.360" Score="3" ViewCount="541" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this shrub at Aldi back in the spring. It was just a rootball with a small branch. The label said it was a blueberry, but now that it has leaves, it doesn't look like a blueberry plant. What kind of plant is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n909z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n909z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hkiUe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hkiUe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15820" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T13:23:26.563" Title="What is this shrub with long pointed leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29161" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29174" CreationDate="2016-09-10T17:57:54.643" Score="4" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to plant an emu bush(Eremophila), but want to know if it is invasive. Is the emu bush invasive in California?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15821" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T00:17:34.613" Title="Is the emu bush(Eremophila) invasive in california?" Tags="&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29162" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29160" CreationDate="2016-09-10T20:46:51.640" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like Goose&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=gooseneck%20loosestrife&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1455&amp;amp;bih=665&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;imgil=WtD4qZeHIRwV4M%253A%253BW4RhLPKWObvwhM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.todayshomeowner.com%25252Fgooseneck-loosestrife-in-the-garden%25252F&amp;amp;source=iu&amp;amp;pf=m&amp;amp;fir=WtD4qZeHIRwV4M%253A%252CW4RhLPKWObvwhM%252C_&amp;amp;usg=__i7dm33oXqxkDJw59qKbIe_u9o-E%3D&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwij5sKC1IXPAhVQ-GMKHbn7Av8QyjcIJw&amp;amp;ei=XW_UV-PDL9DwjwO594v4Dw#imgrc=9RpErvKIZpwkoM%3A&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gooseneck Loosestrife&lt;/a&gt;Neck Loosestrife.  This is an incredible plant, beautiful high groundcover (1-2').  I love this plant if indeed this plant is Lysimachia clethroides.  Poor thing.  I would dig this up this late fall and transplant to a pot with potting soil or another place in your yard with a bit more shade.  One of my all time favorite plants!  Needs a little fertilizer (lower N than P and K), I'd cut off those stems down to a foot or right above a healthy set of leaves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-10T20:46:51.640" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29163" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29159" CreationDate="2016-09-10T21:00:22.930" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Garden hoses are completely on-topic! Any headache will become a negative link between a human and the garden. Get the length you need, make sure you get the THICKEST and most expensive you are able to afford and then save money on the cheapest oscillating sprinkler you can find.  Weird, huh! The $7.00 oscillating sprinklers found at Lowes, Home Depot or you friendly Ace Hardware store is the BEST!  I've tried the expensive ones and they are a third that these cheap ones can deliver.  You can always purchase new ones for the price of the expensive sprinklers.  I prefer these to automated irrigation systems!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hoses...if you are watering your vegetable garden, the dog's bowl, drinking out of most hoses, most hoses contribute lots of carcinogens. Check out the fine print when shopping for hoses! No big deal if you aren't ingesting or eating the plants you water.  Just FYI.  But the thicker, more expensive the hose that is labeled 'less likely to kink' is as good as one can do!  For vegetables, or sipping out of a hose make sure that it is a WHITE hose.  Those are supposed to be for RV's, Motorhomes or any time we animals drink the water delivered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wrap your hose when finished in the shade and in a figure 8.  Most nurseries do this.  Wrapping them up in a circle will cause them to adhere to a certain formation that if you try to change will cause kinks, cracks.  FIGURE 8.  Store in the garage during winter.  Otherwise, expect to replace every other year or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-10T21:00:22.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29164" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29368" CreationDate="2016-09-10T23:51:17.937" Score="2" ViewCount="1713" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I heard from a big-box hardware store that before I lay down fall food, its best to mow with the bag on. Otherwise, I've always heard that I should avoid bagging except in very wet conditions. That said, I can see the logic in letting the chemicals penetrate into the soil instead of sitting on the layer of mulch. Is it advisable to bag prior to fertilizing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7103" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-11T20:09:11.280" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T05:50:14.207" Title="Does it help to bag lawn clippings prior to fertilization?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;mowing&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29165" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29182" CreationDate="2016-09-11T00:17:59.297" Score="3" ViewCount="1118" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to identify a prickly, burr-type plant growing wild in my yard in Massachusetts, USA.  I found about five of them in an area of full sun. Temperatures over the last few months have varied between 70°F and 100°F. The ground is regular garden soil, and these plants are sharing space with pokeweed; lamb's ears; goldenrod; and some other wild things, the names of which I don't know. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Description:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They're about three feet tall, and are covered with round orb-shaped things which I'll call burrs until I know if that's the correct term. The entire plant is covered with thorns, including the leaves and the stalk. The stalk also has white fur. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The burrs are at the junctions of leaves and stalk, similar to perennial plants, as opposed to some wildflowers which are single stalks with flowers at the top.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The burrs grow to a certain size, which is different with each one, from a radius of anywhere from one to three inches, at which time another section pushes through the top, which I'll call the second stage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The second stage appears to be a flower, but only opens a small amount and doesn't have petals, just spikes. They vary in size, shape and color, even on the same plant. For example, my pictures show a plant that has both dark and bright purple second stages.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;At some point, the burr attached to the stalk becomes brown and opens to reveal narrow long things which I assume are seeds. These are soft and furry, and easy to separate and remove.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plant has a continuing life-cycle, with young burrs still appearing after others have died off.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What is the name of this plant? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What is the second stage, and why does it vary so widely even on the same plant? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since only the original burr goes to seed, while still attached to the stalk, where does the second stage go? It would make sense that it would fall off, but I can't find any on the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first picture has a good view of three different stages on the same plant. Below that are close-ups of each section from that plant. I've also included a picture of a different plant which shows the original burr with the second stage just pushing through; and a third which shows new growth and a large old brown seed pod. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the pictures for closer view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gff6b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gff6b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole plant with different stages&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y7gxj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y7gxjm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close-up or dark purple part&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9YeN0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9YeN0m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bright purple part&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gUsjU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gUsjUm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Section after seeding&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d66rD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d66rDm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;View of different size orbs getting ready for next phase&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qKzdR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qKzdRm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Large seedpod with new young orbs&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T19:35:38.993" Title="What is this prickly, burr-covered plant with different colored flowers on the same plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29166" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29165" CreationDate="2016-09-11T00:36:33.563" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this could be a common thistle, judging by the purple flower and spikes.&#xA;The Wikipedia article on it: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirsium&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirsium&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know the answer to the last two questions though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15821" LastEditorUserId="15821" LastEditDate="2016-09-11T00:43:03.807" LastActivityDate="2016-09-11T00:43:03.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29167" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29196" CreationDate="2016-09-11T01:55:23.197" Score="5" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;This morning I found a small bee hive in open space hanging low from a tree here in California, which is one sign they're killer bees. Their wings look smaller than other bees here, but experts say the only way to know for certain is under a microscope. I can't find any info on what people are supposed to do. Is it my responsibility to have them removed and killed or is it okay to let them be? I've told everyone about it so they'll stay clear, and our cat shouldn't be a problem. The only thing I'm concerned about is aiding the spread of killer bees. Also I hear they kill and take over normal honey bee hives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15822" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T13:01:28.687" Title="Removing a killer bee hive?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;bee-attractive&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29168" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-11T14:52:21.747" Score="3" ViewCount="1023" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend just gifted me this plant. It's got thin, papery, spiky leaves. What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pt8dP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pt8dP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Q2DQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Q2DQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14805" LastActivityDate="2018-12-21T23:41:54.393" Title="Identify this spiky plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29169" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-11T14:54:09.540" Score="2" ViewCount="7869" Body="&lt;p&gt;The title is pretty much the entire question: why are squash &amp;amp; zucchini so often planted in hills?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastActivityDate="2016-09-11T20:05:39.190" Title="Why is it recommended to plant squash on mounds?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;zucchini&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29170" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-11T14:56:52.427" Score="1" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;My kumquat tree has recently developed shriveled leaves with what looks to be trails of some sort on the leaves also. I am very new to citrus plants so really need some assistance.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WWU64.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WWU64.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My lemon tree is also exhibiting some similar conditions. They are about 20 ft apart in a full sun space. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rw4NB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rw4NB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15825" LastActivityDate="2016-09-11T20:28:56.593" Title="What is happening to my citrus trees?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29169" CreationDate="2016-09-11T20:05:39.190" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Squash, zucchini and other vine crops that aren't trained to grow on a support do better on a raised bed and allowed to ramble down.  The biggest reason for mounding the water drains away from the plant and its fruits inhibiting rot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use mounded beds ALWAYS. Not a plant do I plant will be on level ground with the exception of trees and lawns. Trees and lawns need to have undisturbed or compacted soil to sit upon so they don't sink over time allowing soil, mulch to slump down on the bark of the trunk and lawns won't have puddles, better soil to seed contact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My ornamental plant beds, all my vegetable beds are all mounded or raised beds with no wood or concrete necessary to hold them up. If available I use turned over sod to build beds topping with topsoil before planting. Otherwise just the process of double digging one time only will easily fluff up soil into a raised bed. When double digging sometimes the soil gets 3' high. I've usually been blessed with heavy clay soils.  Clay soils should never be rototilled or heavily manipulated.  I always keep throwing decomposed organic matter onto the turned over shovel fulls of soil, chopping clumps somewhat  After raking and shaping and compacting those beds will be a rational foot high.  As organic matter is eaten and redistributed those beds will settle anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before planting seeds or starts, I take a sheet of plywood and jump up and down on it to firm up the soil. Using a rake one can pull up the soil on the sloped edges to lightly cover seed...I take a rock rake and firm the sloped edges by pounding the top of the rake head along the slopes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This fluffing and firming raises the plant beds vastly increasing air and increasing drainage.  Then there are obvious walkways and no one walks on the beds.  No need to do the digging again. No worrying about too much water and rot. Just keep applying decomposed organic matter to the surface. I do this at least twice per year for my vegetable garden, once for ornamental plant beds. The soil organisms you are feeding will take that decomposed organic matter/mulch right down into the bed FOR YOU doing all the work from then on.  Hey, I am the laziest gardener there is!  I know just how much I have to do and NO MORE.  Grins.  But answering questions I am quite the opposite!  Sorry!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I feel that digging trenches around the base of my beds...all of them is critical. These trenches collect extra water, water drained from the bed away from the bed to the place of your choice.  If you have a major rain storm these trenches make a world of difference saving your beds, plants and walks. Trenches go hand in hand making super edges for one's lawn at the same time.  Trenches are 6&quot; deep and 6 -10&quot; wide on average.  I throw the extra soil up onto the plant bed. Usually before I add fresh mulch.  Trenches are cleaned up a bit in the spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also never plant rows.  I do mass seeding and staggered rows using as much of my plant beds mounded round beds.  I do much more 'thinning' that weeding.  Weeding has never been a problem especially if one plants a 'cover crop' for the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-11T20:05:39.190" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29172" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29170" CreationDate="2016-09-11T20:28:56.593" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got a leaf borer/skeletonizer of some kind dining on the leaves. If you would take a few of these leaves, a razor blade you might be able to slice the leaf horizontally and carefully to find an insect. It might look like a whitish or greenish, baby worm? Look under and over leaves, the stems and in the soil around the base to find insects.  You should plan to go out at night and with a flash light look for the insect in the act of eating these leaves. Otherwise the insect will have laid its eggs and the culprit would be the larvae already in the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes there will be a little damage to leaves no big deal.  But this is looking more substantial. Before any treatment at all it is critical to actually find this insect and verify it is the guilty party. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will probably only need to spray with NEEM.  Will not hurt your citrus, just wash when you eat or use these fruits.  Please only spray at night focusing on the undersides of the leaves, stems, lightly on top of the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another excellent treatment that might be indicated after finding the culprit, would be BT.  Bacillus thuringiensis, a toxin produced by this bacterium is the chemical sprayed (just on these plants, no others that do not show the same damage).  The insect (most likely a larvae or caterpillar) will eat these BT coated leaves and very quickly stop eating. The toxin produced by this bacteria causes the insect to 'feel full' and will eventually starve, causing no more harm to the plants.  Again, do not spray during the day while bees are active.  Only at night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd cut off as many of the damaged leaves as you are able.  Especially if you find little larvae between the top and bottom skins of the leaves.  Dispose of them in a separate bag after they were sprayed.  This all depends on the insect you find.  If you can, get close ups of what you find with the razor blade or your nightly stake out! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-11T20:28:56.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29161" CreationDate="2016-09-12T07:01:02.900" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not per Cal-IPC. There is no source more reliable for CA, but you can always call CNPS or Cal-IPC directly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I searched both the genus name and the common name and the database returned nothing. Here it is: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cal-ipc.org/paf/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.cal-ipc.org/paf/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, UC Davis lists at least one subspecies/variety as a low-water plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://publicgarden.ucdavis.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/35_low_water_plants1.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://publicgarden.ucdavis.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/35_low_water_plants1.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T07:01:02.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29175" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7063" CreationDate="2016-09-12T07:24:07.100" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have similar problem with my chili plant. Its seems like a fungus problem in the soil if other leaves are also getting the spots.&#xA;Change the soil entirely and check for root roth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15829" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T07:24:07.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29168" CreationDate="2016-09-12T12:39:56.103" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I disagree with aloe, the paper-thin leaves and the deep well in the center of the leaf rosette indicate a member of the &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bromeliaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;bromeliaceae&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't give a precise id (and am no expert on bromeliads) but this should guide you in the right direction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T12:39:56.103" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29178" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29168" CreationDate="2016-09-12T13:42:18.690" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not an Aloe. Most Aloes retain water in the leaves and for that, they have a fleshy construction. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The thin leaves and spikes potentially make it a member of the Agave genera or the Bromeliaceae. Agave leaves can be really thin and those well spaced spikes are very characteristic. The species is hard to tell with these photos and no other information, but look for Agave bracteosa or many of its variegated cultivars. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is Bromeliaceae, it will almost always flower from the middle in distinct leaf like rosettes that then will help you identify what it is. Agave and Aloes tend to flower with a long stalk, also usually from the center that then terminates in florets. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can try to get more info from your friend on where they bought it, or what they propagated it off of for a better call. Or, wait till it flowers and then that will be a great giveaway. I subjectively think it is an Agave from the spaced spikes on the leaf edges. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is not part of your question but, soil looks a bit too wet. Allow to dry between watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T13:42:18.690" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29179" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-12T14:00:24.297" Score="5" ViewCount="778" Body="&lt;p&gt;My quince trees have just started flowering. For the past 7 years I've not been able to eat a single one because of insects stinging the fruit. The fruit is always full of worms. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously I need to wait for pollination to have occurred before doing anything. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best thing to do? &#xA;Do I spray an insecticide?&#xA;When do I spray?&#xA;What non-insecticide alternatives are there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am aware of the plight of they honey bee, so I would prefer something that deters the insects from coming to the tree, rather than something that kills them. And the insects are only a problem when there is fruit on the tree. Of course, they are needed for pollination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not able to provide photos of the actual problem right now. I'm trying to prevent it from being a problem this season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have three trees, they're about 3m tall, about 1.5m in diameter. They're quite bushy, almost hedgy, but that's because they've not been pruned properly. They bare fruit about the size of apples, so it's not the ornamental variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7249" LastEditorUserId="7249" LastEditDate="2016-09-13T10:53:36.690" LastActivityDate="2017-08-12T23:52:09.747" Title="How do I save my quinces from insects?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29180" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29179" CreationDate="2016-09-12T18:01:13.870" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You must have heard that our bees are in big trouble. It is wrong to spray at anytime when bees MIGHT be around.  Are these hornets perhaps?  Are they aggressive?  When you walk by do they come after you?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The easiest solution is to go out at night with a flash light to get your quinces.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be nice to know which Quince you've got.  There is only one true quince and then there are the flowering quinces.  Is yours a tree or a dense shrub?  One thing for sure is that spraying would be wrong.  Quince flower within a short time period.  The fruit is a major butterfly food for their larvae.  And we've got some problems with a few of those species as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T18:01:13.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27021" CreationDate="2016-09-12T18:18:37.013" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try Spinosad.  It worked for me in zone 8. I had a terrible infestation of flea beetles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15835" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T18:18:37.013" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29182" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29165" CreationDate="2016-09-12T19:35:38.993" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some or most thistles are biennials. That means it takes two years, two seasons to get to the flowering or reproductive stage.  The best way I've found is just pull these guys up when you find them, best done the first season as a basal rosette but before flowering the second year.&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.co.stevens.wa.us/weedboard/htm_weed/thistle_comparison.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.co.stevens.wa.us/weedboard/htm_weed/thistle_comparison.htm&lt;/a&gt;  I think this is good ole 'Bull Thistle'.  Your question and pictures are excellent, Sue.  The area you are discussing with the poke weed and this thistle sounds like a wonderful 'wild' food grouping. Solidago I have in my greenhouse!This helps attract pollinators for the end of the season.  I've got wild flowers, thyme that attract pollinators for the beginning and middle of the season.  Did you make this grouping on purpose?  Kudos! You must love artichokes, yes?  I tried growing them as a perennial here, not happening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T19:35:38.993" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29183" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20635" CreationDate="2016-09-12T20:16:07.080" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I went out with a friend on Friday and harvested the seed pods from that plant to make anisette.  We went near the mouth of Topanga Canyon up the coast from LA.  The seed heads have a licorice taste.  My friend refers to the plants as fennel.  I am trying to find how to differentiate fennel from anise.  Apparently, they are in the same family related to carrots.  After washing it well, I cut the seed head clusters off just above where they gather into the main stem, muddled the seed heads with a wooden spoon in a mason jar and then added Everclear (151 proof grain alcohol) at about a fifth to 4 oz. of seed heads.  I did that last night and will let it sit for a few weeks.  Already overnight I am getting a blue-green hue to the alcohol.  I will filter it through large coffee filters and add a simple syrup to taste (generally find that's around 50-50).  Tasty libation.  Fritz&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15837" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T20:16:07.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29184" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29192" CreationDate="2016-09-12T23:32:46.857" Score="6" ViewCount="3700" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife and I have learned over the course of our landscaping duties that the previous owner of our home embedded chicken wire in the ground, seemingly throughout the entire backyard. It's about 2-3 inches underneath the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's everywhere we dig. We have no plans to try to extricate it; we'll just keep doing what we're doing and deal with it when we have to pierce the ground. I just want to know why.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As much as my heart tells me (usually while digging) that this is some super-slow-burn premeditated maliciousness on the behalf of the old lady we purchased the house from, the rational parts of me are pretty certain the truth is a lot less sinister.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could it be a pest-control measure? If so, I'd guess we have a rock-solid defense against underground chickens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some trivia that may help:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The previous owner &quot;hated trees,&quot; according to neighbors, and kept&#xA;the place barren. No evidence of a garden. Just a neglected lawn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The front yard didn't suffer the same fate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It appears to be actual chicken wire from the size of the mesh, and it's really lightweight. Differs from the stuff gopher baskets are made out of.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My curiosity is hoping for some concrete rationale, but my rage will absolutely accept crackpot conspiracy theories.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Going with Kevinsky for the firsthand account, but thank you all for your input. Probably an anti-critter measure. Will update if I ever hit the secret underground lab, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15841" LastEditorUserId="15841" LastEditDate="2016-09-13T16:48:48.483" LastActivityDate="2020-12-06T15:39:21.573" Title="What possible reasons could the previous owner have for burying chicken wire under the lawn?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29184" CreationDate="2016-09-12T23:38:49.023" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Were they dog owners? It appears to be some sort of old wives tale that they would stop digging if chicken wire were laid down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another application possibility appears to indicate they can keep gophers from digging up the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For both possibilities, there are enough internet sites out there advising one to bury this all over the place. It is not my place to say so, but while your yard is still young, you should have that vile thing out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T23:38:49.023" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29186" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29184" CreationDate="2016-09-12T23:39:28.417" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is for moles and other critters. If it is true your neighbor wanted no mounds, trees, or other deformities in her lawn, she may have been preventing critters from digging into the yard.  So she buried chicken wire to keep moles, rabbits, etc from digging into the lawn.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's hard to determine her rationale.  On the other hand she was maybe misguided and thought chicken wire would prevent tree growth... That does seem rather silly though. Judging by what other neighbors have said I would guess it was to maintain conformity of the yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15655" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T23:39:28.417" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29187" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20635" CreationDate="2016-09-12T23:47:23.147" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is most certainly Fennel, especially if you live in Berkeley. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a MAJOR invasive plant, almost anywhere, except the Mediterranean from where it comes. Be very careful and avoid trying to &quot;grow&quot; this. In California, this thing is now showing up in our national forests and parks, apart from taking over a lot of the lesser maintained trails, parks etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, it does help the Aniseed Swallowtail and some others and also has some uses for us, but is a major impedance for other plants. Almost nothing will kill this thing completely once established. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is CAL-IPC with much needed detail. Also, tell your friends and everyone you can:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cal-ipc.org/ip/management/ipcw/pages/detailreport.cfm@usernumber=51&amp;amp;surveynumber=182.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.cal-ipc.org/ip/management/ipcw/pages/detailreport.cfm@usernumber=51&amp;amp;surveynumber=182.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-12T23:47:23.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29161" CreationDate="2016-09-13T00:17:34.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Srihari Yamanoor answered your question perfectly, with excellent references. I too did some research and found nothing to indicate invasiveness with this plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know you didn't ask, but just in case you haven't picked out your specific variety yet, here's some information that might help you decide which will work best in your yard. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Emu bush is part of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eremophila&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Eremophila&lt;/a&gt; family, which includes over 260 species. Though native to Australia, they're grown elsewhere, and, as obviously you've noticed since you're thinking of ordering one, California is included.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The smaller group popularly known as Emu bush are comprised mainly of between eight and ten varieties. Foliage, flower colors and growth habits vary greatly. Some are low-spreading and work well as groundcovers. Others are bushy, and still others grow as trees up to nine feet. They're easily controlled by pruning though, even heavy pruning if you only have a small space, or you can choose the variety that already meets your specifications. Some varieties in California start flowering in January, although most wait until March, and continue for a few months. One reason people choose them is because, even though colors and shapes vary, most have tubular flowers with sweet nectar inside, so they're known for attracting hummingbirds. It makes them a great choice for areas of the yard where other hummingbird-attracters don't grow well. They're also wind-resistant, which gives you more options in terms of placement. They're quite cold-hardy, most as low as 25°F, and a few even to 20°F or 15°F. Unless your area is much colder than that, they make an excellent perennial. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for care, they're pretty easy, and quite similar among varieties. They need full sun, around 6-8 hours a day, and heavy, well-draining soil. They should be watered sparingly and not often. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For further information:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.smartplanetplants.com/mobile/plantlist/catalog.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Smart Planet Plants&lt;/a&gt; has an excellent list of six varieties with detailed descriptions, specific traits, growth habits and care instructions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thesmartergardener.com/emu-bush-friend-of-the-desert/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Smarter Gardener&lt;/a&gt; is a post written by an Emu bush owner in Woodland Hills, CA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/living/home-garden/article32641938.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Arboretum Spotlight, Spotted Emu, &quot;E. maculata Alba&quot;&lt;/a&gt; is an article about a bush at the UC Davis Arboretum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.californiagardens.com/Plant_Pages/eremophila_glabra_kalgoorlie.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;California Gardens&lt;/a&gt; offers informational pages about a few varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T00:17:34.613" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29189" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-13T00:22:36.750" Score="8" ViewCount="2225" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a pear tree that is producing ripe fruit now (it is early-September).  The tree is doing what I've never seen before: There are blossoms on some of the branches!  Is my tree dying?  It looks so healthy, and the pears are delicious.  Why is it doing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15842" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T02:17:35.863" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T02:17:35.863" Title="Why is my pear tree blooming in September?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29192" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29184" CreationDate="2016-09-13T09:59:02.927" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had an idea that planting lots of crocus in the back yard lawn would look beautiful in spring.  The local squirrels and chipmunks agreed that this was a wonderful idea and as soon as I planted a bulb they were digging it up behind me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was putting sod down in an area of the backyard so I got the idea of a permanent solution. After removing the dead grass I planted the bulbs there, put chicken wire down, then put sod down.  It worked but I'm sure the next homeowner, like you, wondered why.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T09:59:02.927" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29193" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29179" CreationDate="2016-09-13T12:04:01.427" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thank you for the clarification. The confusion arose because the fruits are not being 'stung'; this is a precise term meaning an insect inserting its sting into an offending object (often human) with the specific intention of defending itself against a perceived threat, usually causing much discomfort to  the hapless victim. What's actually happening to your fruit is some flying insect is laying its eggs in them (or on the blossom) via its ovipositor, and the eggs hatch into larvae which are inside the fruits, rather than 'stinging' them, which is why I asked for clarification. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This behaviour is not uncommon (in the UK, it'd be codling moth) and it's often a moth of some sort - the big question is, which one is causing the problem. I note where you are in the world, and the pests you'll be getting there are likely to be different from other parts of the world. Identification of the pest is critical, and photographs of damaged fruits and the larvae within would have been very useful indeed, but I realise that is not possible now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is something called the Oriental Fruit Moth (Grapholita molesta) which is prevalent in more tropical regions of the world, and it does affect Cydonia (quince) fruits, so perhaps it's that. Link below gives information, including images, some of which you might recognise, and recommendations for treatment - pheremone traps appear to be an option, and it's one I'd recommend, even if it's just to find out when you need to spray the trees: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantwise.org/KnowledgeBank/Datasheet.aspx?dsid=29904&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Plantwise Technical Factsheet&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether this pest is the actual culprit is hard to say without more description of the larvae, its appearance, the appearance of affected fruits, and whether there are any other symptoms showing on the leaves or anywhere else. There may well be other pests in your area that could cause this problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-09-17T13:10:57.987" LastActivityDate="2016-09-17T13:10:57.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29194" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-13T12:41:56.837" Score="4" ViewCount="1043" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't see this question out here specifically asking about trimming only the top part of a tree root that is protruding higher than the lawn surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;35 year old silver maple, with one or two lawn roots coming up in lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I trim the roots flush with the lawn surface using a reciprocating saw with a nice clean cut?  I would not do this in the heat of summer.  Will it heal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If not, how is this any different than nicking it with the mower blade?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2018-10-23T19:37:21.533" Title="Harm a tree by trimming top/exposed only part of root in lawn?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29195" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29194" CreationDate="2016-09-13T12:53:10.523" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This question here is similar - the answer is the same, ergo, no, you cannot shave or cut off any root material without harm to the tree, and nicking the root with a mower or anything else isn't good either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/27490/will-shaving-the-top-of-a-red-maples-roots-hurt-the-tree&quot;&gt;Will shaving the top of a Red Maple&amp;#39;s roots hurt the tree?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T13:06:59.177" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29196" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29167" CreationDate="2016-09-13T13:01:28.687" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ask your local &lt;a href=&quot;http://ucanr.edu/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;University Cooperative Extension Service&lt;/a&gt; for assistance. They will be able to point you in the correct way to go about removing the bees. Identification of what species of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_bee&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;bees&lt;/a&gt; is a must. They may or may not be &quot;Africanized bees&quot;, commonly known as &quot;killer bees&quot;. The University Cooperative Extension Service can send a professional to your home for ID purposes and can inform you on the right course of action is needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the bees are healthy honeybees, you will have local bee clubs begging you to let them take the bees off your hands. Simply ask them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15093" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T13:01:28.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29160" CreationDate="2016-09-13T13:23:26.563" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry to chime in with a bit of bad news but this is Smartweed, (Persicaria aka Polygunum)... a weed. It could be &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=polygonum%20pensylvanicum&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwig-diIuIzPAhVDdj4KHU50B7YQ_AUICCgB&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=921#safe=off&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;q=Persicaria%20lapathifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Persicaria lapathifolia&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=polygonum%20pensylvanicum&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwig-diIuIzPAhVDdj4KHU50B7YQ_AUICCgB&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=921&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Polygonum pensylvanicum&lt;/a&gt; or one of many other similar species. Too hard to tell from the included images.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KDvOv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KDvOv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dn6SC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dn6SC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T13:23:26.563" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29198" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29168" CreationDate="2016-09-13T14:12:10.637" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is most likely &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billbergia_nutans&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Billbergia nutans&lt;/a&gt; or &quot;Queen's Tears&quot;, a very common houseplant. Also known as &quot;Friendship Plant&quot; since it readily forms baby offshoots which are easily shared. A flower would help provide a positive ID, but I have grown many of these in the past and I'm quite certain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Care: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.houseplantsexpert.com/queens-tears-plant.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;House Plants Expert&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IzndV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IzndV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TOl3X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TOl3X.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2o5VR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2o5VR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eSJng.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eSJng.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-09-13T16:46:34.907" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T16:46:34.907" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29199" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-13T14:54:11.110" Score="2" ViewCount="557" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently been renovating a small section of my lawn, which is going relatively well.  I now would like to overseed the remainder of my lawn, which has many bare spots and is quite bumpy.  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;My question is: how should I prepare my existing lawn?  &lt;br/&gt;&#xA;I'm listing some of the options I'm considering:&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;1) dethatch by hand, broadcast seed &lt;br/&gt;&#xA;2) dethatch with a power-rake with spring tines, broadcast seed &lt;br/&gt;&#xA;3) use an overseeder (the rental rents a turfco LS20) &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;What would be your preferred method?&#xA;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;I'm in the Boston metro area, zone 6b.  Apart from watering after seeding I didn't really water the lawn.  It's cool season grass.  I don't know which kind.  The neglected lawn was already here when we bought the house 3 years ago.  I've spent the last 3 years renovating the inside and now have some time to start addressing the outside.  I haven't fertilized either, but will begin doing so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;As requested in the comments, I'm uploading some pictures of the lawn.  This forces me to &quot;explain&quot; a little bit.  I have 2 rectangles of lawn that I seeded this summer.  Because of this, I had to water to enable germination.  This brought back some of the lawn from dormancy.  The remainder of the lawn stayed dormant all summer, and has shown little sign of coming back to life. &#xA;If you are observant, you'll see a semi-circle of green grass at the top of the picture.  This is a patch of bermuda grass that I'm experimenting with, to see if it survives the winter (see one of my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/27065/will-bermuda-grass-survive-in-boston&quot;&gt;previous posts&lt;/a&gt;). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/itkCy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/itkCy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KmXhH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KmXhH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RDLWn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RDLWn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Vqud.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Vqud.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x5HcC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x5HcC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14872" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-09-14T20:17:27.593" Title="How to prepare lawn for overseeding" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29200" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29201" CreationDate="2016-09-13T16:28:48.910" Score="3" ViewCount="1514" Body="&lt;p&gt;As my plant grows, it slants forward. It is getting taller and I'm assuming that this is why, but is their a way to prevent this? Or a way to get it straight by using some type of item?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/StV8J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/StV8J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/igEjL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/igEjL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T16:38:38.460" Title="How can I further prevent my Fiddle Leaf Fig plant from growing slanted?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29201" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29200" CreationDate="2016-09-13T16:38:38.460" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is growing towards the light.  Some solutions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;easiest, rotate the plant pot a quarter turn every week&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stake it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;take it out of the pot, trim off the roots on the side it is leaning towards and repot straight.  Of course it will lean again so....&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Providing more light and rotating the plant will give the best results with least work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T16:38:38.460" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29202" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29203" CreationDate="2016-09-13T18:11:47.727" Score="6" ViewCount="5501" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is growing in my garden and when the leaves are rubbed it smells minty. Can anyone identify it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MG8su.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MG8su.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v89Fv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v89Fv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15846" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-09-13T18:51:15.493" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T21:17:49.687" Title="Minty smelling plant with white and pink flowers" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29202" CreationDate="2016-09-13T18:19:11.257" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yup. It's &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/may/10/plant-of-week-salvia-hot-lips&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Salvia &quot;Hot Lips&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Delicate red and white blooms create a stunning show throughout summer. Some flowers will bloom in solid red color attracting bees and hummingbirds. With a little protection, this Mexican introduction will happily over-winter in zone 6.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XF5nf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XF5nf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T18:19:11.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29202" CreationDate="2016-09-13T18:19:16.060" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is Salvia 'Hot Lips' - the salvias include the sages, used in cooking, so what you're detecting isn't mint, but possibly a sage like scent.This one's not generally used for culinary purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T18:19:16.060" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29194" CreationDate="2016-09-13T19:10:22.133" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Evil Elf asked in a comment about studies of what does happen to trees when root work is done.  A survey of web links shows that root pruning is commonly given as good advice.  Academic studies of the results are scarcer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.vaughan.ca/services/residential/parks_forestry_operations/forestry_services/tree_roots/Pages/default.aspx&quot;&gt;one city&lt;/a&gt; that trims roots down on request but notes that &quot;wounds can create an entry way for harmful insects and diseases&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://hort.purdue.edu/ext/treeroots.html&quot;&gt;Purdue Extension&lt;/a&gt; and the Georgia Forestry Commission indicates that root trimming or shaving is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gfc.state.ga.us/community-forests/ask-the-arborist/treeroots-driveways-sidewalks.pdf&quot;&gt;not a good idea&lt;/a&gt; but doesn't quote sources.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most &lt;a href=&quot;http://joa.isa-arbor.com/request.asp?JournalID=1&amp;amp;ArticleID=2256&amp;amp;Type=2.&quot;&gt;detailed study&lt;/a&gt; points out that some trees can take drastic root pruning and others cannot leading to the &quot;It depends&quot; answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some factors that affect whether a tree can tolerate root work:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil moisture levels: Dry soils do not encourage root regrowth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil temperatures: cool or cold in temperate climates inhibit new root growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;age of the tree: younger specimens tolerate change better&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;species: apples, magnolias and many tropicals tolerate root change. Oaks in the fall do not. From personal experience Birches do not tolerate any changes in their roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These species do not appear to tolerate root pruning or trimming in California as it can lead to them falling over&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Acacia melanoxylon (black acacia)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Schinus molle (California pepper)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fraxinus velutina &quot;Modesto&quot; (Modesto ash) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ulmus sp&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Juglans nigra (Black Walnut)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those safe to root prune include: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cinnamomum camphora (Camphor tree), &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ulmus americana (American elm), &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ulmus pumila (Siberian elm), &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Populus sp. (poplars), &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Liquidambar styriciflua (sweet gum)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Platanus acerifolia (London plane).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T19:10:22.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29207" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-13T21:30:34.620" Score="4" ViewCount="2002" Body="&lt;p&gt;My friend recently purchased an apple tree twist from a local retailer, and was wondering why retailers sell them that way if they will try to kill each other?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please correct me if I'm wrong, and they will help each other grow, and not try to kill each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-09-15T14:54:52.303" Title="If twisted trees will suffocate each other, why do retail stores sell them together?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;design&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29207" CreationDate="2016-09-13T22:31:42.077" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I can see, the benefit is the two trees pollinate each other. I think after they get to a certain size though the stems will become too woody/stiff to continue twisting them together so I am not sure of the long term benefit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T22:31:42.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29209" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29207" CreationDate="2016-09-13T22:33:59.143" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a picture we can see? There is no conclusive way to answer this question without looking at them. If they are twisted quite well and on purpose, then that seems a bit odd. If they are twisted just slightly on purpose, that makes sense in a way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are just incidentally twisted, it probably will work out fine, given enough room for both trees to grow next to each other. If they are quite intertwined, they may have a tendency to strangle each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The purposeful twisting sometimes may be done to save space or for the trees to be exotic in look, and share space to produce different fruit simultaneously. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One word of caution though, if this is a big box retailer, at least some of the time, they are not necessarily knowledgeable and usually don't inspect the supplying nursery's inventory. Many local nurseries will directly bring their product and stack them on the shelves of big box stores like Home Depot, Lowe's, OSH etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes, the retailers employ knowledgeable gardeners they have trained (CA has one such program), but there are not that many of them, and usually even they are tasked with moving product. So many times, they don't really know what they are selling past a certain level. This is why dealing with exclusive retailers is helpful. They too source saplings, etc. from the same nurseries, but are more knowledgeable typically and will pay a lot more attention in helping you choose high quality saplings, give you advice on planting locations, soil amendments, fertilization, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T22:33:59.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29210" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24959" CreationDate="2016-09-13T22:44:40.080" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, photos would help. Neither type of plants will grow too big. If in enriched soil, they will usually just propagate laterally. If they haven't done that, it might be a sign that they could use some feeding. They can definitely use feeding sparingly, about once or twice a year. They probably don't need much more than that. I'd feed them sparingly with some organic fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they have been in the same pot for 4 years, either replace with new, fertilized soil in the same pots or, put them in slightly bigger pots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T22:44:40.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29211" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29207" CreationDate="2016-09-13T23:34:34.597" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;These 'twisted apple trees' are a fairly new concept, so how they perform over a decade or more will be interesting to see. Viv is right in that the benefit is you only need one twisted apple, because the varieties are selected so they pollinate one another, and that's an advantage where growing space is at a premium. Over time, they'll either fuse together or twist themselves, or at least, that's the theory - more info in the link here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/05/15/new-twisted-trees-produce-apples-on-their-own/&quot;&gt;http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/05/15/new-twisted-trees-produce-apples-on-their-own/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-13T23:34:34.597" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29212" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29217" CreationDate="2016-09-14T00:29:04.040" Score="1" ViewCount="46" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew some volunteer cantaloupes in pots this summer, but they got hit hard by what I believe is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthomonas&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Xanthomonas&lt;/a&gt;, a bacteria which causes angular leaf spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tossed the diseased plants, but I'd like to use the old soil to pot up some pepper plants so I can bring them inside for the winter.  Is this a risky move?  Can whichever species of Xanthomonas that hits cantaloupes (a curcubit) infest my peppers (a nightshade)?  Or, is this disease specific enough to its host that it won't harm plants in other genuses?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13188" LastActivityDate="2016-09-14T12:59:49.693" Title="Is Xanthomonas a host-specific disease?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;&lt;cucurbits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29213" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29216" CreationDate="2016-09-14T06:05:20.200" Score="3" ViewCount="922" Body="&lt;p&gt;i got this Chinese Evergreen yesterday from a local nursery. I selected the best one from them(sadly they had only two small ones). Since it's better to buy small plants then big one, I chose this Evergreen. But I found some things that I am not quite sure what to do about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What caused this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gvezq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gvezq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What caused this tiny little hole?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hdlvo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hdlvo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lUpeT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lUpeT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dryqI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dryqI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qJYSK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qJYSK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The two white roots tell me the plant is quite healthy, right? But if it is healthy, what caused those two above mentioned problems? Should I re-pot it now? I got a small pot(bigger than its current pot).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-09-14T13:31:32.950" Title="Is this Chinese Evergreen healthy? what should I do with the specifics?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29214" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-14T06:24:11.497" Score="2" ViewCount="6814" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got this ZZ plant (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamioculcas&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Zamioculcas&lt;/a&gt;) from the nursery (and tried choosing the best one) yesterday. I noticed some yellow leaves and broken leaves. When I asked the gardener (or whatever we call her) she said it was caused by sunlight. I don't know the real cause of it. Upon Googling, I learned that it was due to overwatering. Is this the case?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, does it need repotting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GjbMd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GjbMd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VjPdO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VjPdO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9hqta.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9hqta.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mhT1Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mhT1Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SWQSi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SWQSi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-14T20:42:53.100" LastActivityDate="2016-09-14T20:42:53.100" Title="Why does my new ZZ plant have yellow and broken leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29215" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29214" CreationDate="2016-09-14T07:39:36.133" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I am not sure I follow you all the way. This was the best plant, and already had the yellow leaves when you got it yesterday? I would not have made that choice, if this was indeed the case. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you been watering profusely, or do you suspect the nursery did? Is the soil wet to touch? It also appears to have a clayey nature to it, and you should try to make sure the soil has good drainage by adding compost, or other items that help this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You probably should repot the plant using soil that allows for efficient drainage, and I would move it to a spot where it sees bright light, but does so, indirectly. If the soil is dry to touch, water the plant gently. Over watering is definitely bad. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-14T07:39:36.133" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29213" CreationDate="2016-09-14T10:05:21.270" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That holes in the leaf could be mechanical damage from being hit or it could be a virus/fungus/bacteria.  Given that the roots look healthy the plant should be able to outgrow either of these issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would rake the soil to hinder the growth of the moss. Moss competes for moisture and nutrients. By next year you should be able to cut the new growth where it joins the large stem and propagate them in water.  Replant after they are rooted and you will have a plant with more stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-09-14T13:31:32.950" LastActivityDate="2016-09-14T13:31:32.950" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29212" CreationDate="2016-09-14T12:21:55.933" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd call it a very risky move - if you know the previous occupants of soil within a pot suffered a fungal or bacterial infection, it's not a sensible move to re use the same soil for other plants. If you have a garden, spread the soil from the pots over the ground, unless you live somewhere that doesn't get chilly or cold winters - areas that remain fairly warm even during winter may mean whatever the organism is that caused the problem might survive in open ground. Wash and sterilize the pots before refilling with fresh planting medium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Xanthomonas comes in many varieties, and most are host specific - even so, I wouldn't risk re-using that soil, for you cannot be 100% certain the infective organism was actually X. curcurbitae, or Xanthomonas at all, without laboratory tests. The infective agent might actually have been downy mildew caused by Pseudoperonospora anyway, which also causes angular leaf spot initially. Added to that, there may be other nasties in the soil which, once brought into the heat indoors for winter, will thrive. But, ultimately, it's up to you whether you risk it or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-14T12:59:49.693" LastActivityDate="2016-09-14T12:59:49.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29219" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29223" CreationDate="2016-09-14T16:02:05.957" Score="4" ViewCount="336" Body="&lt;p&gt;My 3-month-or-so lemon tree sapling seemed to be doing great, and has been growing quite huge leaves at a fast rate. However, this morning when I looked at it, one of the newest (and biggest) ones was almost entirely folded:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NaANz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NaANz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it something I should worry about, or is it no big deal? And if the former, why did it happen, and what should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I try to water my plants often, but not too frequently, roughly every 2-4 days. Could it be a lack of water?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14033" LastActivityDate="2016-09-15T18:00:59.277" Title="Folded leaves on a seemingly healthy lemon sapling" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29221" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5970" CreationDate="2016-09-14T19:52:39.303" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my experience citrus trees tak some time to bear fruit. Typically it takes 4-5 years before they get productive. And once they do you will have so many that you dont know what to do with it. So be patient, fertilize and water well. Dont be fooled by the ornamental plants in pictures or stores. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-09-14T19:52:39.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29222" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29199" CreationDate="2016-09-14T20:17:27.593" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;OK, let me give this a shot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, I'd love to get a feel for how compacted those dormant areas are. It WAS a difficult summer in the northeast (of the USA), and compacted area suffered particularly. If it is compacted, you can reseed every year and always have the same problems. You might run a core aerator through there just in case. I like to aerate any area that gets regular foot traffic annually at least.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next, your lawn looks to be of a size you could rake by hand. You'll want to rake out the dead grass and rough up the topsoil a bit to ensure good seed/soil contact. Another option would be to apply high quality compost with the seed, which will give you the contact and the benefit of the nutrients and soil biology that come with compost. This is just my opinion, but I think a slit seeder would be overkill for this scale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you seed, get a seed mix that includes several different fescue and bluegrass varieties. The greater the diversity, the greater the chances that each &quot;microclimate&quot; in your yard will have a grass variety that can thrive in there. The diversity can also increase your window of a green lawn as some will green up earlier and others will remain green under greater heat/drought stress. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You look like you didn't have any trouble watering those rectangles properly to get them germinated, so keep up with the light frequent watering through germination and slowly cut back on frequency as the grass comes up and gets established Then switch to infrequent, deep watering to encourage deep root growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2016-09-14T20:17:27.593" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29219" CreationDate="2016-09-14T21:16:59.270" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like  that you 'roughly' water every 2-4 days!  That is a good way to water!  This guy looks very healthy and what I am seeing is very normal.  This leaf is still 'uncurling' from its 'package'.  The green is a good green and so far looks just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-14T21:16:59.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29207" CreationDate="2016-09-14T21:25:12.277" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The 'problem' with this 'braiding' or intertwining of trunks is that it could cause problems with the vascular system but I've never seen that happen.  They 'grow together' and share vascular systems. Outside or where there is a lot of wind and when branches rub they aren't able to 'grow together' and the rubbing leaves room for disease to easily infect the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is very similar to grafting.  Other forms of the same species are grafted right into the host and then they grow together and have a bark system completely enclosed.  You won't find this braiding happening out of doors with continual movement by the wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-14T21:25:12.277" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29226" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-14T22:43:39.453" Score="1" ViewCount="7058" Body="&lt;p&gt;I seeded the lawn with Tall fescue 12 days ago. We tilled the existing soil, added more soil and compost, seeded and lightly raked the seeds after spreading. I could see grass on the 6th day and it has grown almost 1.5 inches tall. The problem I am having is that the grass is all dense in few spots and then few spots are almost barren. What did I do wrong? I did spread the seed evenly using the rotary spreader. What can I do now? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Ankita" LastActivityDate="2016-09-30T07:15:20.847" Title="Newly seeded lawn growing unevenly" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29227" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-15T07:08:18.187" Score="2" ViewCount="2269" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an aloe vera plant in a ceramic pot. It is growing too big for it and I'm not sure what to do. What is the procedure for transplanting aloe vera into a larger pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also since it's so big, is there a way I can take part of it and start a new pot (like reproduce it)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0M81v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0M81v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;photo 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1mwO4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1mwO4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;photo 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15857" LastEditorUserId="15857" LastEditDate="2016-09-22T03:46:30.857" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T21:06:04.157" Title="Aloe vera plant outgrowing its pot" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29228" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29227" CreationDate="2016-09-15T08:52:00.473" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant can be put into a larger pot with a drainage hole. When it has outgrown the pot it will give new plants you can plant apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I always put a 1 inch ball of clay on the bottom of the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15858" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-09-15T19:53:19.110" LastActivityDate="2016-09-15T19:53:19.110" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29229" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29147" CreationDate="2016-09-15T10:29:40.813" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this document on the subject&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.emeraldashborer.info/documents/Multistate_EAB_Insecticide_Fact_Sheet.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.emeraldashborer.info/documents/Multistate_EAB_Insecticide_Fact_Sheet.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the site&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.emeraldashborer.info/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.emeraldashborer.info/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to be a treasure trove of information about this pest. One of the key points that I noted is that the adult EAB needs to feed on foliage before becoming reproductively mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's an in-depth study on controlling these pests. I've posted the summary page here for reference, in case the document ceases to be available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Key Points and Summary Recommendation&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(from Herms, McCullough, Smitley, Sadof, Cranshaw)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Insecticides can effectively and consistently protect even very large ash trees from EAB, even under intense pest pressure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drought stress inhibits uptake and transport of systemic insecticides. Supplemental irrigation will be needed during dry periods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Unnecessary insecticide applications waste money. However, EAB infestations are very difficult to detect when populations are low. Once EAB has been detected within 10-15 miles, your trees may be at risk. Be aware of the status of EAB in your location. Current maps of counties and states where EAB has been found are available at www.emeraldashborer. info. Remember, however, that once a county is quarantined, regulatory surveys end and maps for that county are no longer updated. In some areas, local information on EAB infestations may be available from city, county or state officials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trees exhibiting more than 50 percent canopy decline (thinning or dieback) are unlikely to recover even if treated with a highly effective systemic insecticide. Trees that are already infested and showing signs of canopy decline when treatments are initiated may continue to decline the first year after treatment, and then begin to improve the second year, as the trees recover. Effectiveness of products varies and depending on the product applied and the pest pressure, trees with lower levels of canopy decline may not recover despite treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Emamectin benzoate consistently provides at least two years of EAB control with a single application, even in large and very large trees under intense pest pressure. It also provided a higher level of control than other products in side-by-side studies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trunk injections of azadirachtin affect EAB differently than other systemic insecticides. Results from a recent study indicate azadirachtin should provide effective protection for one to two years, depending on EAB pressure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Basal trunk sprays with dinotefuran applied annually effectively protected ash trees up to 22 inches DBH in several studies. It is important to calibrate sprayers to ensure the proper rate of the formulated product is applied.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Imidacloprid and dinotefuran soil applications provided effective EAB control of trees up to 22 inches DBH (larger trees were not tested) when applied annually at the highest labeled rate, even under intense pest pressure. Soil drenches and injections are most effective when the product is applied at the base of the trunk. Generally, imidacloprid soil applications are more effective when applied in the spring than in the fall. Soil injections should be no more than 2-4 inches deep, to avoid placing the insecticide beneath feeder roots of the tree. To facilitate uptake, systemic trunk and soil insecticides should be applied when the soil is moist but not saturated or excessively dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When treating trees greater than 15 inches DBH with imidacloprid soil applications, select a product that allows a higher rate (2X rate) to be used. Not all imidacloprid products can be applied at that rate, so check the label carefully. Users must comply with all restrictions on the frequency of applications and the amount of insecticide that can be applied per acre in a given year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7249" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-09-15T15:05:21.897" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29230" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29226" CreationDate="2016-09-15T13:20:53.640" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wait few other weeks, and eventually over seed again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At this stage humidity is the relevant factor: seeds and initial stem have very tiny roots, so were the seedling found more water in the few millimeters, they tend to growth earlier. Just shadow or humidity on air on the morning could make such spots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-09-15T13:20:53.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29231" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29242" CreationDate="2016-09-15T13:45:27.170" Score="3" ViewCount="299" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a rental property in zone 9. I planted bungleweed, salvia guarantica (blue black), firebush, lantana, ligustrum japonica,&#xA;Pink muhly grass, dwarf lemon tree, camellia and others 2 years ago. Tried to plant maintenance free, local and polllinator friendly plants. Tenant is under contract to keep them alive. No sprinkler system. That area gets 40-60 in rain annually. What are ideal plants for a rental property?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iT979.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iT979.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;garden bed 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DewQt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DewQt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;garden bed 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gQrBE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gQrBE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k4Tb1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k4Tb1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cm53S.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cm53S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9745" LastActivityDate="2016-09-15T21:19:46.267" Title="Ideal plants for rental property?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;native-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29232" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29235" CreationDate="2016-09-15T14:17:22.103" Score="5" ViewCount="360" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay, I searched internet but didn't help much, so here is my question, I hope for a detailed answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is garden soil? I mean, why it is not recommended for potted plants? Is it because it's heavy and doesn't drain well and less to no aeration? Or some other factors also make it a bad choice?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can one treat or make the clay or garden soil good for potted plants without using Vermiculite, Perlite, Organic matter. Is there any other method?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personal Experience:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I potted a plant in garden soil and watered the plant with around 3 litres of water. The soil didn't drain any water at all. Yes the pot has enough drainage holes. My Mother and Father said that I watered too much, but I don't think so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried to explain to my Mom that the soil is bad and not good for potted plants, but she still insisted that that was caused by too much water. Then I demonstrated it again, but this time choosing a bigger pot with different soil. I watered the bigger pot with 1 litre of water and the soil really drained much of the water I watered. That's a good soil there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a nutshell:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pot A: average size pot with garden soil; watered with 3 litres of water; didn't drain any water. didn't drain any water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pot B: Bigger than Pot A but with different soil (not garden soil). Gave 1 litre of water and it drained much of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yet my Mother and Father said the culprit is too much water. Whereas I think the culprit is the garden soil. They said to give a little water (100ML or so) around it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which brings to me to the next question: Should I give less water if I am using clay/garden soil (and nothing else) or watering too little is a bad thing to do? What's the case? Can anyone enlighten me here?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-09-17T05:14:20.190" Title="What exactly is garden soil, and why shouldn't it be used for potted plants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29233" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29207" CreationDate="2016-09-15T14:54:52.303" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect that even with complete knowledge they'd still sell them.  It would take years, maybe even decades for the trunks to do a lot of harm to each other, by which time the sellers reckon you'll have moved/got bored of the trees/pruned them sporadically enough that you blame yourself...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They appear to be a subset of the &quot;family&quot;apple tree; according to the RHS: &quot;These solve the problem of cross-pollination, but can be harder to prune, as the different cultivars often grow at different rates.&quot;  I've heard (but can't find a reputable source) that it's common for one of the family to die or be stunted.  I would have though these problems are more likely at least in the short term.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2016-09-15T14:54:52.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29234" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-15T15:24:41.707" Score="5" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking of taking my worm colony currently in a Rubbermaid and transferring it to one or two worm tubes in the ground outside. I read that red wigglers won't survive the winter but the cocoons do so that's cool. What are some methods that I can employ to ensure success for this switch? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7231" LastActivityDate="2016-10-09T01:42:08.090" Title="Should I Switch to a Worm Composting Tube?" Tags="&lt;vermicomposting&gt;&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29235" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29232" CreationDate="2016-09-15T15:25:04.723" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know how I managed to post an answer twice...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many people do use garden soil in their pots - but it's a risk. Bacteria, pathogens, fungi and other bio diverse life forms in open ground may cause no problem and you won't even be aware of their presence/existence. Take the soil and enclose it in a pot,and if there is any pathogen in it, your plant/s may not do well, get sick or even die. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the water drainage/soil issue, you are correct - some soils and soil mixes drain much better than others. You know that when you pot a plant up, its usual to water it thoroughly, allow it to drain down, then water when it needs it ongoing. Not giving enough water will mean the plant goes short - but there is some merit in suggesting that clay and silt type soils do hold onto water very well indeed, so giving a little less may not cause the plant to suffer drought, although it may mean plants which don't like heavy, soggy, poor draining clay soils won't do well anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-15T19:44:27.150" LastActivityDate="2016-09-15T19:44:27.150" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29237" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29226" CreationDate="2016-09-15T16:37:04.490" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another possibility is that the flow of water over the soil, either from watering or rainfall, moved the seeds.  You could try to reseed the bare  sections now, but you'd probably have to step all over the new seedlings to do it, possibly killing them.  So, I'm not sure it's worth it.  Might as well wait and re seed the bare patches in the spring.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14872" LastActivityDate="2016-09-15T16:37:04.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29219" CreationDate="2016-09-15T18:00:59.277" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've said the leaf had opened normally, and you found it rolled up like this later, then it righted itself later in the day. It looks as if your plant is indoors, and appears to be in sunlight through that window - if the sun was very strong yesterday, and you noticed the leaf rolled like this between 11-3pm or thereabouts, and it got better after that time, likely the sun was too hot through the window. Presumably only this leaf was affected because it's the most exposed to sunlight and it's a younger one - the ones beneath will have been sheltered to some extent prior to its rolling up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The surface of the potting medium does look quite dry, so maybe the sun through the window does get a bit intense at times, though this won't be a problem during winter. Although its not wise to overwater these plants, if the soil in the pot does get a bit baked in the sun, its possible the plant is just a bit short of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-15T18:00:59.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29239" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-15T18:17:47.573" Score="4" ViewCount="286" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had very bad hailstorm in late July which broke a number of branches off the Acer and left a layer of ice on the pot for 3 hours or more. The Acer leaves have slowly shrivelled as a reaction to the ice and damage, but the leaves didn't initially drop off. We are now in mid September and the leaves are starting to fall as new buds are forming and seem to be pushing them off (they are the biggest and reddest buds this Acer has ever had!). A few of the buds have opened and new bright red young leaves are brightening up what looked a very sorry tree. Most of the buds opening are on or close to where the wood was broken. Question: what will now happen to the buds that have formed, the majority look as though they will not open this year, but will they remain dormant and then open next spring or will the tree have a barren 2017?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15860" LastActivityDate="2016-09-15T19:05:03.463" Title="Acer new leaves in mid-September" Tags="&lt;damage&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29240" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29239" CreationDate="2016-09-15T19:05:03.463" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, those leaves will all drop off.  That is the beauty of being a deciduous tree!  Leaves are the most vulnerable, roots a step up but buried in the ground (not a pot) protects them and then the stem/branches that have a thick epidermis and dormancy that slows the vascular system down to a crawl.  Dormancy means the plant is done making its own food for the season.  Your trees have stored enough food to maintain minimal necessary functions during dormancy and getting rid of the leaves is a protective mechanism.  This is why deciduous plants are so hardy.  Conifers have leaves far more hardy than deciduous trees but even a few of the conifers have learned to shed their leaves ie.) the Tamarack or Larch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Environmental triggers such as day/light hours, heat, cold, storms, rain can confuse plants. Some people would go so far to say this tree is 'telling the future' for weather such as we will be having an 'Indian Summer' a long, warm beautiful fall.  I don't buy the woo-wwooooo stuff.  As the climate changes globally (and I am NOT talking about this anthropomorphic global warming crap) this is how plants adapt and their genome changes to ensure survival.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-15T19:05:03.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29242" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29231" CreationDate="2016-09-15T21:19:46.267" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants can never be maintenance free altogether. They will at least need infrequent observation, fertilization, help with infestations and even watering. Drip irrigation is not a set-it-and-forget-it solution like many think it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;40-60 in. of rain also means there can be the risk of water clogging and this is another thing to watch out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Zone 9 is a zone in which most plants will grow easily. I live in Zone 9B, and I have even been able to grow plants that are suited for zones 8 and 10 by carefully choosing locations, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideal plants for a rental property where lesser maintenance is desired would be hardy natives (you have not mentioned the location), especially perennials, hardy non-natives recommended for adequate water use and optimal growth, and most definitely cactii and succulents are always a safe bet, provided appropriate planting and drainage. Roses are a very safe bet in zone 9, but they will require a specific level of maintenance. Variegated Pittosporum species and others may be great options for providing year round color through foliage, as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should contact local master gardeners (highly recommended), and visit local nurseries and if available, a local community college/University that focuses on agriculture/gardening to have conversations on selecting specific plants/species that have been locally successful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-15T21:19:46.267" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14824" CreationDate="2016-09-16T00:33:14.770" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just give it a try - plants are somewhat adaptable, so it may work. However, I personally think that the Sea Almond (Terminalia cattapa) would provide you not only with almond-like fruits that indeed taste like sweet almonds, but it's also a lovely shade tree, has beautiful timber and gets a maple-like leaf coloration in fall. An alley of these trees lining a driveway looks stunning, and a single tree to shade the backyard garde is perfect. In Australia you can get them eg from Daley's Fruits in Kyogle, but around the world nurseries should be able to get you some.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a photo of Terminalia cattapa:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6EC4e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Terminalia cattapa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Happy gardening !!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15863" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T19:38:45.437" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T19:38:45.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29226" CreationDate="2016-09-16T14:31:47.333" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;At this point I would do nothing to disturb the other areas. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wait until the lawn is at least 4-6 inches, then give it the first mow. Then inspect the patchy areas and see if the seeds are there, washed away, or maybe the new soil washed into other areas and nutrients need to be applied to the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After inspecting, reseed the areas and do not mow lawn again for 3 more weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tall fescue is highly adaptable to wet &amp;amp; dry conditions, so most likely watering won't be the issue even in germination periods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15868" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-09-16T16:48:47.277" LastActivityDate="2016-09-16T16:48:47.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29245" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-16T16:25:25.277" Score="4" ViewCount="244" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the following indoor plant but it looks it is not happy. Some of the leaves turned brown and the flower is dry. Is this a perennial plant? Do you think I can revive it? I water it once a week. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qLWMI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qLWMI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastActivityDate="2016-09-17T10:44:46.083" Title="How should I take care of my bromeliad?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;bromeliads&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29246" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29164" CreationDate="2016-09-16T16:28:54.797" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Also known as &lt;strong&gt;Grasscycling.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DrW39.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DrW39.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Grass clippings are 80% water and a time releasing organic fertilizer.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are only&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;2 main reasons not to Grasscycle.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you see signs of lawn disease, to avoid spreading the fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You recently applied a weed control product to the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Left on the lawn, grass clippings rapidly decompose being 80% water and serve as a time-release fertilizer, helping to promote steady growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to experts with the Missouri Botanical Garden, you'll need 25 percent less fertilizer if you grasscycle. As the clippings add humus to the lawn soil, you'll also have more earthworms and other microorganisms that help break down plant particles even faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;No need to worry about either, since you will be basically adding the same two things, water and fertilizer.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15868" LastEditorUserId="15868" LastEditDate="2016-10-26T05:50:14.207" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T05:50:14.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29247" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29249" CreationDate="2016-09-16T16:36:00.540" Score="5" ViewCount="268" Body="&lt;p&gt;I took this photo a few years ago and the flower was found in the wild. It was all over the place but I haven't been able to find what the flower is called and where else it is found. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This was found in Assam, India. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1JdS6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1JdS6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;yellow flower wild&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15865" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-09-16T16:48:07.237" LastActivityDate="2016-09-17T03:22:14.340" Title="What is this yellow flower with thick curved petals?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29248" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29254" CreationDate="2016-09-16T17:39:30.323" Score="7" ViewCount="1109" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a lot of these wildflowers in our yard, which grow to be about three feet tall. The stems bush out a little along the main stalk. At the end of the stems are clusters, about 4 inches long, of very small pink buds hanging over. I started seeing them in early summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After about eight weeks the clusters began turning white and opening into very small white flowers with yellow centers. The flowers were only open for about a week, and are now seedpods, which have not fallen off. If I open one, I find hard seeds. They have no discernible scent at any stage.  When budding, the leaves are dark green, with an area of darker green not far from the stem, and as the flowers go by they become yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know what they are for a few reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are they allergenic? My husband is allergic to goldenrod, (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldenrod&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;solidago&lt;/a&gt;) and some other wildflowers, and he's uncomfortable now that it's pollen season. If these contribute to that, I'll remove them. If not, I'll leave them alone to finish their life-cycle. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are they important to the eco-system, specifically bees and ants? Only a few small bees are hanging around, which makes sense because there's very little pollen, and also because we have a lot of things nearby with bigger flowers and easier access. I know some wild things help ants and are useful for preserving the eco-system, so I don't want to pull them unless they're harmful to anything. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;They're pretty, and I'd like to know what to call them!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're in Massachusetts, USDA zone 6 (meaning our lowest winter temperatures are about −5 °F, −20.6 °C.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&#xA;Even though it's now been identified as a Polygonum, I changed some pictures to show more detail. If that helps narrow down the variety, that's great, but if not, I certainly don't need it. They all look pretty much the same to me, and I appreciate the help I've received. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qkbZx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qkbZxl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tall thin plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tgxlw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tgxlwl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;wider one looking down&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/moGmn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/moGmnm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower buds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EpSSL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EpSSLm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;front and back of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-22T03:00:29.490" LastActivityDate="2016-09-22T03:00:29.490" Title="What is this wildflower with clusters of very small pink buds which open to white flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-09-23T14:37:28.950" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29247" CreationDate="2016-09-16T18:12:01.783" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Update: Based on OP's comment about the leaves, it is possible, the tree is Senna alata&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe this beautiful specimen is Cryptochilus lutea. Look it up online and see if that jogs your memory.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Were there green tendrils off to one side of the plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have any other pictures? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastEditorUserId="7499" LastEditDate="2016-09-17T03:22:14.340" LastActivityDate="2016-09-17T03:22:14.340" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29250" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29248" CreationDate="2016-09-16T18:26:05.127" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This might be a variety of Pieris japonica. The leaves are throwing me off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you take a few more pictures of the flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beautiful plant by the way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-16T18:26:05.127" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29248" CreationDate="2016-09-16T18:32:14.670" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's one of the Polygonums (previously Persicaria, and still listed as such in many references) not entirely sure which, most pics on line are of cultivated varieties, and wild ones are quite variable in appearance, but likely its &lt;a href=&quot;http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+0508+0068&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Polygonum lapathifolium&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants are not notorious for causing allergic responses, but every individual is different, and any flower's pollen may cause an allergic response in some individuals. I believe the common name in the USA is smartweed - its knotweed in the UK. As the common names suggest, it's considered a weed - but could equally be called a wild flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may want to remove the seedheads -  wild Polygonums are inclined to spread themselves about liberally. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-09-17T13:10:38.813" LastActivityDate="2016-09-17T13:10:38.813" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29245" CreationDate="2016-09-16T19:31:06.303" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;All bromeliads follow the same life cycle: growth, flowering and death.  Your plant has flowered and under good conditions has put out two offsets from the bottom of the stem which will become a cluster of plants in time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This kind of bromeliad is pretty tough but will benefit from:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bright diffuse light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;higher humidity levels (place the pot on top of a deep saucer of water that has small stones in )&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;surprisingly in lower light levels keeping the inner cup full of water which is helpful in high light environments can cause rot in lower light levels&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you can extend the useful life of this plant by removing the flower&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have seen florists remove the flower and put a spot of spray paint on the inside under the theory that it is going to die anyway so why not brighten it up on the way out&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-09-17T10:44:46.083" LastActivityDate="2016-09-17T10:44:46.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29232" CreationDate="2016-09-17T05:14:20.190" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;One shovel full of a larger ecosystem and soil profile takes that soil out of context. There are lots of bits 'n pieces but no beneficials normally found in a larger garden system that control the pests.  Just one little pest without what is normally found in the garden that you didn't or couldn't pick up to control and balance that soil could mean death of your plant. Plants in the larger garden have a larger palette of beneficials, drainage, organic matter...I mean a real soil profile! No way could a shovel of garden soil have any of the benefits found in the larger ecosystem out of doors. Go look up soil profiles and the importance in soil health, drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This wonderful plant you paid big bucks to own was raised in potting soil (believe me, no commercial grower would ever use garden soil in pots, they are in the business of growing, producing healthy plants...think about that) and given just enough water, just enough air and continuous chemicals that are prescribed just for this plant.  It looks beautiful, the picture of health and you pay good money, take it home away from everything this plant needs and knows, stick it in a pot with a shovel full of who knows what. Obviously this plant will not do well.  You feel bad, you feel it is your fault and you go buy another and try giving this new plant a home hoping it will thrive.  Hopefully, you will give up with trying to reinvent something the commercial gardeners have already discovered. Just get a bag of cheap sterilized potting soil for this next plant.  Trust me, plants are tough and adaptable but putting a plant in a pot with less than a gallon or two of soil and expect that plant to continue looking healthy is setting yourself up for failure...why not give that plant the best chance of survival? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't think I've tried making my own soil?  I've been around and watched others trying to make their own potting soil. They buy the vermiculite, the peat moss, the decomposed organic matter, perhaps some mycorrhizae and bacteria to add after BAKING the whole mess in an oven (PU). Test for chemistry and pH!  Pebbles and rocks are not helpful at all for drainage.  Been through enough testing of soils as well as Soils 101 to know this is a fact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then there is the perched water table. If one puts rocks, gravel at the bottom beneath the soil (any soil) in a pot, people think erroneously these large pieces of rock help with drainage.  Large pore spaces below tiny pore spaces create a perched water table.  When the plant and soil are watered, all the tiny pore spaces of the soil have to be filled (saturated) before the water is then able to move into the large pore spaces on the way down to the drainage hole.  Causes soggy soil, root rot and generally all the symptoms of over watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Order the dang potting soil over the internet!  If commercial plant growers who are very concerned about every cent, use commercial potting soil why would anyone else want to try making their own soil? To save money or even better produce a science experiment where you have to purchase all the ingredients and sterilize.  Very little soil is actually involved.  Definitely more work, more money and too large of a risk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-17T05:14:20.190" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29254" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29248" CreationDate="2016-09-17T11:41:24.057" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As mentioned by @Bamboo, it appears to be one of the polygonums; specifically it looks like Pennslyania Pinkweed (Polygonum pensylvanicum) to me. It's in various places in my yard; is an annual but readily re-seeds, and native to most of the US; one less thing I must rip out. Numerous photos at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Polygonum%20pensylvanicum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Discover Life&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, goldenrod is not usually what causes allergies. It is more likely to be caused by ragweed, which blooms about the same time but has very light, airborne pollen. Goldenrods have heavier pollen, carried by insects. Do a quick google of &quot;goldenrod vs ragweed allergy&quot; for several citations and more information. I pull up all the ragweed I can find, but must wait for it to develop a bit to tell the younglings from some of the annual summer wildflowers (leaves are very similar). Both my husband and I suffer from ragweed allergies, but I've deliberately planted several native species of solidago for the pollinators and nectar seekers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this is helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3431" LastActivityDate="2016-09-17T11:41:24.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29256" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-17T20:28:37.887" Score="11" ViewCount="236" Body="&lt;p&gt;So when I dug this tree up from the base of my Mahogany tree I assumed it was growing from one of the seeds and was a mahogany tree as well.  As you can tell it is not a mahogany tree at all but at the time it was a stick with two little leaves.  it has long kind of thin leaves with a red vein running down the center and smaller veins running out from it.  I just want to know if it is a tree or bush and what it is.  I really hope it's not poisonous since I have 2 little ones and a dog that will sample anything if you let them.  Any Help would be much appreciated&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ARDx9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ARDx9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15874" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-11-24T00:17:39.040" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T09:47:38.107" Title="I need help figuring out what kind of tree I have" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29257" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29638" CreationDate="2016-09-18T04:59:48.783" Score="5" ViewCount="289" Body="&lt;p&gt;I brought this plant from a local nursery (Jaipur, India), I put this in a big pot few weeks ago but this is growing really fast. I brought this of around 3 feet and now its around 6 feet. I would like to know name of this plant (looks like a tree now). If anybody know &quot;hindi&quot; name of this plant that would be great. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1CLlQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1CLlQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iVq8r.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iVq8r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wT8zb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wT8zb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2818" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T16:27:55.893" Title="Identify plant (tree)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29257" CreationDate="2016-09-18T07:55:04.387" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe you have a beautiful specimen of the Indian Horsechestnut. Kanor and Bankhor are listed as the Hindi names, and you should be able to confirm that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Word to the wise, this is a tree, and appears to grow spectacular in size. I don't think it is going to be happy in the pot for long! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-18T07:55:04.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29259" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1132" CreationDate="2016-09-18T12:07:25.753" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Capnodis sexmaculata (Coleoptera; Buprestidae). In Balochistan, Pakistan it is a pest of Apricot and Almond&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15877" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-09-18T16:33:09.127" LastActivityDate="2016-09-18T16:33:09.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29260" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29261" CreationDate="2016-09-18T14:45:22.520" Score="3" ViewCount="364" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our cactus is about 4 or 5 inches tall.  I think it's looking unhealthy in the lower half.  I also think it must receive a larger container.  Recommendations?   Thanks! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h7wEk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h7wEkl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Upright image&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15880" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-18T17:03:41.833" LastActivityDate="2016-09-18T17:03:41.833" Title="Is this cactus unhealthy, especially at the bottom?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29261" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29260" CreationDate="2016-09-18T16:24:06.127" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like root rot to me. How much do you water it and when?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of saving it, you may be able to take cuttings from them as advised in this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/25024/1929&quot;&gt;question&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do, be careful not to over water it, especially whilst it is rooting as the new roots are very susceptible to rot. Water a small amount and then leave it until the soil is completely dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a free draining soil mixed with plenty of grit and of course a pot that drains easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1929" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-09-18T16:24:06.127" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29262" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35289" CreationDate="2016-09-18T16:32:45.670" Score="4" ViewCount="690" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife found some purslane on her daily walk and brought some home for the garden. We also have another weed growing in the backyard that seems to be purslane as well, but it lacks branching stems and the stems seems to be all green. I would like help to identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/liH2o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/liH2o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15881" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T18:19:03.303" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T18:19:03.303" Title="What is this white flowered purslane lookalike from South Florida?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29263" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29264" CreationDate="2016-09-18T16:34:15.137" Score="6" ViewCount="3587" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I noticed the main limb of my maple tree was dead. Moreover, this year it seems to be getting worse and spreading!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SLnOi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SLnOi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qbior.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qbior.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8vQBY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8vQBY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mIxMl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mIxMl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume I need to remove the tree and replant, because cutting of the main limb is going to make the tree look lopsided. Any advice?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5718" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-18T17:02:40.093" LastActivityDate="2018-04-18T17:02:40.093" Title="Is my maple tree beyond saving?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29264" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29263" CreationDate="2016-09-18T16:43:21.530" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it's done. Call in an arborist and a chipper.  When you remove the main trunk you will expose the join where the main trunk is weakly attached to the secondaries. This join looks like included bark as described &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_fork#Bark_inclusions_and_fork_strength&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and is a major hazard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only reasons not to remove this tree are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it is not near anything that would be damaged if a tree fell on it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the tree is in a woodlot where it's hard to reach&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;you want to encourage the many species of wildlife that find a dead tree to be more useful than a live one  (Woodpeckers, nesting birds and mammals, decay agents)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get an arborist in for a quote and have them diagnose the cause of the dieback.  I don't have enough details to diagnose that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-09-18T16:43:21.530" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29265" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29266" CreationDate="2016-09-18T18:49:41.250" Score="7" ViewCount="3882" Body="&lt;p&gt;My garden is on a roof top in the South Bronx. I get a lot out of a little space, but I tend to only have one or two of each type of plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8X8rC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8X8rC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most advice I find is for terrestrial gardens with rows and rows of the same plant. I also find that my plants do strange things, like this lettuce that seems to be bolting in the fall. I thought this was a spring occurrence?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yrism.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yrism.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would it be a good idea to cut the top off?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cC63R.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cC63R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had some good success replanting the root of a lettuce after eating the top. But, then again, maybe I should try to collect these seeds and plant them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best next move?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14760" LastEditorUserId="9703" LastEditDate="2016-09-20T14:37:51.843" LastActivityDate="2019-01-16T21:26:52.173" Title="Should I cut the top off of this bolting lettuce?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;&lt;fall-gardening&gt;&lt;roof-garden&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29266" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29265" CreationDate="2016-09-18T21:02:55.940" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bolting in the fall is the normal time for lettuce to go to seed.  To gather seed is a bigger more complicated task.  If you didn't purchase viable seed or if that seed is GMO just will not work at all.  The other thing is that you won't know the genetics of that seed.  Producing seed takes growing identical plants in a big group, ideally in a hermetically sealed grow room.  And if you've got newly designed plants it is ILLEGAL to grow vegetatively. (just fyi, no biggie).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No harm in trying!  But lettuce is fine and happy when you harvest a few leaves for dinner salad and leave the entire plant and roots alone.  It will produce more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Go ahead and try these leaves in your salad.  Definitely take that center reproductive growth off.  I've found the lettuce in some varieties after bolting to be bitter. Bolting is caused by extremes of temperature; too hot or too cold will confuse plants.  We have extremely hot days and extremely cold nights.  Anything that has a propensity to bolt will bolt as soon as it matures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-18T21:02:55.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29263" CreationDate="2016-09-18T21:46:51.990" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;First get an arborist, one who is familiar with your locale and can have hands on expert examination.  It is obviously an old maple.  Everything declines before it dies of old age but while it declines it is very susceptible to disease, insects.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would take a good handsaw (a narrow pruning saw) and cut that leader (main branch) off right down to the healthy junction, giving an angle to cut so water is not able to sit on the 1&quot; thick stump and forget about coating the stump with anything. Looks like an easy tree to climb but I would still take precautions; no chainsaws, tie yourself to a sturdy branch in case you fall, maybe wear a helmet? If you aren't familiar with cutting down or pruning big trees and branches please hire an arborist to thoroughly check your tree to see if it is worth saving and have them do the climbing and sawing or taking down the entire tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever has killed that limb might be contained and this is just part of an old tree.  I'd then THIN by removing all small diameter branches to allow light and air to the rest of the healthy tree.  Allow wind to flow through unimpeded.  The arborist will know...if the problem turns out to be just that branch then you will have more years of use and beauty of this tree. Clean that saw before using and after, using alcohol just in case! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-18T21:46:51.990" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29263" CreationDate="2016-09-18T23:44:59.633" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mark Shepherd lets his trees survive by STUN(Sheer Total Utter Neglect), so if your tree survives it survives, if it loses all leaves, and doesn't come back next year it's dead. Just let the tree STUN.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my parents forest we have a tree that has a large dead main branch and it died, and stopped growing. The rest of the tree is just fine for growing and the dead branch is still standing 10 years later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also save the tree by cutting it off below that point which will make it look like a high bush, and that's a natural cut to the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-09-18T23:44:59.633" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29269" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29265" CreationDate="2016-09-19T00:26:29.460" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Taste it. Usually when lettuce bolts it's time to pull the plant, as it turns horribly bitter. If you like bitter lettuce that may not be a problem for you. It commonly happens as the weather heats up in summer, so if you got all the way to fall you did well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seed saving for lettuce probably makes very little sense with your garden size - indeed, you might want to look at some other greens in that situation, but a single seed packet should last you for years, even if you share the seeds with your gardening neighbors. As time passes you may need to plant a few more seeds to get 2 plants, but there are a LOT of seeds even in the smallest packet of lettuce seed. If what you have now is a hybrid, the seeds from it may not make very good lettuce anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-09-22T13:51:01.073" LastActivityDate="2016-09-22T13:51:01.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29271" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29272" CreationDate="2016-09-19T06:40:56.230" Score="6" ViewCount="532" Body="&lt;p&gt;My company recently moved offices and we adopted some plants left by the previous inhabitants. While many were in bad shape, all but one are recovering quite well and I am not sure what to do with this one. It previously lived in a hallway where there is never any sunlight and is now in an office with daylight. We water it weekly. Does it need more/less water? More/less light? A bigger pot? Some possibility to climb? I am absolutely clueless about plants and would hate to see this wonderful creature die due to my / the previous owners lack of care. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nghWF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nghWF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full view of plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z3qCA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z3qCA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Only remaining healthy leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(The dark spots on the images are from my camera, not on the wall/plant)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15888" LastActivityDate="2016-09-19T19:45:52.803" Title="Is this plant beyond saving?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29272" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29271" CreationDate="2016-09-19T07:52:39.817" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is worth a try. I would cut down all the upper branches, keep the one with the lower leaf, and possibly one with the upper leaf. You could also take the portion with the upper leaf, and give it a bit of rooting compound and try to root that in a new pot/medium. Any branches that have new leaves appearing might be worth saving, but the less energy that a healing plant has to put into feeding leaves, etc. the better. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have anything like Super-Thrive, give the plant just a tiny bit. It might help. A new layer of compost might also help. I have managed to pull off one to two plants like this that I neglected or forgot to pot after getting them on clearance. There is no guarantee it will survive though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is hard to tell, but the soil does appear wet, so that is good. Keeping the soil moist, but not too wet is good while it is trying to survive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastEditorUserId="7499" LastEditDate="2016-09-19T19:45:52.803" LastActivityDate="2016-09-19T19:45:52.803" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29274" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-19T11:06:02.763" Score="4" ViewCount="1251" Body="&lt;p&gt;How can I stop a pollarded sycamore from sprouting new growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15894" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-09-19T14:15:34.713" LastActivityDate="2016-09-19T14:15:34.713" Title="How can I stop a sycamore tree from sprouting new growth?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29275" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29277" CreationDate="2016-09-19T11:28:14.867" Score="6" ViewCount="3241" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering when my chilli plants start bearing fruit when would be the best time to harvest the fruit when the chillis are still green or when they change colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2835" LastActivityDate="2016-09-19T18:01:51.660" Title="When is the best time to harvest chilli peppers?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29276" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29274" CreationDate="2016-09-19T12:01:40.473" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the assumption you mean new growth which is not at the top of the cut parts, but arising either on the trunk or from below ground, you can't I'm afraid. If you pollard trees, many of them produce epicormic shoots as well as suckers off the roots as a direct response to the cutting back. Some trees are more prone to this than others, but epicormic shoots in particular are suppressed by the presence of topgrowth - if the topgrowth or canopy endures damage, dieback or pollarding/coppicing, the epicormic buds are activated, and new shoots arise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-19T12:34:00.567" LastActivityDate="2016-09-19T12:34:00.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29277" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29275" CreationDate="2016-09-19T14:18:50.700" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are some chilis that are generally harvested when green - jalapeño, rocoto sometimes - but in most cases you'll want to wait until they ripen to their final color. The heat is typically present in the unripe green fruit, but the sugars and other flavors that give each variety their specific flavor profiles will not be developed until the color changes. The difference can be quite profound, and I even like to let jalapeños turn red before harvesting because of the flavor improvement. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to when they are ready to pick, you can cut them off almost any time, but when they are truly ripe they can generally be pulled from the stem with little effort. Wait too long, however, and they'll get mushy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2016-09-19T14:18:50.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29278" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-19T14:50:50.477" Score="3" ViewCount="31750" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an uneven back garden which i now want to level. There is also a lot of old brick and blocks of concrete in the garden which are ready to be skipped. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I spoke to a builder and he recommended using the old brick etc to level off the garden and then place topsoil and grass seed over that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Firstly is this a good idea and secondly how much topsoil would be needed on top of the hardcorde to give me a good lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user1786107" LastActivityDate="2019-05-06T14:03:57.693" Title="How much topsoil should be laid over hardcore before sowing grass seed?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29278" CreationDate="2016-09-19T16:45:21.957" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whether it's a good idea or not is down to whether you want a good lawn over time or whether you want a possibly waterlogged in winter (depending where you live), drought sensitive, patchy and bumpy rough area of grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should remove and skip bricks, lumps of concrete, rocks and the like from the area you want to turf first, then prepare the area in order to lay turf. As you level the soil, you may find you need topsoil if the levels are too low against an existing path or patio. I'm offering no advice at this stage about proper preparation for laying turf because I'm not sure where you are in the world, what type of grass you'll be using and whether you want such information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Builders frequently bury their debris in gardens - there are many new build houses up and down the UK which look like they have neat, turfed gardens and (usually) a tree, which then becomes a big problem over time, often within the first year - the lawn becomes patchy, sinks in some areas, dies out in others and so on; unfortunately, the solution is to dig it all up, remove the offending concrete, bricks and anything else they've buried and start again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fact is, each tuft of grass in turf is a plant, and plants grow better in good soil, and just because it's grass, it doesn't  mean it won't mind being grown over lumps of debris, with or without topsoil placed over. Often, rubble in the soil aggregates over time and causes a virtually impenetrable layer, causing significant drainage problems, so that's one good reason not to do as the builder says. And another is, don't ask a builder for good advice about anything to do with plants and lawns; I'm pretty sure you wouldn't ask a gardener or horticulturalist how to fit a kitchen or build a house or something similar, so keep the builder in reserve for his area of expertise - building.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-20T00:14:03.003" LastActivityDate="2016-09-20T00:14:03.003" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29280" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29265" CreationDate="2016-09-19T18:00:02.227" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless you are interested in harvesting seeds, it makes sense to cut off the top.  I had to do that for my lettuce as well.  I also noted that the leaves from the lettuce started tasting bitter right around that time.  So, I ended up removing the entire lettuce plant and replacing it with something else since space is always limited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-09-19T18:00:02.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29281" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29275" CreationDate="2016-09-19T18:01:51.660" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on the variety.  I have jalapeno peppers that I harvest when they are green.  If you planted seeds, the packet should have an approximate harvest time in days.  I use that as a general guideline as well to figure out when best to harvest and so far it has worked out well for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-09-19T18:01:51.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29282" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-19T19:33:23.050" Score="4" ViewCount="189" Body="&lt;p&gt;I really hope someone will be able to help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My Kent (probably) mango tree is mature, if small, and for years has yielded delicious fruit. For the last 3 years, we see an increasing occurrence of what what I assume to be mango internal decomposition - AKA jelly seed (note that this is a bit of a misnomer, as the damage is to the pulp around the seed, not the seed itself). &#xA;The fruit pulp in the center develop a jelly like texture, but even worse, a sour, fermented flavor. The fruit outermost side is tasty as always. This seems to develop before picking the fruit, and the sourness increases with time if is is left after harvest. The more colorful side of the fruits (they are mostly green when ripe) tends to be in a worse state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As said, this has started about 3 years ago in a few fruits, and now I rarely find un infected fruits. We have a very warm mediterranean climate, with this summer being quite harsh. There was also an incredible amount of fruit flies this year, but we sprayed the fruits and had none infected with maggots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree suffers a little from leaf rust, I will spray it with copper based antifungal soon after harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can it be the effect of extreme heat, or perhaps the fruit is infected with fungi? Can fruit fly &quot;stinging&quot; (I know that's laying and not stinging) transfer pathogens?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated.&#xA;Shai&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Made it more clear that the damage is to the pulp, not the seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15897" LastEditorUserId="15897" LastEditDate="2016-09-19T20:10:05.090" LastActivityDate="2016-09-19T20:10:05.090" Title="Mango internal decomposition" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;rot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29283" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29282" CreationDate="2016-09-19T20:00:38.900" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;where are you located? Depending on where you are located, you might need to seek specifically available advice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Internal Decomposition can be quite tough in terms of root cause determination. It is likely that the problem is fungal or bacterial in origin, and the fact that it has been ongoing for 3 years means the problem is deep. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Heat should affect the skin and the fleshy parts first, before affecting the seed. I am not sure maggots can damage the seed the way you describe either. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to fruit flies spreading infection, do you have any neighbors, or other trees yourself (mangoes or otherwise) that are infected similarly? If not, then the fruit flies themselves may not be to blame. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaf rust seems to point to a fungal infection perhaps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, what might be the best thing to do is to contact a local agricultural college or a professional farm services firm and discuss either having them come out to look at your tree and/or sending samples of the fruit in for analysis. This would be the absolute best way of figuring out how to treat the mango tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the absolute worst case, you have to be prepared to forego eating the fruits or having the tree come down, if it represents a risk to other trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-19T20:00:38.900" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29278" CreationDate="2016-09-19T21:40:32.243" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Keeping the builder away from the landscape is perfect advice.  LOL!!  Truly have to see a picture of your entire lawn area/site.  Dealing with buried concrete and bricks is tricky.  Depends on how much was dumped,  and if there was decomposable material like wood involved. If there is wood beneath when it decomposes it will cause sinking of the surface to fill the new space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you find when you dig a 'test hole' that it appears to be a large, deep hole filled with big chunks the original builders have created for you a 'perched water table&quot;.  Simply, all the small pore spaces of the topsoil will have to be completely saturated before any downward drainage can make its way into the chunks of stuff.  (Same with rocks at the bottom of potting soil in a potted plant, a no-no).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No lawn should be perfectly flat. Ideally, 1-2% slope is indicated for lawns.  You don't want water sitting on top of your lawn.  Because of the perched water table situation this slope will be even more important to manage drainage.  You can dig dry well 'trenches' along the easiest side of your lawn to catch and allow water to slowly filter through the soil or use Perforated drain pipe to carry the water to an area that with a single dry well.  You do not want water draining off your site onto your neighbors.  Big no-no for all kinds of reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd pull up all the shallow concrete and bricks for sure.  Are you able to talk with the original builder (don't tell him I said he was an idiot) grins!  He could tell you how deep, the type of debris he threw in the hole, otherwise get ready to dig a deep hole (no more than 3') to get an idea of how deep this mess is.  Below 2-3 feet the debris will no longer be an issue unless you've got decomposing wood.  A few chunks here and there within this man made soil profile of 2-3' below the surface is no big deal, but if it is solid, bummers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There will be suitable drainage if you can clear at least 12 -18&quot; of debris from the surface AND your is lawn sloped (Rise/Run=Slope).  It used to be 1% was enough when people erroneously insisted on having a 'putting green' of short grass.  Now we know that 3&quot; (cool season grasses) is as short as residential lawns should be mowed. Seriously, not 2 1/2&quot; but 3&quot;!! Critical for a healthy, vibrant, weed free lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bring in good topsoil already mixed with decomposed organic matter.  Square footage of area divided by 81 gives you yardage of soil for that area to make 4&quot; deep.  You should need only 2&quot; on top of your existing 12-18&quot; if soil... so divide yardage by 2.  Grade (try to rent a grading rake which is 3' wide, much easier and better to grade soil), then roll baby roll! (rent a water filled roller)...you'll easily see the lumps and divets.  Go grade some more and roll again.  If there are still lumps and holes, grade and roll again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My advice is to use sod (once laid roll one more time, you can fix any depressions at the same time).  The next best is to hire a spray seeding company. They've the best seed mixes and includes water retention mulch/proper fertilizer for baby grass. The worst way to start a lawn is from owner seeding.  Grass will compete with weeds from the beginning. If you chose this you need to use a mechanical spreader.  Do not throw seed by hand!  All that work and to throw seed or fertilizer by hand is just sad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An established grass crop mowed no shorter than 3&quot; is able to out compete as well as shade the soil to discourage weed seed germination.  Once the sod has put roots down into your ROLLED soil you can then start mowing (less than a week, test by pulling up on the sod and it should resist).  Once your lawn is established (2 or 3 mowings for sod) you will then be able to start training the roots to grow deep to be drought tolerant and save on the water bills!  Water deeply and allow to dry before watering again.  We've got lots of lawn advice on this site and you should read all of them to understand this creature you want to create that is called a lawn. And don't use fast release fertilizers by Scott's or Ortho.  There are incredible organic fertilizers these days that are slow release and last longer and are far better for the health of your lawn. We can help save you money and have the best lawn on your block! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-19T21:40:32.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25106" CreationDate="2016-09-20T03:21:52.800" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The pictures show that there is not enough water.  You can see cracks in the soil all near the plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;10 minutes a day 3 times a week is not enough on a dripper system.  Most drippers are 0.5-2 Gallons per hour.  That comes out to be about 1/6 of a gallon 3 times a week = 1/2 a gallon per week.  That is a very sad amount of water.  On top of that drippers work by slowly penetrating deep into the soil.  That takes time.  If you only water for 10 minutes you may never penetrate below 4-6 inches.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are so pressed for water, you can put a bucket underneath you when you shower and get more water per day than that for your plants (obviously move the bucket when you are rinsing off soap).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just a complete ballpark but if it is very dry you probably need ~.5 gallons per day per plant.  So about 30 minutes to an hour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also add mulch around the plant, which helps a lot more than you would think (I use dried leftover grass).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can tell when it is watered enough because the ground will not be all cracked near it.  You can see deep fissures into the ground.  Also the soil looks pretty hard, which makes it hard for plants to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt; &#xA;With some links and numbers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to [bonnie guide][&lt;a href=&quot;https://bonnieplants.com/library/how-much-water-do-vegetables-need/]&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://bonnieplants.com/library/how-much-water-do-vegetables-need/]&lt;/a&gt;: &quot;A good general guideline is an inch of water per week, either by rain or watering; in arid climates, it is double that. In hot weather, vegetables need even more water, up to about ½ inch per week extra for every 10 degrees that the average temperature is above 60 degrees.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, 2-inches per week (since it is arid), plus .5 assuming the avg temp is ~70deg = 2.5 inches per week. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And as a rule of thumb: An inch of water is about 60 gallons per 100 square feet.  The beet plants roots cover around 2 square feet.  So you need to provide 2.5 inches =&gt; 150 gallons per 100 square feet.  Since you only have one dripper per plant, and each plant is ~ 2square feet (including roots), you need about 3 gallons per plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on which dripper type you use, this is 1.5 hours (at 2 gallons/hour) to 6 hours (at .5 gallons/hour) of total drip time per week.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the half hour you are giving it a week per plant is not enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15898" LastEditorUserId="15898" LastEditDate="2016-09-21T13:48:01.417" LastActivityDate="2016-09-21T13:48:01.417" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29286" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29287" CreationDate="2016-09-20T11:00:31.270" Score="3" ViewCount="1756" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to use solutions of Gypsum and Epsom Salts to augment the nutrients in my pot plants. They seem to be having some mineral deficiencies. I'm wondering what is the correct amount of Calcium Sulphate and Magnesium Sulphate for a two-liter solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also like to ask whether it be better to spray my plants bi-weekly or once a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although these are not my plants the problem is white veins on my squash plants, which is because of a Calcium deficiency in the soil (As I was told.) (This may be bad advice, I'm still new at this.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N2nQn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N2nQn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2835" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-21T00:01:37.257" LastActivityDate="2016-09-21T00:01:37.257" Title="What is the correct ratios for Epsom Salt and Gypsum solutions?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29286" CreationDate="2016-09-20T12:52:46.007" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Magnesium makes up about 10% of the mass of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate heptahydrate). so 1 gram per liter is about 100 ppm magnesium. Plants will take that with no problem. Most commercial fertilizers lack magnesium because it forms an insoluble complex with phosphate. I find that an occasional watering with 100ppm Epsom salt will green up plants that have been in the same soil too long. The metal ion is an essential cofactor for chlorophyll.&#xA;I've never met dirt with a calcium deficiency, but around here, there's close to 100 ppm in the water supply. However, CaSO4-2H2O, MW 140, is about 23% by mass in Calcium ion, so 0.43 g/L will give you about 100ppm in Ca ion; a reasonable amount to add. Be aware that the sacks of Gypsum available at most greenhouse supply store are actually an indeterminate mix of calcium and magnesium sulfates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2016-09-20T12:52:46.007" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29288" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29289" CreationDate="2016-09-20T12:55:18.767" Score="9" ViewCount="5027" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noted a very large number of cabbage white (the yellow and black ones) caterpillars on the side of my house recently - the house bounds a field currently growing cauliflower. The caterpillars look fat and healthy, I'm not sure why they crossed from the field over my garden to the house - maybe to find somewhere to pupate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The weird thing is that many of these caterpillars appear to be attached to, or sitting on, sacks of small yellow things which look very much like eggs. This is rather confusing - these are not new-born caterpillars next to eggs, they've clearly been eating in the field and come to the house later. I don't think butterflies would lay their eggs on the house rather than the plants, and even if they did why would the caterpillars return to the same place?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It &lt;em&gt;looks&lt;/em&gt; like these healthy caterpillars are creating the sacs of yellow 'eggs' but that does not fit at all with the life-cycle of butterflies as I know it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any chance caterpillars can lay eggs in some cases and I never knew this? Or must something else be happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastActivityDate="2019-11-20T20:46:00.237" Title="Caterpillars don't lay eggs so how is this happening?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;butterflies&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29288" CreationDate="2016-09-20T13:16:17.680" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;A photo would be great, but maybe some of the caterpillars have fallen prey to a parasitic wasp and what you're seeing are the wasp larvae, see image below&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wired.com/2014/10/absurd-creature-week-glyptapanteles-wasp-caterpillar-bodyguard/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.wired.com/2014/10/absurd-creature-week-glyptapanteles-wasp-caterpillar-bodyguard/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, could they be pollen grains?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-20T13:16:17.680" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29291" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-20T14:57:48.213" Score="7" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of part of my lawn after this harsh summer. I am trying to figure out if this is lawn fungus or that the lawn literally burnt to death. Is it fungus that I should use the Scotts Fungus stuff on it, or should I just rip it up a bit and overseed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;live in New England (hot summer this year)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fertilized twice since spring (Scotts TB crabgrass preventer early spring and Scott TB weed n feed late spring)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;applied Scotts GrubEx at second fertilizing time as well (3-4 months ago)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water once or twice a week for a while rather than frequent short times&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y320J.png&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y320J.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15901" LastEditorUserId="15901" LastEditDate="2016-09-20T22:49:51.577" LastActivityDate="2017-01-23T10:35:05.357" Title="Is a fungus causing dead patches in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29292" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29286" CreationDate="2016-09-20T17:16:06.910" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If its just white veins, but the plant is otherwise completely healthy and growing well, it might not be a disorder at all - squash leaves vary enormously and some do have this silver venation, see discussion in the link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3797449/white-veins-on-squash-leaves&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3797449/white-veins-on-squash-leaves&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-20T17:16:06.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29257" CreationDate="2016-09-20T22:11:05.983" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not 100% on this, but the first thing that came to mind when I saw it was a Schefflera or Umbrella tree.  It also resembles a vitex/chaste tree.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2016-09-20T22:11:05.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29294" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29117" CreationDate="2016-09-21T05:13:14.090" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did some research, and found this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/notes/Ornamental/odin011/odin011.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/notes/Ornamental/odin011/odin011.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is another one from Iran, though the image does not appear to be similar to the problem you are facing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.researchtrend.net/jnbr/jnbr/VOL%203(3)%202014/7%20JNBR_4(2)%20_2015.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.researchtrend.net/jnbr/jnbr/VOL%203(3)%202014/7%20JNBR_4(2)%20_2015.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check with a local agricultural college/university or a Master Gardener's group. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also found this general link with more information: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/management-of-leaf-spot-diseases/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/management-of-leaf-spot-diseases/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Editing per J. Chomel's recommendation, the disease may be &quot;leaf spot&quot; caused by the fungus Entomosporium maculatum. The second link, the paper, refers to other fungi that might cause the leaf spot disease including E. maculatem as well as Alternaria alternata, Monilinia fructigena, Fusicoccum dimidiatum and Spilocea&#xA;pyracanthae. The last link adds the possibility of bacterial causes such as  bacterial pathogens Pseudomonas spp. or Xanthomonas spp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastEditorUserId="7499" LastEditDate="2016-09-24T06:20:23.583" LastActivityDate="2016-09-24T06:20:23.583" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29295" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29297" CreationDate="2016-09-21T15:04:15.297" Score="4" ViewCount="105" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this? It was outside for a while, but that's not the concern. What plant is this? And should it better rest here or bad for the Jade plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/klfRI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/klfRI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-09-21T17:17:46.260" Title="Another Tiny cute seedling growing in my houseplant soil" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25106" CreationDate="2016-09-21T15:20:50.883" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Beets are relatively unharmed by bugs and disease. It could be &#xA;linked with &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardener.wikia.com/wiki/Overwatering&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;overwatering&lt;/a&gt; them: they grow too quick for the available minerals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the research I did, this is called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net/problems-solutions-update/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Brown beets problem&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;SOLUTION: add Boron&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only problem they have is a lack of boron. Buy some Borax and dust it over the soil. (Borax kills fungus; is to be found in the laundry section)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming&lt;/a&gt; states that &lt;strong&gt;soluble boron&lt;/strong&gt; is allowed in organic cultures (ref.: Gillman J. (2008). &lt;em&gt;The Truth About Organic Farming&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2016-09-21T15:20:50.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29295" CreationDate="2016-09-21T17:04:43.060" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Take it out and pot it up separately if you don't recognise it but you want to see how it grows - generally, plants that germinate on their own in soil outdoors (in pots or not) are usually plants you don't want, or weeds, and it will be more difficult to get rid of it later without disturbing the roots of the Jade plant. I don't recognise the seedling I'm afraid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-21T17:17:46.260" LastActivityDate="2016-09-21T17:17:46.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13321" CreationDate="2016-09-21T20:51:58.783" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a common problem caused by direct sunlight or excessive temperatures.  I have a Japanese Maple in my front yard and it gets direct sunlight in the morning.  It also goes through similar trauma every summer.  I have another plant that is on the side of the house that is shaded and does not get much direct sunlight and it is doing fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-09-21T20:51:58.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29299" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-22T03:45:43.460" Score="7" ViewCount="1084" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this creeper?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: Mumbai, India (Tropics)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Conditions: Growing in the Monsoons from June-July onwards in heavy rains and waterlogged soil, overcast / full shade to full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other Details: Growing wild as ground cover. Looked like moss from afar, but has serrated leaves and is also sprouting tiny green buds which become lavender bulbs which turn into small white flowers with 4-6 pointed petals. Please refer images.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Long view below&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0CX4P.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0CX4P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Long view&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Close up 1 below&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nOJO9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nOJO9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Close up 2 below&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fIS2d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fIS2d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Close up of leaves and flowers below&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wvshd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wvshd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;One small plant sample below&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9pCX9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9pCX9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;One small plant sample&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Close up of flowers below:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IGDyD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IGDyD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of flowers 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Close up of flowers below... NOTE in the centre of the image the spiky leaf flower next to mild lavender colored one...i think the lavender flower becomes spiky when it gets older, not sure.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jUsSK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jUsSK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of flowers 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13368" LastEditorUserId="13368" LastEditDate="2016-09-27T06:59:47.583" LastActivityDate="2016-09-27T07:52:19.433" Title="What is this creeper with serrated leaves and small white flowers growing in Mumbai, India?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29300" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29299" CreationDate="2016-09-22T10:46:06.657" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing it's one of the speedwells, or Veronicas - it would be very helpful to see a close up shot of an open flower to assist with ID, but it could be Veronica agrestis (field speedwell) Veronica persica or Veronica filiformis &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/learning/colleges/college-of-sciences/clinics-and-services/weeds-database/creeping-speedwell.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;(creeping speedwell)&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of these are common turf weeds in other parts of the world, but they grow quite happily in borders or open ground too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can manage to get a clear shot of an open flower, please add to your question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-22T12:27:18.440" LastActivityDate="2016-09-22T12:27:18.440" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29301" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29303" CreationDate="2016-09-22T14:48:10.600" Score="5" ViewCount="1272" Body="&lt;p&gt;As fall approaches here in Massachusetts USA, Zone 6a, (temperatures generally no lower than −5°F, −20°C), I am beginning to wonder what to do with two clematis plants I have been attempting to grow.  I do not know anything specific to their species beyond that they are Clematis. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are both in 6 inch pots and are about 16 inches in length. Should I plant them in the ground and find them next spring? Will they survive or should I attempt to bring them indoors?  I do not have a garden shed or area other then my house to put them in.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not want to lose them, as it has taken some time for them to grow as big as they have.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3593" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-22T19:54:29.017" LastActivityDate="2016-09-22T22:26:10.587" Title="How should I overwinter my potted clematis in Massachusetts, Zone 6a?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29302" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29301" CreationDate="2016-09-22T16:01:46.043" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What specific species of Clematis do you have? Or do you have photos? Where exactly are you located, or do you know what your specific USDA Zone is? Identifying the plant species and variety and zone will almost always help get you very close to an accurate answer about many questions, including over-wintering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not all of the Clematis species will overwinter uniformly, but Clematis are hardy and will usually survive outside. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yet, there is always the risk of a very long and hard frost spell in any winter, which means you do run the risk of them becoming damaged. If you have the space, and a way to keep them away from pets, you can bring them in, just remember to do it at the very edge of winter. When planning to keep plants alive for several seasons, it is best to try to keep them out as much as possible, and helping them put up with harsh weather. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will also need to prepare your house/garage/shed/green house for bringing them in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do keep them out, mulch them as much as possible, giving the roots the chance of retaining warmth over the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will refine the answer if I learn more about your zone, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-22T16:01:46.043" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29303" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29301" CreationDate="2016-09-22T20:35:37.800" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There should be enough time to allow your plants to acclimate to the soil and their new home before the weather turns too harsh and freezing.  If your plants are used to being outside in the sun, I'd plant them where you want them in your garden then mulch the soil heavily for the winter (straw, sawdust) and remove this mulch in the spring to allow the soil to warm. Otherwise, they need a few weeks 'hardening off' to not get burned by the direct sun. I am assuming you'll remove the pot they are in right now.  Prepare their new home by digging up the area (18&quot;X 18&quot; and only as deep as the roots...6&quot;?) turning the soil up, chopping chunks of soil and creating a bit of a raised mound, firming to fill holes in the mound, then planting.  I'd also put a 'collar' around the stem at the soil to prevent the voles from eating the new stem.  This should be wide enough and placed down into the soil and allow plenty of room for mulch snuggled up to the stem/bark.  A plastic milk jug would work well, mulching up to the top around this jug with mulch inside as well.  This is a bit of overkill but just insurance against voles or rats eating your newbie stems.  Have you ever noticed any chewing damage to roses, young trees, shrubs or even bulbs in your garden? Voles love the comfy mulch home especially when it comes with stuff to eat. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Zone 6 is a very mild zone.  What is the micro environment where you plan to plant them?  Water well, allow to dry before watering again and stop watering when the leaves have fallen.  If this is the evergreen Clematis armandii, I'd create a bit of a structure above, cover with row cloth and cover edges with soil and mulch.  In fact, this would be fine to replace the milk jug altogether.  No fertilizer until spring!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are subject to high winds, then you need to provide wooden shingles to block the wind. If this location will have lots of wind throughout the year I'd find a more sheltered micro environment more sheltered for their permanent home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-22T20:35:37.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29304" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-22T21:35:54.567" Score="5" ViewCount="3507" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am very curious about this plant. It has beautiful flowers in shades of pink, yellow, white, etc. The flowers are sort of trumpet shaped. It blooms in the summer. I have seen it in people's front yards. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q7eqc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q7eqc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15911" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2020-11-15T21:49:58.370" LastActivityDate="2020-11-15T21:49:58.370" Title="What is this plant with trumpet-shaped flowers seen in Queens, New York?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="29305" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29304" CreationDate="2016-09-22T21:52:58.587" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is Mirabilis jalapa; common name in some countries is four o'clock plant because of its habit of opening its flowers in the afternoon, and in other countries is known as Marvel of Peru. It is perennial, but frost tender, so is treated as an annual in colder regions - in your region, I don't think it will survive a winter, but is easily raised from seed&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/mirabilis-jalapa/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/mirabilis-jalapa/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-22T22:31:31.423" LastActivityDate="2016-09-22T22:31:31.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29306" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29301" CreationDate="2016-09-22T22:20:44.457" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Srihari, generally, and also with most of what Stormy says, with a caveat. Assuming they've been outdoors all summer, plant them, now - but don't plant into a mound (sorry Stormy!). I don't know whether your Clematis are large flowered cultivars or species clematis, but cultivars can be prone to clematis wilt. The way to discourage this from killing your clematis is to prepare the planting area at least twice as deep and wide as the rootball of your plant, preferably incorporating some good compost (humus rich material such as good garden  compost, composted animal manure, whatever), take your plant out of its pot, place in the hole at an angle, so its partially on its side, and low enough so that, when you backfill with soil, the bottom inch or two of stems are also buried. This encourages more shoots off the roots next year, so even if some succumb to clematis wilt, plenty more should take over. Mulching over the top should help give protection, but if you get good snow cover during winter, that will act as an insulator too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If animals chewing at the shoots  might be a problem, then incorporating some kind of collar or tube at the base might be useful, but might not - new stems will arise from the base anyway, and these may be outside any type of collar or tube you've put in place. Even if the stems do get cut by something, the clematis will produce more, as long as they're not continually cropped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your clematis will be safer in the ground than out of it through winter, but bear in mind when deciding where to plant, they need something to scramble up (can be a shrub nearby or clematis mesh or pea sticks or an obelisk, or a huge tree or wall, depending on variety), and they like their roots in shade and their heads in sun in a fairly sheltered position.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without any clues as to which varieties you've grown, its impossible to advise on pruning, height and spread, etc - there are some varieties that may not survive the cold, but most will. Consider also the huge variation in size of clematis when thinking where to plant - they range from 8 feet high by 4-6 feet wide to 35 feet high and 12 feet wide, the larger ones being species clematis such as C. montana.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-22T22:26:10.587" LastActivityDate="2016-09-22T22:26:10.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29307" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5376" CreationDate="2016-09-22T23:46:14.167" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Glyphosate is a systemic herbicide. It really only needs a few hours to get into the plant before a rain. It is not a quick killer in basic formulation, but absent resistance, it kills the whole plant. Farmers started using it in the 70s using contact applicators to brush it onto Johnsongrass. Roundup would take a week to kill it, but it got it all, down to the rhizomes that produce new plants underground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15912" LastActivityDate="2016-09-22T23:46:14.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29308" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29317" CreationDate="2016-09-23T06:52:51.687" Score="0" ViewCount="109" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm told to design a park on a piece of land shown below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E8E6M.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E8E6M.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought about the idea of using concentric circles and converging lines as paved paths/trails. At the center/focal point, there would be a paved circle. Between the pavements, there would be grass, trees and benches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ICg5T.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ICg5T.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was wondering if anybody knows if this is a good idea&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15914" LastActivityDate="2016-09-23T19:57:54.787" Title="Concentric circles and converging lines as paved paths/trails of a park" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ClosedDate="2016-09-30T23:35:20.077" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29309" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26380" CreationDate="2016-09-23T06:57:43.217" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first one might be a type of Cilantro or a related weed. Rubbing your hands gently on the leaf and smelling it can tell you if it is so. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second one is definitely a fern. It appears to be a variant of the Single Maiden Hair Fern. Pinpointing it could be easier when the fern is a bit more mature. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The button fern, Pellaea rotundifolia as Ben has mentioned doesn't appear to be it, but it could be something related. I have planted a couple of different variants of the Maiden Hair Fern in my garden. I will go look at it during the day and see if they are related to this one. Neither of them seem to have that hairy growth on the leaflets though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think this is the New Zealand Silver Fern. Two years ago, someone gave me a one - two year old specimen that was growing too big for their space. I have since planted it in the biggest pot I have, and at about 4 years, this guy is the biggest fern I have, with spectacular fronds, just a darling to admire. Even the young ones don't look like the beautiful fern you have. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-23T06:57:43.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29310" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29311" CreationDate="2016-09-23T07:58:49.137" Score="5" ViewCount="5521" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can newspaper and paper towels be composted? I ask because I am hoping to set up a composting system at my work place and we use a lot of paper towels. &#xA;I have heard the bleach/chemicals in the ink or the process of making the paper towels can be harmful to some soils etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15915" LastActivityDate="2016-09-23T08:41:49.207" Title="Can you compost paper towels?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29310" CreationDate="2016-09-23T08:16:56.683" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes to both, with conditions. You should not try to compost any paper towels that have synthetic additives, including bleach, and are advertised as disinfectants or fragrant etc. The best paper towels to compost are those made of 100% recycled material. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Newsprint is actually sterile enough, it can be used to transport evidence if there is no other good way to do so. Newspaper, cut into thin strips are actually a good way to start a compost pile. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you know where you heard of problems with newspaper and paper towels? It would be interesting to see what the concerns are. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a Cornell University link that addresses newspaper composting: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://compost.css.cornell.edu/faq.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://compost.css.cornell.edu/faq.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastEditorUserId="7499" LastEditDate="2016-09-23T08:41:49.207" LastActivityDate="2016-09-23T08:41:49.207" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29312" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29313" CreationDate="2016-09-23T11:30:07.143" Score="8" ViewCount="150" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a city and love gardening, but have no spare room especially for gardening. I am planning to make a garden on my windowsill. I live in the Netherlands, so outdoor temperatures in winter are -5 to 10 &amp;deg;C and I have double glass and the window is on the sunny side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I do not have a garden, balcony or rooftop, the vegetables will have to grow indoors until they will be harvested. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The space is 200x20 cm and the height does not matter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As winter is coming, I was wondering what vegetables I will be able to plant in October to December. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15893" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-09-23T14:36:24.163" LastActivityDate="2016-09-24T11:21:29.673" Title="What vegetables could I grow in an indoor garden in winter?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29313" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29312" CreationDate="2016-09-23T13:02:28.820" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I assume you wish to keep the plants inside throughout the season all the way to harvest, and you are not looking to plant them inside and then move them outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, how much space do you have for what you are looking to accomplish? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For window sill gardening, assuming the inside will more or less be kept warm throughout winter, note that you will need to supply the plants with water, since heating by air conditioning will reduce humidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to the plants, herbs are always a safe bet. So, you may continue to grow easy herbs like Rosemary, Basil, Oregano, Parsley and other herbs. Spinach, Collards and Kale, limited by the space you have are two choices that work as well. Cabbage and Lettuce may be grown indoors as well. Shallots may be another option. So, you do have many options for growing vegetables indoor, but you will need to make sure they receive ample light, preferably sunlight, stable temperature and ample water to compensate for losses. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-23T13:02:28.820" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29314" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-23T13:46:54.620" Score="3" ViewCount="123" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew about a dozen or so fingerling potato plants in four separate sacks this year.  Everything went according to plan, the plants stayed healthy and pest free throughout the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants have died back recently, and I'm ready to harvest.  I read that if you wait too long, the potatoes will rot.  I've also read that it's better to harvest when the soil is a bit drier, though I don't remember if that's just a matter of convenience or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's been non-stop rain in the midwest USA for the past week, and I'm not eager to slog into a giant pile of muck and mud to retrieve my fingerlings.  How soon after the tops die back do I have to get my potatoes out, and am I okay to harvest when the soil is still wet and muddy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastActivityDate="2016-09-23T19:34:40.697" Title="How long do I have to harvest my potatoes?" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29315" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29314" CreationDate="2016-09-23T19:19:04.260" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used to live in zone 5, near the ocean and had the most incredible soil; silt/loam.  All of my plant beds are raised mounds no matter the type of soil so when it rains excess water drains out of the mounds down into my little trenches and away.  The soil during the winter didn't freeze past a few inches so I left my potatoes in the ground all winter.  Dinner time, I'd just go out and reach into the soil mound and pulled out perfect potatoes.  Spring time we'd pretty much had depleted most of the potatoes.  Those that were missed would start growing so easy to pull out during the growing season. You want to use clean, disease free seed potatoes every season and always rotate and plant in a new area of the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This new place we live is very different.  Last fall I hadn't harvested my potatoes when we had a surprise snow in early October that completely crushed our hoop greenhouse burying the plastic and all my potatoes/perennials under 3' of dense snow.  It was impossible to harvest those potatoes and all I could hope for was that the snow would help insulate my potatoes.  Well, every single one was total mush, sigh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What zone do you live?  Sounds like you didn't raise your plant beds and you've got clay or poor drainage.  You do not want to wait too long and allow your soil to freeze.  I'd get those potatoes out of wet, soggy soil as soon as possible.  Don't worry about harvesting while the soil is wet.  Take the potatoes out and lay out on newspaper in a dark, very cool place.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will need to make a potato cellar, have you decided on a design?  I am going to use a large insulated 'beer' cooler.  Our land is flat and when it rains the water sits on top 6 -12&quot; until it slowly drains into the soil.  And our soil is like sand, it is volcanic pumice and you would think it would drain much faster.  So my cooler will be buried below the soil leaving a good 6 -12&quot; from the bottom of the lid above the surface of the original grade.  Then I am going to cover it with breathable row cloth and at least a foot, maybe two of soil over all leaving   access to open the lid.  Look up potato cellars, there are many many ideas.  You need a dark, cool, dry with consistent cool temperatures to store your potatoes, carrots, beets...root vegetables, onions, garlic and shallots.  I am using wood pellets (the kind for pellet stoves) and newspaper to put my potatoes in within the cooler (s).  Allow your potatoes to dry, do not wash, before storing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let us know what you've got going, how much land, does it slope, type of soil, do you have an unheated basement???  Your zone?  Where do you get your seed potatoes?  I have fallen in love with 'Potato Gardens' in Colorado.  You can get garlic, shallots, and incredible potatoes. They are wonderful answering questions and the guy's son is this major soil expert.  Did you know potatoes love an acid soil?   I am so spoiled, I just don't want to eat another store potato...just bleh.  I think after rereading your question this might be a bit more information than you need, oh well!  Potatoes are the easiest, most reliable, rewarding crop to grow!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-23T19:19:04.260" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29308" CreationDate="2016-09-23T19:57:54.787" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is pretty cool stuff Mr. User.  You need to remember that you are landscaping for humans and not aliens or passengers in planes.  Down below on the ground no one would see nor appreciate this 'wagon wheel' design.  If I saw a 'wagon wheel' made naturally by humans on your original base plan/photo, then I would reconsider.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to design paths is to use the paths already made by humans directed by the different destinations in the area.  These are taking up an awful lot of resources (to include money) and chopping up the natural area.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also need to know the city's building and codes/regulations.  I don't know what material you plan to use but even gravel reduces the 'allowed permeability' for a site.  Tell me more...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-23T19:57:54.787" CommentCount="16" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29318" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29320" CreationDate="2016-09-23T21:46:50.390" Score="4" ViewCount="1197" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live in SW Florida, Zone 9B. Our old neighbor told us this is a ponytail palm. Seems that there are now more brown leaves on the tree and the ground as opposed to the tree itself. He told me to cut off the top of the tree about 18&quot; below where the branches have grown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I cut the top off, will more branches, or something, grow back? And any idea how long it will take to start seeing some growth, as opposed to just having the trunk being ever so naked...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R4gCr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R4gCr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ponytail Palm Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n2CZt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n2CZt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Top of the Ponytail Palm Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2359" LastActivityDate="2016-09-23T22:52:45.393" Title="Will lopping off the top help our ponytail palm tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29319" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29318" CreationDate="2016-09-23T22:38:59.047" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's good advice as it will bud out from relatively new growth. I have seen them cut back to no leaves and sprout out.  How long you ask? That's the question...I cannot estimate growth rates for these plants outside as I dealt with them indoors.  So,  more than three months and less than six months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-23T22:38:59.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29320" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29318" CreationDate="2016-09-23T22:52:45.393" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have to agree with Kevin, there will more likely be new growth as it appears from the green leafed branches that there is no root rot. Also, looking at your images, I want to make two comments. The tree is definitely stressed. It could use some slow release fertilizer, maybe a fresh layer of garden soil and some mulching. I wouldn't do any heavy fertilizing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you look at your second image, the branch on the extreme right, towards the front, is looking okay. To help the plant heal gently, I would go ahead and leave that branch and any that look okay intact. I have generally found this to be a better way to try and save many plants. This winter, though I could have cut it off, I left one undamanged branch of a wind damaged Santa Cruz Hibiscus Tree stay on, and that helped that plant heal quicker than I thought it would. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-23T22:52:45.393" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29321" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29304" CreationDate="2016-09-23T23:17:06.663" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Bamboo that this looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabilis_jalapa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mirabilis jalapa&lt;/a&gt;. I live in the United States and call it the Four O'Clock. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been growing them for a number of years. I'm in Massachusetts, zone 6, so we have pretty much the same climate, although you may be a bit warmer.  Obviously, since you're seeing them locally, they thrive well, and would be something for you to try. They're definitely an annual in my zone, and would probably be for you too, although they will overwinter in warmer areas. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mirabilis come in many colors, most of which have the same color on the whole plant. There are also a few striking multi-colored varieties, like &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burpee.com/flowers/four-oclocks/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kaleidoscope&lt;/a&gt;,  pictured on the left below, (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burpee.com/flowers/four-oclocks/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;photo source&lt;/a&gt;), and &lt;a href=&quot;http://parkseed.com/broken-colors-four-oclock-flower-seeds/p/03231-PK-P1/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Broken Colors&lt;/a&gt;, (&lt;a href=&quot;http://parkseed.com/broken-colors-four-oclock-flower-seeds/p/03231-PK-P1/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;photo source&lt;/a&gt;), on the right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I grow mine from seed. They germinate easily in about 8-10 days and produce strong seedlings which stand up to weather conditions, even when small. (Sometimes I start them indoors in the winter under gro-lights, but that's not necessary.) When mature they can reach up to two feet tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The signal for the flower to open is not the time, but the drop in temperature, so Four O'Clock is sort of a misnomer. In fact, mine generally don't begin opening until closer to Five O'Clock, especially on very hot days when cooling comes later. Most of the source materials say the blooms should last either well into the evening or even overnight. This has never been the case for me. Mine are generally only open for a few hours before closing again. I don't like them any less, I'm just relaying my experience. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I prefer growing them in large pots, partly because I can force the flowers by moving them to a shadier spot as the day goes on, and partly because I like rearranging things! They grow very well in the garden though, and are often bigger, most likely because there's more root space for spreading out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for ease of growth, they're not very fussy. A sunny area with at least part-shade is best. The first year I kept them in the sunniest part of my yard and some of the lovely flowers never opened at all. They're fine in the heat. While drought-tolerant to an extent, they will become droopy and have a hard time flowering if they don't get some water when the ground becomes very dry. Under-watering is better than over-watering though, and good drainage is very important. In pots, I use a packaged potting soil, but in the ground, no special dirt or soil-amendment is necessary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to the trumpet shaped flowers, sweet nectar, and almost citrus-like scent. Planting them near other flowers that hummingbirds like, and away from hummingbird feeders, can encourage a beautiful congregation at the end of the day when other flowers have gone to bed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/abqB3m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/abqB3m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Kaleidoscope&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mn08v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mn08v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Broken Colors&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-09-23T23:17:06.663" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29322" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29324" CreationDate="2016-09-24T04:17:07.117" Score="3" ViewCount="585" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've searched a few times trying to identify the week in the picture below. I always find plenty of pictures, but it's photography pictures. rather than weed identification. I just bought my house a few months ago and my lawn is riddled with different types of weed grass that I'd like to get rid of. I can identify the easy ones like crabgrass, clover, etc. But this one is throwing me for a loop. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I ask those who know the answer. What type of weed is this, and what do I need to put down in order to get rid of it? For the record, I took the picture from my neighbors lawn. Mine is not nearly as consistent, and I just cut the grass today.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qnwJE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qnwJE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15920" LastActivityDate="2016-12-21T15:18:32.420" Title="What type of weed is this in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29323" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29312" CreationDate="2016-09-24T04:47:44.363" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might try Shark Fin Melon greens (not the fruit). They grow fairly fast, and don't require as much light as most cucurbits. Just plant a bunch of seeds and let them go until they're big enough to eat, prune off what you want, and let them grow back. Don't eat the seed leaves (cotyledons), as they're bitter. A disadvantage is that they grow long vines (they're not bushy).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grandpa's Home peppers are supposed to be good even as houseplants. They're said to be shade-tolerant. I'm growing some outdoors, now, in the shade. They're doing decently (but took a while to fruit). They look pretty nice with the fruit on them, too. I haven't tried them indoors, yet. Many other hot peppers can do well indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ground cherries are very workable in containers indoors. They'll fruit even in small containers, but the fruit may be extra small in them. Fruits are ripe when they fall off the plant. I've gotten fruit on Aunt Molly's ground cherry indoors. I don't recommend the Cape Gooseberry ground cherry indoors, however (although it's great for outdoors). You might try Aunt Molly's, Goldie, or Ammon Martin's. Goldie is probably the sweetest (but not the largest). Ground cherries don't seem to need a pollinator plant like tomatillos often seem to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basil is a good herb that you can practically use as a vegetable. People grow it indoors a lot. I'm wanting to try Spicy Globe basil (since it grows in a round globe-type bush), but I'm not sure how it does indoors compared to the usual kinds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might try a parthenocarpic, gyneocious greenhouse cucumber. I don't know if Monika is a greenhouse cucumber, but mine that I planted outdoors had mostly female flowers at first, and it is parthenocarpic. It's also pretty early. Parthenocarpic means it doesn't need to be pollinated to set fruit (but it does need to be pollinated to produce seeds). Fruit aside, cucumber flowers taste amazing (although they're very small), and they're very easy to grow indoors; if you pick them off, more flowers will probably grow fairly quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/carrot/indoor-carrot-growing.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Carrots are supposed to be among the easiest vegetables to grow indoors.&lt;/a&gt; I haven't tried this yet, but I'd like to some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Radishes seem like they would work. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/outdoors/gardening/growing-radishes-indoors&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Here's a link that tells how to grow radishes indoors.&lt;/a&gt; I haven't tried this, either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing green onions indoors is supposed to be workable. You can regrow onion bulbs from the roots, indoors, I hear, but that takes a lot of time (and my attempt wasn't successful, but I didn't give it a south window); so, I mostly recommend it for the green onions, which are quite underrated anyway. You could just use old store onions for green onions, but if I were to try it, I would want to try such as Crimson Forest bunching onions, to see how they do; again, I haven't tried this yet, but it may work. Actually, you might want to try potato onions (like the yellow potato onion, maybe), as they multiply (I'm not sure if bunching onions multiply). Shallots might work, too (and they also multiply).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For most plants, adding grow lights should help considerably. Compact fluorescents and other fluorescents work pretty well. If you only have a few plants, you might try LED bulbs sold as grow lights (with the right wavelengths of red and blue light).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be aware that low light conditions often invite such as fungal diseases, fungus gnats and such. Using a 2700k CFL wards off damping off disease in my experience, and while 6500k CFLs are probably best for leaf growth due to the high amounts of blue light in them, 2700k CFLs also help plants (they have more red light, which should contribute to flowers/fruiting); they do help leaf growth, too. If you have a fan going (even if it's on low), that should help to prevent a lot of problems, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be sure not to get too many plants indoors without taking proper precautions, because it can make your grow room humid (from watering so many plants) and can potentially invite such as black mold on the walls. A dehumidifier may help (but I haven't tried one).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-09-24T11:21:29.673" LastActivityDate="2016-09-24T11:21:29.673" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29324" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29322" CreationDate="2016-09-24T05:02:21.337" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears you have Foxtail Spear Grass if I am correct. The foxtail refers to the flowers, clumped together at the top. Search for &quot;foxtail grass&quot; or &quot;foxtail spear grass&quot; to confirm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While the specific species varies, this can be bad if you have dogs, and for allergic people. The easiest thing to do is to remove them thoroughly by hand or using mowers and disposing of them with yard waste or in trash. It is not advisable to compost this. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can use a herbicide after removing the grass, but herbicides themselves can be toxic. The best solution is to remove the grass entirely, and then mulch heavily. After the initial removal, it will be easier to identify and remove the new growths that sprout. Planting something else, like even putting down a lawn or growing other plants is also a good way of making sure that you achieve eventual control of this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note, that both you and your neighbor and anybody else close by, are best served by your mutual co-operation in timing and removing these things around the same time and laying constant watch. These things disperse their seeds through wind, through contact from your shoe soles, through animals, pretty much any way they can and thus you will need to stay on guard all the time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just as an example, I have removed these and other grasses from my landlord's yard, but because most of our neighbors don't care, we never have full control and every season, I have to run around and pluck these guys out throughout the growing seasons. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I forgot to add, when dry in large clumps, they run the risk of starting brush fires. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-24T05:02:21.337" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29325" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-24T11:32:25.407" Score="2" ViewCount="2586" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently my fiance brought me home the most beautiful rose from the gas station and it has been alive for about two and a half weeks with no wilting. I didn't take it out of the plastic wrap. I just put it in a small case with spring water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now it has a new growth growing at the bottom up the side of the stem. Is this plantable? How would I maintain this since I live in Ohio and fall is upon us? I would love to have a bush of these roses is this possible? I have pictures but not sure if I can post on here. I'm new to roses and how to grow them. Any info please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15921" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-24T13:13:52.883" LastActivityDate="2016-09-24T15:41:03.790" Title="Can I grow a rose bush from a healthy store-bought flower?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-09-24T19:37:10.620" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29326" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-24T11:47:30.470" Score="5" ViewCount="310" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started sprouts of radishes. I took 3 coffee paper cups, filled them with soil, put 1 seed in each cup and watered a litte bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After few days all 3 radishes sprouted but 1 of them has white little hairs just above the soil. What are those hairs and why only in 1 of cups?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e3sfn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e3sfn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6855" LastActivityDate="2016-09-24T12:28:49.793" Title="What are little hairs around sprout just above the soil?" Tags="&lt;sprouting&gt;&lt;radishes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29327" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29326" CreationDate="2016-09-24T12:22:12.490" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a saprophytic fungal growth - saprophytic fungi are harmless to growing plants, and exist because there's dead (usually woody) material in the soil which they are digesting. I can see some twiggy, or little woody bits in the soil in your cup, and this may be in association with that. If you didn't use new, proprietary seed and cutting compost, this fungus will have been present in whatever soil you did use prior to your putting it in the cup - its just there was some mycelium in the portion in this cup and not in the others. Only water when absolutely necessary to keep the seedling growing - wet soil will increase growth of the fungi exponentially. When the seedling is big enough, (two sets of true leaves) transfer it to another container with fresh potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-24T12:28:49.793" LastActivityDate="2016-09-24T12:28:49.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29328" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29325" CreationDate="2016-09-24T15:41:03.790" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can try and it is still worth it, but success is not guaranteed. Since Fall is already upon you, it is best you do this indoors. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first thing you will need is medium. You can use compost or rooting gel. Other options are also available, such as mixtures of soils etc., but if you are new to this, trying compost or gel might work okay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are using rooting gel, that they sell in some stores, you don't need to add rooting powder. If you are using compost or a soil mix, then you ought to consider using rooting powder to encourage growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If using rooting gel, they usually come in convenient containers, so you can just use those. If not, just get a small cup, like an 8oz or a 12oz coffee cup sized one. Fill it with your compost. Wet it, but make sure water does not log at the bottom. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut off the flower, because if you have the flower up there, the cutting is going to expend all its energy in keeping the flower going for as long as it can. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dip the very bottom of the stem into rooting powder gently and then lift your stem and stick it into compost. Make sure it is able to stand, if not support it with a stick (if you buy orchids, they usually have a support bamboo stick with clips for support and you could steal one from a dead orchid) and a clip or rubber band. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cover this with a ziploc or similar bag to help keep the warmth locked in. The bag has to allow light to penetrate. Set this up against some bright, indirect light and wait for about 4 - 6 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just cautioning you again, trying to propagate store bought rose stems is more likely than not, to fail, so be prepared. There is also the potential that at least some of the roses are patented, and you can't resell it even if you rooted it and it grew well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your best bet would be to show us pictures, we can get you close to an ID, and then as spring starts up, you can go to a local nursery or online and order a nice bare-root bush and plant it in a pot or your garden and enjoy the results, but, if you are willing to experiment and try your best, why not? I am always trying to propagate plants I can lay my hands on...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-24T15:41:03.790" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29330" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29332" CreationDate="2016-09-24T19:15:37.723" Score="4" ViewCount="871" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Red/pink flowers with 5 or 6 petals, orange &quot;buds&quot; or fruit(?) that look like tomatoes, many of which fall off. Compound, opposite, broadleaves with toothed edges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kwx60.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kwx60.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pink flowering shrub with tomato looking buds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1117" LastActivityDate="2016-09-24T20:18:03.733" Title="Pink flowering shrub with tomato looking buds" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29331" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29330" CreationDate="2016-09-24T20:05:11.003" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gosh, I've been wrong too often lately, but this sure as heck looks like Rosa rugosa a wild rose native to...Asian countries.  Great hips to dry and use in teas full of vitamin C.  Low maintenance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-24T20:05:11.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29330" CreationDate="2016-09-24T20:18:03.733" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agree with Stormy's ID, Rosa rugosa - the tomato looking things are called hips, which are seed cases, formed after the flowers are fertilized. They are indeed chock full of Vitamin C, but also full of small hairs which irritate many people - when processed commercially, the hairs are extracted. If, though, you want to dry and use your hips for tea, you must also ensure you extract the hairs, so  if you think you might want to save, dry and use them for tea, this link tells you how &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.eatweeds.co.uk/how-to-dry-store-rose-hips-rosa-canina&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.eatweeds.co.uk/how-to-dry-store-rose-hips-rosa-canina&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although it refers to Rosa canina, the same information applies to Rosa rugosa, or any rose hips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-24T20:18:03.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29333" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-24T20:46:06.087" Score="3" ViewCount="4517" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was at the store and I saw an Erica Gracilis and decided to buy it to give a bit of colour to my garden. However, I do not know how to take care of it. I was wondering what is the best location to place this plant, is it indoors or outdoors? In addition, should it be located in direct sun or indirect sun? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13172" LastActivityDate="2016-09-24T22:12:58.490" Title="How to take care of Erica Gracilis?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29334" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-24T21:30:57.587" Score="6" ViewCount="732" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to grow plants super fast while it still being organic (i.e. healthy)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wheat / vegetables / fruits / etc...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15926" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T21:58:28.777" Title="Is there a way to grow plants super fast while it still being organic (i.e. healthy)?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29335" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="928" CreationDate="2016-09-24T21:54:38.167" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sluggo is highly effective, and it is now OMRI listed: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/goldengategardener/article/Sluggo-gets-OMRI-seal-of-approval-4648828.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sluggo gets OMRI seal of approval&lt;/a&gt; - aka organic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-05-05T10:50:15.987" LastActivityDate="2017-05-05T10:50:15.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29334" CreationDate="2016-09-24T21:57:41.853" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants are best grown at their own pace. I always joke about &quot;Miracle Gro&quot; asking people if they would feed their kids crack if that would help them grow faster. Jokes aside, when plants take their natural time - some just grow naturally fast, they have a better chance of putting down good roots, fighting diseases, healing and producing a good crop. That itself can be seen as &quot;speed&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following growing instructions specific to your zone/area/region, providing them ample sunlight, trying to give them only the required water - not too much and not too little, giving them natural disease fighting mechanisms such as inviting birds that can eat bugs, adding ladybugs that help with aphids, mulching them correctly and thoroughly can all help them grow at a vigorous pace.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are so inclined, fertilizers that are certified organic are available. You could use those. And/or use good quality compost, either of your own making, or bought from good sources. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have to use pesticides or herbicides at all, if you choose organic ones and apply them judiciously, you can avoid toxins in your produce, and prevent plants from getting injured.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, doing all that, is better than fussing around with hormones. There is an ancient Indian saying that roughly translates to , &quot;the gardener can choose to haul a 100 pails of water, the fruit arrives when the season does&quot;. So, take it easy, relax and give the plants the time they need. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-24T21:57:41.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29333" CreationDate="2016-09-24T22:12:58.490" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Full sun is best, but the thing this plant needs is acid soil, so if you don't know your soil ph, best to grow it in a container using ericaceous (for acid loving plants) compost. They prefer well drained soil, so good drainage in whatever container you use is important. It is frost tender, tolerating the occasional drop to -5 deg C, but where you are, I don't think that'll be a problem, having checked, seems your winters have comparatively warm temperatures. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dobbies.com/products/plants/erica/erica-gracilis/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.dobbies.com/products/plants/erica/erica-gracilis/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-24T22:12:58.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29338" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29334" CreationDate="2016-09-24T22:20:02.187" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There isn't a way to force plant growth any faster than it's programmed to be either organically or inorganically. What you can do, though, is provide optimum growing conditions for whatever plant it is, which will give the healthiest plants with the best growth rate possible. This means providing fertile, healthy soil which has been improved regularly with the addition of humus rich materials, sufficient space for each plant, sufficient light/sunlight and water, and for some plants, the best soil ph that suits. Optimal temperature range helps too, but that's not something you can do much about (other than growing at the right time of year) unless you grow in artificial conditions like a greenhouse or polytunnel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-25T00:24:45.730" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T00:24:45.730" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29339" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29340" CreationDate="2016-09-25T00:34:29.443" Score="2" ViewCount="151" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live out in a bit of a rural area, so maintaining roadside ditches is something I'm going to have to do. Mostly making sure they don't get overgrown or end up clogged with plants or dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just got through using a weed whacker to hit the ditches, but that took forever and almost burned out the poor thing's engine. Is there a better tool for maintaining the ditches (and no, fire isn't a great answer), or do I just need to get a more heavy duty trimmer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15102" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T01:36:06.473" Title="Maintaining roadside ditches" Tags="&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29340" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29339" CreationDate="2016-09-25T00:46:53.467" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are asking for a way to get rid of what is there now, a more powerful tool may work, but still involves quite a bit of physical labor. You could also consider renting small sized excavating equipment that you can use to cull as you drive through the ditch, and this way you can maintain a constant profile along wherever you drive the thing, but the ditch has to be wide enough, and you may need to have the permissions to do this. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than graveling the ditches, there is of course little you can do to prevent something or the other from growing back season after season because of the constant water supply. You could choose to control it by allowing some ground cover of your own preference to grow in the ditches if that is an option. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T00:46:53.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29339" CreationDate="2016-09-25T01:36:06.473" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here in south Florida I have a swale on one side that needs to be maintained. I don't know how deep/steep your ditch is, but as long as I keep the grass short, I'm able to mow along the length of the swale without extra effort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15881" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T01:36:06.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29342" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24245" CreationDate="2016-09-25T02:38:06.540" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a planter given to me with a &quot;dead&quot; mass cane in it. This thing had been though hell and back being left in a garage for 2ish years, no light, no water. Dead plant. I wanted the planter so I took it dead plant and all with gratitude. Life got busy... so my planter and dead plant sat outside for weeks. I finally got around to removing the dead plant and voila! A whole new mass cane had decided to pop up. It's incredibly healthy and already a foot or so tall after only 2 months. These plants should never be given up on. They won't give up on you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15928" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T02:38:06.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29343" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29334" CreationDate="2016-09-25T04:29:36.620" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes. You need to find out that specific plants preferred pH level and the amount of sunlight it ideally needs throughout the day and try and give it the exact amounts it requires. Also,  aeration of the soil and the exact amount of water is very important. DO NOT overwater. I've found a drip-watering system to be the most effective for some heavy drinker types (tomatos, peaches, cucumber, etc.) You can adjust the pH if you get a pH meter and use, for example crushed bone, Dolomite or hydrated lime, and a whole host of other materials. It really depends drastically from plant to plant what their ideal environment is though...  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15930" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T04:29:36.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29344" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29346" CreationDate="2016-09-25T04:51:39.383" Score="3" ViewCount="47" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a tomato plant that needed to be re potted and cut back because it was stressed. It has recovered really well, but it has a couple of leaves with varying levels of white patches on them now. Is it something I should worry about and if so how do I treat it?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HJZcR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HJZcR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also have a dwarf cherry tomato plant I bought that was fairly advanced and it too has the white patches starting on it.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EcUCX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EcUCX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7527" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T05:05:20.960" Title="Should I be concerned about white patches on my tomato?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29345" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29347" CreationDate="2016-09-25T05:03:22.517" Score="4" ViewCount="1999" Body="&lt;p&gt;My dill seems to have a whitish coating most of it. It looks almost powdery and gives it a pale bluish hue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lfSnc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lfSnc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7527" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T06:06:24.820" Title="Why is my dill looking pale" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;dill&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29346" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29344" CreationDate="2016-09-25T05:05:20.960" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks very much like powdery mildew. I would remove the two branches as the rest of the plant looks healthy. Then, spraying a fungicide on the plant is probably a good first step.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since it is potted, isolate the plant from the others. If you have other tomato plants, spray them as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T05:05:20.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29347" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29345" CreationDate="2016-09-25T06:06:24.820" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Taking &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/29344/should-i-be-concerned-about-white-patches-on-my-tomato&quot;&gt;your other question&lt;/a&gt; into account as well, you have an infestation of powdery mildew in your garden - and your dill is almost covered with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As we are talking about edible plants, I strongly suggest you &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/using-milk-to-prevent-powdery-mildew/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;spray with dilluted milk&lt;/a&gt; before grabbing a &quot;chemical&quot; fungicide. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a bunch of questions and answers on the topic, the poster here &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23495/is-powdery-mildew-spreading-through-my-garden&quot;&gt;has a similar problem&lt;/a&gt;, and our search site gives &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=Powdery%20mildew&quot;&gt;this list&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T06:06:24.820" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29348" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29334" CreationDate="2016-09-25T07:40:35.200" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Look up aeroponics (growing the roots in total darkness, and fed/watered by a microspray instead of soil), it will grow normally and faster than usual. It might not be possible for it to be &quot;certified organic&quot;, but I suggest growing the &quot;outside&quot; in a clear plastic bag and manually pollinating with a toothbrush or something, to keep both pests and pesticides off of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15932" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T07:40:35.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29349" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29398" CreationDate="2016-09-25T08:04:50.643" Score="3" ViewCount="2118" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why is the stem of my ZZ Plant drying? It was fat like the other stems. Is it dying or doing something for its own good?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not overwatering the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TxybQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TxybQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NP3SX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NP3SX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-27T23:39:47.443" LastActivityDate="2016-09-27T23:39:47.443" Title="Why is the stem of my ZZ Plant drying?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29350" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-25T08:13:55.663" Score="4" ViewCount="143" Body="&lt;p&gt;My friend took this photo in Beverly Hills, California. Does anyone know the type of tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wcsUT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wcsUT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15933" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-25T17:19:53.940" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T17:21:38.683" Title="What is this tree with scaly bark in Beverly Hills, California?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29352" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-25T08:23:41.710" Score="5" ViewCount="9744" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Disclaimer: This question might be off-topic or weird. This question is not to hurt anyone's feelings or to disrespect opinions and knowledge of any person or user here.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do remember asking this question here but cannot find it. Why is cow dung bad for houseplants?. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now people here tell me that it is a bad idea to use cow dung for potted plants. I once saw a video on cow dung and its magic on plants. To anyone who's interested:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXBgYvhAkvU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXBgYvhAkvU&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oifWngdzwCg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oifWngdzwCg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Image&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D9nR5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D9nR5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iEXTD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iEXTD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If cow dung is bad, why is this person getting great results from it? He has shown many examples in his video.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I know and understand, cow dung has too much nitrogen in it, which can cause root burn. It also retains water for extremely long periods of time which can also lead to root rot. That's all I know. But if that's true, how come the plants looks really healthy and lush?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the case? Has any gardener/user here ever experimented on this? What was the result: good or bad?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-25T18:35:33.937" LastActivityDate="2018-07-01T03:27:45.823" Title="Is cow dung really bad for potted houseplants? (There are videos in the question.)" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29353" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-25T09:05:55.043" Score="2" ViewCount="2760" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed small insects in my flower pot that I would like to know more about.&#xA;They are usually extremely small (1-3mm); slightly resemble either minuscule caterpillars/worms of a greenish-yellowish tint, but the smallest ones resemble moving pieces of hair, grey or translucent - not longer and bigger than a hair clipping from someone shaving a two-day beard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried to capture a yellow one - the biggest one I could find, here (in the middle of the image):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H8c1c.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H8c1c.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;some of the others, smaller ones look like this (sorry for the low quality, I would need a microscope to get a proper image!):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cjNeo.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cjNeo.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CqA5X.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CqA5X.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although they kind of remind me of a horror film (&quot;&lt;em&gt;Body Bags&lt;/em&gt;&quot;, 1993), I am not particularly scared. &#xA;But I would nevertheless like to know:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-what these insects are called&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-whether or not they are parasites and will hurt the plants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-if they present a danger for humans in general and near food in particular (the flower pot is in the kitchen 60cm away from a fruit cup)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: The pot was bought at Whole Foods in California, originally had Mint in it. The mint died and I placed poppy seeds in the pot which started to sprout. I also recently tried to plant some fennel I picked in a field, but I don't know at what time these bugs appeared.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11938" LastEditorUserId="11938" LastEditDate="2016-09-25T19:34:11.393" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T01:06:43.160" Title="Identification of a tiny, worm-like insect/parasite" Tags="&lt;worms&gt;&lt;parasites&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29354" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29352" CreationDate="2016-09-25T12:00:18.270" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, cow dung doesn't have a very high level of nitrogen, specially compared to other forms of manure - the problem with fresh cow dung is a very high ammonia level, but if its dried in heat or sun, the ammonia should be significantly reduced, along with any serious pathogens present. NPK levels for average cow manure are roughly 3-2-1, with some trace elements (and in the West, likely drugs, hormones and pollutants), though the precise nutrient level probably varies somewhat between cows fed purely on fresh grass and those fed on grain as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It wouldn't be possible for many in the West to experiment with cow dung in this way, for several reasons. The chances of anyone owning a cow (other than livestock farmers) are vanishingly small; even if they do own cows, the cows will likely be treated with antibiotics and hormones; the cows will not be fed on natural, unpolluted, healthy green grass all year, weather being a major factor in cooler countries; in many parts, the weather would not be hot enough to stick cow dung to a wall in order for it to dry out successfully (try that in the UK and it'd end up a soggy stain running down the wall).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you should try it yourself, if you have a cow that only eats good grass, the grass isn't treated with any chemicals, and the cow itself is given no drugs or hormones, and you have a wall to which you can stick the dung to dry out in heat or sun. There may be an issue with some seeds passing through the rumen and germinating - in some regions, clover is fed to cows with deliberate intent - once the cows are released into a different area, they deposit their dung and the area is then populated with clover from the dung. This would indicate that some seeds would not only survive the digestive process, but be better for it, which is the way with some seeds, although seeds without hard coatings will likely be destroyed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can buy cow dung produced in the described manner, buy it and try it - let us know the results please! My feeling about these things is, there's received wisdom and learning which is often not only prescriptive, but proscriptive; but that's not always the only way to do things, especially in places where the weather, environment and life generally is completely and utterly different from where the 'received wisdom' originates. We have two sayings here - 'there's more than one way to skin a cat' and 'if all you have is lemons, make lemonade', both of which apply to your situation. I'd be really interested in the result if you try this,to see if it replicates what's being said in your video links, though my interest is purely academic - the chances of trying it where I live are zero. I live somewhere that horse manure is the most freely available form of animal manure, and that should not be used in pots. I'll just add that I'm not offended in any way at all, in fact, I'm intrigued... certainly, if all the parameters and conditions are observed, I see no real reason why the resulting 'compost' won't be suitable as a growing medium, though over time, I'm not sure. But, I'd like to see a real person trying it rather than someone posting a video, being the sceptic that I am!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-25T13:02:42.383" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T13:02:42.383" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29355" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29352" CreationDate="2016-09-25T12:56:53.117" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not a weird question at all. Growing up in India, I saw cow dung used in a 100 odd ways all the time. But, I don't believe in these miracles. I am almost certain that they are touting these one-offs in an exaggerated manner, because if cow dung could produce such results, every inch of South India would be a dense tropical jungle, I assure you, sadly, opposite is the case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cow dung is used for all purposes - dried and caked as fuel for stoves, as a mosquito repellent when wet and sprayed, sprayed on dried to stabilize loose topsoil on walkways and such - people used it quite a bit. To Bamboo's point, in India, it gets hot enough, women, at least when I was growing up, had turned slapping rounded pancake-like patties onto the wall, that allowed it to cake in the heat and become ready for storage as fuel. One day, it will be a lost art. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To Bamboo's points, yes, when we were growing up in India, antibiotics in cows was virtually unheard of, and my family's current ownership of cows in a semi-rural setting has become quite unique. We ourselves travel 30 miles or so to get to our farm where a guy manages the cows for my mother now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The easiest use I have seen of cow-dung, and this is probably what maybe the lady in your video is confounding, is as a rooting and seeding medium. When it is wet, and put in a container or a hole and you stick a rose cutting in it, you can actually root the rose quite successfully. I remember us doing this at home. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My mother has cows in her farm, and the tons of manure can be composted, reused and even sold off for others to use as they see fit. My garden here, in the US is potted, because I rent, and I blend steer and chicken manure into my pots with used and fresh potting soil and bits of garden soil for drainage. It works well for most general types of plants including roses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the warning to not use manure in potted soil arose from the notion that most people don't know how to proportion it carefully. I have always ignored the rule, as I have grown up around this stuff and have figured out the quantities to use. But, I have seen no miracles and I am not about to put out some misleading YouTube video. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gardening or farming success can be achieved through multiple, tried and tested means that you can consult with agricultural universities/colleges and/or master gardener groups, horticultural societies, whatever is locally available. I would ignore all the &quot;miracle&quot; nonsense. These things are usually not scalable, the successes being limited and breed/species specific, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastEditorUserId="7499" LastEditDate="2016-09-25T12:59:15.783" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T12:59:15.783" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29356" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29359" CreationDate="2016-09-25T14:29:20.317" Score="3" ViewCount="236" Body="&lt;p&gt;What plant is this? Leaves are very small. How should I care for it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JPM21.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JPM21.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ph5oh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ph5oh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sFrGM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sFrGM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T16:38:30.757" Title="what plant/vine is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29357" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29360" CreationDate="2016-09-25T14:31:15.560" Score="4" ViewCount="194" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gjGOe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gjGOe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My friend sent me this picture. He has only one and that is also not too clear. It looks like lemon lime plant. What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-26T01:35:19.137" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T01:35:19.137" Title="What is this Dracaena plant that looks like a lemon lime tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29358" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29438" CreationDate="2016-09-25T14:34:30.193" Score="4" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;My friend saw this plant. What plant is this? Can anyone tell me, please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jrxdu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jrxdu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C18jj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C18jj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-26T01:41:35.003" LastActivityDate="2016-10-02T10:57:44.490" Title="What plant is this that looks like a bush?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29359" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29356" CreationDate="2016-09-25T16:38:30.757" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a Syngonium podophyllum variety, common name Arrowhead vine - its usually kept as a houseplant, but in warmer countries, can be grown outdoors. It's relatively easy as a houseplant, but doesn't appreciate hot sunlight through a window - variegated versions like this one require brighter light than plain green varieties, but not direct sun, although a little winter sun isn't an issue. Water when the surface of the compost is just dry to the touch, water thoroughly, and tip away any water remaining in an outer pot or tray after 30 minutes. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/arrowhead-plant/arrowhead-plant-care-arrowhead-plant-or-syngonium-podophyllum.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/arrowhead-plant/arrowhead-plant-care-arrowhead-plant-or-syngonium-podophyllum.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T16:38:30.757" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29357" CreationDate="2016-09-25T18:20:39.973" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, that is what this is. A very cool houseplant. Can also be grown outside in shade. Growing and caring is easy. Did you have any other questions on this? Some species of Dracaena are listed as toxic to pets, so caution is advised. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T18:20:39.973" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29361" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29358" CreationDate="2016-09-25T18:23:52.900" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Like I said, this is a well cared for, and rather interestingly pruned Ficus tree. I am torn between Ficus maclellandii and Ficus longifolia, but if the leaf color is not a photographic aberration, want to say it is Ficus maclellandii. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Pretty sure my answer is wrong. I will do more research and correct myself. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastEditorUserId="7499" LastEditDate="2016-09-26T05:38:10.117" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T05:38:10.117" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29362" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29358" CreationDate="2016-09-25T19:02:15.453" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is my guess; Salix integra X Hakaro Nishiki &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=salix%20hakuro%20nishiki&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=800&amp;amp;bih=385&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjM8q_FmavPAhVS8mMKHTviB-4Q7AkIKA#imgrc=aPS8faXB6BKYWM%3Ahttp://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Salix int.XHakaro Nishiki&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T19:02:15.453" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29363" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29353" CreationDate="2016-09-25T21:02:02.733" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The transparent wormlike things may well be fruit fly larvae - the yellow ones not sure what they are, but I'm willing to bet they came in on the fennel you tried to transplant into the same soil in the pot. Fruit flies like damp soil, so if you've been overwatering, that would explain their presence; the flies may originally have been attracted by fruit indoors, but they'll lay their eggs in damp soil, the damper the better. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be honest, I'd dump the whole lot outdoors, wash and sterilize the pot and start again with fresh potting compost if you want to grow something indoors, especially as it doesn't sound like you've got much growing in there currently. Or just buy another pot with a herb of some sort already growing in it. Given the mint died, bear in mind in future that it's not a good idea to reuse the same potting soil for new plants where this has happened, especially not in a kitchen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the subject of fennel, assuming it was Foeniculum vulgare, grown for its leaves rather than roots, this plant has a very long tap root, so won't do well in a shallow pot, nor indoors on a kitchen windowsill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-25T21:08:52.167" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T21:08:52.167" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29364" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29227" CreationDate="2016-09-25T21:06:04.157" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's not really big, as aloes go. It'll get twice that big even in that little pot. However, I'd recommend transplanting it into a wide shallow pot, just so it isn't so easy to knock over. They're more-or-less a cactus, and thrive in well-drained, nutrient-poor soil. Anything just north of beach sand will do. I've grown them in everything from garden soil to paver base and they've always done just fine. I would assume cactus mix is probably best, but I'm too cheap to find out. Don't worry too much about transplant shock, they can bounce back from just about anything short of being completely pulverized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15922" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T21:06:04.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29365" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-25T21:09:34.293" Score="4" ViewCount="170" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking to grow some more comfrey for next year's planting, and was wondering if I can just plant it in rotting plant material, or if I should just put it directly in dirt in the bucket.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On a side note I plan to put the comfrey in used driveway tar buckets with holes in the bottom for it to drain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-09-26T00:50:44.087" LastActivityDate="2016-09-28T20:26:09.897" Title="Can I plant comfrey in rotting compost to help it grow better?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;comfrey&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29367" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29334" CreationDate="2016-09-25T21:58:28.777" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have an answer that's not purely anecdotal, but last year I created a metal a sub-irrigated planter(google it), and I experienced incredible results. First off, a sub-irrigated planter is a planter in which the water is forced up from the bottom. The main advantage of this is the oxygenation of the soil as the water level goes up and down around the roots. That's a basic sub-irrigated planter, and I got great results doing just that. I got kind of crazy with it though and installed temperature-controlled heaters on the bottom of the metal planter. When I install the heaters on the bottom, the plants started standing more erect than any I had ever seen and starting growing at an unprecedented pace. I had peppers within a few weeks. One of the big advantages of the way I did it was that I pumped water up from a bucket underneath the planter whenever level got low, and I just added plant food to the bucket that it pumped from so it went straight to the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15939" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T21:58:28.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29368" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29164" CreationDate="2016-09-25T22:12:47.790" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your fertilizer would have to be sitting on some pretty impervious muck not to wash in the first time it rained. I think Mr Big Box was just trying to sound like the &lt;em&gt;knowledgeable salesperson&lt;/em&gt; the TV promised you. Truth be told, the fertilizer will actually help the clippings break down faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15922" LastActivityDate="2016-09-25T22:12:47.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29369" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-26T00:13:54.840" Score="8" ViewCount="9356" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was wondering what the distance is when planting Japanese box hedge. I plan to space them every 20cm as the height of the hedge will be approx 30cm when trimmed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is 20cm the correct spacing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15941" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-09-26T01:07:40.080" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T11:02:50.713" Title="How far apart should I plant Japanese box for a low hedge?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2572" CreationDate="2016-09-26T00:55:02.450" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That leaking sap &amp;amp; stained bark appears to be caused by bacterial wetwood, also known as slime flux. This is a common bacterial infection that creates slightly caustic sap &amp;amp; raises pressure within the wood. The pressure forces the sap out at weak points, staining the bark. The sap smells sort of fermented, right? That's the result of the bacteria having chowed down on the sugars in the sap. You may also notice bugs showing up for a party.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You shouldn't try to remove the bark. You can remove extra sap by infrequent gentle washing with plain water (rain is free, don't buy a hose for this.) Removing the discolored bark or trying to plug/patch will just cause additional spots where sap will leak instead, and may interrupt any compartmenting the tree's done on its own. The best management of the situation is to keep the tree free from additional stress, and living with what it looks (and smells) like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The good news about slime flux is it can actually prevent other sorts of rot! It also generally does not kill trees. (I've had one infected in this way for 10 years, and it's healthier &amp;amp; larger than ever aside from the flux.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2417" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T00:55:02.450" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29371" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29353" CreationDate="2016-09-26T01:06:43.160" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am going to say more or less the same thing. Given the mint died and these guys appeared, they can't be good, even if they are harmless. We will need either an entomologist or someone specialized in agriculture to say exactly what worms they are. Posting on the Biology Stackexchange with close up shots might help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the meanwhile, I'd dump the soil. If you wish to reuse it, you should removed the worms/larvae and let it dry outside in the sun and it is best not reused for food. If you want to keep searching for their ID, I'd say, put the pot in a sealed container with air holes, away from the kitchen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, my thoughts on Fennel are as follows. If you are in CA, don't try to grow them. They are nastily invasive, taking over space from native wildlife in large swaths. Just buy the fennel you need, hopefully imported. While there is some lingering doubt about culinary varieties, if you picked it in the wild, it is most likely F. vulgare. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some notes: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cal-ipc.org/ip/management/plant_profiles/Foeniculum_vulgare.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.cal-ipc.org/ip/management/plant_profiles/Foeniculum_vulgare.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are not from CA, check locally if this plant is a threat to native wildlife there before planting or seeding. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T01:06:43.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29372" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29369" CreationDate="2016-09-26T05:11:06.470" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ilex crenata? Any other varietal name attached?  If I do my metric calculations this is 6 inches by 12 inches high?  Way too small for height.  I would make the height at least 2 1/2 feet by 2 1/2 feet wide.  You are probably looking at 1 gallon baby plants. Plant 1 1/2 feet apart and at least 1 1/2 feet from the edge of the walk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig up the soil and turn over to make a slightly raised bed using a rake and compacting the top of the soil firmly with a chunk of plywood and jumping up and down on it.  Have you tested your soil?  Make sure the hedge 'goes around corners' to stabilize the hedge in your landscape.  You don't want a fast hedge of immature plants.  Your sizes might work for a knot garden but not near structures meant for humans.  And then the size is iffy for the health of the plant. It is normally much larger, planted in the garden it can't be treated like a Bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make a template for hedging.  The bottom of the hedge HAS TO BE WIDER than the top by at least 1 1/2&quot; per side.  Your hedge is 2' 1/2&quot; high (relax, it will look great for the two years to become a hedge), the bottom of the hedge should be minimum 2' wide, ...so the bottom is 2' or 24 inches; the top width is smaller,  24 minus 3&quot; at 21&quot;  (this is critical so that the bottom of your hedge gets as much sun in relation to the top, promoting a thick hedge to the ground).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When hedging imagine yourself in a stiff vice making as little movement as possible. Like a robot. String lines for guides.  Sharpen your hedger or your hand shears! Keep your cutting edges on the plane of the sheared sides or top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ilex is a super choice for hedges.  There are also pillar shaped Ilex that look spectacular, accentuate the verticals in your architecture that will tie your hedge into the landscape and your home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T05:11:06.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29373" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29381" CreationDate="2016-09-26T09:39:35.517" Score="4" ViewCount="589" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something is wrong with my Ficus elastica (Rubber fig). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this white hard salt-like thing?  It is on the backside of some leaves. I cleaned this with water and cotton and it came off, but it was somewhat hard. Is it sap? Is it the thing which helps in rubber production? If yes, can I make an eraser with it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i52qR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i52qR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I cut the aerial roots? would that be good or bad for the plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Dpf4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Dpf4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NBvPL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NBvPL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-27T23:43:05.050" LastActivityDate="2016-09-27T23:43:05.050" Title="What should I do with this Ficus elastica (Rubber fig)?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29374" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29382" CreationDate="2016-09-26T09:44:47.113" Score="8" ViewCount="1984" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Dwarf Jade plant has been dropping dozens of leaves (both good and bad leaves) every day for the past few days. It receives bright indirect light. What is the case? Is it overwatering or underwatering or some disease?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Click for full size image:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R2TUt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R2TUt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OwklR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OwklR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WbS82.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WbS82.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-26T20:22:12.503" LastActivityDate="2020-03-04T22:41:00.373" Title="Why is my Dwarf Jade plant dropping more than dozens of leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29375" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29369" CreationDate="2016-09-26T10:51:27.240" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rather depends what you mean by Japanese box hedge - as far as I'm concerned, it means varieties of Buxus microphylla (as opposed to Buxus sempervirens). Although the varieties differ a little in height and spread, the general rule for planting as a hedge is aroiund 10 cm apart. The link below is to the RHS,where they talk about a much closer planting distance, but the consensus generally appears to be between 8-12 cm - the variation in planting distance is likely down to particular varieties. As your hedge is going to be a low growing one, you need not worry too much about creating a pronounced wedge shape (wider at the base than the top) as it grows - these little dividing hedges are often used as edging around planted areas, and are usually relatively straight from top to bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=88&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=88&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-26T11:02:50.713" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T11:02:50.713" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29377" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29379" CreationDate="2016-09-26T16:44:52.157" Score="8" ViewCount="593" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking to buy fertilizer for my &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;camellias&lt;/a&gt;. I read on a couple of websites to use 8-8-8 or 10-10-10, but when I search online many brands sell fertilizers for camellias that have different compositions, sometimes as low as 4-4-4.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the difference? I understand it's the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, what I am wondering is what will be the difference? Does a 10-10-10 fertilizer mean it has a higher concentration and hence I should use less?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15948" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-26T20:17:57.503" LastActivityDate="2016-09-27T02:19:41.550" Title="In store-bought fertilizer for camellias, what's the difference between NPK 10-10-10 and say 4-4-4?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29378" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29350" CreationDate="2016-09-26T17:21:38.683" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are the Pony Tail variant Beaucarnea &lt;em&gt;stricta&lt;/em&gt;. The photos below were taken ten years ago at the same Beverly Hills park as the photo in the original post.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CArQs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CArQs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QZeTb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QZeTb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4636" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T17:21:38.683" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29377" CreationDate="2016-09-26T17:38:51.210" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's quite difficult to give a straight, simple answer - fertilizers are formulated differently in terms of how quickly they break down, so liquid formulations will be almost instantaneous, whereas a granular or capsule form may take up to six months to dispense its load of fertilizer, with other granular formulations lasting 6-8 weeks. This might explain the difference between some of the fertilizers you've looked at - the long lasting capsule types usually do have higher levels of NPK because of the slow breakdown time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So yes, the higher numbers do reflect higher levels of fertilizer, but whether you use less or whether the difference is simply because of the formulation, it's hard to say without knowing which specific products you've been looking at. If your Camellias are in pots, then fertilizing is probably a good idea, but if they're in the ground and growing in good soil, it's not essential anyway, unless they're not coping with an infestation or infection very well. The other thing I'd say is, if you're in the Northern hemisphere and fall/winter approaches, now is not the time to give fertilizer, it should be applied in spring, as growth begins. Note also that there are fertilizers available made specifically for acid loving plants like Camellias, and these can be quite useful if your soil is neutral.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-09-26T18:56:46.650" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T18:56:46.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29380" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26850" CreationDate="2016-09-26T17:41:10.310" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Honestly, if I were you I wouldn't worry about it too much.  Do you know how much of the chips were walnut?  I don't believe the wood of walnut has as high of concentration of juglone as the leaves or from the living roots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been proven that plants that are in soil with a high amount of organic matter (compost) are much less affected by juglone.  If you soil has a lot of organic matter in it you should be good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are really concerned about it...rake your chips up and allow them to further breakdown and leach any potential juglone out before you reapply, or only use them in areas where you plant stuff that is juglone resistant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can tell you firsthand that black walnuts, while I have no doubt of their allelopathic nature, are really not as harmful as many people make them out to be.  I have worked in and planted many gardens (including my own) that are very close proximity to large living walnuts and have never had any major problems.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T17:41:10.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29373" CreationDate="2016-09-26T17:55:28.387" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like there's a crack in that leaf which has oozed sap which has then dried. Quite why there's a crack I don't know, could just be physical damage, but check the backs of leaves thoroughly, along with the stems and trunk to see if there's any scale insect present.  And no, you can't make a rubber with it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T17:55:28.387" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29374" CreationDate="2016-09-26T19:02:54.713" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like over watering. The soil itself looks wet to me. The elephant's ear, like all other Jades, can use very little water, so you can usually just stick to weekly or even two-weekly watering schedules. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a very resilient plant, so if this is the first time it happened, just let the soil dry and then water later. If the leaves fall off repeatedly over weeks, it means you have root rot. The plant can recover from that as well, but, it is best to not let it get there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a sunny spot, put it out for about 5 - 6 hours over a couple of days and the soil should dry out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T19:02:54.713" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29383" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29377" CreationDate="2016-09-26T19:52:02.207" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes. The numbers is the content of fertiliser (N, P, K) in percent. So a 4-4-4 means 4 kilograms of N, 4 kilograms of P and 4 kilograms of K on a 100 Kg bag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The absolute numbers are important if one need to fertilise large surfaces, e.g. with norms and analyses, I know that I need 70 Kg of nitrogen per hectare (and year), so I can calculate easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But as wrote by Bamboo, the exact formulation is also important, some compounds are very slow to give assimilable substances, so one could fertilise (a single substance, e.g. Mg) every 2 to 4 years without &quot;over-fertilising&quot;, other fertilisers could be too acid (or or basic), etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T19:52:02.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27414" CreationDate="2016-09-26T21:13:41.997" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;From my research and personal experience, the answer depends on the type of hydrangea you are growing.  I have mapheads and prune the dead flowers after new growth starts appearing.  It apparently protects the new growth from frost.  Here is a link to informative article on pruning hydrangeas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=516&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Dead blooms on mophead hydrangeas can, in mild areas, be removed just&#xA;  after flowering, but it is best to leave them on the plant over winter&#xA;  to provide some frost protection for the tender growth buds below.&#xA;  Remove the dead flowerheads in early spring, cutting back the stem to&#xA;  the first strong, healthy pair of buds down from the faded bloom&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T21:13:41.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29388" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29377" CreationDate="2016-09-26T22:48:58.527" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are right - as others said, bigger numbers mean more active ingredients in a given weight of fertilizer. Since the proportions are the same for both (10-10-10) and (4-4-4) the two are interchangeable, but you need to apply 2 1/2 times as much 4-4-4 to give the same &quot;dose&quot; as the 10-10-10.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For &quot;amateur&quot; use, relatively weak formulations can be easier to use, because you don't have to measure out and work with very small quantities, and you are less likely to &quot;burn&quot; an individual plant by applying too much if there is uneven distribution of the fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On a commercial scale the reverse applies - nobody is going to want to handle 25 tons of 4-4-4 material when 10 tons of 10-10-10 would do the same job, and is perfectly safe for the plants if it is applied accurately using the correct tools and machinery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;How fast&lt;/em&gt; the fertilizer is released into the environment is a completely different issue, and (in general) that is independent of the &lt;em&gt;concentration&lt;/em&gt; of the active ingredients. For a given formulation, &quot;all&quot; the active material in whatever &quot;dose&quot; you apply will be released in &lt;em&gt;a fixed amount of time&lt;/em&gt; (which might be anything from a few hours for a liquid foliar feed, to a year or more for long-lasting soil conditioner). Of course, the plants may not be capable of &lt;em&gt;using&lt;/em&gt; everything that is available if you apply an &quot;overdose&quot;, and the excess amount may damage the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-09-26T22:48:58.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29390" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29299" CreationDate="2016-09-27T07:52:19.433" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the updates with the photos. I think you have the Mazus reptans, which has its origins in the Himalayas. Can you look at some photos and tell me if this is your plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-27T07:52:19.433" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29391" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="76" CreationDate="2016-09-27T10:56:19.650" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can also plant garlic/onion in your pots or in proximity of your plants in case of garden and see aphids disappear in some time...this has worked for me for over a year now, I plant garlic with every flowering plant and aphids have kept away....washing your plant regularly in jet stream also helps them keep away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13562" LastActivityDate="2016-09-27T10:56:19.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29392" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29395" CreationDate="2016-09-27T12:44:48.840" Score="5" ViewCount="441" Body="&lt;p&gt;We will be clearing invasive species from a badly overrun lot on Long Island. There are quite a few mature trees that will be left, but the ground will be mostly bare dirt when we are finished pulling out all the vines, mugwort, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We want to get something growing quickly to minimize recolonization by the invasives. My first thought was to sow &lt;em&gt;Carex pensylvanica&lt;/em&gt; seeds throughout since it is a native and thrives in lower light forest floors. However I can't find seed in any quantity - only plugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Considering our requirements:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Must be available as seed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should not be invasive.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Needs to be shade tolerant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What other grasses might I consider?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2016-09-28T11:23:31.433" LastActivityDate="2016-09-28T11:23:31.433" Title="What would be a good grass, available in seed, to plant for ground cover in a forest?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29394" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29435" CreationDate="2016-09-27T18:43:48.527" Score="6" ViewCount="6920" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cut this pad which grew this summer from my Opuntia and I want to make a new one. I know I have to let it dry for some time before planting it, so that the wound can heal. For now I just left it on the soil, in a dry atmosphere indoors. But I have a few questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do I know that it's ready?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will I see roots appear at the bottom if I leave it in this position for some time?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I have to humidify the soil a little so that the roots can grow?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Once it's planted, do I have to wait a few days/weeks before watering it for the first time?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3b4kN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3b4kN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13963" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-09-27T18:50:24.350" LastActivityDate="2016-10-01T17:08:15.430" Title="How to grow a new Opuntia (prickly pear) from a cutting?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29392" CreationDate="2016-09-27T19:17:47.630" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Carex pensylvanica seed is available in quantity at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.prairiemoon.com/seeds/grasses-sedges-rushes/carex-pensylvanica-pennsylvania-sedge.html&quot;&gt;Prairie Moon Nursery&lt;/a&gt;. The species is difficult to germinate, the cost is considerable at $300 per ounce of approximately 30k seeds, and the plant is not as shade-tolerant as commonly believed, thinning out after a few years of less-than-substantial sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Possible substitutions of shade-tolerant, North-America-native sedges available in quantity seed form are C. rosea and C. sprengelii. While there are well over 700 sedge varieties native to North America, it's finding them available as seeds which will be your greatest limitation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="4636" LastActivityDate="2016-09-27T19:17:47.630" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29396" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29394" CreationDate="2016-09-27T19:33:11.820" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never bothered with drying them. I just plonk them vertically in some sandy soil - I may need to prop them up at first until roots grow. Then they will grow. It might take a while - cacti are slow growing, and it has to grow roots first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally I try to take a cutting that has some buds - then you will see growth more quickly. The existing buds will grow larger almost straight away, whilst without buds, you don't really know it is growing until new buds appear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would then water fairly regularly - you don't need a tray (except to avoid a mess!), and as it is sandy soil it will drain quickly - avoiding it being too moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2016-09-27T19:33:11.820" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29392" CreationDate="2016-09-27T20:14:23.813" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.prairienursery.com/resources-and-guides/no-mow-resources/?gclid=Cj0KEQjwsai_BRC30KH347fjksoBEiQAoiaqsZ6Pw8TXQopw4TrYZUTC9vq4x4ygBd7hDPdsLQzonmgaAtuA8P8HAQ#.V-rDfvkrKM8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;almost no mow shade grass&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This fine fescue is gorgeous as an understory ground cover.  Make sure you mow it twice a year because when it starts falling over it will be so thick as to block any sun and/or trap moisture and you'll get rot and grass kill.  When it starts the fall over and sweeps you have about a month before you have to mow it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The height to mow is critical. I've not found any mowers that will leave 4&quot; of grass.  A rotary gas powered mower would be ideal as the whirling of the blade actually pulls the blades of grass vertical for a clean uniform cut.  Perhaps you'll be able to find one or have your mower 'adjusted, refitted' by a great 2-stroke engine repair shop.  Similar to having one's Harley lowered so feet can  reach the ground solidly only this is upside down; raising the bed of your mower. I'd probably mow 3X per year; once in late spring, once in late summer and once late fall.  Do not allow the grass to go into winter long.  4&quot;.  Don't forget fertilizing (the new organic fertilizer by Dr. Earth for lawns lasts longer...you might get away with just twice a year fertilizing, this is the best stuff!).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you grade and roll the soil before seeding.  If I were you I'd do the grading and raking and rolling myself allowing for large lazy rolls versus being flat like a normal lawn.  Then I'd hire a grass seeding company where you would order the seed you want, they spray it in a concoction of mulch and fertilizer which is pretty tough to recreate yourself...this is for SUCCESS.  If you do the seeding yourself, you HAVE to use a mechanical spreader.  If you do the fertilizing same thing use a mechanical spreader.  No throwing by hand!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering you will keep the surface moist (sometimes 3 or 4 times per day or more if the weather gets really warm).  If you allow it to dry out at all you will be killing the germinating grass seed.  Another reason to hire a grass seeding company. I would also paint circles around your trees keeping grass away from the base of trees.  And shrubs.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More than likely you will be using a weed wacker/line trimmer (gas powered) and you don't want to kill your trees and shrubs by nicking the bark. Very quickly you can end up cutting the vascular system, a thin layer below the bark.  Just like taking a knife to girdle a tree, a line trimmer will girdle trees, shrubs easily.  A slow, imperceptible death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize after your mowing sessions.  This grass is very thick and can easily block any fertilizer from getting down to the soil.  Do bag clippings or rake!  Without sun you'll get thatch quite quickly but if you use that organic lawn fertilizer (Dr. Earth's is the only one I've used in this class and it comes with thatch decomposing bacteria) will help decompose any organic material that settles onto the surface of your lawn bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once your new baby grass is 4&quot; in height, you'll do your first mowing. Sharp sharp blades please!  After this mowing should be your first fertilizer application.  Shade plants do not do well being over fertilized.  Fertilization causes more growth and being in the shade this fast growth can cause problems for the plant because it is unable to make it's own food with respect to the new growth to maintain. Plants make their own food via sunlight!  I would not use fast release fertilizer high nitrogen ever on this shade, meadow grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the fall you'll need your final mowing and a fall fertilizer...lower in nitrogen than phosphorus and potassium.  Equal or higher percentage of Nitrogen will cause too much new growth that is susceptible to all kinds of fungus during the winter and early spring.  Low Nitrogen, higher percentages of phosphorus and potassium will help the roots gain root??? Grins!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering at the beginning will keep your germinating seeds viable and before you can relax about your under story meadow you need to TRAIN your grasses' roots to grow deep and be drought tolerant.  Once you've trained the roots, then watering will only be necessary when there hasn't been any rain and the temperatures are very high.  This long grass on the forest floor also slows evaporation not only for itself but for your trees, shrubs and other under story plants.  A cheapo oscillating sprinkler is the absolute best, just move it around a few times and pay attention to the amount of time you water, how deep into the soil.  Very short times at first and then when training your grasses' roots very deep.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After your first mowing, when your footprints after stepping on your grasses stay visible, then your first deep watering is necessary.  Make sure you water until the soil is moist down 2&quot;.  Allow to dry until you see your footprints again.  I'd also dig a little hole 6&quot;x 6&quot; so you are able to see the profile because your grass will be long at this point and beginning to fall over.  Water deeply again once the soil has dried to 2&quot;.  During this training period I would mow 4X maybe 6X for the season.  Remember we are training the roots so they grow deep and the next season will be easy peasy using only 3X deep watering if it doesn't rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second time you water, water at least 3&quot; deep and allow to dry.  If your grass is laying over, I'd mow before watering.  The next time water to 4&quot; and allow to dry.  When you do your mowing, try the footprint thing.  The grass blades should be thirsty enough they will stay down when you walk on them.  Do not water if that soil has moisture!  You can continue this until 6 - 8&quot; deep and your grassroots are 6 -8&quot; deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This fescue genetically has a deep root system that needs food that the plant makes! Remember your grass is in the shade, without a lot of sun there isn't much food for those roots.  This is the biggest reason for the height of grass.  Cut too much of the photosynthetic food making factories off and the entire plant is stressed.  This is true of all plants, lawns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, I would not leave the clippings.  Mowing only 2 or 3 times a season means an awful lot of clippings that will block what little sun the live grass blades are able to get, they also cause moisture around the crowns of the roots and blades and fungus love those conditions.  And then there is thatch which won't easily be decomposed and will block any rain, any fertilizer added.  Don't forget to aerate! Once per year.  Sounds like a lot of work but it really is not.  This will make the difference between mud and this carpet of soft, fine grass you see in my post.  All your work and vigilance will pay off!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-09-27T20:37:39.113" LastActivityDate="2016-09-27T20:37:39.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29398" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29349" CreationDate="2016-09-27T20:49:56.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is out on your balcony, Yes?  Well, you have got some critter eating this guy.  Just get some chicken wire to protect it.  Do you take it inside for the winter?  Do you even have a winter in India where you need to worry about freezing?  Since you've got a balcony garden I would guess RATS.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The taller stem has an older harvesting and your plant knows that stem without leaves needs to go.  I'd cut it back to 1/4&quot; above that bud angling the cut to shed water off behind the bud.  I don't see the bud on the second shorter stem but do cut that back as well at least an inch angling the cut away so the cut drains water toward the center of this plant.  Forget the littlest one for now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you noticed any other damage on your plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-09-27T20:55:11.930" LastActivityDate="2016-09-27T20:55:11.930" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29399" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29400" CreationDate="2016-09-28T04:15:11.880" Score="6" ViewCount="4225" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pot of mint on my balcony. &#xA;The pot seems to contain an Aphid colony (probably a separate question on how to get rid of them). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But today, I noticed many ants in the pot as well. &#xA;The question is, are they here for the mint or for the aphids?&#xA;What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15959" LastEditorUserId="16117" LastEditDate="2019-05-03T01:36:53.530" LastActivityDate="2019-05-03T01:36:53.530" Title="What should I do about ants and aphids in my mint?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;mint&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;&lt;ants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="29400" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29399" CreationDate="2016-09-28T04:59:03.947" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some ant here and there might eat a dead aphid or two, but they seem to actually have a symbiotic relationship, more or less, with the ants using the aphids for sugar, which they actually make, believe it or not, and then in turn protecting the aphids. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, no, neither is helping you. Washing the plant off with a very diluted soap and water solution will get rid of the aphids. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are sustainable ways to keep ants off the plant. Getting rid of the ones on the plant and the balcony and placing a dish of water on which your plant sits would be one way to go. A deep dish that is bigger than the pot so that the ants can't swim to the island (ants are pretty clever and resourceful) would help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I just saw this on this same forum: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4166/ants-and-aphids-which-should-i-fight-first?rq=1&quot;&gt;Ants and aphids - which should I fight first&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-09-28T04:59:03.947" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29402" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29365" CreationDate="2016-09-28T20:26:09.897" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Comfrey is an amazing perennial.  To even think about potting this plant as a decoration is sad.  One of the very few true 'companion plants' that actually work to pot them is selfish? Grins!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In zone 4a as a minimum, these plants in buckets will have to be brought indoors or their roots will be subjected to freezing temperatures in winter.  Buckets of comfrey to line a driveway will look like buckets of weeds lining the driveway albeit pretty and kinda cool as you will have uniformity with just one plant.  To use tar buckets is contraindicated IF you plan on using comfrey as a medicinal or for making mulch to use in the soils of edibles!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the coolest things about Comfrey is that it is an 'dynamic accumulator'.  I just found that term...like Kale and brassicas, it absorbs nitrogen and heavy metals and stores these chemicals in its leaves.  Clovers can grab and fix nitrogen from the air and store it in the clover's stems, leaves, roots.  Comfrey doesn't fix nitrogen but it accumulates it as well as Pottassium.  Pretty flowers, leaves, great medicinal properties (toxic for ingestion) but comfrey is best used as a decomposed mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Comfrey needs to be planted in the soil of the garden.  I would grow it as a crop and make decomposed mulch to dress all my plant beds.  I'd be careful with vegetables as it also accumulates heavy metals from the atmosphere.  Get a test of some of your leaves or decompose the leaves, mix them into the soil and then just get a soil test and highlight 'heavy metals' to be tested as well.  Having lots of problems with heavy metals in our soils and water these days if you've been watching the news...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want something along your driveway, I would plant a hardy evergreen...no actually I would plant Salix purpurea 'nana' in a staggered row.  I'd then plant the comfrey as little groups or sweeps in front and in back of the willow hedge.  I'd add daylillies, a few spectacular orange or red or purple flowering specimens and group or sweep Stella de Oro daylilly, an evergreen daylilly that makes a tall dense ground cover to shade and cool the soil. It will also combine aesthetically with the specimen daylillies.  The willows are bluish green with a dense growth of long, thin, copper stems that are gorgeous in the winter. The well pruned soft hedge actually glows in the winter sun!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning to shape (think of marshmallows floating in hot chocolate but orderly) is actually fun to do and only 2 maybe 3 prunings/shearings per year to keep it a 2 1/2 foot to 3 foot tall hedge along your driveway.  Like cutting hair easy.  This shrub 'moves' in the wind akin to the grasses.  I do these shrubs by hand shearing because it is so much fun to do.  Start by grabbing all the stems in one hand, pull up perpendicular to the base of the shrub and cut at the height you want, let go and you've got your template.  This willow will grow to 30' by 30' if you don't prune it.  Pruning keeps these shrubs soft and dense.  Even the 'nana' is meaningless! Pruning is so very much fun and a soft hedge of these is to die for.  My opinion of course!  I dug up and transported my blue arctic willow hedge 3 times to transplant at a new home.  Beautiful.  I should start posting some pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Comfrey likes moist soils.  Use the soil you've got along the driveway, double dig (make 6&quot;x6&quot; trenches between the driveway and the back side of your driveway plant beds) or you'll get soil and mulch all over your drive when it pours or when you water deeply. Start imbuing your beds alongside the driveway with lots of decomposed mulch.  Set your bed to be at least 4' or even 5' wide keeping the plants well away from the driveway.  Asphalt and concrete can really heat the soil nearby and most plants do not like too hot, too dry of a soil (that will have a high pH if your driveway is concrete).  Asphalt is obviously a petroleum product and I wouldn't plant anything you intend to use medicinally or for food or eat anything edible (daylilly flowers for instance).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are you using Symphytum officinale X asperum = uplandicum?  Or Russian comfrey cultivar?  That sterile cultivar Blocking 14?  At least that cultivar isn't invasive but tougher to propagate.  Whatever you are using for comfrey, the first year cut off those flowers and their stems!  This helps them produce great roots and ensures they will come back the next year.  If they are planted in the garden soil, NOT POTS.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for using just mulch for potting soil, no.  Mulch is not a substitute for soil (for pots I would use potting soil with mycorrhizae) just need to top the plant beds or potting soil with well decomposed organic matter.  Comfrey is one of the best decomposed organics to use!  Potting soil needs SOIL.  The commercially bagged soils actually have very little soil added but there is soil nonetheless! Sure stuff will grow in pure mulch but if you know what you are doing you will use potting soil for pots and mulch the top once per year and keep the garden soil in the garden. Have you been following 4-K and Bamboo about potting soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, one other caveat, comfrey loves moist soils which causes high humidity and rust and powdery mildew will be a huge problem.  Planting alongside your driveway is good because there will be more air and the change in temperatures (because of a large surface area of hardscape) will cause quite a bit of airflow, which you will need.  Don't plant too closely or at least thin your comfrey periodically. Always wear gloves when handling your comfrey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-28T20:26:09.897" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29403" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29404" CreationDate="2016-09-29T02:07:15.110" Score="6" ViewCount="804" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my relatives gave me an aloe vera plant, but it was really damaged. I have cut the damaged parts (which were on the leaves), so I want to ask how to repair it to grow healthily once again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have soil right now so I put it into a water pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rZK14.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rZK14.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15965" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-30T01:29:31.837" LastActivityDate="2016-09-30T01:29:31.837" Title="How can I repair a damaged aloe vera that hasn't been watered for months?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29404" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29403" CreationDate="2016-09-29T02:18:39.583" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you have a photo? It always helps us to look at photos. I will answer generically for now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aloes are sturdy, hardy plants. You have it in water, but don't leave it there for too long. Get good draining soil and plant it, mulch, and set the plant against bright, indirect light till the plant heals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not feed the plant. Let it get roots and start growing first. The same way, after healing, you can move the plants out in the sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-29T02:18:39.583" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29405" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-29T04:16:48.740" Score="5" ViewCount="145" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently I started a marigold plantation farm. At first the plants were healthy and had good flowers, but after half a month, the plants dried up one by one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Observation: when I observe, I see that the most bottom leaves start to dry and turn to a dark black colour first, and then slowly the problem goes higher towards the upper portion. Meanwhile the plant blooms but the flower is a reduced size. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any option to get relief from this symptom?  If yes, please kindly provide me with the fertilizer or whatever it may be. It's urgent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15966" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-30T01:22:56.827" LastActivityDate="2016-09-30T01:22:56.827" Title="Why did my African Dwarf marigold plants dry up after only half a month?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29405" CreationDate="2016-09-29T06:15:13.650" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where are you located? What is your watering schedule like? Do you have your soil mulched? Photos would help as well!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My suspicion is that they are exposed to a lot of heat. Yes, marigolds like sunlight in general, but if they experience a lot of heat and water loss, they start dying out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you live in a place where temperatures are high and significant water loss can be experienced, then you will need to, among other things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Consider providing some shade, through shade cloths and/or other means. You could locate the plants where the exposure is reduced, or plant trees, etc.  Too much shade can also stunt growth, so a bit of experimentation might be needed for optimization. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Use drip irrigation and make sure you water them so that the water reaches the roots. Once established, marigolds only need moderate watering, but, if you live in a hot place, they may be losing water. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mulch the soil well. Cover it up with tree bark, or similar materials so that water loss is prevented.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marigolds like to flower. Less is good in terms of fertilizers. That the bottom leaves are turning black first may be indicative of too much fertilizer. If you have a means of doing soil tests, at least measure the pH of the soil and let us know what you find. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is also possible that there is a fungus attacking the marigolds. This is where a picture, some information about your local weather conditions, etc., is helpful. Please share as much information as you can with us, so others and I can provide refined answers. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-29T06:15:13.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29407" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29408" CreationDate="2016-09-29T08:03:58.263" Score="7" ViewCount="4333" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=1553&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mt Fuji&lt;/a&gt;, Prunus 'Shirotae', tree with a total diameter of about 8 meters (26 feet). We only have a small garden but love this tree. It's planted next to a brick retaining wall (goes down to our driveway). For a long time it's been fine but it finally started pushing out the retaining wall with a large root. The trunk is about 20cm (8in) in diameter and the root must be about 10-15cm (4-6in), so it's a major one. I'm sort of okay to just leave it and let nature take its course but an alternative would be to slice out the outer part of the root which is against the retaining wall. How bad would this be for the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Overview of area:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QuWvD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QuWvD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Overview of area&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Problem root:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bOLcS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bOLcS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Problem root&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking in more detail, I now see that the tree itself is probably pushing a bit now on the retaining wall. I think the only solution is to actually remove the retaining wall and perhaps rebuild it to suit the tree. Suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Retaining wall:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QoO0z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QoO0z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Retaining wall&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15969" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-30T16:19:08.743" LastActivityDate="2020-11-04T00:28:49.893" Title="How should I deal with tree root pushing on brick retaining wall?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29408" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29407" CreationDate="2016-09-29T10:00:49.657" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you cut the root you will damage the leaves that are fed by that root.  That root also provides structural stability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A better idea is to rebuild or remove the retaining wall in that area.  The root will only get bigger and they can move quite large stones and interlock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-29T10:00:49.657" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29409" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29410" CreationDate="2016-09-29T13:00:21.523" Score="6" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;Winter is coming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's getting cooler here in the Bronx and I've been planting kohlrabi, peas and other winter veggies. But my garden is in pots and I fear the roots will freeze. But then I had and idea... what if I took some of the solar panels that I salvaged and have not yet found a use for and made some kind of &quot;winter plant helper&quot; ? I could collect light all day then artificially extend the sunlight with a few extra hours of UV light. Or I could put in a thermostat and heat pads ... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;but maybe it makes more sense to try to find some bales of hay (impossible in the city without a car, but I'll try) or build a cold frame.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any logic to my idea for winter electronics for plants? Is it worth a shot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14760" LastActivityDate="2016-09-29T14:27:44.627" Title="Solar powered electric help for winter roof garden?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29410" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29409" CreationDate="2016-09-29T13:28:32.077" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants, like us, need a specific amount of daylight and nightlight, rest and adjustment to seasons. You will be putting a strain with the extra light on your plants, in addition to their attempts to survive and adjust to the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are better off building a green house for them, and put the panels to good use to regulate the temperature inside. Or use hay. Nowadays, there are all manner of drop off services, so you could just have someone drop off the hay for you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-29T13:28:32.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29409" CreationDate="2016-09-29T13:43:10.960" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're worried about freezing, keep them warm somehow (heat mat/cold frame/both). If you want to boost photosynthesis use lights (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthetically_active_radiation&quot;&gt;not UV, but red and blue&lt;/a&gt;).  So the first thing is to decide what you'd like to achieve.  Attempting to warm the plants using lights is unlikely to work unless you use incandescent lights all night in a greenhouse -- they don't deliver the heat to the right  place very effectively because of convection.  The batteries you would need for this are huge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Freezing wil affect the survival of  (some) plants while insufficient light will affect their growth, but it's not just the roots you have to worry about. In fact if they weren't in pots I wouldn't worry about the roots freezing at all.  If you use an insulated cold frame or greenhouse, you may not even need to use batteries -- simply warming under the pots during the day would use the pots/soil as a heat store.  This may be enough depending on how hard your winters are and how tender your plants are.  In addition plants feel wind chill, so just keeping the wind off them will help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2016-09-29T13:43:10.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29412" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29409" CreationDate="2016-09-29T14:27:44.627" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sunlight at 100 watts per square meter for 8 hours is a wild overestimate for cloudy NY winters.&#xA;50% efficient photocells are likewise an overestimate.&#xA;85% inverter, for conversion to 120v AC is about right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With those numbers, a 1 square meter array will give you 100X8X.5X.85 = 340 watt hours of AC. You'll need a deep cycle marine battery or two to store it in the daytime, and those are not cheap, and do not like cold.&#xA;At best you'll get an extra hour of expensive, dim light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, you could go for a 100 square meter array, but $$$$$.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2016-09-29T14:27:44.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="162" CreationDate="2016-09-29T15:02:14.067" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If scarcity of water is an issue then maybe look into something like &lt;a href=&quot;https://richsoil.com/hugelkultur/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hugelkultur&lt;/a&gt;: &lt;em&gt;the ultimate raised garden beds.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually dig a pit and fill with logs then backfill to make my raised beds.  The wood helps retain water and over the years, as it rots down it provides nutrients to your veggies.  I water maybe 2 or 3 times over the period of a growing season with great results (disclaimer - I live in the UK so lack of water is never much of an issue!).  I read reports from other geographic areas which have claimed similar results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14980" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-01-27T16:11:16.300" LastActivityDate="2017-01-27T16:11:16.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29414" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-29T21:31:25.000" Score="3" ViewCount="34" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help me identify this tree?  I'm located in South Florida&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wDZXP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wDZXP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15974" LastActivityDate="2016-09-29T21:31:25.000" Title="Help to identify a tree South Florida" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2016-09-30T15:15:08.050" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8281" CreationDate="2016-09-29T21:33:06.887" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Root weevil.  Very hard to control but beneficial nematodes applied in the fall and again in spring is helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15975" LastActivityDate="2016-09-29T21:33:06.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29416" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27092" CreationDate="2016-09-30T02:56:18.033" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rats do eat hot peppers. I grow jalapeños, Serrano, Hungarian banana peppers and hot chilis and they nibble on them all. I have chased one out of the garden last night by my plants. Nothing else I know eats them. The only way I know to protect the plants it a trap with peanut butter. But be careful handling rat traps they pack a wall up. I usually wear thick leather winter gloves when setting them just in case to protect my fingers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15976" LastActivityDate="2016-09-30T02:56:18.033" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29420" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-30T10:56:29.643" Score="4" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know if there's a way to ensure every sample has the same initial conditions when performing soil experiments. The samples are going to be enclosed in containers of 13 cm height and 18 cm width.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a soil sieving and packing procedure to ensure equal moisture distribution?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15972" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T13:30:13.663" Title="Is there a soil sieving and packing procedure to ensure equal moisture distribution?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29421" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29424" CreationDate="2016-09-30T15:14:34.847" Score="13" ViewCount="6003" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if it's okay to use water that has drained through a houseplant to water another plant. Is it safe for both the other plant and the soil? What I mean is that we use at least 500ml (2 cups) of water for each pot on an average basis. A lot of the water is drained from the pot, so if someone has no trouble collecting the drained water, can it be re-used to water another houseplant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This might seem nonsensical, but consider this when you have to water 30-40 or more plants. What one will achieve via this is conservation of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-09-30T16:39:07.877" LastActivityDate="2016-09-30T19:30:46.973" Title="Can drained water from potted plants be used again to water another house plant?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29422" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-09-30T15:36:05.060" Score="4" ViewCount="5739" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Northern Arizona (grassland at 5300') and I've been finding these weeds in my backyard that I'm pretty sure are tomatillos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HEEkV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HEEkV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pVN3g.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pVN3g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So: 1) Are these poisonous? 2) Would they taste as good as cultivated tomatillos?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they taste good enough then I'm going to save the seeds and plant a whole bunch of them to make green salsa next year, because these grew up and bore fruit in my backyard without any irrigation (some were even growing in the rocks on top of a weed barrier).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15985" LastActivityDate="2016-10-01T01:55:19.363" Title="Are these wild Tomatillos?" Tags="&lt;native-conditions&gt;&lt;tomatillos&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29423" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29422" CreationDate="2016-09-30T17:00:58.737" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure you'll be making green salsa with these - whilst the plant is undoubtedly one of the Physalis varieties (which includes tomatilloes) I suspect this is actually a different variety because of the lobed leaves - tomatilloes generally don't have those sort of leaves.  If the papery shells over the fruits turn orange, then its likely Physalis alkegengi, or it may simply be one of the other forms of Physalis often known as ground cherry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.liseed.org/physalis.html&quot;&gt;http://www.liseed.org/physalis.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-09-30T17:00:58.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29424" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29421" CreationDate="2016-09-30T17:02:30.457" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, the correct way to conserve water is to watch your water, and make sure you don't have excess drainage. This of course takes time and experience. Till then, use measuring cups, or watering jugs that have measurements on them. Or, if watering with a hose, time yourself. A kitchen timer for example, can come in handy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless you have different soils for different plants, such as citrous fruits etc., you can do this. Collect the excess water, dilute it with fresh water, just in case you have used different or excess fertilizer on a plant etc. and then re-use it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Still, given the possibility of diseases etc., I am a bit uncomfortable with this approach. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-09-30T17:02:30.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29425" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="801" CreationDate="2016-09-30T17:30:18.063" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I did to get my soil to come back to life in my 10X15 community garden plot is I took the grounds from caribou (about 10 bags), and sprinkled them around the soil by throwing them in the air. Where they landed they stayed with grass coming up between them in order to keep the soil able to get air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I have small mushrooms, june bugs, and meal worms crawling around in the soil. From what I was told by other gardeners they haven't seen any meal worms, june bugs, or mushrooms in their plots, but I'm using STUN (Sheer, Total, and Utter Neglect) principles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-01T23:05:08.350" LastActivityDate="2016-10-01T23:05:08.350" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29426" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29421" CreationDate="2016-09-30T18:22:14.390" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't found any good reference sources, so this is just my personal experience. It ended up being too long for a comment, so I hope it's appropriate as an answer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do this frequently, with both my indoor and outdoor potted plants. Especially outdoors, I tend to be lazy, so if I've already put away the hose or watering can, and notice something overflowing, I just pour it into a nearby pot. As Srihari Yamanoor recommended, I do make sure the potting soil is exactly the same. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It didn't occur to me until just now that some plants may deposit things into the water that aren't good for a different type of plant, so maybe in order to be safe rather than sorry, you should only use the same variety. In my experience, though, it hasn't mattered. In fact, more often than not, my second plant is a different species altogether.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, as with Srihari Yamanoor, I have a concern for bacteria and insect growth. For that reason I never let the water from the original plant get stagnant. Although there are some plants that will re-absorb it, some won't, so I take that into consideration when water drains through the pot into the saucer below. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I know the original plant won't use it quickly, or if I've overwatered to the point where it's spilling out of the saucer, I collect it and quickly use it to water another plant. I've never diluted with fresh water, but it sounds like a good idea. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-09-30T18:22:14.390" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29427" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29421" CreationDate="2016-09-30T19:30:46.973" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless you are OCD about water, which might come in handy someday, watering your potted plants who depend on you completely means giving them the best chances for survival; the best soil, the best water, (learning how to water, watering with bottled, well or filtered water), how to fertilize, the proper fertilizers (less is best), light, air movement, how to assist your plant with pruning...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would not use water that has drained out of a pot, from a saucer on a REGULAR basis to save on water. Once in a while is fine but the fertilizers, any water borne disease and salts built up from tap waters will be condensed and the type of soil, even potting soil which usually has lots of peat moss can make the water too acidic for other plants. Heavens if one is using garden soil in their pots! Pure plain old water is the only thing I will give my potted plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-09-30T19:30:46.973" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29428" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29429" CreationDate="2016-09-30T21:47:32.430" Score="4" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;Growing instructions I've seen nearly all say to cut back stems and foliage &quot;after they turn yellow&quot;. Here in Northern California (Sonoma) the sturdy regal lily stalks don't even think about turning yellow until the new stalks start to push the old ones out. Here, the regals are the first of our lilies to bloom, usually in March or April, and the very last to die back.  The old stalks don't even begin to yellow and die back until January.  That's a long time to look at stems. Can I cut back earlier, even partially, or do I risk weakening the bulbs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15938" LastActivityDate="2016-10-01T00:12:51.427" Title="When can I cut back regal lilies without damaging the bulbs?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29429" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29428" CreationDate="2016-09-30T23:46:37.390" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is probably the lovely fog in Sonoma that never lets the flowers turn yellow. I'd say, you can cut them safely in the Fall. The cold would have already sent the bulbs into hibernation, by say November 1, if not before, and you could do it then. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are still worried, go ahead and just cut a couple of them off, and watch them the next Spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastEditorUserId="7499" LastEditDate="2016-10-01T00:12:51.427" LastActivityDate="2016-10-01T00:12:51.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29430" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29422" CreationDate="2016-10-01T01:22:30.433" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tomatillos are Physalis philadelphica (formerly Physalis ixocarpa). I believe that is the only species in the Physalis genus that is truly considered a tomatillo. Most of the other species in the Physalis genus are considered ground cherries (although a lot of people like to call ground cherries tomatillos for some reason—but as far as I can tell, that's inaccurate).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you have there appears to be in the Physalis genus, but it is definitely not Physalis philadelphica. It's also not any ground cherry that I'm familiar with, offhand (e.g. Aunt Molly's, Goldie, Ammon Martin's, Yellow Husk, Cape Gooseberry, Chinese Lantern). It's almost assuredly wild (and not ferral).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fruit looks a lot like ground cherry fruit usually does (however, the leaves are different than any I'm familiar with). It should be quite toxic until it's ripe. It won't be ripe until it falls off the plant. Because it's an unknown species, it could possibly be toxic even after it's ripe (but many wild ground cherries are fine to eat once they fall off the plant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ground cherries do not split the husk when they're ripe (like tomatillos do). You have to wait until they fall off the plant (you can do that for tomatillos, too, but tomatillos are ready when the husks burst). I'm not sure if Chinese Lantern falls off when ripe, however (I'm still trying to figure that out, although I am growing it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Taste may vary from species to species and variety to variety. It may taste even sweeter than a tomatillo. It might not taste good at all, on the other hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ground cherry fruits are not usually green when they fall off the plant (but they may be if the plant is stressed; however, I've found that the ones that have fallen on ground are still sweet if they're green due to a stressed plant, so long as they've fallen off the plant on their own; this may or may not be true for what you have there). Usually they're yellow or an amber-type color. Chinese Lantern has red fruits, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't recommend that you taste this ground cherry. It might be poisonous. What I would recommend is contacting your extension office and see if they can identify it. They should know a lot about local plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-10-01T01:55:19.363" LastActivityDate="2016-10-01T01:55:19.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29431" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29465" CreationDate="2016-10-01T03:34:42.240" Score="3" ViewCount="66" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been fiddling with automated watering systems. Building them from scratch and controlling them via the inter-webs. My biggest problem is getting even water flow to each pot. The plants closest to the pump get too much water, those far away get too little. Are there any tricks I can incorporate into my design to smooth the water flow automatically. Right now I have to poke/plug holes and constantly tweak the system. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I feel I may be missing some major design principle of such systems? Any hints? Or things I should study to find a method on my own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14760" LastActivityDate="2017-10-31T12:36:15.167" Title="Are there any tricks to make irrigation even?" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29432" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-01T12:25:58.010" Score="4" ViewCount="233" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need help recognizing this pest which causes some of the stems on my mango tree to dry and die.&#xA;Those seem to be worm/maggot like larva, with a pinkish color, about 4mm in length. They are surrounded by eggs and some younger white larva. I found a few adults, seem to be black beetles (or something), no more than 2mm in size.&#xA;The dying branches are 1-2cm in width. The larva infested are blackens and dries, the leaves further up the branch die from unavailability of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In those pictures you can see one of the older infested branches, the rest are not as dried yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rr6Kg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rr6Kg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kG0To.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kG0To.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15897" LastEditorUserId="7499" LastEditDate="2016-10-01T15:18:03.113" LastActivityDate="2016-12-07T23:19:54.477" Title="Mango infested stems - tiny pink larva" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29433" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-01T13:06:06.583" Score="6" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;For a couple of years, my pecan tree has been yielding tiny nuts (3 cm/1 inch in length), and only a few of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in a Mediterranean climate, and the last few summers were somewhat harsher than the usual. Can this be the cause? Can it be nutrient deficiency?&#xA;The tree seems mostly healthy, and has been bearing fruits for a couple of decades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15897" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-18T23:05:33.593" LastActivityDate="2017-11-18T23:07:40.740" Title="Why is my pecan tree only producing tiny fruits?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;hot-weather&gt;&lt;pecan&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29432" CreationDate="2016-10-01T15:28:21.180" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The actions of the larvae indicate this is some type of beetle to me. I used this as a clue to try and look for something mango specific. It appears that there is a beetle called the &quot;Mango Tree Borer&quot;. Now, I don't know where you live, so you will have to see if this beetle is common to the area. If so, then this might be the culprit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if it is not the mango tree borer, I would wager you are suffering from a beetle attack and need to remedy this immediately. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a link I found with some information on various mango diseases, including the borer: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.plantvillage.org/en/topics/mango&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.plantvillage.org/en/topics/mango&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a link with information on management of the borer: &lt;a href=&quot;http://cish.res.in/Technologies/Management%20of%20Stem%20borer%20final%20%20English.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://cish.res.in/Technologies/Management%20of%20Stem%20borer%20final%20%20English.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consult with a local store, agricultural expert or entemologist and find insecticide appropriate to spray on your mango tree. Best Wishes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-10-01T15:28:21.180" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29394" CreationDate="2016-10-01T16:39:46.827" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've propagated a lot of prickly pear.  They root easily and grow roots faster than most cactus.  You could just stick it in soil a few days after cutting, forget about it, and it will most likely grow roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said, it's best to give the cactus more than a few days for the wound to heal, a fresh cut is more susceptible to disease or fungus. I usually wait a week or two, until you can see the color of the inner flesh turn more brown and recede. After the cactus has healed enough to avoid infection I plant the cutting in well draining soil enough so it can support itself.  Though you may need to &#xA;get a stick from your yard or a pencil and support the cutting on both sides. Then place the newly potted cutting in indirect or limited sun for a month or two. Most of my cutting are growing roots by two months. If it's outside do not water, and if you live in a rainy place then I would bring it in during storms.  If it's inside you can water once a month. At first there's no roots so no need for water. Taking a cutting that is already showing new growth is a good indicator that your new cut will root quickly.  Keeping the soil warm (~70 °F) also encourages root growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;How do I know that it's ready?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will see the inner flesh callous and recede. Later, you can check for roots by giving it infrequent, very slight tugs over time and you will notice when it begins to root.  (Doing this can damage early roots, don't do it often)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Will I see roots appear at the bottom if I leave it in this position for some time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you keep it somewhere with minimal light you will eventually see roots begin to grow, but results are always better for me when I plant a cutting as soon as it's healed. I've noticed roots will also grow from the areole also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Do I have to humidify the soil a little so that the roots can grow?&#xA;  Once it's planted, do I have to wait a few days/weeks before watering it for the first time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you mentioned inside, I would give it a light watering after planting and than monthly after that until it's rooted.  Remember they don't have roots, so they don't need much water yet. As soon as you have roots growing, water as expected for your location and time of year, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15989" LastEditorUserId="15989" LastEditDate="2016-10-01T17:08:15.430" LastActivityDate="2016-10-01T17:08:15.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29436" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29431" CreationDate="2016-10-02T00:23:31.247" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is probably more of a physics question that could be solved with math, but I would try adding valves to the systems arms as a method of controlling the flow. It would allow for later re-adjustment too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15989" LastActivityDate="2016-10-02T00:23:31.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29437" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-02T02:05:58.920" Score="7" ViewCount="697" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 2 pitcher plants in a single pot. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepenthes_alata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;N. Alata&lt;/a&gt; sprouted around July  (totally accidental, thought it was just a new stem since my ventrata has been in a bending position ever since I got it last May). My N. Alata (I assume it is alata since it has hairs on the pitcher) already has traps and is growing just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, My &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepenthes_%C3%97_ventrata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;N. Ventrata&lt;/a&gt; hasn't been pitchering since then. It just continues to grow leaves with red tendrils (I trimmed the last pitcher it had since it was rotting, it was already grown when I got it) but the pitcher tendrils just dry off after a week or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The temperature here in the Philippines is 27C-32C (80F-90F). It rains about 2-4 times a week (rainy season). As you can see in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/ATuBP&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pictures&lt;/a&gt; it is placed on a rusty metal roof (heat/temp issues?). But as I recall I had a leaf that was just in the rim of the pot and it still dried off and another that didn't touch the roof and it still dried.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;N. Alata doing fine:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vqNya.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vqNya.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;N. Alata doing fine &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;N. Ventricosa tendril still red. Trimmed pitcher. The pitcher has already grown before I even got the plant:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J7Kkc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J7Kkc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;N. Ventricosa tendril still red. Trimmed pitcher. The pitcher has already grown before I even got the plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dried tendril:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4HcEq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4HcEq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dried tendril&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15991" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-11-08T01:29:49.307" LastActivityDate="2016-11-08T01:29:49.307" Title="Why do my Nepenthes N. Ventricosa tendrils dry out, and the N. Alata do not?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;nepenthes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29358" CreationDate="2016-10-02T10:57:44.490" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Went to the nursery and asked him. This plant is Melaleuca bracteata AKA Golden Bottle Brush. Here are some:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DQ7nU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DQ7nU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yBCUN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yBCUN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-10-02T10:57:44.490" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29439" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-02T17:17:39.513" Score="7" ViewCount="980" Body="&lt;p&gt;Received a pin oak from my uncle a little less than two years ago as a transplant.  It's about 9ft tall today.  The tree had a noticeable bend to it when when it was transplanted.  I tried staking it, but that appears to have made things worse as the top is growing very crooked.  I've been doing a bit of research online and it seems that staking is a somewhat contentious practice.  I've removed all the staking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A couple of questions for the community.  I don't mind a little bend, but the current bend at the top is excessive.  Is it likely the tree will straighten up if I leave it alone?  Can I use guy wires to help fix this or will it only make matters worse?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for any input.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zWxgf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zWxgf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Here&amp;#39;s a picture of the pin oak in question&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15994" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-03T23:37:08.810" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T16:37:18.710" Title="Is it possible to get this pin oak to grow straight?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29440" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29442" CreationDate="2016-10-02T18:25:12.953" Score="3" ViewCount="939" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant has clusters of small purple berries at junctions where the leaves meet the stem. The leaves are a medium green color and serrated at the edges. It's from &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission,_British_Columbia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mission&lt;/a&gt; in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_Mainland&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lower Mainland&lt;/a&gt; region of British Columbia, Canada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it a nightshade? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5mTWZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5mTWZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15995" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-10-03T15:31:39.610" LastActivityDate="2016-10-03T15:31:39.610" Title="What is this plant with clusters of purple berries at junctions of opposite serrated leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;nightshade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29441" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29440" CreationDate="2016-10-02T18:28:44.260" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like it's a Beauty Berry: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callicarpa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callicarpa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15995" LastActivityDate="2016-10-02T18:28:44.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29442" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29440" CreationDate="2016-10-02T18:28:58.007" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, it isn't nightshade, its Callicarpa americana, commonly known as Beauty berry. Many websites warn the berries are poisonous -they're not - but aren't at all tasty to eat anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.eattheweeds.com/beautyberry-jelly-on-a-roll/&quot;&gt;http://www.eattheweeds.com/beautyberry-jelly-on-a-roll/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-10-02T18:28:58.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29443" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29464" CreationDate="2016-10-02T18:52:04.920" Score="6" ViewCount="275" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given a small clipping of this plant and it is really taking off.  Does anyone know what family this is? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PaXXN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PaXXN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;small green plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13807" LastEditorUserId="13807" LastEditDate="2016-10-02T21:12:09.980" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T05:34:18.773" Title="Can anyone identify this thick leaved crawling plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29445" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29443" CreationDate="2016-10-03T05:55:40.363" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This doesn't look like Purslane to me, black thumb. I know it can get quite weedy, but it can be, and is grown as a house plant, which if controlled, is workable. I have one at home. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think this plant up here is a species or species hybrid of Crassula. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: It appears to be a species of Pilea or Sedum. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastEditorUserId="7499" LastEditDate="2016-10-03T06:19:37.773" LastActivityDate="2016-10-03T06:19:37.773" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1484" CreationDate="2016-10-03T09:21:46.853" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;My research has indicated &quot;HIGH LIGHT STRESS&quot; which  damaged my Acer tree. It looks dead! Hydrogen peroxide(bleach) is produced`when over stimulated by light and cells go into &quot;programmed cell death&quot;, This is high level Biology and some people cannot understand this. These were compact fluorescent lights but now council are putting in 40000K LEDs and I cannot find out if these type of lights affect plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15998" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-10-03T15:32:32.067" LastActivityDate="2016-10-03T15:32:32.067" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29448" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29459" CreationDate="2016-10-03T15:14:46.287" Score="4" ViewCount="4303" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just built a polytunnel with pvc pipes and special greenhouse film. This film has an inside and an outside. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure the text on the film that says 'inside' was facing the correct way when I installed it, however, I'm now second guessing myself and wondering if there is &lt;strong&gt;an easy way to tell inside from outside by looking at the plastic&lt;/strong&gt; (at a glance the plastic looks similar on both sides)? The text saying 'inside' is now buried somewhere in the soil so I can't reference that easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also &lt;strong&gt;what are the likely effects of putting the film on the wrong way around?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ui388.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ui388.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Poly tunnel&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1658" LastEditorUserId="1658" LastEditDate="2016-10-03T17:17:59.733" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T00:39:44.643" Title="How can I tell if my greenhouse plastic film is facing the right direction" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29449" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-03T16:38:58.063" Score="5" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just pulled some radishes from the fridge. I forgot they were in there and the stems and leaves had turned to mush. The radishes themselves were fine, but it made me think: why didn't I just plant them instead of putting them in a cold dark drawer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many people have seen and enjoyed this trick with romain lettuce:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTsSVQYezeM&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTsSVQYezeM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do something similar with lemon grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It makes me wonder: why not have a growing zone in the kitchen for keeping fresh produce sold in whole plant form? Couldn't lead to better taste, longer lasting and maybe even more abundant food?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any resources that list some of the methods for doing this with produce?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How did all of our food end up in the fridge, which works well for some foods, but seem to kill others?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14760" LastActivityDate="2016-10-03T17:51:11.493" Title="Why do we kill store-bought vegetables? Why not store them so they can keep growing?" Tags="&lt;storage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29450" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27369" CreationDate="2016-10-03T16:56:03.697" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not a botanist, but I'll take a shot. I had this stuff growing in a large aquarium for years, as well as in pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's a difference between water in an open container and water trapped in the soil. In an aquarium or jar the gases dissolved in the water will exchange with the gases in the room, so they will have the same mix in the same proportions. Water trapped in a sealed container or between the particles of soil may not be able to exchange gases as freely, so the conditions there could become anaerobic - all the oxygen used up by microorganisms. Then the microorganisms that need oxygen die and the ones that use carbon dioxide take over. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant roots are not able to extract water and nutrients from the soil on their own. They are reliant on symbiotic microorganisms, as our own digestive systems are. The conditions in the over-watered soil are different than those in the aquarium, whether it's an anaerobic environment, pH, or something else, and maybe the microorganisms can't function efficiently, or even die. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So there's a lot different in the two situations, even if they're both wet. There's a lot of biology happening on the surface of the roots.  We'd need a botanist to tell us exactly what.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16001" LastActivityDate="2016-10-03T16:56:03.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29451" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-03T16:58:25.850" Score="5" ViewCount="2320" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have ivy growing in the front yard, and I like it. It requires no attention other than trimming to keep it off the house, tree, sidewalk. My wife doesn't like that it keeps getting higher. Instead of just laying on the ground it's over a foot and a half high most places, and two feet deep in some. I think if I just cut it down I'll take off leaves and leave nothing but vines, then the sun will get through and I'll have a million weeds. I want a nice, low covering of ivy, 6-12 inches, like it was years ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any way to accomplish this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I cut it back as much as possible and then pull the weeds until it recovers the ground? Seems like that would look awful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16002" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-03T18:35:42.113" LastActivityDate="2016-10-03T20:46:38.047" Title="How can I limit the height (depth) of our English (Common) Ivy?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;english-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29451" CreationDate="2016-10-03T17:23:24.593" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you speak of 'English' ivy, I assume you're in the States somewhere - here in England, it's just called ivy (often with very derogatory adjectives preceding the word 'ivy' because of its invasive nature). There's only one way with ivy, and that's the ruthless approach - in spring, as growth begins, go out with a hedgetrimmer (if you have one powerful enough) or some sharp shears and cut the whole lot down to six inches, four if you're brave enough, then fertilize it with a balanced fertilizer, something with an NPK of 7-7-7 or thereabouts (probably easiest with a liquid version that can be applied with a can). Then just keep a check on it - if you see weeds germinating, whip them out, but ivy, being the rampant life form it is, should show signs of recovery within 2-4 weeks, and then start growing apace, such that you'll probably need to carry out this treatment certainly biennally, if not annually. There is another advantage to doing this - over time, ivy develops, thick, woody limbs or branches, sometimes as thick as a tree trunk, and then it's very difficult to keep properly in check, and looks much less attractive as ground cover - cutting back hard relatively regularly should prevent that from happening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because I don't know what USDA zone you're in, you may need to time your cutting back carefully to avoid freezing temperatures after cutting back, but in most places, Ivy is very hardy anyway. Bear in mind that ivy can be chopped right down to ground level, with all vines at ground level cut off or removed so there's bare soil, and it will still regrow, it's certainly no prima donna plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-03T20:46:38.047" LastActivityDate="2016-10-03T20:46:38.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29453" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29449" CreationDate="2016-10-03T17:42:47.093" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't treat radishes in the same way because the radish you eat is actually the root of the radish plant, unlike lettuce, where you're not eating the roots but the topgrowth. If you cut the tops off radishes and put those in water, you should get roots, then the resulting plant can be potted up but its unlikely to produce more radishes, it'll just be topgrowth. Radishes in particular are a fast crop, so growing from seed indoors might be possible, but if you leave them in the soil too long, they become spongy and unpleasant to eat if they're still growing. Equally, if you took your shop bought radishes and immediately reburied them in soil, they're unlikely to continue growing, and will start to mature and rot off probably more quickly than they do in the fridge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So although the process you link to may work for topgrowth vegetables like lettuce and celery, its only because the bottoms of both plants will generate new roots if stood in water, and thus produce more topgrowth. Even so, from a nutritional point of view, it's best to pot the lettuce up into potting medium rather than just cropping from lettuce left with its roots sitting in water. More info re radishes here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/radish-top-regrow-98007.html&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/radish-top-regrow-98007.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-03T17:51:11.493" LastActivityDate="2016-10-03T17:51:11.493" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29451" CreationDate="2016-10-03T20:03:46.377" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;What do you have in the way of tools?  How big is this patch?  If it isn't too large you could use hand shears and cut back to 6&quot;.  Power hedging shears would be best for your body.  There are even brush cutting mowers you could rent if the area is large.  Leave the clippings.  They will cover the bare spots and stop any weed seed from germinating.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As Bamboo warned, right now timing is critical.  If you chop the ivy back too 'late' the ivy will have just enough time to put on new tender growth and when winter hits the cold will fry the new leaves.  I doubt it will kill the ivy but it will look awful.  Depending on your zone and winter conditions, I would wait until early spring to cut down.  If where you live has another 2 or 3 months before the soil freezes go ahead and get 'er done now.  Leave the clippings or at least 'blow' them off the top of your ivy plants and down into the vines/soil. They will inhibit germination of 'other weed' seeds and decompose to improve the soil. Do NOT fertilize until spring.  Fertilizing will produce even more tender vegetative growth for the winter to kill.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are two types of foliage on Hedera helix.  The young plant growth you are probably used to and then once a plant matures you'll see the mature plant leaves which are very different.  You'll start seeing the reproductive growth as well.  Because this plant is highly invasive, if you want to continue to use this as a ground cover, it is only right to continue a maintenance program to cut your ivy back and reduce flowering and seed.  Ivy is even better at reproducing from every little chunk of stem and or root (vegetative reproduction). Cutting or 'mowing' your ivy is completely necessary.  Necessary as well is limiting where your ivy is ALLOWED to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of your trees, shrubs should have a 'circle' of bare ground (mulched) so the ivy is not able to grow up your trees. You will have to maintain these transition areas by pulling up any ivy you see.  Keep it off the home as well.  All other plants and/or your lawn should have a zone between the ivy and the plants.  You could use that thin plastic barrier stuff sold in most hardware and nurseries, bury it 6&quot; deep all along the borders where you do not want the ivy to cross. That will help somewhat. Twice per year, I'd chop your 'crop' to 6&quot;. Early spring and Early fall/late summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The proper formulation of fertilizer will be a major factor in keeping your ivy from seeding. A high nitrogen formulation such as 10-4-6 or 20-7-8 where the first number, percentage of Nitrogen in the bag, is quite a bit higher than the second and third number (phosphorus and potassium).  This will help to inhibit any reproductive growth (flowers and seeds).  &lt;em&gt;Once per year&lt;/em&gt; a &lt;em&gt;light,&lt;/em&gt; high Nitrogen, fertilization is plenty!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've got too much vegetative growth after a mowing to leave, go ahead and dispose of in those large black plastic bags.  Make sure you keep those bags of vine material labeled.  To dispose in the normal garbage dump is irresponsible.  Each little chunk can easily start a new smothering crop somewhere else.  If you could find CLEAR plastic bags, fill with your ivy debris, and leave in the sun to 'cook'. After 'cooking' for a few months, take to a dump that handles 'clean green' grass clippings (here in the states a dump has to have a special license to handle 'clean green') and they should know how to properly compost garden debris.  Make sure they know you've got bags of vine clippings that you have tried to 'cook'.  They will be impressed!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other thing about this ivy, especially as it gets higher are RATS.  This is a wonderful place for rats to hunker down in and travel unnoticed.  When you keep this ivy crop of yours cut down twice per year you will not have to worry so much about creating a great rat population.  Rats are limited in population by the King Daddy rat who kicks his progeny out as soon as they can be on their own. On your property will be his harem and maybe a successor or two living along with the King but your neighbors will get the young that will make their own kingdoms. All those sewers and caves with zillions of rats are just the 'nightclubs'...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sure you don't want to have a lawn or a nice graveled forest floor??&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-03T20:03:46.377" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29455" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29457" CreationDate="2016-10-03T22:28:33.520" Score="2" ViewCount="533" Body="&lt;p&gt;From doing some research, I think this might be a type of monkey grass (specifically, a variety of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Liriope%20muscari&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Liriope Muscari&lt;/a&gt;?).  I'd like to look up how to care for it, as I'm not sure if I can trim it back now (it's early October in Tennessee as I write this) or if I should wait until it's dormant in winter.  I've been living in my place for less than a year, so I'm trying to figure out what all the various shrubs we have are, so that I can care for them appropriately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a couple of them in a row here, and they have purple flower stalks that appeared in the last month or two:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5J96H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5J96H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown plant with purple flower stalks&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here's a close-up of the flower stalks:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9uLSO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9uLSO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close-up of purple flower stalks&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14187" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T00:49:46.273" Title="What is this small shrub?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29457" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29455" CreationDate="2016-10-03T23:11:12.370" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never heard it referred to as Monkey Grass, but it's often called Lily Turf - it is, indeed, Liriope muscari variegata, or one of the variegated hybrids, and you should leave it alone until spring, then cut back just as growth outdoors begins. If the new leaves are arriving, take care not to cut those back - it's only any old leaves from this year you need to cut down. You don't have to cut it back, it'll still grow just fine, it just looks tidier if you remove the older leaves - they often look tatty after winter and won't look any better if you leave them in place, they tend to shrivel and go brown as spring progresses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is not a grass at all, but a perennial, sometimes classed as a sub shrub although it isn't, usually evergreen in all except very hard winters. More info here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://m.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/liriope-muscari-variegata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://m.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/liriope-muscari-variegata&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: following your comment, there's nothing to be gained by cutting the flowers off, so if you just want to do that for display in a vase or something, fine, but it doesn't increase the flowering if you do cut them. Left on the plant the flower stems may form black berries which are decorative in themselves, and provide food for birds. Regarding the name monkey grass, it's probably just another common name, many plants have more than one!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-04T00:49:46.273" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T00:49:46.273" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29458" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29455" CreationDate="2016-10-03T23:28:54.340" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I thought it was Society Garlic at first, but I thought the flowers look different, so I looked up the plant and it looks like Variegated Flax Lily to me as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a variant, so it is a bit hard to nail down what the variant might be. However, the care doesn't usually change that much from variety to variety. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Find out when temperatures cool off locally. You can go by your specific zone. There are guidelines for when you can start winterizing based on the zone you live. If you are just talking about trimming the flowers off, you can do that any time. Even in peak season, getting rid of fully grown flowers usually spurs more growth. If you are thinking of cutting and dividing the plants, waiting for cool season is better, and this is where the zones come in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-10-03T23:28:54.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29448" CreationDate="2016-10-04T00:31:28.910" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends somewhat on &quot;WHAT&quot; the inside/outside properties are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they include an &quot;anti-drip&quot; or AD coating, that should be on the inside, and you might be able to see that water beads up less and runs off more easily on that side of the plastic if you spray a bit on from a plant mister.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main problem (AIUII) with having it inside out is that the UV coating would be on the wrong side of the plastic, and that would reduce the lifetime of the plastic due to UV-aging. You would also get less or no benefit from the AD and or IR coatings that should be on the inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on how long it's been buried you may no longer be able to find the inside markings, as those are often done with a paint that will eventually wash off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-10-04T00:39:44.643" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T00:39:44.643" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29460" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-04T02:50:05.120" Score="5" ViewCount="67" Body="&lt;p&gt;This was a volunteer growing I believe from whatever was in our compost from last year. There were pumkin seeds in the compost but I don't recall composting gourds. We live in MD ic it makes any difference for ID&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure how to add a photo here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16005" LastEditorUserId="16005" LastEditDate="2016-10-04T02:55:39.793" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T04:37:58.353" Title="Pumpkin or something else?" Tags="&lt;pumpkins&gt;&lt;gourds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29462" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29460" CreationDate="2016-10-04T04:09:49.507" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's kind of difficult to gauge without a pic, but if you know for a fact they were pumpkin seeds, it's one of two things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1.&lt;/strong&gt; Your Original seed was an F1 hybrid and the progeny will almost never come true from seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;or&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.&lt;/strong&gt; If your seed was from homogeneous seed stock, what you have is the result of cross pollination, where the pollen from another gourd (via wind, bees, Butterflies, hummingbirds, etc.) pollinated your pumpkin's flower resulting in an F1 hybrid (Your new gourd).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above only applies if the subject of this question is a mature, yet unidentifiable fruit of the gourd family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this helps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16008" LastEditorUserId="16008" LastEditDate="2016-10-04T04:37:58.353" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T04:37:58.353" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29463" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29439" CreationDate="2016-10-04T04:30:49.143" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can still straighten that tree with a couple splints.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hort.ufl.edu/woody/year-two-splint1.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://hort.ufl.edu/woody/year-two-splint1.shtml&lt;/a&gt;  gives an overview. Wrap it, against it's will, tightly to something straight and let it go for a season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T04:30:49.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29443" CreationDate="2016-10-04T05:34:18.773" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe that's Chinese Stonecrop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think we're having a hard time pinning it down because this species is most commonly seen today in the form of it's red-leaf-tipped cultivar &quot;Coral Reef Stonecrop.&quot;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My double-checking on this has led me to conclude the &quot;Coral Reef&quot; cultivar became so much more popular than the original that the cultivar name supplanted the real name.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T05:34:18.773" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29431" CreationDate="2016-10-04T13:16:08.637" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need regulated emitters such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.netafimusa.com/landscape/products/point-source-components/techflow-pressure-compensating-emitters/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this pressure compensating emitter&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rainbird.com/landscape/products/dripEmission/PressureCompModules.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;these&lt;/a&gt;. There are other brands that I've used as well, but the idea is the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen them from 0.5 gallons per hour (GPH) to 24 GPH. If you need more than that, you can double them up. If you know the flow from your hose, then you can estimate how many of these emitters you can put on one zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="16406" LastEditDate="2017-10-31T12:36:15.167" LastActivityDate="2017-10-31T12:36:15.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29466" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29420" CreationDate="2016-10-04T13:30:13.663" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is very interesting. First, there must be some discussion about this in the literature about soil moisture probes since they basically conductivity as a function of soil moisture. Second, I think that unless you have a reason to test soil just collected from the ground, you'd need to &quot;treat&quot; all the samples prior to testing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you don't specify any limits on the initial conditions, I suggest you might try starting by saturating the samples and then taking readings as they drain to field capacity and dry further. If you kept the samples in a temp and humidity controlled room (or container), the process would be repeatable. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The one &quot;problem&quot; I see with my suggestion is that the initial quantity of moisture in the soil at saturation will differ based on soil characteristics. However saturation and field capacity are soil-relevant properties, so this might actually be a benefit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other way I can think of is to oven dry each of the samples, then add a measured volume or mass of water to each sample. Then you could mix the sample by shaking in a larger container for a specific amount of time. Basically - as long as you define the steps you take to make your samples, it should be repeatable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T13:30:13.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29467" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29470" CreationDate="2016-10-04T15:35:47.113" Score="4" ViewCount="422" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew my &lt;strong&gt;Crepe Myrtle&lt;/strong&gt; early spring and then knowing that winter was coming, I slowly put it inside to get it used to the indoor dark light and dry atmosphere. It's been two weeks now that I let it always inside and the lower leaf are starting to dry and die. I added an Humidifier yesterday hoping it could help. But for the light, I can't make any miracle as my window isn't really facing the sun anytime during the day. Just some low ambient light i'd say. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the lower leaf dying a normal behaviour of three during winter? Or is it slowly dying? What could I do to save it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Side note:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;I live in Quebec Canada, so it's gonna be 6-7 month of cold temperature so I must keep it inside...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KZiRk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KZiRk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Older picture:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wovr9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wovr9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15016" LastEditorUserId="15016" LastEditDate="2016-10-04T19:01:54.793" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T19:12:47.510" Title="Is my crepe myrtle dying because of winter season?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29468" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29439" CreationDate="2016-10-04T16:37:18.710" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the tree has been planted for over a year you do not need a stake and should remove that t-Bar.&#xA;Consider the direction of the prevailing wind.  If the tree is leaning away from that direction you may have a clue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I notice the large branch midway up heading off in the direction of your house.  Branches do not move up as the tree grows and the thought of a large branch at waist level is uncomfortable.  I recommend cutting the branch off cleanly which will reduce the weight on that side.  Once you have done that does the tree sit straighter?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Splinting, as Paul Nardini suggests, is a viable option but not a set and forget one.  The splint should be removed every year and reset to accommodate the current year's growth&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T16:37:18.710" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29469" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29477" CreationDate="2016-10-04T18:43:16.097" Score="7" ViewCount="180" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's huge, the one at the back in the middle. I'm based on the UK. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d4YsQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d4YsQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HhtMu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HhtMu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7TV0M.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7TV0M.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d4P8h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d4P8h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16011" LastEditorUserId="16011" LastEditDate="2016-10-05T18:51:54.097" LastActivityDate="2016-10-14T15:48:21.430" Title="What tree is this and how would I get it removed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29470" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29467" CreationDate="2016-10-04T18:54:47.730" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are the cotyledons, the first set of leaves and this is totally normal.  Your plant looks very healthy.  How big is this pot?  I am having trouble with scale. This has been a bit of work for you to grow a crepe myrtle hasn't it?  I'd go get a grow light of some sort for the winter.  Check out the 'pot' stores the ones that sell all kinds of wonderful stuff for greenhouse and house plants.  They will have the best assortment and also have staff that know a thing or two about plants.  My hubby just told me that lots of people use 300 or 400 watt (spiral bulbs) or a high output T5 fluorescent bulb.  Good job! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T18:54:47.730" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29469" CreationDate="2016-10-04T19:06:09.790" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is very hard to tell what type of tree it is. Can you get a few close up shots of the bark and/or leaves for us.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best recommendation to remove trees is to get professional help. I don't know what stands around this tree in terms of other vegetation, property, power lines etc., but this is probably not a DIY situation if you are not an arborist yourself. You should be able to look up local directories etc. and seek out a good service. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then, you could tell us what their recommendations for removal are, and we may be able to provide much more relevant feedback at that point. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; This is most like Basal Poplar(Populus balsamifera). Take a look here: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.buzzle.com/articles/poplar-tree-identification.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.buzzle.com/articles/poplar-tree-identification.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastEditorUserId="7499" LastEditDate="2016-10-05T12:39:27.180" LastActivityDate="2016-10-05T12:39:27.180" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29472" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29467" CreationDate="2016-10-04T19:12:47.510" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stormy's recommendations would work well for you. In addition, to your comment about the cotyledons getting lighter, you might be over-watering your sapling. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, be sure that you can confirm they have gotten lighter. These things are subjective depending on the lighting conditions you have when you look at them, and the sapling might be doing just fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would wait a few days and see how things go. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T19:12:47.510" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29473" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8363" CreationDate="2016-10-04T22:39:11.190" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know I'm three years too late, but for the benefit of anyone else who might run across this exchange: Yes, an apple tree will regrow from its roots if cut down. I had this happen with two old apple trees that had to be cut down because they were riddled with carpenter ants. Within five years, I had two 15' trees where the old trees had been and they bloomed and fruited. Because I didn't intend to use the fruit, the root stock wasn't an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16012" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T22:39:11.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29474" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27083" CreationDate="2016-10-04T22:46:45.620" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Stormy; part of the problem may be poor drainage. Best and easiest potato crop I ever had was purely by accident. I tossed some old, sprouting potatoes into my composter one May. In July, I noticed potato sprouts growing through the mix of leaves, grass clippings, and vegetable waste from the kitchen. I waited until September and then pulled up the plants along with about three pounds of potatoes; some were scarred by slugs but all were fit to be eaten with a little trimming here and there. I was amazed that the potatoes would grow without actual soil, but they seemed to do just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16012" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T22:46:45.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29475" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17976" CreationDate="2016-10-04T23:02:31.077" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd be careful not to overwater, and hedge your bets by putting it in neither direct sunlight or deep shade. Also don't cut off the dying leaves as apparently these hold nutrients. This is just stuff I've found in this article &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.florida-palm-trees.com/save-dying-palm-tree/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.florida-palm-trees.com/save-dying-palm-tree/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had something similar die and it was due to lack of watering. It didn't bounce back, it had completely dried out, yours has some green from the looks of the picture so maybe all is not lost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fingers crossed and good luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13861" LastActivityDate="2016-10-04T23:02:31.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29476" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29469" CreationDate="2016-10-05T00:39:45.957" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A 1-2 person job while being safe:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Have your kid climb (I did this as a kid, and it was FUN!!!) as high as they can cut with clippers&lt;br&gt;&#xA;have the kid clip off most of the limbs as far down as they can get&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Climb as high as you can with a saws all, and start cutting&lt;br&gt;&#xA;repeat until it gets as low as you want to cut it/can&lt;br&gt;&#xA;break out the chainsaw&lt;br&gt;&#xA;fall the remaining parts of the tree&lt;br&gt;&#xA;walk away&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-10-05T00:39:45.957" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29477" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29469" CreationDate="2016-10-05T00:57:39.057" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Impossible to be sure what it is without close up of leaves, but I'm thinking maybe Poplar from the growth habit. Either way, the only safe way to have this removed is to call a  Tree Surgeon (known as an Arborist in the USA) preferably two different ones, and get a couple of quotations for the job; you can find one in the Yellow Pages, Thompson directory or simply Google 'tree surgeon' for your area of the UK. If you don't want regrowth, either ask for the stumps to be ground out, or for them to treat the stumps so they don't regrow; check with both tree surgeons that their quotes include for taking away all wood and debris. If they're proper tree surgeons, they should be able to identify the tree easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: The close up pic of a leaf you posted shows a slightly spiralled gall at the base of the leaf, where it joins the petiole; that, coupled with the shape of the leaf overall, makes me pretty sure its a Poplar, one of the Populus nigra varieties such as 'betulifolia' or Populus nigra 'Italica', which is much more fastigiate (narrow). If the bole or trunk is burred, that would confirm this ID. Average mature height around 35 metres.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The gall at the base of the leaf is caused by a particular aphid (pemphigus bursarinus) which often infests Populus nigra varieties here in the UK. The advice given initially regarding removal of this tree remains the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-05T11:30:09.587" LastActivityDate="2016-10-05T11:30:09.587" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29478" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-05T11:53:04.503" Score="10" ViewCount="9589" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the past year I have been piling up branches and limbs on a border of the yard and now it is about six feet high. I had wanted to experiment with a hugelkultur but the limbs are not very large and include twigs as well as grapevine cuttings, dead sunflower stems etc. My question is whether I can compost all of this with minimal effort or whether I should do something else with this as the winter comes. I also wonder if I add organic materials and scraps as I do with my compost whether the rats and other critters will bed down in there and cause me trouble later. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11676" LastEditorUserId="486" LastEditDate="2016-10-05T15:04:13.430" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T13:54:22.210" Title="Can I compost a large brush pile?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;yard&gt;&lt;hugelkultur&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29479" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29481" CreationDate="2016-10-05T12:07:40.877" Score="2" ViewCount="16395" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves of my Aloe Vera are covered with black dry regions of round form. They are found on new and old leaves, at the middle and on the edges of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could be the reason? How should I treat it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does not look like the question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24965/black-patches-on-aloe-vera-leaves&quot;&gt;Black patches on aloe vera leaves&lt;/a&gt; because in my case the shape of the leaf is changed, the leaves become thinner at the place where the black dot exists.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7biEO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7biEO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15984" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2018-08-01T10:05:33.930" Title="What are these black round dry spots on my Aloe Vera leaves?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29480" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29478" CreationDate="2016-10-05T12:35:30.540" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If its lots of woody stuff, it'll take years to compost down, regardless of any 'greener' additions you may make to the pile to supply nitrogen. Adding kitchen scraps may well increase the risk of unwelcome creatures in the pile as it stands too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're not going to use it for hugelkultur, and you want to turn it into useable compost relatively sooner, the best thing to do is chip all the wood by running it through a wood chipper, then build a compost pile, ensuring that you don't add too much so the C:N ratio is kept within bounds. Woody materials count as 'browns' or carbon, so you need to balance that with 'greens', or nitrogen to create a C:N of 25 to 30 parts carbon to one part nitrogen, see link below for more detail&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/making/c-n-ratio/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Carbon-to-Nitrogen Ratios&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: If you can't borrow or hire a chipping machine, the other option is to burn the pile, if you're allowed to where you are. &lt;strong&gt;Some&lt;/strong&gt; of the resulting ash can added to a compost bin or heap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-10-23T16:41:02.470" LastActivityDate="2016-10-23T16:41:02.470" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29481" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29479" CreationDate="2016-10-05T12:35:35.600" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your problem is still the same and Bamboo's answer on the other question still holds. Aloes can thrive on very little water. They also hold the water in their leaves, so excess water combined with poor drainage, especially when you water on to the surface can cause logging. This, then causes molding from fungi. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Touch the soil surface with your finger and see how wet it feels. If it is wet, then you need to let it dry. To heal, give this aloe more sun. Move it closer to the sun, or, since summer is over unless you are down under, you can move it out for a few days. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could remove the black spots very gently using a knife and tweezers, etc. There is no need to discard entire leaves or disturb the plant other wise. In a few days it should be okay. Water sparingly through the cold season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On an unrelated note, looking at the pot, the plant could use the luxury of a bigger pot. If you choose to do that, make sure the soil is well draining and mulch if possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-10-05T12:35:35.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29478" CreationDate="2016-10-05T13:21:24.053" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;My personal experience is a bit different than what @Bamboo indicates, but I'm not trying to get there by adding kitchen scraps, either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once upon a time I rented a chipper - it was an overall miserable experience since dis-assembling a pile that was not stacked specifically with chipping in mind is a slow, tedious process, and chippers can be fussy (the one I got liked to jam on grapevines, which many of the branches had entwined, for instance) as well as noisy and dangerous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have found that pulling a truckload of horse manure up the pile of brush and shoveling it on top makes a very significant contribution to the speed of breakdown - not only does it add nitrogen, it also helps to maintain moist conditions that favor breakdown/rot of the wood in the way that an open, airy pile does not. If it's a big pile or a small truck, use 2 or 3 loads. Revisit it in a year or two. If you can get and can stand to shovel chicken manure it may work even better. Horse manure is easier to come by and more pleasant to handle, for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't see anything against a &quot;hugelkulture of smaller twigs&quot; if you'd rather do that. Or, plant tomatoes/squash on the paragraph above and you've kinda got that - both plants are typical &quot;happily growing in the compost pile&quot; plants, so being planted in pure manure won't bother them a bit, particularly if it's been aging all winter (pile now, plant in spring.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2016-10-06T01:47:31.500" LastActivityDate="2016-10-06T01:47:31.500" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29483" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-05T15:51:13.730" Score="5" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a beginner gardener. I wanted to know if aquatic plants can grow in a small (100 x 10 x 10 inch) outdoor water tank filled with clean tap water? Also, does the water have to be treated in any way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, are there are any good books that you would suggest? And any particular water plants that would easily grow in London? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16016" LastActivityDate="2016-10-05T16:05:53.057" Title="Aquatic plants growing conditions" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29484" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29483" CreationDate="2016-10-05T16:05:53.057" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I were you, I would take a step back. From your questions, it appears a good review would help you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aquatic plants, like any other type can grow well in any space they are given, with proper conditions. What is your goal with the 100x10x10? Are you growing for entertainment? Do you wish to engage in Aquaponics? If so, your yield might be limited. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tap water, depending on where you are, can still contain salts, and if treated so, chlorine and iodine. Given all these factors, some treatment may be necessary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will probably get some London specific advise here, but you can add to it. For books, I suggest you visit libraries, local botanical gardens and book stores. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, it always helps to find local resources. Speak to local master gardeners, gardening clubs etc. and if Aquaponics is your goal, speaking to store owners and employees will be very helpful. In most cases, they will want to make sure they sell you the appropriate equipment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you are new, I would start small, even if you will set up the space right away, and expand with experience. If it is Aquaponics, your space is probably going to have limited yields. If you just want to grow plants for fun, this is plenty of space. I grew lotuses with my mom in India and here, I have grown fresh water plants very easily, in treated aquariums. I also have a couple growing right below the hose which leaks when on. This can be very fun!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-10-05T16:05:53.057" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29485" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29478" CreationDate="2016-10-05T16:47:33.870" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;To compost a brush pile in-place you have three problems:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lack of nitrogen.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lack of water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lack of surface area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One way to solve #1 is to gather lawn clippings or other green matter (leaves, etc) and add them to the brush pile. This will help with #2 as the clippings have water in them, and will act as a sponge to collect and hold rain water. #3 - without chipping the wood you're kind of stuck with what you've got. If you've got a tractor that has a front-end loader on it you could use the loader to crush the pile and break up the wood in it a bit. Anything will help, but not much besides chipping will help much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be patient - it's going to take quite a while to compost down an unchipped 6' tall brush pile. I suspect that &quot;quite a while&quot; means &quot;multiple years&quot;. Best of luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1273" LastActivityDate="2016-10-05T16:47:33.870" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29486" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29489" CreationDate="2016-10-05T17:17:37.247" Score="4" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm new to composting and I'm noticing my compost still has eggshells and and a little bit of uncomposted, compostable bag material floating around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have this 35 gallon composting unit:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VU5zm.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VU5zm.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had been putting a small bag of compost in every week but stopped over 2 months ago and continued rotating it 3 times once a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plan was to lay it down over the garden area before it got cold (starting to get colder now). Should I keep waiting for it to compost, lay it down, or something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastActivityDate="2016-10-05T19:54:21.540" Title="What to do when compost doesn't finish before it gets cold?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29487" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29478" CreationDate="2016-10-05T18:07:12.950" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Branches and twigs are terrible for the compost bin.  I put them in when I was new to composting and not only does it take a long time to break down but it also gets in the way of turning the pile.  I would not recommend using branches and twigs in your compost bin unless you can shred those into very small pieces.  I generally just put those in my green bin for the waste management company to recycle&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-10-05T18:07:12.950" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29488" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29478" CreationDate="2016-10-05T19:45:20.647" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have what is basically an untidy woodpile, it will eventually decompose not by composting but by rotting. However unless you have a very &quot;rot-friendly&quot; climate that may take 20 years or more, and in any case the end product will most likely be full of organisms, like honey fungus or so-called &quot;dry rot&quot;, that you don't want to spread around the rest of your garden (or invade the wood used in building your house) unless you want all your other plants to decompose faster than the woodpile did!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Find a way to convert it into chipping-sized pieces and either compost them over time mixed with &quot;green&quot; material, or just spread them on any bare ground for weed-control. Or (the simplest option) just get somebody to take the stuff away. If you have substantial sized pieces of timber, somebody with a wood-burning stove may be happy to take them away for free.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the benefit of hindsight, next time keep the more compostable ingredients (leaves, plant stalks, etc) separate from the &quot;wood.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Incidentally, if you rent a chipper, also rent a chainsaw. That will make &quot;dis-assembling a pile that was not stacked specifically with chipping in mind&quot; a much quicker process - and if you accidentally try sawing into a few rocks, it's not &lt;em&gt;your&lt;/em&gt; chainsaw that you are damaging!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-10-05T19:45:20.647" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29489" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29486" CreationDate="2016-10-05T19:54:21.540" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Decomposition can and does happen all winter long.  I had piles 4-6' high of tree chips and steam rolls off these piles causing fun, moody halloween effects all winter long.  Dig down a few inches and you can start feeling the heat.  Decomposition releases a lot of energy. In the spring, I kid you not, these 4-6' mounds were 6&quot; high and the blackberries I covered were GONE. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your decomposer, however, is small.  You could and should be adding nitrogen to the mix.  The nitrogen is important to 'feed' the decomposers.  They use lots of nitrogen to do their work.  There used to be cat litter made exclusively of alfalfa.  Little pellets of super nitrogen, super 'organic' and cheap!  That will help raise the temperature of your compost and make the process faster! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;I would go ahead and use my compost at 90% done to cover the beds now!&lt;/em&gt;  What is left to be decomposed will continue to decompose no matter what.  The second something dies that something starts decomposing.  Definitely slower in the winter but these decomposers are like hefty construction workers.  Gotta feed them well (nitrogen) to keep them 'pooping'...sorta kinda.  That's how I like to think of the process, grins! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also try growing a 'cover crop' for the winter. There is not that much mulch for a single bed.  Depending on the size of your bed (mine are at least 3' wide and a good foot to a foot and 1/2 high and I use at least 4 to 5 cubic feet, 2&quot; thick per bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seeds you can buy in bulk cheaply, are 4 or 5 different choices of leafy, hardy, annual plants.  Depending where you live, you will have a dark green reversed 'grave yard' where the graves are dark green and the walkways are whatever.  If you don't have raised beds we should talk about that later.  I'm not talking about any lumber, bricks for sides!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This cover crop is cheap to buy as seed; buckwheat and annual rye are my favs.  Do a mono crop per bed if you want to try out different crops.  That annual rye grew 2+ feet (a tall, sturdy grass), talk about looking weird in winter! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Buckwheat is a pretty plant and the easiest to chop up and turn over in the spring. The zone I was in at the time was 4-5 USDA.  In the early spring as early as the soil can easily be worked, one just takes a shovel and turns the whole kitandkaboodle over, chop it up a bit, add some nitrogen and in a few weeks to a month that bed is ready for planting the season's crop.  Talk about a LIVE soil! &lt;em&gt;'it's alive, it's ALIVE'!&lt;/em&gt;!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I've got Halloween on the mind...I am being weirder than usual, grins!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-05T19:54:21.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29490" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-06T13:47:46.253" Score="1" ViewCount="3984" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VzZjq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VzZjq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I get rid of these bugs. It has taken over new blooms, sprouts etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16024" LastActivityDate="2019-06-27T11:25:14.230" Title="My night Blooming jasmine has bugs" Tags="&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29491" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29490" CreationDate="2016-10-06T15:24:31.843" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect they are mites, or the larvae of some moth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is your Jasmine in a pot? If so, set the plant aside from other pots asap. If not, that is okay. Go ahead and examine the plants around your jasmine in either case to see if they have also been attacked. If it is limited just to your jasmine for now, you are lucky so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, remove any dead branches, dead or dying flowers and set them in a bag. Do not use the bag for compost. Move it to your garbage disposal asap. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using a hose fitted with a sprayer, or using a watering can, hit the plant generously with a solution of diluted soap in water. Do this profusely to get rid of the bugs. Do this a couple of times and really work it in there. Then, follow it up with water. Check your plant visually and make sure you don't see the visual presence of any of these white guys. Repeat this check over the next few weeks on a regular basis. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't start seeing immediate improvements, you might have to consider insecticides. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-10-06T15:24:31.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29492" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-06T15:34:20.743" Score="6" ViewCount="2866" Body="&lt;p&gt;After my vegetable garden goes dormant, do I need to yank out plants and start over with new plants, seeds, etc.  I have cucumbers cherry tomatoes   zucchini and peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16025" LastActivityDate="2016-10-07T01:10:33.770" Title="Removal of dying vegetable plants" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29493" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29490" CreationDate="2016-10-06T18:10:47.397" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you mean the little, narrow white specks visible on the leaves and flower stems in your picture, and they're clustering on new growth and flowers, it's an aphid infestation, possibly whitefly. You haven't said where you are in the world so its difficult to recommend a treatment, but any insecticide which treats for aphids (whitefly, blackfly, greenfly) should work; neem will also work on most aphids and is less harmful in the environment than some of the more heavy duty systemic insecticide formulations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are other symptoms on the plant you haven't mentioned, and which aren't visible in the photo, please edit your question to add more information. Cestrum nocturnum is prone to attack by leafhoppers in some parts of the world, but you'd be seeing leaves and shoots being eaten were it those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-06T18:35:24.663" LastActivityDate="2016-10-06T18:35:24.663" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29494" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29495" CreationDate="2016-10-06T20:24:37.147" Score="3" ViewCount="1662" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this growing in my lawn the other day. It is a white spiky object, that I believe to be some sort of mushroom or similar plant as it has the same texture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have so only found the one. Can it be identified? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am located in Pittsburgh, PA, USA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BTIiU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BTIiU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;killer mushroom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13313" LastActivityDate="2016-10-06T20:53:22.843" Title="White spiky mushroom/fungus growing in lawn" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29495" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29494" CreationDate="2016-10-06T20:46:39.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its a puffball fungus - at some point, a hole will open up in the centre and spores will be spurted out of it. In fact, it looks as though a small central hole has already opened up in the largest one in your picture. This dispersal of spores sometimes occurs spontaneously after the fungus has been prodded or touched. As to precisely which puffball it is, there are several that look fairly similar, and mycology expertise coupled with a magnifying glass are needed to confirm the exact ID, but it looks like Vascellum curtisii, see link below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mushroomexpert.com/vascellum_curtisii.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.mushroomexpert.com/vascellum_curtisii.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grass is one of its favourite habitats, and it may occur as a single cluster like yours, or spread around and about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-06T20:53:22.843" LastActivityDate="2016-10-06T20:53:22.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29496" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-06T21:16:08.673" Score="2" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some fruit trees (apple, pear, orange, pomegranate, grapes) in my small backyard and have questions about taking good care of these fruit trees from a nutritional standpoint. I am wondering when is the best time to fertilize the fruit trees and how many times a year I should be doing this.  Also, it would be helpful to know if the same fertilizer can be applied to all the fruit trees and throughout the year (vs. different fertilizer for different seasons).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-10-07T09:46:49.913" Title="Best Practices for fertilizing fruit trees" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;&lt;pomegranate&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29497" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29492" CreationDate="2016-10-06T21:18:48.173" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking, you have to remove most old vegetable plants at the end of the growing season.  I grow tomatoes, zucchini, peppers etc and as the weather starts getting cooler, these plants start to die (or freeze) and I end up removing them from the soil and grow other winter resistant stuff (carrots, kale, etc.).  Then at the beginning of the next growing season (typically spring), I start all over again with seeds or plants I buy from outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-10-06T21:18:48.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29498" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29492" CreationDate="2016-10-07T01:10:33.770" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes you should pull out all plants/roots. Most vegey plants are annuals and die in late fall. They say tomatoes are perennial but I've never lived where there are no real winters.  Really need you to tell us where you live, is this a deck garden in pots or is this in a specific vegetable garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a garden outside, one of the things you need to think about is rotation.  You won't be growing the same genus (ie. Solanaceae; tomatoes, potatoes, peppers) in the same space next season as you did this year. It would ensure any disease that was present or disease you were not able to see symptoms to be inoculated into the soil and passed to your next crop.  In a year or two you will be able to grow tomatoes where you grew peppers, tomatoes or potatoes again.  Next year you have to use a bed where you grew cucumbers or salad greens this recent growing season.  Where you grew cucumbers will be a good place to grow tomatoes next year for example. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This picture is the beginning of our latest greenhouse that next year will be heated. Heated not so much to grow stuff for winter but to protect plants from the frequent freezes we have all summer long.  Notice the raised beds and their 'gutters or trenches'.  This soil is pumice, like sand and I've been incorporating decomposed organic matter for 4 seasons.  The trenches will be cleaned out after pulling all plant material, the soil tossed up on the beds.  Then we'll be mulching with bagged organic decomposed matter thickly  2&quot; for winter.  Some of the beds we'll be planting a 'cover crop' that is turned into the soil early spring.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My tomatoes are mostly in 5-7 gallon pots, my peppers in the foreground are in 1 gallon pots. (I used those tomato cages to give my peas some structure). This makes it easier to rotate crops and not use up garden space.  Without a heated greenhouse we drag these pots into our little heated greenhouse to protect from freezing. All my vegetables are started from seed.  It seems that every time I use 'starts' from outside sources I bring disease and insects into the environment.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of those pots are filled with great potting soil, not the garden soil! Ornamental plants in the landscape, I allow to dry up and stay until the early spring before removing dead plant material.  But vegetables, mostly annuals, are pulled and decomposed in a separate spot away from the garden in fall or as soon as the plant is dead or dying.  The less contact of a vegetable in the soil the better and I'll have more confidence to plant the same genus the second year or the year after the next season in the same bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will NOT use the potting soil in these pots again. They will be washed in diluted bleach and water before using again. I will use the old soil in my composts or in newer beds that need more organic matter where I know I will not be planting the same genus I grew in that potting soil. In the picture the farthest bed contains tomatoes, the next bed coming closer, are potatoes.  Neither potatoes or peppers or tomatoes will be grown next year in either of those beds.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got perennials that will not be pulled up; strawberries (although I am pushing the limit as this is the 3rd year), asparagus, fennel, artichokes couldn't over winter, thyme, oregano, rhubarb, raspberries, blue berries, pockets of flowers (to attract pollinators), boysenberries...these I will prune in early spring.  Dead foliage helps with insulating during the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This rotation stuff is important.  You do not want to learn the hard way like I had to when you get a beautiful crop (3 rows 25' long, 3' wide, tomatoes forming a hedge 4' high to find a few black spots and 2 days later all tomatoes, fruit, leaves, stems are black.  Not funny!  Once a plant has this fungus there is nothing that can save the crop.  All the lovely tomatoes were wasted. Harvesting them did not work.  The fungus continued and the tomatoes turned black.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clean out the old, dead plant material and roots.  Then mulch or cover crop your beds for the next season with new plants (growing from seed is ideal as you are a bit more in control)...use NON-GMO seed. The label NON-GMO has to be on the seed packet before purchasing. I order my seed in the winter from Territorial Seed.  I get my seed potatoes from Potato Gardens in Colorado.  Gathering and using seed produced by your own plants is very risky with a lot of unknowns.  To include your plants might have been pollinated by GMO crops growing nearby. Is this your first vegey garden? Michael Dirr or Shane Smith have incredible books on growing vegetables.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HYsUR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HYsUR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My vegey garden&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-07T01:10:33.770" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29499" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-07T02:31:43.090" Score="12" ViewCount="2791" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a wonderful weeping mulberry (Morus alba pendula) (male, so no fruit) in our front yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's massive - probably 15' tall and at least that diameter. The problem is that it's growing larger and larger - every year it sends out a new layer of branches that hang over the previous ones, so the diameter increases. I'd say it's a good 3' larger in diameter than it was when we moved in 9 years ago. The fence used to be visible here, and the sidewalk was clear:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S9wcV.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S9wcV.png&quot; alt=&quot;giant tree&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At this rate, we won't have a sidewalk in 5 years. What's the best way to get this under control? It's mostly dead wood underneath. We've had a couple arborists out and asked about it and gotten nothing more than &amp;quot;just leave it alone&amp;quot;, which unfortunately isn't working anymore!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16030" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-11-20T08:51:41.370" Title="Pruning a weeping mulberry" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29500" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29499" CreationDate="2016-10-07T06:09:36.653" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just cut regularly the bottom green part (just like the ruminants).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strike&gt;But I would also consider to remove the entire tree.&lt;/strike&gt; (No more, after reading Stormy answer).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2016-10-07T10:05:19.203" LastActivityDate="2016-10-07T10:05:19.203" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29501" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29496" CreationDate="2016-10-07T06:26:42.333" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use solid fertiliser, once a year in winter, and some time I replace it with some manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think there is need of more frequent fertilising: tree have deep roots, so it take time for fertiliser to diffuse, and to the root to pick up. Just select slow fertilisers. (I assume a non sandy ground, which will not block the fertiliser, nor fruit-tree in pot)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use also generic fruit-tree fertilisers: most of my trees are of the same genus (&lt;em&gt;Prunus&lt;/em&gt;) (or anyway family: Rosaceae) so I expect a good ratio. Addisionally I have no monoculture nor a dense orchard, so I expect the tree will get the rest from the soil, without depleting it too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My vineyard is different: dense and monoculture, so I make soil tests (every 10 years) and I give it the right amount of fertiliser. The lemon trees in pot also requires some more frequent fertilising and regularly (every few years) change of the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Calculating the right quantities of fertiliser is also complex: it depends also on varieties (if one want to be ultraprecise), the size of trees, the amount of fruits, on how do you prune trees, etc. Additionally, the fertiliser norm expect that do you leave the leaves on the ground (it is practical on big orchards, but better to remove them on small orchard, to handle better the diseases).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2016-10-07T09:46:49.913" LastActivityDate="2016-10-07T09:46:49.913" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29502" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29506" CreationDate="2016-10-07T07:07:06.233" Score="3" ViewCount="1079" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always move my plant to the sun everyday so it can get some sunlight during the day. When I touch the leaves, they feel wet. It's not in an area where its wet or can get wet unless I water it; but thats not the case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this fluid that's coming from the leaves? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took a close up pick off the fluid that's actually about to drip. And I also added a picture of how my plants looks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UkvX2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UkvX2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/amIgu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/amIgu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jDwg6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jDwg6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastActivityDate="2016-10-07T09:53:06.973" Title="Why does my Angel house plant produce some type of fluid?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24685" CreationDate="2016-10-07T07:07:56.390" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the pictures, this plant clearly misses the sun. We can see white spots on the earth, indicating high moisture / low light exposure: this is kind of mushroom creatures I think.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-a-Mango-Tree&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Wiki how to grow a mango tree:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Mangoes can be grown in pots or in spacious areas outside. They prefer &lt;strong&gt;lots of heat and direct sunlight&lt;/strong&gt;, meaning that they don’t grow well indoors (although they can be brought in in a pot for the winter). The size of each mango tree varies depending on what species it is, but they can get quite large, exceeding heights of 10–15 feet (3.0–4.6 m). Therefore, choose an area that will give them plenty of space to thrive without being shaded by other larger trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did the sun save your plant? Did it live trough the summer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In winter you must give it the best sunny spot behind a south-orientated window. This could do, if you don't have a yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2016-10-07T07:07:56.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29504" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29502" CreationDate="2016-10-07T07:16:47.480" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where do you live? Is there a lot of fog? Where is the plant positioned when you set it out for sunlight? Is it in a balcony or under other plants, where it might come in contact with water? That fluid looks very much like water, probably condensate to me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Besides, the plant looks quite healthy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-10-07T07:16:47.480" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29505" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29499" CreationDate="2016-10-07T08:46:27.790" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh my goodness.  Do you understand the treasure you have?  Find a master pruner to create a covered walkway!  How wonderful.  If you destroy this tree I will haunt you when I am dead!  (Grins). That tree should not be getting taller at all.  Weeping trees are two trees grafted together; a prostrate variety of the same species grafted on top of an upright variety.  The prostate part of the tree grows laterally, horizontally...not vertically.  What was the height when you purchased this specimen?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am drooling to come prune this tree and make an incredible pergola for your entrance.  Are there any covenants from your division that concern 'line of sight'?  This should be done in at least two or three prunings, not all at once.  Nothing but hand tools should be used!  An arch is made but set behind foliage that covers the cuts. Then creating an arched pergola to the house. A really good pruning artist will take a couple of years. And at least teach you how to prune this tree and the necessary steps that follow; thinning to allow more light and pruning to encourage denser growth behind the 'water fall' of foliage to make a denser structure. )&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-07T08:46:27.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29502" CreationDate="2016-10-07T09:32:34.617" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant is Epripremnum aureum, more comonly known as Golden Pothos or Devil's Ivy. The wetness you're describing is not uncommon in some plants (of which Pothos is one) and is down to a process called guttation. It usually occurs in the mornings, but can happen at other times, and is associated with moist soil in the pot; you might want to make sure you're not overwatering if you see this happening daily, although the plant looks fairly healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants have 'pores' beneath their leaves called stomata, and transpiration (bit like breathing in humans) takes place through these, so moisture is expelled via the stomata; overnight, though, and in cooler conditions, the stomata close up, so if there's a bit too much water in the plant's tissues building up overnight, water is exuded through other structures in the plant's leaves to relieve the pressure within the plant, typically appearing as water droplets along the edge of leaves, often collecting as a water droplet at the tip of the leaf which eventually falls. Fuller explanation here &lt;a href=&quot;https://viettes.wordpress.com/tag/water-on-the-tips-of-leaves/&quot;&gt;https://viettes.wordpress.com/tag/water-on-the-tips-of-leaves/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-07T09:53:06.973" LastActivityDate="2016-10-07T09:53:06.973" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="474" CreationDate="2016-10-07T18:02:28.290" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used to use black plastic weed preventor but got tired of pulling it up when I rotated my vegs. Also it breaks down after a couple of years. One good thing about it though it allowed the water to seep through to the soil. I always covered it with pine needles as well.When I pulled it up in the Spring to move it there were a gazillion worms lying right under the plastic. This year I used corrugated cardboard and it worked like a charm as a weed preventor. I also covered this with pine needles.The problem is when I was pulling up my tomatoes this week(October)I noticed that the soil was dry as a chip and were no worms in sight !The only worms were the ones in the hole where I had planted the tomatoes. My conclusion is this, it works to great to prevent weeds but is a true moisture barrier to the soil beneath.Also it didn't look like it was even beginning to decompose after 6 months of being buried under the pine needles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16034" LastActivityDate="2016-10-07T18:02:28.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29509" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29510" CreationDate="2016-10-07T19:29:55.190" Score="3" ViewCount="2547" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this particular and peculiar um, well, I really have no idea what it is... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems be some sort of seed pod, but I do not think it came from any of my nearby plants, trees, etc. It seems that these pods expelled their seeds at some point (as seen on the fence). There also appeared to be some sort of root system, possibly a fungus or similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zqqmn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zqqmn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;overhead&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1PhkU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1PhkU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;seeds on fence&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GZRhJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GZRhJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13313" LastActivityDate="2020-03-28T03:12:51.137" Title="Small seed pods growing in mulch and shooting seeds" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29510" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29509" CreationDate="2016-10-07T19:47:50.837" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's all fungi, or specifically, the fruiting bodies of fungi, rather than seeds from other plants.  These ones are commonly known as bird's nest fungi, so called because each one looks like a nest with eggs in it. As you've discovered, they eject spores anything up to a metre away, often triggered by touch or rain drops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Latin name for this type of fungus is Agaricaceae, and in the main, they are saphrophytes, existing on woody elements in soil (part of nature's disposal system) and looking at the picture, there seem to be plenty of woody bits in the mulch for them to work on. The 'root system' you mention will be the mycelium, and the little nests you can see are the fruiting bodies. These bodies will disappear quite quickly once they've dispersed their spores. More info below; although it refers to New Zealand, the basic information is the same &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hiddenforest.co.nz/fungi/fun/birdnest.htm&quot;&gt;http://www.hiddenforest.co.nz/fungi/fun/birdnest.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-08T01:08:49.313" LastActivityDate="2016-10-08T01:08:49.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29511" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29513" CreationDate="2016-10-07T20:19:45.187" Score="5" ViewCount="4126" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this plant for over 5 years and it has been at the same length it's at now. I've tried feeding it with miracle grow pebbles and liquid, and it still doesn't grow. Whats wrong with my plant and is their anything I can do other than feed it to make it grow? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HZ8ib.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HZ8ib.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QREXV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QREXV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastActivityDate="2016-10-07T21:35:35.357" Title="My Snake plant never seems to grow" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29513" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29511" CreationDate="2016-10-07T21:35:35.357" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant is Sansevieria trifasciata - S.  trifasciata laurentii is similar, but has yellow bands at the edges of the leaves, and that variety can reach up to three feet, but usually makes 1.5 feet. Your plant, though, is smaller and will not make the same height as S. laurentii - even so, it does look rather etiolated, so if it's in a situation where it doesn't get much daylight, it would do better if you move it to a brighter spot - but it still won't get so tall as S. laurentii.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://m.wikihow.com/Care-for-a-Sansevieria-or-Snake-Plant&quot;&gt;http://m.wikihow.com/Care-for-a-Sansevieria-or-Snake-Plant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-10-07T21:35:35.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29514" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-07T22:06:19.967" Score="4" ViewCount="159" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have the black variety lining each side of our front walk. In Ohio, October is fantastic weather for growing, while November starts to get cold. How late can we split these clumps up? Will splitting them up late make then less hardy for the upcoming winter freeze? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2016-10-08T00:04:02.820" Title="What is the latest time to split mondo grasses?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29514" CreationDate="2016-10-07T23:54:44.157" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's best done in spring I'm afraid. I believe most of Ohio has now been moved into Zone 6 - the UK is Zone 8, and the recommendation here is to divide Ophiopogon nigrescens (mondo grass) in Spring, from March to May, rather than at this time of year. First frost date is roughly end of October, depending which bit of Ohio you're in, and given you get colder earlier, and colder altogether than we do here,  I'd suggest you wait till spring as recommended here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thegardenhelper.com/black_mondo.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.thegardenhelper.com/black_mondo.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-08T00:04:02.820" LastActivityDate="2016-10-08T00:04:02.820" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29517" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="970" CreationDate="2016-10-08T04:20:22.227" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You never know the real chances of disease in potatoes at the store, unless they have signs of disease. I wouldn't recommend just buying them as-is and planting them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Buying seed potatoes gives you some insurance, and they might come with some guarantee (though I wouldn't count on it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main reason I personally wouldn't grow grocery store potatoes is that they could be patented, PPAF, PVP, or genetically modified, and that could cause legal and ethical problems (not only, but especially if you're doing it for commercial purposes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you buy organic potatoes, the risk of them being genetically engineered should be minimal, but they could still be PVP, PPAF, or such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, PVP only applies to true potato seed, anyway, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're sure there aren't any legal problems with planting the grocery store or farmer's market potatoes, you can always try to disinfect them, somehow. I don't know that it's ever been attempted, but if I were going to plant them, I would zap them in a jar of water with a &lt;a href=&quot;http://store.zapperguy.net/store/z4ex/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Z4EX&lt;/a&gt; or some such, first. Normally, Hulda Clark zappers are used on humans, in the realm of alternative health care (not by the medical community), but I think it's less arguable that it would have an appreciable ability to disinfect such as seeds and seed potatoes, seeing as zappers have been shown (not with standard studies, though) to kill and/or prevent microbes in vitro. Once again though, this is an experimental idea, and I don't know if it will work, necessarily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As suggested in another answer, you can grow potatoes from true potato seed instead, too. It takes longer, but there are many advantages (including, supposedly, less problems with seed-born disease). If you don't want new and unpredictable kinds of potatoes, I don't recommend this unless you use Zolushka potato seeds or some such (which should produce the kind of potato advertised). Other advantages may include ease of storage (real seeds take less space), the ability to breed new potatoes (because every seed can produce a new variety, and you can cross them with other fruitful potatoes, too), etc. The tomato-like fruit they produce is supposed to be toxic, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I grew &lt;a href=&quot;http://doublehelixfarms.com/true-potato-seed-TPS&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;true potato seed&lt;/a&gt;, this year. I got four plants. One of them contracted a disease, but it didn't spread to the other three, which were in the same container. The disease probably came from the environment and the genetic susceptibility of that particular potato rather than from the seed, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-10-08T04:45:55.173" LastActivityDate="2016-10-08T04:45:55.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29519" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29520" CreationDate="2016-10-08T19:19:21.417" Score="8" ViewCount="334" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few months ago, I planted some flower seeds that looked like they were designed for wind dispersal: very light, thin, and elongated (a little shorter than one of my finger joints). Mostly black with a bit of white, if I recall correctly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They took so long to germinate that I thought the seeds were bad. Then they started growing very quickly, and right now they grow about one or two inches per day. The vines have those little tendrils to grab on to things, so I'm not sure if it is a climbing plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't remember what kind of seeds they were. Can someone tell me what this plant is and how to best deal with it? I was expecting relatively contained, bushy flowers, but the vines are invading my sidewalk and the flowers are tiny.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it matters, I live in a tropical environment and the seeds were from one of those little packets like they sell at Walmart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ivlxe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ivlxe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Vine on grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FG8Eq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FG8Eq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Vine on sidewalk&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JE1PG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JE1PG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1MXlP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1MXlP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower close-up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT December 17:&lt;/strong&gt; Just over 25 pounds. :-) Thanks, all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kwMaH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kwMaH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Watermelon&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16041" LastEditorUserId="16041" LastEditDate="2016-12-17T14:38:52.387" LastActivityDate="2016-12-17T14:38:52.387" Title="Fast-growing vine, supposed to be a flowering plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;watermelon&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29519" CreationDate="2016-10-08T21:38:03.587" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is definitely (I should never say definitely) but when I first saw your pictures I thought squash.  This looks like WATERMELON!  How long ago did you take these pictures? Any signs of little gourds?  A member of the Cucurbitaceae family.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=watermelon%20plant&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1067&amp;amp;bih=513&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjvudGPlczPAhUB52MKHSM1A-EQiR4IqgEhttp://&quot;&gt;watermelon plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-08T21:38:03.587" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29432" CreationDate="2016-10-08T21:59:11.253" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If those larvae were killing the branch they wouldn't be found in dead cambium.  These beetles are symbiotic and if this ID is correct, they are called Ambrosia beetles. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/cafls/departments/esps/factsheets/turforn/ambrosia_beetles_to22.htmlhttp://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;ambrosia beetles&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check this link out to see if this looks familiar...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-08T21:59:11.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29519" CreationDate="2016-10-09T00:32:45.437" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the description you've given of the seeds you planted, they sound very much like the seeds of Tagetes patula, commonly known as French marigold. You've confirmed that the seeds shown in the image here  do look similar to the ones you planted &lt;a href=&quot;https://hillwards.wordpress.com/2010/10/03/green-and-gold/tagetes-seeds/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://hillwards.wordpress.com/2010/10/03/green-and-gold/tagetes-seeds/&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clearly, that's not what you've got growing judging by the images you've posted, so its likely the plants you have are self set/volunteers and nothing to do with the seeds you planted. If you've grown melons in previous years, these may be from those, if seeds from inside the melons somehow got onto the soil - but the seeds don't come true, so  they won't necessarily be the same as the melons you've grown before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tagetes should grow if sown outside in warmer regions, but in most countries, its usual to start them off with heat in seed trays or flats - it may be the conditions just weren't right for the seeds you sowed and that's why they didn't grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next time you sow seeds, put a few in a pot in potting compost as well as sowing directly into the ground - that way, if they germinate, you'll know what they look like as seedlings and will be able to tell them apart from weeds or unwanted plants when seedlings start growing in the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-09T00:41:21.657" LastActivityDate="2016-10-09T00:41:21.657" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29523" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29234" CreationDate="2016-10-09T01:42:08.090" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am experimenting with this also. I lost most all of my worms this Summer due to the heat in Charlotte (95+) a lot this Summer. I keep mine in the garage but it still got to hot for them. So I am trying the in ground method. I did not use a tube , but  a 5 gallon bucket with a lid . I dug a hole big and deep enough to place the bucket up to its rim. I cut the bottom out and drilled a bunch of holes in the side. I moved some worms into the bucket and now dump veg scraps in the bucket and put the lid on. I am hoping that other worms will come in through the holes i cut in the side(1/4 inch ). I might should leave them in the garage till Summer and then move them to the in ground method. I am not sure they will survive the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16034" LastActivityDate="2016-10-09T01:42:08.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29524" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29525" CreationDate="2016-10-09T07:04:45.900" Score="7" ViewCount="969" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WnFlI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify the oak species these acorns come from?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pics of the leaves and bark&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T7vkE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T7vkE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves and bark&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JB3qr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JB3qr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;trunk&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16044" LastEditorUserId="16044" LastEditDate="2016-10-16T11:48:04.977" LastActivityDate="2016-10-16T12:37:37.620" Title="What kind of oak are these acorns from?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29525" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29524" CreationDate="2016-10-09T12:32:09.823" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are only a limited number of Oaks which produce this mossy cap at the bottom of the acorn - those that do are listed below, but without leaves, it's next to impossible to be certain which it might be:-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/quercus-suber&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Quercus suber&lt;/a&gt;, maybe, the Cork Oak;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/trees/quercus/quercus-cerris-turkey-oak.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Quercus cerris&lt;/a&gt; (Turkey Oak, known as European Turkey Oak in countries outside of Europe);&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And possibly Quercus hispanica 'Lucombeana' - can't find an accessible online image of this one's acorns, though there is one in my tree directory. Roger's Trees and Shrubs has a good picture, but their site is down currently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of these, Turkey Oak is widespread in the UK and Eire, and is the most likely candidate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE - The images you've added, particularly of the grey, fissured/ridged bark, confirm the ID as Quercus cerris (Turkey Oak).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-16T12:37:37.620" LastActivityDate="2016-10-16T12:37:37.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29526" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-09T17:25:31.043" Score="5" ViewCount="149" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3xphv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;I need help identifying this plant, it may have made my dog sick. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16047" LastActivityDate="2016-10-18T17:05:00.633" Title="Could someone please identify this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29526" CreationDate="2016-10-10T00:33:19.843" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;After a bit of research this looks like Digitalis or Foxglove.&lt;a href=&quot;http://garden.org/plants/photo/306394/http://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;digitalis picture of leaves&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How are your puppies/puppy/dog?  What were the symptoms?  After looking at the pictures I sent you, does this plant look familiar?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Foxglove is very poisonous.  Let your veterinarian see these pictures, they SHOULD be well versed with poisonous plants for dogs and cats!  So MANY are in our yards!!  When your pets are outside they should be supervised and taught to not eat any plant material.  Cats are far more vulnerable as people allow them to become the 'neighborhood' cat (grrrrrr) and ALL lilies of all kinds are very poisonous to cats in particular but dogs as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What other plants are in your yard?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-10T00:33:19.843" CommentCount="15" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29529" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29524" CreationDate="2016-10-10T09:39:41.277" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess without the leaves or bark would be Quercus robur; the English Oak or the Common Oak or the pendunculate oak.&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=quercus%20robur&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1067&amp;amp;bih=481&amp;amp;site=webhp&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjZob_68s_PAhXCKGMKHVtMDjwQiR4IhwEhttp://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Quercus robur&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-10T09:39:41.277" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29530" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29433" CreationDate="2016-10-10T11:13:33.603" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had this same problem in zone 7 USA. I checked with the local agriculture guy and he said it was probably due to zinc deficiency. He advised applying zinc and 10-10-10 fertilizer in February. I did that and it seems to be helping. I picked up a bunch yesterday that Hurricane Matthew blew off this week and while green they were fully developed. I will continue with this feeding schedule from now on. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16034" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-18T23:07:40.740" LastActivityDate="2017-11-18T23:07:40.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29531" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29532" CreationDate="2016-10-10T12:34:02.010" Score="5" ViewCount="1580" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a dwarf grafted citrus in a pot in my garden. The trunk is grafted with one lemon branch and one lime branch. Over the last two years the lemon half of the tree has grown well and fruited several times, while the lime half has not grown at all, and the few tiny fruit that develop after flowering drop off after about a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is potted in a well known brand of citrus potting compost, and I've added a small amount of slow release citrus fertiliser periodically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some photos of the graft and the tree itself - the lime is the thin branch on the right in both:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FHW5B.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot;/&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FlenP.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot;/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to encourage the lime side of the tree to grow and produce fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16054" LastEditorUserId="16054" LastEditDate="2016-10-11T11:44:36.027" LastActivityDate="2019-07-14T01:52:00.137" Title="Why does the lime half of a grafted tree suffer, while the lemon half thrives?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29532" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29531" CreationDate="2016-10-10T13:20:03.407" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry to say there's probably nothing you can do to change the situation. It sounds as if the lime part of the grafted tree is failing because it doesn't have enough vascular tissue to conduct nutrients and water to the upper parts, which is why it's displaying poor growth, whereas the lemon part is completely healthy.  There may be a failure at the graft point, or the graft was poorly done initially, and it was unable to develop over time in the same way as the lemon. Unfortunately, now that the lemon is going great guns, it's unlikely the lime will improve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Inspect the graft point thoroughly to see if there's evidence of problems there, but, unless you want to risk hard pruning the lemon side to just above the graft point in hopes this kickstarts the lime portion to start growing better,there's not much you can do. Pruning in this way is obviously a risk, and you may find the lime does not respond at all, and the lemon part of the tree doesn't recover too well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-10-10T13:20:03.407" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29533" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29540" CreationDate="2016-10-10T21:29:24.497" Score="4" ViewCount="399" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am on a 1 acre hill-side near the Oregon coast. The previous owner of this property decided it was a good idea to plant some type of invasive bamboo that covers a good 50% of the property (mostly the sloped backyard facing the ocean) and never maintained it. It covers a sloped area about 150ft by 50ft (running laterally along a hill). The bamboo is about 10-15ft tall and VERY thick! It is very aggressively killing everything else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7mIum.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7mIum.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to restore the hillside to its natural species like ferns, silktassel, ocean spray, ninebark etc. I'm pretty discouraged reading about how difficult a task this might be and it seems as though all of the suggestions are basically: mow, wait for it to regrow and spray it with as strong an herbicide you can legally buy. Repeat process multiple times. I may be restricted on heavy herbicide use as I have a creek running through part of it which feeds the community water system. I'd have to ask my water district manager, but prefer not to do this regardless. My ideas thus far: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hand root out all of it, a section at a time replacing slowly with a&#xA;faster growing native bush / ferns etc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut it all down at once, cover with black plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut it down and mulch in native species, the idea being the mulch would kill the bamboo while supplying nutrients for the newly planted natives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tie it off/lasso with a cable / rope and pull it out in large clumps with a tractor then compost it or burn it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Buy a goat!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which is most feasible? Are any of these methods likely to work?  I'm not 100% joking about the goat!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16057" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-10-11T00:14:16.330" LastActivityDate="2016-10-11T00:14:16.330" Title="How do I naturally eradicate a stand of invasive bamboo?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;&lt;bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29534" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29499" CreationDate="2016-10-10T21:45:27.210" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Easy way:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;two stakes with a level line between them and a sharp hedge trimmer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More work&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pair of pruners to cut the branches back off the ground.  Cut back to a leaf node&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just cut it back.  Branches growing on the ground may root but will definitely kill off the grass and provide a hiding spot for small animals including skunks, rats and mice if they live in your area.  Repeat once a year or when it starts getting too low and that's all you need to do. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-10-12T01:38:26.570" LastActivityDate="2016-10-12T01:38:26.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29535" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29537" CreationDate="2016-10-10T22:50:38.060" Score="6" ViewCount="1280" Body="&lt;p&gt;Should I do something about these?  Does it signify something bad? &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xVUGr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xVUGr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2016-11-29T20:20:01.733" Title="Mushrooms on crab apple tree trunk" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29536" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-10T22:52:30.257" Score="6" ViewCount="670" Body="&lt;p&gt;The dry conditions caused the leader on the tree to drop its leaves this summer. Do I need to prune it or wait to see what happens next spring? &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IJbqR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IJbqR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2016-10-11T22:25:18.253" Title="Dead leader on maple tree" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29537" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29535" CreationDate="2016-10-10T23:27:32.040" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it does signify something bad, if the fungus is actually attached to the trunk of the tree (which it looks to be) and not simply appearing on woody parts of the mulch. This is one of the bracket fungi, and they occur on trees which are dying, or will soon be dead. If it's somewhere it might hit something or someone when it rots through and falls, it might be wise to have it removed now before it does that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Out of curiosity, is this the same crab apple tree you asked about in March, which had a problem on one of its branches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-11T14:58:20.367" LastActivityDate="2016-10-11T14:58:20.367" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29538" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29536" CreationDate="2016-10-10T23:28:02.333" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the same situation every summer due to dry weather conditions in California and the location of my maple tree.  I leave the stems around and have never pruned them.  Does not seem to create a problem because I see new growth in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-10-10T23:28:02.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29539" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-10T23:28:57.273" Score="4" ViewCount="198" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 3 apple trees and 2 cherry trees that are about 6 to 7' tall in the original plastic pots. The plan was to take them to our land over an hour away last spring but then we decided to hold off because we couldn't get down there enough to keep them watered and we also have a lot of deer on the land.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have decided to hold off until next spring when we can deal better with these issues because we will be living much closer. Can I dig a hole in our back yard for each and  put the pots in the ground then do some heavy mulch to store them for the winter? How often should I water them in the winter months (if at all). They are watered daily now but if I skip a day they look sad for sure!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-10-11T00:15:10.777" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T13:07:01.243" Title="How do I overwinter potted fruit trees?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;storage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29540" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29533" CreationDate="2016-10-10T23:37:55.343" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry to say that its likely most of those methods will work - chopping it all down and covering with black plastic will probably mean you'll have bamboo shoots growing up through the plastic, it'll come through that in no time. Digging it out with machinery might work, if you do it all at once and make sure to get out all roots, no matter how deep they go,and all running rhizomes. Doing it in stages won't work - rhizomes will spread from what's left and take over again, and cutting it down and mulching will certainly not prevent regrowth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The roots on these spread outwards below ground, and go down around 18 inches to two feet, usually, so its a big job to attempt by hand. A small earth moving machine with a digger on the front might be the best approach, following up with actual digging by hand to make sure the area has been cleared. Even then, it would be better to wait a few months to a year to see if there's any regrowth prior to replanting with your desired plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-10-10T23:37:55.343" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29541" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29539" CreationDate="2016-10-11T00:28:00.903" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Baby trees are actually best if they are planted in the fall.  I would take them to your land, construct cheap cages around them with wire fencing for the deer, make sure that you do not plant too deeply or mulch near that trunk or you'll have happy voles with warm housing and food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig only as deep as their root ball, this will ensure they don't 'sink'.  They need to sit on undisturbed soil.  Water really really well.  Perhaps a bit of fertilizer (check to make sure the last time they were fertilized first) and mycorrhizae. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No need to stake as there is nothing to catch the wind and the ability to move is what creates a strong support system and thicker, less breakable trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be nice to get more information; where you are planting them, the micro environment characteristics, wind situation, how you imagine watering them, what type of soil, how much sun exposure, your zone and the species/varieties of your trees for more detailed and precise answers/advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send pictures of your trees and of your site if possible.  This fall would be the best time to get your trees a good start as it is wetter (usually), the leaves fall off so not very appealing to deer (make sure you fence them anyway), they will be putting down more roots, more stabilization and then in the spring they should be able to last on their own between waterings (every 2 weeks, every week during warm weather, sorry).  When they start leafing out you'll need to strengthen and widen the wire barrier or the deer will be able to reach the leaves.  Use T-posts and field wire.  Don't take chances, make those barriers strong enough to deter a huge elk from bodily knocking it down.  This would also be a good time to try some deterrent spray. 'Liquid Fence' for deer and rabbits.  Wild animals are very sensitive and cautious with weird smells. Not so much near human habitats.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you use a little fertilizer use a slow release product, lower Nitrogen (the first number of the three)...10-14-14 for example.  You do not want to create any vegetative growth before winter!  Do not use too much...those tree fertilizer stakes might be a good plan!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send more information with which to understand more detail that might change what I've said.  And yes, digging holes and putting pots in the soil at your home and mulched...(not too close to the trunk) is a good solution. BUT, if you plant these trees next spring, plan on watering (depending on weather and soil type) every other day.  Planting them now so they can acclimate to their new home, put down roots, not have to deal with providing water to tender new spring growth will give them a far better head start!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got a great idea for watering technique if there is no water as yet available on your property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-10-11T00:39:19.667" LastActivityDate="2016-10-11T00:39:19.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29543" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29544" CreationDate="2016-10-11T10:13:23.360" Score="2" ViewCount="2269" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/143k0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/143k0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;This is my very depressed plant! Is there anything I can do to revive it to its former glory? I have put it outside for the last week with no luck. It became very depressed after leaving it in a dark room for two days even though I was told it would be fine. And any tips on how to look after it in the future would be great&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;in water&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D5r34.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D5r34.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;alive!!!!&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0iIa9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0iIa9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16060" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-10-12T11:30:37.367" Title="Depressed Castor Oil plant" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29544" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29543" CreationDate="2016-10-11T10:39:07.493" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This appears to be a Fatsia japonica, and it's in such a state it's hard to be sure of anything, but I see some yellowing of leaves, it seems to be suffering serious drought (if it looked like this after two days in a dark room and before you put it outside) and it appears the pot might be too small for the plant. Keep it inside for the time being - the first thing to do is fill a bucket half full of water, put the pot into it, weight it down so it doesn't float and the pot is submerged, and let it soak thoroughly for a couple of hours. Hopefully, that will induce the foliage to stand upright again. Take it out of the water and allow to drain down freely for an hour or two, - while its doing that, check the foliage and stems thoroughly for signs of infection or infestation (fungal infections like rust or leaf spot, pest infestation such as spider mite, aphids and so on) then turn it out of its pot to see if its rootbound. If it is, pot up into something larger with good potting compost. If you're not sure what the cause of any other symptoms are, post another photo or two.Putting it outdoors without hardening off won't have helped, so if the foliage does not respond and it remains in this condition after soaking, it's likely an ex-plant...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-11T11:27:30.330" LastActivityDate="2016-10-11T11:27:30.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29545" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29543" CreationDate="2016-10-11T10:42:32.137" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did you say you put this plant outside for the last couple of weeks after being an indoor plant? Plants are not meant to MOVE from environment to environment.  Your plant is very stressed by being put outside.  Going from a few days of total darkness to the out of doors environment would be enough stress to cause this very stressed (not depressed) plant in this picture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put this plant back in its old spot for another week (needs watering, do not fertilize) and hope it partially comes back.  Big bummer, this guy looks fried. Plants can be stronger than we imagine however so it is worth a try.  Send a picture in a week or even just a few days after a good watering and allowing this plant to go back to the environment it knows best.  You might be doing some pruning soon and we can help with that.  If your plant survives.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry.  This is how we all had to learn; the hard way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-11T10:42:32.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29546" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-11T19:00:19.130" Score="9" ViewCount="3381" Body="&lt;p&gt;I make compost in my backyard.  I also buy fertilizers for vegetable and fruit plants from the big box stores.  My question is really when to use compost vs. fertilizer?  Can I eliminate the use of fertilizers if I have enough compost or do I have to continue to use the combination. If the latter, when do I use each of these?  Interested in practical suggestions based on what other's are doing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-10-11T19:41:21.410" LastActivityDate="2016-10-13T11:09:52.637" Title="Does compost replace fertilizer?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29547" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29546" CreationDate="2016-10-11T22:03:20.130" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, you can not replace 'fertilizer' with compost.  You do have to consider the amount of necessary chemicals available and what chemicals your particular compost adds.  Fertilizing includes not only the 3 biggies; Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium but at least a dozen micro nutrients as well. Too much of just one of these chemicals in the soil can cause deficiencies as well as excess for plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost might have lots of nitrogen available but during the composting Nitrogen is used in high quantities.  There might be residual bits of all kinds of necessary chemicals the plants need but to think one can do one or the other is ABSOLUTELY NOT. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the best information sources I found and use an awful lot is Shane Smith's Green House Gardening.  Excellent charts, excellent break down of chemicals to include 'excessive' and well as deficiency symptoms of these chemicals.  Since we humans have to be in charge of replacing chemicals, water...we have to be able to SEE symptoms in the plant and do quite a bit of investigation.  No one thing will determine the next step. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We humans are learning ways to communicate with plants.  There are so many variables we all have to learn to be successful with plants; what plants or a plant needs, what your soil's composition contains, light, water, micro and macro organisms (and they need fed), climate, humidity and individual maintenance rules. Without basic knowledge of plants and there is an awful lot, to learn how to SEE what a plant is telling you...more Nitrogen or more Iron or more Molybdenum, Boron, Calcium, Magnesium etc. Or wait, there is plenty of Nitrogen but too little Iron, or there is too much of one chemical that inhibits another chemical.  Top it all off, pH of the soil is so very important to KNOW.  One can give their plants plenty of chemicals, in the correct proportions but if the pH is too alkaline or too acid for that particular plant, that plant will not be able to uptake Nitrogen for example. Far more complicated than people are hoping. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Decomposed organic matter or compost is important for soil texture and feeding the micro/macro organisms in the soil.  You have to know what is in that compost before augmenting with fertilizers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best method is being frugal with fertilizer and learning what your plant is telling you it needs by colors, textures, patterns. Shane Smith's book and there are others (another great book that has this information is Jorge Cervante's Cannabis Encyclopedia) to help you to understand what your plant is 'telling' you it needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over fertilization is far worse than too little!  Once you've gone 'over the line' that plant will most likely die.  Too little the plant can live quite awhile until the human in charge can see what that plant is saying (screaming) it needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NO, compost is NOT a replacement for fertilizer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-11T22:03:20.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29536" CreationDate="2016-10-11T22:25:18.253" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This just might be a disease like phytophthora or anthracnose, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/verticillium-wilt/http://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;verticillium&lt;/a&gt; wilt.  To diagnose a disease one needs to know whether it is viral, bacterial or fungal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your tree is displaying a disease that might mean taking the entire tree down. Not be replaced by the same species or by species that are susceptible to the disease diagnosed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a good time to get to know your Cooperative Extension Service.  Talk to the Master Gardeners and possibly sweet talk them into coming out to your place to get diagnostic samples.  The most important place someone needs to inspect is where that dead leader stops and live tissue starts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We can help but you'll have to get ready to show cross sections of branches, live and dead, leaves, and cambium slices.  Do you see any other trees on your property as well as all your neighbor's that shows a large dead branch while the rest of the tree looks healthy? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you touch that tree with pruners make dang sure you clean them well with alcohol before using those pruners on any other plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-11T22:25:18.253" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29549" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-11T23:00:31.967" Score="3" ViewCount="516" Body="&lt;p&gt;My basil plant has developed small black spots with star shaped light grey areas around the spot on the leaves.  Also there are tiny black specks on some leaves that look like droppings.  Some of the leaves look as if they have been chewed also.  I think these are two different pests. I am in southern Baja where it is hot right now. I follow watering, feeding and sunshine instructions.  I read somewhere that the black spot with star shape around is actually a very tiny worm and can't be irradicated. Please someone help, I love my plant!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16063" LastActivityDate="2016-10-12T00:41:08.187" Title="Basil plant leaves have small black spot with a light grey star shape around it. Tiny worm?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29550" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29549" CreationDate="2016-10-12T00:41:08.187" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you take a leaf with spots and a razor blade to carefully cut the spot open?  If it is a leaf miner you should be able to see either the larvae (worm) or evidence insect babies were there.  I've never heard of a 'worm' that is not able to be controlled.  Eradicating anything in the plant world is rare and always contraindicated (not a good thing, not a reasonable goal).  Leaf miners are easy to control...but without a positive ID 'trying' any product is wrong.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what you are describing it sounds more akin to &lt;em&gt;'shot hole'&lt;/em&gt; by a common fungus. Common to a huge number of plants. When a spore in a drop of water lands on a leaf the plant will surgically remove that particular spot leaving a hole.  The plant is taking care of itself and needs no further help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That grey ring sounds exactly like the plant is killing its own tissue around that spot to get rid of the spore/fungus.  Just drops right out of the hole falling to the ground.  Similar to taking a pair of scissors or exacto knife to  cut out the black spot.  Cool, huh!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-12T00:41:08.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29551" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-12T02:05:24.560" Score="4" ViewCount="628" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some water that pools up and then runs off of the cement slab right into the paver that is removed. The water then finds its way into the basement. We aren't talking about a lot of water and there is only about 5 or 6 times per year that it rains hard enough that water leaks into the basement. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am thinking of doing a channel drain along the cement and now I am trying to figure out the best solution to run the water from there. One option would be to run a solid PVC pipe to the other side of the fence and then switch into a perforated pipe into the yard. Like you see below in option 1.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In option 2 I would be to run a solid PVC back to the log pile along the fence, which is just past the back corner of the house. Then put an emitter on the end to let the water flow out there.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have a way to get a french drain to run to a runoff point, so the only place would be to terminate the pipe underground somehow. The water amount is not tons, as if it was coming from the downspout. Would either of these options work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;OPTION 1:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5L0QL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5L0QL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o8efH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o8efH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L1SqL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L1SqL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;OPTION 2:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I8yyM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I8yyM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14990" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-13T23:04:15.243" LastActivityDate="2016-10-13T23:04:15.243" Title="Best way to run water away from house into the yard/landscape" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29552" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29551" CreationDate="2016-10-12T09:14:17.233" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is difficult to see the slopes but it looks as if your problem begins at the bottom step on the left. The slope is towards your foundation.  Very bad.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would take up all of the CMU on the right side of this picture, right foreground corner all the way to the turf.  Regrade the soil so the slope is away from your foundation making sure to meld into your neighbor's contours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want to remove enough soil to be replaced by mason's sand at least 1&quot; and compact and allow 2% slope from the bottom of your foundation to your neighbor's (their elevations, contours and drainage have to be taken into consideration). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need that plastic edging for this type of installation of pavers on a compacted sand bed, no concrete or grout or spaces between paver edges.  This edging is secured with long spikes similar to railroad spikes and ensures those units, the tightly installed concrete pavers do not shift or spread.  It would be installed on the farthest right of the picture and on your side of that fence.  Allow absolutely no space between the pavers! You will need a hard rubber mallet for this work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally you would take that section of fence down and work with both your property and your neighbor's.  Remove enough soil to allow water to drain away  from both foundations then an inch or two lower so you can make a sand base 1 or 2&quot; deep (compacted) for the pavers to sit upon. Bottom of fence should not touch the soil or plant material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a rough idea of a solution but need to know what is happening in terms of grade and obstructions on the neighbor's property, do you have an 'as-built' with your mortgage papers that shows property lines, the footprint of your home, utilities and hopefully a few elevations?  If this makes sense to you the equation is Rise/Run= Slope and sq. ft. of surface area/81 = yards necessary for 4&quot; depth for soil, mulch, rock.  Otherwise, I can explain in more detail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need to add a bit more to this answer.  For water to be getting into your basement at all means there might not be a foundation drain pipe or an incorrectly installed drain pipe that should be all around the perimeter of your basement footing or the concrete that is below the surface was not protected by an asphalt coating. There should never be a slope that allows surface water to drain TOWARDS the foundation.  A fix would be tearing up all paving and regrading the soil away from your home into a swale sloped to carry water away from your home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This bad drainage issue greatly reduces the value of your home compounded by the moisture in the basement causing the wood of your home to rot.  This is a big deal. This is also a health issue with mold!  It would be worth the money and effort to correct this drainage problem. Where do you live?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in the States when a contractor builds a home (and doesn't say in his contract 'in lieu of the State of Washington's (ie.) warranty'), the law says that contractor is responsible for any problems that happened because of his work or the lack of it FOR TWELVE YEARS, 6 for discovery and 6 to get it fixed.  It gets tricky when the home is sold to someone else within the 6 year limit for discovery.  If you had had this home built, original owner 12 years ago, that contractor would have to come fix it on his dime.  Good thing to check into.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You aren't thinking about subsurface water.  There is far more subsurface water that is constantly flowing towards your basement than you know. Your basement is sitting in a pool of water only held back by rotting concrete. And again, the mold this causes can actually be deadly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A foundation drain should be a 4&quot; diameter perforated pipe that is placed outside the footing not on top of it, runs all around the perimeter of your home with drain rock, landscape fabric and proper sloping to carry any subsurface water away to the sewer.  It is usually against the law to daylight any subsurface water.  That means water coming out of a pipe to daylight downhill on the surface of any property.  Nothing should ever be drained INTO this foundation drain.  Take a look at your documents, check with Buildings and Code (don't tell them who you are just yet), find the original contractor or hire another one to dig down and check what is or isn't where it should be.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let me know, this is kinda my arena of expertise.  I used to build custom homes (29 in 8 years).  We just went through a nightmare with our own custom home and a daylight basement!!  I lived on site and threw tantrums to get the foundation contractor up to speed on 9' stem walls.  I remember coming back from town to find this idiot starting to backfill and he had just thrown the pipe in, no sloping, no drain rock, no asphalt coating on the concrete and it was on top of the footing not beside it.  I had to stand right there and direct this sub to do his job correctly.  I got my 'Construction Bible' out and educated him. And that is just one day of an on going nightmare. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might have some rights you need to learn and use!!  Get a construction inspector.  You have an investment and it is rotting away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-10-13T20:38:07.897" LastActivityDate="2016-10-13T20:38:07.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29553" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29546" CreationDate="2016-10-12T12:42:15.097" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, but it could sensibly reduce or remove needs of fertilizers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is not very probable that the compost has the required exact proportion of fertilizer. It is also not so probable that one single fertilizer has the required proportions, but we have many different fertilizers, to choose..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is possible not to use fertilizers, using compost, straw, hay (meadow, wetland) and different type of manures (cows, horses, chickens), and ev. also with ashes [all of these have different percent of fertilizers and minerals].  But this is complex to calculate, and the above &lt;em&gt;ingredients&lt;/em&gt; have a lot of variance, so one should do soil analyses often, to correct deficiencies.  Not a thing to do for home garden (but instead it is ok for a large organic farm, where possibly they could analyse the composition of the &lt;em&gt;ingredients&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-10-12T12:42:15.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29554" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29557" CreationDate="2016-10-12T12:52:51.050" Score="7" ViewCount="572" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was cleaning the leaves of my plant by wiping them with a damp cloth. But my sister came and said that don't waste your time and let the plants be in natural state. So here is my question: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why we clean the leaves of the plant? Is it just to make them look more green and fresh? Or is there a bigger picture I am not seeing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course potted plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-10-12T20:23:55.163" Title="Benefits of wiping the dust/dirt off the leaves?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29555" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29559" CreationDate="2016-10-12T13:36:09.770" Score="2" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know much about gardening. But I want to. I always wanted to grow many bonsai trees in my home and exotic trees in my garden. So like two months ago, I picked pine cones from ground and collected their seeds. And I planted them. I planted about 30 seeds and half of them become seedlings (I don't know the term but they are tall and green now) by last month. I am so happy for that but, winter is coming and I am not sure if they survive it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do about it? I know that bonsai's slowly dies indoor (I tried it last year and my olive bonsai almost died). So are there any product that can help them survive the winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14638" LastActivityDate="2016-10-12T20:54:53.160" Title="Pine seeds which I planted two months ago grew early. What should I do?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29546" CreationDate="2016-10-12T19:01:46.480" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your home produced compost is a very valuable addition to soil, but it's not the same thing as a fertilizer. Fertilizers are prepared products with specific nutrients which are intended to feed plants directly - compost, and other humus rich materials, improve the soil in order to allow plants to seek out their own nutrients easily, which are more likely to be present because of the composted material. Adding humus rich materials to soil on a regular basis raises soil bio diversity, and that's a good thing - the more organisms per square foot of soil there are, the richer and more fertile the soil becomes, making a much healthier environment for growing plants. This is the approach used in organic growing, where the soil is of primary importance, rather than feeding plants directly with fertilizers, and is an approach which is worthwhile following as far as is possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't used a fertilizer regularly on ornamental plants in gardens for ten years or more, with one exception - roses, which do get a specialist rose food twice a year, and in some years (if the winter's been very wet) a single topdressing of Growmore (NPK 7-7-7) in spring annually to the whole garden, topped off with organic mulch (usually composted animal manure), as growth begins. Applications of composted materials to the soil are made at least annually as an absolute minimum, to keep the soil in as good a condition as possible, preferably applied as a mulch, coupled with no digging as far as possible to preserve soil structure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The same is not true of potted plants - they will need fertilizer applications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As well, if you are growing your own vegetables, amendments may be necessary - to raise or lower ph a little, or to increase nitrogen or phosphate levels, depending on what you're growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-12T20:26:01.223" LastActivityDate="2016-10-12T20:26:01.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29557" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29554" CreationDate="2016-10-12T19:24:28.003" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cleaning of plant leaves is usually only done on houseplants, because they're inclined to accumulate a lot of dust over time. Outdoors, exposed to the elements, plants get 'cleaned' by moving air (wind, or a breeze) and rain, so its not usually necessary, unless something has been spilled over them, like maybe dust and dirt from nearby construction/building work, which may make a thick layer over the foliage of plants in the vicinity - this is best brushed or shaken off. A thick layer of dust or dirt, if left, will likely interfere with photosynthesis, because the layer blocks light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, if your plants outside do look a bit mucky, there's nothing wrong with cleaning the leaves if you want to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-12T20:23:55.163" LastActivityDate="2016-10-12T20:23:55.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29558" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-12T19:42:42.553" Score="2" ViewCount="4321" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qqoh0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just got this plant yesterday and I'm wondering if I should cut off that yellow part of the stalk to help it grow. Please let me know and thank you so much!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16066" LastActivityDate="2016-10-12T23:32:18.990" Title="Lucky bamboo top of stalk is yellow" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29559" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29555" CreationDate="2016-10-12T20:54:53.160" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you've got 16 seedlings going, leave them right where they are for the winter.  To try and transplant into pots now is very iffy.  The roots of a plant are the most vulnerable to cold, next would be leaves.  That is why deciduous trees lose their leaves for winter.  Pines or conifers have evergreen needles made for surviving the cold.  Even the needles on your baby pines will do just fine for the winter.  Deciduous and herbaceous baby plants have very fragile newbie leaves and you are right to think newly germinated plants would not be winter hardy. Yours are as ready as they are able and the best thing for your little pines is to leave them alone for this winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are lots of things you can do to add protection and get a few of them ready for pots in the spring.  Dig a little trench in a circle around one of your pines.  I am guessing your plants are spaced somewhat so chose one or two and using a radius of 4&quot; draw a circle (need to see a photo of these plants for a better take on the size of circle).  Take a sod knife or something sharp and flat to cut into that circle about 6&quot; deep.  Go out away from the center a couple inches and make another circle and cut into the soil again.  Scoop out the soil between the two circles and stuff that 'trench' with straw.  This is your first root pruning.  Your tree will have enough time to put out more roots within that 8&quot; and adapt. Hopefully, that is why this is kind of an experiment. Next spring you can pop that plant out and pot it.  &lt;em&gt;USE only potting soil for pots!!&lt;/em&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do this with a few of the little trees and bone up on Bonsai over the winter!  Bonsai is the ultimate of man over nature.  Excellent way to understand plants because if you screw up the plant dies. Very humbling. If you learn how to keep a Bonsai alive as well as dictating its growth, pruning roots, daily watering (we'll talk about this later), how to fertilize (very very very little), when to fertilize, how to harden the plant to enjoy the summers on a covered porch to be acclimatized to be brought back into your home for the winter will give your plants a longer life than you'll have!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be best to find a hands-on Bonsai class by a Bonsai master for the winter.  You want to be ready to wrap that copper wire around trunks/branches, prune roots, learn about the size of pot to begin (usually bigger to gradually get your plant used to being confined and a smaller pot, some Bonsai people advocate getting it into the pot it will live in for decades), how to water (truly, this is the only situation where watering everyday is indicated but take that class so you will know when your baby Bonsai needs water, there is no 'recipe' to follow).  What makes watering more confusing is the lack of drainage holes, I never got used to that bit. I always had drainage holes in my Bonsai (they are all dead by the way, grins).  Hey, life gets in the way, vacations can kill a Bonsai when your babysitter screws up, for one example. Your instructor will explain everything.  Roots should never sit in water, period, well when growing in soil anyhoo.  But because of the photosynthetic mass in relation to the roots/soil, the plant takes up all the water in a day within its tiny ecosystem of soil.  Depending on the season and type of plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your 'baby' should have a spot outside that is just for that Bonsai and depending on the plant it will be in shade or partial shade or full sun...every spring and summer after being retrained to go outside.  The tree is able to make maximum food to store in its roots from the best light and air of the out doors.  At a certain day length of light every fall, you retrain the Bonsai to go to its spot inside for the winter.  Routine is everything with Bonsai. You develop the routine by listening to the needs of your plant. Any and all stress is multiplied for Bonsai plants.  Make no mistake, a Bonsai is a pet who needs you 24/7.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you become successful, you are going to have to find someone to put in your will to take care of your Bonsai. Most likely someone in your Bonsai classes...do you begin to get the idea why decades old and century old Bonsai are so costly? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To purchase an expensive Bonsai without knowledge and practice is the worst way to learn. There are &lt;em&gt;inexpensive&lt;/em&gt; Bonsai that are already started and would be good study tool.  When you take classes you'll begin to see that the inexpensive Bonsai done more or less on a production line is lamely done. You can become a Bonsai Snob!  Very cool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I only know from books what your country is about.  Hot dry summers and brutally cold winters.  All pictures I have seen of Turkey is rock and sand with little vegetation.  Is this true?  Please talk about the temperatures and soils, and what is your USDA zone?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other ways to protect the baby trees to ensure they survive the winter such as; covering with row cloth, making a perimeter of straw bales around the trees, covering with row cloth, use up the rest of the straw from doing the little trenches of root pruning to mulch the soil around all the baby trees (after a good last soaking before the freeze hits), one could use plastic milk jugs as a mini greenhouse for each tree, rubber tires work well to make a more hospitable micro environment. Be careful to watch closely as little rodents love the warmth, safety of a mulch and will chew on the trunks.  I don't know what you've got for rats, voles, mice. Not to worry, this isn't that big of a deal if you are vigilant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But leaving those little trees right where they are is best.  The trenching would be an experiment you'll have to do anyway and fall is best.  The little trees will be putting down more roots all winter long.  In the spring you'll have a couple of trees ready to pot and play with.  The rest you'll trench and prepare to be potted in the spring to be potted the NEXT spring when you are a master Bonsai dude.  Well, at least a novice. You could also think about getting free classes if you offer your instructor some of your trees all ready to start Bonsai manipulation/husbandry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've dreamed about doing Bonsai you HAVE to take a class or two or three!!  Akin to martial arts, just getting to black belt (keeping a Bonsai alive) means you are learning the language of plants and on your way to becoming a 2nd degree black belt... and so on. A gardener.  A human that understands the needs of plants which are completely different than needs of animals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does Turkey have classes in Bonsai?  Tell us more about Turkey and the soil, and water and availability for potting soil, Bonsai pots, how long before the next freeze, what other experience you've had with plants.  Do you have a shaded patio?  Get a few Bonsai books for the winter as well.  All this work, in my opinion is WORTH doing!!  Best kind of pet and a way to better understand life around you. Hope this is helpful.  I get focused and typing and well, I am known for TMI!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-12T20:54:53.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29560" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29558" CreationDate="2016-10-12T23:32:18.990" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, remove the yellow part of the stalk cleanly with a knife at a node where the stem swells. Don't be surprised if it continues to die back.  See this answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/24491/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more details on these plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this plant is in water be sure to keep the water topped up and change it regularly so algae don't get started in the medium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-10-12T23:32:18.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29561" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29546" CreationDate="2016-10-13T01:15:32.900" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have never fertilised any of my vegetables or fruit trees apart from using compost and compost tea. I would challenge that you need to add fertiliser to your vegetable garden especially if you use crop rotation and plant diverse range of vegetables together as companions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use worm casting from my worm farm to brew my compost tea. Making compost tea: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/composttea.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/composttea.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Example&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/mcry6iT6nvo&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/mcry6iT6nvo&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12024" LastEditorUserId="12024" LastEditDate="2016-10-13T11:09:52.637" LastActivityDate="2016-10-13T11:09:52.637" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29562" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-13T04:36:51.523" Score="3" ViewCount="187" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q5T&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q5T&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HvZ8J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HvZ8J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone explain why my Gardenia is blossoming like this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16067" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-13T15:52:34.057" LastActivityDate="2016-10-13T19:21:10.297" Title="Why does my gardenia look deformed and have dark spots on the flowers?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29562" CreationDate="2016-10-13T19:21:10.297" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That flower looks old and bruised.  Just touching the petals will sometimes bruise them and won't show up until the flower gets old.  Was this flower like this when it opened?  The stamens look spent as well, so this flower IS old, yes?  Flowers are short term perishables.  Sometimes florists will chop those stamens off to prolong the life of a flower.  Something about the pollen on the petals seems to quicken maturity and the flower gets old faster.  Let's send a picture of the entire plant, that might help us 'see the big picture'!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-13T19:21:10.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29564" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24959" CreationDate="2016-10-14T00:03:12.443" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Conophytum have a resting period in summer, when the existing leaves dry up and form a sheath over the newer leaves - during this time, watering should be much reduced. This process is likely what's taken place, rather than your plant actually starting to die, so don't worry about that. From late summer onwards (end of July), resume normal watering, watering well. If you think it needs repotting, use a shallow pot or pan because they're very shallow rooting and don't need a lot of soil depth. You can repot every two years, but they're usually fine if left a lot longer, they're pretty slow growing, but should be given a low nitrogen liquid fertilizer a couple of times a year if you don't repot into fresh potting medium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lithops are usually not watered during winter and watering is started again around May, but if you live somewhere with warm winters, a small amount of water might be necessary during winter occasionally. The advice for potting with Lithops is roughly every couple of years, removing all traces of the old potting compost -  this is carried out just before the first watering after winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your plants really haven't grown at all in four years, it may be you're not giving them the right treatment, so its worth reading the information on both plants in the link below - there is an extensive amount of background information on Lithops because there are so many varieties, but the parts referring to growth cycle, watering and potting are towards the end &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.smale-conophytum.co.uk/grow_conos.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.smale-conophytum.co.uk/grow_conos.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-14T00:38:07.563" LastActivityDate="2016-10-14T00:38:07.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29565" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-14T01:12:27.807" Score="3" ViewCount="1346" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this plant? The little marble sized yellow fruit (tomatoes?) grows on a vine and close to the ground. Is it edible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found it near an abandoned nursery in Roanoke, Virginia, where other tomatoes thrive wildly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HaGqo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HaGqo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The picture is sourced from my &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1552920098055348&amp;amp;set=a.192017250812313.56189.100000121198744&amp;amp;type=3&amp;amp;theater&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;facebook page&lt;/a&gt;.  It's available for public viewing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16070" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-11-08T01:17:28.027" LastActivityDate="2016-11-08T02:42:32.410" Title="What is this low-growing plant with small yellow fruit found in Roanoke, Virginia? Is it edible?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29567" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29568" CreationDate="2016-10-14T06:58:52.097" Score="4" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;We bought a cherry tomato plant. Since we do not have room in our window, we planted it in a pot inside the house, and put a lamp directly above it. It grew for several weeks and gave some fruits, but now its leaves are becoming yellow:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8HmN3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8HmN3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7wrWD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7wrWD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to save it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2748" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-10-14T09:04:01.710" Title="How to rescue our cherry tomato" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29568" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29567" CreationDate="2016-10-14T09:04:01.710" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nope, your plant has done its job.  You did well to actually get a few tomatoes growing indoors.  Next year match the pot size to the plant; small plant small pot, grows bigger, roots start coming out of the bottom, transplant to a slightly larger pot.  Too much soil, holds too much water, the little plant can't suck it up, dries by evaporation too slowly and root rot, other fungal diseases proliferate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of light have you been using?  Need a real grow light, florescent. Keep harvesting tomatoes as soon as the tomatoes begin to ripen and finish on a dark, cool shelf and this helps the plant to set more flowers and make more tomatoes...and your plant will last longer. They are supposed to be perennial in the tropics, greenhouses, indoors with good light proper maintenance and should last at least 2 or 3 years.  I've never grown tomatoes past one season. Mimicking seasonal natural day/night hours helps set fruit. Make sure you don't fertilize too heavily with nitrogen and pollination is more complicated in doors as well, did you manually pollinate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-14T09:04:01.710" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29570" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="608" CreationDate="2016-10-14T14:11:09.047" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the fall up here in Wisconsin I pull the empty sunflower seed bags over my roses and stuff the oak leaves in around the branches for a winter insulation. Come spring I pile them together and pass the lawn mower over them collecting them in the lawn mower bag.  The shredded leaves are stored in plastic garden bags to be added into the mulch bins throughout the spring and summer.  Works well!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16076" LastActivityDate="2016-10-14T14:11:09.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29571" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29629" CreationDate="2016-10-14T14:48:34.143" Score="3" ViewCount="4897" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, it's mid october, the plug-pulling lawn Aerator that I ordered in early august got here today. In the past two weeks, as is pretty normal in my neck of the woods, the weather has looked like this, and is quickly getting colder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yNiIm.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yNiIm.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking about still aerating my lawn, but don't want to expose roots to winter temperatures. Should I hold off until the spring, or can you aerate pretty much all year long?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7103" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-14T22:24:46.853" LastActivityDate="2016-10-18T20:03:06.657" Title="Can it be too late to aerate the lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;aeration&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29572" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-14T15:28:03.133" Score="3" ViewCount="660" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do I need to cut dead leaves by the trunk or I can just peel it all the way down?&#xA;Seems as when peeling to the ground there is a lot of water/moist there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16077" LastActivityDate="2016-10-24T21:05:04.080" Title="How to properly remove Dead Banana tree leaves" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29469" CreationDate="2016-10-14T15:48:21.430" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could post it online or in newspapers that you are giving a way free tree. You would be surprised by how many people will respond. &#xA;Be very specific and provide as much details so that you minimize inquiries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We did this twice and both times trees were successfully removed for free.&#xA;One time tree was so big that we got  local news involved and they made buzz about removing a huge tree in community. This help us get professional tree removal company, electrical company and a roll off dumpster company. They all volunteer for the exposure and contributed to the local community.&#xA;I don't remember the electricians as they were out of state doing a project in our area but landscaping company was LandworkContractors and roll off was Easy Dumpster Rental. I can look up the electric company if anyone is interested but you are in UK and I doubt these companies will go there - haha.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16077" LastActivityDate="2016-10-14T15:48:21.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29574" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-14T17:25:11.343" Score="10" ViewCount="3908" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone tell me the name of this plant. It is growing in a pot in Morocco. It has hairy stem and leaves. I haven't seen any flowers yet, but I've been told they are blue or purple. It does not have a scent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hvaLo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hvaLo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16078" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-10-16T23:37:13.690" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T23:43:38.037" Title="What is this plant with hairy stems and opposite leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="13" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29575" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29592" CreationDate="2016-10-14T18:58:15.413" Score="4" ViewCount="595" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend gave me this succulent because I thought it looked cool. Can you help me figure out what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://s14.postimg.org/h35m9bq2p/IMG_0038.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Valid XHTML&quot;&gt;.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://s14.postimg.org/pmp072yf5/IMG_0040.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Valid XHTML&quot;&gt;.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://s14.postimg.org/c71zhmpxd/IMG_0041.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Valid XHTML&quot;&gt;.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://s14.postimg.org/h6zfpkvk1/IMG_0042.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Valid XHTML&quot;&gt;.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://s14.postimg.org/aukafqsht/IMG_0043.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Valid XHTML&quot;&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took some pictures with the flash and some without. The trunk from the base to the tip is about 4 inches. Let me know if you need anymore info. Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16079" LastActivityDate="2016-10-15T20:53:30.497" Title="What is this succulent with little orange flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ClosedDate="2020-05-24T19:38:04.310" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29576" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8814" CreationDate="2016-10-14T21:57:35.620" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've tried everything ever conceived to get rid of gophers. I set traps until they were worn out, and not worn out from catching anything either. I used Gasser's until the bank called and said if I didn't stop, I'd have to file bankruptcy  The only truly reliable and consistent way is to start shoveling. I find the runway, and get right in there and dig until I find a gopher. This method makes a hell of a mess, but when the day is done you can feel proud that you out smarted a pesky gopher. And the next day you can spend filling in the trench, which may be up to a quarter mile long, or more. But best of all, it's free. Even if you don't own a shovel, you can always find someone to borrow one from. Good luck, the sun and fresh air will do you good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16081" LastActivityDate="2016-10-14T21:57:35.620" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29579" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29586" CreationDate="2016-10-15T11:39:16.167" Score="2" ViewCount="164" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think I read somewhere about rearranging plant's roots in certain ways within the soil inside a pot to make it think it's growing in a larger space, and as a result let it grow bigger, as if it was planted in a large pot. I don't remember any details, and what I've tried so far hasn't shown significant results, so I'd like to know if it's even possible to achieve this effect − make the plant grow larger without increasing the soil volume.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think one of the ways was to make horizontal layers where water would accumulate like on the bottom of the pot, effectively increasing the number of &quot;bottoms&quot; inside a pot, but I couldn't create such a structure at home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ultimately what I want to achieve is to grow larger plants on a small balcony (or window sill) with limited space for pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Currently I have two citrus plants growing at their limit of 1.5m (5ft), due to available soil in their pots, 20cm (8in) deep, 20cm (8in) wide, and I'm also planning on planting golden raspberry and almond from seeds. My available sill space is 80cm (31in) by 20cm (8in), and ~2m (~6.5ft) in height, and the balcony space is roughly 20cm (8in) by 4m (13ft), but the cold days have started and I've moved the only 2 pots I care about to the sill. I'd like to at least grow the almond seeds now and repot them closer to spring into bigger pots, and then maybe move them to the country house's grounds next year.  We'll see how that goes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2273" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-16T15:56:09.660" LastActivityDate="2016-10-16T15:56:09.660" Title="How can I trick plants into thinking there's more space in the pot so they grow larger?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29580" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29589" CreationDate="2016-10-15T11:54:36.783" Score="6" ViewCount="1636" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wiped the leaves of this Umbrella plant (Variegated Schefflera) some weeks ago. Now I am seeing all these white and red bugs on the leaves of the plant. I can easily take them off with a stick. After taking one off, it doesn't seem like they are hurting the plant, but who knows? I don't know anything about them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I get rid of them or should I leave them be? Are they eating other insects that can hurt my plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5gNGo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5gNGo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TTNcf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TTNcf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TLWSJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TLWSJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ogrqK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ogrqK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-17T20:38:02.573" LastActivityDate="2016-10-17T20:38:02.573" Title="Should I remove the tiny, cute, white and red bugs from my Umbrella plant (Variegated Schefflera)?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29581" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29585" CreationDate="2016-10-15T11:55:23.320" Score="5" ViewCount="381" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read many times guides on how to properly start seed growth by wrapping them in wet towels or placing in a bit of water and storing in a cool place (like basement or refrigerator) for a few days, but I never found out why do that in the first place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know it's not required because I've had success growing plants from seeds that I took directly from live plants and put right into soil. So why do it then?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2273" LastActivityDate="2016-10-16T08:04:59.993" Title="Why germinate seeds outside of soil?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29582" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29584" CreationDate="2016-10-15T11:58:49.170" Score="3" ViewCount="152" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got some seeds which I couldn't identify and I'd like to know if it makes any difference if I plant them the &quot;wrong&quot; side up or sideways. Would it significantly decrease its chances to grow? Or does it depend on the seed? My seeds vary in sizes from 2mm to 6cm in average diameter, but I'm interested in answers for all possible sizes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2273" LastActivityDate="2016-10-15T12:37:15.707" Title="Does it matter which side up a seed is planted?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29580" CreationDate="2016-10-15T12:29:14.403" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think they're one of the mealy bugs, and the pinkish cluster are eggs - the beetle in the last picture might be one of the ladybirds, hard to be sure because it's out of focus. Mealy bug images here, though these are mostly mediterranean types &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-283893563/stock-photo-mealybugs-species-plant-pests-of-mediterranean-region-scale-insects-of-the-order-hemiptera.html?src=miR7AOKayurbVrAKHLU-yw-1-13&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-283893563/stock-photo-mealybugs-species-plant-pests-of-mediterranean-region-scale-insects-of-the-order-hemiptera.html?src=miR7AOKayurbVrAKHLU-yw-1-13&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mealybugs are not a good thing on plants - they suck the sap from the stems and leaves, reducing plant vigour, and increase in numbers quite rapidly. You can continue removing by hand at least daily, but its probably best to treat with something like neem oil or insecticidal soap to get rid of, or control, them. You should check all your other plants for signs of infestation too, and treat accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-15T12:34:20.557" LastActivityDate="2016-10-15T12:34:20.557" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29584" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29582" CreationDate="2016-10-15T12:37:15.707" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not really,  no, it doesn't matter - what's more important is planting them at the right depth, which varies between varieties of seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-10-15T12:37:15.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29585" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29581" CreationDate="2016-10-15T12:39:32.753" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends on the plant and its seed - some seeds might be hard to germinate in soil, so its more successful to germinate them on wet towels, or they may require a period of cold in order to trigger growth, or may require heat, or damp and heat. But many seeds germinate perfectly well just being sown in soil or seed and cutting compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-10-15T12:39:32.753" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29579" CreationDate="2016-10-15T12:42:07.027" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't - roots need to grow, and as they grow, the plant grows. If the roots run out of room, then the plant doesn't get bigger. Try using tall, narrow pots, something like long tom pots, on the balcony - more room for roots with a much smaller footprint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-10-15T12:42:07.027" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29587" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-15T15:11:12.783" Score="2" ViewCount="94" Body="&lt;p&gt;My raspberries have turned white.  They were red, but we had a frost and now are white, are they still okay to eat?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16086" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T03:51:16.597" Title="White Raspberries after a frost" Tags="&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29587" CreationDate="2016-10-15T15:25:43.677" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They won't poison you, unless the white is actually a mould of some sort and you're sensitive to moulds, but they may not taste great - the cold has probably caused the whitening effect, and will likely have damaged the tissues/cells of the fruits.  If you are going to eat them, do it as soon as possible - they'll start deteriorating rapidly now they're frost damaged. it is a little odd though - I regularly freeze raspberries, and they aren't white once defrosted, but possibly this effect is because the berries are still on the bush and weren't frozen solid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-15T16:03:05.703" LastActivityDate="2016-10-15T16:03:05.703" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29589" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29580" CreationDate="2016-10-15T17:44:40.427" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your Pokemons are &lt;strong&gt;waxy scale&lt;/strong&gt;, or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccidae&quot;&gt;coccidae&lt;/a&gt;. Your description in the comments above is spot on: another name is &quot;tortoise scale&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/scales/florida_wax_scale.htm&quot;&gt;Florida wax scale&lt;/a&gt; (Ceroplastes floridensis) looks quite similar, but I wouldn't venture a definitive id based on a few photos, Ceroplastes japonicus (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.actaplantarum.org/floraitaliae/viewtopic.php?t=13946&quot;&gt;pictures&lt;/a&gt;) is another possible candidate, and there are more Ceroplastes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As cute as they are, they do damage your plant. The nymphs are sucking lots of plant sap, which weakens the plant and their sweet excrement (yes, they poop out sugars from the plant's sap) can be a base and fodder for fungal diseases. And they multiply quickly....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are a very patient person, you can pick them off every day or so, but with only limited success - especially the smallest ones hide in every nook and crevice. This is where an insecticide is justified. I &lt;em&gt;personally&lt;/em&gt; had good success with systemic pesticides (ok here because you don't eat the schefflera), because it gets even the tiny ones that might hide from sprays. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-10-15T17:44:40.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29590" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8387" CreationDate="2016-10-15T20:13:49.683" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Regardless of all said of any &quot;pros of burlap. I've landscaped for over 30 years and have never kept burlap on any root ball, ever. No-where in nature would the act of burlap wrap be mimicking its natural state. wrapping and retaining root ball of any plant is against its need to secure its base by reaching out to take hold quickly while also seeking moisture &amp;amp; nutrients. Specific issue; Those arborvites are not large enough to even consider burlap. The plants are too young ...Their roots are no where near strong enough to penetrate any &quot;wrap. Burlap can end up (and very likely will) do 3 detrimental things depending on its actual fabric treatment; 1. It can repel water. 2. It can keep moisture in and disallow filtering, draining, and air. 3. Stunt, retard and disfigure any plants natural root extension &amp;amp; pattern.&#xA;Burlap should only be used during transferring, it's job is to keep the root ball most and intact, then removed at replanting, period.&lt;br&gt;&#xA; (It's my strong opinion that your after planting efforts didn't kill them, the &quot;before planting did (meaning the retained burlap killed them) ... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16090" LastEditorUserId="16090" LastEditDate="2016-10-15T20:49:11.583" LastActivityDate="2016-10-15T20:49:11.583" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29592" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29575" CreationDate="2016-10-15T20:53:30.497" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=images&amp;amp;cd=&amp;amp;cad=rja&amp;amp;uact=8&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjS6N6hz93PAhUiqVQKHeruBf4QjRwIBw&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F180214422568354560%2F&amp;amp;bvm=bv.135974163,d.cGw&amp;amp;psig=AFQjCNHATMPZTbk4FJUCPf8BthhqZnfD_g&amp;amp;ust=1476648685543052://&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Crassula&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this look like your plant when you first purchased and brought it home?  Looks like it has brown scale and giving up.  There is no GREEN left.  Green means photosynthesis is happening.  Where has this plant been located?  Looks like way too little light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to try to save this plant, I'd get new potting soil, a new pot (try 4&quot; wide and 2&quot; deep, clay), transplant, make sure it is in a south window out of direct sun or use a grow light.  Wash the leaves very gently in dish soap, very very gently.  Water but don't soak.  Allow a bit of water to drain out of the bottom hole (no rocks, or sand, or gravel at the bottom). Let it just acclimate.  Don't use any fertilize until we see if there is any new growth.  The next step would be to cut those stems back to 2 or 3 inches, removing that frumpy top growth.  Don't mist.  If your succulent (a desert plant that loves dry air, sporadic, shallow showers and incredible drainage, never wet feet/roots and full sun) starts to show life great, otherwise, try again with a new group of these sweet plants.  Do not love them to death.  The number one cause of indoor succulent plant death is too much care. No misting, no watering until the soil is bone dry, plenty of light and once per year a little 'Osmocote' 14-14-14.  Remove the foo foo rocks on the surface of the soil so that you are able to watch 'vital signs', water with distilled water not tap water, no direct sunlight unless acclimated (don't bother with this right now), once per year extended release fertilizer, increase the pot size by an inch no more and transplant only into potting soil when the bulk of that plant quadruples in size from what it is right now.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My measurements are a suggestion only.  I'd need to see more of your plant if it lives.  Have you ever seen those framed, live succulent 'pictures' for mounting on a wall? Massed succulents like yours grown in a shallow frame of soil, once they all grow together and their roots hold the soil and plants to the back of the frame, people hang them in their homes for temporary purposes, definitely cool 'decorations' in the garden as well as creating a 'garden' on top of roofs of livaboard homes. Pretty tough plants and I love groupings of these cute little guys.  They grow up of course and can look very different than when you purchased them.  The cool thing is these succulents are slow growing and make lots of miniature clones of themselves to continue the family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-15T20:53:30.497" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29581" CreationDate="2016-10-15T22:08:21.697" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;People very commonly do this to test germination rates (because you can know the moment they germinate), especially for old or questionable seeds, or sometimes maybe seeds that just take a long time to germinate. &lt;em&gt;Some&lt;/em&gt; people do it to germinate seeds generally, without regard to testing rates, but it surprises me that it would be recommended in multiple guides you've seen as standard practice for anything but testing germination rates or the other things I mentioned in the same sentence, except maybe for certain kinds of seeds (but not common vegetables, anyway).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-10-15T22:08:21.697" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29594" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-16T00:50:20.783" Score="5" ViewCount="1679" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant blew in months ago and quickly grew up. The shape of the leaves vary. No two leaves look exactly the same in profile but usually has the same basic form but often one of the lobes are missing. Typically about 5 lobes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now believed to be palmate. Maybe pinnate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has smooth edges and is shiny. Edges curve under slightly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DcIEi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DcIEi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further information from previous comments:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Found in my garden in Western US. It randomly grew in. We have a lot of strange things &quot;blow&quot; in like lantanas of different colors, snapdragons, petunias, a basil, etc...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;the leaves do look kind of like a fig.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It is less than a year old and has had no fruit we have noticed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Next door neighbor has a fig tree but this plant does not look like their variety which has large and broad leaves.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Currently thinking maybe a hybrid, mutant, or still undetermined variety of fig or fig-like plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone find anything more definitive than fig-like?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16092" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:31:49.820" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T02:31:49.820" Title="What is this plant with highly variable 3-5 lobed palmate, smooth edged leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29595" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29603" CreationDate="2016-10-16T02:23:08.047" Score="3" ViewCount="117" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have little insects in pot with &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlumbergera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Schlumbergera&lt;/a&gt;. They are crawling in soil, and occasionally on the pot (it's yellow plastic). I don't see them on plant itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are not really in big numbers or disturbing in any way and plant is OK.&#xA;I'm just curious, but maybe I should get rid of them. They are not jumping when I poke them, just crawling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure if they are insects or bugs or mites or whatever mites. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xr7fC.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xr7fC.png&quot; alt=&quot;insect in question&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&#xA;I think it's &lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/images/EUy4iK&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hypoaspis miles&lt;/a&gt;. I am having fungus gnats for some time and also Springtails. And this bugs appeared. At first I was like &quot;Another pest...&quot; and blamed bad soil from shop, but... this is actually solution for my other insect problems! I'll observe general situation about all this and decide what to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But hey, they are still crawling... bugs... kind of scary, I just want flowers, not bugs :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16093" LastEditorUserId="16093" LastEditDate="2016-10-16T22:40:07.353" LastActivityDate="2016-10-16T23:32:22.367" Title="What are these insects in my potted Schlumbergera?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29596" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29581" CreationDate="2016-10-16T08:04:59.993" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Beans are such plants, which is good to germinate before to plant. The reason, in case of beans, is to reduce deceases: less time that they remain in vulnerable state, before to growth. Note: beans are softer then most of other vegetable seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, the only germinated plants I plant are beans and potatoes (but in this case, not from seeds).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-10-16T08:04:59.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29597" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-16T08:32:27.817" Score="5" ViewCount="517" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two maples have just come out of dormancy sprouting deformed leaves. They are nearly all curled and some have shrivelled and died with black edges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what it could be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are outside mainly in shade. Direct sun is not an issue. Its warm temparatures, and I cannot see any bugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0ktSh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0ktSh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R417e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R417e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yD5Wx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yD5Wx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15103" LastEditorUserId="15103" LastEditDate="2016-10-16T08:38:14.880" LastActivityDate="2016-10-16T19:31:18.773" Title="Trident maple leaf curl with some dark tips" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29598" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29599" CreationDate="2016-10-16T08:35:50.457" Score="7" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;I commonly heard people saying oily or meat products should not be added to their compost, but I've rarely heard anything about plants in this regard. In particular, I would like to know the rules about small-scale (I have lid-covered bins of 70cm (27in) side and 80cm (31in) height) and cold composting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do fresh pruning waste carry seeds of weeds so that they should not be used in cold composting? For instance, I have a bag of &lt;em&gt;Duranta repens&lt;/em&gt; prunings (leaves and branches) collected last week. Is it suitable for cold composting (I heard it is toxic as well as a weed)? How about general grass clippings? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if anyone also knows about &lt;em&gt;Duranta repens&lt;/em&gt; C/N ratio, please also tell me. I don't want to start a new thread for such a small question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16094" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-16T19:52:51.433" LastActivityDate="2016-10-16T19:52:51.433" Title="Are all plant materials suitable for cold compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29598" CreationDate="2016-10-16T12:58:00.833" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a bunch of questions there, so I'll take them one by one. First, you should not add meat or fish, cooked or otherwise, to a compost system, unless its a Bokashi method, and oil of any kind should be excluded. Second, if your composting is anaerobic and cold, then you should not add certain pernicious weeds such as the bindweeds or dandelion roots, which will grow from a tiny piece of stem or root; other weeds are fine so long as you remove flowers and seedheads such as berries or pods first, just add the leaves and stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regard to poisonous or toxic plants, yes, you can add the green parts to your heap, whether its cold or hot composting - the toxic substances will be broken down over time and will not make the resulting compost toxic - the only exception to this might be Yew, which I wouldn't recommend adding - the needles take too long to compost down anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With regard to C:N ratio, the easiest ratio to aim for is roughly two thirds carbon, one third nitrogen, or three quarters carbon to a quarter nitrogen. The official, recommended ratio is 25 or 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen, but that does not take account of moisture ratio, so for scientific purists, its actually a bit more complicated than the official ratio suggests. Fresh, green materials count as nitrogen, but dead leaves and woody stems and branches count as carbon. Woody material will take an awfully long time to break  down  in a cold composting system, so its probably best not added at all. However, if you're short of browns (carbon) then chop the wood into the tiniest pieces possible, which will help it to break down more quickly. You can add grass clippings; if they are green, they're a useful source of nitrogen, but they should be sparingly added, a thin layer at a time - if you add a lot at once in a thick layer, they will become a smelly, slimy mess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With regard to Datura repens, you should protect your skin when handling the plant if you want to strip off the leaves for composting - all parts are toxic and may cause a skin reaction, and remember not to touch your face with any gloves you may be wearing for protection, both from the thorns and the plant material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For basic guidelines, more reading here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenmyths.com/how-to-compost-browns-greens/&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenmyths.com/how-to-compost-browns-greens/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-16T13:28:09.230" LastActivityDate="2016-10-16T13:28:09.230" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29600" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14182" CreationDate="2016-10-16T18:01:04.177" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a distinct benefit to using greensand over DE or rock dust, that is the soil conditioning properties, as greensand adds a beautiful free-draining texture for organic potting soil applications. I must note that I use all 3 products in my typical mix, using 3mm or less DE, not dust or flour, primarily for drainage and silicon, azomite for the full range of minerals and i will water several times with 8% humic acid to make the minerals more available. I have heard that kelp meal is preferred for more sensitive plants. Drainage and nutrients are our biggest issues on our heavy clay soil and we also grow many vegetables in pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16097" LastActivityDate="2016-10-16T18:01:04.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29601" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5977" CreationDate="2016-10-16T18:41:28.960" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems like CFLs or fluorescent tubes would be a better option. That's what most people use and they provide the broadband blue-violet and UV light that LEDs can't provide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16098" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-10-16T23:33:36.843" LastActivityDate="2016-10-16T23:33:36.843" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29597" CreationDate="2016-10-16T19:31:18.773" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Has there been enough time for these leaves to 'unfurl' to their mature form? There is one disease to be considering; Anthracnose.  A fungal disease.  Before any treatment we need to verify exactly what your plants truly have.&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/pests/plant-diseases/all-fact-sheets/anthracnose-on-shade-treeshttp://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Anthracnose on shade trees&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send another picture of one of the same views you've sent.  This article has a few simple signs you need to look for and send pictures of what you find. Closeups of the underside of the leaf, pictures of vegetative buds not in leaf, some of the twig ends, pruning cuts.  Do you have a loupe? (magnifying glass without handle 10X).  This will have to entail a few more pictures and investigation on your part. This is one of the maples least susceptible to disease. Is this a Bonsai?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-16T19:31:18.773" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29603" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29595" CreationDate="2016-10-16T20:10:45.843" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/images/EUy4iK&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Soil mites&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can count 8 legs and you find no signs of spider mite on your plant then this guy is a Soil Mite, and lucky you!!  This is a delightful predator!  Do not! use any pesticide or try to eradicate them.  They are the good guys.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="16093" LastEditDate="2016-10-16T23:32:22.367" LastActivityDate="2016-10-16T23:32:22.367" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29604" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-16T21:49:51.900" Score="3" ViewCount="7920" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a dracaena and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.houseplantsexpert.com/zz-plant.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;zz plant&lt;/a&gt;, zamioculcas zamiifolia, in my apartment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two weeks ago, the dracaena leaves tips started to get yellow and brown, and the zz leaves turned yellow. I cut the affected tips and removed the yellow leaves but the problem is still there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water them once weekly when they dry and just as little as a quarter cup of water (I test the soil with a kebab bamboo stick). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I started to water them with bottled water instead of tap water last week. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no sun light at all, only 2 ceiling fluorescent lamps. Before they had this problem I sprayed all of my plants with alcohol-soap because I suspected one of them has a pest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They seem to be dying quickly and every day there are new yellowing leaves. I don't know what's going on or what I should do. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ftLS4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ftLS4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PCTCw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PCTCw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16096" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-17T14:56:28.973" LastActivityDate="2016-10-17T14:56:28.973" Title="Why are my Dracaena and ZZ leaves turning yellow?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29606" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-16T23:20:19.323" Score="5" ViewCount="417" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know the name of this plant? I have been searching everywhere for its name, but failed terribly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wty8r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16099" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-10-16T23:35:29.837" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T19:02:10.770" Title="What is this cactus with smooth round spineless stems?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29608" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29604" CreationDate="2016-10-17T00:48:09.067" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your Corn plant, Dracena, needs up-potting...I'd use a pot 2&quot; larger than this pot.  Is this a 6&quot; pot?  Go to a bit deeper and 2&quot; wider diameter pot.  Shake out the roots a bit and transplant using only potting soil.  Get some Osmocote fertilizer (14-14-14) extended release. This is usually used 2 X per year for indoor plants. This guy needs fertilizer and a bit larger pot.  In 3 months, you'll need a larger pot, 10&quot; in diameter.  To big a pot too soon will make most plants unhappy.  No rocks, gravel at the bottom of a pot that HAS to have a drainage hole. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use distilled water, once every 3 months put all your indoor plants into the shower, turn on the cold water and let them have a good 10-15 minute shower.  Turn it off and allow these plant to drain, drip, dry off a bit...a couple of hours.  No saucers allowed in their shower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This ZZ plant is interesting.  Looks quite healthy except this one branch.  Cut that entire branch off at the beginning of that branch.  Clean the scissors or pruners with alcohol.  When this plant gets dry put in the shower for a good wash.  If anymore leaves start doing this we will need to revisit! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Quit using tap water.  Too many salts that will cause the tips of indoor plants and their margins to yellow and brown.  The shower thing won't be a problem as it will add too little of the salts used once every 3 months.  But get distilled water to water your plants with as by definition is JUST water.  Only water the plants when the soil is dry, the corn plant will need more watering than the ZZ. Do you see any breakage at the bottom of that yellow branch?  Any other leaves beginning to show any yellowing? Make sure you clean any pruner, scissors, fingers after touching this plant.  Just being careful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-17T00:48:09.067" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29526" CreationDate="2016-10-17T00:57:38.480" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;After some super input from 'someone else', we should consider Arctium lappa or Common Burdock.  These leaves in the picture are of a plant without fertilizer and only periodic watering.  Burdock leaves can get huge with lots of water and a bit of fertilizer!  Look at the margins, overall shape, color and if we were to pull that plant out of there we could see that root.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this answer is correct, then I doubt this caused the puppies any sickness. I'd like to hear what the symptoms of those puppies were?  What the veterinarians have found.  Please say they are fine now, those puppies or puppy is still fine?!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-17T00:57:38.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29610" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29612" CreationDate="2016-10-17T04:37:22.090" Score="3" ViewCount="729" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mom gave me cuttings of this plant. She didn't know what it was but it seemed to do alright outside in the shade in Houston.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for closer view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sDdAY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sDdAYl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0uTqA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0uTqAl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BsxQ9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BsxQ9l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13807" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-17T19:49:30.223" LastActivityDate="2016-10-17T19:49:30.223" Title="What are these potted plants with thin stems and leaves that look like sticks?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29611" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29606" CreationDate="2016-10-17T04:56:38.137" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am allowed only (allowed by myself) a certain amount of time to ID. Arghhh! &#xA;The plant that is a succulent and produces 'babies' like this is Kalanchoe.  I'm going for Kalanchoe delagoensis.  This one is tough!  Hey, someone will love proving me wrong to get this right!  I am dying to know this one...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-17T04:56:38.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29612" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29610" CreationDate="2016-10-17T05:07:02.050" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try this one; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=hatiora%20salicornioides&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1067&amp;amp;bih=513&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjyhdzhh-HPAhXhwlQKHT1AC8oQiR4IgQEhttp://&quot;&gt;drunkard cactus, little bottles&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let's see if this name works for this plant.  I like the drunkard part because it looks like lots of little bottles...grins!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-17T05:07:02.050" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29594" CreationDate="2016-10-17T05:29:14.893" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is Ficus carica.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://lh2treeid.blogspot.com/2010/04/ficus-carica-common-fig.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Ficus carica&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="724" LastEditDate="2016-10-17T15:09:45.607" LastActivityDate="2016-10-17T15:09:45.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29614" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29580" CreationDate="2016-10-17T05:52:12.423" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best way I've found to rid this plant of scale would be to tear a paper plate, one tear, one radius from edge to the center so that you can put that paper plate on your plant at the base.  The plate is upside down when the plant is right side up, grins. It traps any soil that might fall out...  Perfect use for NEEM. Use a big plastic pail, fill with water (measure amount), add proper amount of NEEM to the amount of water.  Mix.  Turn your plant upside down using that paper plate to hold the soil in the pot.  Dip the entire plant in this NEEM and water dip.  Swish around, upright let dry and replace.  Wash saucers, sprinkle top of soil with a bit of NEEM.  Go check your other plants for scale.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-17T05:52:12.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29615" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-17T10:56:12.260" Score="3" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just acquired a new plant, but the guy I bought it from had no idea about its name. So can you help me out? &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j1oME.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j1oME.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j1oME.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j1oME.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16078" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-10-17T22:13:38.260" LastActivityDate="2016-10-18T06:59:32.163" Title="Does anyone recognize this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29604" CreationDate="2016-10-17T12:12:59.450" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm also not sure the Dracaena is in the right size pot, its hard to tell from the picture, it may need something bigger. That said, the biggest issue is light - you can grow some houseplants (peace lily for instance) without any natural light at all by using fluorescent lights, but it sounds like you've just got a fluoresecent light up on the ceiling, and this is not doing the job. With no daylight at all, you will need to adjust or fix appropriate lighting to grow these plants successfully - a full spectrum bulb is best, but see link below for more information&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.todayshomeowner.com/how-to-grow-houseplants-in-artificial-light/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.todayshomeowner.com/how-to-grow-houseplants-in-artificial-light/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-10-17T12:12:59.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29617" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5324" CreationDate="2016-10-17T13:09:25.040" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's not a Hong Kong orchid.  It's a silk floss tree,  &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceiba_speciosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ceiba speciosa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (previously known as &lt;em&gt;Chlorisia speciosa&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16103" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-10-19T13:30:41.090" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T13:30:41.090" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29619" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29615" CreationDate="2016-10-18T01:44:24.040" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This reminds me of Mirabilis jalapa.&#xA;It has trumpet flowers, which can arrive in a variety of different colors.&#xA;It grows voraciously from a large tuber in the ground, with a similar look to a yam. &#xA;In my yard it is an obnoxious weed that spreads easily via it's seeds and is difficult to eradicate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15728" LastActivityDate="2016-10-18T01:44:24.040" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29620" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29639" CreationDate="2016-10-18T02:00:03.973" Score="3" ViewCount="133" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a long shot ID question for a Korean seed expert.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I traveled to South Korea where I mimed with a woman who was collecting seeds along the side of the road. I gathered that they are consumed, but I am not sure to what capacity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what I know:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seeds are approximately 1-2mm in size and derive from seedpods&#xA;approximately 2cm long.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seed pods (flowers) are on a stalk, approximately 1-2 m high.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Stalk consists of many multiples of seed pods (~20). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seed pods (flowers) orient 180˚ on the stalk. Cannot remember if seed pods alternate or oppose one another.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seed pods (flowers) spaced by 2-3cm up stalk.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Seeds are edible/medicinal after some unknown amount of processing. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Foliage low lying, 10-40 cm high.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Season of Seed: ~October&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Location: Eurwang-Dong, Yongjongdo (Island), Incheon, South Korea&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While in Korea I was told it was called Cassia. However, this does not appear to be a correct translation. Unfortunately, because I did not know I had been mislead until I'd left the area, I did not take a picture of the plant. :/ Any help is much appreciated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AzwdP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AzwdP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unidentified Seed from Korea&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15728" LastEditorUserId="15728" LastEditDate="2016-10-18T02:13:02.473" LastActivityDate="2016-10-20T00:45:57.350" Title="ID this Korean Roadside Plant by it's Tiny Seeds (Possibly Edible)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29621" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29615" CreationDate="2016-10-18T06:59:32.163" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is Lindernia dubia, Yellow-seeded False Pimpernel. What type and color of flowers?  Having technical problems....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-18T06:59:32.163" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29622" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29620" CreationDate="2016-10-18T11:08:45.600" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might well have been one of the Cassias - Cassia mimosiodes is used for tea, and the seeds are used as a folk or herbal treatment for various ailments, including inflammation, stomach troubles, asthma, typhoid and a host of other things. The other possibility is Senna obtusifolia - a product derived from processing the seeds is known as cassia, and the plant itself is sometimes referred to as Cassia humilis. The seeds from this are used roasted and ground as a coffee substitute, and in traditional Korean medicine, may be prepared as a tea. More info here on this plant &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senna_obtusifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senna_obtusifolia&lt;/a&gt; and Cassia mimosiodes here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naturalsolution.co.kr/natural/product/prodcut_view.php?page=0&amp;amp;set_page=3&amp;amp;cate_id=22&amp;amp;p_id=311&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.naturalsolution.co.kr/natural/product/prodcut_view.php?page=0&amp;amp;set_page=3&amp;amp;cate_id=22&amp;amp;p_id=311&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-10-18T11:08:45.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29623" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-18T11:59:14.370" Score="4" ViewCount="1067" Body="&lt;p&gt;My nephew is looking after these plants but recently they started losing leaves. He sprays them every day. Is it too much humidity? Any help would be most welcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jar0X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jar0X.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GrMxU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GrMxU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16078" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-21T00:26:56.200" LastActivityDate="2016-10-21T00:26:56.200" Title="Why are my Boston fern and Spider plants losing leaves?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29624" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-18T16:33:24.863" Score="2" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in USDA zone 5 and have banana plants planted in the ground.  I know I need to dig them up and bring them in (I left them out one year and covered them up but they didn't survive).  The question is do I put them in pots in front of a sunny window or hide them away in the cool basement?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16107" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-10-18T16:49:08.940" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T08:30:20.930" Title="Over wintering banana trees inside the house in USDA zone 5" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29625" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29526" CreationDate="2016-10-18T17:05:00.633" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is definitely burdock.  Its leaves can become massive and in its second year it will send up a large flower stalk with seeds that mature as spiny burs like velcro that will stick to your clothes.  Cool plant - has medicinal qualities.  Leaves are extremely bitter so I doubt your pet would want to eat it!  If you want to remove it, dig out as much of the taproot which can get very deep as you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2016-10-18T17:05:00.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29626" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29630" CreationDate="2016-10-18T17:18:13.653" Score="2" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rather than bag this pile of leaves and leave it at the curb&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vzHLZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vzHLZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used a tool to collect it and shred it&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C4BMx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C4BMx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tool&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;then dumped it in the corner of the yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v9Oti.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v9Oti.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;shredded leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will freeze in a few weeks. What will the result of this experiment most likely be? Will I find some nice (and organic, to boot) earth instead of this pile next Spring, or will I just find a lot of rotten leaves with a cornucopia of unpleasant insects that will go around to harm my yard and my two small plots of vegetables?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15099" LastActivityDate="2016-10-18T21:07:49.247" Title="Is it wise to shred leaves and leave them in a corner rather than bag them?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;fall-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29627" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29626" CreationDate="2016-10-18T18:48:38.523" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You will have the same heap until springtime. When weather will be warmer, the heap will disappear quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually I collect the leaves and I put them near delicate plants and flowers, to protect their root from frozen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-10-18T18:48:38.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29628" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29571" CreationDate="2016-10-18T18:51:37.800" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have always done this in October.Don't know if it's right or wrong but I have always aerated ,reseeded,lime n fertilize this time of year. I am in the Charlotte area of NC.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16034" LastActivityDate="2016-10-18T18:51:37.800" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29571" CreationDate="2016-10-18T20:03:06.657" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fall is the best time to aerate.  I wouldn't do it when temperatures at night are regularly at or below freezing but your temperatures look balmy, now.  I am assuming you have cool season grasses since you are looking forward to a winter and freezing, &lt;strong&gt;so go ahead and aerate&lt;/strong&gt;.  Leave those plugs right where they fall.  They will disintegrate adding soil and bacteria to the surface that will greatly help with reducing thatch (if any).  Core aeration reduces compaction and also gets more air into the lawn's bed to boost your micro and macro flora and fauna health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the temperatures you have shown, your fall is looking just fine for aerating.  You are right to worry about subjecting the roots to freezing temperatures.  Believe it or not, fall is the best time for aeration. Is this aerator rented or did you purchase your very own? (Make some money by helping your neighbors, aerating is one of the easiest lawn responsibilities). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be sure you do not cut your grass any shorter than 3&quot; at any time of the year.  This length is critical to maintain always!  The reason is, our cool season grass species that make up our lawns have huge root systems genetically.  If you've been watering correctly (watering deeply and allowing to dry out before watering deeply again) those roots will be 4-6&quot; deep. Necessary for making your lawn drought resistant and eliminating any weeds that might have germinated. In between watering the weeds won't be able to grow as the surface is dry and your grasses are enjoying moist soils down deeper.  Also, the height of your grass at 3&quot; (not 2 1/2&quot; or 2 3/4&quot; but 3&quot;) keeps the surface soils shaded further inhibiting grow of weed seeds and reducing evaporation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fall is also an important time to do the last fertilizing.  The formulation is different than earlier in the season.  Do not use a fast acting, high nitrogen fertilizer.  You don't want fresh, new, more vulnerable grass photosynthetic matter going into the winter.  This will set you up for major fungal disease problems in the sping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like the 'organic' (I am not a fan of the oft used words 'organic', 'natural'...chemicals are chemicals) brands that are extended release, slower to take effect, and come with bacteria for thatch decomposition and mycorrhizae (for symbiotic support of the roots).  Make sure you look for the formulation for FALL.  It will be lower in Nitrogen or at least equal in percentage to the Phosphorus and Potassium: For instance 7-8-9 or 10-10-10.  Check out Dr. Earth...that is the one I am familiar with and used for client's lawns as well.  Worth ever cent.  You'll find this type of fertilizer is more expensive but by using this expensive fertilizer you only need to do 2 or 3 applications not the normal 4 applications.  Follow the directions closely.  It takes more fertilizer per application so it all evens out.  I'd use this stuff if it were 3X more expensive!!  Worth having the prettiest, healthiest crop of lawn you've ever seen!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-18T20:03:06.657" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29630" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29626" CreationDate="2016-10-18T21:07:49.247" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Super question!!  This stuff is wasted when people clean this up and bag it and send it to a place that will use this FREE brown compost to sell it back to you in the spring! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not put it in a pile next to your fence, or woody stems...for one thing, that pile is allowing moisture to stay right on that wood.  There are decomposers everywhere all they need is moisture and will start right in on that fence.  Anything that lived then dies, immediately starts decomposing especially with moisture. If you want your fence (dead wood) to last do not allow any organic matter, soil, moisture come in contact.  You've got about a year or two left on your fence if you don't remove the mulch, soil, grasses, weeds that are definitely helping the bottom of your lovely fence rot. (I love that dove gray patina on wood) Get air beneath and around those fence boards! Check the siding of your home; 4&quot; minimum between the soil and the bottom of your siding. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The dead leaves make a super mulch on your plant beds for the winter.  It will keep the soil warmer to protect roots and by spring will be well on its way to being decomposed and feeding your soil's micro and macro flora and fauna critical for the health of your plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, duh, the leaves also keep the surface of the soil shaded so that weed seeds are less able to germinate.  Weeds are nothing more than a plant out of place and are called weeds because they are superior competitors.  Germinating during winter is no problem!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crisp lawn edges would pull the 'winter look' together.  Great time to dig a little trench (6&quot;X 6&quot;) between plant beds and lawn.  This trench acts like a 'dry well' allowing a place for excess water to be absorbed into the soil without sitting too long around plant roots and also serves as the best way to define your lawn's edges.  Use a smaller, flat edge shovel, throw the excess soil thinly on top of the leaves.  Grab the chunks of lawn and remove.  If you do this during the growing season you could bury the chunks so they are unable to grow and become more organic matter for your plant bed soil.  But otherwise, just compost the sod elsewhere.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've got a bit of work to do removing the soil from beneath your fence, thinly piling on your plant beds.  Feel free to mix that bark mulch into the soil.  Plant beds should always be like BEDS.  Higher than the floor or lawn surface for sure. Got problems with grade or neighbors on the other side, send another question!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep any debris, soil, mulch OFF THE BOTTOM of woody trunks.  This limits the height of your beds. Again, any moisture allowed on the woody trunks will cause bacteria to start decomposing your trees and shrubs as well as your fences...siding of your home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing to be aware is you might have shallow rooted plants that can not handle any more soil or mulch burying their roots deeper than they are right now.  Examples would be Hydrangea, Azalea, Daphne.  Piling on more soil/mulch could easily kill shallow rooted plants.  If you have any of these plants make a circle as large as the canopy of the plant and do not dump any soil/mulch within that circle.  A thin layer of leaves, however, is just fine for the winter. Just not up around the bottom of the trunks. Why buy compost when you've already got a great source!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-18T21:07:49.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29632" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29623" CreationDate="2016-10-18T23:13:27.563" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This answer pertains only to your spider plant, since I don't know much about ferns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like your plant may have gotten burned by too much nitrogen:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The tips seem to be what is affected, since someone appears to have cut them off. Plants burned by nitrogen get burnt at the tips of the leaves first.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plant looks rather nice and green. Nitrogen contributes to greenness. That's a good thing, but this seems to eliminate some other possibilities.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spraying plants with water, in my experience, seems to encourage growth much how nitrogen is supposed to. This is a hypothesis, but I think it increases nitrogen availability or use somehow. Maybe there are nitrates in the water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what I would recommend:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Repot in a container with a good, brand new, well-drained potting soil that comes with perlite in it. The soil to me looks like it may not drain the best (tell me if I'm wrong). Wet soil tends to have increased nitrogen availability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put the plant closer to the window. More sun seems to help plants to use the nitrogen for growth (as opposed to getting burnt by it so much). Spider plants love as much window sun as they can get in my experience. If they have a lot, they get big and nice fast, and grow lots of nice runners. When it gets bigger, feel free to give it a bigger pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't fertilize it any time soon. Any fertilizer you're likely to use will be high in nitrogen. Potassium and phosphorus would probably be fine in and of themselves, though, but you don't want to make the soil too salty, as there are likely decent amounts in the soil already (just less than nitrogen). If the soil could handle it, more potassium and maybe phosphorus probably would help, though, but it may not be the best solution, depending.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you just over-fertilized it (which is perhaps the most likely scenario), you could try flushing the nitrogen out with water, so long as your soil drains well. Or you could just wait until the plant recovers, if it hasn't received enough nitrogen to kill it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much nitrogen can weaken roots, which can make wet soil more dangerous (especially constantly wet soil), as the roots may be easily susceptible to rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would suggest not misting the spider plant as often, if at all, and make sure to feel the soil before watering, if you can. If it's still wet, don't water it. It should be dry before you water it (but you don't need to wait until the plant wilts). However, if you do wait until it wilts, it shouldn't be entirely detrimental to the plant so long as you water it right away (you don't want to let it wilt very long; a few days of wilting can either kill a plant or cause severe damage).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spider plants do get thirstier than a lot of plants, though, especially when they're bigger. So over-watering shouldn't be as big of an issue for them as with other plants (but it can still be an issue, particularly when they're not full size).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you repot, the new potting soil will probably be pre-fertilized at an ideal level. So, I wouldn't fertilize it again for a long time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-10-20T08:15:34.037" LastActivityDate="2016-10-20T08:15:34.037" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29624" CreationDate="2016-10-19T08:30:20.930" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where do you live?  How long have you had these plants?  How long have they been planted in your garden?  To move them now if they are not root pruned and acclimated to the indoors will be risky.  Depending on how much time you have before the first freeze, you need to use the time you have left to give your plants some transition support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First you need to let the roots know they are going to have to make do with a lot less roots.  To do this you need to  make a trench around the base of your plants as they are in the garden.  I've no idea how big these plants are and how long they've been in the ground. Let's assume they are 2-3' in height, cut a circle around each plant with a 6&quot; radius. Use a flat shovel to make your cuts.  You might want to dig down to see how big the root mass is to determine the radius.  Focus on the mass not the single roots growing outward. Cut down 6&quot; deep keeping your plant in the center of the circle.  Next, cut another circle with a radius of 9 to 10&quot;, 6&quot; deep.  Scoop out the soil between the cuts and fill with straw.  Water well.  Be nice to have a few weeks (more the better) to allow these plants to &lt;em&gt;get used to the severely reduced root mass&lt;/em&gt; and begin to grow new feeder roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let's say that we figure 2 weeks for adjustment to the root pruning. More the better! Allowing another 2 weeks before the first freeze, dig out the plant and its root ball. Transplant into a pot that is 2-3&quot; larger than the 6&quot; radius or a 16 -18&quot; pot with drain hole. This pot will be its forever home...well, until it needs transplanting into a larger pot in a year or two.  Use &lt;em&gt;good potting soil,&lt;/em&gt; not the garden soil. Water and allow to dry out before watering again.  Find a southern exposure but no direct sunlight in your home for its place this winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After you have transplanted your banana trees, watered, allow to drain start their &lt;em&gt;acclimation to the indoors.&lt;/em&gt;  Bring them in for 2 hours then take them back out.  The next day do 3 hours and take back outside. Each day allow another hour more until you reach 12 hours.  Do for 3 more days.  Then bring them in for good.  This is the fastest transition but we can always try faster, with much more risk.  Ideally, you would take at least 3 or 4 weeks for acclimation but I am just trying to figure out how to squeeze in the necessary adaptation in the shortest amount of time. No guarantees.  Need more information and pictures for sure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am hoping you have at least a month before the first freeze.  If not do you have a friend with a green house?  That would be a good transition from root pruning and transplanting to a similar temperature environment and then have a bit more room to do the acclimating to the indoor environment.  Where do you have these plants located right now?  How long ago were they planted?  This is but one solution depending on how close my assumptions have been. Pictures please!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Digging up plants that are used to living out of doors to take them inside without a transition will flat out kill them.  Have you ever tried to buy a live tree in a pot for Christmas?  If you want to have a live tree to plant in the garden you have to acclimate your tree to the indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the time you have remaining it will be a bit of work to get them to adjust to using less of a root system. Then we need to acclimate them to far less light, dry dry air, forced air vents at the same time dealing with the newly chopped roots. Stresses on top of stresses. Ideally, we would never have planted them in the garden in zone 5.  They need to stay in pots that are able to be taken outside during the warm season and acclimated to coming back inside. Send more information about where you live and how much time before the first freeze.  Do you have a friend with a heated greenhouse?  Start the trench with straw to root prune your plants NOW. Get an almanac or talk with locals for a better feel of the weather. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T08:30:20.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29635" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29606" CreationDate="2016-10-19T12:30:25.250" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/euphorbia-leucodendron-80188.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Euphorbia leucodendron&lt;/a&gt;, the &quot;Pencil Cactus&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B80xq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B80xq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-10-19T19:02:10.770" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T19:02:10.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29636" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29594" CreationDate="2016-10-19T13:21:23.787" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=Abelmoschus%20moschatus%20subsp.%20tuberosus&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=960&amp;amp;site=webhp&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjd3LGLkerPAhUISSYKHb9QCEcQ_AUIBigB#safe=off&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;q=Abelmoschus%20moschatus%20subsp.%20tuberosus%20leaves&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Abelmoschus moschatus subsp. tuberosus&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vmNWy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vmNWy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-10-20T19:39:11.940" LastActivityDate="2016-10-20T19:39:11.940" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29637" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29565" CreationDate="2016-10-19T14:40:15.397" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's likely Solanum elaeagnifolium. Non-edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s5THo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s5THo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-10-19T14:49:11.720" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T14:49:11.720" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29638" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29257" CreationDate="2016-10-19T16:27:55.893" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe that you most certainly have either a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=ceiba%20leaves&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=960&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjuztSco-fPAhXDRSYKHWXYD18Q_AUIBigB&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ceiba&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=ceiba%20leaves&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=960&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjuztSco-fPAhXDRSYKHWXYD18Q_AUIBigB#safe=off&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;q=bombax%20leaves&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bombax&lt;/a&gt; here. The leaves of several species of both genera are very similar and would most likely require a flower for positive ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hindi Common names:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bombax - शाल्मली Shalmali, सेमल Semal&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ceiba - Safed semal सफ़ेद सेमल&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/90lhG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/90lhG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zqt0N.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zqt0N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T16:27:55.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29639" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29620" CreationDate="2016-10-19T17:17:28.080" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;After some thought, I'd like to suggest that these are Oenothera biennis (Evening Primrose) seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is most certainly not a Cassia as Cassia belongs to a Family of plants that have pea-like pods. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naturalsolution.co.kr/natural/product/prodcut_view.php?page=0&amp;amp;set_page=4&amp;amp;cate_id=22&amp;amp;p_id=346&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is a site that outlines their culinary/cosmetic usage in Korea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=oenothera%20seed%20pods&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=911&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwiU6qyFr-fPAhWCNiYKHceyB6oQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=4WfRiqWbcu7mmM%3A&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; are some images of the seed pods as they appear on the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And some in the hand:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ooIcx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ooIcx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YvdHX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YvdHX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-10-20T00:45:57.350" LastActivityDate="2016-10-20T00:45:57.350" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29640" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-19T17:27:09.960" Score="2" ViewCount="10974" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few years ago I planted a variety of seeds from citrus fruits of orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit and mandarine. Only a few of them grew into big plants, and now I have 2-4 large plants, but I don't know which of them are which. Can I tell from the shapes of the leaves which citrus plant it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a group photo with some unidentified bonus plant in the middle:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dgFjN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dgFjN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The two on the left are growing from the same spot, so they could be from the same seed. And the unknown guest plant in front is growing from the same pot. The more bushy guy on the right has its pot all to himself. After some image searching and seeing similar leaves on posts about citrus plants, I figured that the mystery plant could also be a citrus, but I'm not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2273" LastActivityDate="2020-03-19T12:00:47.360" Title="How can I tell which citrus plant it is from their leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29641" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-19T17:43:15.453" Score="2" ViewCount="1484" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was thinking about composting leaves in my back yard this fall and using the composted leaves as fertilizer around my house in the spring based on other recommendations on this site. I am in Northeast Ohio.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I do not wish to provide any attraction for termites to a wooden fence that sits about 5 feet away nor to the garden beds around my home if there are some bits of not fully decomposed leaves that would potentially be an attractant for termites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: I no longer mulch in the flower beds against my house because of a recent horror story about extensive subterranean termite damage to a relatives home where the termites were most likely attracted to the home by the mulch she put out every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14452" LastEditorUserId="14452" LastEditDate="2016-10-19T19:27:06.913" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T22:50:24.630" Title="Do subterrannean termites like composted leaves?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29642" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29640" CreationDate="2016-10-19T18:57:33.357" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although I suspect it will be very tough to do, the &lt;a href=&quot;http://idtools.org/id/citrus/citrusid/morphology.php?state%5B%5D=leaves&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Citrus ID&lt;/a&gt; web page might be your best resource outside a citrus farmer/fanatic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T18:57:33.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29643" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="104" CreationDate="2016-10-19T21:41:39.967" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a wooden bin outside; 2' x 2' and about 3'-4' deep. It's suspended a foot above patio stones. Winter temps in Feb are -10 Celsius in the day and as low as -20 celcius at night. Last winter I placed a seed warming mat in the middle of the pile and it was able to keep the worms very alive. The warmth also attracted a small family of rats; which then ate most of the worms. So I was successfully able to keep 3 or 4 pounds of worms alive in Toronto, Canada over the winter with 17W of heating; and also converted it into about 1 lb of healthy rats. Not only did it keep the pile warm; the seed mat was waterproof; so the bedding directly beneath the mat was bone dry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think that at this point; I have placed enough native worms into the pile, that the general biomass will survive a winter. I might lose all my remaining red wigglers; but I'd rather lose my non-native species to cold than host a family of rodents with heat. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I placed a mat in the pile again, it would have to be against the lowest surface in the worm bed. I don't want to create a mid-pile roof / mid-pile dry spot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16112" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T21:41:39.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29641" CreationDate="2016-10-19T22:50:24.630" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Termites eat WOOD, plastics and some papers coated with asparic acid? Organic matter like leaves, grass clippings are not what termites normally eat. Have you seen termites?  Do you know what they would (wood) look like?  What else did your neighbors/friends say about termites?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Decomposing leaves, herbaceous debris, compost is not an attractant for termites unless there is a lot of wood products in a big pile.  Thinning, turning the compost or spreading it thinly helps to further deter termite attraction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been involved with gardening, composting, maintenance on other people's home for more decades than I care to advertise, grins.  I've never had termite problems.  Of course there are termites, they only love wood, cellulose, paper if coated with a certain acid and PLASTIC?! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are more worried about termites than the health of your soil and plants then maybe a condominium is in your future.  If you want to learn about the world outside your home do not be deterred by horror stories of termites. Compost those leaves (were you the one with the pile of leaves by his fence)? or spread them thinly over your plant beds and you will be doing a favor for your soil, the living organisms that share your property with you and take care of disease, insects FOR YOU and for FREE.  This is how one feeds the micro and macro organisms that are vital to the health of soil, plants, the little ecosystem surrounding your home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Termites are not that big of a deal unless one is just not alert/aware of what is happening around them.  They are also a very cool insect for decomposing downed trees, their social community is amazing and I JUST LEARNED they eat plastic???  I've got to go look into that a bit more, my goodness!  I think those that have had problems with termites are those that because they got involved with an aspect of life they have little knowledge about.  Then they willynilly hired a pesticide company to KILL EVERYTHING.  To include all the beneficial insects/micro, macro organisms who have been protecting your home and plants and soil all along.  Using pesticide that are usually non-specific to 'sterilize' ones home and yard is more of a problem than anything else to promote an insect population to numbers that can cause costly problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spraying pesticide is far worse and more than likely to cause more headache, loss of value and money than worrying about attracting termites by composting dead debris.  By far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Garden debris is a normal, healthy on going process.  To gather it all up and take it to a dump is allowing someone else to benefit from this GOLD.  Then you have to purchase bags of the same stuff you threw away, gave away. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check out the trees in your neighborhood, dead or dying trees are not only dangerous but THEY are the largest attractant for termites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-19T22:50:24.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29645" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4240" CreationDate="2016-10-20T05:01:15.473" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good photo, and I'm pretty sure it is &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ru/search?q=Bumble%20flower%20beetle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bumble flower beetle&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These beetles don't do anything bad to healthy plants, so you don't need to worry about them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16093" LastActivityDate="2016-10-20T05:01:15.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29647" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29650" CreationDate="2016-10-20T07:45:52.480" Score="8" ViewCount="117" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live on an arid island off the African coast, off the grid in a very sparsely vegetated area, far away from any neighbours. The summer has been fairly hot and most vegetation has dried away, waiting for the rainy season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Somehow though, there are some frogs living in our garden!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ANYv8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ANYv8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(the photo was a lucky shot - they usually keep out of sight, which is just as well, as we have many predatory birds that usually hunt for the many lizards out here.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We suspect they survive by living in our underground cisterns. However, one of the cisterns has broken, and since then, they seem to have taken up residence in our largest watering can. Which is fine, but we are unsure about how to best help them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should we occasionally change the water in the watering can, or do they like it when it becomes pungent?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should we be doing anything to help them procreate? There are two frogs that we know of. We can't build them a pond, but could erect a smaller structure.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there anything else we can do to help ensure they're doing ok? It seems so miraculous that they manage to make it at all in this type of area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-20T20:49:24.740" LastActivityDate="2016-10-20T20:49:24.740" Title="How can we help our garden frogs in an arid climate?" Tags="&lt;pond&gt;&lt;wildlife&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29648" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29649" CreationDate="2016-10-20T08:35:47.003" Score="7" ViewCount="889" Body="&lt;p&gt;Admittedly I haven't paid a close attention to this tree for a few months but the other day I spotted several of these spots on my pear tree. So what gives?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yzJ1E.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yzJ1E.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h2irz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h2irz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3252" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-21T00:17:57.843" LastActivityDate="2016-10-21T00:17:57.843" Title="What are these red/orange spots with protruding &quot;spikes&quot; on my pear tree?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29649" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29648" CreationDate="2016-10-20T10:03:35.033" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid its Pear Rust, sometimes called European Pear Rust - its one of the gymnangosporangium rusts, and as such, needs two different plant species to complete its life cycle, in this case, Pear trees and Juniper plants. If you have a Juniper in your garden, it might be worth removing it, but usually, this plant is widely planted and if your neighbours have a juniper, then that's not going to  work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, in the UK, there are no effective fungicidal treatments suitable for use on food plants which will control or kill it, so control is usually based around  pruning out visible growths on any Juniper plants nearby; Junipers with this infection produce orange cankers or swellings on the stems, with horn like projections in spring if the weather is damp, so pruning those out does reduce the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rust may be unsightly, but it doesn't usually kill the pear tree - more information here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=236&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=236&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-10-20T10:03:35.033" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29650" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29647" CreationDate="2016-10-20T10:10:17.823" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Frogs are great natural garden predators of insects and it doesn't take much to attract them to your yard.  They like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;shallow water that is not moving a lot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cover in the water from plants like water lilies or even clumps of algae&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;easy access and exit from the water. Steep sides are more work&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no fish: fish eat frog eggs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should review what insects also like these conditions. If disease carrying mosquitoes are present in your area then you may not want to make a water feature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These requirements can be done with a pond liner (EPDM or even clay or stone) and a small pump to move the water.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you study the life cycle of the frogs in your area you may find that all they need is a vernal pond.  This kind of pond is full in the spring where it is popular for honeymoons and egg laying, then dries up in late spring or early summer.  This gets around the problem of a year round pond where you would have to top it up with water in the hot dry summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-10-20T10:10:17.823" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29651" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29656" CreationDate="2016-10-20T13:54:38.907" Score="5" ViewCount="1084" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small lemon tree I am growing in a pot in our bright office (I have no idea what kind, it was given to me with a tiny label just saying &quot;lemon&quot;!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's still a very young plant, but has three fruits on it. One is now about 4-5cm in size and as just turned a very bright yellow all over, should I pick this now and will it be safe to eat? I'm a little unsure whether it's ripe; it's quite small, it's also a brighter yellow than a typical lemon and is very round, not the usual rugby-ball type shape!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All help is very much appreciated, I've never tried growing anything like this before, but it's a much loved plant!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jxiG3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jxiG3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;whole plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uss8W.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uss8W.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lemon&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16114" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T13:45:53.247" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T13:45:53.247" Title="Is this lemon ready to pick from my small tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29652" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-20T15:21:26.987" Score="9" ViewCount="150" Body="&lt;p&gt;I and my colleague faced an unexpected problem during the mixing of a new compost ingredient today. We found an unexpected and unknown material left by a previous farm intern. We recognize the ingredient by the type of bag holding it, but apparently someone filled this bag with something other than what it normally holds. &#xA; Please see the photo:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nZAjL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nZAjL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown ingredient&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another close-up image after spending half-day in a compost bin (slightly dissolved and contaminated with other compost ingredients)&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uhWbz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uhWbz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone recognize what is it? It looks like some kind of hamster bedding to me, but I am not sure. Also, it does not have the smell of cat litter from my olfactory memory. It is easily crushed into a powdery substance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16094" LastEditorUserId="16094" LastEditDate="2016-10-21T05:32:19.320" LastActivityDate="2016-10-21T05:32:19.320" Title="What is this compost ingredient that looks like light colored pellets and crushes easily?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29652" CreationDate="2016-10-20T19:46:26.457" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think we are looking at wood pellets, the kind used for pellet stoves.  I use these same pellets for horse bedding, they are wonderful.  They are also used to compost solid sewage for those self contained composting toilets.  Yes, could be bedding for small animals, too, or cat boxes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For my horses, I would poke a hole in a bag and fill it with water from a hose. Allow it to absorb the water for an hour or less and then dump to spread on the floor of a stall.  Lovely stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is nothing more than sawdust pressed together in little hard pellets.  Great for brown ingredients in your compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the previous owner was using this for hamsters great.  For cat box litter not so great at all.  Cats eat meat.  Poop from omnivores and carnivores should never be mixed into compost.  High incidence of heavy metals and other stuff. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-20T19:46:26.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29652" CreationDate="2016-10-21T01:42:27.043" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's what feed grain pellets look like once they start decomposing (after humidity affects it). I'm guessing that's what that is, probably grain that went too far to feed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;High protein content and some fat mean this is a valuable addition to a compost heap, but mix it thoroughly rather than have it in a pile, so that you get more bacterial action and less mold action (the bacteria is what fixes the nitrogen into the organic atter). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the shape the feed is in fresh from the mill (before decomposition starts):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J6BiB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J6BiB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-10-21T01:42:27.043" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29655" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24209" CreationDate="2016-10-21T02:09:40.107" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In a good 8-12&quot; of decent topsoil with a proper pH (6.5-7.0), a species (non cultivar) pecan whip should begin bearing in 8-10 years where you are. Larger grafted cultivars can bear in as little as 4. After the first year you should be seeing at least a good 18&quot; a year on the leader.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To help it along, here are a few tips:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant another, for pollination (unless this is a self-pollinating cultivar, or there is another pecan tree within 3,000 feet of yours.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the planting hole is 150% deeper than the root, so that the establishing tree can easily root down in the first year. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the soil is very hard, mix decomposed organic matter into the backfill soil until it becomes soft.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep it from drying out in the first year, until the ground starts freezing. Don't let it go dormant and freeze while very dry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep weeds down (preferably with organic mulch) to the dripline of the tree&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize after bud break with a high phosphorous tree and shrub fertilizer at the rate recommended by the manufacturer, or work freshly decomposed compost into the top 3&quot; of soil, to the dripline&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Train to a single leader, but do not heavily prune the tree. Once it is tall enough you can begin selecting and training strong laterals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wrap the trunk with a designated vinyl tree guard, to protect the tree fram beig girdled by rodents in the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stay alert for pests and diseases and catch them early.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are nice trees, a long term investment. The grow to be large trees, and in 20 years or so you could be getting 40-60 pounds (shelled) annually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA; - &#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-10-21T02:09:40.107" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29656" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29651" CreationDate="2016-10-21T05:50:10.960" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Citrus Limon Improved Meyer Lemon.  It IS a cross between lemon and mandarin orange...check it out when you discuss how this plant was grown, maintained, all chemicals.  This is the sweetest of lemons and pretty tough plants, very forgiving.  To a point...I've been ordering seeds and came across this lemon I have actually seen whilst working at a nursery a year or so ago.  Do research the background of your plant.  This is one of the most prolific of the citrus varieties. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is an instance where staking is important...the weight of the fruit is bending the leader over.  Not saying that is a bad thing but I would think you'd want to maintain a central leader for a year or so then start learning to prune this guy to stay the size you want.  Try to get this plant out on a covered porch for the summers.  That will give your plant enough food to get through the winter...no fertilizer is NOT food.  Plants make their own food, stored mostly in the roots.  I'd get a thin broken branch from under some tree with a Y at one end the size you need to stand that plant up after removing the ripe lemon. Gently lift the main stem.  Where you are holding the stem by your fingers will be a good place for support, ideally at a junction of stem and petiole or branch.  Prop the end of your branch tool in the soil. Should be plenty of support for the indoors. Always support that leader when bearing fruit if you don't want a horizontal plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-10-21T06:04:09.880" LastActivityDate="2016-10-21T06:04:09.880" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29657" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29660" CreationDate="2016-10-21T07:04:53.867" Score="5" ViewCount="1462" Body="&lt;p&gt;How can I discourage &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycelium&quot;&gt;mycelium&lt;/a&gt; and other fungi growth in my plant containers?  And yes, is it even a good idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-21T15:27:23.873" LastActivityDate="2016-10-24T19:16:26.873" Title="How can I discourage mycelium and other fungi growth in containers?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29658" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29659" CreationDate="2016-10-21T07:21:46.347" Score="5" ViewCount="4705" Body="&lt;p&gt;I heard on a video on Youtube that a snake plant (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sansevieria&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) will stop growing if it loses its leaf tips or if the tips gets brown or broken. Is this true?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many of the tips of my Snake plant are either broken or brown. Is there anything I can do to make the plant grow bigger? Or is that all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-30T12:56:42.617" LastActivityDate="2021-01-30T12:56:42.617" Title="Do snake plants (Sansevieria) stop growing if their tips get damaged or broken?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;damage&gt;&lt;snake-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="29659" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29658" CreationDate="2016-10-21T10:13:54.777" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As time goes by, the web is turning out to be as big a source of misinformation as actual word of mouth - no, its not true as far as I'm aware. In fact, I have, in the past, clipped off the tips on mine if they've developed what looks like a spike on the tip of the leaves. Although the 'spike' or point looks like a thorn, it isn't, its quite soft, but might cause injury to the eye of a small child if they fell onto it - which is why I used to clip them off. I suppose, when I clipped them, the leaves were already the average full height of 2/3 feet though, so maybe they would have grown taller if I hadn't removed the tips, hard to say. I should like to see this Youtube video, so a link to it would be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I can tell over 17 years of owning one (during which years its largely been completely ignored) it seems snake plants are practically bomb proof as long as you don't overwater - new growth arises at the base of existing leaves, and those leaves will grow on normally, even if other leaves are damaged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-22T00:39:08.537" LastActivityDate="2016-10-22T00:39:08.537" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29660" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29657" CreationDate="2016-10-21T10:23:37.047" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not something you should worry about - there's no way of getting rid of mycelium without using completely sterile soil. Even if you did that, the air is full of fungal spores and they may arrive anyway. All you can do is not overwater and ensure good drainage by not using pots without holes, etc,to discourage invasion by less friendly forms of fungi. In some cases, there is a beneficial or even symbiotic relationship between certain fungal mycelium and plant roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Under 'other fungi growth', you might be including fungal growths and infections which have aerial forms, like the mildews, black spot, rust, some varieties of phytopthera infection, but these do not produce mycelium in the soil, so I'm not sure whether you're including those in your question or not. Most are encouraged by warm, humid or damp, still air and insufficient air flow round plants; powdery mildew is often encouraged by dryness at the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-21T15:26:41.493" LastActivityDate="2016-10-21T15:26:41.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29661" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3683" CreationDate="2016-10-21T14:00:28.500" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is some useful info for you.  I've been using a product called the eco wood treatment for years and it is amazing.  It is a wood preservative that is completely non toxic and suitable for use with garden soil contact.  The stuff turns wood a nice aged gray patina.  It's a great way to may cheap wood like pine last years and years longer than it would otherwise.  This is my secret!  You only have to apply it once.  I use it on my deck and outdoor furniture etc.  Look it up, it is amazing stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2016-10-21T14:00:28.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29662" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29670" CreationDate="2016-10-21T15:43:49.827" Score="7" ViewCount="6692" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have read, seen and heard from folks here that the pot for planting a plant should be bigger by the previous pot by only either one or two inches. I don't understand why. No one has explained this anywhere on the web. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this has something to do with the owner of the plant (gardener) or specifically to the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I mean, how would a plant know if it's being planted in a way bigger pot or not? In fact, isn't re-potting a plant in a bigger pot better for the plant, too? More space, infrequent re-potting needs to be done. Here I am stretching it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Suppose a plant is potted in an 8 inch pot. It needs re-potting every year. Now if we plant the plant in an 12 inch pot. It will get more time to be in the pot. It will not be disturbed by moving it another pot every year or two. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I making a mountain out of a molehill or does pot size really affect plants? Like more water retention in bigger pots, etc.?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-21T19:41:55.900" LastActivityDate="2016-10-22T23:52:33.450" Title="Why should a pot be only an inch or two bigger than the previous pot when re-potting?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29663" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29742" CreationDate="2016-10-21T16:49:03.767" Score="8" ViewCount="227" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anybody know what this plant is? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took these pictures today in Moldova, Eastern Europe. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;it's a bush, 1.5 meters tall, the leave size of my hand, there were more of them growing from the root have been cut off, haven't seen any flowers yet, growing for 2 years already&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;these were planted on purpose, we were told they are Aronia, but they obviously aren't&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for bigger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mYIqx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mYIqxm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y5a6J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y5a6Jm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NQP4j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NQP4jm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;larger pictures: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://postimg.org/image/liqijn9fh&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://postimg.org/image/liqijn9fh&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://postimg.org/image/zarxk71ux&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://postimg.org/image/zarxk71ux&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://postimg.org/image/hlbdpz65x&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://postimg.org/image/hlbdpz65x&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;november update:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;leaves have fallen off:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/upoit.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/upoit.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2019 UPDATE: it finally made fruit&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;here's the pictures:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Axdyb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Axdyb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;green fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TJl6h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TJl6h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;ripe fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GNjeB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GNjeB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;ripe fruit and leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3lZaA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3lZaA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;ripe fruit close&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16117" LastEditorUserId="16117" LastEditDate="2019-10-01T21:15:56.243" LastActivityDate="2019-10-03T00:58:29.197" Title="What is this plant/bush found in Eastern Europe?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="29665" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29662" CreationDate="2016-10-21T22:02:54.940" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The reasoning behind this advice to only use the right sized pot is that if you put a very small plant into a large pot filled with potting medium, most of the medium (potting compost) will not be occupied by anything except bacteria and other life forms, some of which may not be desirable. The potting medium also may become 'sour' because, if the rootball is muich smaller than the soil around it, it's necessary to keep the contents  watered in an attempt to make sure the plant's roots are able to access it; that means a small amount of root sitting surrounded by a much larger amount of wet or damp soil for longer periods, and this may create an unsuitable environment for plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a plant you know grows quickly, let's take Fatsia japonica as an example, and it's in a 6 inch pot - potting on into something that's 8 or 9 inches, maybe even 10 inches, if done in Spring, will be fine, because it grows quickly. By the time a plant gets to be in an 8 inch pot, growth might be slowing down because the plant is older and won't be growing so fast, but if its a large, woody plant which will just keep getting much bigger for a while yet, then you could use an 11 inch pot in an attempt to avoid potting it on the following year, but I wouldn't recommend anything bigger than that for the reasons stated in the first paragraph of this answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-10-21T22:02:54.940" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29666" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29667" CreationDate="2016-10-22T01:50:46.170" Score="7" ViewCount="7705" Body="&lt;p&gt;How long between spraying Glyphosate and the Glyphosate &quot;getting in place&quot; to kill the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My issue is this - I want to make productive use of an area overrun by very well established weeds - and only have 3 days in which to prepare the area and get my weedmat and plants in place.   I can't really pull the plants out by hand - the roots are too well established and there are too many of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that glyphosate takes some time to actually kill the weeds, but I'm wondering if the glyphosate will penetrate the plant within 24 hours such that if I cut the foliage down to ground level (and cover with weed mat)  it will &quot;stay dead&quot; and allow me to plant my new plants through holes in the weed mat without overrunning my tender seedlings ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2018-07-24T21:19:16.153" LastActivityDate="2018-07-24T21:19:16.153" Title="How long for glyphosate to penetrate plant" Tags="&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29667" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29666" CreationDate="2016-10-22T10:24:00.330" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Glyphosate is systemic in action - that means it takes about three weeks to kill a plant, but with the added proviso that it's at its most effective as a weedkiller if applied when weeds are growing strongly rather than when they're slowing down because of the approach of Fall, or because the ground is dry and they're short of water. Well established weeds will very likely need more than one treatment, so I'm afraid glyphosate will be ineffective if used in the manner you describe, that is, spraying and then cutting down the topgrowth within 1-2 days, see here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weedkiller2u.com/weedkiller-faqs&quot;&gt;http://www.weedkiller2u.com/weedkiller-faqs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to plant out so quickly, the only viable option is to dig out the weeds, complete with roots, level off and then plant.The other point is, if what you're planting are food plants, particularly root crops, there is strong evidence to suggest that, in some soils, vegetables such as carrots will retain glyphosate within their structure as they grow - it won't kill them, but it will be present in the vegetable on your plate, despite the claims of the manufacturers of Roundup that it somehow disappears completely once it hits the soil. In fact, it becomes technically inert, meaning it shouldn't kill new plants put in after application, but may end up in whatever you're growing, particularly if you replant so quickly after application - this is not necessarily important for ornamental plants, but is important if you're growing edibles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-22T12:17:43.707" LastActivityDate="2016-10-22T12:17:43.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29668" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-22T20:22:40.523" Score="5" ViewCount="849" Body="&lt;p&gt;First of all, my apple tree is young, just about two feet tall. More importantly my apple tree is on my porch in a pot, and it's been there for at least, say, a month or two. Also, on my porch ceiling there are about 4 wasp nests of at least 3 different types (red ones, yellow and black ones, and small ones). They haven't ever stung, or even bothered, anyone, or any of my plants, including my other two much younger apple seedlings. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently, just this week, there has been one wasp (of either the red or the black and yellow kind) that has been sitting or moving back and forth on my oldest apple tree's leaves each day. it doesn't 'seem' to be doing anything bad to my apple tree, and it hasn't touched any of my other plants, but it won't go away and I'm not sure what to do about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16122" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-23T00:24:40.310" LastActivityDate="2016-10-23T08:15:55.853" Title="Could a wasp be hurting my apple tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29669" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29668" CreationDate="2016-10-22T23:21:47.687" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is nothing you need to worry about concerning wasps of any kind harming your baby trees. They are second level pollinators and rarely a problem for aggressiveness. You HAVE to send pictures of these insects.  Is there anything wrong with your little trees?  What are the winters like in India? What are your plans for these trees?  If they are relegated to the porch or balcony, that is fine!  They can be pruned or manipulated into espaliers for small spaces.  Great SOIL is important.  We've been working with another person from India that is unable to find good potting soil.  Is that true?  What have you been using?  Correct size pot for the size of the plant being transplanted.  Not the size it could reach but the size it is now.  Too big of a pot for a too small plant is very bad!  What kind of water and how often?  What kind of fertilizer and how often? You've got drainage holes in the pot?  How deep are these baby trees planted? (no soil on bark or the part of the trunk above the surface).  Wasps do not damage any plant.  Careful with guests that have allergies to bee/wasp stings.  Do you have a winter?  Sorry, I am clueless with India.  Hopefully our in house east Indian will pop in for comments. I am a hive type insect lover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-22T23:21:47.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29670" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29662" CreationDate="2016-10-22T23:52:33.450" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Roots head for moisture not walls.  If you want a plant with deep roots, you water deeply and allow to dry before watering again.  This trains the roots to grow towards the water so it will have the ability to access water way below the surface, thus drought tolerant/resistant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most important reason to maintain pot size to the plant size is water/moisture.  A pot that is correct to the plant size will have room to grow roots that suck up the moisture...more importantly there is no excess water and subsequent root rot.  You do not want water staying in the soil, in a saucer, unless you have a semi aquatic plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing most people do not realize is that transplanting and 'fruffing' up the roots (slightly breaking and interrupting any circling of the roots) causes MORE and healthy root growth to fill the new pot.  Babying roots is not a good thing.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And another thing about potted plants that most people do not understand is the roots maintain a certain amount of canopy or photosynthetic growth.  If the photosynthetic growth is larger than the root mass, this would necessitate pruning the above surface growth to match.  If the root mass is larger than the photosynthetic above surface growth, again, the roots would need pruning to match the 'food making factory'.  Storage and uptake (roots) have to match the food factories (top growth, photosynthetic).  Or the plant will be majorly stressed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting in a pot that matches the plant keeps this relationship in order.  Small plant, small roots, small pot.  Large plant, large root mass, large pot. Too many people jump to the conclusion that a small plant should be planted in a large pot that it would/should inhabit once mature and seems so much EASIER.  WRONGO!!  Not only does a too small plant in a too large pot puts the plant at risk of root rot, fungal diseases, it also slows the growth WAY DOWN. The roots are furiously trying to make sense of the amount of soil and are putting more energy into root building than vegetative growth (not to mention reproductive growth).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not try to correlate any of this to plants planted in the garden soil...potted plants are 100 percent dependent on their stewards.  Totally different situations; pots versus garden plants! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-22T23:52:33.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29671" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29657" CreationDate="2016-10-23T00:15:23.047" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is WHY potting soil is sterilized!  Did you try to sterilize any of the soil you made?  Shoot, there are some fungal and bacteria colonies you should embrace.  Such as Mycorrhize!  Especially if you are dealing with unknown garden soils/amendments in pots!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should have FANS going 24/7 for indoor plants especially those in crappy garden soil that hasn't been sterilized.  This is one of the best preventative measures for fungus.  Knowledgeable pruning and bio fungicides applied early on susceptible plants are two other measures to understand.  Fungicides are primarily a preventative sort of a 'raincoat' for plants.  There are fungicides for ornamental plants and a few for vegetables.  Milk and water seems to be very effective for powdery mildew.  Any other fungus needs preventative measures such as aeration pruning, fans, 'raincoats', not allowing water to splash up on plants (containing fungal spores galore), shielding from rain (get ready for powdery mildew, it is the lack of 'free water' or physical rain, water on the leaves, humidity/dryness such as under eaves of homes where rain is unable to reach that promotes powdery mildew as well as a plant's natural susceptibility).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-23T00:15:23.047" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29672" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29668" CreationDate="2016-10-23T05:45:09.503" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Disclaimer: we haven't identified the wasps in question&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wasps are insectivores. If they are flyng back and forth between or around plants, they are on the hunt or scouting for food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The wasps' behaviour is harmless, but you might want to check your tree: if they suddenly hunt there a lot, it &lt;em&gt;may&lt;/em&gt; indicate the presence of unwanted parasites like aphids. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-10-23T05:45:09.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29673" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29668" CreationDate="2016-10-23T08:15:55.853" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without picture we cannot identify the wasp, so I remain generic:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wasps are very diverse types of insects. Usually they don't harm fruit trees. In facts, many wasps kill other insects and thus they help to control other pests. Some wasps eat also pollen, but one should rely on other pollinators.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But some types of wasp eat the apples (BTW usually these are wasps that build nests). If it is the case, you will see apples with only the core and most of skin, but with a large hole and most of pulp is missing (and probably you will see also some wasps).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So in general, I would check the fruit tree, and only I I would see problem, I would check is wasps are the cause.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But 4 wasp nest are too much, for me. If you risk, every time you check your fruits, to be picked by wasps, I'll considering to kill them, or to make the place less attractive, so they will choose a better place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-10-23T08:15:55.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29674" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29680" CreationDate="2016-10-23T14:14:20.870" Score="5" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in Brisbane (Australia) and I water my plants on regular basis. Unfortunately, recently I noticed that something is destroying them and I wondering if you could help identify what that is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fdwzo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fdwzo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vvkrg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vvkrg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Knrff.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Knrff.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m4wT8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m4wT8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16124" LastEditorUserId="16406" LastEditDate="2017-11-24T14:41:42.007" LastActivityDate="2017-11-24T14:41:42.007" Title="What is the disease that affects my plants?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;honeydew&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29674" CreationDate="2016-10-23T16:13:27.650" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That appears to be sooty mold &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/sooty-mold/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/sooty-mold/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16079" LastActivityDate="2016-10-23T16:13:27.650" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29676" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29679" CreationDate="2016-10-23T17:35:52.453" Score="4" ViewCount="6337" Body="&lt;p&gt;This weeping willow tree has been healthy up to about a year ago when I started noticing some branches dieing but I didn't think much of it. Now about half of the tree appears to be dead and is covered with this very hard fungus. I don't know if this fungus caused the death or simply took over because the tree died. I would like help identifying the illness and any suggestions on how to save the tree. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YhCrD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YhCrD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Weeping Willow with fungal infestation&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16126" LastActivityDate="2016-10-24T15:04:47.497" Title="Weeping Willow tree half dead with an abundance of hard fungus, How do I save it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29677" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29676" CreationDate="2016-10-23T18:40:05.770" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is nothing you can do - that's one of the bracket fungi. Its hard to tell which without a close up shot, but its most likely Daedaleopsis confragosa, which is very common on dead or dying willows. Once bracket or shelf fungus appears on a trunk, the die is cast, and the tree is on its way out - you may want to consider having it removed before it falls, if it's likely to cause injury or damage when it does so. Link below to information re bracket fungus (and yes, they are hard, unlike other types of fungal growths such as mushrooms) and the fact they mean death to the tree - by the time the fungal growth is on the outside, the heartwood has been infected for some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/fungus-lichen/tree-bracket-fungus.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tree Bracket Fungus – Learn About Prevention And Removal Of Bracket Fungus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-10-24T15:04:47.497" LastActivityDate="2016-10-24T15:04:47.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29678" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29674" CreationDate="2016-10-23T18:47:49.460" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It does look like Sooty Mould, but its impossible to tell from the picture whether there is a scale or aphid infestation, the end result of which is often sooty mould. Treat the scale or insect pest, and the sooty mould will disappear, or it can be washed off. Check the backs of leaves, the stems and branches to see if you can find scale insect or something; if there's a tree above your plant/s, the sooty mould might be caused by honeydew drip from the tree because its the tree which is infested with scale or a heavy aphid infestation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aphids and scale insect produce honeydew - this often means you see ants crawling over the plants, but they're simply harvesting the honeydew, so no treatment is required for the ants. Once leaves get honeydew all over them, sooty mould often sets in, so the mould is usually a late symptom of an infestation of some sort. However, I notice blackening on the woody stems - if that washes off, it is just sooty mould, but if it doesn't, it may be another, more serious problem with the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-23T23:44:49.423" LastActivityDate="2016-10-23T23:44:49.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29679" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29676" CreationDate="2016-10-23T19:19:19.547" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The willow is a very fast growing tree that can pretty much handle all conditions, rugged temperatures and soil types.  Fast growing, hardy, opportunistic trees are considered 'weed trees'.  This is not a scientific term it is just an informal 'group' including Poplars (Aspens, Cottonwood), Locust, Birch, Alders, Russian Olive and some of the Prunus species.  All fast growing, opportunistic plants usually doing best in the worst conditions, the coldest winters.  The trade off for fast growth, fast shade, fast screening and being indifferent to poor soils, drainage is a short life span and hosting lots of diseases, insects and in this case mushrooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree looks like it is getting close to the end of its life.  But it is still healthy 'for its age'.  Certainly needs some professional pruning as it is common large branches to just die and will come down in the next wind storm.  Mushrooms on trees are pretty normal especially an older tree.  And I am guessing this side is the north side of your tree where moisture can linger longer...like moss, mushrooms grow on the north side of trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There ARE shelf mushrooms like this that are able to kill a tree, however.  They create a White Rot`or a Brown Rot killing a tree within a few years.  There are 5 or 6 kinds of shelf mushrooms that can do this; ranging in color from white, to grey, splotched with brown or having red, yellow, orange colors.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to get an ID on those mushrooms and we might be able to help; there are some great mycologists on this site that could give a tentative ID.  But you need to go find a certified arborist to positively ID the mushrooms.  They will be able to tell you what you can do to prolong this tree's life, recommend professional tree pruners or tree removers.  Call your Cooperative Extension Service of your nearest University (usually only one University per state becomes the host of this cooperative).  I would start there as the services are free or very inexpensive.  `&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-23T19:19:19.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29680" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29674" CreationDate="2016-10-24T07:04:10.077" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Honeydew is excrement of sucking insects like aphids...poo poo and piss.  The black is a fungus (sooty mold) that uses this excrement for energy.  Recycling, gotta love it.  I see that possibly something happened 6 months ago that boosted these poor plants love of life?!  Yes? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plants need to be cut back, then into the shower on cold of course, spray plantss with 1 tbsp castile soap to a quart of water.  Gentle gentle gentle rubbing that black goo off. Perhaps a series of short sessions. Turn the shower back on to rinse.  Re pot in clean soil and I can't see the size of plant and pot but possibly new and larger pots. MORE LIGHT, less water, less fertilizer...use just osmocote 14-14-14 extended release once or twice a year and that is all.  Plants in shade given too much fertilizer will have thinner more vulnerable growth for sucking insects/diseases.  Cut back so you don't have stumps.  Chose branching that goes to the outside not the inside of your plants.  Looks like a few more brethren are included with your main plant, shoot, tip of my tongue...whatever, your plants could all use their own pots.  Did I say MORE LIGHT?  Less water, quit misting your plants but a once every other month soaking and cleaning in the shower is tremendous.  Do you have a covered porch?  If you do they could go outside under the roof of that porch (no direct sun) during the summers.  This gives them enough light to make their own food and store it in their roots to last all winter, boosting the life of your indoor plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-24T07:04:10.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29681" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29676" CreationDate="2016-10-24T10:02:28.703" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You asked what you can do to save the tree.  Willows are very tough as stormy mentions but the old wood on this tree is done for.  A common practice for centuries is called &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppicing&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;coppicing&lt;/a&gt; which is the practice if inducing new growth from the base of the trunk by cutting the existing growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeing as the existing growth is done for call an arborist and have it cut to the ground but do not grub out the root system.  By next spring you should see some new growth and in a few years it will have regrown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-10-24T10:02:28.703" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29682" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29683" CreationDate="2016-10-24T12:11:50.000" Score="3" ViewCount="365" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O6yJn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone please tell me the name of this flower? I know that it's a little hard to see the flower in this photo my apologies :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16128" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T16:35:01.887" Title="Can someone please tell me the name of this flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29683" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29682" CreationDate="2016-10-24T12:45:47.910" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;All the flowers in the picture appear to be varieties of Rose - if you specifically mean the white tinged pink one in the centre, I don't know which variety it is, there are zillions of different roses available, and this isn't one I recognise. The closest I can find that's similar is Rosa Penelope, image can be seen &lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rose_Penelope_20070601.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a more accurate ID, things like foliage, thorns (or not), scent, hips, height and spread and growth habit are necessary to know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-10-26T16:35:01.887" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T16:35:01.887" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29684" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-24T13:58:51.227" Score="3" ViewCount="216" Body="&lt;p&gt;Before planting 20-something almonds I've read on various forums that people have encountered mold growing over theirs and destroying the seeds. After about a week from planting, I'm seeing a very thin white layer of mold on the surface of the soil and all around the almonds especially. Various sources recommend to sprinkle baking soda, apple cider vinegar or cinnamon on the mold, and claim it wouldn't harm the plants (nuts still in my case). But the mold seems too intense at this point. Maybe I should do something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think the problem is in the soil, because other seeds and plants have been growing in the same soil just fine. The raw almonds probably already came infested with mold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2273" LastActivityDate="2016-10-24T20:43:52.733" Title="I planted raw almonds and they got very moldy. What to do?" Tags="&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29685" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29687" CreationDate="2016-10-24T14:39:05.463" Score="8" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just as the title says, I am just wondering if it is fine there are some rubbish (e.g. plastic items, and very rarely metal parts and cigarettes) as well as some uncharacterized dirt. It is because part of the fallen leaves collected was on the pedestrian road and we inevitably collect some unwanted stuff. By being safe, I mean that the compost can be used in crop production.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16094" LastEditorUserId="16094" LastEditDate="2016-10-24T16:02:37.417" LastActivityDate="2020-10-15T13:45:51.427" Title="Is it safe if there is a small amount of rubbish/debris in the compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29657" CreationDate="2016-10-24T19:16:26.873" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I also wondered about this at some point, because a potted plant I had died of damping off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've since incorporated cinnamon into a potting mix I used into an homemade self-watering pot. I thought some antifungal was a good idea in a constantly moist soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe my reasoning was wrong, and there is no increased chance of fungus developing in my self-watering pots, but the facts are that I've had no problem whatsoever in the last 6 months, and cinnamon might have been the key. I also read chamomile tea could be used similarly to avoid damping off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14733" LastActivityDate="2016-10-24T19:16:26.873" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29685" CreationDate="2016-10-24T19:49:40.383" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are saying you cleaned up the neighborhood of fallen leaves and got a few pieces of plastic, metal a few cigarettes...I would not worry.  Compost the leaves adding green material (grass clippings) and carbohydrate food scraps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The compost you purchase from a facility where people dump leaves, clippings all of the time will always have bits and pieces of man-made debris.  Plastic will be with us forever, sigh.  There is always pesticide residue in purchased compost as well.  At least one knows that there isn't much pesticide residue unless the trees were sprayed.  Not much one can do to hope for unmolested compost and you are doing the best thing by making your own having quite a bit more control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cigarette butts are not a problem in my opinion.  The tobacco is a 'natural' product after all...The additive chemicals have already been smoked, inhaled and are in someone's lungs. (The word 'Natural' does not mean SAFE.  The inherent nicotine in tobacco has one of the highest kill rates...it is termed LD50; 'Lethal Dose in half the population of test subjects, mice, rats).  Nicotine has one of the LOWEST numbers of all chemicals. Meaning it is a very potent poison.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The filter is plastic stuff and will be around forever unless you pluck it out of the soil/mulch.  Unless there is a whole ashtray of butts, no biggie.  Paper will decompose eventually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The material you need to worry about in your compost is feces from omnivores and carnivores (that includes us), meat and meat products as well as household chemicals.  Urine is fine but I draw the line there if I want to use my compost for food crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are doing a great service for your neighbors, showing them the value of those leaves.  Such super stuff. One caveat!  Are any of these leaves from walnut trees, Juglans ssp.??  Any debris from walnut trees should never be used in compost.  Working with walnut as a carpenter means masks, gloves, sequestration from other projects and cleaning up all the sawdust because of the toxic chemicals this genus produces...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An excerpt from this '&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensalive.com/product/black-walnuts-no-worries/you_bet_your_gardenhttp://&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;gardening dude&lt;/a&gt;' about walnut leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And what about making compost with the leaves? Dr. Roth told me he never puts ANY black walnut leaves in his compost pile; he saves them to use as a 'killing mulch' to get rid of unwanted plants! (VERY clever! And I'll add that the chipped uproots would be even more effective!) The experts at Ohio State say that well-shredded walnut leaves lose their plant-harming capability after a month of hot composting. But if you have a LOT of black walnut leaves going into your pile, they suggest you test the finished compost by planting some extra tomato seedlings in it before you use it on a larger scale. Juglone, they explain, is tomato Kryptonite!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="11453" LastEditDate="2020-10-15T13:45:51.427" LastActivityDate="2020-10-15T13:45:51.427" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="29688" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29684" CreationDate="2016-10-24T20:06:18.680" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do not worry about mycelium on and in the soil.  If your almond seed was moldy then they just won't germinate.  Soil is always full of fungal spores.  When the soil gets disturbed, water added, some of those spores will grow.  No big deal.  If your seeds were moldy they just won't germinate.  Nothing more insidious. &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/germination-period-almonds-51375.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Germination of almond seeds&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;DO NOT add anything right now!  No vinegar, baking soda, my goodness.  One actually lowers pH possibly making your soil uninhabitable by any plant and the latter raises the pH.  pH is a big deal.  One never adds anything to the soil unless they have a soil test and knows soils, chemistry and plants!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More than likely the mold, if any on the almonds, is NOT the fungus/mycelium you are seeing in the soil.  You can't believe the amount and diversity of fungal spores in garden soil!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="2273" LastEditDate="2016-10-24T20:43:52.733" LastActivityDate="2016-10-24T20:43:52.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29689" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3758" CreationDate="2016-10-24T20:24:08.207" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only way is dig it out, I have found that some I dug down about a foot cover with bin liners put soil on top then grass seed and forget it's there, worked for me &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16130" LastActivityDate="2016-10-24T20:24:08.207" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29690" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29572" CreationDate="2016-10-24T21:05:04.080" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without more input from you the best advice would be to cut the leaf off at the trunk.  Do not pull or strip.  Please send a photo or at least some sort of response...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-24T21:05:04.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29691" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29663" CreationDate="2016-10-24T23:08:50.790" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is an idea, my goodness this has just taken up my entire day.  I am so obsessive with IDing.  This is the closest I've found; Montanou grandiflora, Tree Chrysanthemum or Pom Pom tree. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=images&amp;amp;cd=&amp;amp;cad=rja&amp;amp;uact=8&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjEjPenxvTPAhVO9WMKHcy1CI4QjRwIBw&amp;amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Ftoptropicals.com%2Fcatalog%2Fuid%2FMontanoa_grandiflora.htm&amp;amp;bvm=bv.136593572,d.cGc&amp;amp;psig=AFQjCNFQNmjRX9E-cWdLd7gIOE6n_Rb9oQ&amp;amp;ust=1477436571843252&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pom Pom tree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-24T23:08:50.790" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29692" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29693" CreationDate="2016-10-25T00:02:06.827" Score="4" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FzMix.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FzMix.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the culprit. What kind of plant is it, and what's the best way to care for it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14805" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T15:29:07.147" Title="Identify this spotted plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29693" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29692" CreationDate="2016-10-25T00:25:26.480" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a succulent, similar to Aloe, called Haworthia - this one is most likely Haworthia margaritifera, or possibly H. attenuata. The most common one is Haworthia fasciata, common name Zebra plant, where the white warts are arranged in bands which resemble zebra stripes - the different varieties are often confused, but the care instructions are the same anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Relatively easy to care for, needs a light, free draining soil, will not tolerate sunlight nor deep shade, requires average temperatures, preferably cooler at night and in winter, but not below around 5 degrees C. Watering isn't required very often, they'll survive with some water once a month, but grow better if it's a bit more often. Reduce watering in winter, and don't overwater; in common with other succulents, too much water causes rotting. Further info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/haworthia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/haworthia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking at your photograph, though, I'm not seeing any roots on the bottom of the plant, and I'm not sure what the soggy brown stuff is at the bottom, has it started rotting off already? These plants do produce offsets, but when they're removed from the parent plant, some root needs to be present in order to pot them up separately, so if there's no root material at all on this one, I'm not sure its viable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-25T00:38:37.850" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T00:38:37.850" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29695" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29706" CreationDate="2016-10-25T02:29:20.837" Score="0" ViewCount="288" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have tried half a dozen times to get an avocado pit to grow. Does anyone have a secret I don't for how to sprout this obtuse seed?!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16149" OwnerDisplayName="georgestrieby" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-10-25T20:17:31.537" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T20:19:32.683" Title="How to grow an avocado successfully from seed" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-10-25T20:17:07.093" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29696" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29701" CreationDate="2016-10-25T06:39:33.827" Score="5" ViewCount="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two grape vines which are one year old. They grew over summer to about 1.5m and I've got them in pots growing up bamboo poles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice about how to keep them alive over winter? Winters here aren't crazy, but it does regularly drop below 0C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can easily move the pots if needed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16135" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T12:19:28.730" Title="Vines during winter in North England (U.K.)" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29697" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29700" CreationDate="2016-10-25T10:06:16.480" Score="4" ViewCount="252" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this mould on my bonsai's soil?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p42TD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p42TD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If it is mould, how can I treat it?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How can I recognise mould in potted plants in general?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16138" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-29T00:16:09.667" LastActivityDate="2016-10-29T00:16:09.667" Title="How can I recognize mould in the soil of potted plants?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29698" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29699" CreationDate="2016-10-25T10:58:44.997" Score="5" ViewCount="177" Body="&lt;p&gt;I moved my Chinese elm bonsai from my office to home. In the office the soil was usually dry after 2 days without watering, so I'd water every 2 days, before it got dry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, at home, the soil is never dry! Does that mean I should no longer water it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm new to bonsais (or any gardening for that matter) and I'm following the rule that you should only water your bonsai if you realise the soil is getting dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16138" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-25T23:41:32.013" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T23:41:32.013" Title="How can I tell when to water my Chinese elm bonsai?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29698" CreationDate="2016-10-25T11:57:18.150" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Given where you are, now that temperatures have fallen, watering should be reduced - if your heating is not running at home while you're at the office, it may be too cold for your Elm, it requires temps between 15 (at a minimum) and 20 degrees C - its obviously warmer in your office, and the plant uses more water in summer and early autumn, but now, its conditions have changed and the season has changed. It doesn't appreciate draughts either, so assuming its not near a door that constantly opens and shuts, or a window that's open, don't water now until you can see the soil looks fairly dry. Tips on how to know when to water, and general care, here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaioutlet.com/chinese-elm-bonsai-care/&quot;&gt;Chinese Elm Bonsai Care&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-10-25T12:45:07.147" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T12:45:07.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29700" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29697" CreationDate="2016-10-25T12:03:01.200" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're watering with tapwater and have done so for a while, some of this white deposit might be salts from the water; however, in reference to your other query, the salt deposits would have been present whilst the plant was in your office, and it seems you've only noticed it recently. The photograph, with close inspection, does show there is some fungal growth. Don't water for a while, and make sure its somewhere warm (not close to a heat source though, just a warm room) and the  mould should dry up and disappear. In connection with your other query on  this plant, this has grown because you've continued to water in the same way as you did in your office, but its clear that the temperature and humidity in  your home is different - cooler temperature, likely higher humidity compared to the office.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-25T23:49:15.093" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T23:49:15.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29701" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29696" CreationDate="2016-10-25T12:19:28.730" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grapevines are hardy in the ground, but in pots, they could be vulnerable to freezing, so if the temperatures drop low enough for long enough (-5degC day and night for a week or longer) the compost in the pots might freeze solid, and that will damage the roots and likely kill the plants. You can try insulating the pots by maybe constructing some kind of box round the pots and surrounding them, inside the structure, with something like hay or straw, or you can just wait and see what kind of winter we have and just move them somewhere warmer if it turns out to be a humdinger like 2010, to prevent that kind of damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T12:19:28.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29702" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-25T13:20:58.683" Score="6" ViewCount="362" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;http://succulent-plant.com/families/aloaceae/haworthia.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Haworthia&lt;/a&gt; plant has this strange red spot. I'm not sure what it is - is my plant okay? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FZAxe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FZAxe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16139" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-25T20:51:53.933" LastActivityDate="2020-06-29T08:04:25.457" Title="What caused this red spot on my Haworthia plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29705" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-25T19:49:58.513" Score="5" ViewCount="1040" Body="&lt;p&gt;For reasons that would take too long to go into &lt;em&gt;(tl;dr version - a combination of mass gradual soil movement needing soil engineering, bad development, old paving/topslabs,  + ground levelling to address long term ground issues)&lt;/em&gt; the entire top 20-80cm (8-30 inches) of old paving, sand and soil under it is being stripped from a garden (approx size 6 x 14m), and will be replaced with new topsoil when structural and soil movement issues are remedied. Because of the nature of the issues, its not practical to keep the old soil and reuse it &lt;em&gt;(tl;dr #2 - no storage space for such a volume while works going on, economics prevent doing it bit at a time)&lt;/em&gt;. The ground below is a deep clay soil. The old ground level was sloped, so the depth removed will vary from place to place. The location is close to London, England.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The work is underway, so whether a better way might have existed is pointless now, this is how it is. So the end result will be a new topsoil layer. The work should prevent soil movement in future but water may still tend to flow in the soil in one direction, as adjoining land will be higher in one direction than the other. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is about the choice of new topsoil. We get to choose what to put back when the work is done.  I don't know if there are different kinds of topsoil, or some that have organic matter mixed in for worms, or whatever else is needed to allow a healthy soil ecosystem to be established. Perhaps some topsoils are &quot;new&quot; and sterile and others are &quot;recycled&quot; and more varied, but I don't know if so. I have the possibility to choose a specific kind of soil, or to premix it with nutrients. While the soil will mostly be laid with grass seed, we would like a fair bit of fruit plants and maybe a fruit tree or two in it, but even if we didn't, we'd like to help the soil to be established with a helping hand toward a thriving subsoil, that is also sustainable (ie reduce nutrient leaching and help nutrients to replenish), and a good soil, whatever that means.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should we do / what are the options? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@stormy - see reply to @Bamboo below, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/27503/returning-a-garden-paved-for-30-years-with-packed-clay-below-back-to-lawn&quot;&gt;original question&lt;/a&gt; contains links to photos before the work. The garden was originally on a slope and had been cut away. While the houses are in good condition for over 100 years, all the gardens on that slope have subsidence/soil movement, and show cracks/bulges/failures in retaining walls and some have substantial retaining concrete. Because of other circumstances time was very pressured and foundations needed redoing in 2 places anyway, so the ground was dug and a new engineer-designed retaining wall will go in. Before the heavy equipment all goes, and while I still have access for large items &gt; 1.5m wide, it's a good time to get into the garden, whatever will be the new top layer of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't heard of seed spraying services, can you point me to any (I couldn't find links). The main reason for seed vs sod is cost, after so much unexpected work the economics override most other things. If seed can be done, then the cost saving will be a big help. Water in this area flows towards the houses and into water drains rather than into next door gardens, but because gardens are at different levels there may be flow of subsurface water from higher to lower gardens as well. I can put in trenches easily. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There isn't a chance to design the beds at the moment, there's too much else to do! So I want to get the topsoil &quot;about right&quot; and the hardest work done.  I might need to leave it idle and covered (or even in its large bags) until the Spring season while we fix the rest of the house structural issues, then come back to it in a few months and remove any weeds, plant seed, decide beds/ditches and anything else. But it will be easier to get the soil in now, while I have access for large/heavy items.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It turns out that a 2.5 ton digger makes a superlative soil breaker if the bucket is jiggled and the soil allowed to scatter out of it. The soil looks a &lt;em&gt;lot&lt;/em&gt; better than I expected, now that the broken glass, rocks and weeds/debris are mostly dealt with. A lot will have to be removed for structural reasons and levelling, but it should make a good soil. I may need to mix something or other in, or put a few inches of topsoil over it so the original soil is not near the surface (I found quite a lot of broken glass throughout, and no way to remove it all).  Essentially the digger and crude removal is getting quite a nice soft crumbly mix. Probably needs fixing somehow as its clay and will quickly clump again and be non-draining, but I'm fairly confident now that I could mix in whatever's needed to help with that, in a matter of a few days. I'm down to bare soil throughout, and whats left to do is trenches for structural concrete work, levelling and putting in structurally viable subground retaining walls against soil movement (originally sloped/cutaways at boundaries), and returning the garden back to being a garden not a building site. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my previous assumption that it's not practical to keep the old soil has been changed.  If I sift+keep the needed amount of the existing soil instead of getting new, and I want to modify it to be better in terms of nutrients, drainage, or other qualities, I can probably do it instead of buying new, and mix in whatever is needed instead - but what is it that I should be doing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15470" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2020-04-09T02:01:42.077" Title="Laying new topsoil, what if anything to mix in for worms or to kickstart healthy ecosystem?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;topsoil&gt;&lt;earthworms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29695" CreationDate="2016-10-25T20:12:34.913" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM__DWPxxXk&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;How to germinate avocado seed in soil&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the main problems would be using distilled water versus tap water and making sure the seed has the wide end in the water not the narrow end in the water.&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_TbSUSejVk&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;growing avocado seeds&lt;/a&gt;  You can also try a moist paper towel in a ziplock (I've never tried this with avocado but this is how I start my larger seeds for everything else).  Once the seed is rooted and starts to show the upper growth put it in a 4&quot; pot with potting soil, drainage hole, bottom of pot lifted off surface or saucer with tiles or pot feet, water should only be distilled water not tap water!  (too many chemicals and salts for potted plants)...(for us humans to be drinking)!!!  Roots grown in water are not roots grown in soil.  Germinating in water is fine, but don't allow your seed to become too accustomed to living in water!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-10-25T20:19:32.683" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T20:19:32.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29707" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23733" CreationDate="2016-10-25T20:20:45.073" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I learned that this plant is edible, when traveling in Uruguay in February 2016. Upon returning home we here at Earthship Biotecture have been eating it in salads all the time, as we have it growing profusely in our greenhouses. It does not have a distinctive taste, but makes the salads look really colorful and beautiful, and I am sure it adds plenty of nutritional value, due to the intense purple color under the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a great plant as it also grows well in low light and shaded spots, which is unusual for a food plant, as most food plants normally need plenty of light to thrive.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant definitely gets a space in my greenhouse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16145" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-25T21:30:52.433" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T21:30:52.433" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29705" CreationDate="2016-10-25T21:20:04.503" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recall your question a few weeks back about changing levels in your garden - seems like you've gone ahead and had most of the work done professionally, as suggested. With regard to replacement soil, good, loamy topsoil in the UK should be fertile when its delivered, but it does depend to an extent which grade of topsoil  you buy, and the supplier you choose. They're divided into three classes or grades here - premium, general purpose (this category may contain more than one type of topsoil, speak to the supplier) and economy. The latter will be variable, probably will contain weed seeds, roots, debris, stones and may actually be motorway or building excavation spoil, and its fertility may be questionable. For areas where you're laying turf, general purpose should be fine - for areas where you want to grow plants and trees, you might want to splash out on the premium grade. If you decide on economy grade, its probably wise to order composted manure or composted material to incorporate with the topsoil, in order to improve its fertility and to 'lighten it' because its often clay, even though its topsoil. You may find you need to screen or seive economy grade topsoil once it arrives, depending on the debris content. More information here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/Profile?pid=375&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/Profile?pid=375&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The extra information in your question doesn't change the answer I've given above, except to say two things; its just a bit late to sow grass seed, and if the soil isn't even in place yet, then a spring sowing would be more appropriate. If you can, it would be better to get the soil in place where its needed and spread out before the winter rains set in, and to give it time to settle properly over winter. If you can't spread it all before winter, then do it during winter at times when the weather isn't very wet or frozen - it needs to be spread and left for a good month or so prior to sowing seed or doing general planting. Some weed growth is probably inevitable, especially if we have a mild winter, but removal of weeds and proper levelling is part of the preparation for sowing grass seed in spring anyway. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, there are no seed spraying services available in the UK - I'm afraid it's the old fashioned way of casting seed, by sowing it yourself direct - you can buy a seed spreader if you like, its just a bit of kit on a stick that you roll over the area with the seed in the small hopper, and should give a more even spread. I'm not sure they're worth it, though, because by the time the birds have had their share and there's been rain, the seed will move around anyway. If the area is sloped, there is a risk that seed will be washed down the slope if heavy rain arrives shortly after sowing, but once its germinated and started growing, then that's less likely to happen. Germination in spring will take longer, and you will not be able to use the seeded area 'normally' for three months after it starts growing. 'Normal' use includes walking over it, (though it will be necessary to walk carefully over it when you do the first and second cuts, which cannot be done with a mower, although you could risk using a good, sharp bladed hover mower without the collection box in place for the second cut) as well as anyone playing on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other thing to add is to say again, get hold of a copy of The Lawn Expert by D. G Hessayon - even a new copy is under £15, and it will give explicit and clear guidance regarding growing lawns in the UK from seed, or laying turf, including full preparation instructions, together with lawn maintenance and procedures as well as problem shooting ongoing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And a final word about 'eco system' - you need not worry about that, topsoil is not sterile, and over time, a perfectly good ecosystem will establish itself once the soil is spread.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-26T11:44:30.113" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T11:44:30.113" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29709" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29705" CreationDate="2016-10-25T21:20:36.023" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pity you didn't ask before all this work.  To remove the top layer of soil beneath that concrete is just sad.  But people commonly do this anyway.  Purchasing topsoil the composition is never an exact product nor do they come with ingredient lists.  I am curious as to what you are talking about with 'soil movement'...erosion?  What kind of drainage, what % slope do you have, where are you directing excess water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Topsoil is topsoil.  Do not try adding anything to the soil.  You probably have a fair bit of clay over there (btw, Bamboo is right in your neighborhood)! If you could think about sod versus seed, now that would be a great expenditure.  Grass seed is a tough way to grow a lawn and in London, space is a premium.  Sod eliminates weeds, holds the soil in place so erosion is not a worry, comes already started with fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are insisting on seed a second option would be a grass spraying service.  Comes with a mulch to ensure germination especially if you screw up and allow the germinating seed to dry, just once and you have to begin anew.  Also a good baby grass fertilizer is added.  These companies are amazingly informative, knowledgeable and precise.  Draw your edges and circles around trees, delineate your plant beds and they don't get a seed beyond your lines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most importantly is rolling or compacting that soil before seeding or sod!  After fine grading to get the initial surface, you have to compact with a water-filled roller, grade again to eliminate low and high spots and then roll again.  This is so critical I can not jump up and down enough!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant beds should be a good foot higher than the lawn with a 6&quot;X 6&quot; trench between the raised bed and the lawn to carry excess water away instead of soil and water covering your lawn and walks.  Make sure the soil is a good 4&quot; below the bottom of your wooden fences and siding of your home.  You don't want your neighbor's water to flow onto your property and you do not want your excess water flowing on their property!  Gets a bit tricky with the grading.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know this field quite well; grading and drainage and lawns and plant beds.  Subsoil is never thriving in the normal world.  Only the top soils.  If one has to make top soil out of subsoil, the only way to improve is by the addition of decomposed organic matter to the surface.  This you will be doing every year, every other year to your plant beds.  Top dressing your lawn after aerating is the equivalent.  (Mow no shorter than 3&quot;, aerate once per year, fertilize with extended release not fast release, sharp sharp blades and water deeply allow to dry out before watering deeply again).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To add anything to your topsoil is counterproductive.  I am pretty sure you guys in London have clay soils; clay plus sand, gravel, water, gypsum, lime all rotated, manipulated makes concrete.  Topsoil is usually full of organic matter because soil on the top gets organic matter raining down on it all of the time, part of the description. When you get a nice, thick, uniform crop of lawn grasses you will then be adding what that crop needs; fertilizer higher in Nitrogen than P and K, extended release, (don't do the fast release synthetic fertilizers) and depending on the fertilizer at least 3X per year, 4X for synthetic, 2-3X for organic/extended release fertilizer per year... cores that disintegrate from core aerating and keeping that crop no shorter than 3&quot;...watering only when you see your footprints staying down on your lawn and watering deeply (4-6&quot; into the soil profile) will make a drought tolerant crop and save tons of money on watering/maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send pictures and make sure you know where every drop of rain will be flowing to. Excellent that you are concerned about creating the proper beds now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-25T23:56:24.673" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T23:56:24.673" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29710" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29711" CreationDate="2016-10-25T22:19:27.993" Score="5" ViewCount="144" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z4QMf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z4QMf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ebv3h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ebv3h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Can anyone identify this plant? I've found it multiple times in Idaho's mountains and have been unable to identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's about 8 inches high,  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grows in small, sprawling clumps, maybe 1 foot across, with multiple clumps growing close to one another.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Single evergreen needles,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The flowers are pink and white (I've seen them blooming throughout the month of July)  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have found it high in the mountains of Idaho, above 9000 feet, growing on mostly open, and mostly flat, south facing slopes among whitebark pine, engleman spruce, and subalpine fir in dry soil, but very close to lakes or springs.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11834" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-10-25T22:50:36.950" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T00:15:59.543" Title="Can you please identify this alpine, evergreen plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;&lt;alpine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29711" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29710" CreationDate="2016-10-25T23:13:24.847" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a mountain heath or heather, Phyllodoce empetriformis, a native perennial shrubby plant which has,variously, pale pink to deep pink to, occasionally, mauve-pink bell shaped flowers throughout summer. Classed as an alpine or sub alpine plant, likes acid soil conditions and prefers damp soil &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flora.dempstercountry.org/0.Site.Folder/Species.Program/Species.php?species_id=Phyllo.empe&quot;&gt;http://www.flora.dempstercountry.org/0.Site.Folder/Species.Program/Species.php?species_id=Phyllo.empe&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-26T00:15:59.543" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T00:15:59.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="739" CreationDate="2016-10-25T23:14:04.857" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The ideal climate to grow avos in is sub-tropical - ideally 15-30 degree centigrade temperatures - but you can go lower and higher.  The thing is that avocados do not like freezing weather - most types (including Hass) die when frost hits, but a few types are quite a lot hardier.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Varieties with better cold tolerance include Fuerte, Reed, Bacon, Zutano (among others - i've ordered these, roughly, by how good the fruits are).  Bigger trees are more frost tolerant, but you will struggle to find varieties which survive under -3c.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More sunlight = faster growth, but its not lack of light that kills them, its cold weather and wet roots - good drainage is a must.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As at today, all the other answers ignore some key facts -&#xA;1.  An avocado grown from seed will not be the same as its parent type. &#xA;2.  It might never bear fruit, it could take 20 years to bear fruit,&#xA;    but a minimum of 7 years. &#xA;3.  The &quot;correct&quot; way to grow an avocado is to graft a cutting of a known&#xA;    variety onto a plant grown from seed, or, better, Zutano rootstock. &#xA;    It is probably possible to grow an entire plant from a cutting as well.&#xA;4.  Unless you have extremely variable weather, you need 2 types of avocados&#xA;    for fruiting to occur - an &quot;A&quot; and &quot;B&quot; type, each which opens its flowers&#xA;    as male and female at different kinds.  New Zealand is a bit unique in &#xA;    as much as weather is so variable you can often get away with 1 plant,&#xA;    but multiple plants will provide better yields.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Provided they are exposed to sunlight, good drainage and lots of non-chlorinated water, Avo trees should grow ok indoors, but for even a slim chance of getting fruit you will need a very large pot and probably an avocado on dwarf root stock - even then, the chances of yielding fruit are slim.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-10-25T23:14:04.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29713" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29724" CreationDate="2016-10-26T00:37:53.137" Score="5" ViewCount="3953" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted an avocado plant from seed about two years ago. It grew to about 1.5 meters with some leaves. But suddenly, it started drying from its middle. I truncated and pruned it from that point but the drying continues. It has some little buds that didn't change from the time that the drying started.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p2adt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p2adt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot; (A photo of it at this time is attached) &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any solution to recover it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16146" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-10-28T12:17:41.500" LastActivityDate="2018-06-15T01:44:55.247" Title="Avocado plant is dying" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29714" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29713" CreationDate="2016-10-26T06:02:16.620" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few of things to consider with most potted plants and specifically to Avocado seeds. After 2 years I would think nutrients may be the problem here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Enough &lt;strong&gt;Nutrients&lt;/strong&gt; (have you replaced any soil)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Enough &lt;strong&gt;Sunlight&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Enough &lt;strong&gt;Water&lt;/strong&gt; (2-3 times a week)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Proper drainage&lt;/strong&gt; (no soggy soil)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Seed should be just under the top of the soil&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to also add root bound. The other plant looks good although that pot looks too small for the size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15868" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T06:02:16.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4741" CreationDate="2016-10-26T06:59:56.643" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like yellow vein mosaic disease.  You can control the disease by collecting the infected leaves and burning them.  Application of co3 or bevistin, cabentazim, fytolon would be helpful as well&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16147" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-10-26T18:05:02.883" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T18:05:02.883" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29716" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-26T13:19:51.017" Score="5" ViewCount="227" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a cluster of these in a shady part of the garden. I'm wondering if they're poisonous or how I can remove them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Ireland if that helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F9IIo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F9IIo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mushroom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wAvcK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wAvcK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mushroom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16044" LastEditorUserId="16044" LastEditDate="2016-10-26T14:50:53.163" LastActivityDate="2016-10-27T16:41:48.747" Title="Are these mushrooms poisonous and how can I get rid of them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29717" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-26T14:03:37.420" Score="5" ViewCount="173" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Flower_374.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of flower is this? Saw it online while looking up photos for a biology project and now I'm curious as to what kind it is. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16148" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T09:42:37.040" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T18:51:50.560" Title="What kind of flower is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29718" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29723" CreationDate="2016-10-26T16:17:24.740" Score="6" ViewCount="2352" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Middle Tennessee, and the heat of this past summer was brutal on my lawn, which is a mix of fescue and bermuda grass.  We aerated and overseeded it in October to help fill in and fix the patchy parts of the lawn that died off and were overtaken by dallisgrass and crab grass because of the heat.  I put some compost over the parts that were especially barren, and the grass seed there is coming in really nicely.  In retrospect, I should have put compost over all the patchy parts, because I have a few sections of lawn that look like this, where grass is coming in nicely via the aeration holes but still looks pretty patchy otherwise:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/slsyx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/slsyx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sample of my patchy lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Also, pardon the sloppy look of the lawn - after a few weeks of watering the new seed, I finally mowed the thicker, healthier parts of my lawn but tried to leave the areas with the new grass seedlings untouched).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Long story short, I'm curious about what my next step should be in early spring to increase the health of my lawn.&lt;/strong&gt;  Would it be wiser to apply a lawn patch kit to fill in the remaining patchy areas with more grass seed?  Or should I apply a pre-emergent instead, to fight the seeds left by the above-mentioned weeds that plagued our lawn?  The latter obviously counteracts the former, and with my goal being to continue to fill in the barren parts of my lawn, I didn't know if one would be better than the other in the springtime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14187" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T19:38:21.310" Title="For a patchy lawn, is it better to apply pre-emergent or a lawn patch kit in the spring?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29719" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29716" CreationDate="2016-10-26T16:38:27.323" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not sure which varieties of mushroom they are, but even if they are poisonous, that's only the case if you decide to throw them in a casserole or fry 'em up for breakast, so just don't eat them. The mushrooms are just the fruiting bodies of underground mycelium, so getting rid of them for once and all isn't possible, but they will disappear on their own shortly. However, if you don't like the look of them, twist them off and dispose of them. It seems to be a very good year for toadstools and mushrooms, they're unusually abundant here in west London too...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T16:38:27.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29720" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29722" CreationDate="2016-10-26T16:42:17.803" Score="5" ViewCount="278" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves are falling off the 6'x6'x10' beast of a lilac I inherited from the previous homeowners, and I'm wondering whether now is an appropriate time to start reducing the height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plan was to take the front 1/3 or 1/4 of the canopy away this year, leaving the rest to flower, look pretty, and shade my pond through the next season; then repeat each year until it is a manageable size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I have two questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is pruning at this time of year likely to cause problems, and if so,&#xA;when would be a best time to prune?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Am I correct in assuming that the pruned section would likely produce leaf and/or flower (pond cover) within a year?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks,&#xA;James&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Addenda from the responses so far:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Image from mid July (pointing roughly north).  The main bush hasn't changed much, but I've thinned out the front (below that sandstone slab), excavated a waterfall  and created an alpine rockery: &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cucTj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cucTj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;thePatient&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Why:  It's a bit unweildy so needs reining in, blocking late afternoon sun down half of the garden.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Health:  Seems quite happy.  We did not have the house when it was in bloom, but there is evidence it put out a fair number of flowers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15200" LastEditorUserId="15200" LastEditDate="2016-10-26T20:04:12.463" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T20:04:12.463" Title="Pruning a Lilac in November (South East, UK)" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;lilac&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29721" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29717" CreationDate="2016-10-26T16:48:06.807" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a Dahlia, a pom pom variety called York and Lancaster, which refers to the random red and white petals - this variety can produce all white, all red or random mixed red and white, like your example &lt;a href=&quot;http://plantlust.com/plants/36392/dahlia-york-and-lancaster/&quot;&gt;http://plantlust.com/plants/36392/dahlia-york-and-lancaster/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-26T18:51:50.560" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T18:51:50.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29722" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29720" CreationDate="2016-10-26T18:08:07.607" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the perfect time to be pruning.  Lilacs can be absolutely beautiful small trees not so much as a bush. By your description of size I am assuming you have a Common Lilac or Syringa vulgaris.  Please send a picture so that we know for sure what you are dealing with and we can guide your pruning without assuming.  Why is it that you want to reduce the height?  It is doubtful that Lilac will grow any taller than 10'.  Chopping it in half will look awful all winter long and will cause lots of new growth looking like a tree chopped down and trying to come back.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We can help you THIN this shrub, removing dead, dying branches, any branches that turn and grow towards the center, branches that rub together, branches that are thin in comparison to the branch it grew out of, choose the healthiest of the multiple trunks &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=images&amp;amp;cd=&amp;amp;cad=rja&amp;amp;uact=8&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjkhtK4g_nPAhUX7mMKHayBAxQQjRwIBw&amp;amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fdepositphotos.com%2F2551840%2Fstock-photo-lilac-trees.html&amp;amp;psig=AFQjCNHz3Pls8WBQ1DEIvix6SVdIDpKa_Q&amp;amp;ust=1477590201962062&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Lilac as a tree&lt;/a&gt;.   If you would answer a few more questions such as; is your lilac blooming well? Does it look healthy?  Please send a picture.  There are lilacs that are supposed to be a shrub not a tree so we'd have to see it to ID and help you prune.  You never want to prune more than a third of a plant at one time, so if you need to renovate this plant pruning might have to be done over a period of years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T18:08:07.607" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29723" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29718" CreationDate="2016-10-26T19:38:21.310" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am very familiar with cool season grass mix lawns, not so much with warm season grasses.  I've never heard lawns having both types. One is a cool season grass (Fescue) which can go dormant in the severe heat and the other, Bermuda, is a warm season grass which goes dormant in the winter. They are such different plants with different needs different colors, different textures. I just do not see the rationale for mixing the two types for a lawn.  I could easily see how a mix would cause a patchy lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The worst part is Bermuda needs to be mowed short (1&quot;) and the Fescue needs to be mowed long (3&quot; no shorter).  The reason for this are the different root systems.  Bermuda is shallow rooted and Fescue is deep rooted. To support the genetically dictated large and deep root system of cool season grasses, that plant has to have enough photosynthetic top growth. Thus mowing no shorter than 3&quot;.  Bermuda does best with a buzz cut...3/4&quot; to 1 1/2&quot;.  How the heck do you chose which species to cater?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems that you aren't alone that quite a few people do this and I am having the toughest time with the logic.  We also need to know the variety of your Fescue.  Is it Chewings, Red, Hard or Sheep Fescue for fine Fescue...or Tall Fescue?  Probably tall Fescue as it is the most heat tolerant of the Fescues.  But it could be Hard Fescue as well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I never use pre-emergent herbicide.  Especially if I want my grass seed to germinate.  If one had one type or the other and not both grass species I'd be able to tell you how to prevent weeds in lawns easily. One way to prevent weeds is by watering practices.  By watering deeply, then allowing the lawn bed to dry out (the time to water is when the grass starts dehydrating you are able to see your footprints stay down on your lawn as the grass doesn't have enough moisture to pop back up) weeds that have germinated will be killed by too little water available as they have a shallow root system as well.  Another way is by mowing 3&quot; no shorter and that shades the soil, conserving water with lower evaporation, not allowing weed seeds to germinate at the same time that height supports the large root system.  Watering deeply and infrequently TRAINS your cool season grasses to grow deeper thus becoming more drought tolerant.  They are able to get at the moisture 4-6&quot; below the surface when shallow rooted, newly rooted weeds can not and your lawn won't go dormant during high temperatures.  Your Bermuda grass is shallow rooted, but dense and designed for severe heat.  It is very competitive and would be best as a monocrop.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://grounds-mag.com/mag/grounds_maintenance_putting_brakes_bermudagrass/&quot;&gt;Hard Fescue plus Bermuda Problems&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ahhhhh.  Finally found an article that pulls this together.  This mix is great at first, Bermuda grass actually out competes and thus a patchy lawn is NORMAL.  Shoot, I would get a sod cutter and get rid of all your sod and start over again.  Just use Bermuda grass.  How hot does it get over there in Kentucky?  I've lived most of my life where the temperatures get over 100 F and 20 below in the winter and all I've ever planted were cool season grasses.  I am wondering if you could go to an all-cool season grass mix for your lawn.  Greener, cooler, easier to maintain...only because I am very familiar with cool season grasses which are usually a mixture of 4 or 5 species and they stay mixed as a crop. Easy to mow at 3&quot;-4&quot; and never have to worry about going dormant, weeds.  All one needs to do is fertilize 3-4X per season, water deeply and infrequently, mow ON HIGH (now that might be tough as most mower decks do not allow this height, I have my mowers custom 'raised'), keep blades SHARP and aerate once per year.  Otherwise, Bermuda grass seems to be fine as a monocrop.  Same watering practices, mowing once per week minimum but at 1&quot; height.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this article helps you to make a decision, perhaps you'll figure out a better solution, or someone else on this site will know Bermuda grass better than myself...rather Bermuda Grass mixed with Fescue Lawn crop.  This makes no sense whatsoever for my thinking.  Bare spots are your problem as weeds are opportunists.  Bare spots provide sun, soil, water...for seed germination. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And grass seed is usually ready to mow at 11 days +/-.  Bag your clippings and use on your plant beds spread thinly.  Growing baby grass in an established lawn is again at odds for maintenance. Watering shallowly and frequently (4 or 5 times per day) is necessary to keep those babies moist. Then you need to TRAIN them to get their large root systems before watering as you would for a mature and trained lawn.  Seriously, the lawn is a beast that needs a trainer and correct feeding (don't use fast release fertilizer)...I am not a granola type, chemicals are chemicals but in this case, those organic, extended release, bit more expensive lawn fertilizers are worth every cent!  They come with thatch eating bacteria, mycorrhizae critical for symbiotic root support on all plants, slow release to eliminate the stress of a high nitrogen HIT, slower top growth after fertilizing and I've gotten by just fine on 2 applications instead of 4!  The only brand I am familiar with is Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer.  There are more brands very similar, just shop ingredients and price.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had to learn how to care for this BEAST and this question was a stumper for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T19:38:21.310" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29724" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29713" CreationDate="2016-10-26T21:08:52.453" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Shoot, another instance of too big a pot for the size of plant.  Too wet. Roots are rotting and not happy thus the top growth is dying.  Sorry sweetie.  You are going to have to try again, yes?  See some of the other question/answers about avocado germination and care.  A vastly smaller pot, 4&quot; would be a start. Only potting soil, no rocks or gravel below the soil in the pot above the drainage hole.  Just soil.  Do not water when the soil is moist for the upper 1&quot; and we are talking about the 4&quot; size pot, not your 12&quot; in your picture.  (is it 12&quot;???) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Purchase bottled distilled water, do not use tap water.  I can see signs of high salts on your clay pot.  Clay is great!  Tap water is not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-26T21:08:52.453" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29725" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29716" CreationDate="2016-10-27T08:47:59.707" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a member of the order &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agaricales&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Agaricales&lt;/a&gt;. Which contains many edible mushrooms such as the white mushrooms you buy in the store as well as very poisonous mushrooms such as the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_virosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;European destroying angel&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Agaricales apart from chanterelles are often hard to identify and easy to confuse. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Touching a poisonous mushroom is not dangerous. However when dealing with any mushroom you are unsure of, make sure you wash hands thoroughly after touching it to avoid getting any traces in your mouth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to getting rid of the actual mycelium, that might not be possible or even desirable. Fungi help break down organic matter and make it available for plants. You can simply pull and toss the fruit bodies if they bother you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14422" LastEditorUserId="14515" LastEditDate="2016-10-27T16:41:48.747" LastActivityDate="2016-10-27T16:41:48.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29726" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29731" CreationDate="2016-10-27T15:28:42.777" Score="4" ViewCount="756" Body="&lt;p&gt;I decided to try making a terrarium with a bowl I had in the house. The plants I bought to put in it weren't labelled with what they were and in the few months since building it, one has grown like crazy and is getting squashed up against the side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, can anybody identify what it is? And can I trim it to fit in the bowl, or should I remove it and replant it on it's own?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JoJrU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JoJrU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16154" LastActivityDate="2017-10-27T15:43:27.600" Title="Help identifying cactus/succulent and trimming" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29727" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29729" CreationDate="2016-10-27T16:57:47.547" Score="6" ViewCount="1015" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rats like to eat cactus?&#xA;I have noticed that my cactus has become increasingly gnawed, and I have no idea what can be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm starting to take care of gardens recently and do not know much about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16155" LastActivityDate="2016-10-28T14:10:10.877" Title="Rats like to eat cactus?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29728" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29726" CreationDate="2016-10-27T17:06:15.070" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The succulent in the front seems to be &lt;em&gt;Huernia Keniensis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not an expert, but I think it is&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VueH1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VueH1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16155" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2016-10-28T12:29:10.370" LastActivityDate="2016-10-28T12:29:10.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29729" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29727" CreationDate="2016-10-27T17:52:31.390" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rodents do eat Opuntia (also known as prickly pear) varieties - not necessarily rats, but other rodents too. You've not said what variety of cactus, but if it is one of the Opuntias, then likely the culprit is a rodent of some sort. Information can be found in this link: &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/rodents-eat-prickly-pear-cactus-60302.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Rodents That Eat Prickly Pear Cactus&lt;/a&gt; which refers to the States, so you may have your own local rodents which do the same thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-10-28T14:10:10.877" LastActivityDate="2016-10-28T14:10:10.877" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29730" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29727" CreationDate="2016-10-27T21:24:21.277" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, many animals including: Rodents, Rabbits, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIy64jnYaG8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Cows&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.whitetailfood.com/whitetail-food-cacti/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Deer&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/Javelina.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Javelina&lt;/a&gt; eat cactus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16158" LastActivityDate="2016-10-27T21:24:21.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29731" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29726" CreationDate="2016-10-27T22:00:36.993" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think its Austrocylindropuntia subulata, and it will need potting up separately - this plant gets 3-4 metres high and is used as fencing in warm countries, although its unlikely to reach that size contained in a pot of its own - but it's not really suitable for growing with other, smaller specimens of cactus. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/CACTI/Family/Cactaceae/4096/Opuntia_subulata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/CACTI/Family/Cactaceae/4096/Opuntia_subulata&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-10-27T22:00:36.993" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29732" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-28T04:11:35.700" Score="4" ViewCount="189" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I was younger, my family would grow scallions by taking an old glass bottle, filling it with water to the brim, and putting a regular onion head on the bottle so its bottom would touch water. It would grow roots and start growing little scallions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried doing that again, and met with varied success. Some onion heads produced scallions after a week or two. Some took 2-3 months. Some never did.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that a good way to grow scallions, and if so what can I do to improve the success rate? Buy specific kinds of onions? Add something to the water? Anything else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1875" LastActivityDate="2016-10-31T12:40:34.943" Title="How do I improve my success rate at growing scallions in bottles of water from onion heads" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;onions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29733" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5774" CreationDate="2016-10-28T04:33:54.727" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had significant results with this method:&#xA;1. Gather quart or gallon zip lock bags.  I use old bags that are no longer good for food storage.&#xA;2.  When bindweed vines are long enough, section off a vine or group of vines and stuff them in a bag.  Try not to break the vines, you want to kill down to the roots.  Spray glyphosate (Roundup) inside the bag onto as much of the leaf material as possible.  Zip up the bag to where the vine comes out.&#xA;3.  Let the bag stay on for weeks, until the bindweed inside is very dead and dry.  This works especially well during the summer.  Dispose of the bag with the dead bindweed in the trash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have eradicated bindweed from large areas of our 2 acre property.  Unfortunately, some years I have been unable to carry out the eradication due to my job demands so there are still places bindweed is troublesome.  Maybe I'll kill them all next year!    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16159" LastActivityDate="2016-10-28T04:33:54.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29734" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-28T11:31:12.293" Score="6" ViewCount="290" Body="&lt;p&gt;My housemate has a hanging plant, we think it's a form of vine, in her room. It's her favourite plant and at least 10 years old. Lately, it's started thinning out massively, leaving dried leaves on the floor. The leaves have beige spots:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EmIyG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EmIyG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves' back side shows brown spots:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mXQKS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mXQKS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this, and what can we do to fight it? Could it be a fungus?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="591" LastActivityDate="2016-10-29T10:21:15.130" Title="Why is this years-old vine dying and showing strange beige spots?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29735" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29734" CreationDate="2016-10-28T11:52:37.280" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant is Rhoicissus rhomboidea 'Ellen Danica', common name Mermaid Vine, though its often referred to as grape ivy. At first glance, rust infection springs to mind, but a closer examination reveals what are apparently eggs or crawlers. I can't decide whether it's an aphid infestation or soft scale/mealybug, or both, but I'm inclining to the soft scale, so its not a fungal infection, but insect invasion. You can either use a heavy duty systemic insecticide which treats for mealybug, scale and aphids (they usually cover aphids as well) or try spraying with neem, weekly - if you choose the latter route, it may mean reapplying weekly for some period of time. When you spray, be sure to cover both the backs and tops of leaves, as well as the stems. If you choose the systemic insecticide treatment, take the plant outdoors and spray outside, then when it stops dripping, bring it back indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plant is large with plenty of foliage, then cutting it back by half or a third will dispose of some - these plants do not mind being cut back, so it will recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to your comment below - typical of scale if the objects cannot be wiped away easily - scale come in different forms and have a crawler stage and a fixed and immovable stage, sometimes with the two going on together. It is a little unusual to find them or their 'cotton'  deposited on the tops of the leaves, they usually stick to the backs, which is why I thought the deposits on the front might be eggs or whitefly. Doesn't change the treatment recommended in the first part of this answer though. More general info &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/houseplant-pests/scale-control/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/houseplant-pests/scale-control/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-10-29T10:21:15.130" LastActivityDate="2016-10-29T10:21:15.130" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29736" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29732" CreationDate="2016-10-28T11:53:41.547" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Scallion is a non-technical term used to refer to leaf vegetables in the onion family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like any other plant, they will grow better in nutrient-rich soil but water should suffice to grow a few sets of leaves given a large enough bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either your onion heads aren't large enough or you have some sort of disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of them can grow leaves in proper conditions. That's the whole point of storing nutrients in bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;+&lt;/strong&gt; By the way, given that you are having trouble with rooting, the one thing to check is if the onions you are planting have at least some viable root stubs. Some places sell you the onion with leaves and roots while others sell you a polished ball. I'm not sure it's actually impossible for onions to grow new roots from top growth, but common practice seems to require roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastEditorDisplayName="user10810" LastEditDate="2016-10-31T12:40:34.943" LastActivityDate="2016-10-31T12:40:34.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29737" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-28T13:44:07.533" Score="6" ViewCount="1165" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to grow lettuce. I used fresh Grand Rapids variety seeds but the problem is that they would not germinate. Day temperature there is between 26° to 29° C (78° to 84° F) and night temperature is between 19° to 23° C (66° to 73° F). Now, what is the reason that they would not germinate?.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14620" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-10-28T17:06:14.187" LastActivityDate="2016-10-28T19:10:43.520" Title="Why am I having trouble with lettuce germination?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29737" CreationDate="2016-10-28T15:49:31.593" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a little warm for lettuce seed germination.  A more useful number to know would be your soil temperature.  There could be a variety of factors involved though.  Did you keep the seed bed moist?  Did you sow the seeds too deep into the soil?  Hard to answer your question without more information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2016-10-28T15:49:31.593" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29739" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29737" CreationDate="2016-10-28T19:10:43.520" Score="8" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lettuce, while now bred into dozens on varieties, originally comes from the Mediterranean, an area with hot and dry summers. A mechanism called &lt;em&gt;thermo-inhibition&lt;/em&gt; prevents the seeds to sprout when the soil is warmer than ca. 27C / 80F. In the wild, this protects the seeds to grow in conditions when they have virtually no chance of survival; for a gardener, this means germinating lettuce in summer often can be difficult.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Air temperature is less critical, btw., but remember that soil in direct sunlight can get really hot. Plus this can mean the top layer of soil (and the seeds) is prone to drying out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some lettuce seeds need light to germinate, so sowing too deep can also be a problem. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For temperatures that are &lt;em&gt;just a bit too warm&lt;/em&gt;, soaking the seeds in cool water for 16-24 hours can help overcome the temperature inhibition. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For more reliable and temperature-independent results, consider germinating your seeds in wet paper towels and then planting the tiny seedlings. Of course that means you must protect them from the summer sun and keep them constantly moist during the initial growth stages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Side note:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Hot temperatures also encourage bolting, which may also lead to more bitter leaves, and possibly less developed heads. Make sure you choose appropriate breeds or grow your lettuce primarily in spring and autumn. They are a short time crop anway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-10-28T19:10:43.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29740" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-28T19:59:00.887" Score="11" ViewCount="1698" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a first time home owner, and didn't know that a mound around a tree was bad. A 2' deep, 10' wide mound had been put around the tree a few years before I bought the house. I want to remove the mound but now there are small roots in the mound and to remove most of the mound I would have to shovel through them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the tree is a maple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would it hurt the tree to dig up those roots?  What about using a hose to cause the soil to run off? How should I proceed in the best interest of the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sqHkC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sqHkC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16161" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-10-28T21:36:54.377" LastActivityDate="2018-10-14T17:44:21.717" Title="Should I dig through roots when removing a mound from around a tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="12" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29741" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29740" CreationDate="2016-10-29T00:29:29.237" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes that mound will KILL this tree, slowly but surely.  Unless the roots begin just below that line where the soil stops, you have to remove that mound!  Any soil, mulch, rock, plastic that touches the bark of the trunk that is supposed to be out of the soil will allow moisture to create a great environment for bacteria to thrive.  The vascular system, the live part of that trunk is a thin, thin line just below the bark.  Once that is compromised, that tree will die within a year, maybe less.  Roots send the water up to the leaves as well as certain chemicals necessary for photosynthesis and then the food that the plant makes for itself is sent down to the roots for storage and more power as roots are unable to photosynthesize to make their ENERGY, they rely on the energy sent down to them from the canopy/the photosynthetic factories.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pull that soil back until you are able to see the root ball.  Hopefully your tree hasn't been girdled where the vascular system is destroyed all around the circumference.  Otherwise, partial flow will work while the tree tries to heal the compromised vascular system.  I am so very glad you thought about this. Most people have no clue how important this is, including landscape maintenance companies!!  Achilles' heel of trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the mound is above the root ball and is on the trunk then all you can do is pull that soil away from the trunk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am seeing there might be a different history and this was an original tree left from construction/drainage.  Exposing roots and by mounding the soil trying to save the roots...whoa.  If this is indeed the problem then a simple low, easily a DIY project, wall around that perimeter will solve the MOUND.  You just need to find the top of the root ball.  Yes, it is a maple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-10-29T00:39:36.983" LastActivityDate="2016-10-29T00:39:36.983" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29742" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29663" CreationDate="2016-10-29T01:52:50.327" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Update 2019, see below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think this is a young Whitebeam. Perhaps Sorbus hybrida or S. latifolia or S. intermedia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2019-10-03T00:58:29.197" LastActivityDate="2019-10-03T00:58:29.197" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="29743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29732" CreationDate="2016-10-29T22:02:08.560" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read that potatoes are treated to minimize sprouting while in storage. Maybe something similar is done to onions? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16166" LastActivityDate="2016-10-29T22:02:08.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29740" CreationDate="2016-10-30T15:43:27.477" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I see on the picture, your tree did build roots to the top of the mond. And If you say us there are small root in there, my guess is these are the roots of the tree itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I disagree with Stormy: it doesn't necessarily kill the tree. Here it may have changed its shape by making it grow upper roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would let the earth in here, and even try to grow something, (e.g. some small succulent with strong shade resistent feature) on top of it, to allow water to drain all the earth away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16167" LastActivityDate="2016-10-30T15:43:27.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29746" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29747" CreationDate="2016-10-30T23:23:03.437" Score="6" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two years ago I purchased and grew a wonderfully beautiful brown turkey fig tree in south Toronto, Canada.  Alas, it died as I overwintered in in an unheated garage which I thought might be sufficient. Last year, I purchased a Mission fig which I overwintered indoors. Since it was warm and received some light, it grew, but terribly leggy and anemic. This spring, I allowed it to grow without pruning, leaving its spindly and lanky growth alone. It provided me with 6 edible fruits. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I attempt to again winter this tree in my unheated garage? This time, I would take more effort with its insulation. This way, I will more likely recreate a better dormancy period in hopes of more fruits next year. In addition, since my tree is only about 5' tall with about 8 branches, would now be the ideal time to prune since I believe that they fruit on new growth? is the Mission hardier than the Turkey? (It was also a particularly bad winter when I lost my Turkey). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I again bring it in the house, pare it down to fit, and keep new growth at bay?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The hardest but likely best method?:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig a trench and bury the bugger?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking @kevinsky might chime in here. &lt;em&gt;fingers crossed&lt;/em&gt;. @stormy, I know you know the answer but you're way too warm to know the plight of Torontonians. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-10-30T23:29:29.920" LastActivityDate="2016-10-31T06:34:31.767" Title="Zone 6b edible Ficus (Fig) hardiness/overwintering" Tags="&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29746" CreationDate="2016-10-31T00:35:18.850" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know Toronto winters they are unpredictable at best.   There are often snow storms and temperatures worthy of zone 5 but not for long. You did follow recommended procedure by putting it in a cool place but as they say in real estate: &quot;Location is everything&quot;. Specifically, do you know what temperature ranges you find in your garage?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried my garage in Zone 5a for overwintering plants and found that it reached outside air temperature quickly.  The amount of waste heat generated by the house was not enough to change the temperature inside the garage.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The optimum temperature is around 0 degrees celsius but Toronto is often colder than this.   If you don't have an outdoor greenhouse and have to use your garage then try these steps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wait until cold temperatures in the fall cause leaf drop&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bring into the garage when temperatures start hovering around the 0 to 5 degrees Celsius&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;buy four sheets of styrofoam SM.  This common insulator cuts easily with an exacto knife and is compact to store. It comes in this size: 2&quot; x 4' x 8'.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;construct a booth or cabinet using the Styrofoam.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you are a fan of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.redgreen.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Red Green&lt;/a&gt; duct tape will immediately come to mind for  attaching the sheets&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the next step requires a dry insulator.  Oak leaves are perfect as they dry and curl but other types of dry fall leaves can be used to fill up the cabinet.  Bubble wrap or styrofoam peanuts will do as well but are bulky when stored for next year.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pop a top on your cabinet: good to go&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This way your fig will be insulated, dry and will not receive any light.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Check for water in late winter &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bring the fig out of storage to a sheltered spot a few weeks before final frost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pruning happens now to encourage more new growth&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water it thoroughly when it starts to bud out &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;watch out for low temperature weather and bring indoors overnight if required&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-10-31T00:35:18.850" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29748" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30281" CreationDate="2016-10-31T02:03:12.100" Score="5" ViewCount="113" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a 10X15 plot of sunchokes this spring, and only got out about 10 freezer bags worth. The stalks were blooming, plenty of ground cover from grass, but still fairly green, with a lot of woody parts. Why did my sunchokes not produce like John Kohler's/et al do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-20T18:39:56.420" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T22:08:45.290" Title="Why did my sunchokes barely produce?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;sunchoke&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29749" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29746" CreationDate="2016-10-31T06:34:31.767" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the tears of laughter...you are bad.  Zone 8, I've had figs grown in zone 5 but like you said totally anemic.  Have you thought about getting REAL grow lights in that garage and controlling the heat/temperature so that it is constantly between 60 and 70?  Maybe 55 to 70 degrees F.  Still wiping tears from my eyes!!  Wow how refreshing!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pull myself together here...the only way to go is getting yourself a little greenroom.  Insulated, temperature and humidity controlled and a decent grow light with BALLAST or two...seriously.  Stability with temperature, humidity, sterile environment, fantastic grow lights and do not forget FANS. The ability to pull fresh air in and pull old air out.  Your plants should MOVE in the wind from the fans.  And I firmly believe plants need a routine with light and dark.  Check into the daylight/night hours for optimum fruiting with figs.  Gees.  And major grins...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-10-31T06:34:31.767" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29750" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-31T12:51:49.057" Score="3" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;I soaked lettuce seeds in distilled water for 12 hours.Then, I transferred them to petri dishes that had double folded filter paper moistened with distilled water. The petri dishes were then left in a room for 72 hours (Petri dishes were covered with transparent glass). After 72 hours,when I checked the petri dishes, only a small radicle had come out from the seeds and no hypocotyl could be seen. I left the petri dishes for 2 more days, but there was no further growth. Is there is problem with my seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14620" LastEditorUserId="15821" LastEditDate="2016-11-01T09:02:29.397" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T17:21:26.403" Title="Germination of lettuce" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29751" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-10-31T18:07:58.247" Score="5" ViewCount="127" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried to germinate lettuce indoors at 27 degrees Celcius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) in the day and 17 degrees Celsius (62 degrees Fahrenheit) at night, but they did not germinate. What is the most favourable day and night temperature for Grand Rapids lettuce seeds germination?.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14620" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-01T21:26:28.503" LastActivityDate="2016-11-01T21:26:28.503" Title="What's the best germination temperature for Grand Rapids lettuce?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29752" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29753" CreationDate="2016-11-01T03:23:35.440" Score="5" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wanting to grow some sweetcorn (Its mid spring here, so I believe I should have enough time).    My concern is that the sweetcorn is going to be grown very close to the home of my wifes free-range chickens - so I have a couple of questions -&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If i plant the sweetcorn 3 cm below the soil, are the chickens likely to &#xA;find and consume it ?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there a simple way to germinate sweetcorn in a controlled environment&#xA;such that I can get it to a size where I can plant it without having it&#xA;be of interest to the chickens ?   (inside or outside, maybe in a &#xA;plastic container ? )&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-11-01T05:38:44.493" Title="How best to Germinate Sweetcorn" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;sweetcorn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29752" CreationDate="2016-11-01T05:38:44.493" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is kinda sweet...yes, Davidgo, you can germinate your corn (please make sure the package is labeled NON-GMO) by soaking the kernels in water the night before you plant.  Chickens are worth the effort to protect your garden.  I would get a rabbit/chicken fence put up (easy) that is 1 and 1/2 feet above surface and 6&quot; below surface.  Doesn't have to be pretty and can always be improved.  Those chickens are worth every egg, every insect they gobble and every poop of fertilizer.  Grins.  I have 25 bunnies and this simple fencing keeps them out of our garden.  They are running around pooping great fertilizer pellets...I just love 'em.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another inexpensive thing you could do.   Go get 'row cloth' and lay that stuff over your newly planted corn until you are able to get that little fence installed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And yes, those chickens will find your germinating seeds, dig them up and eat 'em.  If you cover your seeded area with row cloth, securing the edges with soil, the row cloth allows water and sun in, holds onto the heat a bit more for the spring transition and will give you about a month before you have to give in and put up a simple 18&quot; high or better, field wire fence buried 4-6&quot; below the surface.  Very inexpensive and this is the best way to make everyone happy!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Corn does not transplant well, so starts are very iffy.  Harmony with animals, neighbors and wives is completely within our power.  Very worth the effort...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-01T05:38:44.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29754" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29751" CreationDate="2016-11-01T13:45:00.317" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It does sound quite hot for lettuce germination. For those of us in the US, that works out to 62F at night, 81F during the day. Grand Rapids is an heirloom variety from here where I live in the Great Lakes region, where lettuce is grown in the spring and fall. That means temperatures generally hover in the 40's at night (around 4-8C) and only get into the 60's during the day (17C). Given that the climate you are trying to grow in is very different, you might do better with a different variety. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2016-11-01T13:45:00.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29756" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29819" CreationDate="2016-11-02T08:57:41.863" Score="4" ViewCount="121" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a cutting I made about a year ago which took root (not sure when, I only realized when the roots were about 2 inches long). I had the cutting sit in a basic water bottle the whole period of its duration (I didn't change the water). The plant species is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myoporum_insulare&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Myoporum insulare&lt;/a&gt; or a Common Boobialla. I took it out of the bottle 1 week ago. I found a nice bucket, drilled a few holes in the bottom and stuck it in there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are the photos I took 2 days ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I keep it on an old outdoor chair, which is now just framework. Is it too cold? It gets the direct morning sun then midday it stays under a clear roof which lets a small amount of sunlight through.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zs4uW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zs4uW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are feeling more dry than an average Boobialla to my understanding. I was thinking this is due to the sudden climate change (water to soil transition). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also after I took this photo I realised the white stain. Unsure about what that is, maybe just some bird droppings and it slid off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FgLEp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FgLEp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really do want this to survive, if you could help in any way would be much appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16179" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-11-08T04:23:23.770" LastActivityDate="2016-11-08T13:29:13.883" Title="How much water does a Common Boobialla cutting need?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29757" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-02T12:06:54.130" Score="8" ViewCount="3816" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Chinese Elm bonsai lost its foliage from the time of purchase (June) until now (November):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JfUac.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p1xl4.jpg&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roots seem fine (i.e. not rotten):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eXAaU.jpg&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is there something I can do (e.g. re-potting, pruning, feeding, wiring, etc.) to bring back its foliage?&lt;/strong&gt; The loss of foliage could have been my fault (please see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/29697/how-can-i-recognize-mould-in-the-soil-of-potted-plants&quot;&gt;my other question&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How I cared for it so far:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Initially watered it every second day; since last week, I've been using the chopstick method and have not watered it since. I'm waiting for the chopstick to come out completely dry.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I fed it with a 4-6-6 feed every fortnight until last month; I haven't fed it for a month and I was planning to feed it monthly from now on.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I pruned it twice during summer. After it lost most leaves, I realised the thiner branches are quite fragile. This week I removed all branches that had no leaves or only 1 or 2 leaves on the tip.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's still in the same pot it came in.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About the bonsai:&#xA;7 years old (according to retailer (Amazon)); now it takes about 1 week to re-water (the necessary time for a chopstick to come out completely dry); it stays by a well lit window in my kitchen, where it's constantly 20C; humidity in the flat stays around 60%. I'm in Scotland, so days are getting shorter quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16138" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2018-02-11T00:20:08.490" Title="How can I restore foliage in a Chinese Elm bonsai?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29758" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-02T12:10:43.203" Score="3" ViewCount="113" Body="&lt;p&gt;We did a complete lawn renovation at a property on Long Island, NY. Due to the owner's schedule, we were delayed in seeding, and it is now November with very little germination across the entire lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would a turf blanket or cover (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.covermaster.com/Golf-Courses/Turf-Blankets-3/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;example 1&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.evergreenturfcovers.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;example 2&lt;/a&gt;) significantly improve turf establishment in our case? What are things that we should factor in if we decide to use themn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2021-03-14T13:37:00.027" LastActivityDate="2021-03-14T13:37:00.027" Title="Are turf blankets useful in fall lawn installation?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;sod&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29759" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29763" CreationDate="2016-11-02T13:30:22.413" Score="6" ViewCount="140" Body="&lt;p&gt;Winter is approaching. It gets cold here. Cold water. Would the cold water shock the roots of the plants or not?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-11-03T14:11:11.727" Title="Should I heat water first and let it cool before watering in winter?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29760" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30280" CreationDate="2016-11-02T14:05:01.657" Score="5" ViewCount="18985" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought about 300 Snake Plant (Sansevieria) seeds as they ship better than full plants typically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been having a lot of trouble getting them to grow and have found very little information on doing it optimally as every resource assumed you have access to a fully grown Snake Plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much water ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much light (lux) ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7256" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-20T18:29:42.180" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T18:29:42.180" Title="How do I grow Snake Plants from seeds?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29761" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-02T14:18:03.323" Score="13" ViewCount="2949" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm cleaning out my barn. It's old cow manure that's been in there for 20 years. I put a bunch of it on the garden, which has clay soil. I'm growing tomatoes, peppers and onions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will this hurt my vegetable garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16180" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-11-02T14:24:28.063" LastActivityDate="2016-11-02T22:13:28.770" Title="Will applying twenty year old cow manure hurt my vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;manure&gt;&lt;onions&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29761" CreationDate="2016-11-02T14:34:59.603" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless harmful elements fell into your manure during those 20 years without your knowledge, it certainly shouldn't hurt anything. It might not be as potent as properly matured and composted manure, that's all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Concerning your clay soil : don't work in your garden if it rained in the last 2 days to avoid compacting the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16181" LastActivityDate="2016-11-02T14:34:59.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29763" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29759" CreationDate="2016-11-02T14:40:15.260" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very cold water can shock some plants, especially if the surrounding temperature is warm.&#xA;You didn't mention where you are, but in most large cities, water has at least some chlorine in it, which is a growth inhibitor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a good idea to let water sit in the pot for a couple hours or more to let it get to room temperature and to allow chlorine to evaporate before watering your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16181" LastEditorUserId="15821" LastEditDate="2016-11-03T14:11:11.727" LastActivityDate="2016-11-03T14:11:11.727" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29764" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29761" CreationDate="2016-11-02T18:50:07.580" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds like perfect stuff.  You are going into winter, yes?  If you are, just put it on top of the beds thickly.  This will help keep the weed seeds already in the soil from germinating as well.  In the spring, when your soil has dried, double dig your vegetable beds 3' in width throwing the clay soil on top of the manure.  Micro and macro organisms have been coming up out of the soil profile to eat the decomposed organic matter and they go back down into the soil to poop out their dinners, mixing it into the soil for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because you have clay you really need plant beds built up to increase the drainage and help warm the soil for early planting.  This doesn't mean using wood or bricks or anything for sides.  Double digging a good foot down into that plant bed will quickly 'fluff' up your soil.  Don't worry about mixing or doing anything other than turning over your soil using a shovel.  Never use a rototiller for clay soils.  Clay is flat tiny pieces of rock and the surface of these little rocks being flat has a huge electromagnetic charge causing the rocks to adhere to each other. That is why they use clay in concrete, along with gravel, lime, gypsum, water and rotation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig a trench 6&quot;X6&quot; along all the sides of these beds, throwing the soil up onto the bed.  Even the soil out with a rake so it is the same height, get a piece of plywood, throw it on top of your bed and jump up and down on it.  Move the board and do it again until you've done the entire length.  You are now ready to plant.  If you do seed you can broadcast instead of making straight lines and by raking the sides UP, pulling the soil along the sloped sides up and flipping loose soil on top of the bed to lightly cover tiny seeds like lettuce or I push the large seeds down to their best germinating depth then flipping soil up from the sides.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leave the walkways alone.  They should be inhospitable to any growth, firmly packed.  Hope this makes sense.  Drives me nuts to see gardens started on flat, cold soils.  When you get done with each bed you can look back at your garden and be quite proud.  I do this will any type of soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not confuse this decomposed manure with soil or fertilizer.  Its job is to add organic matter to the top soil.  You can keep adding this same manure to the top all year long.  Try to do a 'green crop' or 'cover crop' the next winter on your beautiful beds to add more organic matter and out compete weeds to your beds.  Can't over do adding organic matter to your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get a soil test before and the next year to see how much your soil has changed.  If you need a more alkaline soil or a more acid soil you'll be able to know which beds are best for potatoes for an example because they have a 5.5 pH soil.  Other beds could have a 6.5-7.0, or whatever pH your specific crop needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Great find and I am glad you aren't wasting this manure.  It is gold.  You should find out the animal husbandry of the herd owners.  Were any of the cattle on antibiotics?  Did they have mad cow disease?  I doubt that but you see my point.  Lots of weed seeds in the manure but big deal.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-02T18:50:07.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29765" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29769" CreationDate="2016-11-02T18:52:21.593" Score="8" ViewCount="1585" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two years ago, emerald ash borer struck my region.  I and several of my neighbors made the tree services rich, taking down the trees before they came down on their own and causing damages.  I lost three trees total (although I gained 2.5 cords of firewood).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of those trees, one of them was special.  All of them were covered with little D-shaped holes, all of them had pieces of loose bark, and all of them had few if any leaves on their lower branches.  But that one had much better bark adhesion, and many more leaves in its upper branches.  Further, there are now a few saplings growing around that stump- they are full of leaves and almost 4 feet (1.3m) tall already.  I've convinced myself this tree was of hardier stock than the rest, and possibly genetically pre-disposed to EAB resistance.  I want to encourage that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While I burned out the other two stumps, I've left this one, and would like to give these saplings the best chance to make it.  I started this April with an Optrol (Imidacloprid) soak, and will continue each year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What other steps should I take?  Among the things I am wondering:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I pick one sapling and focus on it, pruning back the others?  Would this allow that one to maximize use of available nutrients and moisture?  Or would it be better to wait a few years and see which ones do best on their own?  Or would it be best to let it grow as a multi-tree?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The stump.  It is maybe just larger than one foot (0.3 - 0.4m) around and the same in height.  The saplings are sprouting right at the edges of the stump.  Should I cut it lower, cut it away from the edges of the saplings, leave it alone, or other?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This year, some blue-white shelf-shaped fungus grew on the stump.  Should I do anything about that?  Does this change the answer to the above?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13391" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-02T23:07:05.943" LastActivityDate="2016-11-03T00:32:29.303" Title="Tips to help an ash tree, trying to grow from the roots of an EAB victim" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29765" CreationDate="2016-11-02T19:18:08.610" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's the bad news; one NEVER plants the same genus/species in the same place where a disease or insect killed the former inhabitants.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dontmovefirewood.org/gallery-of-pests/emerald-ash-borer.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;EAB&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because of the spread of EAB it is actually contraindicated and poor stewardship to plant more of their beloved foods to includes Cionanthus and Osmanthus...but there is a Chionanthus retusus that actually adapted to EAB in China.  We need to starve this insect to get rid of it. EAB couldn't use Chionanthus because it produces some chemical to ward off these insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bag the Ash trees...unless you want to Bonsai one for indoors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-02T19:18:08.610" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29767" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-02T20:24:34.573" Score="7" ViewCount="229" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BFgHK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BFgHK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5lVMG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5lVMG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please identify this flower with variety/species &amp;amp; color classification...?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16183" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-02T23:04:16.547" LastActivityDate="2016-11-05T09:50:13.710" Title="Please identify this flower with variety/species &amp; color classification...?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29768" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29761" CreationDate="2016-11-02T22:13:28.770" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to what has already been stated, I would be careful not to rely on just cow manure.  It would be beneficial to mix in other nutrients to the soil depending on the vegetables you are growing.  For example, I mix horse manure with chicken manure to my vegetable garden.  Then during the growing and harvesting season, I add other organic fertilizers as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-11-02T22:13:28.770" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29769" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29765" CreationDate="2016-11-02T23:20:36.860" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to the answer already given, the appearance of shelf or bracket fungus on the stump means it's  dying, or doomed to die, anyway. The fungal mycelium will  have invaded the heartwood of the stump, and the fruiting bodies you now see on the outside are the signal that's its well on its way to breaking down the wood of the tree. The shoots you describe as saplings, if they are coming directly off the stump, are not saplings as such, but merely new shoots, because the roots of the stump are not yet dead. If any actually have some root attached, you could try detaching it, with root, and grow on separately, that might work, but given the presence of EAB in the area, its probably best to burn out the stump and its shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-02T23:20:36.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29770" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29765" CreationDate="2016-11-03T00:32:29.303" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with the answers from our fellow gardeners Bamboo and Stormy. Grub out the stump now and don't encourage another &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/fire-insects-disturbances/top-insects/13377&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;EAB&lt;/a&gt; visit to your neighbourhood. The remnants of the tree will grow until the stems become thick enough for EAB to make another visit.  Searches in this forum will show a few interesting &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/19776/499&quot;&gt;opinions&lt;/a&gt; along the lines of &quot;after ten or twelve years in a neighbourhood there are no ash trees left to eat so they will all die off and you can replant&quot;.  This is a very hopeful and interesting message to homeowners who like their ash trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A complete answer ventures into the fields of ecology and the study of invasive organisms where an all purpose answer becomes murky.  Within two miles of where I live most ash trees are dead.  Drive north an hour and a half and EAB has not reached there yet and they are alive.  I can drive south to Maine and see ash trees in urban areas that are alive.  Are they resistant or has the EAB not reached there yet?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Within the time frame that most homeowners have patience for you are better off to plant another species of tree that is native and will not provide hours of extra work or expense wondering if the Emerald Ash Borer will make a return visit.  If you really want to hedge your bets plant a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo_biloba&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gingko&lt;/a&gt; which is immune to many pests and now comes in most shapes and sizes you could ask for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-11-03T00:32:29.303" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29771" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29767" CreationDate="2016-11-03T02:43:27.020" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It has to be Shasta Daisy; Leucanthemum X superbum.  I am serious!!  You can't make this up!!  Excellent perennial to have in mass 'sweeps' throughout your woody perennials. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/wildseed/36/36.7a.jpeg&amp;amp;imgrefurl=http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/wildseed/36/36.7.html&amp;amp;h=375&amp;amp;w=424&amp;amp;tbnid=25V9zfVfBHJWdM:&amp;amp;tbnh=177&amp;amp;tbnw=200&amp;amp;docid=7HYeKrZrMtp37M&amp;amp;itg=1&amp;amp;usg=__wBm-IRjJ3qo1v2lEULasrm5Hd2A=&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwi-6InzxovQAhWJrFQKHRrZA2kQ_B0ImgEwCg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Shasta Daisy&lt;/a&gt;  Plant these guys in the garden now.  Hopefully there is enough time to acclimate for winter.  Next year, cut the flowers off as soon as possible.  The plants will grow more vigorously and will perform beyond your imagination...grins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-03T23:10:07.677" LastActivityDate="2016-11-03T23:10:07.677" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29774" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8424" CreationDate="2016-11-03T19:28:38.150" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe the many faces of Euphorbia strikes again. To me, this is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_tithymaloides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Euphorbia (Pedilanthus) tithymaloides&lt;/a&gt;. Perhaps the dwarf cultivar &quot;nana&quot; form which is more compact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qZ2Fn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qZ2Fn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ov4Hk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ov4Hk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bowm4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bowm4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N5gZU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N5gZU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-06T09:45:21.203" LastActivityDate="2018-03-06T09:45:21.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29775" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-03T19:58:10.917" Score="2" ViewCount="471" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dianthus, please identify the species... Dianthus barbatus or chinensis? Or some other?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KTIHS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowers&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/23178.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16183" LastActivityDate="2016-11-03T20:07:02.327" Title="Dianthus, please identify the species... Dianthus barbatus or chinensis? Or some other?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29776" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29775" CreationDate="2016-11-03T20:07:02.327" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dianthus chinensis X barbatus...so kind of BOTH.  The common name is even worse; Floral lace lilac dianthus.  My goodness.  There must be a way to name just this dark mauve/pink with white borders more distinctly...but this is its name.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-03T20:07:02.327" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29777" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29760" CreationDate="2016-11-03T20:10:28.490" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is a link, have you read this?  &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2148164/how-do-you-sow-sansevieria-seeds&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;growing snake plant via seed&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-03T20:10:28.490" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29758" CreationDate="2016-11-03T21:16:49.530" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Never in my entire life have I encountered the NEED for a turf blanket.  Fall is the BESTUS time for getting lawns to be established before the spring. The fact that you are close to maritime influence means even better temperatures. Seed might be a bit late for germination but I've been in far tougher climates and at this time of year those that wanted to seed we talked them into using a grass spray seed company.  They include a mulch to not only keep baby seedlings moist but to protect them from a bit of frost.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd wait for spring to try again or I'd go see if sod was available/viable for the locale.  Hand seeding has NEVER made a beautiful lawn in my experience. Well, I've done it but it took constant supervision over the owners and baby grass and I did not live next door nor was I paid for my time. Seriously.  Either professional grass seeding or sod. The difference in price is negligible and completely worth the extra pennies.  I learned quickly how to educate people who wanted a beautiful lawn who only wanted to pay for manual seeding?!  Screw that, I needed to have success.  It was always my responsibility and if I had to make a lawn by spreading seed manually I said, 'go find someone else'. Lawn blanky...new one for me, just can not see the value at all. Nope, not at all.  How many square feet is this lawn?  Do you have an edge created yet?  Is it rolled and graded and rolled again?  What kind of seed has been used?  I only used Professional's Choice with zero weed seed in the Pacific Northwest.  Using seed from Lowes or Home Depot just means one will have to redo the entire thing all over again. Not a great position to be in Idiot!!  Grins! BTW, your clients can afford to do their lawn correctly.  This is like Rumpelstilsken making that gal with long hair spin gold from straw.  They expect you to perform with substandard conditions and perform or else YOU will have to pay for their lawn.  Why the hell would they stop you from seeding earlier, because they weren't THERE?  Oh my, we need to talk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-03T21:16:49.530" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29780" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29781" CreationDate="2016-11-03T23:04:46.870" Score="3" ViewCount="1691" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why does my house plant have brown leaves scattered all around? I water it when it's dry, it gets enough sunshine. It's growing fine as the vines are getting longer. But the brown leaves won't stop coming. Maybe I shouldn't be doing this, but I cut the brown leaves off and they come right back. What am I doing wrong? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are no rocks at the bottom and no fertilizer. I do water it a lot. It's a hanging plant as well. I use water from my kitchen faucet, as I do with all my other plants, and I have no issues with them at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aBmvR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aBmvR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iA02f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iA02f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rZmwK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rZmwK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bhs3i.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bhs3i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-04T18:28:04.700" LastActivityDate="2016-11-04T18:28:04.700" Title="Why does my house plant have brown leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29781" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29780" CreationDate="2016-11-03T23:20:07.817" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The diagnostic indicators are the brown spots indicative of a virus/fungus/bacteria.  This is usually caused by overwatering or poor drainage or both.  Verify that you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water the plant when the top inch of soil is dry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water enough that water runs out the bottom of the pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the plant is not sitting in water that is the tray or any sub irrigation in the pot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is a variety of pothos which are vigorous vines. They can outgrow the problem. To reduce or control it I recommend:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;increase light levels&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;decrease the amount of water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider taking the plant out of it's pot an looking at the roots. Soft and black indicates root rot, firm and white is new growth, yellowish or brown firm roots are older growth.  If there is any rot cut back the root system and repot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2016-11-03T23:20:07.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29782" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29780" CreationDate="2016-11-04T02:18:05.060" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would just repot in fresh bagged soil and QUIT watering with tap water. Use distilled water (unless you are on a well system). I'd also split this plant in the near future and 2 plants out of it.  This plant is so dang tough the only thing that makes it brown on tips, edges...is the salt in tap water or being root bound.  What are you fertilizing with, how often, is there just soil in that pot or did you put gravel/rocks at the bottom of the soil?  That would make a big difference and put more urgency towards changing things.  Your plant is a vigorous plant but not happy at all.  Could be a too small pot, too much fertilizer, tap water.  Pothos is majorly tough and if healthy can be one of the most beautiful house plants.  Let us know what you've been doing, this should be easy to suss out.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-04T02:18:05.060" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29783" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-04T04:03:14.763" Score="4" ViewCount="2488" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mf1hd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I moved her to this pot about a year ago and was really thriving for a while. I have noticed she doesn't like cold but does like light, but has made it through several different apartments with me despite the varied locations. Now she live in a room with indirect daylight for most of the day and I water heavily once a month or until the soil is dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There also seem to be tiny centipedes on the dirt, none of my other plants have them.  They freak me out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;She seems all droopy. Am I not fertilizing enough? What would be proper care?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16141" LastEditorUserId="16141" LastEditDate="2016-11-04T04:11:00.083" LastActivityDate="2016-11-05T19:40:50.567" Title="Why is my peperomia sad?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29784" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29767" CreationDate="2016-11-04T05:57:31.320" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I conferred with my sister, and she believes that it is an Oxeye Daisy (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucanthemum_vulgare&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Leucanthemum vulgare&lt;/a&gt;), and one of the best to eat (she used to forage for them a lot). She says if it smells like cat urine, it's a Shasta Daisy. If it just has a mild aroma to it, it's probably an Oxeye Daisy. She says the Oxeye Daisy has very delicious, juicy, crisp greens from early spring until well after the winter snowfall (although I should add that if you're allergic to things in the daisy family, like ragweed, you might be careful); they're crispier and much tastier if they have lots of shade and water. They have thicker and darker green leaves than Shasta Daisies. Shasta Daisies will have dark green leaves if they're in the shade, however (but the Shasta Daisy leaves will be longer and not so oval as the Oxeye).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About Chrysanthemums, she says Chrysanthemums have a thicker, lighter stalk (almost like small celery—and Chrysanthemums are also edible, but the flowers in your picture are not a Chrysanthemum according to her). However, it should be noted that Oxeye Daisies are also known as Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (so, I don't know whether they're daisies or chrysanthemums, but they look more like daisies).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Noting Bamboo's comments to Stormy's answer, there appears to be purple on some of the flowers, on the petals near the yellow portion of the flower that I'm not sure appears in the Oxeye Daisy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a zoomed in close-up of the pixels that make up the purple color on the flower that I was talking about (which I first thought was blue, and if we were talking about the same thing, others thought it was red): &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4I9R4.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4I9R4.png&quot; alt=&quot;Purple color on the flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FYI: If you want to know how I zoomed in so close, while using the Xubuntu Linux operating system, I hold alt, and scroll with the mouse wheel, to zoom in (which zoom functionality is not the same as the web browser's). Then, because that only zooms in so far, I took a screenshot (with the print screen key), and then zoomed in on the screenshot to make the pixels bigger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-11-05T09:50:13.710" LastActivityDate="2016-11-05T09:50:13.710" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29785" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-04T13:22:49.450" Score="5" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do we differentiate which lettuce seeds are good and capable of germination, from the rest?. I planted lettuce seeds, and only 'Radical' came up, after the rest could not germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14620" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-11-04T15:45:54.590" LastActivityDate="2016-11-04T17:01:30.033" Title="How can I tell which lettuce seeds are viable?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29786" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-04T14:47:56.447" Score="10" ViewCount="918" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planing on establishing a fairly large area - 1000 sq ft - as a sort of wildflower meadow.  The area is currently lawn with pretty good quality soil.  I live in Asheville, NC zone 6.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is my question:  I have established wildflower meadows by seed before and have always cleared the area of existing grass and weeds before sowing the seed.  My tiller is not currently operating and I &lt;strong&gt;really&lt;/strong&gt; don't feel like hand digging the whole area to remove grass, so here is my plan.  I'll cut the grass super short and add a thin layer of compost to the area.  I'll sow my seed onto the compost and compress with a roller.  I will then cover the area with cardboard for two to three months (until grass is sufficiently dead) into the winter.  I will then remove the cardboard at the beginning of spring or earlier and hopefully be left with no living plants but a nice wildflower seed bed.  I will be sowing the seed in a few weeks so it naturally stratifies over the winter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will covering the seedbed with cardboard for a few months affect germination negatively?  I'm aware some flower seeds require light for germination, however, if I removed the cardboard before spring, then it should be fine yeah?  I'm interested in hearing what ya'll have to say about this.  It would sure save me a lot of work!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the species included in the mix I will use.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Annual Baby’s Breath, Annual Phlox, Black-Eyed Susan, Clasping Coneflower, Corn Poppy, Four O’Clocks, Gayfeather, Gilia, Indian Blanket, Lemon Mint, Lance-Leaved Coreopsis, Leavenworth’s Tickseed, Moss Verbena, New England Aster, Perennial Lupine, Plains Coreopsis, Purple Coneflower, Scarlet Flax, Scarlet Sage, Sulphur Cosmos and Tree Mallow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-15T12:04:00.523" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T16:55:32.640" Title="Can I simultaneously kill off grass and sow wildflower seed?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;&lt;meadow&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29787" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13948" CreationDate="2016-11-04T14:58:49.873" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are discovering for yourself one of the most beautiful examples of co evolution and interdependence.  Flowers and pollinators such as bees, butterflies, other insects, birds and even some bats evolved together to be dependent on one another.  One of the most beautiful and important relationships in nature I think. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2016-11-04T14:58:49.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29788" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18109" CreationDate="2016-11-04T16:03:44.980" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A proper repotting job should not shock a cactus into abortion. I have never given fruiting a thought when repotting cacti, and I haven't noticed a decline in the plants' fruiting. Not &lt;em&gt;M. prolifera&lt;/em&gt;, but several other species. I do like to wait until flowering is over, because the flower stem on many cacti is fragile, and I do not like losing them to breakage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My repotting method on cacti does not necessarily remove all the current mix, but rather the outer layer where the roots were circling. If you usually completely clean the roots during repotting, this will shock the plant, and I would not be surprised to see energy directed away from the fruiting, into rebuilding the root system. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I saw you posted your result 7 months later:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;For what it's worth, I had two specimens of M. prolifera, and the one I did end up repotting has shown no fruits as of today.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the two cacti received comparable care other than the repotting, I would assume that the repotting did shock the specimen in question. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-11-04T16:03:44.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29789" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21777" CreationDate="2016-11-04T16:14:13.010" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Okras are the seed pods, so if you harvest them before the seeds mature, you should be fine. Like many plants, Okra slow down production, or stop, when that plant successfully matures some seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for suckers, cut em or leave em, they don't hurt the plant. Leaving them on will produce a higher quantity of shorter okras, sort of like this same situation in tomatoes. Try to get the plant into full sun for a good crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-11-04T16:14:13.010" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29790" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29785" CreationDate="2016-11-04T17:01:30.033" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The classic viability test for is to place a counted number (10, 20, 50, 100) of seeds separate from each other onto a damp paper towel or blotting paper, supply them with optimal germination conditions as far as temperature and humidity are concerned and wait the standard time for germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After that, count the number of seeds that show signs of germination and determine the percentage of viable seeds in your batch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on your results, you'll know whether you have a fully viable batch of seeds (like 90% germination), one with a reduced germination rate (sow more than usual) or very small germination rate (don't bother...).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More on germination testing &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.2020seedlabs.ca/what-germination-test&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, for example.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-11-04T17:01:30.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29791" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29786" CreationDate="2016-11-04T17:29:15.773" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Go rent a sod cutter.  Easy peasy.  You can then take the sod and turn it over to make some softly rolling plant beds so it isn't just flat.  Get some top soil and cover all with a couple of inches and roll.  Or use the sod for plant beds around your foundation (watch for drainage back into your foundation keeping sod, soil, gravel 4&quot; below siding 2&quot; below bottom of fences).  Wait to seed in the spring unless you live in a mild winter area and you know what seed you are using.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another solution would be to cut out 'sweeps' leaving a path of lawn or a lawn patio to place a few chairs and a table to sit among the flowers.  Add a small patio tree or an umbrella.  Use the sod turned over to give some definition and height to the wild flower 'sweeps'.  Find a few chunks of grayed picket fencing and place behind the little seating area.  Erect a handsome scarecrow with a wheelbarrow overflowing with wildflowers.  That will give your area a 3rd dimension instead of being 2D.  Go find some ornamental grasses to give movement when there is a breeze.  My favorites are Mexican Feather grass (this will probably reseed itself), Maidenhair grass, for 'walls'.  Perhaps a 'sweep' of dwarf fountain grass.  Always do natural 'clumps' or 'sweeps' of a grass or allow it to be a partial fence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you are thinking of doing just won't work.  Can't kill and grow new stuff at the same time.  And rethink taking up all of the lawn.  Make that area a place people would like to putz in, entertain a guest, read a good book.  Otherwise it is just a plot of wildflowers to look at from a distance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-11-07T08:50:45.827" LastActivityDate="2016-11-07T08:50:45.827" CommentCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29793" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-04T19:33:56.433" Score="5" ViewCount="781" Body="&lt;p&gt;We recently got a love letter from our HOA to re-sod or treat our lawn and I am trying to see if I can fix it myself or should seek professional help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our lawn (St Augustine grass) was kind of neglected this past summer - we were out of the country from July- mid August and the lawn was not watered regularly. Before we left, I mowed the lawn to the lowest setting on my mower. The lawn was green and healthy. But when we got back, there were a lot of brown spots and some dried out dead grass. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We don’t have a sprinkler system so the only water it got was from the occasional rain shower during that 6 weeks. We live in Houston and this summer was really hot – 90 to 100&amp;deg;F every day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I put in fertilizer to revive the lawn? If so, what type of fertilizer do I need? Since I didn’t water the lawn regularly, does it only need watering? Do I need to re-sod? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is what the lawn looks like. The curbside one doesn't look really good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mxzyj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mxzyj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M2owd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M2owd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16191" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-11-05T00:17:39.927" LastActivityDate="2016-11-05T00:17:39.927" Title="How should I treat brown patches in my St. Augustine grass lawn?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29793" CreationDate="2016-11-04T21:55:02.757" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When was the last time you applied fertilizer?  This lawn just doesn't look that bad at all.  Should be easy to get back UP TO HOA specs.  My goodness!  What is your watering routine is it automatic?  Do you have a lawn trimmer?  What the heck are those dudes in the HOA thinking?  They must not have much of a life to be bugging you about this lawn, in TEXAS?  This time of year?  What do your neighbor's lawns look like, my goodness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just by your pictures, I would say get a rake and rake up as much of the brown areas as possible, just FRUFF the grass and soil a bit.  Aerate if you haven't done that recently and then fertilize.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I fell in love with this ORGANIC don't panic lawn fertilizer.  I hate the words organic/natural but I found this slow release, Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer which is more expensive, you need to use more, read the directions, the response is slow and steady (I think plants like slow and steady instead of fast and furious), lasts lots longer, comes with mycorrhizae (the symbiotic part of the root/soil) and thatch decomposing bacteria.  Blow it off your concrete.  In case there is iron in the mix...other synthetic lawn fertilizers one needs to apply at least 4 X per year, this organic slow release only 2 -3X per year. But totally worth the money!!  I'd switch if this ORGANIC great fertilizer were 5X the cost!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let us know how it looks in a few weeks.  Should be beautiful...my goodness what a NIT PICKY HOA.  Grins!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, your tree in your lawn, please check that there is no soil, no mulch up against the bark. Just pull back the soil/mulch until you can see the roots. Right at the level of the soil should be the root ball.  The trunk never is lower than the surface.  Developments are notorious for planting the trees too low, the tree dies and usually YOU get to replace it!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-04T21:55:02.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29795" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-05T01:14:09.463" Score="4" ViewCount="904" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a citrus plant and something else growing in a pot. The something else had some barely visible white mold-like spots for a few months, and now its and the nearby citrus plant's leaves are starting to get dead spots. I have another citrus plant in another pot but it doesn't have any white or dead spots like that. What are they? How can I treat them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two citrus stems(?) and one unidentified plant stem are growing in the same pot, and the other pot has only one, bushier citrus plant with no problems like that. The white spots are only now starting to appear bigger and more numerous on the unidentified plant. The brown dead spots on the citrus plant have only started appearing from about a month ago. I replanted and moved the pots since then. The white mold-like spots used to be only on the unidentified plant's one leaf, and now it's on its every leaf, and the citrus leaves near it are starting to look bad for some (possibly same) reason. Both in a pot, grown from seeds, inside on the window sill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently repotted them both to get more soil under the roots which were accumulating on the lowest parts of the pots, and before both pots were regularly watered to the point where thick layer of moss (~1cm from root to top of the mossy mass) grew on about half the surface of both pots. I've removed moss when repotting. If it was that, I guess both plants would be affected the same, but they're not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last week I moved both plants on the window sill where lack of light (as opposed to being on the balcony in the warm months) and central heating radiator is causing a big temperature change, some leaves to drop quicker than they normally would. Again, only one of two pots is affected very noticeably.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photos of the unidentified plant, its white spots and dead spots:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GcHro.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GcHrom.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KZxQN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KZxQNm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zoRb2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zoRb2m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/arT6s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/arT6sm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8VZEo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8VZEom.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photos of the citrus plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QtkBj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QtkBjm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4qSez.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4qSezm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/omkb6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/omkb6m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the overview of pots (affected and unaffected respectively):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/egKIe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/egKIem.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q2j3t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q2j3tm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see the outline of the old soil in the affected pot surrounded by new soil. The other pot is in the same position, but has soil on top to cover it up, so it's not visible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2273" LastEditorUserId="2273" LastEditDate="2016-11-05T15:23:35.737" LastActivityDate="2016-11-05T15:23:35.737" Title="What are these barely visible white spots and brown edges on my citrus plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29797" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-05T15:34:17.337" Score="3" ViewCount="141" Body="&lt;p&gt;What in the world are these? This is my plum seedling and he is pretty small, but all of his other leaves are large and green. However, he hasn't grown any proper leaves in a while, and all he's putting out are these white ones all clumped up. It looks like a flower but it isn't (and also it makes no sense given his age). What's going on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He is on a south-facing window, so I think he get enough sun. I have other plants on that window and they don't seem to be suffering. I water it when it gets dry to the touch. Could that be the issue? Do plums need more water? Is the soil type wrong maybe? This is just generic indoor plant soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Canada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UUnE0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UUnE0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Togqe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Togqe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sideview&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15549" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-05T16:40:05.530" LastActivityDate="2021-04-10T20:50:16.323" Title="Why are these leaves white on my plum seedling?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29798" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29797" CreationDate="2016-11-05T17:00:48.190" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;White leaves on plants usually occurs because of cold - you say its been unseasonably warm, but have you had no cold nights at all? A windowsill can be a chilly place to be overnight...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, get a magnifying glass and uncurl the leaves as gently as possible, inspecting closely, in case it's been invaded by plum aphid - they're smaller than other aphids and thus, harder to see. That would explain the curling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there's no insect invasion, it  could be some fasciation occuring on the new leaves - this is sometimes just a genetic blip, or a result of injury of some sort (insects, extremes of temperature, physical damage and so on). Were it fasciation, I'd normally suggest you remove that growth, but in this case, its at the growing tip... even so, I think it will need to be nipped off. The other possibility is virus, but you'd see increasing problems with growth, particularly new growth, as time goes by.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing its indoors because its a small seedling, but, as you know, plum trees do much better outdoors - indoors,it won't be able to go through the usual dormant phase in winter, post losing its leaves. I'm not sure how bad your winters get,but hardening it off and keeping outdoors in something like a cold frame to stop the pot freezing would be better for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-05T17:00:48.190" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29799" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-05T18:52:04.857" Score="4" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I have a Legend tomato plant with a very small green tomato that isn't growing larger due to the cold (the tomato has been there the same size since about the beginning to early middle of October), are the seeds in the fruit still maturing just as fast as usual, or will it take longer? My goal is to save seeds from it, however big it gets. I'm pretty sure it was pollinated before the cold inhibited it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been frosting, but it's growing under a tree (so, it isn't affected much).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-11-05T19:00:45.943" LastActivityDate="2016-11-05T19:11:13.170" Title="Will tomato fruits stunted in size by cold still develop seeds in a timely fashion?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29799" CreationDate="2016-11-05T19:11:13.170" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maturation of the seed is concomitant with swelling and ripening of the fruit - its unlikely the seed will develop further than it has now, particularly if the fruit is very small. If you could move it to a warm, bright environment, like a heated greenhouse, it might mean you get that fruit to grow more and ripen off, meaning the seeds within are more likely  to be viable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-05T19:11:13.170" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29801" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29783" CreationDate="2016-11-05T19:25:55.700" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant appears to be suffering from insufficient light - I can see faint variegation on the leaves, but its much less noticeable than it should be. It likes bright daylight (though does very well with good fluorescent lighting too) but isn't keen at all on direct sunlight, although a little in winter shouldn't be a problem. With regard to insects in the soil, that might be down to whatever soil you used to repot it last time - if it wasn't fresh potting medium, it may have contained various insects and pathogens. Your watering regime sounds fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, this plant likes average warmth, not lower than 50-55 deg F in winter. It shouldn't be repotted too often, you should wait till its unavoidable (after some years), then pot into something only one size large, preferably in spring. However, if the soil you used is suspect, then it might be useful to decant the plant, gently remove as  much soil as possible,  or soak it in a bucket to get the soil off,then repot into a clean pot in fresh potting medium, without using a larger size pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-05T19:40:50.567" LastActivityDate="2016-11-05T19:40:50.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29802" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29805" CreationDate="2016-11-05T21:03:36.837" Score="7" ViewCount="2050" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have attached a picture of white &quot;pus&quot; like growth at the base of branches on my redwood tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lbeYT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lbeYT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I looked through the posts talking about white fungus growth on trees. But I am not able to diagnose if this is the same thing. Can anyone please identify what this growth is and how to heal this? This plant is very dear to me and I really don't want to see such a magnificient tree dying. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additional Facts on how I am growing the tree:&lt;/strong&gt; The tree is about 3 years old and ~17 inches tall. It is planted in a 2 gallon pot. &lt;em&gt;Should I repot into something bigger or wait till the tree gets a little bigger?&lt;/em&gt; I water it well every 2-3 days and I live in sunny Southern California. So it receives sufficient sunlight year-round. I used good potting soil and I supplement with fish fertilizer (which has strong nitrogen content), as redwood trees like nitrogen rich soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16194" LastEditorUserId="16194" LastEditDate="2016-11-06T01:16:50.427" LastActivityDate="2016-11-06T01:16:50.427" Title="White ring of pus forming around branches" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29757" CreationDate="2016-11-05T21:14:09.187" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have grown a few bonsais and trees and the number one factor that seems to affect their growth, at least as far as I have seen, is the Nitrogen content. Usually bonsais don't like extremely nutrient soil; however leaf foliage is usually affected by a sufficient amount of nitrogen in the soil. Phosphorous is more for flower growth. So your fertilizer (4-6-6) is higher in phosphorous and potassium than nitrogen. You want to use a fertilizer that is higher in nitrogen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16194" LastActivityDate="2016-11-05T21:14:09.187" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29804" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29802" CreationDate="2016-11-05T21:45:36.580" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There appears to be some needle dieback as well, along with a black spot or two on the needles - although the fungal growth isn't grey, I'm wondering if its grey mould, a form of botrytis. It most often afflicts seedlings or young saplings, but can also affect larger specimens - its more likely if the plant is or has been stressed for some reason, such as very high  temperatures or dryness at the root and so on. If it is that, its invariably fatal I'm afraid - some technical info in the link below which is aimed at nursery growers, but might be useful to help you decide whether its that or not&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bugwood.org/container/greymold.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.bugwood.org/container/greymold.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-05T22:53:23.527" LastActivityDate="2016-11-05T22:53:23.527" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29802" CreationDate="2016-11-05T22:45:04.643" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking at this one picture, correct me if I am wrong, but every little branch off the main stem with a little white ring has drooped or lost their turgidity.  When you said 'pus' were there softer moister white material where those white rings are now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sigh, hope I am wrong, but moist, swollen, bruised looking nodes with white crap oozing out is usually Sclerotinia sclerotiorum or White Mold.  Not cool, if this is what it is and we shall soon find out for sure.  This mold actually makes incredible CAPSULES so when the plant dies (which it will there is NO TREATMENT) that capsule (looks like a rabbit or hamster poo pellet)will innoculate the soil with itself to be passed on to other plants/crops. It probably came in with your plant from the nursery.  IF I AM RIGHT.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those branches that have drooped probably are full of these quite large black soft capsules.  If you could, please get a razor blade, cut off one of these branches without damaging the main stem for now.  Try to cut the base of that branch lengthwise. Look back at where you cut away the branch on the main stem.  You might be able to see these capsules there as well...they will be 1/4&quot; to 1/2&quot; oblong. If there are black capsules that plant needs to be destroyed, not just thrown away.  Sorry if that is what you find!!  The soil, every bit of it carefully sequestered in a plastic trash liner AND then a second one for good measure.  The pot soaked in a solution of bleach.  Heck, I'd probably put that in the plastic bags as well!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This ONE little fungus is one heck of a plant destroyer.  It is the cause of billions of dollars of cash crops especially soy beans.  Horribly contagious and runs the gamut of plant families. Please try this dissection, take a picture and please send.  Keep this plant away from all other plants/soil/pruners until we've been able to eliminate white mold as the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no treatment at all for this disease.  No hope for any plant that has this particular fungus.  So get a razor blade, be careful, use newspaper under your plant and surgery and wash your hands afterwards like a doctor!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=sclerotinia%20stem%20rot%20with%20trees&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1067&amp;amp;bih=539&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwiH2Nm40ZLQAhUH6GMKHX3IBQkQ7AkIMg#q=sclerotinia%20stem%20rot%20with%20trees&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbs=rimg%3ACX8CKo5Wu1uLIjg702FhDpHYTc-sNGOCEvRfnbvLLlp3mT3Pezu0lwi2ciBJ-zybha6Qemu78eyCvR1bqAGdCkpl5ioSCTvTYWEOkdhNEZju3hE6JLANKhIJz6w0Y4IS9F8RCu1tlj7i2_1YqEgmdu8suWneZPRFQME5JEqxjdSoSCc97O7SXCLZyERv2k2NJCvprKhIJIEn7PJuFrpARxTC2cwfleVcqEgl6a7vx7IK9HRF7R98BgLhCDioSCVuoAZ0KSmXmERg5GtihfsOI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;examples of Sclerotinia White Mold&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-11-05T22:53:58.987" LastActivityDate="2016-11-05T22:53:58.987" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29806" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-06T01:28:49.080" Score="6" ViewCount="123" Body="&lt;p&gt;What fruit rot pathogen makes storage tomatoes turn completely gray, ultra soft, and watery—which also makes them smell like rotten storage potatoes? (I'm guessing it's the same thing that typically rots old wrinkly storage potatoes around here.) The pathogen doesn't seem to cause any spots. It just turns the tomatoes completely gray without any blemishes (all parts at the same time), and gives them the rotten/old potato smell. The pathogen seems to be dominant over anthracnose (i.e. in a storage area with both pathogens, they seem to get this instead of anthracnose, and they don't get anthracnose, too). It doesn't seem to hurt the flavor of the tomatoes at all, unlike some pathogens—although I haven't tried ones that have turned gray, of course (just tomatoes in the same bin wherein the smell was, and probably some that were just starting to get affected; if anything, it seems to make them taste better; nevertheless, it causes a lot of fruit loss and leaky tomatoes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruits turn soft and kind of translucent and watery-looking/feeling before turning gray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have any pictures at this time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-11-06T01:34:23.667" LastActivityDate="2016-12-03T09:26:18.200" Title="What fruit rot pathogen makes tomatoes turn gray and smell like rotten potatoes?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;rot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28759" CreationDate="2016-11-06T19:41:23.973" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can indeed shred the kitchen waste with a food chopper and mix this with the same amount of garden soil in a bucket. Stir it every two days for aeration. And in 2-3 weeks the microbes (depends on temperture) will quickly eat up all the waste and you will end up with a good living soil. Make shure the shreded waste is not to wet, just humid. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16198" LastActivityDate="2016-11-06T19:41:23.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29808" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-07T03:15:32.717" Score="3" ViewCount="10364" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted my mint plant from a stem and within 15 days new leaves were seen for which I was happy but in next 7 days the stems started turning brown and seems falling toward earth. What's the reason for the same? The plant get around 30 min sunlight in the day which is the limitation for me at the place I m staying.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Obns.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16200" LastActivityDate="2016-11-08T01:03:42.213" Title="Why are my mint plants getting brown weak stem feels they are dying" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29809" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2908" CreationDate="2016-11-07T08:35:22.177" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's an idea for a 10' pool:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1.) Build a platform out of 10' 15/32&quot; plywood and 10' 2x4'. Space the joists 16&quot; apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2.) Cover the platform with 3 mil plastic sheeting. Only staple it around the sides so that you don't have staples in contact with the floor of the pool&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3.) Place 4 11' treated 4x4s on the grass where you want the pool placed. Space them so they are evenly spaced with the two on the outside about 4 inches from the edge of the pool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;4.) Place 6 2&quot; 10' steel pipes on top of the 2x4's. Space them so they are evenly spaced with the two on the outside about 4 inches from the edge of the pool. These act as the wheels of your rolling platform so allow them to roll freely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;5.) Place the platform on top of the steel pipes so that the joists of the platform are perpendicular to the pipes. Screw 4 6&quot; sections of 2x4 into the tops of the 4x4's in order to keep the two outside pipes from rolling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;6.) Put the pool on top of the platform and fill it up with water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;7.) Every day, remove two of the short 2x4s and place 4 11' 4x4s next to the platform. Push the entire platform over onto them. You'll need to move the pipe as the platform rolls off of them. Resecure the 2x4s onto the new 4x4.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;8.) Pick up the previous 4x4s and let the grass breath under them for a day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you move the platform back and forth every day and adjust where the 4x4s are placed each time you may be able to avoid killing your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16202" LastActivityDate="2016-11-07T08:35:22.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29810" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-07T13:26:14.343" Score="7" ViewCount="1917" Body="&lt;p&gt;I managed a small community garden with a small orchard and farmland. Lately, there are snake sightings in one of my cold dead leaf compost (the snake is a juvenile &lt;em&gt;Ptyas mucosus&lt;/em&gt;). Apparently, the damp, dark and earthly-smell compost environment attracts worms and bugs, which in turn attract some frogs and geckos and in turn serve as the food source for snakes. The compost bin is in a location where many people could get nearby for farming. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have already reminded the people, and discussed with my boss, the possibility of changing the compost to a hot one or relocate the compost bin farther away from the farm. Besides these, what can be done to discourage the snakes from coming and to ensure the safety of people? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please suggest ways that do not change the basic functioning of the community garden (e.g. must keep on doing composting). Perhaps something  non-toxic that can be added to the compost to give a smell that deters snakes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some photos of different angles of the garden are shown below (the photos were taken a month ago after a typhoon with no farming activity started):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tOWLU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tOWLU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HTyUA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HTyUA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PyzC4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PyzC4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16094" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:33:05.740" LastActivityDate="2018-04-11T22:10:39.967" Title="How can I safely keep snakes away from the compost in a community garden?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;ecological&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="10" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29811" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28759" CreationDate="2016-11-07T20:58:40.360" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another option to consider, assuming you have room to add more soil to the pot is to put your kitchen scraps in the pot and layers those with soil so it is fully covered and does not attract rodents. This will avoid you having to dig the soil in the pot and potentially damage the roots of the existing plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-11-07T20:58:40.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29812" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29813" CreationDate="2016-11-07T22:18:50.067" Score="6" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to propagate some deciduous trees from cuttings I've taken. I have 3 different stems for each of 2 trees I've collected from (one being a red maple, the other being a mulberry). Both will loose their leafs soon, and the red maple's leafs have already turned colors. I'm in zone 5a and these cuttings were taken in the past week or so, after the first couple of frosts (nights below 32dF) but with the weather coming back to warmer autumn temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Right now I just have these cuttings sitting in cups of water as I prepare some rooting hormone from weeping willow stems, then I planned to plant the maple and mulberry stems in small pots with potting soil and water them once with the rooting hormone, then with regular water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do I need to do anything in particular to keep these tree cuttings growing healthy, given that they'd naturally be losing their leafs around now?&lt;/strong&gt; For example does that change whether I should keep them indoors/outdoors, give them more artificial light or let them be in the partial shade of an indoor spot during winter, wait before I plant them in pots at all (in which case would they sit in water, or just left dry over winter), etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastActivityDate="2016-11-07T22:44:51.183" Title="Nuances of propagating deciduous tree cutting at leaf off stage?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29812" CreationDate="2016-11-07T22:38:27.950" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hardwood cuttings work best for mulberry; though you haven't said which variety of Acer you're trying to propagate,softwood cuttings are more likely to be successful,or from seed. Softwood cuttings are taken earlier in the year, around May or June in the northern hemisphere - more info on that here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/propagate-red-maples-23902.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/propagate-red-maples-23902.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hardwood cuttings are taken when the tree is dormant, during or after leaf fall; the wood you use should be about the thickness of a pencil, and quite woody, not soft and sappy, and about 10 inches long. Once prepared, its usual to insert them into a pre prepared trench outdoors if you have lots, or just insert in an area of soil previously dug over where cuttings can stay for up to a year without disturbance - inserted into deep pots in a cold frame, they may produce roots more quickly. However, even in a cold frame,  in a cold winter, its possible the pots will freeze, which isn't desirable at all. Precise instructions can be found here &lt;a href=&quot;https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/propagating-hardwood-cuttings/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/propagating-hardwood-cuttings/&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Going by your description of the cuttings you've already taken, it sounds like you need to start over with the mulberry cuttings, and wait till next year to take Acer cuttings. If you want to use rooting hormone for the hardwood cuttings, its best to have that available for use at the time you take the cutting, and the cutting should be prepared and inserted in the soil in as short a time as possible - rooting hormone powder is probably the most useful for this purpose, but its not absolutely essential to use it at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-07T22:44:51.183" LastActivityDate="2016-11-07T22:44:51.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29814" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29808" CreationDate="2016-11-08T00:52:06.273" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Too big of a pot for starting seeds.  In the garden this is very different.  You've got capillary action to spread the water out quickly in a lateral fashion which means there is AIR in the soil versus total saturation.  The soil drys out more quickly and is able to hold heat (better for germinating seed). You aren't using seeds just a stem of mint that is subjected to constant moisture and no air.  Mint is so tough and hardy, you are probably loving it to death, grins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any pot larger than a 2&quot; by 2&quot; peat pot will drown your seeds.  Also a bit of fungal rot to be expected because of this moisture. Propagating by vegetative means is the same but depending on the size of the leaf or stem/node chunk the pot is still proportional.  A 2&quot; chunk, or a 1-2&quot; leaf with a chunk of stem/node will be good in a 4&quot; pot.  Just a leaf and petiole, 2&quot; is better.  Moist not wet. Potting soil not garden soil.  Real grow lights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've used garden soil in a pot.  Big no no.  Always use bagged, sterilized potting soil for any plant in a pot.  Have you put rocks or gravel at the bottom of the pot below the soil?  This actually makes the drainage as bad as having no drain hole at all.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If these are grown from seed or are separate; get potting soil, little peat pots and a tray to hold them upright, fill 1/3 full, tamp down lightly or knock the bottom of the little pot a few times on a hard surface.  Using a teaspoon spoon soil and roots out of the 'soup' in the big pot, go very slowly so that you are able to pull as many of the long roots completely out of that soil.  You pull too fast and you'll rip valuable possibly viable roots.  Whatever you pull out is what you'll have and just continue to the new peat pot with 1/3 potting soil (dry).  Gently land your little plant into the peat pot.  With one hand support the little plant with a feather touch to keep it upright more or less.  The other hand grabs a handfull of potting soil, drop it around the little plant, gently press the soil down around the plant, shake it gently or pop gently on a hard surface to get rid of air pockets.  Do this until the soil is 1/4&quot; from the rim. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If these plants are from a single chunk of mint stem, use a 4&quot; peat pot with potting soil.  Knock as much soil off the stem that you can, leave the roots alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put your plants under grow lights (minimum 400 watts) get the fixtures close enough to add heat but not burn or touch...4 or 6&quot; above depending on the strength of your light source.  You could use those compact fluorescents that replaced our incandescent light bulbs...for a week or so, so that you can go find a real grow light. If you want to grow herbs inside, you have to have light. When starting seeds light isn't necessary (for most plants) WARMTH, moisture, air are critical.  When plants start showing green leaves then LIGHT is important.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants are designed to deal with night not constant light. They need to 'reset'.  A window is fine but still not as reliable and efficient as a properly placed grow light fixture.  Also needs air movement. A little fan would really help to make the environment as unfriendly as possible to fungus, there is already a wet environment you've transplanted with a teaspoon that is full of fungal spores. Water sparingly and allow to dry a bit before watering again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When these plants become vigorous you will then want to think about fertilizer be very sparing, less is better than more (Osmocote extended release 14-14-14 works well and you don't have to worry about fertilizing more than 3 or 4 times per YEAR). When you see the roots growing out of the bottom and sides of the peat pots, up pot them to 4&quot; peat pots.  Take the peat pot off the root ball, gently pulling it off without ripping roots too much.  Yeah, those pots are meant to be planted right in the soil in the garden but they still inhibit root growth into the new medium whether it is up potting in fresh potting soil or in the garden soil...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If these little plants don't make it, throw all the pots, soil and the diseased little dying plants in the compost pile.  The fungus they have is common and found in all non-sterilized soils anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get clean little peat pots with fresh potting or germination soil or you can use the expanding 'discs' that come with a tray made to hold each little 'pot' in place.  One seed per pot. Domes really help keep the environment moist, warm.  I always use fans, night and day for ventilation.  Proper light.  Warmth. Moist, not wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-11-08T01:03:42.213" LastActivityDate="2016-11-08T01:03:42.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29815" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29565" CreationDate="2016-11-08T01:16:29.150" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Carolina Horsenettle, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_carolinense&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Solanum carolinense&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It is a noxious weed, spreading by rhizomes and seeds, and it contains a toxic alkaloid (solanine), so is not suitable for consumption. It is poisonous to livestock, as well as resistant to glyphosate (RoundUp) and 2,4D (selective herbicide). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-08T02:42:32.410" LastActivityDate="2016-11-08T02:42:32.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29816" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29437" CreationDate="2016-11-08T01:27:29.117" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Separate the plants, if possible, so you can give different conditions to the &lt;em&gt;N. Ventrata&lt;/em&gt;. They might benefit from the repotting. To reduce drying, try moving it to an area with less direct sunlight, if possible, and find a way to raise the humidity. You could place it under a low glass table, on a tray of wet pebbles, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With heat over 80 degrees, try not let direct sun on the leaves, or let high levels of light reflect toward it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-11-08T01:27:29.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29817" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29810" CreationDate="2016-11-08T01:35:16.717" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think there's anything that can be added to the heap to deter snakes, and whether the snake that's been seen is harmless or not, others which are possibly harmful may be attracted too, for the same reasons. You describe your compost as 'cold dead leaf' - if you are saying the entire contents are just dead leaves (not added at the green stage initially) with no other ingredients, would it be possible to transfer the contents into black plastic bags and store those somewhere out of the way to create leafmould? If it is, pack the bags full, ensure the leaves are wet or damp, tie the tops of the bags shut, poke a couple of holes in the bottom and stand them somewhere out of sight, preferably on top of soil. You can stack them up, the only reason for putting them on soil is there's often run off out of the sacks and that may stain any hard surfacing they're standing on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consideration should be given to creating an animal proof (to a large extent) container/s or structure/s for future composting needs (green and brown materials). With sufficient space, many people build their own from wood, creating box like areas 1 metre squared as a minimum, with a lid, but these are usually open to the soil at the bottom, so some animal ingress by those that can dig or burrow is entirely possible. Whilst it is better to have the compost container open at the bottom to allow for entry of bacteria and other beneficial composting organisms, where there are significant issues with, rats, snakes or other undesirable residents, the other alternative is to use proprietary, commercially sold compost containers, usually made out of plastic, which are fully enclosed - some have a handle so you can rotate the contents to speed up the composting process. These work better if you add an amount of ordinary garden soil as an inoculant to introduce micro organisms and bacteria to the composting materials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-08T01:54:02.190" LastActivityDate="2016-11-08T01:54:02.190" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28759" CreationDate="2016-11-08T04:04:21.160" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to Bamboo's answer. General kitchen waste also decomposes rapidly and resulting in considerable heat production which can damage the root. It can also induce the proliferation of decomposers temporarily and they will use up some of the nutrients in the original soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16094" LastActivityDate="2016-11-08T04:04:21.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29819" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29756" CreationDate="2016-11-08T13:29:13.883" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The white deposit does look to be something that's dropped onto the plant rather than it being a disease issue, particularly if, as you say, it came off relatively easily. Otherwise,the plant looks pretty healthy, with plenty of new growth appearing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is endemic to Australia, particularly coastal areas; although its frost sensitive in that it may yellow and die back a bit if caught in frost, it recovers pretty well after cutting back. As previously commented, water when the surface of the potting medium feels dry to the touch, and water well, allowing the excess to drain away freely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's probably sensible to get it in the ground fairly soon, where it'll grow away much better than contained in a pot - it looks big enough to cope if you put it in now, provided you keep it watered till it's established itself properly. More info about this plant generally here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2010/myoporum-insulare.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2010/myoporum-insulare.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-08T13:29:13.883" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29820" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-08T13:35:27.710" Score="4" ViewCount="2289" Body="&lt;p&gt;Few weeks ago (probably 2-3), I was re-potting some of my plants. One of the patients was Song of India. The other two plants had severe root bounding. After re-potting them successfully, I started working on the Song of India. I tried the slow and tedious approach. It would take some time to explain how the plant got into that serious situation, but it will extend the question if needed (I will post it if anyone is curious). I had to re-pot as the previous pot was ugly, and I got this as an Indoor plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a nutshell, the roots broke off or came off, I don't know. But the plant has absolutely no roots(at the time of re-potting). Like, 9/10 roots came/broke off, including the main root. Now the plant is dying, obviously. It has lost almost all of its leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JpQk4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JpQk4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cjqrX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cjqrX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The right stem lost most of its leaves. I am thinking of cutting the right stem completely to make new buds appear if this plant survives. But I'm not sure if this is a correct decision. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or should I cut off both the stems? But then there will be no leaf for photosynthesis. Or should I clip the leaf? If yes, how much? and on all leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do? It's Winter here. Not too cold, but it will get too cold in coming months. Living in New Delhi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T18:02:14.233" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T18:02:14.233" Title="Help! My Song of India (Dracaena reflexa) plant is dying!" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29820" CreationDate="2016-11-08T13:42:26.673" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it has no roots at all, then it cannot support any topgrowth, which is why its all dying back. At this stage, without roots, photosynthesis for the leaves is not something that's necessary in any way, the critical thing is to get the cane to generate new roots. Remove the top growth completely,  leaving just the woody 'cane' like parts of the plant, cutting at an angle to allow any possible rain to run off - with luck, it may generate new roots for itself - or it may not, but that's where you want the cane to divert its attention, rather than hanging onto topgrowth which cannot possibly survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it puts out new roots, you will know, because it will start producing green shoots, most likely from the original cane somewhere (usually off to one side near the top), or from below the soil level. In the meantime, don't let the potting medium completely dry out, but water sparingly to try to prevent the cane from rotting. It may be more successful if you can keep the plant warm, at not less than 60 deg F.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-08T13:47:27.483" LastActivityDate="2016-11-08T13:47:27.483" CommentCount="18" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29822" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29823" CreationDate="2016-11-08T17:03:01.697" Score="3" ViewCount="468" Body="&lt;p&gt;To continue with my saga of &quot;I am growing citri but am hopeessly clueless about it,&quot; I noticed today that some of the leaves of my (Eureka) lime sapling are patched with dry, brown spots (see below).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t8Vgm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t8Vgm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These leaves are the smallest and oldest, at the base of the tree. Now, I am unclear on whether I should be worried, or if it is normal given the time of year (November, so late Fall where I am)...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;If&lt;/em&gt; I ought to be worried, what action should I take?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt; I have repotted this sapling 5 days ago, as it started to outgrow its previous pot. I am included another picture, showing that some newer leaves (although still among the first it grew) also show these spots:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wb47T.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wb47T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following stormy's answer, here is a picture of the full plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jOQCQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jOQCQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14033" LastEditorUserId="14033" LastEditDate="2016-11-10T22:22:37.113" LastActivityDate="2016-11-10T22:22:37.113" Title="Lime tree with older leaves getting brown and dry" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29822" CreationDate="2016-11-08T19:19:19.417" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Always nice to say, 'you don't have a problem'!!  Those leaves can easily be clipped off at the trunk.  Your plant looks healthy!  Make sure that ALL of the trunk is out of the soil, that you didn't bury it too deeply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that trunk is below the surface, simply remove the plant from the soil, and build/firm the soil that was beneath your plant high enough to support that trunk to stay at the level you've got and not sink into the soil again. Then replace the plant and fill the sides with soil firming gently with each addition of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There should be one to 1 1/2&quot; between the surface of the soil and the rim of the pot.  This looks like potting soil. Is it?  If not this would be a good time to use potting soil instead of heavy, non-sterilized garden soil.  But it looks like good potting soil.  Also, if you've put any rock or gravel above the drain hole and under the soil, NOW is a good time to get them all out to use JUST potting soil all the way down to the hole.  Lots of people and gardeners still do this practice but the rock/gravel actually makes the drainage worse than no drain hole at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you seen any flowers or fruit yet?  If not you need to change fertilizer so the Nitrogen is less in percentage than the Phosphorus and Potassium percentage numbers.  I'd also find a sunnier spot or better yet, get a GOOD grow light.  That is only if you want limes.  Also, putting this guy out under a covered porch roof during the summer would help any indoor plant.  Be very sparing with fertilizer with any plants grown in low-light conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm only going by what I can see from the photos.  I'm not familiar with this particular lime, the scale is confusing.  Could you check the soil around that trunk and the other things I mentioned and send a picture of the plant AND the pot. How did you know your sapling had outgrown its pot?  Did you purchase this as a sapling (normal)?  Or did you grow via seed? (not normal)  These guys are usually grafted to a hardier root stock, not sure about Eureka.  I don't see any graft...one reason I am worried about this guy being buried too deeply.  Just curious.  You've obviously done a great job as he looks so healthy.  Cut the leaves off at the bottom when they start dying. I always give TMI, grins...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-08T19:19:19.417" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29824" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-08T22:51:55.597" Score="3" ViewCount="478" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 1 year old lemon tree that has only 5 leaves, most of which look as if they are dying. It also has dry, splintered stalks that look as if they have sealed themselves, and refuse to grow any further. The soil doesn't seem dry, and the leaves aren't yellowing.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OmGL1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OmGL1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://feijoafeijoa.wordpress.com/growing-feijoas/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;feijoa tree&lt;/a&gt; that does not look so poorly, but hasn't sprouted any new growth at all since it has been planted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7BKZZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7BKZZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is in comparison to a nearby feijoa tree that gets the same amount of sun and rain, and was also half destroyed by a fence falling on it, yet is sprouting leaves and buds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/USikf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/USikf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could be causing the stunted growth of the the feijoa tree? Do I need to drop a fence on it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;New Zealand climate&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7516" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-13T22:31:18.557" LastActivityDate="2016-11-13T22:33:55.060" Title="Why aren't my Lemon and Feijoa trees growing or sprouting leaves?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29825" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30224" CreationDate="2016-11-09T12:40:02.373" Score="5" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this shrub that's low to the ground and looks flat, green, and nettle-like? It seems to thrive on lava fields and develops lignified stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can be found around &lt;code&gt;28.266°,-16.588°&lt;/code&gt; in &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.volcanoteide.com/en/national_park&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Teide National Park&lt;/a&gt; on &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tenerife&lt;/a&gt; of the Canaries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k2ZCG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k2ZCG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image of the plant described above&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;(Click to see full-screen image for details.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14139" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-09T23:27:26.153" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T20:46:51.027" Title="What is this flat, green, nettle-like shrub from Tenerife, Canary Islands?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29826" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-09T19:00:53.920" Score="3" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a mint from my grandmother's garden that has wide leaves with a whitish fuzz on them. I only know it as Lebanese mint because she brought it over from the old country. Can you tell me what variety I have?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16210" LastActivityDate="2016-11-09T19:00:53.920" Title="I am trying to identify the mint variety that I have" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2016-12-21T01:25:35.713" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29827" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29967" CreationDate="2016-11-09T20:32:31.370" Score="8" ViewCount="151" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this pale mint green shrub that has hay-colored booms? It seems to thrive on lava fields and develops lignified stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can be found around &lt;code&gt;28.266°,-16.588°&lt;/code&gt; in &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.volcanoteide.com/en/national_park&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Teide National Park&lt;/a&gt; on &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tenerife&lt;/a&gt; of the Canary Islands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;: With the plant having been &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/29967/14139&quot;&gt;identified&lt;/a&gt; below as &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Erysimum scoparium&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, I have to add that the following pictures were taken on 2016-11-06 (i.e. November). There was no florescence, so the plants lacked their mauve, pale purple blossoms (see &lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Erysimum_scoparium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Commons gallery&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bnkED.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bnkED.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image of the plant described above&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BTgf9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BTgf9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image of the plant described above&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;(Click to see full-screen image for details.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14139" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T22:12:51.800" Title="What is this pale mint green shrub with hay-colored booms from Tenerife, Canary Islands?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29828" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-10T01:24:57.047" Score="3" ViewCount="259" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a 4year old mango tree that now has browning leaves on the edges. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We live in Perth Australia near the ocean and it's exposed to full sunlight and heat. But it's only spring and the big heat is yet to start. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice on what I need to do?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KV0Gg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KV0Gg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sad mango&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16211" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2016-11-10T01:31:21.250" LastActivityDate="2018-06-13T20:51:43.097" Title="Mango tree looking poorly!" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29830" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29828" CreationDate="2016-11-10T05:48:15.397" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like it is planted quite close between a wall and kerb. The footing for that wall is probably taking up most of its root space. I'd say it is lacking nutrients and room to grow beneath the surface. A smaller species would be more suitable in this narrow location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-11-10T05:48:15.397" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29831" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-10T06:31:47.453" Score="5" ViewCount="8176" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live in Las Vegas and have two bushes in the backyard dropping this fruit. It had a sweet taste. What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fOvkG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;woman’s hand holding a small, green fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O4pdT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the small, oval green fruit cut in half&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16212" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2016-11-10T15:33:33.723" LastActivityDate="2016-11-24T03:17:15.720" Title="What is this oval, small green fruit?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29832" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-10T07:49:41.107" Score="6" ViewCount="1448" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it beneficial to leave the drying branches so that the plant can salvage the good juices inside them (I'm not entirely sure that this actually happens, it just seems that's how plants work because there's sap), or should they be removed as soon as it is certain that the branch is going to dry out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2273" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-07T21:39:13.583" LastActivityDate="2021-02-07T21:39:13.583" Title="Is it better to cut off drying branches sooner or later?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;branches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="29833" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29847" CreationDate="2016-11-10T12:23:18.907" Score="4" ViewCount="122" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small Acer in a pot. It's about 3 years old and has been doing well. We have just noticed that the bark around the centre of the stem / trunk has disappeared. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0k0ZN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1]&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16213" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-11-11T16:32:37.223" LastActivityDate="2016-11-12T01:08:41.680" Title="Acer lost bark around trunk" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29834" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29832" CreationDate="2016-11-10T18:34:57.370" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the correct place to ask this question.  The answer is yes, pruning branches that aren't doing anything for the plant saves the plant energy. The plant will 'prune' itself eventually so if we speed up the process, the plant grows faster. Branches that the plant has already abscised will eventually break off in wind. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants can 'tell' when a live branch isn't doing its fair share of the work making food for the plant.  When the upkeep of a branch takes more energy than that branch is able to create, the plant will start the process of abscission.  Shutting off the vascular system to that branch and rerouting water/chemicals (I hate to say nutrients because that insinuates food) to the leaves getting the most sun and making the most food for the plant to store in the roots, grow more roots. In the fall, this same process of abscission causes the leaves to color, then brown and then fall off. The leaves are the most vulnerable part of a tree and so the tree sheds them instead of allowing them to freeze.  It lives off its stored food in the roots all winter.  No photosynthesis so no more food making so conserves energy requiring little during the dormant season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning isn't about topiary.  Pruning is being able to take off the branches and foliage that; are too shaded, that rub together or that will be rubbing together (allowing disease to enter the plant), branches growing from shallow angles to the branch it grew from (less strength, down the road could cause breakage) and branches that grow into the plant (usually caused by being bound at the nurseries) and reducing air flow through the canopy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good pruner knows what the plant will need to do down the road and yes, it reroutes 'resources' SOONER to the canopy for new leaves, new branches.  One caveat, never prune more than 1/3 of the plant.  This holds for grasses/lawns as well.  Little bits of pruning are better than done all at once.  Staking trees is rarely necessary and like a cast on a broken arm cause atrophied trunks and support root systems.  When the stake comes off the canopy can THEN be too heavy for the wimpy trunk/roots and blow over. Bare root or blown over trees are the only trees I've ever staked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Always clean your pruners with alcohol before starting on a different plant.  Do not use anvil type pruners, they actually crush the vascular system instead of cutting it cleanly.  Use by-pass pruners only.  Or a tree saw.  Use two cuts for large branches, bottom cut first then the top and final cut.  Never 'head' trees unless you are trying to ruin the natural tree's form on purpose.  Only thin leaving no stumps.  The aim is to allow great air flow through the canopy so that the tree won't be blown over and allow some structure/branching to be visible.  Bushes on sticks are not aesthetic nor healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And one MORE thing most people don't understand, is that every branch coming off the trunk will forever and always be at that level, in fact as the diameter grows larger the bottom of the branch will be lower than it originally was as newbie twig. Only the apical or terminal buds cause the tree to get taller.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry for TMI, but when I am out driving around I just get horrified with most pruning, especially by the maintenance crews!!  I am on a 'mission'!  Grins. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-11-10T18:49:15.430" LastActivityDate="2016-11-10T18:49:15.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29835" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29836" CreationDate="2016-11-10T21:48:02.250" Score="4" ViewCount="45" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a new homeowner and need to replace plants in our lawn in Northern California). Is it okay to plant now or is there a reason to wait for Spring? Is the main difference flowering? Will plants root and survive now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14404" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-11T21:16:10.750" LastActivityDate="2016-11-11T21:16:10.750" Title="Are there downsides to planting in fall in Northern California?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;&lt;fall-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29835" CreationDate="2016-11-10T22:34:43.493" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Provided what you're planting isn't tender and will withstand any frosts you might get, then yes, you can plant now, unless the soil is frozen or waterlogged. On the assumption that you get rain in winter, plants won't get baked too much by the sun before they've had time to put out a good root system, meaning they should be more settled in by next summer. However, if you've had unseasonably cold weather for 3 or 4 weeks, with frost, it may be that the soil is already too cold, so it depends what your weather's been like - optimum planting time for permanent non tender planting is September/October.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-10T22:34:43.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29837" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-10T23:00:19.970" Score="4" ViewCount="174" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have experience with Potato vines? I recently planted some in front of my fence (front-yard). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They look like they are spreading out a bit with runners, but overall the leaves and stems look a very dark green, and not as big and bushy as I expected a couple months later. I hand watered quite a bit, not sure if this is normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14404" LastActivityDate="2016-11-10T23:00:19.970" Title="Potato vine is it surviving or dying?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2016-12-21T01:26:01.110" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29838" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-11T11:19:26.203" Score="3" ViewCount="55" Body="&lt;p&gt;About three months ago I purchased some Buddleia globosa seeds and planted these in pots comprising fertiliser, but so far there is no obvious sign that any have actually appeared.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I say &quot;obvious&quot; because in the meantime loads of small round leaved weeds (clover, I think) have been popping up, almost from the first day. To start with, I carefully nipped these out so they would not crowd out the Buddleia if and when these finally deigned to appear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But suspecting I may have been inadvertently weeding the Buddleia themselves, I decided to stop this weeding and let the Buddleia take their chances.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a couple of the pots I have seen small pointy-leaved saplings which look different to the rest of the pesky weeds, and their leaves are more what I would expect a Buddleia (with its long leaves) to resemble.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So in summary, I wondered if anyone could point me to an image of a newly germinated Buddleia globosa plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While we're on the subject, does anyone know what kind of soil suits them best? I suspect the fertiliser I used may have been too rich or the wrong Ph, because the seed packets said they should sprout within about 30 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in anticipation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16216" LastEditorUserId="16216" LastEditDate="2016-11-11T15:59:48.160" LastActivityDate="2016-11-11T15:59:48.160" Title="Any images of baby Buddleia globosa" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29839" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29838" CreationDate="2016-11-11T14:29:10.930" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rather than us scouring the internet via Google for images of seedlings of this plant, its probably better if you can upload a pic of your own seedlings for people to examine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, bear in mind two things - first, seeds do better planted in something called seed and cutting compost, which is formulated specially for better germination with very little fertilizer, and from which seedlings should be transplanted once they have 2 sets of true leaves; high levels of fertilizer may discourage germination or growth of seedlings. Second, the first two 'leaves' which appear are not true leaves, they're almost always round, and are just the cotyledons - the first true leaves will be what appears next, so its difficult to know what's germinated when only the cotyledons are present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-11T14:29:10.930" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29840" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29850" CreationDate="2016-11-11T14:38:57.247" Score="7" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a simple solution for keeping track of where I have planted various plants over time. The most obvious solution seems to be to use something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.inkscape.org/&quot;&gt;Inkscape&lt;/a&gt;, which is free, and allows me to label what has been planted where, and unlike paper notes, I can make simple adjustments by 'duplicating' a layer of the drawing, adding the date, and modifying the new layer with any changes in the garden. This will allow me to go back in time and see where, for example, I had planted potatoes four years ago. The 'inactive' layers on the graphical drawing can be turned off, so I can essentially get a 2D map of the garden across time. I can then add notes to each of the graphical layer so that I can learn from previous years' mistakes and triumphs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I don't want to reinvent the wheel, and I'm sure there must be people already out there doing &lt;em&gt;something&lt;/em&gt; like this in a computerised way. I wonder if anyone can suggest either (a) a bank of graphical objects that I can dump into my Inkscape drawing to represent things like trees, paths, etc, or (b) an alternative free software that does what I'm trying to achieve even more easily..?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not looking for anything too fancy (i.e. I'm not designing a garden); just a way of keeping track of what's gone where, and how well it worked in the past.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16217" LastActivityDate="2021-05-20T22:41:02.907" Title="Computerised record of vegetable plot plan over time" Tags="&lt;design&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29840" CreationDate="2016-11-11T18:58:58.850" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have used Vegetable Garden Planner (&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardenplanner.almanac.com/&quot;&gt;http://gardenplanner.almanac.com/&lt;/a&gt;).  It is a good tool that help not just keep track of what you planted each year but also with recommendations with respect to plant spacing, rotation, etc.  and best of all it is not very expensive at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-11-11T18:58:58.850" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29843" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-11T19:04:16.827" Score="5" ViewCount="471" Body="&lt;p&gt;For winter protection, I know wood chip mulch is supposed to be placed a few inches away from the base of the plant for breathing room. Does the same go for straw mulch?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16220" LastActivityDate="2016-11-13T18:17:29.703" Title="Applying straw mulch - should straw touch tree base?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;winter&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29844" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29843" CreationDate="2016-11-11T21:50:24.960" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general, no mulch should be piled up against a woody trunk or woody stem. If you're using straw for insulation purposes because winter is coming, just leave a little clear space, an inch or two all round, the trunk, but if you're covering up herbaceous perennial plants which disappear below ground in winter, you don't need to worry, you can just heap it over the top, its really woody stems you need to worry about, particularly trees. The trouble with straw though, if its loose laid on top of soil, it'll blow around in the wind and could finish up anywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-11T21:50:24.960" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29845" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4731" CreationDate="2016-11-11T22:34:35.683" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a new cherry tree and it has these small red bumps either side of the stem joint.  I have a myriad of insects feeding on them including native bees, flies, ants and ladybirds. At first I thought they were some kind of sap-sucking pest, but research says it's an amazing action by the tree itself to attract beneficial insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16222" LastActivityDate="2016-11-11T22:34:35.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29846" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25127" CreationDate="2016-11-12T00:15:24.067" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I contacted Baker Creek to find the answer (since they grow both of the varieties I referenced in the links: Crimson Forest and He Shi Ko; He Shi Ko isn't the bulbing type, though—just Crimson Forest, although it may not have large bulbs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They said both varieties multiply at the base (and are both winter hardy perennials down to zone 3).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, it sounds like bulbing bunching onions (at least Crimson Forest) multiply like potato onions, and thus should be a less expensive alternative, whether or not they produce bulbs that are quite as large (I'm guessing they don't). So, if you want a bigger multiplying onion, I'd go for such as the Green Mountain Multiplier onion or the Yellow Potato Onion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just as a note, I am growing Crimson Forest (I direct-seeded seeds in the spring). They did bulb, but they're not big onions, so far (and I imagine they'll perhaps be about like shallots in size next year and thereafter). They are still alive and green (in southwestern Idaho) as of 11 Nov 2016. Hopefully, I'll get to see how they do next year (how big they get and how much they multiply). The seeds I planted came from reimerseeds.com, if it makes a difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-11-12T00:23:05.587" LastActivityDate="2016-11-12T00:23:05.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29847" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29833" CreationDate="2016-11-12T01:01:28.710" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh, that does not look good - do you have deer that visit the garden, or could there be some other physical cause for this? If not, it could be a canker infection,or if the upper branches are suffering, die back. Unfortunately, although the fallen leaves in the pot are absolutely clear, the picture is out of focus where the trunk is in shot, so its impossible to tell whether there's any fungal mycelium there, or whether there's been any bleeding or seeping from the trunk. Inspect the plant thoroughly to see if you can find any signs of bleeding, and whether there are obvious signs of trouble in the upper branches (since I assume most of the leaves have fallen by now), together with close inspection of the base of the plant - you're looking for soft or discoloured areas. If the leaves in the pot are from the Acer, did they change colour before they fell, or did they fall early? It would also be helpful to know where you are - there are diseases of bark in somewhere like USA which are not a problem in parts of Europe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-12T01:08:41.680" LastActivityDate="2016-11-12T01:08:41.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29848" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29849" CreationDate="2016-11-12T08:21:11.990" Score="8" ViewCount="963" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my home country, Italy, and countries with similar climatic conditions, such as Georgia or Turkey, these nuts are grown and exported in great quantities. In southern Italy, in particular, hazelnuts. In the north, chestnuts. And so on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have noticed that the UK has potential to produce hazelnuts, filberts and chestnuts, but I don't understand why they don't take them seriously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have thought of three possibilities:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Short summers, wet autumns don't make harvesting and drying easy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Squirrels.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cultural reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone have any other idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastActivityDate="2016-11-12T14:18:31.770" Title="Why doesn't the UK produce hazelnuts, chestnuts and walnuts, despite having suitable climatic and horticultural conditions?" Tags="&lt;nut-trees&gt;&lt;walnut&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29849" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29848" CreationDate="2016-11-12T11:51:52.447" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;We do grow hazelnuts, in large quantity actually, though not so many as we once did, mostly down in Kent, where its called the Kentish cob and/or filbert (there are differences between the two). They grow well in the southern half of Britain, and don't take up too much space. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We also grow some sweet chestnuts, but because we've been in Europe for so many years, we import more chestnuts than we grow - ours are not ready for consumption by Christmas, which is mostly when consumers want them, but chestnuts grown in other countries with more reliable climates are, so we import them, in fact, they're in the shops now, I bought some yesterday. Chestnut production in the UK has, over the years, declined quite a bit because it works out cheaper to import them. They also prefer sandier soil, and a lot of growing areas of the UK have heavy soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Walnuts also are grown, but not, so far as I know, commercially - walnut trees are prone to catching late frosts, and the unpredictable nature of the weather here means they're highly likely to catch a late frost, so from a commercial point of view, its been more cost effective to import.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apart from commercial cost effectiveness, its a question of space - growing space in the southern half of Britain is limited and walnuts, for instance, are pretty large trees, and if the crop is unreliable because of the conditions, then it makes more sense to create, say,  an apple orchard instead. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reasons we don't grow so many nuts now as we once did are simple - economics (money, in other words) and globalisation. If commercial growers find the best conditions for various nuts in other countries, that's where they'll be grown, and will then be shipped out, so although I'm old enough to recall as a child British  filberts and chestnuts being sold on street corners and market stalls, economies of scale mean the world has moved on to doing what's cost effective,  because its more economic to import some crops than struggle to grow them here, and use the (limited) growing space here for what will grow easily and more productively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-11-12T14:18:31.770" LastActivityDate="2016-11-12T14:18:31.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29850" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29840" CreationDate="2016-11-12T17:59:09.547" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend implemented an excel spreadsheet grid map, where each cell would represent a geographical point of his allotment (easy for square plots), this enabled him to do some things via comparing cells and tables over years to measure his 'area' of plants and to cross compare different versions which represented different times. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would implement things slightly differently by making a map of 'areas', then a separate table noting which areas had what when and cross linking the two. Obviously both of these approaches require some technical knowledge, but as core concepts I think they'd suit the core question for 'software solution to track planting over time' with added benefits such as graphing etc...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6854" LastActivityDate="2016-11-12T17:59:09.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29851" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29853" CreationDate="2016-11-12T20:55:13.793" Score="5" ViewCount="3530" Body="&lt;p&gt;My husband suffers from bad hay fever in the fall. We've always thought goldenrod is a major contributor. Recently we were told that ragweed, which looks similar, is more likely to cause the allergy and its related discomfort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In our yard there are many plants with clusters of bright yellow flowers, which bloom in the late summer, early fall. They're lovely, and the birds, bees and butterflies like them. Assuming that they're goldenrod, and making my husband sick, I usually pull them shortly after they bloom. If indeed they are goldenrod, but not likely to be the allergen, I'd prefer to leave them until they've completely gone by. However, if they're ragweed, I'll know that I should pull them before the pollen flies. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't like removing any flowers, so understanding how to tell what they are would help me make an informed choice as to how to proceed next fall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd appreciate a good definition of both goldenrod and ragweed, with some identifying characteristics, and links to pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also like to know if my own are goldenrod, ragweed, or both. Unfortunately, my pictures are very blurry, especially the flowers, so an identification may not be possible. I have a few other pictures with different views, but the quality isn't much better. They went by a number of weeks ago, so I can't get you anything new. Clicking on them will make them bigger and more close-up, in case that helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HGvXv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HGvXvm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9XrWh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9XrWhm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q8Byl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q8Bylm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Just the stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XziOv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XziOvm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Blurry close-up of flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pi7wU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pi7wUm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;View of back side of leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2016-11-13T16:00:45.373" Title="How can I tell if a plant is goldenrod or ragweed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29852" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29851" CreationDate="2016-11-12T21:17:08.463" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did an answer already, then realised you're asking about ragweed, not ragwort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ambrosia trifida (ragweed) has variable leaves, sometimes palmate, sometimes tripartite, often with a few oval leaves as well, and the flowers are yellow, usually upright spikes. It produces spiny burrs which stick to clothing and footwear, which is one of the ways it spreads. Images and info here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosia_trifida#Description&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Giant Ragweed (Ambrosia trifida).&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I can tell from your photos, none appears to be ragweed, they mostly all look like various forms of Solidago (goldenrod) but perhaps you could compare the image of Ambrosia with your own plants; if one of them does produce spiny burrs, then that needs examining closely, but I'm not seeing any leaves which fit the picture for ragweed. I'm not sure what the plant in the bottom right photo is - its not Solidago, but it doesn't look like ragweed either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-11-13T16:00:45.373" LastActivityDate="2016-11-13T16:00:45.373" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29853" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29851" CreationDate="2016-11-13T02:34:19.070" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;None of these pictures show ragweed. These are all goldenrod. &#xA;Goldenrod can be allergenic but has pollen too heavy to be carried  by wind and is very much unlikely a culprit of hay fever. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ragweed has dissected, feathery leaves and less showy flowers than these. Alas, even if you pulled all the ragweed in your yard (if you had it) it would not help allergies. If it grows in your neighbourhood's proximity, it will affect those allergic to it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MgxE9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MgxE9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-11-13T02:41:16.593" LastActivityDate="2016-11-13T02:41:16.593" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29854" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-13T18:01:01.583" Score="4" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got a bonsai tree as a gift, all it says on the card is Bonsai Ficus, but after searching online to find the exact type of my tree I couldn't really get to a precise conclusion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could anyone identify it using the attached picture?&#xA;Thank you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zZuOl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zZuOl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bonsai Ficus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16228" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-13T22:06:36.263" LastActivityDate="2016-11-13T22:06:36.263" Title="What's the type of this Bonsai Ficus?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2016-11-29T20:24:16.780" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29855" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29843" CreationDate="2016-11-13T18:17:29.703" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;hi i am a gardener on a large property lots of trees large 3 blade ride on mower so grass growing around tree trunks is a problem usually solved by spraying ..i do this once then throw the grass clippings at the tree base with the mower ...i used to worry about trunk rot as it is wet here in new zealand...but as stated above once or twice a year check to see that 2 inches is cleared around base otherwise the advantages of never spraying again coz of the mulch factor outweigh the risks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16214" LastActivityDate="2016-11-13T18:17:29.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29856" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3122" CreationDate="2016-11-13T18:28:27.583" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have never owned a really good pellet gun.  I have one almost as powerful as a 22 rifle.  Have killed many raccoons with it.  Quiet and deadly.  Problem solved.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16229" LastActivityDate="2016-11-13T18:28:27.583" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29857" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29810" CreationDate="2016-11-13T18:31:07.537" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;the lazy way to compost is to divide your garden into three parts dump all your prunnings cuttings and compostable material on plot 3 thereby smothering all weeds and use garden 1 and 2 for production then next year use 2 and 3 leaving 1 for compost....never shovel compost again or encounter snakes&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16214" LastActivityDate="2016-11-13T18:31:07.537" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29858" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29824" CreationDate="2016-11-13T18:35:41.667" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Both lemons and feijoas are slow to establish. They both like organic matter thrown around the base of the tree. Get rid of the weed mat, it only prevents organic matter rotting and reaching the roots and have patience. Give them plenty of water. They're not usually a problem in New Zealand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16214" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-13T22:33:55.060" LastActivityDate="2016-11-13T22:33:55.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28759" CreationDate="2016-11-13T18:45:48.023" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;try leaving your peelings and all vegetable food waste in a bucket then compress this waste with another bucket placed inside the first bucket... then compressed down sealing most of the odors in and the vermin out... when this is well rotted and therefore not attractive to rats then place around the top of your plant pots not digging or disturbing the roots then water through the mulch... start off sparingly.. then ajust to suit your self&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16214" LastActivityDate="2016-11-13T18:45:48.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29861" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2908" CreationDate="2016-11-13T23:19:20.097" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In Pacific Northwest USA we often don't have a frost until sometime in mid to late October and it's getting later and later every year. You can take down the pool in August, till the ground, and plant some fall crops without disturbing anything you might already have growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some fall crop ideas:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://modernfarmer.com/2015/07/how-to-plant-fall-garden/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://modernfarmer.com/2015/07/how-to-plant-fall-garden/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16202" LastActivityDate="2016-11-13T23:19:20.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29862" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-13T23:29:42.807" Score="7" ViewCount="533" Body="&lt;p&gt;What has been people's experience with microclover/grass mix lawns? In theory they sound incredible, but I'm afraid that the clover will be so hearty that it will take over the entire lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's an example: &lt;a href=&quot;http://protimelawnseed.com/collections/sports/products/rough-ready-eco-turf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://protimelawnseed.com/collections/sports/products/rough-ready-eco-turf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a large dog, three young kids, and a 4,000 sq ft backyard. I want something that can deal with the punishment, keeps the weeds away, and is easily maintained. It doesn't have to look as nice as the front yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16202" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-14T20:42:47.610" LastActivityDate="2016-11-14T20:42:47.610" Title="Microclover Mix Lawns" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;clover&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29863" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-14T00:33:53.420" Score="6" ViewCount="350" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have roughly 110 (8 by 16) cement pavers that I need to dispose of in Delaware County, PA. How can they be disposed of?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16232" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-14T21:53:52.240" LastActivityDate="2016-11-15T21:40:04.717" Title="How can I dispose of cement pavers in Delaware County, Pennsylvania?" Tags="&lt;pavers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29864" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29863" CreationDate="2016-11-14T01:49:37.517" Score="13" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A: Craigslist, curb alert, free pavers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;B: By the side of the road, with a sign &quot;free pavers&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;To really make them move,  C: by the side of the road, a sign,&#xA;&quot;pavers, $2 each&quot; (don't expect the $2, but you could get lucky, and&#xA;the folks that think they are stealing them might be more eager than&#xA;the ones that are taking them for free.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contact your local community garden or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.habitat.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Habitat for Humanity&lt;/a&gt; and donate them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-11-14T21:59:48.440" LastActivityDate="2016-11-14T21:59:48.440" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29865" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29862" CreationDate="2016-11-14T01:57:03.587" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have no idea about &quot;microclover&quot; which sounds like a hokey marketing term, but I have been putting Dutch white clover in lawns for decades and it works just fine, unless you are one of those folks that dumps weedkiller on the lawn (clover is a broadleaf and will be killed by &quot;lawn weedkiller&quot;) or thinks that clover IS a weed. The only place that clover &quot;takes over&quot; are the same places grass won't grow at all - the clover is tougher under wear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-11-14T01:57:03.587" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29866" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29863" CreationDate="2016-11-14T03:03:09.063" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sell them on Craig's list or Ebay!!  Those things are valuable.  Do you have any neighbors with drainage issues, land slides in their back yards?  Find a RESTORE type outfit nearby.  They'll come and do all the work (as they should)and take them away.  Put an ad up in your neighborhood hardware/lumber yard.  Don't forget to go TALK to the manager(s) of the store, they'll know someone who would love to get paver CMU's cheaply.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am sure that there is a concrete/asphalt recycling place nearby.  You just have to load, haul, unload all of this GOLD with no help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option is to use them as a garden wall, similar to ledger stone.  15 to 18 inches high, slightly battered, drainage and soil behind, a thick concrete cap and you've increased the value of your home more than a remodeled kitchen or an extra bathroom.  This enables a new dimension to your yard versus 2 dimensional flat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look up debris hauling, recycling, concrete removal...if you want to get rid of those pavers you shouldn't have to lift a finger other than making a few calls. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-14T03:03:09.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29868" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-14T07:33:59.370" Score="5" ViewCount="402" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SM9xt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SM9xt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bare branch on citrus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All the branches on the east facing side of the tree are bare of leaves. I haven't noticed any pests going for it. I've been fertalising with Osmocote, citrus liquid fertaliser and have recently been giving it iron chelate to counter the pale leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No flowers on this one either, my other citrus do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13625" LastActivityDate="2016-11-14T20:52:42.707" Title="Why is my citrus bare on one side?" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29869" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29862" CreationDate="2016-11-14T12:08:38.233" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Microclover (Trifolium repens var.pirouette) is a selection from the original white clover (Trifolium repens). It was bred and selected for its much smaller leaves, lower height, much less aggressive invasive tendencies, non clumping habit and its reluctance to produce flowers; flowering is undesirable in lawn clover, particularly where there are children. In theory, then, it makes a good addition to other lawn grass seeds, because, like all clovers, it fixes nitrogen in its roots, and may well supply the rest of the lawn with nitrogen whilst its present, and tends to mix in with grasses as it grows rather than taking over in some areas, as the original Trifolium repens does.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In practice, I've never used it, so can't comment on how it performs in the field so to speak - more information here &lt;a href=&quot;http://plantscience.psu.edu/reduce-runoff/questions-about-microclover&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://plantscience.psu.edu/reduce-runoff/questions-about-microclover&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-14T12:14:39.750" LastActivityDate="2016-11-14T12:14:39.750" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29870" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29868" CreationDate="2016-11-14T20:52:42.707" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you see all the buds on the branches?  You don't have any problems other than, yes those plants look a bit anemic.  Iron might not be the answer.  Osmocote should be fine (14-14-14 or 16-16-16).  Too much nitrogen relative to the Phosphorus and Potassium would cause more vegetative growth than reproductive growth.  I am concerned that you use another fertilizer! How often have you applied Osmocote?  What is the formulation for this citrus fertilizer?  Did you know that plants make their own food and fertilizer IS NOT FOOD.  Too much fertilizer will kill plants sure as Sunday (or however that cliche is worded).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil looks like potting soil that has been sterilized, yes?  If it is garden soil, please let us know.  The fertilizer I am seeing in these pictures is the proper amount for 4 to 6 months.  Please tell us the last time you applied fertilizer, how much and what the formulation of the Citrus fertilizer you have used. Is this the first time you used Osmocote?  Do not ADD anything else without a proper soil test. Don't add IRON or Gypsum or fish fertilizer (a very weak fertilizer/micronutrient that benefits plants by making them HARDIER). I have a feeling you are babying these guys possibly to death.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I wouldn't be staking my baby saplings!!  Staking is just like a cast on your arm causing atrophy.  Movement by that stem in the wind is what causes a thicker, stouter trunk and promotes SUPPORT ROOTS.  Let those baby plants move!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use ONLY the Osmocote.  Too much fertilizer will cause a build up of salts in your soil and plant leaves will look like this.  Leave them alone for awhile.  Osmocote is SLOW RELEASE far better for plants in my opinion than fast release.  Please tell us exactly what you've been doing for fertilizer.  You might have to flush the soil...but depending on how much you have used, how long ago, these guys might just be fine.  Lots of buds, that little sapling is NOT bare on one side, not at all.  I might have come to the conclusion a bit of iron is necessary just like you did.  I'd go back and check the fertilizer I'd been using to see if there was iron included.  Remember, there are signs for deficiencies and signs of excess 'nutrients'...chemicals. Too much is far worse than too little!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-14T20:52:42.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29871" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29873" CreationDate="2016-11-14T21:24:24.953" Score="7" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this tree in my front yard, and I'm trying to determine exactly what it is so that I know how to care for it in the future (I've lived in my home in Nashville, Tennessee for less than a year):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1br9d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1br9d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above photo was taken a couple of days ago, so it's obviously showing its fall colors.  Here's a close-up of the bark, which has a peeling appearance to it (leading me to think this is a type of birch) and an orange or salmon color to it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DOFfZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DOFfZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Here's a closer look at the bark:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S48jT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S48jT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, here's a close-up of some of its leaves, which average about an inch long, so that you can see what they look.  You'll notice that the branches have a lot of petal-like things attached to them that they are shedding now too:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oi2ST.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oi2ST.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm finding the fallen leaves particularly a nuisance, as they're so small that they're sticking to the ground, and I'm not having luck mulching them with my mower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14187" LastEditorUserId="14187" LastEditDate="2016-11-15T14:11:44.653" LastActivityDate="2016-11-15T14:11:44.653" Title="Is this tree a type of birch?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29873" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29871" CreationDate="2016-11-15T06:00:48.683" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do believe you've got an Elm; Ulmus parvifolia.  Chinese Elm or Lacebark Elm.  This tree is far better than birch!  Tough, hardy tree. Resistant to the diseases that have ravaged other Elm species. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yours could use a bit of thinning to allow more air flow through your tree.  Also a much larger circle at the base of the trunk, go ahead and make a square instead of a circle and take out the grass within that square, one side of that square should be the sidewalk. 3' or 4' square free of grass.  Careful removing the sod around the shallow roots.  This can be done in the early spring.  Simply making a clear plastic cover to kill the grass by solarization might be easiest.  Just 'cook' it enough to scrape it off the soil (a month?) Get a mulch, preferably a decomposed organic mulch or at least fine ground bark, coat the bare soil 2&quot;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not let that mulch touch the tree, the bark of your tree.  Keep it pulled back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't fertilize or anything else until spring.  Do you know if the previous owners fertilized?  We can talk about your lawn in the spring, grins! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And we could walk you through a simple pruning.  In the very middle of the picture there is this odd branch.  Do you see that that caliper of branch is vastly different than the trunk from which it grew?  That needs to be taken off, as well as that lame stump someone left. The stickiness is probably from 'honey dew'...there are no such things as 'mulching mowers' as far as I know.  Do you have a single blade or two blades?  What you absolutely have to have is a great gas blower!  Blow the leaves into the back of your beds...thinly spread.  Or compost or take them to the dump so someone else can make use of this great organic matter! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How high can you raise that deck?  I always bag grass clippings instead of 'mulching'...we can talk about this in the spring.  A good aerating by pulling plugs out of your lawn would be a good thing to do now.  Leave the plugs right there on the lawn.  Doesn't look like you have to worry about mowing again before winter.  Do you know what kind of grass you have?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe a good watering would be in order for the lawn as well as your tree before winter hits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check these pictures. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=ulmus%20parvifolia&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1067&amp;amp;bih=540&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwj7gZO0h6rQAhVklFQKHRX2Dt8QiR4IeQ&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lacebark Elm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-11-15T06:19:18.903" LastActivityDate="2016-11-15T06:19:18.903" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29874" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29883" CreationDate="2016-11-15T10:04:37.903" Score="5" ViewCount="533" Body="&lt;p&gt;At the beginning of the UK summer I planted some artichoke seeds. What I didn't realise is how monstrous the plants would become. They're huge and taking over my vegetable patch. I've had to regularly break leaves off them to stop them strangling my other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, they're now producing heads, but I'm confused. Some places say that the first years heads should be cut off and the plant left another year before harvest. If that's the case, I might as well kill the things now as I don't have the space to let them grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can eat the heads of a first-year artichoke, I can't find any advice on how to tell when they're ready to harvest. I found this question, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8054/my-artichoke-flowered-now-what&quot;&gt;My Artichoke Flowered, Now What?&lt;/a&gt; which illustrates why I need to know - they'll flower and be wasted otherwise. But it doesn't tell me how to pick them at the right time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So in summary:&#xA;- Can I eat the heads of one-year old artichoke plants?&#xA;- If so, how do I tell when to pick them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11275" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-11-15T21:47:19.757" Title="How do I know when to harvest my artichokes?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29875" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-15T11:38:02.897" Score="6" ViewCount="4515" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to ask the question regarding the white fungus I am seeing on my plant. I don't know what to do about it, it grows with the plant. I have used Neem oil to cure it but it doesn't help, rather it withered my plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to know what I should do to get rid of that fungus.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T5MLp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tqqP3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16237" LastEditorUserId="16237" LastEditDate="2016-11-16T08:38:18.357" LastActivityDate="2016-11-16T21:40:14.830" Title="What is the white fungus growing on my Hibiscus and how do I treat it?" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;hibiscus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29876" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19779" CreationDate="2016-11-15T18:33:05.053" Score="1" Body="&lt;h3&gt;Prevention:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On smaller plants (garden vegetables, berries, espalier trees, etc), you can use a floating row cover to prevent the adults from feeding. Without pesticides you will be limited, but you may end up boosting the crop enough through pest prevention to cover the cost of the cover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Control:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here you are also limited without the use of pesticides, but you have a lot more cost effective options.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cultivation&lt;/strong&gt; of the soil starting as soon as the soil dries in the spring, up until the time in June that the beetles fly, has been highly effective for me personally. This method is hard in no-till areas (obviously) where mulch is used to cover the soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hand picking&lt;/strong&gt; the beetles can help when the numbers are small, even for large applications.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nematodes&lt;/strong&gt; can be used in areas where cultivation is not sensible, used as a soil drench to fight larvae/pupae.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Traps&lt;/strong&gt;, especially white ones (made for Japanese beetles, can be effective if the right bait is used. The traps are reusable, and you can get them for affordable amounts (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greatlakesipm.com/rosechaferkits.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;example rose chafer bait)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All together you should be able to manage the beetles using these methods, even if you don't totally destroy them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-11-15T18:33:05.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29877" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20689" CreationDate="2016-11-15T18:53:37.683" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant has a low concentration of chlorophyll in those leaves. This can be caused by a number of conditions, which I will list. For a more detailed answer, more details on the plant will be necessary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Too low of a light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not enough soil (too small of a pot)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sudden movement to a far brighter environment&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lack of nutrients&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Natural defoliation (older leaves shedding)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pests (in/on the root zone, stem, or leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Too low a temperature over an extended period (not frost. Frost damage is more severe)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wrong soil pH&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To name some of the more prevalent ones. If you haven't been fertilizing, I would start with an all purpose liquid fertilizer, monthly during the growing season (applied as to the directions of the manufacturer). Keep the plant well watered during the main growing season, but do not allow the soil to sit in water. Allow the top inch of mix to completely dry between waterings over the winter. Do not water with salt softened tap water, or water from a chlorine purification system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whenever the roots circle the pot, remove the plant, shake some soil free, an replant in a pot 1 size up, using fresh potting mix. Alternatively, cut the longest roots back and replant in the same pot, using fresh mix. Also prune the top growth to balance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Allow the plant to receive as much light as possible over the shorter days, and get it morning sun at least, during the summer. If the plant is moved outside during warm weather, place it in an area with full morning sun, and dappled afternoon sun, if you live in a hot area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And keep an eye out for pests. Routinely check leaf undersides, stem bases, and when repotting, look through the roots. It's better to catch any pest before significat damage is apparent. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-11-15T18:53:37.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29879" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20692" CreationDate="2016-11-15T19:08:19.847" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mold can be lethal to seeds/seedlings if left unchecked. I germinated corn seed at one point, just to the point of root emergence, in wet paper (this was going to peat pots in the cold frame, and from there to the garden under cover, for a late May harvest).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Out of the 2 lbs of seed, about 2/3 of them developed mold just as the root began emerging. these were separated, and treated with potassium bicarbonate before planting, in the peat pots (which were then drenched with a biofungicide (&lt;em&gt;Bacillus subtilis&lt;/em&gt;) at the first watering). I got an 85% healthy germination rate from these, which is not bad considering the conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Out of the seeds that did not grow mold, I only got about a 20% germination, which I am guessing to be from mold forming after planting. Looking back I probably should have treated all the seeds against mold at the time they were planted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously this experience wasn't dealing with coffee beans, but I think it is useful experience for a lot of pre-soil germination when dealing with fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-11-15T19:58:57.573" LastActivityDate="2016-11-15T19:58:57.573" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29880" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21774" CreationDate="2016-11-15T19:23:38.537" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will focus this answer on ground planting (as opposed to sowing in cell pots, or planters)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant them in the spring after frost has passed, but the ground is still cool. To sow in the ground, work up the top 3-4&quot; of good topsoil and rake it smooth. You want a flat, even seedbed. For a row, create a furrow &gt;1&quot; deep where the row is to be, and place seeds in groups of three, every 12-16&quot; in the row (this will ensure you will have at least one decent plant per spot after thinning) cover with 1/2&quot; of soil and lightly tamp and water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To broadcast, sprinkle the seeds at about 40-50 seeds per square yard, in a consistent layer, and rake lightly. Water the entire area. You should have 90% germination after 3 weeks. These are somewhat erratic, and some seeds will sprout before others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's important that you know what a Cleome seedling looks like, so that you can identify them and avoid disturbing them while performing weed control (here's a picture showing the cotyledons (first to emerge) and early leaves):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/od3V3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/od3V3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-11-15T19:23:38.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29881" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21854" CreationDate="2016-11-15T19:37:28.947" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having turf laid is expensive, and it's worth having it done right. I would say laying turf over an existing live lawn, with less than 6&quot; of topsoil on top, is a &lt;strong&gt;bad idea&lt;/strong&gt;. It will be trying to root down while the old lawn is trying to push through. This can cause large areas of dead, dried turf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead, either kill the existing lawn (cut and bag, then spray off with herbicide), and then work the top 3&quot; of soil to lay the turf on, or get a turf cutter and remove the existing turf, work the top layer, and lay the new turf. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure it is laid tightly, with no space between pieces (although you don't want overlap either).  Light tamping/rolling will remove air pockets and increase root/soil contact for better rooting. Keep the area well watered until the turf has rooted strongly and is growing well. At that time you can treat it as an established lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-11-15T19:37:28.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22002" CreationDate="2016-11-15T19:51:55.653" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The least stressful time of year to move them will be in early spring just before bud break. That way you damage the plant only minimally, and it will immediately begin to repair as it begins to bud out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take it up with the largest intact root ball you can handle (the larger, the better). Plant in the new location in a hole wide enough that the root ball does not touch the edges. Pack the soil around the edges, add compost if you so desire.  Make sure the plant is high enough that the top of the root flare is visible (if necessary, dig around carefully if the plant was too deep originally).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then water it in, and keep the soil moist until it is well rooted. Fertilizer can be applied at the time growth starts, if you want. Organic mulch in a layer under the plant will hep with moisture conservation, weed control, evening the soil temp, and adding organic matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-11-15T19:51:55.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29883" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29874" CreationDate="2016-11-15T20:45:53.447" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although you've not specified clearly, from what you're saying you appear to be asking about Globe Artichokes rather than Jerusalem artichoke.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry to confirm that longstanding recommended practice says you should have removed the small heads which form in the first year as soon as they appear, and not allowed them to develop to any size. However, not everyone follows that, preferring to crop from the plants as soon as they start producing if that happens in their first year, which is probably why you're finding conflicting information. The theory says regular cropping begins in the second year, when the terminal bud (king head) should be cropped, leaving 2 or 3 inches of its stem still attached to the plant - it  should be large and swollen but still green and unopened. Fertilizer should then be applied after this initial cropping, and later in the season, remove and cook the smaller secondary heads. They should be cropped when they've developed well, but just before the fleshy scales start to open.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's now late autumn in the UK, so the plants should be cut down (which will get rid of the heads you still have as well) and covered with something insulating, like straw, bracken fronds or leaves, horticultural fleece if you don't have those materials available, to protect them from frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've come this far - if you can bear to keep the plants and try to overwinter them, then you'll be eating globe artichokes next year, seems a shame to give up now. If you haven't sufficient room, its possible, if we have a hard winter, that one or all of your plants may  not make it through the winter, so why not cut them down, cover them and see what grows next year; if they all survive, you can perhaps remove one or two to reduce crowding. Whilst removing a leaf or three here and there does no harm, removing quite a lot of foliage through the growing season isn't a good idea, so it would be better to reduce the number of plants you have to try to avoid that. Best results are achieved by applying liquid fertilizer fortnightly throughout the growing season, from late spring onwards. For future reference, these plants can be grown as a normal border plant, in amongst other shrubs and perennials, provided you leave enough room for them - the recommended planting distance between one plant to another is 36 inches, so yes, I'm afraid they do take up a fair bit of space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having said  all that, if the heads on your plants are a good size, might as well cook them and see what they're like to eat rather than just putting them on the compost heap,as you've left them on the  plants and they're about to be cut down anyway - they won't get any more ready than they are now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-15T21:47:19.757" LastActivityDate="2016-11-15T21:47:19.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29884" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29863" CreationDate="2016-11-15T21:40:04.717" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you have a local &quot;freecycle&quot; e-mail group? Always works for me, where I live. Just join (free), post your offer, sit back and wait for e-mails from people who want them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16244" LastActivityDate="2016-11-15T21:40:04.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29885" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-16T03:01:59.700" Score="6" ViewCount="6459" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother purchased this plant from a nursery in Western North Carolina about 1 1/2 years ago and it has grown substantially since the original purchase.  This plant is currently in a pot.  During spring and summer the plant is out on the back porch, during the fall and winter the plant is on her bathroom counter by the window.  Any thoughts on what this plant is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to describe the plant is that it has a red vine that runs up as far as the leaf but the redness does not go into the veins of the leaves.  The leaves are green and white but some of the leaves have a half with red in it.  Up to this point there has been no sign of the possibility of flowering.  I apologize for the quality of the pictures...my mom isn't the most technically savvy individual.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you for your help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/SSnFuck.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/d6CKaJV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant1&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/NmNizJ4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16245" LastActivityDate="2020-11-27T19:35:45.387" Title="Please help identify red stemmed, green and white (and sometimes red) leafed plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29886" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24032" CreationDate="2016-11-16T06:35:37.493" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I transplanted 3 avocado trees from a veg garden to pots. The tap roots on 2 of them stayed in tact. The other snapped off leaving only an inch. Surprising that the snapped tap root plant is doing much better than the other 2.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16246" LastActivityDate="2016-11-16T06:35:37.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29887" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29903" CreationDate="2016-11-16T06:56:38.520" Score="2" ViewCount="1301" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently picked up gardening again and started with a small but diverse range of flowers,herbs and vegetables. The last time I did gardening was back in the 80's I have been educating myself as I go along and already controlled a outbreak of Green looper caterpillars. So might be green(not a bad word here)  in certain terminology. The main point is these plants have been with me for about 2 months and getting established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the insects signed a peace treaty I started pruning some of the basil plants and even some of the thyme. The results have been awesome with the plants growing back with renewed vigour. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Vietnamese mint/coriander(Polygonum odoratum) has been growing nicely but getting a bit tall and not as bushy as I would like. In my mind there is a fundamental difference between Basil and Vietnamese mint as the mint does not branch as much as Basil. The mint seems more like a true mint even though it is not a mint at all. Thus creepers instead of branching out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I been searching on google on pruning tips for the Vietnamese mint but its either in Vietnamese or very light on details.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So in a nutshell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Any specific pruning techniques required for the Vietnamese mint?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In general pruning seems to help the plant by removing the dead/sick/infested parts of the plant and this mean the roots can use the extra energy to produce better growth. Is this theory valid for all plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I tend to prune every 2-3 weeks and not heavily just take some tips away to ensure the plant does not grow tall top heavy and yields less than I would like it to. Is it too much or too little? Most advise mention a couple of weeks and a couple in mind is 2... 3 is a crowd but I am just pedantic at times.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any pointers would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16115" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T01:31:54.510" Title="Pruning tips for Vietnamese Coriander/Mint" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29888" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29892" CreationDate="2016-11-16T07:25:26.847" Score="2" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since three years I am growing chili's inside my apartment. And every year I have huge problems with fungus gnats (Hope thats the right translation). I replace everything at the start of a season: -&gt; new chili plants and new soil. The only thing that stays the same is the fertilizer I use (a bio tomato fertilizer). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I started to wonder: &lt;strong&gt;Is it possible that the fertilizer I use is the source of my pests problem ?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16238" LastActivityDate="2016-11-16T10:31:21.667" Title="Pests from fertilizer?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29889" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-16T08:00:50.883" Score="2" ViewCount="1510" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm new to Hydroponics stuffs. I'm striving to plant in hydro form currently.&#xA;I'm living in under-developed country which is impossible to find the well established nutrients mix such as Master Blend or others similarity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm planting lettuce types. I wonder can I use this fertilizer for my hydro garden? Or do I need to add anything or it's not for hydro at all?&#xA;Because buying pre-mixed A B nutrients is not cost effective, I need to find other way around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q9Ao0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q9Ao0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ensure Ingredients:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;TN: 15% ( 8.7% nitrate, 1.9% ammonium nitrogen , 4.4% urea nitrogen)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water-soluble phosphorus anhydride: 10%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water-soluble potassium: 30%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water-soluble Mg: 0.08%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Iron (chelated): 0.05%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Manganese (chelated): 0.025%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zinc (chelated): 0.0025%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Copper (chelate): 0.0036%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Boron: 0.0068%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mo: 0.0009%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16248" LastActivityDate="2017-10-20T19:10:59.063" Title="Can I use this fertilizer for my Hydroponics?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29892" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29888" CreationDate="2016-11-16T10:31:21.667" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your tomato fertilizer is not the obvious contender as a cause of fungus gnats. The most likely explanation is the soil you're using in the pot - if it contains decaying materials, or its non sterile soil, or isn't a proper commercially produced potting compost, and the soil is constantly moist, that would explain it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let the soil dry out somewhat between waterings - when you replant next time, wash and sterilize the pots you're using thoroughly, then fill with new, proper potting compost, and don't overwater. Actions to take now to reduce the current problem here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/kill-fungus-gnats-houseplants-dish-soap-87288.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/kill-fungus-gnats-houseplants-dish-soap-87288.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-16T10:31:21.667" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29885" CreationDate="2016-11-16T10:36:36.443" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fortunately, this plant is easily recognisable, so the pics are okay, despite your mother's  'lack of technical savvy', a trait she probably shares with many moms (ncluding me!). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is Iresine herbstii - the leaves look a little small compared to the thickness of the stems, so I wonder whether its outgrown its current pot and hasn't enough root room - I can't say because the whole plant and its container are not visible. If the plant doesn't get any sun where its growing, it might be Iresine 'brilliantissima' which usually has red/pink leaves, but tends to colour up less in duller light situations - if it does get sunlight, but remains this green yellow colour apart from the odd red bit here and there, its likely Iresine aureoreticulata. It does flower sometimes, but the flowers are insignificant and may not even be noticed - this plant is grown for its variegated leaves. Can be grown outdoors during summer in cooler regions (as you're doing currently), year round in warmer ones, see here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/foliage/bloodleaf/bloodleaf-plant-care.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/foliage/bloodleaf/bloodleaf-plant-care.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-17T00:41:50.170" LastActivityDate="2016-11-17T00:41:50.170" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29894" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29897" CreationDate="2016-11-16T16:42:05.797" Score="8" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found these beetles on my Okra this morning. Can anyone identify them?&#xA;I just moved to central Texas (north of Austin)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are they predatory?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or, are they going to eat my plants? &#xA;And if so, what would be the best way to take care of them safely for my vegetables?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5xkuR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5xkuR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LHzoU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LHzoU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: As requested, here is a photo of the underside of one of my leaves.&#xA;There are the tiniest white (and some black) specs on the underside of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dflFw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dflFw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14396" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:34:33.600" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T02:34:33.600" Title="Are these brown- and cream-colored beetles on my Okra a concern?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29895" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="355" CreationDate="2016-11-16T17:58:20.517" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;about mulches in a home garden dont spend any money is the rule ....everyone has mulch on their property ....leaves can be used without shredding if the plants are big enough to see sunlight above the leaves.. the plants will stop the wind blowing the leaves away......nothing grows through a thick layer of leaves ...the leaves rot down and become compost.....encourage worms.....and pesky birds kicking over the leaves looking for worms....they are my free roto tillers...but annoying if small seedling are in ....so for small seedlings ...soft topsoil.. then mulch later when they are bigger...a weed that has been pulled.. easy when the soil is soft coz of continual mulching.. is then laid down on top of the mulch with the soil shaken out of the roots...this weed is then free mulch as it rots it becomes compost ..then soil...a continual cycle&#xA;plastic should only be used to lay over a area of new ground that has extreme weeds..like ginger ...bamboo...or use a digger...plastic doesent rot down and nourish the soil...free garden waste used as mulch is the one...no driving down to the garden centre to buy wood chips...or plastic...common sense isnt it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16214" LastActivityDate="2016-11-16T17:58:20.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29896" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29875" CreationDate="2016-11-16T21:40:14.830" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got WHITE FLY for sure.  Look under the leaves as well.  Instead of spraying NEEM solution, what I do is make a big 3 or 5 gallon pail of water mixed with 1 oz NEEM per gallon.  Take a paper plate and slice the paper plate to the center.  Place the paper plate over the potting soil with the stem at the center, turn upside down and swish the plant in the NEEM solution.  Throw a little of the solution on the top of the soil.  Where is this plant living?  You might have to do a little bit of housecleaning in the area to kill all the white fly.  Looks like you have spider mite as well. This will treat both!  Where this plant lives there will be all kinds of white fly stages and spider mite that will reinfect your plant.  Clean and expect to do additional dunkings.  Check your plants in a week or two at the most and if you see any sign, dunk again...new solution of water and NEEM.  Wipe surfaces around your plants environment with bleach.  This should work for any fungus as well.  White Fly and spider mite cause optimal conditions for fungus with their excrement + bacteria = honey dew, loved by fungus.  Fungus will go bye bye when you take care of the insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-16T21:40:14.830" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29897" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29894" CreationDate="2016-11-16T21:53:34.817" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those beetles aren't the main problem.  They are actually eating your main problem.  You've got white fly a sucking insect depleting your plants. You might have spider mite as well.  Look UNDER the leaves, take a picture of that.  Those leaves are having the life sucked out of them and those beetles (I gotta go look them up as well) are more than likely enjoying eating up your problem (s).  And doing you a favor.  I'd shake the beetles off, unless some entomologist type person on our site says they are a problem (I really don't think so but), then dunk the top of the plant in a NEEM 1 oz per gallon solution.  For now, assume those beetles are good guys!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-16T21:53:34.817" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29898" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11165" CreationDate="2016-11-16T23:20:49.603" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like the &lt;a href=&quot;http://garden.org/plants/view/171259/Clematis-Clematis-Horn-of-Plenty/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;Horn of Plenty&quot;&lt;/a&gt; variety to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lILMa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lILMa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16251" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-11-17T01:10:22.503" LastActivityDate="2016-11-17T01:10:22.503" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29899" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-17T06:54:46.420" Score="2" ViewCount="209" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been doing some research online about psychoactive plants, and I happened to stumble upon a plant called Leonotis Leonurus aka Wild Dagga or Lion's Tail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I ordered some Leonotis Leonurus seeds (about 50) online and I plan on growing them so I can use them for their psychoactive properties (they are completely legal where I'm from). However, from what I've heard, the effects of the plant are quite mild when compared to other plants such as marijuana. The chemical that makes Leonotis Leonurus psychoactive is called leonurine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, how can I breed Leonotis Leonurus plants to create more potent (more leonurine, so stronger psychoactive properties) strains? Would I need special equipment? Would I need other plants? Would it take a long time (3+ years)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If what I'm trying to do has already been done with other plants like marijuana, surely it must also be possible to do this with Leonotis Leonurus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16252" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T03:04:27.083" Title="How to create stronger strains of plants?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29900" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29899" CreationDate="2016-11-17T07:46:20.927" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not only will it take you more than 3 years but also a huge plot of land.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are effectively trying to evolve the plants using artificial selection to contain more of a particular substance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Selection requires both mutations and a population large enough to actually select something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need a particular(set of) mutation(s). It is very unlikely your tiny gene pool of likely inbred seeds contains any gene you can use. So you are starting from scratch. For reference, new super-hot pepper breeds all come from crosses between already super-hot peppers. What you are trying to do is breeding a jalapeno so that it becomes a Habanero.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You first need as many random mutations as possible and this requires again numbers. Hundreds, thousands, the more the merrier. Once you have your plantation ready you need to measure their potency and cull the weaker plants yearly. It may take decades, or even longer for your plants to randomly acquire a useful mutation. So the answer is numbers and patience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, Wikipedia states that high concentrations of the psychoactive substance cause organ failure in animals. So it would not only be difficult but also possibly dangerous to your health to increase the plants' potency. Luckily for you, it is very unlikely you succeed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastActivityDate="2016-11-17T07:46:20.927" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29899" CreationDate="2016-11-17T19:24:50.483" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are unable to go as large-scale as jbcreix suggests, here's the way I would go - &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the plant is still in a vigorous state of vegetative growth (as opposed to flower/seed development), take multiple cuttings from each plant, and carefully sort or label them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you harvest from you eventual plants, you should have a large body of young, developing plants that are genetically equal to each of the original plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep the harvest from each plant separate and similarly labeled. You go and quality test your harvest, trying samples from each one.  The ones you deem &quot;strongest,&quot; you plant an cultivate those plants, the other ones, maybe you plant them too, since you went through the trouble of making all the cuttings and rooting them, but you do not grow them after that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cross pollinate the strongest plants, plant the seeds, and then follow the same process to select out the strongest strains. If you get one that is particularly strong or very close to what you deem to be a success, you may want to keep a plant alive just for cuttings, and then pollinate the strongest offspring back with the &quot;mother,&quot; for repeated generations to try breed out some of the genetic variability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure what the life cycle is from germination to seeds/harvest, but it will likely take you several years to selectively breed a strain like you are looking for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastActivityDate="2016-11-17T19:24:50.483" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29903" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29887" CreationDate="2016-11-18T01:31:54.510" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Vietnamese coriander is now known as Persicaria odorata - there is conflicting information on the internet regarding its height and spread, with one site describing it as a low growing ground cover, but the general consensus seems to be that it reaches around 30 cm, with a spread of up to 25 cm. If yours is a bit lanky, it may be it's not getting enough light or doesn't have enough room around it if its hemmed in by other plants. If its in a pot, it may need repotting quite frequently to allow sufficient root room. As for pruning, none is necessary, as such - 'pruning' consists of clipping off parts for culinary use; pruning out any diseased or dying parts is a good idea as a general principle for all plants. Image and general info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.manorfarmherbs.co.uk/+/herbinfo/vietnamese_coriander&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.manorfarmherbs.co.uk/+/herbinfo/vietnamese_coriander&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T01:31:54.510" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29904" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29899" CreationDate="2016-11-18T03:04:27.083" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is so akin to growing Marijuana...I looked it up to find it is a schedule one drug.  Not too many countries would legalize this as well as being assigned an actual LD50 number!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It DOES have a LD50 number which means it is toxic.  LD50 means 'lethal dose for half the population'...kind of grotesque cause they had to have hundreds of some poor animal to test this upon to get this number.  They inject or feed a test substance on 300 rats for instance.  How fast that substance takes to kill 1/2 of the population of rats (150 poor things) makes the number.  The lower the number the more toxic the substance.  Nicotine has one of the lowest LD50 numbers of all chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If something is actually assigned an LD50 number, gee, I would put the brakes on growing and harvesting and using until I knew more than what my friends, a magazine article have offered.  A lot more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any plant grown to make seed to propagate its properties needs to have a STERILIZED, air tight room.  Sterile soil, tested water source (not tap water).  No other soil, organics, smokers, friends, insects can be allowed into the room.  Of course you have to have state of the art lighting...as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To make a long story short, you need to learn how to grow this plant, any plant successfully before you jump into commercial thoughts. You need to know the plant down to the cellular level. You need a network where you can find the best seed producer. Do you know the best germination method for this particular plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are you proficient with soils and plants?  If not, get started learning the basics so that you know where to go after the basics.  Do you have an airtight 'green room' to do this?  You can't do it outside.  One, just ONE pollen would throw everything off, others with the same plants nearby (let's say 5 mile diameter minimum) will fill the air with pollen of unknown genetics and pollinate all other exposed plants, including yours.  You HAVE to have an airtight room, lots of ventilation (big fans), air being pumped out and air being pumped in through a filter.  The original room will have been sterilized with bleach. You have to know the male plant from the females as soon as possible. One male with one flower or even ONE female plant with a bit of hermaphrodite genes producing ONE male flower will pollinate all the other female flowers.  Talk about ruining a crop for psychoactive plant material. Now if you WANT seed, you have to have a special little greenhouse completely airtight for one couple or 2 or more females with one male.  Then you have to be aware those female plants can not be around any other females plants as the pollen collected on the plant can be lifted and used by other female flowers/plants. Or you could learn how to pollinate manually (easiest, surest)... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Buy the best seed you can find.  Start with ONE species.  Get proficient with one species before you try another species.  You have to have the best grow lights...minimum cost $300+ each fixture, each mh/hps fixture should cost $300 ish, to include ballast. T-5 fixture fluorescent should have 4 bulbs minimum and two sets of bulbs, one as blue for vegetative, and one for red spectrum for reproductive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FANS.  Regular heat maintained between 55 to 80 degrees F. Thermostats and humidity sensors. Timers for light cycles and heaters and fans and humidifiers and air pumps.  Good water.  Tap water sucks.  Well water would be ideal.  Most people have specialized filters on their well water.  No one uses tap water without serious filters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All soil will have to be purchased as bagged sterilized potting soil or growing medium.  Period.  You'll need to get into pH testing and augmenting.  Sterilized pots with drainage...finely tuned fertilizers (NOT food...), selected bacteria and mycorrhizae spores, labeled organic additives.  Be glad to help but need to know what level you are with plants. More information such as any hardware you've invested in...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chemistry set for testing pH of soils and water.  Great great potting soil, perhaps a separate bag of soil just to start plants.  Tiny pots for tiny starts...4&quot; pots to upgrade the first time, 1 gallon pots the third time...and 2 and 5 gallon pots...depending on how large/mature they need to be for the active ingredients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One doesn't just decide to go into the business without experience.  There is no way anyone can do that.  But it is very much fun and what a way to become a bona fide gardener.  In the marijuana world, Jorge Cervantes is the king know it all.  His book, 'Cannabis Encylopedia' is a MUST HAVE.  All about ONE plant but the detail it goes into can be used for any plant...One of the best books on how to grow plants ever and it is so inexpensive.  Go get Shane Smith's greenhouse gardening, excellent, excellent.  Surely there must be authors on Lion's Tail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My point is if you are not a gardener, and you know if you are or aren't, if you can't grow vegetables or have NEVER HAD vegetable gardens you are putting the cart before the horse.  Costly.  Discouraging.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is just straight forward advice, not a deal breaker.  You most certainly can learn to GET to the level of botanical genetics but no way jose could someone just get there by having someone tell them what they need to know.  Have you got house plants?  Have you got a basement, greenhouse that can be converted to full time green house?  Are you ready to make big mistakes in order to learn and master a crop? What do you know about ecosystems?  Insects? Soils?  Hardiness Zones? Water, chemistry, how plants are different than animals?  Do you know what Xylem, Phloem, Cambium mean?  Do you know fertilizer is not food?  If one is supposed to be in total control as in a greenhouse/growhouse situation do you know how to deal with powdery mildew, or spidermite, or whatever situation you find yourself confronted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a professional plant person and I get overwhelmed with the complexity, vigilance and commitment necessary to grow a crop of anything.  Trying to grow many different kinds of vegetables with different needs takes so very much thought!!  I hope I haven't discouraged you but even if you were a professional plant person you just should not jump into genetics at the beginning.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T03:04:27.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29905" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29889" CreationDate="2016-11-18T03:18:41.673" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sok, this looks like a very decent fertilizer for hydroponics.  But not for lettuce as an example.  Be great for tomatoes or squash or cucumbers or strawberries (depending on the pH of the water)...you'd have to treat different 'sets' of plants differently.  Be able to sequester certain groups or crops by needs.  Definitely have to have a back flow device on your water distribution system. You have to have a mixing container for your fertilizer and a way to siphon and mix proper amounts into the separate water systems.  Major ventilation, air pumped out, fresh air pumped in that goes through a filter to remove pollens and other stuff you don't want in the air.  Fans that make your hair and plants MOVE when you are in the room.  Timers for the light, heat, air pumps are necessary...I am unbelieving that hydroponics is the way to go over there.  It is tough enough to be successful with plants in soil much less to grow hydroponically with artificial lighting, automatic fertilizing (arggghh), constant cleaning, testing humidity...there are no 'community gardens'?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T03:18:41.673" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29906" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23734" CreationDate="2016-11-18T03:21:28.263" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Like many other perennials, strawberry plants grow from a crown at ground level. If you add soil, it will result in elongated, weakened crown growth and eventually health failure. Instead, dig out some of them, to replant after the new bed is prepared. Cut the leaves back, and gently remove the spil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can figure out your desired spacing, and then calculate how many you want in the new bed. Save only young, strong growing crowns (like the ones pictured below). Keep them in a moist but aired environment (such as between damp papers in a box), in a cool place. Or if you are going to need more than 2 weeks to prepare the bed, heel them in (temporarily plant them) in a shady area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictured below are healthy, young, bareroot strawberry crowns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9VayZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9VayZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T03:21:28.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23935" CreationDate="2016-11-18T03:30:22.450" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Paint thinner won't really hurt an established tree, as long as you don't make a habit of dumping it underneath them. If the tree is small, say 3&quot; or less in diameter, it might cause temporary shock due to water displacement in the soil. After a rain you should be fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless your tree is growing in contained soil, such as a planter or curb box. If that's the case, remove as much of the contaminated soil as you can without damaging the structural root system, and replace it with fresh topsoil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I would ask the contractor to use a different dumping spot, in the future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-19T00:11:37.733" LastActivityDate="2016-11-19T00:11:37.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29908" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24012" CreationDate="2016-11-18T03:39:28.570" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't use fertilizer regularly, on potted desert succulents. Their natural habitat is high in minerals, low in major nutrients and moisture. Feeding too much can cause excessive growth and structural collapse due to overly weak new tissue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually, a regular repotting on these plants, using fresh potting mix, is sufficient, as long as a proper medium is used. Small amounts of fertilizer can help, during the active growing season. Use a diluted liquid feed, low in nitrogen (such as a fertilizer suitable for root vegetables). Only use it once or twice during the active growing season, if you see signs of nutrient depletion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T03:39:28.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29909" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24433" CreationDate="2016-11-18T03:53:51.907" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;We would need pictures for a definite diagnosis, but it sounds like your plants are showing signs of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/13406/419&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;early blight&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. You can try these control methods:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Remove all leaves showing sings of early blight (yellowing, dry margin, large round dead spot,)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Do not touch the other leaves with the removed portions, or you hands until they are thoroughly washed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Spray with a copper fungicide (like BONIDE© Liquid Copper Fungicide). Apply once every 5 days, and after any rain. Continue for 3-4 weeks, or until the plant stops developing the symptoms.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the future, I'd start the plants in individual pots, from the beginning. That was you can separate disease at the first sighting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T03:53:51.907" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24559" CreationDate="2016-11-18T04:03:06.963" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sunchokes will tend to attract smaller butterflies, especially (in my experience), the European cabbage butterfly &lt;a href=&quot;http://Faunal%20Associations:%20The%20nectar%20and%20pollen%20of%20the%20flowers%20attract%20primarily%20bees,%20including%20bumblebees,%20cuckoo%20bees%20(Triepeolus%20spp.),%20digger%20bees%20(Melissodes%20spp.),%20leaf-cutting%20bees%20(Megachile%20spp.),%20Halictid%20bees,%20and%20Andrenid%20bees.%20Bees%20that%20are%20specialist%20pollinators%20(oligoleges)%20of%20sunflowers%20(Helianthus%20spp.)%20include%20a%20digger%20bee%20(Melissodes%20agilis),%20some%20Andrenid%20bees%20(Andrena%20accepta,%20Andrena%20aliciae,%20Andrena%20helianthi),%20a%20dagger%20bee%20(Pseudopanurgus%20rugosus),%20and%20a%20Halictid%20bee%20(Dufourea%20marginata%20marginata).%20Other%20floral%20visitors%20include%20Syrphid%20flies,%20bee%20flies%20(Bombyliidae),%20small%20to%20medium-sized%20butterflies,%20wasps,%20and%20beetles%20(Robertson,%201929,%20&amp;amp;%20others)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(&lt;em&gt;Pieris rapae&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;. They might not be such an attraction to your monarch butterflies. Also see:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Faunal Associations: The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract primarily bees, including bumblebees, cuckoo bees (Triepeolus spp.), digger bees (Melissodes spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), Halictid bees, and Andrenid bees. Bees that are specialist pollinators (oligoleges) of sunflowers (Helianthus spp.) include a digger bee (Melissodes agilis), some Andrenid bees (Andrena accepta, Andrena aliciae, Andrena helianthi), a dagger bee (Pseudopanurgus rugosus), and a Halictid bee (Dufourea marginata marginata). Other floral visitors include Syrphid flies, bee flies (Bombyliidae), small to medium-sized butterflies, wasps, and beetles (Robertson, 1929, &amp;amp; others)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/ja_sunflowerx.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(From here).&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-18T04:09:14.463" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T04:09:14.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29911" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-18T12:41:30.940" Score="3" ViewCount="2153" Body="&lt;p&gt;The base of my cactus seems to be drying. I water it once a week. I bought it 3mos. ago. Just recently, I have seen some whitening at the base of the cactus. It was small at first but it grows bigger and bigger. I dont know what to do since it is my first cactus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I always put it in sunlight every morning and get it inside&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oNLgZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oNLgZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; immediately when the sun is starting to feel so hot or when the clock ticks 10am. Please help me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's happening to my cactus? Why is the base of the cactus drying?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16258" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-11-18T20:35:34.633" LastActivityDate="2016-11-19T01:26:11.397" Title="What's happening to my cactus? Why is the base of the cactus drying?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29912" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29913" CreationDate="2016-11-18T18:20:01.463" Score="7" ViewCount="7361" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tilled an area about 3 feet from a large Crape Myrtle (all the way around), about 6 inches down. I did indeed get a lot of small roots (like pencil thick) and a couple large ones (about wrist thick) that I had to chop and remove. Will some of these be replaced by the tree? I really hope I didnt kill the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*EDIT: it's been 2yrs &amp;amp; 1mos (Jan 2019) and the tree is still standing strong!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QaV8I.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QaV8I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zL0ui.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zL0ui.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/875Aa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/875Aa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T347K.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T347K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14951" LastEditorUserId="14951" LastEditDate="2019-01-14T14:52:34.400" LastActivityDate="2019-01-14T14:52:34.400" Title="Can Tree Roots Regrow" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="29913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29912" CreationDate="2016-11-18T19:09:02.413" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid only time will tell - generally, its never a good idea to cut through any roots from a tree, though a little disturbance of fine (less than half the thickness of a pencil) roots in a single area doesn't usually cause too much trouble. However, that is not what you're describing at all - it appears you have cut through some much larger 4-6 inch roots, and through less thick roots all round the tree. If you live in an arid region and the soil is very dry, you could certainly increase frequency of watering, but that depends to some extent on the season wherever you are as to whether that will make much difference. Otherwise, there is nothing you can do to offset the damage, what's done is done - the tree will either recover, or it will die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T19:09:02.413" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23734" CreationDate="2016-11-18T20:44:12.747" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can definitely transplant strawberries.  Best thing would be to remove the strawberry plants (especially the younger ones) completely, build a raised bed per your requirements and then plant the strawberries in the raised bed.  You should be fine doing that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T20:44:12.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29915" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29912" CreationDate="2016-11-18T20:45:16.217" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;We do the exact same thing when moving a tree to a new location.  Cutting the roots helps a tree to produce new feeder roots within a rootball that is manageable. Very basic way to move any plant, shrub or tree. Just don't do it again.  And water often and deeply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd go get some mycorrhizae at a plant store to help the roots left operate better.  Mycorrhizae is a common fungus that works with roots in a symbiotic way.  Whenever I transplanted any tree, shrub, I'd always apply some of this fungus.  And even moving 20' Rhododendrons in the middle of summer I've not had a single death yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do allow the soil to dry out before watering deeply again.  You could also get some 3 or 4 inch PVC, drill holes every 6&quot; beginning with the rim. Insert it at an angle within the drip line (draw a line to the ground from the perimeter of the canopy, make a circle around the base of your tree.  Within that circle is an upside down version of the canopy.  Not as deep as the depth of the canopy, roots are shallow. When you water, also put water in the pipe.  Roots are pretty much within the top 6&quot; of soil and not much farther. This will encourage deeper root growth to get at the moisture down deeper.  When the soil dries out at the top 2 inches of soil, water deeply again.  Forget fertilizer or any other additives until spring.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something else you should do is lightly prune by thinning not heading.  Reduce the canopy that needs lots of water.  This will lessen stress of your tree.  Need to reduce canopy when you cut roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why are you tilling?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T20:45:16.217" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29916" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28656" CreationDate="2016-11-18T20:47:25.727" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a matter of choice and experience.  Try both options and see what works best for you.  Personally, I prefer smaller cucumbers for the taste.  The advantage of letting it grow is you get more vegetable but imo the taste is not as good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T20:47:25.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29917" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="209" CreationDate="2016-11-18T20:51:11.507" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;My suggestion would be to check it the weed is flowering.  If it has any flowers remove them before throwing it in your compost bin.  If done right, your compost bin will reach high enough temperatures to kill the seeds and plant but I generally remove the flowers before putting it in the compost bin&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T20:51:11.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29918" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29911" CreationDate="2016-11-18T22:03:15.550" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does this pot have drainage?  When you water do you soak the soil?  You should water even less frequently and only wet the soil around the roots not all of the soil in this pot.  What is the drainage situation?  Do you have rocks/gravel beneath that soil?  This guy needs lots of heat, light and frequent shallow watering.  Which is completely opposite from care of most plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this pot a bucket?  A bucket of soil is way too big for this size of a plant especially a cactus.  You need a shallow pot (3-4&quot; high) and no more than 3-4&quot; wide.  All potting soil. No rocks at the bottom!  Easy on the water.  For cactus I never water so much I see water coming out of the drainage hole.  Get a CLAY pot, it breathes better, best for cactus!  Purchase distilled or bottled water instead of using tap...unless you are on a well of your own.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Need to see a picture of the plant and its pot.  Too small plant to too big of a pot is a big deal needing special watering practices.  I just can't tell if this is a problem from your picture.  Your cactus looks healthy and I don't see the problem you are talking about at the base of this guy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might just be seeing 'aging' of this cactus, or rather a very natural event.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-18T22:03:15.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29919" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29911" CreationDate="2016-11-18T23:11:34.847" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is Turbinicarpus horripilus, see here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/TURBINICARPUS/Turbinicarpus_horripilus/Turbinicarpus_horripilus/Turbinicarpus_horripilus.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/TURBINICARPUS/Turbinicarpus_horripilus/Turbinicarpus_horripilus/Turbinicarpus_horripilus.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can see the whitened areas you're talking about, but it's hard to tell whether they're soft and soggy or quite dry - they may actually be corky areas, because they're more yellowish white than white. Damage from insects in the soil can cause that, but that said, watering once a week is probably too often, especially if you're in the northern hemisphere and winter approaches - watering should be significantly reduced during winter, just a little occasionally to stop it from shrivelling really. From late spring through summer, increase watering, but once a week might still be too often - feeling the surface of the compost is one way to see how dry it is, but its better to underwater than overwater - if you see it shrivelling a bit, then increase watering.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moving it into sunlight outdoors and then back indoors again isn't a good idea - find a position for it where it gets maximum light indoors, preferably with some sun if possible, especially during winter. Needs average temperatures most of the year, but cooler in winter, between 50 to 55 deg F is ideal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rot from overly wet conditions usually shows as black or dark discoloured areas, but certainly, it looks as if the cactus is in much too large a pot for its size, and the soil appears to have quite a lot of debris in it. I suggest you remove it from that pot, and repot into a smaller container no wider than half an inch bigger at a maximum all round the size of the cactus, using good potting compost or even cactus soil if you can get it, replanting in such a way that the base of the cactus is just slightly above the soil level. Water in lightly.  The other thing to do is get some small chippings or gravel and add a thin layer of these on the top, around the cactus, to prevent wet soil being in contact with its upper parts. While you're in the process of doing this, inspect the cactus thoroughly, to make sure there's no infestation of something like spider mite - if the spines are sharp (and they likely are) you will need to handle the plant wearing gloves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plant recovers, you'll probably find those whitened areas will become more obviously corky - there's nothing you can do about that, any time damage occurs to a cactus, a corky, scab like area is the result.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-19T01:26:11.397" LastActivityDate="2016-11-19T01:26:11.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29920" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29922" CreationDate="2016-11-19T11:06:16.167" Score="2" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for the name of the following chilies: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HT571.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HT571.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are all off the same kind. The red one on the right is ripe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16238" LastEditorUserId="16238" LastEditDate="2016-11-19T17:57:03.953" LastActivityDate="2016-11-19T19:06:32.877" Title="What is the name of this red chili with white scars?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29827" CreationDate="2016-11-19T13:01:47.077" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This one is a bit puzzling - the leaves and stems strongly resemble a plant which does grow freely in that region - Euphorbia balsamifera. However, the long, dried flowered stems do not - if you're 100% certain the dried stems belong to the shrub, and aren't simply something else growing up through it, then this ID is incorrect. Image and details are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.redjaen.es/francis/?m=c&amp;amp;o=58982&amp;amp;letra=&amp;amp;ord=&amp;amp;id=58983&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. Note: the site is written in Spanish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-23T22:12:51.800" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T22:12:51.800" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29922" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29920" CreationDate="2016-11-19T19:06:32.877" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are jalapeno chilies. They get redder and develop these white striations (stretch marks) as they age.  You'll find the chili on the left to be less hot and progressively getting hotter to the hottest on the right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-19T19:06:32.877" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29923" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-19T20:07:43.860" Score="2" ViewCount="231" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have tried growing maples and this is my fifth attempt. I started vermicomposting in May of this year. It is direct vermicomposting (earthworms in the pot, and feeding them in the same pot that I will grow my tree in).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I first started with batches of vegetables without any leaves to cover them up. For several months I did this until the smell became not as strong as ammonia but definitely nitrogenous. Since then I've added batches of already fallen leaves. I haven’t given them wood at all, just scraps and leaves. I continued adding batches of carbon rich leaves until now. I tried adding nitrogen again but I got that nitrogenous smell again. I have only aerated the soil once because of the worms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a mature sugar maple seed in the freezer to stratify (mimicking winter). I have had it in there since June or July.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plan on planting it on March 21st when I know it is spring. But I am a bit worried about my maple. Cold snaps happen here in March and sometimes it extends all the way out to the end of April. But March is the best time to plant the maple. I know maples are cold hardy (and heat hardy as well, we have hot summers here, up to 100+). But I would still be worried about a tiny little seedling in a cold snap. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I once had 2 trees that survived for 3 years (I planted them from seed in 2012 I think) but that third winter was bad for those trees. My trees kept getting wounded in the winter. I used tape like a bandage but after those wounds healed, there were more wounds and all these wounds drained the life out of the little trees. How did I know? No leaf buds even in May.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason I am worried about cold snaps is because I know that at least for some plants, cold snaps can cut off seedlings from their roots due to the cold weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I bring the pot inside in March and then plant the maple inside by the back door (it is a sliding glass door with a screen door) so that it can get sunlight without worrying about the cold? The pot is big, definitely big enough to hold a tree for at least 3 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can tell my maple apart from weeds even as a shoot. My maples have bigger baby leaves than the weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The kind of maple I am growing is a sugar maple. So should I bring the pot inside and plant it in March or should I just plant the maple outside in March where the pot is now (in a sunny spot on my patio)? In either case in February I plan to get the seed out of the freezer and warm it up before planting it from seed in March.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13109" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-19T21:06:00.667" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T14:01:41.967" Title="Should I be worried about cold snaps affecting my sugar maple seedlings?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;maple&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29924" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-20T00:07:32.570" Score="3" ViewCount="427" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GXGaA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I placed my ginger indoors beside a window, and they started growing. Some grew really fast, and some hardly at all. Why is this the case? Also, are their stems too weak/thin? I used a pair of wooden chopsticks to support one of the stems as I was afraid it would break. Do I need to add compost? I have been using potting soil all along (for the past two months).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16266" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-11-22T00:25:54.397" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T18:38:51.587" Title="Is my ginger stem too thin?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;ginger&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29925" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29923" CreationDate="2016-11-20T02:00:19.810" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rule #2308 Never transplant/move a plant from indoors to outdoors without 'hardening off' first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would try to transplant these baby maples in 1 gal. pots.  Using purchased bagged sterilized soil, use a spade to collect as many roots with their soil intact and as undisturbed as possible.  Put the soil that came with the roots into a depression in potting soil (not garden soil), firm the soil again around the baby maple and water. Keep in your garage. You should have a few survivors starting at this late date and next year a bit of fertilizer.  Hole at the bottom of the pot, no gravel or rock below the soil in the pot, only bagged, sterilized potting soil.  This is for a cold garage, not a heated garage. They don't need sun during dormancy, just stable, above freezing temperatures/lighting.  You will have to acclimate your plants from the outdoors to indoors over a few weeks.  Bring indoors for a couple of hours then back to their normal spot.  Do this for 3-4 days, then bring in for 6 hours and replace in its normal spot.  Do this for 2-3 days, then 12 hours indoors back outside for 12hours...for 3-5 days, then keep inside for 16 hours for 3-5 days...by then your plant should be acclimated.  It would be best to stretch this out for a longer period of time = less stress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These trees are deciduous meaning they lose their leaves for the winter and go into a sleep like a bear. Not really at all like a bear but the idea is similar. You don't want sunlight and warmth unless you've got a greenhouse.The longer the transition from outside to inside and in a pot (the same reversed) the better.  Do not overwater, do NOT fertilize!  They are going to go to sleep, not a war, grins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-20T02:00:19.810" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29926" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-20T03:34:55.247" Score="2" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Location&lt;/strong&gt;: Northern China&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;Height&lt;/strong&gt;: I guess it's over 15m, about 20m.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;Note&lt;/strong&gt;: All leaves would fall out in the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NaNLy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NaNLy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c5TA5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c5TA5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The trunk and the bark&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16267" LastActivityDate="2016-11-20T12:53:16.057" Title="What's kind of tree it is?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29927" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29926" CreationDate="2016-11-20T03:59:54.133" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is Alnus rubra or Red Alder.  A very tough tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-20T03:59:54.133" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25246" CreationDate="2016-11-20T09:06:54.427" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect the problem is that your tree is grafted onto a vigorous rootstock (most fruit trees are grafted onto a rootstock). The type of rootstock will greatly determine the ultimate height of the tree. Unless bought from a specialist nursery, fruit trees tend to be on vigorous rootstocks. If that's the case, you're probably fighting a losing battle trying to restrict the tree's size. If you like plums and really want a small tree I would consider starting again with an appropriate rootstock. The Royal Horticultural Society website is an excellent source of advice. They have a page devoted to the pruning of plum trees here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=339&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=339&lt;/a&gt;. And here are some useful links re rootstocks:  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=359&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=359&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/articles/introduction-fruit-tree-rootstocks&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/articles/introduction-fruit-tree-rootstocks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16268" LastActivityDate="2016-11-20T09:06:54.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29929" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29926" CreationDate="2016-11-20T12:53:16.057" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thanks! @Bamboo, @stormy, @Stephie&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I have known it.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;It's &lt;strong&gt;Populus alba&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;See here → &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus_alba&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wiki&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16267" LastActivityDate="2016-11-20T12:53:16.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29930" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29923" CreationDate="2016-11-20T13:57:32.657" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should plant your sugar maple seeds outdoors, straight from the freezer, in March as you intend - they will germinate and grow when the time is right. In fact, as its seed, you could plant them now and leave them outdoors, if most your winter is below freezing - sitting in frozen soil in a pot isn't much different from sitting in a freezer indoors. The thing to avoid is the potting medium freezing &lt;strong&gt;after&lt;/strong&gt; germination has taken place and you have an actual seedling, so some protection round the pot to insulate it if the temperature falls below 0 degC day and night for a week, or removing it to a cold greenhouse or cold room indoors until the cold snap passes, is appropriate. If you want to stand the pot/s near the house wall, or in a sheltered, sunny spot to decrease the risk of freezing, that's fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not clear what relevance the vermicomposting paragraph in your question has to growing sugar maples - it's not a good idea to plant the seed/s straight into that, if that's what you're thinking, the nutrient content will be too high for a seed or seedling, you'd be better off using a proprietary seed and cutting potting compost. When the tree is large enough, plant into the ground - keeping it in a pot permanently as it grows will make it more susceptible to both cold and disease, and these are large trees which won't appreciate being contained for any length of time. More information about these trees here &lt;a href=&quot;http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu/pubs/trees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu/pubs/trees.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to your comment, your vermicompost can be &lt;em&gt;added&lt;/em&gt; to potting compost, but it should not be used as a planting medium on its own. Some information regarding how to use vermicompost in pots here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/14703/how-to-use-vermicompost-on-your-plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/14703/how-to-use-vermicompost-on-your-plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regard to keeping your sugar maple in a pot, it will be okay in a pot for probably a year, maybe two if you pot it on into a larger, deeper pot as time goes by, and add your vermicompost as appropriate to provide nutrients. On the subject of nutrients, too much availability is just as much a problem as too little, but equally, insufficient root room will cause significant problems with plants, and ultimately, death, particularly plants that should be growing larger quite quickly. Any longer than 2 years in the same pot, and the sapling will start to suffer, so it rather depends when you're moving as to whether it'll still be a viable plant at that time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-23T14:01:41.967" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T14:01:41.967" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29931" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="608" CreationDate="2016-11-20T15:16:39.163" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a forest primarily made of oak trees. I fight &quot;leaf wars&quot; every year.  For 15 years I have mulched the majority on a very large lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leathery leaf must be chopped as small as possible. It is a favorite food source for earthworms. Their castings and leaf mold help dress the soil and is fertilizer for grass and feeder roots of trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An oak leaf that is still whole, if left on the ground or in bare spots in the lawn, will stay there, blocking grass growth for many years. Rake them loose and mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A very good mulching mower is a necessity.  The mower blades will dull and need sharpening a time or two. The dust will clog the air filter so check and clean it often. Wear a dust mask. The result is a lush green lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The down side: The worms loosen the soil so well that local moles will tunnel through your yard. No damage just unsightly. Poke holes in their tunnels. They don't like air and light and will abandon that one. Continuing this until they return to the woods may take a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do blow mass amounts of oak leaves back to the wood line. That &quot;berm&quot; is gone, composted by the next War.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I must return to the war. Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16269" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-11-20T15:55:24.833" LastActivityDate="2016-11-20T15:55:24.833" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29932" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-20T16:17:14.137" Score="9" ViewCount="7157" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where we live you have to bag your leaves. We have about &amp;frac14; acre and lots of trees, so it's really impractical to bag all of those leaves. I was thinking of simply making a big pile and trying to compost them, but I'm looking for some tips. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't really have a way to chop them up, so if I leave them whole, what is the best way to compost? Should I cover the pile? If so what's the best type of cover? Is it worth adding something to the pile to get it started?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11239" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-11-20T20:06:02.543" LastActivityDate="2019-10-27T13:07:51.623" Title="What is the best way to compost a large pile of leaves with minimal effort?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="8" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29933" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-20T18:59:11.240" Score="5" ViewCount="12624" Body="&lt;p&gt;The main part of my rubber tree looks like a slingshot. The main truck is 3 feet long before it splits into the 2 branches. If I cut off those 2 branches will any new limbs come out of that trunk? If so how much of the trunk should I leave? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is some new growth at the bottom off an old limb but it is just another branch that's going to grow out at a bad angle. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is my only hope with this plant to keep it from falling over to cut back the 2 branches? If so does it matter how far I cut them back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1BBtZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1BBtZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rubber tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16271" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-20T19:28:54.543" LastActivityDate="2018-10-22T09:50:45.670" Title="Can this rubber tree be fixed" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29934" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29936" CreationDate="2016-11-20T22:14:22.610" Score="4" ViewCount="376" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have asked this question on here before, but these brown spots are different from the ones that I have asked about in my other question. These brown spots are very dark and are scattered, and they're appearing on the newer foliages. I would put a link to the question I asked about the other brown spots but I don't know how to do it. Why is this happening? I know why it's happening from my previous question but I don't know about these brown spots; these spots are different. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HbSaI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HbSaI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0I0OJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0I0OJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AcwJ7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AcwJ7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T02:31:19.867" Title="Dark spots scattered on my fig" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29935" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29932" CreationDate="2016-11-20T23:59:18.190" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know this isn't what you want to hear, but the fastest (in terms of their rotting down) and tidiest way to compost leaves is actually to bag them up - if they're wet already, all the better, if not, wet the contents, tie the tops shut, poke two or three holes in the bottom of the bags and stand them out of the way somewhere to rot down over time. You can stack them up, but don't stand them on a hard surfaced area - sometimes there's run off from the bags and it may stain the surface. In one to two years, they will have rotted down to a quantity of black, rich, soil like stuff in the bottom of the bags. If you have hot summers,they'll rot down quicker - it's also quicker if you chop the leaves first, but it's not essential, they'll still rot down anyway. The black leafmould you've then got is a good, rich source of humus to apply as a mulch, or dig in to all your flower beds and borders. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose you could just make a big heap, make sure they're good and wet, and cover with a tarpaulin and wait for 1-2 years instead of bagging them, remembering to uncover and add water as necessary from time to time, but it won't be the most attractive sight to look at for that length of time, unless you can create it somewhere out of sight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dead leaves in quantity break down differently from other materials on an ordinary compost heap, and don't require nitrogen to be added - mostly the decomposition takes place through fungal activity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-21T17:43:17.770" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T17:43:17.770" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29934" CreationDate="2016-11-21T02:31:19.867" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is your watering schedule like? Have you been over-watering this plant? (I have not seen your other question). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If anything, over-watering is my first bet. If not, then look into how much sun light the plant has been getting, and whether the exposure is direct or indirect (for best results, it has to be bright, indirect light) and whether it was somehow suddenly exposed to frost. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant loves humidity, but is quite sensitive to over watering. It should be allowed to go dry or nearly dry between watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may be pests, but if your other house plants are healthy and the plant was healthy up to this point, then I would focus on the aforementioned ideas first. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not that you asked, but this appears to be a Fiddle Leaf Fig or a variant thereof. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T02:31:19.867" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29933" CreationDate="2016-11-21T04:25:22.150" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Remove no more than about a third of each branch and try to provide support to the main stem using a stake. Make the cut above a node, and make sure you are ready for the free flowing sap that will ooze. You could use paraffin wax or another sealant and stem some of the losses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Besides staking, you can try to train the tree branches to grow straighter using a band, cord or rope that goes around the stake and holds the branches and base tighter together. Make sure that if you do any such thing, that the plant is still allowed to balance itself nicely on the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do prune the plant, make as many other changes as possible for a while, like moving the tree, changing watering schedules etc. The Rubber Tree is very finicky at times. This is a beautiful specimen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T04:25:22.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29938" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29932" CreationDate="2016-11-21T08:07:00.893" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bamboo is correct but there is a spectrum here and the other end is to blow them all into big piles, dampen and throw Nitrogen on for each layer of 12&quot; thick. I had Puget Power dump all their chips, leaves, branches in huge 6' high by 6' wide.  I put them on my blackberry patches. That next spring the piles were gone or at least only 4&quot; high and no more blackberries. Makes great soil.  Just don't pile them anywhere near the base of live trees and shrubs.  Decomposing piles of leaves steam all winter long.  Cool effects.  Warm habitat for critters snuggling up in those piles and who would probably chew on the cambium of woody plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make natural looking sweeps similar to a dune? A paisley tear drop form with points at both ends and curves once or twice, fatter in the middle.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had huge winds and maybe these piles were damp at the time or already into serious decomposition but had no problem with pile dispersal(?) via wind.  You could get 'deer fencing' cheap light webbing to secure your piles a bit.  Far cheaper than tarps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This place, my perfect garden and soil, was maritime influence, zone 5 and a moist area.  Colder winters and thinner piles will take longer.  But oh well...doesn't smell either.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took Master Composters and they had a spectrum as well.  From OCD to au natural. Different effects with different treatments.  I look at this as anytime we can make the work outside in the landscape not so terribly tough, it will be easier to continue to venture outside to 'play'.  This is one of the areas to make yard work enjoyable.  Visible results quickly.  Well, 3/4 of a year to a year or so goes by before you know it.  Those leaves are gold. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just blowing and raking leaves right into the ornamental plant beds was easy and smart. Few weeds in spring, more food for the life in the soil, those micro and macro organisms eat the stuff that IS decomposed as it decomposes and take it back down into the soil profile pooping it out and mixing it into your soil for you.  That also includes aerating your soil. Neighbors weren't so happy with my methods, because they didn't know any better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves are too great to get rid of.  Most people dump all their great organics at a dump who then sorta kinda compost the stuff and sell it back to you. A few years ago I lived in this massive development, larger than the city and I got the 'best landscape' award.  Tiny yards.  I didn't get popularity awards however, grins!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-11-21T08:15:00.210" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T08:15:00.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29940" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29932" CreationDate="2016-11-21T15:27:37.173" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have a lawnmower (that isn't a reel mower), you have a way to chop them up. Rake them into a row and mow over the row - presumably you don't have a bagging mower or you'd also have them bagged at that point, but you will have a row of shredded leaves a bit to one side of the original row of unshredded leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My approach to leaf mold is a bit different than @Bamboo's - I have a low tolerance for plastic bags or tarps - Just make a circle (or square if that suits you better, but it's less efficient use of material) of wire mesh fencing (or wood if that suits you better, but it may decay faster than the mesh will rust), load them in, stomping on them to compress as much as possible, and wait. It's not traditional composting. If you want to be &quot;tidier&quot; about it, make 3 circles/squares - either each one big enough for a years leaves, and use in rotation, or one big one for the current year, a smaller one that you move what's left in the big one to before you start filling it, and a smallest one that you put what's left in the second one into before you fill that. What comes out of the smallest one goes wherever it will do your garden best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a more rural environment, no fence is needed, you can just have 3 spots for the leaf pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If possible, make your bins a bit bigger and take in your neighbors' leaves as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-11-23T17:26:28.473" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T17:26:28.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29941" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29943" CreationDate="2016-11-21T16:01:47.597" Score="4" ViewCount="1169" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing mushrooms indoors on coffee waste, and I am trying to find a DIY system to water them automatically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, the reasons why it is different than watering plants are:&#xA;- You don't know where the mushrooms are going to pop out on the substrate surface, so the whole area has to be (more or less) uniformly wet all the time.&#xA;- They are very sensitive, especially in the early phase. If they are dry for a few hours, they'll stop growing and die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be a system involving a small tank that I need to fill every other day or something like this. I am just looking for a way to avoid having to spray them twice daily or more like now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you have an idea of the size, I am currently using wooden wine boxes. However, I might get/build something larger, so the new box can probably be adapted to the watering system if it needs to be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My first idea was a kind of clothe that I would spread out on sticks over the mushrooms. I guess some clothe could be tight enough so that the water takes time to percolate through and drop on the mushrooms...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any other ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16278" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T20:45:04.177" Title="How can I automatically water my mushrooms?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29942" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29941" CreationDate="2016-11-21T18:18:16.970" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The easiest answer is to buy a mister like for dart from and set it on a timer. You'd simply keep the reservoir filled and set the timer to come on multiple times a day to keep whatever consistency of moisture you want. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T18:18:16.970" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29943" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29941" CreationDate="2016-11-21T20:45:04.177" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like the mister idea as long as you have humidity sensors as well as have been maintaining and watering your own mushrooms with your own hands manually.  It is a delicate balance for moisture and medium especially for mushrooms.  To put your shrooms on a schedule you should see a pattern as you manually get to know the needs of your crop, no one else could set a timer for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A simple gravity fed medium using a network of tiny hoses with holes from a higher water source seemed to work for a friend of mine but he had to cut the water off manually when at proper moisture/air levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another way to grow plants is to moisten the medium and cover the entire kaboodle with a plastic cover to hold the moisture a long time.  Like a terrarium.  Gotta know the proper humidity levels and how important it is to keep enough air in the medium and air movement around the mushrooms.  Worth looking into especially to get the plant producing 'sexual organs' as the real plant is beneath the soil. Yes?  So there are two environments necessary to monitor; the one the plant (fungus mycelium) is embedded in and the crop or fruiting bodies sexual organs in the air.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you been doing this for awhile?  The pure coffee grounds as medium bothered me so I went out to find this following article about coffee grounds.  I am not liking PURE coffee grounds for your medium.  It should be only a smallish part of the medium, the rest being sawdust or straw...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not a mushroom growing officianado but this sounds sort of a fad that has gone overboard.  Similar to 'low carb diets'...our desire for numbers, novelty and magic without basic criteria with which to be able to think through these newbie methods causes failure and much grief.  Is there something in nature you can compare this method with?  If not, I would be instantly suspicious.  Coffee grounds are uniform, yummy texture, yummier color and smells yummiest.  But sometimes a little is a good thing and more is not so great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read this link I am sending.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://forestfungi.com.au/blogs/forest-fungi/110113158-how-to-grow-mushrooms-on-coffee-grounds&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mushrooms and coffee ground medium&lt;/a&gt; Please let me know what you think. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T20:45:04.177" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29944" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29933" CreationDate="2016-11-21T21:14:24.310" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Shoot, sorry Srihari, your advice is always so good.  Number one; DO NOT move this guy around willy nilly!  That causes major stress and this particular indoor plant is especially sensitive and very needy of the spot they get used to, to move them will cause major stress. This guy is called Ficus elastica, its sap is basic to latex.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Number two; do not touch the sap and do not worry about 'sealing' the pruning cuts.  This plant is very toxic to cats, dogs, birds and capable of causing irritating reactions when in contact with the skin, mouth.  Some people have found they are unable to wear latex gloves because of the chemical Caoutchouc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd repot this plant in a slightly larger pot no more than 2&quot; larger than the diameter of the rim of your white pot in NEW bagged potting soil.  Let it get used to its new pot and soil in the same spot it knows and loves, grins.  Then months from now start cutting it back, a couple of leaves from the terminal bud down 3 or 4 internodes cutting about 1/4&quot; above the node at an angle. Do one branch in 3 months and then 3 months later do the other branch. Use sterilized by pass pruners, or sterilized (alcohol) tough scissors.  Well, I'd try to use decent, sharp by pass pruners (versus anvil, ugh) instead of scissors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It needs to be 'headed' back to get rid of the weight bending the branches down.  It looks like you are overwatering, that is the biggest no no for this plant (all plants except water or marsh plants).  I don't like staking because once you stake a plant like this that plant relies on that stake forever.  You want your plant to be half that size and you will need to do it in stages!  This is a tough plant but too much stress will cause it to give up.  Weird I know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read this link I am sending...&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.houseplantsexpert.com/rubber-plant.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ficus elastic care&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-11-21T21:37:06.263" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T21:37:06.263" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29945" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29933" CreationDate="2016-11-21T22:48:03.410" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a slightly different answer from the others, sorry, but you know what they say - ask three gardeners the same question and you'll get three different answers! I suggest you remove half the branch which is sticking out almost at right angles, cutting just above a leaf node making an angled cut - that branch might well break if its left much longer because of the sharp angle. You can then take a  quarter off the remaining tall branch, just to reduce the height. Be prepared, as another answer says, for plenty of latex sap to be dripping for quite a while; you might want to put newspaper or kitchen paper on the floor to catch it. I agree it looks like it needs a larger pot too - you might want to wait till sap's stopped dripping to carry that out. I also agree you should remove the green tie - it does look tight on the stem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't move it around, it seems quite happy where it is, it's just chosen to grow in an ungainly fashion - once new growth begins and it's recovered, after a few months or a year, you will very likely need to prune off more to reshape, probably shortening the branch that sticks out even further, regardless of any new growth - depends where it shoots from as it recovers really. Info regarding pruning here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cut-back-rubber-tree-plant-10-feet-tall-22663.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cut-back-rubber-tree-plant-10-feet-tall-22663.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-21T22:56:18.153" LastActivityDate="2016-11-21T22:56:18.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29946" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29924" CreationDate="2016-11-22T00:25:58.623" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks healthy to me! I don't think a support is necessary. If a cane grows too long for the pot, you can trim it (cut off the last 1/3 of that cane). Make sure they get as much light as possible, to avoid &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14667/what-is-etiolation&quot;&gt;etiolation&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't need to add compost to a potted plant, but you can fertilize, if you can provide bright light as well. The reason some of them are bigger is that they came out of dormancy sooner. This is common in ginger, as well as other rhizomatus plantings (planted while dormant). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T18:38:51.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29947" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-22T04:38:14.910" Score="3" ViewCount="1395" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are these weeds and how do I get rid of them? They're thriving in the dry soil while the grass struggles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xg67d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xg67d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ewXx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ewXx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kd9Dd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kd9Dd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ck8IM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ck8IM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-11-22T21:02:29.687" LastActivityDate="2018-05-06T07:02:34.880" Title="Weed identification in Queensland, Australia. What are these?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29947" CreationDate="2016-11-22T06:18:32.690" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is tough to see detail in your pictures but it looks like Lotus comiculata or bird's foot trefoil, bird's feet trefoil?  Very invasive weed.  There is a reason plants like this get labeled invasive weeds.  They can out compete all other plants and thus stay vigorous, green and have kinda pretty flowers.  Is it normal to allow your lawn to go dormant over there? Allowing a lawn to go dormant is the best way to select for those weeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dormant plants just can not will not be able to compete.  Do you have cool season grasses down there or warm?  What is your grass species?  What are your watering restrictions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First thing to do is to continue chopping those flowers off before they go to seed.  If they have already gone to seed, we can discuss how best to deal with this and we are not talking chemical herbicides...yet.  Mow and BAG that lawn LOW to suck up as many seeds as possible.  Put those seeds in a plastic bag to decompose, not in your compost pile.  Never let this plant produce flowers if at all possible and you'll be able to eradicate it over time.  You've got to get your lawn up to snuff or these weeds will be the greenest part of your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few other ways to produce a lush competitive lawn.  First off let's start watering your lawn deeply then allow to dry out before watering again. This promotes deeper root systems while most weeds are shallow rooted.  Let me know the composition of your lawn grasses.  Do you have a shop vac?  I'd go out and suck up all those pods/seeds before trying to use the mower as a vacuum/pruner.  When did you last aerate?  Fertilize and with what formulation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-22T06:18:32.690" CommentCount="21" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29949" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-22T07:18:25.010" Score="3" ViewCount="11828" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will explain how this happened, but one stump just came out easily, and I suspected root rot. Now, I took the plant out and examined the roots and found rot rotting with the tubers rotted too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LdEnj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LdEnj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dD9Qh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dD9Qh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ENjUP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ENjUP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DbgjN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DbgjN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the first plant, I cut the two tubers(potato) right away cz I got frightened. And I washed the roots to get rid of the bad soil with possible bacteria from root rot. And I also took the liberty to remove all the rotted or rotting roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now this is what is left of it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8JuNF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8JuNF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DcBXK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DcBXK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FAUmo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FAUmo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do? I am thinking of re-potting in a better soil and wait. Or should I throw away this plant or consider propagation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T05:44:55.373" Title="ZZ Plant in ICU. Root rot due to water. Need help quickly" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;&lt;rot&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29950" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29949" CreationDate="2016-11-22T08:35:27.067" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Start by cutting out any more of the rotted root should you find it. Leave healthy root intact, but be thorough with any diseased part. Ask a local nursery to see if they sell fungicide and consider applying that on the healthy part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Choose a new pot, wash and dry the pot thoroughly. Wash the plant and wipe with paper towels to dry and clean the surfaces. If you found a suitable fungicide, apply it. Use fresh soil, re-pot and water sparingly allowing the pot to dry between watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may be able to save the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastActivityDate="2016-11-22T08:35:27.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29951" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-22T10:03:16.873" Score="4" ViewCount="678" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/69Pzs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please help me to identify this plant that I bought&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16281" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:38:58.513" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:38:58.513" Title="Woody stemmed plant with variegated palmate leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29952" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29951" CreationDate="2016-11-22T10:55:54.573" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a variegated version of Schefflera arboricola; as such it is a generally smaller plant than the plain green version. It will grow outdoors as long as temperatures are not less than 25 degF for any length of time, but is more often grown as a houseplant; grown in the ground outdoors in areas with a suitable climate, it may reach 8-12 feet, but will be smaller contained in a pot. Needs a soil which drains freely, and should only be watered (in a pot) when the surface of the potting compost is dry to the touch; when you do water, water well, such that water drains from the bottom of the pot. More info can be found here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-outdoor-variegated-schefflera-39557.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Variegated Schefflera&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-11-22T14:39:11.527" LastActivityDate="2016-11-22T14:39:11.527" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29953" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26478" CreationDate="2016-11-22T14:01:51.263" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://phytosphere.com/soilphytophthora/soilsterilization.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Using heat to eradicate soil-borne plant pathogens from nursery potting media (&quot;soil sterilization&quot;)&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Oomycetes, including the fungi that cause damping off, can be killed by treating soil at 120°F (49°C).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2016-11-22T14:01:51.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29954" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29956" CreationDate="2016-11-22T19:20:27.280" Score="5" ViewCount="208" Body="&lt;p&gt;First post on the forum, please let me know how I can improve it before downvoting :) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to build a rectangular planter, (W: 40cm (15in), L: 1m (39in), D: 20cm (7.5in)), in which I would grow grass. It will be kept in interior most of the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am concerned that over time, the wood might become mouldy, and I am not sure how to design the bottom of the box (should it have holes to let water/air through?). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would you have any advice as to which wood to choose, whether I should apply wax, and whether there is a best way of designing the bottom of the box (eg with holes, or put gravel at the bottom and soil on top)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16277" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-22T23:45:53.877" LastActivityDate="2016-11-22T23:45:53.877" Title="How can I choose the best wood and wax to build an interior planter?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29955" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24827" CreationDate="2016-11-22T20:20:09.090" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Avocados don't take the same pruning approach that you would with other trees. From a &lt;a href=&quot;http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/AgNatRes/Pubs/Pruning_Avocado_trees.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;University of Florida Extension publication&lt;/a&gt; (PDF Link):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Most avocados don't need a lot of pruning. However, pruning avocado&#xA;  trees can be beneficial in some cases. Pruning these trees is&#xA;  different than pruning other trees, so there are a few things you&#xA;  should know beforehand. In general, avocado trees require an abundance&#xA;  of healthy foliage to assure high yields. In most cases such abundance&#xA;  is best achieved by pruning only when absolutely necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Since avocado trees grow irregularly and different varieties have&#xA;  different growth habits, pruning methods will vary. Trees which tend&#xA;  to develop spreading canopies do best with a minimum of pruning. Tall,&#xA;  upright varieties, which become veritable &quot;beanpoles&quot; producing fruit&#xA;  high above the ground, can benefit from judicious training (heading&#xA;  cuts), especially during the first years of the tree's life. To&#xA;  prevent the upward growth of the main leader, the terminal buds should&#xA;  be removed. This stimulates the growth of lateral branches forcing the&#xA;  tree to spread out and become more compact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Danger of breakage from wind is reduced and the fruit will be borne on&#xA;  limbs closer to the ground where it can be picked more easily.&#xA;  Excessive pruning of young trees will slow their growth since food&#xA;  producing foliage (food is manufactures in the leaves) necessary to&#xA;  the tree is removed. The yield of bearing avocado trees is in direct&#xA;  proportion to the amount of healthy wood and foliage on the tree.&#xA;  Heavy pruning does not increase fruit production but reduces it by&#xA;  stimulating new vegetative growth at the expense of fruit production.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As with any tree, if you do any pruning, be sure to follow &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.cfm?number=B949&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;proper pruning techniques&lt;/a&gt;, and understand how the tree will respond to each cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16284" LastActivityDate="2016-11-22T20:20:09.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29956" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29954" CreationDate="2016-11-22T20:48:19.050" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There should be drainage holes in the bottom - that necessarily means, indoors, you will need to construct a tray beneath to catch water rather than letting it run all over the floor. There are woods which are good to make planters with, cedar and teak being the most obvious choice because they contain oils which will help to prevent rot without being treated in any other way, but more information on what woods to use here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/type-wood-needed-build-planter-box-52380.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/type-wood-needed-build-planter-box-52380.html&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've not said what type of grass you want to grow, but be aware that many ornamental and lawn grasses do not do well without any sunlight, and many may not appreciate being indoors most of the time. If you were thinking ornamental grass, then sedges such as Carex varieties like C. 'Evergold'  might do better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-22T21:43:23.317" LastActivityDate="2016-11-22T21:43:23.317" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29957" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29954" CreationDate="2016-11-22T20:57:22.950" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you have artificial lighting?  I love the idea of grasses in a pot indoors.  I use ornamental grasses an awful lot...what kind of grasses would you be using? Not so much indoors because lighting is a constraint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as a wood planter, any wood except for pressure treated (will DISSOLVE your screws, seriously I had no idea, you'd have to use powder coated hinges, screws).  A really cool product would be Treks or similar.  Dimensional lumber made from plastic bottles...looks like wood, cuts like wood, have to drill holes for the screws, can be curved with a little heat and will last forever. No need to line the interior.  Comes in dove gray and that really looks like wood.  Other colors as well but for planters keep the pot simple and understated so as to to compete for attention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't use Walnut either...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For use indoors all you need to do is LINE your planter with black construction 3 mil trash bag material.  Make holes in the bottom of course.  1 to 1 1/2&quot; in diameter and cut the plastic to secure to the rim of your holes.  There should be no blockage with wrinkles to catch water.  No rock or gravel at the bottom below the soil. Only use sterilized potting soil.  Shallow is better than deep!  Most roots of most plants are within the top 4-6&quot; of soil.  The excess is fine for plants that will send roots down deeper but grass is pretty shallow and I don't think you will be able to make a long term planting of grasses.  The best grass would be fescue. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=fescue%20grass&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbs=rimg:Cd6FizGiqixdIjjVkr2dAbS3un9OeDpzJOVaDVwlexljgQcHLWATdIYS3CIdf0VNxkBqX3wjgOmdt_1QQp61vz6E5dioSCdWSvZ0BtLe6EckRed0ADZX9KhIJf054OnMk5VoR1Iw3M1HKYgwqEgkNXCV7GWOBBxGGZGS2qlWCsyoSCQctYBN0hhLcEcIJaRmAKgY4KhIJIh1_1RU3GQGoRYfZJ9t5_1-0wqEglffCOA6Z239BHc6JPkrSJa7yoSCRCnrW_1PoTl2EUVgKlTo0i0q&amp;amp;tbo=u&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;fine fescue lawns&lt;/a&gt; It is shade tolerant and very fine.  Another suggestion would be blue fescue, Elija Blue.  Tidy clumps of blue blue grass.  Very structural/architectural versus the green fine fescue.  The third suggestion would be Hamelin Fountain Grass; 2-3' high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil will not come out again past the first few waterings but covering the hole with panty hose before filling with potting soil would be a good idea for indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use linseed oil after sanding very finely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should consider grow lights to be able to have vigorous more of a long term perishable.  Great fertilizer and for this I would definitely use an organic slow release fertilizer.  Better for plants in limited light and comes with necessary bacteria and fungus plants need for health.  Not too much because of the light factor.  Specialized pruning, mowing for different grasses.  For instance the 'evergreen' grasses such as&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.swansonsnursery.com/evergreen-ornamental-grasses/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;evergreen ornamental grass&lt;/a&gt; don't do well with cutting back.  Just saying get to know the grass you are considering and expect to change it out for another grass from time to time.  Plant the old grass out in the garden in pockets of a 'rock' garden or give away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-22T20:57:22.950" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29958" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-22T21:49:56.483" Score="4" ViewCount="620" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is something I planted in my garden and forgot about whether it was a salad green or something else. I'd like to know what it is and if it's edible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uRzq5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16286" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-11-22T23:05:27.380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-22T23:09:06.260" Title="What is this low-growing leafy plant that looks like salad greens?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29958" CreationDate="2016-11-22T22:02:06.357" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.harvesttotable.com/2008/02/mustard_greensmustard_greens_c/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mustard Green&lt;/a&gt;. Yummm. It's edible. Good habit to always ask before tasting, eating...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-22T23:09:06.260" LastActivityDate="2016-11-22T23:09:06.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29961" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29969" CreationDate="2016-11-23T00:21:07.460" Score="2" ViewCount="1951" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was reading a study &lt;a href=&quot;http://aciar.gov.au/files/node/2906/ias51_pdf_17672.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(Growing trees on salt-affected land)&lt;/a&gt; talking about planting eucalyptus trees on salinity and water logging affected lands, which can reclaim the land as farmland after one or two decades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I want to plant some eucalyptus trees, what is the maximum salinity and water logging in which it can grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Examples of salinity and water logging with increasing severity:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n8FaE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n8FaE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of flooded field&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://agrodaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/rainfall4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Flooded field&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YocEV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YocEV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Water damaged field&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.smartindianagriculture.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Processed-water-logged-field.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Water damaged field&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yJ7GA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yJ7GA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Standing water in field&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.indiawaterportal.org/sites/indiawaterportal.org/files/styles/node_lead_image_new/public/dsc02915.jpg?itok=kQ3affbF&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Standing water in field&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i3gW5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i3gW5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Water logged area&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.geospatialworld.net/wp-content/uploads/images/application/application-natural-resource-management/natural-resource-management-water-resources/ad22.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Water logged shoreline&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are any of these examples possible places in which eucalyptus trees can be planted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16288" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-11-25T19:52:26.663" LastActivityDate="2020-10-26T11:17:32.367" Title="How much water logging and salinity can Eucalyptus trees tolerate?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29962" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29949" CreationDate="2016-11-23T05:39:14.530" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like galls produced by nematodes...not the beneficial kind.  The best thing to do is GET RID OF ALL SOIL AND PLANT MATERIAL SOAK POT IN BLEACH.  These nematodes are microscopic.  Carefully put the plant, soil and everything in a plastic bag.  You don't want it to infect or move to your other plants.  There are cool beneficial nematodes but it is usually a NON beneficial nematode that causes these swellings on the roots.  Then root rot is part of the course.  Don't try to save this plant.  This is one more reason to use sterilized potting soil sweetie.  Just ONE bad dude can proliferate and become a fatal problem in a pot. No controls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fungicide won't do anything for this problem, this is a nematode not a fungus.  Fungus will of course take its part down the road.  GET RID OF EVERY BIT of soil, plant material and if you want to use that pot again, soak it in a heavy bleach solution for half an hour.  Don't rinse just allow to dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dang I hate to say wish you could've found sterilized potting soil...and I hope this isn't in the soil your other plants reside.  EEuuuww.  Try a specimen microscope (costs $14) you should have one anyway.  At 40X and illuminated (comes with the specimen microscope...great gift for kids...and adults) you should be able to see them.  Did you get all of your soil from the same place?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Need to check this out before any other treatments. You need to see this world at the microscopic level to determine exactly what you've got.  Go get this soil TESTED for nematode.  To be on the safe side, get rid of that soil and plant and sterilize pot. Meanwhile find a way to SEE whether or not I am right or wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have one of those specimen microscopes and I adore the thing.  Imagine two 1/2&quot; cylinders, 6&quot; long, comes with a illuminating bulb and focus dial. When you pull the two cylinders apart the light comes on and you can see 40X better!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;4K could you have TRIED to have a huger range of plant problems?  Sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing but this is how we all learned.  There is no gardener alive or has lived before that didn't go through hell to learn this stuff.  Congratulations?  Grins.  I hope I am wrong...very possible!  But get rid of that plant and soil!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-11-23T05:44:55.373" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T05:44:55.373" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29963" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-23T06:59:02.930" Score="5" ViewCount="234" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently grafted a cutting of an older mango tree to a younger root stock (1-2 years old). I am curious what's going to happen. Will the tree fruit earlier?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16289" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-11-23T14:59:05.783" LastActivityDate="2018-08-20T02:05:29.220" Title="What happens when a scion from an older tree is grafted to a younger rootstock?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29964" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27013" CreationDate="2016-11-23T14:07:57.720" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like a field type fescue to me.  I hate that stuff.  Newer turf type fescues look much better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T14:07:57.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29963" CreationDate="2016-11-23T15:57:04.440" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Almost all&lt;/strong&gt; scions are from older trees than the rootstock, except when topworking an old tree to change variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then again, scions are generally the &quot;less than 1 year old&quot; wood from the older tree, for best success when grafting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will probably make no difference in time of fruiting. In some cases of precocious fruit set (within 1 or 2 years of grafting, but I'm familiar with apples, not mangos) it is advisable to remove all the fruit until the graft union is stronger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T15:57:04.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29966" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29059" CreationDate="2016-11-23T18:43:44.783" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tamarillos set fruit on new growth. The California Rare Fruit Growers &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/tamarillo.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;recommend yearly pruning&lt;/a&gt; to remove branches that have already fruited:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Pruning: Newly planted tamarillos should be pruned to a height of 3 to 4 ft. to encourage branching. Yearly pruning thereafter is advisable to eliminate branches that have already fruited and to induce ample new shoots close to the main branches, since fruit is produced on new growth. Pruning also aids in harvesting, and if timed properly can extend the total fruiting period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the tree is so young, you may want to pinch off the fruit the first year or two to encourage it to put energy into the growth of your main scaffolding branches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the trunks, if you want to train the tree to an open center, you may wish to keep the three trunks. If you want a central leader, pruning two of the smaller leaders may be advisable so long as you can prune them without endangering the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As with any tree, if you do any pruning, be sure to follow &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.cfm?number=B949&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;proper pruning techniques&lt;/a&gt;, and understand how the tree will respond to each cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16284" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T18:43:44.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29967" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29827" CreationDate="2016-11-23T18:46:05.317" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erysimum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Erysimum scoparium&lt;/a&gt;, (alhelí del Teide, Canary Islands' Wallflower). It's an endemic plant to the Islands and found at higher altitutes there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GNF6m.gif&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GNF6m.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BjAkR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BjAkR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T18:46:05.317" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29968" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28625" CreationDate="2016-11-23T18:55:49.403" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/vegetables/tree_fruits_nuts/hgic1359.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Clemson University Extension recommends several cold-hardy cultivars&lt;/a&gt; (though they don't specify what zone!):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;h3&gt;Compact Cultivars (Less Than 6 Feet Tall)&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;‘State Fair’ will grow to about 5 feet tall and produces many dwarf&#xA;  fruits (less than 2 inches in diameter). This selection is very cold&#xA;  hardy and flowers profusely. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;‘Nana’ is the most dwarf variety. It&#xA;  grows 2 to 3 feet tall with red-orange, single flowers followed by&#xA;  small fruit. More cold hardy than others of the species. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;h3&gt;Russian Series (High Cold Tolerance)&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;While there are 19 cultivars in this group, often listed by number,&#xA;  the following are becoming more available from nurseries. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;‘Afganski’ (R26) produces medium-sized fruit with sweet-tart flavor.&#xA;  Dark red arils. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;‘Salavatski’ (R8) is an excellent producer of large&#xA;  fruit whose light red arils yield a fruity, sweet-tart juice.&#xA;  Semi-soft, edible seeds. Excellent juicing variety.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;‘Surh-Anor’ (R33)&#xA;  is a semi-dwarf bush type (up to 10 feet) with very sweet juice. Arils&#xA;  are a clear, pale red.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/fruit-nut/files/2015/04/pomegranates_2015.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Texas A&amp;amp;M publication&lt;/a&gt; suggests varieties that may be hardy down to Zone 7:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Studies are under way on varieties that survive typical winters in north&#xA;  central Texas and produce fruit; these include Al-sirin-nar, Salavatski,&#xA;  and Russian 18.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16284" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T18:55:49.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29969" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29961" CreationDate="2016-11-23T22:11:38.840" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your articles clearly tell you the limit of salinity (still negotiable) and the ability to deal with water logged roots.  Ancient societies used this tree to do the same stuff and they didn't have the ability to test for amount of salinity.  Cool tree, I did not know that Eucalyptus could survive this chemically attenuated low AIR environment!  What is it you want to do with this land?  I do not see any plant being able to desalinize the soil to the level most plants are able to tolerate.  Need to see the extent of your water logged land and your soil tests.  You do have soil tests, yes?  Before and after if possible.  You should be in touch with your Cooperative Extension Service anyway.  THEY would know in more detail what you are dealing with.  Soil tests are cheap (used to be free) from Cooperative Extension Service that are part of a major University near you.  Please contact them and pass to us their recommendations.  What kind of soil do you have?  Clayish or Sandyish?  How will you know the limits of salinity?  What plants do you want to accommodate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-23T22:11:38.840" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29970" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23641" CreationDate="2016-11-24T01:37:09.800" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This doesn't work in the standard concentration. Doubling it did the trick but this is nowhere near as effective as spot application on the leaves. Perhaps adding detergent to the mix will help break through the wax coating. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastActivityDate="2016-11-24T01:37:09.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29831" CreationDate="2016-11-24T02:51:15.807" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;By consensus of the thread, the answer is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acca_sellowiana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Feijoa&lt;/a&gt;, also known as pineapple guavas!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-11-24T03:17:15.720" LastActivityDate="2016-11-24T03:17:15.720" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29972" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-24T08:32:07.393" Score="4" ViewCount="1731" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a gardening beginner and recently pruned my first basil plant (about two weeks ago). I bought special pruning shears because pinching the stems took a bit of a pull, and I didn't want to harm them and thought that a clean cut would be better. I also washed the shears before using them. I'm not sure if this is normal, but the main stems have turned brown where they were cut. Those bits are also pretty dry and I've noticed some browning on the uncut smaller stems at either side of them. Is this a sign of infection due to the cut? If so, what's the best course of action? Do I attempt to cut/pinch the brown tips?&#xA;Any advice would be helpful as I cannot find a similar case online. &#xA;Thank you! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16291" LastActivityDate="2016-11-24T11:30:54.737" Title="Basil stem turning brown after pruning" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29973" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29972" CreationDate="2016-11-24T11:30:54.737" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two possibilities. One, it could be normal die back from the cut point, or Two, it could be a fungal disease that has entered the cut point. A Copper based powder can help to kill any fungal disease. Also, if you're trimming your basil, don't water from above. Water at base of plant so you don't get moisture in the cut sections of the plant. Moisture will lead to fungus growth. HTH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16292" LastActivityDate="2016-11-24T11:30:54.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29974" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29975" CreationDate="2016-11-24T12:15:27.883" Score="6" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a school project related to farming. For this project I should grow some vegetables in an indoor application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And let say I have to grow them in a big container in the same soil and next to each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this cause any harm at all to the vegetables?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I make an advanced research for all combinations?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am planning to grow some of following plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carrots&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Broccoli&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Garlic greens&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lettuce&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ginger&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cucumber&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spinach&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chard&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Arugula&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also I appreciate if you provide any source about that issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16293" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-24T21:06:08.773" LastActivityDate="2016-11-24T21:06:08.773" Title="Does putting vegetables next to each other cause a conflict?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;resources&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29975" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29974" CreationDate="2016-11-24T15:02:24.497" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In this case, I would say there will be no problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general it is better not to repeat the same family of vegetables on the same spot (depletion of soil), and better not to have same families together (diseases).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some combination are nice because of different growth rates (greens between slow growing vegetables, helps keeping away weeds, and keeping moisture).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On my experience, tomatoes should not be put near beans, or tomato plant will have an excessive growth (green parts, but still producing tomatoes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-11-24T15:02:24.497" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29976" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-24T16:26:42.170" Score="2" ViewCount="1402" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've already attempted growing almonds in my usual &amp;quot;just plant and water&amp;quot; way which resulted in a large pot of moldy soil and no almonds after a month, whereas all my previous attempts with seeds from other types of plants were consistently successful, and there were no mold problems whatsoever, even though they've all been growing in the same soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Internet says US has a problem with almond seeds where they're all pasteurized, even if labeled &amp;quot;raw&amp;quot;, so it's hard to find truly raw seeds there, but I'm in Europe, so I guess it shouldn't be a concern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Various sites list methods where seeds need to be soaked in water or damp cloth for several weeks or months and kept in the fridge. Some sites say the fridge stage only needs to last from 8 to 24 hours. Youtube videos show storing seeds in a jar filled with water, stored in a kitchen shelf behind closed doors (no light). I'm not sure but I think this has to do with the fact that most people don't try to grow almonds, but eat them instead, and this method gets into the search results and related articles about growing them, so this part is unclear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mold has been a big problem in my previous attempt, and various articles say that it's to be expected, but there is not enough information on how to prevent or remove mold from the seeds without harming them and being effective at the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my questions here are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are the steps for germinating the raw almond seeds?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How long to soak them in the water?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;At what temperature (is the fridge necessary)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is sunlight going to be a problem?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How to avoid/remove mold?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How can I tell that it's time to plant a seed?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update on what happened some years ago when I finally found some raw almonds from a nut cart at a market:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted about 100 of them, only 3 sprouted, and the rest got as moldy as possible and rotted into mush. Then 2 of the 3 stopped growing and got moldy, and the only good one has been growing extremely slowly, unlike most of my other house plants (chili peppers, mini cherry tomatoes, all the herbs and salads, and grain). I don't know if it's hungry for sunlight or what, but it's only green from spring until the dim days start in mid-autumn. Most of my other plants seem to be ever-green or grow well enough starting in any season. Maybe it's just a needy plant and my &amp;quot;whatever grows - grows, whatever dies - dies&amp;quot; approach is not agreeable enough for home pot-grown almonds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2273" LastEditorUserId="2273" LastEditDate="2020-10-23T07:04:46.800" LastActivityDate="2020-10-23T10:36:23.293" Title="How to properly germinate almond seeds and start growing them?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;almond&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="29977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29976" CreationDate="2016-11-24T16:53:44.533" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you live in an area where almond trees will grow, get some fresh almonds in the fall (ideally right from an orchard, unprocessed, even still in the fruit) and bury them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would guess that as usual, you will do better on the tree making almonds if you purchase a grafted named/selected variety or graft one of those onto your seedlings, and you might well get a better tree using a different rootstock than seedling almond (rootstocks have also been named/selected.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For trying the experiment,&lt;/strong&gt; in a suitable region, sticking it in dirt outside when the fruit is ripe (and letting it pass through winter, to sprout in spring) is what all the refrigeration, etc. is trying to mimic. Planting outside is easier than mimicking that inside. &lt;strong&gt;For growing almonds&lt;/strong&gt; this is probably as much of a fools errand as planting apple seeds, and obtaining a known good rootstock and scion of a good variety will offer much better return on your time and effort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In dirt meaning &lt;strong&gt;in&lt;/strong&gt; the ground. If you want it in a pot, either transfer after it sprouts, or bury the pot in the ground (also known as &quot;plunging&quot; a pot.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-11-24T16:57:02.977" LastActivityDate="2016-11-24T16:57:02.977" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29978" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29984" CreationDate="2016-11-25T03:28:25.260" Score="3" ViewCount="1337" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two or three months ago I bought a money plant from a nearby nursery. It grew for some days but now it is still and no new leaves are coming, and some leaves have even wilted. I water the plant &amp;amp; do aeration but that doesn't seem to help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's placed outdoors, only for 10am-1pm (this winter), it will receive high sun for the rest of the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The day temperature these days is: 22°-25° Celsius (71°-77° Fahrenheit),&#xA;night temperature is 19°-21° Celsius (66°-69° Fahrenheit).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please recommend good soil, manure &amp;amp; everything possible that can help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0F35f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0F35f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16294" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-25T17:59:01.087" LastActivityDate="2016-11-25T17:59:01.087" Title="How should I grow a money plant in a pot at home?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29979" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29978" CreationDate="2016-11-25T04:55:58.203" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This doesn't look like the money plant I know.  Could be wrong.  Looks kinda like Pothos.  No matter.  Don't have to know the exact species to see a very unhappy plant.  See the leaves at the end of this...vine?  They are more 'juicy' than those closer to the roots.  Tells me that this plant has missed an important watering and is struggling to survive.  First off, I'd repot that guy in STERILIZED POTTING SOIL.  That looks like garden soil.  Get rid of any rock or gravel at the bottom of the soil that you thought would help drainage, actually causes the opposite, poor drainage.  Get rid of the lumpy stuff/bark on the surface so that you can see the soil.  (you have to get potting soil, seriously)...you've got drainage issues with fine textured garden soil (clay), possibly exacerbated by rocks or gravel at the bottom of the soil above the drainage hole causing a perched water table.  So possible root rot or just coming out of a drought that almost did it in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the soil under the chunks of bark, garden soil?  If so, you need to repot using sterilized potting soil the stuff that comes in a bag.  Wash and sterilize the pot before replacing this plant.  If you've got rock at the bottom of the old soil, get rid of it before adding the fresh bagged potting soil.  Use panty hose or cheese cloth over the drainage hole to keep soil from washing out.  The stem is very healthy looking and if necessary we could help you propagate vegetatively.  You are using city tap water or too much fertilizer cause we see the salt deposits on top of your soil and the rim of your pot.  Tell us what you've been doing for fertilizer, what and how often, watering habits (what decides that your plant needs water).  Trying to diagnose using one photo is crazy.  It is a start!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-25T04:55:58.203" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29976" CreationDate="2016-11-25T05:34:02.797" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;How interesting!  Almonds aren't pasteurized they are radiated.  You say you just plant and water and in a month you've got a pot of moldy slimy wet soil and NO ALMONDS?  You must know that almonds come from a tree, yes?  A bigger investment I am sure.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have houseplants?  Have you ever grown vegetables?  What soil are you using? (garden soil is a huge no-no to use in pots). Ecnerwal knows his way around the orchard.  Bug him about how to germinate almond seeds (how to choose viable seed) and depending on whether you plan to transplant in the garden or keep in a pot.  Forget getting almonds without a mature tree, planted and established in the garden.  Fertilized correctly with the proper formulation of fertilizer.  Different needs for the tree in the garden and the tree in a pot.  Light...growing indoors, forget about getting almonds from a plant in a pot unless you have an open atrium or serious grow lights.  Just because you failed a few times, just means there is something you need to know that you don't know that is causing you to fail.  Whew! You can do this.  Expect a bit more of a learning curve.  Growing plants isn't that tough but we aren't taught about plants growing up or in our schools. Anyone who wasn't taught by family or University and who hasn't slaved away in soil to grow something... just would never be successful first time out.  It isn't something we are born to know much less understand unless we go back and get the book learning down pat and spend time following 'recipes' making mistakes.  So very worth the effort and mistakes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-25T05:34:02.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29981" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29932" CreationDate="2016-11-25T09:13:18.443" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it's just leaves they'll rot slowly without the need for added nitrogen, but they need air and moisture.  The classic way is non-airtight bags, but you'd need a lot of bags.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When we were replacing a patio with island beds I dug a hole in the middle of each bed (probably 2 feet deep and 2 feet wide, because of the size of the beds) filled the holes with leaves, well stamped down, piled more leaves on top and covered with the clay subsoil and grit sand from the hole (we had no topsoil because of the patio).  The leaves were pretty much rotted down in 6--8 months over a mild winter.  And these were oak which I normally leave for 2½ years in sacks (the half being because I tend to use them in spring).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To adapt this to your case: dig up enough soil to weight down the heap; move the heap onto the spot where you dug up the soil, and cover with the soil.  Mixing a little soil into the pile might help.  It will probably take longer than in my case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is essentially how the soil making up a forest floor is formed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2016-11-25T09:13:18.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29982" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-25T09:16:53.723" Score="8" ViewCount="1188" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myna&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mynah birds&lt;/a&gt; have taken over my garden, displacing the natural avian fauna. I would like to get rid of them, but my being in Australia means that I can't buy a gun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any alternative suggestions on how to control them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Gordon Stanger" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-12-01T19:30:27.773" LastActivityDate="2020-08-31T15:06:00.610" Title="How to get rid of mynah birds?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29983" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-25T11:45:01.683" Score="5" ViewCount="584" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a fast way to propagate my M9 apple trees.&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;Could you tell my if my plan is feasible? Are there any improvements to it?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;January 2016:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Buy a M9 apple rootstock&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut all the branches off the rootstock and&#xA;propagate them using hardwood cutting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant the rootstock without any&#xA;branches to create a stool bed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;July 2016:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bud graft on the growing branches of the stool bed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;January 2017:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant the new apple tree from the stool bed. Cut above the graft and use the branches to propagate more M9 rootstocks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant the new M9 rootstocks from 2016 hardwood cutting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;July 2017:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bud graft on the new growing branches of the stool bed (January 2016)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bud graft the M9 rootstocks planted in January 2017&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;January 2018:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep cutting, propagating, planting...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;Extra information:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I live in France&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I wish to learn not to buy&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;More info about &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn9nzWr9Q1w&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;stool bed and grafting on it&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;More info about &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GYGaeeT5C4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hardwood cutting propagation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16297" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-25T18:11:01.577" LastActivityDate="2016-11-26T04:55:28.567" Title="What's a good plan for fast and inexpensive apple tree propagation?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29984" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29978" CreationDate="2016-11-25T12:13:22.517" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does look like a very poorly Epipremnum aureum (Pothos, Devil's Ivy). Agree with previous answer regarding using proper potting soil, and keeping it out of full, direct sunlight, although some sun in the mornings or late afternoon is fine. One thing though - why is there what appears to be a rusty trowel inserted into the pot? And I'm somewhat confused by your description of 'aerating' the plant, not sure what that means. If it means aerating the soil by disturbing it, don't, its not necessary and will be detrimental to the plant, and if it means moving it around so it gets more air, don't do that either - there's plenty of air everywhere and most plants kept indoors do not appreciate draughts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trowel should be removed, the plant turned out and repotted in proper potting compost, into a clean pot with drainage holes, watered thoroughly and allowed to drain down, then stood somewhere indoors where it gets reasonable light without being exposed to hot sun all day. Ongoing, water when the surface of the compost feels dry to the touch, and empty any outer tray or pot 30 minutes after watering so its not left sitting in water. Its probably sensible to cut back the long stem to promote new growth from the base of the plant too. Do not insert any random objects into the potting soil, it will interfere with the root system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant can be grown outdoors if you have a suitable climate - it will not tolerate frost. Outdoors, once it's got used to it, partial sun is fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-25T12:29:29.383" LastActivityDate="2016-11-25T12:29:29.383" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29985" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-25T13:08:54.087" Score="5" ViewCount="138" Body="&lt;p&gt;Would anyone be able to identify any on the mosses in this picture?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/97fzI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/97fzI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to make something similar but am having difficulty choosing suitable mosses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7236" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-25T18:44:17.090" LastActivityDate="2016-11-25T23:25:18.680" Title="What types of mosses are in this flat tray?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29983" CreationDate="2016-11-25T15:30:40.427" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks feasible, in theory at least. :) In practice, I bet you'll learn a lot! In my (limited) experience, taking cuttings is very easy, but &lt;em&gt;caring&lt;/em&gt; for the cuttings while they develop roots is the actually tricky part. Don't let them dry out! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the hardwood cuttings video Mike recommends watering the cuttings once a day, but note the automated sprinklers he's got in his main sand bed! He's very serious about the need for daily watering. Be sure your stool beds have good drainage too. Your goal while the roots are developing is going to be to keep the propagation medium damp like a wrung-out sponge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best of luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16284" LastActivityDate="2016-11-25T15:30:40.427" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29987" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29982" CreationDate="2016-11-25T17:00:56.290" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;An air rifle would do it, if that's permissible where you live (it is in the UK  for use with feral pigeons and rats) and I believe its not illegal to shoot myna birds in Australia. However, if you live in a city or a built up area, it may not be possible to use an air rifle because of danger to other residents and pets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might be worth consulting with your local authority to see if they have any plan of action in place; from what I've read, culling is under consideration in some areas, but not decided upon. The alternative methods seem to be trapping and killing, or poisoning, and I'm not sure how safe the latter would be in areas where there are plenty of creatures you don't want to harm. This link here seems quite useful though &lt;a href=&quot;http://indianmynah.blogspot.co.uk&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://indianmynah.blogspot.co.uk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-27T02:23:42.523" LastActivityDate="2016-11-27T02:23:42.523" CommentCount="18" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29989" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="29999" CreationDate="2016-11-25T22:30:04.137" Score="7" ViewCount="1256" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help me to identify this Aloe species. Unfortunately I have dropped the container and that's why the plant lost a few leaves and therefore, its symmetry.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J35IL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J35IL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;What kind of Aloe&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2020-10-10T00:17:41.813" Title="What species of Aloe is this?" Tags="&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29985" CreationDate="2016-11-25T23:25:18.680" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is an interesting question.  Identification takes a BIT more information than any picture could tell. Without a microscope, specimens and library it is ALWAYS A GUESS.  You are standing upon MORE than mosses, lichens for sure.  Moss or moss like plants are a joy to step upon, intermittently stepped upon or else they turn into mush.  These soft mounded plants conjure up ancient aquifers, maidenhair fern, moist air and warmth. Think about that. What does that mean? Where do you live?  Is this outdoors or indoors is this sample from an outdoor environment or a greenhouse?  There is no way you could pick one of these 'examples' of soft fuzzy 'plants' and grow it just anywhere.  This is the beauty of being able to grow plants.  We learn about an alternate universe right next to ours we sorta kinda understand and one that our very lives depend.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This sounds like a wonderful project.  Are you to make this moss stuff into a floor?  How about a vertical wall hanging? What are the parameters for this project?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-25T23:25:18.680" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29991" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-26T03:07:47.833" Score="4" ViewCount="8446" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do you know which maple tree is the male or the female? Do you need both to produce beautiful maple trees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I plant one of each in my sister's yard? She only wants one, but I think two would be better, one of each (male &amp;amp; female) although I don't know which is which. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many babies under each, do those come from just one of the trees? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OElvG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16299" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-26T19:38:43.873" LastActivityDate="2018-04-12T13:30:09.223" Title="How can I tell if a maple tree is male or female?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29992" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29983" CreationDate="2016-11-26T03:34:59.003" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the main reasons for using a stool bed is that the &quot;cut all the branches and propagate them&quot; step is &lt;strong&gt;exceedingly optimistic.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A more typical timeline is to plant your new rootstock and let it grow for a year to build up reserves, then cut it to the ground. Let it sprout, girdle the sprouts and pile stuff (sawdust, peat, etc.) on top to make stools, then harvest the stools and plant them out and topwork them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stool bed keeps making stools as long as you maintain it and don't kill the mother root (or it kills itself, being not the longest-lived rootstock on the planet.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Propagating rootstocks from hardwood cuttings is exceedingly rare for a reason - it's a VERY high failure approach. If you're in a hurry, buying rootstock in quantity is certainly MUCH faster than propagating up from one rootstock mother plant, and not too expensive from what I see. If not spending money and doing it yourself are more important to you, use several of the initial stools to expand your stool bed, (there's another year with no fruiting scion for those plants) if you anticipate needing lots and lots of rootstocks and don't want to buy them. It won't be fast. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Standard commercial practice, as I understand it, is to discard all the rootstock cuttings - and they would not do that if it were economical to propagate from them. Stool beds are used because they work...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a nice article from 59 years ago on stool beds and layering...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/23989/CLNO578.pdf?sequence=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/23989/CLNO578.pdf?sequence=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps if you don't mind the extra labor one of the layering options will work better for you. They do discuss hardwood cuttings, but the process is complex, to say the least, and setting up for it probably will exceed the cost of simply buying enough rootstock. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a bit more recent if you really want to spend a lot of money on the latest equipment/chemicals, instead of rootstock:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01140671.1995.9513912&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01140671.1995.9513912&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2016-11-26T04:55:28.567" LastActivityDate="2016-11-26T04:55:28.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29993" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30008" CreationDate="2016-11-26T05:02:30.227" Score="7" ViewCount="1215" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a massive magnolia tree in my backyard. &#xA; It's fall, and it has dropped a lot of its seed pods. During the fall there weren't that many, and I just mowed over them and they seemed to disappear. However, there are probably well over a hundred around the tree right now.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will they break down and deteriorate naturally, or should I rake them up to get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16300" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-04T10:35:17.587" LastActivityDate="2020-09-05T15:45:58.403" Title="Will fallen Magnolia seed pods break down naturally if left alone?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;magnolia&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29994" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-26T07:18:17.147" Score="2" ViewCount="201" Body="&lt;p&gt;This succulent has narrow stems, and small growths along the edges of the leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anybody tell me what succulent it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IalJk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16301" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-26T19:33:46.047" LastActivityDate="2016-11-26T19:52:30.740" Title="What is this succulent with narrow stems and small growths along the edges of the leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29995" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29994" CreationDate="2016-11-26T07:38:56.250" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Kalanchoe daigremontiana tubifolia (Mother of Thousands) plant. You have the photograph of a beautiful specimen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7499" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-26T19:52:30.740" LastActivityDate="2016-11-26T19:52:30.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29996" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30004" CreationDate="2016-11-26T09:49:31.620" Score="4" ViewCount="174" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to make an autonomous system that sustains light for indoor plants. For that purpose I want to isolate plant from outside light sources. In that way I can apply all kind of light cycles that I want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will use a LED system for light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought a curtain would be suitable. But I couldn't decide what kind of curtain would be best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have any experience on that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16293" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-26T20:55:04.977" LastActivityDate="2019-03-27T11:47:12.307" Title="How to isolate light in indoor growing?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29997" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29991" CreationDate="2016-11-26T11:25:34.943" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, one tree on its own is fine. Generally, Acers are capable of fertilizing their own flowers without any other Acer tree nearby, if its lots of fertile seeds you're looking for. Some Acer flowers actually change between male, female and hermaphrodite (and possibly back again) over time, but there's certainly no need to worry whether you have a male or female tree for either reproductive or appearance purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Acer rubrum is considered to be divided between male and female trees, but the flowers are either unisexual or bisexual on both, so for reproductive purposes, its not an issue - more reading about that here if you're curious &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_rubrum#Description&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_rubrum#Description&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry, I didn't realise you'd commented - missed it altogether, didn't know it had been added into the question either, just happened to notice editor's comment above. In answer to that, the 'many babies' could be the progeny of one or both the trees, there's no way of knowing - most likely from both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-27T01:26:29.837" LastActivityDate="2016-11-27T01:26:29.837" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29998" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30002" CreationDate="2016-11-26T13:15:13.140" Score="4" ViewCount="6555" Body="&lt;p&gt;For our cat, we have some grass in flower pots on the windowsill. I don't have the package with the seeds any more, it said something with cat grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1GzM1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1GzM1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On some of the blades, there is some white fluffy stuff:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fcJgX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fcJgX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9ePvl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9ePvl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil is flower soil from the hardware store. I try to water the “plants” every day but sometimes forget. Sometimes they had a little too much water and were sitting in a little puddle that got soaked up eventually. The pots are directly next to the convection heater.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this something to worry about? Does it cause any health problems to us or the cat? Is there something that one can do against this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15472" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-26T20:02:16.380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-26T22:47:17.790" Title="Is this white fluff on my indoor grass bad for the plant, people, or pets?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="29999" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29989" CreationDate="2016-11-26T14:14:55.990" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Possibly Aloe vera var. chinensis. There's a photo here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/272091/#b&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/272091/#b&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16268" LastActivityDate="2016-11-26T14:14:55.990" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30000" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30001" CreationDate="2016-11-26T15:55:57.890" Score="3" ViewCount="233" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a fairly small balcony that I don't use, but my apartment has no garden. Would it be possible to cover the balcony in a tarp and then add some soil, moss, plants, etc? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a solid construction, made of concrete and treated wood. I was thinking of starting a little biology project there, nothing heavy. Is this feasible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16302" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:35:55.273" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T02:35:55.273" Title="Can I build a soil-based garden on a concrete balcony?" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30001" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30000" CreationDate="2016-11-26T16:20:27.797" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's certainly possible to create a 'roof' or balcony garden, but not easily. The depth of soil to aim for is preferably not less than 18 inches, and usually, drainage pipes are laid into the roof/balcony prior to installation, to deal with excess water for drainage purposes. What you're proposing won't really work, drainage will be very poor, and if the door to your balcony opens outwards, the depth of soil required will mean you can't open the door, and the soil would also be sitting against the building's walls, which really isn't a good idea. But that doesn't mean you can't grow plants, just use containers instead - the bigger the container, the larger the plants you can grow in it. I have a balcony, its not large, but its got plenty of plants, including climbers. You should consider the question of light though - if the balcony is south facing and gets plenty of sun year round, that's a completely different growing situation  from one that's in permanent shade. Winter temperatures might also be a factor - if your winters are always very cold and below freezing, smaller containers are at high risk of freezing solid, which will kill any plants growing in them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: You've said you were thinking of using planks to hold the soil in place - just use more planks to make a bottom, raise it up off the balcony a little and it'll have drainage through the gaps in the bottom, between the planks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-27T01:11:59.410" LastActivityDate="2016-11-27T01:11:59.410" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30002" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29998" CreationDate="2016-11-26T16:43:32.913" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh, perfect conditions for mould/fungal growth - dense foliage, warmth from a heater, wet soil along with, by the look of it, wet leaves as well, poor or no air movement. Cut out the affected areas, water when the surface of the soil is dry to the touch, water the soil in the pot, not the leaves, empty out water from the tray or container beneath after 30 minutes, open a window if possible to provide air flow. Not sure if eating mouldy leaves will affect the cat, but I suggest you remove them anyway,and keep checking to make sure the plant doesn't get worse, fungal infection can be difficult to get rid of once its started. Not sure I'd spray with any fungicide as its for the cat to eat, I certainly wouldn't spray it if it was my cat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might be worth splitting the grass to reduce foliage density in each pot - turn out of its pot, cut in half with a sharp knife of some sort (breadknife's the best), then replant the sections with fresh potting compost. Water in well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-26T16:48:35.493" LastActivityDate="2016-11-26T16:48:35.493" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30003" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29994" CreationDate="2016-11-26T18:58:13.763" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As @Srihari Yamanoor said, this appears to be a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/kalanchoe-daigremontiana.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kalanchoe daigremontiana,&lt;/a&gt; a succulent in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassulaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Crassulaceae&lt;/a&gt; family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing that makes it unique among all succulents is that it has little &quot;plantlets&quot; along the leaves. They are exact duplicates of the original plant. As they grow, they drop off into the soil and root themselves. You  can also pop them off and root them separately if you'd like. This process is part of where it got the nickname &quot;Mother of Thousands.&quot; Some even call it &quot;Mother of Millions.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It grows up to 2-1/2 ft (75 cm) tall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;it originated in Madagascar, so it likes the heat. In fact, it will tolerate even extreme heat, but frost will kill it quickly. It's hardy in zones 9-11, so in most areas it grows better as a houseplant. Indoors it prefers average room temperatures of 60-75°F/16-24°C. Keep it in bright to full sun outdoors, or a sunny window inside. You can also alternate between outside and inside as the weather changes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When potted, it grows best in soil made for cactus and other succulents. Water it thoroughly, and let the top 2 inches or so dry out before watering again. In the winter, cut back on watering, but never let the soil completely dry out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's important to note that this is a very poisonous plant when ingested. All parts are poisonous, to both pets and children. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For more information:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/mother-of-thousands.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Guide to Houseplants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/kalanchoe-daigremontiana.html0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Drought Smart Plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers are unusual too, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bb2qi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bb2qi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zx62V.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zx62V.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0LnwN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0LnwN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hubpages.com/living/Flowering-Mother-of-Thousands-Plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source for all pictures.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-26T19:27:21.617" LastActivityDate="2016-11-26T19:27:21.617" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29996" CreationDate="2016-11-26T19:23:02.930" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best curtain is made from those heavy contractor bags.  Cut open and duct taped into what ever size you need.  Make it at least a foot longer and a few feet wider for the space to block any cracks at the edges.  If you are playing with putting plants into bud you have to have NO light entering the room.  Treat it like a dark room for photography.  During your 12/12 light/dark just don't go into the room at all during the dark or make a little entry where you enter, close the curtain then go into the nursery.  Don't turn on any lights.  Use red spectrum lights for budding and blue for the earlier vegetative growth.  Duck tape is your friend.  You MUST have big fans blowing where you SEE the plants moving otherwise you are going to get fungus problems.  If you don't have Jorge Cervantes Encyclopedia of Cannabis go get that right away!  It is all about one plant but this is the best 'garden' book I've found in a long time. Talks mostly about growing indoors.  Big thick book full of pictures, graphs. Completely thorough and explained beautifully. Everything is taken down to the nitty gritty.  Hope this is what you were hoping to read.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-26T19:23:02.930" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30006" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30000" CreationDate="2016-11-26T20:45:43.650" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yup, I see lots of problems with this idea, sweetie.  Is there a reason you don't want to use pots?  I wouldn't bother trying to make a 'roof top garden' on a small balcony.  Just get a collection of great pots (all tied together by material, color, shape to not distract from your plants) with drainage holes, get wider than tall.  You can use tall, narrow pots turned upside down to support and raise some pots to make more use of the vertical dimension.  So much can be grown in pots successfully.  Don't forget hanging baskets making even more use of your area in 3D.  &lt;em&gt;You HAVE to use bagged sterilized potting soil!!&lt;/em&gt;  You need &lt;em&gt;drainage holes.&lt;/em&gt;  A way to lift the bottom of the pots off of the surface they sit upon.  I'd even purchase &lt;em&gt;bottled water&lt;/em&gt; if I had treated city water out of the tap.  &lt;em&gt;No rocks no gravel beneath the soil&lt;/em&gt; and above the drainage hole.  What is your zone? What is your orientation to the sun?  Are you on the north side of the building or south for instance. What is the usual direction for wind? If you've got a winter, you will have to drag all of those pots inside, or you'll not get the perennials back in the spring.  If you asked your management for the building, your association you'd probably get a big NO WAY.  But pots are different, they are movable. There are ways to protect plants in pots for the winter.  And when moving all plants indoors for the winter, you have to do it slowly, not all at once.  To get the plant used to the environment indoors, they have to be taken inside for a couple of hours and then back outside. This continues increasing the time spent inside for a few weeks before your plants are ready to live through the winter indoors.  Same thing in the spring to harden them back to living outdoors.  How big is this balcony?  I've done Landscape designs for decks, balconies with pots big enough for trees, water walls, lots of other smaller pots to tie all together.  People were part of the design, to be able to sit among the plants, water sounds and grasses, trees that sway in the wind.  Never was there any idea to making the surface of the balcony mimic the normal garden surface.  Not a good idea.  All that work and expense could be focused on pots, soil, automatic watering systems, an indoor winter area, wheels on the bigger heavier plants and christmas lights and burlap to wrap the trees and their pots to survive the winter.  Oh, you could also get water filters for your tap water to get rid of the crap they put in your water and that would also be very good for you as well.  There are those skinny coiled hoses to screw onto your faucet (make sure you can do this or you'll be purchasing a new faucet)...they are easy to use and pop back into a coil.  Beneath the pots should be air space (lift with pot feet or tiles) then some sort of a tray to collect excess water and then use a tiny hose to siphon it away from the balcony beneath and the architecture.  You don't want to piss off your neighbors beneath or cause water streaks on your building.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-26T20:45:43.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30007" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29998" CreationDate="2016-11-26T22:47:17.790" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Everything Bamboo replied is correctamundo!  I just want to emphasize the air flow.  Get the bottom of the pot off the surface of what it is sitting upon, remove the sitting water.  All grasses at some point benefit from being cut back.  I'd take all the foliage up in one hand, slightly twist, and with a partner and sharpened hedging shears cut down to 4&quot;.  One chop with a few scissor trims looks super.  Your grass looks very healthy and Bamboo is correct, cat grass or any grass indoors is not a long term perishable without a bit of knowledge and work.  How long have you been growing this grass in these pots?  They look very healthy and a teensy tiny bit of chewing is noticeable.  How many cats have you got?  This is not for nutrition.  Cats are carnivores but grass helps with those dang fur balls and digestion, in tiny amounts.  This is enough for 10 cats...grins!!  When you water, water deeply and you HAVE to allow the soil to dry before watering again!  No set schedule.  If you chop off (mow so to speak) that top growth you'll get rid of a lot of that fungus.  Not going to hurt your cats anyway but this is telling you there is way too much moisture and possibly too much fertilizer.  Spraying fungicide is just not an option, there are safe solutions but even those aren't necessary.  A small fan to blow the grass would be excellent.  You need to see the blades of grass MOVING.  Water deeply, then allow to dry out.  You can also start new pots with clumps when you find it rootbound.  You really only need one pot for the cats but I love the look of grasses, and yours are healthy.  Consider a narrow, longer, shorter pot versus the round pots.  No rock or gravel beneath the POTTING SOIL above the drain holes.  Air between the surface and the bottom of your pot.  Pull the blades of grass up like a pony tail to trim often, taking more than a third of any plant off is not a good thing.  You can keep this going by dividing and replanting to include regular trimming and a little bit of high nitrogen fertilizer.  No pesticides at all!!  Not even necessary.  A fan is.  Check the roots after a month or so, if all you've got is a dense ball of roots, time to divide, wash your pot well, use new bagged soil and start again.  What kind of cat do you have?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-26T22:47:17.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30008" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29993" CreationDate="2016-11-27T02:05:36.260" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably better to rake them up and dispose of them if there are that many - whilst they will break down over time, it does mean they'll be sitting there a while, and if the area is grassed, or there are plants covered in seed pods beneath, its not too healthy to leave them in situ. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-27T02:05:36.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30009" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30010" CreationDate="2016-11-27T02:53:26.090" Score="5" ViewCount="138" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking to control cherry tree slug in an orchard and have found a Spinetoram based product to be effective. In terms of toxicity, there's limited information out &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC41693&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;there&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In particular, I'm interested in impact on bees (spraying on trees after flowering) as well as recommended distance from hives and residue in fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For residue in fruit I've only come across &lt;a href=&quot;http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00128-012-0885-3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; so far, which says that there is an 'acceptable' level of residue after 10 days for tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16304" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-27T22:51:11.983" LastActivityDate="2016-11-27T22:51:11.983" Title="Can Spinetoram be used to control cherry tree slugs without harming nearby bees and fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;toxicity&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30010" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30009" CreationDate="2016-11-27T03:58:09.617" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is this the first time you've noticed pear slug (cherry slug), the larvae of sawfly?  How many trees do you have?  This is a 'seasonal' thing where some years are worse than others. Great water pressure and/or the addition of a biological soap is really all that is necessary THIS YEAR. NEEM would be even more effective but this should be done by a professional AT NIGHT when bees and other beneficials aren't present.  Any other pesticide is &lt;em&gt;overkill&lt;/em&gt;.  These larvae are only damaging for 2 weeks.  I remember having them on my plum trees...no big deal once I got over these tiny slimy little slugs hanging from slime from the canopy. The best preventative is a dormant oil spray.  Most of us never get to notice these little larvae because they are only around a short time.  The adult sawfly overwinter in the soil in little cocoons, in late spring as adult sawflies emerge they lay eggs under the epidermis of the leaves the larvae hatch and the new adults fly away to eventually make their cocoons in the soil to survive the coming winter. There are only 2 weeks or a bit more they will be harming or skeletonizing the leaves of your tree. The timing is interesting to note as this is happening late summer, early fall as your tree is beginning to consider abscission, getting rid of the leaves for the winter.  If you had an orchard there would be many more steps to take and those orchard dudes already know how to deal with this little larvae.  However commercial application is usually at the dire end of the spectrum because time is money and money rules.  Most commercial growers will be overdoing the pesticide thing and then WE eat the fruit.  Just saying.  Echnerwal is an orchard specialist.  Waiting for his advice on this site!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using any pesticide stronger than Neem is not indicated.  A professional would have high pressurized water with biological soap or Neem and do the best job of spraying.  Just do not let them talk you into using anything stronger than Neem, the pressure of the water can't be so powerful it ruins the live tissue of the leaves.  Do not use Neem during the daytime so the important insects like bees are in bed.   Remember this only lasts a few weeks so preventative is far better than spraying anything after the fact. Best investment is dormant oil.  Otherwise this little larvae is a cosmetic hindrance at best. Trying to control would mean SPRAYING very noxious pesticide and killing bees, spiders and other major beneficial insects that normally keep this kind of soft bodied sucking insect under control. When we try to control with a heavy or uninformed hand we always screw things up making a problem even worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-27T03:58:09.617" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30009" CreationDate="2016-11-27T18:01:57.403" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've no experience if any spinosins,  none have been approved for use in the EU or the UK, but I did find this&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://sitem.herts.ac.uk/aeru/ppdb/en/Reports/1144.htm#none&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://sitem.herts.ac.uk/aeru/ppdb/en/Reports/1144.htm#none&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;which suggests (near the end, under Ecotoxicology) that bees will be affected,  both by oral and contact routes. Its just technical data really and not dissimilar from your first link, but may be of some use. I note that honeybees are listed as suffering both acute and chronic effects even in the link you provided, and there's likely no way of avoiding its effects on bees, even if the hives are a mile away. If the trees are sprayed when the bees aren't working to avoid spraying them directly, it looks like subsequent contact with the flowers is likely to cause problems, though they may be chronic rather than acute, hard to say for sure from the small amount of information available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-27T20:32:44.533" LastActivityDate="2016-11-27T20:32:44.533" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30012" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29996" CreationDate="2016-11-27T18:23:10.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Typical approach is to simply choose a room (closet, in most houses, or a basement room) without windows. Walls are reliably opaque. A freestanding &quot;closet&quot; would be another approach. In plant resarch this is called a &lt;a href=&quot;https://phytotron.ncsu.edu&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;phytotron&lt;/a&gt; and typically includes control of temperature and humidity as well as light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-11-27T18:23:10.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30013" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-28T01:09:07.890" Score="4" ViewCount="489" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to buy a potted Christmas tree we can keep in a pot, and would like to buy a Nordmann fir (Picea nordmanniana) for its colourful male cones. I have read this species is fast growing and isn't typically pruned, but as we would like to keep it 5 foot high does anybody have words of wisdom for pruning a fir? Is it not a good idea or will it work fine?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0URQy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0URQy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our other idea is to buy a Blue spruce (Abies pungens), as most people found the blue foliage very attractive. Might this be a better plan long term as the tree is a slow growing hardwood so won't require as much pruning, the roots won't spiral round the pot as fast. That said, perhaps frequent pruning of the Picea N. would lead to a dense foliage with a strong pyramidal form? What are your thoughts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H2EiO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H2EiO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-02T23:38:04.913" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T23:38:04.913" Title="Which of these trees are good for growing as a Christmas tree in a pot?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30014" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-28T01:15:16.843" Score="3" ViewCount="327" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm buying a Christmas tree to grow in a pot year round and thinking about how I'll keep it healthy in the long run. The tree needs to be pruned to keep a height of 5 feet ( 150cm ) and I'm thinking of buying a fast growing fir. Would putting the tree in an airpot inside a decorative box work long term to promote a healthy root system?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2016-12-21T02:48:25.850" Title="growing patio trees in airpots" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30015" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-27T20:58:18.973" Score="6" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;We got this place recently and are planning to put sod in the front yard. We know that the previous owner had grass in the front yard and a big tree. They removed the tree about 5-6 months back as its roots were damaging the water pipe. Since then the front yard was all mulched up. After removing the mulch, you can see the dead grass root patches and on digging more into the soil, you will see lots of small tree roots and grey rock/gravel made of mud chunks. Are these gravels (not as hard as the stone, can be easily crushed with shovel) intentionally left for any certain reason, like curbing the tree root/weed? Do we need to remove them all before putting in sod?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EBHFE.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EBHFE.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user18721" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-11-28T15:08:48.307" LastActivityDate="2016-11-28T15:08:48.307" Title="What are these rocks/gravel lookalikes in my front yard soil?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30016" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30013" CreationDate="2016-11-28T01:56:58.447" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, its important to say that trying to keep most conifer varieties small by regular pruning isn't a good idea, unless its one of those that doesn't mind being cut, like Yew. Second, whichever one you choose, you're likely to be able to keep it in a pot for not longer than five years at most, unless you put it in a pot that's so large you won't be able to move it around easily anyway. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your first image shows the Korean fir, Abies koreana, with its lovely colourful cones in place - they turn brown as they mature, so they don't stay blue, and the tree doesn't usually produce the cones before its around five years old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picea varieties really do not appreciate being cut, apart from removal of dead branches, they don't respond well to pruning, tending to look disfigured as they recover, if they recover. All in all, whatever tree you choose, its probably best to accept that you won't have it (in a pot) for more than five years at most.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-28T02:18:17.617" LastActivityDate="2016-11-28T02:18:17.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30017" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30014" CreationDate="2016-11-28T02:15:17.557" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well you can try it if you like, but most conifers tend not to produce a long taproot (with the exception of Pine, or Pinus varieties) so there doesn't seem to be much advantage in using an airpot. Conifers are not listed as suitable plants for growing in airpot containers. Using one won't mean you can keep it in a pot for longer anyway (see other question and answer).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-28T02:32:41.800" LastActivityDate="2016-11-28T02:32:41.800" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30013" CreationDate="2016-11-28T05:09:08.097" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Attempting to prune a large conifer down to a small size is unlikely to end well - if it survives at all, you will end up with something that looks like &quot;a big tree that has been attacked by a chainsaw&quot; not &quot;a small tree&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But you can certainly grow a &lt;em&gt;dwarf&lt;/em&gt; conifer in a pot or container, provided you accept that most dwarf conifers don't look like exactly like &quot;small Christmas trees&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example &lt;em&gt;Abies procera&lt;/em&gt; is a similar blue color to the &lt;em&gt;A. pungens&lt;/em&gt; picture in another answer, but will take 20 years to reach about 3 feet tall and 4 or 5 feet diameter. The Scots Pine variety &lt;em&gt;Pinus sylvestris&lt;/em&gt; 'Beuvronensis' might take 50 years to reach the same size. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Googling for &quot;dwarf conifer&quot;, or visiting a supplier's website, will find plenty of other possibilities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2016-11-28T05:09:08.097" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30019" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30015" CreationDate="2016-11-28T07:31:06.087" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without actually touching and crushing in my own hands, without being able to tests I would venture this is the result of tilling up blue clay.  Do you have clay soils?  Have you ever seen layers of this light bluish gray as you dug into the soil profile?  It is close to the same porcelain clay that valuable porcelain figurines, dishes are made from.  Hardened clay especially after the manipulation from tilling will look just like this.  It will easily be crushed with a shovel.  I thought at first perhaps it was concrete that the contractors working with concrete somewhere down the road buried. But concrete would not crush easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No you do not need to remove them. I've seen sod do so well laid out on gravel with no attention, watering at all. If this is indeed clay &lt;em&gt;you have to stop using a rototiller.&lt;/em&gt;  This makes clay form bricks.  Clay is tiny tiny flat pieces of rock that stick together electrostatically.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All soil is good soil. The only addition to make any soil good soil is decomposed organic matter. Right now this is irrelevant. Nice if you could find a source but not necessary now.  You can topdress as the years go by everytime you aerate. I'd definitely do a  soil test, understand the percentages of silt to clay to sand to organic matter of your soil to include pH!  I would get a test from your nearest University's extension services (cheap used to be free).  Talk with the Master Gardeners, learn to use these services! Learn about those percentages, the chemicals available for use by the micro community in your soil and of course your plants.  In this case being a lawn.  Where are you?  Do you have cool season grasses or warm season?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd get some topsoil delivered (Length X width = sq. ft divided by 81 = yards to cover that area 4&quot; deep divide by 2 to get 2&quot; of topsoil to spread over this lawn).  Rake, grade, rake and grade some more then it is imperative you ROLL your lawn bed with a water filled roller.  Rake again filling holes, knocking down high spots.  Roll again.  Sod is the best way to make a new lawn!!  Find out how the sod was fertilized, how recently...I usually allow sod to connect with your soil so it can't be pulled up easily and then do a fertilization WITH A SPREADER NEVER BY HAND.  And I have to say I found the more expensive slow release 'organic' lawn fertilizers to be worth every extra penny.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is cool season grass (I know this crop real well.  Warm season grasses not so much)...DO NOT MOW any shorter than 3&quot;.  Seriously.  I had all my mowers custom raised to be able to keep this height.  If you want to know why, I'll fill you in.  But I am kinda sorta shootin' in the dark here, grins. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-28T07:31:06.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30020" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-28T11:29:24.857" Score="3" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves on my Ficus are dropping off at an alarming rate. The new leaves that had grown are going brown and are now dropping off. I have just come back from holiday after 10 days away. I watered it before I went and also when I got back but it looks as if it's dying. It's 12 years old and I don't want it to die. I keep it in the bathroom where the window is only 3 x 3 meters but I think the lighting is enough, or is it not? Please help if you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16309" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-11-28T15:09:39.283" LastActivityDate="2016-12-09T14:44:04.663" Title="Bonsai Ficus problem" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30021" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-28T17:39:52.933" Score="4" ViewCount="939" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many municipalities use brush collection materials to create mulch, which they supply for free to their taxpaying citizens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On some gardening sites, users have chimed in that these free mulch sources are not safe (safe for your desired landscaping or garden results, not a human danger) for home lawn and garden use, since the wood that winds up there are often from diseased sources that get mixed in with the rest of the mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a legitimate risk?  It seems very much like the kind of warning that might originate from a garden center store that sells much more expensive mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that is the danger of free brush-collection-sourced shredded mulch, where do commercial mulch sources get their materials, and what precautions are used to insure their comparative safety?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some possibilities I thought of - &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No difference at all.  They get their source material from pruned trees, removed trees and stuff that falls into yards from trees.  Maybe they even buy the brush collected by cities that don't shred and supply mulch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They get all the limbs, branches and odd bits, either pre- or post-shredding from lumber mills, that trim from the main trunk of threes they are milling for lumber.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They grow the most pristine, perfect and healthy trees themselves, just to cut them down and shred them into &quot;pure&quot; mulch (/sarcasm)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If anyone actually knows, generally, how that works, I'd be interested. It's entirely possible my skepticism is influenced on my preference for &quot;free.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT - I made some assumptions in language and not everyone is probably familiar with &quot;brush collection.&quot;  Here is a municipality's site on what qualifies and how it is done - &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cityofmadison.com/streets/yardwaste/brush/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Madison, Wisconsin yard waste brush collection info&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:36:25.650" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T02:36:25.650" Title="What is the difference between shredded mulch from free vs garden center sources?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30022" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-28T17:42:21.180" Score="5" ViewCount="105" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to try growing some moss on a stone statue.  As it's of a dragon (and I'm Welsh) it really like it to be red-ish, at least in parts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advise on a red moss, or some other plant that I could use?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7236" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-11-30T02:57:07.800" LastActivityDate="2016-11-30T02:57:07.800" Title="Is there a red or similar-looking moss that will grow on a stone statue?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;moss&gt;&lt;liverworts&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30023" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30021" CreationDate="2016-11-28T19:05:22.183" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer rather depends on what material you mean by 'mulch' (other than the general description of any material spread over the surface of soil), and whether your municipal body uses a hot,  aerobic or cold, anaerobic  system to produce whatever it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems as if many municipalities in USA do produce leafmould, but I'm not sure what else they produce. In the UK, you can buy (it's not free here any more) composted material from a few local council authorities which can be used as a mulch or soil conditioning compost. The best are produced by using a closed, hot method, with batch mixing and testing over time to check for heavy metals, etc., to ensure its safety and quality, and they are produced to a British Standard. The standard is so high that many local authorities here don't supply to the public any more, they send their green waste to a waste processing plant which uses a proper hot system and get paid for the waste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using a hot method destroys weed seeds, roots and pathogens, so you should check with your own local authority precisely what they have for free, and how it's produced. If it's cold produced, it is likely to contain both pathogens and weed seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what you would have over there as an equivalent of a British Standard number or quality mark, I'd have thought there'd be something. Buying similar materials at the garden centre is often more expensive than from a local authority, but here, anything described as (organic) 'mulch' is usually bark chips or cocoa shells, and composted materials are sold as soil conditioning compost or potting compost if its sterile enough, though there's no reason why soil conditioning compost can't be used as a mulch, it usually is to save digging in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-28T20:31:10.690" LastActivityDate="2016-11-28T20:31:10.690" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30024" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30022" CreationDate="2016-11-28T19:27:01.823" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a red lichen, but as far as I'm aware, lichens are not something you'd be able to buy, and even if you could, you can't just attach it in some way. The usual method is to paint the statue with live yoghurt, keep it somewhere shady and wait and  see which mosses/lichens start to grow. Lichens which grow on something rich in iron or copper tend to be more red in colour than on stone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-29T15:35:00.807" LastActivityDate="2016-11-29T15:35:00.807" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30025" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30021" CreationDate="2016-11-28T19:38:24.623" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since your question deals with &quot;shredded mulch&quot; I'll limit my response to that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main differences, as far as I see things, are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Municipal mulch can be free - I like free.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bagged mulch from garden center has likely traveled a long distance and created a larger carbon footprint as a result of shipping.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bagged mulch from garden center is likely using poorer source materials than the municipal mulch - UNLESS it specifically identifies the type of base material. Often commercial operations use recycled wood which can contain treated lumber, which is bad.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shredded mulch at OUR municipal facility does not go through any intentional hot process. It does, however, spend a fair amount of time in piles and I have seen these piles steaming on cold days - so there is some hot process occurring.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The bagged mulch from the garden center may contain dyes - black and red being the most common. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naturescapes-pa.com/why-not-to-use-dyed-mulch/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Avoid these at all cost.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm out of time, but might add more later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2016-11-28T20:55:36.263" LastActivityDate="2016-11-28T20:55:36.263" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29932" CreationDate="2016-11-28T21:16:55.850" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have or want to have a garden, I'd suggest Lasagna Gardening, which is a low-maintenance (after building the beds, that is) method where the raised beds are all essentially layered slow-composting piles.  I've had great success with this in my yard, which was new construction so it came with almost no topsoil to plant in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://greenthumbs.cedwvu.org/factsheets/lasagna.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;GreenThumbs Lasagna Gardening Factsheet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't want to go that route, then I'd still suggest a layering or mixing of nutrient sources, both for a more complete finished product, but also for a faster composting period.  Bottom layer should be a bit rougher, more of the twigs and branches that you have, which will allow air to get into the pile a circulate a bit better.  Leaves, soil (innoculates the pile with the composting bacteria), a nitrogen source (fresh green grass cuttings, manure, ground soybean feed, etc.... even pee/urine) and even some wood ash (not a lot) all help.  Wet it down, maybe cover it with a tarp.  Periodically turn the pile over and mix it up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastActivityDate="2016-11-28T21:16:55.850" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30028" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-29T00:54:05.943" Score="7" ViewCount="13045" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've been thinking about getting a living tree for Christmas this year. It's something I've always wanted to do, as it bothers us to throw away trees. We also need more trees for birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and anything else that wants to nest in or eat there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We found a local grower who will dig the tree up, deliver it with the rootball intact, and teach us how to keep it healthy inside for about 10 days, at which point we can plant it outside. We went to the farm and picked out a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_spruce&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Blue spruce (&lt;em&gt;Picea pungens&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;, which is about 4 feet tall and pretty narrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We chose a place that will fill in the area for wildlife, and hide the fence which leads to a a neighbor's property. Last year we threw out our pre-cut Christmas tree. We didn't plant it, just left it for the wildlife, so obviously it died. It was a perfect fit for the area, so we'd like to replace that with the Blue spruce. It gets mostly shade, approximately 6 hours per day, especially in the summer when nearby trees have their leaves. The farmer said Blue spruce needs full sun, so that would not be an ideal location. I'm inclined to trust him, since this is what he has done for a living for over 30 years, but I'd like to hear from some of our experts as to the importance of full sun, and approximately how many hours a day it needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: I'm adding more pictures and information to address the comments and answers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I said, we'd like to replace the dead tree, which is just sitting there, and was never planted, with the Blue spruce. (In the top picture, it's to the left of the big tree, not the dead branch that's leaning against it on the right.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rather than try to calculate a dripline formula, I'll just report the trunk measurements and tree distances. All references to the trees are from looking at the picture from the front. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The big evergreen on the right is about 60 inches in diameter. The &quot;dead tree&quot; is about 15 feet to the left of that and back about a foot. A few feet to the left is a bush. Directly to the left is another tree, about 10 inches in diameter. To the left of that is another bush (azalea I think) that measures around 11 inches at the widest point and blooms in the spring and fall. To the left of that (about 15 total feet away from the dead tree) is a tall deciduous tree that's about 20 inches in diameter.  Approximately another 5 feet to the left of that is the great big evergreen tree (Norway spruce?). That trunk measures about 70 inches in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My husband has now dug the hole right where the dead tree had been. It's 36&quot; round and 24&quot; deep, as we were instructed. He only had to break a few roots from the tree to the right. They were shallow and not too thick, hopefully not enough to damage that tree. There were also a lot of large rocks beneath the surface, which he took out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that the hole is prepared, we're back to the question of how well a Blue spruce will thrive in that spot, and whether or not it's a threat to the health of the trees around it. Slow growing is fine with us. In fact, that was the original goal because we have no evergreens that are short or full, and we wanted something mid-sized. If possible, we'd like to keep it pruned to about 6 or 7 feet. We'd be fine about getting rid of the nearby bush, if there's a question of fighting for root space. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first pictures are from last May-July when everything is in full foliage. It's dark and shaded there most of the day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second group was taken in December, a few weeks ago. The leaves from the deciduous trees have fallen, putting the tree in full sun for most of the day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for closer views.&lt;/em&gt;&#xA;These were taken between May and July: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jOetl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jOetl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oy6Xu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oy6Xu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4xSHV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4xSHV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This group was taken during the first week of December:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PyyxJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PyyxJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vPOhv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vPOhvm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7rGDb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7rGDbm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/omB7Q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/omB7Qm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-16T22:02:11.850" LastActivityDate="2017-12-16T22:02:11.850" Title="How important is full sun for a Blue Spruce tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30029" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30028" CreationDate="2016-11-29T09:21:13.060" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, it is not a big deal. Six hours are enough. You can cut some branches of the other tree, and wait the spruce to grow, so it will get more sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In nature, young tree tend to grow in semi-shadows (most will die or be dormant also for decades in shadows, waiting a old tree to fall).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just expect that it will grow very slow, but (also in my opinion) this is a nice feature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Contrary of most deciduous plants, spruces don't tend to extend in order to find more light (thus giving a skinny form).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-11-29T09:21:13.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30030" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29932" CreationDate="2016-11-29T15:43:32.503" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Everyone has good suggestions and ideas here, but it seems that they are forgetting that you want this to be &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;easy&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;.  We could talk all day about different ways you could compost those leaves, but really, you just want an easy and effortless way to compost them.  Literally, all you have to do is put the whole leaves in a pile and forget about it and they will break down.  Plain leaves will be broken down by fungi in a cold composting process which can take up to two years depending on the type of leaves.  Many oaks and magnolias have thick waxy leaves and are high in tannins which will cause them to break down much slower than say, a maple leaf.  Most piles, if large enough, will have some leaf mould produced by the spring in the center of the pile if you really need some quick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, depending on what you have available, there are ways for you to break those leaves down quicker if you'd like.  The key is to add nitrogen to the pile to encourage bacterial decomposition.  You can do this by adding lots of green material (ex: grass clippings), used coffee grounds or blood meal.  I've had great success adding lots of blood meal in with wet leaves to speed decomposition.  What will really get stuff moving is if you also add some finished compost in each layer of leaves you add to the pile with some blood meal.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Really, it just depends on what you have available, your dedication to making it happen, and how fast you need compost from the leaves.  If this all sounds overwhelming and unnecessary, just put them in a pile, don't even cover them.  Let nature take its course.  Easy peasy  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2016-11-29T15:43:32.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30031" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30028" CreationDate="2016-11-29T17:19:09.213" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blue spruces only need full sun to reach their top growth potential, they do not require it to be healthy. They will grow very well in shade, if they are not under another tree's dripline, and if there aren't many other tree roots in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Under a dripline, and in dense rooted ground, a spruce will grow much slower (sometimes less than 6&quot; a year), and will perhaps not have the pencil straight trunk that is easy to achieve in full sun. Fertilizing can help with that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the shade, Blue spruces do not lose color, but the branching habit will tend to be lighter, more airy. And the tree may have a taller, thinner growth habit. I actually like to work with these better. Below are pictured some 15 year old blue spruce that only receive 3 hours of direct sun per day. They do, however, recieve dappled sun for some of the day as well, and the shade is light. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PJpL9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PJpL9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-11-29T17:19:09.213" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30032" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30022" CreationDate="2016-11-29T17:52:42.877" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sphagnum capillifolium is a red moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16314" LastActivityDate="2016-11-29T17:52:42.877" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30033" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-29T18:20:23.107" Score="2" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this plant? I've had it since September, it was given to me by a teacher as a project. I think it might be jade, but shouldn't it have woody stems?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9VpA0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9VpA0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16315" LastActivityDate="2016-11-29T19:33:44.693" Title="Help me identify this plant, possibly jade?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30034" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30033" CreationDate="2016-11-29T19:27:49.337" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it does resemble a very poorly Crassula ovata, or Jade plant, if the leaves are quite fleshy - it should be dark green and more leafy, but this one is etiolated, pale and just about holding onto life, so it looks as if its been growing somewhere with insufficient light for a significant amount of time. You need to find somewhere else that's much brighter for it to stand, but initially, avoid direct sunlight - its not even used to normal daylight, and won't cope with direct sun in its current condition. Depending on how long the plant's been in the same pot, it may be time for some fresh potting compost and a slightly larger pot, so turn it out of its pot to check whether it is actually rootbound. If its not, then don't use a new pot. I'm assuming the small and weak leaves are caused simply by being grown in dark conditions, but if it's never been given any fertilizer, and it's been around for a while, it may need feeding. Hard to say how old it is, can't tell from its growth, but perhaps you know. Care information here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.houseplantsexpert.com/jade-plant.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.houseplantsexpert.com/jade-plant.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-11-29T19:33:44.693" LastActivityDate="2016-11-29T19:33:44.693" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30036" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3402" CreationDate="2016-11-29T20:25:19.330" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had plants of all types my entire life.I honestly believe all &quot;living&quot; things need a rest. Just like the change in seasons, everything gets that growth spurt in the spring after that long rest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14436" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-11-29T21:55:30.080" LastActivityDate="2016-11-29T21:55:30.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30037" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30028" CreationDate="2016-11-29T21:30:30.967" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the shade conifers do not do well.  The only conifer that loves shade, does well in shade is the Yew.  Conifers in the shade are stressed and regularly get the adelgid aphid and wooly aphid and it wreaks havoc.  In the sun, Blue Colorado Spruce can get to 100 feet by 50 feet. In the shade it is even more susceptible to insect and disease. Looks so cute that contractors plant them next to the foundation routinely.  Only to have to be cut down.  Englemann spruce is very similar.  In fact, most colorado blue spruce IS GREEN very similar to Englemann Spruce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To have a living Conifer as a Christmas tree is more difficult than people understand.  Are you using it outside to ornament or are you putting in a pot to bring inside and then be able to plant it back outside?  Outside is one thing bringing inside can kill even a potted tree if it isn't acclimated step by step to survive inside for a few weeks then acclimated back to the outside before replanting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;People are kind of tricked to buy a live tree for Christmas without clear instruction on the acclimating process. (Oh my you just might have to buy ANOTHER tree)!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would keep what blue colorado spruce you have that are doing well outside, outside.  I'd stop purchasing them and planting them.  Fine for a cut Christmas tree but there are so many insects that rely on Englemann and Colorado Blue Spruce as part of their life cycle and cause major heartache for the tree and many other conifers such as White Pine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a simple list of common problems to watch your trees for; Spruce Beetle, Cooley's Spruce gall adelgid, Spruce Spider Mite, White Pine Weevils, White Pine Scale, Western Spruce Budworm, Douglas Fir Tussock Moth, Cytospora Canker.  In all my years of maintenance of other people's landscapes I've never, not once ever found a Colorado Spruce without at least two or three of these insect populations.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Purchasing a great conifer for Christmas to plant in your yard is easiest if you chose a common conifer for your clime (where and what is that)? and purchase it already established in a pot.  Do the acclimation thing for a couple of weeks, repeat the reverse acclimation thing after the holiday and plant in your garden/yard.  Make sure you don't plant your tree too deeply.  Only the root ball should be in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And Blue Spruce is a SPRUCE.  Touch a spruce and you'll get poked.  I prefer Fraser Fir.  Loves high altitude and might not make it where ever you live.  I've planted quite a few in lower elevations with proper watering instructions, raised out of the clay...and they did well.  Tell the truth I don't remember ever planting Blue Colorado Spruce.  Only Englemann. And only in proper environments. Too swamped with problems.  Call backs make someone who lives off happy clients and successful plants very nervous.  So I got to teach clients how to make both of us successful and happy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-29T21:30:30.967" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30038" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-30T01:03:30.093" Score="4" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased this euphorbia a few days ago and would very much appreciate an ID on it. It is in a 6&quot; pot&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/52V8j.jpg&quot; width=&quot;360&quot; height=&quot;480&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;here is a close-up for more detail&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://selva.cabal.mx/Pic.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Close-up http://selva.cabal.mx/Pic.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the top&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://selva.cabal.mx/Pic2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Close-up http://selva.cabal.mx/Pic2.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does exude sap when pricked&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://selva.cabal.mx/Pic3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Close-up http://selva.cabal.mx/Pic3.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16318" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-01-22T11:27:27.630" LastActivityDate="2019-01-22T11:27:27.630" Title="Can someone please help identify this euphorbia?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="30039" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-30T07:48:29.927" Score="3" ViewCount="254" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will grow the following vegetables in a big square area. How much depth is required to prevent root damage and non-vertical root growth? Note that I will grow them indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Carrot&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Arugula&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Brocolli&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chard&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Collard greens&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Garlic greens&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lettuce&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ginger&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16293" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-01T22:09:46.067" LastActivityDate="2016-12-01T22:09:46.067" Title="How much depth is needed for vegetables to grow in an indoor area?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30040" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19319" CreationDate="2016-11-30T12:50:41.510" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It surely is possible to grow here in Bangladesh. Temperature/Rainfall in Dhaka City appears to be suitable for it. I have seen this and taken a photo of it. Its in Road-18, Block-J, Banani. Here is a snapshot&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jcg4H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jcg4H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16320" LastEditorUserId="16320" LastEditDate="2016-12-04T08:01:13.537" LastActivityDate="2016-12-04T08:01:13.537" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29085" CreationDate="2016-11-30T15:20:57.900" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Like above it'd be easier with a tree spade.  But maybe possible with out one.  If you can, depending on when the owner is going to remove it or if they are flexible about removing it.  First I'd dig down  around the tree about 2 feet out and about 2-3 feet down and just sever the roots, then leave it until Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can do this the tree will put out smaller fine roots near the tree and will help with survival.  If you can't I'd still try and see if you can in early spring.  I guess you are in NC so winters are not bad.  It maybe possible to move it during winter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also try to keep as many of the roots undisturbed as possible.  Water deeply when you transplant it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3254" LastActivityDate="2016-11-30T15:20:57.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30043" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30039" CreationDate="2016-11-30T16:20:47.340" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ginger is perennial, so I'm not sure it is good to grow it indoor. But I never cultivated it, so I don't know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the other vegetables, I think around 30 to 50 cm should be enough. Most could live with less ground, but I would have some extra space to help not to over-water (and under-water) the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-11-30T16:20:47.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30044" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30039" CreationDate="2016-11-30T17:03:02.200" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Of the plants you list, the Carrots are probably your biggest depth-desiring crop, Chard will be a close second. The chart on &lt;a href=&quot;http://eartheasy.com/raised-beds-soil-depth-requirements.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this page&lt;/a&gt; suggests a minimum depth of 18-24 inches (45-60 cm) for chard or carrots. I would expect the carrots to be the first plant to notice over-shallow soil. The root that you're actually eating might only be 8 inches, but the fine roots off the tip go down much further than that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10840" LastActivityDate="2016-11-30T17:03:02.200" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4912" CreationDate="2016-11-30T18:02:43.240" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pineapple palms typically refer to Phoenix canariensis and (typically) have a thick trimmed trunk with the overall appearance of a large pineapple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Date fruit come from the Phoenix Dactylifera. There are a number of varieties with the fruit of the Medjool variety being the most desirable and the Deglet Noor variety is very common.These are commonly used as &quot;street trees&quot; and may be seen throughout the Las Vegas Strip. When used as an ornamental tree, the tree is 'skinned' with a chain saw and a 'diamond' cut is accomplished.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Phoenix roebelenii is another &quot;date&quot; palm, commonly referred to as a Pigmy Date Palm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16321" LastActivityDate="2016-11-30T18:02:43.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30046" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30038" CreationDate="2016-11-30T18:33:24.953" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well I'm torn between Cereus validus and Euphorbia virosa, but because of the white  'knotting' up the ridges on the stems, and its less than perfectly straight cylindrical growth, I'll go with Euphorbia virosa &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/euphorbia-virosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/euphorbia-virosa&lt;/a&gt;. This plant sometimes spirals as it grows, but more often doesn't - be aware though that it has very caustic sap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh good, someone else (on another site) has suggested Euphorbia polycantha, and now I've seen it, I concur completely, looks almost exactly like yours - whoever ID'd it should get votes!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-01T17:05:21.153" LastActivityDate="2016-12-01T17:05:21.153" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30047" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-30T18:38:50.767" Score="6" ViewCount="293" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have never grown ginger and want to try to in my raised beds in my backyard.  I don't have ginger seeds to grow from but can I cut sections of ginger I buy from the store and grow it?  Any other guidelines to how to start growing ginger would be appreciated such as seasons to start &quot;seeding&quot; and harvesting would be appreciated. I am in USDA Hardiness Zone 9b&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2019-07-22T13:00:35.610" Title="How can I grow ginger in my backyard?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;ginger&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30048" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30047" CreationDate="2016-11-30T18:57:57.020" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should really wait till late winter (in pots if its not warm enough outdoors) or spring time to plant, but assuming it's ginger root you're after, then yes, you can buy it from the grocery store - select pieces which look plump, with as many 'eyes' as you can find. Soak them overnight, then either cut them up, making sure there's an eye in each piece (that's where growth comes from), or plant whole. They like free draining yet moisture retaining, fairly rich soil, and a sheltered spot with dappled sunlight - they wilt in direct sun. They don't like frost, and the warmer your climate, the better your harvest. Improve the soil you're planting into by adding composted materials beforehand. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-ginger.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-ginger.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-30T18:57:57.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30049" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30050" CreationDate="2016-11-30T20:33:43.540" Score="5" ViewCount="3416" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought this house and am trying to make sure everything in my yard is safe for my kids. Can you tell me what this plant is? It is about 3 feet tall, and seems to have burr-like clusters near the back. I'm in Southern California, if that helps. No idea whether it was planted intentionally. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j9KCA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j9KCA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unidentified plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are more images. &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/xzgjO&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imgur.com/a/xzgjO&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16322" LastEditorUserId="16322" LastEditDate="2016-11-30T21:39:36.097" LastActivityDate="2018-07-21T14:52:40.867" Title="What is this shrub/plant? It has 7-pointed leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30049" CreationDate="2016-11-30T20:38:46.700" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure it's Ricinus communis; its not entirely clear from the photo because of the way the light falls, but as you've got young children, I suggest you remove it. The seeds are highly toxic, but the biggest problem with this plant is its fine pollen when in flower, which can cause asthma attacks. Allergic responses to the leaves and stems are not uncommon either, so although its generally safe  if you don't eat it, I wouldn't choose to grow it where there are young children. As you don't know whether it was deliberately planted or not, its probably wise to keep a check next year in case it's seeded itself and others pop up, though if you live somewhere with colder winters, that's much less likely. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricinus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricinus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-30T20:38:46.700" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30051" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-30T20:43:14.663" Score="4" ViewCount="67" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased this beauty a short time ago and have been unable to ID it as yet. Anyone know which cactus this is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fius1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cactus Pic&quot;&gt;&#xA;Here is a photo of the top which looks like the Epostoa Lanata&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://Selva.Cabal.mx/Pic5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Top View Pic http://Selva.Cabal.mx/Pic5.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16318" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-01-25T11:18:55.947" LastActivityDate="2019-01-25T11:18:55.947" Title="Which Cleistocactus might this be?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="30052" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30039" CreationDate="2016-11-30T20:45:56.300" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is your set up?  I am assuming you think you can dump 12&quot; over concrete and get away with that for a garden?  A vegetable garden doesn't need depth of soil in the GARDEN.  Most roots to include carrots and other root crops don't need any more depth.  That is not the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;95% of all plant roots or something close to that percentage are found in the top 4 to 6&quot; of the surface, top horizon of the soil.  That is where the chemicals and water necessary to provide the little chlorophyll factories in the leaves/stems to make food for the plant reside.  Below 6 -12&quot; is subsoil, has little organic matter, proper chemicals and little water makes it down that far for plants to need to expend the energy to grow roots that deeply.  We aren't talking about support roots some plant have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am assuming you are making a big square POT for growing vegetables.  Drainage is an issue.  Using garden soil for this POT is another issue.  Sun is an issue.  Orientation to sun and wind is an issue.  Is this outside on a balcony or a patio or is this inside or out of doors.  Are you going to try to use rock/gravel at the bottom for drainage?  We need to talk about an awful lot more.  Otherwise I am just assuming. Please answer; 1) drainage 2) type of soil and that &lt;em&gt;HAS TO BE STERILIZED POTTING SOIL NOT GARDEN SOIL&lt;/em&gt; 3) is this indoors out of doors over concrete what are the sides to be 4) what is the lighting?  Wattage if you are using artificial lighting or sun orientation and zone if this is grown out of doors.  Where is the excess water to go?  Drain to? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of these plants do just fine in POTS with sterilized potting soil with proper drainage no perched water table created by using rock or gravel beneath the soil, artificial true growing lights or decent sun exposure and of course the proper amount and formulation (s) of fertilizer and attention to pH. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some on your list need higher N than P and K.  The leafy stuff you don't want going into reproductive growth.  Some of those plants need lower N in relationship to the percentages of P and K.  Using fertilizer in pots and confined artificial garden spaces it is more important to be precise.  Just a little too much and you will kill your plants.  You will have to separate the plants; root crops (carrots), leafy vegetative crops (Chard, lettuces), reproductive crops (broccoli) as each need a different formulation of fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;pH is important, perhaps not so much with your list but keep this chart around; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenersnet.com/atoz/phlevel1.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;enter link description here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry to be such a stick in the spokes but you don't want to fail and have to learn the hard way. We care about making the first experience for a newbie gardener a good experience.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-11-30T20:45:56.300" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30053" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17520" CreationDate="2016-11-30T21:14:04.327" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;figs, ficus carica, are prone to a ground worm like critter that eats it's way into the root systems. They are prevalent here and I use a sistemic pestacide to control them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16318" LastActivityDate="2016-11-30T21:14:04.327" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30051" CreationDate="2016-11-30T21:58:04.707" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's Espostoa lanata, though I can't really tell if there's a bit of a tuft at the top - the top view of a cactus is quite important for ID purposes, but there's a pic here&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/ESPOSTOA/Espostoa_lanata/Espostoa_lanata/Espostoa_lanata.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/ESPOSTOA/Espostoa_lanata/Espostoa_lanata/Espostoa_lanata.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-11-30T21:58:04.707" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30055" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-30T22:55:00.330" Score="5" ViewCount="298" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've done a fair bit of research to avoid people doing work for me but I'm still a bit confused. I have purchased three Eidelweiss that have arrived a week ahead of schedule and I'm woefully unprepared. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do know that mulch is used during the winter to simulate its native condition but..&#xA;I live in Florida and it's pretty warm this time of the year. I know this flower is hardy but I have questions in regard to planting them. &#xA;Since they are well past germination, I'm under the impression these should be planted in the ground and I need to manage conditions such as acidity of ph and drainage. What are the best ways to achieve this if they are to be planted in the ground ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've included an image of each plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One: Leontopodium Alpinium&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hadum.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hadum.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two: Leontopodium Alpinum Matterhorn (Rep too low to post 3 links)&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/reJ4S.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/reJ4S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also discovered a few bits of conflicting information such as allowing this plant to take in sun through a window versus don't you dare window sun soak!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long can this plant grow in this pot? Should it be planted immediately? And how do I prepare my soil for these beautiful flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll have to forgive my ignorance as I'm aware I've picked a pretty peculiar flower to start with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, are these flowers in decent shape?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help at all would be much appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16323" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-01T00:43:41.363" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T15:21:02.517" Title="What are the variables I need to consider when planting my Eidelweiss?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30056" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-11-30T23:17:05.877" Score="4" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;This Euphorbia has been in the garden for quite some time. It's labeled as heterochroma, but I'm not so sure about that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cHrFq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;E.Heterochroma&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://selva.cabal.mx/Pic4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Branch http://selva.cabal.mx/Pic4.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16318" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-01-22T00:32:21.737" LastActivityDate="2019-01-22T00:32:21.737" Title="What variety of euphorbia is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="30057" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-01T00:52:43.707" Score="3" ViewCount="175" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in Zone 9b and have 3 raised beds that I want to use during the winter season to produce something rather than leaving them idle (let me know if that is a good thing).  Should I grow vegetables and if so which one's would be best? Would root vegetables like carrots, beet, ginger germinate and grow in this weather?  How about vegetables like kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage?  If none of these are an option, should I just put fava beans so that I can harvest and use those to enrich my compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-12-12T06:33:00.803" Title="What vegetables should I grow in my raised beds in winter in Zone 9b?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;leafy-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30058" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30062" CreationDate="2016-12-01T01:00:08.710" Score="3" ViewCount="6781" Body="&lt;p&gt;Part of my yard was dug up for utility work. They filled it in and put sod down. I'm in US Midwest and winter is upon us. The low temperatures have just recently begun dipping below freezing, highs are still above though. Should I water the new sod? If so how much water and for how long?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16325" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T01:07:36.687" Title="Should I water new sod in the winter?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;&lt;sod&gt;&lt;winter&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30060" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30058" CreationDate="2016-12-01T08:35:19.383" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I my opinion. it will not make any difference. Some water could help stabilize the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-12-01T08:35:19.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30061" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29932" CreationDate="2016-12-01T09:01:35.187" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Composting&lt;/strong&gt; is as simple as 1-2-3. These steps are exclusively for your purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Location:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Just select a place which is partly shady which won't dry up the composting materials quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Materials needed:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Garden &lt;em&gt;Shovel/Fork&lt;/em&gt;, some &lt;em&gt;dirt&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;water&lt;/em&gt;, the &lt;em&gt;composting materials&lt;/em&gt; (leaves).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Process:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Just pile up the leaves like a heap and add dirt and water in the process. The dirt is for inoculating the pile with the necessary bacteria, and water for providing the micro climate for the composting process. If the heap is more than 3 feet high, it can heat up and speed up the whole process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Precaution:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;The leaves should not be wet. It should be only be moist like a wrung out sponge. And its necessary to keep this moisture throughout the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PS:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;For quick composting you can add Green leaves(nitrogen rich) to your pile, presuming that the leaves you have got are dry(carbon rich).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Happy Composting !!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13656" LastActivityDate="2016-12-01T09:01:35.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30062" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30058" CreationDate="2016-12-01T15:59:51.303" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Timing's important, it's not clear how long ago the sod was put down, but as your weather is now turning wintry, it would not be a great idea to water it. In any case, if the landscaping company actually did water it for two weeks after laying, if that was, say, only a month ago, then hopefully it shouldn't be a problem. If they laid it a longer time ago, then it may have gone short of water, but its really a bit late to worry about it now, if your temperatures have already started dropping below freezing. If it looks like its suffering from lack of water, and you get a reliably milder period of 3 or 4 days, then it's probably worth watering during that gap in the weather, but otherwise, its wait and see what it looks like in spring.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE You've said the sod was put down the day you asked the question, which means they'll be back to water it on a regular basis for the next two weeks. If your weather is or becomes very cold day and night (below freezing) in that time, don't let them keep watering, but as long as that doesn't happen, let them do it. After that, presumably it will be colder, so don't water then other than during milder spells of weather and only if it needs it - it might not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-02T01:07:36.687" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T01:07:36.687" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30063" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30065" CreationDate="2016-12-01T17:15:45.717" Score="2" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help me to identify this shrub. It's commonly found here in &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somaliland&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Somaliland&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z0mEQ.jpg)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z0mEQ.jpg)&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16281" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:40:38.990" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:40:38.990" Title="What is this large bushy plant, found in Somaliland?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30064" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30058" CreationDate="2016-12-01T20:02:32.380" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you tried pulling it up by grabbing the grass to test if it had enough time to put roots into your soil?  If it is firmly rooted, you have a good chance that your sod will survive.  If you get a day of warmth or rather a few hours where the water won't freeze immediately go ahead and water and water deeply. Try to get at least 2 - 3&quot; deep into the soil wet. That will be the last watering for the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are unable to get a shovel into the soil easily you are probably past the window but I'd go ahead and water at least once when it is sunny and above freezing.  If you think about it, there are lots of lawns and winters are sporadic and sometimes it warms, rains and waters your lawn anyway.  And I've never run into 'rain damage' caused by rain on frozen soils/lawns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thought is what happens when we get snap freezes during the growing season.  It isn't the freeze that damages tender plants like those in a vegetable garden, it is how fast the frozen plant cells thaw.  When you've had a freeze and you've got frozen cells and then the sun comes up to quickly thaw those cells, that is when you have damage.  To reduce damage I go out before the sun comes up and start watering.  This helps to slow the thawing and bursting of cells.  For your situation, the grass blades that are far more tough than vegetables thaw in the sunshine and when you water there should not be a huge change in temperature that will cause plant cells to burst.  If you water when the blades are frozen you are more likely to cause temperature change too quickly and damage some of the still photosynthetic green blades.  But that won't kill your grass, it'll just brown it more quickly and cause some stress, that you should try to avoid.  Kind of the reverse of watering to slow damage from an unusual freeze during the growth season.  But there is a problem with frozen grass most people don't know...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mistake people make during cold, freezing weather is WALKING ON THE GRASS!  Even with hard frosts, walking on frozen crowns (the transition between the blades of grass and their roots) will break and kill the grass.  You'll see footprints in the spring.  So stay off the sod and forget about fertilizer until spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-01T20:02:32.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30065" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30063" CreationDate="2016-12-01T21:50:40.773" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you live in Australia?  Without seeing the leaves (small), the flowers, there are some pods in the picture when we enlarge my guess is Acacia kempeana...Wanderrie Wattle.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-01T21:50:40.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30066" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30057" CreationDate="2016-12-01T22:25:28.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your zone is wonderful for growing anything...except for plants that hate periods of high heat.  If you are able to ventilate and/or semi shade your garden you should be able to grow anything all year.  Pretty much.  Plants you will have difficulty with are fast to bolt crops, such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, mustards.  Have you tried growing any crops in this zone?  For your winter you should be able to grow peas, fennel, tomatoes, potatoes, the fast to bolt crops I just mentioned as long as the temperatures stay regular.  Bolting is caused by drastic temperature change.  Signalling the plant that it better reproduce because the environment has become unpredictable.  I think this is the best time to grow kale and your brassicas.  I haven't had the luxury to garden in your zone, lucky you.  If you germinate your seed inside and then allow them to become starts to plant in your garden, you have to ACCLIMATE your starts before you plant. Have you had a soil test?  pH is important to know to be able to group the plants you want to grow with other plants with similar needs...leafy/vegetative crops versus root crops versus fruit/reproductive crops.  Potatoes need very acidic soil versus others needing a more neutral pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a list of stuff you should get excited about; Vegetables...all of these should do just fine for your 'winter'...man, what was I thinking to move to ZONE 1B????  Asparagus needs 3 years before harvesting, but worth it.  I actually have a crop surviving!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Green onions&#xA;Onions&#xA;Asparagus&#xA;Arugula&#xA;Basil (do you have periodic frosts during winter)?&#xA;Beets&#xA;Bok Choy&#xA;Broccoli&#xA;Cabbage&#xA;Carrots&#xA;Cauliflower&#xA;Corn&#xA;Cucumbers (periodic frosts)&#xA;Garlic&#xA;Green Beans (periodic frosts)&#xA;Leeks&#xA;Onions&#xA;Peppers (periodic frosts)&#xA;Potatoes  (don't worry about periodic frosts)&#xA;Salad Mix&#xA;Spinach  (periodic frosts)&#xA;Sweet Potatoes (periodic frosts)&#xA;Tomatoes (periodic frosts)&#xA;Winter Squash (periodic frosts)&#xA;Zucchini (periodic frosts)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Periodic frosts could damage these plants.  Periodic frosts are a microclimate thing.  If your garden shows periodic frosts, do not plant these.  Please make sure you plant starts if you have cold nights below 40 degrees F.  Don't rely on germinating seed in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do have periodic frosts/freezes or temperatures that sometimes dip below 50 degrees F, go get some ROW CLOTH.  This stuff IS A PLANT SAVER.  Cheap, easy to cover your crops with and protects against huge temperature changes.  Not only does it protect against temperature changes, it protects your brassicas from the cabbage fly/moth/larvae until they are able to be large enough to resist and/or the season for this insect is past. Also helps with flea beetle, allows rain water to get in, sun to get in, protects from wind damage and direct sun...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps, please send more questions if necessary!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-01T22:25:28.440" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30067" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30056" CreationDate="2016-12-01T23:03:40.070" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, this wasn't fair.  The dang label was right there!  Euphorbia heterochroma. Grins, is there a reason you didn't believe the label?  Are you growing this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-01T23:03:40.070" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30055" CreationDate="2016-12-01T23:24:41.640" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/edelweiss/edelweiss-in-the-garden.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;care of Edelweiss&lt;/a&gt;This plant is one of the most collected and most prized.  It most certainly can grow below alpine status.  I've seen huge clumps of them growing in zone 4 sea level!!  The most important thing this plant needs is drainage.  Hates too much water and wet feet.  It needs a bit of babying until you are able to create its new home and acclimize it correctly before transplanting.  Even if it is just from indoors to out of doors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep them right there in those pots for the winter.  Keep them brightly lit but NOT in direct sun.  Try to not use tap water as those chemicals in our tap water are horrid for any plant and animal to include us but Edelweiss is very sensitive to crap water.  Allow to dry out a bit, never completely. Lift the bottom of those pots off their surface to improve drainage, do not add rock or gravel between the soil and the drainage hole and for the winter keep them in ONE place.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are planning to plant them in your garden wait until the weather is predictable.  Start hardening them off with a few hours out of doors NOT IN DIRECT SUN and increase the time spent out doors when they get a chance to endure a few days at a time at the same time allotment.  They will do just fine left in the pots they now reside for this entire winter.  Acclimate them then transplant in the garden early spring or transplant in a pot, clay, shallower than tall and allow to settle in.  Very very light fertilizer!  Osmocote using half the amount recommended will be fine every 4 to 5 months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These look like they've decided to go into dormancy.  The important thing to know is where these plants were growing before you brought them home!  Were they out of doors in a nursery or were they indoors?  Immediately, go find out if you don't know by calling that nursery.  This is probably the most important thing to know, we need to know to help you acclimize even in Florida.  Most of my recommendation here is based on far colder climes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before you transplant (next spring) let us know what soil you have in your garden is it raised or flat and if you plant in pots ONLY USE BAGGED POTTING SOIL.  Preferably for 'cactus' type plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;pH would obviously be towards alkaline.  pH 6.5 to 7.2. Do you have a way to test pH?  Try at least 2 store bought methods.  You can raise the pH by adding lime if the pH is too low of course but wait until spring.  Be nice to see what the pH of the soil those plants came in is...There are all kinds of pH testers but store bought pH indicators aren't perfect.  For fun, get a pH test of the soil in the garden where you are imagining replanting them.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You know, Florida is just a different world than the one I am familiar.  Have you got (of course you must) a cooperative extension service from a Florida University?  I would definitely contact them for information. Talk to the Master Gardeners!!  They understand your soils, climate, rain and how to grow Edelweiss in Florida best!!  Nothing like experience and sadly I've only experience growing in ALPINE CONDITIONS!! Grins!!  Lucky you.  Keep them in these containers out of direct sun, slightly on the dry side but always some moisture and don't use tap water!!  Get a couple of gallons of distilled/spring water to water them with.  You might be able to plant them in the garden sooner than 'SPRING'.  Get the pH settled, where you want to plant them and talk to the people who live and breathe in Florida!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-12-01T23:45:17.147" LastActivityDate="2016-12-01T23:45:17.147" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30069" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30082" CreationDate="2016-12-02T04:34:20.847" Score="3" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm learning a lot about cover crops as soil conservation, and was wondering what would be the best choices for my garden, in a Minnesota, zone 4a climate? It should produce good amounts of mass to plant on top of in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-02T18:32:15.633" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T18:32:19.323" Title="What is my normal selection for a 4 season food cover crop?" Tags="&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;&lt;cover-crop&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30070" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30072" CreationDate="2016-12-02T08:32:34.473" Score="5" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KwaZulu-Natal&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa&lt;/a&gt; which is an area with a hot summer climate and frosty winters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a bare concrete roof above my room (with access) and want to turn it into a herb garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any herbs that can deal with the heat of being on an exposed concrete roof on hot days and survive frost in winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16333" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-12-02T15:24:11.017" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T15:24:11.017" Title="What herbs would grow well in a roof garden in KwaZulu-Natal?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;roof-garden&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30071" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30079" CreationDate="2016-12-02T14:50:35.413" Score="6" ViewCount="1515" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I'm trying to grow moss on a stone sculpture, is there anything I should be on the look out for?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm thinking of certain chemicals or other toxins that &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be in some sculptures.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does the statue have to be rough?  Would moss be able to attach to a glazed statue?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Would a concrete statue be OK?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I might just be being paranoid and moss might grow in anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7236" LastEditorUserId="7236" LastEditDate="2016-12-05T13:27:39.017" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T13:27:39.017" Title="What kind of stone/surface can I grow moss on?" Tags="&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30070" CreationDate="2016-12-02T14:55:26.823" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Growing in pots means plants are at more risk if temperatures fall below freezing day and night for a week - there's a risk the potting medium will freeze, killing the plants within. Although you speak of 'frost' in winter, having checked the average temperatures in your region, it doesn't look as if the temperatures often go down below zero degrees centigrade.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of the mediterranean type herbs, such as oregano, thyme, basil and sage will be fine, but you will need to water frequently in summer, or any time  when the weather is sunny and hot. In the ground, many herbs grow well in dry regions, but in pots, its a different matter, so watering twice a day may be necessary to keep them alive. You need also to take account of the growth habit of each herb; Rosemary, for instance, should be fine, but will need a pot to itself because it becomes a pretty large, woody shrub, whereas Oregano does better in wider, more shallow pots because of its low growth habit and widespreading nature. Sage also spreads out, but does tend to develop a woody base over time. Thyme comes in different varieties, some of which behave like ground cover, others forming a small bush above ground. Laurus nobilis (Bay) will be fine, but it becomes a tree, particularly in warmer climates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many plants classed as herbs are not intended for culinary use, but have been and are used for medicinal (herbal) or purely decorative purposes, such as Tanacetum and Lavender (although Lavender flowers are edible). Lavender should be fine with your climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potting compost in the pots should be free draining, and the containers you choose should have drainage holes in the  bottom. With regard to other herbs, its probably easiest if you ask about specific ones if you want to grow them - there are hundreds of plants classed as herbs, so I've just chosen a few which are commonly used in cooking and which will do well in those conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-02T15:20:05.823" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T15:20:05.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30073" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30055" CreationDate="2016-12-02T15:21:02.517" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had two edelweiss plants which I obtained from commercially available seeds and I kept them indoors for two winters and that's why they stayed in a rosette leaf state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant flowers only if it has stayed outdoors the previous winter. Also, one important thing to look out for is the colour of the leaves. If they are green, you must add some lime and the leaves will slowly develop a silvery shine - I used some powdered chalk dissolved in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I could have kept them outdoors in the winter, but I was very curious about what would happen if kept indoors. Sadly, I have recently lost them due to me not informing the person that took care of them while I was away that overwatering should be avoided.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T15:21:02.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30074" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-02T15:42:03.330" Score="4" ViewCount="393" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you please tell what type is this tree? It's large and has brown fruit which you can see in the photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's located in Hargesia, the capital of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somaliland&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Somaliland&lt;/a&gt;, on a coastal area in the region of Africa. It's about 1370m above sea level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YlIqo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YlIqo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gF0tP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gF0tP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16281" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:51:45.470" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:51:45.470" Title="What's this large tree with wrinkled brown fruit in Somaliland?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30075" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30093" CreationDate="2016-12-02T16:07:00.260" Score="4" ViewCount="1201" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have bought it from an old lady that said it is a rubber tree. It doesn't look like a rubber plant from what I've seen on Google so far. Can you tell me what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vJ34B.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vJ34B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-06T20:30:54.277" LastActivityDate="2017-02-06T20:30:54.277" Title="What is the name of this potted plant with large, dark green, waxy-looking leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30076" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30075" CreationDate="2016-12-02T16:39:28.580" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=rubber%20tree%20plant&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rubber Tree plant&lt;/a&gt; aka Rubber Fig aka Ficus Elastica&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16334" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T16:39:28.580" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30077" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29750" CreationDate="2016-12-02T17:21:26.403" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;For lettuce seeds germination you must provide a temperature of at least 3-4 Celsius degrees, but the optimal is 18-20. Soaking the seeds is not necessary. The small radicle will become the tap root.&#xA;A possible cause for your seeds not having hypocotil is that the radicle needed to be in a vertical position for the rest of the plant to develop.&#xA;Also, it would be interesting to know how many seeds have germinated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T17:21:26.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30078" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30080" CreationDate="2016-12-02T17:23:29.957" Score="2" ViewCount="536" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is Escallonia Apple Blossom shrub suitable for planting as a hedge in a North facing cornish wall?  The site is windy, coastal and in the shade of the house. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Royal Horticultural Society says they are okay for North facing, partial shade. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=748&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=748&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16335" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-02T19:22:58.103" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T19:22:58.103" Title="Can I plant Escallonia Apple Blossom as a hedge in partial shade?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30079" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30071" CreationDate="2016-12-02T17:29:20.527" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In carved stone, there shouldn't be any chemicals or toxins. At least, as part of rock, they shouldn't be coming away (people typically carve out of hard rock, so that will diminish wear and tear). There really shouldn't be anything to worry about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the surface, rough is helpful. Cracks and poc marks/small holes is even better. Moss is a non-vascular plant, so water can only move through diffusion. This limits the size moss can get, and also somewhat where it can grow. On a rough surface, a drop of water will stay much longer, and not dry as fast. If a crevice gets wet, it puts the water slowly to the rock surface until it has all evaporated. This can give moss growing there many times more water than the moss on flat rock is getting (check out &lt;a href=&quot;http://c7.alamy.com/comp/EHY97C/peat-moss-growing-in-a-crevice-of-a-rock-sphagnum-spain-EHY97C.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this image&lt;/a&gt;, where the moss has only grown where it had sufficient water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On a glazed surface, even if you artificially add water, so the moss could grow, it will have a hard time attaching to the surface. However, many lichens will grow on non porous surfaces and moss can use the lichens as a foothold. It would be easier to use a non porous, especially somewhat absorptive material to grow the moss, and make sure it gets wet every day and stays in te shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moss Can &lt;a href=&quot;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/lauriewinkless/files/2016/03/1024px-Taiwan_2009_JinGuaShi_Historic_Gold_Mine_Moss_Covered_Retaining_Wall_FRD_8940.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;thrive on concrete&lt;/a&gt;, just like on natural stone. Look for the same characteristics in concrete as you would in stone. The care of the moss is identical. If you are casting your own concrete with moss in mind, mix 1 part dry peat moss or finished compost to 2 parts concrete mix. This will  hold moisture better, and moss thrives on it. (I did this with pavers one time - strong enough for foot traffic).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7236" LastEditDate="2016-12-02T17:47:31.730" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T17:47:31.730" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30080" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30078" CreationDate="2016-12-02T17:30:20.310" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Partial shade isn't a problem, though if its more than partial you may find flowering is reduced. However, you may want to reconsider your choice - Escallonia Leaf Spot is a fungal infection of these plants and there is no effective treatment for it. The disease is widespread in the West country because of higher precipitation levels, such that many people are removing their plants, so it might be worth checking whether other people in the area have or have had this problem. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=108&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=108&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T17:30:20.310" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30081" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30083" CreationDate="2016-12-02T17:52:12.777" Score="4" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is this a kind of Fenestraria? On the store label it says Lithops, but I've bought mis-labeled plants before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o76ET.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o76ET.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-02T22:29:35.547" LastActivityDate="2016-12-03T15:29:30.860" Title="Is this some kind of Fenestraria?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30082" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30069" CreationDate="2016-12-02T18:32:19.323" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Answering for your location (Minnesota, zone 4a), so as to keep this answer contained. In your climate, you'll get the most biomass from a summer season cover crop. Of course that will make it hard to grow food crops, unless you stagger beds, and use more square footage than you would need for a single food crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The winter cover crops that aren't winter killed in your area, can be allowed to go to flower in the spring if derired, before being turned in. Rememer than many decaying plants have &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allelopathy&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;allelopathic&lt;/a&gt; effects for a few weeks after being turned under. This is not the case if the cover dies completely before being turned under (although this will lose most of the nitrogen from the green matter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can create mixes, so that you have a more diverse growth. Many grasses and legumes grow well together, for example. In my climate, where rye lives through the winter, a rye and vetch planting is common.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Early spring planting&lt;/strong&gt; (plant as soon as the ground is workable. Till in during first flowering)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Books/Managing-Cover-Crops-Profitably-3rd-Edition/Text-Version/Legume-Cover-Crops/Berseem-Clover&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Berseem&lt;/a&gt; (legume) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://greencoverseed.com/species/1067&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rapeseed&lt;/a&gt; (biomass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://covercrops.cals.cornell.edu/red-clover.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Red clover&lt;/a&gt; (legume)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://covercrops.cals.cornell.edu/white-clover.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;White clover&lt;/a&gt; (legume)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Books/Managing-Cover-Crops-Profitably-3rd-Edition/Text-Version/Nonlegume-Cover-Crops/Barley&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Barley&lt;/a&gt; (biomass)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Late spring/summer planting&lt;/strong&gt; (full season crop - growth until frost)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://covercrops.cals.cornell.edu/buckwheat.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Buckwheat&lt;/a&gt; (biomass)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://covercrops.cals.cornell.edu/sudangrass.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sorghum × drummondii&lt;/a&gt; (biomass)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://covercrops.cals.cornell.edu/red-clover.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Red clover&lt;/a&gt; (legume)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fall planting&lt;/strong&gt; (plant after it cools down, 4-6 weeks before the ground freezes, the longer the better)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://covercrops.cals.cornell.edu/hairy-vetch.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hairy vetch&lt;/a&gt; (legume)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://covercrops.cals.cornell.edu/forage-radish.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Forage radish&lt;/a&gt; (biomass, nutrient magnet)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://covercrops.cals.cornell.edu/annual-ryegrass.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rye&lt;/a&gt; (erosion control)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://covercrops.cals.cornell.edu/white-clover.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;White clover&lt;/a&gt; (legume, erosion control)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-02T18:32:19.323" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30083" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30081" CreationDate="2016-12-03T00:32:55.673" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're right, I think it probably is Fenestraria rather than Lithops, most likely F. rhopalophylla, image &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.succulentguide.com/graphics/f_rhopalophylla_b_600.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qvs8o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qvs8o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;F. rhopalophylla&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-12-03T15:29:30.860" LastActivityDate="2016-12-03T15:29:30.860" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30063" CreationDate="2016-12-03T04:19:40.510" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this tree is &lt;em&gt;Acacia bussei&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16281" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2016-12-04T11:53:39.657" LastActivityDate="2016-12-04T11:53:39.657" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30085" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30087" CreationDate="2016-12-03T05:41:43.610" Score="3" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very long term stretch-goal of being able to produce enough plants to fully meet my families nutrition needs.   I'm in Auckland, New Zealand - equivalent to USA hardiness zone 9b.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm aware there are &lt;em&gt;lots&lt;/em&gt; of variables, &lt;strong&gt;but can anyone provide insights/suggestions on how large a hothouse I would need, assuming that all my winter vegetables were going to be grown in it ?&lt;/strong&gt;  (For example, I'm aware of a &quot;rule of thumb&quot; that says you want a minimum of 1000sqm land / person - but, of-course, this applies to land not hothouse space)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want to use hydroponics, just regular growing in soil, possibly with some heating to say 54f.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2018-07-18T16:45:40.540" LastActivityDate="2018-07-18T16:45:40.540" Title="Sizing a hothouse" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30086" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30089" CreationDate="2016-12-03T06:16:13.210" Score="6" ViewCount="261" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this weed - I'd imagine its quite common in New Zealand.  (I'm in Auckland, and its flooding my untended padocks, but also flowing over into used areas).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It proved remarkably difficult to get a good picture, but hopefully this one shows the key characteristics - these appear to be a flat white or brown/red flat head of flowers.   Plants grow to about 50cm-1m tall, and are long-leaf.  I'd imagine they are part of - or similar to the papyrus family.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking at Google Images, I wonder if it could be an umbrella Sedgeweed - I think the flowers are similar in the early stages to what I have seen online, but I saw nothing with similar large flowers - the description would seem apt though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rxiLg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rxiLg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;weeds growing on lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sVh4D.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sVh4D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure if it should be a separate question, but is it toxic to livestock ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="99" LastEditDate="2016-12-05T00:06:34.567" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T00:06:34.567" Title="What is this New Zealand weed? Plants grow to about 50cm-1m tall and have long leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;toxicity&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30085" CreationDate="2016-12-03T09:25:13.517" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My favorite garden was in zone 5, 100 X 100 with perfect silty loam soil.  No need for a hothouse/greenhouse.  Plenty for a family of 4, fills a nice 10X10 pantry with root crops/canned vegeys/dehydrated/frozen plus enough to give friends, the food bank.  Had perennials like asparagus, horseradish, raspberries, boysenberries, strawberries and artichokes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I've got a greenhouse of 1200 Sq. ft.  Zone 1b, seriously insane. My soil had to have yards of decomposed organic matter added. Every month of the growing season has had a freeze or two.  We still had an awful lot of produce and preserved vegeys.  And we haven't heated the greenhouse for the past 4 winters.  Next year, finally (rocket heater). Perennials such as herbs, strawberries, vine berries, Asparagus (takes 3 years before you can harvest), raspberries, blue berries. Are you doing a poly hoop green house or a kit or dimensional lumber?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We use the soil beneath the greenhouse as a garden with raised beds (1' high 3 or 5' across, 3'main walk, 1' walkways between the beds, 3' beds all around the periphery), trenches for drainage and have a few crops in pots like tomatoes, peppers lining the main walkway.  We have a little heated green house for producing all our starts earlier and to drag all the potted stuff inside at night (argghhhh).  I don't do straight lines of vegeys, I make use of every square inch.  Broadcast or 'sheet farming'.  Way more production.  Plenty of room for rotation every year.  Cover crops in between cash crops.  Worth the time and effort.  Is your greenhouse visible from the road?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is one book you should buy as well as others but make sure you read &lt;em&gt;Shane Smith's Green House Gardening!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-03T09:25:13.517" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30088" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29806" CreationDate="2016-12-03T09:26:18.200" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Botrytis cinerea. The plants were already infected when stored, that's why it's important to treat plants during their lifecycle. High humidity and low ventilation speed up the development of the fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2016-12-03T09:26:18.200" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30089" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30086" CreationDate="2016-12-03T15:54:35.340" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the leaves on the white flowered plant are the same as the leaves on the pink flowered plant, its likely Daucus carota - the flower umbels start out pinkish and usually turn white as the flower gets larger and opens, though some may still be tinged pink. This link shows images of the plant at various stages of its development: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.terrain.net.nz/friends-of-te-henui-group/weeds/wild-carrot-daucus-carota.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Daucus carota (Wild Carrot)&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't seem to be  particularly toxic to livestock, horses don't seem to bother with it much, but a high percentage in hay should be avoided. The only thing to make sure of is its not poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) because the two plants look quite similar; this link points out differences between the two: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ravensroots.com/blog/2015/6/26/poison-hemlock-id&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Tell the Difference Between Poison Hemlock and Queen Anne's Lace&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-12-04T12:42:31.290" LastActivityDate="2016-12-04T12:42:31.290" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30090" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-03T16:21:40.373" Score="3" ViewCount="3021" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a mother-in-law's tongue, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria_trifasciata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sansevieria trifasciata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, that's getting a bit yellow and slightly droopy. A friend recommended that I add some coffee grounds to the soil, which I've been doing, but I'm worried that the grounds are making the soil too acidic. Do you have any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13702" LastEditorUserId="30708" LastEditDate="2021-01-30T10:18:46.403" LastActivityDate="2021-01-30T10:18:46.403" Title="Is it helpful to add coffee grounds to a droopy mother-in-law's tongue?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;coffee-grounds&gt;&lt;snake-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="30091" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30090" CreationDate="2016-12-03T16:53:36.917" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;No; the current fad for coffee grounds use is just that, a fad, and its not helpful for almost all potted plants. Remove the coffee grounds, or as many as you can, they don't do any good at all and are often positively detrimental. This was confirmed by James Wong (a professional and famous British ethnobotanist and garden designer) who once touted coffee grounds as great for everything, having to finally confess very recently that he'd rescinded that advice; he'd put them in his houseplants and they all died. Small quantities are good on the compost heap, maybe a few spread round acid loving plants outdoors if you must, but don't use them on houseplants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the Sansevieria (mother in law's tongue) it might be helpful to give more information and add a photo if you can - info such as how long you've had the plant, your watering regime,the level of light it receives and so on, in order to maybe get a diagnosis of what's wrong with it (well, other than the fact its been made worse by coffee grounds!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-03T21:41:18.050" LastActivityDate="2016-12-03T21:41:18.050" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30092" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30049" CreationDate="2016-12-03T18:45:34.407" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Also know as Castor Bean.  It is toxic to pets as well.  I would dig it out as deeply as possible and then monitor the area for offshoots.  Dig those out as soon as they come up.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16265" LastActivityDate="2016-12-03T18:45:34.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30093" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30075" CreationDate="2016-12-03T21:42:35.427" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=images&amp;amp;cd=&amp;amp;cad=rja&amp;amp;uact=8&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwierPCD_tjQAhUC52MKHYL8DGgQjRwIBw&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.houseplant411.com%2Fhouseplant%2Fpeperomia-how-to-grow-care-tips&amp;amp;psig=AFQjCNGRrjyl2S92ruk10a4ksmdmhymCaA&amp;amp;ust=1480887508182008&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Peperomia pictures&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good job guys, absolutely Peperomia!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-03T21:42:35.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30094" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30099" CreationDate="2016-12-03T23:05:56.310" Score="2" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;This particular foilage just grew out pretty fast. But it's hanging down. It's soft; as they all are when they first start growing, but I don't remember if I've ever seen them hanging down. The stalk at the bottom is very strong and where the hanging foiliage is; is soft. I'm assuming that it's still growing. Also, how can I add another fig to the pot? Can I cut off any part of the fig and pot it inside the pot? Can this plant handle a humidifier? I keep it under a humidifier from time to time. Any help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE&lt;/strong&gt; I've changed the pot to a ceramic pot and also changed the dirt. Now for some reason, my fig is dropping. I've had it in the sun; when the sun comes out. Hoping my plant isn't in the process of dying. I've attached a picture of how it currently looks now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE #2&lt;/strong&gt;Starting from the 5th picture, this is now how it is looking. Seems to me like its dying. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TMs6K.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TMs6K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8EYxe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8EYxe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tSNLJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tSNLJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mkDzj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mkDzj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1gYXP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1gYXP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;5&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6bZ20.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6bZ20.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;6&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fpb55.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fpb55.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;7&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dfRqN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dfRqN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;8&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Nrnt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Nrnt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;9&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pD4Hr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pD4Hr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;10&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xpLQT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xpLQT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;11&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastEditorUserId="13114" LastEditDate="2017-01-09T20:34:37.007" LastActivityDate="2017-01-09T20:34:37.007" Title="Is it normal for a newly grown fig foliage to hang down like this?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30095" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-04T01:25:06.773" Score="4" ViewCount="2301" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some raised beds that I use for vegetable gardening. I don't put any fertilizers or pesticides and I grow all vegetables from seeds. Lately I have been thinking of purchasing young vegetable plants from a big box store to do winter vegetable gardening and planting them in the same raised beds. I would only plant the seedling and throw away the soil that comes with it. I realize the produce will not be organic but any other downside I am missing. Note that I am growing for personal use only and not a strict organic consumer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-05T01:02:19.787" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T01:02:19.787" Title="Planting non organically grown plants in organic garden" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30096" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-04T04:45:13.603" Score="5" ViewCount="43" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know if I should cut off the leaves in the middle to facilitate longer and even growth to match the sides? &#xA;The 2 sides are growing but as you can see, it is yellow. Should I spray water on it? Are those roots or stems? &#xA;I have also just bought a bigger pot to repot the plant. The pic below is in old pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CXNnD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CXNnD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;notice the 2 sides&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16337" LastActivityDate="2016-12-04T08:49:57.603" Title="How do I facilitate longer and even growth?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30096" CreationDate="2016-12-04T08:49:57.603" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;What a lovely little pothos.  Those are adventitious roots.  Do not mess with this plant, don't cut the leaves off or those roots.  It is beautiful.  To make a THICKER denser plant the best way to do that is to pinch off the apical or terminal roots.  I just do not see any problem with this guy whatsoever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am glad you've decided to up pot this guy.  Needs it amazingly tough plant.  Do not get a pot larger than 6&quot; in diameter.  Perhaps in a year you'll need to up pot this guy again but do not go too large too quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use bagged sterilized potting soil.  Do not use garden soil.  No rock or gravel at the bottom of the soil above the drainage hole.  Just bagged potting soil.  Water well and allow the soil to dry before watering again.  This plant would also love a 'shower' once every couple of months.  Put in shower, turn cold water on and allow to 'rain', cleaning off the leaves and soaking the soil.  Turn off water and allow to drain.  Shake the plant a bit before putting it back in its normal place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You do know that this is a vine, not a shrub type plant, yes?  And one of the best plants for indoors.  During the summer this guy and any indoor plant could use some outdoor time on a covered porch.  Helps produce more food to be stored in the roots for winter and makes indoor plants last longer and thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A little osmocote twice per year and you are good.  No need to spray or prune at all.  New foliage is always lighter and yellowish.  When was the last time this plant had fertilizer?  Osmocote 14-14-14 extended release fertilizer, half the label dose twice a year is all this guy needs...as well as bagged sterilized potting soil.  Water well, then allow to dry before watering again.  A hanging pot might be a good idea as this plant keeps on lengthening as a vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-04T08:49:57.603" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30098" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30095" CreationDate="2016-12-04T09:20:20.243" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you are a bit too far into the purist spectrum? All plants need additional fertilizer.  A natural ecosystem is where all the plants are part of the system and over time all nutrients are actually in the plants.  When those plants die they are then decomposed and the chemicals are released back into the ecosystem to be immediately taken up into the live plant material and micro/macro organisms that are part of the ecosystem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our gardens, plants in pots, rely on us humans to replace chemicals those plants need that were mostly stripped away during construction.  Fertilizer is not pesticide.  All pesticides aren't all BAD.  All pesticides include herbicides.  Pesticides/herbicides are BANDAIDS for problems we humans made.  When we get better we know how to prevent ever using pesticides...well, almost. When we mix milk and water 1:9 and spray plants for powdery mildew...THAT IS a pesticide (fungicide).  Soap and water is a pesticide.  Scissors and cutting slugs in half at night is also a pesticide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More importantly one should know the pH of the soil and what the plants we want to thrive in that soil love that pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume this is not a greenhouse/hermetically sealed environment.  Raised beds are great (there isn't concrete or gravel below that soil, yes)? If these beds are garden soil over concrete or gravel...we need to talk.  If you've made raised beds over concrete I hope you've used sterilized soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you were trying to grow in a greenhouse we might be talking about foreign soils/plants/problems being introduced.  But we are not.  Do not throw the soil away.  Starts you purchase are always done in sterilized potting soil.  There can be problems when bringing purchased plants into the garden even an outdoor one but usually that is when we bring starts home from our friend's homes/gardens.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do begin to imagine how you will rotate your 'crops' the next year.  Do add decomposed organic matter whenever you are able, just to the top of the beds.  It will be mixed for you by the organisms coming up out of the soil to eat the decomposed organic matter. They then go back into the soil profile and poop it out mixing this decomposed organic matter into the soil without you spending any calories!  Be vigilant to see problems before they become a problem.  In every sense gardening is organic, flexible, complex yet simple.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-04T09:20:20.243" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30099" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30094" CreationDate="2016-12-04T09:50:55.367" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant needs more light, replanted in a slightly larger pot (3 to 4&quot; larger in diameter than it is in right now)...sending you a link you might not have seen.  Is this plant somewhere else during the day and resides on this coffee table at night? When you water soak the soil and then allow that soil to dry out before the next watering/soaking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please use sterilized bagged potting soil when you up pot. A clay pot (heavier for stability) that is 14 inches in diameter (I am guessing this pot is 10&quot;), has a matching saucer and really you should ask for the 'pot feet'.  This raises the pot bottom off the surface and facilitates drainage big time. And looks cool. Just sterilized potting soil in the pot, no rock or gravel at the bottom of the soil and above the drainage hole.&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/flowers-and-plants/houseplants/the-fiddle-leaf-fig-is-fashion-forward&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fiddle Leaf care&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A little Osmocote 14-14-14 twice per year extended release fertilizer is enough and perfect.  This guy won't be hangin' on your coffee table much longer.  Bigger pot, pot feet keep it near the light not in the direct sunlight and leave it right there.  No drafts...indoors weird air flow of different temperatures that have no rhyme or reason kind of piss this plant off big time. Following a piece on equisetum and silica;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;But although not essential for other monocots and dicots, beneficial effects like increased pest and pathogen resistance, drought and heavy metal tolerance and the quality and yield of agricultural crops have been recognized and thus the still unclear pathways and molecular mechanisms of silicon uptake and deposition have become of research interest (Adatia and Besford 1986; Raven 2003; Richmond and Sussman 2003; Ma 2004; Romero-Aranda et al. 2006). Silica is transported as monosilicic acid from the roots to the terminal regions via the transpiration stream and deposited as amorphous silica gel (SiO2·nH2O) in cell lumens, cell walls, and intercellular spaces or external layers (Hartley and Jones 1972; Raven 1983; Epstein 1994). The surface etc....&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-01-05T05:49:17.213" LastActivityDate="2017-01-05T05:49:17.213" CommentCount="30" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30100" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30095" CreationDate="2016-12-04T11:01:58.023" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Really all plants are organic (and by the way also few fertilisers and pesticides). The definition is about using product produces (by humans) with &lt;em&gt;chemical synthesis&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On your garden, you know how you produce things, so you don't need any label (and strict rules).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For health, I don't think it matter so much: existing part of seedlings will be a tiny part of yield.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway I would discard flowers and fruits, and possible I'll mark the leaves, so that I'll not eat the existing leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Organic fertilisers and fungii affect much more the consumer health. For the first, try not to over-fertilize (manure tend to concentrate minerals and metals, and few metals are good for plant, too much could be toxic). For the fungii: I assume you don't harvest with machines, so you will see and discard bad fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it is more about ethics and personal choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-12-04T11:01:58.023" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30101" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30102" CreationDate="2016-12-04T17:40:08.060" Score="3" ViewCount="791" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've cut away a lot of the leaves towards the bottom of the tree and can see that they are coming from some tree/vine that is growing up my poplar tree. I want to identify what it is and how best to get rid of it. It is probably around 10ft tall now, so I can't reach the leaves and branches that are higher up. If I cut off the branches (that are wrapped around the poplar trunk) from the bottom, will those at the top die off?&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IopF9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pBt0g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Amp8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qf9W2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16011" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-05T00:14:08.760" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T16:19:07.797" Title="What is this vine / tree growing up my giant poplar?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30101" CreationDate="2016-12-04T18:54:45.520" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pretty sure this is good ole English or Common Ivy; Hedera helix.  A very mature plant that is showing the 'mature' form of leaf that looks different from the original young leaves. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=english%20ivy&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1280&amp;amp;bih=646&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwj1hITLl9vQAhUB2WMKHRgbA64QiR4IzQE&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;pics of English Ivy&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This ivy has become a weed in the plant world.  Definitely cut all the stems at the ground that supply the vines on the tree.  Let them dry up and then cut as much as you can off the tree.  Don't worry about the stems that have become part of the bark.  Leave them alone.  Poplar is a 'weed' tree as well, grows fast, great wind break.  Yours looks ancient for a Poplar.  'Weed' trees are called that because they are tough, grow fast and because of the fast growth are short lived compared to other trees.  If this tree comes down could it hit your home?  If so, I'd be (sadly) removing this tree professionally...with a tree removal company.  If it comes down and all it could damage is the fence, I'd leave it.  The ivy will hasten its demise.  You could get an arborist to actually look and test this tree to make sure it has some healthy years ahead or if it might come down in the next wind or ice storm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do you want to do with your ivy?  It is healthy, green and free.  Just don't allow it to climb up your trees, shrubs.  Not great growing on your fence or home but a little looks quaint.  Check out that one house in this link completely, I mean completely covered with ivy with just the windows and doors exposed.  Amazing. Massively quaint!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-12-04T19:04:45.953" LastActivityDate="2016-12-04T19:04:45.953" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30103" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-05T03:11:26.100" Score="3" ViewCount="1323" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very small vegetable garden. I don't use any pesticides or herbicides. My lettuce plants are growing nicely and I've noticed the ants leave them alone. However, as soon as a lettuce leaf is removed from the plant and left on the ground the ants will start eating it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do plants have some kind of chemical that prevents ants from eating it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16340" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T06:05:04.313" Title="Why don't ants eat my lettuce?" Tags="&lt;lettuce&gt;&lt;ants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30103" CreationDate="2016-12-05T06:05:04.313" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ants as a unified body of individuals are brilliant.  Us humans could and should learn a thing or two from these insects.  Ants eat a huge diversity of foods to include fats, cheese, breads, grease, other insects.  Eating decomposing dying organic material is easier and less costly energy wise than eating live vigorous plant material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ants are amazing.  Their social structure would blow you away.  If people understood the life of ants they'd give up trying to kill them.  They do not harm plants, don't care if they make aphid corrals on some plants. I love ants...I love bees and wasps and hornets (even though I was stung a minimum of 47 times by bald faced hornets)...I've never found the need to kill an entire community, not once in all my years which are quite a few.  These guys humble me in a big way.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there is a problem with ants in the home it is because of hygiene and leaving food out to announce in big neon signs that food is to be had!!  Then we idiots hire some outfit to kill ALL INSECTS in and around the home.  Don't get me started on the stupidity...the horrors we then get to deal with when we alone are then in control of all insects that once were never a problem.  So sad, and so unnecessary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T06:05:04.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30105" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30122" CreationDate="2016-12-05T07:37:01.457" Score="0" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since people say that comfrey can survive everything, can comfrey survive a daily stampede to the milking barn as ground cover in the alleys?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2016-12-06T06:09:36.077" Title="Will comfrey survive a stampede?" Tags="&lt;domestic-animals&gt;&lt;comfrey&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="11" ClosedDate="2016-12-12T18:50:37.833" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30101" CreationDate="2016-12-05T11:03:18.840" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is Ivy (&lt;em&gt;Edera helix&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I heard two theories about ivy climbing trees (which is normal in my region).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One is to keep it. It doesn't hurt the tree, but it keep a nice environment for birds (you can notice that there is a lot of space for nests (and sheltered). I can confirm that in all seasons, but especially on winter such trees are hot spot for birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second one say that ivy can damage trees (own weight and it give a lot of surface, so wind can break trees easier). In that case, usually the ivy is removed on the first five feet (1.5 meters), and left dry. The trunk of ivy will in any case remain, as the scares on bottom part. To do complete removal, it requires a lot of energy (it is very well attached, so careful if you use a ladder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T11:03:18.840" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30108" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="15015" CreationDate="2016-12-05T15:51:31.607" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;By request.  This was posted on a forum YEARS ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Over the course of my gardening years I’ve been given a recipe here&#xA;  and there to aid in my quest to rid my plants of pests naturally.&#xA;  While I try and be as organically responsible as I can, I find no harm&#xA;  in using some of my everyday cleaning supplies as tools to help me&#xA;  reach my goal. So when the aphids were sucking the life out of my&#xA;  newly planted container gardens, I ran to my files to see what I could&#xA;  scrounge up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Ok, strong sprays of water at all affected plants and then take a&#xA;  spray bottle filled with a solution of homemade insecticidal soap:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Two Tablespoons of Dawn dishwashing detergent in one gallon of water&#xA;  will make a hefty supply for houseplants but you may need to mix up a&#xA;  few gallon milk jugs for those areas where you have a lot of ground to&#xA;  cover. This recipe can be broken down further to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;1 ½ teaspoons of Dawn liquid detergent per one quart of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This mixture should assist you with the removal of mites, whiteflies,&#xA;  aphids, thrips small scales and leafhoppers. This recipe has a very&#xA;  low toxicity to wildlife and humans but should not be applied on a&#xA;  sizzling hot day, windy, or humid. It can burn some plants with dull&#xA;  leaf surfaces so always test a non-visible area before you attack the&#xA;  whole plant or growing section.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Scale can be attacked with this recipe which when mixed with the&#xA;  alcohol will penetrate the adult scale insects’ shells which will kill&#xA;  them soon after contact. Scale is a problem with many houseplants.&#xA;  Take the plant outside for a quick spray or do it in the bathtub.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Mix one cup of your generic isopropyl alcohol, that you can find at&#xA;  most any store in the first aid section or the like, with one&#xA;  tablespoon of the above insecticidal soap recipe (1½ teaspoons of Dawn&#xA;  to one quart of water). Mix those two ingredients with one quart of&#xA;  water and apply on your plant’s leaves (top and bottom) every three&#xA;  days for two weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The last recipe can be used to spray on those plants that you want to&#xA;  bring inside for the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Put three tablespoons of isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle (quart&#xA;  size, which you can find at most bulk warehouses or any mass&#xA;  merchandiser) and fill with lukewarm water. Add one teaspoon of Dawn&#xA;  dishwashing detergent. Spray the topside and underside of the leaves&#xA;  and let it sit for three minutes, rinse all the leaves thoroughly and&#xA;  let them dry outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the end of the day, all homemade insecticidal recipes make me feel comfortable about what I’m spraying onto my plants and into the environment. I’m not out to kill the “good” bugs that protect my plants, only the ones that do them harm. There is one commercial brand that I have used without any ill effects and that is Safer’s. The important thing is to use as many natural methods as possible with the least effects even if they don’t work as quickly as a strong dose of a chemical insecticide. The verdict is still out on some safety issues and this way I can sleep better at night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T15:51:31.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30109" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-05T17:15:28.233" Score="3" ViewCount="280" Body="&lt;p&gt;The picture above shows the current condition of Hydrangea plants in need of pruning. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bhlxg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How and when should they be trimmed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16342" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-12-05T18:29:23.203" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T18:56:08.560" Title="How and when should hydrangea be trimmed?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30109" CreationDate="2016-12-05T18:02:03.750" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends what part of the world you're in and whether your hydrangea is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrangea_paniculata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;paniculata&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrangea_macrophylla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;macrophylla&lt;/a&gt; type. Its quite hard to tell from the dead flower whether its H. macrophylla or not - they're the varieties which have either round, ball shaped flowerheads (called mophead varieties) or flattish flower heads with florets round the edge (known as lacecap varieties), whereas paniculata types tend to have cone shaped flowerheads. H. paniculata can be pruned before or during winter - H. macrophylla types should be left alone until signs of growth begin in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How you prune is also down to variety - for the macrophyllas, its just a case of snipping off dead flowers from the previous year, along with any dead bits not showing signs of growth. The paniculata types can be cut down quite low to the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-12-05T18:56:08.560" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T18:56:08.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30111" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-05T19:00:24.133" Score="10" ViewCount="295" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have an ornamental weeping cherry tree that we'd like to remove -- we wanted a bigger tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But first, we were wondering if we were to just top it (cut the tree below the graft), if we could end up with a viable (and bigger) cherry tree.  Maybe even fruiting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is about 13 years old.  The height is about 6 feet, trunk is 5 inches in diameter.  It might be a dwarf? (I'll add a picture soon.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is our best path for success, and what kind of tree could we expect from the rootstock?  Should I wait for Washington's Birthday before taking an axe to it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're in California Bay Area .. it is just starting to drop its leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: The graft is at the very top of the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16343" LastEditorUserId="16343" LastEditDate="2016-12-05T19:49:29.713" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T19:49:29.713" Title="Topping (ungrafting?) an ornamental weeping cherry" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30112" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30114" CreationDate="2016-12-05T19:12:57.790" Score="3" ViewCount="263" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Zygocactus houseplant and it surprises me by blooming during either Thanksgiving or Christmas, mostly Christmas. I've had trouble re-blooming last year, so I read the directions and it states to leave it in an area where it will get 13-14 hours of pitch dark/day. Now, I'm kind of confused because I dont know whether its saying to give it 13-14 hrs of pitch dark then alternate to day, or pick one; either 13-14 hours of pitch dark or 13-14 hours of day light (which is impossible). This may be a stupid question, but I had to ask because I really want it to bloom this Christmas. So far, I've had it in pitch dark for 13-14 hours a day. Any help on the directions? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Aqtax.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Aqtax.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JCfre.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JCfre.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ouWQB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ouWQB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZKcmq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZKcmq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastActivityDate="2016-12-06T21:00:49.113" Title="Blooming my Zygocactus houseplant" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30111" CreationDate="2016-12-05T19:35:56.683" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;No can do, sorry.  The trunk is called 'root stock' and it isn't the same as the grafted canopy.  The canopy is actually a prostrate form of the cherry tree.  It would grow flat on the ground if it had been left alone at the nursery.  They select for the prostrate form to create lots of different kinds of 'weeping' trees.  When young the prostrate form is grafted to the root stock to give it some height.  It will never get any higher.  To cut that canopy off would cause a bunch of sprouts of the root stock to grow, mostly at the base of the trunk.  You'd get a Dr. Seuss looking bush and stick thingy or it would just die. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check around for a company who specialize in mature trees and shrubs.  They can dig your cherry up for you roots and all then they will resell it for THOUSANDS of dollars.  I used to use a place called 'Big Trees' to purchase huge Rhododendrons and beautiful specimen trees for people that could afford to pay the bucks and have instant mature landscapes.  $10,000 bucks is a normal price for one tree.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Designing landscapes usually means tearing out entire landscapes before installing the new design.  We'd call Big Trees and they'd come out with a huge tree diggerupper and leave a good sized hole.  Most of the time we'd also prepare the tree a year earlier by trenching a circle around the tree leaving a proper sized root ball forcing the tree to adapt to fewer roots and grow feeder roots within the new root ball.  This helped to reduce stress and increase the survival rate.  It also reduced our payment to Big Trees.  Then they turn around and sell it...for lots of money.  Chopping down gorgeous trees and shrubs is tough to do anyway but tougher when you know the true value of a mature tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T19:35:56.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30114" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30112" CreationDate="2016-12-05T20:22:25.413" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, to be frank, I've  never read such nonsense - these plants bloom perfectly well without any requirement for keeping them in darkness for a certain number of hours in a day. Although it is one of the Zygocactus, its actual name is Schlumbergera, and they like bright light conditions, with some dappled sun if possible, though its not essential. They do even better if they're given diluted or half strength plant fertilizer during spring and summer, but they do require a resting period immediately after flowering is over, when watering should be reduced. From mid to late spring onwards, watering should be increased so that its watered at the same level as any other houseplant. This is also the time to give some fertilizer, as mentioned above. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Repotting annually is often necessary, preferably just after flowering is finished, and attempting not to break too many roots when doing so - yours does look a little crowded in its pot, so it probably needs a bigger one.&#xA;From mid autumn, keep the plant dryish, preferably in a cool room, until flowerbuds start to form, then water as normal and return to normal room temperatures (if you've been able to find a cooler room for it). More info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cactuscollection.com/info/cacti/christmas.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.cactuscollection.com/info/cacti/christmas.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Having looked at your pictures again, I notice tiny buds just showing on the ends of the leaves in the last two pictures - it should certainly be in flower by Christmas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-06T21:00:49.113" LastActivityDate="2016-12-06T21:00:49.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30115" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30112" CreationDate="2016-12-05T21:39:39.780" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a feeling you might have FERTILIZED WITH THE WRONG FORMULATION.  Indoor plants need less fertilizer than those out of doors getting sun.  Same with lawns in shade?  Too much NITROGEN in proportion to the phosphorus and potassium will result in more VEGETATIVE growth. A lower percentage of Nitrogen in relation to the percentages of phosphorus and potassium will promote REPRODUCTIVE growth (flowers, fruit) Sorry, when I cap words it is for emphasis, I am not yelling, grins.  What fertilizer are you using?  This plant appreciates being forgotten not babied.  I'll bet because you really want flowers for Christmas you gave it fertilizer and ta da! No flowers. Look at your package and tell me what those 3 numbers are; NPK or 5-7-7 or 14-14-14 or 7-6-5.  The last set of numbers will cause vegetative growth and in the shade the vegetative growth will be larger and thinner.  No flowers or very few.  The first two formulations will be appropriate to promote flowers. The first one better than the second. I've got this 'Christmas Cactus' as well.  Heck it is the ONLY house plant to make it in our new home, grrrr.  Not a lot of light and it hasn't flowered once the four years we've been here.  Not because of fertilizer but because this place is hell for plants and we don't have windows to allow enough light.  No light, no flowers.  But this guy survived when all of my other gorgeous house plants died.  Do you understand how horrible that is for a 'professional'?  Below freezing at night with a wood fireplace even in the stupid summers!  Grinning widely.  Please get back to us with your fertilizer regimen and formulation.  Otherwise, this guy needs LIGHT.  It flowers just fine in normal winters.  The daylight night hour thing happens perfectly in the fall and winter thus this plant should flower around Christmas.  Don't need to FORCE reproductive growth by manually using light/darkness.  Normal winters (not talking about temperatures here) will have the necessary light/dark schedule well in hand for you.  I just got a feeling this is about your fertilizer formulation. If it isn't the fertilizer it is a light problem, getting enough light during the light part of the daily schedule.  What color is this guy supposed to produce? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-05T21:39:39.780" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30116" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30117" CreationDate="2016-12-05T22:48:39.540" Score="5" ViewCount="1811" Body="&lt;p&gt;This white material is on my oak tree, and it's appeared within the last month. What is it, how can I treat it, and is it contagious (it's begun to fall from the tall oak tree onto surrounding plants)? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Florida. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/Z732C&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;A closeup of the tree&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/qPzJI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a long shot of the tree&lt;/a&gt;, and a &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/ssA8N&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;closeup of a fallen leaf covered in the fungus&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/014Z7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/014Z7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2jB0Y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2jB0Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j3CX6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j3CX6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16344" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-06T02:27:08.250" LastActivityDate="2021-01-30T12:56:49.267" Title="What is this white fungus on my oak tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;oak&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30117" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30116" CreationDate="2016-12-05T23:45:06.667" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it might be Woolly Aphid, specifically Woolly Oak Aphid, especially as you're in Florida. The only thing I'm not sure of is I can't find anything that says this particular form of woolly aphid affects the woody parts of the tree; other forms of woolly aphid do so, coating branches with layers of what looks like white fluff or fur. Whilst a bit technical, this link here &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/TREES/woolly_oak_aphid.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;woolly oak aphids&lt;/a&gt;, lower down under Control, suggests contacting Florida University extension office to decide if it needs treating and what to do about it - with most forms of woolly aphid, spraying the branches with the hose is enough to dislodge it, but this form affects the leaves of course. They may also be able to help regarding whether or not it forms deposits on woody parts of the tree as well as the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do have one other reservation though - the fallen leaf covered in fungus does not look like an oak leaf, unless its shape is somewhat obscured.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-30T12:56:49.267" LastActivityDate="2021-01-30T12:56:49.267" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="30118" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30120" CreationDate="2016-12-06T00:46:30.407" Score="3" ViewCount="201" Body="&lt;p&gt;I brought this plant without a tag or any identification. This plant was way much fuller at the top. And as you can see a lot of empty space is there now. I don't know how to take care of it; however, it is growing long as you can see. But I always wondered why the top just disappeared. It was so full that you couldn't even see the dirt. I water every Saturday and let it drain completely. I don't use any fertilizer. What am I doing wrong? I need some instructions but unable to find any because I don't know the name of it. Any feedback? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7bOz5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7bOz5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XYx7N.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XYx7N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7pe4H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7pe4H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jYxak.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jYxak.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastActivityDate="2016-12-06T02:06:07.143" Title="My houseplant with no identification." Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30105" CreationDate="2016-12-06T00:59:40.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;FYI: The comfrey I'm talking about is the kind that doesn't reseed. I'm not familiar with other kinds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure a very strong and well-established comfrey plant could indeed live through a stampede (or several; daily or a regular basis might be pushing it), since it's the roots that keep them alive. However, in my experience, you can't count on every comfrey plant you plant to be that strong. It would need a lot of sun to get that strong (and it would probably grow best next to a rarely traveled sidewalk or the south side of a house). Alleys wouldn't be ideal for that reason. It also takes years to establish them well, it seems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Comfrey plants are too tall (~3 feet) to walk on comfortably, and a walked-on bush (they are bushes) probably wouldn't look great. Walking on them would break the stems and smush the leaves. Although they really can be very hard to kill once established, that doesn't mean the leaves and stems are tough (they're not; they're easy to damage). Plus, they attract bumble bees like crazy. A human would probably get stung walking through comfrey bushes (I don't know about cows), except that bumble bees probably like lots of sun, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never attempted mowing comfrey on a regular basis, but even if you could do it, you probably wouldn't want to mow it short (if you wanted something green left that looked semi-decent). Mowing a weak bush might kill it. I don't know if even a well-established comfrey bush would survive being short on a continual basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In short, you could probably spend loads of time and effort attempting it, with maybe marginal success, but I seriously doubt that it would be worth it at all, as they would be more like dangerous obstacles than ground cover. Your success might be higher with the kind that reseeds, since you could breed them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nevertheless, at least some plants (especially weeds) can become acclimatized to being stepped on (they grow flatter and tougher). I don't know if comfrey is any better or worse at acclimatizing to it than other plants, but it's not the easiest plant to imagine this with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Comfrey goes dormant in the winter. (All the leaves and stems die.) So, it's not like grass there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Comfrey has toxins in it. I'm not sure if they'd be a problem for cows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might stick with grass or such. There are many kinds of grass. Clover can be good (it does attract honeybees, but I don't know if they bother cows).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-12-06T01:54:58.197" LastActivityDate="2016-12-06T01:54:58.197" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30120" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30118" CreationDate="2016-12-06T01:36:55.413" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well done for posting good pictures - at first glance, I thought it was Pothos, but it's not, it's a Hedera variety, probably H. helix of some sort; in the UK, we just call it ivy, but I think in USA its known as 'English Ivy' (though they certainly are not all English!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's got pretty overgrown, and probably the pot is chock full of roots by now. Turn it out of its pot to check - if its solid with roots, take a bread knife (or any sharp knife, but a breadknife is very effective) and cut the rootball in half,or alternatively, pull it apart with your fingers if you can. Now cut back all the long growths to about six inches, less if you're feeling particularly brave, just above a leaf node, clean the pot and replace one of the halves in it, surround with fresh potting soil,pressing it down gently round the roots till the pot's full, water in well, allowing excess water to drain away freely. Then put it back wherever it was before (indoors presumably) and over time, it will produce new, bushy growth. This procedure is best done in spring, but I'm not sure it can wait that long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dispose of the other half, or pot it up if you want another one. Ivy grows virtually anywhere, including in low light, and is tough as old boots, but it does tend to increase greatly at the root, so turning it out of its pot yearly to inspect how much it's spread is probably wise, and repeating the cutting in half as described above if necessary yearly or biennially. If its not rootbound, just cut back all the growths, and give it some houseplant fertilizer (see below).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can make even more plants if you like - every year in May I wrench apart the rootball of any ivy that's still healthy after being used outdoors for winter planting in pots and tubs, potting up the resulting sections of root plus topgrowth separately to make 6 or 8 plants, and grow them on during summer for use in autumn planting again. And when I say I 'wrench' them apart, I mean that quite literally, so that's how tough they are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for care ongoing, you can certainly use some houseplant food (Baby Bio will be fine, if its available there) if you like, from spring through to midsummer - other than being possibly rootbound though, it doesn't look unhealthy, but if its hung up fairly high with no direct daylight above it, then it will tend to produce more growth outward and down rather than up top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-06T02:06:07.143" LastActivityDate="2016-12-06T02:06:07.143" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30121" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-06T05:51:12.787" Score="5" ViewCount="1059" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sWbzs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sWbzs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is in my office with AC on from 8am to 7pm (low humidity); receives strong sun from 2pm to 5pm. I water it around every 4 days when the soil feels dry from my finger dip into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have just noticed the droplets and touched it: they are sticky and sweet. Any advice?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15022" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-02T10:16:27.617" LastActivityDate="2020-09-07T11:57:50.687" Title="Guttation of my busy lizzie or something wrong?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30105" CreationDate="2016-12-06T06:09:36.077" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Look, I was raised on a wilderness ranch with cattle, horses, sandhill cranes...heaven. No electricity!!  6000 acres a pristine pond/spring where 'Mares Eggs' grew...rare.  No ATV'S.  We did have a funky Willy jeep to play with otherwise it was all done via horse back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All my life I've raised plants, taken care of other people's landscapes, trained others to take care of the landscapes correctly.  I design landscapes...not as a designer but as a Landscape Architect.  Making the landscape functional and desirable to use was what I did 8 years of college, taught classes and took a 4 day long test to be able to have the authority to make opinions.  One of my claims to fame is grading and drainage, done without the help of a computer.  I am telling you if you are putting the sheep through a bottle neck to guide them where you want you will have MUD.  Sure as sheep poop, you will have mud.  Mud turns into concrete.  Sheep, farm animals when being moved around do not need to eat in transition.  Bad habit.  Like allowing your horse to go graze as soon as it spies something green and lush when your horse is on duty beneath you.  Not cool.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why not keep it simple for yourself and the animals and install gravel?  You'd never regret good old crushed 5/8 minus 4 or 6 inches deep.  For this application I would NOT install landscape fabric beneath the gravel.  The sheep could easily get caught up in the fabric perhaps at the edges once all turns to mud.  Have you ever owned sheep? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Comfrey is a tender perennial. Not made for traffic of any kind. Maybe fine for a stampede ONCE a year but that is it. Mud holds fungal spores that love a plant like comfrey...powdery mildew, rust.  I would make a specific area to grow your comfrey. Make your utility areas separate, usable and easy to clean. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;WHY do you want to grow plants in a movement zone? What are you seeing as a benefit?  Maybe that would be helpful!  You know the acronym KISS?  Grins!! So true.  I applaud what you are doing but you are setting yourself up for failure.  Failure is good experience in little bits but won't endear farm life to you at all if there are too many re-dos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And you do know that comfrey shouldn't be ingested willy nilly, yes?  Best used for topical care, not internal stuff.  Comfrey is an accumulator plant.  Sure makes great organic matter super for adding to the soil!  But there are heavy metals in our skies that are in our soils and water.  Comfrey...hey, kale is another accumulator plant. When the comfrey is added to the compost the heavy metals are not such a good thing.  Accumulator plants suck up stuff animals should not be eating.  If you were to send a sketch of your acreage with simple 'bubbles' to designate use and movement, transition zones between uses... we might be able to help a bit more.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Completely within this site's parameters...'landscaping', humans assigning uses to their outdoor rooms, providing connection...yadayadayada. And everything I have read about the uses for comfrey sheds a bit of healthy doubt for this newbie fad. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-06T06:09:36.077" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30123" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30121" CreationDate="2016-12-06T08:00:59.610" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, I sure learned some stuff about 'Busy Lizzies'...I have NEVER heard this name for impatiens.  Always learning something new.  In addition, I just learned that impatiens have a serious disease where we are supposed to rip them out and dispose of them in a proper facility to not spread the spores of this Balsam Blight.  An amazing quirk in our nursery hothouses.  I had no idea.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yours is indoors in an office and it sounds as if you've had it there for a few seasons? Has it ever flowered? Is it in potting soil out of a bag or does it look like garden soil?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These 'droplets'...hummmm. I am going to just have to use my critical thinking as my library is not here and certainly could not find a direct answer off this internet.  These droplets must be carbohydrates excreted via stomata. I am thinking this plant is using this sugary liquid as a 'trap crop' so insects don't ruin the flowers. The flowers are self pollinating and insects would only waste their time. The insects can be satisfied by easy to harvest sugary globules and leave the flowers alone. Interesting!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main import here is that impatiens to include the hardier New Guinea type have gotten some gnarly disease and we are supposed to NOT purchase or plant them, get rid of them and any soil that has been connected with Impatiens to include their dropped leaves, again, to try to suppress this Balsam Blight. Your plant is actually a rarity...or from a very naughty nursery trying to unload their impatiens.  Impatiens was a multi million dollar industry!  And this blight is costing lots of millions of bucks.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had no idea!  Thank you for this question!!  I wouldn't worry about these 'secretions'.  Not a huge population of insects to attract in an office.  Cut flowers off as soon as they start aging. I always cut flowers and flower buds off any plant that needs a boost, without waiting to see the pretties. Pinch back the apical or terminal buds to put more energy into the main plant.  Do not use too much fertilizer and make sure the NPK formulation is lower N than the P and K percentage numbers.  Don't worry if you seen any insects who are attracted by the 'sweets'.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure to keep this plant and its soil inside, never outside and when you dispose of it put it in a plastic bag to take to the dump who should know how to handle problem organics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had no idea this had happened with Impatiens. Major bummer.  Not many annuals at all that flower in shade like Impatiens!  They are telling us to find substitutes so that we can get rid of this blight.  Like begonias... You do know that impatiens is classified as an annual.  Very short lived.  Don't feel guilty when this plant passes on.  There are far better indoor plants.  In fact, I've never planted impatiens for an indoor application.  But I just found out that this plant needs to be cleaned up and gone fallow to help reduce the danger of this disease being perpetuated. So we can once again plant impatiens for color, for flowers...in the shade out of doors!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-06T08:00:59.610" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30124" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-03T15:39:40.723" Score="5" ViewCount="356" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a Dracaena plant; that has what appears to be white scale or something like it (see attached photos); I don't know much about plants, I bought this one in Vauxhall Flower market in London a year and a half ago, one month after it started showing these symptoms. I moved home and planned to buy new plants. I don't want the new plants to get infected with the disease, so I got the Baby Bio house plant insecticide spray - but the instructions are not clear about how to use it, and I'm not finding any instructions online, so hopefully I can find help here.&#xA;My question is how to safely use Baby Gio house plant insecticide spray? I'm sure this is toxic and should use outdoors, but it's 2C ~ 8C at the time I wrote this post, and surely the plant is going to die if I leave it outside. So, what to do? How long should the plant stay outdoors until the spray effects finish?&#xA;Any advice is appreciated! Even if that means throwing the plant away.&#xA;Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The spray url: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bayergarden.co.uk/Products/b/Baby-Bio-Houseplant-Insecticide&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.bayergarden.co.uk/Products/b/Baby-Bio-Houseplant-Insecticide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ryzB0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ryzB0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PkYqL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PkYqL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="punkbit" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2016-12-06T17:18:31.960" LastActivityDate="2016-12-08T21:26:10.940" Title="How to safely use Baby Bio house plant insecticide spray?" Tags="&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30121" CreationDate="2016-12-06T12:52:53.420" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's  one of two things, or probably a combination - Impatiens walleriana (which this one seems to be), commonly known as busy lizzie (or apparently, Patient Lucy in the States), is prone to guttation if water levels are high, or if its just been watered. The other thing it does sometimes is form what seem to be little sugar crystals, often on the stems or at leaf junctions, which are firm and cannot be confused with water droplets - these are normal and a sign of a healthy, functioning plant. This latter is said to be caused either by salts from the water being excreted, or alternatively, sugars excreted in the water droplets which then solidify. I incline to the latter explanation, but its interesting that these crystals are rarely, if ever, seen on Impatiens walleriana growing outdoors. One thing that may increase the number of droplets or crystals - if, when you water, you don't empty out any outer tray or pot after 30 minutes, so that the plant has its bottom sitting in water it doesn't actually need; empty that out after that time period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd just add that your plant is not suffering from Impatiens Downy Mildew; this is a fungus like disease which has caused significant problems for commercial growers, is now widespread in the environment, and primarily affects I. walleriana; the New Guinea hybrids and Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) are not susceptible to it. It can be grown outdoors in frost free areas, or kept as a houseplant, although if you want it to flower indoors, it needs maximum daylight with some sun if possible, and probably pinching out periodically to keep it bushy. It should last some years as a houseplant, but most people dispose of them after a time because they start to look lean and lanky and not very attractive, which is why pinching out helps to make it last longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-06T15:15:26.130" LastActivityDate="2016-12-06T15:15:26.130" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30126" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-06T18:19:30.320" Score="7" ViewCount="770" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will build a grow light system from &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-emitting_diode&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;LED lights&lt;/a&gt; for a 1m x 2m square area. I am planning to grow 6 plants (vegetables) in that area. I am a little tight in terms of budget. So I want to find cheapest option while obtaining enough result.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plan is to build a grid system made from LEDs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that I should obtain full spectrum by using different wavelengths, but I can't decide how many watts I should obtain. According to my research I should get 1200 watts for 2 meter square. But it really costs me too much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I want to ask exactly how many watts do I need for that kind of setup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16293" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-12-07T00:28:20.687" LastActivityDate="2016-12-07T23:12:43.133" Title="What should I consider while building a grow-light system?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;grow-lamp&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30126" CreationDate="2016-12-06T22:14:30.767" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a great subject.  Forget LED's. Wimpy. The plants care about lumens, your wallet cares about watts. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sun has approximately 1KW per square meter.  LED's aren't going to work.  So here are some suggestions because we were constrained by budget and this is what we've done&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get an 8 bulb (T-5) fixture that takes very little power.  No ballast is needed  It will put out 40,000 lumens at 500 watts.  This is the lowest cheapest system we found to use and used successfully to grow vegies from seed to harvest.  Cost; $250 and came with 8 bulbs in the blue spectrum.  We purchased 8 bulbs later to get the red spectrum and reproductive growth going; cost about a hundred bucks...that you don't have to spend until you get your plants through their vegetative stage, no matter what kind of plant.  The red spectrum triggers reproductive growth for tomatoes the blue would be fine for leafy greens the entire time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We finally were able to afford a grow light fixture with ballast , comes with 2 bulbs, a metal halide bulb which is in the blue spectrum and a second bulb, high pressure sodium (hps) that functions in the red spectrum. One bulb at a time depending on your project, we've had ours for 2 years full time use and still fine. 2 bulbs, the fixture the ballast for $250 to $350.  We got ours on some special deal at $250. This provides LUMENS 80K for metal halide and 95K for the high pressure sodium.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look up HTG Supply for lighting, we got our best deals through this company.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other answer that would follow your idea of a grid would be to use CFL's Compact Fluorescent Light in place of your LEDs. (Those spiraled light fixtures we use now in place of the incandescent bulbs). The one problem you will have with those is the fixture or lack thereof.  The light goes everywhere not just the plants so a lot of energy and light is wasted.  LED's, we TRIED using them and just not enough light period. Turned out to be a joke.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'd need 6 CFL bulbs 300 watt full spectrum spaced each meter, paint the walls white and somehow devise a reflector for the bulbs.  Each bulb costs $30 to $50 bucks each X 6 = $180-$300, not including your fixtures, the wiring, the need for a dedicated breaker in your electrical panel, the paint and I kid you not the fans you have to have.  A way to get fresh air into your system, dirty air (full of O2) out of the system and a heater!  Timers, drainage?  Fans to move the air forcefully not used for cooling to prevent the higher humidity promoting fungus.   You'll end up eventually purchasing a humidifier. The best fertilizer you can afford and understand or go Osmocote for safety and expense.  Soil, potting soil, sterilized soil isn't expensive but if you don't use potting soil I wouldn't bother getting lights.   Drainage for your pots, properly sterilized pots with holes, sized for the plants.  You never put a tiny little plant or start in a big pot.  You have to up pot at least 3 or 4 times using potting soil.  So the expense in tiny pots 2-3&quot; max for growing from seed to 4 and 6&quot; pots to at least one gallon, or two gallon or five gallons depending on the type of plant, rate of growth.  Never bring garden soil into your system, never bring a plant someone has given you.  Purchased starts are ok but still a risk.  How proficient are you at growing vegetables, plants in a controlled sequestered indoor application?  Expect failures at the beginning but LED lighting is not going to work.  Go get Shane Smith's greenhouse gardening AND Jorge Cervantes Cannabis Encyclopedia.  The best most detailed books you should have and read if you want success of any kind.  Hope this helps, please let me know if you need clarification on any of this!!   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Go get Jorge Cervantes' The Cannabis Encyclopedia.  Everything you need to know about light and plants is in Chapter 17, pages, 253 through 302.  This is so well done...oh he gets into PAR big time, how expensive it is just to get a number, turns out it is a pretty useless number, like you said.  The most important numbers are the LUMENS (intensity) and CRI (frequency). They have equivalent temperature codes (degrees Kelvin).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-12-07T01:30:34.060" LastActivityDate="2016-12-07T01:30:34.060" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30128" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30126" CreationDate="2016-12-07T02:09:12.997" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;LEDs produce more light for the watt, so they should probably work out to be the cheapest solution in the long run. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as LED grow lights are concerned, I did some price checking and found that you can't cheat with how much light you get for your buck. $1k+ lights just happen to have that many diodes/higher power diodes compared to the $10 ones. Higher end stuff will be better built and marginally more efficient but that doesn't matter when you can't afford to buy them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you can do to improve your cost performance ratio is to buy more of the cheaper lights and build them into a dome so that each plant gets more light. It's less convenient than having a single small sun on top of your plants, but it works.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been growing a few small plants covering a square meter on about 75w of red-blue LEDs using this technique. After two months, none of them, not even the seedlings, show any sign of light deficiency and the tomatoes seem to love it to the point they might become too large for my current set-up. I was planning to buy more lights but it looks like it won't be necessary. I'm not trying to get any fruit, or exceptional growth though, this is just for overwintering tender plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might really need 10x what I'm using, however, I think you should look at volume rather than surface. A two meters tall herb doesn't need the same amount of light a lettuce does and most of the information you will see around is about growing herbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The downside to LEDs is that they produce less heat than other light sources so you have to heat the plants separately if your indoor temperatures get too low.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That and you have to cover every window or your neighbors will think you are growing herbs or running a house of ill repute.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastEditorDisplayName="user10810" LastEditDate="2016-12-07T23:12:43.133" LastActivityDate="2016-12-07T23:12:43.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30130" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-07T19:55:55.900" Score="5" ViewCount="4686" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found these droppings near a flower pot in the front of our house. Has anyone seen anything like this? Btw, I live in the pacific NW area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b5MMO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b5MMO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding some more pictures as per request in comments and answers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/azLJ1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/azLJ1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6tDJO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6tDJO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IoLCa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IoLCa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Disclaimer:&lt;/strong&gt; Image look very big than their original size :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastEditorUserId="11971" LastEditDate="2016-12-09T22:33:51.707" LastActivityDate="2020-05-04T12:56:46.150" Title="Can someone tell which pest droppings looks like this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30131" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-07T20:12:41.343" Score="4" ViewCount="211" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a couple florist cyclamens for containers this spring.  When the weather got hot, I replaced the pots containing the cyclamens and moved these pots to the shade garden where they survived and bloomed throughout the summer.  When it got cooler I moved the pots back to the container and they are still alive and loaded with buds in December in &lt;strong&gt;Chicago&lt;/strong&gt;. I first saw cyclamens in Italy in March and the temps there were in the 40s.  Everyone had them in windowboxes or hotels had them in planters at the entrances.   I have now moved them to the garage and want to know how to make them go dormant or what to do with them to help them make it through the winter.  I would like to replant them in the containers next spring if they make it.  I know I can just buy new ones next spring but I wanted to see if I could save these since they have more than doubled in size since I bought them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16347" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T12:08:57.500" Title="How to save a cyclamen?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30130" CreationDate="2016-12-07T21:05:39.823" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Using what I assume is an almond husk for scale this could be squirrel or wood rat.  I am guessing squirrel by the almond shell and what you should go do is dig around in the soil of that pot, other pots to see if you can find buried peanuts or acorns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The scale is still confusing and very important. What is interesting is you have had a very regular visitor that is comfortable pooping while eating probably perched on the rim of a pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You won't surprise a rat or mouse because they hide all of the time.  Squirrels loved my pots that I had on my front porch.  I am a weirdo that feeds animals and in an urban situation squirrels are the only wild animal thriving.  So I fed squirrels and quickly got them used to being fed by hand.  Squirrels are far more confident than rats.  Rat poop is best found in basement, crawl spaces and anywhere they can utilize the insulation.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are able to find a smooth dusty surface or even LEAVE an innocuous dusty surface (assuming you have a porch roof) to get prints.  Black background with flour thinly coating your thin, flat, 1'X1'? Set it behind your pots.  Check on it within a day.  If you get &lt;strong&gt;any track, take a picture with lighting that causes shadows, down low, not too bright and send it to us.&lt;/strong&gt;  I am better at tracking than I am deciphering poop.  &lt;strong&gt;Take a picture of the pots with your poop pile.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Take a picture after you've 'stirred'&lt;/strong&gt; this pile just a little so we can see the color of older scat (on the bottom) versus newer scat usually wet with urine that is darker.  Believe it or not this is an important way to distinguish between OTHER types of these scats. (I might ask you to dissect a pellet and pull it apart to be able to check out what it has been eating and or possibly finding hairs from grooming itself or brood, do you have a good magnifying glass?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My (grins) squirrels never pooped on my porch much less in a pile like this.  But something is A REGULAR VISITOR.  And where is it that you live?  In the country surrounded by acreage?  What wildlife do you have visiting? Are you in suburban or urban environment?  Do you or neighbors have compost piles?  Do you have a weirdo neighbor like me putting out food?  Anyone near you have a parrot as a pet?  Bird feeders (for parrots)?  The answers to these questions would really help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Also, please send pictures with a nickel or dime or quarter for scale.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check these sites for your own comparison; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pestcontrol-forum.com/en/Blog/2015-01-29/How-To-Tell-The-Difference-Between-Different-Types-of-Pest-DroppingsPoop/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;verbal descriptions of scat&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=rat%20droppings%20picture&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1280&amp;amp;bih=646&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjms6y-8-LQAhVEoZQKHV71A-8Q7AkINA#imgdii=22LE4rFMLjOB_M%3A%3B22LE4rFMLjOB_M%3A%3BTh5sQDSoRjJRxM%3A&amp;amp;imgrc=22LE4rFMLjOB_M%3A&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pictures of scat comparison&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=squirrel%20droppings%20picture&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1280&amp;amp;bih=646&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;imgil=uay4VhP-2IPLhM%253A%253BYC0nT-h_KMiG1M%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.amazon.com%25252FSquirrel-Droppings-Medicinal-Grade-Chinese%25252Fdp%25252FB00QTZHG0W&amp;amp;source=iu&amp;amp;pf=m&amp;amp;fir=uay4VhP-2IPLhM%253A%252CYC0nT-h_KMiG1M%252C_&amp;amp;usg=__sgqvt4KrgcRIxpjimcAxMDZpSi4%3D&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjA99za8-LQAhUBwWMKHWIiDKgQyjcIMw&amp;amp;ei=tm5IWMDEGoGCjwPixLDACg#q=squirrel%20droppings%20picture&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbs=rimg:CeHVkjaJFOygIjjpBrC7-i2NQaNRZLbaHZQWspubJlcxsrzwoOqeDgeeFOG3usz4XWWI42AVVteWsEWWZuMTL0nEyyoSCekGsLv6LY1BESlhZaAEEgQ_1KhIJo1FkttodlBYRB9oXneKSoToqEgmym5smVzGyvBF-upWVxXK_1rCoSCfCg6p4OB54UEbs2rMPKNfE4KhIJ4be6zPhdZYgRwrW3mdvmIEsqEgnjYBVW15awRRFOVGvNSnG_19CoSCZZm4xMvScTLEa5StahC0RxN&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;scat and tracks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I am thinking squirrel as this seems to be lighter than rat.  Rats would not be doing this out in the open so blatantly.  Squirrels would and this site says that the droppings of squirrels are lighter than rats...did you do the little tile and flour thingy?&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-12-08T21:17:50.800" LastActivityDate="2016-12-08T21:17:50.800" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30134" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30131" CreationDate="2016-12-07T21:25:41.187" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wild cyclamen likes cold temperatures. On my winter walks I look for them, so see at minimum one with flowers (if there is not too much snow).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So: as far I know, they will not be dormant, but as many forest flowers, they try to get some sun, when tree leaves are missing. I think 20-25 degree Fahrenheit (-6 Centigrades) should be still comfortable for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I would put them in the garage, but near some window (hoping that garage will be in any case be colder than 40s). Or external to the garage, near a wall, with some plastic to protect them from the infamous Chicago wind (but I not an expert of Chicago, so I'm not sure that his would work).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking at Wikipedia, I found much more &lt;em&gt;Cyclamen&lt;/em&gt; species in southern part of Europe. I was thinking about the alpine and Pyrenean species, very resistent to frost. Cultivated species are usually less resistant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check also the good section about &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclamen#Hardiness&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hardiness  of &lt;em&gt;Cyclamen&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; in wikipedia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2016-12-08T08:50:12.050" LastActivityDate="2016-12-08T08:50:12.050" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30135" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30131" CreationDate="2016-12-07T21:53:42.830" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I love learning new stuff...Cyclamens like the cooler side.  There is a difference between your florist cyclamen and wild cyclamens however.  Florist cyclamens do well with 60 degrees not 20 degrees Fahrenheit.  And then there is problem with &lt;strong&gt;acclimating&lt;/strong&gt; any plant from one environment they are used to to another they are not.  Here is a decent article.  I wouldn't put them in the garage.  I'd find a coolish sunny spot in your home for the winter.  They are tropical plants, going dormant means everything dies back and the corm that is the plant had better not freeze (pots will cause the corm to freeze as it isn't in the protective garden soil).  Hope this helps.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gertens.com/learn/Annuals-Perennials/cyclamen.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;florist cyclamen care&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-07T21:53:42.830" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30136" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30139" CreationDate="2016-12-07T22:06:56.043" Score="5" ViewCount="1075" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NUC4T.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NUC4T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My dad has this terrible tree setup, I think it's 2 different trees, a lemon tree covered by a taller bushy tree. I don't have full control here, I can't cut these down/tear them out, but I am charged with the task of picking the lemons. Every lemon, before it freezes tonight. The lower, deeper lemons were so far into this big overgrown tree with giant thorns, and it's so thick and low to the ground I'd have to crawl on my belly in the mud to get to half the lemons in this horrible setup, so I started cutting some of the lower branches away from the ground. I realize this isn't the season to be doing this but I'm told I have to handle it now some way or the other. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously I want to be able to get to the lemons, cut the branches off of that stairway, and make the result look somewhat good. Could someone identify these trees so I can lookup what they're supposed to look like after pruning, and any other info that can help me create a decent result out of this scenario.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I'm told they're grafted. I have a vague understanding about grafting. Looks like the bush died down, came back and the plant went up high but the lemon part only grew down low. I don't know if there is a great solution here, in this case. If the answer is &quot;Meh, it's hopeless,&quot; then just say that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16349" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-12-08T02:37:12.860" LastActivityDate="2016-12-08T02:37:12.860" Title="How should I prune this grafted lemon tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30137" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-07T22:12:57.767" Score="6" ViewCount="435" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few kales growing in my raised bed and it keeps producing leaves and I keep consuming them.  Do I keep doing this or is there a point where you would remove the plant and put a new seedling?  Does kale lose nutrition value of the leaves after a certain point in time?  I don't think so but was wondering since leaves are not growing as large as they used to and some of them have a different texture so was wondering&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-12-08T00:57:01.840" LastActivityDate="2016-12-08T17:10:28.990" Title="What is the useful life of a kale plant?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;kale&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30138" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30140" CreationDate="2016-12-07T22:46:01.743" Score="5" ViewCount="534" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I'm growing Carolina Reapers and bell peppers in very close proximity to each other. On one of my bell pepper plants there is a strange looking pepper. It looks like a Reaper and its on one of my bell pepper plants, but it is growing very differently from how a normal bell does. I have attached images.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oqrOE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oqrOE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16350" LastActivityDate="2016-12-08T11:00:23.760" Title="Did my peppers cross? (see pictures)" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30136" CreationDate="2016-12-07T23:46:02.450" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may be right - the grafted part died back, the rootstock took over, and the only part that's left of the original  grafted lemon is at the bottom. It shouldn't be  thorny - the thorny parts will be off the rootstock, which might be sour lemon or some other citrus rootstock, hard to say, but growth off the stock might very well be thorny. If the leaves on the bottom parts producing lemons look a little different from the other leaves, that would make it more likely this is what's happened. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In theory then,  all parts which are off the rootstock should be removed right back to the base, leaving only the grafted part, which is presumably the bit that's managing to produce lemons. It likely won't look great, but should be done regardless. If the branches producing fruits are also thorny, that might mean they're off the rootstock too, in which case, there's not much you can do except prune it back to reshape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending where you are and how cold the winters get, taking it all down to just the graft now might be a bit risky, so if your winters are quite vicious, then wait till the plant's gone dormant and then sort through and take out what's necessary. If its just the occasional frost here and there that comprises winter, then I'd risk doing it, it looks awful as it is, but that's just my personal aesthetic opinion! If there's any of the grafted part left, that will grow on better with the sucker growth from the stock removed and hereafter, regularly removed if it appears again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-07T23:53:10.523" LastActivityDate="2016-12-07T23:53:10.523" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30140" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30138" CreationDate="2016-12-08T00:18:12.587" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you bought these plants this year, even though they're growing in close proximity, and even if the Reaper pollinates a bell pepper, it won't affect the plants or fruits - it only affects the seeds within, which will now be some sort of cross between the peppers if you grow from them next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, though, you grew these yourself from seeds you saved, and you grew the two types of peppers last year, then all kinds of random crosses are possible. That bell pepper does look odd - be interesting to see what it tastes like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-08T01:08:50.397" LastActivityDate="2016-12-08T01:08:50.397" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30138" CreationDate="2016-12-08T11:00:23.760" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Crossing happens only in seeds, so in future plants. So I don't think so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally I find that bell peppers have a lot of variance on fruits, also on the same plant. I still don't understand how commercial bell pepper are done. In markets they seems all similar. I think the pepper are much more sensible on environment (water, sun, temperature) then most of normal vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-12-08T11:00:23.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30143" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30137" CreationDate="2016-12-08T17:10:28.990" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most continuous production systems (tomatoes &amp;amp; peppers in greenhouses or the tropics being the major exception that comes to mind) do find it beneficial to replace old plants with young ones on a regular basis. In zone 4 we don't really have this problem, as winter provides a defined end point (you can pick kale in the snow, but it pretty much stops growing.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Among other things, at some point (if left over winter around here, the following year) it will opt to go to seed, and flavor is generally not positively impacted by that - likewise the plant's production is aimed towards the seeds, not the leaves at that point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2016-12-08T17:10:28.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30124" CreationDate="2016-12-08T21:26:10.940" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is white fly.  Instead of spraying I'd use a dip.  NEEM is pretty much similar to your Baby Bio?  Use a paper plate slit once from edge to center, place on the top of this pot.  Mix NEEM as labeled into a 3 gallon container, turn the plant upside down and swish in the solution.  Splash a little on the top of the soil.  Do your have other houseplants?  Check them out as well.  These guys won't hurt your plant too quickly but they need to be controlled.  This dip style is far better than spraying.  Just be vigilant and when you see this again, if you see this again, do the dip.  I also water my indoor plants once every 3 months or so in the shower.  Allow them to drip dry and replace (don't do this right after a dip).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just noticed the part that this guy is out of doors.  Start acclimating him right now if you want him in doors.  Takes a few weeks ideally.  Still, go ahead and do the dip.  White fly is less of a problem than a plant moved indoors from outdoors too soon.  Again, do you have other indoor plants.  It would be best to do the dip BEFORE starting the acclimation process so less chance of bringing these guys in to bother you and your other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-08T21:26:10.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30145" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27139" CreationDate="2016-12-09T12:05:00.167" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorbus_chamaemespilus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sorbus chamaemespilus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, an alpine plant. Also this is from rose family (Rosaceae), so it could be confused by some &lt;em&gt;Prunus&lt;/em&gt; species (e.g. &lt;em&gt;Prunus padus&lt;/em&gt;, also an alpine plant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-12-09T12:05:00.167" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30146" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30020" CreationDate="2016-12-09T14:44:04.663" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know this may be generalizing but often times it is water or soil problems. &#xA;Based on that here is a good start to approaching the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Often times, when leaves turn brown and wilt due to under-watering,&#xA;  those dead leaves will be crispy and dry. While with over-watering,&#xA;  those leaves may still be soft and limp.  Over-watering can easily&#xA;  lead to root rot of the plant.  Plants infected with root rot will&#xA;  begin to brown in one section or side of the plant and the dieing off&#xA;  of branches or parts of the plant will spread until the entire plant&#xA;  is deceased.  Sometimes, a plant can look dead, but is still alive&#xA;  even though it has lost all of its leaves.  Make sure to scratch the&#xA;  surface of the plants stems with a knife or a pair of hand pruners. &#xA;  If you can still see green, then the plant is still alive and maybe it&#xA;  was simply dropping leaves as a defense mechanism to the heat/drought.&#xA;  Cutting back the plant and adding supplemental hand-watering will help&#xA;  bring the plant back to life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The only sure-fire way to determine if you are over or under-watering is to routinely check your soil moisture.  You do this,&#xA;  by sticking your finger 1-2&quot; down into the surrounding soil.  If the&#xA;  soil is moist than let it be.  Check again tomorrow.  If the soil is&#xA;  dry, then it's time to water.  Water deeply and aim all water at the&#xA;  roots, avoiding getting a lot of water on leaves and blooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15868" LastActivityDate="2016-12-09T14:44:04.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30148" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30149" CreationDate="2016-12-09T18:26:26.300" Score="4" ViewCount="1384" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had a 3-foot variegated indoor Ficus tree (F. Benjamina to be exact) for two months now. The first month was uneventful, but over the course of the last month (November) it has lost most of it's leaves (about 80%). Is this normal? Is it dead? I understand that Ficus is very sensitive to change and it's normal to lose a few leaves, but this seems extreme.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the conditions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I water it once every two weeks, until water flows through the bottom--about two cups.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The indoor temperature has been somewhat stable, dropping from 23C to 21C over the course of November.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plant is not near any radiator or drafts, except for the balcony door that is only ever opened momentarily and quite infrequently (0C outside)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plant gets some partial direct sunlight, but only during a short period: about 4 hours in October, closer to 2 in November. That being said we've only had maybe 5 sunny days all November.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There are no signs of yellow leaves. About half that fell off still looked green and healthy. Furthermore, I didn't find any signs of disease or pests. The leaves are fully intact. Some where a bit dried out, but these were mostly leaves that got caught in branches and hadn't been cleaned up.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone else had a similar experience?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16354" LastEditorUserId="16354" LastEditDate="2016-12-09T18:34:14.827" LastActivityDate="2016-12-09T21:06:27.913" Title="Ficus lost 80% of leaves over the course of November" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30149" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30148" CreationDate="2016-12-09T19:28:39.553" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect its been going short of water - you've not said what size pot its in, and a photograph would have been extremely useful, but 2 cups (unless each cup is a litre or so) every fortnight doesn't sound like anywhere near enough water for a plant that's three feet tall. The trouble with potting soil is, if it dries out, its quite difficult to get it nice and moist again, so when you pour your two cups of water over it, it runs straight through and you think that's enough because its draining out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have one of these, in somewhat cooler temperatures (average 19deg C) in a 9 inch pot, and that needs watering weekly, with about a litre, sometimes a litre and a half in summer. The trick with watering is to do it when the surface of the potting soil feels dry to the touch, but not so dry its shrunken from the sides of the pot, water well, then empty out any tray or outer pot 30 minutes later, if there's any left in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, the way you describe what happened to the leaves sounds like transition shock due to a change in seasons, or being moved from one place to another, being near a door (internal or external door) or window which opens frequently, or sudden temperature change, although the only one of these which might be relevant given your explanation is the original purchase and installation of the plant, when it would have gone through various changes. Certainly, my own plant tends to lose some leaves most noticeably in spring and particularly in autumn - at times when the heating is either first switched on, or, in spring, switched off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can check how dry the rootball actually is by turning the plant out of its pot and inspecting it - if it is really dry, and you think its worth trying to salvage the plant, put it back in the pot, half fill a bucket with water, sink the pot and plant into it, so the pot is underwater, weight it down with something and leave it in there for a couple of hours. Then remove it, allow it to drain down completely for an hour, and from then onwards, check it weekly and water well when you do water. You may need to cut back (best done in spring) to reshape the plant - if you do this, it will take a long time to recover, but will look better when it does. Be aware too that Ficus bleed white sap quite profusely when cut, so you should cover the floor round the pot with newspaper or something disposable till it stops bleeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-09T21:06:27.913" LastActivityDate="2016-12-09T21:06:27.913" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30150" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30151" CreationDate="2016-12-10T00:07:58.657" Score="9" ViewCount="1186" Body="&lt;p&gt;We currently have bowls of apple-cider vinegar set out, and the flies are definitely attracted to them but very few are actually ending up IN the vinegar. Mostly they are just sitting on the bowl.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are other pesticide-free ways of killing fruit flies?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15225" LastActivityDate="2016-12-30T13:53:13.823" Title="Killing fruit flies without pesticides?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30151" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30150" CreationDate="2016-12-10T01:28:07.677" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Open bowls don't work very well, what you really need is a bottle with a narrow neck, like a wine bottle. You put the bait (your apple cider vinegar or whatever) in the bottle, just a little at the bottom, and the flies go in, but can't manage to get out again. You can use any bottle or jar, but one with an open neck will need you to make a funnel to narrow the opening. Read this article: &lt;a href=&quot;http://m.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Fruit-Flies&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, leaving the dregs of some fruit based alcohol like cider in the bottle works really well - I did that once unintentionally with a Babycham (pear cider) bottle and found it infested with fruit flies in the liquid at the bottom after three days when I discovered it again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-12-30T13:53:13.823" LastActivityDate="2016-12-30T13:53:13.823" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30152" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-10T01:52:40.407" Score="4" ViewCount="154" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in zone 9b and growing tomatoes since summer in a vegetable garden.  I have a few tomatoe plants that have small tomatoes.  Now that the weather has started to get cold, the tomatoes are not turning red as you would normally expect.  How do I ripen them or get them to turn red?  Should I bring them into the house where it is much warmer and let is sit till they turn red?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-12-12T05:26:03.710" Title="How do I ripen tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30153" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30152" CreationDate="2016-12-10T04:04:26.043" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless they're too immature, they will eventually turn red if you bring them in the house and wait. If you're planning to save seeds, though, people often say that the seeds cease to develop after you've picked them. Nevertheless, seeds from full-sized unripe tomatoes (in my experience) do grow. If they don't look very developed, or if they're particularly thin, I wouldn't count on them growing, though, whether they're green or red.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In some rare cases (in my experience), green tomatoes that are supposed to change red won't fully turn red if ripened indoors (but they will change yellow or orange). In the vast majority of cases, however, they will turn red. Either way, they'll be ripe and you can eat them. But it should be noted that just because an occasional one turns yellow, that doesn't mean the seeds will produce yellow fruit (because it's not cross-pollination that causes this). I forgot the reason this happens, but I did read about something like this once.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Green tomatoes, in my many years of experience storing them to ripen, can take anywhere from a day to several months to turn red indoors, depending on various factors (including the variety). Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to get special storage tomato varieties to do this (whether or not they're any better for the purpose). Most tomatoes will work. Some ripen fast, and some take a long time to ripen (the ripening speed outside is a good (but not perfect) indicator as to how long it will take).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes will usually ripen faster if they're warm. Refrigerating them isn't a good idea, but dry, cold storage is great if you want to delay ripening so you can have tomatoes months from now, or what-have-you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your tomatoes have a dull look to them, or aren't smooth to the touch, they're probably not ripe enough to be worth storing indoors. They can ripen still, but they may end up being leathery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ethylene helps tomatoes to ripen faster. It is found in other ripe fruits. Putting other ripe fruits near your green tomatoes may speed the ripening process; however, it may also make them go bad faster after ripening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Phosphorus is found in large amounts in seeds, and it is also limited when it's cold. If you still have a decent amount of time left before the frost, and if your plants are still warm enough to actually be growing bigger, then you might try giving them some extra phosphorus to see if that helps the seeds to mature (which may in turn help to speed ripening). Phosphorus seemed to help with my melons last year, anyway (I didn't try it this year). I have read that phosphorus helps to speed ripening, but it took a lot of searching to find anything on the topic; so, I would consider it experimental, personally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you try it in future, you'll likely find that some varieties are a lot better at ripening fast even on slow-ripening years than others. This was a slow-ripening year for most varieties for me. I grew about 100 varieties. For me, the faster-ripening ones (after fruit set) were Chocolate Pear, Matina, Creole, Aussie, Pink Cheeks, Mountain Princess and perhaps some others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-12-10T11:23:34.447" LastActivityDate="2016-12-10T11:23:34.447" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30154" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30150" CreationDate="2016-12-10T07:40:32.097" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's the &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_tension&quot;&gt;surface tension&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; in your current setup that keeps the fruit flies safe. Even if they decide to party on the vinegar, they can simply fly away again and take a nice break elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But your trap becomes a real trap if you add &lt;strong&gt;a tiny drop of dishwashing soap&lt;/strong&gt;: they can no longer walk on the vinegar, but sink and drown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using this method, you can use a range of substances as bait, from leftover wine to fruit juice or vinegar. Ideally, you have a mixture of fruity and acidic (e.g. equal parts apple juice and vinegar), because that's what they really love. Just make sure you use not more than a small drop of soap (or touch the bait liquid with a soapy finger), because too much soap scent will deter the flies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know the &quot;funnel method&quot; is often recommended, but apparently we had particularly stupid fruit flies in the past: after desperately buzzing around for a while without finding the entrance, they usually gave up and opted to raid the fruit bowl instead.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The trap as described above works even right next to the fruit to lure them away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-12-10T07:51:46.857" LastActivityDate="2016-12-10T07:51:46.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30155" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-10T09:37:37.117" Score="6" ViewCount="1477" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LaSCI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've just bought this cactus and it's turning brown. I'm wondering if it's because I watered it too much or because of the changing weather? (We rarely have cold days here and it's started to get cold this week) or because of other thing???&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16357" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T20:26:45.613" Title="My cactus is turning brown on top. Is this usual?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="162" CreationDate="2016-12-10T11:23:30.200" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sweet potatoes are easy and love the July heat. Both the potatoes and the leaf is edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chard is good early, as well as beets and potatoes from my experience. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I try many vegetables; some work out better than others. Experiment!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16358" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-12-10T20:09:31.510" LastActivityDate="2016-12-10T20:09:31.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30157" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30150" CreationDate="2016-12-10T17:57:35.570" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;We make a simple paper funnel by just rolling a sheet of paper into a cone and stapling or taping it. Then we make sure there's a small opening at the bottom. We put this into a tall glass that has a little juice or wine in it - even a little bit of chopped up fruit sometimes. This works marvelously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, check your drains. Fruit flies breed in a biofilm. When we had a very bad year, taking a bottle brush to the sink drain in the main floor powder room made an immediate reduction in the fruit fly population.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="754" LastActivityDate="2016-12-10T17:57:35.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30159" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30160" CreationDate="2016-12-10T20:22:32.773" Score="6" ViewCount="1233" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm working at an office in Texas and there is an old tree with this mossy fuzzy stuff. It looks like it's leeching off the tree. There is some kind seed or flower thing sticking out of it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dGVf0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dGVf0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sUAew.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sUAew.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wbeot.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wbeot.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plantss&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: each clump in the trees is one. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/05Z0V.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/05Z0V.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;trees &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13579" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:56:23.223" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:56:23.223" Title="What is this green, fuzzy, plant growing on a tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30160" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30159" CreationDate="2016-12-10T21:22:35.077" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tillandsia&lt;/a&gt;, one of the grey specimens (there are green ones as well in the genus).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the US, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_moss&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Spanish moss, (Tillandsia usneoides)&lt;/a&gt; is one very famous variety that is native to Texas and other southern states. But yours is a variety of &lt;strong&gt;ball moss&lt;/strong&gt;, either &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia_recurvata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;T. recurvata&lt;/a&gt; , (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio406d/images/pics/brm/tillandsia_recurvata.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;more photos&lt;/a&gt;), or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia_baileyi&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;T. baileyi&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although tillandsias may look like moss or lichen, they are no parasites and won't harm the tree they grow on, they merely use it for support. This becomes very obvious when one sees them making no distinction between live trees and wooden telephone poles or even the wires. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to keep your specimens, I'm actually a big fan of &quot;leaving where they are&quot;, or in other words, to mimic the environement where you found and took them from as closely as possible. If you have a suitable tree in your garden, just hang the branches up in the tree so that they will have dappeled shade from the leaves in the summer and get watered by dew and rainfall and fertilized by the dust that blows on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you insist to take them inside, note that they need enough light, but little direct sun, dilligent but careful spraying to mimic dew and once in a while a gentle &quot;rain&quot; in your shower. Don't bother with fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not - I repeat, &lt;em&gt;do not&lt;/em&gt; take the clumps of plants apart. You are very likely to hurt the plants and to re-mount them elsewhere is very difficult. Those plants don't want &quot;repotting&quot; at all. Some sources on the web suggest using a glue gun to place tillandsias on your chosen carrier. But they usually don't tell you that a standard glue gun will burn your plant just like it burns your finger. There are &quot;low-temp&quot; guns for plants on the market, but I can't give you qualified information on them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also would hesitate to place a greyish tillandsia in a terrarium, especially if it's mostly closed. The rule of thumb for grey ones is that they need a somewhat drier environement than green ones: the silverish fuzz is like a natural protection from the sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that tillandsias are somewhat &quot;slow-motion&quot; plants. They won't look much different from normal even when they are suffering already. My favourite counter-example is the peace lily: forget to water it, and it folds down all the leaves, but once you water it, it will recover within a few hours. Tillandsias don't droop, but at some point, they just shrivel up and die. They also don't give obvious signs of overwatering, but once you see moldy spots, it's too late.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend that you use your environement to teach you: Take lots of walks and observe: how much light do the wild tillandsias get in those trees? Over the seasons? How do they look? How do they change during hot and dry spells or during times of frequent rain? Then compare your observations with the appearance of your plants at home, adjust your care regimen, if necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-12-10T22:48:43.340" LastActivityDate="2016-12-10T22:48:43.340" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30161" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-10T21:54:12.237" Score="7" ViewCount="203" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are having cold Winter temperatures below 10 &amp;deg;F at night and I find a thick patch of these fragile green plants, some with small yellow blooms, all in a part of the yard that we do not water.  I'm in Santa Fe, New Mexico, so we have a limited number of plants available.  Photos show clump of plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w35lb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w35lb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant group&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16360" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:53:39.480" LastActivityDate="2020-08-10T17:12:38.073" Title="What are these fragile green plants with small yellow blooms in Santa Fe?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30162" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-10T21:54:57.150" Score="6" ViewCount="121" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grew in TX right before fall got cold. I'm hoping they grow again in spring but a squirrel has been messing in my pots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IIVw7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IIVw7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;orange &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13579" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:57:58.170" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:57:58.170" Title="Plant with a single upward-pointing orange flower at the tip of the stem?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30163" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30162" CreationDate="2016-12-10T22:40:05.333" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's one of the Asiatic Lilies, not sure which variety. There's a similar example here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.overthegardengate.net/garden/archives/template.asp?LinkID=596&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.overthegardengate.net/garden/archives/template.asp?LinkID=596&lt;/a&gt; though I think yours is more orange than the bronze one pictured. Its a bulb, so unless the squirrel has dug it up, it should flower again next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-12-10T22:40:05.333" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23618" CreationDate="2016-12-11T00:19:09.620" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am pretty sure this is good old Poinsettia.  Great when young but I've never seen OLD lush plants.  Here is a link;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/poinsettia/poinsettia-care-how-do-you-take-care-of-poinsettias.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;poinsettia care&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another link to go along with my propagation comment.  There is an explanation how to force your plant to color up using light/dark cycles with your grow light. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/nancy-szerlag/2016/12/08/care-poinsettias-can-last-months/95165300/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to get your poinsetta to last for months &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have to add, your plant is probably the BEST I've seen at this age indoors!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By now you probably see that planning to purchase a new fresh plant for the holidays makes far more sense.  Otherwise this plant will keep trying to find the light by lengthening its internodes and looking like a sick, vine thing.  Oh it will survive but like I said I'VE never seen one of these things EVER look the way they looked fresh out of their nursery.  Not even if one has a climate controlled greenhouse, great lights...they are still surviving and wimpy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-12-11T20:47:10.387" LastActivityDate="2016-12-11T20:47:10.387" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30165" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-11T02:50:19.803" Score="6" ViewCount="297" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased seed from a reputable supplier that was labelled as buttonbush or Cephalanthus occidentalis.  One seed germinated and managed to grow two inches tall in the first two years.  I then planted it in a tiny pocket of soil with access to water.  Five years later this plant is now almost 15' tall (5 m) and flowering.  The species is described as having &quot; hard spherical ball-like fruits&quot;.  The plant I have has elongated flowering bodies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wonder what exactly I have growing...it's taller, the flower is different but it sure likes water. &#xA;Alternate leaves, deciduous, not a willow, pollinators like it for early spring bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of a buttonbush from &lt;a href=&quot;http://ontariotrees.com/main/species.php?id=2025&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ontario trees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ppCsX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ppCsX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Buttonbush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other pictures and descriptions of the species can be found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=g830&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://nativeplants.evergreen.ca/search/view-plant.php?ID=00214&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is what is growing in my backyard.  What is it?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cXkdv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cXkdv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pfUCT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pfUCT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UOutH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UOutH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cephalanthus?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2020-05-31T20:45:43.433" LastActivityDate="2020-06-01T02:55:38.833" Title="Is this plant a buttonbush?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;native-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="18" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="30166" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-11T07:01:51.570" Score="5" ViewCount="94" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have very big trees in my garden that covers 85% of the sunlight. I'm in Asia with temperatures around 30 &amp;deg;C. It's dry most of the year and the soil is pretty hard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What food crops should I plant under the shelter? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16364" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-12-12T18:39:44.117" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T20:57:55.437" Title="What food crops grow well in a shady area?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30167" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30165" CreationDate="2016-12-11T13:04:07.520" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, its not Cephalanthus occidentalis! I'll take a stab - one of the Clethras, maybe? Clethra alnifolia or Clethra delayavi; they love lots of water, but the flowers don't look decorative enough, unless the ones in the picture are going over. Growth rate seems a little fast too, and as a bush it looks a little lean and 'staring'... like it needs a hard prune!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-11T13:17:08.360" LastActivityDate="2016-12-11T13:17:08.360" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30168" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5035" CreationDate="2016-12-11T19:06:50.890" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fava-bean-weevil is different than the other beans' wheevils.&#xA;Scientific names:&#xA;Broad bean weevil: Bruchus rufimanus&#xA;Cowpea weevil: Callosobruchus maculatus &#xA;Bean weevil: Acanthoscelides obtectus&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16366" LastActivityDate="2016-12-11T19:06:50.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30166" CreationDate="2016-12-12T02:10:34.963" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are fruiting/flowering plants that thrive in the shade but to make flowers and fruit you gotta have sun.  Blueberries for example will thrive in partial shade and have some flower/fruit.  In the sun, you'd get considerably more lush growth and berries from the same plants. Strawberries if they get a few hours of decent light per day might produce a few berries.  Less light means fewer flowers which means fewer pollinators and fewer fruits/nuts/seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the shade the plant can't support the extra vegetative growth as photosynthesis is hampered, the growth becomes thinner and larger trying to get enough sun to compensate.  Even if the plant is able to thrive in low light conditions it doesn't mean there is enough energy to make flowers and fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd focus on the sunniest, best soil to produce a garden.  The soil beneath large trees is chemically starved as the tree has sequestered the necessary chemicals within its own foliage and roots.  All forests and virgin environments exhibit this soil depletion. All the chemicals that need replenishing within the plant are all tied up in the plant material.  Until death of leaves, branches, fruit releases these chemicals back to the soil.  Only to be sucked up or utilized immediately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cultivated vegetable plants like tomatoes, peas, beans...might not produce a single fruit.  The soil beneath mature trees is thin, depleted as well combined with poor light, energy sources.  Piling soil on top of the surface of the soil beneath your tree will compromise your tree unnecessarily. You'd have to install weather proof grow lights.  You would have better luck growing vegetables in pots on a sunny porch!  And more fun...Plant leafy plants with leafy plants that need and do well with higher Nitrogen.  Grasses (orange sedge) mixed with Rainbow chard, Ipomoea (sweet potato vine) chartreuse and/or purple black, cabbages, kale! Butternut lettuce would be excellent as a beautiful grouping with similar needs (water, sun, fert).  Grouping and making sure the pots are similar make more space available in 3-D.  Another grouping type; blueberry shrub, strawberries, any color of potato (love more acidic soil)...see what I mean?    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-12T02:10:34.963" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30166" CreationDate="2016-12-12T05:02:24.543" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you check the area where you want to plant, you will be able to see what plants are already growing in these conditions, and that will inform you as to what sort of plants you might be able to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But generally, in low light conditions, you need to plant things for their edible leaves, and roots. And you'll need access to water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-12-18T20:57:55.437" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T20:57:55.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30172" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30162" CreationDate="2016-12-12T05:21:23.313" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a Siberian Lily to me (&lt;em&gt;Lilium pensylvanicum&lt;/em&gt;) &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/111310/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dave's Garden&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13742" LastActivityDate="2016-12-12T05:21:23.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30173" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30152" CreationDate="2016-12-12T05:26:03.710" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless you have a small variety of tomatoes, they're likely to be immature and will never ripen off the vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they're mature and still green, then they will ripen off the vine. Keep them in the dark covered with some newspaper to minimize the loss of ethylene, at a temperature of  68°F to 77°F. Outside this range the ripening slows down, or completely stops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once they're off the vine the sugar levels will not increase any further since the plant can not store any more sugars in the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.harvesttotable.com/2011/08/how_to_ripen_tomatoes_on_the_v/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.harvesttotable.com/2011/08/how_to_ripen_tomatoes_on_the_v/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-12-12T05:26:03.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30085" CreationDate="2016-12-12T06:10:41.597" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most accurate way to answer this question is to attend a local farmer's market. Talk to the greenhouse growers that grow the vegetables you want to grow, and get some idea of their productivity.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may or may not need artificial lighting if wanting to grow tomatoes in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Greens will still grow in winter, they just take longer when it's colder, and more likely you won't need to heat the greenhouse if just growing greens. However, some Asian greens tend to bolt if it gets too cold. You can keep them warmer then outside temperatures with another layer of plastic. See Elliot Coleman's book on the subject, the winter harvest handbook.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-12-12T06:10:41.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30175" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30057" CreationDate="2016-12-12T06:33:00.803" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm south of you so my climate is colder but the Asian greens I planted for winter all bolted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing that did well were the faba beans. The last winter was mild so they just kept growing, and I had pretty white flowers at the end of winter. I've also had a large harvest of broad beans from them though the wind took out many as I didn't have enough stakes to support them all, and they get pretty tall. I'm keeping some uneaten so I can plant again in autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-12-12T06:33:00.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30176" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30014" CreationDate="2016-12-12T07:17:05.670" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The air pot will prevent root circling, and should encourage radial root growth, so this will make root maintenance a lot easier for you. Taking the tree out for repotting will also be much easier as you can just undo the screws to remove it from the pot when you want to prune any dead roots, and replace the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This person has planted a noble fir in his &lt;a href=&quot;https://air-potgardener.com/2016/01/14/air-pot-xmas-tree/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;air-pot&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4LQUH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4LQUH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;conifer in air-pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-12-21T02:48:25.850" LastActivityDate="2016-12-21T02:48:25.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30177" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30179" CreationDate="2016-12-12T11:16:17.830" Score="-3" ViewCount="136" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does any kind, of any kind grow hydroponic?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is your opinion about the plant grow on Hydroponics?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can I move the plants I have on regular soil to Hydroponics safely?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What's your opinion about polyvinyl alcohol granules?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kind regards;&#xA;Chris&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16370" LastActivityDate="2016-12-12T22:57:27.953" Title="Transparent soil, regular soil and hydroponics" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ClosedDate="2016-12-13T02:33:52.747" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30179" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30177" CreationDate="2016-12-12T22:57:27.953" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can answer a few of your questions and definitely give you my opinions, grins!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NO you should not take plants grown in soil and grow them further hydroponically.  Roots grown in soil are different than roots grown in water.  Sort of like starting an Avocado seed in water then transferring it to soil.  Yes, it can be done but one avocado seed is easier than a whole garden of plants grown in soil then put in water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My opinion on hydroponics.  People say that plants grow faster and better, etc. I believe them. I know how to grow plants in soil.  Not hydroponically.  I like knowing I am doing the au natural thing plants understand and need.  I am a frickin' expert and I see hydroponics as mind numbing technology to grow plants in an unnatural way. This assumes we humans know plants well enough to recreate what they need, what their genetics expect and demand without once making a mistake.  On that subject, I KNOW us humans have a long ways to go to be able to KNOW plants and their needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One mistake the whole mess is a done deal and have to start over.  I love knowing that one mistake growing in soil won't kill the entire kit and kaboodle.  One plant in trouble gives me an indicator to save the rest.  Beginners such asI am assuming you are should stick with learning how to grow in soil before ever attempting to grow in OTHER than soil. I have used the artificial grow mediums and hated them.  There will be other answers from those who swear by hydroponics and have used hydroponics but I'll bet they all started with soil based first.  I don't see ever using hydroponics in my future.  I am of the club that humans are just stupid and arrogant, grins, to think we know how to grow plants better that the way they were designed.  Hey, hydroponics is a big deal and successful as well, but I haven't been impressed.  Growing hydroponically is a good 'stretch' for experienced gardeners but a disaster for newbies.  That is my opinion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Polyvinyl crystals I've seen used in soil are flat out dumb.  Automatic irrigation is better.  Best is manual watering that allows one to visually and tactically know what your plants need...if we don't understand how to grow plants in soil why the heck would we try to grow hydroponically?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have become proficient with growing in soil then it shall be a good experiment to grow hydroponically.  I give you my blessing and admiration.  I've read tons on this subject yet I am just not convinced enough to make a system that is completely reliant on mesef.  Good ole soil I understand.  And still the responsibility is huge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dealing with people (the bulk of our populations) who know nothing about plants, includes the idea that plants are like animals. For example; MOST people actually think fertilizer is food.  All the weird yummy sounding fish fertilizers, coffee grounds and other additives are mostly to assuage guilt and ignorance of plants.  Plants make their own food.  We are relegated to supply the chemicals we've stripped from our soils, to make subsoils into topsoils with the addition of decomposed organic matter and SMALL additions of macro NPK chemicals and micro chemicals (Boron, magnesium, molybdenum, sulfur, iron, calcium and MORE)  I say CHEMICALS instead of nutrients because dog gone it, people think of these chemicals as food.  And us humans think food is good.  The more the better.  Which is totally NOT TRUE and usually fatal with plants...sigh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you know how to grow plants in soil then have at it with hydroponics!!  If you understand the scientific language you'll be able to get a great start via the internet.  I am just saying, if you aren't prolific with plants in soil, you should start there first.  Become very knowledgeable with soil and plants.  You asked for opinions and that is mine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-12T22:57:27.953" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4533" CreationDate="2016-12-12T23:20:04.863" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;What a fun question.  I have a simple answer...NO.  Gees louise.  For drainage that ALL plants need (except for aquatics) you HAVE TO HAVE A DRAINAGE HOLE.  Terrariums work only if there are enough roots to suck up water, water is rarely added and very sparingly.  The terrarium is covered to inhibit evaporation and increase humidity.  The plants that survive a terrarium are either transitional aquatics or cactus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants (except for the specialized aquatics) need air in the soil.  The water displaces the air.  If there are enough roots the plants can suck up and transpire the excess water to encourage air pockets in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've gone through this perched water table thing made by us humans thinking that gravel, sand, pebbles, rocks provide drainage.  It is the furthest thing from the truth.  Soil with small pore spaces on top of rocks, gravel, sand, styrofoam peanuts with large pore spaces, the small pores of the soil have to become saturated before water even begins to move into the large pore spaces.  And THEN where does the water go?  Stagnant, breeding pond of scum that most plant roots hate and rot. Saturated soil has no AIR. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Herbs, NO WAY.  Sure you might get a bit at the beginning but it will be short short term.  Drainage, air are critical for most plant health to include herbs.  Got to have drainage and that means a hole at the bottom of the soil.  No rocks, gravel, chunky monkey anything beneath the soil. Soil and then hole at the bottom.  Raise the bottom of the pot off the surface with tiles, never allow plants to sit in water (we do that in intense heat and that is ok out of doors)...I hope this helps.  Growing plants in terrariums is one thing, growing herbs in half a terrarium is completely another.  DRAINAGE is critical. A dang hole is critical.  There are ways to drill holes in glass.  But why use bottles?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally.  I found an article JUST ON THIS SUBJECT.  Actually two; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.todayshomeowner.com/garden-myth-putting-gravel-in-pots-and-containers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;gravel beneath potting soil&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one is about how pots without gravel at the bottom deal with potential for perched water table, excellent article on pore spaces, air spaces, gravitational potential which is opposite matric potential &lt;a href=&quot;http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery-weeds/feature_articles/physical_properties/physical_properties.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;perched water tables in pots&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-12-13T21:34:56.260" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T21:34:56.260" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30182" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7493" CreationDate="2016-12-13T00:37:35.170" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is there to protect your backyard from flooding in case of heavy rains.  The ground must be sloped towards the drain so that all the water flows in that direction and goes out to the front of the house (on the street) or straight to the drain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T00:37:35.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30183" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-12T03:49:39.130" Score="1" ViewCount="31" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning to eradicate a stand of Japanese knotweed by injection of imazapyr. This bamboo-like plant develops a rhizome system far below the ground and the only way to kill it is allow it to absorb a herbicide into the rhizomes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is that there are two basic approaches. One approach is to cut off the stalks, then inject the herbicide into the resulting cup-like cavity. The other approach is to use a syringe to inject the herbicide into the stalk without cutting it first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which approach will be more effective in ensuring that the herbicide reaches the rhizomes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" OwnerDisplayName="Andre Lenotre" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2018-06-26T04:02:17.877" LastActivityDate="2018-06-26T04:02:17.877" Title="Procedure to ensure herbicide uptake in Japanese knotweed" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2016-12-13T06:34:37.693" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30184" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30189" CreationDate="2016-12-13T07:51:09.123" Score="8" ViewCount="131" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to grow Wasabi. My climate seems, according an old &lt;em&gt;Times World Atlas&lt;/em&gt;, very similar to the (central) Japanese one. But on documentaries I've seen on TV, it seems that Wasabi grows in wet to submerged conditions. This is my biggest problem, as in my garden I have no natural rivulet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is watering enough, and how should I do it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, which soil does wasabi prefer? And should I look for seeds or  roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2016-12-13T19:40:13.273" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T19:40:13.273" Title="How do I grow Wasabi?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30185" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30197" CreationDate="2016-12-13T14:44:21.993" Score="2" ViewCount="2803" Body="&lt;p&gt;About one year ago I started to grow different kind of trees from seeds. I always had the plan to create bonsai's out of them one day. But how old should they be before I plant them into a bonsai pot and start with the bonsai procedure(cutting unwanted branches, forming, etc.)? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not that related because my questions is kinda general, but here are some photos of my tree saplings:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JkNpv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JkNpv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fTRWv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fTRWv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16238" LastEditorUserId="16238" LastEditDate="2016-12-13T16:03:15.163" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T19:35:38.993" Title="When should I plant my tree saplings into a bonsai pot?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30186" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-13T14:54:44.003" Score="6" ViewCount="279" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this mini bonsai from home depot, but it didn't have a specific bonsai name, so I'm trying to guess what is this kind of bonsai?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9gi2k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9gi2k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the mini bonsai&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S2pP1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S2pP1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the mini bonsai&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16373" LastActivityDate="2017-05-10T16:30:06.190" Title="Help me identify this Mini Bonsai" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30187" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14005" CreationDate="2016-12-13T17:05:32.397" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seed does not require light to germinate,it only needs light when it is started to sprout. So even seed which is in the hole left by your pluger,may show growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16374" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T17:05:32.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30186" CreationDate="2016-12-13T17:28:17.727" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like Ficus benjamina, though its hard to be sure of scale in terms of size of the leaves from the photo - image and info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_benjamina&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_benjamina&lt;/a&gt;. Your plant doesn't look like a bonsai, it just looks like a Ficus benjamina that's lost some of its leaves, but instructions as to how to make a bonsai from this plant can be found here &lt;a href=&quot;http://guide.makebonsai.com/bonsai_species_guide_training.asp?SpeciesID=5018&quot;&gt;http://guide.makebonsai.com/bonsai_species_guide_training.asp?SpeciesID=5018&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is another, much smaller leaved version of this plant which is very similar, and would likely be more suitable for bonsai, and that is Ficus benjamina 'Too Little', image here so you can compare leaf size &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rareflora.com/ficusben2lil.htm&quot;&gt;https://www.rareflora.com/ficusben2lil.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-13T17:34:33.473" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T17:34:33.473" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30189" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30184" CreationDate="2016-12-13T19:21:43.293" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Contrary to what you often see, Wasabi can be grown in moist, but not submerged, soil. You'll do best starting with fresh, viable seeds. Here's  a few points on preferred conditions in soil growing (this does not all apply to hydroponic growing):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil&lt;/strong&gt; should be free draining, highly organic soft soil at least 10 inches deep. The soil should not compact easily, and while staying moist, it should drain well, to allow oxygen into the root zone. Aim for a pH of 6-6.5 (acidic)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fertilizer&lt;/strong&gt; is very useful. High nitrogen is good. I like 10-10-10, applied bimonthly in the waterings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Light&lt;/strong&gt; is where many people go wrong. These do not do well in bright lighting, If you have an area that gets no direct sun, great. Otherwise you have to create your own microenvironment (I used laths, spaced out over a frame, with a liht row cover stapled over the top, about 11' above the ground surface).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Temperature&lt;/strong&gt; should not go below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, or above 75 for prolonged periods. Again, this limits where the plant can be grown, because of the 24 month maturity. In my area, this is only feasible in a heated greenhouse. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Water&lt;/strong&gt; is time consuming unless you have an automated system. The soil, while it should not be waterlogged and muddy, can not begin to dry out, or the plants will stop growing and decline. The foliage needs to be misted regularly.  You can set up a mist sprinkler system, to run twice daily (or however often you find necessary). &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, about growing the plant itself. Remember these are extremely picky, don't feel like a failure if you take multiple attempts to reach your goal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Make sure your growing environment is ready to go&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;before&lt;/em&gt; you plant. Anything like a hoophouse, structure, or sprinkler system should be installed before you get the beds ready.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get the soil ready&lt;/strong&gt;. It should be fluffed up 10&quot; down or so. If you want, you can mix slow release fertilizer into this worked soil. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plant the seeds&lt;/strong&gt; just lightly covered in soil, and pressed, about 18&quot; apart (If you want to plant 2 per spot and thin them later, you may have a fuller bed).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Water them in&lt;/strong&gt; well. From this point on, the soil should not be allowed to begin to dry. But remember, this is not a hydroponic growing strategy, and the soil should not be allowed to become waterlogged, as that will deprive them of oxygen and increase likelihood of root infections such as phytophthora, which won't be treatable (I learned that the hard way). &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fertilize regularly&lt;/strong&gt;. I recommend using a soluble high-nitrogen fertilizer suitable for foliar feeding, applied twice monthly with waterings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maintain humidity&lt;/strong&gt; at all times. This is easier in a covered hoophouse. The moist soil will help, but it would be useful if the plants could be misted at least twice during the day. If you can set up your waterers to do this, that would help. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Control weeds&lt;/strong&gt; early. It's good to familiarize yourself with wasabi seedlings, and how they look, so that you don't destroy them while weeding. Weeds generally germinate much faster, and grow faster than wasabi, and need to be eliminated. This is a good opportunity for a careful soil cultivation, to keep the soil loose.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Harvest&lt;/strong&gt; comes after 24-36 months of healthy growth, when the rhizomes are about 8&quot; long. You may want to leave some plants in, to save seed. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please feel free to let me know if you want additional details, or expansion on any point. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T19:21:43.293" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28892" CreationDate="2016-12-13T20:05:42.223" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your plant is looking poorly in the summer, there are a few things to look at. They are a heavy feeder, unlike most herbs, and thrive off of a high nitrogen fertilizer. In a container, I would recommend feeding regularly, due to potting medium leaching. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also water the plant very well, keeping the soil moist. Every time the top inch or so of soil dries out, it's time to water gain. And the mix needs to drain well. Make sure that water can not sit in the bottom of the planter. If it's sitting in a deep saucer that collects water, that will harm the plant. They don't like wet feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lemon verbena drops leaves at about 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and goes dormant. You can overwinter it outdoors in USDA Hardiness zones 8 and up. In colder areas, wait until the plant goes dormant, and overwinter indoors, in a cool, dimly lit area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When harvesting, cut long stems, back to a healthy branch, or set of leaves. Keep the center thinned out, and long growth cut back. Proper and frequent harvesting promotes, bushier, healthy new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aside from that, keep an eye out for pests of any kind, and treat appropriately.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T20:05:42.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27512" CreationDate="2016-12-13T20:21:52.717" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your location would be helpful here, but it appears that whatever it was is after insects, etc, that are living in the decomposing mulch layer (not plants). If it's not rodents, it could be possums, coons, etc rooting through. It looks to me more like something rooting, rather than a rodent tunneling. The best way to stop this (in my experience), is to catch them in a live trap, and transport them to another location. I wouldn't worry about it so long as they aren't doing any damage to your plants. Also, it looks like pretty much all the turned up layer was decomposing mulch, so that shouldn't harm plant roots growing in the soil below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T20:21:52.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30192" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30193" CreationDate="2016-12-13T20:57:36.200" Score="10" ViewCount="921" Body="&lt;p&gt;People tell you that when you plant a tree, you should plant the root flare level with the soil line. And when mulching, that you shouldn't pile the mulch up over the root flare. What harm can be caused by doing these practices? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tree (Norway Spruce) with soil/mulch piled over the root flare:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0ygZD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0ygZD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tree (Norway Spruce) with root flare visible at soil level:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hOjhO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hOjhO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-12-13T22:03:36.993" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T22:17:11.433" Title="What's wrong with planting a tree deeper than the root flare, or mulching higher?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30193" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30192" CreationDate="2016-12-13T22:17:11.433" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Excellent question!  One of my favorites!  As I am on a walk or park in a parking lot with trees to find a tree buried too deeply I take the time to pull the soil and mulch AWAY from the bark.  I also pop those stupid wires used for staking the dang trees when it is safe for the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the deal; roots are made to be below the surface, bark is not!  Bark or the the epidermis of the trunk is not meant to be below the surface or covered by mulch, rock, soil or water.  It is designed to protect the vascular system; phloem/xylem and cambium of the tree.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If soil, mulch, plastic is against the bark, moisture is allowed to stay and bacteria/decomposers will get to work on the bark. Bark is dead organic material.  Anything that was once alive and then dies (even our epidermal cells of our body as they die they are sloughed off in bed, in clothes) are programmed to be DECOMPOSED into elements necessary for the micro macro organisms that are unable to use and recycle the same elements BEFORE decompostion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once these bacteria decompose the bark the bark is no longer able to do its job protecting the vascular system.  Once the vascular system has been compromised by the bacteria (making use of live material unprotected) to include the entire circumference, that tree is dead.  Slow death but sure.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've heard of girdling trees, Yes?  This is the SAME thing.  Those flared root tops have bark epidermis.  That epidermis once covered like you've done in the picture will eventually rot along with the vascular system right beneath.  That vascular system is a thin ring around the trunk and branches.  Take a branch with thinner bark and scratch it. That green just beneath is the tree's circulatory system.  Scratch the same spot and you've just cut through to the center wood which is basically dead, kept alive just for support. That is how THIN a huge tree's circulatory system is.  If you chainsaw through a tree you will see the chunky outer epidermis and bark, then the live vascular system and then you've got the rings.  The one you just scratched into below the green was last years vascular system.  If that thin green alive vascular system is subjected to bacteria because the epidermis is no longer dried by air, that part of the vascular system is no more. A tree can live quite a while if only chunks of the circumference of the live vascular system (green layer) were damaged.  If the entire circumference of this thin green system is compromised the entire tree will die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I go crazy driving around to see that my neighbors have created BERMS of soil burying the bottom of the trunk of trees up 4 or 5 '...took a year or two but they are D E A D.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My advice is to pull those timbers out away from the bottom of the tree and rake that mulch and soil back off of this 'flare'.  All trees and shrubs planted in a lawn should have a 'tree circle or a tree square'.  Larger than the wood frame you've made.  I'd go out at least 6 feet in radius.  No plants at all should be grown withing this ring or square.  Just a &lt;em&gt;thin&lt;/em&gt; layer of pea gravel or crushed gravel without landscape fabric is enough. Just not touching any of the tree and bark.  A little larger radius and you could make an informal patio with a chair or two.  Maintain the edge to stay crisp and defined with a flat edge shovel and do not go deep enough to cut roots.  Edging of lawns should be well defined using a shovel only, no brick or rocks.  Between gravel walks and lawn or planting beds 2X4 edging pt or plastic dimensional lumber is indicated (go gray, you don't want to have your edging as anything someone can remember)...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T22:17:11.433" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30194" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27512" CreationDate="2016-12-13T22:44:42.337" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This all depends on location of course.  This looks like squirrel gopher.  Larger than vole and shrews.  Usually the preferred food are grubs.  Occasionally they will eat roots, bulbs and tender plants as well.  If you don't have a big community of grubs.  Echnerwal's opinion to 'wait and see' is wise.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;J. Musser's live trap thingy is good...I like it but I have to say, when you remove a critter it only opens up a new niche in your environment for a few others to come and fight over it or fill it.  Tide goes out tide comes in.  Killing these survivalist species is just silly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been proven that once an environment is compromised with poison and traps somehow that is translated into larger litters, more babies per pregnancy.  The trick is to design and expect your garden to fit within the existing environment...a harmony.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These underground animals are wonderful in my opinion.  I don't mind 'feeding' them at all.  What they do for the aeration of your soil, top dressing of lawns and controlling other insects that without that control will become far worse on your plants than loosing a few to these wonderful, FREE, laborers.  A little raking and a few plants that die from root damage or root exposure or eaten is a small price to pay.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are Rodent Killing Killers Sites I've been harassing, mostly cause I inserted some common sense and the killers themselves became incensed and harassed me!  The internet is a wonderful thing...grins!!  I have never ever found it necessary to kill a mammal, even mice. Heck, most insects are welcome as they also control harmony. Remember, when you kill something you are opening a niche for more to come into your environment.  If you can learn about your new 'family' members you stand a chance to figure out a way to create harmony.  Humans are so arrogant.  We think if we kill a little shrew that will 'save' our gardens and make sure we are in charge.  Ha ha.  If we don't understand the system there is no way we are going to make things better by killing &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-13T22:44:42.337" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30195" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-14T00:01:03.513" Score="3" ViewCount="2371" Body="&lt;p&gt;This concerns dioecious plants.  Where a plant is either male OR female NOT both as in monecious a plant with both male and female parts for each plant.  I've read that just by tweaking the environment one can make a dioecious plant within the first few weeks to be one sex or the other!?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got some answers but I'd like to hear what others understand.  To change the sex of a plant or actually predispose the sex environmentally is a new idea for moi.  I don't care if it is Cannabis or other plant, I've got this incredible Encyclopedia of Cannabis, a gift, that has gone into details one rarely sees in plant books.  Most likely growers of dioecious plants understand this...amazing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-12-16T09:29:34.963" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T21:32:06.300" Title="How to ensure more female Cannabis plants from regular seed?" Tags="&lt;reproduction&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30196" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30207" CreationDate="2016-12-14T01:54:34.177" Score="4" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in USDA hardiness zone 9b, and just planted store bought cauliflower and broccoli.  This is the first time I am growing these (6 of each) in a raised bed and have no clue how to care for them for maximum results. I would appreciate a few simple steps from this group, in addition to watering (which is not necessary since it is raining)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T01:56:13.970" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T22:30:11.100" Title="How should I care for newly planted cauliflower and broccoli plants?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;&lt;cauliflower&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30185" CreationDate="2016-12-14T02:34:31.580" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, Mark, both of these are at perfect stages to begin.  Are you going to use a pot or dish, with or without drainage holes, do you know how to prune roots?  Shaping comes far later.  Right now you are establishing a tiny ecosystem that your involvement means life and death.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hate to say this but Bonsai is like a pet.  You do get attached and it is a bummer to kill your Bonsai.  You just don't want to reinvent the wheel designed by masters.  Have you looked into taking a hands on Bonsai class?  I do not know one single instance  where a human was able to successfully care for a Bonsai without a hands on class.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Between cultivating your babies and shaping trees is an entire universe of stuff that has to be understood and accomplished.  No one is lucky enough to just 'guess' and be lucky.  Green thumbs are never born.  You are at a perfect place to find a Bonsai Master's class.  The test is if you can keep your Bonsai alive.  Having lots of knowledge and experience with plants didn't prepare me for the constant attention it takes for Bonsai.  Sure teaches one to learn awareness of plants and their needs in a big hurry.  Both of your plants are at different ends of the Bonsai spectrum, beautiful.  The very best thing you could do is take a hand's on class in Bonsai!  No one answer will suffice or be responsible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-14T02:34:31.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30198" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30201" CreationDate="2016-12-14T11:43:24.630" Score="6" ViewCount="374" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just moved into this house and there are a few random potted plants left over from the previous tenants. I live in Perth, Western Australia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently gave this one some water since it didn't look dead and suddenly it had these shoots growing off of it. Then a couple of days later they bloomed into large white flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TBOGX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TBOGX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant with flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ckREy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ckREy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flower close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jL1NH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jL1NH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pre-flower shoot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16377" LastEditorUserId="16377" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T00:34:51.900" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T00:34:51.900" Title="What is this flowering succulent?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30199" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30205" CreationDate="2016-12-14T13:54:12.283" Score="5" ViewCount="93" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant - &lt;em&gt;Dracaena reflexa&lt;/em&gt; (Song of India)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Condition - One stem is budding while the other isn't. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/29820/help-my-song-of-indiadracaena-reflexa-plant-is-dying&quot;&gt;I Had to remove the top growth.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do: Cut the right stem completely off, or wait for some more time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Left stem with two buds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N9CYB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N9CYB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Right stem with no activity:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oA1Rs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oA1Rs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T01:40:13.283" Title="Should I wait more, or cut this useless stem?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30200" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-14T14:03:48.903" Score="8" ViewCount="4174" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this poop-like sand doing in my pot saucer/tray? I saw them today. I lifted the pot(Dracaena Reflexa [Song of India]) and couldn't find a bug or anything. So I thought maybe it's the sand falling from the pot holes, but they are too perfect and makes me wonder if it's really sand falling from the holes or a work of art. But if it is a work of art, then who is the artist?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I crushed some and found them to be sand. The plant is kept in home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Click to zoom&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GtgMx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GtgMx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-16T21:40:45.383" LastActivityDate="2018-08-18T09:17:58.337" Title="What or who is causing these small poop-like balls of soil below the pot?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30201" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30198" CreationDate="2016-12-14T20:50:33.417" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's an orchid cactus, Epiphyllum oxypetallum, also known as Night Blooming cactus - can be grown in a trailing fashion if given plenty of sun and little water, as a more upright plant given shade and more water. Not frost tolerant, needs temperatures above 40 deg F. Flowers should be fragrant, and only last one night, more info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://herselfshouseplants.com/orchid-cactus-epiphyllum-oxypetallum/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://herselfshouseplants.com/orchid-cactus-epiphyllum-oxypetallum/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-12-14T20:50:33.417" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30196" CreationDate="2016-12-14T21:36:27.183" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my personal experience, the most important thing is to get row cover or some other insect barrier over them before you are visited by the white cabbage butterfly, which maketh cabbage worms. Since these are vegetative rather than fruiting plants, you don't need to let bees in, and you will be well served keeping the butterflies out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had never grown them here before, I'm not terribly close to other gardens, and the bleeping things showed up in no time flat (I knew that I should be set up to cover, but the spring went to heck for reasons unrelated to gardening, which impacted the gardening - so I didn't get them covered.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T22:30:11.100" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T22:30:11.100" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30203" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-14T22:46:04.607" Score="11" ViewCount="661" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live in Minnesota, where it gets quite cold in the winter and the ground freezes well below the depth of the roses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a row of rose bushes which we inherited from the previous owners of our home. For the first two winters we have followed the instructions given us by the previous owner:  prune back to about 18&quot;, mound up dirt on each plant, encircle with chicken wire, fill chicken wire with straw (or with leaves and top with straw). We have not lost a bush yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions are:  Why does this work, and what parts are necessary?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not preventing them from freezing, since the ground freezes down pretty deep. And it's not protecting them from wind chill, since they are roses and not warm-blooded animals who would perceive wind chill.  (If the air temperature is -5, and the wind chill is -20, anything exposed to the air will tend toward -5 and not get any colder.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The portion of the plant that is beneath the ground or the mounded up dirt will certainly be below freezing, and well below freezing as the winter goes on. It will, however, be marginally warmer than the air temperature. If the ground is frozen down to about 3 ft, and the average air temperature is, say, 15 degrees, then the ground between the surface (15 degrees) and 36&quot; down (32 degrees) will be on a continuum between those two temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So does mounding up the dirt help to keep the plants slightly warmer than they would be without it (e.g. 20 degrees instead of 15)? If that is the case, I don't think the straw on top would contribute anything to this, or at least would be no better than snow piled on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is to reduce the temperature swings?  If so, are any temperature swings hard on the plants or only crossing the freeze/thaw line?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why does covering the roses work, and what parts are necessary?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16379" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T20:18:04.833" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T01:46:46.283" Title="Why should we cover rose plants in the winter?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;protection&gt;&lt;winter&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30203" CreationDate="2016-12-14T23:01:13.353" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the UK, where I live, none of this is necessary, so I've just been researching this subject. It seems that what you are doing, all parts of the procedure, are essential if you want your roses to survive undamaged through such hard winter weather. Primarily, mounding up is to protect the graft union, because if that gets damaged, the graft will fail; the loose litter protection added on top will help in protecting the buried stems from extra damage. Even if air temperatures are only -5 degrees, a wind chill factor of -20 degrees would actually dessicate, whiten and damage stems which are not adequately protected - plant stems can be just as vulnerable to wind chill and prone to damage in severe temperatures as any living thing would be were it not insulated in some fashion. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In fact, the method you've been using seems to be somewhat easier than the primary, trenching method recommended by the Minnesota Rose Society, and as it works (and follows the old and wise advice 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it') I wouldn't be changing any part of it if you want to keep your roses healthy. Their information is here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://minnesotarosesociety.org/winterizing-roses/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Winterizing Roses (Minnesota Rose Society)&lt;/a&gt;. Similar advice is given by the University of Illinois, describing the same methods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Further to your comments, I'd add that what you're doing when you protect your roses in this way is necessary because of where you live. The grafted part of the rose plant isn't something that will survive because of your cold winters, so if you want to grow plants like varieties of roses which would not naturally thrive on their own year round in your part of the world,  then taking the steps you describe to protect them is, I'm afraid, unavoidable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-16T01:46:46.283" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T01:46:46.283" CommentCount="18" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30199" CreationDate="2016-12-14T23:04:46.443" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are both stems part of the same root crown? If not, the one with no buds hasn't rotted yet. If this is one plant, I would wait until all green leaves the stem before I'd cut it. Often, plants don't grow symmetrically, and it's worth a shot to see if it's just slow. Of course, when the stem is completely dead, or the lower portion of it is, it's done for in that position and you can cut it off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The buds on the other stem look healthy and promising. They make me think that side is beginning ti root in. If you want, you can check the base of the other stem. If it's dry/dead at the bottom, you could remove the dead when cutting it off, then replant the remaining section (I see green) as a cutting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T01:27:07.150" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T01:27:07.150" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30199" CreationDate="2016-12-15T01:40:13.283" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on your desires.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you really want to have those 2 main stems, there is a tiny chance of survival and why seal its fate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't really care, then cut it. This should tell the plant it was right to ignore the one stem, and it will fire up activity for the remaining stem, which does look pretty healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16381" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T01:40:13.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30196" CreationDate="2016-12-15T01:54:15.960" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Other than preventing cabbage worms (&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30196/need-recommendations-on-caring-for-newly-planted-cauliflower-and-broccoli-plants/30202#30202&quot;&gt;see other answer&lt;/a&gt;), I'd focus on conditions. Cauliflower and broccoli both love nitrogen, more than is present in your average topsoil. They love freshly composted manure mixed into the soil they're growing in, but if that is not available, you can use a leaf vegetable/corn fertilizer at the three leaf stage, and then again when they're getting ready to head. Only water if it's necesary to do so (if the soil dries out). You don't want the plants to wilt. The faster and healthier they can grow, the better the crop will taste. Low water causes tougher, smaller, stronger flavored heads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutworms can be a problem for young plants, and I've found great success in prevention, when I sprinkle fresh wood ash generously around the plant bases. This will also add beneficial nutrients to the soil. I've had some, but less miraculous success using crushed egg shells in the same manner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A great way to prevent fungal diseases, to keep the plants clean for harvest, to keep all the weeds down, and to keep the soil constantly moist is to mulch heavily with grass clippings. I had enough to put a thick layer under my plants one year, and the top of the layer crusted over, but the soil stayed moist all season with no watering, and I didn't have to weed. I suppose chopped leaves could be used to the same effect, although they won't add nearly as much nitrogen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And a tip for cauliflower (If you weren't aware): to get the heads nice and white like you can buy in stores, they need to be blanched. Otherwise they will be grenish brown and much stronger. Watch the plant closely, and when it begins to develop a head, about the size of an egg, tie the top leaves together to block out the light (&lt;a href=&quot;http://maxpull.gdvuch3veo.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/cauliflower-blanching-400x533.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;example&lt;/a&gt;). Do this when the leaves are completely dry, as cauliflower are highly suceptible to fungus. In my opinion, broccoli is by far the more foolproof vegetable. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T01:54:15.960" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29189" CreationDate="2016-12-15T02:15:44.623" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our old Bartlett pear would occasionally bloom in the fall, here in zone 6b. It is generally caused by weather conditions tricking the mature dormant buds (for next season's growth) into breaking dormancy in the fall. Usually this doesn't hurt the tree health-wise, and can help you with fruit thinning the following year. The time in fall that they sometimes bloom coincides with the time in spring that they bloom, as far as day length is concerned. The other factors, such as temperature and moisture, have to fall into place at just the right time for this to happen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's more common on older trees, which grow for a short period in the spring (young trees often put growth on new shoots well into the season), because this wood has matured further and the buds are ripened and ready for the next season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T02:15:44.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30209" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29150" CreationDate="2016-12-15T02:25:36.657" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like too much sun - some damaged tissue but it shouldn't be fatal. Usually you need to harden plants off when moving them to different lighting (especially newly germinated plants). Also, the seedlings will outgrow those pots in no time. Be ready with bigger pots (or a spot in the ground if the weather's right). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On another note, watch that the soil isn't saturated. Saturated soil can germinate a tree seed, which can push a root, and then not take, and end up withering and dying after what looked like success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T02:25:36.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30210" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30214" CreationDate="2016-12-15T02:34:21.010" Score="5" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just received this beautiful Bonsai. But it didn't come with instructions on watering, or how much sunlight. I'm in New York and its freezing. I want to put it by the window because I get a lot of sunlight, but its cold by the window. Also the tree is very thorny and if you touch it. needles easily fall off. What should I be doing for this beauty?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vtjpC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vtjpC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Ttbs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Ttbs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8BCgN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8BCgN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T03:15:00.457" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T03:15:00.457" Title="What type of Bonsai is this, and how should I take care of it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30211" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29142" CreationDate="2016-12-15T02:34:48.520" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good thinking, saving a stem with a healthy keiki attached! The orchid will root from the base of the keiki, not from the stem. Cut off all the fuzzy parts of the stem, but try to leave just 2 inches or so on both sides of the keiki, and set it in a warm place until the cuts dry over (to prevent fungus). If you have hormone rooting powder + fungicide, this is a time to use it. Plant it in moist orchid mix (or moss) with the stem piece horizontal under the plant. Keep it in a humid, warm place with medium light, and water just enough to keep the mix from drying out (don'y let it dry out, though, or you could damage the rooting process. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T02:34:48.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30212" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29137" CreationDate="2016-12-15T02:49:25.317" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is caused by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/fegen/fixing-sour-fruit-problems.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;fruit souring&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruit souring in plants is a very common problem and appears frequently in citrus, figs and grapes. It’s caused by a variety of soil-borne yeasts that gain entry through the skins of ripening fruits, where they feed, resulting in the fruit’s fermentation. Wounds may be so small that they’re difficult to see with the naked eye, but soon water-soaked spots appear and spread across the infected fruit’s surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the yeasts work through affected fruit, they break down the tissues, which become slimy or almost completely liquid and ooze from the skin. Gas bubbles may erupt from broken areas in the fruit’s surface and a white to cream colored layer of mycelium often appears. Affected fruits may change colors, but this color change is heavily dependent on species and variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You cannot save fruit once the rot has begun, but you can take steps to prevent it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Avoid letting soil splash up into the plant. Organic mulch will help immensely. Prune off low hanging branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Avoid damage to ripening fruit. Handle lightly, and control pests that will damage the fruit skin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thin the fruit to avoid touching/rubbing. (I had fruit souring in my grapes one year - this is not applicable there).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prune the plant if necesary the thin the center and improve circulation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you see one fruit beginning to sour, remove it and any adjacent fruit. If you just had a recent infection, remove any fruit that shows skin damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T02:49:25.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30213" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29081" CreationDate="2016-12-15T02:59:15.753" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to remove the flowers (to boost yield), all you need is to get them before the buds open. You can use whatever you want (I used scissors last time if I remember correctly). I suppose you could pinch/twist them off by hand if they are young, as long as you don't break a main stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T20:05:13.533" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T20:05:13.533" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30214" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30210" CreationDate="2016-12-15T03:12:56.763" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Before anything else, if you really want to keep a bonsai alive, I highly, highly recommend you invest in a good book on bonsai care. Something you can reference any time to help you get a feel for the plant's needs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a Juniper. These can be kept as bonsai for 100's of years. It's winter, and the plant is dormant. It needs cool temperatures (45 Fahrenheit would be great). Water only when the top of the soil is dry, and only enough to dampen it again. Don't fertilize until the tree breaks dormancy. Light is good, especially filtered sunlight. As an evergreen, these need light even while dormant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm concerned about how you mentioned the needles easily falling off. This can mean the tree is dead (even if it's not brown). Hopefully it was only older needles that were falling off, which is normal and happens yearly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, please consider getting yourself a good guide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T03:12:56.763" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30215" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28955" CreationDate="2016-12-15T03:41:13.840" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sure you worked it out, but yes, if the stems were alive, and the fruits were not damaged, the vines should leaf out again, and the fruit ripen. Thinning the fruit some, and cutting back the vine ends can make this less of a burden on the root system (enabling a faster flush).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And yes, some frost tender veggies are more frost tender than others. If the dew is frosted (which doesn't rupture the softer inner cell walls), then like you mentioned, you can save the plants by melting them off with cool water. If the plants are frozen hard, they'll probably die. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T03:41:13.840" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28926" CreationDate="2016-12-15T03:48:18.137" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are no cases I can find that squash bugs feed on anything in the Nightshade family (such as a pepper). It's unusual for groups of them to congregate on any plant other than a food host, so I don't know what was going on there, but they wouldn't be eating the pepper. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few bugs here and there throughout the vicinity (on adjacent plants) in normal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T03:48:18.137" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24934" CreationDate="2016-12-15T04:07:39.070" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Short question, short answer. Peanuts when harvested and stored properly can retain viability up to 3 years frozen, 1 year at room temperature. Longer viability correlates with low moisture content, as well. The viability will be enhanced if the seeds are stored in the pods, or treated with fungicide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For further reading, check out &lt;a href=&quot;https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/peanut.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; from Purdue (specifically item J, under category V.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T04:07:39.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30218" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30056" CreationDate="2016-12-15T12:04:30.603" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see you've &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30056/what-variety-of-euphorbia-is-this#comment38707_30067&quot;&gt;found the answer&lt;/a&gt;, good Job! This is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-80083&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Euphorbia heterochroma&lt;/em&gt; subsp. &lt;em&gt;heterochroma&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. See comparison picture below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/guQPv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/guQPv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T12:04:30.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30219" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30131" CreationDate="2016-12-15T12:08:57.500" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;After the leaves turn yellow and die, don't water the potted plant for a few months, 2 or 3 maybe. When you start watering again, you'll notice it will grow a lot of flower buds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T12:08:57.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30220" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30222" CreationDate="2016-12-15T13:28:56.833" Score="8" ViewCount="264" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have these succulents and I don't know their name. The big one on the left is Haworthia attenuata, but the small ones are a mystery to me. Usually their leaves are curved upwards, but now are downwards because of the lack of light. I think they might be a species of Sempervivum, although I don't know which one.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dc2Tx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dc2Tx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below are the upper leaves of Haworthia&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9wSyA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9wSyA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-16T21:49:55.117" LastActivityDate="2019-06-22T08:59:23.963" Title="Are these succulent plants Sempervivum?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30221" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29478" CreationDate="2016-12-15T13:54:22.210" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you ever thought of planting some sort of climbing rose or ivy at the base of the pile? This would add beauty and also provide shade to the pile which would speed decomposition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16383" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T13:54:22.210" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30222" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30220" CreationDate="2016-12-15T14:28:22.507" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This would appear to be &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sempervivum_tectorum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sempervivum tectorum&lt;/em&gt; (common houseleek)&lt;/a&gt;. That is an arrangement of matured rosettes, and not the natural growth habit of the plant. Another name for it is hens and chicks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8AZWc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8AZWc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-15T14:35:34.480" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T14:35:34.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30155" CreationDate="2016-12-15T20:26:45.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;From my experience with cacti it is usually too much water, especially if watering in the Winter.  If caught in time the plant may survive.  The temperature would need to drop below freezing to cause this problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16360" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T20:26:45.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29825" CreationDate="2016-12-15T20:46:51.027" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;strong&gt;Canary mountain figwort (Scrophularia glabrata)&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Scrophularia_glabrata#&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikimedia&lt;/a&gt; has some photos for comparison, but I found a very nice one &lt;a href=&quot;https://tenerifenaturewalks.wordpress.com/tag/scrophularia-glabrata/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V3CNE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V3CNE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compare the leaves and seed heads to those in your photo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.webtenerife.co.uk/what-see/teide-national-park/flora+del+teide.htm#prettyPhoto&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tenerife Tourism Corporation&lt;/a&gt; it's one if the top ten plants in the Teide National Park.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T20:46:51.027" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30225" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30233" CreationDate="2016-12-15T23:21:39.140" Score="4" ViewCount="1464" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently planted a potato in my cubicle at work (don't ask why, long story) in a pot that is much too small for the potato. The soil that I used was completely bone dry, it had been sitting in a coworker's cubicle for years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I watered it about twice a day for the first week, and once a day since then just to try to get all the soil wet (it's been planted for about a week and a half now). Since the pot is transparent, I can see that roots have already reached the edge of the pot and through the bottom. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to avoid repotting it too soon in case the ball of soil falls apart when I lift it out of the pot. How long should I wait to repot it, and should I not water it for a while before repotting it so the ball of soil is more likely to stick together?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11253" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-16T01:22:38.780" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T01:22:38.780" Title="When should I repot a newly planted potato?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30226" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28912" CreationDate="2016-12-15T23:33:24.860" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to tell, without a picture, but indoors, I'd suspect fungal rather than bacterial infection (because of the drier foliage conditions). Look for pests under the leaves, which would be sucking juices. If there are none, it's likely a fungus. Try removing affected growth and treating regrowth appropriately, if symptoms reappear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On another note, this herb loves the outdoors, so if it's not too hot (below 85) and it's not freezing at night, I'd try to find a way to get that thing outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T23:33:24.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30227" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28889" CreationDate="2016-12-15T23:51:53.463" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are a bit tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, and get a feel for them, they can save you tons of time. It's not super easy to understand from a step by step guide, but I'll try. Once you do it, it becomes fairly simple (like riding a bike).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Look for tabs on either side of the head. If there are tabs, push both in while pulling away, the take the cap off the head. If there are no tabs, it's a screw on cap. Take the head in both hands, and hold the base still while you turn the cap the opposite direction from how you reel in string.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once the cap is off, lift the spool straight up and out of the head. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Completely unravel the string. Then center the spool in the middle of the string.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;feed each end of the string though their dispenser holes in the head, and pull it through. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place the spool back inside the head, and pull any loose string out of the head. Pull both ends together to make sure it's still even.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Push the cap back on until it clicks, or screw it back on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hold the base of the head steady and wind the feeder to coil the string back up. This time, stop before the string is pulled inside the heads. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-15T23:51:53.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30228" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28856" CreationDate="2016-12-16T00:01:11.357" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Give them at least 18&quot; of space between crowns and you will be fine. It's root crowding that can harm yields, not really top growth crowding. If the stems grow close enough to touch adjacent plants it's a good thing, as it protects the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know about 2 crops in a year. In my area they take too long to mature. While you may end up with somewhat more yield/area in a year, you are also using twice as many starts. You could give it a shot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T00:01:11.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30229" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30203" CreationDate="2016-12-16T00:02:01.733" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The rule for plants' vulnerable parts, from most vulnerable to least are; Deciduous leaves then roots then stems of woody perennials. It is the reason most deciduous plants living with real winters survive because they seasonally drop their leaves before winter. There are a few smart conifers such as Larch that shed their needles. This expands their territory to be able to survive where others can not. Not everybody or every plant can live in the tropics. The roots are very vulnerable and for that reason, plants in pots in freezing weather have a low chance to survive. The roots are exposed to the cold. Roots beneath the garden soil are protected even if the soil freezes (the water in the soil) because a large body of soil can regulate the temperatures and keep them fairly even,stable. Freeze damage happens when plant material thaws too quickly. The extra mulch protects that graft union and the roots. The grafted plant below the surface is usually a hardier variety of rose with a less hardy one above. Stems can survive and like J.Musser said just wait until spring to do any pruning or clean up of plant material. What does freeze above ground adds to the protection of the roots and vulnerable grafts. Snow cover is..a very good thing. Snow insulates. So if you leave the stems, old leaves they help form air pockets under the snow. Decomposition never stops, slows yes, but the decomposition process in the soil and mulch adds heat to the equation. If you are having solid soil freezing temperatures with no snow, that might kill a few plants, roots and all. Mulching your beds in the fall will ensure almost all plants will thrive. Covering the bottoms of your roses is really all one needs to do. Wrapping your plants with christmas lights and burlap would really be a bit over the top but will increase chances of success.  Spring, learn how to prune roses correctly with bypass pruners, not anvil. Clean pruners with alcohol and pull that mound of mulch/soil &lt;strong&gt;away from the bottom&lt;/strong&gt; of your roses for the season.  In fall, cover them up again.  If any of your stems die down to the graft, killing the upper plant, you'll get growth from the part of the graft below of the hardier rose stock.  I've lived in dastardly cold places and only fragile, older roses have died.  I now live in the most dastardly cold place for plants except for Antarctica right now, grins.  I actually have blue berry shrubs that have made it 4 years!  A little tough with pollinators and flower timing but they are still alive.  No grafts but still...plants are far hardier than we think.  Just remember to pull the mulch and soil away from the base of your roses in the spring, rake the pile off to a pile nearby that you can use again.  Don't leave thick piles of mulch on the rose bed as that will inhibit water and air getting to the roots during their growing season.  Great question!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T00:02:01.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30230" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28773" CreationDate="2016-12-16T00:15:11.273" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant heals as a whole. If your overwatering caused any root rot, and the plant recovers, It will usually wither somewhat at the initial damage, and perhaps lose some growth on the extremities, but then perk up and begin growing again. Not usually accompanies with a change of color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there was no rot, and the only damage was through oxygen deprivation (which also stops the microorganisms which are making nutrient exchanges with the plant) growth will slow down, and you are likely to have a less concentrated chlorophyll (which is why colors like purple or red sometimes show). This slows growth way down, and in extreme cases the plant can die. That is only caused by nutrient deprivation and will stop as soon as the soil dries enough to become active. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T00:15:11.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30231" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27569" CreationDate="2016-12-16T00:24:33.637" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That should be just fine in the off season (when you aren't growing anything), so long as you're aware of the grass' growth stages. You might not want wild grasses going to seed in your beds, or they may germinate there throughout the next season and create extra work. I'd get them cut before they go to seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if it's a runner/stolon spreading perennial grass, such as Bermudagrass, I'd keep it away from the beds completely. They are often very competitive growers and will be a constant pain when you're trying to grow a crop. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And it's generally a poor idea to grow covers under a crop plant, as they will lower your yield. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T00:24:33.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30232" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30236" CreationDate="2016-12-16T00:41:21.813" Score="7" ViewCount="5681" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aside from breakage, does wind in freezing weather damage plants? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In hot weather, wind causes faster evaporation and can kill a plant by drying it out that way. How can air movement damage plant tissue at below freezing temperatures?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-17T20:35:28.693" Title="Does wind chill affect plants?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;&lt;wind-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30233" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30225" CreationDate="2016-12-16T00:51:37.903" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Planting a potato in a pot is one of the only instances I know for planting a newbie plant in a big pot. You need a larger pot, 3 minimum and 5 gallon maximum.  What size of pot are you using?  I am amazed with twice a day watering it is still fine.  You could dig down and take a peek to see if your potato start has become slimy or mushy.  I'd get your potato, soil and all plunked into a 5 gallon pot...USE POTTING SOIL.  Do not use garden soil. Most potting soils are fairly acidic, which potatoes need. Don't get me going on garden soil being used in pots.  Lots of other answers on this site you should read about that subject.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I love the transparent pot thing.  Is there a drainage hole?  Easy to transplant.  Just keep your hand over the top of the soil and turn upside down. Wack it on the sides or bottom smartly and it should just fall out.  Put it in its new pot that you've put POTTING SOIL on the sides and bottom (and firmed that soil)to allow your rootball easily placed.  You HAVE to have at least 1=2&quot; below the rim for watering.  Do not water unless that soil is dry at least an inch below the surface.  The soil should be moist, never wet all the way to the bottom of the pot. Then allow to dry before watering again.  Throw out any schedule you might have. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there is a mass of roots go ahead and 'fruff' them up, loosening them from the 'mass'.  Make sure the soil (moisten first) in the new pot is firmly compacted (not concrete firmly) beneath and on the sides of your pot.  Add soil and gently but firmly press to get (large)air pockets out of the soil and tuck your potato in its new bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a perfect situation to try growing potatoes vertically. A 5 gallon pot will allow quite a few potatoes but growing vertically you'll get bigger ones.  All you need to blow your office mates away is a couple hand sized potatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To grow vertically, get a wire cage, even a tomato cage will work fine. When you finally get 8&quot; of green top growth, start piling in straw around the green plant so that only 4&quot; of leaves are exposed.  When the plant gets 4&quot; higher, add more straw.  Keep going.  The potatoes will grow in the soil and the straw. Get some burlap to line the inside of your cage as you add straw.  Don't do the entire cage all at first. Lift the pot off the floor with tiles so that the drainage hole has lots of air below.  NO gravel or rocks beneath the soil above the drain hole just potting soil.  That soil HAS to be sterilized, purchased potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a tray beneath to collect drainage and bits of soil. Soil coming out of the bottom will stop by the second watering. Water the straw lightly, and focus on watering the soil.  Do not water until straw and soil are dryish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potatoes need light.  The photosynthetic leaves FEED the roots and their other storage units (potatoes).  Luckily they don't need as much light as do tomatoes or other vegetables.  Use a 'balanced' fertilizer such as Osmocote 14-14-14.  Keep that first number equal or less than the second two numbers and DO NOT over fertilize.  Osmocote you can get by with 2 applications during the entire growth season.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When your plant flowers, shortly afterwards the tops will die.  This is normal for potatoes.  Go ahead and poke around in the straw and soil for new potatoes.  Eat whatever you can find EXCEPT...Do not eat any GREENED potatoes. This means a potato has seen the 'light', the skin starts to photosynthesize and is quite toxic.  It is after all in the same family with Nightshade (Solanaceae), tomatoes, peppers...if you see a potato peeking out cover it with more straw. Turn your pot every day.  Hope your seed potato doesn't rot.  They do so don't stress.  Try again...?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T00:51:37.903" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30232" CreationDate="2016-12-16T01:20:12.883" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not neccessarily - in fact often the opposite.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wind Chill only affects us because we need to keep our bodies at a temperature of about 37 degrees centigrade - without a &quot;core temperature&quot; above ambient temperature, wind chill is irrelevant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In fact, when it comes to plants, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.towandblow.co.nz/frost_protection_fans_faq/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;air movement often helps plants&lt;/a&gt; and is used commercially for frost protection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I expect that if the air being blown over plants is cooler then the plants, it will cause the plants to release their heat energy to the air, thus becoming cooler, in a similar (but not as dramatic) way as wind chill on a persons skin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T01:20:12.883" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30235" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30232" CreationDate="2016-12-16T01:21:23.790" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wind chill blows away heat and moisture from a living tissue and in the process lowers the temperature of that tissue. The deciduous plants lose their most vulnerable parts, the leave. Conifers have tough leaves but wind chill could still damage their leaves.  Heat is produced in the soil by decomposers working away all year long.  Not so much in the the cold but still happening. Now if one keeps something moist with enough nitrogen big piles will steam all winter long.  Decomposition produces heat.  Maybe just enough to protect roots.  Stems and trunks are the toughest, most protected part of woody perennials. The dead leaves of deciduous plants and perennials...helps to buoy up the snow forming pockets to hold the heat from decomposition.  The dead leaves and other plant material also add heat because it was once alive, it is now dead and even in the cold will start decomposing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wind sucks! the accumulated heat away from the activity of decomposers.  If there is a nice blanket of snow this snow helps to retain the heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When stems get frozen, and they will, if there is a sunny day, the side of the stem or trunk that gets the radiant heat from the sun will warm up too quickly and the the plant cells burst.  Causing white on one side or winter damage on the sunny side of orchard trees, for example.  This is the reason people paint the south side of orchard trees white to reflect the radiant heat and slow the thawing process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants in dormancy do not need water. The plant has prepared for the winter, storing food, leaving tiny bits of vascular system feeding only the most important parts for survival. There is little that wind chill can compromise; no leaves, roots are protected and there is little transpiration happening in the stems so moisture loss is just not a worry.  If the plant was not able to get enough food storage and proper hydration before dormancy, there is nothing one can do. Drastic wind movement will kill any plant material.  Never transfer a plant in the bed of a truck without 'shade' cloth to slow the wind.  Never use a regular solid plastic tarp.  It will beat a plant's leaves even worse than the wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wind chill can lower the ambient temperatures from above freezing to below freezing.  It doesn't matter if it isn't below freezing.  If temperatures are up into the proper temperatures for plants then you get proper temperatures for fungus.  Moving air is the best prevention in this case.  If temperatures get up above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, moving air lowers the ambient temperature and removes the newly produced O2 allowing CO2 to move in for use in the the production of food.  90 degrees plants start shutting down operations.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using moving air during a freeze will simply slow the thawing process and will help save some frozen plant cells from bursting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-12-16T03:09:43.673" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T03:09:43.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30236" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30232" CreationDate="2016-12-16T01:23:28.547" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general, wind chill on its own isn't an issue for hardy plants; however, wind chill combined with below freezing temperatures may cause problems in a few hardy plant stems and leaves. Air in winter (in colder regions) is already pretty dry, and that reduces the amount of fluid in soil and in plant stems; if there's a strong wind chill added on top, then dessication can occur on stems, causing damage to the cells which generally looks like whitened, shredded or fissured areas. Should this extreme wind chill damage occur, it isn't enough to kill a hardy plant, and will only happen on certain plants which may be growing in an area or region where the climate isn't quite what they're adapted for (grafted roses in Minnesota, for instance), or where the winter weather is much worse than would normally be expected. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-16T14:06:05.947" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T14:06:05.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30237" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-16T01:49:20.983" Score="7" ViewCount="880" Body="&lt;p&gt;I understand that gardeners used to wrap trees in Christmas lights to provide frost protection as incandescent lights gave off quite a bit of heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try as I might, I've been unable to find any outdoor rated incandescent Christmas lights (that will work at 220/240 volts), thanks to the shift to LED's. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any tricks or alternatives to Christmas lights, to provide (active) heating for avocado trees where frost-cloth does not cut quite cut it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-20T17:54:36.747" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T17:54:36.747" Title="What's a good alternative to Incandescent Christmas lights for frost protection?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;frost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28670" CreationDate="2016-12-16T04:42:15.557" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The slow decay of organic matter in your potting soil is likely producing &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.watersystemscouncil.org/download/wellcare_information_sheets/potential_groundwater_contaminant_information_sheets/96111501_Tannins.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;tannins&lt;/a&gt;: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Tannins are a natural organic material that can be the byproducts of nature’s fermentation &#xA;  process, be created as water passes through peaty soil and decaying vegetation. This can cause water to have a faint yellow to tea-like color, &#xA;  and can cause yellow staining on fabrics, fixtures, &#xA;  china and laundry.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  Tannins may give a tangy or tart aftertaste to &#xA;  water. They may also cause water to have a &#xA;  musty or earthy odor.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chemically, the word tannins refers to &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tannin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a diverse lot of different polymers of plant breakdown&lt;/a&gt; products. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is tannic acid:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mf6MM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mf6MM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tannic acid from Wikipedia&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's just a start though as tannins comprise a wide range of compounds with molar masses ranging from 500 to 20,000 plus. Most include poyphenols. The unifying factors in the group are an astringent flavor and the ability to precipitate proteins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oaks and pine trees are major producers of tannins, non-oak dicots, not so much (ref 2).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The yellow stuff coming from your Dracena Reflexa pot is likely just normal breakdown products of peat or sphagnum moss in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastEditorUserId="14009" LastEditDate="2016-12-16T06:19:29.033" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T06:19:29.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30239" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30232" CreationDate="2016-12-16T07:41:54.113" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;It depends&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stems, trunks, branches are usually not affected, they are not humid, so no significant heat loss or humid loss. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For leaves I'm less sure. Winds remove humidity (as written by Bamboo, additionally alpine and nival plants have often hairs or they are much coriaceous or with specialised timing opening the stomas). Low temperatures will froze some liquids in leaves (depending of chemistry of plant, some are more reliant than other on low temperatures).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But there is nearly no combined effect, so &quot;will chill&quot;. Plants don't heat themselves, so there is no combined effect about spending more energy for heating because cold temperature and wind. After a night outside, the leaves reach anyway the air temperature, so plants don't feel lower temperature because of wind. But there could be some more evaporation, but this is because of wind, not because of cold wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[Note: Contrary of the other people who answered this question, I'm much more used on humid cold (read: fog) and eventually hoarfrost also on high branches of tree]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T07:41:54.113" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30240" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28879" CreationDate="2016-12-16T09:04:58.870" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Once the grass does get established, I don't think purslane will germinate there anymore (unless you remove your lawn some day, since the seeds can last a long time). I would just pull them meticulously for now (or hire someone else to do it). It's a whole lot easier when the weeds are tiny, though. They can grow back fast (like the next day fast) when they're older if you don't get all the roots. Pulling may be an everyday task for a good long time, though. If you can you put more grass seed down in patches the purslane was in, after it's gone, that might work out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T09:04:58.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30241" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-16T22:43:15.707" Score="5" ViewCount="277" Body="&lt;p&gt;In our front yard was an old, huge, and beautiful red maple tree approximately 150 years old.  The crown was in great shape, the tree was in full bud recently and in full leaf this past summer/fall.  However, the trunk near the base had some decay.  One side of the tree in upper branches was not in bud, and had dropped a couple of branches.  Unfortunately this tree was planted when there was no road in the 1860s, and now it was very close to the road, and our house.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Our town deemed it necessary to remove based on the trunk and dropped branches. They took it down a day ago.  I'm still struggling with the loss of our beautiful tree.  The base of the trunk, when cut, had a rotted center probably about up to four feet in height.  From that point the wood was solid.  Any thoughts based on the condition for removal?  I know the integrity of the trunk is important for the weight of the branches. The height and spread of the crown was enormous - likely 90-100 feet tall.  Thank you for any input! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16386" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2016-12-16T23:30:18.847" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T23:30:18.847" Title="Was removal of an old red maple tree warranted?" Tags="&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30242" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30241" CreationDate="2016-12-16T22:50:42.957" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its removal was definitely warranted, so don't lay awake worrying about it. A tree that size, left to carry on rotting quietly from the bottom up, would one day soon have fallen and been the equivalent of a missile - if it landed on a car or a passer by or a building, the consequences would have been dire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's unfortunate, but everything has a finite life span, so maybe you could consider what you'd like to plant instead - every lost plant is an opportunity for new planting, and life goes on. In the end, the old always has to give way to the new, one way or another, it's just the cycle of life I'm afraid. I know how you feel though - a 600 year old Oak at my parent in law's house got uprooted and destroyed in the (incredibly rare for the UK) hurricane we had back in the eighties, and we all missed it enormously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-16T23:04:02.640" LastActivityDate="2016-12-16T23:04:02.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30243" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30244" CreationDate="2016-12-17T03:51:13.683" Score="7" ViewCount="2349" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an old oak tree (probably at least as old as the house, 1978) in my North Texas front yard. It appears to be pretty healthy. There aren't many dead branches on it each year, and it produces enormous quantities of acorns each fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the tree splits 4 ways at the base, and detritus collects in the middle. There are always ants living down there, and mushrooms when it is damp. Yesterday I was poking the detritus away with a stick and it felt like I accidentally poked right through to soil under the tree. This concerns me since 2 of the 4 &quot;trunks&quot; lean over the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I care for this tree? Do I need to be concerned it will all on the house during a Texas thunderstorm or an ice storm?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rxCtQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rxCtQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oNUdC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oNUdC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;base of tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3473" LastActivityDate="2016-12-17T23:46:06.370" Title="How to care for a tree with a rotting crotch at ground level?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;rot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30243" CreationDate="2016-12-17T07:49:21.850" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your tree looks very healthy.  The depression between the trunks looks amazingly clean and dry!  Keep on doing what you are doing because it is working.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see that your neighbor to the west has an even larger tree.  Have you talked with your neighbors/friends who have these mature oaks next to their home what they have done and how often these trees break big limbs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The good thing about oaks is they have tough wood and branches are more horizontally attached.  A larger angle is stronger than narrower angles of branches to trunks. These trees are the best to have if you've got large trees planted close to your home.  They don't break easily.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The information I need to know would be 'what is the usual direction of the wind'?  If it is from the south, I would not worry at all.  Still, for insurance purposes call the closest Cooperative Extension Service and get a reference for a bona fide arborist (check their licenses and certifications).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They'll look at the health of your tree, recommend certain branches to be removed or none, discuss getting a soil sample tested to see what chemicals/fertilizers are deficient/in excess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some homeowner's insurance policies might have stipulations such as requiring large trees near the home to be diagnosed by an Arborist before they will insure the home for tree damage.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Upon a bit more circumspection of that girdling root, you should saw that off 1/2 inch from where it is connected to the trunk.  Saw the other end off at the surface of the soil and remove this root/branch away from the bark of this tree.  Where it is touching it is causing moisture to stay way too long and bacteria will eventually ruin that part of that trunk's vascular system.  The arborist will be able to verify this necessary surgery, I am sure.  I am sorry, I thought I had addressed this great example of a 'girdling root' allowed to continue growing.  I am keeping this picture for visual aids...!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-12-17T23:46:06.370" LastActivityDate="2016-12-17T23:46:06.370" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30245" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30247" CreationDate="2016-12-17T20:04:41.653" Score="6" ViewCount="140" Body="&lt;p&gt;I took this picture of a fruit when visiting an arboretum in zone 6b. I remember the guide talking about an invasive species, but I can't remember if it was related to the fruit or if it was about some other tree.&#xA;I have used Google images to find the name of the tree, but it didn't work.&#xA;I have the option of waiting until next november to make another visit and to ask the guide, but I hope it won't be the case.&#xA;The location of this is &lt;a href=&quot;http://tinyurl.com/hxyzgul&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Parcul Dendrologic, Simeria Romania&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xp9BH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xp9BH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-12-18T13:21:23.430" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T13:21:23.430" Title="Identifying the fruit or the seed of a tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30246" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30232" CreationDate="2016-12-17T20:35:28.693" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to address this question from a physicist's point of view - sorry this is a bit long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First important thing: heat moves from warm to cold; and the greater the temperature difference, the faster heat moves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wind chill is used to describe &quot;feels like&quot; temperatures - recognizing that when a wind blows, the air &quot;feels&quot; colder. Here is what is actually going on:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Objects lose heat through a number of mechanisms:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;conduction: touch something cold, and you lose heat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;convection: blow cold air over something, and it loses heat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;evaporation: when liquid evaporates from a surface, it &quot;takes heat with it&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;radiation: you are familiar with the heat coming from a glowing fire - but even at room temperature and below, you lose &quot;some&quot; heat through radiation to the surroundings&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In all these cases, heat moves from a hotter body to a colder body. Now when a body generates heat (like humans and other mammals), the rate at which you generate and lose heat must balance. We can sweat when we are hot (increase evaporation) or shiver when we are cold (increase heat production). &#xA;How efficient these mechanisms are depends on several things. Convection and evaporation depend strongly on air flow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When there is no wind, you will (slightly) warm up the air around you which then acts as a &quot;blanket&quot;. Wind keeps replacing the warm air with cooler air, meaning you lose heat more quickly (because heat loss is proportional to the temperature difference). Wind chill is used to describe how this &quot;heat stripping&quot; affects warm bodies more strongly when the wind is stronger. It's not that an object will cool below ambient temperature due to the wind - just that it will lose heat more quickly. This is important for mammals who try to stay warm: if you lose heat faster than you can make it, you will eventually succumb to hypothermia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For evaporation, the situation is a bit more complex still. Evaporating water actually &quot;draws heat&quot; from the surface. This is because not all molecules move at the same speed - and it's the fastest molecules that have the best chance of escaping. When the smartest person leaves the room, the average IQ in the room goes down a bit; when the hottest molecule in the liquid leaves, the rest of the liquid becomes a little bit colder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This effect is more significant when the relative humidity in the air is low, because once relative humidity reaches 100%, moving the air around doesn't expose the surface to &quot;drier&quot; air. However, since the saturated vapor pressure of water drops very quickly with temperature, the rate of evaporation (and therefore the rate of heat loss due to evaporation) is much less when temperature is lower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In summary: warm bodies (significantly warmer than the environment) will lose heat more quickly when there is a wind blowing. A cold (unheated) body will NOT, however, cool down all the way to the &quot;wind chill temperature&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On balance, then, I would say the short answer to your question is &quot;no&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16387" LastActivityDate="2016-12-17T20:35:28.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30247" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30245" CreationDate="2016-12-17T21:34:39.633" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If those leaves came from the same tree that produced this fruit then my money's on Cornus kousa. The seed case or fruit shown in your photo is well past its best, but still just about recognisable and pretty much umistakeable. This image here shows a particular variety of C. kousa, but fruits are similar on all varieties &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mesarbustes.fr/cornus-kousa-cristina-cornouiller-a-fruits-comestibles-greffe.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.mesarbustes.fr/cornus-kousa-cristina-cornouiller-a-fruits-comestibles-greffe.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-12-17T21:34:39.633" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30248" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30249" CreationDate="2016-12-18T05:24:06.553" Score="6" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been working on a system to automate my like indoor grow tent, I have sensors to monitor the temperature and humidity.  I currently have come cucumbers in there that require a high humidity and what I have noticed is that once the humidifier() is turned off the humidity drops very rapidly.  I have a tent that is 38&quot;x38&quot;x6' and I was thinking maybe it was having a small fan that is running in there 24/7.  I ran a test by turning the fan off for a few hours and it did not seem to make a difference.  I have an exhaust fan attached to the end of some 8&quot; exhaust hose(sorry for my lack of knowledge on the correct terms) but it was also turned off all day and normally only kicks on when the temperature or humidity get too high.  I have also closed the vent in the back about 80% of the way.  I would close it all the way but I do not have any intake venting and I worry that it is bad for the exhaust fan to run without being able to pull in any fresh air.  Is this a normal occurrence or is there something I can do to help with the issue?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16389" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T05:44:00.570" Title="Humidity Drops Fast" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;humidity&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30248" CreationDate="2016-12-18T05:44:00.570" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;So you are saying you have a ventilation system to pull air out of the room...do you have  a way for fresh air to be pulled in passively?  Fans are critical for all indoor and greenhouse plants.  Do not worry, moving air has few if any negative effects for your plants.  Unless the plant is being moved in the back of a truck going more than 30mph, now that is too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants USE CO2 and give off O2.  The important thing is to get that O2 gas away from the leaves so that CO2 can move in to be available to the plant. As long as your room is not airtight, the air being sucked out will be replaced with fresh.  Lots of growers actually use heaters for instance that give off CO2 in their greenhouses.  Dry ice is another source to increase CO2 to increase plant production and vitality.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on the plants you are growing, humidity is not a big deal breaker.  Consistency of heat, good soil and proper light are the critical factors.  Open that vent all of the way.  Air circulation regulates growth and curbs fungus.  If the vent is opened all the way and the temperature drops, close it down until the temperature is consistent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cucumbers in my experience do not do any better or worse for the humidity levels.  They DO get powdery mildew with high humidity and that definitely cuts your production.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T05:44:00.570" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30250" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27371" CreationDate="2016-12-18T08:43:43.067" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Shock causes it to lose its leaves and flowers. The most common causes are low light levels, frost, and repotting. It sounds like the latter was the cause, and it's now recovered with leaves and flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bougainvillaeas originally came from Brazil so it's a semi-tropical plant.  Therefore the best time to trim it is when there's no danger of frost, and before the new growth gets established.  So, trim in Spring after the last frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-12-18T20:55:35.527" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T20:55:35.527" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30251" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30254" CreationDate="2016-12-18T15:17:11.443" Score="5" ViewCount="491" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a rambling rose (or maybe climbing, I'm not too sure) that has a lot of old or possibly diseased wood. I've read that it's good to remove old wood, but since both main stems have old wood at the base this would mean cutting it back right down to the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, for a rose in this condition should you cut back close to the base? If not, then how much?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/msCju.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/msCju.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Base&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/njAhe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/njAhe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZGGdC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZGGdC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;In bloom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16390" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T21:28:28.373" Title="How far back should you prune rambling roses with lots of old/diseased wood?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30252" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-18T15:30:34.603" Score="6" ViewCount="1278" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing peppers in my hydroponic system. I transplanted tomatoes &amp;amp; peppers three weeks ago. For the first two weeks the plants were growing well, but since the third week some of the plants have had dry leaves, and died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you help me avoid this problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ijvLi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qSoT7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16391" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-18T17:54:47.577" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T21:45:53.970" Title="Why are my vegetable plants in my hydroponic system dying?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30253" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30260" CreationDate="2016-12-18T17:19:07.303" Score="6" ViewCount="192" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a weed growing in parts of my yard that grows really fast and tends to take over unmown patches if I'm not attentive. My house in central North Carolina came with a wildflower garden that this stuff has come to dominate. In the winter it turns brown and dies back. It doesn't flower, and the leaves are on the soft, flexible side and not prickly at all. Very uniform green color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The picture below is actually a still from a &lt;a href=&quot;https://goo.gl/photos/yNzxcaCMPAxB4ySi8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;short video&lt;/a&gt; I took. At the time I thought that would give a better sense of depth. I took this in October and have only gotten around to asking the question now (sorry about that), so I can't take a better picture right now since it's all withered and brown. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: I have added a clearer picture. I noticed that my video starts with a clearer shot, so I captured that and added it. It's smaller since I didn't want to include the &quot;play&quot; button in the middle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XUq6X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XUq6X.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of grassy weed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nhEkF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nhEkF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of grassy weed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16392" LastEditorUserId="16392" LastEditDate="2016-12-23T03:51:15.130" LastActivityDate="2016-12-23T03:51:15.130" Title="What is this grassy weed called?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30254" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30251" CreationDate="2016-12-18T19:13:26.633" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is a climbing rose rather than a rambler - ramblers tend to have many more stems and can be quite thicket like. If your rose is repeat flowering, rather than just producing a single flush of flowers around June and then no more, that makes it more likely its a climber. In the UK, the time to prune climbers is actually last week of February, or during March, though you can certainly remove some of the length at the top to prevent it blowing about all winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The guidance for pruning is this - first remove any dead and diseased branches, then any branches which are crossing and rubbing each other. Although the wood near the base on your rose looks dead, it isn't, because the growth at the top is coming off the left hand branch. Cut the remaining stems down to an outward facing bud (usually, on older wood, it just looks like a little line or joint encircling the stem rather than a bud), at an angle, sloped away from the bud on the outside to allow rain to run off.  Because yours obviously hasn't been pruned properly for some time,I'd be quite ruthless with it, cutting that left hand branch down to probably a foot (or two feet, if you're not feeling brave), with less taken off the other, right hand branch, because that's still leafing out nearer the base, though you will need to shorten the branch which is heading upwards and to the left more than the rest of that side. If it's March when you do this, give the rose a feed with something like Toprose, forked in lightly round the base; done in February, wait till mid/end March, depending on the weather, to apply fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll likely find new stems arising from the base following this hard pruning and over time, you'll be able to cut out the existing older stems altogether.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will need clean, sharp secateurs and a pair of loppers to make clean cuts to avoid leaving any fractured or shredded parts on the stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-18T21:28:28.373" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T21:28:28.373" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30255" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30252" CreationDate="2016-12-18T21:45:53.970" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any moist material placed against the stem of a plant can cause stem rot which is why you are not supposed to put material against a transplant higher then the original soil interface with tomatoes being a well-known exception.  I am guessing you're using coir, and it's remaining moist and lying against the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use hydroton in my flood and drain system, and this dries readily between cycles so I don't see this issue.  I'd want to pull the coir away from the stems that haven't rotted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T21:45:53.970" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30256" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30258" CreationDate="2016-12-18T21:54:10.027" Score="7" ViewCount="642" Body="&lt;p&gt;We were walking around on our land a few weeks ago and saw these things on some Cedar trees. Never seen them before. Is it a bug in there or something else? We are in Northern KY. This thing was hard, we had several. I cracked one open and it had the texture like a nut inside.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GJ24h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GJ24h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastActivityDate="2016-12-19T23:04:29.710" Title="Found on a Red Cedar. What is it?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30257" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30256" CreationDate="2016-12-18T22:48:45.210" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like it might be a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;gall&lt;/a&gt; which is an organised growth on a plant as a result of an infection from insects, fungi and other parasites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-12-18T22:48:45.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30256" CreationDate="2016-12-18T23:26:49.960" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a gymnosporangium infection - its a form of rust that needs two separate plants in order to complete its life cycle, one of which is Eastern Red Cedar. The other plant life form it needs is a member of the Rosaceae family, such as apple trees, crabapples, hawthorns and quince. It often doesn't cause particular damage to the Cedar - but when it disperses its spores, usually after rain, they can travel some miles to land on a Rosaceae host, so its usual to prune out these galls as soon as they are seen, and before they change form ready to disperse spores. Now would be a good time to clip off as many as you can and dispose of them, while they're in this overwintering form and before they turn into orange, jelly like masses, because there is no effective fungicide treatment available for affected Rosaceae plants. More information can be seen in this article: &lt;a href=&quot;http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=775&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gymnosporangium Rusts on Eastern Red Cedar&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-19T23:04:29.710" LastActivityDate="2016-12-19T23:04:29.710" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30259" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30253" CreationDate="2016-12-18T23:53:37.137" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try as I might I am unable to see much detail.  A first guess would be Lady's thumb...&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=lady%27s%20thumb%20weed&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1228&amp;amp;bih=674&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjOscbR9_7QAhUQ1GMKHSPfCPoQiR4IfQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lady's thumb or persicaria&lt;/a&gt; Can you see a dark splotch in the middle of the leaf?  Please send a clearer picture, a close up, what are the flowers like or can you find remnants of flowers/seed?  If this is Persicaria don't worry.  You'll never be able to eliminate this plant but easy to control using environmental/manual tricks such as starving this plant.  Just weed wack it down &lt;strong&gt;BEFORE&lt;/strong&gt; it goes to seed.  Every time you feel like firing up your weed wacker wack any new growth down. You should also be dumping decomposed organic mulch on your beds/soil regularly.  2&quot; will prohibit any germination of any weed seeds. Have to be aware about the thickness of mulch over some plant roots. If you don't have a weed wacker or line trimmer you should get one.  Gas powered please, not electric.  And definitely should have a gas powered blower!  These two tools should be in everyone's garage who has a landscape. Life out of doors is so vastly more meaningful and fun.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, I don't use bark mulch, ever.  I use an incredible decomposed mulch made from human poo, sawdust and controlled composting.  I've found this isn't available or common.  If bark mulch is all there is for you, chose the finest ground bark mulch.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-12-19T00:10:23.587" LastActivityDate="2016-12-19T00:10:23.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30253" CreationDate="2016-12-19T00:35:32.543" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I posted this on Facebook also and a local friend identified it as Japanese Stiltgrass (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microstegium_vimineum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Microstegium vimineum&lt;/a&gt;). From pictures on the web it looks like the right ID, but I would be interested to hear if anyone thinks something else is more likely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16392" LastActivityDate="2016-12-19T00:35:32.543" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30261" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-19T02:57:32.020" Score="3" ViewCount="2454" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just got a mint plant but half of the stem are black, and some of the leaves are black and shrivelled. Any idea on how to fix this problem, and how to take care of the mint plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16394" LastEditorUserId="16394" LastEditDate="2016-12-19T03:35:13.427" LastActivityDate="2016-12-19T03:35:13.427" Title="Why is my mint plant stem turning black?" Tags="&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-02-20T13:47:21.637" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30262" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-19T03:38:59.393" Score="6" ViewCount="302" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a beginner in gardening, so I appreciate some tips on how to grow mint plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16394" LastActivityDate="2016-12-19T09:37:34.663" Title="How do I take care of my mint plant?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30263" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30262" CreationDate="2016-12-19T06:33:54.490" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is this mint out of doors in your garden?  Mint is a good plant to learn with. Doubt you'll be able to kill it.  It is one of the hardiest and can easily become a weed.  I am thinking you had a hard freeze and then the sun came up to thaw the frozen leaves too quickly.  Totally normal. Leave your plant alone for the winter.  The leaves that freeze and die will help the rest of the plant survive by adding more air pockets, decomposing organic material that puts off heat and hopefully your mint is getting covered by snow.  One of the best protectants of plants in the cold. In the spring get your hedging shears (two handed chop chop, bypass, used to cut hedges properly) and chop down the dead plant material to allow the new leaves to emerge. (Use alcohol to clean your blades between each and every plant). Rake up the debris and spread on your compost pile.  Trees should be pruned to thin versus deadheading.  Deciduous plants get rid of their leaves before the leaves can freeze.  In the fall I leave all this material on my beds, the dead leaves, etc.  In the spring, I clean up the fibrous stuff and put it in the compost.  Twigs, branches are in a separate pile altogether as they take a long time to decompose.  I get a chipper once per year to speed up the decomposition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this mint in a pot or in the soil of your garden?  That makes a huge difference.  If your mint is in the garden soil it should come back in the spring just fine.  Try to consider ways to control the spread of your mint.  Taking the flowers/seeds off is critical before they become viable (use that good ole chop chop two handed shears), do you know how to sharpen?  if you go out to buy a pair go with Sandovar (I think that is the name, used to be Felco?)  Felco is great for all hand pruning tools.  Corona is marginal.  But better than cheapie no name tools.  You want to buy a tool only once.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send a picture and more information.  This is the best I can do shooting in the dark.  Oh, you could head back your mint part way and dehydrate the leaves for culinary uses.  Then take your plants down further in the spring.  Good luck trying to kill mint!!  Have you tried Chocolate mint???&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-19T06:33:54.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30264" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30262" CreationDate="2016-12-19T09:37:34.663" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stormy has a nice answer, but I should add a &lt;strong&gt;WARNING&lt;/strong&gt;:&#xA;mint can be &lt;strong&gt;invasive&lt;/strong&gt; on your garden, so don't plant in the middle of your garden and keep in mind: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7978/how-do-i-eradicate-mint&quot;&gt;How do I eradicate Mint&lt;/a&gt; .&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2016-12-19T09:37:34.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30265" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-19T11:10:55.077" Score="9" ViewCount="188" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eUdq9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eUdq9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see, the leaves are gradually eaten by some gray/dark dry blight. I have absolutely no idea what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16249" LastActivityDate="2016-12-19T12:31:12.257" Title="A dark blight is eating my Basil. What to do?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;blight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30266" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30265" CreationDate="2016-12-19T12:31:12.257" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;That might well be slug or snail damage - given there's lots of leaf litter laying around your plant, you've created a perfect environment for slugs to hide beneath during the day, and then appear at night and snack on your basil. If you want to confirm that's the problem, go out with a torch at night, especially a damp night, and see what's around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clear away the plant debris and try using whatever slug/snail bait you prefer to protect the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-12-19T12:31:12.257" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30267" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30268" CreationDate="2016-12-19T13:13:00.057" Score="14" ViewCount="2648" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this guy that came out of a drainage hole of the pot when I watered it. Small, fast moving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took the pic by mobile. It is small so had trouble focusing on it, and it was moving fast, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I be worried about this insect, or not?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TK715.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TK715.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2017-03-11T13:41:13.493" Title="Is this caterpillar-like insect a good guy or a bad guy?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30267" CreationDate="2016-12-19T13:26:17.707" Score="21" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems to be a garden centipede - they don't damage plants, they predate other creatures rather than plants. They like to hide in damp places during the day, they need moisture to survive, so possibly it was hiding underneath your plant pot and only ran when it was flooded out. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www2.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/garden_centipede.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www2.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/garden_centipede.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-19T14:19:52.720" LastActivityDate="2016-12-19T14:19:52.720" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30271" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-20T07:16:49.873" Score="7" ViewCount="177" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iURZ1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This grass grows naturally in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16281" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-12-20T15:57:37.000" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T15:57:37.000" Title="Please tell me what kind of grass this is" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30272" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-20T09:16:01.400" Score="17" ViewCount="4792" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our front lawn runs right to the street, with no kerb.  The edge of it sometimes gets driven/parked on and (for reasons I'll go into below) we can't simply prevent this.  So it tends to get churned up into mud along the edge at this time of year, which then becomes slippery, so now there's a big wheelspin mark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there something I can do to make it tougher? The soil is fairly heavy, with lots of clay, and we're in southern England, so winters are mild and wet.  Could I:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sow tougher grass? It wouldn't have to be a perfect match, there are already several types of grass visible.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add something to the soil (grit, fibrous organic matter,...)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can probably keep it clear for a few weeks for seed to establish in spring, by putting a row of canes up if necessary.  This means I could dig something in and then resow, if I was confident it would work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Constraints:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The road is rather narrow, meaning that sometimes crossing the corner of the grass is the only way to get in/out (but doing this slowly with the non-drive wheels doesn't really damage it).  I dismissed a potted tree on the worst patch for this reason.  The width of the road is also the main reason for parking on it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The last 50cm (2') strip (so the bit that gets driven on) is our responsibility but not technically our property so there are limits on what we can do to it.  In particular we can't plant trees/shrubs on it (it has to be kept clear for visibility) and it can be dug up with no more warning than the pavement outside any other house, to access the utilities running underneath.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T17:13:43.817" LastActivityDate="2020-10-04T00:49:44.817" Title="How can I strengthen a part of lawn that is sometimes driven over by cars?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30273" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30272" CreationDate="2016-12-20T11:05:12.933" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would put some stones, so that they lift most of the weight of cars, additionally they help the car to move without slipping, so making a lot less damages to the nearby grasses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because the stones will be lower then the top part of leaves of grass, they are also not so bad, visually/aesthetically speaking. And I find a lot better then wet dirt. I find that also stone covered by grass will do most of the work, if there is not so much traffic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T11:05:12.933" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30274" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30278" CreationDate="2016-12-20T11:56:51.107" Score="11" ViewCount="5149" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend took the attached picture a few months ago. It is an Aloe vera potted in rice, coffee and sugar. I would like to learn how to use rice (and coffee and sugar) to grow plants in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LktcU.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LktcU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;aloe vera potted in rice, coffee and sugar&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wonder if such a growth medium has the advantage of being a passive dehumidifier?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16405" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-20T17:34:44.907" LastActivityDate="2017-02-05T15:37:15.150" Title="Can rice be used as a potting medium?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30275" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30272" CreationDate="2016-12-20T12:54:47.663" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a lawn reinforcement solution, but it requires work to fit it. There are products generally known as cellular grass pavers - they are often found in places like hospital car parks and comprise a cellular construction, usually made of concrete for heavy duty areas like car parks, and the empty cells are filled with soil and sown with grass. Its a solution that was primarily created to assist with preventing flooding from too much hard surfacing - this arrangement means the area remains permeable to rainfall, is green because grass grows through it, can be mown, and will readily withstand car wheels and weight. In an area such as yours, where it butts up to an ordinary grassed area, the grid or cellular pavers must be laid at the right height, so that the grass, when it grows in the cells, is at the same height as the rest of your lawn, and can be mown over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nothing else will prevent the kind of damage you're talking about, other than replacing that edge of your lawn with paving on hardcore and concrete to take the weight, and you'd need to do that in a bigger area, from the edge inwards, for stability reasons.  Cellular, or grass paving grids, will provide an alternative solution.  Link here to one supplier - note that these cellular systems are also made in lightweight materials such as plastic, but they will not adequately withstand the situation you describe, you'd need something like the TruckPave or LIght Duty Grass Paver, or at least concrete : &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.matsgrids.co.uk/40-truckpave-grass-paving-grids?gclid=CMO1tcblgtECFcyRGwodc7oIoA&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.matsgrids.co.uk/40-truckpave-grass-paving-grids?gclid=CMO1tcblgtECFcyRGwodc7oIoA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other suppliers of these products and many of the suppliers will freely give advice on the best method to lay this system, along with how big an area you'll need to cover in order to keep it stable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-20T13:01:39.543" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T13:01:39.543" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30276" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30271" CreationDate="2016-12-20T14:42:29.693" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;hmm.  taking a wild guess here...I see sand.  They could be sea oats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T14:42:29.693" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30277" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27326" CreationDate="2016-12-20T15:01:56.990" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is &lt;em&gt;Celtis tenuifolia&lt;/em&gt;, but to be really sure we need more photos (and possibly the flowers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T15:01:56.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30278" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30274" CreationDate="2016-12-20T17:33:18.680" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;The aloe is not growing in that medium. Sugar dissolves, rice and coffee decompose, when exposed to the conditions required for a healthy root zone. They would sour and kill the plant roots. Not suitable at all for growing plants in. It's either temporary, or someone doesn't know what they're doing, or the plant is in an inside pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you could do, if you like that look, is to place a waterproof container with a smaller diameter inside the glass pot, before putting down the layers. When you add the layers of material, you will bury the inside container, up to the brim. This container can be used as a liner for the plant's pot (which should be a close fit). You would remove the pot from the display for watering, and return it when the drainage holes are not drizzling water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T17:33:18.680" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30237" CreationDate="2016-12-20T17:53:00.157" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would recommend using heating cables, although they cost more than lights. There are heating cables designed just for use in soil, so they'd be weather resistant. You can set them up with a thermostat to control the temperature. You don't need to keep plants at room temperature for frost protection obviously, so I'd set it pretty low. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could wrap the tree/shrub with the cable like a string of lights, or you could wrap it in a frost protection cloth, and wrap the cable around that (this would provide more consistent coverage, but is not suitable for evergreens). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XRqdA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XRqdA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I checked also. Looks like regular Christmas lights are really only available in the US, and some other places with 120v. power. Probably an effort to conserve energy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T17:53:00.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30280" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29760" CreationDate="2016-12-20T18:28:32.143" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are not usually grown from seed, because of genetic variability (the plants are usually grown for specific variegation patterns). When propagated by leaf cuttings, the variegation is not retained. That's why people usually propagate by division. But you can grow them from seed. It's not extremely hard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil:&lt;/strong&gt; Use a sandy, free draining cactus mix&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Water:&lt;/strong&gt; Just enough to keep the soil from drying completely, Not wet. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Temperature:&lt;/strong&gt; between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Light:&lt;/strong&gt; Bright indirect light Around 500-800 lux) until the plant reaches the 3 leaf stage. You don't need much light right as the seed germinates, as that can cause drying.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fertilizer:&lt;/strong&gt; None, until the plant reaches the 3 leaf stage. at that point, it should be done drawing energy from the seed, and is relying on nutrients from the growing medium.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T18:28:32.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30281" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29748" CreationDate="2016-12-20T18:38:54.070" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;While wild sunchokes may grow from a meadow, they don't produce like John Kohler's do either. For production, I'd keep the soil soft, and all other plants away. Lots of compost would help a lot. Deep, organic topsoil (the kind I wish I had) is what these will produce best in. It won't take near as much energy to push through. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can fertilize them, with a general purpose fertilizer. Unlike many root crops, these (in my experience) get a boost with some nitrogen. Just don't overdo it or you'll end up with them lodging (falling over due to high winds or heavy rain). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, they do put on some at the end of the season. You can harvest them any time, but I like to wait until the tops die back in fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2016-12-20T22:08:45.290" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T22:08:45.290" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30282" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30195" CreationDate="2016-12-20T21:32:06.300" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've found this incredible book that gets into details not normally found in a gardening book.  The book is Cannabis Encyclopedia by Jorge Cervantes.  The king pothead!  After reading his book one can be sure that Cannabis doesn't permanently ruin your intellect! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cannabis plants are dioecious, male plants and female plants and hermaphrodite misfits with both sexes on one plant.  One of the hurdles one must face with this plant is not knowing whether a seedling is male or female and one puts a lot of time raising these seedlings only to find they are all or a large part males.  Unless one is growing for seed all one wishes for are females. The boys get killed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then there are the hermaphrodites, an unknown.  It is almost common to one day find just ONE male flower on one of their female plants in the midst of female plants, the fan is blowing all of the time. Blowing that fine fine pollen only later to find that one flower has fathered seed in all of the plants!  The process of making seed is a huge energy expenditure and reduces the amount of 'bud' or female flower or 'cash crop'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a nut shell, one can increase the likelihood of one sex or another during the first 2 weeks of life as a growing seedling.  To promote your seedlings to be female; increase Nitrogen (for males increase potassium), higher humidity and moisture in the air and soil for females (males lower humidity and dryer soil), fewer daylight hours 14 versus 16/18 hours (for males the reverse) and using blue light in the vegetative state. Red light during the seedling stage promotes males. Red spectrum light is always used to shift the female plants into reproductive growth at the same time changing the day/night hours 12/12.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The moral of the story is the sex of a dioecious plant is not carved in stone within the seed. The environment is in a very large way responsible for determining the sex. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those who try to grow this plant on a budget and don't purchase both sets of bulbs (blue spectrum and red spectrum) will most likely have chosen red spectrum.  As the studies show, red spectrum light used on seedlings will promote males.  Bummer. Go get those blue bulbs to have both spectrums! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, those that have purchased expensive seed ($10 to $20 per seed or more) can relax knowing the sex of their plants can be manually enhanced. Otherwise, cloning was the only option to be sure of females.  Hermaphrodites can still pop up anytime with females. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The power of the Cannabis plant for reducing pain, nausea, boosting immune systems, the few studies out there about cancer cures with the CBD's (not the THC) are pretty convincing.  Humans have evolved with this plant to the extent we have receptors DESIGNED just for CBD (canabinoids). Our body actually makes its own, checkout endocanabinoids. Don't know and don't care about the laws and politics surrounding this plant, the beauty of this book is it deals with just ONE PLANT, an oversize book an inch thick and I think is a must have for any gardener's library. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-20T21:32:06.300" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30284" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-21T03:06:43.050" Score="7" ViewCount="1724" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started growing tomato and pepper plants in my indoor hydroponic system. The first two weeks after the transplantation all the plants were healthy, but after the second week, there hasn't been any growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;watering every day in the morning&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;aerating with air pump 1/2hr before watering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;using 4 T5 lights&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;using NPK 19:19:19, epsom salt as fertilizer in water, ppm: 1100, pH: 6.5 &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please give me suggestions if I'm missing anything &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bvv54.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bvv54.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Two level NFT Hydroponic close-up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/60Ddr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/60Ddr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;From the front&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xyaa9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xyaa9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fertilizer bag&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VehDV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VehDV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Magnesium Sulfate&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16391" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-21T21:25:02.303" LastActivityDate="2020-09-24T08:50:38.280" Title="Why aren't my hydroponic plants growing well?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30284" CreationDate="2016-12-21T08:31:11.310" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't done hydroponic gardening (and I don't know a terrible lot about hydroponics specifically), but from my observations of hydroponic fertilizer, it's usually very high in potassium compared to nitrogen and phosphorus. Your fertilizer has the same amount of potassium as it has nitrogen and phosphorus, and it's designed for use as a foliar spray (spraying the leaves; usually, you put hydroponic fertilizers in water to feed the roots, I believe; foliar sprays might be useful once in a while, but probably as a complement to the nutrients in the water, rather than a replacement; foliar nutrients don't go all the same places as root nutrients). I would switch fertilizers if I were you. You probably need specific levels of calcium, manganese, boron, copper, iron, zinc, and molybdenum if you're not adding them (stuff like silica, and sodium might be kind of helpful, too, in the proper amounts). Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate (so you've got magnesium and some sulfur, at least).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, your lights are extremely far away from your plants. How close they are makes a huge difference to their health and growth (I &lt;em&gt;have&lt;/em&gt; used lights indoors, with soil). You want the lights as close as you can get them without burning them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might try Greenway Biotech's hydroponic fertilizer. I haven't tried it, but I've tried other stuff from them, and it's very good and affordable, with very fast, free shipping (like two days).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Notice the NPK values of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.greenwaybiotech.com/products/tomato-fertilizer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this hydroponic tomato fertilizer&lt;/a&gt; (4-18-38; lots of potassium).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Notice the NPK values of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.greenwaybiotech.com/products/pepper-herb-fertilizer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this hydroponic pepper fertilizer&lt;/a&gt; (11-11-40; also lots of potassium). I've noticed the same trend with potassium with other hydroponic fertilizers. Anyway, you'd probably want to get something like those links offer, since it comes already equipped with a fair amount of minerals (so you won't have to get them individually). You may need other fertilizers to complement them eventually, though (e.g. one of the links suggests extra potassium nitrate for the blooming phase; you might want more of certain wavelengths of red light then, too, or lights of a lower color temperature, if you're not using LEDs; but certain wavelengths of blue light, or higher color temperatures if you're not using LEDs, are supposed to be great for leaf growth).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your other question you showed a picture of the roots, which were kind of small and sparse. Proper levels of potassium and phosphorus are important for strong roots. Too much nitrogen can weaken roots (especially without enough potassium to balance it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know the proper amounts of all the nutrients. You'd have to ask a hydroponics enthusiast or expert about that, probably. But, I suppose those pre-mixed nutrients I mentioned above probably have the essentials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Silica probably isn't an essential for hydroponic gardening, but it can be useful for plants. Sources include such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://store.rockdustlocal.com/Microfine-Basalt-35-lbs_p_14.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;basalt rockdust&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.perma-guard.com/fossil-shell-flour.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;diatomaceous earth&lt;/a&gt;, etc. Rockdust tends to have a fast array of minerals; I believe some people use it for hydroponics. &lt;a href=&quot;http://store.rockdustlocal.com/Sea-Minerals-20-lbs_p_25.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sea minerals&lt;/a&gt;, of course, also have lots of minerals, and can give plants a quick boost (but don't overdo it as it's high in sodium). Those links just show you places that specialize in or sell the things I mentioned (if they ever get broken).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-12-21T09:35:10.177" LastActivityDate="2016-12-21T09:35:10.177" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30286" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-21T13:42:08.460" Score="8" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hello fellow enthusiasts.  Lately, I have been working on building out my own open source/open hardware grow room automation kit as I was really frustrated at the high price tag on anything in the market that had decent features.  Right now the system is setup to monitor temp and humidity.  I am currently adding in fire/smoke sensors and alerts that will email me if the room lights on fire.  I am also adding the ability to control lights(this should be quick and easy the backend is setup to support it I just need to hook another extension cord into a relay and run it into my room.  It will also have the ability to email you if the light does not kick on when it should.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The point I was trying to get to here is I would like to know what you guys think are the most important feature of systems like this?  What types of things is it most important to you that it can control?  I am also working on building a client for the system that will show the current status of sensors/appliances, will have graphs with live data showing environmental stats of the grow room and all sort of other things.  I'm working to make this as user-friendly and cheap as possible so that any home user who doesn't want to drop $2000 on a system that just monitors humidity and temp can afford to automated much of their tasks in the grow room.  I would also like to give the system the ability to change out the water in my hydroponics system and handle ph balancing and nutrient dosages but that is a very long-term goal. Let me know what you guys think and thanks in advanced for any feedback!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16389" LastActivityDate="2016-12-22T22:56:55.717" Title="Important features in an automated grow system" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="384" CreationDate="2016-12-21T14:18:38.577" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm with Seanland.  I did a DWC setup for the price of a 5-gallon bucket with a lid, a few feet of ait hose, 4 small pots, an air pump and a water rock.  I probably spent about $45 but you could knock a few dollars of that by using a normal bucket and drilling holes for the pots yourself(I bought this just in peices as they did not have the kit at my local store &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.htgsupply.com/products/bubble-boy-four-banger-dwc&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.htgsupply.com/products/bubble-boy-four-banger-dwc&lt;/a&gt;).  You will also need to buy nutrients as your grow medium is no longer feeding the plant.  I prefer Coco because it is cheap and hold water really well but hydroton is also cheap and effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16389" LastActivityDate="2016-12-21T14:18:38.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30288" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29322" CreationDate="2016-12-21T15:18:32.420" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is one specie of &lt;em&gt;Setaria&lt;/em&gt;. It is one many species named Foxtail, as written in the other answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regular mowing the lawn will solve the problem. BTW small birds and chicken like them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-12-21T15:18:32.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2325" CreationDate="2016-12-21T16:50:03.597" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an electric fan blade style (an old Flymo).  The blade is mild steel.  While I've successfully sharpened it with an angle grinder -- and this is good for dealing with major chips -- the simplest way to put an edge back on it if it's just a little blunt/rusty is with a file.  However I plan to sharpen it I have to take the blade out on this model, so I just pop it in the bench vice.  I do have a fairly large, fairly coarse file.  The most time-consuming part is taking the blade out/putting it back in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2016-12-21T16:50:03.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30074" CreationDate="2016-12-21T18:51:17.230" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://neemtreefarms.com/adadirachta-indica-vs-melia-azedarach/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Neem Tree&lt;/a&gt;, (Azadirachta indica or Melia azedarach). There are other posts about this tree on this site. Search &quot;Melia&quot; or &quot;Neem&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s3Dy6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s3Dy6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p2Id7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p2Id7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2016-12-21T18:51:17.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30292" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30284" CreationDate="2016-12-21T23:28:26.990" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In a hydroponic grow system you have to supply all the micronutrients that the plant would normally extract from the soil. Looks like you're only providing magnesium, and nothing else for the roots.  You're also giving some npk via a foliar spray but that can't make up the absence from a root supply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In particular, calcium, boron, molybdenum, manganese, and zinc are missing from your setup, and probably others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to purchase a nutrient A and B solution that you mix up to add to the water. Making your own has a high set up cost so it's better initially to purchase.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also question the once a day watering. You may not be supplying enough nutrients once you get your solution right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no idea what your air pump is doing. Running it for 30 mins in your solution will do nothing much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-12-21T23:28:26.990" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30272" CreationDate="2016-12-22T00:55:50.153" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grass grown in those grids or pavements is just SILLY.  I thought they'd be cool and tried LOTS of them.  No way do they work.  Great idea but heck, I've never even seen pictures of healthy grass grown in grasscrete! I vote for 3/8 minus crushed gravel and fines.  Forget growing grass for any trafficked drive, path or transition area.  With landscape fabric beneath 4&quot; of gravel, edged with 2X4 pressure treated, scored for curves as edging...'Treks' is better but more expensive.  Need to have a propane torch to soften for curves in colder weather.  The gravel needs to be compacted.  It is just not ever going to work to have grass that gets too much traffic (think super stadiums for baseball and football that replace their grass every other year).  If you put big boulders in they have to be OBVIOUS or if there is any damage to someone's car because they couldn't see it  before running into it, it would be YOUR homeowner's insurance that is compromised. Don't make yourself crazy using organics.  Just being able to grow a lawn properly for a little traffic is a huge endeavor that costs more than just biting the bullet and creating a semi pervious solution.  Clay turns into concrete just LOOKING at it...what do you think concrete is made from?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-22T00:55:50.153" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30294" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30286" CreationDate="2016-12-22T02:24:04.060" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A clean, &lt;em&gt;sterile one use only room&lt;/em&gt; for growing anything.  The greenhouse environment is more forgiving, the garden can make anyone look successful.  &lt;em&gt;Ventilation&lt;/em&gt; pumping in and out or a great thermodynamic cool and warm air system.  The best soil...&lt;em&gt;potting soil for any plant sequestered&lt;/em&gt; with sides and education or &lt;em&gt;adding decomposed organic matter to make garden soil&lt;/em&gt; better each year.  &lt;em&gt;Drainage&lt;/em&gt; is as important as water and C02 to plants.  Best place to start a design.  &lt;em&gt;Artificial lighting&lt;/em&gt; or the ability to grow in the greenhouse if you have the proper length season.  &lt;em&gt;Stability&lt;/em&gt;...to be able to monitor and control the atmosphere, temperature, humidity and keep it from any drastic changes.  Did I say &lt;em&gt;ventilation&lt;/em&gt;?  Your plants should be physically moving if you have enough ventilation or movement of air.  On top of that is air coming in and leaving the room.  One thing that you should consider is pollen from neighbors growing out of doors.  Soon that will become a larger problem.  For instance, growing corn near a GMO field will mean that any seed of that corn will be GMO.  Lots of pollen of species you won't know and sometimes fertilized female flowers will reduce the crop and its quality.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best 'appliance' of all is just &lt;em&gt;YOUR PARTICIPATION&lt;/em&gt;.  Once you are able to be successful manually then it is time to add technology.  I am serious.  There is no way automation should be done without an expert in the background controlling those dials and meters.  We all have to learn the hardway.  It is &lt;em&gt;costlier to jump too far beyond one's skills&lt;/em&gt; at the beginning than it is when you keep everything straightforward and simple.  As well as &lt;em&gt;enjoying far more success.&lt;/em&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two books you have to have; &lt;em&gt;Shane Smith's Greenhouse Gardening&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Jorge Cervantes Cannabis Encyclopedia!&lt;/em&gt;  Using these two books should vastly increase success whether growing in soil or growing in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-12-22T22:56:55.717" LastActivityDate="2016-12-22T22:56:55.717" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30295" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-22T06:35:54.473" Score="6" ViewCount="147" Body="&lt;p&gt;We're buying an isolated composting tumbler that can maintain a composting batch above 150 for several weeks. Can I use this to compost spent cat litter (including poo) and then use the compost on plants made for human consumption (berries, tomatoes, garlic,...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would use a litter made out of sawdust or something similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16418" LastEditorUserId="16418" LastEditDate="2016-12-22T16:02:23.640" LastActivityDate="2017-01-11T09:53:56.620" Title="Can I compost cat litter in a high temp tumbler?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30284" CreationDate="2016-12-22T08:40:24.947" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you check the ph of the water tank? If the ph is incorrect your plants will be unable to consume the nutrients in the water. You need to have either a kit or a ph pen to check the ph of the water on a regular basis. Also ph up and ph down is crucial to a hydro setup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most experts tell you check the water every five days but the more often you check it the easier the maintenance is&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2835" LastActivityDate="2016-12-22T08:40:24.947" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27437" CreationDate="2016-12-22T08:47:50.213" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Growth better&lt;/em&gt; maybe, but if you are not selling things per weight, possibly it is not the better solution&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many vegetables gives much more savour when there is some stress on plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When doing home gardening, one should not check about quantities: we will never compete with wholesale (with prices), but we can produce much more tasty vegetables (which wholesale cannot really do, if not much pricey).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-12-22T08:47:50.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30298" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30301" CreationDate="2016-12-22T08:48:58.460" Score="7" ViewCount="1648" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm currently growing some giant sunflowers. I really want them to be as big as possible. I'm wondering how good it would be to spray them twice a week with a epsom salt, gypsum and / or saltpeter spray?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2835" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-09T08:46:22.197" LastActivityDate="2018-03-09T12:48:55.490" Title="Should I use epsom salt foliage spray on giant sunflowers?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;&lt;foliage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30295" CreationDate="2016-12-22T08:52:36.133" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Even commercial composting operations such as zoodoo separate the feces of herbivores from carnivores, and only process the former for sale as compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is that no home composting system can guarantee that the correct temperatures will always be reached each time they're used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're going to process the feces of a carnivore, they normally ask you to let it stand for a year, and not to use it for growing leaf and root vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.the-compost-gardener.com/composting-pet-waste.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.the-compost-gardener.com/composting-pet-waste.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/testing-compost-tumblers-zmaz03amzgoe?pageid=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mother Earth&lt;/a&gt; tested in 2003 a number of tumbling compost makers and found that they didn't make compost any faster, finishing the compost in 10 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-11T09:53:56.620" LastActivityDate="2017-01-11T09:53:56.620" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30300" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-22T11:28:25.517" Score="9" ViewCount="585" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been considering the possibility of grafting a giant watermelon variety (such as Carolina Cross) onto a giant pumpkin/squash/gourd rootstock (such as Atlantic Giant pumpkin, Weeks NC Giant, Zucca gourd, or Kikinda Competition Strain Edible Gourd). Would that affect the size of the fruit, ease of growth, and productivity, at all? I understand grafting onto squash and gourds can affect some aspects of fruit, such as firmness, at least.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I'm hoping this might result in unusually large fruit, or at least easier to grow fruit in less than ideal conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;'Ease of growth' probably needs further explanation. Basically, I mean, Might it make it easier to grow large fruits (not giant, per se) without special treatment? For instance, Zucca gourds don't require special treatment to grow large, but people who grow giant watermelons and pumpkins usually report all kinds of tricks employed to get them huge (not that Zucca gourds are that big, though).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I read, it sounds like a gourd might be better for a rootstock than C. maxima x C. moschata, if I want good quality fruit. I'm not sure about plain old C. maxima.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-12-22T11:35:24.560" LastActivityDate="2017-07-25T07:37:30.380" Title="Can grafting increase fruit size, productivity, and ease of growth?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;squash&gt;&lt;watermelon&gt;&lt;gourds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30301" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30298" CreationDate="2016-12-22T18:16:44.187" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're unlikely to notice any big difference from this treatment. It would be more useful as a soil treatment. For consistent giant sunflowers, soil and light are the most important things to get right. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said, foliar  sprays aren't a bad idea,  you just want to use something readily available for foliar uptake. It would be best to get a manufactured fertilizer designated for foliar spray application. Remember to spray the leaf undersides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-22T18:16:44.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30302" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30303" CreationDate="2016-12-22T18:32:11.003" Score="4" ViewCount="264" Body="&lt;p&gt;In August, a wind storm split this black walnut's leader. The leader broke again higher up, and came completely off, but a large part of the main stem (lower down) is still attached, and although it's fallen and rested on a nearby tree, the cambium is still green. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CgI5K.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CgI5K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RnASZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RnASZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is about 22 feet above ground level. The tree is 9 years old (grown from seed), and has grown very fast. I'm guessing that's why the leader split. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are my options? I'd prefer to have a central leader growth habit if possible, as these get quite large. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-22T18:45:28.673" LastActivityDate="2016-12-22T18:45:28.673" Title="What can I do with this broken leader on a black walnut?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;repair&gt;&lt;nut-trees&gt;&lt;walnut&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30303" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30302" CreationDate="2016-12-22T18:42:54.940" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's what I ended up doing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fPVYb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fPVYb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NmVfF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NmVfF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Materials:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;steel pipe&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;outdoor grade duct tape&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;50lb UV resistant nylon zip ties&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;strips of rag &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The hard part was pulling the stem back up, as it not only weighed over 100 lbs, but had put on a growth ring in that position. Here's to hoping that  I didn't cause too much damage in the process. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I trimmed up the jagged edges on the split, then I used tape to hold the stem together, then used zip ties padded by rag strips to tightly fasten the stem to the steel pipe (which is copper coated). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am aware of how the ties can affect the future ring growth,  so I placed the pipe on the more sensitive side.  I may go up again with a pole pruner and relieve some of that weight which is causing high tension. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-22T18:42:54.940" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30304" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30310" CreationDate="2016-12-22T20:06:40.663" Score="11" ViewCount="1667" Body="&lt;h2&gt;Here is the bouquet with this beautiful flowers.&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cxFbh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cxFbh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Side:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EsYhn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EsYhn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;I found similar flowers in internet, but nothing about their name. &lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k3YId.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k3YId.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;It looks like Hydrangea but has noticable differences, so I'm still searching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Hydrangea:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DachG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DachG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16420" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-25T22:04:37.480" LastActivityDate="2021-05-04T03:00:02.500" Title="Help identify blue flowers that look like Hydrangea" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30305" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="10960" CreationDate="2016-12-22T20:17:26.857" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In a number of plants I'm very familiar with, necrosis of the leaf tips is a sign of nutrient excess. This is usually fixed by 1) not feeding anything but water for a while and 2) flushing the soil with 2 - 3 pot volume equivalents  of plain RO or rested tap water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16421" LastActivityDate="2016-12-22T20:17:26.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30306" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30307" CreationDate="2016-12-23T00:06:33.043" Score="9" ViewCount="5412" Body="&lt;p&gt;My broad bean plants are near end of their life. I planted them in autumn, and now we are half way through our first summer month. Many have been blown over by strong spring winds. The bean pods are hard but most are still green, and still a ways from being black.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/nT7gGzjh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Near mature broad bean&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, the advice online seems to be that we must let the beans fully mature in the pod on the plant, and we can't save seed from opening these pods and letting them dry indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/ACOwvxL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Same bean opened&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What exactly is the issue? Do they go mouldy or are they just not mature enough? I'd really like to remove them now, and plant something else!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: a month later, I've decided to start harvesting some of the beans for seed. The pods are mostly black though not all are dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/rsI7vVv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Beans ready&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-12T20:55:38.800" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T20:55:38.800" Title="Can I save broad bean seeds before they're dry?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;fava-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30307" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30306" CreationDate="2016-12-23T03:15:18.053" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Once the foliage dies back, the beans are mature, but must be dried. If you can't or don't want to dry them on the stalk, pull or cut the stems and hang them by the bases in a dry, airy place. Once the pods are completely dry, and the beans are hard, you can save them for storage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the foliage is still healthy and green, leave the pods on the plants. Yours look just a bit green yet. But if you cut them now, you'd probably still get a decent germination rate if dried and stored properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As long as the beans' 'umbilical cord' is still alive, it will be transferring nutrients/energy from the stems into the seeds. And they should dry in complete darkness (inside the pod makes that easy). Also, you are likely to damage the skin on the seeds if they are shelled before completely hardened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-23T21:09:37.040" LastActivityDate="2016-12-23T21:09:37.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30308" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30304" CreationDate="2016-12-23T03:20:07.297" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &quot;silk&quot;, dried and dyed or otherwise replication of a Hydrangea. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2016-12-23T04:04:55.803" LastActivityDate="2016-12-23T04:04:55.803" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30309" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-23T13:19:47.997" Score="5" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HGcaw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HGcaw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q2Zf7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q2Zf7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what kind of cactus I have, but there seems to be some sort of black material on the side of it. What is it and what can I do to remedy it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16344" LastActivityDate="2016-12-24T00:14:53.103" Title="Black material eating away at cactus" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30310" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30304" CreationDate="2016-12-23T16:31:37.730" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let me preface this answer with:&lt;br&gt;&#xA; &lt;em&gt;Thank you. Now I have another plant on my garden wish list.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This beauty is a comparatively new cultivar of &lt;strong&gt;Hydrangea macrophylla with filled blooms&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is based on Japanese breeder Irie Ryoji's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.newplantsandflowers.com/lovely-pink-hydrangea-from-japanese-breeder/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;amp;utm_medium=email&amp;amp;utm_campaign=Feed:%20NewPlantsAndFlowers%20(New%20plants%20and%20flowers)&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;H19-17 or H. macrophylla &quot;Love&quot;&lt;/a&gt;. Dutch breeders Van Klaveren developed the &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vanklaverenplant.nl/?p=hortensia&amp;amp;hcat=pothortensia&amp;#39;s&amp;amp;categorie=77&amp;amp;product=56&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;You &amp;amp; Me&lt;/a&gt;&quot; series, the blue version is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hydrangeatogether.com&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;You &amp;amp; Me 'Together'&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are also available as cut flowers, e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.trianglenursery.co.uk/41205-hydrangea-macr-you-and-me-together&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;from here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jCE93.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jCE93.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So yes, this is a real plant, not a silk replica.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2016-12-23T17:13:10.700" LastActivityDate="2016-12-23T17:13:10.700" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30309" CreationDate="2016-12-23T18:25:10.907" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your cactus is a grafted variety - the upper, coloured part, called Gymnocalycium, is grafted onto the lower part (Hylocereus varieties usually). The coloured Gymnocalycium lacks chlorophyll, so needs that to be provided by the Hylocereus, although other green cacti may be used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm rather wondering what those tan coloured nodule like blobs are on the green part of the cactus - I'm wondering if they are scale insect. They're certainly not mealybug or spider mites, but scale is a strong possibility because those nodules shouldn't be there. I can't see any on the coloured part in the pictures, except towards the bottom on the left, where there appears to be a possible nodule inbetween the tufts of spines, but the blackened area might be from scale nymph feeding activity, and because they produce honeydew, sooty deposits often occur.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The usual cause of blackening on a cactus is overwatering, but the only part that is black is at the top of the coloured part, so that does not seem to be the problem, unless you can see blackened areas near the base, which is not visible in the photos. The corky coloured area on the right at the top is just from damage which may or may not be related. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd certainly try scraping off one of the dome shaped objects, just to see if you can, but the way to remove them is by using a cotton bud dipped in alcohol, applying that and then scraping off. Using a magnifying glass might enable you to see nymphs if they are present -  more information here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/insects/mealybugs/insect-pests-of-cacti-and-succulents.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/insects/mealybugs/insect-pests-of-cacti-and-succulents.aspx&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alcohol, and any treatment spray, may cause damage to some sensitive cactus, so if you use either of these in an attempt to kill off any nymphs, be sparing, or try on a small area first to see how the plant responds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-24T00:14:53.103" LastActivityDate="2016-12-24T00:14:53.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30306" CreationDate="2016-12-23T21:44:01.243" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The pod is considered a specialised leaf structure, and in the Fabaceae family are formed from a single carpel, whereas in Brassica species it is formed from two fused carpels.  Its role is to protect and feed the developing seeds and is connected to them by the funiculus as seen in the second image.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Initially, the developing seed (bean) obtains its storage material from leaves with the pod acting as a sink for the photosynthetic output of the plants vegetative material. But as the pod matures, the pod becomes a highly photosynthetic structure and then provides the source for the majority of the photosynthates stored in the seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With reference to the question asked, the pod undergoes senescence first losing its photosynthetic ability changing from green to black, and becoming thinner.  This is thought to allow more of the light received by the pod to be transmitted to the seed to allow its own photosynthetic machinery to complete maturation. Some carbon dioxide is trapped inside the pod and can be used by the seed for this process.  So, the answer is that the seeds should be left in the pod on the plant so that maturation can be completed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21507003&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21507003&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-12-23T21:44:01.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30313" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30314" CreationDate="2016-12-24T09:23:31.207" Score="6" ViewCount="11409" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Xmas Eve and the only strawberries in the shops were not quite ripe.  I've got guests tomorrow at lunch and I've got to ripen these overnight!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Strawberries are classically considered non-climacteric fruits so are not supposed to ripen once removed from the plant.  But clearly the white parts of the berries do get redder after picking (1).  And apparently ethylene is released by the fruit, and is involved in signalling pathways (2) so the situation is not as clear as was once thought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, am I wasting my time placing a banana and some kiwi fruit next to my nearly ripe strawberries, and covering them with paper to trap any ethylene, to see if I can at least hasten some parts of the ripening process overnight?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Sy2Q6oj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;banana and strawberries&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/plants/vegetable-fruit/news/2014/thats-a-berry-good-question-2013-strawberry-ripening-after-harvest&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;That's a Berry Good Question – Strawberry Ripening after Harvest?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3808323/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ethylene is involved in strawberry fruit ripening in an organ-specific manner&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-24T19:57:52.113" LastActivityDate="2019-03-05T04:43:55.877" Title="Can I accelerate the ripening of strawberries?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30314" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30313" CreationDate="2016-12-24T12:57:26.050" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You did exactly what I would have recommended. Very ripe bananas especially. I'd enclose them together with the strawberries in a paper bag, close it off with very little airspace, and keep it at at least 75 degrees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes, however, the ripe part of a strawberry can overripen and begin to decay while part of that same fruit is still white. More common with pointed berries  picked near the beginning of the ripening process. I doubt that'll happen in your case. There's only so much you can do.  If you're serving them whole, you may have to pick out a couple just before, if they don't ripen fast enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, where it's white by the stem is not a sign of unripeness (like white on the pointy end is). It's a sign of poor internal coloring, common in berries bred for shipping more than fresh use. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-27T16:07:34.240" LastActivityDate="2016-12-27T16:07:34.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30315" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-25T01:22:59.453" Score="12" ViewCount="2666" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts, Northeastern United States, in &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hardiness Zone 6&lt;/a&gt;, where the temperatures get down to −10°F (−23.3°C). We're getting to the coldest time right now, although so far this year has been a bit warmer than usual, so the ground isn't fully frozen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On Friday, December 16th, we purchased a 4 feet tall living &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_spruce&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Blue Spruce (&lt;em&gt;Picea pungens&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), to use as a Christmas tree. It was dug up on that day. (The tree was referred to in my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30028/how-important-is-full-sun-for-a-blue-spruce-tree&quot;&gt;previous question&lt;/a&gt;). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the whole point is to keep the tree alive, we've been careful to follow the instructions of the arborist from whom we purchased it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While inside: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep the rootball intact in its original burlap&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put it in a tub with a diameter just a few inches larger than the rootball&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water it every few days from the top, keeping the rootball moist but not soggy or sitting in a lot of stagnant water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep it in a cool room if possible. (Our 3-season room stays in the 50s or so during the day and 30s at night. We've only heated it to room temperature for a few of the total number of days.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't use hot Christmas lights, and only leave them on for short periods of time&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For planting:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Before purchase, dig a hole at least 36 inches wide and 24 inches deep&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant the tree outside within 10 to 12 days&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Set it into the hole with the rootball level with the ground&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Backfill the hole with its own dirt and some light mulch or shredded leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't water the hole, the dirt, the rootball, or the tree during planting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't water the tree at all until about 3 months from now, at the end of March&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're planning on putting it out in a few days, and I have a question about the watering instruction. Is it true that we shouldn't water it? (Out of curiosity, if it shouldn't be watered, is that true of all trees or just evergreens?)  If in fact we should water it, what would the regimen be?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never planted or transplanted a tree. However, in my experience with bushes and other plants, the hole and surrounding area should be wet, and once planted, a good soaking is required. Also, the area should be kept consistently moist during the initial settling-in period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously we don't water our other trees during the winter, so it makes sense that, once established, it would rely on the elements. What I don't understand is why we shouldn't add water after planting. How will the roots spread in the cold dry ground without an initial burst of assistance? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pictures are of the tree inside; a close-up of the root ball in the pot; the entire planting hole; and a close-up of the bottom of the hole. The soil in the bottom of the hole seems clay-like. It's thick and slimy. It almost feels like mud, just not quite as wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on all pictures for bigger, closer views.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BmjgZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BmjgZm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QtZiZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QtZiZm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up of burlap base&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QLE92.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QLE92m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hole&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KiTPK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KiTPKm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bottom of hole&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: The tree is fine! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My husband planted it on the 11th day after it had been dug up. He did it by combining the advice from the arborist from whom we purchased it, the generous people who answered me here, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30334/what-is-a-good-method-for-planting-ball-and-burlap-trees&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; excellent question/answer. He unfolded the burlap gently. It had no nails and no mesh bottom. Since the rootball was moist and holding together nicely, he removed the entire burlap. Without watering the hole, he gently laid in the tree at the proper depth, and backfilled it with the dirt from the hole, together with some other loose dirt and crushed leaves. No needles dropped and no branches fell. We're glad we didn't water it, as it rained the next day. We had our first deep frost that night, so the timing was perfect! It was a wonderful experience all around. I encourage people to use this method for their Christmas trees. The tree costs much less than it would from a regular nursery; adds to the landscape; provides a great place for birds and squirrels; and doesn't become a side-of-the-road casualty. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't get any great pictures, but for reference as to location, we put it exactly where last year's pre-cut (not planted) Christmas tree was just sitting dead on top of the ground!  More pictures of the area can be found in my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30028/how-important-is-full-sun-for-a-blue-spruce-tree?noredirect=1&amp;amp;lq=1&quot;&gt;previous question&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the pictures for bigger, closer, views.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vPOhv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vPOhvm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Original spot with dead tree on top of the ground&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TdsOx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TdsOxm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;New tree happily planted &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T22:51:44.317" Title="Why shouldn't I water a Blue Spruce tree during and after transplanting it?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30315" CreationDate="2016-12-25T13:20:22.677" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my 25 years as a landscaper in the Pacific Northwest, I have never heard of such a treatment.  With that said, the only thinking I can come up with is that the arborist feels that by watering in the tree, you will be overly compacting the soil, destroying the larger air pockets, and trapping excess water around the rootball which might cause rot.  I would suggest calling the arborist and asking them to clarify their thinking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also wanted to comment that when you do plant the tree, after placing it in the hole, but before back filling,  gently fold back the burlap and fold it down into the hole.  I usually use the top of the vertical edge of the rootball as the line around which I fold.  Often times the wrapping around the trunk is secured by a nail or two.  Folding back the burlap is important because if the burlap is exposed to light/air the water around the tree will wick out through the exposed burlap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-12-27T03:35:44.897" LastActivityDate="2016-12-27T03:35:44.897" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30315" CreationDate="2016-12-26T05:12:47.293" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In preparation for removal, the tree roots are watered so that the roots can be removed with the soil clumped around them minimizing damage to the roots. They are then wrapped in burlap. If not planted immediately, the root ball is kept covered to prevent sun and wind damage. Freezing should not damage it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will need to be regularly watered while enduring inside temperatures. But once you take your tree outside and plant it in winter, the tree will go dormant in the sub zero temperatures. And once it's dormant you don't need to water it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The needles of evergreens are covered with a heavy wax coating to help prevent moisture loss, and the fluids inside the cells contain substances resistant to freezing, essentially evergreen antifreeze. Evergreens shut down for winter dormancy but continue most basic metabolic functions; the plants super-cool. Water in the cells is chemically maintained in a liquid state below 32 degrees F. (1)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any moisture lost in spite of leaf adaptations can be replaced from the moisture in the ground that comes with winter weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once spring appears, and the tree wakes again, then you need to start regularly watering it depending on the ground conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1 - &lt;a href=&quot;http://articles.aberdeennews.com/2012-10-26/farmforum/34754643_1_tree-species-cool-temperatures-sleep-cycle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sleep cycle of trees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2016-12-27T03:30:39.317" LastActivityDate="2016-12-27T03:30:39.317" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30321" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-26T16:39:11.890" Score="8" ViewCount="617" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am sorry for my ignorance in advance. My wife has received this beautiful plant as a Christmas present. We love to know what it is, and more importantly, how we should take care of it to keep it alive as long as possible.Should we change its plastic pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nbroo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nbroo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16434" LastActivityDate="2016-12-26T20:37:52.283" Title="What plant is this and how should we take care of it?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30322" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30321" CreationDate="2016-12-26T16:47:54.533" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, let me assure you there is no need to apologise for 'your ignorance'; you're not the first to not know a plant name and you certainly won't be the last! That said, this is Schlumbergera truncata, a forest type cactus plant,commonly known as Christmas cactus. It's relatively easy care; this answer here, whilst it does contain some slightly irrelevant information, has care information regarding this plant /&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30112/blooming-my-zygocactus-houseplant/30114#30114&quot;&gt;Blooming my Zygocactus houseplant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2016-12-26T17:38:54.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30323" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23565" CreationDate="2016-12-26T17:03:29.890" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;@SBB I'm probably too late to be helpful but thought I'd answer with some pointer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, a small helpful hint for your drawing, which by the way is very good.  Where pipe from one zone crosses pipe from another zone it's helpful to make a U on one zone, and erase the other zone's line in the center of the U.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another design hint I'd offer is that you might consider a third zone for the vegetables as they will likely require water at a different time/rate.  This would have the added benefit of allowing you to use a different type of drip for the plants and vegetables if you so choose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My last two suggestions are both based on pressure.  The drip tupe is probably ok on that length of run as long as it's at least 1/2&quot;, the topography is relatively flat, and you have decent working pressure (which I'm guessing you must because of the number to spray heads in the turf.  If you have low working pressure, you might consider stubbing the flower bed and the plants on the right, off earlier rather than wrap it all the way around.  An E rather than a U.  If you have much elevation change it might be good to do this same concept to break up how / where the water is released.  Another option would be to install swing valves or check valves depending on which direction you are trying to control the flow of water from traveling when the system gets turned off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the lawn, you seem to using what is called a looped system.  While this is in no way bad, it might be overkill for what you are doing unless pressure drop is a major factor.  If it is, simply keeping the pipe size larger but doing the correct calculations rather than just guessing would be the way to go.  From you're detailed drawing you don't look like the type of person who would just guess on pipe sizing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't need a looped system, I would eliminate something on the right side that would eliminate the most amount of digging.  If you do this, it's important to consider both your velocity and pressure loss over distance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One last hint, when you dig your trenches, if you're landscape is already installed it's helpful to lay plastic down under the dirt.  If you're careful on your cleanup it's almost impossible to see where there trenches were dug.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2016-12-26T17:03:29.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30324" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17791" CreationDate="2016-12-26T18:16:47.743" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since the moisture meter may not be accurate, a better way to tell if the soil is dry is by weight. With that extremely fast draining soil you describe, I'd wait till you think the plant needs watering and then put it in a deep container so you can add water almost to the top of the soil line. Yes, you will be submerging the pot! Let it sit in the water for about 10 to 15 minutes and then put the plant in a sink to drain completely. After 20 minutes of draining, pick it up and pay attention to the weight of the pot. That is your moist weight. Test the weight every few days by picking up the pot. You will learn how it feels when it is wet and when it's dry. Keep in mind that if the plant is in a dim light it can be hard for it to handle very wet soil. You may want to wait for summer to try this technique.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16437" LastActivityDate="2016-12-26T18:16:47.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30326" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30315" CreationDate="2016-12-26T22:21:42.767" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sweet Sue!  Now is not the time to be transplanting that tree into the garden.  This is a bit more work and complicated than that help sheet.  Yes, soak that tree.  The burlap should be moist right now.  You also have to acclimate this tree back to the cold temperatures.  That will take at least 2 weeks.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig that hold wide and deep enough to accept the entire pot.  To be transplanted next year.  Get the heated christmas tree lights back on, primarily on the top of the roots, wrap entire tree in burlap.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After acclimating for 2 weeks, put pot and tree IN THE HOLE and as best you can dump soil over and around the pot.  Mulch as well.  Don't worry about soil/bark contact now.  You could use straw or barf me bark to help.  Then add the lights as close to the mulch and soil as possible without touching.  Then add the burlap around the tree, snug but not too tightly...need air spaces to accumulate the heat of the lights and decomposing organic matter.  Water this tree really well at the beginning of your acclimatization and that should be enough to hydrate your tree for surviving the winter...I'd do this in your tub, done it my tub.  Grins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you transplant your tree after the soil has thawed take off ALL of the burlap and twine. Loosen any circling roots or make a few slices into the roots with a knife. If there is a metal root ball support leave that but ALL of the burlap comes off.  Make sure the root ball sits on undisturbed soil so it doesn't sink any deeper.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These trees are meant to die, sadly.  Hey  I know the thinking from the other side of this equation.  Where do you think I get my snarl?  All about money.  Did you acclimate this guy before you brought him inside?  If not he'll be stressed and all the more importance to truly do a great job acclimating back out of doors. 2 hours for 2 days, 3 hours for 3 days, 4 hours for 4 days, etc.  Would be nice to have this tree and pot on wheels.  I know you've seen Christmas trees still green by spring cut and thrown out.  They weren't alive alive with roots and hope to continue. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make note; that tree was grown in clay in the nursery to keep a tight rooted root ball.  Also is great for weight and stability.  Clay to clay is perfect.  If you go and try to 'improve' the soil in that hole you will be ruining this tree's chances.  Clay to clay is very good.  Clay is a good soil just need to know how to manage it.  But to put a clay root ball into a sandy soil/different soil, the water when watered will skirt right over that clay and into the easy to drain pumice, sand, unnatural soil.  This tree is a perfect size and has great chances to survive.  Do not allow that tree to stay out side with freezing temperatures or the cold will kill your roots.  During acclimation, burlap and christmas light that pot when the time comes to spend longer out of doors during the freezing.  It is really a headache that they NEVER explain so that you will fail and have to try again next year.  But this should help to ensure your tree lives.  Hopefully, this location has lots of light...and watering once transplanted can be augmented with pvc pipe drilled with holes, mycorrhizae.  Hold off on fertilizer until summer.  Even then be frugal.  Expect lots of needle loss...that burlap as dry as it is is worrisome. Soak these roots.  Remember the root ball is clay and will have a hard time absorbing water if this tree hasn't been watered for awhile during its stink in a dry, warm atmosphere.  TUB WORKS WELL. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-26T22:21:42.767" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30327" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-27T03:01:27.987" Score="7" ViewCount="2632" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Meyer lemon that I purchased a few months ago. I potted it into a self watering container with some potting mix mixed with some peat. It's flowering and small fruit are forming but the leaves are not looking wonderfully healthy. There are yellow splotches on the new leaves, and on the old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The temperature is in the very low 20s Celsius (60s Fahrenheit), and I've only given it some citrus fertiliser only once when I got it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My pH meter, which I've never used before, is saying pH is about 7.6, moisture level 2/10, but when placed into water it only reads 6/10 so the whole thing may be junk. So this should be low enough to absorb manganese though looks like iron might be a marginal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I try acidifying the soil with some sulfur or do something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/mSqD8mM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pH reading&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/FrRTDHh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;young leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/lgFTwdV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;older leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/LyjWhA6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;whole tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-15T19:30:36.503" LastActivityDate="2020-04-25T03:24:21.417" Title="Why do the leaves on my Meyer lemon have blotchy yellow areas?" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30328" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30332" CreationDate="2016-12-27T04:08:18.053" Score="7" ViewCount="11875" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read that tilling wet soil can destroy soil structure and make it more difficult for seeds to grow roots through the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How exactly do roots find their way through the soil? Can artificial soil structure be created for roots to grow more easily?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16442" LastEditorUserId="16442" LastEditDate="2016-12-31T00:41:17.860" LastActivityDate="2016-12-31T00:41:17.860" Title="Why is it bad to till wet soil?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30329" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30328" CreationDate="2016-12-27T06:52:22.030" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Roots show positive gravitropism meaning that they grow towards the direction of gravitational pull.&#xA;Vigorous plants like trees need to anchor themselves in compact soil, while small and delicate annual flowers prefer lighter soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When tilling, the capillarity of the soil is interrupted and this means that water will evaporate more slowly.&#xA;If the soil is wet, it will stick to the metal parts of the equipment, if the soil is too dry it will be difficult to break it. That being said, every soil texture has a moment for optimal tillage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeds of most food crops (beans, peppers, wheat etc.) need a proper germinative bed after tillage. This means that the upper layer of the soil should look like small fine bits to make sure the seeds get their water and that they can sprout easily.&#xA;Of course, your seeds might be an exception, bu you'll have to tell us what seeds do you have to assess that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2016-12-27T06:52:22.030" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30330" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-27T11:48:05.213" Score="8" ViewCount="3780" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a green chilli plant. For the past 2 months, the flowers on the plant have never bloomed. There are a lot of buds but instead of blooming, they just dry off. What is going wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water the plant once a day every morning. The water used is around a 1/3rd of the mug that you can see in the first pic attached below. I also add a handful of fertiliser once every fortnight. It gets sunlight from around 9:30 in the morning to 4-5 PM in evening. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P.S. I am based out of Mumbai, India. It's winter season here but the temperature rarely goes below 18°C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are few pictures as requested:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sejvf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sejvf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image of the pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wxkl5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wxkl5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image of the plant in the pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16188" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-12-28T22:39:38.147" LastActivityDate="2020-04-26T09:36:29.930" Title="Buds don't blossom on Chilli plant ( bud drop )" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30331" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30328" CreationDate="2016-12-27T12:42:20.167" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As addition to Alina answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wet soil it is easier to compact, and it carries less weight (think about tilling machines). So tilling will move up deeper soil (less rich), and it will compact the soil, which it is very bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Freezing or rotary tilling machines could help to have finer grains of soil, as needed to seed. But this problem is not specific of wet tilling, but in general to tilling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-12-27T12:42:20.167" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30328" CreationDate="2016-12-27T14:28:04.527" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you're conflating two things - tilling wet soil and jumping straight to 'artificial' soil to create particular conditions for seeds to grow in,but the one doesn't necessarily lead to the other. The statement that tilling wet soil destroys soil structure is accurate, but tilling destroys soil structure whenever it is done, its just worse for seeds and plants if you do it when its very wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, why you shouldn't till wet soil; the reason you don't is because, if the soil is very wet, when you cultivate it, you knock out the air spaces between the soil particles, and this can cause solid mud, particularly if your soil is clay based or heavy. Using hand tools such as spades or forks is slightly better than machine tilling in such conditions, but even hand cultivation is best done when the soil is not very wet. One of the purposes of tilling/digging is to increase aeration and reduce compaction,but tilling wet soil has the opposite effect,so its best to wait until the soil is merely damp, then till. Tilling very dry soil isn't great either, it tends to increase the amount of dust, but your question is about wet soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of sowing seeds, they grow best if the soil is friable, which means reasonably loose with a relatively fine, crumb like structure - these are ideal conditions for seeds to germinate and put down roots easily. If the soil conditions aren't great because of excessive moisture, its possible to sow the seeds into seed and cutting potting compost bought from a supplier (I'm assuming this is what you mean by 'artificial' soil), prick them out into pots when they have two sets of true leaves, then plant out into the ground at a later date, when the soil is in a more friable condition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further reading about tilling soil generally here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/rototilling-wet-soil-95825.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/rototilling-wet-soil-95825.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regard to roots finding their way through soil, gravity (geotropism, also known as gravitropism, mentioned by someone else) does play a large part in their going downwards; roots push their way through soil primarily for reasons of stability, and to seek out moisture and nutrients. Obviously, if the soil is solid, compacted and just muddy, root penetration and spread will be compromised or even impossible. A lighter, damp and friable soil with many small air spaces makes it easier for roots to grow and thrive, and allows more bio diversity within the soil, making it a healthier place for plants to be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2016-12-28T12:50:07.483" LastActivityDate="2016-12-28T12:50:07.483" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30333" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30315" CreationDate="2016-12-27T20:04:36.857" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on the picture, your soil looks quite moist enough already. By watering, you could cause problems in winter with constant saturation, because of the ground freezing. I'd say, if the soil holds its shape when squeezed into a ball, do not water. If the soil is crumbly and dry, then yes, water it even in winter. Sometimes I water a root ball before planting, because the root ball is dry and the soil it's going in is wet. In your care, the root ball has been kept moist so I also do not see any watering necessary.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spruces have comparatively shallow roots, and generally grow much fuller if the top layer of soil is watered when dry, especially in the fall/early winter before the ground freezes. This year, the northeastern US had a wet fall. Waiting until the end of March was probably an estimation for when the ground would be drained and start drying out (you should never water soil when there's a frozen layer). Whenever that happens, you can water it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like your arborist knows what he's talking about. All of his instructions are good, for the conditions and situation you have. I'd just say that about using shredded leaves or light mulch in the backfill soil, if those are the materials you use, don't let pockets form, they will not only settle later, but could decompose improperly and slow root growth. I'd just sprinkle it in as the soil's going in, with no heavy layers. (I usually use near finished cold-compost for this).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For further reading on planting and care, see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30334/what-is-a-good-method-for-planting-ball-and-burlap-trees&quot;&gt;What is a good method for planting Ball and Burlap trees?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2016-12-28T02:44:02.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30334" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30335" CreationDate="2016-12-27T20:13:30.653" Score="12" ViewCount="647" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is when the tree is dug (usually using a tree spade), and the root ball is wrapped in burlap for short term storage. It can be in a wire basket, usually if the ball is large. The burlap is typically tied tightly around the root flare using twine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should these be planted, for the lowest amount of transplant shock, and a strong start?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-27T20:22:25.630" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T01:04:41.723" Title="What is a good method for planting Ball and Burlap trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30335" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30334" CreationDate="2016-12-27T21:30:56.667" Score="12" Body="&lt;h3&gt;Time of year:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any time of year works, as long as the ground is not frozen, or the air very hot and dry. Obviously frozen ground will be 'hard to work with', and you will not be able to plant the tree properly. If the air is hot and dry, then sometimes even when the soil has sufficient moisture, the tree with it's compromised root system could dry out and lose top growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Location:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever is appropriate for the particular species. Remember this is a large root ball, and to plant it properly, you cannot have obstructions such as jutting rocks. You should never remove part of a root ball while planting these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;The hole:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The hole should be ready as soon as possible after the tree is dug out, for the least stress on the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the sod, if the tree is being planted in the lawn. I use a flat spade and then roll the sod up and place it to the side. If planting in a mulched landscaped bed, pull away the mulch to the diameter of your hole.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the soil.&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I place tarps adjacent the hole, to ease the cleanup afterwards.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I separate the topsoil by throwing it in its own pile.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The sides should be steep, and the diameter should be bigger than the root ball (at least a spades width the entire way round, for easier work.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The bottom should be flat. If the ground is very hard, I dig six inches too deep, and then place the soil back, sometimes with a bit of organic matter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If the hole is made far in advance, covering it can help keep the soil soft.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Prepping the tree:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the root ball does not dry out. It's very stressful on a tree right after a large percentage of the roots are cut. For planting, you want tacky soil that sticks together, so that less densely rooted regions of the root ball don't collapse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On conifers, I sometimes take a rope, tie it to the base, and then wrap the tree up (sort of like how people &lt;a href=&quot;https://media.timeout.com/images/102956043/image.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;contain Christmas trees with netting.&lt;/a&gt;, so that I can easily work around the tree, especially once it's in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Planting the tree:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Assuming the hole is finished and appropriately dug, the root ball can be placed in the hole. If the tree is tall, and contained with twine, you can remove the upper portion of the twine before standing the tree up, so it's easier to reach.  If you are strong enough to lift the ball into the hole, or are capable to do it with help, that is preferable. alternately, gently roll the ball into the hole, trying not to crack it or otherwise lower the strength integrity. I've planted trees that were grown in pure sand, and keeping the root ball whole is not possible. Just do the best you can. Try to roll it into the hole, rather than sliding it, so you don't cave in one of the sides of the hole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;More important for specimen than mass plantings: rotate the tree so that the fullest, most aesthetically pleasing side is facing the direction where it will be most often viewed (ie a certain porch or window, or the road). If the root ball is solid and small enough to easily lift, you can remove the burlap wrapping here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Backfill. (always re-check that the planting depth is right. 2 inches high is fine. Low is not fine. Also be aware of where the root flare is - sometimes there was soil on top of the flare when the tree was dug, and will make the root crown lower than is healthy when you clean it off)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I begin by taking a spade, and cutting in the edges of the hole, all the way around. Especially in clay soil, breaking the sides can prevent roots circling the hole (common in hard clays). The soil you break loose will fall into the bottom of the hole.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tamp the loose soil at the bottom of the hole, holding the tree very straight. You can use a small tamper, your boot, or the top of a sledge hammer all things I've used). This will balance the tree so it doesn't keep moving around in the hole.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you didn't do it by this point, it's time to remove as much burlap as possible. If there is a wire basket on the ball, cut it away to the point that you tamped, so that a) you can remove the burlap down to that point and b) so that the wire does not girdle the tree when it grows large (only in large growing trees) Cut the twine that ties the burlap, and cut it off as low as you can, while not moving the root ball. The burlap can be discarded.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Begin throwing soil into the hole. break up large clumps, and remove large rocks (hand sized or bigger). You can throw in soil additives (especially organic matter) at this point. Do this carefully, as you don't want to change the soil type. if you change the soil type far from the soil outside the hole, it could begin acting as a sponge and hurt the tree (especially when planting in clay).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When the hole is full, tamp in again. Make sure there are no air pockets. Even if you have clay, you want to have it well tamped.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do the final fill (this should be topsoil, if you separated that). do not add soil on top of the root ball.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do the final tamp - just enough to settle the soil and remove air pockets - you don't want this layer to be impervious to water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Look at the base of the tree, where the trunk meets the ground. You should be able to see the root flare easily. If not, pull away soil until the top of the root flare is uncovered, and level the top of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Directly after planting:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trim any broken or crossed branches, and make sure the branches are naturally extended (they can get cramped, and caught on each other, etc, between the time the tree was dug, and replanted). If there were tags on the plant, remove those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Watering:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any time the tree is actively growing, or if the soil is dry (crumbly or powdery), the tree should be watered. Don't let the root ball dry out, but also focus on the edge of the planting hole, where the new roots will be pushing out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the ground is frozen, do not water. If you are having a cold, wet, winter, even if the soil thaws out, supplemental water is not necessary until the soil begins to dry in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In climates where the tree can grow without waterings once established, keep it watered for the first growing season. the next growing season, only water if the plant is showing stress from low moisture (such as leaves withering or dropping prematurely). After that, it should be established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Mulching:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An organic mulch is extremely worthwhile, and conserves moisture while eliminating weeds and adding organic matter to the soil. It can also help somewhat with frost heave in colder climates. 3 inches deep or so should be plenty, and if you can go out to the tree's dripline, that would be ideal. Remember to keep it off the trunk and the visible root flare &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30192/whats-wrong-with-planting-a-tree-deeper-than-the-root-flare-or-mulching-higher&quot;&gt;(further reading)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Staking:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Staking should be avoided at all costs. A root ball from a balled and burlap transplant is heavy, and should be  sufficient in keeping the tree steady, if planted properly. I once had the experience of planting a small redbud with an oversized dry clay rootball, which was cracked directly from the root flare down the center. Even after the best planting job I could manage, the tree still opened the root ball crack badly when blown by wind. I staked it for 1 season, and it was fine. See my thoughts on staking &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/21989/should-trees-be-staked-when-they-are-planted&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Fertilizing:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't fertilize while planting, at least not with chemicals, or you can do damage to the roots. Once the tree is growing, you can begin fertilizations if desired, according to the needs of the plant/soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T01:04:41.723" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29016" CreationDate="2016-12-27T22:44:19.767" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Step one (the hard one): to stay small, you will need to perform yearly root pruning. This is far easier in a pot (you will notice that's where people keep Bonsai trees). A confined root space could help (it may be possible to dig down and install a barrier). In unlimited root space, the tree will have full leaf siz, and keep pushing to the full potential size, with long stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want slow growth. For shaping,  pick a style and stay with it. A rule of thumb is to thin the front (to show off the branching structure), and leave more foliage in the back (as a backdrop, you don't want the tree to look scarce). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get a book. This is an art, so it takes experience, but you need to start with a solid knowledge base on tips, techniques, and the health requirements of plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think this may be a lot more work than you anticipated, but it's not impossible. Very time consuming project. If you do decide to roll with it, be sure to jump on problems as soon as they arise (You know where to ask about that!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-27T22:44:19.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30328" CreationDate="2016-12-27T22:58:11.250" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are three types of soil; clay, sand and silt.  All soils are composed of these sized ROCKS and organic matter; Clay is FLAT, TINY TINY Tiniest.  Sand is the largest and silt is somewhere in between, sometimes called loam.  All soils are JUST FINE if one knows how to manage their soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clay has a few attributes to understand.  The flat surfaces are highly electromagnetic.  Especially with H20 involved.  The water is STUCK to the particles of clay to the extent plant roots have to work to use to get it to cross the epidermis of the root's outer surface cells. The particles are GLUED to each other by electromagnetism.  Where do you think we get porcelain clay for ceramics...concrete!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Think about how concrete is made. The ingredients are; clay, gravel, water, gypsum and lime...sometimes differing amounts but these ingredients are put in a tumbler and KEPT tumbling (akin to tilling) to enhance the properties of the clay, the electromagnetism of the flat particles, the rest helps with air, consistency of the concrete.  Makes concrete.  Tilling wet soil WITH clay involved will make concrete.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All soils, like I said are GOOD SOILS.  Management or improvement of any soil is the addition of only ONLY one thing...DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER.  Once the beds have been double dug using a spade and a few calories (during which I am throwing willy nilly this decomposed organic matter, or compost or mulch into the soil as I dig).  At no time do I worry about evenly mixing.  At no time do I worry about subsoils or the lack of organics within the topsoils.  I will also add fertilizer depending on my soil tests.  If I have to use commercial bagged compost I will increase the nitrogen as that stuff has lots of non decomposed chunks that need to be decomposed and the decomposers need nitrogen to do their work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After creating my RAISED beds (no sides, just compacted down with plywood and jumping up and down on the soil...sometimes after double digging these beds are up to 3' in height, then I use a large heavy piece of plywood to get rid of large air pockets reducing the pile to a foot in height) and I dig trenches along the bottoms of my beds for the water to flow where I want it.  Then I add 2 inches of compost for each bed (3' wide minimum) for plants already started.  I hold back when seeding (broadcast form not single rows) until the plants are up a good foot. I don't use compost for fertilizer.  That compost will be eaten by the micro and macro organisms in the soil.  They go back down in the soil, poop all that great organic matter mixing it into the soil for you AND because there is DECOMPOSED organic matter available for their energy needs, these organisms start  multiplying to make even better soil.  The more life a soil has THE BETTER THAT SOIL IS. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Critical when making new beds for plants is a SOIL TEST.  To not get a soil test is just lazy.  This initial bed making is the only time soils need any manipulation.  If one has sand or sandy silt loam or lower clay content and the soil is dry, a rototiller is fantastic.  ONE TIME.  Make those beds and have walkways for humans so they stay off of the beds with their weight, this is a one time workout.  Continue to put DECOMPOSED organic matter on top of the soil and/or use a green cover crop for the winter...that will be all that is necessary to keep the tilth and correct amount of decomposed organic matter and the micro and macro organisms replenished for other crops. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants make their own food and/or produce flowers/fruit.  They do not NEED FOOD.  I hate these advertisements on fertilizers and soil that say they have food for the plants.  This is why I won't use the word NUTRIENT as humans assume NUTRIENTS are FOOD. Fertilizer is NOT FOOD.  We humans have to provide the chemicals necessary for the plants to provide their OWN FOOD. All gardens and landscapes by man are ARTIFICIAL.  This takes a bit more knowledge to be successful than just plunking a plant or seed into the ground hoping for success. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Root apical cells go towards WATER.  Gravity is NOT PART of the root's growth.  Gravity does work on the water not to mention capillary action.  If one wants their plants to be drought tolerant, they water deeply and allow that soil to dry out down 2&quot; BEFORE watering again.  Shallow rooted plants need frequent shallow watering, such as succulents and cactus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless you have water plants that normally grow well in mud, marsh, stagnant water, soil that holds water like clay should definitely be raised to enhance drainage.  Roots we need to worry about are within the top 4 to 6 inches of soil.  Below that the air is greatly diminished and plants need air.  Most (something like 95% of all) plant roots are found within this narrow zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Artificial soil is CRITICAL to use in artificial conditions such as pots.  Freeze and frost have NOTHING TO DO WITH SOIL creation...well nothing at our human scale.  What soil you have in the garden CAN NOT BE CHANGED SHOULD BE CHANGED.  The ONLY way to improve ANY garden soil is by the addition of DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER.  You most certainly can use NON DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER but like anything that was once alive and now dead needs to be dealt with by decomposing micro organisms (which btw don't operate in freezing conditions very well) and these organisms need nitrogen like crazy.  Decomposed organic material is the ONLY THING that micro (bacteria, nematodes...) and macro (centipedes, earthworms) soil organisms are able to use for energy and reproduction.  When large amounts of non decomposed organic matter are in the mix, large amounts of nitrogen are necessary.  The decomposers will use the nitrogen up before any plant can use it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is my big beef with bark chips or non decomposed organic matter normally meant only for human aesthetics. That stuff does not FEED the soil!  The soil includes everything to include the organisms. The finer the bark the quicker it can be decomposed.  The sooner the soil organisms are able to use it, the more the population of soil organisms increases, the better the uptake for the plants as soil organisms work symbiotically with the plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For those of you who believe we are in global warming because of CO2 (sigh) you should know that one of the most HUMONGOUS of CO2 releases is from TILLING THE SOIL. Seriously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have raised beds, trenches for excess water, plenty of decomposed organic matter being added to your beds, the proper amounts of fertilizer WHEN necessary, re-digging your trenches throwing the excess dirt on top of your mulch and beds, know at least one real soil test FOLLOWED by at least one more soil test a year later, have promoted certain beds for an acidic pH the others for neutral, rotate every single year (exception would be perennials like asparagus and strawberries)...purchase NON GMO certified seed and starts, your garden should be just fine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please, please please ask questions or hold me accountable.  Soil is the basis for all plants.  Hydroponics should only be attempted by those who can prove proficiency the NORMAL WAY in soil, first. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2016-12-27T23:13:03.553" LastActivityDate="2016-12-27T23:13:03.553" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30338" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30339" CreationDate="2016-12-27T23:21:06.773" Score="7" ViewCount="654" Body="&lt;p&gt;My aubergine plant seems to be developing some nutrient deficiency. I pulled it from the ground in autumn about 9 months ago and placed it into an air pruning pot with some potting mix, and kept it inside over winter. During this period it still flowered and produced several fruits which I consumed. The only issue were some spider mites which disappeared after spraying with neem oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took it outside in spring after the last frosts, and it's started to flower again with fruits forming. I noticed a light aphid infestation today and sprayed with insecticidal soap. I've only fed it twice with a fish blood and bone mix, and general water with aquarium water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've noticed today that the older leaves are suffering with some interveinal yellowing, which seems to be starting from the middle and spreading out. Younger leaves are still green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As aubergines go, this one is only 2 foot tall versus reaching the roof as with greenhouse grown plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the young leaves are not yet affected, is this more likely to be magnesium versus manganese or iron? pH is 7.4, and soil is moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/mpL4qJU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the whole plant here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/sT6NFFv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;young leaf&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/jEIi56t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;older sick leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T07:57:10.143" Title="Interveinal chlorosis of aubergine leaves" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="20" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30339" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30338" CreationDate="2016-12-28T00:12:26.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I just noticed that you have 7.4 pH and that is a big no no for solanaceae.  Too high for MOST plants.  You need to get that plant into fresh potting soil.  Normally potting soil is lower in pH.  Takes a bit of time and work to lower pH UNLESS you are using potting soil.  When you get fresh potting soil, test the pH with whatever you use, I use 3 different methods.  5.7 to 6.5...7.4 is very unusual.  And you do have a stressed plant on a number of counts.  First the spider mite which sure looks as if it is going strong.  Being taken out of the garden soil and put in a pot and with the pH that high I can't comment on your fertilizer nor should you worry about fertilizer whether the chemicals are deficient or in excess.  That pH has to be fixed first.  Otherwise chemicals that plant needs that plant can not use until it is more acidic.  That is way too high for alkaline loving plants such as lawns and marijuana!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spider mite attack plants with much more success when a plant is stressed and weakened.  And if you look closely at those leaves I'll put money down that you can see little spider mites and webbing and insect poop galore!  To include white fly...I can see a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-28T00:12:26.527" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30340" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27202" CreationDate="2016-12-28T03:21:55.700" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the sprouts are growing from the stem/roots beneath the surface, they will root into the soil and can be detached at the base, and transferred to a new location. Do this while the plant is dormant, or it could die from over transpiration. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the sprouts are growing from the stump above the soil line, heap lightweight growing medium (like soilless potting mix) over the stump at least 6&quot; up the stems of the sprouts. Keep this moist throughout the season. When the plant goes dormant, check for roots. If there are only a few, wait another season. The next year, check again. If you have strong roots in the mound, congratulations! You've successfully mound layered your new trees! They can be detached at the base and moved on. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-28T03:21:55.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30341" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30352" CreationDate="2016-12-28T04:52:47.533" Score="5" ViewCount="373" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pest on my chili plants. It manifests as white powdery substance with black spots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not sure What this is And How to treat It. I assumed It was a fungus, but now I also saw some small white worms or larvae. I sprayed with both white oil and fungus control on a two to three daily basis. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe anyone can help identify and provide a good treatment?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xVYzB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xVYzB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FGFRL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FGFRL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/px43A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/px43A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="916" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-29T05:09:01.130" LastActivityDate="2016-12-30T00:09:18.403" Title="Pest on my chili plants" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30342" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30330" CreationDate="2016-12-28T07:34:22.843" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Possible causes:&#xA;- overwatering&#xA;- drought&#xA;- cold water&#xA;- air humidity too high or too low, because it affects pollination and unpollinated flowers drop&#xA;- insufficient calcium or magnesium&#xA;- not enough light&#xA;- fungal infection&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see, there are many possible causes, that's why, in order to help, we need to see some pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2016-12-28T07:34:22.843" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30343" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-28T13:20:59.900" Score="4" ViewCount="1478" Body="&lt;p&gt;All I can buy in my country is traditional solid NPK fertilizer as shown in this picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rkzpS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rkzpS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I prepare a nutrient solution for growing lettuce with this. (I also have Calcium Nitrate and Magnesium Sulphate if needed)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16448" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2016-12-28T21:55:30.087" LastActivityDate="2016-12-28T21:55:30.087" Title="How do you make the nutrient solution for a hydroponic system from solid compound NPK fertilizer?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30344" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30350" CreationDate="2016-12-28T18:01:52.407" Score="5" ViewCount="494" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here on the South Carolina coast, we tend to have long warm and wet spells in December and January. For instance today, 12/28, it's in the low 70's and we've had rain 2 of the last 3 days. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had new Centipede sod put down in August, and it's doing relatively well, but I haven't used any fertilizers or weed &amp;amp; feed on it yet based on my research indicating it wasn't good to apply to new sod or right before the winter season. (Maybe that research is flawed.) I was in the backyard yesterday, and we're starting to get a variety of weeds sprouting up through the sod. I don't want to damage the grass, but I know these weeds spread like gangbusters especially during this time of year when the weather is like this. The grass is largely dormant, so it's not actively growing to help combat it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the recommended course of action for treating this type of grass at this time of year? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16449" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-29T17:23:48.310" LastActivityDate="2016-12-29T17:23:48.310" Title="What weed treatment is appropriate for Centipede grass in the winter?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;winter&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30345" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30330" CreationDate="2016-12-28T20:09:10.733" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you overwater the chilli plant. The leaves are not very healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chilli likes also dry climate, so try to water a lot less. One or twice a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also not put so much fertiliser. Once every two or three month should be enough (and possibly one every year, but possibly also changing the soil). Chilli doesn't produce a lot of green, or big fruits, so I find they don't need much fertiliser nor water. And this will make the chilli also better (hot).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2016-12-28T20:09:10.733" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30346" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30343" CreationDate="2016-12-28T21:52:25.410" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants require 14 essential elements, and it sounds like you're only going to provide nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and sulphur. You also need to dissolve the constituents with distilled water unless you can compensate for the Ca, Mg, and S in tap water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Plants require 14 essential elements in the root zone,including the macronutrients (needed in relatively large quantities) of nitrogen,phosphorus,&#xA;  potassium,sulfur,calcium and magnesium; and the micronutrients (needed in relatively small quantities) of iron, manganese, zinc, boron, copper, molybdenum, chloride and nickel.All of these nutrients must be supplied by the hydroponic nutrient solution, although chloride and nickel aren’t included in most recipes, as they’re available in sufficient quantities as impurities with the fertiliser.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you only want to grow lettuce, you only need a vegetative recipe for the whole growth cycle, and not an additional one for flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cornell’s Controlled Environment Agriculture group have used this recipe for many years for growing lettuce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/skIQK.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/skIQK.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You normally make up two separate solutions as when concentrated together insoluble precipitates can form. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have heard of people using human urine (instead of fish waste) to grow plants hydroponically and this is known as peeponics.  This is possible because animals and plants have evolved closely together so they fulfil our needs as we fulfil theirs.  This does need the addition of some wood ash to make up for the inadequate potassium and calcium present in urine, and there may be some health concerns with E. Coli, and medications in the urine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greenhouse.cornell.edu/crops/factsheets/hydroponic-recipes.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.greenhouse.cornell.edu/crops/factsheets/hydroponic-recipes.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2016-12-28T21:52:25.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30347" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-29T05:38:23.950" Score="9" ViewCount="4882" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FO3zR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Chilli plant leaf curling&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaf of my green chilli plant keep curling and wither away. I have tried treatment with neem oil pesticide /fungicide but it does not show any improvement&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant does not flower / produce chillis&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16451" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-03-27T11:27:01.247" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T11:27:01.247" Title="Chilli plant leaf curling" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30350" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30344" CreationDate="2016-12-29T17:23:07.043" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because your lawn is not established, try to bag all cuttings from the lawn. Here are some herbicides safe for use on Centipede grass. Only use these chemicals when the temperatures are between 60 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Also be sure the soil is moist, or control will be poor. Do now mow until after the day following application. (I am not sure how many of these are available to homeowners in your area, you'll have to find them yourself). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Post emergent control:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For control of weedy grasses, use &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.alanwood.net/pesticides/sethoxydim.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sethoxydim&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For control of many broadleaf weeds including legumes, use &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrazine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;atrazine&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For control of annual and other broadleaf weeds, use &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecoprop&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;MCPP&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For control of Sedges, wild alliums, etc, use &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.alanwood.net/pesticides/halosulfuron.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;halosulfuron&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For a wide-range control of cool season perennial turf grasses, annual grasses, and some broadleaf weeds, use &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.alanwood.net/pesticides/thiencarbazone.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;thiencarbazone&lt;/a&gt; + &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.alanwood.net/pesticides/iodosulfuron.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;iodosulfuron&lt;/a&gt; + &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicamba&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;dicamba&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pre emergent control:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For control of annual grasses, some broadleaf, use &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oryzalin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;oryzalin&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For control of most broadleaf weeds, use &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoxaben&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;isoxaben&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If possible, only use these chemicals after the lawn is established. In new lawns, or poor conditions, only apply at a low rate, and only if the weeds are damaging the lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2016-12-29T17:23:07.043" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30351" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30915" CreationDate="2016-12-29T18:14:58.873" Score="7" ViewCount="2384" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some small cactus (one year old) and they are have been producing a lot of new pads.&#xA;If I remove the branching pads, the main stem will have more energy to develop itself (my main focus is to have a single, big stem), right? Plus, I can start doing propagation with the pads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there some kind of negative effect from removing the pads?&#xA;Some species (like the example bellow) don't seem to grow very tall, and removing the branches seems to be the only way of having a big plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Example&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qb4af.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qb4af.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Catus pads&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16456" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2016-12-30T01:39:48.663" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T19:57:17.407" Title="Should I cut off cactus pads to help the main branch to grow?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30341" CreationDate="2016-12-30T00:09:18.403" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;And another bug to consider are lace wing bugs.  The control for this or scale or flea beetles or aphids is simply a NEEM drench.  Making a large container of NEEM solution, turning this plant upside down and gently swishing.  One treatment will not eradicate your problem.  Be sure to treat the top of your soil (do not soak just lightly spray).  It will take a bit of vigilance and be sure to check all of your other plants as they most likely will be hosting these insects as well in different degrees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of soil are you using?  Did you add anything such as bark or mulch from the out of doors?  Did you bring a new plant into your home a few months ago?  Get this plant dipped and look at your other plants.  If you have used garden soil get ready to transplant ALL of your house plants into new sterile bagged potting soil.  Plants indoors will not get these problems unless a new unknown plant is introduced to the family or someone has used garden soil or bark mulch from the garden.  Just takes ONE little dude that finds itself in a non competitive market to take over!  Send magnification of pictures for a bonafide ID.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2016-12-30T00:09:18.403" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30353" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30446" CreationDate="2016-12-30T01:29:04.687" Score="5" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;Asking for a friend. I have not seen the tree in person. The leaves look so much like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilia_americana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tilia americana&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; to me, but the bark doesn't look quite like what I'm used to. I also didn't notice any bracts in the pictures. Does anyone confirm the ID?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C84Rs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C84Rs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RdmId.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RdmId.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4ZJ2a.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4ZJ2a.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-01-13T17:28:06.733" Title="Is this an American Basswood?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30354" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-30T04:12:40.107" Score="5" ViewCount="1361" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can I grow &lt;a href=&quot;https://garden.org/plants/view/87910/Turtle-Vine-Callisia-repens/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;callisia repens&lt;/a&gt;, turtle vine, in the house without any sunlight, only in shade?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13845" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2016-12-30T19:22:49.447" LastActivityDate="2016-12-30T19:22:49.447" Title="Can I grow callisia repens turtle vine inside the house?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30355" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-30T05:34:39.447" Score="8" ViewCount="997" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ever since I got this cactus it has been growing, but now it's becoming purple and paler. What am I doing wrong, and how do I solve it? I'm rather new at this gardening stuff so help would really be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I already tried watering it less but it's still worsening. What other things should I try?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I live in south east asia and had it for 4 weeks now. The beads of moisture is water and its indoors on a windowstill &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EyQmL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16457" LastEditorUserId="16457" LastEditDate="2017-01-01T10:13:26.423" LastActivityDate="2017-01-02T22:54:14.453" Title="Why is my cactus turning purple and pale?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30354" CreationDate="2016-12-30T11:38:12.167" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Should be fine - needs warmth and good daylight, but not having any sun as a houseplant is fine, even outdoors it prefers dappled sunlight or partial shade, see here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardenseeker.com/indoor-plants/callisia_repens.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardenseeker.com/indoor-plants/callisia_repens.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2016-12-30T11:38:12.167" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30357" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2016-12-30T21:26:23.170" Score="6" ViewCount="13680" Body="&lt;p&gt;My aloe has tipped over and I'm not sure what to do with it. Should I leave it leaning? If not I could try to repot it but the middle stem is so bent that I'm not sure how to have it stand vertically. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: The aloe grew like this naturally, it wasn't damaged by anything. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any tips or ideas appreciated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2uqNQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaning aloe&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16459" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-08T19:21:07.480" LastActivityDate="2017-01-08T20:06:49.783" Title="Why is my aloe tipping over?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30357" CreationDate="2016-12-30T23:16:18.580" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it's been in that position for a long time, with any light always coming from the same direction, that would explain this. It should have been rotated regularly, say bi weekly or monthly, but the only thing you can do now is to turn it so that all the growth is pointing away from the window, and leave it in that position for some months. It may, or may not, persuade the existing growth to change position, but I have to say that isn't terribly likely, so keep an eye on how it's growing - if it doesn't become more upright, but new growth starts reaching for the window, you'll have to turn it regularly to keep that upright and not worry about the bent growth you've already got.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over time, with new growth, you may want to consider cutting out this bent growth, but see how it goes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-08T20:06:49.783" LastActivityDate="2017-01-08T20:06:49.783" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30359" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30360" CreationDate="2016-12-31T02:10:42.060" Score="9" ViewCount="13990" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently planted several types of chilli including the insanely hot Carolina reaper. Now the plants are doing well and one is producing a lot  chilli fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However the fruits have not even started turning red and some have been around for more than a month. I am worried if I leave it longer they might become mushy and unusable. The chillies are also getting quite huge and even though I use them in cooking I only need a small amount at a time, these chilli's are low grade tear gas. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that I planted some Ghost chili with this(pale white variety) and they are also fruiting and turning paler.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some background about the growing conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chilli plants are housed in a grow cage with a shade netting(lets&#xA;90% light through), I live in Sydney west where we are seeing&#xA;temperatures of 40 degree centigrade and the sun can be deadly&#xA;scorching at times. UV index is normally between High and extreme during summer. More &lt;a href=&quot;http://uv.willyweather.com.au/nsw/greater-western-sydney/toongabbie-east.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;information here&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;moist not wet&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I feed them PowerFeed fertiliser every 1-2 weeks. This fertiliser works wonders on my other plants but since I am still a light green thumb I am worried about being over eager in my care of my plants. The fertiliser product can be viewed &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seasol.com.au/products/72/PowerFeed-for-Vegies&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;on this product page&lt;/a&gt;. &#xA;Here is the Typical Analysis:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nitrogen (N) 14.0%.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Phosphorus (P) 1.4%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Potassium (K) 9.0%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are Carolina Reaper always suppose to turn red? Could it be I have a green variety? Have not seen anything on the net about this.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Generally speaking how long does it take for chili to mature.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Could the fertiliser be providing an problem by providing a unbalance in nutrients?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Maybe I should move them into direct sunlight as they are not established and not going to scorch to death.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16115" LastActivityDate="2019-01-23T08:07:04.947" Title="Carolina Chili fruit not turning red" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30359" CreationDate="2016-12-31T08:54:45.993" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;A month is not a &lt;em&gt;particularly&lt;/em&gt; alarming amount of time for a chile pepper of any variety to stay green, especially depending on your soil and growing conditions. If the variety isn't used to the growing conditions, it's possible that this might also delay ripening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Carolina Reapers are supposed to take between 70 to 90 days after the transplant before maturity, but other varieties may be earlier or later (it really depends on the variety). However, in some areas and/or soils (such as mine) it may take much, much longer for Carolina Reapers to mature (like maybe longer than the season). I believe the variety comes from South Carolina (so the growing conditions there may be more like ideal than many areas). I don't know what kind of soil they're used to (but probably the usual ideal for peppers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried growing a Carolina Reaper this year, but I only got fruit indoors, while the Orange Carbonero chile plant I grew indoors next to it got loads of fruit after the transplant outside. I did, however, get a very large plant from the Carolina Reaper seeds (it may have needed a bigger container; I had it in a 5-gallon bucket, and it was bigger than all my other pepper plants). I also got plenty of fruit from a number of other varieties (Ring of Fire, Aji Omnicolor, Yatsufusa, Grandpa's Home, etc.) at varying stages of the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peppers generally take between 60 and 120 days after the transplant to get mature fruit. (I've read about a whole lot of peppers, and that's the general range I've seen.) Most chile peppers take somewhat longer than sweet peppers to ripen, however, but there are early chile peppers. Ring of Fire is supposed to be 60 days, in fact (but, it was much later for me—although still productive and tasty).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure about the Carolina Reaper, but many chile peppers (including all of those others I mentioned) will ripen a large amount of fruit at approximately the same time. So, I wouldn't be surprised if that happens. However, don't fret if it does. Chile peppers are normally pretty easy to dry, and if you dry them, you can use them at your leisure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scottrobertsweb.com/ultimate-guide-to-drying-hot-peppers/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's a link that outlines some processes for drying peppers, including safety tips.&lt;/a&gt; It has good advice, and several methods, but some of what they say about the bowl method is rather overkill for some areas (although following all the advice certainly won't hurt). I mean, in my semi-arid area, I don't have to worry much about light levels when I dry peppers. I just wash them, dry them, put them in a bowl in the kitchen or dining room, and wait. I can even pile them higher than the stated one layer of peppers with good results (maybe three or more layers, but there is still a limit: if there are too many, the peppers may leak juice, attract fruit flies, and go bad; if they start to leak, you can separate them into more bowls). If your area isn't arid to semi-arid, you may want to worry about sunlight, ventilation, only doing one layer of peppers, etc. Ventilation seems to help things dry faster and stay good longer in my area, too; I recommend worrying about ventilation even if you don't have to, per se. It's just a good idea. I recommend using a dedicated fan, especially if you're drying them in a small room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chile peppers can take a long time to dry with the bowl method, but if all you care about is preserving them, it doesn't really matter (you can still use them while you're waiting for them to dry). If you're selling dry pepper pods on a schedule, it might matter to you, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your peppers have thick walls, they may be more difficult to dry. You may have to cut them into strips (and in that case, you might want to use such as a dehydrator to dry them—but it can be done successfully just in the open air or in brown paper bags, in my area, at least). Food dehydrators may change the flavor of your peppers, however. I prefer just to let them sit and dry, for flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chile peppers (and peppers generally) are also extremely easy to freeze, however thick the walls are. Just wash them, put them in sandwich bags (or other zipper bags that you can freeze stuff in), and freeze them. If the peppers are whole, you shouldn't have to struggle to separate them when frozen. If they're cut into pieces, you may or may not, depending (but it shouldn't be too hard, most of the time).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've personally never had peppers get mushy from being on the vine too long (unless they had blossom end rot), but it's possible in a more humid area, they might be prone to getting mushy (I don't know). So, if you're familiar with the concept of mushy peppers in your area, maybe someone else will answer with more details on how to handle the situation according to your needs. It's also possible that certain fertilizer programs may result in mushy peppers, but I don't know. Maybe they need extra silica or other nutrients to make them stronger (they might if they're container-grown with a pre-mixed soil). I would guess that disease might be responsible (but you'd think there would be visible signs of disease, too).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Carolina Reapers are supposed to turn red, eventually. I don't know of a kind that stays green. There is a new yellow variety, however. They may or may not turn red while drying them if it's not too cool, if you have to pick them green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not recommend refrigerating your peppers. This will slow ripening, make drying them difficult (if not impossible) and limit their shelf life. (I'm actually kind of surprised they refrigerate fresh peppers in the supermarket. It doesn't seem to help, in my experience. Maybe it helps in humid areas.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Direct sunlight might help your plants, but maybe not. It probably depends on your sun and air. If the UV index is high, it'll likely result in hotter peppers, though. I haven't noticed a big difference in ripening speed for chile peppers between partial shade and even more shade, personally (but I've only really tested it with Ring of Fire, a Capsicum annuum variety; the Carolina Reaper is Capsicum chinense).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Giving your plants more phosphorus could possibly speed ripening. I noticed the amount in your fertilizer is very low compared with the ratio in most NPK fertilizers. Phosphorus is often lower than nitrogen and potassium in fertilizers, but in this case, it's lower than usual. The nitrogen levels in that fertilizer are somewhat high, for peppers, I think (especially if it has already set fruit). Unless the soil is high in potassium, I might just give it a dose of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.greenwaybiotech.com/products/monopotassium-phosphate&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;monopotassium phosphate&lt;/a&gt; and see if it helps (but getting a soil test first would be a better idea, if you can do it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think fertilizing every 1-2 weeks is too often. The plant probably won't use it all, and eventually the nitrogen may burn your plants, cause root rot and stuff (and the soil may become too salty and maybe even too acidic). However, if the soil is high in nitrogen, I do recommend more sun (unless the UV rays are too harmful for the plants). If you've been fertilizing that often, you can (and probably should) take a break from fertilization (nitrogen especially) for a long time. Trying to balance out the nitrogen with other nutrients may help, but it may be dangerous if your soil has too many nutrients already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;High nitrogen (and/or low potassium) could possibly result in weak fruit (which may be the mushy fruit you mentioned). Weak plants/fruit may be more susceptible to disease. Disease can increase the spoilage rates, and even partially diseased fruits may be more difficult to dry successfully (you may not want to try it). If it's edible as is, you can freeze it, if you can't dry it. Silica and the proper proportion of calcium can also help strengthen a plant. Calcium can raise your soil pH, though. Silica sources include such as sand and rockdust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2016-12-31T10:38:06.323" LastActivityDate="2016-12-31T10:38:06.323" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30361" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2323" CreationDate="2016-12-31T17:43:39.097" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pine needles will not acidify your soil!  They are slow to decompose, and even after they do, dead pine needles are pH neutral and thus have no effect on soil pH. It's amazing how many people, including gardening experts, believe this myth!  (See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenmyths.com/pine-needles-acidify-soil/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Garden Myths-pine needles&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said, pine needle mulch is a great mulch for any plants, regardless of their pH preference. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Likewise with coffee grounds (see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenmyths.com/coffee-grounds-acidifies-soil/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Garden Myths-coffee grounds&lt;/a&gt;).  They can add fertility and boost organic matter, but note that composting coffee grounds before adding them to the soil is advisable, as uncomposted grounds contain carcinogens!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenmyths.com/increasing-soil-acidity/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Garden Myths-increasing soil acidity&lt;/a&gt; for a discussion about the relevance of soil type to your acidification strategy, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Acidify-Soil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikihow acidifying soil&lt;/a&gt; for further instructions on acidifying soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16462" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-01T19:21:18.927" LastActivityDate="2017-01-01T19:21:18.927" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30362" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3173" CreationDate="2016-12-31T20:37:48.890" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're on the cusp of being able to overwinter some varieties of Elephant Ear, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colocasia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Colocasia&lt;/a&gt;. I found what you did, that of the very cold hardy varieties, zone 7 is pretty much the lowest advertised.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, there is one variety that keeps coming up as being hardy enough for you. As Tim said, it's the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=colocasia+pink+china&amp;amp;newwindow=1&amp;amp;safe=active&amp;amp;biw=1366&amp;amp;bih=659&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;sqi=2&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjnp9n8hp_RAhVH2IMKHeqqBHMQ_AUIBygC&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Colocasia 'Pink China'&lt;/a&gt;. A number of nursery catalogs and anecdotal articles recommend it as the one to try in zone 6. I even found a few that have grown it successfully in zone 5.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a sampling from my research. Some are redundant, and are listed just to give examples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.plantdelights.com/blogs/articles/colocasia-elephant-ear&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cool Colocasias, Elephant Ears for the Garden&lt;/a&gt;, from Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, North Carolina, is a great resource for care of Colocasias in general, and features a comprehensive list of different varieties with pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Colocasia esculenta 'Pink China' is an introduction from Kentucky's Brian Williams, and has been the hardiest elephant ear in his trials, with tubers left on top of the ground surviving outdoors in Kentucky. We have heard unverified reports of hardiness in warmer Zone 5, but we'll believe it when we see temperature documentation. Regardless of the hardiness, Colocasia 'Pink China' makes an attractive 4' tall clump that spreads rapidly by rhizomes to create a large patch. The green leaves are held atop mauvy-pink stems. (Hardiness Zone 6-10)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://colocasiaplants.com/how-to-grow-colocasia-plants.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Colosiaplants.com&lt;/a&gt; is also a good general resource. From the detailed section on overwintering:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most Colocasia has a solid USDA Hardiness Zone 7b, while Colocasia 'Pink China' is reportedly winter hardy to Zone 6.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.knollwoodgardens.com/pages/products/default/AnnualFlowers/GardenTropicals/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Knollwood Gardens&lt;/a&gt; in Ohio:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Colocasia 'Pink China'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A very pretty variety with vibrant pink stems, it grows to 4-6 feet. It is a fairly cold-hardy variety to Zone 6 (we are Zone 5 in most cases).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.manchestergardenclub.com/rick/Tropicals/Tropicals.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Manchester Garden Club in Indiana&lt;/a&gt; includes it with other plants on their page called &amp;quot;Hardy Tropicals for Zone 5&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Colocasia Esculenta Pink China&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This elephant ear is reportedly as hardy as Musa Basjoo (the Japaneses Fiber Bannana) and it looks great planted under the banana tree. The plant has medium green leaves, but it is easily identified by the pink dot in the center of the leaves. The stems also are very pink in color at times, but not quite so bold at other times.  The tubers spread like crazy and one plant may easily turn into 25 in one summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a must have for anyone trying to grow tropicals in cold zones. It has easily survived several Zone 5 winters here with no protection, although the survivors don't tend to get quite as big as the ones overwintered in a garage, which can achieve 5 to 7 feet in height. This elephant ear really multiplies in the sun, but it will do just fine in part shade and actually have better color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.logees.com/elephant-ear-pink-china-colocasia-hybrid.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Logee's Nursery&lt;/a&gt; in Connecticut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Elephant Ear ‘Pink China’ (Colocasia hybrid) has brilliant pink stems and rich green leaves with a pink dot in the center to add vibrant color to any container or garden. Possibly the hardiest of all colocasias, 'Pink China' can tolerate zone 6 with a heavy layer of mulch as winter protection. It makes the perfect tropical plant for people in colder zones who don't want to move plants inside for the winter. 'Pink China' generally reaches 4' tall the first season and it spreads by underground rhizomes creating a larger display with each subsequent year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.elephantearsplants.com/elephantearspinkchina.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Wholesale Elephant's Ears&lt;/a&gt; catalogue, in California&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Elephant Ears Colocasia Esculenta &amp;quot;Pink China&amp;quot; is known to be the hardiest Elephant Ear variety. With proper mulching, it can even thrive in zone 6. Pink China has dusty green leaves and gorgeous shocking bright pink stems. The pinkish purple hues extend to the under side of some leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although I'm on the East Coast of the United States, I live in pretty much the same zone as you, and we sometimes have unusually mild winters. I imagine you do too, so if you're willing to take a risk, I'd try this lovely looking variety. If you start to see too many dying off, you can dig up some of the tubers (rhizomes) and move them inside the garage or house (if the plant's not too big) for the winter. According to most of what I've read, transplanting is not too difficult, especially among the smaller varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for larger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LDise.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LDisem.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;In pots&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.palmaverde.nl/blad-colocasia-esculenta-pink-china-olifantenoor.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zml0P.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zml0Pm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;In garden&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.manchestergardenclub.com/rick/Tropicals/OverWintered/OverWintered.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-01-02T17:00:13.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30363" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2323" CreationDate="2016-12-31T22:25:18.517" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;An additional method for acidifying soil is elemental sulfur.  Start with about 1 lb S in the form of powder per square yard.  The reaction is slow -- actually the sulfur is eaten by a bacteria, and converted to sulfuric acid. It takes about 3 months.  The sulfur has to be worked into the soil  No bacteria on the surface. Once you get the pH down,you can maintain it with periodic doses of prilled sulfur at a higher rate, but less often. (about every 5 years)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2016-12-31T22:25:18.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30364" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30368" CreationDate="2017-01-01T18:26:29.177" Score="7" ViewCount="191" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Can anyone help me identify this particular tree?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It grows at least in Portugal (north and south).&lt;br&gt;&#xA;This branch is obviously dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xiQc0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xiQc0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2230" LastActivityDate="2017-01-02T16:08:13.783" Title="Identify Portuguese Tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30365" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-01T18:40:29.540" Score="7" ViewCount="2222" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased a Nepenthes Miranda roughly over 6-7 months ago and for the first long while it was going super well. The leaves looked waxy and the pods grown were plentiful and large. It wasn't until maybe 2 months ago I noticed things were going wrong. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The waxy look to the plants leaves had started to fade and the pods seemed to stunt in growth. It wasn't long before the protective leaf atop the pod started to wilt and dry up followed by the rest of the pod in the following days. I decided to take my somewhat limited plant knowledge into account and trim off her dead pod at the very top of the vine in hopes the drying/rotting wouldn't spread unto the rest of the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately it didn't end there, all the pods fell in line having the same fate as the first. Currently it has one pod that's only just opening up and two pods on the way. The rest of the pods have died and been cut off. I then started to notice the leaves that didn't sprout pods in the first place were starting to wilt and go brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I then wasn't sure if I should trim those off (so they are still on the plant). When I purchased the plant it had a couple of dried out dead leaves attached at the base and I never trimmed them off out of fear there was a reason the seller didn't, as he seemed quite passionate about the plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I kept it in living conditions I researched and found suitable for the plant. I had an old fish terrarium laying around, so for the longest time I kept my Nepenthes in there. I turned the light on when I woke up in the morning and turned it off before I went to bed to try to emulate daytime/nighttime cycles for the plant. I watered it every time the soil felt dry and even put the lid of a cheese grater under the pot so there wouldn't be any sitting in water. I also used osmosis water and nothing but osmosis water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sadly my Nepenthes has out grown the terrarium and after a lot of research I learned that the Miranda can live outside of one so shortly after the repotting process I set her on my bookshelf and got my father (a carpenter) to take the lid of the terrarium with the light and fixture it above my plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Canada so you can imagine why I don't want to sit a tropical plant by the windowsill for its sunlight. I'm worried perhaps my room isn't humid enough or that it's getting too little/too much water and sunlight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh and I also feed the plant freeze-dried crickets which I read from multiple sources work best for these plants if you don't live in a bug infested home. I only gave her one in a random pod at a time until I saw it was visibly disintegrated because the crickets were fairly large. I have currently discontinued giving the plant any crickets because it has just been repotted and is still going through stress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help on this matter would be much appreciated! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The current set up, you can see one of the withered pods I just cut off.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iGj4z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iGj4z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves that are drying out and dying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/32U2j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/32U2j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16467" LastEditorUserId="26403" LastEditDate="2019-07-19T16:25:06.570" LastActivityDate="2019-08-08T11:34:14.610" Title="How should I care for my struggling Nepenthes Miranda?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;nepenthes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27213" CreationDate="2017-01-01T21:13:49.670" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I came across this video from Charles Dowding which addresses this issue. He says this is method one of preparing a no-dig vegetable garden. The video then goes on to show ground that is covered in grasses, weeds including bindweeds, thistles, dandelions etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He covers the whole area with black plastic for a month to kill the plants growing underneath. He then rolls back the black plastic and puts down a layer of manure, and compost so that he can no longer see the dead weeds. And then he replaces the plastic. In the video, three weeks later he then makes holes in the plastic and plants some marrow plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The video doesn't go into detail as to whether the plastic remains in place for another year. They usually say it takes 3 years to exhaust the roots of bindweeds so that they die. And of course in the no dig method, the channels left by the decomposing weed roots are open to the plants you're growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/Mmv2zGfhG8w&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/Mmv2zGfhG8w&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that this technique is not solarisation as the rhizomes of bindweeds are often too deep to be killed by that method. This appears to work by depriving the roots of any place to send leaves above the ground to sustain themselves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-02T02:23:32.517" LastActivityDate="2017-01-02T02:23:32.517" CommentCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30367" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30355" CreationDate="2017-01-02T12:51:11.697" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The worst thing is, I can't decide which cactus this actually is - I'm inclining towards possibly a Euphorbia of some description, or more likely Orbea tubiflora maybe, but I really am not sure. Even so, there are some things you can try - first, can you get hold of some sterilised potting compost rather than just garden soil? It needs a sandy or gritty free draining potting medium as soon as possible, and a pot with drainage holes in the bottom if that one doesn't have them - in the meantime, and ongoing, stop watering, you're watering way too much. I don't know what part of the world you're in, but most cactus can go weeks without any water at all, particularly during the winter months, when they should be watered very sparingly occasionally just to prevent shrivelling. I wouldn't suggest you water it at all at this stage for at least a month, and then see how its doing - even when you do start watering, just a little maybe every two weeks, or less often if its winter where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The purple streaks may mean its already too late and a fungal infection or rot has already set in and the plant will just die, but if you want to try and save it, follow the advice given above. In the meantime, I will spend more time researching what plant it could actually be... if its one of the Orbeas, they are at real risk of rot if watered too much from autumn through winter, though they need more water once spring arrives, at which time, rot should not occur.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-01-02T22:54:14.453" LastActivityDate="2017-01-02T22:54:14.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30368" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30364" CreationDate="2017-01-02T16:08:13.783" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be a &lt;em&gt;Tamarix&lt;/em&gt;, e.g. &lt;em&gt;Tamarix africana&lt;/em&gt;: it grows on souther Portugal and near the costs in northern Portugal. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.florestar.net/tamargueira/tamargueira.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.florestar.net/tamargueira/tamargueira.html&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;But I find no good pictures of branches, so I cannot verify.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It remember me also a lot the &lt;em&gt;Callistemon&lt;/em&gt;, see e.g. the picture in: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bottlebrush_seeds.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bottlebrush_seeds.jpg&lt;/a&gt;, but it is not native of Portugal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-01-02T16:08:13.783" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22033" CreationDate="2017-01-03T01:06:32.917" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;total loss...=(...i had several airplants that were overwatered and i didn't even know it.  i just followed what i was told when i first bought it.  the one that works well for me is the misting and a quick wash..soaking didn't work for the plants .&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16470" LastActivityDate="2017-01-03T01:06:32.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30371" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30365" CreationDate="2017-01-03T01:20:54.703" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nepenthes, or the Asian pitcher plant, naturally grows in the tropical regions of Asia either in high mountain rain forests or in warm lowland grasslands at the base of mountains. They are divided into two types, those that live above 3000 feet (highlands), and those that live below that (lowlands) with differing requirements.  The Nepenthes x 'Miranda' is an intermediate or lowlands type and requires warm night time temperatures (above 21 deg C).  Below this, and they are subject to developing brown spots on their leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lowlands Nepenthes requires a high humidity level and so you might be tempted to grow them inside a terrarium.  But they rapidly outgrow most household terrariums and then you have the problem of trying to get your large plant to adjust to lower humidity levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I note also that you've repotted your plant so it may be suffering some sort of transplant shock.  Did you use exactly the same media as the plant came in, or something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nepenthes also requires high light levels and a 20 Watt terrarium light is insufficient.  You'll need at least 2 x 40 Watt fluorescent lamps 8 inches above the plant, kept on for 14 daylight hours during Summer and Spring, and 12 hours for the rest of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To see whether the light from a window might be sufficient, you can install a lux meter app on your phone and measure the light from the window and from your existing lights to see if they're anywhere close.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since they live at the base of mountains, their roots are bathed in oxygenated water running down the mountains.  So, you need to keep the roots moist but not let them sit in stagnant water.  If you let the soil dry out, you will kill the plant. People have even grown them successfully hydroponically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not normally needed to feed these plants since they require only minuscule amounts of nutrition, eg. one insect a month.  The roots do not take up any nutrients of note.  As an alternative to insects, you can feed the pitcher with 1/4 strength orchid fertilizer once a fortnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on the above, I suspect your plant is being underwatered and has insufficient lighting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.growcarnivorousplants.com/Articles.asp?ID=266&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Nepenthes Care Guide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pitcherplants.proboards.com/thread/13543/growing-nepenthes-hydroponically-preliminary-results&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growing Nepenthes hydroponically: Preliminary results.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-01-03T18:45:37.077" LastActivityDate="2017-01-03T18:45:37.077" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30373" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30377" CreationDate="2017-01-03T18:13:43.810" Score="11" ViewCount="6047" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PI2Q5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;Plant :Alstonia&#xA;Appearance:Blisters (gall) on both sides,cutting galls leaves white fluid.&#xA;After some time holes apppears in the blisters.so it seems some insect laid eggs.&#xA;What kind of disease is this? It seems to be some kind of blisters on the leaves of a decorative plant.&#xA;I'm guessing some insect laid eggs in it for eggs nourishment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would you please identify them and tell me how to treat them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16473" LastEditorUserId="16473" LastEditDate="2017-01-15T18:27:37.230" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T09:23:40.363" Title="What disease is causing raised blisters on the leaves of my plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;parasites&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30374" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30404" CreationDate="2017-01-03T22:46:35.347" Score="8" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;I gather no-dig gardens can be established almost anywhere, from over a concrete surface to over a perennial weed infested garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the basic principles on how they work and is there any evidence that double digging is better where possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-03T22:53:23.780" LastActivityDate="2017-01-09T01:30:31.183" Title="What's the rationale for establishing a no-dig garden?" Tags="&lt;no-dig&gt;&lt;double-digging&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30375" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30373" CreationDate="2017-01-04T02:11:40.970" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree, leaf galls. Looks like a Rhododendron regardless, @Atul, need you to take a razor blade and slice through a 'gall' to see if the insect is still there. Take a picture. I would right now cut that infected branch off. This is usually not a death sentence! But before 'trying' any treatment we need to know what that insect is...or virus or bacteria but I am guessing insect. Later, Atul, lets talk about soil improvement. Plants that are stressed by poor environmental conditions are far more susceptible to insect or disease damage. Gaggy soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcached.imagescaler.hbpl.co.uk%2Fresize%2FscaleWidth%2F620%2Fofflinehbpl.hbpl.co.uk%2Fnews%2FWOH%2F23_GallMiteDamageJuglansDoveAss_rt-2014052812345637.gif&amp;amp;imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Falfa-img.com%2Fshow%2Fpetunia-pests-and-diseases.html&amp;amp;docid=P8KDOQSHa9_SoM&amp;amp;tbnid=ylcP9Q2NYaeoiM%3A&amp;amp;vet=1&amp;amp;w=500&amp;amp;h=333&amp;amp;bih=735&amp;amp;biw=1455&amp;amp;q=rhododendron%20leaf%20gall&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjIgtPtsKfRAhUC62MKHbs7ATAQMwgaKAAwAA&amp;amp;iact=mrc&amp;amp;uact=8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;leaf galls&lt;/a&gt; - &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=images&amp;amp;cd=&amp;amp;cad=rja&amp;amp;uact=8&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwi_0JX8s6fRAhVH5mMKHcv4BocQjRwIBw&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fentomologytoday.org%2F2015%2F06%2F11%2Fgalls-insects-behind-the-weird-growths-on-plants%2F&amp;amp;bvm=bv.142059868,d.cGc&amp;amp;psig=AFQjCNEx9BzQ8XVmHHJJEzogJlDcSmEJig&amp;amp;ust=1483582004236157&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;leaf gall&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-01-05T06:16:27.833" LastActivityDate="2017-01-05T06:16:27.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30376" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30382" CreationDate="2017-01-04T11:08:25.143" Score="8" ViewCount="7074" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have multiple Pepper Plants (Buhut Jolokia) and some of them had a little too much water.&#xA;Now there has grown a white mold on the dirt around the stem and I beleve that the plant is suffering from it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I get rid of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NnTEk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NnTEk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;it looks like this&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QERQu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QERQu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;that&amp;#39;s why i think its not healthy&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The white spots don't move. Some leaves and stems have black dots on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pDBSc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pDBSc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oUIV2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oUIV2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16475" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-06T03:34:08.000" LastActivityDate="2018-06-12T18:10:08.480" Title="How can I get rid of fungus on my pepper plants?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mold&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="16" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30377" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30373" CreationDate="2017-01-04T11:51:14.493" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br. is a very beautiful ornamental tree, which is commonly known as pagoda tree because of its pagoda like growing habit. It is commonly infected by the Homopteran, Pauropsylla tuberculata Crawf which leads to unsightly gall formation on the leaves as pictured.&#xA; The gall is the leaf response to the infection by the parasite which in turn sustains the growing insect. If there is a hole in the gall, the insect has likely already left. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20083091676&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20083091676&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-04T11:51:14.493" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30378" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14253" CreationDate="2017-01-04T14:26:27.807" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never grown anything under a light, but I can chime in a little about LED light color which is measured in Kelvin.  Typically (at least in the US) there are two colors of LED available:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;2700K (warm white) produces a warm, yellow light very much like an&#xA;incandescent light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;3000k (cool white) produces a light with more blue that tends to feel a little more &quot;clinical&quot; and which appears to be brighter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is also a 5000k (daylight) bulb that produces a light similar to daylight.  I haven't had the opportunity to work with one, some I'm not able to make a color comparison.  I'm also not entirely sure how it stands up again the old incandescent 'daylight' bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-01-04T14:26:27.807" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30380" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30376" CreationDate="2017-01-05T13:22:09.930" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;There appears to be a long standing insect infestation, possiby whitefly (does anything  rise up and fly about when you go near or disturb the plant?) or scale infestation of some sort. The leaves look somewhat sticky, they're unhealthy with evidence of damage on the stems as well - there are white dots on the upper surface of the leaves and I think there are some on a few stems as well, but the photo doesn't magnify well, it blurs, so impossible to decide quite what they are. You might check beneath the leaves and inspect all stems thoroughly to see if you see any scale, but if you find touching the plant causes a rising up and flying about of whatever this pest is, its likely one of the aphids like whitefly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil the plant is growing in looks pretty wet, and yes, there is fungus growth around the base of the stem as well as on the soil. It's possible the plant has been infested for so long that honeydew has deposited on the soil and the fungal growth is associated with that, but I'm not convinced that's the explanation.  I wonder where this plant is growing, indoors or out? and how old is this plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If its whitefly infestation, that can be difficult to treat unless its in a greenhouse, but there is information here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thechilliking.com/whitefly-infestations-on-chilli-plants/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.thechilliking.com/whitefly-infestations-on-chilli-plants/&lt;/a&gt;, though its mostly aimed at greenhouse growing, which is where whitefly is the most prevalent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending how old your plant is, given its in such poor condition, you might want to decide to bin it - if not, then I'd remove it from its current pot and compost, wash and sterilize the pot or use a new, clean one, and repot the plant in new potting compost, then try to tackle the insect infestation - cutting the plant back by half might help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: If you've had to bring it indoors, then you obviously don't have a warm sub tropical or tropical climate where you are, where some chili varieties can go on for longer and be quite healthy, see here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homegrown-peppers.com/growing-peppers/how-long-do-pepper-plants-live/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.homegrown-peppers.com/growing-peppers/how-long-do-pepper-plants-live/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the plant is two years old and is in a poorly state, you might want to consider disposing of it instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-01-05T13:54:00.373" LastActivityDate="2017-01-05T13:54:00.373" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30376" CreationDate="2017-01-05T16:00:28.917" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My method: take all peppers and flowers. Then put in the soil some &quot;Actara&quot;. This should be enough to save the plant, and not to poison yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually I take some pepper and I plant it again: they grow quickly, but your pepper plant is an hybrid, so not sure if seeds can generate plants, and the seedling will not be like the original plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-01-05T16:00:28.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30376" CreationDate="2017-01-06T00:42:28.400" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your close up leaf images show an aphid infestation. In my experience, this is a highly persistent insect that infests chili plants amongst others with over 500 different types of Aphids specific to particular plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My own chilli plant is over one year old and got infested while outside, and again when wintered inside. I've been spraying regularly with insecticidal soaps even as late as one week ago but this picture just taken shows that I didn't reach all the bugs. You can see adults with their live born young hiding inside the flower. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took this image with my mobile phone camera with a clip on macro lens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/tHS9uu0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Aphids in chilli flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your other plants are not already infested I'd suggest tossing this one before the infection spreads. Otherwise treat with neem sprays repeatedly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-06T00:42:28.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30383" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9512" CreationDate="2017-01-06T02:17:44.700" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This might sound strange considering the location of the tan color, but I've heard that blossom end rot can cause that in peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had sunscald and something that looked like your pepper's condition on a lot of peppers in 2016, and they seemed to be different conditions than each other whether or not the latter were really a weird kind of blossom end rot. It could just be a different kind of sunscald, though. Whatever the case, the peppers are still edible in my experience (just cut off the tan part).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My peppers with sunscald had dry portions where affected (not thick and mushy like the tan part of the others and yours appear to be, but thin and papery).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://librariangreens.wordpress.com/tag/calcium-deficiency/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's an insightful link&lt;/a&gt; about the topic with pictures. It explains how they still had the problem after using shade cloth. The link talks about calcium deficiency, but it should be noted that blossom end rot can still occur when there's enough calcium in the soil. The problem does have to do with calcium, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both problems usually just affected bell-type peppers and large peppers, in 2016, on my fruits. I recommend picking them as soon as it starts to happen—so more peppers can grow and so it doesn't spread over a larger portion of the affected fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-01-06T23:09:04.840" LastActivityDate="2017-01-06T23:09:04.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30384" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-06T03:46:49.770" Score="5" ViewCount="1858" Body="&lt;p&gt;My plant has been having brown spots growing out of nowhere and the whole leaf would turn brown. I tried drying it out and water less (also water more) and it didn't seem to help. I tried using baking soda and it didn't help. I tried misting it and it got worse. I have had this plant for 8 years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone give me some advice? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0zwo3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0zwo3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;brown spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wdRzi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wdRzi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;brown spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16482" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-01-06T14:15:00.697" LastActivityDate="2017-01-07T00:21:16.437" Title="What is causing my Dracaena deremensis to develop brown spots and die?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30386" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2017-01-06T14:03:28.480" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-01-06T14:03:28.480" LastActivityDate="2017-01-06T14:03:28.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30387" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2017-01-06T14:03:28.480" Score="0" Body="Microscopic appearance of bacteriae, fungi and insects that interact with plants" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-07T00:49:07.000" LastActivityDate="2017-01-07T00:49:07.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30388" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-06T15:10:46.287" Score="9" ViewCount="955" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got a plastic bag of seeds from my friend in church, but I don't know which kind of plant they will grow into when they come out. Would you please identify this seed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tjGgm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tjGgm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This Seed that need to be Identified&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16373" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-08T16:25:37.140" LastActivityDate="2017-01-08T16:25:37.140" Title="What are these small brown curved seeds?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30389" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30388" CreationDate="2017-01-06T15:22:50.880" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunaria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lunaria&lt;/a&gt; (Money Plant) seeds to me. They could be one of many other species, but I'd bet on Money Plant. They're often traded because of their easy culture and their novelty factor. You won't know until you grow! &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kzPlU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kzPlU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2017-01-07T05:25:30.127" LastActivityDate="2017-01-07T05:25:30.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30390" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9775" CreationDate="2017-01-06T23:58:49.357" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Essentially you have a large pot with soil with an impermeable bottom layer.  If you have any slope at all to the concrete you'll achieve drainage.  If not, you'll still achieve drainage as the sides won't contain all the water but you'd be better off with the base of the bed layered with small branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for whether you need to change the soil each year, that's clearly impractical and not what happens in nature.  When you grow things in a bed, certain pathogens do accumulate for a season or so, and some plants might preferentially extract some nutrients rather then others unbalancing the soil.  The best approach is what has been done for centuries, and is to practice crop rotation.  Normally that's done on a bed basis, but perhaps you could divide the bed into 5, and rotate each year through the 5 minibeds.  At least one bed should be planted with a green manure crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Each year you should layer down some compost over the whole bed to replace the nutrients you have removed with the plants you've grown and removed. There is no need to mix it all in. As it decomposes further, nutrients will be released to the new plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Replacing lost nutrients is the law of return.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-06T23:58:49.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30391" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30384" CreationDate="2017-01-07T00:21:16.437" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen the brown spots on dracaenae leaves surrounded by a yellow halo on many plants.  The conditions that would indicate that this is a fungus/virus/bacteria are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant potted up in a soil less mix (look for perlite, white crunchy particles)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;alkaline water supply (ph 7+) usually found with limestone bedrock in the water table&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is happening is that the soil less mix is delivered at ph neutral (6) or slightly acidic with a large proportion of peat moss.  Over time the plant uses up the peat moss and turns it into plant matter and what is left cannot buffer the alkaline water.  As the soil becomes alkaline the plant becomes stressed and susceptible to infection.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best solution is three fold:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;move to a higher light area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repot the plant with new soil less mix or a clay based soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;allow the plant to dry out more between waterings&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-01-07T00:21:16.437" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30393" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-07T11:48:17.340" Score="5" ViewCount="2619" Body="&lt;p&gt;My cactus used to have white little rod like insects on it, and when I put some insecticide (added by liquid to the soil around it), the insects disappeared and it grew this weird coating, as shown in the picture. In addition, the other cactus (from the same type) next to it also grew this coating, but the other cacti and succulents next to it were not influenced by it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it? What can I do to heal it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ykTlR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ykTlR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cactus disease&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13616" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-07T21:50:28.297" LastActivityDate="2017-01-08T23:47:10.643" Title="Why does my cactus have a weird white coating? What type of disease is it?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30394" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30395" CreationDate="2017-01-07T15:32:35.913" Score="7" ViewCount="130" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service's &lt;a href=&quot;https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/training-and-pruning-fruit-trees-in-north-carolina&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Training and Pruning Fruit Trees&lt;/a&gt; publication it says this (bolding mine):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The timing of dormant pruning is critical. Pruning should begin as late in the winter as possible to avoid winter injury. Apple and pecan trees should be pruned first, followed by cherry, peach, and plum trees. &lt;strong&gt;A good rule to follow is to prune the latest blooming trees first and the earliest blooming last.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this rule of thumb correct, or is it backwards? It seems to me that, if you were pruning late in the winter, just before bud break, you would want to prune your earliest-blooming trees first and late-blooming trees last.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16284" LastActivityDate="2017-09-14T16:13:18.480" Title="Is this rule of thumb for timing dormant pruning correct?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30394" CreationDate="2017-01-07T21:30:49.620" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the grouping would look more logical if it were made on the way the trees set fruit: stone fruit trees (plum, apricot) are the early bloomers, while the trees with fruits that contain seeds (apple and pear) are the late bloomers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing important when pruning is that different species form their flower buds the previous year, while others form them the same year as flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apple trees and pear trees develop mixed buds on the top of each branch with the rest of the buds on the branches being vegetative. The mixed buds are formed on new growth, therefore, if not pruned every year, these trees will produce the fruits farther away and they will be harder to harvest. Pruning is done &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/profile?pid=90&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;earlier in the year&lt;/a&gt; because the tree should be dormant, otherwise we risk pruning the branches that start to develop mixed buds. In this case, pruning can not be avoided during the period when the fungus &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=245&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Chondrostereum purpureum&lt;/a&gt; has its infectious spores active (from september to may). Of course we can prune them after they get out of dormancy, when the buds form, as long as we don't cut all the newly formed buds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, stone fruits form their reproductive buds later in the year, after the current harvest, and that's why they flower in early spring next year. If we were to prune them while dormant, we would cut the branches that had already formed their reproductive buds the previous year. Pruning after the harvest ensures both the formation of new buds and avoidance of the Chondrostereum purpureum active spores period. Pruning &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=339&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;plums&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=318#section-2&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;cherries&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/fruit/peaches&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;peaches&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To summarize, stone fruit trees, which are early bloomers, need to be pruned later to avoid cutting the reproductive buds already formed the previous year, while the seed containing fruit trees, which are late bloomers, need to be pruned when dormant before the new mixed buds are formed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: I have added links to RHS, a reliable source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-01-08T09:54:59.173" LastActivityDate="2017-01-08T09:54:59.173" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30396" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24690" CreationDate="2017-01-07T23:07:37.433" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's common when searching for the answer to this question to see answers that say the condensate is full of heavy metals acquired as the water condenses over the metal components of the dehumidifier, gathers bacteriae, fungal spores and viruses from the air, may even be growing legionella.  However, most of these things are highly unlikely to be harmful to your plant, and if you have plants that don't tolerate chlorine or fluoride such as Dracaena sanderiana (lucky bamboo) and tillandsias, then the water from a dehumidifier will likely be much better for your plant than your municipal tap water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most dehumidifier companies say the water is not safe to drink, but few have published analyses of the water produced.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://questhydro.com/grow-info/laboratory-test-condensate/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Quest Hydro&lt;/a&gt; is one company to  have published some data, and have found that the water is even safe to drink ( though clearly it's not recommended ).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ryTUF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ryTUF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wish to be surer your unit is safe for your plants, you could test the water with a TDS meter to make sure that the ppm is less then your tap water, and check the pH to ensure it's in range for your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-07T23:07:37.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30397" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30477" CreationDate="2017-01-08T00:38:39.760" Score="6" ViewCount="360" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a problem with aphids.  Some of my plants are too weakened to be sprayed with a high-velocity hose to knock them off, and I really don't have the time to keep spraying with various insecticides, Neem, soaps etc.  The ladybugs in my region seem to be particularly lazy, and the predator wasps just can't keep up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Victorian times they used to make up sprays with tobacco plants, and apparently some novels mention that smokers were encouraged to smoke near the roses so that the cigarette smoke would deter the aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also read that &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotiana_alata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Nicotiana alata&lt;/a&gt; can be useful in an organic garden as the scent attracts aphids and spider mites which settle on the sticky glands.  So, are these stories apocryphal or can they be used to draw aphids and mites from your prized plants?  And if so, how many plants do you need per m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; of garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Vnbh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Vnbh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-01-08T01:00:21.603" LastActivityDate="2017-01-16T02:40:14.997" Title="Can Nicotiana alata be used as an aphid &quot;honeypot&quot;?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;&lt;spider-mites&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30398" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30399" CreationDate="2017-01-08T08:39:09.283" Score="4" ViewCount="1663" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing a banana plant in my house. Some of my neighbors say that trimming or cutting fresh banana leaves from the tree before it has borne a fruit, would result in the banana tree not producing a banana at all. I need to know whether it is true, or if it's just a myth? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if it's true, what is the reason behind it and how can I make the tree bear fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16489" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-08T16:51:55.090" LastActivityDate="2017-01-09T00:33:19.490" Title="Should I cut off some banana leaves before flowering?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30399" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30398" CreationDate="2017-01-08T13:34:25.473" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure if what you've been told is entirely true - what is true is that the new leaves and fruiting stems emerge from the centre of the plant, pushing their way up through existing leaves, so its possibly true that you risk damaging new growth you can't see by trimming existing leaves. The advice generally with banana plants is to let withering or shrivelling leaves remain on the plant until they're completely dry and dead, which might suggest removing healthy leaves is not a good idea. There's no good reason for removing leaves prior to flowering, and its likely best not to do so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://mobile.weekendgardener.net/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.weekendgardener.net%2Ffruit%2Fgrow-bananas-indoors-011001.htm&amp;amp;dm_redirected=true#3085&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; describes how to grow a fruting banana indoors, but if you read it, you will see that it talks about specific varieties of banana for use as houseplants. Not all banana plants produce fruit anyway, and some are better suited to growing outdoors because of their size, or because they won't produce fruit as a houseplant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-01-09T00:33:19.490" LastActivityDate="2017-01-09T00:33:19.490" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30400" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21984" CreationDate="2017-01-08T18:48:30.597" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the biggest and best I have ever seen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1 wheel barrow of soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1 gallon of fresh chicken manure&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1 gallon of fresh cow manure &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1 cup of lime &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plenty of perlite&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not put plants in this mix until they are 1 month old. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16490" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-08T19:08:44.920" LastActivityDate="2017-01-08T19:08:44.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30393" CreationDate="2017-01-08T22:38:42.390" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;From your picture I think you are talking about those graybrown spots?  Those are not insects or disease at all.  They are normal and called modified leaves/bud scales.  Let me know if I am not seeing what I am supposed to see, ok?  That semi opaque coating is also natural, helps to cool the cactus from direct sun bouncing some light and heat back into the atmosphere.  Those spots are modified leaves from adaptation to desert environments.  They also house the spines. I've no idea the specific species, someone here will certainly know.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That insecticide irritated the epidermis of this plant and caused more protection or glauca or that whitish coating.  I think those rods were spines?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never use any pesticide without KNOWING for sure what the problem a plant HAS.   It is a rare occurrence that a pesticide (includes herbicides) is ever necessary.  They truly do far more harm than good.  And when you know more about plants you'll be able to never use pesticides.  Think of pesticides as a very toxic bandaid. Worrying about insects, disease and weeds is pretty much a waste of time.  Soil, watering, drainage, fertilizer type and amount (less is always better), temperature and LIGHT are far more important to know. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your cactus has never had a problem other than a weird 'acid rain' it got when you put the chemicals on the surface of this plant.  Did you rub those spines out?  This plant should be fine.  No more 'treatments'...grins!  What DID you use?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-08T22:38:42.390" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30402" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30393" CreationDate="2017-01-08T23:04:52.743" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I asked about sunlight because the plant looks bleached out, or yellowish green,  when it should be dark green, but it doesn't sound like that's the explanation. The product you used as a drench shouldn't have caused a problem, unless you overdosed when mixing it, but it might be that, for some reason, the two Opuntia were sensitive to it and this is the effect. It looks pretty sick because the small tufts of spines are missing too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other possibility I can think is over crowding - it's not possible to see the whole pot and its contents from your photograph, but if there are lots of plants, they've been in there for some time, or there are too many plants for one container, and the pot is relatively shallow, it might just be they've run out of root room. Even that doesn't make complete sense, because you're saying its only the Opuntias which are affected, but otherwise, if only the Opuntia were infested with insects, perhaps they were more significantly damaged than you realised and this is the result.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you think root crowding might be the issue, it may be worth turning the pot out and separating the plants into individual  pots, the two that are  looking sick, anyway, and wait and see if they recover over time. I think I'd do that anyway - fresh potting medium in another container might help them recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-01-08T23:47:10.643" LastActivityDate="2017-01-08T23:47:10.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28980" CreationDate="2017-01-08T23:41:53.340" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=lemon%20scab&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;biw=1067&amp;amp;bih=539&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjQlKGq0bPRAhUM22MKHYNUASsQ7AkIQw&amp;amp;dpr=1.5&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lemon Scab&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/138242/managing-lemon-scab-in-citrus.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;management of Lemon Scab&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll see a picture of your lemon  5 or 7 rows down on the images.  The only way to control this is a copper spray.  How big is your lemon?  I'd check out a professional as this is a very big problem in your country and other MOIST environments for citrus.  It is a fungus and to control MOST fungus one needs to put a little 'raincoat' on your plant.  Water splashing up from the soil which is full of these spores is how this fungus infects plant material.  There is nothing you can do after infection. This spray, is the little raincoat, and can get this disease under control by protecting splash (full of spores) from landing on the epidermis of your plant.  Have you contacted your 'Cooperative Extension Service' of your nearby University?  Don't know what they'd call it DOWN there, grins.  They will love that you are aware!  They'll have the facts for your area in Australia.  Please tell us what they say!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-08T23:41:53.340" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30404" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30374" CreationDate="2017-01-09T01:30:31.183" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tillage is intrusive and destructive to the soil ecosystem. Tillage destroys aggregates. Tillage stimulates opportunist bacteria to consume the aggregates and the biotic glues in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aggregates and biotic glues are really important: 1) house for bacteria,2) improve water infiltration and water holding capacity,3) increase the holding of nutrients. Tillage cuts the fungi network, and stimulates weed production.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mechanical tiller are killer...remember the soil is alive...treat like your favorite pet...you would not run over your favorite pet with a disk or tillage machine...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16492" LastActivityDate="2017-01-09T01:30:31.183" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30405" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-09T03:42:48.640" Score="15" ViewCount="374" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read some sites that talk about Brix levels in vegetables, and how we should aim to reach high levels in the edibles we grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is brix, and is it something we can inexpensively measure at home?  And if it's good, how do we increase levels?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-11-25T01:35:53.897" Title="What is brix, and should I care?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30405" CreationDate="2017-01-09T07:00:09.443" Score="15" Body="&lt;p&gt;Brix is a measurement of sugar in liquid foods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I check Brix degree to sell my grapes. They pay me pro Brix/Kilo (with some maximal limit of Brix, and maximal Kilo per square meter). For wine I understand that sugar is direct proportional with alcoolic degree in wine, and people now think that a strong wine is better then a &quot;soft&quot; wine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that Brix is used also for beer, and for honey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For vegetable I don't know. It is an objective measurement of how mature are tomatoes etc., so it can be a good specification for contracts, but I don't think it is the best way to have better vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For own consumption I think it is not a good way to select better vegetables (nor the size of the vegetables). One should really taste vegetable and find what it is the best taste/maturity for a specific use. I usually don't like overmature vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How to measure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually there is two instruments: densimeter and refractrometer. Both measure the density of pulp &quot;liquid&quot;. The first one is cheap (less than 10 dollars): it is a scale which sink in the liquid. The refractrometer costs more (10 times more), and uses optical refraction index. This requires a lot less liquid (few drops) and quicker to do many measures. I think it is the only one which work for honey (very dense matter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-01-09T07:00:09.443" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30407" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30408" CreationDate="2017-01-09T13:40:56.400" Score="1" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife picked up some &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9rKPR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Flowers&lt;/a&gt; from the store (Costco I believe) for her students to draw.   She would like to be able to tell them what the flowers are so they can label them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8t6vD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Another angle&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ouk4q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;A third angle&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="138" LastActivityDate="2017-01-09T14:27:16.487" Title="Help me identify any of these flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-01-09T14:32:27.903" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30408" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30407" CreationDate="2017-01-09T14:27:16.487" Score="4" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The orange flowers are carnations.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The purple flower on the top    (rather stiff with many blossoms&#xA;clustered on a thick stem) is statice.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The large green flower is a dahlia.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The pink with yellow centers are daisies.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what the dark purple daisy-like flowers with the white tips are, and I think I might also see a spray of light purple freesia in there, but it is hard to tell. They're very pretty! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2017-01-09T14:27:16.487" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30409" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30411" CreationDate="2017-01-09T17:12:13.363" Score="10" ViewCount="925" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are in a position to move onto a large city lot of about 0.75 acre.  I like the idea of having a large lot for economic and quality of life reasons but I see an opportunity to set up a sizable garden that can yield fresh food (further enhancing QOL?).  We live on a tiny lot now and have a small garden that has had limited success despite being in the shadow of a wall and trees during the winter months.  We have coaxed cherry tomatos and a few jalapenos out of the garden but hardly enough (or of high enough quality) to call ourselves competent gardners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We are in the southwest US where temperatures range from just barely sub-freezing on extremely cold winter nights to 120°f/49°c at the peak of summer (elev ~1500ft/450m).  The soil supports traditional desert plants but I don't know what, if anything, should be done to prepare soil for non-native plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I grew up in this environment and have seen non-native trees (pine, orange, sissoo, pomegranate, etc) grow without problems but I've never had much luck with plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should be done, at a very high level, to lay the groundwork for a productive garden and avoid a time consuming, frustrating, and expensive excercise in futility?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16494" LastActivityDate="2017-01-11T05:02:28.857" Title="Garden in Desert Soil" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;desert&gt;&lt;planning&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30410" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30409" CreationDate="2017-01-10T00:04:08.703" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds as if you've the making of a true gardener!  Please check out your city's water treatment, sewer treatment facilities.  Ask if they decompose human shit with added sawdust via federal guidelines.  THIS IS THE BEST BEST BEST mulch to use on your very sandy yet clayey soils!  Don't have to manually mix DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER into your soil just put it on top of your beds/soil.  The organisms will do the mixing for you.  The KEY is decomposed. When non decomposed organic matter is added, the soil organisms necessary for proper plant growth go dormant, allowing the decomposers to do their job decomposing newly dead organic matter.  Once decomposed the other soil organisms come alive to eat this newly edible DECOMPOSED organic matter and dive back into the soil profile, poop it out mixing decomposed/pooped out organic matter into your soil for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before you use a tiller, it would be best if you took a cup of your soil, put it into a mason jar of water, shake it up, allow it to settle into layers. This will give you a better idea of composition.  Too much clay make dang sure you do not rototill or manipulate while wet!!  Even moist.  Don't be shy getting a professional soil test.  Your University Cooperative Extension service is free or inexpensive and worth the effort!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be human and have the ability to see other life's needs, the part they play in our environment, to understand plants are vastly different than animals, to see soil as a living and critical entity to grow plants is a phenomenal skill of any human.  Ummmm...how close do you to any arroyo? What is the drainage around your home?  Do you have foundation drainage?  A basement?  Any soil is capable of becoming GREAT soil for growing food crops.  Seriously.  Keep asking questions!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-10T00:04:08.703" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30409" CreationDate="2017-01-10T11:41:38.357" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would recommend embracing the clay, especially if it gets super hot and arid there. I would be more concerned about the pH. Nevertheless, organic matter is important, but changing your clay into something else is a lot of work and expense (and can take years, which you might not have if you're moving).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what I recommend:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mix peat moss into your soil before you plant. It has a pH of about 4.0 (acidic) and it's bulky with organic matter. There's also some kind of acidic bark you can get that some people like. I'd recommend either of those over adding sulfur to acidify. The organic matter won't last forever, but it works for at least a year.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add some composted manure or such. You may or may not need to add potassium with it, depending.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add some sand, if you have some handy. Some people don't like sand in clay, but I personally do. The type of clay probably matters (not all clays seem to be the same). So, test it out before you add too much sand, and see what you think. Greensand and gypsum are supposed to help loosen the soil, I believe (but that may be expensive, and may or may not work as you expect).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grow some peppers in moving totes. Jalapenos and many other peppers seem to love it, if they have the right kind of soil. Large bell peppers might do better in the ground, though. Many people will tell you to use a certain kind of soil for containers. My advice is to use what works in your garden. Try what people suggest, and if that doesn't turn out well, try other stuff, too. Some of what people tend to suggest hasn't proven efficacious in my garden (but some stuff they advise against is great; I think what they suggest probably works for most people, though).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mulching might help (to help lock in moisture, attract worms, and block the sun from the roots more). Many mulches will raise soil pH, though (probably for the reason wood ash raises pH). Find one that is either neutral or that lowers it, making it more acidic, if you mulch. Some mulches (such as hay) may introduce weed seeds (same for some manures). Hay may add such as extra nitrogen and calcium, though.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't grow apples (they're not the easiest things to grow for fruit in the desert, even if they're popular), especially if spider mites are in your area. You might try apricots, plums, peaches, almonds, figs, dates and stuff like that. If you want to grow apples, &lt;a href=&quot;http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/az1269/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;get a good variety for the desert&lt;/a&gt;, water it enough, mulch it, don't get spider mites, prevent worms, and don't let fallen fruit rot (especially if you have spider mites).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Know when to garden. The hottest part of the year isn't necessarily the best, &lt;a href=&quot;http://fillyourplate.org/blog/how-to-grow-tomatoes-in-arizona/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;especially in the south and southwest&lt;/a&gt;. (It's a great time to garden in my area, though, even when the daily highs are constantly between 90° to 116°.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For perennials, choose those with low chilling requirements. I mean, if it needs a longer winter to fruit well in the summer, you might want something else. Similarly, get plants that like the day length you have. Southern areas usually have fewer daylight hours than northern areas, and that matters for some plants (like onions and Shark Fin Melon).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also recommend finding plant varieties suited to both clay soil and your area. Nativeseeds.org may be a nice place to visit, especially for the southwest. They have &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nativeseeds.org/learn/nss-blog/265-heat&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a list of varieties suited for heat and drought&lt;/a&gt;. Here are some varieties you may enjoy:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.highmowingseeds.com/organic-non-gmo-dark-star-zucchini.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dark Star&lt;/a&gt; zucchini (zucchini generally is good for growing in clay soil, but this is a particularly nice variety; I grew it this year and it did well; you might try squash generally, too; it can usually handle clay; watch out for squash bugs; maybe try &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/zucchino-rampicante-squash/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Zucchino Rampicante&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/cushaw-white-jonathan-pumpkin/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cushaw White&lt;/a&gt; for something squash bugs don't like—but I haven't tried either, yet)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://timeless-tomatoes.com/california-wonder.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;California Wonder&lt;/a&gt; peppers (I hear they can handle clay better than most peppers; I would grow these in the ground rather than containers, though)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mulberry trees (you might like the weeping mulberries, since they're smaller; I hear mulberries grow well even in caliche)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cantaloupe and muskmelons generally can do decently (not sure about in the southwest, but they're usually more adapted to dry heat, cool nights, and clay than watermelon)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/colorado-preserving-or-red-seeded-citron-watermelon/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Red-seeded Citron&lt;/a&gt; watermelon (this is an exception among watermelons and is well-adapted to the desert and at least clay loam soil; it doesn't taste like the watermelon you're used to, though; I recommend using it as a replacement for water chestnuts in stir fry, if that gives you an idea of its taste and texture)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Amaranth loves clay and heat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://timeless-tomatoes.com/thessaloniki.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thessaloniki tomato&lt;/a&gt; (heat-tolerant, decent-sized and productive, especially for the size)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://timeless-tomatoes.com/chadwick-cherry-aka-camp-joy.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Camp Joy&lt;/a&gt; tomato (one of the most heat-tolerant tomatoes, I've read).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://timeless-tomatoes.com/amana-orange.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Amana Orange&lt;/a&gt; tomato (I'm not sure if it likes arid heat, as it was a late tomato that I started too late, but it grows astonishingly fast and big in clay soil, in my experience—not just clay loam)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://timeless-tomatoes.com/yellow-pear.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yellow&lt;/a&gt;/&lt;a href=&quot;http://timeless-tomatoes.com/red-pear.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Red&lt;/a&gt; Pear tomato&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aswad eggplant (If any eggplant will work in your area, Aswad is a likely contender. I grew it and it did well for an eggplant. I saved lots of seeds if you want some: just go to my website and contact me from there if you want some. I have lots of other seeds, too.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You might try such as Crimson Forest bunching onions. They seem to germinate and grow well in clay in my experience (I'm not sure how they handle strong sun and drought, since mine were shaded and well-watered).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cacti (there are lots of fruiting varieties; you can eat the pads of many cacti, too; look for productive kinds that taste good); cacti probably aren't the best choice for clay, but I'm not sure how much that matters in the southwest.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You might try smaller or narrower, productive, peppers (e.g. Ring of Fire, Corbaci, Tabasco, and Aji Omnicolor); they may do better than most peppers for you.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For cucumbers, you might try Beit Alpha or Armenian cucumbers (Armenian cucumbers are really muskmelons, and muskmelons may prove easier to grow in the desert, depending if cucumbers like your soil)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing I recommend is saving your seeds to grow again, every year (unless you're growing hybrids and want the same hybrids next year). Saving seeds should help your plants to become more acclimatized to the growing conditions (air, soil, heat, sun, etc.), especially if you didn't get your seeds from someone who grew them in similar conditions. Saving seeds is especially important with stuff that didn't do well the first year. I've noticed that this seemed to help quite a bit with my Ledmon watermelons and Morelle De Balbis (which didn't do that well the first year, and did much better the next from saved seeds). You may even notice changes in taste between the years (I did), as well as heat-tolerance, number of seeds, days to maturity and such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your tomatoes are acidic, you might add extra potassium. This should help with fruit size, water uptake, and heat-tolerance, too. If they don't grow fast enough, they may need extra organic matter, nitrogen and water. You may or may not need extra phosphorus, too (it helps with lots of stuff, like flowers, fruit, growth, seeds, and plant maturity).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've found that showering plants with a shower nozzel or sprinkler helps them grow faster and keeps pests (aphids and spider mites--and perhaps whiteflies--in particular) at bay (but I only suggest that for semi-arid to arid areas where your water isn't hard or corrosive to plants' leaves; showering plants might contribute to fungal disease in temperate and more humid areas, or during cool, wet periods).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-01-10T22:33:22.560" LastActivityDate="2017-01-10T22:33:22.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30412" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27552" CreationDate="2017-01-10T13:03:50.543" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Insects and diseases along with dearth of adequate water can cause wilting. Hereis the lowdown - see whether some of these scenerios might fit your specific scenario:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vascular Wilts&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants that are affected regularly recuperate in the evening or overnight. Slowly, but, the wilting becomes increasingly worse and many plants expire. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilt_disease&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fusarium and Verticillium wilts&lt;/a&gt; are due to soil-borne fungi that infringe tomato plants through roots that were wounded. The fungi propagate into the water-conducting tissue (xylem) in the stalk and obstruct the stream of water to the leaves. Leaves of plants that are affected turns yellowish, then wilts and dies. Plants that die ought to be removed and destroyed. As the vascular wilt fungi may live in the ground for many years, crop rotation is of small value. Using resistant varieties is the most practical method for home gardeners to stop declines due to wilts. Immune varieties might become infected but many plants create and live an acceptable harvest. F and the letters V following the variety name in seed catalogs or on seed packages denote varieties which are resistant to Fusarium and Verticillium wilts. Wilt resistant tomato varieties that perform well in Iowa comprise Burpee VF, Better Boy, Jetstar, and Star.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Walnut Toxicity&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The sources of juglone in the land contain living and decaying plant material. Juglone is leached by rain droplets from the buds, leaves, and twigs. Juglone is exuded by living roots into the surrounding ground. Usually, the best concentration of juglone in the land exists within the dripline of trees that are walnut. Nothing can be done to save juglone- tomato plants that were damaged. Just remove and destroy. Gardeners that have big walnut trees near their gardens should consider alternative sites. Beans, corn, onions, beets, and carrots are patient of juglone and may be put nearer to walnut trees supplied adequate sunshine is received by the region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stalk Borer&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The larva (caterpillar) drills into the stem and tunnels in the stalk. (The entry hole is little and frequently hard to find). Affected plants frequently perish and wilt. Nevertheless, stalk borer damaged plants which are given great care may live. It's an early season pest that goes from tall grassy weeds and sometimes assaults potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers in the vegetable garden. More than ONE tomato plant may be damaged by an individual stalk borer. The adult is a grayish brown moth that is inconspicuous. Tomato plants that die ought to be pulled and destroyed. The stalk borer may be also killed by the destruction of the plants. Mowing or cutting tall weedy places around vegetable gardens might additionally help control the pest. Stalk borers cannot be efficiently controlled with insecticides commonly used for lawn treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Deficiency of Water&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomato plants need about 1 inch of water weekly. Plants may wilt when soils are dry, but will restore quickly when they can be watered. An exhaustive watering once per week during hot, dry weather ought to be adequate. Apply water right to the ground round the bottom of the plants using a soaker or garden hose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this info makes it possible to discover the reason for your tomato plant challenges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16499" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-01-10T16:06:30.317" LastActivityDate="2017-01-10T16:06:30.317" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30413" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-10T20:21:02.923" Score="4" ViewCount="443" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there any specific things (plants, specific essential oils, etc.) that repel (momentarily, not looking for a permanent 'go away and never come back' solution) cicadas in a non-lethal, preferably all natural manner? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To clarify, I'm talking about selective physical repellent - the noise cicadas make isn't an issue, I'm actually looking to protect the cicadas from, for example, landing on/too close to an individual who may react poorly to them (e.g by picking it up and throwing it across the yard). I would prefer to avoid netting and similar physical barriers, both for practical reasons, and for the fact they would tend to be out of place in an otherwise comfortable natural setting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Temporary solutions preferred, as I personally love cicadas, and would be using such a solution for the benefit of others. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16500" LastEditorUserId="16500" LastEditDate="2017-01-10T20:55:35.817" LastActivityDate="2017-01-10T20:55:35.817" Title="Non-lethal Cicada Repellent?" Tags="&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30414" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30418" CreationDate="2017-01-10T21:38:20.867" Score="5" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;In a 6b zone I have to grow some annual and perennial flowers by the end of May, meaning that they must be flowering by then. I have tried to make a rehearsal of some sorts, but we had freezing temperatures until the first days of May 2016, so last year I have transplanted them a little late (they were grown indoors from seed). The result was that they came in flower in mid-July.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the species are Tropaeolum majus (or minus), Centaurea cyanus, Lavatera trimestris and Alcea rosea and I was wondering how to protect them in case I want to plant them earlier, let's say in March.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plan is to make raised beds and any advice on how to protect them is most welcome. I also have to mention that the land is on a north-faced hill, but the slope is barely noticeable in the area I will make the raised beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-01-11T17:08:08.297" Title="How to protect young plants against frost?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;protection&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30405" CreationDate="2017-01-10T21:45:36.730" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Brix is the measure used by a refractometer when measuring the amount of dissolved solids in a solution. You can extract the sap for testing from the plant by using a garlic crusher on leaves, stems, and fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The refractometer measures the degree to which light is refracted by the solution and is usually temperature corrected to 20 deg C (ATC).  If you divide the result by 2, you get a crude measure of the amount of sucrose in the plant tissue.  You can purchase a refractometer for about USD25.  The test should be done on a sunny day in the afternoon using sunlight.  Brix levels vary during the day and also at different levels of the same plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants are autotrophs which means that they make their own food.  Animals are heterotrophs as they either eat plants, or eat animals that in turn eat plants. And interestingly, over 95% of the bulk of a plant comes from carbon dioxide extracted from air.  The remainder of nutrients and minerals are drawn from the soil.  You can see for yourself that when trees grow, the ground mass around the roots does not shrink as it is taken from the ground since most of tree mass actually comes from the air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, plants make their own food by photosynthesis which produces carbohydrates. These sugars are used for cellular respiration, and any left over are used for building plant tissue and other processes as discussed below.  So, high levels of soluble carbohydrates tells us that the plant is more likely meeting its genetic potential:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Crops with higher refractive index will have a higher sugar content, higher protein content, higher mineral content and a greater specific gravity or density.  This adds up to a sweeter tasting, more mineral nutritious feed with lower nitrates and water content and better storage attributes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Healthy plants are in a position to create plant chemical defences being their&#xA;secondary metabolites which are &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenols&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;phenolic compounds&lt;/a&gt;: terpenoids, sesquiterpenes, bioflavenoids which increase nutrient density.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Crops with higher Brix will produce more alcohol from fermented sugars and be more resistant to insects, thus resulting in decreased insecticide usage.  For insect resistance, maintain a Brix of 12 or higher in the juice of the leaves of most plants.  Crops with a higher solids content will have a lower freezing point and therefore be less prone to frost damage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;High Brix levels also mean that more carbohydrates, and amino acids will be available to be exuded by the roots to feed the soil bacteria which can then make minerals more readily available for the roots (mineralisation). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some 25% of the total sugars produced in a healthy plant are released as root exudates, and this occurs mainly at the framing stage of the plant when 70-80% of sugar production is diverted to the soil for bacterial growth. The bacteria are in turn consumed by protozoa, nematodes and microarthropods releasing their nitrogen, amino acids and other metabolites to the soil. When the plant is fruiting, it is then able to draw on these mineral reserves built up in the soil. These minerals are now available in plant bioavailable form, and furthermore, as prefabricated components such as the amino acids. With the increased growth spurt, the plant starts to send lipids to the roots and as root exudates that can be used by the soil fungi to eventually create stable humic substances in the rhizosphere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hydroponic growers can also monitor Brix levels to pick up early problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Taking a brix measurement is standard operating procedure for hydroponic crop advisors in Europe. For example, if a leaf sample in a hydroponic tomato greenhouse shows low brix, often the first thing the consultant will recommend is raising the potassium-to-nitrate ratio until the brix reaches the target level. That way, nutrient problems can be avoided before the first signs of deficiency appear. Once visual nutrient deficiencies appear, the plant is already suffering and may not ever be able to reach its true genetic potential. Taking brix readings and making adjustments will help prevent problems before they happen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, in summary, Brix gives a measure of the plant's health, nutrient density, and ability to generate soil health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ag-usa.net/brix_test_meaning.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Meaning of Brix test&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o55RGuELglI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Building Soil Organic Matter While Your Crop Is Growing -- webinar by John Kempf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.maximumyield.com/building-up-the-brix-for-healthier-nutrient-dense-crops/2/1282&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Building Brix levels for healthier crops&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-17T09:46:58.773" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T09:46:58.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30416" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30409" CreationDate="2017-01-10T22:11:57.183" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not easy remediating soil, especially clay, and one way to do this has been answered &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23237/amending-clay-soil-on-a-large-scale/23243&quot;&gt;before&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without pictures, I'm guessing that you have highly degraded barren soil.  The easiest way to remediate this is to immediately get it covered.  The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/ruth-stouts-system-zmaz04fmzsel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ruth Stout method&lt;/a&gt; may be appropriate here. Mark out your paths and growing areas, and cover the growing areas with 8 inches of organic mulch.  Ruth Stout used hay as that was readily available to her, but you can use any organic mulch.  Bury some drip irrigation into the mulch.  After a couple of weeks when it has compacted down to about 2 inches, you can part the mulch, dig a hole, fill it with some compost, plant your plant, and then replace the mulch around your new seedling.  If weeds appear from the hay, just kill them with more mulch. As the mulch breaks down, it releases nutrients for the growing plants so that effectively you are growing in compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This method leads to in situ soil creation that improves year after year without any back breaking digging involved.  As the soil profile improves, worms will move in and start to mix the newly created soil with the subsoil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're laying down mainly carbonaceous material such as straw, you may have to initially provide some nitrogen which you can do using a nitrogenous fertiliser such as grass fertilisers.  Or, if you have access to plenty of urine, you can use that (diluted) instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also plant potatoes, and other plants with deep roots to try and break up the clay as mentioned in the other answers.  Eventually, you should be growing your own mulch as per the synergistic gardening method which was partially inspired by Ruth Stout, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.onestrawrevolution.net/One_Straw_Revolution/One-Straw_Revolution.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Masanobu Fukuoka (1913-2008)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The beauty of this method is that you can try it now to see if it works before you purchase land and embark on large scale soil remediation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2H60ritjag&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2H60ritjag&lt;/a&gt; at 1:23 Dr Elaine Ingham talks about transforming a clay based soil to a productive grassed field just by dumping compost over the fields and growing some grasses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2017-01-11T05:02:28.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30417" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30419" CreationDate="2017-01-10T22:51:04.777" Score="4" ViewCount="689" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this weed taking over a spot in my St. Augustine grass. What is it and how should I get rid of it. Warm climate in South Florida. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UZ2dA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UZ2dA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to have small blueish flowers and the roots are really able to choke competition. Looking to do some post emergent too. Don't want it coming back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here it is in the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SRJgI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SRJgI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another better view:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kNeB7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kNeB7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16501" LastEditorUserId="16501" LastEditDate="2017-01-11T02:29:05.453" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T05:49:30.857" Title="Please help me Identify this weed and what herbicide I can use to get rid of it in St. Augustine Grass" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="11" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30418" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30414" CreationDate="2017-01-10T22:57:20.197" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know about flowers, but for vegetables, I like to use humidity domes. I just cut off the bottom of a milk jug, throw the cap away and put it over my newly transplanted plants, if it still frosts. This seems to work for fairly cold temperatures, in my experience (at least down to 23° F. at the side of our house, if not colder, which is to say -5° C.) There are many kinds of humidity domes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might try row covers, floating row covers, certain protective garden fabrics/cloths, a hoophouse, a greenhouse and such, to protect plants from frost. However, they may each have different ratings for temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-01-11T17:08:08.297" LastActivityDate="2017-01-11T17:08:08.297" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30419" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30417" CreationDate="2017-01-11T02:54:06.260" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Commelina diffusa (aka communis). Some advice for control: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/60663500/Publications/Hoagland/2015/Boyette%20et%20al._2015_Agronomy_5-519-536.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;PDF&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=507&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Asiatic Dayflower The Little Beauty that Caused So Much Confliction&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wikipedia: Commelina diffusa, sometimes known as the climbing dayflower or spreading dayflower, is a pantropical herbaceous plant in the dayflower family. It has been introduced to the southeastern United States where it is most common in wet disturbed soils. There are two recognised varieties, one being the type and the other being C. diffusa var. gigas, which is native to Asia and has been introduced to Florida. It flowers from spring to fall and is most common in disturbed situations, moist places and forests. In China the plant is used medicinally as a febrifuge and a diuretic. A blue dye is also extracted from the flower for paints. In the Hawaiian Islands, it is known as &quot;honohono grass&quot;, although it is technically not a grass. &quot;Honohono&quot; refers to the alternating structure of the leaves. At least one publication lists it as an edible plant in New Guinea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commelina_diffusa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Full Wikipedia article&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oTzvE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oTzvE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nf35C.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nf35C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-01-12T05:49:30.857" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T05:49:30.857" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30420" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-11T08:20:13.723" Score="3" ViewCount="683" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing some butter lettuce in a grow bag full of Happy Frog potting soil.  It's been particularly rainy the last few days.  Today I inspected the plants and a few of them popped right off of their stems.  They had rotted all the way through at close to soil level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like a fungus got them. Does this mean I watered them too much? What should I do now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/EdKqs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's some photos.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures to see larger close-up view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fT8WJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fT8WJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K4Iax.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K4Iaxm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DIbFV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DIbFVm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zVBhl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zVBhlm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ys6yY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ys6yYm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16503" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-11T22:55:42.823" LastActivityDate="2017-01-26T19:37:49.460" Title="Is a fungus causing my butter lettuce stems to rot right through?" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30421" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30423" CreationDate="2017-01-11T10:21:02.430" Score="4" ViewCount="226" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read about compost, and compost tea, but now I've become aware of a newish solution on the block, namely actively aerated compost tea (ACT) versus the traditional non-aerated compost tea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the difference and why would I want to use this as a foliar spray or bathe my plant roots in this prior to transplanting?  Is there science behind this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-11T15:51:44.313" LastActivityDate="2017-01-11T15:51:44.313" Title="What is actively aerated compost tea?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;compost-tea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30420" CreationDate="2017-01-11T15:04:24.623" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I havent seen this exactly before, but it does look like that soil is very wet... not sure if it is some sort of moisture retaining soil, but if it is, I would mix it with some sort of normal garden soil mixture... or peat or something that doesn't have polymer gelling agents... make sure you have good drainage, and replant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;it also looks like there could be some maggots there, you could reduce that problem with some diatomaceous earth on the surface; actually if you sprinkled 1/4 inch worth of quartz sand and DE on the bed it wouldnt stay wet on the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;of course if it isn't usually this wet, you could just replant and hope for the best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally wouldn't have any concerns about eating the lettuce, after you trimmed off the yucky stuff; but use some heightened discretion, throw it away if it tastes bad, dont feed to a baby, dont feed it to someone who is immunocompromised, etc... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;EDIT:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;no maggots, I mistook some of the perlite...&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UOHCO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UOHCO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="1158" LastEditDate="2017-01-12T02:03:45.510" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T02:03:45.510" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30423" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30421" CreationDate="2017-01-11T15:37:12.813" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a number of theoretical benefits of Actively Aerated Compost Tea (ACT) over compost tea &quot;brewed&quot; simply by steeping compost in water.  - however it is important to note there are a number of studies that find no benefit to its use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://Aerated%20Compost%20Tea%20is%20created%20by%20putting%20high%20quality%20compost%20into%20water%20and%20adding%20nutrients%20to%20increase%20the%20multiplication%20of%20microorganisms%20present%20in%20the%20compost.%20Common%20additives%20include:%20molasses,%20proprietary%20microbial%20nutrients,%20yeast%20extract%20and%20whey%20blends,%20kelp%20meal,%20blood%20meal,%20bone%20and%20feather%20meal,%20cottonseed%20meal,%20fish%20emulsion,%20and%20humic%20acids.%20During%20the%20brewing%20process,%20the%20solution%20is%20aerated%20with%20the%20claim%20that%20the%20environment%20created%20favors%20the%20growth%20of%20beneficial%20bacteria%20and%20fungi%20at%20the%20exclusion%20of%20pathogenic%20microorganisms.&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rutgers&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Aerated Compost Tea is created by putting high quality compost into water and adding nutrients to increase the multiplication of microorganisms present in the compost. Common additives include: molasses, proprietary microbial nutrients, yeast extract and whey blends, kelp meal, blood meal, bone and feather meal, cottonseed meal, fish emulsion, and humic acids. During the brewing process, the solution is aerated with the claim that the environment created favors the growth of beneficial bacteria and fungi at the exclusion of pathogenic microorganisms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The key idea behind ACT is that soil microbiology is one of the drivers of soil fertility and disease resistance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some other benefits include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bubbling/Aeration produces agitation of the compost which can liberate microorganisms from the compost substrate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The nutrients used in the solution can alter the fungal/bacterial&#xA;balance of the final product. Turf is said to benefit from a more&#xA;bacterial rich tea, while shrubs and trees benefit from more fungal&#xA;teas. In addition, by using decomposing leaf litter from natural areas, one can tailor compost and tea to support the mycorrhizal conditions types of plants. My favorite example of this is collecting organic matter from an area in which wild blueberries thrive. This litter can be used to inoculate compost, which can then be used to produce ACT. IN THEORY, the microbiology, especially symbiotic mycorhizal fungi, that helps the wild blueberries thrive in a given location can be multiplied and delivered to blueberry plants in the garden to give them a leg up.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aeration of the nutrient rich compost tea leads to an explosive growth of the microorganisms. I actually have experience with this and the transformation is quite impressive. I brewed a number of 60 gallon batches in which the initial formulation of compost, water, molasses, fish emulsion, and humates was quite stinky and almost oily. After 8hrs or so of vigorous aeration a beige foam began to form in great quantities - presumably the result of microbial activity. After 24hrs (in temps around 70 deg. F.) of aeration, the solution no longer produced new foam, and it smelled like the most incredible organic rich soil - no hint of fish emulsion or molasses. I'll confess that it smelled so pleasant that I was tempted to drink it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The process is like a compost multiplier in that with a small amount of compost (say 5-10 lbs per 60 gallons) it is possible to produce numbers of microorganisms equal to that found in many yards of compost. You can deliver these organisms to plants/lawns in ways that would be impossible using just compost. For example it would be impossible to apply compost as a foliar spray. It is also impractical, and in some cases inadvisable due to the potential for applying too much nitrogen, to apply compost at the rates required to deliver the same numbers of microorganisms to a lawn or garden.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a biologist and ecologist, I personally like the theory behind ACT. However, as I mentioned before, it should be noted that the scientific evidence to support the claims of many ACT proponents is disputed:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, &lt;a href=&quot;http://onpasture.com/2016/01/25/does-compost-tea-improve-pasture/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;in this writeup&lt;/a&gt; of a study by the North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) project:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;There were no significant effects on soil health indicators or soil food web organisms from the application of aerobic compost tea. However, there were significant changes for several parameters of soil health and organisms when comparing all plots between the baseline samples of 2003 and the ending results from 2005. This result is even more surprising given that soil moisture levels were considerably lower and soil temperatures higher during the 2005 sampling. Baseline data from 2003 showed that all field plots were lacking in beneficial levels of fungi. Both beneficial and fungal properties of the soil greatly improved during the two year study. In addition, aggregate stability, infiltration rates, and cation exchange capacity of the soil all significantly increased when comparing baseline results from 2003 with final results in 2005. We believe this positive result is due to the increased attention we each gave to soil health by reducing or eliminating tillage and salt-based fertilizers and pesticides, while increasing cover cropping and the time that the soil had living plants growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, there are some very smart people who claim to demonstrate its utility. The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thesoilguy.com/SG/CompostTea&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;SoilGuy has a nice piece here&lt;/a&gt; on the work of Dr. Elaine Ingham, considered to be &quot;inventor&quot; of Aerated, Activated Compost Tea (AACT). This is too long to copy/paste here, but it illustrates where some other studies may have gone wrong in tea prep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;YMMV.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2017-01-11T15:37:12.813" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30424" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30425" CreationDate="2017-01-11T20:34:14.170" Score="6" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is dieback a real disease? As in; a living pathogenic microorganism (i.e. germ, virus, bacteria)? Or is it just a term used to describe a common correlation (of symptoms) or syndrome?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16095" LastEditorUserId="16095" LastEditDate="2017-01-25T13:19:21.020" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T15:57:45.360" Title="Dieback: Syndrome or Disease?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30425" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30424" CreationDate="2017-01-11T21:38:11.330" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dieback is a term to describe the death of a woody plant with signs first appearing at the tips of leaves and roots.  The signs then progress inwards so that the plant dies inwards from its extremities.  But is also used as the name of the disease that is causing the process that is seen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can also be prefixed with a noun to describe what the causative organism is causing the plant to die, or the plant that is dying, or even the region.  So, we have as examples:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.illinois.edu/diseases/series600/rpd641/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dieback&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;A general description of the process affecting woody plants and shrubs affected by various/miscellaneous forms of stress.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_dieback&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Forest Dieback&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Seemingly natural phenomenon, in which a stand of trees dies for no apparent reason.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dwg.org.au/what-is-phytophthora-dieback&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Phytophthora Dieback&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The death of native plants in Western Australia, caused by &lt;em&gt;Phytophthora cinnamomi.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kauridieback.co.nz/kauri-dieback&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kauri Dieback&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The death of Kauri trees in New Zealand, caused by &lt;em&gt;Phytophthora agathidicida.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="16095" LastEditDate="2017-01-25T15:57:45.360" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T15:57:45.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30426" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30429" CreationDate="2017-01-11T22:32:24.743" Score="5" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;I normally just buy in seedlings from big box stores since I am too disorganised to start my own seedlings in time.  However, this year I did manage to get some seeds into the seed raising mix, and they have come up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've then pricked out the healthy ones and transplanted them into a flat, which is really just a 9-inch deep square grow bag which I partially filled with potting mix. I used a potting mix since they are used for containers being free draining, I had some bags of the stuff lying around, and it's free of seeds and hopefully other pathogens.  But looking at the potting mix today just over a week later, it looks rather sterile and I wonder if I should really be trying to raise seedlings in such a substrate.  I suspect it's too late now to change the mix without another shock to the seedlings.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today in a fevered moment I did grab some wet worm-filled soil from the bottom of my year old compost heap, chucked it into some rain water in a bucket, and then poured the water over the &quot;flat&quot; hoping to inoculate the mix with some microfauna. So, the question is, is potting mix suited at all for raising seedlings, or should I add soil with something living in it to the mix before transplanting into it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/tacHVOV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Grow bag with seedlings&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS: The image is of bok choy seedlings. By life I mean bacteriae, protozoa, microarthropods, worms and optionally mycorrhizal fungi&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-11T23:17:43.097" LastActivityDate="2017-01-11T23:45:48.613" Title="Should I add soil with living things, like worms, to a potting mix?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30427" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30428" CreationDate="2017-01-11T22:55:41.783" Score="5" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gunnera&lt;/a&gt; for a long time and I haven't really paid much attention to it.  However, it seems to be walking down the slope and now its leaves are draping into my bath of non-areated compost tea.  On the left of the image you can see another smaller plant and I think that's where it started a few years ago. And there's a ground cover of the noxious weed tradescantia that I need to remove one day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What seems to happen is that each year the plant dies back and then remerges further down the slope as though it's walking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's causing this?  Can I get it to walk backwards so that it doesn't climb over my paths, and stays instead under the canopy of my ponga grove?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/soEXyMI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;walking Gunnera&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-11T23:01:02.397" LastActivityDate="2017-01-11T23:29:03.007" Title="Why is my Gunnera walking down the hill?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30428" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30427" CreationDate="2017-01-11T23:29:03.007" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gunnera likes moist, quite boggy soil - lower down the slope, away from the roots of your ponga grove, is likely damper, so it puts out roots in that direction, and the following spring, shoots from those roots instead of further up where you originally planted it. In other words, it's voting with its feet and showing preference for a different planting site than the one you prefer. The only way it might stay where you want it is if you can keep that area, higher up, well wetted most of the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-01-11T23:29:03.007" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30429" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30426" CreationDate="2017-01-11T23:38:49.487" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The trouble with introducing 'life' by inoculating with garden soil is you have no control over which life forms you are introducing, and some of them might be pathogenic when contained inside a pot or grow bag. That is why there are commercially produced potting composts, to avoid that risk. Some people actually grow plants in soil they've dug from the garden and put into a container, often with no ill effect, but there is a risk. Pathogenic or troublesome life forms in open ground are much less of a threat than when contained in a pot or other container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In particular, seedlings are much more vulnerable to pathogens, which is why its wise to start seeds off in seed and cutting compost, then grow them on in potting compost. Most potting composts contain fertilizer in various ratios which is sufficient to grow plants for up to six weeks healthily,  depending on the formulation. After that, some extra fertilization might be necessary, depending on what you're growing in the container. If you'd prefer to allow your plants to have free access to 'microfauna' and fungi, then plant them out in the ground when they are large enough. Over time though, containers full of plants and potting compost do acquire various life forms - visible ones like worms and slugs for instance, and often, various fungi, particularly if the potting compost contains woody material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-01-11T23:45:48.613" LastActivityDate="2017-01-11T23:45:48.613" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30430" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30424" CreationDate="2017-01-11T23:56:30.193" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll just clarify that dieback isn't a specific disease, nor does every case of dieback have the same cause - in general, the term refers to death of the newest growth, which shows as tip dieback, usually followed by dieback spreading downwards to more mature parts of the plant. Causal elements for this phenomenon may be fungal attack, a disease, usually at the root but not always, repeated insect infestations, unfavourable growing conditions or a combination of these. The term 'dieback' is more a description of the manner in which a plant is being affected rather than a specific infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-01-12T00:11:13.847" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T00:11:13.847" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30431" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-12T00:41:17.587" Score="8" ViewCount="1385" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm mainly attempting to grow vegetables for my family so basically Brassicaceae, Umbelliferae, Asparagaceae, and Solanaceae.  I'm certainly not attempting to establish an old forest or even a food forest in the backyard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I gather Brassicaceae prefer a bacterial dominant soil but I'm not certain of the others. Do I need to try and encourage fungal soil elements for any of the common vegetables as listed above, or for any I've omitted?  I have certainly lots of wood from native bush that I can bury in the soil if it might help to obtain the right soil profile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growth from ramial wood chips:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dm8mN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dm8mN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mushrooms sprouting from ramial wood chips&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T23:19:12.950" Title="What relevance does fungal dominance have to a vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30432" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30453" CreationDate="2017-01-12T02:50:08.130" Score="7" ViewCount="590" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2hHdX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got a variety of seeds from a friend. Most were swiss chard and butter lettuce but this one is different. Also it's the only one that's getting riddled with little holes. What's eating it? What should I do to stop them? I haven't used any pesticides. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/oB65M&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;More photos.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uPYoH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uPYoH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Underside of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lbSEO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lbSEO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Looking down from top&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eTbGO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eTbGO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up in pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6agvJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6agvJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Looking down into base of stalks&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Iz7kL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Iz7kL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stalks from bottom side, dead leaf on left&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16503" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T18:47:22.883" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T18:47:22.883" Title="What is this dark leafy vegetable plant? What's causing holes in the leaves, and how can I help it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30433" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-12T04:05:26.147" Score="5" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering about what kinds of plants would be good to grow by busy streets. Specifically I'm interested in recommendations of climbing plants that could scale a wide column with or without a trellis. I'm thinking of doing a project that could use different plants for different climates. Initially I was thinking hops would be an interesting plant to do this with but I would be worried about using the flowers for beer or even composting them. What kinds of flowering, climbing plants would do at least okay in an environment that is close to auto traffic on a regular basis?&#xA;Edit: specified flowering plants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastEditorUserId="2000" LastEditDate="2017-01-12T04:12:57.050" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T16:27:44.127" Title="Flowering climbing planting in areas that are close to auto traffic" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30431" CreationDate="2017-01-12T06:38:50.847" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure it's something you should worry about for home grown vegetables. The soil will contain mycorrhizae of various fungi anyway, though unfortunately, during the planting process, you are likely to disrupt them by moving the soil around. Adding wood chips doesn't help because the majority of fungi growing on woody materials are actually saphrophytic, part of nature's clean up system, and all they do is dispose of the wood rather than contributing to the health of your vegetables, though most do no harm either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are various products on the market professing to act as mycorrhizal inoculants, in some cases for vegetable growing, but insufficient scientific trials have been done across a range of vegetables to determine whether there's any noticeable difference in growth. You might be interested in this: &lt;a href=&quot;http://smsf-mastergardeners.ucanr.edu/Elkus/The_Effects_of_Mycorrhizal_Fungi_Inoculum_on_Vegetables/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Effects of Mycorrhizal Fungi Inoculum on Vegetables&lt;/a&gt;, though its not exactly a properly conducted scientific experiment, nor is it extensive.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've certainly used a product called Rootgrow, a specific version of UK mycorrhizae, to prevent rose sickness, and occasionally for long term planting of shrubs/trees in poorer soils. How effective it actually is is hard to measure - certainly, all the plants grew and thrived, but they might have done just as well without the Rootgrow anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-01-12T23:01:10.243" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T23:01:10.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30433" CreationDate="2017-01-12T09:15:26.967" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can use hops, but maybe male plants, so that they will not produce the &quot;hop&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, I don't think this will be a danger for health, because hop is a very very small part of beer, and BTW I don't think the flowers accumulate heavy metals. Additionally, one should not use hop from &quot;mixed&quot; plants: seeds give a bad taste, so usually hops are cultivated with only female plants, far for any male plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any plant (in high traffic) could cause problem on composting leaves, just don't use compost them for vegetable garden: some vegetables concentrate the heavy metals, which is bad in high concentration (but we need some of such metals in low concentration).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I would use hops. Passiflora is also a nice and strong climbing plant, as jasmine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T09:15:26.967" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30436" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30432" CreationDate="2017-01-12T11:12:39.747" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a Swiss chard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just it had too much stress (cold?) so too many gems are awakes quickly, and they  started to produce leaves. I would possibly expect also that the chard will start the second-year cycle, so start to flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometime it just happen. I don't know why, but Swiss chards are particular prone to this (other vegetables just die or remain smaller).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consider also that Swiss chard is the same specie as beets (and other vegetables), so seeds can contaminate (or better: they could hybrid with other brothers). I think most seed producers have much more beets than Swiss chard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T11:12:39.747" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30437" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30431" CreationDate="2017-01-12T13:31:48.423" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you are overthinking it. It is not difficult to have a vegetable garden, so I expect that the conditions to growth vegetables are there naturally. This seems true for most vegetables. There are some plants which are a lot more &quot;posh&quot; on soil structure, e.g. blueberries (acid). But usually one knows which are the most difficult plants (also because they are seldom grown in one region). Books often exaggerate things: (e.g. according @stormy no vegetables should growth well on my basic/alkali vegetable garden).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The families that you listed: Brassicaceae, Apiaceae, Solanaceae and Asparagaceae are very frequent (e.g. I have some wild species growing near my vegetable garden of all these families), so I expect also the correct mycorrhiza are already in soil. You can check in your region, if you have wild species of all of these families.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Asparagaceae maybe is the most difficult one, but usually one doesn't seed asparagus, but plant the roots, so you will bring anyway the mycorrhiza. [Some of our lilies are now classified on that family, so possibly you will have also wild Asparagaceae]. Planting seedlings will bring naturally the mycorrhiza.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-01-12T13:46:16.910" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T13:46:16.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30433" CreationDate="2017-01-12T15:08:11.283" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The two I have in mind can be quite invasive, so I'd think carefully first before planting them, depending on where you live. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans). Beautiful orange/red flowers, will climb anything, and can definitely handle the stress of living near a street as long as there is a bit of sun. In fact, in an older neighborhood I used to live in, these covered every utility pole on my block. They would grow tall enough to start growing along the wires, the utility would come and hack them to the ground, and in a few years they would be back up to the wires again. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wisteria. Gorgeous lilac colored flowers, incredibly hardy, and will also climb anything. They do well with neglect, so again would be good for a project like the one you mention. Once they are mature, though, they have been known to take down the structure that was meant to hold them up if it wasn't built sturdy enough. I'm in the far northern part of the US where we don't generally see vines taking over houses, but I have seen a wisteria grow completely over a roof here. The same vine also seems to harbor an entire flock of house sparrows, which may or may not be the sort of habitat you're hoping to set up. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2017-01-12T16:27:44.127" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T16:27:44.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30439" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30433" CreationDate="2017-01-12T15:46:11.900" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen some blue Ipomoea growing easily and with no care near busy roads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, Lonicera japonica, but this one can become invasive very fast. If you like its smell and don't mind controlling its spread, it could be an option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T15:46:11.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30440" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30431" CreationDate="2017-01-12T23:19:12.950" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soil associated fungi are classed into three broad groups:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Decomposers - saprophytic fungi are able to decompose complex carbon based structures such as lignins, and cellulose found on the forest floor.  Their size allows them to bridge the gap between soil and the soil litter to pull nitrogen from the soil surface.  Their secondary metabolites are organic acids which contribute to the accumulation of humates in the soil.  They are therefore a source of organic material which can persist in the soil for hundreds of years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mutualists - mycorrhizal fungi colonize plant roots and in exchange for carbon in the food of sugars, and lipids, which are released as root exudates, provide the roots with micronutrients, phosphorus, nitrogen and perhaps water.  It has been hypothesized that fungi helped plants make the evolutionary move from the water to land.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pathogens - Root-pathogenic fungi, such as Verticillium, Pythium, and Rhizoctonia which are responsible for the major economic losses in agriculture. They are able to penetrate the plant and decompose the living tissue, leading to weakened or dead plants. Where disease symptoms are seen, the pathogenic fungi is usually the dominant organism in the soil. Soils with high biodiversity can suppress soil-borne fungal diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to these roles, the soil fungi are able to aggregate soil particles that have been glued together by bacteria into macroaggregates to create soil structure increasing water retention and infiltration.  Hyphae can also trap pathogenic nematodes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plant groups that do not form associations with mycorrhizal fungi and these include  the Cruciferae family (eg mustard, canola, broccoli), Chenopodiaceae (eg spinach, beets, saltbush) and Proteaceae (banksia, macadamia). When these plants are included in a rotation, fungi numbers drop. A bare fallow has the same effect.  When fungal numbers drop, the amount of organic material available to plant roots also drops because nutrients are also stored in the fungal bodies and released by nematodes and protozoa which eat the fungi.  This is likely one of the reasons why crop rotation needs to be done so that at least one crop in the rotation recreates the soil fungal populations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When fungal populations are high, they acidify the soil which makes nitrogen  mainly available as ammonium which can not be used by weeds.  When the soil is primarily bacterial dominant, then soil nitrogen is available as nitrates which promote weed growth.  This is the reason why weeds are the first to recolonize poor soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Fungi to bacterial ratios have been observed for different plant groups. Vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli and carrots like 0.3:1 to 0.8:1 while tomatoes, corn and wheat prefer 0.8:1 to 1:1. Orchard trees on the other hand do well with 10:1 to 50:1 and hardwoods from 10:1 to 100:1.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to increase the fungal populations in your soil, then you can use compost that is high in fungi, and that means the compost has to have a high content of woody materials eg. wood chips.  You can pre-innoculate your wood chip pile before adding to your compost pile with fungi taken from forest litter  from just under the organic layer.  A small amount that fits into a ziplock bag is all that is needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kymx1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kymx1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hyphae from mycorrhizal fungi emerging from plant roots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hyphae from mycorrhizal fungi emerging from plant roots. Photo: Paula Flynn, Iowa State University Extension&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/soils/health/biology/?cid=nrcs142p2_053864&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;USDA soil health&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/soil-bacteria-and-fungi-nsw&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Soil quality bacteria and fungi - NSW, Au&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.goveganic.net/article93.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Teaming With Microbes - A Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T23:19:12.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30441" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26652" CreationDate="2017-01-12T23:28:52.353" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the climate you describe, you need to cover the soil to prevent moisture loss, and by increasing the water content of your soil, you are promoting microbial life which then leads to greater organic material for your plant roots. Rather than mixing the leaf and other material into the soil where it interferes with water flows, you need to layer it on top of the soil as a mulch.  This emulates what nature does.  Let the worms and arthropods take it into the soil after it is has been broken down by saprophytic fungi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-12T23:28:52.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30442" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-13T00:59:22.840" Score="8" ViewCount="257" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a thick area of cedars behind a house we are building.  When the builder cleared the area the inner cedars, now in front are brown about 2/3 of the way down.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is this: &lt;strong&gt;Will the brown regrow or green up?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16510" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-01-16T08:36:45.473" LastActivityDate="2017-01-16T08:36:45.473" Title="Cedar trees too closely planted together" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30443" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22991" CreationDate="2017-01-13T01:27:24.893" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had the section cleared of most of the unplanned vegetation many months ago, and the trees felled and placed in a pile in preparation for a hugelkultur.  However, other things intervened with my time, and the bindweed has now grown over the pile of trees which is over 6 foot tall.  So, until the wood decomposes and collapses on top of the bindweed, I'm going to have an inexhaustible supply!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Charles Dowding in this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningadvice/11330221/How-to-get-rid-of-weeds-forever.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; rid his property of the same pest with dark plastic covers but I don't have enough for this task.  But I've laid some down that was left over from some construction.  I've placed bindweed that I've pulled from the garden over the plastic to dry.  And in the tradition of Ruth Stout, I'm placing the dried bindweed down as a mulch in my corn patch.  Since bindweed      is sprouting anyway from that patch, I'm not adding anything that wasn't already present.  As the mulch compacts, I'll keep adding more bindweed mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I shall update this to see if it causes me any problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/50T35jB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bindweed over growing the wood pile&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/jzEMZwc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;drying out the bindweed&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/dmDUFKk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Using the bindweed as a mulch&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-13T01:36:07.443" LastActivityDate="2017-01-13T01:36:07.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30444" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30454" CreationDate="2017-01-13T02:03:01.797" Score="6" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree is growing out of my unused compost bins. It's been growing for a few years, and I should probably remove it before it damages the foundations further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: It seems to be growing from the top of the compost bin so the roots may not be a danger after all. It's over 12 foot tall, and can't be more than 2 years old in retrospect.  The stem is green all the way from the bottom to the top, and there are no flowers.  The leaves alternate on the branches, and their maximum length is about 6 inches.  The leaves are not serrated, and are glossy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Wellington, New Zealand and the temperature rarely goes below freezing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/40ku9ch.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/mkzTyFB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;distant shot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-14T22:40:30.730" LastActivityDate="2017-01-14T22:40:30.730" Title="What's this layered, green-leaved tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30445" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30447" CreationDate="2017-01-13T06:17:14.503" Score="7" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased this avocado Reed sapling about 6 months ago from a shop 200 miles north of me. It's a type A avocado and I also bought a type B. The Reed started to flower over Xmas and I noticed what looks like fruit appearing!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/uhpdXQh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/QqxqTZ8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/FavtljC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I kept the trees inside over winter because this region is too cold to support their growth, and that's why they're not sold locally. They have been outside for about 4 months now in full sun. The other tree hasn't flowered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've not heard of anyone with a tree locally though I guess it's possible someone somewhere has one in a greenhouse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if this is fruit, how likely is it that it will grow to an edible size?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-13T19:44:18.580" Title="Is this avocado fruit?" Tags="&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30353" CreationDate="2017-01-13T08:05:31.667" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it is a basswood tree, which makes &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v69QDpgUFuY&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;great lettuce&lt;/a&gt; from its leaves for salads :P&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I was at an herbalists guild garden walk they completely understood what I was saying when eating tree leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2017-01-13T17:28:06.733" LastActivityDate="2017-01-13T17:28:06.733" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30447" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30445" CreationDate="2017-01-13T09:22:32.417" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's the link to the grower of your avocado &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.waimeanurseries.co.nz/our-products/fruit-trees/avocados/reed/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Waimea Nursery&lt;/a&gt;- Reed is the variety - there are 500 varieties. Are you in the South Island or North? Most production is Bay of Plenty, but with shelter, good drainage and deep soil, and only light frosts you may get fruit as far south as Nelson.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2044" LastActivityDate="2017-01-13T09:22:32.417" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30448" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30442" CreationDate="2017-01-13T12:17:00.747" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, they won't turn green again, though its not impossible for new growth to appear at the tips of the brown areas. Sounds like the roots were compromised by the adjacent construction work, so if you don't like looking at trees that have large, dead brown areas, take them out. If it is root damage, you might find they die completely over time, or may continue to grow at the top, but hard to say without a photograph, especially as its not clear whether you're saying they're brown from the bottom up or top down for two thirds, or brown in the middle two thirds. Also hard to say whether those brown areas will show new growth at the tips for the same reason (no photos), but if it is root damage, its unlikely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-01-13T12:17:00.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30449" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30455" CreationDate="2017-01-13T14:24:03.280" Score="2" ViewCount="579" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few mango and avocado trees. They are between 5 and 6 months old. They appear to have stopped growing. Should I fertilize them, or is it too early?  If it is too early for fertilization, what can I use to feed them in the mean time? When I seeded them, I added them to the soil with no other ingredients. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9VVMI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9VVMI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Here is a picture of the avocado.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SQwk4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SQwk4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1LlSq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1LlSq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13092" LastEditorUserId="13092" LastEditDate="2017-01-13T23:32:48.143" LastActivityDate="2021-05-29T15:06:44.560" Title="Should I fertilize young mango and avocado trees which have stopped growing?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30451" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30445" CreationDate="2017-01-13T19:44:18.580" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some additional notes on why this sapling has started to fruit.  It seems I didn't need to purchase the B plant after all in my climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers synchronise their sex phases - the tree slow motion switches from all flowers on the tree female flowers only, to all flowers on the tree closed, to male flowers only, to all flowers closed and so on. But the neat time-of-day synchronisation of floral gender only happens in consistently warm temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In New Zealand, there is often overlap between the genders. Some flowers are late to finish their cycle, and some flowers of the opposite gender-phase open before the last gender flowers of the previous gender-phase have all closed. In the main flowering period (when it is warmer), the Hass female flowers open around about midday. If it has been cool for some days, female flowers might not open until the late afternoon. (Recent research in New Zealand has shown that periods below 7oC push Hass female flower opening later and later in the afternoon, and then into the night.) Conversely, if it has been very warm for a few days, female flowers might even open in the morning and close at midday (as it does in hotter countries). The flower's female phase ends when the flower closes 1 or 2 hours after opening. The same flower re-opens the next day, but as a male, shedding pollen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Hass flowers male phase (pollen shedding phase) typically starts when the flower opens in the afternoon or evening. The flowers stay open all night, and are finally exhausted by late the next morning. But sometimes the male phase flowers open early, about mid-morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The variation in opening and closing times of the two flower phases is not particularly important. What is (somewhat) important is that there is often a little bit of overlap between the end of one flower gender phase, and the start of the other gender phase.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, in New Zealand's humid conditions it may well be that the male phase flower may still have viable female parts when it opens  and may be able to set by itself, given a little assistance from pollinating insects (or even gravity). There is mounting evidence that the male phase flower is the one that sets the bulk of the crop (contrary to what was thought).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And once it is warm enough, set of the main summer and autumn cultivars (Hass and Reed) is virtually assured.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever the intricacies of flower pattern, in New Zealand's variable spring climate at least, Hass sets well in the backyard without any need for pollen from a different cultivar - as does the late-setting Reed variety. The 'up and coming' Hass-like green-skinned 'Gwen' variety also has a reputation for similar easy reliability. As long as only these varieties are planted, they will set fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AxJyV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AxJyV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image showing gender overlap of the flowers&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lauriemeadows.info/food_garden/fruit/Avocado_Pollination.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.lauriemeadows.info/food_garden/fruit/Avocado_Pollination.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-01-13T19:44:18.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30452" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30463" CreationDate="2017-01-14T01:14:38.550" Score="5" ViewCount="10536" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my region, Verbena bonariensis is a perennial rather than an annual.  It's getting quite tall, with some close to 8 feet even though it's not supposed to top 6 feet, and in the wind has taken a battering so that I've had to stake some of the bushes which were blown over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read that it should be cut back after it's flowered, and some of mine are getting like that now, though I'm unsure if that applies to regions only where it grows as a perennial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got flowers looking like this in their second year:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/ClIPL6J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And others looking like they're forming seeds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/HeWVhI5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;forming seeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and close up:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/SqPnDWa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;seeds close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is one example of the effect of wind:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/5Bh1gQd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;wind swept Verbena&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the base of this same leaning plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Ewpf5w3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Verbena base&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, now it's going to seed, should I chop it back to the ground and wait for others to come up from self propagated seed?  Or, cut it back some inches off the ground, and at what stage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, and I've given up trying to manage the powdery mildew that affects these plants in only one half of the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm at 150 m above sea level, and in mid summer right now though today it's wet and windy. Winter rarely gets below freezing here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-14T18:36:40.613" LastActivityDate="2020-02-26T21:48:30.820" Title="How do I prune Verbena bonariensis?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30453" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30432" CreationDate="2017-01-14T02:37:23.057" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not swiss chard.  This is Tatsoi &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatsoi&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatsoi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The chard seed looks completely different than the brassica family seed of tatsoi.  Tatsoi seed would look identical to the butter lettuce seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The holes in the plant look like cabbage worms.  The picture with the dark poop at the base reinforces my hypothesis.  You can pick them off or use Pyrethrin to kill them.  But honestly that would be an expensive option. You can just wash them or cut it away. The holes don't look good but the plant is fine to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally like to use the leaves like spinach. I chop the stem up and add them to a stir fry at the same time i would celery for a nice crunchy bite. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16512" LastActivityDate="2017-01-14T02:37:23.057" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30444" CreationDate="2017-01-14T04:45:12.727" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this tree is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Persea americana&lt;/a&gt;, the common Avocado. It might be any one of many cultivars but your description of a purely green trunk (and presumably stems) suggests Persea since it is quite unique to the Genus. (It has the uncanny ability to photosynthesize via these parts).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To fortify my post, the fact that this tree has arisen from a compost heap suggests that it may have originated from a discard from an edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the tree eventually flowers or fruits, please post pics to verify or to counter. I remain unconvinced and curious.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kievg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kievg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m1OgA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m1OgA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FbaaD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FbaaD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2017-01-14T04:45:12.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30449" CreationDate="2017-01-14T08:08:21.287" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd suggest that since both trees are suffering, then you've used the wrong material for potting these trees, and their roots are suffering.  So, pull them out to have a look to see if they're rotting or something else is wrong. It's highly unlikely they've exhausted the nutrients in their pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And be careful. My avocados came with a warning not to remove by holding the stem when removing from their pots. So it will probably be a two person job to remove them to examine the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-14T08:08:21.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30456" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30449" CreationDate="2017-01-14T08:30:57.047" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't say where you are geographically but, most of us are having winter right now. In such case they should be at rest. If you are in the southern U S I would wait until late March before doing anything. Just stick with moderate watering for now. They may have had a bit of cold damage. If you are experiencing freezes I would bring them inside during the freeze return them to there places when it passes. Hold of fertilizing until growth resumes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16513" LastActivityDate="2017-01-14T08:30:57.047" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30457" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30442" CreationDate="2017-01-14T09:34:22.540" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Were the cedars brown to start or did they turn brown? If they were brown to start then it sounds like a light issue not a construction issue. Either way they will probably not get get a lot of new bottom growth. However they may regain some green if it was a light issue. A construction issue would only get worse in time but, most construction damage may not show up until after the first or even third year. They would have had to really tear things up to show such damage right away and that should be apparent. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16514" LastActivityDate="2017-01-14T09:34:22.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30458" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30459" CreationDate="2017-01-14T10:10:19.283" Score="8" ViewCount="946" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased a cactus from IKEA. It appears to be Euphorbia Pentagona or Euphorbia Enopla. The date on its pot makes me think it was repotted on December 14 2016, 4 days before I purchased it. On the day of purchase, the soil was moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since purchase, the cactus has been sitting close to a south-facing window, however the weather conditions in the Netherlands rarely lead to full-sun exposure in the winter months. Indoor temperatures have fluctuated between 14°C (57°F) and 18°C (64°F), while outdoor temperatures have ranged between -1°C (30°F) and 7°C (45°F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One month after purchase, the top of the plant's stems show signs of bright green growth. My untrained eye is unable to distinguish whether this is etiolation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The guides I read say that most cacti need a period of dormancy between November and March where they need water only once every one or two months, and no fertiliser.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Somewhat contradictory, guides also say that cacti prefer to be fed during spurs of active growth, such as the one I think my cactus is experiencing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this cactus etiolating (maybe due to the change in conditions), or growing?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Depending on the answer to the previous question, and keeping in mind that it's still winter, should I fertilise my cactus?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I need to fertilise, is this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pokon.com/house/cactus/pokon-cactus-succulent-fertilizer/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;4-4-6 NPK cactus fertiliser solution&lt;/a&gt; that I purchased appropriate?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've added before and after pictures for comparison below. You can notice the growth I'm referring to especially at the top of the bigger stem on the left:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;December 18 2016:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VySkk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;December 18 2016&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;January 14 2017:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/9BGCwr4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;January 14 2017&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2017-01-14T19:29:34.323" LastActivityDate="2017-01-14T19:29:34.323" Title="Should I fertilize a cactus showing etiolation?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;euphorbia&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30458" CreationDate="2017-01-14T10:53:48.907" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;We say a plant is 'etiolated' when its growth becomes long and lanky, usually thin and weak looking, often yellowish or pale in colour, and with elongated gaps between leaves on stems, although this latter is not applicable to your particular plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant (Euphorbia enopla gets my vote for ID) is looking very healthy. From what you say, you are keeping it in conditions that suit it well; despite the lack of regular sunlight, it is in bright daylight conditions, which is fine. If you're right about when it was repotted, the potting compost used will have contained some fertilizer, and I do not recommend you fertilize at this stage. Most houseplants do better being largely ignored, although watering as necessary shouldn't be neglected, so I suggest you leave it alone and just monitor its progress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know which resources you looked at for information on this plant, but I've found it quite difficult to find anything sensible about it as a houseplant, most information I found was regarding growing it outdoors in warmer countries, with very little detail about growing it indoors. I can't comment on whether the fertilizer you've purchased is appropriate for this plant, it doesn't sound like it would be harmful in any way, but bear in mind that 'less is more' so to speak. Many people never fertilize their plants, or may do so only once or twice in the growing season (depending on the product used), particularly for cacti, relying on occasional repotting to supply nutrients, and the plants do just fine. Just to reassure you, there's no evidence of etiolation in your plant currently, and I wouldn't expect any either, given its bright light situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-01-14T11:03:37.903" LastActivityDate="2017-01-14T11:03:37.903" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30460" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30449" CreationDate="2017-01-14T11:39:28.747" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, given where you are, its whatever passes for winter in your part of the world. Do not fertilize at this time of year, even in warmer regions, growth will slow or stop winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although you've said the pots are 14 inches deep, I can see that they are not all full to the top with potting medium, which reduces the amount of root room available, so I'm not sure that isn't causing a problem. I note you say you used Nature's Care Organic Soil - is that what you actually mean, because that particular formulation isn't meant for potting plants? They also sell Nature's Care Organic Potting Soil, so if you used that, it should be fine. However, if you actually used the non potting version of this product, it likely isn't the ideal potting medium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-01-14T11:39:28.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30461" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30458" CreationDate="2017-01-14T12:01:46.820" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fertilizer you have bought has a NPK ratio of 4-4-6 and this means it has more potassium than nitrogen and phosphorus. Higher levels of potassium than the other two are used to induce flowering, something that is useles when the plant should be dormant. Unused substances accumulate in the soil and lead to later disequilibrium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-01-14T12:01:46.820" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30462" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16320" CreationDate="2017-01-14T12:27:15.997" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this rose at rite aid on clearance two years ago. We put it in water, and the stem never turned brown. After about 9 months in a glass of water, I put it in soil. It grew a bunch of new branches, and about two weeks ago I saw a bud. I took this photo this morning. So, for people who say it can't re-root or grow new flowers, they are wrong! This is proof. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rgXDx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lWPhy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16517" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-14T16:51:18.027" LastActivityDate="2017-01-14T16:51:18.027" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30463" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30452" CreationDate="2017-01-14T12:35:32.450" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm having to think hard about this because you're in the other hemisphere from me! Right, so it must be summer heading into autumn where you are, and your pictured plant doesn't appear to have been cut back at any time. What I usually do with these in the UK, when it gets past mid summer, is just cut off the stems which have flowered, or been broken or are diseased, back to the mainstem to encourage more flowering, then reduce the whole plant by half or two thirds in late autumn. I leave that in place till the following spring, then cut down to around 2 inches to encourage new, bushy and healthy growth. I think your winters are a little warmer than ours in the UK, so if you think they'll make it through winter if you cut down to 2 inches in autumn, do it then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually, if you're not too attentive to deadheading, they seed themselves all over the place, but it looks like yours isn't growing somewhere where any seed that falls will be able to germinate, so  if you want more, you should maybe try to collect seed, which means leaving some of the flowerheads to mature before cutting down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-01-14T12:52:10.110" LastActivityDate="2017-01-14T12:52:10.110" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30420" CreationDate="2017-01-14T19:06:54.613" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That you can't see a problem except when you tried to harvest the lettuce suggests it's a very acute problem that hasn't affected its growth. I'd blame a fungus rotting the bottoms, and since you're using a potting mix with sudden high rain fall, it probably got too wet letting the fungus attack and overwhelm the stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The spores are now in your potting mix so I'd be inclined to toss it into the compost heap, and start again in a more sheltered position.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-14T19:06:54.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30465" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-14T16:45:07.393" Score="7" ViewCount="572" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have orange trees that have always produced &quot;orange flesh&quot; oranges.  This year a few of the oranges have red streaks in them.  Is is possible that this year the flowers were crossed with a blood orange tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="cajun girl" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-01-14T21:42:34.443" LastActivityDate="2017-01-15T17:04:28.433" Title="Red streaks in Louisiana sweet oranges" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30466" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-14T22:04:16.663" Score="4" ViewCount="184" Body="&lt;p&gt;This vine is steadily growing up my &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyathea_dealbata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ponga fern&lt;/a&gt; and I'm wondering if I need to be concerned, and whether I need to cut it in case it's damaging the fern. None of my pongas of a similar height has this growth on them. I'm in Wellington, New Zealand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/LKZf7lN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;ponga with vine&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And closer up of bottom storey&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/M5eeB1e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bottom storey leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And of middle storey&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L0YUo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L0YUo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;middle storey leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-15T04:22:24.947" LastActivityDate="2017-01-15T04:22:24.947" Title="What is this vine growing up my ponga?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30467" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-14T22:42:17.217" Score="7" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live below the natural range of blue spruce in a hot grassland habitat.  How much water does a blue spruce need to thrive in this hot dry landscape?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16521" LastActivityDate="2017-01-14T22:42:17.217" Title="water use for blue spruce outside natural environment?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2017-01-20T08:25:57.940" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30468" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30465" CreationDate="2017-01-14T22:45:11.293" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Update: This answer is wrong and doesn't help anybody. Although at first I have deleted it, I now have decided to undelete it so that I just have a reminder on the long journey that awaits me on this site. For every upvote (+10 points) I will need 5 downvotes (-2 points each) in order not to unethically increase my rep on a wrong answer, so please be careful and do NOT upvote it. Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Old answer: Yes, it is possible. Blood oranges are a variety of the orange ones, Citrus × sinensis. Plants in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0068410&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Citrus genus&lt;/a&gt; (like oranges, pomelo, tangerins, mandarins and others) are well known for their ability to produce &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v32/n7/full/nbt.2906.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hybrids&lt;/a&gt;. For the crossing to occur, some blood orange trees need to be nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-01-15T17:04:28.433" LastActivityDate="2017-01-15T17:04:28.433" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30469" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23713" CreationDate="2017-01-15T01:35:25.453" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a provisional and untested answer.  Claims with some scientific trials as data do show that the pest load on plants is reduced with the use of foliar sprays of actively aerated compost tea (AACT).  Vermicompost tea may be even better.  The bacteria and fungi that is applied to the leaf surfaces may be able to kill aphids and is unlikely to harm the fish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;E Coli populations present in AACT are thought to vanish at about 72 hours of incubation due to the competition from the other organisms in the brew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since it's being sprayed onto leaf vegetables, you'll want to cook the vegetables before eating to be safe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As always do your own research before trying this out in your own aquaponics system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: 19th Jan 2017&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/patents/US6475503&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.google.com/patents/US6475503&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In brief vermicompost contains organisms which release chitinases which dissolve insect skeletons.  Spraying leaves with vermicompost tea drives insects away, and it may be incorporated into hydroponic solutions.  Also, feeding plants vermicompost may increase the level of plant production of chitinases which again protects plants from insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-19T06:49:25.743" LastActivityDate="2017-01-19T06:49:25.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30470" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30466" CreationDate="2017-01-15T03:50:34.143" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's one of the native rata vines (Metrosideros, probably perforata), perfectly normal and won't harm the fern for a few human lifetimes. The trunk will end up being clothed but that just looks nice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.terrain.net.nz/friends-of-te-henui-group/plants-native-botanical-names-m-to-q/white-rata.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;TERRAIN&lt;/a&gt;  has a good Metrosideros page as does  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.o2landscapes.com/pages/pp-metrosideros.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Philip Smith @ 02Landscapes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2044" LastActivityDate="2017-01-15T03:50:34.143" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30465" CreationDate="2017-01-15T06:27:02.627" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This has nothing to do with what pollinated your trees this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But apparently some of your trees have a trace of blood oranges in their ancestral line. Oranges (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_(fruit)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Citrus x sinensis&lt;/a&gt;) are a hybrid between pomelo and mandarin and all citrus are rather prone to &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_(biology)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hybridization&lt;/a&gt; and mutations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So why do you suddenly see red streaks?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I blame the weather. Did you have cool nights and warm days lately?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;To develop the deeper colours, oranges need a certain temperature gradient which causes &quot;blond&quot; oranges to turn from greenish to orange and blood oranges to develop their crimson colours. In very warm weather, oranges ripen, but stay paler. (See my &lt;a href=&quot;https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/55694/can-a-blood-orange-be-half-bloody/55705#55705&quot;&gt;answer on Seasoned Advice&lt;/a&gt; for more details.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:33:29.830" LastActivityDate="2017-01-15T06:27:02.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30472" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20048" CreationDate="2017-01-15T09:11:25.813" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This article (&lt;a href=&quot;http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/30/4/884.4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/30/4/884.4&lt;/a&gt;) says N &amp;amp; P at equal ratio are effective, K not significant. This will also depend on growth stage (veg., fruit.) - Good Luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16522" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-01-16T19:57:00.080" LastActivityDate="2017-01-16T19:57:00.080" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30473" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27545" CreationDate="2017-01-15T10:14:53.697" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could it be Rosa 'Buxom Beauty'? Pink, hybrid tea, strong scent, Award of Garden Merit RHS in 2012, but much older that that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Rosa_%27Parole%27&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Rosa_%27Parole%27&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6795" LastActivityDate="2017-01-15T10:14:53.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30474" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-15T15:49:40.427" Score="2" ViewCount="47" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E1bH9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E1bH9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hello Can anyone tell me what is the name of this plant ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13845" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-01-15T18:21:13.580" Title="What is the name of this plant and can it grow without sunlight?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-01-15T18:19:38.657" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30475" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22456" CreationDate="2017-01-15T19:53:09.930" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't mention where you are but since you're growing citrus I'm assuming you will have hot days. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;On hot days bronze orange bugs will withdraw from the foliage and will congregate on the lower trunk of the tree where it is cooler.  This is the perfect opportunity to squash them with a stick or collect them&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YRYNZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YRYNZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;by knocking them into soapy water.  Wear protective clothing so that their caustic sprays don't irritate your skin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And now at the time of this answer, I'm presuming it's winter where you live.  You can spray &lt;a href=&quot;http://ecoorganicgarden.com.au/products/pest-disease/eco-oil/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;eco-oil&lt;/a&gt; to try and destroy the eggs and smother any nymphs that emerge in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ecoorganicgarden.com.au/problem-solver/bronze-orange-bug/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://ecoorganicgarden.com.au/problem-solver/bronze-orange-bug/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-15T19:53:09.930" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30476" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33399" CreationDate="2017-01-15T21:10:31.227" Score="11" ViewCount="399" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given this plant by someone several years ago and stuck it into a planted tank with compost and volcanic rock on top. It has a slight stripe to it and in full sun sometimes goes red but at present it's in a window with only a couple of hours sun daily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The 60litre tank is unheated now that the fish are gone, and receives no supplemental lighting. I only occasionally add some flourish excel to try and keep the hair algae at bay. Room temperature ranges from 5-25 C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wonder if it's a sword but the leaves are a bit small being a maximum of 2 inches in length.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/mvKrkNO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;aquatic plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Random planting including Vallisneria. Lots of reflection artifact present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Z46xoj0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-16T00:50:58.170" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T18:03:48.073" Title="What's this green small leaf aquarium plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30477" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30397" CreationDate="2017-01-16T02:40:14.997" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;First of all, my experience with Nicotiana alata only involves trapping Trialeurodes vaporariorum because my other plants didn't get aphids or mites (yet).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In spring I have received four 6-inch (15 cm) young plants grown outdoors (selfseeded) and then I transplanted them in my closed balcony in a 16*8*8-inch rectangular pot (40*20*20 cm). A little overcrowded in theory, but this didn't stop them to get 3-feet tall (100 cm). I have used the cheapest soil in store, pH 5,5-7, and I haven't fertilized at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a few weeks I have noticed that they began to be filled with Trialeurodes vaporariorum, a few insects on every leaf, and full-packed with insects after two months. In the meantime, the hot peppers (Capsicum annuum) that were attacked every year, had been mostly spared, something like 4-5 insects on every hot pepper plant. Trialeurodes vaporariorum didn't manage to feed too much on the hot peppers, and when I have harvested the fruits, 75% of the leaves were looking fine, with no pesticide applied at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing that got me puzzled with Nicotiana alata was the need for water, something like every other day when they were young and daily when mature. The explanation might have been the temperature of 104°F (40°C) and the glass that concentrated the rays of light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for outdoor cultivation, they are very easy to grow and do not need any care, except for watering maybe. My grandmother lived in a climate of summer drought and wasn't the type to care for flowers. To my surprise, her Nicotiana alata was self-seeding every year in a neglected spot outside her fence, although I have never seen her water the plants. They were getting water only from rain. In our 6b zone Nicotiana alata is an annual plant. Temperatures in summer are frequently 95°F (35°C), and the seeds stay in the ground in winter, under the snow when there is snow, at -13°F (-25°C).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seeds are very small, a tiny packet might give a hundred seedlings if they all germinate. Commercially available seeds packages state that plants must be distanced at 12-inch (30 cm) between them an 12-inch between rows, and flowers have various colors, whereas all my flowers were white, as they have always been since I was a kid - I don't know if the color matters too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-01-16T02:40:14.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30479" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9205" CreationDate="2017-01-16T07:30:23.873" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A plant at my home servived for more than 5 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is how it looked after 5 years. Then I removed it from the hanging and planted it in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMEHK4oPPcXhBfX0apNcnBb_US-RiWbvXJC2Tguzqp2tFyoxtQmPjmShitrz0UoEA?key=MDVqbXNqYlVLd1VjR1VPTlBob3dnUXM4dmc4TDh3&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMEHK4oPPcXhBfX0apNcnBb_US-RiWbvXJC2Tguzqp2tFyoxtQmPjmShitrz0UoEA?key=MDVqbXNqYlVLd1VjR1VPTlBob3dnUXM4dmc4TDh3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16527" LastActivityDate="2017-01-16T07:30:23.873" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30480" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35630" CreationDate="2017-01-16T13:45:56.887" Score="6" ViewCount="111" Body="&lt;p&gt;My earlier question has seemed to generate much confusion so I am taking a stab at re-writing it.  Part of me fears that this board doesn't contain enough plant geeks (aka plant collectors), and perhaps it better suited for the American Public Garden Association but before I go there I hope others here might have experience with these plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We currently grow 5 species of deciduous stewartia and I have my eyes on another 3 or 4.  However, I recently learned about the &quot;evergreen&quot; stewartia from the same 2008 Royal Horticulture article that @stormy linked to.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewartia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; suggests that some botanists classify the evergreen stewartia in the genus Hartia, so to avoid confusion I am going to call the group of plants I am interested in learning about Hartia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The RHS article suggests that Hartia is not well know in the public garden sector, and has not been introduced into the nursery trade in either Europe or the US.  The two articles above are my sole references to Hartia - I have found nothing in my 'common' references - Bean, Dirr, Rehder, etc, and was wondering if folks out there have come across references that talk about evergreen stewartia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second half of my question is a reach out the the gardening community to ask it anyone (especially in the US) is growing these plants.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pollyhillarboretum.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Poly Hill Arboreteum&lt;/a&gt;, the US national stewartia collection doesn't list any among their collections (dead or alive) under either genus.  I haven't done a search of other major US  arboreta, but I suspect nobody is growing this genus.  If you are growing an evergreen steartia (Hartia) in your private garden, I would love to know how you heard about it, where you found it, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are else where in the world and grow this genus, I would love to touch base.  Perhaps there are issues with the genus that I'm not aware of that have prevented it from entering into the nursery trade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, if there are any taxonomic geeks out there that would be willing to point me towards a better understanding of if I'm looking for the genus Stewartia or the genus Hartia that would most wonderful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastEditorUserId="16406" LastEditDate="2017-01-18T02:35:13.047" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T21:23:45.323" Title="Do you grow or have info on the evergreen stewartia (sometimes listed under the genus hartia)" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;broad-leaved-evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30481" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-16T14:38:44.350" Score="6" ViewCount="183" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing microgreens and wheatgrass and sometimes run into trouble with mold. I have read that mold can be controlled by using LED lights but I cannot seem to find anything more specific.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assuming that the mold control comes from the UV.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now my question(s)&#xA;What band of UV is controlling the Mold ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not all, in fact most household LED's will not be producing UV at all. I assume they must be referring to the grow specific LED's in the arket.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do my ArgoLED's provide the required UV Spectrum ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also recently purchased the relatively new Hydrolux PowerVEG FS + UV bulbs. I wonder if I am getting the right UV from them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems hard to locate good information on the spectral profile of my AgroLED T5 &quot;Full Spectrum&quot; lights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16528" LastActivityDate="2017-05-05T13:55:18.710" Title="T5 AgroLED, Hortilux PowerVEG FS + UV, UV and Mold" Tags="&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30483" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27449" CreationDate="2017-01-16T18:38:58.510" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The types of wood that you have mentioned contain tannins that negatively affect the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.insa.nic.in/writereaddata/UpLoadedFiles/PINSA/Vol51B_1985_2_Art15.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;germination and the growth of the plants, nitrogen availability and photosynthesis&lt;/a&gt;. They are also &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.researchgate.net/publication/223084771_Antimicrobial_properties_of_tannin&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;toxic for some microorganisms&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-01-16T18:38:58.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30484" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27004" CreationDate="2017-01-16T18:54:52.073" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Young fruit trees &lt;a href=&quot;http://ucanr.edu/sites/sacmg/files/72239.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;need to develop&lt;/a&gt; themselves and setting fruit consumes a part of their resources. The more flowers you remove, the faster will the tree grow and produce more fruits the next season. It's not the end of the world if you keep a few flowers that set fruit on the first year, it will just delay the moment of maturity and maximum harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-01-16T19:00:46.997" LastActivityDate="2017-01-16T19:00:46.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30485" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24931" CreationDate="2017-01-16T19:02:50.443" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe it is Blue African Basil, Ocimum kilimandscharicum x basilicum.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_blue_basil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_blue_basil&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16530" LastActivityDate="2017-01-16T19:02:50.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30486" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30481" CreationDate="2017-01-16T21:27:36.013" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Someone can answer the specific questions but normally led grow lights have no or minimal UV emission unless specifically added. The manufacturer of the second light says the UV is there to enhance growth, and reduce the shock of transplanting from a non UV environment to growing outside though most people would just harden seedlings for the same purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like you want to control fungal growth at the surface when growing your microgreens. Although UV can be used as a biocide, you can get mold outside under high UV if the conditions permit. I see powdery mildew on some of my plants in the same section of the garden but don't see it a few metres away due to the change in microclimate even though they both receive the same UV levels, which will be much higher than from your grow light. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Surface fungi are more likely to grow when the surface conditions are moist. It's recommended that to reduce mold when growing microgreens you reduce the density of the plants, and increase the ventilation both of which will dry the surface of the grow medium. You can also water from the bottom using capillary action to draw the water up so that the roots get access before unnecessary water reaches the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-16T21:27:36.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30487" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26804" CreationDate="2017-01-16T23:09:40.387" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks quite similar to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/dryopteris/marginalis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the Marginal Wood Fern, Dryopteris marginalis&lt;/a&gt; - especially when looking at the prominence and linear distribution of the sori on the edges of the leaves. All of the sources I looked at show only a North American distribution. (Sorry, I am too new to G&amp;amp;L to include more than one link in this post. My second source was: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryopteris_marginalis) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could it be a relative? Or has the world really become that small botanically?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/dryopteris/marginalis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;[NewEnglandWild.org]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16532" LastActivityDate="2017-01-16T23:09:40.387" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30488" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30496" CreationDate="2017-01-17T05:19:15.673" Score="5" ViewCount="1111" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this choko-like vine, growing near Toowoomba, Australia? What is the best method to permanently get rid of the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first picture shows the 'fruit' hanging on the vine, which is growing amongs some camellias. Te second photo shows the leaf shape (sorry it's blury). The vine does sometimes have white flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/udzml.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/udzml.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UxekK.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UxekK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13228" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T14:37:39.070" Title="What is this choko-like vine, and how can I get rid of it and ensure it doesn't return?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30489" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-17T06:12:51.153" Score="6" ViewCount="132" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CVX5C.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CVX5C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yellow patches&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My first year growing more than a couple of tomatoes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have about 20 plants, 6 different types, in rows about 80x400 (I dug up my lawn)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yellow patches have appeared on all my different varieties of tomato in the last 24hrs... is it sun damage perhaps? Or some nutritional deficiency? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your help :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fV14s.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fV14s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;More yellow patches...&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16535" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-17T07:08:22.373" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T22:25:39.767" Title="What are these yellow patches on the leaves of my tomato plants?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30490" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37112" CreationDate="2017-01-17T07:37:28.660" Score="4" ViewCount="873" Body="&lt;p&gt;Black walnut has juglone in it, which can be harmful to other plants. I've read claims that you shouldn't use black walnut for wood ash in your garden because of this, although I'm not sure if that's true. It does seem pretty sure that soil black walnut is grown in is harmful, but it seems like burning the wood might change the chemical. Anyway, I don't know if it does, but that's not my question (it's a preface to my question):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard that black locust (I don't mean black walnut) has allelochemicals of some sort in it that may hamper other plants (probably not juglone). I'd like to use wood ash that contains a small percentage of black locust ash on ground for tomatoes. Maybe one in ten pieces of wood burned was black locust. Is this ash going to be okay for tomatoes and other Solanaceae plants, or will it hurt them significantly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have experience with black locust wood ash on plants like tomatoes, that would be preferable. I guess I could germinate some tomatoes and add some of the ash to the soil to see what happens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard people use black locust for nitrogen fixing. So, it doesn't seem like it would be &lt;em&gt;that&lt;/em&gt; harmful to other plants. But, maybe they just use it for tolerant plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Squash are said to be tolerant to juglone. I'm not sure what tolerates whatever allelochemical(s) black locust uses, whether it persists in soil for years like juglone, or what. I'm not sure how potent it is, or if it's even in the black locust wood. I don't know it if affects plants at all (maybe it just affects animals). Black locust does have toxic parts to animals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2018-02-08T04:38:30.017" Title="Is wood ash from black locust harmful to plants?" Tags="&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;toxicity&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30491" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30490" CreationDate="2017-01-17T08:57:29.410" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're incinerating the wood, then any allopathic chemicals would be oxidised by the fire, and what's left is wood ash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Much wood ash contains calcium carbonate as its major component, representing 25[6] or even 45 percent.[1] Less than 10 percent is potash, and less than 1 percent phosphate; there are trace elements of iron, manganese, zinc, copper and some heavy metals.[6] However, these numbers vary, as combustion temperature is an important variable in determining wood ash composition.[5] All of these are, primarily, in the form of oxides.[5]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_ash&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_ash&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T08:57:29.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30492" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5977" CreationDate="2017-01-17T09:05:48.003" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use led lights for a planted fish tank, and all of the plants have very high light requirements, and it works fine. Mind you- each fixture (I have two of them), costs around 175.00 dollars, but if led's can grow plants in 20 inches of water in an aquarium, I am sure that for regular plants- led's will do fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16536" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T09:05:48.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30493" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30490" CreationDate="2017-01-17T09:41:39.547" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use ashes for my garden. AFAIK, the problem is on the content: the heavy metals: some plants accumulate much of them in wood, some vegetables absorb them, and it is toxic for us (but it is also needed on small quantities).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So now I use not so much ashes on vegetable garden. I still use it on small quantities, and with much manure. Most of the ashes go  to the lawn: it seems that my &quot;mosses&quot; doesn't like it, and I don't like them on my lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T09:41:39.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30496" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30488" CreationDate="2017-01-17T14:37:39.070" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araujia_sericifera&quot;&gt;Araujia sericifera&lt;/a&gt;. Its common names include Moth Plant, White Bladderflower, Common Moth Vine, Cruel Vine and False Choko.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is some basic information about eradication of it: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weedbusters.org.nz/weed-information/araujia-hortorum/59/&quot;&gt;Weedbusters.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And even more comprehensive are: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/77911/Ecology_pest_status_moth_plant_Araujia_hortorum.pdf&quot;&gt;landcareresearch.co.nz&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/weeds/downloads/wra/Araujia%20sericifera%20WRA.pdf&quot;&gt;aphis.usda.gov&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SrRE4.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SrRE4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T14:37:39.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30497" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27358" CreationDate="2017-01-17T17:02:46.073" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaf tip burn is caused by accumulation of fertiliser salts at the leaf tip which then kills the tip and the edges brown and die back.  The problem is caused by excess fertiliser salts at the surface, and can be remediated by watering deeply to wash the salts out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://garden.org/nga/searchqa/answer/23491&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://garden.org/nga/searchqa/answer/23491&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T17:02:46.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30498" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27350" CreationDate="2017-01-17T17:23:00.790" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bare rooted trees are normally planted at the end of winter or early spring before they break dormancy. I presume that you planted them into pots, and they woke up at the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since plant shock is mainly from transpirational moisture loss from leaves, and you don't have much in the way of leaves now, they can go into full sun now if it's appropriate for that tree. In the same way you plant into the ground bare root, you don't shift them to a sunnier location later on as the gradual change in light levels and temperature allows the tree to adapt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T17:23:00.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28783" CreationDate="2017-01-17T17:50:29.323" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The interaction between photoperiods and temperature is not well characterised in USA strawberry cultivars. In Japan in unheated glasshouses they have experimentally prevented plants from entering dormancy with supplementary lighting in winter to extend their vegetative phase.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cals.arizona.edu/strawberry/Hydroponic_Strawberry_Information_Website/Supplemental_Lighting.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://cals.arizona.edu/strawberry/Hydroponic_Strawberry_Information_Website/Supplemental_Lighting.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T17:50:29.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30500" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28741" CreationDate="2017-01-17T17:53:26.087" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those brown areas look like regions of leaf necrosis so there has been some stress to the plant which could be watering, warmth, light etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T17:53:26.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30501" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23719" CreationDate="2017-01-17T19:38:40.853" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bok choy is a cool season crop and bolting is triggered by lengthening photoperiods ( daylight hours exceeding 16 hours, or darkness less than 8 hours for a month ), and temperatures below 55 deg F ( 12 Deg C ).  Once bolting has been triggered, the plant can not return to the vegetative stage.  Short days with warm temperatures will prolong the vegetative stage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefore unless you can artificially control lighting you should ensure your plants mature before they reach the critical photoperiods.  This can be accomplished by planting several weeks after the summer solstice so that it meets lengthening hours of darkness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since your plants are bolting in Scotland in late March, when there are only &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scotlandinfo.eu/daylight-hours-sunrise-and-sunset-times/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;13 daylight hours&lt;/a&gt; that would suggest your problem was triggered by cool temperatures.  The average temperature in &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.holiday-weather.com/edinburgh/averages/march/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;March is 6 deg C&lt;/a&gt;, and in an unheated glasshouse may only be a few degrees more than that, and not enough to stop the bolting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: 24 May 2020&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The author Joy Larkcom says Bok Choy needs to be germinated and grown at 18-22 C in its first month otherwise it bolts. Thereafter it tolerates colder temperatures. She also quotes a Rodale study that showed that Bok Choy grown at an average 10C bolted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nwedible.com/how-to-stop-spring-crops-bolting/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to stop spring crops bolting&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://a.co/3TAFtMz&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Specialty and Minor Crops Handbook, 2nd Edition by Claudia Myers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oriental vegetables, Joy Larkcom 1991&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2020-05-24T00:23:14.223" LastActivityDate="2020-05-24T00:23:14.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="30502" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30506" CreationDate="2017-01-17T21:22:40.240" Score="5" ViewCount="326" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a multi-trunk muscadine vine where instead of maintaining/pruning root shooters, the previous owner let them grow out of the ground from the root system.  Now I have 20 trunks at the single location, where it grows up a fence trellis to a tabletop arbor. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I prune this to get good sweet fruit?  Should I cut all but one trunk? cut half this year, half next year, etc? ... Leave them all and manage them via small sections on top of the arbor?  There are actually 4 groups of multi-trunk grapes, but I didnt want to complicate it too much.  Willing to experiment some but just looking for some guidance on whether it matters much which path I choose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16539" LastActivityDate="2017-01-18T08:34:02.950" Title="Multi-Trunk Muscadine Grapes" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16307" CreationDate="2017-01-17T21:57:38.750" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are Grubs. Grubs are the larvae of Japanese beetles, June beetles, and chafers, among others. These C-shaped creatures feast on the roots of grass and plants. They pretty work similar to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.onlinepestcontrol.com/5-natural-remedies-root-maggot-control/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;root maggots&lt;/a&gt;, which also feed on the root system of plants. A few grubs in the garden aren't usually a problem, but if you notice lots of grubs when you turn the soil it may be time to protect your plants by taking action. Apply a grub control product labeled for use around roses, flowers, trees, and shrubs to help protect them from hatching grubs.If you're someone who loves to fish, dig them up and go fishing. They love grubs. &#xA;They are both destructive. I will go ahead and assume grubs and root maggots can be treated in a similar fashion. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16540" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T21:57:38.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30504" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30490" CreationDate="2017-01-17T21:58:31.783" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ashes are alkaline, big time and have high salts!  For the lawn with lots of rainfall to leach salts they are fine.  But to use them in the soil is not a good idea.  Salts are awful!  And compounding the problem is the use of tap water (chlorine)...I would never use ash on tomatoes!  They love acidic soils (6.0 to 6.3).  Ash is great if you have heavily acid soils...great for lawns that want alkaline...7.0.  Otherwise ash is another 'unknown' added to your soil that will definitely mean a proper soil test, before and after.  Working with ingredients that one doesn't know the pH, the percentages of chemicals is just making more unknowns that aren't worth the trouble to add to your soils.  They stopped burning sugar cane crops for example...they stopped burning the debris of crops when they found how ash is not a great addition to any soil.  The 'good' stuff is volatilized and unusable to any ecosystem.  I don't want to be cremated.  I want to feed the decomposers, soil organisms, thus plants, the small and larger mammals...otherwise ash is kind of worthless.  My opinion...of course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T21:58:31.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30505" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30489" CreationDate="2017-01-17T22:18:50.077" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is CHEMICAL (also called nutritional though plants don't need nutrition, they need proper chemicals and chemistry, they make their own food) deficiency.  First, you absolutely have to test the pH.  You could have plenty of proper chemistry in your soil but if that pH is off the plants won't be able to use Iron or Nitrogen for instance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing you should know is at this time your plant is putting its energy into the fruit, not the vegetative growth.  If you were to increase the nitrogen right now your tomatoes would get bitter and tough.  Your flowers would not set fruit.  You'd get great vegetative growth with dark green leaves and NO fruit.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Test the pH.  Tell us what you HAVE used how often for fertilizer.  What have you added to the soil as well.  What type of compost?  Coffee grounds and that kind of thing? Ashes? What water are you using?  Have you had a proper soil test?  Tell us every little thing you've done or added to your soil, please.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am seeing your tomato plants are in the garden soil and you are using either straw or pine needles for mulch?  Your mulches are not decomposed.  Anything dead has to be decomposed first and that takes feeding the decomposers who thrive on nitrogen.  Decomposition will rob Nitrogen from use by your plants.  Do not ADD nitrogen willy nilly or you won't get fruit.  Get a pH test, get a soil test first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, when my tomatoes start producing fruit the vegetative leaves get wimpy looking no matter what.  This mottling could be very normal OR it could be the beginning of mosaic virus from tobacco.  ANY tobacco on hands, the smoke, will transfer this virus to your plants and certainly cause this yellowing.  Keep smokers away from your garden plants!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And in that case, Alina is on the right track, a viral disease.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-01-17T22:25:39.767" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T22:25:39.767" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30502" CreationDate="2017-01-17T22:26:24.377" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Situation no. 1: If there are 1-year old canes at the base of the plant, cut everything except for one of them (keep the most suitable one to become a new trunk).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Situation no. 2: If there are no 1-year old canes at the base of the plant, keep only one trunk from what you have and cut the rest. After that, you have two options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Option A. Cut the branches of this trunk in order to stimulate new branches for proper training OR&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Option B. Cut the trunk at 6-12 inches above the ground in order to develop new canes. When new canes grow, keep the most suitable and cut all the rest of the canes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most effective method is the last one, cutting to a stump and then training what newly emerges. You can read more about corrective pruning on &lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.ro/books?id=8kskuvGJuP4C&amp;amp;pg=PA10&amp;amp;lpg=PA10&amp;amp;dq=unpruned%20muscadine&amp;amp;source=bl&amp;amp;ots=nAhfUaFI6Z&amp;amp;sig=N6jzvZfaNap-6McnbnkbJQ9kzzQ&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjM9b2alMrRAhXEthQKHWCnA1QQ6AEIMDAH#v=onepage&amp;amp;q=unpruned%20muscadine&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Farmers' Bulletin no. 2157&lt;/a&gt;, page 10-11.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T22:26:24.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30481" CreationDate="2017-01-17T22:33:58.177" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you have major fans blowing the air?  You can have the best lights but without air movement you will get mold and fungus.  Send pictures please of your set up, types of plants, what you have added for fertilizer, type of soil, drainage, how close are your lamps...any little detail will help!  Right now go get a fan to move that air and humidity!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T22:33:58.177" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30508" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30480" CreationDate="2017-01-17T22:46:17.037" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Evergreen Stewartia as all Stewartia needs acid soil, incredible drainage and lots of rainfall.  Do you have all three? Gorgeous gorgeous plants, omg.  Here is a simple article that might help you rephrase your question.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.arboretumwespelaar.be/userfiles/file/pdf/080600_Stewartia%20Plantsman%20published.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stewartia&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-17T23:49:42.860" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T23:49:42.860" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30509" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30510" CreationDate="2017-01-17T23:00:23.077" Score="4" ViewCount="1659" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend gave me some seeds from a chilli which have now produced some fruit.&#xA;I would like to know what type it is. He thinks it might be &quot;bhut jolokia&quot; or &quot;carolina reaper&quot; but is not sure. After seeing photos on line for those two it seems closer to the &quot;bhut jolokia&quot; but still enough differences in the leaves (tear drop shape instead of heart shape) and fruit (short almost round instead of long) to not be sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HMV8q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HMV8q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Red Chilli&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M3uWt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M3uWt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yellow Chilli&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7527" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-18T01:38:59.850" LastActivityDate="2021-02-02T07:46:25.553" Title="What type of chilli plant is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30510" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30509" CreationDate="2017-01-17T23:24:17.507" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am fairly sure it is Habanero chili.  I grew some this last season...check out the pics here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&amp;amp;ion=1&amp;amp;espv=2&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8#q=habanero&quot;&gt;habanero chilis&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T23:24:17.507" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30511" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30490" CreationDate="2017-01-17T23:47:27.680" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Robinia pseudacacia is thought to be allelopathic to some extent, particularly with regard to fallen leaves, but not much research exists as to which plants it might affect. The bark wood is often fashioned into fence posts and used, untreated, when it lasts some years, with no ill effect on surrounding planting. As for its toxicity, its certainly a toxic plant for horses, but many other animals forage from it with no apparent problems. More information on this plant here, where some reference is made to its possible toxicity and allelopathic effects &lt;a href=&quot;http://tcpermaculture.com/site/2013/11/18/permaculture-plants-black-locust/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://tcpermaculture.com/site/2013/11/18/permaculture-plants-black-locust/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree that the ashes from the burned wood are unlikely to contain any toxins which might affect your plants, but use of any wood ash should be limited because of its alkalising effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-01-17T23:47:27.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30512" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30596" CreationDate="2017-01-18T01:37:56.187" Score="7" ViewCount="269" Body="&lt;p&gt;My 13 year old grandson wants to grow some Fly Traps using &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dunecraft.com/products/hydro-dome-terrariums/hydroponic-fly-traps&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;  small, inexpensive, boxed hydroponic kit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ldubNm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ldubNm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The kit is designed for kids 12 years and older. The parts are all plastic. It comes with seeds, planting cubes, nutrients and a Hydro-Pump. In the description, it says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Simply follow the planting instructions and see sprouts within a month. Fly Traps are easy and fun to grow, and best yet, will keep your house free of worrisome flies and other flying encroaching insects. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to their &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dunecraft.com/about&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;website&lt;/a&gt;, the company is dedicated to providing products that are both educational and fun for children of all ages. The company looks reputable, but I also found the same kit at a large seller, and the majority of reviews were very negative. Of course, reviews can't always be trusted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This isn't a brand or price request. I'm just hoping someone knows about this type of product, and whether or not they have statistically good success rates. You can assume he would carefully follow instructions, and take good care of it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to be clear that he's not interested in becoming what he calls a “real” gardener.  He just wants to have a little fun, and grow plants that eat bugs.  My daughter doesn't want to buy him anything big, or spend a lot of money. She certainly doesn't want to set up a fancy growing system. Still, neither she nor I want him to be disappointed with his first growing experience. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="26403" LastEditDate="2019-07-19T16:25:22.770" LastActivityDate="2019-07-19T16:25:22.770" Title="Can I tell if a boxed, hydroponic, fly-trap growing kit, made for teenagers, would be reliable?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;venus-fly-trap&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30513" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-18T03:24:08.663" Score="6" ViewCount="3013" Body="&lt;p&gt;Will adding 0-0-5 fertiliser (high rate of potassium) to the water in which I'm keeping cuttings of Ficus help them develop roots faster? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much is too much?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16541" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-01-18T04:10:30.043" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T22:05:10.907" Title="Does water with 0-0-5 fertilizer help Ficus cuttings to develop roots faster?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30514" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-18T06:08:30.623" Score="7" ViewCount="241" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen a lot of these plants in offices and homes in China. In the picture I can see lucky bamboo (Dracaena braunii) but what's the other plant?  There's no heating so I assume that the room temperature is able to support both the plant and the warm water fish ( guppy ).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hG3VR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hG3VR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;vase with plants and fish&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and a close up of the roots and fish&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PFtju.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PFtju.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of the roots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-21T21:13:29.377" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T22:46:31.917" Title="What is this green semi-aquatic (semi-tropical) plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30515" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30513" CreationDate="2017-01-18T08:09:36.060" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why are you rooting your ficus in water?  The roots that are formed are water roots not soil roots.  I would forgo any fertilizer, purchase great starting soil, provide a cover or dome for moisture and stability in warmth/humidity and plant right in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not add fertilizer until the third set of leaves.  Once plants have emerged from the soil you have to have great grow lights.  Rooting in water is not a good idea at all.  You should be able to try to transfer your water rooted vegetative ficus chunks to great sterilized soil for starts.  Never use garden soil!  Go to a place that caters to pot growers!  Truly the best place to get soil and testers and lights and filters and fans and and...the people there are usually more knowledgeable than those at Lowes or Home Depot!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-18T08:09:36.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30502" CreationDate="2017-01-18T08:34:02.950" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grapes were, in the past, cultivated also as multi-trunk plants. The real reason to have a single trunk it is mechanization.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, giving the plant a good form (so a good pruning) it is important to have a well producing plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want only one trunk, I would remove in late winter most of the branches, and prune the unwanted one a lot shorter then new trunk, so that apical dominance will help you for next year, without cutting too much now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want (and you have enough space), you can also leave 2 to 4 trunks, and give the form you want. The surface of leaves (on sun) is the most important factor, to have many good grapes, so a multi trunk plant help you to have much more surface (on first years, and then you can remove some of them, when the other one are producing larger branches).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But don't worry too much, grape plants are very resistant. You can cut most of it, and it will grow again. In fact, you can put a cut branch into the ground, for few centimeters, and this branch will create a new plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, you should not prune too long the branches. The apical dominance is strong on vines, so you risk that the plant will go higher (she is a vine, she want to go higher than the trees) and green (but few fruits).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-01-18T08:34:02.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30517" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30512" CreationDate="2017-01-18T08:45:08.240" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would not recommend it, but I think you should ask this question in your siste site: &lt;a href=&quot;https://parenting.stackexchange.com/&quot;&gt;https://parenting.stackexchange.com/&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem I find with this &quot;gifts&quot;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;these are very very slow to grow (so very boring for a children)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;very difficult to see a live trap of fly (or a digestion of I fly). IIRC two per year should be enough for the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is easier to go to a botanical garden. The gardens usually have a carnivorous green house, made for children (and few other attraction for children). Then you can check how much the kids will be interested on botanic (I assume none: dinosaurs are still better at that age).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:41:16.007" LastActivityDate="2017-01-18T08:45:08.240" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30518" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30513" CreationDate="2017-01-18T12:54:45.630" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've not said which variety of Ficus you're trying to root in water - I know it works with Ficus benjamina and its cultivars, but not sure it does with all varieties. I wouldn't add anything to the water, especially not fertilizer of any sort - for one thing, the cutting cannot use any fertilizer until its got roots anyway, so it won't help. The cuttings will either root or they won't, but the water they're in should be topped up or changed every few days or so. Appearance of root initials can take anything between 4-10 weeks in my experience, but more usually around 6 weeks, assuming you chose non woody cuttings of the right length and removed most of the leaves (leaving only two or three at the top) in the first place. Once roots start appearing, pot them up into potting compost, preferably seed and cutting or multi purpose rather than a stronger mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never tried to root Ficus lyrata in water, but found a thread here &lt;a href=&quot;http://acuriousgardener.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/caring-for-and-propagating-fiddle-leaf.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://acuriousgardener.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/caring-for-and-propagating-fiddle-leaf.html&lt;/a&gt;  which, whilst short on detail, shows Ficus lyrata cuttings in water - they're pretty large and do look woody at the bottoms - said to take some months. Also found confirmation from a proper hoticultural site that adding fertilizer to ficus cuttings does not promote root growth, and gives other methods to root F. lyrata  &lt;a href=&quot;http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/foliage/resrpts/rh_90_6.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/foliage/resrpts/rh_90_6.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-01-18T13:22:35.010" LastActivityDate="2017-01-18T13:22:35.010" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30519" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-18T21:42:21.087" Score="5" ViewCount="1176" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two or three days ago, while moving some plants, I dropped a cork cup holder onto one of my succulents (Euphorbia Enopla, pictured below). The fall caused some of the spines to come off, and the plant exuded a thick white sap, which has now dried up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The part of the plant that got hit is not starting to look bruised, and while the bruise hasn't evolved much in the past 24 hours, a very similar bruise is what I saw in a succulent of the same type (albeit without damaging it myself) before it ultimately rotted and died. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bruise is at the tip of one of the branches, which it would be possible be cut off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if the bruise will get worse or not. Could the bruise become callused (unless this is a property only cactuses, and not Euphorbia have) and heal? Will it spread to the whole plant and cause it to rot? What is the right course of action to save the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the plant previous to the injury. The injury happened on the arm:&lt;br&gt;&#xA; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tetv8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant prior to injury&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a photo I took yesterday. You can see the brown spot, about 2mm long, on the tip of the arm:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L0jYk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;injury as seen yesterday&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last picture shows the injury as it is today, roughly 24 hours later. It hasn't grown significantly, however it looks like it might be getting worse:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iSvMY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;injured plant as seen today&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastActivityDate="2017-01-18T22:58:28.390" Title="Does an injured succulent require amputation?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;rot&gt;&lt;euphorbia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30519" CreationDate="2017-01-18T22:58:28.390" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not sure what I should be seeing.  Is it the branch closest at a 45 degree angle? That blackish scab on the end?  Welp let me tell you you haven't a single thing to worry about.  Totally normal. Think about these plants in the wild with all the wind and wildlife...The spines have taught much wildlife to stay away...You should not do one thing differently.  Looks so healthy and happy, whatever you are doing keep doing it.  I thought you meant the entire 'arm' was torn from the main cactus.  That is normal as well.  Then you plunk that broken arm in soil to grow an entire new plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can stop worrying...let us know if anything else changes and we can help you learn about your plant even more!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-18T22:58:28.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30521" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30523" CreationDate="2017-01-19T06:45:48.400" Score="4" ViewCount="5249" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Snake Plant, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria_trifasciata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sansevieria trifasciata&lt;/a&gt;. As you can see, around the edges of the tip, the color and stiffness of the leaf/stem changed. It is pulpy now. This leaf is also drooping heavy on the other side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I watered this plant more than a month ago, as this plant is in my home and it's very cold here. The room temp is not too cold, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Temp:4°-16°C, 39°-60°F&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am thinking of cutting down this stem/leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's caused this issue? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for larger, close-up view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pOE5X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pOE5Xl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gb0V5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gb0V5l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-20T18:42:08.747" LastActivityDate="2017-08-03T11:49:24.917" Title="Are the drooping leaves on my Snake Plant caused by the amount of watering?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30521" CreationDate="2017-01-19T10:47:27.503" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definetly overwatering, I also had this problem and that's how I know. Even if you water once a month, it may be too often for a plant that didn't need it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I notice I have overwatered succulents, I take them out from the soil, let their roots dry for a few hours, usually from morning to evening, then replant them in new dry potting soil without watering at all. Since this has required extra effort, I became less and less willing to do it, so my overwatering rarely happens anymore.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have discovered that my succulents grow happier when I leave them unattended and I don't think there is such thing as underwatering Aloe in winter. You might even stop watering it for a few months without the risk of killing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-01-19T12:35:46.560" LastActivityDate="2017-01-19T12:35:46.560" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30523" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30521" CreationDate="2017-01-19T12:57:14.500" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sansevieria is cold sensitive; optimum temperatures for health and growth are between 18 and 27 deg.C, and whilst it will tolerate down to 5degC, it only manages that if the soil is completely dry, and not for long periods. If your room temperature has dropped to 4 deg C regularly, likely that's the cause of the problems you're seeing, including the brown tip on the new leaf, particularly if the soil was even a little damp when the temperature became too low. Information here  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/sansevieria&quot;&gt;http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/sansevieria&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If possible, the plant needs to be somewhere a little warmer - the larger leaf with significant damage may need to be removed, as well as the small, new leaf, but see how they go - if the damage continues and those two leaves get worse, then probably best to remove them. Of prime importance, though, is moving it somewhere warmer, or at least less cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-01-19T15:42:54.913" LastActivityDate="2017-01-19T15:42:54.913" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30524" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30526" CreationDate="2017-01-19T16:39:33.507" Score="1" ViewCount="196" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine has this &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dypsis_lutescens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dypsis lutescens&lt;/a&gt; plant that was almost destroyed by a cat and she wants to know what can be applied on the stems, leaves or on the soil to deter the cat from fighting it anymore. Coffee ground and cigarette ashes might discourage the little monster, but can it also hurt the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jozl5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jozl5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-19T22:36:39.423" LastActivityDate="2017-01-19T22:36:39.423" Title="What can I apply on Dypsis lutescens to deter a cat without killing the plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30525" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1562" CreationDate="2017-01-19T17:09:00.733" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bunch of spider plants. I let them go more than &quot;a little dry&quot; stick your index finger down into the soil, around an inch. Do it at the edge so you won't hurt the roots. If the very top of your finger feels damp don't water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Miracle gro soil is unnecessary. I prefer to give my spiders organic fertilisers like compost tea. It's slower release. Miracle grow is very &quot;hot&quot; it will make your plants grow fast like they're on steroids. It will look good but can shorten the lifespan of some plants others will get leggy (long and scraggly).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pups will start showing up after a runner (long stems) flowers. The flowers are 3/4 in white with 5 petals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16545" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-19T19:26:28.733" LastActivityDate="2017-01-19T19:26:28.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30526" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30524" CreationDate="2017-01-19T19:08:43.907" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cats don't like the smell of Pelargoniums, so adding a couple of pots of those around the base of the existing plants might help. Otherwise, try mothballs, but you need the old fashioned, napthalene type, that really smell strongly. The drawback with those is, the owner will be able to smell them too. Chili powder is often mentioned, but its not wise to use it - when cats get it on their paws and then clean them, its not a comfortable experience for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But, as its an indoor cat, it may only be attacking the plants because it needs to eat some grass - cats chew on grass to act as an emetic, which enables them to get rid of fur balls, which is essential. You can buy grass for cats, often sold as cat grass, in many outlets, and also at Amazon, or seed for growing it, example &lt;a href=&quot;https://fetch.co.uk/vitakraft-cat-grass-120g-225821011?gclid=COLhnYX0ztECFcG7GwodF3UFtQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-19T22:33:59.093" LastActivityDate="2017-01-19T22:33:59.093" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30527" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-19T23:37:42.190" Score="6" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in zone 9b and have an apple tree (multi-varietal) that has been growing in all directions because of lack of proper pruning. I am interested in knowing when I can prune this tree in my zone and how best to prune it.  As you see from the picture some of the unwanted stems are pretty thick and I want to know is cutting them off is a good idea in addition to where else I can prune to get the tree back in shape. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gx3Nt.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gx3Nt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-01-21T12:33:23.877" Title="Need guidance on pruning multi-varietal apple tree" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30528" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30530" CreationDate="2017-01-20T03:11:47.107" Score="13" ViewCount="356" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a packet of seeds that comes with 250 seeds! There's no way I have the space to plant 250 Silverbeet plants in my backyard, 10 plants maximum. What should I do with the 240 leftover? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16546" LastActivityDate="2017-02-08T22:39:55.093" Title="What to do with 250 seeds!" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30529" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30527" CreationDate="2017-01-20T03:19:46.487" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;First get rid of all those plastic 'ties'...now before the limbs have to have them for support.  Cut all vertical shoots.  All shoots that are not the direction you want with this espalier.  It is OK for that amount of room.  I'd get some horizontal wires, eyelet screws and something to keep 4 to 6 inches from your fence, permanently installed to train your limbs into the espalier. Nicely installed with correct hardware and a good thick wire.  Those ties make for very weak branches and here we don't even have the weight of fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you clean your pruners (bypass not anvil) with alcohol before touching your apple espalier.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That limb on our left in the picture needs to be pulled back, gently, consistently to get in line with the rest of the horizontals.  Don't hurry or fret it is easy to train, just a bit of patience.  All ties and all constricting wires need constant vigilance and commitment to short term and/or change.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check that trunk where it meets the soil.  Make dang sure NO trunk is buried otherwise you can kiss this wonderful apple espalier goodbye.  Pull the soil way back...this next fall we should discuss how to raise this tree so that trunk is not buried or so low it is in danger of girdling rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-20T03:19:46.487" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30530" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30528" CreationDate="2017-01-20T03:25:58.503" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seed lasts quite a while.  It is said at least 30 percent of your seed is non viable the next year but I've seen maybe 10 percent or really normal germination.  Keep your excess seed in the dark, plenty of room between seeds, lots of air and between 40 and 55 degrees F.  If you know your seeds are dry you can vacuum pack them.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In two weeks plant another round.  Save the rest in their package.  No problem.  It is a good thing to have extra seed in storage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-20T03:25:58.503" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30531" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-20T03:46:16.693" Score="5" ViewCount="631" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many vegetables will bolt when they're grown in the wrong season, and this is because they're &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoperiodism&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;photoperiod&lt;/a&gt; sensitive.  This means that for a short-night plant if the night hours drop below a critical period for particular duration eg. month, they respond by flowering and going to seed. This is undesirable as the leaves stop growing, and become bitter e.g. spinach. They probably do this so that their pollen is available to insects which are active at that time of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/8MTFzzk.png&quot; alt=&quot;photoperiodism&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if you wish to plant a short night plant in full shade for part of the day ( at the beginning or end of the day), does the full shade contribute to the hours of darkness and prevent bolting?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-21T21:18:09.303" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T00:46:15.460" Title="Does full shade count for photoperiod sensitive plants?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30532" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30528" CreationDate="2017-01-20T04:31:15.563" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on how much you like Silverbeet (Swiss Chard).  I never liked it much so I let ours go to seed, and it would keep popping up every year from self seeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I wanted to grow some, I'd cast some over some seed raising mix ( sterile media ), and once the cotyledons have appeared, I'd prick out the healthiest to transplant into a 6 inch flat filled with soil compost mix planting in a dense hexagonal pattern.  Once they reach 6 inches in height, I'd then transplant the healthiest again to their final destination.  When they reach an edible height, I'd strip 20% of the outer leaves to eat leaving the younger leaves to keep growing rather then harvest the whole plant in one go.  If you really like the stuff, you could start the whole process again in a few weeks though 10 sounds plenty for a small family.  But it might be good insurance to do a second planting in case the first goes wrong with the main issue being that the seeds are planted at the wrong time of the year, and it bolts before you get much produce from it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can always keep some of the seed when yours will eventually bolt and use your own seed for planting in subsequent years unless it's a hybrid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-20T19:22:47.573" LastActivityDate="2017-01-20T19:22:47.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30534" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30528" CreationDate="2017-01-20T14:51:55.127" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you have any seed swap events near you?  After making sure I retain enough seeds to get me through an emergency and another years sowing I package them up and take them to a seed swap event.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14980" LastActivityDate="2017-01-20T14:51:55.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30535" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30531" CreationDate="2017-01-20T20:42:30.783" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Being in the shade will not have anything to do with photo period.  Darkness has to be complete to count.  I have been taught it is more temperature dependent.  Too cold after consistent warmth or too warm with a cold spell after warm days and cool nights.  I have all my  bolting sensitive plants bolting in the spring when the temperatures change drastically one way or the other.  No shortening of days in spring yet with one hot day or two I've got major bolting.  Same later in the summer with consistent temps and then a cold spell.  The plant senses its time is short and ultimately plants need to make seed before they die.  Consistency is key to bolting.  If you can't control light and temperature and you spike in either two categories your plants will bolt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-20T20:42:30.783" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30536" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30537" CreationDate="2017-01-20T21:01:52.123" Score="4" ViewCount="3439" Body="&lt;p&gt;My corn is now about a foot high, and heavily mulched with dried bindweed. They say you can use corn to support pole beans, though others say it pulls down the corn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/QKD5Z8n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my corn patch&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, at what height of corn should I plant beans to use the corn for support, and is there a point when it's too late? And can I just plant the seed into soil under the mulch, or do I need to pull the mulch apart?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: the corn is being grown in an area just recently cleared of native bush, and under a large pine tree.  The soil has 6 - 12 inches of topsoil full of organic matter, is not compacted, and the plants have not been fertilised.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-20T23:19:43.593" LastActivityDate="2018-08-13T18:53:06.000" Title="When to plant pole beans after corn?" Tags="&lt;beans&gt;&lt;sweetcorn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30537" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30536" CreationDate="2017-01-20T22:23:17.983" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You'd want it in now if you can. After the corn plant has half a dozen leaves or so, it begins to stretch quickly between nodes, and you want that to happen just as the beans begin running. 6-8 leaves on the corn is usually when i would plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, Unless you have a long day of sun, and deep, fertile topsoil containing good ratios of the necessary compounds, I'd thin the corn just a bit. Part shade can cause the same affects as overpopulation, minus the root crowding. It's best to leave each plant plenty of room for best size. Long thin stalks will not support beans for long. I usually planted the corn in hills rather than drills, with 3 kernels in triangle formation (kernels spaced 10&quot; apart) in hills on a 30&quot; grid, left to grow (no thinning). And I only used 2 bean seeds per hill, as these are aggressive, and will grow until frost, even after the cornstalks are dead. I've never tried it in an area of any substantial shade. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that's your only corn planting, I'd only put beans in half of the plot. That way you have backup in case of structural failure (you can prop bean vines back up and get a crop, not so with broken corn (if a grown stalk breaks, before the ear develops - If the corn leans from the root it can be propped).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd pull the mulch back just enough for the seeds, so they don't have to do the extra stretch for sunlight before beginning photosynthesis and mass building, although the mulch probably wouldn't stop a bean sprout. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, corn and beans are both heavy nitrogen feeders, but if fertilized too greatly the corn will &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/vgen/plants-affected-by-lodging.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;lodge&lt;/a&gt; and you won't get a real crop. Let me know if I can expand on anything or add more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-01-20T22:56:29.907" LastActivityDate="2017-01-20T22:56:29.907" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30538" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30542" CreationDate="2017-01-21T00:26:52.287" Score="4" ViewCount="161" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a student doing a science fair project relating to nitrogen content in plants. For some trials, I will need nitrogen-poor soil. Can anyone point me in the correct direction?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if you have used sawdust to remove nitrogen, does it return it to an optimal amount or does it have the ability to remove large amounts of nitrogen?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16549" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-01-21T11:16:09.703" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T00:42:44.720" Title="I need nitrogen-poor soil. Where can I buy some (US)?" Tags="&lt;nitrogen&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30539" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-21T02:07:12.173" Score="6" ViewCount="1323" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought this bonsai and I can’t find anywhere what type it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone help me please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rWGv8l.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rWGv8l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image of the bonsai in question&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dRmpOl.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dRmpOl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf detail of the bonsai in question&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16550" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2017-01-21T13:28:57.960" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T18:44:51.013" Title="Need help with identification of bonsai tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30540" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-21T08:59:44.780" Score="4" ViewCount="279" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted beans in approximately 10 inch (25 cm) pot with potting soil. I also water the pot regularly. The beans have grown well and started to flower but the leaves are turning yellowish. Is this some kind of disease or is the plant dying for some reason?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CNR0B.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CNR0B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant with yellowish leaves/cheer tomato in the same pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14294" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2017-01-21T11:55:12.583" LastActivityDate="2017-01-23T00:09:41.500" Title="Why do leaves turn yellowish and then dry?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30541" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30539" CreationDate="2017-01-21T09:35:33.023" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it’s a bonsai from some hardware store or something, I guess…&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;… it’s a &lt;strong&gt;Fukien tea&lt;/strong&gt; bonsai, a relatively common plant species used in bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There’s various scientific synonyms for it, some of them are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmona_retusa&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Carmona&amp;nbsp;retusa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Carmona&amp;nbsp;microphylla&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ehretia&amp;nbsp;microphylla&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It’s quite characteristic with its leaves’ glossy, spotted look:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tAUlcm.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tAUlcm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;File:Starr 080117-1889 Carmona retusa.jpg from Commons (CC-BY-3.0/Forest &amp;amp; Kim Starr)&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that due to its widespread distribution as a “DIY store bonsai” (thus lacking scientific accuracy), an unclear number of cultivars exist (i.e. same species with variance in appearance).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, see &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSbTexwZ6QI&quot;&gt;this slideshow video&lt;/a&gt; or web pics (like &lt;a href=&quot;http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk69/peoplelovemanga/017.jpg&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/160501d5-4f93-42f3-81e4-d70df91e6804_1.0ca284256c77e2f82a223d4a1523d06a.jpeg&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://indianabonsai.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/fukien-tea-flower2.jpg&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;) for reference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14139" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2017-01-21T09:51:22.883" LastActivityDate="2017-01-21T09:51:22.883" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30542" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30538" CreationDate="2017-01-21T09:40:34.683" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see two possibilities:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You get poor soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You transform your soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can walk around your place, and you will see some places with poor soil. This probably is also poor on nitrogen. Try a dry, stony place, with non-black (and not to dark soil), or sandy soil. Nitrogen (in soil, and humus) is made from plants, so you should look where there will be not much deposit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An other good place, it is deep soil (just a feet down (30 cm)) should be enough to have a less dark soil, so (usually) less rich. Note: near rivers, it is possible that you need to dig too much to find poor soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To transform your soil. Usually adding sand should be enough (50% sand, rest normal dirt).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: the soil is not characterized only by nitrogen, so other factors could miss-up your experiment (acidity, other nutrients, ...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-01-21T09:40:34.683" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30543" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30545" CreationDate="2017-01-21T11:26:41.560" Score="4" ViewCount="597" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got this little pepper plant recently in now the peppers and some leaves are withering, should I cut those part off?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O3tv9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O3tv9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2BtSH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2BtSH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Withered parts&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16552" LastActivityDate="2017-01-21T23:11:32.797" Title="Should I cut off the withered parts of my pepper?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30544" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30527" CreationDate="2017-01-21T12:33:23.877" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;One thing to bear in mind with family trees is that the different varieties grafted on may grow with widely different growth habits. In the worst case, one vigorous variety may produce so much foliage causing shade and draw so much nutrient from the main trunk that other weaker shoots will diminish rapidly. Weight of fruit and branch volume may cause the tree to become lop-sided over time until the strong takes over completely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consider summer pruning the shoots and fruit thinning of the most vigorous varieties to allow light to penetrate to the weaker shoots and keep the tree balanced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-01-21T12:33:23.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30545" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30543" CreationDate="2017-01-21T15:09:19.997" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, take the withering fruits and leaves as they should come out very easy. Also, take all the leaves that are on the soil because they can be used as incubator by microorganisms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I notice the leaves have holes, probably because of insects. If you don't want to use pesticides (if you do, keep in mind that you have to wait a few weeks before the fruits should be harvested), you can clean your plant leaf by leaf with a damp soft cloth. Your plant needs to do photosynthesis and it can't do that if the leaves are covered with dust or pesticide white drops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the white spots on the leaves are not insects, there may be a fungus and in this case don't use a damp cloth for cleaning because this will spread the fungus everywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-01-21T15:09:19.997" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30546" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-21T21:47:33.330" Score="5" ViewCount="2793" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got a big self watering pot with 3 different plants. After some weeks it got some mold (something like &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1562/my-indoor-plant-has-an-orange-mold-like-substance-growing-on-it-and-has-tiny-whi&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;, but I got it earlier) in it and after trying some stuff in the internet I ended up changing the soil to stop the mold from growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this pot there is a fern, a fittonia and succulent and I'm starting to think the fern is getting too much water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also got 3 other self-watering pots. One of them has an oregano, another has a small pepper and the last one has a cherry tomato. The oregano has some leaves with brown tips (I learned &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gxnQNJopqg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; that it might be overwatering), the pepper is not very good as well (&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30543/should-i-cut-off-the-withered-parts-of-my-pepper&quot;&gt;some pictures here&lt;/a&gt;), and the cherry tomato is not the best either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I keep all those plants indoors, there is no direct sunlight but there is clarity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are those pots viable for this situation? I feel that my plants are getting too much water and the mold seems to be a problem too, but I'm an absolute beginner on this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a to the pots that I got &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJjxPZagf7Y&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;big one&lt;/a&gt; (there is a stack in the video but i only have the bottom one), and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCXy-TayLI8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the small ones&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As per request, following are some pictures: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yMZkv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yMZkv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Top&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0PRg0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0PRg0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Side&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16552" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T14:00:06.810" Title="Is a self-watering pot viable for indoor gardening in the long term?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30547" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-21T22:46:30.730" Score="4" ViewCount="439" Body="&lt;p&gt;In this video from &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk2jm3aMa2Q&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Advancing Eco Agriculture&lt;/a&gt; it is claimed that apple scab is totally arginine-dependent for energy, and historically sprays for apple scab suppressed arginine production. In some trees prone to apple scab, their cobalt levels are lower in sap than those relatively resistant to scab.  They treated affected trees with cobalt (sulphate I presume) to try and speed up the metabolism of arginine to other peptides and proteins to deprive the fungus of an arginine source curing the scab.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This article talks about &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&amp;amp;objectid=10765950&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;herbal leys&lt;/a&gt; to improve apple production.  A herbal ley is a leafy green ground cover including amongst others Apiaceae, yarrow, chamomile, borage, clover, chicory, cornflower, clover, lupin and comfrey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Comfrey (Symphytum Officinale) is a well known &lt;a href=&quot;http://permaculturenews.org/2015/04/10/the-facts-about-dynamic-accumulators/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;biodynamic accumulator&lt;/a&gt; that many have recommended growing in the garden (confined so that it doesn't take over the garden) for using its leaves to add nutrients to the compost pile.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;comfrey’s thick and tuberous roots create an expansive root system, allowing the plant to “mine” compacted soils for minerals and other nutrients which are often difficult for other plants to obtain. It is this ability to help cycle nutrients through the soil that has given comfrey its designation as a dynamic accumulator plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wonder whether therefore it's worthwhile to try growing comfrey alone under my apple tree to see if it can bring up cobalt to help the tree fight the scab.  I'm hoping a ground cover might also stop the spores from being blown back up into the canopy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J15m9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J15m9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;comfrey&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://permaculturenews.org/2010/10/01/the-wonderful-multi-purpose-comfrey-plant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://permaculturenews.org/2010/10/01/the-wonderful-multi-purpose-comfrey-plant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-19T17:52:08.460" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T08:02:18.300" Title="Can apple scab be treated with comfrey or other biodynamic accumulators?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30543" CreationDate="2017-01-21T23:11:32.797" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, that pot is too big for your plant.  It should be half that size.  You do have white fly and they suck.  Seriously.  Get NEEM and make a solution 1 gallon to one ounce then tip your plant completely upside down and immerse in the solution.  Swish around.  If you need to, get a paper plate, cut a slice to the center and fit around your plant to cover the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Harvest your peppers first.  You've got one already in the drying phase, all of those peppers should be cut off.  That will allow the plant to put energy into insect repelling.  Douche the top of the soil shallowly with the neem mixture and get rid of the rest of the mixture by dumping in a hole somewhere in your yard.  You don't want to kill other organisms or at least kill as few as possible. Neem is fairly ORGANIC and is as strong as one needs to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leave the plant in its pot IF YOU HAVE USED POTTING SOIL.  If not, and you have used garden soil, get that plant transplanted into a pot a bit smaller (4 or 6 inch diameter) using sterilized potting soil!  No rock or gravel below the soil and above the drainage hole.  Get the bottom of the pot off the surface to enhance drainage.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Baking soda does nothing.  When the solution dries you'll get a white coating.  No big deal except baking soda will raise the pH of your soil and peppers like a bit acidic of a soil (6.5).  Remove those peppers and use them, your plant might just produce more that way.  Is this indoors?  How did you get your flowers to be pollinated if so?  What kind of light are you using?  If you are indoors you need to get a decent grow light.  Daylight hours are short here in the northern hemisphere and you won't be able to produce flowers and fruit without a grow light.  Are you in the southern hemisphere?  You'll have to manually pollinate which is not a big deal.  Let us know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut lower leaves off, but leave the others.  If you don't have decent photosynthetic growth forget getting any more flowers, fruits, peppers. If you do not have decent light and long enough daylight hours forget anymore production as well.  How long have you had this plant indoors?  You've gotten a nice little crop of peppers.  More than most people trying to do this indoors!!  Where do you live?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-21T23:11:32.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30549" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30546" CreationDate="2017-01-21T23:12:10.200" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/SPdApFT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my DIY self watering container, or sub irrigation planter, based on Larry Walls ideas. It's a kiddie pool with overflow holes drilled at 2 inches, with two grow bags (one's a Walmart bag used because it purportedly has low lead content) filled with potting mix and some compost. The stones are there to stop mosquitoes breeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/DNJetND.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can't get at the reservoir easily, you can install a watering pipe that leads directly to the reservoir so that you avoid watering the soil surface. See top right. I'm not sure why my spouse has placed the drink bottle with ceramic probe there as it's not needed. This planter has an overflow hole so I know when to stop filling it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/4N2PIEm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a commercial self watering pot with a watering tube. It has a float so that you can see the water level at a glance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The point of a self watering planter is to ensure that the roots always have access to a water source, and you avoid watering the surface which promotes weeds growing, and fungi. So you must use a freely draining soil mix, and not soil which could become water logged causing the issues you see. If you're still seeing mold with the right mix then you haven't got enough ventilation and light to your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-22T00:03:18.200" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T00:03:18.200" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30550" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30546" CreationDate="2017-01-21T23:45:55.660" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two selfwatering pots, the grey version of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dedeman.ro/cluj-napoca/jardiniera-verbena-cu-tava-40cm-maro/p/7033597&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dedeman.ro/cluj-napoca/jardiniera-verbena-cu-tava-40cm-alba/p/7033595&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;. The images in the links will be enlarged when you point your mouse on them. The problem I had was that the tray and the pot where bound together really well. The tray had a plastic handle at each end that fit closely in the holes at the edges of the pot, making it very difficult to separate in order to put water in the tray because the pot was pretty heavy with soil and plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the tray had some water in it and I was trying to take it out because I didn't know if all of it was consumed by the plants, the water would spill. When I was lucky to have all the water consumed at the moment of taking the tray out, the pot would be shaken pretty hard, and the stems of the plants with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This situation has lead me to water the plants from above and both pots started to show mold. The upper soil was dry, but deep inside the pot it was moist, not to mention that I never knew if there was water in the tray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had a pot with tulips and another one with basil and I had to throw away all the plants. I don't use these pots together with the trays anymore, only separated. Here is a picture of one of the trays. The pots were sent to somebody who has a garden this winter, that's why I can't take pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T83hq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T83hq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-01-21T23:45:55.660" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30551" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30546" CreationDate="2017-01-22T00:38:42.027" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I hate self watering anything to include those stupid gels they put in the potting soil.  No way is this going to be better than just being there and being aware and watering when necessary.  These pots don't care about the ambient temperature, the humidity, the drainage!!  There are ways to deal with automatic watering but only ONLY for vacations.  Even irrigation systems lead people to think plants like this autonomous watering.  Then to have plants in pots without potting soil medium is just asking for trouble.  ALL PLANTS IN POTS can not be watered by rain.  PERIOD.  My goodness.  Never count on rain to water plants in pots.  Sure, if you've got a deluge and your soil in your pots is soaked, then YOU make the decision to not water until that soil is dry, the pot when lifted is light! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And what I am seeing are too tiny of plants in too large of pots and soil.  Big big problem!  What is your soil?  Do you have rocks, gravel at the bottom of the soil and above the BIG DRAINAGE HOLES in your 'pots'?  Look up perched water tables.  Watering is one of the simplest and easiest of all our interactions with our plants.  Do not try to automate this otherwise you will be removed from your plants needs which are different from plant to plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have got succulents planted with moisture loving plants (ferns)...how crazy is that?  My goodness, those succulents need vastly different watering methods than do the ferns!!  Plant like needs in one pot.  Moisture lovers or shade lovers or sun lovers or shallow water for shallow rooted plants!!  Until someone KNOWS their plants and their needs the last thing they should be doing is anything automated.  I am not kidding!  We humans try to do automated stuff with cash crops to make more production and we'd better have someone on duty all of the time to ensure those automated instructions are working correctly.  The rest of us with plants should never do automated anything!!  I am so serious.  You have to be aware and vigilant and automation is for making cars not caring for plants!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T00:38:42.027" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30552" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30538" CreationDate="2017-01-22T00:42:44.720" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nitrogen poor soil would be SUB SOIL.  Dig down at least 2 or 3 feet and you shall find nitrogen poor soil.  Get a test!  From the Coop Extension Service and while you are there ask them what they think!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T00:42:44.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30553" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-22T01:40:07.153" Score="4" ViewCount="465" Body="&lt;p&gt;I once recall my late aunt saying that she used to place ice cubes on some of her plants to help them flower outside. The sad thing is, I don't even remember which plant she was talking about, and whether it was one of the plants that were given to me after she passed away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, are there any plants that benefit from having ice cubes put near the roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: turns out she used them on her peonies to make them flower as we didn't get enough frost days&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/taWVA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/taWVA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;peony flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-24T03:36:29.620" LastActivityDate="2017-01-24T20:37:24.630" Title="Why do some people use ice cubes at the roots of outdoor plants to help them flower?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30553" CreationDate="2017-01-22T02:06:31.160" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, no, its one of those faddy things that gets bandied about, in the same class as coffee grounds being great for everything plantwise, and water droplets causing sunburn on all plant leaves. In  theory, using ice cubes is supposed to mean the melt water gets absorbed slowly by the plant, preventing run through on compost which is too dry; some people think it freezes and kills bacteria, and others suggest the cold will 'shock' a plant into flowering. Its been proposed for use in any potted plant, indoors or outside, but I think its nonsense - 'freezing' bacteria doesn't make sense, it won't freeze them, and why would you want to damage any useful bacteria anyway. Equally, shocking a plant into flowering, whilst it may or may not work, isn't great for a long term plant,and if you're caring for your plants properly, the potting medium should never be too dry to absorb water, and even if it is, there are other ways to manage that. There are also plenty of plants which prefer tepid or room temperature water rather than cold (never mind freezing), and although the idea is that, as the ice cube slowly melts, its room temperature by the time it reaches the roots, this isn't necessarily true - surface roots at the top will surely be treated to a cold blast, so I don't give it a lot of credence. Some reading on the subject here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bustle.com/articles/167100-can-you-water-plants-with-ice-cubes-this-trick-is-all-the-rage-but-its-also&quot;&gt;https://www.bustle.com/articles/167100-can-you-water-plants-with-ice-cubes-this-trick-is-all-the-rage-but-its-also&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-01-22T02:13:22.567" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T02:13:22.567" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30555" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="789" CreationDate="2017-01-22T02:08:39.997" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The reason people like to do crop rotation is to avoid pests staying in the soil, and to replete nutrients lost from the soil.  But some people like Elaine Ingham say that the soil will not be depleted of nutrients in anyone's lifetime if you keep the soil biology intact.  Ruth Stout found the same thing.  She mulched year after year and kept planting the same crops without rotation with no problems.  And she replenished the soil biology by using hay which fed the worms and microbiota, and cast some meal over the hay.  A woody material helps also to replenish the soil fungi which hold a significant proportion of the soil micronutrients in their bodies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T02:08:39.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30546" CreationDate="2017-01-22T02:23:42.907" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't like self watering containers either - I've never known one that works efficiently, supplying every plant's needs and no more, they invariably develop fungal problems in the soil, or the plant does. I can see why people buy them, but its not the best way to care for plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other problem is your tomato, pepper and oregano - all three like a lot of sunlight, and they're not getting anything other than bright daylight by the sound of it. With regard to the Fittonia, Fern and unnamed succulent, these plants do not appear to be natural bedfellows, requiring different levels of moisture and possibly soil composition, but a photograph would be useful, if only to determine what the succulent is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T02:23:42.907" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30557" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="209" CreationDate="2017-01-22T02:45:11.813" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since some perennial weeds can regenerate from even tiny root fragments, they are not considered safe for composting unless you use the Berkeley method of hot composting, and measure the temperature to ensure that your compost temperature is within bounds as prescribed by that method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another way to treat perennial weeds is to dry them out to kill the roots and stems as some can regenerate from stem cuttings (eg. Tradescantia).  I put them on a plastic tarpaulin and leave them in full sun until I'm sure that they are desiccated and dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the weed has flowers eg. Scottish thistle, I remove the flowers and place in a bath of water and drown them for a month or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dried weeds can then be used as a mulch to compost in-situ, or, added to the compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T02:45:11.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30558" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-22T05:00:29.163" Score="1" ViewCount="453" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a cactus and one of the arms is on my house and I want to remove the arm. It is not big and will not throw off the balance of the cactus. What I am wondering is will the cactus heal and are there any precautions I should take or put anything on the cactus after removing the arm&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16555" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T05:00:29.163" Title="Removal of arm from Saguaro Cactus" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2017-01-24T12:47:43.323" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30559" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="824" CreationDate="2017-01-22T11:38:21.633" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know people living in areas with heavy clay soil and the only trees surviving there are plum trees. It seems that plum trees grow in soil with up to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.old.international-agrophysics.org/artykuly/international_agrophysics/IntAgr_2003_17_4_183.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;50% clay&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T11:38:21.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30560" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30566" CreationDate="2017-01-22T12:09:33.413" Score="16" ViewCount="45559" Body="&lt;p&gt;Motivation: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30538/i-need-nitrogen-poor-soil-where-can-i-buy-some-us/30542?noredirect=1#comment40042_30542&quot;&gt;this comment&lt;/a&gt; from stormy:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;And DO NOT ADD SAND to garden soil!!! ARRRGGHH. Again, when one takes clay soil, gravel, lime, gypsum, water and then ROTATE what does one get? Concrete. Sand is right in there. Does NOTHING for the soil. The ONLY WAY to improve ANY soil is the addition of DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER. Period. Allow me to elucidate!! I love this question and it is so vital to understand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually add some sand to my soil. I did a few granulometric analysises, which show that my soil has high percentages both of clay and of silt (so very low in sand). On a figure (which now I can't find anymore), I saw that more sand will help to keep more water in soil (there is, IIRC, a sweet point of around 30% of sand; much more sand will make water flow away).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Really I add sand only when planting trees, on sub-soil, and a little sand on seedlings, not to have mould.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, is it bad to add sand? Why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-24T09:20:06.773" LastActivityDate="2021-01-26T20:46:24.260" Title="Why it is bad to add sand to soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="11" FavoriteCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30561" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-22T14:47:48.893" Score="4" ViewCount="28069" Body="&lt;p&gt;This might be a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23608/why-are-my-dracaena-marginata-leaves-getting-brown-spots-and-falling-off?newreg=669117c4525e4b98bf7ebb406fbf99a5&quot;&gt;duplicate&lt;/a&gt;, but as it is not set as answered, I have decided to ask the question again and try to provide some more information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My &lt;em&gt;Dracaena marginata&lt;/em&gt; leaves started to brown, break and then fall off for about three weeks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wgmsk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wgmsk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pre-leaf fall&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I went to a local store, and they gave me some anti-bacterial chemicals. They also suggested that the pot might be too small, so I transplanted it. After one week, no leaves was left:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eFVUt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eFVUt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;post-leaf fall&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any chance to save it? Unfortunately, I have been watering it once every three to four weeks. Is this too much?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P.S. I live in Germany, and the window is facing the west. The &lt;em&gt;Dracaena&lt;/em&gt; is around one meter (three feet) away from the window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Following the advices, I have tried to get some cuttings and stick them in some soil. However, after four days, I have noticed some tiny white areason the cuts (see figure). Are these mold?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TrREd.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TrREd.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16558" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2017-01-27T07:20:42.587" Title="Why have the leaves of my Dracaena marginata completely fallen off?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30562" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-22T15:30:05.573" Score="4" ViewCount="205" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bought a couple 6 packs of these Zinnias and don't recall the variety. I checked back at the garden store where I got them the next year and they didn't recall the variety and didn't have anything that looked like them that season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They matched our fall sugar maple perfectly and I'd like to get them again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My best guess is &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=inca%20orange%20cactus%20zinnia&amp;amp;qpvt=Inca%20Orange%20Cactus%20zinnia&amp;amp;qpvt=Inca%20Orange%20Cactus%20zinnia&amp;amp;qpvt=Inca%20Orange%20Cactus%20zinnia&amp;amp;FORM=IGRE&quot;&gt;Inca Orange Cactus&lt;/a&gt; type. They were 2-3+ foot tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3CQYy.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3CQYy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9JHoG.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9JHoG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2507" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-23T22:15:28.943" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T21:37:25.427" Title="What is this tall, bright orange, variety of Zinnia?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;zinnia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30563" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-22T15:50:38.700" Score="3" ViewCount="6308" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalanchoe&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kalanchoes&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first one of them did not bloom, and some leaves I think are starting to die. Is there anything I can do to help it bloom? Shall I remove the dying leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ATiYW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ATiYW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second one has broken leaves, but has more flowers. Shall I only remove the broken leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DMroW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DMroW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16558" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-23T22:11:58.313" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T12:00:22.950" Title="Shall I remove broken or partly dead leaves of a Kalanchoe?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;fleshy-leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30564" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30561" CreationDate="2017-01-22T15:54:37.897" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the temperature was lower than 16°C or if the plant was stressed because of irregular watering (underwatered, then overwatered when repotted), the chances to save it are small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were you I'd take cuttings and put them in wet perlite or wet vermiculite. You can try putting them in water until they grow roots, but be careful to fill the jar less than half to avoid rotting and change the water every 5 days. You can also put the cuttings directly in damp soil, but this method is prone to disease. Don't forget to maintain the polarity of the cutting, meaning that the top part must be kept up and the lower part must be put in perlite, water or soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know its exact light requirements, but if you find them out you can check the environment to see if it provides enough by measuring the light with some free phone app. Just search &quot;light meter&quot; on app store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please add an update when the situation changes one way or the other so that future users know what to expect. It seems to be a common problem with Dracaena.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It6LkJa8hBw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Watch this video&lt;/a&gt; that shows what to do. Even if your plant doesn't have leaves anymore, you can try the cuttings and if it works you'll see that new leaves will appear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you feel like it, after removing the top you can cut a part of the woody stem that had no leaves (a few inches portion is ok, the important thing is to have a few nodes). Then you can place this stick in water, soil, vermiculite, etc, as you just did with the top of the branch. The covered nodes will develop roots, while the nodes that are in contact with the air will develop leaves. Don't forget which was the upper part and which was the lower part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In case the woody stem is hollow or black on the inside it means that this part of the plant is dead and will not come back to life. If this happens, cut until you find firm normal woody stem. The plant is not bothered by the fact you cut it, in fact it will develop new buds to replace what is lost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-01-22T17:13:00.543" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T17:13:00.543" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30565" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30561" CreationDate="2017-01-22T19:02:36.850" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b592&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dracaena Marginata&lt;/a&gt; is native to Madagascar and Mauritius.  Its normal environment is hot, dry and sunny.  Although this plant adapts well to indoor conditions root rot due to overwatering is the most common cause of death.  I think your chances of getting viable cuttings are negligible. By the time all the leaves have dropped off the roots are dead and the stem is stressed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For you to have more success with this plant try:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;placing it right next to a south or south-west window for maximum light. No drapes or sheers to cut down on the light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;let the top few inches of soil dry out before watering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;consider repotting a new plant right away in a more porous soil mix. Adding sand, perlite or vermiculite will enhance drainage.  Perlite lasts the longest as sand washes out and vermiculite breaks down.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spider mite is an endemic problem with these plants.  Many plants come from the store with an existing population suppressed by the last pesticide spray at the greenhouse.  On arrival in your house, they are set to expand.  A preventative wipe down of the bottom of the leaves with a cloth soaked in dish soap and water repeated three times at five to six-day intervals can be useful. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-22T21:13:26.023" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T21:13:26.023" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30566" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30560" CreationDate="2017-01-22T19:26:19.500" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;This reference says that you need to add prohibitive amounts of sand to remediate clay soils. And if you don't get it right, you get a soil like concrete&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problems occur when sand and clay are mixed in incorrect proportions. An ideal soil has 50% pore&#xA;space (with the remainder consisting of minerals and organic matter). The pore spaces in a clay soil are&#xA;all small, while those in a sandy soil are all large. When one mixes a sandy and a clay soil together, the&#xA;large pore spaces of the sandy soil are filled with the smaller clay particles. This results in a heavier,&#xA;denser soil with less total pore space than either the sandy or the clay soil alone. (A good analogy is the&#xA;manufacture of concrete, which entails mixing sand with cement - a fine particle substance. The results&#xA;are obvious.) A soil must consist of nearly 50% sand by total volume before it takes on the&#xA;characteristics of a sandy soil. For most sites, it would be prohibitively expensive to remove half the&#xA;existing soil and add an equal volume of sand and then till it to the necessary 18-24&amp;quot;. Mineral&#xA;amendments of large particle size, such as perlite, may provide some benefit but can also be costly&#xA;depending on the size of the site. (Reducing this task to amending only the planting hole is a recipe for&#xA;plant failure and perhaps will be addressed in a separate column.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Source: &lt;a href=&quot;https://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/soil-amendments-2.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D., Extension Horticulturist and Associate Professor,  Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University - The Myth of Soil Amendments Part II&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're going to add organic matter to your clay soil, make sure it's evenly distributed and not just in one area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The wrong thing to do is to dig planting holes and fill them with organic soil amendment since that creates pockets of soggy ground that fill up with water and rot roots. Also roots will think they are in a container and go around and around inside the amended plant hole and never get out into the surrounding soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Source: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.patwelsh.com/soils/never-add-clay-to-sand-or-sand-to-clay/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Never Add Clay to Sand or Sand to Clay &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sswm.info/content/planting-pits&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Planting pits&lt;/a&gt; are used in Africa in clay soils to catch precipitation but that's a different situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.podgardening.co.nz/rich-planting-pits.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;rich planting pits&lt;/a&gt; are a different matter again, and are not done in clay soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-24T13:59:49.797" LastActivityDate="2021-01-24T13:59:49.797" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="30567" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-22T19:58:47.630" Score="5" ViewCount="920" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/peOxX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/peOxX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I have a &quot;Twisty&quot; Ficus tree that has survived my wife for 17 years. This is the only plant/tree she as ever kept alive for more than a month. It is in the wrong place(6' from the main door), has seen numerous drafts, temperature changes, lack of watering, kept in the same pot, and no fertilizer for over 17 years. Despite all this, it has survived. Vegas had it 20-1 it wouldn't survive the first year, let alone 17. Every once in awhile it would lose some of its leaves, and I read that was normal, especially considering where it's located. Suddenly in the last few weeks since Christmas, it started to dry up and lose all its leaves. The leaves are not healthy, but all dried up. Watering has remained consistently bad, but the same its been for 17 years. Has this Ficus finally succumbed to my Wife's  anti-plant terror of treatment, or is it saveable? Any suggestions welcomed and we have a medical team on standby...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16560" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:58:38.093" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:58:38.093" Title="17 year old Ficus suddenly dries up and loses all leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30568" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30572" CreationDate="2017-01-22T20:31:16.663" Score="6" ViewCount="1144" Body="&lt;p&gt;While reading on certain plants, I often read that some of their hybrid varieties are sterile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While it seems clear that the plant will not produce offspring I'm not sure if it still produces pollen which is one of the main component of plant reproduction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does a sterile plant still produce pollen and nectar? Is it serviceable in any way for pollinators?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastActivityDate="2017-01-23T10:25:43.613" Title="Do sterile plants still produce pollen or nectar?" Tags="&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;hybrids&gt;&lt;reproduction&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30569" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30568" CreationDate="2017-01-22T21:08:02.510" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sterility is not related to nectar production so a sterile plant may or may not produce nectar in the nectary.  If the sterile plant produces pollen, then sterility is often due to chromosomal issues such as &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.researchgate.net/post/Why_are_triploids_and_pentaploids_sterile&quot;&gt;polyploidy&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T21:08:02.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30570" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18012" CreationDate="2017-01-22T22:39:27.633" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use roundup grass &amp;amp; weed killer on everything in the area you with to plant fresh.  Make sure you purchase the short acting Round Up, the red bottle, not the purple bottle, (the purple bottle sticks around months and inhibits new growth.) So I use the red bottle round up.  Then I wait for all the weeds to dry out and I cut the grass/weeds down real close with the mower picking up everything as I go by in the collection bag.  After I kill everything, and then dig out everything, I water the area and wait a few days to see if the remaining weed &quot;seeds&quot; produce fresh weeds.  If so, I repeat the process until most weeds are completely eliminated.  Then I prepare the soil by loosening the entire area with a hand twister tool, chop up and turn over 4 or 5 inches or more of soil.  Then I cover the entire area with peat moss and mix into soil.  I then cover with starter fertilizer.  (Easy to find, look for starter fertilizer).  Once I have that all done... I lay down the seed heavy and even and tap it down so it does not blow away.  I water two times a day.  Grass will germinate within 12 days and will be lush within a month. Good Luck.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16561" LastActivityDate="2017-01-22T22:39:27.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30571" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30540" CreationDate="2017-01-23T00:09:41.500" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you might have a leafhopper infestation - they cause these speckled, greyish markings on the leaves, but usually, leaves start to yellow and then go brown and dry, and I'm not seeing any like that in your image, though you do describe yellowing and drying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reference here, further down in the link &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.offthegridnews.com/survival-gardening-2/top-17-problems-all-green-bean-growers-must-overcome/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.offthegridnews.com/survival-gardening-2/top-17-problems-all-green-bean-growers-must-overcome/&lt;/a&gt;, unfortunately with no images. If it is leafhopper, insecticidal soap spray should take care of it, but you may need to repeat treat - row covers are a good way of preventing the problem, but your plants aren't in an ideal situation for using those. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-01-23T00:09:41.500" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30572" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30568" CreationDate="2017-01-23T10:25:43.613" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As Graham wrote, sometime it is just because of chromosomes: e.g. rejected by female flower, as not &quot;correct&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But sometime just the flowers don't produce pollen, or just they don't have filaments (so they cannot carry anyway the pollen). See e.g. the roses. Wild roses have 5 petals. The hybrids have much more petals, but these were really filaments which became the additional petals. So hybrid roses doesn't carry pollen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-01-23T10:25:43.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29291" CreationDate="2017-01-23T10:35:05.357" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some factors that might be involved:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil quality and depth - lawn soil can vary in quality from patch to patch unless it is infinitely carefully prepared as on golf greens for example. A bit too much sand here and there can make a big difference. The presence of bedrock close to the surface might also affect moisture holding capacity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grass species/variety - over time, the mix of grasses in any area can change according to conditions. Some species are more vulnerable to adverse conditions and may be encouraged one year only to die out the next&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Road operations - the soil close to the road seems to be affected more than the background of the picture. Do you think that salt might be an issue?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what to do? Take a thin steel rod and push (or tap with a medium weighted hammer) it into the soil to get a feel for how easily the rod goes in at various points. If the soil is sandy it will be easy; compare the bare areas to the grassy. If bedrock or large stones are close to the surface you will hit/feel it. Talk to the snowplow driver. Maybe overseed with a known grass species similar to that which is doing well in that location - if it is hard to identify let a patch grow up so that you have more information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-01-23T10:35:05.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30575" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28711" CreationDate="2017-01-23T14:19:55.043" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As the comments indicate, voles in compost might not be a bad idea in principle, and in fact might help the process. Use whatever materials you think are suitable. However voles in the garden are a completely different issue; while locating a compost pile close to an active garden might appear to be a good idea since then you don't have far to cart the waste and final compost, you might have to deal with vole damage in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Effects I have seen from voles in a Canadian garden:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Runs in grass plots visible as the snow cover melts; damage is cosmetic, and a good indication of where they are currently active and might be hiding&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chewed potatoes and tomatoes; voles will scrabble in the soil once they learn where the potato patch is to chew at the exposed tubers, and will get at your low hanging toms particularly in dry spells&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pole beans snipped off at ground level once they get to medium height; the foliage gives cover for them to hide under while they chew at the base. Again I think this is access to moisture, I think they drink the sap oozing from the cut end in dry spells&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bark girdling of fruit trees; in one particularly hard winter I lost 90% of my tree collection to girdling. The only trees spared were the pears.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From this I learn that voles in compost close to the garden (but not the orchard) once the season is over is fine, but as soon as the new season starts the remaining compost is moved far from where I am growing things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS allow foxes to get to the compost, if it fits with your other goals. It is fun to watch foxes prancing on the snow to get the voles and mice to reveal themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-01-23T14:19:55.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30576" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="150" CreationDate="2017-01-23T16:29:35.927" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;castor oil 70-30 mix with water and spray trails and border gone in 2 weeks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16565" LastActivityDate="2017-01-23T16:29:35.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30577" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30567" CreationDate="2017-01-23T19:21:58.210" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dan, you already have some good suggestions in the comments but here goes anyway. Sudden leaf collapse can be caused by a violent change in environment such as an overnight outside in frosty weather, or more likely as @Giacomo says, a root issue. It's highly likely that some chemical has been added to the root ball, a salt of some kind that has nuked the delicate root hairs so the plant can no longer take up enough water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With a healthy plant if you remove it from its pot you should see white root hairs on the outside of the root ball. If everything is brown and dark then it is calling for an immediate re-pot. Your goal should be to loosen up the root ball to get the old soil out as much as possible, expose inner roots which may still be viable and put them in contact with fresh potting compost. At the same time you could prune back the amount of foliage to reduce the demand on what is possibly a damaged root system. Hold off on fertilizing (which is itself a salt) until it recovers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With my rosemary plants in pots I regularly each spring take them out of the pots and hack off the bottom one third of the root ball, apply more compost in the pot and away they go again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This contribution recommends drastic surgery. You would be well advised to wait for a second and third opinion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-01-23T19:21:58.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30578" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30579" CreationDate="2017-01-24T01:52:19.027" Score="7" ViewCount="12860" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just ordered 1kg of heirloom seed potatoes but I only intend to plant 500g or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Going forward, I intend to harvest true seed from their fruits, but I'd like to keep a backup in case blight strikes in year 0.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long can I viably store the seed potatoes and what would be the best conditions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-25T01:00:40.247" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T05:13:15.957" Title="How long can I store seed potatoes?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;&lt;storage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30579" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30578" CreationDate="2017-01-24T06:51:56.433" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seed potatoes by the time you get them from your supplier have a chronological age and a physiological age.  Depending on how well it has been kept by the supplier, its physiological age may be older then its chronological age would suggest.  Factors that increase physiological age include crop stress ( high temperatures, low moisture, frost damage, disease ), damage from handling, and high storage temperature.  A seed potato that has been purchased still dormant will last longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z0wU1.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z0wU1.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the best-known potatoes for storage is Russet Burbank because it has a long dormancy period.  The longest period observed for this potato variety over an observation period from 1999-2013 is 200 days at 42 deg F.  Storing potatoes at lower temperatures causes sugar formation which is generally undesirable when used for consumption.  Herbicides are misted onto potatoes for sale as produce to inhibit sprouting, and commonly chlorpropham is used.  This may well affect the viability of seed potatoes, and there are alternatives such as ethylene and essential oils which can inhibit sprouting for a few weeks without affecting viability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the problem is that unlike a seed which is largely metabolically inactive, a seed potato is actively respiring and physiologically ageing.  This will eventually trigger the physiological processes that cause sprouting, and measures to try and stop this may well affect the viability for its use as seed.  Since you've already ordered tubers as seed, the approximate maximum duration you can keep them as seed before they break dormancy is 200 days but will depend on what variety you ordered and you might be able to extend that for a few weeks without affecting viability using seed inhibitors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;BTW, if you're interested in developing or keeping potato varieties, you can check out the &lt;a href=&quot;https://web.facebook.com/groups/316831657858/?_rdr&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kenosha Potato Group&lt;/a&gt; on facebook, with over 2000 members, and the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.seedsavers.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Seed Savers Project&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  I purchased .6 mm mesh last year to protect against the potato tomato psyllid, and it's also has been found to protect against potato blight (Phytophthora infestans) in &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bhu.org.nz/future-farming-centre/information/miscellaneous/mesh-crop-cover-sales&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;one part of this country&lt;/a&gt;.  So, you could consider using this to see if it protects your crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vicspa.org.au/f.ashx/The-young-the-old-and-sproutless_-seed-age.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.vicspa.org.au/f.ashx/The-young-the-old-and-sproutless_-seed-age.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.potatogrower.com/2013/09/understanding-dormancy&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.potatogrower.com/2013/09/understanding-dormancy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nappo.org/files/9714/3753/7437/Potato_sprout_inhibition_ST_e.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.nappo.org/files/9714/3753/7437/Potato_sprout_inhibition_ST_e.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-25T05:13:15.957" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T05:13:15.957" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30580" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30583" CreationDate="2017-01-24T09:46:55.660" Score="7" ViewCount="244" Body="&lt;p&gt;I picked up these seeds on the streets of Marrakech in Morocco (I've found similar seeds in Lisboa, Portugal), thinking they were Maple/Acer seeds. Upon germination (which took an awful lot of time) it turned out they weren't Acer at all. What are they? Scale is in cm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fs2CU.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fs2CU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Not-Acer seeds and their seedlings&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14476" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T11:26:34.317" Title="What is this winged seed that resembles Maple/Acer?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30582" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30584" CreationDate="2017-01-24T14:05:52.033" Score="6" ViewCount="11585" Body="&lt;p&gt;Background: I have a near-one year old lemon tree sapling (kept indoor), which was very healthy until December. I then left the country for one month, leaving it to my flatmate -- who overwatered it. The sapling got (I assume) root rot, and lost some leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, I am back and trying to &quot;heal&quot; it: I water it less, changed part of the soil in the pot, and am using a grow light (&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B01ID6A1MO&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt;) turned on and pointed at it during the day. But while it is now making a new (small) branch at the top, some of its previous leaves still are getting brown &lt;em&gt;(see picture below)&lt;/em&gt;, and one fell yesterday.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it because of the light?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ezfzA.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ezfzA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14033" LastActivityDate="2019-01-25T11:24:59.527" Title="Are grow lights bad for lemon trees?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30580" CreationDate="2017-01-24T14:33:48.820" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might be Tipuana tipu - its a South American tree, a member of the Fabaceae or legume family, widely planted in warmer regions of the world. Scroll down this link, under 'Helicopters (whirlibirds)': - &lt;a href=&quot;http://waynesword.palomar.edu/plfeb99.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Blowing In The Wind - Seeds &amp;amp; Fruits Dispersed By Wind&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-01-25T11:26:34.317" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T11:26:34.317" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30584" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30582" CreationDate="2017-01-24T15:10:24.033" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is just over-watering. It takes some time for the plant to find its equilibrium again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep it dry and possibly on a cold and shadow place, to simulate winter, to let it restore the roots and the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-24T20:46:33.353" LastActivityDate="2017-01-24T20:46:33.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30585" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1088" CreationDate="2017-01-24T15:50:02.383" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is very important to keep water and temperature in balance in a compost heap. The bacteria need water to assist the decomposition process, but too much water will slow down or stop the process completely. Water should be added little and often, but only as necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A handy tool for compost is a thin slightly rusty iron rod about 4 feet long. Shove the rod into the pile using your best rapier thrust technique, and as you do this feel the consistency of the materials it passes through. Maybe you feel twigs and other hard stuff, maybe it is consistently smooth and open. Push in as far as it will go and pull it back out, and inspect the surface of the rod for signs of dryness or physical water. Then put the rod back in and leave it there for half an hour, then withdraw again and feel the temperature of the rusty rod, getting your hands nicely dirty and feeling the quality of the compost it passed through. If your hands get really smeary dirty the pile is probably too wet already and needs drying out and rebuilding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the rod feels cool or only slightly warm then the engine is not running. Maybe it has finished decomposing, or it's time to rebuild the heap, moisturizing, but not wetting, as required. Buckets of water are only required if the pile is running really hot and shows a dry rod test.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-01-24T15:50:02.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19491" CreationDate="2017-01-24T16:40:04.210" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is possible that in the efforts of the cutting to make root cells from the stem nodes, it needs to transfer nutrients from the leaves to make those cells. It's pretty clear that is what is happening on the leaf edges lower down. Depriving the leaves of their normal complement of nutrients might compromise their ability to resist fungal spore growth, as in the circles further up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-01-24T16:40:04.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30587" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30553" CreationDate="2017-01-24T18:36:39.607" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've since talked to my cousin who now has the plants in question, and they're herbaceous paeonies. Internet sites say that these plants need a certain number of chill hours in order to form buds, and some sites are as explicit as saying that 30 chill nights are required otherwise you won't get flowers.  It seems a number of other growers who live in temperate climates also ice their plants in winter to help bud formation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My aunt lived not far from me, and in our location, the average mid-winter temperature gets as low as 3.7 deg C, (38 deg F), with the lowest recorded being -5.5 deg C (22 deg F).  However, air temperatures are usually measured at shoulder height and don't tell us about ground frost.  This is recorded as &quot;Grass Minimum Temperature&quot; and is not usually mentioned in most weather sites.  My own impression of ice on the grass is that we would get about 15 frost days in a year, and 30 would be too much.  So, at this point, I'm unsure if her practice was required or not.  But it's clear I do need to keep better records for my location!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://about.metservice.com/our-company/learning-centre/frost/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://about.metservice.com/our-company/learning-centre/frost/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-24T20:37:24.630" LastActivityDate="2017-01-24T20:37:24.630" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30588" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30589" CreationDate="2017-01-24T23:02:14.190" Score="5" ViewCount="7031" Body="&lt;p&gt;My grandmother has flowers in her garden, and recently there has been a lot of white, squishy / soft bits in soil. I do not think they are perlites, as they are soft. My grandmother is convinced that as soon as they appear they ruin all the roots of the plants. Had a look online and cannot find anything! They look like perlite, but damage the roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cql3Y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cql3Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16571" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:38:56.800" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T02:38:56.800" Title="What are these soft white things in my soil that are ruining my plant's roots?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30589" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30588" CreationDate="2017-01-25T01:16:27.053" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;These 'white bits' are vermiculite or perlite. They are added to potting soil to keep the soil from &lt;em&gt;compaction&lt;/em&gt;.  They have absolutely nothing to do with plants getting root rot if that is indeed what is happening.  Are these plants in pots?  Or did she dump potting soil on the ground to try to grow these plants?  What else was in this potting soil?  Water absorbers or fertilizer?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If she did dump potting soil on top of garden soil she's created a perched water table exacerbated by watering too much.  That is all.  Plants have to have drainage or the pores in the soil stay saturated too long and ta da, root rot. If we are looking at potting soil in pots, did she put rocks or gravel beneath the soil 'for drainage'?  Again a perched water table.  Let us know how often she waters, what the soil situation is (pots/garden indoor/outdoor) and what fertilizer she's using.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You HAVE to send pictures of the plants, the environment, the root rot as well, please!  Also your zone, where you live, her maintenance habits...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T01:16:27.053" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30590" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30578" CreationDate="2017-01-25T03:31:06.430" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The place to &quot;store&quot; your seed potato to have viable seed potatoes next year is in the ground, with roots coming out one direction and plants going the other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for getting blighted, your options are to grow in multiple separated locations and hope they don't all get blighted, or order new seed. One blight-prevention option might be to grow in a polytunnel and use drip irrigation, so the foliage never gets wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the seed from fruits, it's wonderful that you want to become a potato breeder, but as far as I am aware, you will not get the same variety of potato if you do happen to get seed - you might develop an interesting new variety, or you might not, but you won't get the same one you started with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit, add&lt;/strong&gt;: In your comment above you state:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;indeed keeping plants alive through the whole process, which is not what I'm asking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;...which means that you don't understand what a &quot;seed potato&quot; is. If you don't keep it alive, you have compost material, not a seed potato. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-01-25T04:02:39.930" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T04:02:39.930" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30591" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30582" CreationDate="2017-01-25T05:32:13.830" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your tree has been overwatered for a month and has rotting roots, then you need to trim the rotting roots off before it spreads to damage your healthy roots.  This means you need to remove it from the pot and inspect the roots.  See if there are soft or smelly roots present.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your citrus should not have developed this problem if it had had a freely draining citrus mix and you just used an ordinary potting mix which is incorrect.  These often have water retaining gels which makes the situation worse.  Now is the time to change it.  This usually means removing as much of the existing mix from around the roots as possible so that you don't create a pot within pot situation, and repot with a citrus/cactus mix. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The light you used is a LED so can't burn leaves as they're not supposed to produce heat.  But as citrus plants are of tropical and semi-tropical origin, they want full sun in non-tropical regions all year round.  This means providing artificial lighting as discussed in this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/17773/1894&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt;, and regular misting with water as they prefer high humidity.  Some people suggest putting a plate of water with pebbles below the tree to increase the humidity but that seems far fetched that that would work.  They also like some ventilation so some people will put a fan on their indoor citrus trees for a few hours a day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T05:32:13.830" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30592" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17520" CreationDate="2017-01-25T07:40:23.930" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It may be just a matter of physical conditions with varying amounts of rainfall. Permit me to draw a parallel with my apple trees on sandy soil. If my trees are allowed to go their own way growing as much canopy as they want they do well in consistently moist years. However, such years are rare. If the following year is dry, even though the roots are healthy and run deeply in the sand, there is not enough ground water to satisfy the canopy's demand and the trees look really stressed, with small leaves and weak twigs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The solution might just be a regular pruning programme to keep the canopy open and balanced, planning on a moderately dry year every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T07:40:23.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30563" CreationDate="2017-01-25T12:00:22.950" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Kalanchoe is water and light sensitive. Water only after the root ball has mostly dried out, and in order to produce flowers they need to see short days in winter after which they will produce flowers. The period of short days might be between 9 and 13 weeks (see reference below for more details).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So for your two problems: use a sharp tool to nip off the unsightly dead tissues - it is not necessary to clip the entire leaf, just the dead part. Water sparingly and only after the root has dried down. The naturally smooth and shiny leaves will protect against fungus spores, so just keep water away from the leaves and stalks. One way to tell if the plant needs water is to feel the weight of the pot and plant; light weight means it could be time to water. Lift the pot and tap the side of the pot lightly with a stick. If it makes a dull sound then the root is likely damp enough; a hollow sound means there is lots of air in the pot and water could be required. The plant that did not flower might not have received the required length of darkness in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A comprehensive source of information about growing Kalanchoe is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ag.auburn.edu/landscape/Kalanchoe.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.ag.auburn.edu/landscape/Kalanchoe.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T12:00:22.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30594" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30603" CreationDate="2017-01-25T14:52:10.097" Score="5" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a couple of grafted pecan nut trees 2 years ago. They both had small fruit in the last two seasons but I'm yet to taste one as none of them matured. The young fruits all fell during the hot summers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wonder if it could be due to the hot summer temperature? The growing zone is 9b/10 and we get top summer temperatures of around 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit). They were well watered though so it wasn't thirst.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: March 2019: I am happy to announce that both trees produced fruit last year. Got about 80 nuts, they are about half the size of store bought pecans. So quite small, but have twice the flavour. : ) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14741" LastEditorUserId="14741" LastEditDate="2019-03-08T10:37:44.713" LastActivityDate="2019-03-08T10:37:44.713" Title="Why aren't my pecan nut trees fruiting?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;nut-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="30596" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30512" CreationDate="2017-01-25T18:46:36.683" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't disagree with Giacomo's post, except for the quantity of bugs they eat, but I can tell you a little more about this subject.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Carnivorous plants are a lot of fun and can be easy to keep. I know that I killed several until I found some good advice. I think I started out with a venus fly trap (VFT) and based on internet advice, I put it outside in the summer (the only thing it got right), watered it like a house plant, and set it on a tray filled with gravel to create humidity. It even suggested I make a super weak solution of miracle grow and brush ONLY the underside of a few leaves with a cotton swab dipped in this solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the best resources I found for the care of any plant is a book called &lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B00AXIZ5WC&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;The Savage Garden&quot; by Peter D'Amato&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It tells you about where the plants come from, growing requirements, how to make appropriate soil, etc... Between that book and a site called Terraforums.com, I've found a ton of helpful advise and have had great success with my carnivorous plants (CPs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe VFTs are very easy to care for. Granted that's due in part to me living in SC, where they originate, so it's easier for me, but they can be grown in other locations with a little work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the kit you're talking about, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. I picked up a couple to test this spring, but from what I've read, the issue is that CP seeds have a short shelf life and these kits can sit in warehouses and on shelves for long periods of time. The good news is that most people say they contacted the company that makes it, tell them that no seed germinated and that they'd like replacements seeds, and the company sends them out. I guess it's a frequent thing. It seems to me a better business model would be like with ant farms, where you buy the kit and send off for the ants/plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if you have viable seeds, then plants like VFTs and Sarracenia need a winter dormancy for their seeds. The kits usually say something like moisten the included soil, place the seeds on top of the soil, cover with the dome, and stick in the fridge for 6 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A better idea might be to just buy a mature plant. I frequently see them in big box stores in the spring. They come in little clear plastic boxes affectionately know as death cubes. One site I had particularly good luck ordering from was PredatoryPlants.com. I've ordered from a few others, but I had the best quality plants and the best customer service from these guys. You're welcome to order from anywhere you choose, though. I'm sure you can get good plants from anywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are basically two type of CP's you can get. There are tropical ones like nepenthes. I think they're really cool and I'm currently getting my first pitchers on a small N. &quot;Lady Luck&quot; that I ordered. This is what a mature one looks like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L4F6L.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L4F6L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those are from tropical environments and the cold will kill them. If you have bright lights or windows and provide high humidity, those are good indoor plants. However, there isn't action, like with VFTs. They have pitchers that bugs fall into and can't get out of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other main category of CPs are ones that require a winter dormancy. VFTs and Sarracenia, which are mostly what I grow, fall into this category. If you decide to buy a VFT and keep it in the house, you should know that you'll have to provide it with a winter dormancy period. I've never had to do this myself because of where I live, but plenty of people do. They'll put them in the fridge, outside, etc... You can easily research it. If you don't give them this dormancy, they'll eventually die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just to tell you how I keep them now, so you'll see how easy it can be, I pot them in a mix of play sand and peat moss. You can get both extremely cheap, more than you'd need for tons of plants. I plant them in cheap plastic pots that are tall and skinny.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jDIbv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jDIbv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I get a cheap plastic tray and set them out on the front steps in full sun. All I ever do is keep the trays full of water year round and pick out any debris or stray seeds that fall in the top. That's it. They've gone gang-busters and I'm going to have to divide at least one this year. We see temps between 80-110 Fahrenheit. The pots freeze solid and thaw with no ill effect. They catch lots of bugs. The VFTs seem to catch a large number of daddy longlegs. The sarrs will get tubes so full they fall over sometimes. They'll catch a lot of wasps and things like that. Last year I bought a new, pretty sar, called S. Leucophylla &quot;Hurricane Creek White&quot; from the site I mentioned. It's doing well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nbyyS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nbyyS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plant to make a bog garden this year. These plants are very neat and rewarding, so I hope you guys get one and have a lot of fun with it. Just read up on the plants, don't feed them anything but bugs, and for the most part they'll catch their own. They only have so many &quot;snaps&quot; in them before that leaf dies, so try not to play with them too much. They'll catch tons of bugs on their own. Mine always have at least two traps digesting bugs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="26403" LastEditDate="2019-07-16T16:31:41.590" LastActivityDate="2019-07-16T16:31:41.590" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="30597" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30185" CreationDate="2017-01-25T19:35:38.993" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stormy is right, that you should attempt to find a bonsai class. That's where I started and got some really good information, as well as walking away with a wired and potted plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bonsai isn't going to grow much after it's potted. So you shouldn't pot till the trunk is approximately the size you want it to be. Keep in mind that bonsai are supposed to mimic old trees. Especially for an upright, you'll want a tapered trunk. The height of an upright should be approx. 6 times the diameter of the trunk. So if you're shooting for around 25cm, then the diameter of the trunk, near the base, should be approx. 4cm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also keep in mind that branches thicken as they need to support more growth. Many people will even put their future bonsai in the ground and let it grow vigorously, pruning with bonsai in mind. You can do the same thing in a pot and I've seen a couple of bonsai guys on youtube.com who had one in soil for years before turning it into bonsai. Sometimes people let he plant grow much taller than they want it, but this causes the base to thicken. They'll lop off the top an let a branch become the new top. Eventually, with repetition and work, it'll be a short, thick trunked bonsai. There are different ways to go about it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something else to consider is transitioning to the pot. Some people will take a potted plant and put it in a shallower tub with the bonsai media. This is a transition between the super shallow pot and the original pot. It requires more care, but has a buffer where the final pot might not. It also helps train the roots more shallow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T19:35:38.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30562" CreationDate="2017-01-25T21:37:25.427" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;After a bit of looking I came up with an angustifolia hybrid that is fairly popular called 'Profusion Fire'....planted in big sweeps or masses are spectacular.  You should know that that color is prolific in Zinnias and I wouldn't worry about getting just the one variety.  And it looks to me that possibly we are looking at two different zinnias in your photos.  Or perhaps three, same color different variety.  Gorgeous flower.  I'd get Crocosmia the orangey red or the orangey yellow to plant in masses to harmonize with these Zinnias.  They are offset in flowering but would keep that color combo going with a bit different texture, same height.  Dark purple flowered plants and grey leaved perennials would totally make these colors powerful.  Senecio greyii.  No dusty miller please.  Ugh grey color.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T21:37:25.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30582" CreationDate="2017-01-25T23:57:21.783" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;To put it simply: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I doubt its the light.&#xA;I doubt it's the water (kind of).&#xA;I bet it's the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My lemon trees seem to love &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;a lot of light&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;a lot of water.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; But they live outside, in the harsh Australian sun; and very dry, very sandy, arid (practically hydrophobic) soil, where nothing else will grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what soil it's in at the moment, but your description is consistent with dieback from root-related trauma. My bet is that there's now something else (fungus, nematode, arthropod, pathogen, bacterium, whatever) living and thriving (or dying and rotting) in that waterlogged substrate; and it's causing collateral damage to (if not targeting directly) the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it were mine: I would literally uproot the entire thing, wash the roots off (maybe with distilled water if possible?), try to let them dry out a little bit and plant it (the same day) in some drier and / or very well drained soil. It will likely be a significant shock. But you've soiled your soil. You need to remove it from its current environment and put it somewhere inhabitable to whatever (probably micro) organism it is, that's doing the damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope that helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16095" LastActivityDate="2017-01-25T23:57:21.783" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30600" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30602" CreationDate="2017-01-26T05:29:06.540" Score="8" ViewCount="1549" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this caterpillar and was wondering if anyone could identify it. Is it poisonous/dangerous? Would it be good or bad for a garden soil? This was found in Australia. Here is a photo.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TRhyd.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TRhyd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;weird caterpillar&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16579" LastActivityDate="2020-05-05T00:35:05.770" Title="What is this caterpillar?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30601" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30600" CreationDate="2017-01-26T06:26:02.697" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Interesting question. It appears to be a &quot;horned&quot; caterpillar, similar to the tomato hornworm. It would be helpful to have any more information you have, such as area found, was it found on a plant and if so what plant? The associated plant will be an important piece of information; tomato hornworms are laid on a host that they can benefit from, and then stay on that plant until they absolutely have to move, and then relocating by the minimum distance possible. So it should have been found very close to the host unless it was dropped by a predator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a site dedicated to identifying hornworms in Australia at &lt;a href=&quot;http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/faqs/ident.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/faqs/ident.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: this could be close - Vine Hawkmoth. See &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.whatsthatbug.com/2011/05/14/vine-hawkmoth-caterpillar-from-australia/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.whatsthatbug.com/2011/05/14/vine-hawkmoth-caterpillar-from-australia/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-01-26T14:44:20.520" LastActivityDate="2017-01-26T14:44:20.520" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30600" CreationDate="2017-01-26T06:31:10.960" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hippotion celerio (Linnaeus, 1758) Gabi Moth, Vine Hawk Moth&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You must have disturbed it as it has tucked its head under its thorax and expanded its eye segments.  It's agriculturally important as the adult moth contributes to the pollination of Papaya.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/sphi/celerio.html&quot;&gt;http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/sphi/celerio.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-26T06:31:10.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30603" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30594" CreationDate="2017-01-26T13:57:41.330" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best thing you can do is contact you're local agricultural extension. For instance, in SC I'd contact the Clemson Ag Extension. Not only do they have great resources online, but you can email them with questions like your. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most importantly, however, you can take soil samples and send them in. For a small fee, they'll analyze it and tell you what you need to add to amend your soil for the application your using it for. In this instance, growing pecan trees. There are certain macro and micro nutrients you need to get a good yield. It could be there age, it could be they're lacking certain nutrients they need to yield a good crop, or it could be something else. I'd just start with making sure they're getting an appropriate amount of water, sunlight, and nutrients. You can overwater plants as well as under watering them. I don't know about your area, but again I can refer to Clemson's website and it'll tell me how much water per week my tree should be receiving for my area and I compensate for rainfall. Good luck with your trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2017-01-26T13:57:41.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30604" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30605" CreationDate="2017-01-26T17:39:06.770" Score="4" ViewCount="3282" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have some lime trees that generally give a good amount of fruit, most of it coming off the tree in good shape. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About 10℅ of the fruit has discolored areas usually on the bottom of the fruit (&quot;bottom&quot; here being relative to the orientation it hangs in). It's not just color either - there is a ridge around the area, as if the peel was thinner there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these still safe to eat?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What causes it?!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a pictures of a couple of limes with the issue:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R89n2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Two limes with brown regions&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's one cut in two:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LQbnl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flesh near the discoloration is softer and perhaps a bit browner in color. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16583" LastEditorUserId="16583" LastEditDate="2017-01-26T17:44:50.453" LastActivityDate="2017-01-26T18:38:30.207" Title="Discoloration on bottom of limes" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30605" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30604" CreationDate="2017-01-26T18:17:12.923" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;By the bottom end I take it you are referring to the blossom or stylar end of the fruit. The appearances you are seeing is called blossom end rot which is caused by a physiological block of calcium uptake and is caused by an irregular watering of the tree. The fruit is safe to eat unless there is secondary infection with Alternaria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those fruits already affected can't be cured. It's suggested to place a couple of handfuls of agricultural lime or gypsum around the tree drip line and to ensure that watering is regular especially in hot weather. It can also be caused by too much soil nitrogen which causes growth outpacing the availability of calcium.  Some people also suggest the use of a calcium foliar spray to try and correct the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=19326&quot;&gt;http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=19326&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-26T18:38:30.207" LastActivityDate="2017-01-26T18:38:30.207" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30606" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30420" CreationDate="2017-01-26T19:37:49.460" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lettuces need steady growth in moist but not wet soil, in warm but not hot or cold conditions, and in full sun when you can keep the water right.&#xA;For fungus to get started, there needs to be a wound or constantly saturated tissue. The wound can come from careless hoeing, bending the stem to reveal the base, critters nibbling (slugs, cutworms and so on), sharp stones, many possibilities. Including early harvesting of basal leaves for salads if the tear leaves a jagged wound. Speed tearing of basal leaves is fine if you can control the water and plan on removing the plant fairly quickly before fungus can get a foothold. Leaves are not designed to separate from the stem easily until they are way past edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The images seem to suggest a number of adjacent plants affected. I'd go for a nibbler.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-01-26T19:37:49.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2132" CreationDate="2017-01-26T22:29:07.353" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 90 tons of rock landscaping in my front yard, and it tends to fill up with dirt because we live on a dirt road.  When cars drive by, or when the wind blows hard, the dirt blows, and settles in between the 1-2&quot; rocks.  Although we live in the desert, there is the occasional massive rain storm the washes huge amounts of muddy water across the rocks from the dirt road.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it is an annual job for me to blow the dirt right back out of the rocks.  I use a high-power blower to blast the dirt out and up into the air.  On a real windy day, a lot of the dirt blows up and away, so I pick a day when the wind is blowing in the right direction to get the dirt off of the nearest edge of the rocks.  I just start on one part of the rock area and work my way in the direction of the wind toward the nearest edge of the rock landscaping.  There is a plastic liner under the rocks, and the rocks are heavy enough that they don't move too much.  If I had smaller rocks, this blowing technique would not work because it would just blow smaller rocks away with the dirt.  Near the edges of the rock areas, I am careful not to blow with too much velocity, because I don't want to either blow the rocks out of the landscaped area or blow the rocks under the edge of the plastic liner.  It is tricky, because if the rocks get under the plastic, it creates gaps along the concrete curbing edging where small weed seeds will start to germinate.  For those rock areas not near any edges of my landscaping, it is not efficient to keep trying to blow the same dirt over a long distance to get it off the yard, so I built a 4' x 8' plywood platform that I can blow the dirt on and then shovel it into a wheelbarrow.  I haven't tried this out yet, so it may or may not work...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16585" LastActivityDate="2017-01-26T22:29:07.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30608" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-27T07:13:13.960" Score="2" ViewCount="118" Body="&lt;p&gt;For some reason, the bottom of the body of my Chrysanthemum is dying (probably root rot?):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EeOvv.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EeOvv.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using the arrows, I have tried to show that for the middle part, it is dead on one side. Of course I can wait, and see if it heals or dies completely, but I prefer to ask questions and hope there is anything I can do to save my Chrysanthemum:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this a disease?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shall I cut the upper part, trim some leaves, and stick it in some soil?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16558" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-29T20:53:19.113" LastActivityDate="2017-01-29T20:53:19.113" Title="Is it time to prune this Chrysanthemum?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30609" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30610" CreationDate="2017-01-27T07:27:11.397" Score="6" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;Four weeks ago, I bought a bag of soil with the label “For In-Door Plants”.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I noticed the formation of mold very quickly after I used it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j8FZV.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j8FZV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image of a potted plant with slight mold on the soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it the soil? The watering? Or something else I am doing wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16558" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-01-27T20:00:06.487" LastActivityDate="2017-01-27T20:00:06.487" Title="Why is the new soil building mold?" Tags="&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30610" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30609" CreationDate="2017-01-27T07:57:07.550" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;The conditions for growing mold are warmth, soil consistently wet, little air movement and undisturbed soil, and the presence of spores to feed on the organic matter present. It is natural to find some spores in potting compost, not a big deal. The plant in the pot (probably Chlorophytum) has fleshy roots and can be allowed to dry down between waterings. So one suggestion is to hold off on the water somewhat, reduce the temperature a bit, expose to gentle breezes and, as you are doing already, keep the surface loose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-01-27T07:57:07.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30611" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30609" CreationDate="2017-01-27T08:04:10.753" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is totally common to have happen with new soil.  It must not be sterilized very well or they added organic matter and fungal spores later.  Not a problem.  Use your fingers to 'fruff' up the top of the soil, might have to do that a couple of times but this fungal growth will stop.  Very common when organic matter is added to the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How did you plant your plants in this new soil?  Is that pot full of soil or did you put rocks or gravel below the soil and above the drainage hole?  If so, you need to redo by turning over, get rocks or gravel out of the bottom completely and re-potting adding more soil.  You should only have 1&quot; from the rim to the top of the soil.  Do not water too much.  Allow to dry a bit and as this is new soil for this plant make sure it gets some water around the roots until it is well established then you can start soaking the soil, allowing it to drain, wait until the top 1&quot; is dry before watering again.  Could you take a picture of the ingredients and send?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-27T08:04:10.753" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30612" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30608" CreationDate="2017-01-27T08:37:39.403" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Too small of a plant for the size of pot. If that is not sterilized potting soil that is part of the problem.  Get a pot 1/4 that size, cut off the dead branch, use only sterilized potting soil, pot with hole on bottom, no rocks or gravel below soil and water only when the pot is light.  Lots of bright light but no direct light...unless this is an outdoor plant used to full sunlight.  Forget fertilizer until this plant gets settled.  Then just get Osmocote 14-14-14, and use only twice a year!  Follow directions.  Is this garden soil or potting soil?  This is too big of a pot for such a small plant.  That will cause root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-01-27T08:37:39.403" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30608" CreationDate="2017-01-27T11:28:23.593" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was puzzled by the picture at first, the leaves looked a bit thick and fleshy and less deeply lobed than the Chrysanthemums I am accustomed to, but likely this is just &lt;em&gt;Chrysanthemum X Morifolium&lt;/em&gt; / &lt;em&gt;Dendranthemum&lt;/em&gt; or the Florist's Chrysanthemum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I would catch the wave of the upcoming spring with this guy; allow the plant to keep growing vegetatively for a few more weeks (if you are in N. hemisphere) and catch the warmth and light of spring by taking cuttings from this plant and start them off well following @stormy advice. Choose your cutting points carefully to leave the plant able to recover and send out more shoots, so it acts as a backup. Then once your new cuttings become magnificent you can toss the old one, with thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-01-27T11:28:23.593" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30614" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30615" CreationDate="2017-01-27T13:48:23.067" Score="4" ViewCount="783" Body="&lt;p&gt;My father uses our small backyard to plant some vegetables and tea. We have a fence that houses some climbing trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the climbing trees bore these strange (to us) fruits. I would appreciate if someone could identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo of the young fruit, which is a pale green-yellow color and lumpy:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ymFhA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ymFhA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of the young fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo of the small yellow flower:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jpCXv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jpCXv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Beautiful curiously small yellow flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo of the tree:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LPREi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LPREi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The climbing tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information: We are in South Brazil. People give him seeds and seedling or he brings them from the wild, so we do not remember the origin. The fence once had a passion-fruit (Maracuja) that grew in a similar fashion. It's summer in the time of the photos (same day of the question), the fruits are still young and not mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16588" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-01-27T14:57:13.007" LastActivityDate="2017-06-02T14:05:02.807" Title="Identify fruit from climbing plant, similar to a mix of soursop, carambola and passionfruit" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30615" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30614" CreationDate="2017-01-27T16:03:53.953" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) - &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momordica_charantia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Momordica charantia, known as bitter melon, bitter gourd, bitter squash, or balsam-pear, has names in other languages which have entered English as loanwords, e.g. goya from Okinawan, pākal (பாகல்) in Tamil and karela from Sanskrit. Those from the Caribbean island of Jamaica commonly refer to the plant as cerasee. In Brazil this plant is called Saint Cajetan's Melon (melão-de-são-caetano).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit. Its many varieties differ substantially in the shape and bitterness of the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bitter melon originated in India and was introduced into China in the 14th century.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CpJNK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CpJNK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qtc6O.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qtc6O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YlmeY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YlmeY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastActivityDate="2017-01-27T16:03:53.953" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30616" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30617" CreationDate="2017-01-27T17:17:27.910" Score="7" ViewCount="10127" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a blue spruce next to our house. It's probably as tall as I want it (I would guess 12 feet, basically reaching our roof line) and certainly as wide as I want it. Can I trim this tree to keep it from growing? If so, how would i go about this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7103" LastEditorUserId="7103" LastEditDate="2017-01-27T17:55:07.120" LastActivityDate="2018-11-11T18:08:31.487" Title="Can I trim a blue spruce tree to keep it from getting larger?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30617" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30616" CreationDate="2017-01-27T19:00:09.400" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can certainly try to, but you will face at least two significant problems:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apical_dominance&quot;&gt;Apical dominance&lt;/a&gt; - if you cut out the leader (the strongest shoot right at the top of the tree) this will trigger other shoots to try to take over the job of stretching upwards. Several shoots might try to become the leader, but there will be a constant stretch upwards so it is a job that will have to be repeated&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The shape or form of the tree - &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_spruce&quot;&gt;blue spruces are naturally conical trees&lt;/a&gt; and when grown in their own right can be a beautiful sight. You can endeavour to trim the tree all over to retain the conical shape but it will be a real challenge to make it look as even as if it were left alone. In the worst case you might end up with a square shape from a distance (with multiple pruned out leaders at the top causing spreading sideways instead of reaching up) and a rough cylinder up close.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An alternative to interfering with the top growth is to look into cutting off some of the nutrient supply from the roots with careful root pruning. If it has sent out roots into a lawn area and you fertilize the lawn, cut down on the fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the most fortunate of circumstances, the person who planted the tree will have chosen a cultivar that tops out exactly where you need it to stop, in which case stand back and enjoy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-01-27T19:00:09.400" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30619" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-27T20:39:14.657" Score="4" ViewCount="7430" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes one leaves a potted plant in the care of people who then proceed to overwater your plants.  If rot ensues, you may be forced to repot the whole plant which can be messy, and tricky if it's a largish tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are other ways to remediate a pot with excessive water in the potting mix?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-27T21:00:59.570" LastActivityDate="2017-01-28T20:15:13.520" Title="How should I drain an overly watered potted plant?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30620" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30619" CreationDate="2017-01-27T21:51:18.673" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I guess the trick is to do it in a way that doesn't hurt the plant. Decreasing the humidity should help dry it out, but might harm your plant. Increasing the heat might help and hurt in the right way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without repotting it, my first idea is to increase the evaporative surface. Since you can't make the pot bigger, my idea (untested) is to stick some type of wicking material into the soil. You could use something like paper towels or an old t-shirt, depending on the size of the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The thought is based on the wicking method of watering some plants. If you haven't seen them, search &quot;plant soda bottle wicking&quot; The water wicks from a reservoir, through a wicking material like cotton, hemp, etc... into the soil as it dries, so it always has a steady supply of water. If you applied the same principle in reverse, you could poke a small, yet deep, hole and use a chopstick to press the material down into it. Then firm the dirt around it. Leave the rest of the material hanging in the air. As the water wicks from the dirt into the fabric, it'll drastically increase the evaporative surface the water has to evaporate from. This includes the bottom, so make sure it's exposed as well. You could blow a fan across this material to help speed the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because of the wicking effect, it'd help pull excess water from all over the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, this would only be if you thought your plant was in mortal peril. I've had plenty of plants that accidently got over watered and I've simply let them drain and not watered them again until they needed it with no ill effect. It's just one idea I had that might work in a dire situation where you don't want to repot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2017-01-27T21:51:18.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30621" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30622" CreationDate="2017-01-27T23:42:01.657" Score="8" ViewCount="809" Body="&lt;p&gt;Location is Portland, OR area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My new (to me; built 1972) house came with a 10 ft tall Japanese Maple in the front yard.  I don't know when the tree was planted but it has suffered through the years from neglect and rather heavy-handed &lt;del&gt;butchery&lt;/del&gt; (ahem) &amp;quot;pruning&amp;quot;. The lack of skill is evident even to my inexperienced eye.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is on the North side of the house. During the summer it gets several hours of sun but in the winter only the very top ever sees the sun, and only for an hour or two on sunny days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just spent a couple of meditative hours getting familiar with the tree's shape and structure, removing dead wood, and manually picking off a large amount of moss of varying species.  I have two concerns (photos after the text).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Probably over a decade ago, someone hacked off a large main branch close to the trunk, leaving a stump of about 6 inches.  It was hidden by the moss, but now that it's visible it's clearly rotting.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Also hidden under moss in several different areas I found patches of white &amp;quot;stuff&amp;quot;.  It doesn't come off when rubbed with a gloved hand.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I cut off the stump closer to the trunk to remove as much of the rotting wood as possible? If so, is there anything I need to apply to the new wound that will help the tree recover?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the white on the bark and do I need to treat it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;A couple of overall shots&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bPZR8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bPZR8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qo0HD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qo0HD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Two perspectives of the rotting branch stump&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see some of the white film that was under the moss in these images&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x6L4l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x6L4l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vc3b3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vc3b3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Another image of the white film&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The white patch on the branch at right was completely covered in the green moss visible on the branch in the middle.  Not all of the green moss had white underneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L8jIu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L8jIu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13860" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-01-28T20:09:54.313" Title="Japanese Maple Care after years of neglect" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30622" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30621" CreationDate="2017-01-28T00:12:29.193" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The white patches mostly appear to be one of the lichens rather than fungal mycelium - the fact that they're under the moss isn't unusual, and no treatment is required. Moss and lichens often occur together on old trees, but it is true that weak, very old or diseased trees tend to have more lichen growth on them. Even if there is some fungal mycelium in association with the damper, moss covered areas, there's nothing that can be done about it. More info on lichens &lt;a href=&quot;http://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/what_causes_those_white_splotches_on_tree_bark_are_they_bad_for_the_tree&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the rotting, badly cut stump, it's probably worth sawing it off cleanly, but where you saw it off is critical - you need to leave a small collar rather than cutting right back to the main trunk. Instructions in this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.todayshomeowner.com/how-to-trim-large-tree-branches/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; show how it should have been done, but cut no. 3 is the one you're interested in, because that's the one you should attempt now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From looking at the photo, it's possible infection has already spread into the main trunk, but hard to be sure because it could just be moisture sitting in the crook there making the bark look dark. It's definitely worth attempting to remove the branch stump, but you will need a clean and sharp pruning saw to do it efficiently. Given the possibility that some of the wood in that area may still be live, it's best done now, before the sap rises - Acers are known for bleeding profusely, so pruning of these should be carried out from late summer up to mid/late winter. Wound paint is no longer recommended because it causes more problems than it solves, in particular actually preventing proper healing from taking place - the second link above mentions wound paints and gives further information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-28T20:09:54.313" LastActivityDate="2017-01-28T20:09:54.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30623" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-28T00:48:08.337" Score="4" ViewCount="1866" Body="&lt;p&gt;We know that it's a myth that placing rocks, pebbles, broken clay pots etc at the bottom of a container filled with a potting mix improves drainage, and there are various mentions and differing explanations of this on this site scattered amongst other questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a definitive answer on why this doesn't help, and whether it's actually detrimental to the plant as some have suggested. Your answer should minimally mention some of the physics of fluids that causes this phenomenon which seems contrary to what one expects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/u0TDr6A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;vertical planter with open weave bottom&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-28T01:00:22.613" LastActivityDate="2017-02-04T23:56:57.647" Title="Why should you usually not place pebbles, rocks etc at the bottom of a container?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30624" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30623" CreationDate="2017-01-28T01:17:29.770" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not going to answer the entire question, but I am going to make a case for the one time it is useful to use curved pieces of broken terracotta pot, since you mention broken clay pots. Many terracotta, metal and ceramic pots have only one, large drainage hole in the bottom, and if that gets blocked, there's a drainage issue, along with the problem of potting soil falling through the hole until roots have grown into it. Placing one or two larger pieces of curved pottery over the hole in such a way as to keep soil and roots and any debris from compacting into the hole, yet still allowing water out, ensures continued good drainage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-01-28T01:17:29.770" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30625" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30619" CreationDate="2017-01-28T01:26:47.520" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends how heavy and large the rootball is - certainly, the pot, if possible, should be stood on a rack or support with holes in it off the ground to assist rapid draining. If its possible to extract the plant from the pot, then removing it and standing it on lots of newspaper will wick the water out more quickly, and also allows for inspection of the roots for signs of root rot. If that's seen,then the soil should be removed, carefully, and any mushy roots clipped out, followed by repotting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally, though, root rot occurs from consistent waterlogging rather than occasional overwatering, and if stood on a rack or something similar, water drains and evaporates fairly quickly, particularly during the growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-01-28T01:26:47.520" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30626" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30621" CreationDate="2017-01-28T03:36:36.100" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't worry about the stumps right now.  This spring you could cut them closer.  No painting anything. Or go ahead and use Bamboo's pruning to get the correct size of stump.  Your zone must be a 5?  If it is lower I'd wait to cut the stumps in the spring.  You might even want to hire an arborist or a super duper pruner with Japanese background to make sure this tree is healthy.  We'll need close ups of your branches to help with pruning but without being there it would be hard to tell if there is rot and if some of your tree's vascular system isn't compromised.  At least think about hiring a certified arborist to check this tree!!  This tree is very much worth the extra time and money to keep it healthy!! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is really alarming me (Gorgeous Japanese Maple btw!) is the trunk and soil line.  Pull that  soil and mulch completely from the bark of the trunk!  That kind of moisture on the bark will cause bacteria to girdle your tree.  Take the moss OFF the trunk as well for the same reason.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is an incredible specimen.  Breath taking!  We can most certainly help you prune correctly.  The shape and structure are wonderful.  Really a magnificent tree.  Glad it isn't in front of your front door...bad feng shui, grins!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most critical thing you have to do is pull that soil away from the trunk until you can tell that you've reached the line where roots begin.  I wonder how long it has been this way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Heh, heh, this tree would cost at least 10000 bucks from a nursery that scoops up these gems from home owners that have no idea their value.  I was paid once per season to professionally prune these babies. A cool thousand per tree and they were no larger than yours.  Would love to help prune this guy!  Then I've got tell you about lighting.  Up light this tree making sure no one can see the glare of the light (spot light) and you'll have a very impressive entrance to your home at night, great sculpture to view from indoors and plenty of light to see 'bad guys' without shadows and being blinded.  Ambient lighting.  This tree is worth it.  What a treasure!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-01-28T04:04:56.933" LastActivityDate="2017-01-28T04:04:56.933" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30627" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-28T04:52:43.580" Score="4" ViewCount="169" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this weed in my veggie patch and I was wondering if anyone could identify it and maybe provide some information about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Key Information&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Canberra, Australia.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Only seen in the last day.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Garden only started 2 weeks ago.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Garden mulched 3 days ago. (Maybe I should have weeded more thoroughly before mulching... :(  )&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Roots look a bit like an onion. Most of them have been torn off though.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Growing in the garden currently is Spinach, Spring Onion and Basil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9jLnr.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9jLnr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Weed picture&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16579" LastActivityDate="2017-01-28T20:13:41.450" Title="Weed Identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;onions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30628" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30627" CreationDate="2017-01-28T08:23:26.880" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some &lt;a href=&quot;http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Oxalis+deppei&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Oxalis deppei&lt;/a&gt; in the garden at my university last year and it looked just like your plant. It had little dark pink flowers and spread like crazy, from 15 bulbs planted in spring I got at least 50 bulbs in autumn, including smaller ones. This was on a rocky small area that somewhat contained them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-28T20:13:41.450" LastActivityDate="2017-01-28T20:13:41.450" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30621" CreationDate="2017-01-28T09:50:31.850" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As others have noted, the stump is the only problem here. Ideally we want the tree to produce callus tissue which will cover over the bare end of the stump as indicated in the photos in the link provided by @Bamboo. In its current state the tree could never cover the stump with callus tissue. So we help it by cutting back far enough that there is living healthy tissue around the perimeter of the stump and then a flat area to cover over. Ideally the exposed area would be as small as possible, but sometimes you have to cut back a bit further to get a flat area surrounded by good active tissue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given this is Oregon we can expect a very damp climate particularly in the west, so the surface of the stump after cutting should shed water as much as possible. One way to achieve this without painting is by making that surface very smooth. You can achieve this effect on living wood by paring with a sharp knife, but with a core of dead wood you might need fine sandpaper, used carefully.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-01-28T09:50:31.850" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30630" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30631" CreationDate="2017-01-28T15:21:51.827" Score="4" ViewCount="759" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have started a new embroidery project and have been looking for real-life flowers which match the one in my project.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found one like this, which seems to sort of match and which I really like the coloring of, but I don't know the name of it. What's this purple flower called?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vnjwr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;found picture&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user7520" LastEditorDisplayName="user7520" LastEditDate="2017-01-28T15:33:16.593" LastActivityDate="2017-01-28T16:02:14.930" Title="What is this purple flower called?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30631" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30630" CreationDate="2017-01-28T16:02:14.930" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The flower pictured is one of the cranesbill Geraniums (not to be confused with the general term geranium often used for Pelargoniums). There are hundreds of varieties and definite ID is a little easier if the foliage is visible, but I have found one called Geranium 'Alan Mayes' which closely resembles your image, see here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantpref.co.uk/all-other-geraniums.html&quot;&gt;http://www.plantpref.co.uk/all-other-geraniums.html&lt;/a&gt;. It might not be that one, as already said, there are literally hundreds of them, but you might decide its close enough!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-01-28T16:02:14.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30632" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30635" CreationDate="2017-01-28T20:12:21.720" Score="4" ViewCount="321" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm experimenting with vegetative reproduction, i.e. getting stems from a thin branch and replanting them after the branch develops some roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got a couple of stems from a nice Juniper tree beside my home, and I was wondering if anyone has tried this and any ideas (like putting the roots inside a dark container) that could help with this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that there are some species that are way easier than others, but it occurred to me that you might force this by using some hormones or something similar to fool the tree cells in the water to develop roots sooner, but I understand that those hormones would change significantly from genus to genus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16597" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-01-29T21:51:36.467" LastActivityDate="2017-01-31T22:09:56.173" Title="How can I clone (propagate) a juniper tree from a stem?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30619" CreationDate="2017-01-28T20:15:13.520" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;We know that when you have soil in a container, the water gravitates to the bottom so that there's a gradient of water content in the soil from lowest at the top to highest at the bottom.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/49ZjY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/49ZjY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;differential water distribution in a pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For any particular soil mix, the height of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13774/what-is-a-perched-water-table&quot;&gt;perched water table&lt;/a&gt; is the same regardless of the shape of the container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having more holes in the floor of the container doesn't necessarily help with drainage as we can see from this extreme example from Air-pot&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Wtj8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Wtj8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Air-pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;where the bottom is just full of holes.  Water is kept inside the pot on account of capillary forces and a perched water table can exist as mentioned above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, feeling the soil at the top of the container tells you little about how much water your roots are sitting in at the bottom of the container.  You have to be able to feel the soil at the bottom or use a moisture probe that reaches deep into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One way to drain moisture from a pot, as mentioned in another answer, is to insert wicks into the soil.  Since the water is at the bottom, the wicks have to be inserted from underneath into the soil.  Capillary action from the tighter weave of the wick can then draw water out of the container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the perched water table is at the same height regardless of shape of the container, another way is to double pot the container. By sitting the pot into another with the same mix, we are effectively converting it into a tall container, and the perched water table moves into the second pot.  This assumes that you have large enough holes at the bottom to make enough contact between the soil in both pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since gravity determines where the water sits, it occurs to me that you could invert the container if it's of a suitable size.  You could pack the top with more of the same potting mix and hold it down with a mesh so that it doesn't all fall out.  The perched water table would then move to the &quot;top&quot; of the container, and this would pull in fresh air to the &quot;bottom&quot; aerating the roots.  You still have the problem of removing the water which could be done by wicks but this would sound like the fastest way of moving the water away from the bottom roots and to provide air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery-weeds/feature_articles/physical_properties/physical_properties.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery-weeds/feature_articles/physical_properties/physical_properties.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2017-01-28T20:15:13.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30635" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30632" CreationDate="2017-01-29T08:58:22.977" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;At school for propagation of cuttings we were told &quot;Cool tops, misty middles and hot bottoms.&quot;&#xA;The &quot;hot&quot; part is there for dramatic effect; warmth is the point.&#xA;The critical thing is to get the roots forming (&quot;strike&quot;) fairly rapidly by encouraging constant warmth in the rooting zone. Warmth brings risks of fungus attacks, so all cuts must be clean and foliage intact. Many propagators have a special propagating bench which they keep warmer than regular growing benches with a temperature controlled electric wire embedded in sand. You can find many examples and suggestions with a Google search string &quot;propagating bench&quot;. Rooting hormone powder is available, but will not be as effective as the heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a list of plants that respond to propagation by stem cuttings, see &lt;a href=&quot;https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/plant-propagation-by-stem-cuttings-instructions-for-the-home-gardener&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this publication by North Carolina State University&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="15063" LastEditDate="2017-01-31T22:09:56.173" LastActivityDate="2017-01-31T22:09:56.173" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30636" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-29T13:22:50.803" Score="6" ViewCount="8129" Body="&lt;p&gt;In our road we have a crab apple tree that has fruits but there have never been any small new trees rooting from the crab apples. Once, years ago, there were 3 crab apple trees within 100 yards but 2 of these were destroyed by some ignorant house owners. However in my 83 years of living within 50 yards of these three trees I have never seen any young new seedling trees. Some of the apples must have fallen onto the surrounding soil that is never disturbed. Will an apple tree grow if I deliberately plant some of the fruit from this one remaining tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16603" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-29T19:35:13.523" LastActivityDate="2019-09-13T21:37:31.190" Title="Can I grow an apple tree by planting an apple from a nearby tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30637" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30636" CreationDate="2017-01-29T14:18:31.140" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes. You can learn a lot from this extensively reworked and thought-out answer to a similar question about roses: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/5548/how-do-i-grow-roses-from-seed&quot;&gt;How do I grow roses from seed?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruits of all kinds are attractive to wildlife, and are presumably picked up and eaten or stored in underground dens where the seeds never see the light of day again, or immediately eaten and deposited later in a remote bank. Seeds may well have built-in dormancy which ensures that they do not germinate for years to spread out the risk. But sometimes you can wait too long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just burying the fruit or seeds probably won't give you the hoped-for result. It's a matter of making it a special project and putting in lots of TLC to make sure the trees survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2017-01-29T14:18:31.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30638" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30641" CreationDate="2017-01-28T21:49:47.117" Score="2" ViewCount="992" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a house where the previous owners let the backyard go and the 11 pine trees they had in the backyard wrecked havoc. I got the pine trees removed and am now tending to the yard itself which has a layer of pine straw, a layer of dirt, then another layer of pine straw. I put my trusty pitchfork to work and have cleared out a portion of it. The ground is about 3-4&quot; lower where I cleared which brings it about even to the rest of the yard, so the results are what I'm looking for. I have about 20'x100' left to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/23VJM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/23VJM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;backyard&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll notice on the left and bottom of the above photo that the ground is pretty smooth and level. The left is where I've already started clearing the pine straw\dirt combo and the top (plus a lot more) is what is left to go. Hopefully, you can see how uneven it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the comments, it sounds like I have three options:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Continue clearing out the pine straw\dirt combo&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover everything with a layer of soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Give up &amp;amp; hire a professional...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts or other options?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16607" OwnerDisplayName="jt000" LastActivityDate="2017-01-29T18:36:36.403" Title="How should I level my yard when half of it is dirt\pinestraw mix?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30639" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30638" CreationDate="2017-01-28T22:01:58.750" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Man, I woulda left it... You had a no-maintenance backyard forest!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless, you need more people or more power. Get a coupla friends, or hire a bobcat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" OwnerDisplayName="iLikeDirt" LastActivityDate="2017-01-28T22:01:58.750" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30636" CreationDate="2017-01-29T18:08:48.173" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not if you just plant a whole fruit, no, very unlikely. There is a way to do it, but you need to extract the seeds from the fruit in autumn by cutting it open, lifting the seeds out carefully, then removing any remaining pulp by flushing with water. After drying, they need cold stratification for up to 120 days - a description of how to do all this is shown here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/propagating-crabapple-seeds-27860.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/propagating-crabapple-seeds-27860.html&lt;/a&gt;, but you should bear in mind that Malus varieties do not come true from seed. The named varieties you buy are vegetatively propagated to ensure they are the right variety - from seed, you don't know what you'll get, other than it'll be a crabapple of some sort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-01-29T18:08:48.173" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30641" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30638" CreationDate="2017-01-29T18:20:21.680" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd suggest you hire a good professional, even if its only for a consultation regarding the issues and how to manage them. Otherwise, I suggest you rake off the top layers of pine straw, then till the whole lot, turning it over to mix in the remaining pine straw as well as is possible. The drawback with this is you shouldn't attempt to grow plants which only like alkaline soil conditions - the ph of your soil with a high content of pine needles is likely to be between 6 and 6.5 or thereabouts, but this is fine for most  plants, just not acid haters. You'll need to till it all because pine  straw has a tendency to form a solid mat, so mixing it in well with existing soil, as well as adding composted materials (leafmould, composted manures, etc) and possibly some additional new topsoil, should help to obviate the risk. Then level the area and allow it to settle for a week or two before attempting to plant anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to lay any hard surfacing, its also quite important to remove that 'spongy' effect prior to doing so, if not by digging it all in as described above, then by attempting to extract the pine straw when preparing the area for paving or whatever surface you choose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-01-29T18:36:36.403" LastActivityDate="2017-01-29T18:36:36.403" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30642" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-29T18:34:07.877" Score="4" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W73pk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W73pk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Spade&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this image (source: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spade&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Spade (Wikipedia)&lt;/a&gt;, creative commons), the spades have a T handle. On most modern spades there is a D handle. There is of course a third alternative of no cross piece at all, just as with long-handled spades. Forks and other tools also use the two designs. So the questions arise: why would the different styles have arisen? Is one style better for a particular purpose and would we benefit from one of each in the garden shed? What about the ergonomics of the two designs? Which is most appropriate for a historic garden in say the 1800s? The other end of the tool (the blade?) is clearly a different issue; my question here is about the handle and its connection to the shaft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-01-30T06:19:20.530" LastActivityDate="2017-01-30T22:39:50.253" Title="Garden tool handle shapes: the DTs" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30643" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30644" CreationDate="2017-01-29T18:43:58.187" Score="4" ViewCount="487" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone tell me what the best time is to plant apple trees in the UK? These trees will be on a trellis and will be spread wide not high. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16605" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-30T00:39:46.107" LastActivityDate="2017-01-30T12:45:45.653" Title="When should I plant an apple tree in the UK?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30643" CreationDate="2017-01-29T18:54:48.380" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Doesn't matter whether you're fan training, espalier or cordon growing, the best time for planting trees in the UK is September or October. If they're container grown plants, you can plant at other times, like February or March, if the ground is neither waterlogged nor frozen, but you will need to pay careful attention to watering during the first and second year, especially the first summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As requested, I'll expand the answer. In the UK, the soil is still warm up to end of October, but the heat of summer is well past and we're usually pretty wet during autumn, which is why autumn planting is recommended for long term, woody specimens such as trees and shrubs. The weather here supplies sufficient moisture during autumn and winter, and because the soil is still warm, roots settle in quicker. Bare root trees and shrubs are best planted October, not September, through to early November at the latest,  for similar reasons, though the timing varies somewhat depending on which part of the UK - in the south, planting is best in October, in the North, September.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-01-30T12:45:45.653" LastActivityDate="2017-01-30T12:45:45.653" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30645" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30642" CreationDate="2017-01-29T21:32:15.410" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A brief visit to some on-line historic tool collections indicates that all 3 types were common. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my personal experience, the cross-handle (&lt;strong&gt;D&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;T&lt;/strong&gt;, but &lt;strong&gt;D&lt;/strong&gt; is more common in my tools, even the older ones) is more effective when shoveling from a loose pile, while the long-straight handle works better digging in raw ground - though either works for the other purpose, just not as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As one random example, I very rarely see long straight handles on manure forks, and have never, to my recollection, seen a &lt;strong&gt;D&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;T&lt;/strong&gt; on a hay fork.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grain shovels are almost always cross-handled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for &lt;strong&gt;D&lt;/strong&gt; versus &lt;strong&gt;T&lt;/strong&gt;, the &lt;strong&gt;T&lt;/strong&gt; is probably simpler to make, while the &lt;strong&gt;D&lt;/strong&gt; does not have the main shaft of the handle needing to be accommodated in between your fingers as you grip. A &lt;strong&gt;D&lt;/strong&gt; of slotted and steambent construction is also arguably stronger .vs. twisting forces than a &lt;strong&gt;T&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Old engravings serve as a pretty good reference for tools of a time (often more the time of the engraving than the time depicted in it) - here's one dated as circa 1460-1500 with a &lt;strong&gt;D&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/avHqP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/avHqP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Israhel van Meckenem (German, ca. 1445–1503), Noli me tangere, 1460–1500. Engraving. British Museum, London.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-01-30T22:39:50.253" LastActivityDate="2017-01-30T22:39:50.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30646" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30642" CreationDate="2017-01-29T21:33:49.203" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The T and D handles are used for more controlled work versus a straight handle. The T handle is also used by those people whose hands don't fit comfortably in the D handle. I presume the T handle preceded the D as it's easier to manufacture but we'd have to go back well in history to be sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And an engraving of pruning tools as found in Jean de La Quintinie, The Compleat Gard’ner in 1693.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sjTLe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sjTLe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-01-30T22:12:07.463" LastActivityDate="2017-01-30T22:12:07.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30647" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30648" CreationDate="2017-01-29T21:49:04.610" Score="8" ViewCount="1046" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8sYFX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8sYFX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;My avocado tree is just a little bit over 1 1/2 feet (45cm) tall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will it survive if I put it in soil? If so, how do I replant it? For example, I'd like to know what size of pot, type of soil, watering schedule, etc.?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16608" LastEditorUserId="16608" LastEditDate="2017-01-31T13:02:19.703" LastActivityDate="2017-01-31T13:02:19.703" Title="How do I repot an avocado?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30648" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30647" CreationDate="2017-01-30T01:59:38.470" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very much fun Kenzie!  I'd like to see a picture as well, right now I imagine a 10&quot; diameter, you do not want too big of a pot and a picture would help.  Wash your new pot (clay is best) and fill 1/3 (this is approximate until I see your plant and its  root system).  You want the top of your avocado seed to be just under the soil and you have to have 1&quot; from the rim to the finished top of your soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With your pot filled 1/3 with sterilized potting soil (please make sure there are no  gimmicks such as moisture holding sponges or gels and no fertilizer added to your bagged soil) tap the pot on the floor gently to settle the soil and or gently press down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then you get to make a volcano in the middle and put your seed with its roots, on the top held by one hand while the other spreads the root mass out and over the sides of the volcano.  Best you can.  Do not worry about roots breaking and getting squished too much.  No big deal but still be as gentle as possible.  While still supporting the seed grab handfulls or cupfulls of soil out of the bag to bury these roots and seed.  Again tamp down, shake or vibrate or tap on a surface...gently.  Need to get rid of large air pockets but not to make brick. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are unable to get that volcano up to the perfect height to support your seed just hold it in place and spread the roots on the sides of the volcano.  Longer roots, no problem.  Just fold them under or over as you bury the roots and seed with more potting soil. I'd even cut them to a better length so less folding if they are humongous.  That is where the picture would come in handy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soak this soil thoroughly, get the bottom of the pot off the surface or floor or bottom of saucer(ceramic tiles, flat rocks) a good 1/8 to 1/4 inch. Lift your pot/soil/plant soaked to learn how your pot feels when soaked.  When you need to water again it will be very light. At first you'll need to keep the soil moister than normal as it transitions from water roots to soil roots.  Then not so much watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These roots have been used to lots of water but not saturated soil.  Keep this plant in the light it is used to.  Wait for a month and then use Osmocote 14-14-14 extended release fertilizer.  No other fertilizer or foo foo (to include coffee grounds).  Be careful, do not overdo the fertilizer.  You shouldn't have to add any more for 4 to 6 months.  I would use distilled water, not tap water (find this on questions already answered).  When roots start to show in the drainage hole it is time to upgrade to 12&quot; pot. Until your avocado is more mature it will be needing to be upgraded in pot size little by little.  Please send a picture and certainly ask questions until you truly understand what you need to do for your plant!  Glad you found us!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, what size or what end result are you looking for?  Where do you live?  I hope this site works for you...I am serious, you couldn't get better advice on the internet...there are fantastic gardeners and botanists and entomologists...with answers I could have missed here and we all have different specialties as well as personalities. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any question about anything, this site is the best. Check out the answers to similar questions.  There will be more answers by other experts coming up as well. You've got time to research this to make your decision on how to proceed! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to know about a recipe, or how to fix your car, air conditioner, how to speak different languages...keep this site at hand. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-01-30T02:07:40.203" LastActivityDate="2017-01-30T02:07:40.203" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30650" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30651" CreationDate="2017-01-30T06:12:30.747" Score="5" ViewCount="185" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cultures around the far northern Pacific rim enjoy the lily root, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sgr.fi/susa/91/stahlbergsvanberg.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;sarana&lt;/a&gt;. Supposedly its slight bitterness is satisfying in both sweet and savory preparations. My information is not complete, but in the linked article, no one grows it on purpose -- it's always foraged. Is there any reason why sarana would not be a good crop to grow in a vegetable garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16224" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-01-30T19:32:39.140" LastActivityDate="2017-01-31T09:49:30.537" Title="Why don't people cultivate sarana (Kamchatka Lily)?" Tags="&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;&lt;lily&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30651" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30650" CreationDate="2017-01-30T07:50:59.407" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming, we stick with &lt;em&gt;Lilium medeoloides&lt;/em&gt; as the species in question, yes it is &quot;readily grown&quot; according to one supplier and suppliers do exist (in the UK at least). The difficulty I could see is that like many bulbs, it takes a lot longer to develop bulbs than cultivated bulbs such as &lt;em&gt;Allium cepa&lt;/em&gt;. This would make unsuitable for cultivation within an annual vegetable garden. However, it might be suitable for growth in an edible woodland setting, although perhaps more for its decorative merits than as a source of food. It has to be remembered that crops foraged wild, particularly bulbs, could have spent decades becoming established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: some of the answers have mentioned &lt;em&gt;Fritillaria camschatcensis&lt;/em&gt;, the linked source in the question gives a thorough treatment of the identity of 'sarana' from which I derived the &lt;em&gt;Lilium&lt;/em&gt; species above. The answer holds true for either species: both are slow growing, shade loving plants which is in contrast to the light requirement and fast turnover that occurs in the traditional vegetable garden. I cannot comment personally on the edibility of either, but &lt;em&gt;Fritillaria&lt;/em&gt; bulbs are noticeably pungent on handling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastEditorUserId="16580" LastEditDate="2017-01-31T09:49:30.537" LastActivityDate="2017-01-31T09:49:30.537" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30652" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8760" CreationDate="2017-01-30T08:00:36.853" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that for a fruitful apple tree, you must have mature branches bathed with good sunlight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To prune a tree is to find a balance between the nutriment that come from the roots in the ground and the pressure that's allowed to get out from the buds in spring. You can think of it as a sprinkler, the buds being the holes that let water get out: the more buds you let, the more places the water get out, but it gets out slowly. If you let only a few holes, then water will get out with lot of pressure: this way you're tree will grow strong branches quickly; but for branches to grow fruits, pressure must be low.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to make it look good and bear fruits, you have to select the branches you'll let grow, and remove the others. The branches to be removed are the ones that&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;look armed, broken, look ill or bearing parasites.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;blocking sunlight from &quot;entering&quot; the tree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;annoy you or your neighbors :)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, don't remove more than 70% of the total &quot;branching system&quot; of your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My way to do it is to carefully look at the tree all along the winter, and decide its shape. Then when time comes, remove the branches I've selected. Usually I don't remove more than 3 &quot;big&quot; branches. If I don't remove all the one I wanted this year, I'll remove it the next.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Very important is &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;the way you cut&lt;/strong&gt;: use sharp, clean tools, and cut close enough to the remaining wood, otherwise you'll get issues like &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23346/what-is-causing-this-damage-on-my-apple-tree&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;the time of the year you do it&lt;/strong&gt;: right before the beginning of spring&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the remaining branches: &lt;strong&gt;You really need to let the branches of your apple tree grow&lt;/strong&gt;. Most of the branches you'll keep, you don't have to cut at all. Let them be, until you decide to remove it for the most part, to let surrounding branches grow more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2017-01-30T08:00:36.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30650" CreationDate="2017-01-30T08:57:25.220" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gardeners are very utilitarian people. We like to see a good return for the effort expended, and we look after our needs before our wants. The staples such as beans and potatoes and corn produce well for moderate effort. Other crops such as asparagus and Jerusalem artichoke produce special benefits but require more effort in comparison to the benefit gained, so we often give them a special place in the garden where they can be a nuisance amongst themselves and not our regular crops. Anybody still growing horse radish?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My Hortus Third identifies Kamchatka Lily as &lt;em&gt;Fritillaria camschatcensis&lt;/em&gt;, and this could imply a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I think the fritillaries are somewhat overpoweringly negatively aromatic. Like horse radish, it is nice if someone else grows and prepares it so that I am spared the tears and anguish of preparation. Would a supermarket be keen to have such bulbs on the shelves, I wonder? Great in jars, I am sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-01-30T08:57:25.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30650" CreationDate="2017-01-30T13:08:50.637" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree that Kamchatka lily is Fritillaria camschatcensis - assuming that's the plant you mean, it requires acid, humus rich soil that is well drained but never dries out, and relatively shady conditions. These are not conditions which most vegetables appreciate, so its not a likely candidate for inclusion in the average vegetable plot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-01-30T15:55:58.027" LastActivityDate="2017-01-30T15:55:58.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30655" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22591" CreationDate="2017-01-30T21:12:24.760" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apple seeds need to be stratified so that they sprout in the correct season.  Your best bet would be to store clean seeds in the fridge &lt;strong&gt;during winter&lt;/strong&gt;, and then remove them in spring so that they germinate in the correct season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The accepted answer above that you have a 1/30,000 chance of getting an edible apple is likely incorrect.  When the first apple breeding programs started in the 1890s, a high percentage of the crosses produced edible apples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Here is an interesting piece of history.  At the Geneva agricultural research station in 1898 and 1899 an experiment in the growing of new apples from intentional crosses was made.  The experimenters claimed that up until this time, theirs was an altogether novel idea.  The selecting of seeds from good apples was commonly practiced, but hand pollinating the flowers to cross two specific apples was, if we are to believe the authors, nearly unheard of.  The operators grew what by modern breeding standards was a measly 148 seedlings of intentional cross pollinations using 10 different varieties of apples as the parents.  Of those 148 seedlings, 125 survived and at the publication of  their report “An Experiment in Apple Breeding” in 1911,  just 106 of those seedlings had fruited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and ...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Most of those first apples selected at Geneva in their probably overly generous enthusiasm are basically unknown today, with Cortland having notably stood the test of time.  It is encouraging though that the apples they came up with in such a small lot were not just plain bad, but about 1/4 of them considered worth naming or at least considering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may be that the criteria in use today to decide what is worth developing further depends on aspects other than edibility such as looks, shelf life, disease resistance etc, and it may that these factors are what leads to the rare tree.  So, hopefully, we can do better than the 1890s and get a higher rate than 25%.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://turkeysong.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/apple-breeding-part-1-everyone-knows-you-cant-do-it-right/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-01-30T21:18:47.510" LastActivityDate="2017-01-30T21:18:47.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30656" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30623" CreationDate="2017-01-30T23:06:51.273" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/mauisoil/a_comp03.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt; has the best explanation that I've come across so far. As you can see in the image in the question, a hanging planter is able to grow plants with soil that is sitting inside a basket lined with coconut coir.  The coir has large spaces even smaller than those formed by pebbles at the bottom of a pot, but the water is not gushing out of the soil and falling to the ground. This is because soil exhibits capillarity which prevents water from falling under the influence of gravity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wlbZW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wlbZW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Figure 3. Capillary rise in tubes of varied widths. This picture demonstrates the phenomenon of capillary rise. As you can see, the liquid rises to the greatest height in the narrowest tube (at far right), whereas capillary rise is lowest in the widest tube (at far left). Although easily demonstrated by simple experiments using tubes, capillary action occurs in soils. Smaller pores that exist in finely-textured soils have a greater capacity to hold and retain water than coarser soils with larger pores. &#xA;Source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wtamu.edu/~crobinson/SoilWater/capillar.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.wtamu.edu/~crobinson/SoilWater/capillar.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, when you have pebbles or other materials with a pore size which either exhibits a pore size greater than the one above it or a pore size so great it does not exhibit capillarity, then water is retained in the soil with the higher capillarity.  And this explains why perched water tables form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thus the main result of putting large materials at the bottom of a pot is to reduce the amount of space available for potting soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/imDmL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/imDmL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-30T23:06:51.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30657" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30636" CreationDate="2017-01-31T08:09:23.353" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't really know for crab apples, but I can tell you my experience with germinating regular apples (not necessarily on purpose).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I've found that if the ground is bare (has no grass, weeds, or anything on it), and if I squash the fallen apples on the ground, the next year I tend to get a lot of apple tree seedlings growing. If there's a lawn or anything like that, I wouldn't count on it (we had a lawn for years with few if any trees ever germinating in it, but now that we don't have a lawn there anymore, they germinate like weeds, especially Northern Catalpa, Lombardy Poplar, and Siberian Elm, but also apple and maybe other stuff). Trees like to germinate in bare soil, in my experience (not just apple trees). I don't know that I ever had seedlings from apples that I didn't squish (but it's possible; we usually picked most of the non-squished ones up).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I didn't plant the apples at all. I just squished them flat on compact, almost clay-type soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We do get cold winters (which may or may not be necessary for germination).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't be surprised if grass needs to be absent for a number of years. It seems like the trees didn't start germinating in large numbers until we went a few years with no lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're wondering why I would squish apples (and I'm not recommending people squish them), it's so they would decompose faster, and so the nutrients would go back into the soil. We've had a lot of apples drop before they were ripe, probably for various reasons (drought, no mulch, old tree, perhaps a lack of thinning, severe, chronic spider mite infestation, maybe disease, and maybe other stuff).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't believe I've ever had seedlings grow from planting entire apples. I only recall burying apples once (but not to try to germinate them); none sprouted. Nevertheless, I probably buried them too deeply for germination, and in soil that dries out very easily (not much grows in there, other than catnip in the spring).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your crab apples probably don't have the genetics to breed true-to-type from seed, and they'll likely also be cross-pollinated, if they're like regular apples (if other apple or crab apple trees are near). But, you can certainly grow trees from seed, if they're like regular apples (I know they can pollinate regular apples).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-01-31T08:19:30.420" LastActivityDate="2017-01-31T08:19:30.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30659" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-31T15:10:41.473" Score="6" ViewCount="2665" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a question and couldn't find the answer on here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have apple trees I've been struggling with for a few years now, between deer, caterpillars, and other things. I've got recommended fertilizer rates and times of the year, depending on their age, from the growers I purchased the trees from.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question I have is about fertilizing them I have mulch down. I've had some people recommend pulling mulch back, fertilizing evenly, and putting the mulch back in place. I've heard others say you can put it in a ring around the outside of the mulch and it'll seep in to the roots. I've also heard that you can scatter it right on top of the mulch and it'll be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to know which of these is correct or if all of them are. My inclination is to say that I just add the fertilizer to the top of the mulch and water it right after. I feel like it'll travel right through the mulch to the roots, just like rain water does. I think pulling the mulch back would potentially disturb roots and I think that putting a ring of fertilizer around the perimeter of the mulch might burn something. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, this is just a regular balance granular fertilizer. I don't think it's slow release. The mulch is wood chips, 3-4 inches deep and 6 inches around the tree base. The recommend fertilizing (3) times a year at the end of March, beginning of June, and the end of August here in SC. I think it's something like a half pound for every year old it is, not to exceed a certain number of pounds. I'm pulling that number out of my hat, though. I have it written down somewhere, I just wanted to give you an example of how I'm doing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2017-01-31T16:09:53.117" LastActivityDate="2017-01-31T21:28:32.717" Title="Fertilizing Over Mulch (Specifically Apple Trees)" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30661" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30659" CreationDate="2017-01-31T16:26:54.640" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've said its wood chip mulch - if that's fresh wood chips, it will be stealing nitrogen as it decomposes. The fertilizer, if its granular, probably takes around six weeks to break down, releasing nutrients gradually as it does so. Were they my trees, I'm afraid I'd rake off the mulch, gently -  if you find root material penetrating the mulch, then you'll have to stop, but assuming you don't, rake it off, apply the fertilizer, then immediately reapply the mulch over the top. No need to turn or dig the fertilizer in if you put the mulch back. Alternatively, I'd choose a liquid feed, applied over the mulch, more often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could choose to simply rake off the outer ring of mulch, apply the feed there, and then replace that, but I'd still choose the most difficult method, sorry! Others will probably have different ideas...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-01-31T21:28:32.717" LastActivityDate="2017-01-31T21:28:32.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30662" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-01-31T16:39:17.150" Score="3" ViewCount="435" Body="&lt;p&gt;My hibiscus has white stuff around the buds. The green leaves are small and shriveled and the buds dry and fall off before they even open. How do I correct this and stop it from going to my other plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16619" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2017-02-09T01:11:21.793" LastActivityDate="2017-02-09T07:54:02.290" Title="Why is my hibiscus shriveling, losing buds, and having other problems?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;hibiscus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30663" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30667" CreationDate="2017-01-31T17:29:55.060" Score="7" ViewCount="142" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last valentines day I got a bunch of flowers, and I threw everything away as they died, but this kind of foliage, stayed alive and well for about 10 months (a few of the branches still look ok almost a year later). That alone is curious, but the leaves have a strange thing on the bottom of the leaves. I am not sure if it is a plantlet or a flower, or what it is! On the one that is still alive, it looks more like a plantlet, but they don't come off easily and this one that was more dried out looks more like a staminate flower, or (maybe) a pollen cone. I would like to know something about the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0ikby.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0ikby.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mystery plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-02-01T00:27:07.207" LastActivityDate="2017-02-01T00:27:07.207" Title="What is this plant (cut foliage)?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30664" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23473" CreationDate="2017-01-31T20:31:34.757" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are two trees that look very similar, on is the dawn redwood and the other is the bald cypress, both trees are deciduous conifers.&#xA;the main difference is the growth habit is slightly different, here is a video with more info...&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIlu0I3Pulw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIlu0I3Pulw&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;in short, yours has alternate needles and branches (it looks like to me) and slightly less rounded cones, I think you have a Bald Cypress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="1158" LastEditDate="2017-02-01T13:54:13.357" LastActivityDate="2017-02-01T13:54:13.357" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30665" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30659" CreationDate="2017-01-31T21:02:50.973" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you've noted there are differing opinions on this subject from reputable sources which likely means that all methods work, though one would think that direct mixing into the soil would be the most effective.  Some people also advocate making drills into the soil and placing the fertiliser at equidistances along the drip line.  If you have an orchard of trees, then it's likely you're not going to bother pulling back any mulch as it may be too time-consuming.  Some fertilisers say that if you're going to apply it over a thick layer of mulch, then you need to double the amount applied.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wood based mulches placed on the surface of the soil don't take up significant amounts of soil nitrogen.  Their decomposition is primarily by fungi whereas nitrogen drives bacterial decomposition.  But if you mix that mulch into the soil it will tie up some nitrogen presumably as the decomposition elements change until the process is complete when it's released back into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's thought that soil fungi can form a bridge with their hyphae to reach the surface mulch and transfer small amounts of surface nitrogen to those parts of themselves feeding on the mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-01-31T21:02:50.973" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30667" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30663" CreationDate="2017-01-31T22:27:20.447" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;So far as I'm aware, this type of foliage is from one of the Ruscus varieties - not sure what variety this one might be though, because the flowers and berries (if it produces berries) appear in the centre of the 'leaves' (which are actually cladodes rather than true leaves), but more usually on the upper side rather than underneath, see image below&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantsystematics.org/imgs/robbin/r/Ruscaceae_Ruscus_microglossus_15691.html&quot;&gt;http://www.plantsystematics.org/imgs/robbin/r/Ruscaceae_Ruscus_microglossus_15691.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are about 8 varieties of Ruscus and its often commonly known as Butcher's Broom, very popular with florists. Its a relatively small, hardy shrub which prefers damp soil and does well in shady conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Got it, its Ruscus colchicus, which does produce its flowers in the middle of the underside of the 'leaf', see here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/Botanic/Plant.aspx?p=27&amp;amp;ix=10&amp;amp;pid=0&amp;amp;prcid=0&amp;amp;ppid=0&quot;&gt;http://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/Botanic/Plant.aspx?p=27&amp;amp;ix=10&amp;amp;pid=0&amp;amp;prcid=0&amp;amp;ppid=0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-01-31T22:43:08.513" LastActivityDate="2017-01-31T22:43:08.513" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30669" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9468" CreationDate="2017-01-31T23:58:00.367" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Several of the answers here are incorrect.  Green plastic absorbs green light or reflects it which is why it appears green.  Green is chosen because if you want to reduce the light intensity to the inside of the greenhouse, you use green because it's not used by the plants to any significant degree. The filtering is not perfect which is why you might still see some green on the other side of the plastic, or it could be that some white light is being reflected off another surface onto the plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a little plastic greenhouse but the green is just green stripes running through clear plastic.  However, at a distance, it looks green, and the same as in the image posted with the question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-02-01T01:58:47.220" LastActivityDate="2017-02-01T01:58:47.220" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30670" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30672" CreationDate="2017-02-01T06:22:59.583" Score="4" ViewCount="166" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to grow and harvest curly parsley, and also have them produce seeds for the next harvest. I found plenty of information on growing curly parsley but nothing on flowering, pollinating, or harvesting seeds. So I have some questions about that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How should parsley be grown to produce seeds? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the timeline from seed to seed? Eg time from planting to germination to flowering to seed harvest?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How many seeds can a single seed/plant be expected to produce?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can a single plant be harvested for both garnish and seeds, or is it mutually exclusive?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I am also considering growing them indoors with hydroponics to produce year-round, maximise yield and perhaps speed up cycles - how could the natural cycle (eg seasons) be simulated? Ie how does parsley determine when to move to the next stage? Type of light? Strength of light? Number of hours of light per day?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11529" LastEditorUserId="11529" LastEditDate="2017-02-01T11:54:11.593" LastActivityDate="2017-02-01T15:08:18.643" Title="How to make curly parsley produce seeds?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;parsley&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30671" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30670" CreationDate="2017-02-01T08:43:18.317" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Parsley, like many garden vegetable, are biennial plants, so one year they will produce the &lt;em&gt;green&lt;/em&gt; and the second year they will produce flowers and seed (usually greens in second year are not so tasty).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, stop cutting parsley in fall, and lets it to feel winter (but not so much, I think it is good to shelter it, so you can still harvest the plant to be discarded in second spring).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Parsley has very tiny seeds, so it is somehow difficult to harvest them, so just cut normally the branches, and let the seed to fall in a box. The next (early) springs, you can pant them. It has very slow germination time, and ants and birds will try to eat them (especially in early spring), so shelter them somehow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So one year for the green, one for the seed. I would keep less than 1/4 (maybe around 1/8) of surface for next year for the seeds. Note, after taking the seeds, you can still plant some late summer/early fall vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I never seed them on purpose, but plants on pots are easier to manage (for two years, without taking much space, and BTW the first year the pot could be placed very near the kitchen).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-02-01T08:43:18.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30672" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30670" CreationDate="2017-02-01T09:13:26.207" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Parsley is an umbellifer and a biennial. This says that the flowers are produced in umbrella-like clusters and its growth takes two years to complete; in the first year it focuses on growing a solid tap root, and in the second sends up a flowering stalk, flowers, and sets seed. I have much experience growing caraway, also a biennial umbellifer, for seed in Canada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sow the seeds as you would for carrots, thin out nicely, and since you want a a big solid tap root cut the foliage sparingly. If the tap root is too small it won't have enough resources to produce seed. At the end of the first year just leave the root in the ground but mark the location since in a hard winter the tops will die down and might be difficult to see in dark ground. Watch for green shoots in the following spring and be prepared for a tall plant. It will send up one or many hollow stalks and produce flowers at the tips of those stalks. The stalks are subject to wind damage, so you might want to stake them to keep your seeds out of the dirt. Harvest the ripe seeds when about three quarters of them shatter out nicely from a picked head. There should not be many pests and there should be a large amount of seed, so not really any need for action unless you see extensive damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just a note of caution about parsnip, also a biennial umbellifer: harvesting seeds by hand is a bad idea since this plant produces a toxic substance that is harmful to skin. See the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cbif.gc.ca/eng/species-bank/canadian-poisonous-plants-information-system/all-plants-common-name/wild-parsnip/?id=1370403267249&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;entry in the Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility&lt;/a&gt;. Parsley is not mentioned in the list, however, and the seeds of parsnip and parsley are quite different once you see them together but the habit of producing seed is similar so there is potential for confusion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hydroponic parsley: grows well in hydroponics, however will grow vigorously and if left in the pot too long will be very hard to remove without breaking your setup. Get your return, then get it out while still manageable. Seed from parsley in a hydroponic setup? Hmmm, might be very hard to manage, and might very well be incompatible with a freeze/long night period. Hydroponics is not set up to go through any kind of winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="15063" LastEditDate="2017-02-01T15:08:18.643" LastActivityDate="2017-02-01T15:08:18.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30673" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16334" CreationDate="2017-02-01T13:13:27.807" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like an orchid to me as well. not a very healthy one. The leaves should be firm and stand up. Google care of orchids. I  believe by the looks of it that its not too far gone that it can't recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16624" LastActivityDate="2017-02-01T13:13:27.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30674" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-01T15:39:44.227" Score="5" ViewCount="2521" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an indoor Croton. It keeps growing vertically. Is it possible to trim to encourage horizontal bushier growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9gW8o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9gW8o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11387" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T08:45:45.733" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T08:45:45.733" Title="Trimming indoor Croton" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="30675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30674" CreationDate="2017-02-01T16:09:30.653" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can remove up to a third of the length of that stem, but I'm afraid, given its situation, it's unlikely to improve the situation much, because its not receiving enough bright light/sunlight all over. It really needs complete exposure, that is, the whole plant from top to bottom needs to be in bright light, and yours isn't, which is likely why it's grown in such a manner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can still try removing up to a third and see what happens, but really, it needs to be sat on a table or something to raise it up in front of the window - it will also do best in a southfacing window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-05T19:05:17.890" LastActivityDate="2017-02-05T19:05:17.890" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30677" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-02T02:14:08.223" Score="5" ViewCount="1109" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been reading about the lucky bamboo on google, and I have one that hasn't had water for over 2 months. I was wondering whether it will survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've uploaded a picture.&#xA;I think only 1 of them has a bit of green leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qGb3N.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qGb3N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16626" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-02T20:55:24.487" LastActivityDate="2019-01-15T19:44:34.373" Title="Will my mostly brown lucky bamboo survive?" Tags="&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30678" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30677" CreationDate="2017-02-02T04:43:03.157" Score="10" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Efficient - toss it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nostalgia or other emotional attachment - water it and see what&#xA;happens.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's mostly dead. Whether it's all dead or not would be ignored by the efficient approach, investigated by the other approach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't fertilize it. Just water it. Fertilizer is not helpful to plants that are not actively growing, and would do more harm than good when reviving a near-dead but perhaps just a &lt;em&gt;tiny bit dormant&lt;/em&gt; plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you water it and it stays dead for another month, toss it anyway, it was all dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-02-02T04:43:03.157" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30680" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30681" CreationDate="2017-02-02T08:44:55.853" Score="11" ViewCount="185" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any idea what plant this is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got it but it was missing its tag. I looked it up and thought it resembled a flower called Kalanchoe, but of course I cannot be certain at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I have a second opinion?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/63uTN.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/63uTN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Visual reference&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16629" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-05T19:11:17.133" LastActivityDate="2017-02-05T19:11:17.133" Title="What is the name of this red flower? And how do I care for it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30681" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30680" CreationDate="2017-02-02T09:46:43.653" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's &lt;em&gt;Kalanchoe blossfeldiana&lt;/em&gt;. It's a succulent native to Madagascar. They are pretty undemanding houseplants, but need good light and mustn't be over-watered: allow the soil to dry fully between watering and do not leave it sitting in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-02-02T09:46:43.653" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30683" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4863" CreationDate="2017-02-03T08:21:06.537" Score="2" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Apple to apple can work and is largely dependent on the relative vigour of the varieties in question and where/how you graft them. If you were to graft Cox's Orange Pippin onto Bramley's Seedling (a very vigorous cultivar) then the Cox would likely fail as an remaining Bramley shoots would outcompete them. With &quot;family trees&quot; of any description, care must be taken to select varieties of similar vigour - if one is more vigorous it will grow faster, assert dominance and the other varieties will fail. In practice, most &quot;family trees&quot; will lose all but one cultivar unless carefully managed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Quince would not take on apple - like pears they are more closely related to &lt;em&gt;Sorbus&lt;/em&gt;. Even compatibility was overcome initially, the apple would out-compete the quince long-term.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apple on quince is likely to face similar issues. Quinces are far less vigorous than apples or pears (pears being the most vigorous), so were the graft to work then it would be very dwarfing. Apple rootstocks tend to be based upon old, non-vigorous apple cultivars (most of the Malling series). Crab-apple rootstocks as mentioned in another answer will vary in vigour greatly - some &lt;em&gt;Malus&lt;/em&gt; species are very vigorous, others less so. Apple growers want trees of consistent vigour hence the use of non-seedling rootstocks.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you are careful and clean then it is likely to work. Grafting the same cultivar to rejuvenate an old tree is an interesting idea. Certainly in bonsai, grafting and budding are used to establish new branches into old wood. However, if a fruit tree lacks vigour it is likely that the roots are the limiting factor - trees on dwarfing rootstocks place a heavy strain on their roots and tend to be shorter lived than those on their own roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whip &amp;amp; tongue is done during the dormant season for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the tree has pulled most of its reserves away from the periphery and so are available to the graft when growth resumes. Secondly, sap entering the joint of the graft can block the flow of nutrients to the scion and the rootstock will heal behind the union resulting in failure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;T-budding is less invasive and so sap in the union is less important. It tends to be done later for economic reasons - it gives a second chance to work a rootstock if a whip and tongue fails or the opportunity to double-work: grafting an interstem by whip and tongue followed by a budding a cultivar all in the same year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-02-03T08:21:06.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30684" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4550" CreationDate="2017-02-03T08:34:20.233" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Espaliering tends to be used for trees less vigorous than cherries such as apples. Cherries tend to be fan trained.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually you would start with a maiden or whip, which would be substantially thinner than the tree you describe. You will need something to train the branches on, horizontal wires are traditional but your mesh would do. Fan training properly is somewhat involved, but easy than an espalier. Notes there is a difference between simply planting a tree against a fence and keeping it trimmed back and properly training it: the former simply controls the space it uses and may result in poor fruiting, the latter aims to control vigour and increase fruiting. The following from the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=626&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;RHS&lt;/a&gt; describes the intial training:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Starting with an unfeathered maiden or whip (a one-year-old tree with no branches)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In spring, cut back the main stem to about 40cm (15in), leaving three strong buds&#xA;     In summer, erect two canes at 45 degree angles and tie in two of the branches that should develop from the buds to form the ‘arms’ (one either side). Remove any other shoots if they develop from the trunk&#xA;     In the second spring, reduce the ‘arms’ by two-thirds to an upward-facing bud. Again, remove any other growth from the trunk&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Starting with a feathered maiden (a one-year-old-tree with some branches) or untrained two-year-old tree&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In spring, cut back the main stem to about 40cm (15in) to two &gt;well-placed branches to form the main ‘arms’&#xA;     Erect two canes at 45 degrees and tie the two branches into them&#xA;     Now reduce each ‘arm’ by two-thirds to an upward-facing bud&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Starting with a part-trained tree (commonly sold in garden centres, trained against a structure of canes)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Part-trained trees will need their vertical, leading shoot removed; cut right down to strong, low, 45-degree-angled branches or ‘arms’. Leaving the leader will result in a congested bush, not a fan&#xA;     Now reduce all the ‘arms’ by two-thirds, if they are weak, less if they are strong and already branching&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;You should now have a short, balanced tree with two strong ‘arms’ (or possibly more in the case of a part-trained tree). Now follow these instructions to produce a fan:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In summer, choose four shoots from each ‘arm’: one at the tip to extend the existing ‘arm’, two spaced equally on the upper side and one on the lower side. Tie them in at about 30 degrees to the main ‘arm’ so they are evenly spaced apart (using canes attached to the wires if necessary)&#xA;     Rub out any shoots growing towards the wall and pinch back any others to one leaf&#xA;     In the following spring, cut back each of the four branches on each side by one third, cutting to an upward-facing bud if possible&#xA;     During the growing season, tie re-growth from the tips of these branches into the framework to extend the main branches&#xA;     Any side-shoots that develop where there is space within the framework can be tied in&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Future pruning of established fans varies according to the species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-02-03T08:34:20.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30685" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-03T11:41:22.783" Score="8" ViewCount="3571" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do all flora possess the capacity to be cloned or viably reproduced from their trimmings, offcuts, and so on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or is this trait exclusive to certain varieties; or specific (cultivars) taxa?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16095" LastActivityDate="2017-02-06T00:46:50.813" Title="Are all plants able to be cloned?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30685" CreationDate="2017-02-03T13:56:11.037" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The term you need is actually 'vegetatively propagated' rather than 'cloned'. The answer is, essentially, yes, by and large, almost all plants can be vegetatively propagated, though different parts of the plant may be used and the methods used will vary, along with the level of difficulty. Parts which can be used include leaves, stems, shoots, bulbs, rhizomes, stolons, buds and so on. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;'Clone' means an exact duplicate of the parent plant, but where plants are chimeric (variegated Sansevieria, for instance) leaf cuttings, whilst they certainly produce new plants, are very unlikely to be variegated, so the cuttings are not clones, though they are vegetatively propagated. Equally, if you took a cutting from a rose and grew it on, it would not be a clone of its parent unless you also took a cutting from the rootstock, grew that on, then grafted the rose cutting onto the cloned rootstock; only then would it actually be a clone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What varies is the degree of difficulty with vegetative propagation - plants without vascular cambium are harder to propagate, but each variety of plant may need different methods to get success, so if you want to propagate something, it's best to check out the particular plant and its recommended propagation beforehand. More reading on vegetative propagation generally here &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetative_reproduction&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetative_reproduction&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-06T00:46:50.813" LastActivityDate="2017-02-06T00:46:50.813" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30687" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30688" CreationDate="2017-02-03T17:49:26.480" Score="3" ViewCount="1627" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am considering adding several Windmill Palms to our pool area.  However, we have a very small back yard and minimal spacing within which to place these trees.  I know that palm roots are not woody and are therefor less likely to damage sidewalk or driveway, but that there are still limits to this freedom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the minimum recommended safe distance from the center of a Windmill Palm to the start of a driveway or sidewalk?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16635" LastActivityDate="2017-02-03T21:42:49.007" Title="How close to concrete can a windmill palm tree be planted?" Tags="&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30688" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30687" CreationDate="2017-02-03T20:28:40.597" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the point of view of retaining the integrity of any hard surfacing, as close as 3 feet should be fine. However, it would be better to make the distance more if you can because of the arching nature and length of the palm branches, which will extend up to 5 or 6 feet out from the trunk. Assuming you mean Trachycarpus fortunei when you say windmill palm, the stems on the leaves are toothed, and are not comfortable to bump into or scrape against when passing even when you're fully dressed, as I know to my cost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-03T21:42:49.007" LastActivityDate="2017-02-03T21:42:49.007" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30689" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-04T04:42:08.490" Score="7" ViewCount="3994" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there any plants or trees that can live directly on soil that has fresh chicken manure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7178" LastActivityDate="2017-02-08T22:27:55.717" Title="Plants that can live on raw chicken manure" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30690" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30689" CreationDate="2017-02-04T11:12:53.303" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;One suggestion might be &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elymus_repens&quot;&gt;Couch grass&lt;/a&gt;. I make this suggestion for the following reasons: applying &quot;hot&quot; materials to anything with a light fibrous root system will have an enormous effect on the root hairs and if severe enough will kill the plant. A similar &quot;hot&quot; material is wood ash or human liquid waste, both of which in undiluted form will kill many plants. The problem is the high acid or high alkaline nature or high salt of the material which will stop root hairs functioning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One solution might be a plant with a thick rhizomatous or tuber like root structure which can suffer the temporary effect of root hair death and have sufficient resources to put out more root hairs as the &quot;hot&quot; material is modified by soil bacteria into a form that the plant can use as food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One such candidate is couch grass if it is suitable for your soil. It can form a thick mat several inches deep and seems to persist with great vigour despite being roughly treated. While applying a thick layer of fresh manure might cause the top growth to slow due to lack of light, once the manure rots sufficiently to allow the light in leaves will grow again. It takes a couple of years to discourage couch grass with landscape fabric, and that is lots of time for manure to rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also consider &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias&quot;&gt;Milkweed&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseradish&quot;&gt;Horse Radish&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke&quot;&gt;Jerusalem Artichoke&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-02-04T11:12:53.303" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30691" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30692" CreationDate="2017-02-04T16:00:07.403" Score="5" ViewCount="2717" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had an orange tree (Valencia Orange) for roughly a year now, and it is currently a 30-something inches sapling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It so far was looking healthy, but in the past couple days, some new leaves it had been making appear to be drooping &lt;em&gt;(is wilting the right term? See picture below)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it because it needs more water? (I have it indoors, in my office, and winter in New York can be quite dry. The temperature itself is never too cold, as it's indoors; and for the past week or so I have started misting the leaves 2-3 times a day with a spray filled with plain water.) Or could it be a lack of nutrients, or something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1vV3A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1vV3A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jGW53.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jGW53.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14033" LastEditorUserId="14033" LastEditDate="2017-02-04T21:12:16.573" LastActivityDate="2018-10-05T05:36:27.750" Title="Drooping leaves on orange tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30692" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30691" CreationDate="2017-02-04T16:43:21.760" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming the soil in the pot isn't bone dry and you're watering as you have been doing during  the last year, the most likely cause of the new leaves drooping is exposure to chilly air. A window that is not fully shut with the catch is not properly closed and cold air can certainly seep through, particularly overnight when, presumably, the heating is not running, or is running at a much lower level. The new growth will be  more sensitive to cold than the older growth, so if the window was opened, however briefly, the cold blast will have affected that new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may also be that that the plant now requires a little more water, as its putting out new growth and is using up more because of active growth and transpiration. Equally, if its been in the same pot for longer than a year, its possible it now requires more root room, so a bigger pot might be called for - you can check by turning it out of its pot, carefully, to see if its rootbound. Otherwise, from what I can see of the growth, it seems healthy other than the new growth wilting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-02-04T16:43:21.760" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30693" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-04T19:32:10.957" Score="3" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts, Northeast United States, Zone 6.  The lowest temperature in our coldest months can go down to -10°F (-23°C), although it's usually a bit warmer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While reading an article about local shrubs, I found mention of a witch hazel bush. Apparently it thrives well under the same soil and weather conditions as lilacs, pussy willows, and forsythias, all of which I have. What intrigued me most was that these bloom in the fall and winter, long after everything else has gone by. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having never heard of one, I searched and found that the witch hazel genus, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch-hazel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hamamelis&lt;/a&gt;, includes a number of varieties, four of which are common in North America.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Out of those, Hamamelis virginiana seems to be my best option.  According to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=940&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Arbor Day Foundation&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a749&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Missouri Botanical Garden&lt;/a&gt;, it's native to Eastern United States, and hardy in Zones 3-8. It has yellow blooms from October through December. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd really love to have a flowering bush that late in the year. However, before getting one, I just want to make sure that it's likely to grow here, and that it actually does bloom in those months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, what is the proper way to spell that plant? I've seen it as witch hazel, witchhazel, and witch-hazel. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fRqWY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fRqWY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Eg3cr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Eg3cr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=940&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source of pictures.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T08:33:19.417" Title="Can I grow a fall-winter flowering witch hazel bush in Zone 6?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30694" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30693" CreationDate="2017-02-04T20:24:43.673" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Should be fine where you are, provided you don't plant it somewhere that dries out frequently. It likes reasonably moist, well drained soil, and tends to flower better in sun than shade. Flowering is variable between October and December - some years you might find it flowers just before leaf fall, and other years, after all the leaves have gone.  The flowers are more noticeable if all the leaves have already fallen, but as already stated, that's variable. More images, including a somewhat more realistic one of the plant in flower, along with further information for your area here  &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.stonegategardens.com/12130006/Plant/199/Common_Witchhazel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://plants.stonegategardens.com/12130006/Plant/199/Common_Witchhazel&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;The flowers are fragrant, but when the weather is very cold, you'll probably find you need to be really close to detect any aroma. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't matter how you spell witch hazel, it's only a common name anyway, so any spelling is acceptable, and likely varies from region to region and country to country.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless you specifically want a native plant, you might like to consider Heptacodium miconioides before making your choice; it has fragrant white flowers from late summer into fall, followed by deep pink seed capsules throughout fall, and has interesting bark too, see here &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.westonnurseries.com/12130019/Plant/1783/Seven-Son_Flower&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://plants.westonnurseries.com/12130019/Plant/1783/Seven-Son_Flower&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-05T01:24:33.700" LastActivityDate="2017-02-05T01:24:33.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30695" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30623" CreationDate="2017-02-04T23:56:57.647" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pros of rocks:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Disperses oxygen evenly to bottom of soil.&#xA;Air prunes roots evenly at the bottom.&#xA;Prevents a clog (sometimes fungal)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cons of rocks:&#xA;Less space for roots&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are rocks necessary?&#xA;If soil can leak out, yes, otherwise it's about the medium. (e.g. in a bark based medium there's no point, but in a medium meant to stay on the soggy side- maybe.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perched water tables:&#xA;Blown out of proportion. Growing in a semi-transparent container, you can see that the capillary action of peat and coir overcomes the physics of PWTs until well past when the plant needs watering.  If PWTs still concern you, though they shouldn't, you can leave a 1&quot; diameter area with no rocks and it will act as a gravity wick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally - mostly I use good terracotta (very porous) with just a single shard to prevent soil leaking. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a decorative pot (glazed/no air passage) I recommend a handful of lava rocks at the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Standard trade gallon containers have angled drainage holes on the bottom now for oxygen intake - else they'd still just have the little nubs and holes on the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the pictured container, ofc, they're not needed at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-02-04T23:56:57.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30697" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-05T04:01:09.093" Score="4" ViewCount="507" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a tangerine about 12 years old in a container.  It's outside in summer,  indoors in winter.  It has tons of flowers, buds and fruits all the time, but they're sour! What can I do to sweeten the fruit on the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Charlotte, North Carolina. It's no particular variety of tree, just seeds from a tasty snack that germinated. I heard wood ash could sweeten them but had no effect. The tree is very lush and smells heavenly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16644" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-02-06T21:17:49.483" LastActivityDate="2017-09-13T10:51:01.990" Title="Can I sweeten sour tangerines on the fruit tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30699" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30705" CreationDate="2017-02-05T05:53:42.523" Score="7" ViewCount="1161" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a cherry fruit tree that I left alone for 5 years. It's growing &quot;weird&quot; now that I need to seriously pay attention and prune.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first photo shows that the top two branches reaching up to like 10 feet high. They are both similar height and very thin on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/srBkB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/srBkB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second photo shows some problematic spots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n4DvT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n4DvT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should I prune this branch &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/srBkB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt; entirely? It's a bit smaller than the main branch?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The bottom &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n4DvT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt; has several branches pointing at different angles. What are the rules to prune here? Should I prune the ones that are pointing up sharply and leave the horizontal ones alone?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For all long branches like &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wnVPP.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;3&lt;/a&gt;, should I cut off the tips / terminals a bit so they are shorter? Right now they are like 3-4 feet long and thin like pencil size.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE 1&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Summary actions based on suggestions below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prune smaller competing leader to the collar&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prune sucker&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prune dead branch&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wnVPP.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wnVPP.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16645" LastEditorUserId="16645" LastEditDate="2017-02-05T19:45:27.260" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T08:44:57.807" Title="Cherry tree pruning problems" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30700" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30702" CreationDate="2017-02-05T07:03:26.223" Score="4" ViewCount="203" Body="&lt;p&gt;To make my yard more private, I want to mount a trellis or livestock panel on top of a fence, then grow climbing vines such as Distictus over them. Should I attempt to train the canes to reach 2M up without side growth, or would it be better to hang containers on the fence so growth can proceed directly onto the trellis? (If the latter, please provide clues what size containers would be appropriate.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16224" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T14:54:31.190" Title="How to grow climbing vines onto a trellis mounted 2 meters above ground?" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;&lt;fence&gt;&lt;privacy-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30701" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30674" CreationDate="2017-02-05T08:14:10.127" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd suggest an alternative option if you're feeling adventurous. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Worth keeping in mind, that the Croton is a durable plant in tropical climates, although can be less so in colder climates and therefore may require a greater level of care. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless, from the photo you've provided, I'd suggest your plant is healthy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As mentioned by @bamboo the timing is critical. Complete the process just before spring and before the period of the plant's annual growth spurt. If you want to be certain, look for the beginnings of new growth from lateral / axillary buds... see diagram from Wikipedia...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qZYYt.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qZYYt.png&quot; alt=&quot;image describing location of lateral buds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had success with much harder pruning, removing one half to two thirds of the primary trunk. I'd suggest you consider that for a couple of reasons. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Firstly it's going to encourage much stronger growth from remaining fewer lateral buds in springtime. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondly it's going to provide a greater amount of plant material for the adventurous part...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Adventurous Option&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Purchase a larger pot with a greater diameter across the top. Relocate the plant into this pot &lt;strong&gt;now&lt;/strong&gt; and make certain you provide it with some liquid tonic such as the seaweed emulsion type of products that are as much about maintaining healthy soil as they are about promoting plant growth. Don't overwater. Tonic every two weeks in summer to six or eight weeks in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Buy some rooting hormone liquid. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When it comes time to prune, consider using the piece of plant material left over from the pruning to &quot;strike&quot; new young plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the remaining piece of trunk, cut into sections such that each section has three to four pairs of leaves and pairs of lateral buds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From each piece, remove all but the top pair of leaves. Then cut those top leaves so that only one quarter the surface area remains - that is - cut each leaf so that only a quarter of the leaf remains. Scratch out the bottom pair of lateral buds (if three pairs, or bottom two pairs if four pairs). Scratch the bark down one side of stem from the lateral buds to the cut. Dip into rooting hormone liquid. Place each piece into a small pot with fine potting mix. Locate in a convenient spot, preferably with morning sun, so you see it every day and therefore remember to keep the soil moist. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The original top leaves may die and fall off, but be patient. Wait a few more weeks and if you're successful, you could strike another few plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they survive to a year old, you can plant them in with the parent plant! Then you'll have a much denser plant as the original plant will have branched out more, but then you'll also have additional plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Only if you're feeling adventurous. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck and happy growing :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16488" LastActivityDate="2017-02-05T08:14:10.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30702" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30700" CreationDate="2017-02-05T13:14:14.900" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's always best to plant any vigorous vines like Distictus in the ground - putting them in pots or containers will restrict their growth, and that's not an effect you want in these circumstances. Distictus buccinatoria reaches up to 4.5 metres, and will cling by itself to brick or stone; on wood, it might or might not cling, or it might need support. Ultimate height and spread at maturity around 10 x 25 metres, and there should be no need to train it as a single stem initially. Other vines may need different treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other thing that occurs to me is, a trellis or livestock panel mounted 2 metres above ground, when covered in growth, is vulnerable to wind damage - if you want privacy in that area, have you considered planting a row of small to medium sized trees instead, if the area is suitable? That would certainly give cover 2m above ground, and more quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-05T14:24:07.717" LastActivityDate="2017-02-05T14:24:07.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30697" CreationDate="2017-02-05T13:41:23.637" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems as if you're saying you grew your tangerine tree with a seed you saved and planted from a fruit you'd eaten. The thing about citrus trees is, they will grow from seeds gathered in this way, but you never know what the fruit's going to be like, or even if it will fruit. Yours obviously is fruiting very well, but unfortunately, the fruit is sour. You can't do anything to sweeten it, that's just what you happened to get from the seed you planted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be sure of getting tasty and edible fruits, most citrus are vegetatively propagated rather than grown from seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-02-05T13:41:23.637" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30704" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30274" CreationDate="2017-02-05T15:27:34.770" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;In a Mexican restaurant at S. Cooper on Park Row in Arlington, Texas I have seen aloe vera maintained for the past seven months without water in a glass vase filled with uncooked rice and a light sprinkling of cinnamon (for decoration?).  Supposedly, the rice absorbs humidity which supplies all required moisture. The plant is not increasing in size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16646" LastEditorUserId="16646" LastEditDate="2017-02-05T15:37:15.150" LastActivityDate="2017-02-05T15:37:15.150" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30705" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30699" CreationDate="2017-02-05T16:41:52.067" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;General pruning rule is to not cut more than 1/3 of healthy foliage bearing wood on an established tree or shrub. That crotch is too close to the ground, two feet? So one of your competing leaders has got to go. That'll take you up to about a third, so leave the rest of the low level mess (2 etc) for next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2017-02-05T16:41:52.067" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30697" CreationDate="2017-02-05T19:37:28.733" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aside from the coping mechanism I've made a comment about of sweetening off the tree in &quot;tangerine products&quot;, the only way to get sweet fruit off your tree is to graft a sweeter variety onto your tree - effectively using your tree as a rootstock and changing the variety of fruit (and thus its sweetness on the tree.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-02-05T19:37:28.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30707" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22495" CreationDate="2017-02-06T04:38:46.493" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably none of the agencies give your products organic documents, but yes you can do it. If you prepare fusion with organic stinging nettle and a few other kinds of green plants you can grow organic in aeroponics. The point is you should provide more than enough oxygen in fusion water continuously otherwise your nutritious water solution will be toxic and provide a rich environment for unwanted bacteria and yeast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16648" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-06T20:26:42.487" LastActivityDate="2017-02-06T20:26:42.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30708" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-06T06:04:43.563" Score="2" ViewCount="123" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm considering growing clumping bamboo for clothing; what type should I plant in order to make cloth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It hasn't been colder than -10&amp;deg;F in a few years (Minneapolis, Minnesota).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What types should I look into growing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-02-06T15:29:30.707" LastActivityDate="2017-02-06T15:30:11.587" Title="What bamboos are hardy in USDA zone 4A and can be used to make cloth?" Tags="&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30709" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30712" CreationDate="2017-02-06T08:37:15.437" Score="7" ViewCount="232" Body="&lt;p&gt;I originally cut some Opuntia pads I got from a seller into half and planted them in the centre of pots. Unfortunately, they seem to be growing on one side only and I fear they will get too heavy and tilt as time goes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please see image. Would it be better to cut at the base of the off-shoot and re-plant in the centre? I will wait till the two new pads on top grow to some extent, of course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or would it be better to just leave it as-is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w097N.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w097N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16650" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T03:18:07.423" Title="Centering Opuntia Cactus" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30710" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30709" CreationDate="2017-02-06T12:02:15.517" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lots of plants, especially cactus, grow to maximize light exposure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would leave it as it and change the pot orientation, maybe turn it 180°. It should help the existing part grow toward the center of your pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be such a shame to cut so healthy looking bud, provided its the only one on the plant. Anyway, you can cut if you want absolutely, but its likely to regrow in the same spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-02-06T12:02:15.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30711" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30708" CreationDate="2017-02-06T12:53:06.170" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Phyllostachys edulis, common name Moso bamboo, is the variety  used to make various fabrics. Unfortunately, its only hardy down to Zone 6, grows best in zone 7-9, needing a temperature above 5 &amp;deg;F as a minimum, so you can't grow it where you are. Turning bamboo into fabric likely isn't something you could do yourself anyway, but there's more information on that here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.contrado.co.uk/blog/bamboo-jersey-the-holy-grail-of-fabric-or-pandoras-box/&quot;&gt;https://www.contrado.co.uk/blog/bamboo-jersey-the-holy-grail-of-fabric-or-pandoras-box/&lt;/a&gt;. Having researched, I can't find any bamboo that will tolerate temperatures in Zone 4a, though there are some varieties of Phyllostachys which will manage in Zone 5.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-02-06T15:30:11.587" LastActivityDate="2017-02-06T15:30:11.587" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30709" CreationDate="2017-02-06T18:35:11.437" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think, from the sound of your request, that you'd be happier with a centered plant. Centering, however, will not prevent the plant from tilting and perhaps even falling from weight as it grows (a perfectly natural method of self-propagation for Opuntias), it will simply mean that you will have a more aesthetically pleasing looking potted display (in my opinion).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Simply grab some heavy duty leather gloves and gently cradle the plant (around its base) while inverting the pot. Gently tap on the bottom (or have someone else do it), until it all slides out. All this might not even be necessary considering how shallow and unsubstantial the roots of the new plant probably are. You might simply be able to take a trowel around it to a sufficient depth the remove it completely intact. Just be sure to use those gloves!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Carefully break away any excess soil and gently position and replant the cactus into a more desirable pot/location/rotation using, of course, a suitable, quick-draining medium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, leave it as-is. Too much bother to cut, callous and wait yet again for it to establish new roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/COkVT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/COkVT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2017-02-07T03:18:07.423" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T03:18:07.423" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30713" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22495" CreationDate="2017-02-06T20:59:52.657" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are looking for a *ponic solution that is organic, aquaponics fits the bill well.  It is soil-less growing but has completely organic components.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You feed your plants via the fish waste, and you can feed the fish duckweed if you feel that you can't feed your fish pellets or machined food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14024" LastActivityDate="2017-02-06T20:59:52.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30714" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30715" CreationDate="2017-02-06T23:04:21.863" Score="6" ViewCount="271" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm new to composting, and about a week ago added cardboard packaging from freezer food (like an Eggo waffles box) - I shredded it up and mixed it into my compost bin. I've since learned that these boxes usually have a plastic coating to protect them from moisture and freezer burn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How bad will this be for my compost, and is there anything that I can do about it short of handpicking each piece from the compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16654" LastActivityDate="2017-02-06T23:25:10.617" Title="Accidentally added plastic to compost" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30714" CreationDate="2017-02-06T23:19:37.990" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't worry about it - when you use the compost, if you see any bits of plastic, I'd pick them out, but it's not going to make your compost toxic or prevent the composting process from taking place, nor is it going to poison anything you use the compost for. I probably don't need to say, though, it would be best not to do it again!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-02-06T23:19:37.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30716" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30714" CreationDate="2017-02-06T23:25:10.617" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am relatively new like you to composting and end up putting things in the compost accidentally.  Once in a while when you are turning the pile or removing the compost, you will notice these things and I generally just take it out.  I don't believe it harms the process or the output so nothing to worry about.  Another tip I learned the hard way is to not put steps and twigs without shredding.  They take a long time to decompose and get in the way of being able to easily turn the pile.   Good luck with composting.  You are doing a great thing for the environment!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-02-06T23:25:10.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30689" CreationDate="2017-02-07T08:25:02.720" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think many plants can live with much manure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chicken manure is a very good manure. I think it is better then horses' one), and it is used for vegetable garden. If you have foxes and other chicken killer animals, I recommend you to dig it, not to attract them (and they will dig in your vegetable garden to look for rest of chicken).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes like them particularly. (But now I don't remember anymore what other plants prefer it from other manures).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T08:25:02.720" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30718" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30693" CreationDate="2017-02-07T08:33:19.417" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As general way to get an answer (but not really an answer).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Botanical gardens or some good public gardens can give you a lot of ideas. Usually they have also some flowers for winter, and usually also a some local flowers, so you can check and see what are the most beautiful ones, which can grow in your garden.&#xA;Additionally, you can ask the gardeners for help and tricks. Note: because winter has very low public, the botanical garden employees are much more welcoming (and less stressed to vandalism (uncontrolled collection of the best flowers). On working days it is also much better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T08:33:19.417" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30719" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30699" CreationDate="2017-02-07T08:44:57.807" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Contrary to most garden trees, cherry trees growth very well (often too much well), as you can see also from your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on what do you want, you have several variants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems that the plant was already cut to form branches: 1, and the other two who starts just below of branch &quot;1&quot;, So I would cut also the main branch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then I will cut the three branches (and sub-branches) at the height similar to the tag &quot;1&quot; and &quot;3&quot;. Better if branch &quot;1&quot; is cur lower then other, so that other could catch up &quot;1&quot;. Cut also the bottom branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you will have a trunk, three parallel branches and it seems also some sub-branches (as it seems already done in &quot;1&quot;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to go differently, you can keep only the main branch and cut all other, and cut the main branch at 1.5m to 2m (or more in height, but than you need a higher ladder to catch cherries).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T08:44:57.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30720" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30689" CreationDate="2017-02-07T09:00:28.327" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's important to consider why a plant might not grow in it, and then think of plants that could. Looking at another answer, the word &quot;hot&quot; is particularly unhelpful. Assuming the wood ash is not still hot from the fire, its damaging effects are due to the extremely high pH being slightly caustic and destroying root hairs. In terms of manures, there are two reasons why they might damage a plant. Firstly, when actively composting microbial action can generate high temperatures which literally cook plant materials. This can be avoided by waiting until temperatures have cooled or by spreading the material thinly to help it cool. The second way in which they can damage plants is through nitrogen scorching which has nothing to with temperature but is to do with high concentrations of solutes outside of roots limiting uptake of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fresh chicken manure is particularly rich and so high temperatures can be generated during composting (&gt;60 degrees C). No plant is able to resist prolonged exposure to these temperatures, and hot composting is used to ensure that the resulting material is free from viable weed seeds and roots. If the heap is hot, it might be possible to mound over it with topsoil (depth &gt; 6&quot;/150mm) and so long as soil temperatures are kept in a reasonable range (&amp;lt;35 degrees C) this can make an ideal spot for growing crops such as cucurbits, which benefit from the warmth and supply of nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nitrogen scorch is also likely to be a problem - again mounding over with topsoil would help as will ensuring plants are adequately watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is not important to use it, you could see which plants colonise it and at what stage the manure is at. This will tell you a lot about the plants growing locally to you. In the UK, &lt;em&gt;Elymus repens&lt;/em&gt; may well be one of them, but I've seen &lt;em&gt;Rumex&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Urtica&lt;/em&gt; species get in on the act pretty quickly as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T09:00:28.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30722" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22495" CreationDate="2017-02-07T14:29:01.747" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it depends on your definition of organic - different agencies have different definitions. Some even allow the use of some inorganic (as in a chemist's definition of inorganic) salts. Is it natural no, that's not how the plants grow naturally, but then vegetable plots are not natural habitats and most vegetables are highly cultivated and cannot be considered natural. Can you use plant or animal derived nutrients like you can in the garden, yes. Can it be considered ecologically sound, depending on set up, yes, aquaponic systems could be considered particularly low-impact. My opinion, as no definitive answer is possible, is that they can be &quot;organic&quot; whatever that means. As an occasional chemist, the word irritates me - to a chemist all plants are organic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T14:29:01.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30723" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30700" CreationDate="2017-02-07T14:54:31.190" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Either build a support structure, or let it do it's thing.  Do NOT build a temporary support for it. The main stalks can grow to 3&quot; or greater in diameter when supported from the ground, and you'll want it self-trained to cling if that's the eventual goal. Otherwise, it will end up leveraging on the fence-top trellis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hellvine (which is what Trumpet Creeper is called by anyone who has tried to eradicate it) is a great plant-and-forget vine. It has a lot of adaptability built-in to its genes, it's hardy, and invasive (on a native level).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendation is plant it, and every month or so, inspect it to see if there are any shoots you can cut off and stick in the ground in new locations to fill out the coverage.  It'll learn to cling eventually - it's very self-competitive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T14:54:31.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30724" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-07T21:20:34.697" Score="6" ViewCount="974" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a really old Apple tree in the yard that seems to only produce every other year. (Anybody know what's up with that?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The woodpeckers have done such a number on the trunk's bark, that it looks like a sieve. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How do I keep the woodpeckers away?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should I treat the bark with something like tar to fill in the holes? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming there are some sort of bugs or something under the bark that the woodpeckers like. Is there some sort of pesticide or something I should spray on the trunk?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16661" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-02-07T22:33:01.490" LastActivityDate="2020-03-16T20:48:17.127" Title="How do I stop woodpeckers from killing my beloved apple tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30725" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30514" CreationDate="2017-02-07T22:38:37.160" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I should read the question more clearly:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes there is lucky bamboo (see below) and pothos, &lt;em&gt;Epipremnum aureum&lt;/em&gt;. The other species that is just too out of focus to get a fix on the ID, but could be an actual bamboo. Whilst there are some aquatic and marginal bamboos, that is certainly not true of all of them and given the presence of pothos which is most certainly not aquatic I would suggest that the bamboo is likely to be a readily available form for flower arranging which is what this is (plus fish). Long term I can't see this working.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Original Answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;em&gt;Dracaena braunii&lt;/em&gt; (syn. &lt;em&gt;Dracaena sanderiana&lt;/em&gt;), commonly called &quot;Lucky Bamboo&quot;. It is not a bamboo or even remotely related (it is more closely related to &lt;em&gt;Sansevieria&lt;/em&gt; or Mother-in-law's Tongue). It is not aquatic or even semi-aquatic and will ultimately die if submerged, although it will put up with this abuse for a long period of time. If fertilised, the water not too deep and a significant proportion of the plant out of the water it is possible to keep them growing in water without soil. The guppies are probably providing the nutrients to keep it going - please don't add fertiliser with the fish still there as it will kill the fish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastEditorUserId="16580" LastEditDate="2017-02-07T22:46:31.917" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T22:46:31.917" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30726" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-07T22:46:24.327" Score="3" ViewCount="109" Body="&lt;p&gt;I love fuchsias and am wintering one over indoors for the first time. It's doing great (3 months in), but when I trimmed it I had to prune the roots as well as the leaves and so I was wondering if it was possible to grow fuchsias from root cuttings because I have had more success with root cuttings than stem cuttings in other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16664" LastActivityDate="2017-02-08T08:07:05.333" Title="Can I start fuchsias from root cuttings?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30727" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27447" CreationDate="2017-02-07T22:56:02.060" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whilst comfrey is good at getting nutrients out of the ground it is a vigorous plant and will compete with the apple tree for water and other nutrients. Not ideal whilst the tree is establishing. I would plant it elsewhere and then compost the leaves and use that to mulch around the base of the apple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for mowing, established comfrey (give it at least a growing season uncut) will tolerate &lt;em&gt;occasional&lt;/em&gt; mowing. We have some on our field and it gets flailed a few times a year without any problems. If you are trying to maintain an ornamental lawn with a grass height of less than 50mm it will eventually die out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T22:56:02.060" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30728" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30729" CreationDate="2017-02-07T23:11:08.207" Score="6" ViewCount="132" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help me identify this plant that i saw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5zx50.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5zx50.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16665" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-08T23:22:07.883" LastActivityDate="2017-02-08T23:22:07.883" Title="Can someone help me identify this plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30729" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30728" CreationDate="2017-02-07T23:26:23.997" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not sure why the houseplant tag has been applied, since these seem to be growing outdoors, but no matter - they are Eucomis, common name Pineapple Lily. Hard to be sure which variety they are, as they look like they're nearly over and there's no way of telling what colour they were, but there's just a hint that this one might be Eucomis comosa, see link for comparison purposes - there are other varieties with other colours (pink, yellow, a white flowered one called Eucomis autumnalis, etc) &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.trecanna.com/Super.asp?id=434&amp;amp;name=Eucomis+comosa+-+Pineapple+Lily+-+1L+pot&quot;&gt;http://www.trecanna.com/Super.asp?id=434&amp;amp;name=Eucomis+comosa+-+Pineapple+Lily+-+1L+pot&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-07T23:31:29.897" LastActivityDate="2017-02-07T23:31:29.897" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30730" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30724" CreationDate="2017-02-08T01:26:05.890" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since woodpeckers &lt;strong&gt;don't eat wood&lt;/strong&gt;, concentrate on killing the &lt;strong&gt;insects that the woodpeckers are actually eating&lt;/strong&gt; (rather than &quot;keeping the woodpeckers away&quot; by some means other than removing their food source.) Though if the tree is as described, I'd also suggest &lt;strong&gt;taking scions to graft to new rootstocks&lt;/strong&gt; as it may be in serious trouble and at least that way you'd have the same variety grafted onto some healthy rootstock if it just up and dies. Very old apple trees do die, normally. The occasional one that lives to an exceedingly old age is an outlier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; the woodpeckers that are killing your tree - they are just the visible manifestation if the insects that &lt;strong&gt;are&lt;/strong&gt; killing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Biennial bearing is a common habit and can be broken with aggressive fruit thinning in &quot;good&quot; years, so the tree is not overtaxed. Otherwise the tree puts on a lot of fruit, expends a  lot of energy on the fruit, gets to the next year &quot;exhausted&quot; and puts on little to no fruit. With aggressive thinning, you reduce the load on the tree so it's not so &quot;exhausted&quot; and has some resources to put on fruit again - weather permitting (all my blossoms got froze off last spring - too warm, too early, then cold...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please don't put tar on trees. That is a discredited practice, unfortunately wide-spread enough that the idea persists long after it has been proven to be a bad idea. Tar is also known as &quot;wound dressing&quot;: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13760/should-i-seal-the-wounds-where-limbs-were-removed-on-a-crape-myrtle/13762#13762&quot;&gt;Should I seal the wounds where limbs were removed on a crape myrtle?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for how to control your insects, first, you need to identify them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2017-02-08T01:37:03.007" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30731" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30734" CreationDate="2017-02-08T06:43:07.157" Score="5" ViewCount="551" Body="&lt;p&gt;Simple one. I removed my sunflowers from the pot today as they were showing a rust leaf problem and not doing great. They did flower and got pretty tall but then just went sick and I tried the nutrition etc. I am in the Sydney region Australia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So when removing them from the pot I found some of the grubs in the pictures below, sorry a little out of focus but they are about 0.75cm long and getting a shot on a cell phone with macro mode is like finding a honest politician.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W4TfG.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W4TfG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Smile for the camera....&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X4RqW.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X4RqW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DoKYI.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DoKYI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There were several of them in the pot. Now I know not all insects and other critters are nasty to my plants but should I ready the flame throwers or just ignore them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From my research this afternoon they appear to be curl grubs according to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thelostseed.com.au/curl-grubs/&quot;&gt;this page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since I am concerned that they have spread to other pots(Veggies, herbs etc) what type of pesticide could I use to rid myself of them while keeping the safe for consumption?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16115" LastEditorUserId="16115" LastEditDate="2017-02-08T10:14:30.360" LastActivityDate="2017-02-08T15:57:28.050" Title="Found some grubs in my sunflower pot, fight them or let them stay?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;grubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30732" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30724" CreationDate="2017-02-08T07:13:35.690" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Woodpeckers are crazy birds. Often on summer mornings they will wake me up with their hammering on a nearby tin roof. Now why would a woodpecker be hammering on a tin roof, I ask you? Maybe they think it sounds harmonic. Maybe they like the feel of it, or perhaps they think they see grubs moving about in the wood it is nailed to, or even woodpecker dental floss. I have a pear tree that is riddled with systematically lined up peck holes about a centimetre apart. As you say it looks like a sieve. The tree is fine; the holes have all healed over, but the small ring remains in the outer bark. It looks a lot worse than it is. The tree is vegetatively vigorous and does not seem to care that the woodpeckers spend so much time there. I almost never hear them on the pear tree, I think they just like the way it feels when their beak plunges into the soft bark. No action.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As @Ecnerwal points out, might need to find out why the tree is not vigorous. It is likely not due to the woodpeckers, enjoy them. Maybe look for other factors impeding the flow of nutrients into the tree canopy, like borers. And don't forget that apple trees do not live all that long in a productive state (max 25-30 years?), and should be readily replaced as and when required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-02-08T07:13:35.690" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30733" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30726" CreationDate="2017-02-08T08:07:05.333" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Propagating garden mint from root cuttings is easy since the plants have a thick root system, and many of the thicker roots contain cells that are able to organize a new stem if and when required. In effect more than half of the growth of the mint happens underground close to the surface; the plant can use the shoot/roots to create top growth or root growth. Fuchsias in general are different - they have fibrous root systems that don't have this ability to switch from being roots to being stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, the stems can strike roots readily, and this is how much of the propagation of Fuchsias happens. In fact they root so easily that we don't normally search for other methods. Spring is coming, catch the wave and as the weather warms up take a few cuttings. See for example &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/18180/how-can-i-tell-when-a-cutting-has-developed-roots&quot;&gt;this discussion on rooting cuttings&lt;/a&gt; if you need a confidence boost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2017-02-08T08:07:05.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30734" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30731" CreationDate="2017-02-08T15:57:28.050" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;These look to me like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockchafer&quot;&gt;Cockchafer&lt;/a&gt; larvae. &lt;a href=&quot;https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melolontha_melolontha#/media/File:Larves_hanneton-c%C3%A9toine.jpg&quot;&gt;they&lt;/a&gt; eat a lot!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They thrive here in your pot because they found perfect breathing and rich humus for them. They are harmful to many veggies you can grow in your yard, and can even harm small plants and bushes, because they eat the roots sometimes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't need pesticide to get rid of them, though. They are easy to collect by hand when you return the earth in the spring, because of their big size and usually limited number. Just put them on a plate (on a table, away from nasty little cats) for their natural enemies to see them and feast: the birds will be delighted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-02-08T15:57:28.050" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30735" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30736" CreationDate="2017-02-08T17:05:03.257" Score="3" ViewCount="1188" Body="&lt;p&gt;So Its winter where I am at and I have been wondering a lot about starting bonsai trees from cuttings, that being said there are several red elder trees in the woods near my house and I was wondering if they would root well and if they would make a decent bonsai&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am also considering crampbark, or highbrush cranberry for the same purpose &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16664" LastActivityDate="2017-02-08T18:27:17.857" Title="Would an elderberry tree make a good bonsai" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30736" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30735" CreationDate="2017-02-08T18:27:17.857" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not a bonsai expert, but I do grow elderberry and do not believe they'd be good for bonsai. First, they are incredibly fast growing. I cut mine to the ground in late winter, and within 2 months of waking up in the spring they are 6' tall. Next, their branches are pithy, not solid, so they really don't prune nicely. And finally, they sucker like mad when you do try to prune them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd go with something else! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2017-02-08T18:27:17.857" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30737" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30724" CreationDate="2017-02-08T19:22:43.193" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is some good advice from the previous posters.  However, it sounds to me that you could be dealing with a sapsucker, which is a type of woodpecker.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As Ecnerwal pointed out, it can be a bit of a bad sign if a woodpecker is drilling into your tree to get insects. That means your tree is likely infested with some sort of boring beetle, termite etc. and will subsequently become filled with fungi, which is not good.  Given the fact that you describe this as an old tree, this is a possible scenario for sure.  You can do what you can to preserve it, but really you will probably just slow the demise of the tree (not to sound negative).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be helpful if you posted a picture of the trunk.  If your trunk is literally like a grid of little holes that have been drilled, this woodpecker is probably going after the trees sap and not insects under the bark.  Hence the name &quot;sapsucker&quot;.  If this is the case, you might be able to discourage it by wrapping the trunk in burlap, landscape fabric, hardware cloth or something that will discourage the bird from drilling.  Another option could be coating the trunk with something like tangletrap, which is a sticky substance.  Honestly though - if I were you, I would just plant another apple tree, let nature take its course and enjoy the ride. =]  It can be sad to watch something like a favorite old tree die, but alas!  It is super easy to continue its legacy by grafting a scion onto a new rootstock, just as Ecnerwal said.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-02-08T19:22:43.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30738" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-08T22:27:31.887" Score="3" ViewCount="379" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll be going moving soon from my house to an apartment, and most likely a studio at that, so I was wondering if it was possible to grow lowbrush blueberry bushes as a houseplant and expect it to bear fruit&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16664" LastActivityDate="2017-02-08T23:09:31.167" Title="It is possible to keep blueberry bushes as a house plant?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30739" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30689" CreationDate="2017-02-08T22:27:55.717" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another option to consider (which is something I do) is mix chicken manure with steer manure (1:3) in the soil where you want to grow the vegetables.  Using fresh manure can be a health risk if you are growing vegetables.  I use processed manure from big box stores so don't know how you can process your chicken manure yourself.  If you mix up the manures as I suggested, you can pretty much grow any vegetable that is conducive to your environment and that you like to consume.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-02-08T22:27:55.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30740" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30528" CreationDate="2017-02-08T22:39:55.093" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I generally stick leftover seeds in the refrigerator and that seems to work ok. Since Swiss chard is has a fairly low light requirement, so you could use the leftover seeds for microgreens in the winter&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16664" LastActivityDate="2017-02-08T22:39:55.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30741" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30738" CreationDate="2017-02-08T22:45:05.973" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's possible to grow them indoors, provided you can stand the pot somewhere that gets 6 hours of sunlight a day, which can be hard to ensure, depending where you live. The other difficulty is pollination, because insects carry out this duty, so you'd need to hand pollinate in order to get fruit. Ericaceous (acid) potting mix is essential,as well as choosing a smaller variety, not least because some reach a fair height, and that's not desirable indoors. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-grow-blueberries-houseplant-57717.html&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-grow-blueberries-houseplant-57717.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-08T23:09:31.167" LastActivityDate="2017-02-08T23:09:31.167" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30662" CreationDate="2017-02-09T07:54:02.290" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please check this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/19576/what-is-the-white-substance-on-my-hibiscus&quot;&gt;previous question and answer&lt;/a&gt; that could be very similar to your issue (although not necessarily).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The small leaves and buds that fail indicate that they are not getting enough nutrient to perform their function properly. One reason could be that bugs are drinking the sap before they can benefit from it, and @kevinsky response in the other question will help you a lot. Examine the white stuff on your plant carefully and see if it is hiding anything. Houseplant and other gardeners can benefit a great deal from a magnifying glass to see small critters and possible eggs, and a lot of practice examining various plants and bugs up close. Get as much experience as you can. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2017-02-09T07:54:02.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30744" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-09T16:23:42.560" Score="9" ViewCount="1450" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently on a Basque TV channel from Northern Spain I saw a competition between two women scything a meadow against the clock. They were going almost as fast as a modern ride on mower, but were clearly exhausted by the end of the allotted patch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is use of the scythe a part of your local tradition in gardening? Do you keep a scythe in your garden shed? What use would it have in a modern garden context? Would you know how to use it? Is it one of those skills that we should make an effort to preserve?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2018-08-20T09:38:20.307" Title="Uses of the scythe in a modern garden" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30745" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30744" CreationDate="2017-02-09T16:54:55.677" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have one, bought last year. It's far more pleasant to use (quiet, not covered with green goo from head to toe) than my string trimmer, and also much easier to be selective with. Works far better than either a string trimmer or a lawnmower on tall grass and small brush. Works well in wet material. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't concern myself with John Henry-eqse competitions with other equipment, but those who do do quite well, as is easily found on several pro-scythe propaganda sites. I don't concern myself too much with those, either. I did glean some mowing / technique tips from some of them when starting. Be advised that there's some serious snark between a few folks each of whom claims to have &lt;strong&gt;the&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;one true right way...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd say sharpening with the proper tools is no more hassle on balance than keeping a string trimmer feeding correctly. I peen roughly daily (takes 5-10 minutes, might skip if the last time out was a short session) and whet every 5 minutes or so, which takes about 20-30 seconds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-02-09T17:32:41.357" LastActivityDate="2017-02-09T17:32:41.357" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30746" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30744" CreationDate="2017-02-09T19:17:52.180" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Until last year I have thought that scything is done only by old people in rural areas (in Romania, a country in Eastern Europe). To my surprise, when I got an awful allergy from some plant I didn't know, the clerk at the pharmacy told me that her husband got the same allergy when scything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After two weeks, my boyfriend's boss got the same allergy after, you guessed, scything. It seems that in my area some of the young and middle-aged people still use a scythe, even if they live in the city.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-02-09T19:17:52.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30744" CreationDate="2017-02-09T20:03:08.127" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Harvesting grains&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2000 square feet (200 sq meters) of wheat produces about 120 pounds (55kg) of wheat, which is enough for about 120 loaves of bread.  We also buy wheat and/or flour to supplement this supply. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A scythe produces more uniform stalk lengths compared to using a sickle.  The stalk tends to &quot;lay down&quot; softer and I have less loss in the cutting. This makes threshing the wheat to separate the wheat berries much easier and produces a better harvest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I sometimes plant barley or different types of wheat (red vs white and hard vs soft) which makes for a larger harvest.  In these cases, I would surely miss not having a scythe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15529" LastActivityDate="2017-02-09T20:03:08.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30748" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30744" CreationDate="2017-02-10T06:57:16.790" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The hooknosed long knife would be more traditional here. But you do see them on small farms for cutting rice, grass for animal feed water buffalo &amp;amp; goats. They cut the rice even for rice straw. Also straw saws are still here, but the large rototillers are moving in. Also people with yards here will let grass get knee high, then let goat herders come in &amp;amp; cut it for fodder for their animals.&#xA;I do not think they are Asian but in use in Asia on small 1 to 5 hectare farms where they can not recover the cost of machines &amp;amp; small enough to do most all by hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16674" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-02-10T08:03:35.080" LastActivityDate="2017-02-10T08:03:35.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30749" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-10T07:07:49.327" Score="6" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;This berry has shot up in our strawberry patch - not sure what it is &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone have any ideas&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cheers &#xA;Chris &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aWeyx.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aWeyx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16675" LastActivityDate="2017-03-29T17:41:35.593" Title="Red Berry ID Assistance" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30750" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30749" CreationDate="2017-02-10T07:54:53.400" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_strawberry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Duchesnea indica&lt;/a&gt;, also known as Potentilla indica, very invasive. It propagates itself by stolons, so try to take the whole roots out if you don't intend to use the chemical approach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-02-10T07:54:53.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30751" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30754" CreationDate="2017-02-10T10:12:17.817" Score="3" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is extremely important to know information about the root structure to avoid belowground competition when growing stuff in tight space. However, it seems that such information is very hard to be found on the Internet. Is there any online database, book or whatever other sources that contain comprehensive information about plant root (of common horticultural plants and crops)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16094" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:36:12.080" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:36:12.080" Title="Where can I find information about root structure (morphology) of horticultural plants?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30752" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30749" CreationDate="2017-02-10T10:29:02.947" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a bit confusing - the fruit and leaves strongly suggest Duchesnea indica, but that plant has yellow flowers, and I'm seeing white flowers in the picture. On close inspection, there seem to be at least two stems with thorns - if the white flowers are appearing on those, then you likely have another invader mixed in there, possibly a blackberry. If the white flowers go on to produce similar red fruits to that already present, the plant may actually be a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/wld_strawberryx.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana).&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-03-29T17:41:35.593" LastActivityDate="2017-03-29T17:41:35.593" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5271" CreationDate="2017-02-10T13:01:47.793" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;For most leafy greens use a red:blue ratio of 5:2, this will be sufficient to promote good growth. While it would initially appear you want more blue light, that is not how photosynthesis works when you get down to the nuts and bolts.&#xA;Just use a red:blue ratio of 5:2 and you'll find that works best. Today 2017, many of your indoor vertical farms are playing with the r:b ratio to affect taste, color and texture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16678" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-02-10T14:08:40.927" LastActivityDate="2017-02-10T14:08:40.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30754" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30751" CreationDate="2017-02-10T13:06:59.723" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There isn't really a general resource regarding root spread - the best you can do is try to research root spread for each individual plant you want to grow if its really a concern to you. There's probably more on crops and their roots (a little bit here to show how variable it is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cropsreview.com/plant-root-system.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.cropsreview.com/plant-root-system.html&lt;/a&gt;) but with regard to other plants like shrubs, perennials, etc., grown for their aesthetic appearance, although you can assume the roots of a woody plant will have a much wider width and depth than those of a perennial, root spread is difficult to predict in open ground. When roots meet obstructions, or inhospitable conditions, they veer in another direction, so predicting quite how far away they've gone and how deep isn't easy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regard to planting, its usual to work out what distance you need between plants in terms of topgrowth, so height and spread of any plant you're growing is a critical piece of information when thinking about proximity to other plants. This is why information on, say, growing vegetables from seed, will give a measurement or recommended distance between rows and between seeds - its based on the spread of topgrowth as the crop grows. You would, when planting a hedge, plant much more closely than if you were growing a single specimen because you want to create a solid barrier, and its desirable to have the topgrowth of each plant mingling together; there are recommended distances for hedging plants too, again, based on topgrowth rather than root size. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So generally, that's what you think about when planting rather than root size, although root spread is an important consideration when planting in a restricted space such as pots or other containers: an obvious example of the importance in those circumstances is planting a climbing specimen which makes 35 feet in a shallow trough - though it might grow initially and make a foot or so, it will soon start to look rather unwell and stop growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-10T13:24:23.757" LastActivityDate="2017-02-10T13:24:23.757" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30755" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-10T17:15:18.320" Score="5" ViewCount="534" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently purchased what is now my first dwarf blueberry plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On this plant, at the end of a large, thick vertical cane, are a few green branches that have some small seeds and the 'early green tip' stage of leaf development.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On one of these green branches, a seed swelled, turned into a flower, expanded out into a corolla tube and opened up, in about the course of a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rest of the bush appears dead or dormant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many such buds that aren't doing anything, and a few that have been at the swelled stage since I received the plant, but are quite dark, and haven't changed since I received the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the parts of these dormant/dead canes' leaves or buds have what appears to be small parts of blue leaves on them, which I don't understand. On some parts of the plant, such as the very thick vertical branch that the other green branches are stemming from, have some kind of winter-looking blue/grey 'bark' on them, looking neither green nor brown. Is this normal? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I tell whether the other parts of the plant are just dormant or whether they've died off? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm keeping the plant indoors, under a 300w LED light, with a large aqua-globe-like system that keeps the soil saturated with enough water as it dries out.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cYpq3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;enter image description here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YDEiw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YDEiw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QdXua.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QdXua.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16647" LastEditorUserId="16647" LastEditDate="2017-02-10T23:50:09.007" LastActivityDate="2017-02-11T09:17:38.327" Title="One part of Blueberry bush blooming, rest of plant appears dormant or dead" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;dead-branch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30756" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30758" CreationDate="2017-02-10T19:08:06.420" Score="4" ViewCount="796" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen discussions on this site about adding wood ash directly to the vegetable plot. But I was wondering if it would be better to add it to my compost bin instead? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1830" LastActivityDate="2017-02-10T23:04:50.200" Title="Add wood ash to compost heap" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;woodash&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30757" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30756" CreationDate="2017-02-10T20:27:36.263" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Speaking from direct experience, having lived for 20 years in the Canadian woods and heated entirely with a woodstove, it really depends on how much ash there is and whether it has been aged/weathered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On a number of occasions I have destroyed entire rows of crops in the garden by applying ash that is too fresh too thickly. I thought pieces of rhubarb might send out roots with a little ash in the soil but no go. Too much chemical activity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My current policy is to put most of the ash directly on my grass plots, allowing the rain to flush the nutrients into the ground for the benefit of the grass and weeds, collect all grass clippings and put the clippings on the compost. Never a problem with this very cautious method which produces very healthy grass and lots of compost. A small portion of the ash goes directly under the fruit trees which have strong root systems and can benefit from the potash. In both cases the ash is spread somewhat thinly, avoiding big dollops (technical term) of ash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-02-10T20:27:36.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30758" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30756" CreationDate="2017-02-10T21:00:12.040" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can add wood ashes to compost piles, but only in small quantities, because ashes are alkaline and will increase the ph of your heap. Either add  some and mix them in well, or add a thin layer every few inches as you build the heap - the ashes shouldn't be so thick you can actually see them  as a distinct layer once added. There's some guidance here regarding use of wood ashes generally, including in compost - you can certainly use it direct in the garden, but again, only in small quantities, and not around acid loving plants like rhododendron &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=621&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=621&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-10T23:04:50.200" LastActivityDate="2017-02-10T23:04:50.200" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30759" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-10T21:13:30.347" Score="6" ViewCount="721" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lemon and orange tree in my backyard.  I have apple and pear trees as well which I prune on an annual basis.  I was wondering if the lemon and orange trees need pruning as well and if so, how much should they be pruned back and any other guidance would be helpful.  Uploaded pictures of lemon and orange. Does lemon have water shoots?  Orange trunk is big bit tree is very short 2.5 ft. .  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gFndy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gFndy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lemon water shoot?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6dpu5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6dpu5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lemon closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YNEMP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YNEMP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;orange&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kL6e4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kL6e4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;orange closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-02-12T01:15:07.927" LastActivityDate="2017-02-12T01:15:07.927" Title="Do Orange and Lemon Trees need annual pruning?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30760" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30762" CreationDate="2017-02-10T22:32:06.643" Score="3" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have lots and lots of wild blueberries this year and was wondering if they would do well in a rock garden planted from seed. I know how to extract the seeds but I would like to know if anyone has any experience with growing such berries from seed&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also were taken off the slope of a mountain, very close to the top&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16664" LastActivityDate="2017-02-11T13:21:53.190" Title="What is the best way to grow lowbush blueberries from seed?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30761" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30763" CreationDate="2017-02-10T22:40:57.377" Score="7" ViewCount="575" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my first time growing garlic, had a particularly rainy and dismal spring followed by flecks intensified, spread to neighboring garlic plants, and soon were infecting entire crop-garlic-rust, however my garlic bulbs survived but are quite small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would the cloves of small size still produce a good marketable size bulb?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16679" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2017-02-12T10:35:27.683" LastActivityDate="2017-02-12T10:35:27.683" Title="Will small garlic bulbs produce big bulbs?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30760" CreationDate="2017-02-10T23:16:08.023" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not entirely sure what you mean by a rock garden - blueberries prefer acidic soil conditions and plenty of sun, so if the rock garden has plenty of good soil which is acidic and in sun, they should grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can grow from berries, but they don't come true from seed, so you won't know what you'll get if you do manage to grow some on. Its a bit of a performance, because the berries need cold stratification for some weeks, then they need macerating, the pulp removed, carefully, hopefully leaving behind some viable seeds. Those seeds need then to be planted in pots - full instructions here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-blueberries-berry-75868.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-blueberries-berry-75868.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE - when you say 'lowbrush blueberry' I think you mean Vaccinium angustifolium and its variable relatives - that one prefers altitude, tends to grow on rocky ground, or ledges and the like, in fairly acid conditions. Whether trying to grow it in a rock garden to mimic its naturally preferred growing conditions will work isn't something I can predict, but here's a link about the plant generally, including where it is endemic, its somewhat variable offspring, and the conditions it generally chooses for itself &lt;a href=&quot;https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/vaccinium/angustifolium/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/vaccinium/angustifolium/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-11T13:21:53.190" LastActivityDate="2017-02-11T13:21:53.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30763" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30761" CreationDate="2017-02-11T02:34:05.180" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Garlic bulb size is determined by multiple factors one of them being the size of the clove that you start with. A larger clove presumably provides more stored nutrients to sustain more vegetative growth which then helps produce larger bulbs.  So, many people will save the larger cloves for seed, and eat the smaller ones.  Nevertheless, even if they are small, you should still get more garlic from what you start with.  The genetic material is still the same even if the growth were disturbed by disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having said that, my large organic cloves failed to give me much either with all the rain we had here, and I did just as well with store bought garlic that had sprouted.  So, your mileage may vary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other question relates to the Puccinia allii and you may wish to grow your garlic elsewhere, or in containers to try and avoid the water logging that you got this time round.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-02-11T02:34:05.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30764" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30755" CreationDate="2017-02-11T09:17:38.327" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you have learned, the pH is an important factor, however the immediate concern seems to be that we don't know if the plant is dead or alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a quick and simple test for this: choose a nice thick shoot about halfway up the stem and push a thumbnail against the bark between two buds to raise up a tiny flap and see what is just below the surface. Do it gently, the goal here is to see if there is an active cambium layer. Ideally you want to see a nice light green flash of active tissue; if you see that after a gentle push then leave it as is, press the tissue back into place and leave it to wake up in the normal process of events. You can try this on a number of the shoots if you suspect some are good and others not, but if you see green then leave well alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A more severe test is to clip off one or more of the shoots towards the top and examine the cross-section of the cut area. Dead tissue will look brown or grey with no sign of light-coloured growing wood. But this is probably too severe a test at this time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Think positively - the buds look nice and fat and there is no reason why it should not take off as required. It might just need to wake up fully (emerge from dormant state).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are only filling in a bit of space in the pot with extra soil you can consider pure peat moss which is naturally low in pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-02-11T09:17:38.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30765" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-10T11:45:15.173" Score="3" ViewCount="98" Body="&lt;p&gt;As the title says, I'm looking for what kind of plant this is.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oxqPd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oxqPd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Hyfnae" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-02-11T22:35:19.707" LastActivityDate="2017-02-11T22:35:19.707" Title="Can someone identify this plant/flower?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30765" CreationDate="2017-02-11T13:09:22.537" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very possibly a Peace Rose (&lt;em&gt;Rosa Madame de Meilland&lt;/em&gt;), check out images on &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Peace&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;, and note that the coloration of the petals can vary according to climatic and other conditions but is basically a yellow petal with crimson/red/pink tinge at the extremities. It is remarkable for its size as a flower and is very popular in gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-02-11T13:09:22.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30767" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1647" CreationDate="2017-02-11T15:39:27.557" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The easiest method is to chemically thin the flowers with one of the products available on the market.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: The substances are sprayed &lt;a href=&quot;http://ucanr.edu/sites/fruitreport/files/109963.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;on the flowers&lt;/a&gt; when the tree is 80% in bloom and about half of them won't set fruit, or are sprayed &lt;a href=&quot;http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/52/1/110.abstract&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;on the fruitlets&lt;/a&gt; when they have a maximum diameter of 10 mm, after which the fruitlets fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-02-13T21:07:10.920" LastActivityDate="2017-02-13T21:07:10.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30768" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30759" CreationDate="2017-02-11T17:27:26.127" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Citrus only need minimal pruning - if they are growing the way you want, I wouldn't worry. February is a good time to remove overcrowded branches and leggy growth can be cut back by up to two thirds. During the growing season, they can produce &quot;water-shoots&quot; - soft, fast growing shoots from woody material. Allowed to grow they will form leggy, unproductive growth that will compete with more fruitful parts of the plants. They can be rubbed-out or cut flush. Any produced below the graft should definitely be removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-02-11T17:27:26.127" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30770" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-12T00:21:47.493" Score="5" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently bought a place with an acre of lawn in front of my home. It has a natural gravity flow watering system. I want to cultivate nearly all of this for a lawn. Currently growing is what looks to be 3 different types of grass - not very well because the ground is badly dried out and hasn't been worked in 3-4 years. There are bald patches everywhere as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have an ATV and I'm looking to pull a plow, tiller or cultivator. Not sure what to do or what I need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spring is coming, snow will be melting and I need some help. The closest help is almost 2 hours away, because I am in a remote location. Hope these pics help. Can you all give me some direction?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16685" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-02-12T01:08:42.210" LastActivityDate="2017-02-15T08:48:24.623" Title="What tools will I need for cultivating an acre of lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30771" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30749" CreationDate="2017-02-12T00:51:40.520" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Given that Duchesnea indica rarely ever grows above 6&quot;, I think it is completely safe to assume that is not it.  Not to mention, I don't see a single leaf that would make me think it is D. indica.  The only plant I see in this picture is Rubus spp.  The white flower, the thorny stem, the intact sepals all are just screaming raspberry.  Even the beautiful ripe raspberry is screaming raspberry.  It's a raspberry.  =]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-02-12T00:51:40.520" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30772" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-12T04:05:39.767" Score="7" ViewCount="1222" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oP4EF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fungus?&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IFod6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fungus?&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My mexican fence post cactus has developed some sort of white/yellowish fungus(?) on it. Anyone know what it is? I hope it's not a goner!!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking for some help to save this guy!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16686" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T13:49:44.583" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T13:49:44.583" Title="What are these white/yellowish spots on my mexican fence post cactus?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30773" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30775" CreationDate="2017-02-12T09:07:47.503" Score="4" ViewCount="1069" Body="&lt;p&gt;My folks have/had a well established Liquid Amber tree which fell on their fence during a recent high wind event.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand that the local council has fairly recently been laying fiber cable and doing some other reticulation work in close vicinity to the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How likely is it that this root damage would have caused by this work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, looking at the pictures below, is anyone able to hazard a guess as to how long the tree may have been rotting for, and how apparent this would have been prior to the tree falling down, had there been periodic inspections of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, how common is this kind of problem with these types of trees ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bz5Ps.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Rotten tree 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NkfVo.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NkfVo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Rotten tree 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2017-02-12T16:01:55.563" Title="Liquid Amber/Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) tree stress and rotting" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;rot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30774" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-12T11:28:42.567" Score="10" ViewCount="691" Body="&lt;p&gt;After searching a little, I think it is a hybrid aloe x gasteria, aka gasteraloe, maybe gasteraloe superba. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vDd4F.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vDd4F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yYDAM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yYDAM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of its babies, if this helps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EeJUD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EeJUD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And its flowers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/INOoq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/INOoq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What species or hybrid is it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13963" LastEditorUserId="13963" LastEditDate="2017-09-11T16:13:31.493" LastActivityDate="2017-09-11T16:13:31.493" Title="What is this aloe-like plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30775" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30773" CreationDate="2017-02-12T13:29:35.190" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This type of occurrence is called a split due to a weak crotch and two competing leaders. The split has been inevitable for many years, and was just waiting for the weight of wood on one side or the other to pull the branch down. It is quite commonly seen. The activity in the root zone probably has no relevance; while this may have reduced the overall vigour of the tree the split was an event waiting to happen for many years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tree surgeons are often able to detect this kind of weak crotch and can either reduce the weight of wood on the weak side or brace or cable the two competing leaders together, each supporting the other. Ideally when a tree is young and it is clear that two competing leaders are developing we can remove one so that the weak crotch never develops and the tree can fill in the inevitable gap. However, interfering with the point of weakness to detect its state of rot itself would probably weaken it further so the operation would not be carried out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Local authorities are usually very careful to lay cable only on land they own. If private tree roots expand onto their land then that is unfortunate but they can have no responsibility for damage caused to the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most trees, including Liquidambar, are subject to the competing leader problem. When inspecting trees, look for the angle between the competing stems; a wide angle is perhaps okay, but a sharp or acute angle is a sign that weakness may be present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: when you come to do the cleanup, examine carefully what remains of the tree once the fallen part has been removed. You may find that the remaining leader is badly unbalanced and might need to be reshaped to restore some stability. Assess where it might fall if it goes over and evaluate potential damage if and when it does.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="15063" LastEditDate="2017-02-12T16:01:55.563" LastActivityDate="2017-02-12T16:01:55.563" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30776" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-12T13:32:52.627" Score="12" ViewCount="308" Body="&lt;p&gt;I could use a bit of help working out what plant this is. I bought it a couple of months back from a flower cart lady who had a few boxes of random assorted plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few little details: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Top of leaves is slightly waxy, underside is matte. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The leaves are not fleshy. They're quite papery. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It was dormant until a week or two ago when it started sprouting new leaves. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The leaves come out of sheaths on the end of the stems. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I don't know if it's one plant with branches or multiple individual stems shoved into the same pot. I can't see any evidence of branching.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can't see any evidence of it having had flowers at any point, maybe it's too young. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bought in the UK, but no idea where it could be from originally.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It was really cheap (£1) so probably something really easy to grow or propagate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks! :D&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JNtZF.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JNtZF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16687" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-12T20:34:46.980" LastActivityDate="2017-06-25T15:22:56.233" Title="Help to identify this plant please!" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30777" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-12T16:56:45.807" Score="6" ViewCount="10979" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased a Chlorophytum Comosum in October 2016. It's 3 or 4 separate plants. I moved it from its 10cm diameter plastic pot into one that's roughly 15 cm and about 20 cm deep, without drainage. When moving it, I just took all of the soil and the plant from the original pot and placed it into a hole that I dug in the new one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I usually water this plant once every 10 days. The dirt is usually dry on the surface but still damp underneath. At the bottom of the pot I used 3 small plastic pots to act as a platform for the plant and let water fall through to the bottom, so that it wouldn't gather around the roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The healthiest of the plants has started putting out spiderettes that are growing fairly large, and it has increased in size since I purchased it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the plants are growing fast, and recently some of the leaves have grown thin and droopy, and I just noticed that they're very discolored, and pale. A few of the leaves have become unable to support themselves and are bending. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The same issue is affecting a small spiderette that I just repotted from a completely different plant, and I have been watering a few times a week to keep the soil damp. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's wrong with this plant? How can I help the plant recover its original robustness and grow thicker, non-pale leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is how the plant looks today. It was watered about 5 days ago. It looks very droopy and out of shape:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/UHZP8I9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Detail on the discoloration I mentioned:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/xN0AVU6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is what the plant looked like about a month ago. The plant had grown noticeably during this time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o0fvd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's another picture showing what the plant looks like when it's in best shape:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pGbOZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of the other spiderette taken from a separate plant, right after it was potted:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gGdoQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is how it looked today (visibly more pale than before):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yByUw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastActivityDate="2020-06-23T18:50:43.087" Title="Spider plant leaves becoming discolored, thin and droopy" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30778" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30772" CreationDate="2017-02-12T17:47:16.277" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;How sure are you, that this is a fungus?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To me, it looks suspiciously like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;scale&lt;/a&gt;, although the photos are a bit blurry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try to pry off one of the bigger thingies. If my suspicion is correct, you'll find a shell-like object (actually an insect) that pops off in one piece.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have more &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/scale&quot;&gt;Q/As on scale&lt;/a&gt;, in short, typical treatments are spraying with neem or an insecticide, using a systemic insecticide or washing the insects off with a soft cloth or toothbrush. Better yet, a combination thereof, used repeatedly over a few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2017-02-12T17:47:16.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30777" CreationDate="2017-02-12T18:00:28.173" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry, I am not seeing a plant with problems.  Perhaps a little stress from transplanting and/or being moved from a source of higher light to lower light.  You are using potting soil and your watering sounds and looks just fine.  Beautiful spider plant!  The leaves as they age will bend more than new growth.  The color is rich and healthy.  You do not need to MIST.  That does nothing to raise the humidity.  The spots on the leaves are the dried remains of your tap water, the salts they add to city tap water (chlorine and fluorine primarily) or if you are using well water your water must be very mineral laden/hard.  Looks like salts from city tap water though.  Also to be seen on the rim of your clay pot.  Eventually you'll see this white residue on the sides of your pot and on the surface of your soil.  I'd buy bottled water, distilled water and not use tap water for your plants (nor to drink for yourself).  Your transplant is a bit paler but you haven't said what you are using for fertilizer.  I'd get OSMOCOTE 14-14-14 that you would use twice PER YEAR or even just once.  I think that would perk and color your new transplants just fine.  Truly, only in the stores these plants look this good as they enjoyed the warmth, light and ventilated air...and were fertilized.  Now they are in less of a desired environment and possibly no fertilizer.  They've been running on the fertilizer in the soil they came with.  Let me know if I've assumed incorrectly. Great pics, beautiful plants. Wait a minute, did you say those beautiful pots have no drainage holes?  I know the clay does...explain about the pot thing again.  In no universe will plants survive without drain holes. Spider plants are tough and tougher and toughest but you have to have drain holes.  Explain more clearly.  Your question is one of the best I've seen to include your pictures.  But...maybe I need more help!! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-02-12T18:00:28.173" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30780" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30781" CreationDate="2017-02-12T18:53:19.343" Score="9" ViewCount="12348" Body="&lt;p&gt;My clothes dryer produces a few liters of water a week and rather than throwing it down the drain, I thought it might be put to better use by watering the plants with it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it should almost equate to distilled water, however there might be some residues in it, such as soap or maybe mold. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is water from a clothes dryer known to be safe for plants? Should I take any precautions with it, such as cleaning out the tank first to ensure there are no risks?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When it comes to storing the extra water that I won't be using directly, are there steps necessary to avoid contamination due to the water standing for long periods of time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastActivityDate="2017-02-17T13:32:19.390" Title="Can I use water from the clothes dryer to water plants?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30781" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30780" CreationDate="2017-02-12T19:09:26.277" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not advisable to use this water on potted plants because of the risk of contaminants from detergent and fabric conditioners being present, but many people do spread it round the garden for plants in open soil. Its useful in a steam iron because it contains no lime - also useful for lime hating plants, again in the garden, not in pots. Regarding storing it, maybe for 24 hours, but after a week, not a good idea, though you could keep some in a container for a few days as an experiment to see what grows in it and how it smells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-02-12T19:09:26.277" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30782" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-12T21:34:51.190" Score="6" ViewCount="603" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of the branches on my lemon tree don't look particularly healthy. Taking a closer look at the leaves indicates that it may be related to some disease. Please help me identify the issue and cure. Attached are some pictures. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bfszK.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bfszK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zlPB9.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zlPB9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N0Y9Y.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N0Y9Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-02-13T11:40:41.360" Title="Need help identifying this disease for my lemon tree" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30784" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28827" CreationDate="2017-02-13T07:55:21.130" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a currant bush (Ribes).  That it popped up in a pasture, and was not planted, and judging from your location, Utah, it is most likely Golden Currant which is native there and doesn't mind high altitude.  Exact ID requires fruit and flowers.  There are several good photos on Wikipedia Images.  From the leaves shown in your photo, I am going by a slight 'squareness' to ends of the 3 lobes, their satiny and leathery appearance, and dull green color. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have handled Golden Currant in the landscape trade.   It's a benign and beneficial plant used in landscaping as an easy-care, non-invasive ornamental; or, just for gardening because of edible fruit. It is one of the earliest woody plants to flower in the coldest gardening zones. Hardy to minus 40 &amp;deg;F, at least.  This is a plant I recommend to beginners. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's highly likely that the pioneers put this plant to use from the get go.     Out West, you often find this used on old homesteads in plain and simple gardens.  Every old-time farmer and rancher seems to recognize it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16691" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-02-14T15:01:35.607" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T15:01:35.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30777" CreationDate="2017-02-13T08:01:03.967" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spider plants have very fleshy roots. They are greedy feeders and will transfer nutrients into their root system as though preparing for a long, long drought and so look great for the longest time. Then all of a sudden things look not quite so rosy. I have knocked them out of their pots to find that the root ball of soil had been replaced by a mass of thick roots, with almost no soil left. I guess whatever soil there was, in watering, was gradually flushed out. The plant was fine since it had so much nutrient in the root, but finally reaches the limit. It was starting to live on fresh air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moral 1: check the root. You can transplant into a bigger pot, that's one solution, not my favourite. Moral 2: replacements. With spider plants keep new little ones coming along and watch them puff up with energy. Compost the mother plant, with respect and thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-02-13T08:01:03.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30786" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30777" CreationDate="2017-02-13T09:07:53.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;(Sorry, not enough reputation here to comment)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As Colin Beckingham mentions, my experience is that these plants create many roots, eventually replacing all soil. If you wait too long with repotting them into a bigger pot (or dealing with all these roots some other way?), it may be very hard to remove the plant from its current pot (without breaking the pot - or the plant)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16693" LastActivityDate="2017-02-13T09:07:53.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30787" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30788" CreationDate="2017-02-13T10:40:59.247" Score="6" ViewCount="1135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a new opening in a pot without drainage where my spider plant resides, which I've decided to move to a more suitable pot for it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like not to leave the old pot empty, but also not to have to drill holes in it because I don't know if it would break. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any plants that will thrive in a deep pot (about 20cm) that has no drainage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastActivityDate="2017-02-13T16:43:51.547" Title="Are there species that thrive in non-draining pots?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30788" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30787" CreationDate="2017-02-13T11:20:36.183" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, is the short answer. Whilst some plants will grow in waterlogged soil quite happily in open ground, such as in a bog garden, soil in a non draining or waterlogged pot can become hypoxic/anoxic and generally 'sour' because of problems with gas exchange, which means plants will not survive, or at least not do well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the type of pot you're describing, they're usually intended to be used as an outer container for an ordinary pot with drainage, so if you want to use it, find a flower pot of the right shape and depth to fit inside, plant into that, and remember to empty the outer pot 30 minutes after watering whatever plant you've used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-13T11:29:22.910" LastActivityDate="2017-02-13T11:29:22.910" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30789" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30787" CreationDate="2017-02-13T11:27:09.147" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants are living things and therefore all the cells must breathe. This includes the roots. Even plants which appear to be growing in nothing but water are in fact breathing through the roots, exchanging gases with what is dissolved in the water. As those gases are consumed, the plant eventually has nothing to breathe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In an aquarium, the plants would soon cease to function if the bubbling air supply was cut off. Plants like watercress can only survive with a constant supply of nutrient rich water that has dissolved gases. Solve the gases problem (with an air pump or mechanical windmill) and you can grow many plants accustomed to being underwater.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-02-13T11:27:09.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30790" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30782" CreationDate="2017-02-13T11:40:41.360" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like you have at least two problems. Let's take the last image first which appears to show &lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74137.html&quot;&gt;Citrus Leaf Miner&lt;/a&gt; damage. You can see the channels that the miner has burrowed into the leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other images show a plant under a lot of stress. The leaves show a lack of nutrients - the stem looks as though it was strong and healthy at one time, but then moved into hard times, perhaps due to environmental conditions (say pollution of some kind, temperature stress) or even a heavy application of a pesticide to try to solve some other problem. Even an insecticidal soap, if not washed off soon after application, can have a negative overall effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My first inclination would be to (if the plant is not too large) turn the plant upside down and carefully knock it out of its pot and examine the roots.  If all is black and grey this is bad news. You need to see some nice white roots. If you do and you want to keep the plant (say for sentimental reasons), cut it back and let it sprout out from side shoots after repotting into nice fresh potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-02-13T11:40:41.360" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30791" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30770" CreationDate="2017-02-13T14:16:55.203" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Year 1: pencil, paper, thin rod, hammer, sunhat, chair. Idea is to get a good idea of the area and its weaknesses and strengths. Make up a grid of granularity that suits your time allocation. The rod and hammer are for penetrating the soil to a depth of about 2 feet. Make notes on survey sheet of location and what you feel and hear as the rod goes into the ground. Note presence of stones, bedrock, depth of soil, ease of penetration and so on. The goal is to find whether there might be buried concrete or old ironworks, stump cavities, bedrock, too much sand/clay and so on. Try to find out why the bare patches are bare. In year 1 keep the grass down as much as you can by rough mowing, and look for obstructions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Year 2: depends on year 1. At least now you have a good idea of what is under your soil surface. Any farmer would be reluctant to put a plow into unknown ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might find &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/27503/returning-a-garden-paved-for-30-years-with-packed-clay-below-back-to-lawn&quot;&gt;this previous similar question&lt;/a&gt; with extensive detail in both question and answer of help in your process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2017-02-15T08:48:24.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30792" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30787" CreationDate="2017-02-13T14:29:22.913" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Typically a non-draining pot is used for growing succulents (especially cactus.)  The idea is to water infrequently (once a month or longer) and completely soak the soil.  This mimics the natural environment of many cactus species where rains are infrequent but torrential.  You cannot water frequently because the plant will die.  Also, The bottom of the pot should be filled with gravel and/or sand to leave room for a little drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16026" LastEditorUserId="16026" LastEditDate="2017-02-13T16:43:51.547" LastActivityDate="2017-02-13T16:43:51.547" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30793" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-13T16:46:11.403" Score="4" ViewCount="837" Body="&lt;p&gt;About 24 hours ago I repotted my Opuntia (Specie ID is Subulata but &lt;a href=&quot;http://images.google.com/search?tbm=isch&amp;amp;q=Opuntia+Subulata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pictures look a bit different than my plant&lt;/a&gt;). The plant is now slouching in a way akin to how it slouches when I neglect watering it for a period of 1-2 months, but it has been roughly 20 days since the last time I watered it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The repotting process went as follows: I extracted the plant from the pot and emptied it of the original soil. Using my fingers and a brush, I delicately broke the very solid blob of soil under the plant, which I suspected made it hard for it to get water, exposing as much of the root system as I could. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I mixed 2 parts cactus soil and one part perlite for the new potting mix. I filled the pot, made a hole in the new soil and inserted the succulent in it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two other succulents (all cacti) are potted in the same pot. After repotting, I moved the plants back to their spot near a south facing window. Today was a fairly sunny day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roughly 24 hours after being repotted, I found the plant slouching. I generally interpret this as lack of water, and it does recover after receiving some, but I'm worried this might be a consequence of the repotting itself. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm also not sure if I should water these plants now, as potentially damaged roots could rot if watered too soon. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could be the cause of the slouching?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures of the plant as seen today:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/0edj4ll.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/khzby7C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/6kTlIVO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's how the plant looks normally (this photo is roughly 2 months old): &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/pQjwAuV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bonus question:&lt;/strong&gt; why does my opuntia look so much different than other Subulata specimens? Is it the wrong ID or is my plant suffering from stunted growth? (It hasn't grown at all for the last few months)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastActivityDate="2019-07-12T09:39:25.473" Title="Opuntia is slouching after repotting" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30796" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30810" CreationDate="2017-02-13T19:57:48.510" Score="6" ViewCount="649" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm searching for species that would grow fast to become field windbreaks and I have found a lot of articles on the web about this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I'm more interested in knowing if any of you have had or have actually grown them (in USDA hardiness zone 6). What species would you recommend based on such expertise?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-01T20:07:43.660" LastActivityDate="2018-12-17T04:29:29.203" Title="What are the best fast growing field windbreaks?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;field-windbreak&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30797" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2017-02-13T20:00:07.440" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-02-13T20:00:07.440" LastActivityDate="2017-02-13T20:00:07.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30798" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2017-02-13T20:00:07.440" Score="0" Body="Linear plantings of trees/shrubs designed to reduce wind speed in open fields, preventing soil erosion and protecting adjacent crops from wind damage." OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-02-14T15:18:14.320" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T15:18:14.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30799" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30796" CreationDate="2017-02-13T20:23:56.683" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends what you want in the way of thickness of foliage blocking the wind or whether the barrier should be effective against other things such as deer. I have light sandy type soil and wanted to plant white pine as a windbreak and later for lumber. But the deer ate all the seedlings except one. Then I planted white spruce which the deer left alone; they produced a nice thick barrier which is very good against wind and somewhat effective against deer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An alternative that gorws fast, makes a less thick barrier but is vulnerable to beaver damage here is white poplar. (Zone 3)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-02-13T20:23:56.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30796" CreationDate="2017-02-13T20:44:02.097" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My favorite is Blue Arctic Willow, Salix purpurea 'nana'.  Not 'nana' at all.  Full of foliage, flexible fine branches, grows quickly...looks spectacular summer and winter (glossy copper fine branches that don't break).  Easy and fun to prune, heck, I made hedges out of them...if one doesn't hedge, they grow to 30 feet by 30 feet.  Blue green foliage, tiny leaves, forget about cleaning leaves off lawns, etc.  Terribly hardy down to zone 1B!!  Not enough woody trunk or stems for beaver to care about.  They might want to use stems for weaving...dunno.  Deer?  Dunno, lots of branches and foliage but I've never seen any deer damage.  That copper shines in the winter.  So easy and actually fun to prune.  Moves in the wind.  Check out this wonderful shrub!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can send pics if you'd like!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-02-13T20:44:02.097" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30801" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-13T20:48:57.440" Score="7" ViewCount="2219" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had one tree and two bushes next to each other. One of the bushes died as a casualty of some underground pipe work, so I removed it. The other two are bare where they had been up against the third. It's been a few years and those bare spots have not grown back. The other sections of both plants seem to be doing well enough. The bare spots are on the shady (north) side. Is there a way to to bring the bare spots back to life?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dead parts of tree (arborvitae?) and bush (unknown species)&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MSHXC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MSHXC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dead parts of tree and bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fronts of tree and bush for identification&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YNShN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YNShN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Front of tree and bush for identification&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14338" LastEditorUserId="14338" LastEditDate="2017-02-15T18:39:09.613" LastActivityDate="2017-02-15T18:39:09.613" Title="Revive dead part of a bush" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30802" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30801" CreationDate="2017-02-13T22:02:12.853" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like Arborvitae and a Tam Juniper.  No, there really is not a way to get them to revive at these spots.  If you were to prune so that the tops are narrower than the bottoms of these shrubs that would help a bit but these shrubs are quite mature and this looks like their shady side.  I'd get a soft, deciduous shrub to fill that space such as a bridal veil spiraea planted at least 3 or 4 feet away from these two shrubs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I am worried about is a fairly horrid disease called phytophthora which affects arborvitae an awful lot.  The juniper is bare just because of lack of sun.  Tell us more about the arborvitae you lost, what did you notice first, how long did it take for complete kill?  Phytophthora is still in that soil.  Watch the rest of your arborvitae closely.  Take pics and send.  Or get a soil sample and send to your nearest cooperative extension service (part of a University in your area).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-02-13T22:02:12.853" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30780" CreationDate="2017-02-13T22:30:41.467" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have a condenser dryer, then these machines dry clothes by forcing hot air through them and condensing the moisture laden air.  It's not really a distillation process where water is boiled and condensed.  If your clothes are clean by the time they're dried one shouldn't really see much in the way of detergents etc redissolving in the water, and some manufacturers do recommend using the water for watering plants.  If some detergents do make it into the condensate, then this can improve the watering process since this it can negate the hydrophobic nature of dry mixes on account of the surfactants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-02-13T22:30:41.467" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30804" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30805" CreationDate="2017-02-14T00:27:42.087" Score="8" ViewCount="152" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed this small (~1cm long) insect on my rose bush in Santa Cruz, California, U.S.A.. I also noticed that all the scales, usually infesting my rose, were missing. I was pleased and am currently attributing this attrition to the new visitor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts on what this insect may be and if it is indeed to be commended for it's excellent work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7OVF5.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7OVF5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unidentified Insect on Rose Bush, note no scales present.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ejrn5.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ejrn5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unidentified Insect on Rose Bush, note no scales present.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BALQe.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BALQe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unidentified Insect on Rose Bush, note no scales present.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15728" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T05:19:23.727" Title="Insect Friend or Foe on Rose, Santa Cruz, California" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30804" CreationDate="2017-02-14T05:19:23.727" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not an entomologist but by googling, it looks to be a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/roses/controlling-fuller-rose-beetle.htm&quot;&gt;Rose Weevil&lt;/a&gt; or Fuller Rose Beetle aka Naupactus (Asynonychus) godmani.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't look like it's a goodie to have on your roses&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HcS85.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HcS85.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The damage done by this beetle is to the foliage of the host plant by the adults and the root system is damaged by the larvae. Death of the host rose bush is a very real possibility if not controlled. Part of figuring out the pest we have is in recognition of the damage the particular insect does. With the fuller rose beetle, the leaf damage is typically serrated (notched edges), creating a ragged appearance. Under heavy infestations, these beetles can easily consume an entire leaf, leaving only the midrib of the leaf! The younger larvae eat at the root hairs or rootlets, and the older larvae girdle the lateral roots of the host plant. Such damage to the root system will result in stunted growth since the roots are unable to effectively take up the nutrition it needs. Weakening of the root system also makes it a good candidate for fungal infections that will aid in the death of the rose. Early recognition of such a problem is priceless, making the treatment of fuller rose beetles imperative.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T05:19:23.727" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30806" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-14T05:42:45.230" Score="8" ViewCount="271" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to identify my cactus that I planted when I xeriscaped last year. I never saved the little stick thing. I thought it was just a saguaro variation, but then it popped out all these red fingers. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L6pz2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L6pz2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16700" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-02-14T14:59:54.930" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T14:59:54.930" Title="What is this columnar cactus?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30806" CreationDate="2017-02-14T11:17:47.437" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a Cleistocactus variety, just not sure which, maybe C. smaragdiflorus, though the flowers on that one usually have a greenish tip, see here &lt;a href=&quot;http://zipcodezoo.com/index.php/Cleistocactus_smaragdiflorus&quot;&gt;http://zipcodezoo.com/index.php/Cleistocactus_smaragdiflorus&lt;/a&gt;. The hairs/spines on the stems of your plant don't look silvery enough to be C. straussii either. C. hyalacanthus is another possibility, and that variety does have 'hairy' or furry flowers, like yours, but often has a non hairy or darker patch on top of the stems which I'm not seeing in your pics, so I'm afraid I can't say 100% which variety it is. Information about Cleistocactus generally here  &lt;a href=&quot;http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=933&quot;&gt;http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=933&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-14T11:29:22.133" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T11:29:22.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30808" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-14T16:10:15.570" Score="8" ViewCount="2253" Body="&lt;p&gt;We did not mulch our strawberries this winter and we have brown leaves on some of the plants. Do we take the brown leaves off? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16701" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T16:42:20.090" Title="Brown leaves on strawberries" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30809" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30808" CreationDate="2017-02-14T16:42:20.090" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, if they're dead, but if your winter is not over yet, wait till the weather warms up - the dead leaves may provide some protection if the weather is still cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T16:42:20.090" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30810" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30796" CreationDate="2017-02-14T17:48:26.687" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There may be some difference between a fast windbreak and an ideal windbreak. Since many fast growing deciduous trees provide little wind breakage in the winter  months, my go-to choice for screening/windbreaks is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.usna.usda.gov/Newintro/grgiant.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thuja (standishii x plicata)&lt;/em&gt; 'Green Giant'&lt;/a&gt;. I am in USDA hardiness zone 6 and they thrive here in Pennsylvania. Here are some reasons why I prefer this tree over some others (such as leyland cypress). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plant can easily put on 3 feet a year or more &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Adaptable to all soil types (sand, clay, shale, low nitrogen, dry, etc) except for saturated.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Very uniform grower in a group planting such as a windbreak&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flexible branches can easily withstand 2' of snow&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bright green year round &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Deer resistant (as compared with emerald arborvitae)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Very disease/pest resistant - generally carefree&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thrives in dappled to full sunlight &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The downside is the cost, which is high if you are getting large trees to start with, like most people prefer to do. But if you start with 3' trees, you have a 20' windbreak in less than 10 years, and 30' ten years after (with proper spacing). That is fast for a conifer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you need a deciduous tree for some reason, i would choose the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/article/a-perfect-shade-of-tree-the-hybrid-willow&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;'Hybrid Willow'&lt;/a&gt;, for fast growth. They advertise 12-20' of growth a year, but when I've planted them, they pushed 6-10' a year for the first few years. Still pretty fast though. Because this isn't a long lived tree, and won't look so great after 30 years, I'd plant a second row of trees (something slower and more substantial) in the back. When they reach the height you need, you could cut back the willows (In that case prepare for insane regrowth).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a list of good windbreaks that take longer to grow (only species which I've used for this in zone 6 where I live):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_spruce&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Blue Spruce&lt;/a&gt;, Very dense, generally carefree, not uniform if grown from seed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_strobus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Eastern White Pine&lt;/a&gt;, faster growing, less dense. Can be picky with soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metasequoia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dawn Redwood&lt;/a&gt;, good apical dominance, grows in damp or dry soils. Less dense, deciduous. Fast growing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxodium_distichum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bald Cypress&lt;/a&gt;, similar to Dawn Redwood, slower growing, can grow in wet soil/standing water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picea_abies&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Norway Spruce&lt;/a&gt;, one of the best adapted conifers to this climate. Dense with sufficient moisture (dry soil causes shedding of branchlets)'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.streetkeeper.net/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Street Keeper® Honeylocust&lt;/a&gt;. Very happy with the growth rate, density, structural integrity and pest/disease resistant. Adaptable with an aggressive root system.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And some which I did not prefer (ended up being high maintenance or needing replacement with a different species)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tree-guide.com/lombardy-poplar&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lombardy Poplar&lt;/a&gt;, short lived, disease prone, prone to storm damage (also cottonwood)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_fir&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Douglas Fir&lt;/a&gt;, not well adapted to this climate. Needs yearly spraying for needle cast and other diseases&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_pumila&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Siberian Elm&lt;/a&gt;, not very dense, prone to storm damage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinia_pseudoacacia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Black Locust&lt;/a&gt;, low foliage, disease prone&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T17:48:26.687" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30811" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30793" CreationDate="2017-02-14T19:02:12.207" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plants are so healthy otherwise. I would water this guy. From my experience when a succulent/cactus starts getting crinkled skin that means it needs water. It might just be a compromised root system and that is why it is having a tough time getting enough water. Be careful to not over water, just enough to wet the root system and let us know how it responds. Whatever you are doing with your watering seems to be right on for all your succulent/cactus plants. Rereading your question I think you overdid the cleaning of soil from the roots as you suspect. Yup, water this plant, shallowly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T19:02:12.207" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30812" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-14T20:22:07.590" Score="6" ViewCount="1519" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased an Euphorbia from IKEA last October. It was very robust in the beginning, but after being repotted multiple times it lost a lot of its vigour and some parts of died. I'm looking to understand what I did wrong so that I can prevent this in the future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't water this plant for the first three months I had it, from October to January. Here's a rundown of its history (pictures included below):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;October 11&lt;/strong&gt;: I moved the plant from the pot it came in, sloppily placing it in new soil that wasn't suited for it (low drainage).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;November 20: I tried to improve the job by using a better mix (cactus mix + perlite) and repositioning the stems to make them stable.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;December 6&lt;/strong&gt;: the smallest stem started rotting. The first symptom was a black spot, then the whole stem became soft and squishy. When I cut it and removed the root, it was much softer than the roots of the healthy stems. Only 4 stems were left.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;January 7&lt;/strong&gt;: for the first time since I purchased it, I watered the plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;January 10&lt;/strong&gt;: yet another arm rotted. This time I removed it very carefully in order to avoid damaging the other ones. It was again very soft.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;January 21&lt;/strong&gt;: the plant seemed to have survived, so I watered the plant sparsely.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;February 12&lt;/strong&gt;: I watered the plant again, a bit more profusely (I had recently learned that Euphorbias need water more frequently than Cactaceae).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;February 14 (today)&lt;/strong&gt;: another arm rotted, I removed it without impacting the other two, and also noticed that it had been sitting very loose in the soil, hardly any rooting had happened.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first two times I repotted the plant I was a bit careless and probably hurt the stems or the roots it by letting the plants hit each other or hang badly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leading theories I have about what could've caused the rot are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Overwatering&lt;/strong&gt;: while the plant has good drainage, two of the stems rotted right after being watered profusely, while when I watered the plant lightly another time, nothing happened.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bad handling&lt;/strong&gt;: only explains the first two stems rotting, but the plant took a beating when I repotted it initially.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bad soil&lt;/strong&gt;: the mix that the plant now sits in is very dense in perlite compared to normal soil (looks like a 3:1 ratio or higher). Maybe this is unsuited for the plant?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture time! Here's how the plant looked when I had just purchased it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G9Thm.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G9Thm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;How the Euphorbia looked in the beginning&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's how it looked after the repotting on November 20.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tIQOA.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tIQOA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The plant after the second repotting&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's the first stem that rotted and what it looked like when I inspected it (I later on found out you should never touch Euphorbias with bare hands ):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/20vLz.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/20vLz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The rotted stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jb0Jt.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jb0Jt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;After cutting&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The arm that rotted on January 10 looked like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iREnd.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iREnd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The second arm to rot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The third arm to rot, today:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iSICE.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iSICE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The third rotten arm&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n4gfA.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n4gfA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;After removal&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastActivityDate="2017-02-16T11:40:59.367" Title="Euphorbia stems keep rotting in succession" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;&lt;rot&gt;&lt;euphorbia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30813" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-14T20:31:05.567" Score="4" ViewCount="955" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I purchased one of my cacti in mid-December (not identified yet), I noticed that it had some buds on its sides. I've never seen cactus flowers or buds, but that's what they seemed to be, instinctively. I left for a holiday soon after, and when I returned in January, some of the buds had shrivelled and retracted, while some were still poking out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To this day, some of these growths are still hanging on the plants, but I've never seen any flowers on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are these growths?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mid-December:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XT5Ec.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XT5Ec.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The plant in mid-December&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;February:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o5cEI.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o5cEI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The plant in February&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T22:34:26.373" Title="Strange buds/growths on my cactus" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30814" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-14T20:44:30.013" Score="7" ViewCount="2348" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read that many plants go dormant in winter. I live in the Netherlands, and while outside temperatures are between -3 °C and 10 °C in winter, the temperatures in my room are always between 15 °C and 20 °C. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have aloes, cacti, and a Dracaena Massageana (Corn Cane). They are right next to a south-facing window, and I have noticed some of them (especially the Dracaena) putting out new growth during the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Would these plants actually go dormant during winter in my room's climate?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If they've gone dormant, why are some of them still growing?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I keep watering them with the same frequency during winter, assuming they didn't go dormant?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I still only fertilise these plants in spring and summer?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastActivityDate="2018-10-08T08:00:42.473" Title="Do indoor plants go dormant in winter?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;winter&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30815" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-14T20:48:01.037" Score="12" ViewCount="2389" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for a UV tolerant labeling pen. &#xA;I am using Kinglake (from Amazon) plastic wrap around labels with Sharpie ink. However after just one season, the labels have faded.&#xA;Is there a better pen available with ink that will hold up to UV exposure? It doesn't have to last forever, I can manage 5 years...&#xA;Thanks,&#xA;John&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y1Oq4.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y1Oq4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plastic plant label with Sharpie ink after one year.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15728" LastActivityDate="2017-02-18T08:26:41.743" Title="UV Tolerant Labeling" Tags="&lt;plant-labels&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30816" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30814" CreationDate="2017-02-14T21:10:38.833" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Indoor plants, plants in green houses get confused big time come winters.  Some plants (not the ones you have) actually NEED to go dormant for their health.  Indoors during the winter is tough because the heating sucks the moisture out of the air, the plants relying on light from windows are getting 'told' climate has changed because of the hours of daylight versus night time.  Houseplants go into a 'sorta' dormancy with these environmental changes, slowing their growth.  Watering should be less and definitely no fertilizing.  This is a good reason to use an extended release fertilizer such as Osmocote.  Fertilize twice a year the last to be in the late summer or fall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;People with artificial lighting and humidifiers can overcome the shortening of daylight hours to precipitate flowering and more growth.  Any plant in 'shade' conditions should not be fertilized as much as their peers in the sun.  Plants need a 'rest'...using artificial lighting one has to give their plants a nighty night time.  During the spring and summer when temperatures are consistent, I always take my indoor plants out onto a shaded porch. They get lots more light. Doing this the plants are able to store more food (they make for themselves) and thrive...persist longer especially through the dark dry winters. Just the ambient light getting to the plants on a shaded porch will help them make more food to last the winters when brought back indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the plant world industry, indoor plants are considered long term perishables.  Giving your plants good potting soil, drainage, light...fertilizing is critical but kept at a minimum will make one more adept keeping your house plants vigorous.  Don't expect fruits or flowers indoors.  Watch the watering.  Winter indoors is dryer and the soil dries out faster.  Weird, huh.  But do not overdo!  Keep plants away from forced air heat or any radiant heat sources.  Taking your plants outside to a shaded porch during the summer when there is no chance of freezing temperatures, helps indoor plants to become much more longer term perishables...putting your indoor plants into the shower for a nice long rain shower once per month will make you their savior!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-10-08T08:00:42.473" LastActivityDate="2018-10-08T08:00:42.473" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="30817" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-14T21:11:18.133" Score="7" ViewCount="2671" Body="&lt;p&gt;I inherited this jade from my mother who got it 10 years ago. It had some considerable root rot and some wild and curvy/lanky branches, so I hacked it way back. The root rot went up about 2&quot; of the trunk, so that was a bummer to have to cut. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyways, fast forward to now - the main section has rooted and we've got some solid growth. The majority of the cut branches are now thriving as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to promote a thick trunk and direct growth to the one section that does not currently have buds (circled).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zrvuR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zrvuR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;jade plant 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m4jVQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m4jVQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;jade plant 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyways - I would love general and specific suggestions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant lives in my office and receives about 12 hours with grow light, 8 hours with florescent office lighting, and 4 hours of darkness. The soil is a mixture of course orchid and organic potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16702" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-02T10:14:09.970" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T10:14:09.970" Title="How can I promote new growth on a section of my Jade cutting?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30815" CreationDate="2017-02-14T21:30:47.307" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/garden-marker-pen/labels-pens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;uv marking pen&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every nursery I've worked in always had this problem and sharpies were all that were used.  I just tilted my labels or covered them with opaque tape...masking tape.  That helped a little, here is a site that actually says UV protection.  Maybe this will help.  I've never understood why we didn't have markers for plant labels that would last.  Forces one to remember what the plant's name was knowing the label would be gone by the next year.  Grins! Let us know if this helps or you find something better (such as carving names in stone or metal)!?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T21:30:47.307" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30819" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30815" CreationDate="2017-02-14T22:00:51.410" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my catalogs was suggesting pencil on vinyl siding scraps. They sell trees, not markers...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Several of the catalogs that sell markers have the &quot;aluminum foil-wrapped cardboard&quot; style - you write on it with a pen, which embosses the foil, which stays embossed without need of ink.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EtPre.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EtPre.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Metal Dymo labels are also seen in the trade catalogs. The appropriate labeler to work with the metal tapes is a bit expensive unless you have a lot of use for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-02-14T22:07:10.167" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T22:07:10.167" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30820" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30821" CreationDate="2017-02-14T22:05:28.650" Score="4" ViewCount="1450" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just moved into a new rental and have permission from our landlord to start a garden. Our yard has a great southern exposure, is very flat, and we're in Seattle. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never started a garden before and I'm getting pretty frustrated by all the roadblocks I'm hitting. :/&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking this year I'd try not to bite off more than I can chew and to put in one 4x10 ft. raised bed. Maybe do another in the fall and have it ready for spring 2018. I have no particular aversion to another type of garden, but these seemed popular and pretty simple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm getting a lot of conflicting opinions on this; do I need to remove the existing sod? I started to remove some and went through about a 3x3 area when I realized there was no way it was going to fit in our city compost bins. I'm not sure if I'm pulling up too much but the grass roots seem to be about 4&quot; deep. If I have to I can rent a pickup and truck it to a yard waste disposal facility but I'd rather avoid that hassle if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read about lasagna gardening, where you kill the grass with wet cardboard and pile things to compost on top. I wouldn't be able to plant until next year with this method and I was really hoping to have a garden this summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I'm wondering... would I be able to put down wet cardboard over the desired area, build an 11&quot; fence around it, and fill the resultant box with compost/topsoil? I only worry that when the plants get through that first 11&quot; they'll hit the cardboard and the soil underneath will be so compacted they won't be able to grow into it. Could I lightly till the sod and then put cardboard on it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really don't need the world's best garden here, I'm just looking to get started without pulling out too much of my hair. Again if there is something totally different that I can try I'm totally open to it, seeing as I've done pretty minimal work so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Also I've been wondering about if it's reasonable to break up and aerate the sod, lay cardboard on top to ensure it's dead, and then add finished soil/compost on top. It's not a labor issue here I'm willing to work hard, I just don't want to spend days renting equipment and running all over town spending too much money.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16704" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-02-14T22:32:42.397" LastActivityDate="2017-02-15T09:07:31.190" Title="Starting garden over sod" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;sod&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30820" CreationDate="2017-02-14T22:21:06.150" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do not cut it out and send it off to the city for composting! You may get city compost back, but most of it won't be as good as what you are digging up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may have heard of &quot;loam&quot; - loam is nothing more or less than composted sod.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You want those nutrients right where they are.&lt;/strong&gt; You might flip them if you are up for the labor, or just bury them if you have adequate compost available - either way they will compost in place quite nicely so long as they are buried adequately to keep light off them. You don't need cardboard or paper, but you can use those if you like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you won't have grass on your garden paths, cut those sods and add them to the beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are cutting and flipping the sods, you can loosen the soil below with a fork. I suggest doing that once, when you start the garden, and then just avoid walking on it. If it's more labor than you want to put in, feel free to move on to the &quot;just don't walk on the beds&quot; phase and let roots and worms take care of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-02-14T22:27:21.797" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T22:27:21.797" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30822" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30813" CreationDate="2017-02-14T22:34:26.373" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it might be Mammalaria karwinskiana, image showing flowers here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cactiguide.com/graphics/m_karwinskiana_f_600.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.cactiguide.com/graphics/m_karwinskiana_f_600.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its quite a variable one, so although the image included shows the likeliest form the flowers will take, the same name seems to be used for other cactus that look just slightly different and may have different coloured flowers. I'd guess it will flower,  when its ready - its likely some of the buds shrivelled due to transition shock from being transported and set up in a different situation. It looks generally healthy, so I think its just a question of time. More examples of this plant (along with a plethora of alternative names) here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=mammillaria&amp;amp;species=karwinskiana&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=mammillaria&amp;amp;species=karwinskiana&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T22:34:26.373" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30820" CreationDate="2017-02-14T22:39:59.817" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is another alternative - lift the sod in squares or oblongs, stack it somewhere, grass side down, preferably out of sight, and leave it to rot down. Over time it'll turn into really useful loam which can be reapplied to your beds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, I entirely agree with Ecnerwal's answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-02-14T22:39:59.817" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30824" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30815" CreationDate="2017-02-15T01:50:29.167" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think Ecnerwal's answer is pretty cool, but I'll tell you some other things, too, since I've been researching stuff like this lately on forums, Amazon and stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If an ink or writing substance reflects UV rays, it should be fade-resistant (but maybe not water or abrasion resistant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some ideas (I'm not sure if any of them will last for five years, but many of them should last at least a full growing season):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You could use a wood burner to burn labels onto wood.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They actually do sell outdoor garden markers specifically for this purpose (search for garden marker or garden marker pen). [It looks like stormy already mentioned this.] I'm not sure how long the markers last, and they're pretty expensive for one marker. There are markers that look like they're probably exactly the same, but they're not marketed as garden markers; these may be more affordable (I forgot what they're called offhand, though).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;These &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00006IFEO&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;industrial Sharpies&lt;/a&gt; (Sharpie Pro) are said to work better than regular ones. They say they're fade and water resistant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can try &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B003YDYO1Q&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;oil markers&lt;/a&gt; that are fade and water resistant. I've read they can work well for gardening purposes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've seen other outdoor markers that should work. Just search for all kinds of stuff, and you may find something.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A lot of people just use a pencil, and they claim pencils don't fade. You'll probably want to use a carpenter pencil, though, so it won't be too thin to be very readable. You can get mechanical carpenter pencils, too, if you don't want to sharpen them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can print labels on paper and put them in plastic bags (the bags can protect the ink on the paper). Sticking the bag to the plant may be the tricky part with this idea. &lt;a href=&quot;http://tomatoville.com/showpost.php?p=616482&amp;amp;postcount=4&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;This idea comes from AlittleSalt of tomatoville.com, who says it works.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You might try laminating paper for labels. I'm not sure how this works out, but it's an idea that came to mind after I read about AlittleSalt's idea.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You might try chalkboard markers. I'm not sure how well they work outdoors with fading (especially if they get wet), but it's an idea that may or may not work. It's supposed to be able to stick semi-permanently with non-porous surfaces (and permanently with porous surfaces).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you can find some writing glue that isn't washable, it might work, due to the bulk of the medium.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-02-15T07:50:26.677" LastActivityDate="2017-02-15T07:50:26.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30825" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30820" CreationDate="2017-02-15T06:52:04.333" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're on the right track already.  You only need to erect 6 inch high planks to mark out your raised bed, and then cover the sod with compost to that depth.  Get a plank and place it over the compost and trample it down so it packs down.  But don't walk on it just your shoes as that's too much compaction when there's not much organic material in the bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This forms a light blocking &quot;mulch&quot; which will kill the grass beneath.  No cardboard is required, and in any case, people find thick layers of newspaper better as cardboard rapidly falls apart.  You've mentioned that the grass roots are 4 inches deep.  They'll all die under the light exclusion, and as they rot, they'll open up lots of spaces for the roots of your vegetables. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is all best done in your growing season and you're ready to plant immediately, and the roots of the vegetables will have access to the nutrients released by the decomposing grasses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since this method is pretty low on labour, you might want to try one of the other methods as well and see which gives you the better result for the least effort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-02-15T06:52:04.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30826" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30815" CreationDate="2017-02-15T09:02:06.157" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;On a dark surface, correction fluid (Tippex) works well.  On a light surface a dark touch-up paint pen (meant for cars).  The latter is also slightly easier to write with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pencil has already been mentioned but works well on a white background.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A completely diffrent approach: use a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amazon.co.uk/Qty-White-Stick-Plant-Labels/dp/B005D5HFKK&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;label that sticks into the soil&lt;/a&gt; and position it so the writing is in shade (e.g. on the north side in the northern hemisphere, or in the shade of the plant).  You could even cover it (with a pot or stone).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2017-02-15T09:02:06.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30827" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30820" CreationDate="2017-02-15T09:07:31.190" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's quite important to know what kind of grass is in the sod you will be covering or composting. If you don't know exactly what the current mix is, dig up a few square inches of the sod to a depth of 4 inches or so with a trowel, then put a pint of water in a clean bucket/pail and wash off the roots. Now take the matted grass and tease it apart into individual plants making sure to keep roots attached to the respective plants, arrange them on a coloured background that best reveals the plants and roots and take a photo. Take the pail of dirty water, remove any remaining roots and leaves, swill it around vigorously and pour the whole lot into a glass quart jar and let it settle naturally in a quiet location. Several days later when it has clear water on top take a photo. You will then have two very valuable resources, an inventory of the existing grass types and a soil profile. These will be solid reference tools for you in future years as you gain experience, and two very useful photos to share with us as we try to help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-02-15T09:07:31.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30828" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-15T11:19:45.503" Score="3" ViewCount="402" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought my mint plant somewhere in January, but now I noticed the mint plant's stem are very long, and the leaves are slightly yellowish. The leaves are very fragile, and soft, not strong like they used to be. The plant also seem to be drooping slightly. What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16394" LastActivityDate="2017-02-20T19:31:00.603" Title="My mint plant leaves are slightly yellowish and seems to be dropping. Does anyone know why is this so?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30829" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30815" CreationDate="2017-02-15T11:37:56.440" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Look on ebay for &quot;Paint Marker&quot;. I used these and they do work great. However, the issue I had was they have a nib that goes in and out and you press the pen down to get the paint flowing to the nib. This works great for a season or so and then seems to stop, the result being you press the nib right down and the paint comes flooding out all over your label/fingers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option you may want to look at is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_gall_ink&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Iron Gall Ink&lt;/a&gt;. This has been used on parchments since the 5th century and is used as archiving ink because it doesn't fade. Not sure how it would cope with being painted on plastic and subject to UV rays but I like the idea of using this and writing with a small feather or quill pen. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16706" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-02-15T15:53:31.530" LastActivityDate="2017-02-15T15:53:31.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30830" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30817" CreationDate="2017-02-15T17:00:44.100" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Like many plants, Jade &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_stem&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;plant stems&lt;/a&gt; are comprised of 'nodes and internodes' (the nodes containing the concentrated &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meristem&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;meristem&lt;/a&gt; tissue):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The nodes hold one or more leaves, as well as buds which can grow into branches (with leaves, conifer cones, or inflorescences (flowers)). Adventitious roots may also be produced from the nodes.&#xA;  The internodes distance one node from another.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your case, it looks as though you've cut the stem in the first internodal shoot from the main stem. Plants like to grow from terminal or axillary buds (which are found at nodes), before they put out &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventitiousness#Adventitious_buds_and_shoots&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;adventitious&lt;/a&gt; growth (internodal), because of a phenomenon called &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14536/what-is-apical-dominance&quot;&gt;apical dominance&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This means that if you cut a plant back, the nodes nearest the cut ends (extremities) are the most likely to send out new shoots, followed by the more central/lower nodes, and generally internodal growth will be a last resort. This does not mean it will be impossible for the plant to put growth out there (that stub, because of it's position, is probably the most likely area to form meristematic tissue), it simply means that growth in that stem area is unlikely, especially with energy expenditure taking place in the normal regrowth areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your highest chance of regrowth in that area is to completely remove that stub at the base, and hope that new buds are formed at the base. Other than that, you'll have to wait and see what happens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2017-02-15T22:02:19.853" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30831" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30815" CreationDate="2017-02-15T17:06:41.447" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've tried paint markers over the years for labeling irrigation, and found it worked great AS LONG as it was dry when I was trying to label.  Also, be careful because many paint marker tips can dry out fairly quickly. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also tried the embossed metal labels, and found the weak point to be the thin wire they were attached with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am currently using the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.brother-usa.com/Ptouch/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;P-touch&lt;/a&gt; labeling system, and have had amazing results.  5+ years in weather (rain, snow, and sun), no peeling, no fading, and they still look as sharp as the day I put them on.  There are many forms of this labeler, some that you can take out into the field.  I prefer the kind I can attach to my computer, that way I can copy plants from my database and plop them into the label maker software.  I haven't figured out how to interface my old labeler with my database, but I wouldn't be surprised if the newer ones were database ready.  The other cool thing with these labelers is that the tape comes in various widths so you can decided the best size for the correct label.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On a final note, I have used clear sticky-backed labels (from OfficeMax/OfficeDepot) run through a laser printer as a short term test for spot codes.  It worked ok, but I found that the labels didn't last as long.  Don't get the paper based one, they fade and peel within a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, if you're interested in more of a display label, let me know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-02-15T17:06:41.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30832" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30815" CreationDate="2017-02-15T17:34:24.843" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_pencil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Grease Pencil&lt;/a&gt; also called China Markers should hold up well outside. They will rub off with too much motion.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16711" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-02-18T08:26:41.743" LastActivityDate="2017-02-18T08:26:41.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30833" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30837" CreationDate="2017-02-15T18:51:55.233" Score="3" ViewCount="550" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this plant? I could not find anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cvluT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cvluT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rDlRj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rDlRj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16712" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:35:44.553" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:35:44.553" Title="What is this grass-like plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30834" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-15T18:53:54.497" Score="5" ViewCount="294" Body="&lt;p&gt;Today has been the first sunny day in a long while, and some of my aloes sat in the sun of a south-facing windowsill for the first time. Two of them were in an office before, never getting direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I came home, I noticed a new brown tinge had appeared, most pronounced at the base of their new leaves, and less elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I learned recently that aloes need to acclimatise in order to stand full sun, but I wasn't expecting such a reaction on the first day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My questions are:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is the damage permanent?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If not, where should I place them to make them recover, and for how long?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What schedule should I follow to make them acclimatise to the windowsill?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictues below. The brown tinge looks much more pronounced to the naked eye than in the pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The two plants on the right come from an office setting where they received dim indirect light, until I brought them home last week. Today was their first exposure to full sun. The pup is Aloe Variegata.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yEX3i.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yEX3i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Affected plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Detail of the browning:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J8PC4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J8PC4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Browning on middle aloe&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YCDyz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YCDyz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Browning on pup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZxwZT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZxwZT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Browned inner leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastEditorUserId="16516" LastEditDate="2017-02-15T19:48:44.810" LastActivityDate="2017-02-15T19:49:35.663" Title="Did my aloes sunburn?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30835" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30833" CreationDate="2017-02-15T19:25:03.007" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Judging by its upright habit, maybe Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' without its flowers/seedheads &lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.gertens.com/12070009/Plant/2170/Karl_Foerster_Reed_Grass&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://plants.gertens.com/12070009/Plant/2170/Karl_Foerster_Reed_Grass&lt;/a&gt;, otherwise Carex elata 'Aurea', though that one has leaves which tend to curl over gracefully.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A clearer image, without a plant directly behind it, which shows more detail of the foliage might confirm or deny the ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE - its not Carex, so more likely Calamagrostis, which is commonly known as a reed grass. Hard to be certain without the presence of flowers or seedheads though, and if its been indoors for some months, that makes it harder - Calamagrostis usually dies back in winter in cooler regions, but won't have done that indoors - its not usually grown as a houseplant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-15T19:46:33.053" LastActivityDate="2017-02-15T19:46:33.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30834" CreationDate="2017-02-15T19:41:08.443" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Haworthia do not like direct sun, especially when kept as a houseplant - I agree with the ID of Haworthia attenuata, so yes, it does need a different situation from a true aloe, so somewhere with good light but not direct sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure what your aloe is either - maybe A. mitriformis, and they do cope with sun. If its winter where you are,  I'd be surprised if the sun caused a problem, but if the plant was exposed all day to unexpected sunlight, it might have caused a problem, though that's difficult to detect from the photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming sunlight has caused the trouble, stand it in sunlight for increasing periods, rather than leaving it exposed all day, so give it a couple of hours of morning sun, then move it, and increase its exposure over time. As for the small plant in your images, I'm not sure what that is, but you'd need to be careful about sun exposure just because its small, so a similar arrangement - a small but increasing amount of exposure over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-15T19:49:35.663" LastActivityDate="2017-02-15T19:49:35.663" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30837" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30833" CreationDate="2017-02-15T22:23:05.090" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is too young to tell right now over a photo.  I've got two others that I dearly love, one being voraciously invasive but hell...that is Mexican Feather Grass; Stipa tenuissima.  The other is Orange Sedge; Carex testacea.  I looked up the pics on the internet and I disagree with the pictures of Orange sedge...light green with orange tints, tips.  This plant is not bronze at all!!&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/baAuq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;![Carex testacea&#xA;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/baAuq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-02-15T22:23:05.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30838" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30812" CreationDate="2017-02-16T11:34:51.307" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me as if, originally, it was planted just a bit too deep, and when you 'sloppily' repotted it, and subsequently, you planted it at the same or even a fractionally deeper level. In both 'arms' that have rotted, its apparent that some of the ridged growths were below soil level, and that's where the rot started, probably caused by damp soil sitting against the base of the stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When plants are presented for sale, they have often just been repotted, or, more usually, the soil at the top of the pot has been topped up with new to make the plant look more appealing or to give more support to splaying stems, but this often means the soil level is higher than it should be, even if that's only by a couple of millimetres. With many plants, it doesn't matter too much, but with a succulent, it does. It needed to be potted a bit lower, and if you needed to support the topgrowth at the base to prevent it splaying out, a layer of fine shingle or small pebbles would have done the job without retaining water against the plant stems. The trouble is, the poor thing's been disturbed so many times, it may not survive at all, and may not respond well to being turfed out of its pot yet again and repotted, but you can try if you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This answer assumes you're obeying the usual rule of never leaving the plant sitting in water in an outer pot for longer than 30 minutes max.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-16T11:40:59.367" LastActivityDate="2017-02-16T11:40:59.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30839" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30851" CreationDate="2017-02-16T19:13:02.210" Score="5" ViewCount="39" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm starting a community garden but so far all the crop calendars I've been able to find don't seem to have Arizona weather in mind. Anyone know where I can find a local crop calendar?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1918" LastActivityDate="2017-02-17T18:51:52.267" Title="Where can I find a crop calendar for Arizona" Tags="&lt;urban-gardening&gt;&lt;square-foot-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30840" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-16T21:28:19.280" Score="6" ViewCount="12416" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few years ago, we used a clay type soil for filling holes in&#xA;our garden. Later the soil became very hard and most of our plants and trees are not healthy. Only unwanted plants are growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any way we can make the soil healthy for garden plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11437" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-02-16T22:19:09.677" LastActivityDate="2017-02-18T08:52:24.560" Title="How can I soften clay soil and enrich it for plants?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;clay&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30841" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30840" CreationDate="2017-02-16T22:46:08.327" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to incorporate as much humus rich material into the soil as you possibly can, so that means things like composted animal manures, good garden compost you've made yourself, leaf mould, spent mushroom compost, anything organic like that. If its really solid clay, bad enough to make pots with, then the addition of plenty of horticultural sharp grit (note, preferably NOT sand) would also be helpful, but it would be best to add grit to particular areas rather than trying to alter the whole lot (see info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=620&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=620&lt;/a&gt;, which also includes more information on how to manage clay soils). You'd need to keep adding humus material every year - whether you dig that in or simply apply it as a mulch is up to you, but if you do use grit, that's best turned into the soil and not just laid on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure what you mean precisely when you say only 'unwanted plants' are growing - that might mean pernicious, very undesirable weeds or simply plants you don't like, so I can't comment on those. As for any trees and plants which are 'not healthy', clay soil becomes extremely hard when its very dry, so is it possible you don't water sufficiently when it needs it during summer? Not knowing where you live, its impossible to judge whether that would ever be necessary or how often it might be, so again, you'd need to clarify a bit to get a better answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-17T19:02:57.650" LastActivityDate="2017-02-17T19:02:57.650" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30840" CreationDate="2017-02-17T02:35:48.630" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll add in to the fine answer above that the unwanted plants can do a rather good job at loosening up the soil, so don't look at them as enemies, but as limited term employees that will help in your efforts and eventually can be let go when the desired species are taking off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead of fighting with these invaders, prune them, coppice them, use their leaves as mulch, use them as trellises to grow other things, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course this approach will depend on what species are invading (ive never found a good use for English ivy), but the things that are growing first are typically pioneer species that are well adapted to these environments and can slowly but surely improve the conditions to the point that other species can thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can take this into your own hands by planting or sowing seeds of hardy, deep rooted species that can do a lot of work for you, and likely do a better job of it too!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Comfrey is a popular example, there are examples of using Diakon radish and docks and other deep rooted perennials.  Leguminous species can add significant nitrogen to the soil.  The specific options are dependent on your climate and soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also I'll note that I've found better results, esp when working in hostile environments, in focusing my efforts on a smaller area and then growing outwards.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13998" LastActivityDate="2017-02-17T02:35:48.630" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30843" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-17T09:18:57.870" Score="4" ViewCount="130" Body="&lt;p&gt;I keep having small flies in my flowerpot soils and my plants. I think they already were in the package of soil I bought. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BeWAZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BeWAZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what kind of fly this is and what I can do about it? I'm suspecting it is the St. Mark's fly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16716" LastActivityDate="2017-02-17T10:23:05.577" Title="What kind of fly is this?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30845" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30843" CreationDate="2017-02-17T10:23:05.577" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are fungus gnats or Sciarid flies. The adults are harmless but the larvae can damage cuttings and the roots of seedlings. They are more common in permanently wet compost. The RHS has more advice on them &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=804&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=804&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;St. Mark's fly is bigger and hairier &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibio_marci&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibio_marci&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-02-17T10:23:05.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30846" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30840" CreationDate="2017-02-17T10:37:57.430" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Clay&lt;/a&gt; is a type of soil that is composed of many very very tiny particles, and its nature is to retain water (poor water drainage, causing waterlogging and root rot) when wet, and to form large (hard to break up) clods when dry (hard for plants to expand new roots into). Some plants grow in clay soil just fine, but those plants are resistant to the root rot caused by clay's lack of drainage. Clay is normally rich in plant nutrients, but its tendency to compact and poor drainage cause many plants problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The quickest and easiest method to create an area for plants that do poorly in clay is to create a raised bed of non-clay soil on top of clay. In the case of the OP, he could remove the clay soil used to fill his holes and replace it with a non-clay soil filler.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A somewhat less quick and easy method is to convert existing clay soil to a non-clay form of soil. The disadvantage of this method is that non-raised garden beds in areas that are mostly clay soil is that water in the growing area is unable to easily escape through the surrounding clay. The solution to this lack of drainage involves digging drainage ditches/paths (and then possibly filling them with gravel and/or drainage pipes) through the surrounding clay to allow any water to escape. If your growing area is on a slope or hill, the slope may allow water to escape without digging drain paths.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To quickly convert clay to a less clay like soil, you may use one or both of two methods: 1) Mix in any amount of organic matter, such as compost, into the clay or 2) Mix sufficient amounts of sand into the clay (at least as much sand as clay by volume). In both of these cases what you are trying to do is &quot;uncompact&quot; the clay, or in other words, allow air pockets to exist in the clay soil. If you use the &quot;add sand&quot; method, mixing insufficient amounts of sand (less than 50% by volume) will actually make the situation worse, since the soil will become heavier (sand is heavier than clay, making the soil compact faster). Adding insufficient amounts of organic matter, on the other hand, may not help 'fix' the clay sufficiently, but will not make soil compacting worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The air pockets you create in the soil will do two things: allow growing roots to penetrate the soil more quickly (allowing faster plant growth), and allow water to drain through the soil faster, removing the tendency of clay to cause waterlogging and root-rot. Ploughed or rototilling clay soil (or clay soil with insufficient added sand) will quickly revert to a solid clump (without air pockets) when wet, while organic matter or sufficient amounts of sand mixed with clay resist compaction of the needed air pockets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When selecting the type of organic material to add to your clay, remember that un-composted (raw or green) organic matter such as wood chips, lawn clippings, or fresh manure cause changes in the soil chemistry and pH that may create problems for growing plants (see the rules for judging soil type  below).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The slowest but easiest way to convert clay to a less clay-like soil is to encourage the growth of any plant that is willing to grow in the clay soil, and then occasionally rototill or plough under those plants into the clay soil. Those roots of those clay loving plants break up the clay and add organic matter when rototilled into it, so this method can be considered a slower method of adding compost to the clay. When using this method, adding a layer of an inch or two of sand or gravel on top of the clay will allow plants that cannot normally grow in clay to thrive. This is because some or most of their root system is above the clay soil, but the tips of the roots can still pull nutrients and water out of the clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rules for judging the soil type you have:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Physical composition: How easily the soil becomes compacted. Affects soil water retention, water drainage, and ability of roots to easily penetrate the soil. Clay is at one end of this scale (few air pockets, roots penetrate with difficulty, retains water, and drains poorly), sand is at the other end (high water drainage, lots of air pockets, roots penetrate easily), and loam (ideal soil) is in the middle. different plants are happiest with different soil types; some like sand, some like clay, but most are grow best in loam.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) Nutrient levels: Adding organics (mulch) or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilizer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;fertilizer&lt;/a&gt; to soil tend to also add plant nutrients to that soil. There are exceptions to this; for example wood chips reduce nitrogen when breaking down, which is why they can be used as a ground cover to inhibit weed growth. Almost all plants require Nitrogen, Potassium, and phosphorus, but there are dozens of other micronutrients plants also need from the soil in lesser amounts. Organics also tend to improve water drainage (they retain water in sandy soil and allow better drainage in clay soil). Although few plants have problems with too many nutrients in soil, adding the 'wrong' organics or fertilizer can cause pH problems (see below). Lots of organics in soil that have broken down completely tend to create the 'black' soil that you often see as &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potting_soil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;potting soil&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pH&lt;/a&gt; of soil: this is the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. Adding raw manure or green mulch (grass clippings, leaves, etc.) will cause soil to become more acid; the process of organic breakdown creates acid. Adding lime or limestone to soil will cause it to become more alkaline (reducing acid as the lime breaks down). Any plant has a &quot;preferred&quot; pH level that it really likes best and adding lime or organics to adjust the pH allows you to tailor soil acidity to match the plant you want to encourage. Adding raw or green organics that have not broken down (composted or aged) sufficiently will tend to 'acid burn' plants until that raw or green organic has broken down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14300" LastEditorUserId="14300" LastEditDate="2017-02-18T08:52:24.560" LastActivityDate="2017-02-18T08:52:24.560" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30847" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-17T11:01:41.547" Score="5" ViewCount="663" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed recently that there were two green little stubs growing on my Aloe vera root. I'm a little worried. What are they and is this normal?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c4n5o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WUqlT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tips were browning a little when I came back from a 3 day vacation, but I move it to a shadier place . &#xA;Does not look like a very healthy plant &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16718" LastEditorUserId="16718" LastEditDate="2017-02-18T10:49:32.743" LastActivityDate="2017-02-19T00:25:21.917" Title="What are the green stubs growing on my Aloe vera's root?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="11" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30848" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30780" CreationDate="2017-02-17T13:32:19.390" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Instead of watering plants, why not empty it into the washing machine just before doing a load of washing?  I do this because it's very convenient given the shape of the output tank and the layout of our utility room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We tend to only use the tumble dryer in winter, when there's no shortage of rain and we're heating the house anyway.  I would in principle use it for the houseplants but we also have a dehumidifier which produces more than enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2017-02-17T13:32:19.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30849" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30847" CreationDate="2017-02-17T18:02:06.483" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;To answer your question, definitely do not worry.  Completely normal, healthy and a good sign...for your plant.  Do send more pictures, OK?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-02-17T18:02:06.483" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30850" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30840" CreationDate="2017-02-17T18:38:24.347" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Really would like to see what you've done and perhaps more detail what your planting procedure entailed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clay is GREAT SOIL. All soils are great soils IF one knows how to MANAGE the soil they have.  Now listen to my words here, ALL soils can only be improved ONE WAY  and one way only; the addition of DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER.  Decomposed is the key word...otherwise it could possibly take years for the micro and macro organisms to be able to eat it after the decomposers do their thing (using up lots of Nitrogen in the process).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding anything else DOES NOT WORK.  There is no recipe for amending soil other than adding decomposed organic matter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I now have pumice with low organic matter for soil, now.  All my other gardens have been almost pure clay (blue).  Clay is the tiniest particles of the soil matrix and they are FLAT as well giving them electrostatic properties that hold water and chemicals very well.  Very good trait...less water and fertilizer is needed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Concrete is made from: Clay, gravel, sand, water, lime, gypsum (depending on conditions or type of project) and ROTATION.  The more agitation, rotating, rototilling, manipulation the more clay is able to bond...to become concrete or brick.  Simple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I first start a garden and double dig my rows (3' wide minimum) I will add DECOMPOSED organic matter and fertilizer (depending on my soil test results) and mix sorta kinda. Without using anything else this makes raised beds. Sometimes there is a lot of moisture in the soil but it will look dry to you.  My beds for plants are always ALWAYS raised with trenches at the bottom of the slopes to take excess water away to where ever I dictate.  No matter what kind of soil I have, I make these raised beds.  They start out a couple of feet high with the fluffy soil and then they are formed and compacted to get rid of large air pockets.  They end up a good foot off the ground.  I dig at least 12 to 18&quot; deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And that is the last time I will mess with the soil of my beds expending lots of calories on my part.  Listen to this; just by adding DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER to the top of the bed of soil, the micro and macro organisms come up through the soil profile, EAT this stuff, go back down into the soil to poop it out mixing the organic matter into the soil FOR YOU.  You always have to replace this 'mulch' as it does feed the fauna in your soil and gets depleted as they eat, take it back into the soil to poop it out.  Also, by dumping a couple of inches on top of your beds, whether veggie garden or landscape ornamental beds, is the best way to get rid of weeds.  Gardening made easy!!  I am the laziest gardener of all time.  I can't stand to take extra steps, do things that are unnecessary.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Understanding your soil and creating proper beds FIRST will save you so much trouble, headaches you will love being a gardener!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One big glaring question is; what kind of soil do you have outside those holes you dug for your plants? It must be clay?  Take a small shovelful of your soil, put it in a quart mason jar and fill with water.  Shake.  Allow to settle.  You will get a good idea what types of soil and percentages by doing this.  (take a pic and send).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most plants grown at the nursery that come balled and burlapped are grown in heavy clay.  This ensures an intact root ball.  When a clay root ball is planted in a sand amended back fill, the water will roll right off the root ball and into the amended back fill, starving your plant of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clay root balls should be planted in clay soil.  We need to know what your original soil texture is first.  And, did you dig further down in other words deeper than the height of your root ball?  Leaving the hole only the depth of the height of your root ball to sit on undisturbed subsoil is CRITICAL.  Otherwise your plant will subside and for some plants this would be the kiss of death especially for trees and woody perennials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To alleviate this condition as well as planting on slopes, we inserted perforated pvc pipe into the hole as close to the root ball as possible.  Watering for at least 6 months INTO that pipe will get water to the roots where it is needed.  Careful to not overdo!  Pictures please.  Our answers are fairly generic until we are able to SEE what you are seeing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-02-17T18:48:09.043" LastActivityDate="2017-02-17T18:48:09.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30851" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30839" CreationDate="2017-02-17T18:51:52.267" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can try some of these calendars for Arizona &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ufseeds.com/Arizona-Vegetable-Planting-Calendar.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.ufseeds.com/Arizona-Vegetable-Planting-Calendar.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates/AZ/Phoenix&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates/AZ/Phoenix&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-02-17T18:51:52.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30852" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30847" CreationDate="2017-02-17T19:01:51.607" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those green bumps are likely roots starting to grow, but what's odd is why they're green - they should be white if they're not exposed to daylight, so maybe you didn't bury it properly? Just replant it and leave it alone; over time, hopefully, it will put out more roots and more topgrowth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking again, the stump at the base of the plant is quite short; you say you buried the base under soil, but its possible that some light did get to the root nubs because of the shortness of the stump. Over time, they should grow on and become paler, but don't be tempted to look! You'll know over time if the plant has produced good roots because the top will start getting bigger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-17T19:31:35.550" LastActivityDate="2017-02-17T19:31:35.550" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30853" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30863" CreationDate="2017-02-17T20:10:20.730" Score="6" ViewCount="678" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found these white pea-sized things on some trees in my garden. The garden is in Lower Saxony, Germany. I already looked through similar questions here but none of them looked quite like this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nRAjU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nRAjU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I read so far it must be some kind of insect in its winter state. But can anyone say what kind of insect? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16719" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2017-02-17T22:59:29.347" LastActivityDate="2017-03-11T13:52:12.707" Title="What are these white things on the conifers in my garden?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;winter&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30854" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30853" CreationDate="2017-02-17T20:24:58.433" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think that might be a branch from a Juniperus species, a female, and those are the berries or 'seed pods', example here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Juniper_berries_q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Juniper berries (Wikimedia)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some Junipers have white berries, many have berries which start out white and change through to bluish black, so if your plant has many of these, that's all they are, and certainly nothing to worry about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-03-11T13:52:12.707" LastActivityDate="2017-03-11T13:52:12.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30855" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-18T03:52:26.030" Score="6" ViewCount="1592" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had some onions sitting on the counter for a long time and one of them sprouted, so I planted it in a flower plot to see what would happen. At first it grew well, sprouting several long green fronds. In the last week, however, it has declined, the tips of the leaves turning yellow, then withering. Some of the fronds have started to wilt even though I keep the soil watered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to keep the onion alive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" LastActivityDate="2017-02-18T12:59:07.237" Title="My onion plant is dying" Tags="&lt;onions&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30856" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30931" CreationDate="2017-02-18T10:43:46.467" Score="5" ViewCount="4697" Body="&lt;p&gt;About one year ago, I purchased three cacti in the same pot. They looked like this when I got them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bpUWZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bpUWZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wMsNt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wMsNt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of them got bigger over the months, but the tallest one kept thinning. As you can see from the following pictures, it doesn't look very healthy:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MSotu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MSotu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uponq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uponq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xpIkV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xpIkV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Besides, it became brown at the base:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yB6YE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yB6YE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think there may be an issue with the roots of the tallest cactus. It's as if it wasn't able to feed anymore. It seems that the root system of the small healthy cactus takes all the water and nutrients for itself. What's going on here in your opinion, and what should I do? Maybe I should repot. I kept the original substrate, but it may not be very appropriate for cacti, as it is often the case when you buy cacti in shops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And by the way, what species is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: I think it is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cactuspro.com/photos_jpg/12/1299.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pilosocereus Pachycladus&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some new pictures&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cSLql.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cSLql.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kGWDq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kGWDq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zV3TO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zV3TO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wlJfX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wlJfX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b7tL3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b7tL3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IPWjS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IPWjS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13963" LastEditorUserId="13963" LastEditDate="2017-03-05T18:17:35.427" LastActivityDate="2020-01-11T21:55:07.073" Title="Why is my cactus so thin?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30857" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30855" CreationDate="2017-02-18T12:59:07.237" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you plant a sprouted onion, the hope is it produces roots at the bottom - if it does, it will  keep producing green shoots. It will not, though, produce any onions, as such, but you can use the green shoots as you would chives. You've not said how long ago you planted the onion, but if its only been 2 or 3 weeks, its possible it hasn't produced roots, the top green growth just carried on growing for as long as it could, and now the onion bulb in the soil is simply deteriorating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might be worth turning it out of its pot, carefully, to see what's going on with the original onion bulb - if its going rotten, then bin it, if not and its got roots, maybe it needs a bigger pot. More information about using sprouted onions, including growing from them, here &lt;a href=&quot;https://dengarden.com/gardening/What-to-Do-With-a-Sprouted-Onion&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://dengarden.com/gardening/What-to-Do-With-a-Sprouted-Onion&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-02-18T12:59:07.237" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30858" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30864" CreationDate="2017-02-18T14:13:16.070" Score="5" ViewCount="461" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this &quot;overenthusiastic&quot; orchid since a couple of years, and it just keeps growing and flowering throughout the entire year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometime it gets over 50 or 60 flowers and I don't really know how to balance it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions on how to proceed? I couldn't find a larger orchid pot (the white plastic thing) either.&#xA;I also would like to know why it's leaves go into the one direction and the flowers into the other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ygoy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ygoy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yVkmy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yVkmy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15775" LastEditorUserId="15775" LastEditDate="2017-02-19T09:59:58.400" LastActivityDate="2017-02-19T10:35:09.910" Title="What to do with a large orchid" Tags="&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30859" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-18T19:20:24.780" Score="5" ViewCount="620" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=291457&amp;amp;isprofile=0&amp;amp;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dypsis lutescens&lt;/a&gt; (palm) plant as a gift last spring, it had only two leaves and it was potted in nursery soil with sand. Recently I have noticed that the outer leaf started to form a black ring at its insertion on the stem. After new leaves have emerged I removed the outer leaf, but I have noticed that the next one had a small black dot at the insertion point, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the end of the summer the plant became rootbound, so I moved it to a larger pot using general soil from the store to which I added vermiculite. The black dot became a black ring. I have removed this leaf while its lower part remained attached to the stem, becoming the brown-black ringed stump that you see in the pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I notice that one of the leaves has a long black area on its stem (as seen on the red rectangle in the pictures). It is clear that my plant has an infectious disease, but I don't know which one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What is the name of the disease?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should I apply a fungicide like Topsin or Ridomil just in case I&#xA;don't find out what disease is causing this?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IjLEI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IjLEI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6fs9a.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6fs9a.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dgQpo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dgQpo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZLPD1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZLPD1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8f8M5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8f8M5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-19T17:45:21.827" LastActivityDate="2017-02-19T17:45:21.827" Title="What disease is affecting my Dypsis lutescens?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30860" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30847" CreationDate="2017-02-19T00:25:21.917" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are roots (aloes have fleshy roots near the base). The coloration is from &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;aloin&lt;/a&gt; content. It's normal, no need to worry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those roots are the first, more will come soon if that soil stays moist. Make sure it does not become muddy wet. Also, do not move the plant around in the soil now. In less than a month it'll be rooted in and you'll see new growth pushing from the center. That new growth is what will make the plant look healthy for you. Looks good, I might have used an easy draining mix instead of soil, but you should be ok.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-02-19T00:25:21.917" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30861" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1288" CreationDate="2017-02-19T07:01:06.063" Score="0" Body="&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have had hundreds of slugs in my back yard in the flower beds this past fall and winter.  I find them eating my flowers.  I put a solution of ammonia and water (1 part ammonia to 4 parts water) and go out at night with a head lamp on and spray them.  The ammonia water kills them instantly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16724" LastActivityDate="2017-02-19T07:01:06.063" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1288" CreationDate="2017-02-19T09:08:40.273" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that you have already accepted an answer, but I thought some balance is needed, given that the other answers are all along the lines of &quot;KILL THEM, KILL THEM ALL!&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most slug species are not problematic and play an important role in breaking down material in compost heaps. Some species even eat other slugs. They are also an important food-source for a range of birds, many of which will help control populations of other pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some species that are particularly problematic pests though, and you will want to control these. I would avoid using any of the pellets available, even the so called organic ones can be harmful to other wildlife, especially cats and hedgehogs. Salt can be problematic as it is harmful to plants. The most effective control I have found, have been beer traps: they effect only actively foraging slugs (i.e. the ones that are mostly likely to do damage) and they are reasonably specific in the area they effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-02-19T09:08:40.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30863" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30853" CreationDate="2017-02-19T09:33:48.490" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are cones - in some conifer genera (&lt;em&gt;Juniperus&lt;/em&gt;) the scales are fused to form berry like structures. These look to me to be more like immature &lt;em&gt;Cupressus&lt;/em&gt; cones - eventually they will turn brown and scales split (this may take some time and in some species requires fire!). Whilst the foliage could be the mature foliage that develops on some &lt;em&gt;Juniperus&lt;/em&gt; species (juvenile foliage is needle-like and persists on the Common Juniper, &lt;em&gt;Juniperus communis&lt;/em&gt;, and many other species), it does look more like &lt;em&gt;Cupressus&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They aren't insects, so don't worry, just enjoy watching them develop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-02-19T09:33:48.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30864" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30858" CreationDate="2017-02-19T10:35:09.910" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lots of orchids are &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphyte&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;epiphytes&lt;/a&gt;, with their roots twining round the bark, their layered leaves building up, and the flowering stem pointing in any direction (up towards the light, sideways, even down, especially when mature and load-bearing with buds and blossom).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people try to move their orchids into a more natural position and use a &lt;strong&gt;hanging basket&lt;/strong&gt; like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PNWH3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PNWH3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;red-flowered orchid in a hanging basket&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;sup&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image copyright: Maja Dumat / Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-2.0)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That way, you can still put it near the window (freeing shelf space) and relieving the boughs by letting them dangle. A &lt;strong&gt;healthy plant’s stem won’t break&lt;/strong&gt; that way. Furthermore, the aerial roots expose more surface area to catch humidity from the ambient air. Also, you can use a wire or thread (anchored at the top hook) to suspend the beam to your needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you prefer leaving it in its pot, keep looking for a larger pot (&gt; 20 cm seems to be rare) to have a firm balance point, and use &lt;strong&gt;climbing aids or small trellises&lt;/strong&gt; like &lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gardenology.org-IMG_7941_qsbg11mar.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.native-plants.de/23/bambus-rankgitter&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;that one&lt;/a&gt;. You can also build one yourself, so material and shape blend in with your surroundings. With it, you easily support the flowering stem while maintaining control of the direction of growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14139" LastActivityDate="2017-02-19T10:35:09.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30865" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-19T13:48:11.300" Score="5" ViewCount="5155" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just repotted my spider plant (chlorophytum comosum ocean) away from a deep pot without drainage holes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Back when I planted it in this pot, I made a structure out of plastic pots placed at the bottom of the container, which would provide support and empty space for drainage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant sat in this pot for 3 months and ended up growing many thin, long roots all the way to the bottom of the pot, where water was pooling. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While taking out the plant, I unavoidably tore all of those roots off. The big tuberous roots were still intact however. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will the tearing of these deep roots affect the plant negatively?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there a risk of root infection or rot if the plant is repotted right after some of the roots are torn?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it safe to water the plant after repotting it in this case? Will it promote the creation of new roots?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, what's the best way to care for a spider plant in this situation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant in its new pot:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/RsKnflw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The biggest torn root I found:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/gidXdrk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant in its old pot:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/AHO98fx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastActivityDate="2017-02-20T17:40:09.777" Title="Proper care after repotting spider plant" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30866" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30865" CreationDate="2017-02-19T14:34:04.717" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are tough plants, so it should recover well, but if you haven't watered it into its new pot yet, do so now. Water it well, to the point where water drains freely from the bottom of the pot - allow it to drain down for an hour, then replace it in its outer pot or tray. Water again when the surface of the potting soil feels just dry to the touch, but not so dry the soil is shrunken from the sides of the pot, and always empty out any excess water which remains in the outer container after 30 minutes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After root damage, it's important to keep the plant well supplied with all the water it needs while it regenerates root material, but its equally important that you allow the plant to drain properly afterwards and don't leave it sitting in water. If you notice any wilting of the topgrowth, you may need to give more water more frequently for a week or three, until those fine roots have regrown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-20T17:40:09.777" LastActivityDate="2017-02-20T17:40:09.777" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30865" CreationDate="2017-02-19T14:46:07.440" Score="3" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On the short term the plant will need extra time to grow up to the level it would with its roots intact, but on the long term there won't make any difference.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A risk of infection occurs every time the plant is injured, no matter the organ. The larger the wounded area, the greater the risk.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plants need to be watered every time they are repotted for the roots to be in contact with the soil (without big pockets of air). Yes, water will promote the emergence of new roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best approach in this situation is to water with less water than usual because the plant doesn't have all the roots to absorb it and unused water increases the risk of root rot, especially if the plant is wounded. If the soil dries out too fast, water more often, again with little quantity of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I have already killed a few spider plants at my boyfriend's father. The plants were overcrowded, so I decided to separate some of them and then repot. I broke most of the roots because the old soil was very dense. After repotting I have watered them as usual and the plants began to smell moldy and died after a few weeks (5 died, 2 lived).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-02-19T15:03:50.037" LastActivityDate="2017-02-19T15:03:50.037" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30868" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-19T17:17:26.807" Score="6" ViewCount="1166" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been unable to figure out if the plants pictured are aloe or agave, or if they're the same species at all (the smaller one makes me think of aloe more). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could you help me identify these plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bigger one:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jHYCz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the bigger one&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The smaller one:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xonGC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the smaller one&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastActivityDate="2017-11-07T18:48:24.997" Title="ID: aloe or agave?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30871" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-20T00:56:45.120" Score="11" ViewCount="490" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GRUU0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GRUU0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This appears to be a weed, as hundreds have popped up all over a backyard at a client's home.  Any idea of what it is? Found in San Diego, California, USA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16729" LastEditorUserId="392" LastEditDate="2017-02-25T15:18:31.767" LastActivityDate="2021-01-11T20:06:50.913" Title="Can anyone identify this apparent succulent weed? It's popping up all over after our rains" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30872" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30874" CreationDate="2017-02-20T03:05:58.903" Score="10" ViewCount="746" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in the Pacific Northwest where heaths/heathers really thrive. I'm deciding on the variety to place in a well-drained, partially sunny southwest facing spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the heather types available at my local garden shop are just ground cover, perhaps growing to 2 feet high and spreading outward. However, I walked past a thicket of heather-looking shrubs that were sizeable with an attractive weathered look. These were standing 4 feet high, with new growth about 4&quot; and brown or rust colored blooms, in the winter time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A photo is attached, can anyone help me identify this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BI94d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BI94d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;large heather plant in seattle area yard&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;edit: adding closeup view of the same plant. actually there are several large bushes of the same kind&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9FhdI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9FhdI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close-up view of same plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16730" LastEditorUserId="16730" LastEditDate="2017-03-04T01:30:14.250" LastActivityDate="2017-03-04T01:30:14.250" Title="What variety of heather grows to a large 4 foot height?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30874" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30872" CreationDate="2017-02-20T10:23:17.423" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Possibly &lt;em&gt;Erica scoparia&lt;/em&gt; in English &quot;Broom or besom heath&quot;; you can find a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.florealpes.com/fiche_ericascoaria.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;reference here&lt;/a&gt; which has pictures for comparison. It is a bit outside its native range, but plants have to come from somewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-02-20T10:23:17.423" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30875" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-20T12:24:19.050" Score="8" ViewCount="27858" Body="&lt;p&gt;I really don't know what's wrong with my Pilea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was doing fine, and then I think I over-watered it one time. A lot of its small, lower leaves went brown and mushy really quickly, and a few of the bigger ones near the bottom fell off. This was a couple of weeks ago. Since then, one by one the leaves have been getting black edges like this, and dying over the course of a couple days. I've been very careful with the watering, checking the soil well before watering, but can't seem to stop it. The plant seems ok otherwise - its little top shoot went black so I plucked it off, and since it's been making a new shoot which seems fine. It also has those little baby plants growing on the stem which seem fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to repot it? I was worried about the shock of re-potting whilst it was suffering. I do want to check the roots for any rot, but again I'm worried about stressing the plant out too much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not in direct sunlight, or anywhere near a radiator. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice would be most welcome. Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rgx34.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C67Qj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16687" LastActivityDate="2020-09-16T02:21:48.070" Title="What's wrong with this Pilea Pepermoides?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30876" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30877" CreationDate="2017-02-20T12:43:22.937" Score="6" ViewCount="2867" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have done some research and found some sites suggesting alkaline soil while others say that alkaline soil will inhibit the growth of a cactus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-21T04:03:44.197" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T04:03:44.197" Title="What type of soil do cacti prefer? (acidic or alkaline)" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30877" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30876" CreationDate="2017-02-20T13:28:47.360" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cacti grow best in acidic soil with a pH between 5 and 6.5. Watering cacti with alkaline water slowly raises the pH of the soil and can cause inhibited growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The exact level varies from species to species but as long as the soil is kept on the acidic side cacti will grow better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cactusnursery.co.uk/ph.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.cactusnursery.co.uk/ph.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastActivityDate="2017-02-20T13:28:47.360" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30878" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-20T16:50:22.037" Score="4" ViewCount="127" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for tight growing (less than 2 inch tall) ground cover plants as Lawn substitute. I live in SF Bay Area (USDA zone: 10, Sunset zone: 17). Full sun (after noon sun, 8 hours). I am considering Leptinella squalida (Platt's Black), Dichondra Repens as well as Elfin Thyme.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16732" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T13:08:04.557" Title="What are some tight growing ground cover plants as Lawn substitute suitable for SF Bay Area?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30879" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-20T18:28:19.833" Score="5" ViewCount="788" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this tree? I was told it's an ash tree. I would like to know if it is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The underside of the leaves are lighter than the top, indicative of white ash?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are little white nodes on the trunk, not sure of the real term, and the buds are brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WbPnJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WbPnJl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree right side up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t03qI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t03qIl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;trunk right side up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xJXmD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xJXmD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NClmL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NClmL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15103" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-20T23:27:33.970" LastActivityDate="2021-05-24T07:21:07.520" Title="What is this tree that looks like an ash tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30880" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30828" CreationDate="2017-02-20T19:31:00.603" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the stem length detail, I would conclude that it's lack of light. If it's inside, mint likes morning sun but the afternoon sun can dry it out in the pot. Make sure it stays moist if inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16733" LastActivityDate="2017-02-20T19:31:00.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9468" CreationDate="2017-02-20T22:58:46.850" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;While looking for an answer to this question myself, I came across &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greenhousedeals.net/how-to/what-are-the-best-colors-of-plastic-to-use-for-an-outdoor-greenhouse/2013/04/11/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; which talks about actual studies that have been done regarding the colour of plastic greenhouse covers. In particular it states:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In studies, it has been found that using green plastic to cover a greenhouse results in plants which are slightly (but very slightly) shorter than plants grown in a greenhouse with a clear plastic covering.&#xA;  There isn’t all that much green in sunlight, it seems, since overall, green plastic lets in almost the same amount of light overall. It’s probably not preferable to clear plastic as a greenhouse covering, but if you find yourself in the unlikely situation of having only green plastic sheeting available for your greenhouse, it will do if need be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16739" LastEditorUserId="16739" LastEditDate="2017-05-28T20:54:28.333" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T20:54:28.333" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30883" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30879" CreationDate="2017-02-21T00:25:11.667" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I usually identify ash trees in the forest first by the bark, then by checking for the oppositely arranged compound leaf and the friendly leaflet shape they usually have.  Since this is a bonsai, it of course isn't going to show the same mature furrowed bark a forest ash would.  That being said, that definitely looks like an ash leaf to me.  In the one photo with your finger in it, I'm pretty sure I see oppositely arranged leaves.  Another good case for ash.  Also, the fact that they said it was an ash gives a good case for ash.  =]  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems that the most common ash used for bonsai is Fraxinus excelsior.  That specie is native to Europe.  I'm only familiar with ash species in the U.S.  Not that you couldn't have a European ash somewhere else!  Looks like Fraxinus excelsior has pale undersides to the leaflets as does white ash.  So it could also be white ash, which from a quick google search does seem to exist.  Probably the determining factor now would be your location and the origin of the bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T00:25:11.667" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30884" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30531" CreationDate="2017-02-21T00:46:15.460" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a good idea, I like where you're going with that...but plant's photo receptors are far too sensitive to be tricked by shade.  Even in shade there is still more than enough light for a plant to recognize that it is daytime.  If you could instead completely block light out to the plants to make the &quot;night&quot; seem longer, you might succeed in preventing bolting.  It probably won't be worth the effort, but it could be a fun experiment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;p.s.  I like that you called them short night plants rather than long day plants.  Makes way more sense seeing as plants measure the night length and not day length!  That has always been confusing to me why we call them short and long &lt;em&gt;day&lt;/em&gt; plants.  Oh well, cheers!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T00:46:15.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30885" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30547" CreationDate="2017-02-21T08:02:18.300" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good hygiene is your best cure: clear fallen fruit, leaves and pruning and incinerate (composting them just means you'll end up ultimately spreading the spores around your garden when you spread the compost).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are correct in stating that comfrey is an accumulator, however, it is accumulating nutrients into its own tissues. These would need to be released from those tissues to be any use to other plants (i.e. composted or made into &quot;tea&quot;). They do tend to break-up compacted soil which may have some direct beneficial effects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, comfrey is a vigorous plant producing a great deal of new leafy growth each year. This requires lots of water and lots of nitrate. This will lead to competition if you underplant the apple with it. The large amount of leaves will also tend to increase humidity locally, creating better conditions for fungal growth. Finally, the hairy leaves trap dirt and a dense canopy mean that it is going to make it difficult to clean-up effectively underneath the apple. I would not recommend under-planting with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T08:02:18.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30886" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30887" CreationDate="2017-02-21T11:55:27.000" Score="4" ViewCount="115" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to grow a bonsai tree. Do I need a special type of seed or tree for me to be able to grow it as a bonsai tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T11:55:27.000" Title="Do I need a special seed or type of tree for growing a bonsai tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30887" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30886" CreationDate="2017-02-21T11:55:27.000" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You do not need a special type of seed or tree for it to be able to be grown as a bonsai. Bonsai trees are just normal trees that are kept from growing big.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are certain types of trees that grow better as bonsai trees and are easier to keep small (and in a small pot) than others. These are however, still normal trees and not some special mini species of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When looking to buy seeds or saplings you can simply buy the type of tree you plan to grow. You do not need to buy a special 'bonsai' or 'mini' species of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T11:55:27.000" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30888" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30878" CreationDate="2017-02-21T13:08:04.557" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check out a company called &lt;a href=&quot;http://protimelawnseed.com&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pro Time Lawn Seed&lt;/a&gt; out of Portland, OR. They do all sorts of interesting mixes.  Last year I replaced a 500sq ft parking strip up here in Seattle with the Fleur de Lawn.  We let it get fairly tall (maybe 8&quot;).  It was beautiful, but did better when I kept it shorter.  Mowed it to 1&quot; for the winter (probably not the best idea) and it looked a little bare.  We're now looking forward to the growing season as the first lawn daisies are blooming.  I'm planning on keeping our meadow around 2&quot; this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On a side note, part of the reason we switched away from lawn was because of high number of dogs using it as a toilet.  Interestingly, the dogs (or perhaps the owners) don't see the meadow as a toilet as long as it's mowed higher than about 1/2&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another website to check out is &lt;a href=&quot;https://stepables.com/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stepables&lt;/a&gt;.  You can get most of there products at your local garden store often not by the same grower.  However, if you have a large area to cover, I believe they sell trays of 2&quot; plugs online during the growing season.  You might also investigate getting a wholesale licence if you have a lot of plants to buy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One last note, you could try starting stuff from seed, but it might be a couple of years before you see good results.  If you're going to plant starts pay attention to both your layout (square vs triangular) and your spacing.  Check out a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.midwestgroundcovers.com/index.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;plant calculator&lt;/a&gt; to play with numbers.  Use a 1000 sq ft area as an example - square spacing at 14&quot; needed 735 plants, but square spacing at 7&quot; needed 2939.  There are probably labor calculators out there, but I don't know of any off the top of my head.  I can look it up if you want when I get to the office.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T13:08:04.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30868" CreationDate="2017-02-21T18:09:44.057" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not so sure - some Aloes do have thorns beneath their leaves and on the edges; Aloe marlothii is particularly nasty for sharp thorns. This one could be Aloe ferox, which does have thorns along the edges and on the undersides of the leaves, and looks greyish green or green depending on air humidity  &lt;a href=&quot;http://n-s-succulents.co.uk/documents/Aloes/aloe-ferox-01.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://n-s-succulents.co.uk/documents/Aloes/aloe-ferox-01.jpg&lt;/a&gt;. Aloe melanacantha also has thorns on the edges and under the leaves, but they tend to be in a single row beneath the leaves rather than randomly dotted about. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More varieties of Aloe shown here, but I can't find any that looks exactly like your second picture &lt;a href=&quot;http://n-s-succulents.co.uk/Aloes-a-n.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://n-s-succulents.co.uk/Aloes-a-n.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-21T18:35:03.137" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T18:35:03.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30890" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30891" CreationDate="2017-02-21T19:11:55.103" Score="5" ViewCount="856" Body="&lt;p&gt;Background:&#xA;My husband and I bought a house last year with a couple of acres of land around it that haven't been maintained much recently, although there was obviously someone who did a lot of work on it at some point in the past.  Although we've gardened a bit in small urban gardens, we've mostly rented and moved frequently up until now, so we're novices when it comes to composting and other such long term tasks.  Location is the West of Ireland, but not right on the coast, in case that's relevant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Scenario:&#xA;One of our first tasks this spring as the weather started warming up was to clear the overgrowth (mostly grass and moss) out of the flowerbeds.  The earth is so soft that in a lot of cases just pulling it up by hand brought up a lot of earth on the roots, and we also had to dig up a lot of weeds, so we ended up with a debris pile that was probably almost half earth as well as grass, moss, weeds and other plant matter.  We separated out the obvious large stones and other unwanted items such as broken pots and bits of rubble.  Only one flowerbed is done so far so we'll have the same situation a fair few times more before we're done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question:&#xA;I suspect that due to the large proportion of earth, this pile is not suitable for composting? In any case we're not quite set up for that yet.  What is our best use for it, given that we would like to improve the quality of the soil, which tends to be soggy, as well as avoiding unsightly heaps scattered around?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16731" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T22:48:45.680" Title="What to do with uprooted grass &amp; earth?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30891" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30890" CreationDate="2017-02-21T19:34:29.520" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because you now have a large area to garden, one of the first things to do is to work out where you can make a compost heap or pile - preferably somewhere tucked away, but with enough room to make a pile at least a metre squared as a minimum. You can just use posts and chicken wire to make a cage to retain it all, if that's  easier. Then you can, indeed, put your soil and its grass in there - moss can also be added, but is best added a bit at a time, then mixed in with other ingredients as you go along. The thing to avoid is putting any seed heads, bulbs or plants with bulbous roots, or pernicious weeds into the heap - things like bindweed, dandelion roots, they can be burned eventually if you're allowed to do that (check with your local council what the rules are). Seedling annual weeds can be added to the heap before they've flowered without any problem. Because the climate is pretty wet where you are, a lid on the compost pile (or even a piece of old carpet) will help to keep out excess rain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you start to clear the other beds, shake off as much soil as possible from root clumps of things you dig up - all can be placed in the compost, but eventually, you'll need to think about other things to put on the compost if you want to make it useful around the garden. Good homemade garden compost is very good for mulching as well as digging into beds at planting time, and improves the soil. This link here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=444&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=444&lt;/a&gt; has some useful guidance on that and composting generally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE - following your comment, you might be interested in this thread regarding composting&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24887/how-can-i-tell-if-my-compost-is-ready&quot;&gt;How can I tell if my compost is ready&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T22:48:45.680" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30892" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30890" CreationDate="2017-02-21T20:17:26.217" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh contraire!  That dirt included with the weed vegetative growth is SUPER in fact best for composting.  Add a bit of nitrogen, mix it now and then and keep it moist!  In your case a tarp to keep it from being so soggy otherwise there is no air in the mix.  Do not worry too much about stones...only throw the ones larger than your fist to a heap.  Plants don't care at all about stones, perhaps boulders, just us humans think we need to get rid of them and you will ALWAYS have stones in your soil in Ireland (from what I've been told anyhoo).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Start with your foundation planting.  Make sure no soil or rock is within 4&quot; of your siding!  Make sure all water that lands on the soil near your foundation moves away from the foundation.  Drainage away from your foundation is what you need to be concerned about!  Plant beds should be higher and fluffier than the normal compacted soil.  Making trenches at the bottom of your beds in your case is important to direct the flow of water away from your foundation.  This gets tricky as the back side of your plant beds will slough water towards the foundation.  Keeping your beds far enough away from the foundation to be able to create a 'swale' behind the beds and in front of your foundation to direct excess water flow is the number one priority.  That entails a good 6 feet and drain rock to line the swale.  If this is not a problem then let me know.  Wish I was more adept with this computer stuff I'd draw you a cross section.  Does your home HAVE foundation drains at the bottom of the primary footings? The rest will be far easier.  Drainage will ruin your investment or enhance it.  Plant beds should never be at the same level as the lawn or walkways.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T20:17:26.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30872" CreationDate="2017-02-21T20:58:44.147" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dunno about your plant in your picture but one of the only heaths I know that grows anywhere near 4' is Calluna vulgaris maries or mares?  Supposedly gets to 3' but at that height they get spindly unless you are consistent with pruning to get them thick and attain that height slowly.  Have you thought about planting an evergreen to show off your heath?  Such as Sweet Box or Sarcococca confusa. Outstanding fragrance, easy keeper pretty much the same needs as your heaths. 2' high so perfect as a soft border between shorter heaths and your taller one.  Go check out Vibrants in Woodinville.  I am quite familiar with that area and this shrub was one of my favorite partial shade evergreens.  A soft hedge is one where each shrub is planted on the tips of a triangle, sometimes doubling or thickening the hedge by planting one leg of the hedge lapped above or below the next line of hedge.  Looks natural and if one plant dies no big deal.  You've got to FRAME your flowering shrubs to get real impact..as well as planting en MASS. Make absolutely sure your drainage is PERFECT.  Of course you've got clay soil but if you make your planting beds raised above the lawn and walks and driveway with 6&quot; by 6&quot; trenches at the bottom of the beds between any concrete or lawn that is sloped to carry water where you want it to go, you'll have no trouble.  Acid soil is normal up there.  Too much rainfall and moisture is also normal and heath does not like so much.  Raised beds are critical (no sides necessary just double dig and flatten...should be at least 1' above lawn/walks.  And YOU have access to SAWDUST SUPPLY with Gro-Co for mulch.  No BARK!  Gro-Co mulch is phenomenal and beautiful.  Want references to go look?  Let me know.  Lucky you.  Have not been able to find in other states!!  Beautiful stuff and plants LOVE this mulch.  Forget weeds and pesticide residues, trust me!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T20:58:44.147" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2919" CreationDate="2017-02-21T21:52:56.900" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're interested in production uniformity (size, quantity, better storage, time of harvest), then yes, it's worth the extra money.&#xA;If you're interested in taste, then no, it's not worth it. F1 seeds are bred for performance from an economic point of view and in the breeding process they lose taste and flavour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T21:52:56.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30895" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30890" CreationDate="2017-02-21T22:34:09.853" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are on the west coast of Ireland, I assume that means you are living somewhere rural, and therefore you probably have another option to get rid of waste - burning it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bad news is that you have started at the wrong time of year. Ideally, you want to dig up the vegetation and leave it on the surface for a day or two to dry. Then, most of the soil will just shake off. If you get a good turf fire going, you can stoke it up with relatively damp vegetation and earth at night, and the hot ash will dry it out and keep it burning slowly till the next morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fire has the advantage that it kills everything, even the most pernicious weeds. You can use the ash as soil conditioner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would suggest you stack up the rubbish you have cleared so far and start work on the cleared area. Don't worry about trying to compost it. Then clear and burn the rest (and burn the stacked material) in summer, whenever you get some drier weather and a bit of sunshine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I once cleared about an acre of 50-year-old rough grass that way, using only hand tools - we had fires burning continuously for about three weeks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2017-02-21T22:34:09.853" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30896" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2979" CreationDate="2017-02-22T04:55:12.700" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother started her Amaryllis in 1942. My sister and I divided the bulbs maybe 15 years ago. They didn't bloom for a few years. Now mine blooms every year and my sister's has only bloomed a few times. No explanation... I remember it blooming as a child and I'm 63. So given its history it's 75 years old this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16746" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2017-02-22T12:59:17.370" LastActivityDate="2017-02-22T12:59:17.370" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30897" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2919" CreationDate="2017-02-22T06:00:28.630" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let me explain some pros and cons of F1 hybrids, and pros and cons of open-pollinated varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pros of commercial F1 hybrids:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They are supposed to be at least as productive as the most productive parent of the cross (or so I've heard). This doesn't mean either parent was particularly productive, however (although productivity is probably something the breeders of commercial F1 hybrids generally look for). So, F1 hybrids aren't always more productive than open-pollinated varieties (even if it may frequently be the case).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They often have what is called hybrid vigor.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They are generally bred to be tolerant to some diseases.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They generally have the backing of companies that may do a lot of research in their breeding (as well as their audience), and may actually do the tests to make sure they're disease tolerant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cons of F1 hybrids:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Often isn't always. They don't always have hybrid vigor. They don't always resist the specific diseases in your garden (even if they are tolerant to loads of other diseases). They are not always very productive. For instance, one F1 hybrid might do great for you every year, but another F1 hybrid might never do very well (or it might require different treatment to do well). One F1 hybrid might be well-adapted to your growing conditions, and another might be more suited to another region. The same is true for open-pollinated varieties (perhaps to a larger extent), but F1 hybrids are not excluded (this is my experience; for instance, with tomatoes grown in my yard, Bush Goliath F1, Park's Whopper F1, Early Harvest F1, and even Lemon Boy F1, were all extremely outperformed by Roma, Yellow Pear, Matina, Thessaloniki, Sweet Orange Cherry and others).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They don't breed true (much how mongrel cats can have all sorts of offspring in one litter). So, if you save your seeds and grow them again, it is improbable that you will get the same thing. It is possible that you'll get something that seems the same (but genetically speaking, it would be very unlikely for it to actually be the same). There are a lot of things you have to account for to make sure it's sufficiently the same (e.g. resistance to every one of the diseases/pests, days to maturity, fruit shape/size, productivity, taste, texture, number of seeds, leaf type, epidermis color, flesh color, etc.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You won't get the benefits of acclimatization to your growing conditions (e.g. climate, kind of soil, pests, diseases, etc.) via seed saving. Although it is possible that the parent stock are grown in similar growing conditions (but finding out may be difficult, unless you make the hybrids yourself).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You generally have to buy them. You can create your own, however.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You don't always know what the parents of the hybrid were (so, that makes the F2 hybrids even more unpredictable).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They're not known for their taste, usually. However, there are some F1 hybrids that are (such as Sungold F1 tomatoes, Sunsugar F1 tomatoes, Ambrosia F1 melons, Flavorburst F1 peppers, and such). If your friends are picky, they might not eat hybrid produce, but I don't know that this is a problem for most people.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pros of open-pollinated varieties:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They generally breed true.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can have the benefits of acclimatization through growing in your garden's conditions over and over again.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some of them are very productive (although you may have to do some searching to find them): e.g. these peppers: Neapolitan, Corbaci, Ring of Fire, Orange Carbonero, and Chervena Chushka—and these tomatoes: Matina, Roma, Thessaloniki, Yellow Pear, Red Pear, and Sweet Orange Cherry. Which ones produce the best seems to depend a lot on your growing conditions, too, though (i.e. soil, humidity/aridity, temperatures).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's often easier to find unusual varieties that aren't hybrids (the reverse may be true for species where hybrids are less abundant, or where they take a long time to get fruit, and thus take longer to breed, and longer to stabilize after hybridization—e.g. oak trees). F1 hybrids are generally created by commercial entities, who want them to sell to the masses (not just to people who like cool stuff). That means a high portion of F1 hybrids have well-known traits that won't surprise people (such as red, round tomatoes). All kinds of people breed open-pollinated varieties. So, you get some interesting stuff with them, more often, in my opinion (you might get such as fuzzy, white-skinned, striped, oxheart tomatoes with wispy, chartreuse foliage, anthocyanin on their fruit skin, and bicolor white and brown flesh—I don't know a tomato like that; it's just an example of something you're a lot more likely to see with open-pollinated varieties, because companies that make F1 hybrids seem to know that a lot of people just want regular red tomatoes, and they won't easily be persuaded to eat anything else; nevertheless, unusual tomatoes do have their followings, and sometimes you see unusual F1 hybrids, too). For examples of unusual open-pollinated varieties, check out tomatoes by Brad Gates and Tom Wagner.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Open-pollinated varieties are more likely to be fertile. Some hybrids are sterile on account of chromosome differences of the parents, or they might have cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) bred into them for commercial purposes. You're unlikely to find sterile F1 hybrid tomatoes and peppers, though, but obviously, you have such as seedless watermelons (one method of making them requires hybridization between a diploid and a triploid, which is supposed to produce sterile F1 hybrid offspring).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can find very vigorous open-pollinated varieties, too (however much research it takes to find them; e.g. Sweet Orange Cherry tomato).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There are open-pollinated varieties with lots of disease-resistance, too (e.g. Walter tomato, Atkinson tomato, etc.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can often get open-pollinated seeds for free with a SASE (and/or for trade) from nice individuals online. In fact, some of the newer varieties aren't even available for sale.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's a lot easier to find reviews and information about open-pollinated varieties than it is for F1 hybrids. This is probably due primarily to the price difference, and the lack of seed sharing with F1 hybrids.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cons of open-pollinated varieties:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Not all heirlooms and other open-pollinated varieties are known for their taste (especially early and productive varieties, although those generally taste pretty good in my garden). For instance, a lot of people aren't fond of Yellow Pear tomatoes (although Yellow Pear is not early). Some people love it, though. Usually, it's the mid-season and late-season heirlooms that are stereotypically known for their taste (e.g. Brandywine tomatoes).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Although there are a good number of productive, open-pollinated varieties, you may have to do a lot of research to find the right ones for your growing conditions. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some of the disease resistance may be anecdotal, rather than officially researched. University-bred open-pollinated varieties are probably more likely to be researched in this regard. Verified disease-resistance is generally much more common in F1 hybrids. However, open-pollinated varieties should have two alleles for a particular disease-resistance gene, while F1 hybrids may only have one. So, if you find open-pollinated varieties with verified disease resistance, it may be more highly expressed than in some F1 hybrids.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Vigorous plants seem to be more common with hybrids.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should be noted that you can buy F1 hybrid seed that is less expensive than usual, but that depends on where you buy your seeds. Buying in bulk at some stores may be more affordable (if you need bulk quantities).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, to answer your question, it really depends on what you want and how much research and experimentation you like to do. If you don't like to do a lot of research and experimentation, if you don't want to save seeds, and if you just want disease-free, prolific, vigorous plants that produce what people generally expect them to produce, then buying tried and true F1 hybrids is probably what you'll like the most.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't want to rely on companies forever, if you want to save seeds, if you like large numbers of unexpected varieties, if you want the benefits of acclimatization, if you want to impress taste aficionados (or if you are one), etc. you might try open-pollinated varieties. However, if you're just going with a small selection of open-pollinated varieties in a single store, they're likely hand-picked varieties, most of which are capable of doing well in your area (or else are so popular that people buy them even if they don't do well), and there might not be as much of a difference in the success rate between those particular ones and the F1 hybrids they also sell (but the F1 hybrids will still probably perform better most of the time—though not all the time—in those cases), and you likely won't often find very unique open-pollinated varieties in your average offline store (don't count on finding fuzzy, white, striped, multiflora, oxheart tomatoes with anthocyanin on them, and chartreuse foliage; you generally have to look online to find anything with any of those attributes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All in all, the answer really depends on which F1 hybrid or open-pollinated variety you're talking about, and how you intend to grow it. But, more importantly, it depends on what you like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You probably won't find any statistical difference between germination in F1 hybrids and open-pollinated varieties you buy in the store. They should be about the same (if the same company sells them). However, if you want great germination, seed-saving should help there. I've found that seeds I save myself germinate faster, more vigorously, and more often than those I buy or receive from someone else. I know at least one other person who has said the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should also be noted that there are other tricks you can do to improve your results (beyond the choice of F1 hybrids versus open-pollinated varieties, soil amendments, watering and stuff like that). I've heard about companies &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kdcomm.net/~tomato/Tomato/start.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cold-treating seedlings&lt;/a&gt; in a certain way that is supposed to help them produce fruit sooner. I've also found, personally (so consider this anecdotal) that Morelle De Balbis seeds frozen in the fruit did better post-germination than those that weren't frozen (the plants were bigger, more productive and more vigorous, although germination was delayed, and germination rates declined). There are also plant regulators (i.e. hormones) that may impact matters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to keep your F1 hybrids around without buying more seeds, you can overwinter your plants, and/or take cuttings to overwinter for next year (just make sure they're not diseased). Cuttings will have the right genetics. Methods to preserve the true F1 may vary from species to species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-03-24T21:48:23.840" LastActivityDate="2017-03-24T21:48:23.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30898" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30910" CreationDate="2017-02-22T09:06:05.620" Score="8" ViewCount="2011" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not exactly sure what type of palm tree this is but I was wondering if I could use it for Hugelkultur (burying it in the ground as a form of compost for my plants). I realise some trees (eg. Eucalyptus) are not good for this technique.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Uhof.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Uhof.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Palm tree I would like to use for Hugelkultur&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1658" LastActivityDate="2017-02-23T00:27:54.990" Title="Can I use a palm tree log for Hugelkultur" Tags="&lt;hugelkultur&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30899" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2979" CreationDate="2017-02-22T15:39:45.437" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to guess it's a &lt;em&gt;Hippeastrum&lt;/em&gt; as you're keeping it in a pot - &lt;em&gt;Amaryllis&lt;/em&gt; is often planted outside, whereas &lt;em&gt;Hippeastrum&lt;/em&gt; are not. They can live for decades (my mum has one that is at least 50 years old). They will go dormant for part of the year. The main thing is not to overwater them or bury them too deep - my mum's has been half out of the soil. If they sit in cold, damp soil they will rot. Do not water them when they are dormant. Six months sounds like a long time to be dormant. Try shifting it to a warmer, brighter spot. If nothing happens, try lifting the bulbs and have a look - are they firm and plump (like a fresh onion) - if so, plant them again and be patient. If they're rotten or hollow, then I'm afraid you're out of luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-02-22T15:39:45.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30900" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30898" CreationDate="2017-02-22T15:49:50.580" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cool question. I did some digging around but could not come up with a definitive answer so here goes with some peripheral reasoning:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;chopped coir fibres are often used in horticulture as a peat substitute - you know, coconut, palm ...&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;most sources I read where people were trying &lt;a href=&quot;https://permies.com/t/28770/Palm-fronds-hugelkultur&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hugelkultur with palm&lt;/a&gt; it was of the nature of an experiment; but of course the author forgets to update the article a few years later to show whether it worked or not&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;on many sites, when they &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/many-benefits-hugelkultur&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;list those woods you should not use&lt;/a&gt; there is a specific scientific reason why not: locust does not rot, walnut poisons the soil and so on; but, take a look at the selection of images you get with a Google search for images related to &quot;plants at the base of a palm tree&quot; and I invite you to draw your own conclusions whether palm frightens off other plants at the base.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd go for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/412/what-woods-shouldnt-be-used-for-hugelkultur&quot;&gt;What woods shouldn&amp;#39;t be used for hugelkultur?&lt;/a&gt; - @daniel-bingham might have some good input on this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2017-02-22T18:30:55.510" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30898" CreationDate="2017-02-22T16:50:12.333" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it is organic and dead it is decomposing.  My problems with this Hugelkultur are; 1) As long as the decomposing is happening which will be years, the decomposers require lots of nitrogen and the other micro and macro organisms go dormant until there is DECOMPOSED organic matter to 'eat', 2) When this matter finally decomposed that 'hill' or raised bed will sink to become a swale, 3) Plant roots for water and taking up chemicals are only 4 to 6&quot; deep, the important part of that profile should be heavily laden with decomposed organic matter to improve the tilth, 4) Water sucked up in this man made bog will not have drainage (perched water table) and I foresee anaerobic decomposition with all it's subsequent chemistry again, plant roots for the most part are only 4 to 6&quot; deep.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Raised beds are the only way to garden, double dug but with a flat top and at least 3' wide.  The sides are great for SOME vegetables but in my experience the plants on the sides do not do as well as those on the top, no matter the soil type. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aeBap.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aeBap.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my raised beds of pumice nutrient poor forest soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First time these beds were double dug I threw decomposed not composing but decomposed organic matter into the mix as I made these beds as well as lime OR sulfur depending on the pH I wanted to push (after soil tests) in the right direction.  These beds are now 4 years old, never to be double dug again.  I simply use decomposed organic mulch as a top dressing replacing it 3 or 4 times each season.  The organisms are reproducing and are drawn to this soil because there is food available they can eat now.  Not happening as organic matter is decomposing.  These organisms are my little slaves; I feed them they go back into the soil profile and poop this stuff out mixing it into the soil profile down to a foot in depth, doing all that work FOR me.  As I dig the trenches out once per years I throw more soil on top of the beds.  Best drainage in the world...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-02-22T16:50:12.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30902" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-22T17:13:37.537" Score="8" ViewCount="5492" Body="&lt;p&gt;My basils (six of them) were purchased growing very close together in a ½ quart (≈ 500 ml) pot and are at least 6 inches (ca. 15 cm) long already. They are very droopy.  I think it may be difficult to separate them.  Will they grow big if I just put the group in the ground as is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16750" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-21T20:11:08.180" LastActivityDate="2019-05-03T16:12:10.693" Title="How close to space sweet basil?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30903" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-22T17:52:33.427" Score="5" ViewCount="523" Body="&lt;p&gt;A part of my house (about 30ft x 15ft) has a flat roof and is south facing, perfect for building a little rooftop garden. Obviously, unlike other raised beds, the actual bottom of the bed will need to be elevated off the roof to prevent moisture from possibly destroying the roof. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to build 3 8x4 beds. Now, I know I can use cedar to reduce the chance of rotting, but I'm not rich enough to do that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can use Douglas Fir for the walls and some composite for the bottom if I can line the inside of the bed with some kind of plastic (I do plan to drill holes in the bottom for drainage). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Painter's plastic? That antiweed landscaping plastic? I'm open to other construction materials as well, provided I don't have to file bankruptcy after I buy them.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the best way to build a completely elevated bed on a budget?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16751" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-22T22:59:33.877" LastActivityDate="2017-02-22T22:59:33.877" Title="What are the best materials to use to build raised garden beds on my roof?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;roof-garden&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30904" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30903" CreationDate="2017-02-22T19:18:31.460" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rooftop gardening is a fairly well-trodden path. But don't trod there unless you are quite, quite certain that the roof is up to the weight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDPM rubber is probably the most standard material for a root barrier on the roof. Look at green/living roof resouces for ideas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But if your roof is typical construction intended only to keep out rain/snow, better to not go there unless you are prepared to do some major structural retrofitting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-02-22T19:18:31.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30905" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30903" CreationDate="2017-02-22T19:20:42.580" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/rooftop-gardening-1403340&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Considerations for DYI roof top gardens&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The least expensive way and the safest way is to use pots for planting.  You do have to know your load bearing for your structure.  I would NOT cover the roof with soil.  When that soil is full of water (8# per gallon) it gets really really heavy.  Do you live in a zone with lots of snow?  Is the area below the roof heated?  What is the material you have for a roof (metal, composite)?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would make a suspended 'floor' so water is able to drain below this floor and away.  Even cedar would not work.  Landscape fabric is ONLY meant for installing beneath gravel to prevent fines from sumping upwards and into large pore spaces.  It was NEVER meant for any other purpose.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are wonderful pots with drainage holes.  The water that drains should go beneath your suspended floor and away.  I'd also use pot feet to protect your suspended floor (made of pressure treated wood or 'Treks' or similar).  Use ONLY potting soil, NO ROCK or gravel below the soil above the drainage hole.  You can grow TONS of stuff in pots!  I regularly plant 15 or 20 species for flowers in 15 gallon pots.  For vegetables, only 3 or 4 plants (started small in small pots, upgraded to one gallon, upgraded to the 15+ gallon pots).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use ONLY sterilized potting soil.  The next year I would also DUMP the old soil and exchange for new...if you are in Florida or California, your flowering pots should last 2 years, all vegetable pots need new soil and new starts each year... Of course if you are growing berries, trees, woody perennials you'll have to repot every other year...depends upon the size of the plant what the size pot you should use (make no mistake, this is important, too small of a plant in a large pot will rarely thrive).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you plant only plants that can take the sun if they need partial shade you'll have to put up shade cloth.  Wind is a big big deal!  Plants once mature might be able to cope but baby plants not so much.  They'll need protection/screening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We need to know exactly your building situation, what your restrictions and codes are with city/county, your zone, what your expectations are such as vegetables or flowers or entertaining how many humans you'll have up there...and of course if you plant mature plants/trees, that pot should accommodate the size and will last at least 5 years.  Most roofs are not made for anything other than snow load at the most.  You will most surely have to increase the load bearing of that roof...I'll bet this is your garage.  Sure hope it has some slope...and you do not live in a zone above subtropical, grins!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look up rooftops for houseboats...this will give you some idea at a vastly smaller scale the ramifications...In Seattle on Lake Washington, they have TOURS of houseboat roof gardens.  Primarily succulents...beautiful.  They also make framed 'pictures' of succulents (extremely shallow roots, low low water needs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send lots more information.  It would be irresponsible for us to give any more advice without. Oh, one more thing.  To do this correctly by making a rooftop PATIO with lots of plants in pots, a beautiful railing made to code...will &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;increase&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; the value of your home...in a big big way!!  You will not be throwing money away unless you do something temporary and ultimately destructive to your home. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-02-22T19:33:56.190" LastActivityDate="2017-02-22T19:33:56.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30906" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30902" CreationDate="2017-02-22T19:34:54.410" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;6&quot; tall and droopy sounds like insufficient light...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spacing depends on your intended use/harvest strategy, IME.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year I did mine 9&quot;x9&quot; (23cm) with intention to harvest them younger than my usual &quot;wait for the threat of frost&quot; harvest date. I probably could have done 4.5x4.5 for that plan (harvest before stems got woody, not have to pick off leaves when making pesto) and as it was, I left them to the later harvest date anyway because there was not so much there earlier. This year I'll probably try 4.5x4.5 (11.5cm) and harvest at least 5 out of 9 early, letting the ones space 9x9 left go to maturity, unless I opt to chop them all - if everything doesn't go off the rails this year, anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;B X B&#xA;X X X&#xA;B X B&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So plant on the B's and X's, then cut the X's young.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;6 in a half-quart pot is a wee bit dense for best results in my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-02-22T19:34:54.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30902" CreationDate="2017-02-22T19:46:14.210" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Half quart pot?  3&quot; or less?  Here is what I feel you should do.  Do not plant them in the garden, as yet. I'd get good potting soil and 4&quot; pots.  Fill with potting soil and transplant your baby basils in each one.  You might get a few to survive.  If they are too tangled, just repot by splitting the whole bunch into two clumps, each into a 6&quot; pot with potting soil.  Keep moist but not too moist.  Lots of light...have these baby basils been exposed to sunlight?  Or have they been grown in a nursery, in a greenhouse, or in artificial lighting?  Have they been fertilized either by the greenhouse or the nursery where you purchased them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send a picture of the entire gob of baby basils.  Make dang sure you use potting soil and a slightly larger pot.  More light but you might have to harden them off to be able to go outside into the garden.  These places love to sell stuff that is going to be tough to have success so you will go buy more...more info, more pictures, please.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And when transplanting try to keep the roots and soil intact.  Sure you will be breaking quite a few but DO NOT try to untangle and disturb the soil too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-02-23T19:32:21.243" LastActivityDate="2017-02-23T19:32:21.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30908" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30902" CreationDate="2017-02-22T21:14:13.643" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since this is sweet basil there is not a problem splitting them. However if you are concerned about them surviving then plant as a bunch by all means. They won't do as well as split. The reason you can split them is because basil responds well to pinching back. If you pinch back the tops by half then you have your first harvest, and you have reduced the burden on any root systems that are compromised in the splitting. Just be careful to split and keep as much root intact as possible; it won't be 100% since the roots are thin and fibrous, but in their new location (inside or outside according to environment, they are very frost tender) there is no reason you can't have 6 nice bushy plants roaring in a few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-02-22T21:14:13.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30909" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30913" CreationDate="2017-02-23T00:16:10.063" Score="4" ViewCount="348" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning on starting a small, vertically-stacked aquaponic planter, with two beds and a small aquarium. Because my climate experiences periods of drought and near-freezing lows during winter, I am doing this indoors, which means I'm very space limited. As a result, I am planning a small system, with a ~12-gallon aquarium and two beds, one with ~3' of vertical clearance to the growing lights and the other with ~15&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm currently limited to maximum planter dimensions of 16x8&quot;, which I understand is quite small. If essential, I could expand to 16x12&quot;, but no further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: &lt;strong&gt;Do plant spacing guidelines change for aquaponic systems?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I find guidelines suggesting 5&quot; spacing (for basil, as an example), does that recommendation change for an aquaponic system, or does the fact that it's an aquaponic system not matter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16753" LastEditorUserId="16753" LastEditDate="2017-02-23T02:21:44.627" LastActivityDate="2017-02-23T09:54:38.617" Title="Does seed spacing in aquaponic systems differ from soil systems?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;aquaponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30898" CreationDate="2017-02-23T00:27:54.990" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Palm is a grass.  It rots fast. So does not last long. It has a long fiber. It holds water, So is good for wicking water into the soil. It forms a good black mulch &amp;amp; loosens soil. But needs replaced often as low in minerals. So good for growing things for about 6 months. Best used as a soil fiber restorer.  We use it here as a mulch. Or let the trees just rot out on the ground when we replant them. It seems to work best in sandy soil. Good for potted plants as a moisture holder. As a mulch works well around out Mango, lemon, lime, mango trees. &amp;amp; coconut &amp;amp; banana trees. There we just cut them up &amp;amp; lay on ground around the trees. Let them rot into the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16754" LastActivityDate="2017-02-23T00:27:54.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30911" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30912" CreationDate="2017-02-23T00:56:47.360" Score="5" ViewCount="197" Body="&lt;p&gt;Relatively straightforward question: &lt;strong&gt;In an aquaponic system with multiple grow beds, can one bed drain into another (series), or do all beds need to flood/drain independently (parallel)?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16753" LastEditorUserId="16753" LastEditDate="2017-02-23T02:24:01.550" LastActivityDate="2017-02-23T04:44:45.530" Title="In an Aquaponic system, can grow beds drain into each other?" Tags="&lt;aquaponic&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30912" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30911" CreationDate="2017-02-23T04:44:45.530" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grow beds can drain parallel or serially but in the latter case a failure anywhere affects the whole system and not just a single bed.  So, if for example you were using bell siphons, and one of the siphons stopped working, then water could potentially all dump into one grow bed and never leave.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's also the issue of solids which accumulate inside the grow beds.  You would probably find that the first grow bed in the system would accumulate all the solids if they haven't been prefiltered, and that could affect the drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And finally the plants presumably get less and less nutrient as they pass through the beds so that the bed at the end of the series has the least nutrient present which may not be what you want&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-02-23T04:44:45.530" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30909" CreationDate="2017-02-23T04:57:34.270" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am presuming that you're using grow beds with media.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The spacing requirements for plants are so that their roots have enough space to grow into and find adequate nutrients.  In a hydro/aquaponic system you're delivering the nutrients directly to the plant roots so you can grow them more closely together. You will have to estimate what the adult size of the plant is going to be so that they can fill that area without being compressed by their neighbours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having said that I suspect most home growers just plant something wherever they find a space in their grow beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-02-23T04:57:34.270" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30909" CreationDate="2017-02-23T09:54:38.617" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will depend on what you are growing. As Graham said, root area may well be reduced but you still have to allow room for the top of the plant. Given your indoors, maintaining adequate airflow between plants is important to prevent disease. Overcrowding will also reduce light levels available to lower parts of the plant leading to weak, spindly growth. Overall, I would suggest that spacings would need to be roughly the same for most crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-02-23T09:54:38.617" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30915" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30351" CreationDate="2017-02-23T12:02:24.387" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pruning can be healthy for your cactus, if done right. Removing pads that are growing too close to each other helps to prevent overcrowding and gives the rest of the cactus more energy to grow. This type of pruning is recommended as most cacti (with pads) grow somewhat 'thicker' in gardens and optimal growing conditions make overcrowding of pads a common issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning to style your cactus — while not necessary — can be fun and give you some good looking results. However, you have to keep in mind that the shape and size of a cactus has some natural per specie limitations. You could get a cactus to grow taller by removing lower pads but depending on the species it might not look — or be — healthy as a tall plant. As a rule of thumb; if it does not have a 'trunk' (only pads growing on top of each other) then it will be fragile when forced to grow taller then it naturally does.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are intent on growing it as a tall cactus, try keeping the weight at the bottom of the plant. Keep the bottom pads bigger than the weight they have to carry, this way it doesn't become top heavy. Example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;00&#xA;000&#xA;00000&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No, there should not be any negative effects from removing pads as long as you use a clean pruner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, the pads can be propagated (used to start new cactus plants), and this can be useful as you then have some cacti to 'experiment' on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastActivityDate="2017-02-23T12:02:24.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30916" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-23T16:33:38.297" Score="4" ViewCount="358" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two trees/shrubs that I am assuming are a type of Holly. I believe that they are just over 10 years old. One is healthy and the other lost almost all of its leaves this winter. The stems do not break off like a dead tree though. Is it going to come back, or when should I give up on it? The healthy one is in the foreground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0eNRz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0eNRz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: As requested, I've added a picture of the healthier bush. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yDZ2v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yDZ2v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of the healthier bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16758" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-02-24T23:02:29.467" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T23:02:29.467" Title="One of two Holly Shrubs/Trees dead or dying" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30919" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30916" CreationDate="2017-02-23T20:18:03.837" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hmm, difficult to unravel quite what's going on here. First, the last picture shows what appears to be a sickly Camellia which has some sort of  deposit in the lower parts. Have you had any building work done recently, like on the wall or on the roof? It either looks as if something's been dropped on the plants, and probably the soil too, or the other possibility is a serious Teascale infestation - deposits are usually more visible beneath the leaves with that, but other forms of scale may be involved too. I note also there is what looks like an old root or some wood with white deposits on it behind the shrub, up against the wall - not sure what the white deposit signifies, but it might be more evidence of scale infestation, if it signifies anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Camellia are evergreen shrubs - there are some healthy leaves and even a bud on a lower right branch showing in the pic, so its not dead,but it is seriously suffering. Inspect the backs of the leaves and stems to check for scale - more info about scale here &lt;a href=&quot;http://camelliashop.com/blog/controlling-tea-scale/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://camelliashop.com/blog/controlling-tea-scale/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE - you've said the house was painted last summer, which might mean paint flakes and paint thinners, white spirit or other chemicals might all be implicated if any of that ended up in the soil, particularly where the almost dead Camellia is situated. Without knowing what went in the soil, its hard to say if its safe to remove that shrub and replant - on balance, I wouldn't, I'd wait and see if any growth begins at a later date, which would at least mean whatever might have been in the soil has now dissipated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Still worth checking the healthier one for scale though, and if there's any present, the other one will have had it too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-23T20:40:35.357" LastActivityDate="2017-02-23T20:40:35.357" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30920" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-23T22:28:19.257" Score="2" ViewCount="445" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been reading the praises and the science behind garden fertilizer Dyna-gro foliage pro. The only thing is the product is not available in Australia and shipping from outside is approx $60, too cost prohibitive.&#xA;Is there any equivalent product here in Oz that has a 3:1:2 ratio and contains calcium, magnesium and the microelements? I would like to use such a fertilizer as an all rounder for fruit, veggies and ornamentals on a regular basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16760" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-02-24T09:27:01.330" LastActivityDate="2018-02-23T16:22:03.390" Title="Alternative equivalent fertilizer like dyna gro foliage pro in Australia" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2018-02-23T16:55:22.373" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2919" CreationDate="2017-02-23T22:54:28.000" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;F1 means it's the first cross, without back crossing for a stable hybrid that would yield seeds that grow true to the new breed. Shunned by veggie growers who want to collect seeds or those who value tasty produce. Not because F1 is inherently bad, but because these unstable hybrids are typically created more for show than taste. Ornamentals could revert to characteristics of one parent. Those F1s sold to the public mainly one thing going for them: unusual hybrids that typically cant be made another way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16760" LastActivityDate="2017-02-23T22:54:28.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30922" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30327" CreationDate="2017-02-24T00:23:59.860" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like a nutritional imbalance. Unless you like to play the chemist lottery, the best fertilizer would be the complete type, including a 3:1:2 NPK but also including calcium, magnesium, sulphur and all the micro nutrients. Some of the plant specific fertilizers are all marketing and missing important ingredients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stick your finger deep into the soil and see that the potting mix does not become hydrophobic. I assume it drains well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16760" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-15T19:23:29.907" LastActivityDate="2017-04-15T19:23:29.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30347" CreationDate="2017-02-24T00:32:52.363" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;spraying pesticide when the plant is stressed due to lack of complete nutrition and/or lack of water(?) will only stress it more. use a complete fertilizer with all major and minor elements not missed out. i myself tend to forget about fert after the spring zealousness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16760" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T00:32:52.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30924" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-24T00:52:57.830" Score="3" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's Bermuda grass gradually spreading from my neighbor's yard. I'd like it gone and replaced with some other type of grass. What are my options? I've tried a poison specifically designed for Bermuda, but it's not that effective. I've used a sheet of plastic, and that works, but not great. A childhood neighbor would burn off his zoysia, but I'm not sure that's allowed where I'm at, or if it would work. Is there a grass I could overplant that would dominate it? Is there a non-poison option that would work? Time is not a huge issue. That is, it doesn't have to be finished this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CwdfB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16762" LastEditorUserId="16762" LastEditDate="2017-02-25T14:07:23.190" LastActivityDate="2017-02-25T14:07:23.190" Title="Killing Bermuda Grass" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30925" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30924" CreationDate="2017-02-24T01:08:39.657" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get chickens, and let them graze the grass off completely, then reseed it with something else you have more of a desire to grow working section by section of the yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T01:08:39.657" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30926" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19479" CreationDate="2017-02-24T02:37:38.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 37 Aloes and they are super easy to care for. Brown tips can be caused by too much natural sunlight. While they are growing, babies are very sensitive. I have had this problem and I cut the brown tips off, not the whole leaf though. Make sure in spring you water them more because of the extra sunlight (longer days). Keep soil not dried out 100% for more than 3 days. They are in the group of succulents. Sometimes, at night I lightly mist them with purified water. It's natural for them! Desert plants are warm in the day and cold at night with moisture. Also other animals such as cats can hurt the leaves and cause the tips to change. Rubbing and chewing damages the leaves. If your plant is over 3 years of age and has less than 10-12 leaves, then sunlight may not be the cause for what I saw above.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Remember that it's your plant so do what you think best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16763" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-02-24T05:49:30.163" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T05:49:30.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30927" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30347" CreationDate="2017-02-24T03:31:00.163" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spider mites are a possibility. They might not respond to an insecticide, as they're not insects (I'm not sure about neem oil). They're pretty hard to eliminate (but the plants should do better after being transplanted outside, if you're going to do that). Reinfection from other plants (including houseplants) in the area is likely, even if they don't show symptoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have multiple plants per pot, or multiple pots of plants close to each other, that can contribute to foliar problems. I experienced this a lot in 2015 when I was starting my plants inside (to transplant out later, in the spring). Plants (especially indoor ones) enjoy space and ventilation. A fan in the room should also help, if you have packed foliage. Ventilation helps to keep fungus to a minimum. It helps to keep the leaves dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your room is too warm, that can cause foliar problems, too. Plants like warmth, but it's not always the best thing for them (in my experience). If you can keep the soil warm (e.g. with a heat mat) without warming the whole room, you may get the best of both worlds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want lots of peppers, I recommend planting only one plant per pot, giving it a larger pot (with the right nutrients in the soil), and make sure it gets plenty of light. It looks like your window is bright, which is nice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Variety is also important. For indoor peppers, unless you have sufficient supplemental lighting, you'll probably want to go with plants that can do well in the shade, like Grandpa's Home or Ring of Fire. Some varieties may resist these foliar issues and/or pests more than other varieties, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other important factors, and I'm not aware of them all, but I'm guessing healthy soil microbes probably play a big role, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding extra potassium can indeed help to strengthen indoor plants (provided the soil isn't already abundant in it). Phosphorus is supposed to help plants mature faster; phosphorus is also supposed to help with flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For mature plants, you'll want to make sure you're not still using a seed-starting mix, or you'll likely never get much, if any, fruit. Seed-starting mix is depleted of nutrients. I'm not sure what soils are best for encouraging fruit for peppers indoors, but I do know the soil you pick can make a big difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, plants don't respond to nutrients the same way indoors as they do outdoors. So, that's another challenge to getting fruit indoors. There doesn't seem to be a plethora of research regarding getting much fruit on plants indoors, unless you're talking about hydroponic gardening with artificial lighting and such. So, maybe you can help pioneer the research (be it anecdotal or otherwise).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-02-24T03:36:05.453" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T03:36:05.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9468" CreationDate="2017-02-24T03:56:29.747" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Given that the cover is visibly green this means that it is reflecting a large portion of green waves and absorbing (in this case allowing to pass through) the rest of the spectrum. If something looks green then it's not absorbing green so a green cover does not harm your plants and the truly best thing you could use would be grow bulbs which produce red and blue light at the intensity required by your particular plants. I hope this was helpful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16764" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T03:56:29.747" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30929" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30934" CreationDate="2017-02-24T10:41:02.147" Score="5" ViewCount="514" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone help identify what this is called being used as hedging in the south of the UK? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking online at pre-grown ready to plant hedging it looks similar to Cherry Laurel, but I'm no expert.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XtpSo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XtpSo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uQHlJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uQHlJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cmCxV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cmCxV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZmaG7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZmaG7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16765" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-02-24T17:22:34.630" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T18:12:35.843" Title="What is this shrub being used as hedging in the southern UK?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30930" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3006" CreationDate="2017-02-24T12:04:43.613" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can use an empty pot to cover it, turn it upside down to lift the old pot and then move it to the new container. Watch a demonstration &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/bzzra/videos/669685759866276/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;in this short video&lt;/a&gt;; I've searched for another link, but I couldn't find one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T12:04:43.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30931" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30856" CreationDate="2017-02-24T12:55:46.473" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it might be Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum - not 100% whether its that or Stenocereus fimbriatus, but either way, that diseased part needs to go. It likely is attached below soil level to the rest of the plant, so I suggest you don a pair of very thick gloves and carefully turn it out of its pot, then have a look to see if the roots attached to that sick one look mushy or soggy when compared to the rest. If they do, and you can't just pull them away from the rest complete with the upper stem, use a clean, sharp knife and cut any diseased ones out, carefully, so as not to damage any healthy roots, and cut off the sickly stem completely. Might be easier to cut that stem off first, thinking about it, but you do need to check what's happening at root level too. Assuming you have to remove some root material because its diseased, remove as much of the soil around the rest of the roots as you can without causing damage to healthy roots. After you're done, repot into the same pot (or a new one) but make sure you clean it thoroughly first, and use fresh cactus potting medium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm only guessing what's caused this, but it looks like the base of that particular stem has had some damage, either physical or from scale insect or other cause, and this has caused a rot of some sort to set in. There's a risk it will spread to the rest if you don't take remedial action,  so although its a risk to muck about with the roots, its probably essential.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-24T13:01:47.480" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T13:01:47.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30932" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23735" CreationDate="2017-02-24T15:44:43.227" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Serissa are popular for bonsai but sadly also easy to kill. There is a lot to know but I will try to focus on how to keep it alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Summer&lt;/strong&gt;: Keep it in a location where it gets a lot of bright light, it loves sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Winter&lt;/strong&gt;: If you live somewhere close to the equator then you can move it to get the most of the winter sun and it can happily keep growing. If however, you live up north or far down south you need to winter it somewhere, this is tricky and means to put it into a state of 'hibernation' where it stops growing. You basically keep the temperature between 2-5 c and the soil moist. If you need to do this, do some research. It is complicated and you need to understand how it works better then I can explain in this answer. If you can not over-winter it in this manner then you need to keep it somewhere where it gets the most sun possible or maybe even use artificial lighting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Watering&lt;/strong&gt;: Depending on the soil mixture you should not water too often, try to let the top of the soil dry out a little between watering. When watering, water enough that the entire root ball gets water. If it drops leaves after moving it then give it slightly less water, &lt;strong&gt;not more&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pruning&lt;/strong&gt;: You can hack away at your Serissa without too much worry of killing it. Just don't prune if it looks unhealthy. It will smell weird when pruned or bruised but this is normal. Pruning is more of a personal choice and how much you cut away and where depends on how you want it to look. Always use a clean pruner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wiring&lt;/strong&gt;: I have not done this with my bonsai trees. However, you should not leave the wire on for more than 4-6 months at a time (as far as I know). If it looks like it is starting to rot under the wires you should remove them immediately. Wiring is an art in its own and you can find a lot of tips by googling it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Re-potting&lt;/strong&gt;: Re-pot once every 2-3 years, when re-potting trim the roots and remove all the old soil from between the roots. If you do not use any fertilizer you should re-pot every 1-2 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Moving&lt;/strong&gt;: Try to keep your plant in one place, Serissa are sensitive to changes in their environment and will likely loose leaves if even moved from one room to another. It is &lt;strong&gt;ok&lt;/strong&gt; to move your plant just don't move it too often. Having a summer and winter spot is good, having a different spot for every week is bad. It should stay in the same place for 4-6 weeks before getting moved again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fertilizer&lt;/strong&gt;: If in doubt, don't fertilize. If your plant looks unhealthy, don't fertilize. Only fertilize if your plant is healthy and you have not recently moved it. Over-fertilizing or fertilizing a sick plant is one of the easiest ways to kill a bonsai. If you are unsure then don't use fertilizer, your Serissa is not likely to die if it does not get fertilized. Last but not least you should use bonsai fertilizer not garden fertilizer, bonsai trees have different requirements then garden plants and garden fertilizer can harm (even kill) your bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T15:44:43.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30933" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28742" CreationDate="2017-02-24T16:56:18.223" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Might be &lt;a href=&quot;http://luirig.altervista.org/flora/taxa/index1.php?scientific-name=thlaspi%20rotundifolium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thlaspi rotundifolium&lt;/a&gt;. True, the purple in the tight cluster is rather bright in the photo, but sometimes on opening the petal colour can appear to fade a little. The month of flowering is spot on, but the altitude is a bit low for this suggestion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T16:56:18.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30934" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30929" CreationDate="2017-02-24T17:58:08.390" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is Griselinia littoralis - there's a variegated version too, but its not as hardy as Prunus laurocerasus (cherry laurel) and may lose its leaves in a severe winter. In the north of the UK, it may actually be killed in a hard winter, but it does well in coastal regions,where its frequently used as hedging. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=889&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=889&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-24T18:12:35.843" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T18:12:35.843" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30935" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30947" CreationDate="2017-02-24T18:32:08.173" Score="5" ViewCount="731" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently saw this plant in a shop. It looks like an amazingly big succulent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind is it? I wonder if it needs much light and if it produces flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b1g6d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b1g6d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H3BC5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H3BC5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vp4i1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vp4i1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Succulent or Cacti leaves&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Edit&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Zoom to the area where flowers emerge&#xA;(I suspect):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l4UHn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l4UHn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Night Blooming Cereus possible flower bud&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-08-25T23:41:28.320" Title="What is this huge succulent plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="8" ClosedDate="2018-04-22T08:56:29.993" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24869" CreationDate="2017-02-24T19:23:11.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just had the same problem when I applied Jobes fertilizer on top of my indoor kumquat plant. I was able to eliminate most of the odor by sprinkling a generous amount of potting soil on top of the fertilizer. It's helped a ton. However, next time I'll be buying the Jobes fertilizer spikes, at least for indoor plants. Best of luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16768" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T19:23:11.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30935" CreationDate="2017-02-24T23:22:21.350" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This one of the 'Bird's Nest Ferns'...a very sick one at that.  These plants need an awful lot of humidity, perfect fluffy soil (potting soil), acidic soil, no tap water, water that is pure pure pure.  Very sensitive.  The perfect combination of chemicals (fertilizer), lots and lots of micro/macro organisms. You'll find these in stores sold as house plants. Very few ever make it for long unless its owner understands a fern's needs.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Certainly not a succulent which is a desert plant.  This is a rain forest plant.  You should see how beautiful these are when healthy.  You'd have to go to a production greenhouse dedicated to growing ferns.  They last long enough to make the owner feel as if they've done something wrong.  They either quit purchasing plants and call themselves a black thumb, OR they'll try again buy purchasing even more 'stuff' to baby their plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ferns do not produce flowers nor seed.  They produce spores for reproduction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T23:22:21.350" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30938" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30347" CreationDate="2017-02-24T23:41:53.653" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't mention the temperatures where you are.  I have experienced these situations (and worse) when the temperature drops below freezing.  The amount of damage can range from falling leaves to the plant dying if the temperatures go too low.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another possibility is if you have been growing these plants for a while and never fertilized it.  That can cause similar effects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-02-24T23:41:53.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30939" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30935" CreationDate="2017-02-24T23:53:46.650" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's a photo and information on Kangaroo Fern (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/kangaroo-fern-how-to-grow-care&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Microsorum  diversifolium&lt;/a&gt; - not entirely sure it is that, but it might be. Obviously, the one in your pictures isn't in great condition. I'm not sure it's exactly the right one, but I can't think of any other that I know that it might be. No flowers, bit of a sprawler and its an epiphytic fern. I don't think it's attractive in any way, but each to his own, we're all different and have different tastes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-25T11:52:40.690" LastActivityDate="2017-02-25T11:52:40.690" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30940" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-25T03:42:50.603" Score="4" ViewCount="453" Body="&lt;p&gt;The pull cord on my lawnmower is loose and might have detached from the crankshaft. I am unable to start the lawnmower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have much experience fixing things, but is this easy to fix, or should I take it to be repaired?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16769" LastEditorUserId="16753" LastEditDate="2017-02-25T05:40:41.617" LastActivityDate="2017-02-25T14:08:44.593" Title="Can I reattach a lawnmower pull-cord after it detached?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30941" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30940" CreationDate="2017-02-25T04:41:25.457" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is actually a very difficult fix, depending on if &lt;em&gt;any&lt;/em&gt; cord remained. The inside of a pull start mechanism contains a coil spring and a ratcheting mechanism. When you pull it, the ratchet pawls engage, turning the motor while tightening the spring. When the motor starts, the ratcheting pawls disengage (or your hand would be ripped off), you release the cord, and the spring retracts the cord.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because the coil spring is always under tension, it is difficult to service. If you accidentally lose tension, it's &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; difficult to rewind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In short, it's possible, but difficult, and I wouldn't recommend it.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16753" LastActivityDate="2017-02-25T04:41:25.457" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30942" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30960" CreationDate="2017-02-25T11:05:24.257" Score="6" ViewCount="296" Body="&lt;p&gt;I sowed strawberry seeds and they germinated just now after the passage of a long heavy rainstorm. I am living in Al Khubar, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia which is a desert region. It is currently the peak of winter season here with temperatures going as low as 9 degrees Celcius and the highs reaching no more than 25 degrees Celcius. We have forecast of a few more rain showers in the following weeks and the weather will start to warm up quite swiftly from the start of April. I have no idea how to raise strawberries and would like to know what steps should I take to help them survive the approaching hot climate. Thank you everyone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: It is actually well past the sowing season here; the strawberries have come out late. I want to try my best to protect them and make them fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16770" LastActivityDate="2017-02-26T14:26:49.967" Title="Growing Strawberries in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia (Winter season)" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;&lt;desert&gt;&lt;late-sowing&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30943" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30944" CreationDate="2017-02-25T11:05:41.213" Score="6" ViewCount="5664" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have two large Chinese windmill palm trees in our front garden here in Essex, England. They're around 15 feet tall, and absolutely beautiful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have a large amount of fruit near the top, small dark purple berries on bright yellow/orange stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm curious as to what they are, whether they're edible. I know acai come from palm trees, wondering if these are anything similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16771" LastActivityDate="2017-02-25T12:08:24.707" Title="What is the fruit of the Chinese windmill palm, and is it edible?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30944" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30943" CreationDate="2017-02-25T12:08:24.707" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fruit is usually not consumed, but is occasionally used for medical purposes in some countries - it has a haemostatic effect, meaning it clots blood, and may be used to make a solution for use as a contraceptive. There are more efficient ways to do both those things, obviously; it doesn't  sound like the fruits are eaten for their flavour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its interesting you've got fruit though - it means they are female plants, and there must be a male in the vicinity somewhere for fruit to be produced.  Other parts of the plant can be used for edible purposes, see here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Trachycarpus+fortunei&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Trachycarpus+fortunei&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-02-25T12:08:24.707" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30945" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-25T13:13:49.627" Score="6" ViewCount="1821" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had a very mild winter and it's been quite warm the last few weeks here in zone 6a. We are wanting to transplant some of our bearded irises to another property and would like to do it this weekend. Usually we transplant in the fall but because we are moving soon we would like to do it now if possible. Would they survive a late winter transplant? Any tips on what I can do to help them along if I do this? These have tubers not bulbs if that makes a difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastEditorUserId="13786" LastEditDate="2017-02-25T14:49:22.150" LastActivityDate="2017-02-25T19:39:10.590" Title="Can Irises be transplanted in late winter?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;irises&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30946" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30949" CreationDate="2017-02-25T13:16:10.560" Score="10" ViewCount="964" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I save seeds from sweet million cherry tomatoes will I get more sweet million tomatoes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seeds say they are hybrid seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastActivityDate="2021-02-04T22:11:51.367" Title="If I save seeds from sweet million cherry tomatoes will I get more sweet million tomatoes" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30935" CreationDate="2017-02-25T14:04:25.533" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It reminds me of a Night Blooming Cereus. I've never grown one, so can't comment on their need.  My folks have theirs growing in normal household conditions, getting western light.  They are amazing plants - sending up fragrant blooms that last a single night.  This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.worleys.com/bonsai/specific/nbc/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;page&lt;/a&gt; seems to offer a decent overview.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-02-25T14:04:25.533" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30940" CreationDate="2017-02-25T14:08:44.593" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't try to fix it yourself, as @Hari explains, but do take it to your local repair shop.  It's by no means the end of the machine.  I've had a 1/2 dozen cords bake over the years and my local mower repair shop fixed them quickly and inexpensively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-02-25T14:08:44.593" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30949" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30946" CreationDate="2017-02-25T14:20:06.940" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sweet Million are an F1 variety, so will not come true. Seeds saved from their first year may grow what are known as F2 types, which may be quite close to the original F1 Sweet Million, but any seed saved from the second year will produce random tomatoes. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenfocused.co.uk/vegetable/tomato-outdoor/variety-sweet-million.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenfocused.co.uk/vegetable/tomato-outdoor/variety-sweet-million.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-02-25T14:20:06.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30950" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30951" CreationDate="2017-02-25T15:03:45.143" Score="5" ViewCount="4845" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have noticed that my Chrysanthemums are dying one after the other. I don't think I am over or under watering, as the remaining plants are showing good health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/viMay.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/viMay.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;e&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't notice any brown or dead leaves either!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16558" LastEditorUserId="3325" LastEditDate="2017-02-26T07:26:09.220" LastActivityDate="2017-02-26T07:26:09.220" Title="Why is my Chrysanthemum dying?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30951" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30950" CreationDate="2017-02-25T18:19:35.637" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chrysanthemums naturally die back below ground in winter in temperate regions and start growing again when spring arrives, so your keeping them indoors has interrupted that natural process. I asked whether they were cuttings, because there are two separate stems in the pot in the photograph, and I don't know why - it might mean two separate plants or two separate cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As it's now almost March, try turning the sickly ones of out of their pots, and if there are two plants, separating them, and potting them up in fresh potting compost, cut them back to just above soil level and put them somewhere bright to (hopefully) start them back into growth. It's impossible to tell from the picture (it doesn't get any clearer when magnified) whether there is a problem with aphids such as whitefly, but the curling of the leaves might indicate an infestation of some kind, so inspect the plant/s closely for signs of insect problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ََ&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="3325" LastEditDate="2017-02-25T22:21:57.457" LastActivityDate="2017-02-25T22:21:57.457" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30952" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30950" CreationDate="2017-02-25T19:32:14.290" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;These plants were outdoor plants.  They were suddenly taken indoors without being allowed to be 'hardened' off going from outside to inside.  Hardening off a plant whether from inside to be able to live outside or the reverse is critical.  Just bringing a plant from your balcony that were used to the out of doors (and pretty much thinking about going dormant) to suddenly live indoors will kill a plant.  Or make them struggle to survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd cut them back (allowing 3 or 4&quot; of stem), leave them where they are (is that potting soil, sterilized bagged soil?).  A cooler environment would be best with light from the sun available.  Careful with direct sun through your window.  I wouldn't use compost for a medium as you won't know the amount of decomposition and it certainly won't be sterilized.  Do not give any fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are essentially putting your mum starts into a forced dormancy.  In the spring, if the stems are still green you can then begin to harden off to the out of doors.  Do not fertilize until you've got lots of growth beginning.  Even then use an extended release fertilizer such as Osmocote 14-14-14.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure there are no rocks or gravel below the soil in your pots.  Just soil above the drainage hole.  Water infrequently keeping the soil on the dry side.  Also, you should fill your pot with soil and allow only 1&quot; below the rim.  This will give your plants more light for the lower leaves and room for watering.  Raise bottom of pot off surface with tiles or rocks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-02-25T19:32:14.290" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30953" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30945" CreationDate="2017-02-25T19:39:10.590" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In gardening there are usually optimum times for doing things and yes, now is a bit late. That doesn't mean it won't work though: many bulbs are even sold &quot;in the green&quot; (&lt;em&gt;Scilla non-scripta&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Galanthus sp.&lt;/em&gt; especially so). You can improve your chance by minimising the time they are out of the ground (prepare the destination before you dig them up). I would expect that you would get a good survival rate, but you may find that they do not flower well this year or possibly even the next whilst they recover. Given that you are moving and that you will be losing the plants if you don't transplant them, I'd give it a shot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-02-25T19:39:10.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30954" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30962" CreationDate="2017-02-25T19:48:56.623" Score="4" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any direct experience of taking cutting from apples? I am aware that apples are usually grafted, however, I want to make comparisons between cultivars on their own roots and those on named rootstocks. My first thought is hardwood cuttings, but I would like to know if there is a &quot;recipe&quot; that works before just applying general principles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-02-27T18:27:56.760" Title="Taking cuttings from apples" Tags="&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30955" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-25T21:07:13.170" Score="6" ViewCount="210" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning on planting vegetables and the old bed has decayed mulch which looks reddish and grounded. Do I need to dig out a few inches of this and replace it with soil? Is there a way to find out if this was organic or one of the treated mulches? This mulch was laid by previous owners so there's no way of knowing.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QbCvi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QbCvi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mulch Image&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16775" LastEditorUserId="16775" LastEditDate="2017-02-26T01:42:36.430" LastActivityDate="2017-02-26T18:55:18.523" Title="Do we need to replace mulch with soil?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;topsoil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30956" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30961" CreationDate="2017-02-25T21:48:22.600" Score="5" ViewCount="939" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vOTfg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vOTfg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks more like a bush now, but I'm wondering if it will grow into a tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16776" LastActivityDate="2017-02-27T12:30:30.460" Title="About how big will this olive tree grow?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;olive&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30957" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30956" CreationDate="2017-02-25T22:59:46.013" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it will grow into a tree. Depending on conditions, this could take a very long time and they can live for well over a thousand years. The ultimate size will depend on the cultivar - wild trees will make between 8 and 15m but may take hundreds of years to get there. Most cultivars will remain substantially smaller. It is unlikely to reach much more than 4m in your lifetime, but will develop a woody trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-02-25T22:59:46.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30958" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30950" CreationDate="2017-02-26T02:49:52.607" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaving them outside till December probably didn't harm them (unless the weather is really harsh in your part of Germany), but after that you (or your father) did everything wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The right way to keep chrysanthemums over winter is to cut them down to about 8 inches (200mm) above the roots after they have finished flowering. If the outside temperature is expected to stay above -5C all winter, leave them in the ground or outside in their pots, and protect them by covering the soil with bark chips, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the climate is colder than that, dig up the plants and shake off as much of the soil from the roots as possible. Then remove &lt;em&gt;all&lt;/em&gt; the remaining green leaves etc, and cut the stems back to about 3 inches (80mm). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Label the plants, because they will now all look the same!!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put a 2-inch (50mm) layer of general purpose potting compost in a tray, stand the roots on top of that layer, and cover the roots with another thin layer of compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep them &lt;em&gt;cool&lt;/em&gt; (ideally below about 5C) but frost free through the winter. In January, bring them into &lt;em&gt;slightly&lt;/em&gt; warmer temperature (5C to 10C) and water them a little as they start to grow again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take cuttings from the new shoots, about 3 or 4 weeks after they have started to grow again. You want them to start growing slowly in cold conditions - don't try to speed up the process!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2017-02-26T02:49:52.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30955" CreationDate="2017-02-26T07:14:10.050" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a real trick question. Even here people are sometimes advised to use pesticides for little diseases or pests that wouldn't kill the plants... And amateurs often use too much of the thing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it's a bet on your health to plant vegetables right away in this unknown soil. And if you remove 10 inches of it, whatis beneath can still be polluted and accessible by your plants roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From your picture, the mulch look natural to me however. You'd better have samples of your soil tested before eating your crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-02-26T07:14:10.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30960" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30942" CreationDate="2017-02-26T08:43:22.370" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My suggestion would be to examine the efforts of a similarly hot country such as Israel. There have been &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.israelagri.com/?CategoryID=522&amp;amp;ArticleID=1303&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;some efforts to grow strawberries in the hot season&lt;/a&gt; there. The Israelis have a long tradition in horticulture and may have a lot of research available to you which would give you a good idea whether your project is feasible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here in Canada where temperatures can reach to 35 degrees C, we ensure that the strawberries have deep and healthy root systems going into the Spring, and that most fruiting is done before the really hot dry weather comes. At least you won't have a problem with deer browsing all your plants to little stubs in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I would also examine closely the natural flora of shady places such as groups of palm trees, and be prepared to give your strawberries a lot of shade and ventilation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="15063" LastEditDate="2017-02-26T14:26:49.967" LastActivityDate="2017-02-26T14:26:49.967" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30961" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30956" CreationDate="2017-02-26T16:19:09.880" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It grows like a tree, relatively slow.  I don't agree with George's answer.  My olives tree are taller than 4m, and not so old. The younger one, I transported in a car around 7 years ago, and now it is taller than 5m.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the worst part about olives are the roots. They grow fast and will eventually surface, so I think it needs to be planted with more distance to edges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, olives  are quite resilient, but cold can be a problem (from cold, every 10 years or so I see them very damaged, but within a year, they will recover fully), so you can prune heavily and even move them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-27T12:30:30.460" LastActivityDate="2017-02-27T12:30:30.460" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30962" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30954" CreationDate="2017-02-26T16:24:45.757" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm dubious of the premise, but sure, give it a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When looking into some of the more extreme propagation methods for another question, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/29992/6806&quot;&gt;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/29992/6806&lt;/a&gt; I found a description of a setup where bottom heat was employed to encourage rooting while the tops were kept cold to prevent them from deciding to leaf out before there were roots to support them. It was also described as complex and/or costly to do such that it was not a common technique. I'm fairly sure hormones were also employed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is that link, which still seems to work as of today: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01140671.1995.9513912&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&quot;A. D. Webster (1995) Temperate fruit tree rootstock propagation, New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 23:4, 355-372, DOI: 10.1080/01140671.1995.9513912&quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;While it is aimed at propagating rootstock, it should be fundamentally applicable to propagating apple cultivars, as both are apple trees of a sort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I understand, &quot;micropropagation&quot; or tissue culture may be a somewhat more reliable (if also somewhat more involved, and equipment/chemistry intensive) approach, but I have not tried it. I have done &quot;casual&quot; hardwood cutting propagation with more failures than successes, suggesting that a less-casual approach is likely required for a reasonable success rate. What it's actually done for me is to make the &quot;traditional&quot; approaches look pretty sensible, on balance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2017-02-27T18:27:56.760" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30963" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30965" CreationDate="2017-02-26T18:13:49.257" Score="3" ViewCount="98" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you help identify this plant? I'm not sure what it is. Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N0sF8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16776" LastActivityDate="2017-02-26T19:39:55.860" Title="Can you help identify this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30964" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30955" CreationDate="2017-02-26T18:55:18.523" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Interesting question. Going by probabilities alone, unless you can establish that the previous owners were running some kind of garage on the property, parked leaky vehicles there or other industrial use the chances are good that you are safe. Talk to your neighbours, invite them over for tea, chat about what the previous owners did on the land.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next comes the mulch. There is a good chance that the mulch is fine. The only time it might not be is if the constituent dyed wood came from a source where wood preservatives where used. Normally the mulch people are professionals and will stand by their product. Take a trip to the local hardware stores and see what they are selling for red mulch, which is where the previous owners likely got the bags; read the labels, talk to the salespeople. Look for empty bags in the garage. Talk to the neighbours. Most of the redness comes from iron, and many soils are deficient in iron. The soil might or might not be low in nitrogen as a result of the mulch decomposition. Easily corrected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now what to do. Ideally we will get plants to do the work for us; first to send their roots down and shout out &quot;I found some copper arsenate! Watch out!&quot; or more likely &quot;Nothing to worry about here.&quot; Second, we want them to take up the contaminants if any so we can remove the plants and take the contaminants away. In your reading look for the key term &quot;phytotoxicity&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant a bunch of annual crops and see what does well and what does not. Have a little nibble here and there. Watch for leaf abnormalities. Avoid eating root crops which will have been in direct soil contact; focus on beans and leaves, where the soil moisture will have been filtered through plant cells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For ease of mind, soil test.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-02-26T18:55:18.523" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30963" CreationDate="2017-02-26T19:39:55.860" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the Grevillea varieties possibly, something like Grevillea superba &lt;a href=&quot;http://esperancewildflowers.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/grevillea-plurijuga-subsp-superba.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://esperancewildflowers.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/grevillea-plurijuga-subsp-superba.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-02-26T19:39:55.860" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30966" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24869" CreationDate="2017-02-26T22:16:22.850" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In theory it would be nice to use &quot;organic&quot; fertilizers however, most of them are not suitable indoors and probably do not contain all the elements and micro elements. Missing just one can cause problems.&#xA;Remove as much of the added fert as you can and top up with potting media.&#xA;It doesnt mention on Jobes website if the following elements are supplied in their organic fert: calcium, sulphur, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum and boron.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16760" LastActivityDate="2017-02-26T22:16:22.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30967" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30993" CreationDate="2017-02-26T22:48:23.573" Score="5" ViewCount="12133" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got several large bushes I am trying to get rid of in my yard.  I started by cutting them down close to the ground, and then tried to kill the root stump with root killer (copper sulfate pentahydrate).  However, a few weeks later, instead of everything having died, new shoots are starting to grow!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I tried digging a hole around a couple of these plants to get at the root bulb, but one of them appears to have a rather large root (2-3 inches in diameter) which goes straight down and then grows under a patio slab.  I think if I had some kind of tool that I could stick in the hole and cut through the root that might do it, but I don't have such a  tool and don't know what kind of tool I am looking for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other one I have tried is very difficult to dig around because the soil is full of rocks and roots from the bush.  I cannot use a shovel, because it hits both of these.  I have tried using a hoe or other similar digging tool to dig around but it is very slow and tiring and at the rate I am going I estimate would probably take at least 30 hours to finish, which at about one hour a week until I am worn out digging would take me months to finish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there some kind of tool that I can use to effectively dig up or cut out the root ball?  Some other method I am missing?  I'm sure I could just call a landscaper and pay them a lot of money, but I would like to do it myself if possible.  What would they know that I don't?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: Well it was hard to pick from all the answers to choose an accepted one, but the answer suggesting the cutting mattock was the most help, and I found I already had one of those!   For the bush that was accessible I basically just chopped like crazy in a circle around the root ball until it was loose enough to pry from side to side to finish the job.  The mattock basically just pushed the rocks out of the way as it hit them. Along the way I also used a pruner to snip at the thinner roots that were exposed to conserve my swinging strength.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the bushes against the slab I did not have room to swing the mattock, so I actually used a regular drill with a fresh 1/4&quot; bit.  First I drilled straight through the center of the root as far below the ball as I could access, then I drilled diagonally in through the same hole around 45 degrees on either side, then continued drilling at angles in between, and then into the same plane from a different angle outside the root.  When I had done this enough I was able to just snap the root in half and the ball came right out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16780" LastEditorUserId="16780" LastEditDate="2017-03-05T16:53:20.250" LastActivityDate="2017-10-16T10:22:07.107" Title="How do I dig up or get rid of bushes?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;digging&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30968" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30967" CreationDate="2017-02-26T23:38:43.203" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You either need to reapply a stump killer, or have the stumps ground out; another factor to consider when using stump killers is the variety of shrub you want to remove, because some have suckering roots (Lilac for instance) so sometimes, suckers continue to grow a distance away off major roots beneath the soil.  You should be able to find someone to come with a stump grinder to do this for you, but costs will vary between companies. You could check out hiring a stump grinding machine and doing it yourself, but it isn't the easiest job to do and hired machinery is often not the sharpest; stumps should be ground out to at least a foot below ground, including major roots in the vicinity where possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most stump killing chemicals work best if you drill holes into the stump and apply the killer to the holes, but recommendations vary according to the product chosen. I'm assuming you're not in the UK, or I'd have recommended SBK brushwood killer, but I don't believe its available in USA. More information on stump killers and stump removal companies &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.treeremoval.com/stump-removal/tree-stump-killer-and-chemical-stump-removers/#.WMDJ5fbTkdW&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; - it talks about trees, but stumps of shrubs get the same treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-03-09T10:10:53.230" LastActivityDate="2017-03-09T10:10:53.230" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30969" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30902" CreationDate="2017-02-27T05:46:53.787" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My usual way of growing basil is throwing some seed on the ground. They come up and grow no problem as a bunch a few centimetres apart. The usual seedling 6 per tray spacing should be fine straight into ground if you dont want to separate already stressed plants. Plant out in evening if daytime heat a factor and soil should be good and water in very well.&#xA;Basil seeds typically just fall off mature plants to seed themselves for next season, using neither wind nor animals for dispersal. It would then seem reasonable to grow plants in fairly close proximity as per nature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16760" LastActivityDate="2017-02-27T05:46:53.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30970" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30974" CreationDate="2017-02-27T07:58:35.100" Score="3" ViewCount="88" Body="&lt;p&gt;Now I have been reading that ferns don't need a lot of light &amp;mdash; so I got one. However, what I can't seem to find is just how much is meant by &lt;em&gt;not a lot&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plan on keeping the fern in a room with one big north facing window. The room never gets direct sunlight as there is a balcony above the window. The only place for the fern is in the back corner of the room. This means that it will be getting minimal light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fern in question is a &lt;em&gt;scented oak fern&lt;/em&gt; (gymnocarpium robertianum).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just how much light does it need to survive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastEditorDisplayName="user16651" LastEditDate="2017-02-27T12:47:05.850" LastActivityDate="2017-02-27T13:42:21.840" Title="How much light does a scented oak fern need?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30971" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30996" CreationDate="2017-02-27T11:39:56.843" Score="6" ViewCount="674" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have tried rock cap moss but it does not hold together very well. Works fine if you display the ball on a flat surface but I am looking to make one that will hang by a string.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a specific type of moss that works best for this type of Kokedama?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am aiming for something similar to the picture below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a6Xno.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a6Xno.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastActivityDate="2017-03-13T07:05:39.150" Title="What type of moss is best suited for a hanging Kokedama (moss ball)?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;moss&gt;&lt;kokedama&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30972" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2017-02-27T11:45:58.247" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-02-27T11:45:58.247" LastActivityDate="2017-02-27T11:45:58.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30973" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2017-02-27T11:45:58.247" Score="0" Body="For questions related to Kokedama (moss balls), how to create, what materials to use, how to maintain or what plants are suitable for such concept." OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditorDisplayName="user16651" LastEditDate="2021-02-13T16:14:07.223" LastActivityDate="2021-02-13T16:14:07.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="30974" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30970" CreationDate="2017-02-27T13:06:17.840" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a misconception about ferns as houseplants, which is that they like very low light conditions. Unfortunately, most don't - in their natural habitat outdoors, they may grow in shadier spots, or places where they receive dappled sunlight, but will be receiving much more light outside than they do indoors in such a situation as you describe. The fern you've bought, along with most others, will do better on the windowsill, or directly in front of a north or east facing window, but not near any heat source. Temperature indoors is also important - they prefer cool but not cold nights, and a temperature range between 60-70 deg F, and like high humidity. So far as I can ascertain, this particular fern isn't one usually kept indoors as a houseplant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a plant for such a relatively dark situation indoors, an Aspidistra would be a better choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-27T13:42:21.840" LastActivityDate="2017-02-27T13:42:21.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30975" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36231" CreationDate="2017-02-27T13:09:10.170" Score="4" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;We're working on a commercial space with low trimmed (2') boxwoods forming borders around 2 small patio areas. They are planted in beds surrounded by concrete, and are definitely not thriving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I happen to love comptonia, and it is native in our area. I'm wondering if it could be maintained 2-3' tall as a dense, hedge-like border in such an area (eastern exposure).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T18:31:38.077" Title="Can comptonia (sweet fern) be used/maintained as a low hedge?" Tags="&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;border&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30967" CreationDate="2017-02-27T13:19:51.067" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You never cut a tree that you are trying to remove&#xA; down to the base.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Remember that part for the future.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Tools I use (and all of them in the process)&#xA;•Spade/square mouth sharp flat head &#xA;short shaft 'D'&#xA;•Lopper/&#xA;•Axe/&#xA;•Hand held pruning saw 9&quot;blade&#xA;•Secateurs&#xA;•Pry bar&#xA;•Grub hoe/with pick end&#xA;•-round mouth shovel/ pointed head end/ long straight handle&#xA;•Rake&#xA;•Tarp&#xA;•Wheelbarrow&#xA;I know it sounds like a lot of tools, and tools&#xA; are expensive to buy. (Rough guess  $500.plus&#xA;Canadian dollars)&#xA;This is just the kind of jobs where tools used&#xA;wrongly get busted too.&#xA;The price of a stump grinder and the knowledge &#xA;of safely operating one also comes at a price.&#xA;You might want to identify what type of shrub you are trying to get rid of before contemplating pesticides.&#xA;It's a crappy digging job that may as well have &#xA;a thourough and positive end result if you want &#xA;to accomplish this without a professional landscaper.&#xA;We usually have done it before and know a few things &#xA;that make this kind of work appear like less effort. &#xA;It's not.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;A big rock is also really beneficial.  It helps &#xA;drive the pry bar.&#xA;Cheers Mate!   Once you get a handle on it ....&#xA;smooth sailing and physically satisfying.&#xA;You gotta be in shape for this stuff.  Consider it&#xA;free enrolment to a gym.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16777" LastActivityDate="2017-02-27T13:19:51.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19359" CreationDate="2017-02-27T15:49:15.500" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lemon tree grown from seeds 10 years ago. No flowers/no fruits. The seedlings NEED to be grafted in order to get fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16783" LastActivityDate="2017-02-27T15:49:15.500" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30978" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-27T16:27:56.740" Score="6" ViewCount="1056" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our new place has lots of different species of cacti plus Aloe vera plants. This entire walkway is way overgrown with Aloe vera. My grandson thought he was helping me by pulling a whole bunch out. Can I save all those he pulled?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j44l4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16784" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-02-27T16:46:17.643" LastActivityDate="2018-04-04T13:29:36.567" Title="Can I save Aloe vera plants that were pulled out of the ground?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30979" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-27T17:08:26.497" Score="5" ViewCount="73" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Euphorbia spiralis family has done well, even though I didn't know until I read it recently that I should have separated the first baby (now a big toddler) when it was small. I have two concerns: &#xA;1. should I still try to separate the small one, or will it just grow like a Siamese twin at this point? &#xA;2. The mother has two more small babies (which I haven't yet separated). I examine my plants every day (ever since an Opuntia was done in by scale last year), and yesterday I found two very small cottony tufts on one of the babies. Mealybugs?? I removed them entirely and don't see anything else today--does anyone have some advice if I do see more signs of trouble?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd be so grateful for help! Also, can I snip off the dead ends of &quot;branches&quot; on the mother plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16785" LastActivityDate="2017-02-27T17:08:26.497" Title="Concerns about my Euphorbia spiralis" Tags="&lt;euphorbia&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2017-11-25T22:35:48.737" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30980" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-27T17:09:28.340" Score="5" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed that there was some new trunk-looking stuff that's coming around from these sides at the bottom to the middle on the thick stems but not on the top thin branches. What are these, are they new shoots, leaves or branches or something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They could be big or medium small on the bottom around the large thick stem or around at the middle&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I am sure they are not buds that's on the thinner stems or branches &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kRdkP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kRdkP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cherry Red Currant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16373" LastEditorUserId="16373" LastEditDate="2017-02-27T17:29:58.990" LastActivityDate="2017-02-27T18:58:10.010" Title="What are these new trunks thats emerging from this Red Cherry Currant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30981" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-27T17:30:08.247" Score="7" ViewCount="149" Body="&lt;p&gt;January a year ago I planted my peppers, I put one in a big pot &amp;amp; it produced big peppers all summer. When it got cold we brought it inside &amp;amp; have had it under the grow lights since. Until about two weeks ago it was doing great, I was getting peppers off of it every week, but now the flowers turn brown &amp;amp; fall off &amp;amp; the leaves are turning too. I've sprayed it with Neem oil which seemed to help some.  Interested in some advice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qonq5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qonq5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16621" LastEditorUserId="16621" LastEditDate="2017-02-28T16:20:22.557" LastActivityDate="2017-02-28T19:25:25.543" Title="Why is my pepper plant losing its flowers?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30978" CreationDate="2017-02-27T17:58:11.317" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, Aloe plants are extremely tough. They can easily survive being out of the ground for a few weeks. As long as they are still green and have not completely dried out or rotted they can still be planted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Judging by the picture I would say that you can still plant most of these Aloes without a worry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See the answer at: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/504/can-we-take-out-the-whole-root-of-aloe-vera-and-replant-it-during-transplant&quot;&gt;Can we take out the whole root of Aloe Vera and replant it during transplant?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2017-02-27T17:58:11.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30983" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30981" CreationDate="2017-02-27T18:49:55.933" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is another example of changing the environment for plants too quickly.  For plants grown indoors, it takes a good 2 or 3 weeks to 'harden' them off to be able to live in the out of doors.  For plants grown out of doors it takes 2 or 3 weeks to 'harden' them off to live indoors.  This is your only problem. The artificial lights are great but they are still different than what your plants were used to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neem oil is an insecticide and also a way to 'gloss' plants. This glossing slows transpiration in a drier environment. That would have helped with the drier environment indoors but your plants are quite weakened and you might find lots of spider mite or white fly if not now soon.  Otherwise, your use of Neem shows (grins, shame on you for not reading the information sheet) you were just at your wit's end.  Unless you actually see and identify a pest, do not use any pesticide!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry, we pesticide applicators were taught 'read that label 5X each and every time you use that product'...not what works or what doesn't!!  Great program but I am serious.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've found pepper plants to be incredibly hardy to the point they can actually handle being covered in white fly and spider mite and still produce peppers.  Your plants were just holding onto the peppers produced before you brought them inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd start new peppers right now under those lights (should be blue spectrum and to get them flowering go to red after a couple months).  Harvest your peppers and allow them to dry or roast them and your new crop will be coming along quickly.  Peppers are one of my absolute favorite crops!!  Just a few and only in 4 to 6&quot; pots produce so much.  Get them started in TINY pots first and then transplant to 4&quot; then 6&quot;.  Indoors, use ONLY potting soil.  Low nitrogen when you want them to go into reproduction phase with the red spectrum lights!  (14-14-14 or 5-7-9, the N being equal or lower than the last 2 numbers).  Keep moist but drained well and definitely not soggy.  Also you HAVE to have a fan blowing 24/7 to reduce any fungal problems...hope this helps!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-02-27T18:49:55.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30984" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30980" CreationDate="2017-02-27T18:58:10.010" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, these are new branches/trunks.  Currants are usually multitrunked large shrubs or small trees.  Your plant's trunks are in danger.  See all that moss on the bark?  Soil, rocks, gravel, moss on the bark of woody perennials will cause moisture on that bark so long bacteria can start using your plant to feed and water from.  The bacteria will girdle, kill the vascular system that supports your entire plant.  Pull the moss away from the bark and make sure the plant is not planted too deeply. Just the roots should be under the soil, never the bark or upper plant!  I love currants!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would transplant and make sure the top of the soil is only 1&quot; from the rim.  Hopefully this pot has good drainage holes and no rock or gravel below the POTTING soil in that pot.  Better would be to plant this guy in your yard in the spring AFTER hardening off from indoors?  If out of doors should be fine to plant in your garden.  Tough plant loved by birds, butterflies!!  Beautiful plant!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try NOT to use wood chips or bark for mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-02-27T18:58:10.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30985" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30995" CreationDate="2017-02-27T21:29:43.397" Score="4" ViewCount="6046" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing these plants for a while when suddenly their leaves started to curl up, slowly. Is this a sign of root rot? Should I replant with some perlite added?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M7JV1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/phBnG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to be getting worse :/ &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15701" LastEditorUserId="15701" LastEditDate="2017-03-02T21:48:22.697" LastActivityDate="2017-04-14T01:18:50.107" Title="Why do my Chili pepper's leaves curl" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30986" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="30988" CreationDate="2017-02-27T22:54:12.987" Score="4" ViewCount="1251" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this mammillaria hahniana:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6aTo3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6aTo3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm considering repotting to another container, which is more beautiful, more stable, wider and shallower. You don't see it but there is a drainage hole. Here it is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m2EEv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m2EEv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My mammillaria is probably going to flower, as it grew some buds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pEZAz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pEZAz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fNmR2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fNmR2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Considering the time of the year (spring is coming) and the size of the plant compared to its pot, would you repot it now? I'd like it to produce pups but I'm afraid the current pot is too small for that. Also, when I look under the pot, I can see roots going through the drainage holes.&#xA;Do you think this bonsai container would be appropriate?&#xA;Could the repotting prevent the cactus from flowering? Should I wait for the flowers to be gone? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13963" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-01T23:31:56.317" LastActivityDate="2017-03-01T23:31:56.317" Title="Should I repot my mammillaria cactus?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30987" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30986" CreationDate="2017-02-27T23:59:19.087" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I love the bonsai pot...as long as it truly has a drainage hole.  Lift the bottom of that pot off the saucer with rocks or tiles at least 1/8 to 1/4&quot; to increase drainage.  Use potting soil...potting soil for cactus is fine.  No additives like water gels or sponges or even fertilizer. It might delay the flowering a bit but shouldn't be a big deal.  Do not fertilize, now.  When you do use an extended release and only a tiny bit.  Lovely use of a bonsai pot!! Oh and when you water do not use tap water if you are on city water...get bottled or distilled water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-02-27T23:59:19.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30988" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30986" CreationDate="2017-02-28T00:29:55.423" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cactus plants should only be potted into something larger when they've absolutely filled the pot they're in already, and then only potted into something one size larger. It looks to me as if the attractive bonsai dish would hold at least twice as much soil as the original pot, though its hard to be sure. If so, that's just a bit too much free soil for your cactus to thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its probably best to wait till its flowered, then pot into a pot that's only one size bigger, then move into the green bonsai dish the next time you need to increase the pot size. If you can find a pot that can sit inside the bonsai dish, then you could just stand the cactus inside it in a pot till its big enough to repot again. The other option is to buy another cactus and pot the two together into the bonsai dish. More info here on when to repot  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cactusnursery.co.uk/potting.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.cactusnursery.co.uk/potting.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-28T00:53:31.793" LastActivityDate="2017-02-28T00:53:31.793" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30989" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-28T01:51:36.603" Score="3" ViewCount="73" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm fairly new to the gardening world and I've started to have a fair amount of plants indoors on my window sill. A while back though, I discovered a flowering plant that was not a species of flower I purchased seeds for. &#xA;It grows yellow flowers that drop its petals very quickly and leave these exposed seed pods on its stem. The seeds it drops vary from a dusty dark green color to pale gray/white and the little protruding &quot;thorns&quot; from the seeds are quite sharp when dry.&#xA;I've tried my hardest to find any sort of resemblance to other common yellow flowers but I haven't had much luck on my own. I'm located in Texas, so hopefully that might help!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d9uq1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d9uq1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Seeds size comparison&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LbTNz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LbTNz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Seed pod and leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16786" LastActivityDate="2017-02-28T02:01:00.973" Title="Flowering plant ID assistance!" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30989" CreationDate="2017-02-28T01:54:57.250" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you have here is a species of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bidens, commonly known as Beggarticks.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wikipedia: &quot;Bidens is a genus of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae. The common names beggarticks, black jack, burr marigolds, cobbler's pegs, Spanish needles, stickseeds, tickseeds and tickseed sunflowers refer to the fruits of the plants, most of which are bristly and barbed, with two sharp pappi at the end. The generic name refers to the same character; Bidens comes from the Latin bis (&quot;two&quot;) and dens (&quot;tooth&quot;).&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being in Texas, it's likely they're &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=BIAR&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bidens aristosa, or Bearded beggarticks.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/search?q=beggarticks%20texas&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;biw=1680&amp;amp;bih=886&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjasZ6w2LHSAhVL1oMKHa9nAvYQsAQIGQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Click for images.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oriAF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oriAF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2017-02-28T02:01:00.973" LastActivityDate="2017-02-28T02:01:00.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30991" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19359" CreationDate="2017-02-28T02:40:06.100" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Native lemon trees are grown here.  They are short bushy trees that produce small green lemons unless they get lots of sun, being very sour and thick skinned. Lemon trees are grown as a ornamental trees in some yards and they are normally planted where a person wants a tree about 6 feet in high. They are used as root stock for grafting other lemon trees, so what type of lemon you have is hard to say. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16787" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-02-28T08:23:22.107" LastActivityDate="2017-02-28T08:23:22.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30992" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-02-28T03:04:38.167" Score="5" ViewCount="149" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here I am again with another unidentified yellow flowering plant! This one has an interesting leaf texture that somewhat resembles webs or webbing of sorts and is extremely soft to the touch, especially when they first sprouted. The flowers for this have not bloomed yet, however the buds currently have visible yellow color. I initially thought that they were chinese forget-me-nots, as I had grown some in the same pot that these appeared in, however the leaf shape and texture gradually changed and the differences between them became very obvious. I would greatly appreciate any input as to what they could be, as well as any advice in regards to figuring out where to start if I wanted to ID a plant on my own. Many thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/763ek.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/763ek.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Buds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/olOZw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/olOZw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16786" LastEditorUserId="16786" LastEditDate="2017-03-01T02:13:15.017" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T03:15:43.883" Title="Plant ID assistance!" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30993" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30967" CreationDate="2017-02-28T03:12:43.770" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stormy must be asleep. The first thing (too late for you now): see if a landscaper would have come and removed the uncut, unpoisoned bush for the sake of getting the bush and selling it to another customer. A Stormy stock theme. They might even have filled the hole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You get worn out - well, keep at it and you'll get into better shape. Give up and you won't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tool of choice - a mattock - A &quot;cutter mattock&quot; not a &quot;pick mattock&quot; - you'll need to sharpen that from time to time - no way to stay sharp when dealing with rocks, but it needs to be sharp to cut roots effectively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9HR4H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9HR4H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cutter mattock&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might also want a pick or a pick-mattock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternate tool of choice - an excavator. They can be rented, or you hire someone who has one and knows how to use it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qn3bb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qn3bb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;excavator&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ru6Bx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ru6Bx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tiny excavator&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't forget to call dig-safe or the local equivalent to mark services before you dig. Cutting gas or electrical lines is dangerous and expensive whether you do it with power tools or hand tools. Cutting telephone lines and fiber optic lines is not as hazardous, but can be incredibly expensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-02-28T04:09:12.910" LastActivityDate="2017-02-28T04:09:12.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30995" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30985" CreationDate="2017-02-28T10:02:19.953" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Actually, your pepper plant does not look too bad. It is about to produce a pepper, and the leaves do not show obvious deficiency of any kind. It may be a bit lanky and soft, but the irregular corrugations on the leaves are somewhat normal for peppers - just look at online images for &quot;chili pepper leaves&quot; to see what I mean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7877/why-are-my-chilli-pepper-leaves-curling-and-new-flowers-are-falling-off&quot;&gt;a previous question about chili pepper health&lt;/a&gt; that you might want to peruse to see if the question and answers are relevant to your situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The one leaf in the centre of the image which has rolled over on the right side is calling for investigation to see if an insect has made a home inside the roll of the leaf. If so, rub it out carefully and continue to watch for repeat attempts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your soil looks a bit peaty, but evidently is sufficiently rich to do the job. Leaf corrugations are somewhat due to irregular growth, but also dependent on the variety of pepper. Some varieties have very flat leaves. If your plant is a Cayenne then that would be unusual corrugation in my experience. Try to increase light levels to the plant, and ensure that growth is as regular as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.880" LastActivityDate="2017-02-28T10:02:19.953" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30996" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30971" CreationDate="2017-02-28T11:50:04.563" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;While any moss &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; be used for Kokedama, some will hold together better than others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most commonly used is sphagnum (peat) moss. This is because of its prostrate growing habit, making it hold together better than most other mosses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastEditorDisplayName="user16651" LastEditDate="2017-03-13T07:05:39.150" LastActivityDate="2017-03-13T07:05:39.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30997" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30935" CreationDate="2017-02-28T11:51:10.253" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;On first sight i also thought it was sone kind of fern but the zoom shows definitely a cactus. What you were zooming in at is a new leaf , not a blossom.&#xA;In my opinion it is species out of genus Epiphyllum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From your photos it is hard to determine which species exactly so i would suggest to google &quot;epiphyllum&quot; and look for photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: maybe epiphyllum oxypetalum, due to the thin, fernlike leaves, but this is mere speculation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit 2: Night-blooming cereus (selenicereus grandiflorus) is definitely wrong. Those have angular stems and nothing that resembles leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Final edit:&#xA;I am quite sure now that itis epiphyllum oxipetalum.&#xA;I found a video on youtube featuring the plant:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CXxFdpT7CZA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CXxFdpT7CZA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16789" LastEditorUserId="16789" LastEditDate="2017-02-28T14:22:36.307" LastActivityDate="2017-02-28T14:22:36.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30998" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31006" CreationDate="2017-02-28T12:12:08.697" Score="3" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have come across different sources on how to make a Kokedama. A major conflict I am finding is what the Kokedama should consist of. Some suggest just wrapping the roots of the plant in moss. While others, deem it necessary to use a ball of clay-like soil wrapped in moss to contain the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it better to use a ball of clay-like soil wrapped in moss or a ball of just moss for a Kokedama?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastActivityDate="2021-02-13T12:02:43.923" Title="Is it better to use soil and moss or just moss for a Kokedama (moss ball)?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;moss&gt;&lt;kokedama&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="30999" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31002" CreationDate="2017-02-28T15:23:49.367" Score="8" ViewCount="7815" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen some trees with a thick layer of moss growing on their branches, does this harm the tree? Should this layer of moss be removed or can it safely be left on the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastActivityDate="2017-03-01T12:17:17.263" Title="Does moss harm the tree it grows on?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30871" CreationDate="2017-02-28T18:30:44.130" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/61876/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ice Plant (Lampranthus blandus)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More at &lt;a href=&quot;https://garden.org/plants/view/117529/Ice-Plant-Lampranthus-blandus/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Garden.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tibzq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tibzq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/whvwZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/whvwZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mSMGi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mSMGi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2017-03-01T14:07:52.347" LastActivityDate="2017-03-01T14:07:52.347" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31001" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30981" CreationDate="2017-02-28T19:25:25.543" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plants could be going through a little bit of shock after being moved indoors.  However, it sounds to me that your plants have been indoors for a while now, are probably acclimated to their new environment.  Seeing as it is nearing the end of winter in my hemisphere, they probably have been inside for a few months.  Moving plants from inside to outside is far harder for plants to cope with than moving outdoor plants to in (especially if they are given adequate artificial light).  I never &quot;harden&quot; off plants to go inside, but if you don't harden off indoor plants to plant outside, they will suffer and possibly die.  Therefore I'm hesitant to assume that is the explanation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you been hand pollinating your pepper's flowers?  Many flowers that don't get pollinated will fall off and won't produce fruit.  Unless your house is teeming with insect life, you are going to have to hand pollinate those flowers to have reliable fruiting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-02-28T19:25:25.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31002" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30999" CreationDate="2017-02-28T19:31:22.517" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Moss will not harm the tree!  Good news indeed because the forests around here would be in BIG trouble!  Moss does not have true roots - their &quot;roots&quot; are just for the purpose anchoring themselves to things like trees, rocks and whatever really.  The &quot;roots&quot; don't penetrate the tree or steal any nutrients or water from the tree.  Leave the moss, and the lichens =]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&#xA;It is possible that moss can cause bark rot and also be a holding ground for some fungi, bacteria and diseases.  This is very dependent on the specie of tree and the specie of moss we are talking about.  Tree bark comes in a range of thicknesses and rot resistance.  I think it is rather extreme of stormy to instill such fear in moss on your tree though.  99.9% of the time, moss is not a problem for the tree.  If you are looking for your answer, look at nature.  Many of our oldest trees and old growth forests have an abundance of moss.  There are many billions of trees that live to a ripe old age coexisting with moss.  Moss thrives in the shade a dense forest or canopy provides.  These trees make it to ripe old age, even with a solid coat of moss.  Moss has always been around while trees evolved.  If moss was such a threat to trees, they would have evolved a strategy to deal with them a long time ago.  If moss was a real threat to trees, it would be considered a parasite because it is benefiting from the tree at its expense.  Alas, I have never seen anything calling moss a parasite.  The relationship between moss and trees dates back millions of years and it is a neutral relationship.  Moss has its own purpose and function in the ecosystem.  Plus it is beautiful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to reiterate my answer, no, moss is almost never a problem for trees.  Don't worry about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastEditorUserId="15758" LastEditDate="2017-02-28T23:38:58.837" LastActivityDate="2017-02-28T23:38:58.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31003" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30999" CreationDate="2017-02-28T20:02:49.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If moss GIRDLES the tree YES it can. If moss is completely surrounding the tree and stays there long enough to hold moisture next to the bark, that will allow bacteria to begin decomposing the bark and compromising the vascular system just below. Somehow, in moist climates, moss on the north side only, seems to be just fine and I think the trees just thicken the bark or get used to using half the vascular system. Or get by until winter kills the moss long enough to allow the bark to dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is more important on the trunk near the soil surface than higher up because there is more moisture available from the soil to keeps the moss alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-02-28T20:11:32.347" LastActivityDate="2017-02-28T20:11:32.347" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30992" CreationDate="2017-02-28T22:29:56.690" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Reminds me of Alyssum saxatile, which does have downy leaves and yellow flowers, image here of one with flower buds &lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alyssum_saxatile_K%C5%91szeg2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alyssum_saxatile_Kőszeg2.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not 100% sure its that though - seeing any open flowers later might help, and usually, the foliage on Alyssum saxatile looks more greyish green than the one in your photograph seems, but then I've never seen one growing indoors before; they're usually planted in full sun outdoors, often in gravelly soil or in larger rock gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-02-28T23:13:09.537" LastActivityDate="2017-02-28T23:13:09.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31005" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30967" CreationDate="2017-02-28T23:57:22.397" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I second all the other ideas too.  My go to tool for medium sized shrubs is a cutting mattock, which is essentially an axe on one side and a mattock on the other.  That's great for roots on the surface.  When you get through some of the top roots I look for my digging bar.  Also called a rock bar, tamping bar etc.  It's a long steel rod that has a blade on one end and a small tamping surface on the other.  It's like 7' long and weighs about 20 pounds so you just lift it up and guide it and its weight propels it through some big ole gnarly roots.  I use my belt sander to get my digging bar deadly sharp if I know I'm gonna tango with some roots later.  Works like a charm.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another method I use has been very successful for me is using a high lift off road vehicle jack.  Here is a video that shows the same setup I have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IarTpWesoE&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tree stump removal! &quot;The easy way!!&quot; Using a high lift jack! (YouTube)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These things can pull on the root system with thousands of pounds of force.  I think buying this tool is only really worth it if you have a lot of shrubs to remove.  I know it has saved my back numerous times!   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-03-05T17:01:03.237" LastActivityDate="2017-03-05T17:01:03.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31006" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30998" CreationDate="2017-03-01T00:21:10.967" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A plant needs some growing medium in order to create roots and survive properly, so unless you're using a plant which has made a good, solid rootball in a pot first, you will need some potting soil. Most of the information I can find suggests using bonsai soil, which generally has a higher clay content anyway, and moss, see here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/projects/making-kokedama-moss-balls.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;What Is A Kokedama: Tips On Making Kokedama Moss Balls&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-13T11:55:01.113" LastActivityDate="2021-02-13T11:55:01.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="31007" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-01T02:17:02.453" Score="7" ViewCount="167" Body="&lt;p&gt;The below plant is in a garden outside the Ellora caves near Aurangabad, India.  It grows a couple feet tall with the flowers about an inch in size.  The fleshy stems are a little smaller than a quarter inch.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TsL40.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TsL40.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xQJyN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xQJyN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZeKbf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZeKbf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16795" LastEditorUserId="16795" LastEditDate="2017-03-04T16:42:32.000" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T18:06:52.267" Title="Plant outside Ellora caves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31008" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31007" CreationDate="2017-03-01T04:01:13.417" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Closest I've been able to get is Euphorbia antisyphilitica, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cactusconservation.org/CCI/cp/cp/Euphorbia_antisyphilitica.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;upright segmented pink flower succulent&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-01T23:28:48.583" LastActivityDate="2017-03-01T23:28:48.583" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30999" CreationDate="2017-03-01T05:40:13.100" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Moss is of no health concern to trees. Spanish Moss (which isn't a moss) hangs from branches and its weight can be harmful, but actual moss is nothing to worry about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Proper care is necessary to have healthy trees. Sometimes an abundance of moss or harmless lichens is an indication of poor air circulation. Check the proper pruning techniques for your tree. (This is seen a lot here in WI when people fail to perform necessary maintenance on their maples.). The tree isn't in danger, but without pruning, limbs will die and fall. This is normal for the tree, of course, but it's better to dictate falling limbs when you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only detriment of moss and lichen on bark is it obscures your vision of the tree. This can, in rare cases, prevent an early diagnosis of a problem. However, as the moss' rhizoids provide a boost to the structural integrity of the bark, its more likely to prevent an issue than prevent an issue's diagnosis. Couple that with most issues that it could obscure being terminal (for the most part, if you've got something bubbling through the bark, the tree's a goner) and you're left with it being a question of aesthetics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NOTE: If you see &quot;moss&quot; dangling from branches and not plastered on the bark, you're most likely looking at Spanish Moss  (not a moss) that can snap branches when saturated due to its weight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastEditorUserId="14475" LastEditDate="2017-03-01T12:17:17.263" LastActivityDate="2017-03-01T12:17:17.263" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31010" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31045" CreationDate="2017-03-01T12:51:53.457" Score="3" ViewCount="162" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a few 50cm x 15cm windowsill greenhouses. As sunlight at this time of year is sparse here in northern Europe, I'd like to provide a little more light to my plants (primarily tomatoes, peppers and the like).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-24W-200-LED-Plant-Grow-Light-E27-Screw-Hydroponic-Flower-Growing-Lamps-wy/302220473456&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;24W LED from ebay&lt;/a&gt; be sufficient for a 50cm x 15cm windowsill greenhouse?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And a somewhat related question; how safe are these cheap LEDs from ebay? At first sight they generally seem to not be designed with safety as a primary concern. Wires seems to be exposed on surfaces which can be touched. Should that be a concern if I buy one of these LEDs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16798" LastActivityDate="2017-03-04T14:16:10.583" Title="Will a 24W grow LED be sufficient for a 50cm x 15cm windowsill greenhouse?" Tags="&lt;grow-lamp&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="162" CreationDate="2017-03-01T16:22:07.447" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm just starting (4 years) in a hot, arid area of Baja California. Most things seem to grow well in the cooler seasons and I'm advised that it is a good idea to leave the garden fallow for the summer. Dig it over at the beginning of the hot season to soften it so the pests are easier to find for predators. Despite the advice, I'm trying to find something to grow in the summer.&#xA;Microclimates within the garden and season play a big role in what will do well in what season.&#xA;Citrus do well, especially grapefruit and may retain fruit on the tree for most of the year. Mangoes and tamarind can be productive shade but don't fruit in the summer. Pomegranates seem to produce year round.&#xA;Chard was a surprise and even survived summers. Onions, beets and carrots sown under shade in the summer came up and gave an early crop in the fall. Tomatoes are like weeds here and grew OK in shade during the summer, but like corn, didn't produce because heat inhibits pollination. Salad greens did OK and rocket survived the summer. Sweet potatoes thrive and can be used as ground cover too. Runner (green) beans are also like weeds, and are incredibly productive although not so good in the summer. A 4' row currently produces produces more than we can eat (February).&#xA;Many herbs like hot climates. Basil and rosemary survived the summer and Basil reseeds. Oregano and thyme also made it through the summer but withered in the fall.&#xA;Lavender and nasturtiums grow well and reseed. Violets have been a surprise in a sunny, well watered spot. Sunflowers, and zinnias have also done well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16799" LastActivityDate="2017-03-01T16:22:07.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31012" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31010" CreationDate="2017-03-01T16:40:50.877" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, not for what you plan to grow.  There might be enough light just from the sun to germinate and grow tomatoes and peppers but you will not get fruit.  You should have without the sun, 20,000 lumens or about 250 watts or 2 1/2 amps to get fruit and get plenty of light, minimum.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other factor is the light you get from the sun is attenuated as it is low in the sky AND the daylight HOURS are too short.  Plants are very sensitive to the type of light (spectrum) and length of daylight hours.  They will KNOW it is winter and (want to go back to bed)?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To grow tomatoes and peppers you want to completely dictate to their needs longer daylight hours such as 16 hours and stronger grow lights.  For your starts, you should use blue colored bulbs for about 2 months to get enough vegetative growth and then go to red colored bulbs to do the reproductive phase (make sure your fertilizer is lower in Nitrogen than Phosphorous and Potassium, we've lots of information if you get this far).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Always have a fan going, water deep and allow to dry. Match the plants to their pots; tiny plant, tiny pot; larger plant larger pot and ALWAYS use potting soil when growing in pot. I'd make a room out of black contractor trash bags and duct tape.  Hang your grow lights (fluorescent is better than LED, my opinion, high pressure sodium and metal halide are even better, with ballast) and turn on the fans.  I would not use tap water!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To make this short, NO you won't be able to have enough light to get fruits in the manner you are considering.  You just might get one or two small, green fruits and if that is all you care about, then try it.  Your plants won't be vigorous, most likely spindly, anemic looking.  A window sill is just not large enough to do determinate or even indeterminate tomatoes.  As they get larger, the little light they do get will be even less, blocked by its own foliage.  The peppers will do far better. I've gotten great harvests with peppers in 4 and 6&quot; pots (starts are in 2 and 3&quot; pots transplanted up to 4 and 6&quot; pots) with artificial lighting.  Also I keep the temperature dipping no lower than 60 degrees F. Pots have to have a drainage hole and JUST potting soil in the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-01T16:40:50.877" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31013" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31041" CreationDate="2017-03-01T21:09:32.570" Score="5" ViewCount="2007" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planning a home growing system combining aquaponics and aeroponics and am trying to understand if I can find another use of the aquaponic water setup and specifically for aeroponic systems with either misters or sprinklers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have experience with such hybrid systems?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16803" LastActivityDate="2020-04-13T02:30:25.077" Title="Aquaponic water used as nutrient mist for aeroponic growing system" Tags="&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;aquaponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31014" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-01T21:42:46.000" Score="5" ViewCount="214" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are 4 bushes. I know one is a white rose and smells lovely. I couldn't tell you what kind or classification any of them are. If anyone can help me find out I would love it! Or maybe tell me a web address.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pDxZ4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c3Yiy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eyanO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mLIoE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16804" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-02T23:39:04.827" LastActivityDate="2017-03-02T23:39:04.827" Title="What kind of rose bushes are these?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2017-05-28T18:25:30.677" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31015" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-01T22:20:20.207" Score="3" ViewCount="165" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering how much does water ph level matter for plant healthy growth as an aquaponic system would presumably have one ph level for all growing plants and as far as I understand and find on the Internet, different plants have different preferences for their root environment ph levels. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, how does having a &quot;flat&quot; ph level for all growing plants impact their growth and health?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does it make sense to create separate aquaponic systems and organize them by growing plants ph requirements?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16803" LastActivityDate="2017-03-02T02:11:22.920" Title="Aquaponic ph level for different plants" Tags="&lt;aquaponic&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31016" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31015" CreationDate="2017-03-02T02:11:22.920" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a great question Georgi! I am learning about aquaponics and hydroponics so there will be far better answers. Aquaponics deals with the addition of fish, hydroponics is what you are doing, yes?  That would make a difference with pH or rather testing and choosing a pH that would work for both your plant selections and the fish.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;pH is a major deal for plants (not to mention aquariums and hot tubs).  For instance, potatoes love a lower pH than one would think.  Most plants thrive at a neutral 7.0 or 6.5 pH.  Potatoes need at least a point lower.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the major differences between those that are great growers of plants and the rest is knowing the pH preference, needs, of the crops one is growing.  For hydroponics that would entail a few 'beds' parallel versus in series to allow for differing pH needs.  Hey I am just guessing, grins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the best sources for hydroponics is Jorge Cervante's Cannabis Encyclopedia.  Truly one of the best most detailed right down to the nitty gritty chemistry, technology and botany.  Only one plant is the star in this book which actually makes the information more understandable and usable. Cannabis loves a bit more alkaline pH.  Growing this plant in 6.5 pH makes for a very wimpy plant. Raising the pH to slightly above 7.0 is best for this particular plant. pH is very very important.  Anything you can do to be on top of all your plant's needs will be critical in such an artificial system.  I am glad you are thinking about pH!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gotta get some pH testers...and I'd get at least 2 different ways for testing to check results. Feel free to correct anything I've said that is questionable?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-02T02:11:22.920" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31017" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-02T11:18:49.473" Score="5" ViewCount="4543" Body="&lt;p&gt;About 3 weeks ago I propagated a cutting from a fig tree in water. It is growing roots and almost ready to plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a nice spot for it but it will (at best) receive 1-2 hours of direct morning sun during summer. The rest of the year its pretty bright but no direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am aware that it may not carry fruits but will it survive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plan to grow it as a bonsai, if this makes any difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastActivityDate="2017-03-03T18:26:57.877" Title="Can you grow a fig tree in full shade?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14194" CreationDate="2017-03-02T14:31:53.053" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't use the stems with pit cavity. Use small new twigs that are still green on the outside for grafting. I am convinced it may work. I'm not sure about the altitude though!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16805" LastActivityDate="2017-03-02T14:31:53.053" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31019" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31017" CreationDate="2017-03-02T14:38:57.900" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it will survive. I saw a fig grow on a shadow place: a wall in south-west, and a tall building on south/south-east. Maybe on summer it had 3-4 hours sun, but else it was in a dark place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just it will not grow well, possibly you will have few fig per year, but I'm not sure if it will grow like a tree or just like a shrub (2-5 meter tall, but without a main trunk).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-03-02T14:38:57.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31020" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31023" CreationDate="2017-03-02T16:04:39.260" Score="4" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have five big concrete pots with soil in them.  Some have wild greenery of some kind and the others have moss.  Should I just till the soil and turn the surface over, or should I do something to remove the existing plants before transplanting flowers or herbs into these pots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDITS:  (to answer Stormy's questions below)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These pots are concrete and I will not move or tip them.  I could shovel out the existing soil if I were to replace it.  I am open to any plant, preferably not expensive as I am a beginner and not ready to invest a lot.  I was thinking flowers surrounded by herbs (sage, mint, parsley, basil and cilantro).  The patio will have many days in a row in the summer of direct sunlight beating down with temperatures in the 90s F (30s C).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/5GVe8It&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Picture of weeds in one pot&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rxRsh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rxRsh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Weeds in pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/O9omkAA&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Picture of moss in another pot&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g0RZv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g0RZv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Moss in pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16806" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-02T23:33:40.827" LastActivityDate="2017-03-02T23:33:40.827" Title="How should I remove the wild greenery in my pots before transplanting flowers or herbs?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31021" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31020" CreationDate="2017-03-02T16:53:24.660" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to remove whatever is growing in your pots by the roots, so take a hand fork, insert it into the soil and lever up the plants by their roots and lift them out. Remove as much moss as you can, then have a good dig around in all the pots to turn the soil over, preferably incorporating some slow release granular feed (in the UK, that would be Growmore with an NPK of 7-7-7, but depends where you are what you can find to use). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have some new potting soil ready to mix in with what's there, because removing roots and moss will lower the level of available soil, then plant. The alternative is to turn the pots out, dispose of the contents, including the soil,and fill up the pots with brand new potting medium, then plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-03-02T16:53:24.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31020" CreationDate="2017-03-02T16:54:21.710" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would just till the soil with the moss and remove the top layer of the soil along with the plants of the pot with the &quot;weeds&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16733" LastActivityDate="2017-03-02T16:54:21.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31023" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31020" CreationDate="2017-03-02T17:43:03.563" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants in pots need all the help they can get from us.  That soil is critical.  I would dump that stuff out, all of it and scrub the pots with bleach and water.  It looks like someone used garden soil and that is the biggest no-no for container planting.  Dump those pots out and clean the pots.  They will be heavy but it is very doable. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Purchase a few large bags of cheapo sterilized potting soil and fill your pot with soil and plants leaving 1&quot; from the surface to the rim.  Pots this large should be planted with at least one 1-2 gallon plant.  I am not sure how big these pots are.  It would be better if you told us what plants you are planning to plant and send a picture of the entire group of pots.  I was unable to pull up your second picture, sorry.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used to plant huge pots and actually 'landscape' patios and decks for big bucks.  Done correctly, your planted pots are very valuable and beautiful and worth purchasing potting soil.  Do not get potting soil with water holding gels or sponges or even fertilizer.  If the soil comes with mycorrhizae and bacteria, that is great.  I always added that to the soil.  Potting soil has very little soil included. Every single year that soil was changed for new.  Trees would be the only exception and even then as the tree roots take up all the room in the pot, I'd tip those pots over, slip the pot off, root prune, add new soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are just herbaceous perennials and annuals, I always tipped the pot on its side and using a pruning saw cut out individual perennials leaving separated plants with plenty of roots and soil to be replanted after cleaning out the pot and old soil, replacing the potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not add any rock or pebbles or packing peanuts or gravel below the soil and above the drain hole. That creates a perched water table situation and ruins drainage ability.  You'll probably find exactly what I described at the bottom of your pots.  It was and still is a popular 'old fashion fix' that is very tough to change.  Just soil and plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you chose plants keep a few rules in mind.  1) You will get more 'punch' or beauty by using fewer species. 2) Tie your group of pots together by using the same or at least mostly the same plants for each pot.  3) The plants should all have similar needs; water, pH, shade, partial shade or sun.  4) Think of differing LEVELS; a tall tall plant, a shorter filler such as Orange sedge, floriferous annuals and of course a few trailing plants such as potato vines to flow over the sides. 5) Use Osmocote 14-14-14 extended release that you will only need to use once per season.  6) Don't be afraid to STUFF plants into your pot.  I always lightly break up the root ball to encourage better root growth and sometimes I 'butterfly' root balls to fit a plant into a small space.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water as you fill your pot with soil.  This will help to firm and ensure no big air pockets.  Once planted try to lift your pot.  You will water shallowly and a bit more often at the beginning.  As the roots grow into the lower reaches of the soil you will water less.  Get used to the 'feel' of the weight of your pots.  Just nudging and lifting a corner will give you a good 'feel' and soon you will know when to water by just a 'nudge'.  Do not over water!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you tell us what you are planning to plant, would like to plant we can discuss maintenance and pruning.  Another vital rule for flowering plants is to get those flowers off as soon as possible.  This will encourage a more vigorous and healthy parent plant that soon you will find it difficult to keep up with just the old flowers!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send picture of your pots.  Get rid of whatever is in those pots completely and clean with bleach and water.  Who knows what was in that old soil!  Let us know the environment you plan to place these pots, your zone or location in this world.  I would also filter your city water source before using...cool if you are on a well.  Oh!  Get POT FEET to lift the bottoms of your pots off the surface they will sit.  This increases drainage.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aUmHZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aUmHZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;one of my landscaped decks with water wall&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-02T17:43:03.563" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31024" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31026" CreationDate="2017-03-02T18:36:27.340" Score="8" ViewCount="443" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've searched the Internet for answers but cannot seem to find anything about maincrop potatoes being grown in soil-less environment. Do any of you have any experience or knowledge on the subject? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My idea is to grow potatoes in 3 stages in aeroponic/aquaponic systems (depending on viability): &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Incubator for small plants ready to become cuttings&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Suspended aeroponic system for maximum yield of seed potatoes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Suspended aeroponic system for growing the seed potatoes to mature potatoes. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone tried growing maincrop or mature potatoes in aeroponics system? Or in aquaponic? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please share your thoughts!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16803" LastActivityDate="2017-03-04T04:35:34.980" Title="Can maincrop potatoes grow in soil-less environment?" Tags="&lt;potatoes&gt;&lt;aquaponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31025" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-02T18:58:24.537" Score="7" ViewCount="3717" Body="&lt;p&gt;When planting tomato seedlings (purchased in 4&quot; pots), I often have 2 or 3 plants per pot and sometimes the seedlings are very close together. These plants will be transplanted into 4 18&quot; pots. My question is: For &lt;strong&gt;total poundage production&lt;/strong&gt;, is it better to transplant the 4&quot; as is, break apart the seedlings and plant 2 (or more) in each pot, or thin and only use one plant per big pot? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do worry that separating plants this close together will cause distress or death of one or both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional information: Zone 13(Sunset Guide)/Zone 9(USDA), plant in February to early March for fruit in May and June, I do not try to keep plants going through the summer, it's just too brutal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pK6oU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pK6oU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tomato seedling&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rtsjJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rtsjJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tomato seedling close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastEditorUserId="11461" LastEditDate="2017-03-02T19:15:31.617" LastActivityDate="2017-03-07T01:16:56.497" Title="What will produce the most tomatoes with multiple seedlings?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31024" CreationDate="2017-03-02T20:01:31.230" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have not done this in actual practice, but we can apply theory in a thought experiment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fact 1: potatoes grow vigorously and will break open pots that are too small&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fact 2: if the potato plant is happy then it will bear heavy tubers&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fact 3: new potatoes grow from shoots sent out by the parent &lt;em&gt;above&lt;/em&gt; the seed potato, that is, from the vegetative shoot, not the feeder roots&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Method: So we get a tank and arrange some kind of a grid under the top surface of the tank for the parent tubers to rest on. We allow the tubers to make lanky sprouts so that we can have the tops in the light and the tubers right down on the grid to start. The parent tubers will need support, agreed? The grid will be several inches below the tank lid to allow space for the new tubers to form in the dark. Probably the grid would need to be fine, otherwise the new potatoes will just drop through the grid when small and grow big under the grid without support. But this means a problem; the finer the grid, the harder it will be for a spray to reach the roots above the grid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the roots dangle down into the fertilizer mix or aeroponic spray. They have all the food and water they want and do well. This will make for crowding in the opening through the tank lid. So we need a collar which will allow for new vegetative shoots to emerge into the light as required. There have been efforts to grow beet tops hydroponically, and one of the problems is management of the neck of the plant as it, inevitably, gets big. So likely there will be issues at the growing neck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, would you like to risk growing them without the supporting grid? Over to you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="15063" LastEditDate="2017-03-03T13:18:35.070" LastActivityDate="2017-03-03T13:18:35.070" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31027" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31010" CreationDate="2017-03-02T20:14:22.787" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This light won't help much - if its close to a single plant it might provide benefit, but not for something that is 50cm wide.  Also, its shape is wrong for your needs.  (You definitely don't want something that low powered with a 120 degree beam on your Window sill, it will waste most of the light by casting it in the wrong direction)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as safety goes, use an RCD (residual current detector) between the plug and the lamp fitting and that should do you.  The exposed bits are not great design, but the voltage across each LED is very low - about 3 volts, so it won't do you any harm - the issues could come from the side where the light plugs into the socket - water and electricity do not mix - but RCD's will trip as soon as something goes wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Definately not a recommendation, but you  might want to consider a grow light strip - as it will be a more appropriate form factor for your window sill or to weave through the plants (Again as supplemental lighting, I doubt you could get enough light out of them as primary lighting)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2017-03-02T20:14:22.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31028" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31025" CreationDate="2017-03-03T01:01:43.240" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Such a wonderful environment for tomatoes.  I'd plant the paired tomatoes together in their new pot.  Going from 4&quot; to 18&quot; pots isn't a good idea.  I'd go to 6&quot; pots, then 10&quot; and then to 18&quot; adding new potting soil each transplant or 'uppotting'.  Tomatoes are very sensitive to too much soil in their pots...not enough root mass to suck up the water.  Make sure you use sterilized potting soil when planting in pots or containers.  Especially Tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes and peppers.  Just one errant spore of late blight will kill your entire crop.  It is a very disheartening ordeal. Never use anything that you know not where it is from or if it has been tested.  I'd use Osmocote 14-14-14 if you've no experience with fertilizing.  Don't be afraid to remove leaves that aren't getting sun and when too many leaves get congested enough to inhibit air flow.  Always use scissors or pruners cleaned with alcohol.  Keep your smoking friends AWAY from your plants!!  No touching at all by smokers.  Mosaic virus from tobacco is a big big deal. Water deeply and allow to dry out before watering again.  Fertilizing with Osmocote will be a one time thing. Too much nitrogen, you will not get tomatoes or reproductive growth, just lots of leaves.  Pots have to have drainage holes, bottom of pot lifted from surface and no gravel/rock/pebbles or packing peanuts below the soil and bottom of pot!!  I always use fans for the best protection from fungus.  Are your tomatoes determinate (bush) or indeterminate (vine)?  What variety?  Are they non-GMO? I am sure you'll have more questions other than separating starts grown in some nursery and sold in some store!  Tomatoes are one of the most important crops individuals can learn to grow...and preserve (drying is best, my opinion).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-03T01:01:43.240" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31029" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31033" CreationDate="2017-03-03T03:05:32.347" Score="6" ViewCount="675" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have made 3 leaf cuttings of my ZZ plant and planted the leaves in pots on a window sill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am confused about the watering of the cuttings. I have read conflicting information and now I don't know if I should mist them, water them very frequently, or wait for roots to develop before watering them at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How and how often should I water my ZZ plant leaf cuttings?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-17T17:11:49.227" LastActivityDate="2017-12-17T17:11:49.227" Title="How and how often to water ZZ plant leaf cuttings" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31030" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31025" CreationDate="2017-03-03T14:27:50.040" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Normally in such a situation, if I were faced with this issue, I would split them.The fact is that tomatoes make roots very fast and given the right growing conditions would quickly recover from being split. I would take a sharp knife and insert it between the seedlings and cut down through the roots with a slight sawing motion to disturb the roots as little as possible, then replant the two halves in new potting soil deeply so that the top growth of each one is buried to about half its height. It will quickly make roots along the buried part of the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However you mention that a hot season is approaching; it will take about a week for the two separated halves to get back to full speed, which might be a significant stop for them. In that case I would plant as is and train the two shoots into a V shape, 60 degrees to the horizontal to give maximum light to the two sides and give close attention to adequate water and nutrition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have several pots, divide into two groups, split half and leave the others intact. Then you are covered in case the hot weather is slightly delayed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-03-03T14:27:50.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31031" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31032" CreationDate="2017-03-03T17:51:56.537" Score="6" ViewCount="138" Body="&lt;p&gt;My name's Chuck, and I'm a plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5zOhu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5zOhu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live indoors with my human flatmate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I'd like to know my species and scientific name&lt;/strong&gt;, but the human living with me seems pretty clueless - he never actually talks to me (plays me some good music though). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can &lt;strong&gt;you&lt;/strong&gt; tell me what I am?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16816" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2017-03-03T19:43:52.990" LastActivityDate="2017-03-03T19:43:52.990" Title="Chuck the plant - what am I?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31032" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31031" CreationDate="2017-03-03T17:54:02.197" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sansevieria trifasciata laurentii is its unlovely botanical name, but it has the common names of Mother in Law's Tongue and Snake Plant too! Though you could just stick to Chuck...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It prefers bright light with a little sun, but will grow in shade too. Average temperatures with a minimum of 50degF in winter, water when the surface of the potting medium feels a little dry to the touch, don't leave it sitting in water in any outer tray or pot, reduce watering somewhat during winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-03T19:10:44.343" LastActivityDate="2017-03-03T19:10:44.343" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31033" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31029" CreationDate="2017-03-03T18:16:14.743" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very creative way to ask a question, Gilles!  The most important thing is keeping moist but NOT SOGGY.  Shallow watering daily.  I'd use a bottle sprayer.  Until roots have grown do not water the entire pot of soil.  How large is the pot or container?  Hopefully it is no larger than 3X3 inches!  Too big of a container for starting anything will not work.  Too large of a container for a small plant will not work.  Need roots to suck up water or else root rot is a high possibility...as well as slow start and other potential problems.  Use ONLY potting soil.  Sterilized potting soil.  Drainage hole, I would not use tap water, bottled water without chlorine/fluoride is best and do not use fertilizer until you've got a decent root growth.  Covering with a dome or plastic is very helpful and will reduce the need to constantly check the soil for moisture.  What kind of light source?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-03T18:16:14.743" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31034" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31017" CreationDate="2017-03-03T18:26:57.877" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, give it a go. One of the gardens I look after has a fig growing in the heavy shade of a sycamore. In the past it's fruited, but not for the past few years as the shade cast by the sycamore has increased. I think this is one of those things you just need to try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16268" LastActivityDate="2017-03-03T18:26:57.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31035" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31036" CreationDate="2017-03-03T18:38:40.367" Score="13" ViewCount="418" Body="&lt;p&gt;My name's Chuck, and I'm a plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BS8og.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BS8og.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Chuck&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/1380/bamboo&quot;&gt;Bamboo&lt;/a&gt; tells me I'm a &lt;em&gt;Sansevieria trifasciata laurentii&lt;/em&gt;, also known as &quot;Mother in Law's Tongue&quot; or &quot;Snake Plant&quot; (see other question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/31031/chuck-the-plant-what-am-i#31032&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live indoor with my human flatmate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I think I may have some health trouble.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ends of my leaves are turning brown, and so does the whole leaf on occasion (there's one in the picture). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also noticed my roots are kind of sticking out of the pot a bit...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am exposed to only electrical light, and average apartment temperature. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's no way for me to go play outside, as it's freezing and raining all the time out there.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Questions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is the human not giving me enough water, or maybe too much?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should he move me to a larger pot or am I ok as is?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are my looks ok, considering I'm indoors all the time?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When one of my leaves turns entirely brown, should the human cut it out or just leave it there?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16816" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-29T18:32:22.063" LastActivityDate="2021-01-29T18:32:22.063" Title="Chuck the plant - am I ill?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;snake-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31036" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31035" CreationDate="2017-03-03T19:16:07.377" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, I missed off a bit of this particular one's proper name - it's &lt;em&gt;Sansevieria trifasciata laurentii&lt;/em&gt;; the version without yellow stripes is just &lt;em&gt;Sansevieria trifasciata&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My houseplant book says to only re-pot when the pot it's in starts to bulge - then you can either pot into something larger or divide the plant in two and pot the sections separately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My book also says that sometimes, &lt;em&gt;Sansevieria&lt;/em&gt; has a disorder which causes leaves to brown and die - the trouble begins at the tip of the leaf and works its way down, which might be what you're describing.  The cause isn't known and there's no cure, although if a plant is overcrowded in its pot,that can be a cause of this problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doesn't look as if yours is desperate for re-potting or division though - information &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/trim-dead-foliage-snake-plant-27650.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; on how to deal with dead leaves and on re-potting/division - note that it says you can make leaf cuttings to start new plants, but be aware that propagating it in this way will produce an all green plant, without the yellow stripes you currently have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-04T13:43:19.393" LastActivityDate="2017-03-04T13:43:19.393" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31038" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31035" CreationDate="2017-03-04T03:57:41.950" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watering - Snake plants like things on the drier side. I know it might pain you to leave Chuck alone for so long, but he should be watered like a succulent. Let the soil go dry a half inch down (at least) before watering.  When you water, as soon as it's dripping out the bottom, you're done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roots - Chuck is fine being root bound. Repot every 1-2 years, and either upgrade his living space or prune his roots. For root pruning, watch a couple bonsai root pruning vids BC there's a good amount to learn and those techniques work for ant plant you're not trying to propagate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Light - if you want Chuck to be happier, head to the hardware store and pick up a ballast ($8 or so, should have a clamp), an LED bulb 60w equivalent with color temp 5000K or 6500K  (spotlight bulb is better but a little pricier), and an outlet timer.  Set the bulb to 13-14 hours/day.  Bulb can be a few feet from Chuck. Closer is better, but you want the light hitting Chuck all over.  I'd set it so it's at a 60 degree angle, at a distance where it's hitting him from soil to tip, then rotate Chuck 90 degrees every 2 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When it comes time to repot him, use a terracotta pot and succulent/cactus soil. (I'd use coir with a lot of perlite and pine bark fines mixed in.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For feeding, I recommend Osmocote plus at half strength. (Bearing in mind that it's directions say half strength for indoor plants - so Chuck would get 1/4 strength compared to an outdoor plant.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't worry too much about the leaf tips. It's likely an effect of the combo of less light and altered watering schedule.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember - overwatering is the real killer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you just bought Chuck (which from his roots I suspect), repot him. He's been in there for a long time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-03-04T03:57:41.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31039" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31024" CreationDate="2017-03-04T04:35:34.980" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's an instructable &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.instructables.com/id/Hydroponic-Food-Factory/?ALLSTEPS&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; on growing hydroponic potatoes.  I'm guessing he uses a flood and drain system and uses LECA or similar to cover the potatoes so that sunlight doesn't get to them.  Some people just use gravel to cover their spuds as they grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-03-04T04:35:34.980" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31040" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31068" CreationDate="2017-03-04T04:36:23.890" Score="6" ViewCount="2581" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in western NY in the US and I have a potted tulip plant. When can I move it to the ground? After the last frost of the season? I usually see planted tulip plants start to pop up in March, bloom before April, and the flowers are gone before May, but these came from the store. I don't want them to die when I plant them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11935" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-05T01:02:32.673" LastActivityDate="2021-03-12T00:21:20.007" Title="When should I move a tulip plant from a pot to the ground?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;tulips&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31013" CreationDate="2017-03-04T04:39:32.167" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem with using aquaponic water is that it is full of solids and fines.  These have to be filtered out otherwise your emitters are going to rapidly block up.  If you can filter it, I don't see an issue for using aquaponic water for an aeroponic system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-03-04T04:39:32.167" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31042" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-04T10:29:08.863" Score="8" ViewCount="699" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have another question about &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30774/what-is-this-aloe-like-plant&quot;&gt;this plant&lt;/a&gt;. I noticed a large black area at the base, surrounded by little black spots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ReZZB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ReZZB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HxNi7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HxNi7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When touching this area it seems normal, it's just turned black. So my guess is that it's not rot but a disease/fungus. It seems to spread pretty fast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant was repotted three weeks ago and wasn't watered since then. It had multiple &quot;babies&quot; that I planted into different pots, and some of them have the same problem. I suspect they didn't like the repotting, or maybe there was a disease in the substrate I used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it and what should I do about it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13963" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.557" LastActivityDate="2017-03-04T18:48:19.267" Title="What's this black spot on my gasteraloe?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31043" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31025" CreationDate="2017-03-04T11:50:12.233" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From my observations and experience, most of the time you can expect smaller fruits and less production from two all-season tomato plants in the same location in the ground than you can from one tomato plant by itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure if the answer is the same for tomatoes that are kept in containers as their final destination. I'm also not sure about determinate tomatoes that only fruit once and die. How you fertilize might also affect the answer. (My experience is without much fertilization.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, it's possible that the variety is one that does well with two plants in the same spot, especially since you purchased the plants this way. Vendors seem to do things the way they do them for a good reason, usually. Asking the vendor their reasoning may be a good idea. You might email or call the company. I'm not sure that a customer service representative will know their methodology, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your two plants seem to be the same size. That's a good sign (one plant doesn't seem to be dominating the other, anyway). Some varieties might do fine with two plants in one spot (and I'm pretty sure if one were dominating then it wouldn't be one of those varieties). However, there's no guarantee that you have a variety that does fine with two plants in one spot, just because one isn't dominating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FYI: I have a hypothesis that tomatoes can be acclimatized over the generations to producing better with two or more plants in the same spot. I'm in the process of testing it with Pruden's Purple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FYI: Watermelons and muskmelons rarely seem to be bothered by having multiple plants in the same spot (I think there are some varieties that aren't used to it, though). So, what's true for one species may not be true for another.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wonder if your plants are indeed two separate plants or not (maybe they're just the same plant buried deeper).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, doing one plant per pot is probably the best idea, unless there's something special about the tomatoes. I would only be very concerned about dividing the roots up if soil diseases are a significant problem in your area or if they're in your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to divide the roots up, you can take the plants out, massage the soil to loosen it, and carefully pull the two plants' roots apart (gently pull a little and stop and pull a little and stop, until they come apart). They can sometimes come apart without much, if any, ripping, that way. Just cutting them should be fine though. Then transplant them into their own pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't disturb the roots if you're not going to give them their own pots, though. I would just keep them as is and put them in the bigger pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't want to disturb the roots, and you don't want two plants in one pot, then you could always cull one plant. However, I don't recommend that, as it's a waste of a good plant. What you can do instead is get some scissors and cut one plant off just below the soil level (so you get some roots on it, but you don't disturb the roots of the other plant at all). Even one root makes a big difference (although it's not hard to root cuttings from scratch). Then you can transplant the plant you cut off, and have an undisturbed plant, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes aren't as bothered by disturbed roots as many other plants are. Just make sure it's not super sunny while you're doing it. Sun can wither, stunt and/or kill plants with disturbed roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep nitrogen fertilizer away from recovering plants until they've fully recovered. Excess nitrogen increases the symptoms of transplant shock, and it's not good for the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-03-04T12:03:57.497" LastActivityDate="2017-03-04T12:03:57.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31010" CreationDate="2017-03-04T14:16:10.583" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any light helps. If you're providing assistance to sunlight, you don't have to provide nearly as much help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cheaper led bulbs aren't as good as a 60w LED with color temp 5000K or 6500K. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have about 150 sq ft indoors. Most of it is grown under regular 5000K LED 40w and 60w bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, that's a lot of extra light to have glaring in your living space. If the light will bother you, pick up the red and blue leds and wire up a lighting track. If it won't bother you, pick up a clamping ballast from the hardware store and use a daylight bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-03-04T14:16:10.583" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31046" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-04T17:00:01.850" Score="7" ViewCount="775" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two questions regarding Kalanchoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I bought 3 Kalanchoes from IKEA for almost one year. The funny thing is that one of them has lots of flowers, the second one, only one flower, and the third one NONE ! Although they have received the same treatment and sit at the same window. Can anyone tell why are they having different flowering intensity ?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Because they got too big, I pruned them for two weeks and propagated the cuttings. The cuttings have grown now some roots, so i now moved them to normal potting soil (The first one had rooting hormone). My question is, when and how can I get them to flower? Should i fertilize them? how to get the maximum of the flowers such as in &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ikea.com/de/de/catalog/products/60177166/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;the nursery where we see a bunch of flowers in the middle and the leaves all around&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16558" LastActivityDate="2017-03-04T18:20:27.577" Title="How to get a Kalanchoe to flower in bunch" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31047" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31046" CreationDate="2017-03-04T18:07:21.207" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;So you are saying you have not fertilized since you purchased these plants?  That is a very good thing.  Their time at the nursery you have no way of knowing.  One could have been in the greenhouse under the artificial lighting, another might have sat on the truck in cold conditions and the dark and who knows what formula and when they were fertilized.  It takes time to get situated to be in sync with new plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't take much to set back flowering such as too high of Nitrogen in relation to the Phosphorous and Potassium (NPK).  Nitrogen promotes vegetative growth like leaves, less in relation to P and K and that promotes reproductive growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any flowering needs light!  More than just a window sill.  Remember, your plants were raised with excellent artificial lighting.  Is it a south facing window sill?  Double pane windows? Near forced air vents?  Raise the bottom of your pots off the surface using tiles or 'pot feet'.  I would also add a grow light...check out what wattage, lumens, amps are necessary for a grow light on this site.  Get a timer to allow for a day and night time that coincides with the sun outside your window.  Otherwise, these plants are meant (seriously) to be a very short term perishable.  The stores including IKEA want you to fail so you come back to buy more!  Otherwise, plants should come with a huge information sheet to address all kinds of consumer situations and questions&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning the flowers off is a very good thing as that transfers the energy of making seed into the entire plant, leaves, stems, roots and then the flowering takes off big time. But not too much all at once because this is a succulent.  Also because Kalanchoe is a succulent be careful with watering.  Succulents store a lot of water for dry times...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you have pots with drainage holes, use ONLY potting soil, no rock/gravel/packing peanuts above the drainage hole and the soil...use JUST soil to fill your pots/containers. The best pots for succulents are clay and are wider than tall.  Think about one big long pot/container to plant all of you Kalanchoe en mass and offset.  I'd also find a companion plant that has the same needs as Kalanchoe perhaps being able to display some color when Kalanchoe is not flowering.  (partial shade, succulent or prefers dryness in between waterings, shallow rooted, stays below the height of your Kalanchoe..shoot, I'm a drawing a blank on a few names at the moment. Just go look up succulents and find one that drools over the sides and stays low)...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use Osmocote 14-4-14 if you are new to fertilizing.  Extended release, you'll only need to use once maybe twice per year!  Yes, the N is equal to the P and K and that works for blooms and vegies.  Fertilizer IS NOT FOOD for a plant.  Just necessary to have in the medium for the plant to use to make its own food via photosynthesis.  MORE is death to plants.  A very quick and usually certain death.  That is why I recommend Osmocote.  Do not worry about ORGANIC versus SYNTHETIC.  Chemicals are the SAME no matter!  Osmocote is safe and sure for newbies!!  Wait for awhile before transplanting or fertilizing...oh a good half a month?  SEND PICTURES, what is your zone or where you live, what window are they using as much as you are able.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing a whole bunch of ONE plant is a visual treat!  You'll get lots more bang for your buck and for the work of propagating you've done.  Have patience.  When you've got your plants in the same soil, same environment, same watering schedule and same fertilizer...you'll have an awesome display.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-03-04T18:20:27.577" LastActivityDate="2017-03-04T18:20:27.577" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31048" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31042" CreationDate="2017-03-04T18:48:19.267" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rot IS fungus and bacterial decomposition has already begun.  The reason the babies are being produced is the plant knows it is dying and trying like heck to keep living. I would plant these babies in pots no larger than 3&quot; in POTTING SOIL.  Potting soil is sterilized but if you are using too much water then spores in the air will start the decomposition of your plant to include the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of soil did you use, what are your watering parameters, is there a layer of  rock or gravel beneath the soil above the drainage hole?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get rid of all that soil. Get rid of parent plant.  It is a goner. Bleach the pot before using it again.  I'd get new never used clay pots, wider than high and for the babies start SMALL. 3&quot; no bigger! Do not transplant or try to get these babies growing in too large of a pot.  Critical for all potted plants but even more critical for succulents and cactus. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't worry about adding sand.  Plain potting soil, I'd even cover with a dome or plastic wrap with Popsicle sticks holding the plastic off those babies.  Moist almost dry soil and with the plastic almost NO watering.  No fertilizer.  3 inch diameter pots in clay that will last quite awhile with this plant before needing to be up potted.  Oh, use bottled water when watering, do not use tap water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Great drainage, POTTING SOIL NO GARDEN SOIL, no rock or gravel below soil and above drainage hole, shallow roots need a shallow pot (preferably clay), water very infrequently and do not fertilize until they've become acclimated to their new pots and soil!  And even then I'd use Osmocote 14-14-14 ONLY once per year.  No water holding gels or sponges or added fertilizer in the potting soil! Lots of light but no direct sunlight unless hardened off or used to having direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-04T18:48:19.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31049" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31040" CreationDate="2017-03-04T22:43:04.270" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's best done in fall, but any time after last frost is fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For best (not necessary, but more fun) results you could start them now in quart containers and transplant after the Spring rains are over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're hardier than they're given credit for, so it's nothing to worry too much over. After frost is fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-03-04T22:43:04.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31050" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-04T23:27:27.110" Score="7" ViewCount="160" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I want my turf type tall fescue lawn to go dormant June-September in transition zone, how often and how much per watering should I give the lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Virginia. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16821" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-05T18:24:08.657" LastActivityDate="2017-03-06T02:42:16.597" Title="How should I water my tall fescue lawn if I want to let it go dormant during the summer months?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31051" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31040" CreationDate="2017-03-04T23:42:17.170" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless I've misunderstood, you appear to be saying you have a tulip bulb planted in a pot - what's not clear is whether its currently in or out of doors. If it was under cover or indoors when you bought it, and you've had it indoors since you got it, and especially if its showing growth, you  will have to wait until its flowered, and then transplant into the ground outdoors when the ground isn't frozen. It's important that the foliage is allowed to remain on the plant for six weeks after flowering is over, so if the weather is still very cold outdoors, then you will need to harden it off before planting outside. Fertilize it when the flowers are gone but the leaves are still present. When you turn it out of its pot to place in your prepared hole in the ground, keep the rootball intact so you don't disturb or break the roots, because that would mean the leaves will die. Alternatively, let it remain in its pot, water it but don't keep it wet, fertilize as advised, and plant outdoors once the leaves have started to shrivel, or, better yet, keep it outside in its pot and plant in the ground in October, or earlier if your winter is usually such that the ground freezes in October.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The usual rule for planting bulbs is twice or thrice the depth of the bulb, but tulips often do better in succeeding years if they are planted deeper than that. Some varieties, though, do not grow well again, or do not produce flowers in following years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, on the other hand, the pot was outside at the store, and you already have it standing outdoors, then transplant into a prepared hole in the same manner, that is, taking care not to disrupt the rootball, or you'll lose the flowers and leaves, and only if the ground is not frozen or waterlogged. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-05T00:26:43.583" LastActivityDate="2017-03-05T00:26:43.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31052" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24258" CreationDate="2017-03-05T05:08:23.487" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the above pictures it seems that the plant is suffering from some micronutrient deficiency. Please go for leaf testing for Zn, Cu, Boron. I feel most probably like boron deficiency. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16823" LastActivityDate="2017-03-05T05:08:23.487" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31053" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31054" CreationDate="2017-03-05T09:06:15.863" Score="8" ViewCount="130" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 4-5 &quot;new&quot; narcissus onions on hand, but the planting season is over now (beginning of March). They should be sprouting now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardenia.net/plant/narcissus-salome-large-cupped-daffodil&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;exact variety&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do with them? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will I confuse their cycles if I plant them now, so should I somehow safekeep them? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I just plant them now and they'll do whatever they do and be fine until next sprouting season? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I should avoid planting them now, what is the best way to safekeep a narcissus for at least 6 months?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16825" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-05T18:23:20.117" LastActivityDate="2017-03-05T18:23:20.117" Title="What should I do with unplanted narcissus/daffodil onions outside of planting season?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;&lt;daffodils&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31053" CreationDate="2017-03-05T10:00:34.953" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant them now, although I doubt you'll get any flowers this year. Don't remove the leaves before they completely fade. You can keep the bulbs in the ground without taking them out every year until they are too crowded - it will take a few years until they divide that much to become crowded.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't plant the bulbs, they might shrivel too much and die until autumn. In fact, I have kept the bulbs from yellow daffodils (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) that I dug out last spring and forgot to plant last autumn. I found them ten days ago and planted them, although they were very shrivelled. Of course I could put them in the refrigerator for a few weeks, but I have a small fridge. If you want to, you can try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-03-05T10:00:34.953" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31055" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-05T11:39:20.670" Score="6" ViewCount="1411" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a list one learning gardener can use to plan the position of plants depending on their preference of sunlight hours? I am interested in growing vegetables in a greenhouse. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read that some plants prefer morning sun, other prefer afternoon sun. Some plants grow in shade, others in full sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I'm planning to grow dozens of different plants, I want to prepare the optimal environment for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Additionally, if you happen to know and share where I can find each plant's best nutrient mix, preferred humidity, and light, I would be eternally grateful!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you very much in advance!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16803" LastActivityDate="2017-03-08T17:08:57.037" Title="Morning/Afternoon sun plants (vegetables)" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31056" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-06T01:15:29.767" Score="9" ViewCount="363" Body="&lt;p&gt;I removed a large &lt;a href=&quot;https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/bischofia-javanica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bischofia tree&lt;/a&gt; from my yard, which included grinding the large stump down. However I keep seeing sprouts from the tree around the area of the stump grinding and throughout the yard. Here are some photos of the sprouts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ibD5r.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ibD5r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6CM9F.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6CM9F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The disturbed soil is my attempt at digging up the roots. It took a lot of time and effort, but didn't do too much to slow the growth of the roots. The number and size of the roots are probably a contributing factor. Here is one of the larger roots that I dug up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DOW1Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DOW1Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to kill the tree and stop it from continuing to sprout at different locations? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One caveat is that I would like grass to be able to grow around near the area afterwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have used &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonide.com/products/weed-control/view/271/stump-out-granules&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bonide Stump Out&lt;/a&gt; with some success, but I'd like to keep using it to see if it works more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11949" LastEditorUserId="11949" LastEditDate="2017-08-26T00:44:38.853" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T00:44:38.853" Title="How can I keep a bischofia tree from coming back after chopping it down?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;stump-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31050" CreationDate="2017-03-06T02:42:16.597" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best way to water is very very deeply and allow to dry until you see your footprints on your grass.  The blades aren't popping back up as they aren't turgid.  Very effective way to know when to water cool season grasses.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doing this TRAINS the roots to grow deeper and Fescue has a large root system.  This large root system also needs appropriate top growth to feed those roots.  So part of getting your grass healthy enough to withstand going dormant is keeping your mower on the highest setting possible to allow a minimum of 3 inches of height of your grass blades.  This shades/cools the soil and reduces evaporation slowing the time between watering and allowing the roots to work at getting moisture deeper in the soil profile.  It also shades the soil so weed seeds are unable to germinate.  Vigorous grass out competes any weeds.  Fertilizer is also important.  Aeration by pulling plugs out of the lawn bed is important.  And if at all possible, I would never allow my crop of grass to go p. By using the proper methods I've just described you shouldn't have to allow your lawn to go dormant.  Watering once per week, 1&quot; after you've trained your grass to have deep roots to be able to access moisture deep in your soil makes for a very hardy grass crop!  Dormancy truly reduces the vitality and health of your lawn.  Should only happen once in the lawn's life time if THAT.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-06T02:42:16.597" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31058" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31063" CreationDate="2017-03-06T05:22:38.857" Score="7" ViewCount="1732" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some sweet basil seedlings into two different long planter pots and they come from the same batch of seedlings. They are at the same location and get the same amount of sunlight and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the soil in the pots is slightly different as I used different soil mixes. In one of them, the sweet basil plants are lush and the leaves are darker green but slightly smaller. In the other one, all the plants are a lighter shade of green though the leaves are a bit larger. I suspect this pot is lacking certain nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that correct? What should I add to it to make it healthier?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Added the photo below. It doesn't seem that obvious from close but from afar the leaves on the left are noticeably darker and smaller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uInZf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uInZf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16431" LastEditorUserId="16431" LastEditDate="2017-03-06T16:43:15.103" LastActivityDate="2017-03-10T00:23:08.867" Title="Sweet basil: Are dark green and slightly smaller leaves better?" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31059" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-06T09:10:37.593" Score="9" ViewCount="135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am considering a bamboo hedge. I want something with substantial culms, so &lt;em&gt;Phyllostachys sp.&lt;/em&gt; and I would like them to stay green. I really like &lt;em&gt;P. glauca&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;em&gt;P. bissettii&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;P. vivax&lt;/em&gt; also look good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm based on the southern edge of the Cotswolds, England, so it'll be exposed to mild, wet but blustery south-westerly weather. We get some frosts, but temps rarely drop below -5&amp;deg;C. Soil is free draining, over limestone. Beautiful texture, low in nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How would a bamboo hedge perform? What sorts of heights can I expect and what time for establishment? How would it look in winter? I am aware of the need for root barriers but depths, spacings and planting tips welcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-07-06T12:42:33.317" Title="Performance of a bamboo (Phyllostachys) hedge in South-West UK" Tags="&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31062" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-06T17:23:53.697" Score="7" ViewCount="614" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our apricot tree is about 15 years old. The tree bears flowers and then fruits, but as the time passes all the fruit drops from the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16832" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-06T19:12:58.097" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T23:44:15.703" Title="Why is fruit dropping from my apricot tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;apricots&gt;&lt;fruit-drop&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-10-13T14:03:43.157" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31063" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31058" CreationDate="2017-03-06T18:27:50.740" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The larger leaf on the right is healthy - the one on the left is smaller and curled, indicating a problem of some sort. Basil leaves can look like this for various reasons - primary causes are insufficient sunlight, too much or too little water, and infection with mildew or insects like aphids or scale. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Inspect the ones which look like this thoroughly - if you can't find any problem with mildew or insects,and they really are receiving enough sunlight (a slightly different position may mean they're not actually getting as many hours as your other plants) then it may be that the soil you used is either not retaining water long enough for the plants to take it up, or is poorly drained, resulting in too much water sitting at the root. More info &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/basil/basil-leaves-are-curling.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T00:23:08.867" LastActivityDate="2017-03-10T00:23:08.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31064" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-06T18:47:15.023" Score="8" ViewCount="828" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in an apartment and both the entire south-east and the north-west sides are huge windows, so I have lots of light coming in (I think I have about 6h 40m on the shortest day of the year).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought that annual plants could only grow from spring to fall and that's it, but then I realised that I've only ever had a garden outside at the farm where I grew up. Is it possible to grow plants all year around indoors? I mean, most plants should do ok with 6 hours of light and the temperature is always around 18-22*C. And for the darkest months, I could probably figure out something with a grow light if needed as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been waiting for spring to come around since I moved in 6 months ago, eager to plant something delicious, but now I realise that maybe I didn't need to wait at all! (ok, I do also have big plants for the balconies which is currently covered in snow so that'll definitely have to wait!)&#xA;So can all plants grow inside all year round, and if not, why? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to a request to be more specific, these are the seeds I have: Strawberries (Temptation and Wild), Tomatoes (Harbinger, Tumbling Tom and Sweet Pea Currant), Cucamelon, Baby carrots, Runner Bean, Snap peas, New Zealand Spinach, Spring Onion, Sweet Pepper, Jalapenos, Chives, Dill, Coriander, Parsley, Basil, English Thyme, Rosemary, Oregano, Sage, Spearmint, Peppermint, Marigold and Pansies. I already have a small lemon which is about a year old, a ginger which has just started to sprout and I'd like to also have some blueberries, raspberries or similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16833" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-06T21:41:19.997" LastActivityDate="2017-03-07T06:02:02.757" Title="Can all plants grow inside all year round?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31065" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-06T19:09:57.270" Score="9" ViewCount="6126" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm gearing up for a bunch of landscaping at my new home. The backyard is kind of a mess: rotted-out deck, terrible lawn, low spots, high spots, etc. It's mostly all going to get redone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This question pertains to the current deck area. The deck is getting ripped-out as it's not salvageable. The area is ~24' x ~25' so it's almost a square. It sits in between the house and a garage in the back, so there is the foundation of the garage and house on two ends of it. The ground level below the deck is about 1' below the grade of the house and garage. My plan is to build up the grade in this area so that the ground is more level with the house and garage doors. I then plan to build a roofed pergola to cover it and make this into a patio area with a wood-fired oven in the middle. The ground under the pergola will be a majority of gravel, with pavers placed in the most-used areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To build this plot up ~1 foot higher, I think I need around 21 cu. yds. of substrate but I'm not sure what the best type of substrate to use is. The current ground is relatively hard-packed soil. I haven't dug down too much but judging from my neighborhood, there should be a bit of clay and kind of gravelly, dark, rich soil. It's quite compacted so I'm not worried about it settling too much. What would be the most cost-effective way to fill in this area? I believe I'll have to build small retaining walls on the two ends of the square that are not backed by the house and garage. I will also be sure to make small &quot;egress&quot; areas so that my crawlspace vents do not get covered up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/twD3z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/twD3z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;facing house&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6igP9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6igP9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;House&amp;amp;Garage1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jWYXg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jWYXg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;House&amp;amp;Grrage2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YWkdr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YWkdr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;facing garage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QmBj1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QmBj1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;facing house2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i1HqI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i1HqI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;gap between deck &amp;amp; ground&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/29GNX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/29GNX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;crappy mockup of pergola and patio&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16834" LastEditorUserId="16834" LastEditDate="2017-03-09T18:45:19.683" LastActivityDate="2017-03-09T18:45:19.683" Title="Raising the ground in a large area that will eventually be a patio. What type of substrate to use?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;patio&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31066" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31056" CreationDate="2017-03-06T19:34:27.070" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, all this growth is coming off long roots under the ground which are clearly still alive. You don't say how deep you went with the stump grinder, but it should be a foot to 18 inches, including any adjacent major roots coming off the central stump. There is a solution, but the product I'd recommend you to use (because you can replace soil over the top) isn't one that's available in the USA so far as I'm aware - its a liquid brushwood killer named SBK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The usual way to deal with these is to expose the roots, then drill into them at intervals, making wells or pits about quarter inch deep with a wood bit, then fill up the holes with the liquid brushwood killer, then preferably, cover with something (sheet of plastic, broken pieces of tile, whatever) and then replace the soil over the top. It's sometimes wise to wait to see what regrowth occurs, because secondary treatment might be necessary, or this type of root may produce growth in a different area than previously..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing I can suggest is you research what products are available for use as stump killers or brushwood killers; many are granular in formulation, some recommend drilling holes and packing the holes with the granules, but I'm not sure that it would be possible to immediately replace soil over the top - depends on the product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other option for a final solution is a lot of work -  dig up the whole area, bore out all roots, then replace the soil and level off, then turf or seed grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-06T19:58:58.707" LastActivityDate="2017-03-06T19:58:58.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31067" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31065" CreationDate="2017-03-06T19:45:02.727" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the most effective way would be to not fill it at all.  How about a raised deck on concrete sono tubes if you are in a freeze are or deck feet in warmer climates?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you change the grade you must ensure that any water runoff including downspout (gutter) water has someplace to go away from your house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Raising the grade is a lot of work.  To fill the area you could use stone dust compacted in layers.  As a loose material you would have to have a retaining wall to prevent it shifting.  This requires over 20 cubic yards  ( 24' x 25' x 1' = 600 Cft or over 20 cubic yards). If you allowed for setting and compaction 25 cubic yards of material is not  out of the question. At this amount you need a bobcat or front end loader and a compacter and a retaining wall that will need a base.  It just starts to look like a lot of work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-03-06T19:45:02.727" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31040" CreationDate="2017-03-06T21:46:59.193" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wait until the bulb goes dormant (when the top growth withers and dries completely). Remove the bulb from the potting soil completely, and cut the roots off near the basal plate, and cut off the stem/leaves. Plant it right away in good, non compacted garden soil, 8 inches down (make sure there is plenty of good soil below that level as well). No need to water. They will root in during late summer/fall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there is more than one bulb, make sure they're spaced 6&quot; or more apart when planted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-03-22T18:15:26.807" LastActivityDate="2017-03-22T18:15:26.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31069" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31056" CreationDate="2017-03-06T23:31:01.117" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recommend Triclopyr. Drill a hole into the stump, pour a bit down the hole, cover the stump with plastic for a couple days. Should do the trick. And it's not too pricy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-03-06T23:31:01.117" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31070" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31025" CreationDate="2017-03-07T01:16:56.497" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Consider you may be looking at two suckers (actual name) from the same root ball, if they're growing right next to rack other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't break apart the root ball at all. The primary benefit to buying peat potted tomato plants in Spring is the healthy, perlite-heavy root ball.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there's a straggler distant from the main shoot(s), pull it. Otherwise, bury the plant almost completely in its new pot and prune accordingly later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-03-07T01:16:56.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31071" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-07T05:23:20.527" Score="10" ViewCount="4314" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lemon tree was cut down very low by the person cutting my yard.  The tree was about two years old.  It was cut with a weed eater. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16837" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T00:20:53.903" LastActivityDate="2017-03-10T00:43:38.873" Title="Will a lemon tree grow back after being cut down low?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31064" CreationDate="2017-03-07T06:02:02.757" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a large list of plants there and you should do your own research.  But in principle, those plants that originated from a tropical, or semitropical climate that are annuals where you live are likely perennial in the right conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, tomatoes which originated from South America are perennnial vines when grown there but are annuals in climates where there is frost and colder winter temperatures.  The eggplant is a perennial in asia, but semi-hardy annual in temperate climates.  I've got mine to flower and fruit inside over winter but it took ages for the fruit to grow.  Sweet basil is also an annual and when I kept mine inside over winter, it suffered becoming quite woody and sick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There may also be plant requirements that are incompatible with normal living.  Tomatoes need &lt;a href=&quot;http://modernfarmer.com/2014/08/scientists-try-build-tomato-grows-24-hours-day/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;8 hours of darkness&lt;/a&gt; to remain healthy which is not too bad, but June bearing strawberries need &lt;a href=&quot;https://cals.arizona.edu/strawberry/Hydroponic_Strawberry_Information_Website/Supplemental_Lighting.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;11-16 hours&lt;/a&gt; of darkness at about 20 deg C before they'll flower.  And there's the issue of pollination.  Blueberries do best when there are two or more plants around to cross pollinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-03-07T06:02:02.757" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31073" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31056" CreationDate="2017-03-07T15:43:24.217" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I would probably do - just keep mowing it. Few if any trees will tolerate being treated like a lawn for any length of time. Smooth the soil so that the lawnmower can take them out and mow them down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you could do if so inclined - use a broadleaf weed-killer; since you want to grow grass, a weedkiller that selectively targets broadleaf plants such as this tree and does not kill monocots (grass) would be in the direction you'll want. These are fairly common in agricultural use. I don't know what's currently available to homeowners as opposed to licensed applicators in this line as it's not something I do, but you might find such in the lawn care area. If need be, hire a licensed applicator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-03-07T15:43:24.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31074" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28983" CreationDate="2017-03-07T21:00:38.753" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Squirrels would be my guess, also. If we hadn't seen squirrels rooting around in our radish plot, I would never believe they would go for strong tasting vegies. They made short work of them. Our garden is fenced in, and rabbits and ground hogs can't get in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16842" LastActivityDate="2017-03-07T21:00:38.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31075" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31065" CreationDate="2017-03-08T01:17:17.810" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree, a deck will not help the value of your home.  A patio would.  Even better is to make the patio the same level as the floor in your home.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eImaZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eImaZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We used ground up concrete compacted, then 5/8 minus compacted 4&quot; and then builder's sand 2&quot; as the paver base.  No concrete, no space between pavers.  These are called CMU walls, planters (concrete modular units) with concrete caps.  This increased the value of their home by...an awful lot!  They wanted a deck at first and I talked them out of a deck, this is a little more expensive but not much.  This did increase the value more than a second bathroom or a remodeled kitchen!  That white fence in the background stopped the cat box feeling and pulled everything together. They walk right out of their door onto the patio... and all vents were sectioned off and covered with nice louvers.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When framing the patio we used 2X12 pt lumber and at the same time framed off the vents and utilities. Keep framing away from the siding (you should be able to see in the second picture to the left).  The cmu walls are PISA II with an ashlar pattern.  I would recommend LOUDLY to stay with dove gray mixed with a bit of darker gray.  Lighter gray concrete caps.  Goes with everything and is a natural color in any landscape.  The colors actually look like the concrete is dirty, or moldy, seriously.  This is not the time to play with color.  Everyone who did were sorry later.  Oh, the pavers are the classic roman cobble 7X9X2, no space left between cobbles.  There are black plastic edgers to ensure no movement and are fairly invisible which is what you want.  When choosing which direction the longer side should be laid, always look from the main view.  In this case from inside the home and from the entrance to their path...the long side should be PERPENDICULAR to those views otherwise that long side becomes very visual and distracting.  Your professional artistic friends and contractors will especially be bothered...grins!  The wall height on the inside from patio to top of cap &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3zQwQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3zQwQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;patio in process with firepit&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;should be between 15 and 18&quot;.  These cmu are ONE SIDED which dictated the design and depth of wall.  Thick walls are more 'stable' looking as well.  But today there might be cmu that are two sided.  This would help with fire pits...truly one of the best things you could add to your patio.  ALL the neighbors had to have patios like this...good for our company.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-03-08T16:22:54.360" LastActivityDate="2017-03-08T16:22:54.360" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31076" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30856" CreationDate="2017-03-08T03:05:06.127" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Keeping original substrates with succulents is a usually a risk. Most are kept warm and grown to salable size in commercial soil with fungicides.  Bamboo has good advice. YouTube will have some walkthru videos as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd wager the issue is rot caused by expiration of the original fungicides in too moist of a soil mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For cleaning soil from roots, use a fork held very gently and comb them out. Pretend you're combing out someone's hair who's very tender-headed. (There's tools for this but a fork will do in a pinch).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-03-08T03:05:06.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31077" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31071" CreationDate="2017-03-08T05:01:07.633" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The smaller the tree was the more likely it is to grow back. Trees put on new growth by activating dormant buds along the length of the trunk. The smaller the branch or trunk the more dense those buds are. Be sure to keep grass and weeds growing around the stump/stub cut back and let light get to the bark. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately no one can tell you for sure if your lemon will grow back until time has passed. Citrus trees are capable of growing back, but it's not guaranteed like it is with a willow or poplar tree for instance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16845" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-03-08T15:28:03.433" LastActivityDate="2017-03-08T15:28:03.433" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31081" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31055" CreationDate="2017-03-08T17:08:57.037" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your greenhouse should be oriented east west.  Your plant beds (and I recommend building your greenhouse over soil that you will simply add decomposed organic matter to as you build your beds and periodically cover the tops around the plants with decomposed organic mulch as well) should be north south (long axis).  Do not worry about morning sun or afternoon sun as all plants will get both, should get both.  Tall plants in the back so as not to shade smaller plants.  Most vegetable and flowering plants all need as much sun as possible so shade plants won't be an issue.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/REfm5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/REfm5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;polytunnel over newly made beds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;South is to the left where the poly is lifted up daily for ventilation. Looking toward the west end of 'tunnel'.  Raised beds made from very non-fertile pumice soil with added bagged decomposed organic compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got pics of our new greenhouse with the same beds but they are not retrievable at the moment.  Made with dimensional lumber, same orientation.  Wall on south side should be made as low as possible and have the ability to open fully.  Best is the ability to have windows on the north side to get flow going.  Without opening these walls/windows the heat can quickly climb to past 100 degrees F.  It is a big big deal.  In addition, you need great fans to blow the air causing enough movement the leaves of your plants should move as well.  This is the best preventative for fungus problems which you WILL have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The book you should get right away is by Shane Smith called 'Greenhouse Gardening'.  His information is easy to read, great pictures, graphs and very detailed information.  This book is one of my most used books in my library. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He will get into the different 'skins' of greenhouses and the pluses/minuses to determine the best for you.  Get the BEST you are able to afford!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Notice I never plant in rows.  Waste of space.  I also use pots and in the pots I only use potting soil from the store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-08T17:08:57.037" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31082" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5977" CreationDate="2017-03-09T00:09:26.910" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can grow plants with white LEDs. The bulbs sold at hardware stores are slightly more efficient than 23 watt CFLs, however they are less efficient than T5s or metal halide bulbs. I have tried LED grow light but got better results and longer bulb life with T5s. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The new ceramic metal halides are even better. Many makers of expensive LED grow lights (black dog, platinum and others) claim that plants can only use 40% of the light produced by white LEDs, and the fact that it takes 2.5 times the photon flux density to produce photo inhibition in plants with white LEDs than with natural sunlight would seem to support this claim.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16851" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-09T04:08:31.703" LastActivityDate="2017-03-09T04:08:31.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31083" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31085" CreationDate="2017-03-09T13:30:17.860" Score="9" ViewCount="14898" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can I mulch a plant bed before I plant in it? Can I just clear out the mulch at the spot where I want to plant shrubs later on? I am planning to grow shrubs and ornamental grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14177" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T00:19:05.457" LastActivityDate="2017-03-10T00:19:05.457" Title="Can I mulch a plant bed before planting in it?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31083" CreationDate="2017-03-09T13:59:37.627" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes you can.  I've had to do that numerous times in order to help suppress weeds until I can get the shrubs in.  I would, however, recommend against it.  It can be pretty annoying to have to move all the mulch around again.  If you are only planting a few shrubs, then it's no big deal, but if you have a lot of planting to do, wait until the end to mulch.  Use a tarp or bucket to place the soil from the planting hole on to minimize the mixing of soil and mulch.  Pull the mulch farther away than might seem necessary from the planting site.  If you don't, you will inevitably end up with dirty mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-03-09T13:59:37.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31085" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31083" CreationDate="2017-03-09T16:29:28.523" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes you can mulch before.  Here is a great secret to keep your plants to be planted in soil, not the mulch; find a nursery that sells used black plastic pots.  Before mulching, put the pots where you plan on planting.  For 1 gallon plants use a two gallon pot.  This helps to not mess up your mulch.  You can also use plastic cut to shape for trees and stapled to the soil.  Pull up pot and plastic as you plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normally, we mulched last.  Same idea.  Plant your plants and use that pot to cover the plant.  Then BLOW in the mulch.  Remove the pot immediately and make sure the mulch is not built up on the bark of trees and woody shrubs at the base.  If you have shallow rooted plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, daphne...brush the mulch back to only a 1&quot; depth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you use bark, get as fine as you are able and fertilize the MULCH with nitrogen.  That will help it decompose without robbing the plants of their nitrogen.  Best mulch is human poo mixed with sawdust and COMPLETELY decomposed.  Already decomposed it adds nitrogen to your soil,  gorgeous, does not smell!, fine textured natural taupe, no sticks, no chunks, no weed seeds and no pesticide residue.  Check with your mulch suppliers.  I NEVER used bark if I had this stuff available!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-09T16:29:28.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31087" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-09T18:08:34.093" Score="5" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this Ficus tree for some time now. The growth is a bit meek. The leafs are small, the color is not as deep green and not every branch/limb has them. If you can see on the right the other Ficus tree next to this one has excellent leafs. They are lush and deep green color. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect perhaps I am doing something wrong with this tree. May be the soil isn't what it needs to be or may be something else. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone help diagnose what might be wrong this this Ficus tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/inmBT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/inmBT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13254" LastActivityDate="2017-03-09T20:31:13.937" Title="How do I improve the growth of this Ficus?" Tags="&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31088" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5028" CreationDate="2017-03-09T18:31:37.353" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like to think of this more in terms of &lt;strong&gt;functions&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you say 'soil', think geology, as in the earth has many types of soils, clay, rock, sand, etc. Largely mineral. The top layer (top soil) &quot;should&quot; be where plants grow and therefore it &quot;should&quot; contain organic/biological matter. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;However, humans have been removing topsoil for the sake of having a firm stable, mostly flat surface for building. &lt;em&gt;Compost is stuff humans make by putting various kinds of organic/biological matter together to replace the top soil we systemically remove.&lt;/em&gt; If we didn't remove the top soil and left plants where they grow, we would not need so much compost.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Compost by itself is not enough for plants to grow in.&lt;/em&gt; Compost has a function wherein it contains the invisible microbial lifeforms which can break down the structure of hard, mineral-laden soil (think geology again) and render it into something plants can take up by their roots, leaves, etc. That function would be the work of topsoil if we left it alone, but since we removed it we need to replace it with something like compost. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not all compost works as well as top soil because it needs the microbial life to do the job. Some compost doesn't provide a very good home to the microbes and so fails to work as a replacement for topsoil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2805" LastEditorUserId="2805" LastEditDate="2017-03-09T23:48:13.350" LastActivityDate="2017-03-09T23:48:13.350" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31089" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-09T18:39:47.717" Score="5" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this small mini red cherry plum seedling on ebay last two weeks ago, I want to know what these two plant stems will look like when they are mature...&#xA;And describe what will they look like when they get very big.&#xA;Because I wonder what will these two plants look like when they get big?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The left one's stem is some kind of softer and much greener than the right&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The right one's stem is much harder-branched but smaller than the left&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They are seperates, their roots are different (not together)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The left plant don't have a bunch of thin hair-spreading-like roots coming out from the single stem underneath but its roots are looking like it's sliding right following some long thin-like rounded knuckle which has a dark-brown spot at its bottom end that are not sending thin hairy roots from beneath it, or maybe it will in the future?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The right plant does have hair-spreading-like roots coming from its single stem underneath&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought 1 small plant but there are 2 different plant stems bundled in a pink elastic band.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XYRf4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XYRf4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Red Cherry Plum&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16373" LastEditorUserId="16373" LastEditDate="2017-03-09T20:34:25.020" LastActivityDate="2017-03-09T21:51:29.643" Title="What kind of plant will my Red Cherry Plum stems grow into?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31090" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31087" CreationDate="2017-03-09T20:31:13.937" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to be certain from the photograph,but it would appear that the pot your Ficus is in is way too small for it. The plant needs to develop a larger root system in order to support healthy and abundant topgrowth, and it's not able to do that currently. You can check by turning the plant out of its pot - if the root ball is solid with roots wrapping round and round the outside, then it needs a bigger container, with a drainage hole in the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use new potting soil around the rootball when potting into a larger container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-03-09T20:31:13.937" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31091" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31089" CreationDate="2017-03-09T21:36:55.070" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;From your question, and the answers in comments, it seems it's not clear how many plants were supplied, but it seems to be three. Whether they're all the same or not is hard to say at this stage, but you should assume they are. One of them seems to be a non starter, and as you're keeping them in a pot, I'd be inclined to remove the one that's not doing anything and dispose of it, and pot the other two separately. If they genuinely are 'mini' cherry plums, then they're probably like the one shown on the right in the image here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vanmeuwen.com/fruit-and-vegetables/fruit-trees/stone-fruit-trees/mini-fruit-trees-cherry-plum/69141VM&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.vanmeuwen.com/fruit-and-vegetables/fruit-trees/stone-fruit-trees/mini-fruit-trees-cherry-plum/69141VM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should also use much smaller pots than the one shown in your picture, and pot them up into larger pots as and when necessary over time, otherwise the roots they form will wander and won't form a firm rootball, and there's a risk that all that unoccupied potting soil will 'sour' and the plants won't grow properly. Probably 6-9 inch pots will do initially, going up a size or two each time you pot on. Remove them carefully from the pot they're in currently, and do it as soon as possible, before any roots they've formed get very long and widely spread, and try not to break any; use new potting soil to place around the existing roots, and water in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't tell whether these plants are indoors or outdoors - they need to be outside, but if they're indoors currently because it's too cold, when you do want to put them out, you'll need to harden them off first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-09T21:51:29.643" LastActivityDate="2017-03-09T21:51:29.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31092" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31071" CreationDate="2017-03-10T00:43:38.873" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it grows back. Cut off above the graft. It will be more like a bush than a tree. Very small lemons if any. Be ahead removing it if for lemons. Some people do want lemon or fruit bush's. Ornamental &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16859" LastActivityDate="2017-03-10T00:43:38.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31093" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-10T02:24:01.900" Score="9" ViewCount="1365" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this fruit tree growing in a community garden and it looks oddly familiar although I can't quite pick it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AfbdN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AfbdN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture of the plant to be identified&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16860" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T16:36:42.930" LastActivityDate="2017-12-24T10:06:58.977" Title="Can anyone identify this fruit-bearing tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31093" CreationDate="2017-03-10T04:03:59.287" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely a tamarillo as stated in the comments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16733" LastActivityDate="2017-03-10T04:03:59.287" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31095" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-10T06:24:52.700" Score="5" ViewCount="11041" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to know which crops or vegetables will withstand 40 degrees Celsius (103 degrees Fahrenheit)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16862" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T16:33:35.483" LastActivityDate="2021-02-04T02:08:28.513" Title="Which crops or vegetables can withstand 40 degrees Celsius?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31096" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31095" CreationDate="2017-03-10T08:22:08.227" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many days this past summer were over 40 °C (103 °F) here in subtropical Queensland (Australia).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes, capsicums/peppers, eggplants and cucumber were all really productive under shade cloth, provided they're kept well watered. It's too hot for lettuces and most other greens, however beetroot and turnip greens grow exceptionally well in the heat even though their root vegetables ultimately fail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also productive were sweet potatoes, chokos/chayote, malabar spinach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16863" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T16:15:01.820" LastActivityDate="2017-03-10T16:15:01.820" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31095" CreationDate="2017-03-10T10:03:23.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think it's the actual temperature in and of itself that you need to be worried about, as to whether or not plants can survive in it. For instance, in some areas, people go on about how nothing lives through the summer once it gets beyond temperature x. In other areas, it's considered the peak of the growing season when it's temperature x, and the same kinds of plants seem to thrive. I don't know of any plants that die just because it's 40° C. (104° F.) It seems a combination of factors is necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, if you can figure out your Sunset climate zone (if it's been charted for your area), that should give you a lot more information than just how hot it gets. Other important factors include these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Elevation&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Night-time temperatures&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Daylight hours (the north tends to have more of those during the growing season than the south—hence such as long-day and short-day onions; long-day onions are for the north, they say, and short-day for the south).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Humidity/aridity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Your soil (soil can make a difference as to how plants act in the heat; by soil, I also mean the nutrient balance; some important factors with soil include how well it holds water, how quickly it drains, the pH, if it's high or low in minerals and which ones, if and how you fertilize/mulch/amend, etc.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What you're growing (this seems to be what you asked about—I'll get to that)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wind (and/or the lack thereof)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pests/diseases (temperature may favor and/or kill certain pests and diseases—which may contribute to why plants die when it gets to a certain temperature in some areas)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The UV index&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Precipitation levels and/or drought (this isn't at all the same thing as humidity/aridity, whether or not it's correlated)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil life (microbes, worms, good/bad nematodes, grubs, etc.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Whether the heat is inside or outside of a greenhouse&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sure there are many other factors. Now to your question. It is true that some plants seem to handle the heat (and/or heat and the balance of conditions that come with heat in specific areas) better than others. It's not all about the species of plant, though. Different breeds within a species can be adapted to different climates. A heat-tolerant plant in the south isn't always a heat-tolerant plant in the north and vice versa. Some plants are adapted to humid heat, and some are adapted to arid heat. Some are adapted to heat with drought and some to heat with wetness. Some may do very well in some soils, with some watering methods, in the heat, and do very poorly in others (even in the same or similar climates).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Acclimatization is also an important factor for plants. If they've situated themselves to your growing conditions, you'll probably get much better results than if they're still pretty new to them. How many generations they've been growing in them from seed is also a factor in acclimatization.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have unusual or harsh growing conditions, then the best crops for them just may be locally-bred landraces (if they exist). Landraces aren't terribly difficult to create, but as with most kinds of breeding, it takes some years. Landraces not only take advantage of acclimatization via seed-saving, but they also have a genetic advantage, due to mass hybridization between loads of plant breeds, and selection for the plants that do the best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Joseph Lofthouse is probably the most popular person who breeds landraces, these days. His website talks about it a lot. I've gleaned ideas from landrace gardening, and am using them to get better performance out of watermelons in my garden (which doesn't have stereotypically ideal conditions for growing most watermelons—though it's great for the Red-seeded Citron). Most people seem to change their garden to suit their plants, but breeding plants to suit your garden is also possible (and although it may take more effort with less results to start with, in the end, I think you can get better results, especially as you can still change the garden to better suit the plants after the fact, so long as the plants haven't been bred to mind—there are tomatoes that don't seem to like to be watered much, for instance: e.g. Punta Banda and Porter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How you water can make a big difference in how plants grow in your garden (especially in heat, aridity and strong sun). In my area, with my water (maybe not yours), showering plants (foliage and all) and a broad area of the soil really makes them grow faster, bigger and healthier, whereas just watering the soil at the base of the plant and keeping the foliage dry doesn't have the same benefits. In another area, with different water, that might lead to fungal diseases, or mineral spots causing damage to your foliage, but with mine, it actually seems to ward off disease (probably because it seems to keep the aphids and whiteflies, which can spread disease, away—they don't like to be showered). Most people seem to prefer drip irrigation, though, as it doesn't get the leaves wet, or splash dirt onto them (which dirt might spread disease to the foliage).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't have landraces (or even if you do), I have some recommendations for plant breeds, but I would want to know where you live in order to tailor them more to your needs. Note, for instance, that if I list cucumber breeds, I'm not recommending cucumbers generally for your area (I'm only recommending specific breeds of cucumbers, and then only if you want to grow cucumbers). You might try the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cucumbers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beit Alpha&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Monika&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Marketmore 76&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Squash:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dark Star zucchini&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Squash generally do well in the heat, although bugs or diseases may cause issues. You might try C. argyrosperma and C. moschata squash for increased insect resistance. The one cool-weather squash I know about is C. ficifolia (which grows faster when it's cool, and starts to fruit when the days get shorter), but most kinds seem to be warm-weather squash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watermelons and cantaloupes also tend to like the heat. However, the other factors I mentioned above may greatly influence the outcome. A lot of people with tough growing conditions recommend Yellow Doll F1 watermelon. I like Verona quite a bit, but Sugar Baby is what most people around here grow. I think focusing on acclimatization is more important with watermelon than focusing on the variety, though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes and eggplants: (We have &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/20138/which-tomatoes-grow-the-best-in-high-temperatures&quot;&gt;a whole question dedicated to tomatoes and eggplants&lt;/a&gt;, although it probably needs to be updated, considering things I've learned since then, some of which I've mentioned here. Nevertheless, I'll recommend a few of my favorites. Note that my area is a northern, semi-arid region, with very hot summers and cold to very cold winters.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thessaloniki&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Matina&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Early Girl F1&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cuostralee&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chapman&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Creole (this one likes humid heat, but I still enjoy it)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aussie&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also might try SunGold F1 and SunSugar F1. I haven't grown those, but they're generally regarded as vigorous, very sweet, prolific, and heat-tolerant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also recommend Aswad eggplant. I grew it in 2016 with great results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Okra is supposed to be pretty great for the heat. Most okra is likely more adapted to southern heat than northern heat, though. However, it can flourish in the north, too (but it probably depends a lot on your soil and how you grow it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ground cherries seem to do pretty well in the heat, as long as your pH isn't too high and you don't transplant them too late in the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some peppers do better in some kinds of hot conditions than other peppers do. However, I think how you grow them is more important than the variety, for the most part. I find that peppers often do better in containers for me (with the same soil as those in the ground; although some kind of mix free of regular garden soil is supposed to be best, to avoid diseases and allow for better drainage, it hasn't worked the best for me, so far; so, this is why I use amended garden soil; you might want to use a mix, though). Bell-types like California Wonder seem to like the ground, though. Moving totes seem to work a lot better for peppers than 5-gallon buckets, in my experience (even with two plants in the moving tote and one plant in the bucket). You'll probably have better results with smallish, productive peppers than with giant peppers (although I would seriously recommend checking out Gypsy F1 and Neapolitan for productive, large peppers; I'm not sure how well they do in the heat, though, but productivity is generally a good sign).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Amaranth seems to do well in the heat (and in drought).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might try growing sorghum. It's supposed to be hardy, and it has more than one use. You can harvest grain. If you get sweet sorghum, you can make syrup from it. You can makes brooms from sorghum (I'm not sure what kind of sorghum you'd need, if it matters). I have Mennonite Sorghum to try out this year (for both grain and the sweet juice).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you research it, you can find lots of plant breeds that are supposed to be heat-tolerant. That doesn't necessarily mean they're heat-tolerant in your specific growing conditions, but the odds may often be improved over those that don't mention it. However, I've found that all the heat-tolerant kinds aren't always labeled as such. So, just because a description doesn't mention that, doesn't mean it's not heat-tolerant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2017-03-11T03:20:19.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31098" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-10T12:26:02.740" Score="7" ViewCount="624" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YAa6Q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YAa6Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;House plant/tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This first house plant/tree I bought around 6 months ago here in London UK, I water it every few days or so, but haven't changed the soil or repotted it. Most of the leaves have since fallen, it does receive plenty of sunlight in doors. What can I do to revive it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I8J6y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I8J6y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Palm type house plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second house plant has been in my living room, again I do not water it excessively but still it seemed to be dying and wilting in the corner of my living room. I've since moved it to the conservatory study at the back of the house and it seems to have stopped the rate at which the leaves seemed to be dying. Is there anything else I could do to help preserve this plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance :) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13777" LastActivityDate="2017-03-10T13:08:58.520" Title="How can I revive these house plants" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31099" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31098" CreationDate="2017-03-10T13:03:36.387" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first plant you've shown is Ficus benjamina variegata - unfortunately, it's now in a pretty sorry state. This particular plant is very fussy about its environment - it hates draughts, it dislikes changes in room temperature, it doesn't like being moved around, and it does not appreciate direct sunlight. As a houseplant, it needs a spot that's brightly lit (daylight) but without sun, nowhere near a door that opens a lot, nor near a window which will cause air temperature changes and draughts, away from heat sources such as radiators, and should be watered when the  surface of the potting medium feels just about dry to the touch, then watered well, but not left sitting in water in any outer tray or pot after 30 minutes. The addition of a liquid houseplant food such as Baby Bio during spring through to summer is also useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that yours is in this condition, the best option is to cut it back, down to about nine to twelve inches or to where the lower leaves are still growing, removing the cane that's tied to the stems first. The trouble with cutting it back is, it will bleed white sap for some significant time, so you should take the precaution of standing it on newspaper to catch any drips that occur. You might also turn it out of its pot - its possible its potbound, but hard to tell because I can't see the pot properly in the picture. If the roots are wrapped round and round the rootball, then it needs a pot one size larger, so you'd need to pot on, using new potting compost around the roots. You may decide its not worth all the trouble if you cannot provide a more suitable situation for it within your home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second plant pictured is Dracaena marginata tricolor - this one tolerates low-ish light conditions, but not too dark, unlike its sister, Dracaena marginata, which will tolerate a fairly dark situation. Best not exposed to sunlight, only to daylight. Again, it appears it needs a bigger pot, so follow the advice mentioned above for the Ficus in regard to repotting. Water thoroughly afterwards, and ongoing, the same advice about watering as given above applies. It's not looking too bad - a little lopsided, but you can correct that by repositioning the rootball in the bigger pot so that the central stem is more upright, if it isn't at the moment. Baby bio can be given spring through summer too. Some leaf loss at the base is normal, but if it's quite a lot and often, it usually indicates under watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-10T13:08:58.520" LastActivityDate="2017-03-10T13:08:58.520" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31100" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1171" CreationDate="2017-03-10T15:23:05.513" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I picked my cauliflower and cabbage several weeks ago but left two of the plants in to see what would happen.   They both have a lot of new growth on them,  so I'm leaving them.  One has at least six new shoots.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16865" LastActivityDate="2017-03-10T15:23:05.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31101" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1938" CreationDate="2017-03-10T21:19:10.610" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would almost never recommend using landscape fabric in garden beds!  All of the hardest, thickest and worst patches of weeds I have ever dealt with have one thing in common.  That one thing is landscape fabric.  Mulch on top of the fabric breaks down and creates compost for weeds to grow into.  They sprout on top and grow roots through the fabric so when you go to pull them, they almost never come out clean.  Trust me, it is a huge pain in the..  Not only that, but you are installing a barrier that will prevent soil building and the natural mingling of micro and macro organisms in your soil and the mulch layer.  Not good for your trees!  Then you have big chunks of black fabric surfacing from below the mulch in a year or so and it looks terrible. You can probably tell by now, but I hate landscape fabric with a passion! =]  I will use it under pathways, patios, french drains and other places where I'm not growing things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I would do if I were you is this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a string trimmer or something to cut the weeds down low to the ground.  If there are seeds present, try to cut them off and discard them first.  I would only really worry about especially rampant weed seeds in this scenario. Leave the clippings there.  Take some plain brown cardboard or news paper and lay it over the weeds.  If you have compost, put some compost over the cardboard.  If not, just put whatever mulch of your choice on top.  To prevent weeds, just add more compost or mulch every year to suppress weed seeds from germinating.  That's it.  Cardboard does the same work as landscape fabric, but it decomposes in about 6 months to a year, making it a much better alternative.  This is called &quot;sheet mulching&quot;  It's an easy way to establish new garden space or deal with really tough weed patches.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-03-10T21:19:10.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31102" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31112" CreationDate="2017-03-11T00:00:07.890" Score="9" ViewCount="661" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased a small Rainbow Euclyptus tree off Ebay about 1.5 months ago. It arrived healthy and looks to be doing well.  Though I'm concerned as it has a really crooked part of the trunk just at the base.  Knowing how huge this tree will become...should I be concerned? How should I go about straightening it?  I'm thinking either:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put in some stakes and rope to slowly unbend the trunk.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Or Simply dig a deeper hole and bury that bent portion underground.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xm3GR.jpg&quot; width=&quot;292&quot; height=&quot;520&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DYKeo.jpg&quot; width=&quot;292&quot; height=&quot;520&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15468" LastEditorUserId="15468" LastEditDate="2017-03-11T14:34:16.910" LastActivityDate="2017-03-11T22:31:30.380" Title="How should I straighten my bent baby Euclyptus Tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31103" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-11T08:08:44.323" Score="4" ViewCount="7891" Body="&lt;p&gt;Everyone who has done composting would probably agree small particle size of compost ingredients is essential for quicker composting. Is there any way to shred compost ingredients without using machine (shredder/lawn mower)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16094" LastActivityDate="2021-03-21T14:38:39.763" Title="Suggestion for cheap and efficient way to shred compost ingredient?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31103" CreationDate="2017-03-11T12:20:01.597" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a way without using any powered machine, but it's very time consuming and not terribly efficient; a pair of loppers and sharp secateurs and shears will be necessary. Cut the larger woody stuff into small pieces with the loppers; use the secateurs to further reduce the size, and to reduce the size of smaller twigs and stems; use shears to chop through soft stuff. It won't be as effective, and it will take some hours if there's a lot, so it's only worth doing if someone has absolutely nothing else to do, or finds it therapeutic. Personally, I'd prefer to watch paint dry, so I'd rather just chop up the big stuff and wait longer for the resulting compost...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-11T14:00:20.423" LastActivityDate="2017-03-11T14:00:20.423" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31103" CreationDate="2017-03-11T13:18:54.423" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, it's a machine but not one you specified - leaf blower. The ~$80 Corded models for Toro and Worx have vac attachments and metal impellers. I use them in the fall for my maple leaves. They'd work fine for kitchen scraps.  (To anyone who might read this - use a 12 gauge cord, and the gutter cleaning attachment is a gift from heaven).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dry leaves you can just walk around on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Honestly though, if my carbon pile wasn't on the other side of my lot from my maples, I don't think I'd shred them anymore (the vac attachment to my blower shreds, and vacuuming I to a bag is a lot faster than blowing 500+ cubic feet of leaves 100ft to the pile). The gain in decomposition speed from shredding is minimal if you turn properly and have a bit of an aeration element in the compost. (I break apart a stick or two, or use loppers to cut it if it's green - only need a handful. Doesn't matter if it's not rotted at finish BC it's there for aeration).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the cheapest way to shred waste is to not do it. You'll be tumbling/pitchforking it 5-8 times as it rots, and that's enough.  When you sift the final product, anything too large goes right back in the pile anyway.  I think you'll be surprised by how little difference there is. Handful of inch long 1/8 - 1/2 inch diameter aeration sticks and a handful of dirt for every ~3 gallons of compost is how I do it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a fan of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vegetable-gardening-with-lorraine.com/homemade-compost-bin.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.vegetable-gardening-with-lorraine.com/homemade-compost-bin.html&lt;/a&gt; - but a black locking-lid plastic garbage can with holes drilled all over is just as good, less work to make, and a lot less work to tumble. And a barrel is better for short term applications like potting mix recyc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wow I went off-topic.  Actual answer summary: cheapest way to shred waste is don't do it, just turn/tumble your compost properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-03-11T13:18:54.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31106" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30267" CreationDate="2017-03-11T13:41:13.493" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;THATS A GOOD GUY!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;House centipedes are your allies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://m.imgur.com/gallery/RwDXX&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://m.imgur.com/gallery/RwDXX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-03-11T13:41:13.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31103" CreationDate="2017-03-11T16:12:15.243" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Other than ripping stuff that can be ripped by hand (most of which does not particularly need to be, as it will break down easily anyway) any shredding is going to involve &lt;em&gt;a machine&lt;/em&gt;, unless you can find an animal that wants to eat your compost ingredient and thus &quot;process&quot; it for you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people do, in fact, use a flock of chickens this way, but it's a roundabout route to composting. They will eat and to some extent shred with their feet (scratching) and excrete processed material (manure) onto the stuff they don't choose to eat. But they won't have much interest in (say) wood waste unless it's crawling with bugs (and it's the bugs they will want, in that case.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise it's going to be some kind of machine - Bamboo's loppers and secateurs are machines, Paul's leaf blower is a machine, various mechanized compost processing devices that range from the well-established and expensive but reliable (hammer-mills) to well-meaning attempts to make &quot;low-tech&quot; machines that may not work so well (I've found a trip-hammer machete with a chute to feed it and a cast concrete grindstone in my surveys of this subject in the past. Both looked like a lot of work to use. I can't currently find either one on the web.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the very low-tech line, &lt;a href=&quot;http://commongroundcompost.com/what-is-compost/learning-to-compost/tools-for-composting/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this is described as a compost chopper&lt;/a&gt;, but it's still a machine (albeit a simple one) - that looks like a lot of work to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://commongroundcompost.com/what-is-compost/learning-to-compost/tools-for-composting/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PChCo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively there is always time, as Paul &amp;amp; Bamboo both mention. I like to help time - I have, via experience, decided that I really don't enjoy feeding a brush chipper (or listening to it, or trying to make sure that I end the day with as many arms/hands/fingers as I started the day with.) I have found that I can markedly increase the rot-rate of a pile of brush by encapsulating it within a pile of horse manure, which maintains a moist environment and supplies some nitrogen. The hugelkulture folks simply bury the woody stuff under the planting beds and let it rot in place, which also works. Another way to use woody material that breaks it down is to turn it into charcoal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-03-11T16:12:15.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31108" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31110" CreationDate="2017-03-11T16:46:34.600" Score="6" ViewCount="333" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have recently bought a bypass lopper and apparently there is a correct way to position the blade when cutting; that is, reversing the position would damage the branch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenmyths.com/anvil-bypass-secateurs-pruners/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;gardenmyths.com&lt;/a&gt; claims:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oPo8H.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.fuf.net/resources-reference/tree-care-on-your-own/pruning/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;fuf.net&lt;/a&gt; makes the same claim:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vQQ2p.gif&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vQQ2p.gif&quot; alt=&quot;fuf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently, one side of the branch gets crushed when cutting.  Is there any truth to any of this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the &lt;code&gt;gardenmyths&lt;/code&gt; image, it seems more likely to me that the blade side would get crushed, because the &quot;hook&quot; side has less going on during the cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone confirm or deny this?  Is there any convincing argument to any of this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14770" LastActivityDate="2017-03-12T21:02:29.543" Title="Correct position of Bypass Pruner/Lopper Blade" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31108" CreationDate="2017-03-11T18:35:17.237" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Absolutely TRUE!  That blade needs to be closest to the living tissue to cut cleanly or the other side of the bypass crushes the living tissue allowing bacteria, etc. to enter the system.  Bypass pruners are the only pruners that should be used.  Anvil pruners do the exact same crushing.  Bypass pruners with sterilized SHARPENED blades cut surgically. Cleanly.  Always use alcohol in between different plants you are pruning. I mean use the alcohol to clean your blades, not take sips of your favorite beverage...grins!1&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-11T18:35:17.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31103" CreationDate="2017-03-11T19:00:54.033" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anything that was once alive is IMMEDIATELY attacked by decompose-rs.  They do all the work for you, all you need is patience, add nitrogen to the compost to feed the decompose-rs, keep the compost turned once a week so the decomposition is aerobic not anaerobic (p u) and protect from critters.  While you are cleaning up debris the more time you have to break sticks into little pieces the better...if you are in some kind of hurry.  I make different piles; one for herbaceous stuff and food scraps (never meat) and one for woody debris.  I add more nitrogen and leaves and other herbaceous stuff to the woody debris and keep turning both.  Takes a bit longer, but really not that much...months not a month as it takes for the herbaceous stuff.  Moisture, nitrogen (there used to be a kitty litter made from alfalfa that was cheap and worked extremely well) and air...oh, I also added soil into both because that helps inoculate your piles with even more decompose- rs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-11T19:00:54.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31102" CreationDate="2017-03-11T19:06:30.200" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leave it alone.  That bend will always be there but your tree will always head for the sun.  Not to worry.  The bend will become less obvious as the diameter of your trunk gets larger with age.  To stake your tree will make your trunk weaker and delay root growth for support.  Staking is just like putting a cast on your arm or leg.  Take that cast off and guess what?  You've got a vastly weakened arm, leg or trunk and root system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something vastly more important that you probably do not notice is that mulch up against your tree.  THAT WILL KILL your tree eventually.  Pull the mulch back to allow that bark to dry.  Only ONLY the roots should be beneath the soil, never any of the woody stem!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-11T19:06:30.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31102" CreationDate="2017-03-11T22:31:30.380" Score="2" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No 2. No&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many eucalypts in the wild look like yours. The tree will naturally straighten up to a point and, if it requires additional strength, it will naturally buttress its trunk. I would stake the tree to stop it blowing over in a strong wind but otherwise would leave the tree to its own devices.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16863" LastActivityDate="2017-03-11T22:31:30.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31114" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-11T22:39:22.833" Score="4" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;See picture. Instead of one large cauliflower head it is producing individual florets.  What is the possible reason for that?  I have done the usual watering and fertilizing so don't think that is the issue. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t8IJL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t8IJL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-12T20:47:49.987" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T20:47:49.987" Title="Why is my Cauliflower not producing nice shape" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;&lt;cauliflower&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31115" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31117" CreationDate="2017-03-11T22:41:28.690" Score="4" ViewCount="795" Body="&lt;p&gt;See attached picture of my cauliflower plant in my raised bed. Other plants are healthy but this one does not look as healthy. What could be the reason?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ecjpd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ecjpd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-12T20:46:31.423" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T20:46:31.423" Title="Why does my cauliflower plant have leaves which are damaged and full of holes?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;&lt;cauliflower&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31116" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-11T22:42:05.027" Score="4" ViewCount="5578" Body="&lt;p&gt;My friend has inherited several roses at her new home in Connecticut (zone 6a). They are quite large--upwards of six feet. I'm helping her try to ID them (more out of curiosity than expertise). But I'm having trouble even narrowing down to a category. Is there a way to tell if they are large shrubs or untrained climbers? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm including a few photos taken last October.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MDqJQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MDqJQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C0mZl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C0mZl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16870" LastActivityDate="2017-03-12T23:09:40.193" Title="How To Tell A Climbing Rose From a Large Shrub?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31117" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31115" CreationDate="2017-03-11T23:03:31.973" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks as though it's been ravaged by insects.  Are you sure you don't have cabbage worms, aphids etc attacking this plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes I see that the weakest plant in a group of plants gets attacked by insects leaving the more healthy ones alone.  That is it becomes the honey pot limiting damage to the other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-03-11T23:03:31.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31118" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-11T23:18:48.793" Score="5" ViewCount="3695" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MXUkK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't been able to find a picture on the web that looks exactly like this. Although I am suspicious that it is early blight. Any help is appreciated. I have quarantined it but need to know if I should just chuck it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nmPt5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in Sacramento, CA which is zone 9B. These are plants I started from seed. I used those expanding pellets from Jiffy. I have hand watered and kept them pretty moist.   They are about 5 weeks old and about two weeks ago I transplanted to 4&quot; pots with bagged mulch soil. Kellogg's raised bed mix and gave them their first fertilizer at 1/4 strength. Also of note I just started hardening them off the last couple of days. But this is the only plant affected out of 36.  I did notice it is just around the veins. I hope this picture will suffice. I will post another one that shows what suspect may be a slime trail, so maybe a baby snail came over from the nearby agapanthus.  I had put them on the patio table in full sun for three hours and then put them in the shade, which is 10 feet from the agapanthus until I brought them in around 11pm. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T3lif.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only leaves affected are the first set of true leaves.   The newer sets, about 4, seem unaffected.  Thank for your very thorough information and interest!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16871" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-03-12T23:12:50.007" LastActivityDate="2017-06-24T13:32:34.600" Title="What is causing pale discolored patches on my tomato seedlings' leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31116" CreationDate="2017-03-11T23:28:34.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Roses are quite difficult to ID correctly, especially once they've become overgrown like this, because there are literally thousands of varieties. I'd take a guess they're climbers, particularly the one in the first picture, but there are other factors which might help decide. A clear picture of a flower, showing the number and shape of petals, whether the flowers are held in clusters or individually per stem, whether they repeat flower or produce flowers in one flush per year, whether they are fragrant, whether they produce hips and what they look like, the size and number of thorns on the stems, as well as overall growth habit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They both look a bit of a mess at the moment, so it looks as if a good prune is necessary - you should start by removing dead wood and stems, anything which is infected or unhealthy, anything thin and weak, any stems which cross and rub each other, along with anything that is clearly a sucker; if the plant is still overcrowded, then it may be necessary to remove more stems, but if not, then prune back healthy stems to a strong, outward facing bud, fertilize in late spring and, if possible, mulch with composted animal manure, and see how they develop this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-11T23:33:45.537" LastActivityDate="2017-03-11T23:33:45.537" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31120" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31118" CreationDate="2017-03-12T00:35:59.130" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Doesn't look like blight to me...please turn that leaf over and look at it with a magnifying glass...send us a picture.  This looks like the work of some sucking tiny insect.  One HAS to get an ID BEFORE any treatment.  This is like a major honor system for pesticide applicators.  How many leaves have been affected like this?  What are your watering methods? The blight I know, early and late are very dark patches.  If you do get blight all the plant material needs to go into a burn pile.  Your soil will be full of blight spore.  No tomatoes, potatoes, egg plant, peppers...plants in the same family should be planted there the next year...I'd wait for two and then take measures so no spore is able to splash up onto your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I am dying to see the underside of that leaf.  See how the majority of necrotic tissue is around the veins?  This would be an insect thingy.  Do not do anything until you send us more pictures and more information.  Sometimes we get leaf miners or similar that cause some leaf decimation but no big deal for producing fruits.  Tell us what you have done for fertilizer.  Where did these plants originate?  Did you start them?  How  old are these plants?  Again, need to understand your watering methods.  What kind of soil?  Are these raised beds and WHERE do you live, what zone are you in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-12T00:35:59.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31121" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31116" CreationDate="2017-03-12T01:07:07.457" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a perfect espalier project!!  So close to the siding. Make sure to not prune more  than 1/3 of this plant now.  Later you will be able to more in 6 months.  Be thinking about eyelet screws and wire structure a good foot from the siding to start encouraging branches to enjoy some direction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pruning you've already done is perfect.  You've got some time to go research espaliers to decide the form you'd like.  I am seeing a half fan to our right possibly an entire fan to go over the window.  Cut off all rose hips and flowers.  Pull back the mulch at the base.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is either a climbing vine rose or a floribunda which is part shrub and part vine.  Both work well as an espalier. Here are some good &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/care/how-to-espalier/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;espalier ideas&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/espalier-roses-98654.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;great definers of types&lt;/a&gt;, and advice on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-prune-floribunda-roses-3269536&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pruning floribundas&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What direction does this wall face?  Have you or your friend seen this plant in flower?  Enlist the help from a good contractor or savvy boyfriend?  Obviously this is a white rose and whatever it is, it is perfect for an espalier.  Done correctly, the work will pay off by raising the value of your home.`&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something is covering your stem walls.  It looks like concrete covered with a stucco or similar.  Pull the mulch back and allow those concrete stem walls to dry.  Paint with asphalt emulsion? Good thing to check.  How is the moisture in your basement? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-12T23:09:40.193" LastActivityDate="2017-03-12T23:09:40.193" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31115" CreationDate="2017-03-12T01:21:08.970" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got flea beetles.  They only last a short time but they love the brassicas and mustards.  I found that having a TRAP crop is the best way to divert these dudes from my 'cash' crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-12T01:21:08.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31123" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31114" CreationDate="2017-03-12T07:47:24.193" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Like cabbage's family plants, cauliflower has a growth phase followed by a flowering phase. It usually takes two seasons, with a winter in the middle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like this plant is on its second growth season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my guess is it got great stress ( drought or freeze) and started producing flowers too soon.&#xA;It also could be one you planted the year before or something similar. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I doubt you can grow normal cauliflower from this. But in the end of summer you could harvest the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-03-12T07:47:24.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31124" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31138" CreationDate="2017-03-12T07:48:39.787" Score="9" ViewCount="433" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant has been growing in my garden (south India) for a while. Would like to know its name so that I can take better care of it. Thanks! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lF6hF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16873" LastEditorUserId="16873" LastEditDate="2017-03-13T06:02:51.180" LastActivityDate="2017-03-13T06:05:58.670" Title="Can anyone identify this plant that grows leaves from its leaf?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31124" CreationDate="2017-03-12T10:14:39.820" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is definitely some kind of &lt;em&gt;Cacti&lt;/em&gt; plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would say it's from the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.fr/search?q=SCHLUMBERGERGERA&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjciZfD3NDSAhWpDMAKHSH-C0YQ7AkIMw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Schlumbergera&lt;/a&gt; group.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's quite easy to multiply by just cutting one of the healthy leaves and putting it in light humus in another pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16167" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-12T21:13:07.790" LastActivityDate="2017-03-12T21:13:07.790" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31126" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-12T11:26:28.617" Score="6" ViewCount="353" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the point of adding peat &lt;sup&gt;&lt;i&gt;(peat-moss/sphagnum-peat/sedge-peat/etc.)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/sup&gt; to soils and substrates? What benefit does it provide? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like the texture of it, and being that it's composed of partially decayed or decaying vegetation, I presumed that it would be full of valuable nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although, some preliminary research suggests that it actually doesn't contain  much in the way of nutrients at all; similar to other soil additives, like coconut coir, perlite, vermiculite, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16095" LastActivityDate="2017-03-13T00:07:34.260" Title="What is the benefit of using peat?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;moss&gt;&lt;peat&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31126" CreationDate="2017-03-12T12:13:47.147" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It can absorb a lot of water and release it as it is needed. But you are right, it has not much nutrients, and pure peat is also very acid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-03-12T12:13:47.147" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31128" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8451" CreationDate="2017-03-12T12:57:39.877" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Late lawn fertilizer was the issue.  For two years now, I stop adding fertilizer to my lawn after July and since then they are looking much better.  The inner foliage started to grow back again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2759" LastActivityDate="2017-03-12T12:57:39.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31129" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-12T14:42:20.277" Score="6" ViewCount="1103" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm about to leave for 2 weeks and the days are just stating to become sunny. I have a few succulents on a windowsill (on a south-facing window), and I'm wondering how they'll cope with this. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I watered them within the last 4 weeks, but I'm wondering if I should water them again just before leaving. I'm also asking myself if I should move them away from the direct sun. I have a feeling this might just be apprehension on my part, however, since the plants would be in the sun either way when I'm here. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two of these succulents are Euphorbia, the rest are cacti, and there are a few aloe. Should I take special care for any of these?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lleJ3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the plants on the windowsill&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastActivityDate="2017-04-06T09:47:10.747" Title="Leaving succulents in the sun for 2 weeks without watering" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31130" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31126" CreationDate="2017-03-12T15:23:37.997" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peat has been extensively used for years as a soil amendment or an ingredient in the mix for potting composts. Nutrient level is low to non existent, but because it holds onto water, it can also retain nutrients which are present in the potting mix or garden soil. It has an acid ph, and there's usually a high proportion of peat in potting mixes for acid loving plants such as Camellia or Rhododendron.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peat, though, has taken millennia to form - it is  not a renewable resource, and carbon is released into the earth's atmosphere as peat is removed from the bogs where it is found. Peat use is restricted, controlled or banned in many parts of the world for these reasons, and many gardeners avoid any product which contains peat because of these ecological principles. Primary use these days is by commercial growers, so if you are still able to buy it, use it sparingly. If you were thinking of using it as a soil amendment, composted materials are more beneficial anyway, adding humus to the soil and improving soil bio diversity, so things like composted animal manures, leaf mould, your own compost from your heap or bin are better choices. More info here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/peat-moss-information.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Peat Moss And Gardening – Information About Sphagnum Peat Moss&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-03-13T00:07:34.260" LastActivityDate="2017-03-13T00:07:34.260" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31131" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31129" CreationDate="2017-03-12T16:04:01.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If this is their normal home by the window and you only water once a month, they should be fine. I would water them before leaving.  Leave that glass cage open. I would also have someone come over in a week to check on them to report on how they are doing.  How long have these succulents been in this spot? You said it has begun to be sunny so more infrared is getting in which is fine if they've been there for awhile.  They look beautiful.  A very cool 'hobby' and collection you've made...are those your own starts in the glass cage?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd water them before I left for sure. No fertilizer. I'd have a friend come over because I am paranoid about everything in my home when I am not there.  Probably not necessary.  Do you have those automatic lights and stop your newspaper delivery? I even have my radio turning on and off...and when away worrying will only ruin your vacation or trip.  Safe trip, Gabriele!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-12T16:04:01.587" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31132" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31114" CreationDate="2017-03-12T18:20:31.767" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cauliflower needs uninterrupted growth because interruptions can cause the plants to develop a head prematurely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually the flowers stay small and open up in summer, when the night temperature doesn't drop significantly from the day temperature. However, from your profile I see you are in hardiness zone 10 in Northern hemisphere, so no way to have hot nights now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In conclusion, if your watering and fertilizing were normal, and night temperatures were low, the only explanation is that the daytime temperatures were too high. You can read more about this on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.almanac.com/plant/cauliflower&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Old Farmer's Almanac&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-03-12T18:20:31.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31135" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31108" CreationDate="2017-03-12T21:02:29.543" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If using an anvil pruner in addition to crushing by the anvil, using the anvil on the discard side enables cuts to be made much closer to the branch collar (NB: do not cut into the collar itself). This enables the cut to heal over better (stubs that are left will die back into the main stem leading to a bigger scar and potentially introducing disease).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, anvil pruners are better for cutting harder materials than bypass. This is because both blades are thin on a bypass cutter and can twist, bend or splay apart resulting in a poor cut. In anvil pruners, the anvil adds rigidity and helps stabilise the tool during the cut.  They are more widely used in commercial horticulture than bypass. Bypass are good for thinner, softer materials. Commercially, they find their greatest use in the cut flower industry where neither side of the cut can be crushed. Correctly maintained and used, the blade side of a cut from an anvil will be indistinguishable from the those of a bypass pruner. A serious horticulturalist will have a range of pruners so they can select a tool appropriate for the job.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-03-12T21:02:29.543" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31136" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-12T21:36:28.537" Score="4" ViewCount="7866" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an avocado plant indoors that is seven feet tall, and that has never been pruned. The top two feet which have most of the growth are now bending over. The ceiling is at nine feet, and the plant must be cut back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much can I cut it back to reduce its height?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jfFXj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jfFXj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16875" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-03-22T18:48:47.373" LastActivityDate="2017-03-22T18:48:47.373" Title="How should I prune a large indoor avocado plant?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31137" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-12T22:30:44.553" Score="6" ViewCount="1694" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for an evergreen climber to screen an ugly pre-cast concrete stone-effect fence. I cannot change the fence (it's concreted into retaining structures). The fence consist of 6ft upright posts with multiple panels slotted one on top of the other between them. This means that there are lots of gaps that climbers can get through (ivy does). The problem is that as their stems increase in size they will prise the gaps apart the fence. Are there any evergreen climbers that won't do this? I don't really want to have to fit training wires as I do not want to have to drill into the fence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm based on the southern edge of the Cotswolds, England, so it'll be exposed to mild, wet but blustery south-westerly weather. The aspects that need covering are east and west facing, but they get a lot of sun. We get some frosts, but temps rarely drop below -5°C. Soil is free draining, over limestone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-12T22:38:17.067" LastActivityDate="2017-03-14T21:12:29.553" Title="Self-clinging climber that will not damage a concrete fence" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;fence&gt;&lt;climbers&gt;&lt;screening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31138" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31124" CreationDate="2017-03-13T06:05:58.670" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a Night Blooming Cereus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16873" LastActivityDate="2017-03-13T06:05:58.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31139" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-13T11:49:06.417" Score="5" ViewCount="1189" Body="&lt;p&gt;My plum tree is rotting where a branch was cut some time ago.  The rotting zone had what looked like soil with worms and wood lice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut out the affected the region but it is affecting almost 1/3 to half the diameter of the trunk.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have sprayed a neem oil and insecticidal soap solution, and I have bought a wound sealant too, which I plan to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other places on the tree where the bark/skin is split and a similar problem is occurring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would you suggest?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TIRld.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TIRld.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eYcNd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eYcNd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14770" LastActivityDate="2017-03-14T21:32:48.093" Title="Plum Tree Issue with Rot" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31140" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31142" CreationDate="2017-03-13T12:52:22.647" Score="5" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few weeks ago I bought two tea-hybrid roses with their roots in wet sawdust and saran wrap (it is called nude root in my area, no idea how to call it in English).&#xA;The shoots started to grow the next day, although they were still unplanted. After that, I have bought some general purpose potting soil with pH in the range of 6,5-7 and planted them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will these roses bloom this year or are they too young?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I need to plant them outdoors to get them blooming?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Has anybody grown indoor roses?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it helps, the reddish one on the left is Rosa &quot;Dame de coeur&quot; and the other one is Rosa &quot;Mr. Lincoln&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1NAF8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1NAF8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-03-13T13:17:28.013" Title="Will these roses bloom this year?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31141" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31103" CreationDate="2017-03-13T13:00:13.610" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had some success using a hedge trimmer on a pile of cut (thin) branches, brmables etc., though the aim was mainly to compact them rather than  to speed up composting.  You can even do this in the bin to save having to tidy up so much afterwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For brittle material (like dried-out canes) you can chop downwards with a spade, so long as your spade has a fairly flat end.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In fact, depending on how your composting is structured, you may find that shredding too finely impedes drainage.  I use a dustbin (actually 2 of them) with drainage holes added, and the lowest holes block quite easily unless there's a twiggy layer at the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2017-03-13T13:00:13.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31140" CreationDate="2017-03-13T13:11:50.600" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Roses supplied in the condition you describe are known as 'bare root' in the UK, so 'nude root' is just another way of saying the same thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both these roses need to be planted in the ground, outdoors - pot growing will restrict their roots and growth and they may not develop and flower very well kept in pots, although it's fine initially. Mr. Lincoln is quite a tall rose reaching around 1.5 metres, Dame de Coeur is a somewhat smaller plant with an average height of 70-80 cm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what your weather's like at this time of year, but you'll need to harden these roses before planting outside now that they've been kept indoors, so if the ground isn't frozen currently, nor likely to freeze again till next winter, start leaving them outdoors for increasing time periods over a week or so till they're out all night, then plant out. If you can include some soil amendment such as composted animal manure to the area you'll be planting in, the roses will appreciate that, but don't plant them where roses have grown before. Planted out within the next 3 weeks, and kept watered as necessary, it's possible you will get some flowers this year, even if its only one or two, but there may be none this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roses are sometimes kept indoors as temporary houseplants, but they are usually very much smaller roses - patio or miniature varieties. In general, roses really don't do well if kept too long inside the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-13T13:17:28.013" LastActivityDate="2017-03-13T13:17:28.013" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31143" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31139" CreationDate="2017-03-13T13:26:37.617" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not looking good - the photograph appears to be showing an area on the main trunk, but it's  not clear whether this area is near the base of the plant or much higher up, though I suspect it's the latter (near the base). If it's high up, then remove back to healthy wood, but if this wound is towards the bottom of the tree, and the same issue is appearing elsewhere, it's not looking hopeful for the tree's healthy survival. Further, as it gets worse, there's a strong risk of it suddenly falling in high winds, so its proximity to buildings and/or people nearby is a consideration if it's quite tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not seeing any weeping, but I do wonder if that area is soft, so you might try pushing the tip of a pen or biro into it - you should not be able to penetrate it if its healthy. Otherwise, it's probably worth posting a photo showing the whole plant so its easier to tell quite where this problem is, or give more information regarding the age of this tree, its height and spread and the location of this wound.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wound paints are no longer recommended - they don't prevent problems occurring at a wound site, and may actually increase the likelihood of problems occurring, so don't bother to use it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-13T14:18:51.683" LastActivityDate="2017-03-13T14:18:51.683" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31144" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-13T14:14:07.920" Score="3" ViewCount="149" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few years ago I got 5 pots from IKEA measuring 12cm in diameter and 12cm tall. I've tried having herbs in them, but they are just way too small for anything to grow nicely for more than a few weeks, so now they've been sitting in a box for two years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I like how they look and I really want to figure out how to use them. I recently moved to an apartment with a balcony and I'm starting a gardening project. I've got the following seeds: sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano, chives, dill, parsley, basil, coriander, peppermint, spearmint, marigold, pansies, harlequin, passionflower, spring onion, dwarf snap peas, baby carrots, beans, spinach, salad, tomatoes (tumbling tom, sweet pea currant), cucamelon, jalapenos, sweet pepper, wild strawberry and strawberry temptation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know most of that can't grow in those tiny pots, but if any of it could please let me know, and if you have any ideas for some plants that would be able to grow in small pots (probably some semi drought resistant ones, I think they're going to dry out fast on a hot day) then I would much appreciate it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are the pots: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ikea.com/dk/da/catalog/products/10155671/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.ikea.com/dk/da/catalog/products/10155671/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: They do have drainage holes, I live in denmark and an alternative to placing them on the south-east facing balcony would be a north-west facing window sill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16833" LastEditorUserId="16833" LastEditDate="2017-03-13T15:38:40.767" LastActivityDate="2017-03-16T09:11:48.287" Title="What can I grow in small (Ø12 D12) pots outside?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31145" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31144" CreationDate="2017-03-13T14:29:35.933" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry to tell you that it's a waste of time trying to get anything much to grow in them - I don't think these little pots have a drainage hole in the bottom, so any use you put them to for plants means having a normal pot with drainage holes inserted, meaning you use these pots as outer containers to make them look better and catch excess water (indoors). This type of pot also gets very hot in direct sun, which isn't great for plant roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen these put to use on kitchen windowsills, usually with smaller herbs for regular use in them - herbs such as chives, parsley, coriander, thyme, the sort of thing you can buy in pots in the supermarket in the vegetable section, but the plants in them are replaced relatively frequently once all the leaves have been used. Chives and thyme can, in theory, be permanent plants, but not in such small pots - they'd need to be potted on into something larger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Effectively, any plant in a smaller pot can be inserted into these - but not for long before the plant concerned needs a larger pot. However, Cactus are a longer term option- most don't need repotting until they've absolutely filled the small pots they're in, and that can be years. Even so, don't plant directly into these pots, just get cacti in pots of a size to fit inside and remember to empty out excess water from the outer pot 30 minutes after watering, so the plants aren't left sitting in water. Whether you can keep cactus plants outdoors year round depends on where you are - most (or probably all) will only be fine outdoors all year in warm countries, where cold,damp winters don't occur.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With drainage holes, you can plant straight in to them, but outdoors in full sun, I suggest lining the pots with something insulating first - I use large galvanised pots, but I line them with that thin, polystyrene, flexible wrapping material you get round fragile objects in packages sometimes, I don't know what it's called. If you used them for cactus indoors, though, they'd be in use for some years...otherwise just small annual bedding flowering plants, they'll only be in them four to six months at most outdoors, but they will need watering daily or twice daily in hot and sunny weather&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-13T17:22:55.620" LastActivityDate="2017-03-13T17:22:55.620" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31146" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31137" CreationDate="2017-03-13T18:08:02.323" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are 3 I'd recommend; an evergreen would be Clematis armandii, white flowers, tough tough plant and fragrant, wow fragrant.  Another would be Akebia quinata; mine in zone 5 was evergreen. &lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrTcdbL2cZYgAgAWBsnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByNWU4cGh1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=Quinata%20Vine&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Akebia quinata&lt;/a&gt; Yummy to walk beneath if that is possible, such as a gate. Profuse yet dainty purple flowers. The third is a perennial that will grow 25 to 35 feet every season and die back for the winter.  You will be able to rip all the old/dead &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Obcg5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Obcg5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Golden Hops in back growing up into tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;vines off the wall in winter or spring and never have to do any pruning.  In the spring, this plant takes off and I swear you will be able to watch it grow; 2 or 3' some days.  Golden Hops...Humulus lupulus 'Aureus'...the new foliage is chartreuse, bright lime green.  Later in the year leaves become dark green.  Gorgeous little 'japanese lantern' flowers. Was my favorite.  Choose your own variety to harvest and make beer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send pictures of the wall and environment and tell us your zone.  Because of the concrete you might have to change the pH of the soil for the vine you choose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-13T18:08:02.323" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31147" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31139" CreationDate="2017-03-13T18:53:17.343" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;No treatment at all.  Leave it alone.  No staking either.  Half the vascular system is still viable.  I would THIN your tree so wind is able to go through the branches without being stopped and able to pull your tree over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is more problematic are those vines.  I'd like to see the base of your tree's trunk.  Are those vines covering it up?  Is there soil or mulch on the bark of your tree?  Only the roots should be in the soil.  Vines, soil, mulch, rocks or moss will allow the bark to stay moist and that invites bacteria which will girdle your tree, eventually killing it.  Pull all soil, mulch and vines off your bark immediately if so.  Please send another picture of the base and one of the entire tree?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-13T18:53:17.343" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31148" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-13T20:27:47.097" Score="5" ViewCount="152" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone please explain to me the difference between the Rain Bird SP40 sprinklers that already have a nozzle, and the 1800 series, which is spray only with the same nozzle type. Why would I use one over the other?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16881" LastActivityDate="2017-03-14T00:34:23.837" Title="What is the difference between a Rain Bird SP40 sprinkler and Rain Bird 1800 series with the same nozzle?" Tags="&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31149" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31137" CreationDate="2017-03-13T21:53:19.190" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is only one self clinging climbing plant which is evergreen in the UK, and that is Hedera and its varieties. If you choose one, you will need to block off the gaps in the fence to prevent any shoots forcing their way through. It is also likely that Hedera will 'root' into the fence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are two other climbing plants which self cling - Hydrangea anomala and Parthenocissus, but they are not evergreen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All other climbers will require extra support of some kind, such as trellis, clematis mesh or wires, depending on the particular plant's means of attaching itself to a support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there's sufficient room at ground level, you might be better off choosing an evergreen, freestanding shrub which prefers to grow against a wall or fence, and which can readily be trained/pruned against it, such as Pyracantha or Garrya elliptica.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You mention evergreen climbing hydrangea - generally, they are not reliably evergreen in the UK and are only just frost hardy, H. anomala being the only one that is totally hardy here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Decumaria is only just frost hardy in the UK, climbs by means of aerial roots, and will need canes inserted to support those aerial roots - I've only ever seen it trained up a trellis in Cornwall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trachelospermum jasminoides is the one that's hardiest in the UK - the one you mention, T. asiaticum, is 'frost hardy' which really means frost tender. It is generally described as a 'self twiner' which is true, but that just means it twines. Left to its own devices, it has a tendency to just twine round itself, so if you want it to cover a large area, training it onto supports is necessary - bit of a slow starter for the first couple of years, but a lovely plant once it's got going, though in exposed situations, it can suffer in a hard winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pileostegia is self clinging, hardy, reaches about 6m, prefers a fair bit of shade, but is said to be very, very slow to get going, which was certainly my experience the one time I planted it - took about 6 years for it to get a foot and a half high, so I've not bothered with it since, specially given it's not even that attractive - fairly similar to H. anomala, which gets going faster, though that plant also requires a fair bit of shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regard to Hedera and its tendency to produce rootlets to stick itself to what its growing up, it will do this on concrete, even if it is new - its Parthenocissus which, whilst having a vaguely similar habit, does not damage new surfaces such as walls and pointing, but may damage older surfaces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for what I'd recommend to plug the gaps in your fence, I've no idea, but it seems you'll need to think of something as you're worried about tendrils going through the gaps. It's not a problem I'd have because I'd plant a freestanding, wall hugging shrub or two instead of a climber in this situation. Either that or erect a separate, more attractive fence just in front of the concrete one so you don't see it anyway, if there's no border or room for planting in front.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-14T21:12:29.553" LastActivityDate="2017-03-14T21:12:29.553" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31150" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31139" CreationDate="2017-03-13T22:17:24.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut the tree and burn the wood, otherwise the disease might spread to other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: The reality is that&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The tree's life will be shorter than the life of a healthy tree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The disease is spreading, according to the OP.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The reserve of pathogens builds up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this case, I would try to minimise the risk to other plants in the garden and that's why I said to cut the tree, although I know this is the least pleasant answer somebody wants to hear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-03-14T21:32:48.093" LastActivityDate="2017-03-14T21:32:48.093" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31151" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31148" CreationDate="2017-03-14T00:34:23.837" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://store.rainbird.com/contacts&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://store.rainbird.com/contacts&lt;/a&gt;  I've already asked your question but thought I would give you this link to contact them yourself.  Be lots faster and you could give them details they need to be able to help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-14T00:34:23.837" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9676" CreationDate="2017-03-14T08:30:29.040" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not sure. I guess the store bought soil has the function like &quot;soil conditioner&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, water retention type soil conditioner can increase the water retention ability; Soil nutrients type conditioner can provide nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ref:&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.socochem.com/water-retention-type-soil-conditioner.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;water retention type soil conditioner&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16884" LastActivityDate="2017-03-14T08:30:29.040" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31153" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31154" CreationDate="2017-03-14T09:26:52.810" Score="4" ViewCount="131" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a plant in our office that came from another office and has no label. It has started growing some interesting flowers. Just wondering if anyone knows what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qOFAE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qOFAE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16885" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-21T17:59:24.193" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T03:46:38.913" Title="Does anyone recognise this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31154" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31153" CreationDate="2017-03-14T12:32:46.927" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is most likely &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.de/search?client=firefox-b-ab&amp;amp;noj=1&amp;amp;biw=1683&amp;amp;bih=965&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=1&amp;amp;q=dracaena+fragrans+blossom&amp;amp;oq=dracaena+fragrans+blossom&amp;amp;gs_l=img.3...15969.16862.0.17474.6.6.0.0.0.0.102.453.5j1.6.0....0...1c.1.64.img..0.1.90...0j0i24k1.Pc15VZ0ZcU0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dracaena fragrans&lt;/a&gt;, in my humble opinion it's the classical office plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's interesting that it started to flourish as it almost always just dies over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16789" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-14T23:05:32.043" LastActivityDate="2017-03-14T23:05:32.043" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31155" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-14T13:51:15.607" Score="4" ViewCount="719" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew this peach tree from a pit from a peach tree that grew in in my yard which grew the most delicious peaches. That was in Seattle 2 years ago but now I live in Colorado and I'd like to plant it in the ground eventually. The leaves are starting to come back after the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I trimmed the tips off the branches because they were dried and dead looking after the winter (maybe 1-2 inches depending on the branch). I was watering the plant in this pot during the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is about this little shoot coming off the bottom. Should I cut it completely off? Should I let it grow? It is growing much faster than the rest of the leaves. Is it pulling energy away from the rest of the tree? Is it a problem that it is coming out of the base?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z8GBh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z8GBh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MTHdr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MTHdr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="981" LastEditorUserId="981" LastEditDate="2017-03-14T14:00:30.277" LastActivityDate="2017-03-14T14:35:07.187" Title="Should I trim this small peach tree shoot?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31155" CreationDate="2017-03-14T14:35:07.187" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you should trim them. It is frequent to have such shots on fruit plants (or in general plants which are planted or cut). See also &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicormic_shoot&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Epicormic shoot in Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: plants grow from a fruit could be very different than the mother plant. Better way to have identical fruits, is to graft some branches of mother to a new tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-03-14T14:35:07.187" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31157" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-14T17:57:14.257" Score="6" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lately, many salt cedars (tamarisk) are growing on my property. I'm trying to get rid of them, but I don't want to hurt any of my other plants. It seems they're grown to a field in size. They are scattered all over, and I need ways to  dispose of them. There are too many to be killed  manually and I'm wondering if there is anything I can do to get rid of them but not kill any of the other wild life. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16886" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-03-15T07:17:51.397" LastActivityDate="2017-03-15T16:14:55.617" Title="I'm trying to get rid of the tamarisk on my property" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;yard&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31158" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-14T18:10:12.717" Score="4" ViewCount="3635" Body="&lt;p&gt;My peace lily is wilted since 2 weeks, its neither a case of not watering nor of over watering..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The story is: &#xA;I bought this plant 2 weeks back in wilted condition but shopkeeper told me it have not been watered since long and have watered just 2 hours before and will revive soon, and it actually did in 2 days...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then I took it out of its plastic bag in which it was potted and put it into a 8 inch plastic pot, but after a day later it wilted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought its not in a good soil, been a more clay containing and was very tight. So I waited for 2 days and seeing it not revived. I bought a good and well drained potting mix from same nursery and repotted. But even after 10 days it is still wilted. But neither of leaves are getting yellow or brown:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mgCfD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mgCfD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image of current day&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During whole period soil was nicely moist, and not soggy for sure.&#xA;Please help, its an imp plant to me due to of its rarity in my city, I got it on order at very high cost, so please suggest advice to my dying peace lilly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16887" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-03-15T07:29:27.430" LastActivityDate="2017-03-17T14:36:41.030" Title="Droopy peace lily" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31157" CreationDate="2017-03-14T18:39:35.640" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best way I know is continuous digging them up where you do not want them to take hold.  Pulling baby seedlings when you see them.  You will never be able to eradicate them from your yard.  This plant would be involved in some statewide eradication effort IF it weren't for the habitat it provides...some bird.  Can't remember but the animal is protected.  It is valuable for EROSION control, so if you live with slopes you should think about keeping a thick 'sweep' of it on the steepest parts of the slope above your home while pulling all the little ones popping up.  It also, sucks up water like nobodies' business, another great attribute if you are living on a slope, or  at the foot of slopes!  It does minimize all other indigenous plants using a toxin, so you'll be able to maintain a group or sweep of them to work for  you and your property.  And they are a pretty plant planted in mass. Check out this site;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nps.gov/sagu/learn/nature/tamarisk.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;park service help&lt;/a&gt;  These people will identify and give you the best ways to either eradicate or manage.  I ASSUME you live in Arizona, Phoenix!!!  I was born in Tucson, my kids live down there.  I miss the desert!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-03-15T16:14:55.617" LastActivityDate="2017-03-15T16:14:55.617" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31160" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-15T03:31:04.810" Score="3" ViewCount="171" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have grapes that have sadly been overwhelmed with leafhoppers, which totally decimate the appearance of the leaves, to the point of white chlorosis. Control methods have proven only temporarily effective, and a lot of work. We're planning to cut them down (before the plants return from dormancy), but I'm wondering, how long would we have to be without grapes before the leafhoppers moved somewhere else? Would they stick around the yard longer than a year even without grapes? (Assuming the grape vines are completely removed, and then new ones are replanted after the waiting period.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture of the leafhoppers, taken in the 2015 season before they did much foliar damage:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9UhDv.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9UhDv.png&quot; alt=&quot;Leafhoppers from 2015 in southwestern Idaho&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's an example of damage to the leaves (although it can get to the point where you don't really see much, if any, natural green on many, if any of the leaves):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CacdU.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CacdU.png&quot; alt=&quot;Leafhopper damage to grape foliage in southwestern Idaho in 2015.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that I'm not particularly looking for methods of controlling leafhoppers (although you're welcome to mention them, too). I'm just wondering how long these leafhoppers will stick around in an area after the grapes are gone (i.e. how many years, if more than one).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update (30 June 2018): We kept our grapes, but we got rid of the trees that shaded them (and all of our other trees). Earlier, before the trees were gone, this year, we had some leafhoppers and leafhopper damage, but now I don't see any foliar damage, except on the old growth that is shaded by the new growth. I guess they don't like vines in full sun as much (or maybe their predators like the sun more). The leafhoppers seem to be gone (I don't see any, even on the old, shaded growth).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-07-01T04:47:51.820" LastActivityDate="2018-07-01T04:47:51.820" Title="How long will leafhoppers stay after grapes are removed?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="31161" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5837" CreationDate="2017-03-15T03:54:19.257" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It IS in the Bigonia family. Exactly what genus or species, I can't tell yet. I think you should winter it next year (2nd to last paragraph).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're curious as to how I've IDed it as such - it's an odd pinnately compound leafed woody climbing vine with &gt;5 leaflets per leaf. That's the Bigonia family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most Bigonias like to die back in the winter.  They can be indoor plants, but you'll have to stay well on top of pruning to keep them looking good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have about 400 vertical sq ft of Trumpet Creeper. It's amazing every spring when its main trunk and branches, off of which everything has died and the bark appears dedicated and peeling, explodes back into life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't speak to your plant specifically, because mine was decades old when I bought my house. Younger plants have distinctly different growth than older ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if it's a Bigonia, it's likely  hardy, aggressive (they're not really &quot;invasive&quot; - they're native) and will thrive on neglect.  My vine grows on a concrete retaining wall, in a 1' wide, 20' long patch of the worst clay soil you've seen.  Stuff turns almost cement-like when dry, and that trumpet vine's just chuggin' along, happy as a clam. I've overhauled hundreds of square feet of isolated gardens here, but that patch gets the barest of attention. (A lot of vines are like that. Morning Glory is another example. If you want the saddest looking MGs, be nice to them. If you want 6&quot;/day MGs with insane flowers - abuse and ignore them.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On wintering:&#xA;Its green, woody stem - that's your plant asking for dormancy. Woody plants need their winter cycle.  You can help them out and mulch around them, or if in a pot, move them somewhere the temperature doesn't go above 50 degrees and they still get some sunlight. But almost without exception, woody plants need their seasonal cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One final bit: if you say &quot;Bigonia&quot;, people will probably hear &quot;Begonia&quot;, so just say &quot; Trumpet Vine of some kind&quot; so folks won't think you're nutty.  GL!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-03-15T03:54:19.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31162" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31164" CreationDate="2017-03-15T06:06:02.977" Score="5" ViewCount="517" Body="&lt;p&gt;I took a cutting from my hydrangea. I left two sets of leaves and plucked off the rest. I then stuck the plant into a blend of soil and perlite with two nodes under the soil. It has sprouted a few new leaves so I decided to transplant it, but when I took it out of the soil, It seems that instead of roots sprouting from the nodes, there were leaf buds there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AdqbK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AdqbK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf bud growing underground&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I can tell, there doesn't seem to be any roots growing anywhere else. Should I leave it alone? Can it still work? Will it grow roots on its own? Should I chop the bud off? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&#xA;I did this about two weeks ago, taking a cutting from a mostly dormant branch near the ground. I used the Schultz Take Root Rooting Hormone and dabbed it on the sides of the cutting, including the bud. I have no idea what kind of hydrangea it is, but it is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Proven-Winners-Let-s-Dance-Blue-Jangles-Reblooming-Hydrangea-Live-Shrub-Blue-or-Pink-Flowers-4-5-in-Qt-HYDPRC2527800/205301803&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this one.&lt;/a&gt; From the link it seems to be French Hydrangea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16888" LastEditorUserId="16888" LastEditDate="2017-03-15T15:53:54.160" LastActivityDate="2017-03-16T22:37:36.617" Title="Cuttings growing leaves underground" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31163" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31157" CreationDate="2017-03-15T07:24:31.737" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;For my part, I would collect a huge amount of mulch and cover the yard with it. You won't need to bend to do the job, just shovel and carts. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will allow lots of wildlife to inhabit below there, and help retain water when it falls. This could represent lots of mulch, depending on the surface you have to cover, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-03-15T07:24:31.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31162" CreationDate="2017-03-15T16:04:49.397" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your branch buds were already determined to be vegetative and not roots.  Cut just above your bud node at an angle sloping down so water will drip off between the buds not on the buds.  Leave a 1/4 inch above the buds and get rid of all above that node.  Then stick it back into the soil...really should use sterile potting soil, don't make it yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep your plant warm and cover pot and plant with saranwrap. Stick popsicle sticks to lift the plastic off your start.  Before you make this little moisture house, moisten the soil, don't over wet.  The pot should be no larger than 3&quot; in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Rooting hormone has been shown to not be effective&quot;. I AM REMOVING THIS PART OF MY COMMENT. But I used to use the powder and it made me feel better.  Do not put this plant in the sun or too close to a grow light or it will cook.  Give it a few more weeks.  Shoot using those plastic drink cups for 'cocktails' with punched holes at the bottom would allow you to SEE the roots forming or not.  Most people cut at least 5 or 6, 1/4&quot; diameter chunks, each with a node and buds.  They don't all make it usually.  Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-03-16T22:37:36.617" LastActivityDate="2017-03-16T22:37:36.617" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31165" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31162" CreationDate="2017-03-15T18:00:29.083" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you only did it a couple of weeks ago, that was a bit late for a hardwood cutting. You can follow Stormy's instructions regarding this particular cutting to give it a second chance, but you can also propagate Hydrangea from soft or semi ripe cuttings as well as hardwood, see link here, under propagation, which has secondary embedded links regarding how to do each type of cutting &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=122&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=122&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will note from the link that climbing hydrangeas are best propagated by layering, but all the others are fairly easy from any type of cutting, done at the right time of year. Maybe try a soft cutting when the new growth has got going, or a semi ripe one later on, as well as giving the one you've done another chance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-15T19:26:46.013" LastActivityDate="2017-03-15T19:26:46.013" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31167" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31158" CreationDate="2017-03-16T01:58:47.197" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peace lilies are very dramatic when they are thirsty. When the plant wilts, give it a good soaking. It'll bounce back in a few hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you water it, put it in the sink and fill the pot up, let the soil soak up the water for a half hour to an hour. Drain the excess water out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It really is just thirsty. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16801" LastActivityDate="2017-03-16T01:58:47.197" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31168" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-16T04:20:37.967" Score="7" ViewCount="882" Body="&lt;p&gt;On a different &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/31162/cuttings-growing-leaves-underground/31164#31164&quot;&gt;post&lt;/a&gt;, stormy wrote &quot;Rooting hormone has been shown to not be effective&quot;. In my experience this statement is correct. I have had the best cutting success rate when not using hormone and instead using a sterile perlite/peat mix. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Where is the evidence that shows root hormone as ineffective&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it actually the fungicide in the rooting hormone mix that aids in successful rooting?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16863" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2017-03-16T15:29:43.010" Title="Are hormone rooting products effective?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;rooting-hormone&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31169" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33234" CreationDate="2017-03-16T05:48:11.180" Score="7" ViewCount="362" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in the middle-phase of planning an Elliot Coleman gothic hoop house.  I have ordered the pipe bender from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.johnnyseeds.com/tools-supplies/quick-hoops-gothic-high-tunnel-bender-7300.0.html?utm_source=froogle&amp;amp;utm_medium=CSE&amp;amp;utm_campaign=MerchantAdv&amp;amp;zmam=80483139&amp;amp;zmas=1&amp;amp;zmac=1&amp;amp;zmap=7300.0&amp;amp;source=google_johnny_seeds&amp;amp;utm_source=google&amp;amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;amp;utm_campaign=NB_PLA_Targeted_GOOG&amp;amp;utm_term=shopping&amp;amp;utm_content=sHnKxaFJ9_dc%7Cpcrid%7C71808251893%7Cpkw%7C%7Cpmt%7C%7C&amp;amp;&amp;amp;gclid=CjwKEAjwzKPGBRCS55Oe46q9hCkSJAAMvVuMAzPMv2PELQwYCwEpvqeUoQPduq2eaVtux1QktI3nRxoCaI7w_wcB&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;JohnnySeeds.com&lt;/a&gt; and am wondering if anyone has any experience in building in a cold climate such as Alaska.  I was recently told that Poly plastic can get very brittle in extreme cold and break.  This is causing me to second guess this type of structure, because replacing plastic every spring would not be cost effective.  Any thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16896" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T14:47:58.183" Title="Building Gothic High Tunnel (Elliot Coleman style) in Alaska" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31144" CreationDate="2017-03-16T09:11:48.287" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pots that size dry out very fast in the sun. In a dull summer I grow strawberries in containers roughly that size on a south-facing wall but in a warm spell (and I'm in the UK so not a dissimilar climate) watering twice a day is barely enough.  You have the advantage that if the soil dries out completely you could put them in a bigger container full of water to soak them; mine are screwed to the wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you use them on the ground/balcony, where the pot isn't so exposed to drying out, many annual herbs and some perennials will do well. Plenty of herbs can tolerate dry soils anyway.  I'd try all the herbs and see what works -- herb seeds aren't expensive. The veg would need something bigger almost immediately but you could start the seeds in these.  If the rosemary does well it will need potting up in a couple of years.  Parsley, both the mints and the spring onions would also work on the NW windowsill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can lay out your balcony so the plants get some partial shade from the very hottest sun, that might help with the drying out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2017-03-16T09:11:48.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31160" CreationDate="2017-03-16T11:16:34.977" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually leafhoppers are not a huge problem, so I expect that some predators will start to kill them soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But birds are also a problem, so on some places people put nets around grapes, or around the whole plants. I think you can use nets also to block most of damages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, I would check online more about &lt;em&gt;your&lt;/em&gt; species of grasshoppers, to understand better they biology.  When they eat your grapes, they are already adult (and maybe also the second generation).  Try to understand where the younger generation are living, and try to combat them earlier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-03-16T11:16:34.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31172" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31168" CreationDate="2017-03-16T12:58:40.210" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;From personal experience, I'd disagree with the statement that rooting hormones are ineffective, but it depends what you're using it for. I prefer the powder formulation to gels or liquids because there seems to be less chance of rot with the powder, and it has a longer shelf life, but essentially, rooting hormone preparations contain a chemical formula that, as far as the cutting is concerned, mimics auxin, the plant hormone largely responsible for root formation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The use of root hormone preparations is neither essential nor preferable for many plants, but cuttings of many woody plants do seem to root better if they are dipped in hormone rooting powder, and also seem to produce more roots more quickly, reflected in more topgrowth at an earlier stage when compared with those rooted without hormone. In general, I'd use rooting powder for woody, semi ripe cuttings of shrubs, but not on soft cuttings, although there may be exceptions - I usually look up how to propagate a particular plant first from a reliable horticultural source, then decide on the type of cutting and whether hormone rooting powder is useful based on what information I find. I wouldn't use rooting hormone on things like perennials, or leaf cuttings and the like, and I'd say the more important factor in whether a cutting roots readily or not is related to whether it's the right type of cutting and whether it's taken at the right time of year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some information here regarding rooting hormones &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenfundamentals.com/rooting-hormones-what-are-they/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenfundamentals.com/rooting-hormones-what-are-they/&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;and how to use them here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenfundamentals.com/use-rooting-hormone-correctly/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenfundamentals.com/use-rooting-hormone-correctly/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've so far been unable to find any reference which states that, across the board, rooting hormones have been shown to be ineffective. That doesn't mean there isn't one somewhere, but I can't find it - they are certainly still in use by professional growers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-16T15:04:12.070" LastActivityDate="2017-03-16T15:04:12.070" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31173" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33352" CreationDate="2017-03-16T21:10:39.467" Score="3" ViewCount="144" Body="&lt;p&gt;The difference between this and the well known &quot;jelly bean plant&quot; (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum_rubrotinctum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sedum rubrotinctum&lt;/a&gt;) is that this is edgy/pointy. I was searching for it everywhere on Google, but no trace found. Can someone tell me this plant's name?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HDnFS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HDnFS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the_plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16901" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-03-16T22:01:49.590" LastActivityDate="2017-05-19T12:43:08.057" Title="Is this a type of jelly bean plant or something else?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;sedum&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31176" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-17T00:53:51.897" Score="3" ViewCount="162" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this plant on March 15, 2017 at RONA Garden Centre.&#xA;Yesterday when I planted it in this pot the leaves are all like natural, no curling sign/stem moving at that any point. But today on March 16, 2017 this morning I noticed this plant's got about 2 leaves that are halfway or sideway curling also some of these leaf stems are leaning not down like yesterday's but upwards, is this normal or not okay? Is it normal for this type of Bellflower to have curly leaves/stems leaning upwards or it might be a problem and how to solve it...&lt;br&gt;&#xA;(Notice The One Middle Leaf That is Curled Up Halfways &amp;amp; Some Of Their Stems Are Leaning Upwards Today?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;THE PLANT ON YESTERDAY&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R0f3z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R0f3z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;  THE PLANT ON YESTERDAY&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/du5MV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/du5MV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;THE PLANT ON TODAY&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jP3vT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jP3vT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;  THE PLANT ON TODAY&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ms7wG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ms7wG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16373" LastActivityDate="2017-03-17T23:01:27.183" Title="Why my White Bell Peachleaf Bellflower's leaves are curling up or leaning upwards?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31177" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-17T02:09:40.180" Score="6" ViewCount="2383" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an ash tree that was broke in a microburst. The stump is about 4&quot; above ground and 5&quot; in diameter. It spouted a leaf off the stump just before winter. I would like to know if it is still alive or dead. Is there a definitive way to tell in winter? My HOA wants a new tree planted but I would rather let this one regrow. Is there a way to tell or will I have to wait until spring to look for regrowth? Thanks for any help&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for all the responses. I live in south dakota so hopefully it will show signs of life soon. My goal is to keep the HOA off my back. I plan on planting several more trees this year but I do not have time to do it by may 1st deadline. They require 3 trees that I had until this guy broke. I dont want to be rushed into planting new trees. I obviously made a poor choice on the ash trees. I need time to do more research and find a fast growing tree that will thrive in western south Dakota. The problem is the local green house recommend that I plant the ash tree's. So how do you choose a tree and who do you trust for advice if not the people who sell the trees. Thanks again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16905" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T18:27:40.290" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T18:27:40.290" Title="Can you tell if a tree stump is dead or alive?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31178" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31177" CreationDate="2017-03-17T03:59:41.583" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trees have enormous amounts of energy stored in their roots. Most likely you'll see new growth emerge from the base side of the old trunk in the spring. Once new growth is evident, you can get the HOA off your back, but you'll have to wait for spring to be certain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16906" LastActivityDate="2017-03-17T03:59:41.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31179" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31182" CreationDate="2017-03-17T05:08:46.133" Score="4" ViewCount="556" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this small flowering plant in my balcony. What is the name of this plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yfajM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yfajM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13845" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:37:49.590" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:37:49.590" Title="What is this plant that has small red flowers and paired fleshy leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31180" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31177" CreationDate="2017-03-17T09:16:02.713" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cut often ashes near ground level, and they will regrow. Because they have a lot of roots, they will regrow quicker then planting a new tree, and without risk of fungi because of rotting roots (of old plant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far I know, ashes are pioneer plants: they grow quick and tall. Just, as you noticed, they are not the most robust (nor long-lived) ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-03-17T09:16:02.713" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31177" CreationDate="2017-03-17T11:50:09.167" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where I live the emerald ash tree borer has killed thousands of ash trees.  The city saws them off at the base and intends to come back to chip them later.  In many cases the stump sends up shoots as the root system is still alive.  This can happen within a month in the summer. During winter months you will have to wait till spring but it is almost certain that new growth will appear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However the branches that bud off the base are &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Water_sprout&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;water sprouts&lt;/a&gt;. Poorly attached they will never make a nice looking tree.  Ash trees left to bud out like this look like an overgrown shrub.  If you let them tall enough they would be even more likely to break in a storm then the original.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that a balled and burlapped eight to ten foot new tree should be less than $200 plus the cost to dig a hole I think your HOA is correct.  You could even choose a more desirable species than an ash given the presence of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikiwand.com/en/emerald%20ash%20borer&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Emerald Ash Borer&lt;/a&gt; across most of Eastern and Central North America&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-03-17T11:50:09.167" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31182" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31179" CreationDate="2017-03-17T12:49:56.793" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a &lt;em&gt;Portulaca grandiflora&lt;/em&gt; or purslane. Some varieties have deep red flowers, although the flowers are quite variable. Examine the leaves carefully, you should see that they are quite thick, enabling this plant to go through drought that would kill others. So it is a good plant to be able to leave when you go on holiday. It will still be happy when you get back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-03-17T12:49:56.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31183" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31160" CreationDate="2017-03-17T13:15:16.683" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are going to cut your vines right down to the ground and keep them at ground level, not allowing them to grow for a year, then the leafhoppers might go, but its unlikely - the image you've shown is not grape leafhopper, but some other type of leafhopper, and those may stay in your garden on other plants because they're not dependent on your grapevines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-03-17T13:15:16.683" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31184" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31185" CreationDate="2017-03-17T13:36:13.010" Score="9" ViewCount="1576" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help me to identify the seed.&#xA;I was thinking it was a sweetgum tree of some kind, but then it is a bit different, so I remain in doubts.&#xA;I attach the image of the pod and the tree under which it was found in great quantity.&#xA;It is taken in South Florida.&#xA;I would appreciate any input.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ybJ6d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ybJ6d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;seed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E2toV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E2toV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16912" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-17T18:11:53.740" LastActivityDate="2020-11-28T05:32:11.500" Title="What is this brown seed pod found under a large evergreen tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31184" CreationDate="2017-03-17T13:42:19.340" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casuarina_equisetifolia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Casuarina equisetifolia&lt;/a&gt; or &quot;Australian Pine&quot;. It's an invasive species from Australia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/invasive-plants/weed-alerts/australian-pine&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://skipsflorida.blogspot.ca/2011/10/floridas-mystery-tree.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's&lt;/a&gt; a nice anecdote by someone else who was flummoxed by its identity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PajKA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PajKA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NONMF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NONMF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2017-03-17T13:47:29.667" LastActivityDate="2017-03-17T13:47:29.667" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31186" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31177" CreationDate="2017-03-17T14:04:06.313" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You do not state which type of Ash it is but here goes anyway. &lt;em&gt;Fraxinus excelsior&lt;/em&gt; were a popular choice for coppicing in the UK (until &lt;em&gt;Hymenoscyphus fraxineus&lt;/em&gt; came along). The shoots can regrow to form quite substantial new trunks, it might be best to allow only around 5 to regrow, to create a balanced multi-stem. You will never get a satisfactorily shaped single stem tree out of it again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In more general terms, it is sometimes possible to tell if trees are alive in winter with a little investigative surgery. Cutting through the bark to the wood may reveal some green under the dead out layers of bark. If this is the case the tree is probably alive. A 5&quot; diameter ash will probably still have smooth green-grey bark. Scraping with a fingernail may even reveal a brighter green which would indicate some life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, assuming you are in the Northern hemisphere it should not be that many weeks until to you find out whether it will regrow or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-03-17T14:04:06.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31187" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31189" CreationDate="2017-03-17T14:17:33.223" Score="6" ViewCount="2509" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help me to identify the seed. &#xA;I attach the image of the pod.&#xA;It was found near the ocean's beach in Boston. &#xA;I would appreciate any input.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Lt6e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Lt6e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QuCvS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QuCvS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16912" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-17T18:09:49.493" LastActivityDate="2017-03-17T18:09:49.493" Title="What is this brown, 4-pointed seed pod?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31158" CreationDate="2017-03-17T14:31:04.707" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Following on from comments above, yes, if there's been no improvement, I'd be inclined to risk potting it again into something smaller - but it depends on how long the couple of roots it had were. If they're very long, then using a smaller pot won't help, because you don't want to cramp up any roots it has got by crushing them into a smaller pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd be inclined to have 2 or 3 pots in different sizes (all smaller than that 10 inch one) available, make sure the pot is well watered an hour beforehand, turn the plant out, gently, lay it down on a tray  or something and carefully remove what soil you can simply to get an idea as to what roots are there, then pot into whichever of the smaller pots you've got available which seems to be able to accommodate the roots, without crushing them, but without leaving too much space around them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the root material is still very small (that is, it hasn't produced any more or very little) then remove half the leaves by cutting them at the base, at soil  level. Removing topgrowth enables the plant to concentrate more on producing roots and reduces the stress of trying to support topgrowth with the little bit of root its currently got. New leaves will arrive as the roots start to grow. Water in well, allow to drain freely for half an hour, then stand on an outer tray and place in a position which receives good daylight, but not direct sun, away from heat sources such as radiators, in a room which does not get very cold overnight. And keep your fingers crossed...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The alternative is to take a chance, leave it in its current pot, and just remove a third to half the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-17T14:36:41.030" LastActivityDate="2017-03-17T14:36:41.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31189" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31187" CreationDate="2017-03-17T15:00:35.850" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are seeds from Trapa natans or &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_caltrop&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Water Caltrop&lt;/a&gt;&quot; or &quot;European Water Chestnut&quot;. You're good at finding &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.invadingspecies.com/invaders/plants-aquatic/european-water-chestnut/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;invasive plant seeds&lt;/a&gt;! :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kk5Iw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kk5Iw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14207" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2017-03-17T15:04:18.303" LastActivityDate="2017-03-17T15:04:18.303" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31191" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-17T15:25:27.187" Score="5" ViewCount="11644" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PKgvH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PKgvH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lemon Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hi all, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I repotted this lemon tree during winter last year and it has had no growth since.&#xA;Any suggestions to give it another growth spurt?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't need much water and the soil that I used to pot it originally was regular household compost, however I just noticed it contains a retention agent which explains why the soil retains so much water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help is greatly appreciated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16915" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2017-03-17T15:33:16.603" LastActivityDate="2019-08-09T18:49:12.213" Title="How to accelerate lemon tree growth" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31192" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31191" CreationDate="2017-03-17T17:09:57.093" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Put this plant in a pot 2&quot; smaller, give fertilizer (Osmocote 14-14-14) and get some sterilized bagged potting soil. Put your Basil (?) in this pot and again  use potting soil.  When you plant anything in pots, use only potting soil.  We could go into specifics but you'll find the reasons one NEVER uses garden soil in pots.  Lift the bottom off your saucer so that there is space between the pot bottom and the saucer.  Do not use any rocks, gravel, packing peanuts NOTHING at the bottom of the soil between the drainage hole and your potting soil.  Again only use a simple fertilizer like Osmocote.  Plants indoors need far less fertilizer than plants out of doors because of the lowered light.  To have fruit, when your plant is larger it will need far more light and LESS nitrogen in proportion to the P and K.  Osmocote being even with N P and K will probably be fine.  But far more  light.  Add artificial light and/or put you plant (s) on a covered porch during the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-17T17:09:57.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31193" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-17T21:36:19.780" Score="3" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last week I seen that my Red Cherry Plum's stems are all green colored,&#xA;but near these days I noticed some differences and changes. Like one of its right thin stem has turned yellow, in the past its green. Another is that I can see the brownish color that's on top of the stem, maybe coming down a little by little, it might keep turning more brown downwards or below.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Why do you think it turned that way for the stems, and the color changes?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I think this is a color change day after day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The Plant Last Week&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sl3Iw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sl3Iw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The Plant Near These Days&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ShoAD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ShoAD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16373" LastActivityDate="2017-03-18T06:18:26.507" Title="Why one of my Red Cherry Plum tree's stem turned yellow?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31194" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31176" CreationDate="2017-03-17T23:01:27.183" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your Campanula persicifolia is an outdoor plant -it's a hardy herbaceous perennial, and it is not going to be at all happy indoors, so as you've had it indoors since you got it, you'll need to harden it off by placing outdoors for increasing periods of time over a week or so until it's out all night. If it was under partial shelter where you bought it, you should try to duplicate that situation as far as is possible until the weather warms more, even if its only standing it against the house wall in a sunny spot, which would give more shelter initially.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-03-17T23:01:27.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31195" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31118" CreationDate="2017-03-18T01:38:02.170" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are right to quarantine the plant from others. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The magnified photo showing the underside of the leaf is out of focus, but it appears there might be an infestation of mealy bug. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The photo showing the top of the leaf indicates damage throughout the leaf structure that I though appears consistent with spider mite infestation, however this can also be caused by mealy bug. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please attempt to upload a photo of sharper focus to the underside of the leaf for confirmation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is mealy bug, then I'd recommend...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chemical treatment:&lt;/em&gt; a half dose (due to age of plant) &lt;strong&gt;white oil&lt;/strong&gt; spray over every part of the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Organic / biodynamic treatment:&lt;/em&gt; a half dose (due to age of plant) &lt;strong&gt;neem oil&lt;/strong&gt; spray over every part of the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding a very small amount of detergent will assist coverage of leaves and pests as it destroys the natural surface tension in water. This also helps to suffocate pests - instead of forming droplets/bubbles on objects, water collapses and literally drowns pests. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't use half strength fertiliser. Tomatoes, even as seedlings, are hungry plants and need a lot of food. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also consider applying a &quot;tonic&quot; that might contain seaweed and/or soil micro-organisms in suspension. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd highly recommend planting basil amongst your tomatoes. The aromatic oils emitted from the basil help to repel potential pests and make the tomatoes taste so much sweeter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Tonics&quot; that contain seaweed or seaweed extract are: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a good fertiliser that will support strong and robust plant growth; &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a good soil builder to help improve the organic matter content of soil and soil microbiology. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seaweed and its extracts have a broad and balanced range of nutrients and importantly trace elements. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peter Bennett's book &quot;Organic Gardening&quot; taught me how trace elements facilitate or catalyse the &quot;uptake&quot; / absorption of both nutrients and other essential trace elements. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, certain ratios of trace elements that benefit absorption of ionic Magnesium can benefits plants, as Magnesium is essential for many plant functions, including:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Photosynthesis: Magnesium is the central element of the chlorophyll molecule; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Carrier of Phosphorus in the plant; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Magnesium is both an enzyme activator and a constituent of many enzymes; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sugar synthesis;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Starch translocation; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant oil and fat formation; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nutrient uptake control; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Increase Iron utilization;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and the list goes on...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So healthy soil containing a broad and balanced range of nutrients and trace elements will help your plants grow strong, fruit/flower well and be resilient to pests and disease. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16488" LastEditorUserId="16488" LastEditDate="2017-03-26T11:47:44.407" LastActivityDate="2017-03-26T11:47:44.407" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31191" CreationDate="2017-03-18T02:48:59.610" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lemon trees usually have only one growth spurt in a year, usually in spring. Depending on your geographical location, this could occur early spring or late spring. Patience is required in the meantime. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water retention in soil is a valuable trait. What is important for citrus trees, such as the lemon tree, is to ensure that the soil your citrus tree is growing in provides extremely good drainage. While their roots can exist in wet soil, they cannot survive in water logged soil and the plant will eventually perish. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Citrus trees feed from their drip line. This means that the tree's feeder roots will be in line with the outside edge of the tree's branches. Your tree is still very young so I'd not concern yourself too much with this, but it is an important consideration as the tree grows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Back to the growth spurt...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As soon as you see the first signs of new growth, tiny leaf buds, apply liquid fertiliser and consider adding a &quot;tonic&quot; that might contain seaweed extract and/or soil micro-organisms in suspension. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normally plants grown in compost might need lime (calcium carbonate) or dolomite (calcium magnesium carbonate) added to manage potential soil acidity, however citrus trees enjoy a slightly acid soil so this should not be an issue. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16488" LastActivityDate="2017-03-18T02:48:59.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31198" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-18T06:09:47.990" Score="6" ViewCount="8277" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you buy dried/dehydrated, compacted bricks of sphagnum moss from gardening suppliers and stores, etc., is it supposed to be alive, and/or able to grow, upon rehydration? Or is it dead?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought some of this &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Brunnings&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; brand, expanding sphagnum moss (not sure what species, possibly &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fertilisersonline.com.au/brunnings-sphagnum-moss-10l.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sphagnum cristatum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and/or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fertilisersonline.com.au/brunnings-sphagnum-moss-10l.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sphagnum subnitens&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;), from the similarly named (but unrelated) &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Bunnings Warehouse&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. It is supposedly &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;★★★★★&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;/&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;AAA-grade&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;New Zealand sphagnum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;: &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RpyzI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RpyzI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Brunnings Sphagnum Moss&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I experimented with it in a bunch of different environments, including some living terrarium/vivarium type landscapes.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, it looks like a sopping wet, dark brown/yellow, lifeless mess of decaying fern fronds and leaf litter, blending in the the soils and substrates, and eventually taking the shape of its container. I was expecting it to develop into a lush, living, upright, green blanket, or carpet of sorts; like this:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hw61C.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hw61C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sphagnum squarrosum&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;Sphagnum squarrosum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16095" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-18T14:04:09.563" LastActivityDate="2017-03-18T14:04:09.563" Title="Is dry sphagnum moss dead?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31193" CreationDate="2017-03-18T06:18:26.507" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is nearly dead. Probably it didn't have enough strength to properly build roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-03-18T06:18:26.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31198" CreationDate="2017-03-18T11:46:06.057" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This product is primarily intended for use as a growing medium for particular plants such as Sarracenia/carnivorous ones, or for mixing in to other materials to create a particular potting mix to supposedly improve water retention, or, if you like the look of dead moss, topdressing some plant pots. Some bits of it may start growing again, but the bulk of it probably won't and isn't really intended to. I note the bag does not say whether it contains long fibre or milled sphagnum, if its actually sphagnum anyway, and I can't see the word 'sterilised' anywhere either, though more information may be on the back of  the packaging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sphagnum moss is a largely non renewable resource, is primarily taken from peat bogs, and like peat, the harvesting of it is restricted or banned in some countries. More  information on sphagnum here; note particularly the warning at the bottom of the page regarding Sporotrichosis &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq3240.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq3240.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-18T13:39:35.247" LastActivityDate="2017-03-18T13:39:35.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31201" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-18T12:29:18.700" Score="2" ViewCount="2976" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently germinated and planted lemon seeds. So far they have sprouted and are healthy. My concern is, I planted about 2-3 seeds per container, and now I have about 2 sprouts in each container. When I need to transplant them, do I need to separate the sprouts and plant them individually? Or can I leave them together? Will it be two trees in one pot eventually? Or turn to one tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16920" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-18T17:33:39.753" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T15:45:35.357" Title="Separate multiple lemon sprouts planted in a single container" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31201" CreationDate="2017-03-18T13:28:34.840" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;They need to be potted separately, if you mean you planted citrus lemon tree seeds. You can move them into small, separate pots as soon as each seedling has two sets of true leaves (the first leaves are cotyledons, and don't count as true leaves).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't say where you got the seeds from - if they are just seeds from a lemon fruit you had, the resulting tree and its fruits will likely be different from the original lemon you bought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-18T17:34:25.930" LastActivityDate="2017-03-18T17:34:25.930" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31203" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-18T16:14:03.993" Score="2" ViewCount="194" Body="&lt;p&gt;I struggle to identify this plant. I have searched for similar leaves but could not find a definitive answer yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some details about the plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;age: about seven years&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;height: 80 inches / 2 m (as seen on the photo)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;it won't stop growing :)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Wt97.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Wt97.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;full height&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hy0oJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hy0oJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15892" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T18:44:09.037" Title="Is this a Dracaena reflexa?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31203" CreationDate="2017-03-18T17:18:13.027" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure it's Dracaena deremensis, most likely the variety 'rhoersii' - it looks exactly like my own one,except yours is more than twice the height of mine and the lower part of the stem is bare of leaves. Often described as D. warneckii rather than D deremensis 'warneckii' or as Dracaena 'Janet Craig' - I've had no luck finding an image of an actual Dracaena deremensis grown as a houseplant on line, closest I can find is here, but it doesn't have the same growth habit as yours and mine &lt;a href=&quot;https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/dracaena-deremensis/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/dracaena-deremensis/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm considering uploading a photo of my own one instead, but discovered my camera's not functioning currently... listed correctly in a book called The Houseplant Expert by D.G. Hessayon, with good images.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're right, I don't mean D. 'rhoersii' (those yellow stripes looked white under low electric light in my houseplant book, my apologies) - I had a look at D. 'kanzi' as you suggested and yes, could be that. or D. deremensis 'warneckii'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-21T18:44:09.037" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T18:44:09.037" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31205" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31206" CreationDate="2017-03-18T19:40:38.527" Score="4" ViewCount="3029" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have heavy clay soil. I just discovered that &lt;a href=&quot;https://phys.org/news/2015-04-drywall-good-composting-material.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;drywall is compostable&lt;/a&gt;, and possibly good for certain types of soil (like heavy clay).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can break it into sufficiently small pieces with a hammer, but doing so directly on top of the soil actually compacts the soil more. Breaking it on flagstones damages them, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a safe and somewhat easy way to break up drywall without causing collateral damage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="606" LastActivityDate="2019-11-24T23:50:47.313" Title="How can I break up drywall without damaging my soil?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31205" CreationDate="2017-03-18T20:29:00.170" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ashes!  NO you should definitely NOT use drywall/plaster board in your soil!!  It is gypsum as well as all kinds of petroleum and chemicals NOT good for soil, especially clay or soil you want to grow edibles!!  Do you remember the site you read or where you got THAT information?  Please send it if you are able.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the absolute truth; &lt;em&gt;the ONLY way to improve ANY soil is to add DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER.&lt;/em&gt;  The key word is decomposed, already been broken down by decomposers.  That matter is what 'feeds' the micro and macro organisms in any soil.  These organisms eat this stuff poop it out and mix this stuff into the soil for you.  As long as you've got only decomposed organic mulch it is used immediately and these organisms go out to tell their friends and multiply like crazy.  Plants and these organisms need each other.  This decomposed organic matter as well as the pooped out stuff adds the necessary TILTH for porosity and holding air for plant's health.  No matter if you've got sand, silt, loam, sandy loam, clay or clayey loam, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Think about how concrete is made; sand, gravel, gypsum, lime, water and CLAY. Then rotation and mixing is added.  Clay is a very cool soil.  Most of my experience has been with clay; blue clay, caliche clay and all of it all I used was DECOMPOSED organic matter...and fertilizers as needed for the particular plants planted.  I add lime ONLY when I want to raise the pH for certain plants and that is ONLY after viable tests.  The only time I add elemental sulfur is when I want to lower the pH ONLY  when I know the original pH for a particular plant or crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clay is the tiniest of the little rocks that make a soil. They are also FLAT.  This gives them an electrostatic charge that HOLDS the particles together, necessary for concrete.  You never want to ever rototill and manipulate clay, especially WET.  Just dig and dump, slightly chop...look up 'double digging and raised beds without any construction'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is it!  I'll never add anything else...double dig your soil and throw in DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER, (not just organic matter, decomposed or the immediate decomposers will gobble up any available nitrogen to do their work and the important micro and macro organisms go dormant until the non decomposed organic matter is decomposed so that it is then available to the soil organisms for food.  Raise your beds. Provide trenches for drainage. And often just add decomposed organic matter right to the top of your soil.  The organisms come up and eat it, go back into the soil profile to poop it out continually improving your soil!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take the drywall to the dump in the construction debris section!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qjy97.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qjy97.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my caliche clay garden first year&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S14DJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S14DJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;another image of caliche clay garden first year&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is almost 70 percent clay.  When it gets wet it is as slick as snot.  I simply double dug the beds, turning the soil over, allowed the soil to dry for a few weeks, and put decomposed horse manure on the surface.  Then again for the winter. I'll do this for at least 5 years on this soil then I'll cut back.  There is such a thing as too much!  But I got great crops the first season.  Never use a rototiller on clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IFbT7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IFbT7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;vegetable beds with volcanic pumice, virgin forest soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil does not come with 'nutrients' for plants.  One needs to KNOW how to manage their type of soil.  A soil test is critical at least just ONE professional soil test.  A second would show you the changes and if you've over fertilized.  The only way the necessary chemistry for plants a human wants to grow for their own agendas gets in the soil is if WE add it.  Compost is not fertilizer.  Added hot perhaps a bit of nitrogen.  Problem is, nitrogen is the primary 'food' for decomposers.  Decomposers get first dibs on nitrogen when they do their job.  Literally insignificant nitrogen if any is left for plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Drywall is NOT good for the soil.  Rototilling is the worst thing to do with high clay soils.  Gypsum + Lime + sand + gravel + clay + water + rotation = concrete&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem we are looking at is the age of YOUR drywall.  If it is older than 2016, there might even be biocides (killer of life), sulfur which will make your soil acidic and other funky stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The worst part for humans is breathing the drywall dust.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ewg.org/healthyhomeguide/drywall/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;composition of drywall&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2019-11-24T23:50:47.313" LastActivityDate="2019-11-24T23:50:47.313" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="31207" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31209" CreationDate="2017-03-18T22:03:42.547" Score="3" ViewCount="728" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 4 gardenias and 3 different issues, that im trying to identify. Please help, any feedback or how to bring back the health of the plant is greatly appreciated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in central florida and its been pretty cold lately, with some rain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) yellow leaves (im assuming low acidity, use fertilizer)&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T008G.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) black leaves, looks like mold&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VSEWQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) yellow spots (i cant figure this one out at all)&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eoQlq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Te3hd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16924" LastActivityDate="2017-03-18T23:49:11.367" Title="What's wrong with my gardenia?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;mold&gt;&lt;gardenias&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31207" CreationDate="2017-03-18T22:45:26.207" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are the things to begin to do and probably on a yearly basis.  Get rid of the non decomposed bark, seriously.  It is causing iron to NOT be able to be available to your gardenias.  As well as low nitrogen content to your soil because the decomposers working on that non decomposed bark use up all the available nitrogen.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second thing is these plants probably should not have been planted along your concrete foundation.  Concrete puts out lime which raises the pH and your acid loving gardenias need a more acidic soil to uptake nitrogen and iron.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because of this chemical imbalance your plants are susceptible to insects, primarily, looks like, aphids or scale.  Can't really tell.  The black is called HONEY DEW.  Aphids/scale, insects in particular go poo and pee.  This excrement is then decomposed by bacteria and that by product is called honey dew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lower the pH of your soil using sulfate, SLOWLY.  There are answered questions right here in Gardening in Stack Exchange on how to lower the pH into the right range for your gardenias.  Plan on testing the pH now and once per year.  Use the sulfate according to the test of your soil's pH.  But not before you do some tests.  Then test after a treatment.  Plan to lower the pH in stages, not all at once.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize with good ole Osmocote 14-14-14 or a similar formulation where the N P and K are equal or the N is a lower number.  Any higher and you'll get great vegetation with no flowering.  There are also fertilizers that are made for acid loving plants that would help lower the pH.  Do not apply any more than the directions tell you or you could kill these plants very quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lime from the concrete raises the pH and this chemistry causes your acid loving gardenias to be unable to get the chemicals (Nitrogen and iron at the moment) they need to make their own food through photosynthesis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-18T22:45:26.207" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31209" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31207" CreationDate="2017-03-18T23:17:35.640" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got a scale or whitefly infestation, and that has led to sooty mould infection. You don't need to worry about the sooty mould, it will disappear eventually on its own, its only there because of honeydew produced by the insect infestation, but you can wash it off gently with horticultural soap and water if you want. You do need to treat the scale or whitefly though; you can tell which of these pests it is by the simple exercise of moving the leaves - if it's whitefly, they'll fly up for a few moments before settling back on the plant. If nothing moves, it's scale insect. Adult scales don't respond that well to insecticides, it's best to use those while they're still at the nymph stage, but some recommendations for various treatments/management here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/plant_pests/shrubs/hgic2059.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/plant_pests/shrubs/hgic2059.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The likelihood is that they all have the same problem, even if some have not yet developed sooty mould or obvious 'yellow spots', so inspect the plant/s that don't seem to have sooty mould thoroughly and treat for scale/whitefly if you see any evidence at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the leaves are showing iron deficiency - this is often the case during cooler weather when iron uptake is slowed, but treatment with powdered iron chelate in spring (now, maybe, where you are?) should sort that out, further info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/helping-a-gardenia-bush-with-yellow-leaves.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/helping-a-gardenia-bush-with-yellow-leaves.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-18T23:49:11.367" LastActivityDate="2017-03-18T23:49:11.367" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31210" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31240" CreationDate="2017-03-19T05:50:07.103" Score="4" ViewCount="1385" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a boxwood that appears to have suffered some significant winter burn. About half of the branches have yellow leaves.  What's the best treatment? Should I prune the affected branches, or leave it alone?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QooWl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Green Tower Boxwood&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16925" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-19T15:25:10.673" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T14:29:53.650" Title="What's the best way to treat boxwood winter burn?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31211" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-19T07:26:46.967" Score="4" ViewCount="182" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm near Zurich, Switzerland, which is in hardiness zone 8a. I recently moved and have an uncovered patio facing North. It gets some sun in the morning and a tiny bit of sun in the afternoon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm still a beginner and would love to have some low-maintenance &lt;strong&gt;edible&lt;/strong&gt; plants on my patio. I don't want to start from scratch every (other) year, so the plants should be perennial and winter-hardy. Also, I don't want to grow salad, because I think it will require much more space than other plants. I've asked some more experienced people and done some research online, and already have the following candidates:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chives&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lemon balm&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mint&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Parsley&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wild garlic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd love some thyme and rosemary, but according to a lot of websites, they only do well in a very sunny place. The same applies to tomatoes. Speaking of which, my list mostly consists of herbs. Any fruits or vegetables that I should try? Has anyone had good experiences with berries under similar circumstances?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14349" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-21T19:24:57.557" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T19:24:57.557" Title="What edible, winter-hardy plants would grow well on my northern patio?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;berries&gt;&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31212" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-19T14:04:21.440" Score="4" ViewCount="1509" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in eastern Massachusetts and have a big project coming up for my lawn. I am planning to get part of it excavated to fix an issue. Once fixed it will be back-filled with soil and I'll move onto my next project of getting an in-ground irrigation system. Once that's done I plan to loosen up the soil around the entire yard as its very packed and I strongly feel that is contributing to spotty patches of grass and in some areas, no grass is growing. I plan to do all of this in the next 6-8 weeks in spring but I've heard core aerating in spring might not be great as it could provide more opportunities for weeds. Does this plan make sense or should I adjust:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get soil test&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Priority #1: Excavate sub-portion of lawn&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Priority #2: Install irrigation system&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Core aerate entire yard (is it fine to do this in spring or should I wait till fall?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Depending on soil test, I may need lime, or not. I read I shouldn't lime and fertilize at the same time. If I do need lime, when should I do it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilize excavation site with starter fertilizer (was planning to try LESCO this year) and seed it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fertilize established areas of lawn with crabgrass prevention fertilizer (was planning to try LESCO this year)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A arborist that also does yard work once told me if I core aerate an excellent thing to thicken lawn after I core aerate is to broadcast seed all over the lawn as some of the seeds will germinate and thicken the lawn. Is that correct? Or should I ignore that and really follow a traditional overseeding plan? Also, if I do core aerate and broadcast seed over it should I have then only used starter fertilizer for the entire lawn due to the new seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to understand the timing of all the things I'm trying to do and want to make sure I don't do the wrong things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update with pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Debris pit area&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BgE02.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BgE02.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;debris pit&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Patchy lawn&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IIkG4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IIkG4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;patchy lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More pictures of lawn&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/7SIM14k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/7SIM14k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/3glAQaU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/3glAQaU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/V585wHg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/V585wHg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/VVNmDbz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/VVNmDbz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE as of 7/24/2017&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've made progress on my plans and I've accomplished the following based on this thread:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strike&gt;Get soil test&lt;/strike&gt; (completed - &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/33003/how-to-increase-phosphorous-potassium-and-calcium-in-lawn-soil&quot;&gt;details are here&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strike&gt;Excavate sub-portion of lawn&lt;/strike&gt; (completed - the issue was an old tree stump that was ground up and left to sink over many years)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strike&gt;Install irrigation system&lt;/strike&gt; (completed)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Core aerate entire yard&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strike&gt;Add lime&lt;/strike&gt; (completed, need to add more in fall)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strike&gt;Fertilize excavation site with starter fertilizer and seed it&lt;/strike&gt; (completed, &lt;strong&gt;looks OK, need to overseed it in fall with more seed&lt;/strong&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strike&gt;Fertilize established areas of lawn with crabgrass prevention fertilizer&lt;/strike&gt; (completed as part of spring maintenance)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my next big things are to core aerate, top dress, and overseed in the fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the big question is: if I live in Massachusetts, when is the best time to core aerate, top dress, and overseed in the fall? Are we talking early September? Mid September? Late September?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I plan to buy good quality mix of seeds for the northeast that will contain KBG, fescue, and perennial rye. Once I do my core aeration, top dressing, and overseeding, should I still keep the lawn moist every day as if I was doing the same routine in the spring? I assume so since I need to keep the seed moist with the warm soil temperature to germinate, but I just want to confirm. If so, I assume I can flip on my sprinklers daily in the early morning for about 5 minutes per zone max just to get the ground moist and keep it moist through September?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16926" LastEditorUserId="16926" LastEditDate="2017-07-24T13:00:08.840" LastActivityDate="2018-03-03T05:23:06.600" Title="Proper sequence of Northeast lawn maintenance this spring" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;&lt;aeration&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31213" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-19T15:12:06.940" Score="2" ViewCount="722" Body="&lt;p&gt;The cuttings just die. I have tried rooting in water, in soil, with rooting powder and without, woody stalks, soft stalks, with greenhouse and without, they just die in 1-2 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16928" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-03-19T17:37:42.217" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T14:06:14.920" Title="Scented geraniums cuttings die" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;geraniums&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31214" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14776" CreationDate="2017-03-19T15:25:33.587" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Prairie Magic: Was removed from my orchard due to vulnerability to fire blight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;September Ruby keeps for 8-10 weeks. Can be over productive, must be thinned to obtain size 6.5 cm average. FB rating of F5 but has recovered from an infection. annually productive if thinned. Very hardy. Flavour is moderately acid and good for dessert.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16929" LastActivityDate="2017-03-19T15:25:33.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31215" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31218" CreationDate="2017-03-19T17:45:43.913" Score="2" ViewCount="1172" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any idea what this plant is and how to care for it? I was given it free at an indoor-plant shop because they didn't know what it was - neither did their supplier. Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eKLho.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eKLho.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the whole plant - the flower is at the front of the image on the table&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Lz8j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Lz8j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close-up near the soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16930" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:59:22.237" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:59:22.237" Title="What is this plant with a flower that looks a bit like a snowdrop?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31212" CreationDate="2017-03-19T18:13:48.577" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Truly not a bad program. BUT. It is a waste of time to core aerate until you've got a mature crop of grass.  So cross that one off.  The other thing that pops out is the excavation of the soil.  The very top 4&quot; is the soil you want to use.  The subsoil is (NW) almost pure clay and to mix that up into your top soil would be asking for tons more work.  I'd scrape 4-6&quot; of the soil off the top FIRST and put it just outside the realm of your proposed lawn.  I have a feeling that we've missed something translating your answer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send pictures of the entire area.  One of the things you want to do, the digging up and breaking up and excavating is contraindicated for clay soil and I KNOW the NW soils.  They are very wet now and for quite awhile.  Do not use machinery on wet clay soil.  Do not use heavy machinery running around on this area. (go to other answers about lawns and clay soil).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clay makes a fine lawn bed.  Grading should take place when the 4-6&quot; of top soil is very dry.  I would bring in top soil instead of worrying about excavating.  Grade by hand with 3' wide GRADING RAKES.  Get a roller filled with water to compact.  I know this sounds opposite of what I've just said but if you've got dry, friable top soil graded you have to compact to get air pockets out or you will have a roller coaster surface.  Grade again, fill in holes and grade again.  Do this before any rainfall.  Forget fertilizing until you've got grass substantially growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I WOULD NOT seed.  Go get sod and sod your lawn bed.  Forget about any herbicide.  Sod alone stops most weeds including crab grass.  If you don't excavate and break up the weeds already there, the maintenance program I will outline will take care of any crabgrass.  And deciduous weeds.  Use the roller on your newly sodded lawn!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Herbicide for crabgrass will kill any grass even your lawn grasses or at least make your grass crop wimpy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Irrigation is best done AFTER laying your sod AND ornamental plants&#xA; in their raised beds.  Truly.  Hard to believe but when you know where the edges of your lawn are and have already planted your plant beds, it is far easier to design your irrigation system.  Irrigation system companies go in and are able to know how far a head needs to spray and overcross with others.  Lawn and plant beds should be SEPARATE ZONES.  Also south facing beds and lawns need to be considered separately from the north and shaded zones.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trench for irrigation lines (1 inch, don't fall for different sizing) is only 6&quot; wide.  When they finish you will not be able to even tell that there was any construction done.  I would wait to mulch until completely done with planting and irrigation. (If you are near Seattle go look up Sawdust Supply and get Gro-Co, I won't use any other 'mulch'...this stuff is incredibly beautiful, smells great, fine fine texture, dark taupe...I envy you.  In Oregon, I can't find this stuff, trust me on this).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wait to fertilize until after the first mowing when the sod will not come up if you pull.  Wait to do the irrigation until after the first mow as you do not want to walk on new sod...as little as possible anyway.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering before irrigation is easily done via cheap oscillating sprinklers.  Shallowly and frequently.  Once the irrigation system is in you need to start training the roots of your plants and grass by watering deeply and NOT WATERING AGAIN until you are able to see your footprints left on the lawn.  Then water deeply again.  Check by using a shovel and digging down it should be wet at least 2&quot; at first.  Then 4&quot; (allowing to dry in between waterings until you are able to see footprints on lawn)...then 6&quot; deep.  Take 2 or 3 deep watering-allowing to dry sequences at each level.  This will eventually add up to 1&quot; per week of water and one watering per week.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During hot weather or water restrictions you will have a green healthy lawn and plants while others go brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer, I have found that a bit more expensive organic slow release fertilizer is worth every penny!  Check out Dr. Earth's, read the info and I am sure you'll be able to 'shop' using that information.  It also includes bacteria to take care of thatch and the SLOWNESS doesn't make your grass become susceptible to disease or insects.  I truly was blown away.  I will NEVER use 'fast result' Scott's or Ortho again.  No matter the size of lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One also doesn't need to fertilize as often and helps even out the costs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aeration, pulling plugs, leaving them right where they fall is done once per year.  A good time to pull the neighborhood together...very fast very easy very necessary for healthy lawns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The HEIGHT of your lawn IS CRITICAL!!!  Find a mower, gas (please), hydrostatic (for the Pacific NW you bet), that you are able to set to 3&quot;!!  Not 2 1/2&quot; but 3&quot;!  Get an extra set of blades to make sure the blades are always super sharp.  I rotate out blades every other mowing for large lawns.  Also get gas and air filter replacements and make the store show you how to change out.  If you are able to keep dirt out of your machines they will last forever.  Stihl is totally dependable and what I use.  At the same time purchase a gas blower and a gas line trimmer.  I take the shield off and the bump and go head to trade for a set head.  Wear glasses and become very aware where you are throwing.  Shields do not prevent throwing and accidents.  And you'll actually be able to see what you are doing where you are cutting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There should be a trench to collect water 6&quot; by 6&quot; as the 'edge' of your lawn between plant beds. This trench makes the most beautiful edge for a lawn.  The most beautiful.  Needs cleaning out periodically done before remulching (every 2 years as the soil organisms are eating the mulch and multiplying IF THE MULCH is decomposed). Careful about wacking your grass any shorter than 3&quot;. Especially on the edges. Use your blower to blow all fertilizer off your concrete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ONLY do lime applications if your soil tests show too acid of a soil.  Follow the directions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Forget putting your lawn where it gets shade.  Seriously.  Moss is only an opportunist; if it is bare ground and shady or stays too moist (rain) moss will cover the bare ground.  FORGET moss control. For one thing it is a waste of time and pushes the pH down and grass will always be wimpy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By keeping the lawn height at 3&quot; you'll shade out any germinating weeds, slow the evaporation of the soil's moisture.  You will have the greenest healthiest lawn you've ever known.  I KNOW these cool season grasses and this monster called a lawn very, very well.  Hope this saves you some work as well&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YYaHf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;![a &amp;#39;dry&amp;#39; stream &quot;&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YYaHf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-04-02T00:52:40.833" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T00:52:40.833" CommentCount="22" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31215" CreationDate="2017-03-19T19:23:38.500" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The closest I came was PONY TAIL PALM; Beaucarnea...not sure of the species. I'd like to know if those 'leaves' are round, have edges (a three sided cross section) or if they are flat.  This swollen base indicates Beaucarnea.  The flower I guess is rare to see&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/ponytailpalm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;beaucarnea http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/ponytailpalm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-19T19:23:38.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31218" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31215" CreationDate="2017-03-19T20:08:55.300" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Ornithogalum, most likely the variety O. umbellatum, a spring flowering bulb - the flowers have a green stripe down the outside of each petal. This one's a bit of a state, the flower stem should be much shorter and upright, looks as if its suffered insufficient light and certainly a lack of sunlight, which it likes, probably all caused by being kept indoors. There seem to be at least 6 bulbs in that pot; they're not really houseplants, so can be planted outdoors later if you're in the right USDA zone. Common name Star of Bethlehem, but there are other common names. Find it the sunniest spot you can, you might get more flowers; don't cut the leaves off when it's done flowering, feed it with liquid fertiliser while the leaves are present, stop when they've died back, so it flowers next year. Hardy down to USDA Zone 4 up to 8, more info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/products/ornithogalum-umbellatum-star-of-bethlehem?variant=27296847814&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/products/ornithogalum-umbellatum-star-of-bethlehem?variant=27296847814&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-19T22:52:38.737" LastActivityDate="2017-03-19T22:52:38.737" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31219" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-19T20:59:48.583" Score="4" ViewCount="1437" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a bunch of dead tree waste, both from a dead tree as well as trees dropping branches. I think they are mostly box-elder tree parts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything we can do in order to turn this into useful garden material? Either fertilizer or somehow otherwise use it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems if we could convert this into something, it'd be useful for our garden. My best thought so far is to burn it and use the ashes. I assume any sort of composting process would take far too long?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, here is the quantity and type of material I'm talking about:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yI30s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yI30s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O3tJF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here]&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OSUtV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14703" LastActivityDate="2017-03-30T17:25:45.223" Title="How can I easily and cheaply turn dead tree waste into usable garden products?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31220" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31223" CreationDate="2017-03-19T20:59:59.433" Score="3" ViewCount="1855" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the Nashville, TN area, and I've noticed a particular type of grassy weed starting to pop up in my lawn, now that it's March.  I'd like to identify it so that I can learn how to prevent it from spreading further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a lighter green color than the rest of my lawn, and its leaf blades are flat and approximately double the width of my other grass.  The stem is round near the bottom, with multiple leaves branching from the sides as it goes up.  It has what looks like a small purple taproot with smaller roots coming out of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I apologize for the quality of these photos (especially the third one!), as I couldn't gauge how clear they were in the sunlight on my phone.  If they don't help, I'll try to get better photos to replace these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A small patch of this weed:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R4JF6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R4JF6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;small patch of the weed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A young plant with a single stem:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ee2oC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ee2oC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;young plant with single stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A mature clump of this weed (sorry for the blurriness):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8lbDW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8lbDW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had a lot of dallisgrass last year, so I'm curious if this is young dallisgrass, which I understand is a bit easier to treat than after its been around for a few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14187" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T01:33:30.047" Title="What is this grassy weed?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31221" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31219" CreationDate="2017-03-19T22:09:19.467" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Best bet for quick (but involves a bit of setup) would be to turn it into charcoal, not just ash. More beneficial than ash alone (and longer lasting.) Various simple reactors involving something like a barrel where you fill the barrel with wood; it has a small vent pipe for gasses that you aim down under it, you build a small fire outside it, eventually the burning of the gasses from inside sustains the reaction until it's complete, and you open it up to remove charcoal in a day or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The small stuff and not too quick just add manure and wait a year or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-03-19T22:09:19.467" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31220" CreationDate="2017-03-20T01:33:30.047" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure looks like Dallisgrass.  I'd use ROUNDUP or a glyphosate product VERY CAREFULLY...get a sheet of saranwrap to surround the clump, then paint with a little brush the glyphosate on a few of the blades of this grass.  Doesn't have to be much or on all of the leaves. For each bunch of Dallisgrass use a new piece of saranwrap as a skirt to protect your lawn.  Glyphosate is then transported to the roots to kill the roots.  If any gets on the good grass it will kill it as well.  If that happens, allow it to die and reseed asap.  I don't like pre and post emergent chemicals but I've not had much experience with your southern lawns and this dallisgrass.  Allow  the dallisgrass to completely die and then you can pull it up.  This takes up to 3 weeks for complete kill.  Do not mow for a few days.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get your lawn as healthy and vigorous as possible, mow short and do not allow that Dallisgrass to go to seed! Use the glyphosate when your lawn and weeds are vigorously growing.  That will ensure the best root kill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My next therapy would be pre-emergent products.  Follow the directions to the letter.  Re read at least 5X (this is what we were taught for pesticide licensing).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Count on doing this every other month for a few years.  Add the pre emergent herbicide once a year and you might just get this in control.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T01:33:30.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31224" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31258" CreationDate="2017-03-20T05:04:00.697" Score="1" ViewCount="209" Body="&lt;p&gt;Near my work there is an avocado tree growing out over the street that goes unharvested by its owners. I kind of want to try one of the avocados. How do I know when I should go there with the fruit picker and get one down?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16224" LastEditorUserId="16224" LastEditDate="2017-06-01T04:28:44.980" LastActivityDate="2017-06-01T04:28:44.980" Title="How to tell if a high-up avocado is ready to pick?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31225" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31233" CreationDate="2017-03-20T05:04:10.670" Score="4" ViewCount="1607" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in North California and my cherry tree is not leafing out and not flowering. Below are the photos of the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SaV7H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SaV7H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All the others trees in my backyard and most trees in my neighbors have already produced leaves. When I scratch a branch, it still shows the green color so I guess it is alive. I am wondering what could prevent a tree from leafing out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11360" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T07:06:05.140" Title="cherry tree not flowering and not leafing out" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31226" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-20T05:23:35.470" Score="2" ViewCount="255" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/70lbz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HiSNf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone tell me what disease might have this palm tree? It has been losing leaves progressively. And is there any treatment? Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16933" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T13:58:30.280" Title="Palm tree disease" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31227" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31239" CreationDate="2017-03-20T05:44:11.903" Score="4" ViewCount="287" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MT77m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MT77m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;see the gutation droplets?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BnIhB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BnIhB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought that it was a busy lizzie until i saw the tendril... my other busy lizzie doesn't have that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks a lot!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15022" LastEditorUserId="14207" LastEditDate="2017-03-22T02:57:31.087" LastActivityDate="2017-03-22T02:57:31.087" Title="What is this plant with tendrils that exhibits guttation?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31228" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-20T06:12:44.203" Score="3" ViewCount="1317" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this plant for a while and lately it's been getting really brown and crispy tips. The problem is that I don't know what species it is so I can't search for what it needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anybody know?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ozvqil.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ozvqil.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture of the plant to be identified &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16934" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-21T19:16:27.537" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T19:16:27.537" Title="What is this long-leafed indoor plant with one stem per leaf?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31229" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28741" CreationDate="2017-03-20T06:21:22.937" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bougainvilleas should receive plenty of direct sunlight daily, according to my experience. They thrive in the scorching sun here in Singapore (8hrs at temp &gt;34C) and bloom profusely after 2 weeks of no rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would guess that insufficient light as the top reason in addition to Graham Chiu's response.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15022" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T06:21:22.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31230" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31228" CreationDate="2017-03-20T06:27:12.933" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be water stress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is your watering frequency? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would strongly recommend only water (thoroughly) when the soil is almost dry, and flush the pot (every few months) with plenty of water to prevent minerals build up from the watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15022" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T06:27:12.933" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31231" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26933" CreationDate="2017-03-20T06:39:41.057" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try flushing with plenty of water to reduce the minerals load in the vase and let the water % drop to 5% before watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don't&lt;/strong&gt; water again until you poke your finger into the soil and feel that the soil is &lt;strong&gt;almost&lt;/strong&gt; dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the moisture level detector is not recommended. Visual, finger poke and weight of the vase are more reliable to determine whether the plant needs watering :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15022" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T06:39:41.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31232" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31219" CreationDate="2017-03-20T08:49:10.267" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can use the large one, with few additional cuts for borders or as pedestal to your pots, for a few years, then they will smash easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or just do a few grills/bbq this summer, and they will disappear quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Branches could be cut in little bits and used as mulch, but this requires a lot of time, or the right machine. So burn and ashes is still the quick and easier way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T08:49:10.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31233" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31225" CreationDate="2017-03-20T08:59:50.750" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The buds seem healthy (picture in the middle), so I think it could be one of the two (or both):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;you plant is in a really cold place (micro climate), maybe because of wind patters because of houses and trees or underground pipes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;it is a variety for later fruits (or just of warmer climate), so the tree starts blooming later.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can wait few weeks. You can help to gain a week or so, on putting leaves on ground in fall. As far I know, the &quot;temperature sensor&quot; in plants are in the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T08:59:50.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31224" CreationDate="2017-03-20T09:09:38.263" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming that you have sought permission from the tree's owner, then I'd suggest looking for a large enough avocado with a slightly pebbly skin.  Avocados don't ripen on the tree but once they're picked.  If it ripens within a week, then you've picked at the right time.  It will still go soft if you pick it earlier, but there may be little taste present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T09:09:38.263" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31235" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31228" CreationDate="2017-03-20T10:03:05.103" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is an &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspidistra_elatior&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aspidastra elatior&lt;/a&gt;, a native of Taiwan, which has been in cultivation as an indoor plant for hundreds of years. Common names include the cast iron plant which describes how tough it is.  It can be grown outdoors in tropical climates where it might produce a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aspidistra_flower.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;maroon flower&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can grow this plant in very low light, low humidity and not much care but it does better if given more daylight from almost any exposure.  If a hot southern window is chosen then a regular inspection for spider mites on the underside of the leaves is advised.  This is only pest I have ever seen on this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More light and top up the pot with some fresh potting soil is about all this plant needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T10:03:05.103" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31236" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31212" CreationDate="2017-03-20T12:20:21.223" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use Scott's weed and feed to begin with. In late March spread as much sand as possible. Sand tightens the grass up and suffocates the weeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16936" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-03-20T15:04:19.280" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T15:04:19.280" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31237" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31226" CreationDate="2017-03-20T13:58:30.280" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fungi on palm leaves is usually due to a poor location for the tree, where the roots cannot get sufficient moisture or air. Waterlogging is a common cause; examine the base of the tree carefully and if you see fungi fruiting heads then consider if the tree is sitting in water for much of the time. If you are watering, then stop and see if the situation improves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If indeed it is a water issue, consider replacing the palm with a banana tree. Bananas are often planted in limestone &quot;banana holes&quot; where they prefer the moist conditions that the palm will hate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T13:58:30.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31213" CreationDate="2017-03-20T14:06:14.920" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you examine the stems of the scented geraniums you will probably find they are covered in fine hairs. There is a tendency to overwater geranium cuttings of all kinds, and the hairs just make the problem worse. A useful technique when dealing with geraniums of all kinds is to take the cuttings, then put them flat on a table and cover with newspaper and leave them for 12 hours or so. In this time they will dry down and produce a callus at the cut end. Joy for you if you see a nice thick callus form. The hairiness of the leaves will stop them from drying out too much. They may look floppy but they will perk up when in soil. Then pot up into a potting mix and keep the cuttings on the dry side - force them to go looking for moisture, but not bone dry. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T14:06:14.920" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31239" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31227" CreationDate="2017-03-20T14:18:03.877" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Possibly a passion fruit &lt;em&gt;Passiflora edulis&lt;/em&gt; where the leaves are young and not yet forming a deeply cleft shape. Watch as the later leaves emerge and see if they become still a single leaf but with 3 lobes. Lots of images on Google of passion fruit leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T14:18:03.877" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31240" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31210" CreationDate="2017-03-20T14:29:53.650" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the great things about boxwood is that you can prune them hard and they will come back from old wood. Probably the burning was caused by pruning late in the season which caused a flush of weak growth which was nipped by cold wind. Dead foliage tends to hang in the shrub, so for sightliness' sake prune out the dead, cutting back to live wood. Do it in your spring, prune it to the height and shape you need, and once done do not repeat except for very light trimming to retain the shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T14:29:53.650" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31241" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31249" CreationDate="2017-03-20T14:35:29.420" Score="6" ViewCount="727" Body="&lt;p&gt;I stumbled across this wild plant while hiking in central Texas in the Summer. The plant itself was only about a foot tall and had no flowers. I'm sure these leaves are no longer effective at collecting sunlight, so I don't know if the plant was diseased, desiccated, or if this was a natural part of its life cycle. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Googling didn't yield any useful results; can anyone tell me what kind of plant this is or at least give me some pointers? Also, please let me know what's causing the leaves to curl this way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;Click to expand&lt;/sup&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z7f3s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z7f3s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;full&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0nIAz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0nIAz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;detail 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b4eZh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b4eZh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;detail 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8604" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-20T23:37:07.727" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T23:37:07.727" Title="Identify this plant with curled, white leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31242" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31228" CreationDate="2017-03-20T15:14:07.867" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathiphyllum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;peace lily&lt;/a&gt;, but the leaves are different. They're also common house plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This shows the difference: &lt;a href=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Spathiphyllum_commutatum_Miquel.jpg/800px-Spathiphyllum_commutatum_Miquel.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Spathiphyllum_commutatum_Miquel.jpg/800px-Spathiphyllum_commutatum_Miquel.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16939" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T15:14:07.867" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31211" CreationDate="2017-03-20T16:06:21.867" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would challenge some of your assumptions. I think some annual plants are good. You can buy some of them for few francs on every &quot;grocery&quot; shop e.g. basil, rosemary, or also tomatoes, etc. Then you trow away in autumn, as most of our citizen, or put the pot inside for winter (not the tomatoes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally I don't recommend to plant herbs as perennials in a pot. You need anyway to replace the soil every few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thyme is a very diverse plant, I count 5 species in wild in Switzerland (and few other subspecies, which your university tends to give them a rank of species). Some of them can resists also on freeze (you can find them in sub-alpin to alpin level).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would add rucola (&lt;em&gt;Eruca sativa&lt;/em&gt;) and corn salad (&lt;em&gt;Valerianella locusta&lt;/em&gt;, Nüsslisalat). Not really perennial, but they can easily self-propagate from year to year, if you don't cut them on late spring/start summer, when they are also less tasty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;True perennial: raspberry, possibly also some blueberries (but commercial one, as &quot;large&quot; bush requires sun). Few fruits tree can be keep in shadows and in a small size, but I don't think it is a simple task (you need to have an idea on how such plant grow and react to your cut).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: you listed &quot;Parsley&quot; which is not an perennial plant, but I think it is one of the best plant, which you can harvest near all year long (put it inside on winter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T16:06:21.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31241" CreationDate="2017-03-20T16:12:50.513" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think these are some kind of ferns, and they are probably not dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some ferns can &quot;sleep&quot; when they have no more water, and &quot;bloom&quot; again when they can drink again water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T16:12:50.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31245" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31241" CreationDate="2017-03-20T17:48:16.287" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/virtual_sara/files/cosewic/sr_woodsia_obtusa_0807_e.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Woodsia obtusa cliff fern&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my GUESS only; it is a xerophytic fern with blunt and rounded tips...one of its 'gifts' is being able to shade its own leaves when in drought or high heat.  Some of the sites say it is rare others say not.  It is also pubescent thus it's silvery color. What was the elevation where you found this guy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T17:48:16.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31246" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31268" CreationDate="2017-03-20T17:57:41.687" Score="5" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started these from seed indoors under a grow light. About two weeks ago I potted a few that were doing well, and now it looks like they're getting sick. The first image is arugula / rocket, and its leaves are getting gray and dry at the tips, almost like they're mineralized. They crumble to the touch. The sage in the second picture looks like it's starting the same thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My suspicion right now is the soil. It's about a year old, and I checked here beforehand and people said it should be fine and come back to life once rehydrated. Maybe something nasty set up shop and now it's attacking the plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My only secondary hypothesis is that the lawn rocks I put on top might have leached something into the soil after the first watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know what's going on before the rest of my seedlings need potting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;edit: these plants are now outdoors on a table, with direct sun for about 8 hours per day. The soil was kept in its original bag, but it was outdoors in the shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/thjJv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/thjJv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wFmRL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wFmRL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13317" LastEditorUserId="13317" LastEditDate="2017-03-20T20:46:12.680" LastActivityDate="2017-03-22T07:10:47.193" Title="What's happening to these repotted plants?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31247" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-20T18:06:13.017" Score="2" ViewCount="187" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is an orange/yellow flower. The image is not taken by me, so I can't give much more detail other than what can be seen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zCDHA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zCDHA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16940" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-03-20T18:31:39.540" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T19:08:38.593" Title="What is the name of this orange flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31248" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31247" CreationDate="2017-03-20T18:36:09.930" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is difficult to ID - there are loads of yellow/orange daisy type flowers, we can't see inside the flower, don't know the height of the plant, where its  growing, and can't see much of the foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All that said, my guess is Calendula officinalis, common name English Marigold, a darkish orange variety shown here &lt;a href=&quot;http://worldoffloweringplants.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Calendula-officinalis-Pot-Marigold2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://worldoffloweringplants.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Calendula-officinalis-Pot-Marigold2.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-20T19:08:38.593" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T19:08:38.593" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31241" CreationDate="2017-03-20T19:07:56.417" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thanks to both &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/31245/8604&quot;&gt;stormy&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/31244/8604&quot;&gt;Giacomo Catenazzi&lt;/a&gt; for pointing me in the right direction. After a little while looking at various species of ferns, I eventually found a match to my fern:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tolweb.org/Notholaena_standleyi/133579&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Star cloak fern&lt;/strong&gt;, or &lt;strong&gt;Standley's cloak fern&lt;/strong&gt;, (&lt;em&gt;Notholaena standleyi&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oflNv.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oflNv.png&quot; alt=&quot;leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cPRBs.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cPRBs.png&quot; alt=&quot;curls&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;Images taken from &lt;a href=&quot;http://tolweb.org/Notholaena_standleyi/133579&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Tree of Life Web Project&lt;/a&gt; © 2008 Carl Rothfels &amp;mdash; &lt;a href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;CC BY-NC&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="8604" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.853" LastActivityDate="2017-03-20T19:07:56.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31250" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31267" CreationDate="2017-03-20T22:59:24.850" Score="6" ViewCount="168" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a potted one-year-old-or so lime tree, which has looked quite healthy for the past two months or so (after recovering from a winter where it lost a lot of leaves due to overwatering).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the outside was really cold and it's on the ledge of the (closed) window of my office, I let the heater on during one night, in addition to the usual central heating -- so when I cam back the next day, my office was quite warm, maybe 27° C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Later that day, I noticed that two leaves of the lime tree had edges that were whitening; after a few more days, it does not seem to spread to many leaves, but it currently had 3-4 leaves showng the same sort of whitening:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/27JYI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/27JYI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LzZvt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LzZvt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of watering, I water this tree twice a week, and try not to overdo it; it's on the ledge of a window headed East, in an office in Manhattan (so, recently, it's been rather cold outside, roughly freezing temperatures; but my office stays at 18°-20° C).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I be worried? Am I doing something wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14033" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-02T20:32:00.770" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T20:32:00.770" Title="Whitening of some leaves of a potted key lime tree" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31191" CreationDate="2017-03-21T02:15:39.163" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lemon plant does well in ample sunshine, and not so at the window side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depends on where you live, once the weather turns favourable, bring it out to full sun. The potting mix should have very good water draining ability, perlite is a very useful mix component. Do have a regular watering regime (dependent on your weather). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had the same issue once... You should see growth within 1 month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15022" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T02:15:39.163" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28930" CreationDate="2017-03-21T02:23:28.240" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Worms will not eat the wood, they will devour mushy waste like leftover food and fruits, certainly not wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest that you keep the worm bin for mushy stuffs and the smaller wood branches for mulching and regular nitrogen/carbon composting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15022" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T02:23:28.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31254" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31211" CreationDate="2017-03-21T02:27:13.230" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure these will survive in your climate, I know these types to be very hardy, as they all grow even in Russia ;) just get bigger pots for them - Raspberries, blueberried honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea, there are varieties with bigger fruit ), Eleagnus Angustifolia is a self pollinating tree that can be kept small like my tree is 1.5 m. high and fruiting, and has soft sweet berries with almost no upkeep, Lingonberries, Blueberries, Black or red currants, Gooseberry, Aronia melanocarpa( Viking variety would be the best for fruit), Amelanchier alnifolia (variety Smokey has the biggest berries), Sea buckthorn (bushes with sour-sweet medicinal berries but you need both male and female plants)... &#xA;Oh yeah and about the herbs..definitely get sorrel (smooth green sour leaves) preferably wild one but not necessary, chervil (both grow extremely easy from seeds), salad mustard, wild rocket, cucumber grass (borage and salad burnet), they all are hardy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1- Lon. Caerulea&#xA;2-El. Angustifolia&#xA;3- Ar. Viking&#xA;4- Am. Smokey&#xA;5- Sea buckthorn&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lpvG0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lpvG0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XeoSK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XeoSK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JaZ4Y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JaZ4Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3cjjZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3cjjZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7KxKJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7KxKJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16928" LastEditorUserId="16928" LastEditDate="2017-03-21T02:59:51.617" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T02:59:51.617" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31255" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-21T03:46:39.763" Score="4" ViewCount="323" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought this plant but I don't know its name nor how to care for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bjFsg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bjFsg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AIYO0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AIYO0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16887" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:39:51.387" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T02:39:51.387" Title="Succulent with thorny stems and orange four-petaled flowers" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31256" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-21T04:06:50.213" Score="4" ViewCount="1041" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been seeing these tiny greenish-yellowish nodes on the stem of my basil plants. They don't appear on leaves just the stems. I can peel off the nodes and crush it. Does the photo below show an infestation of aphids, whiteflies or just something that happens naturally with basil? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fvhyo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fvhyo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a photo of the node I peeled off the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C2YGL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C2YGL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16431" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T19:34:29.793" Title="Basil: Are these aphids, whiteflies or something else?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31257" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31225" CreationDate="2017-03-21T07:06:05.140" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You Cherry tree looks healthy. Don't scratch too much branches on that little one. Maybe you could stack a little much around it (not too close to the trunk), because the earth looks rocky and poor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This is clearly going to bloom very soon. No worries.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T07:06:05.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31224" CreationDate="2017-03-21T07:10:26.193" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Avocados don't ripen on trees, so as @GrahamChiu said, you need to pick it and let it ripen.   It may be that the owner has deliberately left them on the tree to extend his eating season, as (apparently), they can survive 3 months on the tree waiting to be picked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different avos have different ripening characteristics - some (like Hass) go dark.  Most give slightly when pressed when they are ready (but this can cause bruising I think).    The best way I've discovered for all avos I've had the privilege of getting my hands on is to see if you can easily pry off the &quot;nub&quot; at the top of the avo where it connected to a tree.  If it comes off with only a little pressure its ripe, otherwise leave it a while longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T07:10:26.193" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31259" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31211" CreationDate="2017-03-21T07:23:44.953" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it's not too wet in your area, I highly recommend growing cacti. There are many kinds that could easily survive the cold in your winters. Cacti are great for containers (especially since containers dry out fast, and you kind of want them dry with cacti). Many cacti have edible fruit and pads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think they ship overseas, but you might look at &lt;a href=&quot;https://coldhardycactus.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cold Hardy Cactus&lt;/a&gt; for some ideas. I recommend looking at those that can handle water the best, if you're not in an arid area (I assume it's not arid there). Opuntia humifusa types should work well. You might also try Escobaria missouriensis, as it's known to grow by rivers in Missouri (I imagine it's not particularly dry there).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hens and Chicks (Sempervivum tectorum) are perennial, cold hardy and edible (most people don't eat them, though).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try potato onions, bunching onions, and such as that. Potato onions are perennial onions that multiply every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could probably find some citrus trees for your zone. At least some of them can do well in containers. Zone 8 isn't that cold (but make sure it really is zone 8; people like to say my zone in southwestern Idaho is anywhere between 5 and 7, but it's really zone 4, and if you plant for zone 7 here, your plants will most likely die the first winter). How high maintenance they are probably depends on your local pests (but pests aside, I don't imagine they should be that difficult for you).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Strawberries should do reasonably, although maintenance is probably considerably higher than cacti.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might try a mulberry tree fit for a container. Some mulberries can be kept in containers. I'm not sure how hard it is to care for them, but they sound like they can be hardy trees. The fruit is edible, but the young leaves have herbal properties, too. The mature leaves can have some unpleasant side-effects, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oregano is a perennial herb. We have some in a pot that survived our -21° winter this year. It can handle drought fairly well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Russian tarragon seems to work pretty well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://living.thebump.com/growing-rhubarb-container-8667.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rhubarb&lt;/a&gt; is supposed to be easy to grow in containers (if they're deep enough). Remember, the leaves are toxic, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might also consider annual plants that reseed easily, such as chamomile or calendula (it's an ornamental flower, but useful for iodine content, I've heard).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people like to grow dandelions in containers. They're edible, and perennial. They can look pretty nice when they're huge (people normally pull them up, and try to prevent them from prospering; so, you usually don't see them like that).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-03-21T07:35:59.370" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T07:35:59.370" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31261" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31255" CreationDate="2017-03-21T09:17:46.780" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably a variety of &lt;em&gt;Euphorbia milii&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_milii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;crown of thorns plant&lt;/a&gt;. Care is easy, just give it a little water now and again and avoid getting it wet. It is native to Madagascar, so will prefer warm conditions. The flower colour is quite variable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T09:17:46.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31262" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31256" CreationDate="2017-03-21T09:36:32.313" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;scale insects&lt;/a&gt;. They hide under the shell that you see, and suck sap from the plant tissues. If you only have a few plants you can pick them off quite easily. Greenish yellow usually means that they are immature and will not have done much damage so far. Once they turn brown they are into reproductive capacity. Pick them soon, otherwise they will become numerous and destroy the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See similar problem at &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1523/what-is-this-brown-shell-like-thing-growing-on-the-stalk-of-my-avocado-plant/5289&quot;&gt;What is this brown, shell-like thing growing on the stalk of my avocado plant?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T09:36:32.313" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31263" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31256" CreationDate="2017-03-21T11:46:51.880" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's nice to see a post about potential infestation and being able to calm the poster:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are adventitious root stubs, or in other words, tiny roots starting to form. There are a number of reasons why that can happen. In this case, the damage at the split stem might be a cause. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your photos are a bit blurry, but I would expect a tiny wound where you broke off your sample. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no need to remove the rootlets, but if you consider taking cuttings and propagating your basil, these parts are a good starting point. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-03-21T19:34:29.793" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T19:34:29.793" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31250" CreationDate="2017-03-21T21:49:37.510" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I checked the stuff you are using and combined with tap water way too much fertilizer/salts.  Dump your soil, wash out the pot and repot with new potting soil. No fertilizer for awhile.  Go get some bottled water and make sure your potting soil has no added fertilizers or water holding gels/sponges.  This margin stuff is pretty indicative of too much salt/fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doesn't look like insect damage to me but always look under the leaves for the little dudes or fine webbing...get a magnifier at least 10X.  This plant will be fine, but replace that salted soil, wash your pot (looks like clay, love clay but it will absorb salts...and show salts very quickly).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T21:49:37.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31246" CreationDate="2017-03-21T21:51:07.890" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get the rocks and chunks off the top of the soil. Is that pot full of just soil (potting soil) or are there rocks or gravel below the soil and above the drain hole. What I am seeing with BOTH plants is leaf miner damage. Are you sure you are using sterilized potting soil? Second problem is you are using too large of pots for too small of plants. These guys need pots no larger than 4&quot; across and 3&quot; high. Non decomposed organic matter such as sticks mean decomposers are busy decomposing and they need lots of nitrogen to do their job. Somehow you got a few insects to hang out in your pots. – stormy 23 hours ago  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf miners as well as a bit of salt build up...the tips of the first plant show this. I'd repot these guys in fresh potting soil asap in vastly smaller pots. Do not get potting soil with any added fertilizer or water holding gels, sponges! Use a tiny bit of OSMOCOTE 14-14-14. – stormy 23 hours ago   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-21T21:51:07.890" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31269" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-21T23:10:27.310" Score="2" ViewCount="18738" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Carmel Valley, San Diego and I have a rosemary plant that has been sitting in my back yard for almost 6 years. The weather has not changed for quite a long time. The soil is a free draining sandy soil. A week ago, the rosemary started flowering. It had only flowered once before four years ago. When I looked closer at the leaves, I found yellow spots on most of them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QHqPs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QHqPs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yellow spots on rosemary leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The camera makes the color more green but really the whole leaf looks yellower and not healthy. Normally I would wait a few weeks just to see if it would go away, but I also started noticing white fruit-fly sized flying insects around the rosemary. I'm also particularly worried because my parsley had been infested by these insects a few days ago:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NuBmk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NuBmk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white bugs on parsley&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also this insect:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mxk9b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mxk9b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yellow insects on parsley&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I uprooted the parsley and disposed of it properly and I'm wondering if these are the same insects that are damaging my rosemary. What do you think is the cause of the yellow spots on the rosemary? Should I get rid of those insects and how? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some more images: &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yvZar.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SEXxQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry for the blurry images and thanks for any help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16888" LastActivityDate="2020-04-02T01:05:39.940" Title="What's causing the yellow spots on my rosemary?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31270" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31269" CreationDate="2017-03-22T00:04:31.717" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yup, you've got aphids, spider mite...whatever.  Is this the first time you've had problems?  Go get some NEEM.  A great sprayer...or a pump sprayer. Read the directions and cautions FIVE TIMES.  Seriously, this is what they taught us in pesticide licensing!!  Do NOT do this during the day.  This stuff will help tremendously and like now.  Make sure you spray UNDER the leaves, very important.  Spray the top of the soil lightly.  You will have to do this again in another week and keep watch...forever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why this began after 6 years would be nice to figure out.  What has changed recently...6 months or so ago?  Take some pictures of the entire environment...are these in the ground or are they in pots?  What have you done within this time?  Any changes at all?  Is this on the North side of your home??  These insects are very normal but something has changed.  Are you using automated irrigation?  Did you get a plant from a friend recently?  Did you bring in new soil...garden soil from a neighbor?  Wear gloves and long sleeved shirts.  This stuff ain't that toxic but sure is stinky and some skin doesn't like it.  This is as powerful as I will go, just please read the directions and information sheets that come with closely and at least a few times, Okay?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you want to use the rosemary, just dilute hydrogen peroxide 3% 1 cup in one gallon and swish the rosemary allow to soak for 5 minutes.  That will get the Neem off as well as the insect poop and insects dead or alive and you'll be able to use your Rosemary.  What are you doing for fertilization? Too much nitrogen and shade will hamper any flowering...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-22T00:04:31.717" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17911" CreationDate="2017-03-22T00:28:41.600" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apply the iron sulfate first, wait a week to apply dolomite. Wait a week and fertilize! Do this process in the spring and again in the fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16950" LastActivityDate="2017-03-22T00:28:41.600" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31272" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31255" CreationDate="2017-03-22T07:01:13.970" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes this is clearly the succulent &lt;strong&gt;Euphorbia Milii&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I know this is a strong plant. The most important thing for it to thrive is to have long hours of &lt;strong&gt;direct sun&lt;/strong&gt;. Behind a window would be OK, and maybe even better outside during summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15012" LastActivityDate="2017-03-22T07:01:13.970" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31273" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31246" CreationDate="2017-03-22T07:10:47.193" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like your plants got too much watering and not enough sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you should do is drain the water completely from the pot and put them in a clear (not too hot) place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not too worry about your sage, but the other one looks very worn out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15012" LastActivityDate="2017-03-22T07:10:47.193" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31274" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30774" CreationDate="2017-03-22T07:31:55.663" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18573&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;helpful gardener&lt;/a&gt; it looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=tiger+aloe+&amp;amp;qpvt=tiger+aloe+&amp;amp;qpvt=tiger+aloe+&amp;amp;qpvt=tiger+aloe+&amp;amp;FORM=IGRE&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tiger Aloe&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The gel tht's inside can be used for hand cream--softening dry skin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope for you it will &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/aloe-vera/caring-for-tiger-aloe.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;bloom like this&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u05QF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u05QF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tiger Aloe Blooming&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Keep us posted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15012" LastActivityDate="2017-03-22T07:31:55.663" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31275" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35009" CreationDate="2017-03-22T08:01:24.207" Score="5" ViewCount="1151" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this baobab as a single branch last summer. I planted the branch in a pot and it grew many leaves and branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Europe, so I have to keep it indoors a few more weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I left it a long time without watering: the merchant advised me to wait until the earth was dry before watering again. I did, but now it's the beginning of spring, and only a few leaves remain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want to repot it yet because I think the roots are only a few months old, so they must be very weak.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas on what's happening to it, and what I should do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2bIos.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2bIos.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;baobab with difficulties&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15012" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-23T00:07:24.253" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T06:46:28.507" Title="How should I care for my baobab?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31276" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31275" CreationDate="2017-03-22T16:58:56.667" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant hates too much water so keep the soil dry in between infrequent watering.  Remove the debris off the top of the soil and check to see that only the ROOTS are beneath the soil, not the bark of your stem.  Is that potting soil in your pot? Are you watering with tap water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are high salts in your soil either the tap water is contributing the salts and/or you've used too much fertilizer.  See the white coating on your clay?  I'd dump out as much of that soil as possible without disturbing the roots of this plant too much.  Repot in bagged potting soil, not garden soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Purchase bottled water.  This guy is built for dry environments with little rainfall.  Let me know what you've been using for fertilizer and how often.  Fertilizer and tap water cause salt build up in your soil and I love clay pots for plants like this as they 'breathe'...as the moisture evaporates from the clay it leaves behind the salts.  Also make sure you scrub your pot before using it again.  I'd also soak the pot for a few hours to remove the salt in the pores you are unable to see.  Purchase a new pot, no larger than the one you have if necessary and make sure that it never sits in water.  Raise the bottom of the pot off the surface of its saucer or the patio so drainage is enhanced.  Do NOT use rocks or gravel for 'drainage' below the soil.  That actually hampers proper drainage by causing a perched water table. JUST soil to within 1&quot; of the rim of your pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has few leaves because it is indoors with low light.  It looks like you've given it plenty if not too much fertilizer.  Fertilizer is NOT plant FOOD.  Just chemicals it needs to make its own food.  Because of the low light it only needs these few leaves to do that work.  What are you plans this spring?  Do you have a patio?  Start on a covered patio then start to harden off to be in the direct sun.  This is a slow process! Putting him in sun for 5 minutes for 3 or 4 days then increasing to 10 for another few days and so on. He has to thicken his leaves slowly to get used to the direct sun without burning.  As well as the bark. Bring back in for fall by reversing the hardening off being out of doors to once again be able to be indoors.  And that means no fertilizer before going back indoors.  I'd use good old OSMOCOTE 14-14-14 and only for the period being out of doors...so ONCE a year, follow directions (2 tsp. ? sprinkled on top of the soil after you've repotted) ...do not fertilize for a good month after repotting in fresh soil.  Water shallowly, this guy does not have a huge root system and are probably quite short.  A pot that is shorter than wide would work well.  Keep using clay.  Bottled water...cool plant, he'd rather be in Africa than in England, amazing, huh!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-03-22T17:05:09.007" LastActivityDate="2017-03-22T17:05:09.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31277" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31219" CreationDate="2017-03-22T18:24:30.687" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rent a branch chipper, the bigger the better, and run through everything that will fit. The resulting wood chips can be used as a coarse mulch for garden paths, etc, where they will decompose, or add to a compost heap. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;the bigger stuff could either be burned and used for charcoal/ash, or used as stands, or split into smaller diameter pieces and run through a chipper. Or split to firewood size, sold, and the money used to purchase gardening materials. But box elder wood is soft and rots fast, and isn't the ideal firewood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-03-22T18:24:30.687" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31278" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31136" CreationDate="2017-03-22T18:42:51.573" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're plant is healthy, but growing long and lanky because of low light levels, and still air. Plants that grow in windy areas will have a sturdier build as the same species grown in still air. I would head it back, similarly to what is shown below (marked in red). Cut the stem about 1/4 inch away from a healthy leaf/bud. That's where the plant will regrow from. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Avocados are large plants and containing them like that forever is not healthy. For now, though, it should be beneficial as it will encourage the trunk to grow in diameter as new top growth is produced. I would cut it back in mid to late spring, so the new growth can get the most sunlight possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vlRvq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vlRvq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-03-22T18:42:51.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31279" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-22T19:10:53.573" Score="2" ViewCount="126" Body="&lt;p&gt;All the leaves have fallen off of my Ficus tree.   Will they grow back?   What would cause the leaves to turn yellow and fall off?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16954" LastActivityDate="2017-03-24T02:08:04.340" Title="What's wrong with my Ficus tree?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31280" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33309" CreationDate="2017-03-22T21:01:06.323" Score="4" ViewCount="8765" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am new to the world of gardening/planting. I had a huge bag of potting mix that I bought from amazon last summer and used to plant some herbs. I used half of it back then and kept the rest in the bag. The bag had holes in it for breathing so I thought it would be safe to keep it out on the balcony over the winter (in a secluded area away from snow and rain) since I don't have a place for it in my apartment. Long story short, I was just checking the bag to get ready to plant new herbs for this season and I was shocked to see that the bag was full of tiny flying insects. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read online that it might be fungus gnats, but I didn't see anything online about them being in the bag itself. I was wondering if there is anything I could do about this issue or if I should throw away the bag and buy a new one? I would appreciate any input regarding this matter!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lazdu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lazdu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16955" LastEditorUserId="16955" LastEditDate="2017-03-23T16:43:31.733" LastActivityDate="2021-04-22T17:05:54.560" Title="What should I do about flying insects in my bag of potting soil?" Tags="&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31281" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31288" CreationDate="2017-03-22T22:39:46.323" Score="4" ViewCount="3943" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to remove the top 2 inches of my compacted clay soil and replace it with the best soil to grow Bermuda grass. In other words my current soil is garbage that nothing will grow in so I plan to till it and remove the top 2 inches. After that I plan to lay down 2 inches of new top soil then planting Bermuda seeds. I don't know what type of top soil I need to plant my bermuda grass seeds into. Can someone please advise? Thank you in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16956" LastEditorUserId="16956" LastEditDate="2017-03-22T23:03:17.300" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T19:47:18.650" Title="Remove Clay Soil and Install new soil that is good for Bermuda Grass" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;topsoil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31282" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-23T02:23:27.183" Score="3" ViewCount="134" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want an acorn tree I do not have to wait till I'm dead to see it produce acorns. I have been disgusted talking with nurseries all day long. I am 56 and I want to have an acorn tree. Below are some I want. Tell me how long these trees take to produce. I am not liking what I am hearing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One nursery said 20+ years and they have a 7 gallon size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another nursery told me 18-20+ years if I buy a large one 5+ feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is what the &quot;real&quot; people say:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Most species of oaks begin producing acorns at about 20 years old. Peak production occurs from about 50 to 80 years, and then acorn production tapers off after 80 years. Certain trees typically produce more acorns than others – a phenomenon that deer hunters are keen on following.&#xA;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/documents/W126.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How Do Acorns Develop? - University of Tennessee Extension&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16957" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-03-23T20:20:58.577" LastActivityDate="2017-03-25T03:54:31.937" Title="What tree will grow acorns quickly?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31283" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-23T03:20:10.023" Score="5" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;My house has these two mystery trees and nobody I know can identify them. I am quite fond of them, since they look nice and provide fantastic shade:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JcsTv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JcsTv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're deciduous, but never flower in spring. Not enough chill hours, perhaps? I live in zone 7b New Mexico, but the trees are positioned such that they catch a lot of winter sun (southwest side of the house, close to a thermal mass wall that soaks up heat).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growth is extremely vigorous every year, and they grow large numbers of lateral branches, resulting in a lot of crossing and rubbing branches and an extremely dense canopy. Here's what the leaves look like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3AOT7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3AOT7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Buds grow right out of main trunks all the time. New ones appear every year:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2cC4K.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2cC4K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Their bark is gnarled and dark gray, in places almost black:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uc6mf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uc6mf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One is multi-trunked, and the other had a central trunk (with a lot of branches):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vf0vL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vf0vL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lkHMi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lkHMi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what they are?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastEditorUserId="2874" LastEditDate="2017-03-23T14:14:36.490" LastActivityDate="2017-03-24T09:47:41.800" Title="What are these trees?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="650" CreationDate="2017-03-23T11:11:15.100" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My understanding (quick-validated via this &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_nutrition&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikpedia article on Plant Nutrition&lt;/a&gt;) is that plants do not themselves feed on organic compounds (i.e. proteins, carbohydrates); they MAKE such compounds from scratch by combining the minerals that they pull either from air (i.e. Carbon from C02) via photosynthesis, or else from soil (long list in that article), where microorganisms and/or fungi (who don't photosynthesize) make these minerals nutritionally available, as solutes in H2O solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So: unless you consider as nutrients either Sunlight, or else these other living Organisms that play a mutualistic role in plants mineral uptake, then it is only minerals that can be called nutrients, strictly speaking. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NB: when we &quot;feed&quot; our plants compost, containing essential organicMatter and Microorganisms -along with Minerals, the 3M's of plant nutrition- we're really just feeding these other organisms that in turn feed our plants the minerals that they need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There may be exceptions (e.g. carnivorous plants -e.g. Venus flytrap?- i don't know about these), but this is the essence of Plant Nutrition as i understand it; if i have this wrong, would appreciate clarification, with reference(s).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16958" LastActivityDate="2017-03-23T11:11:15.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31285" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-23T13:57:28.457" Score="3" ViewCount="4299" Body="&lt;p&gt;The front lawn of the house we rent is infested with ants. Can I use laundry detergent (liquid) to kill them without damaging the grass? I know dishwashing liquid will kill the grass, but will laundry detergent, too? I currently use to kill them with the smell from the shared septic tank which overflows when it's raining but the rain dilutes it until it doesn't kill anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16961" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-03-26T12:48:37.893" LastActivityDate="2019-07-04T12:02:51.083" Title="Killing ants without killing the grass" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;ants&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31286" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31285" CreationDate="2017-03-23T14:21:25.200" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it will kill grass if you use it neat. You can try a 3% solution of dish soap mixed with water and sprayed on the area, that might kill the ants but shouldn't harm the grass. There are other suggestions in this link &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/how-to-control-ants-in-lawns.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/how-to-control-ants-in-lawns.htm&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-03-23T14:21:25.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31283" CreationDate="2017-03-23T15:23:11.237" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe these are Ulmus parviflolia, Chinese Elm.  Flowers are inconspicous.&lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=chinese%20elm&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002&amp;amp;imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.lowes.com%2Fproduct%2Fconverted%2F764677%2F764677042823.jpg#id=121&amp;amp;iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cirrusimage.com%2FTrees%2FUlmaceae%2FChinese_elm_775.jpg&amp;amp;action=click&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Chinese Elm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to get that mulch away from the base of those trunks.  That moisture will eventually kill them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-23T15:23:11.237" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31288" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31281" CreationDate="2017-03-23T15:59:04.647" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do not mess with your soil.  I've been reading comments from people in your part of the world (my family comes from SC) and they mostly HATE Bermuda and go with Zoysia.  Do get sod.  Make your edges well defined and use a consistent radius for each curve.  Big long curves look best.  Reduce your lawn as much as possible.  Zoysia likes a bit of shade.  These grasses do just fine with clay.  Clay has gotten a bad rap by those who unknowingly screwed up the management.  Do not rototill. Grade best you are able when the soil is dry.  You can then bring in topsoil (not sand) to fine tune and fill in dips.  Compact with a water filled roller, grade again and roll again.  Then install your sod.  Roll again.  Water and in 2 weeks go ahead and fertilize.  Do not worry about weeds or weed killer.  Later you should be able to spot kill with glyphosate and a tiny paint brush.  The edge should be a 6&quot;X6&quot; trench between your plant beds and lawn.  This will help keep the grass from invading the plant beds and makes the perfect edge.  Clean out and toss on plant beds before adding mulch once a year.  I'd have a gas 'weedwacker' line trimmer for sure to keep that edge in control along the trenches as well as your concrete walkways.  And a gas blower (Stihl is my go to for these lawn tools).  Fertilize with the proper formulation for the time of year and blow that fertilizer off your concrete/asphalt.  Forget about shaving off 2&quot; of soil.  Below that is more clay that is even more dense that the 2&quot; you want to take off. Try to have some slope for water to drain into the trenches where it is able to be reabsorbed into the ground slowly.  Clay holds onto water and fertilizer well and will reduce your costs for upkeep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-23T15:59:04.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5977" CreationDate="2017-03-23T16:02:26.950" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The reason for use of LED single bulb is to place a single plant under a table lamp in other rooms of a home. If what is called 'daylight' LED bulb could be used then this would be an inexpensive option for keeping a decorative succulent on a table in a living room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I did find a full spectrum bulb which fits into a standard socket of a contemporary design table lamp which has an adjustable arm for height and direction of the bulb. There's a company which makes this bulb, and you can find it online at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=Renaissance+bulbs&amp;amp;ie=utf-8&amp;amp;oe=utf-8#newwindow=1&amp;amp;q=Renaissance+led+bulbs&amp;amp;*&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;many stores&lt;/a&gt;. Perhaps this helps folks trying to keep decorative plants happy in the home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16962" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-24T16:43:31.627" LastActivityDate="2017-03-24T16:43:31.627" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31282" CreationDate="2017-03-23T16:22:47.267" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are places that sell 'BIG TREES'.  They have a symbiotic relationship with clients who want shrubs and trees taken out.  The client gets a pretty good deal and the company RESELLS these trees/shrubs when they have been acclimated to a pot and living in a pot.  They also bring it to your home and plant it and give a warranty.  NOT CHEAP.  But instant Oak tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A Pin Oak for example from a nursery however, that is 2&quot; caliper and 8-10' high will look like a stick for awhile but in 5 years will be 10&quot; caliper (diameter) and 15 feet and dense.  Do NOT stake your tree.  That will slow the growth.  If you have high winds and a mature tree with a thick head we can discuss proper staking.  Best time to shop for trees is in the fall.  Best prices and no leaves and no worry about being blown over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Call 'Big Trees' in Snohomish Washington.  They were my shop for mature trees.  They could give you hopefully, names of other companies that collect mature specimens.  Not an easy task on their part.  They go out to homes who want mature plants removed and prepare them for removal the next year by digging a trench forming the new root ball and allowing the tree to grow feeder roots within that rootball before removing the tree with this huge machine that plucks them out of the soil with little harm.  They then plant them in huge pots, prune them and sell them the year after that when they know there is a great chance of survival.  Ummmmm, I've seen stunning trees, Japanese Maples, 15'x15' that sold for $10,000.  Don't think an oak would go for that much but instant mature tree.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've got 5 years (which you do young man) go to a nursery and get at least 2 or 2 1/2 inch caliper balled and burlapped.  Have them give you a warranty if they plant it for you and explain the maintenance...pay them for monthly visits.  They will do that to give you a warranty.  Use Mycorrhizae fungus when planting.  Do not stake until you show us a picture of tree and time of year and where you live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-23T16:22:47.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31291" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31292" CreationDate="2017-03-23T17:05:40.880" Score="6" ViewCount="888" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never gardened before and would like to start a small (4' x 8') vegetable garden this year in our yard.  I'm hoping to plant sugar snap peas, tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, and possibly watermelon.  We're renting our house, and the yard has quite a bit of ivy (6'-8' border) around the edges of the backyard.  Someone has apparently had a garden in the corner of the yard before, as there is still wire around the garden and wire trellises in the plot.  By now, though, that area is completely overgrown with English ivy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to plant our garden in the previous garden plot, as that's most convenient for us in terms of location.  I was planning to uproot the ivy using the white vinegar method as cited here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hortmag.com/weekly-tips/pests-diseases/how-to-get-rid-of-english-ivy-in-the-landscape&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(How to Get Rid of English Ivy in the Landscape)&lt;/a&gt; for several weeks in a row.  As I'm pregnant and have two toddlers running around, I'd rather not use toxic herbicides. I'm concerned about the surrounding ivy growing into the bed, though.  I've read about two general methods for growing - double-digging vs. raised garden bed.  Both are equally difficult for us to implement, with the raised garden bed being somewhat more expensive.  &lt;strong&gt;Will either be better in terms of preventing the surrounding ivy from infiltrating the garden?  Or is there something else that I should do in terms of getting rid of the ivy?&lt;/strong&gt;   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Jjab.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Jjab.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;large shot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0mr7W.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0mr7W.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close-up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16963" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-03-24T09:10:15.067" LastActivityDate="2017-03-24T09:10:15.067" Title="starting first-time garden in yard with a lot of english ivy - raised bed vs. double-digging" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;english-ivy&gt;&lt;double-digging&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31292" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31291" CreationDate="2017-03-23T18:58:17.510" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please send a picture of the area of course.  You should be fine.  I would pull as much up as I could and dump tons of soil ON TOP of the area you want to use. &#xA;I always double dig to make raised beds with no wood or concrete.  This is different because the more you chop up roots THIS YEAR you will only encourage these plants to grow more thickly.  I'd bring in at least a foot if not two of top soil.  The soil companies will help you place it.  I'd get it a good 2 feet high to begin with.  Being pregnant does not make you fragile and if you are in shape you shall be just fine.  If not be a director.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rake your beds (at least 6X6' to be most efficient with the soil) and have someone put a piece of plywood on top and jump on top to compact the soil. Rake again and compact again.  Make sure you put a trench at the bottom of these 6'sqare beds to drain excess water.  Weed wack the ivy down to the ground all around and inbetween these beds.  If you could put landscape fabric down and top with 2-4&quot; of gravel that would help tremendously.  Don't worry about the ivy for now.  When ever you see it pop up just pull any green growth, this will begin starving the ivy.  You'll  have plenty of time to grow vegetables this season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For next year, get a 'cover crop' which is clover, or  annual rye or buckwheat or well, there are a number of them.  They will out compete the ivy and other weeds.  This will be turned over in your soil the next spring before it flowers.  While this stuff is decomposing in your soil you can then PAINT glyphosate on any healthy green growth of those vines.  In 3 to 4 weeks you have done a great job on ivy control, built up your raised bed soil and should be able to plant.  I'd put more gravel on the walkways and surrounding area.  Make sure you use landscape fabric beneath the gravel.  That was what it was made for in the first place...nothing else!  Keep pulling ivy and someday you should be able to put metal down around the edges of your garden to stop invasion.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Av9E3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Av9E3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;first beds to be covered by greenhouse&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GG6b7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GG6b7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;temporary hoop house over raised beds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-03-24T00:21:51.700" LastActivityDate="2017-03-24T00:21:51.700" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31282" CreationDate="2017-03-23T20:17:53.673" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The question is one of budget. As @stormy mentioned there are some companies that &quot;rehome&quot; trees, success rate should be should be reasonable for an established company. If they are an in Europe there are a number of nurseries that grow larger stock, with 550cm high, 30-35cm girth trees a standard nursery size. Indeed, I specify hundreds every year for projects and expect a high success rate. Failures which do occur are inevitably down to poor planting and care during establishment. My sites are usually large scale developments which means the soil is absolutely destroyed and doesn't drain by the time contractors get round to planting anything - we have do have problems with trees drowning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Larger trees are also possible. A quick check shows one nursery offering &lt;em&gt;Quercus ilex&lt;/em&gt; which are probably one of the better choices for eating (if that's what you are after) available at up to 50-60cm girth for around 6,500 GBP. At the extreme end, one of my old uni tutors worked on a scheme for Disneyland Paris which involved shipping mature &lt;em&gt;Sequoiadendron giganteum&lt;/em&gt; from the US to Europe, they were 25m tall and had to go over in a modified container ship - cost millions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the ratio of your pockets to your patience?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-03-23T20:17:53.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31295" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31279" CreationDate="2017-03-24T02:08:04.340" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very likely they'll grow back. Ficus are well known for throwing hissy fits and dropping all their leaves at the slightest change in environment, or if you look at them funny. They're very finicky.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Find a tiny branch you can cut off, see if it's dead (brown) inside or has a thin green layer. If it's still green be patient, it'll come back. Keep giving it water and light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the branch is dead, keep working back to larger branches till you find one that's alive. How far you must go back to find life will give you a good sense of how well the tree is doing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16801" LastActivityDate="2017-03-24T02:08:04.340" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26441" CreationDate="2017-03-24T02:18:10.303" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaf curl on vegetables can be a mosaic virus but is far more likely to be stress in non-commercial crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much fertilizer, too little humidity ( though 80% should be more than ample ) are the most likely causes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16801" LastActivityDate="2017-03-24T02:18:10.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31283" CreationDate="2017-03-24T09:47:41.800" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My suggestion would be a wild apple, &lt;em&gt;Malus&lt;/em&gt; species. The bark is wrong for an elm in my experience (mostly because of the patches), and the foliage also does not fit. The multiple buds in a cluster fits with a wild crab more than a cultivated variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Malus will send out shoots from old wood. It is also quite common for apples to refuse to produce flowers when they are very happy sending out vegetative shoots. It is possible that the roots are under the house and may have found a cesspit or other rich source of nutrient which would cause vigorous growth along with crossing branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Malus is often recommended as a decorative and suitable plant for New Mexico and will tolerate drought along with abrupt changes in temperature and bright sun. Next time you are pruning a sizable branch and the sap is flowing, touch your finger to the sap and dab on your tongue. See if it adds a clue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-03-24T09:47:41.800" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31282" CreationDate="2017-03-24T21:22:12.290" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I searched for hybrid oaks, and I found &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.qdma.com/hybrid-oak-surprise/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;. I figured hybrids were more likely to have unusual traits, like early fruit; so, that's why I did the search.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, the link talks about how some hybrid oaks may express hybrid vigor, which means faster growth, which may mean faster acorns. Not all hybrid oaks express this vigor.  Apparently, according to the link, it's possible to get acorns after only a few years. It says six years is typical for a hybrid in Michigan. There are some at the nurseries that say they mature in five.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might check out the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.morsenursery.com/index.php?cPath=29&amp;amp;pID=1390&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Instant Oaks&lt;/a&gt; first (some of them that they sell already had acorns last year), although it looks like those are out of stock. The other hybrids are generally 4-8 years from seedling to fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.morsenursery.com/index.php?cPath=29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a link&lt;/a&gt; to the nursery that sells these hybrid oaks in Michigan. Request the desktop version of the site if you're on a mobile device.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nuttrees.com/our-products/hybrid-oaks&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a Canadian nursery&lt;/a&gt; with a similar claim.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nuttrees.com/our-products/hybrid-oaks&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;another Canadian nursery&lt;/a&gt; with hybrid oaks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're wanting to grow the acorns for deer, check out &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/threads/hybrid-oaks.492621/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this forum thread&lt;/a&gt;. They offer some faster alternatives to oaks, and express doubt that the hybrid oaks will produce in the stated time unless they have ideal nursery conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another idea that might be easier than transplanting a mature tree is getting land with a mature oak tree already on it. That might sound a little drastic, though—&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd investigate the hybrids. They sound like they're exactly what you want. I would personally recommend getting several kinds instead of just one (that way, you might find the perfect one for your soil and climate).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-03-25T03:54:31.937" LastActivityDate="2017-03-25T03:54:31.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31300" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-25T00:15:16.070" Score="6" ViewCount="195" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had this plant growing in my greenhouse. I brought a couple of plants in over winter and now new leaves have emerged so that I am puzzled about what this is. Do you know its name?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9z3d4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9z3d4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16971" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-03-25T06:50:43.570" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T16:58:53.940" Title="What is the name of this vine?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31301" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-25T00:34:47.030" Score="5" ViewCount="2823" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted 6 lettuce plants and this morning 3 of them are completely nipped. Do you know if they will grow back as only a little bit of the leaves are left. Also how do I protect the rest? I also have cabbage and cauliflower in the same bed and they left most of them alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16775" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-25T19:44:42.013" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T02:03:42.913" Title="What would be eating my lettuce plants, and leaving some other vegetables alone?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;&lt;domestic-animals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31302" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-25T06:09:21.787" Score="8" ViewCount="1772" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you have any ideas about why my there are white spots and holes in the leaves of my Lime Tree? What might the pest be and how can I rectify this? Any products you recommend? I live in Melbourne and it's generally a temperate climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BIfm1.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BIfm1.png&quot; height=&quot;500&quot; &gt; &lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1WL9a.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; &gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1WL9a.png&quot; height=&quot;500&quot; &gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are more pictures of the tree, hopefully this will help more (sorry, issue with posting several pictures, blame on J. Chomel)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ENTIf.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; &gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ENTIf.png&quot; height=&quot;500&quot; &gt; &lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XQUVc.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XQUVc.png&quot; height=&quot;500&quot; &gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16972" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-04-07T14:27:56.927" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T15:27:26.133" Title="What are the white spots and holes in the leaves of my Western Indian Lime Tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31300" CreationDate="2017-03-25T06:58:02.833" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_edulis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Passiflora edulis&lt;/a&gt;, a vine that has whole basal leaves followed by somewhat lobed leaves and then trilobed leaves. It also has tendrils and exhibits gutattion.&#xA;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/31227/what-is-this-plant-with-tendrils-that-exhibits-guttation&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; for different pictures of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-03-25T06:58:02.833" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31305" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31307" CreationDate="2017-03-25T12:24:19.800" Score="4" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you can see, next to the fence at the bottom there is some sort of black and yellow plant with a corn-like looking texture. I can't find anything that says what it is. May it also be noted I live in the U.K. Does anyone know what it is or at least if it's a plant or flower?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ClU6C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZkLsE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZkLsE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16974" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-25T19:11:45.500" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T08:22:33.993" Title="What is the black and yellow plant at the base of my fence?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31306" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31309" CreationDate="2017-03-25T12:47:03.827" Score="3" ViewCount="154" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have trouble with starting seeds indoor this year. I have a low germination rate and my tiny seedlings have flopped to the ground when I come back home from work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One perks up after watering but the others are dead. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have installed a thermometer/hygrometer and the temperature is at 22 C and the humidity is at 31%. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My house is very dry in winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to increase the air humidity to prevent the things drying out too fast?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastActivityDate="2017-03-26T14:13:19.940" Title="Is 31% relative humidity at 22C too dry for gemination and seedlings?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31307" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31305" CreationDate="2017-03-25T13:39:44.137" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, at this stage, it looks like one of the Orobanche, or broomrape family (image of a  more advanced one here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.markgtelfer.co.uk/beetles/salisbury-plain-again-broomrape-toadflax-and-ground-huggers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.markgtelfer.co.uk/beetles/salisbury-plain-again-broomrape-toadflax-and-ground-huggers/&lt;/a&gt;) the trouble is, its only March and these usually don't appear that early. A clearer photo might help, or take one as it advances so that it becomes more obvious as it develops. Orobanche generally a rare - they're parasitic plants, and grow very much in association with a host plant's roots, and the host varies depending on the variety of Orobanche; it may even be growing in association with a plant next door.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other possibility is one of the Equisetum varieties, common name Horsetail, which I very much hope it isn't. One shoot is a bit unusual though, they usually start popping up over a broader area. Seeing what it looks like in a week or so would be very useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Following your comment that there are more shoots of this appearing, then it likely is Equisetum, probably Equisetum hyemale &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tastygardener.com/horsetail/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.tastygardener.com/horsetail/&lt;/a&gt;. It usually retains stems above ground which may remain evergreen - it may be that someone's dug it out last year and these are new shoots for this year, but its proximity to the fence might suggest it's coming through from next door if you haven't noticed it before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is available for sale - people usually grow it in a pond or at pond margins, but it does need controlling to restrict its spread, because its pretty invasive. The extent to which it's spread will reveal itself over the next few weeks. It much prefers damp or wet soil conditions, so if your soil dries out pretty well in summer, particularly if you're in East Anglia, Essex or the South East, that will hopefully help control its spread&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-25T23:05:42.283" LastActivityDate="2017-03-25T23:05:42.283" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31308" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-25T14:54:32.223" Score="3" ViewCount="1113" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are pale patches and little brown spots on the leaves of my lemon balm plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are two pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XSkeA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XSkeA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Upright single leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/ll1utyB&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N1llz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N1llz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf bent toward the right&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/2JjoISQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/SvGjWlx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/SvGjWlx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf with an especially prominent brown spot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/SvGjWlx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently transferred it from a six inch to a twelve inch pot. In the six inch one, I was watering it every morning until it dripped. Since it needs way more water for that to happen in this pot, I no longer water it every day; I just stick my finger in the soil knuckle deep, and if it doesn't feel as moist as it should, I'll add water. Was doing two cups every time, just started doing four this morning because I figure it needs to soak all the way through the soil, and even that doesn't cause dripping. Edit: I'm seeing moist patches forming on the outside of the bottom of the pot (it's Terra Cotta), so the water is definitely getting down in there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It gets a decent amount of sun, mostly in the middle of the day and early afternoon, but it's difficult to determine the exact amount due to a bunch of oak trees in my yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted the thing roughly two and a half months ago, but totally forgot to keep track of the exact date. Lesson learned. The pale bits were appearing with much less frequency in the smaller pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit 2: Forgot to mention that I've been battling it out with these little orange worms for a little while now, they appear on my plant every now and then and seem to be very happy whenever it increases in size. Those are probably my problem. Can't seem to find what they are or how to get rid of them, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit 3: As of today I've also seen little flea like bugs and little black and white flies, all of which I'm pretty sure are contributing to the damage, which seems to be getting worse. Currently looking around for food-safe insecticides/repellants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit 4: There's a little orange insect eating an even smaller black fly looking thing on one of the leaves, which makes me think that the black flies could be the issue and killing the orange things has been a mistake? The fly looks like it &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be a soil gnat...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16975" LastEditorUserId="16975" LastEditDate="2017-03-28T18:28:52.333" LastActivityDate="2017-07-27T03:11:50.130" Title="What would cause pale patches and little brown spots on my Lemon Balm leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31309" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31306" CreationDate="2017-03-25T17:04:00.757" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best way to provide plenty of humidity is to cover your seedlings with Saranwrap type plastic or a dome made for your starting flats.  I always do this even for rooting vegetative starts.  Don't need light to germinate seeds, do that in paper towels in ziplocs then transplant into potting soil or potting soil for starts.  I use a sprayer to moisten the top of the soil cover with a plastic for humidity.  Make sure you don't put the seedlings in direct sunlight but an artificial light can be controlled so you don't cook your babies.  This also prevents mice/rats from dining on sprouts. Later, after at least 2 sets of leaves you can allow them to deal with whatever humidity you have.  High humidity ain't so great as the plants get older as it promotes fungus.  When my starts get going they get a fan 24/7 to push the air around as well as blowing off the O2 produced by the plant during photosynthesis to allow CO2 availability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-25T17:04:00.757" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31310" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31308" CreationDate="2017-03-25T17:16:56.850" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are you using potting soil?  No rocks or gravel beneath the the soil above the drainage hole?  Have you looked beneath the leaves...get a magnifying glass to look closely.  Looks like insect sucking to me. When you transplanted your lemon balm was the root system able to fill its original pot?  Too large of a pot with garden soil for a for small plant is the kiss of death.  Garden soil will have eggs and all kinds of stuff you do not want in any potted plant.  You should be able to SOAK the soil and then allow to dry out...part of the drying out process are the roots sucking up enough water speeding up the drainage/drying.  Too long being wet is when you get fungus.  Watering everyday is a BIG NO NO.  You have to allow the roots to work at getting the water and the soil has to drain so that there is always air around the roots for gas exchange.  Way too much watering and if that plant too small for the pot it just won't make it.  Lemon Balm is a wonderful TOUGH plant.  Make sure you are using potting soil! Bottom of pot lifted off surface to enhance drainage and no rocks, gravel or packing peanuts beneath the soil.  Look closely beneath the leaves and send back answers to these questions.  We most certainly can help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-25T17:16:56.850" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31311" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-25T17:53:40.527" Score="6" ViewCount="163" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two similar plants that popped up in my vegetable garden in north Florida. At first I thought they were pepper plants, but now I'm having doubts. I did plant pepper seeds that I took out of store-bought peppers in this area back in the fall. As sometimes happens, nothing came up, so I overseeded the area with beets. Spring rolled around and these plants sprouted. Who can help me identify them? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They both stand about 2' tall, and have very small white flowers with yellow centers. The flowers are held somewhat downward. The fruits done seem to be growing much at all. They're very small, green, and round, and are in clusters of 3-5.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only differences I see in the plants is that one is multi-stemmed, while the other is basically one stalk. The other thing is that the single-stalk plant has &lt;em&gt;some&lt;/em&gt; leaves that are serrated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to upload pics, but having trouble...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16978" LastActivityDate="2017-03-25T17:53:40.527" Title="Is this a pepper? A weed? An edible weed?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2017-05-26T14:39:13.430" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3919" CreationDate="2017-03-25T18:03:34.107" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Look at the base of your tree.  The grass is right on the bark and this tree was probably planted too deeply.  The moisture of soil and or grass causes bacteria to thrive and they will compromise the vascular system to the point of killing the tree eventually.  I am not a fan of staking trees unless bare root or mature massive failure.  There are indications your tree was staked too long and that as well as the base of the trunk moisture would contribute to ruining the vascular system all around the circumference. I agree will Kevinsky, there won't be any help for this guy at all.  Is this tree planted by the Home Owner Association's contractors?  You should not replace with the same tree (Pin Oak?).  See if there are alternates.  Purchase during the fall and do not stake.  Even if planted during the spring, with little foliage to catch any wind staking greatly slows the growth of roots and girth of your tree. Make sure there is a tree ring with NO GRASS no flowers, nada, at least 3' diameter.  Only the roots should be under the soil, no mulch should touch the bark as well.  When planting, the root ball should sit on undisturbed soil so that the tree won't sink.  Let us know what you decide and we can guide you so that this doesn't happen again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-25T18:03:34.107" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31313" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31305" CreationDate="2017-03-25T20:10:33.790" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is an &lt;em&gt;Equisetum&lt;/em&gt;. And I'm not pessimistic as Bamboo. It could grow as single shot (or few shots), especially on first years.  It is also edible.  The only equisetum on my garden didn't last a mow of lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would remove it, but we are curious about what species it is. So in few months, could you check if you see larger plants near your home (e.g. other ivy or &lt;em&gt;Galium&lt;/em&gt; for yellow &lt;em&gt;Orobanche&lt;/em&gt;; or damp soil for &lt;em&gt;Equisetum&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2017-03-27T08:22:33.993" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T08:22:33.993" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31314" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31305" CreationDate="2017-03-25T21:13:05.233" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like some species of &lt;em&gt;Equisetum&lt;/em&gt;, most probably &lt;em&gt;E. telmateia&lt;/em&gt; (the Great Horsetail) which is becoming more common in the UK. Futher details and images available on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.brc.ac.uk/plantatlas/plant/equisetum-telmateia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.brc.ac.uk/plantatlas/plant/equisetum-telmateia&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;em&gt;Equisetum&lt;/em&gt; are not flowering plants instead they are Pteridophytes - a group of vascular plants which also includes ferns. Like ferns they produce spores for reproduction and not seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Orobanche&lt;/em&gt; are more delicate plants, quite rare in the UK and would tend to be found in close proximity to their hosts (they are parasitic). &lt;em&gt;Equisetum&lt;/em&gt; are common and often problematic weeds, although I do have a soft spot for them - I like their prehistoric look. They will spread without control (root barriers are a must if growing ornamentally).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastEditorUserId="16580" LastEditDate="2017-03-25T21:19:16.477" LastActivityDate="2017-03-25T21:19:16.477" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31315" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-25T22:11:40.347" Score="6" ViewCount="1958" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am relatively new to composting and still have not figured out how to generate heat so for now it is mainly cold composting. I was wondering if it is a good idea to put egg shells in the compost bin both to make sure it decomposes fast but also to ensure it does not attach mice or voles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T07:31:58.923" Title="Can egg shells be put in the compost bin?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31316" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-25T22:16:17.873" Score="7" ViewCount="7901" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few vegetable plants (kale, broccoli) that have been badly infested by aphids.  I was wondering if I can remove those plants and put them in the compost bin or I should discard them some other way. I want to make sure they are gone and done reappear next year (I am sure new ones will appear but want to get rid of these for now)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T23:26:20.653" Title="Can I put aphid infested plants in the compost bin?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31317" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31320" CreationDate="2017-03-25T22:37:34.577" Score="5" ViewCount="1107" Body="&lt;p&gt;In particular, I am interested in it's effects after it has been applied and the roots affected have been largely removed.  Does it break down over time, and if so what is the time frame?  What will happen if something else is planted where roots treated with this root killer where at previously?   If there are ill effects, is there anything that can be done such as the application of water to dilute the remaining chemical?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Everything I have read says very little about this, and is even somewhat contradictory, e.g. &quot;copper sulfate can be used as an algae and fungus killer and kills some plants but also can be used as fertilizer.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16780" LastEditorUserId="724" LastEditDate="2017-03-26T17:49:53.063" LastActivityDate="2017-03-26T17:49:53.063" Title="How long does Copper sulfate pentahydrate persist in the soil, after application?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;&lt;toxicity&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31318" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31316" CreationDate="2017-03-25T23:07:29.620" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can put them straight on the compost heap - aphids suck sap from the plants,and once the plants start to die back and stop growing, they'll just leave anyway, they won't live on the compost heap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-03-25T23:07:29.620" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31319" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31315" CreationDate="2017-03-25T23:10:31.693" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes,they can be added to your compost bin or pile - quicker to break down if you smash them up, but they don't have to be. Some people rinse out the inside first so as not to encourage rodents, but if you have an actual closed bin, that shouldn't really be necessary. More info here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/eggshells-in-the-garden.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Eggshells In The Garden: Using Eggshells In Soil, Compost And As Pest Control&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-03-26T13:08:40.960" LastActivityDate="2017-03-26T13:08:40.960" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31320" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31317" CreationDate="2017-03-26T03:15:29.467" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because of the variability of the environmental fate of this chemical, which shows different decay/leaching rates in different soil textures/environments, you cannot get a direct answer such as &amp;quot;&lt;em&gt;This product will have dissipated in x days&lt;/em&gt;&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/archive/cuso4tech.html#env&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Studies have shown&lt;/a&gt; that acidic soil will not bind with Copper(II) sulfate near as much as soils that are closer to neutral (30% of copper was bound at pH 3.9 and 99% of copper was bound at pH 6.6.). Also, higher calcium ion levels will increase the chemical binding, whereas sodium ions will cause more leaching. Soils that stay moist will retain the copper sulfate. Also, the smaller the soil particles, the more likely for the chemical to stay in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, from &lt;a href=&quot;http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/carbaryl-dicrotophos/copper-sulfate-ext.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cornell&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Copper sulfate is: (a) partly washed down to lower soil levels by water percolating through the ground, called groundwater; (b) partly bound to soil components; and (c) partly changed into different metabolites, or breakdown products. Copper is considered to be among the more mobile of the heavy metals in surface environments. Copper is bound, or adsorbed, to organic materials, and to clay and mineral surfaces. The degree of copper adsorption to soils depends on the level of acidity or alkalinity of the soil. The distance that it can travel in soil is limited by its strong adsorption to many types of surfaces. All applied copper will become a part of the soil copper content. Although copper sulfate is highly water soluble-that is, it dissolves very easily in water-the copper ions are strongly adsorbed or precipitated to soil particles when it is applied to soil. The leaching potential of this material is low in all but sandy soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You said you have the treated roots removed for the most part. Once the chemical is adsorbed to soil particles it will not be an active phytotoxin and you can plant. I personally do not recommend the use of this as an herbicide in areas where you intend to revegetate in a short time frame. And what does leach into the groundwater could travel into waterways where it is a fish toxin. Small amounts like you probably used, especially on high ground, probably won't be a problem, but there are safer and more specialized herbicides available today, such as a combination of  &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic_acid&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triclopyr&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinyloxyacetic acid&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imazapyr&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;RS)-2-(4-Methyl-5-oxo-4-propan-2-yl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)pyridine-3-carboxylic acid&lt;/a&gt; (in ether solution).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/archive/cuso4tech.html#references&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;References&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/carbaryl-dicrotophos/copper-sulfate-ext.html#17&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Further References&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-03-26T03:15:29.467" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31321" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-26T12:08:51.043" Score="7" ViewCount="389" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found these two plants growing wild on a mound of earth left over from building my house. Can anyone help me identify it? Is it worth keeping or is it a weed? I live in Ireland if that makes any difference.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bMokI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bMokI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16980" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-03-26T12:27:59.393" LastActivityDate="2017-03-26T13:35:09.337" Title="Help identifying a plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31322" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31321" CreationDate="2017-03-26T13:18:36.360" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very likely &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job%27s_tears&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Job's Tears&lt;/a&gt; a.k.a. &lt;em&gt;Coix Lachryma-Jobi&lt;/em&gt;. Odd small but well-behaved ornamental grass (as pointed out by @Stephie) which has the odd characteristic of producing a hard shiny seed about the size of a pea with a clear hole through the seed, making it useful for stringing a necklace. Use strong twine or you may find yourself shouting &quot;Oh me beads!&quot; as they spill in all directions across your tile floors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-03-26T13:18:36.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31323" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31321" CreationDate="2017-03-26T13:35:09.337" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Was there a bulb?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If not, it likely won't be ID-able at this point. If no bulb, it's probably a grass or a sedge - but it could be anything from an ornamental to a corn plant grown from an animal's droppings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as weediness goes, you'll have to observe its behavior until it's IDed. The concept of weeds is evolving. Dandelions, plantain and purslane were once dreaded invaders but are now welcome garden companions.  OTOH if it's a traditional garden you're going for, treat an unknown as a weed until you have a positive ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there was a bulb, post a pic. I'm curious if its origin at a build site means it germinated in tilled, low-nutrient soil, and if that origin caused a strange vegetative growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-03-26T13:35:09.337" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31324" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31316" CreationDate="2017-03-26T13:55:22.983" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I have an aphid infestation outpacing my ladybugs, I use my homemade pesticide spray of Dawn, water, and baking soda.  (1 gallon water, 2 teaspoons Dawn, 4 teaspoons baking soda) Good for insects and fungus. Coat liberally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When aphids first moved in on my gardens, I bought a few thousand ladybugs. (Despite my region being thick with Asian Lady Beetles, they can't gain a foothold on my lot BC of all the ravenous birds).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The initial release, when done properly, is like dropping an anti-pest nuke on your garden. Enough should stick around to keep you covered for the year. (I keep a dish with rocks &amp;amp; water for them, and built them a house - but that's probably a little overboard.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dill and Radishes are great for attracting ladybugs.  This is mostly because they attract aphids - BUT they're so aroma-intense that ladybugs will come to the area because they know that where there's Dill and Radishes, there's aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Summary: spray the infestation. Entice predators to the area. Maybe buy an initial population. Build/buy them a house if you're a psycho like me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-03-26T13:55:22.983" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31325" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31306" CreationDate="2017-03-26T14:13:19.940" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's fine. That's almost exactly what my indoor gardens are at all winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Heating pads are a good idea if the soil will drop too low in temp. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's more important to use a germ/clone potting mix that will promote a healthy long-term root ball, to eliminate cold drafts on young plants, and to know when to mist them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What stormy said about mice is correct - and the only reason I'd go back to covering seedlings if I move to an area where mice are an issue.  They will gobble up sprouts with no remorse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-03-26T14:13:19.940" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31326" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-26T16:32:50.750" Score="5" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this item, tell me where I could find more. I don't even know what to call it if I were to call around to local garden shops. I got some from a friend, and he doesn't know where it came from. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We think it's some kind of strap for training plants, at least that's what we've been using it for. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It comes in long strips, and it is designed so that the ends of the chain can slide into the links and lock. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/82WFL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/82WFL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12033" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T11:59:41.267" Title="ID this plant training strap?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31327" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31326" CreationDate="2017-03-26T17:56:21.230" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like a piece off a roll of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.britishhardwood.co.uk/chainlock-tree-ties/263/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Chainlock Tree Ties&lt;/a&gt;, but there are many types and sizes of similar ties available, usually listed under &lt;em&gt;Tree and Shrub ties&lt;/em&gt;, so suggest you Google that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-03-27T11:59:41.267" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T11:59:41.267" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31328" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31326" CreationDate="2017-03-26T20:47:23.570" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Same or similar to Bamboo's answer.  Simply a constraining device used for staking trees akin to plastic ties used for bundles and handcuffs.  Grins, I walk through parking lots and dismantling these things.  Staked trees are forgotten and because of the staking are the first trees to blow over.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-26T20:47:23.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31329" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31336" CreationDate="2017-03-27T00:46:57.923" Score="5" ViewCount="1660" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this Cathedral Gem Sausage Vine on my trellis. It was planted two years ago and up until at least last October or so it was fine. I live in the pacific northwest and we've had very little sun and a lot of rain the past few months, I'm not sure if that has anything to do with this vine not doing well, but it has at the least contributed to me only seeing the issue now. Here are some pictures of what it looks like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V6ObQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V6ObQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YAYR7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YAYR7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what could be causing this or how to stop it from progressing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16985" LastActivityDate="2020-10-15T02:40:09.437" Title="How to save dying vine" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31285" CreationDate="2017-03-27T05:08:31.023" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mix Dawn and water, 1 teaspoon per quart. Amazing insecticide, and a great spritz on dishes before a wash. Won't kill plants but they might notice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My all-purpose plant soap is 1 gallon water, 4 teaspoons baking soda, 2 teaspoons Dawn, as per the Cornell Formula. It won't hurt your plants and doubles as a fungicide, but it might lack the oomph you need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As others have said, ants aren't necessarily a bad thing. Fire and carpenter - I can see banishing these from your yard. Worse comes to worse, find the nest and pour Dawn directly in, then hose it to make it runny enough to flow in. (Had to do this once with a nest of aggressive fire ants).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But regular old garden/field ants - they're welcome around the house. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my area, the only ant nests that are noticeable are fire ants.  Identify your cohabitants - that's step one. If they're carpenter ants (unlikely) - hey don't worry, you're renting!  If they're fire - Dawn them and flood them. The damage to grass is insignificant - and who knows what your landlord will use to get rid of them? Better a biodegradable solution than Ortho Home Defense or a visit from an exterminator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T05:08:31.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31331" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31329" CreationDate="2017-03-27T05:40:30.847" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Inspect the heck out of it. Look for pests. You WANT to find them because the alternative is a bacterial or fungal infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the plus side, most wilts aren't lethal. On the minus side, many are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In either case, I recommend (as usual) the old 1gal water, 4 teaspoons baking soda, 2 teaspoons Dawn insecticidal/fungicidal spray. Wet leaves all over thoroughly (there should be runoff), and again two weeks later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If no pests are found, there's a chance the infection is in the plant (which unfortunately is typically what blackened leaves like that means) and the spray will be ineffective.  However, even most internal infections aren't lethal (though some are) - and while the plant is dying above ground, its root ball is preparing new shoots to send up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is assuming there hasn't been gross over-fertilization.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Inspect and hope to find aggressive rust mites. If none, spray and hope it's aggressive rust fungus. If not, pray it's not a lethal infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T05:40:30.847" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31315" CreationDate="2017-03-27T07:31:58.923" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's considerable &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenmyths.com/eggshells-do-they-decompose-in-the-garden/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;doubt&lt;/a&gt; that egg shells decompose in any significant fashion especially if the soil is not acidic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to benefit the soil at all, best would be to grind into a fine powder before adding to your soil or compost, and maybe the worms will use it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T07:31:58.923" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31335" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21750" CreationDate="2017-03-27T15:19:43.203" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;After washing my herbs, I add a small amount to vinegar to a fresh bowl of water and let my herbs sit in the water for a few minutes.  Often, I have seen little spiders scurrying out of the bowl, even though I had washed several times. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the fungus, I stored some of my oregano in a plastic bag, after drying, and several weeks later, it had fungus growing in the bag.  I had thought about putting a small piece of a paper towel in the bag initially to absorb any moisture that my have been in the dried leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16992" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T15:19:43.203" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31329" CreationDate="2017-03-27T17:40:17.947" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;One possibility is way too much water. Look for a moment at the base of that square fence post; note the green growth progressing from the soil line and the wet patches. My feeling is that the roots were doing well, progressed nicely downwards during the summer since the soil was moist and not wet, but then the rains accumulated around those new roots and for some reason could not escape. Roots need air. Waterlogging will cause the entire plant to start shutting down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Proposed diagnostic: see if you can remove a core of soil. Choose a location close to the plant and drive a thin-wall copper tube down so that you capture roots and soil. Pop the core and examine. Look in the core hole that remains and see how far the water rises. Use a dipstick if necessary. If it stays dry all the way down to 2 feet then I'm wrong but you have not lost anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I'm correct, get the water level down as soon as possible and keep it down; let the plant recover itself. Consider a slightly higher location for a rooted cutting or transplant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T17:40:17.947" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31337" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-27T19:33:52.010" Score="3" ViewCount="987" Body="&lt;p&gt;Briggs &amp;amp; Stratton lawn mower was working fine, but it won't turnover now(batt fully charged). It has a safety feature, or kill-switch, that doesn't allow the mower to go in reverse while the blades are engaged. When I was backing up, the mower deck dropped down and engaged the blades, and the mower shut down abruptly. Now the mower won't turn over at all. Any troubleshooting tips?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15694" LastActivityDate="2017-03-28T18:44:18.307" Title="Lawn Mower Won't Start After Safety Switch Engaged" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31338" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31329" CreationDate="2017-03-27T20:47:46.073" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without more information browning or die back from tips and margins of leaves is OVER FERTILIZATION.  This is not fungus or insect.  I would OVER WATER THE SOIL IN A BIG WAY RIGHT NOW.  Dig a little trench so that the water is able to flow away from this plant.  This might be a deal breaker depending on what you've used and how much and how often and how long ago.  I've not seen a better example of over fertilization...I could be wrong but need much more information.  What about the other plants nearby?  More pictures, formula label information...etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T20:47:46.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31339" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9268" CreationDate="2017-03-27T21:08:11.373" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found that I had these in my container cherry tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The interesting thing that I accidentally discovered is that they did not like a solution of CalMg which I mixed 15ml to 1quart of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After 5 minutes of application they came crawling to the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16994" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T21:08:11.373" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31316" CreationDate="2017-03-27T23:26:20.653" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It shouldn't be an issue to add aphid-infested plant matter to your compost. If your heap gets up to the right temperature, they'll burn to death anyways. If they lay eggs, those eggs will probably be eaten by the composting bacteria as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've added aphid-infested stalks in without any problems with the resulting compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16996" LastActivityDate="2017-03-27T23:26:20.653" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31342" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-28T00:18:49.430" Score="3" ViewCount="419" Body="&lt;p&gt;I acquired a strawberry runner seperated from the main plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the time I got home it looked quite withered and dying. Since I couldn't plant it right away, I put it in a glass of water overnight. By morning it looked a lot better. Later that day I planted the runner in a pot of dirt and watered it every day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But it seems to be getting worse everyday, it's a few days later now and it's looking withered and dying again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to save it? Would it be better to put it back into a glass of water as that seemed to help? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The runner did have some very short roots, perhaps 1cm long, when I planted it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16997" LastActivityDate="2017-03-28T06:35:20.167" Title="How to keep a detached strawberry runner alive" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31343" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-28T01:25:31.713" Score="2" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year we had a decent produce of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrus_pyrifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;apple pears&lt;/a&gt;. But most of the fruits had at least one black spot on the surface. All of those fruits had some sort of bugs inside the fruit. The year before that when we bought the house the produce was not that great but the fruits were not infested with bugs. My question is, what are the common steps to protect the apple pears so that we can get good produce with no bug infestation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastActivityDate="2017-03-28T14:54:33.417" Title="How to protect apple pears from getting lot of bugs?" Tags="&lt;apples&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;pear&gt;&lt;protection&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31344" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31343" CreationDate="2017-03-28T02:07:14.940" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a good chance you have &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codling_moth&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Codling Moth&lt;/a&gt; infestation. There are pesticides that can help but you can also likely fight back without chemicals by removing much of the fruit early in the year so that none of the pears are touching each other on the tree and by picking up and disposing (offsite) of any fallen fruit ASAP. Also dispose far away from your garden any fruit you pick that has bugs. It may take a couple of seasons to get it under control organically but these steps should help considerably with time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16999" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-03-28T14:54:33.417" LastActivityDate="2017-03-28T14:54:33.417" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31345" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-28T04:24:53.947" Score="7" ViewCount="117" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've built four additional raised beds for my garden, and put a lot of tree branches and cow manure at the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is, the beds are two feet deep (24&quot; sides, I mean), and I had intended on filling them to within 4 inches of the top with soil (with woodchips on top).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, if I have eight inches of soil on top of the tree branches, and if whatever I plant in the beds don't have roots that reach that deep, do the shallow rooted plants still benefit from the nutrients?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or should I churn up the beds in three years to bring the nutrients to the surface?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(A quick google shows that tomato plant roots go 12+ inches, so I probably don't have anything to worry about, but am still curious. Also, I'll be sure to put good material in the upper eight inches, not just soil.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17000" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-03-28T20:05:14.447" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T14:52:24.937" Title="Do soil nutrients travel to the surface?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;hugelkultur&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31346" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31342" CreationDate="2017-03-28T06:35:20.167" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably too much water, combined with planting at the wrong depth. Strawberries are sensitive to being planted too deeply or too shallowly.&#xA;Get a fresh pot of soil, moist but not wet.&#xA;Remove the runner from its pot, and pass the runner under a running tap or in a glass of water so that you can see exactly where the crown is.&#xA;Replant the runner in the fresh pot, making sure that the crown is at soil level with its head in fresh air.&#xA;Gently firm soil around the crown.&#xA;Then restrict watering to just keep the soil moist, not wet.&#xA;Return previous pot of soil to the compost heap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-03-28T06:35:20.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31347" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31351" CreationDate="2017-03-28T15:31:08.177" Score="4" ViewCount="1809" Body="&lt;p&gt;We're thinking of paving the area under our second-story deck but aren't budgeting for it until next year at the earliest.  The area, which is roughly 30 feet by 10 feet, has black lava rock partially covering it right now - because of price and general lack of availability where I live, I've been slowly moving it to the front of the house where the lava rock there was thinning out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm tempted to remove the rest of the rocks under the deck, smooth out the dirt, and cover it up with landscaping fabric to make it easier to deal with weeds in that space in this coming summer.  Because we may pave over this next year, I don't want to deal with the expense and hassle of putting a bunch of mulch down on top of this area.  Would it be a bad idea to leave the fabric exposed like that, knowing that it's out of the way of foot traffic and otherwise isn't being used for plants?  I've seen all sorts of mixed reviews on using landscape fabric, though.  Is there a cheaper way to temporarily deal with this, perhaps leaving things as they are for now and occasionally using a weed control spray?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a photo of the area I'm dealing with:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a3toF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a3toF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14187" LastActivityDate="2017-03-28T19:30:07.327" Title="Is it ok to leave landscape fabric exposed in an area without plants and foot traffic?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;landscape-fabric&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31348" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31345" CreationDate="2017-03-28T16:38:58.923" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The majority of plant roots are only within the top 4 -6&quot; of the surface.  Roots that go deeper are for support not uptake of water and chemicals.  Nutrients/chemicals the plant needs to continue photosynthesis in order to make its own food are taken up in a liquid solution.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are more than a few problems with your bed formation. Un-decomposed organic matter; cow manure (if it smells like poop it still is poop or rather it is not decomposed) and branches cause the micro and macro organisms in the soil to go dormant while the de-composer organisms do their job decomposing something that was once alive and now dead as these soil organisms need decomposed organic matter to feed upon...so they just take a long nap and leave remnants of themselves to wake up when this job is done enough for them to have food.  De-composers, primarily bacteria and fungus, use a LOT OF NITROGEN to do their work making nitrogen less available to plants, not more.  So, no, the stuff you put UNDER your beds and even if you put it on top of your beds will not be adding nutrients to your soil until it is decomposed.  Those nutrients are for the soil organisms that work symbiotically with plants.  This explanation is pretty basic but I hope that makes sense.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next problem is a perched water table.  This has nothing to do with your indigenous water table but the principle is the same.  When you water your beds the SMALL pore spaces have to become saturated BEFORE the water will move into the vastly LARGER pore spaces of your debris.  Thus the drainage is greatly restricted.  Saturated soil for any length of time will cause root rot, promote 'drowning' of plant roots as air needs to be present for gas exchange.  Hydroponics is water loaded with oxygen/air working with roots grown to deal with the world of being under water and fairly sterilized where garden soil certainly is not...which is okay for the garden as there is a balance of beneficial bacteria, fungi, soil organisms that control the entire system for their health and subsequently the plants they subsidize (?). Hydroponics and pots are completely artificial where we have to play nature's part.  Gardens are still artificial but easier to use natural processes to assist us humans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are actually creating one of these Hugelfugel things that have become sort of a fad. Not the correct spelling, I'll fix that in a few but I would dig your beds up and remove this stuff.  Decomposed organic matter on top of your beds works WAY better and is easier on you.  Soil organisms will flourish come up to the top and eat this decomposed organic matter go back into the soil (4-6&quot;) where they still have pores filled with air and poop it out, mixing it in for you!  Very cool thing and keeps your soil alive, draining well and adding fertilizer is NECESSARY to replace the chemicals necessary for healthy plants that WE striped off our soils when we blast in and disrupt entire ecosystems.  But fertilizer is not food...plants make their own food.  Less is better. Best when we do soil tests and know which plants need more nitrogen and others less nitrogen in relation to phosphorous and potassium and then there are the micro chemicals that are necessary and the pH which is another big big deal that again differs with the individual genus and species of plants...   &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1ybqn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1ybqn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my garden with new raised beds[![][1][1]&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-03-28T18:11:53.717" LastActivityDate="2017-03-28T18:11:53.717" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31349" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-28T17:30:13.040" Score="3" ViewCount="232" Body="&lt;p&gt;This potted bay leaf sits on my deck and doesn't look too good. I'm not even sure what's going on- I know we got a lot of rain in San Francisco the past 10 months... Too much or too little sun? Maybe the wind? Is the plant sitting too proud in the pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How might I save it? Fingers crossed. Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ps9vq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ps9vq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k0pqI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k0pqI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S0dXH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S0dXH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7055" LastActivityDate="2017-03-28T22:40:05.403" Title="How to save my ill-cared for bay leaf tree?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31350" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31337" CreationDate="2017-03-28T18:44:18.307" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;What was the weather like, the lawn when the deck dropped in reverse? Did you see any scalped lawn when you moved the deck? Take the spark plug OUT and turn this mower over (towards the oil input). Take the blades off and examine the flow mechanisms. I am concerned the deck dropped down. The mower shutting down is a very sensitive sensor which is good. How long had you been running this mower (Briggs &amp;amp; Stratton is the best or at least used to be the best)? How LONG was the grass you were cutting? Were you bagging clippings? Clean out anything hampering the flow; plastic, clogged grass – stormy 22 hours ago  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Inspect your spark plug. Do you have a replacement you could insert to rule out the plug? How sharp are your blades? Was there a grass plug to the bag? Did you try to turn it over AWAY from the oil tank? Do you have replacement gas and air filters? Cool thing about these 2 stroke engines is if you keep the dirt out they will last forever...replacing filters and perfect oil gas mixture. Are you using NON ETHANOL gasoline? If and when you take this in, don't leave the store. Hang around and KISS ASS with the guys that fix...they LOVE TO teach you the basics. Sounds like a plug. – stormy 22 hours ago  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@stormy, thanks for your reply. The weather was fine, and the grass not very long, and not bagging the clipping. It did scalp part of the lawn, but only briefly before shutting off. The spark plug is new. The mower is about 14 years old. I have not tried to turn the mower over, its been raining the past few days and I don't have a garage. I do use non-ethanol fuel. My father-in-law mentioned that it might have something to do with a diode in the electrical system. thanks for the tip of hanging around the mechanics, i'll be sure to do that. ;) – wellington 45 mins ago&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've pretty much done all you can and very well I might add!! Please add a postscript when you are done making best friends with those mechanics! If they aren't amenable find another shop...seriously!! btw, I've NEVER found a 'mulching mower' that actually worked. There are great fertilizer formulations that add bacteria whose job it is to decompose those clippings. I threw out leaving the clippings altogether. Bag and use those clippings as mulch behind your plants and thinly. Great stuff for that application! Check out Dr. Earth Lawn Fertilizer as an example. Worth every penny!! – stormy 30 secs ago   edit   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-28T18:44:18.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31351" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31347" CreationDate="2017-03-28T19:30:07.327" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Landscape fabric was NEVER meant for weed fabric.  I hate whoever decided to make more money perpetuating this LIE.  This fabric is meant to go  gravel, BENEATH rock, lava rock so that the fines in the soil below don't come up to the surface while your gravels go down into the soil profile.  That is what they should only be used to do.  (I've heard the word 'sumping' which is mainly when pressure is applied topside it pushes the larger rock down allowing the soil to come up replacing the gravel and allowing weeds to go nuts and you lose your investment).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By your photo, it looks like this lava rock is fairly recent and the rain dripping through your deck or prior to your deck has splashed up on your masonry.  Pressure washer will take care of that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Landscape fabric needs to go BELOW the lavarock or gravel or drain rock... which looks even better in this application.  As long as the fines or soil do not come up into your rock that should be no shallower than 4&quot; deep/thick, you'll have little weed problems.  I'd pull that rock out of there, excavate and level the subsoil to get your 4&quot;, use PT 2X4's for edging the tops of which are level with the top of your gravel, secure with stakes and SCREWS not nails!  Install your fabric.  One thickness is JUST FINE.  I'd use clean drain rock instead of this black lava rock or at least wash this stuff free of soil before installing on TOP of the fabric.  Every other year when soil and weed seeds blow in just spray glyphosate to kill the weeds.  This is pretty much the only time I even have to use a pesticide for which I am licensed.  If you get contractors to do this make sure they are licensed and bonded or if they screw something up (water pipes, electrical conduits, posts, garf up your beautiful masonry, break windows) YOUR homeowners insurance will take the brunt of the financial downfall. A nice clean line of 2X4 edging at the foot of your posts will make your entire home project look far more professional and well thought out.  Raising the value of your home!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-28T19:30:07.327" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31349" CreationDate="2017-03-28T22:40:05.403" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Becky, were you the one who planted this guy in this pot?  One problem is  this plant is  way too small for this large pot.  Size of plant equals size of roots equals water sucking up to avoid root rot.  If there is gravel or rocks or packing peanuts at the bottom of the soil that  would really cause very poor drainage, saturated soil and a very unhealthy unhappy plant.  Looks  like you used potting soil which is great!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A weakened plant is susceptible to insects...such as spider mite which from your picture of the leaves... kind of looks like...gotta look under the leaves as well.  This must be on the north side of your home.  How much sun does this deck receive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too large of a pot and soil for this size plant number one.  Looks  like way too little sunlight. Using a magnifying glass look under those leaves for crawling insects.  This is not wind.  This is a struggling plant that needs to be repotted in a pot no larger than 6&quot; of diameter, fresh potting soil, no rocks  beneath that soil above the drainage hole, the bottom of the pot needs to be elevated off the surface below to enhance drainage.  This guy needs sunlight, possibly treatment of spidermite (neem) and LESS WATERING.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-28T22:40:05.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31353" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5441" CreationDate="2017-03-29T03:45:42.867" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read about &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.grapeheaven.com/learn/Vineyard-Pests-i128.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Asian ladybugs being a grape pest&lt;/a&gt; (though they don't damage the plants or fruit; they just get mixed up into the juice, sometimes, and change the taste), and they're said to bite (I'm guessing they'd have to be provoked, normally), and live in your house in the winter, but I haven't heard about any issues with tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Asian ladybugs are known as multicolored ladybugs, and they can be yellow (they aren't always, though). I'm not sure if there are yellow ladybugs that aren't pests for some kind of crop, but perhaps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Asian ladybugs should eat aphids regularly, like other ladybugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I've heard about &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oldhouseweb.com/gardening/is-that-a-good-ladybug-or-a-bad-ladybug.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ladybugs that are foliar bean pests (Mexican Bean Beetle) and foliar cucurbit pests (Squash Lady Beetle)&lt;/a&gt;. Again, I doubt they would be a pest to tomatoes. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Squash-Lady-Beetle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The latter is &lt;em&gt;also&lt;/em&gt; said to feed on bean and pea foliage.&lt;/a&gt; the Squash Lady Beetle does look yellowish (and the article said they have 14 spots). I imagine they're not a pest to your tomatoes, especially if you don't have foliar damage. It appears that the Mexican Bean Beetle (16 spots) can be yellow, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-03-29T03:56:31.203" LastActivityDate="2017-03-29T03:56:31.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31354" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3148" CreationDate="2017-03-29T16:11:13.420" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need carbon materials for compost, which is all the paper filters are, so they are not only fine, but part of what is needed.  Just try and rip/break them up when turning over your compost, just as you would rather throw in a shredded newspaper instead of one that is fully intact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastActivityDate="2017-03-29T16:11:13.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31355" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31345" CreationDate="2017-03-29T16:25:51.070" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend using a raised-bed method known as &quot;Lasagna Gardening.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, you start with a &quot;smother layer&quot; of wet cardboard or newspaper at the bottom of your bed to kill off and block any plants from growing up into the bed.  Then you lay down repeated layers of carbon materials (leaves, shredded paper), nitrogen materials (fresh grass clippings, composted manure, ground soybean meal), and dirt/compost (for the composting bacteria), with a layer of ash on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By doing repeated layers, as this layered active compost pile breaks down, all of the nutrients will be available no matter what level the plant roots are at.  Also, since you plant while the composting continues to go on, the soil feeds/replenishes itself as it continues to break down into more compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It takes a bit of prep work, and you have to set it up in advance of planting (the pile has to partially to mostly compost before you plant), but it requires no tilling, once set up, the weeding is easy, the loose nature of the material is very friendly to root growth, allowing for more intensive plant spacing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weeding is also a snap, because of the loose materials, and you get really robust results.  The only drawback is the preparation of the beds, which takes work and planning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is one link to a site, but a simple Google search on &quot;lasagna gardening&quot; or a search of the local library catalog will give you all the info you need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://infiltratinglandscapes.blogspot.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Infiltrating Landscapes Blog&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastEditorUserId="15588" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T14:52:24.937" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T14:52:24.937" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31345" CreationDate="2017-03-29T18:01:57.047" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You'll be just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't go ripping up what you've done due to contrary opinions - Start another couple of beds and compare results if you really want to investigate alternative methods, but having started down one road, don't over-work yourself on second-guessing. While I tend to agree that the hugelkulture approach has gotten a bit faddish, I don't agree that there's only one true way and it certainly seems to work for enough people to have become faddish in the first place. So roll with it and see how it works for you, rather than ripping up what you've done already. I guess if there are &quot;additional beds&quot; you already have some beds you can compare to that were done differently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nutrient distribution will be accomplished by worms, mostly, and by continuing to add new materials to the top while letting the bottom be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-03-29T18:01:57.047" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31357" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-29T21:47:29.623" Score="6" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is Rubus probus (the Atherton Raspberry) known to hybridize with other Rubus species? It sounds like it would be pretty awesome in breeding programs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2017-03-29T21:47:29.623" Title="Is the Atherton Raspberry known to hybridize with other Rubus species?" Tags="&lt;raspberries&gt;&lt;hybrids&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31358" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31365" CreationDate="2017-03-30T00:49:57.180" Score="3" ViewCount="1110" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an old house (built in the 50s) on a large lot (~ 1/2 acre) that was previously owned by some older folks that didn't keep up with the landscaping very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been slowly trying to get it in order, and while I have a ways to go, my current issue is with a monstrous pyracantha hedge. The back of the lot slopes down quite a ways to a street about 20 ft below. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ytC7v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ytC7v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;The pyracantha covers most of that hillside. It's grown significantly in to the back yard area as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are some effective ways of trimming this beast back? I've used loppers, sheers, and a hedge trimmer. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4trS8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4trS8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;The loppers and sheers works alright, if a bit slow. The hedge trimmer wasn't that effective as many of the branches are a bit too thick. Any advice on understanding how far back I can go? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k65Cc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k65Cc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm OK with sacrificing the look of the hedge as I'm guessing this thing has encroached quite a bit in to the yard space (At least a few feet, probably 6+). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, any good advice on how to dispose of all this material? I have a chipper, which I have used in the past, but it's even slower than cutting because of how hard it is to handle the branches. For those unaware, pyracantha is also known as firethorn, and for good reason. It has huge needle like thorns that go through just about everything. I've found that using rose gauntlets and going slow I can mostly avoid getting stuck. Mostly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17008" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-11T08:34:05.873" LastActivityDate="2021-02-11T08:34:05.873" Title="How to tame a Pyracantha?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;thorns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="31359" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31364" CreationDate="2017-03-30T01:42:46.847" Score="4" ViewCount="5632" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a very large pyracantha growing at the corner of my house. It was probably about 10 feet in diameter and 15 feet tall. I eventually managed to cut it down to a few stumps, but I couldn't quite figure out how to get rid of it. The ground around it is filled with fairly large rocks (from a few inches across to a foot or so) making digging it out pretty tough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0xCB5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0xCB5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has subsequently grown back. Both from the stump but also just growing straight out of the ground from within a few feet of the stump.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can cut it back down to the stump, but what are some options for getting rid of it for good? I'm guessing it has a very extensive root base which is making it hard to kill off as well. Most of the rest of the plants around it are weeds so I'm not too concerned with saving those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17008" LastActivityDate="2017-03-30T23:24:49.470" Title="How to remove a Pyracantha" Tags="&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;stump-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31360" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37723" CreationDate="2017-03-30T02:04:24.077" Score="4" ViewCount="1352" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have ½GPH (gallons per hour) drippers watering 3' tall tomato plants in pots. How long and when should I set the timer to water them? They are in an arid climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastEditorUserId="7441" LastEditDate="2017-03-31T14:17:28.370" LastActivityDate="2018-03-25T12:27:49.680" Title="How long and when to drip irrigate potted tomato plants?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31361" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31219" CreationDate="2017-03-30T02:15:58.260" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;HUGELKULTUR!  (Aka mound culture) There's an old school technique for using deadwood as a resource. I've been looking into this recently BC I have a lot of deadwood that's not getting used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Essentially, deadwood is stacked beneath and around a garden bed, and allowed to rot under and around the root systems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ground layer of the bed is framed tightly with wood, and the gaps stuffed with manure (or any compost that will fit). You can grow on that as a mound, or frame the sides with more deadwood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's a free, easy, and fun solution.  Another is chopping up and burying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A great solution (but not free) would be renting a wood chipper (or calling a tree service and asking how much to bring one over for an hour) and making your own mulch. This is probably the best use. Fresh, native mulch is best mulch (if your goal is breakdown).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastActivityDate="2017-03-30T02:15:58.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31362" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31366" CreationDate="2017-03-30T05:07:42.963" Score="5" ViewCount="4669" Body="&lt;p&gt;My indoor basil plant has been forming these brown beads on the bottom of leaves and on stems. I think it might be sap that's been oozing out that's turned brown / hardens when exposed to air. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the photo, you can see:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the brown bumps on the stem (center) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the brown bumps / sap on the underside of a leaf (right)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sap (before it turns brown) on a leaf (bottom)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also notced that a lot of the green leaves have tiny yellow/white specks (you can see it in the leaf at the top of the photo)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've checked, and I can't see any visible insects / parasites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anybody have any ideas what's going on? What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aq2rP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aq2rP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Brown ooze / sap on Basil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17010" LastActivityDate="2017-03-30T12:20:51.047" Title="Why is my basil plant oozing brown sap?" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;&lt;sap&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31363" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24685" CreationDate="2017-03-30T05:27:31.507" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems to be an Anthracnose attack. You need to spray the plant with some good fungicide or a combination of fungicides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17011" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-03-30T05:56:46.220" LastActivityDate="2017-03-30T05:56:46.220" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31364" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31359" CreationDate="2017-03-30T09:38:42.123" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Once a shrub gets this large, the method for removing and stopping regrowth is the same as that used with trees. You need to cut it right down and bore out the main roots with a stump grinder down to 12-18 inches, or cut it down and drill into every woody stump and large, woody root and poison them with tree stump killer (often listed as brushwood killer). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using stump killing treatments should stop regrowth and kill the plant completely, but you will be left with woody stumps and roots in the ground until they rot down over time naturally, so if you wanted to replant within 2-5 years, its probably best to bore out the root/stumps instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-30T23:24:49.470" LastActivityDate="2017-03-30T23:24:49.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31365" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31358" CreationDate="2017-03-30T09:52:25.803" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's no easy answer I'm afraid - pyracantha hedges can be kept neat and tidy and shaped to whatever form you choose, but once they've overgrown, they're less easy to cut because of the thickness of the stems. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Loppers, secateurs and a hedge trimmer are exactly the tools you need. Use the hedge trimmer to get it to roughly the height and width you want - at this stage, don't worry about the thicker stems being chewed and left behind, sticking out. Clear away the debris so you can get closer, then go over the plants,cleanly cutting any thicker stems with either sharp loppers or secateurs - because they're thick enough to be left behind by the hedge trimmer, cut them a few inches shorter than the rest of the growth. What you're attempting to achieve is production of softer, new growth which will be easier to just run the hedge trimmer over a couple of times a year. Don't attempt to reduce the height down beyond 4 or 5 feet at this time of year - taking it down much lower and narrower counts as renovation, and that is best carried out in winter, when the plants are not actively growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can tell, this is quite a tiresome, time consuming task, not to mention the pain aspect from the nasty thorns, so if there's something you'd rather have growing there instead of the pyracantha, it's probably worth considering having it all grubbed out, including the roots, emending the soil and replanting with something less painful to manage. The only reservation is that your pyracantha seems to be growing at the top of a steep slope, so some thought is required because of the risk of erosion if you remove the whole thing all at once; it might be better to remove and replace in stages, as it covers such a wide area. It's hard to tell how extensive its spread is down the slope, but from what you say, it covers a large area, so possibly removing the top part, to a width of six feet, nearest the paving, might be an option without creating significant erosion risk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regard to disposing of the cut material, there's no easy answer to that either - if its possible where you live, you could consider burning it, otherwise it's through a chipper and compost it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-30T09:57:27.323" LastActivityDate="2017-03-30T09:57:27.323" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31362" CreationDate="2017-03-30T10:45:55.467" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a scale infestation. Unfortunately, Basil, being an edible plant, isn't that easy to treat because you can't use heavy duty insecticides, so its probably best to dip a cotton bud or something similar into white spirit or alcohol, dab the scale insect (the brown lumps) and remove them. There will be nymphs, the immature form of the scale, on the plant too though, and you can't use alcohol on the leaves to get rid of those. Neem spray might help, but wash the leaves before use. If Basil is readily available where you are, I'd  bin this one, and get another, but otherwise, do the alcohol treatment and just use any healthy leaves you can see and struggle on. Some information on scale insect here https: &lt;a href=&quot;//www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/control-plant-scale.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Scale Bug – How To Control Plant Scale&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-03-30T12:20:51.047" LastActivityDate="2017-03-30T12:20:51.047" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31367" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-30T14:40:16.337" Score="2" ViewCount="378" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Florida and have an outdoor avocado tree which is 20 ft tall. This winter it had plenty of leaves, but once it set fruit the leaves started to yellow and fall off. I have a sprinkler system which comes on twice a week. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what's going on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17014" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-03-30T15:53:59.590" LastActivityDate="2017-03-30T22:44:49.263" Title="Why is my avocado tree losing its leaves?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31368" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31219" CreationDate="2017-03-30T17:25:45.223" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I look at your pictures, I see fuel for maple syrup production. You don't say where you are, but here right now we are in full swing for sugaring-off. Scan your yard or neighbourhood for sugar maples and turn it into a learning experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-03-30T17:25:45.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31369" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-30T18:37:37.697" Score="4" ViewCount="250" Body="&lt;p&gt;My kale and broccoli's are getting infested with aphids and they seem to be multiplying.  I have tried to hose them off and that works temporarily but they are back in a few days.  Research suggests using lady bugs is very effective.  If someone has used it successfully, can they share some information such as how many lady bugs would I need, how effective was that, how do I keep them in my open backyard vs them flying off or better yet how do I multiply my lady bug population so they I have a good number year after year (or do I need to bring in lady bugs every year)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T11:55:04.683" Title="Best method of using lady bugs to prevent aphids" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;&lt;kale&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31369" CreationDate="2017-03-30T19:54:34.003" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Purchase Lady Bugs and send them to your neighbors. They release and the Lady Bugs will end up on your property.  Otherwise, Lady Bugs when they wake up are programmed to LEAVE the place they woke up...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-30T19:54:34.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31371" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31369" CreationDate="2017-03-30T21:01:46.657" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ladybugs like to eat two things - some insects and pollen, so if you can plant around and about with plants that they'll like, that should help to not only attract them, but keep them around, so long as you've got something in flower for them. Not sure what the temperatures are like where you are, but in the UK, finding things ladybugs like that are in flower this early in the year is a bit difficult, but they like Chives, fennel, dill, English marigold (Calendula) and Tanacetum (feverfew) when they are in flower. With regard to Calendula, blackfly like those, so to some extent they can be used as a sacrificial plant because the aphids may prefer those to your food plants - Tropaeolum (Nasturtium) is another plant aphids love. Don't choose double flowered varieties to attract ladybugs, and pick plants with more open, flattish flowers.  More suggestions can be found here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/beneficial/attract-ladybugs.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tips To Attract Ladybugs To Your Garden&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T11:55:04.683" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T11:55:04.683" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31372" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31369" CreationDate="2017-03-30T22:40:10.980" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't want to disuade you from trying but when a problematic bug explodes in number, they will never be quickly eradicated with a predator bug. Better to attend to conditions that caused the aphid outbreak. Without plentiful other sources of food for ladybugs and other conditions, they don't hang around. In any case, they will not effectively clean up aphids enough. Ladybugs show up naturally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Typical causes for overabundance of aphids is overfertilization with high N fertilizers and/or extended wet cool weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16760" LastActivityDate="2017-03-30T22:40:10.980" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31367" CreationDate="2017-03-30T22:44:49.263" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very pale leaves and leaf drop caused by lack of moisture. Check actual soil moisture a foot down into soil. Also fertilize once moisture good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16760" LastActivityDate="2017-03-30T22:44:49.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31374" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-30T23:28:58.063" Score="2" ViewCount="210" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Goji Berry plants have only grown in the spring, when they have grown at all. I had some berries the first year, but not since. (Of course, they only fruit on new wood, but the plants are growing a few inches per year). The plants should be 6 foot tall and cascading over towards the ground, filling in that area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have done every possible thing I can think of, or that the nursery can think of. The selling nursery said any PH would be fine... However, the internet says slightly alkaline soil is needed. This is my ONLY IDEA re the problem... I do NOT know if this is accurate for my variety re PH needed.&#xA;Note - the nursery says these plants don't like much water or fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is that I need to raise the PH from approximately 5.75 to 7.0+, how do i do this?? Can I spread like over the surface where they are planted? How can I get results this year? Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17016" LastEditorUserId="17016" LastEditDate="2017-03-30T23:37:37.797" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T10:22:38.380" Title="Goji Berry plants have not grown much over 2 years!" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;goji&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31375" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34910" CreationDate="2017-03-31T03:43:52.967" Score="7" ViewCount="1344" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Opuntia&lt;/em&gt;, prickly pear cactus, is a hardy plant with a wide range of distribution. Its growth habit is by branching paddles, or nopales. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any way to measure or estimate the age of such a cactus? By age, I think I mean the time elapsed since the specimen was cloned, or the age of the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iuKhA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iuKhA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Opuntia in the wild&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16224" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T15:20:07.127" Title="The age of an Opuntia (prickly pear cactus)" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7487" CreationDate="2017-03-31T09:03:00.233" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Never add fertilizer.  The cuttings of any plant spawn roots to search for food (Nitrogen, the nutrient that makes the leaves green).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17020" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-03-31T14:31:48.490" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T14:31:48.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31377" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31374" CreationDate="2017-03-31T10:02:24.777" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless your soil ph is extreme one way or the other, goji berry is very adaptable, so I doubt that's an issue; the nursery you bought from is correct in that regard. What might be an issue is whether you enriched the soil with lots of organic material such as composted animal manure or good garden compost prior to planting, and whether you have mulched with something similar on a regular basis (certainly annually) since. You also have not mentioned whether you applied a general, balanced fertilizer (something with an NPK of 7-7-7 is fine) in spring, but it's usual to do so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second issue might be irregular water supply, or occasional drought conditions - you say they've been in two years, and the first two years is quite critical for any new, permanent planting in terms of availability of water. If the plant goes short, it takes longer to establish and doesn't do so well, and may even die, because it needs time to create an extensive root system for itself before it can really start putting on growth;  that process can take up to two years, longer if water shortage is a frequent problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you haven't given any detail about precisely what you've tried when you say you've 'tried every possible thing you can think of', and it's impossible to gauge what your usual weather conditions are like because you've not given your location, it's difficult to say for sure what the problem actually is; hopefully, you may find the above information is pertinent to your situation. More general information on goji berry growing here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=581&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=581&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-03-31T10:22:38.380" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T10:22:38.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31378" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31383" CreationDate="2017-03-31T12:17:49.360" Score="4" ViewCount="247" Body="&lt;p&gt;I excavated the yard to build a stepping stone walkway. There's water collecting at the intersection of the walkway and the city's sidewalk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm planning to back-fill and compact with crushed gravel before laying the stones. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will the drainage problem persist after I back-fill? (most of the exposed dirt is clay) If so, is there a way to remedy this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pics of the problem :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nbD11.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nbD11.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rVG1h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rVG1h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14177" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T20:28:57.323" Title="Potential drainage issue?" Tags="&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;clay&gt;&lt;hard-landscape&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31378" CreationDate="2017-03-31T12:50:08.530" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Examine as best you can how the city sidewalk was laid, and what depth of foundation layer was created. You will be looking for several inches of coarse aggregate which will allow the water to pass under the sidewalk if necessary. If you don't see it, for example concrete path on bare dirt, then maybe a chat with your local public works department is in order. If they created an impervious barrier (concrete on clay) then there may be consequences, calling for some kind of positive drainage as afterthought particularly if that location is a local low spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your proposed loose stones should be more manageable than concrete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can get a lot of good information on drainage from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2632/how-do-i-improve-drainage-vertically-through-clayey-soil&quot;&gt;this previous question/answer on positive drainage in a clay context&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.883" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T12:50:08.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31380" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-31T13:41:55.953" Score="4" ViewCount="303" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm curious if anyone has had any luck with planting a cover crop like clover under tomato/eggplant/pepper plants... I garden organically and have issues with early/late blight that always takes out my tomatoes mid-summer, and I've read that keeping the soil off of the leaves will help mitigate that. So, I wonder if a cover crop would&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Retain moisture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep soil off of the leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prevent other choking weeds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Provide more food in the form of nitrogen (if using clover)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My biggest concern is that the roots of the cover crop may compete with those of the tomato, so has anyone tried this and what has been your experience?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11347" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T21:02:01.853" Title="Will a low growing cover crop work under tomatoes or other nightshades?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23346" CreationDate="2017-03-31T13:56:46.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears that this apple tree is not at all happy. It is just not taking off and behaving as a young apple tree should, with vigorous vegetative growth and good solid shoots coming from the top of the whip. You should be seeing new shoots about 12-18 inches long with nice solid buds, and not necessarily any fruit buds at this point. What you have instead is weak growth, no long shoots, and a vague attempt at fruiting buds, maybe as a sign of distress. It appears that year 1 and perhaps year 2 were okay, but then something happened and it has done nothing remarkable since then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the question is why? It may be getting insufficient light (should be in good full sun), has its roots too wet (need good drainage year round, yes, all year), has no available nutrients or has been moved about experimentally too many times and simply cannot recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the next move might be to review the site, and if possible choose a new well drained and sunny location. Examine the roots thoroughly, wash off if necessary, prune back any dead and broken roots, and hope that in the new location it has the vigour to get back into the game.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T13:56:46.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31382" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-03-31T14:16:57.850" Score="2" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breynia_disticha&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Snowbush&lt;/a&gt; had lovely pink, green and white leaves for several years. Now all I get is purple leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a magnesium or potassium problem? Or, who has a solution?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17021" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-03-31T14:33:15.220" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T14:33:15.220" Title="Why does my Snowbush have only purple leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31383" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31378" CreationDate="2017-03-31T20:12:59.923" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The easiest way I see would be to dig a DRY WELL.  Right where that water is pooling dig a sizeable hole; 6X4', and line the hole with landscape fabric, then fill with drain rock, cover with landscape fabric keeping the top level with the bottom of the walkway you are making, delineate your walkway with pt 2X4's staked (top of 2X4's level with walkway gravel after compaction) and screwed firmly to stakes. Line entire bottom of walkway with landscape fabric, fill with 3/8 minus crushed gravel not pea gravel, 4&quot; deep after compaction and you'll have a nice clean walkway.  Make the end and beginning of this walkway far larger than the 3' wide walkway, sort of mini patios, especially next to the home.  Get the soil under your fence dug down so no grass, soil or gravel touches the wood.  Same for your siding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nope, make that dry well even larger after looking at it again... by twice those measurements. At least 4' deep to collect water to allow excess water to percolate back into the ground. It is a big no no to drain to other properties. Keep the top of the walkway level with the highest lawn, fill the other side and I would make plant beds instead of more lawn.  Gravel at least 4&quot; deep. 3/8 minus gravel one can walk on and looks finished.  You could even make the beginning of this walk surfaced with concrete pavers on top of compacted 2&quot; of sand.  Pavers butt up to each other no spaces and the edging is this black plastic stuff with huge 'nails' to keep pavers from moving.  Can't see it!  The rest of the gravel should be done with pt2X4's.  Always use screws when building with wood...as much as possible esp. in the out of doors!  Let me know if you need clarification.  Concrete pavers that look best and work best for DIY are Roman Cobble; 2&quot;X7&quot;X9&quot;...ONLY IN GREY.  Do not get fancy with color.  You will regret...should match the gravel and gray patina of wood and your foundation.  Seriously.  Colors look DIY and dirty or moldy!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-03-31T20:28:57.323" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T20:28:57.323" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31384" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31380" CreationDate="2017-03-31T21:02:01.853" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had the 'late blight tomato garden test strip' for Master Gardeners...a long time ago.  You are correct in your thinking.  I almost wish I'd tried that idea.  But no matter weeds or clover, both will rob chemicals.  It takes only ONE STUPID DROP WITH SOIL AND SPORE to infect and totally kill your tomato plant.  I learned this the hard hard way!  Couldn't even save the tomatoes!  In 3 days flat these 4' high by 2' wide, almost hedges (tooooo tight) by 50'in length laden with the most beautiful crop I could imagine  were BLACK.  So were the tomatoes I tried to rescue.  In THREE days they were all black black black and this was in a virgin garden that had never had a tomato, potato, pepper or eggplant anywhere close!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I did that worked best was COVER the entire row of tomatoes making a temporary hoop green house later in the year when Late Blight is viable.  I covered the soil with decomposed organic mulch and pruned off any leaves within a foot of the soil and/or mulch.  Reduce nitrogen in a big way.  You should reduce nitrogen anyway if you want tomatoes instead of too vigorous vegetative growth. The other test was fine wood chips for mulch, pruned and covered from any water hitting the ground.  Worked just as well for the crop size, the vegetation wasn't as green but produced almost as many tomatoes.  All the tomatoes that were able to get water on the leaves and soil splashing did not make it at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T21:02:01.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31385" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31386" CreationDate="2017-03-31T21:10:02.733" Score="3" ViewCount="5983" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning some landscaping which would see the addition of a small garden in my yard. On two sides it would be surrounded by a crushed rock barrier strip 1' wide. I was hoping to use this 1' wide strip as a psuedo-drywell for the french drains I plan to install.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have major problems with drainage, so the french drains are more for the efficiency of moving water from hardscaped areas to cultivated areas. As such, I don't need, nor do I want, a proper plastic tub buried anywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plan would be to dig a trench for that barrier strip. It would be 1' wide, of course, and 3' deep. I'd line the sides with landscaping fabric, or some permeable liner material, so water can pass through but soil remains confined outside the trench. Then, I'd simply fill with large crushed rocks to create a porous space for water to accumulate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because I haven't done this before, I would like to know if this plan seems reasonable, and what I could do to improve it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16753" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T22:00:32.993" Title="Making a drywell, without the &quot;drywell&quot;" Tags="&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31385" CreationDate="2017-03-31T22:00:32.993" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;First,  you do not want excess water to go to you cultivated areas.  Excess fertilizer collects and whatever that you don't want willy nilly to be in your cultivated plants, esp. food crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A dry well does NOT mean a plastic tub.  In fact that negates the purpose of a dry well.  A dry well is a big hole, lined with landscape fabric, filled with DRAIN ROCK, round river cobbles, not crushed rock that compacts.  On top of the drain rock is another layer of landscape fabric which of course keeps the soil out of the well while allowing a place for water to collect and slowly percolate into the water table (filtering water through the soil collecting chemicals).  It is an easy way to 'fix' drainage issues the developer and contractor ignored.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;French drains are far smaller and conduct water TO dry wells or daylighted outlets (not in suburban areas) and not to your foundation drains or city sewers. You NEVER WANT any water to drain towards your foundation ever unless meeting a large swale to be carried around the foundation. And not to your neighbor's yards, grins.  They are made of perforated pipe covered by landscape fabric with a slope to collect and carry water from the surface to a proper area.  They are also done with drain rock, not crushed gravel  unless beneath the pipe.  There are expensive french drain pipes with 4 or 5 smaller pipes one atop the others with inherent fabric, plastic sponge to keep the holes from filling with soil.  Only need a 6&quot; wide trough on top of crushed gravel with drain rock around the pipe.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are usually designed in a herringbone pattern to collect and drive into a main pipe towards a dry well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this is helpful.  Let me know if you need clarification.  Don't forget slope for these pipes; at least 2 to 4 %.  Use Rise/Run = Slope to figure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-03-31T22:00:32.993" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31387" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-01T03:09:22.180" Score="4" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is a photo. This type of bug is eating all cabbages that I have planted some weeks ago. Apart from killing one by one, there is any solution? Probably they are living in the organic substrate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mIdTV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mIdTV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17025" LastActivityDate="2017-09-28T17:22:05.977" Title="How to keep away Forficula auricularia from cabbages?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;cabbage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31388" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="43410" CreationDate="2017-04-01T05:41:02.533" Score="2" ViewCount="202" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have lots of long glass bottles(think Cappuccino bottles, but a little bigger). I would like to grow closed terrariums. Types of plants I want to avoid:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plants that are easy to prune. I would love to grow succulents, but it might get hard to prune? I am not sure how important pruning is for closed terrariums, but I assume after a while, when the plant grows, it'll require pruning to prevent it from scrunching up in the bottle. Please advice me if I'm totally wrong.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I live in a relatively dry/hot place. Hence, a plant that can live under those conditions would be nice. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I would like to avoid plants that shed leaves often. In the tutorials I read, dead lives can quickly dirty the pot. Hence, relatively sturdy plants would be nice. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, a nice bonus would be for plants to have nice foliage. In other words, something that looks a little more interesting than spinach leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are plants that at least come close to this type of criteria?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16194" LastActivityDate="2019-11-04T16:01:30.400" Title="Which plants to grow in a closed terrarium?" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31389" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31391" CreationDate="2017-04-01T07:04:26.347" Score="5" ViewCount="3058" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have basically no experience of gardening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a collection of plants on (what I think is) a relatively sunny northwest-facing window sill. I have basil, mint, geraniums and a chilli plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They all seem relatively healthy, but ALL of them are much 'leggier' than I would like/hope/expect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mint plant is a supermarket &quot;buy a living pot&quot; effort. The leaves that are left that are from the original plant are nice and big, but all the new growth (which has come off perpendicular to the original stems) is growing as very long, very thin stems with very small leaves. More akin to runners, than stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The basil is similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would expect the geraniums, to look like this: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k9YNP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k9YNP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.todayshomeowner.com/images/article/how-grow-geraniums-over-winter-5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;sub&gt;image source&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is to say, a dense bushy sort of effort, leaves growing fairly directly off the existing woody stems, staying quite contained. Long stalks growing for flower heads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead, I'm getting a gangly sort of thing, with all the leaves on long (10-15cm) individual stalks, and the core stem growing fairly rapidly outwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I was given the chilli plant (over Christmas) it was a single thick woody trunk (5-7mm diam) that went up and then split into a crown. It was basically bare leaves, but is now growing well. But it's mostly growing long new stems from the base - it's now looks like a set of ~4 plants grown in the same pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normally, I'd look up &quot;how to care for &amp;lt; plant &gt;&quot;, but given that I'm seeing the same sort of growth from all the plants, I'm wondering whether I'm doing something systematically wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More info on the windowsill:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Facing almost dead northwest, in North London. It receives direct sun from about lunchtime through to sunset. I think my description of &quot;sunny&quot; is probably misleading: the window is large and not occluded at all, whereas the other windows in the flat open onto &quot;inset balconies&quot; and thus are fairly dark even when the sun is on that side of the flat. So I guess I think of that sill as being sunny by comparison?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Click to enlarge)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8rR2s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;  &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8rR2s.jpg&quot; width=&quot;600&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L10aN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;  &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L10aN.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dxCC4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;  &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dxCC4.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qhSds.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;  &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qhSds.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ok8x4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;  &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ok8x4.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YOvGk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&#xA;  &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YOvGk.jpg&quot; width=&quot;600&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Happy to provide further pictures if you can tell me what you need to see!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17026" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-01T14:31:59.167" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T12:01:26.710" Title="Why are all my houseplants &quot;leggy&quot;?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31391" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31389" CreationDate="2017-04-01T14:26:55.730" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If its a north west facing windowsill indoors, it will receive afternoon sun - but there's not much of that about when the days are short. Legginess (properly called etiolation) is largely caused by low light conditions; your plants are light deprived, but that's not surprising, given they've been indoors all winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mint very likely needs to be turned out of its pot, split into sections and then repotted individually, and should now really be stood outdoors after hardening off, although you can keep one indoors if its easier for cooking. Mint likes a deep root run and it spreads by stolons underground, often meaning the central, original part dies out, but it can't do that in a pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basil is an annual plant, so when it becomes unproductive and gawky, bin it and get another, especially if you want to keep it indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Pelagonium (commonly called geranium) should now be cut down to about 2 inches, repotted into fresh compost and watered, and put outdoors if possible. Anything you put outdoors will need hardening off for a week or so till it acclimatizes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without an image of the chili plant, it sounds like you should cut down the central stem and allow the new growth at the base to take over, but seeing the plant would confirm (or not) whether that's what you should do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry, the images weren't there when I started my answer, so I never saw them till I'd posted it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All the Pelargoniums appear to need larger pots and a sunnier position - if you have space outdoors, cut them down by at least half, preferably two thirds, repot and stand outdoors, assuming you can find a sunny spot for them. These plants like as much sun as possible, and will become a bit leggy in shady conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Re the chili plant, that may have been trained as a standard if it was one stem, but its now shooting from the roots. You can either cut down the woody stem back to the base and and let the newer growth carry on - not sure that won't need a bigger pot too, or, alternatively, if you want to try to keep it as a standard, you'll need to remove the new growth around the central stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the mint, it doesn't look too bad - it's just suffered from insufficient bright light/sun. If you cut it back, you might find it improves along with light levels through the window, but it would do better in a brighter situation. It will need splitting and repotting sometime this year though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE 2&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your Pelargoniums will be fine if you cut them back - if you don't, and you continue to keep them inside, you'll have long, droopy leggy plants in a couple of months with stems that won't have the strength to support flowers. Outside in pots is fine - if your balcony is comprised of a solid wall for the lower four feet, stand the plants on something to raise them up to get more sunlight when its available; ambient light levels should be greater out there, but at least half a day's direct sun is essential for Pelargoniums. The other difference outdoors is that they're subject to breezes and wind, and that makes the plants have stronger and shorter stems too, so they'll look more like the ones in your image of the potted plant on the step outdoors. Feed them with something like Miracle Gro general purpose weekly and water them as necessary, allowing them to drain freely. Rain is irrelevant from the point of view of watering, it doesn't get into small pots anyway, so you still need to check and water them. In pots that size, if they get sunlight, they'll likely need watering a couple of times a week, daily when its very hot. When you cut back, cut to just above a leaf joint and, if you like, use the offcuts to strike cuttings, as someone else suggested.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for looking at greenery indoors, the plants you have are not actually indoor plants, so buy a couple of houseplants - Peace Lily, for instance, does not like direct sunlight, just needs good daylight. Most houseplants do better without direct sunlight anyway. I think I can see the top of a heater under that window, and being on a windowsill above a heater is not a good place for any plant to be, so work out whether there's anywhere with good daylight, away from heat sources, that you can place houseplants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-02T12:01:26.710" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T12:01:26.710" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31387" CreationDate="2017-04-01T14:46:20.290" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Earwigs do most of their damage at night. What's at question is whether the soil you've used contained earwig eggs which have now hatched, since you didn't use sterilized potting medium, so you may find more arriving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Earwigs eat mostly insects, though they do also like to nibble on flower petals quite frequently, and occasionally on plants, and I'm not seeing damage from earwigs on your seedlings, or any other damage actually, so I'm not sure why you think they are eating your seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have cabbages that have been outdoors for some months, I can't comment on what's damaged them because there are no images of the damage, and there are many insects which attack cabbages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More extensive information on earwigs here &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/european_earwig.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/european_earwig.htm&lt;/a&gt;, scroll down for its eating habits. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There aren't any insecticides that deal with earwigs, so the usual course of action is to use short, hollow canes laid in between plants, or flowerpots upside down on sticks filled with paper or straw - the earwigs will hide in those for shelter, so every morning, empty them out into a bucket of water and dispose of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-01T14:51:37.730" LastActivityDate="2017-04-01T14:51:37.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31393" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-01T16:12:48.000" Score="4" ViewCount="6838" Body="&lt;p&gt;The shrub is approx. 14 years old and has been planted in the garden for about the past 6 years. I have mulched it twice in that time. What have I done wrong? Any advice would be good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17028" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-01T18:57:24.280" LastActivityDate="2017-04-01T20:27:49.987" Title="Why has the top half of my Acer Garnet died off" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31394" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31395" CreationDate="2017-04-01T19:22:28.663" Score="5" ViewCount="212" Body="&lt;p&gt;Today I heard that there is a Euphorbia which removes rats from vegetable gardens. Unfortunately I didn't get the specific name of the Euphorbia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you know what kind of Euphorbia it could be (I would say something similar to E. lathyris)?  Do you have good experiences?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-01T21:37:36.720" LastActivityDate="2019-04-05T01:50:22.783" Title="Can I kick rats out of the garden with a Euphorbia?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;euphorbia&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31394" CreationDate="2017-04-01T20:16:31.733" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only one I know of said to do this is Euphorbia lathyris, or caper spurge (not that the 'capers' it produces are edible, they're toxic if consumed).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether you want to put up with an invasive plant in your vegetable patch or not is your choice - it seeds itself prolifically. I'm afraid I've no experience as to its effectiveness as a rodent repellent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-01T20:16:31.733" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31396" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31393" CreationDate="2017-04-01T20:27:49.987" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Acers are prone to dieback, and if yours has not leafed out at the top this year, that's likely what the trouble is. Sometimes the plant recovers, or just carries on growing lower down after you remove the dead upper growth, but other times the dieback advances and the whole plant dies. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are various causes for dieback, but the commonest one in Acer palmatum is due to verticillium wilt, to which these plants are highly susceptible. It's most commonly a soil borne infection, and you won't have caused it, it can be wind borne. More information re verticillium wilt here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=255&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=255&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-01T20:27:49.987" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31397" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31401" CreationDate="2017-04-01T20:45:09.203" Score="4" ViewCount="3301" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have lots of air plants (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.airplant.com/indcare.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tillandsia&lt;/a&gt;) and I would like to place them in a closed terrarium. Will this type of plant survive the type of humidity and moisture that comes with a closed terrarium environment?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And can I just place this plant in some sand or can I place it in soil as well? &#xA;The reason I ask is because I'd like to place the air plant alongside some ferns inside the terrarium. Hence, if I could just place both plants on the same soil bed, it will be very convenient. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16194" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-01T21:35:46.070" LastActivityDate="2018-07-12T01:53:33.780" Title="Can air plants grow in closed terrariums?" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;tillandsia&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31398" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-01T22:33:15.007" Score="4" ViewCount="2923" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/70KeM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm just hoping for clarification on what the green shoots are coming out on the lower stalks of my bamboo palm houseplant.  The upper part of the plant did not care for the trip home from IKEA and has died back with brown leaves that I've been trimming. These green shoots are coming out in the lower part of the plant and I hope it's a sign that the plant will survive and recover because it was gorgeous when I purchased it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17029" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-02T18:16:47.193" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T18:16:47.193" Title="What is this growing on my bamboo palm?" Tags="&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31399" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31456" CreationDate="2017-04-01T22:37:16.507" Score="4" ViewCount="399" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given a bag of bur oak seeds that were collected from my region (northeast USA, zone 5) last May (it's been a while). I found them stashed in a wooden drawer in a cool room, in their original brown paper bag - where I left them many months ago. Some feel partially hallowed out, some have holes, but some are pretty solid (below is a photo of one that looks and feels good on the left, and the opposite on the right).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WMdBL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WMdBL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bur oak seeds - good looking and feeling one on the left; bad one on the right&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I get these started? It's been stored for a while but I want to at least give them a go. I've heard moisture is a big part of getting them started; that I can test the seed quality by seeding if they sink or float; and can rehydrate them after storage by leaving them submerged for 24hrs. So, I'm thinking to put them all in a cup of water, remove the floaters, then tomorrow plant them just barely into the soil of pots of moist soil that are ~6&quot; deep. I can keep that under a light, could even put it on a slightly heated tray to encourage root growth. I figure from there I'll grow them indoors for a while before transplanting to larger outdoor pots, for eventual transplanting to a permanent site.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does that plan need any adjustments? I'm under the impression I don't need to do any special stratification to get these seeds started, aside from re-hydrating them as needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastEditorUserId="13670" LastEditDate="2017-04-01T22:57:52.503" LastActivityDate="2017-04-04T14:07:43.747" Title="Growing bur oak from stored seeds - how to start?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31400" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31398" CreationDate="2017-04-01T22:39:59.350" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are the inflorescences that are the method to produce fruit for this member of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaedorea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Chamaedorea&lt;/a&gt; family. There are male and female flowers on separate plants. The spots on the growth eventually become fruit that are spherical and blackish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I was maintaining these plants I removed these promptly by tearing gently at the base.  If there was mealy bug anywhere around they would be attracted to the new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-04-01T22:39:59.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31397" CreationDate="2017-04-01T22:45:31.033" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In a word, no.  The natural environment of these plants is high in trees where there is good air circulation and bright diffuse light.  Humidity and moisture requirements vary by species but air circulation is essential.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a terrarium they will get not get air circulation but they will get a constant level of higher humidity which will promote rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have maintained these plants quite successfully in a more open terrarium where these was a lot of light from High Pressure Sodium lamps and good air circulation. They were attached with silicon to cork.  Maintenance was to mist them down with distilled or filtered water once a day&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-04-01T22:45:31.033" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31402" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31403" CreationDate="2017-04-02T00:53:19.057" Score="5" ViewCount="4919" Body="&lt;p&gt;Am a complete gardening novice, any level of information welcomed!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have been trying to grow Basil - it is now very tall and skinny and woody - I think from initial neglect. See picture:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C5yaJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C5yaJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question: how to make it shorter, and bushier, and self-standing. (it has become so tall that I have had to add a vertical support to stop it falling over.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is also starting to flower, unsure of the significance of that, should I remove them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thankyou&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17032" LastEditorUserId="17032" LastEditDate="2017-04-02T22:06:17.873" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T22:06:17.873" Title="What to do with a slender, tall Basil plant? (how to make it &quot;bushy&quot;?)" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31402" CreationDate="2017-04-02T01:01:16.267" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, remove the flowers, and remove that tiny apical tip with new leaves.  You need far more light!  In fact I'd cut that plant in half right down to new leaves AFTER you are able to get a true grow light or a south facing window.  Reduce fertilizer.  I can't tell very well but looks like you've used garden soil and you HAVE to use potting soil in pots.  I don't think this pot has a drainage hole and that needs to be fixed pronto.  Make sure that only potting soil is in your pot with NO ROCKS or gravel below the soil and above the drainage hole.  Use a saucer to protect surfaces but raise the bottom of your pot (new one with hole in the bottom) off the surface whether it is saucer or patio.  Water ONLY when soil dries at least 1/2 inch from surface.  We can help with pruning but get the soil and pot fixed and we'll go from there, okay?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T01:01:16.267" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31404" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31369" CreationDate="2017-04-02T05:54:31.377" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aphids like many insects go for the weakest plant they can see.  So, if you have a raised bed of differing plants, you'll find that the aphids will target the weak plants and leave the strongest alone.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, in my mixed raised of bed of cauliflowers, and broccoli, the broccoli are untouched but the cauliflowers are infested with aphids and cabbage worms ( I had an insect net but I guess the white butterfly somehow crawled under gaps ).  Insects can detect abnormal growth patterns eg. excessive nitrogenous growth and that is like a blazing neon sign for them to come and feast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T05:54:31.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31405" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31406" CreationDate="2017-04-02T07:51:33.147" Score="5" ViewCount="20429" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VnC66.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My cactus has this brown areas growing across the surface since a week ago. If you try to remove them, they are like a hard skin that comes off, the surface underneath is normal green color but appears a bit wet.&#xA;What is it and what can be done?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N9Vni.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17034" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-04-02T09:21:45.653" LastActivityDate="2021-04-10T09:25:26.497" Title="What are these brown spots on my cactus?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31405" CreationDate="2017-04-02T12:28:26.580" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect it's a scale infestation - cactus plants, if damaged by anything (insects or physical damage) develop corky areas exactly this colour, but these look bumpy, so I think they're probably scale insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can try manually levering them off, but the damage beneath will likely turn into corky patches,, the cactus equivalent of a scar - even so, you do need to treat the problem or it will get much worse. Some cactus don't respond well to insecticide treatments, and most of those treatments don't penetrate the adult scale anyway. You could try using a cotton bud dipped in rubbing alcohol or methylated spirits, dab the scale insect and then try lifting it off, but don't get the spirits on the plant itself.  Cover the soil before trying to remove the scale, because you don't want reinfection to occur.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information here, including advice on removing the scale &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.desertplantsofavalon.com/how-to-remove-scale-from-cactus-plants/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.desertplantsofavalon.com/how-to-remove-scale-from-cactus-plants/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T12:28:26.580" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31407" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31414" CreationDate="2017-04-02T13:52:58.830" Score="5" ViewCount="169" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qcOOz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am cutting back a hedge plant today and found this in the middle of it. It's sort of rubbery, not attached to the plant but just nestling in there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has sort of a top part, and a corkscrew-like &quot;tail&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this some kind of fungus? (It has that sort of stretchy, slimy texture that fungi sometimes have, but I'm certainly no expert!) Is it safe to touch and how to get rid of it?!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edited to add: I took it out as per the comment, here's a picture of it with my hand for scale.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PnpU2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17035" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-04-02T15:53:29.840" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T22:41:02.807" Title="What's this (yellow, rubbery thing - pic attached) I found in my Box Hedge plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31408" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-02T14:36:31.193" Score="3" ViewCount="1304" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many of us experienced our gardens invaded by large flocks of crows, ravens, or similar birds. They tend to dominate bird life in such areas, reducing overall garden biodiversity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my case, crows have moved into our neighborhood big time, and they're monopolizing our bird feeders (plus making a mess on my car).  Any suggestions for how to discourage the crows without scaring away the other birds (finches, cardinals, nuthatches, the occasional woodpecker or hummingbird).  (Though if I can also discourage grackles that's a plus.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking something like a sonic unit that broadcasts a crow distress call, but the units I find online are 1) pretty expensive, for the most part, and 2) poorly documented -- not clear whether they can be set up to broadcast ONLY adult crow distress calls, vs more general calls or juvenile distress calls that are intended to attract prey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also like something (if it's an &quot;active&quot; scheme of any kind) that I can turn on and off, activating it only when crows are observed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I'm not a birder, but, based on the Wikipedia article for &quot;American crow&quot;, the birds I'm dealing with match the appearance and call (&quot;caw-caw-caw&quot;) of &lt;em&gt;Corvus brachyrhynchos&lt;/em&gt;.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_crow&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_crow&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Images from the next town over:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i766I.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i766I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xqWHb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xqWHb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qW6Fu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qW6Fu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5678" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-15T09:49:47.943" LastActivityDate="2017-12-15T09:49:47.943" Title="Looking for a way to repel crows from our gardens, without scaring all the other birds" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="15" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2017-04-04T04:11:46.700" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31409" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-02T14:48:31.237" Score="4" ViewCount="216" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know how to kill the weeds in my brick patio without killing the Moss. I love the Moss that has started growing in the cracks but it is not mature enough to fight off the weeds yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17036" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T23:24:24.047" Title="Is there a way to kill weeds in a brick patio without killing the Moss" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31410" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-02T15:24:33.467" Score="4" ViewCount="349" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in Zone 6A, and I have some blueberries planted in a 16x45 or so open area that I need covered with some kind of covering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The situation is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It'd get nearly full sun (the first few hours of the day might get shaded out, but then the entire rest of the day it gets full sun)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's a 16x45 section, with two rows of blueberry bushes I don't want choked by the groundcover.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It can't be mowed (mower can't get to it), and thus shouldn't get too tall.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It shouldn't require much care (in ways of watering/fertilizing)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It should come back every year.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It should spread, but not hyper-aggressively.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It'll get occasionally walked over (especially during blueberry picking)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also have some stonework nearby, with 1/4&quot; to 3/4&quot; gaps that get choked full of weeds. Is there a good plant for stonework gaps in my Zone? I don't mind, and would probably even prefer, a different plant for between the stonework.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a couple plant ideas already, but I wanted unbiased 3rd-party suggestions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17000" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-02T18:30:55.440" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T20:58:53.737" Title="What's a good full-sun groundcover for Zone 6A?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31410" CreationDate="2017-04-02T15:46:37.770" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lowbush AKA &quot;wild&quot; blueberries. &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccinium_angustifolium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Vaccinium angustifolium&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lignonberries &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccinium_vitis-idaea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Vaccinium vitis-idaea&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, 3-6 inches of pine needles and don't worry about growing much of anything (though I find that daffodils and fringed bleeding hearts get along fine despite the blueberry-centric acid level. I guess the FBH could be seen as a ground-cover, sort-of)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had initally forgotten that I also have heathers &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calluna&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Calluna&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; in that bed - They also like the acid soil (and are low, and can be walked on to some extent without damage.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-04-02T19:25:42.027" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T19:25:42.027" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31412" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-02T15:51:12.863" Score="6" ViewCount="503" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some blueberry bushes. Some were just planted two weeks ago, and others are two years old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, they aren't draining as well as I'd like during heavy rains, and had some standing water around them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Knowing that blueberry bushes are shallow-rooted, can I reach below their roots with a shovel, leverage the bushes higher with the shovel, and push extra material (potting soil or rotting fruit) underneath to elevate the bushes another inch or two?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(To clarify: Physically, I can do this easily. What I'm asking is, would it damage the plant, since it'd like semi-disturb its roots?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17000" LastActivityDate="2017-04-06T06:32:30.300" Title="Can I raise a bush up by pushing dirt under it?" Tags="&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31412" CreationDate="2017-04-02T16:11:50.623" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have, by dint of an underground service that needed to be serviced which was under my blueberry bed, transplanted the entire bed some years after it was established (more than 2.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While they probably would have been happier left alone, they were minimally impacted for all that. I basically raked off the mulch, dug up each plant with as much root mass still in soil as I could manage, set that aside, transferred as much of the acid soil to the new location as was practicable, loaded the plant into the wheelbarrow and replanted it in the acid soil in the new location (minimizing the time the plant was displaced) remulched, and watered well (but not too much) for a few weeks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your case rather than &quot;push under&quot; (which seems prone to voids, to me) I'd get the pile of new dirt ready, skid the plant out of the way, set the new dirt, and replace the plant. Or, move the rows sideways (pile up the new dirt, move the plants onto it.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; suggest using rotting fruit - let that finish composting before applying it to plants. A sandy soil (under the shallow root zone, which should be high in humus) would be a good choice for drainage and considering where blueberries seem to be happy in the wild.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If terrain allows, another option to improve drainage (with no root disturbance) would be a ditch all around the blueberry bed, draining away from it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T16:11:50.623" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31414" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31407" CreationDate="2017-04-02T16:46:22.950" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The thing you found is a fishing lure! A bird probably dropped it there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17037" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T16:46:22.950" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31410" CreationDate="2017-04-02T17:25:36.397" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm also in zone 6A (Massachusetts, USA), and have something that works perfectly for me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinca&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;vinca&lt;/a&gt;, also called periwinkle. I think mine is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinca_minor&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;vinca minor&lt;/a&gt;, but there are a number of varieties, so it might be something else in the same family. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for your criteria:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It thrives well in all levels of sun. Some references say it needs mostly shade, but mine spreads out everywhere. It's happy in deep darkness under and around trees and bushes, however it also grows without any problems at the edge of the gardens where the sun shines at least six hours a day. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It easily spreads in large areas, so the size of your plot is not a problem. Even though it's a vine, it roots from sections along the stem, so the leaves cover most of the brown branches, thus giving a groundcover carpet look.  Mine happily grow alongside, under and around evergreens, rhododendrons, hostas, lillies of the valley, peonies, astilbe, daylilies, lamb's ears, other perennials, including bulb plants, and all manner of annuals. It also co-exists with other spreading plants, like things in the mint family. I don't know about the blueberry bushes, so I'll leave that to someone else to answer for you.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It only reaches about four inches tall at the very most, and that's usually during flowering time. In general it's more like three, but most of it lies flat along the ground. Therefore, it never needs to be mowed. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We don't really give it any care. It gets watered at the same intervals as the plants in the same area. We don't fertilize, mulch, or otherwise treat the soil. It's fine in the area where the soil tends to be very moist and clay-like. That includes both sun and shade. In one of our other areas, it's in loose dirt in full sun under an overhang with a gutter, so that area gets easily dried out. I will say it grows better in the more moist area, but it's pretty forgiving. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's a very reliable perennial, so you wouldn't have to worry about that part. Although the leaves lose a bit of their green color in the winter, they're never brown enough to appear dead, and they becomes dark green early in the spring. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's a vine, so it reaches out in any direction it can. It also bunches up if it has no place to go. We've been here three years and have never needed to prune any areas of the main carpet. The vines along the border, like where the young squirrel is in one of my pictures, will reach out between two and three inches at the most over the course of a year. It's very easy to break, though, and is shallow-rooted, so if it starts to get in your way, you can pick or cut off the ends, or pull entire vines out, including the roots. The other thing I do is just turn the branch around and tuck it back into the larger area. It will re-root that way, making it even more care-free.  Speaking of shallow roots, it transplants very easily. As long as it's not actively flowering, I pull pieces up and plant them in my window boxes. With some steady watering they take hold quickly and, after creating a blanket around my other flowers, I can train them to grow over the edge and become a trailing vine. (As I said, it grows slowly, so if you want a long training vine in a hurry, it's not the best choice. I know you didn't ask about this part. I just added it to show its versatility.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It can definitely take being walked on. We keep it under our bird feeders and don't think twice about stomping on it when feeding the birds. Chipmunks, squirrels, bunnies, skunks, opossums, raccoons and occasional passing young bears also trample it, but it doesn't suffer. It pops back up within a day or two. It also has no problem handling heavy snow and ice. You didn't mention it, but in case you're wondering, none of the backyard visitors eat it. It's also a safe spot for chipmunks and squirrels to hide. We have a rabbit that breeds under the rhododendron, and when the babies venture out, they use the vinca for cover. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It grows along the base of our stone wall border, but doesn't really climb it. You mentioned you'd prefer a different plant there anyway. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2009/05/no-fail-ground-covers-pachysandra-vinca-minor-and-boston-ivy/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;No Fail Groundcovers&lt;/a&gt; vinca's a good choice. It also has information about pachysandra, and Boston Ivy. In fact, Boston Ivy may even be a good choice for you because it specifically likes full sun. I can't tell you from experience, because I haven't grown it, but I think it's definitely worth checking it out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional information about vinca can be found &lt;a href=&quot;http://hvp.osu.edu/pocketgardener/source/description/vi_minor.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=u760&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&#xA;Above the vinca pictures in the original answer, I added some that bloomed in May. They're from all over my yard, in sun, part sun, and shade. Some are out in the open; one is under a blossoming bleeding heart which is under a rhododendron; and one is under some miscellaneous plant debris left over from last year which I didn't clean up! The only two that are not mine had been in the original answer, with links to their sources. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of the pictures have been made smaller so as not to take up too much room. Click on them for larger, closer views. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zNvRs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zNvRsm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowering in sun under bleeding heart&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a2cVI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a2cVIm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowering in shade&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bKOlK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bKOlKm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowering in mixed shade partly under rhododendron&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lmeaz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lmeazm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowering in sun&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9n7DQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9n7DQm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xDAPY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xDAPYm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full sun with dandelions&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gFZ8n.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gFZ8nm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;In shade next to hostas along fence&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iPdjC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iPdjCm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My baby squirrel&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RFLJU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RFLJUm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;with astilbe&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3CjVbm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3CjVbm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Green with no flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardengates.info/category/garden-advice/ground-covers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8YVcom.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8YVcom.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flowering in the sun&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardengates.info/ground-cover-plants-southern-california-landscapes/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-05T20:58:53.737" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T20:58:53.737" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31416" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31412" CreationDate="2017-04-02T17:25:42.723" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Luckily for you, blueberries are &lt;strong&gt;bog&lt;/strong&gt; plants.  They adore the low pH and they are one of the few plants that can deal with wet soil.  They'd do better with some drainage as clay will hold onto water far longer than all other soils.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leave the plant and roots alone.  Pull the soil back away from the wood stems.  Dig a trench on the lower side of the slope to collect excess water...about a couple of feet from the base.  You &lt;strong&gt;did&lt;/strong&gt; do that but I have to say &lt;strong&gt;clay&lt;/strong&gt; is great soil.  Just leave the trench open don't back fill it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-04-06T06:32:30.300" LastActivityDate="2017-04-06T06:32:30.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31417" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31409" CreationDate="2017-04-02T18:05:36.973" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most weedkillers intended for use on paths and paving will also kill the moss. However, if your patio receives a lot of shade in winter, but very little in summer, chances are the moss will die out during summer anyway - moss usually starts growing and thriving in cracks when it's mostly shady and damp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming it won't be in full sun all summer, then you could try using one of these &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B004Y9YCM0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Garden Hand Weeder&lt;/a&gt; taking care to avoid the moss:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o2oq8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o2oq8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Gardena 8943-U Garden Hand Weeder&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-04-02T23:24:24.047" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T23:24:24.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31418" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31421" CreationDate="2017-04-02T20:24:01.153" Score="4" ViewCount="14424" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had 5 trees in the strip between my sidewalk and the street. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year the bark on one of them started to peel (and was exasperated by some kids physically peeling it off). In the fall, it snapped and fell over about 2 feet above the ground during a wind storm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now the other four are also peeling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The odd thing is that for all of them it's only happening on the west facing side (that faces the street). The east side seems perfectly fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe they are all some sort of maple trees. This doesn't seem to be healthy at all. Is there a way to save these trees? Any idea what might be causing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees are located in Utah, Zone 7a.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trunk of tree 1&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P7tpc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P7tpc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunk of tree 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Base of tree 1&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HWo3J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HWo3J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Base of tree 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trunk of tree 2&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7acqg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7acqg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunk of tree 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trunk of tree 2&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Af5ep.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Af5ep.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunk of tree 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trunk of tree 3&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NORdd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NORdd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunk of tree 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trunk of tree 4&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/BuUAXhL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/BuUAXhL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunk of tree 4&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Base of tree 4&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/AWa25CW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/AWa25CW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Base of tree 4&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East side of tree 3&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/CI5Q482.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/CI5Q482.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;East side of tree 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;East side of tree 1&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/NcHOA0Q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/NcHOA0Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;East side of tree 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Full view of trees&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/U1sL4yE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/U1sL4yE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full view of trees&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Full view of trees from across the street&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/ccC7JQo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/ccC7JQo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full view of trees from across the street&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Replacement tree&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/QKO0PiG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/QKO0PiG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Replacement tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17008" LastEditorUserId="17008" LastEditDate="2017-04-03T01:15:56.897" LastActivityDate="2017-11-04T17:29:53.820" Title="What is wrong with my trees? The bark on one side is cracking, splitting, and peeling off" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31419" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-02T20:33:32.057" Score="11" ViewCount="50301" Body="&lt;p&gt;I inherited this horrible aloe plant from an old roommate. It was living in a tall, skinny Tupperware in a dark corner of the kitchen, where it got knocked over and stepped on more than once. From reading around, I gather it grew tall like this because of low light? I put it in a bigger pot, transplanted one of its several babies, and put it in a sunny windowsill. I've read that it's possible to cut the top off a plant like this and propagate it. My question is this: what would happen to the bottom part if I did that? Would it survive? Would it grow to not be horrifically ugly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dSu5e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dSu5e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17039" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-04-04T01:02:06.247" LastActivityDate="2019-08-30T11:27:41.073" Title="Can I cut the top off a drooping aloe plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31420" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31412" CreationDate="2017-04-02T20:49:01.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are bog plants, but they prefer good drainage as well as lots of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They also prefer acid soil, so &quot;potting soil&quot; is not a good idea unless it was formulated for acid-loving plants. &quot;Rotting fruit&quot; sounds like an invitation to problems from rodents, etc. and in any case the main constituent of the fruit will be water, so it won't raise the height of the plants for long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A better option would be conifer clippings, or pine needles. You can put that type of material under the roots &quot;raw&quot; and let it decompose naturally - which may take 2 or 3 years, depending on your climate. If you don't have a &quot;free&quot; source of that type of material, you can buy pine bark chips sold for mulching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T20:49:01.180" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31421" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31418" CreationDate="2017-04-02T21:48:36.363" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is happening isn't just ONE thing.  The heat from the asphalt is reflecting on your trees causing the bark to thaw prematurely.  Usually ugly but not a deal breaker. The thawed portion of the trunk might have killed the vascular system beneath the bark but not the entire circumference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your trees are surrounded by grass right up to the bark.  This is a big deal to the health of your trees.  Look at the first picture where you are able to see the extent of water being held to the bottom of your tree.  This doesn't cause death right away but it allows bacteria to begin compromising the bark and vascular system...this does kill a tree and causes them to become weakened and susceptible to wind damage and then insect damage.  And kids are just attracted to peeling bark.  They aren't doing any damage past what has already happened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The vascular system just below the bark is the critical part to your entire tree.  A tree can survive just fine when only a part of the vascular system is compromised (scratch the surface below the bark and you will see green...this is the top of the vascular system and it is only less than an eighth of an inch thick).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remove that grass at least 2' radius from the trunk, get rid of all mulch touching the bark as well.  Just the roots should be below the surface and pull soil, mulch, rock, grass away from the bark that should be above the surface to be kept dry by wind, air, and the bark's own chemistry.  You might just get rid of ALL grass around those trees. Mowing and trimming are another danger to the bark of your trees. Get rid of any staking. Staking only makes the trunk and root support systems weaker.  Right now you want movement by the wind which causes your trunks and roots to get larger and stronger.  Have you ever had a limb of your own in a cast for a few months?  That is what happens when a tree is staked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please post a picture of the entire group of trees.  What have you added, such as fertilizer.  How do you water? Who planted these trees, the HOA?  Who mows and trims the grass around these trees.  Have you had an arborist diagnose these?  5 trees is an investment and if one has broken off this is a good wake up call to save the others.  How about pruning?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To alleviate the difference in temperature painting the bark on the street side or south side in WHITE will mitigate the difference in temperature.  They do this in orchards...the only time trunks are ever messed with. I'd wait until you hire an arborist (the HOA if involved should pay for this) and/or send us pictures of the entire tree (s).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T21:48:36.363" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31419" CreationDate="2017-04-02T22:38:17.087" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This aloe is actually or was mature enough to do some powerful medicine. Needs way more light. Less watering. Less fertilizer. Take out that baby aloe and replant into a tiny pot. Cut dead leaves back to their base. Once aloe gets leaves 2 to 3&quot; in width they are amazing with stopping infection and healing cuts. They sure stick as well but great stuff. You are watering too much and I'll bet too much fertilizer, yes? No? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also you are probably using tap water? Too many salts from either or both fertilizer and/or tap water. Use bottled water and only water when very very dry. Repot in new potting soil after washing, scrubbing the salts out of this pot. Clay is good. Raise the bottom off that saucer using thin tiles to enhance drainage.  Don't water but once every other week once this plant and the baby aloe are established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just because this plant looks awful it is not genetic!  This guy has a mature root system and can become...as well as the little aloes, big gorgeous plants.  Use Osmocote 14-14-14 only ONCE PER YEAR.  Don't fertilize if you've already been fertilizing for at least 6 months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get him in a south facing window out of direct sunlight acclimating him little by little to full sunlight through the window.  If you have a covered porch, put him out on the porch during the summers...covered porch not direct sunlight.  Always potting soil.  Read other answers about succulents and potting procedures...he is only ugly because no one appreciated this guy's worth!!  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HTnmp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HTnmp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cuts &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my first try to use computer graphics.  So ugh what a lot of work to figure out!!  Need more 'cuts' let me know.  Sooner rather than later.  Gees.  I can't believe how UN user friendly these apps have become...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-04-03T20:58:24.847" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T20:58:24.847" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31423" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31407" CreationDate="2017-04-02T22:41:02.807" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I vote for the end of a rattlesnake during shedding!!  I'll go ask my son who is a herpetologist...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T22:41:02.807" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31424" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31425" CreationDate="2017-04-02T22:44:40.530" Score="4" ViewCount="170" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think this should be part of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/31269/whats-causing-the-yellow-spots-on-my-rosemary&quot;&gt;my other question&lt;/a&gt;, but if it should be, let me know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the same rosemary plant that I mentioned in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/31269/whats-causing-the-yellow-spots-on-my-rosemary&quot;&gt;my other question&lt;/a&gt;, and as I noted, it was improving. After all the ladybugs left, I sprayed it down with neem as stormy suggested. I was fooling around with my new magnifier when I noticed that there were egg-like spheres on the bottom of my rosemary leaves. Should I be concerned? Do I need to do anything more?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bx2q6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bx2q6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next to ruler for scale:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nfkqo.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nfkqo.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Front of leaf:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eFLR9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eFLR9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16888" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T23:03:02.933" Title="What are these egg looking things on my rosemary?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31425" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31424" CreationDate="2017-04-02T23:03:02.933" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are probably more than likely spider mite eggs.  So keep an eye open and spray again when they hatch.&lt;a href=&quot;http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrTcc7WguFYtjYAULInnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByb2lvbXVuBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--/RV=2/RE=1491202902/RO=10/RU=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.growerstrust.com%2Fblogs%2Fnews%2F7307612-how-to-kill-spider-mite-eggs/RK=0/RS=zrhovC2BXUTMjuJZBxiX4FLXRBk-&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;spider mite eggs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-02T23:03:02.933" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31426" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31418" CreationDate="2017-04-03T01:44:16.207" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is physical damage.  As the knowledgeable Ecnerwal mentions something hard hitting the trunk of the tree would do this.  Trees compartmentalise damage so the actual incident could have occurred a number of years ago.  The bark probably died within a year and was just literally hanging on.  Kids peeling the bark  were just exposing the damage of some time ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sadly this kind of damage can also happen during transport.  Inadequate equipment or just plain sloppiness when it was moved to the site and planted are a possibility.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As long as least half the bark is continuous from ground to the top the tree will survive.  With only half a circulatory system you would expect to see more water stress in dry times and weak growth above the damaged area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stormy mentions painting the trunk to prevent sun scald but this is normally done on thin barked trees like magnolia or young trees.  Check with the local arborist or city resources to see if this is an issue in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T01:44:16.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31427" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31437" CreationDate="2017-04-03T04:00:38.560" Score="7" ViewCount="8770" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some leafy greens on a space of dirt where my dog likes to pee and poo. She has almost certainly pee/pooed on the lettuce, or near  the lettuce, a couple of times. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant was perpetual spinach. Can I eat it, given that I wash it? Can I eat it if I boil it? Can I eat any plants that are in a space that my dog pees/poos on? The spinach is doing quite well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16546" LastActivityDate="2017-04-07T14:55:32.847" Title="Can you eat lettuce that your dog pees on" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;edible&gt;&lt;spinach&gt;&lt;dog&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31428" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31432" CreationDate="2017-04-03T05:31:41.780" Score="7" ViewCount="2895" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a white peach tree that I planted about two years ago. Last year, I found that the tree had many little dead branches so I pruned them off. After pruning, the tree now has only several long thin branches left. Then, this spring, I wished that I would see the growth of more new branches and leaves. But, there is no sign of new twigs coming out either from the trunk and the existing branches and the leaves are coming out only from the tip of the branches (not from the middle part). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this tree look OK? Is there anything I can do to make the tree grow more branches and leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ABjQA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ABjQA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture of the peach tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11360" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2017-04-03T14:55:21.343" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T14:55:21.343" Title="How to encourage new branch growth in a peach tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31429" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31436" CreationDate="2017-04-03T06:19:35.453" Score="5" ViewCount="513" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen this bush everywhere, and the smell of the leaves brings back REALLY strong memories for me, but I don't know what it's called. It sometimes has flowers, but not very many (usually 4-5 on a decent sized bush).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's some shots from the bush just outside my office at work:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PcGZ0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PcGZ0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bush from afar&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yooid.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yooid.png&quot; alt=&quot;Close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/WrK0ssZ.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/WrK0ssZ.png&quot; alt=&quot;The flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what this plant is called?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17044" LastEditorUserId="17044" LastEditDate="2017-04-03T13:15:47.817" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T13:15:47.817" Title="Help identifying this Australian bush with pink / yellow flowers" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31430" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31408" CreationDate="2017-04-03T07:20:25.010" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is very difficult. Crows are one of the most intelligent birds, they recognize you, they understand what you are doing. So they will learn quick about your methods. a lot quicker then other birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From my experience, they are not so competitive other other birds, i.e. they eat different things. Woodpeckers and black birds have no problems with crows, and also most of the small birds (from my experience), but I'm on a &quot;wild&quot; environment, so I see around 10 crows. On some open fields (near landfill) they are much more numerous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crows are also much more urban then most other birds, so they like our trashes and they are quick to learn to eat new foods.  So you can try to have a much more wild environment, remove all trashes (and pet foods) from reach of crows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see that my chicken drive away crows, if they land near them or near their food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think cats help too, by removing the prey of crows: mouses and small animals, but cats will &quot;remove&quot; also the small birds.  (I never see a cat challenging a crow).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T07:20:25.010" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31431" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31427" CreationDate="2017-04-03T07:32:00.000" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just wait some days, possibly water it, and wash it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Poo and pee are like regular manure. Possibly worse than standard manure because dogs doesn't eat natural stuffs: there is a lot of chemicals (like also in our sewage). And this &quot;manure&quot; it is very fresh, so some parasite eggs could wait for next animal/human.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably you have already fight many of your dog parasites, and let's assume she is healthy.  If there are many stray dogs, I would make it differently: wait some more time and more watering and washing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just for the psychological side, I would make some barrier, so that she will not poo again in your vegetable garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T07:32:00.000" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31432" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31428" CreationDate="2017-04-03T07:35:39.217" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the main problem of peaches, they will not create new twigs, so you should really prune heavily the tree, so that the bottom twigs are always healthy (and not overpowered by higher branches).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants is already going too much in height. I would remove (after you have some peaches) the higher branches, so that the lower branches could expand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T07:35:39.217" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31433" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-03T08:28:34.517" Score="7" ViewCount="16865" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W5ROZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W5ROZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;better image&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plant looks like this. Is it alive or dead ? I have not tried to do anything yet as I'm not sure I will be doing the right thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17045" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-04-04T06:27:52.703" LastActivityDate="2018-02-08T08:22:16.223" Title="How to tell if mint plant is dead" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31433" CreationDate="2017-04-03T09:50:02.340" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pull or cut off all the dead material, soak the pot so it's wet through, let it drain down, wait a week or two, see if it grows. If it does, you would probably need to turn it out of its pot, cut it in half and repot one of the halves, but you need to establish whether it's live or not first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking at your new close up photo, it looks like there is some growth happening, but it's not yet clear whether its mint or some invader in the pot, though I suspect it is mint. Either way, it's totally overcrowded, so soak it, turn it out of its pot, cut it in half and repot the halves separately if you want to keep both. Remove all the top dead growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-03T23:04:14.177" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T23:04:14.177" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31433" CreationDate="2017-04-03T10:00:38.377" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Bamboo, but I'll add some explanations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mint have adventitious roots, so they could be lively and produce new stems (possibly there is already some, but very tiny).  Additionally mints produce a lot of seeds. If you dare to wait, I think the mint will grow again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did you think you find a method to kill mint?  Killing mint it is not a easy task.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T10:00:38.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31436" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31429" CreationDate="2017-04-03T10:03:23.820" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a Cistus variety, often commonly known as rock rose (though that's confusing, because the smaller but vaguely similar Helianthemum varieties are also known as rock roses). They all have these flowers which have the quality of slightly creased tissue paper, can have fragrant leaves, and come with pink, deep pink (though this colour is often described, somewhat optimistically, as 'purple' by purveyors), yellow or white flowers. They are evergreen and pretty drought resistant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure which variety you've shown - the leaves in the first picture are not quite the same as the leaves on the variety with pink flowers in your other picture. I'd have said, for the first one, most likely Cistus creticus, which can have pink flowers, but its flowers do not have the five dark spots shown on the flower in your second photo, hence my inability to name the variety. There are around 20 varieties of this plant - more information here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.daleharvey.com/Directory/A-Z+of+Plants/C/Cistus+Solid+as+a+Rock+Rose.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.daleharvey.com/Directory/A-Z+of+Plants/C/Cistus+Solid+as+a+Rock+Rose.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-03T10:10:57.210" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T10:10:57.210" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31437" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31427" CreationDate="2017-04-03T13:27:35.363" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Urine from healthy dogs (and humans) is sterile on leaving the body. It can, however, encourage the growth of existing bacteria: so these you would have been exposed to anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Faeces are not sterile at all and fresh faeces from pretty much any animal can be very harmful to humans. Dogs frequently carry parasites which are easily transmitted to humans and can cause a variety of problems - not just on eating but transfer from unwashed hands to eyes can lead to serious eye conditions that may result in blindness (this is why many parks hand out very heavy fines to dog owners that foul these areas).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is best not to grow salad or root crops in areas that have been fouled, however, stuff that it is harvested away from the splash zone (both rain and urine!) should be safe. Fruit from fruit trees would be unaffected by a dog urinating on the trunk or fouling the root zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You initially state lettuce (&lt;em&gt;Lactuca sativa&lt;/em&gt;), but then mention perpetual spinach (not actually a spinach at all but a beet &lt;em&gt;Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris&lt;/em&gt;). These are not remotely related. Whilst hazards are the same regardless of the species, it does have implications for what you can do with them: lettuce is rarely cooked whereas perpetual spinach is. If you were to cook the plants then this would remove the biological hazard. &lt;strong&gt;I would advise against eating any uncooked food that has come into contact with raw faecal matter&lt;/strong&gt;. Thorough washing may not be sufficient to prevent illness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for 'chemicals' found in an unnatural diet the level of exposure in this instance is insignificant. Having worked as chemist I cannot help but chuckle when people get worried about trace contaminants in our environment given the far more serious risks they are prepared to expose themselves to (alcohol, smoking, crossing the road etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastEditorUserId="11461" LastEditDate="2017-04-03T14:55:13.463" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T14:55:13.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31440" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-03T15:51:43.500" Score="7" ViewCount="1791" Body="&lt;p&gt;Reading around the web, many say the exact opposite of another 'expert'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Specifically pertaining to Junipers, I'm reading don't use nitrogen or use high fertilizers high in nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When is the best time to fertilize and what fertilizer do you recommend?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;They are all potted junipers&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have 7 Junipers, 20l x3, and the rest in small pots.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;One, potted in a cascade pot is almost completely brown&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Another has brown at tips&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The youngest 2 are suffering the most&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;They were all repotted 14 months ago and have been doing well until a few months ago.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil used.&#xA;3 parts:  A general potting mix strained to remove fine particles and sand. Organic including pine bark left&#xA;1 part Vermaculite and Leca&#xA;add Bone meal &#xA;add Seaweed&#xA;add multicote slow release&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;weather here is not the best.&#xA;- Strong winds. average 20km gusts 30km&#xA;- Our summers are hot 28c +&#xA;- we have moved into autumn and it averages 24c&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are positioned outside on benches.&#xA;They receive partial to full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Focusing on the two unhealthy junipers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I forget the exact species, but its blue crawling variety.&#xA;The second is marketed here as Gold Coast&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering. I cant explain, but I sense when it needs it, the way the tree and soil is looking on the surface. &#xA;Since the wind and sun dry the pots out fairly quickly, it tends to be every day when at its worst or 4 days when its calmer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The scales seem to thin when under watered (This is probably not factual) and droop when rounded, when it gets too much. Once again, not science. &#xA;Its worked for years and they are healthy trees except for the two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thee crawler is potted in a cascade but is completely brown except for odd tips. I worry about the cascade pots for air pockets so I tap the pot and water it well often. I have tried a number of things, including liquid fertilizer 6 months ago, but nothing is perking this tree up.&#xA;Should I repot? Would another bout of liquid fertilizer rich in nitrogen help this tree? Should I pit it in shade..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;the other has brown tips (the opposite) to the crawler. Its potted in a forest with Natasja Ficus. Its a shallow pot but the roots have lots of horizontal space. All the other trees are doing well in the same planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15103" LastEditorUserId="15103" LastEditDate="2017-04-08T07:53:51.320" LastActivityDate="2017-04-08T07:53:51.320" Title="Junipers and Fertilizer times and Nitrogen" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31441" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31444" CreationDate="2017-04-03T16:03:32.893" Score="4" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;Over the past year we've tried to grow several small houseplants in our apartment, but every one of them has succumbed to an infection of some sort. For what it's worth, we keep our house spotless, so it's not like there's (visible) mold growing anywhere that could be a vector. Here are some examples of our casualties:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spruce bonsai: spruce mites&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aloe: white mold (unsure what kind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Amaryllis: bulb rot (red, not sure exactly what kind), &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; Southern Blight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Heart-leaf philodendron: Southern Blight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All plants were watered exactly as instructed, most kept in draining pots. They were also either in a location with plenty of sunlight, or were supplemented with a grow-lamp like &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B06WLR54LF&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt;. I really want some kind of plants in here, but I don't want to spend the time and effort if they're just going to get infected again. So my question is two-fold:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there possibly a single reason why all these infections are happening (and what can I do about it, if anything)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there any houseplants that would be resistant to these types of infections which would be safer to try? Or growing/care techniques to fight infection?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit based on comments:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;None of these plants were ever outdoors (aside from transporting them from their origin store or house). Aloe and spruce were watered 1-2 times per week based on soil dryness. Philodendron was watered 2-3 times per week based on soil dryness. Plants were watered until it began to flush out of the drain. Amaryllis was kept in a large glass vase with pebbles and water filled to cover the bulb, water was changed once per week and the pebbles were washed, damaged parts of the bulb removed when the red rot started showing, Southern Blight-like mold/symptoms started showing above the water line towards the end. All others were kept in their original potting soil. I didn't have any of the infections lab-tested, but the mites were easy to identify and the Southern Blight I'm 90% sure about based on appearance/symptoms and that it's endemic to my area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17048" LastEditorUserId="17048" LastEditDate="2017-04-03T16:38:44.833" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T17:44:36.487" Title="Houseplants keep getting infections" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31442" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31446" CreationDate="2017-04-03T17:08:58.770" Score="4" ViewCount="157" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is Melianthus &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.smgrowers.com/info/Melianthus.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;actually too poisonous&lt;/a&gt; to keep in a home garden? I see it all over the place, and I understand that it should not be eaten, but is touching the plant hazardous as well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rationale: I have a large Melianthus and small children. Should I rip it up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cqxG4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cqxG4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16224" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T18:20:22.730" Title="How hazardous is Melianthus (honey bush)?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31444" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31441" CreationDate="2017-04-03T17:44:36.487" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In regard to the Amaryllis, you've said you kept the water topped up to cover the bulb - that's why it rotted, the water should be below the base of the bulb only, where the roots are. If the actual bulb is sitting in water, it rots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The spruce bonsai is intended to be an outdoor bonsai, except when the weather is very cold in winter; if it had a problem with mites, it must have come into the house with them, because it couldn't have become infested inside the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If both the Aloe and the Philodendron succumbed to a fungal infection, that would suggest your watering regime needs improvement. Aloe must have some sunlight, so a sunny windowsill would have been the best spot for that - watering in winter is minimal, only once every 1-2 months, but from spring to autumn, should be watered as any other houseplant. The way to water is to touch the top of the potting soil, pick up the pot - if the top of the soil feels dry to the touch, and the pot reasonably light, water thoroughly, then empty any outer tray or pot after 30 minutes so the plant is not left sitting in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless your apartment is very dark, growlights shouldn't really be necessary. Philodendron do not appreciate direct sunlight, they prefer light shade or moderate brightness. If it was one of the larger varieties of Philodendron, and you had it for a year, it likely also needed potting up into something larger in that time, unless it was in something large when you bought it. Most houseplants prefer bright daylight with no direct sun - some tolerate quite moderate or low light levels. The majority need watering in the way described above. Note that Southern Blight is an outdoor infection, a problem in gardens, but there are many fungal infections to which plants can succumb in damp or wet conditions indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T17:44:36.487" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31445" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31007" CreationDate="2017-04-03T18:06:52.267" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;By chance, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vfindme.com/gardimages/pedil.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;same plant found&lt;/a&gt; in the Bahamas, New Providence Island, Ardastra Gardens, marked as &lt;em&gt;Pedilanthus tithymaloides&lt;/em&gt;. I think @Brenn has this one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T18:06:52.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31442" CreationDate="2017-04-03T18:20:22.730" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Listed as highly toxic &lt;em&gt;if ingested&lt;/em&gt;, so as long as no one eats it, should be fine. Not listed as causing contact reactions such as dermatitis &lt;a href=&quot;http://ucanr.edu/sites/poisonous_safe_plants/Toxic_Plants_by_Scientific_Name_685/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://ucanr.edu/sites/poisonous_safe_plants/Toxic_Plants_by_Scientific_Name_685/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This information here is quite interesting -&#xA; it confirms its toxicity, but the leaves are apparently used by local people for various medical reasons, though none involve consuming the plant in any way, but in the form of poultices and the like &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.plantzafrica.com/plantklm/melianthusmajor.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.plantzafrica.com/plantklm/melianthusmajor.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T18:20:22.730" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31447" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-03T20:08:45.500" Score="7" ViewCount="894" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live in an apartment with a huge veranda. I'd like to build a simple raised bed out there to grow some herbs and a few veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I put in a layer of gravel at the bottom, I believe drainage will not be an issue, but should I build some sort of a drainage chute to take the water to the gutter? I don't really want it seeping all over the veranda where we eat dinner, the kids play, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll also have to water the bed myself since the veranda is covered by a roof (high enough that the veranda gets plenty of early morning and late afternoon sun). Will there be any problems or a benefits to that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The veranda is approx. 50m2 (which I believe is around 500ft2) and the floor is concrete with porcelain tiles on top. I was thinking of building just a small bed, around 1x3 metres or something like that. I'm flexible. Depending on the positioning, it can either get direct sunlight from around 8am-11am, or from around 3pm to 6pm. Both times the sun is low (rising or setting).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in the southern hemisphere, &quot;Yearly temperatures average between 9 and 35 °C (48 and 95 °F). The Köppen climate classification of the region is tropical savanna climate (Aw) and it borders on a humid subtropical climate (Cwa)&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17052" LastEditorUserId="17055" LastEditDate="2017-04-04T00:27:03.030" LastActivityDate="2017-04-06T13:57:13.047" Title="Raised bed on tile floor, covered veranda?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31449" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-03T20:32:57.343" Score="5" ViewCount="2177" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did I ruin these bushes? Will they grow back or should I take them out? Thanks &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1ZrKh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17054" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T21:27:56.177" Title="Bushes...will these grow back? Did I ruin them?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31450" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31449" CreationDate="2017-04-03T21:27:56.177" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like it is on the north side of your home.  Are these YEWS?  No matter, I think that whatever they are they should be fine.  Yews would be super as they are the only conifer that thrives in shade.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From now on when you prune shrubs ALWAYS make sure the &lt;em&gt;base is wider than the top.&lt;/em&gt;  And one only does less than 1/3 of the plant at a time.  Don't know how big these were but if you were able to walk to your front door they couldn't have been 2/3 bigger?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The top most shrub looks healthiest, what was the condition of the lower shrubs and you HAVE to send closeups so we know what shrub you are dealing with.  The lower shrubs also have less light because of your cherry tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This area is screaming for a bit of terracing for the health of your foundation planting as well as visually.  Some very simple DIY ways to explain that are inexpensive and would make a big difference in the value of your home and 'curb appeal'...a great next question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If these aren't yews we can suggest far better, shade loving hedges to replace these.  Doesn't have to be hard pruned hedges, soft pruned and we can teach you how to HEDGE or prune shrubs, trees.  Please send close ups of foliage, how long have these shrubs been in this location and did you plant them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T21:27:56.177" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31451" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31447" CreationDate="2017-04-03T21:50:32.270" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately you WILL have drainage issues.  The rock or gravel at the bottom will be causing a PERCHED WATER TABLE essentially causing the soil to super saturate before any movement of water happens into the gravel.  This is the same reason one should never put rocks or gravel beneath the soil and above the drainage hole. JUST potting soil, no rock or gravel!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send pictures.  Also hoping you haven't purchased plants because we could help you select plants that will do best in this location.  To include vegetables, annuals, perennials, shrubs etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Went back to read your question and am thrilled you've asked this question before installing this planter!  Pots you can purchase work very well for vegetables especially GROUPED.  Hope this reached you soon enough as spring fever is a pandemic this time of year!  You should consider a few perennials or a woody shrub or two in addition to vegetables.  Need to see the orientation of your patio and purchasing a few great pots of different sizes with holes, 'pot feet' and great potting soil without water holding gimmicks or fertilizer is a great start.  The pots should be all one color, or one shape, or in some way similar to each other.  Perhaps enough for 2 groupings.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T21:50:32.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31440" CreationDate="2017-04-03T22:21:32.337" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;All domesticated plants, crops and garden need fertilizer. Pure and simple.  I wouldn't use high nitrogen for flowers or fruiting crops but junipers would be fine.  Are these junipers MATURE?  Have they ever been fertilized?  Fertilizer are chemicals necessary for plants to make their own food.  We strip these chemicals away when we build and it is up to us to manage the soil, improve the soil with organic matter, preferably decomposed so it is up to us to replace necessary tilth, food for soil organisms and chemicals that plants have to have.  Dunno where this stuff that fertilizer is bad comes from but my goodness.  Stable ecosystems all the chemicals or FERTILIZER plants need are caught up in the living foliage and organisms.  Being released slowly as plant parts fall off and die and the soil organisms die.  No way could one grow a desired plant in a stable ecosystem much less a non ecosystem without adding chemicals and decomposed organic matter to feed the soil organisms that work with plant roots to up take the chemicals plants have to have for photosynthesis...to make their OWN food.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mature shrubs should be fertilized once per year using a slow release fertilizer; good old NPK plus micronutrients.  I'd use OSMOCOTE 14-14-14.  Simple and sure.  Once per year should be plenty.  What are you using for mulch?  What kind of soil?  Have you ever had a soil test?  If not go get one.  It will tell you what your soil has in abundance and what your soil is lacking.  That is the best way to be responsible and to not take chances with fertilizer or any 'additives'.  Over fertilization is a QUICK and SURE kill.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where the heck is this 'no fertilizer' campaign coming from?  Chemicals are chemicals no matter 'synthetic' or 'organic'.  All the same.  Free or very inexpensive soil tests can be done through your Cooperative Extension Service of your closest University.  Pesticides are different.  Fertilizer in no way is in the same category; herbicide, fungicide, pesticide...these kill certain forms of life that essentially got out of control because someone used a pesticide and killed off all beneficials that controlled a few organisms or their manual techniques of watering or pruning caused a problem and pesticides are a Band Aid.  Fertilizer is critical chemistry plants have to have to survive.  Too little is bad and a little too much is even worse.  We humans strip away topsoils with some of these necessary chemicals and thus WE have to replace them.  Or make your yard a parking lot of asphalt. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-03T22:21:32.337" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31454" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31459" CreationDate="2017-04-03T23:57:56.593" Score="6" ViewCount="283" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am converting a small fountain and pond into a rock garden. Space to work with is about 2' x 4'. So far, I have Anouk Lavender in the top-left corner, Blue Star Juniper in the bottom-right corner and Cooper's Ice Plant in the lower-left corner. I just purchased a rosemary, Angelina Stonecrop and Blue Spruce Sedum (seen in middle photo's foreground), but I'm unsure of where to place them, if at all. It a high sunlight location in zone 7A and gets quite hot in the summer. Bonus points for evergreen plant suggestions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BG7Of.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BG7Of.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RQywN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RQywN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17058" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T12:12:27.090" Title="Need rock garden plant and layout guidance" Tags="&lt;rock-gardening&gt;&lt;layout-planning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31419" CreationDate="2017-04-04T01:01:17.470" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The damaged leaves will not heal, and the weakened narrow portion of stem will remain that way. It can grow from the end, though, and that can be healthy. It was obviously suffering from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14667/what-is-etiolation&quot;&gt;etiolation.&lt;/a&gt; I think the best method of action starts with repotting the aloe. Use a free draining cactus mix, and a free draining pot. You can repot the pups in separate containers (don't worry, it should produce more). The idea is that although the old growth will never look better than it does now (you could end up with a very  healthy new end on it though), the stem will root when exposed to soil. This is the method I have used for quite some time for my personal aloes, when the stem gets long &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wEww3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;(1)&lt;/a&gt;,&#xA; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DQoCF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;(2)&lt;/a&gt; (also useful for salvaging badly damaged specimens like yours, in the interest of continuing growth on the original stem).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the plant from the pot, and loosely shake the mix from the roots. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There should be a portion of stem extending into the mix, which is what the roots grow from. Remove a section of this root bearing stem, leaving only about an inch of stem that still has roots. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remember how much stem you removed, and go up the stem, stripping leaves from the stem to match the distance. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can let the plant dry here, if you're afraid of rot (I usually plant right away). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place some mix into the bottom of the container, and place the stem all the way to the bottom. Place more mix around the stem, up to 1/2&quot; from the container rim, or from the lowest remaining leaves (whichever comes first). Firm it well, so that the whole stem will remain in contact with the mix. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water it in. From here until it is actively growing, only let the top inch of mix dry between thorough waterings, and make sure it drains well. Do not fertilize&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep it in warm (at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit) areas, outdoors whenever possible (but avoid direct sun). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure it gets plenty of light. Sunlight is best, but needs to be introduced slowly, as aloes sunburn very easily and the damage is permanent. But even a shady spot outdoors is often brighter than artificial house lighting.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a similar plant, needing to be lowered.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gWoke.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gWoke.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After lowering. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FIojH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FIojH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a month or so, it will have rooted into the mix and started growing. This new growth should be robust and heavy, so the frail stem may need support. After a year of growth, repeat the process. Eventually you will have healthy, new growth from the top to the bottom. I do this regularly, to maintain stem length on my aloes. Feel free to ask for more information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I'm adding a picture of the same plant now, several months after treatment. Note how much stronger it is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/phtbu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/phtbu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-07T19:26:41.630" LastActivityDate="2017-09-07T19:26:41.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31456" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31399" CreationDate="2017-04-04T07:03:47.660" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Acorns don't need to be drowned before planting. If you want them to grow a big tree or two, put them directly outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Choose a place to start them:&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should put them directly in open ground in a moist but sunny place of your yard, with plenty of humus. If you have grass everywhere, pick a (hidden) place and turn over the ground - its ok if you bury the grass deep enough (about 1 foot). I would choose a 5 x 50 inches zone for each 10 acorn you have. It's better if you start them directly &lt;strong&gt;where you want them in the end&lt;/strong&gt; - so you may need several zones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gather humus for them:&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Find a place with old rotten leaves and collect the black stuff that is beneath. Remove any seed or living weeds that you may see in there. Mix the humus with the top of the ground you turned over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bury them shallowly:&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Between 1 and 2 inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep track of the place you put them&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't want to loose track where you put them, I would advise you to lay a plank aside the place you turned over: It will avoid the zone to dry off too quickly, and make it easier to remove unwanted weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Little care&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water scarcely, but deeply: it will encourage the roots to get deep.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove unwanted weeds from time to time to avoid the little ones to be chocked out be easy growers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;depending on wildlife in your area, you may need to protect the zone(s) you turned off and planted (e.g. with wire netting, used fences parts, etc.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-04-04T14:07:43.747" LastActivityDate="2017-04-04T14:07:43.747" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31457" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31433" CreationDate="2017-04-04T07:28:23.060" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mint is a cold-hardy perennial with rhizomes, and it's quite the survivor in the ground, normally. Containers may be trickier. Nevertheless, there are at least a few things that could be in the process of killing it. Here are some of them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The pot could be too small. Mint can die if it's in the same pot too long. By the size of the plant, and the fact that it didn't die before it got to be its present size, this is a decent guess. Mint fills up pots fast. I would personally recommend that you upgrade the size often, or take out some of the roots to make room and put new soil in.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lack of water can kill mint in containers. If this is the problem, and watering doesn't revive it, then it's probably dead. You should probably water it fairly often, unless it doesn't get dry fast (but overwatering may contribute to root rot).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Freezing cold temperatures can kill the plant above ground, but it can grow back when it warms up.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lack of essential nutrients or overbundance of nutrients&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Disease (including root rot, mint rust, etc.; the leaves on the soil look like they may have mint rust; that fungus can kill mint)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pests&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I don't know what led up to the plant being in this condition, and what symptoms it had as it was dying, it's quite difficult to say with certainty if it can be saved, or what is or was wrong with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check out the roots first and see if it's root bound, or if the roots are rotting or shriveled up. If they're rotting, I'm not sure whether it'll survive, but you should be able to save it if it's just rootbound and the roots are alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it had the symptoms of mint rust, you might want to throw away the plant and soil, sterilize the container, and start over, but I've read that you can light a small fire with straw over the soil when it's dormant to kill some pathogens (I'm not sure how well that works).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mint suffers a lot when it runs out of nutrients, in my experience. So, if you never fertilized it that may be an issue (which may go hand in hand with the plant being root bound).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2017-04-04T07:28:23.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31458" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31440" CreationDate="2017-04-04T10:16:12.810" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been checking information for conifer growing where you are - if your Junipers are growing in open ground, there is no recommendation to give them fertiliser on a regular basis. There is a recommendation that the soil they're planted in should be improved prior to planting by incorporating bone meal/fish blood and bone and good humus rich material such as composted animal manure or your own good garden compost, followed by mulching, preferably annually, with an organic mulch (composted materials, composted animal manure,whatever you can readily get there). The main purpose for mulching is to help with water retention in the soil, but it has the useful side effect of enabling the plant to access its own nutrients as and when it needs them. Water seems to be the most critical requirement; there's a statement here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.egardens.co.za/landscaping-library/conifers/landscaping-with-conifers&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.egardens.co.za/landscaping-library/conifers/landscaping-with-conifers&lt;/a&gt; which states that conifers will grow on quite poor soils, but obviously do better and look better if you plant in fertile soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you didn't enrich the soil beforehand, then make sure you apply humus rich mulch on a regular basis, preferably onto soil that is damp, not bone dry, but don't let any mulch sit against the trunks or woody bases of the plants. The only proviso I would make is if you choose to use bark chips, in which case, I'd lightly scatter a handful or two of a basic granular fertiliser beneath it, something with an NPK  of 7-7-7 or similar (in the UK, that would be Growmore) and that only in spring, once.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-04T11:27:24.923" LastActivityDate="2017-04-04T11:27:24.923" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31454" CreationDate="2017-04-04T11:57:32.403" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry to tell you that your blue star juniper will more than fill that space on its own - the lavender won't take up much room widthways, but the Delosperma (ice plant) would also fill up most of area, so really, there isn't room for anything else. I suggest you remove the blue star juniper altogether - it will spread all over the plant behind it where its planted now and is altogether too large for such a small area. When choosing plants, checking their eventual spread as well as height prior to planting is important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blue spruce sedum will spread up to 12 inches all round; rosemary will be a large shrub, 6 x 6 feet, so you can see that area is way too small for all these plants. Hopefully, you can find somewhere else for most of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rock plants are usually much, much smaller subjects - Armeria maritima, for example, is an evergreen perennial with grass like foliage and bright pink flowers in spring, but it doesn't get much bigger than 4-6 inches wide. Others, like Euphorbia myrsinites, get about 6 inches tall with a spread of around 10 inches, whereas Iberis sempervirens can spread up to 2 feet - these three are evergreen. Some guidance can be found at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=838&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rock gardens: plants&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-04-08T10:26:30.747" LastActivityDate="2017-04-08T10:26:30.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31460" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32967" CreationDate="2017-04-04T12:11:41.980" Score="6" ViewCount="1552" Body="&lt;p&gt;Their living condition are bright sun from 8am to 6pm daily, tropical rainfall, 26C to 35C temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MvZSp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MvZSp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vkrtc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vkrtc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;p2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cf2Gl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cf2Gl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lrEJS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lrEJS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;p4&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wfzxu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wfzxu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;p5&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15022" LastEditorUserId="15022" LastEditDate="2017-04-08T03:34:11.490" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T06:27:29.997" Title="Plant identification - similar to ZZ plant, waxy leaves with round fruit" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31461" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31460" CreationDate="2017-04-04T13:06:15.007" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is most probably one of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ficus&lt;/a&gt; genus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But they are so many species... What about&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ficus_tinctoria.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ficus Tinctoria&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_fraseri&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ficus Fraseri&lt;/a&gt;? Maybe &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Starr_070727-7677_Ficus_nota.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ficus Nota&lt;/a&gt;?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could also be &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_cyclophylla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ficus Cyclophylla&lt;/a&gt; from Brazil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-04-04T13:06:15.007" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31462" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31454" CreationDate="2017-04-04T19:02:44.817" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bit of a hill in the back yard.Was very hard to mow,mostly mowed the dirt.The area gets sun all afternoon and can get very dry.I hauled a bunch of rocks,different sizes shapes and colors and tried to create what they call a &quot;rocky outcrop&quot; almost like a waterfall effect.Filled it all in with river rock and planted Candytuft and Blue Festuca,the Candytuft will bloom this spring and the Festuca lasts all the way till winter.They propagate very quickly so their filling in nicely. The book I referenced is by H.Lincoln Foster, Rock Gardening.I have taken pictures of my rock garden would like to post them for the site, need help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14436" LastEditorUserId="14436" LastEditDate="2017-05-11T12:12:27.090" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T12:12:27.090" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31463" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31464" CreationDate="2017-04-04T19:35:41.347" Score="7" ViewCount="1261" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NVmFE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NVmFE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have this &lt;em&gt;Schefflera&lt;/em&gt; which is growing pretty well. When I got it a year ago it was half this size, and I don't fertilize much. But I don't want it to become too high. I'd like it to grow lateral stems instead of just one long stem reaching for the ceiling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read that in order to split the main stem and make new branches, I should cut the plant at the top, just below the most recent growths. So my questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do you think I can do this now or should I wait some more?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Where exactly should I cut if I want to maximize the probability of making new branches?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this helps, here is a picture of the top of the plant. As you can see, there is a group of three new growths within 1cm. The next one is about 1cm below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uzmUI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uzmUI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13963" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T19:34:54.393" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T19:34:54.393" Title="Should I cut the top of my Schefflera?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="31464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31463" CreationDate="2017-04-04T19:53:51.640" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut above a leaf node with sharp, clean secateurs wherever you want the height to be - you can root the bit you cut off in a bottle of water stood on a windowsill. In my own experience, having had the green version of this plant for about 30 years, and having cut the top off many times, they never produce two new stems from where you cut, they just continue to grow upwards, but perhaps you'll get a different result.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I now have this variegated version too - it has two main stems, but  only because I rooted the top parts off someone else's plant and then potted up the two cuttings in the same pot once they had developed roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-04T19:53:51.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31465" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-04T21:55:50.037" Score="4" ViewCount="252" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing some late season broccoli in my backyard in a raised bed.  How do I decide the right time to harvest the broccoli?  Are there any visual clues I can use?  I can't use the time from planting because I don't remember when I planted and given that I planted them late in the season, I think it has taken longer than normal to produce broccoli.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-04-04T22:36:48.070" Title="Harvesting Broccoli" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31466" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31467" CreationDate="2017-04-04T21:57:47.407" Score="4" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;I often see this plant with huge spinose-dentate leaves growing in shady spots around town. What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UbMPm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UbMPm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my photograph&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16224" LastActivityDate="2017-04-05T13:31:02.800" Title="plant ID requested" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31467" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31466" CreationDate="2017-04-04T22:29:36.747" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Acanthus mollis Bear's  Breeches...super shade evergreen zones 5 and up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-05T13:31:02.800" LastActivityDate="2017-04-05T13:31:02.800" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31468" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31465" CreationDate="2017-04-04T22:36:48.070" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut the floret bunch off as soon as it looks big enough. Don't wait too long as it gets pithy.  Broccoli and cauliflower are very tasty young and smallish.  If you harvest sooner they might be able to start a new head.  Smaller is tastier...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-04T22:36:48.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31469" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31471" CreationDate="2017-04-04T23:40:09.543" Score="6" ViewCount="851" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm brand new to gardening and just got one of &lt;a href=&quot;https://smile.amazon.com/GlowPear-Urban-Garden-Self-Watering-Planter/dp/B017L5LS6G?_encoding=UTF8&amp;amp;deviceType=desktop&amp;amp;keywords=Glowpear%20Urban%20Garden&amp;amp;qid=1490721475&amp;amp;ref_=sr_1_1&amp;amp;sr=8-1&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;these&lt;/a&gt; to put on my deck and try to grow some vegetables for the spring and summer. The bed is roughly 30 inches x 20 inches, so it is pretty small. Also, to give you an idea of climate, I live in Pittsburgh, PA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to try to grow the following plants from seeds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lettuce&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spinach&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;carrots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;kale&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;broccoli&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions are - how far apart should I place each of these plants, and how many seeds per hole should I use? Also, is there anything else I should watch out for or avoid?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your help, and happy gardening!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17068" LastActivityDate="2017-04-05T02:08:11.813" Title="First time gardener using a small raised planter - how to plant seeds?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31470" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-04T23:41:54.460" Score="5" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I have three totes with little rows of lettuce/Swiss chard/salad mix in each one. They're only about a week and a half old, so they're still fragile but have cotyledon  and are working on the first true leaves. BUT it got colder than I was expecting and I don't really have a place to warm up the plants AND get them access to warmth. How do I heat my plants where they are by spending the least money possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastEditorUserId="2000" LastEditDate="2017-04-05T18:51:31.967" LastActivityDate="2017-04-05T18:51:31.967" Title="How do I keep my indoor plants warm without spending any money" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;heat&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31469" CreationDate="2017-04-05T00:52:29.163" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Welcome to Vegetable Gardening!  To start off, you want to prepare your soil.  Mix some soil, compost and fertilizer in the planter.  I prefer organic material but that is optional.  In terms of spacing, that is generally provided on the seed packets.  Take a look at the packet and it will give you recommendations on how far to space the seeds for planting.  I have grown kale and broccoli and their leaves tend to be large so may take up a lot of space but it may also depend on the variety of kale.  Best to look at the packets for spacing seeds.  I generally put 2 seeds per hole.  If both germinate (which happens often), I cut off (not pull) the one that does not look as healthy.  You can start off with one seed per hold as well.  If you can't fit all the vegetables in the planter, you may want to consider planting some of them in fall.  Carrot would be a good candidate for that and perhaps others as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-04-05T00:52:29.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31472" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31469" CreationDate="2017-04-05T01:25:00.110" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Make sure you use potting soil!  Do not use garden soil.  What is this automatic watering gig with this planter?  Put this planter in the sun for starters.  Use good ole OSMOCOTE 14-14-14 one time at the beginning mixed into your soil.  Less is better.  I don't like starting seeds in such a large POT.  It would be far better to purchase some of those little peat pots to start your plants.  You will also be able to know what has germinated and what has not.  Once you've got plants that have roots going out through the bottom it is time to plant in your planter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would try a huge batch of peas for the spring.  These you won't have to start in tiny pots.  Peas love the cold nights of spring and you won't go wrong.  Press your potting soil down to get rid of air pockets.  Place seeds on top 3 inches from each other.  Forget rows.   Push the seeds gently into the soil at least an inch to 1 1/2&quot;. You'll have to add a support once they get going.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water by hand.  Now is not the time to mess with automation anything.  Water ONLY when dry at least one inch from the surface once your plants have 2 to 3 sets of leaves. Otherwise keep the surface moist while peas are babies.  Try to not use tap water.  Bottled water is far better.  Peas are very forgiving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next batch of vegetables should be a SALAD BOWL.  Mix all kinds of lettuce, spinach, radishes, carrots and after firming NEW SOIL and sprinkle over the top.  Not too thickly. Cover with a 1/4 &quot; of soil from your bag and again firm soil and seed. A couple of seeds per square inch.  The radishes will mature first and you can pull them to eat and cause more room for the lettuce.  As soon as the lettuce has baby leaves start gobbling them up.  Choose a few lettuces to allow to mature.  Pull the lettuce roots and all to allow room for a few mature heads.  The carrots will mature last. While plants are tiny, use a spray bottle to moisten the soil, do not soak the entire pot of  soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd get a few of these planters or go and get pots.  Use STARTS from the store or try germinating your own; broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes.  For a planter this size use only 2 tomato plants.  Seriously.  Using just pots with drain holes is plenty to grow all kinds of stuff.  I've grown cucumbers, 4 starts per 10 gallon pot for instance.  They all need sun all day to produce edibles in any quantity.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you use POTTING SOIL.  Do not bother with making your own or using your garden soil! That Osmocote fertilizer will be all that is necessary, follow the directions to the letter! You should only use once for the season. Automatic watering is only for experts do not try to use that.  Make sure your pot drains well...do not put any rock or  gravel beneath the soil.  Put a tray beneath to protect your deck and don't allow water to sit in the tray at the bottom beneath the drain hole where the pot is in contact with the water.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a great way to begin gardening.  Don't expect total success and do keep asking questions.  Every question you ask that we can answer will help you to not have to learn by mistakes...like the rest of us have already done!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-04-05T02:08:11.813" LastActivityDate="2017-04-05T02:08:11.813" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31473" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31470" CreationDate="2017-04-05T07:42:39.320" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you don't need to warm up them, just protect them from cold weather:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;you can move them near a south wall: now the sun shine most of the time, so a wall will sto heat and give it back on the shorter nights&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;you can store them in the garage at night&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;you can build a small temporary wood wall in the direction of predominant wind (if you are in a windy place).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some plastic cover or hay could also help, maybe two layers: one on the ground for humidity and roots, and one on the cool days (or only on the night) on top of plant.  If you use it only on night or very dark days, a non-transparent cover is better. This will help keeping the stored heat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-05T07:42:39.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31474" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-05T14:31:44.353" Score="8" ViewCount="795" Body="&lt;p&gt;We recently purchased some land that is on the bench of the mountains covered in juniper trees and has a PH of between 7 and 8. We have cleared a good size area and I would like to amend the soil for a vegetable garden. I have read some interesting facts on Aluminum additives, sulfur, sulfate, epsom salt, a whole lot of blueberry info, and some random ideas for amendments. I have read that pine needles will lower the PH, and then later read that they won't if they're dried out and dead....and that it will take a long time. I have also read that lowering the PH is a waste of time and can't be done. However, I'm a firm believer in 'where there's a will, there's a way', and I don't give up easily. &#xA;So...my question is, how can I immediately amend the soil for planting basic garden vegetables in the next few weeks? We just plant the basic tomatoes, potatoes, corn, beans, peas, beets, onions, and squash. I realize each of those has their own PH happiness level, but if I can learn how to adjust the PH, I believe I can make happy plants....hopefully. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, how can I test the soil for nutrients? Since this soil has been more or less untouched since the dawn of time, would my nutrient level be high. There is some native grasses that grow, sage brush, and, of course, juniper trees.....lots and lots of juniper trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions would be great!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17076" LastActivityDate="2017-04-05T18:12:45.203" Title="Developing new soil for gardening" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31475" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31474" CreationDate="2017-04-05T15:10:42.813" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are gardening for fun not for profit, its not that important to focus that much on &quot;PH&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your land is unique. You can't come up with the perfect solution the first year. It will take time before you know what to plant and when and where. So you will have to make several tries and be a good observer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you can afford it, by a truckful of organic compost, and mix it with your soil - maybe 50-50? at least 20% of compost to make significant difference&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have more time (what I would do in your place) is take a good rake, and gather all the humus that lies beneath your trees on the place you've chosen for plantation. Remove branches and stems  that are not decomposed yet, remove rocks. If you come up with some earth rather blackish like compost you could by, then its something where vegetables will be happy to grow. Maybe not every vegetables, but most of them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You must probably adapt the crop you'll plant to your landscape. There's a lot to (re)discover when it comes to &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agroforestry&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Agroforestry&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-04-05T15:10:42.813" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31476" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31474" CreationDate="2017-04-05T15:30:15.357" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's no particular reason to think the nutrient level would be high - the only way to know is to do a soil test - contact your local agricultural extension office and get a soil test kit, follow the instructions for collecting samples, send it off, then you'll know what you have and what you don't, and how much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While blueberries are definitely out, many things should be OK, particularly if pH is nearer 7 than 8. If you want to tilt at blueberries you'll be committing to a serious acidification program.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Large quantities of animal manure (Horse is most often free in my area, others you may be able to get for money) is my go-to ingredient, especially if the pile of horse manure has been sitting for long enough that you can go dig from the older end where it's pretty well composted already. If it's fresh, take it home and pile it with any additional compost ingredients you can lay hands on to compost there. If you can find spoiled hay it's another good ingredient, though it can have weed seeds. Some folks go as far as buying alfalfa hay, cubes, or meal and use it directly as a fertilizer (bypassing the horse, as it were.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are planning to remove the juniper trees, consider turning them into charcoal to use as a soil amendment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have any areas you'd like to expand the garden into but not this year, plant cover crops there to till in and build the soil. If you have otherwise uncommitted ground, consider growing your own alfalfa (which likes slightly basic conditions) to cut and use as mulch/fertilizer on your garden areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-04-05T15:35:30.733" LastActivityDate="2017-04-05T15:35:30.733" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31477" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31474" CreationDate="2017-04-05T16:39:18.593" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You most certainly can change and SHOULD change the pH of your alkaline ish soil.  I've done the same thing as I live in a high cold desert with volcanic pumice soil, little organic matter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Definitely need a soil test that you can get from your Coop Ext. Service in your area.  How did you get your 7 - 8 pH number?  That soil test will also tell you what the chemistry of your soil or nutrients for plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, I would make my garden beds so that you won't have to mess with the walkways and you'll be able to make some beds acidic for blueberries and acid loving plants such as potatoes.  There are few plants that do well up at pH 8 however and it might not be that high anyway after a real soil test.  Most plants do best at neutral or 6.5 to 7.0.  If the test you've done is accurate after getting your real soil test then you've got a good method, you'll be needing to test your pH quite a bit.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;.&#xA;Lowering pH is tougher than raising it but totally doable.  Sulfur is the best way and least expensive to lower pH.  I wouldn't use aluminum at all for a vegetable garden, it is a heavy metal.  Aluminum also messes with chemicals like phosphorous the plants need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sulfur is your best bet.  Once you get your beds double dug and firmed such as mine in the picture you sprinkle sulfur on top of the bed.  This is better than mixing it in as you are forming your beds so that you can control how much you are using.  You'll be doing this when it is warm weather.  If it is cold at night no big deal but the sulfur only works when it is 60 and above and when the soil has warmed.  These beds are considered raised beds.  No sides or support.  As I make my beds the first and only time I am throwing DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER purchased in bales of 2 cubic feet into the pile of soil that gets a good 3 to 4 feet high. Then I form the bed with a rake and get a piece of plywood throw it on top and jump up and down on it to get rid of air pockets.  3-4 feet is now down to a foot as you see in my picture.   Then I decide which beds need to be acid such as that back bed with the blueberries and where I want to grow potatoes.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is best done in parts versus going for the full number or one point lower than 7.0 for instance.  The formula is 4 to 10 oz per square yard.  I did 4 oz per square yard for the beds I wanted to reduce from 7.5 to 6.0.  For the others I only did 2 oz per square yard to reduce from 7.5 to 6.5.  This is only the first application which would be half of what is necessary by the books.  Then I dig those trenches at the bottom that you see.  These are to collect water as it trickles through your bed and they are slightly sloped to drain outside the garden.  I go for 10&quot; wide by 6 to 8&quot; deep and throw the soil up on top of the beds on top of the sulfur.  Rake to smooth and do the plywood jumping again.  Water well, at least 4 to 6&quot; deep.  Best to use an oscillating sprinkler so that the water has time to soak in before the next pass of the sprinkler.  Water every other day for a good 2 weeks.  Test your pH again.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For most beds your pH should have dropped half a point and I would start planting in those beds.  Your potatoes and blueberries should wait for one more application without being planted.  Just easier.  You could go ahead and plant if you have a short growing season.  Based on the change of pH in your soil you observed from the  first application.  All soils are different such as a clay soil or a soil with lots of organic matter will need more applications and more sulfur than a sandy soil low in organic matter (such as mine).  Temperature matters as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to let us know where you live, what your zone is and it would be nice to know the soil type.  Grab a mason jar and put a cup of your soil and fill with water shake it up real well and allow to sit undisturbed for a day or two until the water is clear again.  You'll be able to see the different percentages of sand and silt and clay as well as a little layer of organic matter on top.  Sand on the bottom then the silt and last layer is clay then organic matter.  Get your soil sent in following the instructions of the Cooperative Extension Service you use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When that soil test comes back you will find your soil has very little of the chemicals plants need with which to make their own food through photosynthesis.  This is because a virgin ecosystem, think of rain forests, have all the nutrients and chemicals plants need tied up in the living part of the system.  Very very very efficient.  As soon as something dies it is decomposed and then that decomposed matter is gobbled up by the life in the system.  When forests are cut down by good old humans we are actually MINING the ecosystem and removing all of the nutrients and chemicals.  Guess what?  We are then relegated to REPLACING these chemicals or our crops will not do well.  Your test should give you an idea of what is lacking in both macro (NPK) and micro nutrients such as calcium, molybenum, iron...boron...there are quite a few.  Later you will learn how to tell when your plants have too much of a certain nutrient or too little just by looking.  You'll want higher nitrogen for your leafy greens and lower nitrogen in relation to phosphorus and potassium for your tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also pH UP and pH DOWN in liquid form now for your garden.  I use that for my potted plants.  Here I pot tomatoes, peppers so that I can treat them individually and move them inside to my little greenhouse at night.  We have a hard freeze once or twice per month all growing season long, sigh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Always use potting soil for pots and starting seeds in doors.  Never use your garden soil in pots.  Here is another place to use your pH tester (s).  I always use 2 or 3 different methods to ensure one of the testers isn't malfunctioning.  That is how important knowing the pH of your soil is.  I congratulate you for caring at this level to set up your soil and garden!  You must have gardened before or had master gardener training?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To add organic matter, after throwing it in for your initial bed making, just put it on top of your beds, after you've planted your starts and at least once or twice more through the season.  This is the DECOMPOSED organic matter I get from the dang store.  I have horse manure that I use for the winter and that has to be &#xA;DECOMPOSED, DRIED OUT, NEVER FRESH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because herbivores eat lots of weeds and weed seeds there will be lots of weeds BUT if you dump 2&quot; on top of your soil 2 or 3 times during the growing season you inhibit germination of those seeds.  Smothers the weeds already growing.  Weeds are the least of your worries in a garden.  I just don't know why others get so wigged out over weeds, grins! And I've done this commercially as well, no problemo.  No pesticides or herbicides...until later in the season but that is based on your area, your weather, if you have a polytunnel like the one I started out with in the picture...so not to worry.  I use great fertilizer that is 'organic', low in numbers and has the micronutrients I need as well as certain bacteria and fungus necessary for 'happy' plants.  Keep asking questions.  We can try to help you not to make the same mistakes we did...&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FgZL8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FgZL8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;new greenhouse over larger garden and same beds now 4 years old&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;btw; don't use manure or organic matter for 'fertilizer'. Great for tilth but you need to know what you've got to include micronutrients and pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;..&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I8ek8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I8ek8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;first garden in high desert pumice soil pH 7.5&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-04-05T18:12:45.203" LastActivityDate="2017-04-05T18:12:45.203" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31478" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31470" CreationDate="2017-04-05T17:47:10.687" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since the seeds have already germinated, I would be less worried about heat and focus on getting the plants enough light.  You can move them closer to a window so they get light during the day.  Alternatively, you may want to consider taking a lamp from some other location and putting it close to the plants so they get some light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-04-05T17:47:10.687" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31479" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31474" CreationDate="2017-04-05T17:54:24.907" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can offer up two suggestions to enrich your soil. The first option is to mix horse manure and chicken manure (3:1) in your existing soil.  I use store bought manure but since you are planning to use fresh manure, I would be careful in terms of what vegetables you plant in them for contamination concerns.  The second option is to use compost (homemade or bought from the store) and mix that with some vegetable fertilizer to enrich your soil.  I have used both methods and they worked for my vegetable garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-04-05T17:54:24.907" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31480" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-05T17:59:57.150" Score="4" ViewCount="888" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a wooden raise garden, 4 foot by 8 foot by 24 inches in depth, containing 20 inches of rich soil. The bottom of the raised garden is a foot off the gound. Last spring I introduced into the garden 750 night crawlers I purchased from Uncle Jim's worm farm. I grew tomatoes, squash, onions, radishes and pickles. We left some of the dead leaves on the surface, as well as poked some of them into the soil for the worms to feed on. There are very small holes for drainage in the bottom of the box. I also had a 30% shad netting over the garden to keep the birds out. By the end of fall, all of the worms had disappeared, and I have absolutely no idea why. I have asked the people at Uncle Jim's worm farm the question, as well as other sources and have yet to come up with an answer. I know night crawlers come to the top to feed at night, but like undisturbed soil to burrow in, and the bottom eight to ten inches of soil was not disturbed. Does anyone have any idea what may have happened to the worms? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17079" LastActivityDate="2017-04-06T11:40:10.027" Title="Loss of 750 night crawler worms in a raised garden" Tags="&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31481" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31486" CreationDate="2017-04-05T18:22:47.000" Score="4" ViewCount="25460" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing in my flat an Avocado plant sprouted from a seed in December.&#xA;It developed well, up until about a month ago, but then brown dots started forming on the leaves, the oldest leaves first and spreading to the newest.&#xA;The dots start small on the edges and very quickly spread over the leaf, until the leaf dries out and the plant discards it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below I put an example. The first picture was taken last Sunday, when the leaf started showing the spots. The second picture was taken today, three days later, showing the progression of the spots.&#xA;Usually it takes about two weeks for the leaf to be dropped by the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At first I blamed this on dry air caused by the central heating (In the picture you see a radiator, but that's just where I put the plant now that the radiators are off. During winter it was in a different position.).&#xA;The plant now is next to a window open most of the day, so the air shouldn't be as dry, but still the spots returned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A second hypothesis I had was high salinity of the water. Tap water here is very hard and reading other articles it seems that there could be a stagnation of salt. To counter this I replaced most of the earth in the vase, but this still didn't stop the leaves from browning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant itself is now down to three leaves, one of which is the one in the pictures above, and the top gem is not showing signs of development, so I'm running out of ideas to save the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any hints on what might be causing this and how to prevent it from extending to the rest of the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FCgTV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FCgTV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Brown spots starting to form at the base of the leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yac3X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yac3X.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Spots extending to the leaf&amp;#39;s border&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17080" LastActivityDate="2018-04-15T06:24:49.820" Title="Young avocado plant has brown spots spreading on leaves" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31480" CreationDate="2017-04-05T20:43:33.077" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hope I can help with this mystery.  'Rich' soil means what in your opinion?  Did you have a soil test?  Worms need DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER on which to feed.  Not live stuff.  The decomposers have to decompose the live stuff before that material is edible for nightcrawlers, or earthworms.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did you use garden soil for this raised bed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did you apply any decomposed organic matter at all?  These worms HAVE TO HAVE decomposed organic matter or they starve.  If you use any bark or chips or anything that was once alive and now dead but NOT decomposed those worms have nothing to eat.  Those worm people should know this, how weird.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next time all you have to do is find DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER, purchase by the bale.  Usually not completely decomposed but at least it doesn't come with weed seeds and pesticide residues...which might also be an avenue to consider.  Are these beds made with pressure treated wood?  That would  also kill micro and macro organisms plants need to up take chemicals for photosynthesis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What else have you added to your soil?  Raised beds do not need any structural assist by wood or concrete.  To leave your beds ON THE GROUND to drain and create an ecosystem with the sublayers of soil is critical.  That is an awful lot of worms with no food and no place to go to have their own families. Grins, but this is kinda sad.  Nightcrawlers do not like to burrow into sub soil that is  compact.  They prefer some tilth for air. They are wonderful for coming up to the surface to eat DECOMPOSED ORGANIC MATTER not UNDECOMPOSED OR FRESH LEAVES...then going back into the soil to poop it  out and mix organic material into your soil for you.  THAT is the beauty of these macro soil organisms.  But you have to FEED them DECOMPOSED organic matter.  I buy it by the bale.  Don't go to your land fill unless they are able to give you a soil test sheet that tells you there are no pesticide residues in the mulch.  Make your own compost or DECOMPOSED organic matter but good luck in making enough of it to top dress your beds at least 2 inches thick and doing this at least a second time preferably a third time during the growing season.  Why did you raise your beds above ground?  We can discuss further if you send more information about your construction, what soil you have used and what all you've added.  Poor worms.  But this is how we learn...gardening.  Otherwise, worms do not do anything for your crops, not in those numbers certainly.  If you supply the food THEY WILL COME to your restaurant!!  If your garden soil is part of the bigger picture!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-05T20:43:33.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31483" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-05T21:44:55.773" Score="10" ViewCount="239" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is this an Apple tree in my new yard??&#xA;I would like to know what kind of tree this is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/50Goq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17085" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-05T21:53:20.793" LastActivityDate="2017-04-06T06:18:36.893" Title="Is this an Apple tree in my new yard?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31484" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20713" CreationDate="2017-04-05T22:42:12.690" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Michelle is close with the family, and most of what she said still applies. But if you want to be exact, it isn't a split-leaf philodendron (Monstera deliciosa), it is a &lt;strong&gt;Philodendron bipinnatifidum&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philodendron_bipinnatifidum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;More information can be found here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17086" LastActivityDate="2017-04-05T22:42:12.690" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31485" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31483" CreationDate="2017-04-05T23:54:31.390" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes this is an apple; Malus pumila.  This is not the bark I know  but after a  search, I guess it is possible.  The flowers and the stem you show are apple.  What I'd like to see is the rest of the tree to include the crown  and shape of the tree.  a close up of the leaves but from here sure looks like apple leaves.  Those flowers are definitely apple.  How weird.  Send more pictures so that we can see the health of this tree and be able to give you suggestions so that you might be able to get fruit.  How did you think of apple, by the way?  There will be others to answer this question, are you able to send more pictures being so new?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-05T23:54:31.390" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31486" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31481" CreationDate="2017-04-06T00:02:50.723" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This leaf is telling me that this guy isn't getting enough nitrogen and that you are using tap water.  Have you fertilized?  Are you using tap water (very high in salts that cause browning of the tips and margins, very common)?  Get a little bottle of OSMOCOTE 14-14-14 it is extended release and the only fertilizer I recommend for newbies and for simplicity.  Go by the directions to the letter.  It looks like he is ready for a bit larger pot.  Use only potting soil and get another clay pot that is 6&quot; versus the 4&quot; I am looking at (is that correct)?  No rock or gravel below the soil, get the bottom of your pot off the surface and do not allow the bottom of the pot to sit in the excess water such as in a saucer.  Put thin tiles or chunks or flat stones beneath to put a layer of air beneath the pot and the surface that will enhance drainage.  Definitely needs some fertilizer first and foremost.  Not a lot.  Osmocote will probably only be needed twice a year...like a tsp at first a tablespoon in 8 months in the newer larger pot.  Allow the soil to dry out a bit before watering.  I'd get bottled water and not use the tap water (same for you btw, don't drink the tap water, where do you live)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-06T00:02:50.723" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31487" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-06T02:20:43.020" Score="5" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just moved to this house and have this plant. In winter, all the leaves were fallen off and last month, all the new leaves and flower blossomed up.. There is no fruit on it right now and it's around 10 feet tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If anybody knows, please let me know which plant is that.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yIEiw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yIEiw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8spH3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8spH3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17088" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-04-06T06:19:45.713" LastActivityDate="2017-04-07T14:39:24.027" Title="Need to know which plant/tree is that?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31488" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31483" CreationDate="2017-04-06T06:18:36.893" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is clearly not an apple tree! I have many apple tree and flowers will not come with a stem that large. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is from the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Prunus&lt;/a&gt; genus - probably ornamental, given its beautiful flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-04-06T06:18:36.893" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31489" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31487" CreationDate="2017-04-06T07:08:44.583" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems a &lt;em&gt;Prunus armenica&lt;/em&gt; (Apricot). Prunus (mainly the cherry trees) have the typical points on the stalk of leaves. The redish of the stalk, the form and colour of the leaves tell me an Apricot.  But I'm not so used on ornamental cultivars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-06T07:08:44.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31491" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31480" CreationDate="2017-04-06T11:40:10.027" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure why you put 750 night crawlers into your raised bed - these worms are usually purchased for fishing bait, or to put in a composting pile or bin. I imagine you thought they might increase the fertility of the soil in your raised bed, but if conditions are suitable, raised off the ground or not, worms will arrive (usually earthworms rather than brandlings, red wrigglers or night crawlers) - but only if they find the conditions amenable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you used African night crawlers, they don't like cold temperatures, so would likely have gone before winter, even if they hadn't already departed. Ultimately, there is no point in adding worms to an area such as this, because, if conditions are right, worms will be there, if they're not, they won't. If you live somewhere cold in winter, even earthworms burrow deep down in to the soil to get through the cold temperatures, and only become active nearer the surface once the soil has warmed again. Two feet deep, suspended in the air, likely means no worms will stay all year anyway, unless you don't have cold winters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-06T11:40:10.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31494" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-06T14:02:24.680" Score="7" ViewCount="1734" Body="&lt;p&gt;My young willow tree broke off completely at the base. Will it shoot roots again if I just place the whole tree in water/soil?&#xA;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17092" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-06T18:15:07.750" LastActivityDate="2017-07-21T17:06:17.183" Title="Broken willow tree completely severed at the base" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31495" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-06T20:03:56.997" Score="3" ViewCount="482" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Los Angeles, California. I bought two goji berry plants on-line two years ago. The aphids already killed one. I thought it killed the other one but it grew back. I know that plants have defenses against bugs. The most logical explanation is it is sick. Maybe it doesn't have enough nutrients. So what would be the best way to make a goji berry plant healthy? I only had berries from it one time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that May is coming I want a garden in my back yard, but with all those aphids attacking it will spill into my garden. I want to save it if I can. I was using Neem oil extract for the aphids. The leaves are all yellow, it is a mess. Should I just cut the leaves all off? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17094" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-06T22:51:38.070" LastActivityDate="2017-04-07T22:54:19.317" Title="Why would my goji berry plant in California get sick and full of aphids?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;berries&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;&lt;goji&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31496" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-06T20:44:56.527" Score="7" ViewCount="238" Body="&lt;p&gt;I took a hardwood mulberry cutting this winter. It's inside under a skylight and has grown some buds which (as well as already present buds) are now breaking into leaves. It might be just saved up energy in the stem though. I fear the leaves might suck the cutting dry. I keep the ground moist and mist the cutting whenever I'm home and see the hardwood has become a bit dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that leaves are forming, should I provide a  more powerful light source? Indirect, more direct or LED grow light to (hopefully) promote root growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read a lot about how to start the cuttings but nothing about this stage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17095" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-11-11T21:33:39.223" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T21:33:39.223" Title="Do mulberry hardwood cuttings (breaking buds) enjoy light?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;grow-lamp&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31497" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27495" CreationDate="2017-04-07T05:32:38.437" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like this tree is attacked by some kind of fungus. The fungus looks largely widespread. Nothing to do, except wait for it to go away... Unfortunately, the tree won't survive it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have others same species tree and unarmed in the neighborhood, then its probably better to cut that one of and move it away to the local green disposal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-04-07T05:32:38.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31302" CreationDate="2017-04-07T10:58:45.773" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your tree suffered quite extended insect or bird damage, but it look very very healthy. The insects or enemies seem to be gone now. It's healed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is nothing I would do. Perhaps just pick its fruits: if you want to remove stress and optimize the tree's growth for next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not overuse chemicals and pesticides in your yard. Leave this to nature enemies. If you do, you risk to cause more imbalance for the years to come, and need more pesticides - set aside the damage you'll cause to all the natural life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-04-07T10:58:45.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31500" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31501" CreationDate="2017-04-07T13:33:51.750" Score="4" ViewCount="182" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there any way to get tulips to bloom again this year? I know some flowers bloom again if you take the dead flower heads off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mine were looking great until a squirrel came along and eat every single one, so now I just have a garden full of tulip stalks. :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17098" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-07T17:29:18.270" LastActivityDate="2017-04-07T17:29:18.270" Title="Second Bloom for Tulips?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;tulips&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31501" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31500" CreationDate="2017-04-07T13:43:51.943" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid not - sometimes a single bulb produces two flowers, but with tulips, that's rare, and those two both come up at once, not in stages. A bulb is a storage organ - while the leaves are present, the bulb stores energy within it from the leaves, and flower initiation within the bulb (for the following spring) is already formed by the time the leaves die back. Tulips, though, are not 100% reliable in terms of survival or flowering the following year, but now is the time to feed them with liquid fertilizer, weekly, whilst the leaves are present, to give them the best chance of maybe flowering next year. Sadly, none of this deals with the squirrel problem...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-07T13:43:51.943" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31502" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31487" CreationDate="2017-04-07T14:39:24.027" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;My best guess would be apricot. I have both cherry and apricot in the yard and your pictures resemble the apricot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17076" LastActivityDate="2017-04-07T14:39:24.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31427" CreationDate="2017-04-07T14:55:32.847" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a large sage plant the was well watered by our dog...I couldn't stand the smell enough to eat it and washing it didn't seem to take that away. We built raised beds about 22&quot; high and plant everything in those now. It all grows better, less weeds, and the dogs can't reach! Sometimes you have to adapt to the environment :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17076" LastActivityDate="2017-04-07T14:55:32.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31504" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31405" CreationDate="2017-04-07T16:22:21.457" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is how is looking after the intervention, any ideas what is happening?&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q5fn1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RCBaz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17034" LastActivityDate="2017-04-07T16:22:21.457" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31505" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31507" CreationDate="2017-04-07T16:37:50.327" Score="2" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing a date palm (look at my &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/22544/date-palm-just-growing-in-height-but-not-getting-a-trunk&quot;&gt;other post&lt;/a&gt;) since some years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This works more or less well but it has a lot of braches which won't hold up anymore and start to turn brown (but are still mostly green).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question: Do you know if it harms the plant if I just cut the old branches? It has quite a lot of new ones in the centre.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks a lot!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ron&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13498" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2017-04-07T21:38:06.540" Title="Can I just cut date palm branches" Tags="&lt;palm&gt;&lt;branches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31506" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-07T21:04:50.640" Score="3" ViewCount="123" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am working on a wooden staff from a fallen branch. I am pretty sure it is a variety of Ash tree but I am not sure which. As it is still very early spring there are no buds or leaves to examine, just the seed pods left from last year, the bark (thick and rough) and the heartwood that I have revealed on my staff. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Currently I am thinking either White Ash, Black Ash or European Ash, but would love a pro's thoughts. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for larger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c8Wzc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c8Wzcl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;branch&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5MDuy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5MDuyl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;seed pod&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17099" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-26T23:33:03.330" LastActivityDate="2017-04-27T01:06:21.867" Title="What is this seed pod and heartwood, maybe Ash?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31505" CreationDate="2017-04-07T21:38:06.540" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;No problem. Trim off any branches that are brown or don't look good. Leave enough to let the plant feed itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm forever trimming up my houseplants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16801" LastActivityDate="2017-04-07T21:38:06.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31508" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31495" CreationDate="2017-04-07T22:41:41.550" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't bother with insecticides for aphids, although they could get rid of them, probably. I recommend getting a &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0187BOHPW&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;shower nozzle&lt;/a&gt; for your hose and showering the foliage every two or three days. Aphids don't tend to stay on regularly showered plants. I didn't have any issues with plants I did that with in 2016, except when I wasn't doing it. It should spray the aphids off, but I don't think that's exactly why it works. The plants seem more resistant to them for some reason. I didn't have whitefly issues either. It also helps against spider mites. It made my plants grow a lot faster, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, if your plants get fungal diseases from humidity and rain easily, this may not be the best suggestion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Insects can also spread disease, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, hard water might damage leaves by leaving mineral deposits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever the case, don't just use a regular hose without a nozzle to spray your plants. It doesn't seem to work and is likely to splash more soil on your foliage, which can hinder growth, and according to many, bring diseases to your foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Orbit 58993 Control Contractor Turret Pistol Spray Nozzle is the one I use. It's durable and works well, but it lacks a soaker setting (so I use a dedicated soaker piece when I want that).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possible that the goji berries aren't very acclimated to your soil and/or growing conditions. This may result in weaker plants. They'll probably do better in the future some time, as long as you get rid of your pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, fertilizing with calcium nitrate (foliar spray) can deter aphids, but make sure you could use the calcium/nitrogen, first. It doesn't deter ladybugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ladybugs and lacewings may also help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-04-07T22:54:19.317" LastActivityDate="2017-04-07T22:54:19.317" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31509" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="31510" CreationDate="2017-04-08T09:57:11.390" Score="3" ViewCount="130" Body="&lt;p&gt;I repotted a camellia yesterday but used multi purpose compost by mistake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That compost is on the bottom, but I used rotted manure around the root ball.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17102" LastActivityDate="2017-04-08T10:37:21.863" Title="Mistake - should have used ericaceous compost" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31510" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31509" CreationDate="2017-04-08T10:37:21.863" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, if you only did it yesterday, it's not a problem - what could be a major problem is surrounding the rootball with manure. Go and get some ericaceous compost if you don't have any. Turn the Camellia out, remove the manure, empty the pot completely. If you really must use manure in a pot, make sure it's well rotted and smells just earthy (personally, I don't recommend the use of rotted manure in pots, unless you know 100% how it's been produced/composted) then either mix a small amount in with your ericaceous compost, or put a layer on the bottom of the pot, fill with ericaceous  compost, then repot the Camellia into that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Were it my Camellia, I'd just stick with ericaceous compost and provide a separate fertiliser for use with acid loving plants in subsequent years in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-08T10:37:21.863" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31511" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-08T11:12:46.880" Score="5" ViewCount="93" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CZbgR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CZbgR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I found plants growing in shade under trees. The flower hangs down like a snowdrop but is much smaller, delicate, and is all white. The leaves are wider than the usual snowdrop, more like a bluebell leaf. What is it please? I live in the north of the UK. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17103" LastEditorUserId="17103" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T13:41:24.760" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T15:55:48.840" Title="Is this a snowdrop?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31512" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-08T11:53:06.477" Score="5" ViewCount="4358" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Aglaonema is fading rapidly. The leaves are pale in appearance and are turning yellow. Can you tell me what is happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17105" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-08T18:22:21.163" LastActivityDate="2017-10-05T21:06:51.443" Title="Why are the leaves on my pink Aglaonema fading and turning yellow?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31513" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-08T14:20:30.063" Score="2" ViewCount="237" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have these little waxy things attached to the stems of a rosemary plant. They come off easily and are filled with some reddish liquid if you squeeze them. I'm assuming it's a bug. Just curious what it is and if I should pick them all off. I haven't tried spraying the plant with anything and they don't move.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ExmbU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;waxy things on plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17107" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2017-04-08T15:40:38.110" LastActivityDate="2019-11-03T04:03:50.407" Title="Waxy white squares on stems of rosemary plant" Tags="&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="31514" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31513" CreationDate="2017-04-08T16:02:09.307" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lYGQA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lYGQA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Chinese Wax Scale or Barnacle Scale&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the closest I could get; the big white ones are the males.  Chinese DO make candles out of these guys.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Someone else will have more entomology and give a definitive answer but this is scale and is a sucking insect.  Sort of like aphids and just as easy to control.  I would pick them off if there are just a few but I worry that if these are the males where are the immature and females?  Look under the leaves and at the tips of the branches.  Look in the soil around the base of your rosemary.  The wax covering protects them from pesticides a bit.  I've heard using alcohol on a q - tip.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kind of a cool insect, really amazing creatures how they adapt and evolve.  If the infestation is severe after you are able to look more closely, take another picture of females and the young.  Look at the plants nearby as well!  &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugguide.net/node/view/5942&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Species Ceroplastes cirripediformis - Barnacle Scale &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-08T16:02:09.307" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32514" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31512" CreationDate="2017-04-08T16:33:38.877" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Truly have to have a picture so my answer is that of a blind person, okay?  These plants do so well in shade otherwise I'd say it needed more light.  So it is more likely a chemical deficiency.  Have you fertilized this plant?  Is it in potting soil?  One of the chemicals (I hate the word nutrients, nutrition or food because these chemicals are NOT food...plants make their own food) would be manganese.  We need to know if you, again, have ever fertilized, if so when was the last time, what was the formulation of this fertilizer?  These are all questions we will ask even after we see your picture.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fix is to spray Manganese Chelate right on the leaves but do not do that willy nilly.  You have to know for sure that this is the problem.  If you've never fertilized I would go get OSMOCOTE 15-5-10 as this is meant for foliage.  Otherwise OSMOCOTE 14-14-14 is more all around and can be used for foliage plants as well as flowering/vegetables.  I am NOT a Scott's company fan at all and this is the ONLY product I would purchase from them.  Tried and true and simple and lasts a long time.  I wouldn't use it more than twice per year, same amount that is in the directions but only twice per year not 4 times per year.  Doesn't have manganese that I could find, so I would look for that separately.  Try Osmocote and wait a week or two and if your plant hasn't colored up then go get the manganese spray.  Go to a cannabis store, they've got the best products, more fine tuned products, professional versus mass produced, and their staff usually KNOW what they are talking about concerning plants, not just cannabis!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do read the label and material closely to see if there are any added micro chemicals...I know the label says FOOD for plants and FEEDING but they are trying to sell product to those who don't understand.  More is NOT better!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send a picture we might have to change answers, add to the answers so this is just a place to start as a blind person...thanks&lt;a href=&quot;http://alphabotanical.com/aglaonema.php#content_3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;care of aglonema http://alphabotanical.com/aglaonema.php#content_3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Go to the second page for the blurb on manganese but don't get into 'misting', doesn't work.  I do however put my house plants in the shower every 3 months or so to water and wash off all the dust. Cold water okay?  Misting has been clearly shown to NOT improve the humidity at all and could cause problems with too much water and thus fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-04-08T16:39:14.347" LastActivityDate="2017-04-08T16:39:14.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32516" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32517" CreationDate="2017-04-08T23:39:37.440" Score="5" ViewCount="4162" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I tried to plant some plants and dug up a hole in my front yard, it appeared that there is a waterproof, at least it appeared to me so, tarp under the soil and mulch mixture, and it extends to a very large area, probably as large as most of my yard. The material of the tarp looks similar to this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AYxhi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AYxhi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dropbox.com/s/az0f57e58c6ctku/Screenshot%202017-04-09%2012.33.53.png?dl=0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it called? What is its function/purpose? When planting perennial plants, should I dig through this tarp or not? If not, the depth of the soil/mulch does not seem deep enough for the plants to develop a large root system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This yard is located in Pacific Northwest which alternates between a rainy fall-winter season and a dry summer season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9767" OwnerDisplayName="qazwsx" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-09T22:58:52.590" LastActivityDate="2021-03-10T13:43:56.707" Title="What's the function/purpose of the waterproof tarp a few inches beneath the ground in my yard?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;yard&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32517" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32516" CreationDate="2017-04-09T00:04:03.657" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is most likely landscaping fabric designed to block or inhibit weed growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the soil layer is too thin where you intend to plant perennials, feel free to cut out a circle of the fabric and plant appropriately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6969" OwnerDisplayName="Jimmy Fix-it" LastActivityDate="2017-04-09T00:04:03.657" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32518" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32521" CreationDate="2017-04-09T03:04:56.773" Score="2" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;p&gt;I transplanted my lemon tree 2 days ago and I positioned it in the corner without lights. How many days should my tree stay without lights after transplanting? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jvyet.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jvyet.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13726" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-09T18:43:49.000" LastActivityDate="2017-04-09T18:43:49.000" Title="Lemon tree transplantation" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32519" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32516" CreationDate="2017-04-09T03:09:08.970" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get rid of it!  Talk about destroying even a tiny bit of a natural soil system...landscape fabric was made only to put below gravel on top of soil so that the large rocks don't sink and the soil come up causing your rock/gravel to disappear.  It is not meant for weed control. Pull it up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In no way does this fabric provide any benefits whatsoever.  In fact it causes many problems...and I could go on.  Don't run out and plant in that few inches of soil that is cut off from the entire body of your garden soil and ecosystem.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-09T19:11:13.470" LastActivityDate="2017-04-09T19:11:13.470" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32520" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-09T05:20:20.427" Score="6" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the office there is an abundance of fluorescent light and that's about it. The temperature stays around 70 ºF (21 ºC) I think.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could I grow a fruiting plant in these conditions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any flower plant that we can put in less sunlight and closed room, which also has good smell&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17109" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T13:37:22.947" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T13:37:22.947" Title="Could I grow a fruiting plant in my office?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32518" CreationDate="2017-04-09T10:02:54.090" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Who told you that a plant should get &lt;em&gt;no&lt;/em&gt; light after being transplanted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, it is probably not a good idea to put a freshly transplanted plant in direct sunlight outdoors, especially if its a small seedling without enough of a rootball. But if you place a plant in an effectively dark corner, you are submitting it to extra stress. Please put it back to its usual place!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking at this lemon tree (a seedling, I presume?), it hasn't recieved too much light in the past anyway. The large, slightly wrinkly leaves are a clear indicator. If possible, you should consider transitioning it to being outdoors during the summer. Just don't put it from next to your sofa straight to direct sun or your plant will get sunburn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-04-09T10:02:54.090" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32522" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35212" CreationDate="2017-04-09T15:56:26.563" Score="8" ViewCount="24903" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a (thai) chili in my kitchen. It seems to be fine overall. One week ago I discovered some white spots on the bottom of the leaves (see image).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/snCyM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/snCyM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ij03F.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ij03F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever it is it does not seem to be moving. It is also kind of hard to scrub off. I tried it with the fingers, that does not work very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some leaves are more afflicted while others do not have this symptom. After a search I found &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/4171/what-is-happening-to-my-chilli-plant-how-can-i-help-it&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;. In this question the plant seems to have scale. While the white spots do remind of what my plant has, mine does not have any brown or dying spots on the leaves. It also seems that her/his plant has this on the top of the leaves too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I wonder is there any reason to be concerned? Can anybody confirm scale or anything else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After some more research I discovered a condition named Chlorosis (Edema) which is caused by overwatering. I have to admit the photos I saw look a lot like what my plant has.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yxVEo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yxVEo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5k241.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5k241.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The strange thing is that I did not have the impression that I am overwatering. I always wait until the soil is really, really dry. Might this also be caused by putting too much water at once?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2856" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T12:42:25.677" LastActivityDate="2020-04-17T22:55:02.023" Title="White crystal like spot on bottom side of chili leaves" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32523" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-09T17:40:33.973" Score="5" ViewCount="403" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TJVCI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TJVCI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Please identify the plant on the right of the photo. The plant is about a foot high with large leaves, 4 inches or more in length.  Photo taken in London in April&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17113" LastActivityDate="2017-04-09T23:05:16.807" Title="What is this plant with large leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32523" CreationDate="2017-04-09T17:47:25.487" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Symphytum orientale, common name white comfrey - its suffering from drought (not surprising, so is everything else in London UK at the moment), so if you want to keep it, water. You may not want to though - although it's very useful to bees and other insects for its pollen, it's quite difficult to get rid of once it's taken hold. &lt;a href=&quot;http://wildflowerfinder.org.uk/Flowers/C/Comfrey(White)/Comfrey(White).htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://wildflowerfinder.org.uk/Flowers/C/Comfrey(White)/Comfrey(White).htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-09T17:47:25.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32525" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-09T19:04:31.203" Score="4" ViewCount="340" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm buying my first house very shortly, and as expected it has some problems. One of the big ones is water management around the garage. There is already water damage inside the garage so I want to tackle this as soon as I take possession of the house, but since I haven't yet all of the numbers below are eyeballed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The garage is freestanding, with no gutters. To the left of the garage and behind it, there is roughly level ground for about a foot all around, before sharply climbing at a slope of probably 50+ degrees. The slope begins towards the front of the garage, but by the back of the garage it's about 3' tall. To the left of the garage, the top of the slope is almost right at the edge of the property, where the neighbor has a fence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a quick Sketchup to illustrate, because I'm sure that's as clear as mud.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V0v74.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V0v74.png&quot; alt=&quot;Here&amp;#39;s a quick Sketchup to illustrate&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The previous owner had filled that trench in between the slope and the garage with sandbags in a failed attempt to keep the water out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I'm thinking about doing is constructing a retaining wall to clean up that slope and hopefully gain me a few inches, and then run a curtain drain (or French drain, there seems to be some terminology disagreement here) along the side of the garage, sloping towards the front of the property, and draining into a narrow bioswale or similar in between my driveway and the neighbor's property. I would also like to install gutters, and pipe the downspout on the left side down into the curtain drain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the back there's a good bit more space, but that hill runs the entire width of the property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BuLcp.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BuLcp.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here I'm at kind of a loss. My inspector recommended constructing a ditch that ran behind the garage and then down the contour, directing the water to the right of the garage. That would dump the runoff pretty much right where I was planning on making a garden, which is less than desirable. I had considered constructing a swale on contour instead to hold the water and encourage infiltration, but my understanding is that would be detrimental to the retaining wall I want to build to prevent erosion and for aesthetic reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this feasible to pull off in such a tight spot? Would it actually work? Do you have any better ideas? What additional things should I consider?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17114" LastActivityDate="2017-04-09T22:42:15.693" Title="Retaining wall and water management in a tight space" Tags="&lt;water&gt;&lt;hard-landscape&gt;&lt;foundation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32526" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20567" CreationDate="2017-04-09T19:21:25.287" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your chives are growing decently, try green onions/scallions. Mine have always grown well in the same conditions as chives. Most lettuces do alright in bright indirect light - maybe ask your garden store staff which seeds they have that would be best?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17115" LastActivityDate="2017-04-09T19:21:25.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32527" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-09T20:42:54.653" Score="5" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given this aloe pup as a gift some years ago and never got around to replanting it from its tiny pot. Since then it has never quite grown. Its 3 leaves are still green but it has stayed a tiny plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was wondering what I could do to stimulate growth? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some side info that might be useful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When i first got it, I placed it in my south facing window but it burned terribly there so i moved it to the side, on my dresser where it got some sun and some shade. My apartment stays very warm and sunny thru the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I first got it I also overwatered and almost killed the plant. Luckily i think i realized quickly enough what was happening and stopped watering it so frequently. Would this stunt its growth? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it sunlight? the soil? watering? the size of its pot? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17116" LastActivityDate="2017-04-09T21:18:44.143" Title="How to get my aloe to grow" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32527" CreationDate="2017-04-09T21:18:44.143" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what you've said, you seem to be saying your aloe is still in the original 'tiny' pot. Given you've had it some years, it must be desperately clinging on to life, but unable to grow any larger because it has no root room. A plant needs a good root system in order to support its topgrowth, so turn it out of its pot - if the rootball is solid with roots wrapped around, pot on into something only a size or two larger initially, using a commercial potting mix to which you've added some grit or perlite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-09T21:18:44.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32529" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32525" CreationDate="2017-04-09T22:42:15.693" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Super question, T.!  And I am so impressed you've got an inspector and have not purchased this home yet.  This is a great way to get a better deal AND get the owner who is very interested to sell to FIX THIS before you have to deal with, well, truly a deal breaker.  Did your inspector look at the supporting lumber for dry rot?  Wet rot, grins?  This garage, if you are able to see water damage and they've gone as far to put up SAND bags says this is a major problem and you might end up NOT having your detached garage at all even though that is part of the purchase price.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your computer sketches are fascinating...you actually have included slopes!  I need to know more for a better answer such as the material around the foundation of your garage, certainly soil type, what is the damage YOU are able to see, is that inspector someone who works on your behalf or the banks, or the real estate agent or the previous owners?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How did you get the slopes?  Are these slope percentages accurate?  And most importantly how much room do you have to play with to fix this OBVIOUS problem, such as property lines, distance between hard surfaces?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grins, I taught this stuff BEFORE the internet, okay?  Kinda shows my age but regardless I know how to do this stuff by hand as well as by shovel.  You actually said SWALE!!  I adore you!  The ideal situation is being able to slope every bit of soil or hardscape AWAY from the foundation.  Walls just do not work.  Water has to hit the ground and instantly be directed AWAY from the building/foundation.  Best scenario would be to create a swale at least 3' wide, a foot deep at least 2 feet and that is a stretch, of sloped soil/hardscape at a 5% slope away from the foundation.  Less slope allows water to seep in through cracks and then we need to discuss &lt;em&gt;your foundation drain system&lt;/em&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This swale not only directs the water away from the foundation but allows the water to start percolating back into the soil.  It should be grassy from what I am seeing as your slope or your &lt;em&gt;swale might need 'speed bumps'&lt;/em&gt; to slow the water so there is no erosion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;French drains are great but you have to have a slope away from the foundation, allowing no water at all to get near your foundation.  A swale is far better than the french drain.  But you have to have the room.  I am only giving you bare minimum sizes and I expect that your space is limited other wise any sane person would have done something other than sand bags!+&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Need to know the &lt;em&gt;depth of the foundation&lt;/em&gt;, whether there IS &lt;em&gt;a foundation drain system and asphalt emulsion&lt;/em&gt; on the outside of this foundation...for you to be able to easily see water damage and the sand bag thing is very scary!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To create a &lt;em&gt;surface concrete run&lt;/em&gt; would be next, sort of what I see in your picture.  This is conditional based on the &lt;em&gt;neighboring properties grade versus your grades!&lt;/em&gt;  This can be done...yes it can at some expense.  Not that bad but my biggest worry is the &lt;em&gt;condition of the structure&lt;/em&gt; having obviously endured a long time compromised by water./&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this inspector is not hired by you, &lt;em&gt;hire your own&lt;/em&gt;.  To thoroughly go through the home and its foundation as well.  These private home inspectors are worth every penny!!  And it has to be YOUR home inspector...and in my experience totally affordable and I would never ever purchase a home without one even though I've built 29 custom homes as a custom home contractor, owned 6 and have seen horrible stuff that the real estate agent should have known.  Well, now those same agents have had lessons in order to keep their license and mitigate their reputation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this home is still a great buy WITHOUT the garage then heck, put more money into your research.  If this garage is toast, look at the home next and do NOT put any more money down.  &lt;em&gt;Make the owner and/or real estate agent do some work.&lt;/em&gt;  They have no compunction selling to ignorant buyers but buyers are protected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where are you on this planet?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water damage is a very big deal.  It is known as a deal breaker and I am so happy that you are concerned and actively researching this aside from any emotional attachment...first home?  My goodness, you are rare!  More information please...want to help!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-09T22:42:15.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32530" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32520" CreationDate="2017-04-09T22:58:26.750" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You MIGHT get a fruit, small, or a flower...but without LOTS of light far more than your fluorescent lights AND pollinators (you could try and should do artificial insemination yourself, grinsn) this is a but a dream.  In offices, the best plants are NOT those you want with flowers, fruit, but just gorgeous foliage.  Plants that are able to thrive in low light conditions...such as Cast Iron Plant.  I'd forget about flowers or fruit, truly.  There are lots of great houseplants hey, mostly because they are the plants that are able to thrive indoors, dry environments and little light and obviously have demonstrated this ability.  But flowers and thus fruit, you will be very disappointed.  Great question.  There is not a plant in the world that thrives in shade, low light without pollinators that will flower or fruit. If you get a flower or a fruit, it will be an anomaly. If there is I am sure someone will tell us both!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-09T22:58:26.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32531" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32534" CreationDate="2017-04-09T22:59:50.427" Score="5" ViewCount="537" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am getting ready to upgrade my aging and rotting wooden raised beds to ones made from 8x8x16 hollow concrete block (Concrete Masonry Units). As I understand it, the lime in the concrete can leach out over time and increase the soil pH, making it very alkaline. Blueberries are acid-loving plants and require quite acidic soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I have a raised bed that is 4 feet wide, and 2 feet deep, and I plant a row of blueberries down the center of the bed, will they be negatively affected by the rising pH of the soil near the concrete blocks?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11109" LastActivityDate="2017-04-10T18:07:13.980" Title="Blueberries in concrete block bed" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32532" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32523" CreationDate="2017-04-09T23:05:16.807" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think one other might be possible...tough to go up against Bamboo!  But I'll have a go; Chenopodium album or  Lamb's Quarters...a cool edible weed.&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ediblewildfood.com/lambs-quarters.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;lamb's quarters&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-09T23:05:16.807" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32533" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30200" CreationDate="2017-04-10T02:15:00.813" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;My hypothesis is that it is worm poop. Also known as worm castings. If there is a lot of sand in the pot that would explain why they break into sand. Here is a picture I found of worm castings from a rich soil: &lt;a href=&quot;https://highyieldorganics.net/products/worm-castings&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://highyieldorganics.net/products/worm-castings&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17119" LastActivityDate="2017-04-10T02:15:00.813" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32534" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32531" CreationDate="2017-04-10T04:03:16.003" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes and kudos to you cathode!!  But...you can change the pH and have to test and stay on top of the sulfur applications, yes you can lower the pH.  Even beside concrete and masonry.  I am impressed you knew to bring this up!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, what side of the home are these blueberries?  How old are they?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They love almost TOO much water, a cooler side of the home such as the north or east side.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to convince you to think about raised beds without concrete, I always have raised beds with no wood, no concrete for all kinds of soil.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pH0sq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pH0sq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my raised beds[![][1]&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a1TeA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-10T04:03:16.003" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32535" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32536" CreationDate="2017-04-10T15:06:40.647" Score="4" ViewCount="1278" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not even sure this is considered a weed, but it seems to be taking over a flower bed, so, I'll treat it as one. On my neighbors' front garden, it completely took over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kuATu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kuATu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Weed with purple flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ground is somewhat humid due to constant rain (US Pacific Northwest), and the plant grows low to the ground, and has some beautiful purple flowers. Its roots are somewhat deep, and I either need a tool or some digging to remove all the roots from the bigger plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17042" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-10T15:20:46.387" LastActivityDate="2017-04-11T07:10:29.800" Title="What is this variegated low-growing plant with purple flowers, and how do I get rid of it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32536" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32535" CreationDate="2017-04-10T15:57:49.440" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems like a &lt;em&gt;Vinca minor&lt;/em&gt; (periwinkle). It can be rather invasive, and does favor humid places.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See e.g.: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/groundcover/periwinkle/periwinkle-control-methods.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Getting Rid Of Periwinkle Plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;h2&gt;Control of Periwinkle with Herbicides&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Several states classify periwinkle as an invasive weed. For periwinkle weed control in large areas where digging is not practical, use an oil based herbicide. The cuticle on the leaves repels water based applications, but the oil base will allow the chemicals to adhere to the leave and gradually travel into the vascular system of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Triclopyr mixed with mineral oil is effective but applications will need to be repeated as straggler plants crop up. Getting rid of periwinkle generally takes several seasons no matter what method you choose because of its hardiness and tenacity. Spray in winter when all other nearby vegetation has died back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;h2&gt;Remove Periwinkle Ground Cover Manually&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Alright, it sounds like a pain in the-you-know-what, but manual removal really works best. Dig deep into the soil, starting at the edge of the problem area. Remember that periwinkle weed control relies upon complete removal of those roots, which may be several feet into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Make a two-foot trench around the area and loosen the first section of roots. Pull as you dig further into the bed, loosening the soil as you go. The next season, if you see any small plants forming, immediately dig them out.&#xA;  In this way you will be rid of the ground cover permanently in a couple of years and other plants can take over the area. It won’t be easy, but it is a non-toxic removal that is effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="17033" LastEditDate="2017-04-11T07:10:29.800" LastActivityDate="2017-04-11T07:10:29.800" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32537" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32538" CreationDate="2017-04-10T16:13:12.300" Score="6" ViewCount="2252" Body="&lt;p&gt;For many indoor plants I read this instruction regarding light requirements: &quot;Plenty of light but no direct sunlight&quot;. How I understand it is that the light has to come from a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.physics-chemistry-class.com/light/types-light-sources.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;secondary source of light&lt;/a&gt; (meaning from reflection, most likely on walls). I was wondering if direct sunlight going through a cream colored fabric shades (pic below) before hitting the plant was also acceptable as the light is dimmed/diffused by the fabric? Or what are the other ways to avoid direct sun light while having &quot;plenty of light&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dz4A4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dz4A4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fabric shades&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17121" LastEditorUserId="17121" LastEditDate="2017-04-11T01:51:24.067" LastActivityDate="2017-04-11T19:22:59.453" Title="&quot;Plenty of light but no direct sunlight&quot;: reflection on walls vs shades diffused sunlight" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32538" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32537" CreationDate="2017-04-10T17:06:08.623" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not as complicated as it first appears - where it says plenty of 'light' read daylight, such as that which comes through a north facing window, but without direct sun. Some houseplants like some direct sun, others like a bright (daylight) spot but sunless, so that would be probably around four or five feet away from a window which does get some sun, or a sunless windowsill. Yet other plants prefer semi shade (moderate daylight, example, Spathiphyllum) and a few others will do fine in a 'shade' area, which means it receives neither direct nor bright daylight, but it's an area where you could perhaps read a newspaper or book for some hours during the day without needing artificial lighting. Plants that fall into the 'shade' category are Aspidistra, Aglaonema and Asplenium. Most houseplants will do fine in a bright or moderate sunless area, and many will adapt to slightly lower light levels. Conversely, plants which do not like direct sun will not adapt to that, they will suffer, although many non sun lovers will tolerate a bit of sun during winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regard to shades over the window,  that might be a bit too dark for many plants, unless the window concerned receives quite a lot of sun - the shades would filter out the sunlight but allow sufficient daylight through, assuming the material is white or cream, not coloured.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see you've added a photo - you should keep the shades lowered to keep the sun off, but raise them as soon as there is no sunlight coming through the window. Keeping shades like that down all the time would mean insufficient light ongoing, so if the windows you've shown are yours, the sun comes through there and you want plants on the windowsill, it's probably easier to choose plants that require some direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-11T19:22:59.453" LastActivityDate="2017-04-11T19:22:59.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32539" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32531" CreationDate="2017-04-10T18:07:13.980" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Standard recommendation for 50 years or more (I have old books) has been to line concrete beds that will be used for acid-loving plants. In days of yore that would have been tar/asphalt type material - these days EDPM rubber (also known as pond liner, also known as rubber roofing) is a somewhat friendlier approach with very long life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-04-10T18:07:13.980" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32540" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32550" CreationDate="2017-04-10T23:40:32.460" Score="4" ViewCount="1202" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it recommended to rotate the pot of a plan  (arboricola dazzle) in order to force her to grow leaves and branches on both sides? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant naturally lost the leaves of that side because not enough light on the inside side of the plant. My wife wants to rotate the pot but I think it will lose leaves faster than it will grow other leaves on the part that had no leaves but it is now facing the window. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oW32T.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oW32T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and the back side facing the light after being rotated for the first time in 3 years&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hQBDY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hQBDY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2018-07-24T20:43:40.670" LastActivityDate="2018-07-24T20:43:40.670" Title="Rotating the pot to force the plant to grow branches and leaves on both sides" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32542" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32540" CreationDate="2017-04-11T01:15:56.550" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A photo would have been useful, but I assume you mean Schefflera arboricola &#xA;'dazzle'. It's always sensible to rotate house plants regularly when the light comes from a single direction, particularly if your plant is up against a wall or vertical surface one side. However, now that all the leaves have been lost one side, facing it towards the light may not be enough to 'force' new growth from that side. It might need to be cut down or pruned back and allowed to regrow, rotating it weekly, but without a photo, it's hard to say for sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-11T10:04:32.613" LastActivityDate="2017-04-11T10:04:32.613" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32543" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-11T03:12:22.683" Score="3" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had five house plants, one of which was 38 years old. One was a vine which was hardy. I also had two spider plants and a large tree type of plant that has rooted stems. Will look for pictures and add.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My vine was shared with many people because it was such a hardy plant, I had to keep it trimmed because of an indoor only cat.  But the cat could not touch any of the plants because the pots were protected with chicken wire or sitting on top of a metal bar stool (which had lost it's padded seat).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My oldest plant still has three stems but no foliage any more. &lt;strong&gt;My question is why would all but one plant (hanging from ceiling) die off?&lt;/strong&gt;  The only difference is the two rats I still have in my home.  I caught a larger one and since then the rats are keeping away from the traps.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will look for pictures and add.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17127" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T14:25:15.403" LastActivityDate="2017-04-24T13:02:24.437" Title="Why did my Indoor plants die?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32545" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32549" CreationDate="2017-04-11T08:08:04.723" Score="5" ViewCount="5315" Body="&lt;p&gt;My orchid's leaves have turned into a reddish/brown color recently. Is it receiving too much direct sun (spring has started here, but is was also in this location last summer and had no problems) or is something else going on?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only pictures of &quot;burned&quot; leaves I could find had a more yellow color than mine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves were a bright-green color in the past (like the color in the center of the leaves). It is normally in front of a south/west facing window. It has been flowering for quite a while now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BVLyA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BVLyA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;top-view of orchid&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update in June: The newer leaves have turned back to green. New leaves are appearing. Fertilizing definitely helped. Here's a picture of how it looks now: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MRv3f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MRv3f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dropbox.com/s/lpg8axde7j23ygx/IMG_20170627_225501619.jpg?dl=0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16693" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-27T21:20:02.053" LastActivityDate="2020-10-07T21:07:05.643" Title="Why are the leaves of my orchid turning brown?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32546" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-11T09:25:56.253" Score="7" ViewCount="207" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DC8DL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DC8DL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I have a delightful bush in my garden which is self seeded. It has white blossom in spring, delicate, light green hazel-type leaves (but more delicate) and clusters of black, shiny berries in the autumn which the birds don't seem to like. The nearest look alike is a mock orange, but it isn't&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Syrbj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Syrbj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17130" LastEditorUserId="17130" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T17:25:42.913" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T17:25:42.913" Title="I need help in identifying this bush" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32546" CreationDate="2017-04-11T10:19:13.157" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Erm, no I don't think its a Philadelphus, the leaves are too heavily impressed and serrate for it to be that. I wonder if its Rhodotypos scandens - berry formation is quite distinctive because they're held in clusters of four; they are black when fully ripe. Presumably you've seen the berries, so check this link for images and information &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodotypos&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodotypos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-11T10:19:13.157" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32549" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32545" CreationDate="2017-04-11T18:15:46.450" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like phosphorus deficiency.  When was the last time you added fertilizer, how much and what formulation?  Possibly magnesium deficiency.  Did this discoloration start at the margins to spread towards the mid vein?  Best to know what you have added to the potting soil of your orchid.  Is this primarily found on the lower or older leaves?  When there is a shortage of a mineral/chemical the plant needs to photosynthesize and survive the plant will always send to the young growth at the top as the best survival mechanism.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Phosphorus as are all the other chemicals (nutrients) plants need to photosynthesize when really low or insufficient actually promotes the making of anthocyanin (sp?) thus the purplish color.  Your flowers will be wimpy and thin. ATP is energy for us for plants.  For most of life.  When ATP is broken down to ADP,  Adenosein triphosphate to Adenosein diphosphate that little chemical change makes energy. See that last part with the phosphate?  That is phosphorous.  Lacking this P will cause a plant to slow way down.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have fertilized, one thing that would cause this plant to not be able to take up the available phosphorous is the temperature of the soil.  If it is cold and phosphorus is in the soil the roots will be unable to use this chemical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer is needed in SMALL amounts.  Excessive fertilizer is actually worse than too little.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-11T18:15:46.450" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32550" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32540" CreationDate="2017-04-11T18:44:19.310" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants were never meant to be indoors.  House plants are considered long term perishables.  That doesn't mean they are unable to thrive and live a long time and be beautiful in your home; depending on the plant, environment, soil, chemicals, watering habits and the amount of light this plant receives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just by putting houseplants outside on a covered porch (no direct sun) during the dependable summer months allows indoor plants to get more light than indoors and will be able to make extra food to get it through the winters...this makes your indoor plants last longer and thrive far better than continued indoor habitat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Getting light from the side will promote only those leaves on the side as those leaves getting the light are making food for the plant.  Plants are into efficiency and will get rid of leaves that are NOT making enough food in relation to the leaf's own maintenance needs.  Other leaves that are making the food over and above their maintenance levels will be promoted and the leaves not getting enough light will be 'fired' or at least be put on lowered salary.  Yes, rotating is essential if you want a more symmetrical plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Need pictures and more information such as your maintenance habits, N, S, E or West facing window.  This plant if Bamboo is correct doesn't need LOTS AND LOTS of light but getting lots of light will cause it to grow and color far better.  That back side needs to get some of that yummy light so the entire plant will grow evenly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this was a plant that needed lots and lots of light rotating would mean decreasing light to the sides not facing the light within the rotation sequence.  But this plant will do just fine rotating it, possibly every other day 1/4  or 90 degree turn versus 180 degrees.  If you go on vacation, a few weeks, a month, no big deal.  You won't be harnessed to this plant that closely at all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watch the growth of roots and the size of pot.  More light, more food, more growth and more growth of roots.  With a picture we'll be able to tell you whether it needs to be re potted (with potting soil, no gravel at the bottom).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are your maintenance habits to include water, type of water and fertilizer? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-11T18:44:19.310" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32551" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32537" CreationDate="2017-04-11T18:54:43.150" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/lighting-for-houseplants-1902691&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;light candles and indoor lighting versus natural not filtered light for plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants have to have enough light with which to survive.  Indoors is truly only meant for plants that thrive in the shade out of doors.  Yet there are lots of tropical plants grown out of doors in the tropics in our homes because at least they won't freeze.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have forgotten the loss of light from a window with each foot away from that window...but it is a big deal.  Called Foot Candles.  This article is excellent.  Those drapes should never be pulled down during the daylight hours, for sure!  The light that gets through is fine for humans but plants not at all.  Check out this article, it should illuminate your knowledge about light and plants!  ha ha ha&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-11T18:54:43.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32552" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-11T22:25:18.107" Score="4" ViewCount="218" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a number of retail products on the market that allow you to attach to your garden hose and spray-fill areas of lawn that have been damaged. These products all contain their own seed mixture which I would rather not use. I have my own high-grade grass mix that is suited for my climate that I would like to add to something so I can get it to stick on some areas that are sandy and wind-exposed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What products (either DIY or retail) are out there that allow me to cheaply hydroseed/patch areas of a lawn with my own grass seed mixture?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6976" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T00:24:01.287" Title="What products similar to &quot;lawn mousse&quot; can I use my own seed mixture with?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32553" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-12T01:53:28.510" Score="3" ViewCount="232" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm considering lining the walls (not the bottom) of my soon to be raised garden bed with some heavy/medium duty plastic. I've read that this helps the wood last longer by preventing contact with the moist soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My one concern is that if water/moisture of some kind got between the wood and the lining. Wouldn't this be pretty bad?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any risk of lining the walls of my garden be with plastic?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17137" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:40:50.673" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T02:40:50.673" Title="Is there a risk of rot with plastic lining in a raised garden bed?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32553" CreationDate="2017-04-12T02:13:39.023" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;When (not if) water gets between the plastic and the lining, it will move through the wood to the outside of the bed and evaporate. If the wood is rot resistant, this should not be a problem (certainly no more of a problem than direct ground contact exposure to damp soils.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T02:13:39.023" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32555" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-12T04:44:57.267" Score="4" ViewCount="1048" Body="&lt;p&gt;I came across an &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.westcoastseeds.com/garden-resources/articles-instructions/commit-to-grow-day-6-sprouts/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; about sprouting and I found it interesting and decided to give it a try. I bought specialized sprouting seeds and my girlfriend asked me why I was buying such seeds when she could just get much more beans for cheaper at grocery store and make them germinate. She actually challenged me and bought a package of beans and she's going to grow them... I didn't know what to reply to her! Is she right? What advantages have &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.westcoastseeds.com/shop/vegetable-seeds/sprouting-seeds/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;those seeds&lt;/a&gt; over what you can get in grocery store? Are they as nutritious?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17121" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T08:02:31.033" Title="Sprouting: sprouting seeds vs. beans from grocery store" Tags="&lt;beans&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32520" CreationDate="2017-04-12T04:46:56.877" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the lights are extremely close to the plants, you could do a lot more kinds of plants, but I imagine they're on the ceiling, which is very far away. You might experiment with a Grandpa's Home pepper, but no guarantees. Supposedly you can grow it like a houseplant. If you could put a grow light in the office, you should have better results. One of those one-plant red and blue LED bulbs, or else a 22 watt CFL, shouldn't be too obtrusive. Just put it in a lamp with a flexible neck and hang it over your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can put the plants on something really high, near the ceiling light, like on top of a high shelf, that should be a lot better. Closer is better, but try to get it at least within two feet of the light, without making a fire hazard. (An inch or two away is probably ideal for growth, though, but you'll still get a fair amount of benefit within a couple feet, for fluorescent lights.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I might suggest growing a ground cherry. They have small yellow and black flowers, and husked fruit that falls off when ripe. They self-pollinate, unlike at least some closely related tomatillos. They'll fruit in a windowsill (even when crowded in small containers); so they might by some crazy chance fruit in an office, but they definitely should with a grow light (at least if it has enough red light in it). If it does fruit, saving the seeds and replanting over plant generations might help it to some degree in further acclimating it to fruiting on lower light than usual (but this may de-acclimate it to outdoors). Varieties I suggest trying include Aunt Molly's, Ammon Martin's and Goldie. Ground cherry flowers are not particularly fragrant or prominent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Orchids might do well (for flowers) with a grow light, too. They can flower heavily on low light (e.g. a windowsill). You probably need the right kind for lots of flowers, though. We've got one in our windowsill with lots of flowers now. Some orchids are fragrant. The one in our windowsill isn't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you give them cold treatment when necessary, I hear you can have tulips and daffodils bloom indoors on low light. They are dormant most of the year, however. Tulips smell awesome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might also try African Violets for flowers (probably with a growlight, too). I know they flower in our windowsill. I don't believe they're particularly fragrant, but I haven't smelled them closely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A Christmas cactus might work in your office, for flowers (once a year). That might be one of the easier ones to try for flowers. Again, I haven't smelled these lately to see if they're fragrant, but I don't recall a fragrance from them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My grandma had some kind of cacti-like succulent (similar to a Starfish Cactus), which flowered with cool-looking blooms with only northern window light. I don't recall it having a scent, though. Starfish Cacti are known for a bad smell, with one exception.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, probably my favorite plant for low light is the Golden Pothos. Don't grow it for flowers and fruit, though, but it's an excellent houseplant that should work well in an office.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bhg.com/gardening/houseplants/projects/indoor-plants-for-low-light/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's a link&lt;/a&gt; that provides some suggestions for houseplants for low light. Some of them flower, but it doesn't mention fragrance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T06:25:21.343" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T06:25:21.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32557" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-12T04:54:29.303" Score="1" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a common name for Beaumontia Wall/Beaumontia grandiflora Wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/Beaumontia_grandiflora.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Top Tropicals&lt;/a&gt; lists:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beaumontia grandiflora, Echites grandiflora&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Family: Apocynaceae&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Easter Lily Vine, Heralds Trumpet, Nepal Trumpet Flower&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not totally sure that Easter Lily Vine, Heralds Trumpet, Nepal Trumpet Flower&#xA;actually &lt;strong&gt;do&lt;/strong&gt; equate to Beaumontia Wall/Beaumontia grandiflora Wall though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a common name for Beaumontia Wall/Beaumontia grandiflora Wall?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13856" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:31:40.917" Title="Is there a common name for Beaumontia Wall/Beaumontia grandiflora Wall?" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32558" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11250" CreationDate="2017-04-12T05:53:48.430" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely scrape out all the bark and use a good few inches of gravel under and around instead as your plant is rotting where it's wet. A good haircut and I'd hope that would do the trick. Can't beat this gorgeous plant!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17141" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T14:43:01.967" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T14:43:01.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32559" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32557" CreationDate="2017-04-12T07:27:55.483" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Common names never identify exactly a species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually a common name refers to many similar species (and often also to non really similar species) or to different species on different continents.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the name is made by two or more word, in particular with &quot;vine&quot;, &quot;wild&quot;, &quot;of forest&quot;, the link to a single species is very difficult. It really depends on the region you are living. And &quot;Lily&quot;, &quot;Rose&quot;, &quot;Cactus&quot;, &quot;Apple&quot;, &quot;Nuts&quot; are overloaded names.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Common gardening flowers [flowers in shops] tend to have only one well-know name (especially annual plants) [which could be different on the name you used in past], but I see often that gardening shops add the scientific name, to be sure to have the same understanding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: &lt;strong&gt;cultivar name&lt;/strong&gt; look like the common names, but it usually identify exactly only a cultivar&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T07:27:55.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32560" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32552" CreationDate="2017-04-12T07:36:30.217" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just use your seeds and some fertilizers, and it is nearly good as the all-in-one products.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These products could have also a layer on seeds, not to allow birds to eat them (bad taste), and some stuffs to combat moss or mushrooms and possibly a selective herbicide (killing &quot;large&quot; leaves plants: the dicotyledons).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are in this community, probably you can also evaluate what extra product you need for your lawn. Most of that products are done for people who want quick standard solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T07:36:30.217" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32561" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-12T07:53:11.467" Score="2" ViewCount="251" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I planted a long row of beech to provide me with beech hedging. At the time they were approximately 30-40cm in height, and they have now grown to an average of 50-70 cm in height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The final height at which I would like to keep my hedge is 1.5m tall. I have done some research online about cutting back the tops of the beech plants in order to promote growth, however I am getting mixed signals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the one hand, there is the argument that cutting off the tops now will provide me with &amp;quot;fuller&amp;quot; hedges as they will expand and form more side branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, there is advice to wait until the plants are approximately 1.1-1.2m tall before cutting off the tops so that they have a rigid and strong centre.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm leaning towards the second option, any horticultural advice would be greatly appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17143" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T19:32:57.370" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T19:32:57.370" Title="Cut back the tops of newly planted Beech Hedging to encourage growth?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="32562" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32555" CreationDate="2017-04-12T08:02:31.033" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There may be various factors that affect the germination of the seeds: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-Firstly there is the possibility that supermarket seeds are contaminated, or have been through chemical treatment. This may affect germination or plant growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-Secondly there is the problem that you would not know the exact cultivar(type of bean) of bean you would be growing in many cases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-Third and finally, the special sprouting beans most likely are a special cultivar that sprouts at an accelerated rate, or having certain advantages over the regular store-bought bean varieties (such as nutritional values, growth rate, size etc.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am no bean expert :P, however these are just some of the most logical arguments that I could come up with to justify your special beans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17143" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T08:02:31.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32557" CreationDate="2017-04-12T09:27:35.713" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking for pinpoint accuracy in a common name is pointless - common names for plants vary from region to region, country to country, which is why you have three common names for the same plant already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The botanical or Latin name for a plant, in its entirety, is the only way to ever be sure what the plant is, right down to the specific variety or cultivar. Common names for plants are often unhelpful - for instance, in the UK, Bouncing Bet is the common name for a particular plant in the South of the country, but further north, the same plant is referred to as Tumbling Ted. Further, some common names are also applied to as many as three or more entirely different, unrelated plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Essentially, if plants are referred to by their common names only, no one ever really knows exactly which plant is meant - in theory, you could call a plant Fred Jones and if you said it often enough to as many people as possible, that name, over time, would become accepted as the plant's name in your locality. Personally, I feel strongly about the use of common names; I find them incredibly irritating because they're unclear and confusing. It's rather like having a conversation with someone who's talking about Tom's behaviour, and eventually you realise they're referring to their pet lizard, not their partner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There may well be other common names for Beaumontia, but clearly, the three you already have are the most well known ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T10:07:28.060" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T10:07:28.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32564" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-12T12:08:34.280" Score="2" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm doing taxonomy project and unsure what species is this plant. Based on research I've done, it's Asian pigeonwings or &lt;em&gt;Clitoria ternatea&lt;/em&gt; to be exact. I just need confirmation of this plant to move onto next part of the project. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/34OYB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/34OYB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user17145" LastEditorDisplayName="user17145" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T12:19:17.133" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T14:57:56.387" Title="What species is this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32565" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32561" CreationDate="2017-04-12T12:39:31.143" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Beech grows naturally on my property. So I went out and had a look at the twig arrangement on the branches. I saw a strong tendency for the smaller twigs to grow upwards. Other species like apple trees will produce twigs on the up side and the down side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, indeed, early topping will result in a fuller bottom. I guess the question is, is this what you want? What are your criteria?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is easy enough to picture it; branches with twigs right to the ground, or the first couple of feet empty of foliage. In the first instance you have a more pleasing looking hedge, and one that will be more of a barrier to wind and wildlife, but one where you will need to bend more to trim, unless you have a good long mechanical bar on your trimmer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second will be easier to maintain, but aesthetically it will appear that you took the easy way out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, if you choose option full bottom you can reasonably easily revert to an open bottom. Much harder the other way around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T12:39:31.143" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32566" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22657" CreationDate="2017-04-12T12:55:02.190" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plum rather look like peaches or nectarines! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But there not ready yet to be eaten. Wait until they are soft to touch and juicy, then it will be time to eat. Lucky you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T12:55:02.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32567" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-12T13:06:04.840" Score="3" ViewCount="1221" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IWDGK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My mint plant (bought about 2 months back) is drying and the leaves are going brown.  The stems have fallen to the sides as well. I dried it out a few times and changed its position but I'm not sure if it's a problem of inadequate watering or light. Please help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17146" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T14:35:00.353" LastActivityDate="2017-06-11T23:24:03.330" Title="Why is my mint plant drying out?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32568" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-12T13:07:33.133" Score="4" ViewCount="6057" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do you know what a male tree looks like from the female? Is it because of the leaves that fall or the ones that have more pollen?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please help me to understand if there is such a thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17147" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T14:39:24.517" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T00:04:37.550" Title="How can I tell the difference between male and female trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32569" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32568" CreationDate="2017-04-12T13:22:49.907" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's down to the particular variety of tree or plant how to tell, but bear in mind that not all trees are either male or female (dioecious), many are monoecious, meaning they have male and female parts on the same plant. Of those that are dioecious, information at the point of sale can be helpful, because often it's very difficult or impossible to tell whether a plant is male or female unless there are flowers or berries present. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Holly is probably an obvious example - these plants are dioecious, so there are male and female plants. Usually, you know when a plant is female because it produces berries, and the male doesn't. The only other ways to know are by its varietal name and looking it up to see if it's male or female, or by examining a flower - the stamens are longer in male flowers than they are in female ones. Very unhelpfully, for hollies, you can't guess from looking at the varietal name alone - Ilex Silver Queen, for instance, despite its feminine name, is actually a male plant, so you still need to know the varietal name and then look them up. In the case of Holly, if you want berries, it's necessary to have both a male and female plant for the female to produce fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gingko biloba is also dioecious - the female produces fruits, but the male doesn't. However, many people prefer to have a male plant, because the fruits on the female have an unpleasant smell, which obviously isn't a problem with male plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether a plant is male or female is usually only important if you particularly want fruit of some sort, whether that be ornamental berries or edible fruits. Some fruiting plants are dioecious, others aren't, so that's something which should be established in order to have fruits of a particular type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T13:46:07.617" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T13:46:07.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32570" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32587" CreationDate="2017-04-12T13:57:43.107" Score="5" ViewCount="287" Body="&lt;p&gt;Following &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/31250/whitening-of-some-leaves-of-a-potted-key-lime-tree&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;, I have re-potted my key lime tree into a bigger pot, changed the soil (using the &quot;best&quot; potting soil I could find around, i.e. one that does not hold water), and stopped using the &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qeEAD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;liquid plant food&lt;/a&gt; I was adding to the water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As before, I make sure to only water the plant when the soil looks dry (one or twice a week).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, some of the leaves have recently been slightly curled (as one can see on the top left corner of the photo at the bottom of the post; and, more concerning, this morning when I arrived in my office I noticed that one of the leaves had fallen and was almost entirely yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ObsbR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ObsbR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being quite attached to the plants I have, this got me worried: should I be concerned? What am I doing wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iROY6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iROY6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14033" LastEditorUserId="14033" LastEditDate="2017-06-13T13:46:59.137" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T13:46:59.137" Title="Yellowing and falling of lime tree leaves" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32571" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32567" CreationDate="2017-04-12T14:10:59.687" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Put it outside, don't water it anymore.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T14:10:59.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32572" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32568" CreationDate="2017-04-12T14:21:39.700" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to Bamboo nice answer, I reply to one of your doubt:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pollen is produced by male organ, so if it has pollen you know that the plant is male, or it has also male flowers, or some flowers have both sexes, or all of this. The Examination of only one flower cannot be definitive, but in the case of a well know strictly dioceous plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plant has fruits, you can say that the plant is (also) female.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually the differentiation is only on flowers and fruits, the rest it is usually identical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T14:21:39.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32564" CreationDate="2017-04-12T14:57:56.387" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having already said this plant is not Clitoria ternatea because the leaves are too large and pointed, if there's a yellow throat inside the flower, I'm pretty sure it's actually Thunbergia erecta, image here &lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thunbergia_erecta_(3).JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thunbergia_erecta_(3).JPG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is an obvious waviness to the leaf edges in your image - the trouble is, because it's a cut stem, that waviness could have been down to drying out, but Thunbergia does have the same waviness to the leaf edges. It's a climbing perennial plant native to western Africa, belonging to the Acanthaceae family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T14:57:56.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32575" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-12T16:27:01.860" Score="1" ViewCount="947" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are some gardeners in my locality who claim to know gardeners that can tell if a date palm is fruit-bearing (female) or not (male) while it is still a sapling by just looking at its roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any credibility to this claim? As it takes several years for a date palm to bear fruit, it would be quite useful to be able to know this in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9777" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T16:27:01.860" Title="Is it possible to tell if a date palm is male or female by looking at its roots?" Tags="&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32576" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-12T16:43:20.340" Score="1" ViewCount="121" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted tulip. hyacinths, and daffodils bulbs in a 12 ft x 4 ft. garden. I have clay soil. I dug this out 12 in. deep. I replaced the soil with 3 in of garden sand and the rest with cow manure with humus for good drainage. My daffodils didn't come up at all. Some of my tulips bloomed perfect, some came up but died back before blooming and some didn't come up at all. My hyacinths came up and bloomed. Most came up and bloomed then looks like the flowers started to rot. What am I doing wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17151" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T17:49:29.587" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T17:49:29.587" Title="My bulbs are dying before blooming" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32577" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20502" CreationDate="2017-04-12T17:53:46.397" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Inject Atrimmec into the tree before it starts to bloom in Summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17153" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T17:53:46.397" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32578" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32579" CreationDate="2017-04-12T18:38:45.510" Score="5" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to identify flowers by the photo I have. Everything I know is that they are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Perennial flowers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spring flowers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grow in Eastern Europe &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been trying to find them using Google Pictures using different queries, but I did not find a good match.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Ivju.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Ivju.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17154" LastEditorUserId="14139" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T23:32:55.480" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T23:32:55.480" Title="What is this perennial, mauve flowering herb?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32579" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32578" CreationDate="2017-04-12T19:15:07.790" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;em&gt;Hepatica nobilis&lt;/em&gt; (also &lt;em&gt;Anemone hepatica&lt;/em&gt;). It grows on forests. An other name is &lt;em&gt;Hepatica triloba&lt;/em&gt; because of the form on leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[And there is also a &lt;em&gt;Vinca minor&lt;/em&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T19:15:07.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32580" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-12T21:09:29.163" Score="5" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Kalanchoe in yellow. I left it out too long last fall &amp;amp; almost all of it died but 1 little sprig. Wasn`t sure what to do so I have a tall pitcher oriental style slim neck, the stem just fit in it. have vining plant in main side, it stayed there all winter started putting on leaves then this spring it started blooming. the roots are almost 2&quot; long, I will pot before long. Is this normal for these plants or did I just  get lucky? Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17158" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T23:38:01.117" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T21:32:42.790" Title="Is it normal for a Kalanchoe to bloom in spring?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32581" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32582" CreationDate="2017-04-12T21:18:01.020" Score="2" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found these flowers in my neighbor's yard. Not planted by them, they can't it together enough to have a garden. What are they ? I haven't seen them in my area Pennsylvania in the past.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HIvIO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HIvIO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3557" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T22:25:45.463" Title="What's It - Found in a Yard in South-Central Pennsylvania" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32582" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32581" CreationDate="2017-04-12T22:13:37.580" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a spring flowering bulbous perennial called Ipheion uniflorum, though there is now some argument about its name and classification - more info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipheion_uniflorum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipheion_uniflorum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are named varieties of this plant, ranging in colour from bluish white to blue, and the flowers are usually honey scented. Often produces its leaves in autumn, but more usually spring, before the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T22:25:45.463" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T22:25:45.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32583" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-12T22:34:08.397" Score="3" ViewCount="1154" Body="&lt;p&gt;Iron oxide (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Black_(pigment)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pigment Black 11&lt;/a&gt;) is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Iron_oxide_black.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;intense black&lt;/a&gt; non toxic and very cheap pigment. &#xA;I think I have read somewhere that soil from shops is sometimes pigmented with iron oxide because it sells better. But I could not find a reference any more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plants need different soil (some with more and less humus content) in my garden and the surface looks very blotchy at the moment and I wonder &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;what are the long term effects of iron oxide pigments in soil?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will plants absorb the pigment and get darker too?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will it react with rain or natural fertiliser?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Where can I find studies on the consequences of iron oxide pigments on the nutritiousness of vegetables and fruits?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to instinct I expect nothing good from pigments in soil, but I could not find a reliable statement. &lt;em&gt;Please support your answer with references.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17159" LastEditorUserId="17159" LastEditDate="2017-04-12T23:35:34.667" LastActivityDate="2018-05-26T13:47:26.623" Title="What are the long term effects of adding iron oxide pigments to soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;chemicals&gt;&lt;topsoil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32584" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32552" CreationDate="2017-04-12T22:49:53.000" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Having put in a couple lawns in northern Colorado (Loveland), my best advice is going to be more manual effort than you desiring to put into the project. I'm not so sure your desire to use a hydro seeding method is going to work well given your situation.  In the end it might result in not much gained.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would loosen up the surface with a rake, spread the seed, lightly rake seeds in, add fertilizer, maybe add a thin covering of some mulch stuff, put up multiple ropes (trip lines with signs?) indicating the area is off limits, and keep the area moist by watering lightly many times a day such that nothing washes away.  Then pray that a major thunderstorm does not wash everything away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And then in 6 weeks, repeat in the areas that did not take well due to the things that caused issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best of luck in your endeavor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17136" LastActivityDate="2017-04-12T22:49:53.000" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32585" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32568" CreationDate="2017-04-13T00:04:37.550" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a bit of a less scientific explanation, but is accurate enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To tell the sex of an animal, the easiest way is often to inspect the genitals. You can do the same with a plant. The flowers are the plants genitals. Some plants have both the male and female parts, whereas others have only male parts or female parts. Pollen is the equivalent of plant sperm, think about that next spring when the air is full of it. Once the plants have been fertilised, they will have the equivalent of a plant pregnancy (growing fruit), where the seeds are like little plant eggs ready to create another plant, and they are often wrapped in a fruit to convince animals to eat them. The seeds are protected against being digested, and so they will be carried some distance by the animal and be deposited somewhere along with a nice helping of fresh fertiliser (animal poop) to prepare the little baby plant to start growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the next time you see a girl recieving flowers, think about how they have just received a gift of plant genitals, and if you bite down into a piece of fruit youve just started eating plant placenta. Yum!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17161" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T00:04:37.550" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32586" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-13T05:42:45.210" Score="5" ViewCount="286" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nyp10.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nyp10.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Boss just give me this pictures asked me about the variety.&#xA;Thanks a lot~&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17164" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T09:48:44.450" Title="what are these big trees?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32587" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32570" CreationDate="2017-04-13T06:21:55.130" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can think of two different things that could be going on. First, since you transplanted the plant to a different pot, the plant is going through a shock phase and adjusting to the new soil, pot, etc.  The other option, which I doubt since the other leaves look fine, is lack of fertilizer.  I have an outdoor lemon tree and it has yellow leaves as well but it is not a big deal. It gives me lemons all the time so other than fertilizing it with Citrus fertilizer and watering it, I don't do anything else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T06:21:55.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32586" CreationDate="2017-04-13T06:27:57.363" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pretty sure its a type of pollard willow, judging by the thick bases of the trees. Not entirely sure about the bright green colour, this could just be the image or the newly developed leaves that formed, or a specific variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A pollard willow is a normal willow tree that is pruned back to a specific size each year, which gives this beautiful thick base and &quot;tufts&quot; of branches. Often used for basket and fence making, due to the springy young offshoots every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Salix Alba and sub-varieties are the main species used to do this in my area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17143" LastEditorUserId="17143" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T09:48:44.450" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T09:48:44.450" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32589" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32611" CreationDate="2017-04-13T10:52:38.860" Score="5" ViewCount="7235" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in the process of trying to repair this lawn and I'm looking for advice on how best to go about it. As you can see from the attached I have a lot of white patches, a problem with dandelions and I've also found the following grub whilst attempting to manually get rid of some of the dandelions. I'm not sure if the dead grass is being caused by this grub (I'm not sure on species etc. ) or just poor maintenance generally. Is this dead grass thatch that needs to be removed or just dormant grass? Sorry for the plethora of questions just would like some advice on what to do next. I'm in the UK and as yet have not fertilised or seeded or dethatched. there has been two cuts done thus far. and mower set highest setting. I'm manually removing weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WArMD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AQdQd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bRe7u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MceXV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DuiFR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17166" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T15:05:03.670" LastActivityDate="2017-04-15T10:03:09.090" Title="How do I fix dead white patches in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;dandelions&gt;&lt;grubs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32590" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-13T12:54:45.790" Score="4" ViewCount="851" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently cut down a tree in my back yard, and after looking at the stump I noticed a column of dirt in the middle. This didn't look or feel like rotted wood, but actually kind of muddy. In the picture, you can see the hole, and also some of the 'dirt' that I scraped out and wiped on the stump next to the hole. It seemed to go quite deep. Is this termites? I recently bought the house, and there are termite traps located in the yard around the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UDi6k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UDi6k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stump with hole&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17168" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T15:07:34.363" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T18:31:56.527" Title="Could termites cause a hole with dirt in the middle of a cut tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;rot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32591" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32593" CreationDate="2017-04-13T14:07:12.390" Score="2" ViewCount="379" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some patchy weird grass or weeds growing on my lawn. You can see in a few places in the images below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture 1: you can see the longer wider grass blades scattered here. What is this? A broadleaf weed or a grass that I just don't want? How do I get rid of it?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/stC2q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/stC2q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;weird grass 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture 2: it looks like I have some fine fescue (right?) with some similar wide blade grass/weeds? How do I get rid of the larger grass/weeds? It's ugly and undesirable.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bj47J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bj47J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;weird grass 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture 3: you can see it a bit better here. I think my desirable lawn here is a bit of fine fescue and maybe some KBG (the slightly discolored + green blades at the bottom of the picture?). Does that seem right? What about that nasty ugly clump near the top of the picture? Broadleaf weed or undesirable grass? Is it the same as pictures 1 + 2? I think so. How do I get rid of these?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ny3ZP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ny3ZP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;weird grass 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16926" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T18:12:19.460" Title="Is this an undesirable grass or a weed?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32592" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-13T14:53:49.937" Score="3" ViewCount="12248" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G10px.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My Acer has started to wilt. I'm confused as it's well looked after. Could it be because it has been so mild for the past few weeks and now very windy and cold?&#xA;It has good drainage as I put stones in the pot before we planted it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I save my favourite garden plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17169" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T14:59:31.943" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T22:59:27.447" Title="Why is my Acer's new growth wilting?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32591" CreationDate="2017-04-13T18:12:19.460" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to be some sort of rougher grass type that can often be found in rural areas (pastures, mountainside fields and the like). The good thing is they do clump together, so you have 2 options to take them out:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dig out the clump of grass, then refill with black soil&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Use weed killer to kill off all the grass in an area&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then simply reseed with the grass-seed of choice.&#xA;Personally I would go for option 1, as it is a lot less destructive (to the environment and the grass around it), and it has the bonus of being faster and cheaper (instead of having to wait for the grass to die, having to dig up a huge patch etc.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17143" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T18:12:19.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32590" CreationDate="2017-04-13T18:31:56.527" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had the same type of rot in various Birch trees, however there weren't any termites or other insects. It appeared to have been caused by some sort of fungus that caused it to rot from the inside out, producing a similar strange brown/black rotted wood mass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't take any chances though, especially as you mention that there were already termite traps set up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17143" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T18:31:56.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32595" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-13T18:33:10.467" Score="4" ViewCount="318" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just moved to a new place so I am not sure what spots get what amount of sun during the summer hours. I found a website to calculate the angle the sun will be during any given month but I'm not sure how to factor in the height of the house and fences to figure if the spot will get at least 6 hours.  I am in zone 9b.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17171" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T18:47:25.367" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T18:47:25.367" Title="How many more hours of sun will my plants get in the summer" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32596" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-13T18:35:43.010" Score="5" ViewCount="191" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know what this bug is, but I'm sure it's why I have holes on my tomato plants leaves and raspberries plants leaves. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fpXjw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fpXjw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17172" LastActivityDate="2017-06-24T07:16:51.847" Title="What is eating my plants leaves?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32597" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32595" CreationDate="2017-04-13T18:44:36.257" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless you want to spend a long time doing calculations, quickly modelling your house and trees in a georeferenced &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.sketchup.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;SketchUp&lt;/a&gt; model would be a good start. The shadows can be set for the time of year etc and give a good approximation that should be suitable for your needs. Having done this you will start to realise the question is a lot more complex than doing a quick calculation based on the angle of the Sun and height of your house...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T18:44:36.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32580" CreationDate="2017-04-13T20:22:21.217" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some &lt;em&gt;Kalenchoe&lt;/em&gt; can be very easy to root from cuttings, particularly &lt;em&gt;K. blossfeldiana&lt;/em&gt; cultivars. I've even rooted leaves before. Given the poor health of the original plant and small size of the cutting, it may have been stress that induced flowering (many plants will try to set seed whilst they are dying). However, your cutting does sound like it has put on some good root growth. Pot it up in  a free draining medium (straight shop-bought multi-purpose compost tends to become waterlogged) and (though it might seem cruel) cut the flowers off this time to conserve the plants energy for growth. Protect from frost this time!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T20:22:21.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32583" CreationDate="2017-04-13T20:36:11.410" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whilst the Iron (II,III) oxide in pigments is usually manufactured, it does occur naturally as the mineral magnetite. It will gradually be converted into other iron compounds - exactly which will depend on soil chemistry/water availability, although it will tend to hydrate to form rust in healthy soils. These compounds will not cause you or your plants any harm, unless you are dumping large quantities of it (in the order of kg/m&amp;#178;). The amounts encountered in dyed composts or paper inks will be insignificant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for absorbing them - small quantities may be used by plants although they are not readily absorbed (by plants or animals) and are necessary for plant growth. Iron deficiency results in chlorosis - yellowing of the leaves and iron compounds (usually sulphates) are found in many fertilisers. It is unlikely to alter their colour (unless they have a deficiency). Similarly, I would not expect any significant effect on the nutrition of produce unless correcting an existing deficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastEditorUserId="16580" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T20:53:43.117" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T20:53:43.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32600" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32589" CreationDate="2017-04-13T20:50:50.507" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would recommend working on the basics first before trying to repair the lawn.  Firstly, I would remove all the weeds in the lawn and secondly I would fertilize the lawn.  Also, make sure you are watering the lawn regularly as needed.  You should start seeing the lawn improve quite a bit just from that.  Then, if patches remain, you can try to repair the bare spots by seeding it or laying small patches of grass.  I do think the lawn can be saved by normal maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T20:50:50.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32601" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32592" CreationDate="2017-04-13T21:43:35.417" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The wilted part is not a good sign at all.  Drainage HAS been compromised with the rocks at the bottom of the soil and above the drainage hole.  The tiny pore spaces in the soil above the rocks with humongous pore spaces have to become overly saturated before  water is able to begin to move into the rocks.  Bad drainage.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would repot your tree with fresh potting soil, no rocks and definitely prune that entire right truck off.  When you repot, get a good look at those roots.  If you and you probably will, see browned and mushy roots, pull as much as you are able gently from the entire mass.  That entire branch of your maple is dying.  Could be a disease but if you repot, remove some of the old over saturated soil, stay in that same pot (before putting  new soil and the rest of that tree in the pot bleach and scrub and rinse very well).  You might be able to save half of your tree which is just fine.  If there is a disease such as...well, there is nothing to be done.  Right now mitigate for root rot because of saturated soil.  Rocks and gravel at the bottom of the soil is so ENTRENCHED in our thinking it is a tough one to dispel.  Causes a perched water table.  Find Nial's answer from another question about this very subject.  Don't feel bad!  Make sure your  other plants have JUST potting soil, not garden soil in their pots.  Raise the bottom of the pot off the ground, surface and that will enhance drainage by twice!  They make 'pot feet' they sell that look like lions feet or frog feet or fish tails.  All you need is quarter inch ceramic tiles or pieces of tiles to do this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you prune, use alcohol to clean your pruners.  Clean again if you try to prune anything else with those pruners (go with bypass not anvil). If this is a disease, there are at least two and you do not want to pass this disease to any of your other plants.  In fact do the repotting on newspaper and carefully collect any debris, the branch bits of soil and dispose or burn.  Do not put in your compost or dump the soil in your garden.  Just in case.  If the rest of your tree starts to wilt, let us know and we can suss out the diseases you might be witnessing.  Otherwise, got my fingers crossed! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T21:43:35.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32592" CreationDate="2017-04-13T22:42:45.853" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I thought you might be in the UK from the description of the weather - yes, it has been exceptionally warm and sunny for a few weeks, warmer than Spain, then this week, temperatures dropped by over ten degrees C even here in the south, with lots of wind and, in some parts, plenty of rain. Those leaves on your Acer will have opened up during the very warm weather, and yes, they will have felt the shock of the sudden and dramatic change in temperature, particularly at night and if you're north of Watford. However, it might also be that the pot isn't large enough for the roots any more, so it's worth turning it out and just checking whether its rootbound or not - if it is, a bigger pot is called for. If it does need repotting, use John Innes No 3 instead of multi purpose to fill in round the rootball, and take the opportunity to inspect what root material is visible for signs of rot or infection. Because the weather's been so random, that's hopefully the cause of the problems you're seeing, because the other possibility of verticillium wilt is much worse, but time will tell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it remains cold and you get heavy frost at night, you might find the new leaves shrivel and drop off, and it might be necessary later to prune back the top to encourage new growth if it dies back, but see how it progresses. Live wood on Acers should not be pruned at this time of year because of the risk of excessive bleeding, so best to wait and see what happens - if the top stems die back, you can then cut them back to live wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-13T22:59:27.447" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T22:59:27.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32603" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32605" CreationDate="2017-04-13T22:52:27.853" Score="3" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been attempting to have house plants for the last year or two, and have difficulty with getting watering right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Particularly, I've found that I consistently end up with my plants getting too dry. i.e. My herbs are visibly wilting (and recover v. quickly we watered), and the soil is dry enough that it has pulled away from the side of the pot, and/or pooring water onto the soil leads to it visibly not being absorbed, but just running off large portions of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that this happens a lot, I then find it hard to re-hydrate the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a result, for the last 3-4 months I've been trying a diferent approach of &quot;poor 'some' water in every now and then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water each of my plants ~ every 7-10 days. In general, by that time the soil is entirely dry to the touch at the surface, and the herbs may have just started to wilt if it's been relativley hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water the plant by taking it to a sink and completely drenching it: Running water gently into the pot for a minute or two, letting it sit in the sink to drain out for 5 minutes, then repeating a couple of times (so that the water is really permeating fully through out the soil, since I observe that dry soil is relatively hydrophobic). Then I sit it in its saucer by the sink for half an hour or so, emptying the saucer every 5-10 minutes, until there's absolutely no water leaving the pot. Then I put it back by the window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to be working pretty well so far, the various plants that I've been treating like this have been growing very happily on my North-West facing windowsill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this watering pattern OK?&#xA;What issues might it have, and what problems might those issues cause?&#xA;Are there better ways to handle watering plants &lt;em&gt;given&lt;/em&gt; that I'm moderately forgetful and thus will definitely allow the plants to dry out at some point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17026" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T23:48:59.043" Title="House plant watering habit" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32604" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-13T23:20:47.750" Score="4" ViewCount="14067" Body="&lt;div class=&quot;s-table-container&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;table class=&quot;s-table&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;thead&gt;&#xA;&lt;tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;th&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&#xA;&lt;th&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&#xA;&lt;th&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&#xA;&lt;/tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;/thead&gt;&#xA;&lt;tbody&gt;&#xA;&lt;tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LtDGo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LtDGo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&#xA;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gm6yG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gm6yG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&#xA;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ByiyJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ByiyJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&#xA;&lt;/tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;/tbody&gt;&#xA;&lt;/table&gt;&#xA;&lt;/div&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Help! My peace lily is dying. Can anyone please tell me what's wrong with it? I just don't understand why the leaves continue to darken around the edge and then fall off. I only water it once a week. I let the water sit out a day or two before watering. What could be causing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you for the welcome. I have not changed anything with the plant. I've been watering it the same way since I have gotten it. I received the plant at my grandmother's funeral about 9 months ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot is not a self watering pot. I water it myself once a week. I water the plant every Monday. The plant usually began to wilt a little before watering it.  I guess I will take the plant out of the pot and replant it to see if it's root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;div class=&quot;s-table-container&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;table class=&quot;s-table&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;thead&gt;&#xA;&lt;tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;th&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&#xA;&lt;th&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&#xA;&lt;/tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;/thead&gt;&#xA;&lt;tbody&gt;&#xA;&lt;tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VeAZW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VeAZW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&#xA;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/et4c1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/et4c1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&#xA;&lt;/tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;/tbody&gt;&#xA;&lt;/table&gt;&#xA;&lt;/div&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's my other peace lily. It isn't in as bad of shape but it's not doing well either. I just trimmed all the dead leaves off it last week and I woke up today to more dead leaves. The tip of brand new leafs brown. Then on other leaves they turn brown and it's like it eats the leaf until I have to cut it. New leaves are growing but I'm constantly cutting off the dead ones.&#xA;Do you guys think a smaller pot would help?&#xA;As far as the pot they are in now goes, the bottom part of the pot is for extra water to go into if there's any. You can also water the plant by putting the water in the bottom part of the pot and the Plant should suck the water up.&#xA;However I water from the top and leave the bottom attached incase I ever over water there not a mess.&#xA;I'll attach more photos of my other plant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's another photo of the leaf yellowing and browning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;div class=&quot;s-table-container&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;table class=&quot;s-table&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;thead&gt;&#xA;&lt;tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;th&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yox22.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yox22.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&#xA;&lt;th&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jhBqZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jhBqZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&#xA;&lt;/tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;/thead&gt;&#xA;&lt;tbody&gt;&#xA;&lt;tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q6Jpr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q6Jpr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&#xA;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QythE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QythE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&#xA;&lt;/tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;/tbody&gt;&#xA;&lt;/table&gt;&#xA;&lt;/div&gt;" OwnerUserId="17173" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-25T00:58:07.300" LastActivityDate="2021-01-25T00:58:07.300" Title="Why is my Peace lily dying?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="32605" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32603" CreationDate="2017-04-13T23:48:59.043" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you're doing with your watering is keeping your plants alive, but it's not optimum treatment for plants you either want to fruit or flower, like the pelargoniums and the chili plant. Long term effects from waiting until a plant is wilting to water thoroughly on a regular basis mean less likelihood of fruiting, and certainly, once any little peppers form, they'll drop off if you don't keep them watered sufficiently well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should be checking the plants every 5-7 days as a minimum - feel the surface, pick the pot up, if the surface is dry and the pot feels light, water thoroughly and allow excess to drain away freely, and don't let them stand in water in any outer tray or pot. You should not be leaving it so long that the potting medium has shrunk from the sides of the pot, so water before that happens by feeling the soil and checking the weight of the pot. If the plants get sunlight where they are, as the season wears on and the sun gets hotter, you may need to water more often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as the supermarket basil is concerned, the potting medium they use in those herbs is very, very free draining, and anything still in the original pot and potting medium will likely dry out quite quickly, so will certainly need checking every five days. Pelargoniums are quite drought resistant, but for good flowering, regular and sufficient water is important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-13T23:48:59.043" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32606" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30985" CreationDate="2017-04-14T01:18:50.107" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant may be root bound. transplant into a larger pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17175" LastActivityDate="2017-04-14T01:18:50.107" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32607" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-14T02:44:11.843" Score="4" ViewCount="1183" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Redwood city California. We bought this small lemon tree a year ago. About few weeks ago, it started flowering and new leaves coming. But then the new leaves started to curl. I thought it was lack of water, so I watered it more. But now the leaves are turning brown and dropping. Any ideas on what could be going on. I used to water it once a week, is that too little? Should I fertilize it now? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is placed in a very sunny spot. We have been getting a lot of rain, but it is a sheltered spot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jh6hi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jh6hi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lemon tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15262" LastEditorUserId="15262" LastEditDate="2017-04-14T14:13:43.010" LastActivityDate="2017-04-14T17:35:32.663" Title="My lemon tree in pot has curled leaves" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32610" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32612" CreationDate="2017-04-14T09:10:46.497" Score="4" ViewCount="1279" Body="&lt;p&gt;After digging out loads of Buddleia plants and brambles I started hacking away at what I thought was just overgrown grass. However I've a feeling it might be bamboo. If so I would just like to know if I can leave it there or if it's the bad sort that needs digging out? I've lived here for 11 years and it seems pretty small so I don't know where it came from if it is bamboo. Any info would be great! If it's not the sort to completely take over the garden it will be great as I'm starting to grow tropical style plants e.g. [Musa basjoo][1] and palms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4SS7f.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[1]: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musa_basjoo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musa_basjoo&lt;/a&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WoynU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17180" LastEditorUserId="17180" LastEditDate="2017-04-27T15:13:23.457" LastActivityDate="2017-04-27T15:13:23.457" Title="Is this bamboo or just long grass?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32611" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32589" CreationDate="2017-04-14T10:31:45.333" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;So no presents for you under the plastic then! I'm glad really - that larvae you found could be the larvae of a moth or butterfly because its not immediately recognisable as a leatherjacket, but might have been. What's odd is you found it actually under the lawn, and that isn't at all typical of moth larvae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, I'd note that your lawn is cut way too short - I know you said you had the mower on the highest setting, but perhaps there's something wrong with your mower, because, for this time of year, it is too short. I do see lots of what could be dandelions - inspect the lawn thoroughly and decide whether the ratio of weeds and moss to turf is greater than the amount of grass. If it is, you might want to consider stripping it out, including weed roots, preparing the area and laying new turf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, I don't know what kind of regular maintenance routine you've carried out over the previous years, but now is the time to apply a lawn feed, so use a granular preparation with a moss killer, but not a weedkiller - apply at the rates indicated on the box, at least three days after cutting, and try not to overdose. If your soil is heavy, aerate the area by inserting a garden fork about every 9/12 inches, vertically and removing it at the same angle, then feed. Apply when the blades of grass are dry, but on a day when you know rain is due within 1-3 days. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the meantime, get some Verdone Extra, which is a liquid lawn weedkiller - you'll need a can to mix it in. As the lawn starts to grow and the weeds are growing strongly, with entire leaves and looking lively and bushy, apply the Verdone according to the instructions on the bottle. The reason I suggest a separate weedkiller is because the standard Lawn Weed Feed and Mosskiller preparations are pretty hopeless at killing weeds in lawns, so although it's tedious to apply two different products, it will be more effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If any moss that's present turns black, rake it out, and if that leaves bald patches that are quite noticeable, you may need to reseed those patches, but that can't be attempted until six weeks after the chemical treatments have been applied. At this point, you could scarify the lawn - it will make it look pretty awful, but it should recover quickly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ensure the blade/s on your mower are good and sharp; raise the height of cut on your mower so that, after cutting, there's a good inch to inch and a half of grass growth left behind. Re-apply your lawn feed 6 weeks after the initial application, depending on the instructions on the box you buy, but do not use past July. Any feed after that should be an Autumn one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want more guidance, there's a book called The Lawn Expert by D. G. Hessayon - you might find the library has a copy, or a charity shop, and last time I looked, there were copies available on Amazon and Ebay. Full retail price around £14, cheaper second hand. Although the chemicals mentioned within it may be out of date, the basic routines outlined in there are entirely valid and haven't changed - contains information on how to lay a lawn, recognise and treat problems, and maintain an ongoing good lawn, including topdressing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-14T10:38:45.890" LastActivityDate="2017-04-14T10:38:45.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32612" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32610" CreationDate="2017-04-14T13:08:17.313" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It does appear to be one of the bamboos, not sure which- its looking a bit tatty so hard to say which one it might be.  The stems on it just look straw coloured at the moment, but if it is a bamboo, those stems should be pretty rigid and hard to break, even if they're dead. As it grows, it might be possible to decide what it is, whether that's a true grass or a bamboo - hopefully, it's one of the Fargesias if its bamboo because they don't run.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check the area around it to a distance of six feet to start with - you're looking for shoots that might be bamboo, because it might have invaded already. If you can't see any, I would attempt to dig around it, just to see whether it's put out running rhizomes to a good distance under the soil - if it has, then you can assume its one that runs, and if you can remove it, do so. No reason why you can't replant it, but you'd need to insert a rhizome root barrier all around the area you want it to grow, to stop it spreading into areas where you don't want it to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: You've said you're in the UK, in which case its definitely not one of the prairie grasses, and much more likely to be one of the bamboos than any other grass like plant. The strawlike colour of the stems is still odd for a bamboo though, and it looks fairly short, though hard to be sure, but if the stems are rigid that's what it is - it resembles a rather poorly Sasa hyatae, or maybe Pseudosasa japonica otherwise, assuming it isn't very tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-16T22:25:12.873" LastActivityDate="2017-04-16T22:25:12.873" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32613" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-14T14:20:56.333" Score="5" ViewCount="1167" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a white powder-like substance on my kiwi tree. It always appears overnight and some leaves look like they were burned. I have washed the leaves several times, but it always comes back. What would be causing it? How can I help my tree? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in UK. The day temperatures are on average 12 °C, and the nights are 6 °C. I don't think this is caused by cold weather though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update 15/04/2017:&#xA;The plant was put in standard soil mixed with standard compost, and a few drops of Baby Bio Citrus Food fertilizer, and wintered over in the garden. Four to five weeks ago I added two handfuls of GRO_SURE Farmyard Manure, and two weeks ago I added roughly one tablespoon of Vitax Q4 Fertilizer. Otherwise I haven't done anything else to the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bark chips were put on the top two weeks ago, they are J.Arthur Bower's Chips. I removed them yesterday (14/04/2017) and I have seen a little bit less of the white substance on the leaves, but the base of the plant has more. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update 16/04/2017:&#xA;Added some macro images.  I put the same bark chips on my apple tree, plum tree and gooseberry at the same time, but I haven't seen the same issue on those yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on all pictures for closer views.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bXWB7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bXWB7m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EeoJy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EeoJym.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I3YEK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I3YEKm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IWiJS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IWiJSm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aSMol.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aSMolm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cF1xK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cF1xKm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1gfVD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1gfVDm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CXVnT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CXVnTm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update 20/04/2017:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two days ago I soaked the plant in a mixture of neem, water and washing up liquid, but it looks like there has been no effect on the plant. It looks worse. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dhz5k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dhz5km.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OV9K6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OV9K6m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D0gTW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D0gTWm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17181" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-30T02:08:25.630" LastActivityDate="2017-12-30T02:08:25.630" Title="What is this powder-like substance on the leaves of my kiwi tree?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32614" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32613" CreationDate="2017-04-14T15:56:11.843" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like what is sort of generically called &quot;powdery mildew&quot;. It is common and can affect different plants in different ways. Here is a webpage I found that describes it and offers some solutions: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/powdery-mildew/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/powdery-mildew/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17119" LastActivityDate="2017-04-14T15:56:11.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32615" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-14T15:58:47.893" Score="5" ViewCount="1466" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant stays outdoors and gets afternoon sun couple hours. I water it once a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is happening to the ends?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zjxyu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w0MBe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ORrVx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17182" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-14T16:12:38.413" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T15:19:38.963" Title="What is happening with my Gollum Jade?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32610" CreationDate="2017-04-14T16:04:10.140" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks to me like some overgrown crab grass I have seen in Florida. As a side note bamboo is technically a kind of grass. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17119" LastActivityDate="2017-04-14T16:04:10.140" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32617" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32607" CreationDate="2017-04-14T16:10:35.717" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it has been in that same pot in the same spot for a year and just now started doing this, then fertilizer is one likely solution. Get a citrus fertilizer from your local garden center and follow the directions for potted plants. It is also possible it has become root bound and needs to be re-potted in a larger pot. If you do this, use citrus potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17119" LastActivityDate="2017-04-14T16:10:35.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32618" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-14T16:55:26.910" Score="6" ViewCount="2333" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in southern Arizona and we have four varieties of Oaks here that lose their leaves in the springtime as opposed to the fall. I know one species is called &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_emoryi&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Emory&lt;/a&gt; and another the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_arizonica&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Arizona White&lt;/a&gt;. What the other two are I am not sure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these leaves good for mulch? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My neighbor says they have too much acid. He has a huge pile of them and nothing grows on top of them. The pile is about 20 x 20 feet and 6&quot; deep. It has been there for about 3 years undisturbed and there is very little mulch underneath. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17184" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-14T17:04:10.030" LastActivityDate="2017-04-15T17:03:14.457" Title="Are Oak leaves good for making mulch?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32619" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32618" CreationDate="2017-04-14T17:28:38.153" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming that all four trees you mention really are Quercus varieties, oak leaves make the best leafmould - they break down faster and make quality leaf mould. The way to produce leafmould is to put the leaves in black plastic sacks, poke a couple of holes in the bottom, if the leaves are already wet, fine, if not, add some water, tie the tops shut and stack them somewhere out of the way. After 1-2 years, the leaves should have reduced right down to what looks like crumbly black or dark brown material in the bottom of the bags, and that can then be used as mulch, or dug into soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've no idea why your neighbour's pile of leaves hasn't bio degraded at all, not even on the bottom, it doesn't really make sense unless you live somewhere pretty cold, but bagging them up in the way described above works really well, and is definitely quicker and more efficient than just leaving them in a pile somewhere. More information see this article on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=478&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Leafmould&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-04-15T17:03:14.457" LastActivityDate="2017-04-15T17:03:14.457" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32620" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32607" CreationDate="2017-04-14T17:35:32.663" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do see some leaves that have dropped and it may be due to the cold weather we are experiencing right now (I am in the same zone as you).  In terms of watering, check the soil and if it looks dry then water it more often.  Also, fertilizing would be a good idea.  I do see some flowers so that is a good sign and you may get some lemons soon.  Just keep watering and citrus fertilizer would help.  IF you can repot to a larger pot at some point, that may be a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-04-14T17:35:32.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32621" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32613" CreationDate="2017-04-14T23:13:15.990" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think this is powdery mildew - its appearance isn't right and though these particular plants are prone to American Gooseberry mildew, it doesn't look like that either. Those thick, white deposits suggest scale, yet there are no obvious scales present. The blackening round the edges of the leaves, known as leaf scorch, is caused by sudden colder temperatures or colder winds - given the weather conditions and the way they've changed dramatically in the last week, it's not surprising its displaying leaf scorch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try the milk treatment to see if this responds to it - mix up cow's milk and water in a sprayer, 1 or 3 parts milk to 9 or 7 parts water, whichever you fancy trying, all are said to work on powdery mildew. If it doesn't respond (and I suspect it won't) keep a check on it for other evidence to suggest scale infection of some sort. Alternatively, I'd be inclined to prune that growth out and bin it, not compost it - you have other buds about to break and there is already some other growth sprouting lower down which does not seem to be affected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Forget cutting out affected shoots, there are too many of them now you've posted new photos. First thing to say is the Gro Sure Manure you used is NOT intended for use in pots, it's a soil conditioner for use in open ground. It's possible a pathogen has been introduced to the soil and the plant by using it - the Vitax isn't an issue, but bark chips in pots can occasionally cause problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd treat for scale, and I'd risk using Bug Clear Ultra -the plant is nowhere near flowering yet, and certainly not going to produce fruit for 6 weeks - other spray treatments are listed here, along with more information regarding scale insect generally&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=224&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=224&lt;/a&gt;. This may not be effective though - that blackening that's appearing indicates some other problem and it may be related with the use of the manure product, perhaps a fungal infection which may be causing both the blackening and the white mould like growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-16T22:39:45.673" LastActivityDate="2017-04-16T22:39:45.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32624" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32613" CreationDate="2017-04-15T05:47:50.910" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might be mealy bugs or much less likely, white fly damage. White flies sometimes leave a white powdery substance on the underside of leaves (but it looks different and is on the underside); more likely mealy bugs, if either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't look like powdery mildew to me, with it affecting the edges of the leaves and being so concentrated (and what Bamboo said).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2017-04-15T05:47:50.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32626" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32589" CreationDate="2017-04-15T10:03:09.090" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The earth looks very compact and doesnt from the photos look like there is a good level of good quality top soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;for me, you need to get some good soil, compost and gypsum on top. poke holes and losen the ground and concentrate on the soil. once that is good, grass will be easier to get going.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried many times to bring lawns back and its much harder when there isnt enough good top soil with airation and nutrients. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15103" LastActivityDate="2017-04-15T10:03:09.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32628" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32629" CreationDate="2017-04-15T14:33:01.673" Score="11" ViewCount="60861" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my search of different kinds of bonsai trees, I have come across various websites selling blue Japanese maple seeds, usually with an image attached (most likely photo-shopped). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally don't believe that they can exist. Can anyone give any validating proof for  or against their existence?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/68gN1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/68gN1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Blue Bonsai tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17191" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-15T19:08:55.117" LastActivityDate="2019-04-16T23:02:16.970" Title="Does the blue Japanese maple tree exist?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32628" CreationDate="2017-04-15T17:19:48.680" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry, but this is definitely not real.  I'm including the best short article to explain why we see green, yellow, reds, sorta purples but not blue leaves. There is a plant that while the leaves are young produce a blue pigment (reflects blue light) to protect the new leaves from herbivores and there is ONE fern in the rain forest that is very blue.  Cyanobacteria are blue but color varies with different colors of the light spectrum today.  They were here 3.5 billion years ago and because of this bacteria, which is still a huge part of life on this planet now, we were able to be here.  Otherwise, there would be no Oxygen in the atmosphere.  These blue cyanobacteria changed our atmosphere completely, killing off the rest of life where Oxygen was toxic.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cyanobacteria were the precursors of our green plants today.  Chloroplasts evolved to do the photosynthesis necessary to make food and because of them, green light is reflected.  Now we see green LEAVES (flowers don't photosynthesize).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This blue Japanese Maple is produced by either a filter on the camera or photo shopped, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So definitely NOT TRUE!  I did find Amazon was selling maple seeds which is a joke as there is no way to tell what that seed will turn out phenotypically or genetically.  The samaras look dark and people will get fooled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Great question.  I had to actually pull up an old dusty stored in my brain about the light spectrum and what and why we see the colors we do get to see.  Which is a very tiny, tiny part of the spectrum of light.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.visionlearning.com/blog/2014/10/10/blue-plants/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;blue plants and why&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2019-04-16T23:02:16.970" LastActivityDate="2019-04-16T23:02:16.970" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32630" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32628" CreationDate="2017-04-15T17:21:05.227" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Proof enough for me that there is no Latin or botanical complete name for the 'blue acer', and the only references on line are sites selling either the plant or seeds for the plant. There are no horticultural references to this plant - nearest is Acer palmatum 'Purple Ghost', sometimes described (on sales sites) as Acer Purple Blue Ghost. Anyway, true blue leaved plants don't exist, with one or two exceptions, although some may have a bluish green appearance. In the case of Acers, they don't possess delphinidin (the component that, for instance, enables delphiniums to have blue flowers, and from which the name delphinidin is derived) any more than a rose does; their range of anthocyanins simply doesn't contain the genetic information for blue. I assume the plants pictured are either dyed, or as you said, photo shopped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-15T21:40:32.563" LastActivityDate="2017-04-15T21:40:32.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32631" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32613" CreationDate="2017-04-15T18:53:11.093" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two problems; possible over fertilization and a soft scale insect infestation.  High salts and too much fertilizer show margins and tips as brown or browning.  The scale must be enjoying the extra nutrients from the damaged edges (?). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is definitely not powdery mildew.  That is always shown over the entire leaf, spotty but not just the margins.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to get a magnified view of that white stuff?  Could you get a magnifying glass and describe the best you are able?  Please give details about what you have done for fertilizer, what type of soil you are using and its formulation on the package...I am assuming you used potting soil, I hope so.  I'd also get rid of the bark chips on top.  They are not sterilized and could be a source of insects and will mess with your fertilizer.  Check to see if your potting soil came with fertilizer as well, please.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you for the additional very NICE pictures.  It is scale; one of the soft scales.  Cottony Maple scale or even Mealy Bug scale.  You've been washing the leaves, yes?  Was that black all over the leaves at one point?  The black on the margins could be honey dew, rather 'infected' honey dew where bacteria are causing the shiny honey dew (excrement of scale) to blacken.  Or you might have also over fertilized and that would make your plant more susceptible as well as accounting for the blackened margins where the extra fertilizer is being enjoyed by these insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not sure how large your plant is so there are a number of  ways to approach this problem.  My favorite since you have already been washing this plant and the infestation is going strong would be the use of NEEM.  If your plant is out doors wait until dark and spray your plant heavily, until it is dripping.  Get the undersides of the leaves as well.  Wear gloves.  NEEM is considered a 'safe' ISH pesticide and 'organic' but you'll smell that it ain't ivory soap.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your tree is small enough, I like using a dunk of NEEM.  Mix the correct amount in a big 5 gallon bucket using 3 or 4 gallons of water.  Hard to tell how big your pot is but if it is smaller than a paper plate, using a paper plate that you've cut one line down the radius to the center, slip the plate around your plant upside down of course.  Then holding the plate with one hand firmly to your pot to prevent the soil from falling out, lift the pot and plant up, flip over and gently immerse the entire plant into the batch of water and NEEM.  Careful with the very tip, try not to break the tip.  Then gently 'swish' your plant around in the bucket.  I'd try to keep the plant in the solution for a few minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take your plant out and turn upright again.  Allow to drip onto the top of the soil in your pot.  Wash patio off with a hose.  Wash your hands, arms and face.  If you do the spray, make sure you wash up after that as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;MOST IMPORTANTLY...read that label very closely.  Measure carefully. Follow those directions.  It is probably the best of the 'organic and safe' pesticides for effectiveness. They say on some labels, different 'brands' that this is safe for bees but I do not take chances!  A bee gets sprayed by this he takes it back to the hive and bees are not as healthy and vigorous as they once were.  Killing bees is really dumb of us humans!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would probably gently scrape the scale off the bark but not the leaves before spraying.  You will probably need to do this at least once more within a few weeks.  This is a good time of year to attack your scale.  That cottony stuff is a protectant and if scale is allowed to get too thick the efficacy of the NEEM is severely reduced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next, the soil.  You probably got your scale from the bark chips.  Potting soil is sterilized.  But now your soil is full of immatures and eggs.  I would repot into fresh new potting soil and bag that soil, or dump the old soil into that bucket of NEEM before disposing of the NEEM according to directions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-04-16T18:38:24.997" LastActivityDate="2017-04-16T18:38:24.997" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32632" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-15T18:56:21.640" Score="5" ViewCount="750" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I had a tomato plant in this pot, which I cut back at end of the season when it died. In the pot now this is growing. Is this a weed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A9tXd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17194" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-15T19:07:27.143" LastActivityDate="2018-10-21T19:22:37.637" Title="Is this a weed growing in my old tomato plant pot?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32633" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-15T18:57:34.467" Score="4" ViewCount="526" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a purple and gold variety fig tree that's been established for about three or four seasons. I had been cutting it all the way back every winter, but this season, I missed my opportunity (for no good reason). Is it too late to cut it back now, in April? There's no new growth as of yet, but I'm seeing one or two tiny leaves starting to appear at the base. The branches from last season's growth are three to four feet high. I'm in Western Pennsylvania. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17193" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-03-06T22:25:00.863" LastActivityDate="2018-03-06T22:25:00.863" Title="Is April too late to prune my fig tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32634" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32635" CreationDate="2017-04-15T19:05:37.860" Score="5" ViewCount="1491" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this photo tells the story much better than words:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JcO15.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JcO15.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I will try words as well: It rained today, and earlier in the week, at times heavily.  As each rain drop landed within the flower box next to my front porch, it splashed a little.  When the rain drops were larger and falling more furiously, those splashes caused the topsoil to become a splatter of mud.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, as the sun is coming back out and drying things off, all of the things that should be looking pretty instead look muddy.  The dragon-fly on the &quot;Welcome&quot; rock, the stem of the solar light, even the lower leaves of the plants, all have a splotchy gray-brown film upon them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Later, I will need to go back out and rinse things off with a more gentle flow of water.  Is there anything I can do to prevent this?  Any sort of ground cover, for example, or other tricks?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: In response to a comment, here is another photo (from a year ago) showing a wider perspective.  Total size is roughly 21&quot; by 36&quot;.  The red rectangle shows about the area you see in the photo above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/azqbk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/azqbk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13391" LastEditorUserId="13391" LastEditDate="2017-04-17T12:30:27.147" LastActivityDate="2017-04-18T02:22:13.473" Title="Is it possible to avoid rain making my flowers and decorations look muddy?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;rain&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32635" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32634" CreationDate="2017-04-15T19:59:56.867" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Raindrops can hit the ground with a surprisingly large force. If there is bare soil then you will get muddy splatter. As you mention in your question ground cover is the way forward. This could take the form of planting or a mulch. Essentially, you want to cover the soil with something that is going to absorb the force of the raindrops so that they cannot disturb the soil, whilst not breaking down themselves. Non-planting options would include gravel or bark mulch. Planted options will depend upon your location, soil, microclimate etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-04-15T19:59:56.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32636" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-15T20:09:15.620" Score="6" ViewCount="4395" Body="&lt;p&gt;So we forgot one small PI plant in the backyard and it got mown over. I see plenty of info on washing equipment with dawn soap and water, but what can I do about the contaminated yard?? I ask because we have a toddler who plays back there, so this is pretty important to me. If I sprayed water/soap mix on the grass to get the oils to wash down into the dirt, would that work? Would it kill the grass?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17196" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T17:31:40.187" Title="Accidentally mowed poison ivy plant. Can I clean the grass?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;yard&gt;&lt;poison-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32637" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32634" CreationDate="2017-04-15T20:53:06.383" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the extra information. Because the plants you have in the bed already aren't big plants, adding ground cover won't look so good, so I'd be inclined to use gravel or shingle or small stones of a suitable tone or colour. Use weed membrane beneath (you can cut it to fit round existing plants) simply to stop the gravel or stones from disappearing into the soil, especially if heavy rain is a problem. Using the membrane also means it's easier to move the stones simply by lifting the membrane, complete with stones, out of the way, if you want to change the planting at a later date, or if the stones get really dirty over time and you want to change them. You could use bark chips, but they too can cause dirty splashes on plants. Alternatively, if you don't like the idea of membrane, use much larger stones like cobbles. They come in two or three sizes (well, in the UK at least), so choose something a bit smaller than the decorated stone you already have in the bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could, though, think about adding something that will trail over the wall - both Aubretia and Cerastium tomentosum (snow in summer) should be hardy in your area. If you do use these plants, remember to cut back quite hard once the main flowering is over to keep them neat and bushy. These would both help to cover some of the soil too, meaning fewer stones, but they do both require good sun exposure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-15T21:00:40.307" LastActivityDate="2017-04-15T21:00:40.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32638" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-15T21:17:11.723" Score="4" ViewCount="805" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently repotted my spider plant (chlorophytum comosum) to a slightly bigger pot with better drainage. I potted it in a mix of normal potting soil and perlite to aid drainage. I recently noticed that some of the tips in the lowest leaves have burnt. This is something that hadn't happened before. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Could the perlite in the new mix have caused this?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I repot the plant into fresh soil?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this condition a threat to the health of my plant?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have uploaded an album on Imgur with the pictures: &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/8MexW&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imgur.com/a/8MexW&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastEditorUserId="16516" LastEditDate="2017-04-16T09:53:41.730" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T10:04:40.963" Title="Perlite causing tip burn in spider plant?" Tags="&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32639" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32661" CreationDate="2017-04-16T00:03:35.383" Score="2" ViewCount="16279" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a weed in my backyard that generates little brown balls with spikes on them.  The balls are probably less than 1cm in diameter.  See picture.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RpydW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RpydW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;spikey ball weed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are my questions:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;1) What is the name of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) How do I get rid of it?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;{What are the recommended sprays or chemicals?}&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) Need sprays that are not harmful to dogs or cats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The little balls are getting into the fur of dogs (including their paws) and the plush toys.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FYI:  This plant is growing in: U.S.A, Southern California in the foothills of the Santa Ana mountain range (south Orange County).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14231" LastEditorUserId="14231" LastEditDate="2017-04-16T00:10:33.137" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T05:07:06.790" Title="Getting rid of spikey ball weeds" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32636" CreationDate="2017-04-16T00:07:07.713" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, what kind of a mower?  Push or gas or  electric.  Were you bagging the clippings? Any tiny piece of  poison ivy will have Urushiol which causes the allergic reactions.  I'd take a good blower and blow that lawn well, pushing the tidbits into your plant beds.  Sounds as if you will have to always  be alert for poison ivy anyway.  Little rubber boots, long sleeves...heck a hazmat suit!  I am being silly now.  There is a product called bentoquatam one can apply to skin to make a protective barrier.  I would most certainly ask the pharmacist even though this is over the counter, for use on toddlers!  I am wondering if there aren't other protective barriers such as calamine...something that won't cause the piece of plant to stick and 'melt' so to speak.  Something dry.  You will always have to worry about this.  What is your or your wife's reaction to poison ivy?  Your baby will inherit the propensity of course.  If it is severe verging on anaphylaxic shock or tightening of the throat to inhibit breathing, I would always throw a huge sheet, blankets out on the lawn to play upon.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-16T00:07:07.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32641" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-16T00:29:41.820" Score="5" ViewCount="73" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to find out out what kind of flowering bush this could be.  It's located in Nitro, West Virginia. It smells like Gardenia. Some of the bushes are quite tall.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xX2SS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ROCbd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17200" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-16T19:53:45.433" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T14:49:36.923" Title="What is this April flowering shrub with clusters of small flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32642" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32641" CreationDate="2017-04-16T01:43:01.427" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is Daphne bhoula...the Forward Daphne.  My goodness this one is tough.  Let's see what Bamboo has to say...! Nice find btw!  Are those leaves sort of furry and grey?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-16T01:43:01.427" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32645" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32639" CreationDate="2017-04-16T06:06:12.020" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check out Goathead, &lt;em&gt;Tribulus terrestris&lt;/em&gt; in &lt;a href=&quot;https://cals.arizona.edu/apmc/docs/11%20Weeds%20F.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this PDF&lt;/a&gt; distributed by the University of Arizona. I think it fits, check against the photos in the pdf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control will be difficult since it is persistent and easily spread. It spreads by seed, so the key is to prevent it from going to seed and avoiding bringing seed into your yard. You can mechanically hoe off seedlings (learn to identify the plant at early seedling stage) and let them fry in the sun, or spot treat with a product per the advice from your friendly garden store who will be up to date with what you can legally use in your region. The spiky fruits attach easily to boot soles and car tires, so checking &quot;visitors&quot; at the gate does no harm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: also see &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13435/what-is-a-long-term-solution-to-a-goathead-infestation&quot;&gt;previous question here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="15063" LastEditDate="2017-04-16T11:39:01.117" LastActivityDate="2017-04-16T11:39:01.117" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32646" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-16T07:13:29.580" Score="4" ViewCount="349" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant began to grow in my vegetable garden in early March. I am in Bakersfield, California  It was about 4' tall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jANg6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jANg6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, in April, it is almost 6' tall and now has yellow long blossoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pl1FA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pl1FA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;u&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17204" LastEditorUserId="17204" LastEditDate="2017-04-17T06:26:54.420" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T15:47:09.950" Title="What kind of vegetable plant might this be?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32647" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33370" CreationDate="2017-04-16T07:42:47.873" Score="5" ViewCount="950" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently moved into a house with lots of horticultural learning opportunities :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a semi-dwarf cherry and the cultivar is Montmorency tart cherry. It was planted at least two years ago and (as far as I can tell) has never been pruned.  The picture shows two different angles. For scale, the lowest branches are about knee level:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q3fTm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q3fTm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My goal is to have it eventually develop into a healthy, fruit-bearing, backyard-type tree.  I don't need to get a harvest any time soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I proceed to get this tree into shape?  I've done a lot of reading, but haven't actually done any tree pruning.  Also, when should I do this initial pruning?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17207" LastEditorUserId="32852" LastEditDate="2021-05-02T12:10:54.580" LastActivityDate="2021-05-02T12:10:54.580" Title="How to prune a young cherry tree that was left alone since being planted" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="32648" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32633" CreationDate="2017-04-16T15:54:19.913" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends. Pruning now would reduce the sensibly the strength of the plant, so it the plant is already weak don't prune it. On the other hand, if the plant is strong, you can do some pruning, but I would not do it as hard as I would do it in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-16T15:54:19.913" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32649" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-16T18:26:04.920" Score="5" ViewCount="221" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have received these four plants as a gift and have no idea how to take care of them. I have no experience with plants. The delivery lady from the shop said that they need light but not direct sunlight, which means what exactly? Also how often do I water and do I need to give any plant food?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MF7dS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MF7dS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17209" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-16T21:57:46.953" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T01:02:45.803" Title="House plants - What and how" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32650" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32615" CreationDate="2017-04-16T18:57:00.950" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;My jade, not gollum, has this as well, I think.  If your jade were babied and lived in a green house it probably would be more...pristine.  Having to deal with the weather, seriously hot to below freezing would account for this guy's 'scars'. The tips would be damaged first by the cold or heat. Not a disease, not insects, more in the category of mechanical damage from being out of doors and surviving extreme temperatures.  I would most definitely give it a little fertilizer.  Go get a small bottle of OSMOCOTE granules/beads; 14-14-14.  Use only once per year according to their directions but don't give every 3 months! Your watering sounds just fine especially since this plant is out doors.  I'd use bottled water, distilled water not the tap water.  And looking a bit closer, I think he will love some fertilizer.  Looks great for getting along with nothing but the soil you gave him.  But tis time.  See the spots and uneven color...a bit too light of a green and transparent.  The plant behind him is in need as well, those purplish reddish margins show lack of phosphorus or magnesium.  Don't use epsom salts, trust me.  It does add magnesium sulfate but doesn't really do much for plants. That is the most recent FAD these days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-16T18:57:00.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32651" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32649" CreationDate="2017-04-16T20:03:16.497" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/areca-palm-how-to-grow-care&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt; Dypsis lutescens Areca Palm Butterfly palm&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/majesty-palm-how-to-grow-care&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Majesty Palms&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/ctenanthe-plant-how-to-grow-care&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Brazilian Snow Plant&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/stromanthe-plant-how-to-grow-care&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stromanthe Plant Tricolor&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/english-ivy-plant-how-to-grow-care&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;English Ivy variegated&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first 2 would be good subjects for the little palm.  There are at least 2 others this this guy might be when he gets older.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next two in the second block are possibles for the upright, variegated plant on the far left in your picture.  The next 3 in that block are for both the second from the left plant in your picture and possibly for the farthest on the left as well. THIS IS EASILY PEACE LILY, so disregard. The Ivy is easy.  Wait, Bamboo's ID'd the 2nd from the left as Peace lily!  Shoot the flower is right there as well!  Kudos, Bamboo.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Ivy is straight forward but that tiny palm is not.  There are at least 2 other contenders for this spot besides the two I listed.  The upright large plants I've given you a few ideas for each. That middle group  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of these plants are poisonous, deathly poisonous to kids and cats and dogs.  So keep these out of reach.  If I were you I would call whoever sent these plants to you for solid ID's.  Look for tags.  The store that sold them to your friend will KNOW what these are.  If the plants were in our hands we would be able to tell but that would be silly when a phone call would pin this down for you.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant profiles I am attaching will help with the care and background no matter.  Indirect bright light.  Water well then allow to dry out before watering again.  Do not fertilize until you find out from the people who sent these plants to you if they have already been fertilized (most assuredly).  Get a little bottle of OSMOCOTE 14-14-14 beaded fertilizer.  It is extended release and I don't apply this fertilizer as often as the directions tell you.  These are indoor plants that will be getting little light.  They are understory tropical plants that thrive with little light, thus the house plant category.  Coming fresh from the nursery, they will already have some sort of fertilizer and the worst thing you could do right now is add fertilizer.  A little too much and a little too dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you transplant these plants into SLIGHTLY larger (2&quot; more in diameter) you MUST use potting soil.  Do not mess with moisture retention gimmicks like sponges or granules added to the soil.  Do not purchase potting soil with fertilizer added. Just potting soil from a bag, no rocks at the bottom, raise the bottom of the pot off the surface with chunks of tile, flat rock or pot 'feet' to enhance drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My ID's are close but can't be exact.  That store KNOWS and should have sent directions of some sort along with common and scientific names.  Part of the price they exacted from your friend (family)?  Nice plants, but if you have a cat or kids keep these out of reach!!  Others will be giving you other ID's as well but that store knows and is responsible for the proper ID.  Nice gifts!!  Hope this helps!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-04-17T01:02:45.803" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T01:02:45.803" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32639" CreationDate="2017-04-16T22:56:06.567" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is bindi. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soliva_sessilis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soliva_sessilis&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Primary control is removal of plants before the seedheads mature and drop off plant. Lawnmowing spreads the seeds. Chemical control is difficult as killing the plants leaves viable seeds to start new plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16760" LastActivityDate="2017-04-16T22:56:06.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32649" CreationDate="2017-04-16T23:48:19.910" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Working from right to left (anti clockwise) there's Hedera helix (the one with the trailing stems and small leaves), then what appears to be a Parlour Palm, then Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily) and lastly, the one with the feathery, white variegation down the centre of the large leaves. That one is the one I'm not entirely sure of - it's either a Dieffenbachia or one of the Marantas, but I can't find one with exactly that variegation in either category. Luckily, though, the light situation and care is similar for both - bright daylight is best, no sun, but Maranta prefers a somewhat higher humidity than Dieffenbachia, so grouping it together with one or two of the other plants should help with that, and it won't do any harm to do it if its Dieffenbachia either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Hedera (ivy) will tolerate some sunlight, it will help to keep the variegation, but not in the middle of the day through a window, especially in summer. Otherwise, it does well in shadier conditions -  prefers a cooler spot, it does not like temperatures over 70 deg. F. Both the Parlour Palm and the Spathiphyllum prefer average to reasonably bright light conditions, but no sunlight. None of these plants will appreciate being near a heat source, like a radiator or electrical equipment that gives off heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering is the same for all - during spring and summer, water when the surface of the potting soil feels dry to the touch, but not shrunken from the sides of the pot, water well, allow to drain down freely, then empty out any outer tray or pot after 30 minutes so the plants are not left sitting in water. Check the plants every 5-7 days to see how dry they are - lifting the pot to check the weight is another way to confirm whether water is needed or not - it will feel much lighter when it's dry. In winter, all these plants will need a little less water, or watering less often, depending on the warmth of your home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know where you are or whether you can get Baby Bio liquid houseplant food, but 5 drops of that in a pint of water given about every fortnight during spring and early summer will be plenty. Easy to do when you water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might be interested to know that these four plants (assuming the one I'm not sure of is Dieffenbachia) are good at taking household pollutants like formaldehyde out of the air and, provided they're not kept far too wet, have the capacity to suppress or reduce air borne mould spores and bacteria. Pets and children should not be allowed to chew or eat any of them though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other thing to say is that the Spathiphyllum appears to have a soil level almost to the top  of the pot - I'm guessing its been topped off prior to despatch, but that makes it quite difficult to water, because there should be a gap at the top between soil and pot rim. You may find you need to repot it into a larger or deeper pot because its impossible to water it properly. You will likely find the Spathiphyllum needs watering more often than the others do, even in a larger pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-17T00:55:10.493" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T00:55:10.493" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32655" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32657" CreationDate="2017-04-17T00:15:09.503" Score="3" ViewCount="97" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this small green &quot;patch&quot; growing next to my strawberry (the &quot;small fruit&quot; type). It looks like it has tiny leaves and small fluff, and is still embedded into the soil, but it's &lt;em&gt;slowly&lt;/em&gt; growing and another one popped up a bit away. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's no other plant in the same pot, so I was wondering if it's the result of an underground runner, but everywhere I looked I never found anyone talking about underground runners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The original strawberry plant is slightly elevated (an inch or two) above &quot;ground level&quot;, and this patch is on ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a7amo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a7amo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;What is this&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17213" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-04-17T06:44:59.863" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T06:44:59.863" Title="What is this green &quot;fluff&quot; in my strawberry patch?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32656" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32658" CreationDate="2017-04-17T01:03:11.110" Score="3" ViewCount="219" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I recently put down 4&quot; of double cut down around my yard.  I moved the mulch back away from the tree trunks by a few inches because I know that's bad for them.  Should I put anything in that gap so the mulch doesn't fall back in?  Basically it looks like a 4&quot; doughnut where the trunks are.  I'm okay with it but wasn't sure if putting a nominal amount of gravel would be a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17214" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T01:38:44.660" Title="what to put in center of mulch ring around trees" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32657" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32655" CreationDate="2017-04-17T01:15:15.883" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The resolution on the photo isn't high enough, because under magnification I still can't see it clearly. It's probably slime mould, algae, or cyanobacterial growth, but all these form and grow in stagnant, damp or wet conditions. Slime mould disappears on its own as things dry out, but the presence of this type of growth strongly suggests the soil in your pot needs rejuvenating by cultivating and adding fertilizer, or even better, replacing. None of these growths is uncommon on soil in the ground, lawns or hard surfaces; it's a bit uncommon in pots because usually, container grown plants are fertilized and the potting medium topped up or changed periodically. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=412&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=412&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-17T01:25:09.920" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T01:25:09.920" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32658" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32656" CreationDate="2017-04-17T01:20:19.410" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, don't put anything in the gap, the point of not having the mulch or anything else piled against the trunk is to prevent rot problems; the way you describe it though, it probably looks very odd. Its usual to gradually thin the layer of mulch as you get closer to the tree, so that it's much thinner nearer the centre, then you don't get that very obvious large gap between the tree trunk and the mulch and it doesn't look like a doughnut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T01:20:19.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32659" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32656" CreationDate="2017-04-17T01:38:44.660" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best thing you could do is leave that donut of mulch alone.  Thrilled you pulled it away from the base of your tree.  Now, there are ideas you could entertain to be able to make a human space near a tree or inside a group of trees.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaving the mulch donut alone, create an area that juts off to the side of that donut.  Using upside down paint draw the dimensions of either a round space, a curvy space, a rectangular space. (Assuming these trees are in a lawn). Dig out the lawn, then down another 2 inches, smooth, level then lay landscape fabric down.  The area should be big enough for 2 chairs and a tiny table; about 4'X6'.  Ideally edging that space with pressure treated 2X4's held with stakes, the tops leveled, then install the fabric and then install 4&quot; deep crushed gravel. Either way install 3/8 minus which is finer in texture than normal driveway gravel (5/8 minus). Pea gravel is fun but not as stable as compactable crushed gravel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Place your weather proof chairs and a tiny table. Then add a grouping of similar pots; a big one and two smaller.  Possibly a medium sized one on the other end of this informal 'patio'.  You can also raise a small plant on top of an upside down pot. A vertical plant, for the large one such as a tall ornamental grass, or even a tree, a beautiful shrub.  Stuff annuals and other perennials in all the rest.  Keep the pallet of plants small enough to be able to have all pots with at least something to tie them together in a composition.  Look for partial shade plants.  Definitely lime potato plant ivy that pops right out of the shade.  Even variegated leaves the white pops out as well even at night. Look for compatibility among the plants for water, shade, partial shade, pH of soil to help choose your groups.  Impatiens will be a huge color producer as well as begonia.  Just a couple of ideas...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use ONLY potting soil.  No rocks at the bottom of the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting annuals within this donut would be okay.  Won't hurt the tree so much as  the annuals relegated to a thin layer of soil.  This other informal patio, sounds daunting but it really is not.  Send a picture of the area you'd like to add some color to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T01:38:44.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32660" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32684" CreationDate="2017-04-17T03:11:41.660" Score="5" ViewCount="622" Body="&lt;p&gt;For all my plants I'm using unglazed terracotta pots, mostly just because that's the pots my father was using and for the &amp;quot;authentic look&amp;quot;. Then I found out that really nice property of those pots to absorb extra water and show water marks (pic below). I was wondering if there were any kind of &amp;quot;science&amp;quot; that would allow to &amp;quot;read&amp;quot; this information and optimize watering in consequence. For instance, should I wait to water my plant until the mark has completely disappeared? This is kind of a funny question, but I'd like to know if anybody found some tips related to this property of terracotta pots!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r9otq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r9otq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;terracotta pot watermark&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17121" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-04-18T00:56:14.103" Title="&quot;Reading&quot; terracotta pot tips" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32661" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32639" CreationDate="2017-04-17T05:07:06.790" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is burr-clover, in lawns you can control it with weed killing fertilizer (the kind I buy is OK for pets 24 hours after application). I mostly control it by hand removal, you have to make sure you get the whole root so moistening the ground helps&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6969" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T05:07:06.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32662" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32638" CreationDate="2017-04-17T08:44:36.870" Score="1" Body="&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Perlite has a pH of about 7-7.5 and doesn't change soil pH. This source says perlite &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.cfm?number=B1256#CEC&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;has zero CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity)&lt;/a&gt;, so I doubt fluoride or other elements in perlite interact with pH.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Transplanting again would increase stress in plants, so I wouldn't do it, more so because spiderplant is not a choosey plant about soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I don't think there is a risk to the health of your plant, more likely the browning tips are related to unregular watering schedule, since you said you went on a holiday.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil pH is measured with a pH meter. This type is unreliable and I think you should avoid it:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jATQH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jATQH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Lye is used to change pH for in vitro growing medium and maybe it is used to change soil pH also, but I haven't heard of this method. I know that calcium carbonate or calcium hydroxide can be used for neutralising acidic soil, if you still want to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-04-17T09:08:05.727" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T09:08:05.727" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32663" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-17T09:48:39.610" Score="2" ViewCount="1113" Body="&lt;p&gt;Change of Soil + Roots:&#xA;I recently took a gardener's mint plant back home alongside some of its soil in a quite small flower pot. I didn't know that mints grow and spreads VERY fast and it's starting to take over the whole pot and some of its roots are sticking out, and I wonder would that affect its growth.&#xA;Back to subject. I'm deciding whether I should buy a new and bigger pot and buy the soil from supermarket because the soil that I have brought back is not enough for a larger pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh no I think I'm killing my plant. There are around 10 mint plant growing on the same root but the largest one seem to be dying. The leaves are getting very black and die quickly. Others are fine though. I'm trying to add banana peels in case its lack of potassium but its not quite working. I think I should just cut the whole plant off&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KAfnn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17216" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-18T14:30:44.847" LastActivityDate="2020-04-18T07:24:38.843" Title="Is it safe to change the soil completely for mint? And is it bad for the plants that the roots are sticking out?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32664" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32663" CreationDate="2017-04-17T11:08:25.500" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you have probably discovered by now, mint is pretty sturdy. If you want to keep it in a pot, potting soil is absolutely fine, much better than garden soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So yes, go ahead and transplant it into a larger pot. But do not make the mistake of going from a very tiny pot to a very large one. To some degree, your mint will &quot;grow into&quot; it, but like you wouldn't buy shoes five sizes too large for your child to &quot;grow into&quot;, the new pot should only be a bit larger than needed - two inches, perhaps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your mint keeps growing, you can at some point divide it instead of using larger pots. Either discard part of the plant or pot them up separately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T11:08:25.500" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32665" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-17T14:07:42.433" Score="2" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had 5&quot;, contractor grade, black, plastic edging installed but there are parts where it's exposed above the lip and some gaps behind it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I pulled old plastic and removed brick to create the trench and it wasn't always even and the guy I hired I suspect cut corners a bit toward the end of the job because he was tired (human nature and nothing I can't fix).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What can I put behind the edging where there are gaps, more dirt, more gravel, or just leave it? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the places where the edging is too high, it's staked.  Do I need to do anything?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose my options are to leave it, mound up to it with dirt, move it downward by digging everything out and restaking it, or soak it with water and see if I can push it down.  My only concern with it being up too high is that I don't know how it will behave in the winter when things start freezing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, more concisely:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How do I fill gaps in edging on the yard side?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What should I do if my plastic edging is too high?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17214" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-05-20T21:35:18.097" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T21:35:18.097" Title="Remedy poorly positioned black plastic edging" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32666" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-17T15:08:23.697" Score="2" ViewCount="319" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to spray my new apple trees with Imidian to prevent fungus and pests. Does anyone know what an alternate name for this pesticide is, since Google returns no results for it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17221" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-04-17T15:53:12.587" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T23:37:55.313" Title="Imidian for apple trees" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32667" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32682" CreationDate="2017-04-17T15:58:24.653" Score="5" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have 2 acres that needs mowing, and various volunteers do the mowing.  We often do the mowing late and are dealing with extra-tall grass as high as 12&quot; in spots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe they're a bit rough on equipment, but our 2001 42&quot; Husqvarna is requiring a lot more maintenance than I'd expect.  The engine is solid (so is the transmission when the belt isn't slipping) but I'm wondering if we have the right mower.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do you pick the right size of riding mower? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm also wondering about the old GE Elec-Trak electric riding mowers.  The belts on the Husqvarna are a total nuisance, and I wonder if the Elec-Trak would be better behaved in that regard, and not having to mess with a gas engine or transmission would be worth maintaining the big battery bank, and maintaining battery banks is something we do plenty of already.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19827" OwnerDisplayName="Harper" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T00:45:52.947" Title="How do I size a riding mower? Is an Elec-Trak viable?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32668" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32666" CreationDate="2017-04-17T17:20:24.203" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's name is spelled as Imidan, it is available only in some countries and it doesn't protect against fungus because it is an insecticide. Although it can be used against pests, it is &lt;a href=&quot;http://sitem.herts.ac.uk/aeru/ppdb/en/Reports/521.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;highly toxic to bees&lt;/a&gt;, so unless you can artificially pollinate your apples, you run the risk of killing those beneficial insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/metiram-propoxur/phosmet-ext.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Alternate names&lt;/a&gt; include Appa, Decemthion, Imidan, Kemolate, Fesdan, Prolate, PMC and Safidon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T17:20:24.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32669" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32685" CreationDate="2017-04-17T17:27:10.453" Score="4" ViewCount="2633" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've transplanted tomatoes into the bigger pot. I am keeping the plants in the green house. My growing ritual is somewhat unusual, but I am determined to give it a try. When transplanted I cut the main stem and plant them 25cm deep. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After 10 days, i noticed some whitish-yellow spots on the leaves. See images below. I am wondering, what is this? I haven't found exact match of such leaves on google, but it look similar to oedema or leaf mold. Do you know what is wrong with my tomatoes? Besides this spots, the plant looks great and has lots of new growings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ormvn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ormvn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OLU13.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OLU13.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MFKXJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MFKXJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some more images: &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/GUj6Q&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imgur.com/a/GUj6Q&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE after a week&lt;/strong&gt;: The plant is doing just fine. Very few of the spots turned into holes, the others remain the same size and shape. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="17223" LastEditDate="2017-04-24T05:26:28.993" LastActivityDate="2017-04-24T05:26:28.993" Title="bright spots on tomato leaves - illness or just to much watering?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32670" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32636" CreationDate="2017-04-17T17:31:40.187" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would try spraying the area with soapy water, preferably a biodegradable type.  I would use doctor bronners sal suds soap.  Spray it, scrub it with a brush or something and then wash the grass off with plain water so it goes into the soil.  This probably won't be 100% effective, but good news!  Grass grows and within a few weeks and a few mows, the area will be fresh grass that wasn't exposed to the oil.  For the meantime, use a blanket over the grass, keep your kid off it, or just wash your kid with dish soap, doc bronners sal suds or any grease and oil removing soap.  I use a soap bar for my body after I've been exposed (which is very often) that is specifically formulated for removing poison ivy.  You can buy them in health food stores. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, something to think about....It might not be such a terrible thing to be exposed to poison ivy every now and then.  Especially as a young human, being exposed to allergens can help their body build immunities and become stronger.  A lot of hill folk around here (not saying this is science) eat a baby poison ivy leaf in the spring for this reason.  Seems to work out alright for them, buy yeah, just something to think about! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T17:31:40.187" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32672" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32663" CreationDate="2017-04-17T17:35:22.553" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You will be hard pressed to kill a mint plant.  I wouldn't worry about the exposed roots.  If you want to start a new pot of mint, you don't even need to transplant the entire plant.  You can just take some cuttings of the root rhizomes that spread through the soil horizontally, stick them a few inches under the new soil in the new pot, with no foliage or anything and it will grow within a few weeks.  Basically, yes, you can repot it and change all the soil if you desire.  =]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T17:35:22.553" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32673" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32666" CreationDate="2017-04-17T18:52:51.780" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dormant oils are your best bet and safest.  Killing bees is almost worse than killing humans.  We lose our bees and humans will go bye bye.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prevention is best done by pruning, cleaning up the debris as soon as possible and to not worry about a few insects.  They will always be there.  Otherwise, spraying insecticide means it is also poisonous to bees, birds, dogs, cats and kids and adults.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dormant oils are what fruit tree growers swear by.  Suffocates or prevents insects from laying eggs or hibernating over winter.  I'd get a professional apple tree pruner (a laborer from an apple farm or a Cooperative Extension Service recommended tree pruner that knows fruit trees).  Then clean up all the debris.  Have an arborist (who also might know how to prune fruit trees correctly) check the health of your trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Insecticides are never for prevention.  They are bandaids for problems that could have been prevented by proper management.  Fungicides on the other hand are preventative as they are akin to a rain coat on plants.  Once you've got fungus, you will not be able to 'cure' it, only mitigate any damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look into dormant oils.  There is not one other product you should even consider for prevention.  There are also summer oils but they require far more expertise so that one doesn't have their plants frying in the heat and sun.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First get an arborist or fruit tree expert recommended by your Cooperative Extension service of your closest University.  Let them find out whether or not you even need to spray 'horticultural oils' at all.  These oils will also kill beneficial insects.  Between beneficial insects and healthy tree and cleaning up debris...you shouldn't have to spray a thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since your trees are young, forget about spraying them with anything.  Keep weeds and grass and soil and mulch away from the base of your trees.  Again a good pruner would be able to 'start' your trees now to limit their height and prevent too many branches, too much fruit that will cause disease, attract insects and reduce decent sized fruit.  They will also be able to coach you for maintenance pruning.  Tell you about the proper tools (by pass and tree saws only, no anvil) and how to use alcohol to clean your tools so that you do not infect your trees inadvertently. Make sure your trees are not planted too low allowing soil or mulch to touch the bark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please don't use insect sprays.  A tree full of insects one year is not worth the killing of bees.  ONE bee gets insecticide/pesticide on their little feet or packets of pollen takes it back to the hive and can kill the entire hive.  That winter will be a great time to use dormant oil.  If all our bees decline to a certain point, well, in two to three months us humans will know starvation.  We can forget ever seeing a flower again.  Truly bees are so vital that heck with a few problems on your trees!  Apple trees provide for hosts of insects, birds, animals as well as humans...all of which will be sickened or killed and what fruit you might get will be inedible.  Without bees, no fruit.     &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-horticultural-oil-1402736&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;horticultural oils&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T18:52:51.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32634" CreationDate="2017-04-17T19:44:16.133" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lay down some kind of a mulching layer, even in your flower box.  The bare soil/dirt will spray from the impact of the raindrops. Some shredded bark mulch or whatever else you use, left over from other mulching around your house, should limit that impact spray on your plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's a coffee bean importer in my town, and I ask them for a few of their empty burlap coffee bean sacks from time to time, and use those as ground cover or mulching needs.  You have a lot of options, just get something on top of that bare dirt. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T19:44:16.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32676" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-17T19:45:40.793" Score="4" ViewCount="233" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I asked a question here about planting in a raised container a few weeks ago, and now I have some small seedlings!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted a couple seeds per hole, and it seems that in some cases, multiple plants have emerged from the same hole in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions are: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How can I tell whether I just have multiple sprouts from one seed or if I have multiple plants growing in the same spot?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If I do have multiple plants, when should I cut off the secondary (smaller) plant?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a few pics of what I have so far:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vhBHX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vhBHX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yIeoQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yIeoQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OHSmh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OHSmh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNvtJnRx2DbaZcRgDxcUprYuT6E2GVCyyH4VOit45SZGN1j86nzv_zdptDP6HoRxw?key=T29XczYteTdkOFNCYVJGQ3VsbzhKeGNzRWgyQnR3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17068" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-18T01:28:15.877" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T15:31:22.477" Title="How to tell if I have multiple seedlings/when to remove secondary seedlings?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32677" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32669" CreationDate="2017-04-17T20:39:08.893" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without being able to slice open those little packets I am guessing this is a leaf miner.  The top yellowed spot is caused by the female depositing eggs and or the (fly) gets a chance to eat.  Those little bumps are eggs.  When those eggs hatch then you will see squiggly lines that show where the larva has been to feed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best thing would have been to cover your plants so the fly wouldn't be able to lay eggs.  To use systemic insecticide now will ruin your tomatoes as edibles.  I would prune the leaves that are infected, now.  Cover your tomatoes with a 'row cover cloth' to prevent more egg laying. Tomatoes will add lots more leaves before flowering.  Hopefully you are using NPK with N as the lowest or at least equal number in relation to phosphorus and potassium. A little miner damage will not hurt your fruit. Keep pruning leaves that have these bumps/eggs.  Because this is early your plants will be putting out new foliage and the cover will prohibit adult flies to lay eggs in the newbie leaves.  Your fruit and plant need leaves with which to make food for energy to make flowers and fruit/tomatoes.&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.infonet-biovision.org/res/res/files/767.600x500.jpeg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;leaf miner cycle&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those flies easily get into your green house.  But potted like this (gosh I hope it is sterilized potting soil) will make it easy to sequester and cover with row cloth.  Super duper thing to discover...pin the edges down with soil so that the fly is not able to crawl beneath to get to your plants.  There are also ways to plant 'trap' crops that these flies love even more than your tomatoes.  You then get rid of the trap crop and tomatoes are protected.  But we can talk about that later.  Your tomatoe leaves are hosting a particular fly larva and you want to get rid of those leaves before the larva become flies and mine your leaves so badly they are unable to produce via photosynthesis energy for your plants.  Get rid of those leaves now and your plant will stop using up valuable energy trying to maintain those egg filled leaves and that energy will go into making new leaves...and flowers then fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-04-17T20:59:51.077" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T20:59:51.077" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32678" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32680" CreationDate="2017-04-17T21:09:48.757" Score="1" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have bought a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=l130#AllImages&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Magnolia stellata&lt;/a&gt; that has a height of 27 inches (70 cm) above ground and a root system 8 inches deep (20 cm). It looked like it was newly potted, so I went home and checked the roots. From what it looks like, the roots have been cut to fit the small pot.&#xA;Based on this information, can you tell what is the maximum height this plant will reach?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dZti9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dZti9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-25T18:03:33.810" LastActivityDate="2017-12-25T18:03:33.810" Title="How tall will this Magnolia stellata grow?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;magnolia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32679" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-17T22:00:19.120" Score="3" ViewCount="386" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last summer all of my plants started dying  I noticed this orange, stringy stuff which I think attacks plants.  They died out during the winter but they are back this Spring.  How do I get rid of them?  I thought it was just in the mulch but it is in the dirt also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17226" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-09T15:26:29.327" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T15:26:29.327" Title="What orange, stringy fungus might be killing my plants?" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2017-05-10T20:47:37.270" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32680" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32678" CreationDate="2017-04-17T23:27:42.057" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the ground, in 10-20 years, it should have a height between 1.5 to 2.5 metres, with a spread of 2.5-4 metres. The variation in possible size is down to weather conditions, soil suitability, and availability of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That assumes, if the roots have been pruned, the plant grows away quite happily in its new situation. If too much root material has been removed, it might not make it, or will limp along for a considerable period before recovering. Provided it recovers, ultimate height and spread will be the same, in other words, the root pruning might make a difference to speed of growth initially, but will have no impact long term.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-18T00:18:28.783" LastActivityDate="2017-04-18T00:18:28.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32681" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32666" CreationDate="2017-04-17T23:37:55.313" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I've read, primary use of this product is to control codling moth - you can do that with a couple of pheremone traps, followed by (if necessary) a treatment spray far less toxic than a product based on organophosphates, or a nematode based spray treatment. As it's a contact and not a systemic insecticide, using it before there's a problem is pointless, in other words, its not a preventative treatment. Further information on nematodes and pheremone traps here  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=489&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=489&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-17T23:37:55.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32682" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32667" CreationDate="2017-04-18T00:00:27.080" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What do you now have to mow this acreage with?  It isn't the size of the mower but a pasture allowed to get too tall to mow with a mower will surely stress any mower.  Good luck finding a riding lawn mower that will be able to be raised to cut that high.  There are however 'brush' mowers...talk about that in a moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pasture grass needs to be cut at least twice per season by a LINE TRIMMER.  They have these as self propelled 'brush' mowers  You'll be able to blast through tall grass, no bagging, small shrubs.  Two acres is a lot to do via hand held line timer but same idea.  Hiring someone to do this just might be your best bet.  I hired two old guys with two of these machines for one hour. Cost $50 bucks.  They did about two acres.  These machines are sometimes called Field and Brush mowers.  Gnarly and productive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The more often you mow, keeping the grass as high as possible will keep that pasture healthier. Grass growth slows way down at a higher height. Easier to mow. Do not go below 4 to 6&quot; using a line trimmer or brush mower.  Too short of grass will stress your grass and encourage competition by weeds you do not want.  If there is a lot of debris left, I'd use a gas blower to blow into piles, rake and remove to compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pasture grass needs fertilizer at least twice per season.  Leaving clippings does not replenish chemicals grass needs to be productive and vigorous.  Do you have animals grazing on this pasture?  Make sure to remove the animals way before they've 'mowed' your grass.  They will eat it down so far that your grass crop will be compromised and killed in spots. Remove poop to compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To look like a lawn and be able to use your lawn mower, mow once per week, no lower than 3&quot;.  Fertilize at least twice.  Aerate at least once per year.  Core aerate and leave cores right where they land.  This way you'll be able to use your riding mower.  Do not allow more than a week of growth or you will be stressing your mower.  Clippings should go into a compost pile or where you want to smother weeds.  Not too thick or you'll get smelly goo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am a firm believer in gas powered lawn mowers, weed wackers and blowers.  2 acres takes work and electric machines are WHIMPS.  I did this for a living for decades, I will never purchase electric anything for the landscape.  Use only gasoline with no ethanol.  Keep filters replaced, measure oil to mix in gas can, do not just dump.  Keep dirt out of these machines and they will last forever.  It is also more PRODUCTIVE using gas powered and maybe more FUN?  Makes your job easier and you'll be more likely to get out there more often.  Wear eye protection and ear protection!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-04-18T00:08:07.860" LastActivityDate="2017-04-18T00:08:07.860" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32683" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32676" CreationDate="2017-04-18T00:24:06.630" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seedlings don't branch initially - the first set of leaves are the cotyledons, and the second set are the true leaves. If you have two stems and two sets of cotyledons, that will be two separate seedlings. By the time they've got a few sets of leaves and might want to start branching, they will long have been removed from their seedbed and potted up or planted out. If you've sown straight into where you want them to grow, then remove seedlings while they're tiny, carefully and gently, so the ones which are left have sufficient space to develop properly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-18T00:24:06.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32684" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32660" CreationDate="2017-04-18T00:56:14.103" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will depend on the plant and the size of the pot. In general though, if the mark is gone the soil is pretty dry. As a side note, this same property of unglazed pottery has been used to water plants for centuries. Here is a link that explains: &lt;a href=&quot;http://permaculturenews.org/2010/09/16/ollas-unglazed-clay-pots-for-garden-irrigation/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://permaculturenews.org/2010/09/16/ollas-unglazed-clay-pots-for-garden-irrigation/&lt;/a&gt; and is also used to water violets as explained at this link: &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/use-ceramic-selfwatering-pot-38934.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/use-ceramic-selfwatering-pot-38934.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17119" LastActivityDate="2017-04-18T00:56:14.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32685" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32669" CreationDate="2017-04-18T01:25:01.850" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It does look like edema to me, due to the bumps on the undersides of the leaves. However, spider mites could be accompanying the edema. Also, alternaria, anthracnose or similar fungi might lead to similar yellow spots on foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To help prevent edema symptoms, you can try the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add some ventilation. A very small fan or vents to allow outdoor air to come in should help. A big fan may cause your soil and plants to dry out quickly (especially if it's warm; that's kind of how food dehydrators work—fans and heat).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If the room is warm and humid, making it cooler and dry should help (although warmth and humidity can be good for plants).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't crowd your plants. Crowded plants are more susceptible to edema.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't get the leaves wet. I've had a plant that seemed edema-free; then, I got the leaves wet, looked away for some minutes, and when I looked back it had really, really bad edema all of the sudden. Water seems to be able to be a trigger.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't stress about it too much. If it's just edema, you probably shouldn't throw plants away or anything like that. I did that with a tomato once when I didn't know what was wrong with it. It had edema much worse than your plants, but it would have been fine. I thought it might be a contagious disease or something. It's possible a fungal pathogen is involved, but I wouldn't worry about it overly. You can learn from the experience. I would work more on prevention for next time, improving conditions for now and such—rather than striving for all-out perfection right now (although it is possible the pathogen might cause issues later if/when conditions become favorable for it outdoors, if it's still dormant on your plant—which is possible, but you can always pull it up, or something, if that happens to a problematic degree).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing you just barely put the plants in your greenhouse. If so, the problem will likely go away soon (on new growth). If not so, I wonder if there's a lack of ventilation in your greenhouse, or if it's too hot at night (if it's warm, humid and dark without air movement at night that might increase the likelihood of fungal pathogens). My greenhouse is unheated (so it's much cooler at night); same for outdoor humidity domes. I'm not sure if that's why I've only had plants with edema issues indoors, but it's worth a try, perhaps (as long as you don't damage your plants; some people think damage from cold can contribute to fungal pathogens; I guess it really depends on a lot of stuff, though).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ventilation (air from outside) in humidity domes and smaller greenhouses is supposed to be important for transpiration, I've read (and I've noticed that plants won't grow—and in fact can dwindle—and that seeds won't sprout, if there are no open vents on the small greenhouse). I don't know how much of an issue this is for a larger greenhouse, but it might be worth investigating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-04-20T11:48:34.340" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T11:48:34.340" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32686" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32634" CreationDate="2017-04-18T02:22:13.473" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mulch will cut back the dirt splashing up significantly &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17037" LastActivityDate="2017-04-18T02:22:13.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32687" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-18T08:04:57.640" Score="1" ViewCount="151" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to have 4 inches of dirt and mulch mix dug up across my small approximant 400 sq ft front yard and move gutter drain...I want to know a rough price estimate so I'm not being taken advantage off any advice price knowledge or involved labor would be helpful as there are no wrong replies only shared knowledge and advice&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17228" LastActivityDate="2017-04-18T08:58:35.340" Title="What would someone charge for digging 4 inches of dirt/much?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ClosedDate="2017-04-18T12:30:59.543" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32690" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-17T19:24:44.750" Score="1" ViewCount="92" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wonder if cutting my grass long will compensate for the fact I don't have sprinkler system. Does this really work? Surely different grasses have different max heights. My grass is in South Carolina, has mature trees 30ft apart, and poor red clay soil. There are 25% gaps of strong sunlight between the shade of the trees.  I need to optimize the grass type and cutting height to minimize water consumption. I am using tall fescue, but  am considering something either self-seeding or rhizoidal so re-seeding is unnecessary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="59" OwnerDisplayName="Dale" LastActivityDate="2017-04-18T13:15:03.277" Title="Can lawn grass be cut higher than most people do for the purpose of reducing water consumption?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32691" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-18T12:41:26.250" Score="2" ViewCount="232" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to give my new redcurrant plant the absolute best chance of not being attacked or infested with insects, so I have the idea to put a warming cap/fleece cover on the plant to keep insects and birds out. In England there isn't a huge amount of sun, but a good amount during spring/summer. Could the plant suffer or get too hot from using the fleece covering during spring and summer? Or would it be fine? It is fleece so it is breathable and not plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The kind of fleece I would be using is this, it's not the thick clothing type fleece if that's what you were thinking - is this the row cloth you were talking about? Since this is what I've got, will this be ok? if you understand what I was referring to now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6iRAb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6iRAb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fleece covering&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure insects it would be since there are none right now, but I've struggled with these green aphids/black fly type insects on my wild strawberry plants I've also had in pots, and I'm worried that they'll decide to live on and infest the redcurrant plant. I'm also in general just worried about any kind of insect or worm deciding to make the berries their home, since several months ago at a completely different house I saw how easily worms infested a huge blackberry bush at another house in the town where I live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not know regarding white pines unfortunately. There are pine trees in this town but not close to my garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;thank you @Ecnerwal - I also heard about that but thought while it's not fruiting, the covering could be ok. Or would it be detrimental to the production of berries/pollinating even when its not fruiting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17230" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-19T14:18:10.090" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T15:07:37.473" Title="Could I use fleece covering over blackcurrant plant in England all year round?" Tags="&lt;berries&gt;&lt;protection&gt;&lt;currant&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32692" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32690" CreationDate="2017-04-18T13:15:03.277" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cutting grass longer is a great thing to do.  Less sunlight hitting the soil means less evaporation and less light for weeds to germinate.   Fescues require reseeding as the clumps will die off from what I understand.  I am a home owner in Ohio but I have researched this quite a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2017-04-18T13:15:03.277" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32693" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32691" CreationDate="2017-04-18T14:08:26.657" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not a good idea - fleece will likely encourage fungal infection, will block or filter any available sunlight and daylight, and reduce the plant's capacity for photosynthesis, plus, unless its tied tightly round the plant (which will likely damage the plant anyway), is very unlikely to keep out aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can construct a small fruit cage later on to try to prevent bird damage to the fruits - for more information on blackcurrant pests and diseases, and how to control or deal with them, see here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenfocused.co.uk/fruitarticles/blackcurrants/blackcurrant-pest.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenfocused.co.uk/fruitarticles/blackcurrants/blackcurrant-pest.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may find you don't get any major problems anyway, especially if your blackcurrant is growing in a mixed planting area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No, the fleece shown in your photo won't be alright - just leave the plant be, let it grow naturally outdoors as it's meant to, it needs unrestricted access to air, pollinating insects and that precious and relatively rare commodity in England, sunlight, and it doesn't matter whether it's a redcurrant, blackcurrant or any other kind of plant, they should not be covered up in this way throughout the growing season.  Deal with any problems it may (or may not) get as it grows. One really good reason, other than the ones mentioned, is redcurrant's tendency to get fungal infections - keeping it covered in any way will encourage this by restricting airflow and by the fact the fleece will get wet frequently. Fungal infection in the UK is a great risk generally to many plants because of the humidity and general dampness, and there are next to no good fungicidal treatments available to amateur gardeners here. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenfresco.co.uk/growing-fruit/redcurrants/redcurrant-diseases-pests-problems&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenfresco.co.uk/growing-fruit/redcurrants/redcurrant-diseases-pests-problems&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-19T14:31:12.710" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T14:31:12.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32694" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-18T10:51:33.120" Score="1" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I removed lots of things at one spot in my garden but one residue is this bunch of cable-looking roots:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RBNn9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RBNn9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to keep them because they belong to a plant (located on the far right of the image) that provides privacy between my neighbor's garden and mine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Problem is these roots look weird so I'd like to &amp;quot;push&amp;quot; them down to the ground. I was thinking of some U-shaped piece of metal planted in the ground but the upward pressure of the roots would probably push that thing out of the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any better idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2487" OwnerDisplayName="drake035" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T08:11:59.650" Title="How to maintain these plant roots close to the ground?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32695" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32691" CreationDate="2017-04-18T17:50:56.470" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackcurrant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;another good article about black currant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know what insects Droopy is worried about?  If you know, Droopy, then you could discover their cycle.  When are they most active, most insects have a short span of time where they do damage.  Fleece?  There is a row cloth that is FOR this purpose to allow light and water and air movement yet keep insects out during the time they...do damage. The 3 main problems with Black Currant will not be solved by covering your plants with anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mites that infect your shrub with a virus, birds and a fungus are your primary problems. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there White Pines in Europe?  Do you live near any White Pines?  This plant, your Ribes, is part of a cycle with White Pine to host White Pine Blister Rust, a fungus, that decimates forests of White Pine.  They tried to restrict or quarantine the planting Ribes here in the U.S. but haven't been able to see if restriction of planting Ribes has helped. But in Europe there is no restriction.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Row cloth (white, semi opaque, allows air, water and light) will hamper larger insects but not mites.  These mites infect Ribes with a virus or the virus is already there to be spread by mites, flying insects and birds...doubt that anything can deter that other than vigilance with a magnifying glass and hopefully you purchased a virus free plant from a reliable nursery.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecidophyopsis_ribis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;black currant gall mite&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bird netting (black plastic netting) placed over your shrub when it has developed fruit to discourage birds from eating your crop is easy and only for a short time later in the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-18T17:50:56.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32696" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-18T19:13:03.700" Score="5" ViewCount="236" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is this a fruit bearing tree or only ornamental?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fD9kK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fyfyb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17085" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-18T20:29:59.480" LastActivityDate="2017-04-18T20:30:25.770" Title="Is this a fruiting or ornamental (flowering) tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32697" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32696" CreationDate="2017-04-18T20:23:47.487" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks a lot like an apple tree, which would probably qualify as &quot;fruit bearing&quot; in the sense of your question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that the distinction between &quot;ornamental&quot; and &quot;fruit bearing&quot; can be quite fuzzy - trees planted for their fruit can be stunningly beautiful when in bloom (ask every apple-producing region that has a thriving tourism business during blooming season!) and many plants chosen for their decorative appearance produce edible fruit (for example &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaenomeles&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;flowering quinces&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelanchier&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;serviceberry&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest you wait until autumn to find out whether you like the fruit of your tree and until late winter, to give it a good pruning. It looks a bit overgrown and especially fruit bearing trees benefit from good pruning. Either educate yourself or find a good gardener to do it (and teach you, if possible). You might want to plan for an initial phase of getting the tree in shape over two or three years, then annual upkeep. I'd be wary of any gardener that wants to get it in shape with one drastic cutting session, but that's my personal approach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-18T20:30:25.770" LastActivityDate="2017-04-18T20:30:25.770" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32698" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32711" CreationDate="2017-04-18T20:36:00.327" Score="3" ViewCount="1430" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year, I built three raised beds and they were quite successful.  But, at the end of the season when I cleaned them out, I noticed small, thin roots growing throughout, which, I assume, are coming from my neighbors fir trees that are on the other side of my fence.  This week, I dug out all of the soil from one of the boxes and placed a barrier between the ground and the box (I realize this might only be a fix for a season or two).  I want to shovel the soil back in, but my question is, do I have to remove all the small roots? I am removing as many by hand as possible, but some are so small and singular, I'm not sure what to do.  Is it okay to leave them in there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17235" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-19T00:39:17.930" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T15:26:55.913" Title="Do I need to remove all of the small unknown roots from my raised bed?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32699" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32709" CreationDate="2017-04-18T20:39:55.820" Score="2" ViewCount="16320" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 5 acres of backyard that used to be farmland.  I planted grass, but I think I used the wrong kind, as it doesn't seem to be spreading.  Now ~5 years later, the yard looks decent, but the grass is fairly thin and the weeds (dandelions mostly) are starting to get heavy.  &lt;strong&gt;So I sprayed Weed B Gon on it, and now want to over-plant grass seed.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not concerned about getting it perfect.  If 10% of the seed I put down comes up and starts to spread over the years, I'd consider that a win.  Every amount above that certainly welcome, but...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just sprayed today, and it's supposed to rain in 2 days (and a few days in a row).  I was hoping I could toss down the grass seed tomorrow before rain, but I wasn't sure if that's too soon, or if it matters with this particular chemical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Can I over-plant grass seed a day after spraying Ortho Weed B Gon? If not, how long do I need to wait (and why)?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17234" LastEditorUserId="17234" LastEditDate="2017-04-19T04:51:13.457" LastActivityDate="2018-06-29T20:52:57.777" Title="How long until I can over-plant grass seed after spraying Weed b Gon" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32700" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24573" CreationDate="2017-04-18T21:09:52.250" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your adult or matured Aloe plants as shown are just fine planted in the the garden soil that you are using.  These are definitely Stockton's variety.  Purported to be the best for medicinal qualities. No additions necessary at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For your pups in pots you HAVE to use sterilized potting soil for potted plants, any potted plant. There are potting soils designed for succulents/cactus that I would probably use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer should be a simple NPK evenly numbered.  I'd use OSMOCOTE 14-14-14 for both potted babies as well as your mature plants.  Once or twice per year not their recommended use of every 3 months.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sterilized potting soil is a solid rule for anything planted in a pot.  Don't try adding anything.  Some potting soils come with mycorrhizae and bacteria and THAT is just fine.  Some potting soils come with added fertilizer, water holding sponges or granules and that is NOT fine.  No rocks at the bottom of the soil above the drainage hole!  Just soil. Acclimate your baby aloes before transplanting into the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are assuming the role 'nature' when pots are in play as well in the garden.  In the garden you need to add a little decomposed organic matter to feed the micro and macro organisms in your soil.  These organisms make a 'live' soil and are necessary to help plants symbiotically to up take chemicals or fertilizer..chemicals YOU are relegated to provide that your plants need to do photosynthesis to make their own food. Wait to give the baby or potted plants fertilizer.  Allow them to root well first, then give a bit of fertilizer. There are all kinds of fertilizer formulations just be aware that mulch or compost is not an all purpose fertilizer.  Before any fertilization I would acquire a soil test of your garden soil. This will tell you what your soil is lacking or has in abundance.  I assume someone else was 'gardening' here before you became owner?  Who knows what they added to that soil.  Your garden soil looks perfect for these aloes however.  'If it ain't broke don't try fixing it'...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your crop is beautiful. If you haven't already, I would get a soil test from my nearest Cooperative Extension Service...for cheap.  A little fertilizer is great, too much is death.  The baby aloes will adapt quickly to the garden soil as long as they are acclimated to the out doors and sun before planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for rocks, in the garden soil, whatever is there is fine.  You aren't going to change that soil anytime soon.  Soil is little tiny rocks. The size differentiates with different soils; clay is the tiniest flat particles making up soil mixtures, then silt, then the largest particles are sand.  All soils are mixtures of these 3 sizes and the percentages make a soil type.  Soil types change as one goes down into the subsurface profiles. The other rocks that are in the soil or laying around are going to represent the same as the original rocks that made up your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I only worry about rocks in my garden if they are bigger than my fist otherwise I leave them alone.  I am not sure what you meant by your rock question.  If the rocks were brought in it is most certainly for 'landscaping'.  They have nothing to do with your aloe except to create a 'rock garden'.  Those might not be anything like your indigenous rock and soil being brought from different quarries to sell to contractors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plants are happy.  Gorgeous, happy aloe plants.  I wish I could scoop one up and take it home!  Consider your baby aloes in pots as 'starts'.  Perfect for gifts or selling at the Farmer's market. Are those flowers yellow? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-04-19T17:52:39.143" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T17:52:39.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32701" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-18T22:03:19.380" Score="5" ViewCount="1726" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help me identify this? It's popped up in my lawn in early spring. I live in Massachusetts and this thing is everywhere. It covers the ground so well, I'm afraid it'll keep grass from coming in. The leaves are small, very low to the ground, and grow in thick bunches. It is really hard to pull up.  I'm not sure, but I think it produces a small white flower on a long stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click photo for full size image&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ezNjL.jpg!&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ezNjLl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/REOiq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/REOiq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17236" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T20:49:15.497" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T13:48:18.707" Title="What is this low-growing lawn weed with small white flowers in Massachusetts?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32702" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-19T01:02:03.330" Score="4" ViewCount="147" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are building a granny flat and have had to lose half of a two forked gum tree.  The edge of the flat will sit over the stump with the rest of the tree behind it.  Is there anything I can paint on, or do to the stump which will prevent regrowth without harming the root system, as we don't want to lose the rest of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17238" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T14:29:26.893" Title="Stopping regrowth of a tree stump without killing the other half of the tree" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32703" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-19T01:41:13.747" Score="5" ViewCount="2616" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wall 24 inches in height. &#xA;Want to minimize gap between fence and wall&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Contractor wants to nail 2x12s against the fence to create the small retaining wall. I don't like that because of the load on the fence, what todo when the fence has to be replaced or post, rotting problems. It does minimize the footprint of the &quot;wall&quot; though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking small gabion cages, which would end up mostly buried. Most that I have found are 12+ inches wide. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably best is to replace fence bottom with retaining wall but don't want to spend the extra money. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any other better solutions? Or anything to keep in mind?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pacific Northwest area&#xA;Fence has been standing for about 6 years as is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SBosn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MwWy7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17240" LastEditorUserId="17240" LastEditDate="2017-04-20T02:04:56.753" LastActivityDate="2017-11-05T13:40:04.743" Title="Best Retaining wall solution adjacent to fence" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;wall&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32704" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20306" CreationDate="2017-04-19T06:39:34.507" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could this also be &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarix&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;tamarix&lt;/a&gt;? Also called &lt;em&gt;Salt Cedar&lt;/em&gt;, it's considered invasive in some parts of the world. Some people here are trying to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/31157/14120&quot;&gt;get rid of them&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But some are also beautiful in the spring for they come all pink:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/19uSe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/19uSe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;definitely add some close up pictures and spring pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T06:39:34.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32705" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31494" CreationDate="2017-04-19T06:55:07.217" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your willow tree will root again if it's not too water-stressed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you should do is &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;dig or ask someone to dig a deep hole in the ground, to be able to put at least a quarter of the size of the whole trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;anchor your tree to the ground! You may use a strong stick, deeply stuck in the ground - 45° angle with the trunk, aligned in the prominent wind stream of your place&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NsvGa.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NsvGa.png&quot; alt=&quot;anchor your willow tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;remove unnecessary branches and leaves; prune heavily to avoid too much water to evaporate - anyway, the branches and leaves that are &quot;extra&quot; will die soon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;water frequently.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T06:55:07.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32707" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-19T09:37:13.790" Score="6" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been trying to germinate seeds from a mixed packet of tree/bush seeds:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Holly, &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rowan, &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Alder Buckthorn &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;and Dogrose. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Only these two seeds have been germinating nicely and becoming seedlings. I'm curious which of the four it is, could anyone tell me please? Or is it too early to tell? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WqFhD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WqFhD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H1EjN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H1EjN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/phpJI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/phpJI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5GTmH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5GTmH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17230" LastEditorUserId="17230" LastEditDate="2017-04-19T18:46:14.373" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T19:04:43.837" Title="Could you tell me of what four species these seedlings belong to?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32707" CreationDate="2017-04-19T10:23:01.893" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is very difficult at this stage. Not many people seeds trees and lock them at such stages.  I would say:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;it is not holly: it seems already too tall. On my hollies, I have leaves nearer ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;possibly it is not Alder Buckthorn (&lt;em&gt;Frangula alnus&lt;/em&gt;), because of the top leaf on first picture, it seems not an &quot;entire leaf&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;My gut will say it is not Dogrose (&lt;em&gt;Rasa canina&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: it could be also a weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think in a week or so, you could find it more easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T10:23:01.893" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32709" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32699" CreationDate="2017-04-19T12:07:44.443" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The product you used contains triclopyr as the active ingredient - this is a synthetic auxin, and its effect on seeds is either to cause them to germinate with abnormal growth, or more likely, prevent growth even if the seed does germinate. That's why the recommended gap between using it and sowing seeds is three weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm surprised the recommended gap between treatment and seeding is only three weeks - with most chemicals used on lawns, it's six weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-19T12:43:41.327" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T12:43:41.327" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32710" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32702" CreationDate="2017-04-19T12:14:13.553" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are erecting a building that close, the tree should be removed completely, or killed off. There is no way of treating the stump you've cut with a stumpkiller and have that not affect the other side. Further, eucalypts are perfectly capable of regrowing at a rate of 8 feet in a season if cut to the ground, so given that's the case, you should either cut the whole thing down and apply stumpkiller, or have it cut down and the roots bored out prior to construction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-19T14:29:26.893" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T14:29:26.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32711" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32698" CreationDate="2017-04-19T12:50:21.220" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you mean loose root pieces in the soil you want to put back in the beds, don't worry about small bits, just remove the larger more obvious ones, especially any in clumps. The small, broken root pieces are not going to grow, assuming they're not from some pernicious weed - from your description, they do sound like the fine roots put out by trees or large shrubs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T12:50:21.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32691" CreationDate="2017-04-19T15:07:37.473" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As others have pointed out, a shroud of fleece will trap moisture and prevent airflow, encouraging fungal diseases. It will also prevent pollinators getting to the flowers, but this is only an issue while the bush is flowering and before it sets fruit. Depending on your location, a currant may have blossomed already. My gooseberry has.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main insect pest that will give you problems on a redcurrant is likely to be gooseberry sawfly - I've had these on a gooseberry bush and they stripped it bare. They are quite big caterpillars, though, and the remedy is to pick them off when you see them. If you cover it in something opaque you won't have visibility what's going on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These bugs however eat the leaves; birds are the main pest with regards to producing bountiful soft fruits, and covering with mesh/netting is the normal practice to protect your harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17117" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T15:07:37.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32713" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32698" CreationDate="2017-04-19T15:26:55.913" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are you sure they're not from your vegetable plants? If they were from a fir tree then I think that would be obvious - they would be connected to the tree by some more substantial roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what pernicious weeds you have in Oregon, but personally I'd remove on sight anything thistle or bindweed like (white, fairly uniformly 4mm thick and cord-like), dandelion, dock and cinqfoil (orange tapering taproot) or buttercup (tufts of relatively short white roots).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17117" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T15:26:55.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32714" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32676" CreationDate="2017-04-19T15:31:22.477" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd wait till they've got one or two true leaves, then you can identify and carefully remove any deformed or otherwise less healthy-looking ones. I've just done this with my squash plants, they were 6-8&quot; tall and just getting their second true leaves (they were spaced about 2&quot; apart though).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17117" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T15:31:22.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32646" CreationDate="2017-04-19T15:47:09.950" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think that is a wild tobacco plant - Nicotiana Glauca...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotiana_glauca&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotiana_glauca&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17117" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T15:47:09.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32716" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26869" CreationDate="2017-04-19T15:58:11.293" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants exhibiting what is called &quot;apical dominance&quot; grow continuously from an &quot;apical&quot; bud (at the end of the shoot), and suppress outgrowth from &quot;axillary&quot; (lateral) buds. Removing the apex (cutting the end off) stops the production of suppressant hormone and will promote the outgrowth of lateral branches. Pruning is done for several reasons, in this case you are pruning to achieve a desirable shape. Therefore think about what shape you want the tree to assume, and cut back the main two branches to a point where you can see a healthy apical bud (in the armpit of one of the leaves) that will result in the desired shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17117" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T15:58:11.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3148" CreationDate="2017-04-19T16:16:28.503" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;coffee grounds ok, tea ok, filters not ok. use only biodegradable filters.&#xA;i have hundreds of filters and tea bags in my compost that have not eroded at all and that is many months accumulation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17248" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T16:16:28.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32718" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32694" CreationDate="2017-04-19T16:59:03.480" Score="1" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Any better idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead of pushing them down, you could build a fence of some kind that you can train it along. If they're vines (as opposed to roots), then you may even be able to encourage them to grow shoots along the fence. If it was a wisteria, jasmine or honeysuckle kind of plant (i.e. with some decorative value) then it might be worth considering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17117" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T16:59:03.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32719" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32707" CreationDate="2017-04-19T18:58:53.777" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should always used bagged potting soil for any plant in a pot and especially to germinate seeds.  Sterilization by boiling water is not enough.  It needs to be baked for at least 15 minutes on high heat. All seeds germinate on different time schedules.  These seeds just might be some indigenous plant that was already in your soil that germinates quickly.  What were the directions on your packet? Was this meant to be sowed out in the wild, or a cultivated garden?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This garden soil and this wet is going to make it tough to germinate your seeds. Not only moisture is necessary to soak the seed but air is critical as well. Part of drainage are the roots themselves sucking up water.  There are not enough roots on these two babies and the seeds might just rot before germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd get another flat like this one, a bag of potting soil (no fertilizer added no water holding sponges or granules) fill those little divided holes with just soil, firm that soil down by bouncing and shaking the tray.  Spray water on top to moisten JUST 1/2 inch no more.  Divide the seeds into 'like' seeds buy looks. place a seed on top of the soil then push the seed gently into the soil to its proper depth &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/88597-seed-depth-planting.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;seed planting guide&lt;/a&gt; determined by the size of the seed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plant twice the widest part of the seed.  I think this article gives the same rule as well.  Large seeds are planted deeper than tiny seed.  I always cover with a dome of plastic or make my own little polytunnel using Saranwrap and popsicle sticks and tuck the ends beneath the tray.  When the top of the soil starts to get dry, don't allow to dry all the way, I spray it with water to moisten.  You seed needs moisture to soften and allow the seed to grow.  Too much moisture, that seed will suffocate, drown.  Seeds also need warmth.  Light is not that big of a deal as they are in darkness but light is necessary as soon as you see germination.  I use grow lights for starts.  At least 200, 300 watt fluorescent.  These you can lower right on top of your germinating seeds without frying them.  At least 4&quot; clearance.  Warm room or a warm grow pad beneath the seed tray.  Timer to turn the lights off for nighty night. Grins.  Daylight hours 16 to 18 hours at least 6 hours of darkness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Label your seed trays with and example of one of your seeds taped to the label with clear scotch tape.  You want to remember what it was you planted.  With the seed and a more mature baby plant we should be able to help identify which is which.  Call the company or pull their site up on the internet.  They should be able to tell you which seed goes to which of those 4 plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If any of these seeds make it, when roots start coming out of the bottom, transplant into 3&quot; or 4&quot; max sized pots with potting soil!  When roots begin to grow out of the bottom drain hole in those, up pot again into a 1 gallon pot or 6&quot; diameter pot using potting soil.  When the roots begin to fill this pot you should then be able to transplant in the garden or pasture or sell.  Each one labeled correctly and date of germination. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the time your plants make it to the 3 or 4&quot; pots, a little fertilizer is in order.  To keep it simple use OSMOCOTE 14-14-14 extended release.  Use half of what they recommend.  Remember these little plants will be transplanted one more time, or more.  With fresh potting soil add a little OSMOCOTE.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before they are able to be transplanted in the garden or the large body of soil out of doors these plants will need to be acclimated to the out of doors.  There are trays that will hold 4 of the round 1 gallon pots or 6 to eight of the square 1 gallon pots.  This will help to carry the plants out side beginning with 10 minutes for 3 or 4 days, then 20 minutes for 3 or 4 days then an hour for a week, 2 hours for 2 weeks, then 4 hours for a week...until you get to up to 16 hours out of doors.  As long as there is no chance of frost/freezing allow them to stay out all night for a week.  This is but a sample schedule.  You should be able to get the idea, watching your plants and knowing your zone, weather you might be able to speed up this acclimation or possibly drag it out further.  Your new plants should be planted in their forever homes at least a month and 1/2 before any chance of frost is possible to allow them establish well.  A soil test before fertilization of your garden soil.  Decomposed organic matter spread on top of soil around the base (not considered fertilizer).  Trees planted so that only the roots are below the soil.  Nothing even mulch should touch the bark of your baby trunks.  Plant directly into your soil without any amendments.  The depth of that pot should be the depth of your hole or rather the depth of your root ball is the depth of that hole no deeper.  That root ball should sit on undisturbed subsoil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send pictures once you've up potted the first time.  Call the seed company to find out which seed is what.  This packet must have been meant to throw willy nilly into a pasture or meadow like wild flowers.  They are thinking that 99 percent of those seeds will never germinate or mature into a shrub/tree.  I like that you want to make full use of these seeds to be able to plant them according to their mature height and width.  The one gallon gallon plants will require at least an 8' distance from another tree or shrub for health.  That seed company should be able to give you proper spacing of each species...or we can help with that when you get them to the proper size for transplanting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use potting soil, trust me.  Don't start watering deeply until you've got at least 4 or more&quot; of growth in the starter trays.  Then allow to dry before watering again.  This soil is heavy and saturated.  I doubt you'll get any more germination.  I am betting this is an Alder that loves wet feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-04-19T19:04:43.837" LastActivityDate="2017-04-19T19:04:43.837" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32720" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-19T20:26:42.767" Score="9" ViewCount="4717" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've got a lot of lawn that we don't use (maybe 150x35') and I don't love mowing.  (Last year we let this area grow out into 24&quot; tall grasses.)  I like the idea of getting a bunch of wildflower mix and just turning that land over to some self-seeding annuals, but how would that work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read some articles that say I would need to till the soil before planting wildflower seeds.  Using a walk-behind tiller over that area sounds exhausting (I did exactly that on our nearby 50x30' garden).  If tilling is necessary, are there any ways to make that easier on myself?  Is the goal of tilling to remove the root system of the grass &amp;amp; weeds, or just to provide enough space for the wildflowers to get a start?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've noticed the golf course on my way to work has torched a large space - presumably to prep the site for new grass or something.  Could I do the same?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In short, what are my options?  Has anyone done this before?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;: answering some questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I haven't set a budget, but I would like to keep the entire cost under $500 (preferably ~$250)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;we're in northern Vermont on the warmer end of zone 3, nearly 4&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;our soil is silty clay loam - we live on the sides of an old river valley&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;our aesthetic preferences run toward the organic side - we don't need to have everything neat &amp;amp; trim &amp;amp; tidy.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-02T00:09:04.740" LastActivityDate="2018-04-02T00:09:04.740" Title="How to replace lawn with wildflowers?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;&lt;meadow&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32721" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32723" CreationDate="2017-04-19T21:25:28.677" Score="5" ViewCount="1278" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning to do some indoor gardening. I've build some containers large enough to host 1200kg of soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am gonna use the soil form the garden and forest, but I  would like to sterilise it first. I am not interested in commercially available sterilised soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Firstly&lt;/strong&gt;, when is soil considered sterilised? By which I mean to what temperature must be heated and how long must stay at that T.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Secondly&lt;/strong&gt;, what procedure do you recommend? I am actually dealing with large amount of soil, so I am wondering if there are any commercially available products for that kind of work and &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thirdly&lt;/strong&gt;, how it is done on industrial scale?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="17223" LastEditDate="2017-04-19T21:43:50.617" LastActivityDate="2020-08-14T11:20:35.363" Title="How to sterilise soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32722" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32721" CreationDate="2017-04-19T22:09:13.973" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally, ordinary soil is not sterilized commercially because its not necessary. Bagged or loose topsoil can be purchased, but it is not intended for use in pots, so there's no need for it to be sterile. Sterilized potting composts are available for sale, usually produced using an aerobic hot composting method because most contain humus rich materials. Sterilized loam is used in some potting mixes, but I'm not at all sure how manufacturers carry out the sterilization process - likely in industrial machines which produce steam and heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you insist on doing this rather than the better option of buying good potting soil, you will need to sterilize the soil you collect in relatively small batches - some methods involving microwaves, steam or the oven are listed in the link here - note if you use the oven method, you will need a sugar or meat thermometer to check the temperature of the soil as it heats so it does not get too high: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/sterilizing-soil.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tips To Sterilize Potting Soil, Garden Soil And Soil For Seeds&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-04-21T12:23:48.823" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T12:23:48.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32723" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32721" CreationDate="2017-04-20T00:23:30.707" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It will take 30 minutes at 180 to 200 degrees F. minimum. You will need additives.  The best potting soils have very little actual soil in the mixture.  You'll need vermiculite, do not use peat, decomposed organic matter, mycorrhizae fungus, bacteria added to your soil (soil should not exceed 25% of the total volume), do not use sand.  After mixing everything except the fungus and bacteria to add later... THEN bake it for half an hour.  I should be nice to tell you that the smell is worse than burning BEANS.  And lingers.  You will find that commercial potting soil is better and easier and less expensive.  Why do you not want commercial potting soil?  I am very particular and very distrustful of commercial anything.  This is one of the few things that can't be cheapened and ruined or made to be a detriment.  We always learn mostly by mistakes anyway.  Just write down what you are doing, how much of any additive, what the soil was comprised of (gotta have a soil test well would be beneficial), what the pH was, what water you are using, fertilizer regimen, what kind of mulch and how decomposed it was, the kind of pot, no rocks or gravel beneath the soil, what species plants you plan to use in that pot, how much light is available and does this fit with the plant's needs, with pH in particular.  Raise the bottom of the pot off any surface to enhance drainage.  If I thought I could make better soil for less or even equal, I would.  But I KNOW this stuff and I would never plant pots without commercial potting soil...unless apocalypse happens.  I HAVE tried making my own soil, never again.  Too lazy, doesn't save money and the stupid commercial stuff works GREAT.  Need a big oven or you'll only be able to do a gallon at a time.  Industrial ovens, flash heat, bacterial killing lighting, air pumps to pull the air out and pumps to replace the air.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T00:23:30.707" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32724" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32720" CreationDate="2017-04-20T01:01:24.553" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;First thing to do is outline the area you want in wildflowers only.  Rent a sod cutter that takes out all grass and roots...turn over to store as compost or to make plant beds.  Great stuff, don't get rid of it.  Pile up on areas you'd like beds or areas you would like to kill weeds. Turn upside down and top with 4 inches of topsoil and lastly 2&quot; of mulch.  Dig a 6&quot;x 6&quot; trench along the defined edge of your lawn...this is for any beds made for ornamental plants, annuals, perennials  I use trenches to define the edges between plant beds and lawn.  Once you've made the beds with the sod then add the topsoil and then the mulch.  Plant when you want. The height of the bed will reduce quickly. Pile as high as 2 feet which will flatten to less than a foot as the grass is decomposed.  No worry of grass or weeds growing from beneath at least 2 inches of soil or mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Back to your wildflower garden, wildflowers do look great with added pasture grasses.  For the winter you weed wack down to 8&quot; and the next spring, those flowers will have reseeded and the grasses will have out competed the weed weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After removing the sod (2&quot; thick) I'd simply rake the surface to loosen the soil.  Throw meadow seeds and wildflower seeds by hand over the soil. It will look more natural if you do not mix thoroughly with the grass. Rake with the back of the rake (soft leaf rake not rock rake), water shallowly for 2 weeks keeping just the top inch of soil moist.  When most of your plants reach 4 to 6&quot; then start to water deeply and allowing to dry before watering again.  Fertilizer, I'd just use OSMOCOTE extended release 14-14-14 after the starts are 4&quot;.  Err on the light side and if possible, use a Scott's hand spreader.  Shouldn't have to fertilize again until next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep the seed bed moist, do not saturate.  Do not allow to dry out until you've got 4 -6&quot; of germinated grass/flowers above the soil.  Then slowly allow to dry out more and more training your plants to develop deep roots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mow in the fall to the 6 &quot; height.  Or wait until spring, my favorite time to clean the garden.  The dead plants are spreading seed and protecting the perennials by making mini greenhouses using the dead material.  What is your zone and soil type?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ANOTHER IDEA&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sod cutter, take out sod and keep it for plant beds or weedy places.  Now, when your soil is dry dry dry because of your clay, rent a rototiller and 'fluff' up your soil in that area.  Grade with a rake, rent a roller that you fill with water, compress all that fluffy soil.  Spread your seed, take pieces of your sod turn over and shake to thinly cover seed.  Roll again.  OR, after rototilling, spread seed, rake with the back of the soft rake, then roll again to get good seed to soil contact.  Fluffing up lawn bed soil should fill that 2&quot; of sod you removed easily if not more.  Why did I not see the measurements?  This would actually be better for the seed and what you would like to achieve.  An even cheaper, lazier way would be to rototill your area with the grass in place. Sounds as if that is what you did the last time.  This time weed wack it all down to the ground, scalping the grass (here is where you could promote sweeps of grasses...the grass you want to keep don't scalp).  Rototilling should be very easy without the long grass slowing the tines. Some of it will grow back, don't know what grasses are in your lawn but probably Fescue which will look great mixed with wildflowers AND you'll mow it down for the winter or in the spring.  Won't be as thick with wildflowers but far cheaper.  After spreading your seed, you should use the roller to get the soil seed contact.  This should make that area raised above the lawn or adjoining areas a few inches in fact.  I would probably chose to do the one removing the sod, rototilling, raking, seed, roll using pasture seed that is able to grow taller than lawn grass species and yet not get too dense to allow wildflowers to seed and get planted in soil for the next year.  You'll probably need to reseed a bit the next spring.  The rental for the roller will be $25 (estimate only), the rototiller for a whole day $75, the sodcutter for the entire day, $75.  You can easily get the jobs done within 4 hours and return for even less unless they have minimums.  We are up to $175 and your seed cost and shoot, I'd use good ole OSMOCOTE a one pound bottle costs $16 or less.  Lightly spread...the beads might be too big for a hand spreader so spreading by hand is in order.  Doing this on a lawn, fertilizing by hand will be very apparent, but not a wildflower bed.  Try to shoot a density of 2 beads per sq. inch.  It will be easier to do now than after germination.  After your bed gets growing, 1 foot, you should thrown a bit more onto this bed.  About the same amount you used to get 2 beads per square inch average.  The first time you do this MEASURE the amount so that you can use the same amount the second time.  See how this relates to the amount the directions tell you to use.  Less is better but you have to have some fertilizer.  The nitrogen is IN that sod you removed.  Which is good to remove it as too much fertilizer will make your wildflowers luscious with leaves not flowers.  OSMOCOTE 14-14-14 at even numbers will give just enough chemicals in the right proportion to promote reproductive growth, ie) flowers.  This might be all that is needed for fertilizer for the entire season.  Send a picture at the end of the season.  One more fertilization might benefit your wildflower and grass bed to allow the perennials and grass more root growth during the winter.  If stuff starts growing too early next spring, go get row cloth to cover the newbie plants at night.  Cheap.  Zone 3...perhaps weed wack the entire plot in late fall before frost, then cover with row cloth for the winter.  That will help protect the more tender seeds as well as promote more root growth for the perennials.  That debris you cut off will have a chance to begin to decompose.  Just trying to help you to not have to repeat all this work.  Have you purchased your wildflower seeds?  Try to get them from growers in your zone...reputable seeds.  Don't get them at the grocery store or home depot.  Look for ZERO weed seeds or plants you don't want growing.  A feed store will have different mixes of pasture grasses.  Try to get ONE type of pasture seed.  Throw this seed in 'sweeps' not evenly mixed with the wildflowers.  I can explain more if these solutions fit your budget!  That is a lot of topsoil that won't be necessary to buy!  I love using machines, each of these machines should be easy peasy to do.  I'd take out the sod myself but make sure you lower your mower or use a weed wacker first and take that vegetation down to the ground before cutting the sod.  Rototilling the bare soil will be very different than the last time you rototilled!  I am the laziest gardener in the world, I swear.  These machines should be ENJOYABLE and confidence building to use!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-04-20T19:24:43.773" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T19:24:43.773" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32725" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-20T04:23:14.953" Score="6" ViewCount="159" Body="&lt;p&gt;The house we recently moved into has a large tree that I believe to be a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tulip Poplar&lt;/a&gt; in the back yard.   It's 40-45 feet tall and the trunk is roughly 21 feet around (~6.7 feet across).  However, it was topped before we bought the house, and the trunk is covered with ivy for almost the entire height.  I don't know how old the tree is, but the house is about 90 years old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aside from one (large) side branch that appears dead, the remaining branches are growing leaves, but the arborist I've talked to (over the winter) said that they probably aren't enough to feed it.  The tree is close enough to the house that if it fell in our direction, it would cause serious damage, but it's also close enough to the edge of the property that if it fell in almost any other direction, it will &quot;just&quot; hit a parking lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As such, I have the following two questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is the tree as much of goner as it seems? Or is it likely to be able to last for a while if left alone?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If we do have the tree taken down, could I find someone who could benefit from that (other than via firewood or wood chips)?  Would there be anyone worth contacting to see if some of the wood would be useful to them?  Or should I just let the arborist who takes it down do whatever they choose with it?&lt;br&gt;&lt;sub&gt;(For some far-fetched thoughts, might anyone be interested in turning some of it into one of those tree slices at nature museums which point out all the rings for historic events?  Or climate research?  Or is it practical to commission someone to make something out of the lumber?)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, pictures!  (Click for full size)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gdYWj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gdYWj.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/86ryp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/86ryp.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17255" LastEditorUserId="17255" LastEditDate="2017-08-04T03:34:17.967" LastActivityDate="2017-08-04T18:48:58.477" Title="What can I do with a large, old tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32726" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-20T06:17:09.757" Score="2" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is a tree of some sort and I was thinking maybe a money tree but the leaves seem to look different.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They seem rounder and they feel sort of waxy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Wk7H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Wk7H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17256" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-04-20T06:25:13.793" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T06:25:13.793" Title="I need help figuring what kind of tree/plant this is so i know how to care for it!" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32727" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30338" CreationDate="2017-04-20T07:57:10.143" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;To me, the yellowing on older leaves looks like plain old nitrogen deficiency. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17257" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T07:57:10.143" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32728" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20306" CreationDate="2017-04-20T09:07:53.583" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maybe a wild guess:&#xA;To me it looks like a Tumbleweed of the Salsola spcies.&#xA;It was my first impression considerinfy you mentioned Arizona desert. Googeling it shows a couple of pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17259" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T09:07:53.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32729" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32733" CreationDate="2017-04-20T11:55:23.487" Score="1" ViewCount="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a nulles clementine that isn't doing too great after a winter indoors, for a variety of different reasons that don't surprise me in the least. I am, however, at a loss to explain the new growth I'm seeing on it, which is coming up in the form of many (really) small leaves where there should only be one new one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/isby4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/isby4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Syfse.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Syfse.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what sort of deficiency or disease would cause growth like this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14060" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T15:49:03.063" Title="Deformity in the form of many, miniature leaves" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32730" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-20T13:25:53.803" Score="4" ViewCount="131" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small collection of succulents. 5 years ago I brought home a stapelia that never bloomed. Last year it started to change colors. It grows green at first but eventually changes to this brownish color. The plant keeps growing. Is there any problem with it? It doesnt look healthy. Thank you&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L27LG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17261" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T13:25:53.803" Title="Stapelia problems?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32731" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-20T13:32:15.557" Score="4" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two specimens and I am trying to positively identify them. So far, I am thinking both are varieties of Echinopsis(Lobivia) aurea. I am far from sure though. So, am I any close with my guess?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Specimen 1:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Spines &amp; early buds:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n8ioL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n8ioL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Mature buds:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/egyl5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/egyl5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt; Flowers: &lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/byYdo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/byYdo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VBvfo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VBvfo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Specimen 2:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Spines &amp; early buds:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fcUuD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fcUuD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1nsFs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1nsFs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Mature buds:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/begmD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/begmD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt; Flowers: &lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1apgF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1apgF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ogQNQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ogQNQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9631" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T13:32:15.557" Title="Cactus id: Echinopsis aurea?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32732" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32736" CreationDate="2017-04-20T15:46:58.343" Score="4" ViewCount="1194" Body="&lt;p&gt;Basically the title. I am new to gardening indoors and wondering why is it best to use potting soil for potted plants? I mean for growing seedlings and also plants that spent whole lifetime in pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some obvious reasons, such as that the potting soil doesn't get &quot;compressed&quot; over time and that it is probably sterilized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But one could use cocos fibres mixed with normal soil and well... hoped that the the normal soil isn't infected with some fungi or pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="17223" LastEditDate="2017-04-20T15:52:14.957" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T02:18:10.277" Title="What makes potting soil good for pots?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32733" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32729" CreationDate="2017-04-20T15:49:03.063" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't worry, it's not a disease. The tiny leaves will become branches and the larger leaves next to them will fall. This is something very common for plants that recover from a hard time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T15:49:03.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32736" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32732" CreationDate="2017-04-20T16:13:42.023" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Potting soil also gets compressed over time.&#xA;The most important thing about potting soil is that it shouln't contain fungus spores, insect eggs and weeds. I say &quot;it shouldn't&quot; because I have bought potting soil with earthworms and some germinated seeds, probably weeds, but not sure since I have removed them immediatly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, potting soil has a label that lists its properties: pH, NPK content, microelements, so you know for sure what can be grown in it. One of the reasons I use potting soil is the easiness of procurement. I don't have to take soil from the edge of the forest, add decomposed leaves and sand, because I buy it from the store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know people who use garden soil in their pots and their plants also look healthy (Aloe, Pelargonium and Saintpaulia), so in the end it's up to you to decide if it's enough to hope that garden soil is free of pests, or you want to take the prevention route.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T16:13:42.023" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32737" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32732" CreationDate="2017-04-20T16:18:08.233" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The real question is why the use of garden soil is  not recommended in pots. Garden soil has a host of life forms within it, including bacteria, pathogens, fungi and various microfauna. All of this is more or less kept in balance in open ground, but if you dig some up and put it in a pot, its possible it will contain pathogens - those pathogens, whilst harmless in open ground, will not be so contained in a pot. There may also be issues with poor drainage with many garden soils. However, many people do just use garden soil, and the plants growing in it are okay, but there's a risk it won't be. That is one reason why sterilised potting soils are used. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most potting soils are created from composted materials - it's processed aerobically, so the contents are naturally sterilised by the heat generated in this process. Even so, there is plenty of humus rich material within it, which is great for plants. Other things can be added to potting mixes, such as sterilised loam, perlite, peat, fertilizer and so on, depending on the intended use of the particular potting soil. Seed and cutting potting soil has much less or no fertilizer within it, so that's one formulation; there are other specialist formulations for bonsai, orchids, ericaceous mix for acid loving plants, houseplants, and so on. There are also the general use potting soils (called potting compost here) - in the UK, these are  known as multi purpose, but we also have John Innes, which comes in three grades or 'strengths'. Formulation of JI varies between 1, 2 and 3 in terms of ratio of loam to peat to other ingredients, including more or less fertilizer. The king of potting soils, John Innes, but not available in the USA so far as I'm aware.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are starting growing in pots or containers from scratch, then its better to invest in the best potting soil you can find that's appropriate for what you'll be growing, rather than attempting to sterilise ordinary soil and then working out what you need to put back in to make it a useful growing medium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This question and answers here might be helpful &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/8782/why-use-potting-mix-instead-of-natural-soil?rq=1&quot;&gt;Why use potting mix instead of natural soil?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-20T17:04:25.450" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T17:04:25.450" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24573" CreationDate="2017-04-20T17:23:05.020" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't see why &lt;a href=&quot;https://middlepath.com.au/plant/aloes_Aloe_Vera_barbadensis-miller.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller&lt;/a&gt; should have different treatment compared to other &lt;a href=&quot;https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_vera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aloe Veras&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aloe Vera is native from Africa semi-desertic regions. &#xA;It's accustomed to dry rocky or sandy conditions, similar to what you have in your yard on the picture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably sand shores aren't appropriate because of the salt, and constant high moisture level. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Which soil should be used for potting the new Aloe baby? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To have ideal soil, you should mix sand with potting soil. Use river sand instead of beach sand. If you can afford it, go for Granit grit (crushed granit). &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.ca/books?id=Onv60-c6iEIC&amp;amp;pg=PA174&amp;amp;lpg=PA174&amp;amp;dq=aloe+vera+potting+soil&amp;amp;source=bl&amp;amp;ots=8eTaPgwthi&amp;amp;sig=Sfuzw8YfHRQVg6JFxeW6Rpjslvg&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ei=DD5jUMb6LaHj0gH__IDwDg#v=onepage&amp;amp;q=aloe%20vera%20potting%20soil&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ref&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another hint is to use perlite in your potting mixture: 1/3 sand, 1/3 perlite, 1/3 potting soil. Perlite will enforce  creating perfectly aerated &quot;desert type&quot; soil for your aloe. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At a local gardening store, you can also ask for potting soil made for cactuses. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Avoid increasing the moisture level of the soil with compost: rather use slow release fertilizer pelets.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;If you keep your  plant in the same pot for a very long time, regularly add &lt;strong&gt;very dilute&lt;/strong&gt; liquid fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/110493-root-aloe-vera-plant.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ref&lt;/a&gt; for repoting the baby. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol start=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Which soil should be used with the adult Aloe? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sandy and rocky soil should do, which you could fertilize with compost tea from time to time &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ol start=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;What is the purpose of rocks in growing the Aloe? Only landscaping? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sand and rocks are needed to aerate the soil. Aloe will grow &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aloeplant.info/aloe-root-care/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;shallow roots&lt;/a&gt; that like breathing.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;If soil stays too moist, lack of sun could cause disease and roots to rot. So you need good draining soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15012" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T17:23:05.020" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32739" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-20T19:06:45.423" Score="1" ViewCount="155" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are planting a garden at our preschool, including a rain barrel painted by the kids. The downspouts on the school are 6 inches by 6 inches. All of the rain barrel diverters I have found are designed for 2x3 or 3x4 downspouts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does a diverter for a 6x6 downspout exist? If not, any suggestions on how to make one?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="145" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T19:34:50.077" Title="rain barrel diverter for 6x6 downspout" Tags="&lt;rain-barrel&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2017-04-30T00:35:58.017" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32740" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32739" CreationDate="2017-04-20T19:34:50.077" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A metal shop or welding shop can produce one for you for around 30 bucks...depends on the shop...there is also another fun way to make a different kind of guidance system for the water coming out of the gutters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A big thick antique (maybe) chain attached to the downspot coming from the gutter will 'hold' water to it as it flows into the barrel.  Very pretty.  If it is a major downpour the barrel itself will either catch the water and when full allow the water to splash out widely enough to not gouge a hole beneath the downspout.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just an idea.  Otherwise, I've had specially made fittings for woodstoves for instance.  Look up Welders, Welding, Metal Smiths...tell them what you need and at least they will direct you to a shop that deals with making customized fittings.  I was amazed how inexpensive this was!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T19:34:50.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32741" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32732" CreationDate="2017-04-20T20:23:17.347" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Normal soil&quot; is so variable that it's a fairly meaningless term unless you qualify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used to live in a part of the UK where the topsoil was about 30% sand and 70% fine silt, with the water table two feet below the surface all the year round. If you cut off literally any part of a plant and just stuck it in the ground, it would grow. The local joke was that even bamboo canes used to stake plants &lt;em&gt;sometimes&lt;/em&gt; sprouted leaves! In that situation, buying potting compost was a complete waste of money.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, where I live now most of the soil is heavy red clay, and if left alone it quickly becomes the same color and texture as house-bricks - completely useless for potted plants!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally, you also need different types of compost for different uses. For example, compost for growing seedlings needs to contain nutrients that are easily for the young plants to take up through their roots, but in fairly small amounts so the plants are not &quot;burned&quot; by the overdose - it doesn't matter that the nutrients are all used up by the time the plants are moved on to other pots or into the garden. On the other hand, for growing mature plants that will only be repotted every few years, you need a bigger supply of slow-release fertilizer. Of course there are also more specialized compost requirements for lime-hating or acid-loving plants, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you want is a product with a controlled and known specification, that suits the plants you want to grow. If you are new to gardening, the simplest way to do that is buy a reputable brand from a garden store. As you get more experience, you might want to try alternative methods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastEditorUserId="11120" LastEditDate="2017-04-20T20:32:30.037" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T20:32:30.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32742" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-20T20:50:09.933" Score="5" ViewCount="599" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always found grafting fascinating, and I am now picking this again.&#xA;I was wondering about which trees I can do grafting/combine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a table that I can refer to? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12001" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-21T17:53:47.663" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T17:53:47.663" Title="Which trees can I do grafting? is there some combination table I can refer to?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="17" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32720" CreationDate="2017-04-20T22:04:39.460" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming you want to create an actual meadow i.e. permanent diverse grassland with (predominantly perennial) forbs you need to reduce fertility. As a landscape architect I'm frequently asked to design natural meadows for ecological mitigation (usually much large areas than yours). They all start the same way: strip topsoil down to subsoil, power-harrow subsoil (rotovate at your scale) to create a tilth. Then two glyphosate treatments at least 6 weeks apart to (hopefully) create a sterile seed bed and then sow with an appropriate wildflower mix, preferably of local provenance. Note: no topsoil is brought back, no watering takes place and absolutely no fertiliser is used. You might get away without the fertiliser, but it would be advisable to give time for weeds to emerge then doing a second cultivation before seeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Size does matter with meadows: the diversity tends to come from the varying moisture/fertility levels that will develop naturally across larger areas. Small areas will tend to be more uniform and so support a more limited range of species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are after a prairie-style garden, such as those popularised by Piet Oudolf, reducing competition with grass is still the key to success. In his schemes he uses deep-rooting plants as the basis of his schemes. He then buries the existing top-soil under sand or other nutrient-deficient medium (any free draining crushed aggregate, even demolition waste can work) to deny lawn type grasses access to moisture and nutrients. This will tend to create a rather open patchy grassland. Annual flowers can then come and go from these gaps. However, as the soil is rather open weeds can also come and not so often go. As a result, the schemes are surprisingly high maintenance, particularly in climates with more regular rainfall throughout the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-04-20T22:04:39.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32732" CreationDate="2017-04-21T02:18:10.277" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Regular run of the mill Potting soil might not be good in long term for the plants!! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was hoping that someone will chip in with the link to container soils. Since nobody has done this, here is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1406396/container-soils-water-movement-and-retention-xx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt;. Have a good read.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a nut shell what it says is that it is impossible to recreate in a pot what mother nature does in soil. Even with potting soils. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14147" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T02:18:10.277" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32745" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9306" CreationDate="2017-04-21T03:26:41.410" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hort.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/pruserb.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kwanzan Cherry Tree&lt;/a&gt;....I have one!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17267" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-04-21T07:33:05.073" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T07:33:05.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32746" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5475" CreationDate="2017-04-21T09:25:41.070" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Durban, South Africa. My garden is very shady and a few Crocosmia plants (original stock not hybrids) were growing in the bush when we built our house. I collect the seed pods at the end of summer every year and scatter them towards the back of beds and in the forest area, as well as sharing them with friends. I intend to look for Crocosmia lucifer seeds when I visit Europe in May. They are magnificent. It is so sad that here in South Africa they are overlooked in gardens and I have never seen hybrids in nurseries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17269" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T09:25:41.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32742" CreationDate="2017-04-21T09:28:23.490" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;So far as I'm aware, there is no complete table displaying which plants can be grafted onto which plants. It's a bit of a broad question for such a specialist area, but broadly, most plants need to be grafted onto something within their own Species, or, less common but possible, within their own Genus, and for a few, something in the same Family will work. It's probably fair to say that not all possible combinations of plants will have been tried - breeders and growers generally use grafting to produce a plant for market for a specific purpose, such as dwarfing, increased fruiting, increased vigour at a smaller size, and so on, and this ultimate aim would, to some degree, have restricted the plant choices they made. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This link gives general advice on grafting and some guidance on the subject of your question under 'How to Graft' &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=443&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=443&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-21T12:48:10.090" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T12:48:10.090" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32748" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-21T10:54:57.920" Score="4" ViewCount="8761" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started my plants about 3 weeks ago in one of those jiffy pellet greenhouses. I moved them to larger pots about a week ago because the roots we're spreading everywhere. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About 3 days ago I decided to move them outside for an hour or so to get some sun (it was very warm and sunny). When I came back it was very cold and windy. They have started turning white and the edges are curling up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are my plants going to be ok? Some of the stems have also started losing their colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in southern Canada on the prairies. It was about +10°C (50°F) when I found them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17270" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-21T17:52:13.987" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T17:52:13.987" Title="Why are my cucumber seedlings turning white? Are they going to be okay?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32749" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32721" CreationDate="2017-04-21T11:17:36.873" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've sterilised small amounts of homemade compost (or at least I believe I have, I was mostly interested in killing weed seeds) using the following method:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fill a metal container with the compost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leave in the sun, protected from any rain, for a few days to dry out a bit (optional).  Note that this step alone will deal with some things as it probably reaches more than 40°C and for hours at a time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Heat.  I was using an old biscuit tin holding a couple of litres, and what I did was to shut it in a kettle barbecue (with the lid on the biscuit tin) after I'd finished cooking.  The coals were still burning brightly when I did this, then I left it until the next morning.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rehydrate. It was as dry as dust.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This certainly killed all my weed seeds to use it as a seed-raising compost.  Germination was as good as you'd expect from bought stuff.  This was outdoors so inherently well ventilated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I pot up tomato plants etc. in unsterilised garden compost (usually with some blood and bone added) whether I'm growing them in the greenhouse or outdoors (and feed with tomato feed later).  Note that I'm not chasing every last scrap of yield; I'd rather reduce the amount of stuff I use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T11:17:36.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32750" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-21T12:23:34.727" Score="4" ViewCount="914" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a fruit tree in my garden. I don't exactly know what tree it is but it is likely a cheery apple tree or similar to that. The size of the fruits is similar to a small plum. They are mostly green but could be yellow when ripe or with a little hint of red. In the summer, the ripe fruits fall from the tree into the garden and starting to rot. My questions are:&#xA;1) is this likely to attract wasps?&#xA;2) is this likely to attract wasps to nest in the tree?&#xA;3) What measures can i take to mitigate the risks of wasps other than cutting back the tree which I have done last year, but i can't afford to cut it every year. &#xA;Just to be clear, i am not even sure if there are wasps there yet. Am I worrying over nothing? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dm6N6l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dm6N6l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17272" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-21T17:38:57.217" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T17:38:57.217" Title="Do fruit trees attract wasps? What can I do other than cutting/removing the tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32748" CreationDate="2017-04-21T12:31:09.933" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whitening of plants, especially seedlings or young plants, is to do with cold - it was too cold for your plants to be outdoors, so you should get them back under cover until the weather is reliably warmer; if the damage isn't too great, they should recover and put out new growth. You've not said where you are, but in the UK, that would certainly not be before the end of May or into June. There are varieties of cucumber that are too tender to be grown outdoors, and these must be kept in a greenhouse or polytunnel, depending where you live, but hopefully you've chosen an outdoor variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I just noticed you said you put them outside 'to get some sun'; it's never a good idea to put seedlings into direct sunlight suddenly, its likely to burn them. That's not what happened to yours, but for future reference, don't move them into direct sunlight straight away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-21T13:08:41.957" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T13:08:41.957" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32752" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32748" CreationDate="2017-04-21T13:13:52.750" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;May I ask, do you know what is your pH?&#xA;If it is not too low, there is nothing to worry.  Cucumbers are very slow starters and would adapt quickly to temperature.  They would do very good if you keep them in good sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17273" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T13:13:52.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32754" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-21T14:44:46.720" Score="2" ViewCount="45" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a garden in my house and some open space which has normal earth where I plant some trees.. To make compost do I have to mix the biodegradable material with a specific kind of soil or can I use any soil to mix.. The soil I have is a bit sandy good enough to grow a mango tree.. While my garden has a lawn which I assume is more compact soil where I plant trees is a bit sandy&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17275" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T15:34:30.967" Title="Making compost using regular soil or specific soil" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32754" CreationDate="2017-04-21T15:34:30.967" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Compost is made of vegetal waste, leaves, small branches, straw, sawdust, manure, human waste, and usually any organic matter that is decomposed by various microorganisms. The purpose of making compost is adding it to any kind of soil in order to improve its composition, to aerate it and to provide good water drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T15:34:30.967" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32756" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-21T16:07:40.397" Score="1" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've watched a lot of youtube videos about gardening. I was paying particular attention to the plant and seed varieties. I noticed that a lot of seeds aren't sold in Europe. I don't know why that is, but I doubt there is any legal cause.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, I've heard wonderful things about tomato Boxcar Willie. When googled, I only found 1 europe based seller. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a marketplace I am not aware of? How do you get seeds you heard of on the intrenet?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="17223" LastEditDate="2017-04-21T16:46:44.587" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T16:46:44.587" Title="How to chose the best seeds in Europe?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2017-04-21T16:16:41.417" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32757" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32759" CreationDate="2017-04-21T18:56:40.177" Score="3" ViewCount="220" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've done a little brainstorming about organic gardening, and came to conclusion that your garden stops being organic the moment you add manure in it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not some animal protector enthusiast or anything like that, but the stuff they put into chickens to grow fast and large, antibiotics and some other drugs doesn't seem organic to me. Main problem is that the drugs are secreted into feces. You can't use animal manure and derivatives of animal manure unless the animals eat clean. And those farms are really hard to find.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to grow healthy plants without using manure, either directly or indirectly? What are my alternatives? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-21T19:14:26.213" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T21:22:20.910" Title="Is manure from farm animals acceptable for organic gardening?" Tags="&lt;organic&gt;&lt;manure&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32759" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32757" CreationDate="2017-04-21T21:11:43.293" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Manure HAS to be DECOMPOSED before used in the garden soil.  You are correct about the residues in animal feces.  What you do is find friends that you know who don't give their animals growth hormones and constant antibiotics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Decomposed manure is used for TILTH, not fertilizer.  Yes it does impart a bit of nitrogen, some manures more than others.  My favorite manure is HUMAN poo that has been thoroughly decomposed so that it is chemically not at all the original product (mixed with sawdust).  It is always decomposed and tested 5X because it is under federal control.  This mulch is beautiful, smells wonderful and FEEDS YOUR SOIL organisms.  Lots of nitrogen as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The downside to this particular mulch using human poop is heavy metals.  Can't be used for vegetables.  Yet there are tap waters, wilderness soils and fresh water that are full of heavy metals higher than this decomposed product.  So sadly, I don't use this for my soils in the vegetable garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other cool thing about human poo plus sawdust decomposed COMPLETELY and tested 5X before sold to the public IS; no pesticide residues, no weed seeds and no sticks, rocks, chunks of an errant piece of plastic.  This product is hard to find.  The company I worked with and used their mulch exclusively (I would not use bark or plastic and I could tell clients why down to the cellular level and if they insisted on bark, plastic, I'd tell them I won't do their job.  Go find 'landscraper').  There were many of those clients, tough to sell human poo, grins, but mostly I could show examples of other yards that would blow them away.  And my credibility was provable.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Animal feces will be full of weed seeds.  Compost you purchase by compost making companies who recycle 'clean green' or lawn debris, yard debris do not have their compost tested.  You will never know what is in that compost.  Compost is added to topsoils to be sold as well.  I have found topsoils and compost that I couldn't grow a weed nor a petunia in.  Seriously.  Homeowners are worse than corporations for pesticide pollution.  That is a fact.  They use pesticide for herbicides, herbicides for insects.  They don't read labels and the instruction booklet.  This is a big deal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also found by talking with the owner of Sawdust Supply in Seattle, WA that the poo they DON'T make into GRO-CO, they take out to the middle of the state to pump 15 to 20 feet BELOW the crops.  Which, we know will not help those crops at all, should not be used for edible crops anyhoo and guess what?  They are pumping it into the water table.  This, by the way is what this company does, at this particular treatment plant that DOES allocate most of their poop to be mixed with sawdust and tested 5X before selling it (still cheap).  So what the heck are other sewer and water treatment utilities DOING with all our poop?  Good question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Animal feces if completely decomposed is great to improve TILTH.  Expect a few weeds.  Do make sure you know the owners and their animal husbandry.  I would not buy compost unless I am able to get a test of the chemistry.  Making one's own compost to make enough for a simple vegetable garden is a pipe dream.  I top my beds in the spring and fall with 2&quot; of compost.  I buy bales of compost that have the chemistry listed.  It isn't always completely decomposed but it is the best I am able to get to do the job.  I add a bit more nitrogen to offset the needs of the decomposers.  I use my horse manure that I KNOW what it is composed of and has been decomposed for years.  I never use manure as FERTILIZER.  I consider the amount of fertilizer that manure adds but I never use manure as fertilizer.  I do soil tests! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just topping your beds with decomposed organic matter, manure you easily take care of the weeds and feed your soil organisms.  Organisms that are critical for plant health as they work symbiotically with your plants.  These micro and macro organisms in the soil aerate and mix organic matter into your soil for you, I never mix this stuff into my soil by myself manually after the first time of double digging and creating raised beds. (no lumber or structural stuff)  These organisms do a far better job of mixing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer and pH and tilth are critical things to know if we want to grow plants. Humans don't make self sustaining ecosystems.  We are forcing soils to produce food in mass quantities.  Not 'natural'. So we humans have to be far more informed to be able to add ANYTHING to soils.  You've got great questions btw!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-04-21T21:22:20.910" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T21:22:20.910" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32760" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-21T21:21:05.050" Score="5" ViewCount="4013" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am going to plant cilantro this year and I am not sure if it will come back every year. I know a lot of herbs do, but I have never planted cilantro or parsley. I have looked for a answer to this question and I can't seem to find a plane and simple answer. I live in Idaho so we don't get really cold or hot weather but it can be very unpredictable. I always start my herbs in containers, and then I replant them in the garden. So does any one know if they are perennials?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17279" OwnerDisplayName="GJ.Baker" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-21T23:32:53.847" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T23:32:53.847" Title="Is cilantro a perennial?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;cilantro&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32761" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32760" CreationDate="2017-04-21T21:43:33.917" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's an annual plant - however, if you let it go to seed after it flowers, it will seed itself in the surrounding area, so hopefully, you'll always have one or two (or maybe several) plants ongoing, so long as it doesn't get too cold where you are - I note that Idaho ranges from USDA zone 3 up to 7b. More information here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cilantro-perennial-herb-67386.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cilantro-perennial-herb-67386.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-21T21:48:57.283" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T21:48:57.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32760" CreationDate="2017-04-21T21:44:17.577" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know Idaho well.  Mostly Zone 3.  No, cilantro and parsley are not perennials in your zone.  They are annuals that make lots of seed for reproduction in the spring.  I wouldn't use this seed for replanting.  I buy ALL of my vegetable seeds from Territorial, which is close to you as well...ALL seed packets should be LABELED NON GMO.  Using your own seed is not smart.  Your plants are fertilized not only by your own plants but by farmers nearby in the Palouse growing similar plants and the pollen floats on the air.  No way to know what your seeds will produce genetically.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil in Idaho can be difficult.  Raised beds via double digging (4' of fluffed up soil will become 1 foot).  Decomposed organic matter is the ONLY way to improve any soil...ANY SOIL.  Dig trenches at the bottom of these beds.  Get a soil test so that you know the pH...all plants do best at different pH's and the available chemistry that plants have to have to photosynthesize to make their own food. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have an incredible Cooperative Extension Service through Washington State University.  Cheap soil tests, tons of CORRECT information and they are aware of the same zone, soils...make use of them!  I've gone through their master gardener program three times.  Worth every bit of time...and it is almost free!   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T21:44:17.577" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32763" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32760" CreationDate="2017-04-21T21:50:15.643" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Coriander is an annual. The leaves are commonly called cilantro. It belongs to the Apiaceae family of plants (once called Umbelliferae from the shape of the flowering 'umbels'). Members include a number of herbs and vegetables such as parsley, dill, caraway, carrot, parsnip and celery. Some of the members are annuals, some biennials and others perennial. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cilantro bolts quickly in hot weather but the increasing day length also plays a part. If you can find seeds, 'slow bolt' cilantro's supposed to take longer before bolting but I've never tried it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get the most from your cilantro, start early. You can also pinch off flower heads as they &lt;em&gt;just begin&lt;/em&gt; to show. But as weather heats up, it'll make more and more buds and less leaves. Start new plants then. Another trick is to plant after the hot days of August have passed. The plants grown will let into spring if the winter isn't too cold to freeze them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T21:50:15.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32764" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-21T22:51:44.913" Score="3" ViewCount="143" Body="&lt;p&gt;Given to me by a neighbor here in mexico city, smells more menthol than regular mint. Leaves are covered by a soft fur&#xA;And stem is hairy and round, not square. For some reason, pic will not upload.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17281" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-21T23:34:06.980" LastActivityDate="2017-04-21T23:34:06.980" Title="Trying to identify type of mint" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32765" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-21T22:55:34.923" Score="4" ViewCount="179" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given an Orchid several years ago and just wanted some advice on if I am taking care of it properly and if it needs to be in a larger pot.  I am not much of a green thumb but this orchid has some significance so I would like to keep it well taken care of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The orchid tag says &lt;code&gt;Dan Airy Red Jumbo&lt;/code&gt;.  I am yet to see any flowers in 3+ years but it has been growing.  The leaves on the older stems have started to go off colour a bit and there is tons of roots sticking out everywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in a tropical part of the world so we water it regularly and it stays out of direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I repot this into a large container, if so any soil type recommendations and fertiliser recommendations?  The current pot size is 100mm diameter at the top and 85mm high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any other recommendations on the general welfare / care taking of this orchid?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qRrmP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qRrmP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qky9t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qky9t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EV6bX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EV6bX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ancpy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ancpy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5XjqI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5XjqI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17280" LastActivityDate="2017-04-22T07:35:42.617" Title="Taking Care of my Orchid" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32765" CreationDate="2017-04-22T02:47:26.707" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It does look a bit cramped in that pot. Orchids don't need a lot of water, they can be watered with a spray bottle. There are orchid fertilizers available to add to the spray bottle. There are specialty orchid potting mixes available. Orchids have become popular enough that you should be able to find all the supplies you need at any local garden center.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17119" LastActivityDate="2017-04-22T02:47:26.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32767" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32765" CreationDate="2017-04-22T07:35:42.617" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From appearances, your orchid looks like a dendrobium. It's &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; true that orchids can be watered with a water spray bottle. During active growth, the planting mix should never be allowed to become too dry. The best way to check is to press a finger into the growing mix. If you can feel moisture, it doesnt need watering yet. When it's resting, the mix can be allowed to dry more. Dendrobium never have true dormancy like plants do in more northern climates but most people rest them in winter. Since you're in a tropical region, you don't need to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rather than keeping out of sun, if you have a place that gets a few hours early morning sun, your orchid will benefit from it. But afternoon sun is too hot and strong. Otherwise provide it with filtered sunlight. Without energy from adequate light, plants can't make enough food stores for flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you ever fertilized the orchid in 3+ years? It should be given liquid fertilizer diluted 1/4 strength at every watering during active growth. A balanced orchid fertilizer is best if you're not sure what to use. Sometimes when an orchid doesn't flower, it can be jump-started with a high phosphorus fertilizer. In fertilizers, the middle number listed is fertilizer. For example, 10-10-10 is 10% each of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. A high phosphorus fertilizer might be 10-30-10. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dendrobiums don't mind being in a smaller pot as long as the planting mix drains well. Most orchid mix have loose larger pieces and don't contain soil. A mix might contain shredded bark and sphagnum moss. Drainage is important. You should find orchid potting mix with no problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't worry about the roots showing. Most orchids are epiphytes (meaning they grow on tree branches on any moss and soil on it) and it's normal for roots to grow outward all over. Here's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/8U27X2yU_7s&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;YouTube video&lt;/a&gt; showing how to repot your dendrobium. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-04-22T07:35:42.617" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32768" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32770" CreationDate="2017-04-22T10:06:33.087" Score="2" ViewCount="1397" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got some concave leaf curl going on on my indoor tomato plant. I haven't found any images that resemble this condition. The plant itself is strong as heck, got really thick, dark green leafs, planted 30cm deep 14 days ago and with the main stem cut off a week after. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are the images. They are 6000x4000 so zoom in as much as you want. My go-to culprit is too much water or too little. What do you think?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N2ZGL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N2ZGL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YVAq1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YVAq1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PxWBE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PxWBE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oWXoM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oWXoM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="17223" LastEditDate="2017-04-22T12:05:32.367" LastActivityDate="2017-04-22T12:05:32.367" Title="concave leaf curl in the center of the tomato leafs" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32769" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-22T11:03:06.460" Score="1" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small vineyard and planning to grow cover crops between the rows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have little experience with cover crops and first of all I'm not sure when to mow them, and if the cut crops should be removed and used to make compost or if they should be left there as kind of a green manure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17282" LastActivityDate="2017-04-24T00:58:35.380" Title="Perennial cover crops in vineyard" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;&lt;cover-crop&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32770" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32768" CreationDate="2017-04-22T12:00:42.980" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the nervation is so thick, it loses water and then rehydrates at different rate compared to the rest of the leaf. When experiencing drought, the leaves curl downwards and when watered again, they keep this curled shape because the nervation is less flexible than a thin one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These leaves will not return to normal shape, but if you water regularly, the younger leaves won't have this problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-04-22T12:00:42.980" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32771" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-22T13:01:58.223" Score="1" ViewCount="16" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to be installing a patio behind my house soon and have a couple questions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are sketches of the area, plans, and photos of the area. I'm just outside Boston, so obviously the base is important, given water. &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/5lMe6&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://imgur.com/a/5lMe6&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My open questions that I haven't resolved (there are a couple additional ones on the plan that I have my own answers to):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Do I need subterranean drainage like a french drain along  the south edge of the patio? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) What about behind the small retaining wall (less than a foot above grade at its highest)? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) From a aesthetic perspective, should the stone at the landing below the step to the southeast of the photo match the driveway (some kind of concrete paver or cobblestone) or the patio (some kind of bluestone). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;4) Finally, am I missing or overlooking anything? There will be a whole other project for the front yard.... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for any help, suggestions, or feedback!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17283" LastActivityDate="2017-04-22T13:01:58.223" Title="Couple questions, feedback before a patio install project" Tags="&lt;patio&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32772" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7288" CreationDate="2017-04-22T13:32:11.717" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;From a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wintergardenz.co.nz/glass-vs-poly-vs-film.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;website&lt;/a&gt; that sells the three kind of greenhouse glazings, I found a good list of pros and cons. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;1. Glass (single glazed)&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Advantages&lt;/strong&gt;    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Longevity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Traditional look&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Light clarity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Disadvantages&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fragile and less forgiving to knocks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Poor thermal efficiency (3mm&#xA;glass R=0.95 and 4mm glass R=1.0)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Potential to burn plants due to the&#xA;level of clarity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;2. Polycarbonate (hard plastic)&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Advantages&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Good thermal efficiency (6mm Twinwall R=1.54). Keeps the warmth in longer into the night and offers better frost protection&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Very tough and durable&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Good longevity (provided it is a premium grade polycarbonate)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Produces a slightly diffused light which helps prevent burning/scorching the plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Disadvantages&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prone to scratching&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The flutes in the twin-wall can attract moisture, mould and bugs - if not sealed sufficiently in the frame. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;3. Plastic film&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Advantages&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Low cost per square meter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Takes the knocks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Diffused light - prevents burning and aids photosynthesis&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Disadvantages&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Relatively short lifespan and requires replacement&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prone to rips and tears&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Poor thermal efficiency (R=0.83), unless double skinned&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Finding a solution to glass glazing&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The aforementioned list does not take into account the possibility to use &lt;strong&gt;double glazed glass&lt;/strong&gt; but according to &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulated_glazing#Heat_insulating_properties&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;, doing so would double insulation efficiency (R≥1.9 based on the number given above for 3mm glass of R=0.95), or even triple it using Argon gas filled double glazed glass (R≥2.85).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To prevent burning/scorching, it is possible to make use of several techniques to &lt;strong&gt;shade your plants&lt;/strong&gt; from the sun. Using internal/external blinds, whitewash (shading paints diluted in water and painted onto the outside of the glass), or shade netting (using shade cloth mesh). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reinforcing glass&lt;/strong&gt; using thick and/or tempered glass should make the panels sturdy enough for their &quot;fragility&quot; not to be an issue anymore.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningequipment/6537880/Greenhouses-why-polycarbonate-beats-glass.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; might give you some different numbers, very interesting read pro-polycarbonate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17284" LastEditorUserId="17284" LastEditDate="2017-04-22T19:49:36.687" LastActivityDate="2017-04-22T19:49:36.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32774" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32780" CreationDate="2017-04-22T14:37:16.547" Score="2" ViewCount="1472" Body="&lt;p&gt;A blade of &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WGYHG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my plant&quot;&gt; has turned yellow, and it looks as though another one has begun to transition. I'd like to stop this before the entire plant dies, but I don't understand what's happening. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is my plant sick? Or is there some sort of mineral imbalance? Maybe I'm over-watering it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9754" LastActivityDate="2018-12-12T17:26:20.673" Title="My spider plant is dying" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32775" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32777" CreationDate="2017-04-22T15:16:57.087" Score="3" ViewCount="483" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is going on with the plants below? I can't post pictures of them all as I don't have enough rep on this particular site.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use a hygrometer -which I thought was working fine- to time watering, and I've purposefully left them dry for days between watering. They are in a sunroom (bright, indirect light). It is still a forced air condition (heat, for the winter), but I've put them outside for the day after this started to see what would happen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I diagnose? What other variables are needed? Will do anything!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Possibles, according to my thought process:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pots are too small (time to repot)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Noticed some tiny blue-ish bigs on the Dracaena.. hanging around the base of the stem..&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Over watered&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Forced air somehow interferes with the balance of water between plant and soil. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p07aI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p07aI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OB4Xz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OB4Xz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17286" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-22T16:11:02.043" LastActivityDate="2017-04-22T16:11:02.043" Title="Why are my houseplants dying off one by one? (Peace Lilly, Dracaena, English Ivy)" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32777" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32775" CreationDate="2017-04-22T15:39:38.213" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would be better if you posted images of the plants you're asking about, even if you had to post separate questions. A hygrometer only tells you the moisture content of the air, not the moisture content of each individual potful of soil, so how often have you been watering your plants, and exactly how do you water - soak them thoroughly, let them drain down, or just give them a few drops? And how often? A description of your watering routine would be useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, I can see a Peace Lily and what appears to be a fern of some sort to its right, only partially in the photo; the second picture shows something I can't identify - it does not really resemble any Dracaena I know - even Dracaena marginata should  develop a good stem over time, and I'm not seeing anything like that in the picture, but perhaps someone else will recognise it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've spent some time studying the Peace Lily - I can't work out what its planted in that has that oval shape, so I'm assuming perhaps a ceramic pot of some sort, which hopefully does have a drainage hole in the bottom. It appears to be suffering a bit of drought, otherwise is pretty good, but unless you bring it back inside immediately, it will also be suffering from exposure to sunlight, which this plant absolutely does not like. Peace Lilies seem to require watering more often than most other houseplants, in my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant I cannot identify in the second picture has too much soil in the pot - there should be a gap between the soil and the top of the pot, otherwise it's impossible to water because it will immediately run off the mound of soil. I also cannot see any of these 'bluish bigs' which I take to mean bluish coloured bugs. Again, the pot it's in should have a drainage hole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Need more images, preferably separate ones - I'm not seeing any English Ivy plant at all, but the most important thing to do is bring your plants back indoors immediately - putting them outdoors in sunlight will damage them, and if there's a significant temperature difference between indoors and out, that will cause damage too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-22T15:39:38.213" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32778" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-22T15:41:30.710" Score="2" ViewCount="233" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this vine?  I live in TX near San Antonio, it sprouts little flowers and then has these round black berries.  I really want to know because this vine has a mind of its own and will attach itself to items and grow.  Thank you all for your help I have been trying to identify for over a year.  I don't believe it is a &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8UaLv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8UaLv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17288" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-22T16:01:36.547" LastActivityDate="2017-04-27T23:22:11.763" Title="What is this vine?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32779" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32791" CreationDate="2017-04-22T15:55:33.587" Score="3" ViewCount="292" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do super hot peppers like the &lt;a href=&quot;http://thehotpepper.com/topic/55936-big-black-mama/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Big Black Mama&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.instructables.com/id/Growing-the-Carolina-Reaper/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Carolina Reaper&lt;/a&gt; blister as they ripen?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17296" OwnerDisplayName="Big O Pepper Company" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-22T23:39:27.500" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T05:29:05.573" Title="Do super hot peppers blister as they ripen?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32774" CreationDate="2017-04-22T18:53:54.757" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Overwatering is the most common cause of houseplant problems. Follow these practices: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Let the top inch of soil dry out before watering again&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not let the plant sit in water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;provide a sunnier location, for these plants that can grow outside in Florida a location next to a south, east or west window with unobstructed sunlight is perfect&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-04-22T18:53:54.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32781" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-22T18:54:49.797" Score="2" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got this little dude at jewel earlier, but there was no info on what kind of plant it is. Help please!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oLIJG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oLIJG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Visual reference&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17289" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-04-22T19:54:43.837" LastActivityDate="2017-04-22T20:02:13.423" Title="Help me identify this flower!" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2017-04-24T15:02:05.837" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32782" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32781" CreationDate="2017-04-22T20:02:13.423" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This I believe is Red Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2005/05/18/WillowWasp/a1b22c.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kalanchoe blossfeldiana&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/kalanchoe/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Poisonous for cats and dogs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.krismers.com/Kalanchoe_care.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;kalanchoe care&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-22T20:02:13.423" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32783" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32784" CreationDate="2017-04-22T20:07:29.350" Score="5" ViewCount="487" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two small boxwood hedges in my garden which I have trained over the years by cutting into the form of a cuboid. One hedge is in a shady and wet place, one is fully exposed to the sun, south oriented. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are two different kind of boxwoods, of which I don't know the species. One, I'd say, is the classical one, round leaf variety, one has slightly triangular leaves. Both show the same symptoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year, I don't know why, I cut the hedges in October only. Even though I'm aware that it should be done in late/middle-summer. I think I thought, what the heck. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Right after cutting I noticed that the some leaves started getting (or already had been gotten) dry and became white-greyish. I thought, ok it was too late, but it won't kill them, they will recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At the same time people in the village reported a box-infection of some kind of insect (I forget the name). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then winter came, we had colds going down to -5 °C and I thought if it is insects, they are dead now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now in spring I'm fearing the worst, 50% of the hedges show grey leaves, there is barely new growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today I noticed that there some kind of webs inside (might be normal) and some crumbs, which could be sediments of something, or simply birch pollen. (There are birches nearby).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures I took. I'd like to know what it is and if there is anything I can to do prevent further damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/umCGJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/umCGJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Typical gray leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zzBNr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zzBNrm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Overview&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JzLdn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JzLdnm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Crumbs&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VAEYY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VAEYYm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Damages&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2017-04-22T22:09:36.703" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T11:45:10.390" Title="Why is this boxwood suffering? Is it box blight or an insect-infection?" Tags="&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32784" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32783" CreationDate="2017-04-22T21:12:38.863" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If there's webbing amongst the leaves, my money's on box tree caterpillar, although its odd you've not actually noticed the caterpillars themselves yet. Of all the problems Box gets (and its an ever increasing list) the only one that goes with webbing is the caterpillar. The caterpillar is the larval stage of a moth and was first found in mainland Europe in 2007, so it's been around for a while, not quite so long in the UK as over there. Eggs are often present under the leaves if the caterpillars are not hatched yet, so check beneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=88&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; lists various problems from which Box suffers - you can click on each one for more information to see for yourself what you think.If it is Box caterpillar, picking them off by hand is useful, but spraying may be required. Note the spray has to be pretty forceful in order to penetrate the webbing. Pesticide products recommended in the link may not be available under the same names where you are, but there should be products using the same active ingredients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure what those deposits are on the leaves in the bottom left picture, but I do know that other evidence of Box Tree Caterpillar/Moth is frass deposits and residues of moult such as 'black head capsules of different sizes'. Sounds charming - got that from this link here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantwise.org/KnowledgeBank/Datasheet.aspx?dsid=118433&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plantwise Knowledge Bank&lt;/a&gt; which has information that may be more pertinent to mainland Europe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-05-03T11:45:10.390" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T11:45:10.390" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32778" CreationDate="2017-04-22T23:05:47.347" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been looking at this image on and off all day, trying to remember what it is. Luckily, it's now come to mind; it looks like Malabar Spinach, or more specifically, this particular  one's Basella rubra var. rubra. It's a vining plant with quite nutritious, edible leaves that are a bit like spinach, has white flowers, dark berries later on. Image and info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.seedman.com/vine.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.seedman.com/vine.htm&lt;/a&gt; but you'll need to scroll down a fair way - it's further down, under perennial vines. Frost tender and is also grown for purely ornamental reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-22T23:36:33.770" LastActivityDate="2017-04-22T23:36:33.770" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32786" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-22T23:42:25.883" Score="4" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been doing a little research into hot composting. From what i understand you need a carbon to Nitrogen ratio of 30:1 and you need to rotate the pile when the center gets to around 150 degrees. From what i understand, the rotation had mostly to do with aeration, so the pile has enough oxygen to decompose. I currently have a very large pile of leaves, pine needles, and organic matter, and it's unwieldy to turn. I have a few perforated HDPE sewer pipes Around, and I was thinking about trying to build some kind if aerated system. All of the examples I have found require and active fan to aerate the pile. I want to create something that does not require a fan. Has anyone had any experience with something like this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11239" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T19:47:25.167" Title="building an aerated static composting system?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;aeration&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32787" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32779" CreationDate="2017-04-23T00:16:37.270" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will simply tell you from my years of growing and learning with growing. I have grown many different types of hot peppers. Such as habanero, jalapeno, etc. Through out all the growing, and mind that I have grown MANY I have never had a problem with blistering. So my simple answer is no it shouldn't happen*. The only time I have heard this &lt;em&gt;could&lt;/em&gt; happen is by raped ripening. But I don;t know how that is done, if even possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*Not implying it will not happen&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T00:16:37.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32788" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-23T00:42:45.233" Score="2" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;Someone gave this bulb to my daughter. What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VvuOU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VvuOU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17292" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-23T02:01:31.157" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T02:01:31.157" Title="What type of bulb is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-09-10T18:52:35.170" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32790" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-23T04:35:04.567" Score="1" ViewCount="663" Body="&lt;p&gt;the leaves of my &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_champaca&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Magnolia champaca&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; shed and only tree stump is left... How do I get it to regrow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's been about 4-5 months since it shed its leaves i thought its winter hence but cant see any new growth to it till now... I check need the roots its not decayed (not turned black)... I added &lt;code&gt;aquarium water&lt;/code&gt;, &lt;code&gt;neem powder&lt;/code&gt; - still nothing... Any advise to get it going is welcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17294" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-26T13:50:29.207" LastActivityDate="2018-02-26T13:50:29.207" Title="How to get regrowth on a magnolia stump?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;magnolia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32791" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32779" CreationDate="2017-04-23T05:29:05.573" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I back up Ljk2000's answer as it's never happened to me either. Even under hot sun, all I &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; see would be some sunscald (the plant equivalent of a sunburn). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The two peppers you linked to aren't &lt;em&gt;blistered&lt;/em&gt; as they might look but are instead &lt;strong&gt;bumpy&lt;/strong&gt; as that's the way they develope as hybrids. If they were blistered, you'd expect the skin to be raised from the flesh on the blisters. They're not. Skin and flesh are both bumpy as they were meant to be. Other peppers might be as hot (I didn't check out their 'heat rating') but they could be either smooth, bumpy or slightly ridged depending on the hybrids' DNA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T05:29:05.573" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32792" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-23T06:18:12.313" Score="4" ViewCount="6410" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Red English rose potted on my terrace. I am noticing a sideshoot coming just below the bud union. I am attaching a photo of the plant. Please note that this new shoot is just slightly below the union or may be it's a part of it and I am just unable to identify. I have always have had trouble with identifying if it's a sucker on a rose plant or not. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fYIMJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fYIMJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;roseplant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AUJ0f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AUJ0f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Roseplant2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tf8k1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tf8k1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fullrose&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To describe the new shoot- Every leave bunch has 7 leaves, but to be more precise some of the other stems of this rose plant also have 7 leaves. It is bright green as you can see in image. It does have thorns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Need your experience and suggestions if  this is a sucker that needs to be removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1900" LastActivityDate="2021-02-25T08:13:35.590" Title="Is this a sucker on Red English rose" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;suckers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32793" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32790" CreationDate="2017-04-23T06:32:46.350" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Angel, what part of the world are you in? I ask because Magnolia champaca is a beautiful tropical to semi-tropical tree. If you don't live where M. champaca are naturally grow and you had the tree outdoors, it's possible the winter was colder than usual in your area and the tree was killed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please provide more info to your location (be specific - don't name the state or country only), how old and how tall your tree is, and whether it's planted in the ground or in a large container. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the meantime, you can check whether your tree is alive or not by cutting off one of the thinner side branches. Look at the wood. Is the inner growth and bark dry and brown or is it green and flexible? If it's dry and brown, check some other thin branches to see if you can find live wood. Just because the roots aren't black and decayed looking doesn't mean the tree is still alive. Woody matter like tree roots take &lt;strong&gt;many&lt;/strong&gt; years to decay and appear fine for a long time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T06:32:46.350" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32783" CreationDate="2017-04-23T08:58:00.273" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;After Bamboo's answer I checked again and collected around 20 caterpillars just on one plant (50x50cm) and I'm sure I missed some of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A2tJI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A2tJI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I checked again for the alert I received from a fellow gardener of the village last year, and it is exactly what I found on mine: &lt;em&gt;Pyrales du buis&lt;/em&gt;: &lt;em&gt;Cydalima perspectalis&lt;/em&gt;, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cydalima_perspectalis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;box tree moth&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will try the treatment based on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;bacillius thuringiensis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="588" LastEditorUserId="588" LastEditDate="2017-04-24T09:16:32.587" LastActivityDate="2017-04-24T09:16:32.587" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32797" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32792" CreationDate="2017-04-23T12:01:47.523" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hmm, tough one because it's coming from the midpoint of the graft. Suckers are easy to distinguish if they grow from below  soil level, or quite obviously below the whole graft. I would leave it for now - if it starts to grow much more rapidly than the other stems, shooting up to twice the height of the rest of the plant in short order, then cut it out where it arises. If it grows at a normal pace, in keeping with the rest of the bush, leave it be - when it produces flowers, you will know for sure whether or not it's a sucker because the flowers will be quite different from the rest of the plant, usually more like a dog rose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes a sucker will have a different number of leaflets in each composite leaf when compared to the rest of the plant, but that's not always a useful guide, because there is some variation in leaflet number on  many rose  bushes anyway; sometimes they are paler in colour with many more thorns, but your rose bush is quite thorny anyway, so there are none of the usual more obvious signs of its being a sucker.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-23T12:16:06.137" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T12:16:06.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32798" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32810" CreationDate="2017-04-23T12:51:26.953" Score="5" ViewCount="5227" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have paver bricks with this cracks between each brick and weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Handling the weeds is a challenge for my wife and I.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our strategy now is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;hand pick the weeds&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;use a power washer&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;fill the cracks in with locking sand&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17297" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T14:25:06.543" Title="Paver bricks -- handling weeds without bad chemicals" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;pavers&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32798" CreationDate="2017-04-23T16:46:06.093" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have not had problems with my pavers because they were installed well with almost no gaps (one of the few things a previous owner did right), however white vinegar works as well as other chemicals in other places in my yard (cracks in concrete).  Use an old spray bottle to apply it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since weeds in between pavers do not come from below, but from tiny seeds blown in, you might try mixing something like Preen in with the sand if the vinegar does not work well. (assuming Preen is not on your list of bad chemicals)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17136" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T16:46:06.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32801" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32798" CreationDate="2017-04-23T17:02:05.617" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/giwJi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;paver install with cmu walls[![][1][1][1]&quot;&gt;These pavers have spaces between individual pavers?  One thing you might do is redo the entire patio floor so there are no spaces.  Need to send a picture of paver type and paver bed; how deep is the sand beneath, the gravel beneath that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will be almost the same amount of work that you are considering pulling the weeds.  If there is no proper bed I seriously would pick the pavers up and make the correct bed.  You'll need to rent a compactor, dig out the gobbeldygook, install 4&quot; of 5/8 minus gravel, 2&quot; of mason sand on top, compact well in layers.  Then you begin to reinstall the pavers butted up against one another, no space at all.  You'll need string and a 2X4 and one of those big soft hand mallets to tap an entire row tightly to the last row.  Keeping a string all around the perimeter that you have leveled as the top of the patio. Using that string and the 2X4 and tapping complete your patio. The plastic edgers are nailed into the ground and hold the pavers in place.  Big 8&quot; long nails. Spikes I guess more appropriately.  Your building materials place will have everything and people to help you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By butting the pavers up together REDUCES the chance of weeds but will not stop weeds.  Using the pressure washer one a year will.  I am hoping these pavers are 2&quot; thick and untreated concrete...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your pavers are thinner then that sandcrete would be a good idea.  2&quot; thick CMU pavers look terrible done with spacing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most professional paver look is without any spacing.  If you are going to do so much work anyway it would be almost easier to just redo the patio and make sure the job is done right.  A GOOD paver patio/driveway ADDS big value to your home!  Please send a picture of what you are dealing with first, how large and what is the condition of the bed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-04-24T20:47:20.347" LastActivityDate="2017-04-24T20:47:20.347" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32802" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32805" CreationDate="2017-04-23T17:16:36.983" Score="8" ViewCount="6994" Body="&lt;p&gt;South Florida.  Photo of tree that I can't identify.  It's been raining heavily for twelve hours and this white foam has appeared on the trunk, possibly due to water dripping.  What is this foam?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've lived with this tree for 2 years and have never seen it happen before.  It is not there today now that it's dry.  I observed a piece of bark overhanging the area, channeling water to drip infrequently at the top portion of the bubbles, likely creating them somehow.  These do not appear to be eggs or a fungus.  When I hit them with a stick, they pop.  Has less the consistency of spittle bubbles; more like soap bubbles.  I do not use soap or detergent on my trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Full tree, foam to the left of the lawn gnome&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9jDjw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9jDjw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full tree, foam to the left of the lawn gnome&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Closeup of foam&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OEvv6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OEvv6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup of foam&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1960" LastEditorUserId="1960" LastEditDate="2017-04-24T21:06:32.347" LastActivityDate="2017-04-24T21:06:32.347" Title="What is this white foam under my tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32802" CreationDate="2017-04-23T18:06:46.707" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen this phenomenon on plants that were sprayed heavily with insecticidal soaps or dishsoap.  I've been in rains in Florida!  This could happen after spraying and the next hard rain will wash the soap off and  in the type of rain you get would certainly cause this bubbles!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did you spray those trees?  Recently at all?  A surfactant is used for sprayed pesticides, sort of a 'sticker'.  That would cause the same effect as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your trees have not been sprayed then we need to rethink this phenomenon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T18:06:46.707" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32804" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32798" CreationDate="2017-04-23T18:13:10.580" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try horticultural vinegar.  It is a much stronger acid than regular store bought vinegar.  You can buy it online.  Spray the weeds liberally in the middle of a hot sunny day.  Hot direct sun is the most important thing when using horticultural vinegar.  I'm not sure why stormy is suggesting glyphosphate herbicide when you said you don't want to use bad chemicals.  Glyphosphate to me is the epitome of &quot;bad chemicals&quot;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also fill the patio cracks with plants that you do want there, which will out compete the weeds for the most part.  You can get sedums and break their roots apart and smash them in between the pavers.  They will grow in sand just fine and will spread to fill in the cracks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option is to fill those cracks with a polymer sand which is solid and won't allow organic material to accumulate for plants to grow out of.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T18:13:10.580" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32802" CreationDate="2017-04-23T18:17:44.277" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If this foam has appeared only during the heavy rain you've been experiencing, its a natural phenomenon. It occurs because some trees contain chemicals in the bark which can cause a soap like foam as the two interact, but this only occurs if the weather is very wet indeed; this phenomenon is not uncommon on pine trees in particular, but can happen with other trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, though, you've noticed a particular area on the trunk foaming at other times, when it's not wet, check the area to make sure its not a slime flux, which indicates a bacterial infection. Info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wonderofeverydaynature.com/2016/03/26/155/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.wonderofeverydaynature.com/2016/03/26/155/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T18:17:44.277" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32806" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32786" CreationDate="2017-04-23T18:18:45.750" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your compost pile doesn't have the right carbon to nitrogen ratio to get hot if it is just leaves and needles.  Just let that pile sit and cold compost for a good year or two.  It will work.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Besides that though, you can aerate the pile well enough with the perforated pipe coming from the center out of the pile and no fan.  I have done that before with good success.  Sometimes I also just jab hole into the pile with a digging bar or stick and twirl it around to introduce some oxygen.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T18:18:45.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31281" CreationDate="2017-04-23T18:24:57.330" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;stormy is right.  removing the top 2&quot; will leave you with even more compact earth underneath.  What you need is to add organic matter to your soil&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T18:24:57.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32786" CreationDate="2017-04-23T18:28:08.720" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would simply divide this big pile into a few smaller piles.  I had 6' piles 300 feet long that I left alone all winter.  This stuff was chipped tree and branch matter from the pruning by the electric/power company.  It steamed all winter long.  I did not touch it.  I did however have it dumped on all my blackberry shrubs...these were weeds and the next spring 6 foot piles had reduced to 6&quot;.  No more blackberries. I just left compost where it was.  Couldn't scrape up enough to transfer to garden but that was my experience with tough material, no turning just threw a few handfuls of nitrogen at the piles...buckets actually 300 ft. is a lot of material...maybe 6' wide, 6' tall. Fed nitrogen (kitty litter) only once. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What Bamboo said about the OUTSIDE of the piles is very true.  I would turn a few times and if your compost is not finished continue to turn once a month?  What are you using for nitrogen?  There is a kitty litter made from alfalfa pellets that is EXCELLENT to throw into and onto your piles whenever you turn.  Cheap and perfect for composting.  If you can find this litter.  Make sure you keep your piles MOIST not wet or soggy.  That also accelerates decomposition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T18:28:08.720" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32809" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32798" CreationDate="2017-04-23T18:28:23.213" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you've got pavers, that suggests block paving (also known originally as paviours), the brick shaped paving often used on driveways and patios, rather than paving slabs - these are never pointed in between. They're closely laid, but with enough room for sand to be forced down the gaps by using a wacker plate machine. Over time, inevitably, the sand can disappear, and weed seeds will germinate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Strip out all the weeds in whatever way you choose, rake the joints out and use a Paving Sand with Weedkiller, preferably shaking it in place with a wacker plate, if not be prepared for lots of brushing and brushing and brushing. That should keep the weeds away until the sand has become eroded again, and is less damaging than regular spraying or liquid weedkiller applications twice a year. This link is to a British site, but there will be equivalent weed prevention sands available where you are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.paving.org/index.php/paving-sand-with-weed-killer/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.paving.org/index.php/paving-sand-with-weed-killer/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be careful when using strong vinegars - they can cause a lot of efflorescence or permanent damage to pavers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-26T14:25:06.543" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T14:25:06.543" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32810" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32798" CreationDate="2017-04-23T19:19:51.840" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the rare place where a weed torch/flame weeder actually makes sense - though plain old hot water will work as well - and neither will attack your pavers the way that acids will (unless you go nuts with the weed torch - so don't go nuts with it - weeds do not need to be burnt to a crisp to kill them.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you happen to own a steamer (that puts it out via a hose or wand) of some sort (old wallpaper tool, or infomercial impulse buy miracle cleaner - I can't really see applying the espresso-maker's steam wand to the patio) that would be ideal (really hot water...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T19:19:51.840" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32811" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-23T19:23:25.843" Score="5" ViewCount="957" Body="&lt;p&gt;It started with me seeing dark spots appearing on the leaves of my mango tree, which grows in my apartment. When I looked underneath the leaves I saw something white growing there. Now it has spread to most of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today two of the leaves fell of, probably because of this disease. I have made photos of the tree, the leaves, which fell of, and two detailed macro pictures. But for now I will just add two of the pictures due to not having enough reputation to have more than two links on this page.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really want my tree to survive so I hope somebody here can help me identifying what disease this is and how to fight it. Preferably in a way I can do it in my apartment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P8s0C.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P8s0C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IqVex.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IqVex.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17304" LastEditorUserId="17304" LastEditDate="2017-04-23T22:53:38.810" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T08:51:09.177" Title="Need help with identifying the disease on my mango tree and a possible cure" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32813" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-23T19:26:23.417" Score="2" ViewCount="47" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a bit of a vole issue and I bought a wire mesh for my bulbs but I plant over a hundred annuals each year so that's a bit labor intensive to do for everything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17305" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T19:26:23.417" Title="Can you put plants in the ground in their original containers to protect from voles?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32814" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-23T19:47:48.070" Score="3" ViewCount="549" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OKWQP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OKWQP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I saw this plant outside a restaurant in New Hampshire. What is it called?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17306" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-24T23:07:03.847" LastActivityDate="2017-04-24T23:07:03.847" Title="What is this plant with red and yellow flowers on long thin stems?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32815" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-23T20:18:18.547" Score="3" ViewCount="8373" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5CtMy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3pxZP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C5QvU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q3YTo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Help! Can someone tell me what's killing my peace lily? Iv had this plant for about 9 months. It seems like the Plant does well for about a week after I will trim all the dead leaves off and then it's back to looking like this. The leaves turn brown, get crispy and shrivel up. Some of then will even yellow. Some of them have brown spots, that look like they have been eaten out of them. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I thought maybe it was getting to much light so I moved it to a room where it gets hardly no light. That hasn't helped. Iv watered it less.... that hasn't helped. Iv misted the leaves....that hasn't helped. Iv trimmed the dead off....that hasn't helped. &#xA;I'm afraid that it's dying and don't know why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17173" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T05:45:40.077" Title="Peace lily dying. Please help!" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32816" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32814" CreationDate="2017-04-23T20:25:19.220" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Cytisus scoparius and it might be the variety 'Lena', but there are various hybrids now in slightly differing colours. Average height and spread 1.5m x 1m,  likes light, sandy soil, full sun, hardy down to -20degC, no pruning other than a light clip over after flowering. These shrubs do not regrow from old wood; they are commonly known as Broom. Image here &lt;a href=&quot;https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/405464772672189639/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/405464772672189639/&lt;/a&gt; - it's a Pinterest link, its the first photo on the page.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T20:25:19.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32817" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-23T20:30:58.103" Score="4" ViewCount="506" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found a few of these bugs hiding away in my cauliflower when I picked it. What are they and are they harmful to other plants in my raised vegetable garden?  If so how can I organically eliminate them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yulip.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yulip.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-04-24T07:15:01.013" Title="What is this bug and is it harmful to my vegetables" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32817" CreationDate="2017-04-23T20:35:06.057" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That appears to be a male earwig, and it was probably just hiding out in the cauliflower - they operate after dark, so will hide themselves away during the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're not usually too much of a problem unless you have hundreds - whilst they may eat soft leaves and petals on plants, they also like soft bodied insects like aphids, so they serve a useful purpose. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/dealing-with-earwigs-in-your-vegetable-garden/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/dealing-with-earwigs-in-your-vegetable-garden/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-23T20:35:06.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32819" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-23T21:25:35.507" Score="4" ViewCount="153" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6TKSJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3xWjl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vOgZW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hi, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you help me finding the name of this plant? I made some research but I couldn't find anything.&#xA;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17307" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-04-24T09:21:16.070" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T19:46:05.943" Title="What's the name of this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32769" CreationDate="2017-04-24T00:58:35.380" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The cover crop will compost just fine where it is while providing protection and moisture to the soil. Removing the residue is detrimental.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By perennial, you mean something like White clover? I'd just leave the clover alone and only cut any weed that pops up. The grapevines will take advantage of the additional moisture and residual nitrogen. You don't want to fertilize grapevines. It only produces more green growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should also look into companions. Low shrubby and creeping herbs will help with pests and possibly with fungal diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastActivityDate="2017-04-24T00:58:35.380" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32817" CreationDate="2017-04-24T07:15:01.013" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Earwigs, slugs, pillbugs...love debris and stone condos.  To keep many pests in control without using any pesticide is by NOT attracting them with free condos, debris filled piles.  Remove rocks get them away from tender perennials and vegetables.  Remove rotting wood.  Remove piles of leaves to an area away from potted plants, vegey garden and ornamentals.  Slugs love to have ready made things to crawl beneath for the day to come out at night especially on lawns.  Decomposers to include pill bugs, earwigs have a job to do.  They are part of a huge team that is responsible for decomposing organic matter after death.  Best thing to do is have an area to feed these insects ...called a 'trap crop'.  Decomposing wood, leaves, organic debris interests and attracts these insects far more than tender vegetable crops.  A trap crop keeps insects happy and fed so they won't mess with your 'cash' crops.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There will always be a few insects...around. In no way can we humans eliminate insects nor should we, but to create a self sustaining way to control them.  Controlling their environment is the best.  Give them stuff that is decomposing and they will stay there, not eat live plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-24T07:15:01.013" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32822" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32798" CreationDate="2017-04-24T09:29:23.593" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a low-effort solution I've used on some areas successfully (in southern England), and have been meaning to try on larger areas after being disappointed with weedkiller and unwilling to use it at the moment.  I mainly use a wire brush with a long handle and/or a shaped scraper blade; you'd need to use those to finish the job but dead weeds should be weaker and com up more easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cover it with plastic sheet &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/13669/7288&quot;&gt;(black or clear -- this link for the discussion)&lt;/a&gt; and wait a few weeks.  It's best done in the height of summer to get the heat.  My idea is to put the sheet at the weekend before going on holiday, and to take it up at the weekend when we're back.  For a 2 week holiday that's 3--4 weeks, and as we all know, it's always sunny in the garden at home when you've gone abroad.  This would avoid having it around too much for walking on and looking unsightly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This could be a partner to other methods: I've got island beds with wooden edges so would have to leave a decent margin round them with any fire-based approach -- the plastic sheeting could go down in these margins after burning the larger areas (then it could be left longer, too). Similarly I wouldn't fancy using weedkillers that close to the beds even if I used them on the main patio.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2017-04-24T09:29:23.593" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32798" CreationDate="2017-04-24T12:08:36.163" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Once they're laid, it's too late.  But when the paving is being laid, ask the fitters to put a thin layer of sand/cement mix on the top of the sharp sand underneath.  It doesn't completely stop weeds between the pavers, but it greatly reduces their ability to send down roots and grow bigger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13925" LastActivityDate="2017-04-24T12:08:36.163" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32824" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-24T13:23:19.680" Score="2" ViewCount="1006" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just had to cut down a Eucalyptus tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to treat the stump that's left behind to stop any regrowth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17315" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-24T14:17:40.513" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T15:14:42.357" Title="Do I need to treat a Eucalyptus stump to prevent regrowth?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;&lt;stump-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32826" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-24T17:59:21.010" Score="2" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought 3 grape vines last spring/summer (table grapes, canadice, concord, can't remember).  The grew but no grapes or flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After reading it sounds like I should have pruned them before the winter, but I didn't.  Now that it is their first spring, how should I prune them.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Just one main vine and back to 2 or 3 buds, or because they've allready started budding should I jut let them grow this season ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;thanks,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alison&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14804" LastActivityDate="2017-04-25T02:00:31.190" Title="pruning new grape vines" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32827" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-24T19:31:56.197" Score="2" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a well-established area of Confederate Jasmine groundcover that is beginning to be overrun by Zoysia grass growing under the concrete curb border. Is there any way to kill the Zoysia without injuring the Jasmine. Hand weeding is almost impossible due to the density of the Jasmine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17319" LastActivityDate="2017-04-24T19:31:56.197" Title="Zoysia Grass Overrunning Groundcover" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32828" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-24T20:04:11.280" Score="2" ViewCount="38" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a Forsythia branch at my local market 5 days ago. I have it in a tall vase with room temperature water but it has already started to dry out and all the flowers and leaves have all fell off! Why did this happen and can I revive it? :-(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17320" LastActivityDate="2017-06-24T20:38:02.607" Title="Plant care for Forsythia" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32829" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-24T20:27:51.583" Score="3" ViewCount="297" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I built a dry stacked tumble bluestone flowerbed.  It took me a long time to fit it all and it looks great but I ran out of time to work on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;New year and I want to finish it off.  I've got about 39 feet of capping to do and it's cost prohibitive for me to spend 5 -800 for capping material.  It definitely needs something.   I thought about using a colored mortar or something Instead but I'm wondering what would work?  The bluestone isn't a uniform depth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas?&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mv3wa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k6GIK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6876" LastEditorUserId="6876" LastEditDate="2017-04-24T21:51:29.257" LastActivityDate="2017-05-24T22:11:00.653" Title="Cap off tumbled bluestone wall" Tags="&lt;hard-landscape&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32830" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32829" CreationDate="2017-04-24T21:23:10.977" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You HAVE to tell us how you built this wall.  Dry stack REAL rock is to die for.  Do NOT cheapen what you have done with some...lame cap.  What have you been looking at for garden wall caps?  There are premade concrete wall caps that are 2'X 1'X 2&quot; thick.  Is this what you've cost?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That wall is priceless, if you've not done proper drainage and foundation of compacted gravel...I would redo the wall.  Set on compacted gravel, figure the surcharge or reduce the surcharge behind that wall, add a perforated  4&quot; pipe on gravel, at the bottom of your wall covered with landscape fabric, backfilled with drainrock then landscape fabric topped with 6&quot; of soil.  Try to slope away from the wall into a small swale between wall and slope.  That will help to reduce surcharge...the amount of water the soil behind that wall can accumulate to put pressure on your wall.  You could always do the drainage and foundation later.  The cap is secured with mastic but won't stop taking the cap off if you need to reconstruct your wall.  REAL STACKED STONE?  Wonderful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wall caps HAVE to be concrete, 2&quot; thick, finely troweled, uniform and be able to accept the top of a wall that is fairly straight and well matched with ledge stones?  This is the beauty of a garden wall.  This will make your true stone wall worth it's weight in gold.  Serious!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pricing capstones for CMU walls as well as real stone walls was always amazingly inexpensive compared to the entire wall.  To cheap out now would be a shame.  I remember a $20 price per capstone at 2'X 1' X 2&quot;, uninstalled but not OUR price.  What have YOU found?  Do NOT even imagine to add color to the cap.  Stay with light dove gray.  Again trust me on this.  I've done hundreds of projects with garden walls and THE ONLY way to go is dove gray!  You will regret any color later.  I am a Landscape Architect that KNOWS what is value in the landscape and what will be a waste of money.  Send a picture, please! 40 feet of cap would be at the most, $400.  How much was the stone you used, how high is your wall and is it straight or curved?  That is a consideration.  Still doable I've got alternatives...&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gDEya.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gDEya.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;concrete wall caps&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-24T21:23:10.977" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32831" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-24T21:29:38.233" Score="3" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;I ordered some saffron bulbs and thought they would be delivered in the fall but they are here now. The directions say to plant immediately. These came from China. They were a little moist from being packed in a plastic bag. I have them drying in a bowl right now so they don't get moldy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will these be alright to go ahead and plant now or can I store them till fall somehow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2018-05-03T16:42:27.127" LastActivityDate="2018-05-03T16:42:27.127" Title="Can I plant saffron in spring?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;storage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="32833" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32826" CreationDate="2017-04-25T01:02:14.890" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;First of all, grapes as usually sold are first year grafts. They need about three years to bear fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondly, they will likely survive if you prune them now, but given that you will get no grapes, and that it is a risk, you better wait until they are dormant again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are you planning to train them or are they just sprawling all over the place?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should decide how you want to grow them right now. For table grapes I assume some sort of trellis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you did some training, keep at it and, in Winter, cut back to the vines that are trained.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you didn't, learn about training techniques and train the shoot that is straighter/better aligned to the main trunk. The first few years are very important so, if you messed up, cut back to one dormant bud and start over next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Know that you can and should remove new shoots that you don't need and that you can also pinch the tips of new vines with little worry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastEditorDisplayName="user10810" LastEditDate="2017-04-25T02:00:31.190" LastActivityDate="2017-04-25T02:00:31.190" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32834" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-25T01:50:45.837" Score="3" ViewCount="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to use miniature pirate bugs to control thrips and other potential pests in my greenhouse, they seem quite effective but I do not want the population to die off too much when there are not many pests left for them to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They can sustain themselves on pollen so what would be some good year-round small flowering plants that could keep them going? High pollen production would mean I wouldn't need as many but being pretty or edible would be other advantages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17323" LastActivityDate="2017-04-25T01:50:45.837" Title="Year round pollen producers to sustain miniature pirate bugs for pest control" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32835" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-25T04:38:25.997" Score="3" ViewCount="303" Body="&lt;p&gt;This was found along the path in Edgewood Park, San Carlos, CA.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ixWQq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ixWQq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  There were a line of them, so I think they were planted.  As Jack in the pulpit is native, I would suspect that, but the pictures I see have three prominent leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16795" LastActivityDate="2017-04-25T07:44:54.510" Title="Jack in the pulpit? Italian arum?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32835" CreationDate="2017-04-25T07:44:54.510" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is one of the &lt;em&gt;Arum&lt;/em&gt;. It is difficult to distinguish the &lt;em&gt;Arum maculatum&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Arum italicum&lt;/em&gt; from this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no clear white spot on the leaves (which would clearly define this plant as the italic species, but the spatula is (still) yellow (also a characteristic of italic species, but from time to time found also on the common species).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if with time thee spatula will become violet to brown, I would say &lt;em&gt;Arum maculatum&lt;/em&gt;. In the other case, I would search for nearby plants or I would not bet in a species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: many floras put some characteristics (e.g. black points, veins, direction of the lower spike, ...), but these are not really consistent (but maybe inside a delimited region).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-25T07:44:54.510" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32837" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9468" CreationDate="2017-04-25T08:02:48.220" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are other questions to ask. Where are these Green covers coming from and which market were they designed for? Perhaps for example these green plastic greenhouses were made in China. Now since China is relatively close to Australia and has a strong trading relationship with them perhaps it's possible that they were designed for the Australian market. The sunlight in an Australian summer could be too powerful for many plants to survive. Perhaps this is why the concept of a green greenhouse has come about? Green obviously filters out much of the red and blue needed by plants, (more of the blue spectrum in early development and more of the red spectrum later on during flowering).&#xA;  Or perhaps Green just works out cheaper for the manufacturer. Generally green is more UV resistant so perhaps it is simply for longevity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17324" LastActivityDate="2017-04-25T08:02:48.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32838" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32846" CreationDate="2017-04-25T11:17:20.347" Score="3" ViewCount="540" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a novice gardener and have put some trays of marigold seeds in the garden. Last night, we had unforecast frost. It wasn't a heavy frost, and only appeared in small patches on the grass in the garden. If it's relevant, this is in the UK. The species are: French Dwarf, Bonita and Honeycomb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are my marigolds likely to have survived this, or do I need to clear out my trays and start again? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17325" LastEditorUserId="17325" LastEditDate="2017-04-25T17:16:03.810" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T15:10:20.363" Title="Marigold Seeds in Light Frost - Are They Lost?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;frost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32839" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32840" CreationDate="2017-04-25T12:48:44.367" Score="3" ViewCount="33" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted a vine from a local vineyard this year. It is strong and has woken up showing strong buds and looks promising.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not want to grow it the traditional way, like a vineyard, but basically want it to grow up the fence and on to a pergola on the other side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just need to know how I can prune it to maximise its growth?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TtdNX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TtdNX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16605" LastActivityDate="2018-01-02T21:04:44.827" Title="Vine trimming tips" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32840" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32839" CreationDate="2017-04-25T13:01:17.530" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is no &quot;traditional way, like a vineyard&quot;. Depending on the regions, there are many different traditional ways.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would leave as it is now, but remove all extra shots that will grow outside the 3 branches. So it should be growth well and balanced.  You can remove all grapes (or maybe you can leave one just to see it), so that the plant will grow faster, this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I expect next winter you need to do a huge pruning, but it is OK: the vine will store all energy on roots. So you can choose the form. Probably I would choose one or two long branches (5-7 buds) and two short branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the weather, water, fertilizer, variety are not very strong, you need one or two additional years. But it is much easier to water and to have a good position, for a single vine, then in a vineyard, so your plant will grow faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-25T13:01:17.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32841" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-25T13:39:22.027" Score="3" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;we are planning to build a patio at our backyard against the back wall. The backyard is wet for the most of the year. Most of the videos I saw recommend to dig to a depth of 6 to 8 inches, and fill in with base and so on. But will the patio base be acting like a water pool that traps the water seeps through the paver stone? Thanks for any advises. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17326" LastActivityDate="2017-04-27T21:45:37.490" Title="Will Patio Base Trap Water?" Tags="&lt;patio&gt;&lt;grading&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32842" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-25T13:49:39.510" Score="7" ViewCount="659" Body="&lt;p&gt;The images are of a seed pod that came, either from Malta or Cyprus. It is about 60mm diameter and extremely hard. I had to take a hammer to it for it to open.&#xA;Inside were many small flat ,slightly fluffy heart shaped seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Might anybody recognize it please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z3RH8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z3RH8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zukGi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zukGi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17327" LastEditorUserId="32852" LastEditDate="2021-05-16T11:38:20.317" LastActivityDate="2021-05-16T11:38:20.317" Title="Large seed pod from Mediterranean region - identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="32843" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32859" CreationDate="2017-04-25T14:01:16.077" Score="3" ViewCount="1098" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a lot these bulbs so I don't know how I'm going to get them all out to grow anything else. I am in south-east England. Are they weeds or are all bulbous flowers? If it turns out they are flowers, could I just grow other stuff along side them? Or if they are weeds how do I remove them? I'm too impatient to wait to see what they grow into because I want to get planting stuff as soon as possible so any information would be great!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/49kvB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/REvaS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Csx4G.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eedFm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qZbAI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17180" LastEditorUserId="17180" LastEditDate="2017-04-27T14:31:14.647" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T13:21:56.370" Title="What are these stacked bulbs taking over my garden?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32844" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-25T14:05:41.460" Score="2" ViewCount="298" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1dhYP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1dhYP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;My Salvia stem and leaves went from deep green to olive green and the flower from purple/blue to light brown. This is my first time planting this type of plant. I didn't do the best research and I believe they have died. They areally still standing and in tact, but looked slumped over, thin, and dried out. Should I take out or can I help them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I live in Texas. The plants receive 6+ hours of sun. I planted them (6) about 3-4 weeks ago.&#xA;I also planted some smaller ones in pots and those are doing great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17328" LastEditorUserId="17328" LastEditDate="2017-04-26T15:12:48.683" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T15:12:48.683" Title="Are my Salvia Blue dead? or will they bloom again?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32845" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32842" CreationDate="2017-04-25T14:21:11.417" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks a lot like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=jacaranda%20seed&amp;amp;num=20&amp;amp;safe=off&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwihpa2J5r_TAhUl5IMKHSrNBSQQ_AUICCgB&amp;amp;biw=1184&amp;amp;bih=667&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Jacaranda seed pod&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tBdRI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tBdRI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Jacaranda&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jacaranda_mimosifolia_-_pods_and_seeds.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Image from&lt;/a&gt; wikimedia.&#xA;Looks like Jacaranda is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.maltawildplants.com/BIGN/Jacaranda_mimosifolia.php&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;native to Malta&lt;/a&gt;, and at least grows in Cyprus.&#xA;It's also common in the San Francisco area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2017-04-25T14:21:11.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32846" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32838" CreationDate="2017-04-25T15:08:10.770" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Had they sprouted yet? If they were still in the soil, they are probably fine (for frost, not freeze.) If they had sprouted (to the point of being above soil), you'll probably see the tops die and should replant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-04-25T15:08:10.770" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32847" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32941" CreationDate="2017-04-25T18:53:57.357" Score="4" ViewCount="506" Body="&lt;p&gt;I hope you can help me identify the problem with these Ipomoeas (Morning Glory).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's actually two varieties of seeds I sowed together:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ipomoea Violacea (those with tinnier leaves, I'm not sure)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ipomoea Tricolor Heavenly Blue (those with larger, rounder leaves, I'm not sure).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;As you can see from the pictures, some whitish, silvery patches are appearing on leaves.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've already looked at the following similar questions...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/7063/what-is-happening-to-the-leaves-of-my-ipomoea-morning-glory&quot;&gt;What is happening to the leaves of my Ipomoea (Morning glory)?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/19402/what-is-causing-yellow-leaves-on-my-morning-glory&quot;&gt;What is causing yellow leaves on my Morning Glory?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;...but I am not sure it's the same problem because in those questions it seems that the leaves became just decolored, while on mines it seems more that some of &lt;strong&gt;the leaf &lt;em&gt;tissue&lt;/em&gt;  came off, and the lower layer of it became exposed&lt;/strong&gt; (the patches).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Relevant facts:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I sawed the seeds approximately one month ago. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plants have been taking 5-6 hours of direct sunlight and 4 hours of indirect sunlight a day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When plants' height was half of what it is now, there was an hailstorm, resulting in very few leaves being clearly broken/cut, but this seems to not have to do with the whitish patches, because they also started appearing on intact, unbroken leaves. However - I am not sure if this is important - when the hailstorm happened, the hail on the ground did not unfreeze immediately (it was at night).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is no trace of insects on the top face or bottom face of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Concerning watering, I've watered them every time I saw the ground become dry, so for the first two weeks, approximately once every 3-4 days. Then two weeks ago it got warmer, so I've started watering them more (once every 2 days). Then last week got even warmer so since then I've started watering them almost daily. These days maximum daytime temperature is 22° Celsius. At night it gets to 8-10° Celsius.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The patches appeared initially only on some plants, and now more of them are showing the same thing, although not all of them. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It seems leaves are still growing, although slowly, and new leaflets are coming out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I used a universal soil and did not add anything to it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry if I made this question too long, but I tried to be as much detailed as I could. Please let me know if there is something I might have forgotten to include.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks a lot in advance for your help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xgIeU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xgIeU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LIUeB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LIUeB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KnwaW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KnwaW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NVwb9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NVwb9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZaaCo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZaaCo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/odg85.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/odg85.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gw2ll.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gw2ll.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rSW5i.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rSW5i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KYB0a.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KYB0a.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17187" LastEditorUserId="17187" LastEditDate="2017-04-25T20:06:24.270" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T20:47:16.590" Title="Ipomoea / Morning Glory leaves &quot;engraved&quot; with whitish, silvery patches" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;morning-glory&gt;&lt;weather&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32848" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32828" CreationDate="2017-04-25T19:29:13.680" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you didn't change the water, it is possible that some fungi have multiplied enough to kill the plant. Your only chance of reviving the plant is to cut and discard the part that stayed in water and plant the top part in humid/moist soil. Make sure the soil is not too wet, otherwise fungi will rapidly take over. This way, your plant will grow roots if it is not dead by now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-04-25T19:29:13.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32849" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35242" CreationDate="2017-04-25T19:43:23.990" Score="3" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a few American Holly trees (I think that's what they are) that my landscaper cut all the way down, almost to the trunk. Is this how you would normally trim this tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think this was right but thought I would check here to make sure. My guess is that tear drop shape trim is the most you would ever want to do. I think they will look bare for a while, then like little green popsicles for a while longer, before ever looking like real trees again. Am I wrong? Pictured below are two of the trimmed trees. The crepe myrtle in the middle I am not worried about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fg1oF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fg1oF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is what these trees used to look like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RshJ8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RshJ8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2145" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T12:00:51.200" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T12:00:51.200" Title="American Holly tree trimming" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="32850" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-25T19:48:16.760" Score="2" ViewCount="46" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/98512/Rosa-Peace-Madame-A-Meilland-(HT)/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mme A. Meilland&lt;/a&gt; rose in the garden, and I'd like to dye some of the blooms from it. There are plenty of guides online for buying roses from a shop and dyeing them all sorts of colours, but I'm also aware that shop roses might be treated with hormones and other chemicals to encourage them to bloom, and I'm not sure if this would make a difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it just as easy to dye roses from the garden? Given that I can take cuttings whenever I want, can I get a better result by cutting the stem before it's fully bloomed? Will I need to take better care of the cut stems given that the plants are untreated?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17335" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-25T22:36:44.493" LastActivityDate="2017-04-25T22:36:44.493" Title="Is dyeing home-grown roses fundamentally different from store-bought?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32852" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-25T21:13:31.473" Score="2" ViewCount="41" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to make compost tea for my tomatoes but was wondering if it is OK to add several ingredients at once or if there are any that shouldn't go together. Also, should I add more water for each ingredient or can I combine all into one 2 gallon jug?  Most of the recipes are for something like 2 tablespoons of ingredient to 2 gallons of water. So do I add another two gallons for each ingredient or can I add all to a single 2 gallon jug?  I assume the latter.  My plants are 2 months old and just starting to bloom. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are the ingredients I have and might want to combine one or more at a time: worm castings, bat guano, humic acid, fish emulsion, seaweed granules and root enhancer. Not sure which of these are good together and if now is the right time for any or all of these. Thanks for any input!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17171" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-10T19:45:57.053" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T19:45:57.053" Title="Compost tea - any combination of ingredients not OK?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;compost-tea&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32853" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32884" CreationDate="2017-04-25T22:44:00.033" Score="4" ViewCount="405" Body="&lt;p&gt;This insect has seriously damaged my kale, and almost killed my brussel sprouts in less than a week. What is it, and how can I control it. My garden is organic, so a non-chemical solution is preferable. Diatomaceous earth does not appear to phase them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DN2el.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DN2el.png&quot; alt=&quot;a nasty little bugger that is killing my kale and brussel sprouts&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11010" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-27T22:45:38.830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-27T22:45:38.830" Title="What is this ladybug-like insect that is damaging my kale, and how can I control it?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32854" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-25T23:23:18.610" Score="3" ViewCount="167" Body="&lt;p&gt;About 4 years ago, I put down 4 inch deep of wood chip mulch (cheapest kind bought at Home Depot), and then 1 inch every year after. I noticed lately, grass and weed have been growing much more than before. I suspect that the 4 inch of mulch is now only 2 inch, since the lower 2 inch had turned to soil. Even though it look like the same height as before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What method of mulch management is better? Do I need to dig deeper and remove soil every so many years?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Residence: S. California. Zone 9.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14078" LastEditorUserId="14078" LastEditDate="2017-04-26T20:41:31.543" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T13:55:51.703" Title="Mulch become soil, how many years till soil becomes too high that must be removed?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32856" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-26T02:05:54.050" Score="2" ViewCount="328" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone please help with the cause of yellowing of bottom leaves of bonsai umbrella tree. The new leaves look fine. I'm in Australia in autumn but still 28-15 deg so not sure if I should repot at this time. Thanking you &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rgi7l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rgi7l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17338" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-26T02:46:39.860" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T23:26:27.730" Title="Help with Yellow leaves" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32857" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-26T02:39:58.157" Score="2" ViewCount="345" Body="&lt;p&gt;My hydrangeas have sprouted roots above ground.  The shrubs are three years in.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Can these roots be cut off without loosing the plant?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17340" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-04-26T07:00:45.840" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T07:04:50.177" Title="Should I cut Hydrangea surfacing roots?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32858" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32857" CreationDate="2017-04-26T07:04:50.177" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Be careful, these might also be new branches growing! Can't tell without an image.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your hydrangea grows roots above ground, another solution would be to add some compost or potting soil to the plants' feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T07:04:50.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32843" CreationDate="2017-04-26T15:04:29.827" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The green growth in the last picture is unrelated to the corms you've found - they are Crocosmia, a flowering plant with narrow, swordlike leaves, and this string type arrangement as they multiply is typical. If you want to replant some, do not separate the strings, plant them as they are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's impossible to know whether the corms are Crocosmia masonorum, the basic, short stemmed orange flowered type that grow wild down in Cornwall and Devon, or whether they are one of the newer, taller and more attractive  hybrids such as Crocosmia 'Lucifer', which is also known to be invasive in some soils. I suggest you dig them all out, then put a few in a deep pot in potting soil and wait and see what develops when they flower around June or July. If you like them, you can replant once you know what they are. There's no point in keeping all the corms, there will be far too many anyway, and if you decide to keep the ones you've put in a pot and replant, they will multiply all over again over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-26T20:46:15.427" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T20:46:15.427" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32860" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32838" CreationDate="2017-04-26T15:10:20.363" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry to say they will  not germinate, regardless of last night's grass frost or not. Tagetes or French marigold (which is the type of marigold you've described with those varietal names) are half hardy annuals in the UK and need to be sown into seed and cutting compost, in trays, in temperatures of 21-25 deg C, see link here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thompson-morgan.com/flowers/flower-seeds/marigold-seeds/marigold-bonita-mixed/1560TM&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.thompson-morgan.com/flowers/flower-seeds/marigold-seeds/marigold-bonita-mixed/1560TM&lt;/a&gt; under 'How to Sow'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Calendula officinalis, the English marigold, are much hardier and can be sown outdoors, although as its currently so cold, a bit later on in early May would be better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T15:10:20.363" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32861" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32824" CreationDate="2017-04-26T15:14:42.357" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Absolutely you will need to treat it if you don't want regrowth. Most trees, provided they're healthy, will regrow from an untreated stump, but eucalypts in particular tend to respond by growing 6-8 feet in a season after such treatment. You'll need to find a stumpkiller and follow the instructions - you haven't said where you are, so it's not possible to mention particular products - they differ from country to country.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T15:14:42.357" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32862" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-26T15:43:09.670" Score="5" ViewCount="163" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this type of grassy houseplant. I think it might be a Ponytail Palm, but it seems to be slightly different. I want to put them outside on the porch my cats frequent, but they go crazy chomping at them so I'm afraid they will get sick. I need to identify the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/13Jio.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/13Jio.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VoivP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VoivP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17343" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-26T16:01:17.707" LastActivityDate="2017-04-28T10:57:33.263" Title="What is this grassy houseplant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32863" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-26T16:00:48.830" Score="4" ViewCount="2696" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am considering planting 6 ft Arborvitae Emeralds for privacy. I've read in the Q&amp;amp;A &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/28901/what-is-the-optimal-spacing-for-emerald-green-arborvitae&quot;&gt;What is the optimal spacing for emerald green arborvitae?&lt;/a&gt; that the spacing should be 2 feet apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in opinions on double row planting and how those should be spaced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17337" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-04-26T21:27:56.520" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T21:50:31.253" Title="What is a good spacing for a double row of Arborvitae 'Emerald'?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;&lt;privacy-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32864" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32862" CreationDate="2017-04-26T20:07:07.603" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant looks like a &lt;strong&gt;pencil cactus&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;milkbush&lt;/strong&gt;.   If that is a pencil cactus, the plant is toxic to dogs and cats.  If a person contacts the white, milky, latex sap of the plant, it can cause an anaphylactic reaction.&#xA;Please do not let your cats, or any pet, chew on this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/pencil-cactus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pencil Cactus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17344" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-04-28T10:57:33.263" LastActivityDate="2017-04-28T10:57:33.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32865" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32868" CreationDate="2017-04-26T20:15:28.000" Score="3" ViewCount="1070" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a planter full of a nice soil mixture but let it go dormant and dry out for a year or two. Recently I have kept it around some other plants, exposed it to more light, and applied fertilizer (fish-based fertilizer then a couple of days later worm castings from kitchen scraps).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can seeds be planted in that soil now without harm or are they better off being planted after the freshly-fertilized soil rests longer? If I should wait in between fertilizing and planting, how long? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seeds I'm interested in planting for this soil are a mix of salad greens. The concern with planting the seeds too soon is that the fresh fertilization will somehow injure the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T23:05:55.463" Title="Reviving some soil using fertilizer, how long to wait before planting?" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32866" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24829" CreationDate="2017-04-26T21:13:35.410" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The wall made of glass in the second picture has either a soil based background, with the soil kept in place by a net, or has a hydroponic system that flows the nutrients through various pipes located on the back of the wall. I suspect it is the latter. Either way, the plants need to be fertilized on a regular basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your can add soil to the other side of your wall and anchor it with plastic net, but only if the wall has holes that the plants can use to cross to the backside, otherwise vegetables won't have enough nutrients to flower or set fruit, not to mention the risk of rain washing everything off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants that you can grow in the small cracks include Hedera and some rock-loving groundcovers hardy to your zone. Also, there are a few succulents hardy to zone 3 and 4, like some species in the genera Sedum and Sempervivum. These plants don'r require fertilizing and may be planted each on every crack.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T21:13:35.410" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32863" CreationDate="2017-04-26T21:26:13.220" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Double row planting allows you to space a bit wider.  I would space 3' and the row behind is offset so that the arborvitae of the second row are in the middle of that 3' space.  The second row should be 3' from the first row.  You will have equilateral triangles with every 3 arborvitae.  Each arborvitae will be 3' away from its neighbors, side and back and front.  Do not skimp with space.  3' is truly minimum between arborvitae hedges.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doing this you will have healthier arborvitae, less shading and die off between the shrubs and &lt;em&gt;faster growth&lt;/em&gt;.  Another very cool thing is if one dies (for reasons other than Phytophthora explained later) it will hardly be noticeable.  Water well the first year. Not soggy but keep moist. Try not  to water overhead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are your plants B &amp;amp; B or are they in pots?  How large of a pot?  Allow your shrubs to acclimate to their new home before any fertilizer.  A soil test will help and ask for phytophthora count if available. This disease is one you do not want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you see a branch or two die to be followed by the death of the entire shrub...you might have Phytophthora or had Phytophthora then you have to remove that shrub and ask us how to proceed.  The entire hedge could easily die from this fungus...well, it is akin to fungus.  This is on the rare side but all of the arborviatae hedges that I know that had problems it was always Phytophthora.  Check out this article to protect your investment.  Have you already purchased your arborvitae?  Find out from the nursery what they warranty.  This article helps you to be able to LOOK at nursery stock to suss out stuff you DON'T want.  Most Phytophthora comes with nursery stock.  Be a pain, be a know it all about Phtophthora.  Get your soil test from your closest University Cooperative Extension Service.  Cheap and worth it.  I doubt they'll be able to check for Phytophthora but if you were able to prove you had no phytopohthora in your soil and you got it from the nursery and they knew you were concerned about this disease they would have to replace those shrubs. &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/pests/plant-diseases/all-fact-sheets/phytophthora-root-rot-on-woody-ornamentals&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Phytophthora woody perennials&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you ever had a tree or shrub die completely, starting as a 'flag' (a very dead branch among healthy looking foliage and progressing to total kill?  If so do not use arborvitae as your hedge.  There are many other solutions.  Many better choices for hedges.  Check for variety resistance.  Ask about resistance of the shrub you want to purchase.  Check out the nursery's warranty.  Are you having a subcontractor or  contractor purchasing and planting?  Check out their licenses, their bonding and THEIR warranty.  Let them know you KNOW about this disease.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get a soil test, get to know your Cooperative Extension Service, the Master Gardeners, Arborists by NAME.  Valuable!  This hedge will not be cheap.  How long is your screen to be? (don't prune until the height is attained that you expect and always use alcohol to clean your blades). How much room widthwise do you have?  Will this be on neighbor's property? Get an informal yet written agreement between you and your neighbor if so!  I've been involved in many civil suits between neighbors and trust me you do not want that to happen.  Communicate with your neighbor closely.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your neighbor could also have this fungus in their soil that will infect and kill your hedge. This fungus doesn't affect all genus and species of plants.  Arborvitae happens to be very susceptible, however.  Try to get RESISTANT strains or variety of arborvitae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Learn the nursery's history about shrub, tree death. Are they even aware of Phytophthora? Very unfortunate to go to court over this type of thing.  Just  trying to get you to prepare JUST IN CASE.  Please ask more questions when you get further into this project.  I hate to see neighbors sue each other or have to sue your Nursery. The more you communicate, the less the chance of problems and court stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope not to scare you but just record everything including dates/conversations that surround the purchase and installation of your hedge, know more about your nursery stock before purchase, the nursery, warranties, a soil test...and with this you'll have your 'ducks' in a row be able to succeed in court.  Better yet,  communicating this knowledge you will lessen any problems and protect your investment.  And your relationship with neighbors and nursery. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of the court problems I was asked to expert were about arborvitae hedges!  A few with big trees and limbs crossing the property lines but amazing the time spent in court over arborvitae hedges...so I am giving you a bit more information that you thought but I sure hated dealing with that EXPENSIVE drama!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-04-26T21:50:31.253" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T21:50:31.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32868" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32865" CreationDate="2017-04-26T21:40:53.273" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you should be fine. Worm casings are fine, as is, and if the fish-based fertilizer is sold as a fertilizer, read the instructions.  If the instructions call for adding it to growing plants, and not just as a soil amendment that has to break down, then it will be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The place where you have concerns is when you are adding stronger soil amendments - fresh, not composted manure has the capacity to cause nitrogen burn, or artificial fertilizers in higher than recommended concentrations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like what you added is friendly for immediate use for plants, though, again, check the instructions for the fish-based fertilizer to make sure you didn't add too high a concentration or amount for the container size. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T21:40:53.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32869" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32865" CreationDate="2017-04-26T22:56:04.120" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want a better chance of success you will dump the OLD soil out and replace it  with POTTING SOIL.  Do not use garden soil.  Do not put rock or gravel below the soil and above the drainage hole.  Raise the bottom of the pot off any surface to improve drainage.  Potting soil is cheap.  Garden soil does not belong in pots unless you ABSOLUTELY are unable to get potting soil because you live in the middle of Alaska with no Home Depot or Grocery store.  Or India I have found. There are other answers here that go into depth about the WHYs. Fertilizer should always be balanced, compost and fish fertilizer do not meet the qualifications.  Fish fertilizer is good but really only those that understand fertilizers should ADD anything to their POTTING SOIL other than an extended release balanced fertilizer. If you add a balanced NPK plus micro nutrients that fish fertilizer which adds nitrogen might make the nitrogen higher in percentage to the phosphorous and potassium and THAT might cause your plants harm.  Lettuce needs higher nitrogen because you want the leafy stuff.  Too high of nitrogen and plants will not flower and fruit well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer, fish emulsion, blood meal and all the other additives are NOT food for your plants.  They primarily give soils the chemistry plants HAVE to have to do photosynthesis and make their own food.  Fertilizer does nothing to 'revive' soil.  Dump this old soil in your garden.  Only decomposed organic matter improves soil's tilth and feeds the soil organisms. That is the only way to improve GARDEN SOIL.  Potting soil is different and you are correct, baby plants should not have fertilizer until they are a bit more mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potting soil is sterilized and made for pots.  Actually very little soil is in potting soil. And don't get potting soil with fertilizer or any moisture holding gimmicks like sponges or gels. Potting soil is cheap and gives you a chance for success.  I know  an awful lot about plants, soils, fertilizer and I would NEVER make my own potting soil although I DO know how.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What was planted in your old soil?  What insect eggs or pathogens are harbored in that soil?  Sure plants will grow but not as vigorously as they would in a pot in potting soil. Success will be iffy. Lettuce is fun to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please start by germinating seeds in tiny pots...made to start seeds.  Using fresh out of the bag potting soil.  Germinating or planting too tiny starts into a large pot with a large body of soil, will not be very healthy and is basically a no no.  Start seeds in those little peat pots and when the roots show through the bottom UP POT to a size larger....3-4&quot; pots. Use fresh potting soil and now is a great time to add an extended release fertilizer.  OSMOCOTE, 14-14-14 is what I recommend even though it is by Scott's.  You will need to add a little more when up potted to their larger pot but after than you are done with adding fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the roots show through the bottom in these larger pots, then I would try planting into a larger pot. I usually end up transplanting 3 - 4&quot; starts into a 1 gallon pot (6&quot;) for all single vegetables and leave my large pots for tomatoes, or potatoes or squash. `1 gallon pots grow a great head of lettuce, peppers, basil... Do not water deeply until the plant has enough roots integrated into the body of  soil (helps to remove water, allowing more air).  Then you should start watering deeply and allow the soil to dry (inch below surface dry) before watering again.  The larger the plants get and taking into consideration warmer weather the more they will need water but NOT everyday.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-04-26T23:05:55.463" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T23:05:55.463" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32870" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32856" CreationDate="2017-04-26T23:14:23.627" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Various nutrient deficiencies often show as yellowing of specific areas on plant leaves, sometimes on older leaves first, sometimes new ones, depending on the particular deficiency. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be what's happening here - there is a mosaic or ringspot pattern appearing even on the leaves which are currently still green, so the most likely cause of the problem may well be viral infection. If it is viral, there's no treatment I'm afraid. Its possible that the leaves may remain on the plant, just completely yellow over time, or they may turn to yellow, then brown and fall, it's hard to predict what course any viral infection may take. Some information here on causes of chlorosis &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=772&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=772&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope I'm wrong and someone else will come up with another answer that might mean you can take remedial action. It's worth checking carefully beneath the leaves and all the stems on the off chance it's a pest invasion, in hopes it's something easier to treat like that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-26T23:26:27.730" LastActivityDate="2017-04-26T23:26:27.730" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31506" CreationDate="2017-04-27T01:06:21.867" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's your location?  That definitely looks like an ash samara.  I'm leaning towards a white ash because the samara doesn't look like a black ash's for sure.  I'm not as familiar with European Ash, but based on the fact that white ash is way more common in the U.S. than European ash, it's probably safe to say that walking stick is white ash.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-04-27T01:06:21.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32872" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32811" CreationDate="2017-04-27T01:10:59.633" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the two pictures provided, it appears to be powdery mildew.   The contaminated leaves and any fruit should be destroyed and the plant isolated from any other mango trees you may have.  Powdery mildew is host specific so it should not spread to other plants.  The good news is while powdery mildew will stress the host plant, it usually is not fatal.&#xA;In addition to removing contaminated leaves, fruit and limbs, the usual control is a fungicide such as coppper or sulphur.  If you are in warm area, you could do the spraying on the apartment patio or deck.  If the plant cannot be moved outside, you could try 'natural' remedies using baking soda or mouthwash.   This article has some ideas under the heading 'Lesser Known Options'&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growingagreenerworld.com/controlling-or-eliminating-powdery-mildew/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.growingagreenerworld.com/controlling-or-eliminating-powdery-mildew/&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Other homemade suggestions at   &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/homemade-fungicide-mangoes-86372.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/homemade-fungicide-mangoes-86372.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;TL; DR version  - it looks like powdery mildew   Some control suggestions are found at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growingagreenerworld.com/controlling-or-eliminating-powdery-mildew/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.growingagreenerworld.com/controlling-or-eliminating-powdery-mildew/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17344" LastActivityDate="2017-04-27T01:10:59.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32873" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32811" CreationDate="2017-04-27T08:10:16.790" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm quite sure it isn't powdery mildew. It rather appears like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_mite&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;some Spider Mite&lt;/a&gt; attack. This white stuff is typical of what they will grow beneath the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe if you look very close on your plant, you will see the biggest insects beneath the live leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mango tree can be attacked by these insects &lt;a href=&quot;http://rachel.golearn.us/modules/en-infonet/export/default$ct$124$crops.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ref&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mango leafcoating mite (Cisaberoptus kenyae)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The mango leafcoating mite is tiny (about 0.2 mm), light coloured and cigar shaped. It cannot be seen with the naked eye. The mites leave in groups under a white coating on the upper leaf surface. The white coating can be easily rubbed off by hand. Leaves covered with the white coating tend to turn yellow and drop prematurely. In general, the coating has minimal effect on fruit yield. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got this on my orchids. I couldn't get rid of them however. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-04-27T08:10:16.790" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32874" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32875" CreationDate="2017-04-27T13:01:19.240" Score="3" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Impatiens glandulifera&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.phlorum.com/services/himalayan-balsam/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Himalayan balsam&lt;/a&gt; is considered a nuisance by some (eg &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impatiens_glandulifera#Invasive_species&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a &quot;prohibited noxious weed&quot; under the Alberta Weed Control Act 2010&lt;/a&gt;) but it is colourful and the explosive pods are quite fun, ejecting seeds &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impatiens_glandulifera#Description&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;up to 7 metres (23 feet)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;sup&gt;†&lt;/sup&gt; . Wikipedia mentions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;ordinary people could buy them for the cost of a packet of seeds to rival the expensive orchids grown in the greenhouses of the rich.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A specimen was introduced half a century ago to a river bank in a temperate climate where it established itself quite thoroughly in a few years, thrived for about a decade, grew rampant for a decade or so and then disappeared quite abruptly, a decade or two back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rFoAc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rFoAc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Himalayan_Balsam_or_Poor_Man%27s_Orchid_-_Llandow_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1426248.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;Image courtesy &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/26633&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mick Lobb&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During its most prolific spell it was also rampant a few miles downstream but disappeared from there at about the same time. While there may have been attempts to eradicate it downstream no such efforts were made in the location where it was introduced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I gather flooding is likely to kill it off, though I happen to doubt that was the 'solution' even downstream (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.phlorum.com/services/himalayan-balsam/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The seedbank lasts for approximately 18 months, so two years’ control should eradicate the plant&lt;/a&gt;) because I don't recall floods in successive years. It was certainly not the case upstream, where weirs control the water level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Decrease in &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutrophication&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;eutrophication/hypertrophication&lt;/a&gt; has been suggested as a possible control mechanism (ie, reduce nutrients to give local, adapted vegetation a better chance to compete). It seems a possible cause of the demise, as the stream flows through agricultural land and there had been some sewage leakage into it around the time of the rampant phase. However I am not aware of water quality tests from that time and the water is too well churned and aerated to show telltale signs of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoplankton&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;phytoplankton&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is also 'the usual suspect', global warming. With its origin in the Himalayas perhaps the climate has warmed enough in half a century that temperatures no longer suit the plant. I doubt this however as the climate in Cornwall for example is likely warmer and growth there has been &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cabi.org/news-and-media/2014/cabi-releases-rust-fungus-to-control-invasive-weed-himalayan-balsam/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;vigorous&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cabi.org/news-and-media/2014/cabi-releases-rust-fungus-to-control-invasive-weed-himalayan-balsam/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International&lt;/a&gt; has released rust fungus in some areas, to control &quot;policeman's helmet&quot;. I don't know how to detect whether that is present but have not noticed any indication.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not planning to reintroduce a specimen but am wondering what happened. Are there possibilities I have not considered (maybe a couple of successive very cold winters?) or does any one of those I have mentioned seem the most plausible culprit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;†&lt;/sup&gt; May be seen doing so on &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Impatiens_glandulifera.ogv&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-04-27T14:34:52.633" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T06:18:35.883" Title="Plausible explanation for abrupt total disappearance of balsam?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32874" CreationDate="2017-04-27T13:57:11.360" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is difficult to tell, and we risk to put opinions instead of facts in our answers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An abrupt total disappearance does not seem very probable, especially for an invasive species), so if it is really so (and not just some delay because of climate), I would say it wasn't really caused by a &quot;natural&quot; cause (weather, disease).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For me there could be two causes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;An other much more invasive species took his place (for plant) or ate it (for insects).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some pollution, which changes his environment (like change of pH) or some herbicide. But in this case you should see other changes on vegetation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also not exclude that some &quot;volunteers&quot; removed them. From time to time you find such people, with brute force approach (but it is not effective if it is not done at large scale and removing root cause, so convincing people to remove the same plants in gardens).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Climate could be a reason, but it will not be so quick: you will find it less strong, and maybe only on the cooler places near the river. On the other hand, in my region we don't have it, but an other invasive Himalayan Impatiens: I. balfourii (which seems to have warmer preferences as I. glandulifera).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T06:18:35.883" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T06:18:35.883" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32876" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32880" CreationDate="2017-04-27T17:51:02.120" Score="10" ViewCount="4511" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed about 4 days ago that leaves on one of my peppers got soft and started to hang down a little. I thought that it just needs some water so i watered it along with my 2 other peppers. Today the same pepper looks like it again needs more water, while the other 2 are in pretty much good shape. I inspected the plant and found out that a lot of leaves from its top half are completely dry and basically dead. The rest of them is either normal (young and small leaves look the best) or seems to be attacked by an insect (or a disease?) i can't identify by myself.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Attacked leaves can have small dry areas and strange little spots on them (maybe eggs of an insect):&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5A8xi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5A8xi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And others look like they have been bitten (backlight for better visibility):&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E6d3b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E6d3b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also noticed one tiny white/yellow bug walking on the plant. I couldn't take a clear picture of it, because it was to small.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these symptoms caused by an insect or is it a disease?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;If it is an insect, how can i get rid of it?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Are my other plants in danger?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17349" LastActivityDate="2019-09-28T17:00:53.867" Title="What is damaging my pepper plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32877" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32876" CreationDate="2017-04-27T18:25:58.490" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_mite&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;spider mites&lt;/a&gt; to me. They break into plant cells to eat, causing a dried out or deflated appearance in plants, and they hang out, spin webs, and lay eggs generally under the leafs as you photographed. They're pretty common among indoor plants in my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are different tricks for dealing with these pests. You can read more about countermeasures to spider mites online, such as in that Wikipedia article I linked to where it mentions using Neem oil:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Neem oil may provide control, when combined with a suitable surfactant and diluted with water. As with chemical control, repeated applications are required.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know of many people who use Neem oil as a countermeasure. I just mist the plants with water frequently and that helps, and if it's really bad, I use slightly-soapy water to mist or rinse the leafs. In really bad cases, rinsing the leafs with soapy water then with fresh water and wiping the underside of the leafs gently can remove the mites. Sometimes that does the trick, sometimes the mites return.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your other plants could be in danger of these pests too. Try to isolate the infested plant and keep it isolated for a little while after getting rid of the pests to ensure they don't spread to other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastActivityDate="2017-04-27T18:25:58.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32878" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32876" CreationDate="2017-04-27T18:39:38.667" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The yellow and white insect is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_whitefly&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Trialeurodes vaporariorum&lt;/a&gt;. To prevent infestation, plant traps can be used (plants that attract it and leave alone most part of your other crops), but it's too late now. The best way to &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/insect/05587.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;get rid of adults is a systemic insecticide&lt;/a&gt;, like Actara and Mospilan. Go to the nearest shop for pest control and ask for alternative insecticides against greenhouse whitefly if those are not available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember to use the insecticide in the concentration stated on the label. Too little will be ineffective, too much might create resistant superbugs if a few of them escape. If your neighbours use one insecticide, buy the other one because the insects might be already resistant. You may have to apply when a new generation of insects become adults, usually every 3 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to kill the eggs is using horticultural oils. If you don't eliminate the bugs, they will expand to your other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The brown areas on the margin of the leaves are caused by something else, I don't know what.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-04-27T18:39:38.667" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32879" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19613" CreationDate="2017-04-27T19:52:21.523" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;it is an Angel wing begonia that has pink heart shaped cluster flowers --&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17352" LastActivityDate="2017-04-27T19:52:21.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32880" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32876" CreationDate="2017-04-27T20:15:53.907" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I checked both options provided by &lt;strong&gt;cr0&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Alina&lt;/strong&gt; (Thank you both very very much). During the process of comparing the symptoms of glasshouse whitefly and spider mites to my plant's situation i stumbled upon something that i belive matches the damage done to the pepper more than both of the previously mentioned insects - &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrips&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;thrips&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the reasons why i think that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Images shown in &lt;a href=&quot;https://utahpests.usu.edu/IPM/htm/advisories/small-fruit-and-vegetable-advisory/articleID=8341&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt; (images labeled - Thrips on Peas) closely match, how the attacked leaves look. Black dots of excrement pinpointed on the first thrips related image of the article are visible on my first posted image.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the article it is also mentioned that the trips leave some kind of shiny cast on the plant after feeding on it and the damaged areas on my pepper really do shine.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The greenhouse whitefly didn't look quite like the insect i spotted, but the two thrips shown on the second image from the article look pretty much like the bug which i tried to describe in my question (sorry, i should have given a little bit more detailed description).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spider mites looked like something close to that, what is attacking my plant. There even were some single web strings hanging around the peppers, but nothing as dense and as small as the spider mites webs shown on images related to mites. I know it can still be them, but the webs look more spider-like (regular spider not spider mite) to me and there was in fact a little spider, which could make these webs, hanging around my desk a little while ago. At least i hope it was a spider and not a spider mite.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll now try to get rid of the insects treating them as they would in fact be thrips. If i succeed i will assume that i was really dealing with thrips and accept this answer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17349" LastActivityDate="2017-04-27T20:15:53.907" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32881" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-27T21:27:26.503" Score="4" ViewCount="746" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why is my palm tree dying?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have used a special &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.miraclegro.com/smg/goprod/shake-n-feed-palm-plant-food/prod11850032?locale=en_US&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;palm tree fertilizer&lt;/a&gt; and it didn't help it at all. The tree was already looking like this just not as bad before I used the fertilizer. I actually didn't use much just sprinkled some around the bottom of the tree. This is in Mobile, AL&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I save it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fckkr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fckkr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree was already looking like this just not as bad before I used the fertilizer. I actually didn't use much just sprinkled some around the bottom of the tree. Is it too late for this tree? Is it savable? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17353" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-06-30T16:09:48.633" LastActivityDate="2018-10-02T00:28:33.760" Title="Why is my palm tree dying?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31062" CreationDate="2017-04-27T21:41:33.177" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Our apricot tree&lt;/em&gt; sounds as though the environment could be a residential setting and &lt;em&gt;The tree bears flowers and then fruits&lt;/em&gt; sounds as though this might be an annual occurrence. Hence an alternative to lack of water, from &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/apricots/apricot-fruit-falling-off.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kristi Waterworth&lt;/a&gt; may be of interest:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;h2&gt;Why Apricot Fruits Fall from Tree&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Apricot fruit falling off your tree&#xA;  happens because most trees produce significantly more flowers than&#xA;  they need. The odds are that these flowers won’t all be successfully&#xA;  pollinated, so the extras are like insurance for the apricot. In a&#xA;  residential setting where conditions are easier to control, these&#xA;  extra flowers are regularly pollinated and too many fruits set. The&#xA;  stress of so many fruits causes apricot trees to shed fruits -&#xA;  sometimes twice! The main shed comes in June, when small, immature&#xA;  apricot fruits fall from tree, allowing the remaining fruit more space&#xA;  to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;h2&gt;Managing Apricot Fruit Drop&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;As with peach thinning, you can hand-thin fruits to prevent them from&#xA;  falling off apricot trees unpredictably. You’ll need a ladder, a&#xA;  bucket and some patience; it can be time consuming, but hand-thinning&#xA;  is a lot easier than trying to clean up the mess after a fruit shed.&#xA;  Remove maturing apricots from branches, leaving two to four inches between&#xA;  remaining fruits. This may feel like dramatic thinning, but the fruits&#xA;  that result will be larger and fleshier than they would have been if&#xA;  they were left alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;h2&gt;Apricot Scab&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Although fruit drop is a yearly event for most apricot trees, apricot&#xA;  scab, which also affects peaches, can also cause fruits to drop. This&#xA;  apricot disease leaves fruits covered in tiny, olive-green spots&#xA;  measuring 1/16 to 1/8 inch long. As the fruit expands, the spots do&#xA;  too, eventually merging into dark blotches. These fruits may crack&#xA;  open and drop prematurely. Fruits that ripen fully are often only&#xA;  superficially damaged. Good sanitation, including complete harvest of&#xA;  all fruits and clean-up around the base of the tree during and after&#xA;  fruit ripening, can help destroy the organism. A broad-spectrum&#xA;  fungicide like neem oil can destroy the fungus if applied after&#xA;  harvest and again when buds set in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-04-27T21:41:33.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32883" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32841" CreationDate="2017-04-27T21:45:37.490" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The water will seep down between the pavers and make it's way below to the rocks, going into the soil below as the soil can absorb. If your water table is so high, or your soil is regularly over saturated that deeply, you might have issues. You should be building the whole thing with a slight pitch away from the building. This should prevent water from accumulating right next to the concrete wall and potentially causing structural issues. After that, if you find water is pooling at the edge of the porch you can install some french drainage to pull water away from the area with minimal disturbance to the patio.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastActivityDate="2017-04-27T21:45:37.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32884" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32853" CreationDate="2017-04-27T22:13:22.687" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This insect is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Harlequin_cabbage_bug&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Harlequin cabbage bug&lt;/a&gt;. After examining the picture linked to by pnuts, I returned to the garden and found instances of both versions of this bug. I assume that these two colorations represent the adult male and female forms of the insect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are highly destructive pests, both in their adult and nymph forms. The simplest way to control them is to pick them off of your plants and either crush them or drown them in soapy water. &lt;a href=&quot;https://organicgardeningnewsandinfo.wordpress.com/2013/10/22/organic-control-of-harlequin-bugs/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is a longer list of organic ways to control this undesirable insect:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your infestation is large (like mine), manually dealing with these bugs is more problematic. Here is &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/get-rid-of-harlequin-bugs.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;another list&lt;/a&gt; of eradication options, including insecticidal soap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11010" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-27T22:44:26.217" LastActivityDate="2017-04-27T22:44:26.217" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32886" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32876" CreationDate="2017-04-28T00:22:31.407" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds as if you are over watering your peppers.  Do not water until those pots when lifted feel very light!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2019-08-30T23:02:32.273" LastActivityDate="2019-08-30T23:02:32.273" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="32887" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-28T00:30:36.133" Score="5" ViewCount="130" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted this tree three years ago and forget to record what type it was. The grower's tag has apparently fallen off some time ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is 95% certain to be a fruit tree, but could be a nut. Likeliest candidates are a cherry or an apple, but could be something like a plum or apricot/peach/nectarine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O0L3y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NNLVS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OnoHW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help would be appreciated! Alternatively, I could wait another two years until it produces mystery fruit!&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m21fC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17000" LastEditorUserId="17000" LastEditDate="2017-04-29T08:37:03.770" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T08:37:03.770" Title="What is this tree? Forgot to record what I planted" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32888" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32887" CreationDate="2017-04-28T07:29:01.203" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is &lt;em&gt;Prunus armeniaca&lt;/em&gt;, so the apricot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why? The red shots and red young leaves, the form of leaves (rolled) and the bright colour.  Plum (as &lt;em&gt;Prunus domestica&lt;/em&gt;): I see red shots only on base of the trees, the leaves are darker, and I don't remember in such form (I think the leaves are more straight and with shorter stalks).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-28T07:29:01.203" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32881" CreationDate="2017-04-28T19:04:41.913" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a Wind Palm, I think.  How much did you use to fertilize?  Is this the first time you have fertilized this plant?  My initial reaction is too much fertilizer.  What did this look like before you fertilized?  To get to this size it must have been doing great...until you fertilized?  Why did you chose a special palm fertilizer?  What did it look like when you went out to purchase this fertilizer?  What is the formulation of this fertilizer?  Is this next to your lawn?  How do you fertilize your lawn; drop spreader or cast spreader?  The combination of lawn fertilizer and palm fertilizer might have been too much and just a little too much fertilizer is a death sentence.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-28T19:04:41.913" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32890" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32894" CreationDate="2017-04-28T20:43:25.327" Score="4" ViewCount="1872" Body="&lt;p&gt;About 25 years ago three catalpa (Indian bean tree) seeds were planted in the Northern Hemisphere in a temperate climate. They came from the Southern Hemisphere and seem may have been from a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=805&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Catalpa speciosa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (&quot;northern&quot;) rather than a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=2294&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Catalpa bignonioides&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (&quot;southern&quot;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not really expected to grow, the three seeds were planted in close proximity. All thrived, so naturally one fared a lot better than the others, which were held back to different extents. About a decade ago the middle-sized one was transplanted as a 'stake' - about five feet of trunk, of diameter about 3½&quot;. About five years ago the smallest was transplanted as a whole tree about 7' tall. Both have thrived since.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uIyLA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uIyLA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Catalpa speciosa&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;Image courtesy Jean-Pol GRANDMONT&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The middle-sized one is now about 15' tall and is no longer suited to its location. When I was contemplating cutting it down a neighbour happened to mention he was intending to buy an established tree. He is amenable to a catalpa but without a mechanical aid (out of the question) the 15' tree can't be moved intact. Investigating other possibilities I have seen mention of &lt;a href=&quot;http://hort.ufl.edu/woody/root-prune-guidelines.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;root pruning&lt;/a&gt;. However this has been described as &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1670873/transplanting-catalpa-tree&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;passé&lt;/a&gt; in the context of catalpas and the data from a controlled experiment (by the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/gardening-in-a-changing-world/rhs-projects-on-climate-change/experiment-on-root-pruning&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;RHS&lt;/a&gt;, on beech trees planted 2005-2008) is &quot;yet to be analysed&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trunk of the 15' tree is around 4-4½&quot; so a root ball extending out to five times the trunk diameter is not practical here, though something like three times might be (for a root ball around 2' across).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given success with the &quot;stake&quot; I am also contemplating top pruning back to about 10' and anything spreading more than about 3' – which would mean cutting off almost all the branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Worse, a time constraint means I cannot wait until Autumn and may have to attempt any surgery and transplanting just at the start of the growing season.&#xA;I think the chances of success as slim (perhaps so slight even the attempt is not worth the bother) but should I &quot;give it a go&quot; anyway—and what can I do to improve the odds of success, if only by a small measure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a vaguely similar question here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/29085/how-to-transplant-this-oak-tree&quot;&gt;How to transplant this oak tree?&lt;/a&gt; but the tree is a different genus and about twice the height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Transplantation, if it happens, has been put on hold since the prospective new location was not suitable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-06-27T18:47:20.030" LastActivityDate="2018-02-03T11:21:40.180" Title="How/if to transplant a 15' Catalpa?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32891" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="683" CreationDate="2017-04-28T21:37:25.963" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;About a quarter, according to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cadroughtprep.net/images/06billl_inserts.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;California Drought Preparedness&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Water early in the morning or late at night, and avoid watering during windy times of &#xA;  the day. By watering during the day, you can lose as much as 20 to 25 percent of your &#xA;  water to evaporation from heat and wind. And during the heat of the day, water droplets &#xA;  clinging to grass can cause the sun to “burn”the individual blades. Set sprinklers to run at &#xA;  night between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because of humidity there may be little correlation with temperature alone but this depends upon location (eg see &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Climate_chart/How_to_read_a_climate_chart&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Template:Climate chart/How to read a climate chart&lt;/a&gt; - using precipitation as a surrogate for humidity.)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-04-28T21:37:25.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32892" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32909" CreationDate="2017-04-28T21:56:33.040" Score="3" ViewCount="435" Body="&lt;p&gt;Today I ate some delicious beans and I had a strange thought. We usually grow beans with sticks to support their upward growth. How about reverse?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone placed bean plants on a balcony or something (plant it normally just like any other plant), and tried to grow them downward, kinda floating in the air, without any support for the stems? Did the plant grow and had fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Google didn't find a single image of beans growing downward. Could be that my search term was bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T17:39:39.713" Title="grow beans downward without support. Anyone tried that?" Tags="&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32604" CreationDate="2017-04-28T23:50:30.290" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Brown and yellow tips and edges on the leaves could be a sign of excess fertilization.  One quarter strength houseplant fertilizer is sufficient once every two or three months.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;It could also be due to a mineral buildup.   Hard tap water or water treated with a softener can cause mineral and salt buildup around the roots and suffocate the plant.  If that is the case, flush the plant container with bottled water and continue to use bottled water to feed the plant.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;As for a smaller pot, peace lilies don't mind a little crowding, but please ensure your plant does not get rootbound.  Severely rootbound plants will not be able to absorb water efficiently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17344" LastActivityDate="2017-04-28T23:50:30.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32890" CreationDate="2017-04-29T04:33:41.750" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know about Southern Catalpas, but Northern Catalpas are hardy trees. I cut one down that was about 15', and it grew back a number of times that year (I removed the shoots whenever they started to grow again). They grow from seed like weeds in my yard, too. Their wood is pretty light and easy to saw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have experience transplanting trees so large as 15', and I can't tell you for sure if it will work, but my personal opinion is that if you can dig it up, you should be able to have success. But, no guarantees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To improve the odds of success, I recommend the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Transplant in the spring if possible, before it comes out of dormancy (or else when it's just sprouting leaves).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Don't transplant it when it's sunny, especially if it has lots of large leaves (it probably doesn't matter how sunny it is if it doesn't have leaves). Transplanted plants can be hurt when the sun shines strongly on their leaves if they're not adjusted to the transplant, yet. If you can shade the tree for a while after the transplant, that may help.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure any damage done to the tree doesn't make it too susceptible to disease. You might give it some worm castings or something else with good microbes in it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Give it some potassium and maybe some phosphorus. This should help the roots and strengthen the tree.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do not give it nitrogen. This will make transplant shock worse.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Give it plenty of water, including at transplant time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make sure your soil has a good pH for the species. I imagine some non-hot organic matter in it should help, too. 'Hot' means really high in nitrogen (like uncomposted cow manure).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Try not to damage the roots too much.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't normally recommend transplanting large trees, though. It may impact the tree without killing it. Northern Catalpas grow pretty easily from seed, if you'd like to grow another one. I could probably send you some overwintered Northern Catalpa seeds if you need some. I don't know if they need a cold period, but they've had one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-04-29T22:47:22.300" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T22:47:22.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32895" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-29T08:49:01.917" Score="2" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a collection of fuchsias, which are marketed as non-hardy so I have overwintered them dormant by removing all the greenery, pruning them hard and keeping them in the shed. I am in the UK and the winter has been quite mild but with a few months of fairly hard frosts. I brought them out around the beginning of March and one had died, several others are growing back nicely with varying vigour, but two have yet to make any progress. I can see that there is green in the stems near the base of the plant and they have started to swell and slough off the old bark, so they are definitely alive, but there is no trace of a shoot on them. One of the planters is small enough to fit in my cold frame, so I've put it in there to give it a little extra warmth. So far, no good. There was actually a light, late frost a couple of days ago but the growing green plants don't seem to have been troubled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to encourage them to sprout again? Are fuchsias particularly keyed to daytime temperatures, length of daylight, or something like that which will come around of its own accord?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2881" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T11:53:46.297" Title="Tender fuchsias not coming back to life after overwintering" Tags="&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32896" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32900" CreationDate="2017-04-29T09:55:54.850" Score="5" ViewCount="2750" Body="&lt;p&gt;I brought this tree at least 7 years ago but have long ago lost any information on the variety. There is still no sign of any blossom or fruit, however it is covered in these nasty thorns which has left me wondering what on earth I've planted! Does anyone know if it will ever produce nice edible fruit or would it be best to cut it down? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bledw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sPMrg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17180" LastActivityDate="2019-02-21T04:37:17.593" Title="Will this spikey pear tree ever grow fruit?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32897" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-29T10:52:46.030" Score="3" ViewCount="133" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently purchased a small Windmill palm from my local Wilkos. It was severely pot bound and I was repotting it when I discovered all these strange seeds in the soil. At first I was hoping they were palm seeds but they don't look like the pictures I've seen. They are about 5 - 10mm (approximately a quarter of an inch) in size. They are hard and the texture is similar to a hazlenut. I'm just curious really as to why they are there and what they could be. Do you think I have any chance of germinating them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/whx3I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9jzCq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17180" LastEditorUserId="17180" LastEditDate="2017-04-29T19:18:55.463" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T19:18:55.463" Title="What are these seeds I found in the soil of my Windmill Palm?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32898" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32895" CreationDate="2017-04-29T11:53:46.297" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The difficulty they're having is the contrast in temperatures between the last week and the previous month. In a cold spring, even hardy fuchsias outdoors may not show signs of producing growth until May; this year, April was much warmer than usual, so some of yours will have started growing, but then the weather became almost wintry in comparison, which will have stopped them in their tracks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given yours are tender varieties, if you bring indoors or somewhere warm and very bright the ones which have not yet started to grow properly, that should bring them on. Once they've got going, you will need to harden them off before placing outdoors for the summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that even hardy fuchsias are vulnerable to cold through their roots if they're in pots, so take care that the potted ones you have outdoors don't get caught by late frosts. Tender fuchsias shouldn't really be outdoors until mid to end of May in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T11:53:46.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32899" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-29T12:23:21.630" Score="4" ViewCount="3311" Body="&lt;p&gt;Deer ate the leaves off a recently planted red maple tree. Is the tree permanently damaged or will the tree continue to grow? What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17368" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-29T14:38:31.883" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T21:31:57.920" Title="Will red maple tree survive after being eaten by deer?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;maple&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32900" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32896" CreationDate="2017-04-29T14:01:08.997" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're sure it was a pear originally, one of two possibilities - it was a cultivar that was grafted, the grafted cultivar has died and you're left with growth off the rootstock, which has now formed a tree with thorns, OR what you bought was Pyrus calleryana, which does have thorns and was originally chosen as a street tree because it didn't (or rarely) produced fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether you keep it or not is your choice, but if what you wanted was a productive pear tree, it might be better to remove this one and plant another variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T14:01:08.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32901" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-29T14:43:56.490" Score="5" ViewCount="286" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking at making a garden on an old growth forest floor, and was wondering what the steps for establishing one that will produce this year would be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:43:02.423" LastActivityDate="2020-12-20T18:28:11.440" Title="What is the process for building a forest vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32902" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-29T14:47:06.527" Score="3" ViewCount="43" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking at putting my garden along a creek bed in a part that doesn't flood, and was wondering how late I can start it, and if I need to do anything special other than planting the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T19:58:07.793" Title="What are the steps for building a no till vegetable garden, and how late can I start it?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32904" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-29T15:56:25.643" Score="3" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the boundary of our property are trees approaching 100 feet high. Some are badly infested with ivy to the extent the canopy is almost solid and the trunk and branches are twice their true size, blocking out a lot of light. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ivy is as thick as my arm at ground level. Clearing it from the tree is not practical but would cutting it at the ground have any effect? Is there anything I could put on the cut ends that would get sucked up and poison the plant higher up? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T16:31:31.377" Title="Dealing with a large tree swamped by ivy" Tags="&lt;english-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32905" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32904" CreationDate="2017-04-29T16:02:13.603" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you cut all the stems and branches of the ivy at the base of the tree, the upper parts of the ivy will go brown and die - but unfortunately, much of it will remain, dead, affixed to the tree. You might decide its worth doing anyway, but you will need to regularly cut down ivy regrowth at the base of the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T16:02:13.603" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32906" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32904" CreationDate="2017-04-29T16:31:31.377" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you describe is decades of growth. Take a saw or an axe at whatever height is convenient and sever the connection/s between root and foliage. If you can then wait a couple of years the ivy will lose adhesion and become brittle so even sections of two inch girth can be snapped off quite readily. The problem however is that the ivy will probably be wrapped around the trunk so you will not be able to peel the lot off in one go but have to do so in sections – if you want it removed. Light levels should be improved just by leaf fall within a year. Because reaching anything like 100 feet takes years repeating the process should not be necessary for years at a time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T16:31:31.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32907" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-29T16:43:22.460" Score="3" ViewCount="216" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know much about plants, but it does look like a different colored daisy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OeNNZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OeNNZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17370" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:13:53.040" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:13:53.040" Title="What is this yellow daisy-like flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32908" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32914" CreationDate="2017-04-29T17:16:26.570" Score="4" ViewCount="2018" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a couple of dwarf cherry trees which I put in as a cordon at the edge of our garden.  They just consist of a single stem - which has been cut off at the top, with no side branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They've been in a couple of years so I would have expected them to form side branches by now, but they're just a pair of sticks, with huge clusters of leaves and cherry blossom tight to the main stem.  Why have they not grown branches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking next year I should rub off all of the buds except where I want them to grow branches, and maybe then they will sprout.  Alternatively should I cut the main stem above a bud in the direction I want them to grow?  Or do I just need to sit tight and be patient?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17190" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T19:32:42.020" Title="Why does my cherry tree have no branches?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;&lt;espalier&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32909" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32892" CreationDate="2017-04-29T17:39:39.713" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a good thought.  I've had the same thought before, but unfortunately it didn't really play out as you might imagine.  Climbing plants inherently want to climb, they have a desire to go up.  When you droop the plant over the edge, it will reverse and climb back up itself.  The process is called gravitropism.  Roots grow down and stems grow up.  Of course there are exceptions... set a tomato plant on its side in a dark room and you will see the process occur. If you are dead set on this, you could probably train the beans to grow down by continuously redirecting them, but probably not worth your time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T17:39:39.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32910" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-29T18:21:24.690" Score="3" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know that with things that bear fruit (e.g. Apples) a plant grown from the parent plants seed may not bear fruit that are the same as those of the parent, which leads me to ask the question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a planter which had some purchased Fuschias in them last summer (I &lt;em&gt;think&lt;/em&gt; they're ones with unusually large flowers for what it's worth). As well as the parent plants having survived over winter, there are what appear to be a large number of baby plants which are presumably from seeds set by the parent plants. Are these likely to produce flowers comparable to those of the parent / are they worth keeping?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14848" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T19:07:16.243" Title="How 'true' will Fuschia seedlings be?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32907" CreationDate="2017-04-29T19:03:01.557" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are called Marguerite Daisy.  An annual but if you allow a few to go to seed they will come back the next year.  I can't offer you a species&lt;a href=&quot;https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7166/6571179981_779509ae69_z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;marguerite daisy&lt;/a&gt; but to keep these blooming the entire season you need to cut off the flowers.  At the end of the season leave a dozen flowers to go to seed.  By cutting off flowers and not allowing them to go to seed the entire plant gets more vigorous and produces flowers all the while trying to set seed.  The job of any annual is to set seed.  Once it has set seed the parent plant can go to daisy heaven so to speak.  Any annual can be made to last longer, the plant itself gets more vigorous and larger and produces copious flowers in an effort to set seed somehow.  That is their job.  Cutting flowers off even new ones is your task to have lots of flowers and a healthier flower bed.  Good luck trying to NOT allow some of the flowers to not go to seed!  Just remember when you allow those flowers to produce seed the plant will start to diminish and die.  Collect seed if you want but the seed is easily shaken from the dried up flower and into the soil to grow next season.  Internet is wimpy on these plants.  Some of the pictures under Marguerite are not Marguerite.  Especially those purple ones...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I actually use a hedging shear to cut off the flowers and make a more even massing of flowers...middle of summer? A rounded undulating mass of flowers. A little fertilizer where the nitrogen is less in percentage than the phosphorus and potassium.  Too much nitrogen will produce a lot of leaves and no flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T19:03:01.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32912" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32910" CreationDate="2017-04-29T19:07:16.243" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is no way of knowing - fuchsias do not come true from seed, although you may get a plant that looks similar to the parent. It's very unusual for there to be so many viable seeds that you've got lots of little fuchsias growing - many of the pods on the plants do not contain viable seeds. Either way, it'll be interesting finding out precisely what you have got growing and whether there are any fuchsias that are worth keeping. You could always remove the seedlings and grow them on separately, till you see whether there's any worth having.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T19:07:16.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32901" CreationDate="2017-04-29T19:30:13.720" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;First green house:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jPLNL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jPLNL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;First green house&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking east:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kuwO6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kuwO6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;looking east&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking east:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1Z7KZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1Z7KZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;looking east&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking east:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nD8Ve.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nD8Ve.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;looking east&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Salad bowl bed:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VgFjg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VgFjg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;salad bowl bed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before using virgin pine forest pumice soil:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bPZXu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bPZXu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;before using virgin pine forest pumice soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Still think this is a YARD?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've used forest floor soil for 5 years.  This was the first year.  Soil test (which put my soil at slightly above neutral, zilch organic matter, zilch NPK, zilch soil organisms, pumice, sort of like sand).  I keep adding decomposed organic matter and I get great harvests.  If you don't have lots and lots of light growing edibles in a forest of trees will not be very successful.  Light is the main thing.  Soil, any soil is good soil as long as you know what is in it, what is not in your soil and constantly add decomposed organic matter.  I always fertilize and work the pH according to the tests and the plants that have to live in that bed of soil.  I always make raised beds, without lumber or concrete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-05-03T01:49:48.200" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T01:49:48.200" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32908" CreationDate="2017-04-29T19:32:42.020" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Did you buy mini patio cherry trees? These are sold with a single stem, and often retain the single stem growth habit for the first 3 or 4 years, longer in pots. They will eventually branch a bit, but they do tend to remain fairly vertical in appearance - some care information here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vanmeuwen.com/fruit-and-vegetables/fruit-trees/stone-fruit-trees/mini-fruit-trees-cherry-plum/69141VM&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.vanmeuwen.com/fruit-and-vegetables/fruit-trees/stone-fruit-trees/mini-fruit-trees-cherry-plum/69141VM&lt;/a&gt;  but it only recommends light pruning. Certainly, if this is what you bought, you should not rub out buds in order to get them to branch, they're intended to grow this way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T19:32:42.020" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32915" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32899" CreationDate="2017-04-29T19:44:47.117" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are living in the northern hemisphere, I assume you are, then there is a very good chance your tree will be fine.  This time of year this tree is putting out new growth.  The tree has saved up energy over the winter and could easily put out new growth again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get a fence around the tree of chicken wire and far enough from the tree so that the deer will have a tough time pushing it over or trying to eat those yummy baby leaves through the wire.  I always put out a few bales of hay for the deer so they aren't interested in my landscape plants that are surrounded by fences and sensor lights and sensor sprinklers.  The hay does NOT attract the deer. They will be at your home salivating over the new leaves no matter what.  A few bales of hay (you can even get cheap OLD bales of hay/alfalfa that they will love and be fine eating).  I've never had to use more than 3 bales per season.  And I always live where there are lots of deer, elk, raccoon, rabbits...cougars, bobcat...please send a picture of the damage but you most certainly have a good chance at recovery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T19:44:47.117" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32917" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32918" CreationDate="2017-04-29T20:25:27.903" Score="6" ViewCount="596" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can composted leaves be used as the only nutrition for the plants? Are there some plants that love leaf compost and some that don't?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not worried about pH, since hat can be easily changed, but more about nutrition values. Has anyone done a soil test on composted leaves and can provide real data?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What leaves (from which tree) are the best (if any)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;thanks for answers&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="17223" LastEditDate="2017-04-29T20:50:34.063" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T13:13:25.867" Title="Using only composted tree leaves as the source of nutrients" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32918" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32917" CreationDate="2017-04-29T21:01:48.070" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leafmould is a great soil conditioner or mulch, but it is not nutritionally rich - it adds humus to the soil, but if you are growing vegetables, you will still likely need to use fertilizers. Humus, though, is important - it adds and encourages a greater diversity of soil organisms, and the more friable and populated the soil, the better your plants will grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oak, beech and hornbeam are quicker to rot down and are probably the most useful, but most (though not all) leaves are suitable to make leafmould, see here for more information &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=478&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=478&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-30T13:13:25.867" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T13:13:25.867" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32919" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32899" CreationDate="2017-04-29T21:31:57.920" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most important thing to do is &quot;just wait&quot;. Either the tree will start to grow a new crop of leaves quickly, or it won't. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If nothing happens within a month, don't bother to wait to &quot;see if it will grow again next year&quot; - just get rid of it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might also consider filling your freezer with fresh venison ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T21:31:57.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32920" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7033" CreationDate="2017-04-29T23:56:54.013" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get 3/4 rebar in the length you want, us a hammerdrill n drive the rebar in, secure ur fence to that.  It will splut rocks as it drives down&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17373" LastActivityDate="2017-04-29T23:56:54.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29127" CreationDate="2017-04-30T02:13:09.277" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;To my mind &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.orangepippin.com/apples/yellow-transparent&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;'Yellow Transparent'&lt;/a&gt; ('Glass Apple') is a reasonable candidate but I fear there is no way to be sure merely from a single photograph of a single specimen. 'Yellow Transparent' is an offspring of 'Lodi' - so similarities you have noted would be expected. The 'Jonagold' example images on &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonagold&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; are much redder. But identification problems are many as &lt;em&gt;Malus domestica&lt;/em&gt; is the most widely cultivated &lt;em&gt;Malus&lt;/em&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Worldwide production of apples in 2014 was 84.6 million tonnes&lt;/a&gt;) and has been grown for thousands of years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The genome of apple ('Golden Delicious') has been sequenced – &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v42/n10/full/ng.654.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The total number of genes predicted for the apple genome (57,386, including some genes that may be present only in one of the two chromosomes of a pair) is the highest reported among plants so far&lt;/a&gt; (about twice the number in humans) so there is much scope for variation. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch39.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Possibly the earliest tree to be cultivated&lt;/a&gt; there are now &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple#Cultivars&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;more than 7,500 known cultivars&lt;/a&gt; to choose from so differences can be subtle. In addition they are not necessarily consistent. For example, consider size with regard to just a dozen of the varieties most readily available in shops. &quot;Small&quot; could hint at &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cox%27s_Orange_Pippin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;'Cox's Orange Pippin'&lt;/a&gt; rather than say &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bramley_apple&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;'Bramley's Seedling'&lt;/a&gt; but while the latter tend to be larger than average (&quot;two or three times the weight of a typical dessert apple&quot;) some examples from any given tree will be much smaller than average. Blooms do not all open at the same time and fruit from the central flower, which develops first, is generally larger than from others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a further complication in that apples may develop mutations even on a single branch (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_(botany)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bud sports&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, when grown of a rootstock which rootstock can make a difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And naming is not consistent. The Wikipedia article &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Apple&lt;/a&gt; starts with &quot;The apple tree (&lt;em&gt;Malus pumila&lt;/em&gt;, commonly and erroneously called &lt;em&gt;Malus domestica&lt;/em&gt;) and essentially the same 'genetic' cultivar may have different names. The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nationalfruitcollection.org.uk/names.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;National Fruit Collection&lt;/a&gt; offers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Alebastrovoe&#xA;Belui nalif&#xA;Belui naliv&#xA;Bely naliv&#xA;Belya naliv&#xA;Belyi naliv nastoiascii&#xA;Biala prozracina&#xA;Biali Nalew&#xA;Bjalij naliv&#xA;Charlottentaler&#xA;Charlottenthaler&#xA;Clar Alb&#xA;de Revel&#xA;Durchsichtiger Sommerapfel&#xA;Feher Clar&#xA;Fransk Gylling&#xA;Franzosischer Sommerapfel&#xA;Grand Sultan&#xA;Grand-Sultan&#xA;Gustav I's Munapple&#xA;Hvit Astrakan&#xA;Hvit Klarann&#xA;Hvitt Klarapple&#xA;Inflancka&#xA;Inflanckie&#xA;Jaune Transparente&#xA;Jellow Transparent&#xA;Klarapfel&#xA;Klargylling&#xA;Kornapfel&#xA;Livlander Klarapfel&#xA;Naliv beli&#xA;Naliv Belui&#xA;Naliv skvoznoi&#xA;Naliv Transparent&#xA;Nalivnoe beloe&#xA;Nalivnoie Beloie&#xA;Nalivnoje Beloje&#xA;Naliw Bjelyi&#xA;Naliwjoje heloje&#xA;Oogstappel&#xA;Paperovka&#xA;Paperuvka&#xA;Papierdwka biala&#xA;Papierowka biela&#xA;Papierowka letnia&#xA;Papirovka&#xA;Papirowka&#xA;Pipierowka letnia&#xA;Pipka Alebastrovaya&#xA;Polnischer Papierapfel&#xA;Pomme d'Aout&#xA;Pomme d'Astracan Blanche&#xA;Pomme d'Or&#xA;Pomme de Revel&#xA;Pomme Transparente&#xA;Pomme Transparente Blanche&#xA;Pomme Transparente Jaune&#xA;Prozracinoe beloe&#xA;Prusvitne Zlute&#xA;Scharlottenthaler Golba&#xA;Sen Vitgul Astrakan&#xA;Sklenene zlute&#xA;Transparent Blanch&#xA;Transparent Blanche&#xA;Transparent de St. Leger&#xA;Transparent de Zurich&#xA;Transparent Jaune&#xA;Transparente&#xA;Transparente Blanche&#xA;Transparente Blanche de St. Leger&#xA;Transparente d'Astracan&#xA;Transparente d'Ete&#xA;Transparente de Moskovie&#xA;Transparente de Muscovie d'EtT&#xA;Transparente de Saint-Leger&#xA;Transparente de St. Leger&#xA;Transparente de Zurich&#xA;Transparente Jaune&#xA;Vinapple&#xA;Vitt Klarapple&#xA;Weisser Klarapfel&#xA;Weisser Transparent&#xA;Weisser Transparentapfel&#xA;Weisser Transparente&#xA;White Transparente&#xA;Yellow Transparent&#xA;Yellow Transparente&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and includes &lt;code&gt;Yellow Transparent&lt;/code&gt; amongst synonyms for &lt;code&gt;Transparente de Croncels&lt;/code&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Apfel aus Croncels&#xA;Apfel von Croncels&#xA;Croncels&#xA;Croncels Transparent&#xA;Croncelské&#xA;Croncelské&#xA;Cronselska&#xA;Cronselske&#xA;Durchsichtiger aus Croncels&#xA;Eisapfel aus Croncels&#xA;Eisapfel von Croncels&#xA;Glasapfel&#xA;Glasapfel aus Croncels&#xA;Kronselska&#xA;Kronselskoe prazrachnoe&#xA;Kronselskoe Prozrachnoe&#xA;Olivka Kronselska&#xA;Oliwka Kronselska&#xA;Pomme de Croncels&#xA;Prozracinoe Kronseliskoe&#xA;Rosen Apfel von Croncels&#xA;Transparent de Concelles&#xA;Transparent de Conseils&#xA;Transparent de Croncelles&#xA;Transparent de Croncels&#xA;Transparent von Croncels&#xA;Transparentapfel&#xA;Transparentapfel von Croncels&#xA;Yellow Transparent&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(and 'Snell's White' for 'Glass Apple').&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To take differentiation between 'Jonagold' and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.orangepippin.com/apples/grimes-golden&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;'Grimes Golden'&lt;/a&gt; (a parent of 'Golden Delicious' and another variety you mentioned) as an example, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.applename.com/varieties/grimes-golden&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Orange Pippin&lt;/a&gt; considers 66 characteristics:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;Flesh colour &#xA;Fruit size &#xA;Fruit shape &#xA;Shape features &#xA;Shape features (vertical view) &#xA;Shape uniformity &#xA;Bultitude apple group &#xA;Seeds - size&#xA;Core &#xA;Seeds - point&#xA;Seeds - characteristics&#xA;Core - carpels&#xA;Core - lines&#xA;Core - lines meeting&#xA;Calyx / Sepals- Opening &#xA;Calyx / Sepals - Opening&#xA;Calyx / Sepals - Size&#xA;Calyx / Sepals - Width&#xA;Calyx Tube - Shape&#xA;Calyx Tube -  Length &#xA;Calyx Tube -  Size &#xA;Calyx Tube -  Stamen &#xA;Calyx / Sepals - Description&#xA;Russet &#xA;Russet details &#xA;All green or yellow &#xA;Skin color (when ripe) &#xA;Skin blush &#xA;Skin blush (color) &#xA;Scarf skin &#xA;Suture lines &#xA;Bloom &#xA;Skin waxy or greasy &#xA;Skin feel &#xA;Stripes &#xA;Stripes (details) &#xA;Stripes (color) &#xA;Stem (length) &#xA;Stem (thickness) &#xA;Stem cavity (russet) &#xA;Stem (position) &#xA;Stem (details) &#xA;Stem (color) &#xA;Stem Cavity (protruberances) &#xA;Stem Cavity (side view depth) &#xA;Stem Cavity (skin features) &#xA;Stem Cavity (slope to stem) &#xA;Stem Cavity (top view orientation) &#xA;Stem Cavity (top view width) &#xA;Basin skin &#xA;Basin width &#xA;Basin russet &#xA;Basin (top view) &#xA;Basin (side view slope to eye) &#xA;Basin (side view depth) &#xA;Basin (protruberances) &#xA;Basal lobes &#xA;Dots (description) &#xA;Dots (numbers) &#xA;Dots (size) &#xA;Dots (skin lenticels) &#xA;Dots (spread) &#xA;Flesh (staining) &#xA;Flesh (texture) &#xA;Flesh (grain) &#xA;Flesh (juiciness)&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of these, about 100 (most of the above are subdivided) are shared by the two varieties (eg Fruit size –variable). More than that are not shared … in general, but individual specimens may share some of these, even if the majority do not. For example for &quot;Flesh (texture)&quot;, &quot;Firm changing to Soft&quot; applies to 'Jongold' whereas &quot;Tender, Soft, Melting&quot;, &quot;Granular, Coarse, Mealy&quot; and &quot;Moderate&quot; only to 'Grimes Golden'. So not only does the &lt;em&gt;degree&lt;/em&gt; of softness appear to be required for some indication, but &quot;Crisp, Breaking into chuncks&quot; is shared by both anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-04-30T02:18:10.960" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T02:18:10.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32922" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="91" CreationDate="2017-04-30T05:11:41.763" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;More for brush cleaning than tool preservation I wiped some garden tools with &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cromwell.co.uk/shop/lubricants-and-chemicals/paints-and-primers/hammerite-paint-250ml-tin-black/p/HAM7212509L&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hammerite&lt;/a&gt; and was surprised at the improvement in appearance and how long this lasted even with the tools in use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note this was definitely not &lt;em&gt;painting&lt;/em&gt; the surfaces as Hammerite is intended to be used. Only drying out the brushes that had already been soaked in brush cleaner/thinners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both the paint and the the &lt;a href=&quot;https://tools.cromwell.co.uk/pdfs/s/Medusa_Attachments/Hammerite/721/HAM-721-2755K.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;brush cleaner&lt;/a&gt; contain some nasty chemicals (at least: Naphtha (petroleum), hydrotreated heavy, trizinc bis&#xA;(orthophosphate), 2-butanone oxime, cyclohexanone and n-butyl acetate) but (a) they mostly evaporate very quickly and (b) the quantity used is minuscule - one 'dryish' 1&quot; brush might cover several spades for example. Anyway, I think likely to be much the same for the paint applied (in a thicker coat) to parts at least of some garden tools prior to sale new. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T05:11:41.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32923" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32943" CreationDate="2017-04-30T07:29:27.620" Score="2" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am having a hard time digging up how much of raw dry mass of leafs gets converted into the compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To put in some numbers, lets say you have 100kg of dry leafs, how much of compost will you get out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T19:17:24.723" Title="Leafs to leaf compost mass conversion percentage" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32924" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="197" CreationDate="2017-04-30T09:30:41.137" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ivy seems an odd suggestion on the basis that it has proved to grow well where the soil is extremely dry, given the inclusion of &lt;em&gt;damp slope&lt;/em&gt; in the Title. &lt;em&gt;Hedera helix&lt;/em&gt; (there are other ivies) can make a nuisance of itself in many settings but it does prefer the soil it lives in to be well-drained.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However &lt;em&gt;Phacelia&lt;/em&gt; may be an even stranger suggestion if the question is anything like my interpretation of the requirement. For &lt;em&gt;Phacelia&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.growveg.co.uk/plants/us-and-canada/how-to-grow-phacelia/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;GrowVeg&lt;/a&gt; recommends:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  Any sunny site with good drainage.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;strong&gt;Position&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  Full sun to partial afternoon shade.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  &lt;strong&gt;Frost tolerant&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  Phacelia seedlings can tolerate light frost, but the plants are easily damaged by hard freezes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;shaded hillside&quot; and &quot;can easily hit -5C&quot; are at odds with the above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The (rather limited) conditions mentioned by OP include &lt;em&gt;shade&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;moist&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;ground cover&lt;/em&gt; and selecting &quot;Sunlight: Partial&quot;, &quot;Moisture: Moist but well-drained&quot;, &quot;Planting places: &quot;Banks and Slopes&quot;, &quot;Hardiness: H3&quot;, &quot;Habit: Mat forming&quot; and &quot;Native to the United Kingdom&quot; at the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/Search-Form&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Royal Horticultural Society&lt;/a&gt; plant selection site, returns only one result, &lt;em&gt;Fuchsia procumbens&lt;/em&gt;. Although the OP has not mentioned soil type or pH, this plant can be comfortable in Sand, Chalk, Loam, Clay whether Acid, Alkaline or Neutral (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/7514/i-Fuchsia-procumbens-i/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;RHS&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other details that might have helped are aspect, exposure and time scale. For &quot;lock the soil&quot; it might have to be a case of choosing priorities - plants that provide ground cover quickly generally have shallow roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T09:30:41.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32925" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32890" CreationDate="2017-04-30T12:18:46.707" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't recommend doing this, how ever if you do, water several days before you do any digging around the roots allow time for the tree to fully hydrate before potential damage occurs during procedure.&#xA;Allow your self at least several hours to do this, cut with a spade a circle as large as the canopy itself, look up for a guide and go done about 2 spits depth, slowly make the circular trench smaller until you hit small fibrous white roots.&#xA;Now dig a ramp away from the circle at a gradient of no less than 1 in 5 and place a piece of plastic sheeting on the ramp- to allow you to transport the root ball in one piece and also make sure the material is a very large strong type of plastic sheeting- you can also use it to tie up the roof ball and stop it from drying out (leave over night).&#xA;Now try to under cut the tree it self freeing it from the hole itself then slide the plastic sheet as best as you can under the root ball and try not to destroy the root ball.&#xA;Dig the hole you need and drag the tree/sheet over and pop it in.&#xA;If anything the sheet should stop any mess.&#xA;The main thing with a large tree as this is to try to make the root ball as complete as possible and not to destroy it- I know this is a lot to ask, depends on how fit you are?&#xA;Next stake it by placing a stake at 45°, careful not to go through the root ball itself and make sure the stake is long enough to touch the main trunk of the tree, tie it up with a recommended tree tie bought from a shop and remember to tie the tree to the stake not the other way around- that way in a years time one can loosen the tie and allow the tree to grow with out damaging the bark.&#xA;Oh and remember to water it a lot afterwards- think gallons not litres!   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;List item&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T12:18:46.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32926" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32917" CreationDate="2017-04-30T13:02:01.543" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is evidence that leaf mould can help newly transplanted material to re-root itself more quickly than just placing in ordinary soil, apparently its to do with bacteria within the compost?&#xA;Leaf mould can make the soil more acidic, but on the good side it can help with increasing the water holding capacity, reduce soil erosion and help with increasing the temperature of the soil itself in the early spring (dark soils warm up quicker!) plus leaf mould can help with aeration and root penetration, and can protect from frost if piled over tender herbaceous plants.&#xA;I find it useful for revamping compacted soils as it doesn't allow compaction with dry areas too much.&#xA;I would try woodland edge plants, Hellebores, Bergenias, Epimedium, ferns, Gunnera, Erythronium, bluebells, Hosta, Polygonatum and the list goes on...well they do alright in my garden- swear by the stuff I do.&#xA;I collect any type of leaf going although I find the leaves of deciduous trees better and a little bit mixed with a few grass clipping helps too- try apple and pear, maple, lime, hazel, hornbeam, cherry and any other hedge row tree too, however oak and beech take a bit longer (results in a much darker compost)and anything like London plane is a not advised- best to think of anything that tough like evergreens, best put through a chipper! or mowed over (poor mans chipper) and then put on the heap. Remember to keep the heap fairly wet as pure leaf heaps have a tendency to dry out in the middle and go like paper in the center- however if you use the bag method, remember to pierce the bottoms to let the gravy/juice out or you will get very messy indeed.           &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T13:02:01.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32927" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32901" CreationDate="2017-04-30T13:12:31.397" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Light soils like yours would be best for rooty vege- think carrots and potatoes- they should do fine on organically poor soils- although they will etiolate in poor light conditions, the only other thing I can think of is to improve the soil with some sort of organic material- leaves in autumn and grow big leafy stuff, spinach, chard, cabbage etc and see how that goes? When I lived in france many years ago- I found that brassicas grew better in the shade, mainly because the sunlight there was a bit fierce during summer and dried out the sandy soil quite quickly during the summer- shade meant dampness- and they grew fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T13:12:31.397" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32843" CreationDate="2017-04-30T13:21:56.370" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;the second from last photo , the plant at the base of a tree is &quot;Hemerocallis&quot; easy one to dig up and remove- as far as the others- the rest are correctly identified. good luck getting rid of the ground elder!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T13:21:56.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32929" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32854" CreationDate="2017-04-30T13:35:14.320" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A geotextile would be better- although you will have to cover it with something like a bark mulch, stones or what ever pleases you.(only a weed barrier not a light barrier- as weeds need light to grow)&#xA;In traditional old world gardening (Classical Horticulture) we where taught that Victorians if they added horse manure to soil, that every few years they had remove a layer of top soil from the flower beds to stop them from getting to high- I can't remember what the practice was called... but its considered a very drastic choice since any form of mulch improves the soil underneath. Either that grow something that's very hungry and requires a lot of pruning thus using up the material/nutrients from the mulch and removing material/biomass in the form of green material from your garden eg. woody plants for burners, vege, cut flowers.   hope it helps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T13:35:14.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32930" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="197" CreationDate="2017-04-30T13:57:14.080" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm only quoting a notcutts book here:&#xA; Bergenia, caltha, Cornus canadensis, Cotoneaster low growing forms, Leucothoe, Pulmonaria, Rubus calcycinoides/tricolor, Waldsteiner.&#xA;Also:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Ferns, Gaulteria procumbens, Hedera colchia/hibernica, Helleborus, Hosta, Pachysandra terminalis,Pernettya, Polygonum, Rhododendron, Rubus cockburnianus/thibetanus/tricolor, Ruscus aculeatus, Sarcococca humilis, Spiraea thunbergii/x vanhouttei, Symphoricarpos? wouldn't advise that one, Vibrnum davidii and Vinca. &#xA;Although I have seen for geolocking ground on a steep slope- the professionals use willow? not good for ground cover but its roots are good for making matrices for holding back unstable rocky slopes near motorways- hope it helps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T13:57:14.080" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32931" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32819" CreationDate="2017-04-30T14:11:16.187" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could be a form of &quot;Ficus benjamina&quot;? perhaps a variegated one.. If it has fairly tough leaves?.look on Wikipedia.hope it helps.&#xA;Actually it also could be a Symphoricarpos although it would take me ages to try to identify exactly which one- but only if the leaves are quite soft? or if it has berries at some point(poisonous- doesn't mean its still quite a nice plant)...again another one for Wikipedia- nice photos on there of both. hope it helps&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="1999" LastEditDate="2017-04-30T14:18:57.270" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T14:18:57.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32932" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32934" CreationDate="2017-04-30T14:36:14.870" Score="6" ViewCount="2449" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently found these little things growing in the soil of our mother-in-law-tongue house plant and have no idea what they are. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5KQaI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5KQaI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I couldn't find anything on the internet about what they are and am concerned some creature is going to pop out of them at some point. Any ideas what they are and if I need to do anything about them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17377" LastActivityDate="2017-05-01T18:04:48.927" Title="What are these things in my house plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32933" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32641" CreationDate="2017-04-30T14:49:36.923" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it might be Elaeagnus x ebbinei? actually I'm pretty sure it is that!   although it looks as if it reverted and gone back to its wild form- pretty nice plant- but ever so unkempt! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T14:49:36.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32934" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32932" CreationDate="2017-04-30T14:51:06.687" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are fungi, specifically, Nidulariales, commonly known as cup fungi or birds nest fungi. The little 'eggs' inside are actually spores, though yours look like they may already have dispersed. The cup fungi themselves are just the fruiting bodies of mycelium within the potting soil. Whilst they will not harm your houseplant, the soil it's sitting in does appear to be overly wet, which will not only encourage this type of fungal growth, but more importantly, may also cause your plant to rot. Hopefully, there is a drainage hole in the pot, and you do not leave any water sitting in an outer tray 30 minutes after watering - assuming that's the situation, you should reduce the amount and frequency of watering. Let it dry out between waterings, so water when the surface of the potting soil feels dry to the touch, water thoroughly, let it drain freely and empty out any excess as described.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-30T15:14:21.617" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T15:14:21.617" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32935" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7427" CreationDate="2017-04-30T14:54:44.277" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Top one is an evergreen oak, Quercus ilex? The holly shaped leaves give it away- just because it has holly like leaves doesn't make it a holly! I can think of 4 or 5 examples that are not hollies! As for the second- never seen that in old blighty? haven't a clue! sorry- hope the top one helps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T14:54:44.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24791" CreationDate="2017-04-30T15:09:49.507" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Crab apple? I think the dust on the stems give it away- and that apple look of the leaves- hardy, outside, uk, yeah I think it is a form of the apple family?&#xA;hope it helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T15:09:49.507" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31511" CreationDate="2017-04-30T15:24:38.880" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leucojum aestivum?  the strappy leaves give it away- not rare just uncommon- nice plant though- hope it helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T15:24:38.880" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32938" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-30T16:05:58.010" Score="3" ViewCount="218" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been looking at the labels on specialty potting soil label as &quot;Mediterranean&quot; potting soil for plants such as olive and citrus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only real difference besides the huge price difference I have been able to discern is that the specialty potting soil contains (pine) bark which is said to lower the PH. Is this just a scam or are there any other differences?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14422" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-30T16:43:21.220" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T16:43:21.220" Title="What's the difference between normal potting soil and specialty &quot;Mediterranean&quot; potting soil?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32939" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33820" CreationDate="2017-04-30T17:51:38.793" Score="3" ViewCount="630" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I went out to water my raspberries this afternoon, I saw the back end of a little bug disappearing into a hole at the top of one of the canes. Here are the holes:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CpwEs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;holes in my raspberry canes&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here's the bug:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eya8L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the bug&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's about 3/4 cm long, with a narrow waist like a wasp (but not as long as a blue mud dauber), and iridescent blue. I'm pretty sure they burrowed in, because there's a little pile of what looks like sawdust underneath, and the fourth cane didn't have a hole (not did any when I bought them).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in the mid-Atlantic USA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are these little beasts? How bad are they? What can I do about them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17152" LastEditorUserId="17152" LastEditDate="2017-04-30T21:54:05.263" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T20:02:54.757" Title="What's this bug drilling into my raspberry canes, and how upset should I be?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32940" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32939" CreationDate="2017-04-30T18:08:20.433" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wherever you are, although I'm not sure what that insect is (it's not a raspberry cane borer), it's likely it's bored into the stems to lay eggs - cut the stems down, initially to the next set of buds - if the hole is still visible, take it down to the next set of buds. You're attempting to remove the eggs in case whatever hatches then wants to eat its way through the interior of your raspberry plant. To stop anything else doing the same, I suggest you use some fine mesh/netting, fine enough to keep out anything of a similar size, and cover the raspberry with that for the next month or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Someone else may recognise the insect and therefore what it's up to and give more knowledgeable advice, but if they don't, that's what I'd suggest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-04-30T19:57:24.830" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T19:57:24.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32941" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32847" CreationDate="2017-04-30T18:49:33.580" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started watering even more and it fixed it :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uWtlP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uWtlP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17187" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T18:49:33.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32942" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-30T19:11:44.567" Score="4" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to experiment with using a weed flamer in the garden.  There are basically two scenarios I'm imagining using this thing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;quickly weeding wide areas like walkways &amp;amp; unused beds&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;as a supplement to hand weeding among living plants (obviously a potentially risky task)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I look for in a weed flamer?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a small-scale venture for me.  I have a moderately-sized home veggie garden (~50x30') and a couple perineal beds.  Something tells me the BTU rating won't matter much for my smaller needs - my larger concern is something so large that I won't be able to use it safely within a foot of any plants I &lt;strong&gt;want&lt;/strong&gt; to survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10945" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T20:42:03.437" Title="Selecting a weed flamer to use in a garden" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32943" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32923" CreationDate="2017-04-30T19:17:24.723" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://seafood.oregonstate.edu/.pdf%20Links/Basic-Principles-of-Composting-LSU.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service&lt;/a&gt; advises:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;During  composting,  the  microorganisms  consume oxygen while feeding on organic matter.&#xA;  Active  composting  generates  a  considerable&#xA;  amount of heat, and large quantities of carbon&#xA;  dioxide and water vapor are released into the&#xA;  air.  The carbon dioxide and water losses can&#xA;  amount to half the weight of the initial organic&#xA;  materials, so composting reduces both the volume and mass of the raw materials while transforming them into a beneficial humus-like material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However if dry leaves are kept dry they won't compost, so relative to &lt;em&gt;dry&lt;/em&gt; leaves you may end up with much the same weight as you start with (the added water being most of the weight that is lost).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T19:17:24.723" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32944" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32942" CreationDate="2017-04-30T19:34:00.993" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use a hand held propane bottle that is cheap and easy.  I would never do this around plants or tight areas.  In gravel walkways, driveways and patios...sure.  I dump decomposed organic matter between my plants on top of the soil.  That kills or reduces vigor of any weed.  The cool thing is that decomposed organic matter also feeds the soil, enhancing the bio-ta of your soil...which is eating the decomposed organic matter taking it back into the soil profile (4 -6&quot;) pooping it out and mixing organic matter aerating the soil FOR YOU.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This 'weed worry thing' in my mind and experience a waste of energy.  In my gardens weeding is like...well like less than one percent of all my efforts. I happen to be the laziest gardener.  If more energy is required then I must be doing something wrong to create more work.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flame works well on those large areas but a gas powered blower does even better.  To go over those areas once per week at the most blows out the seeds that have been imported by birds or wind.  I've never had to 'pull weeds' as a chore.  I pull a weed here and there, how could one not?  I never allow a weed (plant out of place) go to seed.  I weed wack or cover tiny germinated weeds ASAP.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Putting decomposed organic matter ON TOP of weeds, even large weeds, is probably the most effective thing I do then it is starving them out by weed wacking the photosynthetic growth off.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe I am weird but I LOVE pulling out weeds, making piles of them to put in my compost piles.  Always before they go to seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T19:34:00.993" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32945" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-30T19:44:00.090" Score="3" ViewCount="933" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planting some &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumquat&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kumquats&lt;/a&gt; along the side of the drive. However, I notice they grow to 3-4 metres (10-13 feet) high and wide. How can I keep them smaller? I considered putting the pot into the ground to stunt their growth but am concerned the plants will become weak. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17379" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-04-30T20:01:09.320" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T21:53:28.287" Title="How can I keep my Kumquat tree from growing too tall?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32946" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32945" CreationDate="2017-04-30T19:52:20.753" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't, really, not and still have them fruit anyway. Putting them in pots and planting them in those into the ground won't work either - restricted in a pot (unless the pots are extremely large) they will eventually die; but it's highly likely the roots will break through the holes in the bottom and root into the surrounding soil anyway, which rather defeats the object. The only pruning these trees require is removal of any sucker growth and a fairly light prune to reshape immediately after harvesting the fruit and well before they flower in spring. If you're not worried about flowers and fruiting, then you might be able to prune them back more often. More info on growing these trees here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/kumquat/growing-kumquat-trees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kumquat Tree Care: Tips For Growing Kumquat Trees&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-04-30T21:53:28.287" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T21:53:28.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32945" CreationDate="2017-04-30T21:32:50.187" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Orchardists regularly tip the leaders of their trees to keep them smaller so they are able to restrict their growth.  The backlash is this sends all that energy back to the branches to encourage lateral buds, suckers to grow.  That is why they create dwarf varieties.  Those apical or terminal buds have the most energy within the entire tree/shrub.  When those are cut, that energy is then distributed among the lateral buds.  Do not put them in pots to bury in the ground.  I'd rather have vigorous too high trees than do that...root pruning does not necessarily dwarf a plant.  It does reduce the vigor and ability to pull chemicals out of the soil that it needs with which to do photosynthesis.  I would nip the leaders, prune the suckers and make sure I did not give my trees too much nitrogen...which promotes vegetative growth not reproductive growth.  And buy a ladder or two, grins.!e&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T21:32:50.187" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32939" CreationDate="2017-04-30T21:59:18.907" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got some very dead canes that will attract all kinds of bugs for homes and decomposing.  I would cut off the dead cane, scrape the top of  the soil around your raspberry for eggs or what not.  Looks like you've used potting soil, yes?  Are you planning to transplant in your garden? I hope so.  Raspberries are TOUGH and need an area with which to make home to produce more raspberry canes.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut off the dead cane back to an OUTSIDE bud angling the cut so water will not collect nor get dumped on the live bud.  Transplant into your garden.  This dude is not a problem at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-04-30T21:59:18.907" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32949" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-04-30T23:35:44.557" Score="4" ViewCount="218" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is growing in what is supposed to be a herb garden. Can someone help me identify it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Southeaster PA, USA&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;End of April&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5wMam.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5wMam.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update: Beginning of June&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B5EJs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B5EJs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oXQEo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oXQEo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13682" LastEditorUserId="13682" LastEditDate="2017-06-09T15:12:47.013" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T15:12:47.013" Title="Herbal Plant identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32950" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-01T00:13:17.297" Score="6" ViewCount="215" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree is growing wild in my yard about 10 feet tall now. It looked a little like an apple but not when I pick leaves and compare. It grew quite fast and has not flowered yet where most other trees here are finished. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas what this could be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in central VA (zone 7).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6U9pr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6U9pr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;closeup_green_tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17382" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-05-01T06:24:20.760" LastActivityDate="2020-01-29T05:17:25.720" Title="This tree is growing in my yard - central VA zone 7 anyone ID? No flowers so far" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32951" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-01T01:08:55.167" Score="3" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;This past winter our yard, which is frequented by dogs and pastured poultry, turned to a muddy mess. We're looking for a ground cover, probably grass, to try to keep it a bit cleaner.  We're also at high altitude (5000 ft), in a dry climate, and temperate (5B). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our primary goal is just something that will withstand the relatively rough conditions rather than asthetics. It like looks like most drought tolerant grasses (buffalo, blue grama) suffer under heavy traffic but heavy traffic grasses (Kentucky bluegrass) can't handle the climate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What groundcover/grass is best for this situation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15671" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-29T09:31:27.027" LastActivityDate="2017-11-29T09:31:27.027" Title="Drought and animal tolerant grass" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32952" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-01T04:32:44.230" Score="3" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh, the things I have done to my mother-in-law's Hoya plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;First, I watered it weekly. Neither the plant or the mother-in-law liked that. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Then I had the audacity to re-pot the root bound mess. I can't win with this plant. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It needs a level of neglect that is too much for me. Not &quot;has reached&quot;, but legitimately wants to be neglected. Rumor has it that it will not flower for two years after being re-potted. What is your experience? Is this true?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my question is this: Will it take my Hoya 2-years to bloom after being re-potted? Or will it be sooner??? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fqpiY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vdvdx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tOhFx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZzyWd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17383" LastEditorUserId="17383" LastEditDate="2017-05-01T16:47:14.270" LastActivityDate="2017-05-01T16:47:14.270" Title="Hoya care - will it ever flower again?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32953" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-01T07:16:25.730" Score="4" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend took the images below in a Vienna park in late April.  The woody shrub has flowers with four petals; the size I'm not sure of, but I'd guess they're at least a couple inches across and probably more.  There are some old fruits in the pictures which we believe are from the same plant.  I don't pick up on too many distinctive features, but perhaps a knowledgeable person here will be able to recognize the plant. (The images have more resolution than the StackExchange question format shows, so you may want to follow the link to the source.)&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sd4rQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sd4rQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EwFvR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EwFvR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13711" LastActivityDate="2017-05-01T07:16:25.730" Title="What's this shrub with white flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="0" ClosedDate="2017-05-01T18:08:53.110" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32954" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32962" CreationDate="2017-05-01T15:13:02.450" Score="3" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our Atlanta, GA house has a swimming pool surrounded by cement. At the back, the cement abuts with a narrow strip of soil, maybe 4 feet wide by about 30 feet long, with a fence behind it. The soil strip has plants for ground cover on it.  Over the years, either the cement has sunk or the earth has raised, or both, so that the earth strip is now several inches (say 2-4 inches) higher than the cement. Water puddles up at the junction of the cement and earth, and doesn't drain well.  What are some options for improving drainage at the junctions?  I'd prefer something quick and simple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17385" LastActivityDate="2017-05-01T19:25:18.667" Title="Drainage at cement/soil junction" Tags="&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32955" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-01T16:19:40.893" Score="1" ViewCount="248" Body="&lt;p&gt;have two pieris shrubs which were looking lovely. Suddenly noticed the new foliage is brown and shrivelled. Is this frost damage, and how should I treat them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17386" LastActivityDate="2017-05-01T16:19:40.893" Title="Problems with my Pieris shrub - has it been frostbitten?" Tags="&lt;damage&gt;&lt;frost&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32956" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-01T17:46:53.143" Score="3" ViewCount="37" Body="&lt;p&gt;For three years in a row a &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/CEPxf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;nest has fallen&lt;/a&gt; from this tree in my backyard the last weekend of April.  The prior 2 years were robins but this year it was &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/B41Jd&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;something new&lt;/a&gt;.  Not knowing birds well but generally being a fan what is the best way to end this cycle?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14257" LastActivityDate="2017-05-01T17:46:53.143" Title="Should I assist or deter birds from a popular yet problematic location?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2017-05-01T18:14:27.843" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32957" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32959" CreationDate="2017-05-01T17:55:48.847" Score="6" ViewCount="799" Body="&lt;p&gt;When harvesting asparagus, I keep hearing that you are supposed to &quot;&lt;em&gt;break it off at ground level&lt;/em&gt;&quot; and that it snaps real easily. What precisely does that mean? Usually it snaps a half inch below or above ground level, and sometimes ain't as easy to snap as people make it sound.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also leaves little stems there that seem to just die (wasting plant energy?) and occupy space where new shoots could come up, even a year or two later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead, I find I can gently twist the the asparagus and they pop right out. &#xA;Here's what twisting them out looks like when harvested:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a21qQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a21qQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Here&amp;#39;s what twisting them out looks like when harvested&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does pulling the white part out damage the plant or reduce growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I just cut the white off before eating or cooking it.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17000" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-05-01T18:50:02.053" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T12:32:14.887" Title="Where to break off asparagus, when harvesting?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;asparagus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32957" CreationDate="2017-05-01T18:19:34.030" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't have to snap or break them - I've seen it being harvested in the fields here in the UK, and all the people doing the job have a knife. They cut right at the base of suitably sized spears, just above the fibrous root matter, using a very sharp knife so as to cause as little disturbance to the roots as possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend you do the same, frankly, pulling and twisting will cause some disruption to the remains of the plant. I've no idea if what you've been doing will have a deleterious effect on your plants, but I'd stop doing it immediately, since the aim seems to be to cause as little disturbance to the plants as possible, see &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/asparagus/harvesting-asparagus.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, under harvesting &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="147" LastEditDate="2017-05-02T12:32:14.887" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T12:32:14.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32960" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-01T18:52:46.563" Score="6" ViewCount="2069" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted purple basil a couple of months ago; its true leaves were beginning to develop but a slug (I'm guessing) devoured all the leaves from the seedlings. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stems are present so will it still be able to live and just regrow new leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xeLGc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17388" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:45:12.257" LastActivityDate="2018-05-18T20:17:22.080" Title="Will a basil seedling regrow after its leaves were eaten?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32961" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="18202" CreationDate="2017-05-01T19:08:39.050" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have tried both approaches with tomatoes. Both will leave the plant behind, but they should recover. If you pull one up, pull it all the way out. Otherwise what you left down there will drain nutrients from the soil as it attempts to repair the botched job. Instead of cutting with a knife, I simply pulled mine apart gently with a shaking motion. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17389" LastActivityDate="2017-05-01T19:08:39.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32962" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32954" CreationDate="2017-05-01T19:25:18.667" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would get a sod cutter and remove that strip.  Does water flow from the edge of your swimming pool to collect at that margin?  Definitely get that DAM down.  If the soil is still to high beyond your fence line then a trench drain is in order.  The top of this drain should be BELOW the soil in line with the slope away from the pool to accept the drainage from the concrete around your pool.  We can help with construction of trench/strip drains.  How long has this been going on?  When was this pool constructed?  There is the possibility that contractor is still liable for stuff like this.  Where is it you live, who and when did this pool get constructed, what are your state's (?) warranty for construction (check buildings and code).  If this is an earthen dam raised above the slope of drainage it needs to be taken down.  Send a picture and we'll be able to tell you whether a swale or drainage pipe is in order.  Not a big deal at all.  But it is for a swimming pool!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this strip is not lawn and is full of plants then think about a trench drain along this edge in front of that strip.  The top of that perf pipe, drainage tile should not be above the slope you want to maintain.  You'll need a trench dug, a few inches of crushed gravel, your pipe laid on top, covered with landscape fabric, backfilled with drain rock (rounded 1 1/2 inch cobble) covered with landscape fabric, more cobble laid on top, daylighted somewhere safe (check on being able to drain into city sewer/water overflow not always allowed) but you have to slope that pipe to take the water somewhere else...that would save your strip.  Perhaps the swimming pool did sink but that is the contractor's fault for not compacting the subsoil and or disturbing the subsoil.  Kind of a big big deal with swimming pool installation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-01T19:25:18.667" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32963" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-01T20:59:01.250" Score="2" ViewCount="2015" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two peach trees in close proximity to each other. One is healthy and shows no signs on distress, however the other one...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leaves did not fully come in.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Has areas of darkened bark that ooze small amounts of sap.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Recently developed cracking/splitting/holes in the bark. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried to cut the branches off that did not grow leaves as an attempt to stymie any disease it may have. However, it does not seem to be getting any better. I have not physcially seen and insects or other pests around the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What could be ailing my peach tree?&lt;/strong&gt; It's peaches are really yummy and I want to eat them again this summer!!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XmNPz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XmNPz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dark bark&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QpUH5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QpUH5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;splitting bark&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y04Wg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y04Wg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;full tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13313" LastActivityDate="2017-05-01T20:59:01.250" Title="Peach Tree, bark darkening and peeling/cracking" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32964" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-01T21:01:30.277" Score="3" ViewCount="1053" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing a bunch of trees in pots and have been keeping them in the yard. A storm with high winds is expected (~20mph) and as I bring some items indoors (e.g. a flag, light pots hanging from a railing), I wonder if I should do something for the potted trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Right now I brought some of the younger and more delicate (grafted) potted trees into an enclosed porch, and I laid the larger potted trees gently down on their side. I'm hoping this will prevent wind from blowing the trees over (not gently) and in case any overhead branches fall on them, the damage may not be as catastrophic to their long-term growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a standard practice for preparing outdoor potted nursery plants for tornado and hurricane conditions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastActivityDate="2017-05-01T21:01:30.277" Title="How to protect outdoor potted trees in storm?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;protection&gt;&lt;weather&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32965" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-02T01:23:29.860" Score="5" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in high desert New Mexico, zone 7B (temperature range 10f - 105f, hot summers, average 7&quot; of rain annually, mostly in late summer), and just discovered this Vetch growing wild. It's very exciting to find a useful plant growing wild, and I would like to learn what variety it is so I can buy like a trillion seeds and plant it among my grain crops. Does anyone know what variety this might be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LthSH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LthSH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T22:07:48.843" Title="What kind of Vetch is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32966" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-02T03:57:35.913" Score="6" ViewCount="941" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a year and a half old mini-strawberry (the small-fruit kind) plant. I have heard a lot about strawberries growing runners, but mine never did.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there something I should do to &quot;coax&quot; it to start?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17213" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-07-02T01:06:57.323" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T15:05:28.983" Title="How to get my strawberry to grow runners?" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32967" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31460" CreationDate="2017-05-02T06:27:29.997" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have found the answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Common name: Happiness Tree / Scientific name: Garcinia Subelliptica.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently, Singapore's NParks has this fabulous website where all the plants and trees grown in the region are listed &gt;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://florafaunaweb.nparks.gov.sg/Special-Pages/Record-List.aspx?OptionId=441&amp;amp;DataSourceIDNo=1&amp;amp;CatN=Plant+Characteristics+&amp;amp;+Uses&amp;amp;CatO=Roadside+Tree+%2f+Palm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://florafaunaweb.nparks.gov.sg/Special-Pages/Record-List.aspx?OptionId=441&amp;amp;DataSourceIDNo=1&amp;amp;CatN=Plant+Characteristics+&amp;amp;+Uses&amp;amp;CatO=Roadside+Tree+%2f+Palm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15022" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T06:27:29.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32968" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-02T07:08:11.800" Score="1" ViewCount="344" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am wondering if you can get all the necessary nutrients a plant needs my mixing wood ash with forest soil or leaf compost and growing legumes on top of it (and on top of that your actual plant you want to harvest)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on my poor understanding of soil, you should get enough potassium and phosphorus and other trace elements the plant needs from the ash. Forest soil or leaf compost make sure there is lots of organic matter in the soil and cancel out the pH issues. Legumes, the ones that actually fixate more than nitrogen than they need it, make sure that the nitrogen levels are sufficient. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I missing something here or is this the perfect soil combo?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T08:23:28.917" Title="Wood ash + forest soil or leaf compost + legumes. Is this the perfect soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;legumes&gt;&lt;woodash&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32969" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32968" CreationDate="2017-05-02T08:09:22.777" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is no perfect soil, and so your recipe is not perfect. Plants have different requirements, also considering that crops (and vegetables) originates in different part of the world.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some vegetables doesn't like over-fertilized soil, or better: vegetables like it, but not you. [you want to harvest fruits and vegetables, not to create the most vigorous plant, additionally too much nitrogen will increase diseases].&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over-fertilization would reduce paradoxically some element absorbing (e.g. iron), or it could be toxic.  Additionally it could sensibly change the soil so all the living being in the soil (from worms to microbes decomposing and creating nutrients), which is bad in short term.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, your recipe could work, but don't overdo it. It could create a good base, especially if you start from a poor soil. And every year check the outcome and adapt. Take into account also that different plants have different needs, and crop rotation is good for soil, but also to reduce diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: if you had grass before, you could have a lack of Boron, which could be solved adding hay in compost or as mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T08:09:22.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32970" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32976" CreationDate="2017-05-02T08:13:28.777" Score="3" ViewCount="316" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was careless with my cactus and was watering it extremely rarely. One day I decided I should take a proper care of it and this is the result &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QM6E0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QM6E0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EcatJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EcatJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, the bases of the cacti shrink and turn green-yellow-ish and the yellow liquid is clearly visible. &#xA;It has been like that for the past 4-5 months and I thought it would have recovered by now.&#xA;Is there anything I can do to save it or should I just cut and clean it and start over?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17392" LastEditorUserId="17392" LastEditDate="2017-05-02T14:17:26.473" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T20:45:21.690" Title="Overwatered cactus" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32968" CreationDate="2017-05-02T08:16:59.967" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could work, but it's not perfect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wood ash has no nitrogen and sulphur and is rather low in phosphorus because much of it is lost during combustion. It is also extremely alkaline so you have to do some maths to avoid over-applying it, though dilution with &lt;em&gt;lots&lt;/em&gt; of water and using the mixture to irrigate your garden after adding lots of organic matter should work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Legumes can add nitrogen to soil, but it's not guaranteed unless you inoculate the seeds with the right bacteria before planting. And even in that case, I feel it takes too long because a legume plant's fixed nitrogen isn't added to the soil until it is killed and starts to decompose. Urea is more cost-effective as a nitrogen source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves would add organic matter, but organic matter in a fertile and moist soil gets eaten up pretty quickly by worms, microbes etc, so you would need to keep adding the leaves regularly to keep it up. Living and dead roots in the soil are the best and most sustainable source of OM.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My preferred soil building approach is to cover it with plants (highly productive cover crops, or what you actually want to grow) and fertilize them with a balanced commercial liquid plant food or soybean meal, but the fastest shortcut to good soil is to buy lots of compost and mix it into your soil. It provides organic matter and, if added in large quantities, nutrients, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions to improve my answer: What kind of soil do you have? Why do you feel it needs improvement? What do you want to grow on the soil when it's ready?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14835" LastEditorUserId="14835" LastEditDate="2017-05-02T08:23:28.917" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T08:23:28.917" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32972" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-02T08:26:06.693" Score="3" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our Red and Green Acer Japonica leaves have started to curl and drop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have been in their respective pots for approx. 8 years and never had any problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We live on Dartmoor Devon: we did have a little frost a couple of weeks ago but nothing like that since the leaves have been on but both have the same problem !&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could someone please give us some Help &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17393" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-05-02T14:16:15.717" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T20:48:03.513" Title="Red and Green Acers" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32973" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32972" CreationDate="2017-05-02T12:03:12.813" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Photos would have been very useful, but if your trees have been in the same pots for eight years, I'd imagine they're desperate to be in larger pots, or in the ground. I don't know what size pots they're in currently, but you can check whether they're rootbound by turning them out of their pots and having a look. If the rootballs are solid, with roots wrapped round, then they need bigger containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water shortage might be an issue, especially if they're rootbound. Potted plants in large containers in many parts of the UK during March and April do not often need watering, but this year, they certainly would have done because of the unusual warmth, and on a regular basis, as if it were summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other option is frost damage - in the UK, this year, we had a summer like late March and early April, followed by a plunge in temperature of about 10 to 12 degrees and frost at night. The frost caught many new, tender leaves on perfectly hardy plants, but because the leaves were brand new, frost damage occurred. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check all stems and backs of leaves for signs of insect infestation such as scale and particularly aphids, and for signs of disease - otherwise, photographs are necessary for any further diagnosis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-02T20:48:03.513" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T20:48:03.513" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32970" CreationDate="2017-05-02T16:12:30.777" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Remove the small cacti and pot them in small containers (I mean adequated to their size). From the affected big ones I don't know if you can salvage anything, but you can try an experiment: cut the yellowish side with a knife, let the green part in contact with the air for a few days until the exposed tissue hardens, and then place it on wet sand. New roots may form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you let it the way it is now, it won't heal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: I friend of mine that has a collection of cacti says that it is Mammillaria spinosissima v. albispina and the liquid drops are caused by an infection - she doesn't know what, so I can't say how or if the plants can be treated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-05-02T20:45:21.690" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T20:45:21.690" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32977" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-02T16:53:13.220" Score="3" ViewCount="373" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P0QjP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P0QjP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;received this as a gift and I have no info on it.  Not sure what it is or how I should care for it.  Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whew, that's a lot of info STORMY.  The plant is currently indoors, I live in buffalo ny, so I plan on moving it outside to my covered deck once the weather becomes nicer.  I received the plant from a buddy at work who got it from his grandmothers house when she unfortunately passed recently.  I had expressed interest in bonsai to him recently and nobody in his family knew what to do with it so I &quot;inherited&quot; it.  I, by no means have any prior knowledge or experience with any type of plant whatsoever.  I couldn't turn it down, I was honored that he thought of me.  I want to try my best to learn and care for it properly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17396" LastEditorUserId="17396" LastEditDate="2017-05-02T20:20:09.907" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T20:20:09.907" Title="Need help identifying this bonsai tree" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32978" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32980" CreationDate="2017-05-02T17:30:34.207" Score="5" ViewCount="1865" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently augured two holes in my yard for posts. I was not able to keep all the debris contained. I cleaned up what landed on a board I laid down and the large piles with a shovel. I raked up as much of the remainder as I could. There are still patches of heavy clay soil covering my grass. I admit my workmanship and planning was a bit sloppy, controlling the waste while digging would have been smarter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the right tool for this job is a rake. I don't see how to scoop up such small quantities with a shovel without scalping the lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I efficiently clean up this debris? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there some way to break it down and disperse it onto the lawn? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="486" OwnerDisplayName="Freiheit" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-05-02T17:35:40.160" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T18:15:40.783" Title="How can I remove or disperse clay soil stuck in/on grass" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;clay&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32979" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32951" CreationDate="2017-05-02T17:52:32.710" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Honestly, clover might be a good solution. It generally doesn't need fertilized because it pulls nitrogen from the air. It's drought resistant, fairly traffic resistant, chickens eat it, grows fast, will spread like into dry spots and if purposefully planted can out compete other problem weeds. Like Bamboo said, you'll have empty spots no matter what, after winter, but you shouldn't have as many problems getting clover to take as you would grass or sod alone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to mow less, you can also look into various breeds of micro-clover who's seeds are regularly sold as a more suburban ground cover. You typically mix micro-clover with another appropriate grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T17:52:32.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32978" CreationDate="2017-05-02T17:59:10.720" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Small volumes will disperse of themselves, given time - even larger ones if you have frosts (that freeze the water in the clay so it expands and 'shatters') but, yes, a rake should gather together any clods without damaging the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Piled up a shovel should then be safe to use. What little remains might either be picked up by hand (it should be cohesive enough) or if friable, just left.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T17:59:10.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32981" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32978" CreationDate="2017-05-02T18:10:29.430" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get a hose and wash it off.  Save some wear and tear on your grass and yourself.  The extra soil spread and washed into the sod is great.  Next time, grab a cheap plastic tarp to throw any debris or soil or whatever...easier than using a wheelbarrow you don't have to lift the soil up so high and holds more debris like branches, pulled weeds more securely as you drag your tarp to the compost pile or truck.  Tarps were our tool of choice instead of wheelbarrows, trash cans for landscape maintenance. You only have to deal with the weight of a tarp and the debris not a huge trash can or wheelbarrow.  Once you get to transporting a whole lot of soil, however, you will want that wheelbarrow.  Tarps and plywood are also great to protect sod and soil and graveled areas if there will be a lot of construction traffic, heavy machines. I should say also that tarps should not be used for heavy machines like backhoes, trucks...dumb of me.  Tarps easily get wrapped around the axle and what a headache.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-02T18:15:40.783" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T18:15:40.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32977" CreationDate="2017-05-02T18:50:22.887" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whoa!  This is one gorgeous and OLD bonsai.  I am guessing Rhododendron.&lt;a href=&quot;http://gallery.makebonsai.com/gallery/photos/BAEB/standard/21004.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rhododendron bonsai&lt;/a&gt;  Have you ever owned a bonsai?  You are lucky to receive this as a gift but on the other if you've never owned one you got set up for heartbreak.  This is not an inexpensive bonsai!  This is akin to being given a PET for a gift.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have to talk to your friend.  You need to find out where they purchased this then go have a talk with the nursery...sometimes these are found in a booth in the middle of a mall or a garden show.  So you have to hurry.  Don't be shy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First question is; is this indoor or outdoor?  This is a big deal.  If this was an indoor plant and you put it outdoors without acclimatization or if this was an outdoor plant keeping it inside without acclimatization could easily kill it.  Acclimatization is very lengthy for Bonsai.  But where would you start?  Gotta know where this plant came from and talk with the guy that sold this to your friend.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That guy that sold it had better know how this gorgeous plant was cared for, when the last time it was fertilized, root pruned?  Bonsai pretty much needs watering every day or at least every other day I kid you not.  That big plant sucks up the water like crazy and there is not much soil to hold water for more than a day.  It is hard to see the scale of this bonsai but someday you will need to know enough to be able to continue with this plant's form process.  Root pruning, training the height and width, transplanting (which doesn't happen often at all), wrapping copper wire to form that twisted look, better foundation for sure than just a few rocks sitting on top of the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this plant 18&quot; or maybe 2' in height?  Trying to gauge the size by your backsplash.  That is huge for a bonsai...I'd guess this guy is at least 4 to 5 decades old!  A guess for sure and that is young for bonsai.  I could be way off but at least one decade old for sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another cool thing about Rhododendron (or its cousin azalea with smaller leaves) is that it can flower profusely. Quite the treat where bonsai is concerned.  I can't imagine all this work for an indoor rhododendron bonsai because lots of light is necessary for the flowering you'll see in the images I sent in the link.  Far more light than indoors by a window.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer is very tricky.  The only chemicals this plant can get for photosynthesis is right there in that tiny pot.  You have to discover how much and how long ago this plant was fertilized.  Just a little too much and you'll kill your bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering is tricky as well.  I watered by putting the pot into a larger bucket of water to soak. Allowing it to stop bubbling. Pouring water to water bonsai tends to wash away gravel and water needs time to soak into the soil.  Otherwise it just washes off the top of the soil.  Not enough water for the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Jerome, I think someone really likes you an awful lot.  This is a very NICE gift if not a bit misguided.  Another positive is that you will now become a gardener whether you wanted to or not!  Bonsai is the ultimate test of gardening.  The most artificial and human intervention heavy of all plant stewardship.  You just might fall in love with this 'hobby'...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ask your 'friend' where they got this!!  If they had purchased a puppy to give you you'd want to know where they got that puppy and the breed and how it was raised, was it already wormed, vaccinated, neutered before you got to take over the responsibility, yes?  To not ask your friend might just mean the death of this plant.  They are very very sensitive and one misstep might make you and your friend very sad.  Gosh, hate to be such a downer but this is not like any old houseplant or patio plant!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v38n3/v38n3-groszkiewicz.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;A super article on rhododendron and azalea bonsai&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-02T19:48:40.670" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T19:48:40.670" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32983" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32977" CreationDate="2017-05-02T19:08:08.117" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it might be Ficus microcarpa, sometimes known as the Ficus Ginseng bonsai, though Ficus retusa goes by the same common name as a bonsai too. IKEA sells these (image here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/decoration/plants-pots-stands/ficus-microcarpa-ginseng-potted-plant-with-pot-bonsai-assorted-colours-art-80234547/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/decoration/plants-pots-stands/ficus-microcarpa-ginseng-potted-plant-with-pot-bonsai-assorted-colours-art-80234547/&lt;/a&gt;) but whether that's where yours is from or not I've no idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There seems to be some confusion of names between F.microcarpa and F. retusa, but the care instructions are likely the same for both - keep frost free, preferably in temperatures no lower than 15degC in the brightest daylight position you can find for it. Some direct sunlight may be a problem, although once they've got used to it, they don't mind it too much. Keep watered, don't let it dry out frequently, stand away from heat sources. If you want, it can be moved outdoors for the summer in a dappled shade or bright shade position once temperatures are no lower than 15degC at night, but must be brought back in before winter, at the end of summer. You may need to mist the plant occasionally in winter, because it prefers more humid conditions, and the heating indoors will dry the air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Feed with bonsai food or liquid fertilizer fortnightly during the growing season. It will likely be necessary to learn how to prune it over time - some guidance on that given here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/ficus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/ficus&lt;/a&gt;, lower down the thread.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-02T19:47:43.493" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T19:47:43.493" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32984" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-02T19:56:11.040" Score="3" ViewCount="104" Body="&lt;p&gt;Green leaved. No Flowers. Grows from about April to October. Prefers shade or partial shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qibcx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17398" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-05-02T20:03:21.810" LastActivityDate="2017-05-02T20:03:21.810" Title="Can anyone name this plant please?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2018-03-12T03:47:53.303" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1514" CreationDate="2017-05-03T00:17:10.850" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've grown heirloom basil for 5 years.  I direct sow into the ground.  In response:  If the basil leaves turn brown or black while in the ground your plants have a disease, usually some sort of wilt/mold problem.  Rotate where you plant them.  Basil LOVES heat.  I live in zone 7 and I plant basil mid-May.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If basil turns black after harvest, what I've noticed, is that it turns black after I wash the basil and let it sit.  I NEVER wash my basil until I am ready to use it.  I store it in the fridge wrapped in paper towel.  When I handle basil this way, it never turns black after harvest - unless it is a couple of weeks old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17402" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T00:17:10.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32986" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32999" CreationDate="2017-05-03T00:34:27.853" Score="2" ViewCount="180" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought this for $130 from a nursery (reduced because it was the last year stock) This year's stock had greenish colors for bark an the leaves totally green. It is almost 9' long (the longest branch-did not fit in the picture)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are my questions:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-is there anybody living in Toronto who has this tree ?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-would it be a good idea to move it in a big pot and find the best spot for him for the rest of the year and then move it in a corner where it can sit for the winter wrapped and sheltered from wind and cold temperatures ?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-for how long can you keep a tree like this in a big pot without crippling the tree's growth ?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;-is it practical to consider that at maturity I would still be able to wrap it in burlap? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qeDOm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qeDOm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T20:09:21.393" Title="Coral Bark Japanese Maple in Toronto" Tags="&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32987" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32997" CreationDate="2017-05-03T03:10:33.090" Score="3" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;I moved into a new house where there was an aluminum raised bed. Let us call this bed A. I made a wooden bed 10inches deep. Let us call this bed B. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bed A was there before I came and the soil looked bad, sandy, tough and full of cacti. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I filled bed B with 10 bags of expensive best organic raised bed soil (and just that - nothing else).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted same species of tomatoes, spinach, and peppers in both beds. It's been 2 months since planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To my surprise, bed A plants grew up to 3-4 feet and ready to bear fruit. On the other hand my bed B which I was proud of, the plants are only 10 inches high, leaves turning yellow and I feel like they'll die before bearing fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where did I go wrong? Is my bed B soil too lose and not holding much water? I live in desert area of south USA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there something I can do to fix it now? That is by layering it with water holding materials like coconut coir etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help would be appreciated. Willing to provide more details if needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17403" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T14:10:32.877" Title="Raised bed soil repairing" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32988" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-03T03:43:45.567" Score="1" ViewCount="756" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried adding pictures but it isn't working. I have young zinnia plants that I started from seed about two months ago. They're just barely coming up on the point where they'll flower but suddenly I discovered a leaf with a gigantic hole. I freaked out, thinking it was a caterpillar! It should be noted this is my first little garden so I have basically no idea what could be happening! I contacted a friend who had me make an oil/soap/water mixture to spray on the plants. I wasn't able to ever find a caterpillar and am now convinced that's not the problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been about a week and all of the leaves on my poor baby plants are filled with holes. It seems to start as the leaf weakening and thinning out, then the holes develop where the thin portion was. Now just today I noticed some small black specs about the size of finely ground pepper on the lower leaves of the plants. So after some googling I thought it could either be some sort of fungus or maybe a very tiny pest? Does anyone have any ideas? I so badly want them to flower! Thanks to anyone who can help! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17404" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T03:43:45.567" Title="Holes in leaves and black specks on lower leaves" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;zinnia&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32989" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32996" CreationDate="2017-05-03T06:01:02.230" Score="2" ViewCount="144" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E6Zy8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E6Zy8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Almond pods&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree itself is about 3 years old and this is the first time it's bearing produce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can see the pods which contain the almonds. Is there any way to tell when they will be ready/fit for consumption? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9777" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T13:05:46.507" Title="How can I know when my almonds are ready to eat?" Tags="&lt;almond&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28643" CreationDate="2017-05-03T06:04:03.657" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is not a Crassula! It is a Portulacaria afra, commonly called Spekboom or Elephant Bush in South Africa, which is where it originates. It is extremely drought tolerant, but can also grow quite fast and very lush under kinder conditions.  In Adelaide, Australia (where I live)  you can plant it in your garden as long as the soil drains well in the winter.  In the ground the plant can easily reach 3 metres in height, but it takes pruning quite well so the size can be managed easily.  It likes full sun, more sun, and more sun!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a link for more information:&#xA;           &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.magiminiland.org/Portulacaria.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.magiminiland.org/Portulacaria.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is an amazing plant - one of mine is over 50 years old!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17407" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T06:04:03.657" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32991" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-03T06:24:39.147" Score="5" ViewCount="600" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant grew next to my avocado shrub. It's been there for quite some time (&gt;6 month). I recently started to grow bell pepper plants and they look a bit similar (the longer first two leafs (one being covered in the picture) and the other leafs being wider).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like it and will probably put it into its own pot, but it would be good to know the species before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N82bj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N82bj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17378" LastActivityDate="2017-12-26T05:45:57.917" Title="What plant is this? Maybe a bell pepper plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32992" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="32994" CreationDate="2017-05-03T06:38:59.103" Score="5" ViewCount="20062" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answers to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/28643/why-does-this-jade-plant-have-small-leaves-when-compared-to-other-jade-plants&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; have two different answers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Someone believes &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/28646/14120&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; it is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassula&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Crassula&lt;/a&gt;, most probably &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassula_ovata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Crassula Ovata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (&quot;jade&quot; plant).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;But &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/32990/14120&quot;&gt;the other answer&lt;/a&gt; claims this is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulacaria_afra&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Portulacaria Afra&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; a.k.a. Elephant Bush (funny name)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would have thought the initial answer about Crassula was the right one, but now I see the picture of the other, Portulacaria, and I don't know what to think anymore. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;here is Crassula Ovata(creds. to wikipedia):&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sLjyp.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sLjyp.png&quot; alt=&quot;Crassula Ovata&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;and here is Portulacaria Afra (creds. to wikipedia):&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P4vqt.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P4vqt.png&quot; alt=&quot;Portulacaria Afra&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Indeed from the initial question, leaves are very similar to both:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cwtCP.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cwtCP.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And wiki says it:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Similar in appearance to the unrelated &quot;jade plant&quot;!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recon flowers would help see which one it is. But if there's none?&#xA;Any idea how we could differentiate them when they are not bearing flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-03T14:51:56.017" LastActivityDate="2020-01-19T10:01:25.113" Title="How to differentiate between Portulacaria Afra and Crassula Ovata?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32993" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33011" CreationDate="2017-05-03T09:36:59.360" Score="5" ViewCount="4169" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got few tomato plants in the glassy room with lots of light. The temepartures dropped significantly over the last weeks from 25°C to -5. The room T where I kept the tomatoes could fall below 15°C, but I am pretty sure if was above 10. Tomatoes had a little purple dots on the leaves. That dots got substantially larger over the last 2 weeks, although the room T is above 15° all the time. Also the leaves have purple veins and the stems are also purple. So I added a fertilizer containing phosphorus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does the purple leaves, veins and stems ever return to normal green color? How bad do you think is the condition of my plant? &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8ZDKL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8ZDKL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LwwQW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LwwQW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZulHM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZulHM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0TB3p.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0TB3p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ux2jk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ux2jk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one was taken 10 days ago:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0jzEQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0jzEQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="17223" LastEditDate="2017-05-03T09:55:16.490" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T02:34:40.170" Title="Do purple leafs of tomato return to normal state?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32992" CreationDate="2017-05-03T11:41:41.950" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The primary difference between Crassula and Portulacaria is growth habit, and it only becomes evident over time. Crassula supports itself, whereas Portulacaria produces growth that may droop and may need support to keep it upright as a houseplant, although sometimes, its growth gives it a rather 'spiky' and untidily upright overall appearance. The stems on Portulacaria are also often noticeably dark, with a purplish red colour, seen in one of the images here &lt;a href=&quot;http://worldofsucculents.com/portulacaria-afra-elephant-bush-dwarf-jade-small-leaf-jade-porkbush/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://worldofsucculents.com/portulacaria-afra-elephant-bush-dwarf-jade-small-leaf-jade-porkbush/&lt;/a&gt;. The tendency for new growth to droop or trail here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/portulacaria/growing-elephant-bush.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/portulacaria/growing-elephant-bush.htm&lt;/a&gt;. It's certainly possible that the plant in the original question is Portulacaria rather than Crassula; if any new growth produced tends to trail, or has obvious purplish stems, then it's Portulacaria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way, care instructions as a houseplant are similar. Portulacaria is less common as a houseplant, and is so similar it's sometimes given the common name of 'mini jade plant' or dwarf jade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers are different on each plant, but Crassula kept as a houseplant doesn't often flower - not sure how likely Portulacaria is to flower if kept in a similar fashion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-03T12:12:43.857" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T12:12:43.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32995" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33015" CreationDate="2017-05-03T11:50:01.150" Score="2" ViewCount="481" Body="&lt;p&gt;Somebody has picked some seeds growing on a 'tropical' looking tree in the south of England (Crawley) and given them to me. Does anybody know what they could be? This clump is about 3 cm long.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FQkfG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NLi6C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17180" LastEditorUserId="17180" LastEditDate="2017-05-03T12:15:40.460" LastActivityDate="2021-05-03T16:04:49.607" Title="What kind of seeds are these?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32996" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32989" CreationDate="2017-05-03T13:05:46.507" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;When most of the drupes or almonds split is when you pick, although you can leave them on the tree longer, but then other creatures may take and eat them. Note ripening takes place from the top of the tree down, so if you have animals (squirrels in some countries) that might pick and eat them, you will need to keep an eye on the ripening process so as not to have them all taken. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/nut-trees/almonds/when-to-harvest-almonds.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/nut-trees/almonds/when-to-harvest-almonds.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T13:05:46.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32997" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32987" CreationDate="2017-05-03T13:42:58.430" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the link to the product. It does seem that it should be quite free draining, so living in an arid climate might mean that's a problem. There appears to be absolutely no loam or soil content in it, but the amount of fertilizer within would only be sufficient for up to 4 weeks, maybe a bit more. If you've not used any further fertilizers, then it's more than time to use some now, depending which vegetables you're actually growing. Tomatoes like a higher potash feed, but the mixed nature of the planting within your bed means you'll have to stick to something more balanced and general. Whichever product you decide on, follow the application and timings shown on the pack.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd  certainly work in or add some humus rich material later in the year, after you've finished growing in it, or add as a mulch if you're still cropping something - good garden compost, leafmould, composted animal manure or the like. You could mulch over now to conserve moisture, once you've applied a fertilizer and made sure the bed is good and damp throughout. Not sure I'd recommend bark chips though - there's already a high ratio of wood fines in the mix, I'd choose composted animal manure, but I'm not sure what products are available where you are, nor what they're like. Composted animal manure in the UK is slightly fibrous and peatlike in nature, has no offensive manure smell after 24 hours and makes a reasonably good mulch, though a thin 1 inch layer disappears within a month or two. If you choose to mulch now, then consider carefully which fertilizer to use - if it needs re-application quite frequently, a liquid feed would be easier or you'll be disrupting your mulch layer every time you need to apply.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-03T14:10:32.877" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T14:10:32.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32998" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-03T15:47:30.590" Score="3" ViewCount="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &quot;landscaping&quot; in front of my apartment building is less than attractive. Nobody ever does anything so I came up with the idea to plant something nice on my own. Not wanting to spend money on this experiment I searched the neighborhood and tool a cutting from a summer lilac shrub in the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My first cutting didn't make it but this one has finally sprouted some roots in the water glass I'm keeping it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I assume that at some point I'll probably have to transplant it to a pot with soil before moving it to the front of the house. But I am unsure when to do that. How big should the roots be for potting? The cutting itself is about 20cm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17411" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T17:46:06.693" Title="When is my summer lilac ready for the next phase of my guerrilla gardening plan?" Tags="&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="32999" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32986" CreationDate="2017-05-03T17:02:35.667" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its perfectly hardy in your area - it just needs a spot that isn't incredibly windy and doesn't bake too much in all day sun during summer if your summer temperatures are regularly quite high, although the primary concern would be wind exposure. Trying to keep it going in a pot isn't really a good idea, it's not a small nor particularly slow growing Acer palmatum variety, with an ultimate height of between 4 to 8 metres, and its pretty tall already. The roots will also be more vulnerable to cold in a pot. More information on this tree here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=31&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=31&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-03T20:09:21.393" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T20:09:21.393" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32998" CreationDate="2017-05-03T17:46:06.693" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to Thomas DeBaggio in &lt;em&gt;Water Works: Rooting Cuttings in Water&lt;/em&gt;, when &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthliving.com/gardening/water-works?pageid=3#PageContent3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;1/4 to 1/2 inch long&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T17:46:06.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33001" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-03T18:11:44.560" Score="5" ViewCount="362" Body="&lt;p&gt;My rosemary has been looking like this since last summer. It's currently getting worse. New leafs (if it develops any) soon have these white little spots on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What disease is this? Maybe false mildew?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would be a good treatment for this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4U9vz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4U9vz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: In a first version of this post, I said the plant was a thyme, but it's a rosemary of course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17378" LastEditorUserId="17378" LastEditDate="2017-05-04T07:13:31.867" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T07:13:31.867" Title="What disease is affecting this rosemary?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33002" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33009" CreationDate="2017-05-03T18:21:07.430" Score="3" ViewCount="187" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been reading a lot about types of lawn seed and lawn maintenance. It seems like KBG, ryegrass, and tall/fine fescue are the most common blends in the north east. It seems some are better for certain conditions over others. For example: full sun, full shade, sun and shade, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the actual definition of a low maintenance lawn? Does that mean a lawn that you have to cut less? One that you have to water less? Or one you have to fertilize less? Or, all the the above?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on that definition, what is a blend of type of seed that falls into this definition of low maintenance for the northeast? Is it a specific type of seed or a combination blend of two? I am asking regardless of my conditions (sun, shade, or both), I just want to know what a low maintenance lawn means under the conditions that it can thrive correctly so I understand. I have neighbors near me that seem to rarely water and cut their lawns yet they are nice and green, well filled in, and not overgrown. Yet I seem to have lawn that grows fast and needs to be cut more frequently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16926" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T03:16:40.860" Title="What is considered a low maintenance lawn for the north east?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33003" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33180" CreationDate="2017-05-03T19:05:53.907" Score="4" ViewCount="2979" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently used my local extension service to do a soil test. I did this before I fertilized for the spring so I got a post-winter reading on the soil. They said my lawn was very low in Phosphorous, Potassium, Calcium, and Magnesium:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Phosphorous: 1.8ppm, optimum range is 4-14ppm&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Potassium: 25ppm, optimum range is 100-160ppm&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Calcium: 244ppm, optimum range is 1000-1500ppm&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Magnesium: 31ppm, optimum range is 50-120ppm&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In their recommendations they said to add dolomitic limestone due to low magnesium. They also said to apply varying amounts of N-P-K to amend the other nutrients that were low. They recommended 2-4lb N per 1000sqtft, 2lb P per 1000sqtft, and 4lb K per 1000sqtft. I'm struggling with finding a great fertilizer that can add all of those nutrients in the right ratios (other than N, that's an easy one). Are there other ways to get more Phosphorous, Potassium and Calcium in my soil? Would the dolomitic limestone help any of those in addition to helping the low magnesium?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Images of the test results are below:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/miUWw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/miUWw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;results&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mGal7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mGal7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;recos&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16926" LastEditorUserId="16926" LastEditDate="2017-05-11T23:34:37.280" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T09:11:26.257" Title="how to increase Phosphorous, Potassium and Calcium in lawn soil" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33003" CreationDate="2017-05-03T19:29:34.667" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Great job getting a soil test. What plants are you wanting to plant?  Did that soil test give you your pH?  Limestone will only raise the pH making other chemicals available to certain plants.  This is just showing that you need to add chemicals to your soil for MOST plants.  What you want to grow (blueberries? tomatoes? potatoes? need a more acid soil to be able to uptake the chemicals), and what the soil tilth is makes a huge difference in your choice of fertilizer.  If you want to grow acid loving plants, this lime is not recommended.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since this is for your lawn, you need to know the pH. Slightly alkaline (over 6.5) is necessary. Lime definitely is good for lawns IF your soil is below 7.  Aeration is critical.  I found that this ORGANIC lawn fertilizer (the one I used was Dr. Earth) was as different as night and day compared to fast release 'Scotts' or 'Ortho'.  Worth every penny and lasts far longer than the synthetic stuff. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is your lawn, go find those la la organic fertilizers like Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer.  Doesn't matter the brand but look at the chemistry.  I was blown away and I am a lawn 'expert' so to speak.  And I am not so swayed by la la organic anything.  Blown away!!  Keep your grass mowed on HIGH no shorter than 3&quot; if you have cool season grasses!  I am not kidding!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What was the pH?  They should have had that in the test.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T19:29:34.667" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33005" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33007" CreationDate="2017-05-03T21:37:22.543" Score="3" ViewCount="492" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought a nice Coral Bark Japanese Maple and I am trying to determine where to plant it in my backyard&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the layout of my backyard, just read below the picture the constrains that I have&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wld4s.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wld4s.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I would like the tree to be visible and be a focal point (position 1)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I would like to also used it to obtain privacy in the patio area (position 1) respectively to block kitchen to kitchen view ( position 4) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Position 1&lt;/strong&gt; seems to expose the tree to wind blowing from W or North (the most frequent . it will also mean full sun all the day long. The picture shows the shadows at noon in August&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Position 2&lt;/strong&gt; will offer shadow in the morning but full sun in the afternoon. The tree will compete for attention with the big magnolia tree that is just below that position in my neighbor's backyard&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Position 4 would be ideal if I would not have a smaller lilac tree just to the left of it. When the Japanese Maple will reach maturity it will dominate and hide that lilac tree completely&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Position 3&lt;/strong&gt; seems the only reasonable one BUT when the tree reaches maturity it will practically section the L shaped backyard in two blocking the view from from the access gate next to the garage toward point two which one way or the other must become a focal point for whoever enters that gate or sits at the table or on the deck&#xA;Besides that position 3 puts the tree behind some of the people sitting at the table&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;An alternate position&lt;/strong&gt; would be just to the right of that shed but then the tree will not be visible from the deck or patio It will be in the most remote corner of the property. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is the wind rose showing frequency and strenght for winds in winter in an area close to Toronto (the airport) . The winds might be less strong within the city&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RO8eW.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RO8eW.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Honestly if it would not be the summer sun I would opt for Position 2&#xA;How much sun can this tree really take ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of my tree &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qeDOm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qeDOm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For those of you who wonder what I am up to here is the design thread that preceded this one&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/28816/please-help-me-to-select-the-best-form-composition-for-this-backyard-design&quot;&gt;Please help me to select the best form composition for this backyard design&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is what the place looks like right now&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/svn0z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/svn0z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here is my rendering&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rd2dt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rd2dt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="3078" LastEditDate="2017-05-04T11:56:48.290" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T19:16:44.137" Title="Coral bark Japanese Maple -where to plant it to avoid cold winter wind and hot summer sun damage" Tags="&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33006" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33005" CreationDate="2017-05-03T22:39:47.703" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd choose position 2 - it just gets afternoon sun, so less risk of frazzling in hot sun, and wind in summer is more of an issue than sunlight. If it catches north winds in winter down that narrow part of the garden, where there's presumably a gate at the end, that's not an issue, it's repeated wind exposure when the leaves are present that causes leaf frazzling, though it doesn't kill the plant. By 'frazzling' I mean shrivelled, whitened, scrunched up, tatty, damaged leaves or areas of leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-03T22:39:47.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33007" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33005" CreationDate="2017-05-04T00:39:45.763" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0GIIp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0GIIp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;getting rid of the cat box landscape&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q2qdI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q2qdI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Gorgeous baby coral bark maple.  I abhor trees, shrubs planted right up against the fence or the foundation of your home.  In my opinion, I would plant this dude to the left of your patio...super small tree.  There it would be very appreciated for its beauty and a bit of shade.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would caution against thinking any ONE plant can be focal point, privacy and structural plant to solve all problems.  This guy is obviously a focal point and shade.  When he gets larger he will be able to form 'walls' and 'ceiling' for your patio.  I would purchase at least 2 or 3 more to make a bigger statement.  Stay with one species, to incorporate too many species makes a chaotic environment for humans.  Human brains can only handle 3 different things at a time and be comfortable.  Think of trees, lawn and patio.  3 things.  Keep the trees the same species, honest injun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant him just to the left of that patio.  About 3 or 4' from the edge.  I'd make a plant bed off that side to wrap partially around the lower edge.  Plenty of plants that could be planted alongside this guy for privacy.  The best privacy however are 'screens' made from dimensional lumber.  Take up far less room and are immediate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the picture with my screen (I love 90 degree angles and great workmanship), there are 2 story homes behind that fence blocking the view of Mt. Rainier.  Sad but worse was hot tubbing with an audience.  This is a very tiny back yard, that screen makes one wonder what is on the other side.  This yard is 25' deep and 60'wide.  There are 6 'rooms'.  Very private, very stimulating very much another world where the knowledge one lives in a 'development' with neighbors 5' away on either side just disappears.  See the fence's dove gray color and how it recedes into the background?  Paint it red or white &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4EmvE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4EmvE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;SMALL YARD with screens and 9 cedars[![][2][2]&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;and watch it come forward.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This gravel yard used to be a large lawn but elk were frequent visitors.  Just walking across the lawn and then stopping would cause the sod to bunch up like a loose rug.  In front of this view blocking half the expanse is a 'peninsula' that is purposely blocking being able to see the entire expanse of gravel.  Doesn't it make you want to go take a peek around the corner?  Gravel is a wonderful surface.  It is also loud so that when visitors even those who are walking bipedal can be heard.  Super security system.  At night the lighting is ambient lighting coming from the uplit trees, shrubs expanse of boulders.  Easy to see bad guys.  'Security' lighting that makes a cone of bright light makes it easy for bad guys to stand right outside that cone to see what is happening inside the home without you being able to see them.  Correct lighting at night makes and entirely different landscape, one that you can appreciate during the dark of night and the dark of winters.  Never want to see the fixtures, ever.  Just the part of the landscape being lit.  I use mostly up lights and back lighting...lighting the wall of your home with a tree in front of that light making the tree and its form a black sculpture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just some ideas.  Takes a lot of work to get people to relax their preconceived and personal ideas enough to try these techniques, but not a single soul ever ever was disappointed.  Got lots more clients this way.  And they all wanted MORE lights added to their yard and all their out door rooms to add personality and punch.  Did you notice that picture of the brick home and newly installed screens what was behind those screens?  Probably not.  Far better than solid fences that cause this cat box feeling/look. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See the screen I put up in the last picture?  That was meant to 'come forward' to distract the fence to break up the fence...to get rid of the cat box feeling.  Tied it all together with a white picket fence you can't see that is to the left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WM1nJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WM1nJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Privacy screen&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-04T19:16:44.137" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T19:16:44.137" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33008" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33003" CreationDate="2017-05-04T01:39:44.827" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The dolomitic limestone is &lt;strong&gt;lime&lt;/strong&gt;stone and thus has calcium. It's just that the &quot;dolomitic&quot; tag means it also has magnesium, so it should cover both of those needs, and that's likely factored into any suggested application rate they might have provided.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't stress too much about finding &lt;strong&gt;a&lt;/strong&gt; fertilizer with the precise (given you have ranges, not so precise) ratio - you can use more than one to get what you need. So some 1-1-1, 5-5-5 or 10-10-10 up to the level of phosphorus you need and then either use 0-0-x and x-0-0 (or y-0-y) to fill in the N&amp;amp;K, unless you happen upon some 2-1-2, 1-1-2, 4-4-8, or 10-5-10 in your hunting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How you get there is up to you - I'd reach for wood ash, granite dust or greensand for potassium (aka potash) and a little phosphorus. More phosphorous from steamed bonemeal, N, as you say, is easy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you'll be buying whatever, you might get Alfalfa Pellets (3-1-2) as less likely to interest dogs than bonemeal and not too far off the mark for what you need. Spread some greensand or granite dust to tweak it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, most recommendations are to spread the fertilizers at one point in time (such as spring) and the limestone at another (such as fall) rather than all at once.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T01:39:44.827" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33002" CreationDate="2017-05-04T01:56:19.030" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I'm concerned, a &lt;em&gt;low maintenance lawn&lt;/em&gt; is whatever green stuff puts up with being mown short enough to differentiate it from a hayfield. If I put seed into one, it's likely to be white clover. If it's &quot;weeds&quot; I'm not concerned unless they have thorns or poisons. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Deep roots, which come from not cutting it too short, will help with staying green while not watering. Not watering or fertilizing, especially Nitrogen, will help with not growing so fast. Natural selection will sort out what species are in various microclimates, and unnatural selection will sort out tolerance to being cut off 3-4 inches above the ground on a regular basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T01:56:19.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33010" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33017" CreationDate="2017-05-04T02:31:44.147" Score="6" ViewCount="339" Body="&lt;p&gt;Being a new (and slightly curious) gardener, I had a thought about possibly using dead tadpoles as fertiliser for my upcoming vegetable garden. I tried to do some online research and couldn't find anything. Is there any way I can use them to help fertilise the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks! - Nate&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17416" LastEditorUserId="17416" LastEditDate="2017-05-05T06:14:14.317" LastActivityDate="2017-05-05T06:14:14.317" Title="Dead tadpoles as potential fertilizer?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32993" CreationDate="2017-05-04T02:34:40.170" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;No more fertilizing. This looks just fine. The leaves with purple dots just nip them off at the main stem. The plant would do the same to itself only slower. Damaged or too old leaves are not going to be able to do enough photosynthesis to help the plant itself. The purple veins are NORMAL and healthy.  Have you grown tomatoes on this window sill and had any tomatoes to harvest?  I'd put these plants in 5 gal to 10 gallon pots to go outside.  10 minutes the first couple of days...20 the next couple of days...called acclimation.  Need to know where you live and your zone.  If you've got iffy nights just keep plants out doors during the day and bring them in at night.  To make tomatoes you've got to have lots of light. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Careful with fertilization...use only fertilizer where the nitrogen is the lowest number of the 3 biggies; N P K.  10 -12-12 for instance.  You shouldn't fertilize again until you've transplanted into larger containers with fresh potting soil and are taking them outside to acclimate to the out of doors.  When acclimated you should be able to plant them directly into the garden soil, don't worry about any additions to the soil...a little fertilizer after they acclimate to their new home.  If that is what you want to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much nitrogen, no tomatoes, just lots of healthy leaves.  Too much fertilizer will kill your plants.  They look great right now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T02:34:40.170" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33012" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33010" CreationDate="2017-05-04T02:54:45.427" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are taught to never use protein, meats, fats, poo poo in our composts.  Tad poles would fit in that category.  Not a big deal my opinion unless we are discussed 100's or even more.  They are NON decomposed organic matter for one thing. Non decomposed matter that used to be alive will be immediately into decomposition.  What killed these tadpoles?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They will offer zip for 'nutrients' or chemicals necessary for photosynthesis.  Decomposers will actually NEED nitrogen to fuel themselves to do the work of decomposing.  A few tadpoles no big deal.  100's I would put them in a little 'grave' somewhere.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T02:54:45.427" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33013" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33002" CreationDate="2017-05-04T03:16:40.860" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hopefully you mean cool season grasses.  Easy to make into a 'low maintenance' lawn.  Rules are: Cut HIGH (no shorter than 3&quot;) next, water deeply and allow to dry before watering again...this trains the roots to grow deep and become drought resistant.  Do not water unless you walk on the lawn and you can still see your footprints.  Shows the grass is dehydrated.  THEN water deeply, soaking the soil down at least 4&quot; and going to 6&quot; later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mow once per week OR MORE.  Sharp sharp blades.  Collect clippings to use thinly on the back of plant beds on top of weeds.  Aerate once per year, minimum.  Fertilize 4X per year with fast release Scotts or  Ortho.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More expensive full spectrum organic slow release stuff is remarkable.  Fertilizing is cut back to twice or three times per season.  Slower but amazing.  Also seeds your lawn with thatch eating bacteria and mycorrhizae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;THREE INCHES no shorter.  Not kidding.  Our cool season grasses have genetically large root systems unlike warm season grasses.  That means there has to be enough photosynthetic top growth to FEED those roots.  THREE INCHES.  Grins, not 2 1/2&quot;...the water per week will be 1&quot;.  Saves lots of money.  You'll have green grass when other's lawns go dormant (not healthy for lawns at all).  There is lots of lawn care info on our site you should check out.  This is the MINIMUM amount of work a lawn would take and still be vigorous and healthy and weed free lawn.  Are you watering everyday now?  Have you aerated?  A cool neighborhood get together project.  Aerating is quick and easy and when everyone chips in all the lawns will benefit...the cost will be minuscule even if you rented the core aerator for a few hours...(30, 40 bucks tops) just for yourself.  Leave cores where they land and allow to dry up and disappear by themselves.  So good for a lawn. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T03:16:40.860" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33014" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33010" CreationDate="2017-05-04T06:56:10.897" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What a funny question. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How many do you have? Do you realize that a single one will make a very small amount of fertilizer. Of course you can bury the one you have in your yard if it is of sufficient size. I would better put it in a large composting pile to allow quick decomposition, but you probably don't own one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Surely, I would avoid use them if you want to do this in a flower pot - it will take much more time to discompose and would stink a little - its dead meat after all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T06:56:10.897" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33015" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32995" CreationDate="2017-05-04T09:16:49.303" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;These turned out not to be seeds after all but part of the dead flower of a Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei). Windmill Palms produce panicles of flowers in the spring and if they are pollinated will produce berries around August (with the seeds inside).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17180" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T09:16:49.303" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33016" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33026" CreationDate="2017-05-04T11:27:37.937" Score="4" ViewCount="135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just came across this picture on Houzz:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OfSe3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OfSe3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it to straighten the tree ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-07T19:52:39.470" LastActivityDate="2018-01-07T19:52:39.470" Title="What is the purpose of supporting the tree this way?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;&lt;staking&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33017" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33010" CreationDate="2017-05-04T11:42:46.337" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, you could, when planting out, dig a deeper hole than you need, throw the tadpoles in, put a layer of soil on top and then plant whatever you want over that. A fish head or half a dead fish is sometimes used in the bottom of planting holes in this way as a form of direct composting, usually for food plants - as the fish remains break down, they fertilize the soil for the plant above, but I wouldn't have thought tadpoles would do the same job as effectively, although it is a way of disposing of dead tadpoles and 'recycling' them, and shouldn't do any harm. Info on this and direct composting here  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.veggiegardener.com/use-direct-composting-in-your-garden/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.veggiegardener.com/use-direct-composting-in-your-garden/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm more curious as to why you've got dead tadpoles at all...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-04T12:04:42.870" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T12:04:42.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33016" CreationDate="2017-05-04T12:34:19.087" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Three points of contact, each pulling with equal force, keeps the trunk exactly upright.  Overkill, but it works.  I have also seen this done with Birch trees, but with some slack in each line.  It kept the tree in the center of the triangle, but allowed for some movement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T12:34:19.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33019" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33016" CreationDate="2017-05-04T13:27:21.367" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It keeps the tree growing upright.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: the tree is very near the house and the roof, so wind, snow and shadows are much more directional than in conventional cases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it helps also to simulate much more the tree space (or now it will seem empty) and help cars not to crash on it. This last point is not really relevant in this case, but it is easier to to always the same structure. Installing one or three poles it take nearly the same time and costs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T13:27:21.367" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33020" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33022" CreationDate="2017-05-04T15:22:50.917" Score="4" ViewCount="202" Body="&lt;p&gt;I lust over one of these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hesnV.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hesnV.png&quot; alt=&quot;towed aerator&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the kind of aerator that is towed behind a lawn tractor, with some cinder blocks or other weights on the ledge to help the tines dig in.  So far, I have not been able to justify the expense for something that will spend 364.5 days per year stuffed in the back of the shed.  I rented one once, but the rental place near me no longer offers one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the mean time I have these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/enSqE.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/enSqE.png&quot; alt=&quot;aerator sandals&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are sandals with nail-like protrusions on the bottom that strap over your shoes.  I've used these each of the last couple years across my small suburban yard.  I am finding I have the following challenges with these sandals:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keeping them on.  Even when I bear down on the straps as hard as I can, they still seem to slip off every fourth step or so.  I can usually wiggle my&#xA;shoe back into place, but sometimes I have to sit down and re-strap them.  Walking duck-toed seems to reduce the problem, but see item #4.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keeping my balance.  The first time I tried these, I stumbled a few times.  I then added a hiking staff and it helped a lot.  Like with #1, walking duck-toed helps at the expense of #4.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ensuring good coverage.  I take short steps and follow a zig-zag path across the yard, using things like trees, fence posts, and the corners of structures&#xA;as landmarks to keep in line.  However, there is still a fair distance between steps, and probably between each zig and zag, that does not get covered.  I know I don't need to puncture every single inch, but I wonder if I am getting enough.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;After effects.  I am just old enough to have entered the wonderful world of arthritis.  For three or four days after my latest foray with these sandals- taking high steps and walking duck-toed the whole time- my poor hips and knees were screaming at me.  Even though I only needed about 90 minutes to criss-cross my quarter-acre, that was enough to keep the makers of Naproxen in business for a while longer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone else experienced similar issues?  How have you adapted and overcome?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13391" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T15:17:22.767" Title="Optimizing use of aerator sandals" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;aeration&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33021" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-04T15:56:14.753" Score="4" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for practical suggestions for an aggressive groundcover that will  discourage Manzanita and will not require more than one or two annual trimmings to keep less than 12 - 16 inches in height? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17419" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-05-04T16:30:08.173" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T17:19:20.240" Title="Groundcover that will thrive in (Zone 9A) in Sierra Pine forest environment?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33020" CreationDate="2017-05-04T16:17:48.973" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yep, been there, done that, never forgotten it - first I twisted my ankle, then I fell over two or three times, and once I'd got to grips with how to move with them on, calf and knee and hip pain for a week, not to mention causing great hilarity at the doctor's surgery when I went for more pain relief. The neighbours were vastly entertained too...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seriously, if you've got arthritis, donate these to anyone who's prepared to take them away, unless you plan on walking up a glacier any time soon, for which they'd likely be quite useful. Instead, get out your garden fork, insert the tines vertically into the lawn, pull it out again at the same angle, and repeat about nine inches apart over the area. If the arthritis has reached your shoulders and you've a large lawn, I recommend you pace yourself and do it in stages. The fork method isn't perfect, better with a hollow tine one, but its better than nothing. Either that or buy/hire a rolling lawn aerator, shown here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/topic/aeration-equipment/lawn-aerators-sandals-spikers&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(Lawn Aerators, Sandals &amp;amp; Spikers)&lt;/a&gt; though I'm not sure how easy to use and effective they are - I stick to the fork method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-05-12T15:17:22.767" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T15:17:22.767" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33023" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33020" CreationDate="2017-05-04T16:29:29.073" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, I kinda hate to ruin all your fun and lusting. Aerating with tines is actually not aerating.  When tines are pushed into the lawn they actually push the soil particles closer together, compacting the soil tighter than it was.  The only effective way to aerate sod is by pulling plugs, cores out of the bed with an aerator made specifically just for that.  The cores are left right where they fall onto the top of the grass to be allowed to disintegrate back into the lawn.  This also brings bacteria up from beneath to help decompose any thatch.  The soil then expands or relaxes filling the cored holes and the entire soil bed gets more air and the compaction is greatly lessened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Arthritis is a major bummer.  I got it pretty bad myself.  I take Extra Strength Curamin and it actually WORKS.  Keep on moving!!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T16:29:29.073" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33025" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22918" CreationDate="2017-05-04T17:28:28.650" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;What a great question. If you like the effect of blue grama in a yard setting, wheatgrass would indeed dilute from it.  I have a stand of blue grama, buffalograss and inland saltgrass and love it (pic), and keep wheatgrass and other things out of it. I see mixes around, and they give more of a wild, scruffy, highway roadside effect.  Diluted effect.  Wheatgrass CAN mix with Sideoats Grama in a compatible way, with similar size and texture.  A yard in my neighborhood has more of a mixed effect based on those two, with some shrubs, yucca, and other things thrown in as well. [Pic is mostly blue grama and buffalograss] [Tried to add another pic of Western Wheatgrass &amp;amp; Sideoats Grama]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17421" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T17:28:28.650" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33016" CreationDate="2017-05-04T17:59:36.260" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think that this is funny in a sad way.  That little tree with no leaves on it yet doesn't need any help growing straight.  It doesn't need any saving from a stiff wind. In fact it will be a few years before it gets enough leaves that a stiff wind would be able to catch to do any harm.  By staking so thoroughly when that 'straight' jacket is finally taken off, the tree will have leaves and a weak trunk and it will be vulnerable to wind damage or snow coming off the roof.  This is akin to a cast on your arm or leg.  Remember when the cast came off after wearing for a few months?  The atrophy of muscle and bone loss?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees are designed so that when they are small and forming the wind causes movement of that trunk which in turn causes the trunk to get thicker and the supporting roots larger/deeper.  Somewhere I've got a great picture of two different plant beds with the same trees side by side.  One owner used stakes the other, my client of course, had none.  The difference was phenomenal.  The unstaked trees looked 5 years older with 8&quot; diameter trunks versus 3&quot; diameter of the staked trees. Same trees, same nursery, same caliper when purchased. Seriously movement is important, no critical, for the health and strength of a tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At least these stakes won't get forgotten they are so ugly...so is that bark mulch but that is another story. I only stake trees if they are a mature tree that has fallen over or if they were a newly planted bare root tree.  Otherwise, I never stake trees.  I also go through parking lots with a blade and cut the ties off trees.  I know, I am bad but the trees I remove from stakes and girdling are always the biggest and healthiest.  City projects have specifications that always need updating.  Cut and paste specs that always include staking each and every tree or twig cause others to think this practice is somehow necessary.  Can you imagine this tree ever being blown over?  In a few years when those things are taken off when it has a decent canopy, you just might.  And then they'll stake it again leave the stakes and ties even longer 'just to make sure' and when taken off, even more liable to be blown over.  Plants grow to get the most light.  Actually bending to optimize exposure.  You've seen flowers do it in slow motion, well, young trees are doing the same only imperceptible to our eyes.  This helps to build stronger trunks and get energy allocated to building thicker trunks...and roots.  Without being able to move the energy goes into the canopy, lots more leaves, weak trunk, weak root system equals a good chance of being blown over.  Just like that atrophied arm when the cast comes off.  That arm is fragile and one has to be very careful so as not to break it again while it is trying to thicken the bone and strengthen the muscles.  If it ain't broke...don't 'fix' it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, and those trees in the nursery that are Balled and Burlapped and planted in sawdust?  No root growth, plenty of canopy, definitely a clay soil root ball, copper sulfate coating the burlap...the greenish color...to inhibit root growth into the sawdust.  And they endure entire seasons waiting to be purchased.  With few exceptions, these trees grow straight and aren't blown over.  The are never staked, either.  I've seen entire swaths of poplars blown over by major wind but their problem was being planted too close to one another, sharing resources, protected from light winds thus making them weak...then like dominoes they all fall down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T17:59:36.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33027" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-04T18:10:49.653" Score="3" ViewCount="3428" Body="&lt;p&gt;A section of my backyard (13.75 X 15.17) is paver stones that have sunk.  The pavers abut the house so when it rains, too much water is draining towards the house. I'd like to remove the pavers entirely and replace with grass.  I looked under one of the stones and all I see is dirt. My questions are:&#xA;1. Should I look to see if it's only dirt? (which would prob explain the sinking)&#xA;2. Once the pavers are removed, how do I figure out how much dirt I will need to replace the pavers (including how high I should lay the dirt)?&#xA;3. Will I need sand?&#xA;4. How do I lay the dirt to prevent draining towards the house?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you so much for your help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17458" OwnerDisplayName="Allison" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T20:18:20.437" Title="Removing sunken pavers and replacing with grass" Tags="&lt;pavers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33028" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33027" CreationDate="2017-05-04T20:18:20.437" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are probably right, the reason those pavers 'sunk' was because of a poorly made paver bed.  Just take those pavers up...store them, they are worth putting somewhere else or making paths out of them.  I would get rid of all growing stuff, regrade so that that entire area has at the very least 2% grade AWAY from your foundation.  How high is the back of your yard in relation to your foundation?  You might have to make a swale to capture excess water and allow to reenter the soil and water table.  Be careful where this swale directs excess water.  Anywhere off of your property could make lots of trouble.  There is also the solution of making 'dry wells' to collect excess water yet still allow lawn to grow above. NO sand at all is indicated!  Just slope that surface away from your foundation!  Good call btw.  Talk about reducing the value of your home!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would replace with sod.  Remove only soil to get water flowing away from your foundation.  That soil can easily be thrown on top of plant beds or used to beef up or make new plant beds.  No soil whatsoever should be brought in.  Cut equals fill...is a big time rule.  A swale is a gently sloping 'ditch'...if the property behind your home is higher than your foundation.  Provide more information, there are also solutions to include trench drains and the like but you have to remove those pavers and soil until every drop of water that lands near your foundation is directed away from your foundation.  Please send a picture because I am assuming an awful lot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T20:18:20.437" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33029" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-04T20:23:41.027" Score="6" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;So we moved to a new home last week. There are two different trees, one in the backyard, one in the front. However, both trees have some oil or sap like things on the leaves, and what's worse, wind spreads the oil all over my car or anything under the trees. See attached picture please. What is causing the oil? The trees themselves or bugs? Are the white dots on the leaves bug eggs? I do see many bugs on the trees. Thx&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ar9BP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ar9BP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17417" LastEditorUserId="16406" LastEditDate="2017-11-24T14:35:21.760" LastActivityDate="2017-11-24T14:35:21.760" Title="Oil/sap from the trees" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;sap&gt;&lt;honeydew&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33030" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33029" CreationDate="2017-05-04T20:34:18.970" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are correct!  You've got soft bodied insects that suck from the plants. Could be a number of types; aphids, white fly, etc. The sticky stuff is honeydew...the excrement from insects sucking on your plants.  The only solution is spraying NEEM, mixed correctly and only spraying at night.  Do not want to harm a single bee. Or hiring a company to annually spray your trees. Notice through the season how long this event takes place. And we need to know where it is you live on this planet.  These insects will not kill your plants but icky sticky.  Perhaps just a plastic cover overnight will solve your problems.  Less expensive anyhoo. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T20:34:18.970" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33031" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33032" CreationDate="2017-05-04T20:49:10.120" Score="3" ViewCount="281" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I first purchased my Bonsai, the tree was so beautifully green. I purchased it about a year ago. It has been this color for about three to four months now. I'm wondering if it has died or just waiting on the season to change to change back to its original color. Has it died on me? I still water it as I usually do.&#xA; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t1Q0Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t1Q0Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NXtT7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NXtT7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ylvbl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ylvbl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MEoH7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MEoH7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yg0pJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yg0pJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;5&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastEditorUserId="13114" LastEditDate="2017-05-04T21:11:08.257" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T22:10:26.453" Title="Has my Bonsai died?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33032" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33031" CreationDate="2017-05-04T21:03:07.260" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I imagine this was once a Juniper bonsai - I'm sorry to confirm its an ex-bonsai, and is dead. Juniper's not an easy bonsai to keep - if you're not sure its dead, cut one of stems and check inside - if its dead, it will be dry and brown inside, if not, it should look moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I'd say its dead, even looking at that cut stem. When conifers develop  dead, brown needles, those parts don't regrow - sometimes the tips are still green and they carry on growing, but the dead, brown parts don't ever regenerate. One for the compost heap I'm afraid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-04T22:10:26.453" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T22:10:26.453" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33033" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32965" CreationDate="2017-05-04T21:49:41.783" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pretty sure it's an American Vetch, &lt;em&gt;Vicia americana&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PokUI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PokUI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_viam.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The USDA says&lt;/a&gt; it grows on 10 inches of rain a year, which explains why in my climate it's growing near my concrete slabs: we only get an average of 7&quot; of rain a year, but the soil beneath the slabs stays moist for much longer than bare soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2017-05-04T21:49:41.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33034" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33043" CreationDate="2017-05-04T23:31:56.463" Score="8" ViewCount="650" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing some plants from seeds indoors and they're coming up well. They sway toward the brightest light source, sometimes swaying so far they almost tip over. Some species do this more than others - e.g. 2&quot; tall parsley is swaying much more than 2&quot; tall chives. The brightest light, which they sway towards, is the window they're nearby when it's bright and sunny. They all enjoy a grow lamp directly above them, but they still seem to prefer the light. It could also be due to water mist being applied to them predominantly from one direction but we try to be gentle with misting and do it mostly from directly above them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a habit of rotating their pot/planting trays so that they lean the other way. I see this as a kind of 'exercise' for them, and helping them form well-rounded growth. They do rotate and over the course of a few days will go back upright and then lean in the new direction of the window. Does anyone know, though, &lt;strong&gt;is it good to rotate young plants that are bending toward a light source?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastEditorUserId="13670" LastEditDate="2017-05-05T14:01:26.127" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T20:09:46.863" Title="Do young plants prefer their pots be rotated?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33035" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-04T23:40:11.133" Score="5" ViewCount="16634" Body="&lt;p&gt;From time to time I want to move trees anywhere from 5-500 miles to either a new nursery location or permanent planting location. Usually these trees are potted, sometimes they're bare root, rarely are they ball &amp;amp; burlap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should one move trees using a pickup truck? When possible, I just put potted trees in the cab. Trees larger than a few feet need to go in the bed however. With bushes I've transported them standing up but this seems very risky with wind damage. The best way I found so far was to actually lay the trees gently on their side, root-end against the cab and crown toward the tailgate (or even hanging over the tailgate with a ribbon tied to their top if they're longer than the bed). I then tied the root/pot against the cab/down against the bed to keep the tree from sliding away from the cab, potentially damaging its crown. Then I covered it using a tonneau cover (which only worked because I only had a couple of potted trees at that time - if I had to stack many pots of trees that way I'd probably need an agricultural fabric or a truck bed canopy).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do experts (e.g. nursery workers) move many/long trees in pickup trucks? If using a trailer, what kind and how?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T23:43:34.553" Title="How to move trees on a highway using a pickup truck?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;protection&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33037" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-05T13:17:18.240" Score="4" ViewCount="711" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to put flowers or plants in a flower pot in front of the house. I live in Holland and it is raining a lot there and there are not a lot of sunny days, and winters are not very cold (0 &amp;deg;C is minimal). I want some plant/flowers which can survive winter outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The place where I want to put flowers/plant has sun only in the morning.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions would be good. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17425" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:12:43.570" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T07:50:38.873" Title="What flowering plants could I keep outdoors in pots in winter in Holland?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33038" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33037" CreationDate="2017-05-05T13:53:27.860" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My suggestion is to go to your local garden center in the early winter and again in late winter and purchase plants that are blooming then.  Personally, I'd suggest a mixture of plants with attractive foliage, and plants that flower.  That way the plants with nice foliage can stay all year, and you can swap out other plants at different seasons.  Another way to do it would be to plant flowers that create a stunning display all winter, and replace them with spring flowers, then summer flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-05-05T13:53:27.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33040" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33041" CreationDate="2017-05-05T14:49:27.080" Score="4" ViewCount="1895" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've grown a tomatoes for over a month in pots. I used normal non-sterilized soil. A few days ago, I added fertilizer, and bam, some fungi or mold started to appear on top of soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this actually dangerous for the plant or humans? Should I just put some more soil on top of it or maybe dig it up? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Zoom in for detail:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yHJY9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yHJY9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kAqrw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kAqrw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ix9fX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ix9fX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dyA80.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dyA80.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bHmj7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bHmj7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="10840" LastEditDate="2017-05-05T16:51:57.020" LastActivityDate="2017-05-05T17:29:35.400" Title="Fungi or mold on top of soil in pots" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33040" CreationDate="2017-05-05T17:29:35.400" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sanjihan this is simply fungus, probably grey mould...garden soils are full of spores, hyphae, seeds, bacteria...in the larger garden it is a balanced soil system.  When you take out a little chunk to put in a pot you'll have no idea what you've got.  Some kind of life that has checks and balances in the larger body of the garden will probably be free to explode with no controls in a pot.  That kind of thing.  Glad you got the soil down from the rim.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This mould is not a problem, that heavy soil is, grins. Just rake it with your fingers from time to time.  Keep the lower leaves pruned up so no soil will splash up on the leaves.  You'll want to change out the soil later.  It would be a shame if there was ONE blight spore.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes are supposed to be perennials.  I have never grown tomatoes in the zones where that is possible.  All I know is that by the end of our season, those tomatoes are so full of powdery mildew, dead leaves...we harvest the tomatoes and throw the plant into the compost pile.  Are these determinate (bush) or indeterminate (vine)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-05T17:29:35.400" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33042" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33048" CreationDate="2017-05-05T18:39:33.807" Score="6" ViewCount="4761" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's been yellow like this since the winter and no amount of water can make it green. What's the problem here?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ktplN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ktplN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17400" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T16:42:53.167" Title="Why is my palm tree not coming back to life?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33043" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33034" CreationDate="2017-05-05T18:39:54.963" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do they &lt;em&gt;prefer&lt;/em&gt; it? No, not really. Plants have evolved to grow and orient themselves to get the &lt;em&gt;most&lt;/em&gt; light in any given conditions. It could even be argued that turning them away from this orientation &lt;em&gt;reduces&lt;/em&gt; their overall light exposure to some degree (while they re-orient again), but the overall effect is likely negligible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But there is another reason to rotate your houseplants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;Rotating Houseplants For Aesthetic Appeal&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Folks typically rotate their houseplants and indoor vegetables to keep them growing somewhat symmetrically. Failing to turn your plants receiving natural light from an adjacent window can cause them to grow lopsided, and could even create thin or dead spots on the side &lt;em&gt;opposite&lt;/em&gt; the window. Unfortunately, that's the side you see the most.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you noted, a heavily lopsided plant can also fall over, making them difficult to care for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the outdoors, plants will naturally grow to one side and then the other as the sun passes overhead, so there is certainly no &lt;em&gt;harm&lt;/em&gt; to this change of direction in their growth habit. There's no &amp;quot;exercise&amp;quot; in it &lt;em&gt;per se,&lt;/em&gt; but rotating your plants regularly will help assure they grow at least somewhat upright and get enough sunlight to all parts of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T20:09:46.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33044" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-05T18:53:07.133" Score="2" ViewCount="284" Body="&lt;p&gt;So Iv got a nice variety of mandarin from the supermarket and am growing it from seed. Iv heard fruiting can take yeeeeears of grown this way. Iv seen a fruiting bitter orange for sale online for £25, if I buy this and graft on the mandarin once it's big enough to graft will this mean the mandarin should fruit within a couple of years once the graft is established ?.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17430" LastActivityDate="2019-11-03T03:02:20.453" Title="Will grafting seed grown citrus onto a rootstock bring fruiting forward" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33042" CreationDate="2017-05-05T18:55:53.397" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Has the frost killed it off? If the centre part was frozen, then it's probably dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have a look at this YouTube video:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/81fxNatT2lQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Freeze Damage Part 3-Palms (YouTube)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may possibly still be alive, but if after a few months you don't get any growth it'll be dead. I've got one and it grows so slowly that I thought it was dead before. By the photo it looks like yours is dead, but it depends if the middle part where the leaves come from is dead or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17430" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-05-07T16:21:14.983" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T16:21:14.983" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33046" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-05T19:28:57.910" Score="3" ViewCount="5431" Body="&lt;p&gt;Question for you all out there.  We have a grey and white house and chose to have dark chocolate brown mulch placed around it with our landscaping bushes and flowers as contrast against the house.  This spring when the snow melted it is no longer chocolate brown and is instead white, grey, and light brown.  We just had it placed June 2016.  The mulch itself is still in good shape, just not the color.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is how long is the colored mulch color supposed to last?  We were told 2 years when placed.  So I am considering alternatives such as stone so there isn't as much upkeep, or suggestions on mulch that maintains its color.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What stone is out there that will have the contrast against our house? Here is a picture of the colors of our house.  The mulch I have is similar or a little darker than our garage doors.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We live in Northern Wisconsin.  The mulch is discolored on all sides of the house. &#xA; North, South, East, and West.  The mulch in the picture with the blacked out kiddos was a month old.  Here in the next picture it is 9 months old.  And yes, it does look like ground up pallets. I am sorry I don't have a closer one of when the mulch was brand new.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am opposed to human poop mulch.  I am thinking about switching to stone.  I don't know...I guess I am open to options.  I want contrast with the house though.   &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1S4CD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1S4CD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FnxBe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FnxBe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FnxBe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;house contrast&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17431" LastEditorUserId="17431" LastEditDate="2017-05-07T00:34:10.753" LastActivityDate="2018-08-20T15:14:33.300" Title="How long should dyed brown landscape mulch keep its color?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33047" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33046" CreationDate="2017-05-05T20:22:47.877" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;To answer your first question, the rate a dyed natural mulch will fade depends heavily on how much rain, sun, and general weathering it receives throughout the year. One year is not unusual. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I typically recommend folks top off their natural mulch annually with a thin layer of new material to get back that fresh, clean look for the upcoming season. The mulch underneath is already breaking down which gives you the added benefit of infusing more organics and nutrients into the soil underneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're looking for a more permanent, fade-resistant option, you can consider rubberized much products that are made for landscaping (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=rubber+mulch#q=rubber+mulch&amp;amp;tbm=shop&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;product search&lt;/a&gt;). Rubberized mulch is said to last 10 years or more and provides the additional benefit of &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; attracting insects and &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; blowing or floating away when heavy wind and rain hits. I haven't yet tried this product myself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stone is an option, of course. The colors and variety are virtually endless, so I can't really suggest what you will find most appealing. But stone tends to be a much more permanent option (hard to remove), so if you go that route, consider putting down a thick weed barrier underneath. Unless you apply a substantially thick layer, stone's overall weed resistance is less than optimal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastActivityDate="2017-05-05T20:22:47.877" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33048" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33042" CreationDate="2017-05-05T20:40:58.687" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am sorry to say that your palm is 100% completely dead. Once that centermost frond turns completely brown, the growing potential is lost and there's no bringing it back. The entire plant will have to be removed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My guess is it simply did not survive the winter months. It is  difficult to tell from your photo, but it appears to be a Robellini or Pygmy Date Palm &amp;mdash; whose cold hardiness is rated down to USDA Zone 9a (20 °F, -6.6 °C).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2017-06-14T16:42:53.167" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T16:42:53.167" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33049" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-05T21:47:24.093" Score="4" ViewCount="318" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last winter as I was taking what I assume is a Euphorbia Tirucalli (unsure) inside, I noticed a large amount of flies clinging to many of the sticks. They were difficult to dislodge and I realized they were all dead. Have I incorrectly identified my plant? What's going on with the flies?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant minus the flies:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bBzrH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bBzrH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Minus the flies&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17331" LastEditorUserId="17331" LastEditDate="2017-05-07T23:45:20.643" LastActivityDate="2017-07-07T01:13:06.260" Title="Why do I have a lot of dead flies on my Euphorbia Tirucalli?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33046" CreationDate="2017-05-06T00:17:41.047" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your home is grey with a bit of dark brown.  Grey in the landscape is the best color for structural elements; concrete, patina of UV'ed wood.  To insist on dark brown mulch will drive you crazy.  Don't mess with dyed anything.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A good mulch will be decomposed...this will feed your soil organisms.  Dyed non decomposed mulch will cause the life in your soil to go dormant to allow the decomposers to decompose the organic matter.  Decomposed organic matter is all that the soil organisms are able to eat and use for energy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your mulch is decomposed  it will start to disappear because it is being eaten by soil organisms, taken backed down into the soil to be pooped out and mixed into your soil without any effort on your part.  Good  mulch will need replacing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My favorite and the only mulch I will use for ornamental plant beds is; are you ready for this?...human poop mixed with sawdust and completely decomposed.  Dark taupe, texture like coffee and let me tell  you your soil and plants will love this mulch.  Problem is, I have found this mulch is not that available.  I will not use bark or non decomposed mulch.  That is counter productive.  This stuff is Federally managed tested 5X, but it is the only mulch where you are able to get a printed copy of the chemistry!  Smells wonderful.  Texture to die for...no weed seeds...no pesticide residues, just a bit high in heavy metals so we don't use it for vegetable gardens.  Heck most tap water has higher heavy metals but still...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check with your city's sewer utility department whether they offer this product or  who they sell this stuff to so that it is available to the public.  Yes, you will have to replace yearly.  A couple of inches, no weeds, your plants will go nuts!  Your soil will be so vigorous and healthy you probably won't have to worry about much extra fertilization for your plants.  I never worry about weeds.  Where I live now I am quite unhappy that our sewer and water services do not make this mulch.  Other mulches that are commercially made are very suspect.  Made from homeowner's 'clean green' or grass clippings and other landscape debris, these mulches even after decomposed will be full of pesticide residue to the point you won't be able to grow a petunia.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep the colors of your structural/architectural elements light dove grey.  This is the advice of a seasoned landscape architect.  This provides a 'frame' for your plants.  Adding odd colors makes a landscape chaotic.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever you do, do not use plastic or 'weed fabric' ...please. Do not use. That is the worst practice that somehow got started.  Doesn't work, inhibits the soil organisms from getting fed, blocks water by ruining drainage, is loved by slugs, snails, pillbugs and earwigs.  I have ripped out so much of this stuff as the first thing I insist to do before any landscaping.  Seriously.  Stone or gravel does not 'feed' the soil.  Without a healthy soil with lots of fed and multiplying macro/micro soil organisms, forget about healthy vigorous plant material.  Weeds are the least of all problems in a garden.  2&quot; of mulch will stop weed seeds from germinating, kills established weeds.  Weeds are just not that big of a deal.  'Weed' fabric is not made for 'weeds'.  It was made to create a barrier between soil and installed gravel so that the gravel doesn't sink and the fines of the soil come up and the gravel gets lost and weed seeds that blow in or pooped out by birds have a super medium in which to grow.  Someone thought they could label this stuff 'weed fabric' but anyone who understands soils, plants, gardening knows that this weed fabric is a hoax.  2&quot; of mulch will smother established weeds and stop weed seeds from germinating.  Putting down a layer of plastic that stops water and organic matter from becoming a natural part of the soil is insane.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stay with grey...definitely goes with this beautiful home.  Check out your sewer and water facility to see if this mulch is available.  I am so serious.  Hate to say this stuff, but I designed, installed and managed 100K projects all of the time.  I would not use bark.  I had to rip up the plastic.  If they insisted on keeping that stuff I would simply tell them to find someone else.  I would never put my name or reputation on a landscape with plastic, bark mulch.  Hey, I spent some time educating my clients.  Happy clients.  Beautiful landscapes...healthy landscapes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh and the rubber mulch that Carlton is talking about is an incredible fire hazard.  Installing many many kid's play areas, I had to explain that one little ciggy butt would cause this stuff to go up in flames.  Would not use rubber mulch period.  Sorry Carlton!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-06T18:04:13.270" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T18:04:13.270" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33051" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33046" CreationDate="2017-05-06T02:03:38.153" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stormy has a lot of good points.  I'd also like to chime in.  First off, you need to realize that mulch is a natural material that will always fade with time.  It will dull in color and decompose.  Mulch must be a natural material.  Rubber mulch is not mulch anymore than a plastic tarp is.  It adds nothing good to the soil and leaches chemicals.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would highly recommend against using dyed mulches.  Usually dyed mulch is a lesser quality mulch that is dyed to make it look nicer.  Sometimes they are made of shredded pallet wood.  The dye leaches into the soil and can be strong enough to kill young or stressed plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you have probably about a .1% chance of getting this human compost that stormy is so fond of.  I'm sure it's great stuff, but only available in very specific places.  Since you seem to be kind of particular about your mulch, you probably wouldn't consider a free mulch choice such as leaves, pine needles, or wood chips.  They are still options though.  Mulch is not paint, there are only so many color options, and really the quality is the most important factor to consider.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were landscaping your house, I would put down a double ground oak or a pine hardwood mix.   I would apply the mulch once a year until you build up a good layer of organic material in your garden beds and you can apply less frequently.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T02:03:38.153" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33052" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-06T02:04:59.593" Score="5" ViewCount="394" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blueberry flowers are dropping off. I raise mason bees so, I know pollination is not the cause, and Lane County Oregon has had an over abundance of rain.&#xA;I am baffled. Last year I had a bumper crop. &lt;strong&gt;What gives?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17433" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-05-07T15:24:50.730" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T22:16:56.523" Title="Premature blueberries dropping buds" Tags="&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33053" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33044" CreationDate="2017-05-06T07:24:56.550" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Update: Taking a bud or a graft from the mandarin seedling will result in a clone of the motherplant, therefore it will have the same genetic maturity and won't fruit earlier. For having your own mandarin fruits as soon as possible, take a bud or a graft from an already fruiting mandarin tree, thus making a clone of it, and graft it on existing rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obsolete answer: Yes, the graft will produce fruit in a few years, but it will produce bitter orange, not mandarin fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-05-07T20:28:31.753" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T20:28:31.753" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33054" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-06T09:37:18.177" Score="3" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a male and female milo tree? Or are there cousins of the milo tree that look simalar?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17435" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-06T17:59:14.707" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T23:16:55.850" Title="How many types of milo tree are there?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33055" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33057" CreationDate="2017-05-06T09:59:29.913" Score="6" ViewCount="39665" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the first picture you can find my fingers, a ladybug and small yellow balls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found them in the soil, close to roots of a plant (Hardy Kiwi) that died last year, probably because of heat stress (I've described the problem &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/20317/yellow-leaves-in-hardy-kiwi&quot;&gt;also on StackExchange&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Eggs of a snail?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Balls with fertilizer?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got the plant at a local nursery. I have not been adding any fertilizer myself, when planting it, so it probably have been included in the plant original soil by the nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qQgxq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qQgxq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Normal scale&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wcapl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wcapl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Zoom in&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bRUqB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bRUqB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;After squeezing&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11231" LastEditorUserId="11231" LastEditDate="2017-05-06T10:34:13.607" LastActivityDate="2021-03-25T04:04:29.743" Title="What are yellow balls in the soil?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33056" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33052" CreationDate="2017-05-06T10:00:33.213" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you know if there were any freezes at night?  Doesn't take much dipping n the temperatures to cause plants to do wig out. My blueberries last year got a few sudden freezes, they were acclimated but all the buds fell off. Please send pictures and more information.  Lane county, huh!  I am in Deschutes county south of Bend.  I had bumper crops for the first 3 years and this last year zilch...all the flower buds dropped off.  The temperature change between day and night time is humongous.  Just one freeze at night that you might not even notice will kill the flower buds. Hopefully they'll recoup and get a second chance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T10:00:33.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33055" CreationDate="2017-05-06T10:06:23.177" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer beads, possibly good old OSMOCOTE.  Where did you get this plant? Did you plant this guy in this pot with potting soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nurseries use OSMOCOTE often...extended release basic fertilizer. What plant died?  Do you know why your plant died?  These beads mean that you should not be fertilizing for at least 2 months maybe more.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More pictures, please.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T10:06:23.177" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33058" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1790" CreationDate="2017-05-06T10:40:41.477" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have weird results germinating in soil/potting mix. Some weeks ago I planted Purple Jalapenos, they germinated without troubles in 2-3 weeks. Then the cats destroyed some plants and I re-germinated a new batch - these are now sitting there and simply won't germinate and it's already 5+ weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is in non-fertilized potting mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said, next time I will be going back to germinating in rock wool again. Rock wool also has the big advantage that you can MUCH easier re-plant them later into bigger pots since the rock wool cube holds the roots together. In my small soil pots, when I repot, it's a PITA. First, to get the seedling out...and then most of the soil crumbles from the roots...not ideal for repotting. I really think rock wool cubes are the best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17436" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T10:40:41.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33059" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33052" CreationDate="2017-05-06T13:37:13.350" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are you sure they are not too wet? I have some in a container and have poor drainage after lots of heavy rain which made them look sick, so I pulled all the compost out, put in fresh and drilled extra drainage holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17430" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-05-07T22:16:56.523" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T22:16:56.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33060" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33054" CreationDate="2017-05-06T13:46:28.000" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As far as I can ascertain, Thespesia populnea (milo tree) is not dioecious, meaning the trees are not divided between male and female. The Thespesia genus contains 18 species (T. cubensis, T lampas and so on) which would fit the description 'cousin'. Whether any of them look similar would require checking a complete list and looking for images - you presumably have a plant of a specific yet similar appearance in mind. Since you can see it and we can't, that's probably the only way for you to check. Alternatively, post images and see if anyone here recognises your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-06T13:59:44.947" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T13:59:44.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33061" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33062" CreationDate="2017-05-06T14:17:48.317" Score="3" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v9jb5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This seems like an easy answer to find on Google but I couldn't find it when I searched, so maybe somebody here knows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6856" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T16:31:44.973" Title="How many blueberries are produced per flower?" Tags="&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33062" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33061" CreationDate="2017-05-06T16:16:02.790" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;One per flower, once the flower is fertilised the white part falls off. The back of the flower, the green part, then starts to swell if fertilised and that turns into your blueberry. I hand pollinate mine with an electric toothbrush for extra crop. If they dry up and drop off once the flower has finished they aren't pollinated. This is my bush that I have pollinated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like mine are slightly ahead of yours, I'm in the uk in a part that is equal to the usa 6a / 6b plant region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rnw6a.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17430" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-06T16:31:44.973" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T16:31:44.973" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33063" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-06T16:43:50.103" Score="2" ViewCount="292" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been growing Cayenne pepper plants for a while now on my windowsill. They seem pretty healthy, tall, green and they're starting to flower! But some plants leaves are starting to spot. It's like light speckling, it's not bumpy or anything. And some of the leaves have shrivelled a bit at the tip.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use liquid plant food (like less than a teaspoon per 500 ml of water) on the plants. Is the spotting due to lack or over nutrients? overwatering?  underwatering? Sun bleaching? I don't think it's mites or bugs/ Please help! Thank you :) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wh6Mp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wh6Mp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17438" LastEditorUserId="17438" LastEditDate="2017-05-11T14:31:50.107" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T14:31:50.107" Title="Cayenne pepper plants has spotted leaves? What's the cause?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33064" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-06T16:47:35.380" Score="3" ViewCount="23023" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OLaN1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bqIlp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been watering it around twice a week, and it has been getting a good deal of sun, save for some recent rainy days. Yet the largest leaf seems to be flattening out and another feels kinda soft, whilst the others feel firm. It's facing SE, and is planted in succulent soil. I checked the roots and everything seemed alright, but the leaves show no sign of improvement. I was wondering what I'm doing wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17439" LastActivityDate="2019-08-09T22:30:53.420" Title="My Aloe Vera has one leaf that is flattening after I just repotted it, is it wilting?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33065" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33063" CreationDate="2017-05-06T17:23:26.783" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like bacteria or fungus to me, might be wrong but that's what it looks like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17430" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T17:23:26.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33066" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-06T17:47:04.003" Score="3" ViewCount="501" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am getting ready to sow some seeds in our brand new garden. We picked out some veggies for planting and on the back of some of them it reads like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In full sun, sow 4 to 5 seeds over a 12 inch tall and 2 feet across hill. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have zero idea what that means. Does it mean to create a raised row in the garden 12 inches high and 2 feet across? What about length? What if my row is 10 feet long? Do I only put 4-5 seeds still? My row isn't 10 feet long, I'm just giving a for instance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17440" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-06T17:57:56.070" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T03:13:06.560" Title="I am confused on sowing instructions" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;sowing&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33067" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33064" CreationDate="2017-05-06T18:34:38.913" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watering twice a week might be too much water.  Even once per week might be overdoing it.  These are succulent/cactus plants as you know, and they store their own water.  This article is pretty good but it says flattened leaves is a sign of too little light.  Has your plant been in this same spot? It should get enough light where you've got it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Succulents also have very shallow roots.  When you water, don't soak the soil.  Water shallowly.  Looks like the proper pot size.  If you get a chance, I would purchase a shallow clay pot the same diameter but only 3 or 4 inches high.  Succulents especially like the clay pots because clay sorta 'breathes', plastic well, is plastic.  I would also buy a bottle of distilled or 'spring' water instead of watering with tap water. Too many salts in tap water (chlorine and fluoride). Get a matching clay saucer and using tiles or flat rocks prop the pot up to get air beneath the drain hole. 1/4 inch is fine.  Never allow your pot to sit in a water filled saucer. No gravel or rocks below the soil and above the drain hole.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are you doing for fertilizer?  Fertilizer should be a simple, balanced fertilizer like OSMOCOTE 14-14-14 that you only give once per YEAR.  Seriously, your plant looks very healthy.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AwrTccwnDw5ZzSkAzbInnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByNWU4cGh1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?qid=20100516222155AA8HpX1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;aloe vera care&lt;/a&gt; Do you have a covered patio/porch?  Putting this guy outside during the summers or when there is no chance of frost or freezing temperatures would help him to grow larger, faster.  Even on a covered porch (NOT in direct sunlight) would give him more sunlight than your window.  This helps to make house plants make more food for themselves, gives them a 'boost' so that indoor plants live longer and look better. I used to always put my house plants on my north facing covered porch for the summer.  When I had a porch.  This place is too cold for them even inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T18:34:38.913" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33066" CreationDate="2017-05-06T19:27:28.860" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are these directions for squash or cucumbers?  What they are talking about are HILLS or mounds of soil.  Very much a 'raised bed'. Just rake up your soil to make a mound, like a 'boob'.  Make this 'boob' higher than a foot and at least 2' in diameter.  I normally make them 3 to 4 ' across and plant more seeds. Then, using a rock rake, not a soft leaf rake but one with heavier, pointy metal tines all in a row? tamp the soil down firmly.  Use the 'head' of this rake, not the tines.  Can't think of a better tool at the moment. When you are finished, your 'boob' bed is ready to plant your seeds and will be a foot high.  Lay the seeds out across the top.  Poke them down a depth of twice the largest part of the seed.  Space your seeds 6 to 8&quot;. Cover with soil and pat to firm.  I plant all my beds like this, never in straight rows.  I even plant on the sides/slopes of my beds.  Not seeds so much but starts with little rings of terraced or flatten soil and a damn of soil on the slope side.  Planting in rows to me anyway is a waste of precious space.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like these 'boobs' combined with my raised beds (3' wide minimum...sometimes 6' wide with walkways on either side one can easily reach the center at 3') that are mostly rows, an area of mounds looks cool. I even do square raised beds, especially for peas. I've used these boob type raised beds for squash, cucumbers, peas.  Easy to erect TEPEE type poles for each mound for these types of vegetables to climb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You most certainly can make a raised row bed, in fact I always make raised beds out of just soil but I also create a shallow trench at the bottom or foot of these beds to collect and direct extra water.  This keeps your walkways clean or clear so that when watering you don't get rivers across your designated walkways. The entire idea is about drainage.  Double dug soil is fluffy and more porous thus drains far better than planting in rows on the normal surface of your soil.  Walkways stay walkways forever, get compacted and even weeds don't want to grow in compacted soil.  They will of course but so easy to pluck them out when they are baby plants.  Weeding the raised beds is even easier as the soil is more porous.  Planting 'broadcast' style or using the entire surface of your bed also inhibits weeds.  The cash crop plants shade out any weed trying to grow.  I always have a good supply of DECOMPOSED organic matter that I put on the beds at least twice a season that take care of the weeds and feeds your soil or rather your soil organisms who come up out of the soil (nice fluffy soil with air) eat that decomposed organic matter, go back into the soil to poop it out.  This is the easiest and best way to mix decomposed organic matter into your soil.  Let those organisms do it for you.  The organisms flourish and multiply.  Add a little all purpose fertilizer...&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AOygT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AOygT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;raised beds for new greenhouse&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;keep the numbers even for NPK 10-10-10 or for vegetables and flowers make sure the N is lower than the P and K; 7-10-10.  Too much nitrogen will make very leafy plants but will inhibit flowers and fruit.  Fine for salad greens but bad for tomatoes for instance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T19:27:28.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33069" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33063" CreationDate="2017-05-06T19:44:48.630" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Look beneath the leaf.  This is usually caused by sucking insects such as white fly, spider mite.  Sometimes the insect will poke their proboscis into the top of the leaf to insert eggs into the leaf.  Please take a picture of the underside of the leaf.  I'd nip those leaves off at the stem if there are only a few of them.  Your plants are going to be producing peppers on a window sill? That is amazing. What is interesting is how insects got INTO your home to do this.  Have you seen any flies?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will also have to manually try to pollinate the flowers.  Give them a good shake now and then or using a tiny paint brush get some pollen on your brush and swish it around on your flower.  Have these plants been outside?  I'd take them out and acclimate them to the out of doors...starting with 10 minutes for a couple of days, then 20 minutes for a couple of days and so on...to get them used to the sun.  This thickens the epidermal cells so that they don't get sunburn.  Insects outside will pollinate for sure and the sun will help your plants make enough food for energy to make better and more fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They most certainly can stay in their pots.  By the way, is this soil from your garden?  If it isn't sterilized potting soil which I always use for any potted plant, that might be the reason for the insects.  There are other options if we find that this is insect damage so please send another picture or two with more information...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The shriveling at the tips and margins is indicative of tap water use or too much fertilizer.  Too high of salts. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T19:44:48.630" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33070" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-06T21:09:50.447" Score="5" ViewCount="6875" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is a plant, whether in the ground or in a pot outside, more resistant to frost damage when it's soil is drier or freshly watered? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;context: mid-Spring right as hardwood trees are budding. I'm mainly interested in potted young deciduous trees but would also appreciate learning what's best for other kinds of plants. It's raining a lot around this time so I figure the trees on the ground can handle a night of near freezing temps after being freshly watered. What's best for the potted trees though, to be watered or not to be watered (and dry from having minimal watering) right before a 0dC night?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T23:39:50.477" Title="To water or not to water a plant right before near frost temps in mid-Spring?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;frost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33071" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33054" CreationDate="2017-05-06T21:19:32.790" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As Bamboo told you, the Milo trees are not separated into male and female. According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pitchandikulam-herbarium.org/contents/reproduction.php?id=169&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Thespesia populnea is monoecious (each flower of each individual has both male and female structures).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have a look at &lt;a href=&quot;http://wildlifeofhawaii.com/flowers/1498/thespesia-populnea-milo/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wildlife of Hawaii&lt;/a&gt; for more information. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for a similar plant, the same site suggests &lt;a href=&quot;http://wldlifeofhawaii.com/flowers/1184/hibiscus-tiliaceus-hau/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hau (Hibiscus tiliaceus)&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The similar Hau (Hibiscus tiliaceus) also grows along the coast and has color-changing flowers and heart-shaped leaves, but it has more widely opened flowers with conspicuous lanceolate sepals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to that site, good information about the Hibiscus tiliaceus, along with pictures, can be found &lt;a href=&quot;http://landscapeplants.aub.edu.lb/Plants/GetPDF/9c62b654-aac8-454a-bd63-1860479e7950&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. It too is monoecious.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both of them belong to the much larger &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malvaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Malvaceae&lt;/a&gt; family but are different in genus, so I don't know if that means you can call them cousins, but they might look close enough for you to enjoy them both.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-06T23:16:55.850" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T23:16:55.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33072" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33097" CreationDate="2017-05-06T21:40:40.360" Score="6" ViewCount="1576" Body="&lt;p&gt;After watering a potted plant, the tray the pot is on sometimes has a significant amount of leftover water in it. It's usually got some soil in it and occasionally gets a light tea color to it. Can that leftover water in the tray be poured into another pot to water a different plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any exceptions/guidelines to this (e.g. not with allelopathic plants, or only for two pours/rounds before the leftover water should be poured onto the ground)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastEditorUserId="3325" LastEditDate="2017-05-07T16:20:53.327" LastActivityDate="2017-05-08T13:05:04.597" Title="Can you use the leftover water from watering one plant to water other plants?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33073" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33072" CreationDate="2017-05-06T22:42:37.143" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Technically yes, but it's a good way to spread pests and fungus etc from one plant to the other that are in the soil. The thing is what can happen if the soil gets dry is it runs straight down the sides and out the bottom, only later does the water wick its way back up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17430" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-07T01:33:26.237" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T01:33:26.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33074" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33072" CreationDate="2017-05-06T23:07:31.000" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you've used sterilized potting soil, which all plants in pots deserve my opinion of course, you bet you can.  If you are using garden soil in your pots it would be best to not reuse.  Never allow your plants and their pot to sit in the puddle of water in the saucer.  I've seen and understand nurseries that during incredibly hot weather sit their pots in water.  But that is the only instance.  In fact you should raise the bottom of the pot about a 1/4' from the surface of the saucer or any surface the pot drains upon.  Use tiles, flat rocks even specially made 'pot feet' some that are made to look like tiger paws, or frog feet.  That really improves drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil that comes out tells me you've newly transplanted your plants into new pots and hopefully sterilized potting soil.  That stops very soon.  I've told people to use old nylons or chunks of old nylons you know for women's legs? to cover the drainage hole.  That works well to keep soil in its place.  Don't use rocks or gravel or pieces of clay pots or packaging peanuts above the drainage hole as that creates a perched water table and causes very bad drainage.  Another discussion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are not using sterilized potting soil just dump that stuff in your sink or out of doors. Plants in pots are totally dependent on their human stewards.  Give them the best soils, as much light as possible (careful with this as plants used to low light have thin epidermis that won't protect them from sunburn), fertilizer in the correct amounts/formulations and drainage.  Plants are tough and sure they will live but they won't be healthy and vigorous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have water restrictions?  I also never use tap water for my indoor or  outdoor plants.  Of course I have well water.  But indoor plants should have distilled water you purchase.  Otherwise, the salts in the water will cause burned tips and margins.  Filtered tap water would be great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't bother saving the 'saucer' water to use for my other plants.  What are you doing for fertilizer?  If you use water from fertilized potted plants that water will have fertilizer chemicals and just a wee bit too much fertilizer will kill plants sure and certain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T23:07:31.000" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33075" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33070" CreationDate="2017-05-06T23:17:47.077" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watered believe it or not.  The best solution is to WATER with an oscillating sprinkler BEFORE morning.  Watering like this actually slows the already frozen cells in thawing.  Fast thaw is what kills most plants or plant material subjected to a freeze or frost.  Watering slows the thawing down.  Healthy plants will be able to recover.  So yes, water them.  Get up in the dark mornings to check your garden for freezing.  If there was a freeze and you've got frozen plant material start watering.  Seriously, this slows the thaw process down so that there are less plant cells bursting when those cells go from frozen to thawing.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TtrBW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TtrBW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;potato plants after a night of freezing&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.  I barely got out there to water but only the tops froze.  Plenty of foliage to continue to make potatoes.  I just lopped the ruined foliage off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;BUT WAIT!  You've got to get some 'row cloth' to wrap your babies in BEFORE night time and the chance of freezing.  This stuff, white, permeable to water and light...is a gardener's best friend.  Also stops insects during the time they want to lay eggs on or near your plants.  Just dump soil all around the edges so the flies or moths are unable to crawl beneath.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This row cloth is purported to maintain temps that are 10 to 20 degrees higher than the outside temperatures.  Plants in pots are very susceptible to cold and freezes...the weakest part of plants are first; the deciduous leaves which usually abscise to fall and depart the plant to protect the plant.  The next are the roots.  In a pot, plant roots are terribly unprotected from cold.  If the frost or freeze is no big deal plant roots should do fine.  For very sensitive plants or plants planted in pots left out side in an exotic zone (tropical plants trying to endure non tropical zones and temperatures) I have used heated wraps, Christmas lights and lots of burlap to allow those plants to survive a few too cold nights...wind.  Row cloth on the potatoes in my picture would have not allowed those leaves to freeze.  I forgot to deal with freezing that night.  Bummer but not a deal breaker.  ROW CLOTH.  Gotta have it to extend your seasons and protect from sporadic freezes!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T23:30:37.257" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33076" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33070" CreationDate="2017-05-06T23:34:34.843" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're asking whether the soil in your potted trees is better being damp when you know cold weather is coming, yes, it is, so watering if necessary, preferably in the morning to give the plants time to take up the water, is a good idea. Frost damage can still occur on newly opened, young leaves, but frost and freezing are not always the same thing - there are 3 or 4 different types of frost, notably air frost, ground frost, grass frost, hoar frost, all with varying degrees of freeze. Grass frost is the type where man made surfaces show no sign of frost, but the grass and plants do. As your plants are in pots, make sure you don't leave them in a place that gets early morning sun, to give the frost time to dissipate before the sun hits the leaves, and that will spare them from some damage too. More guidance on watering here, though it's primarily more about possible freezing than frost, but may still be of interest &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.todayshomeowner.com/when-to-water-plants-before-a-freeze/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.todayshomeowner.com/when-to-water-plants-before-a-freeze/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-06T23:39:50.477" LastActivityDate="2017-05-06T23:39:50.477" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33077" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="41969" CreationDate="2017-05-07T02:29:35.667" Score="7" ViewCount="42136" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was transplanting seedlings of chives and parsley and noticed white fuzzy specks clustered in the soil. Because it exists in both sets of seedlings - neither of which started with this fuzzy stuff - I imagine it is something in the soil or it is a mold they both got.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ic1tp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ic1tp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;White fuzzy specks in potted seedlings&amp;#39; soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3MHD7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3MHD7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;White fuzzy specks in potted seedlings&amp;#39; soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vRKS9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vRKS9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;White fuzzy specks in potted seedlings&amp;#39; soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CbhLt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CbhLt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;White fuzzy specks in potted seedlings&amp;#39; soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These seedlings grew indoors under a grow light by a window, occasionally with a heating mat on beneath them. The soil was kept pretty moist - rarely fully wet or dry - and to keep it that way took frequent watering since the grow light would dry the soil of these small seedlings daily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are these white fuzzy specks? My guess is some kind of fungal activity, but I'm not sure if it's bad. These seedlings have been growing well. I plan to transplant some of these to the garden soon, or bigger pots, or keep in their pots - any precautions or steps I should take in light of this fuzz's appearance?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastActivityDate="2020-12-10T11:35:46.580" Title="What are these specks of white fuzz in some of my potting soil?" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33066" CreationDate="2017-05-07T03:13:06.560" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Forming hills for squash, melons or cucumbers is only a recommendation, it is definitely not a necessity.  Don't feel the need to redo your garden just because the seed packet said hills.  If you have decent drainage in your garden your plants will be just fine.  For cucumbers, I usually aim to have around 6 inches mature spacing&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T03:13:06.560" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33079" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="928" CreationDate="2017-05-07T03:22:35.480" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a very sluggy area.  I've used beer traps, egg shells, diatomaceous earth etc.  But nothing has ever even come close to the success that I've had with iron phosphate aka sluggo.  It is OMRI listed meaning it is approved for organic gardening.  It's just so much more convenient than using traps and seems to work way better for me.  Plus, beer traps actually get very expensive!  I drink most of my beer!!  Though I must say I am enticed by the recipe provided by Travis above.  I am a pretty strict organic grower and I never like to use products that kill anything, but slugs have been such a persistent and devastating problem here that I feel 100% ok using iron phosphate.  Sometimes purism costs way more than it returns...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T03:22:35.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33080" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33081" CreationDate="2017-05-07T12:06:26.457" Score="5" ViewCount="399" Body="&lt;p&gt;This little guy started growing at multiple places on my balcony.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ChoJ8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ChoJ8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0nRwF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0nRwF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see, the stem is more woody than green so it seems to be a tree or bush. I live in northern Germany. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking hornbeam or maybe hazelnut. Can anyone say for sure? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15272" LastEditorUserId="15272" LastEditDate="2017-05-07T13:25:37.420" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T13:25:37.420" Title="Identification of a little rogue tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33081" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33080" CreationDate="2017-05-07T13:15:02.887" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Certainly not hazelnut and going by leaf shape, probably not hornbeam, but birch: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hornbeam has edges that seem a bit more &quot;jagged&quot; or &quot;ripped&quot; with narrow, almost &quot;fibrous&quot; tips, birch is more regular.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;your leaves are a bit more heart-shaped: indicating birch over hornbeam&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;and finally the slight fuzz suggests moor birch &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betula_pubescens&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Betula pubescens&lt;/a&gt; (German: Moor-Birke) rather than &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betula_pendula&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;silver birch&lt;/a&gt; (B. Pendula)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that birch seeds are very light and easily blown around, a lot lighter than hornbeam. As a pioneer plant, birch is happy to germinate in the most unlikely places... If the stem (we'd like to see pictures, please, btw.) isn't white, that does not exclude birch, the bark turns white or silver in slightly older and larger specimens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T13:15:02.887" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33083" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33077" CreationDate="2017-05-07T19:39:37.803" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think these are mealy bug eggs or aphid eggs or spider mite eggs.  Is there a gelatinous thingy holding these tiny eggs together?  I am unable to tell. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.420magazine.com/forums/problems-pests-and-disease-control/156568-guide-identifying-your-pests.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;great article on pest suppression&lt;/a&gt;  My guess is mealy bug. This soil must be non-sterilized garden soil which would have no beneficial insects or controls once separated from the larger body of garden soil?  Sure an awful lot of them!  Where did you get this soil?  &lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrTcc9zcQ9Zgw8AIGonnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByNWU4cGh1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=Eggs%20of%20Insects%20Soili&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;insect eggs in soil&lt;/a&gt; Look through this site of pictures to see what you think.  I don't think this is fungus at all.  Please don't reuse this soil whatever you do.  Putting this soil in your compost is perfectly fine.  Make sure you add some nitrogen to your compost and keep this towards the center where the heat will kill and disable the eggs.  Bagging to send to your land fill or landscape debris collection would be not so nice? Wash those buckets/pots with bleach.  Amazingly prolific dudes, huh! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T19:39:37.803" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33084" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-07T20:15:01.207" Score="4" ViewCount="2288" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to grow some shade grass, but heavy rains washed my first attempt partially away. I've read that using straw is not the best idea because the straw had weed seeds nad needs to be racked afterward. I've also read about something called green mulch, that is a combination of newspaper and other stuff that you can just add and forget. I can't seem to find it at anyplace locally, was thinking maybe its possible to make it myself by shredding newspaper and maybe adding food coloring or something? Has anyone used something similar to start grass? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11239" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T20:48:13.217" Title="How do I make seed starting green mulch form newspaper?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33085" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33049" CreationDate="2017-05-07T20:20:32.557" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tropicallab.ugent.be/thesisjulius.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;E. tirucalli as pesticide/medicinal&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did not know about this stuff, I just assumed based on what I know of Euphorbia.  This article gets into this pesticide characteristic in more detail.  Were you able to to talk to the shop?  Very interesting subject, Alex!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T20:20:32.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33086" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33084" CreationDate="2017-05-07T20:39:27.477" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you are probably thinking about it called hydroseeding.  It's typically a blend of grass seed, some kind of wood fiber/cellulose and fertilizer.  It is typically used in large scale seeding jobs because of the ease of application and the moisture retention of the media.  You can buy spray bottles of it at many hardware stores.  It will be liquid and will probably be called a hyrdroseed solution or something like that.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think that is necessary though.  Most straw shouldn't have seeds in it.  Don't worry too much about that.  Even if there were some wheat seeds, they will look a lot like your grass, and will die out after being repeatedly mowed.  Straw does not need to be raked out after, it will just decompose.  I'm not a huge fan of using straw though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I like to do is the spread the seed on well raked/scratched up soil.  Then I lightly rake the seed into the soil.  Ideally, if you have a roller this would be when you use it to establish good soil to seed contact.  I never use a roller though.  =]  Then after that I apply a very light, about a quarter inch layer of compost, which essentially functions as the straw would, but has the added benefit of organic material, microbes, better moisture retention, and nutrients for your grass.  As an added benefit, you don't have to look at straw which I find ugly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T20:39:27.477" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33084" CreationDate="2017-05-07T20:48:13.217" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Green mulch in MY experience means an annual cover crop to be dug in when spring comes around.  Newspaper decomposes after a year or two.  I've tried using this for experiments on weed suppression.  Not impressed.  As a mulch for grass seed, I am unable to see any benefit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You said SHADE grass.  The two words are an oxymoron?  Grass should never be planted in shade...when it says 'for shade' it means that particular mix of lawn grasses are more &lt;em&gt;able&lt;/em&gt; to survive in shade than other grass mixes.  It does not mean these grasses will thrive.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The worst thing people try to do is fertilize their shaded lawns.  That just makes the photosynthetic growth larger when there is little sunlight with which to use to make food for the plant/grass.  More stress, too much nitrogen promotes more vegetative growth but without enough light that growth is pure stress on the plant to support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were you I would NOT try to grow lawn in shade.  It will always be wimpy and discouraging. I would use gravel over landscape fabric or a true shade ground cover such as MONDO GRASS, Pachysandra terminalis, or Candy Tuff (Iberis).  Delineate the margins with 2X4 edging or 6&quot;X6&quot; trenches.  There are lots of beautiful ground covers that THRIVE in shade.  Grass is just never going to work.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without full sun, I would never try to grow a lawn 'crop'.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T20:48:13.217" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33088" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1555" CreationDate="2017-05-07T20:55:22.690" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a raised bed 3' tall.  The fig tree 20 feet away grows roots into it and completely takes over the entire bed - and so YES roots grow UP into raised beds in contrast to the assertion made by another post here.  I dug 12&quot; trench around it last year and found a 2.5&quot; diameter root.  I chopped it off.  This spring I find that the whole bed is filled with roots all over again.  I dig 12&quot; around and find no roots - so I guess now I have to dig deeper.  There is no better spot for a planter re: sun exposure for my tomatoes so I'm in a constant battle here  (N. CA)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17446" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T20:55:22.690" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33089" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-07T21:07:49.027" Score="3" ViewCount="1198" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing some tomatoes in pots in a toy greenhouse. I've put a thermometer/ humidity meter inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The relative humidity changes from around 55% to 75%, and correspond to highest temperature of 26 Celsius (79 &amp;deg;F) and lowest around 17 &amp;deg;C (63 &amp;deg;F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both temperature and relative humidity are completely normal, but do plants prefer these changes? By which I mean, do the tomato greenhouse pros try to maintain a constant temperature and relative humidity, in order to maximize crop?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-05-07T21:27:46.737" LastActivityDate="2017-05-07T21:27:46.737" Title="Do tomato plants like temperature and humidity changes?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;&lt;humidity&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33090" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-07T22:00:49.700" Score="4" ViewCount="1751" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a house and put some raised beds in the yard, on top of what we thought (in very early spring) was just lawn. It turns out there were irises (small purple ones, I don't know the variety) there. They now grow up through the raised bed, and are crowding out the plants I put the bed in for. I love irises, and would love to move them someplace else, but the rhizomes are down through 8&quot; of soil in the bed, plus however far below the surface they were to start with. I've tried to dig them up, and get lots and lots of root, but the rhizomes are almost all breaking off and coming up separately in a second dig. Any chance these rooty but rhizome free irises are going to survive? Should I just give up on this project and try to kill them off completely?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/znFRg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/znFRg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Different patch of the same kind&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dbzB9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dbzB9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&amp;quot;Rhizome&amp;quot; intact&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What they mostly look like:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yFvNS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yFvNS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;What they mostly look like&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Other side:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fmiEt.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fmiEt.png&quot; alt=&quot;Other side of the same clump&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14288" LastEditorUserId="14288" LastEditDate="2017-05-19T16:46:32.897" LastActivityDate="2017-05-19T16:46:32.897" Title="Is it possible to transplant irises without the rhizome?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;irises&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33091" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-08T03:06:15.070" Score="3" ViewCount="174" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a weed growing in my yard that is distinguished by its spindly seed stalks with individual seeds at the ends of branching fingerlets. It grows in distinct clumps. In the picture below, note the seed stalk to the lower left. Does anyone know what this is? Looking at other similar questions, this does not look to me like dallisgrass or annual bluegrass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XL4dY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XL4dY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of grass with seed stalk in lower left.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16392" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T16:54:29.493" Title="Grassy weed with seeds on spidery stalks" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33092" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33091" CreationDate="2017-05-08T04:44:00.857" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is Poa annua, annual bluegrass. Why do you think this is not a viable ID? Usually spread by birds.  A favorite grass for golf courses.  Shallow rooted, light green color, the seeds lighten this plant even more causing a larger contrast to the grasses in a lawn.  Easiest way to deal with annual bluegrass is to water your garden and lawns deeply and make sure you allow the soil to dry out in between watering. The grasses with deeper roots by being forced to grow deeper to reach the moisture will be able to out compete the shallow rooted grasses as they are not able to find moisture.  Allowing your grasses to never get shorter than 3&quot; will curb any germination of Poa annua by shading the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-08T04:44:00.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33093" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-08T06:22:56.600" Score="6" ViewCount="717" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you please help me identify this plant?&#xA; It looks like a wild tree on some vacant land I visited.&#xA;This tree has lanceolate leaves, and is about 6-8 meters tall.&#xA;I did not see any flowers at that time, and it's odorless. It has a lush canopy and a hard leaf texture.&#xA;I live in Indonesia and I found this tree on Java Island.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lUguQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lUguQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;it has a lush canopy&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kl8aD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kl8aD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hard leaf texture&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you so much for your attention&#xA;Firgita&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17449" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2017-05-18T19:10:51.917" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T21:54:16.803" Title="What is this large tree with long leaves and no smell?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33094" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33103" CreationDate="2017-05-08T06:59:54.313" Score="6" ViewCount="1315" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm planning to give succulents as wedding gift. I need more than 300 succulents in small size (5.5 cm pot) I want to propagate them myself, I believe it will be more precious than just buying from a garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So is it possible to propagate succulents from leaves in 3 months in 2-3 cm height? I've started to propagate, but the process seems slow. Is it possible to make it fast? For example using rooting hormone, some fertilizer vs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know the exact names of my plants but I've started a month ago now they are very little: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a3PQm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a3PQm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've just made them for test. Now I will mass produce with lots of leaves. The progress seemed too slow, so I thought that do I need some fertilizer, hormones vs&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17451" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-05-08T10:47:19.257" LastActivityDate="2017-05-08T19:33:46.483" Title="Propagating succulents in 3 months, is it possible?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33096" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-08T12:15:16.243" Score="5" ViewCount="1138" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help me identify this rose, it was a gift from my mum, but unfortunately it died during a move. I live in London Ontario. The rose was a bush and had glossy leaves. Zone 5 Hardy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yyjT1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3NwhG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WPb0l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17454" LastActivityDate="2017-05-08T18:47:58.637" Title="Can you identify a rose for me?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33072" CreationDate="2017-05-08T13:05:04.597" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agreed that it can spread disease among your indoor potted plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should do like me and have a set of water buckets somewhere in order to collect this with green water. Use this extra left-over water to pour on outdoor plants -- if you have any -- and rather when they need it. I prefer to use limited size water buckets to avoid water to stay too long and to easily clean the thing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I'm not afraid to have this kind of &quot;microbes and fungus&quot; culture poured on outdoor plants: for me, soil is a place for life, and adding mixture on top of it add more life to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-05-08T13:05:04.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33098" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-08T13:42:43.960" Score="7" ViewCount="7532" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some trees and walls which have decades' worth of ivy growth. Some trees in particular have ivy stems as thick as my forearm, and the tree is almost invisible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plan to start by chopping the stems so the ivy will die back. But I'm not sure what tools are best. I tried with loppers but they can't get round the whole stem as it is tightly stuck on. I used a pruning saw on the thick ones on a tree trunk but for thinner stems, or those on a flat wall, it doesn't work so well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was wondering about a power strimmer or a hand-axe... but I don't want to damage my tools or my walls. However there are so many stalks that I want an efficient approach, not having to delicately attend to each stem. The idea of a single chop from a hand-axe to each stem seems attractive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastActivityDate="2017-07-08T22:59:13.573" Title="What tool(s) for cutting ivy stems on trees and walls?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;english-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33100" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33098" CreationDate="2017-05-08T18:13:44.770" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Forget about a line trimmer. The rotating plastic string thing?  There are brush cutters with rotating metal disc cutters but I've only used those like one would use a scythe; a fast swinging hack.  Doesn't sound applicable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are 'baby chainsaws' used to prune trees way up high.  The ones I've used are on long poles that would make what you want to do unwieldly and tiring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My first thought was using a hedge trimmer; 2 reciprocating long thin blades.  Easier to put between the ivy and the fence or tree and pull away from the fence or tree.  Then you said there were branches the size of your forearm. You the hedge trimmer works fine for up to 1/2 inch diameter material but not the size of your forearm. Depending on how many of these thick mature vine stems you have to cut (a pruning saw will give you a workout) possibly the use of a small chainsaw (the 'baby' size) combined with a hedge trimmer.  Both of these can be found at a good rental company.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd use the chain saw to cut the ivy vines as near to the ground as possible.  If you allow the separated vine material to die, it will be far easier to pull off the tree and fence later. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.target.com/p/black-decker-153-4-5a-alligator-174-lopper-with-6-bar-and-chain/-/A-17254871?lnk=rec%7Cadaptpdpexsrch%7Crelated_prods_vv%7Cadaptpdpexsrch%7C17254871%7C0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;B&amp;amp;D Alligator&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had to go peek at what is newly available these days.  This caught my attention and it is only $80 bucks!  And although gas equipment is my go to choice, you pay the price for better power in weight.  For what you are doing this looks like...the 'bees knees'?  The right tool for the job?  You want one tool that you can control easily.  Take a look and let us know what you think.  Do you want to kill all of it?  Leave a bit on your fence?  Killing the roots is another part of your problem but we need to know more details such as how close other plants to your ivy and roots?  Please send a picture or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-09T22:02:12.990" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T22:02:12.990" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33101" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33096" CreationDate="2017-05-08T18:41:43.300" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is one ID.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rose-gardening-made-easy.com/images/xcarefreedelight.jpg.pagespeed.ic.cHjxd29akt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Carefree Delight Shrub Rose&lt;/a&gt;  How long ago did your mum give this rose to you?  Was it a new rose or from her garden?  These make spectacular informal hedges when planted en mass.  Roses are extremely tough to ID as there are so many of them!  Bamboo knows her way around Rose ID! She'll be by shortly...I noticed that your shrub pink color is not uniform; some darker pink/salmon some very light.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://images.mooseyscountrygarden.com/roses/redcoat-shrub-rose.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Redcoat shrub rose&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-08T18:47:58.637" LastActivityDate="2017-05-08T18:47:58.637" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33094" CreationDate="2017-05-08T19:15:27.913" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.etsy.com/listing/230300335/set-of-50-succulent-cuttings-succulent?utm_campaign=shopping_us_CoronaSucculents_sfc_osa&amp;amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;amp;utm_source=google&amp;amp;utm_custom1=0&amp;amp;utm_content=7494383&amp;amp;gclid=CJfc07aC4dMCFdKFfgod97MMOw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;50 succulents for 35 bucks&lt;/a&gt;Where are you starting these succulents? Greenhouse, out of doors? What a perfectly wonderful idea! Even the little starts you have NOW are good enough for little gifts but in 3 months, they will be better rooted, established. Do NOT try to fertilizer or add anything you thing will hurry them along. A LITTLE fertilizer is fine but VERY LITTLE. Use a NPK formulation with extended release...4- 5- 6. Or close % #'s Just a tiny bit to help the roots grow before the top growth. TINY. Make a little card to explain the proper care to go with. Sweet! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your expectations are another thing.  This will be a bit of work but 'lots of leaves' might not be what you imagine and I imagine.  One thing you should check into would be purchasing already made baby plants from a wholesale nursery.  Do you have any contractor friends with resale cards?  That would save lots of money.  Your contractor friend might know the wholesale nurseries.  I'd expect around $1.00 per plant this size already cute.  These succulents are slow growing.  I've seen 'Hens and Chicks' look great in 3 months but there are extenuating circumstances that could ruin your expectations.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check out Park Seeds, Territorial Seeds, Wholesale plants on the internet.  This would be far easier and surer than doing this yourself.  Otherwise look forward to 3 months of worry.  If this is one month's growth which looks very healthy and normal, then 3 more months...???  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would try to see what you could find on line for sure. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&amp;amp;ai=DChcSEwjo9cPMgOHTAhWGYH4KHX8GAdgYABANGgJwYw&amp;amp;sig=AOD64_27GwguBxQvpfS5MGHfirr4nWqW9g&amp;amp;adurl=&amp;amp;ctype=5&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;nb=9&amp;amp;res_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2F&amp;amp;rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2F&amp;amp;nm=12&amp;amp;is=428x408&amp;amp;nx=41&amp;amp;ny=20&amp;amp;clkt=192&amp;amp;bg=!Dg2lDRVE4T69cbSLSmQCAAAAeFIAAAAZCgA5ofJiyFgdPIZ_eLulYhYUDlt8b7lOnp4GR86XLUZ_onm-8Ls77IHnEy0z-eBUxblCW42jch6t12LbmQDwONOhad2YmyCqG-G6miEkmSDJLJ8r1lPlhsl9aFh-K7W3WptgEsJaKTGP3HmjBN3LYDaUck9Ew_YEz5sOVmw56KyFbXmFQBWAl11gxm14y8QmiN_hTsvMc6x_bBNkOFWqu4bmyVOEMJsUkw7r4qWDQ77A6irxoyLfMBM7nWQseKnaihcojcqDXKJlK5-fY9yUhkee4cRd9acko4I3hw_2QAXJO1d2lSrA6r7xI9QM0Gs1YNGU73MKYBTBZsD0NWhbZ5VWEJZWNqQBOtN1peKnYIGEeCS2VUfEXwalmEv3wNSeIFH2pE8GXr6YoZjXz6VQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wedding succulent gifts&lt;/a&gt;  Not as inexpensive as I thought.  But still affordable considering this includes perfect little specimens, pots and soil.  Hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is another idea where you have to pot them up but they come fully cute.&lt;a href=&quot;https://img0.etsystatic.com/055/0/7494383/il_570xN.759512516_8mqk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Succulent starts&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.etsy.com/listing/230300335/set-of-50-succulent-cuttings-succulent?utm_campaign=shopping_us_CoronaSucculents_sfc_osa&amp;amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;amp;utm_source=google&amp;amp;utm_custom1=0&amp;amp;utm_content=7494383&amp;amp;gclid=CJfc07aC4dMCFdKFfgod97MMOw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;50 starts for 35 bucks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-08T19:33:46.483" LastActivityDate="2017-05-08T19:33:46.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33103" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33094" CreationDate="2017-05-08T19:15:39.953" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From a gardener's perspective, the problem is that you can't &quot;speed up&quot; something that needs a certain time to grow - too much fertilizer, for example, could even kill your babies. So apart from creating &lt;em&gt;optimal&lt;/em&gt; conditions, there isn't much you can do. And you might want to id your parent plants first (hint: this site specializes in such questions), to find out what the best conditions for cuttings are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But let's do some math here:&#xA;If you planted a month ago, I guestimate it took at least two weeks for the roots and first leaves to start to form. In another two months, you'll certainly see more growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are planning to give succulent favours like in the photo below, you might be a bit short on time, but trying certainly won't hurt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HI3Al.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HI3Al.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://celsiafloral.com/journal/2015/3/18/west-coast-wedding&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My very pragmatic suggestion: &#xA;Get the cuttings started asap, then if in &lt;em&gt;two&lt;/em&gt; months your &lt;em&gt;test&lt;/em&gt; batch is still way too tiny, you have a full month to order bigger plants in time for the wedding. Also, start more than the number of plants you need, I'd probably start with 20% or so more, especially if you have different types, that might grow at different rates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And - not gardening-related - you can always add a little note to your (too) tiny plants explaining that they are as new as your new marriage bond and need time and care to grow, just like your marriage. Thank your guests for caring for you and supporting you in the future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-05-08T19:28:02.737" LastActivityDate="2017-05-08T19:28:02.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33104" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-08T19:16:24.953" Score="5" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;First saw it in tree form, in Madeira, where it was (I'm told) mis-identified as mango. I've now found it in Southern California, grown as a hedge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iBRGD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iBRGD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17457" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-05-08T20:19:57.280" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T08:51:42.697" Title="Can anyone identify this fruiting tree/shrub for me?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33106" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-08T21:26:09.147" Score="5" ViewCount="1548" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing green tomatillo (a mexican variety of tomato) but one of my plants is looking very sad and I need help to understand what could be the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the problem:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Two days ago I noticed one of them developed a few light spots on two leaves on the top. Yesterday more light spots appeared, but the plant looked good. Today there are approx. the same number of spots, but one of the leaves has started curling its edges a little, and the other leaves are just hanging, they are not rigid anymore. I don't know what could be the problem. I have 10 plants in individual pots close together, and this is the only one that is having this issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About my setup:&lt;/strong&gt; I'm an absolute newbie to gardening, so my setup is pretty rudimentary. I don't know anything about nutrients, ph, etc... My plants are 4 weeks old, I transplanted them from a propagator to individual pots at age 2 weeks, and I keep them in a conservatory. Temperature, humidity, etc. are not regulated. Temperature dropped below 10°C a few days ago, so that might be a factor (although the other plants are unaffected).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What I have discarded:&lt;/strong&gt; I have checked for insects and eggs around and under the leaves, and there is nothing to be found. Also none of the neighbor plants are affected. I read it could be related to water &quot;burning&quot; the leaves, however I didn't water the plants yesterday, and yet more spots appeared. The compost I used I bought it from the store, as in a sealed bag, so I guess the soil is sterile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm attaching a picture of how it looked today. Notice the leaves on the foreground and the background are affected, but not the one in the middle, nor the small ones down the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this something I should worry about? Any help is greatly appreciated!&#xA;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gT74L.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gT74L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17459" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T16:34:11.463" Title="Light spots on tomato leaves" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33107" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33106" CreationDate="2017-05-09T00:47:55.997" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very interesting and well colored problem.  Those spots mean an insect to me.  A female with a proboscis to deposit her eggs between epidermal cells to incubate and hatch... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your pots, soil look great.  Plants healthy. As far as young starts are concerned.  They need a balanced fertilizer.  Plants need these chemicals to produce food via PHOTOSYNTHESIS.  Your plants are thin and starting to show an anemic green.  Plants that are fighting some problem; whether a fungus, insect, too much or too little chemistry for health or subjected to more than one dehydration event...or over watered event...will be susceptible to any invader.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pluck the leaves with the spots off your plants right down to the main stem. Dispose or decompose, totally normal sucking insect that has planted eggs in the leaves of your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Very cool that only one of your plants show these symptoms.  The invader is probably a fly type insect.  They've gone hoping their eggs will mature and multiply their species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pluck the leaves off.  Be vigilant as you have BEEN!  One fly might have caused this bit of damage but really this is no big deal.  Most people aren't this observant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T00:47:55.997" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33108" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-09T01:11:22.040" Score="5" ViewCount="1396" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had new sod laid in July '15. I noticed a few of these weeds in Summer of '16.  Now, in Spring of '17, there are clumps of them all over my lawn.  There are none in my neighbor's or at the side of my house where it's still original grass.  I'm figuring it came with the sod but I don't know what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help and treatment ideas would be appreciated.  I live in NE Canada/New Brunswick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FaPrw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FaPrw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;weed in lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17461" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-05-09T03:02:22.753" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T18:58:37.147" Title="What is this lawn weed with whorled leaves found in New Brunswick, Canada?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33109" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33108" CreationDate="2017-05-09T01:21:05.470" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrTcXHdEBJZ.U8AHAMunIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTIycDJyMnFiBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZAM3NWIzMDcyY2RlMTJlZjcyZmI4YjMzNmRlYWYxYzc1NQRncG9zAzIEaXQDYmluZw--?.origin=&amp;amp;back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch%3Fp%3DIberis%2BSempervirens%2Band%2BLeaf%2BArrangement%26fr%3Dyhs-mozilla-002%26hsimp%3Dyhs-002%26hspart%3Dmozilla%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D2&amp;amp;w=640&amp;amp;h=480&amp;amp;imgurl=www.aphotoflora.com%2Fimages%2Fbrassicaceae%2Fiberis_sempervirens_perennial_candytuft_leaves_01-05-05.jpg&amp;amp;rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcapa-2011.forumgratuit.org%2Ft188-iberis-sempervirens&amp;amp;size=41.4KB&amp;amp;name=...%20qu%20un%20%3Cb%3Eiberis%3C%2Fb%3E%20%3Cb%3Esempervirens%3C%2Fb%3E%20ah%20oui%20c%20est%20%3Cb%3Eiberis%3C%2Fb%3E%20%C3%A0%20cause%20des%20feuilles&amp;amp;p=Iberis%20Sempervirens%20and%20Leaf%20Arrangement&amp;amp;oid=75b3072cde12ef72fb8b336deaf1c755&amp;amp;fr2=&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;tt=...%20qu%20un%20%3Cb%3Eiberis%3C%2Fb%3E%20%3Cb%3Esempervirens%3C%2Fb%3E%20ah%20oui%20c%20est%20%3Cb%3Eiberis%3C%2Fb%3E%20%C3%A0%20cause%20des%20feuilles&amp;amp;b=0&amp;amp;ni=56&amp;amp;no=2&amp;amp;ts=&amp;amp;tab=organic&amp;amp;sigr=11qotvthk&amp;amp;sigb=14mpqcr9h&amp;amp;sigi=133i09m45&amp;amp;sigt=12s4akvuu&amp;amp;sign=12s4akvuu&amp;amp;.crumb=ExIUryJEfn0&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Iberis sempervirens leaf arrangement&lt;/a&gt;This looks like 'Candy Tuff' or Iberis sempervirens. What is amazing is this is not considered a weed. &lt;a href=&quot;https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.27x7XLb_rhkDlNrZ4PyxIQEsDh&amp;amp;pid=15.1&amp;amp;P=0&amp;amp;w=245&amp;amp;h=185&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Iberis, great shade ground cover&lt;/a&gt;  I could be wrong but first impression...wait for others to give their ID's.  Never have known this as lawn weed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Easy to rid your lawn of this guy; mow it.  Before it goes to seed.  That will probably end this plant in your lawn.  Pull it.  Keep your grass NO SHORTER THAN 3&quot; this causes enough shade to the soil so that unwanted seeds will have a hard time germinating.  Watering deep and allowing the lawn to dry will also kill seedlings or new plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No matter the weed's ID this is a broadleaf and there is herbicide that is very selective.  Trimec is a common broadleaf weed killer for  lawns.  Moisture will help the chemicals stick to the BROAD leafs of broad leaf weeds.  This chemical does not work for grass weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too easy to control this plant just by maintenance practices.  Send more pictures.  How much of this is in your lawn?  Is this full sun or partial sun?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-09T18:58:37.147" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T18:58:37.147" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33108" CreationDate="2017-05-09T02:41:35.913" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like cleavers, or bedstraw to me.  &lt;em&gt;Galium aparine&lt;/em&gt;.  If you pull up from the base of the plant does it feel sticky kind of like velcro?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bedstraw isn't that difficult to manage.  If it's not a ridiculous amount of them, I would recommend just pulling them out before they go to seed.  That or they will probably die off after being mowed/weed whacked a few times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T02:41:35.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33108" CreationDate="2017-05-09T02:55:54.247" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galium_mollugo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Galium mollugo&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or Smooth Bedstraw. Distinguishing characteristics are the square stems, with clusters of leaves whorled around the stems. The stems and leaves are smooth, in comparison with its close relative, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galium_aparine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Galium aparine&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or Rough Bedstraw, as I described in the Q&amp;amp;A &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/23428/what-is-this-weed-with-ribbed-stems-and-whorls-of-1-to-2-long-thin-leaves&quot;&gt;What is this weed with ribbed stems and whorls of 1&amp;quot; to 2&amp;quot; long thin leaves?&lt;/a&gt; It is considered an invasive weed in many areas. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control can be done by pulling the plant out at the base, or with the use of broad-leaf or systemic herbicides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information can be found in this paper on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/10/pdf/Agriculture/FieldCrops-GrandesCultures/SmoothBedstraw.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Smooth Bedstraw Management&lt;/a&gt; from the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T02:55:54.247" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33104" CreationDate="2017-05-09T08:51:42.697" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look like pineapple guava flowers to me, Iv got a couple of plants. If it's been misidentified as a mango that makes sense too as the fruits look like small unripe mangos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17430" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T08:51:42.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33090" CreationDate="2017-05-09T08:55:06.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your irises look very happy in this spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;transplant without the rhizome?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Clearly no.&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rhizome is the most important part of this plant. It will allow it to regrow the next year after a period of &amp;quot;sleep&amp;quot;. But it is ok to &lt;strong&gt;transplant only a part of it&lt;/strong&gt; if you can't dig them completely out. Here is how healthy future transplants would look like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bz2SF.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bz2SF.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is important is you wait the end of the vegetative period before you transplant them (usually end autumn). It is not necessary to dig them as deep as you found them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now if you see more coming the next years, propose them to neighbors, they will appreciate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T08:55:06.587" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33115" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-09T15:08:39.807" Score="7" ViewCount="788" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a beginner at gardening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My flower beds are lower than the lawn; I want to build beds to the level of the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My late husband did all gardening, so I am at a loss of what to do. Do I use compost or soil or both? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17463" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-05-09T15:19:51.013" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T20:17:09.723" Title="How to level up low flower beds?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33116" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-09T15:09:18.770" Score="5" ViewCount="733" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in cold climate and winter is very harsh, after the last winter there are several dead grass patches in the lawn and the lawn is a little fluffy when walking on it. One of the lawn guy suggested aerating, but even after 2 weeks of aerating there is no progress. The images of my lawn are here &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/7xf15&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imgur.com/a/7xf15&lt;/a&gt;. Some one in hardware store suggested dethatching, but not sure if I'm going in the right direction. Some one suggested that it is a little late for thatching, not sure what they meant by that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17464" LastEditorUserId="17464" LastEditDate="2017-05-10T14:06:58.937" LastActivityDate="2017-06-16T20:57:48.747" Title="What to do to the dry grass that is not allowing new grass to grow?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33117" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33106" CreationDate="2017-05-09T16:34:11.463" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had the same problem a few weeks ago. Check this question &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/32669/bright-spots-on-tomato-leaves-illness-or-just-to-much-watering&quot;&gt;bright spots on tomato leaves - illness or just to much watering?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;if that is what you observe on your leaves, than you should be fine. I did nothing special with the plants after discovering this spots. The new growth was spotless and the plants after 3 weeks are healthy as heck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T16:34:11.463" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33115" CreationDate="2017-05-09T16:51:48.753" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As a beginner and a new learner, may I  suggest bringing a sample of the soil to your local garden center and ask them what they recommend?  Your local &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_extension&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Agricultural Extension office&lt;/a&gt; may offer those services for free or a small charge. They may be able to test it and tell you if you need any particular amendments and how it stands up as a healthy soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Absent that, it's hard to go wrong with a good compost mix. Organic matter like compost a great amendment to just about any soil, but the cost of adding it in bulk can sometimes be prohibitive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it looks like your garden soil already has plenty of organic matter (i.e. not overly sandy with little structure), regular garden soil would likely be fine. But if you want to virtually guarantee a strong start to that garden and don't know (yet) exactly what you need, you can be pretty confident starting with a mixture of garden soil &lt;strong&gt;and&lt;/strong&gt; compost. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2017-06-26T20:17:09.723" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T20:17:09.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33116" CreationDate="2017-05-09T17:09:20.493" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's still pretty early in the growing season (in the Northern hemisphere), so the thatch may not have had sufficient time to break down and give way to the new growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But from the look of your pictures (great job, by the way), if you feel the lawn is struggling to fill in those dead spots, your lawn looks like it needs a good de-thatching more than aeration. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;De-thatching is the process of removing some of that dead material to make way for new growth, where aeration is recommended more for when dead material or compacted soil is keeping water/nutrients from penetrating the soil. It's hard to say from the photos, but I'm not seeing an aeration problem here. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing to watch for is the possibility of fungus. I'm dealing with a similar problem with a St. Augustinegrass, but the pattern looks remarkably similar. Keep an eye on it; if it looks like the brown areas are actually starting to &lt;em&gt;spread&lt;/em&gt;, it might be time to diagnose exactly what you are dealing with in terms of some type of fungus, disease, or other lawn pest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Start with a rake or dedicated de-thatching tool to remove some of that dead material.  No matter what the problem turns out to be, it's a good time of year to start that process. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2017-06-16T20:57:48.747" LastActivityDate="2017-06-16T20:57:48.747" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33120" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33090" CreationDate="2017-05-09T17:46:29.133" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those look like Japanese iris &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_sanguinea&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;(&lt;em&gt;Iris sanguinea&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;. They have a smaller, clumping rhizome rather than the large spreading tuberlike rhizomes of the bearded iris (&lt;em&gt;Iris x germanica&lt;/em&gt;). They can grow a long, stemlike rhizome when planted too deep, and these stems can grow roots. The plant would then proceed to create a new rhizome crown near the new soil surface. You can remove these extended rhizomes before the become a new crown, as long as they are rooted in. Unrooted rhizomes have a lower success rate. Trim the leaves back by at least half if you transplant them that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might get a stronger transplant if you can dig down and take the original rhizome crown, even without leaves. It would be a stronger foundation to start off of.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T17:46:29.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33121" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33116" CreationDate="2017-05-09T18:13:20.467" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The beautiful closeup shows you do have a fungus called 'Red Thread'.  This is usually caused by too much nitrogen applied before the winter.  Thatching is only necessary if you see a full inch of dead, matted grass at the base of your grass and just above the soil. I don't see that.  Thatching is a drastic measure that can be avoided by adding a 'thatch eating bacteria' when you fertilize.  Comes in some of the extended release 'Organic' lawn fertilizer products such as Dr. Earth, fantastic stuff, slower to 'green up' but worth the extra cost.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you need to do if this is the extent of your patchiness is get a rock rake, the one with 3&quot; metal tines that don't bend and rake up the dead grass, right down to the soil and overseed your entire lawn.  Keep that grass at 3&quot; minimum for height, sharp blades, water deeply and do not water again until you see your footprints on the grass stay down.  These are basic sound practices for cool season grass lawns.  Allowing the grass to dry out trains the roots to grow deeper to get at moisture deeper and creates drought tolerant lawn crops.  You'll have a green lawn while neighbor's are brown and dormant.  This will also have the added benefit of not promoting 'Red Thread'.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using the Dr. Earth or similar more expensive fertilizers you'll only have to fertilize 2 or 3 times not traditional 4 that is required by the fast release synthetics.  That last fertilization is very important but you can't use high nitrogen on Fescue in particular for the winter or you'll set your lawn up for fungus; Red Thread, Snow mold.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/snow-mold-2153094&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Snow mold&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/dying-patches-lawn-with-reddish-fibers-2152748?utm_term=red%20thread%20lawn%20treatment&amp;amp;utm_content=p1-main-1-title&amp;amp;utm_medium=sem&amp;amp;utm_source=msn_s&amp;amp;utm_campaign=adid-d12a5780-f5c8-4008-8446-cfb58607d564-0-ab_msb_ocode-22853&amp;amp;ad=semD&amp;amp;an=msn_s&amp;amp;am=broad&amp;amp;q=red%20thread%20lawn%20treatment&amp;amp;o=22853&amp;amp;qsrc=999&amp;amp;l=sem&amp;amp;askid=d12a5780-f5c8-4008-8446-cfb58607d564-0-ab_msb&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Red Thread&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are parts of these articles I do not agree with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the snow mold, they say 1/2 inch of thatch, I say 1 inch.  1/2 inch thatch is best taken care of by bacteria. Thatching should never be done willy nilly. Aeration is wonderful.  Taking cores of soil out of the soil bed certainly aerates but that soil pulled out and then left on top of the lawn is actually infusing bacteria into the the thatch layer or root crowns.  If one hasn't used a non-selective pesticide that kills most of the life in the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Red Thread they start right out saying that this is brought on by too low of nitrogen.  By the color of your grass I'd say you've got plenty of nitrogen and too vigorous vegetative growth caused by too much nitrogen late in the year is what sets even healthy lawns up for fungus.  What I think they are trying to say that a 'weakened' plant is more susceptible to fungus which is true but it is the combination of too much moisture, and too vigorous of actively growing plants beneath snow (or not) that proliferates fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then the worst thing they say is to cut your lawn short.  Wrong.  This in effect weakens your grass plants. Cool season lawn grasses need a minimum of 3 full inches of photosynthetic top growth to feed the roots.  Cool season lawn species are genetically disposed to grow large root systems and without a proper amount of top growth to feed those roots the grass plants are weakened, stressed and then gee, susceptible to fungus.  Poor people in the south with warm season grasses!  Cool season grasses are far easier to manage and be successful because of these attributes.  Just by cutting no shorter than 3&quot; you are stopping weed germination, encouraging vigorous health of the crop by allowing more photosynthesis to feed deep roots.  Watering every day and shallowly is what fungus and weeds love.  Watering deeply (4-6&quot; into the soil profile) and then allowing that soil to dry out in between directs the roots to grow deep, the grass to remain vigorous and green but bye bye weeds and fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PuBYy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PuBYy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;One of my lawns 3&amp;quot; and this is the original lawn not newly installed as well as having just gone through landscape construction of that brick bed, the paver walkway and the screening panels/gate&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-09T22:04:57.143" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T22:04:57.143" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33123" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-09T19:10:49.587" Score="3" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife and I are a bit concerned with the appearance changes of our cactus. The plant was always growing fast, however the spring accelerated the growth even more. Some time ago we noticed the twisted &quot;stems&quot;. First time after the plant was watered, the stems straightened up, but in a few days got curly-ish again. The next time the plant was watered no positive changes were noticed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few questions arise:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is it normal?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is it dangerous?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What causes it?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What do we do now?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JJYBK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JJYBK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;da plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17466" LastEditorUserId="17466" LastEditDate="2017-05-09T19:35:46.487" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T22:55:01.010" Title="Is My Cactus Doing Well?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33124" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33115" CreationDate="2017-05-09T19:15:17.027" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a tough question.  Please give us a picture or two, Dotty!  To build up a plant bed now with the plants already established is dangerous for your plants.  Especially if you have woody perennials or shallow rooted plants like Azalea or Daphne.  Adding anything on top of those roots could easily kill plants that rely on shallow surface water/chemicals.  Even an inch too deep will kill them.  Woody trunks if covered with soil, mulch, rocks, moss...will be girdled eventually by bacteria that love the moisture.  It would be easier to redo the lawn, cutting the sod out and removing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send pictures, try to get a wide view so that we can see the slope and levels of lawn versus your plant beds.  Are these same plant beds next to your foundation?  If so another good reason to cut out lawn to lower the elevation to allow water to drain away from the foundation from plant beds and then out over the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-10T02:45:53.063" LastActivityDate="2017-05-10T02:45:53.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32819" CreationDate="2017-05-09T19:46:05.943" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;snow bush  Snowbush&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Breynia distichia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Snowbush is a soft pink fantasy of a shrub with an airy, delicate look - a South Florida favorite for its romantic, informal appeal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17456" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T19:46:05.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33126" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-09T20:46:04.360" Score="3" ViewCount="331" Body="&lt;p&gt;My rudbeckia is starting to come out, and some of the leaves at the tips are curled, dry, and in some of the plants yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year these plants did mostly fine, considering it was an incredibly dry summer and I did not water much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I was taking these pictures I was pulling a weed near the base of one of these plans, and some kind of grubby critter stuck to my hand. Not sure if it's to blame. Picture of the bug at the end.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location is Southeast Michigan, USA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas on identification and treatment?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS: did some more careful inspection of the plants today, looking for small bugs and whatnot. Saw nothing. It did occur to me that we've had an unusually cold spring, with light frosts many times for the past couple weeks. It's just starting to warm up now. Could it simply be frost damage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8miqC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8miqC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Is8b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Is8b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KcHhD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KcHhD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/khcHd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/khcHd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17468" LastEditorUserId="17468" LastEditDate="2017-05-10T21:24:54.130" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T00:45:24.273" Title="Identifying cause of poor growth in rudbeckia" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33126" CreationDate="2017-05-09T22:26:02.087" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/how-to-get-rid-of-leaf-rollers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;an ok article on leaf rollers&lt;/a&gt;. Not sure about the specimen in the last picture but could be an immature larvae knocked out of it's nest.  This looks like leaf roller caterpillars of some sort of variety.  They roll themselves into a leaf, usually a young leaf and using silk pull it around themselves to get protection from the environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a very small window where this happens which is now.  I'd cut those leaves off and put into your compost pile.  I'd also clean up all that chunky mulch and certainly pull up all of the periwinkle (if that is the ground cover in the background).  Sorry, I have a personal hatred of periwinkle.  Every single time someone plants this stuff in their yard it takes over.  Great place for slugs, snails, pill bugs, earwigs and leaf rollers to hide to mention just a few.  Periwinkle literally smothers every single shrub, perennial, conifer...and is the dickens to remove.  Talk about one of the worst weeds in the world!  Sure is pretty in a hanging pot or when brand new but I worked hard to keep my mouth shut and not saying 'I told you so'...arrggghh.  Is that periwinkle I see in the back ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Rudbeckia will be fine, just cut those leaves and tips off.  This will only make your Rudbeckia more dense and more floriferous.  Your Rudbeckia is in need of some fertilizer but don't add any.  Get rid of the chunky bark stuff and I believe it will come around after the leaf roller stuff.  If you haven't fertilized think about a bit of Osmocote...later.  That periwinkle will suck the chemicals from your soil faster than your other ornamentals are able. Make sure your fertilizer is lower in percentage than the phosphorous and potassium so that your Rudbeckia is able to flower!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Need to know if you've fertilized or have used any herbicide/pesticide lately.  Chunky mulch, debris of any kind, old lumber those rocks people like to line their beds with are just great 'condominiums' to house mostly pests you don't want to proliferate.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using pesticides for this is kind of overkill.  Just cutting the leaves off is enough.  Being vigilant as you have been is the best thing.  The window of damage is small.  This doesn't happen all year long unless there are condominiums for pests to inhabit out of sight out of mind until the next part of their cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-11T00:45:24.273" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T00:45:24.273" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33128" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33123" CreationDate="2017-05-09T22:55:01.010" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not a happy cactus.  Shoot.  Have to know anything and everything that you did differently before this occurred.  Did you fertilize?  If so with what?  How much?  How often?  Did you add any other types of 'FOOD' such as bone meal, fish emulsion?  Was this cactus allowed out of doors for a time with the possibility of too cold temperatures?  Is this soil potting soil?  Potting soil made for cactus?  Or is this soil from your garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is an east facing window?  How long has this cactus been in this spot?  Are you using tap water?  How often do you water?  How deeply?  Do you water so deeply that water fills that saucer?  Is there a layer of gravel/rocks/packing peanuts placed beneath the soil and above the drain hole in an effort to improve drainage (NOT a good thing btw).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Allowing this plant's pot to sit in water after watering will definitely compromise the root system with way too much water.  Cactus and succulents are mostly killed by overwatering, next would be using garden soil, next would be over fertilization and next would be not enough light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might be able to start parts of this cactus in fresh new potting soil but something has happened that looks irreversible.  Bummer.  Send more information so that we can help you at least learn what went wrong so as not to repeat.  Nothing you've done with this plant is too small to mention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Better picture to be able to see the true colors and more detail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-09T22:55:01.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33130" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-10T02:06:08.403" Score="2" ViewCount="910" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a raised bed that I recently put home made compost in.  I have this volunteer plant growing and suspect it came out of a seed that I may have thrown in the compost bin. Unlike some of you I am not an expert on composting and don't think my bin is getting hot enough to kill the seeds. Any idea what this plant is?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CJQvP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CJQvP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sVRPt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sVRPt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T07:19:23.747" Title="Need help identifying this volunteer plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;volunteer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33131" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33398" CreationDate="2017-05-10T02:08:05.463" Score="5" ViewCount="147" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this plant growing in my raised bed that I did not plant. Is this a weed or a useful vegetable plant?  Need help identifying the plant. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wR3t2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wR3t2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T16:41:29.573" Title="Is this a weed or vegetable" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33134" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33130" CreationDate="2017-05-10T12:04:28.587" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is a cucumber, but it could also be courgette/zucchini or pumping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is too early (for me), and there is so many varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-05-10T12:04:28.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33135" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-10T12:34:58.517" Score="6" ViewCount="426" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've a lot of substantial trees, mostly sycamores (related to maples I think, they might have a different name in the US?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can see over the past the last owners pruned branches on the main trunk but each time, a spray of new branches has sprouted around the stump. In some cases they clearly cut these back and then each of &lt;em&gt;those&lt;/em&gt; sprouted - the end result is a messy 'beard' of new branches coming from the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to stop this happening? Should they be pruned at the right time, or the raw stumps treated to prevent regrowth, perhaps? Or is this just how some trees grow and I have to resign myself to managing it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please note my growth is coming directly from the stumps of the cut branches. Which is exactly what the answer to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/29274/how-can-i-stop-a-sycamore-tree-from-sprouting-new-growth&quot;&gt;How can I stop a sycamore tree from sprouting new growth?&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;doesn't&lt;/em&gt; cover, &lt;em&gt;that&lt;/em&gt; focuses on sprouts from the trunk/roots rather than from the 'scar' of my pruning. I am not pollarding my tree to encourage new growth, I am removing unwanted branches where I want &lt;em&gt;no&lt;/em&gt; growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-08T02:09:08.183" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T02:09:08.183" Title="How can I stop removed branch stumps from spouting 'beards'?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33136" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-10T13:08:28.030" Score="5" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had a Nepenthes (I believe Alata) for several years now. I have a question, probably because I have not been too observant: After a trap appears on a leaf and then subsequently dies off, will another trap grow where the old trap had been? Or is it &quot;one trap per leaf.&quot;? If it is the latter, I would then cut off the dead or dying traps to give the entire plant a nicer appearance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17474" LastEditorUserId="26403" LastEditDate="2019-07-19T16:23:25.847" LastActivityDate="2019-07-19T16:23:25.847" Title="Appearance of Traps on Nepenthes" Tags="&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;nepenthes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33137" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-10T15:25:46.487" Score="5" ViewCount="1079" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had 4 plants near my front door. One of them died and I was trying to replace it. I bought a lavender from Home Depot and it was totally different as you can see (the small one in the middle of my larger ones (around 2 feet high 3 feet wide)). Can you help me identify what my plant is? What type? Where to buy it from? Any other suggestions (alternatives that will be about similar size and looks nice with mine)? Thank you in advance. I live in Phoenix (can get real hot) and this will receive the afternoon sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3R3Hv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3R3Hv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of my plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17476" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-10T20:08:52.603" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T19:43:35.627" Title="What is this plant? Is it a lavender, russian sage, or something else?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lavender&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33138" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-10T16:25:22.690" Score="3" ViewCount="88" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have read that there are thousands of species of earthworms and the ones that are best suited for composting are epigeic worms. Ideally, I would use &lt;em&gt;Eisenia fetida&lt;/em&gt; but it's difficult to find them locally. So I have started experimenting by using worms from bait shops. I have prepared an environment for them with cardboard bedding and apple cores and potato peels. I added a handful of soil as well. Every time I open the worm bin, I will see a couple of them right at the top. Are these epigeic worms? Also I noticed that there are soil tracks on the potato peels that have just been added. It probably means that the worms have crawled on top of it. Is this a behaviorial pattern that is unique to epigeic worms? Are there other things that only epigeic worms do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATION: I living in South East Asia and trying to do vermicomposting in an apartment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16431" LastEditorUserId="16431" LastEditDate="2017-05-11T02:49:13.730" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T02:49:13.730" Title="How to identify epigeic worms for composting?" Tags="&lt;vermicomposting&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30186" CreationDate="2017-05-10T16:30:06.190" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a Ficus, A Benjamima I think. This is suitable for inside as it is semi tropical. You must repot this tree, buy a packet of Bonsai soil mix and add some gravel , gravel is essential to let the soil drain , a little bark chips would help. Get a pot which you fill to just below the rim , otherwise excess water will lie in the pot and start to rot the roots.&#xA;Luckily this species does not mild getting dry from time to time. But it must have lots of light , a light bulb is not enough. Put it by a bright window. The bathroom is ideal as this plant likes moist air.&#xA;Outside Bonsais are easier as they get Moisture, strong light , and fresh air , and rain for free. Never let your Bonsai dry out . Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17477" LastActivityDate="2017-05-10T16:30:06.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33140" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33137" CreationDate="2017-05-10T18:36:08.880" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Artemesia 'Powis Castle'...these grey plants go with anything. I am not sure about the ID at all. Let's ID this guy for sure and I would buy more to make a soft informal edge in this spot. You could add a few Crocosmia, Lucifer or the yellow Crocosmia?  &lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A86.Jyi1XBNZ.GIA3HAnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByNWU4cGh1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=Crocosmia&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Crocosmia pictures&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-10T18:36:08.880" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33141" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33136" CreationDate="2017-05-10T19:28:04.757" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's &quot;one trap per leaf&quot;, so if the dry bits bother you, just cut off the dry traps. I wouldn't cut dying traps, to give the plant the chance to retract as much as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Technically, the traps &lt;em&gt;are&lt;/em&gt; part of the leaf, by the way, what we tend to see as leaf is technically just the base of the leaf. This explains why there won't be another pitcher once the first dies off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-05-10T19:28:04.757" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33137" CreationDate="2017-05-10T19:47:02.440" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks to be some cultivar of &lt;em&gt;Lavandula multifida&lt;/em&gt;, the fernleaf lavender. I could take a punt at a cultivar name and suggest 'Spanish Eyes'  as it is probably the most common cultivar, but to be honest without it sitting in front of me, next to a known specimen of 'Spanish Eyes' I couldn't confirm that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are not the hardiest of species, but that shouldn't be too much of an issue in Phoenix, just makes sure that it never gets soggy feet. Like all lavenders, they like good drainage. Good pairings would be similar mediterranean species.&#xA;In general, if a plant is growing well, then look to plants that would grow alongside it in the wild for other plants that are likely to be successful. I would suggest &lt;em&gt;Rosmarinus officinalis&lt;/em&gt; if you need a bit of height (possibly in the corner). Other culinary herbs - &lt;em&gt;Salvia&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Origanum&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Thymus&lt;/em&gt; might be nice. &lt;em&gt;Phlomis sp.&lt;/em&gt; would look good. You could put some grasses in for contrast &lt;em&gt;Stipa gigantea&lt;/em&gt; as alternative for the back and perhaps &lt;em&gt;Nassella tenuissima&lt;/em&gt; for mid- to foreground planting. You don't want too many similar shrubs sitting next to each other or it's going to get a bit dull.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&#xA;@stormy rightly mentioned in a comment that too many different types of plant will look chaotic. The list of plants above was to give a range of options that you may wish to choose one or two from - not all of them!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given you want a quick fix, you could opt for another more readily available &lt;em&gt;Lavandula&lt;/em&gt;. I would pick one that is sufficiently different not to look mismatched. If you pick another blue/pale lilac coloured one it look like you've tried to match it and failed. One with white flowers is probably your safest bet - &lt;em&gt;Lavandula x intermedia 'Alba'&lt;/em&gt;. It will get a bit bigger than yours but should fill the gaps nice and quick. This is one of the more common white lavenders (or lavandins in this case) and also one of the tougher varieties - I'd be surprised if you couldn't find plants locally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastEditorUserId="16580" LastEditDate="2017-05-11T19:43:35.627" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T19:43:35.627" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33144" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33145" CreationDate="2017-05-10T21:51:56.693" Score="3" ViewCount="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is some advice here on how to grow a Calamondin orange (&lt;em&gt;Citrus × microcarpa&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;Citrus citrofortunella mitis&lt;/em&gt;) and that is consistent with how one particular specimen was treated to survive (and fruit!) over about thirty years in a temperate climate. However the consequences of failing to water it (in a pot) for about a month have not been covered. It is outdoors now but was indoors at the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I gather the life expectancy, if tended properly, is around forty years and wonder if there is any chance this particular specimen might have survived. At present it has no flowers or fruit and has shed about one or two dozen leaves. The others are still hanging on but all have curled up and are brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a (I regret low resolution) photograph of it from about six or seven years ago (the pot is about 12&quot; diameter):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E7lH6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E7lH6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Calamondin&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any hope for it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-10T22:38:55.233" Title="Have I terminated this Calamondin?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33145" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33144" CreationDate="2017-05-10T22:38:55.233" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure looks healthy to me regardless of the clarity.  I realize this is a picture years ago. I would transplant this guy into a slightly bigger pot, clay, maybe 4&quot; bigger in diameter using freshly purchased sterilized potting soil. No rock or gravel above the drainage hole beneath the soil! Lift the bottom of the pot off the surface of the saucer and/or the patio using tiles or pot feet.  That will add to drainage in a big way.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use fertilizer such as good ole Osmocote the only Scott's product I would ever, will ever use.  Extended release 14-14-14.  Safe stuff.  Only use this 2 maybe 3 times per year, not 4.  Follow directions. Have you ever fertilized this plant in all these years?  Is this potting soil or garden soil in that pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Failing to water it for a month and this plant is still alive says something about the resilience and need to survive, huh.  You have to send a recent picture.  Give more information about watering habits, fertilizer, type of soil, last time it was transplanted.  The numbers for age are only for these plants planted in the garden in the sub tropics, not for those in pots or outside their zone.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send a picture asap!  Thanks, I mean you must be a bit attached by now and if it is still alive there is a chance.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-10T22:38:55.233" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33146" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-10T22:47:06.827" Score="3" ViewCount="419" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I bought a Kent mango about 3 days ago, it came by courier and was a bit beaten up when arrived as one of the flower stalks had been knocked off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's been cool here the last few days, probably around 10 degrees so I'm not sure if this is just shock from the courier. &#xA;Yesterday I had it in a room at 22 degrees C with grow lights on it all day and night. Then today it's been sunny and Iv had it in the greenhouse which was about 27 degrees C. I have brought it back in overnight until Iv got the heating sorted out in there as it dips down to 16C at the moment and I need to seal up some gaps so it stays around 20C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After being in the greenhouse today I noticed some of the leaves look a bit odd, I'm not sure what the brown colour is, it's only on about 4-5 leaves, the rest look fine, I think that was the direction of the sun, so is it possible they are scorched ?, as I thought mango could take serious heat and not a slightly warm UK Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The room it's been in with the grow lights is between 60-75% humidity, the greenhouse is probably more like 75-85%&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's been dull up until today, hence the grow lights, but today it was like the tropics in the greenhouse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil is very slightly damp, I gave it a cup of water when I first got it and that's all it's had so it's not waterlogged, just slightly damp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like it's been doused in copper spray by the nursery so didn't know if this was fungal related.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xEV38.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8p23O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rTYOu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eUJAe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;Graft is here :&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ShyzA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ShyzA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17430" LastEditorUserId="17430" LastEditDate="2017-05-10T23:15:41.773" LastActivityDate="2017-05-10T23:27:46.943" Title="New mango looking weird" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33149" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33146" CreationDate="2017-05-10T23:27:46.943" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Following on from discussion in comments, I'd return it. The graft is ragged and uneven, and the stem coming out of it has corky marking or scar tissue at its base and a crack in the stem. It's been sent out regardless of the fact there's growth coming off the stem below the graft, which is poor practice, and finally, there's brown marking within the leaf tissue. If the crack in the stem has been caused in transit, that simply means it was badly packaged, and that's another reason to return it, but I think it's unlikely that caused the crack.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding environment, in the UK at this time of year, uv rays are strong - admittedly it's not been very sunny recently, and not warm either, but once that sun comes out, and particularly through glass or plastic, the uv levels will be high and quite intense, less so as we get into late June onwards. Although these plants like sun exposure, you don't know what conditions its been kept under, and full sunlight might not have been part of it. Most young growth, even on sunloving plants, must be acclimatized gradually to sunlight if they have not grown from the start in sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-10T23:27:46.943" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33151" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33135" CreationDate="2017-05-11T00:56:30.923" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The way to stop this happening is to hire an arborist with a chipper and have the stump chipped out to a depth of at least one foot (30 cm).  As you have noticed although the tree appears to be gone the root system is a going concern. Other trees may be supporting it with sugars transferred through the root system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As long as you try cutting off the watersprouts you will get regrowth.  Get it chipped out and then if it still comes back try burning out the stump as &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1815/how-efficient-are-stump-removal-chemicals/5667#5667&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; indicates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T00:56:30.923" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33152" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="39809" CreationDate="2017-05-11T02:54:18.987" Score="3" ViewCount="1297" Body="&lt;p&gt;I made a mix of 1:8oz neem oil: water solution to treat some indoor plants against insects occassionally. I wonder how long, if at all, this solution can be stored and remain effective? It's in a sealed bucket stored indoors and I'm thinking I can mix it well before use and simply continue to use it as long as it lasts, but I wasn't able to find info on whether or not the solution will loose its effectiveness being stored like this over time (and if so, over what timespan).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastActivityDate="2018-07-10T12:36:08.477" Title="Can a solution of neem oil and water remain effective through storage, and if so, for apx. how long?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;storage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33153" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33130" CreationDate="2017-05-11T07:04:56.373" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to be a squash (probably C. maxima, and likely a pumpkin, but it could be another kind of squash or gourd). It doesn't look like a cucumber or zucchini to me, but those do look similar. The leaves look too soft and pliable to be those, and those tend to have more of a sheen on their leaves. The leaves of your plant are more cucumber-like in shape than squash leaves usually are, but cucumber plants are usually smaller all around and closer to the ground with darker green leaves that are firmer-looking, which don't bend easily, and they have more of a sheen. You can rub the leaves and smell your fingers to smell the characteristic squash plant smell (you wouldn't smell as strong of a smell with a cucumber or melon, but you would with zucchini). It's a fairly strong smell. Zucchini can have large leaves and plants, too, but the leaves tend to be darker and have more of a sheen; plus, they're less pliable (but thinner and more pliable than cucumber leaves). I haven't grown every variety of zucchini out there (so there may be some that don't follow my description). Cucumber leaves have less prominent, narrower, and shorter stems, too. Your plant appears to have stems that are several inches long (even when young), which are quite visible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Zucchini and some common summer squash tend to have a bush habit, while pumpkins and most other squash tend to vine. It's early to tell what habit yours has, but I'd guess it's a vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pinpointing it further than that may require some recollection of what went into your compost, or else just waiting to see what it grows. Cucumbers will have tiny flowers, while squash flowers are huge. People usually eat zucchini before it has viable seeds (but if you grew them yourself or got gifted some huge ones, there might have been viable seeds composted). Same for cucumbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't expect to know the variety unless you know what went into your compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My source is observation over the years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-05-11T07:19:23.747" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T07:19:23.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33154" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33034" CreationDate="2017-05-11T08:49:49.600" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is actually happening when a plant bends towards the light, is that the cells on the darker side develop in an elongated manner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you turn the plant round and round as it grows, it will certainly develop a more upright habit than if it was left in one orientation the whole time, but in my anecdotal experience, it will be more &quot;leggy&quot; (i.e. etiolated) which is (depending on the plant) equally and probably more undesirable for the future health of the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have the same problem - I live in an old cottage with small windows facing east and west, which only get direct sun for a few hours each day. In the past I've had long windowsill propagators with my tomato seedlings in which I've turned round occasionally to try and keep the plants straight. This year I grew them in rectangular seed trays, which I tilted towards the light by elevating the darker side, and anecdotally, the plants grew perfectly straight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17117" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T08:49:49.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33155" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33156" CreationDate="2017-05-11T11:09:44.737" Score="2" ViewCount="138" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why are commercial tomato seedling so thick, strong and have so many branches? Take this image for example:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z2heg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z2heg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But on the other hand, most of my plants are super tall and very thin, although they have plenty of space, good light and potted in commerically available potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any tips and tricks for how to raise thick and strong tomato seedlings? I make them thicker by cutting the main growth, but not all people do that and still have strong plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="17223" LastEditDate="2017-05-11T11:19:50.040" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T11:19:50.040" Title="Why are commercial tomato seedling so thick and strong?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33155" CreationDate="2017-05-11T11:16:23.447" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you pinch your growing tips out to encourage bushy growth ?. The commercial ones may also be fertilised a lot and possibly even grown under grow lights which would make the stretching very minimal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17430" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T11:16:23.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33157" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-11T14:41:27.527" Score="3" ViewCount="530" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking at getting a decent petrol-powered strimmer for my large garden. I saw one that comes with interchangeable heads: line, rough-cut, and one more like a saw blade. The idea being they can cut thicker stuff from first to last.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other strimmers just seem to come with line (2.5mm or so). I've no idea what a line can cut through before it just gives up? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T07:52:07.883" Title="What's the thickest stuff a garden line strimmer can cut?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;string-trimmer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33158" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33091" CreationDate="2017-05-11T16:54:29.493" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not Poa annua, Annual Bluegrass. I believe it might be Dichanthelium laxiflorum, a well-behaved native that pops up in disturbs sites. Soft Tuft Witchgrass. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=DILA9&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=DILA9&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10974" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T16:54:29.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33160" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9242" CreationDate="2017-05-11T17:26:02.220" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's unlikely that any drainage pipes will be that close to the surface so any roots should just pass overhead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17482" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T17:26:02.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33161" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-11T17:54:12.800" Score="6" ViewCount="261" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dHAzY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;It has little white flowers in June, doesn't lose leaves in winter, grows in shade, leggy, hardy in zone 6A.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17481" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2017-05-11T20:40:11.320" LastActivityDate="2019-01-31T11:19:46.440" Title="What is this evergreen white-flowered Bush growing in the shade?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;broad-leaved-evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33162" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33157" CreationDate="2017-05-11T18:32:35.187" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A gas powered line strimmer a word I've never heard to call what we call 'weed wackers' or line trimmer.  Good for you!  Gas is the best way to go for power.  These are able to cut through 1/2&quot; branches but not quickly and you have to 'bounce' the line tips off the branch.  Giving it 'English', grins, what people do when playing pool?  Quickly hitting the branch and pulling it backwards even faster. They are not made for this but the odd branch won't hurt this if you can keep that head spinning, not allowing it to slog down slowing the motor which can shorten the life of your motor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have 2 beloved tools that I won't go anywhere without; my line trimmer, a little Red Max I've had for 30 years and I got it from a pawn shop where it must've been at least a decade or two old...and a Stihl blower.  Keep these machines CLEAN.  Get extra filters for the air/carburetor and the gas filter.  Keep the dirt out of your machine and it will last forever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use &lt;strong&gt;only&lt;/strong&gt; petrol' without ethanol.  This is a big deal.  Use the best 2 cycle oil and make sure you actually measure the correct amount per gallon or liter.  Don't just dump it into the petrol willy nilly like lots of people do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most important thing to know about is the head.  Forget the 'bump and go' heads.  ugh.  I use a stationary head where you have to cut lengths of line, insert them into the head.  Pull up the two ends to a point directly over the center of the head or wheel to nip off with your pruners/scissors.  Making &lt;strong&gt;sure&lt;/strong&gt; the two lengths are identical and the correct length is very important for your motor and your cutting capabilities.  So the last step before you start 'weed wacking' is to find a concrete side walk or a boulder/large rock, turn your wacker upside down (it is turned on at this point) watch your down line (where the rotating heads will throw rocks at missile speeds to break windows, blind babies, that sort of thing) and lightly touch the ends of your spinning lines to the concrete or boulder.  You will HEAR the sound of the motor change as the line lengths become perfect.  The sound goes from low to high quickly. You'll learn to cut 4 or 5 at a time and loop through your belt loop for replacements.  Also carry a pruner or scissors. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;always&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; always wear safety glasses!! That 'shield' is worthless.  I actually take mine off so that I can see where I am cutting.  Using this machine is like doing surgery.  You will learn to be able to cut exactly what you want as these machines can scalp a lawn sure as certain or ding up wood fences or girdle trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This machine is only for grass, grassy weeds, non woody weeds.  Not for brush, small shrubs, never for hedging shrubs.  You'll find that edging your lawn there is no better tool.  Your line will get shorter and shorter as you work.  Especially if trimming between concrete and grass, wacking weeds in cracks of the sidewalk, soil at the bottom of a trim will cause your line to have a shorter life...takes about 5 to 15 minutes working a residential landscape then you need to take out the ragged, too short piece of line and insert another chunk of line, pull up both ends of your line at the center of the outside of the head and snip the two lines.  The length varies a bit from machine to machine but the best length to operate is about 4 to 5 inches...not 6&quot;.  If the line is too long all it does is beat the grass or weeds to death and will possibly break to be uneven again.  You'll have to pull the two lines up again and snip then turn upside down to hone the tips and make their lengths perfect.  This 'upside down' position is also done with edging your lawn.  The motor is up by your head and the head is down.  The line acts like a blade this way.  'Honing' your lines makes your machine far more efficient and saves the wear and tear on your motor.  The lines will be at their absolute most powerful rotation. Does that make sense?  Every single time you switch out line you will do this.  Cutting the chunks of line off the reel, you will find the perfect length so that you don't waste line but there is no way you'll be able to make the perfect length for the fastest most powerful rotation.  You have to turn it upside down and lightly hit the concrete (watching watching watching your down line for windows, cars, pedestrians, babies and eyeballs) and again, you'll know when the lines are perfect by the sound of your motor.  You'll hear the initial sound and then it will go up...as the line is made completely equal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you purchase (look at Stihl or Husqvarna spelling might be off), this is no time to by cheap 'home owner' type machines.  When you use this guy you will &lt;strong&gt;love&lt;/strong&gt; it so much you'll tend to overdo.  You'll have the prettiest lawn edges around.  Weeds will run from you, grins!  I am able to use this to weed in between shrubs and perennials and flowers but I am quite good, snickers. I was thinking of going into competition, I am serious!  Trimming the edges of lawns for instance with the machine in blade mode or upside down I could run backwards cutting only grass absolutely perfectly.  Some guys did it going forward but going backward gave me the most control.  Weird, I know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this helps.  You will love this tool.  Oh, when you get your new machine make those guys that sell it to you break it down, show you the filters, get replacement filters, purchase a reel of STAR shaped line (each head has it's own diameter and they are fairly common among different machines)...I've forgotten the number but they will show you the proper diameter. Get a bunch of premeasured 2 cycle oil, a dedicated gas tank for mixing.  Get a 'stationary' head instead of the 'bump and go'...sounds so nice but NOT.  The line never comes out at perfect lengths, the shield actually is used to 'cut' the lengths but when you get more proficient with weed wacking and edging you should get rid of the shield.  You want to be able to see right where you are cutting.  You'll have to be very wary of your down line at all times.  That shield gives the false impression of safety.  Make sure you get a couple of pairs of safety glasses.  I liked the yellow.  The shaded makes it too hard to see, my opinion.  And safety glasses do look cool.  Far better than an eye patch!  I had 2 of my guys ruin an eye apiece.  As the foreman I had to make them put their seatbelts on in the trucks, make sure they wore their glasses and ear protection.  2 guys at separate times went around the corner out of sight of the padrona or jeffa to take their glasses off!  Then off to the emergency room, ruining our route timing (sorry we had a Hitler for a boss) and two weeks later another one did the same even after watching what his compadre had gone through.  Sigh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another 'I told you so' moment only not so funny to see the world through one eye.  Let me know if I can clarify anything.  This is hard to show through words.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-11T18:39:04.777" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T18:39:04.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33163" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-11T19:35:02.440" Score="2" ViewCount="98" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does a sprinkler system by the foundation of a house attract subterranean termites up into the house?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I heard subterranean termites (at least in the desert) come out of the ground at night to seek water. Does that mean I should set the sprinkler system to run at sundown, so they don't have to come up for water? Would that keep the termites underground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastEditorUserId="7441" LastEditDate="2017-05-11T19:41:51.023" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T19:41:51.023" Title="Does a sprinkler system by a house attract termites?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33164" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-11T19:50:10.987" Score="2" ViewCount="6766" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to plant two pecan trees. When I plant them, they'll just be pretty small, but will have an ultimate width of between 75 and 100 feet years from now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Due to flooding issues, I would like to raise them up 8-12&quot;, and to prevent dirt from being washed away, I intend to essentially make an wooden raised bed, 2 1/2 ft square, 8-12&quot; tall, and plant the tree on the top of that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm hoping the root system as it grows will grow down and then spread out, but I wanted to double check that the roots won't be damaged by the constraints of the wooden raised bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Worse comes to worse, I can just unscrew and remove the raised bed after three years or so, but &lt;strong&gt;my question has to do with me leaving the raised bed boards permently in place.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I plant a tree in a open-bottomed raised bed, even if it's from a larger tree species?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17000" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T19:50:10.987" Title="Can I plant a large tree in a raised bed?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33165" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-11T22:00:24.443" Score="3" ViewCount="144" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a plant which was in too low of light and not sufficient drainage.  After repotting with better soil and good drainage new leaves are coming out and soil is drying up nicely between watering.  What I am wondering is if I should trim/prune the old damaged leaves or leave them be?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p7C1E.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p7C1E.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;IMG0&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2974" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T22:00:24.443" Title="Trim water damaged leaves?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33166" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33198" CreationDate="2017-05-11T22:51:21.130" Score="3" ViewCount="126" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants native to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran%20Desert&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sonoran Desert&lt;/a&gt; require watering every 6 months. The following plant, which I am not sure is native to the Sonoran Desert or not, was found to thrive in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran%20Desert&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sonoran Desert&lt;/a&gt; solely off rain.* What is the following plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;*Drip system piping can be seen in this picture, but the system was not on for the past year.&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t1e98.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t1e98.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shub #1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;closeup:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UUjKM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UUjKM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shub #1 closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this the same plant?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YajBP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YajBP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shrub #7&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastEditorUserId="7441" LastEditDate="2017-05-11T23:44:02.617" LastActivityDate="2021-04-25T12:24:39.437" Title="What is this red flower which survives in the Sonoran Desert naturally?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33167" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35281" CreationDate="2017-05-11T23:36:04.753" Score="3" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants native to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran%20Desert&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sonoran Desert&lt;/a&gt; require watering every 6 months. The following perennial plant, which I am not sure is native to the Sonoran Desert, was found to thrive in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran%20Desert&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sonoran Desert&lt;/a&gt; solely off rain. What is this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(not flowering yet)&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e59iz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e59iz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shub #2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T16:19:18.900" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T17:50:41.627" Title="What is this perennial plant which survives in the Sonoran Desert naturally?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33168" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-11T23:38:03.177" Score="3" ViewCount="64" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants native to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran%20Desert&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sonoran Desert&lt;/a&gt; require watering every 6 months. The following plant, which I am not sure is native to the Sonoran Desert or not, was found to thrive in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran%20Desert&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sonoran Desert&lt;/a&gt; solely off rain.* What is this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;*Drip system piping can be seen in these pictures, but the system was not on for the past year.&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QDX9O.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QDX9O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shrub #3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;closeup:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kHlzh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kHlzh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shrub #3 closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastEditorUserId="7441" LastEditDate="2017-05-11T23:45:51.983" LastActivityDate="2017-05-11T23:45:51.983" Title="What is this shrub which survives in the Sonoran Desert naturally?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33169" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33173" CreationDate="2017-05-11T23:39:44.357" Score="4" ViewCount="241" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants native to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran%20Desert&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sonoran Desert&lt;/a&gt; require watering every 6 months. The following plant, which I am not sure is native to the Sonoran Desert or not, was found to thrive in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran%20Desert&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sonoran Desert&lt;/a&gt; solely off rain. What is this flower?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one is like a ground-cover:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iAHDM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iAHDM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shrub #4&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;This closeup shows it has cross-pollinated with a similar, but yellow, flower &gt;100' away:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wiAqA.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wiAqA.png&quot; alt=&quot;Shrub #4 closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastEditorUserId="7441" LastEditDate="2017-05-11T23:46:05.993" LastActivityDate="2017-06-24T15:52:09.000" Title="What is this ground-cover flower which survives in the Sonoran Desert naturally?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33161" CreationDate="2017-05-11T23:40:47.017" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The closest I've been able to get is Ilex verticillata, Winterberry.  This is a difficult one to find on the internet&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JzbcY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Winterberry pic&quot;&gt;  My goodness; evergreen shrub, ovate/obovate, entire edges, alternate leaves, white 6 petaled flower.  Other sites say this leaf is serrated?  I can only spend so much time doing this, so OCD!!  So this is not a hard and fast ID at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.delawarewildflowers.org/images/ilex_verticillata.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.delawarewildflowers.org/images/ilex_verticillata.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-01-31T11:19:46.440" LastActivityDate="2019-01-31T11:19:46.440" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="33171" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33177" CreationDate="2017-05-11T23:41:51.837" Score="4" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants native to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran%20Desert&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sonoran Desert&lt;/a&gt; require watering every 6 months. The following plant, which I am not sure is native to the Sonoran Desert or not, was found to thrive in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran%20Desert&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sonoran Desert&lt;/a&gt; solely off rain. What is this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lwVoH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lwVoH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shrub #5&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastEditorUserId="7441" LastEditDate="2017-05-11T23:48:29.957" LastActivityDate="2019-05-13T18:16:16.247" Title="What is this yellow flower which survives in the Sonoran Desert naturally?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33172" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-11T23:43:03.803" Score="3" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants native to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran%20Desert&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sonoran Desert&lt;/a&gt; require watering every 6 months. The following plant, which I am not sure is native to the Sonoran Desert or not, was found to thrive in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran%20Desert&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sonoran Desert&lt;/a&gt; solely off rain. What is this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this an offshoot of a tree? It sprung up right next to the trunk a young (albeit dead or dormant) tree:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FLAA1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FLAA1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shrub #6&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastEditorUserId="7441" LastEditDate="2017-05-12T02:30:04.857" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T02:30:04.857" Title="Is this an offshoot of a tree or a separate plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33173" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33169" CreationDate="2017-05-12T00:22:19.700" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is distinctive enough for me to offer: American Red Bush Lantana.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jABOH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jABOH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lantana&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;(&lt;em&gt;Image courtesy &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1752/american-red-bush-lantana/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Monrovia&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lantana&lt;/a&gt; come in many colours and it is quite normal to have two or more on the same flower head.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-06-24T15:52:09.000" LastActivityDate="2017-06-24T15:52:09.000" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33175" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5089" CreationDate="2017-05-12T03:52:39.457" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can assure you from years of experience in landscaping that running to the government (local or not) is NOT the answer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One person that I know of who did this had his property labeled as a WETLAND and then was required by law NOT to drain it!!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Boggy condition plants will indeed help to dry out a boggy area. They are not likely to completely dry it out because there is a continuous supply of water.  They can turn a wet area into a damp area.  You want to be careful of deep rooting plants as they can eventually cause you root problems.  Try grasses and ferns that are viable in the soils conditions you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17486" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-05-12T07:31:39.283" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T07:31:39.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33171" CreationDate="2017-05-12T05:46:14.497" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to be Tecoma stans like pnuts said in the comments. It has serrated leaves. Plus, it's on &lt;a href=&quot;http://sonoransun.blogspot.com/2013_07_01_archive.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a page with a Sonoran Desert theme.&lt;/a&gt; The leaves in the picture look narrower than yours, but with an image search you can find that many appear to have broader leaves. They have the trumpet-shaped, yellow flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other plants with flowers similar to yours include Honeysuckle, Angel's Trumpet, and the Emu plant mentioned in another answer. Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia genus) also can have yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers, and it has serrated leaves; it's native to tropical areas, though. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.arizonensis.org/sonoran/fieldguide/plantae/acleisanthes_longiflora.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;There's an unrelated plant with the same name that can be found (rarely) in the Sonoran Desert, but that kind looks a lot different&lt;/a&gt;. It's possible that Brugmansia plants could grow ferral there, though (but more research is needed). Emu bush doesn't appear to have similar leaves, but it can have similar yellow flowers. Honeysuckle looks too different.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-05-12T06:28:14.977" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T06:28:14.977" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2017-05-12T05:46:14.497" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33178" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33179" CreationDate="2017-05-12T06:39:25.277" Score="5" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tree about 5m high. Temperate, moderately continental climate (winters below freezing, so it can overwinter). It has these pretty flowers, but I've no clue about botany and nobody to ask. Please help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wKwvM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wKwvM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17488" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T06:53:56.053" Title="Please help to identify tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33179" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33178" CreationDate="2017-05-12T06:53:56.053" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;So distinctive I think it &lt;em&gt;has&lt;/em&gt; to be &lt;em&gt;Cercis canadensis&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E0aQy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E0aQy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cercis&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;(&lt;em&gt;Image courtesy &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercis_canadensis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Greg Hume&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T06:53:56.053" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33180" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33003" CreationDate="2017-05-12T07:34:41.053" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would be careful about buying pre-mixed fertilizers without researching them (and how the chemicals interact with each other). Sometimes, they add two ingredients wherein one makes the other less useful. Studying up on chemical salts and how they respond to each other can help you to make a better decision if you're going to get pre-mixed fertilizers. I also recommend learning which chemical salts kill beneficial microbes (e.g. potassium chloride and calcium nitrate) and soil flora.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't see any mention of nitrogen levels on the test (just recommendations of how much to add). That would seem kind of unusual, I suppose, but as you're dealing with grass, and you're adding both calcium and potassium, then adding a reasonable portion of nitrogen probably isn't going to hurt, even if you don't need it per se (unless it's very high).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wood ash contains a fair amount of potassium and calcium. I'm not sure how grass responds to it, but tomatoes sure seem to enjoy some. Wood ash will raise your soil pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Greensand is often thought to be high in potassium, and although it does add some, it doesn't add very much; it's probably more helpful for adding silica and changing soil structure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bone meal is a natural source of calcium (and other minerals) and phosphorus. I think it may be slow-release. However, if you're getting it to be natural, realize that the stuff they fed the cows whose bones are being used may or may not meet your approval.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost can be a good natural source of nitrogen, nutrients and beneficial microbes. Again, if you're composting stuff that isn't organic (e.g. treated with pesticides etc.), some of that may still be in your compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I might recommend adding some monoammonium phosphate (you can get granular as well as water soluble). That should add a little nitrogen and a lot of phosphorus. It's not approved for organic gardening, but it seems to be one of the better and safer forms of phosphorus, as far as I've found.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Monopotassium phosphate is great for adding both phosphorus and potassium. It's also not approved for organic gardening and is also one of the better and safer forms of phosphorus, as far as I've found.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potassium sulfate is good for just potassium. There are forms available that are supposed to be suitable for organic gardening, and there are forms that are not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've ordered monoammonium phosphate (both the granular and water soluble forms) and monopotassium phosphate before from &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.greenwaybiotech.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Greenway Biotech's website&lt;/a&gt; (fast and free shipping; their products seem quite pure and effective). I've ordered AlphaChemicals brand potassium sulfate from Amazon and eBay (mine was purer on Amazon than eBay). I've had good results with all four of these for garden plants (much better than results I've had with pre-mixed fertilizers). I haven't tried these things on lawns, but I thought you might appreciate the information anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried ammonium sulfate and urea from Greenway Biotech's site, too, for nitrogen; the ammonium sulfate has faster and stronger results, in my experience (and is advertized as being good for lawns), but both work better used together on all the plants I've used them both ways with. You might be tempted to use nitrate fertilizers, but be aware there are a lot of issues you might like to know about with those (like toxicity, killing beneficial microbes, stimulating weed germination, and interacting with other fertilizers). However calcium nitrate would add both calcium and nitrogen, and there are likely lots of fertilizer components that interact with others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;AlphaChemicals seems to claim their potassium sulfate is certified for organic gardening (although I haven't been able to verify this). That's the only reason I'd buy their potassium sulfate over Greenway Biotech's, but Greenway Biotech is my favorite place to get fertilizer components and plant nutrients. They have a lot of stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I've tried from Greenway Biotech all seemed very pure and good (buying directly from their website, rather than Amazon, is nice because they give free two-day shipping by default, and you know for sure it's really the company it claims to be; Amazon's great, and I shop there a lot, but sometimes you have to be careful of companies that seem to be the real company, but actually aren't).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Speaking of purity, you might want to study how various fertilizers or fertilizer components are made (some may be contaminated with such as fluoride or heavy metals due to the process). I researched that sort of thing for a good while before I decided on monopotassium phosphate and monoammonium phosphate for my go-to phosphorus fertilizers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're worried about phosphate fertilizers leaching into the water table, then get the granular kind, which isn't meant to dissolve in water, per se. You may want to get more of it, though (in my experience, it's easier to use up the granular kind faster). If you have a clay-type soil, I imagine phosphorus leaching to the water table might not be as big of an issue as with a soil that drains super fast. I imagine clay filters more phosphorus out, but I could be wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rock phosphate is another non-water-soluble source of phosphorus. Plants seem to like it, but you'd get a lot more phosphorus from one of the phosphate fertilizers I mentioned above (and there are probably fewer heavy metals in them, too). It's slow-release.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Worm castings can add microbes to help bring out the natural phosphorus in your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dolomite lime should add both calcium and magnesium as another answerer said. It will raise your pH (and that's usually what people use lime for).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, which also might interest you for magnesium. I'm not sure it's an ideal form, though (at least in our soil), but lots of people tout it for plants as being awesome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basalt rockdust has plenty of calcium (and other minerals, especially silica), although I'm not sure how grass likes it offhand. &lt;a href=&quot;http://store.rockdustlocal.com/BrixBlend-Humate-25-lbs_p_17.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The kind with humic acid added&lt;/a&gt; is probably going to have better results to start with (although I haven't tried it), but I have tried &lt;a href=&quot;http://store.rockdustlocal.com/Microfine-Basalt-32-lbs_p_14.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the microfine kind&lt;/a&gt;, which is pretty cool, and the regular kind (the latter two at least, will raise your pH, however).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't studied the fertilization and nutrient needs of grass much, but this should help you know some alternative sources for fertilizer components and minerals. I definitely recommend reading more about it, as there's assuredly much more to learn (especially as lawns are so common that there is probably a wealth of ideas and information available).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-05-12T09:11:26.257" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T09:11:26.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33157" CreationDate="2017-05-12T07:52:07.883" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stormy at a nice and generic answer. You must read it, but I complement it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your question is difficult to answer because you have the wrong assumption.&#xA;I found the packet grass the most difficult thing to cut with trimmer, not the weeds with larger diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should care about the power of the string trimmers. A powerful trimmer can maintain constant velocity of the strings, so it can trim more dense things.  For the size/diameter of string, it depends on what you trim. Note: like the wheel on cars, the size and weight matter. A less powerful trimmer cannot give enough (constant) speed to thick and long string.  So power is important, than the thickness depends on how long the string should be (long: less trimming, but more pebbles (you will fell them on evening, on your legs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is disadvantages with power: larger so more weight (you will feel it at evening if you use it whole day), and it use more gas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have two trimmers and various heads:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the string head for normal use. I find not much difference on type of string, but on consumption (and thus lifetime)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a metallic head (form of a 4 edge star, so with &quot;4 blades&quot;) for dense grass and weeds (but no woody or peddles/stones/rocks). This is much more speedy but also it could break if there is some stronger material&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a saw like head (12 or 20 &quot;blades&quot;). I use this for woody things. Also this is delicate (so no stones around) and I feel that lack of power of my trimmer: it take time before it get full speed. I use it seldom&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I would recommend to buy a powerful string trimmer with a normal head, and when you find that you need more (and you have the right condition) you could buy some extra heads.  Check that your trimmer allows extra heads (and BTW this is also an indication of having enough power).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T07:52:07.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33182" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33183" CreationDate="2017-05-12T13:29:14.430" Score="4" ViewCount="814" Body="&lt;p&gt;A while back, I planted a patch of daffodils in my lawn. I've regretted it ever since when I have to mow around the plants after they've bloomed, it looks a mess with only the leaves after the blooms have gone and the grass suffers after the leaves have gone, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When is the best time to fork-up the bulbs and transplant them to a border? They're still in-leaf at the moment so it'll be easier to find the little jokers but should I wait until all the 'goodness' has returned to the bulb?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17490" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-12T14:56:14.880" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T14:56:14.880" Title="When is the best time to move daffodil bulbs?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;daffodils&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33183" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33182" CreationDate="2017-05-12T13:48:18.013" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Transplant-Daffodils&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;wikiHow&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Divide and transplant daffodils at the end of the growing season.&lt;/strong&gt; Wait until the growing season is over before you begin. When the growing season is over, the foliage will wither away and turn yellow or brown. This usually happens in the late spring or early summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wait much later in the year you may not be able to find your daffodils, as the plant will be dormant and any visible signs of it hidden under the ground. Because of this, try to take action when there’s still some of the plant visible above ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(ie exactly as you thought - though, in my opinion, you should be more tolerant of them where they are! Tying the leaves in a knot/s may mitigate some of the untidiness.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T13:48:18.013" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33184" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33201" CreationDate="2017-05-12T14:59:41.293" Score="3" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small tree on my property that looks likes its a bit overgrown to me. Does this need pruning? Any recommendations on how I should tackle it? Does it need a light pruning or a heavy pruning?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FehFw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FehFw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16926" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T21:26:34.670" Title="Small tree pruning recommendations" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5089" CreationDate="2017-05-12T15:07:15.210" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you planted a whole bunch of trees, and gave them extra potassium, it might help (potassium helps plants to absorb water). I think sheer number of plants is going to help more than planting a small number of the perfect plants/trees (although that may still help, depending on &lt;em&gt;how&lt;/em&gt; wet it is). The more plants you have, the more water should be used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lots of broad leaves on mature plants seems to increase the amount of water that plants use (especially if it's windy). So, thirsty, broad-leaved plants may help (especially if they're not designed to trap humidity in the leaves—flat leaves, as opposed to leaves with dips and pockets inside, should work best, but it really depends on the plant, too). The bigger they are (the more leaf surface area is exposed), the more water they should use. Of course, one problem with the broad leaves, is they'll probably block the ground and/or sun to help keep the ground damp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mulberries have extensive root systems that could probably use up a lot of water, especially considering how big the trees are and the abundant, broad leaves. They can be drought-tolerant, but it seems they like water, too (I'm not sure about swamps, though). You wouldn't want to plant these by a house or a sidewalk, though (as the roots may disturb them, and fallen berries may get on people's shoes, and stain carpets—unless they're a non-staining mulberry).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A web search seems to indicate that &lt;a href=&quot;https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&amp;amp;d=PRP19180921.2.16&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;alfalfa might be a good choice for a swamp&lt;/a&gt;. Apparently, Californian's who grow alfalfa are sometimes criticized, due to how much water it takes. I'm not sure how much it'll help, but it's a thought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-05-12T15:24:13.170" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T15:24:13.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33186" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-12T15:53:58.503" Score="3" ViewCount="833" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay so I've done this a couple times but it never seems to work. I've tried doing it just in water but it died of transplant shock and too little sun. Then I've tried outside in soil (topping soil I think) and I'm trying the slipping method at the moment. I will soon be moving so I need an almost guaranteed method to do this. I will buy what I need but what am I supposed to do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17491" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-04T18:46:20.230" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T18:46:20.230" Title="How can I root honeysuckle in water?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;water&gt;&lt;honeysuckle&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33187" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33186" CreationDate="2017-05-12T16:25:36.780" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I take it your &lt;em&gt;Lonicera&lt;/em&gt; is not growing in a pot (or you would just take it with you) so suggest upping your chances of success by trying three different approaches:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=358&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Layering.&lt;/a&gt; Might be slow.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Softwood cutting/s: Remove &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=307&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;from the parent plant with a heel, pulling off the stem with a ‘tail’ of bark from the previous season’s growth. The heel is then dipped in hormone rooting compound.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leaf bud cuttings (my preference). Details &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/chiwonlee/plsc368/student/papers03/pmurdock/propagationofhoneysucklevine.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I would have expected &quot;in water&quot; to work well, given a succulent young shoot (taken early in the day is advised) but presume you are not keen to try that again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T16:25:36.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33188" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33190" CreationDate="2017-05-12T16:28:03.000" Score="3" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've transplanted a tomato plant into a bigger pot recently. I noticed that it has brown leafs. One big, in the picture and a few small spots. &#xA;What is this? This plants grows indoors and is already producing fruit.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jzuNu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jzuNu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE ON PLANT:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;The plant is doing just fine. Brown stuff turned into veru bright brown, and didn't grow or anything. Same with the bottom spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="17223" LastEditDate="2017-05-20T06:06:41.247" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T06:06:41.247" Title="brown leafs on tomato" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33189" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-12T17:00:58.480" Score="3" ViewCount="149" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ok so today I was loosening up dirt with my pickaxe when I noticed tons of little orange, what looked to be; seedlings of some sort. They are orange and small and are in clumps together and I have a picture - &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Bcop.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Bcop.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The image is a bit blurry so I took another one that is not much better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rc5C4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rc5C4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If anyone could identify these for me that would be great!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17492" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T21:43:06.490" Title="What are these seeds?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33188" CreationDate="2017-05-12T17:16:17.047" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the rest of the plant is healthy and it is producing fruit, I would not worry about it.  Leaves do try out or turn brown so I personally would not be concerned but keep a close eye to see if other symptoms appear.  I would also pluck off that leaf.  I am assuming you are watering and fertilizing regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T17:16:17.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33191" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33214" CreationDate="2017-05-12T18:37:11.397" Score="4" ViewCount="41" Body="&lt;p&gt;I hate mowing. Is there a nice looking, economical ground cover I can put in my yard that I can replace my grass with in NE Indiana that doesn't get very tall, ideally something that would propagate well enough to outdo the local flora? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm on a quarter acre, mostly full sun with maybe 1/10 of an acre in shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13875" LastEditorUserId="13875" LastEditDate="2017-05-15T12:08:58.787" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T12:08:58.787" Title="NE Indiana groundcover" Tags="&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33192" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33197" CreationDate="2017-05-12T18:46:47.510" Score="2" ViewCount="769" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to identify and kill the weed shown in the image below and pointed out by the red arrows. It has very thing leaves compared to the St. Augustine grass and has these puffy type seed sprouts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this weed? What is the best way to kill it in St. Augustine grass?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks! Any help is much appreciated as this weed is starting to really take over. I am worried it is starting to choke out the grass :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YUvD7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YUvD7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16501" LastActivityDate="2018-07-11T00:04:43.087" Title="Please help me Identify this weed and what herbicide can I use to get rid of it in St. Augustine Grass" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33193" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33194" CreationDate="2017-05-12T19:43:18.733" Score="3" ViewCount="838" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I'm not sure of the species of this shrub but as you can see in the images a good portion of it has become brown and appears dead. Do I prune off the brown parts or do I leave it and hope they come back? I'm just concerned the shrub will die and admittedly do not possess the best green thumb so seeking advice from someone more knowledgeable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jG5NA.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jG5NA.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13691" LastEditorUserId="13691" LastEditDate="2017-05-12T19:58:37.090" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T20:13:34.220" Title="Do you prune the brown on a shrub?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33194" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33193" CreationDate="2017-05-12T20:13:34.220" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, that was quick!  Definitely cut the dead material out.  Is this ONE plant that has died or is this a branch of the whole?  I am guessing this is Taxus densiflora or Taxus c. repandens.  A yew. The only conifer that thrives in shade.  Very toxic, especially the berries just don't allow kiddies or doggies to eat it.  Wonderful plant.  When did you plant this guy?  Cut that dead stuff out for sure.  If anymore of that plant starts to turn brown let us know as that could indicate a larger problem.  Otherwise it could just be a compromised branch that was broken or bent when planted or someone stepped on this guy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a picture of that branch by pulling the foliage away so we are able to see where the dead starts and the live part ends.  Use alcohol on your pruners before and after just in case this is a disease, you don't want to spread the disease nor do you want to inject a disease.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T20:13:34.220" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33195" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33191" CreationDate="2017-05-12T20:18:21.513" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Too long for a Comment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At &lt;a href=&quot;https://turfhub.com/product-category/landscape-turf/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;around $2.50/sq.ft&lt;/a&gt; (+ delivery, installation, infill ....) artificial grass is not (initially) economical but is reckoned to pay back in ~6-7 years. &lt;a href=&quot;http://householdquotes.co.uk/price-of-artificial-grass/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;More details&lt;/a&gt; in GBP. The tendency is for the highest prices to be for the products that are most lawnlike (eg variegated colour, size of 'blades' and springiness).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The high initial cost is partly because the product can look quite realistic (just a bit &quot;too perfect&quot;!) – not at all like AstroTurf (except perhaps if seen from an aircraft).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even weeds will grow in it (but are easy to remove), adding to the appearance of the real thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The prevalence of grass (or slabs, tarmac, paving …) is indication that there really are not many alternatives. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=281&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Chamomile lawns&lt;/a&gt; do exist but they are not durable in areas of heavy traffic and are not completely free of maintenance even where the location is suitable (for soil, moisture etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that the cost is mostly upfront it might be considered a property enhancement rather than a liability at time of sale of a house – cutting the grass is not the preferred activity for most people!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Life expectancy should be at least 15 years (of little or no weeding, no watering/sprinkler system, no need for a lawn mower/fuel, ...) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T20:18:21.513" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33196" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-12T20:25:08.600" Score="3" ViewCount="556" Body="&lt;p&gt;The beans (pole beans) that I save to plant the following year always end up with multiple holes from bugs by the time spring rolls around. The beans still sprout and grow fine, but I'd rather not have the bugs. I gather up quite a few beans at the end of the season and stash them in an envelope in the garage over the winter (mild calif. temperatures). No pests are visible when I put away the seeds in the fall, so I guess the eggs are hiding in the beans from the beginning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the internet, it seems that they might be &quot;weevils&quot;.  Many internet sites on how to save seeds, but I haven't seen one that tells how to stop bean bugs. Have found advice to put seeds (in general) in freezer to kill pests, but they also mention beans in specific may be harmed or killed by freezing unless extremely dry. (Dry enough to &quot;shatter&quot;: I don't think mine ever get &lt;em&gt;that&lt;/em&gt; dry).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any tips how to get my seed beans clean &amp;amp; bug free? Just to be clear, I am not trying to get rid of any kind of infestation in the garden while it is growing. I just don't like the aesthetics of opening my seed envelope in the spring and finding the beans riddled with holes and a thick layer of insect droppings, powdered bean dust &amp;amp; maybe dead bugs at the bottom. Even though the beans do germinate and produce just fine, and I don't see the bugs alive in the garden during the summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17493" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-05-15T06:16:15.853" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T06:16:15.853" Title="How kill bugs/eggs on beans for planting" Tags="&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33192" CreationDate="2017-05-12T20:32:24.937" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a sedge.  I am not familiar with warm season grasses but boy howdy am having to learn more about them.  Ugh.  I'd hate to have to have a lawn 'down south'...cool season grasses are far more controllable as they are so different in needs to the weeds we normally have.  Sedge is a water lover. It is also a 'grassy weed' so controlling sedge will be tough to do.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First thing, I would mow that lawn short!  Get rid of those seeds.  In fact I am unable to think of other maintenance practices...other than, sigh, preemergence chemicals.  They stop the germination of these seeds which are more than likely in your neighbor's yards and will continue to be a problem.  If your entire lawn is healthy, you don't live on a slope where this stuff will leach away and off your property, there are herbicides called pre-emergent chemicals to stop seeds from germinating.  Here with cool season grasses we can keep our lawns mowed on high to minimize light to the seeds.  We are also able to allow the soil to dry out in between waterings as our grasses have deep roots and we are able to promote their depth...weeds usually have shallow roots.  Easy peasy.  But you've got a weed, actually, for a grass crop...that needs the same things your sedge weed needs...lots of shallow waterings, mowed short.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Go check at a good nursery with professionals that understand your grasses and the need to control these weeds.  Can't believe this is the first time I've advised to use pre emergent herbicide but unless someone else more knowledgeable than mesef with your warm season grasses has a better idea then you need to shop for a pre emergent herbicide.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get those seeds off of those plants.  Mow short short short and bag the clippings to put in your compost pile.  Bag your clippings with those seeds most definitely.  Best and firstus.  Find someone who knows about herbicides for your lawn in your area that will stop these seeds from 'emerging' or germinating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T20:32:24.937" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33198" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33166" CreationDate="2017-05-12T20:33:24.030" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;These pictures are all oleander. I hear it is quite poisonous (to eat). Don't know where it is native to, but it is super-hardy, and the California Department of Transportation loves to plant it along the freeways, because it is very drought-resistant. I'm sure its drought tolerance is part of the reason.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17494" LastEditorUserId="7441" LastEditDate="2021-04-25T12:24:39.437" LastActivityDate="2021-04-25T12:24:39.437" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="33199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33196" CreationDate="2017-05-12T20:50:35.580" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without a picture all I can do is offer my knee jerk reaction to your question.  There is a short period where the Flea Beetle is prolific.  Tiny tiny shot holes? The best way to deal with these guys is to plant a TRAP crop nearby, somewhere in your garden.  They LOVE mustards and young brassicas. They will munch on these for a few weeks leaving your 'cash' crop of pole beans alone.  Otherwise they don't do that much harm and your pole beans will recover as these guys will disappear in a few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to answer your question, without pictures and more information and guessing this is the flea beetle, those insects disappear and will reappear without any help from you every season.  Your seeds will not be introducing this insect.  Plant a trap crop (I make a 'salad bowl' bed with all kinds of lettuces, radish, carrots, spinach, mustards, kale) that I swear these little guys love to eat and never bother my beans, even my broccoli/cauliflower...or anything else.  Kind of cool.  I mix all my salad green seeds in a shaker and shake over the top of a prepared bed to enjoy salad stuff all season long as well as feed the flea beetle for a few weeks..&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/03JKP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/03JKP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my salad bowl bed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-12T20:58:55.960" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T20:58:55.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33196" CreationDate="2017-05-12T21:14:16.167" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Against Bean Weevil (&lt;em&gt;Acanthoscelides obtectus&lt;/em&gt;) &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantwise.org/KnowledgeBank/Datasheet.aspx?dsid=2503&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plantwise Knowledge Bank&lt;/a&gt; say:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;    &lt;p&gt;Cultural Control and Sanitary Methods&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Good store hygiene plays an important role in limiting infestation by&#xA;  this species. The removal of infested residues from last season's&#xA;  harvest is essential. When small lots of beans are stored, daily&#xA;  turning of the storage container can significantly reduce infestation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;    &lt;p&gt;Chemical Control&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Due to the variable regulations around (de-)registration of&#xA;  pesticides, we are for the moment not including any specific chemical&#xA;  control recommendations. For further information, we recommend you&#xA;  visit the following resources:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;EU pesticides database (www.ec.europa.eu/sanco_pesticides/public/index.cfm)  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;PAN pesticide database (www.pesticideinfo.org)  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Your national pesticide guide&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T21:14:16.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33201" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33184" CreationDate="2017-05-12T21:26:34.670" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trees in the care of humans NEED pruning for health and aesthetics.  When out there in the forest no one would care if the tree died because of an infection caused by rubbing branches, too tight of a canopy that causes fungus, growing too close to other trees so they are limited in resources...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If we plant them we most certainly should help them be the best they can be.  This is a great tree and size to prune.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Number one: Pull that bark away from the base.  Make sure that only the roots are beneath the soil, keep soil and mulch away from the trunk of your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Number two: Clean your BYPASS pruners with alcohol and sharpen with a file.  Do that with a pruning saw as well for anything over an inch in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Number three:  Remove all branches that grow to the inside of your tree versus outward.  Leave no stumps of branches.  Cut them cleanly off right at the main branch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Number four:  Remove all branches that are drastically smaller in diameter in relation to their main branch.  An inch thick branch with 1/4 inch branchlets for instance.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Number five: Remove all branches or at least one of two branches that are touching each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Number six:  Remove all branches that look wimpy and don't have healthy leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Number seven:  Chose a leader.  The main stem that will form the natural form of your tree.  When you get your tree thinned using the above six numbers, send a picture of the remaining large branches and I can guide you from there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get a smallish tarp; 10X10 feet?  Throw your branches and debris on this tarp as you work to drag away to compost or dispose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stand back and LOOK at your tree as you work, take a sip of water or whatever. What is this tree btw?  Send better pictures of leaves, buds...what color/kind of flowers have you seen on this tree.  Ask your nursery what it was that you bought.  All trees have a very identifiable form that should be honored unless you want to drive yourself crazy making an artificial form.  Never HEAD a tree unless to remove weight from a too long branch.  You will be thinning this tree.  The rule is to never remove more than a third of the vegetation or photosynthetic growth per season.  Less is better but from what I see you won't have to worry about that.  When unsure about a cut.  Don't.  Send a picture instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send a picture of the bottom of your trunk after pulling the mulch back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T21:26:34.670" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33202" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-12T22:58:21.027" Score="3" ViewCount="1234" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a large mature cherry tree. It produced cherries just fine the first two years we were in this house. We had someone come out and trim the tree the third year (wasn't too happy with their job) and since then it doesn't produce very well. The vast majority of them fall off at an early stage. The ground will be covered with stems and the small beginnings of a cherry. At first I thought it was just shock or something from the year it was trimmed (it wasn't trimmed too heavily) but this is the start of the third year since that happened and they are still dropping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may not have anything to do with the trimming, that's just the only thing I can think of that was different since previous years. The tree had also been infected with Western Cherry Fruit Fly (we didn't really notice it until the second year, but it most likely had been like that since long before we moved in to the house).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture of the tree in question:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L2slR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L2slR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here is what is dropping. There are literally hundreds, if not more of these all over the ground, this is just a small sample:&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QKYDY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QKYDY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see, it doesn't look like blossoms, so much as nascent cherries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17008" LastEditorUserId="17008" LastEditDate="2017-05-14T18:09:44.947" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T18:09:44.947" Title="Why are the cherries dropping off my cherry tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32567" CreationDate="2017-05-12T23:04:52.097" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mint likes moist soil and will tolerate shade (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.almanac.com/plant/mint&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ref&lt;/a&gt;) so if the plant were mine I would cut back the unsightly part and then dunk the entire pot in a bucket of water for an hour or so. Then drain off the surplus, return to cache-pot and wait for fresh shoots - which should not take long (if all goes well!) as it grows fast (&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/fast-mint-spread-87205.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;four inches per month&quot;&lt;/a&gt;). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T23:04:52.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33202" CreationDate="2017-05-12T23:45:42.913" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The usual problem causing massive early fruit(-let) fall is that the blossoms did not get pollinated - so what's your local pollinator situation like? The bit that would have become the fruit falls off the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For sweet cherries, particularly, there's also a need in most varieties to have a companion tree that will pollinate them as many are self-sterile and there's a complex web of what will pollinate what successfully. But I don't know what type of cherry you have. If some other tree in the neighborhood was doing that job and was cut, it could make trouble for your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose it's just possible that your cherry had a pollinator grafted to it and your tree-trimmer trimmed that branch off, but given widespread problems with bees in recent years, I'm thinking that lower likelihood since you say it wasn't much of a trim.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-05-12T23:45:42.913" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28665" CreationDate="2017-05-13T03:11:47.030" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/lawn-care/lgen/reasons-for-dying-grass.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gardening Know How&lt;/a&gt; has advice on brown lawns, not all copied below as lack of water seems already recognised to be the cause:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;So can a brown lawn be saved? Depending on your particular circumstances, generally, yes. That being said, you should try and pinpoint what is causing the browning in the first place. &lt;strong&gt;Drought:&lt;/strong&gt; This a big problem across much of the country these days, and drought is one of the primary reasons for dying grass. Many people opt not to water their lawns during the summer, but this may be a mistake when there isn’t enough rain to keep the roots alive. Grass naturally goes dormant after two to three weeks without water, and most lawns can tolerate drought for four to six weeks, although it will turn brown. However, extended periods of hot, dry weather may kill the lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;How to revive a dead lawn? &lt;strong&gt;Bad news:&lt;/strong&gt; If the grass is totally dead due to drought, there’s no way to bring it back. However, reviving brown lawns that are simply dormant usually occurs within three to four weeks of regular irrigation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;completely beige dry grass&quot; might mean it is too late (say more than four weeks without water), might not, but &quot;not completely dry grass&quot; offers a little hope (if &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; is not (!) merely a typo for &lt;em&gt;now&lt;/em&gt;). Either way, water well to ensure the top four inches of soil is moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=417&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Royal Horticultural Society&lt;/a&gt; offers three methods for determining how long to sprinkle:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Method 1:&lt;/strong&gt; Ensure that the water reaches a depth of 10cm (4in) after each watering. Use a trowel to open a small test hole a few hours later to ensure the soil is sufficiently damp. By noting the duration of watering required to achieve this level of dampness, future irrigation can be more accurately applied.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Method 2:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;  The average hosepipe sprinkler delivers up to 900 litres (200gal) of water per hour. If it is assumed that the sprinkler covers an area&#xA;  of 9 sq m (97 sq ft), in one hour it delivers about 100 litres per sq.&#xA;  m (22gal per sq. yd). Even in June or July, one square metre (yard)&#xA;  only needs 20 litres (4½gal) every seven days. On that basis, 12&#xA;  minutes' steady sprinkling per 9 sq m (97 sq ft) should be enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Method 3:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;  In practice, sprinklers vary considerably in their area of coverage, so the number of minutes required may not be exactly 12. By spacing jam jars over the lawn to catch the water, total water delivery can be estimated.  Allowing the sprinkler to run until 2.5cm (1in) of water has been evenly collected in all the jars approximately equals the correct rate of water application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=417&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Water the lawn in early morning, evening or even night-time, to reduce water wastage from evaporation.&lt;/a&gt; Do so  “deeply and infrequently.” &lt;a href=&quot;http://yardcare.toro.com/maintain/how-to-maintain-the-grass-in-extreme-heat/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Water deeply to wet the entire root zone, and then do not water again until the grass is dry. To determine next watering time, simply “eye-it.” If it starts to look dry, then water. If you would like to be specific, water the hot spots (spots that get dry faster than the rest of the lawn) and then wait for the rest of the lawn to dry out.&#xA;While it is important to be adequate on hydration, do not water the grass daily. Lawns need only one-inch of water per week, including rainfall.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't cut the grass until it has recovered (if!), which should be in about three weeks (or not at all). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-13T03:11:47.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33206" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-13T04:01:54.463" Score="2" ViewCount="132" Body="&lt;p&gt;When the health of Aloe leaves closest to root deteriorates, like in this image, how does one revive it? I mean when the health of the leaf is not great.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image is not loadable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13774" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-05-13T13:46:35.747" LastActivityDate="2017-05-13T23:24:09.847" Title="Revive aloe plant" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33207" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-13T04:35:36.183" Score="3" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;I feel like every time I sow seed, the germination rate is really poor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in an extremely challenging climate, with 7&quot; of annual rain, dry and windy springs, scorching desert summers, freezing winters, and concrete-like bare earth that I'm desperately trying to cover in &lt;em&gt;something&lt;/em&gt;. Here are the methods I've tried over the past three years:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Throw seeds on bare earth (0% germination, seeds wasted)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Throw seeds on bare earth, then cover with 1/2&quot; of mulch (mulch blows away; 0% germination, seeds wasted)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Throw seeds on bare earth, then cover with 1&quot; of mulch (maybe 1% germination; most shoots can't penetrate the kind of heavy wood mulch that won't blow away in high wind)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Throw seeds on top of purchased compost or topsoil (maybe 5% germination)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Throw seeds on bare earth, then cover to maybe 1/8&quot; with purchased compost or topsoil (seems like maybe 20% germination)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Throw seeds on bare earth, then cover with a lot of topsoil (maybe 20% germination, and costs a lot of money in compost or topsoil)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mix seeds into purchased compost or topsoil and spread that around (seems like &gt; 25% germination, but extremely labor-intensive and expensive)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for what I'm seeding, it's all climate-appropriate tough native plants or introduced drought-hardy plants. Examples include Western Wheatgrass, Siberian Wheatgrass, Blue Grama Grass, Curly Mesquite grass, Purslane, and American Vetch. Some of these are not cheap, so the low germination rate is disappointing. When I do manage to get them to grow, they perform as expected and need no irrigation once established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm seeding in the spring or fall, and where I can, I water daily to keep the top inch or two moist while I'm trying to germinate them. Still, the results aren't great, especially in my very large backyard where I can't feasibly water. Is there some trick I'm missing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt; my goal is not to grow a lawn or anything silly like that, but to return the land to its native state: a scrubby high desert rangeland that looks more or less like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KebLD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KebLD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tEo58.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tEo58.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F4NKT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F4NKT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nBjjX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nBjjX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastEditorUserId="2874" LastEditDate="2017-05-13T20:53:08.963" LastActivityDate="2017-05-13T20:53:08.963" Title="How should I sow bulk seed on sun-baked concrete-like bare desert ground?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24140" CreationDate="2017-05-13T05:29:22.647" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;OP appears not to have revisited in just under a year and even some of the images provided at one time are no longer available so to patch together what facts we do have:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Terrain level has been effected by laying of replacement pipe – in particular, the location is now a low spot.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The tree was sold as French Lilac, so is presumably a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syringa_vulgaris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Syringa vulgaris&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, since &lt;em&gt;Galega officinalis&lt;/em&gt;, which shares the same common name, is a herbaceous plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It &lt;em&gt;started getting Kudzu growing around it&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kudzu seeds &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudzu#Propagation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;will successfully germinate only when soil is persistently soggy for five to seven days&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Kudzu modify the relative pore distribution in soil and hence &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/037811279190147N?via%3Dihub&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;freeing for plants even more water than in the original soil&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;There is a greenish white spot where the stem meets the tree.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syringa_vulgaris#Cultivation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;In late summer, lilacs can be attacked by powdery mildew, specifically &lt;em&gt;Erysiphe syringae&lt;/em&gt;, one of the Erysiphaceae.&lt;/a&gt; Also: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powdery_mildew#Lilacs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Microsphaera syringae&lt;/em&gt; is a fungus that can cause powdery mildew in lilac.&lt;/a&gt; (This is the same taxon as &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erysiphales&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Erysiphe syringae&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Powdery mildew &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/french-lilac-growing-information-22968.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;causes leaves to fall off and the shrub to look unattractive&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/french-lilac-growing-information-22968.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Once established, lilacs only require occasional watering.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In the first picture (though not the second) the smaller lilac appears to be partially shaded by the larger.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://grangettosgardenclub.com/life-cycle-and-management-of-powdery-mildew/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;When there is more rain or humid conditions we see more powdery mildew on our plants. The sudden change from wet or humid conditions to warmer, dry temperatures are perfect conditions for this fungus to grow. Warm temperatures and shady conditions encourage the fungus to grow and spread.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems at least plausible that the leaves have been shed in response to an attack of powdery mildew, brought about by an increase in soil humidity, probably attributable to the groundworks for the sewer replacement, and that poor drainage has contributed to poor growth (stunting) of the bush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Application of Miracle-Gro may be exacerbating matters with the added nitrogen encouraging tender, and more susceptible, leaf growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There does not appear to be room within the property boundary for a sump at a lower elevation but one at the same elevation might alleviate the problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-13T05:29:22.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33209" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33207" CreationDate="2017-05-13T08:26:03.493" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can germinate the seeds in a tray/box/container and when the seedlings are grown enough to be able to use their roots, plant them where desired. The downside of this method is that it requires more time and effort to transplant the seedlings than to sow them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-05-13T08:26:03.493" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33210" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28799" CreationDate="2017-05-13T09:10:16.470" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming (1) that the signs are indeed of Armillaria root disease (ie the Q to be answered is as the Title) and (2) &lt;em&gt;effective treatment&lt;/em&gt; here means of some beneficial impact (without necessarily achieving a complete cure) then according to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/fidls/armillaria/armillaria.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Forest Insect &amp;amp; Disease Leaflet 78&lt;/a&gt; by R.E. Williams, C.G. Shaw, III, P.M. Wargo, and W.H. Sites:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;chemical fumigants, including chloropicrin, methyl bromide, and carbon disulfide, can reduce the infection level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general however practical advice is to prefer reducing the stress on infected or at risk trees, for example by dealing with other pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-13T09:10:16.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33212" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33206" CreationDate="2017-05-13T13:14:28.853" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try describing how the leaves look. I agree with @pnuts, it could be too much water. Aloe needs a surprisingly low amount of water to live unless the terrain is particularly dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's also this great guide to troubleshooting plants, which can help you figure out what's wrong.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://greenhouse.kenyon.edu/troubleshooting.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://greenhouse.kenyon.edu/troubleshooting.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17500" LastActivityDate="2017-05-13T13:14:28.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33213" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-13T17:01:07.087" Score="3" ViewCount="474" Body="&lt;p&gt;New to the landscaping game. Planted a small lilac in my yard about a month ago and I am starting to see these spots on a majority of the leaves. Is this due to lack of water or nutrition?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fszpT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fszpT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11520" LastActivityDate="2017-05-13T17:55:23.857" Title="What are these spots on my lilac bush?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;lilac&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33214" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33191" CreationDate="2017-05-13T17:53:13.867" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've taken out lots of lawns to be replaced with all kinds of things.  Need to know how much sun and how much traffic this area will have.  One of the prettiest and most inexpensive replacements for a lawn was crushed gravel.  Not 5/8 minus but 3/8 minus, a finer texture...&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qMMrM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qMMrM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;gravel ground cover&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is landscape fabric below 4&quot; of 3/8 minus gravel.  These people had huge elk herds that would walk across their lawn and when they would come to a stop their sod would just bunch up in front of the elk hooves.  They got tired of it and I talked them into gravel and a 'peninsula' to break up the big expanse and boredom.  This is exactly what they do in Japan in all their parks, walks.  So many people, so much traffic they had to forget about grass.  They use a crushed granite which is even finer than 3/8 minus crushed but that is hard to find in the states and near a residence that has a habit of getting tracked indoors.  You'd want a good gas blower to blow leaves, needles the errant gravel off walks and patios but every one I talked into doing this loved it so much their neighbors insisted on having their back yards done. Front yards are under the auspices of the Home Owner Association that is strict with lawns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n4L4J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n4L4J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;little park with no lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-13T17:53:13.867" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33215" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33213" CreationDate="2017-05-13T17:55:23.857" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a disease caused by Alternaria that affects &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternaria#Species&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;many plant species&lt;/a&gt;. Apply a fungicide using precisely the concentration stated on the label and &lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/r3101611.html#MANAGEMENT&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;rotate the substances to avoid resistance&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-05-13T17:55:23.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33207" CreationDate="2017-05-13T18:18:10.813" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just answered the question posted above your question.  I would quit trying to grow a lawn and think about the gravel instead.  Where you want plants you need to make raised beds by double digging your soil, planting in that instead of hard baked ground.  The water will be able to penetrate and be absorbed by the soil, drain better and have more air that roots need to have to grow deep to go after the moisture as the top of the soil dries out. After plants are planted and watered deeply then you mulch a good 2 inches. Forget trying to grow anything via seed.  Water the beds deeply only after the top 2 inches dries out.  Do not water shallowly and everyday.  That only encourages shallow roots that make the plants very sensitive to missing a watering.  Allowing to dry out encourages the roots to grow deep so they are able to get the moisture that is still there (4-6&quot; deep).  Shallow watering also is wasteful in the desert.  Heat will cause fast evaporation at the top of the soil causing you to constantly water.  Deep watering working up to once per week or 1&quot; water per week is a lot less water than what what you have been using.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you tried using sod?  Are you in Arizona? Check the pictures I'll send you as well for an idea to consider.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fu3aK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fu3aK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3/8 minus gravel lawn with raised ornamental plant beds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-13T18:18:10.813" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33217" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="41178" CreationDate="2017-05-13T18:28:13.203" Score="3" ViewCount="330" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used several of these hole plugs:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zp9PQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zp9PQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;drip system hole plug&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, they are not sealing very well toward the end of the line (presumeably because the pressure builds up there). Should I use the larger end of the plug? Or is there another method of making a perfect seal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastActivityDate="2018-09-28T01:01:02.983" Title="Completely sealing drip system hole plugs" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33218" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="55515" CreationDate="2017-05-13T18:59:22.967" Score="1" ViewCount="191" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just had my landscape cleaned up and some trees replaced but the lighting system I had is defunct and the irrigation system is 20+ years old and in need of replacing. I need drip lines and lighting around my pool that follow a near-identical path and figured it'd ease the workload and maintenance to dig a single trench for both the polyethylene tubing and 12v power line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any danger in this? With such a low voltage I figured not, and wiring lighting systems often goes through ground that can get really wet, but thought it prudent to ask. I'm relatively new to DIY work for both irrigation and lighting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17502" LastActivityDate="2020-10-27T08:21:53.950" Title="12v lighting cable and drip tubing in same trench?" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33219" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-13T20:05:01.483" Score="7" ViewCount="228" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a new 3 foot tall artichoke plant in a roomy pot on my sunny deck in zone 17.  If I leave it in full sun, it wilts by midday.  Can I keep it in semi-shaded area and expect it to bud?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17503" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-05-14T09:27:19.880" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T09:41:19.213" Title="Artichoke wilts at midday" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33220" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5376" CreationDate="2017-05-13T21:23:31.537" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;From pioneer.com:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Foliar absorption of herbicides occurs in a liquid phase only; once a water droplet has dried on the leaf surface and herbicides have crystallized little to no additional absorption occurs. Therefore, any environmental condition speeding the drying of spray droplets on a leaf surface will reduce absorption. Low humidity and high winds can greatly reduce drying time, thereby allowing little time for absorption to occur. Conversely, high humidity with little wind slows the rate of drying and lengthens absorption time. Rainfall shortly after (&lt;strong&gt;&amp;lt; ½ hour&lt;/strong&gt;) glyphosate application can wash spray droplets from the leaf surface. A foliar application should be &quot;rain fast&quot; once droplets have dried on the leaf surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Temperature, soil moisture, and solar radiation that optimize plant growth facilitate absorption and translocation of glyphosate. When photosynthetic rates are high photoassimilate produced in leaf epidermal cells is rapidly loaded into the phloem, other organic molecules like glyphosate are similarly loaded, and both are quickly translocated to sink organs. The rapid removal of glyphosate molecules from epidermal cells maintains a high concentration gradient that increases absorption rate. The time of day glyphosate is applied can also impact its efficacy. Applications made between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. tend to maximize glyphosate activity. Short-lived temperature spikes (&gt; 90 ºF) can also enhance absorption by reducing cuticle viscosity and allowing easier passage of foliar-applied herbicides.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From Purdue University:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Glyphosate must penetrate the leaf surface to provide effective weed control. While absorption occurs relatively quickly, rain after an application can wash glyphosate off before it has a chance to enter the leaf. The rain-free period required to prevent reduced activity is in uenced by the susceptibility of the target weed and the glyphosate rate. Small weeds of a sensitive species will require a shorter rain-free period than large or dif cult to control weeds. A &lt;strong&gt;30-minute&lt;/strong&gt; rain-free period may be adequate under ideal conditions. When spraying larger weeds, however, &lt;strong&gt;several hours&lt;/strong&gt; between application and rain may be required to avoid reduced activity. Differences in rainfastness among glyphosate products are generally small. Adding more surfactant appears to have marginal benefits on the rain-free requirement.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14318" LastEditorUserId="14318" LastEditDate="2017-05-15T08:06:48.920" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T08:06:48.920" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33221" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33219" CreationDate="2017-05-13T22:15:01.240" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dOPQi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dOPQi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;baby artichokes in unheated green house zone 1B&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Perhaps.  How large is this pot? If it is less than 10 gallon pot forget it.  I'd get your artichoke in a larger amount of potting soil in at least a 10 gallon pot and make sure you water very deeply.  Potting soil, not garden soil. That is another story you don't want to be rewriting.  Why aren't you planting this guy in the garden?  You plant is simply not getting enough water probably because the pot is too small or you are using garden soil in a pot instead of potting soil that gets so compacted it will not absorb water.  The water simply exits on the sides of the soil between pot and soil.  Potting soil for all plants in pots or pot like situations such as enclosed raised beds.  These artichokes did not last through the winter as the greenhouse wasn't heated well enough.  But these are in garden soil.  Not potted.  Everything that is planted in a pot should be in potting soil, not garden soil.  Otherwise the garden is a far better place to plant your artichoke. When plants are grown for flowers or fruit, sunlight is critical.  The more energy a plant gets from the light, the more energy it has to make flowers and fruit.  Shade will always hamper the plants ability to make food for itself and enough energy to make seed and fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try up potting your artichoke into a larger pot with potting soil (really, too cheap and the only way to grow anything in a pot)  In your zone, an artichoke is a perennial, will come back every year IN THE GARDEN.  You shouldn't have to water every single day.  In partial shade???  Well, have you got any artichokes started?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uMVDp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uMVDp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;baby artichokes zone 1B in an unheated greenhouse[![][1]&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V8VFE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-13T22:21:26.017" LastActivityDate="2017-05-13T22:21:26.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33222" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-13T22:19:13.890" Score="3" ViewCount="3420" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used spreader to put some grass seeds in my back yard. I rake them thoroughly after that. After three days, I was checking my yard and still see bunch of blue grass seed on the ground. Do I need to rake them again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17504" LastActivityDate="2017-05-13T23:20:06.637" Title="I still see grass seeds in my yard even I rake them" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33222" CreationDate="2017-05-13T22:29:14.417" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you seed with new seed the most important thing is not to walk on it or rake! Fruffed up soil, seed, roll and that should be good enough.  Never allow the germinating seed to dry out or be raked.  In about 2 weeks you should be good for the first mowing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After this first mow you should start training your baby grass to grow deeper to get the moisture.  Water deeply, allow to dry enough where when you walk on your grass the grass blades stay down.  That is the signal to water deeply again.  Do not water again until the grass shows this basic stress signal.  Keep your lawn no shorter than 3 inches!!!  Not 2 1/2 but 3&quot;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-13T23:20:06.637" LastActivityDate="2017-05-13T23:20:06.637" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33206" CreationDate="2017-05-13T23:24:09.847" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Shoot, try resending the photo.  One thing I can pass along is that the lower leaves are the oldest and first to go. It doesn't mean the plant is in danger at all.  We truly have to see a picture of the entire plant, the pot or environment, learn what you've been doing for watering, fertilizer, soil.  How long you've been taking care of this plant also.  Hearing that the oldest leaves on a plant even aloe has come off said plant means very little as it is so normal to all plants...what is your light situation, does your pot have a hole.  How often do you water?  Need to know far more with a few more pictures.  This is tough trying to answer questions responsibly by a photo or two and a few sentences of information.  Talk to us about why you aren't able to send a picture.  Most of the people trying to answer questions understand the details of the computer, apps and this site's restraints.  We can help you get a picture loaded.  Right now with what you've told us I don't think there is any true urgency.  Please tell us more about the care of your plant, how long you've had it, where it lives (indoors, out doors, on a shaded patio), how often you water, what you have done for fertilizer and what soil is in that pot.  Are there stones or gravel beneath the soil above the drain hole?  Is there a saucer that fills with water and your plant and pot are allowed to sit in this water...?  So many details.  Hope this helps in the meantime!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-13T23:24:09.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33225" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33189" CreationDate="2017-05-13T23:48:49.823" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.DdB79fGbDch2B0JUXnhKsAEsDD&amp;amp;pid=15.1&amp;amp;P=0&amp;amp;w=243&amp;amp;h=159&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;colorado potato beetle eggs&lt;/a&gt;What I am seeing looks like Colorado Potato Beetle eggs.  Have you ever planted potatoes in this soil?  Oblong yellow orange eggs.  No big deal unless you want to plant potatoes...if you have already planted and harvested potatoes that would be a good indication of this beetle's eggs.  Also a good reason to not plant potatoes in the same plot for at least 2 years.  Crop rotation makes incredible sense.&lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/leaf/potato_beetles05.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;C. potato beetle eggs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other eggs that are similar so this ID is not solid.  Also, this beetle prefers to lay their eggs under the leaves of the potato plant not the soil.  But if one harvests their potatoes and turns the material back into the soil you will find clumps of these eggs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just one idea until you are able to provide more information.  Let us know.  If this is a correct ID just do not plant potatoes in this soil.  That is the main answer.  If this is correct.  Definitely looks like eggs of some sort but there aren't that many that look like this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5194/14019153707_7687860408_b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mommy colorado potato beetle&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just for your information, Lady beetle eggs are very similar.  What is missing besides your information on what you've grown in this soil is the SCALE or size of these eggs.  Please add a nickle or dime or whatever when you take your next pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The size of a quarter makes this clump less likely to be insect eggs.  Really need a clearer picture, close up.  Is that possible?  Look at these birch seeds which is my next idea but these would be too big.&lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrTcYL2FhpZEbwABzkunIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTIzY3E4czB0BHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZAM4MTQyMjBlODk4ZjIxNWIzOTg1OGZhYjk0ZDdjOWViOARncG9zAzQ3BGl0A2Jpbmc-?.origin=&amp;amp;back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch%3Fp%3DBirch%2BSeedsimages%26fr%3Dyhs-mozilla-002%26hsimp%3Dyhs-002%26hspart%3Dmozilla%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D47&amp;amp;w=410&amp;amp;h=615&amp;amp;imgurl=www.publicdomainpictures.net%2Fpictures%2F140000%2Fnahled%2Fbirch-seeds-1449660342Q8h.jpg&amp;amp;rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpublicdomainpictures.net%2Fview-image.php%3Fimage%3D139515%26picture%3D%26jazyk%3Dse&amp;amp;size=58.2KB&amp;amp;name=%3Cb%3EBirch%3C%2Fb%3E%20%3Cb%3ESeeds%3C%2Fb%3E%20Free%20Stock%20Photo%20-%20Public%20Domain%20Pictures&amp;amp;p=Birch%20seeds%20images&amp;amp;oid=814220e898f215b39858fab94d7c9eb8&amp;amp;fr2=&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;rw=Birch%20seeds%20images&amp;amp;tt=%3Cb%3EBirch%3C%2Fb%3E%20%3Cb%3ESeeds%3C%2Fb%3E%20Free%20Stock%20Photo%20-%20Public%20Domain%20Pictures&amp;amp;b=0&amp;amp;ni=504&amp;amp;no=47&amp;amp;ts=&amp;amp;tab=organic&amp;amp;sigr=12durn0l8&amp;amp;sigb=140qie9gi&amp;amp;sigi=12h8bb88e&amp;amp;sigt=12347q8bk&amp;amp;sign=12347q8bk&amp;amp;.crumb=ExIUryJEfn0&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Birch seed&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My potato starts come from Colorado...right next door.  If this clump is almost as large as a quarter...gotta keep looking!  Check out the trees, shrubs that grow in the area.  We'll be back.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-15T21:10:34.060" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T21:10:34.060" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33226" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-14T00:54:12.110" Score="4" ViewCount="225" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been growing my cherry tomato plant from seed for around 2 weeks now and it's now a very tiny plant. I've noticed that its leaves open and close overtime and of course, that's it absorbing sunlight. But yesterday, I noticed that it wasn't opening for the whole day. I'm a little concerned about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It only has 2 leaves. And it expands during daylight and closes at night which it stops doing now. It is in a medium sized pot next to my window and the temperature is at around 20-30.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17216" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2017-05-15T19:04:39.480" LastActivityDate="2017-09-13T03:46:04.770" Title="I suspect that my cherry tomato plant is dying / having issues" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33227" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-14T01:28:23.750" Score="2" ViewCount="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;My backyard has a turf since 2 years ago, when this model home has been built. However, I think the lawn has not been rolled, as when I walk around the soil is very loose, which I think has led to a very improper growth of the lawn. Do I need to roll it now in the spring and does it work after 2 years? If so, does a 200lb hand roller work? any more idea?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17505" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T01:28:23.750" Title="Do I need to roll the lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33228" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-14T03:05:35.880" Score="3" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently visited an urban farm and was intrigued with their irrigation system. I haven't been able to find the components online either because they built it from scratch or I'm using the wrong terms. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of the set up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main line is pvc pipe with holes rather than polyethylene pipe and it had 1/4&quot; tubes coming from the pvc directly to each individual pot. Water drips out in drops rather than as a stream. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone has an idea what this system is called or where to get the components? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15881" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T12:35:19.320" Title="Drip irrigation system" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33229" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33230" CreationDate="2017-05-14T11:13:35.267" Score="5" ViewCount="527" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its been growing in a small bush in my garden without any watering, and it just flowered. The leaves look similar to feverfew or chamomile, but they are different, the chamomile or feverfew seems to have leaves which are wider, this plants leaves are like thinner and longer. Could it be an oxeye daisy or another kind of daisy? Any ideas?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uxINs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uxINs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ko6qd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ko6qd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17230" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T11:41:48.243" Title="What kind of flowering plant is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33230" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33229" CreationDate="2017-05-14T11:41:48.243" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was initially going to suggest Shasta Daisy Leucanthemum x superbum, however the leaves are not typical of that variety. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe your suggestion of Oxeye Daisy / Leucanthemum vulgare is accurate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16488" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T11:41:48.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33231" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33228" CreationDate="2017-05-14T12:35:19.320" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without a photo, I'm only taking a stab at describing what I think you saw.  There are many different names for this product, and it's made by at least Rainbird, Toro, and Netafim (probably others), but the larger tubing is probably call &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rainbird.com/landscape/products/dripline/XFS.htm)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;drip line&lt;/a&gt; (url was chosen for the photo rather than a recommendation of a specific product).  It usually comes a bunch of layouts with 2 variables - rate of flow (in gallons per hour), and distance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you haven't worked with low flow irrigation before there are some good manuals out there, or I can try to summarize for you if you'd like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T12:35:19.320" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33232" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32663" CreationDate="2017-05-14T12:54:10.860" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;ElizabethB at Helpful Gardener:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.helpfulgardener.com//forum/viewtopic.php?t=49635&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mint is a real beast and will survive inspite of anything you do except over watering.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mint seems to be &quot;all or nothing&quot; (somewhat like Marmite's &quot;You either love it or you hate it&quot;). Usually &quot;all&quot; (&lt;em&gt;too much&lt;/em&gt; growth), though a few people have had no success with it. Last week I had more than a square metre of it removed from where it had escaped its pot (planted outside). It was &lt;strong&gt;rampant&lt;/strong&gt; but had never received any special attention (no fertiliser, no watering whatever the weather, except some of the spray intended for the nearby vegetables in times of drought).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mint roots are not aerial and should be spreading out to seek nutrients and moisture for the plant and for mint that means underground. They do grow very shallow but actually on the surface seems odd and it could be that those attempting to grow underground have rotted. You might find the entire plant comes away from its compost with just a gentle tug.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As ElizabethB said &quot;The only way you can kill mint is to love it to death.&quot; So I suggest a dose of neglect. Don't water it again for at least a week and if it then perks up a little still hold off watering until it starts to show signs of thirst. Then start a watering regimen at a slight greater frequency. Do prefer rain water, or if tap water at least let that stand overnight before adding it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a back up I suggest taking a cutting (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-mint-from-cuttings/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;eg&lt;/a&gt;) even if shorter than the 8cm recommended there and, in due course, use potting compost rather than garden soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But to answer your questions (!):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Is it safe to change the soil completely for mint?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes. In a pot potting compost would be better than garden soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;And is it bad for the plants that the roots are sticking out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No, but in my opinion a sign that something is not right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T12:54:10.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33233" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28774" CreationDate="2017-05-14T14:18:04.790" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the limited information available it seems the possibilities are numerous and, given the OP seems not to have revisited in nine months, little point in requesting further details from him. Anyway, if on holiday at the time, details of leaves, flowers, seeds etc might not be readily available. So I am just suggesting one possibility:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abies_cephalonica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Abies cephalonica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ldcdi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ldcdi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Abies cephalonica&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;(&lt;em&gt;Image courtesy &lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abies_cephalonica_forest_Petrouli.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;gterez at Flickr&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T14:18:04.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31169" CreationDate="2017-05-14T14:23:51.290" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is 28 pages of guidance with many images at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca/infonews/conference2014/presentations/9018%20How%20to%20Build%20Eliot%20Colemans%20Modular%20Gothic%20Tunnel_Rev1.0.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Building the Gothic Modular Moveable Tunnel Designed By Eliot Coleman at Four Season Farm&lt;/a&gt; courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It is both copyrighted and too long to summarise meaningfully in just a few paragraphs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Skinning there was with Tufflite IV Greenhouse Film. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T14:23:51.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33235" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25157" CreationDate="2017-05-14T14:53:30.887" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Judging by the time the second photograph was taken the plant was drenched in water. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/problem-solving/rosemary-and-water/343408.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rosemary and Water&lt;/a&gt; at Gardenersworld.com links overwatering with yellowing of the tips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also suggests &quot;Rosemary doesn't need feeding of any sort, they prefer beneficial neglect, full sun and very well drained soil in summer, almost sand.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rosmarinus officinalis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; is a native plant of the Mediterranean and Asia and likes dry conditions. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/fruit_veg_mini_project_july_3_rosemary.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rosemary prefers a light soil, a sandy soil will fully satisfy its meagre feeding needs. Having said that, rosemary is tolerant of most soil conditions as long as they are not water-logged. Rosemary prefers a slightly limey soil (the opposite of acid) because this results in smaller plants with more fragrant leaves. True to its origins, rosemary prefers sunny and sheltered conditions.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For planting the same site recommends mixing standard potting compost with 20% sharp sand or grit, which helps drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bringing the plant indoors may have worked by keeping it drier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T14:53:30.887" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33236" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33245" CreationDate="2017-05-14T15:47:06.140" Score="2" ViewCount="1256" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend transplanted an acer (about six feet tall, I guess a &lt;em&gt;Palmatum&lt;/em&gt;) a year or two ago. Most of the branches now seem dead, but there is one, growing out sideways, with vigorous leaf growth. I have suggested pruning out all the dead wood but its owners are concerned that this would result in a tree growing in the shape of an inverted &lt;code&gt;L&lt;/code&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would be recommended to (a) salvage the tree/promote healthy growth and (b) encourage a conventional shape (eventually)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By popular demand, images:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KiO4E.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KiO4E.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Acer1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t7146.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t7146.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Acer2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AO0nz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AO0nz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Acer3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The poor thing has been moved twice in about three years. The first time into what was quite sandy soil (nearer the woods shown in the background) where it did not thrive, more recently about a year and a half ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the above photographs were taken (and after asking here) it has been pruned back further but seemingly only dead wood (including most of the leaves - that died). It is presently about 4' high with only a very few leaves. However there is new growth next to those leaves and on the trunk, so will probably be cut down to around 2' in the autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-06-06T16:36:50.587" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T16:36:50.587" Title="Care of and shaping of an Acer Palmatum where many branches seem dead" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33237" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26426" CreationDate="2017-05-14T16:28:14.437" Score="3" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;what type of shears they were using &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the Comments to the first video (both shown as posted by Leons Choice) 'Leon'  mentions: &lt;em&gt;these tools I made by myself&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some other tools used by Leon: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP6sBLcYeXQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP6sBLcYeXQ&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A lot less persnickety but rather cruder tool can be made from very heavy gauge wire bent into a tight &lt;code&gt;U&lt;/code&gt; shape (with spiraling of the blunt end if necessary to add springiness) and the sharp ends bent at right angles but parallel to one another. Something vaguely like the top pair of needle-nose pliers &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/tools/hand-tools/sealey-ak8568-needle-nose-pliers-set-3pc-280mm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; but with a spring in the handle so the points open when the tool is not squeezed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the large scale there are alternatives :) &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spgc-REEUa4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spgc-REEUa4&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T16:28:14.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33239" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26798" CreationDate="2017-05-14T20:11:33.973" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The hermaphrodite papaya is recognized by its flowers. They have both male and female characteristics, which is why they're able to self-pollinate. Unfortunately, that means you really can't tell the gender of the tree until between 3 to 6 months after transplanting, when it begins flowering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the College of Tropical Agriculture at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/F_N-5.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;The University of Hawaii&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Hermaphrodite &#xA;  flowers have both an ovary and sta­mens bearing pollen. They can pollinate themselves and do not require  the  presence  nearby  of  another  papaya  plant. They are borne in the leaf axils, like the female &#xA;  papaya flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hawaiihomegrown.net/resources/reports/reports-archive/508-an-organic-farmer-explores-gmo-and-non-gmo-papaya-sex&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hawai'i Homegrown Food Network&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Hermaphrodite papaya trees have fruits with seeds. The flowers are thinner than females, with a tubular shape. Hermaphrodite papaya flowers contain both male and female parts within each flower, very close together. This arrangement nearly always ensures that the flowers will self-pollinate. The male part (stamen) has orange pollen-containing anthers on the ends of short white filaments. The pollen can drip right down onto the female part of the flower (pistil). Thus, all hermaphrodites bear fruit. The fruit is elongated, somewhat football-shaped, compared to the rounder fruit the female trees produce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is the female papaya flower. Note the long petals and fat ovary with branching yellow stigma on top. Credit: Richard Manshardt 2014.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v7emW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v7emW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Female Papaya Flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hawaiihomegrown.net/resources/reports/reports-archive/508-an-organic-farmer-explores-gmo-and-non-gmo-papaya-sex&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is the hermaphrodite papaya flower. Note the orange male anthers, and cylindrical ovary with no branching on top. Credit: Richard Manshardt 2014.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gny26.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gny26.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hermaphrodite Papaya Flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hawaiihomegrown.net/resources/reports/reports-archive/508-an-organic-farmer-explores-gmo-and-non-gmo-papaya-sex&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another good scientific resource is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fftc.agnet.org/library.php?func=view&amp;amp;id=20110803134005&amp;amp;type_id=4&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Food and Fertilizer Technology Center&lt;/a&gt; in Taiwan.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T20:11:33.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33240" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33241" CreationDate="2017-05-14T21:16:11.750" Score="1" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;Happy Mother's Day. I suspect a Mother somewhere is enjoying my Tulips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overnight, someone clipped and made off with my bloomed tulips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Q: will they bloom again this year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's my first year with this garden. I'm in US Zone 7.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17508" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T21:45:02.923" Title="Tulip Regeneration" Tags="&lt;tulips&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2017-05-14T22:11:38.673" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33241" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33240" CreationDate="2017-05-14T21:45:02.923" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry to say no, you will get  no more flowers this year. If the leaves are still present, feed the bulbs with a general fertilizer, because this is the time when they are storing nutrients and creating the flower for next year within the bulb. Once the leaves are no longer green, stop feeding, they can only make use of nutrients whilst the leaves are still functioning. Note though, that tulips are variable - many varieties don't reappear the following year, or don't produce flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T21:45:02.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33242" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17995" CreationDate="2017-05-14T21:46:12.793" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like you're in northern hemisphere, so you'll be heading to summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Three things to consider...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Citrus trees are tough but as others have mentioned, cannot survive wet roots and require extremely good drainage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Citrus trees, in their natural state, feed from their drip line. This means that the tree's feeder roots will be in line with the outside edge of the tree's branches. Your tree is young so I'd not concern yourself too much with this, but it is an important consideration as the tree grows. What I'd suggest is that you consider moving the tree to a pot with a larger diameter - if possible. This will also allow you to ensure the soil medium is improved and provides the extremely good drainage necessary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, in the southern hemisphere, citrus trees put out their annual burst of new growth in Autumn. I cannot imagine this would be different in the northern hemisphere. So, if you can keep your tree alive until autumn, there is every chance the new growth will shoot then. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll repeat the comments by others... allow the soil to dry between watering. Do not allow to become &quot;bone dry&quot;, but so the top inch of soil is dry and below that moisture is scarce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're interested you could by a soil moisture meter to help you with the watering decision. Old style analogue meters are relatively inexpensive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16488" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T21:46:12.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26798" CreationDate="2017-05-14T21:49:11.827" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.springer.com/cn/book/9781461480860&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Genetics and Genomics of Papaya&lt;/a&gt;, Chapter 3:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cyxfQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cyxfQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Papaya&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(a) Female&#xA;(b) Hermaphroditic&lt;br&gt;&#xA;(c) Male &#xA;(d) Male fruit-bearing plant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T21:49:11.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32831" CreationDate="2017-05-14T22:57:52.917" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The advice at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/2405/how-to-grow-saffron/page/all&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Vegetable Gardener&lt;/a&gt; is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Plant the bulbs (technically they’re corms) in the summer&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.saffronbulbs.com/culture.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;SaffronBulbs.com&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Planting: from June to mid-September&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So neither suggests waiting as long as Autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The corms do not store well, so as @jbcreix, were they mine I would follow the advice that came with them and plant them immediately. That's not exactly summer but probably not enough different to be significant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T22:57:52.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33245" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33236" CreationDate="2017-05-14T23:06:52.997" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the Acer has a lot of dead branches, they're dead, so it's pointless leaving them in place, because they're still going to be dead. They should be cut back to live wood - the strong growing sideshoot should have been pruned back before the sap was up, but will need to be cut back later, once the risk of bleeding is reduced, and when that reduces is down to the zone you're in (in the UK, zone 8/9, that would be July onwards). Pruning back the live shoot should hopefully encourage the tree to produce more growth from the mainstem, so long as major die  back does not continue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-14T23:06:52.997" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33246" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24788" CreationDate="2017-05-15T00:04:39.010" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;De Wilde, co-owner of Harmony Valley Farm in Veroqua, Wisconsin has advised:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;You can plant the tubers in fall or early spring, in full sun and in any soil that drains reasonably well.  Once planted, the tubers need a steady supply of moisture until harvest to make a crop. It is easy to detect when they start to produce, the plants grow very shallowly, so you can see the ground crack and heave when the tubers start to swell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Reported at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/learn-all-about-crosnes-zmaz04fmzsel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mother Earth News&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.incrediblevegetables.co.uk/how-to-grow-chinese-artichokes/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Incredible Vegetables&lt;/a&gt; advises:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Being hardy things tubers can be planted out between October and April. Alternatively you can keep your tubers in trays or pots of slightly damp compost in a light place and leave them to sprout. You will see leaves appearing and when the plants are about 3 or 4 inches tall you can plant them out. Slugs do like the plants when small, so getting them going in pots first ensures that they can survive pests until they have got established. Plant about 25cm apart and a 7.5cm deep in rows of 45cm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stachys_affinis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Stachys affinis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; is &quot;easy to grow&quot;. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Stachys+affinis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plants For A Future&lt;/a&gt; has:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Propagation&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle.&#xA;  If sufficient growth has been made, it is possible to plant them out&#xA;  during the summer, otherwise grow them on in pots for their first&#xA;  summer, leaving the tubers in the pots to overwinter in a cold frame&#xA;  and then plant out in late spring when in active growth. Seed is&#xA;  rarely if ever produced on plants growing in Britain. Division. The&#xA;  tubers can be harvest and replanted at any time whilst they are&#xA;  dormant. They do start into growth fairly early in the year so it is&#xA;  better to have moved them by the end of March[K].&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cultivation details&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Prefers a well-drained soil in a sunny position[16]. Thrives in an ordinary garden soil[1], preferring one&#xA;  that is not too heavy[16, 33]. It grows best in a soil that has been&#xA;  well fed and does not dry out in the growing season[16]. Plants seem&#xA;  to withstand even water-logged conditions in the winter[206]. The&#xA;  Chinese artichoke is occasionally cultivated for its edible tubers,&#xA;  they are planted out in March and harvested from October onwards[1,&#xA;  58, 61]. Although top growth is killed back by frost, the tubers are&#xA;  very hardy and can be left in the ground over winter to be harvested&#xA;  as required[200]. It is virtually impossible to find all the tubers,&#xA;  there are always some left behind that will grow the following&#xA;  season[K]. Plants are very tolerant of high summer temperatures[206].&#xA;  The tubers begin to sprout at temperatures above about 5°c[206].&#xA;  Plants take 5 - 7 months to develop their tubers[206].&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and various feedback.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T00:04:39.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33247" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24445" CreationDate="2017-05-15T00:39:50.400" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A slightly abbreviated version of advice (with pictures) at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Your-Own-Seed-Tapes/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;instructables&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Step 1: Materials&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;•  Any kind of Seeds&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  •  Zip lock Baggies or plastic containers - each one marked for what type of seed tape it is in it&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  •  1 Tbl Corn Starch&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  •  1 C Cold Water&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  •  Paper Towels, cut in 1 1/2 - 2 inch Strips and folded in half&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  •  Any squeeze type bottle, (you can wash and use an empty mustard or ketchup bottle)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  • A drop of food coloring (optional) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Step 2: Prepare Your 'Seed Glue'&lt;/strong&gt;    Dissolve Cornstarch in Water over a medium heat until it boils and thickens. Mixture should look&#xA;  opaque and cling slightly to a fork before dripping off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Let it cool and transfer into squeeze bottle add 1 drop of food&#xA;  coloring and shake the bottle to make your 'Glue Dots' easier to see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Step 3: Prepare Your 'Seed Tape'&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Lay out Paper Towel Strips, and place dots across one side of the fold&#xA;  with the cornstarch mixture spacing the dots according to the planting&#xA;  directions of the Seed Packets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I am using Blanket Flower Seeds for this project.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Step 4: Add Your Seeds&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Place seeds on top of the dots, fold other half of paper towel on top&#xA;  and let it dry completely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Store in a plastic bag or container until you are ready to plant. (I&#xA;  like to keep mine in the bottom drawer of the fridge).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Drop the seed packet with instructions in with your seed tapes for&#xA;  future reference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And an alternative but very similar description (using toilet rather than kitchen paper) at: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/make-and-decorate/crafts/make-toilet-paper-seed-tape&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;diy network&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be avoided are glue that does not dissolve in water and paper that does not fall apart easily (is not tissue) or is high in &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rollandinc.com/en/blog/problem-chlorine-paper&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;chlorine&lt;/a&gt; - see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.chasinggreen.org/article/5-earth-safe-toilet-paper-brands/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ChasingGreen.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seed tape might be a way to shift a little time required for gardening from a busy season to a quiet one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-05-15T00:45:09.807" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T00:45:09.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33248" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-15T01:32:02.737" Score="2" ViewCount="141" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need about 25 ducks gone. They're destroying my landscaping. What and how can I get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17510" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-15T20:55:21.393" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T20:55:21.393" Title="How to get rid of ducks" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-05-17T18:27:03.293" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33249" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33290" CreationDate="2017-05-15T09:31:36.923" Score="5" ViewCount="349" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few of these have popped up this year in and around my greenhouse near Mainz, Germany. From googling, it looks to me like an &quot;All the Year Round Lettuce&quot;, which I've never planted. Leaves are currently about 10-20cm long. Much obliged if anyone can confirm exactly what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q53EZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q53EZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;top view&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vJ4xQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vJ4xQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;side view&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17517" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2017-05-15T15:48:29.660" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T21:15:29.487" Title="Is this a lettuce?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33250" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33254" CreationDate="2017-05-15T11:05:16.427" Score="4" ViewCount="1232" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a venus fly trap in my local grocery store, it had a plastic dome and a plastic pot that it was trapped in, I removed both the dome, and the pot and left it with the inner pot which has holes in the bottom. I put the plant in the lid of the dome and filled the lid with tapwater.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I feared it might starve as there aren't many bugs out yet, so I went out and caught a fly and fed it to the plant, I put the fly in one of its mouths and had it close. now several days later the mouth is opening but the bug is still there, seemingly untouched. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;why won't it feed? should I be worried that it will starve?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0xV3h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0xV3h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bug is in the top mouth.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;should I try lifting the bug out and putting it into another mouth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17518" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T21:40:28.630" Title="Venus fly trap didn't consume its pray" Tags="&lt;venus-fly-trap&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33252" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33255" CreationDate="2017-05-15T20:31:19.883" Score="3" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will be edging my yard this summer and not sure what plants to plant on my edge. This is my first time doing this. I don't want to overwhelm the edges but enough plants to make it look full. I am thinking like 15 different plants. What I am looking for is perennial and colorful flowering plants and maybe one or two green leave plants like long grass. Here is how my edging going to look.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6MHVY.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6MHVY.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17522" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T05:22:47.203" Title="What are typical and perennial garden green and flowering plants?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33253" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-15T21:15:47.623" Score="4" ViewCount="1166" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 10-year old weeping cherry tree in my front yard. Last weekend I noticed that many leaves had brown spots toward the end of the branches. I trimmed those branches, but I wonder what has caused this. Is the tree sick? Should I spray the tree with something to prevent this from happening again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the Seattle, WA area. I wonder if this is related to the 122-year old record of rain we broke this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fm36H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fm36H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iccCs.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iccCs.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NorHY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NorHY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/psmwi.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/psmwi.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GDFDp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GDFDp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17523" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-19T21:14:22.400" LastActivityDate="2017-06-19T21:14:22.400" Title="Why does my weeping cherry tree have brown spots on its leaves?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33254" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33250" CreationDate="2017-05-15T21:40:28.630" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Dionaea&lt;/em&gt; like all carnivorous plants do not obtain their energy from their prey. The obtain energy from the sun, like any other plant. Carnivory in plants evolved in habitats where there are very low nutrient levels in the soil, particularly nitrogen, and it is these nutrients that plants are extracting from their prey. The digestive secretions of carnivorous plants are not able to fully digest the chitin and other hard proteins present in insect exoskeletons and so on re-opening the body of the insect will remain (minus the soft internal tissues).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In cultivation, over-fertilising is more likely to be an issue than under fertilising. Lack of light can be an issue (and starve the plant of energy). Your plant looks healthy so do not worry about feeding it flies. The soil does look excessively damp though and you should not use tapwater as all carnivores are sensitive to pH and dissolved salts. Although &lt;em&gt;Dionaea&lt;/em&gt; come from swamps, that does not mean everything is almost underwater. Soil moisture levels vary by location and time of year - indeed your plant should be allowed to go dormant during the winter and watering restricted at this time (the leaves/traps will turn black and fall off, but the plant will resprout from beneath the surface in spring).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are lots of forums dedicated to cultivating carnivorous plants where you will be able to find detailed instructions on how to care for your plant. Alternatively, ask a new question with the aspect of care you are interested in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T21:40:28.630" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33255" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33252" CreationDate="2017-05-15T21:49:54.517" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I could not resist the temptation to jump in with the first 15 I thought of from amongst my favourites:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;•   &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Alcea&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;•   &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berberis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Berberis purpurea&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;•   &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clematis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Clematis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;•   &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colchicum_autumnale&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Colchicum autumnale&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;•   &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotoneaster&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cotoneaster&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;•   &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclamen&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cyclamen&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;•   &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galanthus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Galanthus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;•   &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Gunnera&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;•   &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebe_(plant)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hebe&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;•   &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeysuckle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Honeysuckle&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;•   &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosta&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hosta&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;•   &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leycesteria_formosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Leycesteria formosa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;•   &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_(plant)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Narcissus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;•   &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Philadelphus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;•   &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rose&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Purely in alphabetical order.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is nothing &lt;em&gt;too&lt;/em&gt; exotic here and should all be quite low maintenance. Most quite low in height also (one &lt;em&gt;tree&lt;/em&gt; at least - preferably fruiting - would be nice but you did specify &lt;em&gt;plants&lt;/em&gt;). They should all fit comfortably in a small garden so if yours is big you might want to swap one or two items for something larger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a mixture of low-lying and height, almost every colour of the rainbow and something should be in flower very nearly all year round.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is also fragrance and something to attract birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most should be suitable across a wide range of soil conditions but again, maybe swap one or two if necessary.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I take it a &lt;em&gt;herb&lt;/em&gt; garden would be a separate issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-05-15T21:55:07.780" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T21:55:07.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33256" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33257" CreationDate="2017-05-15T22:25:30.537" Score="3" ViewCount="110" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/fruit/planting.html#planting&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Arizona Master Gardener Manual&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The best time to plant bare root fruit trees is during the dormant period. In general, trees should be planted as early as possible or about 30 days prior to expected bud break or average bud break in the geographical area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it okay to plant fruit trees months after bud break? Would I just need to water them more?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T22:54:04.563" Title="Planting fruit tree after bud break" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33257" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33256" CreationDate="2017-05-15T22:54:04.563" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is your tree bare root?  That means that the roots are completely exposed and have no soil around them.  I'm assuming it is either balled and burlapped or a container grown fruit tree.  If it is, then it is not too late to plant.  Get that tree in the ground sooner rather than later, but don't stress too much about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is bare root and you have somehow miraculously kept it alive while leafing out, get it either in the ground or into a container asap.  Keep the soil moist pretty much continuously for the first month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T22:54:04.563" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33253" CreationDate="2017-05-15T23:14:48.333" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This shouldn't be an answer but without knowing more information I can give you a heads up.  Do you have a landscape maintenance company employed?  This doesn't look like a willow to me...still could be I guess when you send pictures of the entire tree we'll know more for the ID.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You chose a super leaf specimen as it is partly alive and partly dead.  When margins and tips of otherwise healthy material/leaves are browned or blackened that is a strong indication of over fertilization.  High salts.  This looks quite bad in fact.  Don't really care that much about the ID, although that might help to figure out what is going wrong.  Those leaves are showing severe problems with salt, usually fertilizer is the cause.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am giving you a quick answer as we need more information and a picture of the entire tree and environment to be sure.  But if you have a company responsible for fertilization or any chemical treatments near this tree you need to get enough information soon enough with which to start up a discussion.  They would most certainly be responsible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this tree is near a lawn we need to know the last fertilization or pesticide application done for your lawn with what and when. Has anything been done to the plant bed in terms of pesticide, fertilizer...especially preemergent pesticide (herbicide is listed as a pesticide along with pesticides).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is not a disease or insect.  Well, fairly almost positively sure.  Something has taken place within the last few weeks.  Can you think of anything to add?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen this before, of course, and had to go to court a few times for clients where their landscape maintenance company either screwed up with the chemicals, or the client had actually hired a separate fertilizing company to come in and fertilize a landscape after it had already been fertilized.  Ugh!  Many times it is the client over fertilizing or...well.  Just some pre warnings.  If I am at all talking sense this gives you time to document the damage, take pictures, get witnesses verified.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might seem and I hope it is that I am blowing this out of proportion, but it just looks so similar to what people had to take to court and we all had to slug through.  So, this is total supposition.  Try not to get too worried.  I certainly hope I am way off base but, this looks like chemical/salt damage to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking forward to more information and pictures.  I apologize if I am wrong!  A few clients waited far too long so I am a bit sensitized for getting the documentation in place IF this is truly even close to your problem, okay?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This type of leaf is more of a willow shrub, not a willow tree which is more long and narrow.  Definitely need a picture of the entire tree.  But fried tips and margins are a big indicator of high salts (fertilizer) or some chemical no matter the plant.  Is this tree near an open body of water?  A pond or canal for instance?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just saw your newest picture of a weeping cherry?  Not willow but weeping!!  Not near the lawn but near utilities.  I can't for the life of me see any connection to the utilities, not to cause this tip and margin burn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is a brand new picture I am not seeing the same problem throughout that tree.  Your tree looks healthy.  Where did you find this branch and leaves on this tree?  Have you had high winds?  Are there anymore of this same problem on your tree?  Any pattern such as just one side?  I feel much better.  Your tree looks healthy and perhaps this is just a tiny anomaly.  (I am sorry again to have brought up courts and stuff!). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A close up of the base of your tree after you've pulled the mulch away down to the soil would be helpful.  Mulch and soil on the bark of the tree is a bad thing but wouldn't cause the leaves to look like this.  But heck, we are here so good thing to check.  Soil, rocks, mulch on the bark of a tree promotes bacteria that will compromise the vascular system of your tree and will eventually girdle and kill your tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-15T23:30:03.803" LastActivityDate="2017-05-15T23:30:03.803" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33252" CreationDate="2017-05-16T00:35:47.430" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a good time before you purchase and plant to ask questions.  Kudos.  I happen to be a Landscape Architect you need to understand I was trained big time to understand the whys and wherefores of a simple yard like this (heck we also design highways and developments and structural elements). This is fun to do.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, your lawn is way too big.  Do you plan to play football or volleyball on this lawn?  Second, your plant beds are way too small.  Beef them up to at least 6' wide and more.  Being right against the fence you need room to make plant beds without compromising your fence.  No soil or mulch or plant material should touch that wood.  Unless you want to replace it in 5 years.  Third, one of the main rules is to make your edges using a hose or rope. When you make a curve, that curve maintains a set radius.  Doesn't matter the size but when that edge needs to bend the other way another radius is set and so on.  When we look at our lawns what our eyes see is that edge.  As long as the lawn is a uniform color and texture it will be beautiful only if the edges are specified radius curves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm dying to just sketch you some ideas...hummm.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Orch.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Orch.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lawn edge[![][1]&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZeLyZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PXHkg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lawn edge1&quot;&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PXHkg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See the edges of the lawn?  Set curve radius.  Do you see the little penninsula breaking up the expanse of lawn?  That creates a separate 'room' in your landscape.  You do not want to see your entire lawn and landscape just from the door or windows of your home.  This makes your yard feel huge and more interesting.  Interesting enough to go investigate to look 'around the corner' to see what is around that corner.  Big fat plant beds, sweeping curves of lawn edge are not only interesting but easier to maintain and look professional. (I charged $110 bucks per hour and rarely lost a bid).  This information is worth considering!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant beds are mounded, the original soil level is no more as the soil is double dug (only way to make plant beds with clay).  The edges of the lawn between plant bed and lawn are little trenches where excess water can accumulate and your mulch doesn't wash off the beds over your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other ways to make 'rooms' in your landscape so that each room has its own purpose and feel.  Such as;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yuHUn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yuHUn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;grove of trees&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; adding a grouping of the same tree to make a grove.  The trunks are walls, the canopy a ceiling to create human scale and you can do whatever with the floor.  I like gravel if the canopy cuts out too much light.  Screens of dimensional lumber take up little room and add immediate privacy, wind break and walls of a 'room'. I like the penninsula of plant bed coming right out into the lawn to tie the plant beds together and create two different rooms.  Only allowing little peekaboos to entice the humans to investigate.  Certainly makes your property feel very large and interesting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have to add another time honored rule; do not use too many species.  Becomes 'too much' and the human brain is comfortable with about 3 different items at a time.  Using just a few species to make masses of the same plant you get far more bang for your buck. 15 sounds like an awful lot.  There should be a 'foundation' or 'skeleton' planting of 2 or 3 species to tie your entire landscape together.  Certainly a POW specimen now and then to be framed by this skeleton planting.  Perennials for 'fire works' and those colors, textures need to be planned.  A bit of this and that will look like this and that.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Redo your plan according to how you interpret what I've said, and we can go from there!  This of course should be YOUR plan using plants you know and are imagining.  I can help guide a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-16T05:22:47.203" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T05:22:47.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33261" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33267" CreationDate="2017-05-16T01:28:59.743" Score="3" ViewCount="623" Body="&lt;p&gt;This started growing on my wood-chip pile. At first I thoght someone spilt something. But it is sprouting up all over it now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;does anyone know what it is?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F9rga.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F9rga.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D1VpE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D1VpE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fungus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17526" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T03:56:30.530" Title="what in the world is this fungus like plant growing in my wood-chips?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33262" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33268" CreationDate="2017-05-16T01:41:56.920" Score="5" ViewCount="819" Body="&lt;p&gt;We recently bought a house with a young silver maple tree that looks pretty damaged at the base of the trunk. Does this look like disease or damage from a trimmer? I put the mulch ring around it recently so the previous owners likely had to mow right next to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5QOPW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5QOPW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KnBpR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KnBpR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additional details:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Thanks for the thorough answers. The tree is around 90 ft from the house. There are several mature silver maples in our neighbors yards that are much closer. The sub-division we live in was built in was built in the 1970s and it seems like they planted a ton of silver maples with each house. We aren't particularly attached to this tree, but don't want to remove it if it has a good chance at thriving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fdEmx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fdEmx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mamzd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mamzd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZsJGy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZsJGy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0bPWV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0bPWV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17525" LastEditorUserId="17525" LastEditDate="2017-05-17T00:09:38.950" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T00:09:38.950" Title="Is this trimmer damage or disease on silver maple?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33263" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-16T01:56:38.457" Score="4" ViewCount="4547" Body="&lt;p&gt;Avocado tree is approx. 24&quot; with numerous leaves at the top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I plant it outside (big pot because they say Seattle soil isn't good)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I need to bring it in in the winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17528" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T11:49:20.807" LastActivityDate="2021-03-04T18:48:36.813" Title="How to plant avocado tree outside?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33263" CreationDate="2017-05-16T03:04:36.310" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is advice at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.californiaavocado.com/how-tos/your-own-avocado-tree&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;California Avocados&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember that avocado trees do best at moderately warm temperatures&#xA;(60-85F) with moderate humidity. They can tolerate temperatures, once&#xA;established, to around 32-28F with minimal damage. Avoid freezing&#xA;temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant your tree from March through June. If you plant during the&#xA;summer, there is always the risk of sun damage, because the avocado&#xA;trees can't take up water very well when young. Plant in a non-lawn&#xA;area, and away from sidewalks. And if you can, plant your tree in a&#xA;spot protected from wind and frost. Remember, full sun is best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig a hole as deep as the current root ball and just as wide as the&#xA;width plus a little extra so you can get your hands into the hole to&#xA;plant it. The avocado is a shallow-rooted tree with most of the feeder&#xA;roots in the top 6&amp;quot; of soil, so give it good aeration. Its root system&#xA;is very sensitive and great care should be taken not to disturb the&#xA;root system when transplanting. If the tree is root-bound, however,&#xA;loosen up the soil around the edges and clip the roots that are going&#xA;in circles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Soil&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Avocado trees like the soil pH around 6-6.5. If you have a heavy clay&#xA;soil, elevate the tree in a mound for better drainage. Make the mound&#xA;1-2 feet high and 3-5 feet around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don’t put gravel or anything else like planting media in the hole. The&#xA;sooner the roots get out into the bulk soil, the better the tree will&#xA;do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Watering&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Typically trees need to be watered 2-3 times a week. As the roots&#xA;reach out into the bulk soil, more water can be applied and frequency&#xA;of watering diminishes to about 1 time per week by the end of a year.:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When watering the tree, soak the soil well, then, allow it to dry out&#xA;somewhat before watering again. Of course, like most plants, you don't&#xA;want the tree to get too dry! The rule of thumb for mature trees is&#xA;about 20 gallons of water a day during the irrigation season.&#xA;Seedlings will require quite a bit less water, of course. Check the&#xA;soil before watering each time to make sure it has dried somewhat. If&#xA;the soil from around the roots can still hold the impression of the&#xA;hand when squeezed, it still has enough water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mulching and Fertilizing&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mulch with coarse yard mulch. Redwood bark will work or cocoa bean&#xA;husks and shredded tree bark. Choose something that is woody and about&#xA;2 inches in diameter. Coarse yard mulch is available at some garden&#xA;supply centers or through tree trimming operations. They sometimes&#xA;have material that has been pruned from the tops of trees and don’t&#xA;contain any diseased roots. Use the yellow pages to find a local tree&#xA;service.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put 20 pounds of gypsum spread around the tree base and mulch the area&#xA;with 6 inches of the mulch, keeping the material about 6-8 inches away&#xA;from the tree trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize your young avocado trees with1/2 -1 pound of actual Nitrogen&#xA;per tree per year. You can spread it out over several applications as&#xA;long as it totals 1/2 to 1 pound of Nitrogen. The other important&#xA;nutrient for avocado trees is Zinc. Ordinary home fertilizer for&#xA;houseplants normally should work. Back to top Other growing tips&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be patient about seeing fruit. If you have purchased and planted a&#xA;tree, you can probably expect to see your first fruit 3-4 years after&#xA;planting. If you are growing from seed, it can take anywhere from 5 to&#xA;13 years before the tree is mature enough to set fruit. When the tree&#xA;does flower, expect a lot of flowers to fall from the tree without&#xA;setting fruit. This is natural.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I suspect you are around Zone 8b (plants hardy down to 15 to 20 degrees) and that is too cold for an avocado to stay outside. Yet your avocado won't appreciate being dug up every winter. So you would really need it to be in a pot so it can be relocated, without much root disturbance, to a warmer location, such as a greenhouse. Back indoors might not suit both because of the climate change (eg possibly too dry), likely reduction in sunlight and, possibly, sheer size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On balance I fear growing avocados in Seattle does not promise much prospect of success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T03:04:36.310" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33266" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33262" CreationDate="2017-05-16T03:26:19.043" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd say mower scars before string trimmer damage - that tree's been used to play bumper-cars with a lawnmower deck. And it's seriously compromised.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T03:26:19.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33261" CreationDate="2017-05-16T03:56:30.530" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pretty sure it's a slime mold of some sort. There are tons of different kinds. Search for pictures on the internet, there are lots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T03:56:30.530" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33262" CreationDate="2017-05-16T04:08:18.780" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Ecnerwal's short but correct answer.  This looks like a grafted tree due to the swelling near the base that has suffered repeated damage from a hard object like a mower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Putting mulch around the tree is good to stop the grass competing for nutrients but do not have the mulch laid deeply next to the trunk.   Retaining moisture next the trunk can help fungus grow.Pull the mulch back a few inches around the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The wounds are healing but will be a source of weakness should this tree get to a large size.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the trunk does not look to be more than a few inches in diameter perhaps this is the time to ask yourself if you want to invest a long time in a tree that is &lt;a href=&quot;http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/ACESACA.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;described as&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;should be saved for planting in wet areas or where nothing else will thrive. Roots often grow on the surface of the soil making mowing grass difficult under the canopy. They also are aggressive, growing into septic tank drain fields and into broken water and sewer pipes. It is also hard to plant shrubs and other plants beneath the branches due to the dense root system.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/silver-maple/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; points out the issues I have seen with silver maples:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Unfortunately, this species also has several liabilities as a landscape plant: weak wood that easily breaks during wind and ice storms, sensitivity to high pH soils and deicing salts, and prolific seed production and germination that creates a weeding issue in gardens. The root systems of silver maples also grow vigorously and superficially and can penetrate drain tile and sewer lines, raise or buckle sidewalks, and make mowing difficult. &quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The wood is weak and with the existing issues if it was my tree I would remove it and plant a tree that was more suited to the urban environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T04:08:18.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33269" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33270" CreationDate="2017-05-16T06:54:59.333" Score="4" ViewCount="2396" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know how to lay gravel over a section of grass in my back yard which is currently a boggy mess. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it a case of putting down a layer of hardcore mix followed by weedblock and then layer of gravel. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I put a soak area (Small french drain) in also or will the hardcore base be enough long term. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17530" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-17T00:32:50.383" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T00:32:50.383" Title="How to lay gravel over grass" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;gravel&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33270" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33269" CreationDate="2017-05-16T07:07:43.040" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without more information my advice would to definitely install drainage.  If you have nowhere to drain TO, you can easily create a 'dry well', a pit lined with LS fabric, filled with drain rock, covered with fabric and then covered with gravel, more drain rock or cobble...the trench would be landscape fabric, perforated pipe wrapped in landscape fabric then backfill the trench with drain rock, then landscape fabric, then soil or mulch or sod.  Keep the soil thick enough to support your sod so it doesn't dry out faster than the rest of your grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get rid of some of your mucky soil to allow a bed of 4&quot; of crushed gravel. Install 2X4 edging with stakes, line the bottom with landscape fabric then install your 4&quot; crushed gravel (3/8 minus if you can find this smaller size rather than 5/8 minus).  For a professional touch, rent a compactor and compact your gravel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T07:07:43.040" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33226" CreationDate="2017-05-16T07:08:54.103" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I didn't realize you were talking about a pre-transplant seedling when I answered (so, I don't think what I said after this section would match your issue; if it hasn't been growing well, I'd probably give it some &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.greenwaybiotech.com/products/monopotassium-phosphate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;monopotassium phosphate&lt;/a&gt; in the soil, instead, to help the plant on its way to maturity, to help with cold tolerance, to help the roots, and to help it absorb water; monopotassium phosphate is safe for small plants, in my experience, but if you have high levels of phosphorus or potassium, which I doubt, then it may hurt—but don't do a foliar spray; don't add nitrogen until it's older and significantly bigger; don't overwater). I agree that the plant is probably too cold (phosphorus does help plants to grow better when it's cold, however). I've had small plants behave similarly in cold conditions, but monopotassium phosphate perks them up. If the undersides of the leaves are purple, that's an additional sign of phosphorus deficiency (and that happens more when it's cold, in my experience). You may try a heat mat, too, but it may have already depleted its phosphorus reserves (which a heat mat may not correct).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The link I gave says not to apply monopotassium phosphate to plants that are under stress, but my experience shows that it's helpful for young plants under cold-stress, or that are under stress because of phosphorus and/or potassium deficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possible that extra phosphorus could have helped my outdoor tomatoes that I mentioned in the next section, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's difficult to tell for certain if I know your problem without a photo, but it sounds like your plant is stressed, and not acclimatized to your growing conditions. That's surprising for a cherry tomato (but not all cherries are hardy horses).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is your issue, at its current stage, the plant will probably not recover, especially if left in its current conditions, and maybe not otherwise, either. The fruits you get, if you get fruit, might end up seedless (that was my experience). Perhaps the soil is too clay-like for its tastes (maybe it's used to containers and potting soil), or the air is too dry. I had similar issues with Sophie's Choice and Cherokee Tiger Black Pear last year (the vast majority of my 101 varieties didn't have those issues). It's not an utterly unheard of problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, it may have copper deficiency (which it probably could recover from, if that's the only problem), which can cause leaves to behave something as you describe, too. If you do organic gardening, copper deficiency is more likely than if you don't, I've read. Copper (probably copper sulfate) is what makes some synthetic fertilizers blue. Copper can help with water absorption, and it can have anti-fungal properties. If the plant's leaves are only showing their undersides, that may have to do with copper deficiency, maybe too much light or something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-05-16T08:02:42.800" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T08:02:42.800" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33272" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17995" CreationDate="2017-05-16T08:26:56.837" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, there's definitely a chance that it will revive itself, but at that size, I'm thinking something must have caused the leaves to fall off, and if it wasn't underwatering (which seems to contribute heavily to leaves falling off, although it appears to have more than enough at present), then the issue may still be present. If your window is cold or if you've got a fan in the room (which would dry the leaves), that might be contributing to the leaves falling off. Improper soil amendments may also be an issue. My grapefruit tree really didn't like basalt rockdust, for instance (none of our houseplants did, although some outdoor garden plants, such as cantaloupes, seem to love it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it was under-watered before the leaves were gone, or if it didn't have enough light, then I'm sure the leaves will grow back now that it has water and a window, as long as it's still alive. It's possible that you have too much water in there, now, though (especially as there are no leaves), but if your waterings haven't been frequent, I wouldn't worry about the excess over-much (maybe drain most/all of it out if the plant doesn't absorb it all within a day or two of when it was first given).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have experience with a grapefruit tree (it's 20-something years old), but I've never grown a lemon tree. It sheds its leaves sometimes (usually if it doesn't have enough light or water). Mine uses any excess water I give it within a day or so, but I don't have to water it terribly often, and it's not in the most humid area. Although the leaves usually grow back pretty fast once conditions are corrected, I believe they were gone for maybe two weeks or more, once (but the conditions may not have been corrected quickly). It was probably at least a couple feet tall (grown from seed) before it ever lost all its leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-05-16T08:44:14.817" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T08:44:14.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33273" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-16T11:52:31.663" Score="2" ViewCount="1463" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like train a clematis to grow on a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Arboria-81-in-Cedar-Pyramid-Trellis-860-1074/202976834&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pyramidal trellis&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first year, I tried centering the trellis over the plant and having it grow through the center, but this seems to stifle the plant and tended to obscure the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year, I have one corner of the trellis located behind the plant with the hopes of training it to two sides of the trellis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a better way to do this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17531" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-17T00:31:54.397" LastActivityDate="2017-08-15T02:53:43.703" Title="Is there good way to train a clematis to a pyramidal trellis?" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;&lt;trellis&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33274" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-16T12:20:37.247" Score="1" ViewCount="126" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to grow some basil using the Kratky method under some cfl lighting. The root growth is massive and is almost filling my 1L jar. But the plant it self is not growing that much. 1 month in and I still have not been able to harvest even once.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could the reason be for this? I am feeding using GH flora series, and it sits under a total of 150W cfl lighting (3700k / 6500k mixture).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16922" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T12:20:37.247" Title="Hydroponic Basil: massive root growth, but little leaf growth" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33275" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33276" CreationDate="2017-05-16T12:36:12.150" Score="5" ViewCount="122" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rwcWF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's so odd it's narrow to the top and then fans out. I've been trying to figure this out for years. I usually trim the branches back and will soon again. Thank you. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HIGUe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17532" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-27T17:23:14.560" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T17:23:14.560" Title="Can you please identify this odd tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33276" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33275" CreationDate="2017-05-16T13:10:37.093" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is a poplar tree, not sure what species.  Note that leaves on poplar could varies from top branches and later branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also some elms could have such form (ev. with 2 lateral spikes), but this tree doesn't seem elm&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T13:10:37.093" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33277" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-16T14:36:28.580" Score="2" ViewCount="914" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are these insects I believe are eating the leaves of my hydrangeas?                               &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kFqbl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QCn85.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17534" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T15:00:11.867" Title="What are these insects I believe are eating my hydrangea leaves and how can I treat them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33277" CreationDate="2017-05-16T15:00:11.867" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks to me like an insect &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.orkin.com/other/earwigs/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;of the order Dermaptera&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=earwig+images&amp;amp;client=firefox-b&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwiR6_ik0_TTAhVDOMAKHazOCowQsAQIJg&amp;amp;biw=911&amp;amp;bih=394&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;earwig&lt;/a&gt;):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OR50c.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OR50c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Forficula auricularia&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;(&lt;em&gt;Forficula auricularia&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They like water and so do hydrangeas. Advice of how to deal with them at: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/how-to-control-earwigs&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rodale's Organic Life&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, clear away damp hidey-holes from where you do not want the earwigs  and add traps (eg moist newspaper, fish oil in sunken cans) to gather them together for ease of relocation (they are not without benefit to a garden), or disposal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T15:00:11.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33280" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-16T15:11:39.110" Score="4" ViewCount="282" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've tried every search term online to find this plant to no avail. Does anyone out there know its name? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ISs7D.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ISs7D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kfzBU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kfzBU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17536" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-16T15:56:22.217" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T15:56:22.217" Title="What is the name of this house plant with textured leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33281" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33280" CreationDate="2017-05-16T15:26:04.653" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a Pilea variety, specifically Pilea 'Norfolk' see here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.costafarms.com/plants/pilea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.costafarms.com/plants/pilea&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant likes bright light but will do okay in semi shade - it will not appreciate direct sunlight in high summer, particularly during the middle part of the day. Needs average warmth, minimum 50degF in winter. Water liberally from spring through to fall, but allow the potting soil to dry out slightly between waterings - should feel just dry to the touch. Water sparingly in winter, and use tepid water year round if you can. Likes high humidity, so mist the leaves regularly and don't stand near heat sources like radiators.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T15:26:04.653" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33282" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33273" CreationDate="2017-05-16T15:33:24.163" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You haven't said which variety of clematis; if its a species such as montana, it'll be too big for your trellis. Otherwise, the vast majority of the clematis hybrids climb by means of modified leaves called petioles, and these need something thin to wrap around, something like mesh or a thin pea stick. Unfortunately, your trellis isn't something they can attach to because of the thickness of the struts. That's problem one; second problem is, if you don't place the obelisk over the plant so that its in the middle, but leave it to one side as you describe, if the clematis could attach itself, it would only climb up the one side it can reach. The thickness of the lathes also means reduced light for any plant trying to grow up through the middle of this structure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best type of obelisk for clematis is actually metal, because it usually has much thinner struts and is more open - the one you have is better for growing a twining plant, such as honeysuckle, which will easily wrap itself round the supports and won't be too troubled by being in the middle of the obelisk - the obelisk should be placed so that the plant is in the centre.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you really want to grow clematis up it, you could cover it in chicken wire or actual clematis mesh, which clematis can use as a support, but this means you will not see so much of the obelisk itself. Otherwise you'd need to tie on growths yourself all the time, and that's not easy with clematis, the stems are quite fragile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-16T18:09:52.903" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T18:09:52.903" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33283" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33273" CreationDate="2017-05-16T17:31:57.003" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might consider a symbiotic arrangement. That is, some other climber (sweet pea, campsis?) that flowers at a different time or lower down (clematis flowers seem to like height) that would cling to the pyramid and provide the framework for the clematis to climb up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T17:31:57.003" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33284" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33288" CreationDate="2017-05-16T18:28:24.720" Score="11" ViewCount="19657" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an awful lot of moss in my lawn and I've been raking it out and collecting a lot of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read that it might not be a great idea to put moss in the compost bin and I'm averse to throw away anything green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can use this moss for in the garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastEditorUserId="1011" LastEditDate="2017-05-16T19:06:42.933" LastActivityDate="2020-05-14T16:02:08.200" Title="What can I use the removed moss from my lawn for?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33284" CreationDate="2017-05-16T18:53:30.070" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can add it to a compost heap, so long as one  part moss  is mixed with 4 parts other materials. It can also be stored in a bag and added to the compost over time if there's too much straightaway. That, though, assumes you have not used chemicals on the lawn during the last few weeks - if you have, then its not much use for anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Birds often take it to line their nests with, so leave it out in little piles here and there, if its not too late for that where you are. It it hasn't been treated, you can also use it to line a hanging basket.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do wonder why you have so much moss though; the usual cause is too much shade in winter, especially in damp climates, secondary causes are poorly maintained and unfertilised turf,and grass cut too short.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-16T20:10:26.633" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T20:10:26.633" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33286" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-16T18:56:30.263" Score="5" ViewCount="935" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some blossoms on my tomato plant are surviving but some are just falling off. The picture shows where the break happens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZTXL5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been windy and there are lots of bees around. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants are outdoors. I am in zone 9B. I may be overwatering I suspect, but from an article in &quot;The Spruce&quot; I may have gone overboard with the nitrogen. I used bat guano and followed the guidelines on the package. It can't be temperature. We have been steady around 72. It can't be stress. They have been growing happily in the same place for two months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stems are fine. There's no brown anywhere, and it's only about 10% of blooms. I have plenty of successful fruiting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17171" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-21T19:53:39.107" LastActivityDate="2017-07-21T19:53:39.107" Title="Why are the blossoms falling off my tomato plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33275" CreationDate="2017-05-16T19:16:23.923" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based upon the leaves, bark and form the tree is probably a fastigiate cultivar of &lt;em&gt;Populus nigra&lt;/em&gt;, the Black poplar. It may be a true Lombardy Poplar, &lt;em&gt;Populus nigra&lt;/em&gt; 'Italica' or one of the crosses of this tree with &lt;em&gt;Populus nigra&lt;/em&gt; subsp. &lt;em&gt;betulifolia'&lt;/em&gt; - &lt;em&gt;Populus nigra&lt;/em&gt; Plantierensis Group. The former being widely planted as shelterbelts for golf courses and orchards, before being superseded in popularity in cooler wetter climes by the latter. Another possibility is &lt;em&gt;P. simonsii&lt;/em&gt; 'Fastigiata' which is a cultivar of a chinese species, but is rarer in cultivation, so less likely to be yours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growth throughout the tree is fastigiate - even at the top. The wider canopy is probably due to loss of the top part of the main trunk - quite possibly it was &quot;topped&quot; at some point. I would be slightly concerned about branches arising from this point shedding as this sort of growth can be quite weak where it joins the main trunk. You may wish to take it back to the original topping point (looks to be about eaves level) which may result in a more balanced looking tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T19:16:23.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33288" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33284" CreationDate="2017-05-16T19:32:28.423" Score="18" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Moss is just fine in your compost!&lt;/strong&gt;  Moss is one of the great opportunists in the plant world.  Moss is not hurting your lawn.  The presence of moss is telling us your lawn is not vigorous enough, you are watering too often and too shallowly, you are probably mowing too short and you've possibly got shade involved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cool thing about moss is that if there is bare soil moss will be able to grow and cover that bare soil.  Moss is unable to grow without plenty of moisture, will not out compete or harm your grasses, thrives in shade and cool temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is moss killer, a copper sulfate you can use but you will be right back to bare soil. Glyphosate is overkill and forget reseeding for 3 weeks. What you've already done, raking it out is perfect first step.  Go ahead and put it in your compost, gees, this is a wonderful plant and moss spores are everywhere all the time.  I'm betting you live in the Pacific Northwest?  Yes?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your main focus should be figuring out why your lawn is wimpy and dying out to cause bare ground.  Here are some of the proper maintenance practices to enhance the vigor of your lawn grasses;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Do not water every day.  Water deeply and then do not water again until you see your footprints after walking on your lawn.  When the grass doesn't spring back up after stepping on it, that is the sign to water again and deeply. Allow to dry until you see your footprints again, no sooner. This &lt;em&gt;trains&lt;/em&gt; your grass to grow deep roots which cool season grasses are genetically designed to have.  These genetically deep root systems need sufficient top growth of photosynthetic material with which to make their food and to support those roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) Mow no shorter than 3&quot;.  I am serious.  Not 2 1/2 but 3 full inches! When the grass is cut this way you end up taking off less each time you mow (once per week minimum).  Bag and compost.  I've never found a mower that is able to really chop the blades of grass fine enough.  Great stuff for compost.  Not so much for your lawn.  I'd rather fertilize correctly than deal with thatch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) You need a soil test.  Your soil is probably acidic, duh, Pacific Northwest!  Copper Sulfate will kill the moss but it will also lower the pH of your soil even more. Grass needs a more neutral pH. Do not lime without a test.  This is the only way to know how much lime to apply to your lawn as well as the amounts of necessary chemicals grass needs.  Otherwise, you the dude in control will be blindly managing your lawn.  At least one test; guess they are about $15 now at your closest cooperative extension service.  In Washington that would be WSU.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;4) Fertilizer should be higher in N than the P and the K, in terms of percentage.  Fast release in my experience is not that healthy for your crop of grasses.  There are amazing slow release, organic fertilizers that also have important microchemicals and beneficial thatch eating bacteria.  Traditional Scotts/Ortho synthetics are applied 4X per year.  Each has a different formulation for spring, early summer, late summer and then fall.  Important to follow.  The slow release you won't need to do but 2 or maybe 3X.  I have to tell you with decades of caring for lawns on a commercial basis (Seattle WA area) it is worth every extra penny offset by having to fertilize less often.  I was so impressed by these 'organic' fertilizers I actually PUSH these products.  The one I used was Dr. Earth Lawn Fertilizer.  Seriously amazing the difference in health of lawns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;5) Aerate once per year with a core aerator easily rented and costs shared with your neighbors.  It is fast and simple and takes little of your energy to get 'er done.  Leave the cores right where they fall!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;6) Get an extra set or two of blades for your mower.  You want brutally sharp blades!  If your mower is unable to be raised high enough to cut no shorter than 3 inches, your shop should be able to customize the height adjustments. Get to know these guys!  Stick around if you are able to learn how to maintain your mower.  Learn how to change out air and gas filters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;7) If you are trying to grow grass in shade you will have to reduce fertilizer of that shaded grass by half.  Too much fertilizer on grass not getting enough light will put undue stress and weaken grass in the shade. You might consider getting rid of grass in the shade by making a graveled park look instead of having to keep fighting growing grass where it will never be happy or having to manage part of your lawn one way for sun and another for shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just by changing your maintenance habits you will not have to 'worry' about moss or weeds or any other chemical applications.  Moss is green and you have to get close to see it is moss not grass.  Moss is just telling you your lawn is not happy and management practices need to change to promote grass, not moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T19:32:28.423" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33286" CreationDate="2017-05-16T19:40:55.247" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems that temperature may be the highest risk, see &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/tomato-blossom-drop-1402964&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Spruce&lt;/a&gt; but there are other possibilities (also listed there). Maybe you can narrow the range somewhat?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T19:40:55.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33249" CreationDate="2017-05-16T20:31:29.660" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The colours don't look quite right to me but sessile leaves (attached direct to the trunk) with a relatively very strong midrib (slightly U-shaped in cross-section) from which the two sides fold slightly towards one another looks lettuce-like. However for me it is the stalk that is most convincing. That is not shown in this image of a &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1466866/when-to-harvest-romaine-lettuce&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Jericho&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8PSr0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8PSr0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lettuce&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;but that bend looks &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; familiar (perhaps from planting too shallow or in a windy environment).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, it is a lettuce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-05-16T21:15:29.487" LastActivityDate="2017-05-16T21:15:29.487" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33291" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-16T23:21:22.023" Score="5" ViewCount="3485" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a recipe that calls for 2 tablespoons baking soda, 5 tablespoons vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon Castile soap. Mix with 2 gallons of water. Spray on tomato plants to control blight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I use the same recipe with Dawn Liquid Detergent instead of Castile Soap? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17542" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-17T00:18:15.063" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T11:17:47.567" Title="Can I use dawn liquid detergent in place of castile soap as a tomato blight remedy?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;blight&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33292" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33291" CreationDate="2017-05-17T00:16:17.183" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't, though I admit I do not know the function of Castile soap in your recipe. It might be that its active ingredients are an essential part of the treatment: (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saponin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;saponin&lt;/a&gt; and/or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleic_acid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;oleic acid&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Castile soap is a vegetable product (mostly) - was distinguished by use of olive oil - but detergent is full of some nasty chemicals, including those than can cause cancer. While the amount required is small it is to be applied too high up the food chain for comfort. 'Dawn' is specifically mentioned by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.davidwolfe.com/6-dish-soaps-full-cancer-causing-chemicals/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;David Wolfe&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An alternative solution (but not tried by me) is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/stop-tomato-blight-copper-wire-83938.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;three inch copper wire&lt;/a&gt; one, with a video about it here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzhSuHRfYDU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to organically control tomato blight (YouTube)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-05-17T11:17:47.567" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T11:17:47.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33291" CreationDate="2017-05-17T05:35:40.090" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I gotta give you some very bad news. Once tomatoes get blight there is no treatment.  Nope.  Not at all.  One spore, splashed onto the plant via water will be the end of that plant...doubt any other tomato plants will not get the same fungus.  It is so sad. The only fungus that is treatable after infection is powdery mildew.  I've learned a while back the hard way losing 75 feet of healthy, vigorous, 4' tall, tomato plants laden with tomatoes.  One day I found a few blackened, shriveled leaves.  3 days later every single plant was dead.  I had collected all the tomatoes I could that first day but every single tomato blackened.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only treatment is fungicide &lt;strong&gt;before&lt;/strong&gt; the plant is infected.  Fungicide is analogous to a raincoat protecting the plant from blight, fungal spores splashed up off the soil onto the plant when it rains or with overhead watering.  Once a plant is infected it is systemic and there is nothing you can do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So one of my projects for master gardener classes was tomatoes and blight.  The best way I found was to prune up leaves from below to keep them away from the soil and make a mini hoop house.  Water them by drip lines.  Those spores are everywhere especially where tomatoes were grown for earlier seasons.  I had a virgin garden, far from any garden and my plants were still infected.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tough lesson to learn.  Seriously, once a plant has been infected with just one spore that plant is done.  There are no other treatments.  Crop rotation is important, adding manures and composts are a great infection vector, you have no idea what comes with them from other gardens.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To this day, I plant my tomatoes in pots with sterilized potting soil.  I drag these 5 and 10 gallon pots in doors if they are outside when it rains.  In a greenhouse I only water the soil no overhead watering.  Major fans blowing 24/7.  I've never had another blight since.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Go ahead and try these other hummmm, recipes.  Can't hurt.  If your plants continue to look worse the best thing is to pull them up and put them in a burn pile after allowing them to dry under plastic.  Won't prevent spreading spores but there isn't a more responsible way to dispose. Rotate your crops.  No peppers, potatoes, eggplant in the same soil tomatoes were grown and vise versa for at least 2 years.  Even if there was no sign or problems with blight.  Other vegetables as well, rotation is a hard and fast rule.  I love planting in pots in sterile soil as it leaves my beds open for more plants and I can be fairly sure no blight spores will be in the potting soil. I am sorry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T05:35:40.090" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33294" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33284" CreationDate="2017-05-17T05:38:56.500" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not quite “in the garden” — but you can always consider drying the moss and selling it at a local crafts fair or flea market, or selling or gifting the moss to a friend who will do so.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Similar to one of the suggestions given in another answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/33285/17033&quot; &gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might be surprised at the demand for such things in some niches.  Most of what you would see in craft shops is an artificial replica of organic moss because such things are cheaper to produce and distribute.  You probably will not be able to procure customers for all your moss, but it could be worth a modest venture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of your customers will be people who don't have access to such things in their neighborhoods.  The more urbanized the habitat, the more likely you will be to find therein a market or even a periodic venue.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;As such, the value of the moss and lichens in such trades is improved by preserving as much of its natural environment as possible.  If the moss is firmly attached to a stone or scrap of bark, then don't separate the two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17033" LastEditorUserId="17033" LastEditDate="2017-05-23T19:03:54.663" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T19:03:54.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33296" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33298" CreationDate="2017-05-17T13:04:54.823" Score="3" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've used coir soil for my potted plants to make the soil a little less compressed. I've read the declaration and is says that it contains max 5% of coconut fibres. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could be the other 95%?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T17:59:01.513" Title="What do manufactures put into coir (coconut fibre) &quot;soil&quot;" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33297" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-17T13:09:45.523" Score="3" ViewCount="250" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a long tough box on my window which I stuck some root ginger in. The ginger was in my fridge and sprouting so I figured I'd see what happened. Fast forward a few years and it's a huge clump of root and a lot of it is above the soil level and pushing on the edge of the box. Clearly, I need to do something. In my head, I call it &quot;re-seating&quot; because that's what I'd do with PC RAM if it was not sitting right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, the ginger is sprouting at the moment and I have three good stems already. Is this a bad time to re-seat the ginger? If so (and my guess is that this is a bad time) when is the soonest I can harvest and replant for least damage and best grow back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;: (For clarity) This is a window box inside in my flat on the window. It is currently sprouting and bunched up and needs to be better planted soonish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1934" LastEditorUserId="1934" LastEditDate="2017-05-17T15:36:59.550" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T14:47:41.007" Title="Repotting ginger in a window box" Tags="&lt;ginger&gt;&lt;window-box&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33296" CreationDate="2017-05-17T13:33:40.863" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Coir pith. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coirtrade.com/whatiscoir.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;What is Coir pith? Or “Coco-Peat”?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T13:33:40.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33300" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33303" CreationDate="2017-05-17T15:04:06.313" Score="3" ViewCount="302" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in central Florida, by the Atlantic. I have a few trees that would make exceptional canvases for tiki faces. What trees should I avoid? I've seen it implemented in my area, but didn't note the type of tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, will I need to mind the depth and area of cuts to ensure the tree's health? Will coating exposed areas with paint, stain or lacquer endanger the tree long term (affect aesthetics)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17547" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-17T21:37:21.037" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T21:37:21.037" Title="What extent of trunk carving is acceptable for tree health?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33301" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32615" CreationDate="2017-05-17T15:19:38.963" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Jade plant is susceptible to sunburn. If you take it out doors and plop it in full sun, you'll get something that looks like you have. The plants usually recover by putting out new leaves with chloroplasts/thylakoids arranged so as not to capture too much energy. Sun angle is changing rapidly this time of year, before spring solstice, so you may be getting a lot more sun in the usual spot than you expect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T15:19:38.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33302" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33297" CreationDate="2017-05-17T17:29:23.537" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hmm, well, your ginger should have been harvested a few months back, as the leaves died down - at the time when you harvest the root, you can keep a section which has incipient buds or eyes for replanting to grow the following year. Frankly, I don't know what will happen if you dig it up, cut some of the root off, then replant, depends what you find when you take it out of its container. It's not a question of 'reseating' by the sound of it, because it sounds as if the roots are now so extensive, there's insufficient room for them in the container, though a photograph of it would be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could perhaps risk unpotting it and having a look at where the growth is coming from, slicing off parts which don't have growth and replanting the part that does, but again, its difficult to say without seeing it. Otherwise, it means waiting until the plant dies down, then harvesting the root, keeping a section with eyes and replanting that. Of course, you could always just harvest all the roots and buy another piece of ginger from the supermarket, plant that in your box with fresh potting soil, and let that grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T17:29:23.537" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33303" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33300" CreationDate="2017-05-17T17:40:59.287" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;So far as I'm aware, there are no trees more suited to this decorative procedure, which is actually the equivalent of serious damage, than others. The living part of a tree, where the xylem and phloem travels (the tree's circulatory system) is immediately beneath the bark, so any cutting which is deeper than the bark, or removes bark, will cause damage and may lead to infection. Ringing a tree all round by removing bark or cutting into the wood directly beneath will generally kill a tree, but it doesn't sound like that's what you're intending to do. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might get away with carving into a section of bark and trunk with no major ill effects, or you might not, so if you decide to go ahead and do it, be prepared for any tree you choose to show signs of sickness or even die eventually. A word of caution though about the time of year - because trees are very active during spring and summer, with lots of circulation going both ways, there  is more risk of serious bleeding during the growing season than there would be if this was carried out on a tree whilst it was dormant. It's also true that some trees are more prone to bleeding than others if cut at the wrong time, but ultimately, it's your choice whether to risk it or not with any tree, whenever you choose to do it. To answer your question as it is phrased in the title, 'what extent of trunk carving is acceptable for tree health', none, there's always a risk, yet clearly, there are trees with things carved into their trunks which survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-17T17:46:55.900" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T17:46:55.900" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33304" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33323" CreationDate="2017-05-17T17:46:01.883" Score="8" ViewCount="720" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am making a list of mediums that I can use to make soil more loose and improve airiness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil will be used primarily in pots. I am interested in both home made mediums and commercially available, but more in the home made ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Currently on the list:&#xA;1. coir&#xA;2. forest soil&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What other mediums can be used?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I use garden soil for pots (and so far had zero diseases and pests), but I need to mix it with something to keep it loose over a long time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What about straw?&lt;/strong&gt; Is it okay to add it to soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="17223" LastEditDate="2017-05-18T19:38:53.590" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T19:38:53.590" Title="Medium you can add to soil to improve airiness and create loose soil" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33305" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33296" CreationDate="2017-05-17T17:59:01.513" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;They may just mean that only 5% is actual coconut fibre, and the rest is coconut husk of different grinds, some fine, some medium, some large. Coconut husk is different from coconut fibre - this latter is usually used to make doormats, mattress fillings, brooms and brushes. If it contains anything else (loam, peat, perlite and so on) that should be listed as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T17:59:01.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33306" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33304" CreationDate="2017-05-17T18:05:55.540" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This link &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hobbyfarms.com/10-ingredients-to-make-your-own-potting-soil-5/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(10 Ingredients to Make Your Own Potting Soil)&lt;/a&gt; lists ten ingredients for making your own potting soil. The only thing I would add is, where it talks about compost you've made yourself, it does not make it clear that the compost should be produced using a hot, aerobic method, which will kill major pathogens and weed seeds - cold, anaerobically produced compost should only be used on open garden soil in the ground. You will note that soil (garden or forest) needs to be sterilized prior to use in potting mixes, and guidance is given about that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of the ingredients listed, those with aerating properties to lighten the soil include perlite, vermiculite, peat and coir.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I note you also ask about commercially available potting soils - I'm lucky enough to live in a country where John Innes potting soils are available; they contain sterilized loam among other things, and they are the king of potting soils, especially for long term planting in containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-05-18T12:48:23.160" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T12:48:23.160" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33307" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-17T18:08:56.537" Score="1" ViewCount="89" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew up with this plant covering the forest floors around my neck of the woods on Eastern Long Island, NY.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have never seen it for sale, even at one of the many native plant nurseries we regularly buy from. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is some information online about propagation, but it all seems fairly vague.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone grown this from seed, runner, or other means? If so, how?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T22:36:23.050" Title="What is the best way to propogate Aralia nudicaulis (Wild Sarsaparilla)?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;native&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33308" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33304" CreationDate="2017-05-17T18:57:37.657" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A commercially available choice is Akadama. It is used in Bonsai cultivation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13895" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T18:57:37.657" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33309" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31280" CreationDate="2017-05-17T20:35:35.800" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, welcoming a certain degree of &quot;bonus wildlife&quot; is in the spirit of the organic approach your choice of this mix implies.  A healthy soil is a living soil.  It's astounding what quantity and variety of microscopic critters live in soil, doing good things or at least no harm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since these little insects apparently thrive in your bag of soil, that suggests though does not guarantee that they eat dead plants (detritivores).  Compost = dead plants.  Some insects eat both live and dead plants, but lots stick to one or the other only.  I'd cut a bit of almost any plant, nice juicy green leaves, and maybe put the stems in a little glass of water.  Nestle the experiment into the potting mix.  Leave the bag open, mimicking the air that a potted plant would have.  Then look in a day or two and see whether the insects congregated on or obviously damaged the leaves.  If not, I'd use it as is.  I certainly wouldn't throw out the bag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you really, really want the insects gone and suspect there are eggs, another option is to put a bunch in a big pan and bake it at about 250 degrees until it's hot through.  Warning:  This can really smell up a kitchen!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On good rumor (I'm not taking on Miracle Gro with an absolute assertion!), they make at least some of their organic potting material by composting ground up ponderosa and lodgepole trees from the Front Range in Colorado, or did a couple years ago.  If that's what you happen to have and forest conifers are the origin of the insects, the chance the insects also favor tiny tomatoes seems low.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17549" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T20:35:35.800" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33310" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33311" CreationDate="2017-05-17T20:49:16.803" Score="2" ViewCount="5426" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a pomegranate seed in some soil and kept it indoors. I kept it alive for over a year, but recently it has dried, started to droop and the leaves are falling off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's in a ceramic pot of about 3-4 inch diameter without any holes in the bottom of it. What might cause it to be failing so badly and how can I fix it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T21:33:27.303" Title="Why is my pomegranate tree dying?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;pomegranate&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33310" CreationDate="2017-05-17T21:31:59.513" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pomegranates need full sun. There is also a chance that the roots are bound in that small container and over saturated with water due to the lack of drainage. This website recommended a 10 gallon pot. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/pomegranate/pomegranate-in-a-pot.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;More general info on growing Pomengrates&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spring is a good time for transplanting. So you can try moving it to a bigger pot with better drainage and perhaps finding a basic fertilizer schedule. Depends on how dead it is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13895" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T21:31:59.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33310" CreationDate="2017-05-17T21:33:27.303" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Several possible reasons at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-a-Pomegranate-Tree&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wikiHow&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The leaves on my pomegranate are turning yellow. Why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During the growing seasons of spring to early fall, this may be an indication of insufficient or too much watering. Like most plants, pomegranate trees need the right balance of moisture to grow well. Limit watering as the season changes from summer to fall, allowing the soil to dry out before watering again; after all, pomegranate is a desert plant and it's used to aridity. On the other hand, when the plant is first establishing itself in the ground after transplanting, it needs regular waterings to help the roots take hold. This might be another reason for yellowing of the leaves, so be sure to keep a transplanted tree well watered at least twice a week. Other reasons for yellowing leaves can include sap sucking insects, too much fertilizer or insufficient nitrogen and the cooling temperatures. In the latter case of falling temperatures, this is the normal cycle for the pomegranate, which is a deciduous tree and it will lose it leaves in late fall. If the plant appears otherwise healthy and it's late fall, assume that all is normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A bigger pot would seem called for and give you the opportunity to see if rootbound. I suspect not enough water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T21:33:27.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33313" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33307" CreationDate="2017-05-17T22:36:23.050" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never grown it, but this link here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ARNU2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ARNU2&lt;/a&gt; talks about propagation, and suggests that it is commercially available, scroll down for full information. The secondary embedded link advises that the seeds need around 60-70 days of cold, moist stratification, so if you can't source plants, then division of the root as advised would be best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-17T22:36:23.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33314" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-17T23:07:05.543" Score="2" ViewCount="184" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live near Vancouver, Canada, USDA zone 8a. Our summers are fairly mild, only becoming consistently hot from mid-July to end of August and maybe the beginning of September. I want to grow karela (the warty Indian bitter melon) or the Chinese bitter melon (smoother and larger). I have no idea whether the hotter part of our growing season is long enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've saved some ripe seeds from some karela and I have 3 plants started - about 2-3 inches tall now. They're right against a south-facing window. I know a trick to get heat-loving vegetables to grow well in a garden and plan to use it. What I need to know, though, is how long from planting till the plant will set fruit. Like other Cucurbits, the first flowers will only be male.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone grown karela or bitter melon in this area and been successful? If you have, could you please share any info that could help me? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-22T19:47:53.347" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T19:47:53.347" Title="Growing bitter melon or karela?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;cucurbits&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33315" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33330" CreationDate="2017-05-17T23:35:04.640" Score="6" ViewCount="2673" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5mMdu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've scoured the internet but cannot seem to identify this plant. It is growing in the Southeastern United States and is around 3 to 4 ft high. It grows fairly quickly, so I assume it's some kind of weed, but I wanted to be sure of what it was before I pulled it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17551" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T15:31:37.687" Title="What kind of plant is this? It has maple-like leaves but is a fast-growing weed" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33316" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33343" CreationDate="2017-05-18T00:09:53.790" Score="5" ViewCount="1993" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the most efficient (i.e., least water lost due to evaporation) drip system setup for irrigating a tree in the desert?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;I've seen some elaborate setups, like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VxxS3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VxxS3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree irrigation ring&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But having it above-ground like this would seem to result in a lot of water loss via evaporation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also seen soaker hose setups laid out in a spiral.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or this:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/irrigation/Scheduling.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XjC2c.gif&quot; alt=&quot;emitter layout&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This chart shows how many emitters I need:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/irrigation/Scheduling.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SMcL0.gif&quot; alt=&quot;# emitters required&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, can I get by with only a half-dozen or so emitters per tree, and just water longer? Should the emitter tubes be buried in the ground, or should they should poke into the ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would this be good?:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dvAZe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dvAZe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastEditorUserId="7441" LastEditDate="2017-05-18T00:34:11.780" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T01:10:07.293" Title="What is the most efficient drip system setup for irrigating a tree in the desert?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19874" CreationDate="2017-05-18T00:50:55.083" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sending pictures via the answer section is the only way I know to send a few pictures where we got rid of the grass on a steep slope for an extension of the home into the landscape.  This is probably overkill just hope it might engender different ideas of terracing and better outdoor spaces than just grass.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/llaeN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/llaeN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;before&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V2hwt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V2hwt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;after&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T00:50:55.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33318" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33315" CreationDate="2017-05-18T01:00:12.677" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I may be way off target but since you said it's fast-growing, I wonder if it might be a very large vine just getting started. I don't know plants in the southeastern States but when I did some checking (as I find the shape of the leaves very interesting), I came across a wild grape species native to your area - Mustang grape (&lt;em&gt;Vitis mustangensis&lt;/em&gt;). Here's the University of Texas site on Vitis mustangensis with lots of photos. They do say that the degree of lobbing in the leaves can vary greatly even in the same plant. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio406d/images/pics/vit/vitis_mustangensis.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio406d/images/pics/vit/vitis_mustangensis.htm&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3KnzS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3KnzS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=14245&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=14245&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GTDJu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GTDJu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Somehow, I don't think that's what your plant is but who knows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T01:00:12.677" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33319" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-18T02:56:14.323" Score="4" ViewCount="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;My yard's irrigation has a total of 8 zones (two irrigation boxes of 4 zones each). After turning on the irrigation this year, I noticed that one whole irrigation box (4 zones) all won't turn on, while the other does. I have had one zone fail before and I've had to replace a solenoid, but never all 4 fail. I tested the electrical wires on each valve and confirmed each one is getting 24 volts. Next, I tested the resistance of each solenoid and confirmed they were each 25 ohms. Also, I can turn the solenoid a quarter turn, or open the bleed screw, and each valve manually turns on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I'm at a loss at what to do next. I would assume that it's likely not a valve problem, as all 4 valves won't open. It seems more likely to be an electric problem, but the proper voltage seems to be getting to the box. What else can I check to diagnose the problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17554" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T02:56:14.323" Title="What else to test for irrigation box with valves that won't turn on" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33320" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-18T04:37:31.143" Score="5" ViewCount="115" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tomato plants were planted 4 weeks ago. Have tomatoes growing at the base of 2 plants. Shall I remove them? Worried about the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17556" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-19T16:10:11.453" LastActivityDate="2021-01-19T16:10:11.453" Title="Tomatoes at the base" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="33321" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33304" CreationDate="2017-05-18T06:49:31.163" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In Africa we use crushed peanut shells.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17559" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T06:49:31.163" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33322" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33327" CreationDate="2017-05-18T07:28:59.100" Score="4" ViewCount="771" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am sorry if this is too vague. May I know the name of this plant? The flower should look like a big round circle. The color is blue or pink if I recall correctly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0M4Um.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0M4Um.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17560" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-05-18T07:49:37.000" LastActivityDate="2019-08-07T03:53:50.600" Title="What is the name of this plant? It has round big flowers" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;ornamental-plant&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33323" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33304" CreationDate="2017-05-18T07:55:22.867" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;From Bamboo's reference, the one that will aerate your soil:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sphagnum peat moss&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A very stable ingredient, peat takes a long time to break down and is widely available and inexpensive&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Coir fiber&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A byproduct of the coconut industry, coir looks and acts a lot like sphagnum peat&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Composted pine bark&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Composted pine bark lightens up soil mixes by increasing pore sizes and allowing air and water to travel freely in the potting soil mixture&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Perlite&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A volcanic rock, perlite is heated and expanded to become a lightweight, sterile addition to potting soil mixes&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Vermiculite&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Vermiculite is a mined mineral that is conditioned by heating until it expands into light particles used to increase the porosity of soil mixtures&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T07:55:22.867" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33324" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2017-05-18T07:58:41.917" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are various ways to improve the looks of our homes. One of the most satisfying is to grow ones own plants and flower in a way that will add colors and shape changing with the course of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-05-18T18:38:37.587" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T18:38:37.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33325" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2017-05-18T07:58:41.917" Score="0" Body="Anything about plants and flowers grown to decorate our houses and dwellings." OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-05-18T18:38:49.460" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T18:38:49.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33326" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33322" CreationDate="2017-05-18T08:01:54.653" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say Agapanthus, for the long stalk, but the leaves usually have not so much width.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T08:01:54.653" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33327" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33322" CreationDate="2017-05-18T09:29:21.380" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd rather say this is an ornamental &lt;a href=&quot;https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aillium&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They often use it to decorate my town. Here is how the head will look like if I'm not wrong:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e8La7.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e8La7.png&quot; alt=&quot;ornamental aillium&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Might be a &lt;em&gt;giganteum&lt;/em&gt;; in below picture you'll notice similar leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gn0lO.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gn0lO.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T09:29:21.380" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33328" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33304" CreationDate="2017-05-18T10:25:31.727" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Polystyrene beads (beanbag chair filling, the denser variety).&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lmNr6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lmNr6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Costs what, $8 for a person-sized bag? I've used them (with peat, hydrogel, etc) where lots of root space was needed while keeping the weight manageable. Lasted 6 years so far. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use none at the topmost layer, more at bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14309" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T10:25:31.727" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33329" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33334" CreationDate="2017-05-18T11:25:57.820" Score="4" ViewCount="87" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could not think of a better title. I got a small bag of blue potatoes (forgot the variety) for planting and I brought them home at 7:00 PM. But I forgot to take them out of the truck until about 6:00 PM the next day. It got around 75°F (24°C) the other day so should I be worried that the potatoes will not grow? When I cut them they will still &quot;juicy&quot;, and the eyes were not falling off. Kinda worried they won't grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-05-19T11:59:49.287" LastActivityDate="2017-08-04T15:34:17.130" Title="Will my potatoes grow?" Tags="&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33315" CreationDate="2017-05-18T12:54:19.340" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_mulberry&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Broussonetia papyrifera&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; the &quot;paper mulberry&quot; which although native to Asia has been introduced elsewhere and in Florida for instance is a Category II invasive:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/APpTh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/APpTh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Category II invasive&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://weeds.brisbane.qld.gov.au/weeds/paper-mulberry&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Brisbane City Council&lt;/a&gt; list it as a weed, provide many aids to identification  and have an image that seems a close match despite some variation in the very unusual leaf shape across specimens and age of specimen:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iTdVd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iTdVd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Broussonetia papyrifera&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;(&lt;em&gt;Image courtesy of Asad Shabbir&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is fast growing (up to 20 m in height) so should probably be removed as soon as possible, though I would be inclined to keep a little (under control!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T12:54:19.340" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33331" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-18T12:56:41.153" Score="3" ViewCount="717" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 2 ginger bulbs planted and while the plants grow fast (it has grown from zero to this in about a month), they are getting very high. Right now nearing a meter. The plant is mostly on a windowsill that gets afternoon light. I took the picture elsewhere just to get a better image.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could the windowsill be too intense with light? Although, I have to say, it almost never gets direct sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k3cFH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k3cFH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ginger&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17563" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T17:10:13.223" Title="Ginger plant growing into height" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;ginger&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33331" CreationDate="2017-05-18T13:13:32.413" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You appear to have a very healthy plant and no cause for concern. &lt;a href=&quot;http://veggieharvest.com/herbs/ginger.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;They will eventually reach a height of 2 feet or more in a container, and may reach a height of 2-3 feet in the garden.&lt;/a&gt; It has probably reached its height limit now so if I were you I would return it to where it used to be and keep up the same good work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T13:13:32.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33334" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33329" CreationDate="2017-05-18T15:09:06.900" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are somewhat in need of relaxing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The blue potatoes that keep coming up in my garden (despite being harvested, some always seem to escape and grow the next year, for at least 3 years in a row now) were found, rather sad, dried up and moldy (with long, but rather shriveled, sprouts) under a bag of chicken feed, in mid-summer - evidently the person who bought them (in the spring) put the &quot;excess&quot; under the chicken feed and they did not come to light until the chicken feed was empty. Given the opportunity, they (or most of them) grew happily. I did give them a soak in a bucket of water before planting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;23 hours with a brief stint at 75F is nothing to worry about, in my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T15:09:06.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33335" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33404" CreationDate="2017-05-18T15:50:41.920" Score="4" ViewCount="135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several fruit trees all in good condition, all around 2 years old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of them is a morello cherry. He was bought as a one year&#xA;Old. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On its second year, I missed pruning and ultimately he grew dozens of tiny branches all the way up the main stem which I have now trimmed, only leaving 4-5 buds to allow it to grow in a goblet shape which is working well. The main stem of the tree is also very strong and well established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree, for reasons unknown to me keeps growing new stems from the roots. I know all trees will try that and the others do as well but in a quantity which is nothing compared to this one. If I let it, I probably would end up with 2 main stems!!&#xA;I have tried to increase the compost around it to deprive the roots of light. Adding a bigger layer of mulch as well. &#xA;All trees are fed regularly, all healthy. I do not use chemicals, it's all 100% organic tree care.  I live in Gloucestershire UK&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am stumped with this one. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&#xA;It was planted dormant in the&#xA;Ground  2 years ago February time with one year &quot;wasted&quot; with lack of pruning(as explained above) &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PkO9P.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PkO9P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;The variety is as per comment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16605" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-05-21T21:32:35.280" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T05:15:47.600" Title="Fruit trees root growth" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33337" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33338" CreationDate="2017-05-18T16:39:19.480" Score="3" ViewCount="17616" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a small Fern (Nephrolepis Exaltata) back in January. Within 1-2 weeks all of the leaves, except for 4, became brown and eventually fell.&#xA;I believe this happened due to lack of watering/humidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut off all of the dead fronds and 5 months later the leaves on 4 of the fronds are still there and still green but no new frond has grown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to make it grow back or is it pointless to keep hoping it will ever recover?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17566" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T17:01:18.490" Title="How to save a Fern which most leaves have dried out" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33338" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33337" CreationDate="2017-05-18T17:01:18.490" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bathroom should certainly help with humidity. I suggest following the advice at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/boston-fern/boston-fern-care.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gardening Know How&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Boston ferns need a cool place with high humidity and indirect light. When you care for Boston fern plants indoors, it’s a good idea to provide additional humidity for them, especially in the winter. Most homes are rather dry, even more when heaters are running. For extra humidity care for Boston fern, try setting your fern’s pot on a tray of pebbles filled with water. You can also try lightly misting your fern once or twice a week to help it get the humidity it needs. Another step in how to take care of a Boston fern is to make sure that the fern’s soil remains damp. Dry soil is one of the number one reasons that Boston ferns die. Check the soil daily and make sure to give it some water if the soil feels at all dry. Because Boston ferns tend to be planted in potting mixtures that are high in peat moss, it is a good idea to soak the pot of the Boston fern once a month or so to make sure the peat moss is fully hydrated. Be sure to let it drain thoroughly after this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Outdoors they die back to almost nothing each winter but recover every new year, so I would at least wait another year, to check this is not something seasonal, before considering discarding it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T17:01:18.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33339" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33331" CreationDate="2017-05-18T17:10:13.223" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You haven't said which ginger this is - assuming its the type of ginger where the root is used for cooking, that plant does not like direct sunlight, though it appreciates dappled sun. Your plant looks a bit etiolated, so it's not been receiving sufficient bright daylight - the stems look a little weak, but lack of air movement could be contributing to that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can increase its daylight levels without exposing it to hot sunlight between 11 and 3 in the afternoon, then stand it there, preferably near an open window to allow air movement. Otherwise, it may do better out of doors if your conditions are appropriate, but it will need hardening off first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T17:10:13.223" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33340" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-18T17:56:51.287" Score="3" ViewCount="787" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have Basil and mint plants with leaves filled with white dots (see images), and now I've even noticed the same thing on a red currant bush. But I have no idea what's causing it. I can not see any pest on or under the leaves. The mint plant got some ants (just a handful) running around it, but I don't think that they are causing this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RcROF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RcROF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QnJgQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QnJgQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried, as suggested, to shake the leaves with a white paper under them, but no bug could be found on the paper (I did not use a magnifying glass, though. I used the zoom of my camera though, but nothing).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is not only the surface, so salt residue it is not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants where planted in fresh potting soil, though with the soil from the container it came in included. I have some hydroponic nutrient which I have been giving the plants every once in a while. So my hope was that there would be no deficiencies. The ph of the soil I do not know though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: the bush on the other hand was planted in some super cheap soil, not the same as the herbs. So I would not be surprised if that one show signs of deficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The way the leaves differ from the photo of the manganese deficiency is that in that photo the edges seem to be whitening all around. Whereas my plants only get spots (albeit more or less all over).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What makes me personally lean towards some type of pest is that some leaves have holes in them (So I am surprised that I am unable too see any. I might just have to buy a magnifying glass.). And I have another mint plant on the other side of the house which does not show any of these symptoms, and I treat them similarly (same soil, etc.). Though on that plant I found a bunch of mites close to the stem (but that's another story :p). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't really care too much if the mint and basil survives, or if I have to start over. But  I would like to figure out what it is and how to treat it. Because I have a citrus tree in the same location which I care about. The citrus shows none of these symptoms btw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16922" LastEditorUserId="16922" LastEditDate="2017-05-23T17:43:42.200" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T17:43:42.200" Title="Help identifying pest" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33340" CreationDate="2017-05-18T18:35:32.320" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/red-spider-mites.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;red spider mite&lt;/a&gt; if worst on the underside of the leaf. The ants may be there because of the mites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&amp;amp;t=53678&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;applestar&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;try holding a piece of white paper under the stem while the plant is dry and flicking it to see if any tiny red or black specks fall out. Put the paper on a smooth surface and press/stroke with finger and see if they smear. Mites are nearly microscopic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use of a magnifying glass might identify movement.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If only on the surface of the leaves might be salts in tap water left behind after evaporation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T18:35:32.320" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33342" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33093" CreationDate="2017-05-18T21:21:53.790" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There seem to be many possibilities not excluded by any details in the Q (I have already suggested a laurel as a possibility) but, appearing to me to tick what boxes are available: &lt;em&gt;Syzygium&lt;/em&gt;, maybe &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syzygium_cumini&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Syzygium cumini&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (&quot;Java plum&quot;). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T21:21:53.790" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33343" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33316" CreationDate="2017-05-18T21:54:41.263" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why not do what people in similar climates used to do for centuries? Use large flat rocks to conserve soil moisture. You can amend their methods to work with drip irrigation too if you wish. Use of natural materials, especially stone, is a feature of permaculture in dry environs. This method is still practiced today. It's just not that common since most people figure it's easier to bring water in than conserve it, or aren't even aware of this technique.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While the soil directly under the stones will heat up, the heat only extends a few inches down. Under that level, the soil tends to remain at an even temperature. Rocks take longer to heat up and maximum temperatures aren't reached till late afternoon. Heat stored is slowly released in both directions (into the air and into the soil) during the night. In deserts, nights can be quite cool since there's little moisture  in air or soil to hold heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you laid vegetative mulch around the tree (out past where the drip line would be in a few years), landscape fabric over that and then the flat rocks, you'd conserve water even better while discouraging even weeds from growing in the wetter soil around your tree. Then, whatever method you decide for watering your tree, you won't need to be concerned on water loss through evaporation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-05-18T21:54:41.263" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33344" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-18T23:31:21.283" Score="2" ViewCount="6763" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/psVqk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other side of the fence in my neighbors yard is a culvert but I am not positive that I can utilize his yard to help my case. What are my options here? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17571" LastActivityDate="2017-05-19T03:30:58.560" Title="What is the best way to fix low areas in yard, ponding at times" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33345" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33344" CreationDate="2017-05-19T00:43:53.313" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;How effective, if at all, may depend upon what is underneath your grass but you might consider burying &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.drainagepipe.co.uk/products/soakaway-crates/aquavoid-water-crate-1m-x-1m-x-333mm/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;water crates&lt;/a&gt; under the low spots. Something like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mlAvh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mlAvh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;water crate&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They can be stacked to increase the reservoir size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The object being to provide somewhere for the water to go, other than settle on top of your lawn, while you wait for it to dissipate (diffuse through the sides of the crate as surrounding soil dries out). If you are on deep, heavy clay diffusion might be slow but at least you would have the spoil from the hole to raise the hollow up to the surrounding level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A more expensive solution would be a sump (like a concrete-sided swimming pool with a permeable lid, underground) with pipework and a level-activated electric pump to raise the water collected, when copious, into mains drainage.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-19T00:43:53.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33346" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-19T02:59:38.357" Score="4" ViewCount="173" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Phragmipedium is showing some symptoms. I am wondering if it is a nutrient deficiency or disease. I water them once a week and with the occasional ice cube that doesn't touch the foliage. Fertilized every 3-4 weeks with a 20-20-20. SW facing window with a partial blind shade. The cuticle distortion is a breeding defect. Does anybody have some advice for helping this Phrag to health?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;May 19th: Read that the tip browning could possibly be from a high salt content in the water. Still curious about the base browning. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;May 21st: Added more photos to see the browning of the basal leaves. If anyone knows how to format the photos smaller on here it would be appreciated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;May 22nd: Found these watering preferences at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.orchidplantcare.info/blooming-phragmipedium-orchids/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;orchidplantcare.info&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;May 26th: Found a new spot of brown in the middle of the leaf. Also ran a pH test of my tap water vs some DI water. The tap was 6.32 and the DI 4.86. Have switched to the cleaner DI water and not allowing it to dry out between watering with a Sphagnum top dressing to the orchid bark. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Phragmipediums like clean water such as rain water, distilled, or reverse osmosis (R.O.) system water. Almost all of the Phrags in nature grow slightly on the acid side with a pH ranging from 5.5 and lower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yMGJm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yMGJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Phragmipdedium &amp;#39;Thor&amp;#39;s Hammer&amp;#39;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xm4JM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xm4JM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Phragmipdedium &amp;#39;Thor&amp;#39;s Hammer&amp;#39;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is the flowering orchid for reference. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZFP7x.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZFP7x.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Phragmipedium &amp;#39;Thor&amp;#39;s Hammer&amp;#39;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13895" LastEditorUserId="13895" LastEditDate="2017-05-27T04:28:25.950" LastActivityDate="2018-12-04T06:47:44.733" Title="Orchid has browning foliage. Can you help diagnose the problem?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33347" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33344" CreationDate="2017-05-19T03:00:38.827" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am assuming the picture is of your yard?  Where does the water go once in that swale?  If you can find the low spot in your yard where you don't care about having lawn you can dig a large hole to make a 'dry well'.  Very easy and inexpensive to do.  I'd need to know how large your back yard is in sq. ft.  A dry well is just this hole oh, 6' X 4' X 3' ?  Lined with landscape fabric, back filled &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z43P0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z43P0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dry well dry pond look&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; with 1 1/2 inch drain rock, not crushed gravel but rounded river rock.  Then covered with landscape fabric (this is just to keep your drain rock from disappearing and getting clogged up with soil) and I usually cover it with pea gravel, river cobble for a 'dry pond' or 'dry stream' look.  It can be covered with sod but that sod will always look different than the rest of your lawn.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on the slopes you could use french drains in a herringbone pattern to collect and direct water to your dry well.  If this swale is yours that would be an obvious place for a dry well and a dry stream treatment.  Huge expanses of lawn are highly over rated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the dips, simply get a couple of yards screened topsoil, maybe even less and top dress your lawn filling in the dips, grade like crazy and rent a water filled roller to compact the entire lawn.  Grade again, adding more soil where you see any dips.  Keep the soil very thin on the rest of your lawn.  Roll again.  Problem with you lawn is someone missed the rolling step. Use a spreader and  reseed your lawn with a great seed mix. Lightly use a soft rake, leaf rake turned over to scratch your seed a bit into the soil.  Roll again. You'll still see lots of seed, no worries. Don't overdo the seeding. Water shallowly to keep the germinating seed bed moist not soaked until you've got enough top growth to do your virgin mow.  Mow no shorter than 3&quot;.  This is critical.  Start watering more deeply and do not water again until you are able to see your footprints where the grass doesn't pop back up.  Never water until you are able to see your footprints.  Hold off on fertilizer while starting your seed.  The lawn will grow up through the soil and the new grass will help fill in holes.  Aerate by pulling cores once per year.  Check out all the other question answers on lawn management of cool season grasses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One more thing I see in your picture.  That very nice white fence/screen won't last for long with all that grass and soil able to rot the bottom.  Dig that down so you've got 2 inches at least between soil and wood. I'd take that grass back at least a foot and install crushed gravel with a 2X4 PT edger between the gravel and lawn.  Allow to go gray.  Don't paint it white, please.  Looks like the intersection of that white screen and your swale is the low spot?  Good place for the dry well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edges between your lawn and plant beds should be a shallow trench to collect excess water and make a crisp clean edge with set radius curves.  Doesn't matter the size of the radius but the curve stays the same until the curve has to go in the opposite direction.  Use upside down paint and a stake with string.  Feel free to expand your beds and minimize lawn.  Big beds and a defined lawn area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will give you some ideas but to answer we need all these questions answered and a few more pictures. This picture shows lawn that has been cut too short and wish I had a picture when they got their landscape maintenance company to keep the length at 3&quot;.  Also note the plant beds.  Always raised above the lawn height with trenches between grass and beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never, even if your neighbor agrees drain your water onto another property.  I can give you a few horror stories of neighbors that are no longer friends and lawyers were able to afford maybe some new furniture?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-19T03:30:58.560" LastActivityDate="2017-05-19T03:30:58.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33348" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33349" CreationDate="2017-05-19T05:39:59.800" Score="5" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've looked at some youtube videos, where they say that mediums such as vermiculite allow good drainage, but also have great water holding capabilities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am newbie gardener, and to me, this is almost a contradiction. What do they mean when they say that a medium has good drainage, but also holds water well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-05-19T07:30:45.687" LastActivityDate="2017-05-19T09:04:50.697" Title="Holding water and good drainage contradiction?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33349" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33348" CreationDate="2017-05-19T08:16:03.400" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems a contradiction, but if you look more in deep, there is a reason:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A soil with a lot of clay (so finer grains of soil) is a concrete like structure: water and clay paste together: there is a lot of surface, which doesn't allow water to move, so it will also absorb less water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A soil with a lot of sand (so the larger grains, but finer as stones) allow water to move: there is a lot of spaces between grains. But so the water go away quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ideal soil should have enough surface of grain, to attach water, but also not too much space to allow water to go away. So a mixes soil would help. Note: also a sand pocket could help (and they will act like a well): there is enough space to keep water, but the soil around doesn't allow water to flow away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-05-19T08:16:03.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33350" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33348" CreationDate="2017-05-19T09:04:50.697" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wonder whether it might help understanding to 'scale up'. Consider a saturated sponge buried in pebbles inside a container that is porous but retains the pebbles. Water will flow straight past the pebbles (&lt;em&gt;good drainage&lt;/em&gt;), so roots in the pebbles will stay relatively dry, but the sponge will &lt;em&gt;hold water&lt;/em&gt; (that can be sucked out by roots as required). The key may be that you are not expected to use vermiculite on its own – only as an additive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-19T09:04:50.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33351" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-19T10:09:22.950" Score="5" ViewCount="1346" Body="&lt;p&gt;After some weeks away we came back and found our pine trees getting yellow. It starts from the outside and at the moment there are not many brown branches/needles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read it could be manganese deficiency, or the cold weather (we have been told it was freezing in the south in our absence). I will appreciate any comments as we are quite new and my dad (the gardener) passed away last year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hXhTT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hXhTT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pine - https://www.flickr.com/photos/9050012@N04/shares/KGk8qh&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17574" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-05-19T10:43:31.667" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T03:04:53.877" Title="Evergreen turning yellow" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31173" CreationDate="2017-05-19T12:43:08.057" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found it in a botanical garden and it is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum_reflexum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sedum rupestre/Sedum reflexum&lt;/a&gt;. There are two varieties of this species and you can tell them apart when they bloom. One has upright flower stems, the other one has somewhat curved flower stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kcf3l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kcf3l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-05-19T12:43:08.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33353" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-19T13:21:49.597" Score="5" ViewCount="6031" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Troy-Bilt lawn mower, TB360 (&lt;a href=&quot;http://pdf.lowes.com/operatingguides/043033566280_oper.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;PDF manual&lt;/a&gt;). It has 6 height adjustments for the height. I measured the height of each one on a flat surface using a shortened wood paint stirrer and notched the blade at each height. The top two height levels are 3.5&quot; and 2.875&quot; respectively. I'm trying to get in between those, closer to 3&quot; or a tad higher than 3. Are there any ways to adjust in between these heights? Do they sell &quot;custom&quot; blade adapters that are a bit thicker and therefore would push down the blade when set at the tallest (3.5&quot;) a bit more so it comes closer to 3.25&quot; or 3&quot;? Is this a thing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16926" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T14:53:36.897" Title="Adjust mower blade height in between two height adjustments" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33354" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33374" CreationDate="2017-05-19T17:34:21.950" Score="2" ViewCount="94" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there sprinkler system timers that measure flow rate (e.g., in ft³/min. or gallons/min.) in addition to time? For example, I could tell it to deliver 100 ft³ of water, and it would automatically know how long to run it to deliver that quantity of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastEditorUserId="7441" LastEditDate="2017-05-20T17:40:35.670" LastActivityDate="2018-01-08T22:04:08.323" Title="Are there sprinkler system timers that measure flow rate?" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33355" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-19T18:13:51.013" Score="4" ViewCount="510" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trying to figure out what this grass is, because I like it. Very soft. I've been cutting my grass @ 3.5&quot; mower height so its seems to get quite matted. Depending on the grass type maybe that's too high. This picture is not just mowed, I mowed this law a week ago, but as I said, @ 3.5&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Je0lA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Je0lA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LNEvk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LNEvk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LbMrW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LbMrW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16926" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T22:47:14.813" Title="What kind of grass is this? KBG?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33316" CreationDate="2017-05-19T18:17:09.177" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew up in one of the hottest driest places in Australia. My mother still lives in this place... Adelaide, South Australia and she lives in a house on a quarter acre, surrounded by a large garden with no lawn. Most of her garden is watered by drip irrigation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two elements are essential for success. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Adequate water to sustain plants during periods of dry weather, delivered over a period of time; and &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mulch across the top of the soil.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are pros and cons for placing the watering mechanism both over the top of or under the mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pros and cons for placing drippers under the mulch&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pros: greater water absorption, less evaporation, less likelihood of physical damage, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cons: difficult to inspect and maintain, can become clogged from soil and other material becoming embedded in dripper outlets.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pros and cons for placing drippers over / on top of the mulch&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pros: easy to inspect and maintain, unlikely to become clogged from soil and other material. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cons: slightly less water absorption, slightly greater moisture evaporation (both of which can be alleviated by watering in late evening), greater likelihood of physical damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The type and number of drippers required is dependent on a few factors, that include: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;type of soil, specifically how well it both absorbs and retains water; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;profile of soil, specifically how deep is the topsoil and what type/s of earth lie beneath; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;availability to source of reasonably priced water; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my mother's situation, small plants are watered by one single point dripper unit and larger plants and trees are watered by two single point dripper units. The lines are active for about two hours and the drippers / emitters run at 3-6 litres per hour, depending on type. While this doesn't allow adequate water for plants to flourish, it is adequate for survival which in that environment during summer is far more important. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of all the different options you've mentioned in your post, it's worth noting that time and money are usually also a consideration for most people. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not just the time and money to set the system up but also to maintain it over the years of operation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So hopefully this summary assists. If you need any clarification add a comment and I'll update my answer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16488" LastEditorUserId="16488" LastEditDate="2017-05-20T01:10:07.293" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T01:10:07.293" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33358" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33340" CreationDate="2017-05-19T20:07:50.677" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is Manganese deficiency.  What kind of soil are you using?  It might be your soil's pH is too high so adding manganese wouldn't help.  I'd repot in fresh potting soil from a bag.  That pH would be just fine.  If you haven't fertilized at all you could add a balanced fertilizer like Osmocote 14-14-14 after we've got a better diagnosis. Manganese is a micronutrient/microchemical that could be already in your soil but if you've got an alkaline soil outside (where do you live, are these plants in doors or out doors)? that you've used for soil it might be alkaline enough to not allow the plants to uptake manganese.  You said your Ribes, or currant shrub which I am assuming is out of doors.  Wait to add any fertilizer until we have a more firm diagnosis, OK? Ribes likes a slightly acid soil as well so that would follow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-19T20:07:50.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33359" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33351" CreationDate="2017-05-19T21:23:14.397" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen this in the North (Wisconsin and Minnesota) quite often. It looks like your &quot;Pine&quot;, which may be an Arborvitae (White Cedar) may have experienced winter burn. The fact that your tree is planted in a pot makes it susceptible to winter burn because of its shallow root system. The browning occurs when the plant might try to transpire in the sun, but it cannot replace the water it is losing because the soil is frozen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can prune out the dead foliage about now since new foliage may be emerging. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://duckduckgo.com/?q=arborvitae%20winter%20burn&amp;amp;t=ffsb&amp;amp;iax=1&amp;amp;ia=images&amp;amp;iai=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arbordoctor.net%2Fwinter-burn-umn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;See example photo&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13895" LastEditorUserId="13895" LastEditDate="2017-05-20T03:04:53.877" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T03:04:53.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33360" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-19T22:04:00.977" Score="2" ViewCount="982" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've removed a lot of limbs from the bottom of my crape myrtles, to limit it to a few odd numbered limbs. However, where the cuts were made continue to put forth new growth, that I don't want. Is there anything I can seal these areas with to stop new growth? Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17578" LastActivityDate="2017-08-06T11:36:01.150" Title="Sealing Crape Myrtles to stop new growth" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33361" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-19T22:11:17.543" Score="3" ViewCount="5196" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 3 year old avocado tree about a meter and a half high. I planted it from a seed of an avocado I ate. I was told I need to graft it for it to hold fruit. What kind of graft should I do? What time of the year?&#xA;Thank you :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17580" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T06:08:40.287" Title="How to graft my 3 year old Avocado tree?" Tags="&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33363" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33360" CreationDate="2017-05-19T23:01:55.680" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is not recommended that you use any kind of wound sealant on cut limbs of a tree. Latex paint is included on that list - you run the risk of sealing in moisture, along with bacterial and fungal life forms which may cause disease in your trees. The paint will also prevent the formation of a callus, a necessary part of the process to heal the wound, see this article: &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/outdoor-latex-paint-effective-sealer-pruning-95767.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Is Outdoor Latex Paint an Effective Sealer for Pruning?&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Inevitably, cut limbs will produce new shoots, more so if the  pruning is carried out before July in the northern hemisphere - the only thing you can do is check the tree frequently and rub out any small buds of growth before they break into growth, or cut off new growth as it appears. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-05-20T12:46:20.903" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T12:46:20.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33364" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33361" CreationDate="2017-05-19T23:10:07.433" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The trouble is, you need a scion that produces good fruit to graft to the plant you have growing - the rootstock for grafted avocados is what is produced when you grow from a seed in the way you describe. I'm not at all sure where, or even whether, you could source the scion necessary for the grafting procedure, but how to do it is described here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/graft-avocados-37523.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/graft-avocados-37523.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you know someone who has an avocado that produces good fruit, you could possibly try using a branch from that to create your scion, and try grafting that to your avocado plant, but you'd need to select something that is of equal girth to the part of your avocado where you want to make a graft so that the vascular tissue joins together well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-19T23:10:07.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33365" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33369" CreationDate="2017-05-20T02:51:42.100" Score="3" ViewCount="2696" Body="&lt;p&gt;My daughter gave me this rose bush last Mother's Day, which was exactly a year ago. It was planted in a large pot and purchased from a nursery. It's called Fragrant Plum, from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weeksroses.com/_Roses/FragrantPlum.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this company&lt;/a&gt;. It grew nicely, and produced flowers in a beautiful combination of blue and purple I'd never seen before. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I trimmed the flowers throughout the summer, but never pruned the plant. Any areas that look like branches have been cut off came that way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant appeared to have died during the winter, so I had given up on it, but I just found new growth way down at the base. Now I'm hoping I can save it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The long branches that bore flowers last year appear dead. They're stiff, have no thorns, and, although one is partly green, neither shows any sign of life.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The very dark branches attached to the base do have thorns. There's even a little bit of new growth at another area where one of those branches meets the base (which I called junctions for lack of a better word), that wasn't visible when I took this picture last week, so I'm optimistic. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think in general we're not supposed to prune shrubs during budding season, but I'm wondering if this plant is using energy to try and support the dead sections that would be better spent on the actual part that's growing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I prune it now? If so, exactly where should I cut? If not now, should I prune it after blooming season, or wait until the fall when the weather turns cold? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: After receiving Bamboo's excellent advice, I tried twice to approach it to prune the dead growth. Each time I got close to it I acquired ticks, so I gave up! We've been watering and taking care of it as we always did. I just checked it today, June 3, 2017. Sadly, all signs of the life at the base, and everywhere else, are gone. Even the small area on the one of the branches which had been green, is now black. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for larger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CeRPK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CeRPKm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;New growth at base&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TbW7O.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TbW7Om.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Wider view including base&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IlH5R.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IlH5Rm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6GGzt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6GGztm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;In bloom last year&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-03T20:09:21.353" LastActivityDate="2020-01-20T03:35:09.737" Title="Should I prune old dead sections of my rose bush while new growth is appearing at the base?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33366" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-20T08:45:39.307" Score="3" ViewCount="625" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was given a lemon tree (pictured) which is about 1.2 metres tall. It's currently in small yellow pot depicted that has edges of approximately 16cm in length.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HPJCX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HPJCX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lemon tree in small pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ultimately I want to plant it in my garden, but I can't do that for about 10 months because the property is about to be renovated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that lemon trees can do well in pots indefinitely, but is my current pot too small for the 10 month storage &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a larger pot which is about 40cm in diameter. Should I transfer the plant from the small pot to the large pot, and then (in 10 months) to my garden? I was worried that multiple transfers would increase the chances that the plant would die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there other factors that I should hold in mind? For example, my larger pot does not have drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13518" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T16:11:28.873" Title="Dwarf citrus Meyer lemon pot size" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33367" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33366" CreationDate="2017-05-20T09:24:37.253" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As presumably you do not know how long the tree has been in that particular pot I'd be inclined to leave it as is for now and just transplant once, in 10 months. Otherwise much of the new root growth encouraged by a larger pot will be highly susceptible to damage at its next move. The finer root hairs are very important for water absorption because of their relatively high surface area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, when relatively dry, you might see whether any roots are visible through the drainage holes and how easy it is to lift the entire plant with root ball out of its container. It may already be pot bound and if so, rather than stunt further growth over almost a year I would repot now, but not into such a large pot and into one with drainage holes. Another clue to whether or not pot bound is how much water is absorbed during watering - won't be much if the pot contains little but roots, which for a tree that large in that container is quite likely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T09:24:37.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33368" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-20T09:48:10.630" Score="2" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking to read the Photosynthetically Active Radiation in my grow area and I was curious if there is a way to do this without a PAR sensor?  Is there a way I can calculate PAR from other sensors like a photosensor or something along those lines?  Any advice on how to calculate PAR using something like an Arduino and some inexpensive sensors would be amazing!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16389" LastEditorUserId="13971" LastEditDate="2017-05-20T19:00:04.700" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T19:00:04.700" Title="Measuring Photosynthetically Active Radiation with inexpensive sensors" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33369" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33365" CreationDate="2017-05-20T10:27:14.430" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good pics, but I can't see where the graft is - that's usually a lumpy area at the base of the stems, and although you have lots of old, dead stems arising from a central area, I'm not seeing what looks like a graft, and its usual for the graft to be below soil level or just showing above the soil. That means it's really hard to be sure whether this growth is coming off the rootstock (which you don't want) or is just new growth off the grafted rose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You mention growth 'at the junctions' and it's not clear what you mean by that  - a photo of that would be useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The way the photos look, I'd advise you to remove all dead growth,right back to where the new growth has appeared. Cut all the dead stems at an angle to allow rain to run off, angled away from where the new shoots have appeared if they're at the base of one of the dead branches, preferably using sharp loppers or sharp, clean secateurs if you have a pair which will cope with wood this thick. Fertilize, preferably with a specialist rose fertilizer, then wait and see what grows - it should become obvious if what's growing is actually off the rootstock and not the original grafted rose, and if that's what does grow, unless you want a wild dog rose, best to dig it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the growth 'at the junctions' that is not shown in the pictures is higher up, then the grafted rose is not dead - cut back in the way described above to that growth, or where there is new growth showing. There is nothing to be gained by leaving dead wood on a rose bush, and its fine to remove it at any time of year, so long as you use clean and sharp tools to do it with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, climbing and HT/floribunda bush roses are pruned in early spring, rambling roses should be pruned in September/October, depending what part of the world you're in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T10:27:14.430" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33370" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32647" CreationDate="2017-05-20T12:59:21.120" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/make-montmorency-cherry-tree-produce-56381.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;SFGATE&lt;/a&gt;advises:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Prune approximately 10 percent of the limbs each winter to increase sunlight to the center of the tree and to encourage new growth, which in turn will produce more fruit. Cut damaged, older and the least-productive stems back from where they originate, using pruning shears, loppers or a pruning saw. Thin crowded areas as well. Evenly distribute pruned branches to maintain a nicely shaped tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your case ~10% at present seems to mean at most two (whole) branches. The level at which low branches near the trunk will be an obstruction will rise with age but since planted in grass you presumably will be mowing and so may appreciate reasonable headroom, so might want to end up with about 4' of bare trunk. Unless ease of protecting the fruit from birds and harvesting is more important for you (assuming you do not have access to the equipment &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKu6xwJptkc&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Woodyatt Cherry Farms&lt;/a&gt; has!) in which case you would presumably prefer the canopy as low as possible – see for instance &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1002/how-do-i-prune-a-cherry-tree-to-keep-it-short?rq=1&quot;&gt;How do I prune a cherry tree to keep it short?&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For timing, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/how-to-grow/fruit-trees/cherry-trees/pruning&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stark Bro's&lt;/a&gt; advises (about pruning in general):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Plan to prune your fruit trees during every dormant season. In Zone 6 and farther north, you should wait until late winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;though also mentions &lt;em&gt;You can have confidence in knowing that not everyone will prune the exact same way (including the “experts”)&lt;/em&gt; and with their &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/Vqdokls1SzE&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;video&lt;/a&gt; (which shows some relevant practical details, like aiming to allow light and air into the centre) offer &lt;em&gt;late winter and early spring, while they are dormant and before their buds break.&lt;/em&gt; Pruning is never normally a good idea in a growing season as when the tree is most active the flow of sap is greater, so more energy to waste from leaks and more to attract pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T12:59:21.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33371" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-20T14:26:15.867" Score="7" ViewCount="2985" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I've recently started bokashi bucket composting and I'm really enjoying it as it's an easy way to compost indoors. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bokashi bucket also provides bokashi tea every couple of days and lots of places on the Internet and also even in the instruction manual of the bokashi bucket says that this liquid contains lots of good stuff for your plants provided it is diluted adequately as it's quite acidic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I've just read an article (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenmyths.com/bokashi-composting-myths/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenmyths.com/bokashi-composting-myths/&lt;/a&gt;) where it's stated that bokashi tea doesn't have any nutrients at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It contains 0.05% calcium, 0.14% potassium and 0.01% magnesium,&#xA;  indicating low levels of nutrients. After diluting it by 100 it is&#xA;  essentially water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought this was an interesting claim. So I'm just wondering, is there actually any evidence that bokashi tea is any better than water or is it just conventional wisdom that just seems to make sense but hasn't actually been proven? Has anyone used bokashi tea and found it works? I just ask because the tea apparently has other uses as well so if it's not good for the garden, I might as well use it for other purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17585" LastActivityDate="2020-03-23T09:22:36.690" Title="What studies / evidence is there that Bokashi tea actually has extra nutritions for plants?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33372" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33297" CreationDate="2017-05-20T14:47:41.007" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since ginger forms rhizomes, I'd simply get a large sharp knife (one you don't mind being used like this) and cut through the branched rhizomes. Leave the large pieces with the new shoots in the soil mix and remove (harvest) the rest. The fibrous roots attached to the rhizomes with shoots will provide for the shoots and as the shoots open to leaves,  they'll nourish the rhizomes and new off-sets will grow. I've done similarly with other plants with rhizomes - bearded irises, for example. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might set it back a little but I don't imagine that much. Certainly, it would bounce back faster than planting bew hinger. To ensure the cut surfaces of the rhizomes remaining in the soil don't rot or get pathogens entering, water it and &lt;em&gt;then&lt;/em&gt; clear soil away from the parts you cut through only so they can dry and form a callus. Should form a callus within a week if you keep it dry. You can then cover it with soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T14:47:41.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33371" CreationDate="2017-05-20T15:22:19.673" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only evidence that counts is scientific trial evidence, preferably including an NPK and trace elements readout, and there is none on bokashi tea. People may perceive that it's good for their plants, houseplants or otherwise, but that doesn't mean it actually is doing anything for the plants - the fluid in it might be more useful to the plant than any nutrients it may or may not contain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Scientifically, as the article you linked to says, the jury's out - the arguments put in that link are entirely logical, particularly from the point of view of the micro organisms involved. Aneorobic organisms do die in aerobic conditions, so as soon as the bokashi compost bin contents are transferred outdoors, either into ordinary soil, or added to a compost heap which is turned regularly, they will die. Given this is not made clear by advocates or sellers of the bokashi system, in fact its claimed the microorganisms are beneficial in a compost heap, it certainly makes me wonder whether the other claims made for the tea are genuine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing though - the bokashi tea is not going to do any harm, so you if you've got it, you might as well water your plants with it. And recycling kitchen scraps in this way is still a useful thing to do because it avoids landfill, as well as the convenience if you're in an apartment or on the upper floors and any compost heap or soil to bury the bokashi in outdoors is a good distance away. Once the bokashi compost is transferred either to a compost heap, or buried in the ground, normal composting/rotting processes will take over, as the acidity reduces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-20T15:29:22.527" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T15:29:22.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33374" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33354" CreationDate="2017-05-20T15:31:46.603" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Typically non-agriculturally based irrigation (in the US) is measured in gallons per minute by controllers.  The most common monitoring is for high / low flow on zones, though some controllers will also monitor for high flow mainline situations.  The accuracy of the  measurements depend on type of sensor and size of pipe.  I'm curious to know more about your use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you know the total GPM for the zone, and the precipitation rate of the nozzles of the zone you can calculate how many inches of water you want to put down.  From there, you can calculate how the frequency and length of time needed to put down a certain volume of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can help with the math if you're interested.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T15:31:46.603" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33375" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33366" CreationDate="2017-05-20T16:11:28.873" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Judging by the lichen or moss growth on top of the potting soil, your lemon tree has been in the same pot for some time - turn it out of its pot, carefully, to check whether its rootbound. If it doesn't come out easily, water well and try again later. If the rootball is solid, with roots winding round the outside, then a larger pot is called for, but the larger pot, whilst certainly being as deep, should not be more than an inch bigger all round than the current rootball. I'm finding it hard to visualize a 40cm pot, but it seems like it will be too big for the lemon at this stage, particularly as you want to plant it out within a year, so you should find a pot just a size up, if it needs potting on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T16:11:28.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33376" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-20T16:17:09.870" Score="3" ViewCount="749" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fronds are very sturdy and bend almost to the ground. They are probably over 10ft. in length. Should I trim them? Their weight sometimes causes them to &quot;crack&quot; off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17588" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-07T08:38:44.017" LastActivityDate="2021-02-07T08:38:44.017" Title="Should I trim the fronds on a Queen palm?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33377" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33415" CreationDate="2017-05-20T17:17:21.260" Score="5" ViewCount="239" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a lawn mower to use on an allotment, where there is poor security and no source of mains power. Additionally, the group is trying to reduce it's carbon footprint so would prefer not to use machinery powered by fossil fuels. This suggests a person powered mower would be the best. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the grass gets infrequently cut so if often too long for a cylinder mower, and is full of stones which will easily knock the ledger bar on a cylinder mower out of alignment. This will all contribute to it working inefficently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, it will mainly be used to cut narrow grass paths between beds so there will not be much space to swing a scythe in. Also it would be best if all members of the group are able to cut the grass, and few might be confident using a scythe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For these conditions a rotary mower would be best, such as the type found on most domestic electric mowers. A rotary mower can also be used as a mulching mower, increasing the health of the lawn which would be a benefit for a permaculture allotment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, does a rotary mower exist on the market ( anywhere in the world ) that is not powered by a motor. If not, what are the limiting factors that prevent such a model from being developed. I would assume the power required to reach an operating rpm is too great to be generated by hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cheers in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastEditorUserId="13971" LastEditDate="2017-05-23T10:01:47.050" LastActivityDate="2019-03-27T17:50:03.680" Title="Do people powered rotary lawn mowers exist?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33378" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33875" CreationDate="2017-05-20T18:50:32.110" Score="4" ViewCount="2645" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought a &lt;a href=&quot;https://myfolia.com/plants/87153-nova-mandarin-citrus-reticulata-blanco&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mandarin, variety 'nova'&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure if it's healthy or not, or if it's meant to be like this. It has plenty of new growth but all leaves including new growth are yellow, and the bottoms of the leaves have speckles on them. The tops have slight green in the middle that resembles some kind of deficiency. Other than this is seems to be fine, it's not dropping leaves or anything, so I'm not sure if it has a problem or not. I have a pomelo and it's green so wasn't sure if this mandarin is supposed to be like this or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for full size.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qQkHz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qQkHzl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pFGpj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pFGpjl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JCOY3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JCOY3l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rwsGY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rwsGYl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ObuNW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ObuNWl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17430" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-22T09:04:27.267" LastActivityDate="2020-05-30T10:35:27.993" Title="Why does my mandarin tree (Citrus reticulata) have yellow leaves with speckled bottoms?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33380" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33361" CreationDate="2017-05-20T19:05:44.733" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it in the ground ?, if not take it and the pot to a tree that fruits and graft it like this:&#xA;I'm not sure what the technical name for this graft is but that's probably your best bet at success without risk killing the seedling.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/hTmlio-4i5M&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/hTmlio-4i5M&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are doing a graft with new budwood / scion it has to be done at a particular time of year, as for the graft I posted above I'm&#xA;Not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17430" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T19:05:44.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14929" CreationDate="2017-05-20T19:16:30.090" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Iv got a rabbit and she lives in my garden most of the time, as long as they are mature she avoids the strawberries. When the plants are small she'll mow them off, but once mature tends to leave them alone, this seems to apply for dahlias too, once it's big she ignores it but will eat new growth or shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17430" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T19:16:30.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33382" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33386" CreationDate="2017-05-20T20:33:22.327" Score="5" ViewCount="10870" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to overwater potted tomatoes growing in a dry climate? What are the signs that they are overwatered?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these tomato plants over-watered? Does it have blight? Is something else wrong, too?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hzmcm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hzmcm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NnuiK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NnuiK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wrpBq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wrpBq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one has a &quot;raisin&quot;!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/60IuY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/60IuY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-17T17:10:34.043" LastActivityDate="2019-06-15T11:22:58.947" Title="Is it possible to overwater tomatoes growing in a dry climate?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;desert&gt;&lt;blight&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33383" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-20T20:44:41.363" Score="3" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a row of evergreen trees that have that scaly, cedar-like bark. So, they might be cypress, cedar, juniper or something like that. Actually, I think it is definitely some kind of juniper because it has little tiny blue berries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are getting kind of overgrown and branches are spreading out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I just go hog wild and cut them back, or will I potentially harm them by cutting indiscriminately? Note that the branches coming out are up to a inch thick or more, so &quot;cutting back&quot; would involve sawing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ILjwY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ILjwY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-06T16:33:46.290" LastActivityDate="2021-02-06T16:33:46.290" Title="Trim evergreen hedge or not?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33384" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33378" CreationDate="2017-05-20T20:59:54.287" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My gut feeling would be spider mites, but I can't say for sure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In short, no, a citrus shouldn't look like this. The pale areas with darker veins are &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorosis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;chlorosis&lt;/a&gt;, which can either be a sign of a mineral deficiency, trouble with the root system or drainage or even a reaction to a pesticide / herbicide. The latter could mean your supplier noticed an infestation of some sort and treated them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So for now, get your gardening gloves, secateurs and a magnifying lens and check your tree carefully:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Insects, especially spider mites &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there tiny crawling insects? Possibly red, but white-is or brown is also frequent. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Any small webbed areas, especially at the top and bottom of the leaf stems, along the middle vein or branch forks?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Root system&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lift the tree out of its pot and check the roots. Remove anything that looks mushy, moldy or otherwise damaged and ensure proper drainage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did it look like this when you bought it? If yes, have you contacted your retailer? (I'd try to return it and probably think twice before shopping thete again.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T20:59:54.287" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33383" CreationDate="2017-05-20T22:40:22.457" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry, no you can not prune these guys without ending up with sticks and dying trees.  No hedging can be made of these trees; Junipers?  Cedars?  I am assuming these trees provide privacy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I would do is to prune the limbs that touch the ground.  Not too much just a foot off the ground and up the trunk.  Cut out dead limbs.  Do not cut the ends of branches only cut whole branches all the way back to the trunk.  Leave no 'stumps'.  Do not treat cuts with anything.  Use a pruning saw or by pass pruner. Small diameter branches from the trunk should be cut off as they are small because they are not doing enough work to support the tree thus the tree doesn't support the too small branch and its photosynthetic leaves.  Cut right off at the trunk.  Leave no nubs.  Cut dead branches out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning is a way to hurry up what the tree will do anyway; getting rid of the material that doesn't add to the health of the plant or tree.  Getting rid of dead material that only blocks ventilation and sun. Getting rid of branches that rub that could cause infection, getting rid of branches that are never going to be able to be enough of a producer to add more energy than it needs to receive to remain. We pruners just help a tree be a healthier version of itself. Live longer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use by pass pruners not anvil; there is a Felco 2 that will easily cut 1&quot; branches.  Always clean your pruners before and after each tree with alcohol.  Anything that you use to prune, clean with alcohol. Keep sharpened.  Felco you can replace the cutting blade as well.  Don't find that anymore...they will last forever.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-20T22:40:22.457" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33382" CreationDate="2017-05-20T23:17:25.497" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watering plants everyday is not good ONLY when the plant does not need the water.  My tomatoes are always in pots in our climate so that I can move them in and out when the weather changes, mostly every dang night.  Being in pots in potting soil always, they dry out quicker but I still never water every day.  When they are starts in small pots, yes they are watered every day.  But they are slowly trained to be in larger pots. Small plants in large pots just will never do well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For potted tomatoes it is easy.  I soak them when I water and do not water again until the pot is light.  Which is every other day, sometimes every day until they are ready for 5 and 10 gallon pots that hold onto water longer.  In the ground it depends on what soil you have.  Are they in raised beds with decent drainage or are they in heavy clay planted in the flat ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have your tomatoes ever wilted if you did not water every day?  How deeply do you water when you water?  Is this in your garden or on a patio in a pot?  It is never a good idea to water on some 'schedule' us humans make.  It is hard on a plant to allow it to begin to wilt but sometimes that is what it takes to see how long your soil holds onto water and to allow your plants to work at growing deep roots.  The more you water the less those roots will work at getting at the moisture down deep. Shallow watering, shallow roots and a plant that you forget to water will be very unhappy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We need to know where you live, what kind of soil you have to deal with, did you plant in your garden without making a raised bed, or did you make a raised bed (doesn't need any structural elements to make a raised bed), do you water overhead or do you use drip irrigation?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would water your plants normally then take a spade and dig into the plant bed to see how deep your watering got into the soil profile.  If it is only an inch or two then double or triple that time to make the soil wet, down at least 4 inches.  Allow the soil to dry at least 1 inch deep before watering deeply again.  Watch for wilting.  Make note of how long you watered, how deep the water got into the soil and if you see any wilting make note of that length of time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prune the lower leaves off of the stem.  Do not water over head. When young no problem but later water splashing up off the soil onto the leaves could easily infect your tomatoes with blight.  A fungus that infects with just one spore splashed up in water...and that plant is done.  This part is all about tomatoes in your garden.  When your plants get too dense feel free to prune off vegetative branches/leaves without flowers to enable air to move through your tomato plant. Just enough to thin the inside of your plants. Movement of air helps to deter other fungus such as powdery mildew which later on becomes inevitable. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water only the soil without splashing.  Drip irrigation or hoses with holes works well.  Hand watering is worthless.  Soaking the soil then allowing it to dry before watering again helps to train deep roots and less watering and a healthier less apt to get fungus plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you grown tomatoes before?  Is this in the garden or in pots...?  Please send pictures and more information.  Nothing is irrelevant. If in pots, did you use potting soil or did you use garden soil...lots of questions need answers so that we are better able to personalize your answer.  What mulch?  What kind of fertilizer?  Anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check out the other question/answers on tomatoes particularly on blight.  Might help to engender more questions. Tomatoes are enormously rewarding when done correctly. To lose plants to blight or p. mildew or animals is a major bummer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ugh.  This looks like early tomato blight to me.  Almost certainly.  99% sure.  I would get rid of these plants, tomatoes and the soil.  I'd say bag the debris but to worry about spreading this disease is fairly moot.  You will always have the spores of this fungus on your site, indoors and outdoors.  Where you went wrong was using unsterilized mulch.  Just one spore and that disease is there with you forever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not to worry.  I've gotten this disease in virgin garden soil that had never known a tomato or any vegetable.  Truly a bummer but if you've been getting tomatoes for 2 years without fertilizer you are due to start over again with fresh plants, fresh potting soil, do not use anything else in that soil.  Period.  Get a little bottle of Osmocote fertilizer.  It is extended release and lasts for a good 3 to 4 months.  Forget mulch or any other additives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I always grow tomatoes in pots in potting soil now and always start anew every season.  If I were living where tomatoes could be the perennial they are I would still get rid of my tomato plants and start anew every 4 or 5 months.  Blight is such a common yet completely devastating disease and those spores can just blow in.  I assume you pots are on a patio?  One spore could be pooped out by a bird or blown onto your plants while the leaves are wet and you will lose your plants and all fruit produced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes do not do well in doors.  The other option is to make a little green house for your tomatoes with plastic and use only sterilized potting soil.  When it isn't raining you can keep the plastic cover off.  Put it back over your plants at night.  Did you say where you live?  Where are your pots? Bummer.  I learned about blight the hard way.  My first major garden had perfect soil, never anything grown in it except weeds and grass.  Yet, my 3 , 25' rows of gorgeous 4' high plants laden with beautiful tomatoes got blight.  I noticed the signs and in 3 days every single one of my plants turned black and dead.  I tried to harvest the tomatoes and every single tomato eventually turned black.  This was 'late' blight but the same principles hold true for early blight.  Once your plants get infected it is a done deal.  That is why I always plant my tomato crop in pots and work my way up to 5 and 10 gallon pots always with fresh, sterilized potting soil.  A little fertilizer, the ability to take them inside to my grow room and soon to have a fully enclosed self sufficient greenhouse, haven't had or expect this to happen again.  Keep your fertilizer where the nitrogen has the lowest percentage number in relation to phosphorus and potassium if you want tomatoes instead of lots of leaves.  You have to 'add' fertilizers if you use mulch, fish fertilizers, compost teas, bone meals etc.  Mulch or compost or these other additives are for garden soil use and should not be considered fertilizer. They are more important in other ways to your crops but still need to be accounted for in your 'fertilizer' program because just a little too much fertilizer will kill plants and a little too much nitrogen in proportion to the other chemicals necessary for photosynthesis will promote vegetative growth not reproductive growth.  Great for lettuce, rhubarb, kale, spinach and other leaf crops. But no for tomatoes.  Some of these additives for garden soil are to promote soil organism life and to add bacteria and beneficial fungi, not for adding chemicals that your plants have to have to do the work of photosynthesis where plants actually make their own food. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water only when the soil has dried out an inch deep.  Did you put any gravel or rock below the potting soil and above the drainage hole in your pots?  NO?  Super duper!!  Do not put anything in your pots other than potting soil.  Otherwise you compromise drainage in a very big way.  No tiles no rock meant to hold the soil inside the pot.  That is never a big deal.  If you worry about that then a piece of that shade cloth or panty hose over the hole is ok.  Not necessary.  Fertilizer is critical.  That good ole Osmocote is my recommendation.  It is by Scott's and the only product they make I will use much less recommend.  It is extended release.  Follow the directions and you can forget worrying about any other fertilizer.  Fertilizer is NOT food.  It is the chemicals necessary for the plant to do photosynthesis in order to make its own food and flowers and seed and fruit that you want to eat.  I hope this helps.  Bleach those pots well before adding potting soil and your new tomato plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-22T22:14:26.150" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T22:14:26.150" CommentCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33387" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33376" CreationDate="2017-05-21T01:15:43.143" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;A Queen Palm?  Yes, whenever any branch of a plant in the landscape grows so long it starts to bend the entire branch frond down to a point the weight (physics and levers) breaks the entire branch cutting that weight back where the frond bounces back up to relieve the pressure, is fine.  Not pretty, not normally necessary but the alternative is breaking the entire branch/frond.  Cut at an angle, clip a few leaflets (?) back  so it doesn't look lopped off and unnatural. Tough to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd look up some well paid landscaper that works on residential or commercial landscapes in your area and ask them what it is they do.  Ask for an example to go look at.  Start out by mentioning you are looking to hire a maintenance company then talk about this palm. Otherwise, they'll think you are competition or a DYI and they'll have nothing to do with you.  A Queen Palm?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You do have to send pictures before any pruning.  This plant is special, one of the most architectural plants in the world.  Please, we are dying to see this palm.  How old is it and where do you live?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T01:15:43.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33388" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-21T04:11:24.673" Score="8" ViewCount="3555" Body="&lt;p&gt;Of course I know that some tomato varieties yield bigger tomatoes than others, but on a given plant, some of the fruits are bigger and some are smaller, so I am just wondering: Besides variety, what factors determine the size of a tomato (fruit)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;E.g.: Abundant water before they start to turn color swells them up? Abundant sun makes them ripen too fast before they get big? Hot weather? Fruit late in the season bigger or maybe smaller? Too many tomatoes on the plant makes them smaller? I'm sure there are plenty other possible reasons as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-05-21T21:26:58.520" LastActivityDate="2020-05-11T08:12:15.260" Title="What causes tomato plants to bear large fruit?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33389" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33377" CreationDate="2017-05-21T04:46:13.513" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have no clue how large an area this allotment is nor how neat and tidy you want it to be. But rather than grass, why not remove the grass and replace it with an inexpensive and sturdy ground cover that only grows a few inches tall? Lawns made of grass are a fairly recent development in the history of landscapes. For many centuries, ground covers were the norm. There are different ones suitable for various conditions. The only situation where they wouldn't work is dry shade and then, even grass won't grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T04:46:13.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33390" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33388" CreationDate="2017-05-21T06:58:55.980" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a very open question, and I like to see other answers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you wrote, variety is the main driver. Cold weather and dry soil could stop the growth of a tomato.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Position is also a determinant. Usually you have several tomatoes on a stem, so the first being pollinates will have some advantage and take more resource than other tomatoes. But varieties will determines if the difference is huge or not. By removing some tomatoes, you can make the other one (often) larger. On some extend this is true also for the size on tomatoes on other stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A lot of water could increase quickly the size of a tomato. But then you will see it on the tomato skin, you will see scar on skin: the skin was not able to adapt so quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think also how it is pollinated could determine the size. I don't know it in tomatoes, but on other fruits, the number of seeds (so how successfully was pollinated) determines the size of fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T06:58:55.980" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33391" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33378" CreationDate="2017-05-21T07:05:18.713" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stephie has a nice answer, but I want to stress out that the yellow leaves is the primary problem.  A weak plant will attract and suffer more from other diseases (in this case the spider mites).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try to fertilise the plant. Take into account the pH when choosing fertiliser and new soil. Extra care if you have calcareous water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T07:05:18.713" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33377" CreationDate="2017-05-21T07:36:48.100" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would consider use a &lt;strike&gt;sickle&lt;/strike&gt; scythe. This is quite a technique to learn, but once you have then you're good. It is a good way to cut high grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I know, it is usable on high grass and works well as long as it is well sharpen. To keep it so, it must not be used on small wooden stems which would grow if you wait really too long between cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-05-22T06:06:55.530" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T06:06:55.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33393" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33401" CreationDate="2017-05-21T10:49:07.890" Score="4" ViewCount="94" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am thinking of mixing forest soil with water and water plants with that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was hoping that nutrients from soil would get released into the water, so in effect, fertilize the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not aware in what chemicals P, K, Ca, Mg is &quot;stored&quot; in forest soil. My guess is that it is oxides and that it should dissolve rapidly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, overall, is it beneficial to the plant to water them with water in which forest soil was dispersed? Have anyone tried that? How long did you stir the solution of soil and water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant in question are tomatoes, peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-22T02:28:19.737" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T02:28:19.737" Title="Watering plants with soaked forest soil" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33394" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-21T11:30:54.007" Score="1" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hu8px.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hu8px.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA; I have never seen it before and it is really bugging me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17594" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T12:10:50.897" Title="What is this plant that I have growing in one of my pots?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ClosedDate="2017-05-21T13:55:32.543" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33394" CreationDate="2017-05-21T12:10:50.897" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is Euphorbia lathyris, common name Caper Spurge. These pop up quite readily, usually from bird dropped seeds, and they are quite prolifically reproductive. Classed as a weed, and where there's one this year, there'll be several next year. If you remove it, wear gloves - the sap from this plant is a skin irritant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T12:10:50.897" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32596" CreationDate="2017-05-21T14:59:46.770" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess (and given how blurry the image is, a guess seems all that is possible) is an &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayfly&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ephemeroptera&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xJOBM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xJOBM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ephemeroptera&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is a mayfly it would not account for the holes in your leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T14:59:46.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33398" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33131" CreationDate="2017-05-21T16:41:29.573" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The variegation of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silybum_marianum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Silybum marianum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; tends to increase with age and I have not found a static image with quite the pattern you show but early in this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90I3ynIhn2M&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;video&lt;/a&gt; can be compared with more developed plants and, for example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BTegA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BTegA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Silybum_marianum&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;(&lt;em&gt;Image courtesy of video by Barbara Radisavljevic&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The milk thistle is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silybum_marianum#Use_as_food&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mostly edible&lt;/a&gt;: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The roots can be eaten raw or boiled and buttered or par-boiled and roasted. The young shoots in spring can be cut down to the root and boiled and buttered. The spiny bracts on the flower head were eaten in the past like globe artichoke, and the stems (after peeling) can be soaked overnight to remove bitterness and then stewed. The leaves can be trimmed of prickles and boiled as a spinach substitute or they can also be added raw to salads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many claims of medicinal benefits. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T16:41:29.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33399" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30476" CreationDate="2017-05-21T18:03:48.073" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd guess the less popular &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinodorus_palifolius&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Echinodorus palifolius&lt;/a&gt; as this tends to be slightly smaller than &lt;em&gt;Echinodorus bleheri&lt;/em&gt; and the existing plant seems mature. It may develop from slightly less pointed leaves. Also the stem is a large part of its height. However Kew Royal Botanic Gardens accepts 30 species of Echinodorus and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.redwoodaquatics.co.nz/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Redwood Aquatics&lt;/a&gt; for example offers a total of a dozen varieties, including &quot;Echinodorus Latafolius (Dwarf Chain)&quot; that might refer to &lt;em&gt;Echinodorus palifolius&lt;/em&gt;. &quot;Amazon sword&quot; may refer to various Echinodorus and naming in general is highly inconsistent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7aNkP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7aNkP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Echinodorus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;(&lt;em&gt;Image courtesy &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.aquaportail.com/aquabdd/photos/echinodorus-palifolius.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;aquaportail.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T18:03:48.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33400" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33393" CreationDate="2017-05-21T18:12:07.443" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adding water mixed with forest soil is not beneficial to the plants because it may contain tannins found in the bark and leaves of trees from deciduous forests &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/27449/why-shouldnt-you-use-these-woods-when-building-a-hugelkultur&quot;&gt;(see my related answer)&lt;/a&gt;. If you want to avoid deciduous forests and go with soil from conifer forests, note that it might have a very low pH, and lower too much the pH needed for your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, one can't tell what chemical elements are in a bag of forest soil, not to mention their proportion, without doing some tests.&#xA;In conclusion, it's safer to use your own compost or use store bought fetilizer that states its content on the label.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course you can take a chance and test it on a few plants, just to see if they develop nutrition defficiencies or pest infestation before extending it to the most part of the crop in case everything is allright, but I don't know anyone who tried this watering method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T18:12:07.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33393" CreationDate="2017-05-21T18:37:17.207" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Forests are complex ecosystems where all the necessary elements have been taken up into the biomass.  When something dies, falls to the ground, gets decomposed by decomposers, the soil micro and macro organisms get fed the decomposed organic matter and plants are able to uptake a bit more of the chemicals necessary with which to do photosynthesis and make their own food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In other words, Sanjihan, the soil is deplete of the 'nutrients' you are imagining.  When we cut forests down we are actually 'mining' that forest of all the elements that we humans are responsible to put back into the soil so that we can grow crops.  That is why I giggle when people think that fertilizer is a bad thing, that 'robs' the soil of 'nutrients'...plants make their own food.  I hate using the word nutrients because that implies food.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The forest soil will be full of life, bacteria, nematodes, fungus as well as millipedes, ants, earthworms etc. But when leaves fall, or a branch is broken by the wind and falls to the ground, the first organisms to go to work are the decomposers.  They jump into action when there is material that was once alive and now dead. Decomposers need nitrogen to do their work. Little nitrogen, slower decomposition. While this is happening all the other soil organisms go dormant or die until the decomposers do their work. When the decomposers have decomposed the organic matter only then the soil comes alive with organisms because there is now food for both micro and macro organisms in the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The micro organisms, now alive, are critical for the uptake of chemicals by plant roots that the plant's leaves need to do the incredible job of photosynthesis.  With the proper elements, CO2 and water, chloroplasts are able to change the light of the sun into food and living tissue, giving off O2 and H2O to the atmosphere. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know you know this but you have fallen for what the media has done to us oh so smart people by calling these elements 'food'.  This is one of my missions. To undo the notion that fertilizer is 'food' for plants as it most certainly is not.  The other mission is to dispel this completely erroneous notion that adding fertilizer (synthetic) is bad for the soil. Chemicals are chemicals no matter their origin.  Synthetics are made with the use of petroleum, organic fertilizers are also made with petroleum products for packaging and consistency and usability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We humans are pretty funny in a way.  We think man made or synthetics are bad while organics are the only way to go.  Yet we eat soft serve ice cream, use makeup on our faces, take pills, skin lotions, drive cars, on and on that are made with or using petroleum.  Then we get on this soap box being 'organic' gardeners to the point of ridiculous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We strip away the biomass of stable ecosystems and that makes us responsible to replace what we took away or forget growing healthy plants, fruitful crops.  The forest soil is great for little pieces of rock (soil) and organic matter but the chemicals are already up in the trees and plants.  In a way this part of the system controls the population of a stable ecosystem.  But make no mistake, there will not be much in the way of nutrients.  They've already been used and won't be put back until something dies and goes through the process of decomposition and then it is immediately taken back up into the biomass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T18:37:17.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33402" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24036" CreationDate="2017-05-21T18:55:59.610" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;By flushing &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.netafim.com/product/technet-&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;debris as it is detected throughout operation, and not only at the beginning or end of a cycle; this ensures uninterrupted dripper operation.&lt;/a&gt;  It has a &lt;a href=&quot;http://blog.netafim.com/dripper-clogging-problems-not-with-netafim/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;labyrinth structure (Turbonet™) and anti-siphon mechanism&lt;/a&gt;, covered by patents. They say:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;There are several algorithms built into the little dripper, ensuring that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Pressure regulating mechanism ensures that each dripper provides the    same flow, regardless of inlet pressure.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Each dripper has a built in large filtration area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;An ongoing cleaning mechanism uses pressure to push out dirt    particles.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Mechanical root barrier prevents root intrusion&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Anti-siphon mechanism prevents suction of dirt particles&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Non Leakage mechanism keeps the water in the system once it is shut    and prevents uneven drainage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Membrane, structure and materials that withstand chemicals, acid and    extreme climate conditions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I doubt that is as comprehensive an explanation as you were hoping for, and with &quot;self-cleaning&quot; in the context of pipes not having a widely accepted meaning, I fear your best choice may be to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.netafim.com/contact-us&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;contact&lt;/a&gt; Netafim for further details. They do show various 'connections' including Twitter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T18:55:59.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33388" CreationDate="2017-05-21T18:59:30.733" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to Giacomo's good answer, I'd like to mention that plants need a certain amount (sum) of light and temperature. If a fruit develops when there's more light each day and the temperature is higher, it needs fewer days compared to a fruit that started to develop when the light hours each day were fewer and colder. The fruit that developed in a longer time period has the opportunity of a higher intake of water, since you can only water this much before the skin of the fruit breaks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruits of different sizes on the same plant might form on allogamous species because of pollination from another plant with compatible pollen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different fruit size might also happen in autogamous plants because self-pollination leads to expression of recessive genes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tomatoes and strawberries you mention are likely to be polyploids, meaning they have more cromosomes' sets, and therefore more seeds and larger size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T18:59:30.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33404" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33335" CreationDate="2017-05-21T20:03:02.077" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the new shoots are vigorous and come from the grafting point or from below the grafting point, it means that the new shoots are from the rootstock, not the same as the scion. This may be due to soil, leaves, mulch or anything that retains humidity that had stayed in contact with the grafting point during the growth season. This is also one of the reasons why, when planting a grafted tree, the grafting point is supposed to be a few centimeters above ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you worry that a tree might need protection in winter, cover the grafting point after the tree has gone dormant and remove the protection when the tree breaks dormancy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: Remove the suckers as soon as possible because they take away nutrients that should go to the upper tree (scion). Cut the suckers close to the trunk, the closer the better, and don't leave stubs because new suckers will appear on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, remove the soil until the grafting point is a few inches above ground and keep it that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-05-23T05:15:47.600" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T05:15:47.600" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33405" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33388" CreationDate="2017-05-21T20:54:15.163" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No one has mentioned fertilizer.  I guess because 'fertilizer' has somehow gotten a very bad reputation for being artificial no matter synthetically or organically produced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants have to have very precise amounts of chemicals with which they use to make their own food, roots, photosynthetic growth that makes food for the plants, seed production and obviously fruit production.  Soil does not come with these chemicals/fertilizers naturally.  In self sustained ecosystems, there is little to none of these chemicals in the soil until something dies. That helps to maintain the system and limit population and subsequent needs of these chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The chemicals necessary for photosynthesis which makes the food for the plants to use as energy, also are responsible for the size and vigor of the plants and the size of the reproductive parts of plants; such as size of tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The amounts of fertilizer necessary are found through soil tests and the ability to recognize the needs of your plants by how they look.  And the sooner the better.  When someone gets to the point of 'knowing' without soil tests what their plants need via experience and remembering the formulations already added, what kinds of organic material that has been added, what the symptoms look like by the plants showing deficit, excess of chemicals (nutrients) one is able to manage the chemistry of their soils to optimize vigor and larger fruits.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The manual process of taking reproductive growth off the plants; flowers and fruit/seeds is an important way to add more energy back into the plant and its vegetative growth.  Cutting flowers off even before they open is excellent. You enable more energy into your plant to get larger, more vigorous, store more food/energy with which to produce even more flowers (especially annuals). To get more fruit/larger fruit you allow the flowers to grow into seed/fruit and select certain fruits you want to grow large.  If you have a lot of flowers thus a lot of fruit you'll get smaller fruit if there isn't enough room to grow larger and if there isn't enough chemistry to put energy made by the plant into larger fruits.  Taking off flowers and/or fruits will send that energy into the seed making/fruits and vegetative growth that are left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are the proper chemicals, lighting and water to continue the photosynthesis you won't have to worry about pruning reproductive growth.  Regular watering, regular temperatures, regular vigilance with chemicals will make fruits the size they were genetically designed to make.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is, just a wee bit too much fertilizer will kill your plants.  The pH of the soil has the ability to remove chemicals from access by your plants.  The temperatures do the same thing.  Some of the chemicals necessary if added in too large amounts or if deficient will also cause some chemicals to not be accessible to plants.  If the soil has no life; mycorrhize, bacterias necessary for plant roots to up take chemicals that are in the soil, that will hamper plants as well to be able to access and up take necessary chemicals to make food/energy with which to make more vegetative growth or reproductive growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, one of the most important concepts to produce reproductive growth versus vegetative growth is the proportions of chemicals added.  If for instance you add a fertilizer with a formulation of 7-6-4, you will promote vegetative growth.  If you add a fertilizer with a formulation of 10-12-14 you will enhance reproductive growth and the propensity to be able to get larger fruits.  Too much Nitrogen in relation to the Phosphorus and Potassium percentages will enhance vegetative or leafy growth.  Reproductive growth will suffer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Great for salad greens, kale, rhubarb but if you want reproductive growth; raspberries, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers you need to watch carefully that the Nitrogen is less than the other two macro chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are chemicals not nutrients or food.  That is why I try to not use the word 'nutrient' as people think of nutrients in their own terms of food/fuel.  Too much food for us just makes us fat not dead.  For plants, there is an optimum amount of chemistry; a little too much of one chemical causes symptoms of excess, too little causes symptoms of deficiency and just a little too much of a few chemicals will most certainly kill plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizing is an important science we humans have to learn and understand.  Stable ecosystems where we humans have not had the chance to disturb are so finely tuned there is just enough for the health of plants until something is allowed to die to be added back into the ecosystem for use by that ecosystem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We humans go in and remove the biomass of these ecosystems and that soil will be deplete for the needs of plants we want to grow or for new plants in that ecosystem.  The rainforest for instance.  We burn and cut down the rainforest and that land is worthless for crops.  Maybe the first year there might be enough chemistry to grow one crop but that is it.  Most people have heard this but this is true every time we remove the forests and expect yummy soil to grow our crops.  We humans are actually mining the chemistry of that soil by removing the biomass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have to learn how to add chemicals back into the soil so that we are able to grow crops for ourselves to eat.  If we do not understand the chemistry in our soils and do not add fertilizer because some article says that fertilizer is bad we have misunderstood the entire biological/botanical/mineral parts of the system and we will not be able to grow anything with success...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soils are an amazing science.  The only way that has been found to improve our soil texture/structure/organics to enhance botanical growth is by the addition of already decomposed organic matter.  To decompose organic matter organisms that are in charge of decomposition need lots of nitrogen.  Once they have done their job by decomposing something newly dead, only then is that organic matter now decomposed available for use by micro and macro organisms in the soil to eat for energy. While organic material is being decomposed all the other organisms go to sleep, dormancy or die.  Once the decomposers have decomposed organic matter there is then 'food' for the micro and macro organisms to wake up and reproduce. Plants need to have these micro and macro organisms to uptake chemicals they need for photosynthesis (to make food and seed).  The decomposed organic matter is critical as well to improve the tilth of the soil for air, organisms and plant roots to thrive.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it that you are wanting to accomplish?  Large tomatoes, more tomatoes, longer lasting tomato plants?  What have you been using for management skills? What hasn't been working?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps generate more questions...ask away!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-21T21:04:54.517" LastActivityDate="2017-05-21T21:04:54.517" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33377" CreationDate="2017-05-22T03:27:31.640" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're a fine use-case for a scythe (well, the poor security would have me taking it home, not leaving it there.) But you might need to make use of a rake depending on your stone situation (the size and projection from the surface of them - if you try to cut them it's not good for the blade.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An antique in poor condition is not the scythe you want. I would suggest a new scythe, a peening jig, and a stone and cup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Else you will get into much more complicated (and noisy and messy...) approaches like a battery-operated string trimmer or mower (and some solar panels to charge it up, or you bring the batteries from home and have the solar panels there, or contract with a renewable energy supplier if you have electric provider choice.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-05-22T21:41:31.393" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T21:41:31.393" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33407" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-22T09:26:07.833" Score="1" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this plant from a local nursery, and the owner was ignorant about the plant details... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r7SuF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r7SuF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7h20Y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7h20Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fTPAA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fTPAA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16887" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:47:31.730" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T02:47:31.730" Title="What is this evergreen plant and how should I care for it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33408" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-22T09:39:26.793" Score="3" ViewCount="4078" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know it probably sounds silly. The idea is to cut the branch off the trees with proper tools (tree pruner, pole saw or whatever), that's easy, takes a minute. What is not so time-friendly, is cutting up the branches that are already on the ground. I need them to be in small and manageable pieces to fit in bags so it can be taken away economically as &quot;green waste&quot;. I have no intention of buying a chipper at the moment. A chainsaw is overkill, and I wouldn't want to buy a reciprocating saw just for this. For really small branches I'd use secateurs or loppers. Whenever loppers are necessary, and around 2.5-5cm in branch diameter I think it would be faster to use my battery-powered jigsaw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, I have this blade: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.boschtools.com/ca/en/boschtools-ocs/t-shank-jig-saw-blades-for-wood-t144df-29837-p/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bosch t144df&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's not such a good idea, why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17603" LastEditorUserId="17603" LastEditDate="2017-05-22T14:26:32.903" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T21:41:51.580" Title="Is it ok to cut tree branches with a jigsaw?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;branches&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33409" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31093" CreationDate="2017-05-22T13:24:21.657" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's granadine, or passion fruit. My mom had them in the garden in Mutare Zimbabwe. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17605" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-23T15:02:32.293" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T15:02:32.293" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33410" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-22T14:21:41.113" Score="4" ViewCount="34" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wondering if it's fine to use line posts that are 1.66in instead of 2 3/8 terminal posts to build a 3ft fence. It's going to be framed in wood with some hogwire/welded wire wood panels so there will be a good amount of weight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17607" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T01:23:12.077" Title="3ft fence using line posts (1.66in)" Tags="&lt;fence&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33411" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-22T14:25:29.763" Score="5" ViewCount="874" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ix3Rd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Grape Leaf Ivy - Cissus&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I bought this plant it was mislabeled as a philodendron I've tried unsuccessfully to find out what it is for a good while now. The foliage is quite lush and it climbs really well. Plant ID apps say it's a Helix hedera but that doesn't make sense, I have several Ivy's and none look like this. Any help would be greatly appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17606" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2017-05-22T17:08:59.393" LastActivityDate="2020-02-03T20:21:30.217" Title="Could someone help me identify this elusive vine?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33412" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33407" CreationDate="2017-05-22T14:37:59.130" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I hope this isn't too general, but it looks like a juniper of some kind. It also doesn't look like a houseplant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T14:37:59.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33413" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33421" CreationDate="2017-05-22T15:07:01.470" Score="5" ViewCount="5026" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the 2nd year I have grown tomatoes. I am a young gardener, with a balcony garden in pots. Last year went fantastic and produced many tomatoes. This year I  have 6 plants I started from seed indoors. Three Pomodoro San Marzano Tomatoes, and three Pomodoro Scatolone tomatoes. They are all planted in plastic pots with store-bought potting soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just transferred them to the pots and put them on my deck a few days ago and today I noticed the leaves were changing color. I am completely new to this and don't know what it is or how to fix it. Any help would be appreciated! (My balcony garden is the only place it can be, I live in an apartment but sunshine is not an issue)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1qSVM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17608" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-22T17:21:40.507" LastActivityDate="2019-06-09T10:52:36.093" Title="Why are the leaves on my tomato seedling turning brown?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33377" CreationDate="2017-05-22T15:24:15.220" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my landscaping experience, rotary motors require high RPMs since its just the one blade. It has to create a fan blade type action to raise the grass as it cuts the top off. Manual power just can't accomplish that. Cylinder mowers have more blades in direct contact with the grass, which is how they are able to cut without a larger power source. My suggestion is to by an electric mower and some batteries/solar cells to charge the batteries when not in use. Depending on the size of the lot, you may need a couple batteries so you can swap them out to finish without having to wait on the sun. There should be plenty of time between mowing for the sun to recharge the batteries. Hope this helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17608" LastEditorUserId="17608" LastEditDate="2017-05-22T15:35:46.173" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T15:35:46.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33416" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33411" CreationDate="2017-05-22T15:44:09.333" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the grape leaf ivy, a climber with tendrils.  Native to the tropical Americas it is known as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b583&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cissus alata&lt;/a&gt; or Cissus rhombifolia or Rhoicissus rhombifolia. This is probably not the 'Ellen Danica' cultivar as that has oak leaf shaped leaves.  As an interior plant this was not one of my favorites.  It did well in indirect light but when the leaves die they get dry and crispy and are a mess to remove.  It is susceptible to powdery mildew.  I found the best treatment was to cut it back hard to just a few stems and move to a different location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flowers are insignificant.  Bright indirect light and a soilless mix that drains well are good choices.  Does not tolerate overwatering and some sites indicate water should be cut back in the winter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are numerous species which exhibit a wide variation in leaf shape.  Some are &lt;a href=&quot;https://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/Cissus_cactiformis.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;succulents&lt;/a&gt;, some have leaves like &lt;a href=&quot;https://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/Cissus_discolor.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;begonias&lt;/a&gt; and others are like &lt;a href=&quot;https://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/Cissus_tuberosa.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;shrubs&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2017-05-22T16:57:33.573" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T16:57:33.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33417" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31093" CreationDate="2017-05-22T16:31:11.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;No Passion Fruit. It is clearly a nightshade as you can tell by the fruit and leaves. Solanum spec.&#xA;Maybe it is a kind of egg plant.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.prosisupermarket.com/admin/Product/White%20egg%20plant.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.prosisupermarket.com/admin/Product/White%20egg%20plant.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17259" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T16:31:11.897" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33418" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-22T16:46:32.153" Score="7" ViewCount="9326" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am about to lay down new mulch in a flower bed for a customer, where weeds are highly prone to growing. I will also be weeding this flower bed throughout the year. My question is, what type of weed covering should I use? I have used fabric coverings before but the weeds broke right though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would I kill my flowers if I laid down plastic under the mulch and around the flowers? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17611" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-22T17:33:22.907" LastActivityDate="2018-03-05T02:52:55.490" Title="What weed covering should I use under my mulch?" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33419" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33410" CreationDate="2017-05-22T17:20:29.910" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think the diameter of the post is the limiting factor.  It will be more likely to be the length of the post in the ground.  If you are installing in soil with a 6' (2 M) long post and you want to have 3' (1 M) above ground that leaves less than 3' in the ground.  The most likely thing is that the posts will lean due to the weight of the panels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I live &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frost_heaving&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;frost heave&lt;/a&gt; makes fences lean and posts pop out of the ground if you don't have enough length in the ground.  Your area may have different conditions so you should consult your local building store to find out how much of the post should be in the ground. If you want to build to last back filling the post hole with concrete after you have the post straight is mandatory.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you could get 8' line posts this should work but 6' posts might lean in a few years due to the weight of the panels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T17:20:29.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33420" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33411" CreationDate="2017-05-22T17:28:32.387" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have the same here home. It never flowered, did well in the shades, indoor, and hasn't been repotted for 6 years...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We call it in German &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gartenflora.de/mein-garten/pflanzenlexikon/pflanzenportraits-p-r/russischer-wein/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Russischer Wein&lt;/a&gt;, Cissus rhombifolia, but it is completely different as &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallopia_aubertii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Russian Vine&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T17:28:32.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33421" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33413" CreationDate="2017-05-22T17:30:44.817" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like the plants are getting sunburned. You need to expose plants to sunlight gradually which is known as hardening off. See this info from Burpee: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burpee.com/gardenadvicecenter/areas-of-interest/seed-starting/hardening-off-your-seedlings/article10355.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.burpee.com/gardenadvicecenter/areas-of-interest/seed-starting/hardening-off-your-seedlings/article10355.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17612" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T17:30:44.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19522" CreationDate="2017-05-22T18:05:02.170" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks too tall and skinny, also planted crooked by lazy landscapers. May be trainable with a guyline that runs about 1/3 distance up from the first branchings, using semi-flexible broad material like bicycle inner tube - not wire inside a hose. Tension to bring top into vertical, leave for a season and after leaves fall, loosen and see if it has 'taken' the new set. If not, re-tension for another year and cross your fingers. In colder regions, maples are prone to branch loss, even trunk failure, from late spring snow after leafing out, and long skinny trees like this are not promising.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17614" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T18:05:02.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33423" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33418" CreationDate="2017-05-22T19:18:26.597" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;You cannot use plastic - it will waterlog after rain. Weed fabric allows water and air through, whereas plastic does not. You can buy heavier duty weed fabric, so you might consider that, but most weeds do not punch through the fabric from the soil beneath, only things like japanese knotweed or bamboo usually. However, weeds can and do root into the mulch on top and their roots may penetrate the weed fabric over time - things like couch grass, for instance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also say you will be weeding the flowerbed throughout the year - that will be difficult with a membrane in place, so you might consider regular weeding, with no membrane but just a mulch in place instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T19:18:26.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33424" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33408" CreationDate="2017-05-22T20:21:42.110" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you need a (cheap) small saw. This is a lot more handy for pruning, and you can also cut relatively large branches (it is slow, but sometime I prefer this method instead of chainsaw).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use your force, luke!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T20:21:42.110" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33425" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33418" CreationDate="2017-05-22T20:38:16.767" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Bamboo.  That fabric makes a huge disconnect for the life in the soil and food, and air, and drainage.  The 'food' in this case is decomposed organic matter that the micro and macro organisms of the soil need for energy.  Plants need those organisms for vitality and uptake of chemicals (nutrients) for the process of photosynthesis with which plants make their own food and energy to grow.  The cycle of plants and soil and organisms are horribly stopped.  Plants will grow but they won't be vigorous and will be more susceptible to disease and insect damage.  The plastic also is conducive for insects that don't live in the soil by giving them a habitat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weeds will grow no matter what.  Any weed seed that is already in the soil will be stopped from germinating beneath 2&quot; of mulch.  The fabric is redundant for that purpose.  Weed seed will blow in or get pooped out by birds in the mulch and will germinate and grow in mulch no matter what you do.  Not very well however and they are easy peasy to pull up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plastic 'weed fabric' is possibly the top worst thing anyone could do to their plants and landscape.  It was never meant to be 'weed fabric' in the first place.  Some idiot marketer thought that up as a way to enlarge their profits.  It was originally designed for a barrier between soil and gravel.  If there is no fabric beneath gravel the process of walking or driving on gravel causes, 'sumping' at least that is what we called it in landscape construction and road building.  When pressure is applied to the gravel. that causes the soil or 'fines' to rise to the surface filling the larger pore spaces of the gravel essentially causing the larger rock to sink below the surface and one has to replace their gravel periodically.  With this fabric, the gravel will never have to be replaced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Working in commercial and residential landscape maintenance, I made it clear that to become my client they had to pay me to rip that plastic up completely first.  They had to pay big bucks to have my guys come in and remove every bit of that stuff.  Weeds were usually everywhere and I also talked them into a different brand of mulch as well.  Hey, I had a reputation and no way would I have a landscape with that plastic involved in my care.  And not once did I lose a customer because of the extra cost.  I was able to draw pictures of the mini ecosystem and they already knew that that stuff did not stop weeds.  It was a no brainer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I replaced their non decomposed bark with this product that was available in the Seattle/Bellevue area.  I had no idea that this stuff is hard to find. It was called Gro-Co.  A little tougher to sell but I always had samples to show and references always sold my new clients on this stuff.  It is human poop mixed with sawdust and completely decomposed through a federally mandated process, tested 5X before sold to the public. The same price as bark.  But people were able to know exactly what was in that decomposed mulch.  Came with a document of the test on that particular batch of mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Smelled wonderful, I am not kidding!  Fine and uniform texture.  Dark taupe color.  NO pesticide residues that you get from other composts. NO weed seeds that come with all composts and bark mulches.  High in Nitrogen.  Absolutely gorgeous mulch.  You could even have it 'blown' onto your beds and they did such a professional job!  I tried holding onto the end of the hose (8&quot; diameter) but wasn't ready for the power that took me straight up into the air!  Nothing got onto the siding or foundation of the house, the little plants and grasses under pots...beautiful.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This mulch was all I would use.  I hate bark or non decomposed mulch.  I have since moved from Washington and have not been able to find another source in this state close enough to be able to use.  Very sad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This completely decomposed mulch is instantly usable by the micro and macro soil organisms.  They don't have to wait for the decomposers to decompose bark chips, bark dust, bark chunks.  Gro-Co fed the soil instantly.  In one week, when my guys would visit for maintenance, they would be blown away at the difference in the plants themselves.  They never stopped being so entranced at the difference in one week. Even fertilizing never produced what that mulch did.  Yes, there is some Nitrogen but it was mostly because the soil came alive and plants were able to better uptake the chemicals that were already in the soil.  The life in the soil is vastly important to plants.  I never thought it would be so difficult to find, I mean, there is a lot of human poop to be had and sawdust.  The hard part to sell was the &lt;em&gt;idea&lt;/em&gt; that that mulch was once flushed down a toilet.  I could do it just fine and got to know the owner of 'Sawdust Supply'.  We talked a few times of course and he told me that they only did a portion of the poop supply in that area.  The rest of the 'supply' was trucked to the center of Washington and pumped below ground 15 or 20 feet.  I didn't tell him that that poop pumped that far beneath the ground did nothing for the crops above it but I am to this day horrified what it was doing to our subsurface fresh water.  And this was just Seattle.  I've made a few calls and yes indeed, those companies that take care of our sewage do the same thing; pump it below ground.  I guess they are not allowed to dump it in our oceans and that is a good thing...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were you, where ever you live, I would call your city/county water and sewage department to see if this mulch product is available.  If it is please let me know, okay?  For us humans to actually be able to give something back that is a great environmental mitigator for our presence is rare!  Bark, ugh, is causing our urban and suburban regions to become deserts!  No food for birds, plants, soil...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, one caveat.  This mulch is a bit higher in heavy metals, so should not use it on vegetable gardens.  I've seen, however, tap water test printouts that are higher in heavy metals than this stuff. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One more caveat but this one never caused a blink of an eye by my clients.  This will need to be replaced every other year. My clients actually insisted on once per year. It disappears into the soil because the micro and macro organisms in that soil are coming up to eat this stuff, then going back down into the soil to poop it out.  They actually and constantly improve the soil's tilth by mixing this organic matter into the soil without any labor on our part.  The only way to make any soil a great soil is by adding decomposed organic matter into the soil.   Adding sand, gravel, gypsum, lime,  a little clay and water and rotate?  You get concrete.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this convinces you to not use landscape fabric except for when you install gravel.  Horrid stuff.  Pulling that out of landscapes was not easy nor pretty.  Very expensive for the clients and they knew they never got what they thought it was supposed to do. Weeds were prolific. A few clients wrote letters, emailed their displeasure about being 'tricked' by these landscape fabric producers that called this stuff 'weed fabric'...never heard if they got compensation.  Their compensation was having a landscape they could be proud. And they were all very happy!  Weeds have been the least of my worries anyway even without access to this stuff.  Weeds have gotten such a scary rap.  And I for one have never had a problem with weeds.  Now, when beginning a new landscape, yup, there is always the weed problem but hey, I had my wonderful crews to do that work.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if this mulch is not available to you, the only other mulch I would use is the finest ground bark you can purchase.  I would add nitrogen just to the bark to help the decomposers with their job.  While the decomposers do their work all other life in the soil goes dormant or dies until that material is decomposed.  Until that material is decomposed the soil life remains dormant.  Adding nitrogen to the mulch will increase the rate of decomposition.  You must figure this nitrogen into your fertilizer plan as you do not want to over fertilize nor upset the balance as higher nitrogen in relation to phosphorous and potassium will promote vegetative growth and you won't get many flowers on your showy flowering shrubs, perennials and definitely any annuals.  One great source of nitrogen for your bark would be this kitty litter made of alfalfa pellets.  Sorry for such a long answer but this is obviously a huge subject of mine.  I am on sort of a mission to get rid of bark mulches that are making our cities into deserts, literally, and to encourage our sewage be used for a very positive reason rather than being pumped down into our fresh water sources.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-22T21:04:11.680" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T21:04:11.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33426" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-22T20:54:26.780" Score="4" ViewCount="9858" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently repotted a spider plant, but it has recently started sagging, probably due to its weight and lack of support in the soil. I want to straighten it back up, but I would like to do this without repotting if possible. The spider plant has multiple stems and they're all tilting in the same direction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture of the plant in its current state. You can notice that all of the leaves fall to the back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pVxxc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pVxxc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The spider plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-05-22T21:30:33.223" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T21:30:33.223" Title="How do I straighten a tilting Spider Plant without repotting it?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33427" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33426" CreationDate="2017-05-22T21:27:14.093" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the most beautiful spider plants I've ever seen!  And that is saying something because in my day every hippie had a spider plant, even those in a store aren't as beautiful.  Good job!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have just repotted this plant then this is easy.  On the side you want the plant to move to be more vertical, simply press the soil down on that side.  Help your plant by holding the base and all the leaves in one hand while the other presses down the soil.  The soil in your pot should be firmed down anyway.  When your plant is upright, then gently press the rest of the soil down in the pot.  I've even pulled newly planted plants upward slightly to firm the soil down on the side it is leaning towards and shake and poke soil under the roots of the far side.  In fact this is probably best if you weren't firming the soil while repotting.  Plants are tough.  This will not hurt your plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you were to just firm all the soil, water, your plant would eventually straighten quite nicely as it grows toward the light.  But I would simply slightly pull the plant (is that one plant or two?) upwards, shake it gently or poke to get the soil to fill the pocket on the side it is leaning to be filled with more soil, then firmed under your plant when it is in the position you want.  If this is one plant (could easily be made into two but don't) simply grab the lower parts in two hands and upright into position.  Get into the soil to fill soil into the pocket left (right side?)and firm that soil below the roots to ensure the position.  What ever management practices you have been using continue.  Very happy plant!  Kudos!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T21:27:14.093" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33428" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33408" CreationDate="2017-05-22T21:41:51.580" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't do this for two reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Safety: the jigsaw is going to want to jump around and green wood is like a spring.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The blade on a jigsaw is designed for seasoned wood.  Blades for green wood have a different design.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would recommend a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=bow%20saw&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bow saw&lt;/a&gt;.  You be able to cut branches of that size with a few strokes.  You can even cut down small trees with them.  A pruning saw would also work but I generally prefer the bow for something not attached to the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16026" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T21:41:51.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33429" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-22T22:25:49.220" Score="4" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have this milkweed that is usually covered in caterpillars this time of year, but hasn't really grown any leaves since this little plant popped up right in the middle of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U5LWA.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U5LWA.png&quot; alt=&quot;plant growing out of milkweed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid to rip it out in case it kills the milkweed. Do you think it is fine to leave it alone or should I try to get rid of it? And if I should get rid of it, how should I go about doing that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17616" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-05-22T23:49:52.797" LastActivityDate="2017-05-24T17:32:05.427" Title="Should I remove this plant that is growing on top of my milkweed?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33430" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33353" CreationDate="2017-05-22T22:57:06.830" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seriously, the higher the end mow the better!  Go with 3.5&quot;, my goodness!  The higher that grass is the more vigorous your lawn the fewer weeds will germinate or be able to compete.  You are so lucky to have purchased a wonderful mower that actually allows these heights!  Good for you.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The higher that grass is mowed, the less it grows per week and you'll only be cutting the tops of your grass, thus even less stress!  Less debris (I would still bag my clippings great stuff unless on your lawn) from each mow. I am very glad to hear mower companies are raising 'the bar'.  Most people have to have their mower height ability raised just to be able to cut 3&quot;!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The higher one can grow their grass without it falling over (to compromise photosynthesis) the healthier your lawn crop.  Most grasses the ideal height is 4&quot;...but 3&quot; has been shown to be almost as good and is far easier to sell to people who want a golf course green.  That was what most mowers were designed to do, to accommodate the notion of a lawn looking like a golf course green.  At that height, lawns have to be fertilized constantly, lots of herbicides for weeds, having to thatch and fuss and still their lawns would never be as beautiful, vigorous, as green as lawns cut at least 3&quot; high no lower.  Go with 3.5&quot;!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lucky you!!  Get an extra set of blades, learn to sharpen and how to change your blades.  Sharp blades make a big deal for the look of your lawn.  A little too dull of blade will shred the tips of your grass blades giving your lawn a dusty look.  As well as allowing disease to possibly be introduced.  Get to know your mower fix it guys!  Have them show you how to change filters. Purchase extra filter for the gas and air.  Brown nose enough they will show you any and all minor repair/maintenance you are able to do without having to have your mower, your blower, your weedwacker maintained by them at a cost to you.  I am the biggest brown noser ever and boy did it pay off!  You will love to mow your lawn.  In fact, to mow it twice a week is just fine and dandy!  Always change your directions each time you mow and you will have the best lawn on your block! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T22:57:06.830" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33431" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33479" CreationDate="2017-05-22T23:01:17.667" Score="3" ViewCount="3460" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 3 plants, Gasteria, Haworthia and one cactus, the Euphorbia enopla. I have the appropriate soil with drainage but I was told the cactus would not do well with the others. How would I go about putting them in the same pot? Could I put the cactus in a small pot and plant the other two in a big pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17617" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-05-22T23:47:35.543" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T23:27:03.207" Title="Can I plant succulents and cactus in the same pot?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33432" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33429" CreationDate="2017-05-22T23:52:34.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems like you have two plants growing in the same location and they will compete against each other for resources.  Since you want to keep the milkweed, it would be advisable to get rid of the other unwanted plant.  I would start with cutting the part of the unwanted plant that is above the ground. Hopefully, it don't grow again and that will prevent potential damage to the milkweed.  Beyond that, if the plant keeps growing you may have to take a risk of pulling out the unwanted plant from it's roots otherwise you may risk losing your milkweed as well.  Let us know the outcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-05-22T23:52:34.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33433" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33434" CreationDate="2017-05-23T00:10:59.553" Score="2" ViewCount="1150" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wew6m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wew6m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TwP0k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TwP0k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got these new plants from Walmart just a week ago ( Monday ) and I did some research saying to water them once a week so I waited until Wednesday to water them. The research told me to water until water came out of the little hole at the bottom which I did. I think I should have cleaned the water that came out of the hole but I didn't. No where did it say to do that and by the design of this pot I thought it would just go back into the soil. Now it's a Monday after I got these plants and I just noticed this thing growing from the little hole where water should come out. I have no idea what this is or if this is hurting my new plants and I am very scarred right now. I touched it and it was very wet and slimy before I washed my hands. Could someone please tell me why this happened and how to get rid of it please? This is my first time taking care of cactus and a succulent so this is very distressing for me. Thank you for reading this and helping me out if you do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Thank you all for the tips with watering my new plants and the growth turned out to be a mushroom that I believe was already in the soil when I got it. I think I was freaking out so much is because that side of the plot was facing away from the window and for some reason I thought it was a pebble. I wasn't able to take a picture of it but I found a photo online that looks similar to the one in the pot. Again thank you all for the tips with taking care of my new plants. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2McZ6.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;( those are also around the same size as the one in the pot )&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17618" LastEditorUserId="17618" LastEditDate="2017-05-24T03:25:55.743" LastActivityDate="2017-05-24T03:25:55.743" Title="Orange and White thing in my new house plant soil" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33433" CreationDate="2017-05-23T00:24:51.633" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well it looks like a fruiting body from a fungus, but not one I recognise. First, let's just clarify, when you water a houseplant, you should always empty out the tray beneath after 30 minutes, so that the base of the pot is not left sitting in water. You should only water when the surface of the compost feels dry to the touch, but not so dry its shrunken from the sides of the pot. Watering well when you do water is a good thing, but you will need to reduce the amount of water you give in winter, watering only sparingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest you put on some rubber gloves, pick up the pot, break off the growth, and if you can bear to, lay it on some kitchen paper and take another photograph - I'd like to have a look at the entire thing, just to try to identify it, but otherwise, just bin it. Ensure the drainage holes in the pot are not blocked. Fungal spores are everywhere, including in the air you breathe - the soil in the pot obviously has some fungal mycelium present, and I imagine this is a fruiting body from that, but to be honest, I've never seen one like that before. You should not worry though, its a perfectly natural phenomenon, if a little unusual. If you repotted the cactus into your own pot with extra soil, its possible the mycelium was present in the soil you used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-23T00:31:45.247" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T00:31:45.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33410" CreationDate="2017-05-23T01:23:12.077" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are going to frame your fence/fencing wire with lumber, I would most certainly use pressure treated posts.  I insist on 6X6 if not 8X8 posts for all my out door construction, not so much for structure but for aesthetics.  4X4 posts look wimpy but they will offer more structure than t-posts.  This is akin to building a beautiful home on pier blocks instead of a real foundation worthy of that home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I do where I live with stupid pumice soil is to use sonatubes, filled with concrete and install post anchors.  For today's pressure treated lumber you have to put a membrane between pressure treated post and the anchor unless that anchor hardware is powder coated.  Pressure treated lumber will amazingly, 'melt' the hardware within a year, I kid you not!  I witnessed this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could use 'gabions' instead of posts if you have access to lots of rock on your property.  They are pretty cool and very very structurally sound.  And they look solid as heck, cause they are.  These are simply cages filled with rock for each corner of your of your project.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are going to go through the work and expense to frame your field wire, I would not skimp on the posts.  I never specify 4X4's for outdoor structures but when not rich 4X4's are far better than t-posts!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T01:23:12.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33436" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33388" CreationDate="2017-05-23T08:03:46.240" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Potassium is highly implicated in fruit size. I've used a lot of potassium for the last couple years, and I can say that it does seem to help for most varieties in my growing conditions (but not all; Omar's Lebanese, and Marianna's Peace are a couple examples that didn't seem to benefit in my growing conditions).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potassium can help plants absorb water. Copper may also help fruit absorb water, but I don't know if it increases fruit size. Potassium may change the flavor and/or texture, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Extra nitrogen, however, may (in some situations) actually increase the number of fruits that set, while not increasing the total weight of the combined fruits, according to a study I read about (which seems to say that the fruits would be more plentiful, but smaller). Excess nitrogen in other conditions may lead to few fruits and excess foliage, as is more commonly thought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not all about potassium and nitrogen, though. Clearly, from my experience, there are other factors, although it's difficult to pinpoint them all. I personally believe that acclimatization to the soil and growing conditions over both the season and generations can help. Sometimes, fruits that set later on are considerably larger than the first fruits (this may have to do with the plant maturity, and how acclimatized it is).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people have tricks that pertain to pruning, removing other fruits, and soil amendments to increase fruit production and/or size. This is especially true with some varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know about for tomatoes, but some people say that micorrhizae helps in growing giant watermelons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hybridization between two varieties can sometimes lead to fruits larger than either parent variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Container size can also influence fruit size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T06:35:20.067" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T06:35:20.067" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33437" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33441" CreationDate="2017-05-23T08:14:25.277" Score="1" ViewCount="1025" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is in a garden in a 6b zone. The garden is shaded a big part of the day. I don't live nearby, so I can't watch what's happening there.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/74rlS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T23:29:45.913" Title="What's eating this Amaryllis?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33437" CreationDate="2017-05-23T08:59:51.840" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd blame slugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Partly because putting the blame on them means one will be right in like 50% of all cases, partly because I see no clear bite marks, which fits with their method of eating by rasping off parts of the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, there are no slime traces, but slugs need to expell less slime in shaded, more humid areas and if you had some rain, it might also be washed off (are those droplets on the grass and leaves rain, dew or from watering?). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And finally, I have noticed that at least in my garden slugs show a clear preference for everything with a bulb, whether allium, tulips or something else. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T08:59:51.840" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33439" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33448" CreationDate="2017-05-23T10:13:57.257" Score="2" ViewCount="3799" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Mint plant is growing very tall and it's healthy  I guess by the looks of it, but I notice that the whatever-you-call-it that supports the leaves are too thin and my plant is always falling over, so I just made a small wooden supporter. It's working for now but I wonder if it is because it's not growing properly.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YveCw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YveCw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plants falling over&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17216" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T23:34:56.113" Title="Mint Plant growing quite tall, it's often falling" Tags="&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33441" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33437" CreationDate="2017-05-23T10:31:58.783" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd place the blame on squirrels or more likely, field mice. I opened your image in another window and it looks like scrape marks from incisors. Have you ever seen either about? Squirrels are bolder and far more visible. You'd see mice rarely and never while you were outside. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not say Stephie's wrong and I'm right. I'm only adding another possibility. I've found mice and squirrels love bulb plants too (excluding garlic, onions and leeks).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T10:31:58.783" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33442" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33476" CreationDate="2017-05-23T11:31:55.543" Score="3" ViewCount="214" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a sequel of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/33005/coral-bark-japanese-maple-where-to-plant-it-to-avoid-cold-winter-wind-and-hot-s&quot;&gt;Coral bark Japanese Maple -where to plant it to avoid cold winter wind and hot summer sun damage&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have opted for the design shown in the below picture.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ebKhH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ebKhH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;I am decided to buy the second coral bark shown in the right side picture but I am not sure if I need one more shaina jm (I think that I don't and I should continue with shrubs toward the vegetable garden (see the thread pointed above for a garden layout)&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other question is ..how much room do I need around each tree. See the below pictures and please tell me if the spacing is right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;​​&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reality looks like this:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FeYB7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FeYB7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;​​&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ia89m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ia89m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;​I am adding here the layout of my backyard since I made some comments below&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wld4s.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wld4s.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update2:&#xA;Adding more pictures showing two possible positions for the Shaina tree:&#xA;1- far back in the corner&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eOZt5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eOZt5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;2- a little bit closer to the viewer on the left side. For this one I also took a picture from the wider side of the garden. Sorry for the dark atmosphere, this is due to the rain that we are &quot;enjoying&quot; these days here in Toronto&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BpPXB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BpPXB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TZ2sG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TZ2sG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="3078" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T23:11:24.850" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T23:52:14.500" Title="Shaina japanese maple flanked by 2 coral bark jm: how much room aroud?" Tags="&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33443" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33465" CreationDate="2017-05-23T12:20:17.777" Score="3" ViewCount="555" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this in my garden in India.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers will form seeds in 2-3 days mostly. I wanted to know what is its name. The flowers are small and are having somewhat orange color&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gBKfa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gBKfa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B3AUc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B3AUc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13845" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T02:02:05.043" LastActivityDate="2020-01-02T07:38:09.110" Title="Plant with serrated leaves and orange-red five-petalled flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33445" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33464" CreationDate="2017-05-23T12:48:14.457" Score="3" ViewCount="504" Body="&lt;p&gt;These seeds were given to me by someone who hasn't took a picture of the plant and draw it instead. It is supposed to have a white flower in the shape of a cup. Probably an annual plant in a 6b zone in Europe. The seeds have a diameter of 0.2 inch (0.5 cm).&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qS8EJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-05-24T07:06:32.317" Title="What is the white, cup-shaped flower growing from these seeds?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33446" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33450" CreationDate="2017-05-23T14:11:26.170" Score="3" ViewCount="434" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can we pollinate &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharanthus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Catharanthus&lt;/a&gt; without bees or insects? If yes, then how to do it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Due to the floral structure of the Rosy Periwinkle, they require insects such as butterflies and moths that have long tongues, and serve as better pollinators for this plant. The flowers of the Madagascar Periwinkle are often visited by a wide variety of insects including butterflies, moths, bees and even beetles. Furthermore, other studies have shown that the Madagascar Periwinkle is a very unique species within its family because of its self-compatibility meaning that they are able to pollinate themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But how we can do it if we want to do it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13845" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:08:20.967" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:08:20.967" Title="Can humans pollinate Catharanthus by hand?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33447" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33377" CreationDate="2017-05-23T14:15:16.077" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since it seems like you are not finding exactly what you are looking for, I would suggest a battery-electric mower. &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00GX9WNP2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Greenworks&lt;/a&gt; sells at least one model, as do some &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/tools/reviews/g122/we-test-the-best-battery-powered-lawnmowers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;others&lt;/a&gt;. I have other cordless electric landscaping tools from Greenworks, and they are more than adequate for almost any &quot;homeowner&quot; duty. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that there are beefier battery electric mowers and landscaping tools out there. A colleague of mine set up a whole crew in his landscaping business with commercial grade battery electric push and walk behind mowers, leaf blowers, line trimmers, and chain saws. He says they work every bit as well as their gas counterparts without the noise and pollution of typical equipment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2017-05-24T15:33:44.037" LastActivityDate="2017-05-24T15:33:44.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33448" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33439" CreationDate="2017-05-23T14:19:39.150" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants often grow tall, spindly and &quot;leggy&quot; because of not enough light. The poor things are trying to climb up closer to the sun. In order to grow into the form we usually see, a mint may just need to be outdoors in the bright sunlight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do have a brighter indoor spot, try moving it over there and see if it helps &quot;fill it out&quot;. Otherwise, it seems green and healthy with the supports you have provided. It's an &lt;em&gt;indoor mint&lt;/em&gt;; it looks good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T14:19:39.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33449" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33429" CreationDate="2017-05-23T14:27:23.547" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like your milkweed plant is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_curassavica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Asclepias curassavica&lt;/a&gt;. They are easy to start from seed or buy one in the garden center for $4. They grow quickly. Tear this old bare plant out and start over. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17622" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-05-23T14:38:02.697" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T14:38:02.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33450" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33446" CreationDate="2017-05-23T15:35:44.497" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The easiest way is using a painting brush to move the pollen from the stamens onto the stigma.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just make sure the hairs of the brush get inside the flower and twist it around a bit, so you can be sure that they touch the pistil in the center.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand-pollination&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;short description&lt;/a&gt; on Wikipedia or search &quot;brush pollination&quot; on Youtube.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is an example:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fth6P.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fth6P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-05-24T15:20:58.030" LastActivityDate="2017-05-24T15:20:58.030" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33451" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33457" CreationDate="2017-05-23T16:51:19.263" Score="4" ViewCount="1018" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to pick tomatoes? Removing the stem+tomato from the plant or simply removing the tomato only, leaving the stem on the plant? Does it matter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-05-23T17:20:41.680" LastActivityDate="2018-06-18T21:34:02.680" Title="What is the best way to pick tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33452" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33458" CreationDate="2017-05-23T17:21:01.710" Score="4" ViewCount="369" Body="&lt;p&gt;I haven't bought the pots as yet, but I wanted to know how should I plant oregano, basil, parsley, mint, (maybe some other herbs) and cherry tomato, chili peppers and garlic.  Should I have a small pot per plant or should I group them in a large pot?  My balcony is facing south (I'm on the south hemisphere) so it has sun all day on its border and shadow closer to the wall.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking about having something like a vertical garden (2 of them one against the wall and other against the border, maybe? Also maybe stepped so they don't overlap each other, IDK)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: also, what material do I need for the pots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17624" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-05-23T18:08:24.600" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T19:52:20.143" Title="Need help on basics for growing herbs and vegetables in pots" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33453" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33451" CreationDate="2017-05-23T17:39:13.337" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on what you intend to do with them. From my little experience I have noticed that keeping a part of the stem on tomatoes makes them last longer after harvesting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're planning on making tomato juice it's better to pick them without a stem to ease your work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T17:39:13.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33452" CreationDate="2017-05-23T17:47:17.033" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;All I know is that mint can really take over a garden, so it should be planted in a separate container. I leave the rest for a more experienced grower to comment :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16922" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T17:47:17.033" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33452" CreationDate="2017-05-23T17:57:10.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In theory I'd use separate small pots because the plants have different rates of growing and might require different watering schedules. Some of them tolerate shade (mint), others need a lot of light (peppers) and keeping them in separate pots allows you to move them if needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In practice, every year I have at least one long pot with two or three species because of lack of space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the material, use what you have, just make sure it has drainage holes. Plastic is cheaper and lighter, terracotta is low-maintainance, and metal looks fancy (if you ask other people, 'cause I'm not into the metal pots thing).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My guess is that you'll have to use artificial light, at least for the peppers, since it's autumn(-winter?) in the southern hemisphere, but that depends on your latitude.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T17:57:10.180" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33457" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33451" CreationDate="2017-05-23T18:11:52.460" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a &quot;knuckle&quot; on the short stem (the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedicel_(botany)&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;pedicel&lt;/a&gt;) between the tomato and the larger stem that holds all the flowers (the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peduncle_(botany)&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;peduncle&lt;/a&gt;). When a tomato is ripe, it will break off easily by lifting the tomato, so that the knuckle bends backwards from its normal position, and pulling gently on the tomato. This leaves a short section of stem and the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepal&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;calyx&lt;/a&gt; attached to the tomato.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The alternative is to try to pick just the tomato, separating it from the calyx. This requires a tighter grip on the tomato, potentially squeezing it to the point of bursting it. Pulling on the fruit to get it to break away can also cause more trauma to the overall plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T18:11:52.460" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33458" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33452" CreationDate="2017-05-23T18:44:14.207" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am glad you will start with 'starts' or plants grown from a seed to a decent size.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The least expensive pots are black plastic. You can get them from a nursery very cheaply. Any pot with a drainage hole at the bottom will work.  For aesthetics try to keep your pots all the same.  You could add a few nicer looking pots but make sure they 'match'.  Too many types and colors of pots causes a chaotic look.  This is your balcony, an extension of your home/apartment and your personality.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For your tomatoes, plan on at least a 5 gallon size per plant.  Garlic is tricky.  Have no idea what your amount of sun will be for fall and winter, but garlic is normally planted late summer and harvested the next season.  I would go with a shallot myself.  I planted 20 in a 'fabric pot' and had incredible success last year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also try potatoes.  Those can be done vertically as well.  Start in a 10 gallon pot using 3 chunks of a seed potato, install a 'tomato' cage.  As the potato grows, once it is at 12&quot; high, fill the cage with straw leaving 6&quot; of green potato plant above the straw.  When it grows another foot add more straw leaving 6&quot; above the straw.  Pack the straw down quite firmly.  Potatoes will grow in this straw.  Never allow potatoes to see the sun as this will cause a greening of the potato that is poisonous. If you see a potato pack in more straw to shield it from the sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The MOST important thing for you to do is use potting soil from the store.  No fertilizer should be added in the potting soil that is in a bag, no moisture holding gels or sponges in that soil...just plain, sterilized potting soil.  Nothing else in your pots except for the plants and that soil.  No rock or gravel above the drainage hole and beneath the soil.  You will probably water every day or every other day.  Lift your pots to feel the heft after watering.  When they are lighter, water.  Do not water if they feel heavy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will also have to fertilize.  Use Osmocote 14-14-14.  You'll only have to do this once maybe twice for your entire season.  Follow directions.  Do not mess with composts when using pots.  Do not add anything else.  That is why I like this fertilizer.  It is extended release and you can't go wrong unless you try to add manure or mulch or garden soil.  Too much fertilizer and you will kill your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lift the bottoms of your pots off the ground using flat rocks, pieces of broken tile. That is the best thing you can do for drainage.  I would also use extra pots turned upside down to change the levels of your garden pots.  That will help with light and air circulation and look very cool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peppers are very happy in one gallon pots.  As soon as they turn red harvest and string and hang to dry unless you know how to roast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes; get the tomatoes off the vine as soon as they turn red to promote even more tomatoes. Allow wasps, bees, flies to visit for pollination!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try an eggplant!  Does well in a one gallon pot.  Herbs in a long pot that is at least a foot wide are happy planted altogether and Mint, Oregano, Thyme should last a few years if you don't have very cold winters.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your only problem and a major one at that, will be daylight hours.  If you are going into short days, less than 16 hours of daylight, this will not be a great time to start a vegetable garden.  You will need artificial light and that would mean a room inside your home with artificial lights (look up artificial lights on our question/answer history).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should be able to grow your herbs; thyme, oregano, mint, lettuce, spinach right now, but the rest will not be able to grow without longer day light hours (16 avg).  Oh include sugar snap peas to this list!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's one idea for balcony gardening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://images.hayneedle.com/mgen/master:GRON002.jpg?is=300,300,0xffffff&amp;amp;cvt=jpg&quot; alt=&quot;one idea for balcony gardening[][1]&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll have time to get soil and pots and pot feet or 1/4&quot; thick tile pieces for lifting the bottom of your pots off the surface they sit, purchased and organized to grow vegetables in your spring.  Do you have a neighbor with a balcony right below yours?  You'll want to consider how to deal with that. When you water, water should come out of the drain hole and onto your balcony to be hosed off.  How will this affect your neighbor below?  Do you have any constraints for your development for potted plants on balconies?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this helps.  I hope this engenders more questions to ask us!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T19:52:20.143" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T19:52:20.143" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33459" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-23T19:29:30.577" Score="5" ViewCount="167" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was re-potting my 9+ year old cactus to a bigger pot yesterday and noticed a sizable portion of its stem is submerged. Is this a typical growth habit? What are the chances that this stem might rot and cause issues down the line? Also, if anyone knows the species that would be helpful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EicCw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EicCw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cactus transplant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13895" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T21:23:33.587" Title="Is this a typical growth habit for a cactus?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33460" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33459" CreationDate="2017-05-23T21:23:33.587" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's an Echinocactus grusonii, that has been standing in the wrong place for maybe two years, thus the elongated growth in the middle. Typically too dark or to warm in winter. Then it has been moved to an apprpriate place where it continous its normal growth, that is, becoming a large sphere eventually. It has than be planted deeper, maybe to make it look better. If the drowned part will eventually rot i can't tell you, this depends heaviky on the environment. Carefull watering, especially in winter will lessen the chance of rotting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16789" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T21:23:33.587" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33461" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20409" CreationDate="2017-05-23T21:45:54.250" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had the same problem, i put (llawn feed &amp;amp; weed kill) down very carefully on wet ground with it raining to help soak it straight into the ground.&#xA;But in the night a cat had walked across the grass and onto my steps and patio leaving rusty coloured foot prints plus some rusty coloured splash drops had somehow managed to get onto the slabs as well. &#xA;I use patio magic which always bring my patio stabs up like brand new but would not shift the stains.&#xA;I read that lemon (not juice) works, so i cut 3 lemons into chunks and wiped up and down on stain and using old toothbrush to scrub stain, after wash off with water (do not allow to dry or leave on to long or you will have a lighter mark instead of rust coloured one!) &#xA;But it worked!! one or two bits need another going over again but couldn't believe it.&#xA;Also read white cider vinegar does the same but remember wash of straight away!! Otherwise you will have to lighten the whole patio area to match if you end up with patches of light stains! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17629" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T21:45:54.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33462" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33355" CreationDate="2017-05-23T22:45:50.090" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is lovely grass!  But this is a bit long.  Did you really measure this length as 3.5&quot;  Grins.  I adore grass that looks like this but this takes special maintenance practices to include being in partial shade and thus different fertilizers and application timing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't believe this is 3.5 inches! 6&quot; maybe!  And definitely a mixture of cool season grasses to include fescue and bluegrass.  You need to raise that mower as high as possible, 3.5&quot; no lower and mow your grass asap.  When it begins to lay over other members in the crop you will get dead patches, fungus and irregularities.  I've only been able to do this in partial shade with fertilizer that is equal for N P and K.  Not higher in N as for normal lawns.  It only lasts a month or two like this and then it has to be mowed.  But this needs mowing now!  It is in the sun and that causes more growth than partial shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A great rotary mower creates a vacuum that pulls the grass blades up to be cut off equally.  Any longer of blade of your grass will need someone with a good blower to blow those blades of grass to be cut evenly and no lower than 3&quot; as you mow.  In fact, if your grass is 6&quot; that would really be too much to cut off at one time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using a weed wacker might work if you are able to use the lines to work like the rotary mower, sucking the blades of grass upwards before quickly cutting only an inch off the blades of grass.  Then using that blower, blow the clippings out and off your lawn onto your plant beds.  Not easy to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will not kill your grass if you just go mow it and remove enough to get 3.5&quot; in height.  One time, no biggie.  I reread your question and you say it was mowed last week at 3.5&quot;...do it again.  Please bag clippings.  Clippings are great stuff but your lawn won't benefit!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crucial are super super sharp mower blades.  What are you height adjustments on your mower?  I am so impressed with mowers finally being allowed adjustments of 3&quot; not to mention 3.5 or 4.5!!  I LOVE the look of lawns like this and I am the only one I know that has done this on a regular basis until you!  Way cool!  Please mow again and send another picture of newly mowed!  At these lengths grass growth is supposed to slow waaaayyyy down.  If this is one week later after 3.5&quot; mowing height...when did you fertilize and what was the formulation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tell us more, J.!  I'd love to promote this look but unless in shade this is tough to achieve but obviously you are achieving this!  Grass this height in the sun and fertilized needs vigilance.  So pretty!  So soft!  Right?  Yummmm.  And I want you to get a 'ruler' pull those grass blades up and take a picture!!  Please?  Amazing it grew this long in one week.  Sharpen your mower blades, use alcohol every time you sharpen or change out your blades, bag clippings.  Please give any detail possible.  I'd like to see this done more often but having a lawn at this height is ADVANCED lawn stuff.  You need to consider mowing twice per week, not once to allow your lawn almost this height.  As soon as those blades begin to fall over, mow your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-23T22:45:50.090" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33463" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-24T01:22:36.073" Score="5" ViewCount="1376" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wanting to build a small vertical hydroponic system from PVC or Bamboo to grow herbs and possibly veggies/fruit at a rental house. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my first time trying to grow anything and I'm not sure which herbs and other plants are the best to grow this time of year in Texas (June). I would like to grow mint, cilantro, strawberry or blueberry and anything else that will fit into what I'm trying to build.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the best types of plants for this type of setup and what can easily, or moderately, be grown hydroponically during a Texas summer in the hill country? (I'm sure I could move this inside as well if needed)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m6Sbo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m6Sbo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17630" LastEditorUserId="17630" LastEditDate="2017-05-24T01:36:52.053" LastActivityDate="2021-05-20T23:22:47.357" Title="What are the best herbs to grow hydroponically in Texas when starting in June?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33445" CreationDate="2017-05-24T04:59:10.177" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, I love the plant although I only had the perennial relative. I've got a strong suspicion your seeds are from &lt;em&gt;Datura innoxia&lt;/em&gt; or Angel's Trumpet. Belong to the same family as peppers, tomatoes and eggplants so the seeds will look similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Datura are annuals and the flowers point upwards (hence angel's trumpet) while closely related Brugmansia are perennial and the flowers hang down. Both are very fragrant, all the more so in the evening!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are poisonous but then so are a great number of beloved garden plants. Just use caution if you think any pets or small children might try eating them - which I think is highly unlikely!&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Datura_inoxia_graines.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Datura innoxia seeds&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastEditorUserId="16580" LastEditDate="2017-05-24T07:06:32.317" LastActivityDate="2017-05-24T07:06:32.317" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33443" CreationDate="2017-05-24T06:50:36.993" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edited after 2nd photo added:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Thanks for adding photo of opened flower! With the new photo, obvious what it is - Lesser Mallow (&lt;em&gt;Hibiscus hirtus&lt;/em&gt;). See more information at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Lesser%20Mallow%20orange.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Lesser%20Mallow%20orange.html&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;and &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/229926&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/229926&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;- - - - - - - - - - - - -&lt;/em&gt;&#xA;I really &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; wanted to identify your plant as I love a good plant mystery but no luck. I have Indian friends and have helped ID their plants using the Flowers of India site that's been active for 12 years now. Its list of plants is extensive and encompasses both wild and introduced species. Not just smaller plants but vines and trees are included.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I went through 533 plants focusing on flowers that were red to orange and also pink to violet since some flowers have different colour forms but I found nothing that fit. The leaves make me think of a plant perhaps in the Malva genus or the Lavatera genus but I can't find anything that fits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you know what the flower looks like, perhaps you could check the site over. It's www.flowersofindia.net. net&#xA;I'm sorry that few of us are familiar with the beautiful flora of your country and so may not be able to give a correct identification. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastEditorUserId="17278" LastEditDate="2017-05-24T17:03:48.613" LastActivityDate="2017-05-24T17:03:48.613" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33468" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33443" CreationDate="2017-05-24T14:43:56.147" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Look like hibiscus spp.&#xA;The stamen and petal really shape like hibicus family&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17636" LastActivityDate="2017-05-24T14:43:56.147" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33469" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33472" CreationDate="2017-05-24T15:04:12.773" Score="4" ViewCount="25593" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small front yard (20'x20') and a narrow walkway (5') between the front yard and the back yard. Currently the yard and walkway are a mess of dirt, weeds, roots, rocks, cement, and construction debris (and maybe a little bit of grass). Once I clean up the yard and walkway can I plant grass/lay sod right next to the foundation or do I need some sort of bed between the lawn and the cement foundation (the siding of the house is at least 2 feet up from the ground)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17637" LastActivityDate="2017-05-24T19:33:48.670" Title="How close can lawn be to a foundation?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;foundation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33470" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-24T17:01:48.823" Score="4" ViewCount="175" Body="&lt;p&gt;My tomatoes are developing purple spots at the bottom leaves. This is supposed to be a phosphorus deficiency. Tomatoes are growing in pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Small ones are in around 4 gallons (~14 L) and big ones are in 8 gallons (~28 L) pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought 100mL of 30% P2O5 and 20% K2O solution. So 30g of P2O5 and 20g of K2O It comes without instructions for tomatoes. How much should I add it to tomatoes? Or if you like chemistry, how concentrated solution should I prepare?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am planning to water tomatoes with it. Should I spray it on the leaves too?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UYVPi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UYVPi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6mAAl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6mAAl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Images taken 10h after adding 1g of p2o5 to 30kg of soil.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q0IQn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q0IQn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/onBWh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/onBWh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Images taken 58h after adding 1g of p2o5 to 30kg of soil.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oFh2p.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oFh2p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qLyTt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qLyTt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JwVBY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JwVBY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Progression of slightly damaged leafs stopped completely or almost comletely, while the heavily damaged leaves still tend to get purpler. Just much slower. Like the plant isn't even trying to preserve them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="17223" LastEditDate="2017-05-27T08:43:43.490" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T08:43:43.490" Title="How much P2O5 should I add to tomatoes" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;phosphorous&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33429" CreationDate="2017-05-24T17:32:05.427" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Notes on weed cultivation: First off, congratulations on your milkweed being covered with caterpillars. I have had mine for at least 5 years now, and no caterpillars (well a few that happened to show up in Nov. a couple times, but they didn't survive Dec.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm kind of surprised that the one plant is your only one, since I've got it now springing up all over the yard, what with the wind and all those million little parachute-seeds from each seed pod.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did a little experiment with a milkweed plant yesterday. I dug it out by the root. A simple naked little scraggly sweet-potatoey looking knot with almost no root hairs or clinging dirt. Then I re-planted it a few feet away from where it came from, trying to see how hardy these weeds are. An hour later it was bent and wilty, its little leaves hanging limp off the stem. Well, no wonder, its root was sitting in dry dust, so I took pity &amp;amp; watered it(!) This morning it was perky and fresh, looking like nothing was bothering it. (not even the impending arrival of Monarchs). I think it's going to be just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I advise first trying JStorage's answer, and if that nasty old grass (or whatever it is) persists, don't fear destroying the delicate milkweed by digging up the whole clump, clearing out the interloper by the roots, &amp;amp; replanting the weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope those Monarchs appreciate it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastActivityDate="2017-05-24T17:32:05.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33472" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33469" CreationDate="2017-05-24T19:15:33.550" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can definitely grow grass right up to the foundation - it won't harm your house in any way. That said, there are a few reasons you might not want to do this. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;First, your mower is unlikely to be able to get the grass right next&#xA;to the foundation, which means you'll need to take a trimmer around&#xA;the house every time you mow to get a nice, clean look.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Second, your yard is most likely graded to direct water away from the&#xA;foundation of your house quickly or keep it away altogether, which&#xA;means the grass right next to the foundation may struggle to get&#xA;enough water. Dry, brown grass right next to your house is a real&#xA;possibility; on the bright side, you won't need the string trimmer if&#xA;the grass is dead.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Finally, foundations aren't the most beautiful thing in the world,&#xA;and you can really soften their look/hide ugly concrete foundations&#xA;with some nice plantings. You may be happier with the way it looks if&#xA;you do beds instead of just grass.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2017-05-24T19:15:33.550" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33473" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33469" CreationDate="2017-05-24T19:33:48.670" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You most certainly can lay you sod right up to the foundation.  The reason people talk about foundation planting with shrubs is to have a transition between the home and your yard.  Those foundation plantings are usually too narrow and too simple to do much for aesthetics/composition anyway.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you are trying to do right now is the simplest thing you can do to get your yard, albeit small, under control.  You can put in plant beds later.  But do not try to seed for your lawn crop.  It is very affordable to do sod. That sod will stop weed seeds from growing and it sounds like you've got an old yard with tons of seeds as well as perennial weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you laid sod before?  You do have to prepare a good lawn bed.  Most of your labor will be clearing, grading and rolling your lawn bed.  Do not skip the rolling!  It is helpful to bring in 2 1/2 yards of screened topsoil to spread, grade over your lawn bed.  That will give you enough for 2&quot; deep. Roll it with a water filled roller you can rent from the equipment rental store, cheap.  Grade again, filling in dips and roll again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Glad you knew that the siding needs to be a minimum of 4&quot; off that grass/soil.  The foundation should have asphalt emulsion painted on the concrete to be between the soil and the foundation. What about your fences?  Is there enough space between the bottom and the soil/grass? Do you have a basement or crawl space? &#xA;We won't worry about that now.  You won't be changing anything drastically for your foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After laying the sod (will you be doing the work)? roll that sod as well with the roller.  Water shallowly until the sod is rooted to the bed. Then go look up all the information on how to train your grass to be drought tolerant and save water bills, make your crop of grass healthy and keep it healthy.  Look up all the question answers on our site.  Don't bother with other sites on the internet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-24T19:33:48.670" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33474" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33463" CreationDate="2017-05-24T22:37:12.637" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should be able to grow all those crops hydroponically, except that blueberries might prefer a more acidic PH than mint, cilantro, and strawberries. Try growing the blueberries in a separate setup, but experiment with a couple of plants by all means in your current planned rig.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your setup should be good in June, the problem with hydroponics in high heat, 80s plus, is that the water and fertilizer will get too hot and this can interfere with the metabolic of the plants. You can overcome this by putting the reservoir someplace cooler, i.e., inside or put it in the ground, or at least shade it. Plus try not to use clear containers for the reservoir because it will promote algae growth, especially in the hot Texas sun, you can always paint it white, or use contact paper. You will also need to watch that the chemical mixture PH and strength stay in the useful range, not requiring daily checks, but after a month you want to check it regularly. Keep a log notebook of the numbers by date, how your rig is doing, and the size of the plants. Bigger plants gobble up nutrients faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Start with seeds or small plants when possible; larger plants tend to die back initially, in this case, bigger is not better. As the Summer progresses, you might limit the amount of sun, but you might not need too. Remember you can always move the rig, so it gets shade at certain times, or get some shade cloth to protect it from the noonday sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, pull a couple of plant pots out to inspect the roots once in a while to catch any problems early.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for other types of plants, all the common herbs, such as oregano, parsley, thyme, basil, chives, rosemary, savory, etc. can grow hydroponically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastEditorUserId="17642" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T23:15:34.090" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T23:15:34.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33475" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33439" CreationDate="2017-05-24T22:50:55.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Lorel C. that your light levels might be to low. Remedy this by putting a LED or CFL light on it and give it a couple of extra hours of intense light if you don't have a brighter spot in the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For my indoor plants, I like to do two other things to strengthen them. First, with things like mint, I pinch the ends leaving 2 or 3 leaf nodes attached to the roots. That will shock the plant into putting out side shoots. Pruning mint is good for it since it responds well by producing more mint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I run an oscillating fan against my indoor garden and seedlings for an hour or so a day this strengthens the stems and makes them be able to support more plant later. I know that sounds crazy, but it works, I put it on a timer and have the breeze blow for 15 minutes at a time 2 or 5 times a day. It works miracles with tomato seedlings. Start from far away, you not doing a model shoot, just trying to get the little buggers to sway a little. And change the fan location once or twice a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastEditorUserId="17642" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T23:34:56.113" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T23:34:56.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33476" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33442" CreationDate="2017-05-24T23:45:04.953" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Coral Bark Japanese Maple&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Acer palmatum 'Sango-kaku')&lt;/em&gt; Mature Height: 15-25 ft. Mature Width: 10-12 ft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shaina Japanese Maple&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Acer palmatum 'Shaina')&lt;/em&gt; Slowly reaches Mature Ht: 6-8 ft. Mature Width: 8-10 ft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Simply recommended spacing is 12-15 feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those are just the facts, and these are beautiful species, and each one of these trees in a landscape design are focal point trees. Placing them in a line as edging in an alternating pattern goes against a lot of design rules. Besides that they both have different grows rates. The Shaina Japanese Maple can take decades to reach maturity. I would put the Coral Bark in behind the Shaina maple and do a perspective view affect or crowd them together and prune the Coral Bark, so it runs tall and makes room for the Shaine under it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;IMHO, visually both these trees are &quot;stars,&quot; and although they complement each other, I would not arrange them in an alternate fashion along a fence, i.e., red, green, red, green. Visually this will be too strong. They are not similar shaped forms; the Shaina tends to spread with a form that is squat. The Coral Bark is taller and can have an upward sweeping form. One of each is complementary, multiple of each will be visual unpleasant when evenly spaced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would keep one of each maybe place them in a grouping 10ft. apart so in 10 years the interact a little and might create a little nook in the corner of the yard, or if you have trees along the edge of the yard group these two trees left of center. To the left of your patio put a small pine, one with an open habit, with a  &lt;em&gt;rhododendron&lt;/em&gt; near it in view. A cluster of evergreen plants is pleasant in winter and summer. All just my opinion, and my hope is to dissuade you from over planting one species. You might want to plant these two trees and wait a couple of years to get used to your view and get a sense of what is missing. Or plant a clump of river birch in the view across the patio also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Response Update: You can work it out, now that the Coral Bark is planted take the potted Shaina and start placing it in the foreground and moving it around in your view; move it left or right, front and backward over time. One morning you'll say &quot;looks good,&quot; then at lunch from the table you'll say, &quot;that looks good too!&quot; You'll have your sweet spot, and remember to keep then 8 to 12 feet apart; they're right now the same proportions as mature trees. Just don't line up on the focal access, line between viewer and the Coral Bark. Most likely the Shaina will be 30 to 45 degrees off the focal axis left or right. And if it is not in that range that is fine, it's that the view relaxes you and seems balanced. I am assuming you have 2 vantage point, one from the patio is primary, and some other window. If you only have one, it's sweet spot is primary. I would add a 3rd shrub that is evergreen and round to this ensemble and use the Japanese diagram I have added. Or, use the view #6 in the second image as inspiration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GdX1h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GdX1h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Japanese Garden Design Placement Principal for Golden Triangle for stones, and works for trees &amp;amp; shrubs&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xzJU7.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xzJU7.png&quot; alt=&quot;Example of 2 tree complementary placement&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastEditorUserId="17642" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T23:52:14.500" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T23:52:14.500" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33477" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-24T23:53:42.293" Score="1" ViewCount="632" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Central Florida, in a courtyard-type home.  Growing THROUGH my rear wall is a creeping fig [I believe] coming from the outside of my wall from a neighbor's home.  I have heard that nothing ordinary will kill this - I have tried Roundup, &amp;amp; others tell me they have tried many other products, to no avail.  The growth on my side is beginning to take over the entire wall, eating into the stucco covering the wall, &amp;amp; the roots have shifted the wall off its base on my next-door neighbor's home.  We are desperate to get rid of this before we are forced to have our sides of the wall reconstructed!  Appealing to our back neighbor is useless, as she thinks it's just great!!  Please, can anyone help??&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17644" LastActivityDate="2017-05-24T23:53:42.293" Title="How do I eliminate invasive creeping fig?" Tags="&lt;figs&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33478" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33437" CreationDate="2017-05-24T23:56:47.593" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like incisors or just plain old damage. If it continues, one could spray some tabasco on it cut with a pint of water and two drops of dish soap. It seems like they didn't like it because the stalk is still there. My squirrels and rabbits figure out something's good and finish it off. I have found planting garlic or green onions amongst things keeps 4, 6, and eight-legged critters away. I'm planting out 40 baby amaryllis bulbs this weekend, so you've got me worried. :-o&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastEditorUserId="17642" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T23:29:45.913" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T23:29:45.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33479" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33431" CreationDate="2017-05-25T00:16:54.707" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;All of these succulents are from a similar environment in Southern Africa. If you put them in a nice big/long pot and don't over water, they should co-exist. You can mix diverse species using some tricks, I place the cactus in their own terra-cotta small pot and bury it in the bigger pot and create a soil micro-climate. I then water that part less, but if the dirt drains well, you shouldn't have a problem anyway. All these plants are low water, but not dessert-like, a little water bi-weekly (2 weeks).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have lost 2 Haworthia attenuata from under-watering them in a cactus pot once, but I think the soil was too sandy for it. I have had another one by itself for decades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastEditorUserId="17642" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T23:27:03.207" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T23:27:03.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33480" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33580" CreationDate="2017-05-25T00:45:26.220" Score="2" ViewCount="331" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to over-water a fruit tree? What are the signs of over-watering a fruit tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T19:46:50.553" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T18:56:41.460" Title="Is it possible to over-water a fruit tree?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33481" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33480" CreationDate="2017-05-25T00:52:04.013" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would be pretty hard to over water anything in open ground, unless the area was actually flooded, or there was a solid surface below the soil. In pots, so long as there are drainage holes which are not blocked,its next to impossible to overwater plants in those too, although some succulents and cacti wouldn't appreciate being watered too often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The usual problem that occurs with trees or shrubs sitting in waterlogged ground is root rots caused by fungal infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T00:52:04.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33482" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-25T01:17:46.660" Score="4" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;All of a sudden the outer edges of some of the redbor kale leaves seem to be drying. Anyone know why this could happen?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BcvAp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BcvAp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kWVrP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kWVrP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mG9xN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mG9xN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G05Hc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G05Hc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-12T20:39:43.223" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T20:39:43.223" Title="Redbor Kale having issues" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;&lt;kale&gt;&lt;leafy-vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33483" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-25T02:32:19.417" Score="4" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing some early prolific straight neck yellow squash in my raised bed. I am getting a lot of flowers and squashes but they don't seem to be growing to full size. Am I doing something wrong?  See pictures. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/29wpH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/29wpH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T01:32:58.757" Title="How can I grow better shaped yellow squash?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33484" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33488" CreationDate="2017-05-25T02:48:24.090" Score="2" ViewCount="4425" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I bought a Red Cordyline (Ti Plant) from the store - it was indoors. I have since placed it outdoors. I live in southern CA in hardiness zone 10a. I am not sure what's happening with the plant - I have followed watering instructions (assure soil does not get dry below finger). I haven't repotted or changed the soil or added any fertilizer. &lt;br&gt;&#xA;Symptoms are: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Curled, breaking leaves at all levels of the plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leaf tips have brown/yellowish spots and are fraying, dying, and brown&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spots and cracks throughout leaves in the plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tiny small browning on new growths; new leaves looking pale&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My first thought was bugs, I have since treated with an all-natural insecticide and have sprayed with soapy water as well to no avail. &#xA;Is it bugs? Is it getting too much sun? I have in a spot that gets direct sun for maybe 2 or 3 hours tops - is any direct sun too much?&#xA;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I seem to have a bit of a black thumb so any help would be appreciated. I can't seem to figure out what the source of this mixture of symptoms is. I don't remember there being any damage when I took the plant home, but then again I didn't thoroughly check. Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures: (the white stuff on the leaves is flour I dusted on there because I read that that constipates aphids and I think that may be what I have)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JAjqq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JAjqq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves that are starting to be affected&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xyeFX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xyeFX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;really badly damaged leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17645" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T14:48:41.483" Title="Red Cordyline (Ti Plant) Curling Leaves, Spotted &amp; browing- issue?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33485" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33888" CreationDate="2017-05-25T06:06:01.937" Score="5" ViewCount="121" Body="&lt;p&gt;Update 6/11/2017: Here is the last picture. Since nobody responded after I added 2 pics nearly a week ago, I am answering my own question. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update 6/5/2017: My friend took more pics today! I have added two up top, and am hoping for a more specific ID, please. She said that it is a deep red in there under the yellow petals (if petal is the right word for it). Thank you, all. My original post is below. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My friend has been trying to ID this volunteer plant for months, now. She lives in Ventura, CA. She raises butterflies, and is very environmentally conscious, and helpful to all. But, it is not a host plant for anything that she knows of, and none of the butterfly/moth sites could ID it. Yet, something kept eating it down nearly to the ground. So...she eventually put Diatomaceous Earth on it just so that it could grow enough for ID. She sent me these pics, and the white substance is from the DE sticking to the fuzzy leaves. Thanks for any help. lol I am in VA on the other side of the country, and am clueless about this one. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/piI72.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/piI72.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FfX6U.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FfX6U.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mystery flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QOPky.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QOPky.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mystery flower 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED: Added pictures with buds. 5/28/2017&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UMCxE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UMCxE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ke4Ik.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ke4Ik.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VAg4k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VAg4k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;volunteer plant enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;r.com/8ZBYS.jpg&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TnEu8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TnEu8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery plant with buds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o2jlO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o2jlO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mystery plant with buds 2 &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="14745" LastEditDate="2017-06-11T17:05:49.370" LastActivityDate="2017-06-11T17:58:38.490" Title="ID request, please. For a friend in Ventura, CA. Unknown volunteer plant" Tags="&lt;wildflowers&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;&lt;volunteer&gt;&lt;native&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33486" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-25T10:53:37.687" Score="4" ViewCount="4555" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm intending to build 4 raised vege garden beds, and want them to last as long as possible. Galvanised steel (locally it's commonly called corrugated iron) is likely to be a reasonably economic option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd rather not line them with plastic, so I'm interested to know how long it is likely to take for the steel to corrode to the point where they are either no longer functional or look terrible (they're in an area that needs to be kept reasonably tidy looking). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What's a typical lifetime for a galvanised steel raised garden bed, regularly watered?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="715" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T22:53:35.177" Title="How long does galvanised steel last, directly against soil, in a raised garden bed?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33487" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8069" CreationDate="2017-05-25T11:12:19.450" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am agronomist working as nursery manager and I have experienced similar problems with lavenders with lower leaves turning necrotic.&#xA;This picture indicates that there can be overwatering but can be Botrytis spp that is a fungus attacking most of plants in cold wet conditions. It can also be other internal fungus. &#xA;I would first get that dry and potted in a bigger pot and I would apply some fungicide against botrytis.&#xA;If it doesn't recover we are having a bigger problem with phytoptora or rhizoctonia that are both fungus attacking from roots&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17648" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T18:47:01.187" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T18:47:01.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33488" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33484" CreationDate="2017-05-25T11:51:27.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like this was sold as a houseplant, in other words, it was not outdoors in full sun when you bought it. Then you had it in the house, and then moved it straight outside, where it gets direct sun, without hardening off or acclimatizing it first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grown indoors, these plants require bright daylight - a little direct sun early or late in the day is fine, but  generally, they tend to burn in direct sun. Outdoors, if you want to put it in a sunny spot, it would have needed acclimatizing gradually to sunlight, so maybe starting off with dappled sun, then an hour or so morning or evening. The leaves may be suffering sunburn, and certainly wind damage - when the tips fray like this, its usually wind/sun combination. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing - you should never, ever treat a plant with something for insects or fungal infection if you cannot see any insects, nor identify any fungal infection. The problems you're seeing are more likely to be cultural rather than because of infestation or infection. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't see the pot, so don't know whether its large enough, nor whether you're standing it in something underneath to catch water, but you should water thoroughly when the surface of the compost feels dry to the touch, and allow excess water to drain away freely, without leaving any in an outer pot or tray. In the meantime, its probably best to either bring it back indoors until it recovers, or just move it to a very sheltered, bright but sunless spot. Also inspect the leaves and stems thoroughly for signs of insects or anything that shouldn't be there that  isn't flour or anything else you've put on the plant yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T14:48:41.483" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T14:48:41.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33489" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33486" CreationDate="2017-05-25T12:51:14.380" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Galvanized corrugated steel longevity in contact with soil is dependent on four variables (chlorides, moisture content, pH, and resistivity) that have the most profound effect on the corrosion rates. Decay rates vary from 0.2 microns to 3 microns per year depending on the variables above. Hot dipped galvanized lasts longer than some of the &quot;plated&quot; types that also have a polymer coating on top of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overall the bed's frame constructed of wood on the outside that is taken care of with regular maintenance should last 30 to 120 years. I'll bet the wood will rot away first.  You can mitigate this by treating the wood with various finishes and maintaining them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But let's focus on the steel and its four variables. Moisture means how wet the soil is and what do you use. Rainwater collected in a cistern would be best; tap water will contain chloride and increase the chloride level. Also, most tap water has some level of calcium added which can buffer the chlorides and salt in your water supply, but I have found that hard water contains lots of additional chemicals. PH in garden soils tends to be acidic but keeping it in the 6 to 7 PH range can minimize issues. Chemical fertilizers will contain many more salts, including chlorides, than organic fertilizers. Organics have lower salts level, overuse can cause spikes in acidity but the natural bugs in the soil will even that out over time. Soils should be soft and friable which will wick moisture away from the metal more quickly. Loam made with lots of sand, minerals, and inorganic components play into the soil resistivity, if your soil is high in mineral content it will be more conductive and can wear on the metal quicker, but if you build a good loam soil this will reduce this effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I encourage you to use local soil if you can, so you can get the flavor of your region in your food; &quot;terrior&quot; perhaps. By the way clay in your soil is good for the metal since it wicks and holds moisture away from the metal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your main issue will be constructing a wood frame that is on the outside and not in contact with soil. I would use wood that is rot resistant, we have lots of hemlock lumber, and finish it with an oil finish or paint it, and keep it off the ground. Use tar paper between it and the ground if sitting on stones or blocks. You could even use some of the newer pressure treated woods as long as they are not in contact with the soils. The old pressure treated wood treated with toxic metal compounds could leach into food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A couple more things, I'm not sure what the zinc leaching rate through soil is.  I do know that pressure treated wood chemicals leach around half an inch in the first year. Plants love to pickup ions and accumulate them in their flesh.  If you ever have any doubts have the Cooperative Extension lab in your state test the bed's soil and vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't go haywire with the number of galvanized screws used each hole is a place where corrosion will begin.  Use barn screws where you can to hold the corrugated panels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Post a picture of plans or the finished product if you like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastEditorUserId="17642" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T22:53:35.177" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T22:53:35.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33490" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-25T14:24:26.100" Score="4" ViewCount="211" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just moved into a house with a yard that's about 45'x80' with some pretty bad drainage issues. After large rain the whole yard is water logged for days, with a few square yards where it actually pools. I think we'll need to level the yard to get rid of the low spots but before doing that I want to resolve the drainage issue. I've been reading about french drains and dry wells, but I'm not sure what the best and most cost effective solution would be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On a somewhat dryer day I tried digging a bit to see what the soil was like and it looks like the top 10&quot; or so are very heavy clay. Would perhaps using a post hole auger or similar to make multiple paths through the clay be helpful? What are the steps I need to take to assess the situation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3A6oz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3A6oz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipP44QayISS577DQGKaeHurh2wVrM6hAbyKOI-30kXT0-_zjCDSHH9iG8LnpDFdgsg?key=bVd1OG9PendZdGNhdGctNWdkaks5anhyT3BvNWx3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Picture source.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17649" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T19:40:44.047" LastActivityDate="2020-04-24T06:13:52.937" Title="Clay Yard Drainage Issues" Tags="&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;clay&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33491" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-25T15:14:58.490" Score="4" ViewCount="164" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've grown some potatoes in foot high bags and have been steadily earthing them up as they grow. The stem has now reached about two feet so any earth I put on top simply falls off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it best to repot them in a larger container or leave it to grow to avoid damaging them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17652" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T22:36:39.710" Title="Potatoes outgrowing bag - too high to hill/earth up" Tags="&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33492" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14784" CreationDate="2017-05-25T15:21:37.980" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The white substance is nothing but the seed coat that hydrates when immersed in water. I don't know why it does happen so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17653" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T16:21:33.703" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T16:21:33.703" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33493" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3165" CreationDate="2017-05-25T15:42:32.787" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cut back my lilac bushes to make them into trees.  Had close to 100 cuttings.  Just for fun we dug 30 holes in a row and put the drip system on them and put 30 of the cutting straight in the dirt.  No fertilizer, or growth hormone. Just water.  And we are in Northern Nevada in harsh desert bad soil conditions.  23 of the clippings never wilted.  They also rooted.&#xA;How do I know?  That was 2 years ago.  The clippings are now 6' tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17654" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T15:42:32.787" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33494" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33491" CreationDate="2017-05-25T15:55:52.850" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maybe just drop them, original bag and all, into a taller bag and keep adding dirt?  I use burlap coffee bean sacks from a local importer.... about 3 ft tall.  1 ft tall definitely won't do the trick, or, at least, not to the degree you'd like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T15:55:52.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33495" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-25T16:25:10.180" Score="2" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can we grow plants fast and harvest more if we give light 24/7 using LEDs ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16364" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T16:25:10.180" Title="Giving light to a plant 24/7 is good?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ClosedDate="2017-05-25T16:28:10.080" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33496" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33497" CreationDate="2017-05-25T16:37:14.503" Score="3" ViewCount="324" Body="&lt;p&gt;Should I wait until my chives have bloomed to cut them for or can I cut them anytime? Will the taste be different? I'm growing them in a small terracotta pot inside. They're small but I read online to snip them when they're about 8&quot; tall, and they're about that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, this is a pod of 4 bulbs. Should I separate them? And will separating them help growth? Or a bigger pot (included a yard stick for size reference in pic). Some plants don't handle damage to roots very well, and I'm an amateur to edible gardening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RubX3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RubX3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YnKqk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YnKqk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-05-26T15:12:19.457" LastActivityDate="2017-05-26T15:12:19.457" Title="When to cut chives for drying, and can I separate them?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;chives&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33497" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33496" CreationDate="2017-05-25T17:30:24.993" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;These should really be growing outdoors - the only reason they're so tall is because of insufficient light. Chives like full sun if possible, and outdoors if possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regard to separating the 4 bulbs you've got, no, don't do that, and the pot is more than big enough for the small amount of chives you have. Leave them in their pot until they've multiplied to almost fill the soil in the pot, which will probably be in a couple of years, but they will do much better out of doors if that's possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can snip some for use now if you like, but if you want your bulbs to multiply, and you do, it would be better  to just take the tips off for use, but don't cut too much this year. You can eat the flowers on chives, but the flowered stems are tough and unpleasant to eat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm also not sure about drying them; what usually happens is, just before the foliage dies down in autumn (if outdoors), its usual to cut them down, then snip the stems into short lengths and put portions in foil packets, put the packets inside a plastic bag and freeze them, so you can remove a portion at a time for use over winter. Snippings can be made during the growing season for use in the kitchen too - but you've only got 4 bulbs,and constantly removing the foliage during the growing season means the bulbs can't store food for next year, so it would be best to leave them alone till they've multiplied next year,  depending how well they do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T17:30:24.993" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33498" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33499" CreationDate="2017-05-25T18:28:06.703" Score="4" ViewCount="2397" Body="&lt;p&gt;About a week ago I noticed that some of our Boxwood plants (Buxus Sempervirens) contain a green caterpillar and a few days later the caterpillars had spread rapidly to almost all other Boxwood plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After I bit of Googling I found out it's the Box Tree caterpillar, an invasive species that was accidentally spread from Asia to Europe (and my country The Netherlands) 5-10 years ago. Some say that spraying with certain pesticides may help (which I'm reluctant to do because I try to do organic gardening as much as possible), but others say that once the caterpillars are spreading nothing really helps anymore. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fw0T6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fw0T6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Affected Boxwood&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried to remove all caterpillars I could find by hand (at least 150), but the next day I found about 20 caterpillars which I probably missed. I'm not sure if this approach is effective and I suspect it will only delay the inevitable. I also noticed that almost all Boxwood shrubs in at least a 1 km radius around our block are affected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my question is: is there anything (handpicking or pesticide) that really helps against the Box tree caterpillar when they have already spread around the neighborhood?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1916" LastEditorUserId="1916" LastEditDate="2017-05-26T14:35:25.347" LastActivityDate="2019-06-16T14:44:46.907" Title="Is there anything that really helps against the Box tree caterpillar once they are spreading?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;&lt;caterpillar&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33498" CreationDate="2017-05-25T18:57:07.490" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, there are some things you can do that are &quot;Organic,&quot; and safe for the environment. #1 you are already doing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Handpick caterpillars from plants as you find them. You may need to patrol your garden at night to find slugs and some caterpillars. Relocate the caterpillars to a different area, or kill them by dropping them into a bucket of soapy water. Or feed them to your birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spray the foliage of plants with neem oil. Neem oil controls caterpillars and other pests, including whiteflies, leafminers, and thrips. It may also kill beneficial insects such as bees and earthworms, however just don't spray you plant when they ar are blooming, and you can avoid much of this. To make a longer-lasting mixture purchase Neem Oil and Agricultural Oil to mix with water. You can also, spray with peppermint, lavender, or other essential oils, but for your problem, this would get expensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dust plant foliage with Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, powder. Bt is a natural bacteria that kills caterpillars, but it does not harm most other beneficial insects. One of my favorites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Invite birds and predatory insects into your garden. Hang a bird feeder to attract birds to the area. Ducks and chickens also enjoy eating caterpillars. If your garden lacks predatory insects, such as praying mantises, you can usually purchase a box of them from a garden center.  My favorite since I started feeding the birds is a troupe of sparrows that have taken up residence in my Boxwood Hedge, and there is no insect damage anymore. Also, introduce habitat for toads and frogs on your property, in the long run, you pest population will dwindle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant herbs and flowers around your garden to repel caterpillars. Many insects dislike the scent of lavender, mugwort, sage and peppermint. I like to plant garlic cloves among my plants, which drives away pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, predators and co-planting are the long term solutions. For now, I would spray and use the bacilli solution. Wasps are a great solution for caterpillars; one big wasp nest will eat a couple of pounds of caterpillars a week if you can stand them. Several plants weirdly attract wasps; my favorite is Sea Holly (Eryngium maritimum).  Plant it around your border and see what happens.  Remember to put up with some damage, but if this is an invasive species best to eradicate it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastEditorUserId="17642" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T23:10:10.360" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T23:10:10.360" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33500" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33496" CreationDate="2017-05-25T19:12:30.500" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;IMHO, chives don't dry well; best just keep the plant alive all winter by bringing it in before the temperature drops below 40 degrees at night. I agree, freezing the chives is good too. The plant will do better outside, but in the winter put the plants under a bright full spectrum LED light. It will continue to produce for you all winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't have to wait for the bulbs to divide buy more seedlings or a packet of seed.   Don't pick the flowers if it's outside but let it develop seeds and plant them to multiply your bounty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I take the flowers together with the stalks and fry them for a minute on each side they make a great garnish on top of other veggies or potatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastEditorUserId="17642" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T23:22:43.263" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T23:22:43.263" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33501" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5246" CreationDate="2017-05-25T19:26:37.953" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Herbs-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Parsley&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dill&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mints&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rosemary, prostrate&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thymes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some savors&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some basil, ball&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Jiaogulan (Gynostemma pentaphyllum)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Veggies-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tomatoes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Peppers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Eggplants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Beans&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cucumbers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Squash&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;House Plants-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Peace Lilly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wandering Jew (Tradescantia pallid)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Petunias (Petunia x hybrida) and (Calibrachoa x hybrida) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum minor) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sprouting sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Purple Velvet Plant (Gynura aurantiaca)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastEditorUserId="17642" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T19:44:39.960" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T19:44:39.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33502" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-25T19:58:28.720" Score="0" ViewCount="37" Body="&lt;p&gt;Everybody knows that plants need light for photosynthesis, to grow and remain healthy; but do they require (or benefit from) sleep/darkness; or can they be bathed in light 24/7?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not talking about a need to shelter from the weather, UV &amp;amp; IR radiation, etc. Just the visible light spectrum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For instance: I have some moss growing indoors, under a bright LED light. Is it okay to leave it on constantly, to maximize growth; or should I rotate 12 hour shifts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16095" LastEditorUserId="16095" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T20:21:44.610" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T20:21:44.610" Title="Does moss require darkness?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;moss&gt;&lt;grow-lamp&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ClosedDate="2017-05-25T20:07:27.590" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33503" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33528" CreationDate="2017-05-25T19:59:30.150" Score="3" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of classic rootstocks in use where I live, like SO4 (Selection Oppenheim 4), Chasselas x Berlandieri 41 B, Kober 5BB, but I'm interested in rootstocks in use nowadays in Europe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the most used rootstocks for Cabernet Sauvignon or Muscat Ottonel, for example, in the present times, in places where the soil is average?&#xA;I'd prefer examples of rootstocks that give precocity because winters are sometimes hard and the wood needs to be prepared.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-05-26T19:21:20.000" Title="Modern rootstock for grape vine" Tags="&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33504" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33485" CreationDate="2017-05-25T20:20:58.917" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ninety-Five percent sure it's a form of Fleabane (Erigeron annuus), it's in the daisy family, and I let it grow on the margins of my property. It's considered a weed, the public flower garden I weed has a ton of this in the spring.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T20:20:58.917" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33505" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-25T21:15:54.367" Score="3" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently dug up a patch of the garden and taken out a whole bunch of daffodil bulbs. I want to keep these bulbs, so what should I do with them now that I have dug them up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would I be better planting them now or storing them and planting them at a more suitable time? If I should store them, what's the best way to store the bulbs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T22:25:59.807" Title="What should I do with my daffodil bulbs after having removed them?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;&lt;storage&gt;&lt;daffodils&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33505" CreationDate="2017-05-25T21:43:50.393" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The easiest way to store them is to put them in the ground. However, if for some reason, you can't plant them again, wash them thoroughly, keep them in a well ventilated area for a week or so, and then put them in paper or cloth bags.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Write the date on a label in case you forget when you dug them up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T21:43:50.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33505" CreationDate="2017-05-25T22:25:59.807" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;To add to the answer by @Alina...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Store in a cool dark place. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16488" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T22:25:59.807" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33508" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33491" CreationDate="2017-05-25T22:36:39.710" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Shoot, just add straw instead of soil.  In fact that is how a lot of potato growers deal with your same problem.  Potatoes grown in pots or in the garden soil, I use a tomato cage and just keep stuffing straw instead of soil always keeping a good 6&quot; at first of green top growth above the straw and later I allow a foot of top growth.  Works very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-25T22:36:39.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33509" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33512" CreationDate="2017-05-25T22:42:02.117" Score="4" ViewCount="815" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an outdoor patio (two, actually) that don't get direct sunlight. They face towards the east (which means they &lt;em&gt;should&lt;/em&gt; get direct sunlight) but the apartment I live in is directly adjacent to a somewhat thick, albeit small line of trees. Sunlight &lt;em&gt;barely&lt;/em&gt; penetrates this line, so I don't have consistent direct sunlight. The area is well lit during the morning and afternoon, though during the evening it's average outdoor light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What plans can I grow successfully? I have hooks that can hang from the ceiling of the patio area, and I can also put floor potted plants on the patio. I would prefer plants that bloom, though I'm not particular on the style so long as it's relatively low-maintenance. (I am &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; likely to forget to water it morning and evening, so I'd prefer plants that only need water once daily or every other day, et. al.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The climate is a general midwest climate, it's in &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo,_Ohio&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Toledo, OH, United States&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Toledo, as with much of the Great Lakes region, has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), characterized by four distinct seasons. Both temperature and precipitation vary widely seasonally. Lake Erie moderates the climate somewhat, especially in late spring and fall, when air and water temperature differences are maximal. However, this effect is lessened in the winter by the fact that Lake Erie freezes over in most winters (unlike the other Great Lakes), coupled with prevailing winds that are often westerly. During the summer, southerly and westerly prevailing winds, combined with warm surface waters of Lake Erie, negate the lake's cooling effect. In addition, the lake increases local humidity, adding to discomfort on hot days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wl2Va.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wl2Va.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Patio/balcony&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The patio extends no further left than that beam. The portion &lt;em&gt;towards&lt;/em&gt; the tree-line is the east side of the patio, and is the part that is the source of the &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; spotty direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17657" LastEditorUserId="17657" LastEditDate="2017-05-25T23:00:59.117" LastActivityDate="2017-05-26T00:54:49.537" Title="What plants will grow successfully in an outdoor patio with non-direct light?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33510" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-25T23:08:00.537" Score="6" ViewCount="2158" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 3 balcony planters 30 in. long that hang on my railing. When I water the plants, it drips to downstairs apartments patio railing. How can I stop this? Should I be concerned?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17659" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-17T10:24:43.463" LastActivityDate="2021-05-29T00:28:48.573" Title="How can I stop water dripping from my balcony hangers to the downstairs neighbors railing?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33511" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-25T23:15:57.587" Score="3" ViewCount="1362" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there some way to drain and change the oil in a lawnmower without tilting it up, tipping it, or putting it on its side? (obviously, the mower doesn't have a drain plug-- that would be too easy!!) I was changing the oil yet again (I use the mower, my sister uses it, friends borrow it, so the oil gets changed a lot) and getting another headache from all the oil and gas fumes. It seems there has to be a way to get the oil out of there without having to tip the mower sideways or up at all. A siphon, a hose, or something. Does anyone know? All ideas welcome!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17660" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-26T00:58:24.053" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T14:19:04.590" Title="How to change oil in a lawnmower without turning the mower on its side, tipping, or tilting?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33512" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33509" CreationDate="2017-05-25T23:49:55.267" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a situation strictly for shade loving plants - the ceiling or roof over the balcony reduces ambient light levels significantly, whether or not dappled sun might reach plants near the edge. It looks as if the shrubs or trees outside are broadleaf and therefore deciduous, which might mean more sunlight in winter, although I can't tell if there's some ivy in there, which doesn't lose its leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of plants which produce bright flowers, assuming you get frost in winter, you're pretty much restricted to summer bedding type plants such as begonias, impatiens, lobelia, pansies and fuchsia. If you have frost free winters, some of these will go on for a year or more - hardy fuchsias are perennial, but are frost sensitive through their roots in a pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some evergreen plants will cope with the low light levels, but they'll just be green, so Buxus (Box), Fatshedera lizei, Fatsia japonica, Prunus laurocerasus 'Otto Luyken', Skimmia varieties - if you want berries on Skimmia, you need a male and female plant, otherwise choose one like Skimmia fragrans, which does well in shade and, as the name suggests, has white fragrant flowers. Pieris forresti will do fine (P. japonica varieties need some sun) but need ericaceous (acid) potting soil. Camellia might work too, again, ericaceous potting soil. Note that Fatshedera needs support for its 4 foot stems, Fatsia will only be good for 5 years or so in a  pot, but the Prunus mentioned will do fine in a pot for a long time provided its big enough, although it's not a particularly exciting plant. Otherwise, perennial plants like Astilbe (needs damp soil), but being perennial, they disappear in winter. English ivy would be good in a pot suspended from the ceiling - choose a Hedera helix variety though, they're a bit smaller than some others. Glechoma hederacea (sometimes sold as Nepeta variegata) will probably be fine in a hanging pot too, but it does get rather long and you'll be bumping into it when you walk out there, and it is only semi evergreen in chilly winters. If I think of any others, I'll add them later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-26T00:54:49.537" LastActivityDate="2017-05-26T00:54:49.537" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33513" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7761" CreationDate="2017-05-26T00:03:00.407" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are thousands of professionals employed to make ball fields and golf courses look immaculate even with daily use and damage. The publications you site all cater to these people. They are concerned with the best possible outcome. Time and Cost is not a concern. And to keep turf growing at its max, you never want to over or under water it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lawn is (or should be) a very different place. Most of us want a lawn that can survive a two week vacation without dying. Everyday when the sun comes up that surface is going to dry out some by evaporation. If you water every day a smaller percentage of your water is going to go to the plant, a lot of it will be lost to evaporation. If you pay a water bill, you probably care about how much water is disappearing into the sky vs how much is making your lawn healthy.  And because deeper soil profiles lose water much more slowly due to evaporation. And so yes deep and infrequent will train the roots to go into those deeper levels 6&quot;-12&quot; vs 0-3&quot;--- if you cut your lawn longer (3.5&quot; vs 2&quot;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on your soil texture, your soil will hold between an inch of water (sand) and just over two inches of water (clay loam) in the top foot of soil. So anything more than your capacity will pond on the surface or be lost by gravity. Water moves (downward) much faster in sand than clay,... So sand has a double disadvantage (dries quicker, stores less)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And you missed the point of the article on Hard vs Tall fescue. Tall fescue grows faster and has a higher water demand as a species not because it has longer roots. And if you are looking at a lawn species (vs professional ball field) you want one that is slower growing and takes less maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The article you sited about Nitrate movement was irrigating excessively (intentionally) they were irrigating at .8 inch per day!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And finally, several people have made similar points, but timing matters.&#xA;Grass doesn't grow in the winter A) so 1&quot; a week for a 30 week summer =30&quot;&#xA;Hotter areas need more (longer growing season and more lost to evaporation).&#xA;Cooler areas need less (shorter growing season and less lost to evaporation).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, ideally you would link your watering to your local rainfall and local evaporation, but until recently, the data wasn't available to the public. Hence the 1&quot; a week rule: Something that is a good baseline for a large swath of the country (USA). Obviously your not going to turn on your sprinkler when its frozen! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17661" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-26T00:53:42.730" LastActivityDate="2017-05-26T00:53:42.730" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33514" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33511" CreationDate="2017-05-26T08:36:21.317" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;So long as you're not reusing the oil, the following time tested method will work...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Require: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Length of (3 feet or 1 metre) clear plastic tubing; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Jug of water;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Container of adequate size to contain all oil extracted from oil chamber.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Method: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place the container next to the lawnmower but at a level/height lower than the bottom of the oil chamber in the lawnmower engine. You might need to elevate the lawnmower onto an elevated platform or workshop bench. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Draw water into the length of the tube, by placing your mouth over one end (air end) and placing the other end (oil end) into the jug of water. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place your thumb over the air end so that when you remove the tube from the jug, the water remains in the tube. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place the oil end of the (water filled) tube into the oil chamber of the lawnmower. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ensuring that the oil end of the tube remains completely submerged in oil, only then release your thumb from the air end - the water should not drain out of the tube into the oil chamber because of the difference in specific gravity (density) of oil and water. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place your mouth over the air end of the tube and suck. This should begin to draw water through the tube and due to suction, draw oil into the tube. As you remove the tube from your mouth and spit out the water, place the air end of the tube into the container. The intention is that you establish a flow of water and oil that draws all oil from the oil chamber. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The water is used to eliminate the risk of sucking oil into your mouth as you attempt to create the liquid flow. It is not essential for the process to work but is recommended. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also should mention, once you've finished draining the oil from the oil chamber, flush out the oil from the clear plastic tube using warm soapy water, so you can reuse the tube when you next change your oil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16488" LastEditorUserId="16488" LastEditDate="2017-05-26T08:59:55.660" LastActivityDate="2017-05-26T08:59:55.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33515" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9468" CreationDate="2017-05-26T10:57:15.903" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are not likely to find a clear PVC cover (as in the OP second photo) that will survive sunlight for more than one season.  The green one (as in the OP first photo) looks like a polyethylene mesh which is often treated to resist UV radiation, which means you should get two or more years out of it.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;If treated, the green one will last at least twice as long as the other which should be a major purchasing consideration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17662" LastActivityDate="2017-05-26T10:57:15.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33510" CreationDate="2017-05-26T11:50:59.930" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I too have a balcony, on the second floor, and yes, the water runs onto the railings below following watering. I've got trays underneath most of the pots, including the window troughs, but I've put pot feet under the window troughs, on top of the tray, so that the troughs can drain freely. But mine are on the floor of the balcony, not suspended in the air. Even so, occasionally, water does drip downstairs; I just water at the end of the day, when I know no one is on the rest of the balconies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only way you can stop water dripping onto a neighbour's balcony is to buy self watering troughs and suspend those over your railing instead. I do not like self watering troughs; they're expensive, and plants grown in them never seem to do too well, often succumbing to fungal infection, but they definitely don't drip. I have seen trough/window box type containers with a tray that's fixed beneath, but they're quite hard to find, and they don't stop all the drips either because the tray gets full sometimes and inevitably overflows, but it does reduce the amount that drips down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-26T11:50:59.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33517" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-26T13:25:24.817" Score="3" ViewCount="2357" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been on holiday for 2 weeks, and today I put my cacti out into the sun for the first time in a 2 weeks. I noticed immediately that one section of one cactus had &quot;deflated&quot;, or collapsed in on itself. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q1cYL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q1cYL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Collapsed Cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; You can see white spots on here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I carried another cactus it snapped. I was carrying it gently, not forcefully at all.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cCHJd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cCHJd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Snapped Cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I inspected it and have seen some white spots on them, which I never noticed before, though admittedly never looked too closely. I have read that these may be insect infestations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I attach some pictures for your thoughts, but my questions are really&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1.) How do I treat?&#xA;2.) Can I recover the snapped section? If so how?&#xA;3.) Should I keep existing healthy Cacti away from these?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regards&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17663" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-05-26T14:12:43.027" LastActivityDate="2017-10-18T19:52:26.457" Title="Flattened/Deflated cactus, snapped cactus and white spots" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33518" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-26T15:09:15.493" Score="3" ViewCount="2780" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought my mint plant from M&amp;amp;S in the UK in a pot, i've had it about a week and plan to re pot it into a larger pot in about a week where it will be permanently outside on a roof terrace (though I am likely to baby it and take it in in the rain). I may include useless details here as i'm a fairly new gardener.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S0Yk1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S0Yk1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mint plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had fresh mint tea before in the Netherlands, and it was very fresh and tasty and the water changed colour slightly. There would usually be 2 or 3 full sprigs of mint placed head down into a pint of boiling water. When i've done what seems to be the same thing in a smaller amount (one mug of water over 1 sprig of mint with about 4 full sized leaves and the smaller ones above them) the tea smells lovely but tastes mildly of grass, no mint, and stays completely clear. If I put a small bit of sugar in it just tastes of sugary grass. It's not actually unpleasant, and the minty smell is nice, but I wanted mint tea!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wVxyp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wVxyp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mint plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope the pictures will help in identification. I believe it either to be sweet mint or spearmint, and will probably be trying to find a peppermint plant to grow instead of (or probably alongside) this. Though i'm certain the leaves I saw abroad were this style of leaf! The stems are green but are slowly going purple, probably due to the fact I have been struggling to find partial shade for it so it's either indoors or in full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you for any help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17665" LastActivityDate="2018-07-29T09:44:13.343" Title="What variety is my mint plant/why does my tea taste grassy?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;mint&gt;&lt;tea&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33519" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-26T15:38:42.630" Score="5" ViewCount="152" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant started growing this spring in my back yard in Arizona.  It is now a few months later and the plant is about 4 feet tall.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone tell me what this is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2vwQT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2vwQT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17666" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T19:03:26.520" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T19:03:26.520" Title="What is this plant found in Arizona that grew to 4 feet tall in a few months?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33520" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33522" CreationDate="2017-05-26T15:48:11.260" Score="8" ViewCount="1224" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this weird mossy plant growing in my pot. It has a cool shape actually. There are crater-like pits on its leaf. I really liked it and want to know its name. I live in Istanbul, Turkey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QIjxD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QIjxD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14638" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-05-26T16:11:37.370" LastActivityDate="2017-05-26T21:17:02.367" Title="What is this moss-like plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33520" CreationDate="2017-05-26T16:49:17.847" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely Marchantia polymorpha, but that and the presence of moss means the soil in that container or pot or whatever it is is stagnant and waterlogged. It needs aerating by turning the soil over, preferably adding some balanced fertilizer at the same time, if you want to grow other plants in there. If you're quite happy with it growing there, and don't want to grow anything else in it other than possibly bog plants, then fine, leave it. It's quite an interesting plant in its own right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to your query below, no, you shouldn't be worried  exactly, but if there are other plants growing in there, you might want to check the drainage is working properly in terms of holes in the container by checking they are not blocked, gently turn over the soil to remove the liverwort and moss. If your Chestnut, Black Cypress and Pine are just small seedlings, then best not add fertilizer at this stage - presumably you will shortly be pricking out those seedling plants into separate pots anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-26T21:17:02.367" LastActivityDate="2017-05-26T21:17:02.367" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33523" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33739" CreationDate="2017-05-26T17:46:35.650" Score="8" ViewCount="628" Body="&lt;p&gt;Update 6/4/ 2017: I am so happy that the ID &quot;Eryngium prostratum – Creeping Eryngo&quot; was found by Lorel C., and am awarding her the bounty. &#xA;I also wish that that people could please vote for Christy B.'s answer. She was very close. This plant actually turned out to be in the Eryngium genus, after all! Thank you all so much for your time and research. I appreciate ALL of the answers. Even answers that were off base helped to rule things out, as I added more info and pictures. I don't know why people &quot;downvoted&quot; two answers on my post. That discourages people from trying to help in the future! Please stop doing that. Thanks again, all!   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see my original post below with the updates, and the four added pictures above the 5th and 6th pics that I had initially posted without size reference (which caused confusion): &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;This tiny blue/purple flower is growing in my friend's meadow in the Richmond area of Virginia in the eastern USA. She says it has roots (not corms or bulbs).&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I added more pics below. The leaves that go with the flower are not the three-leaved ones, as she had told me before. I apologize for any confusion this has caused. It definitely has roots (she pulled one up). She said that the leaves were hidden beneath the other leaves. It seems to be low-creeping in habit, and is pretty widespread in this meadow. &#xA;She also informed me that it mostly grows in the moister areas of the meadow that do not drain as quickly as the rest because they are lower lying. It's growing in full sun, and not near the tree line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Photos by Sharon McGeein) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neither answer below is correct. But, I &quot;liked&quot; them for trying, anyway. Thank you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: Unfortunately, I do not think that the third offered answer is along the right lines, either. (I so wish that it was!) I can't find anything in the Sanguisorba genus (let alone the Rosaceae family) that has similar stems or leaves, at all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At this point, I think that finding the correct ID may need to be based on the leaves and stems, rather than the miniscule flowers. I don't think that you will find other pictures of these flowers out there on the internet. (I haven't found any after extensive searching.) I doubt that it is a rare plant. It's just that the flowers are so tiny (less than 1/4 inch big) that most people probably would not notice them, or take pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PRQcm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PRQcm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;blue flower- Photo by Sharon McGeein&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/liKlc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/liKlc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;blue flower- Photo by Sharon McGeein&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ig1ZP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ig1ZP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;blue flower- Photo by Saron McGeein &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PsdQm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PsdQm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;blue flower- Photo by Sharon McGeein&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/etVBl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/etVBl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;blue flower- Photo by Sharon McGeein&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WCqhA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WCqhA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;blue flower- Photo by Sharon McGeein&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="14745" LastEditDate="2017-06-05T19:23:10.837" LastActivityDate="2019-04-18T10:06:16.883" Title="What is this tiny blue/purple flower with thin, vinelike stems, in Charles City, Virginia?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;&lt;native&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="17" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33518" CreationDate="2017-05-26T17:51:46.910" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you are right about your mint plant. It looks just like what I have heard called &quot;Spearmint&quot;. Big heavily-textured bright green leaves and sometimes purplish stems. Peppermint has smaller, much purpler leaves. If it &lt;em&gt;smells&lt;/em&gt; like that Netherlands tea, you ought to be able to get some tea that &lt;em&gt;tastes&lt;/em&gt; like it too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you tried just putting more sprigs of mint into the tea? Many times when people make mint tea, they use dried, crumbled mint leaves, so more surface is exposed to the water. (Also it's often peppermint rather than spearmint.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wonder if your tea tastes different from the lovely stuff you had before just because it is weaker than the Netherlands tea. Did you see that tea being prepared from water and fresh mint sprigs, or is it possible they made a strongish tea from dried mint, and then poured it into the pot with the fresh mint sprigs as a &quot;garnish&quot; or decoration?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS. Good idea that you have - to put this plant into a bigger pot, and outdoors onto the roof terrace. It will love that. Also I'm pretty sure it will even enjoy the rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastEditorUserId="17501" LastEditDate="2017-05-26T18:00:53.663" LastActivityDate="2017-05-26T18:00:53.663" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33525" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-26T18:34:28.357" Score="5" ViewCount="227" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in zone 4 and just finishing up building some 3' tall garden boxes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the winter, the whole thing will definitely freeze. I'm worried that my earthworms are going to have to burrow 3' + 16&quot; frost line to escape the cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the summer, the soil inside the box will probably get up to 75 degrees, which is warmer than I think native earthworms are used to. They can probably just burrow a few inches to escape the heat normally, where 3' of 75 degrees might be tough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that a problem for worms? Is there something I can do with layers of dirt or material to help them overcome this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14551" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:49:54.250" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T02:49:54.250" Title="Will the worm population in my raised beds be OK during cold or hot weather?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;worms&gt;&lt;cold-weather&gt;&lt;hot-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33503" CreationDate="2017-05-26T19:21:20.000" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think your list are pretty modern stock. They are still produced, and they work well in average soil.  You need something &quot;special&quot; for very dry places.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I warn you about precocity. Grape vines are very sensible to froze in spring, so in case of late freeze, you risk to have a very reduced harvesting (like this year).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you should choose an over variety of grapes.  Cabernet Sauvignon is a vine of &quot;third period&quot;, so avoid it if you have long winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-05-26T19:21:20.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33529" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33525" CreationDate="2017-05-26T19:58:20.070" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You'll be fine Kavi!  3' deep beds?  What did you use for their structure?  Bigger question is; are your beds connected to the original soil?  Did you break up the surface of this soil before back filling your raised beds?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What soil did you use to backfill?  What have you added?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Worms need decomposed! organic matter to eat and derive energy.  You provide that and you will have earthworms next year.  Zone 4 is not that death defying for the macro organisms in soil.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.allaboutworms.com/where-do-worms-go-in-the-winter&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;more about earthworms and dormancy and eggs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/worm/AnnualWinter.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;earthworms in winter&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When there is no decomposed organic material (decomposed is the operative word) earthworms and all other macro and micro organism populations have ways to go dormant until there is decomposed organic matter to eat and/or proper temperatures to wake up.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did you purchase your worms?  I have a problem where I live now in Central Oregon.  Haven't seen a single worm.  Zone 1B.  Pumice soil.  After 5 years improving this soil not a single earthworm.  Have never known a garden without worms.  But on the other hand, I've got soil spiders, ants, millipedes, mycorrhizae fungus...and plants do well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I lived and had incredible gardens Zone 3 to 5.  Full of worms, also clay soil which I love.  I miss my clay soils.  They don't travel that far down into the soil either to survive...one thing about raised beds is that you are essentially making your garden into 'pots'.  Anytime plants are in pots or raised beds with sides made of structural elements (lumber, concrete) the roots are more subjected to cold.  Roots, after deciduous leaves are very susceptible to cold.  Potted plants are likely to have roots killed during the winter.  Are you going to plant perennials?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't worry about my worms.  I would worry more about my perennial plants (rhubarb, blueberries, raspberries, asparagus, horseradish, fennel bulbs, strawberries, etc.)  My asparagus, strawberries blueberries, rhubarb survived these last winters.  This very last winter killed my thyme, oregano and mint?!  I always have raised beds but I do not use structural elements.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4dgAW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4dgAW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;raised beds zone 1B&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  Not one single worm ever!  Weird.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-26T20:12:17.880" LastActivityDate="2017-05-26T20:12:17.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33530" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33523" CreationDate="2017-05-26T20:09:05.590" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well I am going to go ahead and ID this flower as a Hyacinth.  You should be able to transplant these guys to another bed this fall so that you can appreciate them better.  They are a bulb plant, someone must have planted them long ago? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K6cDv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K6cDv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hyacinth&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flowerspictures.org/image/flowers/hyacinths/thumbs/hyacinth_2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Amending my answer although pnuts was the first to say it; Water Hyacinth, couldn't find that tight pre flower flower but the leaves and marsh and what not, this must be correct or at least closer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/environment/waterland/lakes/smeichhornia.ashx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/environment/waterland/lakes/smeichhornia.ashx&quot; alt=&quot;water hyacinth&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/environment/waterland/lakes/smeichhornia.ashx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Still not totally convinced.  This would be a water plant adapting to the meadow.  That would mean no floating bulb.  This just might be a new species or variety? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2019-04-18T10:06:16.883" LastActivityDate="2019-04-18T10:06:16.883" CommentCount="18" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="33531" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33523" CreationDate="2017-05-26T21:33:03.093" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;How sure are you that the trifoliate leaves belong to this flower? It's just the flower resembles Pontederia lanceolata, see here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rightplants4me.co.uk/content/plant?PlantID=2830&amp;amp;Pontederia=&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rightplants4me.co.uk/content/plant?PlantID=2830&amp;amp;Pontederia=&lt;/a&gt; but that does not have leaves like the ones in your picture, and usually flowers later in the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pontederia has the common name of Pickerel weed and is usually found in damp meadows or near water. I'm not 100% sure it's that, but its pretty similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-27T01:04:16.333" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T01:04:16.333" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33532" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-27T00:17:25.223" Score="4" ViewCount="5299" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I got this money tree (&lt;em&gt;Pachira aquatica&lt;/em&gt;) like four months ago. Since then it's lost over a dozen leaves (not leaflets) and it's grown over half a dozen new ones. The first of the new ones also fell off this week. The shed leaves are yellowish-brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I remove all the dead leaves, it looks very healthy (or let's say aesthetic because I have no idea what a healthy plant looks like) but I'm worried that so much decay and growth is pretty stressful for the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I keep it inside in a fairly dark room, right next to (not in front of) the window. I water it with a lot of water about every three weeks (the soil is usually still moist when I do that). The temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius and hard to adjust. I've moved it twice in those four months which might be part of the explanation why it's not doing well (It was next to the window first, then I moved it somewhere darker and then back when I thought it needed more light. Neither move seemed to change anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do I need to pay attention to?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17671" LastActivityDate="2019-07-07T06:41:23.393" Title="Why is money tree shedding a lot of leaves and growing a lot of leaves?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33534" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33021" CreationDate="2017-05-27T00:33:39.107" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am reluctant to say Asiatic jasmine; it grows too well in the Houston area. It gets about 16&quot; deep, but, it will climb anything to many feet. It is all over my yard and heading into the National Forest (mostly Loblolly pine).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-27T17:19:20.240" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T17:19:20.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33535" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-27T00:47:59.703" Score="5" ViewCount="1924" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very large Staghorn  ( about 100 fronds /5 ft diameter), and recently found scale. It has lost about 15 fronds but I have gone over every frond and scrapped off the scale with finger nail, But , a week later I see more young scale ; I am thinking of applying oil with a cloth rather than spray . ( About 5ml /liter of water) . Any alternatives?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T10:01:58.320" Title="Scale on Staghorn Fern" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33536" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33535" CreationDate="2017-05-27T01:02:01.800" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This article &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/scale-insects-staghorn-ferns-28722.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Scale Insects on Staghorn Ferns&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; might be useful. You've done the right thing so far by chipping them off with a fingernail, but these ferns are pretty sensitive to treatment for scale.The recommendation is to use horticultural oil or insecticidal soap as a spray, but it's important that you do not allow any sunlight to reach the plant after its been treated for some days, because this will increase the risk of damage from the treatment you've used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-05-27T10:01:58.320" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T10:01:58.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33537" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33532" CreationDate="2017-05-27T03:35:17.537" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Joooeey...why are you putting this plant in total darkness?  It needs light to make its own food. When there is not enough light a plant will start dropping photosynthetic factories that are old and in disrepair and with no light, plants start dumping high metabolic material in order to survive. The older and lower leaves in particular.  All business.  Light is the gold, the energy that plants convert in photosynthesis with CO2, macro and micro chemicals, water to make their own food and thus grow leaves, stems, roots, and to produce flowers and fruit/seed.  Without light the plant is dying, older, less useful material first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without light the plant is not able to use the water you are giving it and the roots sit in water without air and will most certainly rot soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please ask more questions so we are able to fill in some gaps to enable you and this plant to be successful!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have to provide some pictures.  Tell us more detail. Keep it in one spot preferably not in direct sunlight through the windows.  Tell us what kind of soil is in the pot, what you have done or not done with fertilizer, is there just potting soil in your pot?  When do you water?  On a schedule or do you wait to water when the soil is dry on the surface down about a half to a full inch?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope we are able to help you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T03:35:17.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33538" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33542" CreationDate="2017-05-27T03:53:16.423" Score="4" ViewCount="857" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know my sweet basil plants are infested with white creepy crawlies. Are these whiteflies? (Click on the photo to zoom in)&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4cjZj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4cjZj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where do these creepy crawlies come from? I am growing the basil on the balcony of my sixth-floor apartment. Do you think it might be because of a small compost pot that I have on the balcony too? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not sure I can save any of my plants. The other ones show fewer of these white creepy crawlies but I am sure more are hidden. The question I have is for future batches of sweet basil, what can I do to prevent these infestation. I am thinking of growing these under a fine insect-proof mesh or moving it completely indoors into one the bedrooms which still get a bit of light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16431" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T01:58:07.480" Title="Sweet Basil-Pest Infestation" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33539" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-27T03:55:09.317" Score="5" ViewCount="4179" Body="&lt;p&gt;Got some soil from a friend, the soil used to be grow a indoor plant but it died. After bringing it back home, I dug around a bit, and found all these white dots thing in the soil that almost look like salt. Anyone knows what they are??&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Updated: Managed to get some closeup shots!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SnCST.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SnCST.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vj17q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vj17q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V2sRm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V2sRm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iiA6k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iiA6k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17673" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-04T23:09:43.883" LastActivityDate="2017-06-04T23:09:43.883" Title="What are these white dots in the soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33540" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-27T05:17:03.180" Score="5" ViewCount="4941" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably 8 ish years ago my husband planted an herb garden but over the years it has become overgrown. This spring though, a plant that smells exactly like mint and after tasting a small amount of one of the leaves, it tastes like mint too. The thing is though, it doesn't look like mint. The way the plant grows is similar but the leaves are furry is and more rounded, and the plant has a square stem. We've tried researching it but none of the varieties of mint fit the description. Does anyone know what this could be?? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17675" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T01:51:26.380" Title="Furry mint taking over my yard?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33541" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-27T11:09:37.120" Score="5" ViewCount="1154" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the last 2 years my (10 yr old) grape vine has developed a disease which I believe to be powdery mildew.  Last year I sprayed early with Bayer Fungus Fighter a few times but no improvement. This year I've been spraying very 2 weeks but it's looking even worse than usual at this time.  Any thing I can do apart from ripping it out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The photo is typical of the entire plant.  Brown patches on leaf edges, white bloom on new leaves, curling leaves, deformed shape, leaf colour dull green etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dUOfa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dUOfa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More photos:&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/755ch.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/755ch.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M73dl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M73dl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T9QdX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T9QdX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IjAdr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IjAdr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Background info - location Cotswolds SW England.  It's an ornamental vine but don't know specific variety.  I bought the house 3 years ago, neighbour reckons vine could be 10 yrs old.  It grew vigorously first 2 years but got mildew both years and lost leaves in early August.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil by house not great so have added compost, mixed with some miracle grow, to base of plant in mid May and have been watering regularly&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17676" LastEditorUserId="17676" LastEditDate="2017-06-03T10:14:05.397" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T11:13:37.227" Title="What's wrong with my ornamental grape vine?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33542" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33538" CreationDate="2017-05-27T11:49:43.190" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If, as seems likely to me, like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/enKlo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/enKlo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Woolly aphid&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;(&lt;em&gt;Image courtesy Tmaq97&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eriosomatinae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Eriosomatinae&lt;/a&gt; (woolly aphids] rather than &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitefly&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;whiteflies&lt;/a&gt;. They can be &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=181&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;dealt with&lt;/a&gt; fairly easily. Those that don’t just wash off can be sprayed with 'horticultural' soap (that is, not a detergent) and, where available, neem oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These insects fly/are blown around in the atmosphere. Your plants should be salvageable and I'd not bother with a mesh or moving indoors. Depending on where you are more sunlight may be better overall and a mesh might do more to keep out  their predators than the aphids.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ON THE OTHER HAND&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this (about the same size as the aphid above):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iEKEom.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iEKEom.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mealybug&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;(&lt;em&gt;Image courtesy D-Kuru&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(or similar but with no significant tail) then likely a mealybug (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pseudococcidae&lt;/a&gt;). Insecticidal soap will work against both aphids and mealybugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-05-29T01:58:07.480" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T01:58:07.480" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33543" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33540" CreationDate="2017-05-27T12:59:25.573" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mint stems are normally square.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apple mint is one example of a common &quot;furry&quot; leaved mint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YXo34.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YXo34.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;apple mint image from laurel mountain farm website.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like most mints, it can be invasive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-05-27T14:53:44.900" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T14:53:44.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33544" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33539" CreationDate="2017-05-27T13:12:58.070" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Might be nothing more than a white granular component often included in potting soils, such as &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perlite&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;perlite&lt;/a&gt;. There are some similar components of a more plastic-y nature these days as well, such as various water-holding &quot;gels.&quot; See picture from the RHS.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1sZHY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1sZHY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hydro-gel image from the rhs website&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T13:12:58.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33545" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-27T14:02:50.453" Score="5" ViewCount="158" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anybody help me to identify these plants ? Or recommend me something similar?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/tRQVJTJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/tRQVJTJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am trying to fix the below. Suggestions are welcome (what you see below was done by the previous owner-this is a last year picture)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BK6aX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BK6aX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: I am thinking about adding something to the existing group of shrubs to balance the composition and to add unity. ❷ from above my add unity if planted the same way among and around the existing trees while adding ❹ in the space at the the end of the group of tree that is closer to the viewer may add balance&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-24T09:30:07.743" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T20:59:26.090" Title="What plants are these dwarf coniferes? How can I improve my case?" Tags="&lt;evergreens&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;&lt;design&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33546" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35290" CreationDate="2017-05-27T14:33:23.557" Score="4" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant was put in by a builder. It has a central group of grass-like blades. In year 2, it has sent out offsets and spread into the surrounding area. The smaller groups are connected to the central root system. What kind of plant is this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JP9Ky.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JP9Ky.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;grass plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17677" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T18:33:18.803" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T18:33:18.803" Title="What kind of grassy perennial plant is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33547" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33548" CreationDate="2017-05-27T16:24:50.047" Score="6" ViewCount="246" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my first flower garden and I don't know what to do about flower petals that are sick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M6mmN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M6mmN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vYV0D.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vYV0D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the reason for them being sick is that this plant was not in the best shape when I bought it (it had stems that were cut with scissors) and also there was a big big rain yesterday and I think it had too much water. Not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please let me know how to help the flower to become more healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks kindly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17679" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-05-27T16:48:03.773" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T18:46:25.433" Title="What to do with sickening flower petals?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33547" CreationDate="2017-05-27T16:42:29.553" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Care advice at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/geranium-pelargonium&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;fine Gardening&lt;/a&gt; starts &lt;em&gt;Deadhead spent flowers consistently&lt;/em&gt;. Pelargoniums flower prolifically and will soon replace any flowers that have been removed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T16:42:29.553" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33549" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33541" CreationDate="2017-05-27T16:44:22.670" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, it is clearly not powdery mildew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking for Bayer Fungus Fighter, I have doubt that it is useful for grape vine.  I don't recognise the substance names (for grape vine) not I see indication that it is usable on grape vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So don't use it. It could be toxic for grape vines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A photo of the rear part of leaves could help, but I think it could be:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;there is shortage of fertiliser or maybe over-fertiliser. Often it is difficult to tell (but for few substances). Note: Fungus Fighter could make things look worse.  You should know if you fertilised or not.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mites (check on bottom part of leaves, if you see felt like substance, or if you have a lens and you see mites you have the silver bullet.  But usually new leaves should not have such form.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Problems at bud time.  Mites but also freeze, at bud time, create similar leaves. Again: new leaves should be normal, and you will see that the leave stem usually is shorter and darker. Which doesn't seem the case.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wood disease. Often it cause similar leaves, but the branches seems OK, so I don't think it this.  Note heavy froze in winter could cause similar problem (froze at graft point, so reduced sap).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Toxicity: herbicide or pesticides used for near plant could cause toxicity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: there is many possibilities, but all related to sap and circulatory system of the vine, so with similar symptoms.  I really doubt is it a fungus (but ev. wood or root fungus)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T16:44:22.670" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33551" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-27T17:44:08.120" Score="5" ViewCount="3152" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hi I'm having major issues with my blueberry bushes. I had three in a large planter and they fruited last year just fine. The third one randomly dried up and died a couple of months ago, now one of the others looks Ill and possibly the other one.&#xA;When the first one died I stripped out all of the soil and replaced it with fresh erecacius soil, I made sure the roots were sprayed off and looking ok before I put them in the new soil. They looked to be fine for a month and then the bush on the right flowers / fruit went all purple and leaves started to fall off. Iv only watered with rain water, not fertilised it, it's had new compost a month or so ago, really can't work out what's wrong with them.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YMHat.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YMHat.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1YCj4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1YCj4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T5uo9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T5uo9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/to0iH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/to0iH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MtJWO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MtJWO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WL5A7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WL5A7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a2R8L.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a2R8L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IuwlH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IuwlH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CYQQ9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CYQQ9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mxf6b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mxf6b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3pkvO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3pkvO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WYzY1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WYzY1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kku6J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kku6J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/loaOV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/loaOV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v1hVM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v1hVM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a video of the plant :&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNuQ7ZzkoHI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNuQ7ZzkoHI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17430" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2018-06-22T06:34:08.803" LastActivityDate="2018-06-22T12:48:09.380" Title="Blueberry dying leaves, flowers" Tags="&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33552" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33551" CreationDate="2017-05-27T19:14:14.083" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are one or two possibilities. Blueberry scorch or shock viruses. When you are able to answer the questions I've asked in my first comment we'll be able to ID more closely.  This link I've sent looks like the pictures of your blueberry and by what you've told us might just be correct.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You said you used ericaceous soil for that planter.  I am assuming you got soil from your garden where blueberries or ericaceous plants were grown.  That just might have been the problem.  Virus, even other disease vectors would be present in that soil.  Using garden soil in pots and that includes planters is just a bad idea.  In the large body of garden soil we've no idea what is in the soil dug up to put in the pot or planter.  In the large body of garden soil are 'controls' that will never be found in that soil after removed to be placed in a pot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lots of plants, if they are healthy because they are fertilized properly, watered properly, have great drainage would be able to fight some diseases.  But yours sound as if they suffered some major stress and might have been made more susceptible to disease as I've said earlier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your reaction was actually an excellent reaction.  To get rid of the soil and wash the roots.  If you had used sterilized potting soil in the original planting (usually on the acidic side any way) that would have made a difference.  But a virus is tiny tiny tiny and washing the roots wouldn't have helped because your plant would already have been infected.  Fungus is the same way, there are a few blueberry blights that could also be culpable. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think your shrubs will make it but no harm in trying. &lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrTccszyClZ.KoAcmwnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByNWU4cGh1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=Blueberry%20Scorch%20Virus&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;blue berry scorch virus&lt;/a&gt;  Check out these pictures.  I am amazed that all these pictures look like any and all diseases lumped together!  Then there is 'shock' and that again looks like your blueberries. &lt;a href=&quot;http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/how_to_recognize_symptoms_of_blueberry_shock_and_scorch_two_new_virus_disea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;shock and scorch&lt;/a&gt;  There are preventative measures which would mean doing something before infection.  Shoot.  Wait to hear from Bamboo.  Please send more pictures; including standing back to give us a picture of the planter and shrubs. Tell us more about the soil you've used, especially the first planting.  What was grown, why you believe it is 'ericaceous' soil and what you've added; what kind of compost, fertilizer.  Did you install gravel or rock at the bottom of the planter before putting soil in the planter (not good for drainage)?  You do have drainage holes, correct?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've got great drainage in those planters water will not be a factor. Blueberries are essentially bog plants and love low pH and lots of water.  With what little I know right now, I would be getting rid of those plants, the soil, bleaching that planter and planning to replant with plants that are not in the ericaceous family. Wait for another answer however, okay? Have you grown blueberries before in your garden or is this a newly adopted garden soil from a previous owner?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T19:14:14.083" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33553" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33554" CreationDate="2017-05-27T19:20:21.117" Score="3" ViewCount="397" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone help identify this plant? Thanks in advance. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ORYj1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ORYj1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TPxmh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TPxmh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17682" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T19:58:25.977" Title="What species of plant is this? (Jasmine-like)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33553" CreationDate="2017-05-27T19:58:15.120" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Welp I was in the ballpark.  I could be wrong as I am often.  I believe this is Philadelphus lewisii, Mock Orange.  It is native in Washington state.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrT6VuS2SlZjVgAJj0nnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByNWU4cGh1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=Philadelphus%20Lewisii&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Philadelphus lewisii &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T19:58:15.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33555" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33553" CreationDate="2017-05-27T19:58:25.977" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphus_coronarius#/media/File:Philadelphus_coronarius.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Philadelphus coronarius&lt;/a&gt;, a shrub with scented flowers. It has 4 petals and toothed leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T19:58:25.977" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33556" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-27T20:04:34.387" Score="7" ViewCount="499" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently built a small enclosed outdoor area for my cats to enjoy the outside (aka a &quot;catio&quot;). There is a pet door for them to come and go as they please. Human included for scale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tHMmp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tHMmp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We also have a small dog that we want to use it when we're not home to relieve himself. Therefore, we plan to remove the gravel and replace it with artificial grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've watched several DIY artificial grass installing videos online. The basic preparation steps seem to boil down to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove current landscaping material (in our case, gravel).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grade the exposed dirt.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Build wooden frame around perimeter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pour some kind of compacted leveling substrate over the dirt and pack it flat.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Install artificial grass on top of substrate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Attach outer edge of grass to wooden frame.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This enclosed area is only for small animals. The animals are mainly indoor pets, so the installation does not need to be very durable or need to stand up to heavy use. It seems like a lot of the preparation for an artificial grass installation is predicated around being able to withstand full-size humans running around on it for years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, what is the minimum artificial grass installation we can get away with for our specific use case? Can we get away with laying the grass directly on the dirt below? Do we still need to build a perimeter or can we stake the grass directly into the dirt? Are there other &quot;cheats&quot; we can do that will be good enough for a pet area and allow us to save time and money?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: There is a dog door that gives both species of animals unlimited access into and out of the enclosure. We expect only the dog will use the grass to relieve himself, and then only when we're not home to let him outside into the larger backyard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17684" LastEditorUserId="17684" LastEditDate="2017-05-27T21:08:20.743" LastActivityDate="2017-06-27T20:23:44.177" Title="Minimal install of artificial grass for small enclosed pet area" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33557" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33556" CreationDate="2017-05-27T20:27:32.100" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started off thinking of a small dog.  Sorry. I love that cats are kept inside, otherwise they become everyone's cat, grins.  My beloved outdoor, used to be feral cat was shot by my neighbor, major sigh!  I have 4 indoor cats and 3 catboxes.  I have never seen cats poo or pee on top of a lawn or artificial grass.  They are designed to dig and bury their excrement.  I would find a great place in the home to set up cat boxes.  That will last quite awhile if you leave home.  Good clumping litter works well and I also get a deodorizer that is unscented to add to the room and we live in a very small home with 4 cats.  No problem at all.  I ask guests if they can smell cat and they say no.  And my guests know not to 'be nice'.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think this is a good solution at all for cats.  For a small dog but not for cats. Cats do need grass to eat now and then but that you can do on a window sill in the kitchen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T20:27:32.100" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33558" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33556" CreationDate="2017-05-27T21:40:23.353" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;In theory, you could just lay the artificial  turf straight onto soil or sand - but it will ruck up and move. It should be laid over compacted granite dust for a proper replacement lawn, but that's not what you're talking about. Because its a small area and is intended to be used by animals, it should be anchored down correctly, because the animals may run around on it, or scrape at it, and the necessity to clean it frequently means, if its not anchored down properly, that will be difficult. Whether you follow the recommendations regarding installation to the letter is your choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is another drawback though - in such a small area, it will be important to keep it clean and sanitised as often as 3 or 4 times a week, including removing pet hair. You can buy products for sanitising artificial turf, and some advice on this type of upkeep is included in this article,  &lt;a href=&quot;http://uricide.com/resources/how_to_clean_artificial_grass/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;How to Clean Artificial Grass&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, but obviously, the advice is aimed at people who have a whole lawn as artificial turf, not a tiny area, so the amount of cleaning recommended will be more than it suggests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other possible drawback is how hot artificial turf gets in sunlight - on a very hot day, its entirely possible it may burn the pads on the paws of your animals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-05-28T09:03:49.343" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T09:03:49.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33559" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-27T22:21:32.673" Score="4" ViewCount="109" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves of my tomatoes (three diverse sorts) don't look good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the fourth day outside (still in the process of hardening), they started to show the light yellow to brown spots on some leaves, as you can see on the photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They not only show these stains, but also stopped growing for already two weeks, until now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What happened to my tomatoes and what can I do to help them?&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;We’ve had surprisingly clear weather, was it just too much sun?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Additional Information&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They have lost their first pair of leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I grew them from seeds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I used low nutrient soil from the bag for the first growing stage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Planted in bigger pots about a week ago&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In the bigger pots I used tomato soil, containing nutrients for a couple of weeks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Watered when needed, but before the plants showed signs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Watered with soft water (no rainwater available)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Watered with a watering can, right onto the soil only, no rain so far&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No additional fertilizer used so far&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No spraying with anything&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;About half of them were under plastic domes outside&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photos&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fdieu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fdieu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tomato 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UOzOR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UOzOR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tomato 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17685" LastEditorUserId="17685" LastEditDate="2017-05-27T23:27:10.037" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T10:39:24.807" Title="What happens to my tomatos?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33560" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33559" CreationDate="2017-05-27T22:27:22.337" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This does look like 'sunburn'.  How have you been acclimatizing?  This is not a deal breaker.  I've had completely frozen tomatoes that actually came back.  We need more information and more pictures.  What soil did you use in your pots?  What fertilizer have you used?  What are your watering methods?  Have you sprayed your plants with anything?  Answer a few more questions, anything else you can tell us is never insignificant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not bad so far, but tomato soil, is that sterilized potting soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those domes threw up big red flags.  Sunlight going through those domes can be accentuated big time.  The domes just might have been your problem.  Cut off the dead leaves, give your tomatoes some fertilizer.  Mulch is not fertilizer.  I tell everyone new at this to use OSMOCOTE 14-14-14.  You will probably only have to use it once, follow directions.  It is extended release, balanced fertilizer. Us humans strip away entire ecosystems without thinking all those chemicals necessary for photosynthesis are tied up in the biomass, not in the soil!  All of our gardens are artificial and up to us humans to add what plants need to make food for themselves.  Do everything in our power to understand what these needs are.  Usually we keep adding 'goodies' like mulch, or fish emulsion, or blood meal or anything that says, 'nutrients'.  To humans that is food.  For plants that is simply chemicals necessary for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is what makes food for plants. A little too much fertilizer or chemicals and you can easily kill all your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any plant grown in a pot or planter should be planted in sterilized potting soil.  Do not get potting soil with added fertilizer or water holding gimmicks like sponges or gels.  You want to know as best you are able what you've added for fertilizer.  Tomatoes need nitrogen but to get fruit you have to keep that nitrogen lower in percentage to the phosphorous and potassium.  We need to know the pH of the soil.  Improper pH and the plant will not have access to certain chemicals it needs to do the work of photosynthesis even though those chemicals are right there in that soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering 'when needed' is the right way!  If you have used garden soil for these tomatoes...you might have caused even more problems.  All it takes is one spore, one virus to infect and kill your plants and there would be no measures to save them.  Where did you get this soil?  So far all I see is damage from the sun most likely because of the domes.  This is the same reason to never allow fish in an aquarium to be put outside in the sun.  Very quickly your fish will be boiled. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check out this article if you would. I don't think this is nutrient deficiency other than just not enough to be healthy and has weakened your tomato allowing disease.  Check out gray mold and blight.  If you see something that rings true, let me know, okay?  Need to know what 'tomato' soil is.  Is it from your garden or from a bag? Are they on the patio in pots? &lt;a href=&quot;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/DiagnosticKeys/TomLeaf/TomLeafKey.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;guide for diagnosing problems on tomato leaves&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-28T17:24:57.177" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T17:24:57.177" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33561" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33569" CreationDate="2017-05-27T23:30:20.270" Score="3" ViewCount="98" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H0cxj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H0cxj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Rose bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We recently purchased this rose plant from a local nursery.&#xA;However, something is eating the leaves of this plant. This seems to have happened overnight. Can anyone offer an educated guess as to what it is, and how to stop this happening? Would some kind of chemical spray do the trick, for example?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I can tell, whatever is eating the leaves of this plant hasn't attacked any of the other plants in the garden. Note: this isn't a real garden. It's a small collection of mostly potted plants on the balcony of our home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm located in Bombay, India.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17687" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T09:22:35.437" Title="What is eating the leaves of this rose plant?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33562" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33545" CreationDate="2017-05-27T23:36:08.470" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are saying you like the first picture and the second is the actual picture at your home?  Minime You are feeling and seeing the problem.  The need to unify.  We were taught that humans are only comfortable seeing 3 things.  That is how composition is taught with any art, paintings or landscape the principles are the same.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a number of compositional elements; texture, form, rhythm, color, shoot and a few more I am not coming up with at the moment.  If someone just crams all kinds of plants into a space they had better know about composition.  The top picture is a bit chaotic my opinion, but whoever did this landscape was thinking about composition.  They pulled the blue of the conifers throughout the picture as well as the yellow.  There is rhythm and form helping to pull this off.  And just barely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those 'foo foo' shrubs in your yard need to be transplanted (only during the winter and don't expect success).  Lawn size is highly over rated.  You do need to consider large, raised plant beds and a very defined lawn area.  We can also help with the health of your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;People go to the nursery to buy one of this and one of that.  I try to explain always get 5 or 7 of the same species.  One or two specimen plants for focal points.  All landscapes need a 'skeleton' planting, sometimes called a foundation planting and not because plants are planted against the foundation.  A skeleton planting pulls the entire landscape together and allows plantings of perennials, annuals and focal points.  When someone knows what they are doing the landscape can be quite exciting without being overwhelming. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f8M24.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f8M24.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;minimizing lawn great edge definition and composition&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-27T23:36:08.470" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33563" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33709" CreationDate="2017-05-27T23:54:21.917" Score="9" ViewCount="1303" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live at 7000 feet and have a volunteer shrub that is over 6 feet tall. The flowers are about 1/4&quot;-3/8&quot;; cream/white colored; with 5 wee petals and a pale yellow, spikey center. Also, the flowers are clumped in cones of about 8 rows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers are lightly scented, very pleasing to the nose. The bees love it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought it might be some kind of a lilac or butterfly bush or butterfly weed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d2QJH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d2QJH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;creamwhite shrub flower closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fpi4p.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fpi4p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;creamwhite shrub flower branches&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15147" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-05-28T00:20:33.100" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T23:29:25.907" Title="Bee-attracting tall shrub with cones of tiny cream-white flowers in Colorado?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;bee-attractive&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33564" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31308" CreationDate="2017-05-28T01:45:56.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you may be describing Thrips. There are a small flying insect that puncture plant leaves and suck out the juices. Here is an example of Thrip damage I found online. &lt;a href=&quot;http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/LSO/images/Thrips/Chilli-Damage/chillicot0603.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thrip Damage&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lemon Balm is pretty vigorous and you may want to try an insecticidal soap treatment and removing any plant debris nearby that may be hosting them. Also, with this many insects it seems like you need to not over water the soil so much and work on improving the air circulation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13895" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T01:45:56.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33565" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33540" CreationDate="2017-05-28T01:51:26.380" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another furry member of the Lamiaceae or mint family is Lamb's Ear. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stachys_byzantina#/media/File:Stachys_lanata_01.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;See photo&lt;/a&gt; It's pretty common and I could see it surviving a forgotten garden. If it is this, then keep it around for the bees and feel free to dead head after flowering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13895" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T01:51:26.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33566" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-28T06:45:33.453" Score="3" ViewCount="4058" Body="&lt;p&gt;People always say that moss prefers to grow in (moist) dark, dappled, shady, or otherwise low-light conditions. Strictly speaking, I don't believe that's the case. &#xA;I think in a natural environment it generally tends to appear that way; mainly because constant, full sunlight will typically consist of significant amounts of UV &amp;amp; IR radiation, in addition to visible spectra. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even more significant (I think) is the implied rate of water/moisture evaporation, that moss is sensitive to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My hypothesis is that moss (if kept moist), grown indoors, under a bright LED light, isolated from harmful UV &amp;amp; IR radiation, should thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is twofold: a) Do you agree; and if so: b) Will moss grow better under these conditions 24/7, or 12/7?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16095" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T19:53:42.687" Title="Does moss require darkness when grown indoors?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;moss&gt;&lt;grow-lamp&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="10" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33567" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-28T06:47:36.217" Score="6" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased some roses in clay pots. They were very fresh and beautiful but after a while they were starting to go bald and their leaves turned yellow. What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are in open air and have 6 hours per day direct sunlight. They are watered once a day. The temperature is about 28 to 38 degree of Centigrade.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yI0lr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yI0lr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cclqT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cclqT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14466" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:52:20.360" LastActivityDate="2019-12-30T18:02:40.330" Title="Roses in clay pot started to go bald" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33568" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-28T08:06:12.110" Score="5" ViewCount="483" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone tell me what type of succulent this is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2phpj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17689" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T16:45:37.413" LastActivityDate="2018-06-07T08:13:34.290" Title="What is this succulent plant with long, triangularly pointed leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33569" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33561" CreationDate="2017-05-28T09:16:15.400" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leafcutter bees by the looks of it, as the comment above says - these are bees which live in solitary splendour rather than together in a hive, and usually do not sting. They cut the leaves in this way in order to roll them up to house their young, so they're not eating the leaves, but using them for reproductive purposes. You seem to have a lot of them, because there are so many cut areas, and roses are one of their favourite leaves to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There isn't really a solution to this problem I'm afraid, because the bee comes, cuts some leaf, flies off again. Your rose, whilst not looking great, won't be killed by this activity unless all the leaves constantly get destroyed, and it will recover over time; when you deadhead the roses, take around 6 inches of stem (if they're long enough, 8-10 inches if the rose is larger and in the ground) with the flowerhead/s and that should help remove some of the damaged leaves.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/leaf-cutter-bees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/leaf-cutter-bees.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, you do seem to have a lot of these bees around because the damage is quite extensive; other than covering your roses in fine netting, I can't think of another way to reduce the bees' activity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-28T09:22:35.437" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T09:22:35.437" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33570" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-28T09:32:26.800" Score="2" ViewCount="1115" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have given our Yucca's new flower soil. Now they have mushy brown spots on the leaves. Before, they stood in the living room without direct sun. Now they are outside (sun in the day (morning 2 hours and evening 3 hours) and at night about 16 ° Celsius).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do they need more water because of the sunshine? Normally, they do not need much water. Are the temperature fluctuations not good? Sunlight and at night 16 ° C?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An idea what caused these brown spots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our dragon trees have similar problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EEomW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EEomW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pjRpx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pjRpx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17691" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T02:22:56.447" Title="Yucca – brown mushy spots on the leaves" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33571" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-28T10:44:05.213" Score="3" ViewCount="24" Body="&lt;p&gt;Me again. Anyone has an idea of what this is? Thanks a lot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a sidenote, the images make the flower look more yellow than they are. In reality they are orange.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yJdOi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yJdOi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZbOqF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZbOqF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17682" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T10:44:05.213" Title="Identifying an orange flowery shrub" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-05-28T12:19:13.137" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33572" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-28T12:47:43.787" Score="3" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HkdNy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HkdNy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maple tree did not produce leaves this Spring and now has these white fluffy balls. Only the bottom branch has leaves left. Can anyone help me save this tree? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These fluffy things are only visible in early morning.I got a good close up and notice tiny bugs in the web&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H525m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H525m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17692" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-05-28T15:17:52.190" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T18:13:44.500" Title="Maple tree disease" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33572" CreationDate="2017-05-28T14:37:23.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get rid of those for sure! I just had this problem but not as bad. There were worms inside of the white balls. They will eat your tree right up. An effective way is to burn them. I use a little lighter fluid and it takes them down fast. You can also use some chemical but not too sure what you could use. Burning is just as effective in my option. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: Do this only if it is a bug or worm. Do not light the tree on fire. Small amounts and small areas at a time. Nothing more. Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-05-28T18:13:44.500" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T18:13:44.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33574" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-28T14:57:56.973" Score="0" ViewCount="25" Body="&lt;p&gt;These fluffy things are only visible in early morning.I got a good close up and notice tiny bugs in the web&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H525m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H525m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I can't seem to add 2 images so I will post another question with the tree image&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17692" LastEditorUserId="17692" LastEditDate="2017-05-28T15:03:31.203" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T15:03:31.203" Title="Maple tree disease with pics this time" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-05-28T15:15:41.370" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33575" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-28T15:22:40.913" Score="4" ViewCount="1487" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a large mulberry tree that always has tons of berries but they never ripen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure what is wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17694" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-05T07:13:51.220" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T07:13:51.220" Title="Mulberry tree berries won't ripen" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2017-07-19T16:20:49.093" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33576" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-28T15:31:09.120" Score="6" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had three maples in the garden in my last home and they had lovely (non-green) coloured leaves on them there. I have now replanted them in my new home and all I get now is just green leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why don't they have the colour they used to have?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17695" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T00:19:18.760" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T00:19:18.760" Title="Why are my maple leaves just plain green after transplanting?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33577" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-28T16:03:07.643" Score="2" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I have about 6 blueberry plants and last summer (which was very very dry, drought for about two months) there were woody plants coming up at the bases of about 4 of them. They're not the same leaves as the blueberry plants and this year their flowers aren't at all the same. Are they suckers from root stock? Are they something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Buffalo, NY &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EkEqb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EkEqb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LpzEc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LpzEc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2000" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T17:54:21.873" Title="Is this branch from the blueberry root stock?" Tags="&lt;blueberries&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33578" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33377" CreationDate="2017-05-28T17:23:01.320" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do it like my grand-farther and use a Scythe. This will fast and cheap. Just cut it before you use the lawn The grass will be not short enough for golfing but good enough for running around. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17696" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T17:23:01.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33579" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33577" CreationDate="2017-05-28T17:54:21.873" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is not from your blueberry, that's a kind of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;willow&lt;/a&gt; (salix). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I'll do some more research and post possible candidates for a better id later.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T17:54:21.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33580" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33480" CreationDate="2017-05-28T18:56:41.460" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the &lt;a href=&quot;https://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/fruit/irrigation.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Arizona Master Gardener Manual&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; on fruit trees:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;…frequent irrigation in spring can cause yellow leaves, root rot and waterlogging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T18:56:41.460" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33581" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-28T19:57:18.340" Score="3" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;What can I plant with an English Ivy ground cover under a large shade tree? I was hoping to add some color. The area is full shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17700" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-05-28T20:00:23.763" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T20:51:13.193" Title="What can I plant in full shade that will provide color?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33582" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33581" CreationDate="2017-05-28T20:41:23.647" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very few plants flower in the shade.  That is because reproductive material takes an awful lot of energy that is created from light and photosynthesis to make that energy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few plants, very few in number, that flower profusely in shade.  Impatiens for one.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of soil, exactly how dark is this shade?  All flowering plants that flower in shade need at the very least ambient or light bounced off other plants, structures in the landscape.  We would need a picture of the environment you are discussing to add more options for you.  Impatiens, my example, does well in full shade but there has to be light bouncing off a lawn or from outside the perimeter of shade.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One could enlarge their options by thinking of colorful foliage.  The site I am including does both...&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/117707-shade-plants-color.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;color in shade&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-28T20:51:13.193" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T20:51:13.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33583" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-28T21:34:23.227" Score="6" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's this? Found in Eastern Europe/ Poland &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zW6K3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zW6K3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17701" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:53:05.590" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T02:53:05.590" Title="What's the name of this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33584" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33583" CreationDate="2017-05-28T22:31:08.813" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Amaranth, for example the cultivar &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.adaptiveseeds.com/product/highlighted-varieties/adaptive-seeds-originals/amaranth-sunset-goldilocks-organic&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sunset Goldilocks&lt;/a&gt; pictured below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bxvqf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bxvqf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Amaranth&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:11:50.073" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T02:11:50.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33585" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33566" CreationDate="2017-05-28T23:03:12.770" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moss&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Moss&lt;/a&gt; is one of the most adaptable organisms as far as amount of light, moisture, soil type and location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are found from the Arctic to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://bogology.org/2013/10/16/how-do-mosses-survive-in-antarctica/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Antarctic&lt;/a&gt; and survive extended days of total darkness and almost total light.  However the key word is survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cannot find any research proving that they need a period of darkness but it has been proven with their vascular cousins that some plants need a daily period of darkness to initiate flowering.  As moss does not flower they might do well with 24 hours of light.  See this extended discussion &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_happens_to_a_plant_that_is_kept_under_constant_light2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for the technicalities of photosynthesis.  For a more accessible article on moss this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mossandstonegardens.com/blog/the-truth-about-moss-dispelling-moss-myths/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;one&lt;/a&gt; is more amusing and concise.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moss will grow fine in full sunlight if adequate moisture is supplied.  I can take a piece of moss from the north facing dry part of my garden and put in the sunny moist area.  It doubles in size and will even grow into the water and float on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When growing inside it is not enough to have it moist and bright.  You need air circulation as well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moss picture from my garden&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/86xl4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/86xl4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;moss from my water garden&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-05-28T23:03:12.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33570" CreationDate="2017-05-29T02:22:56.447" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/foliage/yucca/yucca-turning-brown.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gardening Know How&lt;/a&gt; &quot;Yucca Plant Problems: Why A Yucca Plant Has Brown Tips Or Foliage&quot; suggests water quality may be the issue:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fluoride toxicity&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  When your yucca plant has brown tips, it’s likely due to fluoride toxicity. This issue generally starts as small brown spots on leaf margins, but soon encompasses the entire leaf tip. It’s especially bad on older leaves. There’s no serious risk with fluoride toxicity, but it does make a yucca look unsightly. Switch to watering with distilled water and the problem will clear up over time.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Salt toxicity&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;  Although fluoride isn’t a huge threat to your plant’s health, salt is a serious problem. If you live where the soil has a high salinity level, or you water from a water softener, your plant may respond with stunted growth, browning tips and leaf margins or other leaf-related issue. In very salty conditions, a white crust may form at the surface of the soil. You can attempt to flush the soil with salt-free water, but unless you act quickly, your yucca may be beyond saving.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever &quot;flower soil&quot; is, it may be too rich for a plant suited to arid conditions short on nutrients. During the summer yuccas need &lt;em&gt;less&lt;/em&gt; water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T02:22:56.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33587" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="46078" CreationDate="2017-05-29T03:12:10.067" Score="1" ViewCount="1741" Body="&lt;p&gt;Capsicum ( Melbourne, Australia ), outdoor on balcony in a pot, started to have holes on leaves, turned yellow, curled, but no bugs visible. Has proper drainage, watered around every 2-3 days (may water too much?), around 4 hrs direct sunlight from my spot per day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have other Capsicum sowed around same time but don't have the same symptoms? What's going on :( ??&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dycXo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6A0Ut.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qi0YD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N6KMy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17673" LastActivityDate="2019-06-04T11:56:47.983" Title="Capsicum ( Peppers ) leaves have holes, turned yellow, curled no bugs visible" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32815" CreationDate="2017-05-29T03:17:55.950" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your watering regimen seems appropriate so I fear you should consider &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytophthora_nicotianae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Phytophthora nicotianae&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Black Shank). &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/peace-lily/diseases-spathiphyllum-tips-treating-peace-lily-diseases.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cleaning off the roots and repotting the plant in fresh, healthy soil&lt;/a&gt; may help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another possibility is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calonectria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cylindrocladium spathiphylli&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a fungus that also rots roots. It is mentioned in a report by D.J. Norman: &lt;a href=&quot;http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/Foliage/Resrpts/rh_96_6.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;Control of Cylindrocladium Root Rot of Spathiphyllum with Fungicide Drenches&quot;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Care-for-Peace-Lilies&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Avoid direct sunlight&lt;/a&gt; - shady is fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-05-29T03:51:41.597" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T03:51:41.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33589" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33609" CreationDate="2017-05-29T07:30:57.227" Score="3" ViewCount="1429" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had this cactus for about 5 (or more) years, and have been treating it pretty shamefully due to me only recently researching how to garden and unfortunately being one of those who didn't care too much before. I want to keep it alive, as it was originally a tiny cutting from one of my grandmothers cactus'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ULZP2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ULZP2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;She had potted it in a tiny pot with a lot of drainage stones at the bottom, which was perfect for the baby but I am aware it needs repotting now. Water doesn't seem to stay in the soil at all now, just drains straight through. Was planning to put into a pot 2-3x the size with fresh potting soil (I assume it can handle the same soil as my herbs do?). That's easy enough. I'll keep it inside at a window as that's where it's been it's whole life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/orvlb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/orvlb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cactus close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is that i'm worried that this white fluff that i've always dismissed as part of the plant is mealy bugs. In the above picture you can also see white discolouring around the middle of the plant. I don't know what kind of cactus I have, unfortunately, but my grandmothers ballooned out into a ball shape and mine never has even after 5 years. I've put this down to mistreatment (it was left on a kitchen shelf in my parents house for 3 years with sporadic watering) but apparently mealy bugs cause stunted growth too. It keeps growing up, not out. Is it just because it was originally an offcut 'stem' so it's never going to become a ball? If it is mealy bugs, is this a huge infestation that is going to be really difficult to deal with? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you for any advice! If anybody might know what kind of cactus this is so that I can research online for how to look after them, that would be really great too. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17665" LastEditorUserId="17665" LastEditDate="2017-05-29T07:41:53.770" LastActivityDate="2020-11-15T08:01:31.430" Title="Is my cactus infested with mealy bugs?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33590" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33594" CreationDate="2017-05-29T09:14:59.817" Score="4" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;im new to gardening! &#xA;I planted various lettuce plants but now im not sure did i did it right. I am not sure should i plant one or couple seeds per plant spot.&#xA;I checked various youtube vids and i saw people doing it both ways for the lettuce. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17705" LastEditorUserId="17705" LastEditDate="2017-05-29T09:20:30.550" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T11:59:32.067" Title="Seed amount per plant spot" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33591" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-29T10:13:29.197" Score="8" ViewCount="333" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty new to gardening and I recently (~2 weeks ago) got a Pinus sylvestris 'Fastigiata' plant and I noticed that some needles started to yellow. Here are a few pics:-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AMQLi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AMQLi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;ants&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pSr9s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pSr9s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tips of needles&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KPtkf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KPtkf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;inner needles&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The yellowing is mostly on the internal and lower needles, but there is also some yellowing on the tips of top needles, with the tips completely brown with some white stuff on them. And I also noticed the plant is full of ants, you can see it on one of the pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a problem that I need to do something about, and if yes, what exactly? Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17690" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-13T23:41:19.630" LastActivityDate="2020-09-22T15:02:00.193" Title="Pinus sylvestris yellowing problem" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33592" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-29T11:40:40.090" Score="2" ViewCount="1096" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a young bay tree in a pot, which I received from my parents. It lives outside on a South-East Facing balcony.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a long time after my parents gave it to me (maybe 8 months ago?) it didn't seem to be growing at all, and various of the existing leaves were gradually yellowing. There were also lots of holes in the existing old leaves which didn't seem to be expanding or increasing in number, so I assumed them to have been damage from previous insects.&#xA;All-in-all it seemed pretty poorly, and I suspected that it had not really survived being repotted and given to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A month ago it suddenly started creating shoots, and has now grown a nice batch of new leaves (excellent!) but a week ago I was surprised to see more holes on the new leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are they, and can I do anything to prevent them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OkAC1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OkAC1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2vUjb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2vUjb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VoSem.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VoSem.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6uqW1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6uqW1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17026" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-15T18:46:43.310" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T18:17:14.383" Title="What is eating my bay plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33593" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-29T11:55:41.617" Score="3" ViewCount="907" Body="&lt;p&gt;See here for question about what I should do &lt;em&gt;now&lt;/em&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/33595/what-to-do-after-two-weeks-with-a-waterlogged-pot-plant&quot;&gt;What to do (after two weeks) with a waterlogged pot plant?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;TL;DR&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What should I have do, immediately, if I suspect that a repotted plant pot is draining poorly?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently repotted a bunch of house plants into larger pots, with new compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I mixed into the compost some water-retention crystals - the kind that absorb loads of water and can then release that water gradually. I did this because I struggle with under-watering the plants and was hoping that this would result in the dampness of the soil being more stable over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A) If this was a terrible idea from the get-go let me know :)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps I mis-judged the amount of crystals, or perhaps it was an error to soak the crystal-enhanced pots like I do for the rest of my plants, but the upshot was that the pots became extremely wet for a long period - I would say waterlogged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There was water seeping out of the pot into the saucer for 2-3 days (which I would regularly empty), and the surface of the soil was definitely wet to the touch.&#xA;I then didn't water the pot for a week and a half, and left the plant outside on a South-East facing balcony for a very hot(23-27 degrees) and sunny week. and by the end of that week and a half, the soil is still not particularly dry (although it is at least not actively WET now).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I perceive that the plants definitely suffered from this - several (though not all) of the leaves very suddenly went extremely pale and then died, other leaves have gained a pale halo around their edge, and for the 3-4 days after I did this, the plants appeared to wilt (as though I'd UNDER-watered them) though it has now recovered&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have multiple questions, so the above set up has been duplicated on multiple posts, but my question here is ...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B) What &lt;em&gt;should&lt;/em&gt; I have done, that afternoon or the next day, when I realised that the pot was waterlogged?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17026" LastEditorUserId="17026" LastEditDate="2017-05-29T12:01:49.480" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T12:32:54.287" Title="What to do (immediately) with a waterlogged pot plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33590" CreationDate="2017-05-29T11:59:32.067" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is no right answer.  It is up to you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How many pots, seed topsoil and space do you have&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How expensive are the seeds (some varieties are very expensive)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do you feel eradicating double seedling (but healthy)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tend to be more in the: &quot;&lt;em&gt;one seed, one pot&lt;/em&gt;&quot;, but commercial farms tend to consider seed cheap, but labour most costly, so they tend to put more seed per pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T11:59:32.067" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33595" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-29T12:00:48.033" Score="3" ViewCount="331" Body="&lt;p&gt;See here for question about what I should have done &lt;em&gt;at the time&lt;/em&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/33593/what-to-do-immediately-with-a-waterlogged-pot-plant&quot;&gt;What to do (immediately) with a waterlogged pot plant?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;TL;DR&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What should I do now, given that I suspect that I've created a plant pot that drains poorly?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently repotted a bunch of house plants (Edit: 2 pelargoniums &amp;amp; some mint) into larger pots, with new compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I mixed into the compost some water-retention crystals - the kind that absorb loads of water and can then release that water gradually. I did this because I struggle with under-watering the plants and was hoping that this would result in the dampness of the soil being more stable over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A) If this was a terrible idea from the get-go let me know :)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps I mis-judged the amount of crystals, or perhaps it was an error to soak the crystal-enhanced pots like I do for the rest of my plants, but the upshot was that the pots became extremely wet for a long period - I would say waterlogged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There was water seeping out of the pot into the saucer for 2-3 days (which I would regularly empty), and the surface of the soil was definitely wet to the touch.&#xA;I then didn't water the pot for a week and a half, and left the plant outside on a South-East facing balcony for a very hot(23-27 degrees) and sunny week. and by the end of that week and a half, the soil is still not particularly dry (although it is at least not actively WET now).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I perceive that the plants definitely suffered from this - several (though not all) of the leaves very suddenly went extremely pale and then died, other leaves have gained a pale halo around their edge, and for the 3-4 days after I did this, the plants appeared to wilt (as though I'd UNDER-watered them) though it has now recovered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have multiple questions, so the above set up has been duplicated on multiple posts, but my question here is ...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaf-death appears to have stopped now (I've removed the dying/dead leaves and the rest seem OK), and at least one of the plants looks reasonably healthy now (it's opened up new flower heads)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This makes me wonder whether I should just leave it as it is, and be careful not to over water it in future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B) What should I have do now, given that I'm in this situation?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17026" LastEditorUserId="17026" LastEditDate="2017-05-29T12:39:43.060" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T14:17:54.610" Title="What to do (after two weeks) with a waterlogged pot plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33596" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33599" CreationDate="2017-05-29T12:08:09.070" Score="3" ViewCount="2144" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are separate questions about mistakes that I made in the repotting process:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/33593/what-to-do-immediately-with-a-waterlogged-pot-plant&quot;&gt;What to do (immediately) with a waterlogged pot plant?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/33595/what-to-do-after-two-weeks-with-a-waterlogged-pot-plant&quot;&gt;What to do (after two weeks) with a waterlogged pot plant?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;TL;DR&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What are these red marks on the leaves of my pelargoniums?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dwMH6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dwMH6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photos to follow shortly.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mKml6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mKml6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently repotted a bunch of house plants into larger pots, with new compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I mixed into the compost some water-retention crystals - the kind that absorb loads of water and can then release that water gradually. I did this because I struggle with under-watering the plants and was hoping that this would result in the dampness of the soil being more stable over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A) If this was a terrible idea from the get-go let me know :)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps I mis-judged the amount of crystals, or perhaps it was an error to soak the crystal-enhanced pots like I do for the rest of my plants, but the upshot was that the pots became extremely wet for a long period - I would say waterlogged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There was water seeping out of the pot into the saucer for 2-3 days (which I would regularly empty), and the surface of the soil was definitely wet to the touch.&#xA;I then didn't water the pot for a week and a half, and left the plant outside on a South-East facing balcony for a very hot(23-27 degrees) and sunny week. and by the end of that week and a half, the soil is still not particularly dry (although it is at least not actively WET now).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I perceive that the plants definitely suffered from this - several (though not all) of the leaves very suddenly went extremely pale and then died, other leaves have gained a pale halo around their edge, and for the 3-4 days after I did this, the plants appeared to wilt (as though I'd UNDER-watered them) though it has now recovered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have multiple questions, so the above set up has been duplicated on multiple posts, but my question here is ...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;On one of the plants (a red pelargonium) a few of the leaves died, but almost ALL the leaves now have red leaf-shaped marks on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What are they? Are they related to the over-watering or is that just a coincidence?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17026" LastEditorUserId="17026" LastEditDate="2017-05-29T12:30:48.980" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T17:31:16.857" Title="What are these red marks on the leaves of my pelargoniums?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;geraniums&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33597" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33595" CreationDate="2017-05-29T12:26:45.070" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds like you overloaded on the water retaining gel. There's only one thing to do, and that is, unpot your plants, remove the excess potting soil and gel, and repot without using the gel. And water when they need it, not just when you remember.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water retaining gels and crystals are really intended for use in things like hanging baskets or wall mangers in full sun outdoors during the summer months, not for houseplants. You've not mentioned which plants they are though, other than the generic term 'houseplant' and I'm curious, because the majority of true houseplants would not respond well to being left outdoors in full sun without acclimatization first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: in response to your query under comments. The term 'houseplant', whilst obviously meaning any plant in the house, has a specific meaning as well - it's usually plants that will not survive or do well outdoors where you live, though they may in other regions of the world, or plants which are very adaptable and happy to live indoors. Pelargoniums, whilst often grown indoors in places like the UK during winter, but can be grown outdoors all summer, do much better outdoors and in sun,so they're not technically a houseplant. They're also pretty drought resistant and prefer free draining soil (that does not mean they don't need watering regularly, especially in full sun though) so using water retaining gel for those isn't a great idea UNLESS they're one of the components in a hanging basket which might also include, say, fuchsia, impatiens, lobelia and the like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-29T14:17:54.610" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T14:17:54.610" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33593" CreationDate="2017-05-29T12:32:54.287" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;No more than what you did already - other than following the procedure in my answer under your other question (what to do after two weeks), which is something you could have chosen to do immediately you realised there was a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T12:32:54.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33596" CreationDate="2017-05-29T12:33:58.427" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nothing to worry about, if you're referring to the semi circular red area on the leaves - these are zonally marked Pelargoniums, and that's what they should look like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T12:33:58.427" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33600" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-29T16:25:55.763" Score="2" ViewCount="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ours is about 5.5 ft tall growing in a tomato cage for support. We winter it in our small greenhouse. This spring we cut off the old pitchers and want to know if we should remove the old tall stems to make way for the new growth coming up from the base?  We are in zone 7 and house our plant in our dappled shade back yard during spring thru early fall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17706" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T16:25:55.763" Title="Nepenthes ventrata" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33601" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3400" CreationDate="2017-05-29T17:04:15.840" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found a product called Stone Man Stay Put. The manufacturer is Ivy League Landscape LLC. Found it at Ace but I'm sure Home Depot has it too. Simple water like mixture. Put it in your sprayer and apply a thin coating. You literally cannot tell there is anything holding the stones together, but they do not move. It's been two years and I have not had to rake a single pebble. Has no effect on your sprayer either. I still use the same sprayer for Roundup. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17707" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T17:04:15.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33596" CreationDate="2017-05-29T17:18:34.213" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are telling us that you repotted your geranium in compost and water holding gel crystals?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd go get a bag of plain sterilized potting soil.  Don't mess with those crystals unless you go on vacation.  You've seen that those crystals actually cause saturation of the soil and that means the roots aren't getting oxygen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost is not a planting medium.  Compost is excellent for the outdoor garden soil but not for pots.  Not sterilized for one thing and there is no soil.  Repot into just soil from the bag. Dump the old soil out into your garden.  Put just soil in the pot with no gravel or rock at the bottom and transplant again.  Gentle with the roots.  It is okay to leave the compost on your roots.  Don't try to wash it off as those roots have already been stressed from the first transplanting.  A little stress is a good thing but adding more stress of saturation and then a second transplanting so soon could set your plant back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Raise the bottom of your pot off the surface of the saucer or top of wall or the patio using pieces of tile, or rock.  Just a little to allow air between the bottom of the pot and surface and that really helps drainage.  Water the soil as you put the soil in the pot, firming to remove large air pockets, then plant your geranium and firm the soil around your plant.  Leave 1&quot; space between the top of the soil and the rim.  Pick up the pot and plant to feel the heft of your plant watered. Wait until the entire pot and plant are lighter before watering again. For outdoor plants in the summer watering every day is normal.  But do not water unless the soil has dried out enough that you can tell there is a huge difference in the weight.  The soil will be dry on top.  If you lift it tomorrow and it is still heavy do not water until the next day if it feels light.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut off flowers as soon as you can bear it.  This plant will go nuts if you keep taking the flowers and dead or dying leaves off.  A lot of energy goes into the flower and seed making and by removing the flowers and dying leaves all that energy goes back into the entire plant that will get bigger and set even more flowers.  Pretty soon you won't be able to keep up with all the flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd go once a week to clean up the 'color install' of a development for instance.  I'd cut every flower off.  To the horror of passersby. I'd give them all a little lesson and told them to check back in a few days.  They'd actually make a point to meet me the next week and they'd help cut flowers off to learn where to cut them off. They were simply amazed. The development was suddenly full of huge hanging baskets and potted flowers and people out cutting off flowers.  You don't have to be so brutal cutting off flowers but at the beginning it really helps get your plant to grow vigorously.  Otherwise, it will kinda look the same all season with one or two flowers gone to seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have to use a bit of fertilizer which is just the chemicals the plant has to have to do photosynthesis and make its own food for energy to make all that groth and flowers. If you have already fertilized let me know how long ago and with what product and formulation.  You've dumped out the majority but to add too much fertilizer will kill your plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My favorite easiest and safest fertilizer for people to use is Osmocote 14-14-14. Even numbers to ensure flowers and vegetative growth. If the formula has the first number, percentage of Nitrogen, larger than the other two you won't get many flowers. Osmocote is extended release and will last 3 months or more. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These flowering plants have one job to do and that is to produce seed.  Annuals in particular.  The more you cut those 'babies' off before setting seed the more that plant will try to make more flowers and more seed. Once a few flowers are allowed to set seed that signals to the plant that its job in this life is done and it can go ahead and start dying.  For perennials, the plants just stop flowering and setting seed for the season.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And Bamboo has already told you that red ring is totally normal for zonal geraniums.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-29T17:31:16.857" LastActivityDate="2017-05-29T17:31:16.857" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33603" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-29T22:28:10.680" Score="3" ViewCount="486" Body="&lt;p&gt;The peach trees are about two years old and young leaf color turns as shown in the picture below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TrYE4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TrYE4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17713" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-05-30T06:00:26.687" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T08:11:32.120" Title="Why do the leaf margin and a few of leaf blade of my peach trees turn brown and red?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33604" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33605" CreationDate="2017-05-30T01:05:43.953" Score="3" ViewCount="45" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am still working on a layout for our garden. So far we have bought smaller plants that we would like to have in our garden (some cover plants and some accent plants and some bushes) that we still keep in pots till we decide where to plant them.&#xA;I am in the process to build an area half garden half nursery where I will either plant or put the plants in pots and bury the pots over the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you foresee any problems with this ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T01:25:16.743" Title="Are there any problems with the strategy of growing plants in pots till you decide where you want to plant them?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33605" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33604" CreationDate="2017-05-30T01:25:16.743" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can keep seedlings for a long time just avoid noon and afternoon sun so they don't dry out too fast. Water as needed, but remember in the nursery they are watered daily.  Don't let the pots sit in water over half an hour. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T01:25:16.743" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33606" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33608" CreationDate="2017-05-30T01:27:26.640" Score="3" ViewCount="1553" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need advice about a Dipladenia that I bought today.  I actually thought that it was a type of Mandevilla, until I got it home and Googled the name. It is in the same family, and needs the same type of care. But, I can't find specific info online about my main concern. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has roots sprouting out of the stems at the lower knobs. Some of them are more than two inches above the soil. It is obviously root bound, but seems healthy. (I did pluck off some yellow leaves before taking pics.)&#xA;I am wondering whether I am supposed to bury these upper roots. I don't know if they are &quot;air roots&quot; like my orchids have, or it they are runner roots that are  seeking soil. &#xA;I don't know whether to plant this deeper than it is now to accommodate some of these these roots, or whether to just let them breathe. &#xA;Or maybe I should just plant it in a wider pot with the soil slightly higher that it is now, and just try to make cuttings from those rooty stems? &#xA;I did have a happy Mandevilla years ago, and it did not have these rooty stems. But, it was also in a huge pot. (And, it was not Dipladenia, either. lol)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am wondering if the red plastic pot in the pics would work for now, or if I need to try something wider. I don't usually buy plants without a plan. But, for $4.99, I just couldn't resist this beauty. I live in Norfolk, Virginia, USA, and will have to overwinter it indoors. The soup can is only in the one pic because it happened to be handy to use for size reference. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: I transplanted it as suggested. I added a pic of the rootbound roots after I cut the pot off, and a pic of it in the new pot. The other pot cracked when I tried drilling holes in the bottom, but this one should be big enough, for now.      &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jg94c.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jg94c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dipladenia with soup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zbzq2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zbzq2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dipladenia roots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PB4MO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PB4MO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dipladenia&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gNxlx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dipladenia&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cdj72.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cdj72.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rootbound&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7vq5D.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7vq5D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dipladenia&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="14745" LastEditDate="2017-05-30T18:51:07.293" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T18:51:07.293" Title="I need advice about a Dipladenia (related to Mandevilla)" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;&lt;outdoor&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33607" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-30T01:32:44.317" Score="2" ViewCount="368" Body="&lt;p&gt;For bougainvillea to cover a wood fence how far from the fence should it be planted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="865" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-05-30T04:09:13.290" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T04:09:13.290" Title="How far from a wooden fence should Bougainvillea be planted?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;fence&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33608" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33606" CreationDate="2017-05-30T01:47:36.150" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is desperate for more root room - the adventitious aerial roots it's producing are a stress response; a desperate attempt to try to find something else to root into so it can get larger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the pot you show in your last picture is at least one inch bigger all round and below the size of the current rootball, then yes, you can use that pot. If it isn't, get a bigger pot. You should not bury the upper roots, just leave them alone - once your plant realises it has more room to expand below the soil, they will either just stop growing or may shrivel up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may need potting on into something a bit bigger again this year, but you can check that by turning it out of its pot in, say, 3-6 months; if not, plan on potting up a size next spring or early summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T01:47:36.150" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33589" CreationDate="2017-05-30T02:00:01.130" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The white tufts around the cactus's needles are typical, especially because you said its been there for over 5 years.  Mealy bugs congragate usually groups and don't evenly spaced on a plant's surface.  The pot is too dried out and has a hard time retaining water.  I use a trick very sparingly to rehydrate soil, especially succulents and cactus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a bowl that is the height the pot and put the plant in the bowl.  Fill the bowl to the top slowly with water.  Let it sit for 30 minutes in the water, then remove the cactus and let it drain.  The soil will be fully hydrated and will accept water more readily.  Don't do this more than once or twice a year with cactus.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, buy a deep saucer and water it from the bottom that will be better for the succulent.  Fill the sauces and pour out any water that is still in the saucer 15 minutes later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The shape of your cactus is due to inconsistent watering.  If you are consistent, it might fill out over the next year or two.  Also, in the winter only water once a month for Oct through March assuming a Northern Hemisphere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T02:00:01.130" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33610" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33607" CreationDate="2017-05-30T02:06:19.967" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suggest ~ 12&quot;-18&quot; (see &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF5E28Vhl98&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bougainvillea planting.AVI&lt;/a&gt; - example is wall but fence should be the same). General guidance &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/growing-bougainvillea-up-fence-29986.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-05-30T02:21:45.733" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T02:21:45.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33611" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-30T03:51:39.970" Score="6" ViewCount="249" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UnpC9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rFcx3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Green fast growing both short and tall growth. Did not have it previous years but taking&#xA;over an area that had ground cover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a fast growing weed or a ground cover or some sort of climbing ivy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;New York update Ductchess county NY&#xA;Thanks so much &#xA;Nancy&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17715" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-08T17:42:42.033" LastActivityDate="2017-12-08T17:42:42.033" Title="What is this plant? Is it ground cover?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33613" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-30T04:28:00.610" Score="4" ViewCount="406" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am new to gardening. I want to grow Celosia plants from seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To start I made a suitable soil mixture:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Vermicompost 20%, Coco peat 20% , Ground soil (sand soil) 60%. Now seeds germinated and in the beginning all seeds were quite erect but now they are appearing tilted. I am seeing it as sign that they will die soon (same happened with brinjal, tomato seeds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not keeping them in direct sunlight, I have been spraying garlic spray and not overwatering them. &lt;strong&gt;What could be the reason of damping off, how can I save them? One reason I think is roots dont have good hold on soil.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is one picture, I have six paper (bio-degradable) pots like this:&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FjONZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FjONZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17717" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T07:52:00.743" Title="Celosia seedlings are damping off" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33614" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-30T05:11:47.587" Score="2" ViewCount="708" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have so many Gulmohar around. How can I use Gulmohar fruit/flower to start my own Gulmohar bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17717" LastActivityDate="2017-10-18T08:06:03.877" Title="How to start Gulmohar bonsai from seeds?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33615" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33611" CreationDate="2017-05-30T06:54:25.720" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you have is either Virginia creeper (&lt;em&gt;Parthenocissus quinquefolia&lt;/em&gt;) or woodbine (&lt;em&gt;Parthenocissus vitacea&lt;/em&gt;) judging by  the shape of its leaves. Both grow as a vine but it may take a while longer to become noticeable. Both are in the same genus as Boston ivy which is not a true ivy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Woodbine &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_vitacea&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_vitacea&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Virginia creeper &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_quinquefolia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_quinquefolia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T06:54:25.720" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33613" CreationDate="2017-05-30T07:52:00.743" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have grown Celosia argentea var. plumosa from seed for the second year now. They need regular soil like potting soil or garden soil because they are supposed to grow tall and need to anchor their roots well. If the soil is too light, like the one in the question, it won't provide stability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you notice the seeds have germinated move them to a sunny location, otherwise they will become etiolated - long and thin stems that eventually will bend even if their roots will be well developed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what the effects of garlic spray is, but I haven't sprayed them with anything but tap water and they did great. Usually, plants that grow unpampered don't need anything except soil, sun and water, so don't bother with fancy rituals found on the internet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If pouring water makes them fall, use a water pulverizer instead. Remove the plants if they are clumped together and keep only one in every 2 inches (5 cm), otherwise they will grow very slowly and as they accumulate sunny days and become older, they will produce small flowers even if the plants are 3 inches tall (8 cm).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have kept my seedlings in a room with the south wall made entirely of glass with the seedlings on the floor, right next to the glass. The ceiling was made of glass also, and the plants grew well, so don't worry if you grow them in full sun. However, if you grow them in indirect light or in a  shaded spot and then you move them to a sunny spot, make sure you gradually expose them to more light, a few more hours every day until they can take a full day of bright sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T07:52:00.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33617" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33603" CreationDate="2017-05-30T08:11:32.120" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This happens to a lot of plants when bright sunny days come suddenly. Make sure you water the trees as they are already stressed by the long bright days and prevent them suffering from drought also, otherwise some of the leaves might fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T08:11:32.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33619" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-30T13:58:25.870" Score="3" ViewCount="177" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought 25L of a product labelled:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;em&gt;Organic Mushroom Compost&lt;/em&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know what I'm going to use it for, but am curious about the name.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today alone, I've read (and been given/told) at least 3 contrasting explanations.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Which is it?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Composted mushrooms.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Compost for growing mushrooms.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Compost that has already been used to grow mushrooms.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;(i.e: Recyclable byproduct of the mushroom-growing industry).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Something else.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16095" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T17:12:30.613" Title="What is mushroom compost, exactly?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33622" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-30T15:15:18.553" Score="5" ViewCount="3226" Body="&lt;p&gt;Title says it all. I need to grow ONE plant. How many seeds to grow? It's a small clay pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17723" LastEditorUserId="11120" LastEditDate="2017-05-30T21:08:38.910" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T16:37:42.017" Title="I need to grow one radish plant per pot, for a science experiment. How many seeds do I plant?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;radishes&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33623" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33622" CreationDate="2017-05-30T15:56:46.030" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Seeds have different germination capacities among species, so it depends on what you are sowing. The germination capacity varies with seed age, so you will get more seedlings from last year's seeds than from older ones, let's say from three years ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Considering that for some species the time of the year when they are sown is really important, I would use at least 5 seeds from the beginning and then I would thin them out, instead of sowing one or two and then sowing some more at a later date in case the first ones didn't germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T15:56:46.030" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33624" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33622" CreationDate="2017-05-30T16:32:22.313" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If its radishes, and only one small pot, plant 3 or 4 seeds - thin out later after germination, when they've developed two true leaves each (the first 'leaves' are the cotyledons, and don't count) to leave the strongest growing one. By 'thin out' I mean remove them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's still safer to start off two pots though, then if anything happens to the strongest seedling, you've got a back up going already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T16:32:22.313" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33625" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-30T16:34:34.810" Score="3" ViewCount="219" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've planted a lot of seeds this year, (marigold, green beans, cornflower, poppy, sunflower, etc.) I started with 50+ green beans plants and now have 2 left, countless marigolds and now have 4 plants, half of my sunflowers were eaten, along with a lot of my other flower seedlings. I'm fairly certain that it's from all of the earwigs and sowbugs we have here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My problem is, I have a hard time killing things. Is there some way to deter them from my garden without killing? Some essential oils or sprays? Also, I don't want to deter any bees, birds, or butterflies, since they are a big part of why I enjoy my gardens. &#xA;Thank you so much for your reponses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17724" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-05-30T17:20:59.207" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T17:59:12.773" Title="Getting Rid of Pill Bugs and Earwigs, Kindly" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33626" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33619" CreationDate="2017-05-30T16:35:52.703" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Were it spent mushroom compost, it should be called that - in the UK, it doesn't usually come in bags you can buy at the garden centre or wherever, spent mushroom compost is usually obtained from a mushroom grower, so I would assume, from your description, it's actually compost designed for growing mushrooms which hasn't been used before. Even if available at commercial outlets where you are, it should still be labelled as 'spent' mushroom compost if that's what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-30T17:12:30.613" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T17:12:30.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33627" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33625" CreationDate="2017-05-30T16:42:03.680" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sowbugs or pillbugs don't eat live plants, they eat dead material, so it won't be those. Earwigs do sometimes eat living plant material, but they are omnivores and also prey on small insects like aphids. However, if you have a lot of them, then they can be damaging to plants. They operate at night, preferring to hide in cracks and crevices during the day - methods to control them include using something like a pot filled with straw or shredded paper, either upended on a stick in the air or just laid about in various places. The earwigs use them during the day as somewhere to hide, so every day, you're supposed to empty the pots and their contents out and kill the earwigs in whatever way you choose. If you have trouble killing things, unless you're prepared to drive them some distance away and leave them elsewhere, there's not much to be done, other than keeping your garden really clean, not leaving debris around, sweeping out crevices and cracks to make fewer places for them to hide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;General information about earwigs here &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earwig&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earwig&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T16:42:03.680" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33628" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33631" CreationDate="2017-05-30T16:46:08.617" Score="3" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm attempting to learn how to compost. Most of the material available to me is grass clippings (not many leaves on my property). I had success last year, but this year my pile is exuding a strong odor. The composition of my piles are roughly as follows:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2017&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grass clippings: 82%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Coffee grounds: 9%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chicken manure: 6%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fruit / vegetable scraps: 3%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2016&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grass clippings: 73%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wood chips: 7%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Composted steer manure: 6%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sand: 6%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Coffee grounds: 5%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fruit / vegetable scraps: 3%&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The 2016 pile didn't really smell much. The 2017 pile has a barnyard odor (somewhere between a cow manure and chicken manure smell)--sometimes detectable 60 ft away when the wind is blowing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The volume of both piles is roughly the same (1 - 2 yards). I've kept both piles watered (roughly the consistency of a wrung-out sponge.) I've turned each pile every 1 - 2 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas why this year's compost pile smells more than last? Is it just the fact that I used rawer chicken manure (it didn't smell that bad when I took it out of the bag) than the already composted steer manure I used last year? Is it the absence of wood chips? Is it the high acidity of the coffee grounds along with the nitrogen from the grass? I applied fertilizer to the grass this year before I mowed it and put it on the pile. Putting lime on the 2017 pile seems to have helped some.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14228" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T10:04:58.700" Title="Barnyard odor problem in compost pile" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33630" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33619" CreationDate="2017-05-30T17:00:52.020" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Mushroom Compost&quot; is a product designed as a growth medium for mushrooms. However some people use it like other composts. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is Mushroom Compost?&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;(&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/what-mushroom-compost&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;From OSU Extension&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;Often sold at landscape supply houses, mushroom compost can help&#xA;  amend garden soil, but should be used with caution, according to John&#xA;  Hart, soil scientist with the Oregon State University Extension&#xA;  Service. Mushroom compost is rich in soluble salts and other nutrients&#xA;  and can kill germinating seeds and harm salt-sensitive plants&#xA;  including rhododendrons and azaleas. The recipe for mushroom compost&#xA;  varies from company to company, but can include composted wheat or rye&#xA;  straw, peat moss, used horse bedding straw, chicken manure, cottonseed&#xA;  or canola meal, grape crushings from wineries, soybean meal, potash,&#xA;  gypsum, urea, ammonium nitrate and lime. The compost ingredients are&#xA;  weighed out, then mixed in.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen the odd reference to &lt;em&gt;Spent&lt;/em&gt; mushroom compost being referred to as simply &quot;mushroom compost&quot;. Ideally, the compost you buy should either be in a fully labeled bag that indicates what it is and what you should use it for, or be offered in bulk by an individual who can tell you all that and more. If this information is unavailable, I wouldn't buy the product. Pathogens can be present in compost and often the &quot;organic&quot; label is tacked on only to increase the price even if it's not an approved organic fertilizer.&#xA;Also keep in mind that spent mushroom compost isn't a great fertilizer. It should be used as soil conditioner, helping to build up your organics increasing the effectiveness of other fertilizers you use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is &quot;Spent Mushroom Compost&quot;?&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;(&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/plants/vegetable-fruit/mushrooms/mushroom-substrate/spent-mushroom-substrate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;From PSU Extension&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;Spent mushroom substrate still has some nutrients available for the&#xA;  mushroom; however, it is more economical to replace the substrate and&#xA;  start a new crop. Before removing the spent substrate from the&#xA;  mushroom house, the grower &quot;pasteurizes&quot; it with steam to kill any&#xA;  pests or pathogens that may be present in the substrate and casing.&#xA;  This final pasteurization kills weed seeds, insects, and organisms&#xA;  that may cause mushroom diseases. Users may consider spent substrate&#xA;  clean of weed seeds and insects.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17725" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T17:00:52.020" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33631" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33628" CreationDate="2017-05-30T17:17:10.033" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your CN ratio is off, that's why it smells bad. CN ratio is often referred to as browns to greens, the C standing for carbon and the N for nitrogen. Your grass clippings are high in nitrogen, but the CN ratio should be 4:1, meaning 4 parts carbon or browns to 1 part nitrogen or greens. Your compost has the reverse ratio, and the difference between last year and this is the wood chips, which count as carbon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have nothing else that counts as carbon, you could add some shredded paper, so long as it's not got colour print on it, that would increase the carbon ratio; mix it in well and that should reduce the odour over time. More info can be found here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/browns-greens-compost.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Understanding The Browns And Greens Mix For Compost&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-05-31T10:04:58.700" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T10:04:58.700" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33632" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-30T17:48:15.450" Score="3" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hello,&lt;/strong&gt; I can't seem to figure out what's wrong with my plant, or even find an image on the internet that resembles the issue. It appears my plant has bad skin. It looks sad, but it doesn't smell bad, and the leaves still feel perfectly firm and healthy to touch. It's in a terrarium, and the other 2 flowers in there are perfectly healthy. I've had this terrarium for almost 4 months now. I water it every 3 Mondays, and it gets a full day of natural sunlight 1-2x a week. I've shown it to a few people in my office and they have no idea what the issue is. Hoping maybe someone here might have a solution!&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Akd7t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Akd7t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17727" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T18:59:11.877" Title="Help! What's wrong with my succulent plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33622" CreationDate="2017-05-30T17:49:57.893" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since all seeds may or may not germinate, I recommend you plant 4-5 seeds. I would sow them a few inches apart rather than together (I have done that in the past) so if more than one germinates (which is likely), you can keep the strongest and remove the rest easily by pulling them out.  If you sow them together, pulling one out could damage others since the roots may be intertwined.  If they are farther apart, you can pull them out or cut them from the stem so you don't damage roots of the healthy one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="7081" LastEditDate="2017-05-31T16:37:42.017" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T16:37:42.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33634" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33622" CreationDate="2017-05-30T18:00:41.653" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you really need one plant growing in the center of the pot, then get 3 or 4 pots, mark them with numbers (so you don't bias your experiment by choosing the one that is &quot;growing the best&quot; or whatever) and plant just one seed in each pot. Use the lowest numbered pot where the seed germinates for your experiment You can eat the other radishes in a salad, of course!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it doesn't matter whether the plant is in the center or not, put 3 or 4 seeds in one pot equally spaced apart, again mark the pot with numbers so you know which plant you will keep &lt;em&gt;before&lt;/em&gt; they start to grow, then pull out and throw away all the plants except one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Radish seeds should germinate in 4 to 14 days - if not, you have done something wrong!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T18:00:41.653" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33635" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-30T18:27:11.377" Score="6" ViewCount="94" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've found several of these on our lawn, under our oak tree. We are in Southern Ontario. What might it be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M0LAz.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17728" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-01T17:44:49.613" LastActivityDate="2017-09-05T21:33:09.070" Title="What are these green rosettes popping up in my yard/" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33636" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-30T18:35:45.607" Score="1" ViewCount="138" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's me again. I'm worried this'll be closed as against the rules, but I didn't find anything against posting multiple plants in one question. Maybe I just didn't look hard enough. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyways, here goes. All of these were collected in South-Central Europe, some on fields, some in yards, and some in vineyards or forests. I'll try to give details about each one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nu2Lg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nu2Lg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) A small plant, found in a field. The ball next to it is the root. It has small bag-like accessories on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xp81O.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xp81O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) A woody shrub. From a yard. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4GspX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4GspX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) Small plant with tiny yellow flowers. Found in a field. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RI0Vh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RI0Vh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;4) Small green plant with a fairly stiff and thick trunk near the ground. The flowers pop when squeezed. Found in a field. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dry6v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dry6v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;5) Small plant found in a field. The trunk is stiff. Small yellow flowers, found in a field. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lHXqY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lHXqY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;6) Small plant with fuzzy leaves. Presumably found in a field. There is one small growth of orange hairs on the left side of the trunk. The main trunk is also quite fuzzy itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sBMY2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sBMY2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;7) Small fern. Found near a forest. Apparently, grows in groups with other ferns of the same species and is around 30-40cm tall. The root is very flaky. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MYxFs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MYxFs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;8) See next photo description. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nX7JN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nX7JN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;9) Need help distinguishing two species from the same genus (correct me if I'm wrong but these seem to be from the same genus). The other one is No. 8.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U67RL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U67RL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;10) Small plant found in a field. Very flimsy trunk. The leaves are shovel-shaped and there's only one yellow flower with a small number of petals. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l5LED.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l5LED.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;11) Small plant found in a field, many trunks (I'm saying trunk a lot, forgive me, I do not know the proper word) stemming from one central root. The leaves are needle-like just like with a pine but much slimmer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uv9fP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uv9fP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;12) Small green plant with a very flimsy body. Lilac flowers which stem from the main trunk. The root is very long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZMqsn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZMqsn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;13) Small green plant found in a field. Leaves are parsley-like and it has flowers which are silk-like to the touch. The body is quite firm and juicy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for bearing through this long question. Looking forward to answers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P.S I can split this into multiple questions, just tell me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17682" LastEditorUserId="17682" LastEditDate="2017-05-30T19:14:53.033" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T19:14:53.033" Title="Identifying multiple plants" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-05-30T20:09:37.623" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33637" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33632" CreationDate="2017-05-30T18:45:48.560" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.succulentsandsunshine.com/how-to-water-succulent-plants/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;succulent watering&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am fairly sure this is too much water.  This article actually talks about spraying to water your terrarium.  Hope this helps.  Succulents, as you know, store their own water so once a month watering is normal.  But, if you soak these guys, they have to sit in saturated soil and then we've got compromised roots. The succulents will look as if they haven't been watered because the roots have rotted. Check this article out and give us feedback.  There will be other answers as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T18:45:48.560" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33638" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33547" CreationDate="2017-05-30T18:46:25.433" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The top geranium I'd leave go. The bottom one I would cut right back to the base. I used to take care of residents plants when I worked, they had tons of geraniums.I would just keep the spent flowers dead-headed, they'll recover nicely.You should see the pansies I got off the clearance rack a couple wks. ago, ugh. Now, vavoom!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14436" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T18:46:25.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33639" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-30T18:56:15.183" Score="3" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently moved into a house that has drip line irrigation. There are 4 drip lines on one valve. However, when I turn on that valve, only two of the lines work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other 2 lines do not even have water flowing to the front of the line where it comes out of the ground. Any suggestions on what could be wrong? I'm not extremely knowledgeable with irrigation systems but know the basics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17729" LastEditorUserId="14703" LastEditDate="2017-05-31T01:55:03.670" LastActivityDate="2018-10-08T08:51:25.320" Title="Drip lines not working" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33523" CreationDate="2017-05-30T19:20:41.280" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have a conclusive ID for you, but maybe this will help someone else finish the job. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am convinced this is a member of the Sanguisorba genus. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves, sepals, rhizome, and flower head are very consistent with the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanguisorba_officinalis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Greater Burnet&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Sanguisorba officinalis&lt;/em&gt;), but differs mostly in color and size.&#xA;It's closer in size to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://uswildflowers.com/detail.php?SName=Sanguisorba%20minor&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;small burnet&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Sanguisorba minor&lt;/em&gt;), but the leaves are too different. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope that helps push someone toward your answer. Good Luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17725" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T19:20:41.280" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33641" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-30T19:42:52.200" Score="5" ViewCount="49" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my garden, I currently have one bed divided into sections, but the division is informal. I have alliums planted on the far left, in the middle are peppers and tomatoes, and on the right I have zucchini.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the fall seasons, I want to plant some brassicas, some beans, corn, spinach, etc. I keep reading that certain plants don't like each other - apparently brassicas and beans don't play nicely. But I only have one physical bed. It's probably twenty or thirty feet long, and there's separation between the plants, but it is one bed. Is separating them by type sufficient, or do I just need to not plant brassicas and beans in the same year period? Is following going to be an issue - i.e. given that brassicas apparently don't like alliums, can I follow alliums with brassicas as long as I don't plant them together?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;help? :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17731" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T21:33:03.420" Title="Companion gardening - I only have one bed" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;companion-planting&gt;&lt;crop-rotation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33643" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33662" CreationDate="2017-05-30T20:23:55.493" Score="4" ViewCount="4594" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been working on my garden and had to remove trees, bushes, and the old lawn. I am starting to see new shoots coming through the soil.  What weed killer do I need before I lay a new lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17734" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-05-30T20:28:18.197" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T10:17:03.137" Title="What weed killer should I use before laying a new lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33644" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34290" CreationDate="2017-05-30T21:02:25.367" Score="7" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking at adding a drip-watering system to my garden. I have a garden that is about 500 square feet, with roughly 40 tomato/pepper sized plants, a handful of raspberries, and about 100 feet worth of peas/green beans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to figure out what I need to order from Amazon for a drip system, but it's surprisingly difficult (I can't find any drip system components in local stores to 'build my own').&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guesstimating that I'll need:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;100 feet of 1/2 tubing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;250 feet of 1/4 tubing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;40 drippers for the plants (1 gallon/hour?)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some 1/4 tubing with holes for the peas/green beans&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A bunch of 1/4&quot; connectors&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;regulator&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;timer&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;standard hose adapter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;??&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a good way to design this other than trial/error? I can't find anything online short of overbuying a kit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14703" LastActivityDate="2017-09-16T02:27:38.133" Title="What do I actually need to do in order to size/buy a DIY drip garden watering system?" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33645" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-30T21:20:33.777" Score="3" ViewCount="4973" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ciIci.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've had this cactus along with 4 others for nearly 2 years and it's been transplanted to cactus soil and watered and kept in a warm sunny spot and now it's drooping badly.&#xA;Has anybody got any advice or should I just stake if better than my makeshift job.&#xA;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17736" LastActivityDate="2017-06-01T13:16:40.067" Title="Why is my cactus getting long spindly arms" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33646" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33641" CreationDate="2017-05-30T21:33:03.420" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Companion planting is a huge myth.  Planting a 'trap crop' is different.  That means planting a section in your garden of mustards and young brassicas to attract insects such as flea beetles.  That really works.  Onions do just fine with your broccoli/cauliflower.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best thing you should do is row cloth.  This protects your young brassicas from the flies/moths that lay eggs in the roots.  When the larvae hatch that is what they eat; the roots.  Get some cheapo row cloth.  This protects temperature change as well as not allowing adult flies/moths from laying eggs.  This time period is only a few weeks long.  Then you can remove the row cloth and not worry about your almost mature gorgeous head of cauliflower or broccoli or cabbage dying because the roots have been eaten.  Row cloth is worth its weight in gold to gardeners..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secure the row cloth with soil so the fly/moth is unable to crawl beneath and lay eggs.  Water and light and air are allowed through.  I would water well before installing the row cloth (cheap stuff, too).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes and peppers will benefit, especially with temperature change.  Companion planting?  Heck all my plants are cuddled up and love it...BUT.  Aeration is a factor, pruning and fans are always necessary for air flow to inhibit fungus.  Never a marigold did a thing except attract pollinators.  I always have chunks of flowering plants to attract pollinators (anything that flies really).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are your beds like?  Raised I hope without sides and structure?  What kind of soil do you have?  All soils are super.  The only thing that makes any soil better is the addition of &lt;em&gt;decomposed organic matter&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next year you should not plant any plants of Solanacea (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant) in the same soil.  Brassicas the same!  At least switch ends of the bed...I extend my garden by using pots; always with potting soil in any pot.  There are so many myths out there that are continually being supported and propagated.  Please, just come to this site and ask questions.  We can help you through this maze of disinformation and help you to be successful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T21:33:03.420" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33648" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33622" CreationDate="2017-05-30T23:36:34.150" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I concur with Bamboo, but I might also add that radish seeds generally seem to have excellent germination rates (and they generally sprout fast). So, odds are high that if you just planted one seed per pot, you'd be okay (although I've never grown them in pots or anything but garden soil). However, it's still a risk. If you don't want to risk it, plant a few more seeds and thin, if it won't harm your experiment. If you don't want to select for the strongest, just thin random ones (not ones you specifically choose to thin).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use seeds that say 'packed for 2017' (if you're buying them in the USA) for the best results. That means their germination rates have been tested and are high enough to be sold legally during 2017. Each state has its own laws on germination testing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-05-30T23:44:57.453" LastActivityDate="2017-05-30T23:44:57.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33649" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33482" CreationDate="2017-05-31T00:20:30.943" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Turns out this is related to some excessive and abnormal heat wave we had for a few days.  The plant seems to have recovered, except for the few leaves that got hit with the excessive heat. In hindsight I should have increased the water frequency or times during the heat wave.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-07T01:33:49.340" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T01:33:49.340" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33650" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33483" CreationDate="2017-05-31T00:22:00.903" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I can tell, this seems to have been due to excessive and abnormal heat we experienced for a few days.  I did not increase watering time and should have in hindsight.  Now that we are back to normal temperatures, he newer squash seems to have normal shape and size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-07T01:32:58.757" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T01:32:58.757" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33651" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32991" CreationDate="2017-05-31T00:31:29.720" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have grown a lot of peppers and it looks very much like that.  Can't really tell if these are regular peppers or bell peppers.  Since you did not plant it, the seed got in this pot somehow.  Most likely when you filled this pot with soil you must have taken it from another pot where you previously grew peppers.  It is probably one of the species that is growing in your backyard or your neighbors (carried to you by birds and the likes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T00:31:29.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33652" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31301" CreationDate="2017-05-31T00:37:43.410" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many reasons why this may be happening.  Rabbits, squirrels, mice/voles, cut worms, snails/slugs, etc.  You will have to observe to see if there are foot marks in the soil or by going out at night with a flash light and looking under the leaves.  As suggested by stormy, if you can cover these with a row cloth, the likelihood of damage from rabbits, squirrels, mice, cut worms, etc. goes away.  Snails/Slugs will still be an issue.  Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T00:37:43.410" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33653" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24220" CreationDate="2017-05-31T00:47:28.513" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since the rest of the plant looks healthy, I would not worry too much about it.  Otherwise, it looked like over-watering to me.  Wait for a few days, water less often and see if this spreads or improves.  Unfortunately, it will be trial and error unless you see a pattern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T00:47:28.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33654" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34367" CreationDate="2017-05-31T01:52:53.577" Score="4" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a vegetable garden that is close to a fence which has a random creeper growing over it and two large bushes. I can't make major modifications to the existing garden due to being a renter, although I was able to add my vegetable beds. The garden does get a lot of shade in the morning and afternoon. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a lot of trouble with aphids, locust grasshoppers and caterpillars. Even though using some sprays, I still have trouble. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a previous garden in the same suburb, but without the surrounding shrubbery and creeper I had virtually no problems with pests and never sprayed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it likely that the surrounding shrubbery is causing my pest problems?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17741" LastActivityDate="2017-07-06T15:30:49.400" Title="Do surroundings affect vegetable garden pests" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33655" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32991" CreationDate="2017-05-31T03:35:32.890" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm about 99% sure it's a Capsicum annuum pepper. That's exactly what it looks like, anyway. I don't know any other nightshades that look like that other than peppers (the ones I've seen usually look like eggplants or Morelle De Balbis). I agree with jbcreix that it doesn't look like Capsicum chinense. There are a number of other pepper species, too, and although I think it's annuum, it could possibly be one of the others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing one of your bell pepper seeds just bounced into that pot and started to grow. I had that happen with a tomato once (at least a couple meters away from where I was dealing with my seeds; I'm not sure how it got there, but it did).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also possible that you were cutting up a pepper and a seed got in the container from that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-12-26T05:45:57.917" LastActivityDate="2017-12-26T05:45:57.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33656" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33645" CreationDate="2017-05-31T04:57:03.130" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got to remember that even next to a sunny window, the light is coming from one direction only. In nature outside, light is bounced all over the place and the only direction it doesn't come from is straight down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've also got to remember the pupils in our eyes open wide to let in more light when it's not as bright. To our brain, a moderate amount of light with wide open pupils will look just as bright as full sun with pinpoint pupils. There's no such adaption on plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest to everyone who has a smart phone (who doesn't now?) and loves houseplants to download a free light meter app. It might not be as highly accurate as those meant for photography but it will give you an idea just how dim the light is where a houseplant is placed. Many houseplant sites will give optimal light intensity (measured in LUX) for different houseplants. Until one really knows light intensities well, it's a useful tool to have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When a plant's not growing at its full potential (lower light level or other causes), they shouldn't be watered as often. They don't need as much water, regardless of the plant, nor do they need as frequent fertilizing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's impossible to give your plant a brighter location, you might want to try what I've done - not for a housplant but to develop strong sturdy seedlings - but it'll work for your cactus. Cut out a square or rectangle of cardboard, wider and taller than your plant. Glue or tape aluminum foil to one side of the cardboard so the dull side is hidden. Place that behind your plant so some sunlight will bounce to the back of the plant. Every week or two, turn the plant around so both side will get the same amount of light. Fold part of the cardboard so the plant sits on it holding it in place and rig up cardboard or whatever to keep the vertical part upright.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did a crude drawing on my phone to show what I mean. Sunlight is yellow, cardboard is brown and foil is grey. I hope my description and drawing is understandable. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ldN9L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Drawing Setup&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T04:57:03.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33657" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33678" CreationDate="2017-05-31T06:38:28.113" Score="4" ViewCount="67" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/47mKx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/47mKx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p5ulq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p5ulq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to grow many bonsais (Lemon, Pine, Cypress, Chestnuts, Peach). I was doing fine and all of the bonsais are in the same place. However, recently my lemons started to show some kind of an illness. As in the photos above, their leafs are drying and they have never been anhydrous. I took very good care of them. &#xA;They are in pots outside of my window. The window is looking to north side and there is another apartment on the cross side. So they do not expose to burning sun more than one hour in summers. I live in Istanbul, Turkey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you tell me, why this happens? And how to take care of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14638" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T19:25:19.983" Title="My lemons' leafs are drying. What should I do?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33658" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33645" CreationDate="2017-05-31T07:14:48.730" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know about for cacti, but I have some thoughts that may help you, with regard to spindliness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Light, is, of course, a big issue, but others have covered that (I believe that's probably your issue). However, some cacti do well as houseplants, without loads of light (I'm not sure what kind yours is; you might want to ask for an ID on it in another question if you don't know). Anyway, if plants don't have enough light, they may reach for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your temperatures may have something to do with it. I don't know about cacti, but for such as tomato seedlings, cooler night-time temperatures can help them not to be spindly. Deserts generally have cool nights and hot days; so, I imagine most cacti are used to that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Excess nitrogen (without a proper balance of other nutrients) may also be the culprit. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.npk-university.com/plant_nutrition_nitrogen.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;It may cause an excess of growth, and make the plant weaker.&lt;/a&gt; (The link is about nitrates specifically, but I believe other forms of nitrogen may also cause the same or similar issues.) Excess water may also be an issue (I believe that may increase nitrogen availability, too.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you may be interested to know that &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphorus_deficiency&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;phosphorus affects leaf size&lt;/a&gt;. I'm not sure how that would work out with cactus pads, but you may want to get a soil test and see if anything is amiss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T07:14:48.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33659" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33679" CreationDate="2017-05-31T07:46:17.260" Score="3" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;2 of my potted tomatoes are getting some freckles. They are outside in the sun and moved in each night. T is from 20°C to 30°C, relative humidity ranging from 45% to 65%, and very rarely above that. I am in south central Europe. To me, this looked like Septoria leaf spot or early blight, but i am no expert.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DAWY9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DAWY9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TUpje.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TUpje.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T19:26:30.253" Title="What is attacking my tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33660" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-31T08:26:35.253" Score="4" ViewCount="132" Body="&lt;p&gt;The question is about the size, ratio and composition of the drainage and soil layers in some improvised &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrarium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;terrarium&lt;/a&gt;. It's made out of a 8'' (20cm) truncated/shaved off glass sphere (basically a cookie/candy jar); accessories include some colorful fish tank gravel, activated coal, a nylon bag, some potting and dark soil, as well as a couple of small random plants...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WJiqR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WJiqR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Maintaining the soil moisture&lt;/em&gt; is &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/5424&quot;&gt;difficult&lt;/a&gt; even with an adequate drainage layer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's theoretically possible to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/14056&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;restrict root growth&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;; a smaller&#xA;area to grow roots in means less soil to grow in I would imagine.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How deep the root zone is &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/3603/17747&quot;&gt;varies&lt;/a&gt; from plant to plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Coal is only a must in you have a closed up terrarium.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen different types of layering, proportions, even mixing the coal with the gravel or even with the soil in some instances... is it just about aesthetics?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Is there an ideal drainage to soil layer ratio in a terrarium; is it 1:1?&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How would you setup the layers here, in particular the soil layer, so&#xA;as to restrict root growth and ultimately constrain growth to the jar; 1 inch per?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In terms of composition, how much coal does one use and is it layered above or below the gravel, or would you mix it in any other way; does it matter where it is and can it be detrimental in some cases?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do you see any issues with having the soil layer made out of different types of mix (such as potting and this dark mix) side by side?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user17747" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T08:26:35.253" Title="Is there an ideal drainage to soil layer ratio in terrarium etc.?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33661" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33681" CreationDate="2017-05-31T09:52:11.830" Score="6" ViewCount="207" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found it while walking in a (wild?) park in Germany. The leaves created a bowl shape container around the trunk where the water is collected! It has about 70 cm height&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c7O0b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c7O0b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17749" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T23:06:15.827" Title="What is this plant!" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33662" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33643" CreationDate="2017-05-31T10:17:03.137" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know what part of the world you're in, so can't know what products are available to you where you are, but in some countries, you can buy what's known as a pre-emergent herbicide, and more information about herbicides generally is here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bayeradvanced.com/articles/understanding-weed-killers&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.bayeradvanced.com/articles/understanding-weed-killers&lt;/a&gt;. However, pre emergent herbicides will not deal with a pre existing, woody plant and stop it growing again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weedkillers, unless they're heavy duty like Paradise, which kills everything for six months to a year and can't be used if you want to grow anything else in the area during that time, are not necessarily a one time application solution, it depends on what's growing and how long its been there. You have said you think you've got some rhododendron growing through - if that's the case, then there's nothing you can use that will kill that yet allow new turf to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The usual advice prior to laying new turf is to remove all pernicious weeds, by the root, as part of preparation for turfing. Woody plants like rhododendron would fall into that category, and if you're anywhere in Europe, you won't find a pre emergent herbicide available for use by amateur gardeners either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the rhododendron has been there years, you need to extract what root you can, and if there is a large, woody root or two that you cannot remove, then you must treat with a brushwood killer. Again, not knowing where you are means particular products cannot be recommended.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T10:17:03.137" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33663" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-31T10:24:54.837" Score="3" ViewCount="55" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please find attached picture of my pumpkin shoot. The leaves show a whitish appearance. I am growing it with vermi compost and cocopit mix. Can somebody tell what has been happening with the plant lately? I am very much worried. I am staying in india and currently its a rainy season.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hRn1C.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hRn1C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16489" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T10:24:54.837" Title="What is happening to my pumpkin shoot?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33664" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-31T11:46:57.570" Score="6" ViewCount="115" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant was collected in a field South-Central Europe. Assume the height of the photo is 20cm. These are all small herbaceous plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hXz8w.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hXz8w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ball next to it is the root. It has small bag-like accessories on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17682" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-01T16:48:57.183" LastActivityDate="2017-10-01T17:37:23.807" Title="What is this small field plant with a tuberous root?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33665" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33661" CreationDate="2017-05-31T11:53:52.353" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pretty sure this is some kind of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thistle&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thistle&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More precisely this looks to me like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://inpn.mnhn.fr/espece/cd_nom/91300&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cirsium Canum&lt;/a&gt; (you'll see there its rather located in east France, so could be in Germany too).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get convinced, here is a picture of this I found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botanickafotogalerie.cz/fotogalerie.php?lng=cz&amp;amp;latName=Cirsium%20canum&amp;amp;czName=pch%C3%A1%C4%8D%20%C5%A1ed%C3%BD&amp;amp;title=Cirsium%20canum%20|%20pch%C3%A1%C4%8D%20%C5%A1ed%C3%BD&amp;amp;showPhoto_variant=photo_description&amp;amp;show_sp_descr=true&amp;amp;spec_syntax=species&amp;amp;sortby=lat&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QgVkd.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QgVkd.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or it could be &lt;a href=&quot;https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cirsium_monspessulanum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cirsium monspessulanum&lt;/a&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture I found with that name, also similar to yours, but its also very close to &lt;em&gt;Cirsium Canum&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9TJIf.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9TJIf.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-05-31T16:50:17.923" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T16:50:17.923" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33666" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-31T12:02:37.570" Score="5" ViewCount="17531" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3e077.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white spots appearing on several leaves from the mint pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been keeping this mint plot for several weeks and it has been growing just fine. Yet just today I noticed there's some white spots on some leaves surface, tried to clean with Q-tip but they just stick there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering what has happened and, if I'm going to use those leaves for cooking would that be fine will those spots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some information : I grow the mint plant with a pot in the balcony, the weather here is dry and warm with quite a lot of sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17750" LastEditorUserId="17750" LastEditDate="2017-05-31T13:11:52.040" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T18:41:48.920" Title="Tiny white spots appearing on mint leaf" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33667" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33622" CreationDate="2017-05-31T12:17:35.490" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;One option (as with all, depending on what you are seeking to find) is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Germinate the seeds first, e.g. using paper towels kept constantly wet for a few days.  Then just divide the seeds into germinated and not germinated (a binary choice will help avoid the 'selection of the fittest' effect mentioned by others) and plant them in pots, one germinated seed per pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7081" LastEditorUserId="7081" LastEditDate="2017-05-31T14:39:07.210" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T14:39:07.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33668" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33675" CreationDate="2017-05-31T12:27:15.493" Score="4" ViewCount="67" Body="&lt;p&gt;This woody shrub from a yard was collected in South-Central Europe. It has slightly lobed ovate leaves, and several clusters of beige flowers on slender stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Aom9q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Aom9q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17682" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-06-01T21:06:36.110" LastActivityDate="2017-06-01T21:06:36.110" Title="Woody shrub with small beige flowers from south-central Europe" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33669" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-31T12:35:48.693" Score="5" ViewCount="574" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently i have been growing okra plants from seeds and i find that out of all the shoots three of them wilted. Completely puzzled on what has been happening to the plants? I have attached a photograph of it. The leaves in the recent shoots have yellow spots on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8LD3d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8LD3d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Recent Okra shoot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16489" LastActivityDate="2020-08-26T21:18:46.320" Title="What is happening to the okra plants" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;okra&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33670" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33666" CreationDate="2017-05-31T14:11:12.763" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like it's probably damage from thrips. The damage is typically superficial unless you get a bad infestation, although the insects are capable of spreading plant pathogens. The leaf and plants are still fine to use. Thrips tend to favour dryer areas, and plants are typically more affected when they are stressed, e.g. from a lack of consistent watering, but some damage may be unavoidable without the use of pesticide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17711" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T14:11:12.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33671" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33622" CreationDate="2017-05-31T15:07:16.707" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would plant several pots, each with one seed (being sure to use sterilised compost)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T15:07:16.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33672" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-31T16:18:09.207" Score="4" ViewCount="7732" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vConA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vConA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is growing in my daughter's garden. The leaves are similar to gladiolus and the flowers are along the stem the same way gladiola blossom are but they are tiny, cup shaped with 4 petals, pale yellow with a deeper yellow in the middle near the stamen and pistils. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully someone can tell me what this flower/plant is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17697" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:01:47.687" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:06:26.650" Title="Plant with leaves like Gladiolus and a tall flower spike with yellow flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33674" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24960" CreationDate="2017-05-31T17:31:42.293" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I own an older 6.5 hp Craftsman push mower from Sears.&#xA;This unit has front wheel drive.&#xA;The manual states to tip it with the carb and air filter facing up.&#xA; If you tip it back with the spark plug facing up,the oil will run out the cap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17754" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T17:31:42.293" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33668" CreationDate="2017-05-31T18:24:37.343" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, my guess is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physocarpus_opulifolius&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ninebark; Physocarpus opulifolius&lt;/a&gt;. Here's a picture of one: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/Ninebark-Physocarpus_opulifolius-01.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ninebark opulifolius&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-01T18:20:23.640" LastActivityDate="2017-06-01T18:20:23.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33676" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33666" CreationDate="2017-05-31T18:36:27.833" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/powdery-mildew&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Powdery Mildew&lt;/a&gt; Warm and dry are the key words to me.  I think this is the beginning of Powdery Mildew.  Is your balcony covered overhead?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Powdery mildew is a great diagnosis as it is the only fungal infection curable after infection.  Bamboo gave me this little treatment a few years ago and by golly it worked; a 9:1 ratio of water to milk! Cool thing is that this can not hurt your plants so go ahead and try spraying this solution on your plants, now.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send another picture or two and one of after spraying...a couple of days after spraying.  A picture of the environment.  More information about the soil in those pots, how they were planted, how long ago, watering habits, fertilizer anything you could imagine really please send along with pictures.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/topics/Article%20Images/defensesfig01.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;powdery mildew on maple leaf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-05-31T18:41:48.920" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T18:41:48.920" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33677" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-05-31T19:11:39.420" Score="5" ViewCount="308" Body="&lt;p&gt;One can find a lot of contradicting information about this topic on the web. It would be nice to have a definite answer to this question. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have a solitary plant (with guaranteed no other plants in the neighbourhood) that produces berries? Or are there any studies that came to a conclusion?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17757" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T12:24:02.450" Title="Is Zanthoxylum simulans (Sichuan pepper) self-pollinating?" Tags="&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33678" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33657" CreationDate="2017-05-31T19:25:19.983" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This happens with many species when water is left 'standing' on the leaves, so &quot;water the soil and not the leaves&quot;. If the brown bothers you, you can cut it off the leaves or entirely remove the affected ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am uncertain, but this may be associated with a fungus. If you want, you can spray with a peroxide solution, which is made by putting 2 tablespoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide (available at grocery/pharmacy stores) in a quart of water, after watering. Peroxide is an antiseptic that kills both fungal spores and bacteria. Peroxide releases reactive oxygen and becomes plain ole pure water, so it is very eco-friendly. At this dilution it will not harm any bonsai (or moss, for that matter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T19:25:19.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33679" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33659" CreationDate="2017-05-31T19:26:30.253" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;septoria leaf spot tomatoes    Sanjihan Even experts are unsure IDing anything via pictures and I have to tell you you are becoming quite the expert.  I am sending this article, this leaf spot is so familiar to me I stop worrying about it once I've gotten plenty of tomatoes from my plants.  Are you going to go for perennial use of tomatoes?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This disease is only seen in my greenhouse/garden, even in pots.  Never in my sanitary grow room.  Simple fungus, spores splash up on the plants, or dust impregnates the spots of water on the leaves.  At least this is not blight.  But it could be...just one spore of blight and then there is nothing you can do.  Kind of a wake up call.  I'd quit watering over head, cover my tomatoes, prune up the lower leaves closest to the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neem is an interesting 'organic' pesticide/fungicide. I never consider this a safe 'organic'.  I also never spray it during the day.  In fact, I like doing dunks at night with smaller and potted plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will be trying to spray Neem on my tomato plants this year, before they flower and subsequently spraying avoiding the flowers.  This is also a shield.  Neem is used to make plant leaves shiny.  Go figure.  Once they set fruit, no more spraying.  And I won't be doing but a few plants.  Tomatoes...can't imagine considering tomatoes as perennials even in a greenhouse.  Once they do their thing they look like awful, sickly plants.  I always thought they were annuals, can't imagine them as perennials. They are fungus magnets in my opinion.  It doesn't help that the spores are in the garden soil you used!  Grins.  I can be a horrible nag!! 'I told you so'...!!!  My poor husband, you've no idea!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hey, my potted tomatoes are always in potting soil.  Just getting dusted with soil with wet leaves is enough and I always get this disease.  So I am just being bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T19:26:30.253" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33680" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33664" CreationDate="2017-05-31T21:09:51.003" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Shoot; #1 my guess is Alfalfa (I've got 3 other ideas...but meadow)? #6 is Stachys lanata, Woolly Lambs Ear.  #8 is a Daffodil #9 possibly Deer Fern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ugh, I don't care if I am wrong...#1 i a buggar!!  American Ground Nut?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T21:09:51.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33681" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33661" CreationDate="2017-05-31T22:41:39.353" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aphotoflora.com/images/dipsacaceae/dipsacus_fullonum_wild_teasel_plant_young_14-06-08.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;teasel Dipsacus fullonum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What a headache and good old pnuts was ahead of me! This is my guess for now...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-05-31T23:06:15.827" LastActivityDate="2017-05-31T23:06:15.827" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33682" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-01T00:04:36.743" Score="2" ViewCount="412" Body="&lt;p&gt;can anyone tell me what this plant is. It is low growing, has medium sized leaves that are rough in texture and robust stems. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KBFN9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KBFN9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EO9Qb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EO9Qb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17756" LastEditorUserId="17756" LastEditDate="2017-06-02T19:00:20.940" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T18:36:45.173" Title="Can someone identify this wild plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33683" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="852" CreationDate="2017-06-01T01:16:34.460" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have exactly the same thing in my shaded and often damp back yard in the Buffalo/Niagara region.  I also used a fescue/rye/blue grass mix when originally planted 4 year ago, if that makes any difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since I live about 100 yds. from a golf course fairway I suspect it is Poa or another bent grass as others have suggested. I'll probably dig it out and reseed during the fall growing period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17758" LastActivityDate="2017-06-01T01:16:34.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33684" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-01T09:30:06.430" Score="5" ViewCount="223" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received this bonsai tree as a gift, but as an absolute beginner I have been unable to identify its species using online guides. I hope one of you can help me out here, so I can care for it appropriately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UrNgd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UrNgd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bonsai tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17762" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-06-02T02:00:00.073" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T09:57:27.860" Title="Help identifying this bonsai tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33685" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33645" CreationDate="2017-06-01T13:16:40.067" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to the light issue mentioned above it is most likely that you keep your cacti too warm and maybe too moist in winter. That causes elongated growth. &#xA;You should water your cacti only maybe once every 4-6 weeks during winter and keep them in a cold (5 - 15 degrees celsius - it depends on the kind of cactus, in your case opuntia which is quite tolerant) and light place. A typical suggestion is a southern window in an unheated stairway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16789" LastActivityDate="2017-06-01T13:16:40.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33686" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-01T13:19:54.970" Score="6" ViewCount="9312" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbour has lots of thorny bushes and ivy that grow against (and more importantly through) the fence on our shared boundary. They aren't the gardening type and have no inclination to remove the plants but I'm getting fed up of trimming them back. The fence is made of very sturdy wooden posts and beams with a wire mesh across them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to know what I could put up against the fence that would stop bushes growing through the mesh. An added bonus would be something that would stop them growing under the fence too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I'm not asking for a specific product recommendation&lt;/strong&gt;, but if you do recommend a product, don't forget to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/help/promotion&quot;&gt;disclose any affiliations&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to know a technique or type of product I could use. Someone suggested putting some &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_nr_n_2?fst=as%3Aoff&amp;amp;rh=n%3A4262899031%2Ck%3Abamboo%20fence&amp;amp;keywords=bamboo%20fence&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1496322885&amp;amp;rnid=1642204031&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bamboo fencing&lt;/a&gt; up against it but I think the bushes would still get through the gaps. I was wondering if there is a type of plastic sheeting or something that could be used?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Here is a photo of the fence, I've added lines to show where the post/beams are.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The gap between the posts/beams is approx 50x80 cm. The posts are approx 15x10 cm  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xo9Sv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xo9Sv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of fence to fill&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17763" LastEditorUserId="17763" LastEditDate="2017-06-01T19:44:20.593" LastActivityDate="2020-12-22T07:27:13.600" Title="How can I stop bushes growing through a mesh fence?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;fence&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33687" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-01T13:23:37.433" Score="5" ViewCount="6863" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking to do some landscaping around our house, and plan to put down a 2-4 inch layer of rock around the foundation of the house, between 2 and 6 feet out, depending on the area. I've dug out the area a few inches down, and now I'm ready to put a weed barrier in. I have heard good things about Dewitt products, and when browsing their website, they sell both &quot;Landscape Fabric&quot; and &quot;Ground Cover&quot;. What is the difference between these two? From what I can tell, the &quot;ground cover&quot; also has UV protection, which I don't need since it will be underneath rock. There will be plants intermittently placed throughout the rock, so I'll be making holes in the weed barrier for these to grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dewittcompany.com/products&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.dewittcompany.com/products&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17764" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T20:05:57.357" Title="What is the difference between landscape fabric and ground cover?" Tags="&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;landscape-fabric&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33688" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33732" CreationDate="2017-06-01T15:16:01.563" Score="8" ViewCount="294" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've used soil pH test kits in the past where you mix the soil with a solution and look for a color change. This works OK for dirt, but sometimes I'd like to know what the final pH of my planting mix is (a combination of mulch, compost, sand, clay). Since my planting mix is high in organic matter (wood, etc.) it doesn't really stir into a solution very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there another type of pH test that would work well for soil with high organic matter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14228" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T22:02:38.497" Title="How to pH test mulch and compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33689" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33687" CreationDate="2017-06-01T17:59:03.850" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, you may not like my answer but this is one of my major pet peeves.  This fabric was never meant to be a weed barrier.  It will not stop weeds.  Installing this fabric is for one reason only and that is to stop what we call 'sumping'.  Not in the dictionary, I've looked, it is what we call it in the landscape construction field.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What this fabric was created to do is to provide a membrane between the soil and rock/gravel. Pressure from above such as walking or driving on your rock and even the weight of the rock itself without a membrane will cause the 'fines' or soil to come up and fill the large pore spaces.  Your rock and gravel will eventually disappear down into the ground and you'll have to replace your rock or gravel every other year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weeds will grow in mulch, rock, gravel just fine.  Seeds blow in or get pooped out by birds and they will grow.  2&quot; of mulch or gravel will block out the light and the weed seeds in the soil will not be able to germinate.  That fabric does nothing for weed prevention.  It does however protect your investment in rock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Used in plant beds beneath mulch infuriates me.  Why?  Because I had to spend time with new clients to explain why I wouldn't take them on as clients if they didn't pay me to take that stuff out of the plant beds.  It was tough work (for my guys as well) and a big bill, but amazingly I never lost one of those clients.  Mulch is weed control and fabric is just worthless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The worst part is that fabric stops the entire cycle of 'feeding' the soil organisms.  Soil organisms, both micro and macro are only able to get their energy from decomposed organic matter.  Plants need these soil organisms for many reasons; tilth of soil that allows air pockets and great drainage, chemicals (fertilizers added later) to be incorporated by the soil, these organisms are essential for uptake of these chemicals and the improvement of soil over time.  Soil organisms come up to the surface if there is decomposed organic matter, eat and then go back into the soil profile to poop it out, mixing these organics into the soil for you.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My favorite mulch, where I used to live and work, was called Gro-Co.  Human poo and sawdust completely decomposed so it was no longer the same ingredients even chemically.  Sadly, I have found this is not available everywhere.  Smells wonderful, looks gorgeous (dark taupe, extremely fine, no lumps, no sticks, no rocks, &lt;strong&gt;no weed seed&lt;/strong&gt; and no &lt;strong&gt;pesticide residues&lt;/strong&gt;) and has nitrogen incorporated.  A bit high on the heavy metals so it isn't to be used in vegetable gardens.  However, our tap water shows higher levels...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2&quot; of this every other year is the best weed barrier in the world!  You have to replace it because those soil organisms are loving this stuff.  It is already decomposed!  They are mixing it into your soil for you.  It is the best thing for smothering weed seeds.  I used to just dump it on lawn areas I wanted to make into plant beds.  The next year, decomposed grass and no weed seeds.  And it is gorgeous (I am a Landscape Architect which means I am trained to know what is gorgeous and what is not, like artists and composition).  And it smells just yummy, I kid you not.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were you I'd call your water/sewer utility people to see if they make this stuff where you live.  It won't be called 'Gro-Co' as that is the name Sawdust Supply used in the Seattle area.  The bagged stuff I've found is not thoroughly decomposed and stinks.  The federal government is involved with the companies who want to make this product. They test this product 5 times before being allowed to the public.  I have to say this again, my guys were blown away at their next visit a week later at the difference in the health and beauty of the plants at the site we had just installed this stuff. The clients were mine forever.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are not able to find this product in your city use the &lt;strong&gt;finest ground pine&lt;/strong&gt; bark available.  Don't waste your money on cedar.  Takes too long to decompose to be available to the soil organisms.  Sprinkle alfalfa pellets (used to be kitty litter but now I've found Rabbit Food is the same) on top of the new finely ground bark.  This is nitrogen and the first thing that happens with anything newly dead is it has to be decomposed. Decomposers have to have nitrogen to do their work.  They will use the nitrogen in your soil and make it unavailable to your plants to do their work.  Adding a bit more right in the bark will greatly enhance, speed up decomposition without taking away chemicals your plants have to have. The other soil organisms go dormant or die until there is 'food' to be had.  Once the decomposers have started their work and there is decomposed organic matter to feed the other soil organisms, they wake up and their eggs hatch and you've got a live, healthy soil again.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am glad that you asked before purchasing this 'weed fabric'!  Some marketing genius thought to 'add' that to sell more fabric but totally a lie.  And detrimental to boot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-01T17:59:03.850" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33690" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33686" CreationDate="2017-06-01T21:10:51.390" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am very biased against any fabric of any kind in the garden so I am trying to disregard the fabric suggestion.  Although, in this application it would make sense albeit ugly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you talked with your neighbors?  In any boundary problems it is imperative you strike up a conversation with your neighbors.  You are not allowed to cut or trim in anyway that will harm any plant growing on their side of the fence, even weeds without incurring major ramifications.  If your neighbors got huffy they would hold the upper hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From your point of view the problem is maintenance of this 'fence' as well as controlling the ivy and other plants from intruding on your property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I would do I'd dig a narrow trench down your side of the fence.  Install some galvanized metal, 10&quot; deep.  That will help stop outside plants from growing into your yard.  I doubt that you would be able to kill that ivy but do be careful if you run into critical root/trunk systems.  I would purchase, if you do not already own, a great reciprocating hedger.  I prefer gas powered but electric will do to keep the ivy a neat looking fence.  Far better than that plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a beautiful but higher than normal fence material.  Use that ivy as a backdrop to some stunning perennials such as Crocosmia, the yellow one with a soft hedge of Quick Silver Hebe (need your zone) in front of your perennials. That is just one idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep your plants away from that fence by a foot so you have easy access to trim your 'fence' 3 or 4 times per season.  I have been involved in the most insane and ludicrous law suits between neighbors dealing with less that you are now.  The best thing you can do is to make lemonade from the lemons so to speak.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also go look up 'noxious weed management' for your area/country.  In our country, English Ivy is one of the top ten worst weeds, seriously.  You could use that in your communication with your neighbor as a bit of power, and use it judiciously.  Nicely.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, thorny plants make excellent barriers for 'bad' guys. I don't see those plants in the picture but if they are there all the better.  I hope this helps.  Nothing is easy dealing with a boundary between neighbors.  And a little bit more exercise is worth a good relationship with any neighbor as well as not being dragged into court and the ensuing ramifications!  No one wins 'cept the lawyers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-01T21:10:51.390" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33693" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33701" CreationDate="2017-06-01T23:11:12.247" Score="8" ViewCount="8565" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two cucumber plants in pots (pics below) the one in the terracotta pots is a type of slicing cucumber and the cream colored pot is pickling cukes. Neither are burpless. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read that moving and transplanting cucumbers can do a lot of damage but the pots appear to be too small. I don't know much about growing cucumbers, but I know I always transplant my tomatoes into big 5gallon buckets after they've reached about a foot tall but they transplant easily since they're in the nightshade family. These are both about two feet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just bought a trellis to put behind them between the pots and a bench. What should I do? Should I leave them in their current pots because it'll do more damage than harm or transplant them? If so, how big should the pots be? Is there anything special I should do to prevent shock? Also, when I remove the rigged wire trellis's I have now, is it okay to snip the viney, spindly light green vines that have curled along, or do I gently unwind them?&#xA;Please help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/45luP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/45luP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pickling cuke 2&amp;#39;7&amp;quot; incl.pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PAgMo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PAgMo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Slicing cuke 2&amp;#39;4&amp;quot; incl.pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-01T23:57:43.380" LastActivityDate="2021-03-22T00:00:55.007" Title="Can I transplant the cucumbers in these pictures?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33694" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33686" CreationDate="2017-06-02T00:00:11.923" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I second the idea of getting a gas powered hedge trimmer.  I would cut that crap back enough so you can get in between the fence and the bushes and then you can go in there every once in a while and trim it back with your hedge trimmers.  Either that or just accept that the fence is now ivy, and just use the trimmers to keep it where it is.  English Ivy will crawl through any fence unless there are literally no gaps.  And even then, it will just crawl up the back side and come danglin' over taunting you.  ;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-06-02T00:00:11.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33695" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33696" CreationDate="2017-06-02T00:10:10.997" Score="4" ViewCount="5272" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had my Ming Aralia for about 2.5 years now and it would occasionally drop leaves and branches. As of this spring (approx 1.5 months ago) the leaf and branch dropping accelerated to the point that even new growth is quickly yellowing and dying. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I previously posted about the same plant here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/20542/what-kind-of-tree-is-this]&quot;&gt;What kind of tree is this?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1OenS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had fungus gnat issues in the past, but I rarely see them near the plant now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water it occasionally, but not excessively. It gets moderate sun throughout the day, and the weather has been humid but not too warm or cool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions as to what I should do? Really old growth is still present, but as you can see in the pic below, nearly half the branches on one side have fallen off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1OenS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1OenS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dropped branches&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h2oBB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h2oBB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;New growth still happening&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4F8MW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4F8MW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves and branch turn yellow and drop&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qybr5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qybr5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Left side has almost completely dropped&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11959" LastActivityDate="2017-06-02T12:19:59.320" Title="Ming Aralia is turning yellow and dropping branches" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;dead-branch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33696" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33695" CreationDate="2017-06-02T00:37:16.103" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The usual cause of yellow leaves is overwatering.  I don't see a drainage tray on the pot but even so as the typical soil less mix ages it compacts as the organic matter is used up.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I recommend removing it from the pot and examine the roots.  White or brown are good to go, black or soft and mushy is root rot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put a few inches of fresh soil less mix in the bottom of the pot.  Trim the root ball at the bottom and replace in the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If possible move to higher levels that are still diffuse. An east or sunny north window should do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2017-06-02T12:19:59.320" LastActivityDate="2017-06-02T12:19:59.320" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33697" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33725" CreationDate="2017-06-02T02:10:23.697" Score="3" ViewCount="3159" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did a soil test of my backyard and am unsure how to proceed with the results. My calcium at ~546ppm is way over. No idea how to lower that or if I should even worry about it. Sulphur is high at ~15ppm. I had wanted to lower my pH slightly but with the high sulphur I'm not sure that's possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was planning to start a twice-a-year topdressing with compost and sand to help level all my dips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a Zoysia/Bermuda mix yard in what I think is clay soil. I'm told my neighborhood was basically built on top of limestone and they had to haul in all the topsoil, of which I don't have much, and another reason why I'm topdressing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With their fertilizer recommendations and my topdressing, is the high &lt;strong&gt;Ca&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;S&lt;/strong&gt; something I can do about and/or should even worry about?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cHMub.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cHMub.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Soil Test Results&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15468" LastEditorUserId="15468" LastEditDate="2017-06-02T03:25:05.890" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T02:27:15.410" Title="How to manage soil high in calcium and sulphur?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33698" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33729" CreationDate="2017-06-02T02:52:40.640" Score="2" ViewCount="675" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few of my beet plants (~5%) have these odd skin-like bubbles forming on one or two of their leaves.  When I pop them they're filled with these patches of black particles (possibly dead pests of some sort?).  Any ideas what they're from, and/or if they're malicious?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in the high desert in Albuquerque, NM where it's been oscillating between intense sun, cool (40s-50sF) nights, and spotty rain.  I have had an outbreak of leaf miners on the beet leaves and nearby on some cauliflower and spinach leaves.  Could this be related?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yUJDP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yUJDP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Top of the leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XZXep.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XZXep.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Back of the leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/exMaQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/exMaQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Top after popping&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17712" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T18:16:24.380" Title="Beet leaves bubbling" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;beetroot&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33699" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-02T03:01:55.137" Score="5" ViewCount="8849" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to grow indoor plants that my pet bird can eat. I have wheat grass (cat grass) that has done very well, and he loves it but I also read that birds can eat chia, the plant and the seeds. I can't seem to find chia seeds at any of my garden stores and do not want to buy a chia pet. I don't find them nearly as attractive as growing a plant in a regular pot. My holistic food store and one of our high end grocery stores sells chia seeds. Can I just plant those? If not, why not? Is there anything extra I'd need to do first before planting like soaking to germinate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastActivityDate="2019-03-03T02:52:50.050" Title="Chia seeds:can I plant food grade chia seeds?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33700" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34828" CreationDate="2017-06-02T03:52:38.717" Score="3" ViewCount="1622" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am putting in a new garden and thinking about putting our compost pile in one corner.  Will this attract harmful bugs to any degree that may interfere with the health of the plants growing nearby?  Are there any other drawbacks to siting the compost heap in a vegetable garden that I should consider?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10880" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T21:13:18.807" Title="Compost pile in vegetable garden area" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33701" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33693" CreationDate="2017-06-02T04:43:51.250" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's true that cucumbers are best planted as seed in the location in which they will grow. There are however many considerations to work through when contemplating a relocation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I'm thinking in this situation...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Leave in small pots:&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no risk of transplant shock; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water daily; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;apply tonic (such as seaweed emulsion) weekly; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;apply fertiliser fortnightly;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;greater risk of plant disease; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;expect smaller plants with low yield / small crop. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Transplant to large pots or into ground:&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;risk of transplant shock; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water weekly; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;apply tonic (such as seaweed emulsion) fortnightly; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;apply fertiliser monthly;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lower risk of plant disease; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;expect larger plants with higher yield / larger crop. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also what season are you currently in? Heading into winter or summer? I'm assuming the latter. So you should be in peak growing season, ensuring the plants are at their greatest potential for adaptation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally the plants would go into the ground or those 5 gallon buckets you use for your tomatoes, or larger if possible. The more good soil you can provide for your plants the happier and more resilient to pests it will be. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Untangling the vines would be a difficult task, however necessary if you want to transplant. You'd be better cutting the tendrils that have latched onto the trellis and cutting the vines that have wrapped around the trellis. This may seem difficult to do but the plant will heal and will, for the transplant, provide a smaller plant that will have a greater chance of recovery. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you'll be attempting to achieve during transplant is &lt;strong&gt;minimal&lt;/strong&gt; root disturbance. Do not water for at least a day before transplant. A dry soil is more likely to hold together than a wet soil when removed from a pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure that if you decide to transplant, have everything ready so all that is needed is to turn your cucumbers out of their existing pot, carefully place in their new larger pots, carefully fill soil around the edges and finally water in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A reminder that what you'll be attempting to achieve during transplant is &lt;strong&gt;minimal&lt;/strong&gt; root disturbance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you water in the transplanted plants, make sure you include a liquid tonic such as seaweed extract or bacterial &quot;probiotic&quot;. This should help your plant minimise &quot;transplant shock&quot; and repel any pests and disease. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly it's worth mentioning an alternative - that you could also set up the new larger pot/s, buy two new advanced cucumber plants from a local nursery and plant your existing and the new plants at the same time, so that if you did lose the older more advanced plants at least you would be likely to retain the smaller less advanced plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16488" LastEditorUserId="16488" LastEditDate="2017-06-02T04:50:56.113" LastActivityDate="2017-06-02T04:50:56.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33702" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26780" CreationDate="2017-06-02T06:11:41.037" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like there is a company called Tar &amp;amp; Chip Ottawa that installs resin bound permeable driveways.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17769" LastEditorUserId="17769" LastEditDate="2017-06-02T06:18:24.150" LastActivityDate="2017-06-02T06:18:24.150" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33703" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-02T06:50:24.740" Score="3" ViewCount="607" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree has just recently got these marks on all the leaves and there's no new growth this year. I'm afraid it's dying but is there anything I can do?&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eGT4h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XGucF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16044" LastEditorUserId="13895" LastEditDate="2017-06-03T00:14:03.513" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T00:14:03.513" Title="Is this bay tree dying?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33704" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33686" CreationDate="2017-06-02T09:05:36.177" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was just thinking about something that may solve your issue, today (before I saw your question).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could pile all your weeds and lawn clippings against the fence and let them compost (use the fence kind of like a compost bin). If you have enough weeds or lawn clippings (we have lots of fast-growing weeds, like prickly lettuce, lambsquarter, mallow, amaranth, foxtails, grasses, morning glory, creeping charlie, catnip, horehound, etc.), it should accumulate enough to block the ivy and such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the fall, you can always rake the compost back over your soil, and heap up the weeds again in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I'm wanting to do that with our neighbor's metal fence, currently (not to block plants, except for our own weeds on that stretch of ground, and our neighbor's weeds that come through the fence, but because it sounds awesome, in order to make disposing of weeds easier, increasing compost, keeping hard-to-pull weeds by the fence down, etc.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-06-02T09:12:05.240" LastActivityDate="2017-06-02T09:12:05.240" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33705" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33693" CreationDate="2017-06-02T09:26:32.753" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't transplant them if I were you. I've tried transplanting cucumbers before and it wasn't a successful experience. However, if you do, you may experiment by soaking the roots in water until the roots grow and heal some before transplanting to see if that helps. I don't know if it'll help, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try a few things instead of transplanting:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant new seeds in the soil (recommended).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Layer your cucumbers without transplanting them. What this means is you can put your pots where you wanted to transplant your cucumbers, and bury portions of the vines in the ground; and, let them grow roots. When they have roots, you can either leave them attached (I would probably do that, personally), or cut them off after they're doing well enough. Be sure to water the container enough until it has roots in the ground. (I'm not sure how you'll know if/when it gets roots, though.) &lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.com/books?id=I4TABAAAQBAJ&amp;amp;pg=PT62&amp;amp;lpg=PT62#v=onepage&amp;amp;q&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Layering cucumbers is a way to prolong your season, even for those grown in the ground, I've read.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Take cuttings.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bury the whole container deep enough such that the roots may grow out of it and into the ground. Soil from above the container will leach nutrients into the container when you water it. This should work, but I've never tried it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-06-02T09:45:28.197" LastActivityDate="2017-06-02T09:45:28.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33706" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33713" CreationDate="2017-06-02T09:27:29.183" Score="4" ViewCount="1260" Body="&lt;p&gt;am trying to grow tomato seeds , the initial stage was successful and my seeds are germinated , i have separated seeds and placed them in cold drinks disposable glasses , i water them and have placed them in my room window , but they are not growing they are dying with germinated two leaves , i do not know why they are not growing and keep dying ? Is it because i have not placed them directly in sun light or what ? here in our city temperature is high its about 40 Celsius , enough temperature to burn these new born plants.  So any suggestion or anything am doing wrong ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tpxiw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tpxiw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dying&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MDp0v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MDp0v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;healthy&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;thanks   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update :  new soil mixture : sand + red soil + canals soft soil + natural compost&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WbBnw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WbBnw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;new soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cP1n3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cP1n3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;new soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17771" LastEditorUserId="17771" LastEditDate="2017-06-10T06:24:09.950" LastActivityDate="2018-12-06T18:32:46.673" Title="tomato seeds not growing" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33707" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-02T10:40:09.217" Score="2" ViewCount="49" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it important for at what angle I mount a mesh water filter? What positions are acceptable?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t2U4R.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t2U4R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mesh-filter-water&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Details: this is connected to urban potable water tap from in an area with medium hardness water. The reason for putting is because I have a dripline and mini drippers and I want to avoid clogging. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My intent is to mount it under the tap, so the flow direction would be from up to down. I suspect it does not matter how I mount it as long I can access it for cleaning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17772" LastEditorUserId="17772" LastEditDate="2017-06-04T10:29:46.203" LastActivityDate="2017-06-04T10:29:46.203" Title="How to position water mesh filters?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33708" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33716" CreationDate="2017-06-02T11:33:00.510" Score="3" ViewCount="188" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine in Maine sent me this picture of a plant in her yard to identify.  She is worried it might be Poison Sumac, but I have my doubts.  Sorry, only one picture.  Zone 5&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xYRNR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xYRNR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T00:58:20.567" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T00:58:20.567" Title="What is this plant with compound leaves growing in Central-Maine?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33709" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33563" CreationDate="2017-06-02T12:28:38.113" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's in the &lt;em&gt;Prunus subg. Padus&lt;/em&gt; commonly known as bird cherries, chock cherry, hackberry, hagberry,  Mayday tree.  Don't think it is &lt;em&gt;Prunus maackii&lt;/em&gt; because of the yellow center to the blooms in your picture; &quot;maacki&quot; is pure white.  It could be &lt;em&gt;Prunus virginiana&lt;/em&gt; which is native and of which you are at the edge of its range.What elevation are you at?  A few species can exist at Colorado's elevation.  There is a number of Prunus plants in this category, and without a shot of the bark of the trunk, it's impossible to be sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastEditorUserId="17642" LastEditDate="2017-06-05T23:29:25.907" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T23:29:25.907" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33710" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-02T12:38:32.093" Score="4" ViewCount="284" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a chilli plant that's on its second year of fruit production. On a couple of chillies I noticed these bumps or loops growing out of the top of the chillies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See the photographs below for an example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4dRzP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4dRzP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AFI1R.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AFI1R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's causing this deformity?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="478" LastEditorUserId="478" LastEditDate="2017-06-05T11:49:53.927" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T11:49:53.927" Title="What are these loops on my chillies?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33711" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33697" CreationDate="2017-06-02T12:58:33.827" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I find them very strange.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;High sulfur is (as far I know) not problematic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;High calcium is common in chalky soils (so also in clay soils).  You will find some method to reduce it (which is the same to reduce pH), in past questions in this site.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I recommend just to adapt, and choose species that like calcium. There are many, also because it is a common soil.  On a small part of your garden, if you want some acid plant, you can change the pH of soil, but I really don't recommend to do it on a large surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm much more worried about low values of P,K, Fe and B, which are essential for growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-06-02T12:58:33.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30614" CreationDate="2017-06-02T14:05:02.807" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This fruit is called a bitter melon. The vine on which it grows is called cerasee. Make no mistake about the  fruit though. When it is ripe, it is a beautiful orange color on the outside. The seeds on the inside have a thin red flesh covering them. This flesh is edible and  sweet. When boiled, the leaves and vine yield a greenish yellow color. You may drink this as a hot tea or cold. Beware it is EXTREMELY bitter. This is where the fruit gets its name. The tea builds your immune system and rid your body of toxins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17773" LastActivityDate="2017-06-02T14:05:02.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33713" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33706" CreationDate="2017-06-02T15:59:59.390" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to say for sure, but here are a few observations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;That soil looks somewhat unfit for seedling production. Start with a commercial garden soil or preferably a product labeled &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/#q=seed+starting+mix&amp;amp;tbm=shop&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;seed starting mix&lt;/a&gt;&quot;. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do those drinking glasses have adequate drainage? You need to water seeds and seedlings frequently, but the soil has to be loose enough for those tiny roots, and the soil needs to remain well drained.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;40&amp;deg; C (104&amp;deg; F) is typically too hot for tomato plants. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/tomato/growing-temp-for-tomatoes.htm#sthash.ITjAidgq.dpuf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Garden Know How&lt;/a&gt; suggests a constant temperature between 14-16&amp;deg; C (58-60&amp;deg; F). Depending on the variety, you may want to wait for more temperate days and cooler nights. If that is not an option, they will need the brightest, indirect (or filtered) light you can muster &amp;mdash; maybe tolerating &lt;em&gt;some&lt;/em&gt; direct sunlight in the early morning and evening &amp;mdash; but keep them out of that hot midday sun until they become better established.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="85" LastEditDate="2017-06-26T20:01:43.937" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T20:01:43.937" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33714" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33710" CreationDate="2017-06-02T18:17:00.803" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Virus_Pepper.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Major virus of peppers&lt;/a&gt;  I am not sure of course but peppers like their sister tomatoes are fraught with disease and a second year?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I see are soft, sunken lesions as well as the mutant pepper coming out of the proper pepper.  Reminds me of boles on pine trees. Virus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check out this article and let me know what you think. I am fairly sure this is a virus and as such I would get rid of those plants.  They would be done.  Get rid of the soil and plant material.  Not in compost you might want to use for tomatoes, peppers, egg plant, potatoes or anything in Solanaceae family.  I'd bag and then dig a big hole somewhere and bury.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have an out of doors garden?  Did you use garden soil?  That would be the vector.  Never use garden soil for pots.  Pull up all the potting soil/disease/insect problems when garden soil is used for pots.  This is why I never ever use garden soil to plant plants or start seed in pots.  Just basic, sterilized store bought potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps someone else will come up with a better answer.  I hope so but I think not.  Yes, you can harvest the chilies cut off the sunken lesions, roast them (better than drying at this point) and eat safely.  But those plants if infected with this virus need to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check with your local Cooperative Extension Service to find how to properly dispose.  I'd like to know if you used potting soil or garden soil or added some non sterilized mulch.  Sorry.  This is how we learn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And, I have got to know if these peppers are strictly indoor plants.  If so I am amazed you've gotten this far!  Do you use artificial lighting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-02T18:17:00.803" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33700" CreationDate="2017-06-02T18:38:19.583" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The compost pile will attract mice and other rodents.  I have experienced this from my own backyard and these rodents will eat your vegetable plants or vegetables.  Having a compost bin is a great idea but it will attract unwanted pests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-06-02T18:38:19.583" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33716" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33708" CreationDate="2017-06-02T18:48:10.610" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is Smooth Sumac unless my eyes are seeing serration that is not there.  Here is a link for Smooth Sumac, a boon to wildlife.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jsY7G-2z-w4/VNmz4LM7aII/AAAAAAAAEEo/4WkjAdYBATo/s1600/sumac1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;smooth sumac&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-02T18:48:10.610" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33523" CreationDate="2017-06-02T19:55:50.350" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks likes the beginnings of blue Hobbit stikle&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3MfuP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3MfuP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O8EHc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O8EHc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CcKBK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CcKBK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastEditorUserId="17631" LastEditDate="2017-06-03T20:56:30.237" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T20:56:30.237" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33718" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-02T20:00:24.193" Score="5" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is similar to the wandering Jew. Has reddish purple color leaves on the back of the leaves. Turn's upwards at end as if to be a climber.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iKT9Y.jpg)similar&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iKT9Y.jpg)similar&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What plant is &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iKT9Y.jpg)similar&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17775" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-06-03T00:14:23.517" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T00:14:23.517" Title="Help me identify what this plant is?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33719" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33718" CreationDate="2017-06-02T20:36:23.360" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sure looks like a wandering jew to me. Some are even more mind boggling reddish purple, too. That plant needs more sun. Get it closer to a window, not in direct sunlight but you could hang it very near and get it used to more sunlight. Sunlight and chemicals in the soil is what plants have to have to make food for themselves. Otherwise, they die slowly. During the summer I always take my indoor plants outside on a covered porch, no acclimation involved so they are able to get as much light as possible to withstand the dark winters. Otherwise they are long term perishables.  How long have you had this plant?  If it is recent it is probably still using chemicals applied by the nursery.  So no fertilization for at least a month.  Get Osmocote 14-14-14, follow directions.  Give no more at all until a good 3 to 4 months have passed.  In half a year a larger pot would be in order and please only use plain potting soil.  Does this answer your question?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-02T20:36:23.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33720" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33721" CreationDate="2017-06-02T20:40:31.247" Score="3" ViewCount="198" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bougainvillea plants, two feet high, and bound to stakes, &#xA;are planted one foot from a fence, and are meant to eventually cover the fence.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can they be left bound till they are stronger and the branches are thicker and longer or is it best to cut them loose?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="865" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-06-03T03:05:08.437" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T03:05:08.437" Title="Bougainvillea, keep bound or cut loose?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33721" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33720" CreationDate="2017-06-02T22:17:56.243" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Bougainvillea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;care of bougainvillea&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wish I had Bougainvillea worries!  Yes, pruning is essential.  I would not use the fertilizer the second one suggested as that will enhance vegetative growth not reproductive growth (flowers).  Equal or Nitrogen less in percentage than the Phosphorus and Potassium.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would un stake your plants and allow them to get stronger and climb for themselves.  This will cause a much stronger 'trunk'.  Any staking makes for weakened plant structure.  Just like having a cast on your arm, your muscles atrophy big time in just a few months.  If you have high winds or animals, then a simple chicken wire cage would protect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Key is competition with grass or other plants for chemicals necessary to make their own food and energy.  What are you doing for fertilizer.  This is a tough and sensitive part of engendering a plant's strength.  Plants have to have chemicals (others call this 'nutrients') with which in combination with light the plants make their own energy or food.  Just a little too much and you kill your plants.  Providing none and your plants die a little slower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send a picture of the environment, the plant and the fence.  That will help tremendously.  As well as any information you could possibly add even if you do not think it is pertinent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-02T22:17:56.243" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33722" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33723" CreationDate="2017-06-03T00:08:15.193" Score="4" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZYNsB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZYNsB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R5t1K.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R5t1K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have avocado trees which sometimes attract rats.  There are also rabbits in the realm.  Before we got a dog in our backyard, rabbits used to be seen coming out from under our shed.  Are there any ways to know what pest is harming the plants just by observing the damage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Ventura, California.  The dog has also killed opossums, so I know they're also in the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14621" LastEditorUserId="14621" LastEditDate="2017-06-03T00:28:56.100" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T17:00:45.447" Title="What's eating the tomato leaves?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33723" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33722" CreationDate="2017-06-03T00:17:53.360" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I very much doubt rats.  They go for the real calories, like avocados, tomatoes, not the leaves.  Now rabbits love leaves.  Easy to fix, get your plants up where bunnies can't reach.  Sit your plants if in pots on top of other pots.  If in the garden, encircle with chicken wire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rats will climb most certainly but I doubt it is for leaves unless your neighborhood is really really careful about food for rats and they are starving.  It would be handy to see the damage and know more about food sources for both.  How tall are these trees?  Do you entertain giraffes for instance? Deer? Koalas?  Bear?  Rabbits can climb but not that high.  Rats, definitely if there are more high caloric goodies as I am sure there are.  Not leaves.  What makes you think of rabbits or rats?  Have you seen either? Tell us more about your environment to include your zone, locale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These new pictures look like rabbits.  For some reason I was thinking avocado trees.  Easy enough to fix.  Killing rabbits will never work, not even temporarily.  Get a roll of chicken wire, very cheap and install so that you can bury some of it.  I'd use dimensional lumber and make panels that look wonderful.   I love the rabbits. Baby bunnies disappear quickly.  But my green house is secure.  I also feed my rabbits and have hay strewn around from feeding my horses.  If they got desperate they could dig beneath I guess but that won't be happening.  I also feed the deer and elk with a few bales of mouldy hay.  I feed the dang neighborhood and feral cats so they don't kill all the baby bunnies.  My greenhouse garden is quite safe.  The cats keep the rats and mice and bunnies in control.  Harmony in the woods so to speak.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-06-03T17:00:45.447" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T17:00:45.447" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33724" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33693" CreationDate="2017-06-03T01:34:02.107" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, these answers are quite logical and good.  I have to say I would definitely transplant these very healthy plants into a larger pot; 5 gallon would be perfect.  I would also start others so you have more longevity and more produce but I think most people think plants are more fragile than they really are...I sincerely hope you use bagged, sterilized potting soil in the new pot, no rocks or gravel at the bottom and only add a bit of OSMOCOTE extended release fertilizer 14-14-14 for the new soil.  Plants love transplanting...fresh soil, more room, a few broken roots actually enhance root growth.  Where did you read that the nightshade family is easily transplanted?  Potatoes hate and will not handle transplanting.  Eggplant and peppers so so.  Tomatoes, love transplanting as do cucumbers.  Cucumbers are not part of the nightshade family.  Make sure you use potting soil.  Transplanting is not the big huggaboo many people imagine.  It is part of raising vegetables in pots.  Before a vegetable grown in a pot can reach harvestable it will need at least 3 or 4 transplantings...for health and harvest.  Potting soil only.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T01:34:02.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33725" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33697" CreationDate="2017-06-03T02:27:15.410" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think your idea of top dressing the lawn with compost is a good one.  Do that.  Adding organic material to soil is almost always a good thing.  Is grass growing alright there already?  Just keep adding compost and overseeding until it fills in.  I wouldn't worry about the excess calcium and sulfur.  Soil tests are generally catered towards farmers and optimizing food production.  For a lawn, it's not that big of a deal.  In fact my soil has tested out with very high calcium because it is primarily clay, but that has never seemed to affect anything negatively.  I would however try to raise those NPK values by adding an organic fertilizer twice a year when you add that compost.  Good luck.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T02:27:15.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33726" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-03T08:22:10.847" Score="6" ViewCount="1895" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two years ago I planted a local ash tree in a pot in my balcony. It shares a fairly a pot with a maple and oak that you may see in the pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ash has been the quickest to grow and at this point I would like to experiment and try to convert it into a bonsai. I let it grow for a while to allow the trunk to widen, and it is now 70 cm tall, and a truck thick enough for my taste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a new bonsai pot and my plan would be to move it there when it is ready.  I thought the first step would be to trim it down to a reasonable height, but I am not sure where to cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this picture you can see the tree, and I marked how much it grew last year, and how much has it grown so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hfxg8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hfxg8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;How much this ash tree grew last year, and how much has it grown so far.&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the following picture I marked the places where I considered cutting the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut #1 would be at the spot right where the tree stopped growing last year and would leave the tree without leaves. But it would have a desirable height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps it is more intelligent to make the cut at #2, so it still keeps 4 branches, giving it a better chance of recovering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cuts #3, #4 and #5 are just marked to facilitate discussion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A week ago I pinched the tree at #6 in the hopes I could keep it from growing, but all I have achieved is the appearance of 2 extra buds in between the top branches and the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LDCuA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LDCuA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the repotting, I was thinking that I should first do the trimming on its current pot, wait a while for the tree to recover and then repot it. Does that make sense?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15017" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-10T11:58:22.380" LastActivityDate="2021-02-10T11:58:22.380" Title="Where should I trim to convert this ash tree in a bonsai?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="33727" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33735" CreationDate="2017-06-03T13:41:46.083" Score="5" ViewCount="461" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a rose bush in the front yard and several in the back yard which just started exhibiting the issues show in the pictures. I live in Missouri and these bushes have been healthy until this. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NHIXk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NHIXk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pic1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H1vbC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H1vbC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pic2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cXeWN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cXeWN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pic3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11520" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T21:30:14.043" Title="What is wrong with my rose bushes?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33728" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24945" CreationDate="2017-06-03T17:17:19.210" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;On planting, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Sunchokes-or-Jerusalem-Artichokes&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wikiHow&lt;/a&gt; advises:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;After you have planted the rhizomes in the soil, you will want to water thoroughly until some drains through the bottom of the container. Sunchokes, like sunflowers, appreciate water, although many people have had success growing in dry climates. 2&quot;-3&quot; a week should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Therefater, for watering &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.harvesttotable.com/2009/03/how_to_grow_sunchoke/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Harvest To Table&lt;/a&gt; advises:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Sunchokes grow best with an even, regular supply of water but can survive long periods of drought once established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is typical of Helianthus (sunflowers). &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipdia&lt;/a&gt; mentions &quot;Jerusalem artichokes are easy to cultivate, which tempts gardeners to simply leave them completely alone to grow.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/vegetables/jerusalem-artichoke&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;RHS&lt;/a&gt; has growing advice which includes &quot;Keep well watered in dry weather&quot;.&#xA;If the plants are too healthy they can become a nuisance, why a degree of neglect has been chosen deliberately by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-grow-organic-jerusalem-artichokes-2539639&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Colleen Vanderlinden&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Less coddling (less amending of soil, less watering, no fertilizing) seems to help keep them under control as well -- they have not been nearly as invasive in my garden using these methods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless excessive, watering is likely to have little impact on the speed of sprouting, that may depend more on temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T17:17:19.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33729" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33698" CreationDate="2017-06-03T18:16:24.380" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could be spinach leaf miners - they're a pest on beets as well. The blisters are caused by the tiny maggots inside the leaf, that's likely what the black bits are that you can see now  you've popped a blister.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's no real solution other than trying to keep them out in the first place by using row covers or something similar - more info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/gardening-qa-why-are-my-swiss-153766&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/gardening-qa-why-are-my-swiss-153766&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T18:16:24.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33730" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8348" CreationDate="2017-06-03T19:19:56.587" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;From first hand experience I can tell  you YES, it is poisonous and I almost died from SKIN exposure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was summer, I had been off work and gardening a lot to fill my spare hours waiting for job offers to come in.  Unfortunately I'd also been drinking a lot of beer for a few weeks, perhaps my liver was overtaxed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was sweating, and handling synthetic 10-10-10 fertilizer with my bare hands.  I thought nothing of it, had done it before with no ill effects noted.  However this  time, perhaps it was also that the dust got on my arms, or that I didn't rinse it off soon enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way, about 15 minutes later I barely had any strength, fell to the floor and could not sit up.  I asked someone to get me a beverage but the idiot stood there dumbfounded instead of just doing it ASAP - Enough water might have helped but since the person there couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time, let alone pour some water into my mouth, at least I managed to convince them to call 911.  My breathing was labored and I felt close to death, and I am not one to feel like that - it was a very new, scary experience that I have thankfully not encountered again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was very dizzy and barely conscious for the next few hours, with the hospital just observing me, offering no further treatment than the saline IV I had been given in the ambulence on the way to the hospital.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I drank about 1.5 gallons of water and excreted it fine, trembling and room spinning.  It didn't help that I didn't realize at the time that the curtain around my bed was waving a lot from the central air blower so when I thought I saw it moving, it really was moving (lol).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I am now extremely cautious about fertilizer contact and know for certain that plain old 10-10-10 is bad news.   I do still use it bot won't even put it on my lawn unless it's supposed to rain soon, so that pets won't have excessive contact until it rains in.  Granted I have a flat lawn so that runoff isn't an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17783" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T19:19:56.587" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33731" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33682" CreationDate="2017-06-03T19:23:58.687" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might be cardoon. I have not grown it myself so I am not very familar with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T19:23:58.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33732" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33688" CreationDate="2017-06-03T19:33:46.833" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Take a handful and mix it in a cup of distilled water or some other low mineral water. Stir and let it settle, then check pH of the water. Quantities are not critical. I use bromthymol blue—it is a liquid used for aquarium water. The range is 7.4 to 6.0, as I remember. I have never been a fan of the paper test strips, although I had unlimited access to all ranges through my employer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-06-06T22:02:38.497" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T22:02:38.497" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33733" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20048" CreationDate="2017-06-03T19:36:58.900" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should use rich soil and a balanced NPK fertilizer but supplement it with additional N and add calcium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This promotes good, fast growth, but leaf size is a matter of the strain of coriander and especially the temperature.  In many regions it is considered a spring and fall crop because once temperatures get above about 75F and the plant has matured a few weeks (at most), it will bolt and produce much different looking thin lobed leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're growing it for the cilantro leaves, not the coriander seeds, then your best bet is having a lot of grow area.  Rather than trying to get each plant large for more leaves, you want more plants in total, but you don't want them spaced so closely together that more energy is put into stem length.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When harvesting leaves, thin each plant such that leaves aren't overlapping each other as much.  This tends to mean pick them from the middle, not the ones hanging out on the edge which are a quick lazy way to get some to use, but will make the plant produce more stem to (lower) leaf ratio.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as watering goes, if they are in pots, try not to water enough that any water runs out the bottom of the pots.  If they are in the ground, try to resist watering until they show signs of droop, then give that soil a good 1&quot; X area water volume as a start, then adjust to more water at a time if you find that you have to water more often than once every two days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When watering, try to avoid getting the leaves wet as they are thin, delicate leaves and water can easily cause magnified sun damage.  Also avoid foliar feeding since that makes it all the more of a hassle to rinse the leaves sufficiently prior to consumption, as they are easily bruised in handling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17784" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-03T20:25:40.933" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T20:25:40.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33734" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33566" CreationDate="2017-06-03T19:53:42.687" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants need certain light spectra, typically some from each the red and blue ranges. An incandescent puts out a full range ( typically) , but fluorescent and LED put out specific narrow ranges. One place you can find this information is lighting for aquarium plants. I have moss just like your photo and it thrives on  indirect natural light all day . My hunch is that it does not need a dark period and the spectra is important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T19:53:42.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33735" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33727" CreationDate="2017-06-03T21:30:14.043" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sawfly larvae is your problem with the white marks.  Also, you need to get those flowers off your shrubs, do not allow them to go to seed, this reduces the vigor and the plant's own defenses.&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2477.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;roses sawfly larvae&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T21:30:14.043" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33736" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33726" CreationDate="2017-06-03T23:11:48.397" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the hard and fast rules is to never prune more than 1/3 of a plant at one time. # 3,4,5,6 are redundant unless done 2 or even 3 months apart.  How long has this tree been in this pot?  Does it have drainage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonsai are not indestructible.  Perhaps the answer was meant for the Ash tree?  To get this tree to be even close to Bonsai will take years to achieve.  Especially this large.  Do you know about root pruning?  The balance necessary between photosynthetic growth and the root system?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A Bonsai pot will not have drain holes.  The only type of planting in a pot that dictates no holes.  Instead, the mass of roots that have been pruned and babied to match the needs of the top growth which in turn has been pruned and babied to match the size of the root system, will suck up the necessary water without need of drainage.  Bonsai pretty much require daily watering (dunking) depending on their size and environment.  And this tree is far from being put in a Bonsai pot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think this tree is a bit big to play Bonsai with...I am not an expert.  A good reason I am not is because I haven't had the time and energy it takes to do Bonsai correctly.  I would not try doing Bonsai without taking a major series of classes, hands on classes taught by a Bonsai Master.  Not a Lowe's mass producer of Bonsai that sells to the public.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I love this art form.  It is the ultimate man in harmony with plant situation.  If one doesn't understand plants, growing them the normal way, one will experience failure.  Japanese culture owns the most knowledgeable of all gardeners in the plant/landscape world.  And they do it very well.  They create landscapes that look like nary a human has stepped foot in the landscape. Forget Buddhas and pagoda statuary. Not at all a part of their expertise.  Bonsai is for the elite of the elite Japanese Garden Masters.  Tiny, miniature landscapes that are perfectly believable when you find yourself ant size!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the rules to decide what plants to use for Bonsai is either incredible fine textured bark on trunks and stems that are easily formed using pruning skills and copper wire for instance and better, tiny leaves or fine, fine textured top growth. Large leaves are not desired.  Think of model making, like trees on the landscape around train sets.  Fine texture is necessary. That helps with the illusion of miniature. Sure there are wonderful large leafed Bonsai but the tree is usually 2 or 3 feet not one foot and the coarse texture was exchanged for fine textured bark, easy control of the trunk(s).  A plant that was amenable for choosing buds to enhance, could deal with root pruning easier and sooner for instance in exchange for the perfect tiny leafed specimen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not saying your ash tree would not be a good specimen.  I am saying I am loudly recommending taking classes.  You have your 'model' for class!  The Maple beside it is only getting its roots entwined and like Siamese twins one or the other might die in the process of surgery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like the multiple trunk Bonsai!  But you've got a long way to go before doing any pruning.  Pruning the top growth will only energize the entire plant to grow more quickly.  Root pruning is critical.  Fertilizing just enough is critical.  Just chopping this guy off does not a Bonsai make. Such a super time to take a Bonsai class!  From a Master.  If they don't speak English shoot go learn Japanese or Korean or whatever.  They will be teaching hands on anyway!  You will know if you screw up let me tell you!  Grins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T23:11:48.397" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33738" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33684" CreationDate="2017-06-03T23:48:01.490" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I vote Callistemon or Bottle brush as your Bonsai;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaitreegardener.net/types/flowering-bottlebrush&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bottle brush Bonsai&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-03T23:48:01.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33739" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33523" CreationDate="2017-06-04T01:50:02.303" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;Even though I am no type of botanist, I can't resist a good puzzle. So I decided to look into    &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildflowersearch.com&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.wildflowersearch.com&lt;/a&gt;     and came up with &quot;creeping eryngo&quot; or Eryngium prostratum&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J86uT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J86uT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Eryngium prostratum&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;Note those wild looking sepals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I do see that Christy B. has already proposed a sea holly, and others thought it couldn't be Eryngium at all because of the spikiness of most of those plants. However reading descriptions of E. prostratum, I feel Christy B. is on the right track. But this Eryngium looks like a softer, gentler species than the rest of them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I confess I have never seen this plant at all but I found some more pictures of it on internet for example:    &lt;a href=&quot;https://bwwellsassociation.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/fall-wildflowers-at-rockcliff-farm/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://bwwellsassociation.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/fall-wildflowers-at-rockcliff-farm/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/orYKU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/orYKU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;E.prostratum at Rockcliff Farm&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See the fleshy leaves approx. the correct shape? It looks like the little flowers start out white, &amp;amp; turn purple later. The folks at Rockcliff Farm describe it like this on their website: &quot;Along the water’s edge were small colonies of one of the toughest plants at Falls Lake – Eryngium prostratum – Creeping Eryngo.  It grows at the water’s edge, where it is battered by the waves generated by passing boats, dried and roasted by the sun when the water level drops, and  submerged for days or weeks when the water level is too high.  It responds by blooming 7 months of the year, from July to January.  This plant is easy to miss – blooms are very small, about 1/4 in long, and the leaves are the size of a penny.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;....So that's my guess. Eryngium prostratum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastActivityDate="2017-06-04T01:50:02.303" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33740" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-04T03:05:35.860" Score="6" ViewCount="389" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have about 20 arborvitae trees along my driveway and all are browning. I'm a new homeowner and do not know the trees' history. What sort of issue do the below pictures exhibit? Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in Long Island, NY. I am pretty sure the browning was already present when I moved in in March.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ibb.co/f1bdJF&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Browning arborvitae 1&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ibb.co/mXeAiF&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Browning arborvitae 2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: 1.5 months after applying two rounds of Bayer mite treatment, here is the same set of trees:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ibb.co/h3xin5&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Greening arborvitae 1&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ibb.co/bSzJLQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Greening arborvitae 2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17789" LastEditorUserId="17789" LastEditDate="2017-07-26T23:00:29.990" LastActivityDate="2021-01-11T12:45:52.620" Title="Browning arborvitaes -- why?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33741" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33744" CreationDate="2017-06-04T08:50:26.507" Score="3" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see little pests with white cottons around them on my plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Eqft.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Eqft.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pest Picture 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d9kOj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d9kOj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pest Picture 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14466" LastActivityDate="2017-06-04T14:19:16.397" Title="Little Pests with White cotton around them" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33742" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-04T10:31:49.310" Score="1" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want know what are the best orientations for driplines? especially those that are under the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17772" LastActivityDate="2017-06-04T10:34:11.363" Title="What is optimal orientation of drip holes on driplines?" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33742" CreationDate="2017-06-04T10:34:11.363" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found the answer: best is down or sideways because chance or getting dirt in is lower than if they would be oriented upwards.&#xA;Still, there is not a very big difference between positions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best to keep the line used and to add an air valve that would avoid negative pressure from sucking dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17772" LastActivityDate="2017-06-04T10:34:11.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33741" CreationDate="2017-06-04T14:19:16.397" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are Mealybugs (Pseudococcidae) and you want to do something about them because they bring other problems like mold with them.  Wash the plant down with insect soap which you can get at a hardware store or garden center.  If the leaves are sticky wash them down with cotton balls and rubbing alcohol. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2017-06-04T14:19:16.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33745" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33749" CreationDate="2017-06-04T14:27:40.053" Score="3" ViewCount="10700" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have cleared my garden getting ready to lay turf, but there are plants growing back through the soil. I would like to identify them and any tips on killing them would be greatly appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first plant I believe is some type of creeping vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tGFI4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tGFI4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The first plant I believe is some type of creeping vine&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17734" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T18:27:27.200" Title="What is this creeping vine with arrowhead shaped leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33746" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-04T14:31:26.853" Score="3" ViewCount="113" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am building garden monitoring application and would like to find lists with &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;growing time &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;time to water &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;period to plant &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;of at least the basic vegetables &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17791" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-06-12T09:38:42.367" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T09:45:13.073" Title="Vegetable Grow time and watering Info Table" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33747" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-04T15:13:50.693" Score="3" ViewCount="177" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this in my garden:&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uQb0z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uQb0z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;What type of mushroom is it? What is that ink-like substance? Does it affect in some way to the other plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17792" LastEditorUserId="17792" LastEditDate="2017-06-04T18:22:03.320" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T09:58:00.000" Title="What kind of mushroom is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33748" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33764" CreationDate="2017-06-04T15:56:51.753" Score="3" ViewCount="1434" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pKQrE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pKQrE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I have lesions that resemble gall on my peach leaves. I had this plant for about 2 years now, and it is growing in the ground, not in pots. I live in southern New England.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other leaves seem to be curled with blotchy dark brown spots. Overall the plant just seems sick and not healthy as it should be. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is causing this damage and how can I treat it?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YIKws.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YIKws.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13379" LastEditorUserId="13379" LastEditDate="2017-06-05T01:15:33.347" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T11:05:32.057" Title="What are these galls in my peach leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33749" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33745" CreationDate="2017-06-04T16:00:19.153" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hard to be sure without seeing its characteristic little white morning glory style flowers, but the top picture looks like it might well be bindweed, a terrible pest. Even if you go down deep and try to dig it all out, it leaves behind gnarly twisted root pieces that hide deep under the surface. It is very drought tolerant, and those roots can reside under the ground for a long time and keep renewing this weed in your garden continually. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-06-05T01:59:15.717" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T01:59:15.717" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33750" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-04T17:53:02.230" Score="4" ViewCount="2652" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would be grateful if you could identify this plant please. It has clusters of star-shaped pink flowers with dark red centers. The leaves feel waxy. I live in Northumberland, England.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P4d37.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17793" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-04T22:03:12.760" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T18:19:23.363" Title="What is this plant with clusters of pink flowers with red centers, and waxy leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33750" CreationDate="2017-06-04T18:26:53.893" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoya_carnosa&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hoya carnosa&lt;/a&gt; the wax plant.  It is a member of the Asclepiad species and native to East Asia and Australia. The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b537&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;plant is named&lt;/a&gt; after &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hoy_(botanist)&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thomas Hoy&lt;/a&gt; who was an 18th century botanist and gardener to the Duke of Northumberland. Identification keys are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;clusters of star shaped flowers with a red eye&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a unique scent which some like and others abhor&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;light off white stippling on the leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;climbing habit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;thick leaves with a waxy covering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It prefers bright light but will do with less.  I cannot find references for this but my personal experience is that plants that are pot bound in small pots are more likely to be consistent in flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Insect problems are most common during flowering and include mealy bug and scale. Control with soap and water at 5 ml soap/liter water sprayed and wiped off at 6 day intervals for at least three times is usually effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants do not need to be re potted frequently.  A half strength flowering plant fertilize once a year is more than adequate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not over water.  When out of flower the leaves will become less plump and this is your signal to water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2017-06-04T18:34:22.307" LastActivityDate="2017-06-04T18:34:22.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33752" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-04T18:50:57.753" Score="6" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an alpine strawberry plant which produces fruit (and no runners). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I make a second plant from this one? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I remove the seeds from a fruit and plant them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17213" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T20:52:56.357" Title="Can you plant a strawberry from fruit?" Tags="&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33753" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-04T20:13:21.473" Score="4" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have miniature &quot;balcony&quot; tomatoes which I've planted from seeds last year, and they gave fruit which have been sitting in the fridge slowly drying down and shriveling for about half a year. A few months back I decided to try and plant these shriveled up tomatoes without taking them apart to get to the seeds inside, just to see what would happen. I think all of them sprouted, but there is a noticeable difference in sizes of the new plants. As you would expect, most fruits have produced groups of small saplings, but some have grown into few, but much more massive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can barely see the gaps in soil because I used sprouting pods and planted some of them together into one pot. Why is there such a great difference between the saplings? Is it just because the bigger ones had so few other seeds to compete with for nutrients? Because it doesn't look to me like it would be &lt;em&gt;that&lt;/em&gt; big a deal, but I may be wrong. Could it be because the roots got stuck inside the tomato fruit's skin? Or is it because some fruit have had more time to mature better than others?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5gSqh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5gSqh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2273" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-04T22:07:37.263" LastActivityDate="2017-06-04T22:33:38.530" Title="Why is there such a difference in size between the same tomato plant's saplings?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33754" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33756" CreationDate="2017-06-04T22:14:54.467" Score="6" ViewCount="12333" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently used Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed Sun &amp;amp; Shade Mix to start a new lawn from seed. I believe I followed the application instructions correctly when I sowed the seed 11 days ago, but I'm not sure I used enough seed. I bought enough seed for the square footage of lawn, but the Scotts brand rotary spreader dumped it all out before I could make the recommended second pass. Here are &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/XWANN&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;some pictures&lt;/a&gt; I took today.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YynwS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YynwS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3SnvI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3SnvI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I apply more seed? Will whats growing there expand to fill bare patches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further information:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I live in the Boston area (zone 6).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We had heavy rain (about an inch) on day 1 and 2. We've had two or three light showers (less than 0.2 inches) since then. Air temperatures have ranged from 55 to 80 degrees.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yes, the lawn was watered prior to taking this picture. I installed an irrigation system that I've been using to water the lawn. I've been watering an area when I see that 1/2 to 2/3 of the soil surface is dry.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The original soil was sandy with many rocks. After removing the original vegetation I added about an inch of compost and tilled it into the soil. The other lawncare products I applied were Scotts starter fertilizer and Scotts grub killer (grubs damaged the original lawn), all in accordance with manufacturer instructions. After sowing the seed I spread a thin (less than a quarter of an inch) layer of peat moss.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This area of the lawn gets direct sunlight from early morning to early afternoon.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have a new reel mower that is set to 3 inches.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I used a roller filled halfway with water to compact the soil. I went over everything twice after I spread the peat moss.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15683" LastEditorUserId="15683" LastEditDate="2017-06-05T01:15:43.850" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T22:18:24.580" Title="Did I use enough grass seed on my new lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33753" CreationDate="2017-06-04T22:33:38.530" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Nope, nutrients or rather chemistry is not affecting the size of these seedlings.  It is genetics.  One thing people need to understand is the process of making seeds where one can actually put seeds in a packet and declare it is 'such and such' and you will grow 'such and such'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While growing your own plants and allowing them to make seed (tomato) you have absolutely no idea what pollen has fertilized the flowers and no idea what the genetics (nor genotype or phenotype) will produce.  None.  Pollen flies through the air; from neighbors, tomato production greenhouses, from Home Depot Garden Center.  This unknown pollen is half the genetics that made the seed you are now growing.  Seed to be sold is produced under very strict, sterile, sealed and  controlled environments.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The difference is only genetics.  Go ahead and try to separate into tiny containers (no larger than 3&quot; please) using only potting soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No harm in seeing what happens; you'll get tomatoes for sure.  Use potting soil, start with tiny pots and transfer to 1 gallon pots and then 5 or 10 gallon pots...all with potting soil.  Add a little balanced fertilizer (not compost or any source of chemicals that you have no idea of the percentage you are adding, it has to be balanced)...start with even numbers; 10-10-10 then when the flowering begins reduce the nitrogen so that the number, the first number is less than the other two numbers; 5-7-6 for instance. That encourages flowers and reproductive growth which means tomatoes!  Too little chemistry or a little too much chemistry (fertilizer) is death for plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-04T22:33:38.530" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33756" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33754" CreationDate="2017-06-05T00:06:56.407" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Eleven days your grass should be a bit more lush than what I see.  11 days it should be needing its virgin mow. This lawn needs another week.  What has the weather been like, where is it you live?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, those 'bare' spots will fill in.  If not, you'll be able to tell in a month and be able to over seed.  Use the same seed.  Did you just water this lawn before this picture?  How much have you been watering to keep the germinating seed alive?  This is the only time in a cool season grass lawn's life where shallow, frequent watering is critical.  After the virgin mow one can start training their grass for deep roots by deep watering and allowing to dry just to the point of seeing one's footprints on the grass stay down before watering deeply again.  No sooner no later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know how you prepared your seed bed.  What type of soil have you used?  Did you add anything such as fertilizer or mulch or peat moss?  Is this lawn primarily in the sun with maybe a little partial sun but not shade?  You will need to add fertilizer soon, but tell me what you've added first!  I never use Scott's or Ortho anything with one exception but that is not pertinent here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is your mower capable of being raised to cut no lower than 3&quot;?  Are the blades super super sharp?  Your lawn is not ready to mow for at least another week.  I can see you were using a drop spreader!  Cute!  I like the cheapo Scott's hand spreader myself.  Or a rotary spreader that is far more controllable and being able to make many passes is essential.  Don't use a drop spreader for fertilizer either.  Or you'll get a pattern apparent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The amount of growth you've got is normal for about a week's growth. But that is attributable to many different elements.  Weather for one.  Sun is another.  Soil bed preparation is a big one; did you use a roller to compact the soil for good soil/seed contact?  That should have been used at least 2 if not 3 times over the entire bed in preparation. When I seed I scratch up the surface with a soft rake and then seed.  The more passes the better always in a different direction, pattern.  Just like mowing. After seeding I use the roller one more time.  If you haven't done this, this would account for the sparse germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not to worry.  This can be fixed.  But not now.  Give more information, get your mower blades sharpened (you should have an extra set handy anyway as well as air and gas filters), find non-ethanol gasoline, check your oil, do not over fill.  Tip your mower the opposite direction of the oil tank to get at the blades.  Don't touch the blades unless that spark plug is detached...!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send a picture in one week or before that.  We'll get what you've got growing thick and able to withstand a lawn mower.  And please bag your clippings!  Explain later or there are other answers on how to deal with this beast called a lawn!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peat moss shouldn't be used for 2 reasons.  Makes the soil more acidic (lower pH) and lawns love pH verging on alkaline or at least neutral.  The other reason is peat moss is a finite resource that is critical for the ecosystems it inhabits.  We have to stop using this stuff.  Please get a soil test or at the very least a pH test.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am glad you tilled in compost and that you actually rolled your lawn.  Kudos!  Reel mowers are wonderful but does yours have a bag to collect clippings?  I always bagged clippings.  Always.  There is not a mower alive that can chop clippings up small enough to decompose on the lawn.  Great stuff for compost and smothering weeds, feeding plant beds.  But not lawns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My biggest problem out of the information you just gave was killing grubs.  I know this stuff quite well.  Grubs are controlled normally by soil organisms, birds, moles, voles...they are never a big deal unless one applies pesticide for grubs which also kills all the controlling soil life that normally keeps grubs in control, poisons the moles, voles and birds and the next year you are certainly set up to have a massive grub population that &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt; kill your grass.  You do not want to kill your soil organisms just because of grubs.  Stop using any pesticides.  You might just have to repeat all this work next year but if you don't have a 'live' soil full of micro and macro soil organisms you will always have to kill your soil just for grubs?  Sigh.  This is akin to building a healthy immune system in animals.  I hate to say this but you will almost certainly have a major grub problem next year.  If this doesn't happen it will be a major miracle!  But let's just say your lawn is decimated next year by larvae who eat the roots and crowns of your grass crop.  I would not do seed again.  I would purchase sod after removing the crop you now have.  A sod cutter.  Use this sod for building up plant beds, making new plant beds or smothering a section of your property full of weeds.  Just turn the sod upside down and top with 2&quot; of topsoil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Installing sod will negate any weeds, you will have instant lawn (after a week) and hopefully your soil will be full of life again with which to control grubs.  Are these Cranefly grubs?  Whoever told you to apply pesticide for grubs needs to be thwacked upside the head!  Let me know.  Was it Lowes or Home Depot?  They might have to purchase your new sod.  I am serious.  Definitely get that 'organic' fertilizer I cited and purchase Mycorrhizae fungus if not added in the fertilizer.  This will help build your soil life back up.  Decomposed organic matter will also facilitate life coming back.  We can talk about that as well, later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not worry about stones.  Soil, after all is an accumulation of tinier stones.  I only remove stones that are fist sized.  No problem.  Applying grub killer (please let me know what that product and formulation was) was a huge mistake.  I am fairly sure that pesticide you used for grubs was not specific and it killed all of the life in your soil.  I've seen this happen too many times.  Grubs will kill a lawn within a month right down to bare soil.  Healthy soil will always be able to take care of grubs.  I am not a fan of Ortho or Scotts!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-06-05T22:18:24.580" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T22:18:24.580" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33757" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33750" CreationDate="2017-06-05T00:53:27.800" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;To add to kevinsky's answer, mealybugs and other insects are attracted to the sweet honeydew exuded by the flowers.  Mine actually dripped and was the consistency of thin liquid honey. Make sure to check around the area by your plant and regularly wipe down any stickiness you find. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When the flowering panicle is finished, a long spur is left. Don't remove it! New flowers form from the spur left behind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N5rq2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N5rq2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;long spur left after flowering panicle is finished&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see it on this flower cluster too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HoKBd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HoKBd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;long spur behind flowering cluster&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-06-05T18:19:23.363" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T18:19:23.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33758" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33745" CreationDate="2017-06-05T01:37:03.087" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Using a herbicide on the bindweed is rarely that effective as the root system is far too extensive. I know you don't want to put off laying down turf so I can make a suggestion for &lt;em&gt;control&lt;/em&gt;, NOT eradication. I don't know how large you want your lawn so the amount of work may not appeal to you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wasn't making a lawn but a large flower bed. I cleared weeds and stoloniferous grass along with as much bindweed and its roots as I could. I then used a garden fork to repeatedly dig down and loosen the soil from more roots that I found. I went down around 3 feet and took out every piece I could find. I really went through all the soil! Because I hadn't tilled or chopped the soil up, most of the roots were intact. Their length and branching was unreal. If you've tilled your soil, your task is more difficult as a new plant can grow from each piece of cut root, even if it's an inch long. While bindweed roots can go very deep, most of them are found in the top 2 feet if soil (which is why I went down 3 feet to play it safe).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you've cleared the soil of most (you'll likely think ALL) roots, you can lay your turf. But you'll have to be vigilant to look for any new bindweed attempting to grow from missed roots. If you cut all new leaves formed as soon as you see them, you'll eventually starve out the food stores from any remaining roots. But you can't allow any to grow or food stores will be built up in the roots again and your task will ake much longer. I haven't needed to do this but I've read it can take 2-5 years before no more plants will emerge - unless there are already bindweed seeds in the soil. It's a prolific seeder as most weeds are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry to say but no one method is foolproof. Some feel a herbicide (which I won't use) along with persistent removal of top growth works best. It's still going to take a year or two even using both before your lawn is bindweed-free.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T01:37:03.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33759" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33761" CreationDate="2017-06-05T03:11:28.090" Score="10" ViewCount="5768" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the name of this Southern California tree which has a peeling bark? Have about 18 of these, all are the same kind with their outer bark being soft/spongy. I've attached some photos here too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bark of one of the tree&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/WPZ3Pwg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1st image&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves of the tree&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Xf69NDe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2nd image&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another shot where outer bark was recently peeled out&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/dfttIKu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3rd image&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17797" LastActivityDate="2021-02-28T18:33:51.107" Title="Name of Southern California tree with a peeling bark?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33761" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33759" CreationDate="2017-06-05T06:12:28.853" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like a Cajeput Tree. It grows in southern California, has the &quot;shedding&quot; tree trunk, the leaf shape appears to be a match, (linear) as well as the color of the branches and shoots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y6lNk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y6lNk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uhdSg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uhdSg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hYowF.gif&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hYowF.gif&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yvymY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yvymY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T06:12:28.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33747" CreationDate="2017-06-05T09:58:00.000" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not clear from the comments whether or not you've found the answer to your question, but this is one of the Coprinopsis mushrooms or toadstools, commonly known as Inkcap. They start out bellshaped, then flatten out over time, and the spore print is black - as it deteriorates, it can exude black liquid, which once was used as ink. It's a saprophytic mushroom, meaning it lives on dead matter, and will not be harmful to other plants. Info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprinopsis_atramentaria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprinopsis_atramentaria&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T09:58:00.000" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33763" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33752" CreationDate="2017-06-05T10:35:21.210" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If by alpine strawberry you mean Fragaria vesca, then it's possible to grow them from seed. I have grown them from store-bought seeds and they germinated after a few months because I haven't watered them constantly. Each plant made 3-4 fruits the next year. The plants were not as well developed like normal ones because I have kept them indoors during the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T10:35:21.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33764" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33748" CreationDate="2017-06-05T11:05:32.057" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This peach tree is infected with a fungus called &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taphrina_deformans&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Taphrina deformans&lt;/a&gt; that propagates itself by spores that overwinter on the tree's bark and buds. In the spring it starts a new life cycle, especially if the weather is cold and rainy. It stops its growth when temperatures rise above 82 degrees F (or 28 degrees C), but when the temperatures drop, the fungus will resume its life cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the summer is also cold and rainy, then the fungus keeps repeating its life cycle and causes the leaves to drop, and therefore negatively affects the tree's resistance to low temperatures in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get rid of it you need to use a fungicide. Use the fungicide as stated on the label (too much will make the fungus resistant and too little will not  kill it) and apply on very early mornings, and if not possible, then in the evening. Make sure to apply it on the back of the leaves for better effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If left untreated, it will make the tree lose 80% of its leaves and not being able to feed the fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T11:05:32.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33765" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33771" CreationDate="2017-06-05T11:17:52.180" Score="8" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very chalky soil and I'd like to decrease its pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there plants that can effectively help correct the soil pH permanently?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17806" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T20:39:17.543" Title="Is it possible to modify soil pH with plants?" Tags="&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9529" CreationDate="2017-06-05T13:39:28.460" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is either &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=724&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Woolly Aphid&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=224&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Scale Insects&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17808" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T13:39:28.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33767" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33773" CreationDate="2017-06-05T17:29:14.937" Score="10" ViewCount="45770" Body="&lt;p&gt;I put down some spray Ortho concentrate weed killer almost 2 weeks ago. Now many of my weedy areas are turning brown and look like they are drying up (grass still looks ok).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do I do now? Will the weeds simply disappear? Should I rake them out or pull them up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the weed killer doesn't seem to have gotten all the weeds in the first round: what is the best course of action for getting rid of the remaining weeds? &#xA;If the best option is more weed killer or different weed killer, when will it be ok to apply that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ATf4f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ATf4f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DvdMx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DvdMx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Eyng9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Eyng9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17810" LastEditorUserId="17813" LastEditDate="2017-06-06T19:28:43.767" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T19:28:43.767" Title="What do I do once my weeds turn brown?" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33768" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33767" CreationDate="2017-06-05T18:36:32.080" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can rake them out or leave them there.  I would not pull them out because doing so will disturb the soil underneath and get more unwanted seeds to sprout into more weeds.  In terms of reapplying ortho, follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer.  Are the weeds that have not died a different variety weed than the one that died?  If so, your weed killer may not be effective for the weeds that did not die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-05T21:02:26.030" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T21:02:26.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33769" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33746" CreationDate="2017-06-05T18:44:14.057" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This question comes up every so often on the forum, but I'm afraid you won't find such a thing. There are just so many variables that would make such an app impractical. For example, things that will affect watering time include (but are not limited to): &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;temperature&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hours of sunlight (and note that while this is somewhat fixed by nearby trees and structures that block the sun, it can also vary from day to day due to clouds) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil texture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;proximity of other 'thirsty' plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plant variety&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people do attempt to use a soil moisture monitor, which is more effective than an algorithm would be, but I think the general consensus there is that for most gardeners, there is simply no substitute to spending time in your garden and observing the condition of the plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T18:44:14.057" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33770" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-05T19:46:38.017" Score="4" ViewCount="1095" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a small peach tree last year at Lowes. Last year, it had 7 little peaches that grew pretty nice. In the last year, the tree has grown pretty rapidly compared to how tall it was when I bought it and produced a beautiful display of flowers this spring, but no peaches. Maybe the little chipmonks or ground squirrels grab them as soon as they start budding, IDK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17811" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-05T21:33:46.207" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T17:58:19.160" Title="Why am I not getting any peaches on my peach tree I bought at Lowes last year?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33771" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33765" CreationDate="2017-06-05T20:39:17.543" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In short, no, it isn't possible to alter your soil's ph by growing particular plants - if your soil is chalky, choose alkaline loving plants to grow in it and avoid acid lovers, or grow those in pots in acid potting soil  (ericaceous planting soil).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil profiles and their acidity are largely determined by geography or area, that is, what underlies the soil, so if its chalk or limestone, then the soil will be alkaline.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T20:39:17.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33772" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33752" CreationDate="2017-06-05T20:52:56.357" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to grow from your own strawberry fruit seeds rather than buying seeds, there's some advice here, but its a UK site, so when it talks about 'compost' it means potting soil, and if you're in USA, the recommended 'compost', John Innes, is unfortunately not available where you are. The nearest equivalent I think you would call 'starter soil' for pots or trays, and we'd call it seed and cutting potting compost. According to this, you could just plant a mature, dried off fruit from your own plants - otherwise it tells you how to process the fruits to collect the seeds&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://gardenofeaden.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/how-to-collect-and-prepare-strawberry.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://gardenofeaden.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/how-to-collect-and-prepare-strawberry.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T20:52:56.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33773" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33767" CreationDate="2017-06-05T21:35:16.110" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have to wait 3 weeks or whatever is on the label to overseed.  Exactly what did you use for herbicide?  Obviously broadleaf weed killer.  The only reason you even have that problem is because your lawn is not healthy, lots of bare ground to allow weed seeds to get plenty of sun, moisture and fertilizer to out compete your grass crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We need to help you turn this around.  Pesticides/herbicides are never necessary.  They are like a Band Aid on easily prevented problems. Yes, rake the dead material up and out of your lawn.  Mow no lower than 3&quot;.  This is one of the best ways to stop germination of weed seeds.  Aerate by pulling plugs of soil out of the lawn and leave them where they lay.  Begin a process of watering where you water very deeply (4&quot;) and do not water again until you are able to see your footprints in the grass crop.  That means the blades are not able to stand back up as they are not turgid.  Then and then only do you water deeply.  Never water in between deep watering and those footprints.  What this does is cause weed seedlings to die for lack of water, your grass to grow deep deep roots thus becoming drought tolerant and able to thrive while weeds die.  Mowing 3&quot; minimum gives your grass plants the photosynthetic ability to feed those genetically programed large root systems and have plenty of energy for all other botanical processes.  Plants make their own food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer is as important as water and sunlight for all plants under our management.  Also you need to test the pH of your soil.  If it is below 6.5 you need to lime your lawn. Do not lime unless you have a test.  Never ever water a little every day.  Try not to use Scott's or Ortho products.  I am not some 'organic or au natural lover'...chemicals are chemicals no matter how they are produced.  Filler material is another story.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found after decades of lawn installation and care that this 'organic' fertilizer for lawns was phenomenal.  The words organic and natural and nutrients are so misconstrued I have a hard time using them.  I have only used Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer (proper formulation for the time of the season) and I don't get amazed by fertilizer results. But I was truly floored and impressed.  So much so I promote this 'organic' lawn fertilizer. This truly is worth the extra money, you have to use more of it than the synthetics, it is extended/slow release which I think is far healthier for grass, takes longer to see results, lasts longer and I could not believe the difference.  Doesn't have to be Dr. Earth but look at the labelled ingredients.  There is also bacteria for decomposing thatch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer is normally applied 4X per season for cool season grasses.  Different formulations for each application.  Fast release sells to humans who insist on immediate results.  Extended release means healthier grass and longer lasting chemicals that grass has to have to be vigorous.  You use only 2 maybe 3 applications per season, not 4 so the price is mitigated.  But so worth the extra money and extra passes over your lawn.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if you follow this advice (look up other question answers for lawns on Stack Exchange Gardening and Landscaping as well) you will not have to deal with weeds and that expense and that work.  Weeds are truly over rated in the garden world.  Knowledge is all one needs to deal with weeds and severely reduce any worries about them.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not apply any more herbicide.  It is not necessary nor is it helpful.  If people knew basic management tenets of gardening, lawns... pesticides and herbicides are never needed. And I can say this from decades of being a licensed commercial pesticide applicator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T21:35:16.110" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33774" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-05T22:30:14.427" Score="4" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased three dutch iris bulbs but only have one pot to plant them in. To get this highest chance of something coming through should i just plant one of the bulbs and discard the other two or should I put all three in the pot and update the pot later? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17814" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T22:43:41.000" Title="Best chance of survival one bulb or three in a pot?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33775" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33774" CreationDate="2017-06-05T22:43:41.000" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your Dutch Iris bulbs look like small pointed onions, they should be planted 4 inches deep and 2-3 inches apart - unless your pot is very small, in which case it's probably not deep enough for even one bulb, you can fit all three into it. Plant with the pointed end upwards, water in, and stand the pot in a sunny area. This answer assumes you're not talking about Iris rhizomes for bearded irises. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the pot you have isn't deep enough, don't plant, just go and buy a bigger pot, then plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T22:43:41.000" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33776" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33770" CreationDate="2017-06-05T23:59:57.963" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of reasons but I can give you some general guidelines that will hopefully help you.  Firstly, it takes a few years for a fruit tree to bear fruits in good quantity.  The first few years the fruit production will be limited.  While the fruit tree is growing, regular maintenance is very important to ensure it bears fruit year after year.  Basics like sufficient watering and fertilizing is important.  Also, proper pruning of the tree would help it grow in a right way and be most productive.  Also, when you have an abundance of fruits on a branch, you want to thin the fruits (keep 1-2 and discard the rest when they are small so as to allow the few fruits to develop to full size and not damage the branch).  All this will lead to good quality and right quantity food year after year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-06-05T23:59:57.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33778" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33767" CreationDate="2017-06-06T07:10:44.440" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're going to use a brood-leaf (type) herbicide, always let it be. . . &#xA;They function in a way, that requires them to be left alone. It begins by absorbing the material at the leaf, and despite it's seemingly having killed the plant, it's still working on killing the underlying roots. Hence, leave it be and it'll eventually, simply turn into mulch.&#xA;I see you have what a lot of people in our area are calling &quot;nap weed?&quot; That's not it's name, but it's how it acts. It embeds and tangles itself everywhere and is actually a wimp when it comes to handling physical manipulation. e.g.  if you had a dethatcher, you could rip it out while mowing. (My wife rakes it out of the places it takes over the yard, and within days, the grass is taking hold of it's former real-estate again.)&#xA;Anyway, I only bring this up because its root system is exactly the same, and it returns each spring, or anytime the weather cools off long enough for it to re-propagate. If you're crop of nap-weed is like ours, you've only killed about a quarter of the underlying root system, and it'll just keep coming back. As someone else mentioned, the best thing to do is get the grasses going strong. We tried all the typical seed at the typical stores, finally went and bought a 50 pound bad of field fescue from a co-op. It comes with several variants of fescue, and a tiny percentage of  of other grasses. You can see the different variations of fescues' popping up in different environmental conditions in the yard. Shady, sunny, wet, dry etc. and I think, after four years of trying, this fescue (all by itself - no fertilizers etc. needed) - is finally going to choke that nap-weed out.&#xA;Good luck, it's pain of an &quot;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;imported&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&quot; weed that we didn't have until we started all these &quot;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;great&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&quot; trade deals - like the &lt;em&gt;Asian beetle disaster&lt;/em&gt; that's destroying every plant and tree in the USA. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17818" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T07:10:44.440" CommentCount="15" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33682" CreationDate="2017-06-06T07:46:53.957" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking it's perhaps cow parsnip (&lt;em&gt;Heracleum sphodylium&lt;/em&gt;). I can't be certain as I don't know how commonly it's found in your area although I do know it occurs there. When the plant is still young, leaves may not be as divided or show the 'maple leaf' shape as strongly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a photo of the species from a UK site. I had to download the photo to show. When I tried to add the photo link, it said the format wasn't supported. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/49eXu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/49eXu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you think this might be correct, please be aware that cow parsnip and giant hogweed are very similar looking. But with giant hogweed, you need to exercise caution getting rid of it as contact with bare skin and the plant can result in skin rashes and blistering due to photosensitivity. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastEditorUserId="17278" LastEditDate="2017-06-06T07:55:28.017" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T07:55:28.017" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33770" CreationDate="2017-06-06T08:13:57.757" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any chance it froze during or shortly after the bloom? Depending on the species, most peaches are quite hardy, we have several that tolerate a 25 degree freeze quite well with only, maybe a 5 percent loss of bloom. We got wiped out several times when it went just under 25 degrees. &#xA;Really need some more info though. &#xA;Is this a grafted &quot;mini&quot; tree? &#xA;When you said it grew really fast, makes me think of a graft breaking out and eventually choking off the original mini tree graft? Many times the graft is fruitless, or turns to some fruit other than the originally purchased. Usually apples? Had that happen a few times too. Then the original tree takes off like it's destined for the moon within a year. &#xA;Nonetheless, without more info, I'd go with possibly an unknown frost sneaking in there? &#xA;Did you only buy one tree? &#xA;Store bought grafted trees are a crapshoot. I would always buy no less than two. They might, &quot;say&quot; they'll self-pollinate, but I've seen it play out both ways. &#xA;Remember, you had those peaches once, right after you bought it, (very common) it may well have just been pollinated at the grower, or even the store, and now you have no pollinator near enough to do the job. Next year, go back to the store about a week into the bloom, snare some of the blooms off another, (or go ask a neighbor for a few small branches. Bring them home without too much jarring around, and then make contact from flower to flower on as many of your blooms as possible.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peaches have an extended blossom-to-fruit stage wherein, it takes all the blossoms a considerable amount of time to &quot;come to fruition?&quot; Hence, watch the first ones carefully next year. If you don't see some fruit coming along from the earliest ones, you'll know you don't have a self-pollinator and or, you have no pollinator nearby. Then you best get another tree, or convince your neighbor to plant one?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, when you do get fruit coming on, make certain to wait until they're about the size of a penny, then start pruning. Prune so there is one fruit per six inches of &quot;leafed&quot; branch. The more room and the more leaves per fruit - you give each peach, the bigger the peach. (Peaches are a very needy fruit on photosynthesis)&#xA;NOTE: there's also a rather slim chance of a rare post-blossom blight of one sort or another, and some pestilence(s) that can &quot;rarely&quot; wipe out a fruit tree in blossom stage or immediately thereafter. Pretty rare though especially on a new tree. It usually occurs in areas with large orchards that had historic blights. I say this latter based only on some old timers warnings from years ago? Only seen it on an apple tree probably thirty years ago. . . Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17818" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T08:13:57.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33781" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33706" CreationDate="2017-06-06T08:35:33.523" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Must agree, that soil looks like it's a tight binding, water holding, silt? Tomatoes (and most other plants) would hate that at any stage. &#xA;It also looks as though they're baking. . .&#xA;Try some better soil, or amend what you have with a bunch of broken down natural-matter, leaves, etc.. Then, until  you get some plants up to 4-6 inches, I'd pull them back from the window, perhaps use a light instead until they can start dealing properly with photosynthesis on their own.&#xA;Once they hit 4-6 inches, they need a bigger pot, better soil, water, fertilizer and, if it's really over a hundred degrees F there, you might need to monitor and control their exposure times. That's pretty hot for a non-matured tomato plant.&#xA;Once you get several large plants growing, they can and will protect themselves and create their own mini-environment to deal with excessive heat. &#xA;(We grow 50 plus plants and when they're full size, sitting in the midst of them is the coolest place on our farm to sit when it's 100-110 degrees.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have fun!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17818" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T08:35:33.523" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33783" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-06T11:01:29.090" Score="2" ViewCount="1007" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am wondering if mounting a hose on the house wall is much worse than using LDPE pipes which seem to be the standard for irrigation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found that working with hose is much easier because it can bend much better than LDPE pipes, saving me from losts of L and T sections which are yet another possible source of leaks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: I am referring to use of 16mm pipe/hose for distances like 5-20m around the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the moment I see only downsides from pipes because, if hit, they will crearly break. Also LDPE seems to be rated only for 4 bars, and my water pressure goes close to 5 bars. Even the cheapest hoses do work with more than 10 bars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17772" LastActivityDate="2017-08-06T14:45:00.137" Title="LDPE Pipe versus hoses for garden irrigation?" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33784" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33770" CreationDate="2017-06-06T14:47:37.793" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perhaps pollination is the problem. Plant some plants like lavender or any fragrant plants near the peach plant. This way bees and other insects will be attracted and they will  pollinate the flowers to produce fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also try hand pollination. Usually a paint brush or a vibrating toothbrush is used for that. I hope it works for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17828" LastEditorUserId="17575" LastEditDate="2017-06-06T17:58:19.160" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T17:58:19.160" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33787" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-06T17:34:23.883" Score="4" ViewCount="4915" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in Southern Ontario, Canada (Zone 5).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I transplanted a fairly large Black currant bush two years ago from my friend's garden. While I'm happy to see how resilient this plant is and that even in its first year it produced some fruit, I noticed that the issue we had last year (and I wrote it off to the stress of transplanting and very dry spring and summer) came back. This year we can hardly complain about lack of rain. It rains a lot. Yet, we are experiencing the same issue again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Symptoms: first shriveling/curling of the leaves with some yellowing of the veins, then drying/dying of some tips of the older branches, drying berries that just started to form, then some spider webbing around those spots (not sure if related).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RMY2h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RMY2h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7vUAL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7vUAL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried to prune away most of the problem branches last late Fall cutting down bush by ~30%. It looks a little better this year, but starting this drying out again this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I searched online, but I didn't find anything specific about currants that resembles what we are seeing. What could it be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;update: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tested pH of the soil in a few places in my garden this spring (one test was close to the bush) and it showed to be 6.5.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I first planted it in October 2015, I didn't fertilize at first, but placed sheep manure compost around it before winter (few weeks later) as directed by &quot;gardener friend&quot;. It was a very cold winter (with temperatures below -20 for a few weeks in the row) followed by brutally dry summer. I watered through the summer by hand and added more of the same compost around the bush. &#xA;I applied 15 kg of sheep manure compost again early this spring.&#xA;The bush is close to the lawn on one side and the vegetable garden on the other side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16942" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-07T19:31:10.337" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T19:31:10.337" Title="Why does my Black Currant bush have shriveling/drying leaves and fruit?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;currant&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33788" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33783" CreationDate="2017-06-06T18:37:59.077" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I understand your question; it is whether automatic irrigation through 1&quot; pvc pipe divided into zones and includes a backflow device on your water supply or manual garden hose and sprinklers? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In ground irrigation pipe does not break often.  You have to 'blow out' the system before winter every year and have your system re primed and inspected every spring, usually included when you hire someone to 'winterize' your system.  I am very familiar with in ground irrigation.  What breaks are the heads, even the popups, not the pipes in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But for my own personal gardens/lawns I go the other route; garden hose and&#xA;my absolute favorite are the cheapest oscillating sprinklers you can find. Under $10 bucks a fixture, I always have a few on hand. Never use the expensive brass or any expensive oscillating sprinklers. They end up so wimpy!  The cheap ones out do the expensive in pressure and delivery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oscillating (think fan sprinkler) is far better for soil absorption and especially important on sloped property.  They put out much more water, cover larger 'zones' that can be increased by sitting the sprinkler on a saw horse or whatever, deeply watering faster with no run off.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Automatic irrigation systems remove the owner from the watering process.  I teach how to figure out the amount of water delivered within a set amount of time at whatever the water pressure allowed in the system.  I use kitty cat food cans.  Spread them all over the zone, turn on the zone for 15 minutes (for example) and the amount of water in the cans tells me how much water during a set time (hopefully automatic systems separate plant beds and lawn) all the info I need to set the timers. The gold number is 1 inch per week.  Dividing this amount into the fewest possible deliveries is the goal.  Once per week for both lawns and ornamentals (vegey gardens are different) is ideal once those plants have been trained for deep roots.  (read answers on lawn care, please, on this site).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using manual irrigation is the best way to be involved with your garden and does the best job for your plants and your water bill. Test it the same way using straight sided cans; how much water is delivered within a set amount of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like when we just forget to turn it off and that ground gets soaked!  Then you do not water again until you see 'footprints' on your lawn or your plant beds are dry a good inch to 4&quot; below the surface.  Depends on the type of plants.  Another reason to group like need plants in the landscape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is how you train your roots to be drought tolerant as the roots grow deeper and wider to be able to use moisture 4 to 6 inches below the surface.  This saves on your water bill and protects plants from stress or going into dormancy.  I sure hope I read your question correctly and this answers what you need.  If not, please let us know!  How large is the area you want to irrigate?  What are the differing plant needs?  What type of soil do you have?  In what zone do you live? Are we talking cool season lawns?  Warm season?  Plant beds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T18:37:59.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33789" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-06T20:34:33.280" Score="3" ViewCount="2061" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I am a new gardener, I just have gotten into it in the past three years or so and I finally got in my garden to look the way that I want it to! Obviously, it is a never ending work in progress, but it is my sanctuary and I love it! Recently, I learned about Rose Rosette when I found out that one of my roses was completely eaten up with it. I'm afraid that I am incredibly paranoid now and I'm seeing it everywhere and I'm going to rip all of my roses out in the process!! Can anyone help me determine if I need to get rid of these or if it is just normal new growth?! I'm so devastated, I love my roses!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are the bushes I'm concerned about.. the bottom right is the one I pulled out&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a4Iln.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a4Iln.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17833" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-06T22:57:57.340" LastActivityDate="2017-10-05T18:05:06.350" Title="Is this Rose Rosette or just new growth?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33790" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33801" CreationDate="2017-06-06T21:00:42.367" Score="2" ViewCount="797" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question 1:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;What is the name of this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question 2:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Should I separate &amp;amp; replant individual stalks?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mckX4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mckX4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/776qD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/776qD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Large Leaf; no sign of splitting&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/buuKK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/buuKK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;One large stalk with a single root. Stalk is smaller in size at ground level and increases in side with additional leafs&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thank you&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17383" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T08:15:24.813" Title="Unknown indoor plant; I.D. and repot?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33791" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27092" CreationDate="2017-06-06T22:05:02.650" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rats were eating my tomatoes and cucumbers. They also ate just the flowers from pansies and snapdragons. And they caused around $5,000 damage to my car! It's very difficult to catch rats with the flip style rat traps and not practical with cats around. I used 5 rat bait boxes around my home. If you have pets, use bait that won't harm other animals if they try to eat a dead rat. We also got a kitten that grew up to be a great mouser. Rat problem solved!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17834" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T22:05:02.650" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33792" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33795" CreationDate="2017-06-06T22:13:10.987" Score="2" ViewCount="534" Body="&lt;p&gt;We recently got some Apex 25-foot long (½-inch in diameter) blue hoses from Walmart that are supposed to be safe for drinking purposes. However, when I first turn it on in order to water my plants and such, the water seems fizzy or foamy for about twenty seconds each time (well, once a day or so). Is this really safe for me or my plants? I'm not sure if this will continue indefinitely, but it's been three or four weeks, now. I have three of them hooked together (but it still foamed with two). Our old hoses never did that, and they probably weren't meant for drinking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: The site asked me if the other question solved my problem. It is a similar question, but it didn't solve the issue, as my question was specifically about the fizzy/foamy quality of the water from a specific kind of hose—not about the safety/toxicity garden hoses generally, without regard to fizziness/foaminess (and without regard to whether the hose is advertised as safe for drinking). So, I can't honestly say the other Q/A answered my question  (although I do understand if others feel they are too similar to keep apart, or if they don't feel the question is a good one to remain open).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-06-08T01:13:09.667" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T01:13:09.667" Title="Are my hoses safe?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;water&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" ClosedDate="2017-06-10T17:01:05.577" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33790" CreationDate="2017-06-06T22:19:00.187" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably Philodendron genus.  Yes, transplant that plant into a larger pot.  You've got what a 6&quot; diameter pot there?  Go to 12&quot; for this plant and its size.  Make sure you use only potting soil from a store. Drainage hole.  No rock or gravel below soil and above the drainage hole, lift bottom of pot up off surface with pieces of tile, rock or pot feet for best drainage.  Water when dry do not water until dry again.  Fertilize with Osmocote 14-14-14 twice per year not 4X.  As much sun as you can give it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not try separating this plant.  This is but one plant and is normal.  The larger pot will make all better.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T22:19:00.187" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33795" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33792" CreationDate="2017-06-06T22:24:56.617" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If these hoses are not WHITE, drinking water from them is not safe.  Garden hoses are notorious for carcinogens.  Says right on their labels.  Hoses meant for residential purposes, drinking water even for animals is white.  These are the same hoses meant for recreational vehicles.  All other colors of hoses are carcinogenic.  I only use white hoses to water my horses!  White hoses with a blue line down the side.  Maybe red...but pretty sure about the blue line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also never reuse plastic water bottles, baby bottles made of plastic, put any plastic in the microwave to heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not a great expense considering health of animals to include your kids.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T22:24:56.617" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33796" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33792" CreationDate="2017-06-06T23:33:15.530" Score="3" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;when I first turn it on in order to water my plants and such, the water seems fizzy or foamy for about twenty seconds each time (well, once a day or so).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nothing to get excited about. Dissolved gases in water that's cool since it's been in the water mains underground coming out of solution as the water warms up sitting in the hose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see exactly the same thing if you set a glass of cold water out on the counter - little bubbles form and some stick to the sides of the glass. Cold(er) water can hold more dissolved gas than warm(er) water can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-06-06T23:33:15.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33797" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25215" CreationDate="2017-06-07T01:51:25.857" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;From all the comments and your responses, this is most likely due to lack of sufficient water.  We get occasional heat waves where temperatures are high and the vegetable plants in the raised bed are not able to deal with it.  I have experienced similar problems and watering the plants during those hot days seems to revive them back to normal.  A better approach is to be proactive and water them longer the day before the heat wave hits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T01:51:25.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33798" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32966" CreationDate="2017-06-07T01:55:51.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have strawberries and they grow runners all the time. I don't think you can do anything to coax them to grow runners.  They either do or don't have runners.  That has been my experience so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T01:55:51.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33799" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32960" CreationDate="2017-06-07T02:00:45.740" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in California as well and had a nice basil plant growing in a pot in my courtyard where rabbits or squirrels won't be able to get in.  I encountered the same thing as you where one fine day the entire basil plant was eaten up.  It was the work of rats because I saw some rat poop in the courtyard.  Sorry but basil seems to be very popular among rats.  Who would have thought!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T02:00:45.740" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32632" CreationDate="2017-06-07T02:03:07.170" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;By the very definition, a weed is an unwanted plant.  If you did not plant it there, it is a weed and it certainly does not look like a tomato.  I say get rid of it and grow something you want to in it's place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T02:03:07.170" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33801" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33790" CreationDate="2017-06-07T06:29:41.603" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't believe your plant is a Philodendron but a young &lt;em&gt;Monstera deliciosa&lt;/em&gt;. They're sometimes erroneously called a split-leaf Philodendron. The real split-leaf Philodendron is &lt;em&gt;Philodendron bipinnatifidum&lt;/em&gt; as seen in this photo. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/imIjK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/imIjK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another common name for &lt;em&gt;Monstera deliciosa&lt;/em&gt; is Swiss cheese plant referring to the cut-out nature of the leaves. Yours doesn't show any yet but as it grows, new leaves will start showing fenestration leaves (meaning large cut out sections). When the plant is still young, the leaves are intact and smaller. I know the leaf you're holding looks big but they can get huge - up to one metre (3 feet) long. The plant forms a vine and in its natural habitat can grow 20 metres (66 feet) high, although happily, yours will never get that big! You can see why it got called Monstera.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f5k2r.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f5k2r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This photo shows what the leaves on your plants look like, with a few starting to show the cut-outs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As stormy mentioned, this is one individual plant so don't try to separate it. Be prepared for this to grow lots and perhaps even outgrow it's welcome. I've had to convince people not to buy this plant as they simply didn't have the room for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastEditorUserId="17278" LastEditDate="2017-06-07T08:15:24.813" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T08:15:24.813" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33802" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33804" CreationDate="2017-06-07T07:33:50.600" Score="4" ViewCount="277" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the limiting factor in plants growing and production speed given that all nutrients are adequate in the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some factors I can think of: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;intensity of light &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;concentration of CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; in the air.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some ideas to fix both: you could place reflective surfaces near a your crop. In case of greenhouse, you could also raise CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; levels with a CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; generator. Raising from current 0.04% to 0.5% (12.5x increase) does not require a lot of combustion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't seen anyone doing this. Why not? What are pros and cons and caveats?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T00:57:00.723" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T00:57:00.723" Title="What is the limiting factor in plants growth and production speed?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33792" CreationDate="2017-06-07T07:51:14.043" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The drink water is not always 100% water with some mineral/salts.&#xA;It is just safe to drink.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having seen some aqueduct, I can say that there are some lichens, mosses and seaweeds.&#xA;These are 100% safe, especially in cold and dark environment.&#xA;But on hoses (more light, warmer), they could be more lively (and die) so such &quot;plants&quot; could create some gases and waxes.&#xA;You probably see some of these byproducts.&#xA;I consider them safe, but I would really prefer not to drink from hoses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally water in hoses change pressure and temperature, so there are other effects: CO2 and calcium carbonate could dissolve and react.  See in geology, e.g., the calc-tufa, which is constantly created by slow sources going to lower pressure (outdoor).  This take time, but when you turn off water, there is some time, to have some reactions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why not on the old hoses?  I think because it was old, so less glossy, thus probably there were more deposit and few release of larger material.&#xA;Note: this foam (as I supposed in previous paragraphs) is made by very very very tiny particles, so the deposit are perceptible only on long term, and when they release larger particle, you doesn't see them, but neither the foam.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general I would say it is (in Europe) safe. Carcinogens materials are banned since a lot of time, and release of chemicals must be within certain limits (hoses are considered household object, so controlled).  Just don't drink every day from it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T07:51:14.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33804" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33802" CreationDate="2017-06-07T10:43:43.183" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You haven't seen anyone doing this because it's only some professional growers who do it, or even can do it successfully, and generally only for large scale crops. Increased or stable CO2 levels can only be achieved in airtight or sealed greenhouses, though that does not mean without vents, using very expensive and very large equipment. Ultimately, it's all a question of balance; integration of factors such as levels of sunlight on particular days will mean more or less CO2 supplementation is best, so its a complicated balancing act. The ultimate limiting factor, if you got all the factors such as light, warmth/cold/, soil ph, CO2, nutrients, airflow, disease prevention, will always be the genetics of the particular plant, meaning that, as a simplistic example, a tomato plant will never grow so big as a shrub, it will only ever grow so far and fast as it's programmed to,  even under optimum conditions. Some reading here which demonstrates some of what's involved  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/00-077.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/00-077.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-06-07T18:08:32.170" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T18:08:32.170" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33802" CreationDate="2017-06-07T13:40:02.963" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good discussion but I find it interesting that none has mentioned the pH as one of the most important limiting factors.  The availability of inorganic carbon for photosynthesis tends to increase with greater pH.  The pH also affects plant nutrient availability.  Plant uptake of certain nutrients may become restricted and thus plant yield may be reduced.  Over to you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17273" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T13:40:02.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33806" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33783" CreationDate="2017-06-07T13:43:37.157" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I understand your question correctly, it all comes down to pressure loss, flow, and distance.  I'm not familiar with LDPE specifically, but have used PE.  While the specific numbers might very a little between LDPE an PE the concept would stay the same.  I'm also from the US, but will take a stab at the metric.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're using 15 mm PE the suggested max rate of flow is 0,252 l/s.  Over 100 m there's 1,435 bar loss.  If you're using 20 mm pipe, the max flow is 0,568 l/s with a loss of 1,320 bar per 100 m.  The suggest max velocity is 1,5 m/s, and is what drives the max l/s.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For those in the US that a 1/2&quot; PE pipe with a max flow of 4 gpm.  Over 100 ft there's 6.35 psi loss.  If you're using 3/4&quot; pipe, the max flow is 8 gpm with a loss of 5.84 psi per 100 ft.  The suggested max velocity is 5 ft/s.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have the numbers in metric for a typical water hose, but I think you can extrapolate.  If not, I can do the calculations at a later time.&#xA;To make everything the same, I'm assuming a max velocity of 5 ft/s.  For a 1/2&quot; hose (which I don't see very often), the max flow 3.1 gpm.  Over 100 ft there's a 10.77 psi loss.  I think a 5/8&quot; hose is more common.  For those, there's a max flow of 4.8 gpm, and a 9.36 psi loss over 100 ft.  For a 3/4&quot; hose (also very common here) you have a max flow of 7 gpm, and a loss 7.18 psi per 100 ft.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The basic take away&lt;/strong&gt; is that PE (and very likely LDPE) has less pressure loss, and higher flows rates over the same distance than a typical garden hose.  This may not be an issue for you, depending on how much water you need, and how much pressure loss you're willing to have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing to think about is perhaps LDPE isn't the correct material.  I saw there was also a HDPE, but again I don't know anything about it.  The PE I've used in the US comes in at least 2 thicknesses and seems to handle our typical city water pressure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PVC (typically used in the US for in ground irrigation) comes is a variety of thickness, and sizes.  Most of it isn't UV resistance, but the thicker sizes are actually remarkable strong (Sch 40 is what I typically use for all my irrigation).  It'll hold up to some good wacks with a shovel when buried.  The trade off for thicker walled pipe is increased pressure loss.  It's probably too rigid for your application, but I wanted to throw that out also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T13:43:37.157" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33789" CreationDate="2017-06-07T16:43:46.350" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Symptoms usually appear in July, not in June, and there's nothing there I'd be worried about at this stage. There's certainly no 'witches broom' appearance so far, so I'd be inclined to wait a bit and see what happens. It's not abnormal for new growth on roses to be red, so I'd advocate a 'wait and see' approach until you're sure its rose rosette. The mites which cause this overwinter on the bushes, and are carried passively by the wind as well as being transported by you unintentionally, but grubbing out every rose which produces new red growth is probably a bit of an over reaction right now.This link might be useful in helping you decide over time &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/viruses/rose-rosette.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/viruses/rose-rosette.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only photo which shows something that might be odd is the final one, but it's not terribly clear - it looks almost as if there's lots of new growth which has been flattened or trampled in some way, and the rest of the plant is not visible for comparison purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T16:43:46.350" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33809" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33787" CreationDate="2017-06-07T18:31:44.923" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Decomposed organic matter should never be used as 'fertilizer'. When undecomposed the decomposers use up the nitrogen to do their job. What is left? All sources are different in chemical (nutrient) makeup. That is the thing; none of these manures are balanced. The decomposition itself uses most of the Nitrogen just to decompose. Decomposed organic matter is invaluable as a way to 'feed' the soil or rather the macro and micro soil organisms outside of the decomposers. The only way to improve soil is to add decomposed organic matter, to the top of the soil allowing the soil organisms who have to have only decomposed organic matter for food/energy to come up, eat, go back into the soil and poop it out mixing organic matter into the soil for you without any mechanization. I've been out on a sheep manure and gardening site explaining that sheep manure has to be decomposed as well.  'Hot' means not decomposed.  Has more nitrogen than after decomposition and most certainly can affect your plants primarily because it is way out of balance.  Too much Nitrogen in relation to the P and K will enhance fast growth, weak growth making a plant susceptible to disease.  That manure will be broken down by decomposers who in the process use lots of nitrogen.  Sucks any nitrogen out of your soil that it might have had as well as the nitrogen the manure began with.  Until that stuff is fully decomposed all the other soil organisms go to sleep, dormancy or die.  When there is decomposed organic matter available the soil organisms not responsible for decomposing finally wake up, reproduce, eating this stuff for energy.  That is called a 'live' soil.  Putting bark (not decomposed) or sheep manure (not decomposed) on your soil causes your soil organisms to go dormant until the decomposers have done their job, using up the Nitrogen to do their job.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whether 'organic' or 'synthetic' the chemicals are identical.  No matter their source, a Phosphorous atom is always a phosphorous atom. No differentiation between an 'organic' atom or a 'non organic' atom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have to give your plants balanced fertilizer.  You have to take into account the 'standard' chemistry of decomposed sheep manure.  Haven't been able to find that one yet. Look for an even number of NPK for a balanced fertilizer from a bag.  Or if you want to get into this more, find a formulation higher N in proportion to P and K after the fruiting.  Before that only fertilize with LOW N in proportion to P and K. That promotes reproductive growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If plants are not getting the chemistry they need with which to do photosynthesis, they will be weakened, vulnerable to disease.  Which brings me back to the symptoms of your currant.  I see a number of problems which I believe are the result of lack of chemicals (nutrients) your plant has to have to be healthy and resistant to diseases, insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are you a smoker?  Have you had any friends over that are smokers and have blown tobacco smoke on this plant or handled/touched this plant with tobacco on their fingers?  Tobacco has a gnarly virus which is contraindicated for an awful lot of plants.  This shrub looks like it has Mosaic Virus.  One of the reasons is because there are leaves that look just fine and dandy.  Newer leaves will be allotted chemistry if that chemistry is lacking first.  Your plants show this yellowing on the newest leaves.  I am thinking that these are the most vulnerable leaves to tobacco smoke and therefore are showing the symptoms of Mosaic Virus.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrTcdydQzhZZ90Ai4onnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByNWU4cGh1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=Mosaic%20Virus%20Ribes&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mosaic virus on ribes&lt;/a&gt;.  Check out the dead fruits.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Part of the reason is unbalanced fertilizer but the other would be tobacco smoke.  If no smoker has touched or smoked around this plant, we need to continue this investigation!  Grins.  Let me know.  Hold off on doing anything as yet, okay?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well, if there are truly spider mite on this plant (fine fine webbing in the angles of branches and leaves) or get a cheapo specimen microscope ($10 - $14 on line, Amazon) and look at the leaf undersides.  You should easily see them at 40X.  My cheapo microscope goes up to 120X!  Always important to see your insect before making battle plans.  If there is a spider mite problem, Neem, is the best to use.  Please never spray NEEM during the day, only at night.  Some formulations say 'okay for bees' but I don't believe them.  Spray only at night. Get the undersides of the leaves, too!  Take a picture if possible of the webbing at least to send.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-06-07T18:42:28.113" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T18:42:28.113" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33810" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33814" CreationDate="2017-06-07T19:25:28.633" Score="2" ViewCount="642" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Hoya has been hanging for most of its life. Recently, we moved and there are no hanging spots with enough light. Currently, it is sprawled out on my counter, but I would prefer more structure. Can I use a moss support to structure my Hoya??&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MudJ8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MudJ8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17383" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T20:35:57.397" Title="Can I use a moss support for my Hoya Plant?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;support&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33811" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-07T19:37:51.703" Score="4" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gcO4u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hv0NG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/69VyY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/69VyY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It just started growing in my garden and I don't know what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17842" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-07T23:39:31.850" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T21:13:59.533" Title="Please help me identify this flower" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33812" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33811" CreationDate="2017-06-07T20:12:02.167" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might be a &lt;strong&gt;Philodendron Bipinnatifidum.&lt;/strong&gt; However, to be sure, it might be helpful to know your location, more about the area it is growing, and have a picture of the top of the leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears similar to this plant: &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/20713/identify-this-houseplant-with-large-green-split-lobed-leaves/31484#31484&quot;&gt;Identify this houseplant with large green split lobed leaves&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;I would have just commented, but do not have enough reputation to comment yet&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17383" LastEditorUserId="17383" LastEditDate="2017-06-07T20:21:38.233" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T20:21:38.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33811" CreationDate="2017-06-07T20:28:44.780" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is one of the Arisaema lilies and not Philodendron (which has white flowers, not red) - but need to see the upper side of all the leaves present to be sure. It looks as if the flower is going to be typical of Arisaema, though it's not opened yet, but they do have this speckled or blotched look to the flowering stems. Some have palmate leaves like these, other varieties don't, so I'm not sure which variety it actually is, but it would be useful to see the leaves from the top view. Once the flower has opened up, that would also help with an accurate ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-06-08T21:13:59.533" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T21:13:59.533" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33814" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33810" CreationDate="2017-06-07T20:35:57.397" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If its Hoya carnosa or one of its varieties, then yes, you can use a moss stick, but wires or a fine trellis will do the same job, it doesn't have to be a moss stick. Hoya bella, though, a more miniature variety, is better grown as a trailer, and I'm not sure which Hoya you've got because there are no flowers present currently, although the size of some of the leaves suggest it's likely H. carnosa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T20:35:57.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33815" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-07T21:57:03.983" Score="2" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbour has a rather large cheery tree that is close to the property line. It has grown so big that the roots are causing the fence to shift and the roots are taking over a section of our yard. What can I do to prevent this tree from destroying our property? And whom is responsible for replacing that portion of the fence?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17495" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T21:57:03.983" Title="Neighbour's tree is growing into my yard" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33816" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33818" CreationDate="2017-06-07T22:45:08.120" Score="4" ViewCount="494" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a little backyard nursery which includes a few young grafted apple trees. Today I saw a bunch of ants gathering around the top of one of the baby apple trees, and green nodes seeming to pop out of the stem. At first I thought these might be ant eggs. I shooed the ants away but the little green things were harder to get off. Upon closer inspection, I think the green things are some sort of aphid but am not sure, but they're not ant eggs at all. Photos at end of post.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What course of action should I take to protect the apple tree (and other trees if applicable)?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I thought they were ant eggs I considered pruning off the affected area, but hesitated since it's one of two main terminal shoots. Knowing it's not eggs, but rather creatures I can pluck off, pruning seems less appropriate. I've used a neem oil / water solution before with success against pests indoors, so I'm considering that option too. Lastly, I wonder if having so many trees close together matters? I've seen other nurseries put potted trees in groups by species so I figured it's fine, and I have a nice amount of diversity on the lawn and of potted trees on the pallets so I'd hope that'd help prevent any bad pest problems.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some context and photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The apple trees are potted using fresh (from a bag) potting soil with wood chips on top. I keep them, and other potted young trees, on wood pallets in a small yard that gets partial sun or shade depending on location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Affected shoot:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4wPpn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4wPpn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;affected shoot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unaffected shoot:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XLLnf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XLLnf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unaffected shoot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Affected tree:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xi8K0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xi8K0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;affected tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A better shot of the affected shoot:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wnM0K.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wnM0K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A better shot of the affected shoot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A partially smooshed green aphid? with little black legs:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gp1TQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gp1TQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;partially smooshed creature&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastActivityDate="2018-06-20T03:16:39.613" Title="Baby apple tree under attack by...aphids? What to do?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33817" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33816" CreationDate="2017-06-07T23:38:40.043" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will recommend some organic methods since I am not too familiar with chemicals you can spray on the apple tree.  Depending on the amount of tree that is infected, you can try one ore more of the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spray the affected areas with high pressure water.  That may get them away from the apple plant and go elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get some lady bugs and they are pretty good at attacking the aphids, if you can manage to keep them around for an extended period of time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aphids typically attack plants that are over fertilized (with a lot of nitrogen) or you have experienced extended wet cool weather.  You can't do much about the latter but for the former, you can back off on over fertilization, if that is an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a helpful video regarding Aphids&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UI_Bm0aTl0&amp;amp;list=PL3VEy0_tuFgSA596wd13Ka2UfA3Pw0S1s&amp;amp;index=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UI_Bm0aTl0&amp;amp;list=PL3VEy0_tuFgSA596wd13Ka2UfA3Pw0S1s&amp;amp;index=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-09T21:02:15.333" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T21:02:15.333" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33816" CreationDate="2017-06-07T23:50:54.507" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Totally aphids, probably being cultivated, feed and protected by ants.  I think that is so amazing.  Anyhoo, the Neem should work and please spray at night.  Not during the day, no matter what the label on your Neem purports.  Hate to kill ants as well, but bees are our lifeline in this world!  This is very temporary and not very detrimental to your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am thrilled you used potting soil for your potted plants.  The bark mulch is useless.  Because it is not decomposed it will be in the process of decomposition and will use an awful lot of nitrogen meant for your plants.  And this bark mulch provides great housing for insects.  Really.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also weed wack the weeds and grasses around and under those pallets.  Also great housing for insects that might not be very good for your potted plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you fertilized at all?  If not, please explain why.  Plants that have the correct chemicals with which to do photosynthesis, proper soil, drainage and light will be able to defend themselves.  Fertilizer is as important as water, drainage and light to plants.  Absolutely.  Delete just one of these factors and your plants will fail/die.  That is how important fertilizer is.  BUT, just a little too much or a little too little will kill your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remove all the gobbleygoop on top of your soil to include weeds and all bark.  When you spray with NEEM please spray the top of your soil.  Aphid eggs are certainly there as well as in all the weeds, debris and pallets.  Not a big deal just needs vigilance.  Aphids also carry viruses you don't want.  I am seeing possible virus infection with the distorted leaves.  Normal with aphid vectors.  Again, healthy plants are able to survive disease and insects to a great degree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tell me what you've used for fertilizer, what your watering methodology has been and if there is a way to move this whole kit'nkaboodle to a more hygienic location...or maybe it is already there?  Picture of environment.  Did you use just soil in those pots?  Have you done this before?  Need a bit more information before being able to confidently tell you what to do.  Especially with the fertilizer.  And compost is no fertilizer, has to be accounted for but completely out of balance and organic.  Used in pots it should be sterilized first.  Raise the pot bottoms off the surface of those pallets with pieces of tile, rock to improve drainage.  Spray with Neem correctly mixed according to the label, read carefully.  I might give you a pop quiz!  Grins!  And only spray Neem at night when there is no chance that bees or beneficials are around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-07T23:50:54.507" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33819" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-08T00:49:41.230" Score="2" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbor's cats love to use my yard, garden, and flower beds as their person toilets. What can I use that is natural, and non-lethal to deter them from using my areas as a litter box. Whatever I use must not damage my flowers, lawn, or garden and must not be harmful to children. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17383" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T00:49:41.230" Title="How can I get rid of cats destroying my landscaping in a natural way?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="9" ClosedDate="2017-06-08T00:53:40.527" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32939" CreationDate="2017-06-08T01:29:55.413" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had similar holes in my raspberry plants, but I did not locate the actual insect.  However, according to &lt;a href=&quot;https://entomology.ces.ncsu.edu/2013/12/bees-in-pruned-canes/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article&lt;/a&gt;, it may be small carpenter bees:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KqWjP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KqWjP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image from linked article&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Happily, in the case of these bees, the answer is no[, they do not cause damage]. They make their nests in dead tissue, excavating the soft center pith of twigs. They then lay eggs in these nests and provision them with pollen and nectar. The bees do not injure the twigs or canes themselves and are likely taking advantage of tip die-back following pruning.  In fact, we may be unwittingly creating pollinator habitat when pruning which may be beneficial during bloom!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While twig-nesting bees do not generally cause problems in perennial crops, the tip die-back they take advantage may be a symptom of a problem in some crops. [Some typos from original corrected.]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17846" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T20:02:54.757" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33821" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33826" CreationDate="2017-06-08T01:50:31.673" Score="3" ViewCount="203" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are they the same or in the same family? even the fruits look identical... and their branches and plant shape are the same too... I was given a bonsai and thought it was Moujean Tea, but after spotting the same plant all over Singapore as weed, I decided to pay the plant nursery a visit and they labelled it as Fukien Tea...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nashia inaguensis (commonly referred to as Moujean tea, Bahamas berry, or pineapple verbena)&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mZ25t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mZ25t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Carmona retusa (also known as the Fukien tea tree or Philippine tea tree)&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mn7AS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mn7AS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15022" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T10:08:50.773" Title="Bonsai related - Moujean Tea vs Fukien Tea (are they the same?)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33822" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-08T01:58:54.050" Score="3" ViewCount="2064" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are these white grains on my spinach leaf?  What are they? Is it safe to it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not the big white thing (that's a hemp heart). I mean the little white grains lining the leafs veins... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Curious because now I'm not sure I want to eat this salad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IaJ0l.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IaJ0l.png&quot; alt=&quot;white grains on spinach&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17847" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-06-08T09:23:41.560" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T09:23:41.560" Title="Small white grains on underside of spinach?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;spinach&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33822" CreationDate="2017-06-08T02:08:23.630" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;These look like whitefly eggs. You should be fine to wash them off and eat the produce. Consider a horticultural oil as a treatment with an increase in aeration. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13895" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T02:08:23.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33824" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-08T03:05:57.533" Score="6" ViewCount="146" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;B&quot; is 4 years old. That is his hand with the coin for size reference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Added 2 pics, and info.  Mom said: &quot;The leaves look like grass blades. They're pretty tall and the director said they sprouted up super quickly. They don't smell oniony.&quot; They also took a leaf picture, as requested. Thanks all, for your input! :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My original post: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My friend's young child is wanting an ID on this plant that has sprouted up in his nursery school garden (located in New York City).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;His Mom asked me: &quot;Diane can you name that plant? (The one with the white orb with the green shoot sticking out of it) They sprouted up on their own at B's school garden and no one can identify it.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So...I could probably eventually ID this one for him. (I figure that it is in the onion/scallion family.) But, we would rather include the kid in this, for his school project. His Mom can read him your questions, clarification requests, and answers. I will pass on more pictures and info as it is supplied to me. (I am in Virginia, not on location in NY.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This should be a nice switch for everyone after the difficult ID's that I have asked for in the past. Please play along. Thanks! :D &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Garden location NYC, NY. USA &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XwZOv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XwZOv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;B&amp;#39;s mystery plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8bX4X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;! [&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nxYWJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nxYWJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;3&lt;/a&gt;[B's mystery plant]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8bX4X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;4&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ADaGS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ADaGS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="14745" LastEditDate="2017-06-09T15:29:12.413" LastActivityDate="2017-07-09T17:12:11.377" Title="Young child wants ID for a plant in his school garden" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;native&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33825" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-08T06:36:50.487" Score="5" ViewCount="6640" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4TkkV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Orange type mould? Around my indoor rocket plant?&#xA;What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17848" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-06-08T09:18:38.677" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T19:51:00.510" Title="Can anyone tell me what this orange stuff is on my indoor rocket?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33826" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33821" CreationDate="2017-06-08T10:08:50.773" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No they are not the same - the evidence is in the Latin names. The Latin or botanical name of a plant IS its name - any common epithets such as fukien tea or aunt jane's tea or fred's plant are not terribly helpful for identifying a plant because they are common names. Common names may differ from region to region and country to country, so knowing the proper Latin name is critical for correct ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Despite any superficial similarity you may see, Carmona belongs to the Boraginaceae, and Nashia to the Verbenaceae, two entirely separate plant Families.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T10:08:50.773" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33827" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-08T10:28:58.413" Score="3" ViewCount="180" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uMLo4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uMLo4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gxl5k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gxl5k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've inherited this mature holly tree. It's clearly been looked after in the past but has gone awry the last few years... It's losing its shape and the variegation is growing out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I reverse this process? I have a lot of holly trees but this is the only variegated one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-08T20:11:34.563" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T18:08:06.897" Title="Can I save this variegated holly tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4763" CreationDate="2017-06-08T14:26:55.410" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Weed Eater is a brand name but it's also become the generic term for a string trimmer. The one you need really depends on the size of your lawn and how tough the stuff is that you're going to need to trim. For a smaller lawn and grass trimming an electric weed eater will be your best bet from a price / performance point.&#xA;For larger lawns and tougher weeds or brush you're better of going for a gas trimmer. If you're after serious power then get a commercial 2-cycle gas trimmer like one listed here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.knowitalllearning.com/best-commercial-weed-eater/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.knowitalllearning.com/best-commercial-weed-eater/&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;If you don't mind about having power output bragging rights then a 4-cycle trimmer will be fine. You'll save your ears and the environment and still do plenty of damage to those weeds.&#xA;If you want to go really green then get a decent battery powered weed eater. The good ones cost a few hundred dollars but work really well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17852" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T14:26:55.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33829" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21935" CreationDate="2017-06-08T14:42:19.307" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just used my reel mower in the damp grass. Probably would've done a better job if it were dry. My mower wants nothing to do with tall pieces of seed grass. But all the other grass cut fine. Note to self: don't wait so long to cut the grass next time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17853" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T14:42:19.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33830" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33824" CreationDate="2017-06-08T15:20:01.640" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Expert botanic uses many senses to identify a plant, but they know the dangers of plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For such plant, a simple touch will tell you (by smelling the air or the hand) if is a garlic species (&lt;em&gt;Alium sp.&lt;/em&gt;).  But I don't recommend people to touch plants they don't know. Some are poisonous at minimal contact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T15:20:01.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33831" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-08T17:26:20.473" Score="4" ViewCount="49" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hi I have got 4 Hibiscus plants/trees in my garden all in relative same type/ spots. (South facing against a fence) three are in good condition but one (in the middle) has only just started to leaf. The others have started to leaf a month or two ago! Last year this same plant had very few flowers! Would appreciate any ideas whether this is a bug or disease! &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Aomp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Aomp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17854" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-08T20:10:46.227" LastActivityDate="2017-06-19T07:09:26.367" Title="One hibiscus plant is experiencing delayed leafing" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;hibiscus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33832" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33825" CreationDate="2017-06-08T17:32:49.070" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture of &lt;a href=&quot;http://m8.i.pbase.com/u43/trescott/large/33538938.OrangeFungus.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Shocking orange fungus&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well this seems lame even to me. The information is what I am talking about.  Trying to find a scientific name. The way one article was written made it sound like Orange County Mold Attorney was the common name.  Not once but a couple of times. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This picture in the question looks like a peat pot that got put into another pot and has been there some time.  Perfect conditions for this slime mold (not fungus); moisture, substrate, nutrients and darkness. Looks so uniform it could be eggs but eggs hatch and things crawl or fly away.  This has taken some time to form.  Be nice to know the history of this 'pot' as the seedlings now taking root are only a couple of weeks old.  And although this looks like eggs there is just too many of them to account for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So Orange Fungus or Intensely Orange Fungus or Shockingly Orange Fungus.  But not fungus, a Slime Mold.  How scientific!!? This picture is of &lt;a href=&quot;http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/9a/9f/66/9a9f667ecb15c80e2a0998194a813b74.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Orange Fungus that looks like eggs&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This link is to information about the orange mold. It's called &lt;a href=&quot;http://orangemolds.com/mold-attorney-orange-county-california/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Orange Mold and the law&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's another picture of &lt;a href=&quot;https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2570/4169729991_625d694da2_z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Orange Slime Mold&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This source called &lt;a href=&quot;http://orangemolds.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;All you need to know about Orange Mold&lt;/a&gt; has an embedded link to help ID as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Guess this article clears up the 'fungus' bit; it is actually a 'slime mold' not a fungus at all.  And reading this article about Orange County Mold Attorney!!  This is not at all good to have in a home!  Zip that right out the door in a black plastic bag.  We'll need to do more work on this ID.  I don't like the &quot;Orange mold and the law&quot; article? Telling you to evacuate the home and have the home thoroughly sterilized?  Whew. Don't do anything as yet except I would take a bread knife and saw the top of that 'pot' with the seedlings right off.  Transplant into another pot with fresh potting soil.  Was this potting soil in the first place?  Be better than trying to transplant each seedling separately.  Use a pot half that size.  I would use two pots and cutting the rocket into two halves using that same knife.  Sterilize knife, put debris into a black plastic bag.  Need to do more investigation before I tell you to pack a bag and evacuate! ha ha ha.  This just can't be right...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-08T19:51:00.510" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T19:51:00.510" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33833" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33831" CreationDate="2017-06-08T19:36:56.547" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try Nitrogen based fertilizer. Nitrogen promotes healthy foliage. Once the plant has leaves, give phosphorous fertilizer which enhances root systems and flower production. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17828" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T19:36:56.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33834" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2900" CreationDate="2017-06-08T22:52:36.030" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is chameleon; Houttuynia Cordata. I noticed it was from Asia and very aggressive.  I burned it.  I didn't want it in my timber either as it would take over the native plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17857" LastActivityDate="2017-06-08T22:52:36.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33835" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1557" CreationDate="2017-06-09T00:40:39.357" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Diatomaceous Earth is harmless to anything with bones. It affects exoskeleton creatures.  Birds,  fish,  dogs, cats, even my dragon, Unaffected. Use it and have so for years. There are two kinds, the one for pool filters is NOT for consumption nor plants/bugs. I agree the intestinal part of the answer is n/a but it is in fact used to rid people of internal pests that usually are contracted in third world country's however one can get them in US through contaminated water/foods. Dunno why the skin is helped but shown to help. Anyway,  mites, bedbugs (the most effective overall for their treatment), caterpillars, wasps, all the bugs are destroyed by DME. The only known problem is dust for sensitive people like asthmatics but a simple dust mask and in case of very sensitive eyes, safety glasses. My eyeglass work for that and my little Chihuahua is kept away until dust settles because of her bug (lol) eyes. My lizard is fine in a screened cage and I do not wear the dust mask. No biggy to me as I'm not hyper sensitive to it. I use everywhere inside and out. Just don't use in daylight if you have honey bees so they'll not be murdered by it. Flying insects are not as affected unless they walk in it so because they're not high consumers of non flowering plants/herbs, not so much a concern. Use DME after plants who bloom before producing fruit, blooms have began to produce the fruits. I suffer from many illness and DME had not one contra affect on any of them. Yes,  I'm sure. &#xA;I haven't eggs, slugs, earwigs, etc. It looks like what a catapiller would do but again,  I see nada (?). Maybe they feed at night? It's the munching marks that make me feel that way but I'm in and it throughout the day and see no one. It's not all the way to the veins/spine/stems either as someone spoke toward.No browning,  yellowing, eggs,  etc.  Only Basil too. Not mint,  carrot, flowers, etc.  Mine is in a rolling cart that is called The Urban Gardner where an under water retention system is utilized. It is on wheels with a watering tube leads underneath the soil from which the roots drink as needed. I have organic soil with earthworms and therfore castings are distributed. I keep mosquito dunks pieces in the water trough to prevent their eggs and use DIY Castille Soap/Water/Cayenne for anyone that wants to lay eggs, diatomaceous dusting and something is munching the basil. Hey,  cats try crapping in soil and coffee grounds have shooed them so could they like basil. Reaching up from outside the planter, avoiding coffee grounds is feasible due to their height relative to planter. .... Do cats like basil?  They like spearmint,  this I suffered until coffee grounds there as well! ?! TY&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17858" LastEditorUserId="17858" LastEditDate="2017-06-09T00:57:46.347" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T00:57:46.347" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33836" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-09T01:00:48.040" Score="1" ViewCount="198" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried to take a closeup and a far away view. It looks a lot like the St Augustine but it's clearly not when looking at the root system. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sRgIA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sRgIA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Multiple &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nONYf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nONYf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt; I think it might be crab grass. Can this be confirmed? Also looking for best way to control it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to be growing in a rough patch of the yard where the St. Augustine can't take hold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16501" LastEditorUserId="16501" LastEditDate="2017-06-10T03:35:07.570" LastActivityDate="2017-06-10T03:35:07.570" Title="What kind of weed is this and how should I kill it in St. Augustine" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2017-06-13T17:59:15.823" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33837" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33838" CreationDate="2017-06-09T06:55:58.720" Score="4" ViewCount="196" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lemon cucumbers: I found these on the Bonnie plants website, and usually there's info attached on where you can find a retailer that has them, but instead it had a disclaimer stating not all Bonnie retailers would have them.... But nowhere here has them, and I've checked everywhere. I finally found a different brand of the seeds at a small local spot, and even the cashier said &quot;hmmm, I've never seen anyone buy these&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It makes me wonder if these plants are hard to find here because the conditions needed differ than pickling or straight cukes. Or maybe they're just rare. Can I grow these in Norfolk, VA, USA? If so, I'm assuming (I could be wrong) it's too late for this season, but, when is the best time for me to plant seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bmUGm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bmUGm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T18:41:02.137" Title="Can I grow lemon cucumbers in my area, Southeast VA, zone8? Pic incl'd" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33838" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33837" CreationDate="2017-06-09T07:37:04.250" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't see why you couldn't. Where I live, it's USDA zone 8a and my parents always grew them. I never thought of them as rare but few people knew what they were. I'd say they're more akin in flavour to the long English cucumbers but a little juicier. Their skin is nicely thin so no peeling is needed. The tiny spines on the skin are soft and can be rubbed off easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most sites that sell the seeds say they are ideal for cooler climates and don't need as much heat to ripen. Rare Seeds has a  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/lemon-cuke-cucumber/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;list of reviews&lt;/a&gt; from people who grew them you can look at. The cucumbers aren't rare but they are heirloom. Best time to plant them would be the same as regular cukes since all plants when young are more susceptible to cold temperatures. Or you could start seeds early - 2 weeks max - and use peat pots so you can directly transplant them without disturbing the roots. It was my parents' method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastEditorUserId="17278" LastEditDate="2017-06-09T18:41:02.137" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T18:41:02.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33839" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33824" CreationDate="2017-06-09T12:06:23.300" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Short answer because a longer one isn't needed. Answering on my phone so  limited in formatting the link.&#xA;I believe it to be Egyptian walking onion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/onions/onion-egyptian-walking-onion-prod002386.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Egyptian Walking Onion &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-06-09T16:27:45.927" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T16:27:45.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33840" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33841" CreationDate="2017-06-09T13:47:19.640" Score="5" ViewCount="3481" Body="&lt;p&gt;When it comes to using mowers as a mulcher, the only solution I've commonly seen is a mulching plug.  It's just a spring-loaded cover that sits flush with your deck, pretty standard I do believe.  Recently, I used a push mower that had another kind of setup.  It has a box that went in where the bag usually is.  Somehow, this produced a very clean cut with no visible clippings left over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that I know there are other methods... &lt;strong&gt;what is the best way to turn my riding lawn mower into a mulcher?&lt;/strong&gt;  I mainly just want all of my grass clippings to not be visible.  As of now, my lawn looks like it needs bailed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Surely there is more to it than just adding a mulch plug.  I don't honestly see how that alone can achieve the results I'm after.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17862" OwnerDisplayName="hack3rfx" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T14:05:25.140" Title="Best way to turn a riding mower with chute into a mulcher?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33841" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33840" CreationDate="2017-06-09T14:01:16.923" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually you can't, at least not effectively. Mulching mowers have aerodynamically appropriate decks and specially-designed blades that recycle the clippings to pick them up and re-cut them repeatedly, then drop them uniformly. Traditional mowers are designed to direct all clippings out the chute. It's often not a simple thing to make the former from the latter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can block the chute and you can look for replacement blades that are designed to recycle the grass. Beyond that you're in fabrication mode, and trial-and-error is probably your best approach. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17864" OwnerDisplayName="isherwood" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T14:01:16.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14248" CreationDate="2017-06-09T14:51:09.290" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My ghost pepper plant has lived for quite some time kept outside in sunny florida,  I get a production que of around 2000 peppers per year from just my one plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bell peppers can be kept for a second year under the correct climate,  but usually they do die off. They arent the strongest plant in the world,  stem durability is far different than a hotter variety which form barky after a while,  the sugar content also out weighs the capsaicin which makes the plant and the pepper rot away and deteriorate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17861" LastEditorUserId="17861" LastEditDate="2017-06-22T12:29:53.050" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T12:29:53.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33843" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33846" CreationDate="2017-06-09T14:59:51.163" Score="3" ViewCount="1530" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EWFMw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EWFMw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rhododendron&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;2017, 1st june&#xA;Soon after planting my rhododendron, leaves are turning yellow with black/brownish patches. Is it dying? Can I do anything about it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit (2017, 12th july):&#xA;I didnt do much. Looks much  better now. Guess wait and see was the right thing to do&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BN27Y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BN27Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Rhododendron updated&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17863" LastEditorUserId="17863" LastEditDate="2017-07-29T09:41:42.937" LastActivityDate="2017-07-29T09:41:42.937" Title="Yellow leaves on rhododendron" Tags="&lt;rhododendrons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33844" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-09T16:10:57.467" Score="1" ViewCount="326" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some Roma Tomatoes that I have just brought outside the last few days now that we have some warmer nights (50s) and hotter days (70s and 80s) to harden off.  I noticed this morning some light browning on the leaves and was wondering if this was anything I needed to worry about and/or if there was anything I could do about it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3uPC6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3uPC6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QLJkO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QLJkO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17865" LastActivityDate="2017-06-10T15:16:19.820" Title="Browning of potted Tomato plants?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33845" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-09T16:36:31.650" Score="1" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;p&gt;The diet would only be plant based, by vertical garden I mean something like this:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bQOl8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bQOl8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But with vegetables instead of flowers and a tower that's 3-5 levels&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How many of these &quot;towers&quot; would be enough for one person?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17866" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T21:29:56.123" Title="How many vertical containers to grow food for one person?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;&lt;sustainability&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33846" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33843" CreationDate="2017-06-09T16:40:56.930" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suggest keeping an eye on the plant.  If the overall health of the plant looks good, I would not worry about it.  It seems like the rest of the plant is healthy.  Plants do go through some shock after transplanting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T16:40:56.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33847" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="39789" CreationDate="2017-06-09T17:11:41.543" Score="3" ViewCount="11400" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have never experienced leaf curl to this extreme before. Started from seed,  these plants were perfect in 4 inch pots. After transplanting to a large pot, the leaf curling started within several days. The pot lacked good drainage, being a self watering pot. The pot is outside, and I drilled some drainage holes over a week ago. The leaf curling had continued to get worse. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could the overly wet soil caused this?  Could the Tomato Tone and Kelp meal caused this?   No signs of bugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have planted in a raised bed for a decade and have only had issues with aphids and septorium leaf spot.  Mulch has pretty much eradicated the spot fungus.  I have a green thumb and rarely have to deal with failure.  I have always been gentle, but firm with transplanting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil in the pot was taken from my neighbor's &quot;compost pile&quot;; which is really just old flower potting soil dumped yearly.  I am suspecting that a disease was present.  The photos were taken about 2 weeks after transplanting and they were not rootbound in the 4 inch pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T6R9O.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T6R9O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DQUKd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DQUKd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastEditorUserId="2174" LastEditDate="2017-06-12T19:08:05.990" LastActivityDate="2020-08-07T23:35:55.420" Title="What is the cause of this tomato plant leaf curl?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33849" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33847" CreationDate="2017-06-09T17:59:32.557" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have experienced similar problems but they have been mainly due to lack of water or a heat wave resulting in lack of water.  If that is not the case and the soil is damp, then the other thing I can think of is shock from transplanting from the 4 inch pot.  During that time, do think you damaged the main stem or the roots?  I find transplanting to be very tricky for novice gardeners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T17:59:32.557" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33850" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-09T19:04:05.013" Score="6" ViewCount="891" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a home garden and recently fuschia was added to our collection. it was all great looking and healthy but after a few days there were no blooms and it was all leaves on the plant. I did read some articles Googling the issue, and they suggested pruning or pinching. I did cut off some stems to encourage blooming two days ago and it dried out and is dying! I try to keep the soil moist and It is getting all of the daylight hours of bright, indirect light. The temp. in the house is about 27-30 (C). Here are the photos before and after the issue:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AyMex.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AyMex.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TnAag.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TnAag.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17859" LastEditorUserId="17859" LastEditDate="2017-06-09T19:52:42.233" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T18:48:19.313" Title="My fuschia is dying after pruning" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;repair&gt;&lt;pinching-out&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33851" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33845" CreationDate="2017-06-09T19:18:03.800" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your question is too broad to get anything other than a general answer. You've said you want the vegetables you grow to be as varied as possible, but haven't named any you want to grow. However, frankly, the kind of arrangement shown in your photograph simply isn't going to work for growing most vegetables. The plants shown are merely summer bedding type plants, just temporary planting - primarily petunia and a couple of pelargoniums, and it'll look okay for about 3 months, till the petunias get leggy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Strawberries might work, some of the dwarf bush tomatoes might work, but, as your tower of pots gets higher, the pots of necessity must be smaller, and unless you just want to put something like chives in a small pot on top, none of the pots above the second one will be big enough. Even lettuce planted round the outside of the biggest pot won't be able to bush out properly because of the obstruction in the centre caused by the next pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-06-09T21:29:56.123" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T21:29:56.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33852" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33853" CreationDate="2017-06-09T19:54:17.607" Score="5" ViewCount="4532" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently trimmed back a rose bush (I believe it's a &lt;strong&gt;Liebeszauber Hybrid Tea Rose&lt;/strong&gt;?) that sits in some shade in my front yard, as its branches grow pretty long and eventually start leaning into its neighboring shrubbery.  The roses that had bloomed on it were now mostly wilted, so I removed them too along with the couple of remaining good ones, because I could then spray the entire plant with insect and mite control, as its leaves were getting eaten up pretty badly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A gardener a year earlier had suspected a couple of the branches showed signed of rosette and that I should immediately trim them from the base so that it didn't spread further.  I had it trimmed back pretty severely at the time, and it grew back really nicely.  Being more familiar now with rosette than I was then, I have a question as to whether this bush is again showing signs of the disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've just now noticed three really long branches shooting up above the plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cHSZN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cHSZN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image of most of the affected rose bush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant's new leaves usually have a red coloration to them, and they don't currently have an odd growth pattern to them, so nothing there is out of the ordinary.  I've seen examples of really bad &quot;witches' brooms&quot; on rose bushes, and this doesn't have that.  What I'm curious about, though, is the irregular thorn pattern on these new shoots.  Again, it's nowhere near as bad as other photos I've seen of plants with rosette, but I didn't know if this is cause for alarm:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hXsFo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hXsFo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close-up of one of the new vertical branches&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PPuUq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PPuUq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;even closer photo of one of these new branches&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that normal for this type of rose when it rapidly grows back after being trimmed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt; here's an additional photo showing the base of the plant, per JStorage's suggestion that these are suckers from the root system of a rose graft:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/azKTu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/azKTu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Base of the rose plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14187" LastEditorUserId="14187" LastEditDate="2017-06-10T15:36:30.377" LastActivityDate="2019-04-08T00:24:33.737" Title="Is the rapid new growth on this rose bush a sign of Rosette?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33853" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33852" CreationDate="2017-06-09T20:27:36.850" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are most likely rose suckers.  You should trace it down to where they are originating from (most likely below where your rose was grafted).  If that is the case, you want to remove it ASAP from it's point of origination otherwise it sucks away the nutrients thereby deriving and hurting your rose plant.  Another indication is that the suckers have 7 leaves vs. the typical 5 leaves.  For more information I am including some links&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/what-%E2%80%9Csucker%E2%80%9D-rose-bush&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.finegardening.com/what-%E2%80%9Csucker%E2%80%9D-rose-bush&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.quora.com/Why-do-roses-with-7-leaves-on-a-branch-not-flower&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.quora.com/Why-do-roses-with-7-leaves-on-a-branch-not-flower&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T20:27:36.850" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33854" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33844" CreationDate="2017-06-09T20:45:10.927" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had similar problem with my Roma tomato plant. The yellow, uncurled leaves  can signal a nitrogen deficiency or it could also be a fungal infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may wanna apply a nitrogen-rich organic vegetable fertilizer or a fungicide to see if this solves the problem. In my case, the fertilizer and regular watering did the trick. Btw, I use &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000HHO110&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; fungicide on my other plants that were infected by either fungus or insects and it has worked great so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17828" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T20:45:10.927" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33855" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33850" CreationDate="2017-06-09T20:59:57.137" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do not think your fuschia is dying from pruning.  Not at all.  Bummer.  Need you to answer some questions to find out what is really happening.  Looks to me like you transplanted a fuschia into a larger pot.  The plant size works with that pot...enough.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did you use potting soil or garden soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did you put gravel or rock below the soil and above the drainage hole?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How often do you water and what precipitates watering again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did you add anything to the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this pot indoors or outdoors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you sprayed anything on this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What did you add for fertilizer and how soon after purchase?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The biggest question is...why did you prune this plant so hard?  You didn't 'over prune' but this is really out of the ordinary to cut up a beautiful, blooming plant like this when most people are reluctant to even remove flowers??!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is something you haven't told us.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My initial feeling is that you used garden soil, possibly a layer of rock at the bottom, you added manure not thoroughly decomposed?  What I am looking at is a plant unable to uptake moisture even though there is plenty of moisture.  Root rot?  Perched water table from that erroneous layer of 'drainage' rock below the soil?  Soil way too compact for air and drainage?  Hey I could be dead wrong 'cause I only see what your pictures tell me.  Just trying to instigate questions that would give us more information!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would dump out your soil, get a smaller pot or use the original after cleaning with bleach, transplant using just potting soil no compost no garden soil no additives including fertilizer.  For right now.  Cut the stumps back to the main stem.  Moist not wet soil, no full sun, no hard wind.  See what happens.  This plant looks very unhappy.  Take a look at the roots.  What do they look like?  Bright white (I doubt not) or mushy ends or brown or tan coloring?  Are there lots of fine roots or just a glob of brownish roots sitting in very wet soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information!  Please.  I really really want to know why you pruned your plant, please tell us.  Something happened that made you want to cut it back like that.  Hey if everything was fine for the plant; drainage, light, good soil from a bag, a tiny bit of fertilizer pruning like this would not hurt this plant and your plant should be vigorous and happy.  Something went wrong and you pruned it because there was another problem altogether pruning wouldn't fix.  That is my guess at this point.  The only way to learn this stuff is by making mistakes.  Or at least asking those of us who have made more mistakes than you are able to imagine!  Grins!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T20:59:57.137" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33857" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34261" CreationDate="2017-06-09T22:03:03.977" Score="5" ViewCount="8370" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1032/double-knock-out-rose/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Double Knockout&lt;/a&gt; rose bush a month ago. It's blooming like crazy but something is eating the leaves and I've noticed white spots on them as well. I have &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/3472/sonic-bloom-pink-reblooming-weigela/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sonic Bloom weigalas&lt;/a&gt; on either side and they are doing great. I'm in zone 7a.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming it's bugs, what can I do to prevent them? Maybe add some other small plants around it that deter them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ftnrf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ftnrf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/6P5am&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2568" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-30T15:26:58.840" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T21:32:01.377" Title="Why does my rose bush have holes and white spots on the leaves? How can I help it?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33858" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33859" CreationDate="2017-06-09T22:32:11.080" Score="3" ViewCount="29" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have small holes or gaps in my lawn because of squirrel work or because lawn died. Can I cut pieces from a roll and patch as needed ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T23:18:01.403" Title="Can you patch your lawn using not the entire roll but pieces of it?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33858" CreationDate="2017-06-09T23:18:01.403" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Absolutely, MiniMe!  Why do you have extra pieces of sod lying around?  Have you just recently installed sod?  No matter, I would throw the big piece over what you want to fix and first cut the edge if it is on the edge and then cut a chunk of the sod to easily cover the damaged parts... the size of whatever would take the place of a number of little holes all together. Don't worry about the exact damage make the damaged parts fit the sod you cut. Cut deeply enough to show through to the existing sod.  Cut the existing sod out using those cuts as guidelines, then pull it out and replace.  Larger pieces do better than teeny tiny pieces.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never seen lawn damaged by squirrels.  They are very careful about making their digging obvious to protect their stash.  I have seen peanut plants growing up in the lawn but that is no big deal.  What do you think caused death of lawn in spots?  Is this since the snow melted if you know what I am getting at?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having chunks of sod around is so smart!  They last for months laid out on gravel and watered.  Send a picture of what you are doing.  Do you have a true sod knife?  Sure makes a difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-09T23:18:01.403" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33860" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33852" CreationDate="2017-06-10T00:08:39.770" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've had a bout with sawfly and possibly some other insect, no big deal. The new growth is healthy. What have you fertilized with? Notice any aphids? If you don't I'll be amazed! Trim off lower non productive and damaged leaves to enhance air movement and lessen the problems with powdery mildew in a few months. Do check out the origin of the branches. If they are growing from below the graft, prune them off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When pruning, always sterilize your by pass pruners with alcohol and cut all the way back to a main stem or a bud that is oriented away from the center of the plant. There is a great example third picture lower right. You cut back to a bud pointing towards the center of the rose bush. I would take that down to the next bud an inch or so below your original cut.  This bud is oriented away from the center of this plant. Prune out some of the old growth to enable more air flow. Especially damaged leaves. Not all, just some.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can see lots of other plants that this particularly healthy rose will be out competing for light and air flow.  Your rose is very healthy.  Make sure you have not used fertilizer with Nitrogen higher in percentage relative to Phosphorous and Potassium.  Otherwise, lovely leaves, no flowers.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make an executive decision about what plants should stay and remove the weaker ones that will only get weaker and cause problems for the plants you want to have healthy and vigorous.  I am guessing that out of the different types of roses this is a floribunda, possibly a vine.  It needs room.  It will always grow vigorously and will best be served by training it on wires.  Another subject.  Again, your fertilizer has to be lower in N than the P and K.  Tell us what you've used.  That might be the reason for the vigorous growth.  There are no reproductive/flower buds as yet.  Normal for floribundas and vines.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-10T00:08:39.770" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33861" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33847" CreationDate="2017-06-10T01:19:36.853" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I am understanding is that this humongous tomato plant was this size in a 4&quot; pot?  You just drilled holes in the bottom of this pot a week ago?  You just transplanted this plant into this larger pot, which matches the size just fine.  I am having a hard time seeing a few days of saturated soil making this big of a difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Transplanting is not a big deal.  Please tell us that you used potting soil for both pots.  Need to get rid of the mulch stuff on the top. This looks like  the result of a very large stress or complete degradation of roots.  Plenty of water and the tomato is not able to take it up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you planted this guy in the larger pot using garden soil with no drain holes then that might be enough to cause root rot.  Warm temperatures?  Old pot not washed with bleach?  Garden soil with all kinds of pathogens?  Garden soil full of  clay causing no drainage at all?  Bummer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are flowers already set while growing in the 4&quot; container.  The roots were only filling the 4&quot; container and if one has few roots, non draining soil, no drain holes for awhile (Check those holes, please.  Did you drill from above or below and what size of hole?), pathogens to cause root rot and 'clogging' of the vascular system, then shoot.  The roots are so badly compromised that this guy is unable to take up the amount of water necessary and well, it will look like wilt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pop this plant out of the pot, take a picture of the roots, please.  I doubt that it is anywhere near root bound and will probably not be able to hold the soil together.  But need to see what truly happened, are the roots bright white?  Lots of new tiny roots? Are the roots tan or brown or mush?  This plant is beyond saving I am sorry to say.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try one more thing, repot with potting soil and move your plant into the shade.  Prune it severely at least 4 joints or branches.  Stressful to be sure but the main stress is trying to get necessary water to the entire plant in the sun in high temperatures.  Tomatoes are very tough.  I've had completely frozen tomatoes I pruned back to just the main stem and they by golly came back.  This will set you back at least a month month and 1/2, if it is able to recover.  Most plants I would never recommend trying at this stage but tomatoes are very intent on survival.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomato tone and Kelp meal...what else have you added in terms of fertilizer?  Both of these other products are not balanced but will add up with a balanced fertilizer to be deadly for the tomato.  Not seeing that as a problem.  I might be seeing things but do you have that plant tied to the stake tightly?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are the leaves below that tie fairly healthy?  Cutting off the vascular system using ties is very common for tomatoes.  Ties should constantly be monitored and changed or done loosely so the epidermis of the stem isn't compromised, again killing the vascular system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This could be a tomato plant being exposed to full sun too soon.  This could also be a tie to the stake that has girdled the stem.  And thirdly this could be root rot because of the added pathogens, no drainage and too few roots from being raised in a 4&quot; pot.  Normally transplanting this guy from 4&quot; to this pot, 5 gallon?  or is it one gallon? would not be a big deal.  The saturation of the soil however, drainage holes that are so small they close up or don't allow water to drain would do this.  Did you put rock at the bottom of this pot?  For drainage?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.uconn.edu/documents/raw2/Vascular%20Wilts%20of%20Tomato/Vascular%20Wilts%20of%20Tomato.php?aid=37&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Vascular diseases possible for tomato&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/DiagnosticKeys/TomWlt/TomWiltKey.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;great id for tomato diseases&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://extension.msstate.edu/sites/default/files/topic-files/greenhouse-tomatoes/baccanker4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plain old root rot from overwatering&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://northernhomestead.com/tomato-root-rot/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Excellent article on root rot prevention and clean up&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-06-12T20:03:10.443" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T20:03:10.443" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33862" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33974" CreationDate="2017-06-10T04:25:28.123" Score="7" ViewCount="694" Body="&lt;p&gt;I &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/33753/why-is-there-such-a-difference-in-size-between-the-same-tomato-plants-saplings&quot;&gt;asked a question earlier&lt;/a&gt; about why some of my tomatoes are really big compared to the rest, and at this point the big ones have grown a bit more and it looks like they're different plants after all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a little background, these unidentified plants are around tiny variety of &quot;balcony&quot;-sized tomatoes. Here's the biggest ones:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0vtBg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0vtBg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here's a close up of the top part (with presumably future seeds):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pMsQ2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pMsQ2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another pot has a similar plant growing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vv2zT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vv2zT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This pot has a more mature tomato plant, which has its first leaves turned yellow, and you can see how the shapes of the first tomato leaves is very similar at the beginning stages to this unknown plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OAb81.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OAb81.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It grows on a thin red stalk, while the tomato stalk gets a lot wider and isn't red at any point (I think):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2lmgh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2lmgh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a few new saplings probably from that same plant which suddenly started growing all over my pots: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w8qyX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w8qyX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And another one where you can kinda see the seed shell hanging off its leaf (and also a bigger plant with the red stalk in the background, and my usual tomatoes in the middle):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DbKE5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DbKE5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An interesting bonus − I have a dry pot where an almond wasn't growing very well, so I just stopped watering it completely a couple weeks ago, and the pot is on the balcony where rain can't get to it. But somehow, in the foreground this same red-stalked sapling is trying to grow, and in the backgrounds there's probably a mint sapling somehow clinging on (I'm gonna start watering the mint just to reward its resilience):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EMVwP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EMVwP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, my experiments with tight tomato clusters aside, what is this red-stalked plant that has suddenly started growing in half of my tomato pots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some tiny balls of fluff which the camera couldn't catch very well no matter how I adjusted the pots. I've read it might be poplar fluff carrying its seeds, but if you google &quot;poplar saplings&quot;, the leaves look very different. It could be this fluff, or it could be something else, but because its leaves never start looking like on a mature tomato plant, and the fact that it also grew in a dry pot where I didn't plant any tomatoes, I very much doubt it's a mutated tomato.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Actually, now that I've had a closer look at some of the tomato saplings, they do have a reddish stalk, and one of them grows directly from the bunch of tomatoes. So I don't really know for sure if these aren't mutated tomatoes, or if it just got lucky and started growing in such a suspicious place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2273" LastEditorUserId="2273" LastEditDate="2017-06-10T05:20:19.657" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T18:09:49.197" Title="Unknown plant whose leaves look like big versions of tomato sapling leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33863" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33864" CreationDate="2017-06-10T07:18:00.030" Score="3" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am interested in garden plants that do not require a lot of sunlight. I have limited space so I am trying to stack 3 layers in the same area, one on bottom, second 1m off the ground and third 1m above the second one and reflect light at the crop at the bottom and middle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My thought process was that plants, that do not require a lot of light are probably small with little foliage. For example compare onions, garlic, lettuce with tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which plants do you recommend growing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:55:12.857" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T02:55:12.857" Title="Garden plants that do not require full sunlight" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33864" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33863" CreationDate="2017-06-10T08:41:13.783" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You might try seeds grown in regions that are often cool, cloudy or rainy, if you want plants acclimatized to less light. They seem to do pretty well in the shade in my area, but maybe not so well in the sun. Victory Seeds, Territorial Seed, Adaptive Seeds and maybe others might be good choices, if you can get seeds from them in your location. Some varieties may be from third parties grown elsewhere, though (e.g. the Neapolitan pepper at Victory Seeds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've said some recommendations in other places here, but I might recommend the following, depending on if they work well in your area:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ring of Fire pepper&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grandpa's Home pepper&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shark Fin Melon&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bunching onions, shallots, chives&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spinach&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Arugula&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cabbage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Potatoes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rhubarb&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tulips&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Orchids&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Russian tarragon&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mint&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ground cherries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Broccoli&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The amount of foliage doesn't seem to me to be what matters. I think it's more of a matter of how used to the low light they are, especially over a period of generations. You should get somewhat better results if you save seeds and plant them in the same conditions (especially if you do it more than once), unless they're already quite used to them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally, I think how much space they have is a bigger issue for tomatoes than how much light they have, but the right variety or seeds may help. Crowded tomatoes in the shade aren't a good idea at all. (Crowded tomatoes in full sun isn't nearly as bad, but still not ideal for most situations.) I've tried growing crowded, shaded tomatoes on two separate years with very few fruits both times. I gave some Oroma tomatoes from Territorial Seed more space, in the shade, and they did very well by comparison, and better than the Oroma plant I put in full sun (granted it was in clay-type soil; so that may have been an issue). Oroma has nice big leaves in the shade (the non-shaded plant had smaller leaves, I think). I got more tomatoes on the shaded plants. I doubt that would be the case for every variety, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blackberries can do pretty well without lots of sun (you do want some sun, if possible, though), but they taste a lot better with more, in my opinion. They still taste good with less light, though. There's a big difference between some kinds of shade. You'll want it to be light enough that pollinators will still come, if possible, and you may want to give your plants more phosphorus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure not to neglect your soil just because it's in the shade. Amending it with compost and such should help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil you use will make a big difference, also.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-06-10T09:20:22.643" LastActivityDate="2017-06-10T09:20:22.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33865" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-10T08:58:19.490" Score="7" ViewCount="121" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received theses flowers and I would like to succeed growing them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would appreciate your help identifying them and tips for raising them! :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CdzVJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CdzVJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B5Slb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B5Slb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17871" LastEditorUserId="17871" LastEditDate="2017-06-10T09:06:36.460" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T17:30:07.827" Title="Help identifying the plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33866" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-10T11:50:21.733" Score="2" ViewCount="1516" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe I am having mushrooms growing with my cucumbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are they?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qeK94.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qeK94.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17172" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-06-10T20:25:34.267" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T21:20:39.027" Title="What are these fungi growing next to my cucumber plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33867" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-10T14:28:12.930" Score="3" ViewCount="277" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large wild black cherry tree, prunus serotina I believe. In southeast Michigan, USA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the past several weeks, it has been profusely dropping immature fruit. It bloomed nicely, and the petals fell. But then the buds started to fall in great numbers, with what appeared to be a very small, immature cherry in them. And now a few weeks later, the fruit is still green but getting to be the full size of 6mm or so, and still dropping with every slight breeze. From inside the house, it sounds like hail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's done this in previous years. It always manages to make some fruit, but maybe only 5% of the blooms it puts out. It's such a lovely tree and I'd really hate to lose it. Should I be concerned, and should I do anything to assure the tree does not die?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I really don't care about the fruit production, and actually it's nice most of the berries fall off before they are ripe and stain the deck.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some of the fruits that have fallen:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/35Si4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/35Si4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see most of the stalks have only a few berries left on them. It looks like the remaining fruit is a mix of green and browned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fZD9X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fZD9X.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is quite large. There are a couple dead branches in the canopy that I can't reach to remove, and there are some dead twigs here and there, but to my untrained eyes this tree isn't in bad shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U5CO8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U5CO8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing otherwise obviously wrong with it is a wound at the trunk, which the tree had when I bought the house:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W5ylh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W5ylh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I don't think those lights are girdling the tree. They've been up only for about 6 weeks and are wound loosely.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17468" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-10T23:51:34.853" LastActivityDate="2017-06-10T23:51:34.853" Title="Why is my wild black cherry tree dropping fruit?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33868" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33867" CreationDate="2017-06-10T14:35:25.813" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fissure at the bottom is of most concern - it's hard to be sure how deep the gap is at the bottom, so you might try inserting something to see how far into the wood it goes. Also take a biro or a pen and press into the wood just above that opening to test how soft it is (or not). I can't see any obvious evidence of weeping from the fissure, but if the gap at the bottom goes in a fair way, I'd be inclined to call an arborist and get the tree checked from a safety point of view - that's a lot of tree to suddenly fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-10T14:35:25.813" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33869" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33844" CreationDate="2017-06-10T15:16:19.820" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those look pretty similar to spider mite damage.  Which I am currently battling (successfully) in Texas.  They bite individual cells and suck out the juices, leaving that stippling pattern.  I think a fungus would have larger diameter circles, and thrip damage is usually in squiggly lines, not dots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look very closely at 10-15 leaves undersides.  If there are very small bumps moving around slowly (mine look dark red but there are many different varieties), those are probably spider mites.  I squished many with my fingers.  Also I use the 3-in-1 Organicide concentrate spray during the early morning and wash it off before the sun hits the plants to prevent burning.  The mites thrive in very hot, dry weather.  Sometimes reproducing once every 3 days (the hotter the faster).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15898" LastActivityDate="2017-06-10T15:16:19.820" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33866" CreationDate="2017-06-10T15:46:50.900" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The little toadstools or mushrooms are just one of the Parasola inkcaps -  they don't last long and are a common inhabitant where there are bark chips in borders. They will cause no harm to your cucumber plants or you, so long as you don't attempt to eat them. An example of a Parasola mushroom here &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/parasola-auricoma.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/parasola-auricoma.php&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-06-10T20:24:16.353" LastActivityDate="2017-06-10T20:24:16.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33873" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37341" CreationDate="2017-06-10T16:14:15.997" Score="7" ViewCount="192" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of my persimmon leaves have tiny sticky droplets at the back of some of their leaves. It is late spring here in Japan and leaves are green. Droplets show up on small leaves with pinkish colors but some larger green leaves have droplets as well, likewise on back side of their leaves. Some sources say these are called honeydews and is the proof that plants are infected, and they are; last year I had a massive pests outbreak and my baby persimmon trees (1 to 2 year-old) were nearly annihilated. I have seen only several of those pests this year (they are only up to one millimeter in length and hard to get rid of) but they will soon multiply unless I do something. So my questions are,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are these droplets?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there any links to pests (is 'honeydew=infection' theory correct)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G2Kjw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G2Kjw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Droplets on the back of persimmon leaves (image on the right). Leaves shown in this photos are fairly small (about 2 cm x 2 cm) and majority of the leaves are larger.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17877" LastEditorUserId="16406" LastEditDate="2017-11-24T14:36:27.243" LastActivityDate="2018-02-28T01:55:48.853" Title="What are these sticky droplets and pests on my persimmon trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;honeydew&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33874" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-10T16:55:12.357" Score="11" ViewCount="4878" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you tell me what is the name of this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Found in the park in London at the end of May. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Red berries on shrub with saw-toothed leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rieNE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rieNE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17878" LastActivityDate="2019-09-12T15:41:33.430" Title="Identify shrub with red berries in UK" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33378" CreationDate="2017-06-10T17:28:52.573" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well we have a happy ending, no idea what the place I bought it off did with it, as after a few weeks of fertilisation and re potting it in an air pruning pot it's sending out loooooads of new growth and the leaves look a more normal colour. The tree was rather tight in the pot, I won't say it was pot bound as it was in a type of air pot so the root ball is very very dense, but the root ball probably made up the vast majority of the pot so there was little soil left to absorb nutrients from. It's now looking a lot happier. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;**&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;**&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Msb2s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Msb2s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17430" LastActivityDate="2017-06-10T17:28:52.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33877" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33874" CreationDate="2017-06-10T21:33:16.240" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture of &lt;a href=&quot;https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/51/55/fe/5155fe8ac67227ad31d65dd3667cbc8a.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;berries and leaves of V. plicatum&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;Here's another picture, &lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrTcc6nZDxZgBUAlKQnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByNWU4cGh1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=Viburnum%20Mariesii%20Berries&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002#id=12&amp;amp;iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegardenerseden.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F08%2FViburnum-plicatum-var.-tomentosum-Shasta-Fruits-%E2%93%92-michaela-medina-thegardenerseden.com_.jpg&amp;amp;action=click&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Viburnum plicatum Mariesii Viburnum&lt;/a&gt;.  See what you think!  I'll be blown away if I am wrong!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-10T23:55:32.577" LastActivityDate="2017-06-10T23:55:32.577" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33878" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-11T02:10:34.400" Score="3" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed small holes in my kale and was concerned. When I looked under the leaf I saw this green worm (easy to spot). On more inspection I identified another 15 worms on this kale plant and another few on a different kale plant (same type). I have a number of questions. What is this worm? How did it get there all of a sudden?  How do they multiply?  How do I get rid of them organically?  Will it attack other types of kale plants I have in the same raised bed?  Will it attack yellow squash plants in the same raised bed?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cccrN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cccrN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-12T20:43:00.820" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T20:43:00.820" Title="Need help identifying this worm" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;worms&gt;&lt;brassicas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33880" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-11T03:00:26.123" Score="4" ViewCount="806" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QVKLz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need help identifying what type of plant this is. I bought some seed for basil, oregano, parsley, etc. and this grew among them. I was wondering what it could be? I live near Toronto if that may help, if its a wild plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17880" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T00:55:21.107" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T00:55:21.107" Title="What is this plant with long thin leaves with red marks?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33881" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33878" CreationDate="2017-06-11T03:29:04.947" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://thelivingfarm.org/project/eliminate-the-cabbage-worm/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cabbage worm and control&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cabbage worm&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen these little dudes often.  They can damage quite a bit...see the white moths, their parents?  Very common.  This is the first article I've found that give 'yellow jackets' or wasps a bit of credit.  They love these yummy little caterpillars. Bt is another perfect 'pesticide to spray but please do it at night and only on the brassiccas; cabbage, broccoli, kale...next year create a chunk of your garden early to grow kale or another tough brassica, before planting your cash crop.  These cabbage worms and parents will gravitate to your 'trap crop' to do their thing and LEAVE your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yellow Jackets or wasps eat these larvae.  They love them.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These 'worms' are larvae of those white moths.  Trap crop or Bacillus thuringiensis and yellow jacket wasps are the best controls. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bt is a bacteria that makes this 'toxin' that when eaten by caterpillars, or larvae of these moths eat leaves sprayed with Bt actually 'feel full' and stop eating.  Immediately.  They die of starvation.  I've always thought that that might make a great 'diet miracle pill'...the damage these little 'worms' doesn't make your crop inedible.  Totally safe...wash before eating.  Use a cup of hydrogen peroxide to 5 gallons of water to wash your vegetables.  Rinse again with plain water, shake and use in your salads or whatever.  Growing your own is very smart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-11T03:29:04.947" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33880" CreationDate="2017-06-11T05:51:30.603" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;To me it seems an asparagus lettuce. I got the seeds from a friend. But googling, it seems not very like the celtuce.  On the other hand, when growing, I see the form of asparagus in this lettuce.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm alive, so it is edible, and I think some seeds for nearby cultivation mixed with the regular one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-06-11T05:51:30.603" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33883" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33886" CreationDate="2017-06-11T09:44:58.553" Score="4" ViewCount="355" Body="&lt;p&gt;Should the soil be turned upside down when cultivating?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example,  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mowdirect.co.uk/media/catalog/product/MOUNTFIELD/MOUNTFIELD-CULTIVATORS/MOUNTFIELD_MANOR_35_PETROL_CULTIVATOR_700H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this machine&lt;/a&gt; will turn the soil upside down. I've heard from my relative that you shouldn't do that because it severely disrupts the microorganisms. Some prefer to be closer to the top, others lower or something like that. Instead you should just &quot;flip&quot; the soil so that portions of it remain at the same height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do you think about this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-11T18:58:32.737" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T18:50:47.277" Title="Should I turn soil upside down when cultivating?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;tilling&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33885" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33896" CreationDate="2017-06-11T13:01:17.687" Score="5" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;See attached image. Something gray spreads from older leafs through the veins on tomato plants. Stems and upper side of the leaf look normal. It doesn't seem impacting the plant though. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F3Yxo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F3Yxo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17883" LastActivityDate="2017-06-11T21:02:51.267" Title="Gray infestation along the veins on tomato leafs" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33886" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33883" CreationDate="2017-06-11T16:16:47.167" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Turning soil upside down&quot; is ploughing (plowing) with the machine with same name. The machine in the photo is used to destroy the clump of dirt (and with a light mix of dirt).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So there are two different machines. Ploughing is useful for new fields and for fields with &quot;green manure&quot;. The green will be put on the botto, so it will create manure.  But such huge change of soil is dangerous if there is not many inches of organic soil: you put on top the mineral part and on bottom (not reachable by vegetable roots) the good organic part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Your&quot; cultivator requires a already prepared garden.  It is ok if you cultivated it the previous year.  It also requires not much green on top: read: remove as much weeds as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For microorganisms: I'm not so sure. Vegetable gardens are not so huge, so there is many boundary effects, and we does't use it on all vegetable garden: some part are seeded in fall, some in different part of late winter and spring, so I don't see a huge disruption.  Additionally, manure will also change the microorganisms (pH, a lot of new organisms).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I find some disruption good. Many diseases are specific to species (and genus) and good organisms are all-arounder (not really so, but I think a good approximation).  So disuption will help to kill some unwanted organism, but the other organism can walk in (from the other patches and borders, [containing other genre of vegetables]).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I use it (a very old machine) or I do it manually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-06-11T16:16:47.167" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33887" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33880" CreationDate="2017-06-11T16:43:58.393" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure this is one of the smartweeds, similar to Polygonum odoratum, (previously Persicaria odoratum), also known as Vietnamese coriander. Don't take that as gospel, it might be one of the other smartweeds, there's lots of them, but a drawing of P. odoratum showing stem arrangement and the marking on the leaves here&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.123rf.com/photo_31927479_vietnamese-coriander-polygonum-odoratum-or-persicaria-odoratum.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.123rf.com/photo_31927479_vietnamese-coriander-polygonum-odoratum-or-persicaria-odoratum.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-11T16:43:58.393" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33888" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33485" CreationDate="2017-06-11T16:52:16.363" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since nobody offered other suggestions after I added 2 more pictures of the flower buds 6 days ago, I will now answer my own question. One flower is now fully open. This is Black-Eyed Susan. &quot;Rudbeckia hirta&quot;, in the aster family (Asteraceae).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These pictures are from this website: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/be_susanx.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/be_susanx.htm&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mN3Yq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mN3Yq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H0U4S.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H0U4S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14745" LastEditorUserId="14745" LastEditDate="2017-06-11T17:58:38.490" LastActivityDate="2017-06-11T17:58:38.490" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33889" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33891" CreationDate="2017-06-11T17:00:27.977" Score="6" ViewCount="1832" Body="&lt;p&gt;My nerve plant (Fittonia) was recently not doing too well, and I suspected (correctly, as it turned out) that it was getting more light that it needed — after moving it to a shadier spot in the house, it has since recovered and is growing some new leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, even in this new spot, there seem to be a few oddities... specifically, some (not most) leaves seem to look bleached (as opposed to burnt):&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x2r2X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x2r2X.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bleached nerve plant leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And even though new leaves are growing, it's nowhere near as fully grown as it once was — most of the stems look healthy, but it's not nearly as bushy as before: &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ki3WW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ki3WW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;some stems, but not very bushy&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I move it somewhere yet more shaded than its current location? As it stands, it receives ~1 hour of direct sunlight in the afternoon. Should I be pruning it in some way? Any help to bring this nerve plant back to full health would be much appreciated :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17886" LastActivityDate="2017-06-11T18:42:19.113" Title="Nerve plant bleaching &amp; recovery" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33890" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35247" CreationDate="2017-06-11T18:39:21.670" Score="4" ViewCount="3330" Body="&lt;p&gt;On one of the hydrangea plants the flower is blooming as expected whereas with the other plant only some of the buds are blooming or not blooming at the same time to give it a nice pretty look. I have attached both pictures. What is wrong with the one that is not blooming simultaneously?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7ydzq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7ydzq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qKrAo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qKrAo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T07:06:58.740" Title="Hydrangea flowers not blooming as expected" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33891" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33889" CreationDate="2017-06-11T18:42:19.113" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant does not appreciate direct sunlight - it likes a relatively bright daylight situation, but tolerates a shadier situation. You need to move it somewhere out of direct sun. Fittonia produces creeping stems - if they are in direct contact with soil, the stems will put out roots, but if you don't want that, I'd be inclined to cut back the straggly stems and give it some houseplant feed, something like Baby Bio, if you can get that where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-11T18:42:19.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33892" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33890" CreationDate="2017-06-11T18:45:58.330" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are two different varieties of Hydrangea - they're both H. macrophylla, but the second picture shows a lacecap variety, whereas the first shows a 'mophead' type. Lacecaps flower exactly as shown in your picture, and don't develop the full head of open flowers you see in the first picture. Guidance and images on types of hydrangea here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/identify.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/identify.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-11T18:45:58.330" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33890" CreationDate="2017-06-11T20:23:53.407" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;J. Storage, you need to check the pH.  Pink means more alkaline.  Blues and purples mean the correct amount of acidity this plant loves.  If pH is off then you will see deficiencies in chemicals/nutrients the plant needs for normal functions.  Looks like the pH is way off by the color of the flowers...pretty amazing huh!  Not to mention the leaves are showing deficiency.  If the pH is off some chemicals will not be available to the plant loving a different pH. Check the pH and tell us what you've used for fertilizer.  Too high nitrogen coming in from possibly your lawn fertilizing could be a culprit in low reproductive growth.  The leaves are saying they are unable to take up proper chemistry.  When plants gets stressed?  Plants will put all of their energy into reproductive growth.  Lots of flowers, sickly vegetative growth. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.espoma.com/landscaping/how-to-turn-pink-hydrangeas-blue/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;changing pink to blue&lt;/a&gt;  Don't take the entire article as gospel okay?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And those flowers are not on the same shrub as Bamboo indicated. Those are two different hydrangeas both needing a more acidic soil.  No way could they be from the same shrub, yes??&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-11T20:23:53.407" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33895" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-11T20:38:32.213" Score="6" ViewCount="2856" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/liRqu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/liRqu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I have a young Dwarf Meyer lemon tree that I intend to keep in a pot on my deck.  Is it better to gradually increase the pot size to encourage a compact root ball or to plant straight into a large container that it will spend the rest of its life in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17888" LastEditorUserId="17888" LastEditDate="2017-06-12T10:56:36.167" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T04:25:46.017" Title="Lemon tree repotting" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33896" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33885" CreationDate="2017-06-11T21:02:51.267" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Tomato Odema/Edema&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/notes/oldnotes/gp3.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;tomato Edema and why&lt;/a&gt;..&lt;a href=&quot;http://negreenhouseupdate.info/sites/negreenhouseupdate.info/files/images/tomatoEdema1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;tomato Odema leaves&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry for the short version but running off to catch horses!!&#xA;Back later...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-11T21:02:51.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33897" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33895" CreationDate="2017-06-11T21:08:39.127" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would recommend going with the large container and not have to worry about repotting.  I am always nervous about repotting because the plant does have to deal with the shock and you have to get it right so as not to damage it. Also you have to time it right so the roots are not constrained by the size of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-12T18:15:00.407" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T18:15:00.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33898" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33895" CreationDate="2017-06-11T22:26:35.627" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMU2gUoUHb5TOYYj41Nr76FBs4k6XRt_UBSxxwp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pots for clients&lt;/a&gt;Shoot, sorry JStorage, I'm going to give the opposite advice.  It would be nice, however to see the size of the tree as it is now to be sure of the next pot size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The whole deal about planting a too small plant in relation to a too large pot is this; not only does the pot and soil have to drain when watered there also needs to be a large enough root system to suck up the water or too much water will be allowed time to cause root rot and other maladies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A plant that is in proportion to its pot will have a shorter period of new root growth before the top growth starts growing to accommodate those roots.  Like a mini ecosystem...The top growth needs moisture from the roots, the healthy roots, as well as the chemicals absolutely necessary to do photosynthesis that provides the plant with usable energy that goes to the roots (for growth and storage), to the leaves for more photosynthesis to feed the plant and accommodate the new growth, the roots when they sense they are in equilibrium with the soil and water and air and chemicals/nutrients will send energy into the top growth to include flowers and fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Putting a too small plant into a large amount of soil in a pot (this is vastly different than the large body of the garden out of doors) causes an imbalance.  Mainly moisture which regulates the amount of air available in the soil.  Just a little bit too wet and those baby roots are vulnerable to rot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not to mention that plant will be trying to fill that soil, bound by the pot with roots.  First.  There will be no top growth until that happens.  That little plant has maybe a 50/50 chance to become healthy, miss out on root rot, during its stressed time where roots are trying to grow with little to no top growth that produces the energy/food necessary for larger roots and top growth...vulnerable to disease, insects big time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send a picture of your lemon.  Pop it out of the container it is in and take a picture of the root system.  How long has it been in this container?  What did the nursery say it had been fertilized with before you became its owner?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants can easily take transplanting.  They are not that fragile, no way!  When healthy they deal with transplanting very well.  I always 'fruf' up the roots breaking a few before putting the plant in new soil.  That encourages new roots (lots to do with new enzymes from breakage) and stops roots from encircling their own root system.  Root bound means plants have been in a certain pot too long and the roots have followed the circular or square boundaries of their pot.  Those roots will continue to grow in that direction and could possibly choke themselves off even if transplanted into the garden or a larger pot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When we planted thousands of bucks worth of plants in a new landscape (thousands of times) heck couldn't do it all myself and had to teach my crews what to do.  They were to use a knife to cut at least 3 or 4 vertical lines down that root ball.  Sometimes they needed to use a shovel and punch through those roots to stop the circling because some plants were very root bound.  Sometimes we had to 'butterfly' the root ball to fit the plant into a tight spot.  Sometimes we had to amputate half the dang root ball.  Not one single time that I remember did a plant die.  Trust me, my crews were not caring humans with a soft touch. Shock never was a problem.  Shock becomes a problem with change of environment (sun, shade, more wind), poor soil, poor drainage and temperature changes.  Not with transplanting.  Plants actually seem to enjoy transplanting...well some plants.  Plants used to life in pots will thrive after transplanting into a pot 2 or 3 inches larger than what it was used to.  Any more then too much soil versus roots will cause shock. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting flower pots and hanging baskets are a good example. One hanging 14&quot; basket cost around $200.  One big pot with a tree and perennials and annuals would go for $1000 and they'd hire me every year. And I used the clients own pots, not new ones.  That was a larger bill. You wouldn't believe the number of plants that go into these pots. Chop chop, stuff stuff, cramming little plants together in LARGE pots but always with one or two or three larger, more mature, huge root systems planted in that large pot to get soil and water and drainage system going.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is really a no no to plant a too small plant in a pot too large.  Fresh potting soil.  Make sure you use potting soil.  Use Osmocote fertilizer you will need to only add once or twice per year.  Absolutely no compost added, no sand, and no gravel below the soil and above the hole.  Use pot feet or pieces of tile to get air under the pot, now that really improves drainage! And always leave a good inch or so between the top of the soil and the rim for proper watering.  Let the potting soil dry out some before watering again.  During the summer...depending on the pot size and the plant it might be every day.  Otherwise, it will not should not be everyday.  This is how you train the roots to grow to be able to get at moisture at the bottom half of the pot.  All plants need this.  Otherwise, saturated soil in the garden and especially pots will kill plants.  Gravel beneath the soil causes a 'perched water table' actually ruining any drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send a couple of pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-06-11T22:46:24.357" LastActivityDate="2017-06-11T22:46:24.357" CommentCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33899" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-12T05:40:59.587" Score="4" ViewCount="1461" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just bought this dwarf mandarin tree a week ago and planted it in a pot and the leaves are starting to curl already. I have been looking every day but they seem to be getting worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if the roots are too wet - The soil seems to be holding onto a lot of water for some reason.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;-&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MORE INFO&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I watered it once right after I planted it and have been checking the soil each day but it continues to seem wet. There is a drainage hole in the bottom of the pot but I wonder if the soil is retaining too much water for some reason?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used the soil that was recommended (G &amp;amp; B potting soil) and added citrus fertilizer in the correct proportions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is in San Jose CA and gets about 8hrs of direct sun right now but it hasn't been very hot. (65-85º)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hcSJY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hcSJY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mandarin tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/biadM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/biadM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/24wvI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/24wvI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fertilizer&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17890" LastEditorUserId="17890" LastEditDate="2017-06-12T14:38:00.910" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T04:31:44.213" Title="Why are the leaves on my drawf mandarin curling? over-watered?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33900" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-12T06:26:15.993" Score="3" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have miracle grow gardening soil as well as Hoffman and Espoma cactus mixes. Can I mix these two (part cactus mix part gardening mix) together for potting geraniums and lobelia? I'm out of general potting mix and am curious if mixing the two together would be an OK alternative? If not, what is the harm or reasons not to?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T08:02:55.477" Title="Can I make my own potting soil with what I have?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;geraniums&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33899" CreationDate="2017-06-12T07:45:29.493" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I looked up G &amp;amp; B potting soil.  Do you have your bag the soil came in?  What I could come up with is that they might have added water holding 'gels' or 'sponges' in the soil.  The other thing I found is that it had kelp worm castings and compost added. This needs to be added to your citrus fertilizer amounts or you could easily go over the chemical (nutrient/fertilizer) limits for your plant and kill it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I am seeing doesn't match too little fertilizer or too much fertilizer.  Not a happy plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could be too wet like you are thinking.  If you have only watered it once and it seems saturated and heavy still...you are probably right. Did you put just soil in that pot or did you put gravel and rock at the bottom of the soil above the drainage hole?  If so, I'd dump the soil out right now and repot with different potting soil; no water holding gimmicks like the sponges or gels.  No fertilizer and the organic additives should have been sterilized with the rest of the soil.  You will have to add fertilizer balanced fertilizer but for now let's deal with the saturated soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tell me how you planted your plant, did you add just soil to that pot or did you add gravel at the bottom of the soil?  Tell me the formulation of the citrus fertilizer you used.  If you can find that bag, tell me the NPK proportions that should be on the bag.  Otherwise describe in more detail the components of the soil.  Looks like it should be a great soil but I am against those water holding gimmicks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please give more information.  Leaf curl is normal in an effort to protect the leaf from too much evaporation and heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where did you find this plant before you purchased it?  Was it in doors or out doors?  I am assuming it is out doors now.  If it wasn't acclimated to the out of doors that might be why it is trying to protect itself from too much light, heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T07:45:29.493" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33902" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33900" CreationDate="2017-06-12T08:02:55.477" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few questions to consider; is that soil old, been around awhile in opened bags? Miracle grow potting soil already has fertilizer added.  Need to know if any fertilizers have been added any of these soils.  Too much fertilizer and too little fertilizer will kill a plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Old soil will probably have pathogens or insects in it now.  That is a risk.  Will this pot be out of doors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Myself?  I would take the risk and use those soils mixed for the potting soil.  Do not use any rock or gravel at the bottom of the pot below the soil and above the drainage hole.  Just add your mixed potting soils, plant plants, water the soil as you go to moisten all of the soil, not saturate.  Do not water again until that soil is dryer and the pot feels lighter.  Lobelia loves shade...partial shade.  Geraniums love sun.  Something to keep in mind.  You'll have to put the pot in sun with a little partial shade late afternoon.  Cut the flowers off way before the blooms get old.  To keep Geraniums blooming you really have to be brutal cutting the flowers off especially at the beginning.  Try the lobelia but a better filler would be Ipomea Lime Green.  Potato Vine in chartreuse green that would do well with your geranium for sun and water.  The Ipomea that is dark eggplant color is also good to combine with the Geranium (red?) and Lime Green Ipomea.  An orange sedge or two would pull those plants together well.  How big is your pot?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T08:02:55.477" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33903" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33746" CreationDate="2017-06-12T09:35:10.617" Score="3" Body="&lt;h1&gt;1: watering rule&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most efficient time to water is in the evening, to avoid water waste during the day. But it helps snails and slugs thrive. I prefer early morning right after collecting slugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;2: growth period associated with water needs&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is what I once used at home (units are gallons to water for a 5-foot row):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;[DS] stands next to plants that need a lot of water during dry spells.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;[CS] stands next to plants that need water at critical stages of development.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;[NF] stands next to plants that do not need frequent watering.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;|Vegetable       [--]|  Critical time(s)                                                     |   Number of gallons of water needed                |&#xA;-----------------[--]| --------------------------------------------------------------------  | ---------------------------------------------------|&#xA;|Beans           [CS]| When flowers form and during pod-forming and picking                  | 2 per week depending on rainfall                   |&#xA;|Beets           [NF]| Before soil gets bone-dry                                             | 1 at early stage; 2 every 2 weeks                  |&#xA;|Broccoli        [NF]| Don’t let soil dry out for 4 weeks after transplanting.               | 1 to 1 ½ per week                                  |&#xA;|Brussels sprouts[NF]| Don’t let soil dry out for 4 weeks after transplanting.               | 1 to 1 ½ per week                                  |&#xA;|Cabbage         [DS]| Water frequently in dry weather for best crop                         | 2 per week                                         |&#xA;|Carrots         [NF]| Before soil gets bone-dry                                             | 1 at early stage; 2 every 2 weeks as roots mature  |&#xA;|Cauliflower     [DS]| Water frequently for best crop.                                       | 2 per week                                         |&#xA;|Celery          [DS]| Water frequently for best crop.                                       | 2 per week                                         |&#xA;|Corn            [CS]| When tassels form and when cobs swell                                 | 2 at important stages (left)                       |&#xA;|Cucumbers       [DS]| Water frequently for best crop.                                       | 1 per week                                         |&#xA;|Lettuce/Spinach [DS]| Water frequently for best crop.                                       | 2 per week                                         |&#xA;|Onions          [NF]| In dry weather, water in early stage to get plants going.             | ½ to 1 per week if soil is very dry                |&#xA;|Parsnips        [NF]| Before soil gets bone-dry                                             | 1 per week in early stages                         |&#xA;|Peas            [CS]| When flowers form and during pod-forming and picking                  | 2 per week                                         |&#xA;|Potatoes        [CS]| When the size of marbles                                              | 2 per week                                         |&#xA;|Squash          [DS]| Water frequently for best crop.                                       | 1 per week                                         |&#xA;|Tomatoes        [CS]| For 3 to 4 weeks after transplanting and when flowers and fruit form  | 1 gallon twice a week or more                       |&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;3: planting time&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will be good fun to implement these conditions in your application: you will have to cross them with the time your user planted the seeds or transplants; you may need to take a planting chart into account like below, which is very interesting and (even more) useful to gardeners:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W4b8g.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W4b8g.png&quot; alt=&quot;planting time chart&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;PS: this chart is from  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.betterhensandgardens.com/making-2014s-seed-starting-planting-schedule-wdownloadable-template/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;BETTER HENS&amp;amp; Gardens&lt;/a&gt;, for &lt;strong&gt;USA hardiness zone 6A&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T09:45:13.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33904" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33972" CreationDate="2017-06-12T11:44:26.997" Score="2" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the name of the following plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KccWW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KccWW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14466" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T18:13:39.360" Title="What is this plant with dark green or red leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33905" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-12T11:45:18.083" Score="4" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this  terrace in front of my house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is paved with very knee-abrasive dales. And I would like to make it a better place for my child which will soon learn how to walk and fall there. Moreover the dales get dark with time, pretty bad looking. I tried using high pressure cleaner, but it is a lot of work for a bad result, because the sand beneath the dales comes out...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;South-faced, it gets really hot and uncomfortable. I feel it is too much work for me to remove wild grass that continuously comes growing here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xlPUl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xlPUl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my uncomfortable terrace&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone has any ideas on how I could make the place better, i.e. avoid weeding (mowing it from time to time would be ok), have less heating radiating from the place, and a less abrasive surface?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I thought of a textile to cover a good part of it, but does it last long? Does it come with any inconvenient?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I love observing plants growing, so I wouldn't mind covering it completely with fast-spreading, walk-through and drought resistant weeds or plants. Any suggestion ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Especially, which kind of flat-covering plants would be appropriate for such a difficult place? I leave in East-France, a little high in the hills (650m above see level), this makes maybe something in the 7b-6a hardiness zone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is what comes naturally here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satureja&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Savory&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6iZbO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6iZbO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Savory on my terrace&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyme&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thyme&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vSC2o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vSC2o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Thyme on my terrace&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifolium_repens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;White Clover&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r4ZDD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r4ZDD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;White clover on my terrace&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;something else?&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And these two others I don't know of:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IoRqq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IoRqq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;something I know not&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-06-16T06:07:14.990" Title="What could I do to make my terrace more comfortable?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;pavers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33906" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33908" CreationDate="2017-06-12T12:25:23.593" Score="19" ViewCount="2392" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm experimenting with growing my own food, and have been for a few years now.  My goal, in the very long term, is to be able to homestead and grow as much of my own food as I can.  In terms of sheer number of pounds of food grown, I think that zucchini is the most prolific.  However, it's not very highly caloric.  I'm interested in growing a substantial number of calories, so I'd like to know which crops might be best for that, in my area, which is southern Ontario, Canada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe that  I'm &lt;em&gt;just&lt;/em&gt; outside of the zone I need to be in to grow something like soy, or even peanuts, without some kind of greenhouse.  I'd be interested in trying some grains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In short:&lt;/strong&gt; I mean that I want crops which produce the greatest number of harvestable calories for a given amount of land.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17892" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-06-27T01:37:34.453" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T19:45:17.717" Title="Calorically dense crops that can be grown in southern Ontario, Canada?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;&lt;sustainability&gt;" AnswerCount="7" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33907" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-12T14:10:26.920" Score="6" ViewCount="8420" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/gallery/C1TQ2&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://imgur.com/gallery/C1TQ2&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures above &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hi! I am reposting since my previous one was lacking important info.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a ZZ plant that I got roughly 9 months ago. 3 months in, I repotted it, because the roots were starting to deform the plastic pot, e.g it was getting very root-bound.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My problem is, that it is not growing in height at all, nor does it have new leaves. Just today I checked it and saw that there were roots showing from the drainage holes and the pot is once again slightly lopsided from the shape of the roots inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sits near the window but in relatively indirect light. Regular potting soil. 14 cm pot. See pics above. I have maybe fertilized it 2 times in the past 4 months with an organic all purpose fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like the plant is just growing roots, but nothing above ground. What could be causing this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17563" LastActivityDate="2020-08-17T21:35:53.160" Title="Zz plant not growing within 1 year" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33908" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33906" CreationDate="2017-06-12T14:39:26.797" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Calorically dense&quot;? Look at fruits. Apples, brambles (raspberry/blackberry), currants, strawberries, blueberries. Pie cherries (sweet will depend on your microclimate, pie are hardier), apricots, plums.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These folks think you are wrong about soy: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/96-325-x/2007000/article/10369-eng.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;The soybean, agriculture's jack-of-all-trades, is gaining ground across Canada&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Until the mid-1970s, soybeans were restricted by climate primarily to southern Ontario. Intensive breeding programs have since opened up more widespread growing possibilities across Canada&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peanuts are rather more tender, though I think we managed to grow some as a novelty and without a greenhouse in Zone 3 - but it wasn't much of a yield, as I recall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rye, barley, oats, flax and wheat are all possible crops. Flax as an oilseed may be among the most &quot;calorically dense&quot; of those but I'll leave you to check the numbers on it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Canola&quot; (rebranded from the original name, a member of the mustard family) is another common oilseed in cooler regions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/canola.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Canola (Rapeseed)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-06-13T16:06:59.163" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T16:06:59.163" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33909" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-12T14:45:28.363" Score="5" ViewCount="1824" Body="&lt;p&gt;How long should the soil for succulent plants stay moist?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know you are only supposed to water the succulents once the soil is dry, and that succulent roots can rot if they are too wet, but how long is ideal for the soil to stay moist?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm asking because I just planted a lot of succulents in larger pots using &quot;G&amp;amp;B ORGANICS PALM, CACTUS &amp;amp; CITRUS For In-Ground &amp;amp; Container Planter&quot; soil but even being outside (san jose CA) with 6hrs of direct sun the soil still feels quite moist 5 days after watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm ok letting it go until it is completely dry but I feel like this is a really long time and I don't want the roots to rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17890" LastActivityDate="2019-03-11T20:05:39.130" Title="How long should the soil for succulents stay moist?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33906" CreationDate="2017-06-12T15:31:36.840" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are you familiar with John Jeavons? If not, I highly recommend checking him out. I think his &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growbiointensive.org/publications_about_HTGMV.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Grow More Vegetables&lt;/a&gt;&quot; is still the best resource for this type of information. Unfortunately, I can't find my copy right now, but I do have a smaller, less detailed book of his on hand, and this is what he says: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you compare all of the foods we commonly grow in North America, the most calorie dense per pound are beans and wheat. Beans offer a little over 1,500 calories per pound, wheat offers a little less. By comparison, potatoes offer 279 calories per pound. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you compare how many square feet are required to grow enough calories for one person to get their calorie needs for a year with these three foods, you'll need over 5,000sf per person of beans or wheat, but less than 2,000sf to grow the same number of calories of potatoes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He's a big proponent of relying heavily on potatoes, sweet potatoes (which may be out of range for you?), garlic (although it seems to me this would be a tough one to eat enough of as a main crop) and parsnips. If you also plant some wheat, beans, other veggies, and fruits you can use those to diversify your diet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T15:31:36.840" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33907" CreationDate="2017-06-12T18:37:07.623" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Wayfaring Stranger, this plant is slow to grow after transplanting because it is one of those plants that likes being 'root bound'.  I would transplant this guy again in a slightly larger clay pot.  Firm the soil around the roots in the pot and leave an inch below the rim and the top of the soil.  The clay pot won't give like the plastic one and will contain those vigorous, large roots much better.  This next transplanting I would get a big chunk of panty hose to put over the hole before you put your soil and plant in the pot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When there is more room in a pot with more soil, this type of plant will first fill that soil with roots before working on more top growth.  You just transplanted it and already it has filled the pot with roots and now checking out the 'mud room'.  That thin light plastic pot will easily be deformed and unless you put a very permeable barrier over the drain hole those roots will continue to grow and tip your pot over. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could just leave it right where it is, chop off the roots as they come out of the hole.  Will not hurt that plant.  Press the soil down and I think you'll be able to get a 1&quot; space from the rim for watering purposes.  The top growth should begin again soon.  When it gets going and outgrows this pot (top growth will slow again) then get a heavy clay pot that is no more than 2&quot; larger in diameter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is nothing wrong with your plant at all. And I changed my mind, I wouldn't transplant again right now. Chop roots off or poke them back up in the hole.  Allow your ZZ to grow more top growth first to feed and support all those roots. It loves being root bound.  It should start showing top growth soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T18:37:07.623" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33912" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33883" CreationDate="2017-06-12T18:50:47.277" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is a philosophical question and you will get different answers based on what different people believe in.  My personal experience has been positive when I turned over the soil.  I have a few raised beds and one year I turned over the soil and loosened it.  That year it had great results since it helps the root system grow and not have to fight the harder soil.  In subsequent years, I have been only loosening the top few inches of the soil when mixing in compost and fertilizer and once again, I am happy with the results.  I would recommend digging the soil with you hands to see how soft it is.  If it is very hard, I would suggest turning over the soil at least once to loosen it and once it is loose, check every year and you may not have to loosen it all the way to the bottom.  That will keep the biological system underneath working and left undisturbed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T18:50:47.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33905" CreationDate="2017-06-12T22:16:39.457" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Consider pulling out select tiles and replace them with plants. You can pull out a large section and insert some type of shrub or shade inducing plant to help with the heat. For the rest you could remove the pieces in a checker board fashion and replace it with ground covers such as the Thyme or oregano. That would yield a better softer surface for play. You could also consider different types of horizontal and mounding creeping junipers for interest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That probably sounds like a lot of work, so hopefully someone can suggest an easier solution to the harshness of the material. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13895" LastActivityDate="2017-06-12T22:16:39.457" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33915" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-12T22:47:40.820" Score="4" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;So i bought two mint plants from Home Depot last month and one of them looks like it's completely just going to kneel over and die (That one's currently at my grandmother's) but i found out that that one was literally drowning in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But this one I keep on the dresser in my room seems to be doing well but at the same time the main plant is slowly dying off. I also took a picture of the new stem that's growing, there's actually three but the one on the main will probably die off.Yesterday the one that's currently drooping wasn't brown like that. Another problem is that brown spots keep randomly appearing on the leaves so I end up taking those off. I would leave it outside in a pot but bugs just won't stop chewing the leaves off and the leaves start turning white for some reason.&#xA;I'd send a third picture of how it looked on the 30th but I can only post two.Oh also don't mind the stick, that's just a sage stem to hold it up right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TGo5Q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TGo5Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Sorry if the lighting is bad, it's supposed to rain later today.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s0crb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s0crb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;These were taken today&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17898" LastEditorUserId="17898" LastEditDate="2017-06-13T19:41:35.120" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T19:41:35.120" Title="Should I Take It Back Or Keep Trying To Bring It Back (Resolved)" Tags="&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33917" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33915" CreationDate="2017-06-13T02:54:26.900" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, Mali, take it back. They should be held responsible to make sure you get a healthy plant and know how to care for it! They should have to tell you what they've already added such as fertilizer or whether plants are indoors acclimated or outdoors acclimated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is dead. Fungus or bacteria have completely shut down the vascular system of this plant. It is most likely systemic so cuttings would have the same disease. Way too wet, too little light and if that is garden soil in your pots...probably the major reason for this die back. Bag the soil and plants and bleach the pots well. Begin again! Find a better nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T02:54:26.900" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33918" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33906" CreationDate="2017-06-13T03:27:00.330" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very interesting question.  There are a few dimensions that you might not have considered.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First; anything grown from the earth is a carbohydrate.  Should be at least 60% of our diet.  Honest injun.  I know plants well and the other thing I know really well is the human body. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From a garden the only type of 'nutrient group' you will be dealing with is carbohydrates.  Artichokes?  Avocados?  Some harvests will have fats included.  Not that many.  What I think you are looking for are crops that store very well such as beans; pinto, anasazi beans, wheat berries, lima beans, amaranth!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;4 calories per gram for carbohydrate; all carbohydrates.  You need to figure in the percentage of fat available at 9 calories per gram.  Protein not counting the fat that is usually included if animal is 4 calories per gram.  Alcohol has been made into a food group for reference more than anything; 7 calories per gram.  Straight across the board.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best stuff with most nutrients, easiest to grow and get great harvests (at 4 calories per gram) that I grow are potatoes, beets, tomatoes, peppers, spinach, kale, cilantro, basil, squash especially the gourds.  Snap peas, berry shrubs like blueberry, boysenberry, raspberry that come back every year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can but I've found dehydration is the best way to preserve.  You're not carrying around water weight and have not damaged the nutrients in any way.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cultivating grains takes huge acreage.  Tree fruits are spectacular dehydrated.  Tomatoes, really dehydration is my focus.  You will not be able to grow everything.  Not even close.  Start purchasing non GMO fruits and vegetables from a trusted vendor on the main street somewhere.  Make sure they are Non Gmo.  Get going on preserving; canning, dehydrating...some freezing.  Great but not that easy to control if no electricity.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem with growing soy, peanuts, wheat is space as well as GMO crop pollen, if you save seed.  Get a 'root cellar' going.  That will help stage crops or store when there is too much to handle at once as well as over winter storage of potatoes, onions, garlic, winter squash, rutabagas, parsnips...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nutrition is a far better indicator than calories for how you spend your energy and time to allow successful crops.  Watermelon is wonderful but all water little nutrition for instance.  How long something can last preserved, stored in root cellar and hold onto the nutrients as well as calories is more important.  I've read that one could live off just wheat berries for years.  I'm thinking I'd rather die.  Amaranth.  That is a big deal as are the Anasazi beans.  Do not forget rice.  Brown or wild or mixed or gourmet or Jasmine, store rice. Store spices, salt, molasses, oils...other wise the wilderness is very bountiful even during the winter.  Boring but calories, no dishes to clean...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T03:27:00.330" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33919" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33943" CreationDate="2017-06-13T03:27:58.087" Score="4" ViewCount="1933" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have got this flower tree that i found near a pond. Dunno what it is bit its beautiful, so i have decided to get a small one and plant it in my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But i have about 6 mango trees in an area of about 400sq.m. i am concerned that there's nothing left in the soil for my plants. I wont cut the mango trees. I saw my aunt plant a rose after slightly cutting the root of a similar tree. She made a small &quot;incision&quot; and then put the rose plant in it(few of its roots). It is healthy now. It was a long time ago and so i need details of this can be replicated.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/swTLJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/swTLJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the image attached is of the flower plant that i want to, well, plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17902" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T02:25:04.400" Title="Planting a flower plant under a huge mango tree" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33920" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-13T03:39:28.520" Score="10" ViewCount="524" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant has opposite toothed single leaves and opposite stems growing in Northern Virginia.  The color of new growth stems is a deep burgundy with white speckles.  I'm guessing it is a shrub in the honeysuckle family.  It is a volunteer whose seed was likely deposited by a bird.  There are no other plants like it in the yard.  It had one woody stem last summer which I cut to the ground in late winter of this year.  All the growth in the pictures has occurred this growing season. It is a young plant that I have not seen flower and fruit. The pictures were taken today, June 12, 2017.  In the second picture it is the single season shrub in the middle.  Please disregard the plants that surround it.  I planted the surrounding plants and know their names.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/McW7l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/McW7l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M9I8h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M9I8h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the picture of the leaves and stems of my Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa):&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fxy1q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fxy1q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of leaves and stems on one of my Flowering Dogwood trees (Cornus Florida).  It is the state tree of Virginia and native to the eastern United States. It's a very popular landscape tree in Northern Virginia.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dUvFw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dUvFw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&#xA;Eddie&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17901" LastEditorUserId="17901" LastEditDate="2017-06-14T21:31:22.863" LastActivityDate="2018-06-29T01:19:43.057" Title="Does anyone know the name of this young plant shrub?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33920" CreationDate="2017-06-13T06:34:37.997" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves look very much like &lt;em&gt;Philadelphus&lt;/em&gt; leaves and they're opposite too. Wikipedia mentions there are about 60 species. &lt;em&gt;Philadelphus inodorus&lt;/em&gt; is native to the region. I'm not certain though if bark on young stems would be spotted like this but perhaps a related species? &lt;em&gt;Philadelphus&lt;/em&gt; species flower on second year wood so if it is, you wouldn't be able to know this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T06:34:37.997" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33922" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-13T06:51:57.097" Score="2" ViewCount="30" Body="&lt;p&gt;Currently i have decided to use bio fertilizers such as phospobacteria and azospirillum to my garden plants. I am confused whether these needs to be used regurarly on the soil or is it a one time application?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16489" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T06:51:57.097" Title="Biofertilizer usage frequency" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33906" CreationDate="2017-06-13T08:41:52.203" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to be autonomous, you must plant various kind of crops. This will avoid you to starve if for some reason a disease or pest or bad weather destroy your yield of a given crop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So here is another idea: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;SunChoke&lt;/a&gt;; it's like potatoes, but need not to be replanted each year. Many material on our site about them (e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/26548/is-there-a-good-way-to-know-if-you-should-transplant-sunchokes-to-spread-them-ou&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; ).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T08:41:52.203" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33924" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33926" CreationDate="2017-06-13T08:49:48.943" Score="3" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;When checking satellite photos on Google Maps, I noticed that there's a striking visual difference between fields in some countries, namely Germany &amp;amp; Austria vs. Czech Republic &amp;amp; Slovakia. Take a look e.g. at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.cz/maps/@49.3360997,12.9671541,13740m/data=!3m1!1e3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this part of the border&lt;/a&gt;; fields on the German part look much more divided into smaller segments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the reason for this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17904" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T21:14:42.350" Title="Differences in shape of fields in Central Europe" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2017-06-13T17:59:08.943" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33925" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33906" CreationDate="2017-06-13T12:13:51.337" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As others have mentioned, potatoes are probably your best bet in terms of calories per acre.  If you use the trick of stacking soil as the plants grow up, you'll do even better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For variety, you can also grow sweet potatoes in southern Ontario.  I've done it, and was surprised that it worked.  Apparently they really love heat, so I put down transparent plastic to increase the soil temperature.  I'm trying it without the plastic this year, but the squirrels got at them early, and I'm not sure how well things will go....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17908" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T12:13:51.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33926" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33924" CreationDate="2017-06-13T13:13:46.280" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The reason for this in southern Austria/Burgenland is due to traditions surrounding inheritance, and is not related to farming methods. Landowners would divide their farm equally among their children rather than giving it to their oldest child. After many generations, the farms were carved down into the narrow strips you can see even today. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While farming methods didn't lead to the shape of the fields, the shape of the fields has determined what farming methods can be used today. They are impractical for large, modern farm machinery and in fact there has been consolidation of those fields in modern time so machinery can be used. If you look, you'll find discussions lamenting the change. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;ETA: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.cz/maps/place/Burgenland,+Rakousko/@47.0435787,16.290189,7585m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x476c20c30e4adcf1:0x98424bb7b83ee8fa!8m2!3d47.1537165!4d16.2688797&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This map&lt;/a&gt; shows clearly remnants of the old style fields (the narrow strips) and larger plots that have been consolidated in Burgenland. And &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.cz/maps/place/Burgenland,+Rakousko/@47.0004909,16.1876358,3109m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x476c20c30e4adcf1:0x98424bb7b83ee8fa!8m2!3d47.1537165!4d16.2688797&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this map&lt;/a&gt; is another area where the old style fields largely remain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2017-06-13T21:14:42.350" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T21:14:42.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33927" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33955" CreationDate="2017-06-13T13:51:33.597" Score="5" ViewCount="147" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;This is a followup to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/32570/yellowing-and-falling-of-lime-tree-leaves/32587&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;, from a couple months ago. I tried yesterday to edit that question to include the followup, but it was not very well-received -- I assume it was not the right thing to do, so I'm starting a new one.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While my citrus (key lime tree) is now making new leaves, some (3 or 4) of the &quot;big&quot; leaves are still looking unhealthy -- curling, with the edges turning dry and white.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was not sure it was a big deal (after all, it &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; making new leaves), until I moved the pot today and saw this underneath:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vjikj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vjikj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4NIqT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4NIqT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cleaned it and removed the white stuff from below, but now am pretty worried.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I water the plant roughly 1-2 times a week, with nothing in the water -- I am no longer using &quot;liquid plant food&quot; as I used to every time ~2 months ago)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14033" LastEditorUserId="14033" LastEditDate="2017-06-13T14:08:08.480" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T18:58:41.337" Title="Key lime tree: white mush/mold (?) on the roots, and curling whitening leaves" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33906" CreationDate="2017-06-13T15:06:22.757" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;From someone who grows a lot of their own food in a more northern climate, I would say that not only do you want calorie density, but you also need the ability to store long term.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would personally begin thinking of winter squashes (like butternut), beets, and potatoes. You should also look at long term (perennial) plants like Asparagus, rhubarb, apple trees, etc. In southern Ontario, you will be able to plant blueberry bushes as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of your best sources of &quot;what to plant&quot; is what the historical settlers planted in your region. They had to survive with minimal trips to town and therefore survived off their gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A little more detail on the above suggestions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Winter squashes can be stored in a cool place like a cellar or basement, and then can be split in half and baked with a little water in the pan until soft. These plants are prolific and easily stored until needed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beets can also be stored in a cellar, but my favorite way to preserve them is to boil them until soft in a big stock pot, slice them up and then store them in manageable portions in freezer bags in the freezer. When the time comes to use them in a meal, we quickly warm up the portion on the stove or in the microwave.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Potatoes were traditional foods used in many cultures. The climate of Southern Ontario would be perfect for these. Potatoes can be stored on a flat shelf (so they can get some air). Make sure they are stored in a dark, cool room. Again, a basement cold room or cellar would be good. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Asparagus will take a while to take hold, but will be easy on you as it comes back every year. This is an early spring crop, but can be frozen if you prefer. Plant a patch of it in full sun.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rhubarb is an early season crop that comes back year after year. If you plant a few of these (they make great landscaping accents and borders too), you should have more than enough. You eat the stems of these, not the leaves. The flavor is similar to a tart apple. Rhubarb thrives in cooler climates. It can be stored by washing the stems, chopping them into half inch wide pieces and then freezing in 2-4 cup portions. There are many official recipes where rhubarb can be used. It can also be used as a fruity filler in many other recipes. Just be sure to pick like crazy and save it in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Apple trees are a late season crop that can yield big results. Apples can be sliced and frozen, dehydrated, canned, or even just saved in a cool place. If you choose to keep apples in a cellar, be mindful that they release ethylene gas, which can cause other stored vegetables to continue to ripen in storage, so keep them away from your other produce.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For nutritional information on vegetables, use a nutrition data resource like: &lt;a href=&quot;http://nutritiondata.self.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Self Nutrition Data&lt;/a&gt;. Just search for the food you are interested in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overall, I suggest looking at traditional recipes for your region. Those recipes were often popular because people at the time were able to use the ingredients efficiently. Best of luck on you gardening endeavor!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17912" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-06-22T15:08:44.797" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T15:08:44.797" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33929" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33935" CreationDate="2017-06-13T15:32:38.607" Score="4" ViewCount="1521" Body="&lt;p&gt;About a month ago I did a little bit of landscaping at home. My dad insisted that we put landscape fabric down, even though I said I didn't care to use it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The type of landscape fabric that was used seemed overly heavy to me. It looks something like &lt;a href=&quot;https://mobileimages.lowes.com/product/converted/816101/816101008001.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;this&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; My parents have a weed barrier at their home, but its more of a cloth look, like &lt;a href=&quot;https://mobileimages.lowes.com/product/converted/085972/085972008544_07862185.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;this&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few days after planting a few new plants, putting down the weed mat, and adding new mulch some of the new plants were looking a little weary. I at first thought it was maybe just a small shock. Three weeks later, here I am with the same weary looking plants, one plant has lost it's flower buds, and a rose bush that has been there from the beginning also lost all of it's flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've kept the plants watered and occasionally lift the weed barrier to make sure the soil is still moist, which it has been. The fact that the rose bush has died is what makes me wonder if it's the landscape fabric that is causing the problem. My rose bush thrived all last summer with zero problems, even with the amount of extreme heat we had. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My first thought was maybe the landscape barrier is too thick and is shedding most of the water away from the base of the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the question is, could it really be the landscape fabric that is causing my problems? If it is the cause of the problem, what are some other minimal effort ways to control weeds? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Japanese beetle pictures: &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NUKMN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;image 1&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XNVff.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;image 2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15920" LastEditorUserId="15920" LastEditDate="2017-06-16T17:43:21.190" LastActivityDate="2020-02-20T09:13:32.220" Title="Is landscape fabric stressing my plants?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;landscape-fabric&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33930" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-13T16:05:36.577" Score="3" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this stuff all through my lawn and garden.  Normal weed killer had no effect on it. I want it gone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rvril.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a section of the lawn:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b6NTgl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b6NTgl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This what it does in the garden when it's not mowed:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t4l3Jl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t4l3Jl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17913" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-06-13T17:33:10.767" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T18:15:22.543" Title="What is this weed and how can I get rid of it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33931" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33930" CreationDate="2017-06-13T16:28:42.090" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plants seem large and it seems just few plants. Why not using the manual method? Quick and most effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T16:28:42.090" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33934" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-13T16:57:26.350" Score="4" ViewCount="337" Body="&lt;p&gt;I inherited a community plot this summer along with a sprinkling of second-season plants which were overlooked at harvest in the fall. I have one beet which is currently bolting (do you say bolting for beets?). I was planning on collecting the seeds, but then I read online that beets can wind pollinate with chard from up to 2 miles away!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did a search to find out what possible chard-beet hybrid might result, but I couldn't find any descriptions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand that the results of cross-pollination are unpredictable, but what might I expect? Less tasty/sweet roots? Smaller roots? More chard like foliage? Is it just not worth taking the risk, and should I just buy more carefully cultivated seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17915" LastEditorUserId="17915" LastEditDate="2017-06-13T22:46:41.063" LastActivityDate="2020-06-08T00:44:54.770" Title="What is the result of &quot;unpredictable&quot; cross-pollination of beets?" Tags="&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;beetroot&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33935" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33929" CreationDate="2017-06-13T18:06:41.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WRF6u.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WRF6u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Gro-Co mulch&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;You have only had it installed for a month?  How big are the holes around your plants.  You probably know how much I loathe this weed barrier practice.  I am glad you sense that it is not a good thing for the soil ultimately for the plants and it does not stop weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This fabric was designed to use as a barrier beneath gravel installations.  Keeps the soil from coming up into the gravel essentially causing the gravel to disappear.  Some marketing whiz kid thought of another use to be able to sell even more.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a hard time thinking that this has been there long enough to cause problems.  It does shed the water and I am glad you were trying to lift it to water.  I always insisted to a new client that they pay me to remove that stuff and the bark or they could find someone else.  Never lost a new customer. I'd also insist on changing their mulch to Gro-Co (human poo and sawdust completely completely decomposed).  Gorgeous and wow how the plants would go from anemic to green and vibrant...within one week.  That stuff isn't available everywhere.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are watering by hand then it could very well be lack of water.  Did you water the soil before installing that stuff?  When soil becomes hydrophobic it is tough to get any water into the soil without constant water being applied regularly.  You've probably seen this; water just runs off the soil leaving completely dry soil behind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For now, I'd get an exacto knife or a box cutter with a new blade and make larger circles around my plants.  Send pictures of your problems as I still have a hard time thinking the fabric is the cause since it has only been there a month.  I would also consider removing that stuff but if it causes problems with parents...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This fabric also holds in moisture reducing evaporation.  It also provides shelter for all kinds of insects, slugs, snails, snakes, mice.  The best way I've found is using that Gro-Co mulch.  A couple of inches and forget weeds.  Smothers weed seeds and feeds the soil organisms.  So much so it needs to be replaced every other year.  This stuff was readily available to me in the Seattle area.  Sawdust Supply, in Seattle. Gro-Co was their name for this stuff not a standard name. I would call your sewer waste utility to find out if they do this.  If they don't would you please ask them how they do dispose of our poo?  I am not liking what I am hearing.  Please let me know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When one can get past the original ingredients this is bar none the only way to deal with weeds.  The federal government has strict rules and testing before this is allowed to be sold.  Tested 5X for each batch!  They give you a copy of the last test that shows what you are buying.  And amazingly this is no more expensive than bark.  And there is the option to have it delivered and blown onto your beds.  It is the way to go.  Amazing how neat they keep everything.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This mulch is a fine fine textured dark taupe color.  It has zero weed seeds, zero pesticide residues, no sticks, rocks.  Put a few inches on already growing weeds and they die.  Weed seeds in the soil are unable to germinate.  This is the best thing for our gardens since the shovel.  Truly controls weeds and the most important part is that it feeds your soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Macro and micro soil organisms create a 'live' soil necessary for plants and uptake of chemicals/nutrients they need to survive.  These little guys come up and eat anything that is decomposed.  Non decomposed stuff like bark causes all the soil life to go dormant or die until the decomposers finish their job decomposing that bark.  Then the life can wake up, start eating the decomposed stuff, reproduce and work symbiotically with the roots of plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Decomposers need nitrogen.  During the time the soil life has gone dormant waiting for food the organisms tasked with decomposing anything that was once alive, now dead, use lots of nitrogen for energy.  Robbing the soil of nitrogen meant for plants.  Not a big deal but certainly doesn't make for healthy plants even by adding extra nitrogen.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other cool thing the soil organisms do after eating the decomposed organic matter is go back into the soil and poop out this matter mixing this organic matter into the soil with no work on your part.  Continually improving the texture and tilth of your soil.  The only way any type of soil texture can be improved is by the addition of organic matter.  Not sand, gypsum or any other substance added will improve the soil you need to grow plants in.  And all one needs to do is put decomposed organic matter on the top of the soil.  Smothers weeds, doesn't add weed seeds, no errant pesticide residues (this is becoming more and more of a big deal with other composts/mulches), gorgeous uniform texture, feeds your soil organisms who assist your plants with up take of chemicals they need for photosynthesis. This human poo mulch does have some nitrogen in the product.  But I have to always say; mulch, compost is never to be considered fertilizer.  Fertilizer should be a balanced mix, either synthetic or organic.  You need to account for the extra nitrogen in whatever compost you use but compost is not a substitute for fertilizer. Nor is it meant as a soil substitute.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send pictures. That first roll of fabric almost looks like the stuff we use on plywood for the exterior of a building that goes beneath the siding.  Does it have a name on the roll?  Check on the availability of human poop compost/mulch.  If you don't have a source for this stuff, use the finest ground pine bark available.  Sprinkle with some nitrogen.  Not a lot but should help mitigate the loss of nitrogen from use by your plants.  Fertilizer is critical as is the amount applied.  Too little and plants will limp along to eventually die.  Too much and plants will die very quickly.  Hope this helps.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T18:06:41.897" CommentCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33934" CreationDate="2017-06-13T18:46:54.977" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Using one's own seed from their vegetables will always be iffy.  I don't know about chard and beets, I'd say that would be iffy and I'd go look up a lot more information. Doesn't affect the plant grown from the seed you planted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seed in packets is grown in sterilized, air controlled rooms with positive pressure to keep the errant pollen out.  Plants grown without exacting conditions will always have seeds with genetics you'll never know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another problem is the GMO crops being grown.  That pollen will also fertilize your plants and you will have GMO genome which is worse than spending money on good seed, storing seeds for later.  When seed is unavailable well, worrying about the genome won't be at the top of anyone's list.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you purchase seed look for NON-GMO labeling.  When suppliers have NON-GMO products, produce and seeds it behooves them to label because buyers are becoming more aware. NON-GMO labeling is not required anymore...sigh.  I get my seed from Territorial Seeds.  Very big on NON-GMO.  Get ready for more expensive seed!  Whoa.  But worth the money!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T18:46:54.977" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33937" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-13T19:31:53.780" Score="6" ViewCount="265" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bQgHr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone please tell me what this is called?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had it my old house but forgot to take a cutting before I moved and now I have no idea what it is and haven't seen one anywhere but I really would like to get another as I really like it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All I know about it is that it can grow between 1 and 2 meters high and spread and it's round.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17920" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T09:16:03.233" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T09:16:03.233" Title="What is this dense, round, 1m-2m high and wide bush?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33938" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-13T20:14:54.987" Score="4" ViewCount="453" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iSaaU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My cactus has recently broken but it is still connected on one side. I don't know what to do. Can he be saved or is he going to be lost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17921" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-13T21:07:08.773" LastActivityDate="2020-02-07T07:20:22.787" Title="Need help saving my broken cactus" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33939" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32896" CreationDate="2017-06-13T20:19:25.133" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very thorny pear tree in my garden. It had been chopped back to a 2m trunk at some point &amp;amp; I continued to cut back the thorny regrowth until I put an arch up. I let some of the branches grow onto the arch &amp;amp; last year it produced 2 flowers &amp;amp; 2 stunted pears. This year it has a whole batch! No idea if they are edible but I think that wild pear trees have these big spikes! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17922" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-13T21:08:45.880" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T21:08:45.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33940" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33937" CreationDate="2017-06-13T22:08:56.837" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plants.gardensupplyco.com/Content/Images/Photos/F528-04.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hebe pruned recently&lt;/a&gt;This is Hebe (buxifolia)?  This is one of my all time favorite shrubs.  What zone are you in?  These do well only as low as 5.  They are evergreen thus those leaves are subjected to too cold temperatures below 5.  They need excellent drainage meaning raised beds, not raised beds with lumber or brick, just fluffed up soil that is a good foot higher than the original surface.  It will reduce to about 6 inches.  A shallow trench around the base of the bed which doubles as a crisp clean edge defining the lawn...if that is nearby.  Hebe loves an acid soil.  Like hydrangeas.  Lawn loves a bit more alkaline of a soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't bother taking cuttings and vegetatively reproducing.  I'd make plant beds, test the pH of the soil, purchase at least 4 or 5 plants.  Make a grouping on one side of the landscape with one or two or more balancing that first grouping on the other side or nearby.  This shrub is excellent for a soft hedge.  No pruning except the wayward branch.  Plant in a staggered line no closer than 3 feet apart...forming equilateral triangles between shrubs.  Don't do straight lines of anything.  Breathtaking super duper 'skeleton' plant for the landscape.  This shrub will pull together any motley landscape perfectly, low maintainance if given the proper pH, proper fertilizer in the proper zone.  Needs water at the beginning until established!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Quick point to make.  The picture of your old mature shrub shows a very healthy shrub.  BUT, I would prune to allow the lower skirt of that shrub to be wider than the top.  This guy would take a few delicate prunings to get him in the correct form so that those leaves on the bottom get as much light, or close to as much light as the top leaves on that shrub.  Leaves that produce more food for the plant because they get more sun will be taken care of before leaves and branches not able to produce as much food.  Chemicals/nutrients when low are always transported to the new growth, the top, first.  If the soil is too low in the necessary chemicals (NPK and a good dozen microchemicals/nutrients from a balanced fertilizer but again a little too much is death, a little too little is a slower death) only the top growth the big producers of food for the plant get what is available.  The bottom growth will be ignored.  Even with plenty of correct chemistry, proper pH (wrong pH and even though the chemistry is there is will be made unavailable to the plant), the plant will always send more water, nutrients/chemicals to the producers and ignore those that don't produce much in the way of food for the plant.  The trick is to always have the top of a shrub narrower than the bottom.  Even for formal hedges!  Natural look is like an upside down salad bowl, like half of a sphere.  This is the most healthy form for shrubs. The picture I took is not bad for pruning but it would be better if there was a gentle continuous line from the very bottom to the top.  See the shade beneath the curve going back into the shrub?  This pruning should only be done at the most once per year.  Usually that is enough unless the size needs containment or there is a wayward branch poking up.  Hebe looks best not newly pruned...I use floral snips to prune after the initial shaping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-06-13T22:15:01.950" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T22:15:01.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33941" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33927" CreationDate="2017-06-13T22:10:14.583" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;How bizarre, if it was me I'd just mix some fungicide with your next water to kill everything off, may just be some regular soil harmless stuff but I like to start knowing what's in the soil before adding things like microrysa into it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17430" LastActivityDate="2017-06-13T22:10:14.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33942" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33930" CreationDate="2017-06-14T00:12:16.570" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like a type of sorrel, along the lines of&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/rumex/acetosella/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/rumex/acetosella/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;url=http://wric.ucdavis.edu/information/natural%2520areas/wr_R/Rumex_crispus-obtusifolius.pdf&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjG-OvVhbzUAhUBYj4KHRD-Bg8QFggtMAM&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFkpjRAB9h6NRao6DVhfofmowqubw&amp;amp;sig2=aJ7XhboJGnRyj4fcI0igHw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This PDF from davis&lt;/a&gt; has some detailed info on how to control two rumex species.  This might be a good place to start.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, sorrel is quite tasty, so if it's one of the edible species, you could harvest it (though the weedkiller already applied might negate that option).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13998" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T00:12:16.570" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33943" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33919" CreationDate="2017-06-14T02:25:04.400" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Reading your comment, yes, I'm certain this is a valued ornamental canna lily. Since the pond you mention is just used for washing trucks and mining vehicles I think it's an excellent idea to save it before it's ruined by contaminated water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's growing without anyone planting it or caring for it, it sounds like you live in a tropical or semi-tropical part of the world. Your user profile doesn't say but it's warm enough for mangoes! Rather than cutting a place in the soil to plant it, I'd suggest planting it in a large container or pot instead. I don't know what units of volume is used in your country so I'll do my best. Since you said &quot;flower tree&quot; - it sounds like a large canna lily and I'd suggest containers from roughly 20 litre (5 gallon) up to 80 litre (20 gallon) size. They don't have to be pretty or expensive. If you can get hold of a wooden barrel and cut it in half, you'd have 2 containers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll provide some links to planting and growing calla lilies in containers. It would be better if I knew your country so I could find links that might be better related for your area. Calla lilies have rhizomes and transplanting any now, you might find they don't do as well at first. But they'll recover and next year be more spectacular. You should deadhead the flowers when finished (remove the entire dead flower, not just the petals). Otherwise, it will try setting seed and drain strength and food storage from the rhizome - unless you want to save seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're heavy feeders so mix in well composed plant matter into the soil. Generally, people should use commercial potting soil when growing plants in containers. They might be expensive where you live so if you don't use potting soil, make sure to add composted plant matter or something to keep the soil from being heavy and compacting down. Water well and often if your area has prolonged dry periods. Whatever you use for fertilizer in your area, it's good to add some by mixing in water regularly to your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this is helpful. Containers are a good choice as you can put them where the plants would do best and look gorgeous. Please save as many of the canna lilies as you can. Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dirtonmyhands.com/canna_grow.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growing Canna Lilies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/canna/planting-cannas-in-pots.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Containers For Canna Lily Plants: How To Plant Cannas In Pots &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://youreasygarden.com/designing-an-easy-container-garden-using-tropicanna-cannas/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Designing an easy container garden using Tropicanna cannas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T02:25:04.400" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33944" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33895" CreationDate="2017-06-14T04:25:46.017" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the aim is to get the tree to a size where you are going to have more than a couple of lemons, you're going to need to repot it. The larger the final root mass is, the more leaves it can support and the leaves will then produce the sugars that will produce the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now the normal advice is to pot up one size at a time, and the reason for this is mainly water.  If you repot into a large final container, the root mass is going to be relatively small in relation to the amount of potting mix you use.  So, this means that less water will be drawn off by roots, which means more stagnant water left in the mix which then leads to root rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But this scenario depends on a potting mix with water retentive properties.  If there is no water retention of note eg. with a coarse mix as used for cacti, then it won't matter what size pot you use because the mix can't hold enough water to rot the roots.  And citrus likes a freely draining soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the answer depends on the mix you intend to use.  Certainly, avoid any mixes with water gels that increase the water retentiveness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T04:25:46.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33945" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33899" CreationDate="2017-06-14T04:31:44.213" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's probably just transplant shock and it should recover.  The curling of the leaves is there to prevent evaporative losses so there might be some damage to the fine root hairs that actually absorb the moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Citrus likes a freely draining soil, and you can purchase a moisture meter to make sure that you're not over watering it.  A chopstick pushed deep into the pot that comes back wet would also indicate that it's been over-watered.  Or the potting mix is not coarse enough to allow free drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T04:31:44.213" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33946" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33982" CreationDate="2017-06-14T05:55:19.947" Score="5" ViewCount="321" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tree Identification. Any ideas what this is? They emerged red. I feel like it's way too early for them to be cherry and way to small for them to be plums? And they don't look like cherry plums either. Will they get bigger maybe? I can't find any pictures or videos of young plums to compare. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dvmjy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dvmjy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VIXxk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VIXxk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17910" LastEditorUserId="17910" LastEditDate="2017-06-14T06:00:48.253" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T23:58:41.120" Title="Tree identification Washington State" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33934" CreationDate="2017-06-14T06:01:03.163" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use often my seeds, and usually you get good results. The specific characteristic are maintained.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just that you bought a certain variety and you will get possibly an other form. I found that usually they tend to the standard old varieties, but often you still see much of the original characteristic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I never put all eggs in such seeds, but I use it for late harvest (and backup in case of frozen).  I use original seeds or directly seedlings for main harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T06:01:03.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33946" CreationDate="2017-06-14T06:17:48.563" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems a wild &lt;em&gt;Prunus domestica&lt;/em&gt; (plum).  &quot;Wild&quot; this time means probably grown by core of cultivated plums (or just few generation from such cultivated plum).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have several of this &quot;wild&quot; varieties, and one is very dark and branches and leaves redish.  Unfortunately I never get ripe fruits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But to be sure, did you remember the flowers? I would expect them from white to dark pink.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doesn't eat the fruits until you have a definitive identification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T06:17:48.563" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33949" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33909" CreationDate="2017-06-14T06:58:08.423" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on the size of the container and the size of the plant.  So the smaller the plant relative to container size you may need to wait longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Succulents store water in their leaves, stems etc so don't need much water.  So, if the potting mix is still moist, leave it another week.  You're way more likely to kill it from over-watering than from under watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T06:58:08.423" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33950" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-14T12:35:13.943" Score="3" ViewCount="4534" Body="&lt;p&gt;First a little background,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Sri Lanka where the temperature is at about 30c throughout the year. The sun is also very strong for the entire year and yeah we don't have different seasons here. On December it gets to about 25c but that's not much of a difference. The sun rises at about 6am and sets at 6pm. Starting from 10am to 3pm there is full sunlight and it's a bit hard to a person to work outdoors for more than 30minutes in direct sunlight. Also, in the area that I live, we don't have succulent nurseries or a place to buy succulent potting soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Previously, I bought succulent seeds from eBay but they turned out to be some weed. The &quot;succulent&quot; seedlings died instantly when I gave them a bit of morning sun from a shaded window(maybe they died because they weren't succulents). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are the steps I followed to germinate them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Take some normal soil and add extra stones into it so it will drain faster. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put it into microwave at 800w for 2minutes. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wait for it to cool down and then add seeds on the surface then cover it with a clear cover to trap the moisture inside. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is what they turned out to be. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4BqR9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4BqR9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&amp;quot;succulent&amp;quot; seedlings&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure that these aren't succulents. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now my questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Am I mistaken and those are succulent seedlings ?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I bought new succulent seeds. Lets assume they are real succulent seeds.So I'm going to give it a try again. The steps I followed to germinate &quot;succulents&quot; were correct or something was wrong? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have also bought a 10w grow led chip. Can I use it to grow the seedlings? If so, how high should I place the led grow light? (When lit, it's colour is similar to pink)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How often should I water the succulents as they grow up? The soil that I mixed up drains fast. I watered the soil 3days ago just to check and it still is a bit wet to the touch. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;How fast should the soil dry up? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the succulents germinate how many hours of sunlight should I give them?  If it's possible to use the grow lights. How many hours of light should I give? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry for the image quality. It's the only image that I have of them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user17924" LastActivityDate="2020-07-14T14:31:48.743" Title="Germinating succulent seeds" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33951" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33950" CreationDate="2017-06-14T16:33:16.197" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the link, which tells me the seeds are, or should be, varieties of Lithops. Instructions here for how to grow from seed, though I realise you probably can't get hold of perlite or vermiculite - hopefully you can find some clean sand to use, 'play' sand, silver sand or horticultural sand. Or washed building sand if you can't get any of those. Given your temperatures and high UV levels, find a bright spot for the tray, but I wouldn't recommend direct sunlight unless its just an hour early morning or at the end of the day. &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/germinate-lithops-21773.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Germinate Lithops&lt;/a&gt;. Unless your overnight temperatures get low, you probably don't need to worry about bottom heat (heat mat) either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-06-15T11:26:17.583" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T11:26:17.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33952" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2755" CreationDate="2017-06-14T16:46:20.193" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Even a Meyer lemon will grow 12-15 feet high: since you have full size fruit on your apparently 4 foot tree, you definitely have a hybrid that will only grow about 4 inches/year versus a Ponderosa lemon that will average a foot/per year.&#xA;    However; any vegitation growing above the root spread will rob it of both nitrogen &amp;amp; nutrients.&#xA;You'll notice a slight growth acceleration by clearing &amp;amp; controlling that area. Don't mulch: Just compost a 2&quot; top layer per year, but no closer than 6&quot; from the stump. Fresh wooded mulch robs the tree of nitrogen &amp;amp; nutrients ... until it decomposes to compost after 2-3 years !&#xA;    Max sun light is essential but not critical for standard size fruit trees. However; dwarfs easily tolerate a minimum of 6 hours of mid day sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17927" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T16:46:20.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33953" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-14T16:57:59.207" Score="4" ViewCount="311" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple years back, my wife created a &quot;walking bridge&quot; between two trees in our backyard using high-tension straps for a child's birthday party.  No one ever removed them.  (I wanted too, but I was met with resistance because apparently the thing is fun to climb on.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yesterday I noticed that the part of the tree above the strap was &quot;discolored.&quot;  I (finally) removed the strap, and the bark of the tree under the strap doesn't look too happy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are large, established trees.  They're attractive &amp;amp; provide a lot of shade.  I don't want to mistreat them or loose them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/22bmp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/22bmp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please advise me on how to undo the damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17929" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T18:20:17.940" Title="Need advice to save a couple mesquite trees in my backyard" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33954" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33953" CreationDate="2017-06-14T18:13:03.133" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've done the only thing possible to save your trees. The picture you've posted shows that that tree has viable vascular continuity.  The darkened areas are probably still working as well.  Mesquite trees are the toughest tree I've known.  They evolved to deal with Mastodons and other large herbivores in fact to provide a symbiotic relationship with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They've no shortage of roots.  They have the deepest taproots and longest roaming lateral roots.  If there is water around they will find it.  Unusual for plants or trees to have root systems that go outside their canopy drip line.  They are built to survive.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to see part of that blackened area nicked.  Just a little 'scratch' to see if there is green cambium beneath the bark. I have a feeling there will be.  Please send a picture if you are able.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are a weird tree because I've heard, if they were chopped down they would actually grow back with a normal canopy and branching.  Other plants send suckers up but they never again look like a normal tree of their species.  Regardless, your trees will be fine. There is nothing you could do they haven't already done to protect themselves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They've lived for a few years with a compromising restriction and have had time to thicken the bark to protect the thin cambium.  I can see where the tree has even deformed at the blacked area to offset being pulled off center.  The bark above and below looks healthy.  The one area to the right and above the marks looks the worst.  Maybe do a couple of nicks, vertical nicks.  A nick or scratch on the bark just above the marks on that right side?  If the cambium were compromised in a complete circle around the trunk that would be a problem.  Same as 'girdling' a tree.  Not a problem for your tree (s).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For other trees I would worry about the wind blowing them over. Your trees were literally 'Staked'. Staked trees that are held from being able to move don't have the best root systems so when they are finally freed will easily be blown over or will break off at the area of the ties. Trees need to move in the wind to build thick trunks and deep roots.  These trees even though 'staked' were already mature when 'staked' unlike staking an immature tree.  With their massive root system they aren't going to blow over and I doubt that their trunk will break.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Glad you noticed when you did.  There is not a thing you can do or should do.  I think they'll be just fine.  Love these trees.  They actually can live for hundreds of years.  They are built for Saber Tooth cats using them as scratch posts.  Mastodons rubbing up against them to itch on the thorns?  I can only imagine...'Manna of the Desert'? Cool trees built to last. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-06-14T18:20:17.940" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T18:20:17.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33955" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33927" CreationDate="2017-06-14T18:58:41.337" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like a terracotta pot. Due to the wicking action of these pots fertiliser salts can accumulate at the bottom and other locations.  They can burn roots so if there's that danger you can use a brush to clean the pot or a weak acid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T18:58:41.337" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33956" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33957" CreationDate="2017-06-14T19:51:20.980" Score="3" ViewCount="289" Body="&lt;p&gt;My spinach has some kind of black mold. I cant find anything about black molds on spinach on the internet, so maybe you could help me identify the illness of my spinach. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RtMXT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RtMXT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t3BYc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t3BYc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17931" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-14T21:08:15.667" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T21:08:15.667" Title="What disease does my Spinach have?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;&lt;leaf-vegetables&gt;&lt;spinach&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33957" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33956" CreationDate="2017-06-14T20:13:58.493" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not 100% sure because the black parts are blurry, but your &quot;mold&quot; looks suspiciously like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;aphids&lt;/a&gt;. I think I can see at least one specimen that's clear enough to see the legs (in the 2nd picture). And that's a frequent kind of unwelcome visitor on spinach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please look closely and check whether the black spots are in fact small insects. A magnifying lens and a toothpick can be helpful if you are not experienced enough to recognize aphids immediately. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can confirm my remote id, note that you can find lots of Q/As here on the site about aphid control, but if you plan to eat your spinach, you are a bit more limited. My method of choice for edible plants is a solution of old fashioned hard soap in water (grated finely and dissolved in lukewarm water, if you use the right kind, it's not really a problem for the environment), other members here prefer neem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-06-14T20:26:28.930" LastActivityDate="2017-06-14T20:26:28.930" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33958" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-14T21:42:36.610" Score="3" ViewCount="1626" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have indoor rats as pets, and are interested in using the used bedding as compost (as there's a reasonable amount of it). The bedding itself reckons it makes good compost, but we're unsure about the droppings / urine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're fed on pre-mixed food and vegetable trimmings etc, with next to no meat involved in their diet. Various sites list that waste from small household pets is safe, whereas waste from dogs and cats is not. The distinction seems to be whether there is meat in the diet or not (generally)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're not really looking at going fruit/veg, so this will be used on flowers only&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17932" LastActivityDate="2021-03-17T22:15:45.263" Title="Are rat droppings safe to compost?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33959" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19651" CreationDate="2017-06-15T03:55:56.963" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The original picture posted here is the only one on the internet I could find that looks like the bugs I found suddenly all over my tomato plants in my outside container garden. I have no idea what these are,  nymph crickets kind of look like this,  they are not whiteflies, or the little white bugs that look like white fuzzy rolly polly bugs called mealy bugs, as these seem to have the hinged back legs, no wings... would love to know what they arr and if they are bad for the plants. I blasted my tomato plants with my power washer and appears that got rid of them (it was dusk when I  blasted them, will know tomorrow if it really worked) I live in southern Illinois near St. Louis, MO, USA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17933" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-15T18:04:15.593" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T18:04:15.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33960" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33968" CreationDate="2017-06-15T04:36:38.497" Score="4" ViewCount="399" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think my moisture meter is giving me a wrong reading in one specific pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The meter reads extremely wet even though if I dig down the soil just feels damp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas what would cause this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil is: G&amp;amp;B Organics Potting Soil&#xA;For Indoor &amp;amp; Outdoor Potting - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kellogggarden.com/products/gborganics/gb-organics-potting-soil/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.kellogggarden.com/products/gborganics/gb-organics-potting-soil/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is mixed with fertllizer: G&amp;amp;B Organics Citrus &amp;amp; Fruit Tree&#xA;Fertilizer (8-4-2) - &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kellogggarden.com/products/gborganics/fertilizers/citrus-fruit-tree-fertilizer/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.kellogggarden.com/products/gborganics/fertilizers/citrus-fruit-tree-fertilizer/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17890" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T14:09:16.957" Title="I think my moisture meter is giving me a wrong reading in one pot" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33962" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-15T07:52:33.657" Score="3" ViewCount="398" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sgZoD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Citrus Tree&quot;&gt;&#xA;The plant was fine a couple of days ago until recently I found that its leaves are curling down and is not having any progress in growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17216" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T07:52:33.657" Title="Lemon Tree baby leaves curling down" Tags="&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33963" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33958" CreationDate="2017-06-15T09:55:27.087" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;We use &quot;droppings&quot; from cows, horses and chickens.  So I think it is safe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are right, dog and cat pop is not ideal. I think because of their processed food: there are many chemicals, which are (hopefully) good for pets, but not necessarily for humans. Additionally cats and dogs walk a lot around you, so they could bring some human diseases.  On olden time, also rats brought to houses a lot of diseases, but I assume your rats are not walking to sewage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your rats eat human rated food, I think there is no problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T09:55:27.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33964" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33965" CreationDate="2017-06-15T10:43:02.930" Score="7" ViewCount="223" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mines has given me a plant. However, it came without any instructions and no name. Does anyone know what type of plant this is and how to maintain it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jpszo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jpszo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Az1KP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Az1KP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-15T23:34:16.727" LastActivityDate="2019-05-26T00:55:39.977" Title="What kind of plant is this, I never seen this plant before" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33964" CreationDate="2017-06-15T12:21:53.223" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm having trouble deciding whether this is Aeonium or Echeveria - Echeveria has quite thick leaves, Aeonium has somewhat thinner ones, but fortunately, both are classed as succulents and both have the same requirements for care. I'm inclined to go for Aeonium, but time will tell... links here to image of Aeonium &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naturfoto.cz/eonium-lanzarotske-fotografie-10092.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.naturfoto.cz/eonium-lanzarotske-fotografie-10092.html&lt;/a&gt; and for Echeveria (scroll down to E. dondo as an example) &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thesucculentgarden.com.au/echev.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.thesucculentgarden.com.au/echev.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of care, a windowsill that receives some sunlight is perfect, though some shade in the height of summer on a southfacing windowsill will be necessary, particularly in the middle of the day. Some fresh air is useful too, so an open window nearby to provide good airflow is a good idea. Average warmth from spring to autumn - succulents like a marked difference between night and day temperatures, unlike most houseplants. Keep cool in winter, 50-55degF is ideal. Watering differs between winter and spring to autumn - water as any other houseplant from spring through to autumn, allowing the surface of the potting soil to become slightly dry to the touch, then water thoroughly, emptying out any outer pot or tray after 30 minutes. In winter, water infrequently, around once every 1-2 months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regard to watering, that's going to be a bit difficult - the plant has filled the pot from side to side, so it's impossible to touch the potting soil and impossible to water the soil without soaking the plant, so I suggest you repot into something wider, but not necessarily deeper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T12:21:53.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33966" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-15T12:27:19.747" Score="8" ViewCount="6535" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree on my property is foaming. What is the reason for this and should I be worried?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jxdTX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jxdTX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14005" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-15T18:05:15.317" LastActivityDate="2018-05-22T19:22:03.147" Title="Why is this tree foaming?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33967" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33958" CreationDate="2017-06-15T13:26:35.830" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;General rule is not to add to your compost faeces from omnivorous or carnivorous animals, but from herbivores it's okay. It doesn't sound like your rats are completely vegetarian (so to speak), whether that's a small amount of meat or not, and most rats are considered omnivorous. If you're certain they're never given anything other than a vegetarian diet, then it should be okay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T13:26:35.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33968" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33960" CreationDate="2017-06-15T14:03:49.377" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That pot/soil might have an abnormal level of salts; most &quot;moisture meters&quot; are essentially Ohm-meters registering electrical resistance (or conductivity - the inverse, so same thing by another name, really) between the electrodes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Salts would greatly increase the conductivity/reduce the resistance .vs. a less-salty mixture. Alternatively (perhaps the soil is all the same between pots?), the pot itself could be abnormally conductive... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But it might just be that the original plant (and core soil) in this pot had been somehow rendered salty. Now, if this is the only thing you are fertilizing with &quot;citrus fertilizer&quot; it's possible that acids (or some other component of the fertilizer) rather than salts are what's impacting your conductivity in this pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally find most of the various electronic meters that are available for gardening to be dubious, at best. And it's a bit expensive to equip your pots with a proper &lt;a href=&quot;http://hydropedologie.agrobiologie.cz/en-tenzometr.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;tensiometer&lt;/a&gt; that actually measures a &quot;direct&quot; moisture readng, rather than inferring from some electrical parameter than can vary for other reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-06-15T14:09:16.957" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T14:09:16.957" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33969" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-15T14:12:32.390" Score="6" ViewCount="191" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Ponderosa lemon tree is 3-4 years old, but I've only had it for 6-7 months. It has flowered and is now producing 4 lemons but two leaves fell off with this yellowing from the veins in the center outward toward the circular edges. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is in a 5-6 gallon wooden barrel container, has been fertilized twice since the beginning of March with Jobes fruit &amp;amp; tree, Citrus tone organic, Dr. Earths all purpose. Can you tell me what is going on?  It has also started to lean a little bit but I'm thinking that's just the way it's growing?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About watering, I water both my pomegranate and lemon tree once a week. The temperature here in New York has been very bi-polar! It has gone from 45 degrees to 80 within days. We've had a lot of rain storms, and water levels are way above average at record levels since 1829.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17937" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-15T21:37:30.970" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T21:37:30.970" Title="Why are my Ponderosa lemon tree leaves yellowing from the veins outward?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2017-09-26T02:50:41.453" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33970" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33946" CreationDate="2017-06-15T17:46:50.550" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it has one seed in the center then its a Prunus, if it has multiple seeds in threes/fives or more then its a Malus. the leaves to me say the later, but the fruit says the former.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T17:46:50.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28774" CreationDate="2017-06-15T17:49:19.653" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thuja? Yellowness of the foliage suggests that, but the exact variety I couldn't say...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T17:49:19.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33972" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33904" CreationDate="2017-06-15T18:03:23.317" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Escallonia? but its not a house plant- certainly not in Europe, small ones are ok for a short period indoors but after a while they do need to be properly planted outdoors with plenty of room 1.5 meters².&#xA;I could be wrong only a guess...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T18:03:23.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33974" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33862" CreationDate="2017-06-15T18:09:49.197" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Polygonum maculosa and yes its a weed, Bamboo right on that one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T18:09:49.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33975" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13494" CreationDate="2017-06-15T18:11:07.280" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I encountered a very similar issue with my Kale plants. Look under the leaves (sometimes on the front side as well) to look for green worms.  Cabbage worms are attracted to brassicas and from the damage to the kale, it looks like cabbage worms.  I hand picked them out of the kale while they were young to limit the damage.  If you see any eggs as well, you can squash them so they don't develop into worms.  Finally for future reference, you can use row covers to cover up the brassicas around this time of the year to prevent recurrence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T18:11:07.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33930" CreationDate="2017-06-15T18:15:22.543" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its French sorrel- quite tasty, lemony if I remember- weed kill it(something systemic) with a touch of stump killer/brush wood killer- paint it on when young and sappy with a brush and wait three weeks- remember its got a very long tap roots so digging it out has to be done when the ground is soft think about 12 inches or more in length if you want to go for that option. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T18:15:22.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33745" CreationDate="2017-06-15T18:27:27.200" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Calystegia silvatica/sepium if its white flowered, if pink then its possibly Convolvulus arvensis/tricolor? probably more likely one of the first two.&#xA;digging is the best method however a systemic weed killer either applied directly to the foliage or unusually placed in a jar and some stems fed in the top to stop any contamination of any wanted plants. Always read instructions for any bought chemicals first. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T18:27:27.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33978" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33682" CreationDate="2017-06-15T18:36:45.173" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes its hogweed, Heracleum sphondylium grows to about 2.5 meters tall, generally considered a perennial, large umbels of white flowers on top and contains blistering agent in its sap, flowers from April to November, Distribution throughout Europe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its cousin Giant Hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum is twice are large and only really grows next to water this one however has a photo-sensitive blistering agent- very nasty that continues to be painful for many months afterwards.&#xA;both when dug up have large tap roots going down quite a way 30cm+ &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T18:36:45.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33979" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33583" CreationDate="2017-06-15T18:56:47.610" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Possibly a foxglove? Digitalis lutea? or Dark Mullein Verbascum nigrum? both are right for the area of Europe but the photo is so fuzzy very difficult to identify?&#xA;the general shape of the plant is right for the first one, the flower shape is right for the second however they're both wrong in my opinion... i'm thinking perhaps a type of comfrey Symphytum tuberosum/officinale, the first one is yellow flowering and about 30cm high the second one is 60cm+ and pink/purple and white flowering but both areas of distribution in Europe are not eastern- might have to think about this one...&#xA;the comfrey one would have rough leaves and might irritate the skin while the other two would be quite smooth to the touch...   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T18:56:47.610" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33905" CreationDate="2017-06-15T23:41:59.780" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5LtYh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5LtYh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cmu patio same elevation as floor in home&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem I see as the biggest problem mainly because I am a barefoot nut.  Ugh, exposed aggregate is horrible.  There is no way to change that other than purchasing a different patio tile; Roman Cobble, concrete, smooth finish, 2&quot; thick by 7&quot; X 9&quot;.  Depending on the condition of your patio bed would be pretty easy to change out and enlarge.  Gotta have the correct amount of gravel, compacted and 2&quot; of mason sand, exacting levels and lines and a soft mallet and a 2X4.  Edging to keep your CMU's from shifting outwards.  Easy Peasy.  I'd also consider a low garden/sitting wall for one side and corner, raising the soil behind it for a plant bed.  Drainage!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some examples, have others but right now they are inaccessible.  I would also consider a fire pit!  Fire pits got me more clients than anything else.  Do one for someone and all their neighbors had to have one.  And they do not have to be round!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've got very thick soles on my feet.  I can run in gravel...pine forests.  Walk in snow.  But babies?  Ugh.  You'd have to throw a blanket to cover these stupid pavers for your baby to play on.  A low 15-18&quot; CMU wall with concrete caps, dove grey (a percentage of dark versus light, ashlar pattern) would make this patio far more usable and increase the value of your home...big time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be confident at enlarging this patio by segueing off to add at least a 10X 10 or 12X 12.  Make plant beds by double digging.  Roman Cobble was the best shape, price for a patio floor.  Butted up tight.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check your bed.  Without a proper bed patio tiles end up looking unprofessional.  Landscape fabric beneath 4&quot; crushed gravel, compacted, 2&quot; of mason sand, compacted before laying the pavers.  Use lots of string, levels.  The surface can't be perfectly level.  1-2% slope away from your home.  Pressure washing every other year controls those weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if you want to do the job really well, there should be a patio of tiles at the same level as the floor in your home.  That patio should be no less than 12x12.  Then stepping down to another section.  Plant beds and small patio trees such as 3 or 5 Amelanchier, Service berry, multi trunked trees as part of this 'room'.  The rest of your landscape should incorporate the same type of plants and groups of the same type of trees.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you step out of the door right onto your patio...you should not be able to see your entire yard.  Just tantalizing bits.  This is a big rule in Landscape Architecture for residential/commercial projects.  The money you put into this patio will absolutely raise the value of your home.  Far more than a wooden deck or just another concreted surface.  There is also &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;...building code that sets a certain percentage of non permeable surfaces.  Need to find out what that is and how much farther you could push that boundary.  Gravel makes an incredible, informal patio extension but also contributes to less permeable surface area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hiwQ1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hiwQ1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cmu patio instead of a deck&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-06-16T06:07:14.990" LastActivityDate="2017-06-16T06:07:14.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33981" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29574" CreationDate="2017-06-15T23:43:38.037" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Ocimum Tenuiflorum (Holy Basil).  More details &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocimum_tenuiflorum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T23:43:38.037" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33946" CreationDate="2017-06-15T23:58:41.120" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like Myrobalam Plum.  Looked forward to visiting homes with these trees.  Yummm. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrTccODHUNZ6Z4A2mknnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByNWU4cGh1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=Myoblan%20Plum&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Myrobalam Plum Pictures&lt;/a&gt;  I know Washington very well; coast, middle and far east.  This is a very common tree.  Sort of 'weedy', tons of suckers, but amazingly reliable for shade and this...cherry like plum.  Yumm.  See what you think of the pictures I've sent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-15T23:58:41.120" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33983" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-16T09:36:19.047" Score="3" ViewCount="2686" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I was replanting my mango tree to a bigger pot I found some weird, very small, worms crawling around in the now rotten mango seed. I made a macro picture of them which you can see here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/53uo7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/53uo7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also made a macro video, for my blog, were you can see them crawling around. You can find the video here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/6jNTeVrTAtU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/6jNTeVrTAtU&lt;/a&gt;. The last scene has most of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, what kind of worm is this? Could this worm be of local origin (Swedish) or could it have infected the mango seed before being imported to Sweden and therefore originate from the country which produces the mangos?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also found some kind of insect living together with the worm in the mango seed. You can see the macro picture below. I am not sure if this insect is related, but it was actually this insect I discovered first when repotting the tree. It was when searching for more of these insects, to remove them, when I discovered these worms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZEUnZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZEUnZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would say the insect was about 0.5 to 1 mm big and white/yellow:ish, the color is different in the picture as I tried to make it more visible. I think the worm was longer than the insect but much thinner. It would probably have been impossible for me to discover the worm at all if it wouldn’t have moved so much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17304" LastActivityDate="2018-11-28T00:50:50.430" Title="What kind of worm is this which lives in the soil of my potted mango tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;&lt;worms&gt;&lt;parasites&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33984" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33983" CreationDate="2017-06-16T11:28:49.347" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The wormlike things are most likely nematodes of some sort - whether they're friend or foe, I don't know - many are beneficial, some are parasitic on either insects or plants, but if your plant was healthy, they're unlikely to be a problem to your plant and are just a normal part of the soil population. No idea whether they originated from another country or not, they exist everywhere; more info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hunker.com/12319832/garden-pests-tiny-transparent-worms&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.hunker.com/12319832/garden-pests-tiny-transparent-worms&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The small insect appears to be one of the soil mites; some of these prey on nematodes, others just eat dead or organic material in soil; some mites illustrated here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=7940096&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=7940096&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I checked your other question on this plant, and agree with the diagnosis of mildew already given. Note it is entirely unrelated to the life forms described here which you found in the potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-06-18T11:37:35.067" LastActivityDate="2017-06-18T11:37:35.067" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33985" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-16T15:18:05.377" Score="2" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this plant?  This is slowly taking over my yard.  You can see from one of the pictures that it's a vining plant of some sort.  It will lay roots and then spread out.  It came in to my yard a couple years ago from a bad batch of top soil and it's been spreading ever since.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Follow up question... how do I kill it?  It did not respond to Scott's Weed and Feed.  I've been pulling it out by hand and overseeding with grass, but it's a battle I'm losing.  I need a better approach but I don't know what I'm up against.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a climate reference, I live in western Pennsylvania.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/saAKq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;enter image description here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ewPd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ewPd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EhTfY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EhTfY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fNedH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fNedH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="5746" LastActivityDate="2017-06-16T15:18:05.377" Title="Identify this plant that's taking over my yard" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ClosedDate="2017-06-16T15:21:02.137" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2493" CreationDate="2017-06-16T17:31:22.263" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This Henbit loves moisture.  Although prolific it would not stand a chance if you would train your grass to have deep roots.  You've  been watering too little too often.  This technique makes for shallow rooted grass.  These cool season grasses have huge root systems, genetically.  They appreciate being trained by allowing the soil to dry out before watering again.  Water deeply and do not water again until you see your footprints stay down in the grass.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering deeply and allowing the soil to dry saves water, your lawn will be healthier and drought tolerant and Henbit will not be happy.  You need a broadleaf herbicide designed for lawns.  Weed and feed is always one of this type of weedkiller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trick is to wet your lawn down first and apply the herbicide (granular form) using a rotary spreader.  The water will help the broadleafed weeds to hold onto the herbicide.  You can purchase just the broadleaf weed lawn killer without the fertilizer.  Don't water or mow for a couple of days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mow your grass on high at the very least 3&quot; no shorter.  Have you aerated this year?  Look up questions on lawn care maintenance for cool season grasses on this site.  There are some hard and fast rules for cool season lawns that if followed you'll never have to use an herbicide again.  Also check the pH of your lawn.  Ideally 6.5 to 7.0.  Henbit likes more acidic soil.  Again, just the management of your lawn will help the grass itself to outcompete, shade out germination of weed seeds, and you will be selecting for your grass and discouraging weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-16T17:31:22.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33987" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-16T19:03:05.557" Score="4" ViewCount="847" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 3 Black Hills Spruce and one Australian Spruce with long Leaders.  Two of the Black Hills Spruce are bent over.&#xA;1.  What causes this?&#xA;2.  What can I do to help the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17940" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-06-30T01:01:32.787" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T15:23:35.037" Title="Why are my spruce trees' very long leaders bent over?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33988" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-16T19:52:51.873" Score="7" ViewCount="554" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently transplanted a bunch of corn flowers and they are turning purple and red. I also have lupins, tomatoes, and sun flowers turning red and purple. When I transplanted them i dug the hole twice as deep and filled the difference with soil, 3 in 1 and 1/8 of a teaspoon of organic 4-4-4 fertilizer and lightly watered it before placing in the seedlings. They were all hardened off prior and had not been fertilized in ten days. Last fertilizer i used was a 2-2-2 fish emulsion at half strength. I thought I might have over fertilized but I have some that haven't been transplanted that look the same. What could the problem be and what can I do? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17942" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-16T20:55:29.077" LastActivityDate="2019-12-07T05:02:55.477" Title="Plants turning purple and red?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33989" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-16T20:29:03.637" Score="3" ViewCount="1950" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am wondering what kind of plant this is. It has (relatively) thick leaves and occasionally small white flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/41eBU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/41eBU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of my dogs sometimes likes to sniff it. She'll balance on three feet (two and a half - she's missing part of one) and moves her leg like she's scratching herself while sniffing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would it be bad to have in the back yard so the dogs could smell it regularly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17943" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T00:54:14.273" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T00:54:14.273" Title="Shrub with scented white flowers and waxy leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33990" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33991" CreationDate="2017-06-16T20:56:21.823" Score="4" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZF3Rf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vp4Pq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone please help me identify this house plant? It's lived in cups and water for six years and I love it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17944" LastActivityDate="2017-06-18T18:25:13.840" Title="Can someone please help me identify this plant? It's lived six years in just water. :)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33991" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33990" CreationDate="2017-06-16T21:08:13.677" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a rather sickly looking Sansevieria 'hahnii' -image of how its supposed to look here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.glasshouseworks.com/sansevieria-trifasciata-hahnii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.glasshouseworks.com/sansevieria-trifasciata-hahnii&lt;/a&gt;. Click on image 2 because I think that's the coloration yours has, although it's hard to tell because yours isn't showing much striation or variegation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its quite a feat to get this to survive in water all those years, but it would be so much healthier if you potted it up into potting soil in a pot with a drainage hole, one that's big enough to accommodate the roots, preferably without cramping them up too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-16T21:08:13.677" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33992" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-16T21:48:26.643" Score="5" ViewCount="121" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a healthy cucumber plant to all appearances.  There is some powdery mildew which I am trying to contain with a spray for that disease.  However, I have lots of buds which turn into tiny cucumbers, but they never get beyond 1 inch long then they turn yellow and die.  Does anyone know what the problem is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17945" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-16T21:53:05.727" LastActivityDate="2017-06-18T18:18:03.793" Title="What is the powdery mildew and why are my cucumbers not growing beyond 1 inch?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33993" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33989" CreationDate="2017-06-16T21:54:04.787" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;My initial ID would be Prunus laurocerasus or 'Schipkaensis'&lt;a href=&quot;http://ag.udel.edu/udbg/broadleaf_evergreen/p_laurocerasus.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Prunus laurocerasus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0SO8yUeUURZMPoAvgtXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTByNWU4cGh1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=prunus%20shipkensis&amp;amp;fr=mcafee&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;P. Schipkaensis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers are a bit off...knock you down fragrance. I love you for giving this dog a wonderful life.  I don't think these shrubs are poisonous, but the ID is still suspect.  Please send a close up of flowers and leaves.  Try not to allow your dogs to eat anything other than unadulterated grass.  They are not carnivores but omnivores.  Vegetables are important in their diet.  But right now I am not liking your dogs munching on anything not solidly ID'd.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-16T21:54:04.787" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33989" CreationDate="2017-06-16T22:30:39.303" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's one of the Ligustrums, maybe a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.carolinanature.com/trees/lija.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese Privet (Ligustrum japonicum)&lt;/a&gt;, possibly (but less likely) L. lucidum, especially if the flowers are fragrant). These plants are poisonous to dogs, but only if they eat a lot of the leaves, or some of the berries - commonest effect of a light ingestion is upset stomach. I'm not convinced your dog is sniffing the plant itself, its much more likely that its sniffing out where other animals have been.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-06-17T11:41:48.180" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T11:41:48.180" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33996" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33992" CreationDate="2017-06-17T00:29:30.607" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My seedlings had a powdery mildew and I just let them dry out for a few days and scraped off what I could. I hope that helps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17942" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-18T18:18:03.793" LastActivityDate="2017-06-18T18:18:03.793" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33997" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-17T01:12:20.983" Score="4" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mTALR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RJ8UF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no idea if this is a weed or something I planted and forgot about, but it's beautiful looking! Thanks everyone!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17948" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T04:59:57.250" Title="What is this beautiful plant in my garden?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33998" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="33999" CreationDate="2017-06-17T02:51:58.020" Score="2" ViewCount="953" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Hqhi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Hqhi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any one can recognize this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13372" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T00:52:37.197" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T00:52:37.197" Title="What is this plant with serrated leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="33999" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33998" CreationDate="2017-06-17T04:40:30.007" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pretty sure it's a dahlia but it's one plant I never bothered growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JILht.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JILht.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;Photo of a typical leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KwnsN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KwnsN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bud&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;And a dahlia bud starting to open as yours is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T04:40:30.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33997" CreationDate="2017-06-17T04:59:57.250" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Datura, either the cultivated form (&lt;em&gt;Datura metel&lt;/em&gt;) or the wild form. Considering the look of the flower, even though pretty, I'm pretty sure it's the wild form known as jimson weed (&lt;em&gt;Datura stramonium&lt;/em&gt;). Below is the wild form. The cultivated form is more colorful and often double.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SDKj0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SDKj0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;jimson weed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura_stramonium&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Jimson weed is highly toxic&lt;/a&gt; and if you have children or pets or if either visit and play in your yard, I'd advise pulling it out. You don't want to take the chance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T04:59:57.250" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34001" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9252" CreationDate="2017-06-17T06:07:47.140" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;First of all, it's not a jade plant but a kalanchoe species as in the photo below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/emYDM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/emYDM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;kalanchoe&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The name of the plant isn't important but the insects are. Looking carefully at your photos, I can see mealybugs in several places in all three. They're notoriously hard to to get rid of completely. What stormy said about your plant having botrytis is true too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This may not be the advice you want but I'd toss the plant, and soil too, into the garbage. Scrub the container, if you want to keep it, throughly and rinse with some bleach in water to make sure all mealybug eggs are destroyed. Any special or expenexpensive with firm or tough leaves (like yours), I'd first isolate far from other plants or outside and then treat it with horticultural oil or neem oil. I've found that only oil will penetrate the waxy coverings of mealybugs to kill them. Treatment needs to be repeated in a couple of weeks when any eggs that might've been miss hatch. Even after that, the plant needs checking every week until you're sure all mealybugs are truly gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Often sites mention isopropyl alcohol or insecticidal soaps being effective against mealybugs. I honestly never have found them effective. I foolishly bought a plant one time and didn't put it by itself away from my other plants for a couple of weeks. (It's recommended to do so in case it may have any disease or insect not yet showing.) It had mealybugs and when it became evident, they'd  started spreading to plants next to it. I vainly used both alcohol and insecticidal soap - thoroughly too - but fought a losing battle. Eggs and insects can hide in the space where leaf joins stem, in the soil, under the pot rim and in cracks in your windowsill. When you think you've got rid of them, you find them showing up again after a few weeks. Of all insects, I hate them just a little less than the blood-sucking ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your coleus (the middle photo) has soft easily bruised leaves. Treatment for mealybugs will damage the leaves and plant beyond recovery. I would also dispose of it and replace it. They're not expensive or hard to find.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry to be such a downer but mealybugs are the devil to get rid o!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T06:07:47.140" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34002" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-17T07:52:57.850" Score="3" ViewCount="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;On of my tomato is rotten at the bottom. At the same time I observe that the  connection between the plant and fruit is broken. Not sure what happened first though. Is this just a physical damage that caused rotting? Am I missing calcium?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lxMJ4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lxMJ4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dmIBS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dmIBS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y2E2v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y2E2v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KQuCg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KQuCg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FZJvX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FZJvX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-06-30T00:53:27.770" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T00:53:27.770" Title="Why is this tomato rotten at the end, and loosened from the plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34003" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-17T12:15:27.243" Score="2" ViewCount="1873" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn was done some 2 years ago but I had many problems: it wasn't level, and in some spots it was very hard (probably due to compaction and clayish soil). The people who did it told be it would even out and soften within a few months, but nothing like that happened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to salvage it without tearing it down and redoing??&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vv1fU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vv1fU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wFP3o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wFP3o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3129" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-17T17:43:45.960" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T17:43:45.960" Title="It it possible to soften hard soil without removing a lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34003" CreationDate="2017-06-17T12:47:01.980" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can run a core aerator over it (or do it manually with a hand aerator depending on size)  - you want one that cuts out small plugs, not one that cuts slits. Once you have pulled up a bunch of cores and let them dry on the surface, you can rake those around a bit and fill in some low spots, but for serious lumps you may need to bring in material to get towards level. If you do that gradually, the grass will continue to grow, where if you try to get it all in one go some will be so deeply buried you'll have to re-seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding 1/4&quot; of compost will help with both health and texture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While you are describing lumps rather than depressions, my answer here should still apply for the gradual solution approach: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/17992/how-should-i-fill-and-reseed-shallow-depressions-in-my-lawn?rq=1&quot;&gt;How should I fill and reseed shallow depressions in my lawn?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-06-17T12:56:09.507" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T12:56:09.507" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34005" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-17T13:07:32.037" Score="3" ViewCount="2234" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a couple of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo_biloba&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ginkgos&lt;/a&gt;. Last year I got them by mail, there were already yellow leaves when I got them. They went to sleep around October or November. This year it is already June and they have nothing, no leaves, nothing, and they are not growing any at all. When I check the trunk it looks healthy and green. They don't look dry or sick but there is not one leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17950" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-17T17:20:22.747" LastActivityDate="2017-06-19T19:56:55.357" Title="Why isn't my Ginkgo biloba growing any leaves even though it's already June?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34006" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34012" CreationDate="2017-06-17T14:45:53.590" Score="3" ViewCount="679" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just noticed a tree bark issue on my Chinese Pistache. Is this no harm damage or an infection I should worry about? Is there anything I should do for it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is plenty of mulch around the tree to prevent accidental lawn mower strikes. The damage is in the area where the tree bends with excessive swaying in the wind. It used to go near horizontal when a storm arrived. I've since controlled for it by loosely tying the trunk to prevent bends past 45 degrees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other Details&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1.5&quot; diameter trunk and at least 12 ft high &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Newly planted this past Easter (2 months)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In southern Texas. Gets lots of full sun&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Healthy leaves, no other diseases noticed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Arrived with a bad infestation of sharpshooter insects. Treated and pretty sure they are gone now.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Per stormy's answer, I consulted an arborist. Nursery is reputable and leaned towards animal damage. Said it reminded him of damage deer make when rubbing against trees. Seeing that my tree is fenced in, highly unlikely to be deer. I watched my tree like a hawk and discovered the culprit.  My cat was using the tree as a scratching post. Pic attached at bottom. I surrounded trunk with a wire mesh. Cat was not happy about it. Arborist thinks the tree will be fine though will take years to recover from the damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yiJNi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yiJNi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close Up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HK7NX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HK7NX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Zoom Out&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O4akK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O4akK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rjTo9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rjTo9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cat Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15468" LastEditorUserId="15468" LastEditDate="2017-06-21T22:28:57.470" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T22:28:57.470" Title="What should I do for unknown tree bark injury on a Chinese Pistache?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;damage&gt;&lt;wind-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34007" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-17T15:35:50.890" Score="5" ViewCount="1344" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in the UK. We have leveled the bottom of our garden by means of using 1m high gabion baskets filled up with stone, and back filling the whole area again with stone which is about 30m2. The reason there is so much stone is the house was built on a quarry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The resulting area I'm told will be virtually impossible to grown turf on top as the water will just dissipate, even with 4&quot;-6&quot; of soil above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would be the best and most cost effective solution to get turf to grow there? What type of soil or preparation would be the best?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really don't want artificial grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17952" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-17T17:27:36.377" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T18:03:40.750" Title="What's the best way to get turf to grow on stone-filled 1m high gabion retaining garden?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34007" CreationDate="2017-06-17T16:58:18.223" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid I agree with the advice you've already been given, which is you won't get turf to grow well over all that rock. An alternative you could consider is alpine planting, though it does depend whether the area is sunny or not in regard to your choice of plants. If it is sunny, then alpines and rock plants tucked into pockets of soil would at least have a better chance of growing and spreading than grass will. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Living wall type planting might work too, but you'd need more pockets to create that dense effect, and I don't know what the area looks like; green wall planting relies on pockets of soil in order to grow, but the same principle can be applied to horizontal rocky areas too. Information &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.craigiehallnursery.co.uk/page_2650323.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; about alpines, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=547&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for living or green wall planting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-17T17:40:16.593" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T17:40:16.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34010" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-17T17:27:36.047" Score="5" ViewCount="287" Body="&lt;p&gt;We think it showed up one year later than it was supposed to&#xA;My wife planted some bulbs and not all of them turned into a plant the year before. &#xA;We do not know if it is a weed or one of her bulbs&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r0l3b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r0l3b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastActivityDate="2017-06-19T11:51:17.780" Title="Is this a weed or an ornamental plant?" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34010" CreationDate="2017-06-17T17:35:48.747" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just learned how to do a search by images or parts of an image on Pinterest. really really cool. That helped me get my answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.americanmeadows.com/perennials/lupine/lupine-gallery-red&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lupine Gallery Red&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant needs full sun. My needs to read the instructions (planted the flower in a darker corner).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-06-19T11:51:17.780" LastActivityDate="2017-06-19T11:51:17.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34012" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34006" CreationDate="2017-06-17T18:42:27.587" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am glad you didn't stake these trees, what you are doing for high wind is fine.  I'm assuming that is what the length of rope is for?  Pretty amazing those young trees with so little canopy would bend like that.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Back to the damaged bark.  Looks like a bit less than 50% of the circumference of your tree.  Not good but your tree has a chance. What are sharpshooter insects?  How did you treat for this insect? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you need to do now is cut this loose bark off.  You don't want any more insects and the moisture held between the bark and the tree will encourage bacteria to hamper any healing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Draw a line with a sharpie? Begin at the top of that curled damage.  Draw a slightly curved line down to the next spot of damage then continue to encompass the damage in a tear drop shape.  Do the same on the other side. Do not exceed the damaged area.  Any bark above a cut will have damaged vascular system or compromised vascular phloem xylem below it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being extremely careful to not cut any farther than the depth of the bark, cut this tear drop along your lines.  If you happen to cut into the tree below the bark, don't worry.  But try not to.  Your tree has already grown a protective barrier to the interior of the tree.  You don't want to exacerbate the damage. The goal here is to remove the bark that is no longer protecting that area and is instead becoming a probe+m for secondary infections.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Allow to dry out and that is it.  No sealant whatsoever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Interesting damage.  I would think this was done at the nursery or in transit. That bending in wind with a young pliable tree shouldn't have been able to do this.  Especially in two chunks.  Did you notice the damage when they delivered these trees or while you were planting them? I have to say, I would be talking to the nursery.  Those wounds look quite old for two months.  The nursery is responsible for selling healthy trees with no garffs or nicks in the bark.  Have them come out to inspect your trees.  There is no way this could be mower damage.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A point on the bark, a branch, will always be at that height.  In fact, a branch will actually lower as the diameter of the branch enlarges.  So they couldn't be blaming you.  Trees are most often damaged in transit to the nursery and from the nursery. This could have been done on a fork lift.  Riding on a sharp edge with vibration.  That would be enough to damage the skin of the tree and not be apparent right away to the purchaser of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree was not inexpensive. You could also call Texas A&amp;amp;M Cooperative Extension Service for advice.  Check to see if they could send an Arborist or Master Gardener with good tree knowledge.  Should be a small price.  If it is economically feasible, they should be able to arm you with knowledge so when the nursery dudes come out you are able to hold your own and not get scammed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree has a 50/50 chance of success.  Definitely a weak spot for breaking in the wind.  There might be another tree, same caliper, height, species to replace this tree at the nursery still.  These trees are an investment.  One that 'grows' in value, ha ha.  2 months is a short time but the window is closing to get the nursery to replace on their own dime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that rope is what you are doing for wind that should be fine.  For trees to grow a thick trunk, a fantastic strong root system of support they need to be able to move readily in the slightest breeze.  Any thing that causes the tree to be still in the wind will weaken the tree. Make sure the mulch does not touch the bark of the trees.  That will do the same as the dead bark on those wounds by holding in moisture and promoting bacteria that will girdle the tree.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Call the nursery first to let them know they have a problem.  Ask them the steps necessary.  Call the Extension Service and tell them about your problem.  See what it would cost to have a specialist go out to your home to diagnose.  Make sure with both before you do any surgery what that would do to the 'warranty'.  Most nurseries give warranties.  If necessary send them these pictures and get a discussion going.  Also ask about fertilizer (nursery; when and what did they use on this tree).  The nursery just might bring a replacement with no further need of surgery or Ext. Service...wouldn't that be nice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Was this bare root or balled and burlapped or in a pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T18:42:27.587" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34013" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-17T19:04:19.480" Score="4" ViewCount="167" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got this bonsai from my friend about 2 months ago. I do not know what type of bonsai it is so I don't know how much about taking care of it. About 6 weeks ago, I forgot to water the tree so it went very dry. I watered it regularly but it seemed to do worse, its leaves dried up and the soil stays moist all the time (as if the plant was not using the water). About 2 weeks ago I noticed that there was some king of mold on the tree trunk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do to save the tree? Can the bonsai even be saved?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2YWFE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2YWFE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;I do not know how to save this bonsai, anyone please help, it has dry curled up leaves, a few of them are yellow, there is some kind of mold on the trunk&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17954" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-17T23:39:17.643" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T23:39:17.643" Title="What type of bonsai is this, and how do I revive it?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;mold&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34014" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34007" CreationDate="2017-06-17T19:06:35.193" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could get grass growing temporarily.  A spray company could spray grass seed, you'd water constantly and then you take a picture to make it last.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you considered a voracious vine?  My choice would be Golden Hops.  This is one amazing vine.  Can also be used to make beer.  It is a perennial and dies out for the winter.  Easy to clean up the dead vines/leaves.  From the roots this plant comes back in the spring with a vengeance!  Stand back...within a few weeks to a month those gabions will be covered completely.  I've seen 3 feet of growth per day.  The lime green color is lovely. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Forget turf.  Lots of other vines to consider but this is the easiest to maintain dying out for winter.  The ability to clear out the old material and in spring get an entire new lush vine covering.  I loved this vine.  I wasn't watching and this vine grew and covered my 12X12 screen, up and over trees and a fence and was headed for the road...a good 50 feet by August.  If you do make beer, any of the hops family of your choosing will do the same except they'll be green.  Make sure you get both sexes planted or at least the female.  The flowers are like little Japanese rice paper lanterns...lime greens, mauve and purple. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T19:06:35.193" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34015" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34013" CreationDate="2017-06-17T20:14:55.750" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yeah, hate to give you bad news but this guy is toast.  Why Bonsai does not come with instructions is irresponsible. Bonsai are just like a new pet.  Constant attention.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because of the limited root mass Bonsai need watering pretty much every single day.  Usually the entire pot gets immersed in water.  When the roots are healthy they suck up all the water so that air gets back into the soil and there is no chance of rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This guy died. Roots died.  You keep watering with no drainage and there will be fungus, mold that thrives with high moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Really upsets me to see this.  And believe me we see this all of the time on this site.  People are always getting these, sometimes very expensive and very old Bonsai as gifts.  No instructions, no species and 99% of the time they die.  That is my own statistic.  Just as if you left a new puppy behind with no food or water.  Come back and it is dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Friends who give these for gifts should be Bonsai experts that at least know you expect the responsibility as well as welcoming the responsibility. They should give instructions.  Pay for a class in Bonsai. Otherwise, shoot, a plant that has been created by man, has lived 5, 10, 50 or more years is destined to die in the hands of a newbie. Not fair to the newbie.  Not at all!  Nor the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am sorry.  Kind of hard to tell what species it was, doesn't matter now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T20:14:55.750" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34016" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34279" CreationDate="2017-06-17T20:16:07.860" Score="4" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very low spot near a pathway I just built and a pile of soil that resulted from the excavation of the soil. I want to put the soil over the grass that is there, but I would like to know the answers to following questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it a good idea?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How long it will take the grass to get through, especially now that is very warm?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How much soil to put over?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I do this over just mowed grass or over longer grown grass?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, I have some lower spots which are not bald to say so (no grass) but where I would add soil just to make the spot level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: picture showing the area, left side of that path&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CG3mH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CG3mH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T16:34:38.617" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T16:34:38.617" Title="Lawn top dressing - how much and how long does the grass need to get through?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;topsoil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34017" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-17T20:27:51.267" Score="3" ViewCount="1372" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it normal for blueberry bushes to have reddish colored leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17955" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-17T23:33:14.150" LastActivityDate="2020-05-09T18:25:13.500" Title="Is it normal for a blueberry plant to have reddish leaves?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33016" CreationDate="2017-06-17T20:47:48.647" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;well well well... I just got my answer today. It rained cats and dogs and I have a Shaina Japanese Maple. This guy is 3ft tall and with a wide canopy. It got loaded with tons of water and it simply bent down under the weight of the water. The trunk is a little curved at the contact with the soil (it grew like this) an that contributed to the issue. I now understand why something like the above support is needed&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T20:47:48.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34019" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33983" CreationDate="2017-06-17T21:49:27.250" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another possibility.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you notice any tiny black flies (2-3 mm, a little smaller than fruit flies) around the plants? They could be sitting on the soil, leaves or window (if the plant's indoor). They're weak fliers, fluttering annoyingly about the plants, or you at night if your sitting by a lamp reading. If you have these tiny flies, the 'worms' in your soil would likely be their larvae. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I watched your YouTube video, at 1:57, I saw one of them clearly against a white background waving its dark head about. Fungus gnat larvae gave dark heads and they can stretch out longer like earthworms can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, if you don't have a tiny black flies, it won't be their larvae. But because you found them in the rotting remains of the seed, the possibility of fungus gnats is high. Ungus gnat larvae feed on decaying plant matter and some feed on plant roots too. Remove the rotting seed whatever they are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mite looks very much like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoaspis_miles&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hypoaspis&lt;/em&gt; spp.&lt;/a&gt; but predatory soil mite species tend to look similar in colour and shape. What's nice is all will happily eat fungus gnat larvae. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T21:49:27.250" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34020" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34017" CreationDate="2017-06-17T22:06:16.740" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blueberry leaves that are new, in stress or are abscising will be reddish.  Need to know what you've added, how the are watered, the pH of the soil (that is a big deal), where it is you live, such as what zone, the age of these plants, have they flowered yet?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, totally normal.  My blueberries are reddish right now as they are putting out new leaves.  They turn bright red in the autumn before losing their leaves (abscission).  For maximum health your soil needs to be at least 6.0 even 5.5 in pH.  Properly balanced fertilizer, plenty of water.  Blueberries are sort of bog plants.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-17T22:06:16.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34021" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34016" CreationDate="2017-06-18T00:15:20.413" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the grass is in active growth (so, right now, northern hemisphere, where it's raining from time to time or irrigated) 1/4&quot; (6-7mm) every couple of weeks is fairly safe. Every week is &lt;em&gt;probably&lt;/em&gt; safe, but &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be pushing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's not actively growing, you have to wait for growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The point is to NOT &quot;bury&quot; the grass - you want the applied soil to have grass sticking through it from the time it's applied, just having some extra soil around the base of the stems. If you add enough to bury it, you make a whole host of problems. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, mow the grass first, it will stand up slightly better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-06-18T00:15:20.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34022" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-18T01:30:08.373" Score="1" ViewCount="35" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw these two trees, and I'm just wondering what trees these are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can they grow in pots? We live in the tropics, so they would be outdoors receiving sun all the time. And they would be in 85-100F heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zq4E5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zq4E5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SWniR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SWniR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14590" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-06-18T07:34:59.027" LastActivityDate="2017-06-18T17:47:12.507" Title="Help Identifying these trees and can they grow in pots?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34023" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34028" CreationDate="2017-06-18T09:10:19.943" Score="5" ViewCount="2944" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the ropes I used to fix tomatoes loosened and the stem with lots of tomatoes partially broke, but didn't break completely. Should I cut the broken part? Is there some other way to fix it? It has many green tomatoes on it, that need at least 2 weeks to ripen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dfwBK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dfwBK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-18T18:15:00.353" LastActivityDate="2017-06-18T18:38:25.100" Title="How should I repair a partially broken stem with lots of tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34024" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1695" CreationDate="2017-06-18T09:54:27.543" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Harvest mites attack in the late summer in the UK. I learned this while trying to grade land. the garden was all soil and stone, and I ended up with welts on my legs and arms, they where super itchy and lasted for weeks. Turns out they sometimes infest gardens in the UK. They're part of the spider family &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trombicula_autumnalis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Trombicula autumnalis&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So just watch out if it's late summer and you are digging a large amount of soil, wear socks tucked into trousers and not shorts like me, and don't sit on the bare soil. You can't see them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17952" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-18T18:46:24.973" LastActivityDate="2017-06-18T18:46:24.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34025" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34023" CreationDate="2017-06-18T11:41:23.697" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I usually cut the stem where it got bent then place the group of tomatoes in a small paper bag. Store in a cool dry place and they will ripen in a week or 2. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastActivityDate="2017-06-18T11:41:23.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33990" CreationDate="2017-06-18T12:45:01.027" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a compact variation of the 'average' snake plant: Sansevieria trifasciata 'Hahnii' (bird's nest snake plant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can find a lot of information about this plant &lt;a href=&quot;https://plantcaretoday.com/snake-plant-sansevieria.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.      &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17958" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-18T18:25:13.840" LastActivityDate="2017-06-18T18:25:13.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34027" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34022" CreationDate="2017-06-18T17:47:12.507" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In pots? A large tree needs large roots. Every leave needs water, every part of the plant requires nutrients.  So I would say it would be impossible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: olive tree could be placed in a large pot, but: 1- olive trees are not so large as in your picture, 2- the foliage is coriaceous, and in general a very slow growing plant (the plant you see could have various centuries), so totally different.  I have lemon tree in pots, but they are also very small (less than 2 meters tall) and slow growing.  Note: lemon and olive lives naturally in dry places.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-06-18T17:47:12.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34028" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34023" CreationDate="2017-06-18T17:52:15.917" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;That injury looks more like a &quot;sprain&quot; than a break. In other words, the stem is injured, but the tissue isn't completely severed. If you can immobilize it and provide additional support to keep the weight of the ripening fruit from damaging it further, I bet it will recover. (Patient needs to avoid strenuous activity though.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastEditorUserId="17501" LastEditDate="2017-06-18T18:09:01.277" LastActivityDate="2017-06-18T18:09:01.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34029" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34023" CreationDate="2017-06-18T18:38:25.100" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This happens all the time with tomatoes.  Get a stick with a Y formation, stick it in the ground with the Y holding up the tomatoes to a point that that bend is straight again.  Most certainly will do the trick.  I do this often and the tomatoes ripen just fine.  If the Y stick doesn't work you can also use duct tape and a stick like a wilderness survival trick for a broken arm.  Won't cause any harm during the short time needed for ripening your tomatoes.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last winter I wanted to get tomatoes off the vine before the freeze.  Take off green tomatoes too soon and they just don't ripen.  I've found through experience that if a green tomato has started to change color the tomato will continue to ripen after being removed from the vine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This change in color might be as subtle as being a little more yellower than the other green tomatoes.  There might be a spot starting to color.  Then it is fine to pick and put on a shelf not in direct sunlight.  Putting them in a bag is well, 'out of sight, out of mind'.  I am very bad.  On a shelf, they ripen within days.  Right in line of sight, I'll grab it and use it or eat it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-18T18:38:25.100" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34030" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-18T23:54:25.623" Score="6" ViewCount="1604" Body="&lt;p&gt;my 4 month old Lychee seedling needs help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I started growing the Lychee tree in regular soil, and after about 2 months i desided that i wanted to try to grow it hydroponically. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ever since its first leaves, the tips of the leaves are turning slowly brown and crispy. It grows under a growing light at room temperature. New leaves are coming and it seem to be having it great except for the leaves turning brown. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I included some pictures for you to look at. Please help me! I really love my plant and dont want to lose it! And it seems that the leaves are also turning a lighter shade of green almost yellow-ish color. What does it mean!!?? :O&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H98nZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H98nZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Here is a look at the plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VYdkq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VYdkq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;And here you can see what i am talking about&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17962" LastEditorUserId="17962" LastEditDate="2017-06-19T00:00:37.507" LastActivityDate="2019-12-09T03:28:01.643" Title="Hydroponic Lychee tree suffering from brown leaf tips! Help!" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;lychee&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34031" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34035" CreationDate="2017-06-19T05:45:04.660" Score="3" ViewCount="162" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am living in Melbourne on South East coast of Australia and I'm wondering when the best time to plant the cuttings of English box which have sprouted roots about 8 weeks ago. They are currently in a greenhouse doing very well but I'm wondering whether I should leave them in pots or plant them out soon. It is currently early winter here. Days are usually 15 degrees Celsius which is about 59 Fahrenheit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't wait to start my little hedge border and have about 60 of these to plant out. I just don't want to plant them too early and have them die. I'm trying to upload a picture but have problems doing so. Each cutting is about 4 inches high&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;edit:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Thank you very much, I'll plant them out very soon, then I free up some more room in my greenhouse for more! &#xA;And yes, I learnt a very hard lesson a few years ago leaving a whole lot of small plants in the greenhouse on a hot day&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;here is the picture showing the size, I was trying to upload it yesterday &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NfOuo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NfOuo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Box transplant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17963" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-06-21T06:07:07.850" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T06:07:07.850" Title="Best season to plant English Box small rooted cuttings into the garden" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34032" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-19T05:48:14.743" Score="6" ViewCount="561" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought myself a little Bonsai the other week from a local gardening place. The Bonsai is in a little 'self watering' pot according to the label (which I have since discarded).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its a normal pot, with another that sits inside it. Much like a lot of other self watering pots. The problem with mine is that the smaller inner pot has no hole for water uptake. The little inner pot is completely solid apart from the upper opening with the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is this, considering the inner and outer pots appear to be terracotta, is it possible that water is still able to pass through the inner pot? My gut feeling is that I have simply bought a dud one that hasn't had the hole added for whatever reason. If this is the case i'll just water it normally. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Photo (while you can't see the base rest assured that it is totally solid).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HyeUw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HyeUw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16934" LastEditorUserId="16934" LastEditDate="2017-06-20T00:09:27.820" LastActivityDate="2018-08-30T12:01:30.000" Title="Self watering pot with no hole" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34034" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34032" CreationDate="2017-06-19T08:52:30.247" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unglazed terracotta is a porous material so water can pass through it, albeit slowly. This can be a very effective way of delivering water without drowning the plant. For bonsai, overwatering is quite easy, due to the limited water usage by the plant, and I would be tempted to stick with the setup as supplied unless you want to change it for some other reason.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-06-19T08:52:30.247" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34035" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34031" CreationDate="2017-06-19T09:22:11.927" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Early winter in your place is a very good time. It will ensure the plant has 3-4 months to adapt to its new soil conditions without suffering drought.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Europe it is recommended to transplant trees and bushes in November, because it avoid droughts and deep earth-freeze that could damage the roots. With the temperature you tell us, it appears there is no such risk in Melbourne.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Edit in reply to your comment:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Thank you for your reply, do you think I should wait another year until they're more established, or is planting a tiny 2-3 inch plant ok?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting a 2-3 inch plant seems OK to me, as long as you use a good soil preparation and you have time to protect and weed them. If you do not have much time to look after them, then keep them in pots for one more year (be careful about this greenhouse, which probably gets too hot in summer - better put the pots outside in spring).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-06-19T11:49:55.360" LastActivityDate="2017-06-19T11:49:55.360" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34036" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34038" CreationDate="2017-06-19T10:10:09.040" Score="6" ViewCount="19396" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a cherry tree in my garden (courtesy of the house's builder) which this year is full of fruits.&#xA;They look very nice but I am not sure they are edible. I tried one the other day and it was lightly sour but sweet.&#xA;The flowers are white.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On a forum somebody mentioned that if even the birds avoid the fruit they are not fit for consumption and mine are untouched.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: In the end I DID make a cherry pie. It was gone in minutes and nobody felt ill. So the cherries are edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QRkJq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QRkJq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JE8zC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JE8zC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10804" LastEditorUserId="10804" LastEditDate="2017-11-17T10:26:43.513" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T10:26:43.513" Title="Are my cherries edible?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34038" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34036" CreationDate="2017-06-19T13:41:22.360" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fruits with pulp are made to be eaten: it is the purpose of such fruits: they help the plants to propagate.  Cherries are made to be eaten by birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I think birds find a lot more cherries and other nice fruits around you.  Or cats around you make them not to fly on your garden.  Just wait, and when some bird will find your cherries mature, it will start to eat it, then all his friends (and not) will eat them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cherries are edible, just the taste could not be so nice, in that case, sugar will help them to be transformed in a good jam.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also considering the number of fruits (and the size), I don't think your builder has planted a special cherry (e.g. a flower cherry, or something more exotic).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would anyway try to contact him, and ask.  Probably it could give you some more information (variety, a good plant nurse, etc.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-06-19T13:41:22.360" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34039" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33388" CreationDate="2017-06-19T16:48:00.213" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;While much good information has been provided, some is incorrect or partially correct. Tomatoes are primarily self pollinating, and not just to the extent of pollen being transferred between flowers. Pollination can and does occur by the pollen of one flower fertilizing the ovule within the same flower and can occur prior to the actual blooming of the flower. This is why tomato cultivars can be maintained relatively reliably without extensive manual labor. Flowers can be bagged prior to blooming which prevents cross pollination as well as pollinators from assisting fertilization. Pollinators DO assist in fruit formation as they increase fertilization by vibrating ( a bee's buzzing sound) but it is not required. Fruit size is however related to level of fertilization. Unlike what was said re: &quot; a little bit pregnant&quot; being impossible it is in fact exactly the case in tomatoes that more fertilization yields bigger fruit. Each fruit contains many seeds. The seeds influence fruit development by altering plant growth regulators in the fruit. Evidence of this is that sterile plants (due to chromosome imbalance fruit much more poorly and fruit size is much smaller corresponding to the number of seeds. This is also why tomato bloom set chemical sprays work. They mimic the growth regulators the seeds would normally produce in otherwise poorly fertilized situations&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17969" LastActivityDate="2017-06-19T16:48:00.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34040" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34046" CreationDate="2017-06-19T18:30:49.850" Score="5" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;What plant is this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant grows as bush, 3-4ft in height and width. It has long pointy leaves and white/yellow flowers. It Blooms mostly during summer months. Located in northern California zone 9b&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JKaYa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JKaYa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4HYQ6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4HYQ6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jsADQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jsADQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11489" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-07-06T03:38:50.350" LastActivityDate="2017-07-06T03:38:50.350" Title="Need help with Plant identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34041" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-19T19:12:13.460" Score="3" ViewCount="225" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a chocolate mint, currently in a container. I have a small patch of soil surrounded on four sides and am thinking about moving the mint to there, but I do not want it to escape into the lawn. Three sides do not concern me, but on the fouth side the space is bordered by a narrow cement walkway. How wide would the walkway need to be to keep the mint from invading the lawn via runners?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1562" LastActivityDate="2017-06-19T19:48:24.903" Title="How long can the runners on mint plants be?" Tags="&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34041" CreationDate="2017-06-19T19:48:24.903" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would firmly suggest that you source either a thick plastic pot of large size, a 5 gallon bucket, a section of pipe, or a chunk of pond liner (EPDM rubber) and sink it into the ground surrounding your mint on all sides (you can cut the bottom out of the pot) with 3-4 inches (75-100 mm) aboveground and 12-20 inches belowground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I love mint, but I regret planting it in my garden without firm containment. I have certainly seen runners more than 2 feet long, though I don't have an exactly analogous situation with a paved path - but I would not care to bet on it serving as containment. It's now firmly a part of the pantheon of weeds here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-06-19T19:48:24.903" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34043" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34005" CreationDate="2017-06-19T19:56:55.357" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wait. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The trunk is heathy and green,&lt;/em&gt; so the tree is apparently alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can't do much for it putting out leaves other than wait for it to do that, so do that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it doesn't do that, at some point it will also stop looking healthy and green at the trunk and you'll know it's dead. For now, assume it's dormant and don't fuss too much about it. If it showed up with leaves out before planting last year it may have some overall stress and adaptation issues it needs to work though on its own schedule.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just found green buds on two (apple) grafts I had nearly given up on for this year - patience can be a good thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-06-19T19:56:55.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34044" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-19T19:52:12.880" Score="3" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just finished a 100ft mister system in my back yard using 1/4in poly tubing and adding misters ever 3ft. It is stapled to the top of my wooden fence. The tubing is connected to my water source through a 1/4 to 3/8 connection. However the water pressure is really low. My first 5 misters do well but the remaining 8 just dribble water. Should I have used a larger tubing than 1/4in? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="Charles Zavala" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-19T21:08:23.847" LastActivityDate="2017-06-24T18:11:49.520" Title="Backyard Mister System" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34046" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34040" CreationDate="2017-06-19T22:05:58.643" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is a white/yellow Iris spuria - seeing an open flower would confirm, but the leaves, buds and seedpods fit with that plant. Iris spuria flowers  a little later than Siberian Iris - link to image here, its the third image on the page &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.junglekey.com/search.php?query=Iris+spuria&amp;amp;type=image&amp;amp;lang=en&amp;amp;region=us&amp;amp;img=1&amp;amp;adv=1&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.junglekey.com/search.php?query=Iris+spuria&amp;amp;type=image&amp;amp;lang=en&amp;amp;region=us&amp;amp;img=1&amp;amp;adv=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes commonly known as Butterfly Iris.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-19T22:05:58.643" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34047" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34044" CreationDate="2017-06-20T01:59:06.220" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you should have used larger tubing. Tubing has friction losses with flow (dynamic head) - those losses are quite profound with small diameter tubing. There are web-hosted Total Dynamic Head calculators you could plug numbers into if you know what the flow rate on your misters is supposed to be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At a rough ballpark without knowing your supply pressure or mister rated pressure range &amp;amp; flowrate, I'd prefer 3/4&quot; or 5/8&quot; tubing at least for something that long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-06-20T01:59:06.220" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34048" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-20T02:51:44.050" Score="5" ViewCount="141" Body="&lt;p&gt;Help - my tomatoes are turning brown on the bottom. This one plant out of 15.  It's not every tomato on this plant. Maybe 1/3 have this problem. t's an heirloom, brandywine.   I am in zone 9b. This just happened in the last couple of days. I have a drip system and all my other tomatoes are doing well. But we have had a sudden heat wave of 100 plus days for the last 3 days. Is it disease or a heat/water issue?  Should I quarantine?  It is in a fabric pot so I can move it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I6tn9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17171" LastActivityDate="2017-06-20T20:36:59.090" Title="Tomato 911 - they have brown bottoms" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34049" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-20T02:56:26.993" Score="3" ViewCount="230" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KMOXH.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KMOXH.png&quot; alt=&quot;I don&amp;#39;t know what these tall green plants are. &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please help me identify these tall green plants they are now 3 ft high &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17975" LastEditorUserId="17975" LastEditDate="2017-06-21T15:06:16.807" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T15:06:16.807" Title="What are these tall green plants that started growing in my garden" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34048" CreationDate="2017-06-20T03:01:40.723" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blossom end rot. It's caused by a calcium imbalance. It can be because of calcium deficiency, but also other reasons such as soil PH and watering. In your case it is likely to be due to the heat wave.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastActivityDate="2017-06-20T03:01:40.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34051" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34049" CreationDate="2017-06-20T03:19:41.760" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The green ones might be pokeweed, picture is kinda small and I don't recall if it's common out west - I certainly had one pop up in my garden again this year, they are commonly spread by birds and grow fast. They are poisionous (some sources say &quot;unless boiled&quot; others say &quot;period.&quot;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-06-20T03:19:41.760" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34052" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7313" CreationDate="2017-06-20T03:48:27.767" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I germinated all the popcorn kernels I tried.  I will see if they grow into corn stalks.  They were organic popcorn from the grocery store.  I put a folded up paper towel in the bottom of a one cup measuring cup and soaked it with water.  I put the corn in and put saran wrap on top in a warm place and they germinated in one day.  I planted them into a peat pellet. Now waiting for more growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17976" LastActivityDate="2017-06-20T03:48:27.767" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34053" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-20T08:19:43.977" Score="5" ViewCount="2706" Body="&lt;p&gt;My garden includes a holly tree about the height of my house. It's a fine specimen in good health but the position means it is blocking the view from a bedroom window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally I'd take it out entirely but it also provides valuable screening at lower level from the road passing our house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I could reduce it in height about 50% this would be a good compromise but I've no idea if hollies respond well to this and it would look terrible... Also not sure how to do it as holly is so prickly!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's actually more like a very tall, narrow bush than a tree... Several trunks rise up together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qlktf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qlktf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ktBm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ktBm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2d8V0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2d8V0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastEditorUserId="14517" LastEditDate="2017-06-20T08:25:11.613" LastActivityDate="2017-06-20T11:05:44.383" Title="Can I substantially reduce the height of a large holly tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34054" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34053" CreationDate="2017-06-20T08:44:05.863" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Remove the large trunks, It should be safe for the holly tree. Just that it take one or two years to have a nice tree from other trunks (before that, the leaves and branches will be imbalanced in few directions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-06-20T08:44:05.863" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34055" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34049" CreationDate="2017-06-20T10:31:03.183" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well they look like Impatiens to me - can't see the detail of the flower, but the leaves are certainly like Impatiens walleriana, though there are other varieties. These seem a little taller than usual though, and they don't usually pop up on their own from seed, though it depends where you are to an extent. Is it possible you had some planted in that pot last year? Because if you did and they survived the winter, that would explain the increased size. Link to image (it's the first picture) here &lt;a href=&quot;https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/562035228476275270/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/562035228476275270/&lt;/a&gt; They might be Impatiens New Guinea hybrids - they are taller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If that's what they are, you can collect the seed, but when the seed pods form, you have to prepare to collect the seed before the pod explodes and shoots its contents all over the place - instructions here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/seeds-impatiens-flower-21048.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/seeds-impatiens-flower-21048.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeing an open flower clearly, and the seed pods as they form, would help to confirm or deny this ID too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-06-20T12:25:59.780" LastActivityDate="2017-06-20T12:25:59.780" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34056" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34053" CreationDate="2017-06-20T11:05:44.383" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can reduce the height by up to half, but if you do, it will grow in an ugly shape afterwards. Holly tends to apical domination, meaning it gives a good approximation of a pyramidal shape if left to its own devices - reducing the height means you will get more than one branch regrowing from the cut areas, so the pyramidal shape will be lost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's also a nasty job, so you might want to consider paying an arborist to come and do it for you, or at least consult with one about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-20T11:05:44.383" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34058" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-20T12:55:32.470" Score="5" ViewCount="194" Body="&lt;p&gt;My crop of early potatoes in containers has been decimated . They look like a mouse has been chewing on them with good sized potatoes chewed in half but they were too deep for mice to reach and no sign of the surface soil being disturbed. Worm of some sort ? Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17980" LastActivityDate="2017-06-20T18:48:59.980" Title="Potatoes chewed" Tags="&lt;potatoes&gt;&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34059" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-20T18:37:19.357" Score="3" ViewCount="956" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our new house has about half an acre of land, including a large lawn surrounded by many mature trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're clearly going to need a leaf blower... Even in spring everything is covered in leaves, bud casings, etc. I imagine we need something quite good and as I never used a blower before I'm wondering at what point a garden becomes large enough that a backpack mounted blower really becomes more of a necessity rather than overkill?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-20T23:25:43.860" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T13:39:04.470" Title="At what size garden does a backpack leaf blower make sense?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34060" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34058" CreationDate="2017-06-20T18:48:59.980" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/insects-eat-potatoes-76645.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;insects that eat both tuber and leaves&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There must be an insect that feasts on both the tuber and the leaves.  Too poisonous for animals, generally.  With no sign of digging I went out to look up the best culprit (s).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you are able to send pictures we'll be able to ID.  Do not do any pesticide until we and you are able to ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm down to cut worms.  These I am very familiar and just ONE can do major damage.  A cut worm is a big fat insect that when disturbed curls into a ball. It comes out at night to feed, stays in the soil, shallowly, during the daytime. This would be a good ID because there will be only a few and you should be able to go out at night with a flashlight, see them feeding and using scissors, cut them in half.  Their guts will be bright green.  If you knock them down they will curl into the recognizable curl.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During the day they might be out and hidden under a leaf or debris or chunky bark mulch.  Dig around the base of your potato plants.  You'll easily see these big fat caterpillar insects.  Cut in half, sigh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is your destroyer, you are lucky.  No pesticide at all is necessary.  Just a few nights playing detective and you'll be good to go.  Unless you begin to find baby cut worms.  Pesticide is off limits with potatoes if this culprit is eating your shallow potatoes.  If only the top growth/leaves are being eaten we could discuss that, once the ID is far more certain.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Collect any and all beetles, insects, larva, grubs or 'worms'.  Take pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next year, you will not plant any of the potato family; peppers, tomatoes, egg plant...in the same area.  Not for at least 2 years.  If you have found 'eggs' please send a picture or at least describe what they looked like.  Just ONE egg will be a major problem.  This is the reason all plants are rotated.  Not every other year but at least 2 year intervals.  Once we figure the culprit, we can also talk about 'trap' crops, row cloth for treatment/management.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on space, you might need to plant potatoes, tomatoes, etc. in pots with sterile potting soil and go vertical.  Go out at dark every few hours with your flashlight.  It should be fairly easy to figure out who the culprit is eating potatoes and leaves.  Again, what other plants are nearby?  Have fun!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-20T18:48:59.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34061" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-20T19:28:14.370" Score="3" ViewCount="789" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a beautiful Rose of Sharon I planted 15 years ago. Now, even after cutting it back, it's blocking view and am wondering if there was a way to dig it up and put it someplace else. I know to wait till fall and that it's not something I can do on my own. Suggestions? Recommendations?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17981" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-20T21:02:25.753" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T11:06:02.717" Title="How should I transplant an old Rose of Sharon?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;hibiscus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34062" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34061" CreationDate="2017-06-20T19:53:20.810" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;What view is it blocking?  I would leave it right where it is and start thinning this shrub.  If you 'head' it by cutting it down you are only energizing it to get denser.  To thin a shrub you prune out all the little branches, dead stuff, and essentially make this shrub into a small tree.  At 15 feet it most certainly qualifies.  At 15 feet, even transplanting in winter you'd have at the most a 25% chance but I think it would be less.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A small tree would provide framing and enticing 'peek a boos' of your yard. While at the same time giving the viewer a foreground view that adds to the depth and perspective of your yard.  That shrub is worth its weight in gold to expand one's views if managed correctly.  I can most certainly help with pruning over the internet.  Need pictures of course.  Sharp bypass pruners, pruning saw and alcohol.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are really set to try moving this shrub, you can start right now by digging a foot deep and wide trench around a root ball you could manage to move via dragging it on a tarp.  Perhaps you could find someone with a big forklift to help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To have any success at life after major surgery, that trench will help your plant put out more feeder roots within the root ball it will have to survive with until after planting and after the winter.  Dig the trench around the base of your plant's trunk at a minimum 2' radius.  If you have access to a forklift to use this early winter, before the ground is frozen then make it 3' radius.  Fill the trench with straw and soak with water.  Purchase mycorrhizae fungal spores from a decent nursery to sprinkler in the trench and over the root ball.  Save some for after transplanting.  This greatly helps the roots to be able to take up water and chemicals necessary for photosynthesis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your root pruned shrub will need to have the top growth thinned and headed.  Divide prunings into 2 or 3 sessions this season because doing too much in one session &gt;30% is major stress at the same time as the roots are making sense of a smaller area with which to derive water and chemicals to do the job of photosynthesis, which feeds the roots to survive winter and the move.  I would only prune &amp;lt;20% each session.  You are in fact 'root pruning' so the top growth needs to be reduced as well&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will only ensure 50/50 chance.  I'd like to see the view you are discussing and this gorgeous 15' shrub.  Think of 'Bonsai', or a multi stemmed patio tree framing your view.  Send pictures.  If you had a company 'pluck' this shrub out of the ground, they would do all the same things I've explained.  Then they would sell this shrub for...easy 4-5,000 bucks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-20T19:53:20.810" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34063" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34059" CreationDate="2017-06-20T20:16:20.180" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are two things I wouldn't be without for any size garden; a gas powered blower and a gas powered weed wacker.  Even a garden on a patio is easily cleaned up in minutes using a blower.  I use it to blow grass off plant beds, blow water off hedges to prune, to clean any and all concrete or gravel surfaces.  Heck decks, driveways.  I blow the lawn that is wet to raise the mohawks to cut the lawn cleaner.  I've tried blowing garages but you have to make sure there are no fire sprinklers 'cause that becomes embarrassing and a big big mess, grins.  Seriously, I couldn't live without my blower even if all I had was a 10X10 yard!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Forget removing leaves in fall, I just blow the lawn and hard surfaces off the leaves go onto the plant beds.  By spring, those leaves are pretty much gone, decomposed.  Those that are left I rake up and put in my compost pile.  Otherwise, slugs, snails, pill bugs and earwigs are encouraged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stihl, is my favorite blower and weed wacker.  Easy to get parts.  Pick up extra filters both gas and air.  Keep the dirt out of that engine it will last forever.  I have a Red Max weed wacker that is at least 40 years old.  Not sold anymore.  My Stihl blower is 25 years old.  I had one of the heavier red Stihl blowers that would have been 30 years old but got stolen.  Lock your equipment up.  A very big deal to steal and take to the pawn shops for money.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, and purchase GOOD oil, premeasured in those little bottles to make one gallon mixes.  Or always always measure and mix like you are doing a science experiment! Mix every single time you pour mixed gas into your machine.  Shake shake shake.  I even shake the blower while on my back by jumping up and down!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, never use gasoline with ethanol.  I won't use ethanol gas even in my truck.  Ugh. Electric blowers are a joke.  You will love your blower, I kid you not.  It will get you out into the garden an awful lot more as well.  Let us know what you get and how it works for you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-20T20:16:20.180" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34064" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34048" CreationDate="2017-06-20T20:36:59.090" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I thought I'd send a recipe for management. Be nice to see your entire plant, to know whether it is in sterile potting soil if it is in a pot, if not what type of soil you do have, raised beds? Watering practices and most certainly what you are using for fertilizer.  This link should help or even engender more questions.&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/environmental/blossom-end-rot/blossom-end-rot-of-tomato-and-pepper.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;tomato end rot&lt;/a&gt;  Just adding calcium might not help at all.  You need to test your soil's pH and give us the formulation of your fertilizer.  Any additions such as manure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-20T20:36:59.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34065" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34195" CreationDate="2017-06-20T21:47:39.220" Score="1" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;[EDIT-20170626: added some history] I just found a couple of bugs on my &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavatera&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;lavatera&lt;/a&gt;, which seems to do fine so far. I has tried to find the bug species with the morphological description,  without success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Who could it be? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it detrimental?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aOhBV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aOhBV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lavatera bug&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[EDIT-20170626] This family album, after a few days wait, seems to suggest a southern green stink bug, at least in its intermediate lymph avatars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2aPjT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2aPjT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;southern green stink bug&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14438" LastEditorUserId="14438" LastEditDate="2017-06-26T19:18:45.053" LastActivityDate="2017-07-26T20:03:13.687" Title="Identification of a bug on lavatera" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;parasites&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34066" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34061" CreationDate="2017-06-20T22:46:36.120" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd be inclined to take semi ripe cuttings in late summer/fall - they root quite easily, and once they've got to a reasonable size, you can then remove the one you've got and plant one of the cuttings in its place, or just plant one or two elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your Hypericum has been in the ground for 15 years and it's big enough to block the view, it's likely Hypericum 'Hidcote' - you can try digging up a portion with roots attached, but trying to move the whole thing may not be successful. Taking cuttings first, then  trying to move it if you want is a better idea. Information on semi ripe cuttings and how to do them here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=404&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cuttings: semi-ripe&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its just occurred to me that what we Brits use the common name Rose of Sharon for is Hypericum, but in the USA, rose of sharon is what you call Hibiscus syriacus, along with Hypericum and one or two other plants, so this information probably doesn't apply. Which plant are you talking about exactly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-06-21T11:06:02.717" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T11:06:02.717" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34067" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34059" CreationDate="2017-06-20T23:29:25.530" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Garden size is only one factor.  If you are healthy and want some exercise, use a rake to collect the leaves when you feel you need to collect them.  Otherwise, you can always leave them in their place where they will decompose and provide nutrients to your plants.  If you are not up to that and plan to do this very frequently or you have too many trees and want to blow the leave from the lawn or hardscape, you may want to get the backpack style leaf blower.  So, it really depends on you and what works for me  may not work for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-06-20T23:29:25.530" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34068" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34076" CreationDate="2017-06-21T06:28:55.527" Score="1" ViewCount="161" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a total amateur to potted plants, as I'm living in my own apartment (in NYC) for the first time and I used to live in a rural area. I bought some flower pots, miracle gro starting/seedling mix, and this 10 variety seed pack of various herbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my timeline of events goes like this&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Day 1: I put some dirt from the bag of miracle-gro in a small pot, sprinkle dill seeds in, then cover lightly, as seed packet recommends. I then water a bit. I notice the water sits on top without going in to the soil, and then after a minute, it goes right through the drainage hole immediately; very little retention. I don't pay much heed at this point. I do the same for rosemary. I sprinkle a little water into these plants every morning by putting a paper tower in a glass of water and gently squeezing out a bit onto the top of the soil. The pots aren't very big, so a squeeze basically causes the whole top of the soil to be covered in a small puddle, which sits there for a minute or two and then immediately goes to the bottom, mostly out of the drain hole.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Day 8ish: The soil still seems kind of bad at holding water. I sprinkle water on top, enough to darken the soil, and three minutes later I stick my finger in and it's totally dry. I look up online that sometimes bagged soil gets so dry that it becomes water resistant, and that sometimes soaking it works. I don't want to drown the seeds, so I try some new ones. I take a bunch of soil from the bag, soak it really well for about 8 hours, then let drain overnight. In the morning the soil is clumpy like it's still a bit wet inside, but not damp. I have two more pots; I put basil seeds in one and oregano seeds in the other. I cover a bit with bagged soil (not the stuff I soaked) and put on the window. I continue watering the first two plants (dill and rosemary) but I don't water the basil and dill since the soil seems damp from the soaking. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Day 14ish (now): I wake up to see a few basil shoot and one or two oregano ones as well. Still nothing from the other two pots. I'm wondering if it's time to give up on the Dill and Rosemary? Maybe I'm being impatient, I'm sure different varieties take different times to germinate but I planted the second batch a week after and they are germinating first, probably due to my soaking of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you think it is possible to soak more soil, salvage the dill and rosemary seeds, and start over with them? Or are they probably irreparably  damaged? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, I'm a bit unsure of when to start watering (and how much) the basil and oregano shoots. The soil still seems slightly clumpy, but not as much as before. I don't want to stick my finger in in case I disturb the new seedlings. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17967" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T07:21:09.597" Title="Should I give up on these Dill and Rosemary seeds?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34069" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-21T07:17:31.230" Score="3" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;With a lot of tree cover and a nearby river, the one fly in the ointment(!) at our new place is it has a lot of mosquitos and midges. The latter don't seem to be too much of a bother but the mosquitos, living in long grass and ivy especially, must be of some particularly virulent sub-species or I'm just very sensitive to them: when bitten nothing happens for a day or so, then I get a large swollen lump anything up to a 2&quot; (5cm) across. I may also get raised blisters or it may start continuously weeping for 2-3 days. That's just off one bite!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From a gardening perspective, can I do anything to keep the place clear of them? I know they breed in standing water but with a river nearby I can't eliminate that. I've started clearing ivy which they seem to love, to reduce damp places for them to hang out, but I'm wondering about a more drastic solution - similar to how I go out with my back-pack of weedkiller, can I treat areas with some sort of pesticide - is this even legal, let alone feasible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of the bites themselves (well, that's a bit off-topic)... but should I find my reaction moderates with repeated exposure? Or could the opposite happen like with people getting more and more allergic to peanuts until it's dangerous?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-24T12:59:15.043" LastActivityDate="2018-03-24T12:59:15.043" Title="Really virulent mosquitos - dealing with them and their bites" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;mosquito&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34070" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="928" CreationDate="2017-06-21T10:21:05.657" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here in coastal Maine the nonnative, invasive slugs and recently, snails, are serious pests in my garden. I've tried numerous approaches to control them, and beer did not kill them. I was disconcerted to find that the birds were eating the slug repellent pellets and had to find something else. The tiny slugs are just as destructive as the larger ones. Now I start in May and continue until hard frost. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I go out in the evening or very early morning or during rain and spray them with a &lt;strong&gt;solution of water and household ammonia&lt;/strong&gt;, without added fragrance, about 4:1. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is very strong, so wear gloves and label the spray bottle. Target the slugs and snails and don't spray otherwise. Avoid spraying it on certain plants such as those in the tomato family, but otherwise the garden vegetables, bedding plants and perennials seem to thrive with the foliar nitrogen they get in this treatment. It's not certified organic but it saves the repugnant task of dealing with dead slugs in traps. It does not work on cutworms. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plants are important to me, e.g., small kale seedlings, I erect fences of window screen scraps about 6 inches tall. I also encourage toads, salamanders, and garter snakes, which eat slugs, by keeping boards in the garden paths. Occasionally I turn these over and spray the slugs that hide under them. On the up side, being out in the garden at night or in the rain is just lovely, even if I am on slug patrol.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17985" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-06-22T06:39:17.200" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T06:39:17.200" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34071" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34059" CreationDate="2017-06-21T13:39:04.470" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As someone who filled 78 leaf bags two falls ago, I can offer some suggestions to you from my own experience.  I am on a .30 Acre lot with maples and white oaks on and surrounding my property.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A small electric leaf blower will not get the job done. As stormy suggested you need a gas powered blower with a backpack.  I borrowed one from a friend and was amazed at the difference.  At some point you wont be blowing leaves as much as a pile of leaves, and that is where you will need the power.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, last year I did not put a single leaf into a bag and it was very refreshing.  Get yourself a quality mulching lawnmower and mow those leaves into bits!! There will be a day you mow and the grass will be hidden by all of the fragments of leaves, my front lawn was blood red one day after the maple leaves were all mowed.  Anywhere where the bits are too much just rake into little piles and throw them in the compost, beneath bushes,  around trees or bury/dump them into a patch of your property that has no grass.  I have a small garden and I just dig a couple small holes and dump them in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have kids like me, rake them up a bit, let them splash in the leaves and then just run them over with the mower.  You would be amazed how a large pile of leaves can be reduced to a small footprint after a good mow.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In summary a noisy, heavy, gas powered leaf blower is the only way to go with a property full of leaves (get ear protection!!), if you want to blow the leaves.  just don't negate alternative methods prior to purchasing one.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3593" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T13:39:04.470" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34072" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-21T12:56:40.710" Score="4" ViewCount="130" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn is in rough shape. I live in Colorado and I have no shade so over the years the sun has killed off the sod I planted. This fall I plan on reseeding with drought tolerant seed. I have been looking around at some of the services being offered. One company has quoted me $175 to have the lawn aerated and seed added. They will not put down any compost. Is this something that if I do it will be much more cost effective? I live on a corner lot so they will do the front, side and back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18015" OwnerDisplayName="John Drach" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-06-21T14:08:09.490" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T21:25:09.963" Title="Is it cost effective to reseed my own lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34073" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-21T14:53:31.967" Score="2" ViewCount="527" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to plant a small silver birch forest in my little garden.  I'm going to plant two rows zigzagging the trees.  What is the closest spacing I can use between the silver birches.  Thank you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17989" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-21T16:07:08.083" LastActivityDate="2018-01-09T11:14:47.753" Title="Spacing between Silver Birches?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34074" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-21T15:15:23.723" Score="2" ViewCount="70" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know what variety this rose is.  Can you please tell me? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IPpoB.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IPpoB.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17990" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T16:04:14.743" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T17:47:19.697" Title="What is the name of this pink rose with a button form bloom?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34075" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-21T15:17:51.893" Score="4" ViewCount="3498" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just got six gallons of red onion bulbs for planting, since the store was getting rid of them at 50¢/gallon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I intend to plant them late fall and let them go over winter, since that worked so well for me last year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How can I store the bulbs for four months until late fall?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further, six gallons is alot of bulbs of one variaty (I was wanting two gallons of white, two of yellow, and two of red, but accidentally got six of red only).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I'd like to plant half this fall (4 months away), and half &lt;em&gt;next&lt;/em&gt; fall (16 months).&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;How can I store the bulbs for 16 months?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have half gallon mason jars, and a vacuum jar sealer - would that be sufficient?&#xA;I can place the jar down in a storm shelter, or in a dark pantry cabinet, or place them in a freezer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17000" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T20:55:17.940" Title="How can I store onion bulbs?" Tags="&lt;onions&gt;&lt;storage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34076" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34068" CreationDate="2017-06-21T15:25:30.670" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not exactly sure what's in that seed staring mix, but I'd be willing to take a guess. It's probably peat moss, perlite, and some fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peat moss is great at water retention, which is why many people use it in seed starting mixes. The problem is that it becomes extremely hydrophobic once it's dried out and does exactly like you describe. It draws up tight and the water runs over the surface, down the sides and out the bottom, letting no water get inside the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been planning to experiment with compost, bone and blood, meal and worm castings I've been making, but what I've done for years is use regular miracle grow potting soil and add perlite to it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason you add the perlite is to break it up and make it really loose so the roots can easily penetrate the soil. You don't want them to have to spend energy fighting to push out their roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few reasons why your particular seeds may not be germinating. I've never actually tried to grow rosemary and dill from seed, but these will generally apply to your situation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first issue is that you have to think about how these seeds would grow in the wild/your garden if you let them alone. The plant would run to seed, the pods would open, the wind would scatter them nearby and they'd sit there all winter till the spring. What happens in the spring? The ground starts warming up. Many plants are programed to need warm soil before they'll germinate. It varies depending on the plant, but I'm going to say around 80+ degrees as a general rule. They sell heat mats you can set your seed starting trays on and thermostats that control the heat. These are pretty cheap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you have to research your particular plant, because some plants actually require that cold period, because they don't want the babies to come out till spring when they can survive. If they let the seeds go in the autumn and there is a warm day and they germinate, then they die in the winter. Other plants don't care and if they conditions are right, the germinate anyway. There are even plants that require you to physically damage their shells, like a lot of oak acorns, and then go through the cold temps of winter. I'm totally guessing, but I would think it has something to do with the damaged seeds being the ones that are probably carried off by squirrels or some other animal that gnaws on them some. This would insure the nuts have some chance of being carried away from the tree before they sprout so it's not competing with the parent. I'm sure someone will correct me if there is a legit explanation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then you have depth of planting. Some seeds require that they be planted .25&quot; deep. Others just want a light dusting on top, and some need to be directly on the soil surface and won't germinate if they don't have sunlight on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most common reason you can't get a packet of seeds to germinate, by far, is you might just have bad seeds. Seeds have a shelf life. Companies that sell them know this and they try to sell the old ones before the new ones. Also, the seeds might have left the seed company as brand new viable seeds, but they might sit around on the shelf at the store where you bought them for a long time. I doubt they'd throw money down the toilet because they bought the seeds last year, or even two years ago. This isn't necessarily them trying to sell you bad seeds or not caring about your. It's possible for old seeds to germinate. As a matter of fact, you should go look for a youtube channel called MIGardener. They are putting out update videos on a project where they found a cultivar of tomato that's supposed to be extinct that's been in a shadow box for years and years. They opened it and discovered the packed was dated 87 years ago. They tried to germinate all the seeds in four different packs of vegetables and the only viable plant was a single tomato plant. It's doing well, currently, and you can search 87 year old tomato on their channel or youtube in general and see it. So you may just have bad seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So do a little more research on the requirements of these plants. I don't know about starting these from personal experience, so I hope someone else can answer that part for you. Again, it might not be you and might just be bad seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last thing I'd recommend, especially if there is peat moss in your starting mix, is don't water from the top. You're dealing with delicate plant and top watering can bury the seeds too deep, wash them away, or damage these microscopic babies. I'd advise bottom watering till they get a little size on them. Just set whatever container you have them in a proportionately shallow tray of water. Just keep the tray of water topped off. The pot will soak up just what it needs. The soil in the bottom of the pot, level with the water in the tray, may become water logged, but it's not a problem. if the roots don't like it, they just won't grow into it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This isn't a viable long term solution to watering your plants and the reason is because of salt build ups. Salt is actually necessary for plants, in small quantities, but especially if you're fertilizing the plant, you'll be adding small amounts of salt or their may be salt in your water. It builds up and it's being removed, because your pot is just soaking water up from the bottom. In nature or even in regular pots, you often top water, which flushes salts and other buildups out the bottom of the pot. If you always water from the bottom, the buildups can kill the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't worry about it with your setup, because you're just starting seeds. By the time there is any worry about build up, you'll have repotted them long ago. I also don't see it being a huge issue with vegetables and herbs anyway, because they're usually seasonal and I'm not sure how much salts build up in one growing season. Even so, it's a viable watering solution for some plants. I have carnivorous plants that I have bottom watered for years. The kicker is that they're outside all the time and every rain storm flushes the pots. If it hasn't rained in a long time, I'll sometimes flush from the top, but I rarely have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Give all this a try and see what happens. You might also want to just try a new packet of these seeds. My recommendation for you as a beginner is that you just go to your local big box store and buy these plants. They aren't going to cost but a few dollars and you're going to get more satisfaction out of having the plant and being able to use the herbs than you'll get being frustrated trying to grow these seeds. I think you should still keep trying the seeds, because it's good/fun to learn and expand your skill, but I'd have the seeds as a backup and just buy the plant for now. I've been doing plant stuff for years and I still experiment. This year I'm going to try air layering stuff for the first time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T15:25:30.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34077" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7690" CreationDate="2017-06-21T15:30:45.703" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Avoid filling with rocks, if you are worried about drainage, some shale at the bottom might help. rocks work their way to the surface; smaller particles work their way underneath and push up the larger ones. You will not be able to compact the earth on top enough to keep them from eventually working their way upwards. If you add debris [tree limbs etc- these will decompose but will also 'shrink' as they do and you may wind up with a low spot. You will want to slightly heap or add dirt after it settles [which may take a few years of seasons.] &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17991" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T15:30:45.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34032" CreationDate="2017-06-21T15:37:25.350" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Firstly, I don't think that's a bonsai. I think it's just a plant they called a bonsai so they could sell it. Also, the water should transfer only as the plant needs it. It evaporates out of the top and soaks an equal amount from the reservoir. That's if the top pot is unglazed. This one has a shine that makes it look glazed. You also need to be careful of salt build up with this type of pot as there is no way to flush it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T15:37:25.350" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34079" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-21T15:50:18.730" Score="1" ViewCount="1492" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Redwood City, Bay Area California (From wiki -Redwood City, along with most of the Bay Area, enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate, with warm, dry summers and cool, relatively wet winters.)  and we have a morning glory in a potted container. We have had it from last summer. This summer it has developed brown spots on its leaves and some of the leaves are also yellowing. The brown spots are on both yellow and green leaves. I did some research but does not look like it is a insect problem. We have been watering it consistently allowing the soil to dry out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My only suspicious is that the last week has been extremely hot 80-90 F so could it just be too much sun. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W26ja.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W26ja.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15262" LastEditorUserId="15262" LastEditDate="2017-06-23T16:01:52.337" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T16:01:52.337" Title="Brown spots and yellow leaves on morning glory" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;morning-glory&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34080" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-21T16:19:09.850" Score="2" ViewCount="111" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone please identify this rose?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xu3w8.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xu3w8.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17990" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-21T21:10:28.370" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T00:47:13.670" Title="Please identify this rose growing in my garden" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34081" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31494" CreationDate="2017-06-21T17:04:49.110" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh, yeah, it'll grow back. I'm on my second planted willow. The issue I was having, and it might be similar to yours is that it was a 6'+ tree, but it had been staked. When a plant isn't allowed to sway with the wind, crack the bark, and callous over, it's super weak. My first one was okay till the first snow storm bent it to the ground. I cut dug it up and planted a new one, which I staked with enough play to sway and build a good trunk. It took 3 years before I was comfortable removing it completely. I took the old tree, cut the trunk off about 6&quot; from the root ball and just jammed it and the red clay stuck to the root ball, into the pot the new one came out of. Then I just set it in the puddle created by the AC and left it there all summer. It produced a skinny, but almost 6' tall shoot out of just that. I ended up planting it down at the river. So you can definitely regrow it from the stump.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't let the top go to waste though. Cut the rest of it up and stick it in moist soil. Just put a bunch of them in a pot of miracle grow and set the pot in a drip tray. Keep the drip tray full and let it soak up the water. You'll end up with a ton of weeping willows. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The have a natural chemical in them that promotes root growth. You can also roughly cut up what's left and stick it in a container of water and leave it out in the heat for a few weeks and the resulting water will act like a liquid root hormone for other cuttings you make.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T17:04:49.110" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34083" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34007" CreationDate="2017-06-21T18:03:40.750" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you roll straw into rolls, soak it and plant grass seed in it, it will sprout like crazy. This would work like straw bale gardening. Keep it moist to sustain the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17993" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T18:03:40.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34080" CreationDate="2017-06-21T18:06:26.803" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be a Grandiflora rose. Or even a bella. Its hard to say without completely looking at it. My pink roses climb up the front of my house up to my kitchen window. Some vine out some bush up, thorn sizes and color can be different aswell. Take in account how it grows how its pattern is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could even be a Pergola or nohelia rose, mine are a varient of Blaze rose, They are slightly darker climbing roses and vine out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17861" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-06-30T00:47:13.670" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T00:47:13.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34085" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34072" CreationDate="2017-06-21T18:13:28.537" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on the area being covered, you could reach a break point where the cost of renting the aerator ($50-75) and buying the seed ($25) would be somewhat less expensive than $175. But IMHO if you factor in your time to go pick up the machine, buy the seed , figure out how to use the machine effectively, do the work, and then return the machine - you are much better off paying the $175. For that money you buy back your Saturday and, at least in theory, get a professional application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to see compost go down, so you might want to find someone who will do that as well. Just be aware that the composting might cost more than the aerating and seeding. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T18:13:28.537" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34088" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32596" CreationDate="2017-06-21T18:37:30.237" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Inchworms can hide underneath leaves and will devestate plants,  check under every leaf.  They were all over my big boy tomato plants right as they were coming in. Large grasshoppers may also cause damage they dont usually stick around though, youll catch them every now and again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17861" LastEditorUserId="17861" LastEditDate="2017-06-22T11:44:37.557" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T11:44:37.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34089" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-21T18:48:40.863" Score="3" ViewCount="2109" Body="&lt;p&gt;I,ve always gotten along just fine without a greenhouse. Recently I've found the need to wanting a greenhouse, cheap but also large that can at least hold up for a couple years or more. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ive recently been looking into polyethylene cloth, (plastic with mesh).&#xA;I was curious if this would last long enough and whether or not there is a spray that is uv protective for this kind of material. If so without damaging it,  what brand has a good uv sun protectant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17861" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T18:48:40.863" Title="For a Greenhouse, would PE plastic cloth be suitable for a cheap sollution?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34090" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34089" CreationDate="2017-06-21T18:48:40.863" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ive found the 303 formula from walmart has plastic protection and have looked into pe cloth also formidable to pp cloth. It is tear resistant and sun resistant for a good hope of 4 years. But its color im looking into could be negative,  the kind I am looking at is green which can be negative in a neutral way. Some say plants will reflect green light. I say different,  rays penetrate regardless, heat is a big factor and even if the color isnt white clear or red as people abide by, I beleive it to be suitable for my purposes. Further input on this material and a spray for better protecting it specific upon its material would be appreciated still, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thankyou.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17861" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T18:48:40.863" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34091" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3700" CreationDate="2017-06-21T19:27:12.543" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used Irish Spring this year for lilies to keep bunnies/deer away. It worked! They grew 1.50 ft  higher &amp;amp; budded.  The Irish Spring went away in the rain several weeks later. Then I saw it!!! All buds were eaten by deer! Today I rushed Irish Spring back on the ground around each plant...sigh! Next year I will beat those lovely creatures!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17994" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-21T19:43:59.047" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T19:43:59.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34092" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2908" CreationDate="2017-06-21T21:16:27.453" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;First off I know this post is old, but i am a professional landscaper by trade, 20+years. If you cut out a circle of grass to replace when you are done with the pool for the summer. You will have to water that circle of grass twice a day, or it will die also. It needs soil to keep cool/Warm, and also to keep the roots from drying out, and keep nutrients to the roots. So doing this to keep one circle of grass alive would be more work than moving the pool everyday. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That being said, if you are going to plant any kind of ground cover as in suggested above, clover, barley, ivy, etc, make sure you make the diameter of the circle, square, rectangle or whatnot, already a foot or two larger than the pool all around.ground cover will spread quickly to find Sun and &quot;IT WILL&quot; take over your lawn fast. So my suggestion making the diameter larger is to put landscaping fabric down in the cut out area to keep the roots of the ground cover from spreading and also put some sort of edging to keep the roots of the ground cover at bay, and not able to creep into the law. 3rd when your grass grows back like you say, i guarantee most of it is weeds, and not actual graas, weeds.spread much faster than actual real grass. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grass will spread but not as fast and seed cover. You could buy a bag of grass seed and throw some seed  all in the area, scratch the dirt with a cultivator or a heavy duty metal rake, than seed, than take a little more and take the seed in. Also water every.day for.the first two weeks, twice a day for 20 minutes min, and water in early morning, or just at dusk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think your best bet is Astor turf, or that outdoor rig stuff they use in boats and outdoor patios sometimes. If you dont maintain it with fertilizers three times a season, seeding in fall, and spring, weed control, then i again guarantee your whole.lawn is weeds and not grass. And if that's the case who cares about the dirt spot. Paint it green with green spray paint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17995" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-06-22T06:27:20.677" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T06:27:20.677" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34093" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3688" CreationDate="2017-06-21T22:11:01.783" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Regarding growing grass in clay...I have never seen anything but the best lawns in clay! Living here in the Northeast, I have only experienced a great, thick, plush lawn from a clay type soil. A lot of the reasoning is clay holds the moisture which is one of the best,if you will, fertilizers ever. Just rototill or rough up the ground, throw a good seed with straw over it, light watering and let it grow.&#xA;Good luck, Jim&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17997" LastActivityDate="2017-06-21T22:11:01.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34094" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-22T01:35:27.290" Score="5" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this houseplant that is in tough shape. I want to learn about caring for it so I can attempt to revive it, but I don't know what kind of plant it is. Here are some pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Htw6A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Htw6A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown Plant1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IEEF9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IEEF9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown Plant2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17998" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T00:51:26.577" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T00:51:26.577" Title="Trying to identify this house plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-07-17T00:42:38.440" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34095" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-22T01:54:20.213" Score="4" ViewCount="278" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was walking home and spotted this really pretty bush. Would anyone possibly know what kind of flowers these are? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SrrFR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SrrFR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17999" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-22T03:02:40.213" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T04:01:28.630" Title="Help identifying a plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34096" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34075" CreationDate="2017-06-22T03:17:17.180" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;For 4 months you can &lt;em&gt;try&lt;/em&gt; the root cellar. Do not jar or vacuum them - hang them in a mesh bag or lay them out in a wooden crate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Freezing generally turns them to mush that won't grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;16 months? If they have not been pre-poisioned with something, eat them. Otherwise, give them away in 4 months, as that ain't happening. You may need some extras in 4 months anyway as they may not all survive storage (there's a reason they are cheap now, and it's not because they are easy to store (other than &quot;planted&quot;) at the age they already are. Or plant some now for green onions, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T03:17:17.180" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34095" CreationDate="2017-06-22T04:01:28.630" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's an oleander. Beautiful but &lt;strong&gt;all&lt;/strong&gt; parts are highly toxic. Supposedly one of the most poisonous garden ornamentals... but there are many.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most oleanders are very fragrant but not all. Winters where I live, though fairly mild, are still too cold for growing them. In warmer subtropical regions, they're often planted along streets and in parks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Notice how the inner part of the flowers of this oleander from Wikipedia is similar to the one you show?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7lavX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7lavX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Oleander flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T04:01:28.630" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34098" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="928" CreationDate="2017-06-22T06:36:03.187" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hand picking worked very well for me. I &lt;strong&gt;collect them with (old-recycled) plumbing pliers&lt;/strong&gt; and put them into a bucket with water at the bottom, and moving the water within the bucket detaches the slugs that try to escape. I unload the slug bucket on my composting pile, remotely from the garden, where they are put at work for my sake. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remove any hiding places for the beasts within 5 yards of your garden, like branches piles, unattended bushes,  mulch piles...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gathering all the &lt;strong&gt;slugs in one places attracts their predators here&lt;/strong&gt;. My composting pile is a very good place for this because it is under tree shades near a small stream. The slug diseases are also prone to develop widely in a slug-crowded place. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ItgBL.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ItgBL.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-06-22T07:03:00.320" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T07:03:00.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34099" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34068" CreationDate="2017-06-22T07:21:09.597" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;14 days are not much. I would wait an other two extra weeks. It takes time to wake the seeds, especially if they don't have ideal conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rosemary like dry. In my place it growth on walls, so dry and few nutriments.  Try maybe to water less such pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T07:21:09.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34100" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-22T08:02:55.190" Score="2" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where I live, bamboo is relatively expensive... From £20-50 for a medium-large pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering how fast this would spread because I have an area I'd like to screen along a boundary but I'm worried this could be pricey. How far apart should I plant my pots and how quickly will it fill in the gaps?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T12:00:51.640" Title="How much bamboo do I need to fill space?" Tags="&lt;bamboo&gt;&lt;screening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34101" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34094" CreationDate="2017-06-22T10:03:36.930" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is an &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglaonema&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;aglaonema&lt;/a&gt; which has been left to dry for too long but it has flowered and set those red seeds you can see in the picture&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you like the tough love approach then:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut all the stems a few inches above the soil line&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;move to medium or diffuse light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;water sparingly until new growth appears and more once the leaves are out&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant responds well to being cut back and can grow in a wide range of light conditions from low to high light that is diffuse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeing as it has flowered I would not repot this year.  Next year add some new soil to the bottom of the pot and cut off the bottom inch of roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pests are not seen in the pictures but can include mealy bug.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a very rugged low maintenance plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T10:03:36.930" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34103" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34100" CreationDate="2017-06-22T12:00:51.640" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've said  you're in the north of the UK, which leaves an obvious candidate because its fully hardy - Fargesia nitida, or Chinese Fountain bamboo. It gets 2.5 to 4 metres tall, and the upper parts of the plant will droop over or cascade once it gets tall enough, which is why its got the common name of Chinese Fountain. Spread is 1 to 1.5 metres, so you can work out from that how many plants you might need for the length of planting area you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing is, it doesn't appreciate very strong and cold northerly or easterly winds in winter, nor does it like heavy, waterlogged soil, but this is also true of the majority of bamboos. Fargesia is a clumping bamboo, so you won't find it popping up a couple of metres away, and it doesn't need a root rhizome barrier. Info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=787&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=787&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T12:00:51.640" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32596" CreationDate="2017-06-22T12:06:27.797" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is definitely a Mayfly I concur. It looks exactly like one. I have seen many Mayflies. I am absolutely positive about that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mayflies won't harm plants. More or less fertilize it after dying so briefly after maturing. You may simply read into these insects online if you'd like to know more. The picture is clear enough, that every characteristic matches up to the normal Mayfly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17861" LastEditorUserId="17861" LastEditDate="2017-06-22T13:22:22.160" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T13:22:22.160" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2908" CreationDate="2017-06-22T12:36:11.403" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You wanna hear what I would do? Which involves a bit of work, which I find fun. Dig it all up within the circle, till it and loosen it all up. Then dig into your grass, mix it around in the loosened dirt, itll cut down on what you have a bit but when it rains and presses it all down you will have random grass roots spread all around. During the tilling you should also throw grass seed into the mix..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most people just throw grass seed in their yard and let birds eat it and bugs carry it all away. If you till that patch up and mix grass seed all in it, I gaurantee the grass will grow. Dont let people tell you its all dead. No thats not the case,  people dont realise since that ground was covered up, that soil is gonna be nice and rich. You can grow the grass back in no time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17861" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T12:36:11.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34106" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34108" CreationDate="2017-06-22T14:25:22.007" Score="2" ViewCount="41" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bed of flowers which I would like to raise by 2-2½ feet (61cm - 76cm) with the soil added to the top, but I am concerned about the idea when I have well established Peonies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to raise the bed after cutting them down as close to the ground as possible and just add soil on top, or is it best to remove them from the ground first and replant once I have built the raised bed and filled it with soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=671&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Royal Horticultural Society's webpage on Peonies&lt;/a&gt; says that they are hardy plants, where they are well established and flower very well every year, I am just concerned that things could go badly for them if I don't treat them correctly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18005" LastEditorUserId="18005" LastEditDate="2017-06-22T14:41:16.497" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T18:04:59.093" Title="Raising bed of Peonies" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;peonies&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34107" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-22T16:52:47.837" Score="1" ViewCount="1089" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you help me identify this plant? It has palmate leaves with 12 or more leaflets and flower spikes with whorled purple flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nAC2t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18007" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-06-22T17:37:39.990" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T17:37:43.633" Title="What is this plant with palmate leaves and purple flower spikes?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34108" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34106" CreationDate="2017-06-22T16:59:44.563" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two feet of soil on top is too much, so I'm afraid you will need to dig them up, spread your extra soil, then replant. Best done in autumn, and you should really leave the extra soil for a week to settle properly, so if you can temporarily heel in the paeonies somewhere else in the garden, then move them into their new positions after a week or two, that would be best. Adding some composted manure or good garden compost when you top up the soil levels is worth doing too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, paeonies are renowned for sulking and refusing to flower if they've been disturbed, but that doesn't always happen - just make sure you break as few roots as possible, and don't damage the growing points in the top when you dig them up. Water in well (unless there's very heavy rain for a week) both when you heel them in and when you move them to their final positions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-06-22T18:04:59.093" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T18:04:59.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34109" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34117" CreationDate="2017-06-22T17:23:09.963" Score="6" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small patch of soil (let's say 4x4 meters) which passes as my front garden. Right now it has a small tree and a couple of tomato and pea plants, but the rest of it is essentially bare soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not planning on planting anything for the rest of the year (though I am planning on growing a number of things when the weather cools enough). I was wondering whether there is any benefit to planting grass in it. When I say benefit I mean for the actual garden, not for aesthetic purposes - or will it simply serve as extra competition for when I actually put the vegetables in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it makes any difference it's a south Mediterranean climate, so it's always various degrees of warm or hot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18001" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-06-23T09:41:54.737" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T09:41:54.737" Title="Are there any non-aesthetic benefits to planting grass?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34107" CreationDate="2017-06-22T17:37:43.633" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are called &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupinus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;lupins (in Britain) or lupines (in the US)&lt;/a&gt;. They are widely found as a wildflower, but there are many cultivated varieties, of which the most common I've seen are the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupinus_polyphyllus#Russell_hybrids&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Russell hybrids&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are short-lived herbaceous perennials that flower from late spring to mid-summer depending on the warmth of the climate. They can be very susceptible to powdery mildew. They set seed easily, so even though they don't live for many years, they can form a self-sustaining colony. They also hybridize readily, so unless you get seed or plants from a controlled source, you won't know the exact flower color or shape until bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T17:37:43.633" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34079" CreationDate="2017-06-22T19:07:02.420" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Morning glories love sun and even high temperatures shouldn't cause the damage shown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you added new soil or compost to the planter? Any slow release fertilizers? How regularly have you watered the soil in the planter? Not on a strict schedule but to make certain it's neither too dry &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;nor&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; not too wet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Start by thoroughly cleaning up your planter, removing all dying and dead parts. By leaving it as you have, you're allowing any viral or fungal disease to continue spreading. If it's cultural mismanagement instead, you're still inviting fungal diseases to develop in the dead plant matter, especially if it gets wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig out the worse affected plant to check on the roots (or tuber depending on what species morning glory you have). Look for signs of root rot or black canker, if it's a tuber. If you find it present &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; if the soil hasn't been soggy through the winer and spring, it may be a fungal disease that attacks the roots. I've never found morning glories to be troubled by pests or diseases but I've only grown them as annuals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you haven't amended the soil since last year, do so and add a slow release fertilizer mixed in. Since I can only see part of the planter, I don't know its size. Using the same soil mix year after year without replenishing the soil is always bad practice. Since I can't examine your plants or soil mix, I can't say for certainty what the cause is. But I'm leaning toward depleted soil and/or inconsistent watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T19:07:02.420" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34112" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-22T19:24:52.873" Score="5" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CgChJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CgChJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cherry blossom tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My cherry blossom tree's trunk is not looking very healthy and the leaves at the top are being eaten :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18008" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-22T19:45:44.390" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T22:32:06.537" Title="What is wrong with my Cherry blossom tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34114" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34109" CreationDate="2017-06-22T20:48:40.233" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you are ready to make a vegetable garden you simply use a sod cutter to make the rows; 3' wide.  Double dig the soil, use a tarp for the first dig of soil, the soil will be up as high as 3' all fluffed up.  Dig down at least a foot.  Turn the soil over as you go.  Then rake flat.  I would use the sod cutter to cut out 4' wide rows. That allows a 6&quot;X6&quot; trench at the bottom of your fluffed up beds to collect water.  To not allow the water to wash the soil onto the grass paths (minimum should be the width of your lawn mower).  Luxurious vegetable garden.  Forget about 'competition' with the grass.  You will be applying fertilizer appropriate for vegetables.  When fertilizing the grass paths use a drop spreader, not a rotary spreader.  You do not want high nitrogen in your vegetable beds.  Get soil tests.  Concentrate on making some beds more acidic 5.5 to 6.0; potatoes, blueberries, acid loving plants.  Most of the beds should be 6.5 to 7.0.  Make enough to be able to rotate your crops; no tomatoes in the same bed for at least two years...oh to include all of the vegetables in the tomato/nightshade family...eggplant, potatoes, peppers...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For winter make sure you've got seed for covercrops.  Annual rye, red clover, buckwheat...there are a bunch of choices.  This prevents weed seeds from germinating and taking hold during the fallow period of your garden.  Spring you simply turn them over with a shovel.  If you don't have clay you can use a rototiller.  Add nitrogen and allow to decompose for a month before planting. Super way to build up soil, enhance your soil life, boost the tilth, forget about weed problems.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the most famous gardens are done this way.  Go ahead and prepare a great bed for your lawn.  Do not forget to compact with a roller at least 3 or 4 times. A sod cutter works so well, sharp edges.  Double dig the bed then form with a rake, a sheet of plywood to jump up and down on to compact the soil to get rid of large air pockets and permit great soil/seed contact.  Dig the trenches all around your bed throwing the soil up on the bed.  You'll have to clean out the trenches once or twice a year in the same way.  Do not use any plastic, any non decomposed bark.  Do not line with rock.  Compost can also be added to the top after plants are up you do not want to plant directly into compost. And compost is not to be used as fertilizer.  Add the amounts of chemicals compost provides into the entire formulation you are in charge of adding.  Dark, yummy soil doesn't mean it has the necessary chemicals plants have to have to do photosynthesis to make the food they need.  Too much fertilizer means death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gorgeous gorgeous vegetable garden.  Possibly a fence made with welded wire and dimensional lumber to keep out rabbits, dogs, cats, raccoons...glad you asked!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.0IK6_ALs9vvfCe7eC1rorQEsDh&amp;amp;pid=15.1&amp;amp;P=0&amp;amp;w=216&amp;amp;h=163&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;raised beds without lumber and lawn walkways&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-06-22T20:54:39.063" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T20:54:39.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34115" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34072" CreationDate="2017-06-22T21:25:09.963" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;How big is the area? I would say as a refunded resource, (cheap method) buy your seed needed. Get a two handed tiller, &quot;if abled to work&quot; till up your dried out yard. Then dig down into your yard flipping over all the moister dirt underneath. Lay all your seed in the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But just before you do all this. Depending on the area, get a cheap 9 dollar sprittser. One that is vertical of course, being the cheapest one.  Every morning right before the sun hits down on your lawn. Turn on the sprayer and let it saturate your tilled yard. After that, turn it off. Then when the sun is starting to go down, lets say 8 o clock . Turn it back on and saturate the yard. Do this everyday. Every morning and afternoon untill grass starts sprouting up. When you start having grass appear. Cease early morning waterings and only do it at sundown. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sounds like alot of work, I know..But the cheap method is always the hard method..Me though,  I find it fun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17861" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T21:25:09.963" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34116" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34112" CreationDate="2017-06-22T22:32:06.537" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Go to ACE. Get one box of Cherry Blossom Awesome (pink and green box) and follow the directions (it's basically: mix with water, apply and wrap with supplied bandage.) I had several trees in the same condition and within one month, all were healthy again. The box costs about $10 and it works! I think you can get it online directly from the manufacturer too. But I see it at ACE every time I'm in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17707" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T22:32:06.537" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34117" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34109" CreationDate="2017-06-22T23:41:43.643" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grass serves and can serve a number of non-aesthetic purposes. I'll list some.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It prevents weeds from growing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It can keep the ground more moist for your tree, especially if you're one to water your lawn.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The grass clippings can be useful for compost or other purposes (e.g. mulch).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It feels good to walk in grass in bare feet (provided it's not full of bees attracted by clover blossoms). It may also be good for play or picnics. You might actually consider clover instead of grass if you're not going to be walking on it barefoot, though, since it's a nitrogen fixer and because it does attract bees for your garden.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It prevents trees from growing all over your yard (that's my experience, anyway)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The worms probably enjoy it more than bare dirt.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It prevents you from getting mud on your shoes when you walk on it when it's wet.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dogs and cats like to eat or chew on it sometimes.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It may reduce the temperature somewhat, especially on/under the soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It discourages large quantities of ants, burrowing spiders, and such from taking up residence.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It may have similar benefits as mulch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can sit on it without getting dirty/dusty.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It makes the surface beneath you softer.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway I'm not saying whether grass is better than no grass, or that the pros outweigh the cons, but you didn't ask about the cons, per se (e.g. you have to cut it, it uses nutrients, cutting it without damaging your tomatoes may be harder than expected, etc.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2017-06-22T23:41:43.643" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29256" CreationDate="2017-06-23T00:18:20.550" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This appears to be a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_virginiana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sweetbay magnolia&lt;/a&gt; (Magnolia virginiana).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18011" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-06-23T09:47:38.107" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T09:47:38.107" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34121" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-23T02:27:14.970" Score="4" ViewCount="110" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is 2 stems, each with 3 leaves.  The leaves are thick and stiff with serrated edges.  The leaf is about 2&quot;.  The whole thing is about 2&quot; high.  A few of these have popped up in the garden. This one has been here for about 3 years and has only grown this big.  I'm in zone 6b in Pennsylvania.  In the woods.  I have not seen anything around that looks anything like this.  Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uHOJp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uHOJp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15751" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T18:13:18.523" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T17:59:55.170" Title="What is this small, evergreen perennial in zone 6b?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34122" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34127" CreationDate="2017-06-23T08:57:36.893" Score="3" ViewCount="2112" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a proud new owner of my very first Venus Flytrap (I came into the store to get some cute flowery plants, but I came out with this beauty instead :D)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not sure if this is only one plant or three  (to my inexpert eye, it seems three plants in the pot)&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2DyGP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2DyGP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Venus Flytrap&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, my question is if I should repot it to separate the three of them in individual pots.&#xA;I've heard that repotting Venus Flytraps is dangerous for them, so I am quite scared of doing it and kill the plant(s).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aside from that, I've learn that Venus Flytraps like light and sun. I live in the east of Spain and summer is coming, so we are currently having like 33 degrees Celsius (and rising). I think that, even if Flytraps like hot weather, this is SO much hot, so I keep it inside the house (where it's cooler), but I put it in direct sunlight when the sun is going down and weaker. Do you think this is ok?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About watering it, to be honest I haven't done it still (its soil seems slightly wet still), but I've read that putting the pot in some distilled water about once a week can be the best option. Do you agree? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks a lot in advance!  I would really really like to keep this lady alive and growing!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;More clarification and questions after @Dalton  answer:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ok, so I can leave the pot &quot;as it is&quot; for now, and check again in a few months (after dormancy period) and repot to separate them if they have grown too much. I've checked about the substrate needed, and I am pretty sure I can get the &quot;ingredients&quot; in Amazon, so it shouldn't be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I purchased my plant from Ikea, I don't know in what kind of soil it's planted , but to me it looks like regular potting soil. I've read here (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2160.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2160.html&lt;/a&gt; ) that if the plant is alive, I'd probably should not repot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot they are currently in is not really tall, so this is why I think on putting them into water regularly (maybe once or twice a week, when they need it) instead of let them always in a tray of water. Tap water where I live is horrible and super hard (lots of calcium carbonate) and it hardly ever rains, so I think I'll buy distilled water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live near the sea, so there is humidity but usually not too much (it depends on the day, and where the wind is coming from). So I asume that keeping the plants in my north-facing balcony (making sure the soil doesn't dry) should work. I have another potted plants outside (cypresses, and other not identified trees I sowed from seeds) that seem to be quite happy with all the heat and light, so I hope these Venus Flytrap are not the exception.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About the dormant period, winters are actually quite mild here (temperature rarely drops below 5C/41F). Should I just leave the plant in outside, just watering it less?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And finally, about feeding them. I gave the plant a house fly that my cat had just hunted (that's what I call &quot;team work&quot; haha), but a couple of days later I found out that the plant had caught a couple of flies by her own. Good work!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18002" LastEditorUserId="18002" LastEditDate="2017-06-23T14:09:28.260" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T14:43:51.577" Title="Venus Flytrap: repot, sun and water" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;venus-fly-trap&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34123" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-23T10:24:04.250" Score="5" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;These plants started growing in my garden a few weeks ago:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/skSXa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/skSXa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0oRMw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0oRMw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are several of these, all growing in the same planter, which make me think it's something that we put there but can't remember planting anything like that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10804" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T20:19:27.103" Title="Unknown plant/tree in the garden" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34124" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-23T11:32:19.730" Score="3" ViewCount="97" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NTkKi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see, my basilikum plant is quite tall however the leaves are too small.  When I bought it a month ago it had really healthy and big leaves. I have cut them to make pesto, and after that they don't grow big enough again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18014" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-23T15:03:59.203" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T15:03:59.203" Title="Why does my Basilikum have small leaves?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34124" CreationDate="2017-06-23T11:48:04.243" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like its flowering, or about to - cut the plant back by half, you can use what you cut off (including any flowers) for cooking or sprinkling into salads. Give the plant a higher nitrogen than potash fertilizer to encourage more growth. Info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/basil/blooms-on-basil.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/basil/blooms-on-basil.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T11:48:04.243" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34122" CreationDate="2017-06-23T12:53:37.650" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Congratulations on the start of your CP(carnivorous plant) obsession. These are great and hardy plants. I've got a mess of them and plan to make a bog garden soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll do my best to answer your questions. For your first question, those are three separate plants. It's also not a bad thing for them to be crowded. I'd typically only split them if the pot was super crowded of if I wanted to give some away. Here is a good example of a cool planting with tons of plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y1Lr2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y1Lr2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for repotting (and care in general) I'd really recommend you pick up a copy of &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00AXIZ5WC&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;'The Savage Garden' by Peter D'Amato&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a great reference and will give you soil recipes for each plant and care instructions. I'll be up front with you and tell you I killed my first two VFT's(venus flytraps) and I live in SC, USA where they're native to. I found all kinds of trash info on the internet and this book really helped me out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So for repotting, I'd recommend you get a tall container. It doesn't matter if it's over sized, because normal plant rules about being water logged don't apply and it'll fill the pot eventually. I can't remember the exact ratios from the book off the top of my head, but it's something like 70% peat moss, and 30% play sand. The book recommends that you wash it to remove and built up salts or deposits the sand or peat moss may have. I don't know about Spain, but my local big box store has a huge bale of peat for about $7US and a bag of play sand for a kids sandbox is around $3US. You can do a massive amount of pottings with that amount.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The thought process here is that peat is great at holding water and is acidic, which the plants like. They come from a bog area where peat grows and dies and layers on top of itself. There are very little nutrients and that's why they trap insects. So don't fertilize or use miracle grow dirt or anything like that. If you try to &quot;take good care of them&quot; you'll kill them. The play sand loosens the peat to help the roots penetrate. I assume that yours is like most of the store ones and they've grown it either in a peat mixture or sphagnum moss. Either is fine, but I prefer the peat and sand mixture as it works well for me and is cheaper to buy in bulk. I also think the sphagnum moss compacts over time, which the sand helps prevent in the peat moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are super simple plants to care for. I simply pot them in tall pots, mine are ~6&quot; dia and 10-12&quot; tall. I set those pots in drip trays on the steps in full sun and keep the drip trays full of water all the time. If the trays dry out for a day or two while your on vacation, it isn't really a problem. At least not for me, but try to keep them full all the time. That's it. Besides plucking off dead heads or cutting off dead pitchers when you get pitcher plants, that's all that's required. You should only repot CP's like this in the spring, before they come out of their dormancy period. If you have to repot, you can, but everything will be smoother if you wait till next spring. These plants have delicate roots systems, so I wouldn't personally repot them too often, but when you do and if they're dormant, you can just rip the clusters apart with little ill effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason I use the taller pots is that these plants like to be wet all the time, but they don't like to be swimming. Hence I use a tall pot with a ~1&quot; drip tray full of water. I found that they don't like it if I leave them in the small pots like yours is in, because the drip tray is much taller proportionately and they're too water logged. There is a ton of pot that stays damp because it's wicking from the bottom as it evaporates from the top. The only concern here is that you get a potential build up of minerals from your well water, but you can simply pick the pots up occasional and top water them well to flush them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have well water, which mine like fine. If you have chlorine, just let it sit for a day or so. Or catch rain water. That's the best. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You mentioned the heat. I googled it and 33C comes out to 91F. My plants have been in direct sun, in black pots, in over 100F. So you don't have to worry about them up to 38C. There are a couple of things I'll mention about that. Not every day is that hot, but in the middle of the summer it stays in the low to mid 90s (32-35C). We also have a killer amount of humidity. If you have heat, but don't have humidity, you'll have more of an issue and they won't be able to stand it as well, but there are things you can do. I'm not sure what Spain's humidity is like. You should know that the drip tray and the evaporation of the pot will help create a bubble of humidity around the plant. You can also buy or paint the outside of the pot a lighter color and that will help with the heat. You can also move your plant somewhere that it gets a lot of sun in the morning and less at mid-day or shortly after when it's hottest. You can put it in a bigger drip tray, too. If you want to increase the humidity, but a tray of water doesn't create as much humidity as you might thing. It needs surfaces to help it do that. That's why people add stones or sphagnum moss to humidity trays to provide lots of surface area for it to evaporate from and kick humidity into the air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;People do grow them in the house okay, but you'll do much better outside. These plants need full sun to thrive. They also require a winter period or they'll die in a couple of years. They have to have a dormant period. I leave mine outside in the same spot all year. They say it's not good for them, but my pots freeze solid and get snowed in, in the winter and they do well and put out flowers in the spring, so I don't think they care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different CP's act differently, like Sarracenias will have pitchers die off over the winter and grow all new ones the next year. I tend to just lop them off, but it's personal preference. You can wait till the spring, because technically, if they still have green on them, they're photosynthesizing. VFT's will actually still put out traps in the winter, but what they do is get compact. Yours is pretty compact right now. It'll really stretch out toward the light and the stems will get longer and the traps will get bigger in the summer. Come winter, they'll get smaller and be much closer to the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for feeding, if they're outside, don't feed them unless you just want to see it happen and then, not more than a bug a week. They really don't need the bugs that often. Keep in mind they grow in a super pore area and just catch the occasional bug to supplement their minerals they aren't getting from the soil or water. They'll catch plenty. Ironically, while they're called flytraps and people always want to feed them house flys, I've never seen mine catch one. They catch more granddaddy long legs than anything as well as other random bugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck with your plant and let me know if I didn't cover anything. Visit the forum: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.terraforums.com/forums/index.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Terra forums&lt;/a&gt; if you want to find a lot of good info. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit based on further clarification:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I've read here (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2160.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2160.html&lt;/a&gt; ) that if&#xA;  the plant is alive, I'd probably should not repot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think I'd pot if it wasn't alive. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I've checked about the substrate needed, and I am pretty sure I can&#xA;  get the &quot;ingredients&quot; in Amazon, so it shouldn't be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think they're going to kill you on shipping. These two ingredients are common at almost any garden store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I purchased my plant from Ikea, I don't know in what kind of soil it's&#xA;  planted , but to me it looks like regular potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regular potting soil will quickly kill a CP, so if it looks like potting soil, it's almost certainly Peat moss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The pot they are currently in is not really tall, so this is why I&#xA;  think on putting them into water regularly (maybe once or twice a&#xA;  week, when they need it) instead of let them always in a tray of&#xA;  water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peat moss becomes hydrophobic when it dries out. If you let it dry out too much, then when you water it, it just runs over the top, down the sides, and out the bottom. It's almost impossible to rehydrate, soaking is your best hope, and it prevents water from getting to the roots, which quickly kills it. I think you have two options. One is to get a tiny drip tray for the tiny pot. The second option, which I'd do, is to repot, but don't disturb the roots. Most repotting happens by removing the plant, getting rid of as much of the old soil as possible, and putting it in new potting soil. This is because the new soil will have lots of new nutrients. CP's don't like nutrients. You can mix up new soil, and pot this out of the old pot and right into the new soil without disturbing the roots at all. They'll expand into the new soil. You only want to rip them apart when they're super crowded. They like growing on top of each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Tap water where I live is horrible and super hard (lots of calcium&#xA;  carbonate) and it hardly ever rains, so I think I'll buy distilled&#xA;  water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm on a well and the water is pretty hard. It leaves calcium deposits on the outside of the pot as the tray water evaporates. It is frequently flushed by rain water. The distilled water isn't a bad idea. Distilled water will is actually so pure it'll pull nutrients out of things so that can rebalance itself. That's why you shouldn't use it on regular plants or drink it yourself. I don't think your tap water will hurt it if you leave it sitting in an open container for a couple of days. Another good resource you have available is rain water. Just get a barrel you can attach to your gutter and have way more than you need. The only caveat is how close to the see you are. If you're getting salt spray on your roof, then it'll be washed into the barrel with your rain water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I live near the sea, so there is humidity but usually not too much (it&#xA;  depends on the day, and where the wind is coming from). So I asume&#xA;  that keeping the plants in my north-facing balcony (making sure the&#xA;  soil doesn't dry) should work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you'll be okay with the humidity. As long its not a desert I think you'll be fine. They seem pretty tough. Northern exposures in the northern hemisphere have the least light of any other exposure. They need a lot of light. I'd put them in a southern or south eastern exposure if at all possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;winters are actually quite mild here (temperature rarely drops below&#xA;  5C/41F). Should I just leave the plant in outside, just watering it&#xA;  less?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't comment on the exact temp they need to drop down to, because I live in their native habitat and have never had to look it up. SC whether is extremely weird. People coming from up north have a horrible time. They're used to it getting cold one day and not warming up till the spring. The saying around here is, &quot;If you don't like the whether in SC, give it 3 days&quot;. Some days, the highs are in the 40's and other days their in the  70's. That's when we ride horses. Nights can be anywhere from the high 30's to low 20's and every once in a while gets down in the single digits. I would leave your plant outside. Don't water it less. Keep that drip tray full year round. There is a procedure for putting your plant in the fridge for people keeping them in climates that don't have a winter. Again, I can't comment and you'll have to research it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I gave the plant a house fly that my cat had just hunted (that's what&#xA;  I call &quot;team work&quot; haha), but a couple of days later I found out that&#xA;  the plant had caught a couple of flies by her own. Good work!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's what I was talking about. You only feed them to see the traps work. They catch stuff easy on their own. Especially once they're outside. Also, my cat's not helpful. He's a b-hole. He vomited a big hairball by my bed the other night and then vomited bile about 18&quot; past so when I stepped over the hairball, I'd step in the bile. I missed it, luckily. Then I arbitrarily decided he'd been rolling in the dirt and needed a bath. Funny how that happens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd pot this whole root ball and soil in a new pot and stick it out in the shade for a couple of weeks then move it to full sun and let it go. Also, I always recommend you never put your hopes on one plant. I see it all the time. You should go see if you can find a couple of more at Ikea and keep one in the house, take care of one outside, and abuse the heck out of the other. You'll feel much more confident when you manage not to kill it and you'll have knowledge of where the boundaries are. If you just have one, then you don't have anything to compare it to and you won't know whether it's doing good or bad. I can almost guarantee that occasional watering and keeping it in the house will kill it eventually. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-23T14:43:51.577" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T14:43:51.577" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34128" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2908" CreationDate="2017-06-23T13:27:37.733" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like the cover crop idea and I think it has merit. However, it if was me, I'd take this perfect circle and lay down smooth pebble, build a removable fire pit in the center and put nice chairs around it. Use it as a fire pit in the winter and in the summer, remove the pit and chairs, lay some type of padding over the pebbles, maybe like those outdoor rugs, cut to fit, and put the pool back up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T13:27:37.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34129" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3688" CreationDate="2017-06-23T13:40:18.070" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in heavy clay country. My yard is too big to do this, but if you have a smaller yard, I recommend Aerating in the spring, putting down compost and/or sand, and use something like a piece of chain link with a weight on it to scrape it across your yard and fill the aeration holes with it. This can amend your soil without tearing up your whole lawn. A guy at my work says they do this with sand at the golf course he likes to play at. I'd go with the compost for a yard, though, because I saw on TV that when they built the arenas for the FEI equestrian games in Lexington, they used clay and sand to make a super hard base for the arena.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T13:40:18.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34130" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34137" CreationDate="2017-06-23T14:15:07.393" Score="7" ViewCount="14354" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a notorious plant-killer, so my mom bought me a plant. I'm not sure what the logic is, but it was branded as a Tough Plant so I guess she figured I couldn't kill it. Sir Leaflet's been doing surprisingly okay under my near-total negligence, but recently the stems have started developing these darker patches and I'm worried I'm about to send another plant to plant-heaven. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamioculcas&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Zamioculcas&lt;/a&gt;, and in the eight months or so that I've had it it's nearly doubled in height and has all sorts of new growth. It's sturdy, the leaves are waxy, and the black spots on the stems are just as strong as the surrounding growth; no mushiness or anything. The spots are on nearly every stem, are not raised and don't seem to be affecting the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sits in my room and gets nearly direct sun for about 2-4 hours a day (there's a house right outside so I get half-sun over their roof), and indirect sun for another 6-8 or so. I water it when I remember, which isn't nearly often enough and the soil is frequently too dry. Then I flood it with half a waterbottle every couple of weeks when it occurs to me. I am, in short, just about the worst plant-caretaker.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe I'm just over-paranoid about sending another plant to its grave, but &lt;strong&gt;is this something I've caused&lt;/strong&gt;? Can I fix it? I don't want Sir Leaflets to go the way of his ancestors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EJwTx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EJwTx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nUVda.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nUVda.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stem shot #1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ef5Ab.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ef5Ab.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stem shot #2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18016" LastEditorUserId="18016" LastEditDate="2017-06-23T14:20:33.050" LastActivityDate="2020-09-02T10:28:54.457" Title="Should I be worried about this mottling on the stems?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34132" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34133" CreationDate="2017-06-23T18:04:55.400" Score="3" ViewCount="2770" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the plants in the garden developed brown yellowish spots on the leaves. All of the infected leaves are high. The bottom ones show no illness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've had lots of rain, followed by extreme heat. Relative humidity is 60% at 34 C. Is this Septoria Leaf Spot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/irthO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/irthO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RARZ4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RARZ4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H5mw1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H5mw1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pUV1Q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pUV1Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ALtyj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ALtyj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T11:44:55.380" Title="brown yellowish spots on tomato - Septoria Leaf Spot?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34132" CreationDate="2017-06-23T19:12:40.727" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the infected leaves shown are the same as other infected leaves, I'd say this is septoria leaf spot. The weather conditions prior were ideal for the fungus to grow. Usually the lower leaves are infected first but since you've mulched with straw, soil (that contains the fungus) splashed on lower leaves has been prevented.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Early blight has concentric (round) spots that develop first and is easy to distinguish between septoria leaf spot. Tomatoes can be affected by both so check over your plant. But &lt;strong&gt;be careful&lt;/strong&gt; not to touch uninfected leaves if you've touched those infected ones! The fungus can be spread that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tomatodirt.com/septoria-leaf-spot.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How To Identify and Treat Septoria Leaf Spot&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/fungal-spots/septoria-leaf-spot-of-tomato.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Septoria Leaf Spot of Tomato&lt;/a&gt; have good advice. I tend to err on the side of caution. When removing infected leaves, I'd use disposable gloves (mine are nitrile) on the left hand to grasp the infected leaves and sharp clippers or even scissors to cut the leaves. If I have to push past healthy leaves to clip infected ones, I'd have a cup of hydrogen peroxide with me to dip the clippers in after each cut to minimize any chance of the fungus spreading. But then, I can be a bit fanatical about my plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T19:12:40.727" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34134" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-23T19:13:21.190" Score="3" ViewCount="242" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I planted some radish in my garden and they grew fine but when I went to harvest they were tall and had started to flower but the radish was almost non existent. What did I do wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18020" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-23T19:25:44.913" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T20:12:50.400" Title="Radish plants grew tall but radish was non-existent" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;radishes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34135" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34132" CreationDate="2017-06-23T19:13:55.467" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;this is Septoria, looks like it anyway, just cut off diseased leaves before watering again.  Before turning on your fans.  This is exactly why I am unable to imagine tomatoes being perennials.  If there is a disease they will get it...they always get so diseased by so many vectors that it just feels better to get rid of the plant after harvesting.  Clean up debris very well and wait for at least 2 even 3 years before planting tomatoes or any of the nightshade family in that same soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Supposedly the bottom leaves are infected with septoria before the middle and upper leaves.  I don't think they were infected from the soil beneath, rather the dust in the air landing on a damp leaf.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once a plant is infected with a fungus it is a done deal.  With one exception; powdery mildew.  I am waiting for your question on this fungus a month from now!  Powdery mildew can be treated (9:1 water/milk) after infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Septoria can not be treated.  For this the best you can do is cut off infected leaves, thin your plants for more ventilation and get a fan blowing your plants so that you can see the tomato plants moving.  Use alcohol on your pruners.  Dispose of all debris.  Use a bagged compost to cover soil near your tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is so normal.  Just keep cutting.  I usually give up towards the end of the season.  I dump potato and tomato debris in my compost pile that is far away and down wind to my garden. That compost will never be used in the vegey garden ever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your pictures of your plants show very healthy plants and looks like you are getting a great harvest, yes? The healthy leaves look wonderful.  I usually have wimpy plants at the end of the year anyway and thus very susceptible to Septoria and powdery mildew. Well, there just is no such thing as a perfectly healthy tomato plant...at least I have seen one without some sort of disease.  Never.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps you could take a picture of your entire crop?  What are the varieties?  Were they resistant to any diseases, should say on the packets of seed.  I am trying to grow Applegate tomatoes.  They grow in grape-like clumps only the tomatoes are 2&quot;.  And this brand is designed for the UV spectrum in a greenhouse yet tasty.  I guess tomatoes made to grow in a greenhouse aren't very flavorful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T19:13:55.467" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34136" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-23T19:46:17.883" Score="7" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know I have voles. I accidentally  planted a small running bamboo ;it has spread all over and makes a great buffet for the voles . I have copperheads which like the voles. I get mounds ( 6 inch diameter, 2 inches high) in the grass; are the mounds from voles or moles ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T20:28:49.003" Title="Do I have moles?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34137" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34130" CreationDate="2017-06-23T20:12:49.297" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant loves to be root bound.  The ZZ plant?  Your pot has a built in saucer that holds the water and could easily cause root rot.  You could transplant this plant but do it in a heavy clay pot. Raise the bottom of the pot off the surface of its saucer to allow better drainage and always dump the water out of the saucer.  Only use sterilized potting soil for plants in pots.  No rock or gravel at the bottom beneath the soil and above the drainage hole.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The size of the next pot should be no larger than 2&quot; in diameter.  This plant likes to fill the soil with roots before any energy gets put into new top growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get Osmocote 14-14-14.  It is extended release and for this plant once maybe twice per year this fertilizer should be applied.  Follow the directions.  They say 3 or 4 times but only do 1 or 2 times for the entire year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ignoring this plant is probably the best management.  Needs a new pot with decent drainage, clay is best.  No one is born knowing how to take care of plants.  Plants are more alien to us than a real alien.  Amazing life forms...they actually communicate via chemistry, some dance to music, they learn and remember... they are just different from us animals.  They try to communicate with animals and work with/evolve with animals creating symbiotic relationships.  If there is a problem, well they can actually poison or kill animals to reduce the damage to their photosynthetic growth they need at least at a minimum to produce their own food.  They love music, not heavy metal.  They need periods of darkness to 'reset' or they die.  Talk to your plant.  Imagine talking to an alien incapable of producing sound for communication.  Your mom got you the perfect plant.  It does need light, not lots but some.  Allow to dry before watering again.  Get used to the feel of a watered plant.  When it needs water again you'll easily be able to discern the difference in heft.  Awww...give it a name!  If you are able to care for plants, a puppy surely is in your future!??&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/zz-plant/caring-for-zz-plant.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;zz plant care basics&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T20:12:49.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34138" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34134" CreationDate="2017-06-23T20:12:50.400" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Radishes like full sun and an enriched (with manure preferably) soil, and they are ready to harvest very quickly, sometimes within three weeks. They're also a cool season crop, so don't do well if you try to grow them in summer. It may be that you left them too long in the ground and they deteriorated, or insufficient sunlight meant you got tall, leafy plants and no swollen roots (the radish), as well as the lack of fertilizer or enrichment of the soil. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.almanac.com/plant/radishes&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.almanac.com/plant/radishes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T20:12:50.400" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34123" CreationDate="2017-06-23T20:19:27.103" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just realised you're in the UK - these plants are Cosmos, but quite how they got there I'm not sure. If you had some last year, it's possible the seeds germinated by themselves because we had hot weather in April, so maybe they grew from those, but usually, Cosmos seeds need heat to germinate in the UK so they're started off in seed trays or modules, in a greenhouse or indoors. They're only half hardy here too, which means they're not usually planted out as small plants until mid to end of May. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T20:19:27.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34140" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34136" CreationDate="2017-06-23T20:28:49.003" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Moles live in tunnels rarely to see the sun, voles borrow their tunnels but live like mice above ground mostly.  Moles are very few in number. Extremely territorial.  One or two will aerate and gobble grubs beautifully.  Voles are just fine.  They can cause damage during the winter if you use a thick mulch to protect a woody perennial like roses for example.  The mulch is like a great home and they can chew down to the vascular system and girdle plants within their winter home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've got snakes, leave well enough alone.  You've got the best possible harmony going.  Mounds means moles.  Only one or two are responsible for the mounds.  Those mounds are soil they dug out of the subsurface of your garden...means they are doing you big favors with aeration of the soil and eating the grubs that will cause damage to plants as well as top dressing.  Just knock the hills down.  I've never ever had problems with little mammals.  Ground gophers show their tunneling above ground.  Yet they've never bothered my vegetable garden.  Rats, now they can be pretty destructive but having a cat or two is all that is necessary. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't see any animal with the ability to harm bamboo.  Perhaps at the baby stage but that would only help with thinning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T20:28:49.003" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34141" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34075" CreationDate="2017-06-23T20:55:17.940" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would plant half NOW and half during the fall.  Otherwise, they could easily succumb to botrytis, all of them.  Eating them would be good as well.  You could eat some of the more mature and leave some planted now as well as planting more for the fall.  But plant at least half now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use potato cellars and they do well when going into a winter.  But now, well, you might just lose them all.  This would be a good time to experiment.  Freezing will NOT Work.  Potato cellars have to be a consistent 50 degrees F or less to work.  Doesn't happen during the summer.  Get them planted, at least half.  If you've got a cool potato cellar then try keeping them in newspaper and sawdust, lots of air, move the layers now and then or keep them all on one layer thick if you've got the room.  I always had a fan going in my potato cellars but nothing was able to be preserved during the summer more than a month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T20:55:17.940" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5655" CreationDate="2017-06-23T21:47:07.223" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a borer ; various kinds attack various trees. It is hard to get poison into the borers . If you have only a few trees, I have found killing them pushing a stiff wire into the hole can help. In east TX when a yellow pine is cut down, after a few days you hear the borers chewing in it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-06-23T21:47:07.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34143" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34017" CreationDate="2017-06-24T00:27:34.243" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is. I have a low bush blueberry in my side yard and I thought also this is not a fruit shrub. But it is. I bought mine from here and they even have a picture of the same plant showing it's got reddish leaves.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.trees-plants.com/low-bush-blueberry/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.trees-plants.com/low-bush-blueberry/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18011" LastActivityDate="2017-06-24T00:27:34.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2861" CreationDate="2017-06-24T00:31:36.117" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;While your plants are becoming established, it is very important that you supply them with adequate moisture. When you bring them home from the nursery and plant them, much of their root system dies off; the plants must replace those roots. This initial setback accounts for why leaves on young blueberry plants often turn brown and become scorched, as they lose water faster than roots can replace it. Keep the soil moist at all times, but provide good drainage -- blueberries sitting in waterlogged soil can develop root rot, which also makes leaves turn brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18011" LastActivityDate="2017-06-24T00:31:36.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34145" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-24T00:39:00.900" Score="3" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plants I have started are: lettuce, tomato, carrots, green beans, kidney beans, peppers, and cantaloupe. I've never grown any of these things before, or much of anything before. If there any reason any of these shouldn't be planted near each other? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also if anyone has any general tips for growing any of these I'd appreciate any advice I can get.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18022" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-25T16:58:02.717" LastActivityDate="2017-06-25T16:58:02.717" Title="How near to each other should I plant my vegetable and fruit plants?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;&lt;green-beans&gt;&lt;melons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34146" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33906" CreationDate="2017-06-24T01:23:12.893" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would personally be more interested in how the food makes you feel nutritionally when you live on it than how many calories it has, but that's me. So, I would recommend a wide array of things that combine together to make a good meal. Zucchini is very nutritious, though (I've eaten raw zucchini for 30 to 55% of my food while it was in season, and it felt pretty good, but it wasn't the tiny zucchini that people usually eat). Each kind of fruit/vegetable gives you unique nutrients. I'll bolden the items that I think would be higher in calories, and italicize items I think have special nutritive and/or culinary properties that might be particularly helpful to sustain health (these are just my opinions based on how I feel when I eat them and what I know about them).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, you might try &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;sunflowers&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; (ones with large heads and seeds), &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;walnuts&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;plums&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;pears&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;apples&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;potatoes&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;early starchy winter squash&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;em&gt;cabbage&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;brussel sprouts&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;broccoli&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;garlic&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;bunching onions&lt;/em&gt;, amaranth (the leaves and seeds are high in protein), &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;wheat&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;oats&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;corn&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;em&gt;peas&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;cucumbers&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;early melons/tomatoes/peppers/tomatillos fit for your area&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;other summer squash&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;cold-hardy mulberries&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;soybeans&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; (if you're into fermenting), spinach, sorrel, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;beans&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;cranberries&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; (which are excellent), etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your area has reasonably hot summers (however short they may be), I strongly recommend growing Armenian Cucumbers (which are technically melons, and not cucumbers, but are used like giant cucumbers). Note that Metki melons are also Armenian cucumbers. They get huge, they're early (you can harvest them &lt;em&gt;much&lt;/em&gt; earlier than regular melons, and they do get huge much earlier than other melons, too—at least in my Idaho garden), and they can handle a lot of conditions that regular cucumbers struggle in. While Armenian Cucumbers might not be very calorically dense (although they and regular cucumbers probably have more sugar than a lot of people suppose), they are very refreshing, and in my experience, they hold me over pretty well if I'm thirsty and don't have any water handy (even better than watermelon, in that regard—at least with the large Armenian Cucumbers; I'm not sure about if you harvest them smaller like a lot of people do, since I think they're less juicy then; I'm not saying they're juicier than watermelon, but I'm talking about the thirst-quenching powers of it that make you feel like you've consumed more fluids).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is kind of off-topic, but if you're looking for life-sustaining foods, you may be interested in lacto-fermenting them, as I've read that you don't need to eat as much food if you include lacto-fermented foods in your diet. It's one way to make pickles, and preserve food longer (in a raw form; the fermenting increases the nutritional value, and the resulting pickles have beneficial bacteria, too).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dried plums can be pretty nutritious. Zucchini pickles are supposed to be pretty nice. Green onions feel quite nutritious, and bunching onions grow lots of them (Crimson Forest is my favorite, so far), and they're both cold hardy and easy to grow, even from seed. Mulberries feel nutritious to me (especially compared with other berries), but I hear you shouldn't ferment them, whether or not that's true.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cabbage is a good vegetable to eat in reasonably high quantities (not so high that you get thyroid issues, though). Potatoes, too, but that's a given. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing to consider is that although some fruits may be high in sugars, if you eat lots of them, you'll likely get diarrhea, a sore tongue and sensitive teeth (from the acids). So, I would look for foods you can eat in large amounts safely, and eat things like blackberries, strawberries and ground cherries in lesser amounts (and/or in pies/jam).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing to consider is the variety of the plant (not just the species). Some of them have unique qualities and are more productive and tasty than others. How you grow your plants can make a big difference, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would look at the mineral contents, in addition to fats, acids, sugars, starches, etc. Minerals help with lots of things, including enzyme production (especially magnesium and zinc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flavor shouldn't be underestimated, either. If you can't choke it down in reasonable quantities on a regular basis, you might be in trouble. Nevertheless, there are a lot of culinary ideas that would help out with most and/or all things. Onions, green onions, garlic, garlic scapes, chile peppers, herbs (e.g. basil, oregano, and tarragon) and such shouldn't be overlooked here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Elephant Garlic is interesting, as it's much larger than regular garlic (although technically, it's more closely related to leeks than garlic).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure if it's a real concept, but in the Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck, the main character seemed to live on nearly garlic alone when he was poor at the beginning of the book (and he relished in it). Eating garlic seemed to be the norm for more poor people in the book. I don't know if that's really possible, as it sounds iffy, though. Garlic is high in minerals and flavor, but I'm not sure about other nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potato onions and walking onions might be good things to consider, since they multiply every year, and you don't have to buy more bulbs or grow from seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-08-23T19:45:17.717" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T19:45:17.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34147" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7690" CreationDate="2017-06-24T02:35:43.817" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may be overthinking this.Try punching holes in the liner with something like a machete , knife, sharpened rebar, etc. The water should leak out in a couple days at most.That will also give the frogs, toads, turtles, whatever, time to leave. I have the opposite problem, a somewhat larger pond that has a leak I can't find , so I trickle a hose into it constantly.  I would not put rock in it. I would make a rock garden to get rid of the existing rocks. Your dimensions will require 2 yards of fill , sand would likely be the easiest to get a contractor to dump. You will be able to grow grass easily. It would not be difficult to dump sand on you driveway and wheelbarrow it back. ( I just finished moving 20 yards around my front yard )., &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-06-24T02:35:43.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34150" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34152" CreationDate="2017-06-24T07:39:50.380" Score="4" ViewCount="2319" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started several Carolina Reaper and Cayenne plants indoors and I have recently moved them outside as the temperatures got high enough. This is my first year growing them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A week ago, I noticed what was initially a slight discoloration of leaves (a beige tint to the mid part of a leaf on one plant), the problem has escalated since then. Now I'm dealing with clear discoloration of leaves on all but one of my Carolina Reaper plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XwdEc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XwdEc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Brown discoloration on Carolina Reaper leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y00uM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y00uM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Severe beige-brown discoloration of leaves on a young Carolina Reaper plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could be causing this? Some parasites? Maybe sunscald? I noticed that the discoloration is more pronounced on the plants receiving more sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've checked the undersides of the leaves but they seem clear of unwelcome guests, at least ones visible to the naked eye.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Cayenne peppers are growing in the exact same spot but they seem unaffected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18025" LastEditorUserId="18025" LastEditDate="2017-06-25T09:42:57.803" LastActivityDate="2017-06-25T09:42:57.803" Title="Discoloration of leaves on Carolina Reaper plants" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34151" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-24T08:46:16.377" Score="3" ViewCount="789" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Will a Hibiscus recover having dropped all its leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the hot UK weather this year a hibiscus I recently planted out has lost all of its leaves. At first it got a bit dehydrated but then I kept it really well watered, but I couldn't save it.  What gives it its best chance?  Should I continue to water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17190" LastActivityDate="2017-06-24T16:20:52.497" Title="Will a Hibiscus recover having dropped all its leaves?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hibiscus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34150" CreationDate="2017-06-24T09:47:31.030" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's probably just sun damage due to the transplant shock, since those leaves are used to a different kind and amount of light. I have a pepper in that sort of situation, and I had some tomatoes in a situation like that, too (but it was more obviously a light issue with the tomatoes than with the peppers—I'm less sure it's the case with the peppers, but I'm hoping so).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the plants were bigger and stronger, I might recommend nipping off the affected leaves, as it seems to help the plants grow faster. The old leaves are used to different light, and they seem to stunt the plant somewhat in new light. New growth will be used to the new light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, it could be fungal or something. Diseases and other kinds of damage sometimes look similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-06-24T09:52:38.370" LastActivityDate="2017-06-24T09:52:38.370" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34151" CreationDate="2017-06-24T16:20:52.497" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;At this stage, it sounds like there's some life left in it - to be honest, if its been planted less than a couple of months, I'd lift it out of the soil and plant it in a pot with some good potting soil, water it thoroughly and keep it watered as necessary. It's obviously suffered serious drought, and shouldn't really have been planted at all during the very hot weather - keep it in a pot till autumn, then replant, keep watered until late October (unless you're up north, then you can probably stop beginning of October, but it depends on the weather).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you lift it out of the ground, if the rootball is bone dry, soak it in a bucket before potting up. The point of telling you to put it in a pot is this - it's much, much harder to keep a newly planted shrub sufficiently well watered in the ground than in a pot - water needs to penetrate six inches deep to make sure the whole of the rootball has had sufficient water, and that's a tall order in a hot summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-24T16:20:52.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34044" CreationDate="2017-06-24T18:11:49.520" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You want the water droplets to be far larger to fall onto the ground otherwise the fine mist is lost to the atmosphere and does nothing for the plants.  In fact, misting plants will bring on fungus amungus!  Misters will never be able to get the water to the roots.  I am against 'misting' in the dry air indoors as well.  Better ways to get humidity increased that plants are actually able to use.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dribble is kind of what you want.  Bigger tubes will stop the misting because that reduces pressure.  &lt;em&gt;But you need different heads.&lt;/em&gt;  Perhaps taking a needle and enlarging the holes?  There must be a way to change out the heads. What is this product?  Did you get it at a garden store?  They should have explained misting is not watering.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like any automated irrigation system you will have to know the pressure, volume and droplet size to be able to calculate how many heads to use PER ZONE.  Increasing the tube size will reduce pressure, if you are on city water use 60 psi in the calculations.  Right now you've got 5 misters working with high pressure via small tubes.  Open the holes to allow most water out with higher droplet size, enlarge the tubes and you might get by with 5 on a zone.  All those heads or outlets beyond are compromising your output for the 5, you might be able to get 7 heads functioning by cutting off the rest.  Need larger droplets to get to the water into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tell us the manufacturer, the product and why you chose misters.  Even in a desert misters will only relegate water to the atmosphere and never soak the soil properly.  Is this for your lawn and plant beds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not fond of automatic irrigation unless one already knows their plants and their needs.  Is a lawn involved in this?  What grass is your lawn?  Cool season or warm season? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For now, I would purchase a CHEAP oscillating sprinkler. Maybe 10 bucks?  Don't bother with the expensive ones.  This will water everything.  Check out the watering of lawns on this site, how to divide plants in beds from lawns.  Only water when the soil is dry.  Not everyday.  Learn how to train your roots to become deep and drought tolerant.  Shallow roots are caused by shallow everyday watering.  Again lots more moisture lost to the atmosphere and the instant no water is available plants will go into dormancy. This oscillating sprinkler easily waters 4000 sq. ft. at once.  All I ever use. I water as long as it takes to soak the soil 4-6&quot; and allow to dry out before watering again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even though I've installed and reorganized and repaired and taught how to use the timer to set zone water allotments I've always used these cheapo oscillating sprinklers for my own use, even in the greenhouse. This will get you by while you figure your different heads and zones.  The top of the fence was probably a bad idea.  You are really adding to the green house gases.  Water Vapor is number one.  This is factual but I am also a huge CO2 denier and being facetious. But your water bill is a concern. Are you on a well or are you using city water? Depending on the size of your yard you might want to just stay with the cheapo sprinkler.  Don't water at night only in the morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-24T18:11:49.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34157" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-24T18:27:58.233" Score="5" ViewCount="98" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this orchid? I found it growing in a mango tree. I am on the Tropical island of Trinidad in the West Indies, so Tropical rain-forest similar to the Amazon. My mother may have bought it and the birds distributed it, so I do not know if it is a native to this part of the world.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help will be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6F0Bp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6F0Bp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Palm like leaves and psudobulbs:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kAp7L.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kAp7L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18028" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-25T00:59:43.823" LastActivityDate="2018-08-08T15:02:09.290" Title="Can anyone identify this orchid?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34158" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-24T22:01:50.677" Score="5" ViewCount="2329" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to grow sunflowers from seed and have been unsuccessful due to chipmunks and/or squirrels eating all of the seeds.  So far I've tried the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spread a lot of seeds and maintain an active bird feeder with lots of sunflower seeds to distract from the seeds I want to grow.  &#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nope, The chipmunk found all but about 4 of the seeds I spread&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant the seeds about 1 to 2 inches below the surface&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Nope, The chipmunk dug up: Every. Single. Seed. I. Planted.  Seriously, I used a butter knife and plated two staggered rows one knife length apart (about 6 inches).  After about a week and a half I went to check the progress and I found perfect little holes dug in staggered rows one knife length apart.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For my next attempt, I'm going to try to grow seedlings inside and then plan the seedlings and hope for the best. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll keep you posted.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17930" LastActivityDate="2018-06-17T13:26:58.097" Title="How can sunflowers be grown in a squirrel and chipmunk rich environment?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34159" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-25T05:37:55.917" Score="3" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;It has been in the ground in SoCal for about 4 years, and it is probably about 8 ft. tall.  The leaves turn yellow and fall off, and I have not seen one flower yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18032" LastActivityDate="2017-06-25T05:37:55.917" Title="Why doesn't my guava tree flower and fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ClosedDate="2018-01-20T02:50:43.550" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34160" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34158" CreationDate="2017-06-25T05:38:47.087" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have so many squirrels, and I think they didn't know yet that such seeds are good. [and they could find easier way to get it: chicken foods contain a lot of sunflower seeds. BTW my sunflowers come originally from such chicken leftover]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see two possibilities: you could place a metallic net horizontally, and keep it. It should not disturb sunflowers. Or you can paint the seeds with some &quot;nasty&quot; substance, e.g. pepper, chili, tomato leaves, etc.  Something that remain only externally to seeds, but it will not taste good for squirrels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-06-25T05:38:47.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34161" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-25T07:25:40.087" Score="2" ViewCount="377" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have about 100 oak trees. I took the 100 oak trees out the ground and planted them into 5 gallon buckets. The trees were very healthy when i took them out the ground and about 3ft tall.  I used a soil sand mix i bought at a local nursery to use to replant them in the 5 gallon bucket. After about a week the trees in the 5 gallon bucket looked as they were dying.  I used a root simulator about 2 weeks in. So its now been about 2 months and the trees look almost dead. I notice at the base a sprout is coming up. What should I do altogether? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18034" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T19:40:42.727" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T19:40:42.727" Title="Transplanting young oak trees into buckets" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34162" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34069" CreationDate="2017-06-25T08:16:57.663" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would recommend against trying to spray against them, even if you can find a product suitable for the job, you are unlikely to be able to spray a wide enough area for it be effective. If you did spray you would do vast amounts of damage to populations of other beneficial creatures (including some that eat mosquitoes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Things to consider:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove their hangouts - mosquitoes are not the strongest flyers so&#xA;allowing more of breeze through the garden will help as will removing&#xA;damp areas and puddles. They don't like very dry, sunny areas so consider creating a sun-trap.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grow plants that are known to discourage mosquitoes, I don't know&#xA;where you are based, so can't make any recommendations. &lt;em&gt;Eucalyptus gunnii&lt;/em&gt; is one such plant that might be suitable. Will edit if necessary.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use deterrant products - certainly my relatives in Norway swear by&#xA;mosquito smoke coils. Citronella candles are also popular. Wear&#xA;insect repellants yourself.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover up  wear clothes that make their lives harder.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Consider creating a garden room with mosquito mesh so&#xA;you can experience the outside safely.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Alter your timings - different species have quite specific times when they are most active. Find out about the species in your area and schedule your time in the garden for when they are least active.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Having studied a fair bit about mosquitoes from an immunopharmacology perspective at uni, it would seem some people are more likely to be bitten than others (my wife always gets bitten, myself rarely) and some people react more seriously. I've not heard of life threatening allergies to bites developing or reactions getting more serious. I have noticed that when my wife gets bitten in a new place the reaction tends to be more serious than if she is bitten at home, so your response may become more moderate with time as you get used to local fauna.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16580" LastActivityDate="2017-06-25T08:16:57.663" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34163" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-25T13:37:22.043" Score="3" ViewCount="153" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my flower bed right now! The dirt is that old red clay mud and I'm having to bring in dirt or buy potting soil and I don't have the money for that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18038" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-25T17:05:58.533" LastActivityDate="2017-06-25T22:32:16.627" Title="Can I use 20+ year old saw dust for dirt in my flower bed?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34145" CreationDate="2017-06-25T13:48:07.827" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a very generic question, so it is difficult to fully answer it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rules are: &lt;em&gt;try&lt;/em&gt; to avoid growing the same family of vegetable in the same place: This mean, when you finished with one vegetable, try to alternate the family.  This will reduce diseases, and on large gardens, also stress of ground: one family tend to absorb the same kind of nutrients.  On small gardens this is less a problem, because nutrients and roots moves few meters (and spading also help this).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many variation about which kind of vegetable should be keep near other kinds. This is due either to reduce diseases (in this case insects, because of smelling of the other one), or just one family create nutrients for other plants (fabaceae).  Very seldom the inverse is true: one kind of vegetable will reduce harvesting of an other [but keep same family apart].&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your list, I usually put lettuce very near one of the other vegetables: I will harvest it before the other vegetables will grow a lot.  In this manner I spare some place (and water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On your list, I have also no preferences on what should be put more on sun, and what in shadows.  But in next years, you can adapt, if you see that in your region some vegetables suffer too much sun and heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But my main recommendation: keep growing all stuffs for few years. It is normal that one (of few) kind of vegetables will produce less (or nearly zero). But next year things could be very different.  Just after some years you can definitively say that one vegetable variety is not ideal for your garden (climate, soil, nutriments, water, ...).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-06-25T13:48:07.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34165" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34145" CreationDate="2017-06-25T15:03:05.447" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well Depending on which type of peppers you have started,  I can say hotter varieties will partially cross with tomatoes or make cucumbers somewhat hot.  Though Ive never had this happen to me,  Ive heard about it many times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't worry about what you have planted too much, all though you did say you have melons growing. Melons stretch a long distance when growing. The vine and literally grab anything they can in order to pull themselves in a direction. I dont recommend having melons near other plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have these plants potted or are you growing them from ground up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17861" LastActivityDate="2017-06-25T15:03:05.447" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34166" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30776" CreationDate="2017-06-25T15:22:56.233" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It kind of looks like a Medinilla Megnifica. They are a genus within the Melastomataceae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I could be wrong about which type it is, but it definately looks like it could fit right in with the Medinilla genus of flowering plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has it Bloomed pink yet? It may yet be too young but if it does bloom nice pink flowers, it may be a Medinilla.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/25/80/ee/2580ee891c9384e2d9c258641615f75b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/25/80/ee/2580ee891c9384e2d9c258641615f75b.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17861" LastActivityDate="2017-06-25T15:22:56.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34167" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34161" CreationDate="2017-06-25T16:16:44.913" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oaks are difficult to dig and replant ; I have had some luck with seedlings smaller than 12 inches. You could collect a bunch of acorns and put them in your buckets ( worms inside the acorns will destroy most of them - so bury a bunch.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-06-25T16:16:44.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34168" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34171" CreationDate="2017-06-25T17:28:55.690" Score="4" ViewCount="854" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some bottom rotting is developing on my peppers. I've seen similar stuff on tomatoes, but not yet on peppers. Is this blossom end rot, pepper edition?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TItAj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TItAj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T09:44:04.617" Title="pepper rotting disease" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34168" CreationDate="2017-06-25T18:33:25.507" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes that is exactly what is occuring. I suggest you cleanse your soil with a little diluted dawn dish soap (antibacterial).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After this, crumple down or blend egg shells nice and finely. Lay them atop of the soil directly at the base of the plants. Add about a shot of milk to your soil as well,  only once. Make sure your soil is not overly supple to water going straight through the soil and allowing it to dry too quickly and not staying saturated. When you add a ton of water to a plant constantly or after its been so dry,  rot can occur.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes are the worst when it comes down to water rot. But you have to make sure all the right strengthening nutrients are present. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I never have this issue,  I make sure every single variant of pepper I have growing has egg shells. Whether they are in the soil or on top of it. Its old fashioned and is now commonly becoming apparent that it is sometimes quite needed. As for the milk, make sure it isn't a high quantity because of the sugar content. Thus a shot or 25ml will do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17861" LastEditorUserId="17861" LastEditDate="2017-06-25T18:40:28.143" LastActivityDate="2017-06-25T18:40:28.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34170" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-25T20:37:17.050" Score="5" ViewCount="3574" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my cactuses has been gradually growing a white coating, and the lower outgrowths seem to be shrivelling up and fading, I first noticed this about a year ago and it hasn't stopped no matter what I've tried.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CRVos.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CRVos.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oDQBd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oDQBd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cactus closer&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;I have no idea if it's mould or some type of sunburn or disease but it seems to have just affected this one, which I treat the same as my others that are growing fine. I was considering taking off the healthy looking top part and just starting again from this, but I was wondering what might have caused this or if it is at all salvageable. Any tips or ideas appreciated, thanks!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18040" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-17T13:17:06.640" LastActivityDate="2021-01-17T13:17:06.640" Title="Cactus growing white hard coating" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34168" CreationDate="2017-06-25T21:29:02.940" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The biggest cause of blossom end rot is not, in fact, calcium shortage in the soil - it's erratic watering. If the plant can't take up enough water for its needs regularly, it also cannot take up the calcium it needs. The weather cycle you describe is perfect for blossom end rot, if you didn't supplement sufficiently well with water when it was very hot and dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you always have this problem, year after year, then its worth doing a soil test to check the calcium levels and supplement calcium if the levels are low. More info here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/stop-blossom-end-rot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How To Stop Blossom End Rot&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-06-26T09:44:04.617" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T09:44:04.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34172" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34163" CreationDate="2017-06-25T21:37:21.183" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you can compost it you CAN use it, but don't use it in a big clump as speaking from personal experience &quot;coffee grounds&quot; are not soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2017-06-25T21:37:21.183" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34173" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34170" CreationDate="2017-06-25T22:13:14.353" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would separate this guy from your other plants for now.  Just in case this is sclerotinia or white mold you need to get it away from all plants, soils.  If you could wiggle the top of that plant where the white coating is on the highest joint showing the white coating...how firm does it feel?  Wait until you've got more answers from my team mates, okay? But do remove that plant until we are able to ID this for sure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it wiggles more than a healthy joint, let us know. If this is sclerotinia just one spore could kill all your plants.  Otherwise this could be a normal thing for cactus, I am hoping I am wrong.  Not the first time I've been wrong.  Sclerotinia is one horrible disease.  You might have brought it in with soil or store bought plants or someone's home plant. Those joints being the first to be compromised could be showing sclerotinia.  Let's hear what others have to say but remove this plant from the room until we ID this problem.  Otherwise, if you separate the healthy top from that highest joint you might find these weird rat turd looking things.  That IS sclerotinia.  If you do that you have to bag everything and anything that that plant has touched or at least use bleach to clean.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/lessons/fungi/ascomycetes/Pages/WhiteMold.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sclerotinia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-25T22:13:14.353" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34163" CreationDate="2017-06-25T22:32:16.627" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Decomposed organic matter is the only thing you want to use to improve soil. Not to use to plant plants in or to use for fertilizer.  20 years means that sawdust is decomposed.  Just putting this stuff on top of your beds/soil will feed the soil organisms who come up to eat (this is their one and only diet, decomposed organic material) then go back into the soil profile to poop it out mixing the organic material into the soil with no help from you.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Forget about bringing in potting soil or any other amendments to improve your soil. The only ONLY thing that improves ALL soils is decomposed organic matter.  Read decomposed!  You've got it.  Just spread it on top of your plant beds.  This feeds and causes your micro and macro soil organisms to multiply for a LIVE soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clay is a wonderful soil. You do need to understand how to manage this soil.  You need to have raised beds, not raised beds with lumber or cinder block sides, just double dug, turned over soil via the good old shovel.  Never use a rototiller for your soil.  Your decomposed sawdust is GOLD.  As you double dig to fruff up your soil throw shovelfulls of this stuff into the soil.  Leave plenty to cover the tops of your beds with this decomposed sawdust/organic matter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be sure to make 6&quot;X6&quot; trenches at the bottom of these beds (you'll have to rake smooth, compact using a piece of plywood before planting seeds or starts) dig down a good foot to foot and one half.  Your beds will easily be 3 or 4 feet high, rake, flatten, and compact with the plywood with you jumping up and down on top...they will compact to less than a foot and over time might only be 8&quot; high.  Winter or spring cleaning out the trenches will bring them up a bit higher, again compact before planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Always fertilize with a balanced fertilizer. Always rotate your crops as in no tomatoes grown in the same soil (or eggplant or potatoes or peppers) for at least 2 years.  Keep your walkways separate from your plant beds.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That decomposed sawdust is all you need to improve your clay soil.  Seriously.  Raised beds as I described, put more on top of the soil, add balanced fertilizer, get a soil test, water deeply and only water when the soil has had a chance to dry out.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8yuai.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8yuai.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;normal raised beds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-25T22:32:16.627" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34175" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-25T23:36:03.637" Score="2" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this plant? It was purchased in southern Oregon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CCnag.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CCnag.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo June 25, 2017&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18042" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T00:49:07.760" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T00:49:07.760" Title="What is this bonsai plant with red-tinged leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34176" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34175" CreationDate="2017-06-25T23:41:52.920" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Berberis thunbergii atropurpureum, maybe 'nana', the dwarf version with a height of around 50 cm or the larger version which gets around a metre and a half planted in the ground. It's deciduous, and needs to be kept outdoors with at least 3 or 4 hours direct sunlight - without sun, the leaves will turn plain green. It will need protection from temperatures below -5degC, so plan to move indoors to a very cool room briefly or into a greenhouse until temperatures rise again, but don't keep it inside any longer than you have to. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsai4me.co.uk/SpeciesGuide/Berberis.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.bonsai4me.co.uk/SpeciesGuide/Berberis.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-06-27T00:36:40.353" LastActivityDate="2017-06-27T00:36:40.353" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34177" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34178" CreationDate="2017-06-26T00:55:22.707" Score="3" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qCOwh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qCOwh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look at the sprout on the right: You can see there is a clump of dirt and a little mineral thing stuck on its &quot;head&quot;. Should I let it keep growing like this? Should I pick it off? I'm worried about damaging it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are Basil sprouts, in an indoor pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17967" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T10:14:04.307" Title="How should I &quot;free&quot; these trapped sprouts?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34178" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34177" CreationDate="2017-06-26T01:42:13.220" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leave them be. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They will either pop open by themselves, or die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you try to help (well, when I used to try to help) the overall success of the operation tends to be less than just letting them be, as it's all too easy to kill the plant while trying to &quot;help&quot; it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T01:42:13.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34179" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-26T03:45:28.967" Score="3" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AXugX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AXugX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hello! My daughter and I planted a veggie garden together and cannot remember what we planted! We have no idea what this is?  Anyone know?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18045" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-26T17:39:04.077" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T17:39:04.077" Title="What kind of vegetable plant is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34180" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34179" CreationDate="2017-06-26T06:51:37.833" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a very good-looking kind of the kale family.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be unattended brussels sprouts, because of the numerous ramifications bearing flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T06:51:37.833" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34181" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-26T08:40:44.667" Score="3" ViewCount="784" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is related to one of my old questions here:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30709/centering-opuntia-cactus&quot;&gt;Centering Opuntia Cactus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, my opuntia has grown much bigger as can be seen in the picture below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0bM15.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0bM15.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Opuntia Cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The base is still very narrow and the plant tends to completely bend whenever it rains, so I temporarily have a stick supporting it from doing so. Pretty soon the wind will make it bend the other side and I will have to move the stick to the other side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the question now is, what do I do about this? Do I still continue to leave the plant as is or would it be better to perhaps cut the pod such that the four pods on the top left are together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If to cut, then where. Do I cut at the narrowest (joint) of the big pod and the other (single) big one below or do I cut in the half of the big one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read somewhere that the bottom most pod should swell and accommodate the entire plant, but after a year, it does not seem to be doing that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16650" LastActivityDate="2017-12-09T07:10:31.773" Title="Opuntia Cactus: To cut or not to cut?" Tags="&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34182" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34177" CreationDate="2017-06-26T10:14:04.307" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I see it, I try to remove the seed shell, also on wild plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just try to remove softly, and it there is resistance, wait an other day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can, follow Ecnerwal advice &quot;leave them be&quot;.  I just cannot leave them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T10:14:04.307" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34183" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34132" CreationDate="2017-06-26T11:02:52.570" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had the same problem. Maybe this can help you: Septoria leaf spot, or Septoria lycopersici, is a fungus that looks like gray or brown spots surrounded by yellowed areas, and usually starts at the lowest leaves. Do what you can to reduce moisture in the area by removing affected leaves, watering the soil without wetting the leaves, and doing what you can to increase air movement to help evaporation. Be careful not to cross-contaminate. Use a fungicide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18046" LastEditorUserId="18046" LastEditDate="2017-06-26T11:44:55.380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T11:44:55.380" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34184" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25257" CreationDate="2017-06-26T11:14:16.183" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the solution is Laying the Foundation for a Rock Garden. &#xA;A good foundation is everything. Even if you have the ideal natural slope for building a rock garden, experts advise taking the time to dig up the area to put in a proper foundation. That's because most rock garden plants need soil to be at once water-retentive and quick-draining.&#xA;Large rocks are entirely optional, but you can use them to create your own Zen garden or to provide natural seating in the landscape.&#xA;If you prefer not to add plants to the landscape, you can choose colorful rocks to make up for the lack of color in the rock garden.&#xA;Some landscapers suggest spreading the gravel before laying medium and large rocks, but placing the larger rocks first prevents you from wasting gravel that remains concealed under the larger rocks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this will help you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18046" LastEditorUserId="18046" LastEditDate="2017-06-26T11:49:09.310" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T11:49:09.310" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19679" CreationDate="2017-06-26T11:34:29.680" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow many types of pepper. Banana Peppers and Poblanos are my favorite peppers. Unfortunately some of the time, they don't like to produce without a little nudge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I always sit with my plants,  speaking to them like a loon. Touching them and feeling their strength and smoothness. Leafs stem and all.  The pollen pods that shutter out from the center of each flower you should take keen attention to. Wind will take care of self pollination, but not always the case. Like the other answer suggest for advice,  use a little brush and go flower to flower.  Eventually it will no longer need it.  The larger the plant grows the easier it shall pollinate itself, just like a baby at a young age, they need a little help and a push.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17861" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T11:34:29.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27187" CreationDate="2017-06-26T16:06:26.760" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stunted corn sucks. Soil needs to be top notch and the climate perfect for corn to grow.  Corn is known as a devestator of soil nutrients. You need to use fertilizer when growing corn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They suck dry the soil and basicly make it barren, so keep that in mind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17861" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T16:06:26.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34189" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-26T17:30:44.417" Score="6" ViewCount="656" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every time I try to propagate a baby spider plant into a new pot from its parent, the babies die after a week. Their leaves turn yellow and fall. Their roots rot. Why is this happening? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18050" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-26T17:36:24.977" LastActivityDate="2017-06-27T16:11:59.147" Title="How can I propagate a baby spider plant?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34190" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-26T17:38:19.567" Score="5" ViewCount="579" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in Zone 9b and want to attract butterflies and dragonflies in my backyard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do and what plants do I need to grow to encourage them to stay around?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-06-26T22:36:03.957" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T22:36:03.957" Title="Plants that attract butterflies and dragonflies" Tags="&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;butterflies&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="463" CreationDate="2017-06-26T17:52:21.867" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ailanthus is also invasive in my region (Pennsylvania).  Once it has a strong root structure (as in your situation) the only way to eradicate it is to kill the root system.  Glyphosate (e.g., Roundup) on leaves can be effective on small roots, and if you persistently soak shoots you might eliminate it after a few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However the now preferred method for dealing with a hardy ailanthus infestation is &quot;basal application&quot; of triclopyr in a 5% concentration with a miscible oil (diesel is used most commonly): Thoroughly spray the circumference of any growing wood from the ground up to 15&quot;.  This will carry the triclopyr into the root system where it can kill within a few weeks.  (Although if you only have small shoots from large roots, it may take multiple applications to get enough of the herbicide into the roots to kill them.)  If you aren't careless with overspray this will not affect any surrounding plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18051" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T17:52:21.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34192" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-26T18:10:32.413" Score="4" ViewCount="462" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two days ago I had soil of pH 5.5. I impatiently planted my lavender and now I'm worried because lavender needs a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did mix the soil with about 1/4 (volume) of quartz sand and some small stones, but I guess that only avoids the soil being soaked and doesn't influence the pH value. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tap water, which is what I use for watering, has an average pH of 7.6 over here (Berlin, that is) - might that help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) How badly did I mess up? I really want this lavender to thrive and to survive the winter. I already killed a whole balcony full of lavender last year because I didn't know about the importance of avoiding soaked soil, and I just can't live through that again &lt;em&gt;cue dramatic gesture&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) Is there a somewhat easy way to increase the pH value at root level now that they're planted? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I read somewhere that limestone takes years to permeate the soil when added to the top of it &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;.. or should I add baking soda into my water (ratio of baking soda per liter [gallon] of soil anyone?) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;.. or should I get &quot;pH up&quot; solution for hydroponic growing equipment (I think they're mainly sold for people who homegrow weed) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;.. or should I dig the plants back up, mix in limestone and replant them? After two days the roots probably haven't grown into the added soil yet and it wouldn't bother the plants (?). It would just be annoying for the human involved.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/onS25.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/onS25.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;These are my beauties&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18052" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-06-26T20:28:19.967" LastActivityDate="2017-06-27T05:58:01.250" Title="Increase pH value of already planted soil in a balcony flower box?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;ph&gt;&lt;lavender&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34193" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34192" CreationDate="2017-06-26T18:43:51.377" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;How did you test your soil?  I am impressed that you've done this.  Is this a mix of your own or was this from bagged potting soil?  Bagged potting soil is all that should ever be used in pots...no sand, gravel or other amendments that haven't gone through a sterilization process.  Sand and gravel do not increase drainage, in fact if there is a layer of sand or gravel or rocks at the bottom of the soil you will have created a perched water table. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your lavender look very healthy.  Yes, you can easily transplant each of these plants with no problem.  Think about the size each of these plants will eventually try to be; 3'X3'.  They will survive just fine in this pot because they are indoors and not getting enough light nor room to grow to their natural size...for awhile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using your tap water will help to raise the pH.  Lime sprinkled right on top will help raise the pH.  What are you using for fertilizer?  The green of your plants looks anemic but it could also be the photograph.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let us know how you planted, what soil you used before adding sand, if there is only soil in that rectangular pot, anything else that you have added.  If you've not added any fertilizer; go get Osmocote 14-14-14.  Use at the most 2X per year for indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that these plants will fill this pot, very pretty.  Think about selecting a new type of plant and relocating this lavender to the out of doors landscape.  Make sure you acclimate them.  You will have to use a knife to slice between plants and plant each chunk separately...hopefully together with 2 feet between each plant.  Do this in the early spring.  If you like your lavender indoors you could try larger pots that sit outside on a covered porch for the summer, bring them in for the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We could talk about how to prune these guys.  Very important for lavender.  With a little fertilizer and hopefully we hear that no rock or gravel was installed between the soil and the drainage hole...this pot should be just fine until next year.  Glad you see that allowing the soil to dry is important for this plant!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just get some dolomite lime to sprinkle on top of the soil.  Make sure that soil is potting soil.  Do not add anything else; just soil in that pot.  I really like the gravel below the pot and the saucer!  Keep pouring out the excess water.  Water deeply but only when that soil is dry.  And a little fertilizer.  This Osmocote (I hate promoting any of their products...except for this fertilizer) is extended release.  Just enough, not too much, lasts for 4 to 6 months depending on light and volume. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T18:43:51.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34194" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34190" CreationDate="2017-06-26T18:47:31.993" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've always thought of dragonflies as being water-loving - that is where you see them, near rivers and ponds. And their larvae are aquatic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you need a pond if you want dragonflies that aren't simply fly-throughs. Our current house has a pond and we get a number of varieties of dragonfly in the summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes we have mosquitoes, but as far as I can tell they are not from the pond itself, but we're in Texas and they're from the other usual sources (standing water, water trays, etc). We do have quite a few fish in the pond and these appear to keep on top of the mosquito larvae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do the fish eat dragonfly larvae? Possibly. Dragonfly larvae are meant to be quite ferocious creatures so they might be able to fight back. I have seen dragonflies lay eggs in the pond, but have yet to see any emerge (perhaps I haven't been looking close enough in the right places).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-06-26T18:52:05.713" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T18:52:05.713" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34195" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34065" CreationDate="2017-06-26T19:20:31.987" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;An option, looking at the different members of the family, seem to suggest a &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/bean/southern_green_stink_bug.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;southern green stink bug&lt;/a&gt;. Should it be handpicked remaining an open question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14438" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T19:20:31.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34196" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34189" CreationDate="2017-06-26T19:41:37.667" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe you are simply over watering the baby plant, or the soil you are using does not provide enough drainage. But there are a few ways we can work around that problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;A Quick Background on Spider Plant Propagation&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can think of few things &lt;em&gt;easier&lt;/em&gt; to propagate than a spider plant. Those little baby spiders hanging from the flower stalks (stolen) are each a complete plant with leaves, a crown, and aerial roots from which the root hairs will grow readily. A baby spider is almost a self-sustaining plant, so you don't need to submerge it in a lot of water like you might when rooting a stem cutting without roots of their own (although starting spider plants in water will often work, too).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The general idea is to simply clip that stolen from the main plant and place the areal roots in some moist potting soil mix. Avoid covering the entire crown or submerging the leaves of the plant below the soil level (this my be where your &lt;em&gt;rotting&lt;/em&gt; problem is coming from). The new roots should grow quickly from the areal roots, so the daughter plant should do fine in the same growing conditions as the parent plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are still having difficulty with rotting, there's another method of propagating spider plants that may prove to be a bit more forgiving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;A different approach&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Try leaving the baby spider attached to the parent plant&lt;/strong&gt; and rest the aerial roots on a pot of well-drained, prepared garden soil mix. Push the aerial roots just a bit into the soil, but don't go too deep. You don't want to submerge the crown or leaves below the soil surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, keep the soil moist, but not too wet. Since the plantlet is still sustained by the parent plant, this gives you a bit of leeway with that &amp;quot;lifeline&amp;quot; if you don't get the watering right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're goal for the next few weeks is to simply keep the soil from completely drying out or becoming overly saturated. Don't overwater. In a few weeks, you should have a self-sustaining plant you can cut away from the parent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a quick video to see how it looks in actual practice:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMbFzqVSYjQ&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Propagating a Spider Plant — Chlorophytum Comosum&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-06-27T16:11:59.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34198" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34190" CreationDate="2017-06-26T21:35:30.517" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Attracting and keeping butterflies around depends on two things - the nectar rich plants they like, and the food plants for their larvae. If you just have nectar rich plants they like, then they will visit, but they won't be able to lay eggs unless there are also host plants.Some of those host plants may not be things you want in your garden - nettles are the host plant for Small Tortoiseshell butterfly eggs in the UK, but we don't all have room for a large nettle patch. Milkweed and asters are common host plants for butterfly eggs in the USA, so you might not mind those too much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That said, here's some info on plants butterflies like - whether all are suitable for your zone you'd need to check &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.almanac.com/content/plants-attract-butterflies&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.almanac.com/content/plants-attract-butterflies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for dragonflies, I've never seen those anywhere but over bodies of water, in particular, moving water like streams and rivers. Butterflies, though, also appreciate access to water, but it doesn't mean they won't visit if there is none.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-06-26T21:35:30.517" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34200" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-26T22:59:01.410" Score="4" ViewCount="173" Body="&lt;p&gt;I took some cuttings from my basil plant to make a new plant but they flowered when I had them in water to grew roots. The new plants leaves have grown and looks and smell great but it's not growing tall. Will it eventually grow taller and is there anything I can do to help? Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18055" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T01:43:00.243" Title="Basil cuttings at the wrong time perhaps?" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34201" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-27T00:48:56.420" Score="6" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this fern from the super market, but they don't have any identification on it. Can you please help identify it so that I know how to take care of it.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zBCzl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zBCzl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15262" LastActivityDate="2018-01-31T02:44:07.717" Title="Help identify a fern" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34192" CreationDate="2017-06-27T01:23:10.153" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to use the mix you've made (probably more fun than buying new), go ahead and taker the plants back out - since they were planted 2 days ago, there will be no setback. Take 1/4 lb of agricultural lime and mix it thoroughly into the soil (I think that should be the right proportion for the soil you have), to bring the pH back up to 6.8-7.0. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shouldn't take more than 10-15 minutes from start to cleanup, the plants can go right back in. I see it's an option you listed, and it's definitely the one I'd go with, if you think it's worth the time. After a month or so, I'd check the pH again to check if it's in the range you want. If it needs adjustment after that, it'll probably be very minimal and not require removing the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-06-27T01:23:10.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34203" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34205" CreationDate="2017-06-27T01:41:59.840" Score="4" ViewCount="2882" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two days ago I noticed a mysterious and short-lived mushroom in my planter that is housing a flowering &quot;Carnival Blend&quot; bell pepper plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yesterday it looked like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ElPZ4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ElPZ4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mushroom in Planter.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ag5fL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ag5fL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another Picture of the Mushroom in the Planter.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today the mushroom is dead and I can barely see any remnant of it.  Some caterpillar was eating it and it seemed to have a quick lifecycle (I don't know much about mushrooms and came to that conclusion because it sprouted and fanned out in two to three days).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are the peppers and other nearby plants still safe to eat?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use a lot of home-dug &quot;forest dirt&quot; in my bed and planters so seeing a mushroom doesn't surprise me.  I'm curious as to whether others think I even worry too much about this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17484" LastActivityDate="2018-08-18T17:27:18.483" Title="Is Plant Still Safe to Eat If Mysterious Mushroom Grew in the Same Planter?" Tags="&lt;mushrooms&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34204" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-27T01:55:08.810" Score="5" ViewCount="187" Body="&lt;p&gt;If soil smells sour will it make garden vegetables inedible? the pot my peppers were growing in didn't drain well. I fixed it, but every time I water them it still smells sour. Are the peppers going to be safe to eat?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18056" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-06-27T02:10:42.180" LastActivityDate="2017-06-27T02:10:42.180" Title="Is it safe to eat veggies grown in soil that has soured?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34203" CreationDate="2017-06-27T01:58:56.687" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could be a Mycena, Amanita, maybe others, I'm not an expert so I'd need to have a closer examination and a spore deposit to give you a real ID on the mushrooms. The mycelium is in the mix digesting partly decomposed organic matter. the mushrooms you saw are just the fruiting bodies and do not represent the lifespan of the fungus, which is probably still there. It's normal for many mushrooms to complete their reproductive growth in a few days or less. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you took this litter off the forest floor, I am not surprised to see a mushroom, at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To answer you're question, odds are that the mushroom is probably not edible, but also probably not highly toxic. if none of the pepper fruit touched/rubbed the mushrooms, you should be absolutely fine. Also, i know you didn't ask, but what you have might be more acidic than what peppers grow well in, and decomposing woody matter will be pulling nitrogen. You might notice effects from that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-06-27T01:58:56.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34203" CreationDate="2017-06-27T02:02:49.753" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Parasola plicatilis, previously known as Coprinus, common name pleated inkcap. These are delicate mushrooms with a short lifespan of 24-72 hours - nothing much to worry about, they are saprobic, a decomposer mushroom usually found in grassy areas or sometimes forest edges, but there is some suggestion they might possibly have psychoactive properties. Not considered edible, but may be toxic if consumed because of the psychoactive possibility, though its not listed as poisonous. Info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/parasola-plicatilis.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/parasola-plicatilis.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you use forest soil, then as you say, this kind of thing is to be expected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-06-27T12:02:59.820" LastActivityDate="2017-06-27T12:02:59.820" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34204" CreationDate="2017-06-27T02:09:12.030" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, your peppers will be safe to eat. the only chance of contamination is if soil from your planter splashes onto the fruit, but they can be washed, and soured soil isn't much higher in human pathogens than healthy soil is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Checking for good drainage is always a key component to container gardening, (any gardening, actually, but most problems cropping up are from containers) because almost all plants need plenty of oxygen in the soil, in order to thrive. I'd also look into soilless potting mixes in the future, as they drain well and do not sour easily. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the soil pulled in from the edges when it dried, and is hard or compacted, you can take a pencil and push it into the soil throughout the pot, to loosen the soil and allow it to breathe. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-06-27T02:09:12.030" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34208" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-27T02:37:09.077" Score="8" ViewCount="427" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a medium-sized tree on my property that’s in trouble (it’s some sort of fruiting berry tree: cherry?). I just noticed that it is way behind the other trees in terms of leaves, about 1/3 of the tree has no leaves at all and the other 2/3 seems to have a limited number of small leaves. Certainly nothing like what I would expect for late-June in New Hampshire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Upon closer inspection I noticed that there are hundreds or thousands of small holes in rows. They are about 1/4” in diameter and absolutely cover the main trunk of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on a quick search it seems like maybe this is the result of a woodpecker? I do not recall hearing any incessant pecking but obviously something has done some damage to this tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is two-part: 1) is there anything that can be done to save this tree? Will it be OK with very limited leaves for the season? 2) Is there anything I should do to protect the other trees on the property? This is the only tree of its type we have, but there are many other maple, birch, and apple trees that I would hate to lose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oDM8f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oDM8f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zSTfu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zSTfu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2212" LastEditorUserId="18051" LastEditDate="2017-06-27T18:02:02.080" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T07:03:03.377" Title="Dying tree with many holes" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34209" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34192" CreationDate="2017-06-27T05:58:01.250" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd be more concerned about your lavender not making through the winter because of temperature. I looked up climate info for Berlin to get a better idea how lavender would fare unprotected in winter. I don't know what sort of numbering system you use, but your zone is a little colder than mine but not much. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now no matter what perennial you're growing in the balcony planter, you can drop the zone by 2 or 3. In other words, if the lavender cultivar you're growing is hardy to zone 5 and you live in zone 6, your balcony soil would be more like 3 or 4. Your lavender would have no hope of surviving. If your zone is 8, the lavender &lt;em&gt;should&lt;/em&gt; survive winter &lt;strong&gt;unless&lt;/strong&gt; you get a particularly bad cold snap in the late fall or early winter before the plants have acclimatized to colder weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil in containers doesn't have the residual heat that's stored in the ground to protect perennials through winter. Do you have any place you can keep your planter through winter where it's cold but not freezing? I don't know how else you could protect it to cold exposure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for soil pH as you originally asked, I used to stir limestone (powder) into the soil around lime-loving plants like pinks, lilac and baby's breath. Please DON'T use baking powder! If you want, you could put limestone in a container with water and let it sit for a few days. Use that for watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-06-27T05:58:01.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34210" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-27T14:01:13.020" Score="6" ViewCount="1522" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Lucky Bamboo has recently turned yellow. Each stalk is bright yellow and I noticed it turning that color around 2 days ago. But before that it was pretty healthy. I also did transplant it, (cut off the new stalks and plant the old ones back in the rocks.) around 2 weeks ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is whether the plant will revive if I begin following what everyone recommends such as maintaining the plant in room temperature, not using too cold of water, and just the right amount of sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cmm2Y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cmm2Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This is what it looks like right now.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18057" LastEditorUserId="18057" LastEditDate="2017-06-27T16:25:48.617" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T14:39:35.707" Title="Will my Lucky Bamboo go back to full health?" Tags="&lt;lucky-bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34211" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34208" CreationDate="2017-06-27T15:14:51.110" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;this looks like ant damage to me; whatever did the damage, there must be some sign of them...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I dont know what kind of tree it is, but it isn't a cherry... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think this tree is pretty much dead, if you cut it down below the damage and it regrows, it could be ok, but I think whatever kind of tree it is, it is vulnerable to whatever kind of damage this is, and you would be better off to replace it with a dissimilar tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:&#xA;ok it is a woodpecker... It didn't look like the holes of the woodpeckers that I have seen but it does look just like the sapsucker damage I found here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mmeara.wordpress.com/tag/woodpeckers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rat-a-Tat-Tat! Woodpeckers In The Garden&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-06-29T07:03:03.377" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T07:03:03.377" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34212" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34200" CreationDate="2017-06-27T15:21:13.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From my experience (as well as a number of resources I found like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thekitchn.com/flowers-on-your-basil-plants-p-151221&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt;), whenever a basil plant starts flowering, it stops growing (in fact, it is recommended that you pinch off any buds if you want it to keep growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure if there's anything you can do to make it grow taller at this point unfortunately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18001" LastActivityDate="2017-06-27T15:21:13.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34213" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34208" CreationDate="2017-06-27T15:49:56.520" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is nothing you can do to save the tree at this point: It has been &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girdling#By_animals&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;girdled by a sapsucker&lt;/a&gt;, which means that the roots are effectively dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Knowing that the damage was caused by &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapsucker&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;a bird of that genus&lt;/a&gt;, you could keep an eye out for such birds and for similar patterns of damage.  Until a tree has been completely girdled it can usually still be saved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18051" LastActivityDate="2017-06-27T15:49:56.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34214" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34210" CreationDate="2017-06-27T15:59:59.927" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, once the stem or leaves start to yellow, they are very &lt;em&gt;unlikely&lt;/em&gt; to recover, even if the growing conditions improve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;But the plant is not necessarily lost.&lt;/strong&gt; You have two options.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The botanical name for &amp;quot;lucky bamboo&amp;quot; is &lt;em&gt;Dracaena sanderiana&lt;/em&gt; (commonly referred to as a Dracaena plant). If this a larger, mature plant with multiple side shoots, you can prune off the individual yellowed leaves or the entire side shoot (if the stem itself is turning yellow), and that should stimulate new growth and recover nicely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But if this is still a young plant (as pictured below), you will want to cut off the yellowed parts, possibly starting a new plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9IGWb.png&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Propagating Lucky Bamboo&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Propagating a lucky bamboo is easy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Select a stalk for propagating.&lt;/strong&gt; Select a stem that has the most healthy green growth at the top and cut it off cleanly with a sharp knife or pruning scissors. Make sure you don't include any of the yellowing stem. You want to cut through the healthy green part of the plant an inch or two below one of the ring segments encircling the stem.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remove the bottom leaves.&lt;/strong&gt; From your stem cutting, leave only a few mature leaves at the top of the shoot. You want all the energy of the plant going into growing new roots, not supporting excessive foliage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Place the cutting in soil or water.&lt;/strong&gt; Lucky bamboo cuttings can be rooted in either water or soil; I've had better luck starting with water, then transplanting it once the roots have developed. Push the stem into the soil/water about 1-2 inches, making sure at least 1-2 of the growing segments are submerged (this is where the roots will sprout from). If you use soil, keep it constantly moist (don't let it dry out). If you use water, change the water often to avoid it becoming stagnant.  In 1-2 months, the plant should have developed several roots from the cut end and you can decide what to do with it from there.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Transplant as desired.&lt;/strong&gt; Some people leave their lucky bamboo growing in water indefinitely. This is mostly an an aesthetic preference grown mostly for the temporary novelty of it. The rooted plant will eventually grow new shoots and you can propagated it again and again using the same method. But if you want the strongest possible plant, you will eventually need to transplant it to grow into a larger potted specimen. Regular garden soil will be fine. Keep it most (but not wet). Dracaena can take shade to bright light, but keep it out of direct sunlight; it will tend to burn the plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="85" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T14:39:35.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34215" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34208" CreationDate="2017-06-27T16:11:48.113" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yellow belly sapsucker, it likely happened in early spring; they make the holes then come back later to eat any bugs. Unlikely that it caused the tree to die. The tree looks pretty far gone , now other woodpeckers will come to get insects from the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-06-27T16:11:48.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34216" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34217" CreationDate="2017-06-27T17:03:36.817" Score="5" ViewCount="19175" Body="&lt;p&gt;I thought this was a red beet, but I am not so sure, as it got huge very quickly. It has red veins all over it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Wgsl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Wgsl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18058" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-28T02:58:42.507" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T02:58:42.507" Title="What is this large, fast-growing plant with red stems and leaf veins?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34216" CreationDate="2017-06-27T19:18:33.270" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Amaranth&lt;/a&gt;. It's also called 'Pigweed' and this plant is tremendous for nutrition.  Amaranth is a very cool plant.  It is called a Wonder Food known by even our ancestors.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is an Amaranth.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ortcs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ortcs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.goodcook.de/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/amaranth-pflanze.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This looks like your Amaranth plant.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/okRWQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/okRWQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://duffitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Amaranth.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-06-28T02:54:59.613" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T02:54:59.613" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34218" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34201" CreationDate="2017-06-27T20:02:00.467" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is definitely not a Boston, but this is from the fern family. The care is about the same as any fern. Keep it moist not wet. The temperatures should be 50°F-55°F at night, and up to 72°F in the day. Give it indirect light, not full sun. I love ferns but personally they're a little fussy for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14436" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-31T02:44:07.717" LastActivityDate="2018-01-31T02:44:07.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34219" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33556" CreationDate="2017-06-27T20:23:44.177" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Firstly, I don't think that pen is nearly big enough for that person. :). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Secondly, you're describing installing this turf as intended for use with humans. Considering the use it'll be put to, as a cat pen and a potty pen for the dog, I'd probably put more of the same stones you already have to fill in that back grassy corner, cut the AstroTurf to fit, and use the pavers to hold it in place because of wind from storms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's my thinking. Cats don't like water and you're planning on your dog regularly peeing on it. You don't want standing puddles either way. These animals aren't going to weight enough or be rowdy enough to move this mat in all likely hood, especially with the pavers weighing it down. Pee and rain water can easily drain out through the stones. You can use a water hose for a quick clean and simply take out he pavers, remove the whole mat, and use a hose and tire brush for a thorough cleaning. The stones will be easy to tamp back flat. Replace the mat and pavers, and it's like brand new.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2017-06-27T20:23:44.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34220" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-27T23:31:51.957" Score="6" ViewCount="517" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is the condition of this stem something to be concerned about?  The plant seems healthy otherwise as well as the other tomato plants in the raised bed.  Do I need to rip it out and destroy it?  I've dealt with Septorium Leaf Spot in the past,  hence the grass mulch. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fa5y7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fa5y7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oA3Tz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oA3Tz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T2nOW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T2nOW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FmI2k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FmI2k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N6iuI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N6iuI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastEditorUserId="2174" LastEditDate="2017-06-28T00:45:55.390" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T13:52:28.007" Title="Is this tomato stem rot contagious?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="12" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34222" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-28T01:30:36.350" Score="5" ViewCount="569" Body="&lt;h1&gt;Situation:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Homes Back Yard borders a rural road, say 1 car per minute.&#xA;There was a line of some kind of arborvitae planted there ~10 years prior. Tree health various from OK to long dead on the tree line, the two hollys seem ok. See photos below. Roughly 30 trees along the 160ft property line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tree height is great on many of these trees, 20+ feet. Most of the death is at the bottom of the trees. I would hate to rip everything out and replant 6-8 ft trees. (Location NY, no one has any mature trees, remaining fall out from Hurricane Sandy.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any hope for these trees, or any idea what has/is killing them?&#xA;If the tree has growth at the top but is dead cooked at the bottom is the tree alive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A pool is going in the backyard within the coming year, so I am actually thinking of building a 6-8ft privacy fence in front of the tree line and leaving the trees. I Would then slowly cut out the dead trees and plant new trees (different species I suspect). Any thoughts on this? In that regard the backyard viewer would only see the fence and then the tree tops (still alive) as the fully dead trees are slowly removed and new trees are replanted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Question:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would you do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ultimate Goal:&lt;/strong&gt; Total visibility blockage of road from backyard and 2nd floor of house. So 20+ft of blockage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Patience:&lt;/strong&gt; limited.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yMMcl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yMMcl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/duJlE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/duJlE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18061" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T02:50:34.167" Title="Advice Needed - Dying? Tree line (privacy desired)" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;&lt;fence&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34200" CreationDate="2017-06-28T01:43:00.243" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your new baby vegatatively grown basil plants have no memory of early bolting.  Not to worry.  The best way to inhibit reproductive growth is by only using a balanced fertilizer where the N is lower in percentage than the phosphorous and potassium.  Otherwise, cutting the reproductive growth off will help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basil is an annual...above the tropic of Capricorn.  Annuals have one job in life; to produce seed.  That is why they are so profuse with flowers.  But once an annual produces seed its life is done.  The best way to deal with this is via proper balanced fertilizer with N lower in percentage than P and K...and cutting those babies off!.  The energy is diverted back to the entire plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How did you culture your new basil plants? Are they in garden soil?  Are they in pots far too large?  Did you fertilize?  Answers to these questions will help to define the problem.  Please send pictures!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T01:43:00.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34222" CreationDate="2017-06-28T03:08:14.183" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The bottom branches dying is perfectly normal, as they get shaded out (they also have more deer pressure, assuming a typical presence of rats-with-hooves in your neighborhood.) That is not a sign of a dying tree at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maintaining greenery to the ground requires actively trimming and shaping to keep the tops from shading out the bottoms - I don't think there's much hope for walking that back when they have gone this far, it has to be done every year (at least) from when they are small, and normally requires limiting the overall height so it can be done without absurdly expensive equipment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T03:08:14.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34225" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34222" CreationDate="2017-06-28T03:29:42.487" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not an easy answer to give you as there are a number of unknown factors. Perhaps you can say more about them by editing your question or even post additional information under your question in a comment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I downloaded your two images and brightened the backyard photo so I could see it better as it was too dark. I took a closer look at the other brighter photo too. The photos were taken on an overcast day, I guess, as I wanted an idea what direction sunlight would fall on the trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let's say if you build the fence and the sun shines on the fence and the trees are behind (on the north side), any trees you plant will be in the shade and won't thrive. They may soon end up dying too. The newly planted trees won't have to contend only with the fence but also the larger trees shading them. Now if the sun shines from the other side, and enough sunlight falls there, they have a much better chance of growing. But remember, the sides facing the fence though still won't get as much light as the side the sun hits, so they'll be bushier on the sun side and thinner on the fence side. As long as the fence isn't right next to the trees, that won't be a big concern. The tree line and your property border likely don't run nicely west and east. So go outside on a sunny day and take note of how many hours of sun they'd get. Check in the morning, early afternoon and early evening to know for sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I foubt anyone will be able to diagnose the cause of the bare growth on the  bottom of some trees while green and healthy looking above. It's a bit like emailing a somewhat blurry photo of a rash to a doctor who doesn't know you and asking for a diagnosis. Some trees lose bottom leaves/needles naturally as they grow, with others there may be an insect infestation taking hold, or unusual weather conditions for a couple of years or any number of other causes. I live in a part of Canada where winters are pretty mild and roads are little salted in winter so I don't know what salt damage looks like. Do your roads get salted much? I wonder if there's salty melt water running off in the area where the affected trees are. Hopefully, someone here should be familiar with salt damage and chime in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pretty sure stormy (active member here) should have some suggestions for you on suitable trees and what can be done. I'm not into commercial landscaping as he (she?) is so my advice is limited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T03:29:42.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34226" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34222" CreationDate="2017-06-28T08:21:18.370" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like you have a dead cypress in the back. This could be disease. Shouldn't happen to the firs to the left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would have been possible to keep the silver firs thick at the base by cutting the top earlier. Now it is too late.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the place gets 2-3 ours of sun during summer, then you may consider building a quick and easy to trim (but trim it narrow each year) tree wall by planting 1 meter high &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornbeam&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hornbeams&lt;/a&gt;. It might be a little budget and work, but it will grow quick with good fertilized soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T08:21:18.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34227" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33559" CreationDate="2017-06-28T10:39:24.807" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soft water is probably going to be &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/softened-water-and-plants.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a big problem&lt;/a&gt;, due to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC139373/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sodium content&lt;/a&gt;. This may be why your plants don't appear to be absorbing water well (and why they're so prone to sunscald). Potassium deficiency is another likely cause of the thin leaves, if you're not using potassium to soften your water (and definitely of the weak look to the plants). Potassium strengthens plants a lot and helps them absorb water (sodium can interfere with water absorption), although potassium in over-abundance may cause stunting and yellowing, too. However, if it has both sodium toxicity and potassium deficiency, I'm not sure that potassium will help in an already salty soil. I don't know, though, but people say it's a bad idea to add fertilizer and mineral salts to extra-salty soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The light-colored patches appear to be sunscald. A nutrient-deprived plant can seem to be more prone to stuff like that. It's possible that there are too much aridity and heat stress for the plants, too. Potassium also helps with heat-tolerance (as does magnesium). The plants may also have had low light levels before transitioning to the hardening off phase. Extra organic matter may help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Misting your plants (not with soft water) may help their leaves to absorb more water, and may strengthen the plants, due to the wind-like pressure of the water, and due to the foliar application of whatever nutrients happen to be in the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, the plants look like they need extra nutrients and to adjust to the sun, but it sounds like soft water may be the main problem. Rainwater is really great for plants, but regular water (or even city water) should be an improvement over soft water. If you can give the plants new non-salty soil and turn the softener off when you water, that may help (unless the regular water kills plants). City water can be pretty bad sometimes, but it really depends. Our city water works, but plants definitely prefer rainwater or filtered water to our city water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much salt may impact the roots of your plants. I had a pepper with too much salt that died of root rot. This is likely because it didn't absorb enough water (so, it got too much water in the container; you'd think salt would deter the microbes that cause root rot, but it didn't in this case). So, a drying-out plant, in this case, probably would have done better with little water (not more).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've been growing them on soft water all along, the salt content may not have begun super high, but may have accumulated. Salt (in the form of sea minerals, at least) can be beneficial to plants in small amounts, but in my experience, there comes a time when it's too much (and that time doesn't necessarily come right away).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure how much hope there is for your plants, but I would replace the soil (or else transplant somewhere shady, removing the old salty soil when you do) and add potassium (and non-soft water). I would also mist the plants (without soft water). I would add phosphorus, too, but that's me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Repotting may stress the plant further, though. I'd probably just transplant it at this point (and shade it), as that probably wouldn't be much different than repotting while hardening off. Don't transplant when it's sunny (I prefer to do it at sunset or when it's cloudy).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever you do, don't water the garden with soft water. It may have some long-lasting consequences.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T10:39:24.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34228" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-28T15:26:05.230" Score="6" ViewCount="5489" Body="&lt;p&gt;A deer got at my peas and beans. The peas seem to still have some leaves and stem. The beans are missing most of their leaves. Do either plants have any chance of regrowing or should I scrap them all and replant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16331" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-06-28T16:28:02.267" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T16:28:13.260" Title="Will beans or peas grow back after being topped by a deer?" Tags="&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;beans&gt;&lt;peas&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34229" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34228" CreationDate="2017-06-28T16:23:47.733" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends a bit on how much plant material is left, but typically they will grow back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I regularly pinch off the tops of my young pea plans and serve them in salads and the plants grow back just fine. With beans, it's usually the slugs that munch at them and they have more trouble or need to be replaced, but that's mostly because the slugs tend to eat the whole plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T16:23:47.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34230" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34228" CreationDate="2017-06-28T16:28:13.260" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There might be a few peas that would come back, I doubt any of the beans will make it.  Were they pole or bush beans?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would plant more peas and beans.  They grow so fast that most people grow second and third crops before the end of the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the deer, depending on the size of your land, getting a few bales of old hay to put somewhere far away from your garden really helps. They've had a taste and won't forget so you need to erect some sort of fence.  They have black mesh deer fencing that is very cheap.  You could also get a water blaster on a motion sensor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T16:28:13.260" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34231" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-28T16:41:48.373" Score="3" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a rather young citrus tree (about 3 years, and been planted here for maybe half a year). I've noticed some weird light patches on the tree trunk, as shown in the image below. They seem to be located only towards the bottom part of the tree. I only noticed it yesterday. It feels wooden like the rest of the tree. It's not wet or anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree itself looks otherwise very healthy and seems to be passing through a growth spurt of some sort. The weather was very hot recently (36C/97F) and I've been watering it every day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only wildlife in the area are cats (I'm wondering whether it's a cat sharpening it's claws on it?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could it be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/95w6h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/95w6h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18001" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T03:14:30.003" Title="Light patch on tree trunk" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34232" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34234" CreationDate="2017-06-28T17:17:04.040" Score="3" ViewCount="958" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help me identify what is wrong with this apple tree and how to cure it. Most of the leaves have these. Yellow/orange spots on top and growths on the bottom of the leaves under those spots. I took the best pictures I could with my phone's focus. My best guess from research is cedar-rust. There are definitely a lot on the property, but none nearby. Didn't notice this in the spring when I mulched and fertilized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LIFH3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LIFH3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8PntD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8PntD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nPP7P.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nPP7P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastEditorUserId="9731" LastEditDate="2017-06-28T17:37:23.923" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T18:31:43.167" Title="Apple Tree Leaf Growth/Disease? Cedar-Apple Rust?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34233" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-28T17:20:25.007" Score="7" ViewCount="704" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone tell if this is a wild muscadine or scupernine vine? I live in SC and there are plenty wild on the property, but when I see those vines blooming, I also see vines and leaves that look very similar that don't have fruit on them. I don't know whether its a difference in sun, water, etc... or if one is just a different kind of vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm adding pictures of a vine that's growing very close to where I saw another one that has had fruit in a previous year. The are the wild ones and they're a dark burgundy/black fruit. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OK6ev.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OK6ev.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i8z1S.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i8z1S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2017-07-25T02:02:20.297" Title="Is this a wild Muscadie/Scupernine Vine?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34232" CreationDate="2017-06-28T18:25:02.770" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid it is Cedar Apple Rust, the common term used for Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae, a fungal infection which requires both apple/crabapple and juniper plants to complete its life cycle. There aren't really an ideal solutions, nothing that will kill it off, so the usual course is to keep a check on Junipers and prune out any galls seen before they get to the orange, gelatinous stage and ready to disperse their spores.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now you've got it, you will need to carry out preventative measures, such as checking the junipers, possibly even removing them, sweeping  up and clearing away any leaf litter from them and the apple trees, using preventive fungicidal sprays, which may give some control. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/plant-disease/cedar-apple-rust/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/plant-disease/cedar-apple-rust/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-06-28T18:31:43.167" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T18:31:43.167" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34235" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-28T19:12:49.833" Score="6" ViewCount="2406" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Arizona. I have a 2 year old avocado tree in a pot, not in the ground. Last week it was exposed to the extreme heat wave that hit us. I made sure the soil was moist every day. Twice a week I use the pond's backwash to water it. This week the leaves are brown and drooping. Can I save it? Should I bring it inside? I have it under a shade umbrella but it still gets sun in the afternoon. Is it too late? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18066" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T22:15:58.217" Title="Can I save my Avocado tree from the extreme heat?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34236" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34235" CreationDate="2017-06-28T20:29:00.987" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing you live in a hot part of Arizona (because you're growing an Avocado tree). So, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.weedemandreap.com/how-to-grow-an-avocado-tree-in-the-desert/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this link provides some helpful information on growing Avacado trees in the desert&lt;/a&gt;. Basically, the author says to use the right variety (the author recommends Aravaipa), the right location (eastern sun and evening shade) and the right soil (the kind the author is recommending isn't entirely clear to me from the article, but I have some insights).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, some soils (like our amended clay-type soil) are cooler than others. So, that may help to keep the roots cooler in the heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing it in a container is going to be more problematic in the heat, since it'll dry out faster, and because the soil will get hotter. If you could spray some paint or something on it that reflects infrared rays, that would probably help to keep the container cooler. Or if they had a kind of plastic coated with something that reflects it, that may work for ground cover to prevent the ground from heating up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other tricks to help plants with heat and aridity tolerance (like making sure the pH is right for your tree, adding extra organic matter, making sure the nutrient profile is right for extra-high temperatures since some nutrients aren't as available in the heat and some are more available, showering your tree with water regularly, planting it where it won't get wind from many directions, etc.) However, unless you have a variety suited to the desert (as well as other conditions to help), I would probably just bring the tree inside to save it, unless I wanted to risk it dying. You could try, but I would consider it an experiment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do plant it in the ground, be very careful of the pH. It's likely that you have a soil with a high pH, which may be particularly challenging (and may be the reason why you're using a container).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-06-28T20:35:09.200" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T20:35:09.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34237" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-28T21:13:21.493" Score="4" ViewCount="286" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wanting to grow a lot more sunflowers (&lt;em&gt;Helianthus&lt;/em&gt;) for food, these days, but one of my concerns is they get really tall, and sometimes I like shorter plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you know of any sunflowers just like the giant ones (e.g. &lt;em&gt;Mammoth Gray Striped&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Mongolian Giant&lt;/em&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;Black Russian&lt;/em&gt;), except with shorter, stockier stems (I'm thinking maybe one to three feet tall), that would be great. If they have smaller heads with the same large size of seeds, that's fine, too, but I prefer larger heads if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if such sunflowers exist, but it seems like breeding them could be pretty possible, if not (granted my neighbors grow sunflowers that would probably cross with mine). If they grow multiple flowers, but still have large seeds and maybe also large heads, that's even better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-06-29T00:07:01.867" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T00:07:01.867" Title="Can you recommend any short, large-seeded sunflowers?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34237" CreationDate="2017-06-28T21:34:44.587" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found a couple sunflowers that look like they could work. They are &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.groworganic.com/pvfs-sunflower-dwarf-sunspot.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dwarf Sunspot&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.edenbrothers.com/store/sunflower-seeds-yellow-pygmy.html?gclid=CJ-ok9G94dQCFYZffgodbekKSg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yellow Pygmy&lt;/a&gt;. They appear to have large heads and large seeds, and appear to be dwarfs. Dwarf Sunspot only gets 1–2 feet tall, has 10&quot; heads on average (according to outsidepride.com), and has edible seeds. Yellow Pygmy gets about 2 feet tall with 8–10 inch blossoms. So, they're bigger than many sunflowers (but still not huge). The seeds are probably smaller, too, but perhaps big enough for practical purposes (I haven't grown them yet to find out, though).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Someone told me today about a variety that gets about three feet tall with large heads, as large as Mammoth Gray Stripe's (a big field of them in Parma, Idaho a year or two ago), but I have no idea what kind it was.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crossing Magnolia Giant with Dwarf Sunspot might have good results (since Magnolia Giant has &lt;em&gt;extra&lt;/em&gt; large seeds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-06-28T22:03:36.550" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T22:03:36.550" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34239" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34235" CreationDate="2017-06-28T22:15:58.217" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't tell the state of your plant without a picture but I don't see any harm in bringing it inside with the heat you are experiencing.  You ca take it out for a few hours a day if you can do that but leave it inside during the warmer parts of the day.  In addition to that, the type of pot will matter.  If you are using a clay pot, it can let water out more easily than say a plastic or glazed pot.  So, you may want to consider changing pots at some point if that is an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T22:15:58.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34240" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34845" CreationDate="2017-06-28T22:35:28.370" Score="8" ViewCount="2770" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted two Giant Atlantic pumpkin plants in my garden around 9 weeks or so ago.  The male flowers where the first to show, many of them but haven't bloomed and are quite firm to the touch still.  Since then three females (1 on one plant, 2 on the other) have grown, bloomed and started to wilt (in the last couple of days) without any sign of the males blooming so that I can pollinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I understand that the male pumpkins are supposed to bloom first.  Is something wrong? what? and is there anything I can do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;More details&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They were bred indoors for the first 6 weeks and transplanted outdoors in new soil/compost 1&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt; foot holes.  The rest of the garden (which they are now creeping over) is old soil, which I've been loosely mixing with compost as they grow over it.&#xA;I've watered them 4-8 litres a day, at the base and also via funnel to the roots.  Once or twice a week, adding high potash feed.  There's not much else in the garden except some very new sunflower sprouts.&#xA;I don't know the pH of the soil and have no way to find out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in the U.K. (Scotland) it's been a combination of hot and sunny and cold and rainy although the soil has been no lower than 12C the entire time, that I can see.  For most of their life they have been under a plastic, flexible greenhouse-type cover (until the last week or so).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(This is also my first foray into gardening)&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZNouO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Clockwise: Female flower before then after flowering and most developed male flower I have&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18067" LastEditorUserId="18067" LastEditDate="2017-07-01T19:50:22.357" LastActivityDate="2019-08-03T14:50:03.380" Title="Why have only the female flowers bloomed in my pumpkin patch" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="15" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34241" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34222" CreationDate="2017-06-28T23:27:54.210" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That dead tree looks like Cedrus atlantica.  To replant the same species is like getting more goats after the cougars have already found a source of their fav diet...goat meat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will suggest one of my favorite plants; Salix purpurea 'nana'.  This shrub has mass fine branches with mass fine, 1&quot; by 1/4&quot; blue green leaves.  The branches are flexible and they are a copper bronze color.  This deciduous shrub is amazing all year round for a screen and sound barrier.  Easy to prune in fact I had hedges of this plant that I transplanted 3 or 4 times and kept them at 3' high.  They are wanting to be 30' high and 30' wide.  Far more foliage and branching to absorb sound.  FAST growth!  Lightly heading will cause a denser plant.  This shrub is one of the hardiest you can find.  Gorgeous new growth, light green, and then the leaves get this blue green to die for.  Super duper 'skeleton plant' for a landscape.  Another quality is movement in the wind, similar to grasses.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd get another offset hedge going of this Blue Arctic Willow.  Not just a straight line but two lines where plants are in equilateral triangles.  If one dies it won't be noticed.  Planted 3' apart.  Will also stop dust.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This shrub is disease/insect problem free and so very adaptable to environmental conditions.  Your healthy conifers will only add to your barrier.  This will 'fill' in and when mature can replace any of your conifers that die.  This shrub will also not be subject to whatever disease that might be compromising your conifers.  Remember these shrubs grow to 30'by30'.  Best if you head them while young to make more branching, to be thicker.  Make room for them with a plant bed at least 15' wide and at least 10 feet from your conifers!  In a few years you will never be able to see much less hear the traffic on that road.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Add a balanced fertilizer to the plant beds you make out of that lawn.  I'd rent a sod cutter to make those beds as well as clean up the edges of your entire lawn.  Use that sod turned upside down to beef up a plant bed adding &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IhuwI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IhuwI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my 25 year old 3X transplanted Salix purpurea soft hedge&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;at least 2 or 4&quot; topsoil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That grey is Senecio greyii in the foreground. Behind this wonderful shrub that well, isn't that professional but I love it and it is healthy is the blue arctic willow soft hedge.  See how it is not in a straight line?  I'll try to find pictures that show a hedge planted offset. This hedge is bluer later in the year. As you can see the hosta are just coming up because this is early spring in zone 5.  Salix purpurea is good down to 1B!  So much fun to hedge!  Like cutting hair, take a big wad up and chop off.  Well, not exactly that coarse but the fine branches are so easy to prune, and did I say they moved in the wind?  Another dimension most don't think about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you look at your picture, a 5' shrub will completely block that view.  This will do that for you both summer and winter and not be subject to whatever disease is going on for your conifers.  Well, it is high resistance to the diseases you might have.  We'll discuss that later.  Need you to do some detective work with a scalpel &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CnqlK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CnqlK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of blue arctic willow shrub&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JZ6BG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JZ6BG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Great screen to use instead of a hard surface fence&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-28T23:27:54.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34242" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-06-28T23:40:00.830" Score="4" ViewCount="6400" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just bought a new house in Orlando. The home is great but we noticed crab grass taking over and a few other weeds. I'm a total noob with grass stuff, although I'm researching all I can. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The grass type is Zoysia. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trugreen recently came and did their application for the lawn but they said they couldn't do anything with the crab grass. I went and bought round up. I was planning on to spray all crab grass invested areas and then probably lay sod or just reseed? I'm not sure if you can just throw seeds in there. (Total noob).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I have flower beds in front and back of the house. I wanted to put stones in there and do some brick edging. There are weeds there as well. What is process of cleaning that out? The guy at Home Depot told me to dig out the weeds, spray some round up, put a weed mat on top and then cover that with fresh top soil and then plant my new plants and go from there whether I wanna do mulch or stones. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I on the right path? Please advise. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18068" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-06-30T00:31:40.200" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T00:31:40.200" Title="How can I remove crabgrass from a Zoysia lawn, and flower beds?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;&lt;crabgrass&gt;&lt;topsoil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34242" CreationDate="2017-06-29T00:05:37.710" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Re the flowerbeds, yes, you need to dig them over and extract all weed roots, preferably without leaving any behind. The guy at Home Depot's advice was incorrect though - if you want to use Round Up, that works 'through the green', which means it needs to be applied to strongly growing green growth when the soil is damp. Applying it to roots or bare soil does nothing other than cause a bigger residue of Roundup in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He's also wrong about how to use weed membrane - if you want to use it, lay it after you've dug the beds over and let them settle, having left enough time for any regrowth of weeds to show itself so you can dig that out too. Once you've laid the membrane, you will need to make cuts or slits in it and plant through those, so the roots of your plants are in the soil of the bed beneath, and the topgrowth above the membrane. That can be a pain if you like to use temporary plants for summer - every time you want to replant, the membrane will be in the way. After planting,  cover the membrane with some type of mulch, such as bark chips or similar, or an inorganic mulch such as the stones you mention. Alternatively, don't use membrane at all, just rely on hoeing out any weeds as they appear on a regular basis around any plants you've put in. If you choose not to use membrane, then it would be better for the soil and your plants to use an organic mulch rather than stone. Membrane isn't a perfect solution - some weeds are difficult to get rid of and keep regrowing under the membrane, and other weed seeds germinate in the mulch layer and grow there instead, so sometimes its easier to just keep hoeing, so think about which you'd prefer to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the grass problem, there are, I believe, herbicides which kill crab grass - I'm not sure if Round Up does, it should say on the pack. Once you've killed it, you need to read the directions on the products you've used - there will likely be a gap or length of time from use of the herbicide and when you're able to reseed or lay sod, so wait the required time. When it comes to reseeding, you will need to create a fine tilth on the bare soil (that means a fine, crumb like structure for the top inch or two), then sow into that. This fine tilth is also necessary for sods to root into easily, but take care that the level you lay the sods at is one that matches up with the rest of the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-06-29T01:27:11.657" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T01:27:11.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34242" CreationDate="2017-06-29T00:45:20.260" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am glad you asked us rather than listen to True Green and Home Depot.  My goodness!  Please PLEASE forget that plastic membrane!!  Please.  It is one of the dumbest things us humans have done...I've made tons of money ripping this stuff out.  It causes far more headaches and does zip for weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any mulch like bark mulch should be as fine as you are able to procure.  You need to read my stuff on the best mulch in the world...not available everywhere.  But a big big wow to the point I would not use ANY OTHER mulch would not accept clients who had to have 'bark'...period.  Never lost a customer.  Gained hundreds when they saw the results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Zoysia IS a major weed.  Which like most 'weeds' is short, short rooted, able to reproduce vegetatively as well as by seed and is able to out compete all else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can get rid of grass weeds in your lawn but it is done very carefully.  Paint brush.  Plastic skirting. This is not plastic 'weed fabric'!!  This is temporary for the job. Paper towels.  No rain in future.  Latex gloves. Slip clean 3X3' plastic with hole for weeds to protect Zoysia. Dip brush OR plasticized fingertips into glyphosate. Gently paint vigorous weed leaf growth.  Doesn't take that much.  A single drop of glyphosate will kill any herbaceous plant down to the roots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In other words, do not spray!  Just paint a few leaves of the weed and carefully move to another spot to paint the weeds.  Never allow weeds to go to seed.  That is the biggest prevention or control of weeds in warm season grasses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use sharp blades on your mower.  Clean blades each and every time with alcohol when you mow.  Bag your clippings I kid you not!  In one season maybe two you will get rid of crab grass.  Glyphosate is highly recommended because when you paint that stuff on the leaves it is translocated to the roots.  If you pull crab grass, well, every little piece that breaks off will make a new plant.  You want to kill the roots.  Glyphosate kills the roots.  After painting the leaves, wait 3 weeks.  Any crab grass that you missed will be easy to see.  Paint that...this will take some time.  A good month?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no better way to get rid of a grass weed within a grass crop.  Glyphosate changes composition the instant it touches plant or soil.  It will not leach.  It will do its job and you can forget about hurting 'the planet'!  More to this story but for now this advice will work just fine.  Ugh.  True Green...hey anytime you have someone come to your home to use pesticide or even fertilize, insist on seeing their licenses!!  If stuff dies...they are responsible firstus.  They should also post signs!  That is part of their licensing...gee, I know cause I have been a commercial licensed pesticide applicator for 30 years!!  Just ask for licenses!  That is a big deal.  Every single person that uses any chemicals on your property has to be licensed!  Even Joe that lives a block away!  For his own protection as well!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T00:45:20.260" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34245" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34222" CreationDate="2017-06-29T02:40:10.073" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The trees look like blue spruce . Very typical for spruce to be attacked by mites ,starting at the bottom. The mites are very small but you can see them with magnification . I believe I controlled them with dormant oil spray ( I moved about a year later.) . It may need a couple applications, at any time of the year. Follow  the instructions on the oil , as I remember about an ounce per gallon of water. You will need at least a 3 gallon sprayer hand or a power unit. Dormant oil is basically mineral oil or baby oil with a few percent detergent. I stood right next to the trunk so I could spray up on the inside where the mites are. I can't see any arborvitae , I guess silviculture is not a hobby. Without mites, spruce should keep needles all the way to the ground. Those lower branches will not come back ; I would plant some small blue spruce around the bottom for a dense barrier. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastEditorUserId="17672" LastEditDate="2017-06-29T02:50:34.167" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T02:50:34.167" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34247" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34251" CreationDate="2017-06-29T12:32:32.000" Score="6" ViewCount="3918" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Montreal Québec and have planted bell peppers in a new raised bed. All was well for two weeks and then the leaves started to cup, develop holes and now are now starting to have black marks on them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have looked for bugs under the leaves but have found nothing. We have been getting a lot of rain. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what might be causing this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uGz0O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QBRpK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CMZEb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bgs7f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bgs7f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit :added another photo&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: More images, garden shot and eggplants&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aHg9L.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aHg9L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RqG0x.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RqG0x.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit 3: Week or so later, after applying some controlled release fertilize, posting this as an imgur album as the photos were to large for direct posting. I think they are looking a lot better, which makes me hope that the issue is not a virus, rather just an amateur gardener not giving the plants what they need. Also got a pepper growing, and a few flowers.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/fAa5u&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imgur.com/a/fAa5u&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18069" LastEditorUserId="18069" LastEditDate="2017-07-08T21:09:06.980" LastActivityDate="2017-07-26T23:14:29.383" Title="What is killing my bell peppers. Holes in leaves and blackened" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34248" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34247" CreationDate="2017-06-29T14:44:12.390" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Possibly the use of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromated_copper_arsenate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;CCA-Treated wood&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (aka &lt;em&gt;Copper-Chromium-&lt;strong&gt;Arsenic&lt;/strong&gt; pressure-treated lumber&lt;/em&gt;) might be the source of such an issue. I say that because of the green color of your wooden pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.psu.edu/plants/crops/esi/treated-lumber&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this resource&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Low concentrations of arsenic, chromium, and copper occur naturally in water, soil, plants, and the human body[...]. Intake of excessive amounts, however, can have adverse effects on plants and humans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[...]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Several studies have clearly shown that As, Cr, and Cu can leach from (be removed from) CCA-treated lumber when it comes in contact with water, soil, and/or compost. The amounts of these elements that are leached from the wood depend on several factors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Increasing factors:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if the whole pot is completely soaked with water that never drains&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;acidic soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;organic matter&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Loss of CCA metals is increased when CCA-treated wood is in contact with certain materials, such as silage or compost, that are high in organic matter and have an abundance of organic acids. Such organic acids are formed during production of silage and compost. Because organic matter strongly binds CCA metals, little of what is released into these materials can be taken up by plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-06-29T15:10:18.570" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T15:10:18.570" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34247" CreationDate="2017-06-29T15:43:33.103" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No you didn't need to leave a gap between the wood and the soil, and there's clearly drainage because its open at the bottom and you dug that soil over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm hesitant about what's wrong, there are so many things that can affect bell peppers (see list of possible problems here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/peppers.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/peppers.html&lt;/a&gt;). Something has been eating the leaves, which is not the major issue, but not sure what's causing the black markings, and the upper leaves appear puckered or bubbled, slightly deformed and somewhat yellow, so I'm wondering about a viral infection. I hope it isn't, but if it is, there's no treatment. The other possibility is oedema, if you've had lots of rain and the plant's taken too much up, that will cause some puckering too, but usually with bumps beneath the leaves. Thrips infestation can also cause puckering, but not yellowing, though that could be accounted for by low nitrogen availability - I'm not really being much use, am I, because I'm unable to isolate the cause, sorry. The list of possible problems in the link above might be useful - if you click on any one, it takes you to another page with information about that problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE; to include information in comments. Yes, you can transmit tobacco mosaic virus to peppers and tomatoes if you handle them after smoking, see here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/viruses/tobacco-mosaic-virus.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/viruses/tobacco-mosaic-virus.aspx&lt;/a&gt;. That does not mean that's what's happened though, most viruses present in the same manner, with torsion of the leaves and yellowing in mosaic or band patterns, which I'm not seeing yet on yours, the yellowing is more generalised. Time will tell if it's a virus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-06-29T19:11:17.340" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T19:11:17.340" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34250" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34253" CreationDate="2017-06-29T16:29:30.410" Score="4" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SBtO7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SBtO7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0e8vd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0e8vd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/noP9z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/noP9z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few weeks ago, I cleared the (rather mossy) top inch of soil off a plant trough, weeded the trough, and put in a mix of Commercial Multi-purpose Compost and some &quot;compost&quot; made from organic discards from a local Health-Store Chain. (Planet Organic, though it's equivalent to Wholefoods)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A couple of weeks later, all the plants seem pretty happy, but there are 2 very vigourous new seedlings growing, which I didn't plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To my eyes, they look like fairly generic &quot;weedy plants&quot;. Before I pull them out, can anyone make any particular guesses as to what they are, and whether they're at all interesting? ( A year ago, I discovered that Lavender had seeded itself in one trough, which I was quite happy to keep!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For context, the thing in the top right of the first picture is a cyclamen bulb, and the 2nd two pictures are chives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17026" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-06-30T00:35:41.070" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T00:35:41.070" Title="Any guesses what these seedlings are, and whether I should remove them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;&lt;window-box&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34247" CreationDate="2017-06-29T17:11:01.310" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The twisted and deformed new leaves tell me this is calcium deficiency.  Sometimes just too wet of soil and/or cold soil will cause this. Then there is the yellowing of the young leaves that could mean iron, zinc or manganese deficiency.  The 'rosetting' of the top leaves where the internodes are serverely shortened is definitive of lack of zinc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These nutrients or chemicals could be present in the soil but have just been made unavailable by temperature, moisture, an overabundance of one or more chemicals and most certainly pH. So don't apply anything until we have a better idea what is in that soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am lost with the statement 'should I have left a gap between the wood and soil'.  You did well by digging the soil up beneath but is there a wood bottom? Just would like that clarified.  Also need to know have you used any fertilizer at all?  If so really need to know the list of macronutrients as well and micronutrients if any. Do you still have the bag the soil came in?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What causes problems some bagged soils have added fertilizers.  They need to be accounted for before adding any other fertilizer. Were these peppers planted as starts from the store?  The older leaves look a little too green (too much nitrogen) and the streaks indicate phosporous deficiency. It is hard to tell in photographs. Those leaves would be the leaves that came with the plant when you purchased them from the nursery/store. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then there is the non decomposed bark chip mulch.  As we speak decomposers are furiously working to decompose that wood.  Decomposers use lots of nitrogen as an energy source depleting nitrogen availability to the plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please get back to us with more details, Stephen. Try to get a pH test of your soil, via at least 2 methods that agree. If it has been raining a lot has it also been cool temperatures?  What are the temperatures at night?  Is the only wood the sides or is there a bottom?  Raised beds are great for drainage and helping soils warm, unless there is a bottom.  Find those bags and list of ingredients to pass that information on to us.  Sorry this isn't a definitive answer as yet. Oh, and did you use your garden soil with the bagged soil?  Or is this all bagged 'soil' that sits on the garden soil?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a multidimensional and interesting problem, Stephen! We'll be back with more information soon.  Please send us more details, asap...thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T17:11:01.310" CommentCount="34" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32942" CreationDate="2017-06-29T20:42:03.437" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would recommend one of two things based on what I do and the size of your garden.  You can hand pull weeds but I don't particularly like this approach since it exposes dormant seeds under the soil and you will have more weeds next year.  If you were doing it manually, I prefer getting a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.grainger.com/product/31MJ64&amp;amp;AL!2966!3!166595989622!!!g!82166408877!?gclid=CMjfxb7049QCFUSSfgodGvMF0w&amp;amp;cm_mmc=PPC:%20Google%20PLA?campaignid=719671673&amp;amp;s_kwcid=AL!2966!3!166595989622!!!!82166408877!&amp;amp;ef_id=WVVlOQAABVwRibqL:20170629203817:s&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;loop hoe&lt;/a&gt; that will make it easier for you and won't dig out the dormant seeds.  Another approach is to spray the weeds with a weed killer but that involves chemicals and I am not a big fan of spraying that around vegetable and fruit trees.  If this is for other areas of the garden that are farther away, the weed killer works well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T20:42:03.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34250" CreationDate="2017-06-29T23:42:46.950" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That appears to be a sunflower seedling (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus_annuus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Helianthus annuus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;). it could have come from bird seed, or droppings. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They can get quite large, and if you can put them in the ground that's ideal (if you want to keep them). They love nitrogen, and well drained neutral soil. Either way (pot or ground), they will probably flower and you can save the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-06-29T23:42:46.950" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34254" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34242" CreationDate="2017-06-30T00:28:31.413" Score="1" Body="&lt;h3&gt;For your lawn:&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can use a selective herbicide to target the crabgrass. Make sure your product is safe to use on Zoysia. I use &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinclorac&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Quinclorac&lt;/a&gt; based herbicide, because I find that Zoysia is highly resistant to it, once established. I know of some people who use &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_methyl_arsenate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Monosodium methyl arsenate (MSMA)&lt;/a&gt; based herbicides, but if you do that, be careful, because some zoysia strains are more sensitive to it than others, and do not use it if the temperatures will go over 70 F for the next 8 days or so. I know Florida has stricter herbicide use laws than we do here in PA, so I'm not sure what you can get your hands on. A selective herbicide will save you the trouble of having to replug a Zoysia lawn, which is what you would have to do if you use a broad spectrum herbicide like glyphosate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;After that, you can seasonally keep the crabgrass at bay using a zoysia safe pre emergent herbicide such as &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendimethalin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pendimethalin&lt;/a&gt;, and spot treat what comes up anyway, with a selective herbicide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Zoysia will quickly fill in small gaps in the turf, if it has been severely thinned by the crabgrass in some areas. If there are areas greater than 18&amp;quot; across, which are completely diminished from Zoysia, you could consider purchasing some plugs, or pulling plugs from your existing turf, to help fill the gaps quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;h3&gt;For your beds: '&lt;/h3&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If there aren't many plants in the beds, pull the weeds from under the plants, trying to remove as many roots as possible, then weed whack the open spaces. when the weeds begin to regrow, spray them off with glyphosate. If the beds are densely planted, you might just have to dig all of the weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once the weeds have yellowed, you can put in your new plants, if you have any.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can then apply a granular pre emergent herbicide (I use a product that blends &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoxaben&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Isoxaben&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifluralin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Trifluralin&lt;/a&gt;, which are tolerated by most ornamentals, and will last all season - very efficient). Again i'm not sure what is permitted in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can then put down 3-4&amp;quot; of organic mulch, and you'll be all set. I don't recommend putting plastic in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T00:28:31.413" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34255" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34002" CreationDate="2017-06-30T00:51:55.643" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That doesn't look like calcium deficiency. I think your fruit is simply dying from being cut from the plant. It must've been knocked or jostled, but not enough to knock it loose. The connected fruit looks healthy, as do the leaves. You can pick it off if you want, it doesn't matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T00:51:55.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33987" CreationDate="2017-06-30T01:00:24.283" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes fast growing conifers put out lots of growth into the leaders and the soft new growth bends over. Usually it straightens on its own. If it hardens while bent, you can head it back a little. be sure to go back near a strong growth bud, and the tree will use that to grow a new leader. They are strongly apically dominant. Also, if there is more than one leader, remove all but the one which is in the best form (not necessarily the biggest one).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-06-30T15:23:35.037" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T15:23:35.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34257" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24220" CreationDate="2017-06-30T02:18:05.323" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like physical damage to me. Tomato plants at this stage have fairly tender leaves still. If they're bent, bruised or mishandled, the leaf vein could be broken even if the leaf looks intact yet. My guess only as I don't know how the plants are handled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't just water them a little every evening. All that does is encourage the roots to grow near the top of the soil where moisture is. Water them deeply and then don't water them again till the cup feels much lighter in weight. Doing it this way encourages roots to grow deep. As the top layer of soil dries out, the roots must go down to seek more moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Notice the fuzzy hairs on the tomato stem? If you remove lower leaves and transplant your tomato deeper each time, covering the stem with soil, those fuzzy hairs will grow into roots. The more extensive the root system, the more soul nutrients and water they can pull up. The result is stronger plants that bear heavier and are more resistant  (though not immune) to watering variation since they can take up more water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd ask first for empty 1 litre (quart) milk cartons from friends and them move them up to 2 litre cartons. I'd transplant my tomato plants a few times before they were planted in the garden. Each time, I removed some bottom leaves and planted deeper. I did the same the last time when they went into the ground &lt;em&gt;except&lt;/em&gt; this time, rather than deeper, I planted them sideways. Tomato roots and plants like warmth and if I planted them straight down, it would be too cool for the roots. The leafy part sticking up at an angle straightened up in a few days. When I cut and tore the carton away, roots were visible all the way through, not just at the bottom. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This only works for tomatoes, not peppers since their stems aren't fuzzy.p&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T02:18:05.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34231" CreationDate="2017-06-30T03:14:30.003" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;We recently had a question about damaged tree bark and it turned out to be a cat.  It was labeled 'What to do about bark damage on a Pistache tree...' June 17  The owner had an arborist go out to inspect.  I'll try to post a link.  But your tree marks do look like cat.  He put a simple wire barrier to protect his tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And just FYI, looks like your tree is planted too deeply.  Please pull that soil and mulch back until you are able to see roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T03:14:30.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19691" CreationDate="2017-06-30T08:10:08.550" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to add my suggestion although I'll probably be down voted for it but here goes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trouble with getting rid of aphids is they come right back. All it takes is a few winged female aphids to land on your plant and in a few days, there may be a hundred or more and it only gets worse from there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://greenmethods.com/aphids/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aphid Pests&lt;/a&gt; explains:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The winged adults light on plants ready to give birth, which, mostly in greenhouses is done viviparously — in other words, they bear wingless living young, skipping the egg-laying stage entirely. This gives aphids a unique time-saving advantage. To further compound the speed in which aphids can multiply, the nymphal or immature stages are entirely female and then reproduce further parthenogenetically, which means they have no need to mate. Adding insult to the grower’s injury, the nymphal stages are born with the next brood within them already, a condition called paedogenesis. To aphids the combination of these abilities spell exponential growth potential...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I find aphids on my plants, it's often the plants that are growing quickly with succulent tender new growth. Aphids aren't usually found on older and less 'juicy' stems and leaves. I'd immediately start squishing them on the plants and leave their dead bodies behind. Sometimes ants would be crawling among the aphids, tending them for the sweet honeydew aphids excrete. Yes, it's really aphid 'poop'. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Years ago, I read that the squished dead bodies of insect pests (e.g. aphids) give off some signal thought to be chemical that discourage other aphids from the plant. (I can't remember the source.) I really can't say if it's true but it seems to work for me. Where the small black ants were, I'd squish a few of those too as a warning for other ants and aphids. One shrub rose I had was particularly bothered by aphids with their ant herders. Squishing aphids and ants repel them for a couple of weeks unless it rained enough to wash the chemical scent off. I only needed to do this a few times in the growing season for it to be effective.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you decide to try this low tech method, remember to squish them gently in order not to crush your plant's tissues too. The aphid bodies are &lt;strong&gt;very&lt;/strong&gt; soft so it's easy to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T08:10:08.550" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34261" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33857" CreationDate="2017-06-30T21:32:01.377" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This turned out to be &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=sawfly%20larvae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sawfly larvae&lt;/a&gt;. I turned over the leaves and found dozens of them one day. I resolved this by purchasing insect spray with Spinosad in it and a simple pressure sprayer. The larvae have gone away and the bush is beginning to recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2568" LastActivityDate="2017-06-30T21:32:01.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34262" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-01T03:30:50.103" Score="5" ViewCount="269" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trying to identify what has happened to my lawn. &#xA;The first image with the long stripe was irrigated well so I don't think this is drought related.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a Florida lawn with St Augustine and Bermuda. The St. Augustine seems to be affected more. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance for any clues&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kMK3U.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kMK3U.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;brown dead grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HjRVZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HjRVZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;brown dead grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AjlTa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AjlTa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;brown dead grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16501" LastActivityDate="2019-01-18T14:13:09.820" Title="What caused this grass to die and how can I treat it" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34263" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34264" CreationDate="2017-07-01T04:21:17.930" Score="4" ViewCount="1389" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a mold that &lt;em&gt;looks&lt;/em&gt; sponge-like that is growing in various spots on my mulch. It seems to appear very quickly (it seems like overnight but that's probably because I'm not observing daily), and I notice the following life cycle:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The mold is a moderately rich orange color that looks neither dry nor moist.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The mold seems to rise (like baking bread) and expand in diameter and turn a more pale orange (like in the first image below).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The mold &quot;pops open&quot; and exposes black spores (like in the second image below).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can poke the mold at steps #1 or #2 above to make it &quot;pop&quot; and have the black spore exposed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mulch was made from some trees that I had cut down on my property, one fir and one white birch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am wondering a) what is this mold and b) is it benign or could it be harmful to plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZnXwc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZnXwc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mold in mid-stage life cycle&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0OXpT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0OXpT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mold in end-stage life cycle&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16480" LastEditorUserId="16480" LastEditDate="2017-07-02T17:03:45.103" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T17:03:45.103" Title="Orange sponge-like mold growing on mulch - what is it and is it harmful?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34264" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34263" CreationDate="2017-07-01T05:43:51.760" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fairly sure you got slime mould &lt;em&gt;Fuligo septica&lt;/em&gt;, commonly called dog vomit slime mould. Its substrate (what it grows on) is generally wood chips. It's not a fungus though as slime moulds fit into an entirely different taxonomic group. Here's a photo of dog vomit slime mould that looks very much like yours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yP7Pc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yP7Pc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They often show up after a heavy rain or if you watered the area. It's completely harmless but if you'd rather not have it in your garden, rake and break it up or scoop and dispose of it is all you need to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Slime mould are actually quite fascinating!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastEditorUserId="17278" LastEditDate="2017-07-01T15:44:03.727" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T15:44:03.727" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34265" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-01T12:52:10.740" Score="3" ViewCount="381" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help me identify some bite marks please? I'm attaching pictures.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g8qG3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g8qG3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/myLvS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/myLvS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen some ants around, I'm planning to get rid of them. These marks however seem to have some &quot;saliva&quot; left-over, which is weird.&#xA;I thought it could be a snail/slug, but I didn't find any slime trail anywhere around the plant, nor in the ground close to the plant. As you may notice I'm using growbags, so it could be that it's hiding below the growbag during the day. Still, I didn't find slime trails around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today is the first day I've noticed these ones, and they are only present in 2 plants, out of the 10 I have. I have them in a row, so it's likely that this pest is living close by this end of the row. These are tomatillos, which is a variety of mexican green tomato.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any guesses and recommendations?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, I heard cinammon powder would keep ants away, so I sprinkled a circle around the base of my plants, but I think it didn't work that well. I'm not sure, becuase it has been raining recently and the water washed it away.&#xA;How to keep ants away, in your experience? Should I continue with the cinammon?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you very much for your help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17459" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T18:32:21.650" Title="Bite marks on tomato leaves" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34266" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34267" CreationDate="2017-07-01T12:58:47.550" Score="3" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought some Cress a while ago to go in Egg Mayo sandwhiches. I decided to plant some of the Cress and now it's morphed into something that doesn't resemble Cress anymore.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've researched types of Cress from different countries but none of them resemble the Cress that's now growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone shed some light on if this is actually Cress or if something else is now growing? (It's the middle plant in the photo). Is this plant still edible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m3LHS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m3LHS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;photo of the Cress&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18081" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T13:24:08.483" Title="Is this still Cress?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34266" CreationDate="2017-07-01T13:18:19.293" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've confirmed you bought cress from the supermarket, ready for use, growing in its container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are several varieties of the plant called cress, and the differences are often not apparent in the small containers with just the cotyledons showing, its only as they grow and get several leaves that you can tell the variety. Usually, the plant used in those small containers is Lepidium sativum, sometimes known as Garden or Salad Cress. All are edible, but the one in your image that looks most like salad cress is the one with the heavily dissected leaves in the top pot, left hand side of your photograph. More information and an image of more mature cress here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.growveg.com/guides/how-to-grow-cress-for-grownups/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.growveg.com/guides/how-to-grow-cress-for-grownups/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-01T13:24:08.483" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T13:24:08.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34268" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-01T16:46:28.020" Score="4" ViewCount="501" Body="&lt;p&gt;Damn&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been raining here every day and I have not had a look at my Coral Bark Japanese maple in a while&#xA;Today I had a look and I noticed ants digging their nest/galleries around the tree, some of these are darker because my wife &quot;put some windex&quot; on them (that is a joke but she used vinegar)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I get rig of these beasts? Is my tree in danger? &#xA;The ants are small size not carpenter ants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jFa6B.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jFa6B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;the tree looks like this&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PhUgA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PhUgA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qdf0F.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qdf0F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During my research into this I came accross this thread &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/coral-bark-chlorosis-nutrient-deficiency-or-sun-burn.56911/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/coral-bark-chlorosis-nutrient-deficiency-or-sun-burn.56911/&lt;/a&gt; which shows a similar issue with aggravated symptoms for the tree. The opinions are split between Sun-Burn and Lack of fertilizer, many seem to be inclined toward sun burns&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also cross checked about ants -it seems that they are not a problem, I guess they will go away as I will continue to water the tree daily every evening&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-10-30T23:20:28.683" LastActivityDate="2017-10-30T23:20:28.683" Title="Ants digging next to the root of my newly planted Japanese maple" Tags="&lt;ants&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34269" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11263" CreationDate="2017-07-01T16:52:14.297" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a Carrot Wood.  We had one on the hillside behind our house.  As part of a project to add about 600 sf to our yard, we reclaimed the hill where this tree was growing by building a large retaining wall and backfilling it.  At first we thought we could just cut it down and it would die when we backfilled the yard.  But before we finished the retaining wall, the tree started regrowing, so we chain sawed the stump into little pieces.  It grew back.  We dug up the entire root ball and severed it from its roots but it still started to regrow from the detached roots that ran through our entire yard.  We dug up as many roots as we could find and after removing them, poured gasoline and struck a match, then added herbicide to the soil and backfilled it with 10' of dirt. I hope it's finally dead, but time will tell if we end up with a tree in the yard 10 years from now!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18082" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T16:52:14.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34270" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34268" CreationDate="2017-07-01T17:27:01.340" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;MiniMe...ants are not a problem ever for plants.  Well, they do the aphid harvesting gig but even then no problems really.  Was the bottom of this trunk buried for awhile?  How does the rest of your tree look?  I'd get rid of the straw for sure.  Don't worry about the ants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Coral bark Japanese Maples are breath taking.  As long as your tree is healthy I don't see any problems.  I would clean out those weeds and hidey spaces for insects around the base of your tree.  If you have any problems it might be because of compromised bark at the bottom of your tree.  Interesting because this must have happened in a pot?  Before you planted here in this spot?  No more vinegar or 'windex'.  That could make the soil far too acid for any plant to thrive.  Windex...grins!  Ants and spiders are good guys.  That is all I have for macro organisms in my soil!  I just got a load of earthworms, sprinkled them around my 5 year old improved soil. They must have liked it because they disappeared by the time I finished!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T17:27:01.340" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34271" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34273" CreationDate="2017-07-01T17:27:04.967" Score="3" ViewCount="2967" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted two eggplant plants together (8 inch apart) in a 16 inch container as shown in the image below. &lt;strong&gt;Just wanted to know if this would be a problem when they grow bigger and affect the yield&lt;/strong&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We do not have much space in our patio, and fortunately for us almost all the seeds we planted, grew into very healthy seedlings. So, we thought may be we should try two plants in one container and see if this works. And so far, the two plants next to each other have grown very rapidly compared to the ones that are still in smaller pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HvGeG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HvGeG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17828" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T17:46:20.840" Title="Right container size for two eggplants together" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34272" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34271" CreationDate="2017-07-01T17:33:21.147" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Really they need a pot each - they require 12-14 inches of space or a five gallon pot each, so you'd get bigger plants and more fruits if they were in individual pots. According to this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/eggplant/container-eggplant-plants.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/eggplant/container-eggplant-plants.htm&lt;/a&gt; though, you can plant 2 or 3 plants in a 20 inch pot, but it doesn't make sense - 2 in a 20 inch pot is fine, three's probably a bit of a pinch if each plant needs 12-14 inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T17:33:21.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34273" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34271" CreationDate="2017-07-01T17:36:29.413" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NMDvu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NMDvu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;egg plant of mine&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Well Yog, this should work just fine.  I am worried that your plants aren't healthy-looking.  What have you fertilized with?  I am very glad you used potting soil!  Did you put rock or gravel beneath the soil?  Hope you didn't. I'd also raise the bottoms of those pots off your deck using pot feet or pieces of tile.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your tomato is greener but is also having curled leaves.  Has it been brutally hot there?  Egg plants are very beautiful things.  Both these plants are showing undue stress.  Ask another question.  These two egg plants should do fine in that pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-07-01T17:46:20.840" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T17:46:20.840" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34274" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-01T18:03:14.000" Score="3" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few months ago, in March, I learned about the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.invasive.org/hwa/fhtet200103.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hemlock Wooly Adelgid&lt;/a&gt;, and the damage it's doing to trees in my geographical region, which are primarily &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsuga_canadensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Eastern Hemlock, Tsuga canadensis&lt;/a&gt;. They're also endangering the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.carolinanature.com/trees/tsca2.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Carolina Hemlock, Tsuga caroliniana&lt;/a&gt;, however that tree is not as common in the Northeastern United States. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Someone who was looking at my backyard pictures from the previous summer thought they may have seen it on one of my trees. After reading about the adelgid, including very important ongoing research over the last view decades, at the &lt;a href=&quot;http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/related-highlights/46?page=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Harvard Forest&lt;/a&gt; here in Massachusetts, I became concerned. According to what I read, this adelgid is decimating hemlock forests in many states. In fact hemlocks are under quarantine in Maine and New Hampshire. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I called a local ecologist/naturalist/arborist, and he came right away. The tree which I had suspected was actually fine, but when he did a thorough examination of all the trees in the yard, he found wooly adelgid on my other hemlock. That tree is about 30 feet away from the other, in a totally separate part of the yard. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He explained that a wooly adelgid infestation is identified by appearance of white masses that look like cotton balls on the twigs and the base of the needles. Each one indicates the presence of an adelgid, who, while laying eggs, secretes it and uses it to cover their bodies. Those eggs hatch, and the next batch begins feeding, By the time those masses have grown larger, and they've become white and wooly, damage has already occurred. Over time the adelgid grows larger, causes widespread damage, and eventually death, to the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He said my infestation was in a young stage, and didn't cover a large enough section of my tree to be doing major damage. He recommended removing the affected branches and keeping an eye on the rest of the tree as we came into the spring and summer. (We discussed various control methods, in case we needed them. The least aggressive one is a localized application of horticultural oil designed to kill only the adelgid and not the tree and other vegetation. The other is a chemical application, usually Imidacloprid or permethin. He doesn't like those, especially permethin. Treatment is always a last resort, because eco-systems all rely on each other, and even dead trees are important homes.)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We removed the areas where there was visible adelgid at varying stages of life. It's now the first of July, and what's left of the tree looks fine. There's plenty of new growth and I don't see anything suspicious, so we're not going to do anything at this point. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've left the bare branches for the birds and other animal visitors to use. I'm glad we did, because many small birds hide there, and it's a great place for our baby squirrels. The woodpeckers are having fun too! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We liked the arborist very much, especially because of his attitude towards preservation. He spent a lot of time examining trees and bushes in our yard, and educating us, at no charge. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm posting this because I know that there are several tree experts here on the site, and would like another professional opinion please. I'm also hoping it will cause other people to examine their hemlocks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I apologize that some of my pictures are blurry. They're a pretty good representation of what was happening at the time of the diagnosis, which was this past March, 2017. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on photos for larger view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RKSYv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RKSYvm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close view of large wooly adelgid&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PeEjA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PeEjAm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Yellowed leaves with wooly stuff&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CmgA5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CmgA5m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Little ones along underside of multiple branch&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nxUbK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nxUbKm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Missing branches on right lower side&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0m9We.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0m9Wem.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Healthy part above damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9jZY9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9jZY9m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bottom of tree with dead branches on lower left side&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-02T18:27:24.097" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T18:27:24.097" Title="Does my hemlock tree have wooly adelgid?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34275" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34276" CreationDate="2017-07-01T18:23:24.900" Score="4" ViewCount="1294" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not sure what to do with the brown, burnt layer of my fence trees: what will happen if I do nothing? Should I trim all the brown parts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bvJvL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bvJvL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YUzFK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YUzFK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2487" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:57:03.057" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T02:57:03.057" Title="Should I trim burnt parts in an evergreen hedge?" Tags="&lt;damage&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34276" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34275" CreationDate="2017-07-01T18:36:25.303" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Makes no difference whether you trim it off or not in respect to the tree dying or not dying - what's dead will remain dead, and eventually start to fall from the tree. The only advantage to cutting it back is its good to cut back to live wood, and it looks a lot better without all the dead brown stuff. Not sure what the conifer plant is that comprises the hedge, but it looks like something you trim regularly, in which case, it's probably worth trimming back the dead parts. If its due for clipping any time in the next couple of months, you could just do it then. There seems to be some more extensive charring in top right of the picture though, that's not just superficial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T18:36:25.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34277" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34275" CreationDate="2017-07-01T19:04:48.717" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is chemical damage.  What have you sprayed recently anywhere on your property?  To have such a marked difference between DEAD and HEALTHY is indicative of chemical/man made damage.  Yes, prune it but we need to determine what caused this!  Looks like someone sprayed your trees with an acid or paraquat.  Luckily this isn't systemic.  This is some weird overspray that literally has burned the foliage on these oh so healthy arborvitae!  What has happened withing the last week maybe two?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you prune, clean your hedgers with alcohol.  This is not some disease but transferring whatever chemical has burned this foliage is not a good idea.  Also prune so that the width of the bottom is the widest point.  The top should be narrower!  Still, your arborvitaes were so dang healthy!  You must surely be able to remember something being done just recently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neighbors?  City?  What a huge bummer!  Top these trees (arborvitae or western cedar variety...'virescens'?) and angle the sides like a pyramid?  only not that steep to the tops.  Gotta find out what the heck happened here!  This is a chemical spray not something that the roots took up!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T19:04:48.717" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34278" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34274" CreationDate="2017-07-01T19:25:08.473" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely start a dormant oil application.  Did you know those birds are eating these dudes hiding in all that foam?  Use nothing else!  Dormant oil in the fall is best.  No baby birds and squirrels in the trees.  It takes an awful long time for woolly adelgid to kill your trees.  Looks like by your pictures it has been going on for quite awhile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How wonderful to have an expert go through your yard with you!!  Brilliant.  And you really LIKE him/her!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I sort of admire these woolly adelgid insects.  But a simple dormant oil application during the fall for a few years should take care of your problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T19:25:08.473" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34016" CreationDate="2017-07-01T19:41:40.207" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two weeks later after lots of rain and adding soil then 1&quot; of gardening soil and grass seeds and then another 1&quot; of gardening soil&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CGZRD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CGZRD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: the first picture was taken shortly after I installed the path&#xA;The second picture two weeks after seeding&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T19:41:40.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34280" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34288" CreationDate="2017-07-01T19:59:25.753" Score="4" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;I understand that earthworms like to live in a cool environment. But I live in a country with a hot climate. How do I keep my wormies cool? Can specific diets help? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18084" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T03:23:42.723" Title="How can I keep my earthworms cool?" Tags="&lt;earthworms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34281" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33687" CreationDate="2017-07-01T20:05:57.357" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;fully&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; agree with stormy about the use of landscape fabrics but I have an alternate suggestion. At the end of my answer, I'll address whether to use landscape fabric or ground cover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You say you'd like to place a border of rocks 2 - 6 feet from the bottom side of your house. If the ground was leveled properly around your house, it will slope gently away from the walls. This is to prevent water from heavy rain (even with roof overhang and eavestroughing) collecting against your house leading to damage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So go for a 2 foot border of rocks only - no wider. Then using landscape fabric makes sense. Dig out the border a few inches deeper and put down sand in those few inches, then place landscape fabric on top with 3 or 4 inches of rock on top. You'd be surprised at how much rocks will settle lower in time. Subtle ground movement you wouldn't notice will nestle the rocks tighter together. You don't want to keep adding more rocks through the years. When you lay the fabric down, make sure it's wide enough to bring the edge up to meet the soil level (like the sides of a pan) to prevent soil drifting into the rock border.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please &lt;strong&gt;don't&lt;/strong&gt; attempt to put a wide border of rocks around your house with landscape fabric and then put foundation plantings in it. It'll only cause headaches for you in the future. Even if you did, as the foundation plants grew, they'd end up covering much of the rocks so it wouldn't be noticed. Save money by placing a narrow &lt;em&gt;unplanted&lt;/em&gt; 2 feet border of rocks only.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming you want your efforts to last many years. Use the UV protection ground cover instead. It's a little more costly than landscape fabric but having a border only 2 feet wide than 6 feet will save money. Depending on how much sun and the strength of the sun where you live (as the amount of UV isn't even all over), some UV will probably make it through to the fabric - more by the edge near the border of soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This last suggestion is my opinion only so talk it over with someone how knows the product well if you think it unnecessary. I've got a lazy streak in me and if I put all this work into the project, I sure wouldn't want to re-do it, even if it was 5 or 10 years later! I'd want it to last as long as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T20:05:57.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34282" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-01T22:43:58.067" Score="4" ViewCount="163" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone please identify this bush/shrub? Is it ok to burn in fire pit? Giant bush is like a tree. Can anyone else confirm Honeysuckle?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KBvwe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KBvwe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Can you identify this bush or shrub?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Al6l6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Al6l6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/adsAG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/adsAG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;for size reference&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18087" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-02T07:10:29.953" LastActivityDate="2017-11-02T07:10:29.953" Title="Can anyone please identify this bush/shrub?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34283" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-01T22:54:23.960" Score="3" ViewCount="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm fairly new to gardening, planting, and whatnot. But I did get an avocado from my local farmers market. (It was organic.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I took the pit out, I followed all the steps on basically all the tutorials I've watched/read. Except for peeling the skin of the avocado pit. Half of the tutorials said to take it off, and half said not to. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And recently the top has been getting a little dry, is that okay? And will the plant germinate, while the top half (out of the water) is dry? Should I keep the top half, not moist but wet?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FqOJX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FqOJX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Here is the pit&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18057" LastEditorUserId="18057" LastEditDate="2017-07-01T23:07:13.383" LastActivityDate="2017-07-01T23:07:13.383" Title="Avocado Pit Questions" Tags="&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34240" CreationDate="2017-07-02T00:05:30.260" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know what's going on with your pumpkin. Usually male flowers form and bloom first, except for some varieties, maybe. Maybe it's a partially gynoecious variety, which would mean it should mostly produce female flowers. It might be a mutant, though, or maybe there is a pest or disease that is influencing it with regulators.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you'll plant this kind again in future, and suspect the female flowers will blossom first, again, you might try planting another variety of the same species with it for pollination, unless you'll be saving seeds and don't want a cross. You may also try growing other giant varieties (like Weeks NC Giant), which may not have the same condition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for this year, if you don't want to wait it out and see what happens, I would personally try nipping all the flowers off and giving it some phosphorus. If this pumpkin is like cucumbers and melons it should grow new flowers faster if you take the old ones off, whether or not they're mostly female still. I don't know why the male ones would form without blooming unless something is preventing them from blooming or unless they do bloom, but just not when you're looking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T00:05:30.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32966" CreationDate="2017-07-02T01:06:29.220" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Strawberries, or common strawberries, will produce runners if the conditions are right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To coax runner production, increase nitrogen feeding after the harvest is over. High nitrogen lawn fertilizer will work for that. This is how we quickly reproduce nursery plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your plants aren't producing runners at all, does check if the conditions are right. Are they drying out all the time? Is the soil nutrient level sufficient? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some strawberry cultivars are much more vigorous runner growers, and some rather slow. June bearers are typically the more vigorous ones, and fall bearing and day neutral varieties produce fewer runners, sometimes almost none.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T01:06:29.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34286" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-02T01:48:10.037" Score="4" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anyone know what this plant is?  I am in usda zone 9b&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ss851.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ss851.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qkHHj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qkHHj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T02:01:57.270" Title="Need help identifying this plant in zone 9b" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34286" CreationDate="2017-07-02T02:01:57.270" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You'll find them sold as bacopa, a trailing plant usd in many planters. It's not the real bacopa (&lt;em&gt;Bacopa&lt;/em&gt; genus plants) but &lt;em&gt;Chaenostoma cordatum&lt;/em&gt; (synonym &lt;em&gt;Sutera cordata&lt;/em&gt;). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see a photo and read how to care for it (very easy care!) at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/bacopa-plants/growing-bacopa-plants.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bacopa Plant Info: How To Grow A Bacopa Plant&lt;/a&gt; It's treated like an annual but actually it's a tender perennial. It might even be winter hardy in your zone 9b if it's planted in the ground (but not if it's in a planter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T02:01:57.270" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34288" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34280" CreationDate="2017-07-02T03:23:42.723" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately diet isn’t a solution.  Generically almost any critter can withstand a slightly more stressful environment if it is especially healthy.  But good food won’t make it immune to an environment that’s a whole lot more stressful.  Hot and dry, if sufficiently extreme, are so much stress that generic good health won’t help.  Just the same, keep the worms as healthy as you can.  The comment addresses that well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There’s no substitute for a livable temperature.  Here are some ways to keep them cooler:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shade is good, and if the worms in question are in a box or a a small area then shade may be something over which you have relatively more control.  Keep the shadecloth, or cardboard, or whatever other tent you invent, elevated or classically tent-shaped.  Actually covering a worm box will seal in hot air and that’s really bad for the worms.  Directly covering bare soil, if we’re talking about an open garden, is OK, however.  Short of plastic, the covering bare soil won’t seal out air exchange.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mulch is a fine thing for earthworms, and shade for the soil surface is one of a couple reasons.  So is retaining moisture.  You could give them both a shade tent and on the soil surface also a layer of almost anything organic - newspaper (ripped up and crumpled, to keep that air flow going), leaves, sawdust, manure, wood chips, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moisture helps not only for its own sake but also because evaporation from the soil surface cools it.   So keep the soil moist.  Mud and puddled water are not good, however.  That can kill worms.  The box would do well to have some tiny drain holes, just small enough that the worms can’t leave.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Surrounding the worms with a cool surface will help.  If it’s a worm box, consider sinking it in the soil so that the top of the box is about level with the surrounding soil surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the worms of concern aren't in a box, I wouldn’t worry all that much and besides there isn’t a whole lot you can do about it.  Worms will move deeper in the soil if they need to, usually in order to avoid dry soil but also to avoid heat. Just keep the irrigation going to the degree that the worms are a priority. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18091" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T03:23:42.723" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33966" CreationDate="2017-07-02T03:45:59.613" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Foaming is not a good sign.  There might be species where normal sap from the plant will foam but if so, they are very unusual.  The fluid may be coming from decomposing dead wood inside the tree.  Alternatively it can be mostly sap and caused by an active disease agent.  Irritated, the plant tissue is doing what it can to eject the pathogen.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless of exactly what is coming out - sap, water collecting in decayed wood, secretions from a fungus - there’s a reason it’s coming out.  There has to be a lesion in the inner bark.  Water can’t just slide down the inside of a tree’s bark and weep back out lower down unless the cambium under that part of the bark is dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most likely the foam indicates rot at or slightly above the place that is oozing.  Depending on lots of specifics like how much you care about the tree and what it potentially could hit if it fell, it’s probably a good time to get a good arborist to take a look.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just the same, don’t assume the situation is dire.  Perhaps it’s a disease that an arborist can help the tree to overcome.  Maybe the area of dead tissue is small enough to be cut out or for the tree to heal up on its own.  As an example of the latter, I nearly cut down a peach one spring because it had developed oozing vertical wounds in several places on the trunk.  A more experienced friend said the tree, too exposed to the wind, had cracks in its wood and breaks in the bark from winter drying (that lesion thing).  She said there was a good chance the tree would survive.  It has, and a couple years later is doing much better.  All I had to do to “cure” the problem was keep my chainsaw away from it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Short answer/recommendation:  Pay a well-qualified arborist to look at your tree.  Free consultations from tree removal services aren’t necessarily the best.  Check their professional associations and qualifications before going that route.  Or maybe the local extension agent will consult for free.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18091" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T03:45:59.613" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33644" CreationDate="2017-07-02T05:26:40.220" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can assemble a drip irrigation system on your own.   If you’re the least bit handy, it’s not difficult at all.  The system operates at low pressure, so the seals are as simple as punching a hole in a plastic tube and shoving in barbed fittings.  For the larger fittings, a warm day and/or a rag with hot water to prewarm the inserted end do help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It’s fairly straightforward to assemble what you imagine will work.  Try it.  If a plant looks too dry, give it another emitter.  It’s really flexible, and fun if you like that kind of thing.  For me it works beautifully for ornamentals.  Here are some guidelines for buying parts for a vegetable garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Research each crop you grow to see how much water it needs in the driest part of summer.  Figure it out in gallons per week either per plant or per foot of row.  For large plants like squash or tomatoes, split the total among 3 or 4 emitters, to reach the roots that extend out from the stalk.   Dry spots may still be a problem - see the second half of this reply.  You may water twice a week, or maybe more often - depends a lot on your soil and climate.  Put that into the math.  You should end up with a table of emitter sizes.  This all takes some time but either you wing the whole thing or do this work up front.   Maybe there’s a website that has it all, though I’m afraid I can’t help you there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For each emitter get one straight connect (to attach the ¼” hose to    the ½” main line).  That might be a little bit more than you need but not much.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get a fistful of ¼” T’s, maybe a quarter as many as straight connects.  They are handy for splitting a ¼” tube instead of attaching each separately to the main line. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Buy the minimum order of goof plugs.  They fix a ½” main when you make a hole that later you decide you don’t want, or even want to    abandon a ¼” line in place, perhaps temporarily.  Buy a hole punch. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Figure out how you want to connect to your water source, and get the pieces for that.  It’s hard to give generic suggestions about this part.  It might be as simple as one connection between ½” drip and a hose, with a built-in screen.   It could involve a pressure    reducer, filter (protects your system - don’t skimp), etc.   As a comment noted, if it’s a continuous connection such as with a timer, the backflow prevention part is important!  If you are going to use    multiple stations, get a more flexible controller than you think you will need.  The components inside a valve box get complicated and I won’t make this reply even longer by describing them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Draw your ½” hose layout, in a way that puts main line within a couple feet of each emitter.  Calculate the total length plus 10-25%    for surprises and waste.  Where the line goes around corners, list a ½” corner.  Note each T intersection. You might even need a 4-way junction.  If you can make the whole ½” hose layout into a loop the pressure will be more even.  For each ½” dead end, buy an end fitting.  The figure 8’s work pretty well and are less expensive, but the kind that unscrew are nice when you flush out the system each    spring - an important task.  While you’re figuring out the ½” pieces, throw in a couple straight connects.  They are handy if, no, when, you put a shovel through a line that hid under a plant, you need to rearrange the layout, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It’s hard to say how much ¼” hose you’ll need but compared to the rest of the pieces it’s cheap.  Get at least as much as you need of 1/2” main.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;BUT, big caveat:  Typical drip irrigation isn’t a panacea for vegetable gardens. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Following good gardening practices, you’ll plant different crops in different parts of your garden each year.  Then the emitter layout that worked for this year’s tomato plants in the far corner and peas next to the fence gets reversed and it’s a mess.  It can be reconfigured, but with a lot of wasted effort and some wasted supplies.  This is the main reason I don’t use regular drip irrigation for vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drip emitters don’t work well for row crops.  Water needs to be delivered at relatively short intervals - every 4-10” depending on soil type.  (No matter what system you use, some hand watering of seeds and tiny seedlings remains necessary.)  Quarter inch soaker hose can work.  But the classic kind puts out quite a lot of water compared to emitters.  (We’ll get to microperforated in a minute.).  So in order to get enough water to the tomatoes with emitters, you’ll have to put a lot of water on the row crops.  In large gardens, there’s an additional problem with ¼” soaker hose.  Plants near the ½” main water get ample water.  The water can’t flow sufficiently smoothly = quickly through the tiny inner tube to reach plants farther away.  There are many opinions about an exact maximum run.  It’s under 100’ - in my experience, a lot less.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the spring it’s usually a waste to water unplanted areas.  When it’s time to cure potatoes it’s best to turn off the water.  Etc.  You may be able to build zones into your ½” hose layout with little twist valves.  May.  If you can, do.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The connection between the water source and main line is a problem.  If hard PVC is involved and it freezes where you live, the system has to be blown out with a compressor every fall.  If not, it’s virtually impossible to set up a water-tight connection to a metal pipe fitting.  One alternative is to turn the water off and on manually each time you need to water, but that defeats the idea of a timer.  The other alternative is connection with a flexible pipe.  In that case the pressure needed for even drip irrigation will cause endless weeping - the hose kind, mostly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;In landscapes one way emitters save water is to leave dry areas that can be.  But in a vegetable garden, you probably want nearly all soil to be watered.  Otherwise roots won’t grow there.  Even individual plants like tomatoes need a large moistened area all around them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My preferred alternative is T-tape.  I run parallel strips 1' apart down each raised bed no matter what grows there.  Simple plastic valves in ½” (drip) main line isolate each bed.  T-tape works at even lower pressure than drip.  The permanent connection to the water main still leaks a little after years of fiddling, but less than my drip system did.  So do some of the connections between the tape and ½” line (my garden is big enough that I also use ¾”, an option some gardeners may want to know about), teaching me to buy good quality connections for that part.  The t-tape is connected to a professional-grade controller and a valve box.  In the fall I open the filter to let air into the system and that’s all the blowing out it gets or needs.  It’s not perfect, but after a lot of looking and experimenting it’s the best solution I’ve found. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are now multiple vendors of T-tape.  In suggesting dripworks.com I’m not saying they are necessarily the best, just the one I’ve used.  Their website can help you decide particulars like thickness of tape, emitter spacing, and separation between lines.  Any system that lets us use water wisely is good, and drip may work well for you.  Just go into it with your eyes open about the trade-offs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18091" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T05:26:40.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34291" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28950" CreationDate="2017-07-02T05:36:10.220" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't need to do anything fancy at all unless you want to.  (Some people compost quite successfully by throwing the scraps into a pit right in the garden, for example).  Screening / filtering is optional unless the seedlings are tiny.  Short of serious chemical contamination, any humus is good humus.  Homogeneous doesn't need even to be a goal.  Go ahead and use it.  Congratulations for becoming a composter!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18091" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T05:36:10.220" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34292" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4171" CreationDate="2017-07-02T07:55:43.663" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had this problem too, sprayed Organic White Oil on my chilli plant which helped greatly! I bought the brand called &quot;Andgro&quot;, which sells a couple products in my country, not sure if that's commonly found at your side.  Hope this helps :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18093" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T07:55:43.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34293" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-02T08:47:53.990" Score="5" ViewCount="2377" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted some potatoes about 10 - 14 weeks ago. They have tall strong tops. Only a few small buds/flowers appear, then drop off. They have been well watered every day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should we start to harvest now? What if no flowers appear?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18094" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-02T18:21:52.600" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T19:39:59.237" Title="Should I harvest potatoes even if they haven't fully flowered?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34294" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34293" CreationDate="2017-07-02T09:59:09.980" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Typically you harvest potatoes once the green stuff has at least started to dry up and wilt, for early types at a &quot;greener&quot; stage, later types when the green tops have completely turned yellow and dried.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long it takes until the potatoes are ready to be harvested depends a lot on the type you planted. Super-early kinds may be ready after as little as 100-110 days and might be dug up when the leaves are still quite green, but these potatoes have to be used immediately. The other end of the scale are the winter storage types that need up to 170 days and are ready in late September or even early October. And there are lots of breeds in between. You need to check for your chosen type. If in doubt, wait until the green has dried out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers and fruit have little to nothig to do with the formation of the tubers. Your potato plants use the green leaves to gather the energy to form the potatoes. In short, we eat the storage organs of the plants, using the energy originally stored for the next generation of potatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-07-02T10:07:48.747" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T10:07:48.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34295" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34302" CreationDate="2017-07-02T12:47:43.943" Score="5" ViewCount="20654" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help me identify the mold growing in two of my potted plants, and how to treat them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought the plants and potted them two weeks ago. The flowering plant is in a pot with a drainage hole at the bottom, and the succulent is in a glass jar with no drainage. Neither has any substrate gravel in the bottom. We used a combination of the two potting materials pictured below - &quot;Miraclegrow indoor potting mix&quot; and &quot;Ecoscraps fresh start plant food&quot;.However, we did not clear away majority of the original soil around the roots of plants when we bought them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowering plant suggest watering twice a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They sit in a glassed-in vestibule that gets lots of sunlight during the day (windows on the east and south side, and a clear ceiling). I moved them outside yesterday when I noticed the mold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: After moving the plants outside, the mold receded! Thank you SE for the analysis and help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mtprj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mtprj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9ZTYZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9ZTYZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9ZXOc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9ZXOc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2BxcA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2BxcA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EvC6N.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EvC6N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s8qqJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s8qqJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aHDKu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aHDKu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14609" LastEditorUserId="14609" LastEditDate="2018-10-17T10:39:12.760" LastActivityDate="2018-10-17T10:39:12.760" Title="What is this white furry-looking mold in my potted plants?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="34296" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-02T12:59:38.837" Score="3" ViewCount="241" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our Mimosa tree split for a few years due to the weather and we finally had to cut it down to a stump. Can it grow into a tree from the stump? There are tons of shoots coming out from it right now. Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18095" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T12:57:42.923" Title="Mimosa tree split...can it become a tree again" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34297" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-02T16:31:24.227" Score="4" ViewCount="1374" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this bright green spike on my cactus?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QpiFw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18097" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T16:31:50.160" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T17:42:51.417" Title="What is the bright green spike on the cactus?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34282" CreationDate="2017-07-02T17:46:50.540" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like a honeysuckle shrub to me.  Lonicera Spp..  Yes you can burn it, but you'll need to allow it to dry after it is cut down.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T17:46:50.540" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34265" CreationDate="2017-07-02T18:32:21.650" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should find caterpillars.  Look underneath (bottom of leaves) and take a look at various parts of the day - early as well as late.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18099" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T18:32:21.650" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34300" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-02T18:36:13.150" Score="5" ViewCount="439" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bower Vines are on sale at Home depot. I can't seem to find info on this vine when I google around. I was thinking of buying them all and trying to get them to start covering our fence. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's in the 90's in Colorado and I'm wondering if anybody has had any experience with this species or knows what my chances are of getting these to grow during the summer months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18100" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-07T18:04:14.263" LastActivityDate="2017-07-07T18:04:14.263" Title="How should I grow a Bower Vine, especially in a climate that gets hot in the summer?" Tags="&lt;vines&gt;&lt;hot-weather&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34301" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34282" CreationDate="2017-07-02T19:09:27.593" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is Ailanthus altissima.  Tree of Heaven that was cut down and grew back.  I wouldn't be getting rid of this tree at all.  I'd be pruning it to show off the trunks, thinning this out...you have a small patio tree that is worth its weight in gold.  Why are you having it removed?  What is that ground cover below.  It will not be very pretty afterwords.  If it is periwinkle...then good riddance but...&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/ailanthus/altissima.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ailanthus altissima description &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T19:09:27.593" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34302" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34295" CreationDate="2017-07-02T19:24:18.043" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a simple 'gray mold' that is absolutely not harmful.  Rake the top of the soil and it should go away.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I am worried about is your watering practices.  This fungus needs constant moisture and/or little ventilation to grow.  Are these pots filled with potting soil or did you add garden soil or 'compost'?  Do these pots have drain holes?  Did you put gravel or rock beneath the soil and above hopefully, the drain holes? How often do you water?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reduce watering, rake the top of this soil and prune out dead leaves/remove any organic debris.  Depending on where you live and where these plants live (indoors or out of doors) you should put a fan on them to help push away air and moisture and O2.  Have you fertilized?  That clear bowl probably has no drain holes, correct?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please give more information about your soil, drainage holes, layer of rock/gravel at the bottom, how often you water, are these pots in the sun or are they under a roof on the patio or are in the home?  Guess after reading that they are in a glassed in vestibule or sort of greenhouse.  Yes, you need to get a fan going in that room and possibly some shade cloth to reduce the sunlight when it gets too hot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You essentially have a 'green house' and with that there are management skills to learn.  Ventilation, watering, potting soil, fertilizer...great question.  A bit more information from you.  This mold was just a little wake up call is all...grins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T19:24:18.043" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34303" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34300" CreationDate="2017-07-02T19:37:23.347" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandorea_jasminoides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pandorea jasminoides&lt;/a&gt; is its real name - an evergreen twining climber with fragrant flowers in spring and summer, but it is not hardy unless your winter temperatures do not fall below 15°C, which I think is about 60°F. Ultimate height, where it survives, 4-8 metres by 1-1.5 metres wide. Pruning, if necessary, should be carried out after it has flowered. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/pandorea-jasminoides-charisma&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/pandorea-jasminoides-charisma&lt;/a&gt; - it mentions a specific variety of Pandorea, but the cultivation details are the same for all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-03T13:54:42.227" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T13:54:42.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34293" CreationDate="2017-07-02T19:39:59.237" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am just adding to Stephie's answer.  Yes you mostly certainly can pull out little potatoes also called 'new' potatoes.  Yummmm.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Definitely wait to harvest harvest potatoes after the tops have flowered and will soon start dying.  This happens so quickly with potatoes.  Only problem is you are forbidden (grins) to plant potatoes/tomatoes/eggplant/ or any other plants within the Solanaceae family in the same soil for two years minimum.  That is why I plant these guys in pots, in potting soil to enlarge my garden area.  Starting small...gradually increasing pot size to end at at least a 5 gallon to 10 gallon pot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potatoes need an acidic soil...do you know the pH of your soil?  Are you fertilizing?  Adding organic matter?  Did you know that potatoes are easily grown in a vertical format to save room and get larger potatoes?  Did you start with verified seed potatoes?  Potatoes are my absolute favorite 'vegetable' to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T19:39:59.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34305" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-02T21:17:38.047" Score="3" ViewCount="341" Body="&lt;p&gt;What plant is this, and how should I care for it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got it in India, just bought it because it looked cute to me, and now I don't know it's name or how to care for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rqB6u.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rqB6u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16887" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T02:59:43.420" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T02:59:43.420" Title="What is this houseplant with thin palmate leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34306" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13362" CreationDate="2017-07-02T22:11:32.160" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;We had rats eating our pepper leaves and stems.  We put out a trap and caught one and put out another one and caught a second one.  They even ate chunks of the peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18101" LastActivityDate="2017-07-02T22:11:32.160" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34307" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-02T22:44:31.780" Score="6" ViewCount="2680" Body="&lt;p&gt;2 years ago I had a 7' Norway Spruce put in and it has never given me much trouble. A few weeks to a month ago, I noticed that the very tip of the tree was turning brown and starting to die. The browning is slowly creeping lower and lower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It hasn't been particularly hot or dry here yet this summer and I didn't notice any signs of bugs or fungus, but it may be that I just don't know what to look for. There are two other Norway Spruce to either side about 6 feet apart that are doing fantastically so I'm a bit at a loss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than upping the watering (I've been soaking 2-3 times a week, but there doesn't seem to be any improvement), what can I try or look for? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pGNja.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pGNja.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Norway spruce with browning tip&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Adding more pictures&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MqqbE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MqqbE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Healthy tree in blue, unhealthy tree in red&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hg3Xb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hg3Xb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Big picture of where trees are situated&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11819" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-09T21:27:14.590" LastActivityDate="2019-09-23T23:11:20.673" Title="What is causing the tip to brown and die on my Norway Spruce?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34308" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-02T23:11:46.937" Score="2" ViewCount="73" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know I know. It's July, and hot, but my lawn looks like garbage. I've purchased an electric dethatcher and aerator. I have a lot of thatch and brown/tan spots. Crabgrass is very frustrating to me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking of dethatching, overseeding with Scotts Turf Builder Sun &amp;amp; Shade Water Smart Plus and at the same time throwing down Scotts Turf Builder Starter Food. Watering like crazy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I sound nuts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17810" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-07-04T22:31:56.417" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T22:31:56.417" Title="So, New Seed In July?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34309" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-03T00:25:32.123" Score="3" ViewCount="598" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am debating which &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amazon.ca/Chapin-61900-Commercial-Backpack-4-Gallon/dp/B001FA09S2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1499040982&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;keywords=Chapin%20Backpack%20Sprayer&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Chapin backpack sprayer&lt;/a&gt; to buy. The major difference between Chaptin 61900 and 61800 (see bottom of the page for comparison) is that 61900's wand is stainless steel. I am planning to use it with homemade solution (with white vinegar plus salt and detergent) to kill weeds. But will this solution be bad with stainless steel (ie: corrosive)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14908" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T05:15:10.030" Title="Which backpack sprayer (stainless steel vs plastic wand) to spray acidic solution to kill weeds?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34310" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34305" CreationDate="2017-07-03T01:11:47.840" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have the Kochia Scoparia. It is a hardy, drought-tolerant grass that is said to be toxic and invasive. So please keep it in pots, don't plant it in the ground, unless you have the space. It requires bright sunlight and moderate watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18084" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T01:11:47.840" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34311" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34312" CreationDate="2017-07-03T05:03:00.350" Score="5" ViewCount="205" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just moved into a new house and have a couple of these in the back yard. Not sure if it is a weed or an ornamental.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone recognize it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bay Area, CA (usda zone 9a/b)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PxcUw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PxcUw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18108" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-07-03T07:16:57.643" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T12:37:56.510" Title="What plant is this? A weed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;ornamental-plant&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34311" CreationDate="2017-07-03T05:19:04.560" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's an ornamental, Acanthus, or Acanthus mollis. Its fancy shaped leaves look so familiar because this plant is the prototype for the stylized &quot;foliage&quot; that you see in classical artwork &amp;amp; sculptures, like when the artists wanted to decorate column tops or other architecture or make a background for some kind of inscription. Be careful, though. Those flowers are very sharp inside. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T05:19:04.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34314" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-03T09:02:21.317" Score="4" ViewCount="246" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Craftsman 6-0 Briggs &amp;amp; Stratton push lawn mower will not stay running. If I keep pushing the primer it will stay running, then when I stop pushing the primer it dies. I cleaned the carburettor and I still have the same problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is causing this and how do I prevent it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18110" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-04T01:02:29.943" LastActivityDate="2020-04-24T18:49:58.327" Title="Why won't my Craftsman 6-0 Briggs &amp; Stratton lawn mower stay running?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34311" CreationDate="2017-07-03T12:37:56.510" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is, as already said, Acanthus mollis, an herbaceous perennial plant - in your area, it may be considered invasive. Whether you like it or not is the consideration for deciding whether its a 'weed', but it is difficult to get rid of, and it does spread over time by means of underground, deep roots. If you want to get rid of it, deep digging is required, as well as persistence - it may resprout for the following two or three years if there's any root left behind. Each flower on the stalk has 4 sepals and one spiny bract, but the leaves on A. mollis are soft to the touch. Tolerates shade, but flowers better in sun, and drought tolerant, more information here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.pacifichorticulture.org/articles/wildly-successful-iacanthus-mollisi/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.pacifichorticulture.org/articles/wildly-successful-iacanthus-mollisi/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T12:37:56.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34317" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34296" CreationDate="2017-07-03T12:57:42.923" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pick the best 3 (or so) shoots, cut the rest of the &quot;ton&quot; of shoots, repeat cutting of new shoots every few weeks until it gets the idea. If you want a single trunk, remove the worst/weakest of the 3 (or so,) let the remaining ones grow for a while, and continue remove the weakest stem until you are down to one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T12:57:42.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34318" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34308" CreationDate="2017-07-03T13:09:47.417" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You say you know, but it sounds like you don't know. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or you're acting like you don't know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want instant beautiful lawn in July, there's astroturf and there's turf and a ton of water. Turf and a ton of water gets to be an expensive habit, particularly if you get water-use restrictions while it's not established, and it drops dead or you get fined for watering it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The time to make a nice lawn in July is October (more or less.) If you want to improve your lawn with overseeding, the fall is the time. If you'd like a happier lawn, what you could do &lt;strong&gt;now&lt;/strong&gt; is add compost, raise your lawnmower cutting height, and send in some soil samples to your test laboratory so you actually know what your soil needs, rather than throwing some random &quot;lawn fertilizer&quot; at it. It may or may not need lime, for instance, and lime is best applied at a time different from when fertilizer is applied.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T13:09:47.417" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34319" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34314" CreationDate="2017-07-03T13:44:46.133" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've been trying to hammer the solution to this issue to our customers since B&amp;amp;S &amp;amp; many other manufacturers, switched to their &lt;em&gt;aerodynamically shaped&lt;/em&gt; fuel tanks for &lt;em&gt;esthetic&lt;/em&gt;-reasons, mainly to match the new OHV engine styles. In doing so they knowingly created a nightmare for owners of same equipment. &#xA;These tanks have a &lt;em&gt;domed-like&lt;/em&gt; top, &amp;amp; various baffles &amp;amp; wells molded into the bottoms of the tanks. These features, combined with, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;ANY moisture AT ALL&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;em&gt;in the air&lt;/em&gt;, WILL create the issue the OP is dealing with. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Owners believe &amp;amp; insist they never use old fuel, or, &quot;it's new fuel,&quot; &quot;they just checked/cleaned the carb,&quot; etc., etc., etc.. It doesn't matter how well you care for your fuel. The one solution is to &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;ALWAYS&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; keep the tank as full as possible, but this does not assure a total fix. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Engineers assumed their fancy tanks would be the &lt;em&gt;wave of the future&lt;/em&gt;. Together the domes &amp;amp; the wells create the perfect &quot;&lt;em&gt;condensate creator + water storage system&lt;/em&gt;&quot; which, once the wells are full of water, begins the nightmare.&#xA;1) Condensation collects inside the tank in the domes. &#xA;2) Vibrations and equipment movement shake it into the fuel. &#xA;3) Inherent liquid densities cause the water to sink into the wells. (One of which is also the location of the fuel line to the carb.)&#xA;4) In average to high humidity regions, it's typically about one year before the problem shows itself. Dryer climates may never see it occur. &#xA;5) Consumers often go in &amp;amp; drain the float bowl, (correctly so) but neglect to clean out the tank. Worse, since the tanks have several of these wells in them, you can't just pull the line and drain it, for the other wells will hold their built up water. (We've occasionally drained them, and blotted up the visible water with a clean rag attached to some sort of poker.)&#xA;6) Temporal fixes (draining the bowl &amp;amp; using the equipment until the bowl refills with water again) are responsible for a secondary stage of the problem. e.g. Eventually, the jet/pickup tube that the carb float bowl plug screws into, will become corroded &amp;amp; or, partially plugged. Oft times the actual jet is in this plug, thus, leaning out the fuel to the engine &amp;amp; creating the, &quot;runs when you prime it&quot; example of the OP. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can use a tiny wire to gently scrape away this corrosion in the plug/jet, as well. Those carbs where the jet is in the pickup tube screwed into the carb body, you'll have to remove the carb &amp;amp; use a similar wire to clean out the tube &amp;amp; its tiny orifices inside the carb body. If the bowl was punched out of Chinese steel, it'll rapidly exhibit un-repairable corroded-thru leak point in the bowl. (new one, or try JB weld.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nonetheless, trust me when I tell you, (post-multiple thousands of dollars to do this semi-simple work for customers) these systems need routine cleaning.&#xA;Also, contrary to popularly offered wisdom, you &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;never&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; want to leave these &quot;&lt;em&gt;drained&lt;/em&gt;&quot; in the off season. You should fill them to the brim, and if possible, start them once or twice in the off season, &amp;amp; cap off the tank again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I (could) offer names of B&amp;amp;S employees who've told me, this was a &lt;em&gt;KNOWN&lt;/em&gt; design flaw, and yet, they've left it be for decades in some cases. One of our habitually condensation producing machines, I finally grew tired of and ripped the plastic tank off and installed an old steel tank on it. After several years, never had another condensation problem again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17818" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T13:44:46.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34320" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13497" CreationDate="2017-07-03T18:19:52.720" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;One part rubbing alcohol combined with two parts water in a small spray bottle is nearly instant death to all aphids.  Use it all the time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18115" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-07-03T19:44:14.113" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T19:44:14.113" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34321" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-03T19:02:22.037" Score="10" ViewCount="155" Body="&lt;p&gt;My huckleberry branches are growing through these. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it a fungus? Is it some kind of tumor? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qZE6q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qZE6q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gj8gE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;these grow wild around my cabin in southcentral alaska&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vrTT1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;leaves appear to be incorporated into the thing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uPMjg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;here is a cross-section of the thing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18116" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-05T20:02:08.983" LastActivityDate="2018-12-12T04:04:25.763" Title="What are these small growths on my huckleberry?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34322" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34308" CreationDate="2017-07-03T19:07:32.477" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;An electric dethatcher cum aerator?  Interesting. Dethatching is a very stressful event akin to totally scalping your lawn and ripping it to pieces to grow a better lawn.  Best to avoid ever having to resort to dethatching.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aerating has to be core aerating.  Pulling plugs of soil and grass out of the lawn and allowing to dry and dessicate.  That is critical to do at least once per year.  What is your machine called so that I am able to check this out.  Having a hard time seeing the two in one machine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My one shout out is that dethatching would rip crabgrass into tiny pieces all of which would be viable.  If you haven't dethatched please don't do this until you've dealt with your crabgrass by killing the entire plant including the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Go check out other question/answers about lawns.  We've got some incredible essays on how to manage this BEAST called a lawn.  You are looking forward to doing a lot of work that will make your initial problem WORSE.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have at least an inch or 1/2 inch of thatch?  If not do not dethatch.  I'd rather you spend your energy renting a sod cutter and taking your entire lawn out to resod! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T19:07:32.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34323" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34325" CreationDate="2017-07-03T19:19:20.043" Score="4" ViewCount="140" Body="&lt;p&gt;My relatives say that you need to change potato seeds every couple of years. They didn't specify why.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why is that? Is it because we normally leave small potatoes for seeds and generate negative selection?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would potato crop be better if we planted the biggest potatoes every year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The question is about planting parent potatoes, and than their children and then grandchildren, and than gran grand children is presumably a bad think to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="17223" LastEditDate="2017-07-04T08:01:49.580" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T08:01:49.580" Title="Why do you need to change potato seeds every couple of years?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34324" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34309" CreationDate="2017-07-03T19:59:25.357" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you are going to use a vinegar to kill weeds you need to understand why vinegar kills 'weeds'.  To make it yourself is silly.  Home vinegar isn't as strong as you'll need it to be.  Vinegar should be above 5% in acidity.  Spraying it is crazy.  Forget a back pack sprayer unless you want to ruin your entire yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best use of vinegar is to spray the commercial high percentage 'vinegar' onto and into the soil.  What this does is to stop germination of any plant.  The pH would be so low no plant could grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make no mistake.  Weeds are just plants.  All plants that are sprayed with vinegar will be ruined. Even just over spray.  No homeowner should ever spray any chemical with a backpack sprayer.  Only those that are licensed and know what they are doing should spray anything...and those that are licensed and know what is going on will rarely ever use pesticides or chemicals.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pesticides or all chemicals for use on soil, insects and plants are only BAND AIDS for problems that happen because of lack of information, thus mistakes.  That includes vinegar, soapy water, glyphosate...chemicals that kill; plants, biology/insects, mites, fungus, bacteria or virus.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My worry is why the heck people are so up in arms against weeds?  I've never put so much effort into weeds much less chemicals!  I simply smother them with soil or better yet mulches with no weed seed nor pesticide residues.  Weeds are no big deal!!!  Half a century living with plants and soils and animals and sorry, weeds do not deserve the bad ass reputation they've gotten!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Starving weeds by chopping of the top growth, weed wacking the babies, smothering seeds by dumping soil on top is by far more effective and easy peasy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When one uses herbicide quality vinegar, they spray it on gravel or soil they do not want any growth to be able to happen.  The pH will be so low nothing will germinate.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cool thing is how easy it is to change this pH and have a viable soil once again.  Add lime, the pH gets back into a range where plants can grow and no harm done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spraying vinegar on live plants is as bad as spraying roundup and very much less effective. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T19:59:25.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34325" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34323" CreationDate="2017-07-03T20:29:34.087" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Doesn't matter about changing the 'variety' of potato.  What matters is that you don't plant potatoes nor their cousins in the Solanaceae family in the same soil for at least two years!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would go to 'Colorado Potato Farm' in Colorado to get new seed potatoes every year and make sure that same soil is not planted with any potato, tomato, pepper or egg plant for at least 2 YEARS.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This company is incredible!  Please look them up and tell them one of their beloved customers in Oregon has recommended them to you.  The son of the owner is a SOIL expert and they have stuff for the soil that will aid in lowering the pH because potatoes need an acid soil in the range of blueberries!  Get a catalog.  I highly recommend this company.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Big potatoes have absolutely nothing to do with anything  Have you tried the fingerlings?  And they also give you guidance on how to make a potato cellar!!  To store them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potatoes are incredible crops!  One of the fastest most prolific and most nutritionally packed crops one could grow.  You can grow these potatoes in pots with wire cages to grow vertically as well.  BTW, when growing anything in pots you have to use potting soil.  Usually already in the correct pH range!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your relatives at least gave you a heads up about growing crops that are partially...correct.  If you have a garden you have to know about crop rotation!  You cannot grow tomatoes and potatoes in the same soil for TWO years.  Same with the Brassicas: Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale in the same soil for two years!  Legumes the same.  This is a major deal. We here have all learned the hard way to help you not have to do the same!! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being able to learn how to grow your own food is such a critical skill.  I am very glad you are asking questions and doing the work.  So rewarding!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sanjihan!  You have to go check out J.Mussers 'age of seed potatoes'...very interesting stuff!  Hey if this is what you were looking for make sure you give Mr. J those points.  This is something I've not worried about.  Mainly because I get fresh seed potatoes every year, certified of course and always rotate crops.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-07-03T22:21:25.090" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T22:21:25.090" CommentCount="19" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34326" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34314" CreationDate="2017-07-03T21:01:58.483" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;For REAL?  Briggs and Stratton are probably the absolute top for these engines and design for landscape 2 stroke machines.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't care what anyone says what may be different between brands but winterizing our 2 stroke engines is critical for the health of the machine.  Dumping dirty gas out is critical.  Blowing the last bit of gas out for the winter allowing the engine to be starved of gas is good for the carburetor. That is what the mechanics I have worked with stand behind.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water in gas is a very bad thing for the motor.  Dirt is just as bad if not worse.  Those of us who LOVE our machines would never ever use gasoline with ethanol!  The best oil mix with precise measuring!  Always changing out the filters.  Keep the dirt and sludge (ethanol) out of your machine/equipment will make it last forever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously you've got carburetor problems; the mixing of gas/oil and air.  Something is not tuned correctly.  If I were you I would take my B &amp;amp; S mower to an excellent, reputable repair place and get to know these guys!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hang out!  Butter them up!  They will love showing off their skills.  They will show you how to change out filters, what to check for before dragging your equipment to them to be fixed.  Act dumb.  Make them think they will not lose your service and that you will (of course) turn your neighbors and friends on to their services.  They are wonderful.  Haven't met anyone that works in this capacity to not be extremely helpful.  Course I am a gal and that always helps but still.  They love someone to see and understand what it is they do.  They've almost TOO much to fix to deal with and keep customers happy... Fuel, air filters, being able to change these simple filters, use the appropriate NON ETHANOL fuel, measure perfectly the oil/gas mixture..they will become your best friends and viseversa.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you know how to test your spark plug?  How to fix it to last until the next NEW spark plug?  How to fix your pull cord?  These guys, you kiss ass and they will show all of this to you!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever the design, the basics are the same: No ethanol, change out filters before necessary, extra spark plugs. Sharp sharp blades!  Get extra blades to change out while you are able to sharpen the old or have them sharpened.  You touch a truly well sharpened blade you will cut your finger!  Sharp blades are critical for the health of your grass.  And the look.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ask them how to keep your undercarriage clean from debris buildup.  I used silicone spray, not WD40 which actually absorbs water...keep those machines free of all dirt and they will last forever.  The last time I use my equipment for the season I allow the motor to run until it is out of gas.  Using only clean gas!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weed wackers get into a bit more detail with length and weight of line and spin.  But your mower relies on the same basics.  Is it hydraulic?  How high are you able to cut grass?  I sure hope you are able to set it high enough to leave 3 full inches of grass.  Otherwise, talk to your new buddies about custom raising your deck!  Never mow lower than 3&quot; of cool season grass lawns.  Warm season is vastly different.  Where again do your live?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-07-03T21:20:43.147" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T21:20:43.147" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34327" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34307" CreationDate="2017-07-03T21:41:24.140" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I am seeing looks like it could be just normal die back.  That one branch that was broken the tree has decided is not going to be a big producer.  I only see a bit more of browning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you looked closely to see if there are mites (very very tiny insects or wooly adedgid, looks like soap suds)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there another tree in the picture behind this tree?  So the tip was broken and is now dying back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Forget about overdoing the watering.  We need to understand the differences between this tree and your others.  Like how close is this tree to the one in back. What fertilizer have you used?  Insects...look on the underside of leaves and the lowest leaves of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send a picture of the whole environment standing back with your trees in relation to each other. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where is it you live?  This could possibly be a disease you do not want near any other plants.  Obviously if it is phytophthora the spores are already in the soil.  Healthy plants can resist this fungus...like disease for awhile.  Here is a link for just one possible disease other than having natural dieback.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74133.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;phytophthora&lt;/a&gt;  As you can see excess water is not at all a good thing. There are a few others but like I said this might be normal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T21:41:24.140" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34328" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34300" CreationDate="2017-07-03T23:13:58.860" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o6zwT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o6zwT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my golden hops vine&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  This is in zone 4-5, Pacific NW. Mid June? The flowers are these adorable little japanese lantern looking things with pink/purple/green...like dried flowers.  This is one of the best vines I've ever grown for the purposes you are considering.  No diseases, insect problems after 7 years? Truly, don't stand too near!  3' per day is average... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-07-03T23:20:08.633" LastActivityDate="2017-07-03T23:20:08.633" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34329" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-04T00:34:56.817" Score="7" ViewCount="5805" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there any known problems with leaving lemons on the tree after they are ripe?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year I had a heavy crop and I just picked them as I needed them.  The following spring the tree lost most of its leaves and produced only one single lemon this year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree has had problems with yellowing leaves and curling which I (reluctantly) treated with a copper spray and I applied Epsom salts around the base in case of magnesium deficiency. It has also been the wettest of summers in New Zealand, but that hasn't stopped my orange tree or neighbours' lemon trees from producing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect I sapped the tree's energy by leaving the fruit on too long.  Could that be the case? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17888" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-04T16:21:22.180" LastActivityDate="2018-08-25T01:38:02.617" Title="Is there any reason not to keep lemons on the tree after they are ripe?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2099" CreationDate="2017-07-04T05:07:11.393" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mile-a-minute mocks solarization.  It will bust through a black multi-mil sheet in midsummer.  Hand pull or chemically kill.  I do both.  Hand pull first, kill what grows back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18119" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T05:07:11.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34331" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34309" CreationDate="2017-07-04T05:15:10.030" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Herbicide strength acetic acid is not recommended for use by homeowners. In fact, it's likely very difficult for the average joe to buy. I was curious about it years back and made inquiries. I found rail companies use a 30% spray to kill everything growing along rail lines and it's actually dangerous to use without proper equipment and training.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T05:15:10.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34332" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-04T08:51:21.023" Score="1" ViewCount="29" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ikea has a brand of hydroponic start kits called vaxer. Part of their offering consists of lamps that aid in the cultivation of the plants (example1, example2 and example3). There are other companies offering lamps that should help plants grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I compare the lamps from Ikea as well as others I find it hard to figure out what lamp may be preferable for my hobby projects at home. I recall seeing a documentary where it was suggested that plants prefer red and blue light because that is the colour they themselves do not emit back. This makes me wonder why the Ikea lamps don't have these colors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm new at this field but I may be interested in investing in some lights for some indoor hobbying. When considering this though, what are properties of these growth lights that are important as far as plant growth goes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my particular situation I am not concerned with heat but more the correct type of light and the costs of electricity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-07-04T11:49:16.477" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T11:49:16.477" Title="Growing Lamps for Indoor Growing" Tags="&lt;grow-lamp&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2017-07-08T14:54:34.250" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34333" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31059" CreationDate="2017-07-04T13:11:24.833" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fargesia Robusta,  one of the greatest bushing bamboo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This bamboo is able to withstand harsh weather.  It will be safe between temperatures of 0 Degrees Fahrenheit - (17 degrees Celsius) and 90 degrees Fahrenheit - (32 degrees Celsius)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can be used to create beautiful wall hedging around any area and it will stay quite green.  Bamboo usually is quite resistant, bugs do tend to get to it more then anything. That's with all bamboo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a site so you may read up on this specific bamboo and its ability to create a natural fence perimeter. This also applies to hedges using bamboo in general context to give you an idea for other types.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bamboogarden.com/Fargesia%20robusta.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.bamboogarden.com/Fargesia%20robusta.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here is a quote from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greatplantpicks.org/plantlists/view/640&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;another site clarifying&lt;/a&gt; it will be perfect for you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&quot;Culture Notes&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br&gt;&#xA;  This clumping bamboo grows best in rich moist to well-drained soils. It will tolerate sand or clay if drainage is adequate&quot;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;: Perfect for your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This Bamboo gets quite tall, many varietys tend to. You can expect heights for many bushing bamboo to reach about 20 feet or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17861" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-07-06T12:42:33.317" LastActivityDate="2017-07-06T12:42:33.317" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34334" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34314" CreationDate="2017-07-04T14:09:14.590" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It needs be noted:   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The OP is asking about a 6hp Briggs. (i.e. it is a four stroke engine)  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The OP's engine (unless someone went through painstaking retrofitting of a different carburetor) does not have a two-stage adjustable fuel mixture system. More than likely, there's NO adjustments at all for fuel-air, and only one external adjustment for the idle speed?  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On the matter of sharpening blades:&lt;br&gt;&#xA; You ABSOLUTELY DO NOT, make a lawnmower blade to where it'll &lt;em&gt;cut&#xA;you&lt;/em&gt;?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Take the dullest knife you can find in your kitchen drawer. Sling it around at 3600 rpm, and see how dull it is? But more importantly, understand, when you sharpen a blade &quot;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;down&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&quot; to razor-edge sharpness, the only thing you're doing is assuring the very second you start hitting the grass, you'll be chipping away at that nice sharp edge, and it'll be worse than it was prior to sharpening it before you get 100 feet into the yard?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I KNOW, my wife and I have been sharpening people's and our own, for decades. Sharpening them in such a way, is simply a mockery of the design of these rotary style mowers/blades. Also understand, on a rotary engine mower, the outer 1/4&quot;-1&quot; does, 99 percent of the cutting of grass. If you bring that outer edge down to where it'll &lt;em&gt;cut you&lt;/em&gt;, you'll assure your blades will be un-sharpenable and shaped like a carrot by the third time around.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;5) Unbeknownst to the average lawnmower consumer, being &quot;educated&quot; on filters, off-season maintenance, location of and checking of minor components, is in fact, the job of the seller. But even if their people in the garden centers are untrained and completely ignorant on these issues, it's the consumers' responsibility to bring that to the store managers attention - because it IS, part of their contract with the manufacturers. Mechanics and service centers will take time to help some people.&#xA;6) So, having started, ran and sold two lawn and garden service centers over the course of a life time, being repeatedly certified by every major and many minor manufacturer(s), I feel comfortable in proclaiming, the above response is pure silliness, and the ancient &quot;lie&quot; of, &quot;draining the fuel&quot; that's been sold to consumers for decades, is absolutely, a money-making hoax to literally stir up business, and believe me, it's been the best money-making scandal we ever un-wanting-ly, innocently took part in. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I'll end responding to this hoax, The ONLY time this would be good, is if, the consumer ALSO, &lt;em&gt;fogged the intake and engine internal components&lt;/em&gt;, and indeed some consumers do this, but it wouldn't reach 1 percent of consumer lawnmower users who would even know how, much less take the time to do so.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Therefore, the &lt;strong&gt;SECOND&lt;/strong&gt; and easiest off-season habit to get into is, keeping the tank as full as it can be, (2 or 4 stroke) and then start each piece of equipment every month, run it long enough to flush a carburetors'-worth of volume of gas through it, then, cap off the tank to the top again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Finally&lt;/strong&gt;, Consider this: If, throughout the year, (or since whenever the system was taken completely apart, and cleaned out) - that, by the time the end of the year arrives, and you decide to &quot;drain&quot; the system by running it dry, what's going to happen to every drop of water, bad fuel, and foreign particulates etc., that have accumulated up in any one or more of a dozen places inside the fuel system?&#xA;That's right, it'll be forced to be sucked right up into the carb and engine - just like watching the last ounce of water scurry down a drainpipe. Do Not Do That!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17818" LastEditorUserId="20747" LastEditDate="2020-04-24T18:49:58.327" LastActivityDate="2020-04-24T18:49:58.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="34335" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33511" CreationDate="2017-07-04T14:19:04.590" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every rotary lawnmower engine has a drain plug in it? &#xA;You'd have to elevate the mower onto a pair of sawhorses or something similar, then, look underneath with a good light, for a square holed plug. Roughly 99 percent of them will take the end of a 3/8th's socket extension bar. A few use a plastic plug with a 3/4&quot; hex. (very rare anymore) You simply insert the end you'd normally attach the socket to, and the ratchet where it normally belongs, and loosen/remove the plug.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does seem overkill when even many manufacturers inform you to drain by turning the dipstick side towards the ground, and draining? Granted, it's not too convenient, but then again, this is usually done when you're &quot;tuning&quot; the machine for seasonal use, and in that process, you'd need to access the blade and clean out the undercarriage anyway? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17818" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T14:19:04.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33353" CreationDate="2017-07-04T14:37:39.293" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most commercial mowers and many manufacturers, now highly recommend, adjusting the blade so the rear is one adjustment &quot;&lt;em&gt;higher&lt;/em&gt;&quot; than the front. With a properly matched blade-to-deck and rpm, this will create the necessary &quot;&lt;em&gt;vacuum&lt;/em&gt;&quot; to lift the blades of grass in the (rear) and cut them evenly on the lowest (front) end. And I believe, if you're at 3&quot; inches in the front, and the next higher up in the back, you'll be where you want to be due to the ever so slight of an angle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;DO NOT sharpen your blades to a &quot;sharp&quot; cutting edge. This is bad advice from people who know little. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doing so will only destroy the blade before its time. Consider this. A blade running 3600 rpm, with a razor sharp edge on it? What's going to happen to that edge the SECOND it hits anything, including grass? 99 percent of the cutting is done by less than 5 percent of the outer edge of the blade. A &quot;&lt;em&gt;sharp&lt;/em&gt;&quot; edge will assure immediate chipping of the edge - opening the door to rapid wear from the tip inward, and you'll quickly have a blade that's unfit to even re-sharpen. You should have what many of us call a &quot;smooth&quot; sharp edge to it. You can't cut your skin with it while it's static, but it'd chop your leg off at nice and smoothly at 3600 rpm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P.S. I highly recommend ignoring miss &lt;em&gt;stormy&lt;/em&gt; advice at all cost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17818" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-07-04T14:53:36.897" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T14:53:36.897" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24960" CreationDate="2017-07-04T14:53:51.907" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, I hate to contradict anyone, but we've been attending manufacturers updates schools since the 70's and early eighties and I assure you, you always turn the mower towards the dipstick - always. &#xA;The manufacturers went through a lot of painstaking engineering to make lawnmowers function in this regard without either, oil not draining, or gas filling up the crankcase or running out of the machine. In forty plus years of running our two shops, I've only seen some antique mowers that this wouldn't apply to. Obviously, there are many commercial mowers designed entirely different. . . &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the &quot;Panacea frightening&quot; scenario of the engine starting up like an old airplane? Well, indeed they continue to say this, but only because some sue-happy knucklehead would figure out how to do this if they didn't continue saying it. Not to mention, unless you've totally tampered with several major components of your mower, it would be impossible to do so. Just try to turn the blade on your mower?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you removed the blade brake, you'd still have to deal with the kill switch which, could be tied into the system in up to three place? Then of course, you have the matter of the engine sitting on it's side - by design, unable to run.&#xA;But, if it makes everyone feel comfy, go ahead and pull that dead wire off the plug.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17818" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T14:53:51.907" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34339" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23090" CreationDate="2017-07-04T17:15:57.657" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I was in College we visited a sewage plant. There were all these tomato  plants growing in the sewage. Tomato seeds don't get chewed verymuch when people eat tomatoes or like salsa. So when the seeds get pooped out by humans and enter the sewage system there is the intact seed and fecund sewage to fertilize the seed and provide it with a good start... I noticed this as a child too near sewage pipes... there were a lot of wild tomatoes growing. So in a Zombie Apocalypse tomatoes would start growing shortly after peoplestarted going no. 2 outside because if the grid goes down you can't just go... you need an active sewage system. After the grid goes down people will go outside and those tomato products with seeds will probably germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18122" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T17:15:57.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34340" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5475" CreationDate="2017-07-04T18:00:35.853" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;We frequently buy cut flowers and enjoy them on our dining room table. Once spent, we toss them out the back door into the azalea hedge beside a little creek that runs behind our house. Lo and behold, spears of green appeared this summer in the azaleas and I was thinking &quot;marsh grass&quot; since we live on the North Carolina coast. I noticed a blaze of orange just now, and after researching, discovered they are wonderful crocosmia volunteers, most likely from one of the spent flower arrangements. The area is damp and has quite a bit of dead leaves and pine straw from the azaleas, sunny in winter and shaded in summer. They seem to start from seed just fine in moist, loamy, slightly acid soil. I would just plant the whole pod in a thick layer of rotten leaves in a moist area to duplicate these conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18123" LastEditorUserId="18123" LastEditDate="2017-07-04T18:05:45.440" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T18:05:45.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34341" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34348" CreationDate="2017-07-04T19:30:47.820" Score="4" ViewCount="261" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large-ish garden and I live in West Yorkshire, UK. I moved to this house in December of 2016, and it is only now that things have settled down and I am able to spend some time doing gardening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My lawn is full of a type of moss (I think), and I'd appreciate some advice on what I can do to get my lawn to be healthy green, similar to my neighbour's lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The house used to belong to a lady in her late 50s. She seemed to love plants, but perhaps the lawn was a bit too much for her. The lawn was like this when we got the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/sXVD7&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;some images&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mine is on the right. As you can see, the colour of the circular lawn isn't bright green, it is more like yellow!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sWmrB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sWmrB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1st pic&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p8aBB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p8aBB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2nd pic&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/azg4w.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/azg4w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3rd pic&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've started working on the edging, but it is hard work. I'm fat, so I'm taking things slow.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D29PG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/D29PG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;4th pic&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Am I right that the soil is too compacted? It certainly doesn't feel plushy when walking on it.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xetpy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xetpy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;5th pic&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure if this is moss, but I have that too in one corner of the garden (towards the house, not the glass house).&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mFvGC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mFvGC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;6th pic&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the moss that's all over the place.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4p8kz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4p8kz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;7th pic&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a closer, clearer shot of the moss. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HQQFc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HQQFc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;8th pic&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15208" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-04T23:22:09.977" LastActivityDate="2017-07-05T12:33:16.863" Title="How can I get rid of the moss growth on my lawn, and improve its overall health?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34342" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34307" CreationDate="2017-07-04T19:47:53.237" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Borers do damage exactly like that in certain pine trees . The borers are inside so you can't see them ; cut off the dead parts and look for tunnels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T19:47:53.237" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34343" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34341" CreationDate="2017-07-04T21:41:52.470" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've purchased a home with a to die for landscape!  We can easily help get that lawn into shape.  I am assuming this grass is cool season grass (UK).  I would aerate your lawn, rent an aerator that pulls plugs out of the lawn and then allow them to disintegrate on top of your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bet this poor lawn has had no fertilizer, am I right?  Go get if you are able to find, Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer or another similar formulation of slow release lawn fertilizer (higher in Nitrogen than phosphorus and potassium, also comes with thatch eating bacteria)...follow the directions.  You put more on than you do with the Scott's or Ortho lawn fertilizers, greens up slower but my goodness what a difference.  Fast release fertilizers one needs to add at least 4X per season.  This stuff only 2 or 3 times.  Amazing results and I am not kidding.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aeration, fertilizer...and make sure you mow NO SHORTER than 3&quot;.  If your mower is not able to mow this high go get it raised!  Water deeply!  Do not water again until you are able to see your footprints in the grass stay down.  THEN water deeply again.  Do not water every day!  Sharp sharp blades.  Your lawn should come around quite well and be able to out compete the clover.  Do not mow any shorter than 3&quot;!  Water ONLY when your footprints on the grass stay down.  Fertilize with a rotary hand spreader, very cheap.  Do not fertilize by throwing!   Read the directions.  Forget about 'weeds'...all I can see is clover which tells me your lawn needs fertilizer and the height of grass raised to 3&quot;!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By watering deeply and allowing the soil to dry in between watering, that moss will go away.  Watering every day will promote moss and shallow rooted weeds.  Moss is NOT competitive it is an opportunist.  If the grass is weak, if there are bare spots and lots of water...AND a lower pH moss will be there.  Check the pH of your lawn bed soil.  If it is lower than 6.5 you'll need to lime your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mow no lower than 3&quot;, aerate. Leave the plugs, fertilize...slow release 'organic' balanced fertilizer higher in Nitrogen than the P and the K and water ONLY when you are able to walk on your lawn and leave footprints.  Water very deeply...at least 4-6&quot; deep at a time. You should eventually train your grass to only need a watering once per week or 1&quot; of water per week.  Saves on water!  Your grass gets deep roots and in between watering shallow rooted moss and weeds will die out.  3&quot; of grass will shade the soil so much that weed seeds are unable to germinate and with infrequent watering no seedling will be able to survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilize with a great 'organic' fertilizer such as Dr. Earth's.  I hate the word organic...along with natural.  Those words are used so loosely.  Regardless, this 'organic' fertilizer that comes with bacteria and formulated for the different parts of the season (early, mid, fall) is slow release and spectacular.  And I know this because I cared for thousands of lawns.  No lower than 3&quot;!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T21:41:52.470" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34344" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-04T22:19:19.163" Score="5" ViewCount="438" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have white spots on the trunk of my orange and grapefruit trees, and I don't know what that means. I live in Houston, Texas. The spots on the trunk differ from the spots on the leaves. I do not see them described on the internet or in USDA articles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18124" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-04T23:29:20.503" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T23:29:20.503" Title="What are the white spots on the trunk of my orange and grapefruit trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2018-08-30T10:49:06.430" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34345" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13362" CreationDate="2017-07-04T22:49:55.187" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's difficult to say without evidence, but this kind of damage could be caused by a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/tomato-hornworms-in-home-gardens/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;tomato hornworm&lt;/a&gt; or a &lt;a href=&quot;https://agrowinggarden.com/blog/help-a-tobacco-hornworm-is-eating-my-peppers/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;tobacco hornworm&lt;/a&gt;. They can defoliate your plants fast (and they'd probably only target your peppers, tomatoes and other related plants). You may see some caterpillar poop on or near the plant, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes and tobacco are both related to peppers, and the hornworms will eat pepper foliage (including that of hot peppers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2017-07-04T22:49:55.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34346" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34347" CreationDate="2017-07-04T23:57:14.463" Score="2" ViewCount="47" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to plan out our new garden, and I would like to have some bulbs and perennials, perhaps both in the same area of the garden. I want to make sure that there are no concerns with planting these types of flowers close to each other, and how close they can be to each other if planted together. I am specifically interested in having daffodils and tulips in the same plot as lavender, lingonberries, bearded iris, red hot torch lilies, and possibly azaleas or rhododendron; I would be interested if there is a general way to determine what plants can be planted together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in US zone 8b.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16480" LastActivityDate="2017-07-05T01:04:59.103" Title="What plants can be grown near bulbs?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34347" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34346" CreationDate="2017-07-05T00:58:01.557" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;First, there's an issue with some of the plants you want to put together in the bed, regardless of any bulbs. Lingonberry requires acidic, moist soil, as do rhododendron varieties, including azalea; lavender, on the other hand, prefers free draining neutral to alkaline soil conditions and full sun, so the lavender won't make a good bed fellow for the acid lovers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regard to tulips and daffodils, the shrubs you mention are all evergreen, and depending on the varieties you choose, the mature or ultimate spread or width of each one will vary - that means you must plant the bulbs a sufficient distance away from the shrubs, taking into account the ultimate spread of each shrub, so that the bulbs have space to grow and flower, and space for their foliage to be left in place for six weeks after flowering is over. Bearded Iris rhizomes need to be in a very sunny spot, not shaded by other plants particularly during summer, because the rhizome needs to be baked by the sun to get good flowering ongoing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kniphofia (torch lilies) take up a fair amount of space, with their rather sprawly foliage, but there are dwarf and large varieties, so be sure to check the spread of whichever one you choose before planting your bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you were worried about any allelopathic effects between the plants you mention, that won't be a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-05T01:04:59.103" LastActivityDate="2017-07-05T01:04:59.103" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34348" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34341" CreationDate="2017-07-05T11:08:17.990" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Now I can see the images, a few things.There is not much moss, but there is dog lichen and what looks like new thistle growth coming through - either that or some kind of lichen growth, but if it feels prickly, its thistle. If it is thistle, it's stunted and small because it's being cut all the time. The presence of dog lichen is evidence of a compacted, poorly drained lawn which has not had any proper maintenance carried out, and which may frequently be waterlogged. Aeration is essential, even if that's only with a standard garden fork, and applying a moss killer such as Vitax Green Up Lawn Sand should also reduce or kill the dog lichen. RHS information on dog lichen here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=414&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=414&lt;/a&gt;. There are embedded links in there giving advice on spring, summer and autumn maintenance for lawns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your lawn might benefit from an application of Verdone 2 (if those are thistles) which is a lawn weedkiller concentrate to be mixed in a can at the appropriate rates. You need to use it a minimum of 4 days after cutting the grass (because of the thistles, a week is better) on a day when there's no rain forecast and the grass blades are relatively dry. You may need to reapply next year - thistles are pretty resilient, but are not great in a lawn for bare feet. I do not recommend the granular, all in one feed, weed and mosskill preparations - the weedkiller element is ineffectual for one thing, and its really easy to under or over dose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm curious as to why the lawn edge in the second and third picture is so much higher than anything which surrounds it - this is not good, because there's a high risk that standing on the edge will break the lawn up, and roots are fully exposed. Is there a reason why its like this, it looks like its been cut back with a half moon edger or similar recently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may be that your grass gets waterlogged in winter, or maybe it doesn't - if regular waterlogging occurs, then it may be necessary to install drainage. Either way, the evidence in your lawn means that 'deep watering' is almost the exact opposite of what it requires, though currently, you clearly haven't had a lot of rain, because the dog lichen looks like dry curly plates rather than soggy, bloated flatter ones. Still, where you live, it won't be long before you do get rain, I'm sure. Otherwise, I'm still going to recommend you get a copy of The Lawn Expert by D. G. Hessayon - it will be useful ongoing, but if you do get it, ignore any advice about killing earthworms in the lawn. The products that did this have long since been withdrawn, and earthworms perform valuable functions, so no one kills those any more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can start treating your lawn now, especially given the presence of lichen, so aerate it now. But if you look at the RHS link, under non chemical control, click  on 'spring and summer' and it will give some guidance as to what  you can do now. The golden rule is never feed the lawn with a spring/summer formulation past August in the UK,and where you are, end of July, first week of August. There are Autumn feeds you can use in September though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the link to the edging, well you could use it, but to be honest, although they seem like a good solution, they're a pain - the grass will overgrow and you won't easily be able to trim it back with 90 degree edging shears. Bear this in mind - if a lawn butts up at the same level to, say, paving, then every year in spring, you take your half moon edger and insert it at the edge of the grass up against the paving, and take out about a half inch in width of the lawn, to depth of about 2 or 3 inches. You do this because otherwise, the lawn will grow over the paving, and you take out that much so you can get your edging shears into that small gap and keep the lawn edge trimmed. That is not possible with this type of edging strip. But if you want to try it, that's your choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because the lawn is not level, but humped up in the middle, a better solution is to remove the lawn altogether, re-level and lay new turf, but that's a lot of work. Alternatively, reset the paving stones in that area a little higher (you'll need to angle them so they butt up with the others around the lawn) and fill in any gap between those and the lawn with some soil, sloped down to the stones, and seed it, then follow the procedure outlined in the paragraph above this for keeping the edges tidy from spring next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE 2:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just noticed the photo that shows a shrub, with the grass looking a bit grey beneath. All that needs is trimming with your half moon edger, taking out about 3-4 inches of turf to make a sharp edge. The only reason it looks the way it does is because the planting is too close to the lawn edge and it's not getting sufficient light and air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-05T12:33:16.863" LastActivityDate="2017-07-05T12:33:16.863" CommentCount="15" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34349" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-05T18:59:38.560" Score="3" ViewCount="2479" Body="&lt;p&gt;I dug out all the dead grasses from my backyard after the patio was installed. It leaves about 700 sq ft for new sod. Because of the slope of my backyard I also would like to raise the lawn by a couple inch (approx. 4 - 5 inch) to make it more even for the lawn. There are couple different type of soil to choose from: screened topsoil, 50/50 compost/soil mix, or peat loam. Some sod farm companies recommend 50/50 compost/soil mix, some state that a regular screened topsoil is good enough, or either go for peat loam. It seems that 50/50 compost mix has a lot of benefits (e.g. reduce erosion. breaks up clay soils and so on) but it costs more than screened topsoil. Which one should I use to build this soil foundation before the new sod put on? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18128" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-07-05T20:04:12.203" LastActivityDate="2017-08-04T23:36:41.213" Title="Screened topsoil vs 50/50 compost soil vs peat loam for new sod" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;sod&gt;&lt;topsoil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34351" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-05T19:54:03.307" Score="4" ViewCount="98" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a good size pomegranate tree I planted in the ground about 6 years ago. The plant is healthy and bears flowers and tiny fruit which quickly fall off rather than developing into a good size pomegranate. I get fruit later in the year but only a handful. I hear similar complaints from neighbors. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What am I doing wrong?&#xA;What is the fruiting season in zone 9b? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fmkLh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fmkLh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pG2gH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pG2gH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-05T23:22:39.503" LastActivityDate="2017-07-05T23:22:39.503" Title="Why isn't my pomegranate tree bearing fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pomegranate&gt;&lt;fruit-drop&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34354" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3402" CreationDate="2017-07-05T22:00:54.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems your major concern here is that the plant be able to &quot;sleep&quot; per se; but since most plants produce their own energy &quot;sleep&quot; isn't really necessary. As others have mentioned, respiration  (the process of breaking down glucose into energy for the plant, which requires oxygen and of which carbon dioxide is the by product) occurs 24/7. The plant would die without it. Photosynthesis only occurs with light, and only if certain spectrums are present. For examples, plants may do a tiny bit of photosynthesis at night from star and moonlight. But mostly they are completing respiration, which occurs at a constant rate and doesn't change based on whether there is light or not. The plants should be fine with a tiny bit of light, but if you notice the leaves bleaching maybe mention something to your mom. Kinda sounds like she is experienced though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18130" LastActivityDate="2017-07-05T22:00:54.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34355" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34349" CreationDate="2017-07-05T23:24:54.997" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Make sure you allow for at least 1- 2% slope away from the home. I vote for soil that is closest to what you have. Especially on a slope. I would use a shovel and dig and turn over the soil you have allow to dry. Clay makes great soil for lawns that aren't going to be used for sports? Compost plus soil is nice but you won't ever know what is in that soil such as pesticide residue, insects, weed seeds. I would not worry about getting a lot of exotic soil. I'd get the shovel and have one yard of decomposed organic matter spread over the 750 sq. ft @4&quot; deep. Then just dig and turn dig and turn.  Allow to dry.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then I would add an inch of screened topsoil.  Rake/grade and ROLL with a water filled roller you can rent.  Rake/grade and Roll again. Perhaps again...mark the exact lines for the edge of your lawn, always stay with one radius until you need to change the curve.  You can change the radius with each curve just no compound curves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lay the sod so the length is perpendicular to the rise in height.  After laying and cutting your sod, roll your sod with that roller again going in different directions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In choosing a soil get the closest to match your own soil.  Don't add sand or gypsum or lime. Don't use PEAT.  Peat is very acidic.  Lawns like neutral to slightly alkaline.  Peat is also a finite resource that is threatened...sigh.  Dig a trench all around your defined edges...6&quot;X6&quot;.  Read a bunch of stuff on how to train and grow a lawn that we have right here on this site.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-05T23:24:54.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34356" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-06T02:15:48.897" Score="2" ViewCount="150" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I purchased my house last year I hoped that the tree with purple leaves in my front yard would produce fruit. Fortunately it has produced little plums about the size of a golf ball. This is my first experience owning a fruit tree so I apologize if the following is a silly question. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I pick a plum that appears to be ripe, half of the flesh is sweet and the other half &lt;strong&gt;of the same plum&lt;/strong&gt; is sour. I don't recall experiencing this with plums or other stone fruit I've purchased from the supermarket. In the supermarket stone fruit generally has a uniform flavor throughout. Is this a normal occurrence for little plums like these? If so is there anything I can do now to encourage the entire plum to be sweet now? If that ship has sailed what can I do so the plums are more uniformly sweeter next year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15986" LastActivityDate="2017-07-06T02:15:48.897" Title="Plums half sweet and half sour" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;plums&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34357" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5662" CreationDate="2017-07-06T03:15:53.363" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A spade is shaped like the card so that it can dig holes with a point.  A shovel is flat bottomed so it can pick up a wide scoop of loose material.  You dig a ditch with a spade and you shovel snow or gravel with a shovel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18132" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-06T17:16:39.903" LastActivityDate="2017-07-06T17:16:39.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34358" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-06T03:36:28.260" Score="4" ViewCount="6214" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in New Mexico where its been over 100 each day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My cucumber plant was growing very healthy for a few weeks now. I do regularly &#xA;watering. It grew about 8 full sized cucumbers already. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of a sudden a few days ago the leaves started turning yellow and dying. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant had tons of baby cucumbers flowering which are now shriveling up and dying. There was also a weird white powder at the base of the cucumber.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RVkke.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RVkke.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PmoFl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PmoFl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18133" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-07-06T07:53:24.107" LastActivityDate="2017-07-13T19:25:42.227" Title="cucumber plant leaves turing yellow, brown and dying" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34359" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34360" CreationDate="2017-07-06T07:23:00.203" Score="4" ViewCount="147" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was all excited yesterday when I got home from work. I had received an email from Amazon saying my new &lt;a href=&quot;http://amzn.eu/4Gft9Zo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bulldog Edging Knife&lt;/a&gt; had been delivered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I opened up the box, unwrapped the tool, and was so disappointed. These are like one of the most expensive edging knifes you can buy, yet here is its &lt;strong&gt;&quot;&lt;/strong&gt; sharp edge &lt;strong&gt;&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m3dfo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m3dfo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sharp edge&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is like 2mm thick, very very dull. Does anyone have any experience with these tools? Aren't they supposed to be sharp? The one I borrowed from my neighbour was quite sharp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15208" LastEditorUserId="15208" LastEditDate="2017-07-06T09:18:09.143" LastActivityDate="2017-07-06T10:13:42.833" Title="Bulldog Edging Knife Useless" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34359" CreationDate="2017-07-06T10:13:42.833" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It should not need to be even as sharp as a spade, because penetration is less (say 2 - 3 inches rather than nearer 12&quot;). And used like a spade (forced down with a foot on top of the blade) even quite blunt should 'do the job'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, if there are stones or pebbles or roots to 'cut' through robustness is a good idea. I had one where the metal attaching the blade to the handle bent for not being as 'meaty' as I would have liked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd probably take a grindstone to yours but not aim for the sharpness of a scalpel - just normal soil would take such an edge off very quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-07-06T10:13:42.833" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34362" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34423" CreationDate="2017-07-06T13:48:50.933" Score="6" ViewCount="138" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple of years ago, during a holidays in Segovia (Spain), I picked some seeds from a couple of trees.&#xA;I sowed them and eventually, some baby trees were born.&#xA;I wonder if some of you knows what kind of tree they are.&#xA;You can see them in Google Maps:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.es/maps/@40.9493991,-4.1259099,3a,38.4y,6h,104.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKweY1Wbj4qFQs6SXAm_U6g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.google.es/maps/@40.9493991,-4.1259099,3a,38.4y,6h,104.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKweY1Wbj4qFQs6SXAm_U6g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7dbAw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7dbAw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Grown up trees&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(The brown &quot;leaves&quot; in the branches are some paper-like tulips which have the seeds inside)&#xA;And one of those I planted so you can see the leaves  (We are in a heat wave and my plants are a little bit sad!):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ekhFv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ekhFv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Baby tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any clues? Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Good news! I moved these to larger pots and pruned them, and they are growing greener and happier. Thanks you all for the advices!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pq3rJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pq3rJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/45Xdj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/45Xdj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18002" LastEditorUserId="18002" LastEditDate="2017-07-19T09:51:10.077" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T09:51:10.077" Title="Help identifying a tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34363" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33726" CreationDate="2017-07-06T14:22:05.343" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've taken bonsai classes, though I'm mostly a beginner, so feel free to use my advice as a jumping off point and do more research.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonsai pots, like Hazel commented, do have drainage holes, and they do have to be watered frequently. That's been my downfall with them and I'd recommend some kind of watering system on a timer if you aren't good about checking on the dryness on a regular basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So basically, bonsai is the art of training a young(-ish) tree and making it look like a tree that's lived hundreds of years and seen all kinds of storms, snow, ice, etc... There are multiple styles and you need to look at them and see which one is best for your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Overall, the general rule tends to be that you want the first 1/3 of your trunk to be bare (again, there are exceptions based on style), then you start with your primary branches. As you move up the trunk, it should taper and the limbs should get smaller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can decide the size you want your bonsai to be an that will affect how you grow it out. I've seen bonsai on youtube that were micro sized and some that were massive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You had a good idea that is frequently used when you try to grow a bonsai from seed. People will pot them, or even better, plant them in the ground to get much quicker growth. A bonsai should only go into a bonsai pot after you've gotten all the basic growth that you want. Bonsai soil is almost completely inorganic and some people prefer to grow in soil that is totally inorganic. So you aren't going to get a lot of growth after it's potted in a bonsai pot. I would repot this in it's own pot, or stick it in the ground and work on pruning it to get the desired structure you want. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something to keep in mind is that if you want to thicken your trunk, you need more growth on top. Plants put on thickness to support further growth of the tree. If you cut it off, then your trunk won't thicken much more. Sometimes, people even leave undesirable branches growing low, to thicken the trunk before removing them. If you're happy with your trunk thickness, then it's time to start taking it down to size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stormy had some good points. It's unhealthy for a tree to have more than 1/3 of it's mass cut off at once. Some plants will survive it, but they're stressed and it takes them longer to recover from a massive cut back than if you did it gradually. This in bonsai, so you're in it for the long haul. I'd probably repot it now and then when it's recovered at the beginning of next spring when the new buds are starting to form, I'd prune it back by 1/3 or an inch above a node. Like you noticed when you pinched the top, it created back buds. There is a chemical in plants and when the tip of a growing branch is damaged or cut off, it sends it back down the trunk and creates back branching. That's what you want to occur. Then you'll be able to pick the branches that are stylistically best for you. Repeat this, cutting it back by 1/3, till you get it to the desired height. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plan ahead and you can do a method where you make a small new branch the main leader by binding it upright. Some people cut the main trunk on an angle, notch it, and push the new leader into the notch before binding it. The idea is to cause the trunk to grow and trap the new leader. Keep researching and using methods like this to create the bonsai you're looking for. Keep in mind that the tree tends to determine the style. You can do a lot of manipulation, but it's better to pick a style that the tree already leans toward, instead of fighting it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, while it make take you years to get really good at it and create a master piece, it's really not a hobby anyone should be afraid to get into. I suggest people do some research, watch some youtube, take a beginner class if ones available, but go out and buy some plants that look good and start giving it a go. Just like with any plants, I don't suggest that people get one and put all of their hopes into it. If you have a couple going, then if one dies on you, it's a loss, but not a devastating one. You can also compare and contrast. One can be your practice bonsai and the other can be the one you use what you learn on. I do recommend that you pick something like a shimpaku juniper, a box wood, or something similar that already has small leaves. Your ash has good sized leaves on it and this will throw off the look of the tree. You'll have a small tree with proportionally massive leaves. There are ways around this and people will defoliate the tree a try to cause it to always have small versions of the leaves, but as a beginner, I recommend something like the juniper that already has very small leaves. This is less work and stress for you. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2017-07-06T14:22:05.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34364" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-06T14:32:18.797" Score="3" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pi71I.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pi71I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hi, this is my first tree and first ever successful plant. &#xA;I have pinched the top 2 leaves already.&#xA;Question 1 - the bottom 2 leaves (pic. top right)  have dry patches. All the others are looking fine. Shall I cut them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question 2 - Am I supposed to completely cover the stone with soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18138" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-07-06T18:08:11.080" LastActivityDate="2017-07-10T03:35:46.730" Title="Avocado help, 2 simple questions pls" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34365" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34366" CreationDate="2017-07-06T14:32:33.563" Score="1" ViewCount="67" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have heard poop can actually be really good fertilizer. Truth be told, in my county, the solid waste division takes figure remains and uses it as fertilizer that is sold for planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With this in mind, what would happen if I took some soil, put it in a flowerpot and then pooped on it, and then covered that with more soil? Would this be a good fertilizer and help a plant grow? I'm not joking at all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18139" LastActivityDate="2017-07-06T15:14:23.790" Title="Will pooping in a flowerpot before planting ivy help it grow?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34365" CreationDate="2017-07-06T14:45:38.707" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I really wouldn't advise it - human faecal waste is processed and used as fertilizer even in the UK, although most of it is used by the agricultural industry. But its the 'processed' part that counts. The treatment process produces biosolids which are 99.99% free of pathogens, because human faecal matter can contain a startling array of really quite nasty and infectious pathogens. Given you are talking about doing what you're doing for a plant that will be kept in the house, it's even more of a bad idea, not least from the odour point of view.  There are one or two areas of the world where raw human waste is used, but usually because there's nothing else at all available and it's used outdoors, usually on crops. The risk from pathogens within it are primarily to humans rather than the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If all you're growing is Ivy, that's as tough as old boots and needs no special treatment nor fertilisers to help it grow anyway, though it will  need watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-06T15:14:23.790" LastActivityDate="2017-07-06T15:14:23.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34367" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33654" CreationDate="2017-07-06T15:30:49.400" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You include the helpful note that your garden gets a lot of shade in the morning and afternoon.  Few vegetables like shade.  In general, the stronger a plant is, the more likely it is to fare well despite the “common cold” varieties of insects and diseases with which every plant lives.   If the shrubs and creeper are what is heavily shading your garden then yes, it is likely they indirectly are enhancing the insect infestations.  In that case, though, likely so is the fence underneath or behind them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beyond that, the insects are unlikely to be affected much by the surrounding plants.  Grasshoppers do thrive and shelter in tall unmown grass, particularly wheat.  That doesn't look relevant to your yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All three unwelcome residents, aphids, caterpillars, and locusts / grasshoppers, share several characteristics.  First, each is widespread and common, nearly worldwide.  That means there almost certainly are background populations nearby and every year.  The neighboring insects will tend to replace those that you kill.  Second, there are at least thousands (!) of species of each, most of which are host-specific.  That is, each kind seeks out only one or a few species of plants.  (Major outbreaks of grasshoppers are an exception.)  So even if one species thrives on a garden plant or an ornamental and may occasionally overflow onto the other, the populations on the two plant species are unlikely to be mutually reinforcing.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another characteristic the three groups of insects have in common is that their populations tend to fluctuate a lot year to year, mostly in response to fine variations in weather.  For example, cold, wet weather in the few days immediately after spring egg hatch is very destructive to tiny new grasshoppers.  The differences you see between your current and previous gardens may be due in part to different weather in various years, as well as potentially other subtle environmental differences between the locations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aphids (and to a lesser extent caterpillars) are particularly defenseless.  They reproduce at a breathtaking rate.  Generically that means that their populations are controlled by high rates of mortality, not by limited numbers of mature parent individuals.  Perhaps you may want to focus on enhancing their natural enemies rather than killing some of the individuals while the rest continue to multiply.  For aphids, enemies include lacewings, lady beetles, and numerous species of (to humans, stingless) parasitic wasps.  While a few insecticides are specific to orders of insects, others aren’t.  It’s possible spraying is helping, and it’s also possible it’s hurting the campaign to reduce the numbers of pest insects.  Also, aphids will ebb and flow on their own.  That is because they do best when it is relatively cool, in your climate spring and fall but less so in high summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To reply directly to your question, except to the extent that the shrubs weaken your vegetables by shading them excessively, removing adjacent ornamentals isn’t likely to help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18091" LastActivityDate="2017-07-06T15:30:49.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34368" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34369" CreationDate="2017-07-06T17:29:22.583" Score="3" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the left side of my garden I have a lot growing and it is all mixed and messed up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure which of these is a weed and which isn't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wSfQm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wSfQm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;High Res Photo&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just went out into the garden, and taken some close shots of each. I've put them &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dropbox.com/sh/iwr6dmuys56uoka/AADKerTA_zBuvzOljrGeDKzaa?dl=0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;all here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do I remove and what do I keep? Or do I start over and remove all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15208" LastEditorUserId="15208" LastEditDate="2017-07-06T20:15:25.103" LastActivityDate="2017-07-07T00:30:59.503" Title="Which is a weed and which isn't?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34369" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34368" CreationDate="2017-07-06T17:40:34.003" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant in the centre of the picture is a Spiraea variety, maybe Goldmound or Anthony Waterer, a deciduous shrub, and you can cut that back a few inches after the flowers are finished. But there's something else growing through it, the rest of which is to  the right of the picture, and I'm not sure what that is, can't see it clearly. The low  growing stuff at the front is obviously a ground cover plant with what might be dusty pink flowers, but the picture isn't high enough resolution, because when I magnify it to see detail, it's not possible, its too fuzzy,  so I can't identify what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The way to sort out what's growing is to look at the base of the plants concerned, pushing other plants out of the way, and decide what's coming from where...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking at the new photos, the one with all the holes in pic 7 is a Hosta variety and the white flowers on a stalk are off that. It's full of holes because snails and slugs absolutely love Hostas, so if you're going to grow them, they need slug protection. Its been crowded out by the Spiraea, so it needs moving (if you want to keep it) to a different spot -they like shadier areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All the weedy looking plants with either spindly bits at the top or with small pink flowers are weeds - I see some either side of the Spiraea and there may be more lurking inside the bush, you'll have to check, because where there's one, there'll be a lot more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant with bright pink largeish flowers and dissected leaves is Malva moschata, shown in pics 5 and 6.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant with grasslike leaves (pic 4) is a daylily (Hemerocallis) which has finished flowering. The groundcover (low growing, at the front, pic 3) is one of the Saxifragas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pic 8 might be a Magnolia, but I'm not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture 9 is a Hebe, I assume the same one shown from a distance as Pic 10.  Pic 11 looks like a laurel, maybe Prunus lusitanica, Pic 12, hmmm, not sure what that is. Its surrounded by rubbish, that is, weeds such as Geum urbanum, but the little grey leaved plant with yellow buds isn't a weed, just not sure what it actually is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm still thinking about what the one next to the Spiraea might be - have you seen it produce any flowers at all? It might or might not be something you want to keep, hard to say at this stage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, there are too many plants in too small a space, so I suggest you look them up online (the ones you haven't noticed flowering), decide what you want to keep and whether there's anywhere else to move 2 or 3 to, then dig out anything you don't want, including the weeds. If you decide to just keep one or two, dig them out, keep them somewhere out of the sun, roots covered and watered, turn the border over and clear out what you don't want, incorporate some composted manure, then replant the ones you've saved, water in well -best done in September rather than now. When planting anything, always take into account the ultimate height and spread of the plants concerned, and work out how much space each one will need around it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Hebe is now rather large - if you feel its too large for the garden because its overhanging the lawn so much, it might be time to remove it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the subject of the definition of a weed, it's just a plant growing in the wrong place, or where you don't want it, but even those weedy things with tiny pink flowers are actually wildflowers - you just don't want them in your garden. That particular weed is one that occurs where the soil is heavy, usually damp, uncultivated, and where drainage is poor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-07T00:30:59.503" LastActivityDate="2017-07-07T00:30:59.503" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34370" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-06T21:15:55.783" Score="3" ViewCount="558" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to identify the gender of an ash tree before it reaches full maturity and the seed pods begin to form?&#xA;I have some 2'-6' trees and would like to know which ones will be male and not make seed pods?&#xA;Thanks&#xA;Larry&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18142" LastActivityDate="2017-07-06T21:50:43.007" Title="Ash tree gender" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34371" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-06T21:26:56.683" Score="5" ViewCount="383" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bY6kB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bY6kB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I'm brand new to gardening. I've got a raised bed filled with composted garden clippings and soil. I just grew a bunch of radishes and lettuce is the soil and it did very well. After removing it all and tiling the soil, I planted some Yukon golds, red skin potatoes, cantaloupe and a small pepper plant all purchased from a local nursery. I used some topical fertilizer (5-5-5) and watered heavily after planting. I let it sit for three days. The Yukon golds and the pepper plant is wilted. The melon and red skin plants are looking just fine. I watered them last evening and still they are wilted this morning. Any thoughts ? Trying to take a photo small enough to upload.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;By the way, I'm in Utah. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18143" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-07-06T22:36:06.613" LastActivityDate="2017-07-07T17:43:36.880" Title="Why are my Yukon golds wilting?" Tags="&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34372" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34370" CreationDate="2017-07-06T21:50:43.007" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the assumption you mean Fraxinus sp., you need to wait for flowers to arrive; identification as male is usually confirmed when it fails to produce samaras, or seeds. Guidance on how to tell male from female flowers here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/identify-ash-tree-male-flowers-75506.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/identify-ash-tree-male-flowers-75506.html&lt;/a&gt; but it is not impossible for an Ash tree to produce both male and female flowers on the same tree, just on different branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-06T21:50:43.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5968" CreationDate="2017-07-07T09:14:32.720" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well firstly well done on buying such a spectacular plant! I have six, now seven as I bought an interesting one yesterday. I've been growing them for a number of years now, at least eleven and am slowly discovering what they need and don't need, though I haven't managed to kill any yet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of mine are grafted onto japonica stock. The first one was a tall plant, three meters with a very thick trunk, having about six large Camellia azalea branches grafted onto the top. This has been a real treasure and hasn't stopped flowering since I acquired it. Unfortunately the stock (Camellia japonica) didn't seal over and some dry rot set in and over time some of the grafts died back. It's still alive, three large branches of it and still throwing absolutely stunning flowers the size of  Magnolia blooms (4.5 inches tall x three inches wide), same upright habit, fluted in the most ravishingly beautiful electric scarlet. Im not sure how long it will continue as it doesn't have many leaves left but the few it has are very large leaves. There was initially some leaf drop which also worried me, not many but quite regularly until I stopped noticing. I planted in a large terracotta pot using pure yellow/orange local forest subsoil which is acidic and slightly sticky. When dry it's rock hard when moist soft and crumbly but always quite open, on top there is a mulch of fine bark. The soil it came growing in was dense grey clay which is still in the pot. Rainfall in Hong Kong is particularly high so I don't water much in summer but if we have a week of sun in summer (very unusual) I will water thoroughly. Winter I hardly water at all only during very warm weather as they need a dryish season. However we have to bear in mind that the bottom half must be treated like Camellia Japonica and the top half like Camellia azalea which is quite tricky in Hong Kong. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hong Kong's climate is more or less exactly the same as where they are found growing wild, just across the boarder in Guangdong. So thats all well. Unfortunately Camellia Japonica's needs are quite different here as they don't come from Southern China. They do grow here reasonably well provided you give them some basic assistance like shade from the hottest sun, and it can be very hot especially around June July August..... So to this end I keep the trunks and roots shaded with the grafts or top part more or less in just under full day sun. I achieve this by having them &quot;behind&quot; sun speaking at least, a ficus hedge, the garden path between  for easy access. That way the suns angle only strikes the top of the plants not the standard or the roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because of the grafting problems of the first one I bought the next two I bought were clean top grafts on a much more slender trunk stock, one to one no exposed wood. Same flower and leaf form as the first one. Basically a single large branch grafted cleanly onto japonica stock.  These are doing well in the same soil however I did mixed some peat into the soil this time, not much 2/8. So it's basically pure soil very little organic matter. You can find peat at Brighten stores. Coconut husk compost Im a little worried about here but it is at least slow to break down. I've tried it with a few things but smelly root rot ends up a bit of an issue, apparently it needs NOT to be sterilised in its manufacturing process because that removes any antiseptic qualities it had before and Im not sure what we get here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Camellia azaleas have an incredibly diverse phenotype for such a small population of wild plants, they also have a very narrow genetic diversity however. So I keep seeing flowers and leaves which are very different. The actual growth form can vary widely as they are branches that are taken from wild plants and grafted onto japonica. Im not entirely sure how sustainable this can be either. Leaf shape and size can be dramatically different, as can form size and colour of the flower. I tend to prefer the deep deep bright scarlet on the large magnolia type flower with the large slightly pointed glaucous grey/green leaf. The flower doesn't open so widely, much like a tulip and has more texture and saturated colour. Some of the smaller leaved ones also have flowers of a &quot;good&quot; colour but the flowers are much much smaller and open wider like a cart wheel. They range in colour from almost shell pink to faded red to deep scarlet. The deepest coloured ones always sell first and you will often see the paler pinky reds sitting there for years at a time. You need to act quickly when they come in. I haven't seen that many of the large flowered deep scarlet one for a number of years since I got my first four. Dont expect anyone to know what you are talking about if you try and order one to your specifications....it doesn't work they will tell you they are all the same colour even though whats in front of you patently makes that untrue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have experimented with shade and sun, acidity and fertiliser and it doesn't much change the colour they come with or the growth of the plant, though spraying with a high potassium foliar feed seems to brighten things up somewhat as does planting in the ground. The last two I bought were one a pleasant pinkish red, large cup shaped flower with broad short rounded petals and oddly enough leaves, looking very different, and a tiny flowered deep deep scarlet with many very small very pointed leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently the soil they grow in is high in potassium, is subject to seasonal flooding, literally they stand in water but it's moving water,  its along a river but is otherwise bone dry not moisture retentive at all....not at all the same as japonica. So as its japonica stock you have to treat the roots as japonica and more or less hope for the best for the top. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't had any problems with leaves turning yellow, or any of the camellia problems, bud scorch, blight, black spots etc they seem really quite tough.  I wouldn't worry about leaf drop its quite normal, the leaves don't seem to go through a yellowing stage before they drop, mostly these are the oldest leaves and run the course of their life. When they drop they are clean and dark dark green or in the case of some grey glaucous green, just old, occasionally slightly desiccated brownish in part. As long as the roots are healthy everything should be good. If its a drastic leaf drop, a rain of healthy leaves then your roots could be rotten. Before you buy, well before I buy the last thing I do is gently lift the whole thing out the pot and inspect the roots briefly. They don't like you doing it but its not difficult to do as the soil is such hard pan clay , generally all it takes is holding the pot down with one hand flat over one side of the rim and lifting the trunk up by the base with the other. Before they can object you know exactly what's down there. If its wet and soggy and you can't see any roots just big gaps and slush maybe not. Nice living roots and a sturdy root ball is a lovely thing to see in Camellia azalea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I feed a balanced slow release, often and little, with our high rainfall it's the safest thing to do. Think it's a 13-13-13 osmocote type thing. It comes from Japan and has trace elements but not made specifically for Camellias. I also spray feed with a 10-0-25 + 2 and trace elements, usually when Im doing the orchids, so it's very dilute. This I get from Thailand. I have also been known to pour a little yellow sulphur (flowers of sulphur) dissolved in water over the roots. They seem to thrive. Though being so seemingly tough Im not sure if I couldn't be doing better. They aren't exactly fast growers, so don't expect a sudden new flush of leaves as they're too busy flowering most of the time, but you do need to stimulate growth or they will flower to death. I do this mostly in Spring with a higher nitrogen, also dilute, little and quite often until they start producing leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also use a ground cover over the soil to keep it cooler, various things that don't have deep roots. The mulch I use is a very very fine pine bark mulch, almost like tea leaves, it needs replacing once a year as it breaks down quite rapidly. Recently I haven't been able to get such fine bark but the slightly bigger one, about one inch seems to work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long they will live as grafted trees is anyones guess. However typhoons and extremely rough handling by dealers who will often pick them up by one side branch above the graft doesn't seem to affect them too badly. Though if you look carefully you can often see wear and tear where they've been picked up as the bark can be worn away completely smooth. So selecting is quite lengthy process and usually you have to wait and wait for the right colour, form, graft and general health. Sometimes there are cracks in the bark of the stock too.  Don't let the sellers handle them and after you made your decision pick them up by the pot even if you need a crane!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck hope it thrives for you. ps terracotta allows the pot to dry out fairly quickly in our hot rainy weather, it breaths, perspires and water is drawn through the porous walls out thus also keeping things cool , so you won't get much by way of root problems even with loads of water. Eventually a nice layer of moss grows on them too, so the whole thing becomes a living happening. Just don't bury the neck and don't over feed, keep the roots shaded and cool. I think local soil is the way to go as you don't want to be repotting and fiddling with easily degradable potting mixes high in organic material, that very quickly leads to trouble and rot. They very quickly look completely established as though growing all on their own in that spot for years. Dont move them about either, find the natural way they were growing towards the sun and stick to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly I've found that dead heading helps with the emergence of a new flush of leaves enormously. The petals will drop off whole in one piece leaving behind the sepals ovule etc this you need to dead head by snapping between finger nails at the flower stem. They look like empty buds, if you press them gently you will see they are whats left of the spent flower, they will also be whitish green and not so pointy. They very rarely set seed and often the seed is infertile. So its best to remove that which stimulates a set of leaves behind. Otherwise it stays on and becomes dead and woody and the new leaves only start growing when it falls off. So just snap of the spent buds at their stems. It's a little difficult because the buds are produced in tight clusters and you don't want to remove new buds but once you get the knack it's fairly easy, the new buds don't fall off easily. I generally don't do it religiously every time a flower falls but every couple of weeks I go over them all when I notice a light carpet of flowers on the floor. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its a magnificent Camellia and once you have one you like you will adore, they truly are ever flowering in our climate, those clusters just keep pushing out buds and while some branch tips are growing leaves, others are still flowering........I haven't noticed a seasonal flush as it were of anything except it slows down in our cool dry season and takes off again when it warms up and the rain starts a bit again in May.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope that helps a little. So little is written about them it is difficult knowing exactly how to proceed with these.....sure your own experience even after a year will come in very handy to anyone else starting off too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18147" LastEditorUserId="18147" LastEditDate="2017-07-07T10:29:12.113" LastActivityDate="2017-07-07T10:29:12.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34374" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-07T15:09:33.050" Score="3" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've scoured the internet to try and find what variety of Crassula this is, and the closest I could find was Crassula Haemispherica. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U7pKZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I9Kio.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18149" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-07T17:53:17.220" LastActivityDate="2017-08-22T09:37:49.723" Title="What kind of Crassula is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34375" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21906" CreationDate="2017-07-07T15:26:45.663" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;To figure out whether transplanting will spread this particular grass, of which I don’t know the specific identity, you’ll have to find out how it reproduces.  You can discover that by experimenting and/or examination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grasses variously reproduce from seed, stolons, or rhizomes.  Many grass species can reproduce via more than one of these plant parts.  In temperate climates, grass rhizomes and especially stolons are most common and easiest to observe in spring, but it’s quite possible to spot them any time.  Googled images of ‘grass rhizome’ / stolon may help as you check your grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stolons exist above the ground surface.  They extend from the parent plant and are capable of taking root.  Once rooted and established they do fine even when severed from the parent plant.  Indoor ornamental spiderplant “babies” are stolons looking for soil. Another way to check whether it makes stolons is to observe whether the grass makes thatch, which when thick and tangled often is mostly dead stolons.  From the photo this grass appears not to make stolons, but check.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rhizomes have similar functions to stolons but spread underground instead.  So dig up a shovel-size scoop a couple inches deep.  Shake thoroughly or even rinse the roots.  Look for structures that resemble stubby-tipped roots extending mostly horizontally away from the parent plant.  They may be segmented and they rarely branch.  You’ve probably seen rhizomes of grasses locally called “quack” or “crab.”  Particularly when young, rhizomes usually are lighter color than regular roots.  They may extend many inches from the parent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your grass reproduces in part from stolons or rhizomes, it can be extended by transplanting and tending plugs.  Otherwise it can’t. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18091" LastActivityDate="2017-07-07T15:26:45.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14492" CreationDate="2017-07-07T15:38:32.550" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't help with the ID but IF mostly you are waiting for a reply to the other of your two inquiries, this will give you an opportunity to close the question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The structures are stolons.  See a description at &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/21906/transplanting-and-dissecting-clump-grass&quot;&gt;Transplanting and dissecting clump grass&lt;/a&gt;.  Reproduction by both seed and stolon, as your plants exhibit, is common among grasses. So while that will narrow the suspects slightly, it won't help a lot with identification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18091" LastActivityDate="2017-07-07T15:38:32.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34377" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34329" CreationDate="2017-07-07T15:56:11.427" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are correct to be looking for other causes, and waterlogged clay is a prime suspect.  It may be most intuitive if you think about where citrus are native.  Waterlogged is a condition to which your tree’s ancestors likely didn't have to adapt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for leaving on the fruit, it’s highly unlikely that’s the, or even a, problem.  From a theoretical perspective whether it might matter depends on whether the plant is determinate or indeterminate.  The distinction labels whether they make all their seeds, including any associated fruits, all in one big batch per year or whether they keep trying to start new seeds all season long.  Citrus are determinate.  They flower once a year (mostly) and their fruit ripens fairly synchronously.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once indeterminate plants, which do not include citrus, successfully mature some seeds, they may quit trying to make new ones either for the year or forever.  Removing IMmature fruits can sometimes trick a plant into putting energy into a new round of seeds and fruit.  That’s why deadheading sometimes can extend flowering, but in this case it’s exactly what you don’t want.  Deadheading makes a difference only for indeterminate plants, and while the seeds still have not yet fully matured.  Neither applies to your ripe lemons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About the only real risk in leaving on fruit, besides perhaps a mess on the ground, is that a few of a plant’s pest species may overwinter in the fruit and/or seed.  Before I worried about that, though, I’d have a specific pest in mind and it would have to have reached troubling levels too.  I suggest spending any time you have for the tree working on better drainage before you fussed over picking off fruit you won’t use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18091" LastActivityDate="2017-07-07T15:56:11.427" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34378" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-07T17:24:35.110" Score="3" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;I put my peppers and cucumbers in the same bed, and it appears that I am overwatering my peppers. It'd be preferable to not remove any plants, as I don't have room. Is there an advisable way to build a dam in my garden bed to keep the plants separate? My first instinct is to shove in a thin piece of plywood but I'm afraid that the glue will leach into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18150" LastActivityDate="2017-07-08T15:53:22.037" Title="Building a dam in a bed" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34371" CreationDate="2017-07-07T17:43:36.880" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants grown in a greenhouse have a thinner epidermis than plants in the real sunlight. This could easily be 'sunburn'.  In fact, this really looks like sunburn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Go get some Row Cloth.  It is white fabric also called 'floating' row cloth.  Cover your plants with this stuff.  They might be able to recover.  Actually you should start to see new growth, the old stuff will just keep dying.  Using this you should be able to...acclimate them.  Let them recover for a few days and then start taking it off; let the plant be in the sun for half an hour, three days in a row; then an hour for a few days, then 2 hours and then 4 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cover your plants if it gets down into the 40 degree F at night.  This cloth can help extend your season.  Next year get seed potatoes from The Potato Garden in Colorado.  You won't be able to grow potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant in that soil for 2 years.  You can get big plastic pots and use potting soil in the pots to expand your garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want certified seed potatoes and I absolutely love this little company that you live quite close to...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try the row cloth and take a picture in a few days to send us, okay?  If you are new to this you will love reading other question/answers on this site.  Please ask more questions of your own.  I sure hope this is what is wrong.  It is worrisome to use compost you didn't make.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-07T17:43:36.880" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34380" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-07T19:42:34.060" Score="4" ViewCount="479" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay, so once, I was eating an apple, and all the seeds inside it had sprouted. So naturally, I planted them in two pots, and they all have been just exploding with growth ever since.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, today, something happened to one of them. I found out it was raining, so I ran out to bring them back inside. One of them has not been buried deeply enough in the soil, I guess, and it was uprooted when I went out there, and wilty. I'm not sure what happened, except that perhaps the soil dried enough for it to be knocked over by a raindrop? The soil didn't seem dry enough for that to happen, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At any rate, I replanted it with the stem deeper in the soil and placed the plants under my plant light inside. What's the best thing I can do for the wilted plant to help it survive? Why did it wilt? It's always done fine out in the sun, as have all the others. Was it just because it was uprooted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I do not know how long it was uprooted for. So far I don't think it looks any better, it happened a couple hours ago.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18154" LastActivityDate="2017-07-08T05:23:32.493" Title="One of my apple seedlings is wilting, how can I rescue it?" Tags="&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34382" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-07T20:44:25.310" Score="1" ViewCount="113" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just planted two pear trees and two apple trees this year. At first, all four started putting on leaves and looked healthy. Now, the apple trees are thriving and the leaves on the pear tress are dying. Does anyone know why this might be? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18155" LastActivityDate="2017-07-07T20:44:25.310" Title="What is wrong with my pear trees" Tags="&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2017-07-12T15:11:16.217" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34384" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-08T02:09:23.390" Score="3" ViewCount="11243" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Aloe vera plant has a leaf where there is gaping hole in it as well as some brown spots. That leaf hasn't been growing. Should I cut that leaf off?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gr9bj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gr9bj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Somewhat enhanced photo to better show brown spits on leaf - &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/59ZGK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/59ZGK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18157" LastEditorUserId="17278" LastEditDate="2017-07-08T23:19:08.740" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T19:26:03.977" Title="Should I remove a damaged Aloe vera leaf?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34380" CreationDate="2017-07-08T05:23:32.493" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should just wait.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant should build again the roots (the microscopic part, which absorb stuffs, and attach them to soil).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apples have a lot of seeds, so I would not make much efforts. Just try again with new seeds, if this time it will fail.  And usually never assume that 100% of seeds will become an adult plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: the variety of apple will be different of the original apple: apple are not auto-fertile. This means that, in order to produce apples, apple tree requires pollen of a different variety (and often not a related variety).  Note: this means also that if you want many apples, you should also try to seed different varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-07-08T05:23:32.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25215" CreationDate="2017-07-08T07:04:56.097" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm confident that you did not over-fertilize, based on what you gave them and how much you gave them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe you're right about the heat, wind and aridity being key factors here, but I think sun is also a factor. I would recommend putting the plants in partial shade, making sure they have enough soil, and watering them sufficiently (at least once every two days, depending on how fast it dries).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If improving your watering doesn't help, you may have a nutrient imbalance in your soil. Super hot soil is said to have a different profile of available nutrients than cooler soil (e.g. hot soil tends to have less available potassium and magnesium and more available phosphorus). There's probably a different set of microbes in the soil, too. In my climate, potting soil works a lot better indoors. I don't use it outdoors, because it historically has killed most plants (oregano survived, though). However, given the right additions to your soil, it may be workable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing your soil gets quite hot due to the sun both on the soil and on the container. The porosity of most potting soil is high, which may allow it to dry out faster than regular garden soil in an arid climate. Increasing moisture retention and decreasing soil temperature may help. Adding organic matter (e.g. compost) may help with the moisture and nutrients. Mulch might help. Painting the container with something that reflects infrared light may help to keep the soil cooler, although I'm not sure how expensive or easy-to-find that would be (and that would make it cooler when you want it warmer).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I'd start with compost (for organic matter), watering sufficiently, and partial shade. The way the leaves are curling and turning upside down is a sign that the plant is trying to lessen the amount of light it gets on those particular leaves. This could indicate something bad about the health of your roots, though. Plants with disturbed or insufficient roots tend to be more sensitive to strong light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, make sure you have enough soil. I recommend at least 5-gallons per plant. I like to use 10-gallon moving totes for my containers (especially for peppers; I can put two peppers in one tote, although I'm testing out how just one plant works, this year).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2017-07-08T07:04:56.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34388" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-08T15:40:49.273" Score="4" ViewCount="1713" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to know if I should remove the leaves on my potato plant as I bury it more after it has grown 12&quot; or so. Or do I leave the leaves on the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18162" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-08T18:21:05.207" LastActivityDate="2017-07-08T18:51:24.253" Title="Should I remove potato leaves when mounding soil around them?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34389" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34378" CreationDate="2017-07-08T15:53:22.037" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dig some holes in the cucumber side. You can leave them bare or line them by inserting terra-cotta pots. Water those holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Simply mounding earth can also work, but holes are more fool-proof.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-07-08T15:53:22.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34390" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5249" CreationDate="2017-07-08T17:09:06.790" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just discovered one in my backyard in North Texas. I cut it open and it has a pit. I think it's a burgundy plum tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18163" LastActivityDate="2017-07-08T17:09:06.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34391" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-08T17:20:14.517" Score="4" ViewCount="395" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this? it's killing my lawn fast. What can I do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Background information: We applied Scotts Turfbuilder with Summerguard Fertilizer recently, don't know if that's related. The lawn is located upstate NY at Albany. We don't have a sprinkler system, but it has frequent rain recently. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PoHOY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PoHOY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mt8Cj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mt8Cj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h2XGw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h2XGw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;----UPDATE----&#xA;I show the image to local stores, no one can give a certain answer.&#xA;At this moment, I personally guessing the culprit is grub.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18164" LastEditorUserId="18164" LastEditDate="2017-08-17T12:38:58.503" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T12:38:58.503" Title="What is this killing my lawn? (picture)" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34393" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34396" CreationDate="2017-07-08T17:50:16.223" Score="5" ViewCount="314" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a small tree or shrub recommendation for the bed on the side of my driveway. I live in Providence, RI (zone 6, maybe zone 7 since we're in the middle of the heat island that is our city.) The bed is ~2 &amp;amp; 1/2' wide by ~25 feet long, raised, in full sun and has good (perhaps somewhat acid) soil. I'm looking for something that'll give us some privacy from our neighbors: I think that means evergreen or something deciduous with a dense branching structure, and grows to at least 8' (as large as 20'.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also love something that flowers: Elderberries might work there but I'm not sure if it fits the description (bonus re: this plant, I can make wine from the fruit and, &lt;em&gt;double bonus&lt;/em&gt;, it's native to RI.) What I definitely don't like is juniper/arborvitae/hemlock/cypress. As far as I'm concerned those plants just sit there and do nothing. C'mon, do &lt;em&gt;something&lt;/em&gt; to entertain me, &lt;em&gt;plant&lt;/em&gt;. At least have foliage that changes, or flowers, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would also be helpful to be able to hedge/train/prune the plant into an upright form so our car can get by.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would you suggest!?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18166" LastEditorUserId="18166" LastEditDate="2017-07-08T19:33:57.757" LastActivityDate="2017-07-09T17:13:07.947" Title="Entertaining, privacy producing, driveway bed plants" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;privacy-plants&gt;&lt;border&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34388" CreationDate="2017-07-08T18:01:44.193" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a number of reasons for hilling (it isn't 12&quot; btw) is&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Protect the tubers that are usually at the top of the soil from sunlight that will make chloroplasts 'wake' up and turn your potatoes green.  That is a toxic potato. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;To grow more potatoes vertically, closer together, take advantage of pots and better soil, get bigger and more potatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The basics are to dump soil around your plant and leave at least 6&quot; of top growth. When the top growth gets taller you do it again leaving a good 6&quot; of photosynthetic top growth.  Don't worry about trimming leaves off your potato.  This plant is very different than most other plants.  This hilling is only applicable to potatoes and...peanuts?  A few others I am not remembering at the moment but didn't want you to try this with just any old plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also do this in a big pot of potting soil. Soil in potting soil is usually a bit on the acid side and potatoes love acidic soil almost as much as blueberries. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another reason is that once you've grown any of the Solanaceae family in the soil you use today you will not be planting any of those plants of this genus in that soil for at least 2 years.  That includes tomatoes, eggplant and peppers as well as all potatoes.  Using pots is a great way to enlarge your garden and manage disease!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is called 'rotation' of crops and is true for other groups of families such as Cur-cubits (melons, gourds, cucumbers) and Brassicas (Broccoli, cauliflower, kale).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant your certified seed potato in the potting soil, in the pot. Install a large tomato cage.  As your potato grows, when it gets 8 inches high, fill with 2&quot; of straw.  When it grows a few inches higher pack in more straw keeping 6&quot; high of top growth.  This is essentially hilling using straw instead of soil.  You need to keep an eye out for tubers getting sunlight and pack in more straw.  I've also taken a black plastic contractor's bag to drape on the outside of that wire cage, like a skirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't worry about the potato leaves you cover up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-08T18:51:24.253" LastActivityDate="2017-07-08T18:51:24.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34396" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34393" CreationDate="2017-07-08T19:48:42.820" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Highbush blueberries or highbush cranberries both come to mind, and also make fruit you can use in various ways. If you're up to the initial work and long-term maintenance pruning, espaliered or cordoned peaches, plums, apricots, cherries or dwarf apples. Place some scaffold wires for those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u2hPP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u2hPP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Row of espaliered trees&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CPXYB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CPXYB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;row of cordoned trees&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rosa Rugosa will provide a nice harvest of hips and can grow to quite a dense hedge, in the 7 foot range of height. It has trouble being tidy, but it can be trimmed/shaped.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Northern Bayberry would be another good choice, evergreen in your climate (probably) and with a different harvestable (if inedible) product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Getting out of &quot;useful to humans&quot; fruit, burning bush offers some fall color and a pretty dense growth habit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-07-08T20:16:14.547" LastActivityDate="2017-07-08T20:16:14.547" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34393" CreationDate="2017-07-08T20:16:19.687" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend Amelanchier lamarckii, and I chose that variety because it reliably produces good autumn colours, usually bright red, before the leaves fall. Has blossom in spring, green leaves all summer, fruits (inedible) followed by fall colours, and the multi stemmed nature of these shrubby trees is attractive in winter, with a reasonably interesting bark.  There are different varieties of Amelanchier - commonly known as Serviceberry in the States, see here for nine varieties: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/nine-species-serviceberry-trees-and-shrubs-3269674&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Meet 9 Species of Serviceberry Trees and Shrubs&lt;/a&gt; - Amelanchier lamarckii is the last one mentioned - has the RHS Award of Merit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, whilst this tree fits the interest requirements you've listed, whether you'd want more than 2 or 3 of these is another matter - they won't give privacy in winter, so you'd likely need to interplant with some evergreen shrubs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-07-09T17:13:07.947" LastActivityDate="2017-07-09T17:13:07.947" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34398" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="709" CreationDate="2017-07-08T20:21:26.647" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try Diatomaceous earth. It's non toxic and doesn't hurt insects. You can also try spritzing your flowers with a solution of water and one tsp of dish soap. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18168" LastActivityDate="2017-07-08T20:21:26.647" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34399" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-08T21:49:55.070" Score="5" ViewCount="320" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted this fig tree a couple of months ago and although at first the leaves looked good, the new ones have been increasingly more yellowed. I'm not sure what I could be doing wrong, I water it once a week, a couple of times if the weather is above 90 during the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I realize the photo makes it look like there is grass underneath it, but that's just clippings, I've kept the area around it pretty clear of grass. I am in zone 8B.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/OmjDG8i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18169" LastEditorUserId="18169" LastEditDate="2017-07-08T22:00:38.727" LastActivityDate="2017-09-07T07:08:17.180" Title="Why are my fig leaves yellowing?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34400" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34393" CreationDate="2017-07-08T22:16:05.740" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, Ecnerwal's suggestion is GORGEOUS and very very needy of a full time gardener.  But this should show you there are many ideas for a 3' space to make privacy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;25' at 3' width gives you quite a bit of room.  I would definitely be thinking of at least 2 or 3 different species at different height that love the same type of soil.  Amelanchier is one of the rare 4 season beautiful trees you'll be able to find.  Use no less than 3.  There are also different varieties of Ilex such as Sky Pencil that are designed to be vertical and they are evergreen.  They would work well with small trees.  Then you should think about a filler and you could go crazy with one mind boggling perennial such as Crocosmia.  The more of one plant will give you the biggest bang.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most immediate and valuable would be a 'screen' with an arbor top. Similar to a fence yet allows air and light and space to flow through...yet extremely private.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wozct.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wozct.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2X2 lapjointed screen&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ypcnb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ypcnb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;off set screens for privacy&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is my screen I have used for almost all privacy.  These will be allowed to go dove gray.  I use this UV stain that allows the wood to gray as well as be protected.  2X2 lapjointed...it isn't the easiest to make but to make it any simpler would be a waste of money.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using screens like this; offset if you are able will allow many more choices in plant material.  Just an idea.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-08T22:16:05.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34384" CreationDate="2017-07-08T23:56:24.260" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That appears top be the oldest leaf on the plant, and so probably almost ready to yellow and die anyway. You can cut it, just above the level of the potting medium. That shouldn't hurt the plant at this point, because the leaf is already damaged and probably not very efficient at photosynthesis anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And try to get it into a brighter spot if you can. I see long, soft growth typical of inferior lighting. It's called etiolation (it's not super bad in yours, but I definitely see it). Also, do not water the plant or leave it in the rain, after cutting the leaf, until the cut is dried/calloused over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-07-08T23:56:24.260" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34402" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34403" CreationDate="2017-07-09T05:58:16.480" Score="3" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves on our rose bush have been nibbled at. Today I found this creature hanging upside down under the leaves. What is it and how do I prevent them from eating my plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HqjTm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HqjTm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;:&#xA;The rose is planted in the ground since one year. It was planted with special soil for rozes that contains fertilizer. I don't know when that will &quot;run out&quot; and further fertilizer is needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18170" LastEditorUserId="18170" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T13:59:37.530" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T13:59:37.530" Title="What is this insect eating my rose bush?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34402" CreationDate="2017-07-09T06:31:21.223" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This critter is not your problem.  Interesting critter...your roses need a balanced fertilizer.  Looks like a major phosphorus deficiency but can't be sure.  When did you last fertilize and what and how much did you use?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This COULD be spider mite and that critter is gobbling them up.  Please take a picture of the underside of the leaf.  Get a magnifying glass.  Are there any indications of very fine webbing?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this in a pot or is this rose in the garden?  Send a picture of its environment, please.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-09T06:31:21.223" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34404" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34399" CreationDate="2017-07-09T06:49:34.197" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I hope I read your information closely enough.  You need to give this plant fertilizer.  It is struggling on many accounts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those clippings are freshly killed organic material.  Anything alive that dies has to be decomposed.  Starts instantly.  Those decomposing organisms need nitrogen for energy.  Non decomposed organic matter causes nitrogen to be depleted.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want figs someday we need to talk about formulations of fertilizer to promote reproductive growth.  Right now this plant needs a balanced fertilizer.  Watering is not a problem at all...just chemistry or 'nutrients' your plant needs desperately to make its own food via photosynthesis.  The chlorophyll in your plant are being put on hold.  Plenty of sunlight, water but no chemicals that that plant needs to do photosynthesis.  Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium and possibly some micronutrients.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weeds really really get hugely magnified as a problem.  They just are not...a big deal.  Fertilizer is just as important as water and sunlight and drainage.  Try Osmocote 14-14-14  extended release.  Very safe very sane.  Lasts a long long time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-09T06:49:34.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34405" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-09T12:21:37.210" Score="3" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently planted corn in my garden and I'm noticing that their leaves are a yellow-green.  I did add a nitrogen fertilizer and it seemed to help a bit.  However, when driving by farms I notice that the corn leaves in a farmer's field are a deep green.  Are my leaves too yellow? (Picture below)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yfyTk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yfyTk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17892" LastActivityDate="2017-07-10T09:15:09.643" Title="Are my corn leaves too yellow?" Tags="&lt;corn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34406" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34418" CreationDate="2017-07-09T13:31:27.277" Score="3" ViewCount="1459" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help me identify this bush, shown in the photos? It is growing happily in our garden in the UK. We are coastal, and rarely get a frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We planted it 6 years ago when it was about half the size of a football, it is now about 10ft across. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a spherical shrub, evergreen, with long narrow leaves growing in pairs. The flower had is made up of lots of tiny white flowers, as shown in the photos. It is just starting to flower now in July.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help greatly appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WqxWc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The whole shrub&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mUv5W.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowers 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uwXFp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowers 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4ZqkI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18172" LastActivityDate="2017-07-10T00:52:01.750" Title="Help identifying shrub, long narrow leaves, white flowers" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34407" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34420" CreationDate="2017-07-09T16:32:07.903" Score="4" ViewCount="1281" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ba3qX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ba3qX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pdUsx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pdUsx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Looking for help / diagnosis of this issue that is creating white patches in my lawn. Charlotte, NC area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18173" LastActivityDate="2017-07-10T02:31:53.630" Title="What white weed/fungus is in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34409" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-09T17:19:28.140" Score="3" ViewCount="272" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to transform a 300 m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; area of pasture land to a vegetable garden? I do not mean lawn, but real grassland previously cut down regularly by farmers to feed animals. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/grasslands/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/grasslands/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How would you tackle this and how long does it take for soil to become appropriate for crops?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2018-01-23T16:20:49.337" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T16:20:49.543" Title="How to transform an area of pasture to a vegetable garden?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34410" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-09T17:44:12.810" Score="2" ViewCount="174" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an apple tree which is at least fifteen years old and produces fruit most years. This year it has developed brown leaves on the lower branches and brown/black places on the bark near the ground. The fruit appears to be developing normally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pzKjd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pzKjd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves with brown spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eYIGb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eYIGb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stock with black bark&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Ontario Canada, which does not allow chemical pesticides, but I spray it with sulphur and insecticidal soap at least a few times in Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is likely to be the problem and what can I do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3392" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T17:46:48.890" Title="Apple tree with brown leaves and black bark" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34411" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34417" CreationDate="2017-07-09T18:53:15.907" Score="4" ViewCount="4013" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this several year old fig tree, should be coming up on 6-7 years. It's about 18 feet tall perhaps, and for the last several years it has produced figs. They get tender on the skin but when I cut them open they're always full of dry things that look like seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the plant still gearing up to produce fully ripe figs a few years down the road or did I get a dud? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this dry interior a fleeting phase or is this some kind of male/female tree thing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What sort of figs do these appear to be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yDU65.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yDU65.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;figs uncut&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pEa1l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pEa1l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;figs cut open&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rhZCx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rhZCx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up figs cut open&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JJqih.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JJqih.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;figs on the tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17974" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-09T21:40:21.533" LastActivityDate="2018-01-19T02:37:08.110" Title="Why are my figs dry inside and not ripening?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34412" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-09T19:42:34.713" Score="4" ViewCount="166" Body="&lt;p&gt;Today I bought a tropical plant at a store, but I do not know the name of this plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are not hairy, the stem below has 2 single stalks that has new emerging leaves, but is not rounded like a ball.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you give me the name and some care guidance related to this plant?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EnMtZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EnMtZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16373" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2020-06-14T16:46:53.047" LastActivityDate="2020-07-14T21:01:30.117" Title="What's the name of this tropical plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="34413" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34391" CreationDate="2017-07-09T19:50:48.183" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This could be any number of fungal diseases: Snow mold...but the solution is proper maintenance and management practices of your lawn.  Chemicals for 'Turf Building' are not the answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send or tell us the product more closely, what it says on the product bag...this is most certainly a fungus.  You don't want to use band aids on this problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mow your lawn HIGHER.  3inches plus no lower.  Train your grass to grow deep roots and to only need once per week watering...1 inch of water per week. Fungus will only grow if you are watering daily, watering at night.  Let your lawn dry out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fungus is easily spread by shoes, mowing (please bag your clippings).  Fungicide is rarely helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other practices include; SHARP blades, clean the blades before and after each and every mow, proper fertilization (we can discuss this later), aeration by pulling plugs of grass and soil and leaving those plugs on your lawn at least once per year...mow no lower than 3&quot;...I can explain how to measure the water you apply and how to train your grass to be drought tolerant.  Moisture control is the best way to get rid of fungus!  Fungus needs constant moisture.  The other wrong management practices that cause lawn grasses to be weak and vulnerable are; too short, too little chemistry available for photosynthesis or even too much nitrogen going into the winter or dormant phase.  This sets your lawn up for fungus amungus.  Fungicide after the fact is fairly worthless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please explain what your management practices have been.  Where it is you live.  How you do your watering, your fertilizer. How often you mow and how often you sharpen your blades.  How large is your lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  Did you use any 'grub' control last year?  Actually it is a non specific insecticide that kills all insects in the soil.  Including those involved with grub control.  The next year you lose your lawn completely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are thinking grubs (these are very season specific), try taking a 5 gallon bucket of soapy water, pour it on the soil in one spot.  If you have grubs, like cranefly larvae they will come to the top and you can count them.  Count how many you have in one square foot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you did use pesticide last year, that is why you have a problem.  Do not do that again.  You WANT the soil to be full of insects, soil organisms.  Otherwise you will have to put pesticide on every year and your grass needs that life in your soil to be vigorous.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would get a sod cutter and take out the damaged sod and replace.  That is what we had to do every time a client killed all the life in the lawn bed.  Replace the lawn and add decomposed organic matter to promote the soil life that relies on decomposed organic matter for energy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you are thinking grubs, I think that you might have had to deal with this last year and used a non specific insecticide. Please tell me I am wrong.  If not this is a fungal infection most likely because of too much Nitrogen right before winter or the opposite, too little chemistry before the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-07-31T20:32:32.940" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T20:32:32.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34414" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34411" CreationDate="2017-07-09T21:08:07.233" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It may be the variety of fig. My &quot;Anna&quot; has much less seeds and more soft tissue. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-07-09T21:08:07.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25215" CreationDate="2017-07-09T21:18:30.670" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with the other answers, not too much fertilizer , need more water. As a reference point; I use mostly &quot;starter&quot; - 9 -45 -15 , About 1/4 cup around per one inch diameter shrub ( in a 2 foot circle,).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-07-09T21:18:30.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34416" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34364" CreationDate="2017-07-09T21:28:35.050" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I once had the same issue with an avocado plant, it turn out the pot was already too small for the plant, carefully transplanting to a bigger pot did the trick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it does not help then it could be some kind of nutrient deficiency for what I read at that time (sorry I have no references but you can search on this topic).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After you transplant it observe the leaves, if the brown area grows bigger or more green leaves turn brown, then the problem is not solved. If instead it starts growing with more strength all is good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Brown leaves won't cure themselves, so if you see the plant gains strength just cut them off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this helps you too, or at least guide you to find more information on the topic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: One more thing, on the bone covering, yours looks a bit too exposed I would put a bit more soil or mulch on it (imitate nature: leaves would cover it up).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18151" LastActivityDate="2017-07-09T21:28:35.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34417" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34411" CreationDate="2017-07-10T00:35:39.210" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering where you got this fig plant from - the interior looks very like what's called a caprifig, which only produces inedible fruit. Its female flowers are host to a wasp which is the pollinator for other, edible figs. The male wasp never leaves the caprifig fruit, but the female, having laid her eggs, does leave, and in so doing, carries pollen with her. It's a complicated business, the way figs are fertilized, and its described here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.raysfigs.com/figsex.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.raysfigs.com/figsex.html&lt;/a&gt;. Fruits on a caprifig do ripen as usual, just as any other fig, but they are, as you've discovered, quite different internally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If yours is a caprifig, it will be doing a good job fertilizing any other fig plants in the neighbourhood, but I'm sure that's of no comfort to you. Images of the interior of a profichi (means spring crop) caprifig, complete with wasp eggs in varying stages, are lower down in this thread &lt;a href=&quot;https://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/the-profichi-caprifig-7367621&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/the-profichi-caprifig-7367621&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-10T00:35:39.210" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34418" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34406" CreationDate="2017-07-10T00:52:01.750" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a Hebe variety, maybe H. tairawhiti, which can get 3 metres high, so it's the right sort of size, but in its native New Zealand, where it grows well in coastal regions, it flowers white in spring. Its leaves have a yellowish midrib, see image here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.terrain.net.nz/friends-of-te-henui-group/hebes/hebe-tairawhiti-wairoa-koromiko.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.terrain.net.nz/friends-of-te-henui-group/hebes/hebe-tairawhiti-wairoa-koromiko.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other possibility is Hebe 'snowdrift', but that usually only reaches 1.5 metres at maturity and has olive green leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-10T00:52:01.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34419" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-10T02:25:52.567" Score="5" ViewCount="1189" Body="&lt;p&gt;I went out and weeded around my melon and watermelon plants, and within two hours of that, the cantaloupe plant had completely wilted!  I did move some of the vines around to get to the grass underneath them, but I was careful not to disturb close to the roots.  The flowers still look okay, as do the few melons that have sprouted. It's just the majority of the leaves and the stems that seem kind of limp also compared to what they were.  What would cause this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18176" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-07-10T19:26:46.633" LastActivityDate="2018-09-18T17:46:19.740" Title="Why has my cantaloupe plant wilted within two hours of weeding?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;&lt;melons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34420" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34407" CreationDate="2017-07-10T02:31:53.630" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Great work on the height but natural anything is not happening with this so very unnatural human made thing called a lawn. I had to make a living taking care of hundreds of lawns.  What a beast and it is anything but natural.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water...NOT every day. Only ONLY when that grass stays down so you are able to see your footprints. This technique works! It trains your grass to have deep roots to get at the last vestiges of water 4 to 6 inches deep. In between waterings weeds and fungus go bye bye.         &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a fungus no doubt but dog gone if I haven't been able to find it on the internet! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering is your problem. Too much water too often.  Your mower blades need sharpening. Dull blades shred the tips of your grasses and expose them to disease. Mow once per week even more if possible. Never allow your lawn to get so high that you have to take off more than a third of the blade of grass, too stressful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer is critical for all of the plants we humans plant.  Just like water and sunlight and drainage. Fertilizer has to be a balanced formula. (go get Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer...incredible stuff and that is saying something coming from me). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aerate once a year if not more by pulling plugs out of your lawn and leaving them where they fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every single mowing since you've got this fungus clean your mower blades with alcohol before and after. Collect your clippings!! Read the question/answers on this site about lawn management.  Please ask more questions as you learn how to deal with this BEAST called a lawn.  Grins! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-10T02:31:53.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34421" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34364" CreationDate="2017-07-10T03:35:46.730" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have to say that putting an avocado tree in a pot is kind of like putting a great white shark in an aquarium..... &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;no size is big enough&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen avocados grow to 5m (16feet) in 3 years. The trees do not need particularly rich soil to grow, but they do need a lot of &quot;root space&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have traveled extensively in many tropical areas and grown avocado in Hawaii and I have to say that I have never seen one grown in a pot. I have seen mango trees grown in &quot;pots&quot; in southern Japan (Kagoshima). Those pots were about 4 times the size of a standard 55gal barrel. And they were drip watered with nutrients. The reason they were grown in those &quot;pots&quot; was to allow for greenhouse cultivation of mangoes (it's a bit too cool there in the winter, so they are grown indoors). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Getting back to the avocado, I would have to say that growing it in any kind of pot is only going to be a &quot;short term&quot; endeavor. The avocado will grow to the max size it can (given the size of the pot) and then I suspect it will become so root bound that it will not do well after that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normally a 15m (50 foot) avocado tree (pruned) will produce several hundred pounds of avocados per year. The tree does that by accumulating a lot of energy throughout the year and pumping that into it's annual fruit production. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it's kind of like a thoroughbred in that it is &quot;built for producing fruit&quot;. There are many other types of tropical trees (Genus: ficus being a good example, also many types of palm tree) which are fine in a pot. But it seems to me that avocado may be one of those trees which are so driven to fruit production that restricting the roots to any sized pot might lead to the death of the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My advice would be, if you live in an area where it does not freeze in the winter, put the avocado in the ground outside. It needs little care outdoors as long as it gets sufficient rain (you can fertilize it once a year when the tree flowers). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if you really want to keep it in a pot, find the biggest pot you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18177" LastActivityDate="2017-07-10T03:35:46.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34405" CreationDate="2017-07-10T09:15:09.643" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've planted around 20 corn plants or more in 16 square feet?  You need to thin your corn plants to a more reasonable number. Have you fertilized?  Your corn leaves are way too yellow.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get some basic balanced fertilizer; Osmocote 14-14-14 extended release.  Easy, safe and really saves time. A balanced fertilizer with the three main ingredients have a percentage number each.  Corn?  If you've given it an application of high percentage formulation of nitrogen then now you have to use NPK formulation where the N is a lower percentage of P and K!  If you want corn instead of leaves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pull all but 6 or 8 corn plants.  What are you using and what have you used to give your plants the proper chemicals to do photosynthesis? Have to have fertilizer!  Not compost but fertilizer.  btw what soil did you put in your raised beds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-10T09:15:09.643" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34423" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34362" CreationDate="2017-07-10T09:32:17.713" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;From its protruding inflorescence, this tree makes me think of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koelreuteria_paniculata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Koelreuteria Paniculata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a close-up if it is the one, where you see the lantern-like fruits:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I9rWn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I9rWn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;about the drying  leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Agreed with Bamboo, offer bigger pots to the little ones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-07-10T09:32:17.713" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34425" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34427" CreationDate="2017-07-10T15:52:14.093" Score="3" ViewCount="236" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are there any visual signs to identify if something can be rooted?  My mother gave me this &quot;branch&quot; off a tree and says that it can be rooted.  Do I wait for roots to appear then put it in soil? Do I put it in soil right away? Or like my initial question states, is there a way to tell if this can even be rooted!?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cfD6M.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cfD6M.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;IMG1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xOHoH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xOHoH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;IMG2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2974" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T00:53:41.437" Title="Identify possible rooting tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34426" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34431" CreationDate="2017-07-10T16:05:12.900" Score="5" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a relatively new housing development and the builder was kind enough to plant three trees in my yard. They range from 9-15 ft tall but they are all rather wimpy, each having a trunk diameter of a few inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not having an entire lifetime for these to grow to full size naturally, I'd like to help them along. I'm considering plumbing several of those &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0087OYNRM&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;tree irrigation spikes&lt;/a&gt; into my irrigation system and watering the trees weekly for a TBD duration of time. That said, If I won't see much growth improvement, I'm not terribly interested in the hassle -- The trees are health, just not very big. Would these type of setup help speed up the tree growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7103" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T13:52:38.377" Title="Will Irrigation spikes speed up oak tree growth?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34427" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34425" CreationDate="2017-07-10T16:35:27.513" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not a tree. It appears to be a piece off Schefflera arboricola, a houseplant in most areas, though it grows outdoors in more tropical regions, see here &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schefflera_arboricola&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schefflera_arboricola&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on how long it's been cut from the main plant, pop it into a bottleful of water on a windowsill and it should produce roots after 6-8 weeks. If it was cut off more than a day ago and has not been in water since, then cut it again just above that last leaf and place in the bottle of water. Keep the bottle topped up with water - once roots appear and have got to half an inch, pot up into potting soil, without breaking any roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This method of rooting it in water is not the recommended method, see here for propagation information &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/schefflera/schefflera-plant-cuttings.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/schefflera/schefflera-plant-cuttings.htm&lt;/a&gt;. However, I have had a Schefflera for over 30 years, and in that time have rooted the tops on several occasions to make new plants using the water bottle method, and have never had one failure or any problems. The only thing I noticed was the cuttings form roots quicker in spring or early summer than they do from late summer onwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-11T00:53:41.437" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T00:53:41.437" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34428" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-10T18:02:01.650" Score="6" ViewCount="29409" Body="&lt;p&gt;How long does it take for bougainvillea to grow roots in water? How long should they be before I transplant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18180" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-11T18:21:57.773" LastActivityDate="2020-01-31T12:58:06.590" Title="Rooting Bougainvillea in water?" Tags="&lt;water&gt;&lt;bougainvillea&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34429" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-10T18:07:41.507" Score="5" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a group of these beetles on my dill plants. They might be black lady bugs, but seem too small at only 5mm. A positive ID would help be know whether to let them be, or remove them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J5tF1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J5tF1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;small black beetle&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18182" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-07-11T09:43:08.047" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T09:43:08.047" Title="Need help identifying this beetle" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34430" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34358" CreationDate="2017-07-10T20:35:08.533" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cucumbers need light intensity in the range of 10,000-20,000 lx and exceding this optimum causes premature senescence of the plants, meaning they age rapidly and then they die. Provide a little bit of shade for your plants if light intensity is too high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, temperatures above 90°F (32°C) causes the plants to age earlier. My guess is that high temperature wouldn't age your plants so rapidly if the light intensity was in the specified range.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-07-13T19:25:42.227" LastActivityDate="2017-07-13T19:25:42.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34431" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34426" CreationDate="2017-07-10T21:04:09.823" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, not unless you're frequently in long drought periods which cause the tree to go short. The tree will grow as well and as fast as its genes allow with sufficient water for its needs, enough space for root development, and preferably good, rich soil to grow in. What's likely to be at question is whether the builder improved the soil prior to planting with plenty of well rotted organic material, such as composted manure, so it's probably worth mulching with it instead, but keep the trunk clear, don't let any mulch sit against it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-10T21:04:09.823" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34432" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34419" CreationDate="2017-07-10T22:46:57.597" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing stormy is right and the roots were just disturbed by the weeding (and/or an insect); and the sun caused the plant to wilt. Sun will do that to plants with disturbed roots. If you disturb them when it's dark, they're much less likely to show it. Shading the plant and/or removing the large leaves (if they're beyond repair) may help it to survive, if it wouldn't otherwise. Potassium (accompanied by extra water) could help, too. Misting/showering your plant should help some, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have loose soil, I imagine it's easier to disturb the roots. I've heard people talking about how just walking on the ground by watermelons can cause obvious damage to the roots, but I have no such issues in my soil (which is more compact than most consider ideal for watermelons). People generally prefer looser soil for watermelons, at least. I've had no difficulty growing most muskmelons/cantaloupes in our soil as long as they have enough potassium and rockdust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, there are other potential causes, but that's my guess with the current information. I'm waiting on your response to my comments. Others might know more than I do about cantaloupe diseases that might be the culprit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2017-07-10T22:46:57.597" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34433" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-10T23:49:51.183" Score="5" ViewCount="300" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an ugly aluminum patio roof. It doesn't fit in with the rest of the house or neighborhood. It's too expensive to replace so I thought I could grow some vines up it's poles and roof. Add a bit of beauty to distract from the ugly white aluminum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have some recommendations on vines to grow? I suppose the biggest issue is the shear size of my patio roof. Not sure if there are large enough vines that could cover the whole thing.  Pictures included at bottom.  Each pole is 10.5 ft high. The roof is about 12x25 feet. Quick facts:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In Southern Texas, Zone 9b.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Area is well irrigated for lawn but prefer drought tolerant species.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil is clay with ~7.2 ph.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Patio is west facing, gets alot of full sun&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prefer flowering species if possible.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Must climb 10.5 ft just to reach roof.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bonus points for native species.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lJvvX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lJvvX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nAJXL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nAJXL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7H8u0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7H8u0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Mh2Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Mh2Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15468" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T18:17:19.750" Title="What vines should I plant to cover my aluminum patio in southern Texas?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34428" CreationDate="2017-07-11T00:46:00.507" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not at all sure it will produce roots in water, I think it's very unlikely, though someone else might know different. The usual method is from non flowering, softwood/semi ripe cuttings in summer, or hardwood cuttings in winter, or by layering. This thread &lt;a href=&quot;https://garden.org/nga/searchqa/answer/9679&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://garden.org/nga/searchqa/answer/9679&lt;/a&gt; gives pretty good instructions in regard to all three of these. Note they don't like root disturbance, so when your cutting starts growing eventually, be careful not to disturb the root system too much when potting on or planting out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T00:46:00.507" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34433" CreationDate="2017-07-11T01:06:23.083" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;With the caveat that you need to check how much weight that structure will bear, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachelospermum_jasminoides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Trachelospermum jasminoides (confederate jasmine)&lt;/a&gt; should cover the area very well. It's an evergreen vine with fragrant white flowers during summer;  but, it is a twining climber, and it will  need something to twine around to get up to the roof, such as trellis or wires. Once it reaches the roof, its unlikely to just grow across it on its own, especially as the surface may be very hot when in full sun. You may need to place more trellis across the surface, with a gap of an inch or so between the roof and the trellis, so that the plant has the best chance of covering the roof, but most plants want to reach up vertically rather than grow horizontally - they usually need regular training and tying in to achieve that, and that roof does not look strong enough to bear the weight of a person.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-11T18:17:19.750" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T18:17:19.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34436" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35356" CreationDate="2017-07-11T02:31:20.377" Score="9" ViewCount="2240" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is flowering in our garden. The leaves are gray/green. It has small spikes of purple flowers all over, which are a few inches tall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has a peculiarly rich smell which I rather love, but my son and wife think it stinks. She described it as &quot;skunky&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our location is temperate coastal California: Sunset zone 16, USDA Hardiness zone 10a, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Köppen zone Csb&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CtQbC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CtQbC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photograph of plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16224" LastEditorUserId="16224" LastEditDate="2017-09-22T22:29:26.473" LastActivityDate="2020-10-10T03:25:44.270" Title="What is this pungent plant with spikes of purple flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34437" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34429" CreationDate="2017-07-11T03:52:01.403" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;After some more research, I believe they are Ebony bugs (thyreocoridea), which some people once called Negro bugs. They have the white lateral stripe which helps identify them, and are known for eating flowers in the carrot family turning to seed like the ones I found. Hope they cause minimal damage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18182" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T03:52:01.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34438" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-11T06:54:56.580" Score="4" ViewCount="183" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm an office worker in IT and have just enough knowledge of flora to know that these office plants are probably not healthy, but I have no clue what this is or what should be done with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would appreciate any pointers, and I assume both plants suffering from this condition would welcome it as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9tR3u.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9tR3u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Here is another, hopefully better picture&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JK1dT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JK1dT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18185" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T13:19:30.173" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T13:19:30.173" Title="What is this small white pest on the leaves of my office plant called?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;palm&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34439" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2017-07-11T09:50:52.613" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-07-11T09:50:52.613" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T09:50:52.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34440" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2017-07-11T09:50:52.613" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-07-11T09:50:52.613" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T09:50:52.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34441" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-11T10:37:18.637" Score="3" ViewCount="47" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have an approximate idea (either based on own observation or literature) of how long apple flowers stay opened during the day in the flowering period? I can imagine it varies quite a lot between varieties and geographical regions. I am mostly interested in temperate regions at a latitude between 40°F-50°F (5°C-10°C).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18188" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-07-15T17:10:08.057" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T17:10:08.057" Title="Daily opening times of apple flowers" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34443" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34181" CreationDate="2017-07-11T10:52:45.650" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because this cactus will continue to grow and make things harder, I would cut now the 3 young shoots in the upper left of the picture together with the pod they are growing from and plant it in a new pot. This way, the new plant would be balanced. It is easier to keep the pod that supports the new shoots in one piece. If you cut it in half, new pods will form at its base and they will unbalance this plant, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-12-09T07:10:31.773" LastActivityDate="2017-12-09T07:10:31.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34444" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24280" CreationDate="2017-07-11T13:01:43.447" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, there are other commonly available seeds that have a similar liquid-repelling nature: some of the easiest to get are &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flax&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;flaxseeds&lt;/a&gt;. Generally speaking, any seed that has a glossy, lustruous appearance, is water-repelling on the short-term.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(On a sidenote, don't forget that your house will smell like vinegar 24/7 because of the safflower seed litterbox.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-12-09T07:12:43.917" LastActivityDate="2017-12-09T07:12:43.917" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34445" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34426" CreationDate="2017-07-11T13:52:38.377" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tend to agree with @Bamboo.  It might be good to gently do a little exploratory digging around the base of the trees to make sure the contractors removed the tree bags used to hold the root ball together.  From what I've seen leaving the bags on (especially if they aren't just plain burlap) seems to be a death sentence for the tree.  Another thing to remember is that it can take 3-5 year after planting for a tree to become established.  At that point you're likely to start seeing better growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T13:52:38.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34446" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34454" CreationDate="2017-07-11T13:52:42.657" Score="2" ViewCount="4200" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got a jade plant from a local nursery, which was in good health. I was under the impression that I can keep jade plants indoors, so I kept it on my desk. In around a month or so all the leaves dried out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it because I am keeping it indoors all the time? What should I do to make it healthy again? &#xA;Is it really not an indoor plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8VxOB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8VxOB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m5CRP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m5CRP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GZd1h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GZd1h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2818" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-11T18:02:19.580" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T22:41:23.170" Title="Why is my jade plant dying?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34447" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34441" CreationDate="2017-07-11T16:41:51.467" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;So far as I'm aware, apple blossom flowers don't have periods when they close, they're not on the tree long enough. Average time for a flower to open, be functional and wither is around 7 days, depending on the weather and the speed of pollination/fertlilisation. Time lapse photography showing apple flowers over 7 days can be seen in this YouTube video: &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/mQyvRtyhMfA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Apple blossom time lapse. Warner's King&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-07-15T11:19:35.280" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T11:19:35.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34448" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33850" CreationDate="2017-07-11T18:48:19.313" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a late answer and I know it's useless for this plant, however, I think it might serve some other time for a different plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning promotes new growth, but it takes time for the plant to flower again. This happens because after pruning new stems will emerge, then new leaves, and only after that - new flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After pruning the plants need less water because they have less leaves. If the soil is constantly wet, the plant doesn't manage to absorb the water, therefore its roots will rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have pruned my fuchsia to a 6 cm stem and new shoots formed. Your plant didn't suffer because of pruning, but because of something else. Fuchsia and Impatiens start wilting when they experience hot weather and drought. By all means, they need to be gradually accustomed to their normal water intake. Overwatering already stressed plants makes things worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T18:48:19.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34449" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33186" CreationDate="2017-07-11T18:53:17.377" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;To increase your chance of rooting with cuttings, try dipping the cuttings in rooting hormones. Alternative would be honey or aspirin. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14078" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T18:53:17.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34450" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34446" CreationDate="2017-07-11T18:58:05.923" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your jade plant is dying because of lack of sunlight and too much watering. Jade plant in my area can survive hot summer days with minimum watering, its leaves will turn a slight red to indicate it is getting a lot of sun and will look wrinkly when needs water. So indoor jade plant will start shed leaves and yellowing if gets too much water and not enough sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14078" LastEditorUserId="14078" LastEditDate="2017-07-11T22:23:53.567" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T22:23:53.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34451" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34358" CreationDate="2017-07-11T19:02:34.317" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your cucumber plant may not be dying. Slight yellowing and browning is normal during summer time. Help your plant by cutting off these yellow and brown leaves immediately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14078" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T19:02:34.317" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34384" CreationDate="2017-07-11T19:06:29.690" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you should remove those leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14078" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T19:06:29.690" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34453" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34438" CreationDate="2017-07-11T21:45:39.627" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That I believe is white fly.  I would take that plant into the shower and turn cold water on it.  I would then transplant into fresh potting soil maybe a bit larger pot.  Spray with the correct mixture of NEEM. Top and undersides of leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What have you done with fertilization?  How do you water?  Have you used JUST potting soil in that pot? and is there a big drainage hole at the bottom and JUST potting soil in the pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T21:45:39.627" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34454" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34446" CreationDate="2017-07-11T22:41:23.170" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes you can keep a jade indoors, but it does require bright light..much more than any artificial office light will offer.  It looks like you used soil from the great outdoors rather than a potting mix which is also a problem for a jade and for most container grown plants in general.  This plant is not looking too hot.  My suggestion would be to take it out of that pot and rinse all of the native soil off of it.  Repot it this time with a well draining potting soil.  Preferably a type specific to succulents.  If you can't find that then that's ok, just let the soil dry out between watering!  After you repot it, set it by a bright window out of direct sun and hopefully your jade will have enough oomph to push out some new leaves.  It probably will, jades are tough.  Good luck&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a plant that could handle your desk with limited light you have few options, but still some decent ones.  Lucky bamboo, snake plant and pothos.  If it were me, I would go for snake plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T22:41:23.170" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34455" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-11T23:30:07.380" Score="4" ViewCount="1570" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my first year growing basil. I'm growing &lt;a href=&quot;http://heirloomseeds.com/basil-spicy-bush-globe.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Spicy Bush Globe basil&lt;/a&gt;, this year. However, I've found that it doesn't have the licorice-type flavor I'm used to with basil. It tastes like a mix between mint and those spicy gumdrops that are coated in sugar, although the effect after having eaten it is more pleasant than that sounds, I think (and strangely, it makes my tongue a bit numb, and later it makes me salivate in a way that feels pleasant). At first, I was a bit put off by the taste, but I think it's growing on me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I'm looking for a basil variety with a very licorice-type taste, and a not very minty taste (although I know it's in the Mint family). I know there's one called Licorice basil, which is said to have a mild licorice flavor, and there's one called Anise basil, which is also said to have a licorice flavor (potency unspecified). I know there are a lot of basil varieties, and I don't trust implicitly that Licorice basil is the most licorice-like one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, do you have any recommendations? Or if the question is too broad (considering the number of basil varieties), do you know if Anise basil has a stronger basil taste than licorice basil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T11:47:05.150" Title="Which basil has the strongest licorice flavor?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34456" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34455" CreationDate="2017-07-11T23:59:00.813" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;My opinion on basil varieties?  Thai Basil!!  My own husband says 'more minty but with lots of anise taste'.  If you haven't tried Thai basil oh my gosh!  Beautiful plants.  I dried the leaves and had 3 or 4 huge gallon bags of dried Thai basil.  We love Thai food and grew this basil and I've been ordered to go plant more...our few starts didn't start very well...anise IS licorice isn't it?  I think you will be flabbergasted by this basil's flavor and smell!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-11T23:59:00.813" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34457" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34455" CreationDate="2017-07-12T00:28:38.460" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are two varieties of basil said to have a licorice flavour - Thai basil (Ocimum basilicum thyrsiflorus) and Licorice Basil (O. basilicum 'licorice'). There's a comprehensive list of cultivars here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_basil_cultivars&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;List of basil cultivars&lt;/a&gt; which also describes their flavour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for which one tastes most like licorice, well, flavour and taste are subjective, and depends on how many taste buds you have and whether your sense of smell is strong, mediocre or poor. I can't comment personally, I have enough trouble tolerating the mild and ubiquitous version of basil - it's okay torn up fresh and scattered over mozzarella tricolore, but otherwise I dislike it, especially once it's ground or finely chopped, or cooked. Anything involving pesto has me running for the hills...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T11:47:05.150" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T11:47:05.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34458" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-12T00:23:00.237" Score="2" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a house and the lawn is in this state. &#xA;There are brown patches, there are barren areas, there are weeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are the steps to remedy this and  'bring' the grass back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FYI:&#xA;We live in Los Angeles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's a Magnolia tree in our yard. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've been just manually weeding. We've also started watering every other day for about a week. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TahQt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TahQt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;brown lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2547" OwnerDisplayName="milesmeow" LastEditorUserId="2547" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T01:08:59.767" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T01:08:59.767" Title="Brown lawn with weeds, how to remedy?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34460" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-12T04:38:32.180" Score="2" ViewCount="7534" Body="&lt;p&gt;My basil plant started getting some white spots a couple of weeks ago. I cut the leaves that had the white spots but the new leaves are growing again with the same white spots. Also, it's weird because I can't really see any bugs either on the top or the bottom of the leaf, so I am assuming that it is a fungus?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(also, it has been spreading among all my basil plants that are in different pots, but it doesn't seem to affect the tomatoes)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your help!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/peTwR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/peTwR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My basil plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18192" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T04:38:32.180" Title="White spots on basil plant?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-08-25T00:48:42.927" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34462" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36947" CreationDate="2017-07-12T07:54:53.930" Score="3" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are my options if I have to give up the aesthetics of the garden(currently with a little sod and a loads of weed) to control kill weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One option I'm considering is the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mow the area to lowest height, &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Use Sod cutter/Bobcat remove the top 1-2&quot;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water thoroughly for the seeds to germinate couple of days&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover the place with transparent plastic for 4-10 weeks to bake in sun&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Install landscape fabric&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Add 1-2&quot; of mulch&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants I'm trying to get rid of (the ones I can find the names of):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thistle&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black Medic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Crabgrass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Carolina Geranium&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yellow Woodsorrel&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Prickly lettuce&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flatweed  (cat's ear)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How many times would I be expecting regrowth? How long do I have to wait, before I can reinstall new sod or plant shrubs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11489" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-22T21:20:34.987" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T12:49:22.107" Title="Give up aesthetics for weed removal" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34463" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34471" CreationDate="2017-07-12T09:31:09.403" Score="4" ViewCount="73" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just discovered a fellow running on the guava tree. I was wondering what this insect is and its functions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have attached the image and I currently live in India.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6EWRL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6EWRL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16489" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T17:22:53.720" Title="Who is this fellow?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34464" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34468" CreationDate="2017-07-12T14:58:22.207" Score="3" ViewCount="141" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've planted some herbs on my balcony in hanging flower boxes. I live in Illinois so it's pretty hot and humid around this time of the year. My parsley has been showing discoloration my basil has some kind of brown spots on some of the leaves. Also, the rosemary seems to be unable to grow new stems and the base of the existing stems is somewhat brownish. I've posted images for all three. Here are my questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Parsley: I thought at first that the issue is related to the heat of the sun, but then I read somewhere that this could be fungus . Any ideas based on the pictures? I ordered a bottle of fungicide from amazon and it should be arriving tomorrow. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Basil: in a previous thread I asked a question about finding a lot of insects in my old bag of potting mix. After seeing the comments I ended up using the soil; the basil plant seems to be the one with the most &quot;infestation&quot;. I am unsure if these dots are a result of the insects or heat/sun related.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rosemary: I suspect that the roots might have rot or something. How can I be sure? Could something else be the issue?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would appreciate any advice on the matter! Thanks! &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zYIwO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zYIwO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Basil brown spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vyjW2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vyjW2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;parsley discoloration&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bWZ6F.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bWZ6F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rosemary stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures of all the pots in which the plants are planted:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1hhcY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1hhcY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;parsley and cilantro&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U6uVV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U6uVV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rosemary and basil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sRRCM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sRRCM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;rosemary&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FaqvK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FaqvK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mint&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16955" LastEditorUserId="16955" LastEditDate="2017-07-18T14:19:57.097" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T19:10:12.443" Title="Is something wrong with my plants?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;&lt;parsley&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34466" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-12T16:11:40.043" Score="2" ViewCount="2141" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bXSZr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got a pot of mixed plants and succulents at a yard sale about a week ago for a buck! The lady was selling the pot because she said the plants were a lost cause. In order to keep the succulents alive the soil was too dry for the plant in the picture (not sure what it is). I decided today I would separate them so the succulents could be in cactus soil and these could have a chance a survival, and so I could water them without over watering the succulents. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I uprooted them I noticed these white bugs. I'm assuming an aphid of some kind. They are even on my succulents and the decorative marbles on the top layer of the soil. Before, I have treated aphids on outdoor plants by mixing cayenne pepper, dish soap and water in a spray bottle and sprayed the plant leaves until they are dripping, and let dry.  This has worked and I'm going to try this on the unidentified plant in my picture, but am worried about spraying that mix directly onto the leaf of the succulents.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know succulents absorb and store nutrients differently than &quot;leafy&quot; plants and don't know how safe this is. Even the cactus food I have is a spray foam instead of a water mix or spray. I don't know the biology behind it. Can anyone help? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these in fact aphids? Can I treat my succulents in the same manner, or is there a better or safer solution I should try? Are these pests specific to indoor plants, and if so, would putting my succulents outdoors help? All of the succulents I have are &quot;full sun&quot; succulents and can withstand the sun and the heat, they're just so pretty and I happen to have a large window that provides them with plenty of sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, my other succulents that did not come from the same pot are thriving and producing &quot;babies&quot; and my two bromeliads are also doing well, neither of which have the white bugs. Should they be treated too in order to prevent spread?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-28T19:25:11.253" LastActivityDate="2019-06-24T13:12:29.190" Title="What are these tiny white bugs on my houseplants and succulents?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34467" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-12T16:33:31.720" Score="4" ViewCount="260" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a five year old Northern Catalpa in my yard, zone 4B. Earlier in the summer and in prior years the leaves were held more erect, but now they are all drooping. We have had a lot of rain this summer, and in fact are under a flash-flood warning at the moment. When I compare my catalpa to other (full-grown) catalpas in the area, though, I do not see the same droop in the leaves of the other trees that I see in mine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other things to know about my tree:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When it was 2 years old, it did have a small (~1/16&quot;) hole in the trunk, through which I noticed small ants entering the tree. This area has completely healed over, but I've always been a bit worried about it. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It does have some old, healed over weed whacker damage at the base of the trunk (photo below). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I have a major, major infestation of Japanese Beetles in my yard this year, and there have been some beetles in the tree, although I have not noticed the damage in the catalpa that I've seen in other trees in my yard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil in the area is clay and alkaline. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Does this look consistent with a tree that has simply been overwatered? Or should I be worried about something else? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If it is overwatering, are there any steps I can take to help the tree, given that I've done no supplemental watering at all this summer? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2qkKO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2qkKO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Catalpa - full view&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tyvuW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tyvuW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf close up 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sx0DA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sx0DA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf close up 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hMRFD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hMRFD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Old trunk damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastEditorUserId="1447" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T20:11:38.823" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T20:11:38.823" Title="Catalpa leaves drooping. Is it from too much rain or something more?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34468" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34464" CreationDate="2017-07-12T16:47:23.780" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rosemary looks over watered, you are correct that the roots may have some rot. They are great at being &quot;left alone&quot;. If you are leaving them alone, sometimes the use of gardening soil instead or potting soil OR packing the soil too tightly can cause the pot to store too much water. IF you used potting soil, consider replanting it and packing the soil a tad looser around the root structure. If you ARE NOT using potting soil, switch and only water once the soil has completely dried out. It looks like it's not too late to save it though. If you were loosing lots of needles I'd be concerned that you don't have a chance at fixing the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Parsley just looks a little like sun damage. If all three of these are hanging on 3 different hooks (you mentioned hanging baskets) move the Rosemary to the spot with the most sun hitting and the parsley to the spot with the least (still want full sun, but maybe it's current placement is getting a little too hot). If you can't control the placement, consider a light mist once a day to cool down the leaves, especially if you haven't been getting much rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basil, with the black spots, looks over watered or over fed. This could also be an issue that's caused by soil 1- either gardening soil instead of potting soil holding too much moisture ( if so replant in potting soil) 2- over fed, this is either from too much plant food, or the soil- some soils like miracle grow brand soil are pre packed with plant food, everyonce in a while the feed content in them is too high. Try not to over water, and cut back on any plant food additives you may be giving it. Honestly the green color and leaf shape looks pretty healthy, which makes me think over fed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastEditorUserId="17631" LastEditDate="2017-07-18T19:10:12.443" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T19:10:12.443" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34469" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-12T17:15:38.607" Score="2" ViewCount="1250" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several mint types growing on my window sill indoors. I have noticed that some problems with them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leggy stems. I have found on internet that this caused by insufficient light.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Curly leaves - one side of leaf becomes a bit twisted downwards and towards central leaf stem. Reason unknown&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Small discoloring towards yellow color on leaves. Reason unknown.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What may be the source to 2 and 3 problem? What do you recommend to solve them? I do water them regularly, tried to add some universal liquid fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also here are some pictures of mint that I have. Please help me identify them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UVfaL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UVfaL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;probably mojito mint&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nLwtp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nLwtp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;probably peppermint&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QgmQs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QgmQs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;probably apple mint&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18203" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T08:19:53.623" Title="Identify mint types and solve existing problems" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34470" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-12T17:32:13.997" Score="16" ViewCount="1205" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought vegetable seeds a few years back.  I tried planting them this year but am having mixed results (very few are sprouting).  Do seeds have a shelf life/expiration after which they will not germinate?  I am trying to figure out if the problem is with the seeds or something else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T20:18:31.810" Title="Do vegetable seeds have a shelf life?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34463" CreationDate="2017-07-12T18:43:07.153" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbonia_crassicornis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Umbonia crassicornis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; collectively known as &lt;em&gt;thorn bugs&lt;/em&gt; defense mechanism to fool their predators as thorn. Not sure about it's functions in garden, but I remember playing with them by dropping them on their head and looking at them struggle to come back on their legs, when I was a kid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11489" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-07-14T17:22:53.720" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T17:22:53.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34472" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34470" CreationDate="2017-07-12T19:13:20.613" Score="14" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, all seeds have an average &quot;life span&quot;, but the length varies between species and is greatly influenced by storage conditions like temperature, humidity and light. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a rule of thumb, dry, cool and dark, possibly in the original sealed package is the best way to store seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The standard garden veggie seeds should typically&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; last at least two to three years under the aforementioned storage conditions. After that, you'll likely notice a drop in the germination rate, which you can counter by sowing a bit more generously (you can always thin the seedlings later). Consider a germination test for older seeds to get an idea of what you can expect from a particular batch&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; Of course there is some variation. Unfortunately, I don't have a handy table or similar at hand. Check your seed packs for either a production date / year or some other date, e.g. a recommendation to use the seeds until a certain year. Some companies will give a &quot;germination guarantee&quot; until a certain date or similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T19:18:39.957" LastActivityDate="2017-07-12T19:18:39.957" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34473" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-12T22:17:51.813" Score="2" ViewCount="131" Body="&lt;p&gt;For example, I picked these up from some rather poorly maintained succulents, and want to revive the leaves, somehow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm soaking them in water for a few hours, then putting half in water, half out, in hopes that they'll absorb some. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On one particularly large dried leaf, I cut off a centimeter of material from the base of the leaf, and put it in a vase, half submerged, with the cut down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it even possible to revive from a condition where the leaves are brown, but are still flexible and contain moisture?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it WAS possible, what would increase my chances of successfully reviving and rooting these leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is, for an answer relevant to a more general audience, what &quot;leaf revival&quot; options are most likely to work for a given common variety of succulent?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18205" LastEditorUserId="24695" LastEditDate="2019-01-15T21:38:58.733" LastActivityDate="2019-01-15T21:38:58.733" Title="How do gardeners revive succulents and root them?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="34474" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-12T22:21:57.843" Score="3" ViewCount="3762" Body="&lt;p&gt;Out of three young apple trees, one in particular has been suffering with pest problems, mainly aphids. I check it almost daily, and probably once a week on average I find aphids swarming a terminal bud. It's usually many or none, and when I see them I just smoosh them off gently with my fingers. Today I checked the trees and see these patches of fuzzy white growth on that troubled tree:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4wlyQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4wlyQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fuzzy white patch on apple tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yRkPm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yRkPm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fuzzy white patch on apple tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PBMRU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PBMRU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fuzzy white patch on apple tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did a little research online and see woolly aphids as a potential culprit. I did have aphids as I mentioned, but I haven't seen any there in a few days - this is a lot of material appearing fast! Last I checked this tree was just two days ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@Stormy has mentioned that mulching potted trees with wood chips is a bad idea. The other young apple trees don't have wood chips and they are having fewer pest problems, so that seems like good advice. Tomorrow I'll have gardening time and plan to brush off these fuzzy growths and repot this particular apple tree in some fresh soil with no wood chips on top. Any other advice to go along with identification of these growths is appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastEditorUserId="13670" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T22:48:53.037" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T03:44:40.927" Title="What are these patches of fluffy white growth on this young apple tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34475" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34481" CreationDate="2017-07-12T22:35:22.350" Score="3" ViewCount="56" Body="&lt;p&gt;A lilac bush was destined for removal and I separated as many cohesive root and shoot bunches as I could. I planted some immediately and potted others, almost all of which are doing well. I notice one in particular has a white powdery substance on the surface of most of its leafs, which appears to have spread over the course of a few days but then more or less stopped changing its extent. Wiping it off with my fingers, it comes off pretty easily. I separated it from the other trees and took some photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eKUT0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eKUT0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;White powdery substance on lilac trees&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Pxtb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Pxtb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;White powdery substance on lilac trees&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xPBV6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xPBV6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;White powdery substance on lilac trees, some rubbed off by thumb&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the last image to the left of my thumb you can see some of the powder I rubbed off with my thumb. It didn't have a noticeable smell. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what the substance is and how I should respond to it for the plant's health?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastEditorUserId="13670" LastEditDate="2017-07-12T22:48:38.353" LastActivityDate="2017-07-13T02:09:30.553" Title="What are these white powdery patches on these lilac leafs?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;lilac&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34476" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-12T22:45:20.220" Score="5" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow potted trees in zone 5 of northeastern USA and spend time watching the nature around them. I have been trying to learn more about the insects that frequent the plants, whether for good or bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In early summer I was regularly seeing the insect shown in photos below. I still see it sometimes, but not as frequently. I couldn't tell that it was hurting any leafs but it was putting its mouth to the leafs as if eating or sucking on something. Is it helping (protecting from other pests) or hurting (being a pest) the leafs? Its mouthparts and coloration are not like mosquitoes' but it otherwise its form is similar to one. It seemed to land on various leafs and trees in different areas of the garden but I noticed it most on hazelnuts (maybe just by chance).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8tlvg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8tlvg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tan flying insect&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/euEJa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/euEJa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tan flying insect&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X8iuw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X8iuw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tan flying insect&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A related question, maybe better a separate question, is how do you learn all the insects that frequent your plants? Are there good resources or methods to ID insects in a garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T03:40:52.633" Title="Who is this tan mosquito-like flying insect hanging on various tree leafs in zone 5 northeast USA?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34478" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34479" CreationDate="2017-07-13T00:03:46.320" Score="4" ViewCount="1786" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our lemons have just started to ripen, but something has started attacking them and eating through the skin. Can anyone identify what is likely doing this and what we can do to protect the other lemons on the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zZZ9p.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zZZ9p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18207" LastActivityDate="2017-07-13T00:48:50.423" Title="What's attacking our lemons?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34479" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34478" CreationDate="2017-07-13T00:48:50.423" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your lemons are being attacked by birds. Insect eggs were planted in the baby lemon epidermis, have hatched, are now larvae and the birds are going for the larvae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Provide a large bird feeder to feed the birds.  Please use a scalpel or razor blade to see if you can find the larvae.  They'll look like little worms.  That is what the birds are going after.  Which is a cool thing to get rid of the larvae out of the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Imagine a bird sitting on the stem above this lemon.  The holes are only where it is able to easily 'dig' for the larva.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Go do a bit of digging to see if there is a worm the birds will waste their time pecking at to eat in that lemon.  They do not like tart citrus fruits.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-13T00:48:50.423" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34480" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4172" CreationDate="2017-07-13T01:45:34.407" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the best ways is to use a combination of digging it up and then applying only vinegar to anything that shoots up on hot days so the vinegar will soak into the plant&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18208" LastActivityDate="2017-07-13T01:45:34.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34481" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34475" CreationDate="2017-07-13T02:09:30.553" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is powdery mildew.  Bamboo gave me a 1:9/milk:water to spray on the plants and it was amazingly effective.  Otherwise, properly mixing neem/water to spray at night would work well.  This is the only fungal disease that can be controlled after the fact with infection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these plants outdoors in the sun or are they on a covered patio?  What have you added for fertilizer?  How do you water?  Is it really humid there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-13T02:09:30.553" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34483" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34485" CreationDate="2017-07-13T07:17:11.933" Score="4" ViewCount="390" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is about 8cm tall and used to be green but is now slowly going white...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it some form of tumour?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dVEg9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dVEg9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Weird Cucumber Growth&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Edit&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the picture of the whole cucumber (for you disbelievers). The growth can be found on the top left and you can find a growing cucumber on the bottom of the same plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZUxQZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZUxQZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole Cucumber&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Split up into the segments, it looks like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1Ic9Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1Ic9Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Segment split&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have cut up the segments. While cutting, there was a distinct smell of cucumber - the same as when slicing a normal example of the fruit. You can also see some of the wet interior has some shared features with that of a cucumber.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TiTYQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TiTYQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dissected&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also found a hole that could possibly be evidence of an insect being present at some stage of development of this growth, suggesting that Giacomo Catenazzi's answer may be right:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1xp3W.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1xp3W.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Insect hole?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15330" LastEditorUserId="15330" LastEditDate="2017-07-14T06:53:08.403" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T19:19:34.237" Title="What is this weird growth on my cucumber?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34484" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34470" CreationDate="2017-07-13T07:44:52.223" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Stephie, but if you have old seeds, just try. Germination rate should still be above zero. I think 10 years is still significant, e.g. more than 1/3. Considering that often seed packs have too much seeds, it is still an option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I put together a lot of seeds I had (few from '80, but most from 2000 to 2012). It was a real overseeding, in bad conditions (I didn't work too much the soil, because I didn't get much chances). Anyway I get a lot of seedlings from many different kinds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From my experience (not so scientific): Cucurbitaceae (e.g. zucchini) and Apiaceae (carots) have good germination also after long time. Solanaceae (tomatoes) and Brassicaceae (radish, rucola) follow them.  I had more problem with beans: they dry quickly after few years of bad storage. I didn't have many seeds of Asteraceae (lactuces) and Amaranthaceae (Swiss chards), so I cannot really tell you about that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-07-13T07:44:52.223" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34485" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34483" CreationDate="2017-07-13T07:53:10.567" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Remove it. I don't think it is a tumor. Tumor are relatively rare in vegetables, because of short lifetime, and having a lot (really a lot) more genes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it is caused by insects (or other animals, or maybe also weather), which damages and blocked the central part. The other part grow &quot;inorganically&quot; around damages part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But are you sure it is a cucumber? The skin (rest of flower) doesn't look like cucumber (and the green stem)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-07-13T07:53:10.567" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34486" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34489" CreationDate="2017-07-13T11:32:56.897" Score="6" ViewCount="201" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many of these Crocosmia growing in my garden in South East England and I would love to know the exact type. They have just started blooming in the last week or so.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q73qH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OXDqx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17180" LastEditorUserId="17180" LastEditDate="2017-07-13T12:45:27.377" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T10:31:29.397" Title="What kind of Crocosmia are these?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34487" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24897" CreationDate="2017-07-13T11:50:09.903" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is the picture of the above one year later. Still needs work and rocks properly arranged there&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3WV4C.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3WV4C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastActivityDate="2017-07-13T11:50:09.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34488" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34486" CreationDate="2017-07-13T15:13:04.977" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://trecanna.com/super.asp?id=363&amp;amp;name=crocosmia+x+crocosmiiflora+%27lady+hamilton%27&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Crocosmia Lady Hamilton&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's the best matches of descriptions found on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/116934-crocosmia-varieties.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Garden Guides&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;Lady Hamilton&quot; dons upright flower spikes filled with golden yellow blooms with centers blushed with apricot-yellow hues. It grows 24- to 30-inches tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yapJ4.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yapJ4.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-07-13T15:13:04.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34489" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34486" CreationDate="2017-07-13T15:28:03.597" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is the one that grows wild here in the UK, commonly known as Montbretia, latin name Crocosmia crocosmifolia. Originally a French cross between two other crocosmia, it was introduced to the UK in 1880 as a garden plant, but escaped and spread widely from 1910 or so onwards. It is often seen in hedgerows in Cornwall particularly, but also Devon and Wales, and on wild land in the south east generally, as well as being ubiquitous in our gardens. You will not find it for sale anywhere, it's usually acquired by donation from someone else, or just appears. Newer hybrids and varieties generally have stiffer leaves, are often taller, usually flower a little earlier than yours, and the flower colours range from yellow through to bright red. Crocosmia 'Lucifer' is one of the best of the taller varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only image I can find is within a PDF document, and I have no clue how to link to this - it's a page on Montbretia from the GB Non Native Species Secretariat. Although there are other sites that come up if you Google montbretia, none of them show the now endemic variety which grows wild in Cornwall and the South East - they all show newer varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-14T10:31:29.397" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T10:31:29.397" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34490" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34470" CreationDate="2017-07-13T15:46:32.737" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, or may depend on the seed. When I had a vegetable garden, I had some seeds 15+ years old  . I didn't have a problem with sprouting. I did store them sealed in a refrigerator. At one time I thought 5 year old onion seed was bad, so to use it up I planted it very thick. That was a good weather year and it looked like I had a row grass in the garden. I may have a new data point; planted some 35 year old coral beans a couple days ago and they are  now swelling . I believe sprouting rates are 95 % moisture, temperature, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-07-13T15:46:32.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34491" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-13T16:49:04.413" Score="5" ViewCount="2003" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought cactus soil mix the other day from Calloway's for some plants. I then decided to grow lemons. So I did the whole deal. 2 weeks later I have lemon sprouts. I was wondering if I could use cactus soil mix for baby lemon seeds that already have some 1 inch sized roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18057" LastActivityDate="2020-01-07T04:25:09.403" Title="Can my lemons grow in cactus soil mix" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34492" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34470" CreationDate="2017-07-13T18:45:54.607" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally speaking, light, heat and moisture degrade their viability/ability to germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the exception of bean and pea seeds (which form a hardened coating in response to cold), as soon as I'm done using them, I tape the envelope shut, then I put all my seeds that I want to try and reuse in a zip-closure plastic storage baggie (a thicker one, like &quot;storage&quot; or &quot;freezer&quot; variety, not the really thin &quot;sandwich&quot; ones), a pint or quart size is fine.  I add uncooked white rice (to absorb any excess moisture), squeeze out the extra air, seal it and store it in my basement fridge, in the crisper drawer, where it stays in cool dry darkness until the next planting session.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no problems with germination rates for at least two more years.  From Giaccomo's answer, looks like this can be pushed quite a bit further.  I generally never try to push it to a fourth.  This works great for peppers, tomatoes, cabbage family (inc. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower as well as cabbage), lettuce, squash/pumpkins..... you name it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastActivityDate="2017-07-13T18:45:54.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34494" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34476" CreationDate="2017-07-14T02:59:19.510" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.everythingabout.net/articles/biology/animals/arthropods/insects/flies/robber_fly/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;robber flies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a tough one CrO.  This guy could be a robber fly.  I think this is a predator and a good guy.  What bothers me is the fly in your pictures looks like it was laying eggs in those leaves.  Such as leaf miners do.  Check this article out and look up other pictures to see what you think.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T02:59:19.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34495" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-14T03:01:41.013" Score="3" ViewCount="87" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have attached pictures of a maple tree.  I am curious to know what type of maple it is.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xdaGg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xdaGg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves of tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XI9qK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XI9qK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bark of tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second question...can this type be tapped for syrup?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16494" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:06:42.913" Title="Maple Tree Question" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;maple&gt;&lt;sap&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34496" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34474" CreationDate="2017-07-14T03:44:40.927" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This stuff is a mold a fungal...growth of some kind.  White mycelium.  I think what you plan to do is perfect.  What bothers me is that it is there at all.  Takes lots of moisture, continuous moisture.  Are these plants under a patio roof out side?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this soil that this plant has potting soil?  I do not think this is a big deal at all but we need to change the environment somehow to not persuade this stuff to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a taped stem?  Looks good!  One of these days you will need to ummm change the band aid and allow air to help dry the wound.  Scissors to cut and replace with a more breathable tape?  Like you said just wipe off these growths the spores are definitely around so wait to transplant until after you've wiped these growths off, hosed the entire plant, allow to dry and then transplant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And yup glad you read about the debris that really attracts insects and holds moisture way too long.  Also probably had the spores of this mold that were able to take off.  cool.  The one fungus I hope that this is not is sclerotinia.  Too late now to worry about it but I would keep this tree away from the others.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water only when those pots feel light.  Allow them to dry out between watering and that will get rid of the fungus.  Tell us where these plants live and where it is you live, your zone.  Aren't these fungal growths/plants/life forms amazing?  Every time I venture into fungus land I am entranced.  Sclerotinia sclerotinorum is a very bad fungus.  Look it up.  I've not seen Sclerotinia in this airy mycelium form.  Keep an eye on this guy.  Please take pictures after you have cleaned those mycelium clouds off your plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plans were perfect just try to keep this plant away from your other plants until we know for sure.  Take a picture of the entire plant and maybe I can see a good spot to do some investigative surgery.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T03:44:40.927" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34497" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34495" CreationDate="2017-07-14T03:53:25.063" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do believe this tree can be tapped for syrup.  Acer rubrum. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Acer%20Rubrum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Red Maple&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let's wait until others have had a chance to concur or negate.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T03:53:25.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34498" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-14T07:11:24.173" Score="4" ViewCount="1510" Body="&lt;p&gt;My chives are doing well, strong and disease free. But they are not flowering! Could mine be a late flowering variety? Is there such a thing? Or maybe a non-flowering variety? Thanks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18217" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-07-14T07:38:11.863" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T13:27:27.197" Title="Non-flowering chives" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;chives&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34499" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-14T11:24:46.613" Score="3" ViewCount="89" Body="&lt;p&gt;My airplant has developed a couple of brown spots on a couple of its limbs.  I just recently bought it from a local Lowes.  I brought home 2 of them and one looks completely healthy to me while the other has developed this symptom.  Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18219" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-07-14T13:25:38.187" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T13:25:38.187" Title="Sick Tillandsia Caput Medusae" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tillandsia&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2018-01-20T02:51:35.647" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34500" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-14T13:19:56.217" Score="4" ViewCount="562" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this on my orange sweet pepper plant seedling. It's kind of like a fuzzy ball. Is it normal? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A6Hdk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A6Hdk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18057" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-14T21:01:49.103" LastActivityDate="2017-09-13T01:45:58.030" Title="Is it normal to have a white fuzzy substance on the seedling of my pepper plant?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34501" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34498" CreationDate="2017-07-14T13:27:27.197" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a pretty far northern climate, and decided I hated the natural prairie grass landscaping that came with my house. Traditional chives and &quot;Chinese/garlic&quot; chives now dominate the front of my house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is now July, and the traditional chives have been blooming round purple flowers since mid-June.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jr504.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jr504.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Chives in bloom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flatter-leaved, &quot;garlic&quot; chives generally don't flower until late August and September for me, with multiple, delicate-looking white flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qLWwZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qLWwZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;garlic chives&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your chives are more flat-leaved with a bit of a garlicky taste to them, then they probably are the later-blooming variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T13:27:27.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34502" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-14T15:06:16.477" Score="5" ViewCount="97" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) and this plant often appears in the garden even without being planted. Can someone tell me what kind it is?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uyyts.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uyyts.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18224" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-07-14T17:24:59.210" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T17:24:59.210" Title="Identification of a plant brasileira" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34502" CreationDate="2017-07-14T15:22:09.053" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is Jatropha podagrica - it has lots of common names. In India and some other countries, it's called the buddha belly plant because of the swelling in the stem near the base that gets larger as the plant ages; in other countries, it's known as gout plant or gout stick. It usually loses its leaves over winter, depending on climate, and may be killed altogether in colder countries, more information here &lt;a href=&quot;https://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/plant_wk/jatropha_podagrica.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/plant_wk/jatropha_podagrica.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T15:22:09.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34504" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9622" CreationDate="2017-07-14T16:45:31.810" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hemlock. Poisonous. The way to tell the difference between it and flat leaf parsley is the leaves have spots and the stems are hollow on hemlock. The other thing is Hemlock has virtually no smell while parsley has a nice pungent odor. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18225" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-07-14T19:29:21.497" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T19:29:21.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34505" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34483" CreationDate="2017-07-14T19:19:34.237" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe your cucumber has Neurofibromatosis Type 1. I'm no expert, but... If not that, it could be  Proteus syndrome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17707" LastActivityDate="2017-07-14T19:19:34.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9622" CreationDate="2017-07-15T00:00:25.587" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;After seeing the purple blotches on the stems I can also confirm poison hemlock.  That's a cool, but pretty wicked plant!  One of the most deadly in North America.  People don't often confuse it with parsley, but sometimes confuse it with queen Ann's lace.  Not a good mistake to make either way.  It can be deadly in pretty small quantities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remove the plant.  Be cautious about not eating small parley like seedlings and you'll be fine.  I actually had a garden once where poison hemlock was a pretty common weed visitor.  The chemicals will not transmit through the soil to your next plants so no need to worry.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T00:00:25.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34500" CreationDate="2017-07-15T00:00:35.120" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is likely a damping off infection.  This rots seedlings at the crown and kills them.  To prevent: use sterile media for starting seeds, don't let soil get sodden, provide enough light.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="409" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T00:00:35.120" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34508" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-15T00:15:54.790" Score="5" ViewCount="938" Body="&lt;p&gt;The last few days we have had a lot of rain, most of which pooled up to my house foundation. I've managed to divert most of it temporarily to a location further from my house, but it's still an issue. This section of the house is in an L shape with a sidewalk that connects each corner. I have a hill in front of my house and although I don't get a lot of water from it, I do get a lot from my gutter system. I need a way to remove the water from this area without destroying my sidewalk. The ground slopes into my house, need a way to either have it slope away or a drain system installed. Please help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[1]: &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Te4Sn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Te4Sn.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/al0bR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18229" LastEditorUserId="18229" LastEditDate="2017-07-15T14:11:22.667" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T16:25:52.057" Title="Standing Water with sidewalk surrounded" Tags="&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34509" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34578" CreationDate="2017-07-15T03:57:45.313" Score="3" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;p&gt;This creature on the photo was hiding in the tree and was moving bit quickly. Seemed like a caterpillar which eats moringa..  Can somebody help in identifying it. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DKshj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16489" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T09:58:10.010" Title="Caterpillar?-Kindly help in identifying it." Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;caterpillar&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34510" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34508" CreationDate="2017-07-15T09:30:14.030" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Water close to the house is a serious issue and you should examine the inside of the house where the water is pooling to see if there is any dampness.  In my area there are contractors busy all the time with houses that have water issues.  The complete professional solution is to trench around the house, apply a plastic membrane to the foundation and back fill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is quite costly and for your situation a spade and $25 worth of plastic can resolve or postpone the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Buy a length of 4&amp;quot; drain pipe, perforated with sleeve at a local hardware store.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dig a trench 6&amp;quot; deep next to the house sloped downhill&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;end the trench just before your sidewalk&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;get a large rigid plastic bucket about 12&amp;quot; tall or more and 12&amp;quot; in diameter and cut the bottom out&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;dig a hole about 12&amp;quot; to 18&amp;quot; deep and the diameter of the bucket&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;insert the bucket in the hole so that the top of the bucket is 6&amp;quot; below ground level&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;fill to to the top with rocks that will not pack down (round is best but not too important what shape they are. This is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_drain&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;french drain&lt;/a&gt; connecting to a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_well&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;dry well&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;lay the drain pipe in the trench and angle it into the bucket&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;cover the top of the bucket with landscape fabric or geotextile (something that will not rot and will not allow soil in)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;if you have more landscape fabric put a layer over the drain pipe&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;back fill with soil&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Job done!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have added some poorly done annotations to the picture you supplied.  The idea is to get the water away from the house.  It does not matter what the high point is as you are adding a low point with the dry well or drain.  Add the dry well as far away as possible from the house and provide a slope for the drain pipe away from the house.  You will need a level or laser level but if you can see a slope in the ditch you dig that is good enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kjmjp.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kjmjp.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T16:25:52.057" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34512" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33541" CreationDate="2017-07-15T13:20:59.160" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ymZhn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ymZhn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mite&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Ok I have the answer to my grape vine problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its spider mites for sure - see photos&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3h39X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3h39X.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;nymph?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;I have applied Neem oil solution liberally twice in a week but still have mites.  Going for Bug Clear Ultra now (acetamiprid) Thanks Giacomo for helping me realize that this wasn't another mildew infection&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17676" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-07-16T18:10:35.440" LastActivityDate="2017-07-16T18:10:35.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34513" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34526" CreationDate="2017-07-15T13:40:45.403" Score="3" ViewCount="105" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was adding root stimulator to my orange tree today and noticed this spot on the stem.  Can anyone tell me what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dx2FS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dx2FS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GkjC5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GkjC5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zsqbr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zsqbr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lc0Ip.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lc0Ip.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K8yFf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K8yFf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6918" LastEditorUserId="6918" LastEditDate="2017-07-16T15:57:12.740" LastActivityDate="2017-07-16T15:57:12.740" Title="What is this growing on my orange tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34514" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34516" CreationDate="2017-07-15T16:11:06.093" Score="3" ViewCount="1160" Body="&lt;p&gt;my garden is full of these plants (weeds) and I'm wondering what are they.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The purple flower (small bit that attaches to the plant) is a bit sweet in taste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: Moldova (Eastern Europe), it grows in summer time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures taken at the beginning of July.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DJtgB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DJtgB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pitcure1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/19owR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/19owR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pitcure2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16117" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T00:50:35.017" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T00:50:35.017" Title="What is this weed with purple flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34514" CreationDate="2017-07-15T16:58:29.180" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think its Ballota nigra; its common name in the UK is Black Horehound, so called because it was once recommended as a herbal treatment for people who'd been bitten by mad dogs. Native to the mediterranean and central Asia, but can be found throughout Europe and parts of the USA. For images and information see here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naturalmedicinefacts.info/plant/ballota-nigra.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.naturalmedicinefacts.info/plant/ballota-nigra.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T16:58:29.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34517" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34521" CreationDate="2017-07-15T17:07:27.227" Score="4" ViewCount="2321" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am getting wildly conflicting information on mulch. Some sources say that it starves plants, keeps rainfall from reaching the soil, grows mold, rots tree trunks, and feeds termites. Other sources say it's critical in a desert environment like mine (15f-105f, 7&quot; of rain per year on average)--that it prevents weeds, keeps moisture in the soil, and prevents erosion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the past few years I've tried various wood mulch strategies for large expanses of bare soil: deep (6&quot;+) and shallow (1-2&quot;) wood mulch and pine straw. So far I have not gotten great results:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The ground does not stay moist with any method. The mulch seems to soak up all the water and the ground is dry a day after rain.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;My worst weeds (Bindweed and Silver Nightshade) are not impacted, even with with deep heavy wood mulch. Less competitive weeds like Tribulus Terrestris are prevented, though (thank goodness).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Termites like to eat the wood mulch, not so much the pine straw mulch.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, in places where I water (like around trees), the mulch does break down and become great soil. But in places that receive only natural irrigation, it does not break down, and the weeds take over. Why do so many desert gardeners swear by heavy mulch? I don't get it. Why am I not getting their results?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2874" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T13:12:51.760" Title="Is mulch in the desert a good idea?" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;desert&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34518" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34410" CreationDate="2017-07-15T17:46:48.890" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;These symptoms match the ones of Venturia inequalis. Use a systemic fungicide against it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T17:46:48.890" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34520" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34522" CreationDate="2017-07-15T18:40:26.333" Score="5" ViewCount="839" Body="&lt;p&gt;In a recent storm two large branches broke off of my tree. They broke off right at the trunk, so I can't cut it back further to make it a clean cut. is there anything I should do to help protect the rest of the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lLkEO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lLkEO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Broken limbs of tree.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt; Here are some pictures that were requested:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is in Southwest Ohio, near Cincinnati.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tree as a whole. You can see essentially the whole back half came down. From the front of the tree though it still looks good.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i4qGD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i4qGD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Side view of tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Side view of the broken section so you can get a better idea of how thick the tree is there: (Couldn't get a good side view because other branches were in the way.)&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jBGwd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jBGwd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Side a break&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HIIF7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HIIF7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf of tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18238" LastEditorUserId="18238" LastEditDate="2017-07-16T19:03:37.453" LastActivityDate="2018-05-18T12:03:58.840" Title="Branch broke off in storm at trunk" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;branches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34517" CreationDate="2017-07-15T18:44:24.053" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mulch is always a good thing for your soil.  Always.  Bark chips and other organic mulches won't 'feed' your soil until they are decomposed.  Meanwhile they do shade and cool your soil.  They sort of pull the landscape together visually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason you might have heard mulch 'starves' your plants (poor terminology) is most mulches are not decomposed and anything once alive and has died is in the process of decomposition.  Decomposing organisms use nitrogen as an energy source.  So whatever nitrogen is in the soil, the decomposers use it and the plants have to get by with what is left over.  While the decomposers are doing their job, all the other soil organisms, if there is no food, go to sleep, go dormant, die.  When the decomposers have decomposed some of that mulch, the soil organisms come out of dormancy, eggs hatch, reproduction is fueled. All the other soil organisms outside of the decomposer crews, need decomposed organic matter for energy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants need these soil organisms symbiotically.  They help plants to take up the chemicals plants need to make their own food.  Plants can survive in a 'dead' soil but they won't be vigorous and healthy.  Healthy plants are able to defend themselves from disease and insects.  Healthy plants can compete with the weeds.  Healthy plants shade the soil and add more organic matter back into the system.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Desert soil is very porous so usually drainage is not going to be a problem.  Getting decomposed organic matter into your soil is the most important thing you can do to improve your soil.  Heck, the one and only way to improve ANY soil is by the addition of decomposed organic matter.  For your soil in the desert it is &#xA;critical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Waiting for your wood chips, bark chips to decompose might be all you can do.  If I were you I would call my local water and sewer utility to see if they make mulch out of human poop and sawdust.  I got spoiled working in Seattle where this was available.  It was all I used.  Shoot, if a client wanted bark mulch I told them to find someone else.  The price was the same!  And I never lost a client.  I simply gave them references after the big spiel and education and they were sold.  I also had a bucket in my rig full of this mulch to let them feel, see and smell.  It sold itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd put this on a new client's beds and in one week (when we revisited) the entire landscape was vastly different.  My crews were always blown away, the clients were sold.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only drawback for this mulch is that it is a bit high in heavy metals.  I won't use it in the vegetable garden.  But if you ever look at tap water...the heavy metals are higher to include fluoride!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check your area for the availability of this stuff.  If you have access to this you HAVE to use it!  Don't get the stuff in bags.  I've found that THAT is not the same, hasn't been completely decomposed...P U!  This stuff is us humans giving something back that is good...makes us humans look like we belong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can find this please let me know.  How large is your property?  What are your 'goals'...do you have a vegetable garden?  Lawn?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh I have to say one more thing.  As far as weeds go, putting 2&quot; down on top of raw soil, on top of mature weeds is the ONLY thing I do for weed control.  Period.  I am not at all worried about weeds.  If I don't have this Gro-Co, which I don't here in Central Oregon, I just dump soil on top of weeds or pull them before they go to seed.  I got really spoiled by this stuff!  If you do have access to this 'product' you are so lucky!!  Dump it on top of your soil and you smother weeds, shade your soil, reduce evaporation, feed your soil, improve your soil...and that is all you have do.  Of course you will have to replace/add more every other year because this stuff is being mixed into your soil by those organisms who eat it.  They mix this organic matter and aerate your soil for you.  This human poop mulch does more for soil than...well, any thing else.  Your plants will be thrilled.  Forget about weed problems.  Oh, if you find this product...they will also be able to blow it onto your beds, around your home, around your plants for you...cheap cheap cheap and they do such an incredible job!  Dang, I miss this stuff.  Wonder what they do with our poop if they don't make this mulch, ummm? I know and I am appalled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T18:44:24.053" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34520" CreationDate="2017-07-15T18:57:27.183" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Major bummer!  There is not one thing you can do.  No painting or sealing.  All you can do now is wait to see if what got left for the vascular system will be able to deliver enough water and chemicals to support the canopy above that damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where is it that you live?  Have you ever used the Cooperative Extension Service of your nearest University?  One thing you could actually do is to call them to get an arborist out to check this tree.  Very inexpensive.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also call your Homeowner Association.  This looks as if it is in your front lawn which is also under the auspices of your HOA.  If this is one of the 'street or frontage' trees they are kind of in charge.  Appearance is everything to the HOA.  They dictate what kind of trees are in the front yards, the colors of the homes...I am guessing a Linden tree?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the canopy above that damage is fairly large...looks like it might be...this tree could also be deemed dangerous.  Check these two organizations out and let us know what they say.  Another picture of the entire tree would be very helpful, as well as a closeup of those leaves! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T18:57:27.183" CommentCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34523" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34517" CreationDate="2017-07-15T19:00:34.103" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In any environment it depends firstly on what the mulch is made of, I would try to make one of many things- I use leaf mould primarily since it contains certain nutrients and it stops soil erosion where I am. Secondly it helps with bacterial and fungal balances within the soil layer beneath and thirdly helps with water retention and frost protection for plant roots.&#xA;However I find if the soil is already dry putting a mulch on top will not make it wetter than it is already- sometimes its better to wet before mulching or wait for a significant rainfall before applying. also one can add water retaining granules to soil to help hold on to the moisture.&#xA;I remember that a soil covered in a organic mulch can help hold onto water up to 20 times longer than an uncovered bare soil or in the case I read about was about turf culture against flower beds and vegetable growing.&#xA;Covering any soil with even a natural mulch of stones can help or even a man made material like plastic will help too- however if weed species that are perennial in nature are there too- the mulch of any kind will not help- weedkiller is one solution or a good old session of deep weeding will help out in the first few weeks- mulches do suppress light and do stop some weed seeds from germinating- I would recommend that a good mulch would have to be at least the depth compared to the width of your hand at least- remember the layer will settle and need topping up from time to time and newly planted plants will still need watering ever few days if the temperatures and winds get up high for several weeks or even months until established.&#xA;For any mulch to add nutrients to the soil it must be fairly well broken down- if not, then any bacteria present will take any available nitrogen and use it to break it down before releasing it back- if one grows any potted plant in a mulch of pure wood chippings then don't expect good results for the first year or so- to counter act this problem a feed must be added to any planting too- just about anything with a bit too much nitrogen in its ingredients will do the trick.&#xA;however I would recommend asking about how your neighbours get away with it- you never know they might be cheating or simply been doing it for ages- with any improvements to the local soil where you live it might take several seasons of perseverance to get good results- I would experiment and try anything that you can think of- you've got nothing to loose by trying.&#xA;As one added note in south America the natives use a method of slash and burn to clear large areas to make way for crops, scientists found that in sandy areas the charcoal left after a major burn would act like a sponge and actually hold on to nutrients for longer- perhaps this suggestion might give you results without having to break the bank doing so.&#xA;Stormy below is right in many ways one would not use water retaining granules on their own nor any method for that fact used singly as a proof of concept, as for the charcoal method that's based on scientific evidence however that method might not be applicable as I don't know what kind of soil is being spoken about- it does look as if it would work on a sandy soil not a clay one, the nitrogen quote is a well known fact often mentioned in organic publications and was taught to me at college plus the example is one I personally had at home on a large scale and was for most part an example of a failed project that eventually went right at the end.          &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="1999" LastEditDate="2017-07-31T13:12:51.760" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T13:12:51.760" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34514" CreationDate="2017-07-15T19:07:39.213" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perhaps Bamboo in England has different names...but this looks like HENBIT.  Lamium amplexicaule.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ediblewildfood.com/henbit.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lamium amplexicaule or Henbit&lt;/a&gt;  If you gotta have a weed this is a cool plant.  Dandelions and Henbit are totally edible and you could live off these two plants, for a long time. I'll go check out Bamboo's link.  She is so rarely wrong that no one can remember those instances...!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well shoot.  Same family; Lamiaceae...I think the difference is in the petioles or the 'stems' that support the leaves...one has them the other does not.  Could you send a picture of a closeup of the leaves and stem of these plants?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-07-15T19:17:22.303" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T19:17:22.303" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34525" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25290" CreationDate="2017-07-15T19:14:43.850" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;In a nut shell you need several things to help out with decomposition:&#xA;firstly you need moisture, secondly bacteria and fungus's, thirdly a source of nitrogen- organic is best, animal manure or human pee will do?... I didn't say that out loud LOL. And finally oxygen- a compacted layer of anything will have a hard time breaking down, so fluff it up with a good forking over and not walking on it afterward- next is time- depending on how deep it is, deeper the better and you will notice a significant rise in temperature anything up to 60 degrees on a good summers day- just don't let it dry out.&#xA;If one is talking about composting then things get a bit more complicated and that's a whole new thing to talk about.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T19:14:43.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34526" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34513" CreationDate="2017-07-15T19:28:32.593" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like an old mower wound.  If you are trying to get your tree to produce more support roots, a thicker trunk, I would get rid of the staking stuff. When a tree is able to move in the slightest bit of wind that causes the best support root growth and definitely thickens the trunk.  Is there a reason you are trying to support this tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Think of a broken arm or leg.  What does that limb look like when the cast is removed?  Thin, weak, atrophied.  I only stake newbie bare root trees and older trees that have been blown over.  I walk through parking lots and clip the staking stuff on trees.  Makes a huge difference in growth and sturdiness. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am also a bit worried your tree was planted too deeply.  Could you pull the soil and bark away from the trunk of your tree to make sure only the roots are covered?  Any mulch, soil against the bark of the trunk will enhance bacteria that will easily girdle your tree and kill it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T19:28:32.593" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34527" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31496" CreationDate="2017-07-15T20:18:25.643" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would presume that you did them outdoors and that ordinary sunlight would fine during the summer- just don't let them dry out- the problem with mulberries is they don't like to be pruned and the wood needs to be sutured and burnt to stop it bleeding afterwards, I would leave them for quite a while to allow root formation depending what it is you're growing them in. normally hard wood cutting are healed in a trench in groups or in a line, planted about 3/4 depth of the length of the foot long pencil thick cuttings - usually in a rooting medium of a mix of good soil and grit- usually done outside- light not being a problem, however if there's life already- you must be doing something right! For problems sake I would harden them off to a brighter source of light gradually and shade them on bright days at first(burning the leaves off or scorching them isn't a good idea)- treat them like its hardening them off to cold conditions outside but with light not warmth- if you see what I mean? eventually they should be alright in normal light by the end of summer- just remember they are deciduous and if you keep them indoors they can hold onto their leaves all winter sometimes- shouldn't affect how they will eventually grow like when placed in the their final positions outdoors. And yes mulberries will grow quite big outdoors unless its one of those miniature varieties that where introduced earlier this year.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-07-15T20:18:25.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34528" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34562" CreationDate="2017-07-15T23:54:23.213" Score="2" ViewCount="437" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing culinary ginger quite successfully however there are times when one or two stems start drying out at the top/tip and I don't know what could be the cause. The ginger are planted near the window and not exposed to direct sunlight. Would be great if someone could advice, thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wSdMl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wSdMl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;ginger plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16276" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T19:54:27.627" Title="Why does the ginger wither at the top/tip?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;ginger&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34529" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-16T02:11:42.733" Score="3" ViewCount="610" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a big, healthy looking pumpkin plant with a dozen small pumpkins starting to bud.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today I went in and got a good look at the base of the vine and found this discoloration. Is this squash vine borer? If so, how can I save the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O8OpY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O8OpY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pg16t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pg16t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I did the surgery and found no worm and no frass in there. It looks like a healthy vine, right? And the leaves are still growing like crazy and not wilted. The flowers are big and healthy. So, false alarm? I buried it with dirt where I sliced it and hopefully we will have pumpkins in the fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11754" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-22T08:31:20.590" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T08:31:20.590" Title="Is this discoloration on a pumpkin plant stem caused by squash vine borer?" Tags="&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34531" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34544" CreationDate="2017-07-16T08:02:24.337" Score="3" ViewCount="171" Body="&lt;p&gt;G'day&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm growing some eggplants in a raised garden bed. They have been fairly productive over the last month or two, but have recently begun growing small tubular &quot;bits&quot; instead of large green leaves. I don't know what to call them instead of &quot;bits&quot;, add they're not leaves, but more like short stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y3cHB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y3cHB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;large view&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This next picture really shows the mass of growth coming from the main stem at the bottom of the plants. These little tubular bits don't turn into normal leaves!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BIIzj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BIIzj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tubular leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Min5D.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Min5D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a feeling there is a nutrient deficiency, add they plants have stopped growing fruit and instead lots of this &quot;stemmy&quot; growth. I've attached a few pics that I hope will clarify things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For your information, I live in Brisbane, Australia. So we're in winter at the moment, which is quite mild but with occasional light showers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cheers&#xA;Dave&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18241" LastActivityDate="2017-07-16T22:54:26.857" Title="Eggplant/aubergine growing little tubular bits instead of leaves" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34532" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34537" CreationDate="2017-07-16T11:28:09.847" Score="5" ViewCount="1261" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to mix roundup concentrate (360) with water based emulsion, 1:1, before I dilute? I ask because I'm looking to kill an entire garden's worth of scrub, weeds, brambles and low quality grass (on a building site) as part of the new landscaping, and I'm finding it hard to remember/see where I've been with the knapsack sprayer. There are also a couple of trees I'd like to keep so I plan to be careful around them and wash them down with clean water after, but it would be helpful to see if there is any overspray on the leaves. Wondering if normal water based emulsion is ok for use/won't denature the roundup&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18242" LastActivityDate="2017-07-21T11:46:29.247" Title="Can I add paint to roundup, to see where I've been?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34533" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-16T13:10:02.240" Score="9" ViewCount="517" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a west facing garden in London. The back of the garden gets sun from about 8/9am and the kitchen patio (you can just see the drainage at the bottom of the picture) gets sun from about 11am. The whole garden then gets sun apart from the left hand bed as it is shaded by the left hand fence as the sun arcs on the left of the garden until it swings rounds and sets at the back of the garden (behind the houses to the right at about 7pm) at which point the back fence generates some shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am about to lay some turf this week and want to decide what the shape should be and what trees I should plant (after the lawn has settled). I then plan to buy garden on a roll &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardenonaroll.com/products/border-styles/mixed-sunny-border&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mixed Sunny Border&lt;/a&gt; and plant around the trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Garden size:&#xA;Patio is w 6.6m x l 2.4m&#xA;Rest of garden is w 6.6m x 12m&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Below is my sketch with my current list of trees. I am trying to avoid large trees on the left that would steal my sun. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do you think this list of trees makes sense for the size of garden?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Would you suggest alternative trees instead?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What do you think about the positioning? Would you suggest an alternative layout?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I plan on making the back area left of the shed a veg patch, do you think the fact it gets shade at the end of the day makes this a bad idea?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0jOdf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0jOdf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Thanks so much for your help in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update in response to bamboo's helpful comments:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We wanted to add the trees to give the garden some structure (and&#xA;maybe some fruit as a bonus!), they don’t have to be big, in fact&#xA;the smaller / less dense the better. If this was your garden what&#xA;would you do?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How about we move the Veg patch to the bottom right (No7)? And an&#xA;olive tree next to it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We were going to do veg patch at the back as we didn’t want to anything too permanent there as in the future we might change this into a seating area or a kid’s play area (play bark, swing, trampoline etc)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On the Silver Birch – we quite like the multi-stemmed look, like this &lt;a href=&quot;https://3fatpigs.co.uk/3-silver-birch-jacquemontii-3ft-trees-2l-pots-himalyan-white-birch-betula/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;picture&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ibucn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ibucn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Silver Birch Jacquemontii&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://3fatpigs.co.uk/3-silver-birch-jacquemontii-3ft-trees-2l-pots-himalyan-white-birch-betula/?utm_medium=googleshopping&amp;amp;utm_source=bc&amp;amp;gclid=CjsKDwjw6qnJBRDpoonDwLSeZhIkAIpTR8IZ58CfMcLZSCXRO1WiUjbfov5ua8E20OEoBaPWZKQUGgK8lfD_BwE&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Silver Birch Betula utilis var. Jacquemontii 3ft&lt;/a&gt; Thoughts anyone?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;5&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On the Acer – we don’t have a strong opinion which type but love the deep purples. Something like &lt;a href=&quot;https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/ad/e0/bd/ade0bdde6e0dff634d0362c9b6337dac.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We also like the deep purple Japanese Maples, can you suggest one or the other that would work in our garden? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;6&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the apple tree, If we got a dwarf apple, where would you suggest we put it?&#xA;What about the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/apple-trees/coxs-orange-pippin&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cox orange pipin&lt;/a&gt;? Which rootstock would you suggest? M27? M9?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the dual plum – we were looking at one like this: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bakker.com/en-gb/p/dual-plum-bleue-de-belgique-reine-claude-doullins-M52640&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dual Plum ‘Bleue de Belgique’ + ‘Reine Claude d’Oullins’ - Tree&lt;/a&gt;. Would that work?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update 2 (Sunday)&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Ok, I have had another go after listening to everyone's comments. What do you think?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FB8Fu.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FB8Fu.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yBrZj.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yBrZj.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update 3:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here it is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4VqlP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11576" LastEditorUserId="11576" LastEditDate="2017-10-08T17:02:35.920" LastActivityDate="2020-09-29T04:28:09.347" Title="London garden lawn and tree positioning" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;design&gt;&lt;layout-planning&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34534" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-16T13:11:02.313" Score="1" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know what is this is and whether there is any problem with encouraging it as a lawn alternative which is what it's naturally done in my neglected London back garden. /Users/AmandaCarter/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail/Data/Library/Mail Downloads/94B5A893-50F0-43FE-9D22-192CD7E74720/IMG_0461.JPG&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18244" LastActivityDate="2017-07-16T13:11:02.313" Title="What is this weed with 5 serrated edge whorl and runners?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ClosedDate="2017-09-02T11:16:02.580" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34535" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34533" CreationDate="2017-07-16T13:41:08.620" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your garden is West/south-west facing, if the sun disappears to the top right of your image. West facing gardens get no sun at all before lunchtime. I'm afraid I'm going to give you some planting and design advice that you may not welcome. Because I'm old and can only visualize plants in feet, I've converted the size of your garden to feet, and its roughly 21 feet by almost 40 feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had a quick look at some of the plants that might be included in your 'garden on a roll', so I'll pick a couple out as examples. It mentions Ceanothus, but doesn't say which variety - Ceanothus is an evergreen shrub, and depending on the variety, may reach a height of around 5 feet with a spread of 7-8 feet (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus repens), with others which are larger, up to the largest variety which is more of a tree, reaching around 15 feet tall with a crown or spread of about 10 feet. Deutzia has an average height and spread of 9/10 feet x 5/6 feet. Let's assume they send you the named variety I've mentioned, and a Deutzia - those two alone will take up 13 feet of your 40 foot of length, so quite how you're supposed to fit in all the other plants without having beds and borders 8 or 9 feet (2.5 metres roughly) from front to back all the way round, with a centre bed, I'm not sure. And that's without any of the trees you've mentioned.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see there are two shrubs already present, Hydrangea macrophylla and something else I can only see a little of, maybe Elaeagnus or something similar, hard to say. Your Hydrangea will need a minimum five feet (1.6m) of space from the fence to the edge of the lawn over time, and it will take up that much space widthways as well, they're rounded shrubs - pruning of these is restricted to simply removing dead bits in spring as growth begins, or you won't get any flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to grow herbs and vegetables, all do better in sun, full sun if possible in the UK, which obviously presents you with a problem because the only part of your garden that gets maximum sun is in the centre, and people don't usually want to be staring at a vegetable patch rather than something ornamental. If you want to grow lots of different vegetables, then perhaps you could look at renting an allotment instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to decide whether you want vegetables, and which vegetables, then work out how much room they need and whether you want to sacrifice the middle of your garden to growing them, or keep a watch to see how many hours of sunlight the top left of the garden gets (this will vary hugely between summer and winter). If your patio gets sun, then growing things like tomatoes and potatoes in pots/bags is an option, as well as dwarf or patio fruiting trees. Herbs such as thyme, oregano, sage, and chives can all be planted in flowerbeds or borders, near the front so they get more sun. Rosemary gets to be a very large,rounded, woody shrub, about 6 x 6 feet and certainly requires full sun and free draining soil, so if you're not desperate for rosemary, don't plant one, or do, but plan on ripping it out every 2 or 3 years and planting a new, small one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also suggest you plan on less lawn - from experience I can tell you that the entrance to your shed should have paving slabs in front - grass wears out from constant use in one area. It would also be better to plan on having two or three large beds or planting areas, rather than lots of smaller ones as a border.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the trees you mention, Olive likes full sun - on the patio in a pot  if it gets sun will work. I wouldn't recommend a bay tree in the ground - over time they get large and cast a particularly dense, dark shade, and can give a gloomy feel to small gardens. In a pot, as a standard maybe, will be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the siting of something like a silver birch, the top left area, where you thought you might be growing vegetables, is about the best place, and I'd recommend Betula pendula 'Youngii' because it gets tall, but its pendulous branches are quite airy and don't cast heavy shade. If you have no other plans for that area (compost heap, storage, whatever) then turn it into a shade bed if it doesn't get much sun - put in the Birch a minimum of 2 feet away from the fences, plant in front with one or two shrubs (Mahonia aquifolium for instance) or one shrub and a few shade lovers like Hostas (need slug protection),Pulmonaria, Convallaria (lily of the valley), foxgloves, Astilbe if its damp enough. One caveat though - I can't see what's the other side of your fence, and if there's a building or structure very close, planting a tree there isn't a great idea. I live in London and realise its possible there are either already trees there, over the fence, or a building.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's probably enough disappointment to be going  on with, sorry...! Ask more if you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to your comment - think about it this way; it looks, from your pic, judging by the size of the hydrangea, that the largest depth of any planting area is around a metre max. To get a layered planting effect, you need more depth of planting area, so anything up to 2 metres wide from the fence into the lawn - it can be curved in either side, or cut off straight, but a decent planting area of mixed shrubs, perennials and bulbs looks much better if its a minimum 1.5 m from front to back, with a length as long as you can manage. That's why I'm saying less lawn,so think about what you want to plant and how much space it will take up as well as how much lawn you actually need. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, you could just lay the lawn as you planned, and do what everyone else ends up doing - over time,cutting away parts of it to expand the planting areas. People are afraid of too much bare soil, never realising it will soon be not only covered, but insufficient for the plants they've put in. It's important to work out the height and particularly width of any plant you choose before you plant it, and that applies to all the plants you have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just noticed the rest of your comment - no garden on a roll is my advice, although I suppose if you know nothing about plants, it's a sort of solution, albeit a poor one. Choose your own plants...according to size, shape, colour (of leaves), and growth habit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the tree, the only other place is on the right hand fence, in centre of the fence, but it still needs to be 1.5 to 2 feet away from the fence...obvious place to create a deeper planting bed with other plants around the tree - has the advantage of blocking your view of the shed from the patio too. Amelanchier 'Obelisk' would be good there, with other planting around - not too tall, columnar growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just looked at the extra image you provided - I'd still choose the Birch variety I mentioned if you really want a proper,tall tree and plant it there, 2 feet from the left hand fence. It doesn't form a crown in the same way as a cherry would, so not dense shade, it'll be dappled. Otherwise, just one or two larger shrubs - plenty of them get 12 to 15 feet tall, 25 feet in the case of Prunus laurocerasus (not that I'm recommending that, I'm not). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-16T16:15:49.453" LastActivityDate="2017-07-16T16:15:49.453" CommentCount="25" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34536" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33376" CreationDate="2017-07-16T13:45:25.987" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Queen palms, and most palms, are being over-pruned in south Florida. The basic rule of thumb: if it is green it is helping tree grow and leave it alone.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17456" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T02:26:04.960" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T02:26:04.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34537" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34532" CreationDate="2017-07-16T15:29:03.533" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Don't use paint!  Any paint has binders and adhesives, so it will tend to clog your sprayer, and (as you note) you can't be sure what the interaction of the various ingredients will be with the active ingredients in your weed killer.  Besides which, very little of paint is actually dye or pigment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a number of dyes designed specifically for mixing with weed controls to help you see where the spray has gone.  For example, &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000OWB2PQ&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mark-It Blue&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18051" LastActivityDate="2017-07-16T15:29:03.533" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34538" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34539" CreationDate="2017-07-16T18:22:48.960" Score="1" ViewCount="287" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got this flower in a bouquet, does anyone know what it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ptFsD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ptFsD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18246" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T00:46:14.817" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T00:46:14.817" Title="What is this plant with a a green feathery flower head?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34539" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34538" CreationDate="2017-07-16T18:36:43.987" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dianthus barbatus 'Green Ball' &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-07-16T18:36:43.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34540" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-16T21:03:45.593" Score="7" ViewCount="9553" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay so I went away for Summerfest and I was under the impression that I was growing parsley and cilantro, but then I googled pictures and It doesn't look like either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What did I grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wo1UO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18247" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-16T21:19:32.460" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T07:31:01.400" Title="What is this plant with almost round leaves with radial veins?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34541" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34540" CreationDate="2017-07-16T21:18:15.403" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropaeolum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Nasturtium (&lt;em&gt;Tropaeolum majus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;, identified by its almost round leaves with the stems joining the leaves slightly off center, and the pronounced radial veins. Some cultivars are trailing and work well in hanging baskets, some are bushier and are useful in garden beds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seed is a light grey color, spherical and wrinkled; i could see how it might be confused with a cilantro seed, though Nasturtium seeds are generally larger. Parsley seed is very different, being much smaller, striped and almost a crescent shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a flowering annual, with brightly colored flowers in a range in yellow, orange and red. Leaves and flowers are edible, with a flavor like watercress. They flower best if you don't fertilize it. They will also reseed themselves if allowed to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T00:36:00.713" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T00:36:00.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34542" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-16T22:03:02.913" Score="6" ViewCount="2969" Body="&lt;p&gt;In north New Jersey, this grassy plant that looks like wheat is growing in my backyard. The seed part is light cream color and the leaves are thin. I don't have the exact height but they're more than 1 ft and less than 2 ft. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ikPIB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ikPIB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of the seeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OgwGS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OgwGS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the full plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18248" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T00:40:36.620" LastActivityDate="2017-11-05T12:09:35.503" Title="What is this grass with seed heads like wheat?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34543" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34542" CreationDate="2017-07-16T22:30:39.800" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is Orchard grass.  A very wanted pasture grass for animals.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/svwnp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/svwnp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;orchard grass seed head&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Identifying grasses is at the top of the most difficult to do.  Need to see the cross section (thank you) as well as those Y connections on the grass and of courses the seed heads.  What is it you want to do with your yard, your land?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-16T22:30:39.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34544" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34531" CreationDate="2017-07-16T22:54:26.857" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like a viral disease to me.  The plant looks healthy in terms of color.  Not a nutritional excess nor deficiency.  I am almost sure this is a virus.  Where did you get your soil?  Do you compost?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What did you use for soil?  Did you use any compost?  Are these really eggplants?  They look like tomatoes but barely.  I guess they could be eggplant but boy howdy these plants are done DONE.  I'd pull them and put them into trash bags and carefully.  There is not a miracle around that could make these plants produce egg plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What did you use for fertilizer?  If your fertilizer was higher in NITROGEN than the Phosphorous and Potassium, that would be one reason you are getting only vegetative growth.  That might also be the reason your plants were susceptible to this disease, and I am thinking viral.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pull them up carefully, slowly, include as much soil as possible and you are not going to be able to plant any of this family in that same soil for 2 years;  includes eggplant, tomato, potato, peppers...Best to plant these plants in pots with POTTING SOIL sterilized soil that won't have virus or fungal or bacterial vectors.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Very unhappiness, David.  This is how we learn to be gardeners.  The hard way.  What soil did you put in your raised beds?  Any other amendments? What did you do to the soil beneath this bed before you put this on top?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fact that one of your plants has always had these symptoms is a huge flag.  All the other plants will end up with whatever this disease is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-16T22:54:26.857" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34545" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34533" CreationDate="2017-07-17T01:01:24.420" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some additional considerations for you as you go through the exciting process of designing your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In winter, the sun's arc is lower in the sky and in summer the sun's arc is higher in the sky. Why is this important? I've attempted to illustrate with a diagram of your back garden...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qYvc8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qYvc8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;illustration of back garden&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The types of trees and plants you select will have a significant effect on the amount of sunlight that is available in your garden throughout the year, especially during winter. While it is summer now and the sun reaches the back of your garden at around 8/9am, in winter this will change and the sun may not reach the back of the garden until later, perhaps 10am?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are tools you can use to determine the extent of shadows cast by objects that block sunlight at different times of the year. If this interests you and you'd like to know more, let me know and I'll provide additional information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So with this in mind, what considerations should you now make when designing your garden? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd be inclined to plant using the following basic guidelines:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Along the south fence:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;taller deciduous trees or shrubs, keeping in mind that taller plants may still shade too much of your garden in summer when they have their leaves but will at least allow sun to shine through in winter after they have dropped their leaves; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;shorter shade loving plants and shrubs; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ensure no turfed lawn area falls within the south fence shade zone. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Along the north fence:&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;taller evergreen trees or shrubs; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;herbs and vegetables, with more commonly used herbs in the ground near the patio or in larger pots on the patio. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Noting:&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;south fence is the left hand side LHS in your photo; and&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;north fence is the right hand side RHS in your photo. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendations for your current garden plan are: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flowering fruit tree - dwarf apple or plum; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Flowering fruit tree - dwarf apple or plum; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Two or three closely planted silver birch or one Acer sp. but move closer towards back corner; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Climbing rose (over shed), flowers to attract bees to garden; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bay tree; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Taller vegetables (such as tomato) or alternatively another flowering fruit tree; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Olive (and plant dwarf citrus in pots on patio - next to olive). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also around the base of:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1-3. Shade loving plants; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;ol start=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sun loving plants; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;5-7. Herbs and vegetables.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trees are adaptable and so long as you provide enough space for the trunk to expand, trees can be grown close to a fence. &quot;Rule of thumb&quot; is to leave about 30cm / 1ft space between the trunk and fence for a smaller tree (trunk 10-15cm diameter). You will of course need to prune any branches that are growing or that will grow towards the fence, until such time that the tree grows higher than the fence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps also worth mentioning: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;that trees can be grown espalier. Espalier is the horticultural practice of controlling woody plant growth, by pruning and tying branches to a frame. Plants are frequently shaped flat against a structure such as a wall, fence, or trellis. Espaliers are great for gardens in which space is limited. In a temperate climate, espaliers may be trained next to a wall that can reflect more sunlight and retain heat overnight or orientated so that they absorb maximum sunlight. These strategies allow the season to be extended so that fruit has more time to mature. Here is a link to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espalier&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia article on espalier&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;that your shed is in the prime position for morning sun. If you were to consider moving it, I'd suggest that you shift it to be located in the southwest corner of the garden, along the south fence. It's worth countering this comment with the fact that the shed will also cast a shadow. Also understand that this may not be possible or too much work for what you are attempting to achieve, but thought it worth mentioning.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16488" LastEditorUserId="16488" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T01:09:46.367" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:09:46.367" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33672" CreationDate="2017-07-17T01:06:26.650" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As noted by several people in the comments, it is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyrinchium_striatum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sisyrinchium striatum&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Identifying characteristics are the sword-shaped leaves and the flower spike with clusters of pale yellow and gold six-petalled (not four) flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:06:26.650" CommentCount="0" CommunityOwnedDate="2017-07-17T01:06:26.650" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34547" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34495" CreationDate="2017-07-17T01:06:42.913" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is a black or sugar maple. I think syrup depends more on the temperatures , not the type of maple. I made syrup 2 years from silver maples in the Chicago area. I made a couple quarts from 2 trees. It is a 16:1 ratio from the juice ( NOT sap). On a bright sunny day after a below freezing night the juice flowed heavily . A cloudy day following a night in the 40's produced no juice. In March , the juice stops . I was actually starting to worry how to stop juice flow before it weakened the trees . &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T01:06:42.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34540" CreationDate="2017-07-17T07:31:01.400" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;By the way, they're very edible. Both the leaves and flowers can be used in salads, and even the seed pods can be pickled as a sort of caper. They are peppery, like cress (in Dutch, they're called East Indian cress - incorrectly, as they're American).&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;They're easy to grow (even I can do it...), but depending on your location might not survive the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18254" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T07:31:01.400" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34549" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34551" CreationDate="2017-07-17T10:52:13.390" Score="2" ViewCount="463" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 200 litre water tank on my balcony with a submersible pump at the bottom and a hose + drip system attached.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pump is supposed to automatically switch on twice a day while we're on vacation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During the first week of testing, the tank was running almost empty already while I calculated 200 litres to be sufficient for about 2 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is, that the water which remains in the hose creates underinflation which sucks the tank empty even with inactive pump.&#xA;Water continues to flow till the water level in the tank reaches the height of the sprinkler outlets attached to the end of the hose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have any suggestion how to avoid ongoing waterflow with disabled pump? I can't really move the plants to a higher location so the water level in the full tank will always be above the level of the output sprinklers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the pump I am using&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00B18KADW/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00B18KADW/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cdku8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cdku8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sketch of the setup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18256" LastEditorUserId="18256" LastEditDate="2018-02-16T12:56:16.173" LastActivityDate="2018-02-16T12:56:16.173" Title="Drip watering system drains water tank with inactive pump" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34550" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-17T11:35:02.477" Score="6" ViewCount="3397" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an Aloe Vera, although I am thinking its not very healthy as its quite limp and thin. I am thinking I need to repot into something larger/deeper. I water it once or twice every week or 2 and try to put it in the sun when I can. &#xA;There is a new sprout growing in the middle so I dont think it is dying&#xA;any advice will help :) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CTbVG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CTbVG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Aloe Vera&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18257" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T13:34:05.040" Title="Is something wrong with my Aloe Vera?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34551" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34549" CreationDate="2017-07-17T12:40:29.447" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I'm understanding what you're saying correctly, it sounds like you need to install what's called a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hunterindustries.com/irrigation-product/accessories/hcv-check-valve&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;spring check&lt;/a&gt;, a little device that only opens when there's a certain about of pressure applied to the upstream side.  The ones I've shown can be adjusted.  I would install it at one of two locations (the decision is up to you):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;after the top of the tank, but about equal to the height if the&#xA;first emitter / head,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;at the lowest point prior between the top of&#xA;the tank and the first branch in your distribution piping.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't really matter, the idea is that all the water upstream of that point will be trapped.  I would base it on layout and where I'd trap the most water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A word of caution though, there's a very similar device called a &lt;em&gt;swing check&lt;/em&gt;, which you don't want - it keeps water from going back up the pipe at low pressures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another (additional) thing that you can do to prevent excess water from leaking out is to always (or as often as is practical) keep the emitters / heads above the distribution piping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T12:40:29.447" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34553" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34550" CreationDate="2017-07-17T13:34:05.040" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I see here, your Aloe gets too much water for the sun it get. Aloe Vera leaves in very hot, sunny places (often sandy). &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2154/how-do-you-save-an-aloe-plant-whose-stem-is-weak-and-appears-to-be-rotting?rq=1&quot;&gt;e.g. already discussed here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It goes for the sun (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phototropism&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;phototropism&lt;/a&gt;) because it doesn't have enough. That explains the long thing leaves we see on your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Result of frequent watering, lots of water is pumped into the leaves, making them heavy, too heavy, and finally breaking. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Solution&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Try to find a better sunnier place, or water more scarcely.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can harvest the bottom leaves while there green.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T13:34:05.040" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34554" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-17T16:50:51.953" Score="6" ViewCount="532" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some plants (cilantro, lettuce) that have already gone to seed.  Am I able to plant these seeds immediately or would I need to wait until next season?  My question is not about the length of the growing season, but more about the &quot;seed dormancy&quot; period.  Is there a good general resource that would help me answer this question for other plants as well?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: I have five healthy looking lettuce plants and one cilantro growing!  I would still like to find some more info on seed dormancy, but for at least these two plants, the answer seems to be that you can plant immediately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18260" LastEditorUserId="18260" LastEditDate="2017-09-06T23:32:19.673" LastActivityDate="2017-09-06T23:32:19.673" Title="Can I harvest and plant vegetable seeds in the same season?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34555" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34549" CreationDate="2017-07-17T17:45:18.637" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A typical solution is to put a &quot;vacuum breaker&quot; in line (say as the pipe goes out the top of the tank) - this permits flow under pressure, but when suction comes into to play it vents the pipe to air, breaking the siphon. It does not cause any restriction in the pumped flow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T17:45:18.637" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34554" CreationDate="2017-07-17T17:45:48.607" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Note: often harvesting and seeding is not done in the same periods, also on nature.  We harvest early, and seeds are not quickly planted. Usually they stay much time in the flower, than they fall, but not yet planted. Insects and other animals could still move them.  After heavy rain (and eventually snow) they will put inside dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would not recommend it. They will have some dormancy (maybe waiting freezing), but in such period you will have weeds, and possibly they will start growing irregularly (which possibly is a good thing for lettuce).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would wait until they will have good weather to germinate, so that you can remove weeds without moving the seeds.  It is just for practical reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T17:45:48.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34557" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-17T18:10:40.443" Score="3" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some seeds of Sage and Parsley in two separate pots. I tried to plant them as the seed bag recommended, but nothing has come out of the dirt. In some other pots, I have Basil, Dill, Cilantro, and Oregano, all of which have come up and are about 2-3 inches tall at this point. I would estimate it's been 25-30 days since I planted them (all of them, at the same time).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the time has come to give up on the Sage and Parsley, but is there anything I can do for it? Should I pick the seeds out of the dirt and soak them in water or something?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I have been watering dirt with seeds in it? I gave all my seeds the same process. First, I soak the dirt that will go in the pot overnight so it's very saturated. The next morning I put the dirt in the pots and let it drip through the bottom hole. A few hours after that I sowed the seeds to a depth recommended by the particular seed bag. A few of the seeds were soaked in a cup of water beforehand, as recommended by the bag. After I did that, I covered the pots with plastic wrap, put them in the window, and left them alone until I saw shoots come up, then I removed the plastic wrap. This worked fine for most of my plants but for Sage and Parsley, nothing happened after a week or so, so I dripped a bit more water on to the top. Was that a bad idea? The top of the soil felt dry but I'm a bit of an amateur so I'm not sure...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I forgot to mention, my Rosemary (treated similarly) has also not sprouted yet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17967" LastEditorUserId="17967" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T21:32:48.147" LastActivityDate="2017-09-15T22:33:00.497" Title="Is it worth treating non-germinating seeds, or should I just toss them? Watering new seeds?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34558" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-17T18:30:07.527" Score="6" ViewCount="1359" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently purchased a new construction home. The backyard came unfinished and the yard is sloping away from the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what it looks like, the yard is subsoil, it looks like it's essentially all the stuff building debris/rocks scraped off the land when the developers were building/grading the foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grass obviously can't grow on this so I assume I will need tons of topsoil prior to grading/seeding (4 inches?) I live in the Pacific Northwest so we get a lot of rain during the winter season so erosion and runoff is generally a concern on a sloped backyard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently finished spraying glysophate 41% (roundup) on the whole yard, I expect it to die out in a week or two. I assume I need to pull all the weeds out prior to adding the top soil, I will also have to remove the large rocks/roots/general debris from the subsoil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, should I be tilling the subsoil prior to adding the topsoil? If so, how much inches? Or should I be adding the topsoil then tilling it directly into the subsoil? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any recommendations or techniques on how to make the topsoil stay on the sloped hill?? It's roughly 30-40 degree slope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice is greatly appreciated. My end goal is to have a grass seeded in September. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;edit: Pictures here - &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/v1HWc&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imgur.com/a/v1HWc&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;You can see how the fence slopes to get an idea of the hill. I plan on putting a garden bed on a majority of the slope with trees/shrubs/mulch and maybe have stairs to the right of the house. The picture of the dirt was with the rake, I pretty much can't really &quot;dig&quot; at all. Water does pond up on some parts from what I have seen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18228" LastEditorUserId="18228" LastEditDate="2017-07-18T03:43:44.177" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T03:43:44.177" Title="New construction with sloped subsoil yard, best way to go about growing grass?" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34560" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-17T18:46:40.420" Score="9" ViewCount="8969" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a tomato plant that is resulting in blossom end rot tomatoes. Can I cut off the bottom half of the tomato and eat the rest or is this not recommended?  I don't know if blossom end rot disease is a viral or physical disease to know the implications of consuming it&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zRvO0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zRvO0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-07-17T18:55:06.540" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T04:21:29.917" Title="Are blossom end rot tomatoes edible?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;blossom-end-rot&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34561" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34560" CreationDate="2017-07-17T19:47:55.777" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blossom end rot is a physiological disorder primarily caused by irregular or insufficient water supply, which disables calcium uptake. The fruits, or the bits that aren't affected, are not dangerous to eat, so if the part that's left after you cut off the brown bits is tasty, then yes, you can eat them. You might want to reconsider if the brown parts are oozing, have fungal growth, or smell nasty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-17T00:58:50.953" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T00:58:50.953" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34562" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34528" CreationDate="2017-07-17T19:54:27.627" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you've only got one piece of ginger root in that size pot, the pot's too large, but if there's more than one growing, fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usual cause of this problem is dry air, that is, low air humidity, or erratic watering or poor drainage. They like free draining soil which is moist, but not waterlogged. If you have air conditioning, that could cause this problem, or if you let the soil dry out too much, but otherwise, if it's just the occasional tip, it's not really a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T19:54:27.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34557" CreationDate="2017-07-17T20:08:33.957" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Parsley can be very slow to germinate - better  results are achieved by soaking the seeds in warm water for 12 hours or so before sowing, but its worth continuing to water - they can take up to 2 months before starting to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sage takes about 3 weeks usually, but quite honestly, you won't have anything useable off the sage plant for at least 2 years, they take a while to get to a useful size, so it's usually easier to propagate vegetatively from an existing plant or just buy a small plant. Once they've got going, they're a woody shrub, but your winters might be too cold for it, depending where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T20:08:33.957" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34564" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34558" CreationDate="2017-07-17T20:17:28.693" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Really need to get an idea of slope.  Use Rise/Run = Slope.  Lawn is not always the easiest way to create a decent landscape to support the value or increase the value of your home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You do not need to till the new topsoil into your subsurface soil.  You may not need topsoil at all.  I've seen sod grow quite well and for a long time ON GRAVEL. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Making tiers with your sloped land is fairly easy, inexpensive and very interesting!  If you sent me an as-built with at least 3 elevations I could help with grading.  You are very lucky to have your soil slope away from your home. You could easily make a few garden walls; less than 18&quot; high, that would be gorgeous and solid and usable. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send pictures.  Look for your 'As-Built' that should be in your mortgage paperwork.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rHcis.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rHcis.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;before&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UgUPa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UgUPa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;after&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;You do not have to go to this extreme...but this client's home DOUBLED in value with this landscaping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grass/lawn is not the only option but a very inexpensive way to to do something with your land so you don't have a muddy site for this winter.  I'd have a seed company spray your entire property for grass and that will at least make it not muddy and unfinished...that works very well. You do not want to mess with your soil except for finish grading.  The grass seeding company can help as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then when you are able you really need to do a bit of professional work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T20:17:28.693" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34565" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34571" CreationDate="2017-07-17T20:27:18.130" Score="7" ViewCount="966" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is this weed and how do I kill it without killing the grass?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried different brands of the usual spectrum herbicide that kills everything but doesn't kill grass, and everything - like clover, dandelions, etc - does die, but not this stuff. And I've tried the herbicide triclopyr, made for chickweed, etc., and I sprayed on a few times over a few weeks. The weed appears to die or die back, and then regrows. I've never seen it bloom, so I don't know if it is the wild violet that others talk about not being able to kill. Glyphosate will kill this, as I used that in areas that were solid weeds without grass; but Glyphosate also kills the grass, so I can't use it in the yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kzDtr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kzDtr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18252" LastActivityDate="2017-09-19T04:51:02.410" Title="What is this weed and how do I kill it without killing the grass?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34566" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-17T20:29:18.107" Score="1" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are different methods to composting? I heard there is a little more than just throwing stuff on a pile. So what is the differences between any methods. And also, what is safe to put in a compost bin? How long does it need to sit till its ready for use? This would all be very helpful to know, thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T17:57:57.423" Title="Methods of Composting" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2017-07-19T16:20:23.587" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34567" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34565" CreationDate="2017-07-17T22:01:08.210" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Should have you look at this site I am posting on Henbit to see if you think this is the same plant; look for opposite leaves, two leaves coming from the same joint on the stem...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much of your lawn has this growing in it?  Lawn management practices are far superior to pesticides.  How low do you cut your grass, how do you water, fertilizers, aeration...we have a ton of stuff on cool season lawns right here on this site.  Check them out, please and send a picture of the entire lawn if you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ediblewildfood.com/henbit.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;henbit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T22:01:08.210" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34568" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34566" CreationDate="2017-07-17T22:23:22.690" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are two ways to compost; aerobically and anaerobically. Anaerobically is very stinky and needs lots of proper equipment and testing.  You only need to be doing aerobic composting.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And it really is as simple as heaping non decomposed matter into a pile; feeding it some nitrogen and keeping slightly moist and turning it now and then.  Air, nitrogen and water...the decomposers which hang our everywhere waiting for us to die do all the work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've told this story often; when we had Puget Power Company come to our road to trim trees off the lines, they asked me if I wanted the chipped debris and I told them absolutely!  They dumped piles 6' high on top of blackberry shrubs and probably 300 feet long, 6'wide.  I am serious.  This mulch steamed all winter long.  I threw alfalfa pellets on these piles, never turned them, they always had plenty of water (Pacific Northwest right in the corner near Canada).  In the spring those piles had decomposed down to 6&quot;, no blackberries, and the soil which was this wonderful loam was even more spectacular!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You never put protein in your piles.  No poo poo, no meat, no eggs.  Layering 'brown' stuff (leaves, bark chips) with green stuff (lawn clippings, kitchen waste, weeds you've pulled up...use of perf pvc pipe helps with air so you don't have to manually turn the piles...if you can find kitty litter made from alfalfa into pellets is the best source of nitrogen for this job.  Those big turnable barrels &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T22:23:22.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34570" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34566" CreationDate="2017-07-17T22:52:55.550" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, now I'm going to have to do a slightly different answer to the one you've already got. Yes, there are two types of outdoor composting processes - hot and aerobic, or cold and anaerobic. Hot and aerobic is achieved by regular and frequent turning of the contents, cold and anaerobic is what most people do, you just build the heap and leave it to get on with it. If you have a lot of material regularly that needs composting, it's worth having two heaps, one you've built and another one you're building, adding materials all the time. Hot and aerobic is faster, but more work, obviously. Whichever method you decide on, it's quicker if you chop everything up as small as possible, especially woodier materials. Weeds should not be added to cold anaerobic heaps, although if you strip off the flowerheads or seed heads, you can add the stems and leaves, provided they're not pernicious weeds like bindweed. The heat generated in an aerobic heap kills off most weed seeds, so you can take the risk with that type of heap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An anaerobic heap should &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; smell - it only smells if you haven't got the C:N ratio right. That means carbon to nitrogen, or, in common  parlance, browns to greens, and there's good guidance on that subject here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenmyths.com/how-to-compost-browns-greens/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenmyths.com/how-to-compost-browns-greens/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree you never add meat, fish, cheese or whole eggs - but you can add eggshells if you like. Cooked kitchen scraps aren't a great addition to a heap, but vegetable peelings and fruit skins are fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-18T17:57:57.423" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T17:57:57.423" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34571" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34565" CreationDate="2017-07-17T23:07:17.793" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It does look like wild violets, and they are difficult to eradicate, but triclopyr, or any other lawn weedkiller that purports to kill these, is much more effective used in autumn, see here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/get-rid-of-wild-violets-in-the-lawn-2132476&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.thespruce.com/get-rid-of-wild-violets-in-the-lawn-2132476&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even so, you may need to be as persistent as the violets by carrying out repeat treatments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-17T23:07:17.793" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34572" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-18T00:01:12.693" Score="5" ViewCount="358" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in an apartment with a balcony in Auburn Hills, Mi (read: cold &amp;amp; suburban). Our family produces a lot of fruit and vegetable scraps, and I hate putting it into the dumpster - I wish I could magically turn it to compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, composting seems fairly involved - everything that I read about composting has a focus on composting quickly with a lot of ratios, turning, adding stuff, etc.  As I don't garden, I don't really care if it takes months or years to compost. I'd like to just throw it into a bin a couple times per week, and empty it out as compost after a few years in the woods near my house. I have a feeling that this request is tantamount to sacrilegious for those who are really into composting, and for that I am sorry. I just want to reduce out family waste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to compost with almost no effort?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18263" LastEditorUserId="18263" LastEditDate="2017-07-18T11:52:06.807" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T18:32:51.493" Title="Composting for Lazy People?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34573" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34586" CreationDate="2017-07-18T02:16:35.833" Score="4" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant popped up in the backyard so I have let it grow to identify it but I have had no luck online finding it.  I am in Tempe, Arizona so it has survived 115 degrees plus temperatures. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4lYIT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4lYIT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This plant popped up in the backyard so I have let it grow to identify it but I have had no luck online finding it.  I am in Tempe, Arizona so it has survived 115 degrees plus temperatures.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18266" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T15:15:51.500" Title="Need help with plant identification." Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34574" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-18T02:59:46.920" Score="7" ViewCount="225" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zg28j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found this giant mushroom in my boyfriend's yard. I found it concerning and I don't know if it is dangerous or not. We have a dog and I'm afraid she will eat it. Does anyone know what type of mushroom this is and if it is something to be concerned about? Any information would be extremely helpful. Thank you. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JmHof.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18267" LastEditorUserId="18267" LastEditDate="2017-07-18T18:44:44.753" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T19:15:54.390" Title="What is this mushroom and is it dangerous for my dog?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34575" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-18T06:23:12.577" Score="2" ViewCount="45" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been trying to grow Celosia (Cockscomb) from last 3-4 months. Most seeds get germinated in 3-4 days after potting. They grow upto almost 2 inches tall with two leaves on top but after this stage they start damping off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See picture here &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/33613/celosia-seedlings-are-damping-off&quot;&gt;Celosia seedlings are damping off&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As suggested in an answer above I tried by putting them in indirect sunlight i.e. near a window where sunlight is not direct. I also need to care if surface is getting dried up or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But nothing is working out they start damping off after 2 inches tall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please suggest what can be done?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17717" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T15:09:49.070" Title="very thin seedlings" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34576" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34574" CreationDate="2017-07-18T06:53:13.627" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like some mushroom of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyporales&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Polyporales Order&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, possibly of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyporaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Polyporaceae Family&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. The one in your friends garden probably sprouts on the dead roots or buried a trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be this one &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.champyves.fr/champignon/fichier_htm/sur_arbres/Lenzites_betulina.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lenzites Betulina&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fzUhL.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fzUhL.png&quot; alt=&quot;Lenzites Betulina Polyporaceae Polyporales&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(credits to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.floraitaliae.actaplantarum.org/viewtopic.php?t=58482&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;floraitaliae.actaplantarum&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(btw, if you do a close-up of your picture, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ch/search?tbs=sbi:AMhZZivwZod8mPv3EvM97miHeN5TF4ZrIkv-SfjhNFV_1iVeg7WzAoodKRbWahI5ixORmCaCQPYEtoIzJBsWmnjKMX2aCeqw-64-WZ7Hv4iT3ed8zJyLe7TV4D7ReZYVcK7mWakT7laBxZBYV1HLhsixSbf86ITUHqz6Qzgjb39bFW9SyFOnOCPT2-wIfKFL-5kslFvCpSFIKSZ9rYnlYV46N226JwCqXFWHTmPxRKG7UnORKGa4pA5c15qCAIYFPy2lA63ZkyBBOUpvNVd_1HsL5blJpbAYXSQwvURKm7ku6Q07I1RS7TRWS_13sZWUxlVGGDt3PDEluijKsuuh0JwVAATXMfmHEY-Bg&amp;amp;btnG=Bildersuche&amp;amp;hl=de-CH&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;google image search knows it's a mushroom&lt;/a&gt;, and shows many &lt;em&gt;polyporales&lt;/em&gt; but don't have the right one yet...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;For your dog:&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;polyporales&lt;/em&gt; are rarely poisonous, so small intake should be harmless for a dog.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;But&lt;/strong&gt; this kind of mushroom can be very difficult to digest, which can be harmful to a dog that eat the whole thing. But never seen or heard of a dog eating mushrooms. They'd rather go to dead stuff with interesting smell than that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your dog takes too much interest in the thing and start eating it, then a possibility is to put a big concrete flower pot over it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T06:53:13.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34577" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34582" CreationDate="2017-07-18T09:41:18.200" Score="2" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this plant that started growing near an eggplant? &#xA;I was removing weeds and noticed this sturdy plant. &#xA;Its leaves have a little of a spiky fluffy texture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1zYYG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sturdy plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18270" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T13:03:19.947" Title="What is this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34578" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34509" CreationDate="2017-07-18T09:58:10.010" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's most likely one of the Halysidota, or specifically Orgyia, which are moths - this larvae I can't pin down exactly, but the closest is white marked tussock moth. That particular moth larvae has irritant hairs, so best not touched with bare fingers, but I'm not entirely sure which one yours is. Info on Tussock moths generally here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thoughtco.com/tussock-moth-caterpillars-4097354&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.thoughtco.com/tussock-moth-caterpillars-4097354&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T09:58:10.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34579" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-18T10:48:55.037" Score="4" ViewCount="408" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just for the fun of it I threw a kumquat seed in a pot, and it has actually grow quite a bit. I know you should ideally graft cuttings onto rootstock and not start from seed. But I just did it for the fun of it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I wonder if I should start pruning it? When I transplanted It to the current pot I cut the top of cuz I lost many roots moving it, so it has now got two main branches. &#xA;While it has grown quite tall (about 1meter) it's not thicker than a pencil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I cut it down, or let it continue growing? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UGO0b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UGO0b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16922" LastEditorUserId="16922" LastEditDate="2017-07-20T09:49:35.483" LastActivityDate="2017-11-18T08:51:00.997" Title="Prune baby kumquat (citrus) tree" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34580" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-18T11:02:06.013" Score="6" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here goes a picture of some location in Eastern Europe. The plant with roundish leaves is &lt;em&gt;Plantago&lt;/em&gt; and it totally belongs there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So in the right upper corner is asphalt road. Left of the scene (not visible) is a publicly accessible well. People drive their cars to these scene to get water from the well. When they park on the lawn and then drive away from there they damage the lawn with the wheels. You see the results:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OOP2H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OOP2H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lawn damaged by wheels&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was covered in grass (some uncool plants but better than dirt) for years and then perhaps two years ago this damage first appeared.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It'd be nice to have grass again on this lawn - it can be any plant that looks like grass and is suitable for a lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is public area - land belongs to the municipality. That might be formally illegal but most likely seeding anything or dumping some sand or ground there won't bother anyone. However restricting access there would most likely cause resistance and maybe even authorities involved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can this lawn be restored to some nice looking condition without restricting traffic to it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T21:14:22.530" Title="How do I have grass regrown on a lawn without restricting traffic?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34581" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34590" CreationDate="2017-07-18T11:21:32.417" Score="4" ViewCount="4760" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew a few apple seeds 4 weeks earlier in a refrigerator and the seeds have now germinated. Please see the picture. Can you please suggest when should I plant them in a pot. For now I have kept them in the fridge under 4 degrees Celsius, with a little water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rmX9s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rmX9s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Apple Seed Sprouts&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11330" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T20:41:02.423" Title="Apple seeds have sprouted, when do I plant them in a pot" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34582" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34577" CreationDate="2017-07-18T13:03:19.947" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like a potato plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possible this is potato from last year, or that compost not completely ready was used to prepare the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T13:03:19.947" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34584" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34580" CreationDate="2017-07-18T13:36:43.493" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Best bet would be to use one of the many &quot;lawn traffic grid&quot; products, in either cement or plastic, but that would be better done through or with the cooperation of the &quot;authorities&quot; than otherwise. If people will keep driving on it, that gives the greenery a fighting chance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If people were to stop driving on it, it would recover on its own. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could sneak in a late-night/early morning sod transplant, but if driven on and not having a grid, it will soon be damaged again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T13:36:43.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34585" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34575" CreationDate="2017-07-18T15:09:49.070" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not an expert and have not grown Celosia specifically but the seedlings in your image look very tall and thin which is usually a symptom of not enough sunlight in the first few days of life.  I would start with fresh seeds in new potting soil and before they germinate place them on a sunny windowsill or outside on your sunny porch.  That way they get plenty of sun right away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Damping off can occur because of pathogens in the soil so I would start with fresh potting soil in a plastic container with good drainage.  Your cardboard container might be holding too much moisture.  Only water the seedlings when you poke your finger down below the soil surface and it feels dry.  In conclusion, my best guess is too much water/dampness and especially not enough sun as soon as they germinate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T15:09:49.070" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34573" CreationDate="2017-07-18T15:15:51.500" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lantana&lt;/a&gt;. From ASU.edu&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Scientific: Lantana (in the Phoenix area this is mostly either L. montevidensis or hybrid cultivars of L. montevidensis and L. camara)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is an easy plant to maintain in your area. It is an evergreen vining perennial shrub that flowers most of the year. It's fast growing and fine in full sun, but can tolerate shade. Frost can damage it, but where you are it's unlikely to kill it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From personal experience: Lantana can just pop up in your landscape and can be difficult to get rid of permanently.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11461" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T15:15:51.500" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34587" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34572" CreationDate="2017-07-18T17:46:13.480" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay, so there's a little bit of a problem. You want to find another, non wasteful, non landfill way of disposing of your fruit and veg waste. The little (easily solvable) problem is, you can't just put only that type of waste into a compost bin, because it will get very smelly, you will need to add some browns (carbon) because your fruit and veg waste counts as greens (nitrogen). Browns (carbon) could be something as simple as crumpled newspaper or torn up cardboard, but you will need to add some. There's a fairly relaxed explanation of browns and greens and C:N ratio here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenmyths.com/how-to-compost-browns-greens/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.gardenmyths.com/how-to-compost-browns-greens/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you've read that (it's not very long) have a look at this video &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/RE5hMhWBSRk&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/RE5hMhWBSRk&lt;/a&gt; - it may not be scientific in the way it uses what's readily available for browns, nor does it mention any kind of measurement, but it should work quite well. I think the receptacle shown in the video is a plastic dustbin with a clip on lid that has had holes drilled into it, rather than a custom made compost  bin, but up to you what kind of bin you use. If you choose a tumbler type compost bin, one that you can rotate, make sure you have enough room on your balcony to actually rotate it periodically, although to be honest, it will still compost down over time with or without rotation. If you do not rotate it, and leave it alone to do its thing, just adding to it periodically, it will not be suitable for use in pots, but it doesn't sound like that's what you wanted to do with it anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I can't see any reason why it can't be put in the forest, unless you know someone with a garden who might value it - it's nutritious stuff you know, brilliant for soil and plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-19T16:23:10.210" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T16:23:10.210" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34588" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-18T18:25:36.817" Score="4" ViewCount="428" Body="&lt;p&gt;Someone mailed me a small aloe start, with the label 'Aloe aculeata marlothii ssp. marlothii' (yeah, I have no idea what that was about). Here's a picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6hPre.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6hPre.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking up plants this young online, there seems to be a lot of variability in each species, and they look similar. A. ferox also looks similar. I have a very similar looking plant that was labeled 'Aloe marlothii', pictured below:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4AgtN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4AgtN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, being in Pennsylvania, I don't see many species of aloe growing. I do not know what the characteristics of these species are, or how to differentiate between them at a young age like this. Can anyone enlighten me? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T17:13:51.010" Title="What species of aloe is this young start?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34589" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-18T20:39:47.077" Score="4" ViewCount="1127" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this tropical houseplant? I've had it for 15 years in a small pot and it grows woody vines with with waxy leaves and never gets rootbound. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/miLFk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18272" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-18T20:56:23.557" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T20:57:10.643" Title="What is this tropical plant with woody vines and waxy leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34590" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34581" CreationDate="2017-07-18T20:41:02.423" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get them planted in some great seed starting soil.  It will be potting soil, very fine and sterilized.  No larger than a two inch diameter pot.  And do this NOW.  Your paper towel is a bit too wet.  Wring it out and put those seeds that haven't germinated back.  Put in a zip lock.  Check every day.  Once you see the seed casing split and/or a white root coming out, transplant into a tiny pot with potting soil.  Keep moist, not soaked.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get larger pots prepared: The next size should be 4&quot; in diameter with sterilized potting soil.  Transplant and up pot size when the roots are visible from the hole in the bottom.  Add a tiny bit of fertilizer when you get to the second up potting into the 4&quot; pots, balanced fertilizer NPK all should be equal numbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have to disagree with Ecnerwal.  Getting trees started in a nursery always starts in pots and potting soil.  Sowing directly into the soil is not how nurseries produce trees.  In my experience anyway and in the zones I have gardened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But his advice on the ability to get a true variety is right on.  But hey, why not?  You are growing and learning and shoot, this is how one becomes a plant person.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T20:41:02.423" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34591" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34589" CreationDate="2017-07-18T20:53:50.280" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like Evergreen Clematis.  A wonderful evergreen vine suitable for zone 5 and up.  15 years?  Clematis armandii.  White flowers with an almost too strong scent!  I could be very wrong about the ID.  15 YEARS??  Never gets rootbound?  You are saying you've never transplanted this plant in 15 YEARS??&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let's see if others can more accurately ID first.  Has this plant never flowered?  Indoors with little sun this makes sense.  Have you ever fertilized?  Hoya could be a candidate by Bamboo.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T20:53:50.280" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34592" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34589" CreationDate="2017-07-18T20:57:10.643" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoya_carnosa&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hoya carnosa&lt;/a&gt; and it requires bright light for flowering. It's easy to propagate; I have 11 plants like this from 11 leaves of the original plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T20:57:10.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34580" CreationDate="2017-07-18T21:11:07.350" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those grids do not make a great grass support system.  I've seen so many of these and they always look wimpy.  Do you need extra parking off road?  The best yet lamest solution are big boulders that wreck the undercarriage of any vehicle if they were to drive any further than the boundary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am seeing absolutely no grass worth protecting at the moment.  I would define an area for cars, use landscape fabric and fill with 4&quot; of crushed gravel.  Then boulders to stop any traffic from rolling on the turf.  I'd get all of those weeds removed (sod cutter), edge with pt 2X4's and stakes, lay the fabric down and fill with 5/8 minus crushed gravel and compact.  You'll have a win win solution allowing for parking on this road and then delineating where the grass begins and traffic ends.  Use sod.  Don't use seed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do your codes allow?  It is always nice to play by the game rules or for almost certain one of your neighbors will report you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T21:11:07.350" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34572" CreationDate="2017-07-18T21:11:20.220" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think for &quot;lazy,&quot; a barrel/tumbler would be the way to go, just because the turning and maintenance of the compost pile is simplified.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a video of how to &quot;easily&quot; make one. I realize that making one flies in the face of the whole lazy thing, but at least you can see the video to understand what kind of device I'm talking about.  I've received many advertising fliers for these things (spend money instead of expending the effort to make it), because I'm on gardening catalog mailing lists.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzGaXMVmsUo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;YouTube: How To Make A Compost Tumbler (Fast, Cheap and Easy)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, you add materials to the barrel.  You crank the handle to turn it over (greatly speeds the process along), and keep adding to it.  You might need to have two, because, at some point, you have to stop adding or you'll never be able to have nothing but finished compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, you have one, keep adding, keep adding, then stop and keep turning until it finishes, while starting another batch in the second one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastActivityDate="2017-07-18T21:11:20.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34595" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34603" CreationDate="2017-07-18T22:31:45.787" Score="6" ViewCount="31829" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have read &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/3207/174&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt;  on harvesting potatoes after they flower, however mine don't seem to be in any hurry to flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was given them by a friend months ago, planted them, and I have a mass of leaves that have been up all summer, but I have no idea when I should harvest them, and no information on this from my friend.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in central Scotland, and the soil has a high clay content - but I added a fair amount of compost under and over them when I planted them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="174" LastActivityDate="2019-08-09T13:51:54.357" Title="My potato plants don't seem to flower - when should I harvest them?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34597" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34605" CreationDate="2017-07-19T03:55:59.207" Score="5" ViewCount="178" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been gradually building a house on a site that has been fairly well dominated by wild, unchecked growth of various greenery over the past 15 years. Time has come to turn my attention to the garden / landscaping&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Part of the garden is planned to have a vehicle turning circle right where an enormous rhododendron is well established; it's on an embankment that is approx 3m high and the bush itself is another 3m high, with a footprint of probably 5x7m and stems as thick as my arm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want to just rip into it for two reasons; one that I'm acutely aware it's bird nesting season and I genuinely don't know if birds nest in rhododendron (but I'm not averse to bullying my way in there to have a look). Q1: is it likely to be home to one or more families of birds? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reason two; I actually really like the plant despite them seeming to have a poor reputation in the U.K as being somewhat invasive and antisocial - people seem to regard them as a similar nuisance to sycamore and leylandii; perfect plants to establish on an order if you want to upset the neighbours. Fortunately I have no neighbours who would care so I'd like to repurpose this one as hedging. Clearly it can grow well on the site soil and seems to have thrived on what is a windy, exposed site (though it is in the building shadow a bit). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Q2: What would I need to do to cultivate it for hedging? Are the existing stems suitable or should I employ some propagation technique to establish a number of smaller plants? I've got a requirement for a lot of hedging; the landscape plan calls for about 200m. Am I embarking on a task whose cost and efforts vastly outweighs the success, beauty and ease of maintenance of the end result, and it would be simpler and easier to order 400 beech hedge whips in a pallet and plant them out? How about the chances of moving the full stems of the plant and re planting them in a large rectangle to make a secluded inner garden; will bare stems establish new green growth down the sides to become a private screen over time?&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5xo8D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ufn0e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AaSLt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XIIBd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18242" LastEditorUserId="18242" LastEditDate="2017-07-19T05:51:14.823" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T16:26:58.210" Title="Repurposing this rhododendron" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;rhododendrons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34554" CreationDate="2017-07-19T08:56:06.260" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's difficult to say with certainty for every kind of vegetable seed (they're not all identical). However, I can say with surety that domestic tomatoes don't have a dormancy period (at least the variety I tried this with). You can plant them right away, without even drying them (but I recommend doing something to lessen the likelihood of disease first, such as fermenting them). Whether or not they germinate may depend on your temperatures, though. If it's 95° F. or above, they may be less likely to germinate, I've read (and I believe I've experienced that). I would be concerned if you have warm nights and hot days, too, or if it's a constant warm temperature indoors (without a drop at night).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know from experience that some tomato seeds seem to require more heat (and/or different soil) to sprout than others. My Pervaya Lyubov tomato seeds seemed to be that way (while about 100 other varieties sprouted just fine in significantly cooler weather in an unheated greenhouse in April in worm castings with a little peat moss; the pervaya Lyubov seeds that sprouted were in regular garden soil outdoors when it was between 90° F. and 93° F. outside).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't believe I've ever heard of common vegetables needing a dormancy period before planting (but that doesn't mean some won't require one). It mostly seems to be certain cold-hardy perennials that require one (e.g. fruit trees, strawberries, etc.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it may depend on the seed as much as the species and variety, though. I've planted lettuce seeds that took a year or two to sprout, while most sprouted right away. Those were just from a store packet, but it seems at least a seed from each of the two packets of lettuce variety seeds needed a cold period or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-07-19T09:09:56.597" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T09:09:56.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34599" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34529" CreationDate="2017-07-19T10:49:20.117" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the first sign of squash vine borer is wilting. As long as the plant keeps growing and looks healthy it should be fine and is likely not effected by squash vine borer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The white color on the lower stem of your plant is just a transition area as the stem changes from its above ground green to white below ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastEditorDisplayName="user16651" LastEditDate="2017-07-19T13:14:26.690" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T13:14:26.690" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34600" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33614" CreationDate="2017-07-19T11:10:43.120" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Starting from a cutting might be a better option. If you start from a cutting you have a season or two head start. This is a lot when growing a bonsai as it will look mature faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The quick version&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cuttings can be taken from the previous seasons growth. This means not the new green shoots but the little bit firmer thin branches that have darker bark. Take multiple cuttings to have a higher chance of success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically you cut pieces af about 10-15 cm and stick them half way into a pot. It is important that the direction in which they where growing is the part above ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Keep the ground moist but not wet.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do not put in direct sunlight.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Covering the pot with a plastic bottle or anything that keeps it humid is a good idea&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Transplant once they have a good amount of leaves and show signs of trunk growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing from cuttings is an art in and of itself. There is a lot to be read about it online and lots of different methods. You can even use rooting hormones to help it root better and faster. I suggest looking around and finding one that fits you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Angelo Eliades over at Deep Green Permaculture does a good job of illustrating the process in &lt;a href=&quot;https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/propagating-hardwood-cuttings/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; article.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bonsai part only comes once you have the cuttings successfully growing. There is no special way to start when wanting to grow a bonsai. At first they will just be saplings which then over the years turn into bonsai trees as you prune them to keep them small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastEditorDisplayName="user16651" LastEditDate="2017-07-20T05:23:24.250" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T05:23:24.250" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34601" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-19T11:35:58.630" Score="6" ViewCount="991" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZcExh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZcExh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Rust on leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Last year these rust spots appeared on one lower branch of this five year old tree. A fellow at the nursery were it was purchased suggested  that I water more which I did. This year however the rust spots have appeared on almost all leaves on all branches. It seems systemic.  In spring and early summer the tree appears healthy, but the spots develop mid season. Other plants growing in the same area (clumping bamboo, hostas and heuchera) do not develop these spots and are healthy.  There are four other species of maples in the yard in close proximity that do not develop these spots. Is this some type of fungus? If so can it be dealt with, I am concerned that it may spread to the other trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18277" LastActivityDate="2020-10-04T16:08:37.187" Title="Rust spots on Japanese Maple" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34601" CreationDate="2017-07-19T11:41:56.947" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is what's known as Tar Spot of Acer (or Maple) and yes, it's a fungal infection. It is not related to dryness at the root, so your nursery guy either didn't know what it was, or preferred not to say. In the UK, there's no effective fungicide available for treating this. It will not kill the tree, just makes it look unsightly. You may reduce the effects by rigorously sweeping up or collecting fallen leaves, leaving none on the ground over winter, to reduce overwintering spores. More information here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=750&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=750&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T11:41:56.947" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34603" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34595" CreationDate="2017-07-19T13:40:23.030" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is actually a pretty straight-forward proposition, regardless of flowering or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, as long as the stems and leaves are viable, then they are feeding the growth of the tubers.  When they die back, there's no reason to wait any longer. Since plants devote energy to reproduction, not having flowers might be a better thing (not sure about this part), since that production would remain focused on tubers instead of flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;It's best to let the plant and the weather tell you when to harvest potatoes. Wait until the tops of the vines have died before you begin harvesting. Potatoes are tubers and you want your plant to store as much of that flavorful starch as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/.../how-and-when-to-harvest-potatoes.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;gardenknowhow.com: Harvesting Potatoes: How And When To Dig Up Potatoes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Everything else I've read about potatoes also says you dig them up when the leaves and stems die-off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T13:40:23.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34604" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34595" CreationDate="2017-07-19T13:43:01.527" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a few different varieties this year and I didn't see flowers on at least one variety.  About a week ago it seemed like the flowerless plants were just starting to die off (plus I was eager for potatoes) so I dug them up and found a ton of medium to very small, very tasty potatoes.  I'm sure if I had left the plants another few weeks or more I would have found a ton of medium to full sized potatoes.  For reference I started these potatoes on April 12th, so about 13 weeks of growth time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read you can harvest potatoes after about 10 weeks for immediate consumption, called &quot;new&quot; potatoes.  They are smaller with thin skins and amazing flavor.  From my experience I would recommend a few extra weeks because some of my potatoes were quite tiny. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, you can let the potatoes keep growing until the plants die back or harvest right before the first frost.  Then they need to cure for about two weeks before you put them away for winter storage.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people like to do a combo and collect a few potatoes to eat right away and then leave the rest for later.  If you gently dig in the soil at the base of the plant you will find the oldest and largest potatoes.  Take a few and replace the soil and leave the rest for a future date.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T13:43:01.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34605" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34597" CreationDate="2017-07-19T13:59:21.423" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suggest you get rid of the Rhododendron altogether, although it will be no easy task. One way of 'repurposing' it is to heat your home with it; if you have a wood burning stove indoors, dry rhododendron wood is very good in those, despite people's belief it produces toxic smoke based on the fact its a toxic plant (which it doesn't). Not only is R. ponticum the host plant for two forms of phytophthera, but they're also known for discouraging other plants nearby, both through allelopathy and simply outcompeting everything else. Now classed as an invasive species in the UK, all the time yours is present, it will be distributing seeds far and wide on the wind into the countryside. More info on this plant here in regard to its nuisance value  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/rhododen.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/rhododen.htm&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of birds nesting, you'll probably find many have avoided it, but the usual advice is to wait till August or late September, when there's no risk of any birds still nesting within.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding your ash tree, unfortunately, Ash Dieback disease is becoming prevalent in Lancashire, first found there in 2012; if you need to remove it for practical reasons, don't cry too many tears over it, because if it hasn't succumbed yet, it may well do so soon. Ash wood is also good in wood burning stoves indoors. If you want to keep it, inspect it thoroughly every 6-12 months to see if its showing signs, and then monitor its progress for safety reasons thereafter. It's okay to leave it in place even if it is infected, but regular inspections are necessary so that it doesn't suddenly fall and cause damage to people or property. The Forestry Commission would like to know if you observe the infection on the tree, see here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/beeh-9rela8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/beeh-9rela8&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to create a private garden with hedging, Yew (Taxus baccata)  or Thuja plicata are evergreen and coniferous, and would do the job for taller hedges, or Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), somewhat similar to Beech hedging, but more resilient in cold temperatures when growth begins in spring. Yew makes a great formal hedge, but it is highly toxic if ingested, so if any of your children are in the habit of snacking on plant leaves, probably best not used. Rhododendron, though, is also highly toxic if consumed...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-19T16:26:58.210" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T16:26:58.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34606" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34572" CreationDate="2017-07-19T14:40:28.943" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suggest vermicomposting (composting with worms). I have been doing it for the past ~3 years and the only actions I have to take with regard to it are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Feeding the worms about once a week (5 minutes)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Placing food scraps into a small plastic container that I keep in the freezer to break down the materials and keep them from smelling (&amp;lt;1 minute, just part of usual clean up)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Harvesting the compost from the bin and spreading around the garden (every few months, takes about 30 minutes-1 hour)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are commercial worm bins available for purchase, or you can build your own. This option has worked for me because it literally takes care of itself - I just throw food in there once a week. For what it's worth, I use the Worm Factory 360 because I was too lazy to build my own but you can also use standard rubbermaid bins if you want to go the DIY route.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information: &lt;a href=&quot;http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/vermicompost107.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/vermicompost107.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[Edit] I wanted to also clarify a few additional benefits:&#xA; - Small footprint: residential worm bins can take up a very small amount of space and can grow vertically rather than horizontally. This means you could potentially put them in a closet or other small location&#xA; - Not smelly: vermicomposting is aerobic composting which should not smell in the way that anaerobic composting does. This benefit trades off with the benefit from anaerobic composting, otherwise known as &quot;hot composting&quot;, which will kill seeds and potentially other pathogens that may be in the compost. If your vermicompost is smelly, there is something amiss and you should add more shredded paper to absorb excess moisture and restore balance to your bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18278" LastEditorUserId="18278" LastEditDate="2017-07-19T18:32:51.493" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T18:32:51.493" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34588" CreationDate="2017-07-19T17:13:51.010" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The trouble with the Aloe world is, many of the varieties have more than one name - Aloe aculeata marlothii ssp.'marlothii' is also known as Aloe spectabilis. Either that or they've been renamed more than once down the years, so now there's a great deal of confusion as to which one is what. Many of the names get shortened in common use, so that the long name you were given might well be shortened to simply 'Aloe marlothii' by owners, and that is now reflected on the internet, increasing confusion. The particular variety you were told it was should have greyish blue leaves, but if you Google Aloe marlothii and select images, you're just as likely to see Aloe aculeata marlothii ssp. 'marlothii' as well as one with  green leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm fairly yours is Aloe aculeata; whether it's the variety 'marlothii' I'm not sure, but I'm no expert - this link &lt;a href=&quot;http://succulent-plant.com/families/aloaceae.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://succulent-plant.com/families/aloaceae.html&lt;/a&gt; shows many of the 450 varieties of Aloe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T17:13:51.010" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34608" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-19T18:35:05.757" Score="6" ViewCount="419" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some space in my raised bed that I can use to plant some vegetables for the rest of the season.  Is it too late to start vegetables from seeds now?  If not, what are vegetables that would be appropriate to start from seed perhaps with the goal of harvesting in fall?  I am in Zone 9B.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T05:07:39.537" Title="What are some vegetable plants to start from seed in July?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34608" CreationDate="2017-07-19T19:24:31.660" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;What would it be like to live in zone 9B?  Gosh, you should be able to grow anything you want for a second crop.  When is it that you get your first frost or do you even have to worry about that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the sun, you've got a good 60 to 90 days of decent daylight hours left.  I'd stay away from stuff that is prone to bolting like spinach and the brassicas.  Potatoes would work, peas of course, peppers, a salad bowl bed with radishes and all kinds of lettuce seed (I am doing this today), planting some perennials like asparagus, berries, raspberries, horse radish, rhubarb, lemon grass...and blueberries.  Artichokes should do spectacularly in your zone.  You should have plenty of time for pole or bush beans.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bring up perennials because now is when these plants go on sale.  Even in my gag me zone 1B I've got perennials that are there every year surviving this awful weather.  Artichokes didn't make it but do well as an annual.  Raspberries, strawberries, boysenberries, blueberries survive.  You could also do some cover crops.  Just have to make sure they don't go to seed.  It is fun to get the beds covered in a new cover crop one hasn't tried; buckwheat is beautiful and produces quality food builds up your soil.  Doesn't do well with added nitrogen!  Your worst soil beds should have this grown on it.  Do you have honey bees?  Makes incredible honey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cucumbers and squash should produce for you nicely.  Have you tried Amaranth?  Talk about another great food!  I've been shopping for Amaranth seed as I've never grown this stuff.  From what I have been reading it is worth taking up some of your garden to grow!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cilantro should be planted as a second crop but it always bolts.  I'm growing  second crops of kale and Thai basil.  What type of soil do you have?  Gees I am so jealous. That salad bowl bed might be your best bet.  I plant two per year no matter the zone.  Wish there was a way to preserve lettuce but haven't found one don't think I am gonna either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I fill a pizza pepper shaker with all the gourmet lettuces, radish, some kale...sprinkle it on a prepared bed.  Baby lettuces at the beginning then mature romaine and butter crunch all the way into the fall.  Forget doing ROWS of plants.  Doing mass planting gets you so very much more per season.  You thin as you eat.  That statement sounds weird!  I mix carrot seeds into the shaker for the early planting.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't forget garlic!  Late summer is the best time to start your garlic crop for the next year.  Even shallots.  Onions last all winter long as green onions.  Do you have a potato cellar?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T19:24:31.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34610" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-19T19:57:42.780" Score="4" ViewCount="55" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have straight eights planted in a raised with tomatoes planted late April.  So far only one female flower it went unfertilized although I have lots pollinators of different kinds all over the perennials planted near by.  The vine looks great and I tossed in some slow release balanced fertilizer.  Any ideas or is this just a bad cucumber year in Northern Virginia?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18099" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T07:50:30.233" Title="Twelve Weeks on and One Female Cucumber Flower" Tags="&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34611" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34608" CreationDate="2017-07-19T20:29:06.620" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The above answer is awesome. I love Stormy's idea of using a pizza pepper shaker to spread seeds.  I am definitely going to use this for my carrots next time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also wanted to share this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ufseeds.com/Zone-9-Planting-Calendar.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;zone 9 planting guide&lt;/a&gt; that suggests just about everything can grow well in Zone 9 for a fall harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only things it lists for direct sowing in July are tomatoes and peppers. I imagine it's quite hot in zone 9 right now so you might have more success if you wait a few weeks. Perhaps you could start some seedlings inside now, and then once the weather cools off a bit in mid-August, you can transplant to the garden. Or, with a little afternoon shade, you can probably start some seedlings right away. Good luck! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HvVju.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HvVju.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T20:29:06.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34612" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-19T21:04:46.603" Score="2" ViewCount="975" Body="&lt;p&gt;We all know to leave about 4 fruit trusses on a tomato plant and to prune out suckers and side shoots. But the ends of the fruiting trusses on my plants have turned up and shot up in the air like new side shoots. They still have fruit on but then they curl up and have a huge shoot on the end. Why is this happening? Is it normal, and should I prune these ends off?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are a couple of pictures. I've circled the fruiting trusses near the plant.  In both cases the truss and the plant are at the back, and you can see where it then has a new megashoot on the end coming towards the camera which is about 2 feet long an curves up!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you think I should cut these off?  I'm doubtful the plant can ripen all that fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vGePp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vGePp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tomato truss with megashoot on the end&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4gTA1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4gTA1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;another tomato truss with megashoot on the end&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17190" LastEditorUserId="17190" LastEditDate="2017-07-20T19:51:25.217" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T19:51:25.217" Title="Should i prune tomato fruiting trusses?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34580" CreationDate="2017-07-19T21:14:22.530" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;IF I were you I would just throw down some seed and straw and maybe people won't drive on it because it looks like you're trying to reseed the lawn.  You can just keep doing that until it starts filling back in.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T21:14:22.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34614" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34610" CreationDate="2017-07-19T21:42:50.687" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Female flowers are the fewest on the main stem and their number is greatest on 3rd level of ramifications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, when the plant is young it will produce a female flower for every 10 male flowers, and the number of female flowers grows with the plant's age.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Drought results in more male flowers. Low temperatures results in more female flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: As suggested in the comments, I'm adding the source of the above info. It's a book called &quot;Cultivation of vegetables&quot;, 3rd edition (2012), coordinated by D. Indrea. The chapter regarding cucumbers is written by D. Mănuțiu and he provides a table for causes of the variation of flower gender. This table has a citation that states the info came from an old book &quot;Legumicultura&quot; by M. Bălașa, published in 1973.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, I don't have an English version of the book.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a4O9G.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/a4O9G.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-07-20T07:50:30.233" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T07:50:30.233" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34615" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34181" CreationDate="2017-07-19T22:31:33.657" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would not recommend planting Opuntia cuttings more than one segment tall. My experience has been that it slows the rooting process and the plant appears to sit dormant for some time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally, cut Opuntioids at the joints. They aren't super picky, but they grow fastest from the joints.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This top-heavy and toppling over function is a natural part of Opuntioid reproduction. If you don't like that feature, pick a different Genus/species. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They get tall, they fall over, the part that hits the ground roots, and on and on... This plant in particular with it's thin cladodes (the pads, paddles, nopal, take your pick) is not going to have good structural integrity. I don't think I've ever seen a specimen of Consolea rubescens grow very big. (I think it's a Consolea, I'm not an Opuntioid expert).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And finally what is your ultimate goal? Do you want thousands of clones of this plant in your yard? Are you looking to create one aesthetically pleasing plant? Answers to these questions will guide your actions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you just want one awesome plant, you can cut off the growth that displeases you. I have seen many Opuntiods where the bottom cladodes swell and turn woody to support very large plants. Not sure that will really happen with this species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some Opuntiods that grow very tall with woody and sometimes spiny trunks. This just doesn't happen to be one of them, IMO.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best of luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-07-19T22:31:33.657" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34616" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-20T01:38:13.770" Score="4" ViewCount="2408" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you tell me what is the name of this plant?&#xA;Found in the park in London, in the middle of July.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o3lmv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o3lmv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fruits ripen from green through red to dark color. Glossy, thick and hard leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y8cvQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y8cvQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Smooth surface of bark&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18285" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T02:36:01.607" Title="Identify shrub with glossy leaves and dark color fruits" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34617" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34616" CreationDate="2017-07-20T02:17:36.153" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_laurocerasus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Common or English Laurel (&lt;em&gt;Prunus laurocerasus&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;, a species of cherry. It's not a true laurel, but got the name from the similarity of its leaves with those of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurus_nobilis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bay Laurel (&lt;em&gt;Laurus nobilis&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;. Identifying characteristics are the waxy long oblong leaves, the gray smooth bark, and the clusters of fruits ripening from pale green through red to black. It flowers in late spring, with spikes of fragrant small white flowers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a large fast-growing, evergreen shrub, that is used as for hedging and privacy screens. The seeds are spread by birds that eat the fruit, and it can become invasive because it grows quickly and shades other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-20T02:36:01.607" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T02:36:01.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34618" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34608" CreationDate="2017-07-20T04:33:01.633" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know what July is like in your area, but in my area of a different zone it's one of the three hottest months of the year. Here's what I would recommend planting (direct-seeding) when it's already hot:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zucchini and other summer squash (winter squash, too, if the frost is a ways away); squash will germinate and grow fine in the heat, usually; I would only worry if you don't have enough time left in the season (which should only be an issue for winter squash) or if squash bugs are rampant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Melons, if you have time enough for them to grow&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Watermelons, if you have time enough for them to grow&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sunflowers (these seem to germinate and grow well in a wide range of warm temperatures, including when it's quite hot)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I've heard beans and corn might do okay planted late or in succession, but I don't have a lot of experience there.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If it's below 95° F. you can probably grow tomatoes. I read somewhere that germination rates decline significantly at 95+° F.; my experience seems to go along with this)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If tomatoes grow fine, I'm sure peppers and tomatillos will, too. Peppers seem to like somewhat warmer temperatures than tomatoes for germination, but that's my observation.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Amaranth (this needs a fair amount of heat to sprout well)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lambsquarter&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You might try sorghum.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You might try okra.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't particularly recommend planting regular cucumber seeds during the hottest part of the year (although you might get it to work if you do things right), but you might try Armenian cucumbers (which are technically melons and quite vigorous in the heat—at least semi-arid heat; I'm not sure about humid heat; people harvest much earlier than regular melons, typically). I'm guessing West Indian Burr Gherkins would do well in humid heat, though (I've read they like it, and I'm guessing they'd germinate in it). My experience with regular cucumbers in the heat is that they germinate, but they seem to prefer somewhat cooler conditions than many other cucurbits (but maybe that's just in my climate and soil).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't have loads of season left, I'd recommend early varieties of most things, except things like zucchini that are early enough (e.g. Blacktail Mountain watermelon, Yellow Doll F1 watermelon, Verona watermelon, Minnesota Midget melon, Matina tomatoes, Glacier tomatoes, etc.) Creole is a tomato that can do well in humid heat; it is large and not terribly late.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-07-20T05:07:39.537" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T05:07:39.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34619" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34634" CreationDate="2017-07-20T10:48:05.953" Score="2" ViewCount="509" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am making a terrarium and almost everywhere (on the web) it says to add a layer of activated charcoal between the soil and drainage rocks. I plan on creating a sort of 'meadows' look by making small hills and planting it with moss then adding a few trees. Thus there will be a LOT of moss in the terrarium. Is the layer of charcoal still needed if I have so much moss? I read that moss can have some of the same effects as charcoal such as helping reduce mold and mildew but also read that it can do the exact opposite. Would this then mean that when having so much the need for a layer of activated charcoal is higher?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some useful info&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The terrarium is closed and does not have any drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will be watering it with clean pond water, so no chemicals in the water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T16:38:45.390" Title="Is having moss in your terrarium similiar to a layer of activated charcoal?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;mold&gt;&lt;moss&gt;&lt;terrarium&gt;&lt;mildew&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34620" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-20T11:32:07.440" Score="3" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are converting an area of turf to meadow. The plan is to kill off the lawn grasses and seed in a number of warm season grasses and forbs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Little Bluestem (&lt;em&gt;Schizachyrium scoparium&lt;/em&gt;) seed is fluffy and we are concerned that it might not work in a standard lawn slit seeder. There are not a lot of rental options here, so we are wondering if the standard slit seeder can be made to work or if, perhaps, a dethatcher can be used somehow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to do this without specialized equipment?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T11:32:07.440" Title="How can I plant Little Bluestem seeds into burned out turf?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;&lt;meadow&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34621" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34633" CreationDate="2017-07-20T11:41:17.640" Score="3" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;Below is what the dead leaves look like&#xA;The still alive ones are all green and those grey spots on them&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GMOxh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GMOxh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T16:24:43.837" Title="What is killing my rose and what is the antidote?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34622" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34655" CreationDate="2017-07-20T11:46:44.753" Score="2" ViewCount="733" Body="&lt;p&gt;It has rained constantly for the past week and suddenly today I noticed this very aggressively growing white thing. Can you guys please tell me if this is dangerous for the tree? I have seen mushrooms come out in my garden after rainfalls but they soon wither away adding nutrition to my soil, so I am wondering if this will be a helpful ingredient as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Wbs5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Wbs5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J3CHl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J3CHl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aR2nv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aR2nv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11330" LastActivityDate="2017-07-21T11:49:52.380" Title="What is this white fungus like growth on my mango tree roots?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34624" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-20T12:44:56.163" Score="3" ViewCount="631" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been out of my place for more than one month but I asked a friend to give water to my plants, including my beautiful Cycas revoluta. I don't think my friend gave the plant too much water (since he came only three times in one month), but now the leaves at the bottom of my cycas are entirely yellow as you can see from the attached pic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, I don't see any fungus and the soil was very dry when I came back home, so I gave the plant a bit of water. Living in London the rain can be an issue but till now the plant was great! So I am not sure what to do (not watering can be the solution), but then the leaves will stay yellow? Shall I cut them? Thank you for any advice!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/76Aw1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/76Aw1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18276" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-07-20T12:57:22.523" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T13:59:16.360" Title="Cycas revoluta yellow leaves" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34625" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34624" CreationDate="2017-07-20T13:01:13.647" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to tell from the photo, but it looks to me like the soil in your photo is rather wet. Moisture stress, either too much moisture or not enough, can definitely cause yellowing of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much moisture can deprive the roots of the plant of oxygen, and also wash away nutrients - leaving the plant nutrient deprived.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too little moisture restricts the plant's ability to uptake nutrients and causes wilting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this picture, the bottom leaves are the ones turning yellow which is a common symptom of nitrogen deficiency, which is commonly caused by overwatering. I suggest restricting watering and applying a fertilizer such as fish emulsion to the soil. I don't water my cycas until the soil is dry to the touch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18278" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T13:01:13.647" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34626" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34700" CreationDate="2017-07-20T13:15:07.467" Score="4" ViewCount="5031" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a lavender hedge in the front garden last autumn. It's English lavender (Hidcote). Everything seemed fine and they were growing well. Then all of a sudden one plant just died. Simply went brown and kicked the bucket. I was a bit shocked as it seemed to be growing well and had doubled in size this summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've now noticed another plant (at the opposite side of the garden) also starting to go brown and start to die off. Unfortunately I don't have photos to hand but one side is dying where as the other side is not. This happened to the previous plant and eventually the entire plant died off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a bit confused as to what's going on. It's a sunny part of the garden (North facing but not in shade). The soil is quite rich (loam) so I planted the lavender on a mound with plenty of grit added under the plant to prevent the root getting water logged. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't particularly watered them a lot as I was wary of over watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a moisture issue or some kind of disease/parasite? What should I do to save it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Dead plant&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iLHv4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iLHv4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Dying(?) plant&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sftbI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sftbI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil is mounded (though this seems to of dropped since I did it). I added a good handful of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/rhs-horticultural-potting-grit---handy-pack-372922&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;potting grit&lt;/a&gt; under each plant to improve draining. Is this the problem then maybe?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;__  |  ___ &amp;lt;-ground level&#xA;  \   /&#xA;   ---&#xA;   grit&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user7068" LastEditorDisplayName="user7068" LastEditDate="2017-07-21T10:19:34.927" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T18:29:48.700" Title="What is killing my lavender?" Tags="&lt;lavender&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34628" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-20T14:47:58.287" Score="6" ViewCount="5824" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have about 50 meters (165') of cedar hedge between our row of townhouses, and the row behind us.&#xA;Depending on the trees around it, it is between 10-12' in height, approximately.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I think they are white cedar, aka arborvitae; maybe a specie of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thuja&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyland_cypress&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Leyland cypress&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see it on Google Maps &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.5147129,-73.6313767,126a,35y,45t/data=!3m1!1e3&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, and in &lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/1zFueAfZMEmUv80m2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;those pictures&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;We are in Montreal, Canada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our problem with those hedges is that they are getting more and more sparse; we see more and more through it, every year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had very different opinions on what we should do with them, to help them grow thicker.&#xA;Should we cut their head, maybe to something like 8-9', and give them enough earth+compost+fertilizer?&#xA;We were told by some people that those kind of trees should not have been left to grow this tall, but that if we cut their head too much, they're going to die. Others are saying it's fine to cut their head as much as 3-4', as long as it's done in the autumn or spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2505" LastEditorUserId="2505" LastEditDate="2017-07-20T18:42:36.873" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T19:47:42.673" Title="How to help our tall cedar hedge grow thicker?" Tags="&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34630" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34621" CreationDate="2017-07-20T15:16:56.377" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like Black Spot to me.  A very common problem with roses here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18099" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T15:16:56.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34631" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-20T15:35:59.600" Score="5" ViewCount="393" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted 5 Japanese Yews in the Spring and 3 of them have both dead/dying branches and new growth on the same plant. What would cause this? I live in North Texas. Thank you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe they are podocarpus. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G8hyZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G8hyZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18292" LastEditorUserId="18292" LastEditDate="2017-07-31T19:57:24.100" LastActivityDate="2020-03-13T02:05:48.603" Title="Dead branches and new growth on the same plant" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34632" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35279" CreationDate="2017-07-20T15:36:26.333" Score="3" ViewCount="233" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was sent this plant labeled 'Aloe kilifiensis'. I looked up some pictures, and didn't seem to find anything even remotely similar. In my eyes it looks more like to Gasteraloe 'Green Gold'. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WOcLg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WOcLg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone give me a positive identification?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T15:47:52.967" Title="Is this an Aloe kilifiensis?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34621" CreationDate="2017-07-20T16:24:43.837" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Black spot is a common fungal problem on roses almost everywhere that roses will grow, they are very susceptible to it. In the UK, we spray fortnightly with something like Roseclear Ultra, which contains a systemic fungicide, from leaf break until leaf fall in an attempt to keep it at bay. Without such a regime, roses generally succumb, unless you've been clever enough to pick black spot resistant varieties (Kordes bred ones are the most disease resistant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clear up fallen leaves as soon as you notice them,and clear away all leaf debris before winter to clear away overwintering spores. Find a fungicide product in your area that will treat this infection. Other things that help are correct pruning to promote maximum air flow around the branches, no under planting other than with ground hugging plants,planting in full sun, feeding with a specialist rose food as often as recommended, and mulching with composted manure. These last two recommendations are simply to help the plant have more strength to resist by providing optimum nutrition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You mentioned your Hostas having 'perforated' leaves. Hostas are a favoured target for slugs and snails, so if you don't use slug repellent/killer products from early in the growing season regularly, holes in the leaves are inevitable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T16:24:43.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34634" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34619" CreationDate="2017-07-20T16:38:45.390" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, having a layer of moss in a closed terrarium is not similar to having activated charcoal, they serve different purposes.The activated charcoal, placed between  the soil and the moss, acts as a sort of filter, absorbing smells and bacteria. There should be a half inch layer of activated charcoal spread across the surface of the growing medium, which is then covered in moss. If you want small hills, then make the hills with soil, then add the layer of charcoal,then the moss, rather than just using extra moss to give a hilly look.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/activated-charcoal-terrariums-81862.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/activated-charcoal-terrariums-81862.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T16:38:45.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34636" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34170" CreationDate="2017-07-20T18:52:00.870" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It &lt;em&gt;almost&lt;/em&gt; looks like normal corking, but when I look closer, the two pads on the bottom right don't look good. It also looks like it is beginning at the joints on the pads further up the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this plant variegated? I may be mistaking the yellow variegation for the same problem as below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The good news is that it doesn't look like an insect problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the main stem at the bottom, it looks like the cuticle is separating from the layer below. This can be indicative of corking or some disease/mold/fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the pictures the soil looks very rich and too wet. What I see may not necessarily reflect reality, it's just what I see in the pictures. Has it just been watered?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this were my plant I would:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grab a good, non-affected pad now to root in case whatever this is spreads. The get some anti-fungal/anti-mold spray and soak that thing. Moving it away from any other plants is probably a good idea too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep us posted, I'm interested in seeing how this progresses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T18:52:00.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34637" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27334" CreationDate="2017-07-20T19:02:00.447" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is usually due to sun exposure and totally harmless! They'll stay green if they're shaded by a leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18295" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T19:02:00.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34638" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33950" CreationDate="2017-07-20T19:09:00.977" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have grown a few cactus from seed. The most effective method was putting my moist potting mix in small pots, sprinkle the seeds on it and cover it with small top-dressing (gravel). Put it in a medium Ziploc bag and place it where it can get some sun. I use square plastic pots 3&quot;x3&quot; or less.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Heat from the bottom (warm soil) also helps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mist when it gets dryish and keep the top closed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to accelerate the process, put the seeds between damp paper towel on a plate in a big seal-able plastic bag. Put in in a warm darkish place. When the seeds sprout, grab them (gently) with tweezers and put them in your prepared pots/bags. Pointy end down!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never grown lithops from seed but I do have a volunteer lithop (?) that grew from a stray seed from my plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I primarily put the seeds in the plant pot  I've gotten quite a few seedlings that way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that succulents, particularly cactus grow very slowly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for soil, I use something called coconut coir (rinse if it is too acid) and something called TurfaceMVP (landscape/sports field suppliers). (about a 50/50 mix) You might also be able to get oil absorbent at an auto parts store. You want the stuff that has been baked so it doesn't dissolve in water. Pumice is also a good substitute.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water should flow through your pots fairly quickly, but they should also absorb water into the voids and absorbent material (turface, pumice, etc), then release it slowly to the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sand and/or gravel doesn't absorb water so it's not ideal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my mind richness = organic material. Not necessarily good for cactus because it can encourage growth of mold, fungus, insects, etc and hold it against the root and plant surfaces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I provide nutrients from the water/fertilizer I use. They don't get anything from the soil that I don't put in there. (Can you tell I&quot;m an anal-retentive cactus grower?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best of luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T19:09:00.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34639" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34645" CreationDate="2017-07-20T19:11:06.313" Score="4" ViewCount="424" Body="&lt;p&gt;Has anyone had success removing wireworms from their garden and do you have any tips? I've looked some online and it seems like baiting them with potatoes is the best solution. I am not opposed to pesticides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have a large plot and like to plant potatoes every year. We practice crop rotation, but have noticed wire worm damage in our potatoes this year. We started planting carrots two or three years ago, so I was wondering if planting carrots was ruining the benefits were were previously getting from rotation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18295" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T20:18:27.527" Title="How to get rid of wireworms in garden plot" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;&lt;pesticide&gt;&lt;carrots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33517" CreationDate="2017-07-20T19:23:10.473" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get rid of the shriveled piece in the top picture. Unfortunately, once you start you will have to cut out all rot. Cactus have a funny way of looking fine from the outside and rotting to nothing on the inside. You don't know it until it either starts to &quot;deflate&quot; or it falls over and breaks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the bottom picture. Cut off the bottom of the broken piece until there is no more rot. If the rot goes all the way to the top, toss it. If you do wind up with a section with no rot, let it dry in the shade for a week, then pot it in dry soil. Depending on how things go, you may be able to start watering in two weeks. Water sparingly until the roots are established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this were my plant I would remove it from the pot to see what is going on with the roots. I wouldn't be surprised if the roots were rotten. You'll have to cut away anything that looks rotten. Then dust with sulphur (agricultural sulphur, in the US you can find it in a big box store in the plant section)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also looks like you've got mealy bugs or (hopefully) just floaty pearlite. If the white things move, kill them all! Mealy bugs are difficult to get rid of. I use systemic insecticide with Imidicloprid. In the US there is a Bayer product that uses this substance. Oh, and segregate any plants affected from non-affected plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck, I wish I had better news!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T19:23:10.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34641" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34628" CreationDate="2017-07-20T19:31:20.443" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;One common problem is trying to grow them with the sides completely vertical - they do better if the top is narrower than the bottom. If the top is wider than the bottom it will shade the bottom out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your pictures seem to show an untrimmed (or untrimmed for a long time) &quot;hedge&quot; which I'd call more &quot;a row of trees let go, than a hedge&quot; and in that condition losing the bottom foliage is quite normal as the top of the tree shades it out. A dense hedge is an artificial growth mode forced by regular shaping/trimming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T19:31:20.443" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34642" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34628" CreationDate="2017-07-20T19:47:42.673" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your hedge is indeed Arborvitae.  Thuya occidentalis...some variety.  One of the reasons your hedge is thinning might be spider mite. Need to get a loupe or magnifying glass to check this out.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you ever fertilized?  Don't use compost that you don't know.  Especially around a straight line of Arborvitae.  Very susceptible to diseases...you need to give them a balanced fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whoever that has pruned these guys has done a good job.  But they DO need to be topped.  8 to 9 feet is just fine! Who ever told you that was too high...?  Topping them will take off the terminal buds that demand most of the energy.  Taking those buds off redirects the energy into the rest of the plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep the sides at a slight angle...the top width has to be narrower than the bottom.  That is very important. These plants are planted too close together but nothing you can do about that.  Fertilizer, get some tree stakes and be done with it for a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally, a hedge like this is made into two rows offset.  This way if one dies it is not noticeable.  3' on center...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T19:47:42.673" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34643" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34644" CreationDate="2017-07-20T19:50:53.380" Score="6" ViewCount="1007" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to identify which plant in my late mother-in-law's garden is giving me a rash. I think it might be this creeper that seems to grow both horizontally &amp;amp; vertically. The location is eastern Virginia, USA. Any help you can offer regarding identification would be a great help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N7EV4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N7EV4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18296" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-20T21:18:11.357" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T21:18:11.357" Title="What is this creeper that may be giving me a rash?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;creepers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34643" CreationDate="2017-07-20T20:07:55.583" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Campsis radicans or Trumpet creeper.  Most definitely your problem.  Causes lots of rashes and itching!  Very very aggressive plant, great if need to cover fences, wonderful flowers but you have to be aggressive back to restrain this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T20:07:55.583" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34645" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34639" CreationDate="2017-07-20T20:18:27.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here you go; try this article.  The best way to deal with any of these problems is always know thy enemy.  Pesticides usually do far more harm than are helpful.  See if this article helps you with these guys.  There IS a BT for beetles SOMEWHERE.  I've no idea why they've not produced this stuff.  It is a toxin made by a bacterium call Bacillus thuringiensis so when the insect eats it they feel so full they stop eating and actually starve to death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a BT for caterpillars, mosquitoes/flies and one for beetles.  I don't know if it is for the adult beetle or its larvae.  I would think the BT for caterpillars which works for larvae would work just fine without making your ecosystem get out of wack.  But that will take a bit more investigation. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This article looks like a good read...let us know what you think.  You obviously know the language, here!! &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/00-047.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wireworm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T20:18:27.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34646" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-20T20:40:20.497" Score="4" ViewCount="113" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a shrub planted in the corner of my property, that the previous owner put there to help mask the utility pole behind it. I kind of like this idea, but there is another plant growing in the same spot. I feel like the shrub would be healthier, fuller, and overall better-looking, if I removed it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is I i'm not sure how to effectively remove one plant without harming the other. Is this even possible? If you look at the closeup below, you can see the trunks - I want to keep the larger plant with the chunky-looking bark, and get rid of the smaller plant with smooth bark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had some success killing hackberry saplings in my back yard by cutting them near grade with lopping shears and painting the top with glyphosate, but I'm afraid that if I do that, it could enter the root system of the larger shrub. Is that an actual possibility, or will the glyphosate remain only in the target plant? If not, how should I go about this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VayHe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VayHe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shrubs growing on top of each other.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jC9cH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jC9cH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup of trunks.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18298" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T21:08:04.570" Title="How do I remove one of two different plants growing in the same spot?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;&lt;parasites&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34647" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34646" CreationDate="2017-07-20T20:44:02.043" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would just take a pruning saw and chop the newcomer to the ground.  If it starts to regrow just chop the new growth down.  It will die from starvation and you won't have to worry about surgery!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to create a plant less tree/shrub circle around your...lilac?  Crepe Myrtle?  Do at least a 3' radius circle.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T20:44:02.043" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34648" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34646" CreationDate="2017-07-20T21:08:04.570" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to tell from the picture, but I think that may be a tree of heaven that sprouted there.  If that's the case if you just cut it to the ground it will come back over and over again but if you keep cutting it back it will eventually die.  Like stormy suggested, that's what I would do.  If you don't want the hassle, I think that painting the freshly cut stumps with glyphosphate would kill it, and I don't think it would affect the shrub.  Keep in mind that is a small amount of chemical and it will enter the tree of heavens root system, spread out and would be pretty inert by the time the roots decompose.  I certainly would not worry about it hurting the shrub.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T21:08:04.570" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34649" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34579" CreationDate="2017-07-20T21:14:59.443" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It really needs to be in full sun - because its not, that's why its grown in this fashion, its etiolated. I suspect it needs a bigger pot, but you can check by turning it out to see whether the roots have filled the whole thing or not - if they've haven't just replace it, if they have, a larger pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to this &lt;a href=&quot;http://oureverydaylife.com/grow-kumquat-tree-kumquat-seed-5477481.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://oureverydaylife.com/grow-kumquat-tree-kumquat-seed-5477481.html&lt;/a&gt; pruning isn't necessary, but you can prune if you like, so I'd suggest you check the roots, repot if necessary, then cut it down by half. This may force another stem from the base, so you get a twin trunked tree, but its not worth cutting it back if you cannot increase its sun exposure, because it will grow in the same way it has now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can sort out its sun exposure, and can pot on as necessary, you should get fruit in 7 years, even without grafting it onto another rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-20T21:14:59.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34650" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34652" CreationDate="2017-07-20T21:47:17.683" Score="3" ViewCount="135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a number of varieties of daylilies in a wildflower garden in Massachusetts, USA, zone 6a. There are at least five, although some may be the same variety in different colors. They were all here when we bought the house four years ago. I'd like to start identifying some, especially since they're not the usual ones I see around the neighborhood. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is one I haven't seen anywhere else, and I think it's unique and beautiful. It's bright yellow, with six long, narrow petals, which taper to a point at the end. Some of the leaves curl around in a twirling fashion.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To clarify, only the long, narrow, grass-like leaves in the pictures belong to the daylily. They're most visible in the lower right and corner of the picture on the left, and the lower left part of the picture on the right. The big green and all other leaves belong to other things. I know the leaves aren't easy to see, so I'm hoping the identification can be made by the flower. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this daylily called? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OMSGM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OMSGM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x97l0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x97l0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-21T00:08:28.370" LastActivityDate="2017-07-21T11:28:58.863" Title="What is this bright yellow daylily with six narrow petals that curl at the ends?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34652" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34650" CreationDate="2017-07-20T22:21:32.693" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are hundreds of varieties of Hemerocallis - this is one of the so called 'spider' daylilies, which have thinner petals which often reflex or twist. I can see a sort of slight difference in colour, with a couple of longitudinal stripes or ridges, most noticeable on the lower right petal in the right hand picture, so I think this one is probably Hemerocallis 'Kindly Light' as you can see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.daylilies.org/DaylilyDB/detail.php?id=27571&amp;amp;name=Kindly%20Light&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-21T11:28:58.863" LastActivityDate="2017-07-21T11:28:58.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34532" CreationDate="2017-07-21T11:46:29.247" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few issues with using paint:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Would take some balancing to get enough paint to be visible, but not so much that it would interfere with the operation of the sprayer.  I'd suggest starting by making a dilution of paint at 1:4 with water.  Obviously you need to use latex paint.  Just use the paint alone, and continue to dilute until you have a just visible cover.  (Of course this could be used for 'instant greening' with the choice of a suitable paint.  Cheaper than green outdoor carpet...)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You need to &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; clean out the sprayer after.  Dried paint can be difficult.  Cover the nozzle if you stop for even a few minutes, as it has maximum exposure to air, and minimum hole size.  An aluminum foil cap works well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So much for the mechanical aspects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Glyphosate deactivates on contact with clay.  Paint pigment is fine particles.  Depending on the particular pigment used, they may function as a de-acativator.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Paint has a bunch of ingredients in it that may react with the ingredients in the weed killer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Baler twine is another method for tracking where you've been.  Put a line along the property every 10 feet.  Maintaining a consistent distance for 1 or 2 passes on either side of a line is fairly easy to do.   Baling twine is cheap, and is available at any farm store.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2067" LastActivityDate="2017-07-21T11:46:29.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34655" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34622" CreationDate="2017-07-21T11:49:52.380" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hopefully, as you've had a lot of rain, this is just a slime mould which has taken the opportunity to grow while it's so damp. It should pass on its own as it dries out, and if it is that, it won't cause harm to the mango root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this buttress root has appeared over time above ground, do not attempt to cover it with anything like soil or mulch, leave it fully exposed to the air. If it's horizontal, running along the ground, then it is likely to get pretty wet during wet weather, and you may find it occasionally has fungal growth over the top. The only thing to worry about is if you see honey coloured toadstools (which usually appear in early autumn) in the vicinity,  because that might be honey fungus, but you haven't reported any symptoms or problems with the mango tree in your question, so it doesn't seem like it's that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ensure that pot isn't actually standing on any of the exposed roots, keep it clear, well away so that water from the pot is not constantly passing over the root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-21T11:49:52.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34656" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34658" CreationDate="2017-07-21T12:12:52.567" Score="5" ViewCount="162" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZhLTv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This pest appeared on the squash plants yesterday.  What is it? How do I treat it?  Zone 6 near Boston, Massachusetts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2017-07-21T14:16:52.857" Title="What pest is this and how do I treat it?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34657" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-21T14:00:46.347" Score="5" ViewCount="670" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZU6ds.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h0PuP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This shrub first appeared in my overflow garden two summers ago.  As I was missing my Snow Day Surprise plant, I off-handedly assumed it was that.  It has reappeared in the same spot two more consecutive years ~ bigger, but with no other off shoots ~ which makes me think it is not a weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is about 4 feet tall (I tried adding a pic of the whole bush but I had gone over the accepted Mb limit) with thick green stalks coming out of the insignificant root; off of which there are many smaller green branches. There are lance shaped leaves (3 inches in length) on the branches.  The pure white flowers are profuse and have been in bloom for about a month now.  They close up in the heat of the day and open when the air is cooler.  There are five heart shaped petals (1 inch in diameter) and a bulbous pod immediately beneath the flower.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would have thought with that many descriptors I could have easily found it on google; but to no avail.  Thank you kindly for your insight; I'd like to figure out what to do with it! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sincerely, Karen&#xA;Oh, I am in Zone 5 Nova Scotia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18301" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-07-21T14:31:12.173" LastActivityDate="2017-07-21T16:44:19.453" Title="Can you identify this plant, please?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34658" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34656" CreationDate="2017-07-21T14:04:17.307" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is another case of &quot;dog vomit slime mold&quot;, or Fuligo septica. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It pops up unannounced, often on wood chips (which I see isn't your case here), and spreads a little bit, but in sort of a limited way. By that I mean it gets a little bigger, but doesn't really spread past the immediate area that it started in. It goes through a definite short lifecycle, changing color from psychedelic-yellow, to vomitty pinkish-beige, to black, all in the space of ... a month I guess(?), and then it dries up and blows away. Unless it engulfs your entire squash plant (and it doesn't look like it is huge enough to do anything close to that), it won't really harm anything. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a really interesting nature lesson, you ought to look up this disgusting looking, but fascinating organism on the internet. I think most people don't feel it needs any treatment, other than just to stand back and admire its performance (maybe take some photos, and share with young people.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastEditorUserId="17501" LastEditDate="2017-07-21T14:16:52.857" LastActivityDate="2017-07-21T14:16:52.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34659" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-21T14:38:40.277" Score="9" ViewCount="6251" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to come up with a suitable crop rotation regimen for garlic. What are the plants suitable for planting on the &quot;garlic space&quot; the second and third year of rotation? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In particular I am interested in garlic-hemp (the one without psychedelic effect) combination. Hemp and garlic seems to be such a new combination that I've barely found anything written about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On other side, I've found out that potato and legumes are a no-go. When I hear legumes I typically think of beans. Does that mean that alfalfa too shouldn't be used as a cover plant once the garlic is taken out of the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18302" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-24T15:09:42.697" LastActivityDate="2018-11-05T22:07:39.763" Title="How to crop rotate garlic?" Tags="&lt;garlic&gt;&lt;crop-rotation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34660" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-21T15:17:29.237" Score="6" ViewCount="3932" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can any one identify this tree from these leaves pic&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yhOqA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yhOqA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has thorns too. Adding more pics. I am in St. Louis MO.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4XrY3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4XrY3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BDdGu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BDdGu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18303" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-21T19:57:12.123" LastActivityDate="2018-08-19T19:43:24.357" Title="Identify multi-stemmed thorny shrub with alternate ovate leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;thorns&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34661" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34657" CreationDate="2017-07-21T15:57:56.393" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like White Campion to me, Latin name Silene latifolia, a biennial or perennial plant, but check the image here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.toronto-wildlife.com/Plants/Pink_Carnation_family/plants_family_pink_carnation.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.toronto-wildlife.com/Plants/Pink_Carnation_family/plants_family_pink_carnation.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In order to compare leaves, you should  google 'Silene latifolia foliage' to check it's the right plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-21T16:06:37.963" LastActivityDate="2017-07-21T16:06:37.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34662" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-21T16:12:33.137" Score="2" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can any one identify this tree from these leaves pics?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3pHki.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3pHki.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xzmdX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xzmdX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18304" LastActivityDate="2017-07-21T16:12:33.137" Title="Can any one identify this shrub from these leaves pics?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2017-07-21T16:38:11.260" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34664" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34660" CreationDate="2017-07-21T16:31:20.933" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to narrow this down without more info/pictures, but I would lean towards something in the malus (apple) or prunus(cherry) genus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-07-21T16:31:20.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34665" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34657" CreationDate="2017-07-21T16:44:19.453" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Bamboo.  I think this is white campion 'silene latifolia', or bladder campion is what I've always known it as.  I've dealt with bladder campion a lot which can get very weedy if you allow it to go to seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-07-21T16:44:19.453" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34666" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34670" CreationDate="2017-07-22T01:32:34.577" Score="6" ViewCount="3388" Body="&lt;p&gt;My basil plant has some odd white spots on the lower leaves. The upper leaves look like healthy leaves, with only the lower ones being affected. Some pictures of a sample leaf: &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lfh5X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lfh5X.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Top side of the leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Go4eF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Go4eF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bottom side of the leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Any ideas as to what they could be and how to treat them? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Extra info: I live in South Florida and recently had to add sand to the top of the soil to keep snails from munching on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18273" LastActivityDate="2017-07-22T15:20:25.690" Title="What are these white spots on my Basil Leaves?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34667" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-22T06:53:43.270" Score="3" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;I plan to amend the soil with wood chips by tilling them up to 40cm into the soil(should I go depper?) , going heavy on nitrogen fertilizer and planting alfalfa while decomposition takes place. I did the math, and in order to increase the organic matter by 5%, I need to add about 25kg per square meter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That is a lot wood chips. Is there anyting to be aware of regarding use of wood chips for soil amending purposes? Are there any bad side effects? Once decomposed, will the soil have too much fertilizer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18302" LastActivityDate="2017-07-22T13:46:11.487" Title="Amend soil with wood chips - is there anything to be aware of?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34668" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20329" CreationDate="2017-07-22T13:27:57.890" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get the automatic timer!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reason 1: You will probably waste more that $40 in water by leaving a hosing running all the time (even if it's just a trickle) - then again you might not depending on your water metering and cost of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reason 2: As has been stated above, plants need air in the soil.  Depending on your soil type, you might saturate the soil by leaving a hose running.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're looking to save a little water, you can likely find a controller/timer with a season adjust.  If you google &quot;evapotranspiration rate&quot; and your city/area you can likely (may take a little work) find a calendar telling you when the plants need the most amount of water.  From there, you can adjust your timing down according to how much water the plants need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-07-22T13:27:57.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34669" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34667" CreationDate="2017-07-22T13:46:11.487" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may want to do a soil test before adding all of that.  Some wood chips might raise the acidity levels in addition to providing organic matter as they decompose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18099" LastActivityDate="2017-07-22T13:46:11.487" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34670" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34666" CreationDate="2017-07-22T15:20:25.690" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That grazed look on the leaves says thrips damage to me. Not sure that all the black specks in the second picture are soil, some may be black thrips. Spraying with neem should help, but make sure you spray beneath the leaves as well as the tops and stems &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-spray-plants-keep-bugs-away-basil-leaves-90744.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-spray-plants-keep-bugs-away-basil-leaves-90744.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-07-22T15:20:25.690" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34671" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-22T17:36:02.137" Score="4" ViewCount="1476" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted Crimson Red watermelon seedlings (top) in a firepit that I converted to a garden bed. It's sharing space with a tomato (left), rosemary (bottom), and red pepper (right). Since there's 4 plants crammed into this garden bed, I decided to drape the watermelon vines over the concrete to make room. &lt;strong&gt;Is there any problem for the watermelon fruit to grow on a hard surface?&lt;/strong&gt; I've been slowly building up this soil with a mixture of store bought soil and vegetable scraps, egg shells, fallen fruit, and nut shells for several years. I water this garden bed twice a week. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I noticed that the watermelon leaves are all curling inward. It looks wrinkly just like kale. &lt;strong&gt;Is this normal or a sign of some disease?&lt;/strong&gt; The leaves are a decent green color. There's not much yellow. There's 3 watermelon fruit growing, They're all around 6 inches in diameter. The fruit started off squishy but now they're rock hard like the mature watermelons you find the super market. &lt;strong&gt;Is it normal for the fruit to start off soft?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in California zone 9. It's been around 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the daytime for two months. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/25pqn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/25pqn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0JMmc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0JMmc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2709" LastActivityDate="2017-07-22T17:36:02.137" Title="Watermelon leaves curled up and fruit were squishy. Is it normal?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;watermelon&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34672" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34734" CreationDate="2017-07-22T18:12:49.947" Score="5" ViewCount="1724" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think I got the wrong kind of pepper. On the tag it says they are ready at 10cm and yellow. Now they are still green and nearly 30 cm! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of pepper is this and how do I know when it's ready?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OL5Kf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the tag:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O6Yoq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19313" LastEditorUserId="19313" LastEditDate="2017-07-26T21:47:15.993" LastActivityDate="2017-07-27T02:16:35.327" Title="What is this long, thin green pepper?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34673" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-22T18:41:10.147" Score="10" ViewCount="305" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of our flowering pears has the bark pulling away from the base of the trunk. It is planted in our front lawn and has done well till now. Afraid we're going to loose it. The crown doesn't show any problems yet. The side that the bark is pulling away is the shady side. We live in Northern California and it is very hot. Has been over 100 for about 3 week. With many days around 110. Puzzled though because we just finished a drought and there wasn't problems then. Hope I can get some ideas or answers. Also we water the lawn 2 times a day. Once in the evenings and once in the mornings.&#xA;Also should I pull the bark away? Should I treat the bark?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ApB6f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jLERQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19314" LastActivityDate="2017-07-23T13:35:26.397" Title="Base of flowering pear has its bark pulling away from the trunk" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34674" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34673" CreationDate="2017-07-22T19:42:29.183" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Watering the grass does not water the tree. I suggest pulling the grass back three feet from the trunk and mulching to an inch or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not treat the bark. This is old damage so the rest of the trunk is compensating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-22T22:35:22.430" LastActivityDate="2017-07-22T22:35:22.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34673" CreationDate="2017-07-22T20:47:22.273" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most important thing you can do for this tree is like Kevinsky said, pull that grass and soil and anything touching that bark away from the tree.  Make a good 2' radius circle.  This damage is probably because this tree has been buried too deeply and/or this is mower and line trimmer damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That loose bark needs to be cut away without damaging any more of the vascular system just beneath the bark.  No painting of any kind.  Make sure that the roots are below the soil and where that bark begins above the roots there is no soil, mulch, grass, rocks up against the bark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-22T20:47:22.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34676" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34533" CreationDate="2017-07-22T22:27:00.580" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nFJKP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nFJKP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fire pit and gazebo bottom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xMNLY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xMNLY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;similar screen can&amp;#39;t tell there is garbage behind&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J8zV6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J8zV6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;garden wall&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I am sending pictures of screens that would be great for an espalier as well as break up your wall of fence.  Also firepit pictures...also lawn edge curves, plant beds mounded...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fMvj3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fMvj3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;screen to detract from fence and notice curves of set radius and notice garden walls made of CMU concrete modular units...and walkway&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9KxZ4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9KxZ4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;consistent radius mounded bed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-07-22T23:03:04.723" LastActivityDate="2017-07-22T23:03:04.723" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34677" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5108" CreationDate="2017-07-23T03:33:38.973" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hands are surprisingly effective for handling weeds around trees and landscaping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19316" LastActivityDate="2017-07-23T03:33:38.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34678" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5108" CreationDate="2017-07-23T04:51:23.967" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another option, in addition to those mentioned are grass trimming shears. They are an oversized, spring-loaded scissors. That's what I remember my parents using.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1447" LastActivityDate="2017-07-23T04:51:23.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34679" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34687" CreationDate="2017-07-23T13:07:38.677" Score="5" ViewCount="373" Body="&lt;p&gt;So my neighbours have this fruiting tree, which is growing into my garden and it has a huge amount of fruit on it. It seems a waste to not use them if they're safe. I'm asking here what type of fruit are they and are they safe? The neighbours aren't exactly the most pleasant people to ask what the tree is, hence why asking here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been doing some digging and I think they're greengages. I'm in Ireland in case that helps narrow down what can grow here in terms of fruiting plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hOUu8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hOUu8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I5pAY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I5pAY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U70SO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U70SO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19320" LastEditorUserId="19320" LastEditDate="2017-07-23T13:21:36.650" LastActivityDate="2017-07-23T21:14:06.903" Title="Is this a greengage?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34680" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34673" CreationDate="2017-07-23T13:35:26.397" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll cast a 3rd vote for giving the tree some breathing room from the grass. I'd also suggest 3 feet as a minimum. However, I would also suggest not physically digging the grass out.  In my experience I've seen fruit tree sprout watershoots from root damage and I'd think it would create more of a long term management issue than a helpful situation.  My prefered method would be at the start of the rainy season trim the grass as low as possible with a string trimmer up to about 4&quot; from the tree.  AVOID hitting the bark with the line!  Then lay a double layer of newspaper making sure to overlap all seams by 4-6&quot;. I'd then add 2-3&quot; of mulch over the newspaper, but making sure it isn't touching the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also agree that the wound shouldn't be treated.  Personally, I'd worry more about the bark on the ground side of the wound that the crown side.  If possible, make sure there aren't pockets where water can collect.  Otherwise, I'd leave the bark along as much as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-07-23T13:35:26.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34681" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34682" CreationDate="2017-07-23T17:33:38.460" Score="4" ViewCount="276" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wui5D.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wui5D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These small white mushrooms started growing in a small pot. The location is Israel, on a higher floor in the building.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_smithiana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Amanita smithiana&lt;/a&gt; ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19322" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-23T17:54:31.110" LastActivityDate="2017-07-23T18:44:20.520" Title="What is this small white mushroom with textured tops found in Israel?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34682" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34681" CreationDate="2017-07-23T18:12:24.163" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The flattened tops and long stalks make it more likely they're young versions of the Onion Stalked Lepiota,  now officially known as Leucocoprinus cepaestipes, although the stalks look a little thick - they may thin out as the mushrooms develop. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/species/Leucocoprinus_cepaestipes.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/species/Leucocoprinus_cepaestipes.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If its one of the amanitas, Amanita phalloides is more likely, but they have a smooth surface to the caps even when they're young.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where the pot is inside a building is irrelevant - these will have come from mycelium present in the soil, and are just the fruiting bodies off that. You can snap them off and dispose of them if you like, but probably safest to wear gloves - they may well recur over time though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-23T18:44:20.520" LastActivityDate="2017-07-23T18:44:20.520" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34683" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-23T19:39:24.047" Score="7" ViewCount="830" Body="&lt;h2&gt;Backstory&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hey everyone, first post in this stack, so sorry if I didn't see an answer to these questions (I did check though).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I have a Scorpion Butch T plant that I bought about 2 months ago (63 days). It was already grown to ~9 inches tall, but with most of the stalk trimmed of leaves. Only foliage was at the upper 4-5&quot; mark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, it's grown to about 16&quot; now and is finally starting to grow a new leaves. In the past 2 weeks it dropped 6 large leaves that were lower down, so now it's looking like a poodle or something. This Seems quite slow considering that my wife's plant (1 week older) has more than tripled in size so far and is producing ~50 chillies. Now hers is a pepper pequin plant, so I'd expect them to grow differently, but this is just silly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, not only does my plant seem to be growing pretty slow, but it's been dropping every flower bud, many of them even before flowering. At the moment this is my biggest concern. What is interesting to note is that they &lt;em&gt;were&lt;/em&gt; flowering before the large leaves were dropped and since they haven't even really opened at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My wife and I have just been using regular old Miracle-gro and some acceptable soil I got from work. When I started looking I found that there's a lot of science being applied to pepper growing! So I got a soil test kit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Plant Environment&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The one I got only goes to a value of 4 at the top... so yeah.&#xA; 1. pH: 6-6.5&#xA; 2. N: 4+ (I estimate ~12 based on darkness)&#xA; 3. P: 4+ (I estimate ~12 based on darkness)&#xA; 4. K: 3-4&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Los Angeles area 12&quot; potted-plant, so temp now is ~65-95F for the most part. Humidity can get pretty low, but the environment on my balcony has been pretty good. Where my plant sits it get ~10-11 hrs of direct/full sun. Wind is hit or miss. If it's windy, they it will get a gentle breeze at least, but the walls on the balcony keep it from getting too violent. I have played with my watering practice a bit and found that it seems to like a good soak that fully drains away, but what's odd is the soils stays fairly wet for ~5-7 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Added Info&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil is a mixture of potting soil, natural Los Angeles earth (which can be pretty sandy) and some manure that got mixed in a couple seasons back. There are some rocks in the soil, although I've been removing them when I come across them, but I didn't add any rocks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On watering, the last 2 weeks I've kind of experimented. The pot does have holes, but the dish underneath seemed to have been blocking them a bit. I put some bottle caps between the pot and dish so there's more space, and that seems to have done the trick. Today when watering the water took ~10 seconds to drain (and didn't drain that much water). Also I did let the souls get drier than before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My wife and I have basically done the same practices with regard to watering and fertilizing, although I've used less of the Miracle-gro. I'm thinking of changing the soil soon cause we bought some fruit/veggie soil which looks much better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;General Questions&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I suppose if anyone has experience with Scorpion peppers in particular, let me know what stands out to you. For anyone whose cultivated fruits and veggies, I imagine you may be able to impart some relevant knowledge, and I definitely appreciate whatever you've got!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Specific Questions:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why is it dropping blossoms and not growing peppers at all!?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is NPK of 12-12-3 (or 4-4-1) bad for chili/pepper plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the soil not draining well enough or being overwatered?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With my NPK this far out of whack, should I try to balance it with specific fertilization (like  potassium sulfide, phosphorus etc.) or let the plant stabilize the soil before beginning proper fertilization? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If doing targeted fertilization of the NPK, what tricks or methods work best, especially considering that I do want to consume the fruit yield?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Images&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My Scorpion Butch T&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7ivVy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7ivVy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My Scorpion Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J9ekn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J9ekn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cgKK4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cgKK4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;closer&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jccbx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jccbx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;another&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My wife's Pepper/Chili Pequin &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3yxsX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3yxsX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My Wife&amp;#39;s Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tVmFE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tVmFE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Update in the Wife&amp;#39;s Pequin&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;UPDATES&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I reported by pepper (thoroughly washed my hands and wore gloves to avoid tobacco contamination ;) ) with new soil and did a new set of tests on it. It's now &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pH ~6.5-7&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;N: 4&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;P: 4&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;K: ~3.5&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also did some trimming of the leaves that were most yellowed and took care of a new little cluster of aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's looking better and while checking for aphids, I found 2 flowers that have started fruiting!!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I'll keep monitoring it and see what's what. Thanks for everything so far!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As of yesterday...&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vZesz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vZesz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;FIRST FRUIT&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant's also got about 6-10 blossoms that are opening up. We had a hot spell a few weeks back, but now that it's getting more temperate, to doing quite well. So excited!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So just to update, here's my plant as of this morning!&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zbmLo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zbmLo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fruuuuiiit!!!&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I think the solution for me was a number of factors:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Putting actual &lt;em&gt;potting&lt;/em&gt; soil, not garden soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Learning the plants preferred watering schedule (this does fluctuate with temp/humidity changes) which seems to be about weekly with current weather.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sparingly&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; using any kind of fertilizers/nutrient supplements!!!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Using dissolved epsom salt every couple weeks.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(The &lt;em&gt;one&lt;/em&gt; thing I can't control too well) the weather in my locality. If I had more space, and no pets, I'd be willing to put my plant inside as needed with extreme heat or cold, but it's not really feasible. :,( So, this plant seems to be quite happy in the 68F - 83F range.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19323" LastEditorUserId="19323" LastEditDate="2017-09-01T14:08:15.823" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T14:08:15.823" Title="Scorpion Pepper growth" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;&lt;potash&gt;&lt;phosphorous&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="19" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34685" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19498" CreationDate="2017-07-23T20:17:46.207" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Calvatia craniiformis (Brain puffball)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v3qnV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cpT1F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19324" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-23T21:05:32.163" LastActivityDate="2017-07-23T21:05:32.163" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34679" CreationDate="2017-07-23T21:14:06.903" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;So to put Bamboo's and Kevinsky's information into an answer, bad me, you've got this European plum, also called Greengage; Prunus domestica Italica var. claudiana.  Yummy plum/prune!  Although I am not at all experienced with this fruit!  I could be wrong on the variety!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-23T21:14:06.903" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34688" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34672" CreationDate="2017-07-23T21:23:35.630" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not an answer but it is easier to send a link.  This guy is growing only peppers in this video.  He also does lots of other garden videos and he is real...kind of cute, I don't go by all he says but most is good.  But watch this video and all the different peppers.  Makes me want to grow even more peppers!  He grabs peppers that look like yours and eats them; crunch crunch crunch...great resource.  Perhaps this will help for now?&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH0Jztqt5TY&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pepper growing dude&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-23T21:23:35.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34690" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-24T11:23:14.203" Score="1" ViewCount="27" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know if there is any web which offers us to upload our gardens' content, and even more, if there are any gardens contest where you could submitt your material via photos or videos and compete!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you for your time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19326" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T11:23:14.203" Title="Are there any websites related to publish own's garderns' images/videos?" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2017-07-24T13:46:54.860" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34691" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-24T12:00:58.127" Score="10" ViewCount="2730" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently I've read an article stating that easy soluble mineral ferilizers are not allowed in organic farming (with a few exceptions). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By that I mean that there are some laws that restrict you from having a &quot;organic farmer&quot; certificate if you use mineral fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why is that? What is so bad about using such nutrients? I understand that you are not adding any organic matter to the soil, which is beneficial to the soil organisms, but if you already have a 20% organic matter in your soil does it even matter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastActivityDate="2017-07-28T07:17:36.853" Title="Why are mineral fertilizers not allowed in organic farming?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="9" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34692" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34691" CreationDate="2017-07-24T12:22:30.510" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The term 'organic', in this instance, essentially means anything used on the land must contain carbon. Therefore, things like composted manures, composted plant waste, green manures,essentially, waste from anything that once lived, are organic. Minerals are derived from rocks, and do not contain any carbon, so they don't generally fit within the parameters of certified organic production, though there are some exceptions; many of the minerals which are mined are then treated chemically to make them useful as inorganic fertilizers, and the use of chemicals also rules them out for organic purposes. This information &lt;a href=&quot;http://gardeningunlimited.com/2013/05/02/what-is-the-difference-between-organic-and-mineral-based-fertilizers/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://gardeningunlimited.com/2013/05/02/what-is-the-difference-between-organic-and-mineral-based-fertilizers/&lt;/a&gt; gives a background, although it is not aimed at farmers, it's aimed at ordinary gardeners, but the principles are the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll try to clarify in light of your comment. The point is, minerals DO NOT contain carbon and ARE likely to contain chemicals. Organic farming is based around the idea that nothing is used on the soil or the crops that is chemical/synthetic, or has been treated chemically, so the point is not to simply increase humus, or organic, carbon rich material in soil, but to discretely exclude the use of anything else that is, has, or might have been, chemically treated, and that includes minerals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE 2&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In relation to another comment, if you like using chemicals, then use them; it only matters if you're wanting to be a certified organic producer and purveyor of foodstuffs. If you don't, you can use anything you like that's legal where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-24T14:23:52.207" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T14:23:52.207" CommentCount="15" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34693" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34691" CreationDate="2017-07-24T13:29:01.353" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are several reasons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Where to put boundary for organic and “traditional?”&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the difference between a pesticide, an growth regulator, a herbicide and a fertilizer?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe for most of cases it is simple, but it could be used by unethical companies, to bypass the restrictions, so rules should be simple, and for all cases. So now it is “not synthetic products.”&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Marketing: Bio/organic is seen as product without synthetic products. What would be the message, if organic products are allowed do be produced with chemicals from large chemical farms? (Fertilizers are often byproducts of another process.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;em&gt;Synthetic&lt;/em&gt; is the correct word, and it is simple to define. Note: some chemicals byproducts from algae are allowed as pesticides, and also &lt;strong&gt;copper&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;sulphur&lt;/strong&gt;: These are “chemicals,” “minerals” but not synthetic: They exist in nature in the same form as used as pesticides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="13207" LastEditDate="2017-07-24T18:01:22.360" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T18:01:22.360" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34694" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-24T14:13:19.407" Score="4" ViewCount="66" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0u9kZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bought this plant in a local supermarket but cannot remember what it is. The berry itself looks like a small raspberry but shiny like a blackberry. It tastes sweet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19328" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-07-24T14:30:02.163" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T14:37:01.777" Title="What type of berry is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;berries&gt;&lt;outdoor&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34695" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34694" CreationDate="2017-07-24T14:37:01.777" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, this looks very much like a wineberry.  It's a type of raspberry.  Wineberries are one of my favorite raspberries and one of the only I've ever seen that produce reliably in the shade.  It is considered semi invasive in some areas so just beware.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T14:37:01.777" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34696" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34659" CreationDate="2017-07-24T15:00:19.607" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;From my experience garlic doesn't need to be rotated unless there is a particular problem noticed the previous year. I've even heard of farmers growing alliums in the same field for 30 years straight without issue and some even report better yields in established fields.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to rotate a classic three year garlic crop rotation is tomato family, broccoli family and then onion family.  Garlic is a light feeder so you can rotate it after any heavy feeders without issue.  I've read mixed reports of legumes with garlic and onions.  It seems never plant them together as companion plants and don't plant legumes before garlic.  However, I have read a few times that legumes after garlic with another crop in between can be beneficial.  Something like year 1: lettuce, year 2: fruits(tomato/squashes) year 3: roots (carrots, onions, garlic), year 4: legumes (beans/peas). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have any experience growing hemp, so I can't say how it will do in a rotation with garlic but I don't see any reason the two wouldn't grow well in rotation as long as you are adding compost to the soil between crops.  As mentioned in the comments above I think the most important factor in deciding what is planted next is more dependent your local climate and how much time you have to grow your desired next crop than anything else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, you mentioned alfalfa, and I think it would make a great cover crop between garlic crops.  Some farmers add alfalfa pellets to their garlic beds to add extra nitrogen to the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastEditorUserId="15754" LastEditDate="2017-07-24T15:15:31.293" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T15:15:31.293" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34697" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-24T16:03:36.687" Score="3" ViewCount="49" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a Sego Palm too close to a sidewalk . After years of trimming, I finally cut off at ground level . The trunk was about 42&quot; , so I dug a 36&quot; hole and planted it.  This happened last fall , the 5 big fronds are green and look healthy, but it did not put out any new growth ( New growth is in May for Zone 9). So I wonder if it skipped a year of growth or is dying ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T17:00:31.427" Title="Can a Sego Palm skip a growing season?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34698" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-24T16:51:18.387" Score="6" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pond and this one goose has been here for two weeks and wont leave. I dont feed it, I try to scare it away but it just jumped in the pond and swims away from you or whatever you scare it with. Any idea why it wont leave? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19331" LastActivityDate="2017-07-26T16:03:19.140" Title="A single wild goose wont leave!" Tags="&lt;wildlife&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34697" CreationDate="2017-07-24T17:00:31.427" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you cut the palm at the ground level and then replanted it I would imagine it is probably in shock from having its entire root system removed.  My guess is the reason you didn't see any new growth this year is because the plant put all of the effort into growing a new roots.  I'm the kind of gardener that won't pull out a plant until its 100% dead so I would leave it where it is and see what happens next year.  The fact that the original fronds are still green and healthy is a good sign. A layer of compost will likely help the plant recover from the transplant shock and give it the nutrient it needs for new roots/fronds. I've read that Sego Palms benefit from regular fertilizer applications but I would read up on this more to figure out how often, how much and specifically which nutrients benefit Sego Palms.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T17:00:31.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34700" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34626" CreationDate="2017-07-24T18:29:48.700" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I reread your question and you say you put 'grit' beneath the plant when you planted? I take back that that might not be the problem. If you've got silt loam soil (small pores) and you used 'grit' that has large pores you might have made a perched water table which actually inhibits drainage. How much did you use beneath these lavenders? What size is this grit is it sand or gravel? How thick of a layer? The deal with adding rock, grit, gravel below the soil means the smaller pores in the soil above have to become saturated before any water will start to drain into the...more porous layer. This is more prevalent in pots because some old lady started this thing with the rock layer beneath the soil to enhance drainage. It does the opposite. The soil has to be completely saturated before the water is able to slowly move down and into the rock/grit. Pretty interesting physics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But this wouldn't be true for the lavender on the other side of the yard.       &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pull up the dead plants, lets not worry about that grit right now. These plants are pretty tough and this is in the garden not a pot type situation. The plants look healthy otherwise and what I am seeing looks fairly normal for lavender. The reason this plant isn't used for hedges is exactly because parts or whole plants die for no discernible reason. What you do need to learn is how to prune these guys. After flowering at some point you need to use hedging shears and lop of all the flowers and tips of the leaves. Imagine a salad bowl upside down. Keep the shears tangent on the surface of this bowl. This should be done at least once per year. The bowl should be a wide gently sloping UPSIDE DOWN bowl. The bottom needs to be the widest point of this bowl. I like a flat bottom for the top of the shrub...ha ha ha does that make sense? Doing this will thicken and re energize lavenders. You should be able to buy one gallon plants and plant them offset, a zigzag pattern. Take the top picture, pull the dead one out and plant a new plant about 8&quot; closer to the wall and a couple of inches away from the existing one. The next plant going to the left would be closer to the rocks in front, not in line with the original plant on the right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This way there are no straight lines and when one dies it will not be noticeable. This is called a 'soft' hedge. Try to keep the distances consistent but always one forward, one back zigzag. Think of salad bowls touching and pruning so that you have a soft mounding mass of lavender sweeping the length. Also plant a bit of a lavender hedge of at least three elsewhere in your yard to pull this plant into your landscape. I would also incorporate an evergreen shrub to be part of a 'skeleton' planting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is just an idea and I hope this is somewhat clear using just words to describe...I'd use Ilex 'Sky Pencil' in a line behind the lavender. Placed very regularly in a line behind the lavender. Perhaps 3 feet apart, the line exactly 1 1/2 feet from your fence. The lavender will become this gray purple cloud at and around the base of these shiny, vertical, architectural looking dark green plants. I can't see what you've got going, wish I knew how to DRAW on this internet...if you could send a picture of your entire back yard and also a clear picture of this hedge and brick wall I could try to explain better if necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T18:29:48.700" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34701" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34691" CreationDate="2017-07-24T19:17:21.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Finally someone asks this question!  &quot;It's organic don't panic, it's synthetic don't buy it&quot;...sigh.  Hey, I am a licensed commercial pesticide applicator.  Fertilizer is NOT pesticide.  Chemicals are everything including us...we are bags of chemicals and chemistry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The difference between 'organic' nitrogen and 'synthetic' nitrogen is absolutely nothing.  A nitrogen atom is a nitrogen atom is a nitrogen atom.  This is an arena we all need to be discussing in a very big way!! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Problems with fertilizer include; fillers, the production of fertilizer is a big problem and the incorrect application of fertilizers can be a problem but the products are not a problem at all. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The production of phosphorus produces a by product called fluoride.  Extremely extremely toxic and guess what, YOU are drinking when you  turn on the faucet to drink city water?  Fluoride.  And it has never ever been shown to do a dang thing for teeth.  And we worry about putting chemicals in the soil plants have to have to do photosynthesis to grow our food?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a very big deal and an important concept!  Fertilizer is not harming our soils.  Adding fertilizer to soil to grow plants is as important as water, drainage and sunlight.  Compost is NOT fertilizer, should not be used as fertilizer.  It is not balanced.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the list of CRITICAL chemicals plant have to have to make their own food and ours as well; Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Boron, Calcium, Magnesium, Molybdenum, Iron, Sulfur, Manganese, Zinc, Vanadium, Sodium, Silicon, Selenium, Nickel, Copper, Chlorine, Cobalt, these are all ELEMENTS. I guess this makes them NON Organic...? Think about this! These chemicals are elements absolutely necessary to plants to be able to do their incredible act of photosynthesis!! Compost has maybe one or two of these elements. Compost if it is decomposed FEEDS the soil organisms! When we grow crops, gardens, heck plants in pots these are artificial systems! We humans have to add and monitor these chemicals. Throwing compost on the soil is NOT a fertilizer program.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any ecosystem these chemicals are NOT found in the soil but for a brief time...they are in the biomass. This is why when the rain forests are chopped down that soil might have a little chemistry to grow crops for a short time but otherwise that soil is useless for growing artificial crops! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hate the terms, 'organic', 'natural', 'nutrients' because these terms don't mean a thing anymore.  They are used to sell products and are used so loosely as to become worthless.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-07-24T19:46:12.750" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T19:46:12.750" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34702" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-24T20:03:54.733" Score="4" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this mushroom at the base of a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abies_magnifica&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;red fir&lt;/a&gt; stump at around 7000' (2100 m) above sea level. It is light brown with white markings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Az5kY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19336" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-07-24T20:13:46.143" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T20:13:46.143" Title="Identify mushroom found at the base of a red fir stump" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2018-03-04T23:34:38.687" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34703" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-24T20:09:50.820" Score="5" ViewCount="342" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bunch of new packets of seeds, and some of them are extremely tiny. I plan on planting them in 6-cell trays. What is the best way to go about sowing seeds when they are so tiny, it's next to impossible to handle one at a time? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XqdUh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XqdUh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19337" LastActivityDate="2017-08-12T09:51:37.513" Title="Sowing Tiny Seeds" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34704" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34703" CreationDate="2017-07-24T20:27:27.860" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have experience with these hand seeders as I just found them after I planted my garden this year, but thought I'd pass it on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is this one from &lt;a href=&quot;http://parkseed.com/pro-hand-seeder/p/06528/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Park Seeds&lt;/a&gt; and one similar to it on&lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00SATC27W&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Amazon&lt;/a&gt; on Amazon (but with only one 3-star review on the latter it's hard to know if it's a better option).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19338" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T20:27:27.860" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34705" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34703" CreationDate="2017-07-24T21:23:34.520" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can mix them with sand and sow them together. If you don't want to use sand, just put the seeds on a white sheet of paper and use it to disperse them by sliding 3-4 seeds off the sheet before moving the paper to cover the entire tray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T21:23:34.520" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34706" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34709" CreationDate="2017-07-24T21:55:31.093" Score="3" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing a crepe myrtle to eventually make a Bonsai out of it. I've had to spray it against powdery mildew few months ago. Now it seems like I'm doing something wrong again as the leaf are curly and twisted, and the tips are burning. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing I did was giving it a very small amount of fertilizer every week. Could that be the cause or is it something else?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is my soil is lacking nutriment? It's the same soil as 1 year ago. How can I save it or quickly react to it? Because it's dying very fast since 3-4 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k3TK7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k3TK7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0XsOQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0XsOQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xL2ht.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xL2ht.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QWFq6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QWFq6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3fcbW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3fcbW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15016" LastEditorUserId="15016" LastEditDate="2017-08-04T12:29:19.293" LastActivityDate="2017-08-04T12:29:19.293" Title="Never ending problems with my Crepe Myrtle" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34707" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-24T22:40:34.470" Score="6" ViewCount="635" Body="&lt;p&gt;I moved into a new house recently with a row of 10 Italian Cypress bordering one side of the property for privacy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are mature (about 20-25 ft tall), and water regularly by the pop up sprinkler system. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, they don't seem to be doing very well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have large areas of missing foliage, brown spots in places, and some drooping branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to make these trees thrive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bay Area, CA (usda zone 9a/b)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Jldn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Jldn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bald brown patches&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KOg0T.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KOg0T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;another shot of them&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18108" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T23:35:04.173" Title="What is wrong with my Italian Cypress?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34703" CreationDate="2017-07-24T22:59:24.677" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never heard of the tool @Bob found, but I always buy all my seeds and growing supplies at Park Seed, so it's probably great. If you have time before planting, you might want to order one. I probably will next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the reasons why there are so many seeds in that package is that you're not expected to be able to plant them all separately. Many get either lost or broken in the process. I also usually drop at least a few in each planting cell anyway. If more than one germinates, you can always separate them later. If nothing germinates, you've gone through some hard work to no avail! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever method you choose, it helps to do the process under a good light. It gives you the best chance of working with the seeds, and also watching where they fall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fold a piece of paper to make a good crease.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pour your seeds into the crease.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spread them apart as much as you can with a small knife, being careful not to squish all of them. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hold the paper horizontally over your seed pod, very close to it, but not touching it. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;With the tip of the knife, gently slide the seeds off the paper.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Check the knife to make sure the seeds haven't gotten stuck. If they have, you can try shaking them off, or just throw those out.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Try not to touch the soil with the knife. Firstly, the knife picks up some dark bits of soil which blend in with the seeds, so you can't tell which is which. Also, if the seeds get wet from the soil, they stick on the knife, and it's nearly impossible to get them off without damaging them. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This picture is from last year. As you can see, I have three different types of seeds. I usually don't do that, but I was in a hurry, and that way I could plant in more than one cell without having to do the process with each flower type individually. The tiny tiny things that look like black dust, the medium tiny things that look like bigger black dust, and the tiny bit bigger brown seeds that look brown dust are each different plants. Actually, the brown ones have some texture to them, and are less fragile. The brown ones also show up better on the planting cell, making it easier to see where they fall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/69XJ9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/69XJ9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-24T23:04:26.503" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T23:04:26.503" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34709" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34706" CreationDate="2017-07-24T23:00:09.527" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Shoot, there are things one should do to prevent powdery mildew...such as fans blowing 24/7, spraying with 9:1 water/milk solution.  You've got more going on than powdery mildew.  Looks like too high of salts in your soil from tap water, fertilizers and perhaps a virus. The leaves are distorted and crinkly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What a gorgeous plant for a Bonsai.  I am seeing that there should have been a few tip prunings that have not happened.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stop fertilizing.  Cut this fertilizer stuff by half or even 3/4.  Hopefully this soil is potting soil, yes?  The branch from the main stem that goes to the right should be the top of this plant. Cut back to just above that branch without leaving a stub.  Cut off these distorted leaves and their branches.  Get a fan going.  You should be working on root pruning by now and that doesn't mean just wacking off roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant still looks very viable, hopefully this isn't a virus, just fertilizer out of balance.  Too much fertilizer is worse than too little. Always remember that.  This looks like a good product but I always cut fertilizer directions in half because I can always tell what is too much, what is too little and the plant tells me these things.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing and cultivating a Bonsai is like the top of all gardening skills.  Completely artificial.  You are completely in charge of this plant's life.  Very rewarding and educational if one can keep that plant healthy or very discouraging if the plant dies.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stop using tap water.  A huge source of toxins and salts.  Get bottled or distilled water without fluoride.  Use rain water if you are able to collect. Not saying our rain water doesn't have problems but better than tap water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And most importantly, sign up for a hands on Bonsai class by someone who knows this art!  No book or internet can teach you these things.  This is such a beautiful start for a Bonsai!  If you fail, try not to be so bummed out that you resign from the plant world!  The Japanese took thousands of years to perfect this art so don't think you could ever be successful without classes by a master.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of our landscapes, gardens, potted plants are completely artificial.  That puts the onus on us to learn the entire bunch of systems involved to include chemistry, hydrology, pruning, basic botany, light energy, photosynthesis, soils...on and on and on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look up a class by a real master of Bonsai.  That is the only way you'll ever be able to keep a Bonsai alive as well as appreciate what that Bonsai is teaching you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T23:00:09.527" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34710" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34707" CreationDate="2017-07-24T23:35:04.173" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;These plants are so very valuable.  There are a number of things that could be in play, definitely not one or two.  If you are in the Bay area you just have to contact your nearest Cooperative Extension Service and get an arborist or Master Gardener out to inspect your hedge.  To do this over our site is helpful but you do not want to lose these plants and you really need and to LOOK and TOUCH the plant and check your soil, your watering program, like now.  Very inexpensive.  What is the closest University? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll need to send us more pictures, more information you might not have at hand...close ups of the leaves, magnifying glass to look for insects, soil analysis.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know your water pressure, how long the pop ups water these trees and whether these plants have had any fertilizer, what that was and how much and how long ago.  They should be watered deeply and then allowed to dry before any more water is added.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has anyone pruned?  Always make sure the bottoms are wider than the above foliage and that the tools are sterilized with alcohol first!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are you able to talk to the former owners about their maintenance practices?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-24T23:35:04.173" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34711" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34233" CreationDate="2017-07-25T00:18:59.680" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c7o8q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c7o8q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;muscadine&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like it. Here's a picture of mine. Wild muscadine occurs as male or female, so if it doesn't produce fruit more than likely it's a male plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15881" LastActivityDate="2017-07-25T00:18:59.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34703" CreationDate="2017-07-25T01:51:56.643" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tiny seeds aren't that tough to handle.  And when you start buying SEED...these are from Park aren't they?  You get to start counting the money with each one.  I try never to pop two seeds into one start pot.  Yes they are tiny, but heck, use a tweezers.  One seed to a tiny 1/1/2&quot; start pot where you've firmed the soil before planting seed. Seed this small only need a slight dusting of soil over them.  Keep moist using a simple sprayer of water.  Don't fertilize until you've got the third set of leaves and need to up pot.  Potting soil only.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had to handle tiny tiny seed this year that cost 50 cents per seed.  Amazing.  And those seeds are for vegetables, NON GMO with an 85% germination rate, which is very very high. Wet your finger tip, get a single seed and tap into the starting pot with firmed potting soil.  Easy peasy.  Are you planting starts in tiny pots or are you also planting this seed in the garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-25T01:51:56.643" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34713" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34233" CreationDate="2017-07-25T02:02:20.297" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a muscadine to me too!  Lucky you, I wish I had these growing wild!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-07-25T02:02:20.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34715" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-25T06:54:47.263" Score="5" ViewCount="1512" Body="&lt;p&gt;My potted tomatoes are developing a very pale leafs at the start of growing tips - typical of sulphur deficiency. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am interested in how much sulphur should be added to soil? What are typical concentrations of sulphur in soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are the images. They were taken once the progression already took place. At the start, only the growing tips were pale. The other issue that springed to mind is root space. This plant is huge and was cut down periodically to foster lateral growth instead of one apex.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TRfKv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TRfKv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4kHXE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4kHXE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w8AAm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w8AAm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastEditorUserId="17223" LastEditDate="2017-07-26T07:07:43.160" LastActivityDate="2017-07-26T07:07:43.160" Title="How much sulphur should be added to tomatoes?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34716" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30300" CreationDate="2017-07-25T07:37:30.380" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;No, it should not affect the size of the fruit.&lt;/strong&gt; The size of the watermelons is determined by the watermelon veriety. If you graft cherry tomatoes onto a normal tomato stock it still produces cherry (sized) tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Yes, it may make it easier to grow.&lt;/strong&gt; This can range from root-related disease resistance to a difference in the fruit. Root related disease resistance has its obvious benefits while firmer flesh can help the watermelons be less susceptible to rot. The benefits will largely depend on what stock you choose to graft them onto. &lt;strong&gt;Be sure to pick a veriety that grows good in you area.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Yes, it may effect the productivity.&lt;/strong&gt; The watermelons might be more likely to reach their full potential size and even grow a &lt;em&gt;little&lt;/em&gt; faster. This can be because of a better root system from the grafted stock (the root disease resistance providing a healthier root system).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;People who grow those insanely large pumpkins and watermelons usually tend to keep a lot of the methods used secret. I would say that grafting can certainly be the first step in helping your watermelons reach their full potential. Be aware that there might be even more tricks you need to learn to make them &lt;em&gt;bigger than big&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastActivityDate="2017-07-25T07:37:30.380" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34715" CreationDate="2017-07-25T13:47:53.853" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sulfur is only needed in small amounts as a micronutrient, and the signs are typically long woody stems and pale yellow-green lower leaves. It is hard to say which nutrient deficiency is affecting your plants without a photo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been watching &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I78Cz9toWcw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;MIgardner's youtube channel&lt;/a&gt; for about two years, and he gives great advice on all kinds of garden fruits and vegetables and tips on growing plants in containers.  Above I linked his video on container tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I purchased some of his fertilizer called &lt;a href=&quot;https://migardener.com/store/2lb-trifecta/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Trifecta plus&lt;/a&gt; and my tomato plants are enormous, lush and very productive.  I have no affiliation with MIgardner, but I wish I did because his products are amazing!  You don't need to purchase fertilizer if you have access to compost. Many townships make their own and give it away for free.  Tomatoes are very heavy feeders, and especially when grown in containers they need access to nutrients so I would say an addition of compost or fertilizer will certainly help provide whatever nutrients your tomatoes need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-07-25T13:47:53.853" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34718" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-25T15:37:18.477" Score="3" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am planning to build raised beds. For the longevity of the wood I would like to use plastic liners. Is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homedepot.com/p/Americover-12-ft-x-100-ft-6-mil-String-Reinforced-Polyethylene-Construction-Film-PSR612/203635222&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Reinforced Polyethylene Construction Film&lt;/a&gt; food safe?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If not, could anyone please suggest a food safe type of plastic liner?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19346" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-25T17:10:29.727" LastActivityDate="2017-07-25T17:10:29.727" Title="Is Reinforced Polyethylene Construction Film safe for raised bed liners?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34719" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34436" CreationDate="2017-07-25T16:28:35.477" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any chance it is Mojave sage? The google image search shows plants that look similar to what you have, and I imagine it would have a sage-like smell, which some would like and some would not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves look a little different in this picture, but the flowers look very similar:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.highcountrygardens.com/perennial-plants/salvia/salvia-pachyphylla-mulberry-flambe&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.highcountrygardens.com/perennial-plants/salvia/salvia-pachyphylla-mulberry-flambe&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18295" LastActivityDate="2017-07-25T16:28:35.477" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34720" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34721" CreationDate="2017-07-25T16:32:10.253" Score="5" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've quite a tall plant in the back garden that has a number of flowers like in the image below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My neighbour seems to think this may be a weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can somebody please help in identifying this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in the UK if that matters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pD21C.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pD21C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19347" LastActivityDate="2017-07-25T17:20:40.060" Title="Help to identify this garden plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34721" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34720" CreationDate="2017-07-25T16:46:06.277" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Callistemon citrinus 'splendens' to me, it's exactly like the one on my balcony. Those bumpy bits were the red bottlebrush flowers, and it's better to prune those out as soon as they've finished, because they produce new leaves at the tip of the flower -yours have grown on a bit, but if you don't prune them back to just below where the seedheads are, you'll have a bit of bare stem where they used to be later on. It's certainly not a weed - it's hardy in mild parts of the UK, may not survive a cold winter elsewhere, but should be put somewhere sheltered and as sunny as possible for the winter, if its in a pot. In the ground, needs a sunny, sheltered, preferably south facing spot, but if yours is quite tall, its obviously been there a few years and survived just fine. Info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/99397/Callistemon-citrinus-Splendens/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/99397/Callistemon-citrinus-Splendens/Details&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-25T17:20:40.060" LastActivityDate="2017-07-25T17:20:40.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34722" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="928" CreationDate="2017-07-25T16:50:33.017" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Keep a light on. Slugs hate light.  place it close to the plants being attacked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19348" LastActivityDate="2017-07-25T16:50:33.017" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34723" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24446" CreationDate="2017-07-25T18:54:15.680" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's probably wasps. For some reason they love to eat holes in rhubarb leaves and stems. Normally they use dead wood or hogweed etc to build their nests so why live rhubarb I'm not sure. Would be interested to hear if anyone knows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19350" LastActivityDate="2017-07-25T18:54:15.680" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34724" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34725" CreationDate="2017-07-25T19:48:36.493" Score="4" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant has been alive for at least 25 years. I know this for sure, because it was here when my parents moved into this house when I was born. No one knows what it is. It has pink clusters of flowers when it blooms, not sure what time of year. Any ideas? From searching Google, I'm thinking some kind of Sedum? &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zSE0n.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zSE0n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19337" LastEditorUserId="19337" LastEditDate="2017-07-25T20:17:03.340" LastActivityDate="2017-07-27T08:44:18.063" Title="Long lived plant identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;sedum&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34725" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34724" CreationDate="2017-07-25T20:00:20.090" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sedum spectabile - there's more than one pink variety, and one with darker more reddish flowers called 'Autumn Joy'. It's an herbaceous perennial, hardy, and the flowers are popular with some butterflies. Common name Ice plant &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk/plants/container-plant/sedum-spectabile.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(Sedum spectabile)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-07-27T08:44:18.063" LastActivityDate="2017-07-27T08:44:18.063" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34726" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34715" CreationDate="2017-07-25T20:54:45.660" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Deficiencies of immobile plant nutrients are common in tomatoes, but are easily solved without actually adding anything to the soil!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Immobile nutrients can only be transported, in solution, in the xylem vessels and not the phloem. This means it cannot relocate sulphur once is in place, ie from older leaves. Sap flow in the xylem is predominantly driven by transpiration. The main factors affecting transpiration are temperature and wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there is insufficient air circulation in your growing area then the transpiration rate is going to be slow, so the tomatoes will struggle to drink up enough dissolved sulphur to their leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are growing the plants indoors, then a desktop or computer fan over the plants leaves will be enough. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a greenhouse, try leaving the doors open during the day and night. This is why commercial polytunnels often have mesh doors instead of solid doors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not so sure what the solution is they're grown outside, perhaps somebody else has experience of this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2017-07-25T20:54:45.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34727" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-25T23:47:44.320" Score="3" ViewCount="1124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I hired landscapers to do a ton of work at my house and one part was to fill a very large area with white landscape stone. Contract stated they would put paper under it then the stone. They did not put the paper down and with one storm weeds came up through the stone, so I complained. The landscaper applied prodiamine (I think this is the correct name?) on the stone and said on his way out &quot;it came out a little heavy in the one area and you'll see the stone is a little yellow; you can hit that with some water from the hose and it'll come right off.&quot; Didn't say when to spray it (then or wait a few days). So I went outside and it was blinding neon yellow in one large area and then less yellow but still discolored going in spray patterns all over the rest of the stone. I was in shock--so I did what he said--hit the worst area a little with the hose--it doesn't budge. I emailed him and he said don't spray it, just bear with him, he sprays this all the time on patios and walkways, not to worry, the yellow is just the chemical and he'll stop by tomorrow to explain how it works. But so far I can't find anything online that assures me this won't leave a permanent stain. It's white landscape stone and it appears to have REALLY adhered to the surface. I brought in a stone and ran it under my faucet 5 min and even scrubbed it and that yellow doesn't budge. Is this some kind of thing where the chemical when exposed to sunlight changes or something? I don't even know what to do. It's like the whole area looks ruined. Thanks for any info. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19352" LastActivityDate="2017-07-25T23:47:44.320" Title="Will the yellow stain from prodiamine come off of white landscape stone?" Tags="&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34729" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34698" CreationDate="2017-07-26T15:01:34.780" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The goose may be unable to fly at the moment, but not injured.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/read-and-learn/fun-facts-and-articles/features/moult.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;RSPB&lt;/a&gt; (UK bird/conservation group) say:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Unlike most other birds, ducks, geese and swans lose all their flight feathers at once, rendering them flightless for a period. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They tend to do so on water, such as a safe-looking lake. This normally takes place just after the breeding season but depends on the species (some breed earlier than others, some move further than others to moult).  Males may pass through a female-like plumage known as &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumage#Eclipse_plumage&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;eclipse&lt;/a&gt; for weeks to months as part of this process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2017-07-26T15:01:34.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34730" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34698" CreationDate="2017-07-26T16:03:19.140" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A single goose likely has a problem and likely will leave when it can. That is a good thing ; I once worked west of Chicago , a 20 acre retention pond was built. The Canadian geese thought it was a good wintering  spot, First hundreds then ,soon ,tens of thousands.  Then a few hundred stayed and bred in the summer. They chased people off the sidewalks, not all bad as the sidewalks were covered with GS ( goose stuff).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-07-26T16:03:19.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34731" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33532" CreationDate="2017-07-26T20:22:59.547" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The loss of leaves is most likely due to lack of light as Stormy said.  The reason it may not seem like it helps each time you move it is because it's still recovering from the last time you moved it ;).  Plants that are in too low of light will often not show any symptoms for weeks so it is just catching up after the change from the darker spot you had it.  Likewise, after being put back into a lighter spot, it's going to take a while to recover.  One of the hard things about working with plants is they operate on a totally different time scale than us humans do.  Put this tree in the brightest indirect light you have and it will probably bounce back after a while.  Keep an eye on it and if it is still dropping leaves, post some pictures here.  Check the undersides of leaves and stems to check for any insect activity.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-07-26T20:22:59.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34733" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34247" CreationDate="2017-07-26T23:01:41.283" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This &lt;em&gt;looks&lt;/em&gt; like a lack of available calcium to the plant (with some sunscald that is probably on leaves that grew before the transplant, not being used to the full sun; northern regions can get a lot of sun).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing, if this isn't a virus or pest causing the symptoms, that your soil has &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.advancednutrients.com/articles/know-about-fixing-nutrient-problems/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;too much available potassium in it, which can interfere with calcium and magnesium absorption&lt;/a&gt;. Potassium is supposed to be more available when it's cool, which could explain why my plants with similar symptoms recover when it gets consistently hotter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wood chips are high in both calcium and potassium, but I know from experience that adding large amounts of both calcium and potassium seems to contribute to blossom end rot in Martino's Roma tomatoes. So, I'm guessing potassium wins when there are large amounts of both nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding extra nitrogen might help, if it wouldn't be too much for your soil. I believe nitrogen can inhibit potassium and vice versa. I believe I've also heard or read that calcium and nitrogen need to be in balance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also have experience giving tomatoes and peppers with too much potassium extra magnesium to treat apparent magnesium deficiency (but it didn't do much; I'm guessing the extra potassium stopped the plant from using it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Calcium, potassium and silica are all important for strengthening plants. If a plant is deficient in calcium, it may be more susceptible to insect damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Magnesium is more available when it's cool than when it's hot (so, that might explain why you don't see obvious magnesium deficiency symptoms). Plus, it probably takes quite a bit of heat before you'd notice it, anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I could be wrong. Stormy's answer is very helpful, I think.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-07-26T23:14:29.383" LastActivityDate="2017-07-26T23:14:29.383" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34734" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34672" CreationDate="2017-07-27T01:51:18.640" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since Cheyenne Orange is an F1 hybrid, it's possible that they let the mother plant pollinate itself on accident. Maybe this is the mother variety of the cross.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lacking that, it could be a mutation or mixed up seed, but which is anyone's guess. In all three scenarios, it could potentially breed true. If it doesn't breed true, I'm sure it's not the mother of the cross.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your pepper looks similar to Corbaci, except Corbaci is more twisty and doesn't start green (it starts yellow).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To know when it's ready, since it's an unfamiliar kind of pepper, you may just have to taste it at every color phase and decide for yourself. However, if it is the mother of the cross, you might use Cheyenne Orange's instructions as a guideline in you experiments (since it could share a lot of its genetics). I'm guessing they usually harvest Cheyenne Orange when orange. This may or may not turn orange, but it should turn at least one color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure the fruit is full-sized when you harvest it if you harvest it green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be Cow Horn, maybe, or some kind of Cayenne (Cheyenne is spelled a lot like Cayenne, anyhow; it would make sense for Cayenne to be the mother of the cross here). Cheyenne Orange F1 has a similar Scoville rating as Cayenne.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another alternative (perhaps more likely) is that whoever grew the plants bought &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/peppers/pepper-hot-cheyenne-hybrid-prod003164.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cheyenne F1 pepper&lt;/a&gt; seeds and assumed they were Cheyenne Orange F1 when in fact they were not. Cheyenne and Cheyenne Orange are different varieties, but the seller may have only heard of Cheyenne Orange.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-07-27T02:16:35.327" LastActivityDate="2017-07-27T02:16:35.327" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34735" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37090" CreationDate="2017-07-27T03:01:02.503" Score="4" ViewCount="239" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am under the impression that people grow potatoes in bags, containers, stacked up tires and so on because they get higher potato yields this way. The way I've heard it explained is that you plant the seed potatoes on the bottom and wait for the plant to grow. Keep adding soil every few weeks until you reach the edge of the container. Supposedly the roots will keep growing upward as well, and the whole container will be filled with potatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried growing this way this year, and all my potatoes plants initially grew like crazy. I added soil as the plants grew, and eventually, I reached the edge of the container. The plants grew a bit more but mostly stopped adding new growth. Fast forward and my plants are starting to die back, so I harvest potatoes. To my surprise, all the potatoes were in one layer in the bottom of the container where I started the seed potatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Reflecting back it seems pointless for the potato to put all that energy into growing a long stem and tons of leaves if I am just going to cover them with soil. The container did make it easier to harvest, but I did not have potatoes growing upwards in the soil as I expected.  Is this an unusual result? Why bother growing in containers at all?  Does anyone have any evidence that potatoes will grow all the way to the surface of the container?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2018-02-05T19:13:17.917" Title="Will potatoes in containers grow more potatoes?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34736" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-27T04:28:57.880" Score="5" ViewCount="175" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FVzT0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SsqZl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4EEmP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We purchased this plant at an estate sale and hope you can identify it. They thought it was a corpse flower, but research shows it is not.&#xA;It's place of origin is unknown. Any help would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19359" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-03-08T20:10:05.553" LastActivityDate="2021-03-08T20:10:05.553" Title="Unusual plant identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="34737" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34761" CreationDate="2017-07-27T05:46:09.277" Score="7" ViewCount="22920" Body="&lt;p&gt;Now I just park my lawn mower (gas) outside in the backyard and cover it with heavy duty tarp so it prevents rain reach the unit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have a garage or a shed, I wonder if there is a better way to (relatively) safely and effectively store my lawn mower outdoor in my backyard in such a way rainy or harsh weather doesn't damage the unit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14908" LastActivityDate="2020-09-11T07:05:28.637" Title="How to best/safely store my lawn mower outdoor without garage or shed?" Tags="&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;storage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34738" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-27T11:48:30.483" Score="7" ViewCount="3737" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qXi0N.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qXi0N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bugs on Fern Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Be9n.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Be9n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of bugs&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought this fern a few months ago and it has lived on the office desk at home ever since. The small white bugs are around 1mm in size and began on just one leaf about a month ago. I noticed several weeks ago when new leaves were developing that these bugs were migrating towards them. Now they are over all the leaves! I am not sure what I am doing wrong and how they got there. Does anyone know what these are and how to get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, as inhumane as it is, I did squish one to see if it was mould. From what I can see, I don't think it is a mould.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19362" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-10T16:22:27.793" LastActivityDate="2018-02-10T16:22:27.793" Title="Why are there small white organisms spreading to all of my indoor ferns leaves?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34739" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34736" CreationDate="2017-07-27T12:28:06.620" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Welcome to the forum!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a quick googling of &quot;plant with mottled stalk&quot; and looking at the images I was surprised to find that two that most caught my eye were indeed Amorphophallus.&#xA;I have never had the (dis)pleasure of seeing one in person, so I'm going by google, but &lt;a href=&quot;http://wimastergardener.org/article/voodoo-lily-amorphophallus-konjac/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Amorphophallus konjac&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; seems like a possibility.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My other guess, and would be an arisaema, but without a flower it would be very hard to identify which one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm curious as to what made you decide it wasn't a corpse flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-07-27T12:28:06.620" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34740" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-27T13:24:22.777" Score="6" ViewCount="491" Body="&lt;p&gt;These two plants appeared after a very wet winter. No flowers have ever appeared, but it looks like it is making a lot of big seed heads. I am thinking to pull it before it drops its seed. It is in full sun, and seems to be somewhat drought tolerant. Central Oregon. Photos taken a month ago, now seeds are bigger but no other real changes. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vr2w3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vr2w3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d4tz5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d4tz5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16892" LastActivityDate="2017-08-02T17:50:21.723" Title="What is this mystery plant and should I pull it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2017-08-02T18:07:04.003" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34741" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26639" CreationDate="2017-07-27T14:30:31.143" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You can — and should — regularly prune your elephant tree.&lt;/strong&gt; They are not as fussy as deciduous trees and it is hard to kill them by pruning too much. It is best to prune in spring or summer (for a faster recovery) but it can be done any time of the year. Just make sure to not prune right before or after re-potting. See the images below for where to cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Long thin branches can be cut back to encourage leaf growth.&lt;/strong&gt; You need to keep pruning the branches as they grow to keep them thick and lush with leaves. It is also important that it receives enough direct sunlight (around 4 hours a day) as this helps it grow more leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see in the images below it takes some time for the tree to grow enough before you can make the big cuts. The time it takes to grow between these cuts will be more than enough for the tree to recover from its last pruning. It is useful to limit yourself on how often you prune the tips of branches and other little details. Say once in 1-3 months (depending on the season) to make sure you are not stressing the plant. &lt;strong&gt;As a rule of thumb:&lt;/strong&gt; do not prune until the previous places pruned have &lt;em&gt;completely&lt;/em&gt; healed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Re-potting should be done once every 2 (or so) years.&lt;/strong&gt; This is when you can also prune the roots. Pruning the roots works much the same as pruning the branches and helps develop a fuller and healthier root ball.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Planting into a bigger pot does not necessarily mean better growth.&lt;/strong&gt; It all depends on how well developed the roots are. I would stick to the same size pot. You can fertilize it, but be careful. It is easy to kill your elephant tree when done wrong. Here I would ask a local garden center for what fertilizer to use and how much if you decide to go buy fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the &lt;em&gt;chokkan&lt;/em&gt; (no wiring needed and easier) or &lt;em&gt;moyogi&lt;/em&gt; (requires some wiring but still not so hard) styles:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qV5Rx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qV5Rx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the &lt;em&gt;hokidachi&lt;/em&gt; (no wiring needed) style:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KuTSA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KuTSA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastActivityDate="2017-07-27T14:30:31.143" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34742" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34740" CreationDate="2017-07-27T15:55:04.243" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_lathyris&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Euphorbia_lathyris&lt;/a&gt; . For sure it is an Euphorbia, with such inflorescence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-07-27T15:55:04.243" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34744" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-27T17:00:22.337" Score="4" ViewCount="113" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got this plant at a nursery sale with no tag in it.  Have been watching it for three years now ~ there does not appear to be a flower on it OR I've just missed it's bloom time. This year I noticed, despite the very rigid vertical main &quot;stem&quot;, there are a few off-shoots from the bottom of the plant that seem to want to crawl or vine.  It has been quite slow growing (not withstanding, the new vining branches seem to have grown overnight.) standing only about 2 1/2 feet tall. The leaves are quite small ~ maybe an inch long or so. Not shiny. And in the fall there are tight little red berries all along the branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures.....&#xA;Thank you kindly, Karen&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u9VEm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u9VEm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G7vue.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G7vue.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QdKLz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QdKLz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9szya.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9szya.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18301" LastActivityDate="2017-07-30T14:01:37.890" Title="Another mystery to solve.....plant identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34745" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-27T18:25:27.367" Score="3" ViewCount="1181" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm having an issue (among others) with my St Augustine lawn and flowerbed. I'm in zone 9A and this is happening in the sunniest part of the lawn, most gets sun from 8-9 am to 4-5 pm.  I'm about ready to call someone to come in and help get this under control but wanted your opinions first to see if this is something I can take care of on my own. I'm fairly certain this came in when I brought some dirt in to level my yard in a few spots. Any help identifying this would be greatly appreciated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm fairly certain we're going to pull all the mulch and plants up, put down landscaping fabric then remulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See link below image for more photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/zNV6gJQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;weed in flowerbed&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/aZJSS&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imgur.com/a/aZJSS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19368" LastActivityDate="2021-02-13T18:00:20.063" Title="Need help identifying invasive grass/weed in my landscaping + St Augustine grass (9A)" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34746" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34744" CreationDate="2017-07-27T20:14:41.000" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaves look like a &lt;em&gt;Lonicera&lt;/em&gt;, known as honeysuckle. Hard to confirm without a picture of the flowers.&#xA;Colour and shape of berries suggests it is &lt;em&gt;Lonicera xylosteum&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2017-07-27T20:14:41.000" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34738" CreationDate="2017-07-27T20:22:23.603" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got some sort of insect infestation. These are common and hard to avoid with most plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Squishing all the bugs by hand is generally the most effective method of control. By repeating this every week you can quickly deplete the population of insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2017-07-27T20:22:23.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34748" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-27T21:32:31.580" Score="4" ViewCount="481" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this tropical plant with speckled stems, shiny green leaves and orange flowers called?  And what care does it need?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fd6Z2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/q4ixw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6YCsj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19370" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-01T02:48:50.097" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T02:54:04.927" Title="What is this tropical plant with speckled stems, shiny green leaves and orange flowers called?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34749" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34752" CreationDate="2017-07-27T21:43:37.430" Score="4" ViewCount="302" Body="&lt;p&gt;This alien-looking plant sprouted very suddenly from a clump of moss, several months after the moss had been brought in from the outdoors. I've never seen anything like it. It doesn't have a grass-like shaft, it resembles a fern but isn't a variety I know or can find through research. It's also definitely not part of the moss. Originally from California, if that helps. Also, when it sprouted it came up with it's seed pod/shell trapped on it's head, so I know it came from a seed. I'm extremely curious, any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mE3Nf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mE3Nf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UjqP1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UjqP1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19371" LastActivityDate="2018-01-31T02:56:36.683" Title="Help identifying fern-like plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34750" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-27T22:13:22.300" Score="5" ViewCount="1088" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm asking this mainly to learn before I spend money and effort. This year our produce hasn't been good and mainly because of critters. So I was wondering if raised beds will help to keep the critters from digging from underground esp the tubers. We lost all of our potatoes and sweet potatoes this year :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastActivityDate="2017-07-30T13:11:47.113" Title="What are the advantages and disadvantages of raised vegetable beds?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34683" CreationDate="2017-07-27T23:14:03.963" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gosh, Kyle...what a wonderfully worded question. One of the best! I've got to go find this guy I found who grows nothing but peppers to send to you. Your fertilizer is NOT a good choice for a plant you want to flower and fruit. That Nitrogen has to be lower than the other two numbers, the phosphorus and potassium. Your formula just might be a big problem. Is this the miracle gro formula? Did your wife use the same fertilizer? Do your pots have holes for drainage? Did you say you used potting soil out of a bag or garden soil? Did you put any rock or gravel below your soil? (not good)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;...do not water until that soil is dryer. At least an inch from the top. Are you using tap water from the city? What is different between what your wife has done and what you are doing? Anything? Pepper is a pepper is a plant. Stop fertilizing for sure and reduce watering. Please send pictures. It could also be too big of a pot for the size of plant...thank  you, your plant is not too big for the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found the dude's video on peppers I recently watched...I thought you might like watching this. youtube.com/watch?v=zH0Jztqt5TY    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hey thanks for the pictures and more info. No do not mess with fertilizer for a while. I can see why you are a bit frustrated...two different plants, I'll concede this is the difference. Your plant has a disease, probably viral. It looks like it is trying to make a come back. The leaves that dropped are being replaced. Your plant is more susceptible to something and that something probably came in the good old LA soil that you used in your pots. Hers is just dealing with that soil better. I would go get a bag of potting soil. The cheapest is fine as long as it has been sterilized... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And Bamboo caught up with me...OUR next question, grins, is if you are a smoker? Mosaic virus is in that tobacco, in the smoke and on your hands. Just touching a susceptible plant will do the job. I would transplant your plant, your wife's seems to be happy so leave it be for now. You did real well raising the bottom of the pot off the saucer. They actually make 'pot feet' to do the same job. Eagle claws, lion paws or little spheres of clay with a ledge. But bottle caps and pieces of tile work just fine! Perhaps a close up of your plants leaves would help... – stormy Jul 24 at 18:11  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;....and those aphids are a great vector for virus. So it doesn't have to be Tobacco Mosaic Virus. It is a good thing to not allow your friends who smoke around your plants either but heck that is the smoker's perfect spot! We can help you chose plants that are resistant to the smoker's virus, later.     &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hey, not many know this stuff about Tobacco Mosaic Virus...even the nurseries don't insist their employees take a shower, wash and sterilize their hands or smoke on break. Grins! Those zip ties are invisible! We'll look for your closeup picture of your plant. I hope your marriage hasn't been harmed by this little competition, grins!!      &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sighs. Could be Mosaic. Not a thing you can do sweetie. Since the other plant seems to be fine, there aren't any others to catch this virus, I'd leave it alone except for transplanting. Or go get another one like your wife's...or two. More of one species of plant is very attractive and since your pequin chili plant does well, I'd go with that. POTTING SOIL only. Forget compost. Use Osmocote extended release 14-14-14 that you'll only have to use once maybe twice per year. And blow the smoke downwind. No touchy the plants. Wash hands really well to transplant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-07-28T01:52:16.093" LastActivityDate="2017-07-28T01:52:16.093" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34752" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34749" CreationDate="2017-07-28T00:07:20.020" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it could be a baby conifer tree. Those seem to have multiple bright green cotelydons and look sort of like that. I found a couple of pictures on the internet that didn't look exactly like the one you have, but had a certain resemblance, and there are certainly lots of different conifers out there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are Douglas fir cotelydons, picture from &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotyledon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;  :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gxA5f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gxA5f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;doug fir cotelydons from Wikipedia&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This picture of an infant ghost pine is from &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1844942/ghost-gray-pine-seedling&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d3KuQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d3KuQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;ghost pine seedling&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a Serbian Spruce seedling from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.conifers.org/pi/Picea_omorika.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XOjTk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XOjTk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;serbian spruce cotelydons&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-31T02:56:36.683" LastActivityDate="2018-01-31T02:56:36.683" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34750" CreationDate="2017-07-28T00:10:53.693" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xWfiK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xWfiK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;first beds in virgin pumice crap soil[![Same location new green house&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3VzpY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;I am glad you asked this question.  For the fifty or so years I've been gardening and landscaping, the ONLY way I will prepare for new plants is to make a raised bed.  This gives your plants drainage and air no matter what kind of soil you have.  I will never ever plant plants in a flat untilled unused ground ever.  Trees might be an exception.  I never use any lumber or concrete blocks to make raised beds.  Roots are pretty much only concerned with the first 4 to 6 inches of soil.  Fluffing up a bed, then compacting it (I know sounds weird) adding shallow trenches around that bed whether it is in the garden or a plant bed next to the lawn...is all one needs to do.  I add DECOMPOSED note the capitalized word here, decomposed organic matter as I dig and turn over.  Shoot your bed will easily become 3 to 4 feet high.  Then you rake, throw a big piece of plywood over the top and jump up and down on it to get rid of large air pockets.  THEN you dig your 6&quot; x 6&quot; trenches at the bottom throwing the soil up onto the bed, rake and plywood jump up and down compacting again and you are ready to plant.  That bed will stay about a foot higher than the original surface.  I always clean out the trenches to throw the soil back up and around the plants on that bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What animals have been eating your tubers?  Most underground animals do not eat the plants.  They do wonders for aeration, top dressing, eating grubs that are harmful.  If they are eating your tubers you should think about feeding them something else...they don't want to eat tubers.  Gophers, perhaps, rats for sure, deer and rabbit and raccoons for sure.  If your garden is accessible to all wildlife the simplest thing to do is fence with good old chicken wire.  I've got all of these animals and more and have no problems at all with my 3' high wire fencing, buried 6&quot; deep...I now have a green house over the whole shebang to deter deer and elk but they've not bothered my garden.  Why?  Because I put out bales of hay for them to eat way away from the garden.  Raised beds are for drainage and warmth for the plants.  Won't do a thing for wildlife that is starving.  I grow lots and lots of potatoes, carrots, fennel, beets and not once have I had a problem.  I have at least 20 rabbits, wild rabbits kind of tamed that I feed, deer, elk, gophers...I want the moles to find a home here.  I feed feral cats that keep the bunnies, mice, rats in line.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qv4iW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qv4iW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;raised beds without structural elements&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  These are brand new beds out of pumice soil.  I should send pictures of this year's beds but this shows the raised bed, the trenches need some digging out...this is the only way I will ever make plant beds vegetable beds...I live in the wilderness and have no problems with any animals.  That lower wall is wired, no bunnies can get in.  They don't need to because I feed them!  Tell me more about the loss of your potatoes. Do you have pictures of 'after' munching?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-07-29T18:57:34.707" LastActivityDate="2017-07-29T18:57:34.707" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34744" CreationDate="2017-07-28T01:14:29.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks to me like a pink version (and yes I know there are some) of the common snowberry (&lt;em&gt;Symphoricarpos alba&lt;/em&gt;).  I know all the species, and most that I found seemed more brite pink than the deep pink in your picture.  One of the features of snowberry is they last well into the winter (at least here in the Pacific Northwest). Just from clicking on a couple of species from Wikipedia, I might hazard a guess that you have &lt;em&gt;Symphoricarpos × chenaultii&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;@nic I &quot;opposite decussate&quot;, and would have to disagree about &lt;em&gt;S. alba&lt;/em&gt; (see photos below).  Then again, I was never claiming that was the correct species. :)  I'm perfectly happy to be wrong, but will provide some photos of flowers, leaves on &lt;em&gt;S. alba&lt;/em&gt; with the hopes that it helps the O.P. in identifying.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b78eD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/b78eD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close-up of flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BXYmo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BXYmo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up of leaf structure&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastEditorUserId="16406" LastEditDate="2017-07-30T14:01:37.890" LastActivityDate="2017-07-30T14:01:37.890" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34756" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34683" CreationDate="2017-07-28T01:18:13.013" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;By the look of it, I would suppose that the plant isn't getting enough calcium, even if there's enough in the soil. That is, if the same leaves initially grew like that (if not, I'd suspect a pest or possibly a disease). Many things could interfere with calcium absorption (e.g. too much nitrogen, which I believe is the case here, too much potassium, cool weather that makes the potassium more available, improper watering, too small of a container, calcium deficiency, etc.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although I think your nutrient balance is off in a different way, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/34247/what-is-killing-my-bell-peppers-holes-in-leaves-and-blackened&quot;&gt;this question and its answers&lt;/a&gt; might have similar insights. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.greenwaybiotech.com/collections/water-soluble-fertilizers/products/cal-mag&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;A cal-mag supplement&lt;/a&gt;, a bigger container, and maybe even &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.greenwaybiotech.com/products/zinc-sulfate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a zinc supplement&lt;/a&gt; might help. (The cal-mag supplement I linked to also has iron, which may or may not be a good thing, depending.) I don't recommend adding any more nitrogen fertilizer for a long time, and if it were a bigger container I'd say 'if at all'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stormy's suggestion of watering less should help whether it's calcium deficiency or any of a few other alternatives (at least if the container isn't too small) because nitrogen is more available in wet soil. High nitrogen and wet soil isn't the best combination. It could rot your roots, make the plant susceptible to pests/disease, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although I don't know that extra potassium without extra nitrogen would help your plant, it should help to inhibit the nitrogen to some degree, but your weather is possibly still cool enough at night that the potassium would cause other problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If potassium, calcium, nitrogen, and maybe other nutrients are off, you can get distorted leaves. Too much nitrogen and water and the wrong temperatures could lead to blossom drops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a look at what &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.worldofchillies.com/growing_chillies/growing-tips/chilli-plant-nutrient-guide/chilliplantnutrientguide.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this site has to say about calcium deficiency&lt;/a&gt;. It basically says some of the things I said and more, and it shows a picture of a calcium deficient pepper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't forget that &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pequin_pepper&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pequin&lt;/a&gt; peppers are not only a different breed than &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidad_Scorpion_Butch_T_pepper&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Butch T.&lt;/a&gt;, but also a different species of pepper with a different fruit size (C. annuum and C. chinense respectively). I also get the impression Pequin is a very unique, large and prolific pepper plant for its species. It's also said to grow wild in Texas and maybe other parts of the country. I wouldn't use it for a comparison if I were you, as it may be incredibly hardy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But yeah, others are right that this could be a virus, spread either via tobacco or aphids. It's hard to tell, at this point, perhaps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as what container I would personally recommend for outdoor peppers, I like 10-gallon moving totes (you can get them for a few dollars at Walmart). &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-Grey-18-Gallon-72-Quart-Storage-Box/10401037&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;18-gallon totes&lt;/a&gt; can be great for three plants, but the 10-gallon ones are more portable. I wouldn't get any bigger than a few gallons more than that, though, or it'll be &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; difficult to move with soil in it (my 30-gallon totes are pretty much where they're going to live forever, unless I shovel the soil out). I think the smaller ones work better than the 30-gallon ones for me, anyway (but your soil or climate may be different).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;10-gallon totes are inexpensive and effective in my experience. I recommend UV-protecting them if it's not too expensive and if your winters aren't cold enough to make them eventually brittle anyway (like mine are). You can put one or two plants in each one. They won't hang like that Pequin pepper's container, though, unfortunately. You would have to drill your own drainage holes, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-07-28T06:43:29.640" LastActivityDate="2017-07-28T06:43:29.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34757" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-28T03:32:55.163" Score="6" ViewCount="7829" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_rubrum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Red Maple &lt;em&gt;(Acer rubrum)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; trees have leaves drying and falling in July. No sign of insects, just dry brown leaves. What's wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19372" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-18T16:58:52.130" LastActivityDate="2019-06-23T12:21:50.917" Title="Dried up leaves on Red Maple trees" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34758" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34691" CreationDate="2017-07-28T07:17:36.853" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What I deduced from your answers&lt;/strong&gt;. I always sucked at making summaries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Organic means that the all the factors you can manipulate in crops production must be naturally occurring in nature. If you can't find it in nature, than it can not be used in (certified) organic farming. Having carbon restriction is too loose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other thing that I deduced is that organic and inorganic boundary does not separate healthy from unhealthy products. It maybe does regarding pesticides, hormones etc, but I  have not read 1 fact or case study stating that PURE, LAB GRADE compounds (fertilisers in this case) are bad for you, because they are mineral.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears organic is the term used in marketing and as a mean to &quot;easily&quot; imply restrictions on crop producers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I live you literally can not be a certified organic farmer if you use mineral fertilizers. The fact that this rule isn't backed up with some scientific facts surprises me. When I asked this question I was expecing ansers to be of a form: &quot;1. they do that bad thing, 2. they are a precursor to that other bad thing&quot;.  From the point I see it, they (gov) just needed to make a line somewhere, and mineral ferilizers are crossing the line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What I heard from non internet people:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had a discussion with my friend who states that easily soluble fertilisers break the balance in the soil. I was hoping that one of the answers will involve this topic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This is in no way a correct answer, just my current understanding.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastActivityDate="2017-07-28T07:17:36.853" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34759" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34750" CreationDate="2017-07-28T10:36:25.773" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm kind of the opposite of stormy. I love gardening directly in the ground (that is my method of choice for most things). The only reason I use raised beds is because we have some. However, I do know some pros and cons. Here are some observations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The soil will get warmer, since sun can shine on the sides of the raised beds, instead of just on the top of the soil. This may mean that different nutrients will be available to the plants (e.g. more phosphorus, less potassium, less magnesium)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The soil will dry out faster.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can isolate your plants more easily.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They're higher up; so, you might not have to bend down as far to do stuff. This may also help them to stay warmer, since heat rises (which might occasionally prove helpful if there's a light frost, although it's probably unlikely to make a huge difference).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's somewhat like container gardening.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Making raised beds and sifting all the Morning Glory roots out of your soil to go in it is a lot of work (yes, I had to move and tediously sift a lot of dirt as a youth).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You're unlikely to walk on the soil much, which means the soil won't get as compacted, and the plants might have happier roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plants don't seem to grow the same way in them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some raised beds close off the bottom and others don't.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;People like them a lot and think they look good.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you're into square foot gardening, you'll probably be wanting to learn about raised beds. You may want to study &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_foot_gardening&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;square foot gardening&lt;/a&gt; and its pros and cons.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Some peppers might be easier to grow in raised beds than directly in the ground. I'm guessing this may be due to soil temperature, but also due to the probability that the soil in the raised bed will be a looser kind than the soil in the ground.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;To me, it seems like they kind of limit how you can garden and arrange your plants, but that doesn't seem to bother most people.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They kind of do some of the layout planning for you.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They're usually navigable (whether you like it or not).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pests will still invade raised beds (including at least aphids, whiteflies, slugs, ants, and carrot root pests).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cats are known to use them as a litter box.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you put too much soil (or other stuff) in a raised bed with wooden sides, it may lessen the life of your raised bed and/or burst the frame.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Raised beds are pretty manageable.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Our Morning Glory problem actually did go away (as far as the raised beds were concerned). We put black plastic underneath the soil (I was against it, though, since I figured some plants might like to grow deeper, but we did it anyway for the purpose of keeping the Morning Glory out). However, our Creeping Charlie problem began in the raised beds. I don't know where it came from; just one year (maybe 25 years after the raised beds had been built), it grew there (and we had evergreen weeds that a friend of mine thought looked nice; so did I, to be honest).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If they're tall enough, they may be proof against rabbits. The kind of raised bed you make depends a lot on what pests it'll keep out.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They're usually permanent (until they break). Don't expect to move them somewhere else.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Broken raised beds (with boards coming off) will dry out faster than regular ones.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You can get cement raised beds, but I haven't tried one of those.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're trying to keep nematodes out, you might try &lt;a href=&quot;https://earthbox.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;EarthBoxes&lt;/a&gt; instead. I've heard that can work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-07-30T13:11:47.113" LastActivityDate="2017-07-30T13:11:47.113" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34760" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34737" CreationDate="2017-07-28T11:35:07.573" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I do with the machines I use for work is during the winter, I run the machines dry, clean everything, change the oil, and get the machine off the ground to allow air to circulate, finally I spray a silicone based spray over the parts that usually rust more and sometimes I spray a quick spurt of wd40 in the carbs to drive out moisture- I usually get a telling off for leaving fuel in the engine over winter because it clogs up the bits inside if left too long. hope it helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-07-28T11:35:07.573" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34761" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34737" CreationDate="2017-07-28T13:29:27.837" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;Routine&quot; storage, as you clarified, would assume that you're running the machine every few weeks.  In that case, the only reason to cover it at all would be because rust-prone metal is exposed on the top exterior.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Modern mowers have powder-coat paint on any exposed steel surfaces &lt;em&gt;except for the blade(s)&lt;/em&gt;, and all other metal either won't rust (e.g., aluminum or zinc) or is shielded by plastic covers.  If you have chipping paint or failed galvanizing you should repaint to protect the steel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any covered or steel internals of the engine will be protected by running it every few weeks, which will heat it up, dry them out, and coat them in the engine oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the most rust-prone piece of a lawn mower is usually the blade(s), and it's unclear whether covering it will protect those.  Over a period of days large swings in temperature and humidity can produce condensing conditions even in the absence of rain.  Covering a machine stored in unconditioned air with a tight tarp is just as likely to exacerbate condensation as to mitigate it.  (For example, watch your lawn: You'll notice that the sections that get hit first by the sun dry out the best, while sections left in shade can retain dew much longer.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of us just accept that the blade will rust.  So we sharpen and balance it as necessary.  If you really want to stave off rust you could spray or wipe the exposed steel of the blade with a rust preventive liquid after each use.  But unless you store your mower upside down covering it will not help protect the blade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18051" LastActivityDate="2017-07-28T13:29:27.837" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34762" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9010" CreationDate="2017-07-28T15:09:31.347" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most difficult but best option for this is to re-plumb the drains to a separate tank. You could then pump this to the garden at will. This is called water recycling or greywater use. FWIW, I had spoken to the county health dept about this last week and they don't recommend it as any pathogens could be washed off the person and then onto the garden. You may be able to get away with subsurface watering as there would be no splash onto any plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But hey who cares pig/cow farmers do it in the fields.... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7231" LastActivityDate="2017-07-28T15:09:31.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34763" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-28T16:43:32.820" Score="6" ViewCount="599" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking to add this plant to my garden, but have no idea what it is called.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I searched &quot;pointy plants&quot; it shows up under succulents, agave &amp;amp; aloe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3IXoC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3IXoC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pointed plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19374" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-29T23:42:59.487" LastActivityDate="2017-07-29T23:42:59.487" Title="What is this succulent plant with pointed leaves that looks like a cross between agave and aloe?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34764" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34757" CreationDate="2017-07-28T17:42:25.800" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without more information the best we can tell you is this is common for trees that have or are going through some major stress.  This is probably due to temperature changes.  Insects could do this as well such as a major infestation of some sucking or chewing insect.  The tree's most vulnerable part is their leaves.  That is why deciduous  trees lose their leaves for winter and go into a dormancy...to survive a niche where there are winters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your tree wasn't watered enough in the last few months and that tree needed more water than it was given that is stress enough for your tree to start dumping high maintenance leaves and go into dormancy.  Similar to people going on a dumb diet or worse, fasting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Funny to compare a plant process with humans but this one makes sense.  When people 'fast' their body immediately thinks something is wrong. The body assumes it is on a desert island without food without water.  Without regular food and water our bodies will go into a survival mode.  Fat is hoarded and saved from use by the body.  The body instead starts dumping high metabolic tissue which is muscle.  That fat is a safety measure.  POWs, anorexics are clinically obese!  Their heart muscle is the first muscle that starts getting dumped and they mostly die from heart failure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree dumps its leaves in an effort to stop the necessity of water and chemicals if those aren't coming in on a timely basis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your tree will be fine...I hope.  The important thing is your tree needs water and fertilizer.  It will not be in total dormancy and there is the danger it might decide that it is SPRING and produce new leaves/buds.  If this happens and winter hits your tree will probably not make it.  Too much stress.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fertilizer is as important as water and light.  But just a teensy bit too much and fertilizer will kill your plants.  They need a balanced fertilizer N P AND K.  We need to know when you planted this tree, how well established it has become.  We need to know where it is you live, what your growing season is...what fertilizer you've used and certainly some pictures of the whole tree and close ups of the trunk to soil connection and the leaves themselves to include whatever live leaves you've got left.  Can you see if there is any new growth happening? Pictures of the undersides of the leaves.  We can certainly try to walk you through this so you don't lose your tree, or at least try to avoid losing your tree!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-28T17:42:25.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34765" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34763" CreationDate="2017-07-28T17:58:44.120" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to take a stab at this ID.  I love succulents and desert plants! This is gorgeous and I believe it is Agave 'Blue Glow'... Thought I'd send this link... Hey, but I could be wrong! &lt;a href=&quot;http://myvalleynews.com/homeandgarden/healthy-beautiful-gardens-all-about-agaves-and-aloes/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Agave and Aloe&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-07-29T18:35:44.310" LastActivityDate="2017-07-29T18:35:44.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34744" CreationDate="2017-07-28T18:34:00.990" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will throw my ID in until we get more information.  Looks like honeysuckle to me.  I am going with Tatarian Honeysuckle...Lonicera tatarica &lt;a href=&quot;https://safe.search.tools/images?dkt=TG9uaWNlcmE,&amp;amp;o=100&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lonicera tatarica&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-28T18:34:00.990" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34767" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34738" CreationDate="2017-07-28T18:46:24.300" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are too many to squish and their eggs are in the soil as well.  These are white fly, I believe.  This last picture were these squished?  No matter, you need to wash this plant in the shower allow to dry then spray with NEEM, at night and out of doors.  Above and below the leaves. I would then transplant into fresh POTTING soil and keep an eye out for reinfestation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-28T18:46:24.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34768" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34738" CreationDate="2017-07-28T20:10:21.930" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is male scale insects ; the females are round brown spots up to 1/4 inch diameter , I think I see some in your photo. If so, the females are the problem . Easiest to remove them with a finger nail. I have a large stag horn fern and I had to go over 100 fronds to get the scale, it took a week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-07-28T20:10:21.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34769" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34791" CreationDate="2017-07-28T20:17:22.290" Score="5" ViewCount="83" Body="&lt;p&gt;Over the course of 5 days I suddenly have this brown patch in my front lawn. There are no grubs when I dug up the grass and the roots seem strong. I haven't fertilized since the spring. The only other thing I can think is that we just had roofers out at our house and they ran a gas air compressor. Maybe the hot exhaust was blowing on it? Any guesses of what could be causing this? I live in Denver as well, incase that helps. Thanks for the thoughts! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zYdAP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zYdAP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14990" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T16:42:30.493" Title="Mysterious brown patch in our lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34770" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-11T16:26:27.367" Score="5" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can flowering gingers like White Butterfly &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedychium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(hedychium)&lt;/a&gt; be eaten? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rhizomes look and smell exactly like the ginger in grocery stores. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" OwnerDisplayName="blacksmith37" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-28T23:39:07.557" LastActivityDate="2018-03-12T14:40:01.400" Title="Can ginger grown in a garden landscape be used as an edible spice?" Tags="&lt;edible&gt;&lt;ginger&gt;&lt;spices&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34771" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34770" CreationDate="2017-07-29T02:24:35.007" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it is &lt;em&gt;Hedychium coronarium&lt;/em&gt; it seems that it is not toxic so it shouldn't be immediately deadly. While young leaves and flowers are eaten as famine food the rhizomes are only used as folk medicine which I interpret to mean that they taste of socks and have the texture of rotten wood. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it mainly boils down to whether you are using toxic pesticides and/or fertilizers to grow it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I still would be wary of eating much of a species that hasn't been extensively consumed by humans in the last century.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastActivityDate="2017-07-29T02:24:35.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34772" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34773" CreationDate="2017-07-29T07:17:41.073" Score="3" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;How can I improve germination rate at the summer peak temperatures? I will be planting radich.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you use covers? If so, what kind?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastActivityDate="2017-07-29T20:22:11.040" Title="Foster germination in dry, hot weather" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34773" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34772" CreationDate="2017-07-29T09:56:19.680" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whether you mean Radishes or radicchio, both are cool season crops, and growing is usually suspended during the summer months even somewhere like the UK. If you live somewhere very warm, it's best to wait until temperatures are lower before sowing seed of either, unless you have a chilled greenhouse in which to grow them from germination to cropping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-29T11:15:31.063" LastActivityDate="2017-07-29T11:15:31.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34774" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-29T14:58:27.243" Score="5" ViewCount="47" Body="&lt;p&gt;We moved into a 1950's bungalow 18 months ago and first job in the garden was to take down unsaved block wall but every 9' or so was concrete posts held up by concrete/cement that was blue in colour we have since planted a hibiscus hedge (I have planted 18 in total) but the ones that ended up close to the old post holes have died I also planted a large fern in a hole that contain this stuff that to started to die we removed iT and it has picked up again any ideas please what was in the concrete/cement and is there anything we can do to stop it &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19376" LastActivityDate="2017-07-29T18:38:07.567" Title="Old concrete posts" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34775" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-29T15:26:19.263" Score="6" ViewCount="904" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bunch of tomatoes I planted (black krim, cherokee purple, some beefsteak) which are now pretty huge (at least 10 feet tall).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have tons of flowers which appear to set: the flower portion dries up and falls off leaving a small baby tomato inside.  Normally if the pollination is poor I notice that these will just fall off.  But, mine are staying on the plant ... but not growing.  It has been over a month now that this has been happening: no tomatoes are growing larger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All the while the plant grows bigger and bigger.  The temperature is pretty severe: 100+ weather almost every day for the last month (we live in Austin).  The tomato plants are not wilting at all and seem to be pretty robust.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think this might have to do with the heat; although I can't find any other anecdotal or reference to this particular problem, and was hoping to rule out some nutrient issues.  I check them pretty frequently and there are always pollinators about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z7ULC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z7ULC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;example1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cbkCF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cbkCF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;example2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see in the pictures, all of the tomatoes are doing this.  Anyone seen this before?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15898" LastEditorUserId="15898" LastEditDate="2017-07-29T15:36:39.033" LastActivityDate="2017-07-30T09:41:25.960" Title="Huge tomato plants, but fruits stalled" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;heat&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34776" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34774" CreationDate="2017-07-29T17:53:34.070" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect your issue is relating to soil acidity and maybe also soil type. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hibiscus and ferns both prefer to grow in a neutral to slightly acid soil of pH 6.5 to 7.0 (soil acidity) and a free draining sandy loam (soil type). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Concrete made in the 1950's could contain all manner of material, especially if homemade on site. One material it will most certainly contain is cement and cement is made from lime or calcium oxide. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In soil, both lime and calcium oxide create an alkaline soil - pH greater than 7.0 - which is ok for some plants but not hibiscus or ferns. It's highly likely the soil around the concrete is alkaline. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd recommend removing the concrete posts and concrete footings if at all possible. They may be of low quality manufacture and therefore may be leaching lime into the surrounding soil. If removal is not possible, then you can treat the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alkaline soils can be treated to balance pH. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few methods to effect this change but before I write about that, I'd advise you purchase a cheap soil pH test kit. These can be purchased online or from a garden nursery and some hardware stores. Test your soil in and around the concrete post holes to be certain that is the cause of the problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil treatment...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To acidify soil, I use powdered sulphur. This should come with a health warning as some people suffer allergic reaction to sulphur. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When converted by bacteria to sulphuric acid, sulphur lowers soil pH and increases plant root access to nutrients. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sulphur also plays a critical role in the formation of plant tissue proteins and vitamins and so it's good for general plant health. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A method to help balance pH without use of sulphur, is the generous use of compost (but not fresh mushroom compost, which un-composted is alkaline). Some gardeners prefer to dig compost into the soil but I prefer to let the worms do this for me - they are after all perfectly designed for the task. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Place an organic compost at least 10cm / 4in but preferably 15cm / 6in thick across the area of your garden. Water in thoroughly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This method, while more gentle, takes longer to achieve the desired results. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note to be careful to keep the compost away from the trunks of each plant. Depending on the type and age of the compost, sometimes this fresh material can &quot;burn&quot; the plant bark. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost will also improve soil structure and therefore improve drainage, which as mentioned earlier may also be a problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you'd like some more advice on soil type, update your question to include some information on the soil (depth, structure, appearance) along your fence line, with a couple of photos if possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16488" LastEditorUserId="16488" LastEditDate="2017-07-29T18:38:07.567" LastActivityDate="2017-07-29T18:38:07.567" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34777" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34775" CreationDate="2017-07-29T18:33:26.017" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are two things I can see that might be your problem; first is the temperature.  When the temperature gets to 90 degrees F, plant processes shut down.  Your tomatoes are causing enough shade to be able to continue minimal photosynthesis and uptake of water and transpiration. They look very healthy and that brings up the second possible problem...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You mentioned 'nutrients' which I call chemicals or fertilizer as plants make their own nutrients via photosynthesis but without balanced chemicals photosynthesis can not happen.  Your plants look TOO good, grins.  I am guessing you've used a high Nitrogen fertilizer meaning the Nitrogen is higher in proportion to the Phosphorus and Potassium.  Great for lawns and leafy vegetables but not when you want reproductive growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Higher Nitrogen promotes vegetative growth and inhibits reproductive growth. You've said you've had lots of flowers then no fruit.  Are your plants still producing lots of flowers?  When did you see lots of flowers?  What have you used for fertilizer and how long ago.  How long has the temperature been in the triple digits?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you used a high nitrogen fertilizer, 7-5-2 for instance or 16-10-10 where the number for Nitrogen is higher than the second two numbers, this would be the problem.  The high heat in combination would only exacerbate the problem.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you used 10-10-10 with all numbers even or better, 9-10-10 then it is probably the heat. Luckily for you, Austin, Texas has a lovely long season and we can turn this around.  I've got family in this area and they've had problems growing tomatoes in the heat.  I had them erect a 'shade' for their garden plot using shade cloth. 30%.  It comes in differing percentages for blocking the sun.  I also had them turn a fan on their plants as long as it wasn't raining.  This helps move the O2 that is a by product of photosynthesis away from the leaves so CO2 is made more available to the leaves to do photosynthesis. That is one of the problems when the temperature rises.  The photosynthesis increases with temperature but there is so much O2 made and hanging around the leaves that CO2 uptake is inhibited.  Neat, huh? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have to tell me what you've used for fertilizer as well as what if any compost you might have added. And how long ago.  You will have to wait until your plants need more fertilizer and then we'll turn this around by using a lower Nitrogen fertilizer.  No more compost!  Great stuff but it does add Nitrogen.  It is critical stuff to improve soil tilth, holds moisture but should never be used for fertilizer.  It needs to be added to the equation for fertilizer but compost is not a balanced fertilizer.  Pretty much just Nitrogen.  Let me know if you have added compost and whether is was decomposed or fresh!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have healthy healthy tomato plants that need to be kept in stasis until we can give them the signal to make seed/fruit.  You have time.  In fact, as the daylight hours are reduced going into fall that signal will help to tell the plants to make tomatoes as well.  No more fertilizer until you send what you've used up till now, okay? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll have to watch for powdery mildew but the fan should help with that.  If you get powdery mildew (white coating on leaves), let us know, easy to take care of.  In fact you should start spraying this oh so innocuous mixture in another month.  It is 9:1 ratio of water:milk.  I put a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid per gallon of milk water for a spreader sticker. This works so very well I was amazed.  But just for powdery mildew no other fungus.  Thank you, Bamboo!!  One of my cohorts on this site!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I should send pictures of this purple tomato I am trying this year.  Not cherokee purple...the tomatoes are 1/2 dark black purple the other half bright green.  Too weird.  I think the purple develops in the light...get back to us with answers, hope this helps!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-29T18:33:26.017" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34778" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34738" CreationDate="2017-07-29T19:34:10.060" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd always try manual removal first. Using a clean damp cloth, literally wipe the insects from the plant's leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If manual removal does not work or the infestation is too heavy, I use white oil to control insects on plants such yours (Asplenium sp.). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;White oil is a very light petroleum based product that is mixed with water for spray application to the top and underside of all leaves on your plant. The oil literally coats the insects in a film, which in turn starves them of oxygen. If you use this method, add a tiny squirt of dish washing detergent (not dishwasher detergent). The detergent will act as a surfactant, which will allow the spray to spread easily over all surfaces. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its worth noting that insect infestation is often a sign of poor plant health. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition to removing the infestation, I'd recommend you investigate a couple of options to improve your plant's health. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Larger pot; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pot saucer with high sides or pot with water reservoir (keep soil moist); &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fortnightly to monthly application of a liquid tonic to improve soil biology; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Monthly or two-monthly application of a liquid feed to supply nutrients. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16488" LastActivityDate="2017-07-29T19:34:10.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34632" CreationDate="2017-07-29T20:14:44.447" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw that this looks just like the pictures on the internet.  Why don't you think this is what the label states?  Surely you've seen this site, yes? &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=aloe%20kilifiensis&amp;amp;rlz=1C1QJDB_en&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;imgil=1LAgbZV09dCVeM%253A%253Bb5h-xsg4hJVc8M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.arkive.org%25252Faloe%25252Faloe-kilifiensis%25252Fimage-G99204.html&amp;amp;source=iu&amp;amp;pf=m&amp;amp;fir=1LAgbZV09dCVeM%253A%252Cb5h-xsg4hJVc8M%252C_&amp;amp;usg=__M12lno9dnyBtFKR3Ilu3xSYZCqw%3D&amp;amp;biw=1600&amp;amp;bih=808&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjI2K-0pq_VAhXhh1QKHVCABOcQyjcIPA&amp;amp;ei=5ut8WcjNFuGP0gLQgJK4Dg#imgrc=1LAgbZV09dCVeM:&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;aloe kilifiensis images&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-29T20:14:44.447" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34772" CreationDate="2017-07-29T20:22:11.040" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sanjihan, have you provided any cover to block some of the IR from the sun?  What are your temperatures?  Shade cloth, 30%, seems to help very well with bolting on a few of my crops.  I also have major fans blowing because up to a certain point, usually 90 degrees F, plants photosynthesize hugely producing lots of O2 that needs to be blown away from the leaves to allow CO2 to be used for photosynthesis so the plant can continue to function. Be nice to chill the greenhouse but usually just blocking some of the IR and using fans can help just as well.  Eat them before they decide to bolt...either radishes or radicchio lettuces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-07-29T20:22:11.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34781" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-29T23:30:20.813" Score="1" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed that the comfrey (planted last year) leaves down by the creek are big and flat, but the ones up the hill by the blueberry bushes (6 feet higher in elevation) are curled up (rolling over on themselves). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why are the ones by the creek big, and flat, but the ones by my blueberry bushes curled up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have had an extremely wet summer so far this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastEditorUserId="13136" LastEditDate="2017-07-29T23:43:49.630" LastActivityDate="2017-07-29T23:43:49.630" Title="Why do some of my comfrey plants have leaves curling over?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;comfrey&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2018-01-20T02:52:24.970" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34782" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25303" CreationDate="2017-07-30T00:26:13.053" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've found that you I alleviate, not completely solve the problem, by raising the front wheels of my 20'' LawnBoy a notch or so higher than the back wheels. I guess this effectively double cuts the taller blades, and the shorter remnants seem to mulch and fall away better. The overall height of the cut remains about the same and looks pretty good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19378" LastActivityDate="2017-07-30T00:26:13.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34783" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-30T00:26:44.320" Score="2" ViewCount="88" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why are my oranges lumpy and they only grow in the top of the tree out of reach? &#xA;Can I trim to a more manageable height?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19377" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-07-30T22:28:04.110" LastActivityDate="2017-07-30T22:28:04.110" Title="Lumpy oranges and pruning" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34785" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34786" CreationDate="2017-07-30T02:23:48.853" Score="4" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was picking fruit the other day and saw this large bug, just about an inch long I want to say, perched on top of one of the nectarines near the top of the tree. Anyone know what it is and what kind of damage it can produce?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It flew away when I drew near, not a zippy flyer like a fly but sort of slow in its motion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PeuYV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PeuYV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of insect&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17974" LastActivityDate="2017-07-30T03:28:03.013" Title="Strange brown winged insect on nectarine" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;nectarines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34786" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34785" CreationDate="2017-07-30T03:06:05.200" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's called a leaf footed bug.  The exact species will depend on your location but I'm leaning toward &lt;em&gt;Leptoglossus clypealis&lt;/em&gt; since your profile says you live in San Francisco.  You can read more about the three species found in California, their life cycle, damage to plants and management suggestions &lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74168.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They feed by probing into plants and sucking out the juices from leaves and fruits.  The damage is relatively minor however on fruits like your nectarines they can cause dislocations and depressions as the fruits grow.  They are also known to feed on tomatoes and can cause very small tomatoes to stop growing but don't normally harm large tomatoes in any noticeable way.  In low populations no management is needed however you can hand pick adults and larvae and place in a bucket of soapy water to reduce their impact on your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastEditorUserId="15754" LastEditDate="2017-07-30T03:28:03.013" LastActivityDate="2017-07-30T03:28:03.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34787" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34775" CreationDate="2017-07-30T09:41:25.960" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stormy is making some good points here but using g too many &quot;man made&quot; techniques could also be the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I find that imitating nature has by far been the best option when gardening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is called permaculture which is basically getting plants to work together in harmony for common benefits. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes best ally is Basil. In fact, organic tomato farms in Europe plant 1 tomato and 1 basil next to each other. The basil acts as root mulch and feeds your tomato. It also keeps bugs and weeds away. Any type will do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also see another problem with your plants: you have too many stems on your tomatoes, which drains the energy away from fruits formation. You have to cut the bottom stems off and basically prune them like a tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The more leaves and stems you have the more energy you need to maintain them but less fruit will form. You must reroute that energy to fruit formation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16605" LastActivityDate="2017-07-30T09:41:25.960" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34790" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34806" CreationDate="2017-07-30T14:23:45.687" Score="5" ViewCount="1170" Body="&lt;p&gt;My plant (Lemon Drop, sitting in a pot on my balcony) is making huge amounts of leaves, flowers and new chilis but the ones it already has seem to stagnate both in size and ripeness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What should I do? Should I just be patient and wait. Fertilize more/less (currently once per week 1 liter of fertilized water)? Cut some flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt; Fertilizer I use (10ml / Week):&#xA;NPK 7-5-6 with micronutrients (Boron, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Zinc)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes. Used potting soil. No, no compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm reasonably sure the oldest fruits are there longer than 80 days. I've had this plant since last spring. Last year it only managed to make 3 small chilis so this is essentially my first year...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Edit 2:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; I didn't have time to care for the plant the last few days and the leaves got really flabby in the hot weather. Watered it last night and this morning there were two yellow chilis on the bush. Some of the newer smaller ones. I guess we did have a bit of a cold spell around here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also I'm going to make more of an effort to let the soil dry out before watering again (It's a pot with reservoir at the bottom so I always just filled that up and let the plant draw the water it needed)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17411" LastEditorUserId="17411" LastEditDate="2017-08-03T06:58:17.377" LastActivityDate="2017-08-03T06:58:17.377" Title="My chili's don't want to ripen" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34791" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34769" CreationDate="2017-07-30T15:15:25.080" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My vote is on the exhaust from the compressor.  I've seen similar damage to hedges where the compressor has been left too close.  Also, the abrupt line with a fade to green at the far end seems much more like heat than chemical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendation would be to take line trimmer, scalp the area as best you can.  If the grass starts to grow back quickly, you know it's heat damage.  If it doesn't do anything in say a week, you know you have a different issue.  You could also just mow the grass on the lowest setting and that would have the same effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastEditorUserId="17918" LastEditDate="2017-07-31T16:42:30.493" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T16:42:30.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34792" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34805" CreationDate="2017-07-30T15:41:51.007" Score="4" ViewCount="1125" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I have a perpetual dead spot in my yard. I did some testing with the irrigation system and found that the sprinklers must have been installed before the landscapers put in the trees; the sprinklers would work great without the trees, but with the trees they create a dead zone where no water touches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've considered my options. While using a conventional sprinkler would work, it really sucks the joy out of using the irrigation system and not having to worry about it. I have a nearby garden bed with a drip line. I'm thinking about 86ing the drip line and using that piping to install more sprinkler heads in the dead zone. Im also considering splicing the 86'd drip line feed tube into a drip line feed tube that goes to the back yard so it will still be functional (just turned on with the back yard drip line)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of that said, while I've worked with PVC and pipe glue, I've never done it under ground. All this sounds good on paper, but I have no practical experience. What sorts of things do I need to be aware of when trenching and laying pipe? For the job I'd be doing, I probably wouldn't rent a trencher, I'd be digging a trench with a drain Spade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit for future readers trying to figure out how to do this&lt;/strong&gt; -- It's worth the few minutes of exploratory testing in your irrigation system to see if there isn't actually a sprinkler where you want it. I actually had one, but it appears the previous home owner had moved the irrigation controller and forgot to extend the wire for that zone. Manually trigger all your valves to be sure that you don't actually have heads where you want them!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7103" LastEditorUserId="7103" LastEditDate="2017-08-16T14:11:05.393" LastActivityDate="2017-08-18T06:03:47.710" Title="What needs to be considered when rerouting irrigation lines?" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34793" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34794" CreationDate="2017-07-30T18:52:07.823" Score="3" ViewCount="3646" Body="&lt;p&gt;We live in London and went in holiday for 2 weeks and London had a heatwave. Now my bay tree looks like this, how can I recover it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AZnV0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&#xA;To update you all, I ended up leaving it a bit longer and eventually it started to regrow. It's a bit of a monster at the moment but I'm hoping with time it will recover. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks Bamboo and Musser for your help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7vZBi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11576" LastEditorUserId="11576" LastEditDate="2017-10-08T16:56:28.553" LastActivityDate="2017-10-08T16:56:28.553" Title="How to revive my bay tree after heat wave / drought?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34793" CreationDate="2017-07-30T19:07:03.890" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh dear, that's a bit of a disaster, isn't it. Obviously, keep it well watered, but if the topgrowth gets any drier and browner and starts falling over the next 5 days, cut it all down, because by then, the best you can hope for is it regrows off the roots. With any luck, the roots haven't given up, its just sacrificed its topgrowth in order to survive. I think it's unlikely it will look good even if the top starts growing again, too much dead stuff which won't recover, so you could decide to just cut it down now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a bit puzzled though,, thinking about it - I live in London, and the heatwave ended two weeks ago, so if you've been back two weeks and it still looks this bad, cut it down now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-30T20:08:32.293" LastActivityDate="2017-07-30T20:08:32.293" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34795" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-30T21:07:12.153" Score="4" ViewCount="133" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in San Francisco Bay area. Till last year I did not have this problem. Something is eating the base of my bell pepper plant which is about 18 inches tall and producing. The critter is eating just the base of the plant and the plant is falling off and dying. It is like someone just cut it at the base. It is not touching the leaves are the bell peppers. I thought it is gopher and I put bites in all the holes around the backyard. I have also added chili powder to the base. This morning I saw that the base of another plant is chewed (only a little) and hopefully this plant will survive. I noticed that it tried to chew from the side the chili powder is not present. Mostly they were eaten when it was dark though once it happened in the afternoon too. I have eggplant, okra, tomato and other vegetable plants. But none of them were touched. I had very small Thai pepper plants but were eaten by critters.  Please help me finding out who the critter is and how to get rid of it.  Thanks&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GyU6C.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GyU6C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;survived bell pepper plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/obqtG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/obqtG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dead bell pepper plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19387" LastEditorUserId="19387" LastEditDate="2017-07-31T00:24:02.803" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T00:24:02.803" Title="What is eating the base of bell pepper plant?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34796" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-07-31T01:44:30.400" Score="5" ViewCount="2542" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was planning to rent a core aerator this fall to aerate my 10,000 sq ft lawn in Massachusetts but I stumbled upon a liquid aerator/dethatcher. Does the liquid version actually work or is it sub par compared to the mechanical core aeration of pulling up plugs and making plug holes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I stumbled upon the liquid option (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.outsidepride.com/lawn-aerators/lazyman-soil-doctor.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;LazyMan Soil Doctor&lt;/a&gt;) while looking into Midnight KBG that I want to overseed with. The specific liquid amendment claims to aerate, dethatch, and adds microbes and has fertilizer mixed in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16926" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T20:59:42.437" Title="Core aeration vs. liquid aeration" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;aeration&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34797" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34813" CreationDate="2017-07-31T03:22:19.660" Score="3" ViewCount="634" Body="&lt;p&gt;My plants (basil and mint) were infested with mealybugs. Nearly all of them perished (despite application of neem oil) and I am left with several pots of soil that have not been growing anything for several months now. Since the soil has not been growing anything for several months now, won't the mealybugs that were present in the soil have died off? Can I safely reuse the soil for growing now? I have also poured boling water into the soil to try killing them off too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16431" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T11:51:51.590" Title="What to do about mealybug infested soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;mealybugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34798" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34801" CreationDate="2017-07-31T06:53:09.483" Score="3" ViewCount="1796" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a fairly young rhododendron (at least two years). We planted it in the spring. For the past 2-3 months the leaves have slowly been yellowing and turning brown in spots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil is acidic, but to what degree I am not sure. I have not fertilized beyond mulch and a bit of old coffee grounds. The plant gets partial sun (mostly hot afternoon sun), and it hasn't rained for about 6 weeks although I water it every other evening. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a &quot;wait and see&quot; type of problem, or is there something I can do to make it healthier?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LSCcZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LSCcZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;full plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnhK6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnhK6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;zoomed in&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16480" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T16:37:08.410" Title="Young rhododendron with yellow and brown leaves" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;rhododendrons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34800" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34807" CreationDate="2017-07-31T11:32:56.827" Score="6" ViewCount="185" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd love some recommendation on the best way to remove &lt;em&gt;Lysimachia nummularia&lt;/em&gt; 'Aurea' from a perennial border.  A little background:  The border never really goes fully dormant, and is layered with many plants, including several layers of bulbs.  Because of this, and because it's a fairly steep bed, we don't mulch much.  Soil is mostly clay with a thin layer of better soil on top.  The bed is about 1000 sq ft. I can take some photos tomorrow when I'm at work if people think that would help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I've thought about:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sheet mulching&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hand digging&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Dig everything out and start over&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm worried the sheet mulching would prevent the bulbs from coming up, but perhaps if I start in early November, the newspaper would be decomposed enough by mid-January to let the first crocus bulbs poke through.  I suspect the daffodils can get though.  I suspect I'd need almost 2 years to make sure I get everything out of the bed before I did a complete renovation.  To make matters worth, I don't really have a nursery location to store stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Update&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally getting around to getting photos posted, it's been a busy week.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZKJyJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZKJyJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;View of stairs&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What started out a cute edging along the steps has really started to&#xA;take over.  You can't see it here, but it is now covering about 80%&#xA;of the bed.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/veTrR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/veTrR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;View with Sedum &amp;#39;Autumn Joy&amp;#39;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's starting to out compete other wanted plants.  Here, this used to be a solid mass of Sedum 'Autumn Joy' maybe five years ago.  It not only gets in the crown, but it scampers up the stalks, shading them out.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2V3Rd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2V3Rd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;View with heather&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's difficult to see here, but about 4 months ago I pulled all the creeping Jenny off to the ground.  Now it's almost a foot thick, and climbing all over the heathers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2021-05-28T18:35:13.550" LastActivityDate="2021-05-28T18:35:13.550" Title="Recommendations for removing a plant from a perennial border" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34801" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34798" CreationDate="2017-07-31T11:55:43.870" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Use &lt;a href=&quot;https://plantcaretoday.com/chelated-iron.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sequestered Iron&lt;/a&gt;. Do it slightly on the weak side and follow the instructions. Some products say do it every week at certain times of the year or apply once a month, it depends on what product you go for, powder or liquid feed. Don't go for a foliar feed, you might burn the leaves further! Try to avoid getting the leaves wet when you water especially on sunny days. Do it in the evening. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also I would clear up any dead leaves found and destroy them. Don't compost them, rhody leaves have toxins in them that prohibit other plants growing around them so they're not good for compost. They also have an extensive list of possible fungal problems too. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the top of things it looks like nothing more than scorch, but the yellowing says something different, perhaps a micro nutrient deficiency, some type of magnesium/metallic problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-07-31T16:37:08.410" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T16:37:08.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34802" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11129" CreationDate="2017-07-31T12:08:46.437" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not knowing the problem at root, other options are available depending on your budget. There is a great move to green roofs and storing water, rather than just dumping the problem onto someone else, these solutions actually slow the runoff down to just a trickle and look quite good too- lots of advantages of having a system like this- cooler garden for one during the summer and I would also mulch and over do your soil in your garden with a ridiculous amount of organic matter, this in one way will act as a sponge- I did this paris where I lived many years ago- the vege plot I was doing was on a clay/sand hill and all the rain would drain directly into the house at the bottom of the hill and have no where to go, I firstly dug a trench to redirect the flow of water and secondly added horse manure- tons and tons of it to the soil then adding a foot deep layer of mulch on top mostly leaf mulch from a local pond- changed the issue dramatically! the vege went mad, the house stayed dry every time we had a major rain shower and I got told off for growing too much! first time for everything... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T12:08:46.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32628" CreationDate="2017-07-31T12:16:58.440" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ebay is brilliant for such fakes- I had a collection of strange photos on mostly Chinese sellers posting allsorts of strange photo shopped pictures, often filters on cameras lie- blues never really being blue, but I found this on packets of seed too, often things like purple carrots look a bit iffy too!&#xA;If you type in roses on ebay and look down the list often seeds of strange varieties pop up that are definitely fake! so buyer beware!   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T12:16:58.440" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34804" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34796" CreationDate="2017-07-31T12:21:08.867" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.whygoodnature.com/core-vs-liquid-aeration&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;GoodNature website&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;What is Core Aeration?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Grass roots need oxygen to function and in our heavy clay soils here&#xA;  in Ohio, getting enough oxygen to the roots can sometimes be&#xA;  difficult. With core aeration, we poke holes into your soil and pull&#xA;  the cores out. Aeration helps lawns with thatch problems. It loosens&#xA;  the soil to let nutrients work better; plus, it helps your lawn make&#xA;  the best use of watering because an aerated lawn will retain more&#xA;  water with less runoff. You do not want to aerate in the summer,&#xA;  though. It is best to wait until the cooler weather (spring/fall)&#xA;  arrives and the soil is a bit more moist.  More information about Core&#xA;  Aeration&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;What is Liquid Aeration?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Take the battle against thatch a step further and what you get is&#xA;  liquid aeration. As the name suggests, this is a liquid application&#xA;  that can be as effective as or even more than a traditional physical&#xA;  aeration. Liquid aeration is an excellent tool because it can loosen&#xA;  the soil deeper than core aeration can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;There are some liquid aeration type products on the market. We are&#xA;  always testing and using new materials, but the basics are they&#xA;  contain a few main ingredients. First, they contain some sort of&#xA;  wetting agent to get the materials down into the soil. A wetting agent&#xA;  can be made from natural materials like the yucca plant, or from a&#xA;  more synthetic soap-like material. Either is probably fine. Secondly,&#xA;  the product should contain food for microbial life, typically humates&#xA;  and maybe kelp. Finally, a good liquid aeration product should contain&#xA;  enzymes or bacteria that are specifically designed to break down&#xA;  thatch. Sometimes the thatch decomposition product is in a separate&#xA;  package and requires its own application. At the time of this writing,&#xA;  we are recommending Aerify Plus and Biological Dethatcher, both&#xA;  available on our store website.  More information about Liquid&#xA;  Aeration&#xA;   What to Choose - Liquid or Core Aeration?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Core Aeration will have a more immediate impact on your soil and the&#xA;  look of your grass.  But, the effects are not very long lasting.  The&#xA;  liquid aeration will NOT have such an immediate impact on your soil&#xA;  but the effects are longer lasting and accumulative so they build over&#xA;  time.  The exception would be if your soil is very compacted or you&#xA;  have a significant amount of thatch, which would be anything over 1/2&#xA;  inch.  In that case, we would recommend using both Core and Liquid&#xA;  Aeration to help make a long term impact.  You should have the Core&#xA;  Areation before the Liquid.  This will help the Liquid Aeration&#xA;  penetrate the lawn so that it can work better and faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T12:21:08.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34805" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34792" CreationDate="2017-07-31T12:26:22.017" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some people will think this is over the top, but here's the process I use when expanding an irrigation zone, or re-tasking it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Gather information&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What's the static pressure at your house?  (If you don't know, you should be able to purchase a gauge you can attach to your hose bib.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How big is the pipe that feeds the irrigation system, and where is it located&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How big is the pipe after it leaves the valve&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How far is it to the place you want to cut, and how far to where you want to go&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How big is the pipe where you want to cut it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can help sort what this all means, but essentially it give you a good idea of the approximate pressure and flow.  Perhaps there are some easy changes you can make to increase one or both.  From here, I'd do my head layout (remember that for best coverage, space head at their radius in a triangular pattern.  To make it easy, I'd use the same type of nozzles, and pop-ups that you already have.  Personally, I prefer to use 6&quot; heads on lawns, not that standard 2&quot; or 4&quot;.  I find that over the years I have less maintenance to correct angle, depths, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When laying out your pipe, try not to make large bends in the pipe.  I know PVC is very flexible, but if you arch a pipe, and have to repair it, it's a pain.  I prefer my pipes to have at minimum of 12&quot; top cover.  Keep the pipe sizing the same size as the existing, unless you have a compelling reason to downsize.  Going to a larger pipe won't really help up, unless you're coming directly out of the valve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When trenching, I prefer a 3&quot; trenching shovel.  I like to lay a piece of plastic down to put my dirt on.  If you're cutting through grass, make strait sided blocks, about 1 ft x 1ft and pull them out so they stay intacted.  Personally I prefer to keep them in the order they come out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I mostly use a saw when cutting pipe.  I will knock the files out as best I can, sometimes reaching my finger in to pull any remaining out.  I was taught to use a knife to chamfer the inside and outside edge of the cut pipe, but I'm not really sure I believe it does a lot of good.  Keep the fitting and pipe ends dry and clean.  Take your primmer, and THOROUGHLY cover all surfaces what will be glues (inside of fitting, and outside of pipe), leaving no voids or blank spots.  Add glue to the fittings and pipe (again, thoroughly cover with no voids).  Then give the free piece a 1/4 turn from where you want it to end up, giving it a slide/twisting motion as you push it on.  I prefer to hold for 30-60 seconds, then give it a quick cleaning with a paper towel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I prefer to have my swing fittings be double swings so you get a full 360 degree rotation at each end.  Here are two link to single swings, add a second marlex to each end to make it a double swing. Marlex are those little 90 degree elbows.  They are designed to be the weak link.  They are cheap, and easy to replace.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hunterindustries.com/irrigation-product/accessories/sj-swing-joint&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hunter swing joint&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ewingirrigation.com/barbed-ss-1-2-x-1-2-x-12-riser&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Typical swing&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you lay your threaded pipe fitting horizontal in the trench, and use a double swing you only have to dig a small hole to replace a broken fitting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After you're done gluing let everything sit overnight, then flush the system really well (like a minute of flowing water).  This would also be a good time to screw caps on the ends of all your swings (loosely at first) turn on the system to release all the air, then go and tighten all your caps down so you can test for leaks.  I usually let the system run for 15 minutes before turning off.  &lt;strong&gt;BE CAREFUL&lt;/strong&gt; at this stage if you have unglued fitting they can pop out with a huge amount of force.  After your test, carefully release the pressure from one cap before fully unscrewing the rest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Install the pop-ups and nozzles and backfill.  I like to start at the valve end of the repair and work my way as the water flows.  I try not to leave any large rocks on the pipes.  Typically I'll backfill a trench about 1/2 way, walk on it to compact it, complete the backfill.  All the dirt should fit back in.  If you want level grass at the end, don't compact the last layer of soil.  Place the turf back in the order it came out, and use a 12x12 tamper to tamp it level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T12:26:22.017" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34806" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34790" CreationDate="2017-07-31T12:38:42.163" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The main thing that chillis require is heat, your feeding it ok, although I would recommend a liquid feed with a bit more potassium in it, a tomato feed would be a good start, also keeping fruit on the plant for too long can inhibit fruit production- they will ripen on their own eventually, but my own concern that on a balcony, that outside winds are cooling the plant too much (micro climate as to say) ventilation is good for all plants, so you'll have to find a balance there, plus chillis like a gritty soil that's well drained- on the plus side the plants can live for years if protected- I had one for four years before I threw it out, and I got loads of fruit mostly the second year not the first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T12:38:42.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34800" CreationDate="2017-07-31T12:55:26.937" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A systemic weedkiller or just digging out would be the best way, don't use newspaper- often has the result of attracting unwanted pests like slugs to scene and doesn't really break down as fast as one hopes- it forms a static layer that just stays there allowing very little through it.&#xA;If the bed is as large as you say it is then I would break the area up into smaller chunks for ease- a thousand square feet is no small job for one person. for record taking I would refer to photos taken every month to help you plan out planting, I often forget where I exactly planted bulbs etc especially in the dormant season- however new thinking says one can actually do it at any time of year now? the results are not in so don't do anything silly right now.&#xA;An Irish garden designer (I saw on telly) would often split up herbaceous plants right now for propagation- but like you said you don't have the space.&#xA;the steepness to site might cause a few problems- although one could terrace the site or use wire netting to stabilize the surface soil or possibly use large stones, logs or sunken preplanted pots or even plants with extensive root systems.&#xA;Perhaps some photos of the site might help generate ideas.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Looking at the photos, the indicator plants are telling me its a slightly acidic clay soil, the creeping jenny isn't really stabilising the soil much only stopping surface erosion and more likely the heather is doing the main job, some nice stuff in there, sedums and ox eyed daisies(dense fibrous surface rooting stuff) , plus some irises dotted around, difficult to tell how steep it is by the photos. You could try some larger stuff, perhaps some fairly large evergreen acid lovers(rhody's, camellia, arbutus, tree heather?)that will stabilise the soil and add interest during the winter, and I would just clear out anything that looks tired and dead- just do it slowly, section by section, methodically working your way across, perhaps having a rethink if terracing it is even possible and what your budget is? The soil looks fairly poor so adding something like compost or mulch as go might be a good idea and the herbaceous stuff could possibly be split and divided to either spread or renew older clumps by removing the older stuff from the centers and replanted the outer stuff like new plants again in odd numbers clumps( don't know why that works but it looks more natural) I'd also wait until the weather is more wet, those pictures make it look very dry nothing likes being moved when very dry indeed and watering on a slope causes problems...again I think you need to do research into other peoples gardens and see how they have coped and how long it took them to complete their projects. make take a while...    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="1999" LastEditDate="2017-08-09T19:00:16.077" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T19:00:16.077" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34808" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24960" CreationDate="2017-07-31T16:36:11.197" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have the oil crankcase/oil dipstick/oil cap on the downward side of the mower when you turn it over on its side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19393" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-08-01T19:55:51.723" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T19:55:51.723" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34809" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13676" CreationDate="2017-07-31T19:58:50.743" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maybe not an answer,but; Bromthymol blue works well . It is available in any pet shop to test aquarium water. Put a soil sample in distilled / rain water, etc , shake it , let settle and withdraw a sample. To acidify the soil,  I found conc. sulfuric acid worked well, poured about a foot from the blueberry plant ( 500 ml/plant.). Gypsum ,etc didn't work for my soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T19:58:50.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34810" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34796" CreationDate="2017-07-31T20:52:05.537" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2009/05/does-liquid-aeration-work.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Liquid aeration&lt;/a&gt;  I vote for simple, straight forward core aeration.  For one thing this is another chemical addition to a sort of stable ecosystem, your lawn.  Core aeration does more than 'loosen' soil, it physically adds more 'room' and top dresses by taking soil and roots out of the lawn, allowing them to disintegrate.  I am not seeing the benefit if core aeration has to be done first in addition to the chemicals.  Plants, especially lawns have absolutely no problem growing in clay. Core aeration done at least once per year is all one needs.  Just can't see the value in this liquid at all! I've got to go look to see the contraindications and exactly how this stuff 'aerates' but right now I can not see any benefit whatsoever.  After reading a bit about this stuff I definitely say forget it!  Core aeration is really easy to do even on 10,000 sq. ft. of lawn.  Rent two and have two people aerating.  You only have to guide the aerator, no stress.  This other stuff I still need to look up the chemistry to see what is happening but like they say this is similar to smearing shampoo on your lawn.  If there was a way to make lawns look better with less 'work' I would have invented it!!  Grins!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-07-31T20:59:42.437" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T20:59:42.437" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34811" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34812" CreationDate="2017-07-31T22:12:48.813" Score="3" ViewCount="43" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have cleared a patch of shrubs and trees.  When we pulled the trees and bushes out we managed to pull most of the roots but some were too difficult to remove. I was just leveling the soil out today and found some roots with a white substance that coloured the soil when I moved it.  On another root with the same white coating the 'bark' slid off the root when I pulled it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am also still finding some parts of root balls.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I want to lay turf on top, are these roots anything to be concerned about?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the south of England.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17734" LastEditorUserId="18051" LastEditDate="2017-08-01T16:13:41.513" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T16:13:41.513" Title="Did I remove enough roots from large area of shrubs and trees to grow lawn?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34812" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34811" CreationDate="2017-07-31T23:44:02.800" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fungal coating is nothing to worry about, most shrubs and trees will have mycorrhizae around the roots, they have a symbiotic relationship. The thing I'd be concerned about, though, is precisely which trees and shrubs you have removed and whether you managed to extract almost all the roots down to a depth of 18 inches, particularly for the trees. If you did not manage to do this, regrowth is highly likely, more so with some plants than with others, and that you really do not want once your lawn is laid and growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-07-31T23:51:01.687" LastActivityDate="2017-07-31T23:51:01.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34797" CreationDate="2017-07-31T23:57:04.260" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best thing to do is get rid of the soil in the pots, thoroughly clean the containers, then refill with new potting soil. Either that or turn all the pots out and mix the soil up, examining it as you go to see if there's anything in it you don't want, like ants nests or larvae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will need to take precautions to keep ants away - raising the pots off the ground helps, but you may still need to use an ant powder or whatever you have available to keep them off, so keep a check on their activity. Treating mealybug on the upper parts of edible plants isn't as easy as it is on non edibles. You could use some sticky traps hung above the plants to trap any male mealybugs flying in, and an insecticidal soap spray would be useful, that or neem, but you must treat the plants immediately you see a problem, don't leave it, and you will need to treat regularly if mealybug is a major problem. More information can be found here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenguides.com/103552-rid-mealy-bugs-basil-plants.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Get Rid of Mealy Bugs on Basil Plants&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-08-01T11:51:51.590" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T11:51:51.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34814" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34815" CreationDate="2017-08-01T00:38:47.043" Score="6" ViewCount="1252" Body="&lt;p&gt;The author of &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/34801/7305&quot;&gt;this answer&lt;/a&gt; to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/34798/young-rhododendron-with-yellow-and-brown-leaves&quot;&gt;this question&lt;/a&gt; mentioned that toxins in rhododendron leaves can prohibit growth in nearby plants. (This is a paraphrase, not a direct quote.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have six huge rhododendron bushes that have a variety of bleeding hearts, azaleas, hostas, forsythia, pussy willows, young trees, old trees, daylilies, daisies, other wildflowers, and some things I can't identify, growing under, through, and around them. Various groundcovers and low-growing plants, including vinca, catmint, lily of the valley, are all growing in abundance around the roots. It looks like a jungle out there and I love it! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since everything is growing nicely, I assume the rhododendrons are not having a negative affect. However, if I understood the answer correctly, there may be some things I should be aware of for future plantings. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I should not plant in the vicinity of my rhododendrons? If so, what? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2017-08-03T01:55:16.043" Title="Are there any plants I should not grow near my rhododendrons?" Tags="&lt;companion-planting&gt;&lt;rhododendrons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34815" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34814" CreationDate="2017-08-01T10:37:50.540" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is some evidence that Rhododendron ponticum inhibits germination and growth of seeds and seedlings nearby which may be attributed to allelopathy, but no evidence they have such a strong allelopathic effect that it kills surrounding vegetation. Large rhododendrons may cast too much shade on nearby plants, as well as taking up all the water and nutrients, so where necessary, size should be controlled, as well as leaf litter cleared away. The leaves are large, tough and fairly water resistant, and therefore take a long time to break down, so a thick layer of fallen rhododendron leaves on other plants' foliage won't do them much good. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, as you've observed, there's no reason why you can't grow other plants with rhododendron varieties, so long as the plants aren't those that prefer alkaline soil conditions, because, if a rhododendron's growing well, then the soil will be on the acidic side of the scale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-03T01:55:16.043" LastActivityDate="2017-08-03T01:55:16.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34816" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34818" CreationDate="2017-08-01T10:46:47.353" Score="6" ViewCount="188" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an oak (Quercus robur) sapling I've grown from seed in a pot (it is 2 years old) and its leaves are exhibiting a powdery white mildew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After some searching online I think it's a case of &lt;code&gt;erysiphe alphitoides&lt;/code&gt; (it looks exactly like the photographs I've seen online). The information I've seen online states that it can be treated with fungicides that contain sulphur, but the information contains the caveat&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;this can damage some plants&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would a fungicide that contains sulphur harm a quercus robur oak?&#xA;If so, what alternative fungicide would be appropriate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in the UK, in the South of England if that's useful information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11408" LastActivityDate="2020-01-23T13:09:31.920" Title="Powdery mildew on oak (Erysiphe alphitoides?)" Tags="&lt;oak&gt;&lt;mildew&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34817" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-01T11:22:44.667" Score="5" ViewCount="424" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albizia_adianthifolia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Albizia tree&lt;/a&gt; with a very established root base that was recently cut down due to renovations. The existing stump (which was originally a regrowth as well I think) is only around 8cm across and about 1.5m high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has recently put out a large number of sprouts from top of the stump (all growing upward), they're about 20cm tall or so at the moment and growing rapidly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to keep the tree but obviously if I just let it do what it wants it's going to end up being a bit of a strange looking tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was hoping someone could give me some advise on how to choose which sprouts to take off and which and how many to keep. Should I just keep one that's around the middle of the stump and hope it branches out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19399" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T17:22:53.163" Title="How to prune regrowth from a previously cut down tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34816" CreationDate="2017-08-01T13:14:47.903" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sulphur is a contact fungicide. Really there are two forms of sulphur fungicide: powder or soluble. I assume that you need only the soluble one. &quot;Contact fungicide&quot; mean that you can test just few parts of the plant, and you can see if there are some problems with the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As pnut wrote in comment, I think the interpretation is that it can damage some other plants. In any case it is very widely used, for plants, orchards, vineyards, vegetables and garden. So it is not common to have problems with sulphur. But as far I know, some fruits (as plant part) doesn't like it (e.g. some apple's varieties).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So check to buy just sulphur (the kind that dissolve in water).  It is cheap. Many other fungicides includes it: because it is cheap, and because it prevent resistance, but better to avoid them, if there are no needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But you should read carefully the instructions.  There are temperature limits (minimum and maximum). Outside such temperatures, the sulphur could burn the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I find only the following sensitivity on Sulphur:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;high temperature: all plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apple varieties: Golden Delicious, Imperatore, Jonathan, Rome Beauty, Stayman&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pears: Williams&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;some peaches and most apricots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I remember correctly the problems are just in fruits (and just fruits that are subject to &quot;rust&quot;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2017-08-01T17:08:39.347" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T17:08:39.347" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34819" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32966" CreationDate="2017-08-01T15:05:28.983" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As someone else mentioned, it depends a lot on the cultivar. Everbearing varieties are less likely to put out lots of runners. This year, picking a first crop of strawberries and diligently picking off shriveled or dying leaves as soon as they appeared seemed to push more runners into appearing. However, this didn't work as much for the smaller alpine plants (except one, which has gone completely haywire and produced runners all over the place).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We also just had loads of rain followed by a few weeks of very sunny weather. The runners started appearing by the end of the first week of sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19401" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T15:05:28.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34820" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34889" CreationDate="2017-08-01T15:45:58.900" Score="2" ViewCount="251" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw this Begonia in a restaurant in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and was very impressed by it. What is it exactly? Is it hard to grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aE5po.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aE5po.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/17iXy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/17iXy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-08-06T16:21:03.923" LastActivityDate="2017-08-06T20:14:42.937" Title="Identify begonia with variegated leaves and pink margins" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;begonia&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25019" CreationDate="2017-08-01T16:35:26.487" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;+1 for inadequate moisture from being spring planted. They look pretty healthy, just young. I would wait them out. They should sprout their hard neck and then flower, all before the adult leaves begin to yellow and dry out. I planted my hardneck in the fall and harvested early August. Yours should be ready late September/early October if you planted in late May.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19403" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T16:35:26.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34822" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34820" CreationDate="2017-08-01T16:46:25.787" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a Begonia rex variety, specifically, 'Escargot'. Prefers part shade, shouldn't be kept overly wet, but also should not be allowed to dry out and wilt, so checking the surface of the potting soil is necessary - water when it feels just dry to the touch, empty out any tray or outer pot 30 minutes later. Other than removing any withered or dying leaves, it's relatively easy care, more info can be found here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/begonia-escargot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Begonia 'Escargot'&lt;/a&gt;. I can't advise where you can find one though, I don't live in the same country as you do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-06T17:50:22.513" LastActivityDate="2017-08-06T17:50:22.513" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34817" CreationDate="2017-08-01T17:22:53.163" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have observed and tended some regrowths from stumps over the years.  The first thing is to have patience and let the new sprouts grow for 1 or 2 years.  Then go and cut out one-third of the weaker sprouts and leave the stronger ones.  If there are several strong ones that are right next to each other take out all but the strongest of that grouping.  But still, leave 2/3 of the total the first year of pruning.  The next year cut out a half, and in the third year leave the strongest trunk and cut the rest.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a very conservative method, I have found that rushing this can cause the whole group to be shocked and die out.  You are trying to keep the roots alive so that a tree can establish itself.  I have left 3 to 5 trunk alive on an oak and a birch, and it is a magnificent group of trunks, and not advisable up near a house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T17:22:53.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34824" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34833" CreationDate="2017-08-01T18:17:26.510" Score="4" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;My &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowiea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Climbing Onion&lt;/a&gt; died back while we were away because the plant sitter missed it.  However, this has happened before, and the thing always sprouts again in the spring, but I don't want to wait that long.  Would it be possible to sprout this year?  Is there a fertilizer balance to use (N-P-K), use grow-lights, a heating pad, et al are available to me.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-23T19:04:50.320" LastActivityDate="2017-11-23T19:04:50.320" Title="How do I get Climbing Onion (Bowiea volubilis) to sprout again?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34825" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-01T18:58:48.247" Score="6" ViewCount="3423" Body="&lt;p&gt;Title is the question, question is close this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/32555/sprouting-sprouting-seeds-vs-beans-from-grocery-store/32562#32562&quot;&gt;one&lt;/a&gt;, however there might be more information available specifically for planting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The price and quantity of sprouting seeds seem to, by and large, have  significant differences, spouting seeds usually are packaged in large orders on a much more reasonable per unit price, compared to one seeds offered at large home improvement stores. The difference seems to be, at least for &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amazon.com/forum/-/TxK00EDU6W0M78/1?source&amp;amp;asin=B00522AFRE&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this retailer&lt;/a&gt;, in the farmer/suppliers process deemed to specifically distinguish sprouting from for-planting seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there is a fundamental difference are there wholesalers for plant seeds?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19404" LastActivityDate="2020-03-11T07:48:56.337" Title="Is there a difference between seeds that are for planting vs sprouting? If so, what are they?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34827" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34825" CreationDate="2017-08-01T19:25:46.053" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a difference, which is that typically the vegetable garden planting packet variety of seeds are selection is controlled.  Plant vendors grow specific varieties of plants to be sold in food growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Opposed to the sprouting varieties might not be as &quot;curated&quot; let's say and are growing in large fields to get just the seeds.  At least that is what they want us to believe.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I sprout lots of different things including radishes, sunflowers, chia, flax, etc. and on occasion have planted some of them in the garden to see what comes up.  The radish mixes came up with about three varieties, and some bolted quickly.  The sunflowers were just little black oil sunflowers.  The flax was the same as any other flax I have ever grown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To summarize the sprout seeds for things like radish can be a mix and you don't know what will quite come up.  Seeds for planting are &quot;guaranteed&quot; to be what is on the outside of the packet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastEditorUserId="17642" LastEditDate="2017-08-01T19:45:41.107" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T19:45:41.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33700" CreationDate="2017-08-01T21:13:18.807" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had compost bins in the past.  I had 3 bins side-by-side just off my lawn, and filled up one, then moved to the next, and so on.  Once I had all 3 bins full, the 1st was generally ready to use as compost. I also had one just off my garden, which is very useful to have it near by, much more practical for putting plant material in it from your garden.  I never noticed it attracting unwanted pests.  I also understand, ground up tree leaves and coffee grounds are the best for making compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19366" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T21:13:18.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34829" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23900" CreationDate="2017-08-01T21:15:29.420" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have heard that mulched up tree leaves and coffee grounds are the best for making compost.  I have heard to not put food in your compost bin.  Also do not layer the mulched tree leaves and coffee grounds.  They need to be mixed together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19366" LastActivityDate="2017-08-01T21:15:29.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34832" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34825" CreationDate="2017-08-02T03:25:06.480" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are specific radish varieties they have for sprouting (whether or not seeds sold as sprouting radishes are always varieties specific for sprouting; from CloneZero's answer it sounds like they're not, perhaps, or at least some of them are not true to type with regard to garden radish traits). You can get garden radishes in bulk at reimerseeds.com for decent prices that seem to compare with those of sprouting radishes (some varieties have much better deals; here's one for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.reimerseeds.com/french-breakfast-radishes.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a pound of French Breakfast radish seeds for $7.50 or 10lbs for $50&lt;/a&gt;), and Rambo spouting radishes from seedsnow.com. Rambo is sprouting radish variety. I've heard of at least one or two others, I believe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For comparison, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.seedsnow.com/collections/grow-your-own-heirloom-radish-100-non-gmo/products/sprouts-radish-rambo-red&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a pound of Rambo sprouting radish seeds is $10.99 at seedsnow.com&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.seedsnow.com/collections/grow-your-own-heirloom-radish-100-non-gmo/products/radish-sprouts&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;A pound of their classic sprouting radishes&lt;/a&gt; (variety unspecified) is the same price.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you just want to grow lots of radishes, though, realize that a pack of 200-500 seeds &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/de-18-jours-radish/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;that you get from say Baker Creek&lt;/a&gt;, will still grow a lot of radishes (about 200-500, in fact; radishes germinate pretty easily, at least in my soil, whereas some other crops may be more difficult to sprout). Also, realize that radishes can reseed if you let them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-08-02T05:08:28.580" LastActivityDate="2017-08-02T05:08:28.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34833" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34824" CreationDate="2017-08-02T09:36:14.973" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's nothing you can do;  in fact, according to this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/climbing-onion/growing-climbing-onion-plants.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/climbing-onion/growing-climbing-onion-plants.htm&lt;/a&gt;, unless moderate moisture and warmth is maintained, its normal for these plants to die down in late summer. If that happens (as it has) then its best to leave it alone and wait for signs of life again, which should be fall, before resuming watering as normal. There's certainly no point in giving it fertilizer now its dormant, nor extra heat because high temperatures may also trigger dormancy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-08-02T09:36:14.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34740" CreationDate="2017-08-02T17:50:21.723" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like it is Gopher Spurge. &lt;a href=&quot;https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/euphorbia/lathyris/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/euphorbia/lathyris/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17993" LastActivityDate="2017-08-02T17:50:21.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34837" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1294" CreationDate="2017-08-02T20:59:07.953" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Years ago, we did some landscaping and had to trench a water line across our front lawn into our home.  In order to do that, we cut through an approx. 8&quot; diameter root of a pine tree, that was probably 30 feet high,and 40 years old.  That didn't seem to bother it at all.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19366" LastActivityDate="2017-08-02T20:59:07.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34839" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34844" CreationDate="2017-08-02T22:48:40.007" Score="3" ViewCount="630" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am really new to gardening and have fallen in love with the idea of raising plants in a very low maintenance setting because I travel a lot. I have a lot of lucky bamboo and just got a pothos plant. I like them because they can just stay in water with a little bit of fertilizer every now and then. I saw somewhere I can do that with succulents like jade, I was just wondering how that can be achieved. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19416" LastActivityDate="2017-08-03T13:56:36.413" Title="What is the best way to raise a succulent using still aquaponics?" Tags="&lt;growing-medium&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34841" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34842" CreationDate="2017-08-03T07:17:25.823" Score="2" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have these strange round brown things on my peach tree. they can't be insect eggs because they have the size of a lentil. they are white and sticky inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XOYAk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XOYAk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sqgky.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sqgky.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19417" LastActivityDate="2017-08-03T07:56:39.910" Title="What are these strange egg like things?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;&lt;parasites&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34841" CreationDate="2017-08-03T07:56:39.910" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;These seem to be &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Scale insects&lt;/a&gt;, you see the scale which protect the insects inside them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They eats the sap. If they are active, usually you find ants nearby, taking part of the sap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many types of such insects, with a lot of colours. These are very large, compared what I usually see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Insecticides which enter to sap helps. You can remove them and then heavy water them. Without scale they are not a lot of probability to survive.  Fighting ants also help: such insects are often the pet animals of ants: ants take care and carry them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-08-03T07:56:39.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34844" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34839" CreationDate="2017-08-03T13:22:15.433" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Succulents are adapted to survive in dry climates and thus they are not suited to aquaponic growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;It might be possible.&lt;/strong&gt; I know that you can root &lt;em&gt;some&lt;/em&gt; succulents in water. This can be used when propagating cuttings. However, I do not know how long they survive in water or if it is feasible to keep them in water permanently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I have never seen a jade plant successfully grown or propagated in water.&lt;/strong&gt; That does not mean it is impossible but it is improbable. Jade plants grow easily in soil so there's not really a reason to go through all the trouble of trying to grow them in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most succulents are more low maintenance than any plants you are going to grow in an aquaponic environment (unless you have a fully automated aquaponic system that accounts for evaporation). There are some types of cacti that you can get away with watering only once every one to two months. Succulents are also extremely tough and can come back from serious neglect (not getting enough water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are simply looking for a low maintenance plant than a succulent grown in soil is likely the best option. However, &lt;strong&gt;if you insist that it is grown hydroponically there is no reason not to try it&lt;/strong&gt;. Be sure to never let the base of the succulent touch the water, only let the roots themselves dangle into the water. You are likely to have a better chance of success with a rain forest cactus (Orchid cactus or Christmas cactus) as these are adapted to moister environments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In case you need something that can survive 3+ months of neglect then you can look into closed terrariums. It is possible to set them up so that they basically don't need to be watered at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user16651" LastEditorDisplayName="user16651" LastEditDate="2017-08-03T13:56:36.413" LastActivityDate="2017-08-03T13:56:36.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34845" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34240" CreationDate="2017-08-03T15:00:21.940" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Turns out this isn't really a problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I waited to see if any of the commentors who suggested this would post an answer)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's unusual that male pumpkins bloom &lt;em&gt;after&lt;/em&gt; the female ones but not unheard of.  A matter of weeks after posting this question I started to get many male and some female blooms in a much more expected pattern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18067" LastActivityDate="2017-08-03T15:00:21.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34846" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-03T15:48:20.003" Score="5" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;I consider myself a beginning vegetable gardener, even though I've been working with ornamentals for 30+ years.  After several years of trying, I've finally managed to get my first ever homegrown cucumber.  We don't go into all the failures as they are unimportant for this post.  After harvesting my first ever cucumber last night, we found the skin to be bitter.  If I'm not mistaken it's a burpless slicing varirety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was about 7&quot; long, and about a 1&quot; across (smaller than the standard ones you get in the grocery store around here).  I'm trying to narrow down what has causes the bitterness, and wondering if I can fix it for future fruit this year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what I've been reading, it seems like inconstant watering might be the most likely cause.  It gets water 3-4 times a week depending to temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-08-03T19:42:19.373" Title="First ever homegrown cucumber was bitter" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34847" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34846" CreationDate="2017-08-03T15:57:20.307" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the various books on the subject three most common reasons for bitterness are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;not enough water or not consistent watering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;temperatures are too cold or too hot while fruit are formed&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leaving &quot;male&quot; flowers on the plant (I'm trying to test this theory at the moment myself, but it's tricky when you have more than few plants :))&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also noticed that cucumbers are better tasting if picked as soon as they are &quot;ready&quot; - when flower is dropped from the end.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16942" LastEditorUserId="16942" LastEditDate="2017-08-03T19:42:19.373" LastActivityDate="2017-08-03T19:42:19.373" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34848" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34850" CreationDate="2017-08-03T16:29:31.323" Score="4" ViewCount="111" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure how to even google this, so I'm hoping someone can identify it here.  It's probably a very common house plant, I'm just not too familiar with this one.  Watering it too much seems to be bad, but watering it too little isnt good but is also not killing it&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gdx0D.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gdx0D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mystery plant photo 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19421" LastActivityDate="2017-08-03T20:34:39.620" Title="What is this plant and how should I be taking care of it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34849" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34848" CreationDate="2017-08-03T16:35:18.247" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Welcome to the forum Michael!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a dracena, though I'm not sure of the species (and it probably matters little for care).&#xA;A quick google of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/dracaena/dracaena-houseplant-care.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;dracena care&lt;/a&gt; gave me this site.  Hope it helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-08-03T16:35:18.247" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34850" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34848" CreationDate="2017-08-03T20:34:39.620" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dracena marginata...you have to get this plant in a pot with drainage and potting soil.  It is slowly dying from too much water, no air and have you used fertilizer at all?  Just a little, Osmocote 14-14-14 at half the amount would be good.  Potting soil, not garden soil.  No other additives. Lift the bottom of the pot to get the best drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-03T20:34:39.620" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34851" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-03T20:35:55.793" Score="3" ViewCount="359" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qR8sU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the yellow stuff growing next to my pineapple&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It wasn't there yesterday and I don't know what it is. I have no idea of what it could be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19422" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-04T05:57:52.143" LastActivityDate="2017-08-04T11:11:01.310" Title="What is that yellow stuff growing next to my pineapple" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34853" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34851" CreationDate="2017-08-03T21:47:28.820" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, a saprobic mushroom that isn't uncommon in pots and houseplants in pots. It won't harm your plants nor you, unless, that is, you eat them, because they're toxic if consumed. If you don't like the look of them, snap them off and dispose of them, but they will very likely recur, if not this year, then next. More info can be seen here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mushroomexpert.com/leucocoprinus_birnbaumii.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Leucocoprinus birnbaumii&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-08-04T11:11:01.310" LastActivityDate="2017-08-04T11:11:01.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34856" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32725" CreationDate="2017-08-04T11:40:43.657" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The ivy isn't helping matters.  It will eventually girdle the tree.  Additionally it is adding weight to the crown, and acting as a sail, especially in the winter when the tree isn't used to having extra foliage up to.  At the very minimum, cut all the ivy shoots around the tree at about waist height, removing 6-12&quot; of stems.  It would be best if you could work backwards and remove the ivy at least 5 feet from the trunk.  I encourage you NOT to pull the ivy off the tree above where you have cut it.  It will die and drop it leaves fairly quickly.  If you pull it, you risk pulling large trunks of ivy off the tree which can easily hit you, or breaking branches, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I too love the fact that you want to give the tree a life beyond firewood.  Often times trees are saved for large restoration projects for what is called &quot;large woody debris&quot;.  The trunks and main limbs are scatter around for habitat and slope stability.  I would reach out to any organizations that might be involved with such projects (public utility, universities [especially the grounds crew], parks, garden, arboreta, etc).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure what part of the world you are in, but there might be chainsaw artists who would like it.  Or as mentioned above, youth groups, speciality lumber mills etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing that might make it complicated is the access.  Those logs get heavy quickly, and they become difficult to move.  Hopefully there's good truck access or it might not be possible to salvage the log.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a difficult call as to whether to remove the tree.  Topping has weakened the tree, and likely caused the center of the trunk to rot from the inside out.  The large dead branch, and weak leaf system might indicate fairly massive root disturbance.  Are the parking lots fairly new?  You might look for somebody to come do a hazard tree analysis for you.  They would not only be able to determine the health of the tree, but the likelihood it would fail (and possibly which direction it would be mostly likely to fall).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-08-04T11:40:43.657" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34857" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-04T14:44:23.057" Score="9" ViewCount="7049" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have cut off the top of my &lt;em&gt;Yucca elephantipes&lt;/em&gt;, and after a few months a new shoot comes from the stem. My question is, is it possible to get more than one shoot? And if yes, how to do that? How can I stimulate the plant to have more shoots (without pruning the new shoot)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gtIoh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gtIoh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2020-08-11T15:10:23.247" LastActivityDate="2020-08-11T15:10:23.247" Title="How to get more shoots after pruning Yucca?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="34859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4027" CreationDate="2017-08-04T15:29:02.153" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let them grow and harvest them.  See what they look like. Sometimes gardening is using what nature gives you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19366" LastActivityDate="2017-08-04T15:29:02.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34860" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="286" CreationDate="2017-08-04T15:31:33.363" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it is early in the year and there is a chance of frost, you would cover them as soon as they poke through.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another good time to cover with dirt is when you can see the potatoes poking through, this promotes more potato growth, but also prevents sunburn on the new potatoes forming.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19366" LastActivityDate="2017-08-04T15:31:33.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34863" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13905" CreationDate="2017-08-04T18:20:42.210" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dig around the root area, add the best soil you can get. At least 1 to 2 feet around the root area.  Try not to disturb the roots themselves. You will yield fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19437" LastActivityDate="2017-08-04T18:20:42.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34865" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27013" CreationDate="2017-08-04T20:37:18.820" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like a grass and may be hay of some sort. Could be fescue but the leaf looks finer to me like brome, timothy or orchard grass. Unfortunately, you can't spray it because the chemical that kills it will kill your other grass. I don't believe it is nutsedge. After looking at it, probably is K-31 which doesn't look good next to you bluegrass. Broadleaf and all, I hate it. Its hardy but I try to kill as much of it as I can. It is invasive!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19438" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-04T22:42:17.517" LastActivityDate="2017-08-04T22:42:17.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34866" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-04T20:49:00.600" Score="4" ViewCount="2328" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a row of yew bushes, some of which are not healthy at all! I’m in Pittsburgh, PA and have lived in this house 15 years. These bushes used to be healthy (I have old pictures), but over the past five years, the ones toward the end have produced less foliage and turned brown. It seems progressive -- that is, the bushes in front look great (I can hardly keep up with them). Then they get progressively smaller and more unhealthy as you go along. You see the bad ones have top growth but the sides are scant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I’ve done some research... I don’t use driveway salt. They get sun almost all day (even the healthy ones), and they sit in a line that runs almost exactly east-west. The soil is mostly clay and there’s no standing water here. There is an unhappy looking evergreen tree nearest the unhealthy plants that I plan to take down soon. It’s about 20 feet high. Also, there is ivy around the bases of some the plants, but nothing excessive. They don’t climb into the bushes. I’ve read that this shouldn’t be a problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could be the culprit, and can these bushes be saved? Thanks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(First picture bushes face south; second, same bushes facing north.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E1N6o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E1N6o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bushes facing south&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RRh9Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RRh9Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Same bushes facing north&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17193" LastActivityDate="2017-08-05T08:56:28.043" Title="Why are some of these Yew bushes dying?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34867" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-05T00:22:08.407" Score="4" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found these seeds packed away. I have no idea what they are, nor how old they are. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are beige color, about 5 millimeters wide. A distinct trough runs through them from end-to-end, about 2 millimeters wide and 2 millimeters deep, colored darker yellow-brown. The trough is quite deep and wide, like a tiny &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Router_%28woodworking%29&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;router tool&lt;/a&gt; was run through it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;➠ What might they be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r0ytA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r0ytA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nut puffed cereal, really! Firm little things I found tucked away in that yellow packet, so I &lt;em&gt;assume&lt;/em&gt; they are seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7290" LastEditorUserId="7290" LastEditDate="2017-08-05T01:51:18.363" LastActivityDate="2017-08-05T22:40:17.347" Title="Mysterious beige seeds with a trough cleaved through them" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34869" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34866" CreationDate="2017-08-05T08:56:28.043" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yews are the only conifer I know that loves the shade.  They are poisonous so the deer and animal life do not eat these guys.  These that are dying are in a bit of shade.  So I am seeing a disease of some sort.  What is happening to the larger conifer to the south?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yews are also long lived so 15 years plus should be no problem.  The pruning isn't that great but still not the problem.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They do fine in clay soil as long as it is well drained, so again not the problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bummer.  I would take those 3 yews out completely.  Use a truck and chain.  Do not replace with yew.  I would do a deciduous shrub in place of the yews you remove.  Without a test by a reliable organization all you will be able to tell is whether or not the rest of the yew hedge continues to die off.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is a disease; there are a possible couple one is fungal one is viral, you'll notice it in the rest of the hedge.  Make sure you do not replace with yew, I wouldn't use any other conifer, I'd go to a deciduous or an evergreen chunk of hedge...laurel or privet?  I would also do a staggered chunk of hedge so it looks planned and not trying to compete with the yew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should check with your nearest, biggest University Cooperative Extensive Service.  They can do tests, they can send a Master Gardener out to actually take samples and advise you much more closely.  Those Yews are not going to come back.  I wonder how old they are?  They just might be dying of old age.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-05T08:56:28.043" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34870" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34867" CreationDate="2017-08-05T09:40:46.333" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm almost certain what you have are lotus seeds. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_seed&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_seed&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're usually a pale ivory colour and as they age, deepen to a more light golden-tan. Since colours can be deceptive viewed over the internet, I can't say how fresh the ones you have are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Packaged like yours, perhaps they were meant to be planted &lt;em&gt;unless&lt;/em&gt; they've been repackaged by someone. There appears to be much more than is needed to start new plants so I'd hazard a guess these were meant for food. In fact,  I have an unopened package of lotus seeds in my pantry as I cook a lot of Asian foods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lotus seeds are commonly used in Asian cooking. They're used to make lotus seed paste (quite yummy) as a filling in festive moon cakes. They're also added to soups. Lotus seeds are considered a 'yin' food noted for their cooling effect and clearing 'excess heat' in traditional Chinese medicine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some photos of lotus seeds. The first one is from Wikipedia. Please let me know if your seeds match the photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y0NHE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IaRlZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JHnZU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-08-05T09:40:46.333" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34871" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-05T15:52:14.490" Score="5" ViewCount="259" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found these seed pods in some flower pots that I picked up roadside for free. I've been scouring the internet but can't find anything that looks like them. Does anybody know what they might be? Any help appreciated! &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aweAH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aweAH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aLAPP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aLAPP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19442" LastEditorUserId="19442" LastEditDate="2017-08-05T19:19:14.303" LastActivityDate="2018-07-30T13:05:37.077" Title="What are these seed pods?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34874" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34867" CreationDate="2017-08-05T22:40:17.347" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, I've been out in identify seed land and I stumbled across genetically modified soybean seeds.  What caught my eye was this TROUGH looking like it was router made.  Check this out.  I am not sure it is lotus seed as I couldn't see the thingy (Hilum) that shows up on his seed.  I don't think this is an answer but I gotta throw this out there. The other thing was the envelope they came in!  Check this stuff out...&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bing.com/cr?IG=A943676A26E14BFDA785C2D082F53535&amp;amp;CID=17E2B006D4606F072377BAD3D53F6E65&amp;amp;rd=1&amp;amp;h=dQnBWD3-fcp16fB0WAwSlCLffy0WmzqFjVr_DNg85EU&amp;amp;v=1&amp;amp;r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.popsci.com%2Fsites%2Fpopsci.com%2Ffiles%2Fstyles%2Fmedium_1x_%2Fpublic%2Fimport%2F2013%2Fimages%2F2011%2F01%2Fsoybeans.jpeg%3Fitok%3D7DBpO3gW&amp;amp;p=DevEx,5152.1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;GMO soybean seed in the process of modification&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you know anything about the original owners of these seeds?  Were they Monsanto employees????  Grins!  This second picture is of all types of soybean in an envelope just like the one your seeds are in...weird. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bing.com/cr?IG=11A7EECC0C96470587D4A62249F8F613&amp;amp;CID=2D56A27CB6D5619E166EA8A9B78A6040&amp;amp;rd=1&amp;amp;h=7G7XITdyqgq2XuHrNFtzo9FzVdOZHLQGph4ERrE91SE&amp;amp;v=1&amp;amp;r=http%3A%2F%2Fimagecache.jpl.nasa.gov%2Fimages%2F640x350%2Fsoybean20140415b-640-640x350.jpg&amp;amp;p=DevEx,5242.1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a multitude of soybean colors and types&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like the lotus seed idea as that would be something I most certainly would love to take from Egypt or where ever to bring home and try to grow.  Pretty tough to do these days.  I am not at all sure on this ID!  Interesting about the router trough, package with no identification???&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-05T22:40:17.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34875" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-05T23:24:37.467" Score="4" ViewCount="934" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BjoJH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;.   Is this a picture of any flower. Please let me know &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W7PmE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19447" LastActivityDate="2017-08-06T00:13:25.537" Title="A conical white flower" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34876" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34875" CreationDate="2017-08-06T00:03:23.113" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're flower buds of a white cultivar of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protea_cynaroides&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;King Protea&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Protea cynaroides&lt;/em&gt;) before it's started opening even a little. King protea is the national flower of South Africa and has the largest flower head of all protea. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WURPm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WURPm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once it starts opening, it becomes more obvious it's a protea.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dtg83.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dtg83.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17278" LastActivityDate="2017-08-06T00:03:23.113" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34877" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34875" CreationDate="2017-08-06T00:06:25.103" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This has got to be Protea repens...&lt;a href=&quot;http://australianseed.com/shop/item/protea-repens-white-form/new-this-month&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Protea repens&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Welp, the flower looks right, got to be Protea but the leaves are wrong!  Jude's answer has better leaf Id but it isn't this waxy white of repens. I'll go with Jude's answer because of the leaves.  Has to be Protea, dog gone you Jude!  Grins!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-08-06T00:13:25.537" LastActivityDate="2017-08-06T00:13:25.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34878" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-06T01:11:50.903" Score="2" ViewCount="9147" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's wrong with my aloe? It isn't in direct sunlight and I water it once a week, checking if the soil is dry and crumbly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V8oqO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19448" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-07T20:04:41.993" LastActivityDate="2017-09-07T20:06:32.940" Title="How can I help my weak Aloe vera?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34879" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-06T02:16:06.650" Score="3" ViewCount="2472" Body="&lt;p&gt;My spouse and I recently purchased a house in Los Angeles. The previous owners made no mention of it, and we didn't notice it during the buying process, but we discovered a pepper plant growing in the back yard. It produces bright red wrinkled peppers that look like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Qnyu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Qnyu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Despite my better judgement, I tasted a small (1/8&quot; x 1/8&quot; piece) of it, and it is &lt;em&gt;extremely&lt;/em&gt; hot. I would rate it as far hotter than a jalapeño pepper. Looking &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cayennediane.com/big-list-of-hot-peppers/#blop+p:15&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;online&lt;/a&gt;, it looks to me like maybe it's a naga or 7-pot (aka 7-pod) pepper, but I'm not sure. Is there a way to be sure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some additional pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The whole plant&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wcPQN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wcPQN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The whole plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A Close-up of some not-yet-ripe fruits&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t8R4J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t8R4J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up of unripe fruit&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And another one showing how they transition from green to red (sometimes)&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MZa69.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MZa69.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19449" LastEditorUserId="19449" LastEditDate="2017-08-06T21:44:56.170" LastActivityDate="2017-08-24T02:52:55.690" Title="What is this bright red wrinkled pepper?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34880" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34878" CreationDate="2017-08-06T02:23:57.557" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't see the yellow you are seeing I guess, have you given it any fertilizer at all?  How long ago?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are watering way too often.   In addition this pot seems to be too big for this plant.  Too much wet soil for a succulent with shallow roots will definitely make an unhappy succulent.  The second pot below bothers me...is the bottom of the aloe's pot sitting in water ever?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut your watering at least by half. Watering every 3 weeks is not uncommon.  A bit more for plants in pots out of doors, less for plants in doors with no wind.  Don't water unless that pot feels light when you pick it up. I'd go get a clay pot that is about the same size in diameter but only 4 to 6&quot; deep.  Use plain old sterilized potting soil.  No sand, no compost no nothing.  No rocks at the bottom below the soil and above the drain hole.  Lift the bottom of the new pot up off the surface using pieces of tile or flat stones.  You could also check out 'pot feet' to go with your clay pot.  Eagle claws, lion's claws that are made to lift the bottom of the pot off any surface and look wonderful. Round pots take 3. square pots take 4. Do not soak your plant so much that water needs to drain out of the pot. Remember, those roots are very shallow, they will never grow deeper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most plants the rule is to water deeply and allow to dry before watering again.  Some plants need a bit more moisture left in the soil but not cactus and succulents.  They store their water in their leaves and in the 'wild' they get quick showers every once in a great great while that only wet the desert soil a few inches deep at most.  Don't use a schedule with plants.  The micro environment can change and your plant (I am not a nut job, okay) will tell you when it needs something.  They, the plant scientists think they do this via chemistry and your plant will train YOU how to communicate between the two of you.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are incredible recent documentaries on how plants communicate and sort of 'think'.  Check out one or two.  I must be well trained because I can walk into a home, or a doctor's office or the plant section of Fred Meyers and I will be drawn right to the plant that needs something.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Feel the weight of your plant and pot once you've transplanted it. Feel it when it is dry.  The difference is obvious and this is the best way to know that a potted plant needs water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moisten the surface after transplanting and don't bury your plant any deeper than just the roots.  Take a good look at those roots and if they aren't bright white and you see brown or mushy roots pull them off the root ball.  Don't wash the roots just pull off the rotting roots and transplant.  Firm the soil as you transplant. Take a picture of the roots to send to us.  Try to keep the soil that is already in the root ball together with the roots and be gentle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leave a good inch of room from the rim of the pot to the surface of the soil.  Again, no bark chips, no added sand, no compost...just potting soil out of the bag.  Also, don't purchase any potting soil with water retentive 'gels' or 'sponges'.  Make sure the soil does not have any fertilizer added as well.  You want a basic extended release balanced fertilizer and I recommend Osmocote 14-14-14 extended release fertilizer beads.  Use half the amount they recommend and once per year is enough.  If you've already added fertilizer do not add any more until you've shared with us what the formula is, brand and the last time you fertilized.  Just a bit too much will kill a plant.  Too little is far better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, get bottled distilled water that has no fluoride or chlorine added.  Tap water shouldn't be drunk by us humans, seriously.  Fluoride is a horribly toxic chemical that does nothing for teeth.  Why they continue to do this is amazing!  If you've got a friend with well water that isn't put through salted filters that would be best.  As infrequently as this plant needs water I'd give it the best water possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this helps! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-06T02:23:57.557" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34881" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34882" CreationDate="2017-08-06T03:33:14.957" Score="5" ViewCount="1745" Body="&lt;p&gt;My family's nectarine tree has been infested with these small larvae, so far I've only seen one per fruit across several dozen fruits, that seem to bore their way from the surface towards the pit and then leave a bunch of droppings near the pit. What are they and how can we get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Specimen 1&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NeA51.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NeA51.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;surface hole of nectarine with droppings scattered about&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DXlYy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DXlYy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup of larva and the flesh of the fruit cut just beneath the hole.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x1qgj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x1qgj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;coloring of larva under camera flash&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NrwHr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NrwHr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cross section of bore dug out by larvae&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;strong&gt;Specimen 2&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ALf9u.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ALf9u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;larger larva in a second fruit.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hQkrw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hQkrw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the larva alongside the cut upon fruit to show the trash heap it leaves by the pit.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17974" LastActivityDate="2017-08-06T05:06:51.640" Title="What is the larva in these nectarines?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;nectarines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34881" CreationDate="2017-08-06T04:17:01.347" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/307151/Common-insect-pests-of-nectarines.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;common nectarine problem insects&lt;/a&gt;  All I know is I will forever be looking before biting into a nectarine or peach or apricot again!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pretty sure you've got more than one insect in that fruit.  Pnuts is correct for that gross larva; &lt;a href=&quot;http://fruitandnuteducation.ucdavis.edu/files/154358.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Peach Twig Borer&lt;/a&gt;.  Wasn't listed in the bulletin I sent but you might check out the beetle and the thrip.  Ugh.  Tell me you didn't bite into this nectarine!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Bulletin is excellent about how to deal with the insects it talks about but the preventative measures I think would apply for all insects.  There are also beneficials you could use that actually control the numbers of insects very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is another Bulletin: &lt;a href=&quot;https://climate.usurf.usu.edu/includes/pestFactSheets/Peach-Twig-Borer.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Peach Twig Borer&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-08-06T05:06:51.640" LastActivityDate="2017-08-06T05:06:51.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34883" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34888" CreationDate="2017-08-06T06:46:20.280" Score="5" ViewCount="6386" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently picked up indoor gardening as a hobby after a few successes growing some houseplants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a mango seedling that sprouted about 3 weeks ago. I just noticed that a couple of the top leaves are a bit weak looking and 1 is curling a bit. Just want to know if this is a sign of overwatering, fertilizer burn, or pests, and what I can do to fix it. My pot also doesn't have a drainage hole so I'm wondering if that could be a problem as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CwVef.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e6oXD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Updating the images with the soil used&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DZwxE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DZwxE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u2XFH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u2XFH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update*&#xA;It's been a couple weeks and the trees looking much better. I'm actually contemplating doing some pruning/tipping to encourage branching. It's about 10-12 inches now. I got a little lamp with a cfl bulb been using as a grow light. I'm in the process of building a set of shelves, and then I'll install some more lights, I bought an LED strip. The intent of my tropical trees is too turn them into bonsai, but we will see, perhaps I'll grow them fool size then give them away. Just wanted to share a pic of it too show the improvement. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5JyZ4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5JyZ4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MsUGv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MsUGv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18214" LastEditorUserId="18214" LastEditDate="2017-08-20T14:55:11.527" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T14:55:11.527" Title="Mango seedling has weak/curling leaves" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34884" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33360" CreationDate="2017-08-06T11:36:01.150" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are various growth inhibitors you might look it, but best case scenario they are temporary.  I haven't every used any of them, so I can't recommend a product.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In generally the best you can do is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prune shoots as early as possible&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;make flush cuts (don't leave stubs)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove any stubs you do have that are making multiple shoots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-08-06T11:36:01.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34886" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34890" CreationDate="2017-08-06T18:45:27.357" Score="3" ViewCount="366" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine gave me this plant with no name or instructions of how to care for it. It looks like an Aloe plant to me but I'm not sure. Any suggestions on how to care for it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XPpmg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XPpmg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ahfHG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ahfHG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xZDLM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xZDLM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastActivityDate="2017-08-06T20:23:18.270" Title="What is the name of this Aloe looking plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34888" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34883" CreationDate="2017-08-06T19:31:25.667" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good information. Watering daily, especially indoor plants is way too much. Especially without drainage. The gravel at the bottom causes a perched water table that exacerbates or worsens drainage. Your soil looks like good stuff but try to find plain potting soil. Not peat moss! Your soil has very little chemistry/fertilizer but it also has water holding gels/sponges. You don't want either in potting soil. Potting soil has very little actual soil and provides a great medium for potted plants. Fertilizer, I recommend for newbies is Osmocote 14-14-14. Use half of what they recommend.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you transplant this plant, check the roots for mushy and brown or shriveled roots. Keep the pot size the same as what you've got. You'll have to up size as your plant grows but you do not want a small plant in a large pot. We've ruled out smoking but when I finally slowed down and reread your question saying NO HOLE...that is this plant's problem. Transplant, moisten the soil and firm. Pick the pot up. This is what it feels like with moisture. When it is dry it will be very very light. Water deeply and allow to dry before watering again. I never put plants on schedules. Human schedules. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We want you to have success and continue to become a gardener extraordinaire!! If I were you, I'd look into a REAL grow light. We've got lots of answers on what to look for. And please stay in touch! It isn't much fun to make mistakes especially at the beginning and we can definitely help to add to the successes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-06T19:31:25.667" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34820" CreationDate="2017-08-06T20:14:42.937" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Bamboo that what you have is an Escargot, in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.hortipedia.com/wiki/Begonia_rex&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;rex begonia&lt;/a&gt; family. I have grown begonias in Boston and Central Massachusetts for years, so I know you can do it if you want. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The begonias in the rex variety aren't cold hardy at all, especially in Massachusetts. They can only handle temperatures down to about 60°F (15°C). Therefore, if you keep it as a garden plant, make sure to transplant to a pot and bring it in when the weather gets cool. I usually just put the pot outside for the warmer months. We've had so much unanticipated cold weather this summer that I've just kept my begonias inside. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When outside, it prefers a shady spot, or an area of dappled sunlight. Inside is the same. A partly sunny window is great. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It likes at least 50% humidity, but the leaves may wilt or discolor if watered from above, so setting it in a tray and watering from underneath can be more successful. To know when to water, the finger in the soil test is very reliable. If it feels dry to the touch, give it some water. Also, if the edges of the leaves become brittle, that can be a sign that it needs a drink. Excellent drainage is very important though, as it doesn't like to sit in water for any length of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the care sheets from experienced growers, such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://awaytogarden.com/grow-begonias-tovah-martin/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; call it a finicky plant especially because of its susceptibility to mildew if the humidity levels aren't right. @Jude, in the comment below Bamboo's answer, warned of that because of specific experience, so I'd give it some thought. Others say that the Escargot itself has been bred to be less susceptible to those things. It seems to be all about the proper airflow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If begonias intrigue you, I found a few sites you might want to check out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My favorite is the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.buxtonbegonia.org/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Buxton Branch of the American Begonia Society&lt;/a&gt;. It's a horticultural, non-profit society devoted to Begonia plants of all kinds, including the escargot and other rex varieties. It's based in Massachusetts, so the large wealth of information is tailored to growers here and in the rest of New England. It has a gallery of Begonia of the Month, including some like yours. There's a section devoted to where you can see them in Massachusetts, including arboretums, public gardens and botanical gardens, many of which I've been to. There's also a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.buxtonbegonia.org/begonia-related-info-links.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; to places to purchase them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wmmga.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&amp;amp;club_id=101643&amp;amp;module_id=250023&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Western Massachusetts Gardening Association&lt;/a&gt; has good information and offers a lovely book called All About Begonias. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In case you're interested in propagation, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bradsbegoniaworld.com/prop.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; is all about the different ways to propagate begonias. Apparently it's easily done by a leaf. I haven't tried it though, so I can't speak from experience. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for where to get them, there are some nurseries around the state, and others online. We're technically not supposed to recommend specific stores, but some of these care pages are from nurseries that sell them, and, as I said, the Buxton Begonia Society above can connect you. Mine have come from one of the vendors listed there, even though I had never heard of the Society before doing research to write this answer! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen some rex varieties, not necessarily this particular one, in the large home improvement stores, but haven't purchased any, as I'm not sure they get the care they deserve. I can be wrong, though, so if you have a place like that near where you live, you can check it out. Other begonias are more plentiful in those stores. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have pets, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/begonia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ASPCA&lt;/a&gt; lists begonias as toxic to cats, dogs and horses. I don't know how much they'd have to eat, or the recommended level of concern. I have to keep all my houseplants on high shelves because of my cats, but I thought I'd mention it in case you want to do further research.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information about this type of begonia:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/rex-begonia.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Guide to Houseplants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.illinois.edu/dmp/eb259/entry_7347/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rex Begonias&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=814&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Royal Horticultural Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=4419&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Begonia Escargot&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-escargot-begonia-plant-67413.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Care for an Escargot Begonia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/how-to-grow-rex-begonias&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growing Rex Begonia Cultorum Group&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nurseriesonline.us/specialistNurseries/Rex-Begonias.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Nurseries Online&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2017-08-06T20:14:42.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34890" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34886" CreationDate="2017-08-06T20:23:18.270" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bing.com/cr?IG=64143FFF6DED49D2AD8FAE9AEC0B0ADA&amp;amp;CID=0A5271CFDE9A6F542D1B7B19DFC56EDC&amp;amp;rd=1&amp;amp;h=HvApLX0w0jjtXZPEaWQhCLVndwyI6gOc3emU4B9ch7E&amp;amp;v=1&amp;amp;r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.feminiya.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F02%2Faloe-vera.jpg&amp;amp;p=DevEx,5038.1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;aloe vera plant&lt;/a&gt;  Sorry, this isn't more exact but it is aloe vera and quite old.  More light, I'd get a clay pot with drain holes, that is short and squat and the same diameter as the one it is in.  Could you ask your 'friend' when they last fertilized and with what?  Transplant into potting soil, no other additives.  There are potting soils for succulents/agave/cactus.  That would be fine to use.  But don't get a potting soil with gels/sponges for holding water!  These plants already have THAT solved by storing water in their leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd use good ole Osmocote 14-14-14 at half the direction amount.  Find the brightest window but keep him out of direct sunlight.  Water only when the pot is light to lift.  Water shallowly, not deeply.  And this plant should start looking lots better!  Find out about the fertilizer before adding any fertilizer at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those stakes are ugly...see if your new baby will stay upright without those stakes.  If not, find a stake that is unobtrusive such as a dove gray.  A bit of jute twine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All you need to do then is IGNORE this plant!  Well, not ignore but babying will eventually kill it with love.  It should get greener with thicker leaves.  Clay pots are best I think for succulents and cactus as those pots breathe.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are you a basketball expert?  Love all the memorabilia...how do you like New York anyway?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-06T20:23:18.270" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34891" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34892" CreationDate="2017-08-06T20:58:49.813" Score="4" ViewCount="88" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mandrakes (&lt;em&gt;mandragora&lt;/em&gt;) are mentioned in the Bible as an aid to fertility (cf. &lt;a href=&quot;http://drbo.org/x/d?b=drl&amp;amp;bk=1&amp;amp;ch=30&amp;amp;l=14-#x&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Genesis 30:14&lt;/a&gt;), but what exactly are mandrakes? I hear they are poisonous, have narcotic properties, or aid with fertility, but is there a certain plant today that is a mandrake, or are they a sort of mythical plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7441" LastEditorUserId="7441" LastEditDate="2017-08-06T21:27:39.303" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T02:46:52.960" Title="What are mandrakes?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34892" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34891" CreationDate="2017-08-06T21:27:02.017" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mandrake these days is taken to mean Mandragora officinarum, but there is a lot of myth surrounding this plant throughout history; the plant referred to as mandrake in early references may or may not be the same plant. Mandragora officinarum is a relative of deadly nightshade and a member of the Solanaceae famiy of plants, many of which are toxic, or have toxic parts. Any association or possible use of this plant as an aid to fertility was based simply on the appearance of the root rather than any of its chemical properties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;M. officinarum, if consumed, is hallucinogenic, narcotic, purgative and emetic - the fruits are said to be the least toxic part, the roots the worst. Some sources suggest the leaves can be consumed, but other sources say they cannot or should not be eaten. Alkaloids from this plant have been used to produce a form of chemotherapy as a treatment, and I wouldn't be at all keen on consuming any part of it. You might find the historical, mythical background and information here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/atoz/mandragora_officinarum.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Poison Garden website&lt;/a&gt; of interest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has quite attractive bluish/lilac flowers, with leaves that could be mistaken for borage. It can be grown from seed, is hardy down to -15degC, dislikes root disturbance in much the same way as carrots do, since the root is similar, so best planted where it can be left to grow undisturbed. It tolerates part shade, likes free draining soil conditions (stony soil will cause forking of the root), soil ph acid to neutral; it grows wild in parts of Europe. This plant is no longer used in modern day herbalism.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-08T02:46:52.960" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T02:46:52.960" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34893" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-07T03:24:50.420" Score="2" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;My oregano cuttings have become brown at the tips and are dropping leaves. They are planted indoors with a room temp around 70. What reasons could they be dropping leaves?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N429r.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N429r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18273" LastActivityDate="2017-08-07T14:07:47.090" Title="Brown Tips on Oregano Cuttings" Tags="&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34894" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-07T03:52:30.867" Score="4" ViewCount="5280" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found some brown spots on the old mint leaves on my new planted cuttings. Is this normal or a sign of disease? They're planted indoors at around 70°&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Enz2w.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Enz2w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18273" LastActivityDate="2017-10-20T14:07:27.360" Title="Should I be worried about brown spots on my mint leaves?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34895" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-07T05:54:03.310" Score="1" ViewCount="28" Body="&lt;p&gt;Of late i started observing that several branches of the so called coral jasmine tree were broken and hanging. Certainly there was a spell of gusty winds blowing through. Is there any known disease that has affected these trees, or the tree branches are weaker by nature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16489" LastActivityDate="2017-08-07T05:54:03.310" Title="Nyctanthes arbor-tristis tree branch breaking by itself" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2017-08-11T02:06:16.647" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34896" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34900" CreationDate="2017-08-07T10:53:34.900" Score="6" ViewCount="21424" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted some mint seeds in a couple of pots and fortunately they germinated within a reasonable length of time (4 or 5 days, if I remember correctly). But the sprouts are somehow slow to grow: it is a week now but they seem to grow very slowly. I wonder if that is natural for the mint? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have used good quality soil - at least I was told so - and water the small pots every day. And I have put the pots behind the window on a table.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a photo:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KEVo3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KEVo3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mint pots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions for their faster growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19457" LastActivityDate="2021-03-30T22:45:05.470" Title="How long does it take for mint sprouts to grow true leaves?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;mint&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34897" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34896" CreationDate="2017-08-07T11:55:40.163" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have mint outside, on the balcony (east) with direct sunlight. It takes about 6-8 weeks before the plant is big enough for first harvest (tea?). I think your plant would benefit from direct sunlight.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-08-07T11:55:40.163" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34898" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34896" CreationDate="2017-08-07T13:39:33.057" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;To answer your title question, true leaves usually appear in 2-3 weeks.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those seedlings look like they need more direct sunlight.  From your photo the seedlings, especially those in the red container are quite leggy, some even falling over.  Tall, thin stems are a sign the seedlings are stretching to find more sun.  You mentioned in a previous comment that temperatures get real high where you live.  I don't know how hot it gets where you live but as long as the soil is kept moist, the seedlings should be fine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best case scenario would be direct morning sunlight from sunrise until about 2 pm and then partial shade for the rest of the day.  That being said mint is a very hardy plant and can grow well in a variety of conditions from full sun to dense shade.  Many gardeners even have difficultly keeping their mint under control once it starts growing.  If you want to keep the mint indoors then try to place them in an east facing window as close to the window as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-08-07T13:39:33.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34899" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34893" CreationDate="2017-08-07T14:07:47.090" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like some sort of fungal infection.  I found an article on taking &lt;a href=&quot;https://learningherbs.com/skills/herbs-from-cuttings/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;herb cuttings&lt;/a&gt; that recommends sterilizing the scissors and changing the water every day or two to reduce bacteria and algae growth.  If the leaves in particular are submerged in water they will rot so perhaps this was the start of your problem.  There is a lot of good advice in the article and comments like taking cuttings from healthy disease free plants, avoiding distilled or chlorinated water, adding a few drops of raw apple cider vinegar for trace minterals and so on.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-08-07T14:07:47.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34900" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34896" CreationDate="2017-08-07T19:30:18.100" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have never grown mint from seed.  I always get a little start instead. But I was pleasantly surprised you planted them in small pots!  That is usually the biggest mistake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I am seeing is too much water.  Part of a healthy soil environment is air and drainage is critical.  Not just having a hole at the bottom is enough however.  The roots of the plant need to fit the amount of soil.  Those tiny sprouts are doing nothing to suck up water.  Stop watering so deeply for starters.  Just concentrate on keeping the surface moist, moist not soggy.  Those plants aren't using the water below 1/4 inch of the surface.  I use a spray bottle to moisten the seed bed in pots that are 1&quot; X 2&quot;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you fertilized?  Hopefully not, yet.  Wait until they get their 3rd set of leaves and use a bit of OSMOCOTE 14-14-14.  Only use a pinch and when you up pot don't use anymore...just transfer the pinch along with your plants and soil into the new soil.  When they get 6&quot; high give them another pinch.  This last pinch should last 3 months.  Mint is voracious and grows quickly. We can help you decide whether or not and when your plants need more.  Just be very sparing.  The seed has energy enough to get them started.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need to know what soil you've used.  Hopefully it was potting soil but sometimes potting soils have added stuff that really shouldn't have been added; fertilizer and those water holding gels/sponges.  Could you check?  Take a picture of the bag, both sides to send?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Stop watering every day and just use a spray bottle to keep the surface moist. You might have to transplant with fresh soil to get rid of the soggy soil.  No fertilizer, need to know if they put fertilizer in that soil.  If there are water holding gels/sponges I'll talk you into getting some plain old potting soil without!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Light?  I'd use a south facing window, not east.  Because a plant is genetically voracious and grows fast it needs some serious photosynthesizing and the first ingredient is light, the next is moisture and then properly balanced fertilizer but always on the spare side.  Do you have a covered porch?  I'd take these guys outside on the covered porch and let the wind and higher temperatures dry up your soil.  Your soil might just be too wet but for now let's see how they do.  It takes time but this is the slowest LOOKING part of a mint's life so enjoy it while you can!  Keep your babies out of direct sunlight but they need lots of light.  Are these to become indoor plants?  What are your thoughts?  Where is it you live?  Do you have a garden, a yard?  Mint can most certainly get out of control but if one is out poking and pruning and fussing in their garden often, this just won't happen.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want your mint to be planted out in your garden you'll need to acclimate it to the sun FIRST.  This is done by gradually increasing the time in the sunlight.  We can lead you through that.  But if these are to be indoor plants let's stay in a south facing window and/or a covered porch.  Summer time I always take my indoor plants out on a covered porch to get better light so they can make more food for themselves, get hosed down of dust, and when they come back inside for the winter they look brand new. Please keep us updated as you grow your mint...so important to have successes so that you'll continue to 'grow' as a gardener!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-07T19:30:18.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34901" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-07T23:10:56.057" Score="3" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;p&gt;On side of the road in South Carolina &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pHWDV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;South Carolina road-side funny grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19464" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-08-08T06:05:49.600" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T06:05:49.600" Title="What kind of grass is this? On the side of the road in SC" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34902" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34927" CreationDate="2017-08-08T01:20:19.770" Score="3" ViewCount="6237" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT: 2017/09/09&lt;/strong&gt; In the end I trimmed pretty aggressively and I don't think any support will be necessary. The walkway is no longer obstructed. I hope I wasn't too aggressive. Thanks to both Bamboo and olantigh for the advice!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hen3m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hen3m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;==========&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Original post:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I tie a tree without harming it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a juniper/cedar tree with several trunks/branches that are diverging now that the tree has gotten taller and heavier. The result is it sprawls out a lot, taking up space, especially when laden with snow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to tie the main branches more tightly together to reduce the sprawl and give support. However, I've read that using rope can choke the tree and cut its &quot;circulation.&quot; I suppose any answer will require spreading the force over an area, but what material and method should be used?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures available at: &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/kjoLN&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://imgur.com/a/kjoLN&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Front view showing tree encroaching on walkway.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rngmx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rngmx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Front view showing tree encroaching on walkway.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Side view showing sprawl, which gets worse when laden with snow.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dsspy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dsspy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Side view showing sprawl, which gets worse when laden with snow.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trunks/branches that might be braced together to reduce sprawl and give support.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/20i03.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/20i03.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunks/branches that might be braced together to reduce sprawl and give support.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For tree identification. Notice needles in lower right of image, and smoother young stems in upper left.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JrbPo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JrbPo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19465" LastEditorUserId="19465" LastEditDate="2017-09-09T19:01:25.117" LastActivityDate="2017-09-10T16:33:58.873" Title="How to tie tree trunk and branches for support" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;support&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34903" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34902" CreationDate="2017-08-08T01:43:30.677" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You shouldn't tie it at all I'm afraid - if its spreading out as it grows, that's its growth habit, and if that doesn't suit the space available for it, it's a case of 'right plant, wrong place'.  Consider removing it altogether and choose something to replace it that better fits the space available. Removal of a couple of lower branches is a possibility, if that helps the situation, although a photograph for ID purposes would be useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-08T16:35:28.213" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T16:35:28.213" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34905" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-08T04:40:24.900" Score="2" ViewCount="1320" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves on my money tree (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachira_aquatica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pachira aquatica&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;) are green and droopy. I do not water it often. I don't have it indirect sunlight. Is it not getting enough light? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also if i wanted to repot what brand of soil mix should i get?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19467" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-08-08T06:04:25.820" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T06:04:25.820" Title="Why are the leaves on my money tree droopy?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2017-08-13T13:32:25.950" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34906" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34757" CreationDate="2017-08-08T08:33:18.190" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I also have a red maple (Acer palmatum) on the balcony in a pot. Every year the leaves become brown as well in the summer, as if they are dried or burned up. I have found previous posts which might contain the answer. It might be too much direct sunlight (the tree likes shade), or it might be too much wind. My guess is the first (too much direct sunlight), since it always happens in summer (July).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13321/why-is-my-new-acer-tree-dying&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for previous post about the brown leaves of Acer palmatum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T08:33:18.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33684" CreationDate="2017-08-08T09:57:27.860" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;em&gt;Podocarpus&lt;/em&gt;. I had a bonsai from this species too, but unfortunately died after 2 years. So it is not an easy one to maintain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T09:57:27.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34908" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-08T14:41:28.487" Score="6" ViewCount="1230" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I've been experimenting for the last few months with hydroponics, the general goal is to have an entirely automated system. For the most part I have this in place but I'm not too happy with the results and I'm trying to eliminate potential cause for not great growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I'm in Ireland, and during the summer we only really get about 6 hours of darkness at night time, and during this time, both a bit before and after, my grow light is on. Essentially my plants are getting light 24 hours a day. Now things are growing, but not as fast as they should. I have done research on nutrients and I'm monitoring on that side, but I'm wondering if perhaps the plants need a nighttime cycle? Am I over doing it by the plants essentially getting 24 hours of light everyday?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19320" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T08:34:20.720" Title="Importance of night in hydroponics?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;&lt;grow-lamp&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34909" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34908" CreationDate="2017-08-08T14:58:36.527" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on what kind of plants you have, but most plants are used to having a night time period. Exceptions are some plants growing in arctic regions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think for cultivation under lamps, mostly 16 hours light is used for growing phase, and 12 h light to get them in blooming/flowering period (at least this is what hemp home growers do). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-08-09T08:34:20.720" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T08:34:20.720" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31375" CreationDate="2017-08-08T15:16:43.640" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your question on how to estimate the age of &lt;em&gt;Opuntia&lt;/em&gt; cactus was quite intriguing to me, after some weekend research the following study seemed most appropriate:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Growth Rate and Life Span of a Prickly Pear Cactus, Opuntia engelmannii, in the Northern Sonoran Desert&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Author(s): Janice E. Bowers&#xA;Source: The Southwestern Naturalist,  Vol. 41, No. 3 (Sep., 1996), pp. 315-318&#xA;Published by: Southwestern Association of Naturalists&#xA;Stable URL: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jstor.org/stable/30055130&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.jstor.org/stable/30055130&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Accessed: 08-08-2017 14:44 UTC&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They set some qualifiers for a couple of score cacti to study, which primarily included the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Origin of the plant was apparent; the plant was not so old that its original plant parts had rotted away.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plant had no apparent rotting, disease damage, or other obvious issues that would reduce its size or slow its growth rate.&#xA;There was no apparent evidence of infestation, or animals using the cactus plants as a home or den.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The study found did produce a formula for estimating the age of a plant based on the number of cladodes it had, and this formula seems to relate to other areas in the southwestern USA, and across other species of Opuntia.  There is an average 20% loss rate of cladodes each year.  I encourage you to read the 4-page article, see link in source reference above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following graph is the simplest way to gauge an Opuntia cactus' age:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nyh5j.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nyh5j.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, the Opuntia you have pictured is relatively old and without some pictures of the base and poking around in the dirt around the roots it's my best guess is it is over 2, perhaps 3 decades old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastEditorUserId="17642" LastEditDate="2017-08-08T15:20:07.127" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T15:20:07.127" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34911" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-08T16:46:57.153" Score="4" ViewCount="3205" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thanks to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/31375/the-age-of-an-opuntia-prickly-pear-cactus&quot;&gt;another question&lt;/a&gt;, we know that Opuntia can live for decades. Can they live for centuries? Rather than determining the age of a specimen, answering this positively might mean identifying one which is known to have been growing since long ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16224" LastEditorUserId="16224" LastEditDate="2017-08-08T22:04:10.980" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T22:04:10.980" Title="How long can an Opuntia (prickly pear cactus) live?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;lifespan&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34912" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34934" CreationDate="2017-08-08T18:59:26.277" Score="5" ViewCount="425" Body="&lt;p&gt;My brother posted this picture from his yard asking the title question.  Does anyone know what the fruit is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LtGXN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LtGXN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19472" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-08-08T23:45:40.737" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T21:32:30.447" Title="What are these red translucent fruit?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34911" CreationDate="2017-08-08T19:59:49.233" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Indefinitely, as long as their habitat isn't depleted (extensive drought/erosion etc), and they don't die from pests/disease, or other causes of death (low temperatures, harvesting, habitat destruction, etc). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With cacti, there isn't a genetic lifespan, but it's unlikely for one plant to live for more than 1 or 2 hundred years, due to the above mentioned plights. And since cacti grow terminally, sometimes a plant will break off under it's own weight after a time, and although it's likely to regrow from the base, or fallen stems that root into the ground, that doesn't always happen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the sprawling ones, their genetic age doesn't even reach very high as they root along the joints, and the old sections die off, constantly renewing the growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T19:59:49.233" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34911" CreationDate="2017-08-08T20:28:59.563" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know about centuries, but some species live a long time. The large species like Opuntia ficus indica develop woody stems and grow in a tree-like fashion. There are several other South American Opuntias that get very large and tree-like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aside from the large tree-like plants, longevity will depend on a number of variables; water, nutrition, photo-period, insects, other animals, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most small/medium Opuntias (they don't make a woody stem) either grow low to the ground and spread horizontally or they grow upright and when they get too top heavy they either fall over of pads drop off. The fallen plant or pads will then root. I saw some information that said the life-span for Opuntia englemannii (a common medium sized Opuntia) is 30 years. I have seen plenty of large dead Opuntias in my travels in habitat. O. englemannii is pictured below. Note that it is wider than it is tall. The plant to the right in back looks like one living part next to a bunch of dead plant material. Very typical, in my experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Efuix.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Efuix.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cylindropuntia (Cholla-style - canes rather than pads) definitely have a limited life-span. I have seen numerous &quot;fairy rings&quot; where there is a ring of plants with a bunch of dead, decayed parts in the middle. The plants just keep flopping over and rooting, further widening the ring. I live in Arizona where we have lots of native and non-native Opuntias.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictured below is Cylindropuntia fulgida, also common in my area. I have seen these growing in rings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XElQY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XElQY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a picture of a good sized Opuntia ficus indica near my parents house. You can clearly see the woody stem. This one has been regularly pruned. I've seen others in the Phoenix area much larger. I estimate this one to be 8-10 feet tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main thing to keep in mind is that Opuntias are generally fragile plants. One of their prime methods of reproduction is to drop pieces and let them root. Some also have hooked spines, presumably to attach itself to passing animals to be deposited somewhere else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NrgTC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NrgTC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Opuntia ficus-indica&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully this is useful to you. Like most questions about cactus, the answer is generally &quot;it depends&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T20:28:59.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34915" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34912" CreationDate="2017-08-08T21:00:01.860" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look like cherries, but I wouldn't take my word for it. I always remember the rule of thumb, don't eat red fruit you're not sure of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does this fruit have one large pit/stone or something else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing that makes me suspicious is that the fruit is still on the tree. When I had cherry trees as soon as the fruit was ripe, the birds would eat them up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, they might be cherries. The fruit looks right, the leaves are close and I can't really see the bark clearly. Good luck! I hope it's a cherry tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T21:00:01.860" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34916" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34926" CreationDate="2017-08-08T21:45:14.570" Score="3" ViewCount="303" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this in some landscaping that came with the house when I bought it.  I have asked the neighbors and no one can tell me who the landscapers were that planted it, or what kind of shrub/tree it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XwusY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XwusY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of stems&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ndz5x.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ndz5x.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qYiJE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qYiJE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;top&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6918" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T16:39:12.133" Title="What is this tree/shrub growing in my front yard?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34917" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34916" CreationDate="2017-08-08T23:20:54.867" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Prunus laurocerasus or a closely related cousin.  It needs to be pruned, possibly the fertilizer adjusted, the bark on top of the bed removed.  This is a well used hedging shrub, a shrub that can be pruned to fit its unhappy environment to be happier.  It will do just fine.  Have you fertilized it ever?  How long have you been it's 'steward'...grins?  Is there a lawn close to this shrub where it has been getting fertilizer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get started I would prune the branches growing into the brick wall back to the main trunk.  Use alcohol on sharpened by pass pruners first.  Cut the top long leader down to the twelfth SET of leaves.  There is a third little leader to the right of your picture...that is the height and do the same with that second leader on the left side. Cut just above an outside leaf.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let us know what the fertilizer is was how long ago before messing with fertilizer.  Get rid of that bark and get rid of the staking or ribbons.  There is absolutely no need for that at all and will weaken your shrub for withstanding snow load?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Show me what you've pruned and I can give you feed back from there, okay? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T23:20:54.867" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34918" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34912" CreationDate="2017-08-08T23:30:20.133" Score="-2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is what they call a pie cherry.  The cherries are bitter not sweet.  Birds still love them and they are wonderful for pies, thus the name, as long as sugar is added.  Does this tree have thorns?  I am unable to tell for sure in your picture.  Your tree does need a bit of thinning and we can guide you through that process as well.  Have you tasted one of these cherries?  Not at all poisonous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wait a bit to allow others to chime in with their thoughts.  I am ID ing as Prunus cerasus or Tart Cherry.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_cerasus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Prunus cerasus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T23:30:20.133" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34919" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34921" CreationDate="2017-08-08T23:39:17.220" Score="4" ViewCount="1296" Body="&lt;p&gt;Planted grass seed 3 weeks ago. The grass is well over 6 inches; however, I read that I should wait 4 weeks before cutting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I keep waiting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19478" OwnerDisplayName="Shinobii" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T00:02:25.653" Title="Mowing newly seeded grass" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34920" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34908" CreationDate="2017-08-08T23:52:04.027" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with CloneZero.  All plants have evolved on this same planet that has specific night and day cycles...even in the arctic.  Plants need darkness and a break from the work of photosynthesis.  What plants are you growing?  Do you know about daylight length and how that affects production of fruit/reproductive growth?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, what are you growing?  Leafy vegetables?  Ornamental foliage?  Flowers and fruits?  Knowing about daylight length (and strength, arctic light might as well be night) is powerful knowledge to have to grow under artificial lighting.  What lamps ARE you using?  How long have you been doing hydroponics?  Did you ever learn gardening in the soil?  What about aeration/fans/CO2...something you definitely should know with any indoor or greenhouse application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd go no more than 18 hours of light per day, the rest darkness.  With fans going 24/7.  That will work for lettuce and ornamental foliage.  To get your plants into reproductive growth for flowers and fruit you make it 12/12; 12 hours of light and 12 hours darkness. Plants should be on 18/6 at the beginning to get a nice body of vigorous photosynthetic growth going and depending on the plant, you put it into 12/12 to make it start flowering.  You have to know how to do manual pollination as well.  Depending on what it is you are growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This causes plants to start putting energy into making seed.  You do have to have full control by using black plastic screens so no light even incandescent light is able to disrupt this process.  You can use GREEN light to see by, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants need to 'reset' just as much as we animals do.  We all evolved under the same environmental conditions with latitude, or above sea level heights and longitude constraints.  No way is any plant ever going to be more productive with more light and no darkness.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water, air, fertilizer (not 'nutrients') are critical to know and understand to be successful.  Send pictures!  Explain your system in detail.  More about your lights...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-08T23:52:04.027" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34919" CreationDate="2017-08-09T00:02:25.653" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Time to mow and wait no longer!  Mow when the grass is dry with the sharpest blades you can make happen.  Bag those clippings.  And most importantly, do not mow any shorter than 3&quot;.  Best is 3 1/2&quot;.  If you wait any longer you'll be taking off so much of the blade you will stress your grass greatly and that you do not want to do especially for the virgin mow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our site has a ton of the best information to manage and grow healthy lawns.  I haven't found a site that is at all close to this one for REAL information.  Please read the question answers about lawns as soon as possible.  I got to know this creature called a lawn (cool season grasses) very well and the information put out by Scott's Ortho...is so lame and it is obvious they want you to fail.  I took care of lawns on a commercial basis for decades and I couldn't fail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read more of our stuff and please keep asking questions...we can help you have the most healthy, green lawn in your neighborhood I kid you not!  Watering! Water very deep ONLY when your lawn needs it ( there is a super way to tell)  Very big deal.  Fertilizer, critical to know and not over do!! Changing mowing patterns. And no lower than 3&quot; and we explain WHY.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T00:02:25.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34923" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-09T08:17:13.253" Score="3" ViewCount="1577" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently propagated some cuttings from my golden pothos in a pot filled with soil. After few days the leaves and stems strated appearing yellow and frail. What could be the cause of it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19482" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T08:17:13.253" Title="Why are leaves turning yellow in a recently propagated pothos" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2018-01-20T02:48:18.067" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34925" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33315" CreationDate="2017-08-09T15:31:37.687" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a similar plant in the Ottawa area of Canada, but it is definitely a vine, since it climbs everything, and tries its best to strangle everything it climbs! The leaves are definitely like a Maple, and since I live in the heart of Maple syrup (sugar, flakes...) country, I know them well (we have three red maples, as well as a few others). I have a picture, but it is almost the same. I assume that it is Mustang grape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19483" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T15:31:37.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34926" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34916" CreationDate="2017-08-09T16:39:12.133" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a Photinia more likely the more common one available P x fraseri than P serratifolia. Often the one you'll find in most peoples gardens is variety called &quot;Red Robin&quot; The  bottom photo gave it away as its new growth is bright red and then later in the season it slowly changes to a mid green colour, often used for hedges and is evergreen.&#xA;Prunus laurocerasus has a very much larger leaf and the green colour is a light to mid green, plus the leaves are much larger, flower arrangement is also different and the branches at the base of the plant are much larger than Red Robin. Prunus lusitanica is the only other similar plant I know but again its colour is wrong and the flowers again are different- neither one has new growth that is red or red tinged- hope it helps&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T16:39:12.133" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34927" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34902" CreationDate="2017-08-09T16:59:30.590" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are many ways of doing this however Bamboo is right, either remove it or lift the crown/canopy by removing some lower branches, if that's not an option the general idea of support is to lift in a way that doesn't damage the plant or anchor(plant or support your tying it to).&#xA;if you try not to cut off its circulation, by using a rubber tie for trees with spacers- the rubber doesn't cut into the bark and ties often have a buckle that allows one to let the branch grow by releasing it every few months or years and retying it up again. Other options are more expensive using ready made wire supports, I suppose you could go online for examples used by tree surgeons, again they use soft rubber around the branches and wire lattices to connect to an anchor thus lifting the branches with a lot of power/strain- really only used in very heavy applications or hard to reach places, again really only should be done by experts with insurance.&#xA;The other option is to try a wooden support like a sling under the branch with soft material like a cradle and then a pole underneath into the ground that could be self supporting or connected to something like a building or wall- a bit fiddly and finding a place without root problems will be difficult- many examples used for really old trees like ancient oaks that the national trust own- but then organisations like that one have got the man power and money for such undertakings. hope it helps. &#xA;As for extra ideas I would heed the advice here- based on your budget and ability to do the job, plus the tools necessary to do it properly and safely, however I also feel that a prickly conifer right next to a walk way is not a good thing- I find my self getting the itches from such plants so perhaps not so much right plant right place this time round? have a good think before you do anything you might regret. hope it helps.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="1999" LastEditDate="2017-08-13T19:23:31.413" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T19:23:31.413" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14241" CreationDate="2017-08-09T17:30:31.937" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use pheasant manure- and it stinks to high heaven! I have to leave it for several months before I can use it, rats love it! but the phosphorus content is supposedly quite high and its organic and readily available/renewable source of good stuff for the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T17:30:31.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34929" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24260" CreationDate="2017-08-09T17:47:54.220" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The yellowing of the leaves say to me- poor soil and too much exposure to wind and sun, pachy's like sheltered places under trees and  a little bit dry over the winter- the soil doesn't have to be good, but to be fair its not a very demanding plant- thrives on neglect. not a plant that can take a lot of traffic. Compacted soil doesn't do any plant any good at all, neither does a very wet during the winter or very dry during the summer one either.&#xA;Improve the soil, folk it over feed it with some compost and dig it over and replant the pachy's in a sheltered spot and leave alone- water every day if planted during a hot spell in summer and avoid walking on it or knocking it a lot.If it dies again then it may be something in the soil but your pictures don't shout out to me that the problem at all.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T17:47:54.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34930" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33827" CreationDate="2017-08-09T18:08:06.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer is yes, however it will take months if not years to get it back. I would prune out the green growth in spring (no earlier than April)leaving nothing but the variegated stuff behind, cut as hard as you need to go- spring is an excellent time of year to do so- the plant then has the whole summer to recover- however if more than 50% is removed all at one time the plant will look horrible and it will take a long time to recover, remember a variegated plant grows much more slowly than a plain green one. A local garden to me had one lopped really badly and it took two years to come back to any form of shape- looked really bad- guys had no clue! It looks like it could do with a thinning to me at the back and that will make the plant reshoot- watch for &quot;water shoots/epicormic&quot; growths from the cut off points and make sure that any growth that comes back is the desired stuff you want- anything green gets cut off straight away- wasted energy of the plant if you do leave them- some growths will revert anyway, its normal for an old plant to do that- if lets say its in a dark place or if the plants has been stressed in some way- you could also feed it and water it afterwards to help it , mulch or layer a mix of compost and manure to help recovery too, clearing some of the rubbish from around the plant will help with competition for water, or even possibly pruning some the surrounding plants to allow more sunlight in too might help.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T18:08:06.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34931" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33592" CreationDate="2017-08-09T18:16:12.200" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aphid damage with a hint of a virus making the leaves twist like that- when the leaves are new they are very soft and the little suckers get in and cause that damage- very common and often the plant will grow it out over several years, often on larger ones I find a lot of ladybirds going after the aphids- another sign is sticky leaves and sootymould too, the long lines of damage are caused when the leaves are rolled up young- the bugs get in there and damage done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T18:16:12.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34932" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34912" CreationDate="2017-08-09T18:27:56.310" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like Choke Cherry. This &lt;a href=&quot;https://nl.pinterest.com/explore/chokecherry-tree/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pinterest page&lt;/a&gt; has some pictures and information. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17993" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-08-10T21:32:30.447" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T21:32:30.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34933" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-09T20:28:22.360" Score="6" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought these on the street an hour ago but I can't tell if they are just very young trees or genuine bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seller said they were several years old. I don't remember exactly but maybe 5-15 years old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He claimed they were in their definitive pots. That they didn't need to be changed again. I know nothing about bonsai. If that's wrong, it could just be that he didn't know much either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do you think and or how can I figure it out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't be afraid to tell me they are not genuine. I already believe they aren't and they didn't cost a fortune.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WVzBF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WVzBF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Alleged bonsai 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2RiUi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2RiUi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Alleged bonsai 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19485" LastEditorUserId="19485" LastEditDate="2017-08-09T21:04:38.367" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T22:45:14.410" Title="Are these genuine bonsai?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34934" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34912" CreationDate="2017-08-09T20:34:02.953" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure that's Autumn Olive (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/herbarium/trees/elaumb01.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Elaeagnus umbellata&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bark, leaves, and the coloration and surface texture all line up with what I would ID as an Autumn Olive - not to be confused with Russian Olive. Russian olive fruits in spring, but Autumn Olive fruits - well you get the idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5ChbP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5ChbP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My only hesitation in this ID is the time of year of the photo. It is WAY too early on the east end of Long Island for there to be ripe fruit on an Autumn Olive. Is this photo from last year, or is it from a more northern climate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Autumn Olive is a nice and useful edible fruit (make sure you have a positive ID before consuming). The sweetness of the ripe fruit varies widely between plants and even year to year. So you may find one that is super tart even late in the season, while the next plant over is producing really sweet fruit. A quick google search for &quot;Autumn Olive edibility&quot; will give you plenty to work with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2017-08-10T11:43:59.633" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T11:43:59.633" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34936" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34938" CreationDate="2017-08-09T22:30:47.560" Score="17" ViewCount="2648" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I mowed my overgrown UK lawn yesterday, I noticed a network of thin vines. There was also less grass in these patches. I looked and found the leaves of this plant in the areas I hadn't mowed yet. I think I had assumed it was something like clover. What is it? Photos are below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XVopW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XVopW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/81paf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/81paf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/avZS8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/avZS8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19487" LastEditorUserId="19487" LastEditDate="2017-08-09T23:05:59.773" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T13:02:37.850" Title="What is this plant in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34933" CreationDate="2017-08-09T22:37:46.080" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are genuine Bonsai.  They mass produce these little trees and they make great first Bonsai.  This example is a great start.  Not necessarily first rate but super to learn on before you get a 'real' Bonsai, half a century in age or more worth thousands of bucks...highly recommend a hands on class in Bonsai!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonsai is a PROCESS, never an end result.  Yours looks like Ilex.  Great foliage and needs thinning very soon.  Water every day.  Try to find bottled water or a friend's well water.  There is also light, fertilizer, how much to prune off the top growth and then how much to prune from the roots to keep the top growth in balance with the roots. Start reading up on these guys as they are the ultimate test of a gardener.  This is akin to adopting an animal friend for life?  Constant vigilance yet so very rewarding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sign up for a class.  The best are by Bonsai Masters (that seem to not speak English).  The white gravel has got to go, grins!  When I watered bonsai I would dunk the entire pot in a bucket of water and wait until the bubbles stopped.  Sometimes that would be good enough for 2 days.  Feel the weight of your pot and plant after soaking.  It will feel markedly lighter when it needs to be soaked again. Your plant isn't meant to be watered from above at all...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-08-09T22:45:14.410" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T22:45:14.410" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34938" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34936" CreationDate="2017-08-09T22:57:53.433" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's creeping buttercup, Ranunculus repens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's highly invasive and quite difficult to eradicate, especially in a lawn. I don't know what country you're in, but you need a lawn weedkiller treatment which acts on this particular weed. In the UK, that would be Verdone Extra; most combined lawn weed and feed treatments won't kill it, you need to use a separate lawn weedkiller. Better lawn maintenance is probably required, although if you live in one of the wetter parts of the UK or the soil is heavy, it won't necessarily get rid of this weed; information on how to manage this generally in lawns here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.lawn-craft.co.uk/creepingbuttercup.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.lawn-craft.co.uk/creepingbuttercup.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-10T13:02:37.850" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T13:02:37.850" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34939" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34936" CreationDate="2017-08-09T23:28:52.397" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bamboo is correct...Ranunculus.  I have to add that there is a reason your buttercup is very happy.  Too much water.  I would start training my lawn by watering deeply and not watering again until the grass needs it...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to know when to water is done by walking on the lawn.  Stand back to look and if you can still see your foot prints perfectly it is time to water.  Water deeply.  In this way you are training your grass to grow deep deep roots.  This is drought insurance and a water saver!  In between waterings your ranunculus and many other lawn weeds are selected out.  Too short of roots to get at the water your grass has been trained to reach.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are you dealing with shade?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the percentage off the top of your head Ranunculus to grass?  Any other weeds in your lawn?  Are you mowing no shorter than 3&quot;...this is a very big deal to stop germination of most weed seeds in a lawn.  3&quot; top growth supports the large root systems of cool season grasses so your grass is able to make enough food for itself to be vigorous and out compete, shade any weed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ranunculus is incredibly persistent.  I would hold off on herbicide, mow no less than 3&quot;, mow once per week, allow that lawn to dry out before watering again! Balanced fertilizer but Ranunculus thrives on that same fertilizer as well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ranunculus loves a more acidic soil.  The lawn more alkaline.  I would also get a soil test or at least a way to measure the pH of your soil.  If your pH is less than 6.5 you should lime.  Bring it up to 7.0.  That will also decrease the vigor of the buttercup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Train your grass to the point it only needs watering once per week...you might find by footprints you'll need to water maybe twice a week for higher temperatures.  In between waterings the buttercup, that loves lots of moisture, dies out.  As do most of the shallow rooted weeds. Right now you are selecting for weeds instead of helping your grass compete.  Hope this helps?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-09T23:28:52.397" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34940" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2017-08-10T03:28:31.280" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-08-10T03:28:31.280" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T03:28:31.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34941" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2017-08-10T03:28:31.280" Score="0" Body="For questions concerning the mostly epiphytic Bromeliaceae family, of which Ananas comosus (pineapple), Tillandsia usneoides (Spanish moss) and house plants are some of the best known. Many have stiff, spiny leaves in a rosette that gathers water and nutrients from the atmosphere." OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-08-10T07:37:05.073" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T07:37:05.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34942" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-10T04:44:20.967" Score="3" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got two eremophila maculata aurea and only this one has this weed like? plant growing next to it. I've hesitated from pulling it because it's growing pretty little white flowers. I'm in south Arizona zone 9a &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZRgsw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZRgsw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The serrated like leaves are from the emu bush,&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Szjra.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Szjra.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;what is growing here?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17485" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T18:43:16.337" Title="What's growing next to my emu bush?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34943" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34945" CreationDate="2017-08-10T11:09:23.757" Score="3" ViewCount="89" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just came across this fly in my compost bin, I suspect it to be a BSF that would have hatched. Can anyone please confirm it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y7zSA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y7zSA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Some Random fly&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FUQTC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FUQTC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16489" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T12:38:45.767" Title="Is it a black soldier fly?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34944" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-10T12:12:52.480" Score="14" ViewCount="25053" Body="&lt;p&gt;My organic garden was ravaged by pests this year, but my cabbages took a special hit. In the meantime, I was wondering if I can harvest the tender leaves anyway and try again to protect them next year. I don't see any insects on them, but I wonder if it is proper to eat them and whether they will taste bug-flavored. Thanks. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sW7DS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sW7DS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11676" LastActivityDate="2020-03-20T11:58:53.510" Title="Is it safe to harvest these cabbage leaves?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;cabbage&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34945" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34943" CreationDate="2017-08-10T12:38:45.767" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to our resident expert, who manages several black soldier fly colonies, this is, indeed, a &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugguide.net/node/view/7646&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;black soldier fly&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TYbRf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TYbRf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/livestock/black_soldier_fly.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;University of Florida Entomology &amp;amp; Nematology dept&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Adults: Members of the soldier fly family Stratiomyidae can range in color from yellow, green, black or blue, with some having a metallic appearance. Many are mimics of other flying insects, such as bees and wasps. Black soldier fly adults have a wasp-like appearance and are black or blue in color. Soldier flies also have two translucent &quot;windows&quot; located on the first abdominal segment. Adults range from 15 to 20 mm in length. (Sheppard et al. 2002). The adult's antennae are elongated with three segments, and legs have white coloration near the end of each leg.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T12:38:45.767" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34946" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34944" CreationDate="2017-08-10T13:05:08.103" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would not eat them, just because there is very little left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would have no problem eating leaves with little damage.&#xA;These are just eaten (by &lt;em&gt;expert&lt;/em&gt;), so they are good, and they don't leave traces (and poo), no more than usual insects which are not eating the leaves.&#xA;In any case you will clean them with water, and then cook them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So there is really no problem for small damages (like the leaf on the top of the image).&#xA;But for the leaf on the left, you have a few green parts and mostly veins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-08-11T12:47:32.860" LastActivityDate="2017-08-11T12:47:32.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34944" CreationDate="2017-08-10T15:09:42.840" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes ,but pick off the caterpillars first. ( Green ,cabbage butterfly caterpillars). My friend argues that the caterpillars are full of cabbage so should be good to eat but I don't recommend that. You can control the caterpillars with BT ( bacillus thurengensis ?). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T15:09:42.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34944" CreationDate="2017-08-10T15:14:06.140" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;All of the cabbage leaves are edible, and they won't taste like bugs. Leaves with holes might not be appealing to dinner guests, but no harm or bad taste will come to you and your family eating them. Just give them a good rinse before you prepare to make sure any insects or insect remnants are washed off. I'm not sure what organism ate your plants but check along the stem and underneath the leaves as this is where caterpillars and other pests hide. If you plan on preparing these leaves by cooking or making coleslaw just chop into small pieces and you won't even noticed the holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kudos for going the organic route. It can be challenging with cole crops to keep the pests under control. I've struggled with cabbage worms the last two years, so next season I'm going to invest in floating row covers. I tried a variety of organic/natural sprays but I think entirely covering cole crops is the way to go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T15:14:06.140" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34949" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34942" CreationDate="2017-08-10T15:29:24.990" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is a &lt;em&gt;Heliotropium&lt;/em&gt;. I'm leaning towards &lt;em&gt;Heliotropium curassavicum&lt;/em&gt;.  It is a very pretty plant so maybe you can leave it or transplant it to another spot in your garden if it is causing crowding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenershq.com/Heliotropium-Heliotrope.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Heliotropium Growing Guide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastEditorUserId="15754" LastEditDate="2017-08-10T18:43:16.337" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T18:43:16.337" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34950" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34944" CreationDate="2017-08-10T17:53:16.577" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like you have cabbage worms.  This is a common problem with brassicas and the symptoms are clear. You should check under the leaves and you will most likely see green worms camouflaged with the leaves.  Sometimes they are hard to spot but based on the damage I suspect the works are a good inch in length.  Not much you can do not but to prevent further damage, go and pick out the worms and the damage will stop.  Next year, take action earlier to reduce the damage and as suggested by someone else, use a row cover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I generally eat the leaves so no harm.  Just inspect them carefully and wash them to get rid of the worms or other remnants.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T17:53:16.577" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34951" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34963" CreationDate="2017-08-10T18:30:30.663" Score="5" ViewCount="335" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had gotten a few mixed plants at a yard sale. Most were succulents, but this (pictured) was included. It wasn't doing well indoors, and caught some type of pest, so I sprayed it with a cayenne and garlic mix and transplanted it in a small pot outdoors, on my &quot;full sun&quot; porch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm curious if it's a weed because it's had a complete turn around rather quickly (see before and after pics) AND it's thriving in a shallow dish. If it's not a weed, I'd like to identify it so I can give it the proper care it needs, and would love to know if it's something that will flower. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9rwzM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;After outdoor transplant&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fr9sr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closer image of after outdoor transplant&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ekwpR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pic taken before transplant, with pests&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-23T20:52:24.797" LastActivityDate="2017-09-23T20:52:24.797" Title="Is this just a weed? If not, what is it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34952" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34944" CreationDate="2017-08-10T18:41:16.187" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Floating row cloth is absolutely necessary to have around as there are many uses for this stuff.  But the Brassica family of cabbage, kale, broccoli etc.  Really need to be covered as soon as they've been planted primarily for the cabbage fly whose larva eat the roots.  That wasn't what ate your leaves.  Possibly flea beetle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those leaves are important so your plants can make enough energy with which to grow the cabbage. That little guy in the center needs to be fed and that is only from photosynthesis.  You are doing what the insects are doing if you eat the leaves.  Cutting out the photosynthesis necessary to make the energy to grow the cabbage as well as stressing your plant and making it more vulnerable to insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vegetable gardening is important to do as a way to get more successful each year.  You need to learn what insects are causing damage to understand their life cycle and be ready for them next year.  There are small windows of time where certain insects lay their eggs, or like flea beetles eat your mustards and cole crops leaves.  Knowing your 'enemy' is half the battle, grins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use row cloth as soon as I've planted my cole starts.  That stays there for a month and one half and I take it off because that is the period cabbage fly are laying their eggs at the base of your cabbage or broccoli.  The row cloth edges are buried with soil so the cabbage fly and the cabbage moth are unable to crawl under to lay their eggs in the soil around the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also use a 'trap' crop for flea beetles.  This is a mixed crop of mustards and cole/brassica in one 6X6' bed.  This is usually my 'salad bowl' bed of the season. I combine all kinds of lettuce seed, radish, mustards, kale, carrots...into a large hole spice shaker and sprinkle the entire top of this bed.  I have salad material all season long, when I harvest the radishes which are first to mature that leaves more room for other plants.  I don't worry about cutting the lettuce tops I pull the lettuce roots and all to thin the bed.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, there is a time in early spring when flea beetles go nuts for about a month.  They go nuts on the mustard and kale only.  I'll have broccoli and cabbage and cauliflower and kale elsewhere in the garden and the flea beetles are not interested at all...in my 'cash crop'.  This 'Trap crop' gives insects something to eat and they really do leave your 'cash crop' alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to pull up a cabbage and check out the roots.  Very likely you've got Cabbage Fly damage of the roots.  I've gone all season growing cabbage only to find a beautiful healthy looking plant just falls over and dies because the roots were eaten and/or the main stem was eaten through.  Aphids will be another problem late in the season.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could also have cutworms. Do you know if you've got slugs?  Go out at night with a flashlight and do a few inspections.  I can see powdery mildew has begun on that top full leaf.  You'll need to start spraying a 1:9 solution of milk and water, top and bottom of leaves.  That has been working for me.  I'd also cut off all the leaves that have been skeletonized.  They are no longer able to make food for the plant by photosynthesis and the material is stopping the flow of air.  Good ventilation and moving air is antithesis to powdery mildew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this garden out of doors?  All those dead leaves and mulch on your soil is also a great place for insects to hang out while they decimate your garden.  You are sort of providing a super bed and breakfast!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One more thing; are you fertilizing?  Organic gardening is loose label.  All gardens are artificial and we humans have to add chemistry necessary for photosynthesis or plants will just not be able to make their own food.  Fertilizer is not food.  Compost is not food.  Healthy, thriving plants are able to deal with a little insect damage.  Too much fertilizer can have the same effect by making plants even more susceptible to insects or just a little too much fertilizer can kill your plants before worrying about insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to see one of your cabbages' roots.  When you get a chance to pull one up please take a picture to send us.  Take a good look in the soil around the base of your plants.  Only takes one cutworm to do a lot of damage.  There is more than just one insect doing this damage, normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And, pesticides are never necessary and totally verboten on edibles.  If someone uses a pesticide (herbicide, miticide, fungicide are included in the word pesticide) it is because of a mistake we made and we are trying to put a band aid on the problem.  Gardens are never to be considered 'natural' and 'organic' holds little definition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut off the obvious foliage that has more holes than leaf left.  Let us know what you've used for fertilizer if any.  Include type of compost if any. If you eat those leaves you will taking away the photosynthesizing factories necessary to make a real cabbage.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T18:41:16.187" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34953" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34951" CreationDate="2017-08-10T19:23:00.397" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a succulent possibly Sedum spectabile...not a weed.  Cayenne and garlic doesn't make a great pesticide for white fly.  Soap and water would be better and best would be NEEM sprayed at night.  Include spraying the top of the soil and beneath leaves.  A very desired plant!&lt;a href=&quot;https://safe.search.tools/images&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sedum spectabile and cousins&#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-10T19:23:00.397" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34954" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-10T19:52:46.097" Score="3" ViewCount="569" Body="&lt;p&gt;Got it from a stranger who was moving out of his office. He called it a rubber tree. It's about 3.5 feet tall in a 1.5 foot-wide pot along with another plant. Its leaves are a yellow-green variegation and they're about 6 inches long and one inch wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you in advance, I'd love to know what it is so I can figure out how to take care of this guy to nurse it back to health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TRAIP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TRAIP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wr3DT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wr3DT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19501" LastEditorUserId="18016" LastEditDate="2017-08-10T21:19:47.420" LastActivityDate="2017-08-11T10:20:34.637" Title="What kind of houseplant is this? Long, narrow, variegated leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34955" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34954" CreationDate="2017-08-10T20:23:21.940" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's a Croton, one of the Codiaeum variegata types, of which there are many in various colour ranges with narrow or broader leaves. It could even be the variety 'Goldfinger', despite its having less brightly variegated leaves, that could be a result of insufficient sun/bright daylight. It requires bright light, preferably with some sun, and it prefers humid air - mist two or three times a week to prevent spider mite, to which they are prone when grown as houseplants. More info here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/croton.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growing Croton Plants Indoors&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks relatively healthy, although that bare stem either means it was a standard originally, or its lost all its lower leaves. It's probably time to separate the plants in the pot to give the Croton more root room though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: Rubber tree usually refers to Ficus elastica, although many common names are used for more than one plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-11T10:20:34.637" LastActivityDate="2017-08-11T10:20:34.637" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34959" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34960" CreationDate="2017-08-11T17:20:47.153" Score="5" ViewCount="327" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have received these plants from somebody who didn't know what their name was. Can you help with an ID?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5bVq1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5bVq1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-08-11T18:03:46.197" Title="Are these plants Aloe or Gasteraloe?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34960" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34959" CreationDate="2017-08-11T18:03:46.197" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;They do look very much like &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://worldofsucculents.com/gasteraloe-beguinii-lizard-tail/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gasteraloe beguinii&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-08-11T18:03:46.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34961" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-11T21:17:51.577" Score="4" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;Spotted 3 of theses on one 2x2 in my veggie garden. I didn't notice them until recently so the insect may have left long ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Seattle Washington.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Iv1so.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Iv1so.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sr8SP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sr8SP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H9yrT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H9yrT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-08-12T12:34:14.443" Title="Any ideas what came out of these?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34962" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34961" CreationDate="2017-08-11T23:12:36.067" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is interesting!  I think it is wood pecker damage.  Can't understand WHY???&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bing.com/cr?IG=F0A635E4917A4D0DADB003A1F29DC89F&amp;amp;CID=01291A80008060BA2349105B01DF619C&amp;amp;rd=1&amp;amp;h=y85TdVtTu0UgqXuFilPRk6eZ7Mj1m-PYq-3B8M4pgL4&amp;amp;v=1&amp;amp;r=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm4.staticflickr.com%2F3583%2F3454307931_28bf3e73b7_z.jpg&amp;amp;p=DevEx,5014.1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wood Pecker damage&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-11T23:12:36.067" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34963" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34951" CreationDate="2017-08-11T23:59:09.277" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This does look like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sedum&lt;/a&gt;. I'm not good at specific identifications. I leave that up to the experts, like @stormy, who has already given you that information. However, because I have a lot of sedum plants, I can tell you they're extremely easy to care for and will indeed flower. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have two types, one is a &quot;creeper&quot; which has a trailing habit, and one has an upright growth habit. The growth and care instructions, at least in my case, are the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sedum is as close to a &quot;set it and forget it&quot; plant as you'll find. You're already experiencing that as it came back really quickly after having a problem.  It thrives in most soil conditions, and all levels of sunlight, including shade. The one I have in the shade (not pictured here) doesn't grow as quickly or flower as well as those in full sun, but I don't mind because the foliage stays pretty and it adds interest to an area that other plants don't like. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sedum grows in a wide range of &lt;a href=&quot;http://worldofsucculents.com/usda-hardiness-zones/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;climate zones&lt;/a&gt;, from 3 all the way through 9, depending on the variety. I live in zone 6. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://worldofsucculents.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;World of Succulents&lt;/a&gt; site is very informative. &lt;a href=&quot;http://worldofsucculents.com/hylotelephium-spectabile-sedum-spectabile-showy-stonecrop-ice-plant-butterfly-stonecrop/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This page&lt;/a&gt; is dedicated to the Hylotelephium spectabile (Sedum spectabile), and has a lovely picture of one in bloom. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;They are ideal for that part of your yard that gets too much sun or too little water to grow anything else. A common name for Sedum is Stonecrop, due to the fact that many gardeners joke that only stones need less care and live longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like yours is big enough to separate into smaller sections if you have different spots to fill. Some people say it's healthier to split them every few years. I don't bother, and only split them when I'm giving a piece to a friend. They make a great gift because the receiver doesn't have to do much work, as opposed to other plants, which get fussy when moved around. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Transplanting sedum is very easy. See my answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/24157/7305&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for general transplanting instructions which I've used successfully. (That answer also has pictures of sedum pieces which I thought had died, but were perfectly healthy once I planted them.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you don't feel like going to very much trouble when transplanting, you can even just put them on the ground where you want them to take root.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;For shorter varieties, simply laying the Sedum on the ground where you want it to grow is normally enough to get the Sedum plant started there. They will send out roots from wherever the stem is touching the ground and root itself. &lt;a href=&quot;http://worldofsucculents.com/hylotelephium-spectabile-sedum-spectabile-showy-stonecrop-ice-plant-butterfly-stonecrop/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pictures below are my plants as they look right now, in mid-August. As you can see, these are getting ready to bloom. They start in mid to late August, depending on where you live, and last deep into the fall, sometimes until the first frost. Some people choose them specifically because they provide some color after other perennials have gone by. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The top left picture is my creeping plant. It has small clumps of flowers which will be dark pink/light purple. They're sort of sparse looking though. I prefer the shape of the upright variety flower, in the top picture on the right. As you can see, it will be more full. Mine is a bright pink, although they come in many colors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's now September, and my sedums are blooming profusely. In fact, they're just on the verge of going by. I've added pictures of both the creeping, and the upright, varieties. On the top row are the pictures from when I first posted this answer in August. Below them are the two varieties taken today.  If you look closely at the flowers on the upright plant, you'll see a large bumble bee. They absolutely love this plant! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the pictures for a closer, better, view.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r8mQk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r8mQkm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My creeping sedum &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vAa0G.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vAa0Gm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My Upright&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zmGPC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zmGPCm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Creeping plant in bloom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/auvE1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/auvE1m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Upright plant in bloom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-23T20:51:37.580" LastActivityDate="2017-09-23T20:51:37.580" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34964" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35985" CreationDate="2017-08-12T04:21:26.033" Score="5" ViewCount="2268" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Vanderwolf pine tree, Pinus flexilus 'Vanderwolfs'. About a couple of weeks ago some of the needles started turning brown. Didn't pay too much attention, but then I noticed it was getting worse. Most of the needles are brown but still attached. They don't fall off when slightly pulled on. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FBg6r.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FBg6r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I looked up the symptoms and the best issue I could come up with was root rot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know, based on my above description, is this a root rot? If so, how can I treat it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1308" LastEditorUserId="1308" LastEditDate="2017-08-12T04:42:19.167" LastActivityDate="2017-10-29T22:39:53.400" Title="Vanderwolf pine root rot" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34703" CreationDate="2017-08-12T09:51:37.513" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Jeb Gardener (a popular dirt+hydroponic Gardener on YouTube) uses a wet bamboo skewer. I suppose that any wet, wooden skewer would work. Simply get the skewer against the seed and scrape the seed into the tray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19522" LastActivityDate="2017-08-12T09:51:37.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34966" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-12T10:16:06.877" Score="3" ViewCount="192" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a Bay laurel &lt;em&gt;(&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurus_nobilis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Laurus nobilis&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; in my garden in Sweden (60°8'33.86&quot;N, 16°9'46.62&quot;E). I am aware the climate here is not ideal for this tree, but I have hope it can adapt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QQDEa.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QQDEa.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted in the summer of 2015 and this has happened since:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Summer 2015: Planted it from a small (baby tree). In the winter it dried out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Summer 2016: It came up a new branch (I thought it had died!). The branch became around 60cm high, looking great. In the autumn a raindear ate its top leaves and in the winter it dried again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Summer 2017: 3 branches came up, I put a fence (&lt;a href=&quot;http://ace.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pACE3-5875623dt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;like this one&lt;/a&gt;) around it quite high so no animals reach it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Question:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I make the branches survive over winter? (In Sweden there is quite litle light during winter and temperatures can drop to -25&lt;sup&gt;o&lt;/sup&gt;C)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I thought about covering the small tree during the winter, should I cover just from snow, or close it more hermetic?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19523" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T08:33:20.737" Title="Growing &quot;Laurus nobilis&quot; in scandinavia" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34967" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34966" CreationDate="2017-08-12T11:27:39.963" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is too cold for Laurus nobilis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It keeps its leaves, so it doesn't like very cold weather. I never had so much cold, but with -10 degree, the leaves start to become yellowish and  nearly dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I think you can plant it in a pot. It is a plant which can live under trees, so I think it can survive winter inside an house, with not much sun light.  I would not water much in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-12T12:16:32.717" LastActivityDate="2017-08-12T12:16:32.717" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34968" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34961" CreationDate="2017-08-12T12:34:14.443" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm leaning towards some sort of caterpillar, possibly a puss moth. The puss moth is found widespread across Europe, and parts of Asia, and Africa. There is a North American puss moth but it is a different species and is found in southern east coast states.  I know the user lives in Seattle Washington which isn't mentioned as part of the puss moth range but the photos seem to match. Maybe there is a west coast species I haven't found reference to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The puss moth caterpillar spins a silk cocoon and scrapes away the bark of the tree to incorporate the bark into its cocoon.  This makes a very hard, camouflaged cocoon that the caterpillar overwinters in, emerging as a moth in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry I can't seem to hyperlink from my phone but below are a few references/photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/download/8270-2906/cocoon%202.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;silk moth cocoon and wood damage http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/download/8270-2906/cocoon%202.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/thread/3385&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/thread/3385&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wildlifeinsight.com/british-moths/puss-moth-caterpillar-cerura-vinula/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.wildlifeinsight.com/british-moths/puss-moth-caterpillar-cerura-vinula/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-08-12T12:34:14.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34969" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-12T13:53:22.913" Score="6" ViewCount="804" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have lichen all over my sidewalk. It seems to only be on my part of the sidewalk on my street. I do have some trees that overhang and cause lots of shade. What is the best way to remove this stuff and prevent it form coming back? I was thinking I could power wash it away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q5kjR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q5kjR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5DuOw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5DuOw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16926" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T18:55:47.047" Title="Remove lichen from sidewalk" Tags="&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34970" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-12T13:56:34.100" Score="5" ViewCount="584" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to transplant my front-of-the-house shrubs and plants to my backyard because I don't like them very much. I then want to put in new shrubs/plants in front of my house. They will go on both sides of my front steps, 3-5 plants/shrubs on each side. I thought that fall was known as the best time of the year to do this, but I am worried that they won't have enough time to really settle in and grow in roots for the harsh New England winters. Is it better to do this in fall or spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16926" LastActivityDate="2017-08-12T20:49:01.290" Title="Time to plant new shrubs and plants in New England" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34970" CreationDate="2017-08-12T15:25:41.540" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's better to do it in fall, but before the first frost date, whenever that is in your USDA zone. It's not a good idea to plant small cuttings or seedlings at that time, but containerised or wrapped, bare root plants of a reasonable size will be fine. &lt;a href=&quot;https://newengland.com/today/living/gardening/fall-planting/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://newengland.com/today/living/gardening/fall-planting/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-08-12T15:25:41.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34972" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5108" CreationDate="2017-08-12T16:17:37.437" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well I use regular clippers, the ones that are about the size of scissors, hedge clippers for the thicker stalks, and a machete for the thickest saplings and bushes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I really want a scythe or one of rake-shaped cutters to try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19525" LastActivityDate="2017-08-12T16:17:37.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34973" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35068" CreationDate="2017-08-12T16:35:32.047" Score="4" ViewCount="185" Body="&lt;p&gt;My poor Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea) tree started getting brown/yellow leaves with holes in them. Any ideas as to what the problem is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's been really dry and the tree is less than one year old in this location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vdcbjm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Scarlet Oak brown leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9pnNZm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Scarlet Oak brown leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hf4JYm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Scarlet Oak brown leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11888" LastEditorUserId="11888" LastEditDate="2017-08-15T12:44:22.630" LastActivityDate="2017-08-18T16:45:03.423" Title="What's wrong with my Scarlet Oak tree?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34974" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-12T18:24:57.230" Score="7" ViewCount="693" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LCILQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LCILQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;I live in Florida but this houseplant is new to me. Someone said it was a begonia but I have not found a begonia like this. Not sure how to care for it.&#xA;Pretty little pink flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19526" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T12:03:19.473" Title="I need help in identifying this house plant. I was told it was a begonia but?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34975" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34974" CreationDate="2017-08-12T18:40:16.307" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a cyclamen.  Hard to tell flower size from the photo, but I'm guessing that it's one of the florist types.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A quick Goggle search gave me this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hardycyclamens.com/grow-florist-cyclamen-indoors.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;page&lt;/a&gt; that talks about growing them indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The florist types have larger blossoms.  I'm most used to seeing them in stores around Christmas.  Here in Seattle, we have hardy cyclamen that bloom in spring or fall depending on the species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-08-12T18:40:16.307" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34974" CreationDate="2017-08-12T18:43:23.617" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not a Begonia, it's a Cyclamen, cyclamen persicum to be precise. It likes bright light, but not direct sunlight, so a north facing windowsill is ideal. Prefers cooler temperatures (50-60deg F) and damp soil - it's better to water into an outer container and let the plant soak it up to avoid soaking the tuber or corm too much, which is usually sitting just proud of the soil in the pot. Best to use soft water if possible, and mist occasionally because it prefers higher humidity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It currently looks as if it needs more water and certainly more daylight, but it may be deciding to go into 'rest' mode, which they do need to do for a while, depends how long it's been in full leaf whether that's the case or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-13T12:03:19.473" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T12:03:19.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34970" CreationDate="2017-08-12T20:49:01.290" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fall IS the best time to transplant.  It is also the best time to purchase new plants!  They are half price or better.  If you want to transplant your old plants from the front to the back, this is the only time to do so.  How established are your front yard plants?  If you really want to make sure they survive the transplanting there are steps to take and possibly an extra year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you purchased your new plants?  What ideas have you got for different plants in the front.  What is it you don't like about the plantings in your front yard?  What exactly are you wanting to move to the backyard from the front yard? Do not fertilize those front yard plants at all if they will be going through a major stress of transplanting and this can only be done in the late fall before the ground freezes.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How long ago were the plants you want to transplant planted in your front yard?  How large and what species are they?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-12T20:49:01.290" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34978" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34969" CreationDate="2017-08-12T21:00:41.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Power or pressure washing is the only way to remove this growth.  What I think is causing this is excess fertilizer.  From washing out of your grass and over the sidewalk or after fertilizing, you aren't blowing the fertilizer off your walk.  Do any of your neighbors have this on the walks beside their lawns?  I've never encountered this before but by looking at your pictures, the most growth is closest to the grass where there would have been more fertilizer left after spreading.  Be careful with the water staying too long in one spot.  This almost looks like asphalt not concrete...or am I wrong?  Asphalt will more easily come unglued than concrete.  If you don't have a gas powered blower, you most certainly should think about getting yourself this wonderful tool!  After mowing or spreading fertilizer you simply blow all your walks and drive way clean of debris and fertilizer.  I couldn't live without mine!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One more thought, what are your street trees?  This could be because of 'honey dew' falling from your trees.  Honey dew is from aphids and other sucking insects and honey dew is like caviar to lots of other insects and plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-12T21:00:41.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34980" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-13T10:19:54.970" Score="5" ViewCount="255" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s8jVZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s8jVZm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;(click to enlarge)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found a seed I would like to identify. Found outdoors in early August in Columbus, OH (zone 6).  [The seed is almost perfectly round and about 1 1/8&quot; in diameter, though it was slightly larger when first found. When found, the outer skin was smooth and pale yellow/green. Within about a week (indoors) it began to turn light tan and the outer skin had begun to shrivel and wrinkle.]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also found one last year that was growing. While weeding, I pulled it up and discovered the seed still attached. The seed had split in half, with both halves still attached. It had 4-6 inch roots and about a 12-14 inch plant grown by late summer. It looked like a tree, with a single woody stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19532" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2017-08-15T17:51:48.103" LastActivityDate="2017-08-24T04:31:08.967" Title="What Is this round 1+ inch seed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34981" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-13T10:34:07.213" Score="3" ViewCount="47" Body="&lt;p&gt;We realise there is a vast number of Clematis varieties and hybrids and this one might not be an easy one to identify as it was planted around 1996. We have spent ages looking on the net to no avail.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We live in New Zealand and the plant is having a second life so to speak. In its first life it was robust right from the start, so much so we often had to cut it back from clogging the roof gutters. So it grew to  3 metres easily and would be able to go higher  and wider. It's second life started last year when we had no option but to transplant it, chopping it back severely to do so. Following advice gleaned from the net we got it right and it's flourishing. We were thrilled we didn't kill it. Maybe you can't kill Clematis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main reason for asking is we would like to know which pruning group it belongs to. It is only now after all these years we have found out about pruning groups. Obviously it has done well despite our ignorance ; but as it has done us the kindness to live, we should do our best for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The photo was taken in  Feb 2008. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any information that could steer us in the right direction would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gbln0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gbln0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;clematis&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19533" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T12:12:08.157" Title="Can anybody identify this evergreen Clematis please ?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34981" CreationDate="2017-08-13T12:12:08.157" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The reason you can't find it is, it's not a clematis, it's Pandorea jasminoides, an evergreen, twining climber/vine native to Australia which can reach more than 15 feet in height in suitable areas. Pruning isn't essential, but to keep it in bounds, is best done after flowering. It is frost sensitive, tolerating temperatures down to 5degC, and in colder regions is usually grown in a cool greenhouse or conservatory. More information here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/plants.cfm?pl_id=3103&amp;amp;fromplants=pl_id%3D3101&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/plants.cfm?pl_id=3103&amp;amp;fromplants=pl_id%3D3101&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T12:12:08.157" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34983" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-13T14:19:55.927" Score="3" ViewCount="364" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two &quot;sonic bloom&quot; weigela bushes. They were both purchased at the same time and planted at the same time. There is a rose bush in between them and they all receive lots of sunlight and equal water. I'm in zone 7A.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One has stopped growing and instead is sprouting a TON of small buds all clustered together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other weigela has become huge in a few short months and this one is half its size. The other one also has started to flower. But not this one.&#xA;Could it just be nutrients ? How can I save it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4haoI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4haoI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GEPmC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GEPmC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;comparison&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2568" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T18:04:15.827" Title="What's wrong with my &quot;sonic bloom&quot; weigela?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34984" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-13T15:41:40.453" Score="4" ViewCount="55" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used my shower water to water my plants. What is the best soap to use, that will not harm the plants ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19534" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T18:07:14.690" Title="Kind of soap to use in shower?" Tags="&lt;greywater&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34983" CreationDate="2017-08-13T18:04:15.827" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are several things that can cause unusual growth, virus's, poisons, insects, lack of nutrients, all of these can have adverse affects on the  hormone system of a plant. Its quite possible that the plant material used to propagate this specimen could have been contaminated with some sort of disease and then was given a chemical bath- both of which has caused this effect.&#xA;The general colour of the leaves don't suggest anything nutrient wise and there doesn't seem to be any bugs on the leaves or stems, however with past experience, planting stuff next to a house like that does cause a few problems, firstly from the rain shadow caused by the over hang of the roof, but that can also cause flooding if the gutters are over whelmed- but again I don't see any disturbance on the soil.&#xA;So I might add that something in the soil might be doing the damage? builders often bury allsorts of c**p under a new garden, often without thinking how this will affect anything growing on top- in one garden I landscaped many years ago we just gave up and removed the entire sites soil down the a depth of two foot and replaced it- 23 tons of topsoil being delivered in one day and you wouldn't believe the amount of stuff we found buried- an entire skip full! have a dig around and see what you find- and do a soil test of pH, nutrients the works, you can get cheap kits with test tubes etc- don't cost much and might explain what's happening. hope it helps.&#xA;The only other thing I can suggest is dump the plant, renew the soil and hope it doesn't happen again (however it helps if one still got the receipt for the plant- you can blame the supplier if more plants do the same)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T18:04:15.827" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34984" CreationDate="2017-08-13T18:07:14.690" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very diluted shower water, or change the soap to soft soap, or perhaps baby soap? although generally not a good idea unless in drought conditions and only done for short periods. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T18:07:14.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34987" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5108" CreationDate="2017-08-13T18:20:43.330" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The method I use is not found in any book or manual. I use a six foot long hedge cutter, or extendable cutter, I use my STIHL HL100 set it at 40° and let rip! I can cut down a field of nettles in ten minutes! would take a whole day or about an hour and a half if done with a strimmer (gets clogged very quickly) helps if someone's raking away from you at the same time and can be done when wet- came up with that idea when I had to clear a garden in camden town years ago covered in brambles, noticed that the same kit I used for the bbc many years later used the same technique with a similar mechanism for a push long grass cutter (had the same arrangement with the teeth)just watch out for stuff that shouldn't be there! the cutters blades will slice anything! so be aware of peoples movements around you and don't swing too high!    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T18:20:43.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34988" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34969" CreationDate="2017-08-13T18:55:47.047" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Lichens are usually found anywhere that is damp, you mentioned trees, you can tell exactly how much sulphur is in the air by what species of lichen is growing there almost the exact (SO²)µg/m³ but I think the only option is to jet wash however looking by the condition of the surface- doing it too hard may cause damage- there are no chemicals that will get rid of it as lichen has a knack of becoming part of the surface their growing upon, the roots (if you can call them that) actually tunnel into the surface up to a depth of several millimetres and extract all their nutrients directly from the rock/atmosphere as lichens are a mix of fungus and algae- apart they can't survive but together form a new living species.&#xA;Fertiliser and honeydew are not the causes- it just perfect conditions for the lichen to grow- in last few years air pollution that had sulphur in it has dropped thus things like blackspot and lichens have increased- the more furrier the lichen, the more pure the air is I would hazard a guess Dipoicia canescens?(125 SO²µg/m³ ) Lecanora chlarotera?(59 SO²µg/m³ ) or Palmelia caperata?(43 SO²µg/m³ )but there the only ones I know that look anything like the one on your photographs- hope it helps     &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T18:55:47.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34989" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34944" CreationDate="2017-08-13T19:09:59.720" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cabbage white caterpillars the top right hand side of the photo gave it away with the white fibres being left behind, you should not only easily find them- quite big but they poo little green droppings at the bases of the leaves. pick them off- no need for any fancy chemicals- way too expensive and poisoning one self is not a good idea when coming to vege. just net them or you won't get them! small mesh size and place the plants well away from the netting- in hopes the butterfly can't reach in and lay their eggs- the net should be at least 6 inches away from the furthest leaf trying to touch it- I did a net cage for a client this year and it took me about two hours to make one up 2 meters square and 1 meter high on a wooden frame made from old fence lattices- so not an expensive option. oh and they are edible but not really worth it at this stage better chuck them and start again. If the netting is about half a centimetre or smaller mesh and pulled tight- (allowed to hold a cup of tea on it)then light issues are not a problem- only one layer of netting is fine enough- should do the trick. idea is not to trap anything within the net like half dead birds- not very nice to find next morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="1999" LastEditDate="2017-08-20T19:14:15.553" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T19:14:15.553" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34990" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-13T19:25:58.370" Score="3" ViewCount="5224" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to prune a red oak tree in August in Iowa. Can I use regular spray paint to seal the cut off branches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19535" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-08-13T19:57:08.730" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T20:22:49.637" Title="Sealing cut branches with regular spray paint" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34991" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-13T19:40:06.190" Score="3" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbors palm tree is located next to my driveway where we park our cars. For many years ,About 2 or 3 times a year the tree seems to drop a mist of sappy substance that sprays all over our cars. It seems to be water solvable because it does come off at the car wash. How do I get my neighbor to spray the tree to stop the sap from falling or is there nothing that can be done??   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19538" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T21:04:49.823" Title="How do I deal with neighbors palm tree hanging over my driveway/ cars, when it seems to leak or drop a sappy substance." Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34992" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-13T19:41:05.247" Score="4" ViewCount="4080" Body="&lt;p&gt;These bush green beans have been champs, continually producing even though they look like they should die (and it's mid-August in Zone 5, having had some massively warm spells).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However they have looked like this for a long time now, but they keep flowering and producing - we've gotten about 20 pounds of beans from ~20 linear feet of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this something that is common to beans? Or is this just them trying to die due to heat? I understand beans aren't exactly all-summer producers normally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FsRTI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FsRTI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14703" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-08-14T20:59:42.973" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T12:02:16.903" Title="What is causing brown and yellow patches on the leaves of my bush beans?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;green-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34993" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-13T19:47:15.353" Score="4" ViewCount="143" Body="&lt;p&gt;In Zone 5. The variety is Mountain Fresh tomatoes which are mulched and watered via a drip system for what it's worth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7J4Ue.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7J4Ue.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q5xtD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q5xtD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tuBpp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tuBpp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants have been getting progressively worse looking. I recently pruned/disposed of the affected areas as well as pruning back any branches heading towards other plants in the hopes to let the current large fruit ripen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14703" LastActivityDate="2017-09-29T15:26:20.100" Title="Is this tomato blight?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34990" CreationDate="2017-08-13T19:52:28.957" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Absolutely not!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, the use of any kind of sealant on pruned trees is, as a rule of thumb, no longer recommended at all. &lt;a href=&quot;https://cals.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/pruningsealants.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Research&lt;/a&gt; shows that they can actually &lt;em&gt;hinder&lt;/em&gt; proper healing of the wounds. Working with clean tools, cutting the right way and at the right time should be enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, you are falling into the trap of the English language's tendency to simplify things. While the wound sealant is sometimes labeled as &quot;pruning &lt;em&gt;paint&lt;/em&gt;&quot;, it's by no means a &quot;paint&quot;, but typically a waxy or rubbery smear or paste. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So no, you can not use spray paint. Learn about how to prune your tree, clean your tools before the job, then &lt;em&gt;leave the cuts alone&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-08-13T20:22:49.637" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T20:22:49.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34995" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="34999" CreationDate="2017-08-13T19:53:45.560" Score="10" ViewCount="8798" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted red and new potatoes in early May. They were planted 6-8 inches deep. The potatoes were sprouted potatoes from our local hardware store. Our soil is heavy clay but the potatoes were planted in purchased hummus which had been worked into the soil to a depth of about 15 inches. Our climate zone is zone 9B. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A8pEG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A8pEG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;No potatoes image 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qXDvJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qXDvJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;No potatoes image 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can see, the potato plants only grew to about 1 ft high. Some of the plants dried up so we started harvesting today (Aug 13).  To our surprise, there were no potatoes at all. We watered the potatoes using a drip system (2 GPH) that was set to 15 minutes once per week. However, the summer here has been very hot and whenever the plants looked wilted, we added an additional watering cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19536" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T06:55:14.730" Title="Why did my potatoes not grow?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34996" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34995" CreationDate="2017-08-13T20:05:42.867" Score="7" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;However, the summer here has been very hot&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This might very well be the reason. Potatoes tend to stop the production of tubers once the soil reaches a certain temperature. Gardeners that plant their potatoes in dark plastic bags and unwittingly put the bags into a sunny spot often have the same problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next year, plant your potatoes as early as possible to get a long growing phase before the summer heat sets in. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T20:05:42.867" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34997" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34991" CreationDate="2017-08-13T21:04:49.823" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is nothing short of hacking the palm down.  You could easily cover your cars with a light, inexpensive fabric to catch the 'honey dew'.  Please send pictures.  Legally there is nothing at all you can do...make nice with the neighbors.  They aren't having the problems you are having so the only recourse to entice them is to have another species of tree not so amenable to aphids and other sap sucking insects that are pooping on your driveway...costly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T21:04:49.823" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34998" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-13T22:32:32.460" Score="3" ViewCount="244" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have very large ficus growing near a corner of a building. It is very overgrown. My gardener has suggested trimming the tree significantly and says that will significantly reduce the expansion of the root system, thereby protecting the building from further root growth. Is he correct?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19537" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T22:39:37.363" Title="Can ficus root growth be controlled trimming the tree?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="34999" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34995" CreationDate="2017-08-13T22:33:57.203" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Judging by the state of the plants when you dug them up, and what the soil surface looks like there are no nutrients whatever in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The potatoes &lt;em&gt;tried&lt;/em&gt; to grow, using the material stored in the tuber, but that's as much as they managed to do. The leaves never developed properly, nor did the roots. They would have grown just as &quot;well&quot; if you had just put them on a concrete driveway and ignored them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Purchased humus&quot; doesn't necessarily contain any nutrients. If you really want to grow potatoes in this soil, I would dig the area now to break it up, then spread about a 6 inch depth of horse manure on the surface and leave it for 3 months to let the micro-organisms to break it down and release the nutrients, then dig it in. That might give you better results next year!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T22:33:57.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34998" CreationDate="2017-08-13T22:39:37.363" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best thing you can do is water your tree. It will not have to go searching for water.  You should also dig a trench about 2 feet deep and cover your foundation on the side with your tree with galvanized metal, making sure you have air between the foundation and the metal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trimming the tree is fine for health but not for reducing root systems.  How silly.  In fact, too much pruning of the top growth will enhance root growth just because there is a large amount of energy the plant needs to put somewhere...why waste all that work making food if it can't be stored in the roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-13T22:39:37.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35001" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-14T00:22:42.037" Score="2" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been trying to find what plant this seed is. It was a gift from a friend and it cracked while I was wearing as a necklace. I am quite curious.&#xA;thank u!&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qBP57.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qBP57.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;curious&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19540" LastEditorUserId="19373" LastEditDate="2017-08-14T22:40:56.653" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T22:40:56.653" Title="How can I plant this seed pod?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35002" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35004" CreationDate="2017-08-14T01:20:41.723" Score="3" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to find out if there is something wrong with my raspberry plant. I was gifted with this plant about two weeks ago. It did have some damaged canes which had to be cut away, but I do not remember making this cut as I would not have cut it at an angle like that. I'm honestly leaning towards cane blight or spur blight, but I want to rule out normal dieback (it IS almost September). We HAVE had a lot of rain and the plant is currently in a pot (we do plan on moving it). Please advise on control/removal of the diseased cane, if that is the case. Thank you in advance.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XoJYB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XoJYB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19542" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T02:07:07.543" Title="Is there anything wrong with my raspberry (heritage everbearing, zone 7)" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35003" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26793" CreationDate="2017-08-14T02:02:19.543" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally, no, a cucumber vine should produce several cucumbers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know that this would help but I'm trying hand pollination with some of my vegetables this year. I'm wondering if this might help you. With my tomatoes, I just give the branches that have flowers a gentle shake every other day and I did fairly well with them considering this was my first attempt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19542" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T02:02:19.543" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35002" CreationDate="2017-08-14T02:07:07.543" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid this does not look like normal die back - the shoot top right seems too healthy in such circumstances and whatever it is has gone below the shoot below that. I suspect &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenodidymella_applanata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Xenodidymella applanata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; against which the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=267&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;RHS&lt;/a&gt; recommends:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Non-chemical control&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Avoid overcrowding by thinning out any young canes that are not required.  This should be done as early in the spring as possible&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Avoid the over-application of nitrogen&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;If spur blight develops, cut out and dispose of badly affected canes&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Choose resistant cultivars. The cultivars ‘Glen Lyon’, ‘Glen Moy’, ‘Glen Rosa’, ‘Julia’, ‘Leo’ and ‘Malling Admiral’ have some resistance to spur blight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chemical control&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;No fungicides are available to home gardeners for the control of raspberry spur blight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T02:07:07.543" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35007" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-14T04:41:59.847" Score="5" ViewCount="226" Body="&lt;p&gt;My pepper plants are at various stages of growth but nearly all of them are developing these really strange leaves that are curved downwards, elongated and hard to the touch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't figure out what it is. This is most prevelent in my hydroponic Scorpian pepper plant where I pruned it but all the new leaves are coming out this way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could this be over fertilisation? Why would I have that in my other soil plants too though? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image Links:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ibb.co/ijqdra&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;My Pepper Plants (1)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ibb.co/gtZtPv&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;My Pepper Plants (2)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OtvPk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OtvPk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pepper plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nu9KP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nu9KP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pepper plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please Help. Can't find the answer to this! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&#xA;K&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19544" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-08-15T13:58:50.203" LastActivityDate="2017-08-18T11:55:09.837" Title="Pepper plants developing strange leaves" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35008" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35001" CreationDate="2017-08-14T04:54:36.917" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;OK...how long have you had this? It's been my experience that if the seed was more than two years old, it's generally a no-go. Less than a year is another story. I have some milkweed blooming in my front yard as we speak (I planted it for the butterflies and hummingbirds). The seeds were about a year and a half old when I planted them. However, we planted some Echinacea in there with it (which I'd had about as long as the milkweed), and it wouldn't grow. If you're unsure, you could just try it and see. I'm sure your friend would understand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19542" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T04:54:36.917" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31275" CreationDate="2017-08-14T06:46:28.507" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This was a branch planted in a pot. So it was impossible to do as advised and leave &lt;em&gt;only the ROOTS beneath the soil...&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However I understood I had to change the pot of my plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I waited, hoped, but in the end, it lost all its leaves. I thought it was dead. The soil was dry, so when I went to remove the branch from the pot, it scrambled all over, and only the branch with 5-6 small roots protruding remained in my hand. The roots didn't look too dead to me, so I decided to try to move it to a new pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I bought regular potting soil and mixed it with 50/50 with a little garden earth and sand. One good thing from the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/31276/15012&quot;&gt;other answer&lt;/a&gt; is to water scarcely with rainfall water. Since I water scarcely, I chose a pot without drainage. Doing fine so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a few weeks, leaves reappeared!&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fm15F.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fm15F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;baobab reborn in new pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15012" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T06:46:28.507" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35010" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34995" CreationDate="2017-08-14T06:55:14.730" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to the answers above (&lt;em&gt;especially&lt;/em&gt; regarding the need to improve the soil) you should be prepared to periodically mound more soil or mulch or straw around the plants as they grow.  The tubers actually grow along the stems of the plants, so if you don't cover them up, you may grow larger plants next year, but they still don't produce a crop of any size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are loads of resources online that outline &quot;best practices&quot; for growing any vegetable.  Have a look and plan for next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19545" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T06:55:14.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35001" CreationDate="2017-08-14T13:03:50.903" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know what your seed is, but I'm getting a bean vibe from it.  Maybe a &lt;a href=&quot;http://massspectrumbotanicals.net/shop/vicia-faba-large-brown/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;fava bean&lt;/a&gt;?  I would agree with SouthernGardner that it seems unlikely to germinate, but I am all for experimentation.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would buy or make a seed starting mix.  This is a growing medium that lacks soil and has nutrients beneficial to seedling plants.  You can buy these at a garden center or make your own.  You can read more about seed &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardensalive.com/product/the-right-mix-for-starting-seeds?ai=1262&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;starting mixes here&lt;/a&gt;.  Generally, seed starting mixes contain peat moss, perlite, and compost.  Planting in a seed starting mix will at least allow you to find out if your seed is viable, after that we can help you figure out how to best care for your seedling/future mystery plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You want to avoid using garden soil because pathogens in the soil can harm your seed, you may accidentally grow competing weed seeds, and soil is often too dense for tiny seedling roots to easily establish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally here is some general advice about &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burpee.com/gardenadvicecenter/areas-of-interest/seed-starting/indoor-seed-starting/article10002.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;starting seeds&lt;/a&gt; including, water, light, seed starting mixes and so on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T13:03:50.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35012" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35016" CreationDate="2017-08-14T13:31:35.223" Score="3" ViewCount="4593" Body="&lt;p&gt;About a month ago I purchased a starter medinilla magnifica after running into a mature plant in a store and falling in love with the flowers, but not the price tag (no way I was paying $60 for a plant!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To keep my explanation short, I initially overwatered the plant, so it lost about half its leaves, and the ones it did keep began to blacken. I trimmed back the blackening parts and got the hang of watering, so its condition is not deteriorating quite so quickly, but its leaves are still slowly blackening and every so often it drops a leaf. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not worried about heat or humidity, I have a maranta that is flourishing and the two plants like a similar temperature/moisture level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to keep my plant from completely dying?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vgvfk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vgvfk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;photo of medinilla magnifica&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant dropped its 2 blackened leaves since last night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately the plant died a few days ago. Maybe someday I'll try again someday.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;--&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an update since this post has gotten a lot of views, I got a new starter medinilla magnifica about six months ago and it's doing well. I keep it in front of a west-facing window in a bathroom so it gets lots of humidity from showers, and I water it only when its leaves begin to droop. I have not yet repotted it from its original container. It has been growing slowly but steadily, and I'm hoping in a few years' time I'll have a flowering plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14805" LastEditorUserId="14805" LastEditDate="2019-04-12T14:45:41.437" LastActivityDate="2019-04-12T14:45:41.437" Title="How do I save my medinilla magnifica?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="35013" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35023" CreationDate="2017-08-14T13:40:20.077" Score="4" ViewCount="346" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PmLUj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PmLUj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;What is the name of the above plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14466" LastEditorUserId="19373" LastEditDate="2017-08-14T15:22:40.633" LastActivityDate="2017-08-15T10:56:13.473" Title="What is the following houseplant with thin stem and wrinkled leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35014" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-14T14:06:04.410" Score="5" ViewCount="14850" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant was growing well for a few months but in the last month or so the lower leaves started to yellow as the plant continued to grow rapidly.  The rate yellowing and dropping of the leaves is starting to overtake the new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the Middle Eastern desert, I keep the plant outdoors, it receives full sun from early morning till early afternoon.  It is adequately watered.  Just dealt with a bout of spider mites and whitefly with daily monitoring and treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am desperately trying to get the plant healthy before the winter months start to set in.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RMUzm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RMUzm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Moringa&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19548" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-08-14T14:09:28.040" LastActivityDate="2020-03-27T20:49:20.877" Title="Moringa yellowing &amp; leaf drop" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35015" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35013" CreationDate="2017-08-14T14:45:58.277" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not a great photo, it's dark and it doesn't magnify well, so I can't see if there are clear veins in the leaves; it might be Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily) which has developed an unusual growth habit because it's constricted by the small pot and, presumably, you have removed leaves from the stems. It looks like this plant is in a pot with no drainage holes; if that's the case, when you repot into something larger (which it looks as if it needs now) use a pot with holes in. Alternatively, it could be a Ficus variety or Coffea arabica, though the length of the leaves at the top probably rule the latter out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the image currently available, I'll go for Spathiphyllum, but a clearer brighter photo might change that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-14T14:52:39.743" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T14:52:39.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35016" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35012" CreationDate="2017-08-14T15:13:26.900" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you may still be over watering.  Post a photo if you have one in case we can see something else wrong with your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Medinilla magnifica is better off too dry than too wet.  I've &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.medinilla.ca/plant-care.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;read&lt;/a&gt; the best way to water is every 10 days or so from below.  Place the plant pot in another container with a few inches of water for 10 minutes, then remove from water and let drain for 1 minute.  Be sure the plant is in a pot that drains well so that water doesn't remain in the bottom.  Let the soil fully dry out before watering again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since it is a tropical plant, you can keep the humidity high by misting the leaves often/daily, although this is more important in the winter than the summer and might not be a good idea in the current state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know you said the temperature and humidity are fine, but just for other's reference the ideal temp is 63-77 daytime and 60s at night.  Medinilla prefers high but filtered light, avoiding direct afternoon light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a section of the plant that is healthy you may be able to take a cutting and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2792843/medinilla-cuttings&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;propagate a new plant&lt;/a&gt;.  This way you could have a fresh start in new soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T15:13:26.900" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35017" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35018" CreationDate="2017-08-14T16:19:02.100" Score="4" ViewCount="104" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just purchased some property, and I'm interested in growing bamboo to use for various projects on the property ( hoop houses, tripods ).  So I'm looking for fast growing, large, non - invasive species that is suitable for some structural application. Does anyone know a species that fits that criteria. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11239" LastActivityDate="2017-08-15T13:59:22.780" Title="What is a non invasive, large, structural species of Bamboo?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;invasive&gt;&lt;bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35018" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35017" CreationDate="2017-08-14T18:38:44.333" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ain't no such animal. Well, Plant. I've looked...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clumping bamboos (cold-climate tolerant) do not grow particularly &quot;large and structural&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For that matter, in zone 5, about the best you can hope for IME is &quot;garden stake size&quot; and that's with a running bamboo (Phyllostachys). The big stuff won't survive the winter, and the stuff that will survive the winter won't even get as big as it will in warmer climes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A root barrier, moat (water) or wide mown area will keep running bamboos in check. In Zone 5 they won't run all that hard anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might do better with hardwood saplings (or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppicing&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;coppiced&lt;/a&gt; trees) for the uses you want, in that climate. Alder is one (of several) options that coppices well (and grows well in wet spots that might be otherwise difficult to use productively.) You may need to thin the coppice a bit to get better pole material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-08-14T18:54:33.333" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T18:54:33.333" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35019" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35014" CreationDate="2017-08-14T19:18:26.727" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is chemical imbalance.  You need to add a balanced fertilizer to potted plants and all plants you grow.  It has to be done carefully, too much will kill, but the only way plants are able to make their own food/nutrients is having the proper chemistry in the soil.  Especially plants in pots.  We are responsible for supplying soil, drainage, light, water and fertilizer.  I'd get a simple extended release balanced fertilizer such as Osmocote 14-14-14, use half of what they recommend.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photosynthesis is the process plants make their own food and without Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Boron, Iron, Molybdenum, Manganese, Copper, silica...photosynthesis can't happen.  The plant dies slowly.  The first three are critical.  There are many more of the micronutrients that are necessary in minute amounts and by observing your plants one can tell what is lacking or in excess.  But if you don't have those first 3 you have a plant that is dying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T19:18:26.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35021" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35026" CreationDate="2017-08-14T20:03:52.903" Score="5" ViewCount="125" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are some thorny plants that will thrive in zone 6 but also have shallow roots? The reason I ask is my neighbors, despite everything else I've tried, wont keep their dogs out of my yard. I can't plant anything large close to the road, and anything with deep roots would risk my sewer and gas lines. Alternately, is there any plant that will simply repel dogs by scent? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The area is full sun, the soil is clay but sits on a slight incline so it drains fairly well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Thinking about it, I suppose it need not be thorny if it grows thick enough as to be impenetrable. Whatever a dog wouldn't like to walk through and squat on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13875" LastEditorUserId="13875" LastEditDate="2017-08-14T20:33:25.260" LastActivityDate="2017-08-15T14:07:25.087" Title="Shallow root thorny plant zone 6 (NE Indiana)" Tags="&lt;thorns&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="10" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34992" CreationDate="2017-08-14T20:50:35.803" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are lots of questions for you to answer to be able to pin point your problems.  What I am seeing is fungus amongus.  That means too much water and too much water too late in the day.  You've also got a mulch that will harbor moisture and insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What have you done for fertilizer?  I am glad you've gotten produce but I know these plants could have done better.  Do you have a magnifying glass?  Please look beneath the leaves for tiny insects.  Are any of the leaves showing holes?  Is this bed indoors?  Greenhouse? Or are they in the out of doors garden?  Has it been raining a lot?  What was grown in this soil last year?  What species of bean exactly?  When did they start looking like this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-14T20:50:35.803" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35023" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35013" CreationDate="2017-08-14T22:52:52.587" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;em&gt;Castanospermum australe&lt;/em&gt;, common names Black Bean or Moreton Bay Chestnut. It is unrelated to true Chestnuts (&lt;em&gt;Castanea&lt;/em&gt; spp.) and is in fact in the legume family, Fabaceae.&#xA;It is native to coastal rainforests of eastern Australia &amp;amp; also occurs on some Pacific islands. It will grow to a large tree if planted in the ground, but can also apparently be grown as an indoor or patio plant. I believe the small, potted specimens are often sold as 'Lucky Bean Plants'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19553" LastEditorUserId="19553" LastEditDate="2017-08-15T10:56:13.473" LastActivityDate="2017-08-15T10:56:13.473" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35024" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35021" CreationDate="2017-08-15T03:51:18.123" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cactus is generally a shallow rooted plant. They can be grown in clay soil with a little help (see attached). &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1232104/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growing cacti in clay soil&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19542" LastActivityDate="2017-08-15T03:51:18.123" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35025" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34980" CreationDate="2017-08-15T12:11:27.357" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to tell from that angle but it looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=walnut+seed&amp;amp;num=50&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;walnut&lt;/a&gt; (google images link).  There are &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walnut&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;several related species&lt;/a&gt; (wikipedia), two of which are edible and have multiple cultivars. This is probably one of the edible types as squirrels bury them, either taking them from the tree or people putting them out as food. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen one as a weed in a pot in my garden, presumably buried by a squirrel. It looked like you describe; when I pulled it up the nut was attached. I replanted it and after a few years have a tree a couple of feet high (still in a pot; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/toxicity-of-black-walnuts-towards-other-plants/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;walnuts are toxic to other species with shich they share soil&lt;/a&gt;).  You're unlikely to get nuts from a tree grown in a pot as the tree has to reach a mature size before fruiting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastEditorUserId="7288" LastEditDate="2017-08-16T05:23:55.580" LastActivityDate="2017-08-16T05:23:55.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35021" CreationDate="2017-08-15T13:41:49.480" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some examples of Berberis hedges &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=firefox-b&amp;amp;biw=911&amp;amp;bih=395&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=1&amp;amp;q=Berberis+thunbergii+atropurpurea+hedge&amp;amp;oq=Berberis+thunbergii+atropurpurea+hedge&amp;amp;gs_l=psy-ab.3..0.41794.43924.0.44697.6.6.0.0.0.0.121.599.3j3.6.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.6.593...0i30k1j0i24k1.nMsurV7YntY&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. As can be seen, they are dense down to ground level, can vary in height and colour and may be clipped closely or left a little wild. They remain looking at least respectable all year round (&lt;em&gt;purpurea&lt;/em&gt; when in flower is 'something special'). Planted close together they are impenetrable other than with a bulldozer or similar. Full sun, clay soil and good drainage suits them. Zone 6 conditions are suitable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17336" LastEditorUserId="17336" LastEditDate="2017-08-15T14:07:25.087" LastActivityDate="2017-08-15T14:07:25.087" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35027" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35017" CreationDate="2017-08-15T13:57:10.363" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Typically any fast growing species is going to have invasive tendencies. &lt;strong&gt;Bamboo however is not invasive like most plants.&lt;/strong&gt; We do a good job of explaining the opposite in fact... &lt;a href=&quot;https://lewisbamboo.com/is-bamboo-invasive/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Is Bamboo Invasive?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you will find on that page, bamboo is a very poor producer of seeds. The seeds that is does seldom produce &lt;em&gt;(seldom being every century or so)&lt;/em&gt; are not very viable for reproduction and hurt the bamboo more than help. The energy required to produce the seeds can kills off the entire grove.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, since we know seeds do not contribute to the invasive nature of bamboo. This only leaves the roots which typically only run around 18 inches deep in the soil. &lt;strong&gt;You can use a bamboo barrier to block the spread and keep everything contained.&lt;/strong&gt; The product we recommend is &lt;a href=&quot;https://bambooshield.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bamboo Shield&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When using Bamboo Shield this allows for a fast spreading running bamboo instead of a slow spreading clumping bamboo.&lt;/strong&gt; Producing more canes and biomass for use in a shorter amount of time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Disclaimer: I work for Lewis Bamboo which is the parent company of Bamboo Shield.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19558" LastEditorUserId="19558" LastEditDate="2017-08-15T13:59:22.780" LastActivityDate="2017-08-15T13:59:22.780" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35028" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-15T17:36:16.370" Score="3" ViewCount="104" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it wise to transplant young plumeria trees out of containers into raised bed on concrete? We want to paint the patio floor and not have to move containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19562" LastActivityDate="2017-08-15T17:36:16.370" Title="Raised bed for plumerias" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35029" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35030" CreationDate="2017-08-15T17:37:11.147" Score="4" ViewCount="678" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our new home has several rhododendrons that look to have gone unmanaged for many many years. The largest, in the pictures below, has grown well over the roof. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When should this get pruned? How far down should it get pruned at a time? What's the ideal height for a plant like this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qbk41.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qbk41.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qp7XB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qp7XB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19563" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-08-15T19:37:11.130" LastActivityDate="2017-08-15T19:37:11.130" Title="When, and how far, to prune down a massive overgrown rhododendron?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;rhododendrons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35030" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35029" CreationDate="2017-08-15T18:26:37.513" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd start thinning your rhody now.  Take out all the little branches right down to the main trunk.  Any branches that grow towards the center of the shrub.  Any branches that are unhealthy.  Branches that are redundant.  This fall, head your shrub back by cutting the tips down to a bud that faces the outside of the shrub. Make the height 10'.  Use alcohol on your pruners to clean before and after.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem for your shrub is that it is right next to the concrete foundation. Rhododendrons love acid soil.  Concrete raises the pH and makes some chemicals in the fertilizer unavailable.  I'd get a soil test to find the actual pH and then add sulfur.  Fertilize now (unless you've already done so) with a fertilizer made for acid loving plants.  Don't fertilize again until spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also have the Japanese Rhododendron beetle.  You can see the little nibbles on the edges of the leaves.  That isn't the problem.  The problem is in the roots near the bottom of the trunk where these beetles lay their eggs. The larva eat at the roots and reduce the vigor of your plant.  Because the pH is off your rhody is more susceptible to these common insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding an article on this pest: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/japanese-beetles/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese Beetle&lt;/a&gt;.  Please don't use the chemical pesticides.  It really is not necessary. I am assuming there is a lawn just out of the pictures you sent.  I'd try to talk with the previous owners about what they have done in terms of fertilizer and pesticide.  Rhodys this large make beautiful LARGE bonsai looking small trees.  Also be aware that plants don't live forever.  This guy looks like he's almost reached his limit.  Another question to ask the former owners.  Do they remember planting this shrub?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep the pruning sessions spread out.  Don't remove more than a quarter of biomass every few months.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-08-15T19:31:58.470" LastActivityDate="2017-08-15T19:31:58.470" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35032" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35105" CreationDate="2017-08-16T00:04:47.450" Score="5" ViewCount="1557" Body="&lt;p&gt;We moved into a new house last year, and this summer we are noticing that the tree is oozing a lot of sap and has began to drop pine needles while other needles are starting to turn a light brown colour. Is this due to disease? I peeled back a couple of the sap lumps to find what looks like lesions in the bark, as you can see in the images.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KhmSQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KhmSQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QJXEe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QJXEe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xM9qU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xM9qU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RIEFI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RIEFI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bark peeled back&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I peeled back the bark and found this^&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional context: the tree is in Southern Ontario, Canada&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19567" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T11:11:26.977" Title="Disease on a Pine tree? Or is it Bugs?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35033" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35036" CreationDate="2017-08-16T02:35:45.680" Score="4" ViewCount="527" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a mystery plant in our front walkway and my cat is desperate to get to it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know what it is, but am most concerned about the safety issue, since she has managed to get to it twice already. I get her back quickly, but I would really like to know whether it is harmful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have picture of it below. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vTVcx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vTVcx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant in our front walkway&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19568" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-08-16T19:15:37.473" LastActivityDate="2017-08-16T19:15:37.473" Title="What is this short grassy plant with narrow, furry looking flower plumes? Is it safe for a cat to eat?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35035" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35033" CreationDate="2017-08-16T09:04:34.437" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think yes. It is a Poaceae, possibly something in the Poa setaria group.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually grasses have not venomous. This plant, like many other grasses are cespitose (tufted) because they are eaten by animals. So instead of survive/evolve by venom or thorns, they survive by making strong root and grow again and again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-08-16T09:04:34.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35036" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35033" CreationDate="2017-08-16T09:09:43.273" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect this grass belongs to the genus &lt;em&gt;Pennisetum&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;em&gt;Pennisetum setaceum&lt;/em&gt; is a likely candidate; this species is an ornamental grass which is now considered a weed in many parts of Australia (and the US too I believe) and can no longer be sold. Another ornamental species with deep red/ purple leaves was previously sold as &lt;em&gt;Pennisetum setaceum&lt;/em&gt; 'Rubrum' but is now considered to be &lt;em&gt;Pennisetum advena&lt;/em&gt;.&#xA;Many members of the genus &lt;em&gt;Pennisetum&lt;/em&gt; have been transferred to &lt;em&gt;Cenchrus&lt;/em&gt;, however according to The Plant List both &lt;em&gt;Pennisetum setaceum&lt;/em&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;em&gt;P. advena&lt;/em&gt; are accepted names.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-432944&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-432944&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-432569&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-432569&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for toxicity to your cats, assuming my ID is correct, I believe it should be quite safe, although I did find one post on a forum where someone described their cat nearly choking after eating some grass. &lt;em&gt;Pennisetum advena&lt;/em&gt; is commonly known as Purple Fountain Grass which is presumably the species referred to in these links:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hunker.com/12399838/is-purple-fountain-grass-poisonous-to-cats&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.hunker.com/12399838/is-purple-fountain-grass-poisonous-to-cats&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cat-world.com.au/forums/index.php?/topic/68961-purple-fountain-grass/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.cat-world.com.au/forums/index.php?/topic/68961-purple-fountain-grass/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19553" LastActivityDate="2017-08-16T09:09:43.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35037" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-16T10:36:12.853" Score="5" ViewCount="3433" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've noticed a significant deterioration in the health of my relatively young (~2 years) cherry tree. The leaves are turning brown, some are curled, some have holes and a number have also entirely dropped off the leading trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The photo below highlights some issues with the leaves. I note there is a leaf miner on it, but I don't know if that's a significant issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Previously the tree had aphids (around three months ago) but I treated it with a spray and the tree recovered quite quickly. I can't see any insects on the tree this time around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do now in August to treat or reinvigorate this tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AFYka.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AFYka.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Overview of cherry tree sapling&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LOpwY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LOpwY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cherry tree leaf issues&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19573" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-16T10:49:16.567" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T20:35:01.060" Title="Young cherry tree features brown, curled, holed and loss of leaves" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35038" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35040" CreationDate="2017-08-16T14:06:11.477" Score="3" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help with identifying this tree. I harvested berries from it and want to propagate it but only if it is indigenous to Cape Town, South Africa. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was found on Stellenbosch University campus, is about 1-2 meters tall and growing against the wall. It has red berries&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y9PAf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y9PAf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree shape&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Isrge.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Isrge.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf and berry detail&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19574" LastActivityDate="2017-08-16T17:56:22.457" Title="What is the species name of this red berried tree from Stellenbosch, Cape Town" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35039" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-16T15:01:34.877" Score="5" ViewCount="64" Body="&lt;p&gt;I harvested these seeds from an indigenous garden, so this plant is likely indigenous to South Africa, potentially Cape Town. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was a bushy plant with an abundance of these seeds in clumps all over the foliage, mostly at a height of 1 to 2 meters high. Inside the papery seed covering there is a tiny seed less than a mm in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you know what tree or bush it belongs to?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dyqa8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dyqa8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19574" LastActivityDate="2017-08-16T15:01:34.877" Title="What plant do these seeds belong to?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-09-26T05:07:31.557" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35040" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35038" CreationDate="2017-08-16T17:56:22.457" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like Nandina domestica, an evergreen or semi evergreen shrub - if your 'tree' has a thick trunk, then it isn't Nandina. Usual height is up to 8 feet, but I suspect this plant is pruned back  regularly to keep it against the wall, which would account for its being a little taller. Common name Heavenly Bamboo because of its tendency to grow upright, similar to bamboo, but it is not a bamboo at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is not native to South Africa, originating from China, Japan and India.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-08-16T17:56:22.457" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35037" CreationDate="2017-08-16T22:03:37.903" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bing.com/cr?IG=10A78B0895C0494E96A3761BF563AFB2&amp;amp;CID=21491319B0E668D11D7E19F9B1B969F2&amp;amp;rd=1&amp;amp;h=ftZ4OmKjjy6S51o9V80VS35doGS2DL1Bieo8BkzqF_I&amp;amp;v=1&amp;amp;r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cropnutrition.com%2FImages%2FPhosphorus%2FSweetpotato.jpg%3Fv%3D2&amp;amp;p=DevEx,5194.1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;phosphorus deficiency&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've got a few things going on, not just one. I am seeing a deficiency in Phosphorus. Perhaps. Those bluish blackish spots are usually phosphorus deficiency. Have you fertilized, with what formulation and how long ago? Because your plant seems to be very vulnerable, not so healthy, you've got a bit of insect damage and fungus. But the purple spots are indicative of deficient chemistry in your soil for your plant with whic to do photosynthesis and make its own food. –&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-16T22:03:37.903" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34980" CreationDate="2017-08-16T22:41:28.987" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am almost certain that what you have there is an oak apple wasp gall.  I actually grew up in Columbus Ohio and I can tell you that I can't think of any seed that looks anything like this in Ohio.  Sometimes they fall off the tree when they are green/yellow and they eventually dry to be this color.  It's a cool find nonetheless!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oak Apple Wasp Galls are very light and easily crushed.  If you open it up you'll see an interesting matrix of fuzzy stuff with a developing egg in the center.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-08-16T22:41:28.987" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35043" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-16T23:16:19.143" Score="5" ViewCount="4446" Body="&lt;p&gt;Uh oh -- Problem with my Japanese Maple! See leaf pics below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted it spring 2016, so it's been in the ground over a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have heavy clay soil. The soil wasn't super amended when I planted it, but I planted it well and kept it watered. No problems last year and this year it's been great until the last 2-3 weeks. I do not currently have mulch on top of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thoughts? Overwatering? Underwatering? Something else? The pattern on the leaf seemed distinctive enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W8TOr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/W8TOr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vvWXl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vvWXl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19576" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T20:59:19.287" Title="Japanese Maple: Overwatering or Underwatering?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35044" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-16T23:36:02.820" Score="5" ViewCount="1205" Body="&lt;p&gt;All my tomato plants have blossom rot.  As the fruit begins to ripen, they are rotted at the bottom.  Can I pick the healthy green tomatoes and let them ripen without them getting the rotted bottom?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19577" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-08-17T01:49:04.693" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T18:21:40.563" Title="Can I pick healthy unripe green tomatoes from a plant that has blossom end rot?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;blossom-end-rot&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35045" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7832" CreationDate="2017-08-17T00:12:48.437" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying some substantial white, plastic mesh, bunching it around the base of the tomato plants.  Using 6&quot; metal staples to hold it on the ground.  I think animals get tangled up in it...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the white cloth that you can place over vegetables to keep bugs away, might work?  I am stapling that over new little beets and lettuce seedlings.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is always something.  Last year,chipmunks by the dozens.  This year none to be seen.   ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19579" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T00:12:48.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35046" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35044" CreationDate="2017-08-17T00:51:49.937" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This question and its answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/34560/are-blossom-end-rot-tomatoes-edible/34561#34561&quot;&gt;Are blossom end rot tomatoes edible?&lt;/a&gt; is relevant to your question. If you correct your watering regime, the remaining, unaffected tomatoes on the plants should be fine. Occasionally, there is an actual shortage of calcium in the soil,so if this happens every year, even though you water correctly, get a soil test done to check the calcium levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could  remove the green tomatoes, but they won't be as sweet as the ones that ripen naturally on the plant, and depending how advanced they are, may not ripen at all - a sunny windowsill should help with ripening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-17T00:57:20.467" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T00:57:20.467" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35047" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34560" CreationDate="2017-08-17T04:21:29.917" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since you haven't accepted Bamboo's answer, yet, I'll add my own, in case it offers something new.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This answer is just based on my experience (not on studies, books, etc.) So, if you apply this information, do so at your own risk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've eaten plenty of BER tomatoes, and I've never gotten sick from them. I just cut off the black/brown/tan part (I don't eat that, since it looks kind of scary, although it may or may not be edible), and the rest of the tomato is fine. Actually, they taste exceptional, in my experience. The flavor and brix seem to be concentrated for some reason. They also ripen faster than regular tomatoes, although the seeds can seem to be less mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in a semi-arid climate. I'm not sure if there would be more dangers of eating them in a more humid climate where different kinds of pathogens might flourish, but I've never heard of anyone getting sick from eating a BER tomato. Secondary infections with disease are probably the concern there (not the BER itself). If you know what those secondary infections are, you'll be safer for the knowledge. If it's just anthracnose, you should be fine (I've eaten lots of tomatoes with mild anthracnose lesions and haven't had noticeable issues, although they do seem to have less flavor; same for a couple other pathogens sans the seeming flavor loss). Noticeable is the keyword, though. You never know what you don't notice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're really concerned, just cook the tomatoes. It should kill the pathogens and neutralize toxins produced by at least some kinds of pathogens. There might be toxins produced by some bacteria/fungi that might survive that, but I don't know of any in particular that would.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, as long as the good part of the tomato isn't rotten, too, I'd think it would be okay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if your definition of edible is that they taste good, then yes, they're very edible. If your definition is that they won't kill you, I'm pretty sure they won't. If you're worried about subtle toxic effects, or subtle pathogenic infections that might cause issues down the road or for people susceptible to illness, I really can't say, but I've never had any noticeable problems, personally. I do notice some subtle stuff like that in other areas of life, and with some food situations, though (a lot more than your average person would claim to notice), but I haven't noticed anything bad here, personally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T04:21:29.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35048" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35043" CreationDate="2017-08-17T10:55:48.417" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My first guess would unfortunately be verticillium wilt (&lt;em&gt;Verticillium dahliae&lt;/em&gt;).  Hopefully somebody else will have better news. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Verticillium is very common with maples, and nearly impossible to control, though not always fatal to the tree.  It typically starts out with spotty leaf death across the crown, progressing to entire branches dying out as the vascular system clogs up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you find a branch that has a fair amount of dieback on it, and cut it as a angle you should find black discoloration in the wood.  Control is sometimes possible by cutting off the branch back to where there is unaffected wood.  I find it's helpful to sterilize my pruners between cuts so I know I'm not transmitting the fungi. A 1:9 bleach to water ratio works well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll leave you google further info on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a second guess, would be lack of water as it looks like you're on a slope.  I often find it's helpful to make a dam on the downhill side and form a basin around the tree, about 18&quot; from the trunk and 2-3&quot; above the crown.  That way I have a nice basin to fill with water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T10:55:48.417" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35049" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-17T12:40:50.210" Score="3" ViewCount="1201" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to identify the name of this plant for my school project. The photo was  taken in Malaysia. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F09Zz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F09Zz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19583" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-08-17T13:55:29.780" LastActivityDate="2021-04-14T22:04:15.403" Title="Identify Malaysian shrub with five-petaled white flowers and waxy lanceolate leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34857" CreationDate="2017-08-17T13:24:08.803" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some plants have &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicormic_shoot&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;epicormic buds&lt;/a&gt; under their bark and from these buds new shoots can emerge. It looks that your Yucca has them on the white areas of the trunk and you can lightly scratch the bark in those white areas where you want new growth. Be careful to scrach only the thin layer of the epidermis, otherwise the epicormic bud might be affected. I have tried this method on Fuchsia and Hedera and I'm curious how fast you'll get results on Yucca. Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T13:24:08.803" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35051" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-17T14:55:01.747" Score="6" ViewCount="127" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anyone have idea what does this plant called? Thanks in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AN9ba.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AN9ba.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19583" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T19:04:52.937" Title="Any idea what this plant is?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35052" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-17T15:11:29.650" Score="4" ViewCount="230" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have received these plants hardy to zone 6b, minimum temperatures of -23°C (-9.4°F). I know there are numerous species of Sempervivum that look alike, but I kind of hope somebody knows some details about them.&#xA;Their diameter is 2-9 cm (0.8-3.5 inches) and were collected from a garden with the approx. coordinates 46°N, 23°E, elevation 400 m (1300 ft).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are green. In reality the leaves don't have the white shine that appears in this photo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/24Mdw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/24Mdw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T15:11:29.650" Title="What species of Sempervivum is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35053" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35051" CreationDate="2017-08-17T16:38:56.897" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks a lot like some kind of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celosia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;celosia (Amaranth family)&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See this picture from Burpee Seed Co. of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.burpee.com/flowers/celosia/celosia-fresh-look-red-prod000152.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;red celosia&lt;/a&gt;,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y3MHb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y3MHb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;red celosia&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and this one of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.public.asu.edu/~camartin/plants/Plant%20html%20files/Celosia1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;celosia argentea&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0KNOp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0KNOp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Celosia argentea&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-08-17T19:04:52.937" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T19:04:52.937" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35054" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35055" CreationDate="2017-08-17T19:26:52.260" Score="4" ViewCount="616" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a row of 5 Blue Point Junipers, with 6ft spacing. I initially planted per guidelines, but learned later that I could reduce the spacing to create a wind/privacy barrier. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I'd like to do is add 4 more junipers in between to create a privacy barrier. Will this be possible with the initial row already being 10ft tall, using 3ft saplings for the addition?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm working with the area between the fence and the brick. 3'-4' wide. I should be able to fit a 1' stagger here&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fjy2f.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fjy2f.png&quot; alt=&quot;current tree line&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19584" LastEditorUserId="19584" LastEditDate="2017-08-17T20:50:59.353" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T20:50:59.353" Title="improving a privacy tree barrier" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;pines&gt;&lt;privacy-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35055" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35054" CreationDate="2017-08-17T19:52:44.940" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yacbt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yacbt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;beginning of new fence&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Absolutely!  Don't put them in the same line if you can possibly do this...make another row, offset from the first at a minimum of 2 feet, 3 feet would be better.  You should have equilateral triangles between 2 in the back and one in the front row, the new row.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Making a row offset in front of your original row will give reason to the height difference as well as plugging up the gaps.  This gives each plant plenty of room to grow symmetrically and fully.  Your original shrubs should be topped to the height you are easily able to maintain.  That will help them to grow outwards versus upwards.  Become denser.  Just brush the tips on the sides and make sure the bottom of the shrub is wider than the top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you fertilized?  A tree stake of balanced fertilizer works great for a year.  If you've already fertilized how long ago and with what formulation?  Compost is not fertilizer.  Does have some nitrogen but you need a balanced fertilizer.  Are your new shrubs in pots or B and B?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C9WMQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C9WMQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Privacy fence that allows air and light through[![][2]&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XHzRM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A picture of a similar privacy screen.  Neighbor's garbage is behind this screen.  Solid fences make you feel like you are in a cat box.  These screens with the 2X2's lap &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5PPkV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5PPkV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Privacy fence without the cat box feeling&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;jointed into regular squares are also amenable for a great vine.  This would be an alternative to the staggered rows...Use hops, or Akebia quinata?  Need to know where you live for better suggestions.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-08-17T20:30:38.847" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T20:30:38.847" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35056" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35049" CreationDate="2017-08-17T20:05:30.763" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like Plumeria to me:  The rhododendron of the tropics.  Does it smell wonderful?&lt;a href=&quot;https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.nOehcfEJY7dmtKCepe2LgQEsCz&amp;amp;pid=Api&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;picture of Plumeria&lt;/a&gt;  Apocynaceae cannabinum...the stuff most leis are made from.  Large shrub small tree.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T20:05:30.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35037" CreationDate="2017-08-17T20:35:01.060" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I thought you might be in the UK...first thing to say is your tree is planted much too close to the fence behind it, unless, that is, it's Prunus amanogowa, the flagpole cherry. Second, I suspect it has Cherry Leaf Spot (see here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=567&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=567&lt;/a&gt;) especially if its shedding leaves early. Third, it appears to have been attacked or used by leaf cutting bees, or possibly vine weevil - at the top of the tree, there seem to be notches rather than semi circular bits missing at the leaf edges. If its leaf cutting bees, there's not much you can do about that, and they will  have stopped cropping the leaves by now anyway - they crop semi circles from leaves and roll them to rear their young, because they're solitary bees. If there are notches, as it looks to be, then I'd suspect vine weevil, and a soil drench with nematodes might be necessary, but another photo of those leaves at the top will confirm or deny.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, it really doesn't look too well - if you didn't improve the soil prior to planting by digging in composted manure or your own good garden compost, or some other organic soil conditioner, then it looks like it needs some help. If you didn't prepare the area in this way prior to planting, then, if possible, I'd dig it up (provided it really hasn't been in place more than 2 years), carefully extracting the long roots which will have spread out not far under the surface, as well as the other roots which go straight down, lay it down somewhere and cover the roots with a tarpaulin, out of the sun, then dig the area over properly, incorporating organic material, and replant at least 2 or preferably 3 feet away from that fence. If you do this, it's important to shape the planting hole in such a way that the roots can be put into the soil without cramping or bending them, and this job would be best done in late October.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, it's far too late in the year to give it any fertilizer, but you could mulch it with composted manure, taking care not to let it sit against the trunk of the tree. If it has got leaf spot, do not allow any fallen leaves to remain on the ground for any longer than necessary, and certainly remove all fallen leaves once they're all on the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T20:35:01.060" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35058" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35043" CreationDate="2017-08-17T20:59:19.287" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I would do while you are trying to discover whether a disease is involved is purchase so 3 or 4&quot; PVC pipe.  Drill it full of holes.  Half inch holes all down the length allowing a foot of undrilled pipe to stand out of the ground. Place 3 or 4 of these pipes that are about 3' long into the soil near your tree at regular intervals to encircle the tree.  One pipe a foot away from the trunk, the next 2' away from the trunk and the third 3'.  Fill these pipes with water, soak at 3 or 4 times, every other day for 2 weeks.  Then once per week until dormancy. Your soil is so dry right now that it is called hydrophobic.  Very difficult to get moisture to get near those roots.  These pipes get the moisture where it belongs and re hydrates your soil so regular water in the future from above can be accessed by your tree's roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-17T20:59:19.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35059" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35049" CreationDate="2017-08-17T22:17:09.083" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabernaemontana_divaricata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tabernaemontana divaricata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a shrub native to India, Burma &amp;amp; Thailand and commonly cultivated throughout tropical Asia. Like most members of the Apocynaceae family (subfamily Apocynoideae) it has fragrant flowers and white, milky latex (sap) in the stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19553" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-18T09:33:42.510" LastActivityDate="2017-08-18T09:33:42.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35060" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34792" CreationDate="2017-08-18T06:03:47.710" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;All you need is find a place to T off of your current line. Flexible irrigation tubing, any fittings needed for your application and clamps. Propane torch to heat the tubing  and install on fitting and clamp down. You don't need rigid pipes and sealants unless your irrigating your golf course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19589" LastActivityDate="2017-08-18T06:03:47.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35061" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11085" CreationDate="2017-08-18T09:39:37.043" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a herbicidal enjury or herbicidal toxicity on tomato plant. I have seen many tomato fields in Kanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh (INDIA), where 2,4-D herbicide apply in very low concentration on tomato crop for increasing fruit set. In that fields tomato crop appear same as above tomato imaze.&#xA;Dr. Brajesh Patel&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19590" LastActivityDate="2017-08-18T09:39:37.043" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35062" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35007" CreationDate="2017-08-18T11:35:22.927" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the silver mite damage on your pepper plant. These are very small in size and can be seen under a magnifying glass. These mites suck the sap from cells on the underside of the leaves, resulting leaves that bend downward.&#xA;Management: Spay miticide to kill the mites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19591" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-18T11:55:09.837" LastActivityDate="2017-08-18T11:55:09.837" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35063" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34473" CreationDate="2017-08-18T12:52:44.347" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You haven't specified what kind of succulents you want to root, but as a general rule the leaves need to be calloused when planted. Keep the cut area in contact with the air for a few days, then place the leaves in sand or soil and allow the potting medium to dry before watering again. I have tested this method on Echeveria, Peperomia ferreyrae and Sedum morganianum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some leaves generate new plants even if they were not previously calloused (Peperomia obtusifolia, Echeveria) but planted directly after cutting them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the rooting in water method, I have never heard of a successful try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-08-18T12:52:44.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35064" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35106" CreationDate="2017-08-18T15:01:17.870" Score="4" ViewCount="721" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have three potted sweet Basil plants in my backyard. Two of them look great, but the middle one is a lighter green color and has browning and curling leaves. I live in zone 6. I grew them from seed. They're in a partly sunny location. I water when they're dry and fertilize with Miracle Grow periodically. We've had a spell of cooler weather (3 weeks or so) and that seems to be about when it started. Any ideas? I'm a bit at a loss since the other two plants look fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/09ErG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/09ErG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;three basil plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rHZVH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rHZVH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;browning basil leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iLf07.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iLf07.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;basil stems&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SR6Y2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SR6Y2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;curling browning basil leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18295" LastEditorUserId="18295" LastEditDate="2017-08-18T18:31:06.497" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T19:06:19.563" Title="Help Identifying Basil Plant Problem" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35065" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-18T16:16:50.947" Score="3" ViewCount="228" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my garden, there is a tamarind tree, which is 15 years old. It has never produced fruits, not even a single time. What can be the issue with it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are around 10 coconut trees and 2 mango trees at a necessary distance. Those are all fine. Irrigation is done regularly. How can I improve this situation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19592" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-08-18T17:05:42.847" LastActivityDate="2017-08-18T17:05:42.847" Title="Why hasn't my 15 year old tamarind tree ever borne fruit?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35066" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32694" CreationDate="2017-08-18T16:35:04.300" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are you sure that is a root belonging to something you want to keep?  It looks to me a lot like a large honeysuckle vine.  It's going straight through that Euonymous shrub, but it definitely doesn't belong to it!  This may be a volunteer vine that you thought was a root of one of the hedge shrubs.  It seems unlikely that this vine was intentionally planted (no offense if you planted it) because of it's really weird location.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-08-18T16:35:04.300" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35067" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35044" CreationDate="2017-08-18T16:39:04.967" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can do that.  Placing your tomatoes near some bananas and/or apples can help them ripen faster because they release a lot of etylene gas, which prompts other fruit to ripen.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An alternative would be making some pickled green tomatoes!  I love pickled green tomatoes.  Sweet, tangy and a nice refreshing crunch on sandwiches the rest of the year!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-08-18T16:39:04.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34973" CreationDate="2017-08-18T16:45:03.423" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you been watering the tree since it has been dry?  In their first year of getting established, trees may need help keeping moist.  Water this tree with a hose for a solid two minutes, taking little breaks to allow the water to percolate into the ground and not just flow away.  Apply mulch of some sort around the base of the tree, keeping a gap around the trunk at a depth of about 3&quot;.  That will help with moisture retention&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-08-18T16:45:03.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35069" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35070" CreationDate="2017-08-18T17:45:19.743" Score="4" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;This has been growing in my vegetable patch and I am not sure what it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pbgJv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pbgJv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;What is this?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nksHu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nksHu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C1kzn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C1kzn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This structure is growing at the end of a 30cm stem and there are a few of them growing quite close together.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10849" LastEditorUserId="10849" LastEditDate="2017-08-18T18:49:46.533" LastActivityDate="2017-08-19T21:55:15.300" Title="Please help me identify this UK plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;outdoor&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35070" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35069" CreationDate="2017-08-18T18:15:44.687" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It would have been better to see a photo of the whole plant, but judging by what's there, its a Euphorbia of some variety. These are often difficult to dig out, because the roots can go down quite a way. Confirmation of it as a Euphorbia is if it produces white sap when you break a stem - that sap can be highly irritant on some people's skin, so wear gloves when handling this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are hundreds of varieties of this plant available for purchase, but also many that pop up as weeds, or have been deliberately planted and are persistent despite attempts at removal. Example of a similar one here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://flora.org.il/en/plants/EUPMIC/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Euphorbia microsphaera Boiss.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-08-19T21:55:15.300" LastActivityDate="2017-08-19T21:55:15.300" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35071" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-19T02:10:54.750" Score="4" ViewCount="680" Body="&lt;p&gt;Help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got this dracaena over a month ago and it was doing well up until this week. This plant stays in an office with just fluorescent lights and is watered once a week. Last week it started getting some new growth up top, but I started to notice some of the leaves were browning. It was mainly the bottom ones so I thought nothing of it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However this week, more and more leaves started falling off daily and today the center part (with the new growth) just fell off! What am I doing wrong? How can I save my plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YKhPh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19595" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-10T13:46:02.947" LastActivityDate="2019-06-13T10:05:53.703" Title="My Dracaena reflexa (Song of India) is dying. Help!" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35044" CreationDate="2017-08-19T02:57:31.553" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Once they start to &quot;blush&quot; or turn color from solid green to orange/red they should redden fully with time. So yes, you can, and you can also eat them green (much like eating green bell peppers instead of letting them turn red/yellow/orange).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As others have said, it's probably not too late to try and remedy your blossom end rot issue and may be worth a try. Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18295" LastActivityDate="2017-08-19T02:57:31.553" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35073" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35044" CreationDate="2017-08-19T03:17:23.460" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can cut the good healthy parts off the tomato and use that section. We grow tons of tomatoes and we cut out the bad spots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18011" LastActivityDate="2017-08-19T03:17:23.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35074" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35044" CreationDate="2017-08-19T05:47:06.750" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never seen a tomato get blossom end rot &lt;em&gt;after&lt;/em&gt; being harvested whether or not it's left to ripen indoors, and I've had a fair number of harvested, unripe tomatoes ripen indoors. I'm not about to say it's impossible (although maybe it is), but I've definitely never seen it happen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may be past the time of year where blossom end rot is much of a problem, though, depending on where you live. In my area, it's mostly much of a problem during the hottest parts of the season, and we've recently went beyond those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2017-08-19T05:47:06.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35076" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35077" CreationDate="2017-08-19T16:23:36.977" Score="3" ViewCount="715" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Giant Atlantic pumpkins are now 12 weeks old and I've noticed grey/black things on the underside of some of the leaves.&#xA;I thought this was a growth of some sort but when touched, they move and seem to be little beetles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are they? Do I need to worry about them and if so, what's causing them and how do I get rid of them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JjdQY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;what are these&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18067" LastActivityDate="2017-08-19T18:07:31.493" Title="What are the black creatures on my pumpkin leaves?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35077" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35076" CreationDate="2017-08-19T18:07:31.493" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Disclaimer:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;This will likely be closed as duplicate.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those are aphids - while a few won't hurt a healthy plant, they tend to multiply and then drink so much of the plant sap that they can cause damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For small colonies and few plants, you can simply wipe them off. On a larger scale, you might have to resort to spraying an insecticide. (There are &quot;non chemical&quot; options as well.) In enclosed spaces like greenhouses, beneficial insects are a &quot;green&quot; way to go. In your garden, making sure that your plants are in good shape and that there is room for a balanced ecosystem is the key to avoid excessive infestations. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-08-19T18:07:31.493" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35064" CreationDate="2017-08-19T18:38:42.780" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like herbicide damage. Any chance the soil in that pot came from a different source ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-08-19T18:38:42.780" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35079" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-19T18:56:39.307" Score="3" ViewCount="41" Body="&lt;p&gt;The question is very simple, yet I can't seem to find the answer. Is there any identifying marks overall that someone can point out, to tell if a plant was grown hydroponically or not?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19599" LastEditorUserId="19599" LastEditDate="2017-08-19T19:11:37.597" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T13:13:31.363" Title="Can a person tell if a plant was grown hydroponically or in a soil medium" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35080" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35064" CreationDate="2017-08-19T19:15:26.083" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would try will less fertilizer (and changing the soil). The soil seems very rich (too much), so i think roots could have some mushroom problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-08-19T19:15:26.083" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35081" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-19T19:29:19.253" Score="3" ViewCount="3828" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves on all my garden herbs (mint, sage, oregano, thyme, lemon balm) get yellow-brown speckles from late spring, which by late summer almost entirely cover the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What might this disease (or diseases - the mint looks like rust but I've not heard of rust affecting thyme) be, and how can I treat it?  And can I still eat the affected leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/knumW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/knumW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mint&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2dZno.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2dZno.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Oregano&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r3kPm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r3kPm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Thyme plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/izWZs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/izWZs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sage plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19600" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-20T07:26:41.897" LastActivityDate="2020-05-01T00:08:05.317" Title="Brown spots on herbs - treatment and are they ok to eat?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;rust&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35082" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35071" CreationDate="2017-08-19T21:00:40.227" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not sure, but I think just fluorescent light is not sufficient for most plant species. They usually need direct or indirect sunlight, or they should be grown under special grow lamps. I think this plant species can survive in shade but then in proximity of a window (hence indirect sunlight). How far from a window is your plant at the moment? And how dark would your office be if your lights are switched off? Does your office have any windows at all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-08-19T21:00:40.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35083" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35091" CreationDate="2017-08-19T22:09:16.193" Score="1" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;We bought the house 3 years ago.&#xA;The rose at the end of the picture below flowered just once in three years (this year). It grows like crazy, it is huge right now, almost bigger than the fence and I don't understand why it does not make flowers. What you see below is the only flowers we ever saw in three years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CGZRD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CGZRD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XMRMo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XMRMo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/908Oi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/908Oi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update 2:&#xA;Yes the grafting theory makes sense but the solution you are suggesting is going to be difficult to implement as it is not clear what is the flowering part&#xA;Below I marked the flowering part but it is difficult to say of which part of those old roots it is coming out.&#xA;This rose used to be where the walkway you see in the initial picture was. It was relocated and I remember that my brother in law worked quite a lot to move it. It sat in the original position for about 1 year and a a half and we saw no flowers.&#xA;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9n7oW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9n7oW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;4&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Update3&#xA;2020 after selective pruning&#xA;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JLTwE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JLTwE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;5&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="3078" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T17:13:29.587" LastActivityDate="2020-06-17T17:13:29.587" Title="I have a big rose outside that does not make flowers almost at all!" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="35084" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-19T22:10:48.287" Score="3" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife and I have noticed this on some leaves. Her plants had ~30 leaves like this, and mine had one that showed up yesterday (I think I'm gonna clip that leaf just in case).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CKfwQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CKfwQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5FGpK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5FGpK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xWPCw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xWPCw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These pictures above are all from her plant. The marks on my leaf (which I can get a pic of later) looked like the the same pattern of a caterpillar eating it. I know it's not, but is it maybe a venom or infection from an insect? Or more likely bacterial/fungal/viral or nutrient related (deficiency/over-surplus)? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If these are &quot;leaf miners,&quot; how do we go about getting rid of them and preventing them further? Neem Oil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both plants are peppers on a balcony in  Southern California. Wife's plant is a Pequin variety and mine is a Trinidad Scorpion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What other data would be helpful?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19323" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-20T07:12:18.773" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T07:12:18.773" Title="What are these marks on pepper leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35085" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35084" CreationDate="2017-08-19T23:24:40.510" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got leaf miners, a bit of fungus.  Totally normal.  Go ahead and clip off those leaves.  Leaf miners were a fly awhile back that planted its eggs i the leaf and those tunnels in the epidermis are where the larvae have been eating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am assuming these are peppers, yes?  Is this indoors or out of doors?  Is this on your balcony?  They should not have any problems.  Those leaf miners and bit of fungus will not stop your plants from making seed...peppers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Give us more information to help more fully?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-19T23:24:40.510" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35086" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35083" CreationDate="2017-08-19T23:30:38.807" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I see from your pictures is that this rose is very near your lawn.  When you fertilize your lawn you are using a fertilizer formula that is higher in nitrogen than P and K.  That promotes vegetative growth, inhibits reproductive growth such as flowers and fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That lawn has different needs than do your flowering plants.  What happened that you had to redo part of your lawn?  Is this lawn always in the shade?  Is your rose in the sun or shade.  That would also inhibit flowering of roses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-19T23:30:38.807" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35087" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35071" CreationDate="2017-08-19T23:37:14.267" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;More light certainly.  Have you ever fertilized?  If not, which is what I am seeing, get some simple Osmocote extended release fertilizer 14-14-14.  Do half of what the directions direct.  Is this plant in potting soil?  Are there rocks or gravel beneath the soil and drain hole?  That will cause a cessation of critical drainage.  Do not put this plant in direct sunlight even through a window without acclimating it first.  This problem is either too much water or no fertilizer.  Too much water because of a perched water table.  Are you using tap water?  I'd find some bottled water without fluoride!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-19T23:37:14.267" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35088" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35089" CreationDate="2017-08-19T23:41:23.947" Score="4" ViewCount="665" Body="&lt;p&gt;Was just pulling this stuff out of the ground all over my back yard, and then got suspicious about the red leaves.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jMRpf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jMRpf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15764" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T01:24:16.870" Title="Is this poison sumac?" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;safety&gt;&lt;poison-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35089" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35088" CreationDate="2017-08-20T01:24:16.870" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That absolutely is not sumac or poison ivy. It's got a dogwood looking leaf on it. Look above this plant and see what type tree is growing over it. It's possibly some type tree seedling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18011" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T01:24:16.870" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35090" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-20T04:58:32.127" Score="5" ViewCount="216" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a very nice mixed pot with Autumn Joy Stonecrop (Sedum) and some unknown red beachy looking grass (possibly red fountain grass). It's all been doing really well on my &quot;full sun&quot; porch but we've had heavy rains 4 different days of this past week while I was out of town. It appeared to be in perfect condition until my dog brushed up against the Sedum and I realized, that  a large stem of this usually sturdy plant knocked over... Could it have uprooted? No- the bottom of it is soaked and some of the leaves have turned to mush. I inspected the rest, which seems to be fine, but this strand, like most of it has at large clump of buds on top that should bloom over the next few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like other sedums, am I able to clip off the bottom that's basically rotting, give it time to callus and transplant the stems elsewhere? I've done this with Sedum refexum and coral carpet, but they weren't upright sedums, so I am unsure... And everything I've read about transplanting the Autumn Joy talks about gently moving the entire root structure. Does this mean I have lost this entire bit, it is there still hope? If I cannot clip it, is there something I can do? Is it possible to submerge the bottom bit that's damaged with sand or something else to soak up the moisture? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it will help, I will edit this post with pictures in the morning, when I have proper light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nUH9Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nUH9Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NCtCA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NCtCA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oOgsW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oOgsW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-21T07:36:35.600" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T13:30:06.720" Title="Can you cut and transplant clippings of Autumn Joy Sedum?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;sedum&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35091" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35083" CreationDate="2017-08-20T07:21:02.140" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect that the vigorous stems that grow upwards are in fact suckers coming from below the grafting point, that is from the rootstock. I don't see another explanation for the fact that the vertical vigorous stems have a much larger diameter than the stems producing flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is the case, you have to remove the suckers, keep the grafting point above ground and avoid covering it with soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-20T10:59:47.850" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T10:59:47.850" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35093" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-20T11:57:06.603" Score="4" ViewCount="2030" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,  and my backyard has been invaded by &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aralia_spinosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Devil's walking stick (&lt;em&gt;Aralia spinosa&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;. I've been told by landscapers that the only way to eradicate it is to cut it and to spray the stem with a certain chemical, or so they heard. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would someone have more details about this chemical, and explain how to apply it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15764" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-08-20T14:58:19.940" LastActivityDate="2019-03-22T03:42:50.123" Title="How do I eradicate Devll's walking stick (Aralia spinosa)?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35079" CreationDate="2017-08-20T13:13:31.363" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think an expert of a specific variety, with much experience (in your place) on hydroponics, green house and open field he could tell you the difference (not 100%, and with various plants).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growth on soil (open field): it has very different conditions, so dry and wet; cold and hot; sun burns and parasites. In other words: a lot of stress (and for some vegetable it means better, most tasty).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Greenhouses reduces a lot of stresses, and let plants to growth quicker (so also less sign), so it would be more difficult.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But humans are very good on learning. I think if one persons sees every days different cultivations, after one months it could tell you what is the origin (by heart, probably without giving you solid characteristics).  This is not so different of recognising apple varieties (not just the 10 more common, but the 200, with then parents and the similar varieties of the more common kinds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm more sure that chemical analysis could tell you without doubts the hydroponics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T13:13:31.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35095" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35097" CreationDate="2017-08-20T13:47:02.197" Score="1" ViewCount="3561" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have recently planted a few tomato plants in pots but looks like something is eating their leaves they are drying. I would like to know how to stop this, which chemical I need to buy and to spray it to stop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MoWGg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MoWGg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m7Rq9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m7Rq9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;imave 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17771" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-08-20T15:00:18.517" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T17:26:16.893" Title="Tomato plant leaves drying disease" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35096" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-20T13:57:56.093" Score="3" ViewCount="318" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree used to be red when I bought it. Like my other Japanese maple (Coral bark) it lost its original color. I understood that this might be either because of the stress induced by replanting the trees and changing the environment (nursery vs open space) or due to soil conditions (water, nutrients oxygen-lack of it)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I decided to wait to see if the come back to the original colors. Can't say that they are but I am not seeing an aggravation of the situation so I decided to wait till next spring when I will help the trees with some stimulants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the mean time I noticed that the Shaina maple has some problems as you can see below. This is mostly on the part of the tree that is more exposed to sun. This morning when after about two months of being busy with other projects I looked at the tree and I noticed the above. Another thing that I should mention was two very colorful bugs which I removed before thinking I should  take a picture &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QqMRr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QqMRr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The shape of the bugs was like this (the vivid colors, there was no brown on those bugs))&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rf5iH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rf5iH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the colors were more like this&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NzlgO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NzlgO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastActivityDate="2017-11-02T13:50:36.017" Title="What is wrong with this Shaina Japanese Maple" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;maple&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35095" CreationDate="2017-08-20T17:26:16.893" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaf miner, very common as the leaves get older and have to be removed from the bottom upwards the problem will solve itself- plants are annual anyway so shouldn't continue next year if you throw out your compost every year and start again new and sterilised soil for next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T17:26:16.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35098" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35093" CreationDate="2017-08-20T17:35:36.900" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A systemic weed killer or stump killer should do the job- however where I live the manufacturers names will be different (Europe to US) and also the actual chemicals involved are allowed in some places and not others? laws and such. Systemics are usually applied to vegetation and allowed to be drawn into the plant itself and stump killers are usually painted onto the stumps- though I would mash up the surrounding surface/bark around the top to allow a greater surface area for absorption - follow the instructions to the letter and wash everything used afterwards including yourself. you might have to apply the stuff up to three times to get the result you need.&#xA;Using a machine like a lawn mower will lessen the plant to effect but also make it sucker where you don't want it- if the site is fairly flat then ok, but if not- a chemical solution might be best.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T17:35:36.900" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35099" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35083" CreationDate="2017-08-20T17:43:03.983" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your original rose plant is dead, what you have are the suckers from the rootstock, typically known as a wild rose- this growth is normally very vigorous and long stemmed with slightly lighter coloured foliage than the original plant- the picture looking down is showing that the original plant was pruned too hard and has made the scion shoot outwards- best to dig up and start again in a different place as often roses planted on older rose beds don't do well.&#xA;The wild rose will have a pink/white single flower with red hips in autumn- plus the plant has black spot on the lower leaves- beginning of the end for that plant too. sorry for the bad news.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T17:43:03.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35100" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24960" CreationDate="2017-08-20T17:47:47.087" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;exhaust facing down, air filter up or the engine will drain out fuel all over the floor- all Honda's have the same configuration. just watch when you do on a lawn as the exhaust can burn a square into the grass, plus like the others say if not still not sure- pull the spark cable lead out too (can't accidently start then) if you still want your fingers!  also you can switch off the fuel with the tap which should be on the right hand side? (I think?) and you could even run it dry until the engine stops- should only take 2-3 minutes on full power- if your really paranoid! hope it helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T17:47:47.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35101" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35090" CreationDate="2017-08-20T18:02:45.070" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes what I do is leave the plant to die down but I don't cut off the flowering stems- soon afterwards sometimes you will notice little buds down the stem- then what I do is cut off the entire stem and root it sideways in a tray of multicompost indoors- making sure the buds are touching the soils surface- every one should be a new plant- and if your lucky you might notice that the buds may have little roots already growing out ready to separate from the parent plant naturally, its a lazy way of doing it without leaf cuttings or splitting etc and using any fancy rooting powders...oh that plant has also had a name change to a bit of a mouthful &quot;Hylotelephium telephium 'Herbstfreude'&quot; (why they change them I don't know! lol)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="1999" LastEditDate="2017-08-21T13:30:06.720" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T13:30:06.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35044" CreationDate="2017-08-20T18:21:40.563" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Any green tomato picked unripe will eventually ripen indoors given the right conditions- some like to hasten the process with  other over ripe fruit placed nearby- just inspect them every day although generally the smaller the fruit the more difficult to ripen - think smaller than a marble- and it becomes a pointless task, anything above that and depending on how early you pick will add extra time on how long it will take. you always get a few every year like this. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T18:21:40.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32694" CreationDate="2017-08-20T18:37:53.803" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a bit of an odd idea: you wish to keep the plant as it is but you'll like the roots to be closer to the fence, but it's ok.&#xA;Strange idea: dig up the plant with a large root ball no smaller than a football sized lump of soil and plant next to the fence as such because the bigger the rootball the better the plant will be. However, you mustn't damage the stems or over bend them as if they brake- then game over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does seem to be an odd place to plant a climbing plant so far away from a fence, isn't it? The only idea I can come up with is to just water a couple of days before you do it and allow to dry out a bit before you attempt it- a plastic sheet placed next to it as you move it will lessen the mess and hold the ball together better. However you might have to go quite deep to get the main root out whole- think maybe 2-3 feet deep- quite an undertaking but possible. Burying the stems will only rot the plant as they are not roots (those stems will not layer as they are too big and old).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you think you're not quite up to the task, perhaps camouflaging the stems with some other plants might be an idea. Use something that would be evergreen and about a foot off the ground so one could hide those stems in plain sight or perhaps use the stems for something else to climb up and over into the fence too- like an annual flowering thing (sweet peas?). However you might have to put up a support for both- an arch or trellis with a hole in the middle to allow a view down the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-12-20T08:11:59.650" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T08:11:59.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35105" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35032" CreationDate="2017-08-20T18:58:07.017" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only thing I can find that fits this damage is Sirex Wasp (Sirex noctilio)? they eat young and old wood and then the tree starts to exude resin from the bark, needles wilt and turn brown...not good. infects: Pinus especially the Monterey pine, Larix-larches, Picea-spruces. In Europe the best thing is to inform the local forestry office- very serious over here, but in Canada?&#xA;Creamy white larvae (like your photo) and a fungus often follows consuming the resin- quite a mess. not good news- but I hope it helps- could be wrong? I found the possible answer in a book of mine I strangely bought in a petrol station 10 years ago -How to get rid of garden pest and diseases, an illustrated identifier and practical problem solver by Andrew Mikolajski page 162. there's no number for the book itself so it might be out of print but its got fantastic colour pictures, helped me several times although when I was being taught at college to be an arborist this problem never came up? I suppose its very rare in England- never seen it in real life. I had to do a really deep search into my books at home to find anything like this- although I love problem solving- I wouldn't want to have this in my garden- sorry for the bad news if I'm right- however I could be (hopefully)very wrong. hope it helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="1999" LastEditDate="2017-08-21T11:11:26.977" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T11:11:26.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35106" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35064" CreationDate="2017-08-20T19:06:19.563" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mildew due to over watering- and keep the area underneath the plants clean of dead leaves- this will encourage other problems in too if not treated. pick off affected leaves or even remove affected plants completely. there also seems to be a slight touch of scorch on the leaves and possible slug damage due to dead leaves encouraging them in- overly wet conditions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-20T19:06:19.563" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35107" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35110" CreationDate="2017-08-20T20:29:27.920" Score="7" ViewCount="1573" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this plant with a bunch of small red berries and shiny spear-shaped leaves with twin leaflets at the bases?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7yroz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of a cluster of red berries&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13372" LastEditorUserId="19505" LastEditDate="2017-08-21T06:56:50.170" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T11:08:01.933" Title="Identify clusters of small red and green berries with tripartite leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35108" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35115" CreationDate="2017-08-20T21:28:15.387" Score="6" ViewCount="230" Body="&lt;p&gt;My crabapple tree is having a hard time.  It's fighting Japanese beetles, spider mites and now this &quot;thing&quot; on some leaves.  It starts by creating a red spot on the leaf and eventually there's some &quot;thingies&quot; that pops out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what it is and how to get rid of it?  I live in Québec, Canada.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ktUNL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ktUNL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf with sickness&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bWXRZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bWXRZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Other side with sickness&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry, my gardening vocabulary is fairly limited! :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2759" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-21T07:08:00.103" LastActivityDate="2017-08-22T03:19:01.727" Title="What is this parasite / mushroom / sickness on my crabapple tree?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;parasites&gt;&lt;crabapples&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35107" CreationDate="2017-08-21T02:08:24.380" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_dulcamara&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Solanum dulcamara&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, commonly &quot;bittersweet  nightshade&quot;*, one of the more deadly weeds one might encounter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a member of the &quot;nightshade&quot; family, &lt;em&gt;Solanaceae&lt;/em&gt;. You can see the resemblance in the fruit and leaves to tomatoes and peppers. It grows freely in reasonably dry soil, and especially likes somewhere that it can climb, like the fenced edge of a lawn. If you see it in flower, it will have interesting 5-pointed purple blossoms, each with a prominent yellow &quot;beak&quot;. The berries are oblong, green at first, sometimes changing through yellow and orange before settling on the bright red in your picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All parts&lt;/strong&gt; of the plant contain &lt;strong&gt;the neurotoxin solanine&lt;/strong&gt;, which is estimated to be &lt;strong&gt;fatal in doses as low as 5 or 6 mg per kg&lt;/strong&gt; of body weight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a pretty plant, but keep the kids away from it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*Note that it's not the only plant that has this common name.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="581" LastEditorUserId="581" LastEditDate="2017-08-21T11:08:01.933" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T11:08:01.933" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35111" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35096" CreationDate="2017-08-21T07:57:39.510" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/controlling-adult-japanese-beetles-1402495&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese beetle damage&lt;/a&gt;MiniMe...this doesn't look like coral bark japanese maple to me at all.  Coral bark has coral colored bark with light green leaves.  Not purple at all.  You've got a squash bug and a Japanese Beetle.  Lots of insects chewing on your very stressed maple.  Have you fertilized this tree ever? The beetle would be the best culprit for munching on the leaves.  This is not the correct color at all for coral bark japanese maple.  Some Japanese maples Acer palmatum...do have this coloring but if this truly is Coral Bark Japanese Maple, looks like a major case of Phosphorous deficiency.  A weakened plant is highly susceptible to insects and disease.  Please add more information...something is off here.  Thanks, MiniMe&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your problem is that Japanese Beetle.  Check out the site...it is a 'skeletonizer'.  Ruins leaves but rarely kills.  The problem is mostly with the larva in the soil an inch or two from the surface feeding on the roots. Dig around a bit, take a picture please!  Sorry, I hadn't heard Shaina as a variety of Acer palmatum.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just looked up your stink bug; the Green Stink Bug.  Who is in charge of coming up with these oh so creative names?  The time of year is right late July through August and they are very bad skeletonizers as well.  They've become more of a problem lately.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/bean/green_stink_bug.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Green Stink Bug&lt;/a&gt;      &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/crops/article/2017/08/18/redbanded-stink-bugs-threaten&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Raising a Stink&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would clean up all debris, weed wack down all weeds and clean up before winter  and in the spring, clean up debris again.  Put debris in your compost but add nitrogen, turn and water your pile to get it cooking...the eggs and instars overwinter in the debris.  Japanese beetle population will also be affected by this cleanup.  For Japanese Beetles, their larva in the soil around their favorite plants such as your maple needs attention.  Dig down and inch or two within a foot radius of your Maple.  Check the hostas and roses as well to see how many larva are present.  BT would be a good pesticide to use for the soil only.  There is a BT made for beetles, the adults as well, but I haven't seen it on the market yet.  Won't hurt birds, frogs and the other predators that keep these two insects in control normally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-08-22T20:06:42.580" LastActivityDate="2017-08-22T20:06:42.580" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5945" CreationDate="2017-08-21T08:39:26.393" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know the question has been answered but i thought i would add to this with my experiences with the same issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its good to see your tree bounced back, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In our nursery we had the same issue with a few of our trees, and for weeks scratched our heads, until i started to notice a pattern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We employed a new member of staff, which was re-potting a few of our trees and it seemed it was some of the trees they re-potted was the trees that was looking sorry for themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After further investigation i found that there was the smallest of air pockets in the pots, I honestly wouldn't of thought it would affect a tree that quick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We re-potted the trees as soon as possible and all trees bounced back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many people might disagree with me but we did not feed the trees in question until the next growing season, and kept carefully watering them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19615" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T08:39:26.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29757" CreationDate="2017-08-21T08:47:22.357" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Re-pot the tree in a 2 or 5 litre pot with fresh well draining soil and let the soil nearly dry before watering try to avoid feeding the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;if all the leaves fall off do a small scratch test on the trunk and main branches ,if you see green then your tree is still alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19615" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T08:47:22.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35114" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-21T09:03:41.780" Score="3" ViewCount="1126" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Chinese elm that came in at spring time and placed it in the same location as the other Chinese Elms that came in on the same order.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This tree had lush growth on it and after a week or two the leaves started to curl up and turn brown / yellow until they fell off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have done the following and now struggling to understand the issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I placed it in a 5 litter pot with well drained soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Allowing the soil become almost dry between watering.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Treated the tree for fungi infections.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Checked roots for rotting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Checked for pests and insects&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tested the soils PH Levels&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No fertiliser has been used  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Contacted the supplier asking for information on where it was kept ie. temperature amount of sun and matched it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any chance during transit this tree got its dates wrong and think its winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wHBYX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wHBYX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dead looking Chinese Elm&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not new to bonsai, I just think I might have missed something and if this tree dies least this question might help someone else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A few weeks ago we placed a few weeping willow cuttings around the tree as they give rooting hormone into the soil, just encase there was unseen root damage.&#xA;This morning when i went to take a photo for this question i noticed a green bud...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TtyLt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TtyLt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Life after all?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19615" LastEditorUserId="19615" LastEditDate="2017-08-22T09:00:00.107" LastActivityDate="2017-08-22T09:00:00.107" Title="Chinese Elm Bonsai lost leaves apart from a few, tried everything" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35115" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35108" CreationDate="2017-08-21T09:09:10.920" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cedar-Apple Rust&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MPpl6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MPpl6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;https://garden.org/regional/report/arch/inmygarden/3867&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;National Gardening Association&lt;/a&gt; report has good information about the problem. This is from part of that report.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first symptoms on apples are pale yellow spots on the upper surfaces of the leaves and on developing fruits in mid to late spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The spots gradually get bigger and turn orange or red, and you may see black dots in the upper surface of the spots. In mid to late summer, if you turn the infected leaves over, you'll see tiny tubes growing out of the spots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ends of these tubes split open and curl back, releasing spores into the air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19615" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-08-22T03:19:01.727" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35116" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29757" CreationDate="2017-08-21T10:57:23.530" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Shouldn't some bonsai trees be outside during the summer? I had a friend who lived in Inverness and had several naturally found bonsai in his garden. He left them out all year in all types of weather and they did fine. However, being gathered from the wild is probably the best thing too, I'm not sure how a Chinese Elm would do that far north? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would ask the supplier for advice or see what he does with the other trees on display. The most I've seen here have been outdoors most of the time, but it's worth asking. You could ask any horticultural organisations or bonsai clubs online too. There are plenty down south. There are also botanical gardens nearby, and several up north, and you could ask people there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as how cold it gets in the winter in Scotland, it depends where you live. Often enough it's the left side that gets the gulf streams and the warmer than usual winters, and the right side that gets the very cold winters from mainland Europe. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been to gardens with all sorts of South American trees growing outside in Shetland, and that's geographically the same as the southern most tip of Greenland. The place I worked at and a guy I knew had these bonsai in Inverness, which is again geographically further north than Moscow! There's a volcanic island called the black isle near Inverness that never really allows snow to settle on it during the winter. Having a local climate can offer some strange solutions for people wanting to grow trees in sheltered spots. Scotland can be an enigma!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-11T00:20:08.490" LastActivityDate="2018-02-11T00:20:08.490" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35117" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35108" CreationDate="2017-08-21T11:26:44.043" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes its rust, best thing to do is remove the tree entirely including the stump as it will reshoot from the base and those bits will be infected too- the fungus is systemic and has infected every part of the tree, burn all affected parts, don't compost or bury any bit too, plus its often another plant is also infected too, so do a hunt around your garden and remove that plant too, often the other plants are unrelated to the main one. clean up all dead leaves in the entire garden- as the wind will spread this about- fungicides are all but useless on this problem as once spotted its often too late. sorry for the bad news.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T11:26:44.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34992" CreationDate="2017-08-21T12:02:16.903" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be spider mites(could be), leaf blight(might not be), anthracnose(possibly), bean rust(unlikely), mosaic virus(unlikely again) all of these have similar appearances- I would out of them go for anthracnose (fungus)- due to damp warm conditions and I would recommend removing all affected plants as and when possible- there is no cure for this and with extra care (remove all dead leaves) next season shouldn't reappear- keeping ones site tidy is probably the best way to avoid this occurring again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T12:02:16.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35108" CreationDate="2017-08-21T12:07:50.210" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to the information here &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30256/found-on-a-red-cedar-what-is-it/30258#30258&quot;&gt;Found on a Red Cedar. What is it?&lt;/a&gt;, if you have any Red Cedar (Juniper) trees on your property, check them over - if you see evidence of this infection on them (and you will) clip out the affected parts now, as it says in the answer. There is no other treatment available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, if there are other Red Cedars in the vicinity which are not on your property, meaning you are not able to cut them in any way, you cannot interrupt the life cycle of this particular gymnosporangium infection; I'm afraid that means your crab apple will continue to have the problem ongoing. If this is the case and you decide to remove the tree because it's unsightly, the presence of this infection in the neighbourhood precludes  planting any other tree in the Rosacaea family, which includes apples, crabapples, hawthorn and others, for they will suffer the same fate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-22T00:50:06.480" LastActivityDate="2017-08-22T00:50:06.480" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35120" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34966" CreationDate="2017-08-21T12:28:17.873" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have to admit its too cold for something like that (-25 far too cold) however... it does seem that the roots are protected and it does want to grow, or at least sucker up. which is fine if you want soft usable growth for cooking- usually only older plants seem to tolerate colder temperatures. may be buying a more mature plant might solve your problems however your budget might go through the roof! you could try to protect the plant in several ways using fleece (breathable protective material) or bubble wrap?( I saw once done on a garden full of bananas in paris- very successful) or even a cloche of some kind that could be removed during the summer? however I would be more concerned with day length in the winter that far north? being its an evergreen plant it will need light during the winter months and a balance of light and protection will have to be considered if its to survive, the only other thing is to think about bringing it indoors during the winter in a large pot? and treating it like topiary, clipping it small to keep it tidy, feed as such and keep an eye out for bugs/problems. hope it helps  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T12:28:17.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35121" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35090" CreationDate="2017-08-21T12:42:39.540" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As this stem is rotten at the base, I suggest you remove it completely - keep the pot dry, only watering when the surface feels dry to the touch, so that the other stem bases don't also rot. If there are drainage holes in the pot, that's fine, if not, there should be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to keep the same arrangement in the pot next year, likely by spring the Sedum will have spread more and be taking up too much root room, so will need turning out and splitting anyway, replanting one of the sections in the same pot, and using the other section elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T12:42:39.540" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34894" CreationDate="2017-08-21T13:08:49.687" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to stick my neck out here and say no- pick off affected leaves if your worried and keep the soil clean, pop outside as soon as possible and plant in a large pot with ordinary garden soil- nothing special/fancy. If you plant directly into the soil, you will regret it for the entire lifetime of the garden whilst your there- it suckers every where and comes up where you don't want it to! so never plant it directly into your garden! big pots only! take cuttings next time from the roots and do it every few years or so to keep it healthy- old plants don't make good plants when it comes to mint. The plants in the photos look very good and could even be split apart into separate pots- being outside will harden them off and increase ventilation thus avoiding any fungus's, keep the soil clean by removing any dead leaves and remove any other weeds that might spring up- other than that, they are completely hardy and regrow again next year with fresh new growth(die down during the winter)and live for years and years! hope it helps&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T13:08:49.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35123" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-21T13:25:10.490" Score="3" ViewCount="613" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Bermuda grass keeps declining in the sides of my yard but is growing great in the center of the front &amp;amp; back. The same pattern of growth is occurring to all of my neighbors as well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in a new construction in central Texas that is six months old.  Neighboring houses were built slightly before ours.  All houses have sprinkler systems which operate.  During construction, our ground was graded and a layer of topsoil &amp;amp; manure was laid before squares of Bermuda.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, the house nextdoor was built before ours and still vacant.  The builder has the sprinkler active and maintains the yard.  The same pattern of death on the side yards is occurring.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19617" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T17:18:38.143" Title="Why is my bermuda grass dying in the sides of the house, but doing great in the middle?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35124" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31418" CreationDate="2017-08-21T13:45:27.137" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could be a leopard moth (Zeuzera pyrina) infection, if this happens again on the birch- it could be this? life cycle takes two years. The caterpillars eat straight into the bark killing the young trees- no cure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T13:45:27.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35123" CreationDate="2017-08-21T13:57:35.610" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could be something like alkaline concrete in or near the surface of the soil affecting plant growth? often if a hidden wall is exposed to a lot of water it leaches out salts from the gypsum within the concrete itself- it shows as a white dusting on the surface of the wall and can burn roots and shoots nearby? Or it could be a chemical preservative used on the fences/wooden surfaces being washed off onto the ground? or a weedkiller applied during clearance when the boundaries where put in? without photos it would near impossible to see what it is? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T13:57:35.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35126" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-21T15:16:31.910" Score="6" ViewCount="115" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the best pruning technique to lift the umbrella on a white &lt;a href=&quot;https://garden.org/plants/group/crepe-myrtles/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Crepe Myrtle&lt;/a&gt; tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19618" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-08-22T03:09:39.957" LastActivityDate="2017-08-22T03:09:39.957" Title="How should I lift the umbrella on a white Crepe Myrtle tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-09-24T12:34:28.177" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34374" CreationDate="2017-08-21T15:36:12.590" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is Echeveria 'Perle Von Nürnberg' and it looks like it could use more light as it shows signs of etiolation: less upright habit and color loss on the leaves. If you search on the internet you will find slightly different pictures because plants are kept in various conditions (light, humidity), but &lt;a href=&quot;http://exotic-cactus-collection.ecrater.com/p/12480014/echeveria-perle-von-nurnberg-rare#&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this picture&lt;/a&gt; looks very much like your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vexIT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vexIT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-22T09:37:49.723" LastActivityDate="2017-08-22T09:37:49.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35128" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-21T16:13:27.947" Score="4" ViewCount="625" Body="&lt;p&gt;Prickly Pear Cactus is growing what looks like rot (shown in the attached pictures) where it's getting a yellowish color in the place these things appear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this normal? Is it dangerous?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this and what can I do about it?&#xA;Are the infected plant's fruits edible? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ci0fy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ci0fy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gX2XM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gX2XM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19620" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-21T16:23:01.643" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T05:04:38.047" Title="Prickly Pear Cactus is growing what looks like rot (need help)" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35129" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35128" CreationDate="2017-08-21T17:00:15.717" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a longstanding and heavy scale infestation, evidenced by the fact that some of the deposits have actually gone black, which only happens after a goodly time. Opuntia is prone to infection by Dactylopius coccus, commonly known as cochineal scale. Light infestations don't kill the plant, but a heavy one like this might. Caught in its early stages, it's possible to use a hose to damage the white cottony coating, allowing the insects to die, but its a bit late for that now. You could try neem oil in winter, or use dormant oil with some insecticide and insecticidal soap, but don't apply this on a sunny day, choose an overcast day. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/scgen/cochineal-scale-on-cactus.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/scgen/cochineal-scale-on-cactus.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T17:00:15.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35130" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35128" CreationDate="2017-08-21T17:05:04.787" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is that you have a fairly severe Chochineal insect infestation. If you pop one of the white blobs off and mash it and it is brilliant red, you've got Cocheneal instects. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are you located in the SW United States/Mexico? That is the natural range for these insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Extreme infestations can kill a plant over time. I've never dealt with this particular pest and haven't found any instructions for getting rid of it online. I don't think this would affect the fruit though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T17:05:04.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35131" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35123" CreationDate="2017-08-21T17:18:38.143" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The thing about bermuda grass is, it likes full sun; if it doesn't get full sun, it doesn't photosynthesize properly and starts to become patchy and dies out in places. On the assumption that the areas where its disappearing don't receive sun all day, that's the likeliest explanation I'm afraid. &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/much-sun-bermuda-grass-need-75412.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/much-sun-bermuda-grass-need-75412.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T17:18:38.143" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35132" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-21T19:50:50.390" Score="3" ViewCount="125" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been told this is a sedum succulent. But what kind of sedum? I want to know to find out if it is indigenous in Cape Town. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aT49R.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aT49R.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eFc3w.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eFc3w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19574" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T21:11:58.437" Title="I was told this is a Sedum succulent. If so, what kind? There are so many!" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;sedum&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35132" CreationDate="2017-08-21T21:11:58.437" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be Crassula tetragona rather than a Sedum, which is a South African native, but because it's spindly with few leaves, it is hard to be certain, image here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-134308073/stock-photo-closeup-of-miniature-pine-tree%2C-crassula-tetragona%2C-succulent-plant-with-woody-stem-grown-in-south-australia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-134308073/stock-photo-closeup-of-miniature-pine-tree%2C-crassula-tetragona%2C-succulent-plant-with-woody-stem-grown-in-south-australia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-08-21T21:11:58.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35134" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-22T00:05:36.247" Score="4" ViewCount="502" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looking to move 11 of these large trees (with 2-3 foot ball) onto our property (partly clay Midwest US soil) and cannot afford to have them die after transplanting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After having many transplanting questions answered through online research, I still cannot find info on the best way to avoid tree/root shock for trees this size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Local tree nurseries/farms I  visit say either say leave roots alone (because they are already stressed) or add some Peat Moss (Sphagnum) and chemical fertilizer to help it grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Problem: 2 of the 4 sources said fertilizing the roots upon planting can harm the process. So I cannot afford to just add fertilizer &quot;for good measure&quot; if I can end up accidentally killing them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regardless of method, I will be adding black top soil topped with organic mulch (standard). So, is there any sure fire method for making these trees &quot;catch&quot; in their new environment or can attest to either root care method for Balsam and Black Hills Spruce trees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT trees coming 10 miles from also clay environment. Moving will be performed by the small tree farm in burlap sack after they use a spade shovel to remove it from site. Destination property is mostly flat grade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19623" LastEditorUserId="19623" LastEditDate="2017-08-22T02:57:51.620" LastActivityDate="2017-08-22T02:57:51.620" Title="Transplanting 7 foot (large ball) Balsam Fir and Black Hills Spruce, worried about transplant shock" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35135" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35492" CreationDate="2017-08-22T01:43:45.500" Score="3" ViewCount="2083" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are the pink spots on this peach flesh some sort of disease? I got these from family who bought them at a farm stand in CO. The first one I ate had normal flesh, but the next two have looked like this. (As an aside, I would definitely say they're overripe and I did taste them and they don't taste good.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hlioc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hlioc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pink spotted peach flesh&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EssfP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EssfP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;more peaches&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18295" LastActivityDate="2020-06-05T21:12:38.467" Title="Disease on peach fruit" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35136" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35135" CreationDate="2017-08-22T04:24:17.823" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sure this isn't a disease, but just the way the variety grows. I have bought a few of these kind of peaches this season. I think it's the first time I've seen those red streaks in the peach flesh, but the ones I got were wonderful and delicious. So not all peaches that look like that are overripe &amp;amp; bad tasting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are so many different varieties of peaches, and I think they're coming up with new ones all the time. There are bound to be types we haven't seen before. Maybe this red-streak variety is new, or newly-popular, or maybe you and I have just missed seeing it all this time, but I really doubt it is a disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastActivityDate="2017-08-22T04:24:17.823" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35138" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-22T11:55:05.810" Score="4" ViewCount="1175" Body="&lt;p&gt;My plant is quite young, about 20 cm tall. It is leaning slightly, should I support it? If so, how?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19627" LastActivityDate="2017-08-22T19:22:47.360" Title="My chilli plant is leaning away from the vertical, should I support it somehow?" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;&lt;support&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35139" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35141" CreationDate="2017-08-22T16:00:08.680" Score="6" ViewCount="455" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to identify this tree, growing on the margin of a drainage ditch next to a fairly dry gravel parking lot in coastal Maine, USA (hardiness zone 5b). It's currently about 8' tall, with opposite branching; exfoliating bark; 6&quot; ovate leaves with fine-toothed serrated margins that occur in clusters. It is currently (August) flowering, with multiple small white buds along a 10&quot; central stems emerging from the centers of most leaf clusters. Sniffing the (perhaps mostly gone by) flowers over a couple of days indicated no odor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some pictures. First, the whole tree:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jwrQo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jwrQo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, a leaf cluster viewed from the top and the side:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gFdbb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gFdbb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf cluster, top&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sJlFi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sJlFi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf cluster, side&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The flowers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F7aJi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F7aJi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flowers&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;... one flower in closeup:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pvjpb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pvjpb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Flower close-up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the trunk:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g8n17.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g8n17.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunk&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and a closeup of the bark (with newspaper to persuade my cell camera to focus):&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fiw3n.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fiw3n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bark&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Feel free to correct my terminology, and thanks.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11723" LastEditorUserId="11723" LastEditDate="2017-08-23T13:50:31.607" LastActivityDate="2020-03-04T13:46:46.940" Title="Tree with exfoliating bark and ovate leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35140" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35144" CreationDate="2017-08-22T17:26:18.170" Score="5" ViewCount="4707" Body="&lt;p&gt;My 3 year old peace lily has been in this clear pot for almost a year and within the last few weeks these spots began appearing near the roots and now cover the soil on the top layer. The spots are in clusters and are greenish-white.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The peace lily blooms regularly and seems to be fine in terms of its leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I took it outside for the first time since I repotted it a few weeks ago, around the time this started happening. I live in Brooklyn, could it be something in the air?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify what's causing this and how bad it may be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iMSNW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iMSNW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P7WrY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P7WrY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19629" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-22T20:21:57.870" LastActivityDate="2019-09-11T14:15:08.603" Title="Indoor Peace Lily soil suddenly covered in white spots" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35141" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35139" CreationDate="2017-08-22T17:35:12.413" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think its Clethra, and as it's in flower now, Clethra alnifolia, although you haven't mentioned fragrance in regard to the flowers, and they are fragrant. Common name sweet pepperbush or summersweet, it's a deciduous shrub hardy down to USDA zone 3. It likes moist soil, which explains why it's chosen to grow on the edge of the drainage ditch, and is native to your area. More info &lt;a href=&quot;https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/clethra-alnifolia/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/clethra-alnifolia/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-08-22T17:35:12.413" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35138" CreationDate="2017-08-22T19:22:47.360" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Staking is generally recommended but not required for pepper plants.  The benefits of staking are support for the mainstem, branches and fruits, keeping the plant upright, reducing sunscald on fruits and keeping fruits off the ground which prevents rot/pests.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To &lt;a href=&quot;https://bonnieplants.com/library/peppers-to-stake-or-not-to-stake/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;stake peppers&lt;/a&gt; it is best to do so at transplant time or soon after to avoid damaging roots.  Drive a metal or wooden stake next to each plant and then tie the main-stem loosely.  You can also tie any branches in need of support to the same stake.  Alternatively, some people like to use tomato cages so that branches can drape over the frame for support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-08-22T19:22:47.360" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35140" CreationDate="2017-08-22T20:18:47.423" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got eggs! I am checking on what insect this could be but I've also got two questions; does this pot have a drain hole?  and second, is this soil from out of doors or is it potting soil. The timing of transplanting and being out of doors a few weeks ago is telling us that something really liked your plant's soil.  If you transplanted using your own garden soil/compost that isn't sterilized you included an insect into your mini ecosystem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll go find some good candidates.  If I were you, I'd get a similar sized clay pot with drainage holes and plain potting soil to transplant your plant again.  No fertilizer or water holding sponges/gels added to that soil.  You won't be able to remove all eggs so don't worry about that for now.  I'd keep some of that soil and eggs in a container all by themselves to check out what hatches!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is an initial culprit; Oak Lecanium Scale &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bing.com/cr?IG=B4781AFBD54843CF98C81D17084D8EB5&amp;amp;CID=0AE2C3107B4268D2031FC9F67A1D69DF&amp;amp;rd=1&amp;amp;h=yWA3QmzPVqMwRWAKVfn1NNpiprP9wYghIJhWQ-0mY0A&amp;amp;v=1&amp;amp;r=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-OCGnyaV_Qzs%2FUbe79p8OdVI%2FAAAAAAAAIs4%2FaTiHNnIwEqM%2Fs1600%2FOak%2Blecanium%2Bscale%2Binsect%2Beggs%2B%2525282%252529%2B%2525281024x682%252529.jpg&amp;amp;p=DevEx,5062.1&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;eggs of Oak Lecanium Scale&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you transplant with fresh bagged sterilized potting soil, clean off all dead leaves and debris from the top of your plants.  If you are using potting soil then some errant insect found your peace lily and deposited eggs while out of doors.  Should not be a problem at all for your lily.  btw, do you own a cat?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.abundantnature.com/2013/06/the-battle-has-joined-flea-size-wasps.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;scale eggs and predators&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-08-22T20:38:25.253" LastActivityDate="2017-08-22T20:38:25.253" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35145" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8209" CreationDate="2017-08-22T22:00:04.843" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why not calcium sulfate/ gypsum ? Very cheap and available , eg. dry wall. The sulfate does the acidifying , aluminum or calcium don't do much of anything. A problem I had with putting broken dry wall on the garden , over time paper comes off its' surface and needs to be picked up. Then ,if you can go straight sulfate - sulfuric acid , if you can get it. I put sulfuric on my blue berries and they grew very well. Sulfuric acid requires great care in handling ; on second thought don't use it unless you are a chemist or engineer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-08-22T22:00:04.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35146" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35147" CreationDate="2017-08-22T23:02:12.650" Score="3" ViewCount="88" Body="&lt;p&gt;These bugs are all over my Pieris. What are they? The plant is close to my house. Can they cause damage to the house or the plant? I don't see them on my other plants, but all three pierises are covered with them. &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GnA6Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;on the plant&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R05HN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;on our BBQ&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19632" LastEditorUserId="19632" LastEditDate="2017-08-22T23:55:32.003" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T11:17:22.610" Title="What bugs are these that are infesting my pieris and what do I do about it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35147" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35146" CreationDate="2017-08-23T00:19:28.477" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're Pieris (also called Andromeda) Lace Bugs, as far as I can tell, the photos are a bit fuzzy. I'm not seeing any damage on the leaves, but they're not something you particularly want around. It's a bit late for control now, the usual method is to spray with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap, beneath the leaves, around May when the nymphs  are present - what's on the plants currently are the adults. Keep a check next year, inspecting the underside of leaves regularly in spring, and spray as soon as you see nymphs crawling. More info can be found here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.uconn.edu/documents/raw2/Lace%20Bugs/Lace%20Bugs.php?aid=179&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lace Bugs&lt;/a&gt;, but unfortunately, there's no picture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A close up image of one can be seen &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugguide.net/node/view/873705&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may find there are other chemical sprays available for use in your area which, if they can be used now, might (or might not) prevent the adults laying eggs for overwintering, ready to hatch around May next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-23T11:17:22.610" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T11:17:22.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35148" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35128" CreationDate="2017-08-23T03:28:33.117" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with the above two answers. Prickly pear cactus is susceptible to cochineal insects and I have seen this infestation on wild plants here in Florida. &lt;a href=&quot;https://treasurecoastnatives.wordpress.com/category/prickly-pear/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;An excellent read&lt;/a&gt; about it plus some interesting historical information comes from George Rogers, a professor at Palm Beach State College.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19631" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-23T05:04:38.047" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T05:04:38.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35149" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7456" CreationDate="2017-08-23T05:23:08.700" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm also looking for a solution. Not just for that but to help ensure a consistent cut along edges I don't want to mark.  For example,  aside from slowly and tediously working my way along a white wall, I will mark it green from splatters of grass as the line hits the building.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like my grass taller, and when I taper, blend  or &quot;fade&quot; the edge it often makes for time consuming work&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Materials are still in the works but for now I'm picturing a coat hangar that extends to the max distance of the trimmer line and dips so it can help hook the grass from the edge amd this ot to the edge of the spinning trimmer line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This may also be helpful for picking out of chain link or even just as a guide to know exactly where your trimmer line is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also seem guards that make the trimmer resemble a lamp,  like the mouth of a trombone. I've seen it used for edging , At full speed the line is just bits apart from the rim, and spinning parallel. perhaps this would allow the closest access, like a bumper rim, but you'd have to be mindful of the angle youre using.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19635" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T05:23:08.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35150" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-23T08:05:22.420" Score="7" ViewCount="247" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have basil on my balcony, which I eat. However, lately the leafs have white dots or lines on them. After inspection I found out that it is caused by Aphids. Just the normal light green type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want to spray my basil with chemicals (not even soap), because I like to eat it. So I was thinking of buying larvae from ladybugs (&lt;em&gt;Adalia Bipunctata&lt;/em&gt;). Does anyone knows if this works? Does anyone has experience with this approach?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My situation is a balcony of 1 x 6 m with many plants (palms, bonsai trees, other plants), on the first floor facing East, in the Netherlands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T08:56:36.353" Title="Can I use ladybug larvae to get rid of aphids?" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;&lt;ecological&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35151" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35150" CreationDate="2017-08-23T08:32:23.393" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.planetnatural.com/aphids-ladybugs/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Planet Natural's&lt;/a&gt; website has good information about the problem. here is some information they have on the subject. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The common ladybug or lady beetle — every school kid’s favorite insect&#xA;  — is a great, natural solution to aphids. It’s reported that a ladybug&#xA;  will eat some 50 aphids a day. If you’re lucky enough to have ladybugs&#xA;  in your garden, their larvae will eat their weight in aphids each day.&#xA;  The University of Kentucky Extension Service reports that a single&#xA;  ladybug will eat 5,000 aphids during its lifetime. Often ladybugs will&#xA;  be attracted to your garden if you have aphids&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Personal Experiance&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My grandmother whom used to grow show roses had a massive issue with aphids and used ladybird larvae for her aphid problems and it worked very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;She too was one that never used sprays or chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From a kid i was always brought up to never hurt (squash) a ladybugs, and when i found one id try to bring it home for her garden. (9/10 died sadly)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;i remember one year she brought in ladybugs by the 1000's.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further information that might be of use : &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.naturallivingideas.com/12-organic-ways-get-rid-aphids/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;How To Get Rid Of Aphids: 12 Organic Methods That Really Work&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19615" LastEditorUserId="19615" LastEditDate="2017-08-23T08:56:36.353" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T08:56:36.353" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34966" CreationDate="2017-08-23T08:33:20.737" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in the UK so have much milder winters than you.  But a few days of ~-10&amp;deg;C dipping to -13&amp;deg;C killed all the top growth of mine (unusually severe for southern England).  While it came back in spring, the next (much less severe but still below freezing for a few days in a row) winter finished it off.  This was growing in the ground. If I was expecting -10&amp;deg;C again I'd put it in the unheated greenhouse (where the potted lemon and olive spend the winter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The replacement is in a pot and hasn't suffered at all in a sheltered corner against the house, for several years.  Neither have two grown as ornamentals in pots in an open porch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen them described as frost hardy down to -5&amp;deg;C, which agrees with my experience. The difference between this and the temperatures you have would seem too great for fleece/bubble wrap but it might be worth a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Honestly what I'd do is put a small one in a nice pot, and lift it in for the winter.  When it gets too big for that, try wrapping it in horticultural fleece or bubble wrap (less insulating but lets more light in; dont forget to wrap the pot as well) and leaving it outside.  If you've already got one in the ground, or don't have room indoors, just have a go with the insulation.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Snow isn't too bad, it's the cold air you want to keep off it.  In fact early snowfall can protect plants that are only slightly hardy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T08:33:20.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35154" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35158" CreationDate="2017-08-23T17:05:14.287" Score="5" ViewCount="117" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed a large clump of sap in my lawn, and determined that it came from the Austrian pine tree nearby. (I didn't know what it was at first because of the color, but it had a strong pine odor). A 3-4 inch diameter branch was cut off about 10 years ago, and this sap came from that stub.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RsKT6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RsKT6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sap that fell from tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never seen anything like this. Is the tree unhealthy/dying? I haven't noticed anything else that leads me to believe the tree is unhealthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1007" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T20:35:29.090" Title="Large excretion of sap from Austrian Pine" Tags="&lt;pines&gt;&lt;sap&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35155" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-23T19:36:27.513" Score="3" ViewCount="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;So this is a kind of open-ended question, if it's too broad I'll try to be more specific, or remove the post.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do any of you have good resources for information on organically growing peppers?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do you have any pro tips that you've experienced yourselves?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do you have experiences growing in climates like Los Angeles?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Why are some things to consider as Best Practice with regard to growing food plans, while keeping them healthy (i.e. organic).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically, I have a mild amount of experience growing plants, but mostly flowers and such - not edible plants. I did do a small amount of farming, but that was up in central Oregon, and all you basically have to do is plant the seed and water occasionally (and put &lt;em&gt;a lot&lt;/em&gt; of effort to keep deer away).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, my wife and I are trying to grow some of our own peppers and herbs for cooking. Since we have an apartment, that means potted plants only ( ). It's very different than my other experience growing anything. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, all that said, our primary challenge now is dealing with pests and fungi/illnesses as they show up. Some isn't bad, but too much has resulted in 2-3 of my wife's plants dying. F we can put together a good enough collection of data, maybe we can make this into a wiki or something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance for any contributions you all may have!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19323" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T17:12:36.463" Title="Organic Gardening: Best Practices" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;food-crops&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35156" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-23T19:39:49.347" Score="5" ViewCount="64" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed some brown leaves on my box plants and thought it may be blight. A week later I was watering close to the biggest, 7feet topiary trimmed, specimen when I noticed a rotten farmyard odour. On inspection I noticed an infestation of caterpillars. I understand there is no treatment for this problem. I am in the process of digging up all of my box plants, some almost forty years old. Is t worth keeping the cutting which I took some weeks ago or is the problem with me forever. I have destroyed many of the caterpillars but have noticed the moths flying about so it looks like other local box plants are in for an infestation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19642" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T20:15:16.587" Title="Asian box caterpillar" Tags="&lt;boxwood&gt;&lt;caterpillar&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35157" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35156" CreationDate="2017-08-23T20:15:16.587" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't say where you are in the world, and that's a consideration when trying to give a sensible answer. That said, if its Box Tree Caterpillar, you should have noticed plenty of webbing over the plants, but you haven't mentioned this feature at all. There is treatment for Box Tree Caterpillar, but its true to say it's an ongoing battle, and it sounds like, as yours is advanced (if that's what it is) you may need to use a neonicotinoid spray such as Bug Clear Ultra. If you do use this, ensure you don't spray when bees are working, and that the spray does not drift onto any flowering plants in the vicinity. More information here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/Profile?pID=760&amp;amp;cID=1247&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/Profile?pID=760&amp;amp;cID=1247&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T20:15:16.587" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35158" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35154" CreationDate="2017-08-23T20:35:29.090" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is normal.  You do not have anything to worry about. The vascular system is working.  Pines are full of sap.  Maples full of syrup.  Milkweed full of milky sap.  Unless you see any other signs that indicate poor health, your tree will be just fine.  Check for insect infestations.  I think all is well...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T20:35:29.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35155" CreationDate="2017-08-23T21:06:01.703" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Growing plants in pots is a great solution.  But if you did not use sterilized potting soil and used garden soil instead well, that would be your problem. Potted plants are totally dependent on what you give them.  If you use soil out of the garden you easily can plop in a disease or insect that otherwise is controlled by the large body of garden soil.  Big no no.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants in pots need potting soil (without added fertilizer or water holding sponges/gels) planted in pots with drainage holes at the bottom.  No rock or gravel between the hole and the body of soil.  Just soil.  A bit of fertilizer...balanced fertilizer, never compost.  Great light.  Out doors on a covered patio is wonderful.  If you are trying to get flowers, peppers and other reproductive growth you have to keep your nitrogen lower than the P and the K.  Too much N and you will only get vegetative growth.  For herbs like basil, tarragon, thyme...vegetative growth is fine.  I would use my standby easy peasy safe to use extended release fertilizer recommendation; Osmocote 14-14-14 which will work fine for both reproductive and vegetative growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the skinny with Organic from MY perspective.  Knowing how to grow plants to the extent no mistakes will enhance insects or disease or any necessity to use PESTICIDES...that is growing organic.  Fertilizer is not a pesticide.  It is critical for plants.  Without the proper chemicals available, plants are unable to do photosynthesis which is how they make THEIR OWN FOOD.  Fertilizer, compost, fish sauce, grins...blood meal...non of this is FOOD for plants.  In pots, you use potting soil.  Potting soil does not require amending.  Compost is to improve and feed the garden soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The biggest part to 'grow organic' is to make dang sure you do not purchase GMO seed.  If there is a problem with insects or disease or getting started, you ask us professionals.  Pesticides are band aids on problems never a solution.  Organic to me and others means never using pesticides.  Plants in pots need potting soil, great drainage, great light and fertilizer.  All four are critical. Seed that is NON GMO will say NON GMO.  Keep asking questions about how to grow your little garden on your balcony!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-23T21:06:01.703" CommentCount="18" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35160" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-23T23:50:29.357" Score="4" ViewCount="298" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IKzWo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IKzWo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;self watering pot for orchid&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have and it grows on coconut husk. I tried to water it, but seemed like the coconut husk didn't keep the water too long to make the orchid stays humid. So I came up with and idea to make self watering pot where the coconut husk is slightly dipped into the water in a jar. It has new young stem after a week I treat it that way. I put the fertilizer into the water too sometimes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just wondering if this self watered pot idea effective enough? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19560" LastActivityDate="2017-08-24T15:18:33.130" Title="What's the best way to water an orchid that grows on coconut husk?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35161" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34879" CreationDate="2017-08-24T02:52:55.690" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thanks for all the help! After discussing it in the comments, it appears to me to be some variety of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cayennediane.com/peppers/naga-morich/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;naga&lt;/a&gt; pepper. The naga morich appeared to be the closest in color, size, and overall texture to me. While I'm no expert on the Scoville scale, it definitely appears to be significantly hotter than other peppers I've tried like jalapeño or habanero peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19449" LastActivityDate="2017-08-24T02:52:55.690" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35162" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35163" CreationDate="2017-08-24T03:19:36.247" Score="5" ViewCount="264" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this slug-like creature? Is it harmful?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/38oHu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/38oHu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;slug-like creature&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: this photograph was taken in Pennsylvania, U.S.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19643" LastEditorUserId="19643" LastEditDate="2017-08-24T13:17:40.190" LastActivityDate="2017-08-24T13:17:40.190" Title="What is this slug-like creature?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;slugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35163" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35162" CreationDate="2017-08-24T03:30:12.807" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Appears to be some leopard slugs (Limax maximus). Can't be 100% sure since you didn't include the area the slugs were found but for the UK or North America it'd be right. They mostly eat rotten vegetation and potentially other slugs. It is not considered a pest and some consider them useful since they do eat some pest slug species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10987" LastActivityDate="2017-08-24T03:30:12.807" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34980" CreationDate="2017-08-24T04:23:11.913" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thank you, Tyler K.  I do believe you have answered my Question. I found another of the &quot;seeds&quot;. I cut it open. and found a core about the size of a large apple seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Notice the round white ball in the center capsule of the core. Then I opened the capsule even more.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kFUSG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kFUSG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and found that white ball to be very soft and sticky and attached to the wall of its capsule.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g6Yln.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g6Yln.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Indeed it does appear to be an &lt;strong&gt;oak apple wasp gall&lt;/strong&gt;, and not a seed at all!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose the one saved in the refrigerator for eventual potting is not going to be sprouting a plant next spring!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to all for your help with this &quot;Mystery seed&quot;!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19532" LastEditorUserId="19532" LastEditDate="2017-08-24T04:31:08.967" LastActivityDate="2017-08-24T04:31:08.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35165" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-24T14:23:19.820" Score="3" ViewCount="467" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to figure out the correct way to overseed this fall in MA. I want to do a few things in the process: core aerate, top dress, fertilize, lime, and overseed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I normally mow my lawn at 3.5&quot; so am I supposed to cut it much lower? How low, 2.85&quot; (that's my next height down) or 2.25&quot; (that's the next one after)? Once I have the lawn mowed, then I was going to core aerate and top dress. Do I top dress with topsoil, loam, compost, or the loam/compost mix I see advertised often? I was planning to top dress me entire yard which is 9,000-10,000 sf. Is it uncommon to do the whole yard? At 0.25&quot; of top dressing that's about 8 yards which is a few hundred dollars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once I top dress, I assume I can then fertilize, lime, and overseed together and then get the lawn wet and keep it that way. I would then want to make sure it's always moist, so put my irrigation system on for a few minutes a few times a day to keep it moist, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When is the best time in the fall to do this? Early or mid September? Late September?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16926" LastActivityDate="2017-08-24T19:01:59.310" Title="Core aerate, top dress, and overseed in the fall" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;&lt;aeration&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35166" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-24T14:27:23.500" Score="3" ViewCount="2540" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have mulch from last year that seems to wash a way a lot on my slight hill. There are other homes I've seen that have a similar slope but their mulch doesn't appear to wash away. The mulch I got was the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/shopping/product/16727797026515387701?lsf=seller:8740,store:2803178092106296528&amp;amp;prds=oid:10718331090859726415&amp;amp;q=home%20depot%20brown%20mulch&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;ei=nuGeWbCSEonJmwGk8b94&amp;amp;mid=s4cGCCfgL%7Cdc_mtid_8903jx325196_pcrid_107016508288_pkw__pmt__product_202585785_slid_&amp;amp;lsft=gclid:EAIaIQobChMIgvursYnw1QIV242zCh1pbAEqEAQYASABEgJ0ePD_BwE&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Home Depot Earthgro brown mulch&lt;/a&gt; which is sort of larger in size. I have seen some mulches at landscape stores that are much more finely chopped. When I re-mulch in May 2018, Is it better to get more finely chopped mulch and pack it down and that may help with preventing it from washing away?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16926" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T13:24:24.870" Title="Mulch that doesn't wash away" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35167" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35160" CreationDate="2017-08-24T14:42:08.177" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;What a fabulous idea!&#xA;Another way that I have found effective is to fill a hand spray with water and trace elements and spray it on the orchid.&#xA;I use ENO or Epsom salts in the spray and have had good results. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19645" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-24T15:18:33.130" LastActivityDate="2017-08-24T15:18:33.130" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35168" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7617" CreationDate="2017-08-24T15:29:43.240" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Think of it as wind blowing plants or trees in the same direction all the time. They seem to grow in that direction. Calm your hair in a different direction. I kind of like to think it helps because it's almost like you're weaving the grass the blades together like a carpet. I've used several patterns vertically corners from left to right straight line one way straight line the other way and Square box cut. It also helps not to cut the grass below 3 inches.. it looks strange at first but like pruning a tree it's not pretty after pruning but it does go back prettier than ever I hope this help I love my grass so do the neighbors. Deep plush carpet that Springs back with each step&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19646" LastActivityDate="2017-08-24T15:29:43.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35170" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35165" CreationDate="2017-08-24T18:35:35.890" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would core aerate now and allow the plugs to disintegrate. September I would mow my lawn down short so the grass won't be shading the seed.  Short as in 2&quot;.  Top dress with 1/2&quot; of topsoil, not compost.  There are topsoils with compost added.  But a word of warning; you have no idea what is in that compost.  I've run into topsoil with added compost where I couldn't get a petunia to grow.  Pesticide residue from homeowner 'clean green'...I would stick with screened plain old topsoil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dump piles all over your lawn and then start spreading with rock rakes or grading rakes. This next step is the part you cant miss!  You need to rent a roller (fill with water) to compact, regrade and compact again.  Then seed, rake lightly with the tines of a leaf rake upside down and roll again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep moist. Shallow watering. In less than two weeks you should be able to do the virgin mow at 3.5, bag clippings.  Fertilize with a low nitrogen formula.  Dr. Earth I think has a fall fertilizer and if you haven't tried one of these 'organic' lawn fertilizers you simply must with all the work you are putting into your lawn.  Costs more but you need fewer applications and WOW.  I know these dang lawns and trust me, to be wowed with a product for lawns is RARE.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you use a rotary spreader for seed and fertilizer.  Drop spreaders are awful.  Throwing by hand is a big no no.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For lime, you must do a pH test first.  If it reads below 6.5, lime according to directions right after the first rough spreading of the topsoil.  Remember you've got two soils to test; the original bed and the topsoil. Do you live with a lot of rainfall?  Then grade and grade and roll and roll and grade again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get the best seed you can find.  I always used 'Professional's Choice'.  That was for the Pacific Northwest.  ZERO weed seed.  This means some thought and care went into producing that seed and the germination rate is the highest.  Don't use seed for shade.  Unless you've got some shady areas use it just for those areas mixed into the seed you've used for the entire lawn.  I hope this helps! Here is one of my lawns rehabilitated shortly after construction of that walk, brick wall and screens...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a tip on spreading mulch or topsoil or rock; spread the pile to the depth you want do not thin out in an effort to cover more area.  When you have done this then you go back and dump more soil or shovel out of the wheel barrow to cover the obvious areas that haven't been covered with soil.  This ensures an even coat of soil, the depth you want and when you grade and roll you will get a more even surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wygtv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wygtv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lawn after construction&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-08-24T19:01:59.310" LastActivityDate="2017-08-24T19:01:59.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35166" CreationDate="2017-08-24T19:31:12.597" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Non decomposed bark chips float off the beds during downpours.  My answer to this is the little trench I always use at the bottom of the beds between the bed and lawn.  The mulch collects and is easily thrown back up onto the beds.  Use a line trimmer for the edge of your lawn and you've got beauty.  Since you are doing all this work, you should be making your lawn edges look professional.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i4BWl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i4BWl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture of Gro-Co mulch&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mWFzb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mWFzb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lawn edges&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The beauty of a lawn is in the edges. That is what the eye sees firstus and mostus.  The rule is to make a curve with a consistent radius.  Doesn't matter what radius just keep the curve consistent until needing to reverse the curve.  Then keep that radius consistent until needing to go the other way.  I always make a 6inch by 6inch trench between beds and lawns throwing the soil up on the bed or over an errant weed in the back of the bed.  Once a year?  The sides of this trench are sloped.  This defines the edge, greatly helps to keep mulch on beds in place yet doesn't distract like a concrete curb edge does.  Less expensive as well.  I also do the 'peninsula' thing to create mystery.  You don't want to see the entire yard from the door or window of your home.  Why go outside?  This makes one want to walk through the yard.  I even use 'screens' of lumber to enhance this trick and take up less space in a small yard.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send a picture of this slope. You will have to renew this mulch every other year because it is being eaten and mixed into your existing soil.  So cool. My computer kinda wigged out and there might be a few odd transitions here.  I'll fix in a bit.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-08-24T19:47:16.807" LastActivityDate="2017-08-24T19:47:16.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35172" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35174" CreationDate="2017-08-24T19:46:43.557" Score="5" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw this plant in a swamp in central Maine, USA.  I think it is a type of wild hyacinth.  Are there domesticated versions? Anyone know how to grow one in a large planter pond?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The spear shaped leaves belong to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U471J.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U471J.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-08-27T18:53:36.820" LastActivityDate="2017-08-27T18:55:01.550" Title="What wild water plant is this? Is there a domesticated versions?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;&lt;water&gt;&lt;pond&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35172" CreationDate="2017-08-24T22:02:54.280" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This must be Purple Pickerelweed, Pontaderia cordata.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've made lots of water 'ponds' but I would invest in great water lilies. I would probably try growing this guy but there is just so much room even in the largest pots. Water lilies shade the water so that the fish I've added don't boil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bMfE0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bMfE0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;larger picture than one that was here before&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Pontederia_cordata_4_PP.jpg/1200px-Pontederia_cordata_4_PP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-08-27T18:55:01.550" LastActivityDate="2017-08-27T18:55:01.550" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35175" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-25T00:08:14.437" Score="4" ViewCount="1087" Body="&lt;p&gt;Raccoons and cats traverse my urban back yard every night. That's fine. I'd like to reduce their interest in defecating on the soil. It attracts flies, we don't know what they've been eating, noone wants to step on it. Presently I follow the flies to the deposits and take them out with a trowel -- regularly, so it's getting old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They seem to prefer to use drier ground, and indeed, it's dry here most of the year. What can I do to make the garden less appealing as a crapper?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16224" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T13:11:20.840" Title="Tactics to reduce raccoon poop in garden" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;domestic-animals&gt;&lt;wildlife&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35176" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-25T00:38:39.910" Score="5" ViewCount="110" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purchased this strange looking bamboo plant solely because it looked so unique. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am totally curious which species it could be, and why it grew a round ball shape on its stock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The length of internodes is very small-maybe.     0.5 cm or smaller . &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are and top stems are growing very quickly, and I'd love to see more of this neat, uneven growth pattern.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HWYxT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PEnHU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19648" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T19:13:48.277" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T19:13:48.277" Title="What causes widening in the stem of a lucky bamboo?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;&lt;bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35175" CreationDate="2017-08-25T00:57:00.470" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking that maybe adding a natural, humane irritant to  the earth. Cayenne pepper spray even keeps cats away from unwanted areas. I'm sure a lot of things would deter them  as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19648" LastActivityDate="2017-08-25T00:57:00.470" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35178" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35175" CreationDate="2017-08-25T02:15:00.933" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a similar problem with cats in my yard. I've read a number of things that can help, but first I'll explain what does help for me (I'm not sure about for raccoons, though):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grow thick plants that are at least a couple feet tall, wherein the cats cannot step anywhere without stepping on 2'+ tall plants. I'm not sure exactly why this deters cats, since they could just walk all over and through the plants like a jungle creature, but it prevents cats from entering the main body of our garden in the backyard. They don't look any more interested in walking through them than your average person might. Some example plants include such as sprawling tomatoes, melons and watermelon. They do need to be growing thick, though (no dirt visible).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A more impenetrable, taller hedge that may even deter raccoons (and will survive somewhat colder temperatures) is Morelle De Balbis. They have thorns and they grow nice little white flowers (and edible red fruits). However, how many plants you grow per spot matters a lot. You can sprout a bunch of plants in one container, and transplant them all in one spot (one spot per container of plants); then you'll get a much thicker hedge. Plant each container of plants 1 to 2 feet apart. I tried that, this year (not as a hedge, though), and they grow and fruit just fine like that. They look like they'd make a great hedge that way. With only one plant per spot, they don't look at all like a hedge in my yard. I have lots of seeds if you need some.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't looked into perennial plants suitable for colder zones that might work all year round. Also, it will definitely make the yard more inaccessible to humans, too. For me, I still walk through the plants (but no one else does without encouragement, as far as I know). I've seen a cat just staring longingly at the plot of plants as if she really wanted to go in, but she wouldn't go in, even if she saw me do it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Getting the ground wet can sometimes deter cats for a while.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I've tried putting Cayenne pepper in the soil, and it seemed to work, for that year, but I really don't know if it was the reason the cats stopped there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Snow. Cats don't like to poop in snow. They'll still poop at the sides of your house that are snow-free.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Okay, I've heard that putting plastic forks or something like that in the ground or tin foil on the ground can deter some cats. I'm not sure about raccoons. I've heard cats don't like citrus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might like trying laying down some astroturf, black plastic or such. Then they won't be able to poop through that, and I don't recall ever seeing cats poop on black plastic in our yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might try mulching. I haven't seen cats poop in our bark mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing any kind of plants (even if they're short or soft enough for cats to walk on) should reduce the amount of poop you get there. Cats like to dig, and it's hard to dig through plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cats also don't seem to like pooping in compact, clay soil (they can't dig very easily in it). You do need to make sure that it is compacted, however.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-08-25T02:24:10.400" LastActivityDate="2017-08-25T02:24:10.400" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35179" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35526" CreationDate="2017-08-25T05:33:49.823" Score="7" ViewCount="2488" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/gallery/hBKNP&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Album of pictures&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/udu44&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Another album of updated pictures&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One leaf before being &quot;washed&quot; with a mild soap/water mixture&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p7kj8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p7kj8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another leaf after being &quot;washed&quot; with a mild soap/water mixture&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xic6y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xic6y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I purchased this plant a little over a month ago, and all of a sudden, these spots have begun to show up. The spots themselves are dry and can be popped out of the plant leaves where they've appeared (as a result, there is now a circular hole in one of my plant's leaves).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the pictures indicate, the spots are roughly circular with black centers.&#xA;Up until yesterday, the plant was kept in a mostly-shady, west-facing room and was watered ~1 time per week (when the soil was completely dry. Thinking the spots might be due to a lack of sun, I moved the plant over to a south-facing window (6+ hours of sun per day) yesterday.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps this is Cactus Anthracnose? If so, how do I treat it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT (More Information): As far as I can tell, the leaf edges are normal for this kind of plant (part of it's appeal imo). This plant lives indoors near a window, but not one that has been sprayed with anything recently. Additionally, none of the other plants in the vicinity have any issues. Two days ago, I wiped the leaves down with a mild soap/water mixture. I also treated one leaf with an alcohol/water mix, and another with a copper fungicide. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19649" LastEditorUserId="19649" LastEditDate="2017-08-26T17:52:30.857" LastActivityDate="2017-09-17T22:31:38.853" Title="Succulent Disease Identification (kalanchoe beharensis)" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35180" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35185" CreationDate="2017-08-25T06:53:39.977" Score="5" ViewCount="7421" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just started sowing broccoli indoor this month and after a week or so, I saw this&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bkovr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bkovr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are almost 4 inches long but cannot stand straight. Did I not push the seeds in deep enough? Or is this kind of broccoli like that? I bought from a Chinese grocery store. They are so long and weak, some started to break now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But they seem not ready to plant down the outside garden though, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE 1&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to the article, &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2056613/leggy-broccoli-seedlings&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Leggy Broccoli Seedlings&lt;/a&gt;, looks like it's lack of light or too hot. I don't think it's lack of light because it's next to the window and it's sunny all day. The temperature is 70-85 range. So maybe it's too hot in the house?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16645" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-08-25T18:04:38.230" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T16:13:01.797" Title="Broccoli seedlings are way too tall but thin and weak" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;&lt;sowing&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35181" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35182" CreationDate="2017-08-25T08:16:51.637" Score="7" ViewCount="2631" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife and I have had these cacti for a little over a year now. Since change happens slowly I assume we never really noticed, but now it &lt;em&gt;seems&lt;/em&gt; like it has gotten a lot more..fluffy.. for lack of a better word. 'Very dense spikes' perhaps? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way, we know very little about cacti (which we should change) but I was wondering if these look 'healthy'. Yesterday we noticed that it seems we have a baby cactus. I'm also curious as to this one is healthy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems like the baby one is trapped between larger cacti (growing close to the mother I assume). Should we repot this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's kind of two questions, but my main one would be wether or not they look healthy.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/asstJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/asstJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;visible baby cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VU4K4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VU4K4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;First generation cacti&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d4kOQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d4kOQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Top view of cacti&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19650" LastEditorUserId="19654" LastEditDate="2017-08-25T23:48:14.460" LastActivityDate="2017-08-25T23:48:14.460" Title="Are these 'fluffy' cacti healthy?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35182" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35181" CreationDate="2017-08-25T09:27:45.460" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;These cacti seem very happy to me, they even started to get a baby! Wow! I am not sure how much light they get there on the dinner table, but many cacti are fine in the shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cacti in general are easy plants, the only tricky part is giving it too much water. Mostly, a cactus needs water every month or two weeks. Never leave them in &quot;wet feet&quot;. Furthermore, cold is also a problem for these plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-08-25T09:27:45.460" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35183" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35181" CreationDate="2017-08-25T15:20:45.140" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks more like a Cleistocactus to me, a South American species. They look well grown; stems are fairly even width, no etiolation and fibers/spines getting longer. Vigorous spine/fiber growth usually indicates plenty of sun (cactus sun screen). In low light conditions, spines/fibers are stunted as the plant tries to get as much light as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More sun is usually better, but they don't look deprived to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is a Cleistocactus they can get over 4' tall and form large clumps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my book, anytime a plant makes offsets things are going well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nice job!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-08-25T15:20:45.140" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35184" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-25T16:30:27.643" Score="3" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;It was pale pink and very fragrant. Thank you for your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/loAdG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/loAdG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19656" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-26T09:47:56.190" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T04:19:00.497" Title="Please help indentify this rose" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;roses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35180" CreationDate="2017-08-25T20:19:43.047" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is definitely too little light.  Are you indoors?  A greenhouse?  No they aren't ready to be transplanted.  If they are indoors by a window that is just not enough for light.  You need to get a real grow light to start plants indoors.  Those seedlings will strengthen if you get a real grow light.  We've got lots of info on lighting on our site.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That window is just not enough light.  As long as the temp is below 90 degrees F plants will do just fine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your plants have never been in the sun you will have to acclimate your starts to the sun before they ever feel sunlight on their leaves.  Otherwise they will burn.  Acclimating thickens the epidermis to protect the other cells from the radiation of the sun.  Sort of like our melanocytes.  Lots of answers about that as well on our site.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have a covered patio or deck I would definitely put them out of doors.  What are the night time temps?  Good time to start if you want to transplant in your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also rip that thin fabric off, or cut it off before transplanting.  I usually up pot into a 4&quot; first, allow roots to fill and make sure the starts are used to the amount of light, wind before planting in the prepared beds of the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you used fertilizer?  That might also be why they are so elongated.  Fertilizer helping them grow when they are unable to make enough food for themselves causes plants to elongate and thin leaves in an effort to reach more light.  Don't fertilize until planted in 4&quot; pots.  Sparingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully you are using bagged potting soil.  Growing in pots one has to use potting soil.  They will be just fine transplanted into the garden soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-25T20:19:43.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35186" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-25T20:59:58.207" Score="4" ViewCount="361" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some pre-emergents are good for stopping things like crabgrass and annual rye-grass (e.g. Halts) while others are better/made for broad-leaf weeds like dandelion and clover (e.g. Gallery).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question: can I combine two types of pre-emergents for a single application, assuming they are mixed in correct ratio for square foot coverage needed?  Or alternatively, can I apply one and then the second directly over the first?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19661" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T04:30:25.787" Title="Can I Combine Pre-emergents" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35187" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35180" CreationDate="2017-08-25T22:38:36.113" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As noted, you found your answer on the net; too little light and too warm. When I started seeds with some success . It was in a garage at roughly 60F. I used 2 -40 watt growlux and 3- 100 watt incandescents mounted in the fluorescent hoods. The light fixture height was adjusted to a couple inches above the plant- yes some leaves burned.  100 watts were used more for the color than the lumens , that is, a 40 watt incandescent is nearly all red and yellow. Today much better lights are available , LEDs etc. It may be easier to find spectrum information for aquarium lighting than in gardening literature. I don't think it is worth doing anything with your sprouts.  My point is a lot of light is necessary.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastEditorUserId="17672" LastEditDate="2017-08-26T00:02:51.730" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T00:02:51.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35186" CreationDate="2017-08-25T23:04:51.037" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a commercial pesticide applicator...for 3 1/2 decades.  I would NEVER use pre-emergents.  Just not necessary.  I've no idea what they do for the life in the soil but forget trying to overseed your lawn.  Seeds are regularly blowing in or being pooped out by birds on top of your soil.  The pre-emergent only stops seeds from germinating BELOW that level. My cohorts in the companies I worked for tried using them (they weren't licensed at the time), using pre emergent chemicals and they seemed to work for a few months.  That was it.  Not worth introducing chemistry into our gardens that doesn't add to the health of the plants we want to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is so easy to stop germination of weed seeds without chemicals.  Just keeping your lawn cut at 3.5 inches and no lower is powerful for stopping germination of weed seeds (there a thousands per square inch).  Training your grass to have deep roots and become drought tolerant means the baby weeds die in between watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are different formulations that target either broadleaf weeds (clover) or grass weeds (crab grass).  These pesticides (herbicide) are not able to compete with proper management practices. They might make you feel better but I wholeheartedly know you should not use them.  Pesticides are BANDAIDS to problems caused by mismanagement.  And then there are the ramifications to whatever chemicals were added to our 'artificial' environments.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I worked in the industry and if a pesticide ever helped, made something better I would have used it.  But I never have...a few times with glyphosate, NEEM now and then but that is all I've found necessary or valuable to do...with very very definite restrictions.  Pre emergents were like the grenades we should never use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To answer your question, if you want to do is not listed on the label it is CONTRAINDICATED.  To use any pesticide, we were taught number one above everything else how to read, understand those labels and symbols.  And to READ THAT LABEL 5 TIMES.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Five times.  Seriously. What are your goals?  How big of a problem do you have?  Are you concerned about your lawn or your plant beds or both?  Please send a picture or two!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-25T23:04:51.037" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35189" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35193" CreationDate="2017-08-25T23:15:34.197" Score="3" ViewCount="117" Body="&lt;p&gt;We recently moved to a new house in Western Washington State and I've been finding some rather large spiders in and around the home and garden areas. The home has been vacant for over a year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe they are Wolf spiders but have not been able to positively identify them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The biggest one I've come across had legs 1.25-1.5 inches long and a total diameter of approximately 3-3.5 inches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried a few different products from Home Depot and haven't seen much of a reduction in spiders.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone tell me what kind of spider this is and what are some effective ways of controlling them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PZ0Ut.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PZ0Ut.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;spider&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one was found in the garage, the small dot below it is the head of a drywall nail (for size reference). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LlZtS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LlZtS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;spider&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sgQ2c.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sgQ2c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;spider&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14392" LastEditorUserId="14392" LastEditDate="2017-08-26T04:33:12.943" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T19:30:46.893" Title="Spider Identification and Control" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35190" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30935" CreationDate="2017-08-25T23:41:28.320" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure it is a &quot;Queen of the Night&quot;. They only bloom at night and have an intoxicating fragrance.Occasional watering. One of the most beautiful flowers we have ever raised.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19662" LastActivityDate="2017-08-25T23:41:28.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35191" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-26T00:10:01.453" Score="6" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;All I want is a water timer with about a 1-minute delay for those times that I have to run away after starting it and still get wet.  Like when I'm ready to go to work and don't want those clothes to get wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19663" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T17:04:48.277" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T17:04:48.277" Title="Can I put a one minute delay on my hose so I don't get wet when the sprinkler turns on?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35192" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35191" CreationDate="2017-08-26T00:55:39.173" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sheila, this is very sweet.  There are timers that you can set on your hose to go off when you are high and dry in your car.  No delay is necessary other than the start time is after you are in your car.  Most timers are built like that.  I would purchase a GOOD timer...like more expensive than the cheapest?  What plants are you watering and for how long?  How do you know how much time to set your sprinklers for?  We could help with that.  In fact we could help you train your lawn and plants to be drought tolerant and save huge bucks on your water bill. Watering a little every day is not at all a good thing.  Tell us more about your situation, send pictures. Wouldn't you be proud to come home to a thriving landscape surrounding your home?  Lower your water bills?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T00:55:39.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35193" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35189" CreationDate="2017-08-26T01:44:46.817" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This guy is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobo_spider&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Eratigena agrestis&lt;/a&gt; the Aggressive house spider. Also called the Hobo spider.  Depends on your location.  If you've just moved into a home that has been vacant for awhile, you will find this spider and he is scary.  I've owned tarantulas...okay?  I moved into a home in Washington that had been empty of humans two years.  Oh the stories...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your spiders look identical, at least for the classification of tunnel (funnel) spiders; long muscular legs, muscular body and lightening speed despite tarantula size.  Hey these guys scare me and I am no girly girl.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know how to help you deal with these guys. But I shall try. This is a tough question.  I hate using a pesticide company to kill ALL insects.  I didn't hire one even though I saw the warnings.  Such as 2 or 4 huge hobos drowned in a little coffee cup.  Squished huge spiders in the blankets. The sight we all shared watching our cat chasing something turning on the light and focus to see this humongous spider TURN raise up and that cat went screaming away.  We were, even Moi, perched up on the top of the sofas.  Those spiders are amazing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you get bit...you will need series of antibiotics or you will have this weeping sloughing oozing sore that could necessitate amputation of ...something! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can't believe I am going to say this.  I would if I could go back to that home filled with these very bad spiders, sigh, get the proper stuff and spray. The wood piles, the corners, the vents...this is one spider you do not want to be bitten by.  Facial surgery if bitten on the face. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had tarantula pets, snakes, lizards...you name it.  This spider is the ONLY spider I would...catch and put outside? Spiders are the good guys big time...this is the only exception.  Black Widows?  Big Deal.  Hobo spiders are scary and not good to have in the house. They actually prefer out doors away from people. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't spray everything.  You should be able to find their homes in your basement, attic.  Tunnel spiders have these webs that form a tunnel into the spider's dining room...keep bed clothes from draping down to the floor from the bed.  You will also find them in your bath tub in the mornings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry.  I am seeing I've probably made this spider scary...well, he IS. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  Here is a picture of a Huntsman Spider.  See how the legs in back are shorter than the other legs? &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bing.com/cr?IG=51CF86F60B024677AAD443DF63D3499F&amp;amp;CID=1D244118B1236ECF0F3C4BF2B07C6FE5&amp;amp;rd=1&amp;amp;h=yVN49wR72AWTj6AKL-QbAPgObcSn5VAbt_46PhoJH0M&amp;amp;v=1&amp;amp;r=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsapi.com.au%2Fimage%2Fv1%2Fc8c0ea76c7b3661c9017ef51783d85d3%3Fwidth%3D1024&amp;amp;p=DevEx,5219.1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Huntsman Spider&lt;/a&gt;  And seriously, spiders control other insects in the home.  I hate killing spiders and capturing them taking them outside is what I do.  But the hobo and wolf and there are a few other tunnel spiders one needs to not allow themselves to be bitten by.  Killing spiders with pesticides is a big no no but when it comes to these spiders...even though I couldn't squish one if my life depended on it, I just am unable to give you my live and let live soap box speech.  Looking at all the pictures of these spiders, I could only do so much!  What a wimp I've become!  They are all going to be different colors and different patterns as they adapt to their surroundings kind of sort of like Octopi (my fav animal of all, and look at all those legs...each with a brain of its own...).  Perhaps there is some sort of an ORGANIC pesticide company.  One that understands killing everything will be a bad thing, and they HAVE to have a Commercial Pesticide Applicator's License that is current.  But I am still looking for other options for control. Do you have any rock work for walls or fireplaces in your home?  A basement for utilities?  Laundry room? Wood piles around or near your home? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-08-26T19:30:46.893" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T19:30:46.893" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35194" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35179" CreationDate="2017-08-26T02:03:30.647" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unique picture and problem (s)!  Looks like there are two things to consider; the spots look like a spray of some kind possibly with a surfactant/soap? Maybe it is just me but the margins of the leaves look like a cutworm has been dining? The scale is probably throwing me off. Is this plant out doors on a patio?  In doors? Near a window where someone sprayed Windex whilst cleaning? Otherwise, no disease of any sort. Those spots are mechanical not organic.  Send more information! Please. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  I don't think there is a problem that will ever kill your plant.  Mostly likely a seasonal insect of some kind.  Please watch this plant carefully.  You might have a leaf miner larvae making 'mines' while feeding on your plant before it 'flies' away.  Check out the soil.  Dig around to find any insect, worm, larvae you are able to see.  I miss my library of books.  Using this internet is tough!  And not very informative even having all information at your fingertips!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We need to find a more solid ID before any solutions should be done.  Keep an eye on your 'test' leaves.  I don't think this is fungus at all.  Fungus would be a secondary problem not the original which I think is some sort of a fly...it is able to bounce around willy nilly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send pictures of anything new...?  I'll keep looking.  This absolutely conical shape for those spots should be crystal clear somewhere on this computer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-08-26T21:33:55.283" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T21:33:55.283" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35195" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="948" CreationDate="2017-08-26T06:04:02.113" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Terre Bleue lavender farm experts in Milton, Ontario, Canada advised that French lavender has more camphor content and is less palatable than English Lavender.  The English lavender, having less camphor content is the preferred one for adding to ice cream and other food products, apparently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19667" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T06:04:02.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35196" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-26T08:53:47.870" Score="3" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;What spectrum and strength of light are best suited for indoor tomato and pepper growing? I have around 2,5m2 of surface. The room walls will be coated with mylar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can be product specific, that would be great, since I find commercial descriptions rather confusing. For example: &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00XC3LBI2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;light product here&lt;/a&gt;. This light is 300W, but lower in the description is stated that it consumes only 132watt±10%. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apparently it generates 2.5 more energy than it consumes :)) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other manufactures describe lamps in a similar way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T14:28:52.517" Title="deciphering growing lights specifics" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;grow-lamp&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35197" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35205" CreationDate="2017-08-26T10:14:50.890" Score="2" ViewCount="352" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been finding these red things on the upper sides of one of my Carolina Reaper plants' leaves. No more than several at a time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At first I thought them to be red spider mites but there's no sign of webbing on the undersides of the leaves. Also, they don't move and if they have legs, they're not visible to the naked eye. They're red, about 1 mm long, flat and seemingly segmented. Not sure if I'm looking at insects, arachnids or eggs of something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture. Sorry for the quality but I didn't have a proper camera at hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sV1wb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sV1wb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Red creatures I found on the leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Poland, the peppers are currently growing in pots outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please help me figure out what these are. Is this something to worry about?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18025" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T17:40:53.357" Title="Red insects/eggs on chilli pepper leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35198" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35189" CreationDate="2017-08-26T10:51:19.987" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Europe and I frequently see &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_house_spider&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;giant house spiders&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Eratigena atrica&lt;/em&gt;), very similar to this one in size and appearance. Especially the markings on its cephalothorax and abdomen look strikingly similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are also found on both US coasts (and the aggressive house spider, in turn, is sometimes found in Europe) so there's a chance this could be one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They grow up to the size of a palm and they run FAST so they've given me a scare more than once. Thankfully, they always flee rather than fight. I've never heard of anyone getting bitten but allegedly, the bite is not dangerous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mind you, I'm not an expert on spiders.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18025" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T10:51:19.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35199" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35223" CreationDate="2017-08-26T11:46:53.260" Score="2" ViewCount="454" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to know which one of the two branches will dry earlier. The one with leaves or the other that has removed leaves? I want to transfer a bud for grafting from some distance and i want to keep the bud fresh. So is it better to remove the leaves from the scion or keep them? Will the leaves dry the scion earlier?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19668" LastActivityDate="2017-08-27T16:28:57.010" Title="Will a scion with removed leaves dry earlier than the one with leaves on?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4524" CreationDate="2017-08-26T11:50:08.247" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I mow 3 acres using a DR walk behind string trimmer. It takes about 2.5 hours. Here is what I tried:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A lawn mower at the highest setting: The blades will deteriorate real quick. The mowing deck will keep breaking.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;A DR tow behind brush mower. It does work, the lawn does not look pretty because it is a rough mower. Also because the grass is tall, it grows back real quick. One time, I found 1.5 foot weeds ONE WEEK after I mowed. If it gets stuck, it is a heavy machine and it is a pain to get it out. It is also a big pain because you have two engines to worry about. That of the lawn mower which is barely enough to pull the brush mower and that of the brush mower itself. If you have an ATV, this may be an ok option. It also uses a lot of gas. I would say about 2-3 gallons.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The string trimmer works pretty well. It is fairly consistent and straightforward especially if you keep it mowed. Every 2 weeks is ideal. Every 3 weeks is pushing it. I look at it as a form of exercise and it is very easy to get started. By the time you figure the amount of time to set up the tow behind and add gas and tune both engines, this turns out to be the faster alternative (in my case). I go through about 1 set of strings every time I mow. It is also helpful to keep a belt handy just in case. I would say on average it costs about $5 in belts and strings and gas (less than a gallon).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19669" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-08-26T13:58:42.087" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T13:58:42.087" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35201" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35215" CreationDate="2017-08-26T14:19:42.063" Score="2" ViewCount="5397" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why do my pomegranates keep splitting every year? &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ua6No.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ua6No.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read some articles that they need even watering, with drip irrigation. Also too much nitrogen can cause the fruit to split. Does anyone have experience on this problem? &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KazIL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KazIL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XladW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XladW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4XkD8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4XkD8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WD7Jw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WD7Jw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This one didn&amp;#39;t split but appears that it didn&amp;#39;t grow well like the others&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Edit:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We have to make more tags in this community like Natural-problems, plant-difficiencies, etc&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19668" LastEditorUserId="19668" LastEditDate="2017-08-27T10:36:49.717" LastActivityDate="2018-08-24T14:42:21.383" Title="Pomegranate splitting: Why is it happenning and how to prevent this" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;&lt;pomegranate&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35196" CreationDate="2017-08-26T14:28:52.517" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The important factors are the light spectrum and the lumens , not the watts. I have found more information for aquarium light products than garden lights . A metal halide ( not halogen ) with a 5000 C temperature rating would be good but use a lot of power ; available in wattage from 150 to 500 and maybe more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T14:28:52.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35203" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35209" CreationDate="2017-08-26T15:17:53.880" Score="4" ViewCount="3858" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hi am trying to germinate seeds via paper towel method   But every time my seeds got attack by fungus and seeds get damaged. Usually I take tissue paper then I place seeds on it and then I spray little water on it and then I put the tissue paper in auto seal bags/vacuum bag.  And when I open it after few days seeds all damage attacked by fungus. So how to prevent fungus attack on seeds so that I can germinate my grapes and lemon seeds.   Thanks. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nmqwH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nmqwH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lb25O.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lb25O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image2 &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NFGq4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NFGq4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mahe 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17771" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T19:34:57.563" Title="How to avoid Fungus attack on seeds" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35203" CreationDate="2017-08-26T15:43:17.760" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fungus either came in with the paper or seed, best to make up a batch of antifungal spray and use that to begin your project- and to clean all surfaces that you have been using- fungus's are a sign of poor ventilation and unsterilized equipment in use- clean everything before you try again. hope it helps &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T15:43:17.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35197" CreationDate="2017-08-26T15:45:12.983" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Scale insect? - best treated with a shop bought insecticide- remember to spray it outside in a well ventilated place and wash your hands afterwards. hope it helps They do seem to have a persistence on house plants that I can't get rid of! but I'm sure they wouldn't go for the fruit themselves- they do leave a sticky residue on the leaves and stem- and have a knack of surviving winter! or you could just pick them off by hand- messy but effective. But not a sign of more problems, keep an eye out for fungus's as they can live off the sticky stuff and cover the leaves with sooty mould- which in case you could wash the leaves carefully with warm water and use a fungicide at first sign of trouble.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="1999" LastEditDate="2017-08-26T17:40:53.357" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T17:40:53.357" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35199" CreationDate="2017-08-26T16:00:19.670" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In theory yes is the answer if anything left with a leaf on it will by evapotranspiration should dry out the plant material- but it will stress the plant slightly- the more leaves the more water lost. Again it depends on what your doing with what plant- some plants will weep more, some will just bleed and bleed depending on how sappy the growth is- I think you'll want a mature-ish material for the root stock and a &quot;as fresh as possible bud&quot;- I would take a large amount of material with you, so giving yourself as many buds for grafting as possible(keeping them well hydrated in a plastic bag during the journey)and with some luck and practice, plus &quot;a lot of goes&quot; you should have some success- it will also need you to do some home work on time of year this should be done- as the plant material will need time to heal- and also have a look at a sharp knife and techniques available to use- the most obvious isn't always the best way. And most importantly keep everything really clean! an infection can ruin everything! hope it helps and good luck.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T16:00:19.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35180" CreationDate="2017-08-26T16:13:01.797" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Broccoli like any brassica is very hardy- so not much warmth is needed- about 10 to 15c and lots of light when they emerge, place next to a window still and turn them 180 every day- I wouldn't keep them indoors for no more than 5 days and start to harden off to go outside straight away, the jiffy pots you've got them in will show you when to plant up or pop into new pots 3-4inch ones when the roots start to show through the bottoms and possibly the sides too- plant outside about 9 to 12 inches apart depending on variety and net to keep the birds away- water and feed every month the rest is easy. (the technical term for this is etiolation: the process of rapid growth, without the production of chlorophyll, that occurs in shoots kept in the dark. Etiolated shoots are long, thin and pale, and their leaves are very small.)hope it helps&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T16:13:01.797" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35208" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35155" CreationDate="2017-08-26T17:12:36.463" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would grow them like tomatoes, chose an organic sourced potting compost and mix with some home made compost- I like to put a dollop of manure in the lower half of the pot- think fairly big here- no smaller than 15 inch wide here and at least 12 inches deep or more- the bigger the pot the less you'll have to water it, feeds can come in a selection of types from shop bought to home made comfrey juice- use what ever is available, I like to use a seaweed liquid feed as it contains some of the micronutrients and avoids problems on the whole- I add a sprinkling of white wood ash when the fruit develops and let the sun do the rest. If you want to paranoid then chose organically grown seed, or a heritage variety to start off with and then take and use your own seed from there after- as long as your only growing one variety- bees have a knack of spreading pollen and genetic material all over the place- I would change variety every year and experiment with varieties and growing methods every year until you find one that works for you- hope it helps. I would also ask the local horticultural associations and neighbours for help too- do a search online might find a local source for the that organic material you might need later- (manures, compost etc)   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T17:12:36.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35209" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35203" CreationDate="2017-08-26T19:29:20.410" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not surprised your seeds aren't germinating and are going mouldy. Grape seeds need cold stratification in a refrigerator for about 3 months, and won't germinate fresh, placed on kitchen paper. Inserting the whole lot on kitchen paper, damp, into a plastic bag with lemon seeds is practically guaranteed to grow  fungus and prevent the lemon seeds germinating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lemon seeds germinate perfectly well planted straight into a pot with potting soil in it, but you need an organically grown lemon - seeds from non organic lemons often don't germinate at all. If its a lemon you've grown yourself without use of pesticides and the like, it should be fine. The seeds must be planted fresh, so cut a lemon, extract the seeds, scrape or remove all the flesh clinging to it, and insert into potting soil in a small pot or tray. Exact instructions here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/how-grow-your-own-lemon-tree-from-seed/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/how-grow-your-own-lemon-tree-from-seed/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grape seeds need different treatment - extract  the seeds from your grape, soak them in clean water for 24 hours. Strain and place them into a small container with some peat moss, put a lid on the container, and place in the refrigerator for three months. After this time, you'll need to plant them into trays in starter soil (seed and cutting compost, depending where you live) and keep them under a grow light for 16 hours a day. Another method of possible germination technique, along with step by step instructions for the method I've described, are here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hunker.com/13426892/how-to-grow-grapes-from-seed&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.hunker.com/13426892/how-to-grow-grapes-from-seed&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Grapes are not usually grown from seed by amateur gardeners because they do not come true, so you won't know what kind of grape you might end up with once its growing, but who knows, you might find a whole new variety that's good for eating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-26T19:34:57.563" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T19:34:57.563" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35210" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35211" CreationDate="2017-08-26T21:16:43.993" Score="5" ViewCount="11550" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a first time gardener so I'm not sure how this works - I may have picked my squash too soon, I also think I may have mixed squash together which would have made a hybrid (from my understanding).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qjqoS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qjqoS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will my squash ripen over time now that it's picked? I think it was suppose to be spaghetti squash. How do I know when it's time to pick?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19640" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T23:40:43.303" Title="Will my squash ripen off the vine?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35211" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35210" CreationDate="2017-08-26T22:07:56.133" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, most squash will ripen off the vine, so long as it's &lt;a href=&quot;https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/2906/2906-1344/2906-1344.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;relatively mature&lt;/a&gt; (i.e. the squash has begun to change color). This is especially true of pumpkin, &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1548034/will-butternut-squash-ripen-after-harvest&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;butternut&lt;/a&gt; squash and spaghetti squash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hunker.com/13427474/how-to-ripen-butternut-squash&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sunlight&lt;/a&gt; may help your squash ripen quicker.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19649" LastEditorUserId="19649" LastEditDate="2017-08-26T23:40:43.303" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T23:40:43.303" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35212" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32522" CreationDate="2017-08-26T22:13:02.060" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you've correctly surmised, this condition is caused by edema. Now, edema &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; be caused by overwatering, but it can also be caused by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/treating-edema-in-plants.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;high relative humidity coupled with a lack of sunlight&lt;/a&gt;. In other words, if your plants aren't drying out quickly enough, they may suffer from edema.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, if the soil surrounding your plants lacks potassium and calcium, you should consider fertilizing it, as a lack of one or both nutrients may encourage edema.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See what happens if you use less water when hydrating your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19649" LastActivityDate="2017-08-26T22:13:02.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35213" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30875" CreationDate="2017-08-27T00:16:36.453" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The brown spots are almost certainly the result of overwatering. Although you've been careful about watering too much, it's entirely possible that the lower part of the pot never dried out. This is especially true because the plant doesn't receive strong sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to check for overwatering is to take the plant out of pot and see if the soil near the bottom is still moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the problem is overwatering and you have a root-rot problem on your hands, you'll need to repot immediately (in a clay pot if you can help it) in soil that drains better, give the plant some sunlight and hope for the best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the record, these plants do seem to lose lower leaves as they grow upward, so don't be alarmed if a branch falls off occasionally. Best of luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19649" LastActivityDate="2017-08-27T00:16:36.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35214" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-27T05:32:21.467" Score="2" ViewCount="73" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Thanksgiving cactus (&lt;em&gt;Schlumbergera truncata&lt;/em&gt;) that I've had for maybe 5-6 years now. I recently picked up some &lt;a href=&quot;http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000ZOICVA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;Cactus Juice&quot;&lt;/a&gt; on sale in a local store, and was considering feeding it to my Thanksgiving cactus. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/christmas-cactus/christmas-cactus-fertilizer.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Some sites&lt;/a&gt; I've read said that I should feed it 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 fertilizer, but the Cactus juice is 1-7-6. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a somewhat gardening novice who only vaguely understands that those numbers have to do with the nitrogen/phosphorous/potassium content, will the Cactus Juice be a good fertilizer for my Christmas cactus? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19673" LastActivityDate="2017-08-27T15:38:26.527" Title="Will a Thanksgiving Cactus Be Ok with 1-7-6 fertilizer?" Tags="&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;holiday-cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35215" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35201" CreationDate="2017-08-27T08:07:05.110" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fruit split on pomegranates late in the season is a common problem. Some varieties are more prone to this than others, and many varieties will split open once over ripe, which is part of the natural process of a tree spreading its seeds. Pomegranates growing in arid regions which receive sudden exposure to plenty of rain at the ripening stage also tend to split open more frequently. Some growers recommend supplementing the soil with boron, but the commonest reasons they split are 1) fungal infection and 2) incorrect watering. Fungal infection sometimes shows itself on the tree with spots on leaves and some leaf loss, but it tends to affect the fruits primarily, causing fruit  split.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By far the biggest cause though, and one you can certainly do something about, is number 2, poor watering regime. You say your grandfather waters with half a bucket of water every two weeks, which certainly doesn't sound like enough water often enough during a two week period, particularly while fruits are growing. Pomegranates will split if you water irregularly, and will get fungal infection if the roots are kept too wet. which is why you read that drip irrigation is something to try. Drip irrigation will keep the soil damp, supply the fruits with sufficient water as they start to swell, yet prevent the roots from becoming waterlogged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can try something else though; once the tree has flowered and fruit  has set, when they're small, increase watering to every other day with half a bucket of water, and as temperatures climb and the fruits get larger, every day. A bucket of water is a nondescript term - I'm assuming the bucket holds, say 8 or 10 litres of water. The amount of water required will depend on the size of the tree and how much fruit it's carrying, so to some extent, it's an experiment to determine just how much water is the right amount. The trick is to keep the fruits regularly supplied with sufficient water - regularity is key.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information on fungal infection and watering here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/pomegranate/splitting-pomegranate-fruit.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/pomegranate/splitting-pomegranate-fruit.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-27T08:13:53.050" LastActivityDate="2017-08-27T08:13:53.050" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35214" CreationDate="2017-08-27T08:40:17.430" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It won't kill the plant, but it's not ideal for a Schlumbergia, which is a forest type cactus that flowers yearly. The Cactus Juice you bought appears to be formulated for most desert type cacti that grow slowly and flower occasionally, rather than one which grows a little faster and flowers regularly, so it's not a fertilizer I'd recommend for this particular plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-27T08:51:19.530" LastActivityDate="2017-08-27T08:51:19.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35217" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-27T10:44:57.857" Score="6" ViewCount="224" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I transplanted six box trees from my brother in law's garden. One of them, the biggest (see last image), turned completely yellow without losing a single leaf, so I cut it down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now another one of the trees is doing the same thing. I can't keep cutting them down because I would like to know how I can fix them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I already tried with pesticides for branch death (or whats that called in English?) and the typical boxtree moths.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't water them that often because they are in the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have three others that are in my chicken coop and those are doing great. The fourth one, though, is doing bad (first two pictures). I cut some of the yellow branches because they are dead anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I attached some pictures so you guys can see what's going on:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IWKQA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IWKQA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zuVHa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zuVHa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The image below is of the now-cut-down buxus tree. It turned completely yellow without losing a leaf. I guess that my other buxus plants are going in the same direction. You can also see the left buxus being in pretty good shape. This is the one that is now turning yellow/brown as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GFxkF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GFxkF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;To answer the questions in the comments:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I transplanted them near the end of the dormant  season. The trees were going to be thrown away so there was nothing to lose, i guess. I believe it was September or October last year. There were six of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pesticides were used based on a recommendation of the local store, so I did not use them willy nilly. I am a beginner gardener so I might be gullable, sure. The box moth, however, was clearly visible. The branch death was a guess by the store owner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I  water all my plants properly according to the weather. I was told that buxus trees and other trees in full ground don't really need that much watering unless there is a drought. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19674" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-05T12:50:50.907" LastActivityDate="2017-11-05T12:50:50.907" Title="Box tree turns bright yellow" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35219" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35260" CreationDate="2017-08-27T14:06:31.190" Score="7" ViewCount="418" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hP2ya.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hP2ya.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MlOif.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MlOif.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;My permaculture design garden is being taken over by horsetails and other common 'weeds'. I'm spending hours every day or two on weed control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I believe they are choking my fruit trees and bushes, and would like a solution to lower my time commitment while addressing the 'weeds' for good. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sheet mulching is the best solution I have found. Do you have any suggestions or advice as to the sheet mulching? Is this a bad time of year to apply it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19676" LastEditorUserId="30708" LastEditDate="2020-08-01T11:08:15.670" LastActivityDate="2020-08-06T10:31:07.253" Title="How can I help my permaculture garden that's being overpowered by weeds?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;permaculture&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35220" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35245" CreationDate="2017-08-27T15:14:21.557" Score="5" ViewCount="224" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to accomplish this DIY water technique for my pomegranate trees. &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/mEV65WTyxkU&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/mEV65WTyxkU&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to make those plastic bottles resistant to the sun as there is a lot of sun over here (35 - 40 degrees C). Well there may not be all day long direct sun light from the sun to the bottle but I want to make it last from the spring until Autumn&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I use Aluminium Foil around the bottle would it make it resistant to the sun? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19668" LastActivityDate="2017-08-29T15:22:27.497" Title="How to make a plastic bottle sun resistant for DIY watering irrigation" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;pomegranate&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35221" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35214" CreationDate="2017-08-27T15:38:26.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe so. I use &quot;starter&quot; 9 /45 / 15 on everything ( in moderation - no vegetables now) . Using the premise that the plant knows what it needs. My main Thanksgiving cactus is &gt; 20 years old. ( Branches fall off and root in other pots).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-08-27T15:38:26.527" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35222" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35219" CreationDate="2017-08-27T16:02:27.893" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is why permaculture materials usually prefer drawings to photographs, IMHO. Drawings are neat and tidy. Reality varies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can sheet mulch at any time. Horsetail will be with you for a while - it's a very persistent weed with deep roots. You might also try planting a smother crop like buckwheat (chop it before it seeds, or it becomes a weed itself.) But the reality is that persistent weeds are difficult to eradicate, or they would not be persistent weeds. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option is to lay plastic over the area and &quot;solarize&quot; it - this would obviously need to be worked around your tree and shrub plantings (you might plan on doing that for a year before any expansion of your garden area, after basic soils work and before planting.) Any tillage will bring up new weed seeds, of course, so it's not a panacea, and it does nothing to build the soil (unlike sheet mulching.) I suppose you could sheet mulch and then put plastic over that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-08-27T19:08:45.303" LastActivityDate="2017-08-27T19:08:45.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35199" CreationDate="2017-08-27T16:28:57.010" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Standard practice for bud sticks (used for budding/bud-grafting, cut with leaves on) is to cut the leaves but leave the leaf stem as a handle, precisely because the leaf will tend to dry the stick by transpiration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Scions for grafting are cut when dormant so they don't have any leaves anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some types of trees graft much better by one means than the other, others can be done either way, at different times of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both are also commonly transported with damp paper (often in a plastic bag as well) and preferably refrigerated (but not frozen.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-08-27T16:28:57.010" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35224" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35229" CreationDate="2017-08-27T16:48:04.897" Score="5" ViewCount="308" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this plant(dont know its exact name) and had spider mite. However after spraying it seemed ok. Today it felt somewhat soft. One of them came out without much force.&#xA;Is this a root rot? What can I do? I watered it with anti-fungal. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aoIau.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aoIau.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vGwVg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vGwVg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19678" LastActivityDate="2017-08-28T04:41:28.897" Title="Is this root rot?" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;rot&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35225" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-27T19:05:50.177" Score="6" ViewCount="304" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fpaxI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fpaxI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Comfrey, I think, in the garden&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I have some comfrey in the garden.  I am trying to work out whether it is white comfrey or another comfrey.  For white comfrey I have read: &quot;leaves are more rounded than in other comfreys and do not run down the stem.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the meaning of the phrase &quot;leaves do not run down the stem?&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17113" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-18T15:18:46.510" LastActivityDate="2017-11-18T15:18:46.510" Title="What is the meaning of &quot;leaves do not run down the stem&quot; when identifying plants?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35226" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35224" CreationDate="2017-08-27T19:16:07.360" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It does seem to me by the photos that it could be root rot, but really hard to say 100%.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best advice i can give you is to remove the plant from its pot and make sure you remove as much soil from the roots as possible, washing the roots gently is the best method for soil removeal. after replace the soil with fresh heathy uncontaminated soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;i have searched the internet and found this helpfull page for you from the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/disease/treating-root-rot-gardening-tips-for-housplants.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;gardening know how&lt;/a&gt; website.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck and post an update on your findings&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19615" LastEditorUserId="19615" LastEditDate="2017-08-27T19:26:14.767" LastActivityDate="2017-08-27T19:26:14.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35227" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35225" CreationDate="2017-08-27T20:24:29.050" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, thank you for bringing this up; Decurrent is a synonym of 'running down the stem'...I found the same site I think that you read this description. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decurrent&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Decurrent or running down the stem&lt;/a&gt;  I think this has to do with the awls or how the leaves attach to the stem.  They use wide flaps to wrap around the stem...I am still working this one out...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  John, I do believe your comfrey is White comfrey.  Sorry for not answering your question directly.  These plants readily make seed with Russian Comfrey and the progeny will stand taller.  I looked up Decurrent and wow, found stack exchange and my answer twice, within the first few inches of the search engine results.  I am not that happy with the definition but I think we get the idea. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are your plans with comfrey?  Looks like you are growing this in your lawn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-08-28T19:51:22.233" LastActivityDate="2017-08-28T19:51:22.233" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35229" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35224" CreationDate="2017-08-28T04:41:28.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the second picture shows the roots or what is left of them you bet this is root rot.  You plant looks healthy, new leaves as well.  Except for the root rot bit.  Did that come out of the same pot/plant?  I would transplant that plant into fresh potting soil after bleaching/cleaning the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much water.  Don't allow the plant to sit in a water filled saucer.  Don't water unless the pot/soil/plant feels light when you pick it up.  Your other plant looks like a complete goner.  Sorry.  Too much water will kill plants.  Too much fertilizer will kill plants. Too much light will kill plants.  Too much love meant for humans will kill plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are these plants in potting soil?  Did you happen to put gravel below the soil above the drain holes?  That makes drainage worse than no drain hole.  Raise the bottoms of your pots off the surface with bits of tile to get air beneath the pot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would transplant both plants in fresh potting soil, moisten the soil, feel the heft of those pots while moist and only water when those pots are light.  You'll easily feel the difference. We can talk about fertilizer later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-28T04:41:28.897" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35230" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35234" CreationDate="2017-08-28T14:01:09.427" Score="12" ViewCount="3811" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my third try in having a basil that lives more than a month and I've been rather successful with my last try. But now, for some unknown reason to me, it's dying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are many pictures of what I have gathered and my comments to help you understand and, hopefully, help me understand and overcome this situation. I've found many basil related questions on this site already but they didn't seem to have the same symptoms (most of the time, basil was being eaten by something, mine seems to not lose matter, but to rot instead).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gNhy7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gNhy7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stages of rotting&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image 1 : These are the stages of the process. From left to right, healthy to dead. The last one is completely dry and often falls off just by barely touching the branch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lYL9X.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lYL9X.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Basil from above&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Image 2 : I've had to cut leaves regularly as they became more and more infected, and cutting infected leaves seemed to slow down the infestation of the remaining leaves. All of them seem infested now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it happened from bottom to top, since only the top leaves are now alive, but they are also the last ones to have been growing so I don't know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can also see in the background I'm using a fertilizer to help nourish the plant, as the last two basils I've had died, I'm just trying to boost my chances.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;==== Here are some close up shots to help you gather more information ===&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i6mFj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i6mFj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FeOTL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FeOTL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aFXno.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aFXno.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wqras.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wqras.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9nhmw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9nhmw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;======= End of close up shots ======&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xFLP5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xFLP5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Height picture&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;This image should help you grasp the size of the current plant. This is the largest basil I've ever grown, I think becauseI started in May and not because I'm a &quot;good gardener&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;And now the most important bit and maybe what I should've started with&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ybbtr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ybbtr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CRpNJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CRpNJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;These white crawling insects are all over my plant.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They do not seem to grow.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They don't seem hairy.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They're about 1.5mm long, but I've eyeballed it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can find them inside/under leaves, and that's about it. I've seen them in the dirt but I think its just from the leaves falling. They're now on my table from all the dead leaves I've removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also found a very small spider, I have no idea if she's related either. I'm hoping she's enjoying all the food, but I don't think she can eat all those bastards alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Okay, I know taht's a lot of pictures, most of them are probably all irrelevant, but since I have no clue I'm trying to provide as much information as I can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, also, I live in Belgium, summers are not really hot here but there can be 10° (celsius) differences in a single day. The plant is inside, always watered from the bottom. That window right next to it is pretty much always open, and the plant is exposed to direct sunlight about 1h or 2 at least every sunny day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please ask me for more information if you need it. I'm not sure what I can do for my next basil since this one will probably be dead in the next few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19685" LastEditorUserId="19685" LastEditDate="2017-08-28T14:25:52.320" LastActivityDate="2017-08-28T20:39:13.763" Title="My basil is &quot;rotting&quot;, here's all the clues I have gathered" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;parasites&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35231" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35233" CreationDate="2017-08-28T14:14:03.410" Score="4" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend is doing some remodeling in his house and he realized that he could easily redirect and store some of the greywater from the kitchen and bathroom to the garden. Either using it immediately or storing it for later use.&#xA;Can this water be used directly or does it need some filtering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="12001" LastActivityDate="2017-08-29T15:41:59.390" Title="Can I safely store and/or use greywater in my garden?" Tags="&lt;greywater&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35233" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35231" CreationDate="2017-08-28T14:23:55.453" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can use grey water on the garden, but storing it is not a good idea without strong chemical treatments. It  contains bacteria, so if you're going to use it, it needs to be immediate. There are lots of Q &amp;amp; As on this subject on the site already, but more information on why it isn't particularly environmentally friendly to store grey water here &lt;a href=&quot;http://info.cat.org.uk/questions/water-and-sewage/can-i-store-and-use-grey-water-my-bathroom-and-sinks/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://info.cat.org.uk/questions/water-and-sewage/can-i-store-and-use-grey-water-my-bathroom-and-sinks/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-08-28T14:23:55.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35230" CreationDate="2017-08-28T14:29:05.333" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a heavy whitefly aphid infestation - they're usually  underneath the leaves and suck the sap within, causing the leaf to shrivel and die. You can't treat with pesticide because it's an edible plant, so your only recourse is something like neem or insecticidal soap spray, I'm afraid. Further information on how to deal with whitefly on edible plants here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/kill-whitefly-basil-plants-killing-plant-40658.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/kill-whitefly-basil-plants-killing-plant-40658.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-08-28T14:29:05.333" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35235" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35238" CreationDate="2017-08-28T15:30:20.753" Score="4" ViewCount="873" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine has seen this plant in a cemetery in Romania, zone 6b, and wants to know its name.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3UPdA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3UPdA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N5mWj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N5mWj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DbrnG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DbrnG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-08-29T06:24:22.933" Title="Identification of shrub with variegated leaves and white flowers" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35237" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35230" CreationDate="2017-08-28T19:59:34.903" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaf damage you are seeing is almost certainly thrips feeding damage, though it does not look much like the first reference here.  For your next plant, you may want to replace the soil and clean the pot well (thrips can survive in soil).  These may provide some places to start looking for a solution that will work for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mtvernon.wsu.edu/path_team/basil.htm#thrips&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://mtvernon.wsu.edu/path_team/basil.htm#thrips&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7429.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7429.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19688" LastActivityDate="2017-08-28T19:59:34.903" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35235" CreationDate="2017-08-28T20:07:46.040" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_marginata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Euphorbia marginata&lt;/a&gt; from the same family as Poinsettia, possibly the variety 'Kilimanjaro' as Bamboo says. It is a weird white one with variegated leaves and bracts, as can be seen &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.pinterest.com/pin/118641771407856022/?lp=true&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;in this photo&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-29T06:24:22.933" LastActivityDate="2017-08-29T06:24:22.933" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35239" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35230" CreationDate="2017-08-28T20:39:13.763" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got major insect infestations and a beat up plant.  I would sadly get rid of that plant and the soil.  Disinfect the pot with a bit of bleach.  Get another basil plant and use only potting soil.  A little Osmocote  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would try THAI BASIL.  Knock you down dead with the flavor and smell!  I dried mine filling 3 gallon size ziplocs last season.  Working on growing more because we are out and no other basil is this good, my opinion of course!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-28T20:39:13.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35240" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="164" CreationDate="2017-08-28T22:34:59.557" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it depends a lot on your climate and soil. If you live somewhere temperate like near the coast in Washington where blackberries commonly grow wild, I'm guessing they'll grow like weeds right away. I could be wrong about them growing like weeds right away in those areas, but that's the impression I get.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my garden, which has a more clay-type soil, lots of summer heat, lots of sun, and a semi-arid climate, blackberries are prone to looking stunted for the first year or two after the transplant, and then they take off and grow plenty of fruit thereafter. It seems like it takes them a while to get used to the heat, the semi-ardidity, and/or the clay-type soil—but, get used to it they do. They can be hard to get rid of once they're established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I doubt your blackberries are dead, especially if they look healthy, although it is possible. Transplant success rates with blackberries aren't 100%, from what I've seen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might try looking for more heat tolerant varieties, which possibly might be less likely to be stunted in heat the first couple years. I've heard of a couple varieties that do particularly well in the heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure what southwestern Pennsylvania is like with heat, but the clay in the soil might be the issue if the heat and drought aren't (sounds like drought isn't the issue). Like others, though, I do recommend a soil test. We haven't had ours tested, yet; so, it could just have pH issues or something. However, if you're patient, you can likely still grow blackberries in it without doing anything too special.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can tell you that there does seem to be zinc deficiency in at least some of our soil, though. Zinc deficiency can stunt plants, as can other deficiencies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-08-28T22:50:39.693" LastActivityDate="2017-08-28T22:50:39.693" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35241" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13912" CreationDate="2017-08-29T00:39:14.200" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It can be done. Make the first cut high and the second where you want it to be, and cut in a different pattern the second time. You will cut faster, believe it or not, and the clippings will disperse nicely and evenly. They will also disappear faster and do your lawn some good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19691" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-08-29T06:17:11.590" LastActivityDate="2017-08-29T06:17:11.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35242" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32849" CreationDate="2017-08-29T02:20:22.063" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are correct, this is not a professional or appropriate pruning job by any stretch.  You can't take that opinion to court, but a certified arborist perhaps could.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One good pruning guideline is to remove no more than a third of the foliage in any one year.  (Pollarding is an exception, but is quite a specific way to prune a highly domesticated tree, and one that requires annual maintenance.)  Another useful and relevant pruning guideline that was broken is to cut branches only at junctions, not mid-stem.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The branches that may eventually sprout from the blunt cuts will never have strong attachments to the trunk.  When I see trees that have been &quot;topped&quot; as these have, the analogy of the tree being relegated to a wheelchair for the rest of its life comes to mind.  With the possible exception of especially young and vigorous plants, this kind of damage can't ever entirely be undone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18091" LastActivityDate="2017-08-29T02:20:22.063" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35243" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-29T05:40:39.850" Score="6" ViewCount="407" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x63KJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo for Identification&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hi, I think I just bought a mammillaria cactus. What is the subspecies and how do I care for it best? What colour flowers to expect? What should I do with the fruits sticking out (propagation instructions)? Will the plant's spikes change over time (e.g. Will it grow central spikes, change colour, etc.)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19693" LastActivityDate="2018-03-19T04:17:26.557" Title="Identity and give care instructions for mammillaria cactus" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35243" CreationDate="2017-08-29T13:27:55.907" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It might be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/CACTI/Family/Cactaceae/9246/Mammillaria_lasiacantha_subs._magallanii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mammillaria lasiacantha&lt;/a&gt; subs. magallanii. They originate from Mexico, and are slow growers. Put them in well drained soil, and water them only when soil feels dry again. They prefer bright light (direct sunlight), and can't handle frost too much. Detailed care instructions are in the link.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-08-29T14:06:40.517" LastActivityDate="2017-08-29T14:06:40.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35245" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35220" CreationDate="2017-08-29T15:22:27.497" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you are over thinking this since plastic bottles are a disposable item you can replace as needed.  Though using this DIY recipe, you could save tape by running the stake through the top of the plastic side of the bottle.  There are also irrigation bottle spike-lids that are reuseable and would save you a lot of tape and aggravation, see the image.  I just put a pin hole(s) in the bottom of a bottle and set it down and loosen the cap, no fuss, and no muss; then you can use a milk jug.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UV is not your only problem and wasting tinfoil to save a disposable item seems, well wasteful.  I suggest painting the outside of the container with acrylic or enamel spray paint; we do this for the recycle material hydroponic systems we've built.  That way you might get 2 or 3 seasons out of it, barring the heat you are dealing with.  If you are in urban environment ozone is going to be a big issue too, and the paint will help against that too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the tree is in a container, which I assume, watering every day is probably unavoidable.  If it is in a container and you have it in a 30-40 degree location that is harsh for a young tree and one or two mistakes on your part might kill it.  If it is movable, I urge you to place it someplace where it gets shade at noon or in the afternoon, or erect shade cloth over it.  You are not doing yourself a favor keeping it in such a hot place since plant metabolic function shut down at such high temperatures.  I picture that you are keeping this tree on a roof with 12 full suns and no respite if I am wrong sorry, a picture of the plant's location would rock.  Some blogs discuss how to mitigate the harsh environments of roofs.  Also, if your plant is in a container that has so much water running through the plant/pot, you are going to have to think up a fertilization scheme soon.  I know this is beyond the scope of your question, but I am anticipating your next problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is in the ground, it is better to water deep a couple of times a week after the tree is established (years two onward).  But giving it drip watering is good for the first year, it will expand it root system in the more temperate winter and spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this is helpful to you if you post a picture of the tree and the system you build that would be much appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2017-08-29T15:22:27.497" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35246" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35231" CreationDate="2017-08-29T15:41:59.390" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Though Bamboo is correct that graywater storage can become odiferous and messy, that is not the end of the story.  There are underground storage systems for graywater and in ground systems that have plant treating the water and so that what you use in the garden is not sludge.  Your system just needs to remove nitrogen fast enough before the bacteria get at it.  The problem with these systems is that the usually the metabolic of the cleaning plants can't keep up with the supply once winter hits; so you end up with a mixed system using sewage system in winter and graywater system solution for the rest of year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Local and state/provincial governments often don't have statutes to deal with graywater, but you should poke around for laws in your area, I advise you to do this on the quiet.  All statutes are online typically so research should be easy and private.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen graywater systems in the Yucatan that were marvelous, but they have warm weather all year around.  Here in Massachusets, there is a green house based sewage based system that is fascinating and is used in rest stops in Vermont and by corporations.  A graywater system simply needs to remove &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2017-08-29T15:41:59.390" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35247" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33890" CreationDate="2017-08-29T17:55:53.667" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hello: I have lots of hydrangea in my gardens and this issue was fascinating to me. The bottom photo is absolutely a lacecap flower, not a mophead, so I did some research and found this on ask.extension.org&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Hydrangeas are usually propagated by cuttings so the only way they would change from mophead would be via mutation and it would be unusual for several bushes to change at the same time and all of the bushes to completely change. If you had a grafted plant that would be more likely to revert if the top were killed by cold/disease etc. then the understock could be lacecap. Soil pH and fertility shouldn't affect bloom formation but without seeing the blooms it wouldn't hurt to have a soil test done and see how you can improve the health of your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19697" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-08-30T07:06:58.740" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T07:06:58.740" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35248" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35243" CreationDate="2017-08-29T19:27:45.403" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can say for certain that this is NOT M. lasiascantha. I have owned many in the past and this isn't one. M. lasiascantha is very compact and it is difficult to see any green through the spines. The pectinate spines are similar, but not nearly dense enough. Here are pictures of &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Mammillaria&amp;amp;species=magallanii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;M. magallanii&lt;/a&gt;. It's been elevated to species rather than a subspecies or variant of M. lasiascantha. (depending on who you listen to)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably a M. baumii or related (M. spherica). If it has a yellow flower it is probably M. baumii or one of the other Dolichothele species. If not, let us know. Here are some pictures of &lt;a href=&quot;http://cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Mammillaria&amp;amp;species=baumii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;M. baumii&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Besides the spines your plant has rounded, flabby tubercles which is a key feature of the Dolichothele group. (M. longimamma, M. spherica, etc)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;M. lasiascantha is somewhat rare in collections, you won't find one in a big box store. Did you buy this from a specialty cactus seller?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nice plant!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastEditorUserId="18283" LastEditDate="2017-08-29T19:39:33.413" LastActivityDate="2017-08-29T19:39:33.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35243" CreationDate="2017-08-29T19:39:03.010" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry I skipped right over your other questions. If it's M. baumii it will have yellow, very light citrus-scented flowers. Generally in the spring, sometimes in the fall (fewer flowers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can sow the seeds, I have had good luck with Dolichotheles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's a pretty standard cactus, care-wise. Give it as much sun as you can, water it when it's dry, feed it occasionally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending on where you live (I'm in Arizona) keep it away from frost in the winter. They go somewhat dormant in the winter, but given enough sun and warmth it will grow slowly in the winter. During the warm months it grows fairly quickly if you keep it watered. If the tubercles get wrinkled it's past time to water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a matter of personal style I put small gravel on the soil (top dressing) to keep moisture in. And I generally plant them higher in the pot, meaning where the body and roots meet should be within half an inch of the rim of the pot. Again, not required, but I like them that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another tip, if you live somewhere cold and wet you may consider putting it in an unglazed terra cotta pot. This helps it shed moisture. These soft-bodied Mammillaria are more prone to rotting than other species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-08-29T19:39:03.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35250" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-29T19:52:50.797" Score="3" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this?   It had blue or purple flowers in early summer&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vKlyZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vKlyZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17113" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-08-29T20:06:54.440" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T18:26:36.023" Title="What are these plants?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35250" CreationDate="2017-08-29T22:16:48.450" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the assumption the leaves are rough and unpleasant to handle, it's Pentaglottis sempervirens, common name green alkanet, a common perennial 'weed' in the UK, and difficult to dig out or eradicate (because of its deep, yet fragile roots) once established. Image and info here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plant-database/viewplants/?plant=371#.WaXnZyrTXo4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Green Alkanet (Alkanet, Evergreen Bugloss) &lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-08-30T11:44:53.733" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T11:44:53.733" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35252" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35261" CreationDate="2017-08-30T12:23:10.273" Score="4" ViewCount="199" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anybody identify this cactus?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears to me to be something between &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/10815/i-Mammillaria-elongata-i/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mammillaria elongata&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=2459&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cleistocactus strausii&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; - but small, each column at most a long finger, and narrower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S8qKK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S8qKK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It died some time ago, which obviously doesn't help in identifying it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19622" LastEditorUserId="19622" LastEditDate="2017-08-30T12:35:31.500" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T15:47:37.223" Title="Identify this dead cactus - like a cleistocactus strausii, but super-dwarf?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35175" CreationDate="2017-08-30T13:11:20.840" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As mentioned above I've also read that cayenne pepper spray will deter raccoons.  In addition, perhaps you can determine the reason for the visit in the first place.  Make sure trash cans have secure lids, rinse out the trash can if it gets dirty to remove any food odors, don't put trash out at night, clean up food debris from yard like fallen berries and tree fruit, pet food, bird feeder seeds.  Raccoons have even been known to hunt fish from fish ponds.  The goal here is to reduce the reasons for raccoons to visit in the first place which would be food and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Possibly, and especially because you are seeing a lot of raccoon poop they may be nesting in your yard.  Check around your roof, the sides of buildings, in trees, down logs, freshly dug holes for a nest.  Raccoons don't always use nesting material so they can be difficult to spot.  Check out google images for some ideas of what to look for.  If you find any signs of nesting in your house/attic/roof I would remove immediately. Personally, if I found nests elsewhere on the property I would let the young fledge before removing any nesting material or filling in holes to discourage nesting the next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T13:11:20.840" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35254" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35166" CreationDate="2017-08-30T13:24:24.870" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Shredded bark or wood mulch is a good choice especially if it has a mixture of sizes.  These pieces can tangle and hold each other down.  Hardwoods tend to be heavier and stay in place better than softwoods.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are using any fabric or plastic under the mulch this will create a flat surface which the mulch can slide off easily.  Instead use layers of mulch to reduce weeds.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edging with a material that is several inches high like wood, stone or bricks can create a barrier that will hold mulch where it belongs.  You can also create a small trench that will capture mulch so it can be raked back onto the bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be labor intensive but if your slope is extreme perhaps you could use terraces to create flat beds instead of sloped beds.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T13:24:24.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35255" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35259" CreationDate="2017-08-30T13:28:15.097" Score="3" ViewCount="282" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help me to identify these pretty plants!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZswRz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZswRz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19676" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-08-30T14:01:26.137" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T15:29:15.127" Title="Need help identifying these plants, please!" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35255" CreationDate="2017-08-30T14:32:22.127" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The three leaved plant (which I'm assuming you're asking about) looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifolium_repens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Trifolium repens&lt;/a&gt; (white clover).  Its an herbaceous perennial that grows where there a lack of nitrogen, and if often found in lawns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T14:32:22.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35257" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35184" CreationDate="2017-08-30T14:54:21.847" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;So my best guess is it is an English Rose called &quot;Heritage.&quot; This is a beauty and knew I had seen it before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Heritage rose is one of the most attractive flowers from the English roses family with it's a classic-cup shaped rose. It's unique among the rose family, because of its near perfect shape of the heritage rose. Heritage rose is also renowned for its light color and fragrance with its gorgeous light pink coloration. Also, the heritage roses spread a pleasant, lemon fragrance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Heritage Rose – Additional Info&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rose Type - English Rose&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Flower Size - Average diameter of 3.5 inches.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Blooming period - Summer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Growth Type - Shrub Rose&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sub Type English Musk Hybrid&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Flower Color - light pink&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fragrance Strength - Very Strong Fragrance&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Flowering - Repeat Flowering&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Disease Resistance - Poor&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Zones - 5-10&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Blossom type - Fully double, up to 40 petals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note:  That there are a couple versions of the &quot;Heritage&quot; rose, so be careful when buying it; breeders are tricky.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T14:54:21.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34993" CreationDate="2017-08-30T15:09:53.487" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm still working on my tomato disease ID skills but based on your picture your leaf looks like it has early blight.  Here is a stack exchange answer that gives great info on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13580/tomatoes-what-is-the-difference-between-early-blight-and-late-blight&quot;&gt;early vs. late blight&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;http://blogs.cornell.edu/livegpath/gallery/tomato/early-blight/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Early blight&lt;/a&gt; usually presents bulls-eye rings with a yellowing around each lesion.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://blogs.cornell.edu/livegpath/gallery/tomato/tomato-late-blight/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Late blight&lt;/a&gt; looks like patches of brown leaves sometimes with visible fuzzy growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main difference from a tomato growing perspective is that early blight you can control somewhat and even have a successful tomato harvest. Early blight does not affect the tomato itself but will damage leaves, flowers, and stems. Late blight, on the other hand, will cause rot spots on the tomatoes themselves and can quickly kill the entire plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The advice for early blight is to remove all infected leaves and then create a baking soda spray which you spray on the top and bottom of leaves until dripping once per week. The solution creates an alkaline environment which is the wrong pH for the fungus to survive. It's even better if you use this before blight begins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;3 Tbsp baking soda&#xA;1 Gallon water&#xA;1 Tbsp vegetable oil to help the spray stick&#xA;2 drops dish soap to emulsify all ingredients&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For late blight you can also try to control with baking soda spray, but because it affects the tomatoes and can quickly kill the whole plant, removal is advisable. Crop rotation can help so that spores don't build up in the soil. Remember, don't add any infected leaves to your compost bin because spores can remain and infect plants again the following year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm currently growing about 20 tomato plants in a community garden where I have no real control over soil diseases. Everyone in the garden has blight, and I'm pretty sure I have both early and late. My tomatoes are still growing vigorously and producing more tomatoes than I can eat. I don't plan on removing until they stop producing tomatoes. Next year I'll start spraying with baking soda from week 1 instead of waiting for blight to develop.  Even so I expect I will get blight again.  I say this to demonstrate that although living with blight is not ideal I don't believe you need to pull out all your plants right away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T15:09:53.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35259" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35255" CreationDate="2017-08-30T15:15:02.983" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant with white/rose flowers is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygonum_aviculare&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Polygonum aviculare&lt;/a&gt; (common knotgrass). Usually considered weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally I would say Capsella bursa-pastoris, for the leaves behind, but I'm not sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2017-08-30T15:29:15.127" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T15:29:15.127" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35219" CreationDate="2017-08-30T15:25:50.713" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Now that I see the photo, I think you should trim the plants, before they produce seeds. It takes time (as long period), but it is simpler than taking every plant apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would in any case remove the larger weeds manually, as soon as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weed killer could also help, e.g. with a total reset of garden, but I would use as last resort, but maybe you can do it for one part of tour garden this year, an other part next year, etc. But remember to remove seeding weeds regularly.  This should reduce the pressure of weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should also research your garden. What weed in what part, so that you can better design your garden (plants who requires wet, sun, shadow, sand, rich soil, ..). Weeds are good indicators.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T15:25:50.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35261" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35252" CreationDate="2017-08-30T15:47:37.223" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mammillaria elongata, your first guess was spot on! Other than being dead, it looks ok...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T15:47:37.223" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35262" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35268" CreationDate="2017-08-30T16:31:24.720" Score="4" ViewCount="821" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to grow a Black Pine Bonsai tree. I noticed that there were a number of seeds that looked different in the bag of the Black Pine seeds that I got, but I put them in the soil anyway with the Black Pine seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I attached a photo of the seedling and the seed that it grew from. Can you help me identify whether this seedling is a Black Pine, and if it isn’t, what are the other seeds that I found?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qnDyg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mysterious Seed&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GgBGR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mysterious Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CwzuL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another Picture of Mysterious Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:&#xA;I now realize that the seedling is not a Black Pine, but can you help me identify what it really is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DWwSI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another Picture of the Mysterious Seed&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19703" LastEditorUserId="19703" LastEditDate="2017-08-30T19:40:46.797" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T20:14:46.400" Title="Is this seedling a Black Pine which I can use to grow a Black Pine Bonsai tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="12" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35263" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35262" CreationDate="2017-08-30T16:45:46.113" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This definitely do not look like a pine tree seedling. Here is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://bonsaitonight.com/2016/08/17/grow-japanese-black-pine-seed/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;good reference for what you intend to do&lt;/a&gt;, at least for the germination part. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is how seeds look like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/seWSE.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/seWSE.png&quot; alt=&quot;black pine seeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And how seedlings will look like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bLlk8.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bLlk8.png&quot; alt=&quot;black pine seedlings&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T16:45:46.113" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35217" CreationDate="2017-08-30T18:30:23.107" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's one of two things. Either it's drowned or it could be box blight. Cylindrocladium blight, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.invasive.org/collections/viewcollection.cfm?ser=72265&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pseudonectria rousseliana&lt;/a&gt;, is very nasty. It's best to destroy and not replant. It's possible that the plants were mistreated before you bought them, or possibly when the plants were transplanted did you damage the roots too? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I still stand by my second idea-box blight, it's really becoming a major pain over here in blighty! I see it more and more often! It's a fungus that spells doom and gloom for all the box in ones garden! If there are black spots on its leaves and stem and it's totally dead right down to the base of the plant, best dig it up and burn it! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know it's the worst thing to hear, but hopefully I'm wrong and the other plants show no signs at all. You could replace it with something similar other than box. It's worth looking around the internet to see pictures which compare with your own, to help you make a choice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/plant-these-hardy-boxwood-varieties-to-avoid-boxwood-blight&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/a&gt; shows some types that are resistant against boxwood blight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="1999" LastEditDate="2017-09-24T14:43:13.333" LastActivityDate="2017-09-24T14:43:13.333" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35266" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35179" CreationDate="2017-08-30T18:52:54.653" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oedema? caused by slightly too wet atmospheric conditions? this ones stumped me but there is something quite like this found on Pelargoniums and Peperomia. the only way to get rid of this is to start again with fresh plants? I've also found something very similar on apples too  again caused by overwatering? Perhaps this is a physiological problem rather than a pest/fungal problem?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T18:52:54.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35262" CreationDate="2017-08-30T19:31:04.993" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's the seed of an Eryngium, but I can't tell which one! Do you have sea hollies growing near? Are there any blue spikey plants nearby, which are about waist high and flowering right now?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have loads coming up everywhere and when I disturb the seed heads that is what I get scattered everywhere! I looked online too and I have to say the pictures I've found are really poor quality, I'm 99% sure that's what it is. I have been wrong before, but I see these seeds every week, and sweep them up in their thousands. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only other thing is to let it grow and see what the first true leaf is? Then you can ask the same question again on here and see what happens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T20:14:46.400" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T20:14:46.400" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35262" CreationDate="2017-08-30T19:56:38.653" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's usual to stratify Black Pine seeds (by soaking in water for 24 hours) then extract the seeds and give them cold for around 60 days, as described here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/seed-stratification-technique-japanese-black-pine-49002.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Seed Stratification Technique for the Japanese Black Pine&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems your instructions said to sow them straightaway, and it's not clear how long you had the seeds in the packet, or where you got them from, but the likelihood is, they do need soaking and cold before they will germinate. I don't know how long they've been sitting in that soil, nor how wet it is, but it might be sensible to pick out some of the seeds, and carry out the procedure described in the link above, so that if the ones you've sown don't grow, with luck, the ones you rescue do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the different seed that's germinated, I don't recognise it as a seed, but it should be possible to identify it once it's started putting out true leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T12:37:55.430" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T12:37:55.430" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35269" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35272" CreationDate="2017-08-30T20:09:11.700" Score="5" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for the right variety of grass which would thrive in a pot in a well lit living room and in an open balcony. Two different types, one indoor and one outdoor will be fine, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My main requirement is considerable height when full grown - something between 50 and 80 cm (20&quot; to 35&quot;). A big and deep pot is no problem, it would even be welcome. I'd love if the indoor variety would keep its greens all year round. There would be no problem moving the outdoor pots indoors off season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the house we keep the temperature around 22°C, we live in central Europe, so the summer temperatures outdoors oscillate between 10°C on cold nights and sometimes more than 30°C on hot summer afternoons. Winter gets us sometimes well below zero. The balcony is exposed to some wind, but there are plenty of possibilites to limit its impact through various screens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something like this, but in a pot:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aXwQG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aXwQG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Decorative grass&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there is anything to add, I'll happiy edit that in, just drop a comment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19706" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-06T13:05:50.850" LastActivityDate="2018-04-06T13:05:50.850" Title="What's a good variety of decorative grass for indoors and balcony?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35270" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-30T21:53:02.197" Score="5" ViewCount="96" Body="&lt;p&gt;This daisy popped up wild. It has narrow white petals and a yellow center. The local deer don't like it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's located in the central California coast. The ground is dry, rocky and semi-shaded. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What daisy is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sC2x9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sC2x9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;wild daisy&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19707" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T00:34:09.597" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T00:03:32.887" Title="What is this daisy with narrow white petals and a yellow center, that the local deer won't eat?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35270" CreationDate="2017-08-30T22:56:29.367" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a Shasta Daisy. Deer resistant.  No plant is truly is deer proof.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://successfulgardens.com/2010/05/20/perennial-of-the-week-shasta-daisy/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;shasta daisy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T22:56:29.367" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35272" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35269" CreationDate="2017-08-30T23:09:15.973" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My ID would be Miscanthus gracillimus.  Maiden grass, I always thought it was maidenhair grass.  Eulalia is also another name for the genus.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/eulalia-grass-miscanthus-sinensis-gracillimus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;miscanthus gracillimus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The balcony would be just fine.  This guy needs lots of light and indoors just won't work unless you add artificial lighting.  Use large pots, great drainage and always when planting in pots, use sterilized potting soil.  Osmocote extended release fertilizer.  Great privacy...cut it back to a foot in the spring.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T23:09:15.973" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35273" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35262" CreationDate="2017-08-30T23:25:25.773" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are saying you got these seeds in a kit?  That they were labeled Black Pine?  I wish they had given you better instructions.  One never plants seeds in Bonsai Pots.  There probably isn't even a hole on the bottom?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your soil is way too wet.  You will probably get root rot or rot of some kind before this seedling is able to get much older.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seeds need to be prepared for their individual needs.  Some need paper towels and moisture, others need refrigerated, some need to be blasted with flame.  You've actually got one growing!  I would get a tiny peat pot not more that 2&quot; by 2&quot;, fill with potting soil and using a spoon transplant this guy into a small pot where it won't be affected by too much water.  No drainage and then no root mass to suck up water is a death knell for that plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bad instructions!  I am sorry.  You still have ONE that is viable. Keep a bit moist but NOT SOGGY.  Allow it to dry before watering.  Use distilled water, not tap water.  Hopefully you are able to find distilled water without fluoride.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potting soil, small tiny peat pot for now, and what are you using for light?  It needs light now and your seedling should start looking like this picture I am sending.  Fertilize only when it gets 4&quot; high.  Not now.  If you use Osmocote you won't have to fertilize again until you transplant or up pot your seedling.  Use very little!  A pinch until you get to a 6&quot; pot then go by the directions and only do half of what the instructions tell you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ptbertram.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/003b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Black Pine Seedling&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-30T23:25:25.773" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35275" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33037" CreationDate="2017-08-31T07:50:38.873" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the Netherlands bulbs are very popular. If you choose different plant bulbs, and put them together in a pot, the one will bloom after the other. The earliest bloomers are for instance &lt;em&gt;Galanthus nivalis&lt;/em&gt; (Sneeuwklokje), and the &lt;em&gt;Crocus&lt;/em&gt; can be very early as well. As early as January/February, it depends on the winter (it can freeze as well, 0 °C as a minimum is not what I experience). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After &lt;em&gt;Crocus&lt;/em&gt;, Daffodils (&lt;em&gt;Narcissus&lt;/em&gt;), and Tulips will bloom, and so on. I am not sure how well your Dutch is, but here is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://zaaikalender.com/bloembollen-planten/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bulb calendar&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T07:50:38.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35276" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-31T12:24:34.407" Score="2" ViewCount="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently I came across &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.groasis.com/en/products/reforest-the-globe-with-efficient-water-use-and-a-high-survival-rate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Groasis Growboxx&lt;/a&gt;, a biodegradable coccoon that ensures maximum survival rate, and less water being used for their nurturing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U6Bjy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U6Bjy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This was tested in Urulikanchan, Pune, India. The model was working fine, but the only problem that was concerning was the termites. The biodegradable substance was eaten up by the termites. Is there any other alternative which keeps the termites away and yet is biodegradable?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15977" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T12:24:34.407" Title="Biodegradable material that keeps the termites away" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35277" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-31T13:15:09.343" Score="3" ViewCount="22" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a young horse chestnut tree in the garden, about twelve feet tall.  Most of the leaves are discoloured by leaf miner.  Can I do anything?   I am in London UK.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17113" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T14:15:54.633" Title="Can I do anything about horse chestnut leaf miner?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35278" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35277" CreationDate="2017-08-31T13:49:42.227" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm afraid there is no treatment at all - as I write this (here in London, UK), I look out the window at a 40 foot horse chestnut in the gardens here which is dropping brown leaves all over the place, backed up by an avenue of horse chestnut in the local park, some half a mile away, which even from this distance, I can see is in the same state. This has happened every year for at least ten years - some years, the trees look okay up till August, other years they look bad by July.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Forestry Commission advises that collecting fallen leaves, particularly during autumn, helps to reduce the infection next year, but frankly, though the leaves are collected weekly here, never left on the ground for longer than 7 days, it makes no apparent difference that I can see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a couple of varieties of horse chestnut which are less affected, and these are mentioned here  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=533&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=533&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-08-31T14:15:54.633" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T14:15:54.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34632" CreationDate="2017-08-31T15:47:52.967" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The seller ID was wrong. This is an intergeneric hybrid between Gasteria and Aloe. I think this is x Gasteraloe 'Green Gold'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/173537/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aloe kilifiensis&lt;/a&gt; has a very different form, as a low, wide rosette. It has a wider, longer leaf and is a more robust plant, as well as being considered 'stemless'. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T15:47:52.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35280" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34074" CreationDate="2017-08-31T16:02:55.287" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This appears to be the centifolia or moss rose &lt;a href=&quot;https://garden.org/plants/view/594/Rose-Rosa-Anais-Segalas/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;'Anais Segalas'&lt;/a&gt;. A beautiful rose from the mid 1800's.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ipdtc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ipdtc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-01T17:47:19.697" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T17:47:19.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35281" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33167" CreationDate="2017-08-31T16:18:14.817" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This appears to be Mexican Petunia (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruellia_simplex&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ruellia simplex&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;). Should eventually have small, blue/purple petunia-like trumpet shaped flowers. The plant I have pictured has not been grown in desert climates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wq6D3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wq6D3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-01T17:50:41.627" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T17:50:41.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35282" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24549" CreationDate="2017-08-31T16:23:16.107" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a Petunia x hybrida. It Must have germinated from a petunia that went to seed in the mix earlier. If you give it daylight it should bloom, although it might not be the most attractive form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T16:23:16.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35283" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34297" CreationDate="2017-08-31T16:30:56.810" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is an Opuntia, and the new growth is badly &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14667/what-is-etiolation&quot;&gt;etiolated&lt;/a&gt;. It will never fill out to become a proper pad. You can remove it at the base and even use it as propagation material). The base will grow out again, but this time make sure it gets at least 6 hours of afternoon sun daily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T16:30:56.810" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27396" CreationDate="2017-08-31T16:36:43.867" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are both monocots, but Agave seedlings would have opened out quickly after emerging. They are much slower seedlings.  This must be your palm seedlings. They are looking great, good job! Make sure you give them very bright light, but not full sun for a while. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Palm seedlings: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HMmJH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HMmJH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Agave seedlings:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qg17E.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qg17E.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-01T17:57:20.750" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T17:57:20.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33568" CreationDate="2017-08-31T16:44:35.437" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is Spear Head (&lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/202135/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Senecio kleiniiformis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;). Yours is beautiful, and looks like it gets just enough light! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HJJ7g.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HJJ7g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-01T17:58:46.700" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T17:58:46.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35286" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35191" CreationDate="2017-08-31T17:03:38.537" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Put a valve at your hydrant, so that you can turn on the hose/sprinkler  after walking back to your source. It's the easiest way if you aren't looking for a permanent sprinkler system install.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L1FgB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L1FgB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T17:03:38.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35287" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-31T17:42:34.797" Score="4" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a fairly extensive home auto setup at our home. Included is a Netatmo Rain Gauge. All APIed to our RaspberryPi running openhab.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the parameters we are able to pull from the api is accumulated rain within 24 hours, in mm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rather then relying on Rachios (we use their sprinkler IP bridge) &quot;app&quot; to schedule watering, I would rather roll our own and have more control over when the sprinklers go off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not sure in mm what is considered a 'sufficient' watering for our grass. I understand this can vary, but I have no idea what a starting point would even be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19711" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T07:52:40.180" Title="How much accumulated rain within 24 hours is considered a &quot;normal&quot; watering for grass?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;rain&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35288" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34121" CreationDate="2017-08-31T18:12:02.877" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a young &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellebore&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;helleborus (Lenten Rose)&lt;/a&gt;. If the conditions are off, they can take a very long time to settle in. Probably a seedling. In zone 6b PA, they are evergreen and old leaves don't die back until new ones have formed. If you want to grow them, transplant to a shady, well drained spot with high organic matter levels, and keep it watered. They are nitrogen suckers but too much can cause them to lodge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/58EP3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/58EP3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-01T17:59:55.170" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T17:59:55.170" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29262" CreationDate="2017-08-31T18:18:16.803" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That appears to be &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacopa_monnieri&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;waterhyssop, &lt;em&gt;Bacopa monnieri&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It is a medicinal herb of warm climate wetlands. Makes sense that it was growing in poorly drained soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photo courtesy of Wikipedia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L4KyM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L4KyM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T18:18:16.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33546" CreationDate="2017-08-31T18:30:30.213" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriope_spicata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Liriope spicata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; or creeping lilyturf. It differs from the big blue lilyturf (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriope_muscari&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Liriope muscari&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) in that is forms a smaller, less dense clump of foliage, and quickly sends out underground stolons, especially in soft soil. The flowers are similar but slightly more inconspicuous. It will eventually fill in to become a solid carpet, as pictured below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eYhxK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eYhxK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T18:30:30.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35291" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-08-31T18:48:34.790" Score="8" ViewCount="117" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8GIVe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;The test came back pH a tiny bit to low but the sodium, sulfur, potassium and phosphorus are way to high. Manganese to low. We are square foot gardening. Raised beds. Made. Mel's. Mix with 1/3 Vermiculite 1/3 peat and 1/3 Eko compost(which comes from yard waste through the city. ANY ONE  have any ideas on how to get things a little  more balanced?  Would lime help at all? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19712" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T22:40:20.677" Title="Soil test came back. I need help" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35292" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33519" CreationDate="2017-08-31T19:02:44.913" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This appears to be a healthy &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erigeron_canadensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;horseweed (&lt;em&gt;Erigeron canadensis&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;. A noxious, roundup resistant, drought resistant annual weed. They can produce over a million wind dispersed seeds per plant, and the seeds can persist in the soil for a long time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mxrwl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mxrwl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/902Ms.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/902Ms.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T19:02:44.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35176" CreationDate="2017-08-31T19:12:12.093" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As mentioned in the comments, that's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_(plant)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dracaena&lt;/a&gt;. Notice how the leaf scars are far closer spaced on the wide area. this is explained by a change in the growing environment during that time (likely increased light), causing closer leaf spacing and a more robust stem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not caused by the stem widening after hardening. To see more of this effect, try to move it to very bright light for a few months, then back to a lower light level for a while. When the leaves shed, you will notice patterns on the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T19:12:12.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35294" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26858" CreationDate="2017-08-31T20:20:51.480" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the Brisbane Box (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lophostemon_confertus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lophostemon confertus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;). The flowers threw me off for a bit. The flowers on yours are about done blooming. It's native to Australia, but is cultivated elsewhere. I'm not sure if it's a bronze bug host.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/At5tS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/At5tS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BvEUn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BvEUn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HNFB0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HNFB0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T20:20:51.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35295" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35179" CreationDate="2017-08-31T20:53:58.727" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just an anecdotal answer - I saw some birds (jays) pecking at this succulent, and it left a very similar shaped indentation after they dried. I did not see insects on the plants but that may be what the birds were after. they weren't plucking leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U6bLw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U6bLw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T20:53:58.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35291" CreationDate="2017-08-31T22:12:11.460" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Go get some sterilized potting soil (without added fertilizer or water holding sponges/gels) and redo your planter.  Potting soil is almost always in the proper pH zone neutral to a bit acidic.  I am so glad you did a soil test!!  How big is your garden?  Please, a picture.  Perhaps there is too much soil necessary to replace for your raised beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, lime would help! Then I would add a simple balanced fertilizer next year that is lower in Nitrogen than the P and the K.  Do you have a way to test pH on your own?  Have you added any fertilizer?  What is the drainage like for your raised beds? Raised beds are almost pots and should be treated like potted artificial ecosystems.  I am assuming these are out of doors.  Tell us more about the construction of these beds!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good for you to get a soil test!  I am impressed!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-08-31T22:12:11.460" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35297" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35562" CreationDate="2017-09-01T00:01:39.357" Score="4" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;OK, so I was gifted with an everbearing raspberry vine. I noticed this on the top of one of my healthy primocanes (I say healthy because I had to prune an unhealthy cane recently). I cannot tell if this is leaves or if it may be putting out some raspberries, or something else. You may have to look closely. Look where my fingers are; some &quot;nodules&quot; are above them and they appear to be in a cluster. They are very tiny right now. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/94RNI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;![my everbearing raspberry is up to something&quot;&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/94RNI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19542" LastActivityDate="2017-09-20T23:27:57.183" Title="What is this cluster?" Tags="&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35270" CreationDate="2017-09-01T00:03:32.887" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's what it looks like to me. It looks just like a Shasta daisy I once had.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19542" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T00:03:32.887" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34748" CreationDate="2017-09-01T02:47:30.627" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That appears to be  &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scadoxus_membranaceous&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Scadoxus membranaceus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a bulbous plant from South Africa. Yours has a longer leaf stalk than I am used to seeing. Here's a comparison pic:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OnDR9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OnDR9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They require a temperature over 40 degrees Fahrenheit at all times. It should be planted in highly organic, well drained soil, and watered regularly during the summer, and kept moderately dry during winter. Try not to disturb the bulb once planted. If a leaf or flower stall shrivels, it can be removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-01T02:54:04.927" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T02:54:04.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35300" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35184" CreationDate="2017-09-01T04:19:00.497" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would also like to know about the bush itself-do the canes arch and are they thin compared to a hybrid tea rose? It looks like either Heritage or Ann Boelyn to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19542" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T04:19:00.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35301" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35186" CreationDate="2017-09-01T04:30:25.787" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just a thought. Could you not mix the two preemergents and test them in an inconspicuous area?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not crazy about the use of preemergents, either. As a matter of fact, I prefer to use natural products as much as possible. I have a few fruits that I wish to keep AWAY from pesticides and chemical weed killers. I only use them in one of two scenarios. One would be if the weeds were just too thick and invasive, and the other would be if I had tried natural means and they just didn't work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19542" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T04:30:25.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35302" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35291" CreationDate="2017-09-01T06:07:24.630" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not currently an expert on soil science. However, it looks like adding extra lime (for calcium and to raise the pH) and especially manganese should help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Low manganese is probably going to be an even worse problem after you add calcium/lime, since manganese is less available in more alkaline soil and more available in acidic soil. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;url=http://corn.agronomy.wisc.edu/Management/pdfs/a2526.pdf&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwi9p6WFoIPWAhVD1WMKHY7aAW8QFggsMAE&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNGvigmUiqUbEXB3mAIGlNICpUrsXw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;You'll want to use manganese sulfate instead of manganese EDTA, as the other may make it even less available&lt;/a&gt;. However, your sulfur is high; I'm not sure if manganese sulfate will be a problem there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think that the bar graph may tell you availability, and not the soil content, exactly (maybe I'm wrong). So, what I would recommend is correcting your soil pH first, and then doing another soil test, and see how the availability of the other nutrients changes. Changing the pH will change the availability of different minerals (whether for better or worse depends, but if you're correcting your pH, it's usually for the better).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, that high boron concerns me (more than the sodium). I wonder what caused it. If that doesn't go away after correcting the pH, you may need to do something to help wash it (and the sodium) out, provided you have water that isn't high in boron.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding lime should help with your sulfur problem, I'm guessing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blacksmith37's idea of adding nothing to the soil &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be the best option. If you do that, you might try growing anything that will grow in it (including weeds) for a season or two and seeing if they use up much of the high nutrients. Mixing other soil into it may also help, if you have enough. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex3303&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's a list of more sodium-tolerant plants.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;url=http://soiltesting.tamu.edu/publications/Salinityspecies.pdf&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwiYhryihoXWAhUP7GMKHSIFCAgQFggnMAE&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFJpHdVBx4DquB2gJLpuB8Gy6t3Yw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's a PDF about plants that are sensitive and tolerant to boron.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have soft water or such, you'll want to stop watering with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-09-01T22:40:20.677" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T22:40:20.677" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35303" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35287" CreationDate="2017-09-01T07:52:40.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends a lot about the type (species) in your grass. I estimate that there is more than a factor 20 between ideal dry grass and ideal wet grass.  Unfortunately being above 3-5 time the ideal value could ruin your grass. But probably you have drainage, so possibly it is less sensitive to overwatering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I would change approach. Try (maybe looking at the raining per day &lt;em&gt;on&lt;/em&gt; raining days), and decreasing the value a lot. When grass start turning yellowish, you should increase water (no changes? look fertilizers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A would stay on the lower part or watering, to force better roots (assuming you want green grass and walking in it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The influencing factors:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;evaporation from leaves (so sun, temperature [at soil] and humidity).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grass species (but it is indirect from first point)&#xA;and in minor manner:&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mow grass (just after mowing), non-sharp blades&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grass grow (seasonal)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil (e.g. sand)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T07:52:40.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34469" CreationDate="2017-09-01T08:19:53.623" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;For problem no.1, you are right, leggy stems means insufficient light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Problem no. 2, curly leaves: because of inconsistent watering schedule. In general, potted plants need frequent small quantities of water. If they receive infrequent watering, the venation and the rest of the leaf develop at different speed, resulting in curling. In case of changing the watering schedule to make it more frequent and with less water, affected leaves won't turn back to normal, but new leaves will be ok.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Problem no. 3, small discoloring towards yellow color on leaves: because the plant doesn't have optimal conditions (light and water), its leaves age more rapidly. If the leaves at the base are expected to turn yellow over time, the upper leaves age more rapidly because they are curled. Already affected leaves will not turn back to normal, but new leaves will be ok - like at problem no.2.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T08:19:53.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35305" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35308" CreationDate="2017-09-01T08:52:07.550" Score="3" ViewCount="194" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have taken a cutting from a large cactus, and it seems to propagate well. I was wondering what species it is? Does anyone know? Thank you in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MQ8Ld.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MQ8Ld.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T15:48:30.103" Title="What species cactus is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35306" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-01T12:55:49.173" Score="8" ViewCount="5183" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are my first lotus plants and I dont know much about them. I have grown them from seeds. Roots are in a container filled with soil,organic compost and gravel. This pot is inside a big container filled with water. Also its a rainy season here with temp ranging between 25 degree celsius to 30 degree celsius.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From couple of days leaves started to rot. Is this normal behaviour for lotus? Or i am doing something wrong ? How frequently i should change water in the container? I last changed it around 4-5 days back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UNQTz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UNQTz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kmfmu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kmfmu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UZOit.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UZOit.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/92rkk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/92rkk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2818" LastActivityDate="2021-05-15T13:35:11.583" Title="Lotus leaves dying" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35307" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-01T13:02:18.157" Score="4" ViewCount="187" Body="&lt;p&gt;We just bought a rams horn willow from a local farmers market. We have been told that they can grow up to 25 plus feet. We were also told by keeping it in a pot it will stay small and ornamental, which we prefer. Id it's about 8 feet tall now in a half whiskey barrel . How do we proceed to help it bush out more. What and when to prune and how often would be helpful. Thanks &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19714" LastActivityDate="2017-09-03T23:04:04.587" Title="How to prune our willow" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35308" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35305" CreationDate="2017-09-01T15:48:30.103" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think that's a Euphorbia, not a cactus. Similar to E. grandicornis. The tell is that the thorns aren't coming from an areole, they're growing from the edge of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All cactus are succulents, not all succulents are cactus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully, a Euphorbia expert will chime in with an ID.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T15:48:30.103" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35309" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16338" CreationDate="2017-09-01T15:54:37.503" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be a pumpkin plant or some kind of squash, but to me it looks a lot like a pumpkin plant that sprouted a little while back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19715" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T15:54:37.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35310" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33664" CreationDate="2017-09-01T16:46:21.137" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This appears to be &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corydalis_yanhusuo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Corydalis yanhusuo&lt;/a&gt;. A flower would confirm. not native to the area it was collected, but as a commercialized plant that is not unusual. Compounds from the plant are used in medicine. Flower color ranges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/izb9l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/izb9l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T16:46:21.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35291" CreationDate="2017-09-01T17:03:11.490" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say; don;t do anything, especially stop putting on fertilizer ( N P K ).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T17:03:11.490" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35307" CreationDate="2017-09-01T17:25:32.860" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry to say that, assuming you mean Salix babylonica 'crispa', common name Rams Horn Willow, its ultimate height and spread is around 12 metres or 40 feet, with a spread of about half that height. Even with rigorous and hard spring pruning, it is not going to be happy in a pot ongoing; if your tree already lacks bushiness, its likely the roots are cramped and this is reflected in poor topgrowth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prune it back hard in spring, see how it does. If you're able to add a photo of the plant, it will be easier to tell whether its growing well or if its suffering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T17:25:32.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35313" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33865" CreationDate="2017-09-01T17:30:07.827" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The two white flowered ones are Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, and the pink one in the middle is a pot Chrysanthemum. Unfortunately, this display is only meant to be temporary - the shallowness of the pot they're in means they won't continue to look good ongoing. Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is a houseplant in many areas of the world, anywhere that gets frosty winters; the pot Chrysanthemum can be moved into a larger pot or into the ground, but when it grows next year, it will be much, much taller.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T17:30:07.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35314" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34297" CreationDate="2017-09-01T17:42:51.417" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It &lt;em&gt;almost&lt;/em&gt; looks like a piece of Austrocylindropuntia subulata grafted to some other Opuntia. The &quot;leaflets/spine sheaths&quot; are pretty unique to A. subulata, not a normal Opuntia thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Especially when you consider that the Tephrocactus articulata inerminis (the pine cone looking things) in the same pot look like they get plenty of sun. And the plant in the pot behind doesn't look sun-deprived either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question: was this green thing on this plant when you got it? Has it always been in this spot or did you just move it there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T17:42:51.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35315" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33635" CreationDate="2017-09-01T17:43:32.463" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The closest I can think of is &lt;em&gt;Veratrum&lt;/em&gt;. It seems to be less ribbed than &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veratrum_viride&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Veratrum viride&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (pictured below). In any case, Veratrum species are generally pretty toxic, so I'd recommend not eating it.  If your plant flowers, and look different to the flowers I've included here, please let me know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I2swC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I2swC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EjZRa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EjZRa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-09-01T17:43:32.463" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35316" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-01T19:14:41.540" Score="3" ViewCount="110" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got 3 pumpkin plants growing and they're pretty huge and producing.&#xA;The white fungus is pretty bad so I'm using a suggested spray, and I hope it works.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The spray is 1 tablespoon each of baking powder and vegetable oil per gallon of water.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Will the spray kill the flowers?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Can I safely spray on the main trunk going into the ground?&#xA;(The leaves around trunk have got it.)&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/10Ga5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gPUY3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;It is powdery mildew. &#xA;Pretty sure its so bad because the plant is growing over grass creating the perfect dark damp environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19718" LastEditorUserId="19718" LastEditDate="2017-09-04T15:29:15.427" LastActivityDate="2017-11-07T20:45:56.137" Title="How do I use a suggested spray for white fungus on my pumpkin plants?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35317" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35319" CreationDate="2017-09-01T22:15:28.497" Score="5" ViewCount="4654" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in Zone 7a, right on the edge of 7b and I had the sudden urge to grow a pumpkin.  Obviously its Sep 1st and winter is coming but I'm wondering if it is possible to grow my own pumpkin (even a tiny one) by Halloween.  This gives me 59 days if I can get the seed in tomorrow.  I'm thinking I would do an overnight seed soak to get things going as soon as possible.  I'd appreciate any advice on quick growing varieties or boosting growth speed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T00:18:21.697" Title="Quickest pumpkin variety and advice on fast growth" Tags="&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35318" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35321" CreationDate="2017-09-01T23:09:01.883" Score="3" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F7sgP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F7sgP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have this ivy growing, but would like to know the exact species. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19720" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T22:25:32.693" Title="What is the name of this ivy?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35319" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35317" CreationDate="2017-09-01T23:46:41.790" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think 70-day pumpkins are the earliest you're going to find. If you don't care if they're ripe, you might try it anyway. If you do some light carving on the skin after the fruit gets to a desirable size, before harvest, it might ripen faster (I've read that damaged fruits tend to ripen faster, and it seems to be true). Fruits with blossom end rot ripen faster, too. &lt;a href=&quot;http://sandhillpreservation.com/catalog/squash.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Idaho Gem is a 70-day variety.&lt;/a&gt; Most others are much, much later (even the super early ones). You could, however, grow summer squash. There's a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.seedsnow.com/products/squash-round-zucchini&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;45-day round zucchini that might look something like a pumpkin to some&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.superseeds.com/products/eightball-zucchini-f1-hybrid-35-days&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Eightball F1 zucchini is 35 days.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, even early varieties aren't always early in every garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming you actually could grow the fruit by Halloween, your main problem is probably going to be the time it takes for your seeds to arrive if you don't find them in a store. Sand Hill Preservation (who has Idaho Gem) can take a while (you need to mail them a check). However, if you live near them, maybe stop by and ask if you can buy seeds. They seem to be located in Calamus, Iowa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Burpee sells Eightball F1 zucchini (and Walmart carries Burpee seeds). They might have it in stock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry I wasn't more help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-09-02T00:18:21.697" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T00:18:21.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35320" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-01T23:51:26.447" Score="4" ViewCount="154" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6L9Cl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6L9Cl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please help with identification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19720" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T04:00:35.817" Title="Is this succulent coppertone?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35321" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35318" CreationDate="2017-09-01T23:58:42.797" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is Hedera helix 'sagittifolia', see the image below: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xDV9b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xDV9b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hedera helix &amp;#39;SAGITTIFOLIA&amp;#39;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.havlis.cz/karta_en.php?kytkaid=509&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hedera helix 'SAGITTIFOLIA'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's hardy down to USDA zone 6 outdoors, but you're obviously growing it as a houseplant - it's a relatively slow growing variety and doesn't need sun exposure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-09-02T22:25:32.693" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T22:25:32.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35322" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35326" CreationDate="2017-09-02T01:57:15.497" Score="5" ViewCount="708" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying something a bit new. I wanted to try germinating peach pits that I could grow as bonsai trees, and I understand the pits need to go through a period of cold stratification of 90-120 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had a small container(small plastic takeout container) that I cut drainage holes into. I filled it with some peat, and watered thoroughly. I let most of the water drain out until the peat was moist, and sowed the peach pits, which were scrubbed and left alone for a bit, and put the container into the fridge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's been about a month now, and I got a bit curious on how they were progressing, so I took a look into the container, and saw that the seeds had some blue/green fuzz on them. My first guess that this is mold and that I should throw the whole thing out, but I wanted to get another opinion, and some advice on how I should proceed or where I went wrong. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I'm trying to germinate some Bing Cherry seeds(getting into the habit of trying to sprout anything I can get my hands on), and if the peaches do in fact have mold, and need to be thrown out, should I throw these out also?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PaLJK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PaLJK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NDInn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NDInn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18214" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-09-02T07:06:10.707" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T12:44:13.360" Title="Blue/Green fuzz on Peach Pits" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35324" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35320" CreationDate="2017-09-02T04:00:35.817" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It LOOKS like it might be a young succulent coppertone, but most of the ones I'm seeing are very vibrant, like this one:&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.etsy.com/listing/151032001/succulent-plant-coppertone-stonecrop&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;succulent coppertone&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19542" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T04:00:35.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35325" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33920" CreationDate="2017-09-02T05:22:28.577" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pPwpB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pPwpB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;The plant I had the question about had very small blooms on it in July, although it could have been late June.  At that point I still didn't know what it was, but now (September 1, 2017) it has small berries, still green, but at least one is beginning to show some purple.  I am very certain that I now know the Genus of this bush. It is Callicarpa, a beautyberry bush.  It is either Callicarpa dichotoma or Callicarpa japonica, I think dichotoma.  I will take another picture when the berries are purple, as long as I am allowed to answer my question a second time.  Here is a nice three and a half minute description of the species at YouTube:  &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/1d_-qKL_Z1s&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/1d_-qKL_Z1s&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Once I take the picture of the ripened berries I will pull this shrub out.  I tend to use native plants.  I have Callicarpa americana in the garden, a U. S. Native.  It's leaves and berries are larger.  The bush is larger also, but I cut it down to about 1 or 2 feet in late winter or early spring.  Then it grows to about 5 feet by the end of the growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As noted above, I've identified this plant.  At least I know the Genus.  It is Callicarpa.  The berries are what tipped me off. Though the flowers I remember seemed smaller and green, not purple or lilac, as I see in pictures of Callicarpa dichotoma flowers.  I wish now that I had taken a picture of the blooms.  Perhaps I will cut it down to the ground, rather than pull it out, after I take pictures of the berries, which will be turning from green to purple soon.  That way I can have another opportunity to see the blooms.  Certainly it was transported to the yard after a bird ate a berry elsewhere.  I suspect either an American Robin or a Gray Catbird made the contribution, both species frequent the yard often.  Where the bird found the berry it swallowed I'm not sure.  Catbirds migrate south in Winter and return in summer.  Robins, in winter, seem to just shift their location to wherever they can find berries.  I know berries are in a bush when I see Robins flocked and active in certain shrubs or trees, especially in fall, winter and early spring.  It seems the bush must be in the area.  The seed likely did not remain in the bird's belly for very long, perhaps a day or two at most?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17901" LastEditorUserId="17901" LastEditDate="2017-09-04T20:17:33.497" LastActivityDate="2017-09-04T20:17:33.497" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35326" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35322" CreationDate="2017-09-02T07:06:46.880" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can throw away the peach pits because they have mold. If the cherry pits are the same, throw them also. As for recommendations on how to optimize the process next time:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PEACH&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first thing to keep in mind is that early fruiting peach trees have immature embrios that will die before germinating. This is why you have to make sure you got the pit from a late fruiting peach tree. I don't know what varieties are available where you live, but if I were you I would take the pit from fruit bought at the end of the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pit in your photo shows mold in the sunken areas where most likely some parts of the fruit kept being attached, so next time try to scrub the pit with sand using a brush so that the risk of mold is minimized. After you consider it cleaned, rinse 5 times. After rinsing, you can prepare a 10% salt solution and test the pit. If it sinks, the embrio is viable, if it floats - you can discard it. If it is viable, rinse well the pit in order to eliminate the salt from its surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Place the pit on a slightly moist substrate made of sand, perlite and peat in equal parts. If you don't want to add fungicide from time to time, make the mix only from sand and perlite. It's not sufficient to drain the water from the mix because there can be too much humidity even when water is not flowing out anymore. That's why you can wet the mixture with only a little water in another pot that has no drainage, and when you consider it evenly wet you can move it to the box with drainage holes where you want to keep the pit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe different varieties or climate lead to a 90-120 days of stratification, I don't know, but where I live, stratification lasts for 150 days and starts in september after harvesting the fruit. The temperature should be 4-8°C for the first three months and 2-4°C for the rest of the period. After stratification the pit needs 18-20°C to germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CHERRY&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cherry pits need 160 days of stratification at the same temperature as peach ones. The good part is that you don't have to worry about immature embrios.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-09-02T12:44:13.360" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T12:44:13.360" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35327" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35328" CreationDate="2017-09-02T09:14:11.973" Score="5" ViewCount="1256" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what this big caterpillar is? It is bright yellow with kind of geometrical triangular grey strips on the back, and also black points. It is huge for the region: 5 to 7 centimetres long and maybe 1 centimetre large!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I never saw this in the region, for the 40 years I've been living here (East France, 600m altitude, hardiness zone ~7).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found it at the bottom of a &lt;a href=&quot;/questions/tagged/boxwood&quot; class=&quot;post-tag&quot; title=&quot;show questions tagged &amp;#39;boxwood&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;tag&quot;&gt;boxwood&lt;/a&gt; I had to completely cut. (due to an attack of another newcomer insect, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cydalima_perspectalis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;box tree moth&lt;/a&gt; ). Now is that one going to start attack other plants in my yard? I think there ain't many there yet, since I saw it only once last week (end August).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's the beast (you can click to enlarge, a little scary).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xwVJk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xwVJk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;big caterpillar with grey triangular strips&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZE7Om.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZE7Om.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;big caterpillar with grey triangular strips&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/954hP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/954hP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;big caterpillar with grey triangular strips&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Google image search is not of much help (yet;):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.fr/search?tbs=sbi:AMhZZit7_1LB8o9ufJr6AHpksGO4gG_1mDG6ektBNPBjafhgzrzE8rYHqgC3aP263ngnA6HEk1EeUyHIg7lxFboTKspURhy6YZBW5cSyK2HueV6OcqEeWmIYFEBcFEnRmPncYIRjnFxsrObAArbAxcFvjpoMUZWxOp44QQpPcqid7vaeelKAtWzyNNSax7UfG5_1ua1Wvw2j42xzWJriVsINwQdkvGXYjtK-E9R_1sPxaatK9NmcYoNdLIvM19YC3ZfmlNB-rhnJ7DqZwYhjN-8ONfv7wA9-KDFFWAix4EI2yTB1QowWO8CjTc6kxmC71Eig2tQNJ-HyJDQKC5jDTsE4Nh0jeIs-vTyV6A&amp;amp;hl=fr&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;img1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.fr/search?tbs=sbi:AMhZZism8Nlwr408HWs7sH_1edTQ61HRTEEpFCJjnUkoOwWIrumH3vjgack4OblgUHHvW9T2wXGEu-CL2Z2vQ9IDf-pX_1aNnvLt8LdHDuWjugOfX-pdwp34NdfXMmk8wECI4_12vDak0PYqCgeH7bqS6AwnoEmOpKRqXviCku8XWQ0BezWlylBgBB_1Eh92j69OLjoRbqgG9ePgZ2b8G3DoVCVvPBechvtTTI0VrZ3d3PYjMiIbGqKzGvZV-pC5jO9cnJRnMOnvKLRocuY21eCiliZfLgRxju3uHv-AMHC8pF8QE7jB3e1q-ZxkwI7YHIwM1er-Gdlc5N4VXTvzqxbQqSlMwrQ4vunt6g&amp;amp;btnG=Recherche%20par%20image&amp;amp;hl=fr&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;img2: now a snake??&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.fr/search?tbs=sbi:AMhZZist3uqhcK7ROyc4uuyayV-cFMXu48tP4J72k_1PQupkcrCjq_1nbSey99Oa2Q0lw6ZbRLbG-5-7r3U_1offjNTFwOzUioJVwIHpYtB-rHRMPsgGsdRh4rTaCR2rx6dFI58Ks96rV3c74QexdQTCvKAf49kOG0ki1Sh2CQmwjZHcOgNpRpxTQX7TdV8XvCPxP_1zkRB2ZUXwvFZ0KxuXsGxSO1vmmZuXRZzsVhe0_14s7KcyTi3oAQCSgQRGNZXDneyC0CvBraDUJ6AGVjivWHR7N6WuLqYnR4T8Rl_1hTqG_1yfMhwZn-ct3V4GuPU-GJaX9Rg2qd4PLdjV0S4b3sYe3TIqwtyqcEJ8g&amp;amp;btnG=Recherche%20par%20image&amp;amp;hl=fr&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;img3: it went for some sort of cater...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T09:41:53.927" Title="What is this big caterpillar in my yard?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;boxwood&gt;&lt;caterpillar&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35328" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35327" CreationDate="2017-09-02T09:41:53.927" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's  one of the Hawk Moths, and I think its the larvae of the Death's Head Hawk Moth, Acherontia atropos. The markings on its back start out distinctly blue, but  turn to greyish silver over time, as it gets bigger. It has this little appendage that you can see in the picture, not unusual for hawk moth larvae &lt;a href=&quot;http://mentalfloss.com/article/57940/12-facts-about-deaths-head-hawkmoth&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://mentalfloss.com/article/57940/12-facts-about-deaths-head-hawkmoth&lt;/a&gt;. You really don't need to worry that it's going to decimate or destroy your entire garden - this one looks about ready to pupate anyway. We supposedly get these in Britain during the summer, but I've never seen one here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want more technical information and lots of images of both the adult moth and its larvae in various stages, see here &lt;a href=&quot;http://tpittaway.tripod.com/sphinx/a_atr.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://tpittaway.tripod.com/sphinx/a_atr.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T09:41:53.927" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35329" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3099" CreationDate="2017-09-02T11:22:31.663" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar-apple&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sugar-apple&lt;/a&gt; (Sitafal, the fruit of Annona squamosa), &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumeria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plumeria&lt;/a&gt; (Champa), &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butea_monosperma&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Butea monosperma&lt;/a&gt; (Palash, flame-of-the-forest), &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisal&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Agave sisalana&lt;/a&gt; (sisal), &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_sylvestris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Phoenix sylvestris&lt;/a&gt; (Khajuri, silver date palm), &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Nerium oleander&lt;/a&gt; (oleander), &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alstonia_scholaris&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Alstonia scholaris&lt;/a&gt; (saptaparni, blackboard tree).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19724" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-09-02T12:40:04.473" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T12:40:04.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35330" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="608" CreationDate="2017-09-02T15:16:44.413" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I rake 'em into a small enough to handle piles, and use my mower (mulcher), to break them down. I have found a lot of plants, spider plants, wondering jew, orchid cactus, etc, love it just as it is broken down. What I don't use for planting, I throw into either my compost bin, or fill up holes and stuff around the property.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19726" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T15:16:44.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35331" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="608" CreationDate="2017-09-02T17:17:14.043" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes you can use oak leaves as compost. Use your mower to suck them up into the bag then sprinkle the bag over area&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19727" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T17:17:14.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35332" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-02T17:31:57.663" Score="2" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am completely new at any kind of gardening and I just wanted to know if it was possible to cross a red rose bush and a white rose bush and have pink roses bloom. I'm not even sure if hybrid or breeding are the correct terms for what I'm asking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How and when would I transfer and re plant with another rose bush to make hybrid roses?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19727" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-09-04T18:20:21.610" LastActivityDate="2017-09-06T13:53:08.107" Title="Re-planting roses / create new hybrid" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;roses&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;hybrids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35333" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35372" CreationDate="2017-09-02T17:37:53.340" Score="7" ViewCount="2732" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/watermelon/sugar-baby-cultivation.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sugar baby&lt;/a&gt; watermelon plant. The leaves have a problem near the main stem coming out of the ground, and it's clearly traveling down each vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is yellowy brown and bumpy and covers the whole leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's causing it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zaasd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9FfeM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19718" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-09T14:55:27.560" LastActivityDate="2017-09-09T16:34:46.717" Title="What disease is causing yellow bumpy leaves to travel down my sugar baby watermelon plant?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;watermelon&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35334" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-02T17:40:05.640" Score="4" ViewCount="4224" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been growing this basil plant for a couple of months.  I started it from seed in a rockwool cube.  Here's its environment:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's under full spectrum lighting for ~15 hours per day, and I recently switched from a 35W fluorescent to a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.sunblasterlighting.com/our-products/grow-lighting/led-strip-lights/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;24W LED&lt;/a&gt;, both are designed for horticultural lighting.  No sunlight unfortunately.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's been growing in a well aerated deep water cultivation fed by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botanicare.com/Pure-Blend-Pro-Grow-3-2-4-P43.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Botanicare Pure Blend Pro (the Grow 3-2-4 formula)&lt;/a&gt; at about 5ml per liter of water, as the bottle suggests.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The nutrient solution has been completely replaced once, and that was a few weeks ago.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It's in an apartment that varies between 22C and 26C, and the nutrient solution reservoir seems to stay between 23C and 24C.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Relative humidity varies between 20% in the late afternoon and 80% in the morning.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The system's pH is currently just above 5 (tough to get accurate readings with tester drops), which is where I adjusted it to after changing the nutrient solution, so it's steady.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's the plant next to its cilantro neighbor:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fIdFD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fIdFD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cinnamon Basil Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's growing well, the leaves are fragrant and full, and I notice new growth every day.  Happy days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I've noticed some light spots on the leaves that don't look healthy to me:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZBMBm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZBMBm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;light spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UMo0s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UMo0s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;shiny dead spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The first picture shows small light spots, and the second picture shows small dead spots that are actually a bit reflective/shiny.&lt;/strong&gt;  The affected leaves otherwise appear healthy, with good color and not even slightly wilted.  Many leaves on the plant are affected, and the issue isn't localized in any one area of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've looked very, &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; closely at affected leaves, unaffected leaves, the stem, the growing substrate, the surrounding area - there are no visible insects crawling or flying or worming around.  I had a good look through some related threads (&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/34460/19327&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/20589/19327&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, and several others that weren't related enough to link to), and decided to actually dissect a couple of leaves to look for leaf miners.  But I saw nothing of the sort.  Even with a magnifying glass,  I saw no sign of anything alive.  Nothing that looked like &quot;trails&quot; of eaten leaf.  No bumps in the leaf or veins where they might be hanging out.  No dark spots or anything that looked like frass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What else could be causing those spots?  Does anything listed in the plant's environment look out of wack?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19327" LastEditorUserId="19327" LastEditDate="2017-09-02T20:05:51.607" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T20:55:09.867" Title="This basil plant has strange spots (almost shiny?) and I can't figure them out" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35335" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35334" CreationDate="2017-09-02T20:55:09.867" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;We'll need more information of course. This could be nutrient deficiency; a few likely suspects are; copper, calcium, manganese, boron or magnesium or...thrips or even a virus.  What is your pH?  That is critical for your system.  It should be 6.5.  Lower will cause problems as well as higher for uptake in your system. My initial feeling are thrips...tiny dudes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am glad you looked for leaf miners.  Do you have your air filtered? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is an excellent diagnosis link...it is for marijuana but I use it for everything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://howtogrowmarijuana.com/marijuana-symptoms/#Eutrophication&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;leaf symptoms&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T20:55:09.867" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35316" CreationDate="2017-09-02T21:20:11.860" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is irresponsible for us to advise any treatment at all until a decent ID is established.  'White Mold' could be as bad as Sclerotinia sclerotinorum or as simple as powdery mildew.  The former would mean getting rid of all plant material and never planting in that soil again.  Powdery mildew a 9:1 solution of milk and water works well.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send pictures and far more information such as where you live, your watering methods, are these melons growing out of doors I assume they are, what have to done to prepare beds, what have you added such as compost, fertilizer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T21:20:11.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35337" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35338" CreationDate="2017-09-02T23:18:24.567" Score="5" ViewCount="277" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife had a poinsettia on our balcony that died in a surprise frost while we were away. The empty pot stayed on our balcony for a while, and new sprouts gave her hope that it had managed to survive in the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But it soon developed leaves that were clearly not poinsettia. I took one look at them and thought they looked quite like traditional oak leaves, though I don’t see how that could have happened. Friends all concurred that they look like oak leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At this point, they look a little more pointy than the traditional knobby look, but still, pretty oak-like:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VYaCT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VYaCT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves that looks like oak&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, is this an oak tree? Any idea how it &lt;em&gt;got there&lt;/em&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is in Arlington, Virginia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13323" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T23:38:55.897" Title="Did we somehow accidentally plant an oak tree on our balcony?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35338" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35337" CreationDate="2017-09-02T23:38:55.897" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like an oak to me as well.  It's been a long time since I've done oak identification, so I'm not going to venture a guess as to species.  I will tell you that I find oaks growing in our garden frequently, and we don't have any oaks within 100 feet.  My guess would be a squirrel or bird stashed the acorn in your pot for later eating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-09-02T23:38:55.897" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35339" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35346" CreationDate="2017-09-02T23:42:33.907" Score="4" ViewCount="156" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EAHzu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to figure out what this plant is. Is this some type of dracaena? I appreciate the help &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19720" LastActivityDate="2017-09-03T09:43:26.303" Title="Is this a dracaena?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35340" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-03T02:04:22.620" Score="4" ViewCount="194" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted two pineapples a few months ago. One is thriving and the other is barely surviving. Should I wait and see if it rebounds or just mulch it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5rMHS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5rMHS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;healthy&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NXOXE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NXOXE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;not healthy&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15881" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-03T23:07:46.580" LastActivityDate="2017-09-03T23:07:46.580" Title="Why is one of my pineapple plants thriving and the other isn't?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;bromeliads&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35341" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35342" CreationDate="2017-09-03T04:08:03.403" Score="5" ViewCount="1176" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have these bugs in and around my yard:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JbPVZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JbPVZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is in Los Angeles. Are these harmful to plants, pets, or humans? I've found them on some of our plants (Salvia Lantana, Naga Peppers, etc.) I've even found a couple &quot;gettin' busy&quot; so they're pretty active.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19449" LastActivityDate="2017-09-03T06:20:32.563" Title="What is this black and red bug?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35342" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35341" CreationDate="2017-09-03T06:00:17.030" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Meet the &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugguide.net/node/view/460&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Small Milkweed Bug&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Lygaeus kalmii&lt;/em&gt;). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This little fellow is mostly harmless, unless you are a milkweed breeder. Its favorite food are milkweed seeds, but it won't be too picky about other seeds or sources of protein. In a balanced garden, they allow you to have milkweed for the butterflies without being overrun by it as weeds. (They will eat the occasional butterfly egg though, but also other insects.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are completely harmless for humans and only if you feel they are a nuisance or you can't tolerate the minimal feeding damage some intervention may be warranted - manually removing large clusters should suffice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More links: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/milkweed/milkweed-bug-control.htm/?print=1&amp;amp;loc=top&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/milkweed/milkweed-bug-control.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lygaeus_kalmii&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt; (available only in German, not English)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-09-03T06:17:55.137" LastActivityDate="2017-09-03T06:17:55.137" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35343" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35341" CreationDate="2017-09-03T06:01:37.970" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stink_bug_chinche_120eue.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Stink bug Chinche&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA; &lt;a href=&quot;http://bugguide.net/node/view/460&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Common Milkweed Bug or Small Milkweed Bug Lygaeus kalmii&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a stink bug.  Incredible insects but too many are a problem. How many do you see in a day?  They love milkweed and are able to decimate seeds.  That would be tough for a commercial producer of milkweed seed but I don't think that they would cause you any problems unless something is out of balance and their population got out of control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-09-03T06:20:32.563" LastActivityDate="2017-09-03T06:20:32.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35344" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35340" CreationDate="2017-09-03T06:34:37.473" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The second photo looks like a healthy plant that got eaten by an animal or run over with a lawn mower, not like a plant with a disease: purely mechanical damage of an otherwise healthy plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd just let it be and see if it has enough energy stored in the roots and enough remaining leaf mass to grow back - the worst thing to happen is that it doesn't. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, on the other hand, you had some kind of infection (which you don't), I'd recommend removing it to protect the other plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-09-03T06:34:37.473" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35345" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35347" CreationDate="2017-09-03T07:30:19.100" Score="4" ViewCount="446" Body="&lt;p&gt;As the title suggests, I'm currently germinating a bunch of lemon balm seeds in an egg carton. I heard they grew better uncovered so I didn't cover them, however, they seem to dry out rather quickly, so I was wondering if I could make a simple DIY self-watering system for such tender plants. I searched for hours on Youtube but found nothing that was suitable for small containers and plants.&#xA;I'd prefer:&#xA;-It doesn't drown and overwhelm the seeds&#xA;-It doesn't require a lot of materials.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hEnI5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hEnI5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;As shown below&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If possible, I'd want:&#xA;-A Video Tutorial perhaps?&#xA;-A step by step tutorial in words?&#xA;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17216" LastEditorUserId="17216" LastEditDate="2017-09-03T09:29:29.447" LastActivityDate="2018-02-16T07:09:21.737" Title="Automatic Watering System for VERY small pots and seedlings?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35346" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35339" CreationDate="2017-09-03T09:43:26.303" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes this looks very much like &lt;em&gt;Dracaena&lt;/em&gt;. I would say &lt;em&gt;Dracaena deremensis&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/grow-d-deremensis-at-home-1902752&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; is an overview for care instructions. They are not so difficult, watering too much is often the most tricky part (the tips of the leafs will become brown when watering too much).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-09-03T09:43:26.303" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35347" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35345" CreationDate="2017-09-03T10:40:35.780" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I usually do for seeds, and since they don't mind being overwhelmed with water (different thing when the plant has grown), is the following.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't use plastic, the soil does not breath; I use small pots with holes at the bottom and leave them on a hollow plate. The soil sucks up the water from the plate and stays moist, yet not soaked.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing to consider, especially if your plant is destined to be quite big, BIG pots are better; the more soil the longer it takes to dry. Simplest solution ever  ; -).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One last option: put that in a box and cover the top with transparent plastic film and a few tiny holes at the side of the box. Humidity will stay, eventually drops of condensation fall back on the soil. (leave 10/15 cms of air volume if you cover them)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19728" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-09-03T11:40:23.407" LastActivityDate="2017-09-03T11:40:23.407" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35348" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35096" CreationDate="2017-09-03T12:39:05.077" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usualy leaves &quot;eaten&quot; that way is the work of caterpillars or larvas. It is very likely in my opinion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are very hard to spot sometime because they camouflage under the leaves or the trunk.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would start to look out where the leaves are the most eaten, to where there are new holes if you can remember and spot new ones... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19728" LastActivityDate="2017-09-03T12:39:05.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35349" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35345" CreationDate="2017-09-03T14:35:18.633" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;One way this is done on a larger scale (it might provide food for thought, or perhaps you are a person who likes to tinker with automation on a smaller scale):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A &quot;mist sensor&quot; is basically a bit of mesh on a balancing arm (weight-adjustable, this is nice image since you can see the weight inside the shield)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Om5iU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Om5iU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mist sensor&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image from www.sagehort.com.au which I'm not in any way associated with, just the most suitable image I could find quickly.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The mesh collects water droplets and becomes heavier, so it drops, and then changes the state of a switch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is used in conjunction with a mist irrigation system, which produces very small droplets. The sensor gives the system feedback about how much mist has been deposited, and then how fast it's evaporated. It's more typical in a &quot;mist propagation system&quot; to keep cuttings with leaves moist, but can also be used for very small seedlings as it's extremely &quot;gentle&quot; watering. One issue is to make sure that the watering system cuts off early enough that the plants do not spend the night with wet leaves, which can aggravate or cause fungus/rot problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-09-03T15:46:04.950" LastActivityDate="2017-09-03T15:46:04.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35350" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-03T17:23:14.877" Score="4" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for suggestions on what to plant in my front yard. I live in Seattle and summer will be over within a month, so I would like something that blossoms later in the year to give it some color during cloudy days. Seattle doesn't get much sun, it's often cloudy and rainy, so I'm looking for something that can survive this type of climate, and requires little maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: After some research I landed on Blue Fescue (Festuca glauca) and Periwinkle (Vinca minor). The latter has flowers, the first is a kind of grass. I will be ordering seeds and plant them mid September.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DudHq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DudHq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19729" LastEditorUserId="19729" LastEditDate="2017-09-04T03:24:35.037" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T20:25:10.203" Title="What plants will bloom in the fall in my yard in Seattle?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;fall-gardening&gt;&lt;outdoor&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35351" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35375" CreationDate="2017-09-03T18:40:13.303" Score="8" ViewCount="693" Body="&lt;p&gt;While hiking in the Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, we came across the following berries / fruits. What are they?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some info: The berries/fruits were relatively squishy. The inside contained a row of seeds similar to that of a pepper. However, the inside was filled with a clear, syrupy jelly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VWNtC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VWNtC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jCrHv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jCrHv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j4Pul.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j4Pul.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19649" LastActivityDate="2018-08-27T21:42:42.200" Title="What are these fruits / berries from the Rocky Mountain National Park?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;wildlife&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35352" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-03T19:00:13.527" Score="4" ViewCount="144" Body="&lt;p&gt;My elderly neighbor has a parking strip that is infested with goat head weeds. With my neighbor's permission, I'm planning on ripping out the weeds and replacing with weed cloth and mulch. To prevent needing to do this again in the near future, I'd prefer to sterilize the ground before laying the mulch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The parking strip is on a hill that drains into a major road. I'm not at all concerned about the runoff damaging plants we want to keep, and my first inclination is to salt the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much salt/foot of parking strip will do the trick? Alternatively, are there any better ways of accomplishing the goal of sterilizing this soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Again, this is all with the consent of the homeowner, who would have preferred that the city just paved the strip in the first place. :-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19730" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T17:39:56.257" Title="Sterilize parking strip" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35353" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-03T19:37:04.110" Score="4" ViewCount="32" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last year I planted chive onions outside. Today I discovered that they survived.&#xA;If I transplant them indoors, will they survive and produce a good yield?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19731" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-03T23:04:19.903" LastActivityDate="2017-10-04T13:58:55.363" Title="Will chives produce a good yield indoors if I transplant them from outside?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;onions&gt;&lt;chives&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35355" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-03T21:29:37.087" Score="4" ViewCount="595" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something is wrong with my ficus tree. Every winter the leaves fall completely and in the summer they do not grow as normal. The tree does not develop leaves as it used to and it has a lot of dead branches mainly at the bottom, should i hard prune it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oNL1c.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oNL1c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U6d7q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U6d7q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tree before 3 years:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vynSG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vynSG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More photos of the tree:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FPNQx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FPNQx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GMhWY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GMhWY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tree Base:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5jg2B.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5jg2B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19668" LastEditorUserId="19668" LastEditDate="2017-09-09T09:45:59.290" LastActivityDate="2017-09-24T14:36:38.757" Title="My ficus tree is not growing anymore" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;&lt;dead-branch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35356" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34436" CreationDate="2017-09-03T21:56:16.807" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just found out that the plant is &lt;em&gt;Plectranthus neochilus&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=2884&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;A nearby nursery also calls its aroma &quot;skunky&quot;&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16224" LastActivityDate="2017-09-03T21:56:16.807" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35357" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35307" CreationDate="2017-09-03T22:48:17.390" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Willows are one of the most indestructible trees there are. Whatever you do to it, you will have a hard time killing it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Willows are the only tree species where literally any old log of dry willow wood, with no roots or leaves, will start to grow if you just put it in a bucket of water for a few weeks, and give it no &quot;tender loving care&quot; whatever. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But if you have a willow species that wants to grow 40 feet tall, trying to confine it in a pot isn't going to end well. It won't necessarily die, but it will look pretty miserable. The main problem is that it won't get enough water - unless you literally give it a &lt;em&gt;gallons&lt;/em&gt; of water every day, to compensate for the fact that the roots can't go deep in the ground and get down to the water table. (Actually, they &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; end up deep in the ground, simply by punching a hole through the bottom of your wooden barrel...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember willows grow naturally in places like river banks, where the roots can get directly into the water. A garden isn't their natural habitat at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course trying to give a plant in a &quot;small&quot; pot gallons of water per day means you will have to water it several times during each day, not just once - which probably isn't a practical idea, unless you want to set up an automatic watering system and leave it permanently switched on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could try coppicing it, to get several small trunks rather than one big one. Just saw the existing trunk off 6 inches above ground level in spring when the tree starts coming back to life after the winter, and wait! I already said they are almost impossible to kill - even if you fell a big willow tree and the n attack it with a stump grinder to take out everything down to a foot below ground level, there's a 50-50 chance it will re-grow again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After that, cut out as many trunks each year as you need to keep it under control - but the end result isn't likely to be very satisfactory even then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11120" LastEditorUserId="11120" LastEditDate="2017-09-03T23:04:04.587" LastActivityDate="2017-09-03T23:04:04.587" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35358" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-03T22:50:13.057" Score="3" ViewCount="1745" Body="&lt;p&gt;A member of my family recently replaced some old pressure treated lumber for a retaining wall in their backyard. They used this darker colored pressure treated lumber identified by it's telltale pierced pattern used for the chemicals to embed and permeate the wood during its treatment. What kind of lumber is this exactly? I show a picture below of the old green style one and the darker one on top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know pressure treated is discouraged for gardening purposes but I'm wondering if an eco friendly product has supplanted the old style one. I'm also thinking that may not be the case and we're really just seeing dye on traditional pressure treated wood much like dyed mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eWYSD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17974" LastActivityDate="2017-09-13T18:55:42.943" Title="What's the difference between old style pressure treated wood vs newer dark stained versions" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35359" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-04T08:44:27.137" Score="4" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;Grow Lamp manufacturers provide several pieces of information about their product:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PAR (Photosynthetic Active Radiation measured in W/m2)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Photosynthetic Photon flux density (measured in µmol/s )&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lumens&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;comparison to HPS lamp&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found that you need around 70000 lumens/m2 for best results. I also found lamps that have significantly higher PAR, even though they have 50% less lumens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would expect that PAR is the most important so I am confused why some literature states lumens as important factor. What should I aim for?  Lamp that matches lumens recommendation or lamp that has the biggest PAR number?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17223" LastActivityDate="2018-08-18T19:02:28.347" Title="What is more important: lumens or PAR value?" Tags="&lt;grow-lamp&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35360" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35411" CreationDate="2017-09-04T10:00:40.317" Score="3" ViewCount="321" Body="&lt;p&gt;We grew about 100 Alceas from seeds and they did great. Two days ago we planted them and now some of their leaves are turning white. What could be the cause of this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Vutu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Vutu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3qODP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3qODP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aqpVO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aqpVO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19551" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T21:07:49.470" Title="Leaves of Alcea turning white after planting" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35361" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35360" CreationDate="2017-09-04T10:18:04.453" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be a reaction to the sun, since you changed the location of the plants. I don't know if they receive more sunlight now after the translocation? Were they indoor before?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way is to let the plants adjust to direct sunlight first, in small steps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-09-04T10:18:04.453" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35362" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7244" CreationDate="2017-09-04T12:23:08.443" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I see another problem.   The town may disallow your structure between the side walk and the road.  You might literally have put stone on property you do not own.  They might ask you to remove.  And as for the tree, it's destined to be cut by the town crew in the future, unless you selected a small tree like Japanese maple, etc.  The town is one day going to cut this tree. So, the location is the greatest danger for this tree.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19734" LastActivityDate="2017-09-04T12:23:08.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35363" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-04T12:25:06.580" Score="4" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;We recently moved into an older house.  After doing some stump removal, we (unfortunately) realized that poison ivy has infiltrated not only the stumps, but the front and backyard.  The yard was poorly cared for, with poor drainage, invasive vines and weeds, and partial sunlight.  We would like to address the entire yard, but also get rid of the poison ivy.   We also realize that this will most likely take a few seasons to address this.  Is there a way to salvage a yard that is interspersed with invasive plants and poison ivy?  Many thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19735" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T15:07:47.607" Title="Poison Ivy Removal" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2017-09-09T08:52:13.417" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35364" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35353" CreationDate="2017-09-04T13:43:09.383" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not necessarily - chives are perennial bulbs which die back naturally for winter, hardy down to Zone 3, and will return year on year, in spring lasting up till fall, outdoors. You can try taking some indoors, but that means digging up the bulbs and disturbing their root system, which likely will mean they die back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, cut the stems, snip them into small pieces, and use foil to make little parcels, just enough for individual food use, pop the foil  parcels into a plastic bag and put them in the freezer. When you want some during winter, just remove as many as you need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-09-04T13:43:09.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35365" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-04T17:49:30.417" Score="4" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zb5wl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;I'm very new to plants and propagation. I got 2 baby succulents from 1 leaf, is this normal? Not sure of  the name of the mother plant. Also they sprouted from opposite ends of the leaf, not from where it was detached from the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19741" LastEditorUserId="19741" LastEditDate="2017-09-06T02:21:54.867" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T16:54:54.717" Title="Is this normal for Succulent propagation" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35332" CreationDate="2017-09-04T18:23:22.573" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hybrid = plant that grows from a seed that was formed by fertilizing the ovaries of a plant with pollen belonging to another variety, species or genus of plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The easiest way to obtain a hybrid seed is to remove the anthers of a flower before they fully develop, otherwise they might scatter their pollen on the ovaries. After removing the anthers, cover the flower with a paper bag and wait for the pollen of your other rose to come to maturity (in case the two roses don't bloom at the same time). Then use a brush to take pollen and gently touch the ovaries of the rose covered in paper bag and close it again after you finish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crossing a red rose with a white one won't guarantee a pink hybrid because most roses available commercially are also hybrids and depending on their ancentry the genes are expressed in different ways. Whatever the colour that results it will be a beautiful one, mainly because all roses are beautiful in their own way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you see a fruit is formed in the middle of the covered flower, you can remove the paper bag and allow the fruit to mature before collecting the seeds. Don't forget to label the seeds and the seedlings because it will take a few years until the new plants will bloom for the first time and you might forget what you have crossed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most interesting part is that your crossing might result in plants that will have flowers of different colours - I mean that every bush will have one colour, but different from other bushes grown from other seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The two roses that are to be crossed don't have to be planted next to each other, but you can transplant them if you want to. Transplanting is easiest when the plants are dormant, but you can also transplant them when they are green provided you disturb their roots the least possible and water them very much before and after.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: For better understanding of the morphology of flowers &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamen#/media/File:Mature_flower_diagram.svg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;I copy here a picture&lt;/a&gt; provided by Mariana Ruiz LadyofHats on &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamen&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kRyuT.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kRyuT.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-09-06T13:53:08.107" LastActivityDate="2017-09-06T13:53:08.107" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35367" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35351" CreationDate="2017-09-04T18:25:32.967" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks a lot like a solomon's seal (Polygonatum biflorum) to me!  The problem is that most true solomons seal I know of have dark blue/purplish  berries.  This could be a different variety/close relative.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-09-04T18:25:32.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35368" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-04T19:26:14.370" Score="5" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;basically, I have had constructions and my lawn is killed. I hired someone around may to fix the problem and put new lawn for me. I am not sure what steps he did or didn't, But not only almost no grass grew there, but now it is filled with weeds, and feels bumpy and I can see small and big rocks. I didn't see that originally, because he covered it with straw and told us not to walk on it, just water it. I do not know what do I need to do now. I used grass and weed killer to kill whatever it is there and start new. but the more I read online the more I get confused. should I use power rake to remove the old grass and weeds, will it remove them all? should I till the yard, or not necessary? do I need to remove all small and big rocks and if yes, how? how do I make it even? I will be in and out of town till mid October, is it okay to plant the grass then? should I have the lawn ready and then plant the grass as soon as I come back on October, so I know I will be there to water it? if anyone can help guide me of what to do, I will really appreciate it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19743" LastActivityDate="2017-09-05T17:57:14.040" Title="how to fix a weedy lawn" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35369" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35371" CreationDate="2017-09-04T20:34:42.497" Score="6" ViewCount="541" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in Scotland and my garden was landscaped just over a year ago. At that time the soil and plants in my flower beds were brought in for the first time, before that there was just grass everywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the first summer, things were fine. Now this year the plants are doing well but several areas of flower beds in different parts of the garden are completely overrun by some kind of weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I weeded it by hand about a month ago, taking care to get everything out including the roots, however it has immediately came back again as bad as ever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures, appreciate any advice!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tRKYV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tRKYV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oIAB3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oIAB3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0QMxm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0QMxm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19684" LastActivityDate="2017-09-05T18:08:02.243" Title="What are these weeds and how can I get rid of them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35370" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-04T22:09:16.927" Score="2" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AAsie.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I bought this today and forgot to ask what type it is. This is my first bonsai tree and I would love to know how to properly take care of it :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19744" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T20:52:13.620" Title="What's this type of Bonsai?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35371" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35369" CreationDate="2017-09-04T22:20:24.210" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardamine_hirsuta&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;hairy bittercress (&lt;em&gt;Cardamine hirsuta&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; in your garden. This plant very often comes as &quot;hitchhiker&quot; with newly bought plants. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a very prolific seeder and can bring even two generations in one year, the first in spring, when the overwintering plants set seeds, one in late summer, like you are observing now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main problem is actually interesting: bittercress plants can &quot;shoot&quot; the seeds out of their seed pods and spread them out in up to a meter distance from the parent plant. So if you let just a few plants go to seed, you can get a &quot;carpet&quot; of weeds in no time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control depends on your preferences. As bittercress doesn't form a dense root structure and doesn't grow back from tiny particles left in the ground (like bindweed, for example) hand weeding or hoeing works well and the flat rosettes are easily smothered with mulch. But you want to make sure you pull the plants before they start to set seeds and you need to find &lt;em&gt;all of them&lt;/em&gt; if ever possible. Alternatively, chemical options are available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might also find &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=782&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this article from the RHS&lt;/a&gt; interesting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-09-04T22:20:24.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35372" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35333" CreationDate="2017-09-04T22:41:35.677" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The watermelons in my garden get a lot like this every year, beginning around the middle of August or so, and the fruits usually ripen soon afterward (whether or not they would have without the affliction; so, there are pros to it, if you live in the north, I guess). It doesn't harm the edibility of the fruits or the rinds, in my garden (even though the rinds may be speckled or look stonewashed). In a more humid environment it might cause fruit rot, though (but I haven't seen that more than a few times, and potentially less in my garden).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plants appear to get both spider mites and anthracnose, which cause symptoms similar to this (I've read that spider mites can spread anthracnose, and it seems to be true). What you have is possibly another fungal infection (maybe &lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/vegetable/watermelon/foliar-diseases/alternaria-leaf-spot/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;alternaria&lt;/a&gt;, maybe without spider mites), however, but it looks pretty similar. The ground cherries, some tomatillos, and other plants can get similar symptoms, but the leaves don't eventually get dark, dry patches like the watermelons' do (soon before they die), and they don't usually die like the watermelons do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've noticed that vines that grow the furthest away from the main body of watermelons (in any direction) tend to be the least affected (including those that grow under/through other kinds of plants; there might be companion plants that would help prevent it), but otherwise, it kills the foliage and the plants. It's possible that only growing one hill of watermelons per area might help (crowding might contribute to infection).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Red-seeded Citron is the only variety out of 50+ that I've found that doesn't seem to be easily infected by it (and a 2nd-year Ledmon lived until around the end of the season, notwithstanding it was infected). However, Red-seeded Citron is not a regular watermelon for regular fresh eating. Some varieties I might recommend trying, if you tend to get this every year, are Blacktail Mountain, Santo Domingo Winter, and Verona. Blacktail Mountain is too early to be bothered by this much. Verona is pretty early, too. Santo Domingo Winter still got fruit of a normal size despite getting infected like the rest (and despite not being watered at all except early in the season; I got about 75 small watermelons from all my varieties this year—they were probably smaller because I didn't water them much, but a much higher percentage are fully ripe this year, whereas last year when I watered them a lot, a higher percentage got bigger than this year, but a much larger percent weren't fully ripe when the plants died). Whatever the case, the problem causes them to ripen faster (whether or not they're all ripe, when the plants die, or the tendrils shrivel, per se).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cantaloupes/muskmelons are very resistant to foliar problems with this. Tomatoes in my garden aren't normally affected on a foliar level, even grown in the soil the watermelons were in the year before (although I've had at least one tomato that was infected, which one tomato got it from a neighboring infected ground cherry). Peppers (foliage and fruits) don't seem bothered by it (in my garden; anthracnose does commonly infect peppers and tomatoes, however, particularly the fruits, and especially causes symptoms post-harvest, and including in the refrigerator).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look for webs on your plants to see if spider mites are there. They might not be (maybe it's just a fungal infection), but if you see threads of webs on the leaves, that's usually a good indicator that you've got spider mites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll note that a lot of watermelons are resistant to anthracnose. This, however, only seems to apply to the fruit, in my garden (the fruits of resistant varieties don't seem to get speckled, and they don't get black in a large spot and rot), but the foliage still seems to get anthracnose in my garden (whether or not the fruit does).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think the problem is caused strictly by soil, though. Someone else down town in my area this year had the same issue as my watermelon in containers with soil that wasn't regular garden soil (before my watermelons showed problems). I think there are a lot of spider mites in my town. It's very hot and dry (and semi-arid), which helps to contribute to spider mite infestations. I didn't see webs on hers, though (so maybe she was just over-watering them, or something; they were pretty wet).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the comments, someone was talking about red dots and such under the leaves. I think they were thinking of a kind of spider mite. Not all kinds of spider mites cause such dots, though (I've never seen that in my area).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm guessing your soil might have a nutritional deficiency, too (based on how the older leaves are affected first), but I'm guessing this is fungal whether or not that's the case. Maybe the pH isn't right. Magnesium deficiency is one you might check; it can cause chlorotic leaves with dark veins, anyway (and it's a mobile nutrient, which means it would affect older leaves first).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never had issues with Sugar Baby, but I haven't grown it in years (and we didn't used to have spider mites all over the place).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-09-04T23:52:21.487" LastActivityDate="2017-09-04T23:52:21.487" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35374" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7484" CreationDate="2017-09-05T12:58:53.083" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I purify my clay by adding water, allowing to stand a little bit then taking the suppernatent portion and allowing it to settle in a seperate container. Then allowing it to dry out thoroughly and screening it through a very fine screen. It can then be sprinkeld as a fine powder and mixed easily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19750" LastActivityDate="2017-09-05T12:58:53.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35375" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35351" CreationDate="2017-09-05T13:39:05.083" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;After a bit of research, I determined that the plant was a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streptopus_amplexifolius&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;streptopus amplexifolius (aka clasping twistedstalk)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19649" LastActivityDate="2017-09-05T13:39:05.083" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1815" CreationDate="2017-09-05T15:29:55.410" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had lots of success burning stumps with the help of charcoal, peanut oil, a drill and fire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drill holes 5/8&quot; or bigger every two inches to a depth of 12&quot; or greater&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Fill holes with peanut oil (available in 3 gal containers)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Allow peanut oil to soak in overnight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Top off holes with peanut oil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Place charcoal on top of stump, start fire&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Charcoal will burn out and turn to ash after a few hours but the oil inside the tree should smolder for a few days.  If the stump remains, re-fill with oil and start the process over again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19752" LastActivityDate="2017-09-05T15:29:55.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35377" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-05T16:43:43.470" Score="3" ViewCount="28" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have let 4 Oclocks run loose in part of my yard for several years; sprouts and new plants all over. I wanted to plant some in a open woods ( sandy loam ): I gathered fresh seeds and planted hundreds 2 months ago. A range of depths from 0 to 1+ inches. We have had good rain. I don't see sprouts. Do these seeds need to age or dry out first? The sprouts in my yard may be from few year old seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-09-05T23:34:25.187" Title="Sprouting 4 Oclocks" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35378" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35369" CreationDate="2017-09-05T17:47:08.353" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry my friend but this is going to take knee pads, time and patience. Good luck &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19753" LastActivityDate="2017-09-05T17:47:08.353" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35369" CreationDate="2017-09-05T17:50:53.107" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ground ivy, also known as creeping charlie. Use a weed killer that won't harm your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19754" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-09-05T18:08:02.243" LastActivityDate="2017-09-05T18:08:02.243" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35380" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35368" CreationDate="2017-09-05T17:57:14.040" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As A Landscaper myself, I dislike seeding before Winter. Preferably Lay down Bermuda sod if your in A sunny semi tropical region. Early spring would be best. Water the sod daily in the morning in the first week, every other day 2nd week, twice  weekly after that depending on the temperature ( any thing over 95 Fahrenheit should be done daily. Fescue grass for milder cooler temperatures and especially for shady conditions. Seed the fescue in the spring fertilize same time be sure to water it in same day. ( fescue does not do well in High temp direct sunlight ) you might try Rye by seed if your trying to get the best of both world. ( Warning Bermuda is an aggressive growing grass that can spill over in other areas if not kept in check .   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19753" LastActivityDate="2017-09-05T17:57:14.040" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35381" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-05T18:55:26.147" Score="2" ViewCount="62" Body="&lt;p&gt;We purchased a penstemon with individual purple flowers for the first 2 years. This year it has grown with the flowers shown in the photo. What's that all about?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XvVTD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;][1]&quot; /&gt;&#xA;This is just what the plant looks like. I guess it may have been in the compost that the Penstemon came in as we have never grown any of these. Many thanks for your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MuS83.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MuS83.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19755" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-09-09T19:22:40.300" Title="Penstemon in our garden" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35381" CreationDate="2017-09-05T19:48:05.870" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's not a Penstemon, looks more like one of the Phytolacca genus, sometimes known as Pokeweed. Need a photograph of the whole plant please, showing foliage as well to ID correctly. You also don't say where you are - many Penstemons are not entirely hardy, so in colder regions, it's possible the one you planted died, and this has grown in a similar spot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-09-09T14:32:30.387" LastActivityDate="2017-09-09T14:32:30.387" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35383" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35381" CreationDate="2017-09-05T20:02:59.133" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would go with Bugbane...Cimicifuga racemosa.  The purple variety.  I love this plant and have grown many of them.  This is not Penstemon from what I see in your photograph.  Shoot, they've change the name of the genus on this plant.  It is now Actaea.  Change is constant I guess.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the way, this is one wonderful plant to have...I've grown these in dire environments and they always look nursery fresh and add so much to the composition of a plant bed.  Hardy and I would add at least 3 or 5 more to make a big bunch...with a couple placed in another bed to tie this color and texture into your landscape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have to say this; your fence is rotting.  You need to remove the soil at least 2 inches below the bottom of your fence.  Or replace in the next few years. Fix it now and I think it will last another decade or so...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrTccoyAq9ZujQAHxYnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTEyYmg0NGU4BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjQxMjJfMQRzZWMDc2M-?p=cimicifuga%20racemosa&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;images of bugbane&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-09-09T19:22:40.300" LastActivityDate="2017-09-09T19:22:40.300" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35384" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33635" CreationDate="2017-09-05T21:33:09.070" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I came across 'Lady's Slipper' or Cypripedium macrothos.  See if this fits one of these plants...[Cypripedium macrothos][1&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www4.uwsp.edu/biology/courses/plantid/cp-monocot/cp-monocot-140ladyslipper-d.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ladies Slipper&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-05T21:33:09.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35377" CreationDate="2017-09-05T23:34:25.187" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If they haven't germinated yet, they may not germinate at all, or more likely, some might do so next spring/early summer. It's usual to sow these indoors a few weeks before the last frost date,then transfer outside later as plants, or to sow seed in spring after the last frost date. Self sown plants usually germinate the following spring. Info here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/start-mirabilis-jalapa-seeds-65094.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/start-mirabilis-jalapa-seeds-65094.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-09-05T23:34:25.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35386" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-06T03:30:06.657" Score="3" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnFnz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnFnz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Succulent arrangement&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s0EJU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s0EJU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;succulent I&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need help please to ID these succulents and their hardiness zone. I'd like to know if they will survive where I live, in zone 5, if left outdoor in the winter while keeping them in their current container and arrangement. It's only plant H that I've seen survived a zone 5. I've asked all this information from the big-box store where I bought them from, but no one seem to know the answers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you for your help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19759" LastActivityDate="2017-09-06T03:30:06.657" Title="Please ID succulents and their hardiness zone to survive winter" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;plant-hardiness&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2018-02-27T10:55:39.993" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35388" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35390" CreationDate="2017-09-06T20:36:18.460" Score="5" ViewCount="172" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could anyone identify this plant (bush/flower)? Sorry for the poor quality of the images.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Picture taken in the north Serbia on 07.09.2017 at 5pm. Maybe that's important for bloom state.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The leaves are hairy, but not sticky.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This plant has a very strong smell that could be felt in the radius of 10 meters (32 feet). First you feel the smell and then look for the source of it.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This smell is sweet, pronounced floral, but not cloying. Maybe if you mix up tea &amp;amp; floral honey you'll get something similar.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Actually I felt smell yesterday at 8pm and it was 25° Celsius (77° Fahrenheit). Today it is 16° Celsius (62° Fahrenheit) and no smell at 5pm.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3yCOR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3yCOR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/buwUF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/buwUF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19761" LastEditorUserId="19761" LastEditDate="2017-09-07T18:16:05.157" LastActivityDate="2017-09-07T18:16:05.157" Title="What is this plant that has light trumpet-shaped flowers and smells great?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35390" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35388" CreationDate="2017-09-06T21:12:21.970" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks a lot like a petunia (&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petunia_%C3%97_atkinsiana&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Petunia x hybrida&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;) - a member of the nightshade family and as it emits its scent only at night, we often overlook this property and just think of the flowers. The genetic mechanisms that regulate the timing oF scent emission have even been the topic of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pnas.org/content/112/31/9775.abstract&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;scientific research&lt;/a&gt;. In short, the scent is strongest when the pollinating insects - moths in this case - are most active. Late evening and early night, just as you described.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some cultivars tend to spread, and that's what we see in your picture (unless those are multiple plants). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves are always slightly fuzzy, sometimes even a bit sticky and the trumpet-shaped flowers, that come in many shades of white, blue, purple, pink and red (but never yellow or orange, unles genetically engineered and prohibited in the EU) and often have a line (darker or lighter) down the center of each petal. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-09-06T21:23:26.713" LastActivityDate="2017-09-06T21:23:26.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35391" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-06T21:26:49.353" Score="9" ViewCount="161" Body="&lt;p&gt;While looking for information about caring for &lt;em&gt;Monstera deliciosa&lt;/em&gt;, I've sometimes read that they &lt;em&gt;prefer&lt;/em&gt; shade. It seems this is the case for other plants as well, but I find it puzzling and I haven't found any explanation for it. Why would a plant prefer to receive less light? (NB: I'm not talking about how &lt;em&gt;Monstera deliciosa&lt;/em&gt; finds a tree when young by growing away from light, but rather in general for adult plants.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My theory is that the culprit is actually heat, but then why just not say so? Has anyone tried to grow a shade-loving plant under intense light?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want my &lt;em&gt;Monstera&lt;/em&gt; to grow well, is a shady spot really better than under a general-purpose LED light?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19762" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-21T10:44:00.757" LastActivityDate="2021-02-21T10:44:00.757" Title="Can you have a shade-loving plant under full sun?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;growth&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;monstera&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="35392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35391" CreationDate="2017-09-06T21:45:57.867" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;To understand the needs of any house plant, you need to take a closer look at its natural habitat. In our homes, we try to mimic those conditions as well as we can and breeders have been working hard at developing cultivars of very sensitive plants that will thrive under less-than-ideal conditions, aka. your living room. Just see the many orchids that are cheap and robust enough to be sold even in grocery stores and later bloom happily on some windowsill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One particular group of house plants is at home in the shade of larger growth, e.g. on forest floors. If we place these in direct sunlight (meaning well, of course) they simply get &quot;sunburned&quot; and suffer. They lack the biological mechanisms to cope with the amount of solar energy that hits them. The culprit is typically not the heat, but the &#xA;UV light. As I said: sunburn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So for your forest-dwellers, just put them out of direct sunlight and they should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-09-06T21:45:57.867" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35393" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35394" CreationDate="2017-09-06T23:03:54.897" Score="6" ViewCount="851" Body="&lt;p&gt;When using the no dig gardening method with mulched vegetable beds, what do you do in fall with the old plants? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know that in no dig you do not want to disturb the soil. Also when mulching it's best to leave the mulch at the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But now it's autumn and I have to take out some annual vegetable plants. Some of them are quite big and have developed large root systems. When I pull them out a lot of soil comes away with the roots and some mulch gets mixed inside the newly created hole. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I keep uprooting or should I just cut the stalks where they meet the ground? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That seems less disturbing to the garden bed, but with some big plants it's leaving a lot of big hard roots in the ground. Since the ground is frozen in winter where I live I don't know if they will have time to rot down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastActivityDate="2017-09-06T23:33:17.953" Title="Do you uproot plants in a no dig garden with mulch" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;no-dig&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35393" CreationDate="2017-09-06T23:33:17.953" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Even with a no dig method, it's still necessary to disturb the soil a little if you want to clear or plant, especially vegetable crops. Remove the plants you no longer need, uprooting them - it doesn't matter if a little mulch gets mixed in with the soil, shake off what soil you can from the roots you've pulled back over the hole. You will have to disturb it all over again in when you want to replant vegetables as well, so no dig doesn't really mean never, ever disturb the soil, it simply means don't actually dig it over and disturb it as little as possible. Ultimately, unless you've got permanent planting, some small disturbance is unavoidable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-09-06T23:33:17.953" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35395" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35397" CreationDate="2017-09-07T07:11:47.697" Score="2" ViewCount="1245" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have harvested seeds from Zinnia elegans and Dahlia variabilis and I don't know how to easily separate the seeds from the chaff. I have put them in a bag and shaked it hoping that the seeds will fall at the bottom, but only a few did.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What else can I try?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UfXie.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UfXie.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-09-14T12:25:53.030" Title="How to separate seeds from chaff (husk)?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;dahlias&gt;&lt;zinnia&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35396" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35398" CreationDate="2017-09-07T11:05:08.300" Score="3" ViewCount="1135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed that the wire named &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twist_tie&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Twist tie&lt;/a&gt; is also named Garden wire. But I can't find such wires used in gardening when searching &quot;Garden wire&quot; on Google images.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the typical use for this kind of wire in gardening? For joining plants? Or for making small fences?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastActivityDate="2017-09-07T12:07:32.280" Title="What is the garden wire used for?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35395" CreationDate="2017-09-07T11:26:41.227" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Personally I would start by picking out the large debris with my hand.  From there, I've seen people take the seeds and place them in a shallow dish, tilt the dish, and gentle blow the chaff away - this is called winnowing.  There are also commercial seed sives that can the separating for you purchase, but I believe they are expensive.  The are usually a series of mesh screens with openings decreasing in size.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/prZrc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/prZrc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-09-07T11:26:41.227" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35398" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35396" CreationDate="2017-09-07T12:02:11.837" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Despite what Wikipedia says, it's not always 100% reliable as a source of information. Garden wire is NOT garden twist wire; the term garden wire may refer to large rolls of chicken wire or clematis mesh. Other types come in a roll or circular shape, may be green plastic coated or just plain wire,  and this is used for various purposes, depending on its thickness. Those purposes include stringing horizontally between hooks in a wall or fence, tightly, to provide something to tie climbing plants to as a support; I've used a heavier duty one to fix hanging bird feeders to railings, or hanging lights. It is not usually used to tie plants to anything because it's likely to damage plant stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Garden twist wire, on the other hand, is much, much thinner wire, rather like fuse wire, and is sheathed in broader, softer plastic which is much less likely to damage plant stems, and can be twisted to provide a light support, such as supporting a plant stem to a bamboo cane or stick. Even so, it should never be twisted in such a way that the plant stem is compressed by it; it should be wound twice round the cane and only once round the stem, and the tight twisting should be on the supporting cane or stick rather than the plant stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-09-07T12:07:32.280" LastActivityDate="2017-09-07T12:07:32.280" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35399" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35404" CreationDate="2017-09-07T15:32:37.530" Score="6" ViewCount="261" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a client who would like to plant a number of large-ish (5&quot;+ caliper) sassafras trees on his property on eastern Long Island, NY. Planting small container trees and waiting for them to grow in is not an option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can Sassafras this large be dug? When is the best time to do so? Are there any tricks to maximizing success rate beyond the standard practices?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-07T20:53:49.730" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T21:46:12.223" Title="How can large Sassafras trees be dug and transplanted?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35400" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-07T16:09:33.247" Score="1" ViewCount="89" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hope someone can identify this plant for me----Thank you&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J7b5c.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J7b5c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19765" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-09-07T18:26:13.353" LastActivityDate="2017-09-10T00:10:40.207" Title="What is the name of this plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2017-09-11T12:26:04.723" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30774" CreationDate="2017-09-07T18:57:19.070" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is a Gasteraloe. It's very similar to my Gasteria verrucosa  X Aloe variegata. (There really aren't pictures of it online so I've included a picture of mine).  Sometimes it's sold as a cheap ripoff to people who think their buying the more rare Aloe dinteri, which is similar. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2fBvd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2fBvd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-09-07T18:57:19.070" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35402" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28901" CreationDate="2017-09-07T18:58:10.293" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been doing a lot of research on this topic too. You can also use the zig zag method. Plant the first line of trees 3-4 ft apart, then make a zig zag with the second line also 3-4 ft apart. This way there are no breaks in the privacy screen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19768" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-08T00:49:47.640" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T00:49:47.640" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34878" CreationDate="2017-09-07T20:00:29.327" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/73514/#b&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aloe vera 'chinensis'&lt;/a&gt;, I think. There are a few things going wrong there. Here is what a healthy plant looks like (mine, 2 gallon pot):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/shPGY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/shPGY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You're plant needs a restart. If it's still alive. I see the one leaf has darkened at the base (circled in the picture below). This can indicate crown rot and root rot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lEJQk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lEJQk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's what to do:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Determine if your aloe is alive. Remove it from the pot, remove the mix from the roots, and check it over. The plant base should be firm and white/green, with white and yellow roots. If the base is translucent and soft, and the roots brown, it's dead. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If it's alive, separate the crowns, and clean the roots well. Remove the lowest leaves if they are dead/dying.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prepare new pots. Preferably one for each crown you want to keep. The pots should be small. Preferably smaller in diameter than the leaf span of the plant going in. Make sure there are ample drainage holes in the bases.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Use a gritty mix. Aloes like minerals. Crushed pumice is great for mixing into aloe soil. You want to be able to pour water into it and have it run right through quickly. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant the plants more shallowly than they are currently. You don't want soil between the leaves and the stem. Make sure the pot is nearly full.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water it if the mix is dry. From now on, water thoroughly, and allow to almost completely dry in between. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Place in a warm, bright place. Find the brightest spot you can, and if available, ease the plant slowly over time into full sun. Moving from a dark place into full sun can cause sunburn, but low light causes weak growth from etiolation. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once it's rooted in, it should quickly grow. The more outdoors it can get the better. It makes a huge difference in the overall vitality. Don't let it frost on the plants, and try not to let them in full sun of the temperatures are over 100 F. Only fertilize lightly if the plant is growing strongly but is showing signs of nutrient depravation. My plant, pictured above, has not ever been fertilized in the 10+ years I've had it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-07T20:06:32.940" LastActivityDate="2017-09-07T20:06:32.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35404" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35399" CreationDate="2017-09-07T20:53:01.417" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is another one that I've done. For reference I'm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USDA zone 6b, last frost in April, First frost in September. We get 40-60&quot; of precipitation per year, and the soil is mostly decent clay based soil, sometimes rocky. There were 3 of the trees and they were at about 12', so yours might be bigger. Because they dry and burn easily in winter, i took a trencher and just made an 18&quot; deep trench about 35&quot; in diameter, in the fall, after the temperatures cooled. Looking back, I probably could have made the rootball smaller, and been successful, because there weren't enough roots to hold it together 100%, once it was taken up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trench helps it grow more dense roots around the edged of the rootball and can maker the transplant more practical as well as less stressful to the tree. The next spring, I hauled them out onto pallets when the ground was thawed out and the buds were just beginning to swell. I think that's the best time, for the least amount of stress to the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And as always with Sassafras, I planted them high (root flare 6&quot; above the surrounding ground). I did not feel the necessity to stake the trees, since they were fairly stable and the area didn't get much wind. I used some general purpose fertilizer with the first watering, and then only felt the need to water one time after that, that first year, during a dry spell. They all grew well, and I saw lots of growth the following year. I wasn't back after that, but i haven't gotten any complaints so I'm assuming they did well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-08T11:27:06.293" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T11:27:06.293" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35405" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4441" CreationDate="2017-09-08T00:26:48.150" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As redwoods get taller and water pressure within the upper vascular tissue is reduced, the tree responds by decreasing leaf area and dropping higher interior growth. The effect is particularly noticeable on urban or unshaded trees that will lose the desired rounded-point profile and often appear spindly. Proper maintenance calls for removal of the outermost cluster on stressed branches, which will reduce water use, correct profile shape and slow tree growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19770" LastEditorUserId="19770" LastEditDate="2017-09-08T00:49:26.423" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T00:49:26.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33135" CreationDate="2017-09-08T02:07:38.140" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you're describing something similar to &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14559/what-is-the-term-for-this-pruning-technique-that-causes-stubby-clublike-branche&quot;&gt;pollarding.&lt;/a&gt; You can take several steps to work this growth pattern out. The tree will continue trying to push out new growth if there is light available. This method eventually fills in the opening that's letting light hit the main structure, as well as diverting the tree's energy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cut the 'head' back to behind the area where it sprouts, if possible. If a head of sprouts is growing directly from the trunk, slice it off as close as possible (rather than cutting individual suckers).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When the tree re-sprouts, watch the new sprouts, and find one from each wound that you want to keep. If several areas of sprouting are in very close quarters, choose only one or two for that area. It should be healthy, showing a lot of vitality, but lateral growth with a wide angle from the main trunk is preferable. Once you've chosen your branch, cut away all the other sprouts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once the sprout grows out several feet, and begins branching, prune lightly, leaving strong lateral growth. Keep removing other sprouts at the base. Within a few years, the new branches will be diverting enough energy that the wild sprouting should slow or stop. There will be less sprouts once a solid canopy has been created, catching the direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T02:07:38.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35407" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35363" CreationDate="2017-09-08T15:07:47.607" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The best way to deal with poison ivy is to pull it up.  Wait until after a very heavy rain storm so the ground is completely soaked, then put rubber gloves or plastic bags over your hands and slowly pull up the plants and roots. The roots can go on and on so try to pull as slowly as possible and if you meet resistance soak the ground with a hose for a few minutes before pulling more.  Poison ivy has a fairly shallow root but it can continue for 20ft or more underground. If the root breaks then mark the area and later pour strong undiluted vinegar directly on the root. Place pulled plants and roots and used gloves into a plastic trash bag, not directly into the trash can to avoid spreading the oils to anyone unknowingly. I would even advise double bagging in case you get any oils on the outside of the first bag while filling. Do not burn any poison ivy plants as the oils can be released into the air and then be inhaled giving anyone nearby systemic poison. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It will probably take a while to fully remove all the poison ivy from your yard.  I would spend a day pulling out all above ground plants and the roots. Check for new growth every few weeks and repeat the process. Eventually you should be able to remove/kill all the roots and no new poison ivy will grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a day of pulling poison ivy no matter how careful you are you will probably have oil on your clothes/skin. Put everything you wore in the wash and run on a cold cycle and then get yourself in the shower ASAP. It's good to have someone around to open doors, run the washer, turn on lights, etc. so you don't accidentally spread the oils. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard a million ways to properly wash the oils off. What seems to work best for me is dish soap rubbed vigerously in any areas that were likely in contact, like hands and arms and then rinse with cool, not hot water.  Wash again the same way in less likely areas and don't forget to really scrub in places like between the fingers. I've also used Technu with great success but since dish soap is cheap and always available it's my go to. I've heard it expained that poison ivy oil is like having car grease on your skin but you can't see it. You need to use a grease cutting soap and scrub like you would to remove engine grease.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck and if this all seems like too much you can probably find a professional poison ivy removal expert in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T15:07:47.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35408" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35419" CreationDate="2017-09-08T18:20:29.060" Score="2" ViewCount="627" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had my kalanchoe blossfeldiana for about 3 years now, and I propagated one plant into 4 separate stems earlier in January. It flowered in the spring, but after the flowers went away the plant has been growing new baby leaves but all the old ones are dying. Is this normal, or is there something I can do to help it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: I'd also like to point out that it gets a lot of sunshine due to living in California. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kBfMM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kBfMM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The smaller plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IiVB0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IiVB0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The bigger set of 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19774" LastEditorUserId="19774" LastEditDate="2017-09-08T20:55:44.320" LastActivityDate="2017-09-09T01:58:35.350" Title="How to save my Kalanchoe blossfeldiana" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35409" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35316" CreationDate="2017-09-08T19:53:57.917" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a product of the final days of life for your plants, the season is coming to an end and the fruits are ripening, the damp morning air in autumn tends to spread this powdery mildew upon the leaves and gives you the sign to start clearing away the old plants for the winter, as the amount of daylight now become shorter, thinning the plants leaves and removing them will allow more sunlight to the fruits and harden up their skins for future storage, plus it will improve their colour and start to bring in those typical autumn colours we all enjoy, before you could find a spray to combat this problem, the seasons first frosts will burn the leaves and signal the end is near, best  thing to do is to clear away old plants and cut off really bad bits- chuck them on the compost heap and gradually start to clear the site for winter. If however it happens earlier in the season next time use a copper sulphate based solution bought from any nursery, and use as directed- you might have to buy a sprayer too- but I sorry to say its too late now for that. A totally natural sign that the seasons are changing and nothing to worry about. stop the plants and get rid of any flowers and undeveloped fruit as there is not enough time for it to ripen, think less than the size of a small football(depending on variety), chuck them too on the compost heap- not good eating and won't keep. I do this every year with mine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T19:53:57.917" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35410" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35355" CreationDate="2017-09-08T20:04:20.023" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would remove all dead, diseased and damage material from this plant first before even thinking of doing any remedial shaping or pruning. When other trees where I live begin to loose their canopies like this its usually a sign of poor aeration around the roots due to high traffic and compaction of the soil around the base, however the method of improving this is drastic and expensive, and can take years to take effect. Perhaps if you took a photo of the base from a distance might shed some light on the problem.     Judging by the newest photo of the base it looks like it could be compaction or a tree that's trying the grow into a compacted area- note the road and path beyond, aeration and possibly trying to improve the drainage too, adding some horticultural grit and something like leaf mould based compost to the soil and digging it in but only in the top six inches( wouldn't want to damage any roots) allowing it to be drawn in by natural processes and doing it again in eight to twelve months again perhaps even spiking the ground around the tree up to eight feet away- a lot of work but it might help get some air to the roots and stimulate soil bacteria/fungi to help the roots take up new nutrients and thus help the tree to recover- (Cheap method)Or in the expensive method- using compressed air hoses to pump air into the ground and using a fungal based soil improver either in compost or powdered form found on the web( a touch expensive and only really done by experts)and then mulching the area around the tree up to twelve feet in circumference too.(what I saw and taught to do at Kew a few years ago)Its a slow process and will take several seasons to take affect, it won't work over night as trees often take a while to recover, so don't feed it and think oh it hasn't worked I must feed it again with more stuff- and by then killing it- allow time for it do some good and have patience. oh and chuck some water on it when it really gets dry!   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="1999" LastEditDate="2017-09-24T14:36:38.757" LastActivityDate="2017-09-24T14:36:38.757" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35360" CreationDate="2017-09-08T20:12:05.843" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its  not the sun as the leaves would be burned not bleached, Its possibly a manganese deficiency, often linked with iron problems and soils over pH of 7.5 , just feed them with a plant tonic with both elements in it. But as Stephie says two days? perhaps the problems came in with the compost they where grown in? Or the water in the water table did something to the roots? but then again they would show signs of drowning? Its not the sun, definitely nothing to do with the sun, the damage looks very much like a kind of deficiency, something very much wrong with the plant rather than something external affecting the plant. I still go with something to do with nutrients, the only way is try a plant in a shady position and see what happens? rule one thing out at a time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="1999" LastEditDate="2017-09-08T21:07:49.470" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T21:07:49.470" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35412" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35350" CreationDate="2017-09-08T20:25:10.203" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The problem with sites like this are there is often too little information about the whole year- as in where are the frost pockets, dark shaded bits and at what times of the day, soil type, pH, drainage, aspect, height and elevation, and more importantly, what you expect to do here- First thing I would do is measure out the site and then you can try to fix a budget. That will influence your choice of plants as if its a small site one won't want big stuff in there, if the sites got bad drainage or shallow soil- then again things that root deeply are out, again shade also affect your choice-(think evergreens and not too interesting stuff here) do you want a theme, or a reflection of life style, are you allergic to anything, are there children involved(no big bright toxic berries)we need info before we can think offer better answers. By the look of the site the soil looks knackered! and shady, perhaps a bit exposed and a cold looking aspect- more info please   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T20:25:10.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35399" CreationDate="2017-09-08T21:46:12.223" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From a different perspective : I have tried to move small , one inch diameter, sassafras ( in IN and East TX ) without success . Both soils were sand and sassafras were growing naturally . The problem was that the small trees were coming up from large roots ; so a one inch tree may be coming from a three inch diameter root. But it smells good to dig around the roots. Good luck .  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-09-08T21:46:12.223" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35416" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-08T23:27:23.390" Score="5" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks to be single trunk, self cleaning. The trunk is spotted/mottled and furry. The fronds have jagged leaves. It's not a fishtail, foxtail, rhapis or a kentia(similar)... I am unsure as to the type. Any help would be greatly appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4HsDK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4HsDK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GliPE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GliPE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19775" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-09-09T14:12:23.810" LastActivityDate="2020-04-06T19:35:16.453" Title="What palm tree is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35417" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-08T23:50:33.497" Score="3" ViewCount="292" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew some Cardinal Climber plants from seed and have them in large pots on my porch. They were marvelously successful and took over the porch. It is beginning to get colder where I am and I am wondering if I can cut back the plants and bring them indoors for the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've searched around and see that these are annuals – but I don't really know what that means. I'm not a gardener – I just like to buy a few seed packs every Spring and see what comes up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19776" LastActivityDate="2021-05-04T04:58:17.073" Title="Keep potted Cardinal Climber plants through the winter?" Tags="&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35418" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35417" CreationDate="2017-09-09T01:46:50.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the plants are annuals, then that means they (usually) die in the winter; but not always. Cutting them back and bringing them indoors, or at least somewhere where they will be protected from frost, is a good idea and may mean that they will shoot again next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep them watered over winter, but water them sparingly, and only when the compost is feeling dry. In the spring do not put them outside again until the danger of frost has passed, and then feed and water them well to get the plants going again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user19777" LastActivityDate="2017-09-09T01:46:50.897" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35419" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35408" CreationDate="2017-09-09T01:58:35.350" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is perfectly natural and to be expected. - The old growth (from the original cutting) is damaged tissue and will die off naturally whilst the stock (the cutting) will produce new growth whilst it is rooting (which is also why new plants will sometimes die even after producing new growth if the compost is too moist, or if they are attacked by something, for example).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user19777" LastActivityDate="2017-09-09T01:58:35.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35420" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35421" CreationDate="2017-09-09T14:20:37.443" Score="2" ViewCount="904" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted Carnation (&lt;em&gt;Dianthus caryophyllus&lt;/em&gt;) seeds indoors in a seed tray. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seeds germinated 5 days ago and had to do 2 days without grow lights since they were not installed till then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once operational, I placed the seed tray just below the grow light in a small space (kindly see that in the pictures attached).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been three days and there has been no sign of true leaf growth in any of the Carnation seedlings. Moreover, the seedling cotyledons are now beginning to curl inwards. I am unaware of what might be the cause of the growth halt and would like anyone's kind assistance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The conditions in the space are as follows:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Air flow: none&#xA;Area Temperature: around 26 °C&#xA;Room temperature: 21°C to 24°C&#xA;Relative Humidity: around 50%&#xA;Soil type: Potting soil (peat moss)&#xA;Light time: 18 hours&#xA;Dark time: 6 hours&#xA;Light power: 43 watt LED&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was suspecting root rot due to the high water in the soil and have hence added a solution of fish fungicide to the soil. Now I am a bit concerned that the fungicide might kill the seedlings.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hxhb5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hxhb5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;curled cotyledons&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z3WCq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z3WCq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Small Space&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UuuGY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UuuGY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;growlight&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16770" LastEditorUserId="16770" LastEditDate="2017-09-09T15:33:18.317" LastActivityDate="2017-09-09T16:33:14.807" Title="Carnation true leaves are not growing" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35421" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35420" CreationDate="2017-09-09T16:23:39.420" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The cotiledons are big enough for 5 days. For the true leaves you will have to wait about two weeks from now, more or less.&#xA;What I would do to ensure they will grow nice:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;•   reduce the day length from 18 hours to about 13-14 hours like days on the Mediterranean region (supposedly their original location) in April when carnations are sown outdoors&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;•   water only when the potting soil starts to dry, in order to minimize the risk of becoming leggy in case you forget to gradually give them more light and to avoid fungus development&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;•   &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/gardening-techniques/vernalization-basics-ze0z1510zbay&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;vernalize&lt;/a&gt; them after a few months when they are developed and have strong roots; it would be great if you could provide a temperature of 5°C (41F°) for 10 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.perennialguru.com/articles/faster_flowering_perennials.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Read this paper&lt;/a&gt; about fast flowering perennials for more details. You can calculate the length of days around the world &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sunrise-and-sunset.com/en/sun/france/marseille/2017/april&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;on this site&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-09T16:33:14.807" LastActivityDate="2017-09-09T16:33:14.807" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35422" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35333" CreationDate="2017-09-09T16:34:46.717" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VisCJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EKt36.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is one single plant..&#xA;the raised box is brand new this season filled with 4 -2cuft bags of premium top soil 4 -3/4 cuft bags compst fertalizer.&#xA;3 - 2cuft bags premium top soil..&#xA;all store bought.&#xA;upon further investigation, the second pic includes a diseased leaf from what i believe to be a dogwood tree.&#xA;that i believe is the likely culprit for the disease that i believe is anthracnose. I have been spraying with the bakingsoda/veg oil i mentioned earlier in post.&#xA;It seems to be working..not much time left in season..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19718" LastActivityDate="2017-09-09T16:34:46.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35423" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-09T17:24:12.883" Score="3" ViewCount="181" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Southern New England and have a peach tree growing in the ground in my yard. I have had it for about two years. The weather this summer has been fairly warm, averaging mid to upper 80s.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am seeing purple streaks / blotches in some of my cherry leaves along with holes that appear to be insect damage. Damaged leaves fall out easily. The discoloration is not uniform but appears most often in the center of each leaf. The majority of the plant other than some of its leaves look very healthy. See picture below. This is the same plant I talked about in &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/33748/what-are-these-galls-in-my-peach-leaves&quot;&gt;my other question&lt;/a&gt; here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is causing the damage to the leaves of my peach tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hmkbm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hmkbm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13379" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-09T21:39:38.260" LastActivityDate="2017-09-09T21:39:38.260" Title="What are the purple streaks and splotches in my peach tree leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35424" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35423" CreationDate="2017-09-09T19:33:03.547" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anthony, I am sending a site of images showing phosphorus deficiency.  Purple is pretty indicative of phosphorus deficiency.  Have you used any fertilizer for this tree?  Plants have to have the proper amount of chemicals (nutrients) just like the proper amount of water, drainage and light to make their own food and support their own health.  Looks rather anemic as well meaning toolittle nitrogen or the iron is off. Are you able to test the pH of the soil? Let me know what you've done in this regard.  Is this tree in the middle of the lawn?  Do you fertilize your lawn?  Insects and disease aren't the main problem anyway.  A weakened plant, one that isn't able to make its own food via photosynthesis and is slowly dying will be subject to insects and diseases.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A86.JyhOQLRZ_l8A5sAnnIlQ?p=phosphorus%20deficiency&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;fr2=piv-web&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;phosphorus deficiency symptoms on leaves of differing genus/species&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrTccsNRLRZdIAASUEnnIlQ?p=Nitrogen%20dificiency%20peach&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;fr2=piv-web&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Nitrogen deficiency symptoms on peach leaves&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This second link looks pretty familiar, yes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-09-09T19:41:36.453" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35425" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35427" CreationDate="2017-09-09T21:06:45.553" Score="5" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm making a temporary garden for a client at home to move to the landscaping location. He requested his garden contain broccoli which is the plant I'm worried about currently. It seems to have grey patches on a single leaf at the moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm living in Australia and we are currently going through winter, minimum 2° celcius (35° fahrenheit) nights and 8° celcius (46° fahrenheit) days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the broccoli leaf:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zHtBw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zHtBw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;broccoli leaf with grey patches&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19780" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-09T21:29:35.107" LastActivityDate="2017-09-09T23:56:04.503" Title="Why would a broccoli plant have grey patches on only a single leaf?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;&lt;broccoli&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35426" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-09T22:02:58.737" Score="6" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hydrangeas are my favorite flowers. I only have one potted Mathilda gutges plant in my condo. I don't know much about their care. The plant had three flowers. It was dying and I cut two of them because they looked really bad. One survived and it's still on the plant. It's humid to the touch and alive but green in color. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm watering it and I noticed it has new purple flowers on the same stem. Should I cut the green flower? Should I leave the plant alone? It's September and I thought there wouldn't be any more flowers for the rest of the year, so this is a nice surprise. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aEEfL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19782" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-09T22:21:01.190" LastActivityDate="2017-09-16T15:41:57.400" Title="Why does my Mathilda hydrangea have an old green flower and a new purple one on the same stem?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;hydrangea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35427" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35425" CreationDate="2017-09-09T23:56:04.503" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That leaf is the oldest leaf and is in the process of dying.  Totally normal.  Cut it off so that plant can concentrate its energy making its flower!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-09T23:56:04.503" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35428" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35417" CreationDate="2017-09-10T00:01:41.297" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are ANNUALS. They die completely by the end of the season but might produce seed that you haven't removed and will reseed in the spring. No you can not bring them in for the winter. Annuals live but one season. Their entire gig in life is to make seed. Get more seed for the spring...absolutely healthy to grow different stuff, try different plants. Kudos! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, plants in pots have their roots exposed to the cold.  If you want to grow and overwinter perennials in pots, you need to protect the roots.  Burlap, christmas tree lights that aren't LED...only potting soil, no rock at the bottom.  Take your pots in for the winter so that if they've absorbed water that it doesn't freeze and break your pots.  Clean out all soil and replace next spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-09-10T00:17:18.003" LastActivityDate="2017-09-10T00:17:18.003" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35429" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35400" CreationDate="2017-09-10T00:05:16.873" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.brokenarrownursery.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/470x470/37d30b3d94e9a06722db93e171ffc8c1/c/a/calamagrostis_x_acutiflora_karl_foerster_habit_-_scott_arboretum_-_july_26_2012.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;karl forester reed grass&lt;/a&gt;  Without being able to look at those seed heads this might also be a good contender.  Could you please send close ups of the seed &#xA;heads?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://Pampas%20Grass&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pampas grass pictures&lt;/a&gt; It could still be Pampas Grass as well.  Need a close up of the seed head as well as the leave...or where those leaves join the stem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My experience with Pampas grass includes trying to clean out, clean up, thin or control and lots of humongous rats.  Great rat housing! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-09-10T00:10:40.207" LastActivityDate="2017-09-10T00:10:40.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35430" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35433" CreationDate="2017-09-10T00:19:10.487" Score="3" ViewCount="4305" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a some broad beans plants that have just started flowering in early spring. The plants and flowers look healthy, at least to me, but some of the flowers at the bottom of the plant appear to by dying. I also haven't managed to get any beans yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Questions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I be doing something to stop the flowers wilting at the bottom or is this part of the process, if so, what?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I be getting beans yet? the plants have had flowers for about 4-5 weeks now. Is there a pollination issue?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There have also been some ants on the plants, is this something to worry about?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I be pinching the tips off the plants yet, as some sources recommend?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Photos&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note the dying flowers at the bottom.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ce4T4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ce4T4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Broad bean plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16579" LastEditorUserId="16579" LastEditDate="2017-09-10T00:48:40.200" LastActivityDate="2017-09-17T16:58:21.083" Title="Broad Beans — Flowers dying and not fruiting" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;beans&gt;&lt;fava-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35431" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35518" CreationDate="2017-09-10T00:32:37.740" Score="2" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing spring onions and am not sure whether or not I am regrowing them the best way. I have a few questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been cutting the spring onions at their base so that the regrow and I don't have to plant more spring onions. &lt;strong&gt;Can I keep doing this forever, or will the taste or size of the spring onion start to suffer if I do this a number of times.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also want to be able to let the spring onions go to seed so that I can regrow them. I have one Spring onion plant that has just developed a 'bud' like object. (Early Spring) &lt;strong&gt;Will this flower and seed? If so, how can I get my other plants to do this too?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Can these two methods be used in combination?&lt;/strong&gt; For example, can I cut the spring onions at the base until taste starts to suffer, then let them go to seed and replant the seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Answers to any or all of these questions would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Photos&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k4oQp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k4oQp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Spring onions regrowing after being cut&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eOeQw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eOeQw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Spring onion with &amp;#39;bud&amp;#39; like object on top&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16579" LastEditorUserId="16579" LastEditDate="2017-09-10T00:38:31.593" LastActivityDate="2017-09-17T15:58:19.540" Title="Spring onion regrowth and seeding" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;onions&gt;&lt;sustainability&gt;&lt;spring-onions&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35432" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35431" CreationDate="2017-09-10T04:12:24.617" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Don't&lt;/em&gt; cut bulbs down! - bend the leaves over mid-way and use an elastic band or similar to secure. - That way nutrients from the leaves will be re-absorbed back into the bulb as the leaves die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The swollen pod you can see is the flower-head. I am not sure about harvesting seed from onions, so I will leave this for someone else to give advice on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user19777" LastActivityDate="2017-09-10T04:12:24.617" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35433" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35430" CreationDate="2017-09-10T04:16:59.150" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The flowers will wilt, and the bean pods will form and start to become apparent over the next week or so. New pods will form throughout the flowering stage. Pinching the tips off the plant can help the plant put more energy into flowering, as opposed to leaf growth, but is not essential; and the ants will be farming blackfly aphids on the bean plants, so you may want to discourage them with a liquid soap and water spray on the aphids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user19777" LastActivityDate="2017-09-10T04:16:59.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35434" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35352" CreationDate="2017-09-10T04:22:13.047" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Why not just leave the wildflowers be? - Spray and Geotex / weed cloth / weed barrier just encourage brambles, bindweed, &lt;em&gt;etc&lt;/em&gt;. and destroy natural diversity (in other words you will find yourself in a losing fight against some very hardy, most near-irradicable, plants), whilst salt will run-off into other areas when it rains (desroying the arability of those areas, too).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user19777" LastActivityDate="2017-09-10T04:22:13.047" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35435" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-10T05:11:15.913" Score="3" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing a blueberry bushes and am not sure that I am having much success. The plant doesn't appear to have done much since it was planted and just appears to be slowly loosing leaves and flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would anyone have any recommendations? maybe the soil is not acidic enough? Maybe the plant is not getting enough water? Is it just not the right time of year? (mid winter to early spring) I also think I might have planted the plant too high up and some of the roots are exposed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Photos&lt;/strong&gt; (click to enlarge)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are photos of the blueberry plant soon after being planted (14th July - Note southern Australian climate):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lEUSD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lEUSDm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Blueberry plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gIwih.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gIwihm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;blueberry plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are photos of the blueberry plant now (10th September) The first one is an overall shot and the second shows the exposed roots, I understand that this is not ideal, but I don't think that it is the main issue:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HQEIs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HQEIsm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Blueberry plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/umIuD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/umIuDm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Exposed blueberry roots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16579" LastActivityDate="2017-09-10T05:11:15.913" Title="Blueberry bush not looking very lively" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;blueberries&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35436" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35520" CreationDate="2017-09-10T05:48:43.317" Score="3" ViewCount="1148" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been trying to grow lettuce and I am having some problems with what I think are slugs and snails, Something appears to be eating my lettuce and it is not growing much. I was wondering if anyone could confirm that this is the work of snails, and recommend any strategies to stop the snails. The lettuce has been growing from about mid winter to early spring (Southern Australia)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Photos&lt;/strong&gt; (click to enlarge)&#xA;These two photos show the lettuce plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uvv00.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uvv00m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lettuce plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mkUxf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mkUxfm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lettuce plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any tips or help would be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Update&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The lettuce has started to grow a bit more. I think that although snails and slugs might have been eating it, it was probably mainly the cold stopping it from growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This being said, &lt;strong&gt;Tyler K.&lt;/strong&gt;’s advice in the accepted answer is very useful to anyone with a similar problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is what the plants are starting to look like now (same plant as first photo):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e13O4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e13O4m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;lettuce plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16579" LastEditorUserId="16579" LastEditDate="2017-09-18T12:57:06.607" LastActivityDate="2017-09-18T12:57:06.607" Title="Slugs and snails eating lettuce?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;&lt;snails&gt;&lt;slugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35437" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35438" CreationDate="2017-09-10T06:27:56.190" Score="5" ViewCount="2600" Body="&lt;p&gt;from few days I have noticed that my plants pepper plants are destroyed by these white insects I killed many with small stick , good thAt they are only in my pepper plants have not effected my tomato plants which I have placed closed to pepper plants. So I was wondering how to get rid of these insects because they are eating all leaves and plants are inactive their leaves are in inactive position mean not healthy. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kTHlZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kTHlZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More picture of insect. I have made small video of it but looks like no video upload option. These white insects looks like have colonies on pots  and also move it medium speed.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QTMjx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QTMjx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VrF0x.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VrF0x.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ca3cv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ca3cv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OQRwY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OQRwY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update more pics :&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uauf0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uauf0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mIcFP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mIcFP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bpF9C.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bpF9C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bTDU3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bTDU3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/etukn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/etukn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zq0pI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zq0pI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gzNzQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gzNzQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zV2Uu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zV2Uu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KgZA7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KgZA7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WoWTd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WoWTd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17771" LastEditorUserId="17771" LastEditDate="2017-09-11T09:06:57.630" LastActivityDate="2017-09-11T09:06:57.630" Title="White insect attack on pepper plant" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35437" CreationDate="2017-09-10T10:18:58.420" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Are you sure you want to rescue these plants? I &lt;em&gt;personally&lt;/em&gt; would think about giving up...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No seriously, you have a whole lot going on here. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the first picture, there are hundreds of &lt;strong&gt;aphids&lt;/strong&gt;.&#xA;There &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; also be a specimen of scale hiding amidst the aphids, but I'm not sure. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The holes in the leaves are made by the &lt;strong&gt;caterpillars&lt;/strong&gt; that can be seen in the last photo, not any other insect. You can simply pick them off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But we should take a  loser look at the white wooly things now, because that's what you are asking about.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The knee-jerk reaction of most gardeners is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;Mealybugs!&quot;&lt;/a&gt; , but I think you are actually blessed with &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptolaemus_montrouzieri&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;mealybug destroyer&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Cryptolaemus montrouzieri&lt;/em&gt;) larvae - they are a lot larger than common mealybugs and with their waxy &quot;shaggy mane&quot;, they mimic mealybugs (their favourite food) to trick the ants that often &quot;farm&quot; mealybugs for their sweet excrement and defend their &quot;livestock&quot;. In short, these ladybug relatives have found your aphid infestation and are feasting on them - so if you have been killing them, you did yourself a disservice. Lesson here: &lt;strong&gt;Only kill when you have a positive id!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/pO2Uy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/pO2Uy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Source&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But a general word of advice:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;If a plant is suffering as much as yours, it's a sign that the environmental conditions are unfavourable. A healthy plant will somewhat defend itself against insects, typically it's the weakened specimens that attract bugs en masse (of course, there are also years where bugs are more frequent than others). So if I were you, I would &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pick off  the caterpillars  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;check water, soil, light... and make sure the plants are getting the optimal conditions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;and only then think about dealing with the aphids - but watch closely, the mealybug destroyers might have already finished off most of them.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-09-10T16:49:24.420" LastActivityDate="2017-09-10T16:49:24.420" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35439" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34902" CreationDate="2017-09-10T16:33:58.873" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would cut down the smaller trunk. However, I have put threaded rod ( aka very long bolt ) between two trunks to hold them together . 5/16 &quot; rod would likely be strong enough for this, any hardware store has rod and nuts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-09-10T16:33:58.873" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35440" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35444" CreationDate="2017-09-10T16:55:48.890" Score="3" ViewCount="3093" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had this rubber tree for about five years and it looked great during its first year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However I moved around a lot and I moved the Pheadrus around even more (yesterday I learned what a stress it is for these guys). At some point it started to lose leafs and then from under the ground grew what seemed like his children. Three years ago I remember there being three separate stems. Now it's seven.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of the older stems are now pretty bare, as some of the new ones. Only one or two have some good leafs. I'm thinking of cutting six of the seven right where they stick out of the soil. Can I do that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, there are other issues. The upper leafs have whitish stains on the upper surface. Most of the leafs are yellowish on the bottom sides of them. Some of the leafs have dry patches on the edges. I'm not sure if there's fungi or something like that...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone please give me some tips on how to bring this plant back to good life? Ideally it would have one long stem with nice big leaves and no branches. I don't mind if it takes another five years to help Pheadrus grow into its best version of itself :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4mjYF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4mjYF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;problematic Pheadrus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19788" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-22T08:44:49.770" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T08:44:49.770" Title="Boy this rubber tree has issues" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35441" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-10T17:09:31.353" Score="3" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am interested in Stihl equipment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to string trim grass, edge grass and beds w/ a blade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For complementary, existing lawn/garden equipment, I have an electric hedge trimmer, an electric and manual pole pruner, and a Stihl backpack blower. From my experience w/ the Stihl blower I want to continue w/ Stihl equipment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would the Stihl KombiSystem suit my needs and if so, which model - the homeowner or one of the four professional models? Which attachments are recommended w/ the KombiSystem head to string trim grass, edge grass and beds w/ a blade? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13297" LastActivityDate="2019-02-26T16:53:40.577" Title="Recommendations for Best Trimming/Edging Equipment" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35442" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-10T18:48:01.493" Score="8" ViewCount="847" Body="&lt;p&gt;What plant is this? It has white /pink flowers growing from the leaf margin. It loves water, and shows an irregular growth habit. I was told it is from Vietnam. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zsRuJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zsRuJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eejz8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eejz8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-09-10T19:38:54.663" LastActivityDate="2020-05-17T18:25:16.790" Title="What plant is this ; white /pink flowers grow from leaf margin" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35444" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35440" CreationDate="2017-09-10T18:51:48.013" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_elastica&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ficus elastica&lt;/a&gt; which can grow 30 meters tall.  When you see it growing outdoors you realize that this plant can be as wide as it is tall due to the numerous trunks.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A healthy specimen when grown indoors will have multiple trunks but will tend to have less leaves on the bottom. Older leaves will yellow and drop from the bottom up in response to low light or other stress.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to get this plant to look nice it needs more light.  Strong diffuse light from a south window or direct light from an east or west window should do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next comes rejuvenation.  These plants are tough so no need to worry about being too rough.  Move it closer to the light and cut all the stems down to the base. Leave one or two nodes above the soil, cut back on the water and wait.  New growth will bud out and you will have a nice bushy plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no need to repot this plant or fertilize it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the damaged leaves it is always possible there is a pest issue. Although unlikely &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrips&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thrip&lt;/a&gt; larvae live inside the leaf and leave silvery trails.  Diagnosis is easy: look on the underside of the leaf for black spots or &quot;Frass&quot; which can be brushed off. You might even see adults which can fly.  If you have thrip it is very difficult to control without heavy duty systemic pesticides.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I would get rid of the plant as I never succeeded in getting rid of thrip.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most likely is that the damage is a combination of physical damage, sun burn or periods of overwatering.  These leaves will never get better so rejuvenation is the best solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-09-10T18:51:48.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35445" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35441" CreationDate="2017-09-10T19:47:49.297" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like simple straight forward machines.  Having attachments, in my experience anyway, is just another thing to get lost as well as another thing to go wrong.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only tools I use and own are; line trimmer without tap and go, just a fixed head that I can change out lengths of line, my Stihl blower and a great hydrostatic mower with extra blades to keep sharp. When purchasing equipment always get extra spark plugs and air filters and gas filters. I also used to have a great hedge trimmer, reciprocating double blades.  Got a Stihl chain saw.  I've never been happy with electric anything where I have to drag a long cord around the yard.  Way underpowered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be very snobbish in choosing gas and oil.  Stihl makes a great oil and get the little bottles for perfect mixing.  Never use gasoline with ethanol.  These small engines clog up quickly. I also use the star cross section for line.  Get a big roll.  I can explain how to cut, thread and balance your line.  Never have a line that is uneven, it will put lots of unnecessary stress on your engine.  Buy a great pair of safety glasses.  Never operate any equipment that rotates without glasses.  I've seen the damaged eyes!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hand tools; Felco.  Period.  Probably the last product you'll ever find that is meant to last forever.  You should buy an extra blade or two at the same time.  I've had wonderful ratchet pole pruners and hand pruners that were able to cut 4&quot; trees. Easy to find at any Home Show.  Get a great stone and file and learn to sharpen these blades yourself.  Scissors and by pass pruners (never go with anvil) can only be sharpened on one side.  Use silicon to clean, not WD40.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Blade trimmers for lawn edges should only be wheeled push machines, not hand held.  Blade trimmers are great for between concrete and lawn, not between plant beds and lawn.  When you get more practiced that blade edger will just gather dust.  Line trimmers do the job beautifully!  There are blade 'wackers' for brush.  You can rent those for as often as you'll need to use them.  4&quot; trunks! Chainsaws work better.  Get to know the people at the Stihl store which hopefully also repairs equipment and carries all the parts you might need.  Stihl is my favorite brand as well...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep dirt out of your equipment and these wonderful tools will last forever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-10T19:47:49.297" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35441" CreationDate="2017-09-10T20:46:42.793" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a Ryobi motor and attachment system like &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ryobitools.com/outdoor/products/list/family/expand-it&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;.  Everything went well till the motor needed work.  Then I had no power tools till it came back from the shop, never again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-09-10T20:46:42.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35447" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-10T21:01:24.220" Score="2" ViewCount="919" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in San Francisco bay area (Fremont, hardiness zone 10b).&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;I have planted pittosporum tenuifolium as hedge plant. I have about 30 plants, these are growing very healthy for the last one year and are about 6' tall now. However in the last one month few of them dying (one died, one partially died, one started dying. See attached photos).&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Any idea what could be the reason. I water them once a week and one died in fact near to lawn where lawn is watered twice week.,&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;I had gopher problems before, however I don't see any gopher activities in the last few months.&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Any idea what could be the reason these plants dying?&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Starting to Die&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lPhqv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lPhqv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Starting to die&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Partially dead&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/510Op.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/510Op.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Partially dead&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;Dead&lt;br/&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sQWOx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sQWOx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dead&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16732" LastActivityDate="2017-09-11T12:32:44.863" Title="Pittosporum plants dying" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35449" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35452" CreationDate="2017-09-11T01:08:35.850" Score="3" ViewCount="117" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw these taking over a balloon plant in the area of South Bay, LA (Redondo Beach, CA).&#xA;Are they beneficial insects?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ywFWQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ywFWQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;orange bugs clustering around balloon plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/njknL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/njknL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19791" LastActivityDate="2017-09-11T12:45:05.163" Title="Orange and Black bugs on balloon plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35450" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-11T02:49:33.973" Score="4" ViewCount="2168" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Canada and it will soon be time for me to bring in my succulents and cacti. Last year I brought in two Delosperma plants and within less then a month they both died. they were both very healthy and had amazing growth throughout the summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the things I suspected is that I had watered them too much before bringing them in and the soil was too moist for the first week that they were indoors. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I got a new Delosperma plant in the spring and I will be moving it indoors soon. Here are the steps I plan on taking this year when it goes indoors to *hopefully have a better outcome:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) I have heavily pruned the plant so that there is less active green growth and flowering. Hopefully this will allow it to conserve more energy and require less water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) I will make sure the soil is very dry before bringing it in (most likely late September) and will water very sparingly until November (usually after November the moisture in the air is much less)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) I will get a small fan and direct it at my cacti to increase airflow and help the soil dry faster after watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If anybody has experience keeping these plants indoors successfully I would really appreciate any advice. Any comments are suggestions from other succulent keepers are also appreciated&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14297" LastActivityDate="2017-09-11T21:39:21.357" Title="Delosperma (Ice Plant) indoors during winter" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35451" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35450" CreationDate="2017-09-11T08:00:54.220" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to acclimate a plant that has been growing out of doors to the indoors.  You do that in little steps.  Bring inside for half an hour and take back to its regular spot outside.  Next couple of days same thing.  Then increase the time indoors to an hour for 3 days.  Then 2 hours for 3 days then 4 hours for 3 days then 6 hours for 3 days then half a day for 3 days and then your plant should be acclimated.  Are these plants in pots or are they in the ground?  I am guessing in pots.  Did you use potting soil? Fertilizer?  Do not water until the plant and pot are light to lift.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send a picture.  Need to see the size of plant in relation to pot.  Potting soil JUST potting soil is critical.  You need to give your plant as much light as possible such as a south window sill.  I wouldn't use tap water.  These plants store their own water and over watering is a death sentence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-11T08:00:54.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35449" CreationDate="2017-09-11T10:30:49.800" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're  milkweed bugs, mostly immature ones in various stages. They're usually found on Asclepias - I'm not sure what you mean by Balloon plant, that common name is usually taken to mean Platycodon, but quite why they're on that plant I don't know. Milkweed bugs have piercing mouthparts and feed on milkweed, more information, and images of the bugs in various stages of development, here: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/insects/plant-bugs/milkweed-bugs.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Milkweed bugs&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-09-11T12:45:05.163" LastActivityDate="2017-09-11T12:45:05.163" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35453" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-11T12:16:28.477" Score="7" ViewCount="2594" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our garden border is defined by a steep bank about 4m high, into a small river - not quite a cliff but so steep you would struggle to climb it. The river bends into our border at one point which raises questions of erosion over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're in the north of England in a fairly wooded area so the bank here is in partial shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wondered if there are particular plants or trees which would be good to encourage to grow at the top and on the slope of the bank, which will help bind the soil together and reduce erosion risk?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Equally, if there are things which would be detrimental - whose roots might break the bank up, or whose weight/height make them likely to be blown down and the bank damaged?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vpWTF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vpWTF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L3fGI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L3fGI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-12T17:43:04.360" LastActivityDate="2017-09-12T17:43:04.360" Title="What plants/trees will help (or hinder) bind a river bank together?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;support&gt;&lt;erosion-control&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35442" CreationDate="2017-09-11T14:03:10.087" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's an &lt;i&gt;Epiphyllum&lt;/i&gt;, a Central American genus of cacti. I'm not sure of the species, but &lt;i&gt;Epiphyllum oxypetalum&lt;/i&gt; is the most common in cultivation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19553" LastEditorUserId="19553" LastEditDate="2017-09-11T14:19:19.707" LastActivityDate="2017-09-11T14:19:19.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35456" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35453" CreationDate="2017-09-11T15:38:56.423" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure whether your garden is the other side of the fence, or whether you've taken this shot from your garden and the fence belongs to someone else. Assuming your garden is the other side of the fence, I wouldn't touch the bank at all. The best thing for anchoring soil is actually trees and treelike shrubs; there are obviously a couple of trees there already, plus the trunk of a large tree over the fence can be seen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Along the fence line on the other side, I can't tell what else is there already, but if there's nothing, then adding either a tree or two or a couple of very large growing shrubs (Prunus laurocerasus, Cotinus coggrygia for instance) should help to stabilise the bank too, over time. Salix (Willow) varieties are particularly fond of nearby water and damp soils, so if you've room for one of those, the roots are sure to head to the bank, where the water is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is not your garden we're looking at, then please post a picture of that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-09-11T16:19:06.017" LastActivityDate="2017-09-11T16:19:06.017" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35457" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-11T18:57:32.080" Score="4" ViewCount="110" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in El Dorado Hills, CA (northern CA). A new lawn (~150 sq ft) was laid ~5 month ago. I was told by the builder that they planted 90/10 fescue/bluegrass sod for grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been trying to take care of the lawn by mowing it once a month and watering it regularly. However, the condition of the lawn seems to have deteriorated. A recent picture: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/72K8z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/72K8z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am seeing a lot of dead grass spots appear. Don't understand why this is happening. I believe I made a couple of mistakes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;On a couple of occasions, I mowed the lawn too low. I've corrected that by moving the setting on my lawn mower to maximum height.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For fertilizer, I am using Milorganite (organic). In early August, I applied about 2lbs with a spreader (instructions say 35 lbs / 2500 sq ft). This was the first application. Instead of 'greening' the grass, a lot of it seems to have died.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For watering, the sprinklers are set to 20 min at 6:00 AM for every other day. I will reduce that as we get into the fall/rainy season. The soil underneath is mostly clay.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Temperatures have definitely been high (100-105) in the previous month so maybe that has caused stress on the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given the picture above, what am I potentially doing wrong? Any recommendations for any corrective actions I can take for the lawn to recover back to health? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update on 4/18/2018:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are two pictures shows the update. I overseeded twice (once in Sept/Oct 2017 and once in late Jan 2018). We have gotten quite a bit of rain in the last 2 months and the grass has come back quite strong (I think). Still some bald spots in a few areas but I will add more seed to those areas in the coming fall. Will fertilize in May. Started mowing once per week. Things are looking much better! Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JRNec.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JRNec.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fX0Lb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fX0Lb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19796" LastEditorUserId="19796" LastEditDate="2018-04-18T21:10:16.537" LastActivityDate="2018-04-18T21:10:16.537" Title="Caring tips for a new lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35458" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35453" CreationDate="2017-09-11T20:26:02.747" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;All rivers, creeks, wetlands are under the auspices of the city or county.  For you to play with the banks of a riparian system is a HUGE no no.  You could get thrown in jail or at least fined huge bucks or euros or yen?  Leave that alone!  There is also a 'buffer zone' that you need to be aware that extends from the edge of the water way.  This buffer zone has rules and regulations as well!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being so close to this little riparian system you most certainly need to learn how it affects YOU.  You can only plant on your side of the fence but even that I would research before doing another thing.  Those buffer zones might include your entire yard.  Look in your mortgage papers.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bamboo lives in your world.  Give those people a call.  Is this inside your property line?  You lucky dog!!  Gorgeous.  Doesn't look like a problem at all for collapse of banks, riffles or seasonal flooding.  Are there fish?  Crawdads?  Raccoons?  Willow would be my choice.  You've got Hedera helix...can't think of a worse plant that is the best plant for this bank.  Too bad that this causes more English Ivy down stream...but it is working for you.  Bishop's weed as proposed by Wayfaring would do the same...causing that plant to become a problem for everyone.  Lovely plant however.  If this is on your property I would just leave it alone. Cut back the foliage as you are doing but don't allow the clippings to go down the stream.  What a beautiful water 'feature'!!  With a 'beach' of gravel to boot!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-11T20:26:02.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35453" CreationDate="2017-09-11T20:41:00.230" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I once had a home in a similar situation. After watching a willow tree wash away , I went with railroad ties , steel pipes, and bricks. I recommend  anything like stone/rock. You can also find many sea-wall / bulkhead products . The picture looks like relatively low velocity water all the time so you probably don't need to get too serious/expensive. If you you apply for a permit you likely won't get one . When the bank is stable , consider ash trees. they tolerate wet conditions. I stabbed in cuttings from ash, willow and red twig dogwood. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-09-11T20:41:00.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35460" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35457" CreationDate="2017-09-11T20:52:36.847" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most mowers do not have adjustments to allow you the correct height for cool season grasses.  3 inches is minimum.  3.5&quot; is best.  I have tried to find the formulation for this Milorganite.  Sounds promising but I am weirded out they do not post the percentages for NPK!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am concerned about the water schedule.  Turn off the timer for awhile.  After watering, that soil (clay) should be wet at least 4&quot; deep in profile.  Do not water that grass until (and this works very well as a test) you walk on the grass and your foot prints stay down.  The grass doesn't spring back up.  Then water again.  Do NOT water until you see your footprints. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doing this trains your grass roots to grow deeply making you lawn drought tolerate!  Also gets rid of weed worries.  I see your grass is still too short.  So glad you changed your settings but if that grass isn't 3&quot; it is still too low and too short for cool season grasses.  Have your favorite appliance repair shop do a custom 'lift' for your mower.  Sharpen blades, have a separate set of blades already sharpened...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have to add the most important point and that this is PUBLIC grass.  People walk their dogs and those dogs piss on chunks of lawn like this.  When lawns are properly fertilized extra piss will burn your grass. If dogs piss on poorly fertilized grass that spot will get very green.  I think this is your problem.  Perhaps a little sign telling your neighbors to not allow their dogs to piss on other people's lawns!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;post script; mow once per week!  Not once per month.  Once or even twice per week is best and bag those clippings. Great for the compost bin or dumping on top of weeds in the back of your plant beds/property.  Sharp blades always.  Your grass looks healthy from what I can see in your picture...how does the rest of your lawn look?  Does it have these 'piddle spots'?  Aerate once per year! Pulling cores and leaving them where they fall...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-11T20:52:36.847" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35461" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35450" CreationDate="2017-09-11T21:39:21.357" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many growers from northern climes put their plants in a cellar or basement where they get little to no light and very little water and the temps remain above freezing. They've overwintered their plants successfully for a number of years. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, the one guy I'm thinking of in particular had mostly cactus, not non-cactus succulents, so ymmv.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;His biggest problem is deciding when to put them away in the fall and take them out in the spring. You don't want to be too late or too early...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keeping them indoors at normal house temperatures with short, weak photo-periods can make them grow poorly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have this issue (I'm in Arizona), but I know a number of people who do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-09-11T21:39:21.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35462" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35442" CreationDate="2017-09-11T21:47:52.270" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It may have come from Vietnam, but it's not a native of Vietnam. Cactus are native to the New World only. Any cactus on any other continent is a transplant. SE Asia has been growing several of the &quot;jungle&quot; cactus varieties which have big fruit (dragon fruit).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This group of cactus from Central and South America are definitely NOT cold hardy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your specimen is quite nice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-09-11T21:47:52.270" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35463" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35464" CreationDate="2017-09-11T23:47:13.250" Score="4" ViewCount="32" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have several shrubby plants that are ancient, potted, and in need of pruning. My inclination is to prune them before I bring them inside for the cold season. Most the the plants come from more temperate climates and bloom while inside. But part of me always wonders if I should prune in early summer when I bring them outside. Any general recommendations? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-09-12T06:21:18.747" Title="When to prune house plants that live outside in the warm season?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35464" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35463" CreationDate="2017-09-12T06:21:18.747" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pruning is best done in little bits all of the time.  When you are thinking of pruning go get your pruners, alcohol and do a bit of clean up.  There is no 'best' time for indoor plants.  I always took my plants outside on a covered porch for the summers.  Really gives our long term 'perishables' a great boost.  You don't just put them in the sun do you?  Send a picture, Ben.  I am playing with this paint program I might be able to help prune.  Bypass pruners, sharp sharp sharp and alcohol.  Usually the rule is 1/3 of a plant but I try not to do more than 1/4 of the plant at a time but that is a tough thing to figure.  I go by the vigor of the plant for how much I will take off a plant at a time. Little sessions work very well. Taking your indoor plants out of doors for the summer is truly smart!  You can also hose them down and clean them of dust.  What are you doing for fertilizer, Ben?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-12T06:21:18.747" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35465" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35547" CreationDate="2017-09-12T12:38:19.870" Score="2" ViewCount="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a vine a year ago and it's doing fine and growing well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am training it to go over the fence to reach the pergola on the other side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I prune it for next year's growth and when?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kmN4Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kmN4Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16605" LastActivityDate="2017-09-20T12:22:57.767" Title="Vine specific pruning and training" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35467" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35416" CreationDate="2017-09-12T19:28:12.623" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's many different kinds of palms.Could be Lady palm Parlor or Reed.All grow anywhere from 3-8 ft.Care is about the same with all,moist soil,no direct sun min. night temps. at 62-65.Fertilize once a month mostly during the growing season.I love palms,remind me of the tropics I have a small one in my bath room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14436" LastActivityDate="2017-09-12T19:28:12.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35471" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-13T11:52:47.447" Score="4" ViewCount="191" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this weed? I am in western Pennsylvania and would appreciate knowing if it needs to be eradicated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Vkqq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Vkqq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19811" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-09-13T13:59:41.597" LastActivityDate="2017-12-04T20:09:31.160" Title="Identify a Pennsylvania weed with alternate lanceolate leaves" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35472" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35474" CreationDate="2017-09-13T13:52:31.860" Score="3" ViewCount="125" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just bought a new house and the garden is filled with some kind of flea-like insect. You can't notice them normally but put anything white on the grass and they jump on it instantly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/lkgWz2wnyvgWxVjS2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here is a video&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And some photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Df6IX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Df6IX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;a&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ww1kY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ww1kY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;b&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xaxZy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xaxZy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;c&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FvceM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FvceM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;d&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They're maybe 1mm long and they jump like fleas. The previous owners apparently had two cats, and there are definitely cats still roaming. But they're not in the house at all and they don't bite us.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone have any ideas or know a better place to ask?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19812" LastActivityDate="2017-09-13T16:29:57.323" Title="Identifying fleas in my garden" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35473" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-13T16:16:28.567" Score="4" ViewCount="372" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just wondering what this is. Found it in an old pot out back and not sure if I should toss or save. TIA&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B2gtw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B2gtw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19814" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-09-14T17:00:50.190" Title="Identification of white flower with four petals" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35474" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35472" CreationDate="2017-09-13T16:29:57.323" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try a leafhopper, Aphrodes bifasciatus. Seems to fit the pictures and the descriptive behaviour. It is a jumping bug not a fly but many insects have wings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19815" LastActivityDate="2017-09-13T16:29:57.323" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35475" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20697" CreationDate="2017-09-13T18:12:58.507" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is most likely an Oputia microdasys. They don't grow this color in nature. There are rufida (red) and albispina (white) varieties or subspecies. I've also seen spray painted Mammillaria vetula ssp. gracilis in local storess&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I agree with the other advice to take the pad that looks broken off and pot it either separately or in the same pot. If any pads are dry and crispy throw them away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect that the &quot;normal&quot; colored appendages are caused by lack of sun. These plants grow outdoors in direct sun here in AZ. They need lots of sun for normal growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as watering advice goes, use tap water. If you want to spiff it up, let it sit before using for 24-48 hours to off-gas the chlorine. If you want to get even fancier you can test the water and acidulate it to 4.5-5.0 Ph using either white vinegar or citric acid (or your personal favorite acid, except hydrochloric).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other thing to keep in mind is that many of these Opuntias make most of their growth in the spring. Sometimes a little in the fall. They will root any time but don't put on new pads except in the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this one doesn't work out, let me know, I'll send you a box of them.  They aren't naturalized in my part of AZ, but are common as a landscape plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't care for them because the glochids are numerous and loose. Spray them down with water before leaf blowing near them outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-09-13T18:12:58.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35476" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35358" CreationDate="2017-09-13T18:55:42.943" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Almost any species of wood can be pressure-treated.  I don't know what species this post is, though the softer and most abundant pines tend to be used.  The little pierce marks you rightly label as telltale indicate that it has been pressure-treated, whether or not it also has been dyed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The liquid that used to be used contained copper, and gave pressure-treated wood that green copper color.  Since the oxidized copper can wear off the surface, color isn't definitive identification.  The liquid also contained chromium and arsenic, and thus was called CCA.  In the U.S. it's now illegal to use wood treated with CCA in residences.  Arsenic and chromium are heavy metals and are toxic or poisonous at low concentrations.  I don't know about the other two but arsenic can migrate to soil and from there into plants.   That is, it poisons the food you grow.  Don't let your vegetable garden even look at that kind of wood!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When it comes to pressure-treated, eco-friendly is a relative concept.  The point of pressure treating is to keep out bacteria, fungus, insects, and anything else that might like to eat the wood.  So the liquid injected isn't going to be a substance that's friendly to living things.  Here's a nice description of some of the alternatives and their relative merits:  &lt;a href=&quot;https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/publications/0604023.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/publications/0604023.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Short answer:  Vegetable gardens and pressure-treated wood are a bad combination.  Don't do it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18091" LastActivityDate="2017-09-13T18:55:42.943" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35478" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35471" CreationDate="2017-09-13T22:47:18.587" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is Polygonum persicaria; Smart Weed.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.NqU6xcaT5yXq4q2VLajw9gEsD8&amp;amp;pid=15.1&amp;amp;P=0&amp;amp;w=183&amp;amp;h=155&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;smart weed&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-13T22:47:18.587" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35479" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35473" CreationDate="2017-09-13T22:48:06.837" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's in the family Rubiaceae. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diodia_virginiana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Diodia virginiana&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt; looks like a good match.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19553" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-14T17:00:50.190" LastActivityDate="2017-09-14T17:00:50.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35480" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="462" CreationDate="2017-09-14T01:26:35.223" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends on what kind of drip system you mean. You can absolute do it afterward, since mulch is easy to move, but you should pile the mulch over the irrigation again afterward, to protect it from the sun (just be careful not to accidentally cut it with a shovel in later years =P).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are going to mulch the entire yard, bear in mind two things:&#xA;A) It won't stop weeds unless you mulch &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; deep (multiple inches at least), they'll just work their way through.&#xA;B) It'll eventually let weeds through anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd save the mulch for the areas the plants are actually going to grow, since it'll improve the soil over time, and not waste it on the places you don't want anything to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last year what I did was laid down cardboard first, and then woodchipped ontop of it about an inch. That kept weeds down perfectly for a year. This year the weeds came back as if last year's labor wasn't a thing.&#xA;This is excellent if you are going to plant there next year (or even this year - just cut a hole in the cardboard).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, this year for pathways I laid down &lt;strong&gt;cardboard first&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;two layers&lt;/strong&gt; of &lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00URFHMH2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Agfabric landscape ground cover&lt;/a&gt; on top (that particular link is expensive, because it's 6.5' wide and 300' long, but it comes in other sizes).&#xA;I can't personally vouch for the Agfabric as this is my first year using it, but my local greenhouse uses it and it seems to last long and avoids alot of the issues other forms of weedblock fabric have (which deteriorate and get tangled up in weed roots several years later). As mentioned, I doubled it up just incase, with cardboard under it. =P&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I buried (just 4&quot; deep) several runs of irrigation lines under it, running extra lines to prep for future expansion.&#xA;If you haven't already done so, now would be a good time to lay out your garden on paper (or on the computer), and figure out what you want to do this year and future years (or general guesses of what you might want in the future), and plan your irrigation system in accordance with that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17000" LastEditorUserId="17000" LastEditDate="2017-09-14T01:41:38.730" LastActivityDate="2017-09-14T01:41:38.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35481" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35507" CreationDate="2017-09-14T01:38:45.307" Score="8" ViewCount="360" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some blackberries and red raspberries, and I'm not sure how to winter-prep them. After pruning (which I'm skipping this year, since the primocane raspberries are only in their first year), how should I mulch them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I take them down from the trellis and lay them flat on the ground, and pile straw, leaves, and woodchips on them by about an inch?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in USDA zone 6a.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if I get cow manure, should I put it under the mulch? Likely I won't get cow manure until spring. I don't have compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I also need to add mouse-traps/rat-traps around to kill rats as some suggest?&#xA; Will the rats damage the plants? If not, the plants are far enough from my house that I don't care if the mice are there.&#xA;Are poison traps alright (the bait stations with solid blocks they munch on), despite it being near plants I care about?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17000" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T17:23:09.517" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T17:23:09.517" Title="Should I bury my blackberry/raspberry canes in mulch over winter?" Tags="&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;raspberries&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35482" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33644" CreationDate="2017-09-14T01:55:43.380" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general, I find ordering from Rainbird's website to be cheaper (and have more options) than ordering from Amazon for almost everything except tubing. Components (elbows, T-splits, emitters, etc...) are much cheaper. On the other hand, tubing (even Rainbird's tubing!) seems to be cheaper on Amazon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also check Rainbird's clearance section, I found some fantastic tubing with emitters pre-set 12&quot; apart that were dramatically reduced cost, which worked fantastically on my raspberries (and which I'll also use for rows of plants like corn, melons, etc...). If they still have it on such extreme clearance (&lt;a href=&quot;http://store.rainbird.com/clearance/xfd0412100-xf-dripline-0-42-gph-12-in-spacing-100-ft-coil.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here it is, still on sale&lt;/a&gt;), I'd suggest picking up two rolls of that - one for your greenbeans and peas, and one for your raspberries. The GPH of it is 0.62 per built-in nozzle - about a half gallon GPH. They also have &lt;a href=&quot;http://store.rainbird.com/clearance/xfd0418100-xf-dripline-0-42-gph-18-in-spacing-100-ft-coil.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the 18&quot; spaced version&lt;/a&gt; on sale, but I personally stocked up the 12&quot;, since it suited my needs better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rainbird charges shipping unless you spend over $100, and not if you order tubing, but even with shipping charges, their prices on components still saved me alot of money.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd suggest mapping out your irrigation plan on paper, and how ever much irrigation you think you need, order extra tubing and extra components, and if you don't need them, save them for later expansion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For 1/2 tubing, I find it cheapest to buy 500' rolls on Amazon for $45, but if you never plan on expanding your irrigation, it might be overkill for your needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use 1 GPH emitters for most things (including tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries), but 2 GPH emitters for trees and perennial bushes (and the 0.62 tubing w/ built-in emitters for my raspberries). The amount doesn't super matter, you could just run your irrigation for longer or shorter periods of time to emit the same amount of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For standard hose adapters, get a standard metal hose adapter for 1/2 hoses (but that screw into standard hose pipe threads) - the plastic hose adapters keep getting threaded on me, and one even split in two. I'm moving all my &quot;irrigation to faucet&quot; connectors to brass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For timers, I really like &lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B008CMRNRQ&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this 3-port Orbit water timer&lt;/a&gt;. They've lasted me two years now, are easy to program, have very convenient &quot;Rain delay&quot; and &quot;Manual run for N minutes&quot; settings. All three ports are programmable to different schedules also.&#xA;I made the mistake of originally buying just a single port one (also from Orbit), but rapidly had to upgrade to a three-port to put different kinds of plants on a different schedules, and because I need to water so much that I can't run them all at the same time or the pressure drops too low - one of the reasons I needed so much 1/2 tubing - different lines leading to different parts of the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only downside for that timer is remembering to take it in during the winter. Other than that, it sits out there in the hot sun and rainy days perfectly fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17000" LastEditorUserId="17000" LastEditDate="2017-09-16T02:27:38.133" LastActivityDate="2017-09-16T02:27:38.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35483" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36704" CreationDate="2017-09-14T03:00:29.333" Score="3" ViewCount="1698" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a mango seedling that I started from seed about mid-July, so it's a few months old. It is now about a foot tall and just sprouted few more leaves. I also have an avocado seedling growing, and looking online I see that it's recommended to cut the avocado back to about half its height when it reaches about 6-8 inches. Perhaps my Google-fu is a bit weak when it comes to horticulture, but I'm not seeing too many recommendations when it comes to mango seedling pruning, but I do see some tips on pruning(tipping) trees in general.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is, how much should be pruned, just the first few inches of growth, or a more dramatic cut/half the height? Also, is pruning a seedling that is a few months old too hasty of a move? I don't want to end up with a leafy stick, or worst, a dead stick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, FYI, I'm growing this indoor year round since I live in an apartment, and I have a few grow lights set up as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ljJPZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ljJPZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SqGT4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SqGT4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18214" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-15T00:19:26.857" LastActivityDate="2018-01-02T20:41:04.967" Title="How can I encourage the side growth of a mango seedling through pruning?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35484" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-14T10:27:04.273" Score="3" ViewCount="172" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, I decided to ferment some cantaloupe seeds, and since I like lacto-fermenting pickles and stuff, I decided to experiment and mix in a liberal amount of pickling salt (maybe a tablespoonful) and see what would happen (to encourage more LABs and discourage yeasts), but still have an open jar (to encourage faster fermentation). What happened was it still looked clean after a day or two (no mold or noticeable bubbles), but it smelled like vinegar instead of something more smelly. Anyway, I didn't leave them to ferment any longer, but I'm curious what effect if any the absorbed salt in the seeds will have. &lt;strong&gt;Has anyone tried mixing salt in with seed ferments, and if so, what happened when you tried to grow the seeds?&lt;/strong&gt; I don't imagine it's enough salt to stop the seeds from growing if they're alive, since I know plants can tolerate a certain amount of salt, which is evident by the fact that soil amendments such as sea minerals don't tend to kill plants in higher than the recommended doses, unless you use a lot, and blood meal, which is a popular soil amendment, should have a good amount of sodium in it (I could be wrong about it not being too much for seeds), but I don't know if it and/or any vinegar from acetic acid bacteria would have killed the seeds. I understand vinegar is supposed to take a long time to make (so, it's interesting that this cantaloupe solution smelled like vinegar so fast).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although a lot of people do it (without salt), I normally don't ferment my seeds, for a variety of reasons (I do a different process that involves zapping them in water with a Z4EX for 45 minutes), but I wasn't ready to do what I usually do with those, yet (so, I left them to ferment until I had more time to get to them). I zapped them afterward, anyway, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I should probably test it out myself, but I'm curious if anyone else has attempted this. At the very least, it seems to possibly make for a more pleasant-looking/smelling ferment (I didn't do it that long, though). If salt doesn't kill the seeds, it should help to inhibit bad microbes, at least (since salt is anti-microbial, although it doesn't seem to bother lactic acid bacteria, which are said to be beneficial both to humans and plants via the soil).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did rinse the seeds after fermenting them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-09-14T10:32:19.363" LastActivityDate="2017-09-15T07:55:04.627" Title="Does it hurt to add salt to fermenting seeds?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35485" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35395" CreationDate="2017-09-14T12:25:53.030" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll post this as an answer because it is more of an answer than an update.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The easiest way of separating the seeds was rubbing them when dry in order to grind the chaff (as Bamboo says in her comment), then winnowing (as in Ben's answer that I will mark as accepted). For more round-ish seeds it worked well by improvising a sive from window screen (as in Wayfaring Stranger's comment).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The result looks like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/67XQx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/67XQx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-09-14T12:25:53.030" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35486" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35487" CreationDate="2017-09-14T13:51:18.523" Score="8" ViewCount="2475" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a bonsai (exterior one) some weeks ago and a plant is growing just next to it. I have some questions about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is someone able to identify what kind of plants it is ? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this plant can cause trouble to my bonsai ? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(bonus) In the second photo, could someone identify the really small sprouts?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks a lot for your help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E3VqW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E3VqW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rLTAZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rLTAZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sprouts&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19821" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-09-14T14:48:21.910" LastActivityDate="2017-09-14T17:17:18.173" Title="Identification - Plant growing next to my bonsai?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35487" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35486" CreationDate="2017-09-14T13:53:25.477" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;The small sprouts, and the grass like cereal plant (which I can't identify 100%, but which does resemble Carex,  not something you particularly want), are weeds because they're growing somewhere you don't want them. Remove them, your bonsai tree needs all the root room it can get, it will not appreciate having to share that tiny amount of soil with any other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take care when extracting the roots of the grass like plant - at that size, they will have spread through the soil a fair bit by now, but you do need to get the roots out, just do it as gently as possible so as not to disrupt the roots of the bonsai tree, making sure the soil is good and wet first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In future, remove any germinated seedlings as soon as you notice them, while they're still very small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-09-14T17:17:18.173" LastActivityDate="2017-09-14T17:17:18.173" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35488" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-14T15:18:51.903" Score="4" ViewCount="1054" Body="&lt;p&gt;How can I get rid of my umbrella grass (papyrus, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_alternifolius&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cyperus alternifolius&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) completely? Will glyphosate kill it? Or do I have to dig it out? I've cut it to the ground. It was taking over too much space. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19822" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-14T23:55:10.487" LastActivityDate="2017-09-14T23:55:10.487" Title="How can I control umbrella grass?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35489" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35488" CreationDate="2017-09-14T15:55:29.610" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Round up probably would have worked, though you might have needed a second treatment a few weeks later. Unfortunately,  now that you've cut it down, you either have to wait for it to regrow (next spring if you're in the northern hemisphere) and treat then with Round up, or dig it all up now. Roundup (and glyphosate) work 'through the green',  meaning it needs to be applied to strongly growing, green topgrowth, from where it translocates to the roots and kills the plant over time. In theory, anyway, usually, retreatment is necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-09-14T15:55:29.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35490" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35481" CreationDate="2017-09-14T16:07:37.297" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I never mulched reds, yellows or blacks in the Chicago area. The only problem was the rabbits ate them when there was snow cover on the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-09-14T16:07:37.297" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35491" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30394" CreationDate="2017-09-14T16:13:18.480" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I always liked the University of IL dept of agriculture fruit tree pamphlet that said ,&quot; prune when the tools are sharp&quot;. Although I would avoid late summer so late tender growth is not encouraged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-09-14T16:13:18.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35492" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35135" CreationDate="2017-09-14T17:08:59.107" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's over ripening after having been kept in cold storage. Or it's frost damage while still on the tree. Either way the outside can look fine but the inside is decomposing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19823" LastActivityDate="2017-09-14T17:08:59.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35493" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35483" CreationDate="2017-09-15T00:16:36.923" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;At this stage, don't cut it. It's very small and growing indoors is less than ideal for trees like this, so I'd let it grow for at least 2 or 3 seasons, to let it establish itself and become accustomed to the 'climate'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yours looks healthy, maybe a little spindly, but healthy. They get quite large, so even if you train it into a shrubby form, it can still take up a lot of space indoors. It should begin branching on it's own, after it grows a bit more. It's still in the seedling stage. In the sapling stage, it will grow more vigorously, and that's the stage where it will take pruning in stride. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd let it go for now, and if it grows 2 or 3 feet or so, without branching, you could head it back lightly (just a few inches) in hopes for some branching. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-09-15T00:16:36.923" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35494" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35539" CreationDate="2017-09-15T03:39:17.530" Score="7" ViewCount="1071" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) that has gotten infested with tiny  black bugs. They're roughly 0.76mm (3/100ths of an inch) long. I'd like some help identifying what they are and how to treat them. I've sprayed them with Neem Oil. That seems to kill them, but then they appear again. Something is wilting the leaves on the plant, turn them brown, and making webbing (similar to a spider) on the leaves--especially the new shoots. When I poked the black bugs with a pin, some of them would disappear (jump, perhaps?).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've circled one of the bugs with a ballpoint pen for size comparison:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DpBpt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DpBpt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bug and pen&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's the little bugger under a microscope:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qdDNp.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qdDNp.gif&quot; alt=&quot;bug walking&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found this in the webbing:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iy3wN.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iy3wN.png&quot; alt=&quot;eggs&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also found this mite on one of the dead leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rfn2K.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rfn2K.gif&quot; alt=&quot;Mite&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also on the dead leaf was this (an egg?):&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yuklh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yuklh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mite Egg&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All the microscope images are at the same magnification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14228" LastEditorUserId="14228" LastEditDate="2017-09-23T04:38:51.157" LastActivityDate="2017-09-23T04:38:51.157" Title="Help identifying a bug that's attacking my Mimosa pudica" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35495" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35569" CreationDate="2017-09-15T04:44:35.537" Score="6" ViewCount="572" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's grown up my unused bench and I think it actually looks pretty. Is it dangerous, noxious, or uncontrollable? It's been there for almost a year and hasn't flowered. It grows up trees (I try to cut it down when it does). It makes a large tangled shrub at the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Photos:&lt;/strong&gt; (click to enlarge)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CnUjUm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fJHJXm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fJHJX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jy3I0m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jy3I0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CnUjUm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16888" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-21T23:20:03.973" LastActivityDate="2017-09-21T23:20:03.973" Title="What is this rambling/climbing plant with small leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35496" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35499" CreationDate="2017-09-15T06:39:03.193" Score="5" ViewCount="162" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a backyard and I live off the Mediterranean Sea in the Middle East. I'd like to plant a tree today that would grow fast enough, be strong and stable and shady enough to allow my grandkids to build a tree house on top of it in a few years time. My backyard's garden currently consists mostly of olive trees, a pomegranate tree, a lemon tree and a few bushes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19828" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-15T19:19:30.990" LastActivityDate="2017-09-15T19:19:30.990" Title="What mediterranean tree should I plant so my grandkids could build a tree house in a few years?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shade&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35497" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35484" CreationDate="2017-09-15T07:38:33.057" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I discovered some information that I consider a sufficient answer for the present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/02/2/text_pop/l_022_03.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this study&lt;/a&gt; wherein someone soaked seeds of various kinds in artificial seawater for about a month, and the results reported when they grew them, it appears that there is a high &lt;em&gt;chance&lt;/em&gt; that my seeds fermented with salt added for a few days (not a month), and then rinsed off, will still grow (whether or not germination rates and times are impacted to some degree). &lt;a href=&quot;http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0SO8wR1h7tZMkEAQAXBGOd_;_ylu=X3oDMTByb2lvbXVuBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--/RV=2/RE=1505490934/RO=10/RU=http%3A%2F%2Ffile.scirp.org%2Fpdf%2FJWARP20120500007_13286140.pdf/RK=1/RS=aEekNRF1vrCOqKOGujUIECtGju4-&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Another study&lt;/a&gt; I read about did conclude that germination rates and times of lentils were negatively impacted by seawater, although some did grow, I believe. However, they weren't soaked in it and rinsed off. All we're worried about is what sodium the seed absorbed (we're not trying to grow it in the presence of lots of salt).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, this and Alina's quite useful comments are enough to satisfy my curiosity until I actually try it myself (then, I plan to edit my answer with the results).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It should be noted that in the study I linked to, success was better achieved with some species than others (much as Alina mentioned).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-09-15T07:55:04.627" LastActivityDate="2017-09-15T07:55:04.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35498" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5462" CreationDate="2017-09-15T07:43:29.047" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is listed on the Not Wanted list and is an invasive species. &#xA;Get rid of it! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miamidade.gov/environment/library/posters/prohibited-plants.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.miamidade.gov/environment/library/posters/prohibited-plants.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WLYgr.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19829" LastActivityDate="2017-09-15T07:43:29.047" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35496" CreationDate="2017-09-15T08:38:13.003" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not so much the variety of tree which counts for making a small treehouse, it's more its maturity, size, climbability, and particular forking of branches that make it a suitable subject for one. Most amateur treehouses are erected in trees that provide those conditions, and they will usually be 70-90 years old or more, with a trunk girth of more than 6 feet, more usually over 8 feet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Olive trees are quite capable of becoming very large indeed over time in your climate, but given the time span you're talking about, it's probably not going to be possible to use one for a treehouse on its own. If you have many olive trees already, then constructing a more professional arrangement of platforms and roof which takes account of the trees' needs and doesn't put too much weight/stress on any particular tree is probably best. Having more than one olive tree (or any other tree) planted in an area is useful for this purpose; for ideas and some information, take a look at this article: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-basics/man-builds-treehouses-climbed-olive-trees/55063&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Architect Sees Unique Challenge in Olive Treehouses&lt;/a&gt;. Although the arrangement shown in the photograph is probably much larger than you had in mind, this idea can be downsized or adapted with a bit of imagination, and depending on the tree planting which exists.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-09-15T11:26:38.093" LastActivityDate="2017-09-15T11:26:38.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35500" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35502" CreationDate="2017-09-15T13:39:33.747" Score="2" ViewCount="1006" Body="&lt;p&gt;In order to collect the seeds from a stem I have to remove the spikes. Wearing gardening gloves doesn't work because I can't take a grip on the seeds when wearing the gloves. With my bare hands this is less gardening and more of a medieval torture method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That's why I started using a plier to pull out the spikes. Although I grip only the spikes, some of the seeds came out too and this way I was able to free an area and to expand it with my fingertips while getting stung less. The problem is that the neighbouring seeds are damaged by the plier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How  can I remove the seeds without damaging them? The pink circle is an area vith damaged seeds and the red one is an area from which I have removed the seeds and the spikes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U3nSS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U3nSS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2018-10-14T06:25:18.067" Title="How to remove spikes from Echinacea purpurea seeds?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35501" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-15T14:20:26.980" Score="3" ViewCount="462" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need help finding out what is the best fertilizer for &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/tree_alternatives/autumn_blaze_maple&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Acer x freemanii 'Jeffersred' Autumn Blaze®&lt;/a&gt;. I was told they need iron, but can't confirm that on the internet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is some online info &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/maple/growing-maple-trees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/fertilizer-spikes-maple-trees-48024.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ehow.com/how_7669878_fertilize-autumn-blaze-maple-tree.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;there&lt;/a&gt; though. But I don't seem to be able to find an appropriate credible answer to my question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19832" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-18T17:14:03.487" LastActivityDate="2018-04-18T17:14:03.487" Title="What Fertilizer should I use on an Autumn Blaze Maple" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2017-12-13T09:38:40.310" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35502" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35500" CreationDate="2017-09-15T16:10:40.743" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need a small reasonably sharp knife. Provided the seedheads are dry enough, you stick the knife into the middle of the flower and wiggle it about and the seeds fall, then scrape the rest out with the side of the knife. Demonstration here &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/Dc-AA3pOIEU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/Dc-AA3pOIEU&lt;/a&gt; - I've done this with an ordinary table fork too, but the heads have to be really mature and dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-09-15T16:10:40.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35503" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-15T17:41:56.827" Score="4" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is mid-September update in New York state. The leaves are already falling and have spots on them. Neighbors' trees are still green.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it normal? Or my tree is infected with some disease?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NqLNn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NqLNn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uy4QU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uy4QU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mb3hr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mb3hr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18164" LastActivityDate="2017-09-15T22:25:22.960" Title="What are the spots in my leaves?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35504" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-15T19:47:51.200" Score="4" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and would like to know when to plant my parsnip. I use this site and wanted your answer and opinion on the site's answer. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.growmigo.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.growmigo.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19833" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-17T17:09:53.380" LastActivityDate="2017-09-17T17:09:53.380" Title="When should I plant parsnips in Boston?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35505" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35504" CreationDate="2017-09-15T21:51:47.820" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I plant mine in the spring. Takes a bit longer than other seeds sown into the garden soil to see germination but I am just now getting great parsnips and rutabagas...have you tried rutabagas?  Wonderful mashed with potatoes and made into fries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in zone 1b.  Our winters are tough so anything that needs to be allowed to overwinter has to be started earlier, such as cover crops for barren beds.  Garlic just didn't work here but I shall try this fall for next year because we now have a proper heated and skinned greenhouse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't looked at your site as yet, I am assuming they want you to plant in the fall?  Need to know your zone and circumstances.  I grew parsnips and rutabagas in zone 3 beneath 11 feet of snow...and they were fine in the spring!  Amazing.  They did fine where the potatoes did not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll check out the site you sent and let you know if I've any more information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-15T21:51:47.820" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35503" CreationDate="2017-09-15T22:25:22.960" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is normal.  Deciduous trees are in the process of abscission.  Getting rid of leaves and going dormant.  The spots are fungus, very normal.  When a leaf isn't necessary to the tree the tree cuts it off from supplies such as chemistry and water to make it drop.  This trait for deciduous trees makes them hardier and able to live where there are winters.  The second most vulnerable part of a plant (roots are first) are the leaves. No worries. Do you have a wonderful backpack gas powered blower?  Gotta have one!  Blow leaves into piles or allow them to cover your plant beds, especially where you've got perennials planted.  Great insulation and when the leaves decompose, super for your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is normal for the same species to be at different phases.  Depends on fertilizer, watering practices and micro climates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-15T22:25:22.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35507" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35481" CreationDate="2017-09-16T00:01:40.967" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am zone USDA zone 3 b to 4 and you can't kill blackberry plants. I have mine growing with morning sun in a raised bed beside a concrete foundation.  Every year, dead to the ground, every year eight to nine feet tall in the autumn.  Don't bother with any extra work, cut them back to the ground in the fall and stand back in the spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do top dress with shredded leaves every fall but otherwise there is no pampering. These plants don't need it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-09-16T00:01:40.967" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35509" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35426" CreationDate="2017-09-16T15:41:57.400" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hydrangea is also my favorite! Yours looks really good for an indoor hydrangea. I have many varieties growing outdoors and occasionally have bushes pop up errant color flowers, like yours. This happens more with the newer varieties I planted, and is possibly due to its genetics from hybridizing and cross breeding. Leave the blue flower, it is interesting looking! I have not had any problem with leaving them, nor have the errant color flowers increased. Most just show for the one season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16892" LastActivityDate="2017-09-16T15:41:57.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35510" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35513" CreationDate="2017-09-16T19:06:41.240" Score="4" ViewCount="259" Body="&lt;p&gt;I put some mint cuttings in a plastic cup, along with tap water and a few pebbles. It's been a few months now, and the mint is still alive and kicking. Rather than getting some soil and a pot for the mint, would it be possible for the mint to survive indefinitely given adequate water and sunlight? Or would the mint eventually die from lack of nutrition?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19839" LastActivityDate="2017-09-16T22:24:33.103" Title="Can mint survive indefinitely in water?" Tags="&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35511" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-16T19:18:04.260" Score="6" ViewCount="190" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vMRLJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vMRLJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Better Boy Tomato grown in zone 10a&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I showed it at my local garden center, but they said its normal for old leaves.&#xA;But I think its some disease, as the new growth also gets similar blackening of leaves within weeks. This only happens to leaves that are in touch with other infected leaves. Need help identifying what is the name of this disease and what are the remedies, if any.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: Adding many pics, the one that shows totally brown plant, is the one which the original image was from.&#xA;All other images are from another plant which also has the same disease, but I'm making it survive by regular removal of diseased leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZEMU8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZEMU8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The plant which had the leaves from original pic&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hkkLs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hkkLs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Another plant: this is how it looks from a distance[![][3]&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qeZNU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;4&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v7t8w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Diseased leaves&quot;&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v7t8w.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;5&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GthP0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bottom view&quot;&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GthP0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;6&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NeOte.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;New leaves starting to show signs of disease&quot;&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NeOte.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;7&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JV2jz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JV2jz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;8&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cD9PI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cD9PI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;9&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jBtsJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jBtsJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;10&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YGwrT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YGwrT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;11&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TkbAe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TkbAe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;12&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dMCfu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dMCfu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;13&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To answer @stormy's questions:&#xA;- watering practice: 1gallon every 3rd day&#xA;- soil: I just potted the plants in my backyard's garden soil(which is a little clay-ey). This is in california, zone 10a&#xA;- fertilizers: i just added the fertilizer once while transplanting the seedlings&#xA;- epsom salt: I only used it once&#xA;- tomatoes never became black, as you can see in the pic(even on the totally decimated plant, they were fine)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was gradual blackening, and i'm very sure it was not in a matter of days.&#xA;One thing that could have contributed to this was that I never did any pruning before the offset of the issue.&#xA;I used a 42 inch cage, but the plant was about 4 feet long, and started bending. It became very heavy, so the cage was&#xA;not sufficient, and I had to use wooden sticks and wool to make it not fall on the ground. Anyways, the gist is, not much air circulation probably.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The original picture that I shared was about a month old, so out of 4 plants, 2 have totally dried out.&#xA;The remaining 2, I keep pruning leaves which show symptoms of unhealthy leaves, this has helped&#xA;in reviving the plant, though it is not fully free of the disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to know if this still looks late blight to you, it actually started around August first week I think.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19840" LastEditorUserId="19840" LastEditDate="2017-09-18T01:46:16.447" LastActivityDate="2017-09-18T19:15:14.480" Title="What is this tomato disease?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35512" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35511" CreationDate="2017-09-16T22:14:29.497" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Late Blight for tomatoes.  Are all your plants blackened like this?  Please send a picture of the entire plant. Tomatoes?  If this is Late Blight, all of your tomatoes will turn black as well.  Bummer.  How long ago did you notice this blackening?  I remember, in 3 days, every plant I had that had previously been perfectly healthy (70), turned black.  I tried collecting some of the tomatoes and those turned black as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP._3tIdb6yOTK7his3Fw0ylQEsDk&amp;amp;pid=15.1&amp;amp;P=0&amp;amp;w=210&amp;amp;h=161&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;tomato blight leaves&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All it takes is ONE spore that splashes up on the plant and that is a done deal. The spores are in the soil.  If you are using an area in your garden (are these plants in the garden or in pots) that you grew potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, egg plant in last year...or the year before, this is where that fungal disease came about.  This is the reason for rotation of crops; primarily the brassicas (broccoli, cabbage...) and the solanaceae (tomatoes, potatoes...).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To properly identify this disease we need more information such as what soil has been used, watering practices, fertilizers and a few more pictures.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will have to pull up all your tomatoes, if this is indeed late blight, and dispose carefully.  You should not try any of the solanaceae family in that soil if this is in your garden for at least 2 years.  If in pots that soil needs to be carefully dumped, the pots cleaned out with bleach.  I am guessing if you used pots that you did not use sterilized potting soil.  I now always plant tomatoes and peppers in pots in sterilized potting soil.  I cried when I lost this gorgeous crop of tomatoes! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional information to ID:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.growgardentomatoes.com/crown-rot.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fusarium crown rot&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/fruit-vegetable/plant-diseases/leaf-mold-tomato/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Leaf Mold&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mda.state.mn.us/plants/plantdiseases/cmm.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bacterial wilt and canker&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check out these sites.  The last one shows how to cut open the stems.  Find a stem that is partly alive to do this with.  If your fruit are not blackening I doubt you have Late Blight.  As you can see, tomatoes get lots of diseases!  But its important to KNOW what you've had.  So let's keep working on this.  Great pictures, btw!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-09-18T19:15:14.480" LastActivityDate="2017-09-18T19:15:14.480" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35513" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35510" CreationDate="2017-09-16T22:24:33.103" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mint will last a long time in water.  Give it a bit of balanced fertilizer and keep changing the water.  Nothing lasts indefinitely.  You could transplant your mint into soil, sterilized potting soil, not out in the garden yet.  I'd not use larger than a 4&quot; pot, allow your starts to root fully, you should be able to see roots coming through the bottom then transplant into your garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-16T22:24:33.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35514" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35481" CreationDate="2017-09-17T04:15:09.113" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I discourage the idea. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The moment a cane's tip touches the ground, the plant is seriously tempted to grow roots. Plus, the canes bend easily while young, once they mature, they tend to break or get otherwise damaged. So while you can easily bend them down now, it might be not so easy to get them bach up again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that many gardeners see at least their wild ancestors as &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/2378/how-do-i-get-rid-of-wild-blackberry&quot;&gt;weeds&lt;/a&gt; - they are really robust and hard to eradicate. Even if they freeze to the ground, they will push out new canes in spring. So no need to pamper them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can of course mulch them and they will also like some fertilizer, but don't overdo it - you want to encourage flowering and fruiting, not just more and more canes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest you bite the bullet and read about proper pruning. Especially if you had only few fruit this year. The &quot;spent&quot; canes should be removed to encourage the plants to &quot;push&quot; their energy into the new growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-09-17T04:15:09.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35515" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35516" CreationDate="2017-09-17T07:17:44.413" Score="3" ViewCount="373" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a section of my garden that has been covered by a wooden board. The area underneath this wooden board was very damp and dark. There was this strange plant underneath the wooden board and I was wondering if anyone could identify it (click to enlarge):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UyqKb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UyqKbm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bean Sprout?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To me, this looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com.au/search?client=safari&amp;amp;rls=en&amp;amp;dcr=0&amp;amp;biw=1440&amp;amp;bih=752&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=1&amp;amp;q=bean%20sprout&amp;amp;oq=bean%20sprout&amp;amp;gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i67k1l4.10079.10079.0.254798.1.1.0.0.0.0.271.271.2-1.1.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.1.271....0.-BHdCf7qfU4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bean sprout&lt;/a&gt;. But I don't know where it would have come from. I am in Canberra, Australia and the other plants in the garden are parsley, lettuce, broad beans, blueberries and spring onion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16579" LastActivityDate="2017-09-17T07:48:45.663" Title="What is this Bean Sprout looking plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;beans&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35515" CreationDate="2017-09-17T07:48:45.663" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whatever this is will reveal itself shortly - any seed which germinates, or any growth which begins underneath something which blocks light will look not dissimilar, i.e., yellow 'leaves' and white stem. Those yellow 'leaves' might be cotyledons, and if they are, it's usually impossible to tell from those what the plant might be - it's the second pair of leaves (which will be the true leaves) that are more definitive. Now that it's exposed to light, it should also turn green, so if you still don't know what it is as it begins to grow properly, please post another photograph.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-09-17T07:48:45.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35517" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1938" CreationDate="2017-09-17T14:50:03.380" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cardboard is my weed barrier of choice.  I've been putting a little fresh compost just under the cardboard but only about an inch thick.  Once the cardboard is in place then I'm covering it with wood chips from the various natural trees in the area.  The compost helps to build the soil until the cardboard breaks down and the wood chips start to decompose.  Next year you can put on a second layer.  Not too difficult but it sure does control the weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19844" LastActivityDate="2017-09-17T14:50:03.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35518" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35431" CreationDate="2017-09-17T15:53:07.027" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want your plants to develop flowers don't cut the leaves. The leaves help a plant to do photosynthesis and the bulbs are storage organs. When you regularly cut the leaves, the bulbs grow very slowly or don't grow at all. Usually a bulb has to be more than 2 cm (1 inch) in diameter in order for the plant to flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you sow the seeds in spring you will harvest small bulbs in late summer. The small bulbs can be planted the following spring. Onion seeds have a better germination rate when they are fresh. The more years you store them, the fewer of them will germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, that 'bud' like object in the second picture will soon become a flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-09-17T15:58:19.540" LastActivityDate="2017-09-17T15:58:19.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35519" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-17T16:02:56.040" Score="3" ViewCount="383" Body="&lt;p&gt;The lawn at the front of my house slopes down to where it meets with my neighbours half. Running down one side of it and in front of the garage is a border. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In one of the photos you can see the end of border. The border at this end is really wet and boggy and it stinks when it's particularly wet. Where the border and the grass meet, the grass is incredibly wet and boggy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone have any advice to improve the drainage of both? I would also like to put some plants in the border but I'm not sure what would thrive in this wet area. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For info, it gets sun from midday and we're in the north of England so it's typically rainy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JobrX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JobrX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jeVbO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jeVbO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qTAe9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qTAe9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a photo from the road to show the drop.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qeaYq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qeaYq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1322" LastEditorUserId="1322" LastEditDate="2017-09-18T14:22:09.763" LastActivityDate="2017-09-18T14:22:09.763" Title="Improve drainage of lawn and boggy border" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35520" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35436" CreationDate="2017-09-17T16:57:40.217" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very well looks like that could be slug/snail damage.  If you have a small amount of lettuce plants then just going outside at night with a flashlight and hand pulling off plants and the ground will be sufficient.  Or putting a small cup full of beer will attract and subsequently drown them.  This is probably all you need.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I grow a lot of lettuce and different greens on a scale where that's pretty impractical though.  I use Iron phosphate which is OMRI certified organic slug bait and killer and it has worked very well for me.  You just sprinkle a little around your plants every so often and that area will be mostly slug free.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-09-17T16:57:40.217" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35430" CreationDate="2017-09-17T16:58:21.083" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wilting of the flowers before setting fruit is called flower abortion and one of the main causes it happens in broad beans is aphid infestation. The presence of ants signals that they might be farming aphids on your plants. You have to control the aphids and the ants, othrwise there won't be much to harvest. Use insecticidal soap or biological insecticides based on fungi to get rid of aphids. You can also use a systemic insecticide, but this method has some disadvantages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-09-17T16:58:21.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35523" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35525" CreationDate="2017-09-17T20:50:09.673" Score="4" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZNq8g.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZNq8g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please ID this succulent and its hardiness zone, I'd like to know if it can be left outdoor over winter in Zone 5 Canada. Both plants were planted at the same time 6 weeks ago with the inset picture grown indoor. Both are about 6 inches tall but as shown in the picture the one grown indoor is leggy but with shiny leaves. The one left outdoor in a shady location looks healthier and happier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19759" LastActivityDate="2017-09-17T22:07:17.377" Title="ID please and hardiness zone" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35524" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-17T21:35:40.640" Score="7" ViewCount="104" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a line of pine trees in my development, and two of them seem to have a disease. I was hoping someone could identify what is wrong with them. They seem to both have the same problem (part of the branches are dead and there is something wrong with the trunks).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First tree: &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/CS5ZLOa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/CS5ZLOa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second tree: &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/2wEeXOE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/2wEeXOE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tree 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is an album of both of the trees (shows the branches):&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/iki3F&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://imgur.com/a/iki3F&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11393" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T08:40:43.930" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T08:40:43.930" Title="What is wrong with these pine trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35525" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35523" CreationDate="2017-09-17T22:07:17.377" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry, the answer without even knowing the exact species and variety is a solid NO. These are desert plants.  I am glad the one on the left is in the shade out of doors.  You have to pull these plants back indoors BEFORE the temperature drops below 40!  If they were in the sun you would have to re acclimate them back into the indoor environment.  I take all my indoor plants out for the summer season under a roof or cover.  They get far more light that way, make more food to last the winter in low light.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant on the window sill is in a pot with no drainage.  Or is there a hole in that pot?  Succulents, desert plants have shallow root systems. Those roots have to suck up water whenever the desert gets a rain and then they STORE that water.  Pots any deeper than 6 inches can be a concern if you water too deeply.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant on the left looks as if it is in the sun.  Is it?  You had better start bringing it inside for an hour a day for 3 days, extending the time to half a day before bringing it in for the winter.  What are you doing for fertilizer, better yet what soil have you used in those pots?  I hope it was potting soil, not garden soil?  What are the temps at night?  I'd be bringing them in every night now anyway!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No these plants are not meant to be outdoors in Canada for the fall or winter and some of the spring!  Grins...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An aside, since these plants require so little water, please go find a bottled water without fluoride or better, find a friend who has well water and borrow some.  Tap water is awful stuff that we shouldn't be giving our dogs, cats, babies nor ourselves!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-17T22:07:17.377" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35526" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35179" CreationDate="2017-09-17T22:31:38.853" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It has been nearly two months and the plant's health is deteriorating rapidly. Multiple copper fungicide treatments haven't had any effect, nor has putting the plant outside in full sunlight. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The disease appears to be spreading exponentially, so I'm willing to bet that this is something in the vein of cactus anthracnose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the record, I spoke to the nursery where I purchased this plant. While they didn't know what the cause of the disease was, they had seen it destroy several other plants previously.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hkz39.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hkz39.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;full kalanchoe&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JlncH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JlncH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf one&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R5PyE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R5PyE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf two&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19649" LastActivityDate="2017-09-17T22:31:38.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35527" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-17T22:53:39.627" Score="5" ViewCount="45" Body="&lt;p&gt;We moved into a house a little over a year ago. We really love this particular small tree that's in the front yard. One day I noticed that it had two holes in it, one towards the center and one near the ground. Both of the holes looked kind of juicy. Now, the upper hole has dried up a little bit but has some slug looking things in it. The bottom hole is growing a ton of tiny mushrooms. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a sign of something serious to the tree's health, or no need to worry? If serious, is there anything that can be done?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BrkTX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BrkTX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dJQXI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dJQXI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P49ZI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P49ZI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GVty3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GVty3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14883" LastActivityDate="2017-09-18T20:51:58.063" Title="Are these signs of tree trouble?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35528" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-17T23:05:04.803" Score="3" ViewCount="249" Body="&lt;p&gt;And how do I get rid of it...&#xA;The beasts are about 2 cm long.&#xA;At first I thought there was a parasite in my plants since I only saw the poppy-seed-like excrement. Until someone mentioned it was caterpillar poop. I have been trying different methods.... including tobacco water, Pressured water and lately three applications of Take Down, spaced two weeks apart (at night to avoid collateral damage).&#xA;Still the pests are eating away!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of the moths I see are extremely small (1cm wingspan) and brownish. I've also seen some white (cabbage moths) but they seem to be visiting? I have no idea what plant this is BTW.... As it has not flowered from all the damage.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IeDdy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IeDdy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mysterious green caterpillar&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aMAO6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aMAO6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19791" LastActivityDate="2017-09-17T23:05:04.803" Title="What caterpillar is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;caterpillar&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35529" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35524" CreationDate="2017-09-18T00:00:41.457" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're goners I reckon - both pictures show white fungal sheets on the trunk, but the first photo also shows amber coloured ooze, which is certainly canker, and possibly bacterial canker. I recommend you call an arborist to determine whether they're still safe, if they can be saved, and if not safe, remove them, and also check the state of the other trees in the line, just in case the  original cause is at the root, which might mean the others may develop a problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-09-18T00:00:41.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35530" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-18T05:10:06.313" Score="5" ViewCount="1108" Body="&lt;p&gt;My chili plant is getting white fungus on its stem. Two days back I saw it. Another plant also seemed to be in same situation and it died today. &#xA;Today I watched it carefully and it was a white bug sitting on stem. I didn't take a pic but I pulled the plant out in order to save the others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kindly guide me because one other small plant is getting infected in the same manner, so What should I do? I got a growing tomato plant but it's not infected yet. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M02pG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l3wYg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7i0yE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VFRvq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19846" LastEditorUserId="19846" LastEditDate="2017-09-19T03:59:59.167" LastActivityDate="2017-09-19T05:13:05.217" Title="Help me treat a chili plant against white fungus/insect" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35531" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="162" CreationDate="2017-09-18T07:02:37.803" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;For people interested in farming in NV:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;capari, &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;date, &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;olives(they won't yield much but I think it is possible to grow olive trees in certain places in NV), &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;carobs, &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;goji berries(they survive with almost no irrigation but give no fruit without some water), &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;there are quite many cereals that can endure extreme drought and salinity but they yield much less than mainstream grains.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19847" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-09-18T20:29:27.067" LastActivityDate="2017-09-18T20:29:27.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35532" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-18T09:49:59.407" Score="8" ViewCount="290" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a full shade loving plant. I want to know its name and if it flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XULLq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XULLq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19749" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2018-04-12T14:51:51.660" Title="What is this plant with opposite leaves, dark stems and dark leaf venation?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;foliage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35533" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35534" CreationDate="2017-09-18T13:10:10.550" Score="4" ViewCount="3503" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm having this Jade plant that I want to turn into a bonsai. It grew a lot in height so I had to prune it to keep it short and thicker the trunk. Now, I was wondering if I make a small cut with a knife somewhere on the trunk (even lower from the arrow below, on the photo) would a new branch grow from it or would it just heal back up and basically seal the cut? I'd really like to grow couple new branches very low in the trunk but I'm not sure how to achieve that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y8dVX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y8dVX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19852" LastActivityDate="2017-09-18T14:33:41.813" Title="Jade tree trunk cut?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;jade&gt;&lt;branches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35534" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35533" CreationDate="2017-09-18T14:33:41.813" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Making a cut might damage the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicormic_shoot&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;epicormic buds&lt;/a&gt;. I would advise you to lightly damage the bark by scratching it in order to remove the thin layer of epidermis and stimulate new shoots. Don't forget that these buds are fragile, so don't apply too much force. The important thing to consider is that epicormic buds are located near the spot when another leaf or branch used to grow, so scratching or cutting in random areas won't result in new shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-09-18T14:33:41.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35535" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29079" CreationDate="2017-09-18T17:05:59.093" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to go with &quot;it depends.&quot;. If you are trying to grow cactus in England, perhaps holes would help. If you are growing a tropical plant in Arizona, probably not useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have used both terra cotta and plastic pots for cactus in Arizona and I add holes to the bottom of both types. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, it really depends on what you are growing, what potting media you are using, local weather (humidity, rainfall, temperature, watering, etc.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pot moisture retention is a function of both the pot and the potting media. If you have a plastic pot and an absorbent media, it will retain water. If you use a more porous/less absorbent media and a terra cotta pot it will disperse moisture more readily. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Arizona, I'm trying to retain moisture so I add a layer of top dressing to the soil which keeps the moisture from just flying away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-09-18T17:05:59.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35536" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8379" CreationDate="2017-09-18T18:52:40.243" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems to me 4 mm and 6 mm sheets are mostly not very sturdy? You need quite some framing to get it halfway stable and even then they can be destroyed quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most 10 mm sheets are stable enough, isolate a bit and let enough light through? So they seems for many places the best choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am myself working on such a solution, but using wood for framing, the offered aluminium framing seem much to expensive. There must be a way to make those thing yourself?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19853" LastActivityDate="2017-09-18T18:52:40.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35537" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35530" CreationDate="2017-09-18T20:00:21.170" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrTcXS2G8BZiYAAjBcunIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTIzcXAzOG5zBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZAM1ZjAxMDNiNmFlNjU4YzJlY2E4ODVkYWVhMTkxZjFlNQRncG9zAzg3BGl0A2Jpbmc-?.origin=&amp;amp;back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch%3Fp%3Dwhite%2Bmold%26fr%3Dyhs-mozilla-002%26fr2%3Dpiv-web%26hsimp%3Dyhs-002%26hspart%3Dmozilla%26nost%3D1%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D87&amp;amp;w=500&amp;amp;h=335&amp;amp;imgurl=ucanr.org%2Fblogs%2FSalinasValleyAgriculture%2Fblogfiles%2F5923.jpg&amp;amp;rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fucanr.edu%2Fblogs%2Fblogcore%2Fpostdetail.cfm%3Fpostnum%3D4056&amp;amp;size=124.2KB&amp;amp;name=Winter%20%3Cb%3EWhite%20Mold%3C%2Fb%3E%20Affecting%20Vegetable%20Crops%20-%20Salinas%20...&amp;amp;p=white%20mold&amp;amp;oid=5f0103b6ae658c2eca885daea191f1e5&amp;amp;fr2=piv-web&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;tt=Winter%20%3Cb%3EWhite%20Mold%3C%2Fb%3E%20Affecting%20Vegetable%20Crops%20-%20Salinas%20...&amp;amp;b=61&amp;amp;ni=21&amp;amp;no=87&amp;amp;ts=&amp;amp;tab=organic&amp;amp;sigr=11r7pugua&amp;amp;sigb=14c0eadnv&amp;amp;sigi=11rjbh6kj&amp;amp;sigt=120mf3kst&amp;amp;sign=120mf3kst&amp;amp;.crumb=ExIUryJEfn0&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;fr2=piv-web&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;White Mold&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sclerotinia_sclerotiorum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sclerotinia sclerotinorum&lt;/a&gt;, a very very bad and contagious fungus.  If you could take a closer picture of the white mold on the stem, that would help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is white mold we need to do some surgery and get these plants isolated.  The problem is, you used garden soil that probably had some spores.  Only use potting soil.  If you want to use those pots again, clean them out very very well with bleach, scrub and allow to dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use sterilized potting soil that doesn't have added fertilizer or water gels/sponges. Fill 1/3 +/- transplant NEW starts, fill and press down gently to firm and get air pockets in soil to firm.  I also take the pot and tamp gently on the table or floor. Keep an inch from soil surface to rim of pot for proper watering. Water thoroughly, put pieces of tile under the pot to allow air space beneath your pot for drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clean all surfaces with windex or water and bleach.  Just ONE spore (microscopic) will infect a plant. This is one of the worst diseases around.  Ruins vast expanses of soy, tomatoes and a wide variety of cash crop plants.  Dump your plants and soil into black plastic trash bags, label and take to your dump to ask what to do with this disease.  They had an enclosed incinerator at one place but they might have a better solution these days (7 years ago was my first introduction to this disease)...I had been given a plant that the guy had used garden soil in the pot.  I of course transplanted it into potting soil but it had already been infected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you cut into the stem, preferably in a thickened Y on the main stem, you will find black pellets that look like rat poop!  Really weird.  We need to ID much more positively before we do that, okay?  Isolate your plants, garage is good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Closer picture and if you can scrap a glob of that white stuff off to see if it is an insect, possibly mealy bug.  Take a picture of that and send as well.  If it is we can save your plants and walk you through a few treatments.  Tell me about fertilizers, soil (is this garden soil)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-09-18T20:06:22.163" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35538" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35527" CreationDate="2017-09-18T20:51:58.063" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a small maple?  Need to see the leaves more closely but the top hole is just fine as long as birds or squirrels are using it.  Problem if there are insects.  Plenty of cambium to support tree and that tree has already thickened its epidermis to protect itself. Is there moisture inside that hole?  Wrap a wad of paper towels around the end of a stick using duct tape.  This stick should be green and easily bent yet tough to break.  Push down into that hole till it stops (let me know the depth) and leave it for an hour.  Pull it out.  How wet is that paper towel?  Heck, if it is wet at all need to block the hole after drying it out...best done in the summer.  Let's see if it is even wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Down below, scrape the mushrooms off completely.  You will need to make a large circle around the base of your tree. Clear it out of all vegetation. Pull back the soil from the bark of the tree.  A thin layer of fine bark would be fine on top of the soil.  Is that landscape fabric at the bottom? Pull it up and get rid of it.  If that stuff is installed anywhere else, I'll try to talk you into getting rid of all 'weed fabric'...ugh!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually beneath the canopy of a tree it should be dry.  That is why I am thinking you've got automatic irrigation spraying beneath this tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to talk about your foundation/brick of your home and the soil in contact with your brick and why and how to fix that!  Then I'd like to know more about your lawn, watering, fertilizing and mowing.  I'll talk you into enlarging your plant beds after getting the soil removed from touching your brick.  Please send answers and we'll try to help you hold onto the value of your home!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have automatic watering?  This tree looks like it is in your lawn, yes?  Could you take a picture from the road of the entire tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-18T20:51:58.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35539" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35494" CreationDate="2017-09-18T21:38:30.180" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This insect looks like a blind springtail, which is an insect that feeds on fungi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Google &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.envirothonpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/7-Soil-Biology-Primer.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;soil biology primer&amp;quot;&lt;/a&gt; download this great manual on soil biology.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look on page 26.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;H&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Collembola/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;ere's another description&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The springtails are soft-bodied, oval or roundish shaped, primitive insects. Their bodies are made up of six or fewer segments and they lack wings. Although many species have small eyes, some are nearly or totally blind. Their antennae are segmented. They occur in a range of colors including whitish, yellowish, brown, gray, bluish, or black, and they may be mottled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Collembola have biting mouthparts that are entognathous. That is, the mouthparts are mostly retracted into the head. Some springtails have mandibles with well-developed molars. Others are fluid feeders, having stylet-like mouthparts. For these springtails, on the ventral side of the first abdominal segment, there is a tube-like structure called a collophore. This structure is the site of water uptake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A forked structure or furcula is located on the ventral side of the fourth abdominal segment. This structure is used to propel Collembola through the air. A springtail that is 3 to 6 mm long can leap 75 to 100 mm. When a springtail is at rest, the furcula is held in place by a clasp-like structure called the retinaculum that is located on the third abdominal segment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19854" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T11:35:39.817" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35540" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35494" CreationDate="2017-09-19T02:15:14.230" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://tse2.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.pSQOc8YrkZ_EbciNTGQObAEsDh&amp;amp;pid=15.1&amp;amp;P=0&amp;amp;w=236&amp;amp;h=178&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;thrips&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check out this picture of a thrip.  Very tiny, easy to control, not eradicate.  They do not do webbing.  That might be spider mite which I think is far worse than thrips. So there might be a couple of insect problems.  Neem should work for both but spray only at night and you have to submit to at least 3 or 4 sprays a week apart.  Wear a mask and long sleeves, long pants, glasses.  This is 'organic' but still...read that label and instructions at least 3 times through before spraying.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Look beneath the leaflets using a strong magnifying glass.  Webbing is either from spiders (your friends in the garden) or spider mites.  Neem will help control both thrips and spider mite.  I don't like killing spiders.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-09-21T05:57:06.150" LastActivityDate="2017-09-21T05:57:06.150" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35541" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-19T03:35:31.343" Score="1" ViewCount="46" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hello I am working on grass weed detection. I have captured three different types of weeds from my Univ lawn. But I want to know the name of those weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U5V5F.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U5V5F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17059" LastActivityDate="2017-09-19T19:18:45.517" Title="Looking for exact name of Grass weeds" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ClosedDate="2017-09-19T20:06:24.823" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35542" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35541" CreationDate="2017-09-19T03:55:10.120" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant B looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plantago&lt;/a&gt;, possibly the common one as seen in this article: &lt;a href=&quot;https://chingchailah.blogspot.com/2015/02/herb-plantago-major-or-common-plantain.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Herb Plantago Major or Common Plantain and  its Medicinal Uses&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19855" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-09-19T19:18:45.517" LastActivityDate="2017-09-19T19:18:45.517" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35544" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35530" CreationDate="2017-09-19T05:13:05.217" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Given its size, I think it could be the either a mealybug or a planthopper larva. It doesn't look like scale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever it is, given that it is quite large and there aren't so many of them you could just remove them all. The fluff is not fungus so you can just clean it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user10810" LastActivityDate="2017-09-19T05:13:05.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35545" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-19T08:31:36.230" Score="3" ViewCount="699" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a strawberry plant in a pot yestereday and I waa instructed to spray it with water twice a day on the leaves, stems and fruit or as necessary till the soil was damp. I have provided it with sun as it is outside my apartment sunning as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, late yestereday evening, I noticed that the stems have became noticeably droopier (see photos) and that some stems are browning with a woodier, dry texture. There were also some holes in the plant when I first got it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice on how to save my plant? I'm afraid it will not live longer if I can't stop the drooping. I live in an apartment as well, and I am unable to transplant it into gardens and my options are rather limited. Thank you for your advice.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/s6w9q2r.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here Stems&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/EtHaSga.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here Holes&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/ZXiGBJY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19856" LastEditorUserId="19856" LastEditDate="2017-09-19T12:12:35.003" LastActivityDate="2017-09-19T12:28:57.037" Title="What is happening to my strawberry plants?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35545" CreationDate="2017-09-19T12:28:57.037" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It needs a larger pot by the looks of things. Get a larger pot, it doesn't need to be deeper than the current one, a wider one is good, but if all  you can get is a deeper, wider one, then that will do. Use potting soil and plant the strawberry plant into the new pot. Water thoroughly, allowing excess water to drain away freely at the base. Ongoing, water when the surface of the potting soil feels just dry to the touch, and water well, again allowing excess to drain away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's important with strawberries is that the fruits should not be in contact with damp soil, which is why people often use straw on the soil for the fruits to rest on. I see some fruits on yours are dangling outside the pot, which means they aren't in contact with damp soil, but you may find much larger fruits need something to rest on so the stems don't get broken.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've no idea why you were told to water in such a way, but from now on, water as you would any other plant, that is, water the soil its planted in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever minor leaf damage is happening to the current topgrowth isn't a big deal - if you're in the northern hemisphere, your strawberry will shortly be resting for winter anyway. There are obvious signs of new growth at the base of the plant, which means it is essentially  healthy, despite the minor damage and some evidence of fungal infection on the larger, older leaves. You might check beneath the existing leaves just to make sure there is no obvious insect infestation present that might explain the necrotic patches in the leaves, but unless the necrotic areas spread quite a bit, I wouldn't worry too much about them at this stage. Remove the larger leaves as they shrivel once new growth gets going.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-09-19T12:28:57.037" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35547" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35465" CreationDate="2017-09-19T14:52:35.093" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you should prune the vine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In early spring, before the buds start to growth is a good moment to prune.  The shot should be woody.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would prune at 80% of the fence, and probably kill the lower buds, so that you will have 4 or 5 branches on the top. They will growth faster.and form your pergola, but I think they will not produce (many) grapes. You should wait an other year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember to good fertilize the vine, on first years: you need it to expand a lot and get the form. Then you can reduced it, for more grapes (and to reduce the pruning).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-09-19T14:52:35.093" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35548" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-19T15:46:23.203" Score="4" ViewCount="36" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a narrow garden bed at the back of my carriage garage made out of retaining wall.  It is directly against my building.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to find a bush, hedge or similar that will grow in this shady area, ideally eventually become over 6 feet tall to blend the building face into the landscape (primarily for neighbour benefit). I live in Zone 3.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions of some robust hardy bushes that might be up to the task and thrive in this challenging environ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19859" LastActivityDate="2017-09-19T21:31:34.440" Title="Ideas for bushes or shrubs greater than 6 feet that will grow in partial shade against a building in Zone 2-3?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35549" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35550" CreationDate="2017-09-19T16:21:56.153" Score="7" ViewCount="1082" Body="&lt;p&gt;These dents, divots, or holes recently appeared in the mulch, located in a covered area next to the house and deck. The holes look like inverted cones and are an inch or two in diameter at the widest part. There isn't any obvious insect activity. What are they, and are they cause for concern? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/03maK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/03maK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;holes in mulch, an inch or  two in diameter&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19860" LastEditorUserId="19860" LastEditDate="2017-09-19T16:27:29.550" LastActivityDate="2017-09-19T20:10:56.243" Title="What are these divots (holes) in the mulch?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35550" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35549" CreationDate="2017-09-19T18:27:54.380" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;These look like &lt;a href=&quot;http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-32_ant_lion.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ant Lion traps&lt;/a&gt; to me. Ant Lions are considered beneficial garden insects and are nothing to worry about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://asaflowerofthefield.blogspot.com/2014/09/how-to-feed-antlion.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's a blog post&lt;/a&gt; with a photo of an almost identical situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pmkWc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pmkWc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And another photo of traps in a more common, sandy location:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PZwOs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PZwOs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2017-09-19T20:10:56.243" LastActivityDate="2017-09-19T20:10:56.243" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35551" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-19T20:48:57.380" Score="6" ViewCount="110" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Japanese Maple tree that we planted 6 years back. It is on the east side of the lot and gets morning and afternoon sunlight. I have not done much to care for it and it has not grown in size at all in 6 years. What do I need to do so it grows in size?  I am in Northern California. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4i2G3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4i2G3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-09-20T21:47:11.917" Title="Caring for a Japanese Maple" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35552" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35548" CreationDate="2017-09-19T21:31:34.440" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Red Twig Dogwood, depending on how much light. They can make a thicket.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-09-19T21:31:34.440" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35553" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35465" CreationDate="2017-09-20T12:22:57.767" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming you just want a single stem to grow over the fence to reach the pergola. This winter, after leaf fall, cut that short cane at the base back to the main stem. Do the same for any other shoots on the main stem. Next year, allow a single strong shoot to grow from the top of the stem and train this to the pergola as desired. Stop all other growth along the stem at about four leaves. Remember that grapes will form on the current years growth, so you'll need a permanent woody framework tied on to the pergola. Each winter remove the fruited canes back to the permanent framework.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16268" LastActivityDate="2017-09-20T12:22:57.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35556" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-20T19:50:45.537" Score="1" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could anyone tell me the name of this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zeoaM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zeoaM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19864" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-09-21T06:54:48.507" Title="What is the name of this succulent?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35557" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35556" CreationDate="2017-09-20T20:47:35.487" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not a flower, it's a plant. I think it's an Echeveria of some description, either that or one of the Aeoniums - it's hard to be sure what it is because it's in such poor condition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whichever one it is, the care regime is the same; these are succulent plants, and are best kept on a windowsill which receives some sun indoors, although they can go outside during the summer months in colder countries, and may grow outside year round in warm countries. They like average warmth, but need cooler temperatures (50-55 deg F) in winter, and prefer a marked difference between day and night temperatures. They should be watered when the surface of the potting soil feels dry to the touch and watered well from spring through to fall, but watered very sparingly in winter, maybe once every 1 or 2 months. Good drainage is essential, and the plant should not be left in any outer tray or pot with water in it, so empty that out 30 minutes after watering. If the plant is indoors, it will like some fresh air, so an open window nearby is helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-09-20T20:47:35.487" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35558" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35551" CreationDate="2017-09-20T20:52:45.730" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It has grown, and about as much as I'd expect in six years for a healthy Acer palmatum variety, if you include the dead twigs at the top. It's simply showing signs of dieback, which is usually caused by verticillium wilt, and is very common in Acer palmatum (japanese maple) varieties. Prune back all the dead shoots showing at the top and throughout to live wood now. You may find the dieback is worse next year, or it may improve, there's not a great deal you can do once it's set in except keep your fingers crossed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Information on dieback here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/prevent-twig-dieback-japanese-maples-22287.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/prevent-twig-dieback-japanese-maples-22287.html&lt;/a&gt; though it's a little late for preventative treatment now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-09-20T21:47:11.917" LastActivityDate="2017-09-20T21:47:11.917" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35559" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-20T21:03:49.027" Score="2" ViewCount="150" Body="&lt;p&gt;Snake plants (Sansevieria trifasciata) are supposedly really easy to care for, but mine is perpetually sickly. I have had it for about 8 years and it just has gradually declined, the leaves getting thinner and drooping over time. Some of the older leaves died and dropped off. Some new leafs have grown, but they are very small and sickly. The plant is a shadow of its former self. I have tried watering a lot, watering a little, everything. Eight years of experimentation and no matter what I try, the thing just gets worse every year. The soil is well drained. Light is indirect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice for what I might do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" LastActivityDate="2017-09-20T21:03:49.027" Title="Sickly snake plant" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35560" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-20T22:54:10.890" Score="4" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;This has been growing in my flower bed for a a couple of months.  It sprouted up by itself.  I don't know how it got there on anything about it.  Hope someone recognizes it.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hHGfr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hHGfr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19865" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T11:45:52.133" Title="What kind of plant/bush/whatever is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-09-26T05:07:11.227" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35561" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-20T23:25:34.293" Score="3" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in zone 7. This is a heritage everbearing raspberry that is in its first year. It produces a crop in the fall and a crop in the spring, so they tell me. I have only had it a few months. I have noticed that the leaves now look kind of crinkly and have for the past week or so. I keep the soil moist. It has been mulched. I kind of &quot;fluffed up&quot; the mulch this morning. I do not know if this is fall dieback. It is about to produce raspberries. The soil is going to be tested this week (I'm new to this and the raspberry plant was a gift). It is in full sun for about 7 hours a day. I did hit it earlier in the season with a pesticide that was not supposed to hurt it but I am wondering about that now (fungicide 3). [![crinkly raspberry][1]][1]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would appreciate any help-even if it's &quot;just normal.&quot; I'm so new to this I don't know what I am doing!!! Thank you in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[1]: &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MGgp3.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MGgp3.png&lt;/a&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KDyAJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19542" LastEditorUserId="19542" LastEditDate="2017-09-22T11:46:41.817" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T11:46:41.817" Title="What-if anything-is wrong with my raspberry?" Tags="&lt;raspberries&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35562" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35297" CreationDate="2017-09-20T23:27:57.183" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;OK I have done some research and I found that it is producing blooms...and then if things go well it should produce raspberries!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19542" LastActivityDate="2017-09-20T23:27:57.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35563" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35560" CreationDate="2017-09-21T00:09:31.023" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to be &lt;strong&gt;Phytolacca americana&lt;/strong&gt;, commonly known as Pokeweed, which does pop up all on its own, see the following article for more information:  &lt;a href=&quot;http://nadiasyard.com/our-native-plants/american-pokeweed/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pokeweed, American (Phytolacca americana): The Jekyll and Hyde Plant&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-09-22T11:45:52.133" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T11:45:52.133" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35564" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35560" CreationDate="2017-09-21T03:01:41.263" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some people also call it poke sallet. I think the berries are toxic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19542" LastActivityDate="2017-09-21T03:01:41.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35565" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35567" CreationDate="2017-09-21T05:09:35.357" Score="3" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm currently using a red cypress chip on my garden.  Does anyone know what their effects would be on depleting the soil and such?  I've tried Dr Google but of course all I get is advertising.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19868" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-09-21T09:34:06.920" LastActivityDate="2017-09-21T12:12:15.187" Title="Red Cypress Chips and their effect on soil" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35566" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34428" CreationDate="2017-09-21T05:50:52.280" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can root them in water. I actually have had more success doing it this way rather than in soil for some reason. I make sure I keep the water fresh by changing it other days. I actually have cuttings with lots of leaves growing and one even has a flower. I have about 12 cuttings from 3 different Bougainvillea and they all are showing root growth and have loads of leaves sprouting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19869" LastActivityDate="2017-09-21T05:50:52.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35567" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35565" CreationDate="2017-09-21T09:55:21.573" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're concerned about initial nitrogen depletion, then add a layer of compost beneath the chips first - composted manure or good garden compost, that sort of thing. Over time, the chips will add to the humus content of the soil, but there is an initial loss of nitrogen in the surface layer of soil for a few weeks. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regard to its being dyed, so long as the producers have observed the rules about what's in the bag being exactly as described, then the contents should only contain cypress chips, and not questionable woods from other sources, such as those containing arsenical compounds, which are often a component of red dyed woodchips. Red dye may leach onto surrounding hard surfaces, so take care not to get it too close to any paving or other hard landscaping. Unless it states the dye is of vegetable origin, it will contain iron oxide which will be absorbed into the soil over time, but in such tiny quantities it should not have a detrimental effect; it will, though, cause staining on paved surfaces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because the product you've linked to is an Australian one, I assume you  must be in Australia, which means your weather must be hotting up - you should note that there is a fire risk with wood chip mulch, and guidance on that is given here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.live-safe.org/2010/05/06/mulch-fires-common-in-the-landscape/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.live-safe.org/2010/05/06/mulch-fires-common-in-the-landscape/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-09-21T12:12:15.187" LastActivityDate="2017-09-21T12:12:15.187" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35568" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-21T23:15:47.370" Score="4" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;cedar tree was damaged by storm.  Large section torn off.  Can I reattach the bark with duct tape and help it to heal?  I can cut the branches and just leave the bark and tape it back to tree.&#xA;Please help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19875" LastActivityDate="2017-09-21T23:15:47.370" Title="Cedar tree bark damaged by storm" Tags="&lt;wind-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2018-01-20T02:48:56.243" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35569" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35495" CreationDate="2017-09-21T23:16:48.660" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus_asparagoides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Asparagus asparagoides&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a vigorous rambler from South Africa. It has naturalized and become an invasive weed in other places in the world (such as California, Australia, New Zealand), after being introduced as an ornamental/landscape plant and florists plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Identifying features include:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The 'leaves' (technically called phylloclades), they are actually flattened stem segments, and show the parallel venation typical of monocots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rambling/climbing growth habit&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Underground tubers (they will be much better developed under bright lighting conditions on mature plants)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Small white flowers, followed by berries (again, more commonly on mature plants in plenty of sun).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Depending were you live, this may be considered an invasive weed in your area. If it begins to flower and fruit, I'd recommend removing it, so that it doesn't begin moving into the surrounding neighborhood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tKswR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tKswR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j67tF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j67tF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PLfwN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PLfwN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-09-21T23:16:48.660" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35570" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35576" CreationDate="2017-09-21T23:34:00.977" Score="4" ViewCount="350" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant was given to my grandmother a very long time ago by a kid she babysat. She gave it to me to take to college. I have no idea what it is except that it looks kind of like a succulent. I want to know what it is incase something goes wrong. I've been watering it whenever the soil looks dry (about once a week) and I keep it in my window so it gets light and it seems to be doing just fine.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Me5M6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Me5M6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19874" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-22T22:28:36.250" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T22:28:36.250" Title="What is this succulent looking creeping houseplant with sort of toothy leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35571" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35570" CreationDate="2017-09-21T23:46:49.290" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://flowermanager.net/wp-the-content/uploads/sites/18/2015/12/zoom_KALANCHOE-PLANT-15112441436.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kalanchoe&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looks like Kalanchoe..a succulent.  I would put this in a clay pot with potting soil.  The same size pot you are using now. More light.  Watering seems to be good.  Any fertilizer?  Potting soil only!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-21T23:46:49.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35572" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-22T00:39:50.710" Score="7" ViewCount="526" Body="&lt;p&gt;In a perfect world, you'd add the best loam, top soil, manure, etc, then sprinkle the best fertilizer upon it, etc.  But I'm asking for the average person, who's on a budget and working 60hrs per week and who's trying to get some OK results with modest expense and effort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut the sod off my lawn because it was hopeless.  Now, if I sprinkle some good fertilizer on the soil that's left, then seed, can I expect semi-decent results? Or am I just wasting my time (and grass seed)?  Or alternatively, what is best way to get an OK lawn without buying a dump truck full of loam?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This potential lawn is in central Massachusetts and I'm trying to plant right now. (Mid-September)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19876" LastEditorUserId="19876" LastEditDate="2017-09-22T00:49:44.583" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T20:16:25.163" Title="For lawn, does fertilizing average soil make loam or topsoil less necessary?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;topsoil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35573" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9468" CreationDate="2017-09-22T01:54:29.617" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chinese-made greenhouses use green plastic to communicate to uneducated consumers that they are &lt;em&gt;green&lt;/em&gt;houses.  It is mostly a marketing tool by people who don't know physics.  Green filters do not block out green.  On the contrary, they partially filter out the other colors, like red, which plants need.  This is why plants emit green light, which they can't use.  The Chinese suits making these atrocities should read my post and consider using red hues in their plastic coverings.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;p.s.  A more important question is the IR transmission vs. optical transmission coefficients, which if tweaked carefully can increase the winter air temperature of a greenhouse, another important variable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19877" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T01:54:29.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35574" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35572" CreationDate="2017-09-22T02:58:03.930" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nFFdS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nFFdS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sweeping consistent radius for lawn edges, beefed up beds for plants, a peninsula to give mystery to your yard&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hiX1v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hiX1v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Get rid of lawn and gravel instead 3/8 minus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I love your question Joe.  Most people who are able to afford to will OVER DO everything.  Plants and soil are nothing like humans/animals.  Don't fertilize until after the first mow.  Did you take the sod off with a sod cutter or are the roots still there?  You need to rake, grade, ROLL with a water filled roller, more grading filling holes and roll again.  Use a rotary spreader for the seed.  Rake with the back of your rake.  Roll again.  Water 3 or 4 times a day just long enough to keep the top 1/2 inch of soil moist.  If your grass hasn't grown enough to be mowed within 14 days, relax and do it again in the spring.  Better than seed is sod.  Check the prices...you might decide installing sod is worth considering.  Fertilize after the first mow...but if it is fall, keep the nitrogen low.  Find a product with Nitrogen as the lowest of the three numbers and better yet, find an extended release organic formula made for fall...check Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer.  Worth every penny...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gotta tell you, when we had extra sod we would lay it out over the gravel in the yard and it grew just fine!  Do not worry about amending your soil.  Get a soil test through a cooperative extension service.  At least test the pH.  Getting that lawn bed graded and 'compacted' is critical...and grass loves a bit more alkaline of soil.  Preparing the lawn bed, creating the edges (6inch by 6inch trench) using consistent radius, seeding over raking, rolling!!  Using the best seed you can find with zero weed seed, no peat moss...hey check out grass spray companies!  Perfect.  They come out and spray great seed with a bit of fertilizer and a weird mulch to keep the seed moist...they do a great job. They will tell you what to do and when, they have to make sure their product sells itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For maintenance, you have to read some of our answers on lawns.  How to train them to be drought tolerant and save you lots of money on water, watering deeply not watering until you see footprints on your grass, how to keep your lawn weed free by mowing your lawn no shorter than 3 inches.  And lots of other basics anyone who wants to grow a lawn should know.  Without spending lots of money!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Notice in the two yards that one is unable to see the entire yard from the back door.  There is peninsula bed that breaks up the view. Now for kids, whilst they are younguns, the plant material will be too low and new to obscure your view of your kids.  Just something to think about as your kids grow up fast!  To see your entire back yard from the back door is boring.  Something to work on as they grow.  They would LOVE the gravel...a few boulders.  Heaven for kids.  And I have to warn you to never put a play gym out near the green belt, if you have one.  Keep your play gym close to the back door.  There are cougars, bobcat and bear that come into town.  The cats will stalk you and figure out your schedule.  Always be aware.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-09-22T19:18:43.840" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T19:18:43.840" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35575" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27200" CreationDate="2017-09-22T03:16:50.067" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely blossom end rot, here's another example of one from my garden. Several of these poor fruits had that characteristic dead brown scaly looking end. Some on my plant had their ends dry out, others took over like yours.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CJSOM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CJSOM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of blossom end rot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17974" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T03:16:50.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35576" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35570" CreationDate="2017-09-22T07:08:44.887" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plectranthus_verticillatus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Plectranthus verticillatus&lt;/a&gt;. The red-ish hue of the underside of the leaves will become more proeminent on the upperside too if you move this plant in full sun and water it more sparsely. It is drought tolerant after it has established itself. The flowers are white with very small purple-mauve dots. This plant doesn't need pampering. I have five pots and I neglect them, but they stay alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is easily propagated by cuttings, just take a 10 cm (4 inches) part, remove a few of the leaves from the base and stick it into soil. Keep the soil moist until it grows new roots, and then you can water it only when the soil is dry and the leaves start to fade or to lose their shine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the person who gave me the original plant kept her Plectranthus in garden soil for many years and the plant was growing well. I keep my plants in potting soil because it's easier for me to buy it, even if this plant doesn't require it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update&lt;/strong&gt;: In case you're wondering why the leaves are too thick to be Plectranthus, look at the leaves on the left side of the image and you'll see they are not thick, they curled on the edges:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1vxY9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1vxY9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similar to this Plectranthus:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1xw4d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1xw4d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-09-22T13:03:36.600" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T13:03:36.600" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35577" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35579" CreationDate="2017-09-22T07:25:47.840" Score="3" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is growing in my garden. Its leaves smell lovely when you rub them with your hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1gnxs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1gnxs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gkeqm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gkeqm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N4aNT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N4aNT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IShGI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IShGI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19878" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-22T22:21:01.980" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T22:21:01.980" Title="Identify this plant with leaves that look like hemlock" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35578" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-22T10:02:20.070" Score="3" ViewCount="88" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've inherited this plant that requires minimal care: just some watering every two weeks, and not much light. However, I forgot to water it for ~3 weeks, and it wilted. Took it on the balcony, where it sprung back to life, but then forgot it there for a whole day and now it looks like this :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WiPdC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9632" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-09-22T12:09:42.707" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T12:09:42.707" Title="What is this resilient plant that prefers shade and little water?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35579" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35577" CreationDate="2017-09-22T13:27:52.057" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is an other family. Compositae / Asteraceae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is one of the Artemisia species, but not the lovely Artemisia absinthium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually they stink, they are invasive, and if you dig, you will see running root that will emerge as new plants everywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T13:27:52.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35580" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-22T13:35:54.473" Score="4" ViewCount="347" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted five Mimosa Pudica seeds in soil pellet. Three started growing, but two of them died after two weeks. Why, and how could I prevent this?&#xA;I soaked the seeds in 30-35°C warm water before planting, kept them in a 18-25°C warm room after with plenty of sunlight, and kept the pellet wet. I watered it from the downside, about 5mm of the downside of the pellet stood in water all the time. Recently I found some tiny (6-8mm wide) white mildew colonies growing on the top of the pellet 1-3 cm away from the plants.&#xA;I must admit I'm a totally noob plantkeeper. If you need additional details I haven't think of, please ask.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YQF5H.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YQF5H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture about the plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19881" LastEditorUserId="19881" LastEditDate="2017-09-22T14:38:15.757" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T14:38:15.757" Title="Why are my germinating mimosa pudicas dying?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35581" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32701" CreationDate="2017-09-22T13:48:18.707" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As Niall noted in the comments, this is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerastium_fontanum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mouse Ear Chickweed (&lt;em&gt;Cerastium fontanum&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;. It's an annual cool season plant with a very wide range in temperate and cool climates with plenty of rainfall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It often germinates in the fall, and blooms and sets seed in the mid-late spring after slow growth over winter. Plants that germinate in the spring will bloom and set seed at about the same time as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because it's prolific and sets a lot of seed in good conditions, it has also become a garden/lawn weed in many areas. It is easy (although possibly time consuming) to remove it by hand, and I am also not aware of its resistance to any commercial herbicide. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T13:48:18.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35582" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35586" CreationDate="2017-09-22T18:01:22.047" Score="4" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to start by saying that I've tried to look this up online, but I'm not knowledgeable about trees and so I came up empty handed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This limb just fell off of this tree in the front yard. It's a very old tree, and sustained damage last winter from an ice storm. Can anyone identify the white cottony stuff on the inside of the branch? It's it something we need to worry about infecting the entire tree, or is it more likely to be something that &quot;got in&quot; after a crack from the ice storm. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0tTlB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0tTlB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fallen limb cross section&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5BnlD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5BnlD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;whole tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jUTMN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jUTMN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;whole limb&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18295" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T20:51:27.763" Title="Cotton-Like Disease on Fallen Limb" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35582" CreationDate="2017-09-22T19:32:41.680" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;ID would be tough not being able to touch and test.  There is a good solution though so you can make sure your tree is healthy and won't throw another branch at someone or somebody's car...grins.  That would be to check out your local Cooperative Extension Service that a big University hosts.  You could drive that branch over to the closest annex for ID and advice.  These guys are the BEST to get landscape, planting, composting, preserving...ideas for YOUR area!  For free or dirt cheap!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am unable to tell what tree this is!  Please send closeups of the leaves and bark.  I would also be asking about an expert pruner.  This must be an oak of some kind, maybe?  The angles between trunk and limb look wide which means those limbs are strong like an oak tree's limbs.  I'd be interested in reducing the mass and weight at the end of those limbs so the next wind storm won't break off more branches.  I'd also get the grass peeled away from the bottom of this tree's trunk.  Seeing that the area is too narrow for a 'circle' I'd just get rid of the grass on that end of the bed altogether.  Use a bark to cover soil.  Pull any soil or mulch away from the bark of that trunk.  In fact, I'd love to see a picture of the trunk/soil connection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=OIP.Id_D6fmLKgWPAE5uAZI8ZAEsDH&amp;amp;pid=15.1&amp;amp;rs=1&amp;amp;c=1&amp;amp;qlt=95&amp;amp;w=177&amp;amp;h=118&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Live Oak&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T19:32:41.680" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35585" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35577" CreationDate="2017-09-22T19:46:17.960" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wnmu.edu/academic/nspages/gilaflora/artemisia_carruthii.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sagebrush Artemesia&lt;/a&gt;I agree with Como!  Artemesia carruthii Carruths Sagebrush.  Smells like sage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T19:46:17.960" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35582" CreationDate="2017-09-22T20:41:55.230" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The white cottony stuff is fungal growth - whether that's a problem in just this branch, or whether it's an issue for the heartwood of the tree is impossible to say. There's no evidence from your images of bracket fungus on the trunk anywhere, which is good because its presence would mean certain death of the tree over time. I can see that this piece of branch seems to have torn away from a large branch,the remains of which are still attached to the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given that the fungal mycelium is within the central wood of that branch, and is quite obvious at the broken off end, it may well be that the rest of that branch and possibly the interior of the tree are also affected. What you need is an arborist to come out and examine the tree, not least to make sure that other large branches are not likely to drop down suddenly and cause a serious accident, but also to ascertain whether the remains of the branch should be removed, and check whether the whole tree is compromised.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-09-22T20:51:27.763" LastActivityDate="2017-09-22T20:51:27.763" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35587" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-22T23:47:53.980" Score="2" ViewCount="36" Body="&lt;p&gt;Over the years I have had an ongoing battle with onion weed in my small front garden. I have poisoned and I have carefully dug out every bulb by hand (took forever), but to no avail. I tried using a weed mat, which worked for a while, but eventually the weeds made it through. I have a piece of old carpet which would cover the area, and I thought that if I put the carpet down, and then put gravel on top, that might work, but someone told me that it would make the soil go sour. I also thought about that black thick plastic you can get in Bunnings. Can you tell me if carpet or plastic would be a problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19882" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2017-09-23T00:08:17.340" LastActivityDate="2017-09-23T00:09:53.933" Title="Onion weed and soil sourness" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35587" CreationDate="2017-09-23T00:09:53.933" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;@June welcome to the group!  Black plastic is something I have use and it works to control weeds.  It basically stops light from going through and hence prevents unwanted growth.  Make sure you cover the black plastic with tan bark so it says on the ground securely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-09-23T00:09:53.933" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35589" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-23T03:44:02.223" Score="4" ViewCount="12461" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this cilantro in the grocery department of a large store. As you can see in the picture below, it still has roots attached. (I can post a clearer picture if you want.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would it start growing if I plant it in a container? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CweSX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CweSX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2267" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-24T21:19:53.667" LastActivityDate="2017-09-24T21:19:53.667" Title="Can I plant cilantro with roots on it that I bought in the grocery section of a store?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;cilantro&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35590" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35589" CreationDate="2017-09-23T08:48:12.597" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a somewhat borderline case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For those plants that have just a bit of the top roots left, you probably won't be able to plant them with success. But I also see some longer roots and what looks like one plant with a slightly more complete root system. As a gardener, I would seriously be tempted to try and plant this specimen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do so, make sure you reduce the number of  leaves significantly, because the plant won't be able to draw enough water and nutrition from the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest you &lt;em&gt;use&lt;/em&gt; most of the greens, leaving the core intact, and plant the remaining roots in free-draining potting soil or into your garden beds. Note that a bright spot indoors might be a better choice right now, outside you need to protect the plants from too much sunlight initially. And if you decide to give it a go, do so as fast as possible, at minimum remove the leaves or they will draw water and &quot;energy&quot; from the roots - which is actually the reason that this cilantro was sold like this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that cilantro is a somewhat short-term herb:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;It has a tendency to bloom and set seeds after just a few weeks, and once it has grown its seeds, the plant has completed its life cycle and dies. So if you were hoping for a long-lived plant companion, this won't happen. But you can still get more leaves and ultimately seeds (for the kitchen and/or more plants) if you manage to get the roots to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-23T19:24:18.187" LastActivityDate="2017-09-23T19:24:18.187" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35591" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35601" CreationDate="2017-09-23T09:52:15.343" Score="5" ViewCount="7622" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got quite a few lemons covered in dark spots. They don't seem to go deep and the lemons don't seem to be spoiled inside. I've never picked lemons before, so I'm wondering - are they safe to eat?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(the spring just started here)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/17T0n.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/17T0n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/csWeA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/csWeA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Requested follow-up: The tree looks mostly ok. There are few leaves which don't look healthy and they're mostly around the lemons with spots. The spots on the leaves look either very similar to the ones on lemons:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CMvYv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CMvYv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or small white dots (mould-like?):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FFBjw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FFBjw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise it looks ok. Bark is fine and there are no persistent bugs that I can see around. Very few leaves have been nibbled on - likely a long while ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9784" LastEditorUserId="9784" LastEditDate="2017-09-24T00:45:07.063" LastActivityDate="2017-09-25T07:29:07.507" Title="Spots on lemons" Tags="&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35592" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-23T19:00:50.630" Score="3" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3WxXa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3WxXa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8PIVI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8PIVI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictured above is an ornamental apple tree outside of my home in Portsmouth, NH. Over the course of the summer I noticed that a section of the tree was not leafing and was totally bare. I don’t believe this is how it has been in the past, and I wanted to investigate what might have caused this and if I needed to provide any remedy to ensure the tree's health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is on the south side of the house and it gets plenty of sun. There is some sort of green moss type growth that I see on the area that is not leafing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14609" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-24T21:13:50.613" LastActivityDate="2017-09-24T21:13:50.613" Title="What is causing a section of this ornamental apple tree to lose its leaves and grow moss?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35594" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35592" CreationDate="2017-09-24T14:04:09.417" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Judging by the look of it, I would say its a mixture of lack of good maintenance and cleanliness. I would remove all dead material and also open up the lower section of the tree to the air and light around it- this should improve the general health of the lower part of the tree. Next I would use a fungicide to spray the tree over the winter as it looks like you've got a bit of bacterial canker on the bark too, possibly something like mussel scale(lepidosaphes ulmi) too treat with a tar oil when dormant in winter. I also would suggest to try to dry out the site too as this can lead to a loss of bark too due to excessive moisture, remove the weeds as they can also carry stuff too and not to worry about the lichen (green mossy stuff) as its harmless and uncontrollable and its an indicator of how clean your air quality is locally. I'd also rake up all material dropped by this tree and burn it this season and compost it next. Just needs a bit of TLC.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2017-09-24T14:04:09.417" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35595" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-24T16:16:25.587" Score="2" ViewCount="32" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently found ground cherries growing wild on my property and I want to put them in beds and harvest seeds from them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How and when should I transplant them?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19887" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-26T00:26:40.760" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T00:26:40.760" Title="How can I transplant wild ground cherries into garden beds?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35596" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35614" CreationDate="2017-09-24T17:33:28.550" Score="4" ViewCount="315" Body="&lt;p&gt;The one at the very bottom is &lt;a href=&quot;http://worldofsucculents.com/sedum-makinoi/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sedum makinoi&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, right? What about the tall one?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y9yVY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y9yVY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sedum?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19888" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-26T00:14:52.403" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T00:14:52.403" Title="What is this succulent with 4 stacks of leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35597" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-24T19:03:38.840" Score="3" ViewCount="31" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have concrete deck on a slope (slope should be good for drainage), want two 4' by 8' boxes and I found a box 14&quot; height. Need Advice (I'm a novice) - is this high enough? what should be on bottom of boxes? how to landscape slope? Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19890" LastActivityDate="2017-09-25T07:18:47.760" Title="Vegetable Boxes on Concrete Deck w/ Slope?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35597" CreationDate="2017-09-25T01:24:15.707" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;14 inches is great.  Perfect.  You need drain holes.  Nothing but sterilized potting soil in those beds.  Not garden soil, no additives, don't  use potting soil with water holding 'sponges or gels' and no added fertilizer IN THE potting soil.  Leave at least 1&quot; between the top of the soil and the rim.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before planting, make sure your soil is 'lightly' compacted' to get air pockets removed.  Only use plants that have been 'started'.  I would not use seeds in this bed.  I would create my own starts first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use a simple balanced fertilizer such as Osmocote 14-14-14...once per season.  Extended release should last the season.  Where do you live?  Sub tropical?  Well, that would mean twice per year.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not sure what your slope looks like, the percentage, is this OFF the concrete?  Where does water go when it rains?  This is kinda my field, grading and drainage.  Send a picture of what you've got going.  What are you using for the raised beds in terms of structure.  Do not use compost or anything that hasn't been sterilized in the soil.  I can explain in detail.  And next big question is what you are thinking of planting.  Annuals, perennials, shrubs, vines...trees?  A combination? We can help with watering practices. Try to incorporate plants that thrive with the same environmental conditions.  Don't use tropical plants with succulents for instance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-25T01:24:15.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35599" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-25T04:41:04.557" Score="3" ViewCount="277" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few of my mint plant's stems are bent, some by almost 90 degrees (this isn't from disease, it came about as a result of rough treatment). I tried bending the stems back, but they go back to being bent in a few seconds. Should I leave the plant be and allow it to heal? Or is this a more serious condition, and should I cut off the stem below the bend with a scissor?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19839" LastActivityDate="2017-09-25T07:51:58.193" Title="Taking care of mint with bent stems" Tags="&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35600" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35597" CreationDate="2017-09-25T07:18:47.760" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here's a comprehensive guide to creating a &lt;a href=&quot;https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/no-dig-gardening/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;no-dig garden&lt;/a&gt; on top of concrete with the main difference being that for concrete you need to lay down some drainage in the form of twigs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cvG8B.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cvG8B.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll need straw (and lucerne), compost, manure, newspaper or cardboard, and water. Once it's constructed the pile will build itself into a living soil to feed your plants.  No need to add fertilizers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-09-25T07:18:47.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35601" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35591" CreationDate="2017-09-25T07:29:07.507" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like it might be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.idtools.org/id/citrus/diseases/factsheet.php?name=Citrus%20black%20spot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;citrus black spot&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Leaf - older lesions are small, round, sunken necrotic spots with gray centers. The lesions are bordered with a dark brown ring. Young lesions are small, reddish, and slightly raised. A yellow halo can be associated with the lesions. Foliar lesions are most commonly seen on lemons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and the fruit&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Hard spot (1) is the most typical and diagnostic symptom of black spot as the fruit mature, often appearing around color change. The lesions are circular depressions with a diameter of 3-10 mm (0.12 - 0.4 inch). The brick red lesions have tan to grey centers with a distinct brown to black margin. Pycnidia are usually, but not always, present in the lesions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-09-25T07:29:07.507" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35602" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35599" CreationDate="2017-09-25T07:51:58.193" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most of the mint plant will recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Strong wind and footfall is common, so they are evolved to recover. It will take few days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-09-25T07:51:58.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35603" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-25T13:32:38.320" Score="4" ViewCount="630" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's the name of this pear cultivar? It has a green skin but it can have a coating in brown color.  On Wikimedia commons, the ones looking closer to this are &quot;Bojniczanka.jpg&quot; and &quot;Pyrus a1.jpg&quot;. Is this a variety of Anjou?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does that brown coating have a name?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4455/37308515911_e88936d04b_b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Link1&quot;&gt; - &lt;img src=&quot;https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4429/37279049092_b18aabb6ed_b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Link2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-26T00:02:21.300" LastActivityDate="2020-09-18T16:22:41.360" Title="What's the name of this pear cultivar? (green skin with brown coating)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;pear&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35604" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="9179" CreationDate="2017-09-25T18:24:14.203" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two years ago I cut off the top of my beautiful Redwood. Didn't want it above my house, and realized it was in the wrong place. However, I didn't want to kill this healthy tree.&#xA;From the top grew a lot of fine branches, and it is just so pretty, full and certainly healthy.&#xA;So I guess I did everything wrong, but as of now I am happy with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19892" LastActivityDate="2017-09-25T18:24:14.203" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35605" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-25T18:29:13.840" Score="4" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AiRfC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DErHB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have just received this Bonsai tree and was wondering what species it was, Thank you for your time &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19891" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T09:54:50.383" Title="What type of bonsai tree do I have" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35606" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-25T18:42:08.507" Score="3" ViewCount="245" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received this plant after a family members funeral service. I placed the plant in my vehicle and it was rather hot out, around 85 degrees. The plant was left in my car for a few hours before I was able to get it home. On the side that was closest to the window a bunch of the leaves had turned to brownish black and were droopy. I do not want to loose my lily, unfortunately I do not have a green thumb so Any advise would be quite helpfu! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19893" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T00:24:38.667" Title="Peace Lily damage! Please help!" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2018-01-20T02:52:01.623" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35606" CreationDate="2017-09-25T18:58:57.147" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are very resilient plants and this one should bounce back and be back to normal health soon.  They dislike direct sun and what i believe happened is some of the leaves were burned.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants like the peace lily are strong determined things that prefer to be left alone in their ideal conditions. The best thing you can do is place the peace lily in it's ideal environment, water it when it needs water and let the lily do the rest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideal environment includes minimum bright light.  They like to see light but not feel light, so keep it away from direct sun.  Keep the plant watered but do not over water.  The leaves will tell you when to water, they will start to droop a little.  Over time you will get used to a schedule maybe once a week, or 10 days depending on the size of the plant, its root structure and size of the pot.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant will let you know if it is getting to much water/sun etc.  Right now it is just upset it received too much sun, but it should be fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3593" LastActivityDate="2017-09-25T18:58:57.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35608" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35605" CreationDate="2017-09-25T19:19:40.853" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's Zelkova or Japanese Elm, though they are very similar to Chinese Elm. Care requirements are more or less the same though; technically, its an outdoor bonsai, but it will need protection in cold winters so it doesn't freeze. However, if you've only recently received this tree and you're in the northern hemisphere, then its probably best to keep it indoors somewhere cool, away from heat sources, with good daylight, until next year, because it will have been reared indoors all this time. You can place outside next year in late spring/early summer, hardening it off first, in a position out of direct sunlight. More care information here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/zelkova&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese Elm (Zelkova)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-09-26T09:54:50.383" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T09:54:50.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2128" CreationDate="2017-09-25T20:27:40.807" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assassin Bug, I think, or at least some where in that family. I find them around my house in SE Texas, on window seals. I do also see these insects in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19894" LastActivityDate="2017-09-25T20:27:40.807" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35610" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-25T22:37:53.920" Score="4" ViewCount="182" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RpjyW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;What is this ground cover weed similar to Galenia? It seems to grow in the same environment and it has a blue tone to its leaves compared to galenia. Galenia has a semi-succulent leaf, whereas this weed does not, its leaf is quite fine. Both weeds look the same from a distance as they have a similar growth pattern of a primary root that spreads out like a carpet over the ground surface and the leaves and plants are on the same scale of size to Galenia. The plants are located in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19895" LastEditorUserId="19895" LastEditDate="2017-09-28T01:58:42.033" LastActivityDate="2017-09-28T01:58:42.033" Title="What is this ground cover weed similar to Galenia" Tags="&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35611" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35612" CreationDate="2017-09-25T23:02:18.873" Score="5" ViewCount="579" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this plant, and maybe more importantly, how big could it get? I like the large leaves (they're approx 18&quot; wide) but will have to cut it down if it plans to get too large.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gwTUy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gwTUy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13691" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-25T23:51:35.327" LastActivityDate="2017-09-25T23:51:35.327" Title="What is this large leaved young tree (US midwest region)?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35612" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35611" CreationDate="2017-09-25T23:49:10.990" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This appears to be &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulownia_tomentosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Paulownia tomentosa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, the empress tree. It is an ornamental tree that has become an invasive weed tree in many areas. They can grow very fast when young. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They can reach over 80' in height, but more commonly, 30-40 feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L5sxy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L5sxy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FtWg2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FtWg2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wRbUW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wRbUW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-09-25T23:49:10.990" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35603" CreationDate="2017-09-25T23:59:36.620" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That brown 'coating' is called russeting. The cultivar is hard, because of all the varieties that have russetting. The shape looks a lot like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosc_pear&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bosc&lt;/a&gt; (known for the shape and russeting). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P0WVH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P0WVH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-09-25T23:59:36.620" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35614" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35596" CreationDate="2017-09-26T00:12:36.887" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This appears to be &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_molokiniensis&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Portulaca molokiniensis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or 'Ihi'. It's an endangered species. Not Sedum. The short offsets are part of the same root system as the long stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Very nice, I'd definitely try to keep it alive. From the way the end of the long stem seems to be branching, you'll have flowers soon! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iJtL9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iJtL9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KLftz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KLftz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T00:12:36.887" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35615" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35595" CreationDate="2017-09-26T00:24:11.430" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;These plants won't like their roots disturbed. Starting from seed next year might be easier. If you want to transplant mature plants, here are a few tips that might make the survival rate higher:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Look for an overcast week, where there will be rain, and little to no direct sun for a period of time. If the sunny weather is relentless, you can build a small shading frame with slats or cheesecloth, to cut back on direct lighting while they recover.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Take as large a rootball as possible for each crown. The fewer cut roots the better. Try not to crack/break the rootball.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant in loose, well drained organic topsoil. Hard soil like dry clay can cause moisture pockets when planting, or retard root growth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water heavily after planting. Get the soil good and wet. Water again when the top layer is dry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mulch with 2-3&quot; of organic matter (such as shredded bark, mushroom soil, or chopped leaves).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once you see new growth, you can fertilize.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T00:24:11.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35606" CreationDate="2017-09-26T00:24:38.667" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just cut the dead leaves back and provide water.  This is one of those plants that look good with enough water and wilt and look dead when dry.  See my answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/4495/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/5856/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for more details.  A one time incident with hot temperatures and not enough water will not cause lasting damage.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used to take care of these on a commercial basis when they were in 12&quot; diameter pots.  Water them once every two weeks with three or four litres of water...no problems in low light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T00:24:38.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35617" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35619" CreationDate="2017-09-26T00:27:48.960" Score="6" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not familiar with this effect. It seems to be getting worse by the day. Is there a common cause for something like this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u5AuQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u5AuQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pic1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xDkuq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xDkuq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pic2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17862" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T11:13:37.317" Title="Ground is rising up next to patio" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;patio&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35618" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35620" CreationDate="2017-09-26T00:31:07.930" Score="4" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;I spotted this plant while walking in Jan Marais Park in Stellenbosch, South Africa. It's currently flowering while the season is changing into spring over here. The park's information boards describe the area as renosterveld.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t1pBa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t1pBa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pic&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19428" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T01:57:34.363" Title="Identify this plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35619" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35617" CreationDate="2017-09-26T00:37:26.993" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This phenomenon may be explained by the presence of moles in your garden. I am no expert on the lives of moles, but I have a similar situation around my house. They seem to prefer to dig soil up around fixed structures, such as walls, for some reason. When I first moved here, I would dig the soil back with a shovel or water the raised sections every time I see new activity, and eventually they appear to have given up and diverted their tunnels elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19896" LastEditorUserId="19896" LastEditDate="2017-09-26T11:13:37.317" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T11:13:37.317" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35620" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35618" CreationDate="2017-09-26T01:57:34.363" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on the image and the geographic location, I believe this is likely &lt;i&gt;Polygala virgata&lt;/I&gt;, a native plant of south-east Africa.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://pza.sanbi.org/polygala-virgata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://pza.sanbi.org/polygala-virgata&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=133920&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=133920&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19553" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T01:57:34.363" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35621" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-26T02:01:26.423" Score="3" ViewCount="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;My row of Natchez blackberry is experiencing some mysterious die back. These are primocanes, the floricanes have been pruned out for some time. About 6 weeks ago the leaves begin to turn purple, then a red-yellow, and eventually turning brown and dying off. This condition has been systematically moving up the main trunk of the plant from the base. Surprisingly, the laterals seem unaffected. We haven't had any cold weather to speak of. It has been hot and dry, but I've been trying to give them a good drink on the weekends. I also did a soil test and found that my pH shot up to about 7. I am thinking it could be Nitrogen deficiency because the old growth being affected most or Iron deficiency due to the high pH.  I put some sulfur down and watered with about a gallon of water with a couple tbsp of vinegar, and I also put down some 10-10-10 fertilizer. Has any one experienced this before or notice any tell-tale signs in the attached photo?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J2vit.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J2vit.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;blackberry leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19897" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T02:01:26.423" Title="Blackberry Old Growth on Primocanes Dying" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;blackberry&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35622" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35306" CreationDate="2017-09-26T03:01:09.990" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/disease/black-spot-fungus.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;black spot fungus&lt;/a&gt; and you have a lot of necrotic lesions on those leaves sadly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Treat with Neem oil initially.  And then try a fungicide if that doesn't work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T03:01:09.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35623" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-26T03:02:43.243" Score="3" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found this growing in my garden in the back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing Location/Conditions:&#xA;semi-shady area, Pennsylvania, USA with regular amount of yearly rain&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photos:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yA75i.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yA75i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xcgDP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xcgDP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19898" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-09-26T05:04:59.770" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T05:04:59.770" Title="Please identify this flowering plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35624" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-26T10:46:42.100" Score="3" ViewCount="202" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a number of Sosnowsky's hogweed (&lt;em&gt;Heracleum sosnowskyi&lt;/em&gt;) plants which have blossomed a while ago and now they are standing with dry seeds ready to be spread by wind. Suppose I gather the seeds (that isn't dangerous when the plant is already dry). There will be perhaps a liter or so of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want the seeds deactivated such that if they fall into soil they definitely give no seedlings ever. Having them destroyed by burning (or throwing into molten steel) would do but that isn't necessary, all I want is to be sure that all the seeds I get through this deactivation procedure give no seedling if they ever fall into soil. So for example burning doesn't look good because how do I ensure that all the volume has burnt fully or at least heated to high enough temperature?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Deactivation procedures should preferably not require complex handling of seeds afterwards. So for example some dangerous chemical wouldn't be optimal because how will I then dispose the contaminated seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I boil them? How long would be enough?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I soak them in boiled water? Is that enough?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps some rather safe chemicals would do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's an easy, safe and reliable way to have seeds deactivated?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="562" LastActivityDate="2017-09-28T12:09:45.170" Title="How do I reliably deactivate weed seeds that I've gathered?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35625" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33677" CreationDate="2017-09-26T12:24:02.450" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;From my experience with these peppercorn plants. They tend to self pollinate at a slower rate than lets say black pepper or garden average bells and jalepeno's.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants don't always flower a female companion. Sometimes it takes a lot of time depending on its age as well. They are kinda like the pineapple of the peppercorn families. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My recommendation would be to obtain a red plastic green house overlay and shade it with that. Or just get a red grow light to assist the flowering process. It fastens the cycle up a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17861" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T12:24:02.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35626" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-26T13:00:49.693" Score="6" ViewCount="134" Body="&lt;p&gt;As I prepare for fall around here (USDA zone 8a, max low ~10f, average low ~45f) I long for a greenhouse to bet overwinter some of our showy pots, and perhaps get a jump on some annuals and veggies as next spring rolls around.  It's no small task to add a greenhouse to our property (plus I have to check local building codes to see if it's possible to locate it where I want it.  I'm happy though because it gives me lots of time to plan and budget.  I foresee something with a rigid frame, about 8 ft x 12 ft.  I have power and water close by.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering what systems people would suggest I install?  Are there some basic ones I should have (say a heater, and auto ventilation)?  Maybe some add ons I should consider?  Stuff I probably should avoid?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2021-05-28T18:36:04.133" LastActivityDate="2021-05-28T18:36:04.133" Title="Recommendations for how to equip a small home greenhouse?" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35627" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-26T14:28:09.740" Score="6" ViewCount="33115" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help! This plant is nearly 15 years old and 6 feet tall. It was thriving until 2 years ago when I moved it close to a window and a heating/cooling vent when it slowly started losing its leaves. From all the reading I've done I realize that little light, drafts and change in temperature are whats caused the plant to lose all its leaves. My question is...can it be saved? and if so HOW? I have already moved it to a place that will have lots of sun and away from any drafts and vents. What, if anything can I do????? Prune it right down the the base and start over?? &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NywAd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NywAd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19899" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T23:56:14.640" Title="My Rubber plant lost all its leaves!!! Can it be saved?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35628" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35629" CreationDate="2017-09-26T19:04:09.320" Score="5" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure if this is the correct place to ask, but -&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My wife recently got some of our trees (heavily) pruned, and it has fallen to me to handle the wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in two minds - I'm contemplating purchasing a 9kw petrol Chipper/Shredder (about US$800), or I could cut the branches smaller and throw them into the creek area at the back of my house.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I seem to recall the hardware store selling apple chips (for bbq'ing or smoking, not eating) at about $10 per kg).   My wife wants to BBQ, but does not know how. I've never smoked anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know if it would be practical to use a chipper to make my own bbq chips, and if so, what I need to do in terms of prep?  (Do I let the wood sit around until the leave dry up, can I shred it with the leaves on?  Does it need to be dry - which is an ask in my climate).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I just throw the wood into the creek, how long will it take to decompose (months, years, bad idea altogether?) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-08T22:15:49.857" LastActivityDate="2017-12-08T22:15:49.857" Title="Disposing wood after heavy pruning" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;disposal&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35629" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35628" CreationDate="2017-09-26T19:48:15.800" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good to ask this question...please do not think about throwing the chips into the creek.  Not only would this disturb the ecology but this is usually against the 'law'...do you have neighbors also on this creek?  Where are you living, David?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't BUY a chipper, I would go rent one for a day.  Unless you plan on getting into the chipping business?  Use the chips for a mulch if you've got a 'natural' area with a large area of weeds.  Great to dump on a patch of weeds and allow to decompose getting rid of weeds and then possibly a new great place for a plant bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for smoking...YUMMY way to 'cook'.  You need a smoker which are fairly inexpensive.  Lots less than the cost of a chipper!  Are your tree limbs Apple?  Hickory? Alder?  You would chip them twice and allow to dry in a dehydrator (I built my own that has 7 or 8 shelves each 2X2' using heat lights and a fan built into the bottom) in a single layer.  Otherwise, decomposition (rot) will set in and smoking with mold is not what you want. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Barbecue is different.  You throw these chips already dried onto the coals made by charcoal after the coals are red, dusted with ash and no longer in flame.  Won't need to worry about barbecue if you've got a smoker, really.  We've smoked our fish, made our Foh beef base smoking the vegetables with a slight char, smoked our chicken and turkey (butterfly first), started our chili peppers before dehydrating, cooked and smoked prime rib...smokers get used!  Or just buy apple (my favorite wood for smoking), hickory, alder...these are the three I am familiar with...just dump your newly chipped chips in a huge pile to decompose.  The bigger the pile the more heat, the more decomposition and make sure you feed your pile some nitrogen (find this stuff in the cat box section or find high nitrogen fertilizer) and a bit of moisture.  Not soaking wet just some moisture now and then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shred with leaves on. That will actually help the decomposition.  I once had the power company come dump their chips on my blackberries under my alders.  6' high piles, about 200 feet long, zone 5...those piles created this 'fog' all winter long.  I threw alfalfa kitty litter pellets (nitrogen) on it as the Power Company dumped their loads. A handful or two on each 6'X6' pile?? We got lots of rain in that area so there was moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the spring, those 6' piles had become 6&quot;.  No more blackberries!  Nice evenly textured mulch.  Very pretty.  I am still in awe how quickly that happened as I know most compost sometimes takes lots longer.  Don't waste this good stuff!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tell me more about your property.  Nice to have a creek!  Creeks, even intermittent ones are highly regulated and have 'buffer' zones where there are laws in place of what you can and can not do even on your OWN property.  For that I am glad. Riparian ecology is incredibly important and even more sensitive.  Not to be used as a sewer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the US if a normal person catches a corporation breaking these laws they can get rich filing civil action suit.  You should look into your covenants for your property.  Having a creek on your property means part of your property is PUBLICLY owned.  You wouldn't want your neighbors dumping anything into the water that will be running across your property.  My creek was a Salmon creek for spawning.  You wouldn't believe the huge salmon trying to swim up an intermittent tributary to this creek only inches deep. Even adding gravels to the shores was not allowed.  But you have 'water front property'!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-09-26T20:08:48.173" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T20:08:48.173" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35630" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30480" CreationDate="2017-09-26T21:15:48.523" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Arnold Arboretum's website quotes current taxonomic reviews lumping all Hartia into Stewartia.  Essentially, it seems Hartia is now outdated, but used to represent all evergreen members of the Stewartia genus. I have never seen one in person, and gather they are very rare in cultivation.  From descriptions, I gather they are less showy than the deciduous Stewartias - most sources report smaller flowers and a lack of the very attractive bark of some more common deciduous Stewartias. &#xA;S. calcicola, laotica, and pteropetiolata are all evergreen according to an article in Plantsman magazine, and Polly Hill has a mongraph listing  several others. The only mention I can find of one in North America is a pteropetiolata at the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden. In Europe Wespelaar Arboretum, Belgium, seems to be involved in introducing members of the genus to cultivation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19902" LastEditorUserId="19902" LastEditDate="2017-09-26T21:23:45.323" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T21:23:45.323" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35631" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35626" CreationDate="2017-09-26T21:49:11.040" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are actually 3 types of 'extending the season' type structures to consider.  You must already have the out of doors garden with raised or fluffed up 'permanent' beds with walkways that contain your perennials such as rhubarb, blueberries, tarragon, thyme, oregano...raspberries, horse radish, asparagus...? Fenced or protected against rabbits, raccoons?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second is a completely enclosed structure that can easily be 8'X10' or within your building codes that you don't have to permit.  12X10 is our limit.  This is insulated well, owns a heater (I use a little radiator oil heater that works even in the subzero weather), has a floor that allows drainage, air input and output, fans, easily accessible water source and a compost bin outside.  Storage for chemicals.  Shelving that is adjustable and great lighting! Amazing what you can produce in that amount of space.  This works all year round no matter the season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This could also be converted into vertical hydroponics.  I've not gone that route.  For me dealing with soil is enough.  I get tempted sometimes noting the amount produced hydroponically...then I just go on with what I know and works.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The third is a green house with heat and the best skin for covering. You live in zone 8a?  Gees, you'd hardly need to worry about season extension.  I am working just to have what you already have!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For a real greenhouse I chose to use the soil beneath the roof.  Not pots. Oh I use pots with potting soil as well... I make raised beds and improve the soil with decomposed organic matter.  My raised beds have no lumber or bricks.  I do this will all types of soils I inherit. Clay, caliche clay, lovely loam and now volcanic pumice.  I am now seeding my 'fallow' beds with a green cover crop...Crimson Clover this year.  If not seeding I am coating the beds with decomposed organic matter out of bales I get from the store about 2&quot;.  I work in zone 1b!  Alaska has the same zone, I am in Oregon at 4000+ elevation, central state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We finally got a great skin that is anti condensation, actually clear and has a warranty of 4 years (make sure you KNOW what side is up and what side is down...this company has been put on notice for this particular problem).  We have a pellet stove and a diesel construction heater.  After a freezing night below 30 degrees F the greenhouse is 56 degrees about 5am.  I am happy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The perennials are blueberry, raspberry, asparagus, thyme, oregano, rhubarb, strawberries, boysenberries...I lost my kiwi plants in earlier cheaper temporary poly tunnels. This new skin all by itself is amazing for holding the heat within.  I have also used floating row cover before the heaters and expensive skin which works so very well, I will always have that stuff around!  For insects as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Putting a 'shed' greenhouse on part of your home will help you reduce electric bills in a big way, makes a super room to 'hang'...easy to maintain contact with your garden as well. Moisturizes the air in your home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember, the light in the winter is not sufficient to grow anything.  You will have to add artificial lighting...great to have anyway for starting starts or extending the season on tomatoes/peppers/eggplant...that is what I've been doing...potatoes are done (I am also able to leave the potatoes in the ground longer with heat if they freeze they turn to mush) (heck in zone 5 I left potatoes in the ground where I was able to run out and dive in with bare hands to pull out potatoes for dinner, no mush, no added heat, no greenhouse).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Air flow is critical.  You have to have major fans blowing major air enough to blow your hair around to ensure proper ventilation.  Put that in your plans for sure.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hate to say this but in zone 8 I would think floating row cover would be enough to extend the season.  An enclosed shed with lights would be perfect to give you starts and even do tomatoes during the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this gives you some ideas or more questions, Ben.  What is your water source?  What do you do for fertilizer?  What are your favorite plants? I am thinking that you might love a place to lounge and watch your plants grow, get your skin moisturized? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-09-26T21:55:11.860" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T21:55:11.860" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35632" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35624" CreationDate="2017-09-26T23:08:49.123" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oh shoot.  If you are looking at dried seeds it is way too late to do anything at all about deactivating those seed.  Sorrryyy.  The best time to stop weeds is before the plant is able to flower or shortly after the seeds germinate. Baby plants easily killed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is a biennial...yes?  So easy to eradicate by 'weed wacking' using a line trimmer on less than the highest rotation...talk about that later.  Or using a hula hoe.  Or using a chunk of tarp and scooting around on the surface smooshing baby weeds. Get the chunk of tarp fitted with slots so you can secure the tarp to your feet just enough to hold.  Change foot slots and scoot around some more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Trust me, I'd do this at night where no one can watch!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are areas such as gravel driveways or paths, you can use garden strength vinegar, I think it is called 'weed block'...changes the pH to ACID where no plants can germinate much less grow. Nothing grows.  To make the soil usable again you lime it and bring the pH back up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T23:08:49.123" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35627" CreationDate="2017-09-26T23:56:14.640" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The rubber plant (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_elastica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ficus elastica&lt;/a&gt;) is a tough plant.  It can grow to over 100' tall outdoors.  Indoors it can be kept considerably smaller.  If the plant is that old it is not drafts that are the cause of the decline but more likely to be the waterlogging of the soil mix.  I am not sure if that pot has drainage but regardless peat based soil mixes gradually degrade over time as the organic peat is used up.  The soil compacts and root rot is more likely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest putting down some newspaper and then taking the plant out of it's pot.  Healthy new roots are white.  Old roots can be brown.  Dead roots are black and soft. Cut any root rot out. If the root ball looks busy get a sharp knife and cut off a few inches off the bottom of the root ball.  Put new soil in the bottom of the pot and put the plant back in the pot.  Cut down the stems so there is at least one node above the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water and move to the highest light you have and wait.  It might take weeks but you will get new growth from the base and then you are good to go.  Cut back on the quantity of water while it does not have any leaves. Increase gradually as it grows out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See my other answers on the same plant &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/24216/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/35444/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-09-26T23:56:14.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35634" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-27T00:12:52.830" Score="2" ViewCount="92" Body="&lt;p&gt;So last time I was here I had bought some mint from Home Depot which started dying on me after a week of having it. I tried moving it outside like everyone suggested but I probably should have mentioned how hot it is out here cause it died after a day in the heat (Triple digits). The cuttings were no good either, they also shriveled up and died after a few days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This time I bought a mint plant from Trader Joe's and well the original plant died but the new growth is thriving (especially now that the temperature's going down).&#xA;I'm currently trying out making Terrariums so I've decided to make more mint through cuttings. I'd like to know some tips and things to make sure everything goes right.&#xA;I also have a basil in the cup to see how that goes.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XiNyr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mint &amp;amp; Basil cuttings&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cinmz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17898" LastEditorUserId="17898" LastEditDate="2017-09-28T16:18:43.827" LastActivityDate="2017-09-28T20:02:54.470" Title="Round 2 For Mint Cuttings. Any Tips?" Tags="&lt;basil&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35635" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35626" CreationDate="2017-09-27T01:42:54.283" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would put in electricity , water, and at least one window that opens so it can cross ventilate with the door. I made a floor of leftover house brick , no mortar, so any water just runs through it. I put the sill cock outside and use a hose for water. I used wire shelving for closets so light can pass through . ( I think they are worthless for closets). For heat ( zone 9 ) I have about 300 watts of aquarium heaters ( I have 3 aquariums in it ).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-09-27T01:42:54.283" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35636" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35638" CreationDate="2017-09-27T09:22:40.870" Score="2" ViewCount="378" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saved this individual from the footpath in a nature reserve in Stellenbosch, South Africa and planted it in my garden. What species of tree is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gmhye.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gmhye.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PIpXw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PIpXw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19896" LastEditorUserId="19896" LastEditDate="2017-09-27T12:19:35.957" LastActivityDate="2017-09-27T19:48:50.037" Title="Identify this sapling tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35637" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-27T10:39:58.297" Score="1" ViewCount="448" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ML4iz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ML4iz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;This chilli plant was grown from a seed given to me by a friend, can it be positively identified before it bares fruit? Other photo is of one of its flowers, the buds take a long time to actually flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hQd8d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hQd8d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19905" LastEditorUserId="19905" LastEditDate="2017-09-30T06:15:50.057" LastActivityDate="2017-09-30T06:15:50.057" Title="Can this chilli plant be identified from leaf shape and size? It has started to bud, but no flowers or fruit yet" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35638" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35636" CreationDate="2017-09-27T12:10:15.183" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks to me like a &lt;em&gt;Dais continifolia&lt;/em&gt;, or pompon tree, judging by the leaf colour and venation. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://pza.sanbi.org/dais-cotinifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://pza.sanbi.org/dais-cotinifolia&lt;/a&gt; for more info, although it is more distinctive when in flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19907" LastEditorUserId="19896" LastEditDate="2017-09-27T19:48:50.037" LastActivityDate="2017-09-27T19:48:50.037" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35639" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-27T13:22:46.467" Score="4" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our property borders an old area of woodland, with a stream running down next to our drive on the far side. There are already some bluebells but we would like to add more flowers, however we would like to be sensitive to the area... in our garden itself things like tulips and crocuses and daffodils are planned but in the more wild area I don't want non-native species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All I have thought of so far are bluebells and snowdrops, which we plan to plant ASAP as autumn is here in Northern England. Are there other spring/summer/autumn flowers, particularly bulbs, I should be aware of?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The right hand side of the drive is where I'm talking about... our garden proper is on the other side of the long wall:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UWF8j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UWF8j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastEditorUserId="14517" LastEditDate="2017-09-27T14:07:36.803" LastActivityDate="2017-09-27T14:43:20.230" Title="What are traditional English flowers to plant on the edge of a wooded stream?" Tags="&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;&lt;woodland&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35624" CreationDate="2017-09-27T13:32:39.777" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Easy as can be. Seeds are not some magical movie monster that cannot be killed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put them in a pan, bake at 250°F / 120°C (or higher, but that should be adequate) for an hour, they should be good and dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or - wrap in aluminum foil, place in fire, cover with coals (if you don't want them in your oven/house) You could also do the foil wrap and then put them in your oven if merely containing them will keep you happy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-09-27T13:32:39.777" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35641" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-27T13:37:16.527" Score="7" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our drive is getting on for 100m long, bordering a wooded stream. We would like to line it with snowdrops but I'm worried this is a colossal task as some sources claim I need 100+ bulbs per square metre. Ultimately we would like a the whole area to be drifted but appreciate this will take some years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the best way to set this up so it will look OK with fewer bulbs, and spread nicely? What is the minimum bulbs we could get away with that it would not look silly, and should they be planted individually or in small clumps?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have a wide shot in season but:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UWF8j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UWF8j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vv0qs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vv0qs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The woodland is on the right of the drive, falling away into a stream just past the line of trees - the close-up showed it this spring around the stream.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-28T19:21:05.840" LastActivityDate="2017-09-28T19:21:05.840" Title="How should I plant snowdrops along a long driveway?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;technique&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35642" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35641" CreationDate="2017-09-27T13:47:45.460" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Buy as many as you can stand, plant them singly (the clumps will form naturally from the single bulbs.) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Look silly&quot; is a rather vague and opinion-based condition. A single snowdrop looks good, not &quot;silly&quot;, IMHO. I suppose you might consider something along the lines of laying a hose or rope into a curvy line and planting along that - perhaps making occasional groups around the line (still single bulbs, but off to the sides of the linear group along the line, making a wider spot.) That can have a certain visual appeal, as can rigidly formal straight lines - the straight lines ARE easier to plant more bulbs without getting into the bulbs you've already planted, though. But ultimately you're hoping they will naturalize and fill things in, so rigid linearity won't be maintained unless you dig them all up and replant them in straight lines...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-09-27T13:47:45.460" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35643" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35639" CreationDate="2017-09-27T14:43:20.230" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This isn't a full answer, but if you have some English old-growth woodland to look after, then &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wood-Trees-Long-Nature-Small-ebook/dp/B016PK9VOY/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Richard Fortey's The Wood for the Trees&lt;/a&gt; is a good read.&#xA;Fortey was a trilobite expert at the Natural History Museum, and he had a TV series about geology. With the proceeds he bought a few acres of beech woodland in the Chilterns. The book covers 12 months of the woodland including organism surveys (he has lots of contacts of course), history of the woodland, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The geology of your woodland is probably different, but with climate change your climate is probably not far from what Fortey's woodland has experienced in the past few centuries. I don't know if you have beech, but he also has bluebells. &#xA;Looking through the plates, many of the flowers are trees (cherry, hazel, holly) but there are also orchids (&lt;em&gt;Monotropa&lt;/em&gt; and Ghost Orchid) and the Lesser Celandine. Cultivating chlorophyll-free orchids is probably virtually impossible, but it might be worth looking for Celandine and any other flowers you find in the book?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="69" LastActivityDate="2017-09-27T14:43:20.230" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35641" CreationDate="2017-09-27T14:48:32.097" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would suggest you plant in small clumps, a minimum of five bulbs, with a gap as long as you like (depending how many you've got) in between each clump, otherwise they will look pretty silly, as you put it. They will multiply over time, and when the clumps get quite large, you can split them into smaller clumps and spread them out more. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But there is another problem; Snowdrops, when planted as dry bulbs, often don't grow - the surest way is to buy them 'in the green', when they are already growing, but that, of course, means waiting until spring. Info from the RHS here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=703&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=703&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An alternative to plant now is Eranthis hyemalis, or winter aconite; they are the first bulbs to show themselves, and do come up reliably from bulb packs, but they are quite  short in height. A little taller, Chionodoxa, or glory of the snow, are also worth considering, flowering period February  to March, but they prefer well drained soil. Fritillaria meleagris might be good too - grows throughout Europe and is naturalised in some areas, it's taller than any of the others mentioned, flowers a bit later in spring, sometimes puts out a flower in autumn, common name Snakeshead fritillary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-09-27T20:39:55.047" LastActivityDate="2017-09-27T20:39:55.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35645" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35647" CreationDate="2017-09-27T15:18:40.373" Score="10" ViewCount="1460" Body="&lt;p&gt;This thing just &lt;s&gt;popped up&lt;/s&gt; appeared near my &lt;s&gt;bush&lt;/s&gt; roses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like, well...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PqqRn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PqqRn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Credit card size shown for reference -- so it's probably 10cm &lt;s&gt;long&lt;/s&gt; tall and 1.5 cm wide at the &lt;s&gt;shaft&lt;/s&gt; base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Geography = Eastern US&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19910" LastActivityDate="2017-09-27T16:41:33.857" Title="What is this mushroom?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35646" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35649" CreationDate="2017-09-27T16:04:26.477" Score="5" ViewCount="275" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pair of indeterminate tomato plants in the garden, which gave me quite an impressive harvest, but now the weather turned and the vast majority of the leaves have shrivelled up and died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was told however, instead of just ripping it up off the ground, I should trim off most of the branches and prune it in a particular manner (trimming off branches coming from the main, but leaving a small nib), such that it'll regrow anew next season instead of me having to start over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried researching it, but could find nothing about it. Is it worth giving it a try? How exactly should I be pruning it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18001" LastActivityDate="2017-09-27T18:23:49.843" Title="Pruning &quot;Dead&quot; Indeterminate Tomato Plant" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35647" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35645" CreationDate="2017-09-27T16:30:08.073" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's one of the stinkhorns, and yes it does look like a phallus. Surprised you haven't mentioned the stench yet, but you may notice it shortly, especially if more arrive. Its Latin name is Mutinus elegans; they don't last long, but you may find more appearing associated with the mulch. It's not toxic, though not edible, should disappear fairly quickly, but if you don't like the look of it, or feel it may shock some people, you can snap it off at the base and dispose of it, preferably wearing gloves. More info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bbg.org/news/nastiest_mushroom_ever&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.bbg.org/news/nastiest_mushroom_ever&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-09-27T16:30:08.073" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35648" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35645" CreationDate="2017-09-27T16:41:33.857" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, Bamboo, I agree. Here are a couple pictures of the &quot;elegant stinkhorn&quot;, Mutinus elegans:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xu3il.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xu3il.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mutinus elegans from Wikipedia&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;from Wikipedia, &#xA;and&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CYMDz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CYMDz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;http://www.mushroomexpert.com/mutinus_elegans.html&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;from    &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mushroomexpert.com/mutinus_elegans.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.mushroomexpert.com/mutinus_elegans.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Amazing isn't it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastActivityDate="2017-09-27T16:41:33.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35649" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35646" CreationDate="2017-09-27T18:23:49.843" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you get frost in your region, I doubt your tomato plant will survive the winter to grow again in spring. That said, I have grown a 6ft tomato plant from a 3&quot; section of stem with roots but no leaves. After several weeks of nothing suddenly leaves started budding out of the stem. It was kept inside on a warm sunny windowsill until the plant was fully leafy and 8-10&quot; tall. Based on that, possibly, if you could protect a section of the stem (8&quot;??) with roots from frost, perhaps with a cover like a thick cloth, for the winter I could imagine it restarting come spring. This might be a fun experiment, but I wouldn't count on the plants surviving.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A more reliable method I know of is to collect the suckers (new growth between the main stem and branches) and plant them in the potting soil until they grow roots and then can be planted in the garden. You can view each sucker as a brand new tomato plant, an exact clone of the original. Here is a link with some more &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.backwoodshome.com/growing-the-eternal-tomato/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;specifics on collecting suckers&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is cold in your region, you will need to keep the suckers indoors or possibly in a greenhouse as long as the temperatures stay above 50 degrees. The main issues will be giving the tomatoes enough light and warmth to make it through the winter.  Depending on the size and maturity of your tomato plants come spring you might want to take suckers off your suckers and start some fresh plants for the summer garden.  Who knows maybe you will even be eating tomatoes in February!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15754" LastActivityDate="2017-09-27T18:23:49.843" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35650" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-27T20:05:24.333" Score="6" ViewCount="3357" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently removed old roots, weeds and grass from a small area in front of our house.  I had some leftover mushroom compost, so I built up some areas to make the entire area level, but now it seems that dead pine needles from a neighbouring tree are falling onto the area I just seeded.  Will the pine needles not allow the seeds to germinate?  Is there anything I can do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19913" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-09-28T19:55:44.883" LastActivityDate="2017-09-28T19:55:44.883" Title="Will dead pine needles on top of new grass seed prevent the grass seed from germinating?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35651" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35650" CreationDate="2017-09-27T20:28:59.973" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The pine needles shouldn't really impede the growth of the grass unless they wind up covering the ground quite thick. It is common to put straw or other cover on grass seed to protect it from too much sun, animals, erosion, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;BUT if those &quot;old roots&quot; you removed were actually from said pine tree, this could cause the pine tree to drop a lot of needles that could, in theory, smother the seed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of very low concern - at least in most scenarios - is the pH change that could occur from the pine needles. I would expect the seed to establish before this could become an issue, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2017-09-27T20:28:59.973" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35652" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-27T22:57:35.130" Score="6" ViewCount="192" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm visiting grandparents in Albuquerque, New Mexico and am trying to help perk up some of their potted and hanging potted plants. It doesn't take long for plants to dwindle in this area (dry and hot and high altitude).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I keep finding tiny caterpillars (or worms?) that are no longer than the width of my pinky finger nail. They're white with one wide horizontal black stripe (not from head to tail, just across abdomen). They are not fuzzy, and have no spikes. They are chewing on the flowers only from what I can tell, Petunias specifically. They chew on them before the bloom is even open! And the ones that have opened get torn up too!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I treated for mites, and the spray consisted of garlic oil, cottonseed oil and neem. The mites disappeared, but these little white and black buggers did not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you please help me to identify them for me, so I can research how to get rid of them? I'm not finding matching pics online. Or do you have any tips to get rid of these? I know the Petunias specifically won't last too too much longer, but until then I'd like to keep up with them as much as possible during my stay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please refrain from discouraging keeping these flowers in this climate or recommending others-locals here have already warned us. My grandmother just moved here, has little income to get more and it gives her comfort to look out the window and see her flowers, during hard times. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a picture of what might be the &quot;baby&quot; or &quot;larvae version&quot; of pest. It's not a good picture, and was taken at night with flash, so you can't see markings, but he's white. (I'm still trying to get a good picture, my luck- they're hiding when I try to get a picture!)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XpZ8P.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XpZ8P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of baby or larvae version of the pest.&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture of the damage.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0jydc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0jydc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture of damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-10-05T04:14:15.507" LastActivityDate="2020-09-20T00:04:40.443" Title="What are these white with black caterpillars eating Petunias in Albuquerque, New Mexico?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35653" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-28T06:00:05.023" Score="4" ViewCount="2128" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grow my cilantro on my kitchen counter with a grow light above. My cilantro starts out looking lush and green but quickly some leaves start getting white patches. It doesn't seem to kill my plant but it doesn't look appetizing. I'm using a glass bulb to water it (I refill it each time it empties). Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you need more information let me know.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zz5dB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zz5dB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14039" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-09-28T19:07:11.920" LastActivityDate="2017-09-28T19:07:11.920" Title="Why did my cilantro leaves get white and patchy?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;cilantro&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35624" CreationDate="2017-09-28T11:50:55.543" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could always just dig a hole and throw them all in (and bury them). Seeds planted too deeply are known not to sprout above the soil, if at all. If it's Morning Glory, you might consider another option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another alternative is throwing them in the trash.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can't get rid of them and don't want to dig a hole (or bake/boil/burn them), you can always put them all in the same spot (so you'll only have weeds in a tiny area).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't forget that some birds eat weed seeds (the seeds aren't all bad); I'm not sure about your particular kind of weed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-09-28T12:09:45.170" LastActivityDate="2017-09-28T12:09:45.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35655" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-28T12:42:41.297" Score="1" ViewCount="37" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a spruce tree (picea abies), which is next to a path and since one of the lower branches was obstructing the passing down the path, I cut it off.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Now my question is how do I paint the place where the branch was? What kind of paint should I use, is color important, or is there some special substance just for that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19919" LastActivityDate="2017-09-28T12:42:41.297" Title="How to paint a cut off branch on a spruce tree?" Tags="&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;spruces&gt;&lt;branches&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ClosedDate="2017-09-28T13:22:47.547" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35656" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35641" CreationDate="2017-09-28T19:20:04.067" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Small clumps will help them to fill in better. You can take a small auger for a battery powered driver, and create all the holes very efficiently before dropping the bulbs in (if you plan to plant in bulk). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I am, in clay, zone 6b Pennsylvania, it's about 2 years from one bulb to a group of ten or so, in the shade. A little faster in sunny dry spots. After that, you could easily dig them up and space them to cover more area if desired. I think rather than a line of bulbs, or a line of groups, it looks natural to plant a staggered row of groups, not a straight row, and have it a little heavier in some areas (patches with a wider area of planting).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, you could plant something along the back to cover the ground once the snowdrop leaves yellow in the spring (such as slug resistant hostas).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-09-28T19:20:04.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35657" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35660" CreationDate="2017-09-28T19:27:22.400" Score="5" ViewCount="839" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have some roots in my pipes under my house. It will change a lot of liability if I could identify which tree the roots are coming from. I was curious if root cells, looked at under a microscope, differ from one tree species to the next? I have 2 different trees (of different species) in my yard and community common area, and was wondering if there was any way to identify which tree the roots came from? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14951" LastActivityDate="2017-09-29T08:51:01.783" Title="Tree Biology, identify tree by the roots" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35658" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35634" CreationDate="2017-09-28T19:56:21.380" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well the plant in the pot looks healthy, but a couple of things about mint. You mention a terrarium as being the reason you've tried taking cuttings from the mint, but mint is not a good subject for a terrarium anyway - whilst it likes fairly damp soil, it wants to put down deep roots and spread widely sideways, at the same time as getting up to 18 inches tall, and it won't be able to do either of those things contained in a terrarium. It spreads by means of stolons, which are underground stems that go along the ground and pop up some inches away from the central plant; over time, the central, original plant often dies out, but is now surrounded by new, widespread growth. It is an invasive plant in the ground, which is why many people prefer to restrain it in a container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can be grown in a pot, but it should be turned out of the pot in spring, cut in half, any dead bits removed, then repotted into two separate pots. In this way, it's possible to continue to have mint in pots, which isn't a situation it likes very much over time, given its natural growth habit. Looking at the pot in the photo, it looks possible to split the plant now, but I don't know where you are in the world and whether it's about to get very cold very soon - if that's the case, best keep  it going till spring as it is, although, if its still in the same pot you bought it in, then I suggest you split and repot now anyway, or it may not make it to next spring. Bear in mind that out doors, mint is a hardy, herbaceous perennial, meaning it disappears below ground completely in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given it responds well to being split in this way, that's the best way to generate new plants; I'm not at all sure trying to root it in water would work, though I've never tried. Its invasive nature means it's quite easy to raise new plants from an existing, larger plant successfully.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-09-28T20:02:54.470" LastActivityDate="2017-09-28T20:02:54.470" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35659" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-28T23:35:16.680" Score="4" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have any outdoor gardening space and I'd love to grow some edible plants indoors, preferably during the winter when the sunlight is low. I understand I need non pollinated plants, since my apartment is rather low in pollinators. I also want to use grow lights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Am I being silly trying to grow edible plants indoor in the winter?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What lights should I get?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;What kinds of plants can I grow with a good light? I saw &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/20567/edible-plants-for-very-shady-indoor-location&quot;&gt;this post&lt;/a&gt;, but it's not about lights. People have suggested lettuce, herbs and green onions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Can I just put the plants on a shelf and use a timer with the lights? Do I need something more complicated, e.g. hydroponics?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19924" LastEditorUserId="19924" LastEditDate="2017-09-28T23:40:40.970" LastActivityDate="2017-09-29T16:27:47.413" Title="Edible, indoor, winter plants. What lights? (and other advice)" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35660" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35657" CreationDate="2017-09-29T08:51:01.783" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is not so difficult, because you doesn't need a real identification (from zero), but just a match between two trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just take some sample of roots of such trees, and the roots around your pipes.  The morphology should be different, but on microscope you should be able to see much more matches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other methods are: dyes or (very low) radioactive materials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-09-29T08:51:01.783" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35661" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35665" CreationDate="2017-09-29T09:35:50.190" Score="3" ViewCount="110" Body="&lt;p&gt;This woody shrub or tree is growing under the assegaais by the Neelsie at the University of Stellenbosh in South Africa. What species is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WsP6s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WsP6s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OEwbb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OEwbb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19896" LastActivityDate="2017-12-17T06:25:15.627" Title="Identify this tree growing at Stellenbosch University" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35662" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35659" CreationDate="2017-09-29T16:22:18.877" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A lot of light is required for plants to produce food. You will find lights at aquarium web sites . I think it would require a few to several hundred dollars for lights for a 10 square foot shelf.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-09-29T16:22:18.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35663" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35659" CreationDate="2017-09-29T16:27:47.413" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are special lights you can buy for growing plants. There are even lights you could use in normal lamps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just search for &quot;plant light&quot; on google or amazon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19925" LastActivityDate="2017-09-29T16:27:47.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35664" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-30T01:13:46.650" Score="5" ViewCount="15441" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live the U.S. but I read UK gardening books.  Can someone please explain what is &quot;Horticultural Grit&quot;.  What is it make of, what is the size of the particles?  Is there some standard reference that defines or specifies &quot;Horticultural Grit&quot;?  If I wanted to buy it in the U.S., what would I ask for?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19926" LastActivityDate="2021-05-08T00:49:32.833" Title="What is Horticultural Grit?" Tags="&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35665" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35661" CreationDate="2017-09-30T01:46:03.210" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like &lt;i&gt;Rhaphiolepis&lt;/i&gt;, a genus of mostly shrubs in the family Rosaceae. The two most widely cultivated species are &lt;i&gt;R. umbellata&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;R. indica&lt;/i&gt;. These species are quite similar and easily confused. According to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://keybase.rbg.vic.gov.au/keys/show/6559&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://keybase.rbg.vic.gov.au/keys/show/6559&lt;/a&gt; they can be separated by the following characters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaves serrate ------------------&gt; R. indica &#xA;Leaves entire or crenate ---&gt; R. umbellata&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to the good close up images provided, I think we can be fairly sure the specimen in question is &lt;i&gt;Rhaphiolepis umbellata&lt;/i&gt;, as the leaves shown clearly have margins which are entire (smooth) to crenate (notched/ scalloped/ with rounded teeth) as opposed to serrate (sharp, saw like teeth).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some links for further info:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/rhaphiolepis_umbellata.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/rhaphiolepis_umbellata.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/14464/i-Rhaphiolepis-umbellata-i/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/14464/i-Rhaphiolepis-umbellata-i/Details&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=290648&amp;amp;isprofile=0&amp;amp;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=290648&amp;amp;isprofile=0&amp;amp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19553" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-17T06:25:15.627" LastActivityDate="2017-12-17T06:25:15.627" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35666" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35664" CreationDate="2017-09-30T01:50:03.440" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Horticultural grit is washed grit with a particle size of 1-4mm, or sometimes 2-6mm, with a neutral ph. It is intended for use in some potting mixes that you make up yourself, or to make a commercial potting mix more free draining (such as for alpines) or for adding to open soil, especially heavy clay soils, to open it up, improve drainage and aeration, and help break up the clay. Its usual to use the smaller particle size for potting soil,but either size is fine in open ground. I have absolutely no idea what an equivalent might be in the USA I'm afraid, since I'm in the UK. I guess any grit or gravel with an equivalent particle size that has been washed, or you wash thoroughly yourself to remove any lime or other elements (which should make it neutral ph) would do the same job. Certainly, many horticultural grits are actually gravel, just of a certain size and washed. We also have horticultural sand available, which is washed, graded, coarse sand - the nearest equivalent would be undyed play (as in children's sandpits) or silver sand, though the latter may be slightly less coarse than true horticultural sand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-09-30T13:00:55.443" LastActivityDate="2017-09-30T13:00:55.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35667" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-30T05:58:55.680" Score="4" ViewCount="170" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iEedA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bush/shrub is about 7' tall and 10' wide. It blooms in april. I have not noticed any berries.  It is in North east Wyoming.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GTizw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rq1Se.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19927" LastEditorUserId="19927" LastEditDate="2017-10-06T02:19:15.897" LastActivityDate="2017-10-09T14:53:29.773" Title="What is this bush/shrub?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35668" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33920" CreationDate="2017-09-30T06:02:53.920" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is picture of the berries now that they have turned from green to purple:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XHEef.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XHEef.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other plant to the right, with the small blue flowers, is Blue Mist Flower with the scientific name Conoclinium coelestinum. Many are now seeding.  The seeds can be seen on the leaves of both the Beauty Berry and the Blue Mist Flower plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture of growing bud stems on June 28, 2018. They started 2 or 3 weeks ago. It will bloom in early July.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sdcS6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sdcS6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17901" LastEditorUserId="17901" LastEditDate="2018-06-29T01:19:43.057" LastActivityDate="2018-06-29T01:19:43.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="35669" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35667" CreationDate="2017-09-30T08:09:13.567" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Without details like leaves, bark and overall growth habit, the &lt;em&gt;precise&lt;/em&gt; id is very difficult, but it's almost certainly a member of the &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;prunus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; family.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;All of them have similar blossom structures and are in the white to dark pink color range.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the most prominent members are fruiting trees, e.g. plums, cherries, almonds, peaches.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Others are bred for their decorative properties, the first example that comes to mind is probably the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_serrulata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Japanese cherry,&lt;/a&gt; which influenced a whole &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;culture&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With fruit, an id would be quick, but some decorative breeds rarely set fruit and even for the fruiting kinds, one late frost or bad weather during the blooming period can leave you with nothing. But perhaps you could have a closer look? (Although cherries would be long gone by now.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-09-30T08:09:13.567" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35670" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-09-30T09:47:31.753" Score="4" ViewCount="1914" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately someone decided to water one of my phalenopsis while I was away. I came back to a smelly mess with all the leaves dead, two stems still present and green from when it flowered 6 months ago, and all the roots that were in the bark rotted. I don't see any viable roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if it's even possible to save it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the moment I've put what was the roots under continuous running water ( aquarium waterfall ) to see if I can supply it highly oxygenated water.  I'm going away again so I can not rely on anyone just watering out daily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone think this might work? Our should I try something else? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tqe0S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-12-31T14:49:15.033" Title="Can an orchid be revived with no roots?" Tags="&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35671" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35673" CreationDate="2017-09-30T15:27:35.073" Score="5" ViewCount="118" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are at the end of our tomato growing season here, and of course there are scads of tomatoes left on our 3 plants - some with color, others still totally green.  As a child I remember my mom picking tomatoes and bringing them into the house to ripen over the fall.  Often we would have garden grown tomatoes that were brought inside until the end of November.  However, I also the fruit flies that seems to always plague them.  I don't have a very good place to leave tomatoes on vine in my home, but I do have an old garage I've converted into a garden shed.  There's on east facing window (onto a steep hill above).  I leave the garage door at least partly open for about 16 hours a week (west facing).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering what people's opinions are on if tomatoes left on about a foot of vine and hung on a will will ripen in this environment?  I may try bring a few into my kitchen also just for fun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-09-30T20:26:57.180" Title="Will tomatoes on the vine ripen without direct light?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35672" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35667" CreationDate="2017-09-30T15:29:45.600" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Agree on prunus. And&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks &lt;em&gt;exactly&lt;/em&gt; like an apricot to me. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking on the internet, apparently it is &lt;em&gt;possible&lt;/em&gt; to have an apricot tree that won't fruit due to lack of nutrients, pollination or other reason. Hard to believe I guess, ... but REALLY looks like an apricot; beautiful photo, by the way. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try checking the leaves. Apricot leaves are bright green, broad and pointy:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bSMQH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bSMQH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;apricot leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picture from &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/apricots/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/apricots/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastEditorUserId="17501" LastEditDate="2017-09-30T22:35:09.097" LastActivityDate="2017-09-30T22:35:09.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35673" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35671" CreationDate="2017-09-30T20:26:57.180" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Green tomatoes don't need light to ripen, they need ethylene and heat since they're a &lt;a href=&quot;https://academic.oup.com/jxb/article/53/377/2039/497226/Ethylene-biosynthesis-and-action-in-tomato-a-model&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;climacteric fruit&lt;/a&gt;.  So, some people uproot the entire plant and hang it upside in the garage.  Or, you could pick the green tomatoes and put them into a bag with some ripening bananas to supply the ethylene.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, although they might change color, soften etc, they won't get any sweeter since the plant is not longer able to supply any sugars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-09-30T20:26:57.180" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35675" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35703" CreationDate="2017-10-01T12:00:20.023" Score="3" ViewCount="1982" Body="&lt;p&gt;Last Christmas I bought a tiny cypress in a pot.&#xA;Months passed by and it seemed to be doing good, so I moved it to a larger pot a couple of months ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But since a couple of weeks ago, it is becoming brown. It's still green inside, but the tips are definitely brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I gave it some &quot;green plants&quot; fertilizer, a couple of times, but I think it was even worse. I water it only when the soil is starting to look dry (every two or three days), and it's living outside in my balcony. I've tried moving it from direct sun to other spots, but it's the same with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any clue on what can I do to make it look happy again?&#xA;Thank you very much!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vEe7Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vEe7Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qTbVi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qTbVi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NMOli.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NMOli.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18002" LastActivityDate="2017-10-03T13:14:32.047" Title="Cypress becoming brown" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35676" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35694" CreationDate="2017-10-01T13:35:57.190" Score="5" ViewCount="94" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is a weed I gathered the seeds from last year. It had bloomed on a Mediterranean island, Corsica, up in the mountains (around 2000 meters above see level, I believe snow covered 2-3 months pour year). I was so amazed by the strong scent of the plant that I hoped I could have it home somewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I let it multiply in some pots of mine here, and am curious what indeed it is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It head small opposite leaves (2-3mm), it gets kind of purple when it gets water deprived. Seedlings didn't bloom the first year. It is strong scented, about little like point, stronger and different. It could be some kind of microscopic sage, I'm curious...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnOW9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnOW9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n7GIf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/n7GIf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LYuEd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LYuEd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-10-03T15:05:16.643" LastActivityDate="2017-10-03T15:08:18.417" Title="What is this strongly scenting ground covering weed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35677" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35699" CreationDate="2017-10-01T15:45:35.177" Score="3" ViewCount="9493" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this giant grub (at least I think it's a grub) while fixing up the mulch around one of my trees.  This thing is huge.  It's thicker and as long as my finger.  Only has six legs.  Anyone know what kind of grub it is?  I live in Southern Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am surprised its even alive as I laid down grub control in the beginning of August.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qZ9za.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qZ9za.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Grub1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9vu1P.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9vu1P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Grub2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LVvFm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LVvFm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Grub3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15468" LastActivityDate="2017-10-03T02:16:41.247" Title="What is this giant grub looking thing?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;grubs&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35678" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35677" CreationDate="2017-10-01T16:18:23.963" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://pnwhandbooks.org/insect/hort/turfgrass/turfgrass-crane-fly&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;crane fly&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;em&gt;Tipula paludosa&lt;/em&gt;) to me.  They are also sometimes called leatherbacks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above linked article describes them as:&#xA;Wormlike with leathery sky, 1 to 1.5&quot; long, hatching in Aug or Sept.  They typically feed on the roots of a lawn (at least in the Pacific Northwest) throughout the winter.  Lawns will show damage between December and May.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The adults (crane flies) emerge anytime from July to mid-October, and quickly lay eggs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for why the &quot;grub control&quot; did work, I'd suspect it was targeting a different life stage on the insect, but I don't deal with a lot in insecticided.  There seems to be some indication that allowing your landscape to go partially into drought stress may reduce the numbers of larva.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-10-01T16:18:23.963" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35679" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35684" CreationDate="2017-10-01T17:30:07.763" Score="3" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;The previous owner had a trampoline over one patch of grass, and there used to be a huge conifer over another area. Also, i accidently sprayed an area of the lawn with glyphosate, so it looks like all the patch has gone yellow and died. The covered parts have hard soil and the odd clump of grass coming out but they are mostly barren. What's the best way, and best time of the year, to get this lawn back in shape?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3vTjd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;trampoline damaged lawn&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qQXwF.png&quot; alt=&quot;conifer damaged lawn&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/egXIG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;glyphosate damaged lawn&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16011" LastActivityDate="2017-10-01T21:32:58.980" Title="Restoring a damaged lawn" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35680" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35683" CreationDate="2017-10-01T18:16:01.197" Score="4" ViewCount="3500" Body="&lt;p&gt;Back in March, I bought a baby Jacaranda tree from Ebay. Well, they claimed it was a Jacaranda.  Just recently I discovered Silk Trees which look remarkably like the Jacaranda.  Everywhere I read, articles said the best way to tell them apart is by their flowers.  Well either tree won't flower until a few years old. So is there any other way I can distinguish between the two? Is what I purchased a Jacaranda or a Silk Tree...or even something else?  Here's some helpful info which may help identification:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I purchased the tree as a tiny little sapling for $10 on Ebay.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It was not bare root nor was it grafted. Def grown from seed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The seller was growing them in Florida.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I live in Southern Texas.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This tree has thrived in my clay soil with only watering once a week.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Just came out of a drought too so the tree had no real rain water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The tree grew from about 1 inch tall to over 5 feet in about 6 months!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Has one main trunk, though started sprouting a secondary one at ground level&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plethora of pics:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yV3ZS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yV3ZS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole Tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ylgMq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ylgMq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z7iG6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z7iG6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf - Some of the leaflets curl&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3S6C4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3S6C4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup of leaflet&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UURvw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UURvw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tip of the tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pREWc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pREWc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunk 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ntW80.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ntW80.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunk 2e&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15468" LastActivityDate="2019-01-28T04:19:05.043" Title="Is this a Jacaranda or a Silk Tree or something else?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35681" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35696" CreationDate="2017-10-01T18:35:46.663" Score="6" ViewCount="675" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Pumpkin tomato, Beefsteak tomato, Raf tomato and &quot;Cor de bou&quot; (Catalan - in translation &quot;Ox heart&quot;) are featuring (vertical) wrinkles - or furrows - not sure how to call them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What other tomato cultivars feature wrinkles and what's the best name for such a tomato category? Wrinkled tomatoes? Or &quot;Segmented tomatoes&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a Beefsteak tomato: &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Tomatensorte_Coeur_De_Boeuf_01_%28fcm%29.jpg/716px-Tomatensorte_Coeur_De_Boeuf_01_%28fcm%29.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Wrinkled&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beefsteak and &quot;Cor de bou&quot; might be the same thing, as the French name of the above image suggests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastEditorUserId="17658" LastEditDate="2017-10-01T23:15:53.740" LastActivityDate="2017-10-04T12:06:14.060" Title="Which tomato cultivars feature wrinkles?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35682" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35679" CreationDate="2017-10-01T19:00:11.793" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Midlands UK would be considered cool northern type grasses. I'm not as familiar with them as I only maintain a hot southern type lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally, you can seed in the fall or spring, however you may be a little too late for seeding during the fall.  You want plenty of time for your grass to grow and establish before it gets too cold out. I'd recommend waiting until spring. Generally just after the last spring freeze is good time to start.  I found this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardenfocused.co.uk/adjust-dates-uk.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;website&lt;/a&gt; which allows you to browse for the last spring freeze dates for various parts of the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your ground is pretty hard, it may be compacted. I'd recommend core aeration before seeding. Compacted or not, it's always good to aerate.  Sprinkling some compost down along with the seed can help. I wouldn't fertilize right away though. If you do any fertilization, always take a soil sample first to determine what your yard needs. Too much fertilizer is just as bad as too little.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a good &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/iJeUeOq1m2E&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;short video&lt;/a&gt; on when to seed.&#xA;Here's a good &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/wYzCOV0U7a8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;short video&lt;/a&gt; on how to grow grass seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15468" LastActivityDate="2017-10-01T19:00:11.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35683" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35680" CreationDate="2017-10-01T19:53:01.797" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a jacaranda, also not flowering yet, which I know to be a jacaranda because it was also planted from a seed. It seems to be pretty easy to sprout these jacaranda seeds, so I would be inclined to believe your e-Bay seller for that reason alone. But also your tree looks just like my J. tree: trunk-dots, fluffy leaves, branches, fast growing, everything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But. . . Now that you point out the similarity between silk tree (i.e. Albizia julibrissin or &quot;mimosa tree&quot;?) leaves and those of Jacaranda, boy they &lt;em&gt;do&lt;/em&gt; look alike, even though not closely related at all. However, here is a &quot;frond&quot; off of my tree&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j6pAs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j6pAs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;jacaranda leaflets&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The little &quot;branchlets&quot; (don't know what they're really called) have a single leaflet sticking out at the very tip, and notice the deep groove down the center of each leaflet. Just like in your photos. My end-leaflet looks a little longer than yours though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't have an Albizia silk tree handy, but checking the &lt;a href=&quot;https://tedmanzer.com/2012/07/09/invasive-silk-tree/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;internet&lt;/a&gt;, it looks like they don't have a leaflet at the very tips of the branchlets. So they do look a tiny bit different from the jacaranda.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E9Cwt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E9Cwt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;silktree leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://tedmanzer.com/2012/07/09/invasive-silk-tree/0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Invasive silk tree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I think it truly is what it claims to be - Jacaranda.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-10-02T13:54:07.083" LastActivityDate="2017-10-02T13:54:07.083" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35684" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35679" CreationDate="2017-10-01T20:55:19.380" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Too late for seed in the UK, I'm afraid, although down south or in the west country you might have got away with it. You can seed in late March/early April, but, it looks like you've got children; grass seedlings cannot be walked on normally for 3 months, and certainly won't survive children's feet or normal play during that time, which would mean your roping off the area and keeping everyone and everything off it till the end of June. And that, I suspect, will be highly inconvenient, but if you decide to seed, use play lawn or any seed with short leaved rye grass in the mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;October is, though, the best month for laying turf in the UK, provided the ground is not waterlogged, so you might want to consider that instead, because that can be used more or less normally after 4 to 6 weeks. Whether you want to seed or returf, preparation is required, and that involves digging it over, removing any weed roots, levelling, walking over it closely on your heels to get out soft spots, raking it over, relevelling, then raking up the top inch to give a fine tilth, and then either seeding or turfing. Regarding the area where you spilled glyphosate, if that was within the last week or so, wait another 2 weeks to prepare the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-01T21:32:58.980" LastActivityDate="2017-10-01T21:32:58.980" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35685" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35677" CreationDate="2017-10-01T22:05:25.623" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chafer grub or beetle grub I believe  - in the UK, it would be chafer, but where you are, difficult to be 100% sure whether its chafer or beetle. I don't think its Japanese beetle, but they are quite similar, except that Japanese beetle grubs have very short bristles on the body. Even chafer grubs usually have orange legs and head, but sometimes can look black. Image of a chafer grub here &lt;a href=&quot;http://goto4gardening.co.uk/treat-lawn-chafer-grubs-asap/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://goto4gardening.co.uk/treat-lawn-chafer-grubs-asap/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's odd it was in the mulch, they are usually  deeper underground, chewing on lawn or plant roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-10-01T22:05:25.623" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35686" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-02T01:21:27.787" Score="4" ViewCount="273" Body="&lt;p&gt;If one cuts the flower off a fruit tree, will a new flower (and then the fruit) grow in its place?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19931" LastActivityDate="2017-10-02T08:40:12.543" Title="If one cuts the flower off a fruit tree, will a new flower/fruit grow in its place?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-10-05T04:00:26.627" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35686" CreationDate="2017-10-02T01:44:35.287" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, not in the sense you are thinking.  The energy that would have gone into the fruit you removed went elsewhere; other buds for fruit, places the plant needed repairs or more vegetative growth to support the reproductive growth.  You are able to stop the energy leaks to allow that energy to go elsewhere. No 'new' flower or fruit but other flower buds will prosper with the excess energy you released to certainly make those buds make more seed/fruit.  Green leaves plus sunlight plus certain chemicals plus water air will either make more leaves or more reproductive growth and for perennials, roots with food storage that the plant itself made.  More hardiness.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants,  especially annuals, have but one directive in life; make seed.  Once that directive is completed, the plant dies.  Perennials are a bit more complex having more avenues for reproduction.  When you see a shrub that had been struggling for years all of a sudden bloom like crazy, it is a good sign that shrub is on its way to shrub heaven.  Its last burst of energy went into reproductive growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutting flowers off annuals as soon as they appear is one of the secrets to massive flower displays.  Needs a bit of give and take with the energy but yes, the more you cut off the more energy is returned to the plant.  Not another flower or whatever but where that plant could use that energy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-10-02T08:05:50.697" LastActivityDate="2017-10-02T08:05:50.697" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35688" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35686" CreationDate="2017-10-02T08:40:12.543" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with stormy, but I add some information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The buds are already differentiated on spring, and there will be no additional flowering buds (really, the plant could produce new buds, that will flower in late summer/fall, or the usual buds for next year).  Note: this is true also for leave buds, and you will notice it after a strong freeze: the plant will take much time to recover, because it should create new buds and then let them grow the new leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally many fruit plants tend to have two phases: one year of main green growth, and one year of main fruiting (and flowers) growth. Note: pruning will reduce such &quot;alternance&quot; and favor fruiting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutting the flowers (so the hormones produced by flowers) will signal the plant to go to the green phase, and get less energy to existing fruits.  This is done by humans to force growth of young plants, but also naturally, e.g. when flowering season was bad (raining, freeze).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So cutting flowers will signal the plant to prefer green growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-10-02T08:40:12.543" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35689" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35693" CreationDate="2017-10-02T08:50:31.290" Score="4" ViewCount="6157" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pioWO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pioWO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/whbbh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/whbbh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v5XkA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v5XkA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have this long, very tall leylandii hedge, I guess the taller ones are approaching 40 feet high and one for thick trunks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Especially the older ones are quite sparse... Fine as trees but this is my privacy barrier from a main road both for noise, and people seeing through.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other day I saw another leylandii hedge that was very neat and &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; dense - it looked totally solid, almost fake!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do, if anything, to get a denser foliage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-02T21:43:15.310" LastActivityDate="2021-02-02T21:43:15.310" Title="Making a leylandii hedge more bushy and thick" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;&lt;leylandii&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35690" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-02T10:49:15.867" Score="6" ViewCount="335" Body="&lt;p&gt;I’ve had this house Fern for around two months, and made every attempt to keep it healthy. It had been put in a slightly larger pot with pebbles at the bottom to help the water drain. I ensure the soil is moist at all times and water about once every two to three days. The first month it seemed fine but in the last week the leaves have started to fall, can someone tell me what I am doing wrong?? &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FVm3s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FVm3s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Fern&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nNp7q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nNp7q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fern close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13777" LastActivityDate="2017-10-03T01:18:52.363" Title="Can I prevent the leaf loss from my fern?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35691" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35932" CreationDate="2017-10-02T11:36:24.483" Score="17" ViewCount="2805" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing a few good apple trees in my roof garden, in pots. I love growing the trees, and of course love the fruit. Since I am in a warm climate, I grow appropriate apple cultivars which are professionally grafted and yield beautiful apples. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Apart from that I also have an experimental area where I grow six apple plants grown from seed. One of them finally blossomed this year (about 4 years from seed) and the fruits have set and look promising. The others have not yet blossomed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since this is a four year experiment (and counting) I had time to look online and try to answer a question I had all this time - what are my chances of success?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to some sources, the chance to get an apple tree which yields any fruit is about 1 in 10, and a tree yielding edible apples at about 1 in 25. Other sources also claim statistics as 1:250 to get an apple as good as the origin, and 1:250,000 to get a better apple than the original. All the sources are contradictory, and I don't know if growing apple from seed is a sensible thing to do, or an incredibly slim chance of success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be clear: I have no intentions of growing the next commercial cultivar in my roof garden - I just hope to get nice, edible apples. Does anyone know the chances of getting there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19933" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-20T08:30:15.763" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T08:30:15.763" Title="What are the chances to get an edible apple from a tree grown from seed?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35692" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35691" CreationDate="2017-10-02T12:02:59.480" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;My experience is different. It is very easy to have a apple tree from seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But apple trees are not auto-fertile. This mean that to have apple on a tree, you need pollen from an other trees (and other varieties).  There are tables about which varieties could pollinate which other variety, so different variety is not always enough.  To complicate things, you really want varieties which flower on the same period.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I would say: you need several apple trees (of different varieties) near your experiment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the edible part, it is also complex.  Many apples (also in commerce) are not edible (your definition on question's comment) when picked from the plant.  Time will make them ripe (hay will help), for commercial apples.  On your experiment, maybe they will never be sweet.  On the other hand, not all apple varieties can be stored.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: such experiment will give you possibly a non stable variety, with years the fruit form, colour and taste could change (and possibly less resilient to diseases and climate), so from a good apple to a commercial variety there is an other leap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would make the experiment, and you will like the (possibly) small green acid apples. I would say that it is probable (&gt; 1/3) that you get an apple that you could use somewhere (fruit salads [you will save some lemon], pies, etc.).  Worst case, you have them as decoration.  To be really edible picked from plant (and enjoyable) I could not really say that 1/25 seems are good estimate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-10-02T12:02:59.480" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35693" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35689" CreationDate="2017-10-02T12:12:34.460" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It seems your trees (yes, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyland_cypress&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Leyland cypresses&lt;/a&gt; are trees) were never properly trimmed, more likely planted once and then left alone.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Which means they behaved like all trees planted closely together: Gained height quickly, losing density. And all conifers tend to become bare on the bottom and inner branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, the &quot;almost fake&quot; looking hedge you are talking about is the result of the exact opposite gardening approach: It requires constant trimming of the outer branches (a bit like just nipping off the tips) to encourage more and more sideward growth which will result in that super dense green wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Typically the first trimming should happen in spring, just before or right when the trees start to grow. A second trimming is optional, if you choose to do so, late August or early September would be a good time to neaten up your hedge. Always choose a frost-free period and, especially for the second trimming, ideally an overcast day to minimize stress, both for the tree and the gardener.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, your options are limited: Unlike most deciduous trees, the cypresses won't regrow if you cut back to the bare branches. If you want to keep your trees, you can start to trim the sides, but as I said, do not cut into the bare wood. The hedge will become a bit denser, but especially the older trees will never give you full coverage again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If privacy is really an issue, you might consider biting the bullet and replace the old overgrown tree with new ones. Leylandii grows so fast, even with regular trimming you should have the desired green wall in just a few years. Especially if you buy larger (=pricier, unfortunately) new plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if you are looking into replanting, you could also consider other hedge plants - just an encouragement to take a unsatisfactory situation and turn it into an opportunity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-11-07T08:53:09.943" LastActivityDate="2017-11-07T08:53:09.943" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35694" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35676" CreationDate="2017-10-02T19:13:43.413" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;For the scent and first image, I would say a Labiate/Laminaceae family member. But it is difficult from your photos. I have most problem with the second photo: the leaves are not very characteristic for known (by me) Laminaceae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My best guess (from Kew's flora of Western Mediterranean) is &lt;em&gt;Mentha pulegium&lt;/em&gt;, so it confirm your &quot;minty&quot; smell. The book say &quot;strong smelling&quot;, and &quot;pondsides&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This photo (about the habit and leave) could confirm it&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tom-piergrossi.squarespace.com/buy-plants-m-r/mentha-pulegium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://tom-piergrossi.squarespace.com/buy-plants-m-r/mentha-pulegium&lt;/a&gt; .&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other mints have different inflorescence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-10-02T19:13:43.413" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35695" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-02T19:22:33.723" Score="8" ViewCount="391" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone say with certainty what this species of tree this is, found in Northern Michigan? The pic was taken today.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nlFqA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nlFqA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19938" LastActivityDate="2020-07-10T02:02:35.320" Title="Tree identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35696" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35681" CreationDate="2017-10-02T22:57:21.233" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;They call them ribbed tomatoes (you can also find ribbed cantaloupes/melons, eggplants and peppers). Some people use the word 'fluted'. There are a lot of tomatoes with some degree of ribbing. Some are a lot more ribbed than others. Some of the most highly ribbed tomatoes I've found include at least the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pink Stuffer AKA Tlacalula AKA Tlacalula Ribbed AKA Tlacolula AKA Tlacolula Ribbed AKA Tlacolula Pink&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zapotec AKA Zapotec Pink Pleated&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pink Accordian&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Yellow Ruffled AKA &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mariannasheirloomseeds.com/heirloom-seeds-catalog/mariseeds-heirloom-tomato-seeds/yellow-orange-tomatoes/yellow-ruffed-detail.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yellow Ruffed&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've grown all of those, although my Pink Accordian wasn't true to type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Marmande, Brandywine, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/costoluto-genovese-tomato/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Costoluto Genovese&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rareseeds.com/costoluto-florentino-tomato/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Costoluto Florentino&lt;/a&gt;, and Tim's Black Ruffles, are some more examples of ribbed tomatoes. They don't seem quite as ribbed, perhaps, but they're still fairly ribbed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not all ribbed tomatoes are consistently ribbed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beefsteak, although it is a variety name, is also a tomato shape (although I'm unclear on whether ribbing is required). To confuse matters more, there appears to be a lot of variance between the Beefsteak variety as sold by different vendors. The two I grew were fairly small, perfectly round, smooth tomatoes (nothing like your picture): mine were from Peaceful Valley and American Seed; they didn't have a beefsteak shape (yours looks more like a pear shape than a beefsteak to me, though). I discovered after a fair amount of research that some entities mean Red Ponderosa / Crimson Cushion when they say Beefsteak. Others may just mean any tomato with the beefsteak shape (there must be thousands of those varieties). Some people also consider beefsteaks to simply be large tomatoes (see Wikipedia; the article there takes that angle).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, beefsteak is an ambiguous term; it looks like the general consensus is probably that a beefsteak is a large slicer and/or Red Ponderosa / Crimson Cushion and/or a ribbed tomato with an oblate shape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-10-04T12:06:14.060" LastActivityDate="2017-10-04T12:06:14.060" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35697" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35700" CreationDate="2017-10-03T00:05:42.377" Score="6" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbor shared some of his produce and we both think it is some kind of squash but don't know the exact kind. The reason he doesn't know is, the seed packet said its pumpkin and he was thinking he's growing pumpkin until he got his produce :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9jkud.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9jkud.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Is this a kind of squash?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastActivityDate="2017-10-03T04:04:39.933" Title="Can you help identify the kind of squash?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35698" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35690" CreationDate="2017-10-03T01:18:52.363" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most common causes of decline in houseplants are not enough light and too much water.  Those seem possible here and the typical low humidity of interior areas could be a factor.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pebbles that you mention could be problem too.  If they are inside the pot they should be removed as they contribute to a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/13774/what-is-a-perched-water-table&quot;&gt;perched water table&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This best way to improve the health of this plant is:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;move to a higher light area.  Diffuse southern exposure  (no direct light but strong light through sheers or drapes) or strong northern or eastern sun&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;try a different watering technique: take the pebbles out of the pot and put them in a deep tray underneath the pot.  Take a piece of fabric or polyester and insert part into the pot and trail the rest into the tray.  You now have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/4002/499&quot;&gt;wicking system&lt;/a&gt;.  The plant draws as much water as needed and no more.  No change of root rot and as the water evaporates in the tray it will raise the humidity slightly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-10-03T01:18:52.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35677" CreationDate="2017-10-03T02:16:41.247" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Appears this is some sort of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynastinae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rhinoceros (Dynastidae) Beetle&lt;/a&gt;. Information is mixed between the different subspecies.  It could be the Hercules (Dynastes tityus) beetle or Ox (Strategus aloeus) beetle.  One thing that seems common between them all is that they are very big as grubs.  Also as grubs they prefer woody soil, which explains why I found this guy in my mulch, and are beneficial for compost. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's one of the articles I found: &lt;a href=&quot;https://ediblesanmarcos.wordpress.com/rhinoceros-beetle/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://ediblesanmarcos.wordpress.com/rhinoceros-beetle/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15468" LastActivityDate="2017-10-03T02:16:41.247" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35700" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35697" CreationDate="2017-10-03T03:59:25.490" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, those &lt;em&gt;are&lt;/em&gt; pumpkins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While he might have expected the orange &quot;Halloween&quot; kind, there are lots of variations available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One word of warning, though:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Pumpkins&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; contain varying levels of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbitacin&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;cucurbitacin&lt;/a&gt;, a bitter and poisonous compound. Edible pumpkins have been bred to contain very little of it, but eating any bitter kind of pumpkin can be dangerous, even lethal. But normally the bitterness prevents this - it's just very unpleasant. The pumpkins in your photo are a &lt;em&gt;decorative&lt;/em&gt; kind and unless the package said otherwise, assume that they are not edible. Also, cross-pollination can lead to higher levels of cucurbitacin than usual in standard &lt;em&gt;edible&lt;/em&gt; varieties, so if your neighbor has edible and decorative kinds in his or her garden, they should probably not replant this year's seeds if they intend to eat the next generation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; This is true for all members of the pumpkin family, including melons and zucchini/courgettes. Rule of thumb: discard if bitter. Drought stress, for example, can cause uncharacteristic high levels in otherwise perfectly edible kinds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-10-03T04:04:39.933" LastActivityDate="2017-10-03T04:04:39.933" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35701" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32792" CreationDate="2017-10-03T08:22:33.280" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;i guess, its a sucker, because the main flowering stems are different in appearance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19940" LastActivityDate="2017-10-03T08:22:33.280" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35702" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32792" CreationDate="2017-10-03T12:44:33.117" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think it's a sucker - it comes from within the graft knot, and the leaves seem similar to the rest of the plant. If it was a standard Rosa Indica rootstock the leaves would be substantially different. I would let it continue, as grafting branches are the best foundation for the plant and grow the fastest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19933" LastActivityDate="2017-10-03T12:44:33.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35675" CreationDate="2017-10-03T13:14:32.047" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you are seeing is probably transplant shock. It's common whenever you relocate a plant and that includes upgrading pot sizes. What you should definitely not do is fertilize. People typically will add fertilizer for a plant in distress however that's the worst thing to do and you may end up killing it. If you used potting soil, there's already more then enough nutrients in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants (especially trees) are slow to show/recover damage. The bigger they are, the longer it'll take. Eg, you may have already killed your Cypress with that fertilizer, it'll just take a few months before it actually dies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Come to think of it, this could also be fertilizer burn. Shows similar symptoms and this could have happened with just the potting soil. Depends on how fragile the roots were and what you used, but it still doesn't change how to handle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best thing to do is continue your normal care routines and wait. Put the Cypress back into the area it's being growing all this time as placing it in a more shaded area could be adding more stress. Water as you normally water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing you would have wanted to do different when upgrading pot sizes, is cut any roots that have become root-bound and water a little more often for about 2 weeks. Whatever you do, never trim back the leaves. So many places/people will tell you this, however it's a myth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15468" LastActivityDate="2017-10-03T13:14:32.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35704" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35676" CreationDate="2017-10-03T15:08:18.417" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the images I could find, I confirm this is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha_pulegium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mentha pulegium&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be careful because it appears to contain a dangerous chemical. Not to be used in food or beverage, then.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dangerous but Beautiful!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gardenology.org-IMG_2751_rbgs11jan.jpg#/media/File:Gardenology.org-IMG_2751_rbgs11jan.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Gardenology.org-IMG_2751_rbgs11jan.jpg/1200px-Gardenology.org-IMG_2751_rbgs11jan.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Gardenology.org-IMG 2751 rbgs11jan.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;By Raffi Kojian - http://Gardenology.org, &lt;a href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0&quot;&gt;CC BY-SA 3.0&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12734737&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-10-03T15:08:18.417" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35705" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35717" CreationDate="2017-10-03T15:43:56.263" Score="8" ViewCount="871" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an Arabica coffee plant growing indoors, in my office kitchen area. It has good light (no direct sun) and it's watered regularly. The pot is about 40 liters, filled with potting mix and enriched twice a year with slow-release fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is about 7 years old, green leaves all year and looks healthy enough - but it has yet to set fruit. It blossomed briefly last winter and that was it. I tried putting it outside but the sun and wind did not agree with the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I could do to encourage it to set fruit this year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZBXJg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;coffee plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19933" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-03T17:47:24.887" LastActivityDate="2018-02-03T17:47:24.887" Title="Condition for coffee plant to produce indoors" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7108" CreationDate="2017-10-03T19:51:45.413" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;you can chop and drop comrey. a lot of permaculture farms grow rhubarb around their fruit trees&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19941" LastActivityDate="2017-10-03T19:51:45.413" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35707" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35712" CreationDate="2017-10-03T21:25:22.973" Score="6" ViewCount="1788" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eL49f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture showing white dust and difference when wiped clean&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C2AmA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;picture illustrating size compared to pot, also shows underside of leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What to do? I was given this Bromeliad, two links above. Please see what looks like white dust. A neighbor had quite a few plants on her porch, she gave me most of them because she didn't want to have to bring them inside this winter, as she's going south. None if the other plants have this white dust looking stuff. Is it just dust? Or should I be worried it's a fungus? The top of the leaves wipe off,as pictured but the white on the bottom of the leaves are just colored that way (do not wipe off. Can anyone help to identify this Bromeliad and tell me if simply wiping the leaves is good enough, or should I be doing more?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also need help identifying the Brom, what kind it is. I'm not sure if it's one without a bloom or if it just hasn't bloomed yet. Also, is the pot too small? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will be posting another question of an additional plant she gave me, with further questions about it and it's identification. Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastActivityDate="2020-01-15T00:30:34.900" Title="What to do with this Bromeliad?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;bromeliads&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35708" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35711" CreationDate="2017-10-03T21:42:54.193" Score="5" ViewCount="117" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just noticed that one of my Holly trees has some leaves with white tips like these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QUfkQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QUfkQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't quite match pictures I've seen of White Mildew online, but I've never noticed this before so wanted to determine if this was anything serious.  My other Holly bushes and trees seem to be fine.  Could it be pest or heat related damage instead?  For perspective, I live in Middle Tennessee, which has pretty hot summers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14187" LastActivityDate="2017-10-04T00:32:28.063" Title="Are these Holly tree leaves affected by White Mildew?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;mildew&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35709" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35710" CreationDate="2017-10-03T22:55:07.250" Score="6" ViewCount="127" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CSltA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant view from above&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8P8ki.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Side view, also shows rock decor on bottom&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anyone identify this little tree/shrub/indoor plant? I got it from a neighbor who had it on her porch, among others, and it appears pretty healthy. It's in a 3&quot; plastic pot, that rests in a faux rock holder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm curious about the rock decor at the base of the plant. It's all glued together in one piece at the top of the plastic planter and is difficult to water, as the water sits on top of the rocks. I'd have to break it to remove. Should I remove the glued rocks? Or is this a kind of Plant that will continue to grow fine even though the rocks are against the base, and/or can it thrive with little water? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastActivityDate="2017-10-04T00:23:55.993" Title="Identify plant, and what to do with rocks" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35710" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35709" CreationDate="2017-10-04T00:23:55.993" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is commonly known as the Hawaiian Scheffelera or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schefflera_arboricola&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Schefflera arboricola&lt;/a&gt;. Although the species grows to 8 - 9 M (24 to 27 feet) tall this variety is variegated and when grown indoors usually stays in the 1 - 2 m ( 3 to 6 feet) range.  It does not usually flower indoors and tends to have a finer root system than it's larger cousin the Umbrella tree  or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schefflera_actinophylla&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Schefflera actinophylla&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rock decor is just a decorative element and should be removed for better plant care.  You won't be able to tell how wet the soil is if you can't see it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As it has a finer root system this plant does not do well with being totally dried out. Established specimens in 12 or 14&quot; pots can go a few weeks between water with strong indirect light but your plant has a smaller pot so I recommend watering thoroughly when the top half inch of soil has dried out.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More light is always helpful and these plants will benefit from a strong southern exposure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pests include the usual &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/7730/499&quot;&gt;mealy bug&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/22032/499&quot;&gt;scale&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrips&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;thrip&lt;/a&gt; and occasionally &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/23814/499&quot;&gt;spider mite&lt;/a&gt;. Control with soap and water as described here is effective if three applications are used at five day intervals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-10-04T00:23:55.993" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35711" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35708" CreationDate="2017-10-04T00:32:28.063" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not mildew these are sections of the leaf that have died back due to insufficient water or heat stress or both.  To determine if it is pest damage we would need to see what's going on under the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just detach the leaves that are damaged and water before the cooler times in autumn and winter&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-10-04T00:32:28.063" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35707" CreationDate="2017-10-04T00:46:38.817" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aechmea_fasciata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aechmea_fasciata&lt;/a&gt; or the Urn plant. It is a bromeliad native to Brazil which is widely grown for the interior trade.  The white dust is part of the plant and nothing to worry about.  Do not wipe the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant has bloomed already as evidenced by the pups growing out from the side of the base.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now for the bad news:  like all &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bromelioideae&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;bromeliads&lt;/a&gt; the life cycle is simple, grow, flower and die.  The main stem is going to slowly die over the next six to eight months and the pups will take over. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant benefits from strong diffuse light and a regular misting with dechlorinated water.  Opinions differ on keeping the central cup full of water.  In the wild the cup acts as a reservoir and helps it during dry periods.  Inside a house stagnant water just gets skunky and sometimes rots the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although wikipedia lists the plant as causing dermatitis I found if you just keep your hands away from it and the sharp bits on the edge of the leaves you will be fine&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-10-04T00:46:38.817" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35713" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-04T02:44:48.840" Score="7" ViewCount="89" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got my lawn core aerated the other day. Some parts of the lawn have core plugs that are a nice rich dark color (at least I think this is nice/good). Other sections of my lawn have core plugs that are much lighter. Is that indicative of not having enough organic matter in these parts and the soil has more clay in it? It just so happens that these parts where the lighter core plugs are happen to be the more problematic parts of the lawn (more weeds, more dead spots).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16926" LastActivityDate="2020-10-09T00:22:24.457" Title="Dark and light core plugs after aeration" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;aeration&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35714" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35713" CreationDate="2017-10-04T03:49:11.050" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, the color of soil comes from what is in it or what is NOT in it (as you indicated in your question), its drainage, as well as lawn or land physical Geo (hill slopes, flat, rocky mountainous, etc, and the age of it's contents. Lighter colored soils tend to have less active organic material and more sand or rock. Soil light or very light in color means it has between 1.5-2% organic matter, where your dark or very dark core samples are between 3.5-5% organic matter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am including the link where I obtained this information. This site is FULL of soil info and how to understand your core samples. Let me know if you cannot open the link. Also check out pic below link!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://practicalbio.blogspot.com/2011/07/soil-color-why-is-my-soil-red-or-tan-or.html?m=1&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://practicalbio.blogspot.com/2011/07/soil-color-why-is-my-soil-red-or-tan-or.html?m=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0NMSN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Screen shot of PDF from above link, showing color chart soil descriptions&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastActivityDate="2017-10-04T03:49:11.050" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35713" CreationDate="2017-10-04T04:02:58.667" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dark soil versus light soil means lots of different things.  First would be moisture content.  Second organic material content.  Third possibly a layer of non indigenous soil that was installed earlier. Those are the top three I can think of...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've probably got dry areas of grass where the grass is weakened and of course weeds will move in...I just have to point out that dark, friable, organic 'rich' soil is NOT FERTILE soil.  Just great tilth.  Soil is NEVER fertile meaning the soil has all the nutrients plants need to photosynthesize to make their own food and thrive.  Potting soil is dark and friable.  But in no way is potting soil 'Fertile'...People think that the soil on an old forest floor is fertile.  No way is that true!  In fact, the older and more successful a plant ecosystem is the less one will be able to find the chemistry, nutrients plants need to have! The chemistry is tied up in the biomass of the system.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That forest floor soil most certainly has lots of decomposed organic matter in it...nice and dark.  But not fertile. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When rain forests are cut down that soil might produce a meager crop but forget the next year!  'Nutrients' or I prefer chemistry, are only released to the soil after decomposition of dead plant material thus allowing for necessary chemistry for the entire system or maybe a newbie plant can be allowed to find a niche.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I now have pumice for soil for my greenhouse soil.  I've had yummy loam soils ijn the past. Mostly I've had clay (to include caliche clay) and if you know how to manage a clay soil it is wonderful soil'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only way to improve any soil (texture) is by the addition of DECOMPOSED organic matter.  Sorry I had to capitalize that word because it is essential to know the difference. Grins. I miss my clay soils!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have an automatic irrigation system?  Is this the first time you've core aerated? Have you ever top dressed? What do you use for fertilizer? What type of grass, no where is it that you live? Your observation can tell you an awful lot and I'd hate to let you think it is because you've got 'fertile' soils and 'infertile' soils. Just not true nor meaningful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-10-04T04:02:58.667" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35705" CreationDate="2017-10-04T08:48:43.953" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need more light. Artificial light with a timer. Fan blowing 24/7. You are good on the fertilizer unless it is mostly nitrogen. What is the formulation? NPK...the N has to be lower than the P and the K or you will get vegetative growth not reproductive. Need a great grow light with ballast and two different sets of grow bulbs; one in blue and one in red. 18hours minimum with the blue light then when you want to force seed go to 12 hours light/12 hours dark using the red bulbs. No light at all during the dark phase. It will be worth it for your customers to see and learn? Is this your coffee shop? What is the pH of your soil? The blowing air will help your plant take in CO2 as the blowing air removes the O2 from the leaves allowing for CO2 to be more available, better growth.  (Have your customers BREATHE out on your plants giving them more CO2...one caveat however, no one that smokes, okay)?  Also less fungus worries.  Also, the blowing air will fertilize your self fertile plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have to acclimate a plant going from indoors to out of doors in the sun.  The same taking a plant from out of doors used to sunlight to the indoor environment. It is gradual, critical and takes some time.  I have to say how beautiful your plant looks!  If you want beans though you have to increase the light artificially.  Great project and your plant is such a cutie!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any plant that you want to produce flowers or fruit needs much more light.  The fertilizer thing is important because if you are giving it too much nitrogen that will only promote vegetative growth not flowers and fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, what a lovely little tree!  You could tie lots of beans on your tree like ornaments as it sits beneath a great light getting used to its own environment and timing of light/dark cycles.  Don't transplant it until after setting seed. Then a pot only a few inches wider in diameter.  I'd go with clay, a saucer and pot feet to raise the bottom of the pot off the surface.  No rocks or gravel just potting soil in your pot with the plant.  No moisture holding gimmicks and no added fertilizer in that potting soil.  Just plain potting soil. Try to use a chlorine and fluoride free water instead of tap water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-10-04T08:48:43.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35718" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35719" CreationDate="2017-10-04T13:19:46.403" Score="6" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine has an apple tree and a walnut tree that have bloomed for the second time this year. The trees grow in a 6b hardiness zone in the Northern hemisphere where it is already autumn. Night temperatures are 7-9°C (44-48°F). A sour cherry tree that bloomed last year in autumn has died during the following winter and the owner fears that this year the apple and the walnut tree will follow the same path.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An old man that runs a seed and pesticide shop that knows other people having had the same problem in the past few years told me that the only thing to do is to apply copper sulphate after the first hoar-frost, not sooner. Will copper sulphate not only protect from fungal infections during dormancy, but also help the tree to go dormant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the next 10 days the weather forecast estimates the same night temperatures, except for tomorrow night when there will be 15°C (59°F). Should my friend wait for the first hoar-frost and apply copper sulphate or is there something else to be done?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;The apple tree is full of flowers like it was spring, except for a branch that is in the shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The walnut tree doesn't have flowers yet, but the buds are on their way to open in a few weeks. Its leaves have more than 15 cm (6 inches) in length.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-10-04T14:30:57.837" LastActivityDate="2017-10-04T14:54:08.997" Title="How to manage fruit-trees blooming for the second time in autumn?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;walnut&gt;&lt;climate&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35719" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35718" CreationDate="2017-10-04T14:54:08.997" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Copper sulphate could be applied in autumn, in spring (better) or in both periods (e.g. on zones prone of fungal diseases).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now with flowers, it is difficult to apply it where the diseases is hiding because of petals, and because of &quot;fold&quot; on gems.  So I would wait, and if weather turn really bad, you can do an additional one in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What to do with blooming?  This is the most complex part of the question, and I don't have really an answer. Late flowers help diseases to spread, so I was told to remove them, but this was in case of few flowers.  Personally I got a late full blooming only on Laburnum and it survived (the cause: extreme dense climbing weeds), and almond tree never care to bloom the right period. IMHO it indicates a grave problem.  Sulphates will not help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-10-04T14:54:08.997" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35720" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-04T20:26:41.123" Score="6" ViewCount="483" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there any real difference in survivability or growth of trees transplanted using one vs. the other? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, would moving a cedar using a 90&quot; tree-spade yield similar/better/worse results than hand digging and burlapping a 90&quot; ball?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How about smaller sizes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What things (other than cost) should be considered when weighing one vs. the other?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2017-10-06T01:21:45.613" Title="Hand-digging vs Tree-spade: When should you use one method over the other?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35722" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35724" CreationDate="2017-10-05T09:41:03.150" Score="4" ViewCount="208" Body="&lt;p&gt;At the moment I am adding paper, cardboard (including toilet rolls, cereal boxes, pizza boxes), bark and dead leaves to my compost heap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I am in desperate need for more browns as I can't keep up with the greens my garden is generating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What other sources of browns am I missing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19896" LastActivityDate="2017-10-05T19:11:42.030" Title="What are good sources of &quot;browns&quot; for composting?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35723" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35722" CreationDate="2017-10-05T13:12:02.163" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Personally, I would not use any paper and cardboard for brown composing. There are many chemicals (ink, stabilizers, protection to UV, UV fluorescence, etc.), which would undermine the main reason to make composting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But also your greens, if it start to smell (greens from garden), there is something wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general green will generate compost also without brown stuffs. Just more slowly. But I think it is a general problem to all people: in summer there are too much green and on late fall too much browns. But nature work in such manner. Mixing helps for late spring, but I would keep some branches for summer: these branches give some N, but helps also to aerate the structure (in case of lawn green) and help to have better compost. On the other hand, in autumn you need less compost output, so if composing will be slower, let it be slow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try to identify why insects will reach your green compost and why it smell so much.  In theory a good compost would attract many insect (a mix green and brown), and also larger animals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-10-05T13:12:02.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35724" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35722" CreationDate="2017-10-05T19:11:42.030" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a common problem.  Farmers can generate enough browns eg corn stalks, hay, straw for composting but for the rest of us, we probably have to use autumn leaves.  And if we don't have our own trees, we have to scavenge them from neighbours while avoiding the leaves from certain trees such as &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.compost-info-guide.com/browns.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;walnut, oak, holly, laurel, rose, pine and rhododendron&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't want to buy in straw, and you can't get leaves, then the next thing to do is to change the way you compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Change to sheet composting i.e. just bury your greens.  They'll compost anaerobically but you won't get the smell&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;First &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/indoor-composting/bokashi-composting/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bokashi&lt;/a&gt; treat your kitchen waste.  This &quot;preserves it&quot; and makes it less palatable to animals.  And then bury it.  It will compost faster than just burying it.  This is what I do.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Change to vermicomposting.  Once you have enough worms, you won't worry about getting browns, but having enough kitchen waste to keep up!  I do this too - I have a large pile of kitchen waste which I dump on a pile well away from the house.  If it smells, I'll throw some dirt on it.  But over time a huge colony of compost worms is living in the pile.  I'm also on the roster for the local coffee shop to take their green waste and coffee grounds which I chuck on this pile.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-10-05T19:11:42.030" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35725" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35720" CreationDate="2017-10-06T01:21:45.613" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The spade if available and affordable is best.  But! Trenching a year before moving to contain the root ball is critical.  Hand digging is fine for smaller sized plant material, never established mature plants.  Always, trenching to form a contained root ball is so very important for success.  A big gnarly spade can pluck up and move a big root ball into a new location or on a truck best.  But if that plant was not prepared a good 6 months preferably 12 months prior to moving it will have the same chances as being dug by hand and dragged on a tarp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Digging a foot deep trench to delineate the root ball to be moved and then filled with straw should be done first.  This allows fine feeder roots to grow within the new root ball before it has to be moved.  This move should only be done in the fall or very early spring.  Jerking up a tree or large shrub with a big spade without preparation gives a very narrow margin of success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you guys saw the gorgeous mature trees and shrubs I saw that were done correctly to be RESOLD later...if you saw those price tags??  You would treat a tree to be moved far more respectfully...10X10 Japanese Maple or Rhododendron sells for 5 o 10 thousand bucks.  Easily.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mycorrhizal fungi should also be incorporated when transplanting.  No fertilizer, no compost...move tree or shrub into stable soils.  Not fluffed up.  Sit bottom of root ball on undisturbed soil.  If on a slope or soils don't match install drilled pvc pipe to get water to the roots.  Always remove burlap before back filling. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-10-06T01:21:45.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35726" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-06T01:53:30.397" Score="4" ViewCount="136" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, I have two Bromeliads (I don't know specific names) for conversation sake, until identified I've labeled the pics Small Brom(1st 3 pics) and Larger Brom(last 2 pics) below. Please see blooms. Both of their blooms are starting to brown. I held up white paper behind each in the close ups, so it's a little easier to see color contrast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you please help identify types of Bromeliads I have?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, at what point do I snip the blooms? And how far down do I snip? Or do I wait for them to fall off? The small Brom has 4 pups and the larger has 6, which I was told is very unusual. Is this unusual or normal? The small Brom has a bloom thats formed at the top of the leaves (doesn't have it's own stock coming from core, like the larger Brom) so I assumed where to snip the blooms would differ? I'm really unsure though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They both have more than quadrupled in size and are not in their original pots. I didn't know until a recent post I asked about a different Brom, that I should've have reported them, and that they prefer to get root bound... So if you were curious about their pot size, that's why... My bad :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HK15a.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Small Brom Full View pic1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XOtB0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Small Brom side view of bloom pic2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CA75U.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Small Brom too view of bloom pic3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UQPIt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Larger Brom Side view of Bloom Pic1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mOtFe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Larger Brom Close up view of Bloom Pic2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w9ccD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Larger Brom sideview better light Pic3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4wStU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Larger Brom Better Light Pic4&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0cTP1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Small Brom Better light Pic4&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastEditorUserId="17631" LastEditDate="2017-10-06T21:43:43.993" LastActivityDate="2017-10-06T21:43:43.993" Title="Removing blooms from these unidentified Bromeliads?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;bromeliads&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35727" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35729" CreationDate="2017-10-06T09:48:03.107" Score="7" ViewCount="1111" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know whether I should ask this question here or not, but I could not find any stackexchange website related to agriculture, so I found this website most near to agriculture, and I think that there are experienced plant growers of many countries here. If so, please give me proper guidance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in a rural area of ​​India and my ancestors have been cultivating land for many years, and now I am also interested in it. We have done traditional farming for many years, like wheat, mustard, millet and cotton.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to cultivate the land as to self-sustain my family and to have a living standard close to that of a doctor or engineer? What should I cultivate and how to cultivate in order to earn self-sustainability as fast as possible?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What steps do I take to reach my goal?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Editor's note: there are parts of the world where growing plants is considered to be farming, especially in rural communities where mechanization is less common. Due to the fact that in more technologized areas of the world farming is considered to be large-scale agriculture and often involves animal farming, I have replaced this term with growing plants in order to reduce ambiguity.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18269" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-10-17T09:39:20.783" LastActivityDate="2017-10-17T09:39:20.783" Title="Advise from experienced farmers" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;sustainability&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35728" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35727" CreationDate="2017-10-06T10:33:15.493" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The main risk with farming is there is risk.  You can not control the weather.  Farming unfortunately has become a major game completely embroiled in politics.  Many times you make more money NOT planting than you will trying to grow food or whatever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Part of the reward from farming is hard to quantify or qualify.  So if money is important, farming is probably not going to be your thing.  Selling it to someone would be far better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you would like to take a peek into this world and this venue to 'make a living' you definitely need to take agricultural classes; botany, soils, geology, entomology, politics with a specialty for farming, grow your own gardens starting immediately.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Farming is a field where you will learn about our world that few of your friends would or could understand.  Get as much education as possible, get going collecting experience of any kind and be very humble.  Farming, growing plants is not something one can just start doing...but the act of learning in this field is more valuable than you can imagine.  You will never make as much as 'doctors' or 'engineers'...but making lots of money is not what happiness and success is truly all about.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-10-06T10:33:15.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35729" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35727" CreationDate="2017-10-06T10:51:05.553" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can tell you the situation in the Netherlands (Europe), which I expect to be very different from India.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the Netherlands about 20 % of all (working) millionaires are farmers. Most of these farmers have cows, for milk production. The reason they are 'tagged' millionaires is because they own land, and land is expensive in a small country as the Netherlands. So these farmers are especially rich on paper, not so much in having money on the bank. Of course in The Netherlands (or Europe) we also have a lot of funding by the government, to help farmers. If the price of milk is too low, the government will compensate. So I think the situation is very different from the situation in India.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want my opinion, and I am not a farmer but a biologist, if you want to make more money with farming than average, you should find a crop that is special. A crop that nobody wants to grow, like finding a niche in the market.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-10-06T10:51:05.553" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35730" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35727" CreationDate="2017-10-06T11:41:06.760" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, but you must be smarter than a doctor or engineer: some of the richest are php engineers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is mainly economy: if there are many people that could do something, they will fight to produce it for less, the price will be low.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to have high gain you need something unique or seldom.  Often this could be a &lt;em&gt;terroir&lt;/em&gt; (just a piece of land in a well named place), or a lot of land (so less competition, but now the competition is at world level), a good producer (so being a good engineer, to reduce costs and optimizing production for you place, culture, etc.) or a niche product (which sometime is linked to &quot;terroir&quot;).  What buyers are looking for?  Could you produce it for them?  Doesn't look old product, but pharmaceutical industry needs a lot of herbs. The problem that few people know how to produce them (so you need to be a scientist and try). Chemical, perfume industries are also looking for good stuffs (and they pay well).  Special tea, wine, etc. are also well received (but more difficult to differentiate from others).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or just increase your land area, and be the smart person that explain the other how to do things.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-10-06T11:41:06.760" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35732" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-06T17:32:39.877" Score="1" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read the answers regarding pillbug in the garden. I realized I had a raised bed and no composting material. I placed the shallow bowl with beer in it. Before I could complete the project. ( I ran out of bowls and went back in the house) The pill bugs had drown in the bowls with beer.&#xA;I added more bowls and more beer. They are running to the smell of fermentation and drowning.&#xA;I think I will turn one bed  into a compost bed and see if that takes care of the pill bugs ringing the new spouting plants.&#xA;Thank you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19955" LastActivityDate="2017-10-06T17:32:39.877" Title="pill bugs in raised beds" Tags="&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2017-10-06T17:52:09.710" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35733" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-06T17:50:50.813" Score="10" ViewCount="439" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a rose bush that is in a wine barrel planter. The planter is breaking apart and I think the roots of the rose bush are now growing into the ground. How can I successfully re-pot it or transplant it into the ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19956" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-10-07T19:22:41.653" LastActivityDate="2017-10-07T19:22:41.653" Title="Plant growing out of the pot into the ground" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35734" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35726" CreationDate="2017-10-06T18:14:48.897" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first plant is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bromeliads.info/guzmania-bromeliad/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Guzmania&lt;/a&gt; possibly lingulata.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second plant is likely to be a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vriesea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Vriesea&lt;/a&gt; or possibly a variety of Guzmania.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are both tough plants and you should not overthink maintenance on these plants.  Remove the flower at the base when it doesn't look good.  I have seen florists get some silver or sparkly spray paint and go to town on the flower with no ill effects on the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-10-06T18:14:48.897" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35735" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35733" CreationDate="2017-10-06T18:34:01.353" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends what you mean by 'ground'. If you mean paving with gaps or cracks in between,and the rose roots have gone down the gaps via the drainage holes in the barrel (a not uncommon occurrence), other than breaking up the paving and digging out the roots, then replacing the paving, all you can do is cut the roots off and hope the plant survives. If though, you mean the barrel was stood on soil, then dig out the roots that have grown through and into it and then transplant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you decide to deal with the situation, before you do anything else, remove any loose soil and the remains of the barrel, and clear away any excess soil at the base so you can see where the roots have gone. It's best to transfer the rose into the ground if you have a suitable spot for it - roses prefer to be able to put down deep roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This problem occurs quite often, so I've had to deal with it on several occasions, with varying degrees of success. Of the two roses I had to deal with, both survived the loss of root material,but neither rose bush was particularly large or tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-07T11:01:44.680" LastActivityDate="2017-10-07T11:01:44.680" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35737" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35733" CreationDate="2017-10-06T22:51:56.430" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plants are far hardier than most understand.  I would easily and without hesitation, dump the barrel over, break off all the roots coming out of the pot, pound on the pot a bit with my foot and gently pull the entire plant and its root ball out of the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leave it on its side. Laying a tarp down really makes this process easier and fast to clean up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have your new and slightly larger pot (3&quot; larger in diameter?) ready with maybe a third of the pot filled with fresh potting soil (no moisture gimmicks like sponges or gels and no added fertilizer), wet that soil, shake it to firm, plant your rose, pulling the roots a bit from the root ball, hold it upright as you fill with more potting soil.  Firming all of the time...keep the graft above the soil surface (talk about that in a bit). Leave at least a 1 to 1 1/2 inch gap between rim of pot and surface of soil.  Water, allow to drain and you are done for a few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Need to know more information such as what you do for fertilizer, how you water, where exactly you live and the micro-environment of your potted rose...how much light, how long has it been there and certainly a few pictures of your rose!  Feel free to RIP all those roots coming out of the bottom. Won't hurt your rose one little bit.  In fact, a little rough stuff working on the roots will activate more growth.  Commercially planting thousands and thousands of plants over decades throughout all seasons to include slicing and butterflying the root balls...heck not one single plant died.  And my guys did most of the planting...'get 'r done'!  Not a single plant has ever died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send pictures before doing anything.  Well, you can go get a slightly larger pot, I'd get clay IF you don't have to worry about freezes.  Sand cast concrete in dove gray if you do have freezes.  Bury pot if you are below Zone 4. Or wrap with burlap and non LED christmas tree lights...lots of questions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-10-06T22:51:56.430" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35738" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-07T03:00:50.757" Score="4" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help me identify this succulent. It was given to me by my neighbor, and has a velvety texture. The plastic pot is about 3-3.5&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The small pinkish-orange circle in top view pic, resting on soil, is a Jade plant clipping that dropped in from plant stand above it. It has nothing to do with identification. It is not a snail, or bug or part if this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CZl1E.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full front view pic1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/taoYS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Top view pic2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IsXCa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Side view #2 pic3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X0blH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Angled side view pic4&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastEditorUserId="419" LastEditDate="2017-10-07T22:06:43.730" LastActivityDate="2017-10-07T22:06:43.730" Title="What is this succulent with textured grey-green foliage?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35739" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35741" CreationDate="2017-10-07T03:28:46.820" Score="6" ViewCount="1599" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this tiny pink flower? Found in my mother's lawn in Norfolk, Virginia. It's so small, but they're showing up randomly here and there. Stalk appears to be greener at the top near the bloom and reddish pink below that all the way into the ground. Cute little booger. I do not wish to get rid of them, but they'll most likely end up being mowed down; not sure if it's worth transplanting them yet, as they're so tiny  and delicate looking. You even see the little buds in the pic, looking like a deeper pink almost purple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/k7Q1i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tiny pink flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastActivityDate="2017-10-07T19:34:27.130" Title="What is this tiny pink flower in lawn?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35740" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35739" CreationDate="2017-10-07T04:43:18.597" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a wood violet. Lots of variations of purple, pinks and blues.&lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrTcePkWthZ0mEAIBknnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByNWU4cGh1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=Wood%20Violet&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wood violet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-10-07T04:43:18.597" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35741" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35739" CreationDate="2017-10-07T11:19:50.370" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The term 'wood violet' is somewhat vague - this is actually one of the Oxalis varieties, so not a Viola at all; it's probably Oxalis latifolia, maybe Oxalis violacaea, often commonly known as wood sorrel (in the UK anyway). The easily identified foliage is not actually visible in the photograph with your question. Image of Oxalis latifolia here, but it's a Spanish site &lt;a href=&quot;http://botanicmontserrat.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/aleluya.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://botanicmontserrat.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/aleluya.html&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oxalis have a collection of little brown bulbils at the base of the stems, usually underground, and often a larger, opaque white oval shaped bulb beneath - in order to get rid of it, or transplant it to a more suitable spot, you must ensure you get all parts of the plant out. It spreads widely, and probably isn't something you want taking over your lawn, but, though it is invasive, it's a pretty plant and will grow in shady areas. A better option though, if you want to grow it in the border in a semi shaded spot, is Oxalis debilis, which is similar but has larger flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-07T19:34:27.130" LastActivityDate="2017-10-07T19:34:27.130" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35742" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35743" CreationDate="2017-10-07T13:44:59.803" Score="5" ViewCount="254" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm going to be transplanting some mint (peppermint or spearmint I think) from an area where it has gotten too aggressive.  It'll be going into a much smaller area in a section of the garden where I can't afford to have it run (spread).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know this may sound like a bad decision, but it's really for the best.  It's going to get used more, have better growing conditions, and have more eyes on it so hopefully if there are any problems of it escaping we can address it sooner rather than later.  But I do need to contain it, and a flower pot isn't the answer because it'll dry out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-10-07T19:19:19.320" LastActivityDate="2017-10-07T19:56:11.297" Title="How can I control mint in the garden?" Tags="&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35743" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35742" CreationDate="2017-10-07T14:07:12.217" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree, a flower pot won't work. I have seen it contained successfully in a garden, in the ground, and how the owner did it was to use a galvanized metal dustbin or trashcan, originally intended to contain ashes from fires, about 3 feet feep and 18 inches across. He cut a foot off the bottom, dug a huge hole and inserted the the whole thing, leaving a rim of about 2 inches above ground level, then filled it up with soil and planted the mint. If you're prepared to do the digging necessary, I don't see why that can't work with a plastic trash can of similar dimensions with the bottom removed, but whatever you decide to use, it needs to be a minimum of 18 inches deep into the soil, and intact all the way round. Laying bricks under ground with mortar between to form a solid, wall like barrier doesn't last long; as the mortar degrades, the mint escapes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a smaller patch of mint, something like an old chimney pot or stove pipe that's deep enough should do the trick, but you might find, if the patch is only a few inches across, the mint starts to fail after a year or so from being contained in such a small area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's possible that some root rhizome barrier material, more usually used to restrain bamboo, will work so long as it goes down deep enough,but keeping it in place while you backfill with soil is a bit more difficult than inserting a rigid object. Either way, it means digging a deep  hole...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-07T14:12:14.973" LastActivityDate="2017-10-07T14:12:14.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35742" CreationDate="2017-10-07T19:56:11.297" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just use a couple of large pots ( at least 30 cm deep ), and sink them into the ground. By double potting you can prevent the roots from escaping out the bottom.  And by being in ground it won't dry out as much as being above ground.  But you'll need to re-pot it every year as the roots/rhizomes will become very entangled strangling the growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-10-07T19:56:11.297" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35745" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35738" CreationDate="2017-10-07T22:03:55.070" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassula_falcata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Crassula falcata&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or propeller plant. It's a popular collectors succulent and houseplant due to the striking and unique leaf arrangement. In good conditions, the plant will flower (more commonly outdoors than in).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SXRnc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SXRnc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ph6Xo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ph6Xo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2017-10-07T22:03:55.070" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35746" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-08T12:01:37.740" Score="6" ViewCount="2505" Body="&lt;p&gt;I thought Glyphosate was safe on grass so sprayed it liberally on the weeds in the beds and clearly have splashed the grass. &#xA;What are my options to repair? What do you recommend? Would I noticed the difference with grass from another supplier?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get some local turf and try and replace it and live with the&#xA;difference in colour? Will I noticed?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get some local seed and sprinkled over the top&#xA;and live with the difference in colour? Will I noticed?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drive 2.5 hours to the place that delivered the original turf and replace it? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drive 2.5 hours to the place that delivered the original turf and buy some seed (they only sell £80 / 20KG bags of seed!)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Somehow cultivate the grass I have to spread into that space?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;6&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leave it alone and hope the grass grows into the patches?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dig out the dead patches and hope the grass grows into the patches?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in London, UK.&#xA;PS what you cant see is plastic edging (controversial I know!) which makes redrawing the edging difficult as the edging is 1 continuous piece. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uNUvN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uNUvN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11576" LastEditorUserId="11576" LastEditDate="2017-10-09T12:44:54.253" LastActivityDate="2017-10-09T12:44:54.253" Title="Glyphosate accident on lawn, how to repair?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35746" CreationDate="2017-10-08T12:23:12.967" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suggest option &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol start=&quot;6&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Get a sharp spade and cut off some of the burned grass. In other words, go and edge the lawn, but in a way that removes the damaged grass. This gives you a slightly wider flower bed and a healthy lawn edge and is the quickest, cleanest solution right now. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over time, the grass will expand anyway, so if you are a bit less diligent in edging the lawn, you could even let the lawn expand to the original border line, if you prefer the narrower flower bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-10-08T12:39:55.693" LastActivityDate="2017-10-08T12:39:55.693" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35748" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35750" CreationDate="2017-10-08T12:44:30.043" Score="7" ViewCount="134" Body="&lt;p&gt;I cut a piece of basil and put it inside a vase originally for pure decorative purposes but now I see that it has started to grow roots and it still looks relatively healthy to me. I change the water of the vase every other day for about a week now and the plant's roots keep on growing. Should I keep it in its vase and just change water every now and then or would it be wiser to try planting it?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is an image of my plant in its current condition:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BeFSc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BeFSc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here is a close-up of its roots:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c0zIv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c0zIv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19963" LastActivityDate="2017-10-10T04:35:39.427" Title="Should I try planting my plant in soil?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35749" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35769" CreationDate="2017-10-08T13:39:11.500" Score="7" ViewCount="431" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing some tomatoes from seed, and one of them has two pairs of cotyledons. The stem splits just before the leaves start with a pair of cotyledons on each side. The leaves are smaller than its siblings'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What causes this and how common is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GdVcU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GdVcU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seedling with the double dicotyledons is the small one directly in the centre of the photo. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13802" LastEditorUserId="13802" LastEditDate="2017-10-10T01:54:14.070" LastActivityDate="2020-06-01T04:45:48.230" Title="How common are double dicotyledons?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35750" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35748" CreationDate="2017-10-08T15:09:06.617" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely the plant needs nutrients (soil or fertilizers). Note there are some liquid fertilizers that can be applied on leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, I don't know if such plant will survive on planting it in soil: the roots are very long, so you need a large pot or hole, but the plant is not so large, so the risk that the roots are in the wrong place is high (and also the risk to damage them).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, it is you call. Possibly it will not be a good plant to eat (variety), and IMHO it cannot survive much more time without fertilizers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-10-08T15:09:06.617" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35746" CreationDate="2017-10-08T15:52:37.137" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, firstly, next time you want to weed, do it the old fashioned way, with a  garden fork or hoe, and second, it's best to read the instructions on the products you use. As for the grass, I'd do exactly as Stephie suggests, trim away the damaged edges by reshaping the lawn edge, but using a half moon edger. However, where the deeper damage is that goes further into the lawn (assuming you don't want to cut that much off the lawn)  cut it in a square  shape all round with the half moon edger, reverse and replace it, so that the damaged part is not at the edge. You do this because it's absolutely impossible to seed the edge of the lawn. Now, you've got a choice - before replacing that square of turf, you can break off the bit that's damaged and then reverse and replace, and use topsoil to fill in the gap, and seed it. It's a bit late to seed, but you're in London and with any luck, it might grow before winter sets in. Or, cheat - if you cut off any good bits of lawn when reshaping to get rid of the narrower dead patches, fit in the good bits into the gap where you've broken off the damaged bit, infill with topsoil where the joins are and tamp it down, making sure its level with the rest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, reverse and replace as already said, with the dead part still in place, and if it still looks dead in spring, scurf out the dead grass patch, get a bit of a tilth on top and seed it. Unless you bought something exotic like luxury turf, any standard grass seed mix will do. I just hope whoever supplied and  laid the turf didn't do so with plastic mesh in the turf, because that makes it more difficult to do; it can be done, but it's a lot more fiddly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will notice the patch while it looks like this, and you will notice as new seed starts growing this or next year, but over time it'll all turn the same shade of green as the rest and you won't notice it at all. For a while though, looking at it and being irritated by it should at least remind you to be more careful next time, it's actually a useful lesson.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: I've got a query - when you say you sprayed glyphosate 'liberally on the beds', were you spraying specific weed growth, or spraying that and all of the soil in the bed? If you did the latter, it won't do anything other than sit in the soil for a while; glyphosate is not a pre emergent herbicide, and its method of action is to kill through the green, meaning you have to apply it directly to strongly growing, green growth, so if there's nothing green growing, it won't do anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-08T21:34:05.283" LastActivityDate="2017-10-08T21:34:05.283" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3914" CreationDate="2017-10-08T23:06:01.410" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes.  I grew peanuts two years ago in the Philly suburbs, and have them growing again this year.  Biggest problem is that squirrels and rabbits eat the above-ground plants.  You need to protect them with some kind of wire fencing.  Deer probably would eat them, too, but I'm lucky that deer don't get in my yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19966" LastActivityDate="2017-10-08T23:06:01.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35754" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35749" CreationDate="2017-10-09T00:07:07.787" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mutants are normal within all life forms.  How DNA is tried and tested.  Think about the 4 leaf clover, normally trifoliate.  Happens a lot.  We most certainly are able if we haven't already done so, to make 4 leaf clover a new variety, via genetic engineering. The ability to take up more light per leaf with 4 that don't over lap than 3 that only over lap and shade the leaves below.  Needs to be tested for the positives versus the negatives.  Better one leaf makes food for the plant or perhaps a few layers down with less per leaf. We humans can play with this stuff but we shouldn't be thinking we know more than nature who has billions of years of practice.  Just sayin'!!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your tomato sounds pretty similar.  Fascinating to experiment.  I wouldn't be too quick to determine that that tomato was better.  I'd make sure I didn't collect seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking forward to your picture and your techniques to grow your tomato starts. Where do you live? The fact you can even spell cotyledon tells me you have some education about the plant world.  Anything you feel you can explain concerning your thought process and plant experience would help a more personalized 'reading'...ha ha ha.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-10-09T00:07:07.787" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35755" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35748" CreationDate="2017-10-09T01:28:47.403" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Beautiful idea using this bulb.  Where did you find this incandescent bulb?  An antique store??  Grins.  You need to know that water roots are not at all the same as soil roots. You could easily vegetatively reproduce this plant just by cutting off one or two leaves, use rooting powder (I have finally been convinced until more research)...this rooting chemistry (gel or powder) seems to really make a difference with success.  You could plant this guy in soil and cross your fingers.  People experiment with avocados rooting them first in water then planting that seed in soil and most avocados seem to do well if other aspects such as no over watering, not using garden soil just sterilized potting soil...are considered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My experience shows plants when young or trying to establish themselves within some niche should not have added fertilizer until...the 3rd set of leaves.  Have you added any fertilizer to this light bulb's water? Fertilizer is critical after the plant makes it through the hurdles of becoming established.  No compost, no sand, no additives in the potting soil at all including water holding gimmicks such as gels and sponges and most certainly no added fertilizer.  You need to be in full control of that environment's chemistry.  Too many just throw a little of this, a little of that still thinking if someone says it helps it must be true. KISS while a novice, to enjoy more success, is a great motto!  (Keep It Simple Stupid) and don't you take that as a personal anything.  I find when I get to busy to think this is my fall back!  Basil is a great plant to grow indoors.  Try Osmocote extended release 14-14-14 after transplanting.  Only once per season.  Then forget about adding anything other than water for awhile. Mycorrhizae is also helpful for high stress situations for plants. Are you using tap water?  Check out our section on potting, pots, soils and indoor plants or plants in pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looking more closely at your basil I know it needs more light.  There are the coolest grow lights on the market right now and a huge variety of styles.  We are researching the LED's...we've got HPS and metal halide.  To have a successful indoor 'garden'...herbs and lettuce work well you should look into a real grow light.  For a small area 3'X3' T-5's fluorescents are very inexpensive.  There is so much new stuff in lighting it will be awhile before I am able to synthesize and experiment to offer better advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-10-09T01:28:47.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35756" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35746" CreationDate="2017-10-09T02:09:12.097" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you discovered, Glyphosate kills plants indiscriminately (ignoring roundup ready ones).  To understand the problem and get a grasp on the way forward, you want to know that -&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Glyphosate is a systemic herbicide - it is absorbed through the leaves and then kills the entire system over time - which is why it takes weeks to work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is inactivated on contact with soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as replacing the grass grows, the supplier is a lot less important then the exact variety of grass.  If you can get the identical variety from another source then it should look the same.  If not, it might look different.  I'd call the supplier of your grass up and get the name of the type.  Then try get some seeds of the same from somewhere local or buy it online.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are not sure you can get the same variety, you can cultivate grass from the grass you did not kill.  I'm not an expert, but I would be inclined to remove the burnt grass, replace the soil which is removed with it, and let the grass grow taller near the edges.  It will look a bit messy while this is happening, but it should expand into the unused area. You will want to keep a close eye on the soil where the grass has not established - small weeds are generally easy to pull out - and there will probably be quite a few of them - nature abhors a vacuum, and weeds will try take hold where there is no competition from grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-10-09T12:23:43.490" LastActivityDate="2017-10-09T12:23:43.490" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35757" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35748" CreationDate="2017-10-09T06:24:06.097" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've grown basil hydroponically using aquarium water for the nutrients and it looked a lot better than yours which needs a lot more sunlight. In fact most of the basil I see in the supermarket seems to be grown hydroponically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't have any hydroponic mixes, then just chuck some garden soil in the bottom. And change the water as you are but put it on a sill with lots of sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ps: healthy hydroponic plants have huge roots, often more than the plant above the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-10-10T04:35:39.427" LastActivityDate="2017-10-10T04:35:39.427" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35758" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35759" CreationDate="2017-10-09T09:38:23.683" Score="5" ViewCount="356" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Dawn Redwood Bonsai Forrest. 3 out of 4 mini trees are doing fine (2 are doing great, one is doing fine) but the forth (the smallest one) looks sort of bad. Its leaves are look sort of dry and I don't know what I can do about it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I received it, maybe 2 weeks ago, I had to repot it because one of the trees were nearly out of the soil and the soil was beyond horrible. So, I repotted it and the tallest tree that seemed like it was about to die started growing and seems much better. On the other side, the smallest tree seems sort of sick? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I try to expose them as much sun as possible because I do know they like full sunlight and the soil is easily drained, yet moist. Is there something else I could possible do? (I've attached some photos just to see the condition of the trees right now).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t8c3G.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/t8c3G.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19852" LastActivityDate="2017-10-09T13:55:14.683" Title="Dawn Redwood Bonsai Forrest Issue" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35759" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35758" CreationDate="2017-10-09T13:55:14.683" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a beautiful species for a bonsai forest, do you keep it indoor or outdoors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The small tree unfortunately seems dead, if you ask me. You can of course keep it for a while to see if there are new shoots next spring. The leafs on the larger tree at the right of the picture also seems to become a bit darker and curlier. Be careful not to lose that one too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem can be that it was not well placed in the soil for a while, like you said. But it can also be because of humidity. That is often the problem for indoor bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the problem was the soil, you can try to give it a vitamin boost, but I think the new soil you gave during repotting will be sufficient for recovery. Of course if that was the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So see if it will recover, if not try to make some clones next spring of the still living trees when you trim them. By the way, a forest with an odd (uneven) number of trees seems more natural than one with an even number.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-10-09T13:55:14.683" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35760" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35667" CreationDate="2017-10-09T14:53:29.773" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good morning!  Thank you for the idea of a Prunus. I looked up Prunus Bush and looked at the images. I found it! The Bush is called a Prunus tomentosa!! Non fruit baring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19927" LastActivityDate="2017-10-09T14:53:29.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35761" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-09T17:39:25.780" Score="8" ViewCount="661" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WDodh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WDodh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;gooey-golden-barrel-cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2xOVU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2xOVU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hollow-golden-barrel-cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I recently bought a golden barrel cactus (about two months ago), judging by its size I would say the plant is about a year old. Everything has been perfect with it until Saturday. I usually water or at least check to see if it needs water. On Saturday I noticed the bottom was limp, apon closer inspection the base of the cactus was soggy and googey. There are small bugs inside the cactus, which is now almost compleatly hollowed out. What could thuse be? Please help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19961" LastEditorUserId="19961" LastEditDate="2017-10-09T21:08:05.260" LastActivityDate="2017-10-11T23:47:45.567" Title="Help is my cactus is dying, can it be saved" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35762" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35773" CreationDate="2017-10-09T20:07:46.563" Score="5" ViewCount="577" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please see pics below. I'm assuming (possibly shouldn't assume) that this succulent was in poor light before I brought it home because of all the spreading. What's the proper thing to do with it? I'm wanting to re-pot it because the pot can't stand on it's own, without putting something under each of the two main spreads. All clippings and pups are rooted in, and when I went to remove, to re-pot everything came out in one chunk. Is it safe to  clip the roots, or will the plant suffer? When I re-pot it, should they all be separated, or should I put it in a pot wide enough that the spreads are also touching soil, so they can root down?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lugsS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Top View, full plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/M9rqb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Side view left spread&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ot1F5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Side view right spread&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F5vzB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of pup roots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fEPKD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close up of additional pups&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&#xA;Voila! What do you think? (PIC BELOW) I don't like answering my own questions, and received much help from @Bamboo comments. I've included a pic of what I did with it from the advice. I layered the bottom of this pot with large aquarium gravel then topped off with my own mixed: mixed bird grit, playground sand, cactus soil and regular potting soil together. I potted the &quot;clump&quot; from old pot and filled loosely with the mix. The spreads are gently resting on top of the soil mix, and I lightly sprinkled some of the mix on top of the exposed roots. I only lost 2 roots, and one leaf (clipping shown in right bottom corner), that I placed on top of the soil. This pot has two large drainage holes, and is about 2&quot; deep. Cross your fingers this works okay!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also have cactus liquid fertilizer, but am unsure if I should use it yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eQFgg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eQFgg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Solution Pic, too view&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastEditorUserId="17631" LastEditDate="2017-10-10T19:43:48.203" LastActivityDate="2017-10-10T20:49:45.887" Title="Succulent spreading outward, Exposed roots" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35764" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-10T16:25:19.353" Score="4" ViewCount="2148" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 3 palants of peace lily, &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yz7oV.jpg...&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yz7oV.jpg...&quot; alt=&quot;image of plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Placed more or less 6 feets away form windows(2windows), &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g4Nmg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g4Nmg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;location of plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;,&#xA;I never over water them, I wait for my plants to give me signs of thirst(wilt a little bit),each pot has several drainage holes..&#xA;Also the soil is very vell drained..&#xA;.in addition I use water from a tubewell, means no chloride, no chlorine,  no fluoride, &#xA;Nither I have ever used any fertilizer since I brought the home..&#xA;Humidity levels are also doing fine at 60%&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YSiOz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YSiOz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;humidity 64%&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. ..&#xA;But still their tips are getting brown, &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vb2Lq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vb2Lq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leafs of every plant is tunnig brown &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6KpCv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6KpCv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;same problem *browning leaf on each plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;..&#xA;Can some one please tell me, what mistake I am making? &#xA;Please help this black thumb,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16887" LastEditorUserId="16887" LastEditDate="2017-10-10T18:52:39.987" LastActivityDate="2018-05-21T10:00:03.310" Title="Brown tips of peace lily?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35765" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35764" CreationDate="2017-10-10T16:49:49.290" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the assumption you're watering correctly, that is, watering copiously, then tipping out any excess water from the outer pot or tray after 30 minutes, if you're in the States, it might be the tap water, so try using bottled water instead. If you're allowing them to sit in water or not watering sufficiently well when you do water, correct that. Alternatively, dry air/low humidity can cause this problem - Peace Lily appreciates being misted with water 2 or 3 times a week. Other causes could be excessive use of fertilizer, but you haven't mentioned this at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-10-10T16:49:49.290" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35766" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-10T18:37:56.333" Score="8" ViewCount="2537" Body="&lt;p&gt;I received this plant (I'm sorry, I'm not entirely sure what it is) a few years back when it was on death's door and only had a few living leaves left. I managed to bring it back to health but that left me with another issue: all the new growth increased the weight of the plant and the existing stem could no longer support its weight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In a bid to keep the whole thing from falling over and snapping, I staked it. It kept growing and growing and now it's to the point where the top is much heavier and larger than the poor, sickly original stem can support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way I can train this plant to eventually support itself without the stakes or am I past the point of no return? If not, is there anything I can do to help ensure that the tiny little stem does not snap, say while moving, etc.?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8m6pb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8m6pb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A7ipU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A7ipU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11819" LastActivityDate="2017-10-11T13:50:32.733" Title="What to do with a plant that can't support its own weight?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35767" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35776" CreationDate="2017-10-10T18:51:38.130" Score="3" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;These little mushrooms appeared overnight in my garden (located in the Mediterranean region). I was wondering if anyone could help identify what they are. Closest species I got to was Mycena pelianthina but I'm almost certain it isn't it. Stalk is about 5mm wide, 3-5cm long, cap about 3.5cm wide. Gills barely apparent and are the same colour as the cap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AKc7j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AKc7j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19973" LastActivityDate="2017-10-11T08:06:21.810" Title="Fungi by a passiflora plant - identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35768" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35775" CreationDate="2017-10-10T19:20:16.433" Score="7" ViewCount="392" Body="&lt;p&gt;OK, I know from personal experience the dangers of using sprouted store bought potatoes in a garden.  I had and entire shared garden plot ruined for both potatoes and tomatoes because the other planter introduced blights that affected both through contaminated spuds.  Four years later I still could not keep down the damage and I have no desire to deal with it again, so in my new location I had a successful harvest with certified starters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question though, not especially wanting to pay that much each year, if there was no sign of issues is it reasonable to try to save some of the produce from this year to plant in the spring, or is this really too high of a risk and should a grower stick to certified stock each year?  I do not want to use spray controls, so if it develops blight issues I will simply quit growing, but as the market product seems to get poorer quality every year I would prefer to grow my own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19974" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-10-10T20:37:32.960" LastActivityDate="2017-10-11T09:52:39.237" Title="Are certified seed potatoes needed every year?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35769" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35749" CreationDate="2017-10-10T20:16:58.620" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are few reports on various forums about tomato plants having three or four cotyledons, but you can't make a conclusion out of sporadic reports. It would be more desirable if we could find scholarly articles on this topic. However, what I found was related to the number of cotyledons of other dicots. In the article '&lt;a href=&quot;https://academic.oup.com/jxb/article/59/11/2917/608661/Cotyledon-organogenesis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cotyledon organogenesis&lt;/a&gt;' by John W. Chandler, the author states that auxine hormone plays a major role on the regulation of genes that influence the cotyledon number.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Table 1 'Loci, mutations and redundant gene families affecting cotyledon organogenesis or pleiocotyly in various species' there are a few links to studies made on tomato plants. Unfortunately I didn't find a free copy of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabidopsis_thaliana#Use_as_a_model_organism&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Arabidopsis thaliana&lt;/a&gt; in the above mentioned article is used as a model for other dicot plants because of its small number of chromosomes and because its genome has already been mapped (just like lab mice are used for preliminary testing instead of testing directly on humans).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the article '&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.stanoome.nl/wp-content/uploads/Article-M.beneckei.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Variable cotyledon numbers in Mammillaria beneckei&lt;/a&gt;' (download link) by Stan Oome, the author discusses the increased number of cotyledons not just in cacti, but also in other species, like wild radishes and mentions another study where 5% of radish seedling had an abnormal number of cotyledons. The author suggests that dicot plants supress the genes that lead to more than two cotyledons because it is an evolutionary trait related to germination underground that helps them to protect the meristem when emerging from the soil they germinated in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because plants showing pleiocotyly have a different leaf arrangement instead of the species' characteristic, their ulterior growth is different in some aspects. This is why commercial seeds are tested before they go on the market and unusual/deviant seedlings are eliminated. The result is more uniformity within a batch and within a cultivar, so your four-cotyledon tomato seedling comes from a combination that managed to escape the human quest for uniformity in growth and harvest quantity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were you, I'd keep it and monitor it because valuable information can be discovered about the leaf arrangement and about the ability to bloom and set fruit. If you don't want your other tomato plants to cross-pollinate with the four-cotyledon one, cover the latter's flowers with paper bags and remove the paper bags after the flowers wilt, when the fruits will already be formed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update after OP mentioned the seeds are collected from previous crops (seed saving):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FAO recommends that genebank collections should come from at least 30 different plants per species/ or landrace/ or cultivar to ensure genetic diversity. The lesser number of plants you collect seeds from because you want to avoid having unused seeds, the lesser genetic diversity in your collection and the greater the chance to have plants that express unusual characteristics. As Giacomo says, environment also plays a role in gene expression, so it's hard to predict what traits will show without watching them grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-10-23T12:52:31.740" LastActivityDate="2017-10-23T12:52:31.740" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35770" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35774" CreationDate="2017-10-10T20:21:16.813" Score="6" ViewCount="2805" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a peace lily in my office at work that gets low indirect natural light, in addition to bright white fluorescent light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had it for about 12 months now. I have not potted it up, and it has always been quite root bound.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All that said, it was always the happiest green and healthy plant. It consistently got new foliage growth and sometimes almost flowered. It never ever showed signs of nutrient deficiency, and the leave were always a healthy green with a flawless complexion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then last weak it wilted like it was thirsty, and after watering it, it is not reviving. It is wilting now like it is heavily dehydrated, even though the soil is still semi damp from the last watering. Even though it is wilted over, and the stems are getting a little soft to the touch, the leave still have turgor and seems almost like they are not dehydrated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I always watered it only when it got completely bone dry. I never over water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no clue what happened. The only thing I could imagine is that last time I watered it, I much too heavily swamped it, and in a single watering I drown the plant. Is that possible??&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant shows no signs of root rot, and has never shown signs of any maladies. Just one day it wilted and it won't revive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there some other possibility of what went wrong? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/swEdz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/swEdz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PhWD7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PhWD7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0EEgq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0EEgq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BepIX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BepIX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19975" LastEditorUserId="19975" LastEditDate="2017-10-10T21:16:36.947" LastActivityDate="2018-11-18T18:46:28.293" Title="Peace lily wilted inexplicable" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;wilt&gt;&lt;lily&gt;&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35771" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-10T20:26:45.667" Score="7" ViewCount="11624" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the cause or cure to the branches curling on my tomato plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aside from the curling they are growing, flowering and starting to fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is the beginning of our tomato season as it is spring here in Sydney, Australia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have 3 tomato plants which have been planted at the same time. Indeterminates called (1) Truss Plum, (2) Mini-Roma and (3) Tomato Trussty. They are about 1 meter - 1.2 meter in height in the photos. Their age is about 6 weeks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The pots are laundry baskets and are new. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The potting mix is new and specific for tomatoes of a respected brand. I mixed some chicken pellets in the soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The &quot;pots&quot; are lined with new garden fabric as I am trying out air pruning.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Drainage is good with a large hole at the bottom.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do this as I do not have the room to perform rotate plantings. Hence the A-frame and using fresh potting mix everytime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Herbicides have not been used in the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The irrigation as shown is on the lowest dripping setting and in my opinion adequate watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The 3rd plant Trussty shows the most branch curl. There is also some leaf curl in a couple of photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cUECx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cUECx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;(1) Truss Plum&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9gHVC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9gHVC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;(2) Mini Roma&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nBsYd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nBsYd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;(3)Trussty&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vFTah.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vFTah.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HWVDB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HWVDB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cPXir.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cPXir.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Additional&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The weather in Sydney has been unseasonably hot and dry, no rain for 2-3 months. Unusual for spring but not a condition I would think would be anything but great for tomatoes since I keep the moisture up. Not humid and not frosty coming out of winter. The irrigation system is turned on manually by myself and the tap timer turns off after 10 minutes. I water every 2- 3 days depending on how hot it has been.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The landscape fabric the pots are &quot;dressed&quot; in is not weed mat. It is not a plastic. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bunnings.com.au/pillar-products-0-915-x-10m-waterlock-premium-mulch-mat_p3042245&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pillar Products 0.915 x 10m WaterLOCK Premium Mulch Mat&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="695" LastEditorUserId="695" LastEditDate="2017-10-11T07:33:14.280" LastActivityDate="2021-01-05T16:40:25.030" Title="Tomato branches curling" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35772" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35771" CreationDate="2017-10-10T20:48:47.277" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say one of your neighbors put weed killer on his lawn. Tomatoes and grapes are hypersensitive to it. Minor damage like that can be the result of herbicide applied over 100 ft away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastEditorUserId="17672" LastEditDate="2021-01-05T16:40:25.030" LastActivityDate="2021-01-05T16:40:25.030" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="35773" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35762" CreationDate="2017-10-10T20:49:45.887" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, as I said in comments, not sure what this plant is, but it looks some kind of Crassula maybe. Looks much better now it's repotted, I just hope there's a drainage hole or two in the bottom! Now you've decided to give the offshoots and their roots a chance by resting them on soil, just keep an eye on them - if you notice any rot developing on their stems, remove them immediately. You should not be afraid to do this if necessary - so long as the central part of the plant, where the main rootball is, remains healthy, it will produce more shoots and growth even if you do have to cut some off. And well done for managing to do it - it must have been a delicate and rather fiddly task.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-10-10T20:49:45.887" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35774" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35770" CreationDate="2017-10-10T21:54:26.143" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Go and get another pot and some potting soil (asap), turn the plant out of its pot, cut the rootball in half (a bread knife is great for this, or a sharp knife with a serrated edge), selecting an area to cut through that's in between major leaf growth if possible, repot both halves, water in well. Remove all yellowed or yellowing leaves, and discard any that fall off having become separated from the rootball, keep watered as usual. If you only want one plant, throw one away, but I'd suggest you keep both for a while to see how well they recover and which one looks healthier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Essentially, the poor thing's run out of root room, and that's why it's suffering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: In response to your query, no, cutting down the topgrowth to root level won't help at all. To clarify the splitting method, take the plant out of the pot. Now examine it and push to either side the main stems where you can, so you create a space between that you can cut through. Doesn't matter if it's not quite two halves and one's a bit bigger than the other, take your knife and cut from one side to the other, all the way  through the rootball. You'll probably need to use a sawing motion to get through the centre of the plant. Plants are much more resilient than you think, they want to live, so as long as you use good potting soil and water them well once potted up, preferably standing in a tray or something which you empty out 30 minutes later to ensure the new potting soil is thoroughly moistened, then water ongoing, they'll be fine. You may need to water a bit more often till they recover from the procedure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Alternatively, buy a bigger pot and pot it into that, and split the whole thing in a year or so when its run out of root room again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-10T23:02:45.573" LastActivityDate="2017-10-10T23:02:45.573" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35775" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35768" CreationDate="2017-10-11T00:23:06.287" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've done the same thing!  Purchasing certified seed potatoes is not a deal breaker!  Rotating your crops is crucial.  I get my stock from Potato Gardens in Colorado.  I have to limit myself purchasing potatoes otherwise I end up with a big bill and those potatoes have to be used immediately. A few years ago my main crop was Potatoes!!  Not much room for anything else!  I got carried away!  I am working on a potato cellar with the correct humidity and temperatures that stay stable...and extend the usable life of my potato crops (and garlic, onions, rutabagas, carrots, fennel bulbs...).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potatoes and tomatoes are horrible with disease (to include peppers and eggplant).  Once you have blight it is a done deal, death and destruction and all of your work, fertilizer, watering...was just wasted. Makes those seed potato expenditures look really CHEAP.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no fungicide I would use on my plants my edibles to control this BLIGHT stuff.  There is no control. There are ways to reduce exposure to soil containing spores that splash up on the plant and then kill it...lots of work.  Pots really work well. Just One spore infects your plants and they are done.  And so is that bed for use by the family Solanaceae for a minimum of 2 years!  You can see how pots and sterilized potting soil would enlarge your garden and prevent heartache!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use pots and potting soil for my tomatoes and peppers to enlarge my garden and heck potting soil is sterilized.  Potatoes need very acidic soil so creating acidic beds to grow potatoes, blueberries really reduces the amount of space for productive growth of other vegies not liking that low of a pH. Potting soil is easy to get to the proper pH as well. I'll go find my catalog and send you this potato site or you can look them up.  Extremely helpful small ma and pa and kids...family business.  I've had many discussions with the owners!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, always always always get certified seed potatoes.  If you don't you will effectively ruin a bed with disease and that will take longer than a few years to eradicate and be able to plant that family in that bed again. Certified plants, starts, non-gmo seed are worth their weight in gold!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.potatogarden.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Potato Gardens&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here they are.  I've had top notch service from this company. They'll send your order to arrive on whatever date you want. Excellent product, I've not seen one bit of decay and my taters arrived ON THE DAY I asked!  Also, the owner's son or nephew...is a soil expert.  A real soil expert and they have a product to help reduce the pH of the soil as well as feed soil organisms.  A little boost to add to a correct maintenance program.  And you can call these potato specialized growers to ask questions!  This expanded my 'potato harvest' world and all I can say is the investment is no big deal and the success really is a big deal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-10-11T00:36:35.877" LastActivityDate="2017-10-11T00:36:35.877" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35776" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35767" CreationDate="2017-10-11T08:06:21.810" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are right when you say you are wrong. This is nothing like &lt;em&gt;Pelianthina&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is clearly a close member of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Coprinopsis_species&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Coprinus Genus&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. The hard part is those guys are dozens of sorts (and the genus got deeply reorganized recently in 2001)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But that one is pretty common I think, very similar to the one I had &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24071/is-this-mushroom-going-to-make-my-black-radish-taste-weird-or-be-poisonous?noredirect=1&amp;amp;lq=1&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; (France).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;Best guess&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I would say this is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprinopsis_lagopus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Coprinopsis Lagopus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, because of the quickness of its growth and the way the cap developed:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coprinopsis_lagopus_122149.jpg#/media/File:Coprinopsis_lagopus_122149.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Coprinopsis_lagopus_122149.jpg&quot; width=&quot;256&quot; height=&quot;196&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;By Tim Sage - &#xA;This image is Image Number 122149 at Mushroom Observer, a source for mycological images.&#xA;This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See &lt;a href=&quot;//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Licensing&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;Commons:Licensing&quot;&gt;Commons:Licensing&lt;/a&gt; for more information., &lt;a href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot; title=&quot;Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0&quot;&gt;CC BY-SA 3.0&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12106576&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1&gt;other possibility&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also could be &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprinopsis_cinerea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Coprinopsis Cinerea&lt;/a&gt;. Difficult to say.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-10-11T08:06:21.810" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35777" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35771" CreationDate="2017-10-11T09:32:50.113" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I strongly suspect a major part of the problem is the pot and fabric method you've used for potting up. I note you have used straw or something on the tops of the pots for insulation/water retention purposes, but with the potting up method you've used, the rest of the roots are not insulated at all. If the weather is hot and dry, and especially if its windy,the roots of the plants are much more exposed in the laundry baskets because they're open round the sides. Although the fabric you've used is thick and said to retain water, in and of itself, it does not retain water, it is still permeable to air and moisture.  Its intended use is over soil, and in contact with the ground, usually with a mulch product on top; in those circumstances, it will retain moisture within the soil by reducing evaporation and, to some extent, insulating the ground from the heat. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, in this situation, the fabric is, by and large, all that's between a relatively small amount of soil/root and air/heat. As the plants grow on, the root material increases, which means there's even less soil to root ratio, and ever more exposure to the elements of wind, heat and more light than roots would normally expect to see. Water will seep through the sides of the material as well as the bottom, so a lot of water is being lost via direct seeping once they're watered, and by evaporation when the direct water supply is off. And this water loss is occurring round the whole rootball,  not just at the bottom, because of the slotted pots; there's nothing much to retain the water, but more importantly, to reduce root exposure to wind and heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's possible to transfer the fabric and rootballs into proper pots and reinstate your watering system, I recommend you do so; alternatively, but somewhat less effective, wrap the pots in something round the outside to help insulate them, and increase your watering a little, perhaps by making it more frequent, in an attempt to keep the roots cooler.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Curling of leaves and stems isn't unusual in extreme conditions (heat particularly), and there may still be some curling going on if the heat continues, even if you move the plants to proper pots, but over exposure of the roots in the current manner won't be helping at all. The other possibility is early viral infection, but with that, I'd expect to see yellow mosaicing, streaking or patches on the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-11T10:28:05.747" LastActivityDate="2017-10-11T10:28:05.747" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35778" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35768" CreationDate="2017-10-11T09:52:39.237" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should start with certified seed potatoes, but you need also establish what the certification means. Does it mean it will grow to produce a certain amount of crop (so has an acceptable level of fungal infection), or does it mean that it has been grown close to tissue culture so it can be certified to be free of virus, bacteria and fungi. See &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.the-organic-gardener.com/seed-potato.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.the-organic-gardener.com/seed-potato.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have grown from truly certified seed potatoes then you can keep using them year after year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem with store bought sprouting potatoes it might have a low level of virus or other infection which spreads poisoning your soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-10-11T09:52:39.237" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35771" CreationDate="2017-10-11T10:02:36.710" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;With air pruning pots you need a lot more water. I'd put a moisture meter into the pots to see if you're watering them adequately. Or stick your finger deep into the pots. You might be better off continuously drip irrigating them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did try air pots with a tomato plant last year in Wellington, and once a day watering wasn't enough. And your climate is much hotter so it will be worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-10-11T10:02:36.710" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35766" CreationDate="2017-10-11T10:54:26.010" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You did a great job resurrecting this plant! I think you have a Philodendron here, maybe 'Imperial Red' type?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are different options.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can leave it as it is, maybe find a nicer stake. Often climbing types of Philodendron are hold up with these stakes covered with some kind of light brown cloth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can try to lay the original stem flat, I am not sure if it is kind of flexible? Then try to keep the healthy part straight up, again with stake first, hopefully in time it can hold it's own weight.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can cut the top off (from the small stem) and try to make a new plant from it, so put it in the ground and hope for it to root. Of course this approach is tricky, since there is a chance it won't work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think with a nice stake option 1 is most safe, your first picture, where we don't see the original stem looks like a very nice plant to me!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-10-11T11:02:56.167" LastActivityDate="2017-10-11T11:02:56.167" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35781" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35766" CreationDate="2017-10-11T13:21:19.410" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;No way you can train this plant to hold itself upright. In nature, philodendrons are crawling on the jungle's floor and climbing onto other trees...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you could try is to plant it around another supportive plant. But for this you will need a bigger pot for both plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stake option is good. you could even have some place where the stake goes all the way up to the ceiling. I saw this by a friend: she uses her philodendron as a kind of wall to separate the room in two smaller spaces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-10-11T13:50:32.733" LastActivityDate="2017-10-11T13:50:32.733" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35782" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35761" CreationDate="2017-10-11T17:33:32.833" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-suculents/scgen/cactus-going-soft.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Why is My Cactus Going Soft?&lt;/a&gt; is an article on the Gardening Know How website. It has some pertinent information about this problem for you to read. The following is a quote from part of that article.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Cactus Problems with Fungal and Bacterial Diseases: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Bacteria and fungus are introduced to the plant from openings in the flesh. The open areas may be from insect or animal activity, damage from inanimate objects or heavy weather, such as hail. The action of injury isn’t important, but the damage from fungal spores or bacteria is crucial. Warm, moist conditions accelerate the production of fungi spores and increase bacterial production. Once the organism takes hold in your plant, you will see soft, mushy cactus. Symptoms to watch for include small sunken spots, discolored scabs, round soft areas surrounded by fruiting bodies, and black or other colored dots on the surface of the cacti skin. You may even notice some oozing of your cactus plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Treating Cactus Rot Issues:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Cactus problems that have gotten into the root usually result in a slowly dying plant, while topical issues in the upper body can be treated easily. Most cacti respond well to excising the diseased tissue. Use a sharp sterile knife to dig out the damaged flesh and allow the hole to dry out. Don’t water overhead as the wound closes.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;If the damage has infected the roots, there is very little you can do. You can try to repot the plant, removing diseased soil and replacing it with sterile soil. You should wash the roots off well before replanting in fresh potting medium. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A soft, mushy cactus can also be saved by taking cuttings and letting them root for a fresh new plant. Allow the cutting to callus over for a few days before you insert it into sand. Rooting the cutting may take several weeks. This method of propagation will produce a healthy cactus that is the same as the parent plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17993" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-10-11T23:47:45.567" LastActivityDate="2017-10-11T23:47:45.567" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35783" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-12T00:25:13.393" Score="3" ViewCount="804" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got some basil plants outside (Spicy Globe Bush), which have gone to seed. I'm wondering if there's any chance the seeds will survive a northern (USA) winter and germinate next year. Is there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-23T19:02:36.760" LastActivityDate="2017-11-23T19:02:36.760" Title="Will freezing kill basil seeds?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35784" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-12T06:09:22.443" Score="4" ViewCount="588" Body="&lt;p&gt;Growing in October, the weather is warm; this is in the Northwest Georgia area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wh50A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19980" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-10-12T17:08:46.913" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T17:08:46.913" Title="Anyone know what this flower is?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35784" CreationDate="2017-10-12T07:49:00.107" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Its a Wishbone Flower. I found it after searching for about an hour. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19980" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T07:49:00.107" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35787" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35783" CreationDate="2017-10-12T08:40:33.927" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should harvest the seed and keep in a cold but less freezing place (shelter, car box).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is in any case good to change place of the basil, and it will also simplify spring work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I would harvest now the seeds, keep in cold, and in late winter I would pot them (e.g. in your house). Only later, I would put in full soil.  This also helps you to have earlier basil leaves. The plant in any case endure the entire season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T08:40:33.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35788" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-12T12:12:46.177" Score="3" ViewCount="429" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm wanting to put together air plant (Tillandsia) terrariums and hanging decor for gifts. I'll be making 8-9, and want each one to look different. I read on a Google search you can use silicone glue/sealant to glue them onto wood and rocks. Is there a type of wood that works best?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions on glues? And will the silicone based kind damage or harm the plants in any way? If so, is there a safe plant based option, or DIY kind you can make?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also see decorative and colored sands and dried moss used quite often. Will either option be safe to use? Or is it only sustainable for a short period of time (meant for temporary decor)? What's the best way to go about making them in a manner that whomever I give them to has the least amount of care possible; Not having to transplant, weeks or months later, but still appear decorative and colorful?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T15:53:32.527" Title="Mounting Air Plants and commonly used terrarium substrate safeness" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;terrarium&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35789" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35790" CreationDate="2017-10-12T13:25:43.280" Score="3" ViewCount="239" Body="&lt;p&gt;This spring I planted a narrow-leaved prunus laurocerasus (it could be Otto Lycken cultivar, but I am not positive). It started well and strong. However, the summer in my area was very hot and dry, and the plant was visibly shaken throughout summer months - a lot of leaves dropping, new leaves appearing. At some point it even bloomed, so it was strong, but still confused, and it still looks as if suffered a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And about a month ago, a strange thing happened: New leaves started appearing from the base of the plant - and they are not narrow any more! They look like those from common prunus laurocerasus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have no clue what to do. Should I remove new leaves? Should I remove old leaves? Or should I just leave the plant as is and let the nature do the selection?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is overall present look of the plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(branches used to be full of narrow leaves - now there are just some at the tops; at the center of the lant you can see new wide leaves)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RrDWy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RrDWy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wide leaves at the base of the plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IdHyq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IdHyq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Narrow leaves at the top of the plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jdSBv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jdSBv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2017-10-15T11:36:02.243" Title="Narrow-leaved prunus laurocerasus wants to become wide-leaved! What to do?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35790" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35789" CreationDate="2017-10-12T14:31:23.120" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks to me like those wide leaves are coming off of sucker growth from rootstock that your narrow leafed tree was grafted onto. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the main body of your narrow leafed tree doesn't seem to be dead, and looks like it will come back. My advice is to leave it alone for a while to make sure the main tree (upper portion)is completely on the road to recovery, and then trim off those wide sucker leaves at the bottom.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T14:31:23.120" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35791" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35789" CreationDate="2017-10-12T14:43:29.507" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree that the wider leaved growth is coming off the rootstock, but you should remove it immediately,at the base, as close as you can get to the rootstock. Leaving that to grow will discourage the grafted part at the top from recovering and growing anew - growth off rootstocks is always stronger than that of the grafted part, and will take over and drown it out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps you did not water the plant sufficiently well - any new shrub or tree planted in spring and throughout its first two years will need regular water supplies (from you, if its not falling out of the sky often enough) and copious, frequent amounts if the weather is very hot and dry for any time period at all. Prunus laurocerasus (the rootstock) is extremely resilient, but the grafted part not so much. Keep it well watered next year too. This plant does well in shade or part shade, so if you planted it in a full sun position, it will need more attention to watering for the next year or so from spring up to end of October (assuming you're in the northern hemisphere).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Having done some research, Prunus laurocerasus 'Zeblid' (which is likely what your plant is) seems to be simply a sport of P. laurocerasus rather than a grafted plant. If that's the case,then I'm sorry to say that some genetic reversion may have taken place, caused by environmental stress, which would mean you've now got P. laurocerasus growing from the roots, and not 'Zeblid'. If that's the case, then cutting back the reverted growth should, in theory, encourage the 'Zeblid' part to grow - but it depends how much damage has been sustained as to whether it works or not. I'd cut back the reverted growth because I'd rather have 'Zeblid' or some other replacement shrub, not being a fan of P. laurocerasus, but that's your choice to make.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-15T11:36:02.243" LastActivityDate="2017-10-15T11:36:02.243" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35792" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33874" CreationDate="2017-10-12T15:50:46.513" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, I'm very torn- I may be able to make a better decision between the two IF you had a picture of the leaf straight on or looking down on to the leaf as the ones in the pic are slightly curled. I've posted pics below of two plants that it most similarly resembles the first few are of dog rose hips and the second few are of black Hawthorne or crateagus douglasii. I've attached webbed searched images with the most similarity to the pic you posted. When I blew up your pic I saw Thorne's. Another reason I've chosen these 2. Leaning more towards rose hips after second, third and fourth-guessing myself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dog rose hips plant and berries &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/csNme.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/csNme.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dog rose hips&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NYldr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NYldr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dog rose hips2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FA9mW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FA9mW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Berries of dog rose hips&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Black Hawthorne, pic one is of one in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1RpUm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1RpUm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Black Hawthorne&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HeDxG.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HeDxG.png&quot; alt=&quot;black Hawthorne&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps you or helps to restart the conversation to get you the answer your looking for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17631" LastEditorUserId="17631" LastEditDate="2017-10-12T15:55:58.407" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T15:55:58.407" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35793" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35788" CreationDate="2017-10-12T15:53:32.527" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your question is a little confusing but I think I can clear up some of your concerns.  Air plants are epiphytes, which means that their roots do not need soil or a substrate to grow.  In fact, their roots are typically pruned off when people sell them for ornamental purposes because they can acquire all their moisture and nutrient needs through their leaves.  Epiphytes are mostly from tropical and subtropical climates where they will grown on trees or even man made things like power lines.  They take in water from the air, dew, fog, rain etc. and thrive where it is moist.  They are very interesting and unique!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can use any wood to mount them to safely and I am sure silicone glue or even super glue (cyanoacrylate) will be safe.  However, part of taking care of air plants is a routine misting with water and ideally soaking them in water every week or two (depending on temperature, light exposure, humidity, variety etc), you'll want to consider how easy that will be to do if they are mounted to a permanent piece of wood or something.  I would suggest using copper wire, seashell or something decorative that the air plant can sit in without being glued to for convenience sake.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also something to consider is that if air plants don't dry out quickly, they are susceptible to rot.  They can hold a lot of water in their cup shaped leaves, some more than others.  For that reason you may not want to do a terrarium or use anything that will trap moisture like moss.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T15:53:32.527" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35794" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-12T16:29:14.417" Score="2" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia_japonica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Camellia japonica&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; 'Sweet Sensations' open two blooms on Oct 7, and a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia_sasanqua&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;C. sasanqua&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; 'Setsugekka' open two on Oct 10, with many more blooms to come. The temperatures here in Texas are still reaching 90 &amp;deg;F. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neither flower is remarkable, except both have perfume, very unusual for Camellias. (I am not computer literate so you would need to lookup pictures on the net .)  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are Camellias blooming anywhere else yet?  Most of the time I am hoping a January or February freeze does not kill the &lt;em&gt;C. japonica&lt;/em&gt; buds before they open. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-10-12T17:05:55.390" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T17:05:55.390" Title="Should Camellias bloom in the northern hemisphere in early October?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;fall-gardening&gt;&lt;camellia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35795" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35794" CreationDate="2017-10-12T16:38:18.980" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;No surprise that Camellia sasanqua is blooming now; depending on the particular cultivar,its bloom time in the northern hemisphere can be from fall through to winter, others a few in fall, more in late winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Camellia japonica, though occasionally showing one or two flowers in Fall, is a spring flowering one. But with climate change, and having had a cooler than usual September which warmed up towards the end of the month, I can testify to the fact that there is one here in West London,UK, round the  corner from me, in full flower at the moment, must have about 40 blooms. Probably won't be any left for spring, unfortunately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also apple blossom appearing on some trees now...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T16:38:18.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35796" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35804" CreationDate="2017-10-12T17:09:31.453" Score="2" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;What kind of fruit is shown in the pictures below?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/537im.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/537im.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;a picture of an unknown fruit 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yrcks.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yrcks.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;a picture of an unknown fruit 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19986" LastActivityDate="2017-10-13T03:27:09.153" Title="what kind of fruit is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35797" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35352" CreationDate="2017-10-12T17:39:56.257" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are a few of my thoughts.  The salt under fabric isn't going to help your cause.  If you put mulch on top of fabric, within a year, that mulch will turn to compost aka a perfect place for weed seed germination.  The fabric if done properly would prevent weed seeds from within the soil from getting through, therefore the salt would be unnecessary in that case anyway.  I NEVER encourage people to use fabric with mulch.  The only time fabric is acceptable in my opinion is if you are putting gravel or river stone down, and even then it's never going to completely eliminate your weed problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So here are some options&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you chose to/already have put fabric down with mulch on top, then you will want to re-mulch that area probably every year forever or the weeds will come back with a vengeance.  No need to salt the earth prior&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you really want mulch and not gravel, then either manually remove weeds, or use a chemical to kill them (only if manual removal is unreasonable).  Then put a thick layer of mulch on top along with annual or biannual reapplication.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is what I would do.  Use a string trimmer to cut the weeds down to the ground.  Lay a good quality landscape fabric for use under gravel.  Put gravel on top, a nice thick layer, 3-4&quot; (tan pea gravel is my favorite by far).  Since gravel doesn't turn to humus, it will be much better at discouraging weed growth long term, however the weeds will always find a way.  Your first line of defense is to blow off any leaves, soil, mulch or any organic matter that tries to settle into the gravel.  My favorite tool by far for managing gravel driveways is a flame weeder.  Basically, it's a more mellow flame thrower that you can purchase very inexpensively.  When weeds show up, you burn them down.  It's quick, easy, fun, cheaper than chemicals and also nontoxic.  It kills existing weeds and can also discourage future growth by destroying dormant seeds near the surface.  I find that flame weeding driveways only needs to happen about 2 to 3 times per growing season here in NC to keep your driveway weed free.  Boom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T17:39:56.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35798" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25331" CreationDate="2017-10-12T18:38:48.470" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Shorten their roots and cut from the top about one third from each leaf, then plant them 2-3 cm (1 inch) deeper than they were originally planted. It's best to separate them in March or in September-October keeping a portion of the disc for each fragment separated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T18:38:48.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35799" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="25331" CreationDate="2017-10-12T19:17:36.157" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just transplant them as is and that usually works.  Since they will grow from even a small bit of root, and most of the leave removed for cooking, they seem to be pretty resilient.  Some people find that they grow better when planted as a bunch rather than by themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they get into their second year, I let them flower and keep the seeds to plant from seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T19:17:36.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35800" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35796" CreationDate="2017-10-12T19:53:37.480" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like wild banana, where did you pluck it? In your garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T19:53:37.480" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35801" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35789" CreationDate="2017-10-12T21:46:31.120" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you desperately have to do is add a balanced fertilizer! Not compost or tea or fish emulsion...or epsom salts!  Balanced fertilizer. Just follow directions do not add more or less than the instructions.  I'd use OSMOCOTE 14-14-14, and only fertilize twice a year not 4. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remove all the weeds around the base on the surface of the soil.  Check to see the condition of the base or trunk(s). Woody shrubs will eventually die if buried too deeply; only the roots are underground, the bark of the trunk free from any mulch, weeds, soil, rocks so moisture is not allowed to stay on the bark to harbor bacteria that will girdle your trunk.  Use a balanced fertilizer with N P &amp;amp; K.  Your plant is not able to support any more leaves until it has fertilizer with which to make its own food.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Essentially, your plant is dumping photosynthetic factories.  If a plant does not have access to nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, iron, calcium, manganese, and about  dozen other micro 'nutrients'...it is unable to make its own food.  Your plant is starving.  It's own carbohydrate storage of food can not support any more leaves and the roots are probably compromised as well.  It has chosen to support just enough photosynthetic factories to survive, robbing Nitrogen from other leaves or rather mobilizing any nitrogen available to help out the failing factories left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I know the brand of Laurel you have but I am not going to try to spell it without looking it up...see what you think...Prunus laurocerasus Schipkaensis See what I mean with the spelling? &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.piedmontcarolina.com/wp-content/uploads/prunus-schipka.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Schipkaensis Laurel&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a better picture although this plant is in desperate need of fertilizer as well.  See the color in the first picture?  That is what your plant should look like, a bit lighter because you are in full sun but not this color.  Add 'Macrophylla' which means roughly 'I have fatter leaves than my cousins'? &lt;em&gt;Prunus laurocerasus Schipkaensis Macrophylla&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.esveld.nl/plantdias//85/85237.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Schip Laurel&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: Don't remove ANY leaves...yet. That plant is down to its last reserves.  Those factories, the green leaves are all that are supporting this plant, making the food necessary for all functions!  Without those factories you can forget about fertilizing.  Fertilizer are critical chemicals those factories need to convert sunlight into food...food for the plant itself. Without factories you won't need support supplies. Don't take those factories off just yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-10-12T23:19:29.310" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T23:19:29.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19624" CreationDate="2017-10-12T23:46:17.930" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sometimes, as much as 1/3 of the fruits needs to be eliminated in order for the rest to do well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14078" LastActivityDate="2017-10-12T23:46:17.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35804" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35796" CreationDate="2017-10-13T03:27:09.153" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The person who bought it said it's cocoa.&#xA;You only eat the beans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some images of cocoa on Google: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=cocoa&amp;amp;client=safari&amp;amp;rls=en&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwj24fCG0-zWAhUqslQKHXy7DR4Q_AUICygC&amp;amp;biw=1439&amp;amp;bih=962&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.google.com/search?q=cocoa&amp;amp;client=safari&amp;amp;rls=en&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwj24fCG0-zWAhUqslQKHXy7DR4Q_AUICygC&amp;amp;biw=1439&amp;amp;bih=962&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19986" LastActivityDate="2017-10-13T03:27:09.153" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35805" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-13T06:32:52.570" Score="2" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need help identifying an insect, it is very small, not much bigger than the head of a pin, it is black. It kind of resembles a slug because it has the true small antennas. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was originally on a Golden barrel and a &lt;em&gt;Mammillaria mystax&lt;/em&gt; cactus. Now it is on my Panda plant. I had originally thought I had removed the infestation, as it comes to find out I had not. I have removed it now. I've now gotten a picture of what I believe is an adult insect. Again anyone know what kind of insect this is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/du8xS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/du8xS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;insect inside small bug, highlighted in red circle&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19961" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-10-22T17:51:11.127" LastActivityDate="2017-10-22T17:51:11.127" Title="What is this tiny black insect found on my cacti?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35806" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33874" CreationDate="2017-10-13T06:39:05.860" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this image of a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_pensylvanica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pin cherries&lt;/a&gt;:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8GRXr.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8GRXr.png&quot; alt=&quot;pin cherries&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gettystewart.com/red-berries-edible-or-not-edible/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;from here&lt;/a&gt;, whose leaves have strong resemblance with the one of the original question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pin cherries are not commonly planted in backyards, but they can be found across the prairies in parks, along river banks and in other undisturbed areas where there is plenty of sunlight.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Berry are different (rounder), but the similarity makes me think this plant could be of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;prunus genus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It could be a cultivar derived from pin cherries (&lt;em&gt;Prunus Pensylvanica&lt;/em&gt;): it grows in cold US climate, so it usually is tricked to believe spring is here when GB winter is not cool enough... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15012" LastActivityDate="2017-10-13T06:39:05.860" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35807" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-13T06:49:25.663" Score="0" ViewCount="240" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what type of chilli plant is this? My uncle gave this plant to me back in July this year and he said he thought it was a Thai fire chilli. I have a chilli plant that I identified as a Thai fire chilli and the leaves are not that big. It has not started to flower yet. Below are some photos I took today. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/behGf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/behGf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19988" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-10-13T10:02:49.313" LastActivityDate="2017-10-13T10:02:49.313" Title="What is this chilli plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35808" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35811" CreationDate="2017-10-13T11:04:40.757" Score="5" ViewCount="147" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have banana plants in my back yard, one of which has produced a nice heart. The bananas should be ripe in a month or so. My house and yard were flooded by Harvey. The category 3 floodwater that inundated my house and yard included stuff from multiple sewage plants upstream that were overtopped and possibly from two EPA superfund sites.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will my bananas be safe to eat? If not, will next year's bananas be safe to eat, or should I just cut them all down?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19989" LastActivityDate="2017-10-18T21:00:21.013" Title="Are my bananas safe to eat after being flooded by Harvey?" Tags="&lt;banana&gt;&lt;toxicity&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35809" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-13T13:24:20.930" Score="2" ViewCount="117" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just made the mistake of purchasing a plastic seed sieve.  I've only used it a couple of times, and already regret not purchasing a larger metal one - but they were so much more expensive. I've decided to give it a go and call it a learning experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My biggest problem is that there's a lot of static electricity that builds up on the plastic and the both the seeds and chaff stick to it.  Any tricks to preventing this from happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2021-05-28T18:36:47.970" LastActivityDate="2021-05-28T18:36:47.970" Title="How to limit static electricity on my new seed sieve?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35810" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-13T18:15:01.083" Score="7" ViewCount="1018" Body="&lt;p&gt;We are designing a courtyard with a knee wall that would be run between lawn and brick patio. The idea is to define the space and to provide a comfortable place to sit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is an old house on an odd lot, and there are virtually no right angles in sight. So I thought we might embrace the irregularities and use a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crinkle_crankle_wall&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;crinkle crankle wall (serpentine wall)&lt;/a&gt; to dispel any notion of square. My concern is that it might not be strong enough to handle a bunch of people sitting on it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen the ones at UVa but they were all too high for sitting on as far as I recall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, can these walls bear the weight of a few humans?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DZXy1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DZXy1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;UVa walls&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="16224" LastEditDate="2017-10-16T07:15:55.340" LastActivityDate="2017-10-16T22:53:43.750" Title="Would a Crinkle Crankle (Serpentine) Wall be strong enough to sit on?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;hard-landscape&gt;&lt;wall&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35811" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35808" CreationDate="2017-10-13T18:49:32.870" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pathogenic e-coli are known to be able to reach the tissue of some vegetable plants which is why it's not recommended to use raw manure as a fertiliser, but I'm not aware that anyone has ever detected pathogenic bacteria getting into the roots of trees and making their way into fruit. They might get blown onto the skin so one might wash the fruits after picking them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://inspectapedia.com/septic/Septic_Food_Contamination.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://inspectapedia.com/septic/Septic_Food_Contamination.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-10-13T18:49:32.870" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35812" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35809" CreationDate="2017-10-13T19:13:43.670" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;An ionizer might help neutralise static charges building up on plastic surfaces but this sounds uneconomic. You can't drain static from a plastic surface to ground.  You need to replace with a metal sieve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.electrostatics.com/staticelectricity.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.electrostatics.com/staticelectricity.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-10-13T19:13:43.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35813" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35818" CreationDate="2017-10-13T19:21:01.440" Score="4" ViewCount="2035" Body="&lt;p&gt;How to tell with great certainty if an Acer is platanoides or pseudoplatanus, if we are sure it is one of the two?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are the pictures of my five maples' leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, all together:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mfew2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mfew2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Acer 1:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WQ0ND.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WQ0ND.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Acer 2:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y4Bys.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y4Bys.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Acer 3:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XQxJZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XQxJZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Acer 4:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/atTsW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/atTsW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Acer 5:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eySzp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eySzp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-05-02T12:58:51.633" LastActivityDate="2018-05-02T12:58:51.633" Title="Acer platanoides vs Acer pseudoplatanus" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="35814" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-13T19:35:24.563" Score="5" ViewCount="222" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm interested how to prune correctly or the best way a citrus tree.&#xA;I can give an example of an indoor orange tree. Would it be ok to trim the left branch until the bottom leaf you can see in the image and the other branches by one third? I live in the temperate climate. In the winter I've kept the tree in a cool room and in the summer outside. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/upKT5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/upKT5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Orange tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19990" LastEditorUserId="19990" LastEditDate="2017-10-13T20:00:45.940" LastActivityDate="2019-04-25T11:13:04.207" Title="How to prune a citrus tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35815" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35820" CreationDate="2017-10-13T23:45:17.127" Score="3" ViewCount="1739" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got an oak tree. Within the last 2-3 weeks I've observed two growths on the base of the tree that started from nothing to what you see below. They're a fungus or mushroom of some sort. They're solid structures, but if you look closely you can see fuzz on the tree itself where they meet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My plan was to call someone on Monday, but I'm not entirely sure who. An arborist? Before I do call though, I'm trying to get as much information on this as I can, because I know it can range from being treatable to being dangerous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas? Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5zdGY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5zdGY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YrhMO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YrhMO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lpAQv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lpAQv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aF1pe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aF1pe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19991" LastEditorUserId="19991" LastEditDate="2017-10-14T12:44:32.857" LastActivityDate="2017-10-14T12:44:32.857" Title="What is this fungus/mushroom on my oak tree?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;oak&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35817" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35815" CreationDate="2017-10-14T04:20:59.253" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Mushrooms or large fungi growing from the sides of trees like this indicate that there may be internal rot which is providing food for the fungus. Healthy trees produce fungicides to inhibit the growth of fungi which is why you normally wait a few weeks after felling an oak tree or cutting off a branch before attempting to inoculate with oyster or shiitake mushroom mycellium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, arborist is the right call. And if the tree needs to come down, you're going to be able to grow a heap of mushrooms for years to come!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-10-14T04:20:59.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35813" CreationDate="2017-10-14T07:31:55.950" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leafs are different. I recognize the difference between them because the &lt;em&gt;pseudoplatanus&lt;/em&gt; usually has red petioles (leaf stalks), and the leaf seems a bit darker then &lt;em&gt;platanoides&lt;/em&gt;. The leafs of &lt;em&gt;platanoides&lt;/em&gt; also seem to be more 'spiky' compared to &lt;em&gt;pseudoplatanus&lt;/em&gt;, like more sharper points, and more points. It (&lt;em&gt;platanoides&lt;/em&gt;) looks more like the real &lt;em&gt;Platanus&lt;/em&gt; leaf (the tree they were both named after, obviously). I think in your first figure the difference is best depicted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-10-14T07:31:55.950" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35819" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30509" CreationDate="2017-10-14T08:33:15.883" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a red habanero chilli. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19988" LastActivityDate="2017-10-14T08:33:15.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35815" CreationDate="2017-10-14T09:46:06.550" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know a question or three like this been answered before, but I can't locate them, unfortunately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a shelf or bracket fungus (as we call them in the UK) and I'm sorry to say its presence spells death for your tree. It's the fruiting body of mycelium already at work within the tree, and those mycelium will have been there some time before this appears.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An arborist is essential to check if the tree is safe at the moment, though you may have a little time before it becomes a matter of urgency that the tree should be removed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-14T10:21:14.610" LastActivityDate="2017-10-14T10:21:14.610" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35821" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35813" CreationDate="2017-10-14T09:51:13.890" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The other answer is correct - Norway maple leaves do have more spiky bits at the leaf margins and the obvious red petioles. In your own photograph, the Norway maple is on the left and the sycamore on the right, but also, if possible, check the samaras or keys in pairs, not singly. The pairs are held at a more horizontal angle with Norway maple, whereas sycamore samaras droop down either side rather more, which is clearly illustrated in the Mathilde Cinq-Mars illustration you've already displayed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-14T10:23:41.473" LastActivityDate="2017-10-14T10:23:41.473" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35822" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35810" CreationDate="2017-10-14T12:44:01.100" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not a mason, but my general inclination is that a single row of bricks without some reinforcement (rebar through brick at regular intervals) wouldn't be strong enough. I realize they are curved which does give the wall a certain type of structure (I forget what it's called), but I think there's also load issue (perhaps thinking of it as torque helps).  In any case, if it can support one human, it can support many humans.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, I worry that sitting on a ledge that thin isn't going to be comfortable for very long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-10-14T12:44:01.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35813" CreationDate="2017-10-14T16:11:03.617" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use the angle of the helicopter seeds, and the time of flowering:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Acer pseudoplatanus: angle nearly 90 degree and it blooms after growing some leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Acer platanoides: angle more then 90 degrees, but less then 180 degrees, it blooms before the first leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I have Acer campester which has the angles around 180 degrees, and Acer opalus with angles less then 90 degrees. But such trees are also different in habits and trunks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2017-10-15T09:56:56.043" LastActivityDate="2017-10-15T09:56:56.043" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35824" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-14T16:14:46.257" Score="4" ViewCount="1252" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am new to gardening and I have planted tomato and pepper plants. They make flowers but they drop them and they are not making any vegetable.  Any idea what could be reason? I am in the city so I shake plants a bit for pollination like I watched on Internet as we do not have bees.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8qVHZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8qVHZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;inmage1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GkzcV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GkzcV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sAhL5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sAhL5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tMxTF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tMxTF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YTA41.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YTA41.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17771" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-10-14T16:56:19.310" LastActivityDate="2017-10-14T17:04:27.217" Title="Tomatoes and pepper plants dropping flowers" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35825" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35824" CreationDate="2017-10-14T17:04:27.217" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the way water stays at the surface it seems that the soil is very compacted. Irregular watering makes your flowers drop, as tomatoes and peppers don't like drought or too much water. I recommend that you water them every day with enough water for 24 hours, trying not to overwater because compacted soil aggravates the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be best if you could loosen the soil a bit using a fork, but be careful not to touch the roots. Also, there are too many flowers on each plant and you need to keep only a few of them. There is not enough soil for every flower to become a fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-10-14T17:04:27.217" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35826" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35471" CreationDate="2017-10-14T17:04:56.993" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like some kind of native aster or woodland goldenrod.  It is not necessary to pull it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-10-14T17:04:56.993" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35827" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-14T18:06:12.880" Score="3" ViewCount="368" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an orange tree that is planted in a pot. As it has gotten bigger, it has started to lean and now i am getting concerned. I don't want the weight of the oranges to pull it down. How can I stake the tree without hurting it or its roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19993" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-16T15:02:43.843" LastActivityDate="2017-11-16T15:02:43.843" Title="Staking an Orange Tree" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;staking&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35829" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35810" CreationDate="2017-10-15T13:17:12.313" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know if it would support the weight of a number of people, or even one, (though I suspect not) but it's unlikely to be an issue, because anyone perching on it won't stay there long, it'd be far too uncomfortable. Most dual purpose low walls  are built wide enough to take a 9 inch flat paving slab on top (though they can be wider than that), on top of which the owner rests cushions for when visitors are there. There's no reason why it can't be a curved wall, although it won't be so easy to slab the top, but the crinkle  crankle design wouldn't work for that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-10-15T13:17:12.313" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35830" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-15T16:02:56.727" Score="6" ViewCount="3247" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a space in our house where we would like to put plants in, however, the closest window is about 15ft away and only from one side. I was wondering if adding mirrors, to the darker side to reflect the light, would help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19999" LastActivityDate="2017-10-17T15:33:34.733" Title="Will reflected light, from a mirror, work on plants?" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35831" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-15T16:50:49.610" Score="3" ViewCount="73" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small backyard - around 100 square meters. I want to use a part of it to plant some fruit trees. What fruit trees should I pick in order to get the maximal amount of edible fruits per year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following information may be relevant: the garden is in a hilly region, about 800 meters above sea level. The temperatures in the winter (in celsius) are about 5-15, with about three extreme nights where the temperature at night is below 0. The temperatures in the summer are about 20-30. The humidity is about 70% and there is a fair amount of rain, but I am going to have a computerized watering system. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: here is a plan of the garden. The garden is green and the house is blue. The numbers are in centimeters. The black discs are sewer covers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tSfiQ.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tSfiQ.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2748" LastEditorUserId="2748" LastEditDate="2017-10-21T16:28:27.630" LastActivityDate="2017-10-21T16:28:27.630" Title="How to maximize the fruit yield in a small garden" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35832" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-15T17:57:49.800" Score="6" ViewCount="196" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am surrounded by woods and have been bagging leaves and dumping in the surrounding woods. I also have used baggers to cut unwanted grass if it looks as if it's going to seed.I recently purchased a new lawn tractor and must either purchase a bagger or a powerful leaf blower. The leaves are very thick. The leaf blower would probably be faster, but the bagger offers, if I am correct about the value of bagging unwanted grass, an additional advantage. Can anyone send me an opinion. It would be greatly appreciated. Having both would be ideal but expensive.&#xA;Thanks&#xA;Mark A. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20001" LastActivityDate="2017-10-17T13:37:13.553" Title="Bagger or leaf blower?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35833" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-15T18:55:09.400" Score="3" ViewCount="4284" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know this is supposed to be incredibly easy, but I have been trying to propagate various pothos varieties for years without success, and cannot figure out what I'm doing wrong. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried with variegated, golden, silver and neon pothos. I've tried cutting and placing in a cup of water, planting the stem into soil and keeping it moist, and laying it on top of moist soil so the end isn't covered. I remove the bottom few leaves so there are a few inches of bare stem with root nodes. I make sure I replace the water so it doesn't get stagnant. If it's in soil, I make sure there's good drainage. I've tried rooting hormone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No matter what I do, every single cutting rots. What on earth am I doing wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19334" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-10-18T21:22:42.803" LastActivityDate="2017-10-24T19:59:16.027" Title="What method should I use to have success propagating pothos?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;rot&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35834" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35833" CreationDate="2017-10-15T20:02:11.040" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;How big are your cuttings? Best thing to do is just take one node and leaf, and let it root in water. Do it for all the node/leafs you have taken from the plant. Important factors are light and temperature, they need indirect light and warmth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a nice video &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpmdo_0CZrU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; on youtube, the first part is about propagation, the second part about the hydroculture this guy is using or selling. I like my plants in real soil, so that's not really my interest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope it will work out for you soon.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-10-15T20:02:11.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35835" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35833" CreationDate="2017-10-15T21:43:25.877" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have any trouble rooting cuttings of these, but what I do is absolutely not the recommended procedure. I use a cutting about 6/7inches long, strip off the leaves except for the top two or three, then put it in a small bottle of ordinary tap water, like an empty, disposable small size bottle of mineral water, stand it on the windowsill (preferably not a sunny windowsill) and keep the water level topped up for as long as it takes. I never change the water, just top it up, making sure the bottom inch or so of the cutting is always submerged, and somewhere between 2-6 weeks, roots form, then I pot it up into new, good potting soil. They're usually quicker to root in spring than in fall, but they do still form roots eventually. I'm in the UK, though, and whether there's anything different with our tapwater compared to yours, I don't know, and that might make a difference, but it's worth trying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have never once failed with this method, even though its not supposed to be the way to do it according to the gardening books; luckily, though, plants can't read....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-15T22:39:29.750" LastActivityDate="2017-10-15T22:39:29.750" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="16197" CreationDate="2017-10-16T02:32:38.817" Score="-3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe what you have is Hercules club&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20006" LastActivityDate="2017-10-16T02:32:38.817" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35837" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-16T05:52:53.333" Score="3" ViewCount="3831" Body="&lt;p&gt;The growth of my peace lily has stunted. Should I fertilize my peace lily with humic acid? Can it substitute NPK? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I brought this plant home 4 months back, when it was new to our home. Its  growth was marvelous (3-4 leaves per month),  but with the passage of time its growth slowed down by a great extent, to hardly 1 leaf in a month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It receives copious amount of light, and the humidity is doing fine at 60%. I allow the soil to dry between watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After seeing slow growth I repotted it last month, in a new pot with 2 inches larger diameter then the previous pot. It didn't show any sign of transplant shock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The root system was healthy, the soil is very well drained, and the pot has several holes at bottom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cant figure out the problem. The plant is not doing very well even though everything seems good. To me it looks healthy, but the growth is very slow and the tips are getting brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TeggH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TeggH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;brown tips&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mvtKt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mvtKt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;whole plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16887" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-10-16T20:05:54.013" LastActivityDate="2018-10-24T22:35:21.707" Title="What has caused stunted growth of my Peace lily?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35838" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35832" CreationDate="2017-10-16T07:40:31.460" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are best staying with a VACUUM or a bagger.  Dumping chopped up leaves and grass clippings in the natural area is a good thing.  Always keep your piles thin.  A leaf blower is best as a backpack gas blower all by itself.  I couldn't live without my backpack blower. Get a separate gas powered backpack blower.  You will never regret the expenditure!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-10-16T07:40:31.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35839" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35830" CreationDate="2017-10-16T07:47:14.330" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it should work. White should also work (theoretically), and I know that for some fruits (melons) aluminium sheets are used, &quot;to enlighten the dark side&quot;. These two last methods have the advantage that the light is diffused (instead of being converged in few points). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sun is &quot;diffuse&quot; but strong, and mirror will just simulate it. On the other hand, the plant will not receive so much sun (farther for windows, less time to get direct sun to the plant), so the plant could be not be customized to receive so strong sun light (and in few points).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-10-16T07:47:14.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35840" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35830" CreationDate="2017-10-16T08:56:52.570" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not going to help. As the sun apparently moves across the sky you're going to have to track where the sun light falls into the room and position mirrors to focus the reflection on your plants. You would need something like a heliostat. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.fastcompany.com/1680592/a-mirror-system-that-brings-sunlight-into-the-darkest-corner-of-your-home&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sunflower Home Heliostat&lt;/a&gt; is a good example of what I mean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Better to get plants that don't require much sunlight for that corner of the room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-10-17T15:33:34.733" LastActivityDate="2017-10-17T15:33:34.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35841" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35810" CreationDate="2017-10-16T09:50:52.487" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;A linear brick wall is strong in compression but resists lateral forces poorly. The serpentine wall attempts to overcome that with its curvature so that it provides as much strength as a linear two brick wall but uses far fewer bricks to build.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However that strength comes at a cost in that the convex portions of the wall are strong, but the concave portions are weaker in resisting lateral forces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So it's likely to support several people at a time, but they should mount and dismount from a convex surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's another practical issue in that it's much harder to construct than a linear wall since you're not following a string line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.m-a.org.uk/pdf/equals_18_1.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.m-a.org.uk/pdf/equals_18_1.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-10-16T09:50:52.487" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35843" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35837" CreationDate="2017-10-16T12:00:33.883" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I beg to differ - now you've added a photograph, your plant looks to be doing just fine, apart from the yellow/brown tip, which is something you asked about previously. The fact that its growth rate may have slowed down is inevitable, no permanent (as opposed to, say a crop or vegetable) plant just keeps on thrusting out loads of new leaves every week. As the plant gets larger, growth rate slows down, and in particular, if you are in the northern hemisphere, changes in daylight levels will be affecting it, even if the plant is indoors. Light level changes and daylight length are perfectly natural events which allow a plant to rest a bit during winter months, although houseplants may still put out a new leaf or two during that time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Humic acid is essentially a soil conditioner - if you are not fertilizing your plants, then something like Baby Bio houseplant food added to the water when you do water will be perfect,but actually, your plant is essentially healthy and growing well. The problem appears to be your expectations regarding its growth rather than a problem with the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check the rootball in spring - if it needs it, pot up into a larger pot again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I've just noticed that there's a brown part in the centre towards the right, might be an aborted, now dead new leaf, or part of a dead stem. Also some shredding of a couple of leaves round the edges, which looks more like physical damage than anything else. Regarding the brown part, I'm not sure what it is, but if it's an aborted new leaf, perhaps your watering regime needs adjusting. Also bear in mind, when you repot next, try to find a pot that isn't so much narrower towards the bottom - it just means you'll need to pot on sooner because it reduces the space available for root growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2018-10-24T22:35:21.707" LastActivityDate="2018-10-24T22:35:21.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="35845" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-16T17:39:05.673" Score="3" ViewCount="425" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to identify this African violet variety.  It has a tubular flower, and is striped white and purple.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rdlzp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rdlzp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;[&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20010" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-10-16T22:00:59.567" LastActivityDate="2017-10-16T22:00:59.567" Title="What is this variety of African violet, which has a tubular white with purple flower?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;african-violets&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35846" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35845" CreationDate="2017-10-16T18:24:14.110" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not an African violet/Saintpaulia,though it is a relative - its Deinostigma tamiana, sometimes called Vietnamese violet. It remains quite small, flowers frequently, and its care regime is the same as that for African violet. Further information here &lt;a href=&quot;http://everbloominghouseplants.com/primulina-tamiana-vietnamese-violet&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://everbloominghouseplants.com/primulina-tamiana-vietnamese-violet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-10-16T18:24:14.110" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35847" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35810" CreationDate="2017-10-16T21:09:21.380" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, a Crinkle Crankle Serpentine wall that has no other job to do such as hold back soil and is only 15-18&quot; high, has a decent foundation of compacted gravel and a foot deep concrete foundation and the units are mortared together will be able to support human weight...you won't need to double it at all unless you actually want people to be comfortable, have a place to set their plates of food and drinks.  The difference in price for a crinkle crankle serpentine double wall and cap and a cmu garden wall not including the labor to construct a serpentine wall is huge.  I'll go check out the difference but I'd still need more information; drainage, surcharge, how to get a 'cap' on a small serpentine wall only doubled (or spaced with fill inbetween).  I am guessing a small serpentine wall with custom caps, doubled walls will infill will be at least 3X more expensive.  You could hope for a 1' wide wall.  Concrete masonry unit (CMU) is 2' by 2&quot; by 2' in length each.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The simple answer is yes, that wall as long as it is mortared can be used for human butts and weight. Good luck anyone would chose to sit on that wall without a cap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And even a serpentine wall done well will enact a straight line.  Otherwise, you could go nuts with erratic radii, a curved line of build that is also erratic.  Just do the foundation correctly, allow no surcharge or build up of soil on one side making this a free standing nonsensical crazy wall to go with your free form home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did a Dr. Suess landscape once.  You know, Dr. Suess and the cartoons?  We had huge cranes to fit huge weird trees into the landscape and built a kid's playhouse that looked like a hobbit home, and serpentine walls made of ledger stone.  Very short walls, that came off the hobbit home.  Lots and lots of money in Seattle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="16406" LastEditDate="2017-10-16T22:53:43.750" LastActivityDate="2017-10-16T22:53:43.750" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35848" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35814" CreationDate="2017-10-17T13:25:09.320" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is it that you would like to achieve with pruning? Is it esthetic, or to get your tree to grow taller? Or fuller? Does this plant carry any fruit yet, or is it still too young?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyways, for esthetic reasons I would prune the left branch completely. To the stem of the plant. If you want the plant to become larger and fuller (in order to develop fruits?), then I would suggest to not prune it yet, but put it in a larger container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Furthermore, the time of pruning is also important, especially when your plant develops fruits already. If you live in the Northern hemisphere, probably the best time to prune should be early spring (Feb-Apr).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-10-17T13:25:09.320" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35849" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35832" CreationDate="2017-10-17T13:37:13.553" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;MULCH those leaves!  I lived in a lot that had so many leaves that I had to mow the lawn in four directions to shred the leaves every weekend for a month, every year.  It is free food for your lawn.  As long as 50% of the grass blades can see the light, it will be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first year I did this, I was a little reluctant because I had so many leaves covering the ground.  You wouldn't believe what it looked like pre-winter.  Every nook and cranny of the grass bed was filled with shredded leaf debris.  I was scared it would smother the lawn.  Oh no - it turned into compost and my lawn loved me for it.  It also left a wonderful smell in the air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2174" LastActivityDate="2017-10-17T13:37:13.553" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35850" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="13822" CreationDate="2017-10-17T17:27:49.233" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please look at this picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/g8DGs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(photo credit: thinkaholic.com)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems your samaras very close to samaras of &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Acer Pseudoplatanus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; (also known as &lt;em&gt;&quot;sycamore acer&quot;&lt;/em&gt;), but also very close to the &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Acer Tatiaricum's&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; samaras.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, take a look at &lt;a href=&quot;http://mohsho.image.coocan.jp/Esamara1.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-10-18T18:51:30.593" LastActivityDate="2017-10-18T18:51:30.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35851" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35856" CreationDate="2017-10-17T23:03:18.970" Score="5" ViewCount="23134" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a pineapple plant. Some leaves died. Tips of others died too. But, as you can see in the picture, most of it is green. It has been this way for months, and no new leaves grow. Is it dead? If not, what should I do to encourage growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BDmFg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BDmFg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15637" LastActivityDate="2020-11-20T18:41:38.877" Title="Is this pineapple plant dead?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;growth&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35852" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-18T04:00:56.423" Score="4" ViewCount="93" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the name of this plant with small leaves? Is it bad for my palm? Should I keep it or remove it? Or can I replant it into another pot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6DIfX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6DIfX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my palm&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20015" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-10-18T15:17:25.987" Title="What is this plant with rosette leaf arrangement that grew beside my palm?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;palm&gt;&lt;volunteer&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35853" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35851" CreationDate="2017-10-18T06:57:14.637" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I by far am not an expert, this is more of an opinion than advice. I would prune it back, chop off all the dead. My Aunt says dead leaves sucke the life out of a healthy plant. Maybe do a quick Google search of what type of fertilizer would be good for it, to give it a boost. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19961" LastActivityDate="2017-10-18T06:57:14.637" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35854" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33614" CreationDate="2017-10-18T08:06:03.877" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have so many Gulmohar  around, I wouldn't start with seeds or cuttings, but I would dig out a small tree (sapling of ~2-3 year old). Depending on how big you would like to make your bonsai, you can take a sapling that has a firm stem already, let's say a stem of 2-3 cm (1 inch) in diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then, start trimming the plant into your favorite form and also trim the roots, before putting it in a bonsai pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are instructions on internet of how to do this with other species, for example &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4_JLdRVoqA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-10-18T08:06:03.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35855" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35852" CreationDate="2017-10-18T09:29:36.143" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't recognise it currently, but if there's any chance it's something you might want to keep, extract it carefully now, keeping the roots as intact as possible without damaging the roots of the palm, and pot it up separately. All the time its growing there, its stealing a tiny amount of  nutrients and water from the palm, but worse, the roots are getting larger and intertwining with the palm roots - if its something you want, you won't be able to extract it successfully later, and if its something you don't want, it'll be difficult to get all the roots out so it doesn't  grow again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The likelihood is, it's something you don't want, but either way, it needs to come out of that pot now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-10-18T09:29:36.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35856" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35851" CreationDate="2017-10-18T09:40:47.623" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's  not dead at all - but there are some dead areas at the tips of the leaves, and what looks like one completely dead leaf. Trim off the dead areas and the dead leaf,but don't prune. These plants grow from the centre, and if you're in the northern hemisphere, it will now rest and not do very much. Even indoors, though, it needs as much as sun as it can get, but should not be anywhere near a heat source like a radiator or fire. As far as watering goes, only water when the surface of the potting soil feels dry to the touch, and water well, emptying away any excess water in an outer tray or pot after 30 minutes, never leave it sitting in water. Further information here, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.todayshomeowner.com/how-to-grow-pineapples-as-houseplants/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.todayshomeowner.com/how-to-grow-pineapples-as-houseplants/&lt;/a&gt; - the bit you're interested in is towards the end. You'll note the size of pot required, and the fact that these plants benefit from being outdoors during summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm rather curious as to the cause of the white lines or what look like scratch marks on some of the central leaves...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-18T09:46:24.540" LastActivityDate="2017-10-18T09:46:24.540" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35857" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-18T16:00:29.503" Score="3" ViewCount="121" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been planning on adding a mulch circle around my trees for a while now and have time to do it this weekend. I've been reading that you shouldn't butt the mulch directly against the tree, as the humidity can cause rot in the trunk. Looking at the trees however, I have several with roots that come back up out of the ground and are exposed. Does mulch present the same hazard to them? Should I avoid covering them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7103" LastEditorUserId="7103" LastEditDate="2017-10-18T16:10:32.447" LastActivityDate="2017-10-18T16:58:46.790" Title="Will mulch on top of exposed tree roots cause rot?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35858" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-18T16:03:14.737" Score="3" ViewCount="2401" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm considering adding mulch rings around my trees. I really don't want to spend all summer every year picking Weeds out of the mulch though. Would adding the black weed block cloth be problematic? I would assume this would negate some of the fertilization benefits of having the mulch ring in the first place, but thought I'd ask.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7103" LastEditorUserId="7103" LastEditDate="2017-10-18T16:13:53.573" LastActivityDate="2017-10-21T04:35:15.290" Title="Should I use weed block for a tree mulch ring?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35857" CreationDate="2017-10-18T16:58:46.790" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If they are large, buttress roots, no you shouldn't cover them. If they're smaller roots, you can put a thin layer of mulch over the top, but not thicker than around 1 inch, 2 inches as an absolute maximum - but it is dependent on what type of roots are above soil level, so a photo or two might be useful. Further information on this subject here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/will-soil-over-tree-roots-hurt-tree-2132816&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.thespruce.com/will-soil-over-tree-roots-hurt-tree-2132816&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-10-18T16:58:46.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35860" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35808" CreationDate="2017-10-18T21:00:21.013" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would not be concerned about the bacteria absorbed by the plant but rather any solvents, petroleum or heavy metal contamination that might have occurred in the water and then absorbed into the plant. Since it's not a huge crop of bananas, I would not be so concerned and if the plant and fruit did absorb some quantity of bad stuff, it won't kill you or make you sick from a one time use (at least short term). I would not eat crops irrigated regularly with contaminated water. Wash the fruit off well and enjoy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17993" LastActivityDate="2017-10-18T21:00:21.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34579" CreationDate="2017-10-19T08:03:26.210" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually Kumquat trees in pot are about &amp;lt; 1 m in height. In the far east they are put in front of the door to welcome you. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.nl/search?nord=1&amp;amp;dcr=0&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=971&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=1&amp;amp;q=kumquat%20tree&amp;amp;oq=kumquat%20tree&amp;amp;gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l10.2503.3267.0.3418.5.5.0.0.0.0.50.217.5.5.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.5.217...0i67k1.0.Vk95a7SSeSA#imgrc=SwaUg65nbkUepM:&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This&lt;/a&gt; is what an average Kumquat tree looks like in a pot, way shorter and more compact than your tree is now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason is probably, like Bamboo already said, not enough sunlight. Plants tend to get long and thin in search of light. So pruning would help to get your plant fuller and compacter. But if your tree will ever carry fruits, I am not sure. But it is worth a try!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-10-19T08:03:26.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35863" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-19T13:32:06.377" Score="5" ViewCount="552" Body="&lt;p&gt;Am I being silly for thinking that it's good idea to store the potting soil I've used in my annual pots?  As the first frosts are approaching here, we empty our terracotta pots that were filled with summer annuals.  In years past we've dumped the soil but I get so tired all the little white flecks surfacing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I'm playing with the idea of storing the soil (in a dry location) over the winter and adding compost / fertilizer to it next spring and reusing.  Is this crazy?  Should I just purchase new every year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-15T12:13:29.587" LastActivityDate="2017-11-15T12:13:29.587" Title="Storing potting soil and reusing the next year" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35864" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35868" CreationDate="2017-10-19T14:24:43.393" Score="3" ViewCount="2124" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a a Tamarind plant that is very young, and it bends its leaves at night and opens them during day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why some plants do that? Is it cause the plant feels cold at night? Or this is normal behavior? In either of the cases, what causes them to change the stance?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastActivityDate="2017-10-20T12:01:05.667" Title="Why do some plants bend their leaves close by night?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35865" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35863" CreationDate="2017-10-19T14:43:06.620" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want my two cents... I think it is feasible, but there are some catches that I can think of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, you need to know the right mix ratio of compost and old soil. It depends mostly on your compost of course. If you buy new potting soil, you know for sure it is balanced (right ratio of nutrients, organic matter, etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, the compost has to be inactivated before using it for new plants. You don't want to much decomposing still going on with new small seedlings in the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read on internet (which was in Dutch so I won't link) that people have good experience with mixing 10% compost with old potting soil. They test if their compost is suitable (ready) with a simple test using Garden cress. You can do this by putting some of the compost in a (petri)dish and as a control another dish with new potting soil. Then put the same number of seeds in both dishes and see if the number of seedlings match. If the seedlings look bad (for example yellow) compared to the normal soil the compost is not ready yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, like Bamboo said, don't re-use soil with disease in it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-10-20T08:47:17.830" LastActivityDate="2017-10-20T08:47:17.830" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35866" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-19T14:44:36.167" Score="2" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have ground cherry plants.  Cherries are coming out yellow but have black dirt? on them and in the husk?  Not sure what this is and it cherry is still editable?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20023" LastActivityDate="2017-10-19T14:44:36.167" Title="Ground cherries have dirt on them" Tags="&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2017-12-13T09:38:55.090" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35863" CreationDate="2017-10-19T14:55:40.813" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can reuse old potting soil, many people do, even if its left outside in pots all winter, but there are a couple of points to consider. There may be pathogens present in the used potting soil that you can't tell are there, so there is a relatively small risk that your new bedding plants next year might succumb to something. Given you've got more than one pot full of soil to be stored, I wouldn't empty them out and mix the soils together - just leave the soil in the pots, because that way, you're not combining the soils (and possible different pathogens) from different pots. If you grew anything in any of them this year that developed a problem (root aphids, vine weevil, anything where larvae could be in the potting soil), or if any had fungal infections, dispose of the soil from those pots, don't reuse it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next point to consider is this - unless your compost is produced using a hot aerobic method, you should not add it to pots. Cold. anaerobically produced compost is suitable for use on open ground and a valuable addition to the soil, but may contain weed seeds and pathogens which could be harmful (or a nuisance from the seed point of view) contained within a pot or tub. Just use a basic fertilizer, a granular or powder formulation,something with an NPK of around 7-7-7, to 'liven' the potting soil. If you haven't emptied the pots out, but leave the soil in them over winter, then give them a good dig around, turning all the soil within over, extracting roots and checking for bugs,then work the fertilizer in when you want to plant next year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-19T15:36:26.813" LastActivityDate="2017-10-19T15:36:26.813" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35868" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35864" CreationDate="2017-10-19T16:36:30.237" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;No one's entirely sure why some plants do this, but those that do are classed as 'higher' plants (meaning complex or vascular plants, as opposed to lower plants such as algae, moss and the like), and the process itself is called &lt;strong&gt;nyctinasty&lt;/strong&gt;. Its a complicated chain of events, some of which are related to detecting different light wavelengths, and others bio chemical reactions. Certainly, Charles Darwin put forward the theory that plants do this for protection from chillier temperatures, but as I said, no one's really sure. You can read more about &lt;strong&gt;nyctinasty&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyctinasty&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-10-20T12:01:05.667" LastActivityDate="2017-10-20T12:01:05.667" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35869" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35888" CreationDate="2017-10-19T17:58:26.493" Score="4" ViewCount="102" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing a small backyard potted-tree nursery (~20 trees from seedlings to &amp;lt;1in. saplings at this point). I recently moved to a new house, not very far but far enough where the deer browse has increased significantly. Unsurprisingly, the tree nursery has suffered severely every night since the trees were moved to the yard in this new location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Autumn is upon is and some of these trees' leafs were already turning colors and drying up. After just two nights in the new location, many of the trees have lost most of their leafs to deer. Thankfully the deers are not eating all the buds, mostly just leafs, though they have chomped the terminal stem of an apple tree...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What's the best thing I can do to protect these trees at this point?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I realize in this new location I will need deer control - I plan on putting up a steel post deer fence ASAP around the tree nursery and in the long run putting up a wood fence and/or living fence around the whole yard. With a fence up I also plan to upgrade the tree nursery, planting trees out of pots to grow out in beds before bare root transplanting, and setting up air pruning beds for seedlings. In the mean time what can I do...just put the steel fence up ASAP? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another idea is to move the trees into a garage which gets some western light but very little. While living in a garage is not a long-term solution, my thinking is the trees are already losing leafs (from seasonality and more rapidly from deer browse) so being in the garage is not all bad and regulates temperature; in the mean time I can setup a fenced area for them. If I went the garage route, should I move the trees back out as soon as I have a fence up, or wait until spring to move them out (I'd think the latter - wait until spring to bring them out)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trees in question are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hazelnut&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Elderberry&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Apple&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pear &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Black currant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Linden&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Lilac&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hardiness Zone is: 5&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastEditorUserId="13670" LastEditDate="2017-10-19T19:53:55.970" LastActivityDate="2017-10-26T05:40:09.357" Title="Moved tree nursery in Fall, new area has heavy deer browse, how to protect the baby trees?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;protection&gt;&lt;deer&gt;" AnswerCount="8" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35870" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35871" CreationDate="2017-10-19T20:32:26.003" Score="3" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not a gardening person, so I came here for some help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's this flower? I'm a photographer and it's in this photo that a client wants for a gardening blog, I think, I need to title it what it is.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1pPyH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1pPyH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;strike&gt;Note this image has been touched up&lt;/strike&gt; Have changed it for the original.&#xA;Thanks,&#xA;-Dan&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20024" LastEditorUserId="20024" LastEditDate="2017-10-20T08:38:08.287" LastActivityDate="2020-07-31T15:26:31.570" Title="What's this flower with many long pink petals?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35870" CreationDate="2017-10-19T20:42:25.157" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's an Aster of some variety - you say you've touched up the image, so this may not be the exact variety because I don't know if you've changed the colour, but its Aster novae-angliae, possibly the variety 'Barrs Pink', though there are probably somewhere towards a hundred  specific varieties of this plant. If you have altered the colours,  it's probably best to stick to Aster novae-angliae and not give a varietal name.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: Now that I think about it, it could be Aster novi-belgii, another group of Asters... so you might just want to stick to the name Aster since I can't identify the exact variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-19T21:32:00.977" LastActivityDate="2017-10-19T21:32:00.977" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35872" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-19T23:04:21.310" Score="4" ViewCount="332" Body="&lt;p&gt;My lawn is &quot;Blue Couch&quot; (Digitaria didactyla). It's a pretty hardy grass and tolerates most weed killers that you can use on couch grass (Cynodon dactylon, Bermuda).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this creeping weed that is taking over my lawn and how do I kill it? It is aggressive and so low that mowing it achieves nothing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Queensland, Australia. Warm climate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Ei32.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Ei32.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zilUo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zilUo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-10-19T23:50:40.313" LastActivityDate="2017-10-20T02:54:49.980" Title="What is this low-growing weed with narrow stems and yellow flowers, and how do I exterminate it?" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35873" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35869" CreationDate="2017-10-20T00:50:55.470" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This late in the season I would put them in a garage or similar space. This would also give some weather protection ( in pots is not the same as in the ground). Then put up your 12 foot + deer fence . If it is a solid fence and the deer can not see the other side , you only need 6 feet. If you leave them out, the deer will eventually eat the buds. With snow cover , the rabbits will eat the exposed bark.  PS; I found red currents to be the most pest free fruit -excellent jelly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-10-20T00:50:55.470" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35872" CreationDate="2017-10-20T02:54:49.980" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The weed appears to be Lotononis bainesii. This species was introduced to the country as a fodder legume. To the best of our knowledge it shouldn’t present any problems to children or pets. Apparently, it is susceptible to acifluorfen, bentazone, 2,4-D and 2,4-DB.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11909" LastActivityDate="2017-10-20T02:54:49.980" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35876" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35869" CreationDate="2017-10-20T06:20:42.340" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds as if you are due for a greenhouse.  For your starts.  There is deer fencing that comes in a package...plastic webbed fencing very very tall.  Hard for deer to see and right there is a deterrent. You could get your starts thriving in 10 to 20 gallon pots (use potting soil....).  By then you should be able to construct a deer fence; these fences are not vertical.  They are at an angle, low on the outside...higher towards the garden you want to protect.  I think, grins.  Might be the other way...not sure!  This mesh stuff should be 'framed' and made into panels.  It is huge stuff for very little money.  Deer will not 'break through'...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Well, deer fencing hasn't caught up with what is known about deer jumping fences.  Found info on which direction to create the low end and the high end. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/PUBS/for/for57/fff00182.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;deer fence specs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-10-21T00:23:49.217" LastActivityDate="2017-10-21T00:23:49.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35877" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-20T11:58:24.577" Score="7" ViewCount="2841" Body="&lt;p&gt;What will happen if i keep my sweet basil here?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h7KhA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/h7KhA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20029" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2020-05-04T04:36:32.617" Title="Planting too many seeds in small pot" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;overseeding&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35878" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35869" CreationDate="2017-10-20T12:25:30.183" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;For immediate protection, I can highly recommend motion detecting, animal repelling sprinklers. I have used &lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000071NUS&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the scarecrow&lt;/a&gt; to protect rose of sharon shrubs for several years. I know it works because occasionally I'll use the hose for something else and forget to reconnect it. 24hrs without the Scarecrow on and the shrubs will get hit badly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other brands/makes of such sprinklers, and I'm sure they'll all work. You just want to make sure you've got the perimeter covered. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But for real protection, the deer fence is your best option. You can use 10' long metal posts pounded 2' into the ground to give you 8' of post to hang deer fencing on. The fencing can be plastic, as it doesn't sound like you've got a large enough or delicious enough area for them to put in an concerted effort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2017-10-20T12:25:30.183" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35879" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35877" CreationDate="2017-10-20T12:30:21.653" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plants will have to compete with each other for light, and root space. Because they are so packed and crowded, none of the plants will grow optimal this way. If you just want basil cress, you can harvest already, but if you want real and healthy basil plants you need to trim (or pull) away most of it. I think you have to leave 1-2 cm between plants at minimum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-10-20T12:30:21.653" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35880" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-20T12:40:50.107" Score="4" ViewCount="260" Body="&lt;p&gt;I managed to get some slips started from a store bought (treated) sweet potato in May this year. Took a very long time to get going but eventually got 3 slips started. One of the three has two leaves affected by what looks like a powder, but it is not loose powder. I tried to rub some off of the leaf at left but nothing detached, I only managed to crush the surface of the leaf. The underside of the leaf looks completely normal.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NeeCc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NeeCc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sweet potato leaves with powdery appearance&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2017-10-20T14:02:45.523" Title="Sweet potato leaf disease?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;sweet-potato&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35881" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35880" CreationDate="2017-10-20T13:56:20.580" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am not sure, but it could be &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleter_(botany)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;colleters&lt;/a&gt;. There is a story &lt;a href=&quot;http://beyondthehumaneye.blogspot.nl/2013/10/overheating-sweet-potato.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; about colleters on sweet potatoes, the photos look a little bit different though. They think it is because of overheating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can also be a fungal infection, but usually you can scrape that off the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-10-20T14:02:45.523" LastActivityDate="2017-10-20T14:02:45.523" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35882" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-20T16:04:40.170" Score="3" ViewCount="2023" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, basically I have this avocado plant that I grew from a seed a year ago.&#xA;It is progressing really great. Planted in pot and staying indoors, located near direct afternoon sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had this problem before, I guess, but then it happened only to one or two leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now my baby has more leaves and these dots on leaves are spreading rapidly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what it is. Some leaves even got brown &quot;burn&quot; on their tips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water it with tap water, but I did that way from the start.&#xA;Maybe I've put too much fertilizer(s). Cos the last thing I remember is that I've put two fertilizer sticks in the pot. Had (stupid) idea that it can't do much harm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is something that just occured recently, so have in mind that this is early stage of the issue...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do you recommend doing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/btsCz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/btsCz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Avocado leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20033" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-10-21T04:53:39.337" LastActivityDate="2021-03-20T19:17:25.300" Title="Little light-green / yellow spots on my avocado plant leaf" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35884" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35877" CreationDate="2017-10-21T00:42:45.013" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ummmm, are you asking about that center pot?  Your donut shaped plants should be transplanted into 6&quot; pots with potting soil only.  Dump the whole pot and donut out of the main pot, using serrated knife, carve a chunk about an inch wide of that donut, and put in its new pot. Lightly plant the roots in the new potting soil, add (balanced fertilizer) give plenty of light.  You'll have 7 or 8 pots worth of basil (not every single plant will live from the chunks you cut off) but just one plant per pot will give you a beautiful full basil plant.  What type of basil is this???  Why the donut thing?  Next time you buy seed make sure you get NON GMO and you have try THAI basil!!  I use this basil for everything I want basil into...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you wanted, you should pull that center pot out, fill with potting soil then then with tweezers until you get 6 viable plants left.  This is a worthy solution if you have used only potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-10-21T00:42:45.013" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35886" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-21T02:25:59.113" Score="2" ViewCount="326" Body="&lt;p&gt;I come from the tropical and temperate climate of Southeast Asia. I have a lovely Ficus Religiosa that sprouted in a small pot on my balcony naturally at about March this year. I transplanted it to a bigger pot using a rich potting soil mix shortly after, and the tree has grown much in the months ever since.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently, its come under attack from some disease which I cannot really identify. Attached here is a photo taken directly from my tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4ChWb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4ChWb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;necrotic leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From my research, it looks like a sort of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237075355_Occurrence_of_leaf_blotch_disease_Botryosphaeria_Sp_in_Ficus_religiosa_in_Sri_Lanka&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;leaf blotch disease&lt;/a&gt;, but the underlying pathogen might be different. Furthermore, the paper I've referenced doesn't seem to give much practical advice on a treatment plan. The treatement routine might be non-trivial, as it requires removing dead leaves to prevent spreading of the pathogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Help please!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20037" LastActivityDate="2017-10-21T02:25:59.113" Title="How to combat a disease taking over my Ficus Religiosa tree" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35887" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35858" CreationDate="2017-10-21T02:26:47.033" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would go ahead and add mulch to your tree rings.  Keep the mulch away from the trunk of your tree.  Install mulch no more than 2&quot; in depth. If weeds come up they will be easy to pull.  Please do not add plastic that is advertised as 'weed cloth'.  The mulch should do a fine job with a bit of maintenance now and then.  Only use the finest ground bark you are able to procure.  How large is your tree?  How large is that tree's ring? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-10-21T02:26:47.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35888" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35869" CreationDate="2017-10-21T04:19:56.617" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;For 100% certain protection put the fence up asap.  Orchardists have been researching this for years and fencing is the only guaranteed protection. An 8' tall fence if vertical, or 5' height if slanted outwards at 45 degrees, have become standard. It may help to not have a defined upper limit to the fence (such as a solid 2x4 to rail). If the deer cannot readily see and ascertain the top of the fence they are less likely to risk jumping. Of course, electrifying the fence helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Short of fencing there are a couple of odorants that I have personal experience with. Plantskydd is a commercial spray, based on blood meal, that is supposed to deter ungulates as it reminds them of a fresh predator kill. I have found it moderately effective. The downsides are that rain will wash it off and you must regularly reapply it. As it has a high nitrogen content you might not want to spray it on non-dormant leaves late in the season as it could encourage vigorous new growth that would not harden off well and therefore be susceptible to frost. Lastly, it is not inexpensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also used Irish Spring soap with very very good results. Poke a hole through the bars and hang them up with string or wire around the perimeter of the orchard. No one can say why it works, except that is seems deer just don't like how it smells.  Again though, in my experience, it works. It is also relatively cheap and lasts quite a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The garage solution is an iffy proposition. Most fruit trees have complex dormancy requirements, both endo and eco. The dormancy requirements vary with temperature. That is to say, the periods differ if the temperature is just above freezing, vs in the the 40's, which would also be different than temps in the 50's, etc ...  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is likely that just putting them in your garage, if it is at all heated or insulated, is going to mess with the trees dormancy. Without fully understanding, tracking, and providing the proper dormancy periods, your trees will lag in growth and not blossom or fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The same goes for cold hardiness which is a separate biological process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since your &quot;small back yard potted tree nursery&quot; doesn't seem to large and you have the advantage of movable pots you could also rig up some other short term physical barrier until you can finish your final fence construction. Try bunching all the pots into a small area, surround with pallets, and put snow fencing over the top. Or put up a temporary snow fence around and on top of them. A good physical barrier will keep the deer out but please leave your nursery plants outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, fence it or rig a physical barrier asap and apply Irish Spring and/or Plantskydd until you can.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Monel&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20038" LastActivityDate="2017-10-21T04:19:56.617" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35858" CreationDate="2017-10-21T04:35:15.290" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is no way to avoid periodic weed control around a tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any landscaping material that lets air and water through (both necessities for healthy trees) will eventually succumb to weed growing through it. Any material that completely smothers weeds will let neither air nor water through and kill the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might reconsider your goal to be one of minimizing the effort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A heavy mulch of wood chips is a good solution. Some people underlay the wood chips with carboard or burlap bags for some additional protection. Burlap lets air and water through quite well but add only a bit of weed protection.  Cardboard is pretty effective at stopping weeds and letting air through but not so good at letting water through. With cardboard you may need to water right, soaking right around the trunk, at times you otherwise wouldn't.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weeds will eventually grow through and upon the wood chips, and, the wood chips will break down over the years.  I have found that using wood chips over burlap bags it is very easy to pull the few weeds that make it the first two years, gets a bit harder by year three, and after that needs a new dressing of wood chips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be careful not to apply more than 2&quot;-3&quot; of wood chips as this can smother the roots'  Also make sure you do not mound the wood chips up around the trunk as this can cover the crown and also smother the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the tree is surrounded by mowed and maintained lawn it might be time effective to just mow it. I do this on my front lawn with and nice Evans cherry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lastly, you could take a permaculture approach and try to establish a local ground cover that is compatible with the tree that will outcompete the weeds and need little maintenance, a subject for another time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Monel&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20038" LastActivityDate="2017-10-21T04:35:15.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35891" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-21T14:42:17.660" Score="2" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need to identify this fruit. &#xA;Country - India. Found it growing in the wild. Tastes sweet&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ml9X4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ml9X4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Round blackish berries&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kJVLr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kJVLr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The tree on which it grows&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20041" LastActivityDate="2017-10-21T14:42:17.660" Title="Which type of fruit is this" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35892" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-21T15:47:53.370" Score="3" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;A new gardener chopped down our 1 year old purple poui (Tabebuia impetiginosa) tree!! He clearly didn't have a clue about what he was doing...we asked him to trim the branches and cut the top as the tree had grown higher than our 1 story house.  Instead he topped the tree at 5 feet from the ground and removed all the lower branches. Will it regrow or should we just finish chopping it down and remove it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20042" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-10-21T20:19:51.327" LastActivityDate="2017-10-21T20:27:42.380" Title="Can we regrow chopped purple poui tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35869" CreationDate="2017-10-21T18:16:02.167" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;We protect our nursery stock and customers' landscaping with DeerPro Winter Animal Repellent.  One spray in the fall protects all winter long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20044" LastActivityDate="2017-10-21T18:16:02.167" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35894" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-21T20:20:48.930" Score="1" ViewCount="39" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of a bug, I found on my plant does anyone know what it is?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SqvKj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SqvKj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;insect in small bag, highlighted in red&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19961" LastActivityDate="2017-10-21T20:20:48.930" Title="Insect identification, what is this thing?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2017-10-22T17:06:26.320" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35895" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35892" CreationDate="2017-10-21T20:27:42.380" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know if it will grow again as it's not an evergreen.  But perhaps you can save it if this only happened a few days ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-make-a-cleft-graft-3269523&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-make-a-cleft-graft-3269523&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can also imagine trying to use a cleft graft on whole tree stumps, to make use of the root system or to save the tree. If you have to lose a mature (though perhaps not enormous) tree that you have an affection for, a cleft graft is one way to sort-of resurrect it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could take suitable twigs off a healthy part of the crown, cut the tree down, and then join the twigs to the stump via a cleft graft. You would then have literally replaced the tree with itself: a practical or sentimental alternative to replacing it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-10-21T20:27:42.380" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35896" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35897" CreationDate="2017-10-21T21:08:47.167" Score="3" ViewCount="264" Body="&lt;p&gt;This ornamental conifer, which looks like some sort of blue spruce, has lived in this spot since at least spring of 2014, when it looked like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F8jRD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/F8jRD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dwarf conifer 2014&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in SE Pennsylvania, and it has appeared healthy until a few weeks ago, when I noticed a majority of its needles had died.  We haven't had extraordinary weather recently.  Is the plant itself dying?  Is any care indicated?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qwnjH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qwnjH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dwarf conifer 2017&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(The only thing that has changed in its environment since it was originally planted is the addition of lamb's ear to the bed last year, which the picture shows is growing a few feet away.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Per &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/35897/18051&quot;&gt;@stormy's request&lt;/a&gt;:  There has been no fertilization since a dusting of Preen in the Spring.  I pulled soil back from the trunk until I was scraping dense clay and took these two photos:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wS1Gj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wS1Gj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunk view 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gQMMQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gQMMQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Trunk view 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a macro photo of a cut stem and dead needles:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HByjA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HByjA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dead needles and dying stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a close-up of heavy lichen coverage on the branches, although I think that had developed that while the tree was still healthy:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kAIY1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kAIY1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Lichen on dying branches&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18051" LastEditorUserId="18051" LastEditDate="2017-10-22T17:15:28.003" LastActivityDate="2017-10-26T00:34:27.553" Title="What is this ornamental conifer and is it dying?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35897" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35896" CreationDate="2017-10-22T05:16:06.603" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the Bird's Nest Blue Spruce.  I think.  Picea abies 'nidiformus'...grins...If this went down that quickly, I'd look at the last fertilization (do you have an outside maintenance company), Blue Spruce Aphid or adelgid and I would also look at the base of the trunk where it goes into the soil.  If there is any trunk at all under the soil and mulch we need to see how far the damage of constant moisture has gone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please look at that trunk.  Pull the soil and debris away from the base until you are able to see the top of the root ball.  Leave it that way.  Take a picture of the bottom of the trunk.  Are you able to get a magnifying glass to look closely at the blackened stems and leaves (indicative of insect 'honey dew').  If you could take a picture that would be fantastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Added notes:  The cambium is the LIVE part of the trunk.  It contains the plumbing for the entire plant within an 1/8 inch or less beneath the bark. The rest is not alive nor in use.  Lots of plants have hollow centers because of this.  If you scrape the bark using your finger nail of any plant you will see a bright green.  That is the vascular system of the plant. There is Phloem and Xylem...one is for uptake of water and chemistry to the leaves for photosynthesis and the other is to take carbohydrates/food the plant MAKES via photosynthesis down to the roots for use and then storage. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll try to find a picture or a way to illustrate how to slice and dice.  I do not see sign of insect damage (blackened honeydew).  I am dying to draw this for you...your plant is dead.  Just have to say.  But to know why is critical so this doesn't happen again.  I think it has everything to do with the vascular system at this point.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check your foundation however.  Get the soil off of the brick and down by 4&quot;.  Check for an asphalt emulsion coating on your foundation. Find a way to know if you've got a foundation drainage system. When was this work accomplished?  Hiring a private building inspector before you purchase is best but this plant is worth its weight in gold if it has helped you to investigate your home's foundation. You have rights and a large window right now. Hope your foundation is sound.  Soil on your brick is not sound... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-10-23T22:54:00.920" LastActivityDate="2017-10-23T22:54:00.920" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35898" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-22T05:22:30.750" Score="5" ViewCount="6668" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a potted Tulsi plant got from a nursery a month back. The leaves were green then. After a pruning, the new leaves started getting yellow. There are two plants and both of them have the same problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what is happening?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CgFw8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CgFw8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;under the leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location is south India with lots of sunshine and outdoor environment..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/anleN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/anleN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20046" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-10-22T06:06:01.533" LastActivityDate="2018-07-26T02:56:11.260" Title="Tulsi/ basil leaves turning yellow" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35899" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-22T08:47:02.873" Score="5" ViewCount="179" Body="&lt;p&gt;My trident maple bonsai went into dormancy entering winter. I repotted It, carefully removing some large roots and pruning for radial roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonsai soil mix of peat, leca, stone, bark. Extremely well draining. The pot is currently taking 4 days to dry out. Temperatures are 18-21 Celsius and not much wind. Its outside under a shade cloth area. I would say it's a little darker than it should be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I pruned a few branches back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a few weeks, as I saw some life emerge, I fertilized with 5 3 1 and treated it with systemic as there were signs of aphids on my willows a few feet away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Spring arrived and it pushed out leaves very quickly. However I have 30% of the leaves are curled and not flat and open. They have dark spots in the recesses of the leaves.&#xA;Have I overwatered, fertilized or is there a known condition I could try treat?&#xA;Also should I remove these leaves or leave them on the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y3Xps.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y3Xps.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15103" LastEditorUserId="15103" LastEditDate="2017-10-22T09:33:38.300" LastActivityDate="2017-10-26T02:31:45.550" Title="What are the curled darkened areas on maple leaves?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35900" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35899" CreationDate="2017-10-22T09:08:31.480" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There can be different reasons for leaves to curl, to name a few: light, temperature, too much water, too much fertilizer, pests. If I understand correct it happened after you trimmed and re-potted the bonsai tree. Is there a good drainage of the water from your soil? This kind of leaf damage reminds my of too wet soil. You should water the pot every day, but the water should be able to get thru the soil and leave via the drainage holes. (Edit: drainage and soil sounds to be okay!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Temperature seems also fine to me, it is not too hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1376577/leaf-curl-on-multi-trunk-trident-maple&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;reason&lt;/a&gt; I can think of, is that the roots were trimmed too much, and are not sufficient for the above ground plant (too small to provide water and nutrients for the whole plant). The root mass will have to regrow before this problem is solved.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-10-22T10:34:59.677" LastActivityDate="2017-10-22T10:34:59.677" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22178" CreationDate="2017-10-22T16:01:26.570" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree, hickory of some thing. The leaves are from a different tree. Hickory leaflets come in groups of 7-11. The trunk photo isn't clear enough to be sure, but it looks a little large for a hornbeam. There are hickories other than shagbark, found in the deep woods as opposed to farmland. May be a mockernut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20048" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-10-22T19:09:02.277" LastActivityDate="2017-10-22T19:09:02.277" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35902" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35907" CreationDate="2017-10-22T18:51:51.020" Score="4" ViewCount="121" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use an electric metabo hedge trimmer. Both hands need to be on separate switches for it to run. When I let go of both switches simultaneously, the blades stop immediately. However, when I only let go of one of the switches, the blades stop gradually. My father has the same model and his does not have the same behaviour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I easily fix this myself or should I let someone service it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20049" LastActivityDate="2017-10-23T05:48:07.130" Title="Can I fix my metabo hedge trimmer myself?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;tool-maintenance&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35903" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35899" CreationDate="2017-10-22T21:27:36.453" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it may be fungal and possibly because of water hanging on the leaves. I have several bonsai (but not a trident) that exhibit this problem from time to time. I try to avoid watering the foliage but am not always successful. Spraying with a solution of 2 tablespoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide (from the grocery/pharmacy) in a quart of water after I water the trees arrests the problem I have with certain of mine. You may want to give it a try if your problem persists.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2017-10-22T21:27:36.453" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35905" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35902" CreationDate="2017-10-23T00:48:02.830" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sounds as if a sensor is gooed up.  If you are able to keep the dirt out of engines those engines will last forever!  You need an introduction to your repair crew who if you butter them up will teach you all you need to know I kid you not!  In one inexpensive visit you will get valuable know how so that you will be able to fix most 2 stroke/cycle engines!  You will take that time of that visit to get a few back up filters, spark plugs.  Air filter and gas filter. Have them just do a cleaning!  Hang out with them if you can!  Find a well to do small engine repair place, mom and dad? Never use any gas with ethanol.  Use perfectly measured oil in the gas. I ran a business and doing this brown nosing with my chosen repair company saved huge bucks! Sweet hearts!  Let's see, I am talking about 3 different repair companies.  Paid off!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even though your trimmer is electric the same principles apply.  That grease needs to be added and cleaned away.  Are you hedging?  (keep the bottom of the hedge WIDER than the top).  Sharpen blades every single time you use it.  That might just be the problem, gooed up reciprocating blades?!!! Don't use WD40.  Use a silicone spray. Learn how to sharpen your blades with a file.  Clean residue of plants and oil off the blades as you sharpen.  Each time you finish hedging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-10-23T00:57:06.483" LastActivityDate="2017-10-23T00:57:06.483" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35906" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35898" CreationDate="2017-10-23T01:14:46.683" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Starr_070906-8819_Nepeta_cataria.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cat mint Nepenta&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I came upon this plant I'd ask the owner, my client, when they last fertilized with balanced fertilizer? I explain to them what balanced fertilizer was and then ask their permission to fertilize this plant with basic, good old Osmocote extended release 14-14-14 fertilizer. I would make myself read the directions again for the millionth time. I would first check to see if the soil in this pot was garden soil or potting soil from a bag and if potting soil I'd check to see if any fertilizer was already added to the soil.  If the former I would explain why no potted plants should have garden soil for soil. I would get permission to get the soil (cheapest) and transplant this plant. If there was fertilizer in the potting soil I would take that into account. This plant looks like it needs Nitrogen but there are a few other deficiencies maybe even genetics that would cause this color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there were rock or gravel at the bottom of the soil above the drain hole I would have another talk with this client about 'perched water tables' and drainage. I'd then clean the pot with bleach, fill 1/3 full of fresh potting soil, transplant this plant, gently press the soil all around the roots, lift the bottom of the pot off the surface of the patio or the saucer to enhance drainage, explain how to water this plant by allowing the soil to dry out a bit before watering again, I'd check what water the client had access to and if it was municipal water I'd suggest getting a bottle full of water from a friend's well to water the plant, my doggies, kitties and myself! Fluoride is fantastically poisonous.  Does nothing for teeth.  Don't fertilize for another 4 to 6 months which means you might be planting different plants by then. Almost looks like Catnip...your second plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-10-23T12:46:36.933" LastActivityDate="2017-10-23T12:46:36.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35902" CreationDate="2017-10-23T05:48:07.130" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Simply don't&lt;/strong&gt;. Trimmer are kind of tricky tools. Moreover if it is an electric model.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have no idea on what to do or where to start to find the issue, you should go ask for specialized advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;you indeed easily can leave a finger in those. Don't test your luck with that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-10-23T05:48:07.130" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35908" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37268" CreationDate="2017-10-23T05:53:35.600" Score="7" ViewCount="342" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this odd flying insect hanging out on our Zucchini plant. I couldn't make out if it was a moth or a butterfly, friend or foe. Looks like a friendly insect, anybody know what it is and how it can help out or hurt the garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just to help folks land on this question I'll make a verbal description of the lil guy: small flying insect, possibly a moth or some kind of butterfly, approximately 1/2-3/4 in long, 4 winged with two wings horizontal and two at an angle upright like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-tail&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;v-tail&lt;/a&gt; of a jet, brown with yellow splotches and spots, short antennae, fuzzyish head with large fly like dark brown eyes.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xlNNZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xlNNZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flying insect (moth or butterfly?) on Zucchini plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17974" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-03T19:13:00.897" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T17:44:39.600" Title="Is this a pest moth or friendly butterfly?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;butterflies&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35909" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36227" CreationDate="2017-10-23T06:06:24.613" Score="7" ViewCount="7924" Body="&lt;p&gt;Help me choose the best grafting knife, &lt;strong&gt;right know i have the draper 76777&lt;/strong&gt; (the first photo) but it is a single edged knife. I am between those grafting knives in the photos, if you recommend something else let me know! Also should i sharpen the blades of the knives? The knife will be mainly used to graft fruit trees like citrus. Is it worth to give $40 for the victorinox in the last photo?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BEAGP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BEAGP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The one i have now&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fSLmp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fSLmp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Or one of these?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/34Zx9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/34Zx9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vwhGk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vwhGk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZtwJk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZtwJk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19668" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T15:06:18.393" Title="What is the best grafting knife?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35898" CreationDate="2017-10-23T10:58:00.763" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm pretty sure your plant is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocimum_tenuiflorum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ocimum tenuiflorum&lt;/a&gt;, commonly known by many names,but usually Holy Basil; Tulsi is also one of its common names.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I rather wonder if its potbound - turn it out of its pot to check and when you do that, remove the Plectranthus and pot it up separately. You may want to extract some of the seedlngs and pot those up, or just remove them if the rootball is solid. If it is potbound, that would explain the yellowing colour of the leaves, and a larger pot is called for, obviously. I don't know what the temperatures are like during winter where you are, but this plant is a woody perennial only in tropical regions, so the south east asian tropics are where it would be perennial - but if your temperatures cool down, then growth might slow down and the leaf colour be less vibrant. The other reason for less than optimum leaf colour is the fact its flowered recently; many plants look somewhat 'tired' after flowering, especially in pots and if they're putting energy into making seed because the spent  flowerheads are still present.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If its not potbound, then cut back the flowered stems and give it some balanced fertilizer, something with an NPK of 7-7-7 if possible, if you can get anything like that where you are. It's still a good idea to remove the other growth in the pot, to allow the Tulsi its own root space; the Plectranthus will also need root room of its own in a separate pot anyway. Cut back the flowered stems even if it does need a new pot, unless you want to save any seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-23T15:59:17.740" LastActivityDate="2017-10-23T15:59:17.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35911" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35913" CreationDate="2017-10-23T14:38:22.670" Score="4" ViewCount="2134" Body="&lt;p&gt;We're looking to grow roses onto something like the structure pictured below. We'd like to look at photos of various forms, however I don't know what to search for. Pergola and trellis give very limited results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there an architectural term for this mini pergola ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YNoLS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YNoLS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: This came up using &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/35911/what-is-this-the-correct-name-for-this-skinny-pergola-type-structure/35912#35912&quot;&gt;Lorel C.'s suggestion&lt;/a&gt; that it might be called an &quot;arbor.&quot; This is what I'm looking for, only it would be much longer, running the entire length of a patio. There MUST be a special name for this thing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yRb6j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yRb6j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T22:26:12.123" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T22:26:12.123" Title="What is this the correct name for this skinny-pergola type structure?" Tags="&lt;roses&gt;&lt;support&gt;&lt;trellis&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35912" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35911" CreationDate="2017-10-23T15:39:17.667" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;How about an &quot;arbor&quot;? It looks like a trellis is usually a smaller closed flat structure (i.e. you don't look through it), and a pergola is a more substantial &quot;3-d&quot; thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastActivityDate="2017-10-23T15:39:17.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35911" CreationDate="2017-10-23T15:56:25.880" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the UK, I'd describe this as a 'single or single row wooden pergola', but have seen them sometimes called an arch. Here's an example of a single pergola, shown with a trellis infill&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/fencing/secret-garden-collection/pergolas-single/secret-garden-collection-pergolas-single.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/fencing/secret-garden-collection/pergolas-single/secret-garden-collection-pergolas-single.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-10-23T15:56:25.880" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35914" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-23T17:08:59.223" Score="3" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have recently relocated a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaucarnea_recurvata&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Beaucarnea recurvata&lt;/a&gt; in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the process the plant got wounded and I am worried about its survival. Earlier the ball (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caudex&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;caudex&lt;/a&gt;) was in contact with a 2 feet wooden plant, its roots were going through it and then reached soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During the shifting it got detached from the wooden plant and at its new location the plant is in direct contact with the soil. What should I do to make sure this plant survives?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see the wounds in the image below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RJseb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RJseb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20047" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-10-23T18:56:24.070" LastActivityDate="2017-10-24T11:52:22.187" Title="How to treat a Beaucarnea recurvata wounded at the base of the trunk?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35915" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22178" CreationDate="2017-10-23T18:05:33.597" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree that this is definitely a hickory nut.  Hickory nuts are really good if you can find them without weevils.  It could be a shagbark or a mockernut hickory.  My guess would be mockernut as it's far more common in your area and it'I go up to grayson highlands around you to hike every so often so I'm familiar with the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing I don't agree with is the identification of the tree in the pictures.  It's definitely not the source of the nut, so it's not a hickory.  It's definitely not a musclewood/american hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) because it is much larger than most I've ever seen and I'm not seeing the characteristic muscly texture of the trunk.  It's also probably not hop hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) because I'm not seeing the thinly furrowed bark.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree in the pictures looks like an American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) to me.  Smooth bark, thin papery serrated leaf etc.  The only thing that would really seal the deal is a picture of a leaf bud, but I'm almost positive that's an American Beech without.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-10-23T18:05:33.597" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35916" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35921" CreationDate="2017-10-23T19:24:22.707" Score="5" ViewCount="189" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an established play area for my kids. When I created the area, I cut the grass down, capped and covered the sprinkler outlets in the area, laid down landscape/weed fabric (I forget the ply, it was the generic gray/silverish) one from Home Depot. I then layered over it to a depth of 3&quot; with rubberized play impact surface. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I am getting weeds in the area, as shown in the below photo. How can I safely spray/remove the weeds without having to tear up the entire area? (The total area space is approximately 15' wide by 30' long).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SifYA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SifYA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7074" LastActivityDate="2017-10-24T02:18:22.453" Title="How do I eliminate weeds in established play area?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35917" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35919" CreationDate="2017-10-23T22:29:42.903" Score="4" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know little of botany and earth science subjects. This might be a stupid question, here it goes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I have:&#xA;A hillside with a running variety of bamboo in Oregon. The bamboo shoots reach about 25ft long and mostly lean over at 12ft high or so. They get to be about 3/4&quot; - 1&quot; in diameter. I have a trail going thru the forest, down a hill and towards the ocean. It has very high rails holding the bamboo back. But, eventually the trail becomes a tunnel that only kids can get thru if not maintained. Several times a year I create about 6 piles of cut bamboo 6x6x25 feet. Again, repeat this process for a section that I try to keep below 6ft tall once a year (for ocean views).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Question:&#xA;Am I killing the soil by hauling all this green mass off to another location for either burning or tossing? Again, i'm not educated on the subject and this kind of thing never really bothered me like when I haul grass clippings to another location. But, with such large amounts of mass from such a small location, it feels like I am literally degrading that part of my property or damaging it somehow. Is this true? How important is it to put the cut bamboo back where it came from as mulch? Or, am I worrying about nothing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16057" LastActivityDate="2017-10-23T23:26:32.477" Title="Soil nutrient replacement, bamboo question" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;bamboo&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35918" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35916" CreationDate="2017-10-23T22:43:44.613" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're looking for something non-toxic since it's a play area, you can use hot water or a heavy salt water solution. I don't love these methods since they have mixed results and the salt can leave a residue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you go to Amazon you can find natural weed killers based on vinegar. I've used those and they work quite well, but again, depending on your location and weeds, results may vary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, once you start getting weeds, you most likely have holes in the guard so you'll keep getting them. I have a large portion of my yard covered in pea gravel with weed guard underneath. Over the years I've found that the stuff from big box stores does not hold up. Even with several layers it breaks down in a couple of years. I ended up finding out what the state uses at freeway offramps (much thicker and heavier) and purchased that from a commercial outlet that specializes in road and municipality construction. Some area I also cover with a 45 mil EPDM pond liner and then mulch or gravel. That's been fantastic, but I agree it's a pain if you have to pull it up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3171" LastActivityDate="2017-10-23T22:43:44.613" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35919" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35917" CreationDate="2017-10-23T23:07:36.813" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wow, a runaway bamboo forest, must be nice!  No soil can be ruined except by being covered with asphalt or concrete or 'landscape fabric' and dumping biocides on it...nutrients or rather chemicals for photosynthesis are rarely found in soil. They are in the bio mass. That is why we humans need to learn how to judiciously add those critical chemicals to the soil for all of our artificial gardens. Everything we try to grow is artificial.  Part of the definition. It would take decades for bamboo to decompose and add any of those chemicals back to the soil...except the odd leaf or two after some time decomposing.  Obviously your bamboo forest is loving what it has found.  Making tunnels for kids?  What fun!  Just make sure when you cut that bamboo that stake is not sharp and is covered by 6&quot; of soil.  I would limit the encroachment of your forest by using a rental trencher and digging a trench at least 2' deep then fitted with galvanized roofing material.  Or...if this becomes a problem for the neighbors, the municipality will have legal jurisdiction to control for you...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-10-23T23:26:32.477" LastActivityDate="2017-10-23T23:26:32.477" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35916" CreationDate="2017-10-24T01:51:12.657" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;15x30 feet with the sort of weed density you are showing? - Take an hour and pull them out by hand, or with a hoe. If you notice a lot of root penetration below or between the under-fabric you might want to rake back the surface and lay additional fabric, but I'd bet you mostly have weeds growing in the &quot;rubberized play impact surface&quot; itself and whatever materials have filtered into it over time (leaves, lawn clippings, dust, - the beginnings of new soil.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-10-24T01:51:12.657" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35922" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35911" CreationDate="2017-10-24T02:13:27.590" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Google image search suggests &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.co.nz/search?hl=en-NZ&amp;amp;q=landscaping%20trellis&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwiQ1bC_l4jXAhUKHZQKHYYXAFgQvQ4IJygE&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;landscaping trellis&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Though I built one at our last house and I called it a pergola.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19509" LastActivityDate="2017-10-24T02:13:27.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35923" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35914" CreationDate="2017-10-24T11:52:22.187" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is nothing you can do about the wound - once, wound paint would have been recommended, but current evidence suggests this increases the risk of problems, so its use is no longer advised.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your question is a little unclear - when you say 'wooden plant', I'm assuming you mean a wooden planter, through which the roots had penetrated at the bottom and that meant you had to plant it in the ground. You may need to ensure you water it for a few weeks until the roots settle in and start recovering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-10-24T11:52:22.187" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35924" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35925" CreationDate="2017-10-24T17:40:24.647" Score="8" ViewCount="2570" Body="&lt;p&gt;Couple of days back we had a visitor to our garden. I've never seen this bird before. Does anyone know what this bird is? And does it do any damage to the garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6jFcW.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6jFcW.png&quot; alt=&quot;Bird picture 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/st5uT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/st5uT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bird picture 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry about the blurry picture. Its due to the mesh door. And I live in the pacific northwest area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastActivityDate="2018-09-03T07:50:03.680" Title="Does this bird cause any harm to the garden?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35925" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35924" CreationDate="2017-10-24T17:56:06.617" Score="13" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wow lucky you -- To have pheasants in your yard! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Full disclosure - I have never had pheasants in &lt;em&gt;my&lt;/em&gt; yard, so I have absolutely no experience with them, but I am so envious of your good fortune that I looked it up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to&#xA; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ring-necked_Pheasantlifehistory&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ring-necked_Pheasantlifehistory&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;pheasants are omnivores and :&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;In fall and winter, Ring-necked Pheasants eat seeds—especially grain from farm fields—as well as grasses, leaves, roots, wild fruits and nuts, and insects. Their spring and summer diet is similar, but with a greater emphasis on animal prey and fresh greenery. They eat insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, crickets, and ants, as well as snails and earthworms. Ring-necked Pheasants forage in grasslands, hayfields, woodland edges, and brushy areas. They sometimes pick waste grain from cow manure in pastures. Pheasants take most of their food from the ground, scratching or digging with their bills. They can retrieve roots or seeds from as deep as three inches below the soil surface. They also sometimes forage in shrubs or trees for fruit, leaves, and buds.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I guess they could harm your garden especially if they dig up your just-planted seeds..., but all of those caterpillars, grasshoppers, beetles, and snails that they also eat surely must count for something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a picture of the gorgeous creature on that website too, but it is copyrighted, &amp;amp; don't know if it is ok to include.&#xA;Here is one from wikipedia:&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nCq1t.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nCq1t.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pheasant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastEditorUserId="17501" LastEditDate="2017-10-24T18:04:53.763" LastActivityDate="2017-10-24T18:04:53.763" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35926" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35833" CreationDate="2017-10-24T19:59:16.027" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I pretty much do the same thing as bamboo. We have it here in our office. I take care of the office plants. Typically, I end up cutting this stuff off about a 1/2&quot; above a growth node and throwing it away, because we've filled tons of pots with it. It grows like crazy for this low light environment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, like Bamboo, I take a cutting, which is usually pretty long, and cut it into ~6&quot; segments. I try to get three nodes. By node, I mead where a leaf comes off the main vine. Where the base of the leaf stem meets the main vine is where new growth comes from. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Something to keep in mind is that new growth comes from the center of the &quot;Y&quot;, of the leaf-stem base and the vine. Typically, the vine droops and grows toward the floor, but the leaves turn up toward the light. Because of the way they're turned, it can get confusing when you're cutting it into segments. You may pull the bottom two leaves off that were turned up, only to realize they were actually the top two leaves. If you try to propagate this way, you won't have much success, because the new growth always tries to come out at the last node, closest to the end of the vine. So remember. The end that came from the pot is the bottom, and the end near the floor is the top. New growth comes from the last node, closest to the top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like I said, I try to get (3) nodes and I pull off the leaves of the bottom two nodes. You'll notice some scabby bumps and little black dots. These are potential roots. The bigger ones will produce roots first. They are quite large. Smaller roots will soon follow out of the small dots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Typically, I try to do many of these at once. I usually have quite a lot of vine to work with. I'll pick an arbitrary length and cut the mother plant off here. I'll take the long vines and cut them into these (3) node segments. Typically, I cut about 1/2&quot; above what I want to be the next top node. When you cut any plant, it will die back to the next good node, so you can save it the trouble and cut it back on the top. I do leave them long below the bottom node, because they will sprout roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for potting, you have two options. One is to stick them in a jar of water. I like to use a clear jar, because it's cool to watch them root. Your other option is to stick them in potting soil. There are pros and cons to both. It's fun to watch and you get less die off in water. However, you need to pot them up soon after the roots form unless you plan to leave them in the water indefinitely, which you can if you change the water regularly or add an air stone. The reason is that once the roots grow, it's hard to pot without breaking them and they also don't like the change in environment. You get more die off when you just push the nodes into the soil, but it's a small percentage. For me, it's like 10% die off. You're doing a ton, though, and you can cut them off and keep propagating the pot as they grow too long. You need to keep the soil pretty wet till you see new growth, though. Then you can let it dry out a little. They prefer to be wet, but can dry out without a lot of damage. If you let them go too long, you'll loose a vine, but typically you loose just one if you start watering again. I've never had them all die off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2017-10-24T19:59:16.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35927" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35869" CreationDate="2017-10-24T20:19:21.287" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like the idea of the motion detecting sprinklers. I also know that electric fencing will probably be your best bet. You should look on youtube for this guy, but one man I saw, put in some metal t-posts and ran a strand of 15lb test fishing line at ~4' high. The idea was that that thickness of line was too thin to see and too heavy to easily break. The deer walk into it, attempting to get to your plants, and it &quot;grabs&quot; there chest and scares them off. He showed a ton of tracks where he said they passed through all the time and saw them all around, but never had garden damage. I saw another version with buckets and cans on the buckets that were tied to the horizontal strand. When the deer touched the horizontal strand, it dropped the cans off the bucket and rattled them, startling the deer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally think you'll need a combo of the two. The only sure fire way to keep them out is to physically fence them out, but I think a combo of other options will work as well. I'd probably try the fishing line combined with the motion sensor sprinkler. Just make sure you don't get hit by it. I think two strands of electric would also be cheap and highly effective. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's not like the deer will hit your trees non-stop, once you try a few things. They will only come back if it's always easy. If they get deterred a couple of times they'll look for an easier snack. You'll only have repeat offenses with new deer or if they forget and give it another try later in the year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2017-10-24T20:19:21.287" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35783" CreationDate="2017-10-24T20:31:50.910" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't tell you the effect of certain temps on the seeds, but I do know that basil seeds need cold over the winter in order to germinate. I'd take some and follow Giacomo's advice, but I'd also shake some in a pot, on top of the soil, and put a plastic bag over the top to keep out leaves and other seeds till the spring. Then see what they do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9731" LastActivityDate="2017-10-24T20:31:50.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35929" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35896" CreationDate="2017-10-25T00:58:56.233" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A big mistake many people make when planting trees and shrubs is to either plant them too deeply or mulch them too incorrectly. The fact that you had to scrape soil away from the trunk to get a photo of the trunk trying to put out roots indicates that the plant was planted too deep or mulched wrong; my guess is that it was planted too low or sank after planting because the hole was too deep (the loose soil at the bottom of a deep hole will compact, and a tree or shrub will then settle, resulting in a buried trunk). It can take 3-5 years for a woody plant to die because of depth issues.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To prevent this from happening again:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remember this axiom: &quot;Right plant, right place.&quot; Plant only trees and shrubs appropriate to your soil and drainage. Since this is a poorly drained area, you should consider shrubs like clethra and itea (neither are evergreen, though).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you dig the hole, only go to the depth of the root ball. If possible, make the hole twice the width. NEVER dig a hole deeper than that.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mulch the plant properly, like a shallow bowl, with more mulch at the dripline than under the shrub. The mulch should NEVER touch the trunk. If your mulch looks like a little volcano, you've mulched it wrong&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that a hole dug into a heavy clay soil and filled with &quot;good dirt&quot; is just an in-ground flower pot; rain will quickly percolate through the soil and come to a screeching halt when it hits the clay. It will then back up into the hole and potentially drown the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For reference, I have a horticulture degree and spent seven years in the trade. You could also read anything by Michael Dirr. He's quite technical but has a very engaging and readable writing style.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastEditorUserId="20056" LastEditDate="2017-10-26T00:34:27.553" LastActivityDate="2017-10-26T00:34:27.553" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35930" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35870" CreationDate="2017-10-25T01:08:07.990" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Generally, New England asters have fuzzy-ish leaves and smell like licorice when their leaves are crushed; they also clump. New York asters have smooth leaves and are stoloniferous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2017-10-25T01:08:07.990" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35931" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35813" CreationDate="2017-10-25T01:16:57.027" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A quick and easy test, though too late for this year - If you pull a leaf off a maple in late spring or summer and the end of the petiole &quot;bleeds&quot; milk, then it's always Acer platanoides. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the photo above the seed photo, the left-hand leaf is most likely platanoides (could be saccharum, I suppose, although the cuts between the lobes appear to be too shallow).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2017-10-25T01:16:57.027" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35932" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35691" CreationDate="2017-10-25T01:44:25.513" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apples are quite variable in their genetics, which is why all varieties eaten (as opposed to being made into cider) are clones. Any apple from seed should be edible, in the sense of not being poisonous, but they very probably will not be something you'd like to eat. You can, however, make them into cider - especially, hard cider. This is why Johnny Appleseed was so popular :) - Here's a reputable source: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/real-johnny-appleseed-brought-applesand-booze-american-frontier-180953263/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/real-johnny-appleseed-brought-applesand-booze-american-frontier-180953263/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2017-10-25T01:44:25.513" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35933" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35500" CreationDate="2017-10-25T02:04:55.967" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've put the dry seedheads in paper lunch bags and banged them on a table a bit. This loosens both the seeds and the spikes, though, so then I had to use an old cookie sheet and let gravity and a little wind help with the winnowing. Because the seeds were very dry, the relatively light banging about that I did did not seem to damage them (germination was always quite good).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2017-10-25T02:04:55.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35934" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34964" CreationDate="2017-10-25T03:37:20.523" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw a Pinus flexilis that looked just like this about 7 years ago. The cause wasn't root rot but incorrect planting - it was planted about 4-6 inches too deep. This was embarrassing because the nursery that I worked at was the one that had planted it. Oops. The plant had been in the ground 4 years, I think. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree looked great that spring, but crashed hard by July. It's demise was fairly sudden. I can't tell from your photo, but if the soil or mulch is significantly covering the root flare (such as it is on a pine), then that was the cause. Since this is an older question, my guess is that you've removed it by now. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2017-10-25T03:37:20.523" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35935" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35937" CreationDate="2017-10-25T12:19:26.080" Score="6" ViewCount="932" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know the species and, if possible, the exact cultivar, of this smallish tree: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Hints: the pictures are taken today, northern hemisphere, temperate climate, and a woman living nearby says birds eat all the berries during winter)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XEi9Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CdEUr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T9WMr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JS4Hi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MrLgv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PVkVG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ebv8b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UiIGn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-08T18:26:19.527" LastActivityDate="2017-12-08T19:34:39.523" Title="What is this smallish tree with waterfall of berries in the autumn?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35924" CreationDate="2017-10-25T12:35:29.940" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;These birds live as wild birds in my area. The people around complain only that during hot dry summers they tend to destroy their tomatoes (desperately searching for liquid). They also like to spend time under juniperus bushes, and from time to time they surprise and scare the owners when they take off out of these juniperuses. Otherwise, gorgeous birds. If I were you, I would try attracting them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-10-25T12:40:49.190" LastActivityDate="2017-10-25T12:40:49.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35935" CreationDate="2017-10-25T12:40:39.617" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a very mature Pyracantha, but you can check by looking for its sharp thorns - these arise off the wood on the smaller branches, and I can't actually see any in any of the pictures. There are several varieties with orange berries: Orange Glow, Saphyr Orange, and a host of others, as well as red berried and a couple of yellow berried varieties. They produce white flowers in spring, usually around May, and this plant is often used for hedging; common name is Firethorn. Image of P. 'Orange Glow' here  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.best4hedging.co.uk/pyracantha-orange-glow-hedge-plants-pp36&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.best4hedging.co.uk/pyracantha-orange-glow-hedge-plants-pp36&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a point of interest, there's one called Pyracantha Mohave - it has redder berries than these, but the birds don't like the berries on that particular cultivar, although they're fond of all the other pyracantha varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-10-25T12:40:39.617" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35938" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35939" CreationDate="2017-10-25T14:07:24.633" Score="6" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently I've found an association that collects the produce the farmers are not picking and gives it to charities. Many times, the farmers are not picking the fruits or vegetables they grow because it's not worth it. The market price is too low so the price of picking + transporting the produce is higher than the income they get from selling it. In some cases that's because the produce is simply not the first quality, in other cases that's because they were affected by diseases or bad weather (hail).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The association has a good relation with the farmers and then, when the farmers don't want the produce, they call this association to come and pick them. The association is collecting it using volunteers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the name of such an activity?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastEditorUserId="17658" LastEditDate="2017-11-12T12:44:54.480" LastActivityDate="2017-11-12T12:44:54.480" Title="What is it called when picking the produce the farmers are not collecting?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35939" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35938" CreationDate="2017-10-25T14:17:58.490" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;This activity is called &quot;gleaning&quot;. A word you will find in the Bible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, &quot;And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God.&quot;  King James Version, Leviticus 23:22&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Millet painted a picture of it titled, of course, &quot;The Gleaners&quot;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JHVoC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JHVoC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The Gleaners&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;courtesy Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastEditorUserId="17501" LastEditDate="2017-10-25T14:41:05.550" LastActivityDate="2017-10-25T14:41:05.550" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35940" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-25T14:18:30.910" Score="3" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;My gala Thailand ginger is 3 months old, but the leaves are very pale yellow and the growth seems to be stunted. Please let me know if there is any deficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20059" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-10-26T02:57:42.877" LastActivityDate="2017-11-03T01:49:05.907" Title="What is the deficiency in my Thailand ginger plant?" Tags="&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;ginger&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2017-11-03T18:12:25.847" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35941" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-25T15:34:37.543" Score="7" ViewCount="4974" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please help me to identify this tree. You can see the leaves and red flowers in my photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like it and want to seed it. How should I germinate this lovely tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BG70f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BG70fm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jC3mh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jC3mhm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OEBiS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OEBiSm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20061" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-21T18:21:05.157" LastActivityDate="2018-04-12T17:15:18.337" Title="What is this tree with twisted bark, fern-like leaves and bright red flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35943" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35909" CreationDate="2017-10-25T17:45:37.550" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a new grafter but the Felco Victorinox was recommended to me as good quality knife to use as it keeps a good edge without constant sharpening and is very durable. I have one now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17993" LastActivityDate="2017-10-25T17:45:37.550" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35944" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35941" CreationDate="2017-10-25T17:53:45.540" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a Delonix regia, a tree very similar to more famous Albicia julibrissin, but with entirely different flowers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Flower%2C_leaves_%26_pods_I_IMG_8687.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delonix_regia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delonix_regia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Royal_Poinciana_tree%2C_Gordonvale%2C_Queensland.JPG/800px-Royal_Poinciana_tree%2C_Gordonvale%2C_Queensland.JPG&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On propagation, from &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/royal-poinciana-growing-profile-3269287&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;www.thespruce.com&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Seed germination and cuttings are used to propagate this tree. Seeds&#xA;  will need to be sacrificed first to break open the seed coat and allow&#xA;  water to germinate the seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is even an &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/germinate-royal-poinciana-seeds-64977.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;online comprehensive guide&lt;/a&gt; on using Delonix regia's seed for propagation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-12T17:15:18.337" LastActivityDate="2018-04-12T17:15:18.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35946" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-25T22:53:07.923" Score="3" ViewCount="347" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a correlation between tree height and tree spread and the maximum diameter ( not radius from trunk ) that  their roots will grow ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20066" LastActivityDate="2017-10-26T14:27:26.533" Title="Root diameter and size of tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35946" CreationDate="2017-10-25T23:20:16.287" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was always taught that the roots of a tree extend 50% farther from the tree than the dripline, so if the crown of a tree is 50 feet in diameter, the root system is 75 feet in diameter. Of course, tree species, growing environment, and soil have a hand in this as well. Here's a short article from Iowa State (which has a fine Hort program BTW): &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.extension.iastate.edu/forestry/tree_biology/roots.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Roots In Depth&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-10-26T14:27:26.533" LastActivityDate="2017-10-26T14:27:26.533" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14363" CreationDate="2017-10-25T23:42:12.107" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just use clear tube. Put some water and see the level of water on the both side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20068" LastActivityDate="2017-10-25T23:42:12.107" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35949" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23910" CreationDate="2017-10-26T02:26:24.737" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bracken fern in the forest is early successional (first plant after disturbance)  and very indicative of a previous fire or major ground disturbance. Out in the open - I don't know. I would not eat this unless my stomach had grown experienced in digesting heavy strong-fibrous plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;N.B - In all ferns, the fronds do not grow, they &quot;unroll&quot; after ripening while coiled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Forester&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20069" LastActivityDate="2017-10-26T02:26:24.737" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35950" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35899" CreationDate="2017-10-26T02:31:45.550" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you unroll the rolled up portion of the leaf and find no insect evidence, I agree it is likely fungal. As I am just a forester and not an arborist, I can't advise on treatment very well, except for applying copper spray. If you take care to research the effects of copper, and can strictly follow instructions, it's worth a try. But I mean &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;strictly&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20069" LastActivityDate="2017-10-26T02:31:45.550" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35951" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35869" CreationDate="2017-10-26T02:45:31.863" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Talk your Barber into allowing you to collect hair trimmings - bag up in small cloth bags or sprinkle loose hairs, moderately thickly, throughout the nursery.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another choice, provide whatever else in your area is in their hierarchy of food ie #1) baled clover, #2) baled or collected hardwood twigs, etc (very localized).  Place it in an area close to forest edge, (west facing best), downhill from nursery, perhaps even placing a salt block near the attractant. However if you make it too good you may attract other problems. If you know any GOOD deer hunters, you can ask them what they would use as bait if baiting deer was legal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;edit&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Thinking further, I've heard that hair from a lions mane is an excellent deer repellent. I know, ridiculous. But if you find a cooperative cat, you could experiment with cat hair. If you do try this, please send me a picture illustrating how to collect the cat hair.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20069" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-10-26T05:40:09.357" LastActivityDate="2017-10-26T05:40:09.357" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35953" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35869" CreationDate="2017-10-26T03:02:24.457" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Black plastic mesh deer netting, and don't skimp on height. The fencing is pretty affordable and visually minimal, but effective. Indeed, part of its effectiveness is that they think they can run through it, and bounce off it instead (it's strong - use good posts.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-10-26T03:02:24.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35954" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35941" CreationDate="2017-10-26T05:26:27.043" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves make this tree look like an acacia, and there is an acacia named the red flowering acacia with similar flowers, so google that, @AbdulmajeedFarah, and see if you can find what you are looking for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20070" LastActivityDate="2017-10-26T05:26:27.043" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35955" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35956" CreationDate="2017-10-26T09:49:46.873" Score="4" ViewCount="273" Body="&lt;p&gt;Which other fruits and vegetables than apples, pears and potatoes can feature &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russeting&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;russeting&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example this nectarine: that stain is a scab or is a russet? To me it looks like mild scab but maybe the nectarines can also feature russeting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Imperfect_Nectarine_-_Stain2_B.jpg/800px-Imperfect_Nectarine_-_Stain2_B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This nectarine&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll provide here the image of a russet pear for reference:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Conference_pear_2017_C1.jpg/450px-Conference_pear_2017_C1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Russet pear&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Later edit: Here's a very interesting nectarine - scabs or russeting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Imperfect_Nectarine_-_lots_of_small_stains.jpg/800px-Imperfect_Nectarine_-_lots_of_small_stains.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Stained nectarine&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastEditorUserId="17658" LastEditDate="2017-10-27T16:36:17.767" LastActivityDate="2017-10-27T16:36:17.767" Title="Which fruits and vegetables can feature russeting?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35956" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35955" CreationDate="2017-10-26T10:07:20.203" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peaches, apricot, quince, medlar, etc. But other damage to fruits, like plums, tomatoes and grapes could make a strong and brown (russeting like) new peel on damaged parts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your case, I think it is the second reason, just damaged peel, which caused a new harder tissue to be generated. A dry period followed by a lot of water (rain or irrigation) is one common cause.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-26T11:43:30.117" LastActivityDate="2017-10-26T11:43:30.117" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35957" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-26T12:50:16.823" Score="4" ViewCount="2319" Body="&lt;p&gt;All was going well with my Carolina reaper seeds using the baggy method. After it had grown its second pair of leaves I decided to plant it in a pot with some of the paper since the roots had grown through it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Say two weeks later it hadn't grown very much but looked fine. But when I got home one day the leaves had all dropped down. The day after they're even worse and seem to be curling and maybe slightly yellow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's caused this and what can I do to fix it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1oruH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1oruH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16997" LastActivityDate="2019-03-25T04:16:55.863" Title="Why is my chilli seedling dying?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35958" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35957" CreationDate="2017-10-26T21:17:00.590" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think there is too much moisture and the seedlings can't absorb it. If the very top of the stem is not wilted, then there might be a chance for the seedlings to stay alive under the condition of reducing the moisture. If the top has wilted as well, there is nothing to be done. Next time when you grow them, moisten the soil only when needed. Too wet soil promotes rot in addition to overwhelming the root system of small plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-10-26T21:17:00.590" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35959" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-26T22:52:01.240" Score="3" ViewCount="166" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I plant asiatic jasmine under mature hedges, will it choke or kill them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is in central Florida, hedges are (I believe) ligustrum and loropetalum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20072" LastEditorUserId="14120" LastEditDate="2017-10-27T07:23:15.897" LastActivityDate="2017-10-27T07:23:15.897" Title="Using asiatic jasmine for ground cover/weed control in shrub bed" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35960" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35959" CreationDate="2017-10-26T23:12:12.923" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you say asiatic jasmine, I'm assuming you mean Trachelospermum asiaticum, an evergreen twining climber with fragrant flowers. It won't exactly choke nor kill your plants as such, but it could smother them completely unless you keep it in check, and only let it cover the ground - usually a bit slow to grow initially, once settled in, it will attempt to scramble up over your hedges, so make sure you check it regularly and prevent it from doing that. It'll take up quite a bit of room, its eventual height and spread is 8m, so  on the ground, that's an 8m squared area...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-10-26T23:12:12.923" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35961" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35955" CreationDate="2017-10-27T01:52:47.540" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know if it's considered russeting, but fruits with a similar-looking skin include such as the Farmer's Jalapeno, the Idaho Potato cucumber, the Sikkim cucumber, the Gagon cucumber, and netted muskmelons. You might also check out sweet potatoes, salsify, sunchokes, ginger and other stuff, which appear to be russeted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think we need a better definition than Wikipedia currently has to clearly know what is and isn't russeted. For all we know, scabs might be encompassed by that definition, too. I've seen similar things on apricots and Stanley plums as I see on the nectarine you pictured.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen other, similar things on tomatoes and apricots that I'm pretty sure were just what alternaria lesions look like in a dry and semi-arid climate (although the fruit isn't hurt). They usually look like round (not always round), small scabs instead of thicker strips of potato-like skin, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, they're not vegetables, or even plants, but some mushrooms appear to be russeted (especially some brown kinds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-10-27T02:17:41.003" LastActivityDate="2017-10-27T02:17:41.003" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35962" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-27T02:15:49.917" Score="7" ViewCount="2992" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read that you should let ground cherries &lt;a href=&quot;http://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Physalis+pruinosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;physalis pruinosa&lt;/a&gt;, also known as Stawberry Tomato,  fall to the ground and then pick them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is going to freeze and the plant is loaded with fruit. If I pick the the fruit and let them stand, will they turn yellow and ripen as a tomato would?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20075" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-10-27T19:16:13.990" LastActivityDate="2017-10-29T14:01:03.743" Title="Do ground cherries ripen after picking?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35964" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35962" CreationDate="2017-10-27T13:06:39.727" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay, I answered thinking you were talking about cherries from a tree, did not think right this morning. So I am completely redoing my answer. So...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We grow our own ground cherries and I can say they WILL ripen if picked green. There will be some that fall on the ground and still be pretty green, with slight yellow. Just put them in a box and within 2 weeks they should be pretty rip. So in short they should. Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="14214" LastEditDate="2017-10-27T18:47:48.793" LastActivityDate="2017-10-27T18:47:48.793" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35962" CreationDate="2017-10-27T15:01:51.877" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you say its going to freeze, do you mean you're going  to have a frost? I don't know what Zone you're in, but it seems unlikely you'll be going straight from cool to the ground freezing solid in a day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Physalis pruinosa is a frost sensitive plant, obviously, but if there's going to be frost tonight,do not pick your ground cherries - cover them with a tarpaulin or something to keep the frost off, lift it tomorrow, and replace and lift each night if its going to be frosty, until your ground cherries are fully ripe and falling off the plant. More information is available in this article: &lt;a href=&quot;https://thegreenlifefarm.wordpress.com/2010/12/13/tutorial-on-how-to-grow-and-store-ground-cherries-physalis-pruinosa/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tutorial on How to Grow and Store Ground Cherries (Physalis pruinosa)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is possible to pick them a little under ripe, and they should ripen off indoors in the same way as tomatoes, but it's much better to let them ripen on the plant than off,so just keep the frost off them. The greener they are, the less likely to ripen off fully indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-10-29T14:01:03.743" LastActivityDate="2017-10-29T14:01:03.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35966" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29726" CreationDate="2017-10-27T15:43:27.600" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The one in front is definitely a C. Subulata, and it will indeed get very large. They are frost tender, so don't expose them to sub-40s temperatures (F) for too long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, don't be concerned if/when the flabby little &quot;leaves&quot; fall off. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-10-27T15:43:27.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35967" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-27T19:48:16.177" Score="3" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P4OQm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P4OQm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are woody multiple leaved plants that look like vines but are not. They volunteer themselves among my garden beds. They have deep roots and must be removed with a shovel. If I so much as look their direction I break out in a rash. What is it? Eastern Missouri if that helps. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20080" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-10-27T19:59:12.930" LastActivityDate="2017-10-29T15:39:20.340" Title="Identify a woody plant from Eastern Missouri that causes a skin rash" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35968" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35970" CreationDate="2017-10-27T22:21:46.350" Score="9" ViewCount="12616" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently pruned my chilli plants after watching some videos on topping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was more aggressive on plants where there were signs of new growth further down the stem. In other places, I left some side branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After seeing some overwintering videos, how aggressive can I be with pruning in the spring? I'd essentially like to keep the plants, but for some of them, I want to &quot;start over&quot; because I don't like how tall and thin they have become and want to avoid staking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jTtLe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jTtLe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pruned chilli plants&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastActivityDate="2018-09-22T01:55:39.930" Title="How aggressively can you prune chilli plants?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35969" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-28T01:49:07.590" Score="3" ViewCount="980" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently planted a planted a passionfruit plant (grafted Nellie Kelly). It grew fast and seemed to be going well. A few days ago, I noticed that one of the leaves had fallen off. As the plant still looked healthy and it was just one leaf, I assumed it must have been wind or something falling on the plant. However, soon after that, the top of the plant disappeared and then yet another leaf fell off. I'm worried that the plant is dying but it still looks healthy to me. Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Notes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plant still looks healthy, the leaves are &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; yellowing.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;My suspicion is that it is the cold weather (Temperatures as low as 3-4˚C (37-39˚F))&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Location: Canberra, Australia (going into spring)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant was transplanted about 4 weeks ago.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Plant is watered every second say and is mulched.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Photos&lt;/strong&gt; (click to enlarge)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This photo shows a point on the plant where a leaf has broken off:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sVxqK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sVxqKs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This photo shows a point on the plant where a leaf has broken off:&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The photo shows the top of the plant, with the tip missing:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jNnj5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jNnj5s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The photo shows the top of the plant, with the tip missing:&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This photo shows one of the leaves that has fallen off:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bnwu0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bnwu0s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This photo shows one of the leaves that has fallen off:&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This photo shows the whole plant (now):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HnmsC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HnmsCs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This photo shows the whole plant (now):&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This photo shows the whole plant (one week ago, before the leaf drop):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SEo9F.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SEo9Fs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This photo shows the whole plant (one week ago, before the leaf drop):&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions of what to do or comments on what is happening would be appreciated. If I have left out any vital information feel free to comment and I will add it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16579" LastActivityDate="2018-01-02T20:30:33.733" Title="Passionfruit Plant Dropping Leaves" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35970" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35968" CreationDate="2017-10-28T06:40:16.797" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll help with a few suggestions on pruning.  First however, you need to know that those leaves FEED your plant.  Topping to make a plant thicker is fine but this usually works best with lots of sun.  Your plant is struggling to make enough food for itself.  It is long and lanky because it is not getting enough light.  The leaves get thin and larger to be able to have more surface area with which to do photosynthesis.  Do not cut any more leaves from your plant. The leaves make carbohydrates from the energy of the sun, or light.  Take leaves away, you are taking away the food making factories of your plant.  Not that critical out of doors but indoors in 'deep' shade is a big deal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Okay, see the 'stubs' where you cut?  Cut stubs off all the way to the main stem supplying water and nutrients.  When you cut back always chose a bud that will grow outwards and away from the center of your plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, pruning will not help you much without more light.  Trying to grow plants indoors that are meant for flowers or fruit is not going to be successful without adding artificial light.  Also, you need to be aware of daylight versus darkness schedules.  Pollination needs to be enhanced by you with a paint brush or a way to get pollen to the pistil. Reducing nitrogen relative to phosphorus and potassium is critical to produce more reproductive growth instead of vegetative growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I like your landscape btw outside that window.  Very inviting.  What are you using for fertilizer?  Have you had any flowers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-10-28T06:40:16.797" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35971" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-28T12:56:43.523" Score="4" ViewCount="314" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just had a bunch of shrubs taken out from an east-facing partly-shaded bed against a house wall -- Viburnum Tinus and Aucuba Japonica. The situation suited them perfectly, to the extent that they were difficult to manage as they grew like topsy and needed cutting 2 or 3 times a year to control the height; also the viburnum tinus and the bed underneath was infested with viburnum beetle that we'd tried for 10 years to control without success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for a low maintenance evergreen (or near evergreen) option to replant that bed (we're working our way around the garden to reduce the workload as neither of us are getting any younger or healthier.) Ideally, it would have some fragrance as the bed borders the path to the front door. We want to plant through weed membrane and pebbles to minimise the weeding needed (and not have to deal with leaf drop on the pebbles which always discolours them). I want low/medium height stuff to make the garden look more open than it did with the oversize shrubs).  I'm not bothered about flowers, certainly don't want to dead-head regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bed is partly shaded and sheltered by a hedge 130cm (4.25ft) high and 7m (23ft) away. Soil is clay, but we've had success with plants needing better drainage by adding a lot of grit, and we're willing to do that here.  Climate: Gloucestershire/Wiltshire borders in the UK, so plants need to be hardy to -5° C. (23°F). (We've had worse, but not often). The bed is 4.5 meters (15 feet) long and 1.2 meters (4 feet) deep, so I'd like some variety in the planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Current thoughts are a mixture of English lavender, prostrate rosemary and euonymus, but it seems uninspiring.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What options should I be considering in the mix?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user2153" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-10-29T22:35:42.977" LastActivityDate="2017-10-30T23:15:25.650" Title="What are some low maintenance evergreens for an east facing partly-shaded bed?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;shade&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35972" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35971" CreationDate="2017-10-28T18:07:07.680" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just want to pick up a couple of points you mention, the first regarding your intention to use membrane and pebbles; you appear to be saying you want evergreen shrubs to avoid the need to pick up dead leaves from the pebbles, but I'm sorry to say that's not what's going to happen. Evergreen shrubs do not keep the same leaves all their lives, they lose leaves too, the difference is, they lose them year round in small amounts and replace them immediately, whereas deciduous plants drop the lot at once in autumn. A quick glance under any holly tree growing in the wild (or possibly in someone's garden) reveals the truth, because there's always a carpet of leaves beneath, so you may want to reconsider using pebbles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, you've mentioned lavender and rosemary - both these are  mediterranean type plants and prefer that type of climate, so that means full sun and relatively dry soil conditions, neither of which will be provided by this planting area. I should also point out (it might make you feel better!) that neither of these plants is fragrant UNLESS you bruise them in some way, so you won't be smelling lavender as you walk up  your path unless you brush against it. If the front of the bed along the path is in a lot of sun, then you can certainly try lavender, but their useful life span is really only 5 years before they become woody and gawky looking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If its east facing, it only  receives sun up to lunchtime most of the year; if part of it is further shaded by a solid obstacle like your hedge, then basically you're looking at shade planting. Shrubs to consider are Skimmia varieties, Sarcococca varieties (fragrant flowers in winter), Prunus 'Otto Luyken', Euonymus fortunei varieties, Buxus and Mahonia aquifolium, which slowly reaches about 7 feet with a spread of about 5 feet over time. With the Buxus (Box) you'd need to keep it trimmed back to prevent it getting as large as it wants. All the other plants mentioned don't get higher than 3-5 feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given the problem with dirty pebbles, it's probably better to forget  the membrane and stones and plant low growing ground cover as well as the shrubs; over time, they will spread and prevent weed growth. Candidates for ground cover include Lamium varieties ('White Nancy'; 'Beacon Silver' for instance, there are yellow leaved varieties too), Ajuga reptans, Pachysandra terminalis, Campanula muralis (now called C.portenschlagiana, don't buy C.  carpatica instead, its a messy grower) and a low growing Euonymus called E. fortunei 'Harlequin', which doesn't get higher than about 4 to 6 inches. For sunnier areas, Arabis procurrens variegata, Iberis sempervirens, possibly Helianthemums, though they really prefer as much sun as possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All plants mentioned are evergreen, including the ground covers. One other plant that flowers well in shade and which might therefore be useful is Liriope 'Munro White'. If you aren't going to have pebbles,and some of the bed gets half a day's sun, then Berberis atropurpureum 'nana', with reddish purple leaves and/or Berberis 'Golden Nugget' with bright yellow leaves will liven it up a bit, but they do need half a day's sun or they'll just be green; they are deciduous and neither gets taller than around 18 inches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-28T21:09:56.003" LastActivityDate="2017-10-28T21:09:56.003" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35973" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-28T20:53:20.320" Score="3" ViewCount="1055" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several walnut trees in my yard, and this year I am going to make compost for the first time in my life, and would like to know whether I should include walnut leaves in my compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are contradictory opinions on this matter on the internet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2017-10-28T21:23:09.520" Title="Walnut leaves in compost - yes or no?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;walnut&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35974" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35973" CreationDate="2017-10-28T21:00:13.500" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, you can - if your trees are black walnut, the leaves will have a higher content of juglone, but it will break down as it composts over time and won't be an issue. The juglone disappears quicker if you shred the leaves prior to composting, so maybe run the mower over them first if you can. &lt;a href=&quot;https://laidbackgardener.blog/2015/10/15/yes-you-can-compost-black-walnut-leaves/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://laidbackgardener.blog/2015/10/15/yes-you-can-compost-black-walnut-leaves/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have lots of leaves, its better to compost them separately rather than just piling them all in the compost heap, This Q and A might be of interest regarding that &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/29932/what-is-the-best-way-to-compost-a-large-pile-of-leaves-with-minimal-effort?rq=1&quot;&gt;What is the best way to compost a large pile of leaves with minimal effort?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-28T21:23:09.520" LastActivityDate="2017-10-28T21:23:09.520" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35975" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35976" CreationDate="2017-10-28T22:00:36.693" Score="3" ViewCount="1038" Body="&lt;p&gt;This was a friends plant, a Dracaena Marginata and it basically died, I took it to see if I could regrow it but I’m not that savvy in gardening. Luckily some green has sprouted from the bottom but I don’t know if I should keep the old branches or get rid of them to make some space. Any tips on getting this back to beautiful?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sNrc5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;My plant in bad shape&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20086" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T17:54:55.147" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T17:54:55.147" Title="Resurrecting my almost dead house plant" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35976" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35975" CreationDate="2017-10-28T22:14:46.727" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If there's no signs of life in any of the canes anywhere at all, cut them out at the base - if they're completely dead (which they certainly look to be), they're serving no useful purpose at all. If you're not sure there's no life anywhere,  scrape back a bit of the surface on the canes with a fingernail - if they're brown and dry inside, they're dead. The plant should continue to grow upwards off the roots, which are obviously healthy, hence the new growth,so it will gradually get taller and start to form canes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water when the surface of the soil in the pot feels dry to the touch, but not so dry its shrunk from the sides of the pot. Water well, and empty that tray out after 30 minutes, don't leave it sitting in water. Bright daylight is good, but not sunlight - temperature between 65 and 75 deg.F.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-10-28T22:36:44.590" LastActivityDate="2017-10-28T22:36:44.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35975" CreationDate="2017-10-29T00:02:46.457" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not a Dracaena marginata. Identification is by the stem.  Marginata's have a series of rings on the stem whereas Yucca's have a russeted bark.  Also D. marginata usually has a red margin on the outside edge of the leaves which are thin unlike the leaves of the Yucca which are thicker.  This plant is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_gigantea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yucca elephantipes&lt;/a&gt;, a native of Central America.  Outside it is quite happy to grow up to 30 M tall ( ~90' feet), inside it is considerably smaller. Most interior specimens get to 2 M ( ~6') or so although I have seen a few at ten or twenty feet if the ceiling allows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The usual suspect in cases of poor health is over watering and insufficient light which seems to be the case here.  The usual soil less mix based on peat keeps the roots too wet and root rot is common.  These plants need high light, a free draining soil and a light hand on the water.  Another typical maintenance problem with soil less mixes is that they cannot provide support for a tall heavy plant so they lean or tip in the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant in the picture has been over watered and the large stems are dead.  It is regrowing from the roots but it will take a long time to become anything attractive.  You can cut the stems down to the base with a saw as they are unlikely to regrow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A better resolution would be to move to a higher light area, go easy on the water and avoid the use of soil less peat based mixes which are too moist in low light conditions.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-10-29T00:02:46.457" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35978" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-29T00:55:01.270" Score="3" ViewCount="984" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read that holes in grapefruits can be caused by birds or pack rats.  However, my tree does not have the extent to be reachable by pack rats, and the holes do not look like bird holes.  The tree itself is about 6 foot high and slightly wider in the middle.  It looks like somebody drilled a hole with a drill about 3/8 inch or so in diameter.  This is happening to every grapefruit around the time that it turns yellow.  Another site claimed it could be insect damage, and added &quot;insect damage of this type requires no control.&quot; I certainly disagree as without control every grapefruit is going to be ruined!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I deal with this problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&#xA;Here is a picture of what they typically look like.  I didn't measure the depth of the whole but they seem to be between half an inch and one inch.  In one case there was a large brown bruise-like ring and the interior hole had some kind of flying bugs in it. This particular one had no noticable bugs:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HKyGL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HKyGL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Typical hole with dark interior and brown lining&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also found this one which has a bit bigger hole but is not as deep:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QMCxo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QMCxo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Atypical larger hole without dark interior or lining&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To test the theory of whether it is birds or something else I am leaving both pieces of fruit on the ground to see if they are attacked further.  Hopefully this will attract whatever it is so it will leave the tree alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: This weekend I found a large hole in my bird netting, and a ruined grapefruit on the ground outside the net.  I came out later in the day and startled a roadrunner near the tree.   Given its long beak, size, and tendency to walk along the ground I'm now thinking that it may be the culprit - although it seems strange that it would like grapefruit instead of lizards.  I put up a temporary metal fence around the tree using rabbit wire, so we will see if that fixes the problem for good.  However it would be nice to find a better solution, short of attracting coyotes which in turn would be trying to eat the kids. ;'-(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16780" LastEditorUserId="16780" LastEditDate="2018-11-05T15:49:59.567" LastActivityDate="2020-11-21T16:48:29.747" Title="How to deal with grapefruit holes" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;grapefruit&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="35979" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35982" CreationDate="2017-10-29T06:55:32.140" Score="5" ViewCount="364" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's the name of this wooden box around the tree on the sidewalk? Does it have any utility?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bPVjT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bPVjT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastEditorUserId="17658" LastEditDate="2017-10-29T23:47:59.967" LastActivityDate="2017-10-29T23:47:59.967" Title="What's the name of this raised wooden box structure around a tree on the sidewalk?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35980" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-29T10:27:42.217" Score="3" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got these baby pine plants from a friend, which I want to nurse for bonsai, however I don't know which species they are. The plants are from seeds, and my friend told me he got the seeds from a cone found near the coast in the dunes (West Netherlands).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know 3 species of &lt;em&gt;Pinus&lt;/em&gt; are originally found in the Netherlands, so I think it is one of these three (&lt;em&gt;Pinus nigra&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;P. sylvestris&lt;/em&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;P. pinaster&lt;/em&gt;). Does anyone know how to see the difference between the species with baby plants? Does anyone know which species these pines are?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hP2gw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hP2gw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NagGe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NagGe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-10-30T08:05:40.177" LastActivityDate="2017-10-30T18:00:35.447" Title="Baby pinus indentification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35982" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35979" CreationDate="2017-10-29T16:20:57.253" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The name is &lt;em&gt;&quot;tree seat&quot;&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;&quot;wrap-around tree bench&quot;&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some additional examples of tree seats (wrap-around tree benches):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TLnK8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TLnK8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(photo credit: Moosejaw Woodworks)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9qG0Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9qG0Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(from &lt;a href=&quot;http://myamazingthings.com/how-to-build-a-bench-around-the-tree-in-your-yard/2/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;How To Build A Bench Around The Tree In Your Yard&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rbq47.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rbq47.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(photo credit: STREETLIFE)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The utility in both private and public spaces is multifold: seating, resting, observing birds, sleeping, giving speeches, to name the few.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-10-29T16:39:25.920" LastActivityDate="2017-10-29T16:39:25.920" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35983" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35988" CreationDate="2017-10-29T20:19:08.273" Score="3" ViewCount="347" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LFB3c.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LFB3c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cQdkY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I saw this plant in the entrance to the Princess of Wales conservatory in &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/attractions/princess-of-wales-conservatory&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kew Gardens&lt;/a&gt; yesterday, but couldn't see a name tag for it. Does anyone know what it is? It had a very tall flower spike with green pods on and the leaves were grassy and clumping. It was with the cacti and succulents.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17180" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-10-30T22:45:20.643" LastActivityDate="2017-10-30T22:45:20.643" Title="What is this succulent with a tall flower spike with green pods in the UK?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34964" CreationDate="2017-10-29T22:39:53.400" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I took a branch sample to the local nursery and they found some sort of a pine needle scale inside its needles. Unfortunately, by the time I got to it and applied the treatment it was a bit late, therefore the whole tree is now brown.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Some branches are still limber and I found some green needles. This gave me hope, so I haven't removed the tree as of yet. I'll wait until spring time to see if it comes back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1308" LastActivityDate="2017-10-29T22:39:53.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35971" CreationDate="2017-10-29T22:52:25.763" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bamboo's suggestions are great.   I've got one more I would like to add.  This is a conifer.  The only evergreen I will plant in partial or full shade.  Yew.  Taxus baccata repandens, which has a vase form and stays below 3 or 4 feet and needs no pruning.  Dark green long lived but just make sure your kids don't eat the berries.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://c0380802.cdn2.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/10639-Yewtopia-Plum-Yew.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yew repandens&lt;/a&gt;  Really not a problem for kids if trained, nor animals..who don't need training.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get rid of the membrane.  Pebbles are fine but the do provide great living facilities for bugs and slugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-10-29T22:52:25.763" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35987" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3369" CreationDate="2017-10-29T23:34:17.660" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In addition to finding this question when looking into this, I came across &lt;a href=&quot;http://web.extension.illinois.edu/cfiv/homeowners/131024.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;an article&lt;/a&gt; from the University of Illinois Extension, which had some relevant information:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably the concern over eating produce after a freeze goes back to one plant – rhubarb. [...] We eat the rhubarb stalks and should never eat the large leaves any time of year. The leaves are inedible because of oxalic acid and oxalate content which can cause poisoning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In response to low temperatures, oxalic acid increases in rhubarb stalks as leaf tissues begin to freeze.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is given alongside advice that &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;frostbitten tomatoes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; should not be canned due to potential bacterial infiltration (made possible by the cold-damage) plus what the the Montana State University Extension's Lynn Paul &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/wwwpb-archives/home/safe.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;says&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Frost bitten tomatoes have less acid in them, which is needed to keep the food safe during long storage after canning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, resources I found seem to agree with the other answers here that frostbitten vegetables in general are safe. I'll update this answer if I find other caveats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20088" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-10-29T23:34:17.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35988" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35983" CreationDate="2017-10-30T00:05:03.517" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a Yucca variety, possibly Yucca angustissima var.toftiae, though the leaves in your image look a fraction broader than they should be, so maybe a close relative. It has these curly filaments and narrow grass like leaves, which only make a relatively small clump at the base, but the flower stalk is anything up to 7 feet tall - the green seed pods are fairly typical of many Yucca varieties. Like most Yuccas, it forms clumps over time. Next to impossible to find a good photo of it, never mind one in flower, nor much detailed information, but there is an image of the basal leaf growth &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.stoneycreekcacti.net/yuccas.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yucca filamentosa is much more commonly seen, which produces a fairly impressive flower spike, but I doubt Kew would feature anything quite so commonplace; its leaves are quite a bit broader and usually longer than the ones in your photo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-10-30T11:36:37.460" LastActivityDate="2017-10-30T11:36:37.460" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35989" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35971" CreationDate="2017-10-30T15:52:42.013" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe a very close match to your idea is Abelia x grandiflora.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is less known, less used than viburnum, aucuba, yew, etc., but this may be considered as an advantage.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some web sites say that east-facing position is fine for them, even though they are sun-loving creatures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is almost evergreen. The leaves are smallish, the wind takes care of most of fallen ones.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The flower fragrance is mild from the distance, but absolutely mind-blowing close to those little flowers. Btw, flowering season is loooong.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The base species grows to 4 m, but most of the cultivar are around 1 m, have a nice natural habit, and do not require almost any pruning. 'Kaleidoscope' is one such cultivar, and features an interesting changing leaf color on top of that.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(I have no idea why the name is &quot;grandiflora&quot; - the flowers are tiny; but don't let this deceive you, their fragrance is powerful, abelia is a magnet for bees and butteflies)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://a6adc47bb216dfe8a383-49bf67815854ec9e2c04a8f4abb9cbf5.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/images/products2/pl/00/00/00/00/pl0000000003_card_lg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://a6adc47bb216dfe8a383-49bf67815854ec9e2c04a8f4abb9cbf5.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/images/products2/pl/00/00/00/00/pl0000000003_card2_lg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(images from WaitroseGarden web site)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-10-30T23:15:25.650" LastActivityDate="2017-10-30T23:15:25.650" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35980" CreationDate="2017-10-30T18:00:35.447" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Identification would have been easier if you had kept (or photographed) the cone. But, given the circumstances, I would say it is pinus sylvestris. The other two species are native to mediterranean areas whereas pinus sylvestris is native to your region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P. sylvestris is an excellent species for bonsai, btw.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13580" LastActivityDate="2017-10-30T18:00:35.447" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35991" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="35993" CreationDate="2017-10-30T19:03:32.090" Score="7" ViewCount="192" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a sizable brush pile in my yard, 5m x 5m (16ft x 16ft), height 2m (6.5ft). Even a colony of sparrows lives in it. I toy with the idea of planting a &lt;em&gt;Lonicera caprifolium&lt;/em&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonicera_caprifolium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonicera_caprifolium&lt;/a&gt;) just beside the pile, and hopefully, in several years, having a small hill of flowers and beautiful fragrance in summer nights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It this doable? Would sparrows stay? Are there other hidden downsides?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;EDIT: I now realized that Lonicera caprifolium is not fully evergreen in my climate, perhaps I should opt for evergreen Lonicera henryi, to protect birds during winter.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see my brush pile here, behind two weeping mulberries and a pile of logs:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UNqQy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in zone 8a in Europe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-16T20:02:57.027" LastActivityDate="2018-02-16T20:02:57.027" Title="Is it wise to let lonicera grow over a brush pile?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;vines&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;birds&gt;&lt;honeysuckle&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35992" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-30T20:44:13.230" Score="4" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;Brand new to gardening. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently setup a &lt;code&gt;3.5'x4'&lt;/code&gt; above ground garden with some herbs, peppers, and tomatoes. Ground soil is mostly sand (Living in Orlando, FL). How do I ensure the bed maintains proper hydration? When I put down the top soil I used 3 bags, which was supposed to give me 4&quot; height per every 2' x 2' area. However, it seems there's not nearly enough soil for anything to sustain anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20090" LastActivityDate="2017-11-01T08:32:27.960" Title="Maintaining Moisture in an Above Ground Bed" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35993" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35991" CreationDate="2017-10-30T20:49:22.293" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do both plants!  I simply adore this idea!  I'd also cover the pile before planting the vines with a chunk of wire fencing that has holes big enough only for the sparrows and finch that would keep out bigger birds like owls, ravens, crows and cats and dogs.  I think chicken wire would work well and it is very inexpensive and very flexible. Prop and dome slightly using some branches with one end in the ground and a y at the top.  Use big stake staples to hold the edges down tight all around the periphery of the pile. Then allow your vines to grow. One that will stay evergreen and one that will add leaf debris to the pile for warmth.  The wire will keep out unwanted predators if the leaves get thinned during winter.  Thanks for being a cool, empathetic human!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-10-30T20:49:22.293" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35994" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35992" CreationDate="2017-10-30T21:40:03.583" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am glad you used potting soil.  That should be more than enough to maintain moisture. Do you mean that your raised bed didn't get filled up to the top of the sides?  Potting soil is exactly what you needed to use.  Potting soil has very little actual soil in it, is that what you are worried about?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have no worries about holding onto moisture.  You do not want to add garden soil with clay, or any water holding sponges or gels.  I would use decomposed compost to mulch around your plants on top of the potting soil.  Make sure the compost is not manure based; too much nitrogen for your plants.  Do use extended release balanced fertilizer for vegetables.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Being in Florida I would also have a 'shade' cloth, its black and only 10% shade mesh would be necessary for extremely hot days (over 85 degrees F) to cover. Even the white floating row cloth would work as a temporary cover for excessively hot days.  When the wind gets blowing I would also cover my plants with either fabric. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water well before planting starts.  If you plant seeds do not soak the soil deeply, just the surface needs to stay moist until the plants have some height on them and deeper roots. Then water deeply and allow the top inch or two to dry before watering again.  The plants themselves will help shade the soil when they mature. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-10-30T21:40:03.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35995" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-31T00:10:03.367" Score="7" ViewCount="623" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently just purchased some Cast Iron plants (aspidistra elatior) from an online vendor. They were shipped bare-root and I've just planted them. I intended to have two plants to go in my apartment's living room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I failed to realize, being somewhat new to house plants and having a brown thumb, is that while the plants shipped as two separate root balls with leaves, each root ball was actually a combination of plants. So, I think that I may have planted two or three plants (two or three root systems) in each pot. (Apparently, Cast Iron plants propagate using &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhizome&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;rhizomes&lt;/a&gt;; it looks as though a few of these were placed in the same package.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I only need two plants, and I've only just completed the potting task (and I gave the plants a little water, so the soil is now wet). I wanted the plants to look full, but I don't want them to suffer. Question - will the plants survive as they are, or should I remove the plants, separate them, and repot all of them separately?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: I've added a picture of one of the plants, here (Google Drive link): &lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MuAyP8pupgAzyI7GVwfpMFzup58AG6bS/view?usp=sharing&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MuAyP8pupgAzyI7GVwfpMFzup58AG6bS/view?usp=sharing&lt;/a&gt;. (Note that when the plants arrived, some of the leaves were scorched and it looks like they were a bit bug-eaten as well. I think I got the last of the available cuttings, probably near the bottom of the main plant.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20091" LastEditorUserId="20091" LastEditDate="2017-11-13T20:25:22.390" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T20:25:22.390" Title="Multiple Cast Iron Plant rhizomes (Aspidistra Elatior) in same pot?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35996" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-10-31T00:14:46.793" Score="8" ViewCount="234" Body="&lt;p&gt;Attaching three photos of of a grove of &lt;em&gt;(I think)&lt;/em&gt; cedar trees, which are distinct from the common Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) which has a pyramid shape and uniform branches when standing alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These trees have a lot more 'character' to the overall shape, with gnarled branches that give it a more wind-blown look, though similar in foliage which forms in flat sprays of overlapping scales. These trees also don't seem to grow as tall as Western Red Cedar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wasn't successful on google looking for cedar trees that look like this, although this tree is very common in the seattle metro region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V96rE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V96rE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;grove of cedar&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NLRGx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NLRGx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cedar bark&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/caivR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/caivR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;foliage and small woody cones&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16730" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T21:06:36.420" Title="What variety of cedar is this in Puget Sound region?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;cedar&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35997" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35995" CreationDate="2017-10-31T08:57:30.850" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Cast Iron plants are slow growers, so I would leave the 2-3 plants per pot, so that it looks fuller already. It is normal to have more separate plants put together in one pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are quite easy to maintain, they are pretty 'neglect' tolerant. I would just put each root ball in a separate pot, and let it adjust to its new environment. Maybe in spring see if you need to repot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.plantopedia.com/aspidistra-elatior/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; some care instructions. Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-10-31T10:52:05.787" LastActivityDate="2017-10-31T10:52:05.787" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="35998" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35996" CreationDate="2017-10-31T10:35:46.843" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks more cypress to me, not cedar. Maybe &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaecyparis_lawsoniana&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Chamaecyparis lawsoniana&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; if its from the Seattle region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is also called &lt;strong&gt;Port Orford cedar&lt;/strong&gt;, this might be the reason you call it cedar?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-10-31T10:42:11.107" LastActivityDate="2017-10-31T10:42:11.107" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36000" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36002" CreationDate="2017-11-01T00:52:44.193" Score="5" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ecured.cu/Verde_doncella_(Manzana)&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Verde Doncella&lt;/a&gt;&quot; is the Spanish name of an apple cultivar &lt;a href=&quot;http://tienda.agrologica.es/comprar-planta-vivero-frutales/492-manzano-verde-doncella.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;typical of Aragon&lt;/a&gt;. Does it have a different name in English?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T13:29:42.627" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T13:29:42.627" Title="English name of &quot;Verde Doncella&quot; (Spanish) apple cultivar" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;cultivar&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36001" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35992" CreationDate="2017-11-01T08:32:27.960" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You really need a foot of soil depth.  Four inches won't cut it.  It just won't supply enough nutrients for the roots, and if they reach into the base sand, there's just not enough nutrient there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Normally you would use something like potting mix instead of topsoil because the topsoil won't drain properly, and you might have problems with roots rotting.  Although sitting on top of sand the topsoil has greater capillary pressure to prevent water from draining until the topsoil becomes saturated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your raised bed is like a large pot and you need to water it more frequently than if planting in the ground.  You can use moisture meters or just stick your finger into the soil mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-11-01T08:32:27.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36002" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36000" CreationDate="2017-11-01T09:37:19.213" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it has the same name in English. Verde Doncella. It is a Spanish cultivar, so the Spanish name of the cultivar is also used in other countries. In the Netherlands for instance we also have apple cultivars with English names, such as &quot;Golden Delicious&quot; and &quot;Granny Smith&quot;, we don't change them to Dutch names.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-11-01T09:37:19.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36004" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36005" CreationDate="2017-11-01T19:52:09.947" Score="5" ViewCount="139" Body="&lt;p&gt;A tree in my yard looks like it's dying.  A friend said that I can simply cut off the side that is dying and see if the rest of it lives.  However, some of the branches on the &quot;living&quot; side seem to be dying, but there are some portions that look like new growth.  Almost all of the bark has come off of the dead side.  The bark doesn't appear to be coming off anywhere else except where some of the branches have died on the living side.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in the United States, Omaha, Nebraska. The pictures below were taken 11/1/2017.  It's fall here and the leaves are falling off the trees fast.  I did my best to take a picture of the full tree, the bark and the leaves. Let me know if I can provide any other information.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of tree is this and what should I do about it?  Is it time to cut it down, or is there a chance of it still living if the dead part is removed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ly4Md.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ly4Md.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;full tree image&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UvCTF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UvCTF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bark closeup image&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xO3ZI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xO3ZI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf closeup image&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20099" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-02T00:28:36.240" LastActivityDate="2017-11-02T00:28:36.240" Title="What kind of tree is this and what should I do with it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36005" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36004" CreationDate="2017-11-01T20:38:12.103" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like Acer platinoides, the Norway Maple. Your friend may well be right- if the branch on the left has died, but the bark is intact below it, then removing it is a good idea anyway from a safety point of view. However, because a large branch has died and lost its bark with no obvious cause, and you are a little uncertain about the health of the rest of the tree, you should consult an arborist to come and have a look. They can decide what's wrong with the tree, whether pruning part off will help, and most importantly, whether the tree is stable and safe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-11-01T20:38:12.103" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36006" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36004" CreationDate="2017-11-02T00:05:26.207" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;My impression is that the tree is at least 60 years old. Perhaps it is even more than 100 years old. Maybe it is just too old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't need to do anything. Keep in mind that a dead tree may even have a larger positive impact on surrounding wildlife than a living one. If it doesn't bother you, just leave it alone as it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a look at the following link, do your own research: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/Cover/Trees-and-Snags&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/Cover/Trees-and-Snags&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2017-11-02T00:05:26.207" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36007" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-02T12:26:26.753" Score="2" ViewCount="5322" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have just purchased a beautiful Aloe vera plant that I intended to place on a unit in the hallway of my flat. The hallway is a little corridor with no window. It has a ceiling light which I usually leave on and it is also the main walk way between the kitchen and the living room, so it is not totally shut off from the rest of the flat and it's not dark like in a cave.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read at the time of purchase that it is ok to place it in a room with no sunlight, but now I have researched Aloe vera care and I seem to be getting mixed advice regarding this: some say 'yes, its fine for them', others say 'no, they need to go on a windowsill', so I'd appreciate some advice here as the purpose of me buying it was to proudly place it in my hallway. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20103" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-11-02T13:20:30.160" LastActivityDate="2017-11-02T14:20:59.710" Title="Can I put my Aloe vera plant in a room without a window?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36008" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-02T12:50:53.963" Score="4" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm new to home gardening. I just bought Sustainable Seed Company's Herb Collection (Basil, Chives, Cilantro, Dill, Lavender, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme) and Mountain Valley Seed Company's Leafy Green Collection (Kale, Lettuce, Arugula, Chard, Spinach). The herb planting guide that comes with the seeds recommends &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/nuE9zpdo67Y&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the paper towel method&lt;/a&gt; to test the germination of the seeds. It also says, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;[Seeds] are widely variable. For example, lettuce need a temperature&#xA;  between 65-80°F and a good quantity of light to germinate, while&#xA;  peppers or other warm season crops need temperatures between 75-85°F&#xA;  or higher to germinate, and squash, melons, and cucumbers like the&#xA;  paper towel to be a little drier. Do a little research on the crop and&#xA;  the ideal germination conditions before starting.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I understand, the germination conditions they're referring to are: moisture, temperature, lighting, and airflow. Am I missing any? Does pH or other properties of the water impact germination?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a table or other resource, where I can look up all these &quot;ideal germination conditions&quot;? The seed packets themselves give some - but not all - of this information. I'm a scientist by training, and I'd like to minimize the time it takes to germinate these seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20102" LastActivityDate="2020-06-04T23:44:05.233" Title="What are the ideal germination conditions for herbs and leafy greens?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36009" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36008" CreationDate="2017-11-02T13:10:54.973" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most seeds will do fine in fresh potting soil, I never use paper towels for germination of small herbs or vegetables. However, like you mention many factors are important for successful germination, if you read the instructions on the labels it will usually be fine. Especially sowing on the right time is important, this will give you automatically the right amount of light (length and intensity), the right temperature, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I start often indoors already with germination in small pots (or germination box) with fresh soil. Like in February for instance, then in April/May they are ready to be planted outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-11-02T13:10:54.973" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36010" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36007" CreationDate="2017-11-02T13:43:54.080" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My first instinct was to say that a room without a window is not suited for an Aloe vera, but ultimately it depends on the level of light that gets through other windows. If you intend to keep it there only for a few months, you don't water it and you live in a sunny area of the world, it will survive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, it may start to etiolate because of the low level of light (especially during winter in a temperate climate) and rot due lack of ventilation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ceiling light doesn't help if it's a regular light bulb. For hallways I prefer keeping a pot of ivy, even if it may look boring for visitors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-11-02T13:43:54.080" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36007" CreationDate="2017-11-02T14:20:59.710" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aloe are not low light plants; as houseplants, they require bright daylight, but not direct sun. It is unfortunately not a good subject for display in a windowless area, despite the fact it may receive low levels of ambient light from other rooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hedera helix varieties (ivy), possibly Aspidistra elatior (cast iron plant) may tolerate those low light conditions well, but may need moving to better light conditions periodically if they're obviously suffering after some months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-11-02T14:20:59.710" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36012" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36013" CreationDate="2017-11-02T16:05:36.223" Score="2" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone ID this indoor plant growing in the UK?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0aFsC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0aFsC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16268" LastActivityDate="2017-11-02T16:12:47.243" Title="Identify this indoor plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36013" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36012" CreationDate="2017-11-02T16:12:47.243" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is a zz plant, &lt;em&gt;Zamioculcas zamiifolia&lt;/em&gt; in Latin. It is a very common houseplant with easy &lt;a href=&quot;https://plantcaretoday.com/zamioculcas-zamiifolia-zz-plant.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;care&lt;/a&gt; instructions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-11-02T16:12:47.243" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36014" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-02T18:42:24.427" Score="3" ViewCount="126" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this avocado pit that I have been growing for 2-3 months. It had a big strong root, and then a strong stem came out. After about 1 cm it stopped and died.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then another, thinner, stem came out, and this one apparently died too. And there is another one after that which still looks pretty good but  maybe I have to do something to keep them alive after 1-2 cm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have to mention I have started with the toothpick suspended in water method and then I just added soil gradually. Also, I have 3 other avocado trees that are about 20 cm (8 inches).&#xA;(&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3vZRY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3vZRY.jpg&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5eqew.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20105" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-11-02T20:16:43.520" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T21:11:50.667" Title="Avocado stem stops after 1- 2 cm" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36016" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36055" CreationDate="2017-11-03T03:15:59.167" Score="4" ViewCount="13538" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves are falling off and some are turning brown while still attached. I've included two photos below. I planted the plant 2 years ago into the ground. The soil is pretty sandy. It receives full sunlight around 8 hours a day. My USDA zone is &lt;code&gt;10b&lt;/code&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pRMZ8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pRMZ8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plumeria tree showing browning leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7hhjk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7hhjk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plumeria tree showing browning leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How do I know whether I have a pest problem or if this is part of the changing seasons? It is currently November in South Florida.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11949" LastEditorUserId="11949" LastEditDate="2017-11-06T02:11:12.087" LastActivityDate="2021-03-25T22:00:13.513" Title="Plumeria Leaf discoloration and falling off" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36020" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36090" CreationDate="2017-11-03T07:52:43.453" Score="4" ViewCount="103" Body="&lt;p&gt;A cabbage plant on my pot seems to have formed a head, however I am not able to see the head completely as the cabbage &lt;strong&gt;leaves have converged and closed themselves towards the head and is very much tightly stuck inwards.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am afraid to open the leaves by force to see the head. I suspect that the plant is dead?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I shall post a picture later, but can someone help me whether is this normal or the cabbage has any disease?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for any help on this issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16489" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T17:29:23.507" Title="Cabbage leaves closed" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;cabbage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36021" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36022" CreationDate="2017-11-03T08:39:41.687" Score="5" ViewCount="5196" Body="&lt;p&gt;How long do sunflower seeds stay viable?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking about getting several kinds, but I might not want to grow every variety every year. These are mostly large-seeded varieties meant for eating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-23T19:00:23.207" LastActivityDate="2017-11-23T19:00:23.207" Title="How long do sunflower seeds stay viable?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36022" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36021" CreationDate="2017-11-03T08:39:41.687" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to this temperate climate permaculture site, &lt;a href=&quot;http://tcpermaculture.com/site/2013/06/14/how-long-will-seeds-last-stay-viable/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;they stay viable&lt;/a&gt; for 5 to 7 years. It lists the viability of a number of kinds of seeds, and I recognize the lengths stated for some seeds as being those I've seen listed elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/collect-sunflower-seeds-replanting-41735.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; says to consider sunflower seeds viable for the coming season only. It doesn't sound as if they know exactly how long they last, though; so, maybe this is just a precaution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the comments on &lt;a href=&quot;http://sunflower.tips/planting/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;this site&lt;/a&gt; says they stay viable for 'a good few years if kept in the right conditions'. So, I think that backs up the 5 to 7 year claim.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2017-11-03T08:39:41.687" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36023" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-03T11:50:39.380" Score="6" ViewCount="15339" Body="&lt;p&gt;What reasons are there to remove dead leaves from plants? Does plant type or indoor vs. outdoor change the important of removing dead leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;People says it's the correct thing to do. Searching google only returns pages about &lt;em&gt;how&lt;/em&gt; to do it and not &lt;em&gt;why&lt;/em&gt; it's done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm particularly interested in any research. I find too many anecdotes are used when it comes to questions like this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20110" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-11-03T12:17:29.007" LastActivityDate="2020-12-18T22:09:38.943" Title="Why remove dead leaves from plants?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36024" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36023" CreationDate="2017-11-03T12:20:03.143" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not aware of any scientific research on this subject, though there may well be some somewhere; the fact that dead or dying leaves are removed is just common sense, sort of a  no brainer, really, rather than its being 'the correct thing to do'. The primary reason for removing them, particularly on housesplants, is aesthetic - let's say you have a peace lily, and that peace lily has several older, shrivelling leaves, and perhaps some dying back because of lack of water at an earlier date, so some actually dead and withered, some on the way. You might choose to wait until those which are on the way to dying are actually dead before removing them (by then, it should be possible to simply lift them off rather than cutting them), but in the meantime, you're looking at a plant with lots of dead and dying material, which renders the plant unattractive, unkempt, tatty looking and giving a general air of neglect. The dead leaves serve no purpose, and as they deteriorate, may encourage invasion by fungi and cause infection to the living parts. Dead or dying leaves might indicate a problem with the plant which might mean they should be removed sooner rather than later, and treatment given to the plant to resolve whatever issue it may have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For outdoor plants, particularly herbaceous perennials, many people leave them to die back as they will at the end of the growing season, and just remove the dead material the following year. This might be done to provide extra protection for the roots during the winter, or simply to provide insects and other forms of life somewhere to shelter over winter. Usually outdoors, there's a leaf litter layer under shrubs, evergreen plants in particular, so those leaves have not been physically removed from the plant, but allowed to fall naturally, and cleared away at a later date. Leaves which fall from plants with fungal infections are usually cleared away as quickly as possible, to prevent overwintering spores in the leaf litter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dying leaves on plants outdoors during the growing season are sometimes removed for reasons other than aesthetic ones - removal of spent parts may encourage more growth/flowers, or the plant has an infestation of, say, caterpillars or sometimes a fungal infection, for which there is no chemical treatment, so any affected leaves are cut off before they're dead, provided this does not completely defoliate the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bulb plants outdoors are a different issue - daffodils, for instance,  should not have their leaves cut or removed until six weeks after the flowers have finished. Photosynthetic activity via the leaves is what allows the bulb to store sufficient energy to produce a flower the following year, and that is true of many bulbs. After that time, they can safely be removed before they turn into a yellow and brown messy heap, perhaps smothering surrounding planting, or often a soggy yellow/brown tangle, if the weather has been very wet. If they're growing on their own in a large area, say beneath trees, then the leaves can be left to rot down on their own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-03T13:21:05.883" LastActivityDate="2017-11-03T13:21:05.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36025" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36078" CreationDate="2017-11-03T12:47:49.580" Score="2" ViewCount="88" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to add one or more japanese quinces (in particular, Chaenomeles x superba) to my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are two interesting cultivars that are available where I live: 'Nicoline' and 'Crimson and Gold'. They are very similar, but I can't figure out what the exact difference is. (I am interested in knowing, let's say, exact flower color, habit, favorite position, attractiveness to birds,... differences) Could you perhaps help me?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-03T13:06:56.963" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T12:15:36.547" Title="'Nicoline' and 'Crimson and Gold' - differences?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36026" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36025" CreationDate="2017-11-03T13:16:52.557" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The primary difference is spread of the shrub, with Nicoline only spreading up to 1.5 metres, and Crimson and Gold up to 2.5 metres, though the height (at up to 1.5m) is the same. Otherwise, the names clearly refer to the appearance of the flowers; 'Crimson and Gold' has crimson flowers with noticeable yellow stamens, whereas 'Nicoline' has scarlet flowers with much less noticeable stamens. Description of the fruits is similar - yellow and fragrant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/90248/Chaenomeles-x-superba-Nicoline/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/90248/Chaenomeles-x-superba-Nicoline/Details&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/77907/Chaenomeles-x-superba-Crimson-and-Gold/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/77907/Chaenomeles-x-superba-Crimson-and-Gold/Details&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-11-03T13:16:52.557" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36027" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19891" CreationDate="2017-11-03T14:18:56.077" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The previous owner of my home used lava rock as mulch in one area, and white gravel around some trees.  I removed as much as I could from the surface but gave up trying to pry it out of the ground.  I can't even dig a hole to plant anything so I put just bark mulch over the area around the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20111" LastActivityDate="2017-11-03T14:18:56.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36028" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36023" CreationDate="2017-11-03T14:28:05.547" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Remove the dying leaves so the plant will not spend its resources trying to restore that part of itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20112" LastActivityDate="2017-11-03T14:28:05.547" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36029" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36021" CreationDate="2017-11-03T14:39:51.237" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In general commercial seeds are viable for at least a year if kept dry, dark and cool (below 70 F). Dry is very important and you may want to use a metal container and toss in a desiccant package. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20113" LastActivityDate="2017-11-03T14:39:51.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36030" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-03T16:31:51.933" Score="4" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am considering having a total 210 foot run of 6 foot high serpentine wall built out of concrete block, brick, or a combination. Made up of 100' of wall + 4' gateway + 30' of wall + 10' gateway + 40' of wall + 3'gate + 10' of wall.  The longest run is east-west and 60 feet runs north-south. (I just realized that the maximum run of wall between gate pillar/posts is only 100.') Prevailing winds from north or south-east; generally light, but gusts up to 70 mph in storms.  Huntsville, AL; flat, heavy, clay soil.  Drainage will be addressed.  I want to avoid disturbing the soil as much as possible.  I am considering using a foundation of one solid 4&quot; concrete block on top of 6&quot; of sharp paving foundation so that the concrete block comes just an inch below the ground surface.&#xA;I am considering that the opposite apexes of the wall will be 3' deep and the radius of the curve is 6'.  This equates to using 8' wall sections to make a zig-zag inside a 3' width.&#xA;Is the proposed foundation adequate?  I will have to get the city engineer's approval.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v7Hsg.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v7Hsg.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20111" LastActivityDate="2017-11-04T00:19:28.927" Title="What sort of foundation does a Serpentine wall need" Tags="&lt;wall&gt;&lt;foundation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36032" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32703" CreationDate="2017-11-03T17:18:34.443" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would cut off the bottom of the wood fence and build a masonry/stone/block retaining wall under it (just inside the plane of the fence).  I would use whatever is the cheapest product that I could find.  I would leave at least a one inch gap between the top of the wall and the fence and fill in the gap by screwing a ground-contact rated 2x6 to the bottom of the fence so that it rested on the top of the wall.  This will keep the rest of the fence drier so it will last longer.  When part of the fence needs replacing, you will be buying shorter boards.  Maybe do it a section at a time as budget allows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20111" LastActivityDate="2017-11-03T17:18:34.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36034" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36036" CreationDate="2017-11-03T19:12:08.873" Score="5" ViewCount="140" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a ray wood ash:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eH5ki.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eH5ki.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to figure out why the south side leaves are falling before the north side leaves. My guess is that it's some vascular cycle having to do with the branch thickness. That is, the south side leaves stem from thicker and longer branches, so the tree would... well... yeah... I don't know what they would or wouldn't do. I'm just thinking that the south side branches have been around longer, so their vasculature is more optimized for absorbing chlorophyll (among others) from the leaves. I really don't know. Thoughts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user19848" LastEditorDisplayName="user19848" LastEditDate="2017-11-13T03:16:41.607" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T03:16:41.607" Title="Why are the south side leaves gone before the north side leaves? - Ray wood ash" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;fall-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36036" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36034" CreationDate="2017-11-03T20:40:56.703" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The vascular system is hopefully healthy all around the girth of your tree.  It is a THIN sheet that encircles the trunk just below the bark which is there to protect the live cells just beneath. This cambium where the vascular system resides is so thin one can easily score beneath the bark with a pocket knife to girdle/kill the entire tree. The rest of the trunk is dead, like dead skin cells that aren't going to slough off so they become tree rings or the old, dead plumbing that is continually replaced each Spring with a new alive cambium.  They give structure and strength to the trunk like a house yet need no maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This first article is great talking about the 'Big Suck'...how the vascular system works against gravity to do the plumbing of Redwoods and Eucalyptus trees 100's of feet high.  Fascinating.  Just to give you a better understanding of a plant's vascular system It takes more than osmosis to cause the movement of water and chemicals UP to the leaves and the food produced by the leaves via photosynthesis DOWN to the roots for storage when plants are 100's of feet in the air. Roots gather the water and chemicals from the soil to the Xylem in the Trunk that takes it up to the leaves (sometimes stems) for use by chloroplasts/chlorophyll for photosynthesis to make carbohydrates for the plant's food for growth and repair and reproduction. I don't like calling the chemistry 'nutrients' because people associate the word 'nutrient' with food.  Fertilizer and chemicals are not 'food' for a plant. The Phloem is the other part of the plumbing within this cambium that takes this food DOWN to the roots for storage and dispersion where that food is needed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is another simple primer on the two systems that are in the vascular system about Xylem (up) and Phloem (down)  Maple syrup, rubber...when tapped are examples of the Phloem part, the stuff the tree's photosynthetic factories made for use by the tree that travels down to the roots for storage and dispersion to the tree's new growth, reproductive growth, damage repair...like a big city)...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.biology4kids.com/files/plants_xylemphloem.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Xylem and Phloem&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/trees-vascular-system-the-big-suck/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;The Big Suck getting water up 100's of feet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just to clarify vascular system...the vascular system or the trunk's bark is not thicker on the south side so to speak. But the side of the plant that has the most leaves doing the most work and also receiving the largest temperature changes from day to night get the most 'food', water and are abscised earliest to prevent damage from the temperature extremes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/701/vascular-system-botany&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;vascular system&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://treecarepruningandplanting.com/vascular-system.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;pictures of cambium in cross section&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree or shrub or even herbaceous perennials will have the leaves that get the most sun get the most water, chemicals necessary to continue photosynthesis.  They will also be the first to be 'told' chemically to abscise or fall from the tree.  Deciduous trees shed leaves for winter as leaves are the most fragile of plant parts.  Next are the roots for being fragile.  If roots are in a pot the roots are then subjected to temperatures that will kill the plant. Being in the ground protects the roots. Abscision helps deciduous plants survive in colder environmental niches with winters.  Evergreen plants are either conifers or have very thick leaves that can withstand the winters.  That is why you find evergreens more in the tropics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a problem with getting too warm on one side of the tree and then dealing with too cold (at night).  This will burst living cells.  The leaves...and bark/cambium on the north side do not suffer the extremes as the south side of a plant.  Fruit tree growers actually paint the bark of the south side of the tree  to reflect the light/heat to keep the temperature of the cambium cells from bursting and killing the vascular system on the south side of the tree's trunk.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the tree is actually protecting itself by abscising the leaves on the south side first.  The temperature differences between night and day would signal the abscison.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.biology4kids.com/files/plants_xylemphloem.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;xylem and phloem&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-11-03T21:13:07.180" LastActivityDate="2017-11-03T21:13:07.180" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36037" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36041" CreationDate="2017-11-03T22:53:36.757" Score="3" ViewCount="51" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been finding dozens of plastic labels what were written with a sharpie that are now faded beyond readability.  Since I didn't write them, I don't know what is planted there.  I was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to revive the writing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-11-04T21:35:47.447" Title="Tips on how to revive writing on a plastic label?" Tags="&lt;plant-labels&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36038" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36044" CreationDate="2017-11-03T23:14:34.120" Score="6" ViewCount="2160" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted an October Maple in an area between my house and a bungalow. It is about 4 meters (13 feet) from each of the house, bungalow and fence. I believe these trees have a radius of about 4 meters (13 feet), so possibly I made a mistake. Is there a way to keep this type of tree ‘small’. I would like it to always be a max width of 5 meters (16 feet) across and a max height of 6 meters (19 feet) up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20117" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-06T00:17:58.003" LastActivityDate="2017-11-06T00:17:58.003" Title="Can I grow an October Glory maple tree in a small area?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36039" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36038" CreationDate="2017-11-04T00:12:14.147" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From an internet search, it appears 'October glory maple' is a name for Acer rubrum 'October Glory'; this is a large tree, ultimately reaching over 12 metres with a spread of wider than 8 metres. I would not recommend leaving it in situ - trying to keep it in check will be a permanent struggle, and the biggest risk is from root spread, which could easily be twice the width of the crown. At 8 to 16 metres, that's a lot of roots which are likely to interfere with both the house and the bungalow foundations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably best to remove it and choose something else to plant; it may not be possible to find a tree small enough because of the risk of damage from the roots, depending on the exact distance from the house and bungalow. As a rough guide, any tree should always be a minimum of 12 metres away from any structure with foundations, more for larger trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-04T17:01:53.443" LastActivityDate="2017-11-04T17:01:53.443" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36040" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36030" CreationDate="2017-11-04T00:19:28.927" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You'll need a minimum of 4&quot; of crushed limestone; for a wall of that height I'd probably use 6&quot; just to be safe. Most people like using washed limestone as a foundation as opposed to &quot;base&quot; since it has no &quot;fines&quot; and won't settle as much. Usually the limestone is put on top of a landscape fabric to prevent soil infiltration and settling. The foundation is put into a trench the width of the wall and one course of block, etc. is placed on top of the foundation so that the tops of that row of block are slightly below grade, which matches your plan. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you say that &quot;drainage is being addressed&quot; I assume that means you'll be installing fabric-covered drain tile at the base of the foundation, with weep holes through the first layer of above-ground blocks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In case you have a &quot;how much foundation do I need?&quot; question, one cubic yard of material = 3&quot; of that material spread over 100 square feet. Don't forget to also include the limestone behind the wall...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps equally important is the height of the wall. When a wall exceeds 3-4' in height, you should install Geo-grid at (usually) the 4' mark. This helps to keep the wall from sagging outward. Also, you'll need lots of the same washed limestone behind the wall, shoveled behind the blocks. This space is a V, narrow at the bottom and expanding to a foot or more as you go upwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would not make this wall of brick, due to its height and length of the runs; there are many different styles of retaining wall block you could use instead, or you may be able to find a contractor who works with large blocks of limestone. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Poor drainage always kills retaining walls, so be sure you install the drain tile and the V of limestone behind the wall. I believe the width of the V increases by one inch per foot of height, but you'd want to research that to be sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2017-11-04T00:19:28.927" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36041" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36037" CreationDate="2017-11-04T12:08:05.870" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The writing is &lt;em&gt;probably&lt;/em&gt; lost forever. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can think of two things that &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; work if you are very lucky:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Look at the label from a very flat angle in good, preferably diffuse light. &lt;em&gt;Sometimes&lt;/em&gt; there is a trace that can be seen as “textural difference”, e.g. more or less glossy than the label itself.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you have access to a black light (UV light), go into a dark room and try that. &lt;em&gt;Sometimes&lt;/em&gt; the traces of the writing become visible.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If neither works, feel free to ask a lot of ID questions here. Please post them each as separate questions, though!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-04T21:35:47.447" LastActivityDate="2017-11-04T21:35:47.447" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27335" CreationDate="2017-11-04T14:44:19.420" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Something that no one else has mentioned, and something I've done to establish many many gardens is sheet mulching with cardboard or contractors paper.  If you put cardboard down and mulch on top, the cardboard forms an impervious layer to most weeds and they will be smothered to death before the cardboard decomposes.  It's really easy!  Just make sure all of your edges and gaps in the cardboard are overlapped by a few inches and you'll be fine.  You can do this at the time of planting, but it is easier if you can do it a few months earlier because then you can just pull back mulch and cut a hole in the cardboard and plant into the soil.  If you're doing it at the time of planting I usually remove the grass from the planting area, put the plant in the ground and then lay cardboard and mulch down over weedy/grassy areas.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2017-11-04T14:44:19.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36044" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36038" CreationDate="2017-11-04T19:43:27.840" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have to disagree with Bamboo.  Her information is spot on but 4 meters (grins, that is what about 12 feet, right)? from both buildings and a fence.  I think that distance is ideal.  Yes, roots grow a bit further than the canopy of the tree but this particular tree has been found to have roots that are less invasive than most maples.  The roots may cause problems with mowing but a defined tree circle will negate that becoming a problem. You should definitely have a circle around the base of the trunk as the vascular system is easily nicked by mowers and string trimmers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is one heck of a beautiful tree.  I wouldn't try messing with its natural form which is a big oval.  Almost a columnar tree only fatter. Its height in a big park would be 35 to 50 feet.  In a residential setting that height will be no more than 30 or 35 feet. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning your tree will be important to direct its growth and get rid of weakly attached branches. Thinning your tree so if you have room for air to go through the tree without pulling it over.  To top it in an effort to shorten by removing the leader would give you a bush on a stick, ugh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For instance on of the most important pruning tasks is to look at the angle between a branch and the main branch or even the trunk. If that angle is 90 degrees that is the strongest attachment.  Oaks have this type of angle.  Less than 45 degrees is a weaker attachment.  That is the normal angle for this maple.  Pruning would entail cutting off branches where the angle is decidedly narrower than 20 degrees.  These numbers are just for reference. We could easily go through pruning from a few pictures.  This will not only thin but remove branches that could be a problem in the future.  The other task is to make sure there are no encircling roots... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've found a great informational site about your tree I am posting with this answer.  When did you plant this tree?  The most important thing we need to discuss is how you planted this tree.  Was it balled and burlapped or did it come in a big pot? Did you check for encircling roots?  This tree has a propensity for encircling roots which could make for a weak tree that could also be killed sooner than later.  Did you remove the burlap? Any and all twine and tags?  Again, need to know how long ago you planted your tree.  Did you stake it?  If you did we will talk about removing the stake as this makes for a weak trunk and root system. If this was a bare root tree, then staking would be good for a short time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sounds to me as if this spot you've chosen could be perfect and this might be the perfect tree for that spot.  But without seeing the spot, the environment and your tree I am not giving an assured answer, okay?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If people followed the rule Bamboo is telling you there would be no trees in the city!  She is correct, however.  But think of the street trees only 2 meters away from the buildings...and this tree is a huge favorite for street trees.  They have those shallow roots near the base of the trunk but rarely does one see that as a problem with this brand of tree and side walks either.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a fast growing tree that unlike most fast growing trees has very strong wood.  The fall color is perhaps one of the most spectacular of the maples. Few insect problems, the only disease to worry about is verticillium wilt but being a solitary tree the likelihood is nil. Remember there are streets lined with these trees for a reason.  Cities normally care about replacement, broken sidewalks or branches falling on people.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We could help you with making this decision better if you would send a picture of the tree, the environment, the trunk and ground...if you dug too deeply while digging the hole meaning dug deeper than the height of the rootball we need to talk about that. Anything at all about what you remember digging and planting this tree please walk us through.  Just the root ball should be underground.  If there is any soil on the trunk or if there is a chance the tree will sink into disturbed soil, we need to talk.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, if you wanted a big beautiful tree for that space, I can't think of a better choice.  Still need to see the space, your tree and how it was planted.  This tree might be in its forever home!  But while it is young, now is the time to make decisions.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st046&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;October Glory Maple information)&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.fast-growing-trees.com/OctoberGlory.htm?utm_campaign=%2528ROI%2529%2520Maple%2520Trees&amp;amp;utm_content=October%2520Glory&amp;amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;amp;utm_source=yahoo&amp;amp;utm_term=october%20glory&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;More on October Glory Maple&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I finally found someone who said their tree is now 30 feet after 17 years.  What kind of soil do you have?  A pH test would be very good.  Most information says this tree can handle all soils except alkaline (high pH over 7.0).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-11-04T20:30:24.367" LastActivityDate="2017-11-04T20:30:24.367" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36045" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36046" CreationDate="2017-11-04T20:40:35.440" Score="1" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;I walked down a street tonight, and spotted an unusual plant that I liked very much. Can you perhaps ID it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How come this plant flowers in November?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures were taken today, continental european climate zone 8a.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First four pics are all of one specimen, and the fifth one pictures another specimen, but apparently of the same species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5weoT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fTyPf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gMEWF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wL16Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Izpab.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-08T12:58:26.293" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T12:58:26.293" Title="I liked the plant I spotted in the city - but what is it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36046" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36045" CreationDate="2017-11-04T21:31:58.107" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A 'continental european climate' doesn't  mean very much - European countries range in temperature at this time of year from -10 deg C to around 22 deg C, but, assuming you're not somewhere it's below zero, I suspect it's Mirabilis jalapa - it's hard to be certain because the pictures have been taken after dark, but this plant is hardy down to -5 deg C; a frost will decimate the flowers though. Judging by the size of the plants, they will have been in flower for some months, and will just keep going until the weather gets too cold or a frost knocks them back. Info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/11156/i-Mirabilis-jalapa-i/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/11156/i-Mirabilis-jalapa-i/Details&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-04T21:42:08.110" LastActivityDate="2017-11-04T21:42:08.110" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36047" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-05T05:09:08.173" Score="6" ViewCount="1764" Body="&lt;p&gt;I meant to detach and plant the second phalaenopsis plant,which is growing high up on the original spike, but now it has two spikes of its own, and I’m not sure what is best for mom and baby.  See photo.  Thanks for your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0qFko.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0qFko.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20120" LastActivityDate="2019-11-06T12:52:12.660" Title="Can I leave a second, 2 spike phalaenopsis orchid attached to the parent plant for now?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;orchids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36048" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36047" CreationDate="2017-11-05T08:41:05.313" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Wow! Why do my orchids never do that? ;-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you can read, I have no hands on experience with this, but I know this phenomenon. It is called a Keiki, a baby orchid. The baby is a clone of its mother. As you can see, your Keiki has leafs and roots already, and even starts to produce these canes for flowers. I say your Keiki is ready to live on its own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can remove it from the mother cane. Full instructions are found on internet, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.sundaygardener.net/orchids-how-to-remove-and-pot-a-keiki/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; is one example. Use special orchid potting 'soil'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-11-05T08:41:05.313" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36050" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32703" CreationDate="2017-11-05T13:40:04.743" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Roxy this would be the optimal way. However, I see several problems with that approach - 1) it's relatively difficult to build a decent wall without removing the fence boards.  You just don't have a lot of space to work in. 2) I'd want to check with the neighbors as this will likely not only affect the plantings on their side, but also the way the wall looks.  As they say - &lt;em&gt;great fences make great neighbors&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I would do is to dig a trench about 4&quot; below the bottom rail. If possible, try to keep the soil under the fence no more than an 1&quot; below the fence line.  Use 1/4&quot; minus gravel (sometimes called paver base) to fill the bottom 2&quot; of the trench (make sure to compact it well), then build a interlocking wall about an 1&quot; from the fence. Use Roxy's idea of a ground contact 2x to cover the crack (these are the boards with the little slits in them).  A 2x6 is great, but a 2x4 would work just as well.  I would recommend treating the cut end of the 2x with the appropriate wood preservative to help prolong the life of the board.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the wall, I like to use Roman Stack stone because the units are relatively small / lightweight, and the wall can go upto 2' in height.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.homedepot.com/p/Mutual-Materials-RomanStack-4-in-x-8-in-Concrete-Garden-Wall-Blocks-MS100ROSS191/100207541?MERCH=REC-_-SearchPLPHorizontal1_rr-_-NA-_-100207541-_-N&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Home Depot&lt;/a&gt; carries the grey version in most of their stores (at least in the Metro Seattle area).  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mutualmaterials.com/products/romanstack/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mutual Material&lt;/a&gt; carries a larger color pallet and actually manufactures the block.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The biggest thing to keep in mind is that both soil and concrete/brick walls that contact the wood greatly increase the rate of rot, especially in the Northwest will all our damp weather.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-11-05T13:40:04.743" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36051" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-05T13:50:00.333" Score="2" ViewCount="3443" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have three Ficus Ginseng in my flat. Two of them are very healthy, my third one however is not. I placed it too far from a bright window in the beginning and it lost lots if its leaves. Soon enough, I placed it right in front of a very bright window and it started to recover and grew new leaves. However, lately, some (old) leaves are starting to turn brown at the tips and eventually fall off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What might be the reason for that? I don't think I've changed the frequency I'm watering it and the amount of light has only slowly decreased (due to autumn and winter soon).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qXUnw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qXUnw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14349" LastActivityDate="2017-11-05T22:05:23.907" Title="Brown Tips on Ficus Ginseng Leaves" Tags="&lt;ficus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36052" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36014" CreationDate="2017-11-05T21:03:10.897" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had the same thing, tried to grow avocados from seed with sticks in water. Most will work out and grow into plants, but some of them won't grow, just like you describe. It seems like it wants to grow, but stops. I think the problem is the pit, not your method. Maybe a spontaneous mutation in the pit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Luckily avocados pits are easy to get, so you can try as often as necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-11-05T21:03:10.897" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36053" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36051" CreationDate="2017-11-05T21:58:00.370" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/soluble-salts-damaging-houseplants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;high salts indoor plants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few possible answers for the browned tip; the simplest could be when you moved your plant back to the window, the tip may have been touching the glass and either got burned or even the opposite, frozen or just too cold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More commonly for house plants is high salt, salt buildup in the soil.  The salts come from fertilizer and/or tap water from the city water municipality. Dissolved minerals, fluorine, chlorine and fertilizer that you have added.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to see the top of the soil better, does it have a white powdery crust?  If you were using clay you could easily see the white salts on the rim and sides of the clay pot as well. Are you 'misting' your plants?  The spots and white coating could also be indicative of high salt in your water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is good to notice so quickly.  High salts will eventually kill a plant, some plants are intolerant of any salt will die very quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did you use potting soil from a bag, hopefully?  With no added fertilizers or water holding sponges/gels?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would recommend repotting your plants in fresh bagged potting soil.  If you've recently changed out the soil you should take your indoor plants and put them in the shower.  Put a screen over your drain just in case errant debris and soil gets loose. Use cold water only and allow your plants a good 5 minutes of 'rain'...even though it is tap water.  Then allow your plants to sit, drain for half an hour and turn on the shower again for another 5 minutes.  This leaches salts that have built up in the soil, cleans dust off leaves.  Misting does nothing for plants, this shower does wonders.  I do this every few months.  I also put all my indoor plants out on a covered, shaded porch for the summer months. They get better light even in the shade than they get in the house. This allows them to make more food to last them the winter. Rejuvenates indoor plants. Once or twice I turn the hose on the entire plant and pot and soil on the porch during the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Indoor plants in pots have only the little bit of soil given them in the pot. Garden soil or composts have who-knows-what in the shovel full you would put in your pot.  The larger garden soil environment has its own 'controls' for fungal spores, insect eggs, virus, bacteria but one shovel full could be just insect eggs or one fungal spore...that will have no controls in the amount of soil plucked from the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you used potting soil then great, otherwise, I would repot using sterilized potting soil out of a bag.  Cheapest one works great.  No added fertilizers, no add moisture gimmicks like sponges and gels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To repot, take your plant out of the pot and lay it on its side on newspaper. Cover the root ball with a bit of newspaper while you clean the pot.  Good time to inspect the roots; are they bright white?  Are they encircling the root ball on the inside of the pot (get a new pot 2 to 4&quot; in diameter larger)?  For clay pots soak the original pot first for a few hours.  For all pots scrub with a little bleach, rinse and dry.  It is then ready for new soil and a plant.  No rocks or gravel at the bottom...this is important.  Just potting soil.  Lift bottom of pot off surface of saucer or patio with 'pot feet' (cute) or just pieces of tile.  This greatly aids drainage.  Never allow pot to sit in a puddle of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please tell us what you've used for soil, fertilizer, type of water (you could also use distilled water...bottled water comes with fluoride a very bad chemical waste product...heck even can goods, soft drinks, gatoraide, breakfast cereals have fluoride).   Definitely look this up for your own health...fluoride is bad for plants and bad for all living things and bad for teeth, never meant for health!  Fluoride is not just fluoride but a number of nasty chemicals some not even named, to include lead and arsenic. And Fluoride (Hydrofluorosilicic Acid) gets stored in your bones. Plants take it up, store it in their fruits, leaves and roots and if we eat those plants we get even more fluoride to store in our bodies.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This burnt leaf tip could also be indicative of chemistry (fertilizer) imbalance or deficiency.  A deficiency of Potassium or Zinc.  Or an excess of Potassium will cause a zinc or iron deficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send a picture of the entire plant, please with the pot and soil.  Thanks, hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-11-05T22:05:23.907" LastActivityDate="2017-11-05T22:05:23.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36054" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36065" CreationDate="2017-11-06T00:07:30.370" Score="6" ViewCount="16453" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9m6uN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is eating my strawberries? Every other morning I come to my patch and see the ripening berries are getting eaten ( see photo attached). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have added a net over the top to try and deter birds. I cannot see any bugs when I check the plants and cannot see any slime trails from snails or slugs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would also appreciate strategies on how to stop the pest if anyone is able to help identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15915" LastEditorUserId="15915" LastEditDate="2017-11-06T00:27:02.517" LastActivityDate="2017-11-06T22:52:42.930" Title="How do I figure out what pest is eating my strawberries?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;strawberries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36055" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36016" CreationDate="2017-11-06T04:47:54.410" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a very sick Plumeria; couple of possibilities, which are, maybe the soil ph is too alkaline, they prefer soil on the acid side, but that doesn't explain the browning. Check beneath  the leaves because the other possibility is Plumeria rust, which starts out as yellow, powdery spots under the leaves, with yellow mottling on top, till eventually,the leaves go completely yellow, then brown and drop off. If its that, its too late to save this plant I think - more information here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hunker.com/13426737/my-plumeria-leaves-are-turning-yellow&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.hunker.com/13426737/my-plumeria-leaves-are-turning-yellow&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-11-06T04:47:54.410" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36056" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36054" CreationDate="2017-11-06T08:02:40.920" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like slugs to me. You say you don't see slime trails, but slugs may be very tiny with very tiny trails.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.nl/search?q=strawberry%20slug&amp;amp;nord=1&amp;amp;dcr=0&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjHzu_5vKnXAhVP26QKHXC7AcMQsAQINQ&amp;amp;biw=1920&amp;amp;bih=971#imgrc=L0zS7uvnmtSNkM:&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; the difference between bird or slug damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can try to capture the slugs, there are many ways, both with professional chemicals (Cu) or with simple over-the-counter solutions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-11-06T08:02:40.920" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36054" CreationDate="2017-11-06T08:26:04.423" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got rats or mice or voles nibbling on your strawberries by the looks of the chew marks.  Probably just mice.  Got cats? Neighborhood cats? Feed them and they'll take care of your place for sure.  Cats allowed out of doors chose very definite 'routes' and their homes and their own humans. No better method for mice control. Keep some cat food around to entice their services. Floating row cloth works fairly well if you pile dirt on the edges so mice have a tough time crawling in.  Voles wouldn't have too much difficulty getting in.  Cover and secure floating row cover over your cash crops and put some juicy stuff in your compost pile for them to eat.  Poison ends up killing cats and dogs and birds who catch the mice.  Have your tomatoes been eaten?  Egg plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-06T08:26:04.423" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36058" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36064" CreationDate="2017-11-06T14:45:25.607" Score="3" ViewCount="93" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just moved house and in our back garden is a fairly large palm tree (&lt;a href=&quot;https://photos.app.goo.gl/qr87HZrQPdr0rjcQ2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pictures&lt;/a&gt;), the problem is that I'm not sure what it is and therefore don't know how to look after it and make sure it makes it through winter in the south-eastern UK. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All the research I've done so far seems to suggest it's a banana palm but I'm not sure what type. Info on several possible species say they will be fine over winter, but a few also say that it will need to be protected from frost, so I'd like to make sure I'm doing the right thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20124" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-11-06T16:46:19.137" LastActivityDate="2017-11-07T10:11:56.953" Title="What is the tall plant in these photos?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;palm&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36059" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2017-11-06T15:34:13.517" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-11-06T15:34:13.517" LastActivityDate="2017-11-06T15:34:13.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36060" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2017-11-06T15:34:13.517" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-11-06T15:34:13.517" LastActivityDate="2017-11-06T15:34:13.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36061" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-06T15:48:33.040" Score="5" ViewCount="73" Body="&lt;p&gt;My dad has always tilled the garden at the end of the growing season, and therefore I have as well. But today I want to ask this group a simple question, is there really a benefit to tilling at the end of the season?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2017-11-06T16:34:14.433" Title="Tilling the garden at the end of the year." Tags="&lt;tilling&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36062" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-06T16:33:30.607" Score="6" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to buy a plot of land for trying to live off the grid. However I'm struggling to find what I can plant in certain regions. I'm in Europe and I need to check what I can plant in each region (from 7 to 10). How can I check such information, mainly for fruit and vegetable?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1595" LastEditorUserId="1595" LastEditDate="2017-11-06T16:48:50.833" LastActivityDate="2017-11-09T10:09:28.207" Title="Hardiness database" Tags="&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;&lt;plant-hardiness&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2017-11-12T22:10:51.217" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36063" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36061" CreationDate="2017-11-06T16:34:14.433" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If what's been growing and will be growing again next year are vegetable crops, then yes, there's an advantage, but only if you live somewhere with frosty winters. Turning the soil over in Fall and leaving it in clods on the surface over winter means the frost and cold will break them down, so by spring, the soil is loose and friable, and thus easier for planting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you mean the soil is tilled around permanent amenity plants like ornamental shrubs, perennials and the like, no, it's not useful - it's unnecessary because it disrupts and destroys the soil, along with the ecosystem of fungal mycorrhizae and microscopic life forms within it which are essential to plant health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-11-06T16:34:14.433" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36064" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36058" CreationDate="2017-11-06T16:44:10.133" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you're in East Anglia, UK, the plant growing at the base of your banana is Fatsia japonica rather than anything more exotic. This is quite the strangest planting combination I've seen - banana likes plenty of sun, whereas Fatsia does rather better in shadier, cooler conditions, but given the Fatsia's presence there, the fact that it is evergreen means it will provide very useful  shelter for the banana during winter, and might be the reason why its survived previous winters quite well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Banana plants do survive outdoors in sheltered areas in the UK, but what often finishes them off is not just chilly temperatures, but the combination of cold and wet or damp, which can make them  rot. However, given that where you are is in the driest part of the UK, that's probably not a huge issue either. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think you need do anything with the banana - it will die back (there's evidence it's done that before in the third photo) but should reshoot next year regardless, given the protection provided by the Fatsia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-07T10:11:56.953" LastActivityDate="2017-11-07T10:11:56.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36065" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36054" CreationDate="2017-11-06T22:52:42.930" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You may want to consider putting some sort of plastic cover under/around the strawberry plants.  It is likely that your strawberries are touching the soil and there are lots of insects in the soil that may be chewing on your strawberries (including slugs).  If you put some sort of plastic sheet on the soil, the strawberries won't touch the soil and less likelihood of soil insects from eating the berries.  I have seen some of the professional strawberry farms do this and that is where I got the idea.  Hope this helps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-11-06T22:52:42.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36066" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-07T05:46:17.580" Score="4" ViewCount="10122" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaves of my peace lily are turning black starting from a brown tip.&#xA;I water them once in 6 days unless water comes out of drainage hole, temperature is consistent on more or less 35° C . Humidity is arourn 35% .&#xA;What wrong i am doing?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dh1mh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dh1mh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/etldI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/etldI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CGiTQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CGiTQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20128" LastActivityDate="2017-11-07T10:19:49.147" Title="Blacking of peace lily" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36067" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36066" CreationDate="2017-11-07T10:19:49.147" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect its going short of water; in the last photo, its apparent that the potting soil is dry enough to have shrunk away from the edge of the pot, so your watering regime needs some correction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering routinely every six days isn't really appropriate,  what you need to do is feel the top of the potting soil with your finger - if it feels dry to the touch, water copiously, allowing any that drains through the holes to collect in a tray or outer pot - then empty that away after 30 minutes so the plant is not left standing in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the potting soil you used has a high peat content, once it dries out, its quite difficult to wet it right through again; what usually happens is, you pour water into the pot and it runs out the bottom of the pot without penetrating all the soil, which can give the impression its been sufficiently watered. This might be something that's happened with yours, so putting a tray or outer pot beneath and allowing the water to collect in there for 30 minutes to an hour, then tipping out any that's left should take care of that problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although a great deal is said about over watering these plants, my personal experience of them is that they're pretty thirsty, needing quite a bit of water every few days - the trick is never to leave them sitting in water after the first 30 mins to an hour, and allow them to dry out slightly between waterings. And as with any other houseplant, keep away from heat sources such as radiators and electrical equipment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-11-07T10:19:49.147" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35689" CreationDate="2017-11-07T13:12:19.420" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Everything that Stephie said is fine. However, the trimming would most likely work for the right side of the hedge (right side of the last photo), but for the left hand side, it would be a difficult uphill battle.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Simply, there is not enough branches with green leaves in that area that would be able to produce desired new growth, no matter how often you trimmed them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My advice is to consider an alternative design that would produce the desired screen effect with much less pain and much more probability.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Such as this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I2e4n.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/I2e4n.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(smaller blue circles are young piceas, larger represent how big they will grow)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Picea pungens would provide incredibly good windbreak and optical insulation. Leylandiis would, on the other hand, serve as an excellent background for piceas light bluish color. You would get more interesting area in your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But this time, it would be desirable to trim piceas from time to time, to get denser foliage (so that the same mistake is not repeated).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Additional comment:&lt;/em&gt; Judging by the pictures, if the height of leylandiis is around 40ft, the distance between centers for them is 3-4 ft. this is fine for the low hedge, but if the trees are left to grow without intervention, as it was more or less in your case, that distance is way too small. The leylandiis suffered! This is one of reasons your hedge doesn't look so good. Note that I placed piceas at much larger distances between them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-07T15:14:51.803" LastActivityDate="2017-11-07T15:14:51.803" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36070" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30868" CreationDate="2017-11-07T18:48:24.997" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Both definitely Aloes. Pointy leaf tips is pretty characteristic of Aloes too.&#xA;First is probably Aloe broomii, dark thorns are quite diagnostic for this species. Not sure about 2nd one. It's just possible they are the same species, if 2 has been in a lot less light than 1 and grown quite etiolated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20132" LastActivityDate="2017-11-07T18:48:24.997" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36071" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19970" CreationDate="2017-11-07T22:11:29.993" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;No.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I realize this is an old question, but it needs a proper answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plumeria is highly susceptible to root rot and &lt;strong&gt;will&lt;/strong&gt; die if you attempt to grow it without potting it in soil. In order for you to have had what success you have apparently had, the cutting itself would have had to have been sanitized (usually required by customs laws when transporting plants internationally) and your current environment would have to be relatively free of fungal agents such as active fungal growth or spores anywhere nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally, even in these circumstances, Plumeria will still develop root rot and eventually stem rot and die. You should check your plant for stem rot by pressing with your fingers around the stem from roots to tip; the entire stem should be very firm to the touch with no give or softness at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if you are miraculously successful at continuing to grow the cutting without planting it, it will outgrow its container within a couple months. When properly taken care of, Plumeria grows quickly and it can grow big - 3-4 meters tall and several meters spread; it's an actual tree, not a house plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend that you plant the cutting immediately in a well-drained non-acidic non-saline soil. A 50/50 mix of potting mix and perlite is a good starting point. Pot size depends upon how big you're willing to let it grow. As it grows, you'll want to keep a close eye on it for pests (I have particular trouble with spider mites) and disease. When it starts to get too big, you can take a cutting and root it and start another plant. You can also cut off the ends of a stem or branch to induce branching. You should fertilize it every so often, especially if you want it to flower. Plumeria is full sun and you'll want as much extra light as you can put on it. If you keep it well lit in a warm environment it will continue to grow year round. You probably aren't the only person in your area trying to grow one, so look online for local Plumeria garden clubs for tips specific to your locale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plumeria is a very pretty plant, but it takes a lot of attention and care. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20133" LastEditorUserId="20133" LastEditDate="2017-11-08T21:59:21.853" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T21:59:21.853" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36072" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36092" CreationDate="2017-11-08T01:13:28.553" Score="3" ViewCount="272" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've found names like &quot;Striped eggplant&quot; or &quot;Rosa Bianca&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Spanish it's called &quot;Berenjena listada&quot;. In Catalan it's similar: &quot;Alberginia llistada&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/Eggplant_scab_2017_O.jpg/800px-Eggplant_scab_2017_O.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T13:28:24.617" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T13:28:24.617" Title="What's the name of this striped eggplant cultivar?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;&lt;cultivar&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36073" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-08T02:14:40.207" Score="4" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a fairly large koi pond that needs converted to something more safe for 2 year old. It has a top and side fountain that run into it. We've wondered about removing the koi and placing a larger sized river rock in the water to where they can be walked on,  allowing possibly 2&quot; of water above rock, but still allowing the fountains to flow? Someday we'd like to use the pond for koi again. Would this work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20134" LastActivityDate="2018-02-18T02:22:58.133" Title="Koi Pond Needs Emptied due to safety issues" Tags="&lt;pond&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36074" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36079" CreationDate="2017-11-08T04:05:45.313" Score="4" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a concrete walkway removed that separated my lawn into two sections. Now I need to fill the gap with soil. It is November already and sod is not available anymore. Should I do something now or can I wait until spring and leave the soil as is over autumn and winter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in the US, New York State.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11619" LastEditorUserId="11619" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T02:26:01.537" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T19:42:48.667" Title="Take care of gap in lawn before winter or wait until spring?" Tags="&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36076" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36082" CreationDate="2017-11-08T06:13:41.703" Score="5" ViewCount="97" Body="&lt;p&gt;As the pea seeds from the gardening store look the same to me like the dried ones from the supermarket, I'd ask myself the question if I could use those for growing them as Microgreens? Is this possible or are they most likely some kind of special breed that can't germinate?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPADTE:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had a few supermarket peas soaked overnight and 'planted' them this morning. Unfortunately, I could not find my usual microgreen trays because I did renovate this summer and therefore I had to use a provisional, but it will do the job.&#xA;I will post an update with pictures as soon as there is something to see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20016" LastEditorUserId="20016" LastEditDate="2017-11-10T05:51:58.110" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T05:51:58.110" Title="Is every pea a potential seed?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;peas&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36077" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36076" CreationDate="2017-11-08T07:46:35.383" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Every pea is a seed.  Absolutely.  But every pea should not be used to plant peas. Seeds you know nothing about, seeds you've gotten from your own plants yet you do not know both parents should not be used.  I still gather them and hold onto them for emergencies?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Always purchase the best seed you are able to afford.  Look at disease resistance, make sure the variety is able to thrive in your zone, know the pH that plant needs in the soil, how to water, that the drainage is exemplary, what fertilizer is the best and how never to overdo, how to build the soil you have, unless you are using pots then it should always be bagged, sterilized plain old cheapo potting soil...never soil from the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your seeds should always state NON GMO on the label.  Gathering your own seed without the facilities to know both parents for sure, is too iffy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are lots of plants either 'feminized' or unable to make seed altogether to protect the patent.  Peas aren't that great for eating as sprouts if that is what you mean by microgreens.  I would certainly collect them and vacuum pack and put in the fridge or freezer.  But I would focus on getting great seeds first...don't use anything you find in the grocery store&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peas are one of the easiest to grow, they love cold. Always start with non gmo seeds.  Cost a bit more but you do not want genetically modified pea plants...trust me.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T07:46:35.383" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36078" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36025" CreationDate="2017-11-08T08:28:01.997" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a good article on japanese quince cultivars in Horticulture Week:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.rs/url?sa=t&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;url=http://www.hortweek.com/chaenomeles/landscape/article/889076&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwic0vyVyK7XAhVH7BQKHQ9ZCXYQFgh-MBA&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw2G_53lFPBWvnFJGCg8pmrp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.google.rs/url?sa=t&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;url=http://www.hortweek.com/chaenomeles/landscape/article/889076&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwic0vyVyK7XAhVH7BQKHQ9ZCXYQFgh-MBA&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw2G_53lFPBWvnFJGCg8pmrp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;'Nicoline' and 'Crimson and Gold' are both mentioned. They are very similar, perhaps the main difference is that 'Nicoline' has larger flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For reference, following cultivars are described in the article:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. japonica 'Cido'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. japonica 'Orange Beauty' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. japonica 'Sargentii'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. 'John Pilcher'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. speciosa 'Contorta'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. speciosa 'Eximia' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. speciosa 'Falconnet Charlet' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. speciosa 'Friesdorfer' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. speciosa 'Geisha Girl' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. speciosa 'Grayshott Salmon' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. speciosa 'Kinshiden'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. speciosa 'Madame Butterfly' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. speciosa 'Moerloosei' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. speciosa 'Nivalis'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. speciosa 'Port Eliot'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. speciosa 'Simonii' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. speciosa 'Snow'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. speciosa 'Toyo-Nishiki'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. speciosa 'Yukigoten' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. x superba 'Boule de Feu' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. x superba 'Cameo' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. x superba 'Crimson and Gold' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. x superba 'Fire Dance' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. x superba 'Jet Trail' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. x superba 'Knap Hill Scarlet' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. x superba 'Lemon and Lime' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. x superba 'Nicoline' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. x superba 'Pink Lady' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. x superba 'Rowallane' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;C. x superba 'Tortuosa' &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-08T12:15:36.547" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T12:15:36.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36079" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36074" CreationDate="2017-11-08T09:15:28.940" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leave it as is until sod is available in the spring. Just don't walk in that area during winter, to avoid soil compacting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In spring, some minor work will be needed to prepare the area for sod, but new grass or weed will not appear by then, for all intents and purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-08T09:39:57.023" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T09:39:57.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36080" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36081" CreationDate="2017-11-08T09:26:06.707" Score="4" ViewCount="659" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to obscure a neighbour's second story window, overlooking my deck (low deck, almost ground level).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can plant a tree, but that means cutting into the deck, not to mention that the area is close to the house. So I've got a lot of requirements: Evergreen, tall (3 metres minimum), ideally low on fruit (decking mess), pretty (of-course) and grows in a pot. Whew!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have found &quot;Ficus microcarpa hillii ‘Flash’&quot;. Is this a tree that could grow large in a pot? Due to space, I can only fit in a small container, say 800x300x300cm, so I'm wondering if such a container will mean tree remains small...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20117" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T13:53:22.483" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T13:53:22.483" Title="What is the right plant for obscuring a neighbour's second story window?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;ficus&gt;&lt;screening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36081" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36080" CreationDate="2017-11-08T11:40:32.633" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the assumption your measurements are in mm, not cm (300 cm is 3 metres and no container would be that wide), that would make your pot (in feet and inches) about two and a half feet deep by roughly a foot across, or 80 cm deep by 30 cm wide. The tree you've mentioned will grow in it for a while, but inevitably, over time, its growth will be very much constrained by the lack of root space, so although its impossible to say what height and spread it might reach, its safe to say it definitely won't reach 3m in height. After a while, it may start to look rather sick - most large plants are okay in largeish pots for up to 3, possibly 4 years, but after that, they start to look 'thin' and weak.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any plant that can be expected to reach 3m won't do so in a pot, I'm afraid. Since your intention is to create something that blocks the view from a window above, have you considered some kind of small pergola, single or double row, with a pot either end of the size (but preferably larger) you mention, with perhaps a climbing plant in each, which, if the pergola is only 6 feet tall and a foot or two across at the top, might mean you could get some of  the growth across the top? That would block the upstairs view of the area beneath, even though its not high enough to block their window. Or a shade sail similar to this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.primrose.co.uk/sail-shades-c-85.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.primrose.co.uk/sail-shades-c-85.html&lt;/a&gt; which would have the same effect, though the effectiveness of these alternate solutions rather depends whether the neighbour's window is opposite your home, to the side, or directly above you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-08T13:04:06.850" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T13:04:06.850" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36082" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36076" CreationDate="2017-11-08T11:49:24.373" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, a dried pea is a seed, but there's a 'but'! Dried peas bought for culinary purposes will not be a 'special breed that can't germinate', but, like dried beans, they may actually not grow for other reasons. Some peas and beans sold for food use are irradiated prior to sale to prevent them starting to grow or sprouting; others may be pretty old, or not stored in optimum conditions (for growth) and, whilst still perfectly suitable as a foodstuff, are no longer able to produce growth. But you might find some do grow, and they're relatively cheap, so it's worth a try if you've got plenty of space and you're prepared for a high failure rate, or with no guarantee of growth. I'd certainly experiment with them if I had room, but if you want guaranteed microgreens, its best to buy seed peas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I just noticed in the comments you mentioned saving your own seed - in order to do that, you would have to grow the peas on to maturity, so that they flower and set pods, which you then harvest and save for growing as microgreens. But you'd need an awful lot of pea plants to produce seeds from the pods to have a regular supply of microgreens over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-09T13:18:40.347" LastActivityDate="2017-11-09T13:18:40.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36083" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36080" CreationDate="2017-11-08T12:08:04.537" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My answer to this is classic potted Bamboo. Its the perfect screen, grows tall with a cool contemporary, beautiful aesthetic. I am a native New Zealander born and bred with no Asian bias to bamboo. If you could plant the bamboo in the earth I would recommend the bamboo species with the root system that clumps together and does not spread. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20131" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T12:08:04.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36074" CreationDate="2017-11-08T12:14:28.763" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I reckon put off today what you can do later to give yourself more time to think about it and consider your options. There's no rush and who knows you make wake up in the middle of the night with a brilliant off the wall creative Kiwi solution. You wouldn't be the first either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20131" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T12:14:28.763" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36085" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36080" CreationDate="2017-11-08T13:36:08.643" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;To me, it sounds like a better place to grow a vine than either bamboo (which I personally find to be very messy) or a tree.  As @bamboo has pointed out, assuming you really do mean mm and not cm that's a pretty small pot for a tree 3m tall.  At the very least you'd have to anchor the tree to some sort of support, as a post attached to the end of the deck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would recommend installing a trellis, perhaps with an arbor on top.  Here are a couple of images from the web.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VkxJm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VkxJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;https://www.houzz.com.au/photo/15804797-custom-trellis-railing-deck-seattle&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3lD1E.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3lD1E.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;http://www.jwconstruction.biz/photo-gallery/decks-and-outdoor-structures/13011656&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please consult your local building code before installing a trellis as there may be limitations.  Most places (at least in the US) make it pretty easy to ask simple code questions like this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T13:36:08.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36086" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36073" CreationDate="2017-11-08T13:57:19.940" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with @stephnie that a fence / net would be the best, not to mention easiest.  I would also think about a gate (or serverel) so you can introduce your child to the waterfall, and eventually the pond as they grow over the next few years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm having a hard time imagining how big/small this pond is, but add a single rock to it sounds difficult, expensive, and probably permanent.  You could add smaller rocks, and/or gravel to fill the pond, but it's likely not a small project.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only things that I can recommend watching out for are the intake(s) for the waterfalls, and/or the intake for the filter system.  If you block those, or they get clogged it could be headache.  You might also think about bypassing your filter system or installing a smaller filter system as you're be filling much less water, and not needing to support fish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T13:57:19.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36087" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36094" CreationDate="2017-11-08T14:15:03.120" Score="6" ViewCount="137" Body="&lt;p&gt;My potted &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayenne_pepper&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cayenne peppers&lt;/a&gt; have had problems with pests for about a year and a half. Does any one recognize it and know how to deal with it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants have been standing on a glazed balcony during summer, the older ones have been overwintering indoors.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The soil is a mixture of potting soil and compost.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;When I planted them I added some spoons of leftover tomato fertilizer (7-3-10)&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I am located in northern scandinavia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have so far treated it without success by:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Removing any damaged leaves. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spraying/washing leaves and stems with dishsoap diluted in water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;I have sprayed the plants with neem according to stormys answer and have not observed any new damage to the leaves so far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update2:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;After researching this a bit more I believe the pests may actually be (chilli) thrips, rather than whitefly as the accepted answer says. Compare &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/thrips/chilli_thrips01.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this image&lt;/a&gt; to my closeup photograph. I will leave the answer accepted since the neem seems to be effective against them as well, but I might write up a new answer in spring depending on how it works out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mildly damaged leaves:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vmO6S.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vmO6S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;A closeup of whatever lives on the plants (I estimate 1-2mm in length):&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fRohY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fRohY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pest&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;Same image, zoomed out.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RflGz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RflGz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pest 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20138" LastEditorUserId="20138" LastEditDate="2017-11-23T20:21:03.797" LastActivityDate="2017-11-23T20:21:03.797" Title="What kind of pest is this and how do I deal with it" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36088" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36073" CreationDate="2017-11-08T15:53:27.630" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have heard of a well anchored, strong net being placed over a pond . It can be walked on and is only depressed a couple inches into the water. It would not affect filtering , etc. Of course , one can drown in 2 inches of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T15:53:27.630" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36089" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7344" CreationDate="2017-11-08T15:53:46.977" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fall, shortly after the leaves have dropped, is the best time of year to move trees - they then have the entire winter to rebuild roots WITHOUT needing to supply leaves with water from the roots (that are inevitably damaged in transplanting.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T15:53:46.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36090" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36020" CreationDate="2017-11-08T17:29:23.507" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;This sounds completely normal for cabbage or any brassica for that matter.  As the head enlarges, the leaves surrounding it expand - kinda magic!  Not saying your plant couldn't be dead, but the enclosing leaves (bracts, actually) are a good sign, not a bad one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just the same, look for what look like lots of spider webs or tiny moving bodies, as major insect infestations can also cause leaves to curl together.  If bugs are bad enough to do that, you won't have to force anything open to find evidence!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18091" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T17:29:23.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36091" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35827" CreationDate="2017-11-08T17:52:00.577" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the most literal but also relatively unimportant sense, you can't.  The roots have probably explored any part of the soil big enough to be replaced by a stake.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But that doesn't mean don't stake it.  All that really matters is to avoid punching a hole right through a main root in the process (done it to a tomato's tap root!).  Slide the stakes down the inside edge of the pot, right against the pot itself, as far from the center as possible.  You'll need another stake on the opposite side or maybe a set of 3 or 4 around the circumference, as otherwise the edge staking may make the pot and plant lopsided and inclined to tip over.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Push the stakes down to the bottom of the pot so they hold well, and consider stakes stronger and taller than you think you need.  For good measure, at about half the tree's height you can tie string securely to each stake to connect the stakes and encircle the tree.  If you do also tie the plant itself to a stake, which may be unnecessary, leave some slack both around the branch and between the branch and stake.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, consider whether the whole arrangement may be becoming too top-heavy and tipsy no matter what you do.  There's a reason those big landscaping pots are so heavy!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18091" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T17:52:00.577" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36092" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36072" CreationDate="2017-11-08T18:37:20.873" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is not the same as &quot;Rosa Bianca&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In English, it is called &lt;strong&gt;&quot;Listada De Gandia&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1242&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is University of Florida's overview of common eggplant cultivars in Florida, and one can find &quot;Listada De Gandia&quot; among them (and also &quot;Rosa Bianca&quot; for that matter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A couple of excerpts:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Listada De Gandia&lt;/em&gt;: Plants grow 24–30 inches tall and 12–18 inches in&#xA;  diameter. Plants bear 5- to 6-inch-long fruit that is a purple color&#xA;  and has irregular white stripes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rosa Bianca&lt;/em&gt;: Plants are similar to ‘Listada de Gandia’ with a creamy&#xA;  white color and pink-purple irregular stripes that radiate from the&#xA;  top&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cultivar has spanish origin and it is not unusual for such cultivars to keep the original name (as it is in original language).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a look at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rareseeds.com/listada-de-gandia-eggplant/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; link too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;BTW, a very nice eggplant!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-08T19:09:09.117" LastActivityDate="2017-11-08T19:09:09.117" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36093" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-08T21:36:29.427" Score="4" ViewCount="161" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Philodendron has little black spots that look like warts on the stock/stem. What could it be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20142" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-11-09T14:14:44.273" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T18:54:14.120" Title="Does my Philodendron have warts?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36087" CreationDate="2017-11-09T00:05:23.100" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is whitefly, the closeup is a young adult, the leaf in the first picture, on the right, might have the 'nymph' stage along the mid vein sucking up nutrients.  Lots of eggs are visible on the second picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this plant in a huge pot or is it in a 6&quot; or less? If 6&quot; or less, I would get Neem, mix it into 3 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket, cut a slice in a paper plate to the center of the plate, put it over the top of the pot and soil of the pepper, turn that pepper upside down and swish it in the Neem mixture.  Allow to dry.  When harvesting any peppers just wash well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd also spray some of that mixture on top of the soil, shallowly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this plant is in a large heavy pot, just get a good sprayer, fill with properly mixed neem, go out side on the patio at night, lay the plant on its side (use newspaper to be tidy) and spray the plant thoroughly, especially the undersides of the leaves, the stems.  If it is flowering, I'd get little chunks of saran wrap and cover each flower and rubber band closed beneath the flower.  Depends on how far along your plants are.  Then spray till dripping.  Sit upright and allow to dry.  Do this at night when bees aren't around...they say it is ok but I do not take chances with bees.  They collect the pesticide whatever it is and take it back to the hive where it can cause problems and/or kill the entire hive.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've used garden soil in your pots this would be where you got this white fly.  I would take this chance, repot your pepper using sterilized cheapo potting soil.  Make sure no fertilizer or water holding gimmicks have been added to the soil. Are these peppers out of doors in the sun or on a patio or under artificial light?  What are you using for fertilizer?  What is the ratio the NPK number (5-7-6? or did you use compost for fertilizer which is just nitrogen which is another culprit where the flies came from...and I'll bet you haven't gotten many flowers or peppers, yes)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-09T00:05:23.100" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36095" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-09T09:08:24.897" Score="7" ViewCount="299" Body="&lt;p&gt;If one has female pistachio trees coming into bearing age, can they be pollinated by grafting a male bud or scion onto a topworked female? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If so, assuming it's done early in grafting season and with more than one scion to improve the rate of survival, could it pollinate by the first season?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20143" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-18T22:56:51.283" LastActivityDate="2018-11-14T14:01:20.293" Title="Can a topworked female pistachio tree be pollinated by grafting a male bud or scion?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36096" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-09T09:24:40.223" Score="2" ViewCount="74" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planning to start my own medical/culinary growing farm somewhere in the not too far future. I'm on a training at the moment on this subject (I'll get a mid-level exam paper about it that I can use to work in this field). Luckily the literature in my native language (Hungarian) is pretty good but I would happily read something international on this subject to widen my view.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question that is there any literature on this subject? I'm interested in mechanized (possibly industrial-scale) growing only (like what machinery to use, how to grow herbs on hectares etc) but mainly what I get when using google is how to grow a few herbs in your backyard garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, this is what I'm looking for (finding something a bit more generic would be a lot more useful):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.crcpress.com/Chamomile-Industrial-Profiles/Franke-Schilcher/p/book/9780415334631&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.crcpress.com/Chamomile-Industrial-Profiles/Franke-Schilcher/p/book/9780415334631&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17013" LastEditorUserId="17013" LastEditDate="2017-11-10T07:53:12.093" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T07:53:12.093" Title="Books about medical and culinary herb growing and processing" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;resources&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="9" ClosedDate="2017-11-11T14:23:28.753" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36062" CreationDate="2017-11-09T10:09:28.207" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like the idea of living off the grid, but as you can read from the comments your question is too broad to get one straight answer. However, I can direct you to some info, that might be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like some people commented already, hardiness zone info is not important for most annual crops. So a vegetable garden can be grown anywhere with fertile soil and irrigation. For fruit trees for example, or other perennials, the &lt;a href=&quot;http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Agricultural_production_-_crops&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;EU site&lt;/a&gt; for agriculture might be useful. There you can see which crop/fruit is grown in which country. It can be used as indication, not more than that. It tells you for instance that growing &lt;a href=&quot;http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/File:Production_of_fruit_and_vegetables,_2015_(1_000_tonnes).png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;oranges&lt;/a&gt; is not feasible in Belgium, but is in Portugal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing your own food is of course just a part of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikihow.com/Live-off-the-Grid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;living off the grid&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-11-09T10:09:28.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36098" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-09T10:19:24.230" Score="1" ViewCount="70" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a small plant at my office garden, about 15 cm tall (6 inches), and it has a flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live at about &lt;strong&gt;40 min away from my work place&lt;/strong&gt;. I want to take it home, where I will plant it in a small pot. It's not an indoor plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How do I transfer this&lt;/strong&gt;?  I'm planning to take it in my water bottle soaking the roots in water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20144" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-11-09T15:50:42.057" LastActivityDate="2018-01-12T13:26:14.777" Title="How to move a bare root plant from one place to another?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;outdoor&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36099" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36096" CreationDate="2017-11-09T10:50:07.487" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is outside my area of expertise, but, living where you do, obviously greenhouse growing will be necessary for the more tender plants like basil. A large proportion of horticultural work is done by hand - handling small plants is tender work, and whether a machine could ever repot a plant into a larger container, or plant out tiny seedlings in rows in the ground, well, I can't visualize that as an option currently. Robotics isn't advanced enough yet to deal with small living things in this way, but maybe in the future, it will be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My suggestion is this - take a job for a few months with a herb growing operation or company. It'll be badly paid, but you're not doing it for the money, you're doing it to find out what's involved in growing plants, herbs in particular, how its done, what the plants need and how to physically handle them, what lighting/heating/watering/feeding systems and machinery are currently in use, whether the plants are regularly sprayed with pesticides and fungicides and how that's done, that sort of thing. Once you know how it's all done, then you can bend your particular technical skills to working out whether you can create something mechanised/robotic to do more of the work. It'd be pretty hard to do that without good horticultural/agricultural  awareness of what plants need... hands on experience with real plants is probably essential,as well as reading about it all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-09T11:02:52.097" LastActivityDate="2017-11-09T11:02:52.097" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36100" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="11226" CreationDate="2017-11-09T11:24:56.040" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the same problem with my arborvitae's being eaten by deer.  Mine are behind a 4 1/2 ft. chain link fence as part of a privacy barrier.  There are six of them in the corner of my lot and unfortunately the deer reach their heads over the fence and eat the top portions.  Their is a device on the market that is battery powered called &quot;Predator Guard&quot;.  It uses a small red led sized light and can be mounted on a fence or stake at the eye height of the animal you are trying to deter.  The theory is that animals interpret the red eye of the light as another predator and will interpret danger and stay away.  I know some farmers in the area that use these small devices to repel coyotes from livestock areas.  Should work for deer as they are prey species.  Not too bright to annoy the neighbor and no loud sounds.  Also works on raccoons, possums and other vermin.  Check on amazon or other websites.  Also ammonia soaked rags hung on fence or stakes will deter any species that relies on scent such as deer.  These will have to be changed every time it rains though.  Deer in cold climates will be a particular problem to these evergreens as they are a readily available source of vitamin c for them.  Just a couple of suggestions I have tried that have been successful.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20145" LastActivityDate="2017-11-09T11:24:56.040" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36101" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-09T16:48:30.177" Score="4" ViewCount="222" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a large walnut tree (Juglans regia), and I am happy with it, I just want to improve further that part of my garden to be more attractive to birds and butterflies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My idea is to plant a climber that will climb up the walnut, and hopefully cover it (at least partially).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I searched the net, but could not find a similar case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No need to mention that the climber must be juglone-tolerant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this doable, or even possible at all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My thoughts are now:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lonicera&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hedera&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wisteria&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.rs/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=14&amp;amp;cad=rja&amp;amp;uact=8&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwi-pdjBi7LXAhVPblAKHUv7APgQFghpMA0&amp;amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bristolsgardencenter.com%2Ffile%2Fsites%257C*%257C607%257C*%257CNursery%257C*%257CBLACK-WALNUT.pdf&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw3Dnl3r5NLyBriAYNWWb2iM&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;list of juglone-tolerant plants&lt;/a&gt; mentions lonicera and wisteria, but not hedera. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.rs/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;cad=rja&amp;amp;uact=8&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwj2_IfbirLXAhVSKlAKHcg0Bp0QFggnMAA&amp;amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sylvanative.com%2FLandscaping_with_Black_Walnut_tolerant.pdf&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw0jToClWpFBhKcJcji3kqz_&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Another list&lt;/a&gt; mentions lonicera only (out of these three).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will be doing some crown lifting pruning of that walnut next spring, so that more sunlight is available daily for the area at the bottom of the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is not my walnut tree, but my tree is very similar (age, size, habit...) to the pictured one:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AaAZV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AaAZV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;What do you think?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-09T18:09:08.893" LastActivityDate="2017-11-09T23:31:07.063" Title="Recommendations for climbers that'll climb by a walnut tree" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;birds&gt;&lt;walnut&gt;&lt;butterflies&gt;&lt;climbers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36073" CreationDate="2017-11-09T16:59:06.200" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could drain it, make a false bottom, and repurpose it as a sand pit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2017-11-09T16:59:06.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36103" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36104" CreationDate="2017-11-09T16:59:39.947" Score="5" ViewCount="73" Body="&lt;p&gt;A neighbor of mine have a beautiful lonicera plant that just flowered - this may be the third time this year! He offered to me to take as many cuttings as I wish, and says that I just need to put them in water (like indoor flowers), and they will root - and later on such cuttings may be moved to soil, and become real plants. Is that true?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would be the right way to use my neighbor's generous offer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just have to have that plant, I almost fainted when I sensed fragrance of their flowers this morning! :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not have any experience at propagating plants using cuttings, and probably have brown thumb for such work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;EDIT: Meanwhile, I discovered &lt;a href=&quot;https://lifewithkali.wordpress.com/tag/honeysuckle-2/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a series of blog posts&lt;/a&gt; describing 43-day experiment of rooting lonicera in water.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-23T19:09:18.117" LastActivityDate="2017-11-23T19:09:18.117" Title="Propagating loniceras for beginners" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;climbers&gt;&lt;honeysuckle&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36103" CreationDate="2017-11-09T17:19:02.143" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yeah smells great that flower!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I never propagated this plant, but according to '&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/honeysuckle-root-water-58206.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the web&lt;/a&gt;' cuttings will root easily, and putting them in just water seems successful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-11-09T17:19:02.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36105" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36115" CreationDate="2017-11-09T17:23:55.070" Score="3" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;I left my carolina reapers in the starter tray for 51 days, the bottom of the stems are starting to get woody, and they have about 5 sets of true leaves and are still growing more. They are ~2.5 inches tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I transplant them into pots now, will they grow bigger or did I wait too long? Can I still wait longer? I am growing them indoors only, so I have plenty of time to wait for them to get large.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20146" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T03:02:05.987" Title="I left Car. Reaper seedlings in the tray for 51 days, did I leave them in too long?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36106" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36101" CreationDate="2017-11-09T17:44:58.043" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Note that black walnut (Juglans nigra) has the highest level of juglone in all its parts, so that is a significant difference between it and Juglans regia, the common walnut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This link &lt;a href=&quot;https://extension.psu.edu/landscaping-and-gardening-around-walnuts-and-other-juglone-producing-plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://extension.psu.edu/landscaping-and-gardening-around-walnuts-and-other-juglone-producing-plants&lt;/a&gt; has plenty of suggestions for trees and shrubs growing around Walnut, including vines - your lonicera is not on the list of juglone tolerant vines, they are Clematis, Wisteria, Vitis and Parthenocissus quinquifolia. (Note: the link you posted doesn't lead anywhere,so I don't know where you got the information about lonicera being juglone tolerant from. Update - see comment above.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that the text body includes a reference to not using mulch containing walnut leaves; this refers to your other post about composting walnut  leaves, so what it's saying is, you shouldn't use as mulch anything containing &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;uncomposted&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; parts from walnut - leaves, once composted, will have lost all their juglone content easily within six months. This difference between composted and uncomposted parts, and failure to understand the difference, might account for all the misinformation about walnut mulch on the web...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-09T23:31:07.063" LastActivityDate="2017-11-09T23:31:07.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36107" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-09T18:45:13.670" Score="6" ViewCount="335" Body="&lt;p&gt;My dad gave me this plant years ago. I think he said it was a dracaena. It that true? If not, and I remember incorrectly, what is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in New Jersey, in the Northeast United States, at the shore. I put the plant outside during the summer and bring it in in the fall. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S7XSn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S7XSn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20147" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-11T03:07:17.550" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T03:07:17.550" Title="Is this potted plant with long, narrow, pointed leaves a dracaena?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36108" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36107" CreationDate="2017-11-09T18:53:20.723" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, its Dracaena marginata to be exact,and it needs some remedial work by the look of it. Although it tolerates low light conditions quite well, yours isn't looking too great, so if its in a really dark area, it could do with some more light. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're in the northern hemisphere, I'd wait till spring, then cut it down to about 6-8 inches, so you've just got the remains of two stems branching off a single one at the base. Pot up into a clean, new pot with fresh potting soil, and stand it somewhere it gets reasonable light, but not direct sunlight, water it in, and wait - it should send out new shoots from both stems. If you like, you can use the tops to start new plants; cut about 4 to 5 inches below the green topgrowth, pop  the stems in a bottle of water, so the stems are immersed but the topgrowth is not, stand the bottle on a windowsill, keep it topped up,and when roots appear, pot them up separately, or choose one good one and pot that up and bin the rest if you don't want them all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There's an image in this link of what it should look like - it's the second one down (the first image is Dracaena marginata variegata, same plant, different cultivar)&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.myhouseplants.com/house-plant-list/dracaena-marginata/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.myhouseplants.com/house-plant-list/dracaena-marginata/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-11-09T18:53:20.723" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36109" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30028" CreationDate="2017-11-09T20:14:59.337" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Go for it! This location is absolutely a perfect place for Picea pungens!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I personally planted one last spring (and in a similar position to yours), and it endured unusually hot and dry summer extremely well, and looks nice and healthy. Needless to say that it can endure very low temperatures as well. Its natural habitat is high in mountains, and at the edge of forests. This means that, in nature, they do not get sun at least half a day, so no need to worry about sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It definitely has an uncanny magical feel. I spoke with several people that have this spruce, and all feel something special and misterious about it. It grows slowly, but you feel that it does grow. I heard that it doesn't like artificial fertilizers - basically you need only to water them during first few years, and infrequent but generous watering is the best. Pruning is best avoided altogether - only if you want to have denser crown, you need to pinch leader and main branches from time to time. And the rule is: do not remove lowest branches - the crown of this tree looks the best if it starts at the ground level.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I call it &quot;The Queen of My Garden&quot;. When I transported it from the nursery, I put it in the passenger seat of my car, not in the trunk - the right treatment for The Queen! :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2017-11-09T20:14:59.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36110" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-09T22:24:15.270" Score="4" ViewCount="111" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this rare succulent from Metrotown, the girl she said she does not know this succulent's name, so can anybody give this plant's name and basic care guide?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iBe8u.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iBe8u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown succulent down view&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wt0v8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wt0v8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unknown succulent side view&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16373" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T23:07:51.467" Title="What's the name of this unknown succulent?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36111" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-09T22:51:15.443" Score="4" ViewCount="181" Body="&lt;p&gt;Living in New Zealand, we have very limited choices of avocados.  I've recently come across a new type - &quot;Hayes&quot; - which has been grafted on to Bacon rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know how water/phytophthora tolerant Bacon root stock would be compared with Zutano? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Similarly does anyone know how frost tolerant Hayes avocados are?  (We get a few nights a year where temperature falls to low negative centigrade - coldest I've recorded is -6°C (but over the last 2 years only -3°C, and only shortly after dawn).)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T11:47:22.460" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T11:47:22.460" Title="Bacon Avocado as Root Stock" Tags="&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;plant-hardiness&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="26410" CreationDate="2017-11-09T23:33:30.843" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It can't be 'Paul's Scarlet'. It is 'Punicea', 'Crimson Cloud' or 'Superba'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.rs/url?sa=t&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;url=https://www.hortweek.com/crataegus/landscape/article/806871&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjO0L2H1rLXAhUjB8AKHVM9DIsQFggwMAE&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw1OziEZtfofxGB-Fec5JydA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Horticulture Week&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;C. laevigata 'Crimson Cloud' has red single flowers that appear in mid-spring with a pronounced white centre. It has a moderate rate of growth and prefers damp sites with a sunny aspect. It reaches 4m, sometimes with a slightly weeping habit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can find descriptions and photos of other mentioned cultivars on the net and compare them to your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-17T21:54:31.937" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T21:54:31.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36110" CreationDate="2017-11-10T02:20:25.933" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is Echeveria 'Lola' or Elegans.  Mexican Snowball is the common name of the latter. It is definitely an Echeveria...so many different varieties.  Does this picture look similar?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to get a tiny clay pot with a hole at the bottom. More light less water! A tiny bit of balanced fertilizer. Use only potting soil, potting soil made for cactus. No rock or gravel at the bottom of the pot. Water only when the pot, soil and plant feel very light. The pot should be 3&quot; diameter 2&quot; or less in height unless you combine this guy with other succulents.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://welchwrite.com/agn/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/echeveria-lola.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Echeveria 'Lola'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-11-10T23:07:51.467" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T23:07:51.467" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36115" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36105" CreationDate="2017-11-10T03:02:05.987" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You should be fine to transplant them now into slightly bigger pots.  I am guessing they are in a starter tray with 1&quot; diameter 'pots'? Upgrade only to 3 or 4 inch diameter pots...with potting soil.  Hard to imagine what you've got going but if your plants are still alive there is no reason to quit.  50 days is a stretch but plants are tough.  Just squeeze the bottom of the little pot as you turn upside down...if roots are through the bottom, just rip or cut them off to release the start from its starting pot.  Transplant into  3 or 4&quot; diameter pot, firm the soil and water, only water when pot feels light as you lift it.  Are you using artificial light or sunlight?  You really need a decent grow light to grow them indoors.  The light from the window is not enough and the winter daylight hours are too short. Not to mention you'll be responsible for pollination (no big deal). Careful with the nitrogen or you will not get flowers and peppers.  When roots grow through the bottom of the 3 to 4&quot; pots repot into 6&quot; pots.  Usually that is as far as you need to go for lots of peppers.  You have to have enough light via artificial means and a fan to blow the air.  All potting soil, no garden soil or compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T03:02:05.987" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36116" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-10T07:45:04.370" Score="3" ViewCount="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is loose-leaf cabbage generally just as prone to cabbage worms as headed cabbage?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've had trouble with cabbage worms on regular green cabbage that forms heads (the worms seem to hide inside the heads). I was wondering if they would be less of a problem in loose-leaf cabbage, since there wouldn't be tight spots for them to hide, and since you maybe harvest from them periodically, depending.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've already heard they can be less of a problem in Chinese cabbage, and purple cabbage. So, I found this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rareseeds.com/chirimen-hakusai-chi/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;chartreuse-colored loose-leaf Chinese cabbage&lt;/a&gt; (it's hard to find purple Chinese cabbages), and then I got this question in my head, since it just looks like it might be less prone. So, I'm wondering if these types of cabbage would be good to plant where cabbage worms would normally attempt to infest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: To clarify, know that this is about the loose-leaf quality of the cabbage (not whether or not it's Chinese cabbage).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-11-11T00:33:19.697" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T00:33:19.697" Title="Is loose-leaf cabbage just as prone to cabbage worms as headed cabbage?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;cabbage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36117" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24417" CreationDate="2017-11-10T08:43:18.413" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although they're currently normally grown from tubers, they can be grown from seed, according to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/sunroots-zbcz1311&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Joseph Lofthouse&lt;/a&gt;, who has a blog with Mother Earth News, and is known for breeding landraces in northern Utah for many kinds of plants. He sells the seeds, too. However, you need to have two genetically distinct plants, if you want them to produce fertile seeds (and you may need to bag the blossoms after pollination to keep birds from eating too many of them). Commercial tubers may or may not have cytoplasmic male sterility (so, if you want to grow seeds, you may need to actually buy seeds instead of tubers to start with, at least for the pollinating plant). &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kansasnativeplants.com/storedetail.php?plnt_id=388&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kansas Native Plants&lt;/a&gt; sells true seeds, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://permies.com/t/3582/Sunroot-Seed&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here's a link that shows pictures of seedlings with cotyledons.&lt;/a&gt; (It is also a source for some of the other information in this answer.) The cotyledons in the picture look a lot like those of sunflowers, but the first true leaves &lt;em&gt;in the picture&lt;/em&gt;, at least, &lt;em&gt;look&lt;/em&gt; like somewhat pointy green tongues (complete with tastebuds) with a bit of fur on the sides, without much of a line down the middle (and flatter than tongues, of course).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-11-10T09:19:12.023" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T09:19:12.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36116" CreationDate="2017-11-10T10:08:15.270" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, they will still be a problem - cabbage worms (or larvae of the cabbage white butterfly, which is what they are) like any member of the cabbage family or brassicas in general, and your chinese cabbage is a member of that family. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have room, try planting cabbages elsewhere in the garden and grow something else in the space usually allotted to them. Companion planting might help - plants like garlic or any of the onion family planted nearby will help to deter them, more information on that and other natural methods here &lt;a href=&quot;https://dengarden.com/gardening/Natural-Ways-To-Control-Cabbage-Worms&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://dengarden.com/gardening/Natural-Ways-To-Control-Cabbage-Worms&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If all fails, row covers (cloches), the type with closed ends, will keep them off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-10T12:31:50.623" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T12:31:50.623" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1372" CreationDate="2017-11-10T11:47:41.270" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Flowers not fruiting could also be due to zinc deficiency. Add a handful of ash (preferably wood, else coal) on day 1 and day 3. This will most definitely work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20150" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T11:47:41.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36120" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2017-11-10T17:15:53.460" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-11-10T17:15:53.460" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T17:15:53.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36121" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2017-11-10T17:15:53.460" Score="0" Body="Mulberries are widely cultivated edible fruits in the genus Morus. Use this tag for questions on both the fruit and the tree." OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-10T19:46:18.950" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T19:46:18.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36122" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36139" CreationDate="2017-11-10T19:53:13.493" Score="4" ViewCount="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know when do Carnations (&lt;em&gt;Dianthus caryophyllus&lt;/em&gt;) become responsive to their photoperiod for flowering. That is, at what leaf stage e.g. two leaf, four leaf. Thank you a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16770" LastEditorUserId="16770" LastEditDate="2017-11-11T15:31:22.720" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T15:31:22.720" Title="Carnation photoperiod responsive stage?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36123" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-10T20:47:30.203" Score="3" ViewCount="528" Body="&lt;p&gt;My cucumber plants,was growing well,and 4 weeks ago have started to flowering while their leaves beginning to &lt;strong&gt;yellow&lt;/strong&gt;,brown and &lt;strong&gt;burning&lt;/strong&gt;.&#xA;Then the &lt;strong&gt;flowers are falling&lt;/strong&gt; and the &lt;strong&gt;fruits become small&lt;/strong&gt; and do not grow, and after a few days &lt;strong&gt;fade and dying&lt;/strong&gt;.&#xA;so that I earn 15 kg cucumbers from land with an area of 500 Square meters for every day.&#xA;I checked climate change, but this problem did not depend on water or heat...the used &lt;strong&gt;Variety&lt;/strong&gt; is &lt;strong&gt;profusion&lt;/strong&gt;؛ Kareem F1 Hybrid, and the season for our location is autumn, and the they are short,so that the total time of Radiation is 8 hours. I confused the problem was happen by the shortening of days or these marks are Symptoms of Nutrient Deficiencies on Cucumbers? and what kinds of deficiencies?&#xA;There are some pictures.&#xA;Thanks for your attention...&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Khp7u.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Khp7u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XUETC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XUETC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z6g43.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z6g43.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20151" LastActivityDate="2017-11-10T20:47:30.203" Title="Yellowish, brown and burning of leaves of greenhouse cucumber,according to fallen flowers without producing fruit" Tags="&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;cucumbers&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36124" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-10T22:32:53.027" Score="6" ViewCount="127" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2TqFH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2TqFH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know what kind of flower this is? Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20152" LastActivityDate="2018-03-13T09:07:18.333" Title="What's that flower!" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36125" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-11T02:07:29.553" Score="2" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got this Tahitian Dwarf Lime tree not long ago and I was surprised to find a few of the leaves being bitten. I'm not sure what to do to stop/prevent this from reocurring. Any advice? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bjoa4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bjoa4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20153" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-11-11T15:33:39.573" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T15:33:39.573" Title="Tahitian Lime tree leaves eaten?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36126" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-11T03:51:51.177" Score="7" ViewCount="1611" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was looking at a tree today that I thought was a black cherry tree, but I'm not 100% sure. Its leaves are yellow and have toothed edges. Its bark has diamond-shaped ridges. I believe that black cherry trees have scaly bark with upturned edges, but I figure that this is a young tree, and so the bark might have a different appearance while young.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could anyone say for sure what kind of tree this is? Here are some pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A leaf.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jhJrY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jhJrY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The bark.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2VfXn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2VfXn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From afar.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y3gmm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y3gmm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20154" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-20T08:55:09.213" LastActivityDate="2018-04-20T08:55:09.213" Title="What is this tree with bark that has diamond-shaped ridges?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36128" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-11T05:34:47.407" Score="5" ViewCount="97" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JzGJn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JzGJn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Avocado Plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm sorry if this is another one of those useless-for-the-community post but I'm just curious, if anyone could tell me if my avocado plant is looking healthy or not. Perhaps if you're an expert and can tell me what variety of avocado this is so I can keep an eye out for its nutrient needs.&#xA;(PS, some of the leaves seem to be curling down, is that a problem I can solve quickly?) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17216" LastEditorUserId="16406" LastEditDate="2017-11-11T13:16:51.043" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T13:16:51.043" Title="Is my avocado plant looking healthy?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36129" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36128" CreationDate="2017-11-11T07:50:11.557" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your avocado looks fairly healthy...good soil, color is a bit on the light green side and curling down could be due to time of day or temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The big question is fertilizer.  Have you used a balanced fertilizer?  N P K plus micro nutrients?  How old is your plant?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sure looks like it is lacking in chemicals for photosynthesis.  Fertilizer.  Let us know what you've added, not added for chemistry so this plant is able to make its own 'food'.  My go to fertilizer if you've never added any fertilizer to this pot is OSMOCOTE 14-14-14.  Extended release.  Timed release and for your avocado just half the amount will make a huge difference.  Less is better than too much none is a slow death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T07:50:11.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36130" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36126" CreationDate="2017-11-11T08:01:24.360" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ulmus pumila the Siberian Elm.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrTcdpxrQZaDfMACOYnnIlQ?p=ulmus%20pumila%20bark&amp;amp;fr=yhs-mozilla-002&amp;amp;fr2=piv-web&amp;amp;hspart=mozilla&amp;amp;hsimp=yhs-002&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt; Ulmus pumila bark&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://campus.albion.edu/albiontrees/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/siberian-elm/p1060185dl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ulmus pumila bark&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.florasilvestre.es/mediterranea/Ulmaceae/Ulmus_pumila-hoja.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Siberian Elm leaves&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T08:01:24.360" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36131" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36126" CreationDate="2017-11-11T08:42:19.550" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is an &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;elm&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; (judging just by the leaf that is serrated and characteristically asymmetrical).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be, say, &lt;em&gt;Ulmus davidiana var. japonica 'Prospector'&lt;/em&gt;. Or it might be &lt;em&gt;Ulmus americana 'New Harmony'&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To conclude exactly which elm, you need to do more Sherlock Holmes work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a nice article on identifying elms: &lt;a href=&quot;https://m.wikihow.com/Identify-an-Elm-Tree&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;How to Identify an Elm Tree&lt;/a&gt;. It outlines three approaches to identifying elms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Approach One:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Identifying Elms with Basic Characteristics&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Examine the leaves of the tree.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Look at the bark.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Check for overall height and width.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Look at the trunk.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Consider the tree’s location. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Approach Two:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Looking More Closely at the Tree&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Identify what creatures the tree attracts.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Look for visible roots.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Look for sick trees.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Approach Three:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Identifying Seasonal Changes Associated with Elms&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Look for flowers.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Look at the seeds of the elm.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Examine elms in the fall.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Examine the tree in the winter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Sources mentioned in the article&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openelm.org.im/identifying-elms/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.extension.iastate.edu/forestry/publications/PDF_files/PM1384.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.com/books?id=tYV91AIRPmQC&amp;amp;lpg=PA344&amp;amp;pg=PA135#v=onepage&amp;amp;q&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;3&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.com/books?id=tYV91AIRPmQC&amp;amp;lpg=PA344&amp;amp;pg=PA134#v=onepage&amp;amp;q&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;4&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openelm.org.im/identifying-elms/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;5&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.com/books?id=tYV91AIRPmQC&amp;amp;lpg=PA344&amp;amp;pg=PA134#v=onepage&amp;amp;q&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;6&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/elm-cultivars&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;7&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oplin.org/tree/fact%20pages/elm_american/elm_american.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;8&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.com/books?id=5b68DsGlvVIC&amp;amp;lpg=PA188&amp;amp;pg=PA188#v=onepage&amp;amp;q&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;9&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://natureinstitute.org/pub/ic/ic14/trees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;10&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.arborday.org/programs/nationaltree/elm.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;11&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1746.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;12&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/american_elm.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;13&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oplin.org/tree/fact%20pages/elm_american/elm_american.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;14&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.oplin.org/tree/fact%20pages/elm_slippery/elm_slippery.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;15&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.openelm.org.im/identifying-elms/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;16&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.com/books?id=tYV91AIRPmQC&amp;amp;lpg=PA344&amp;amp;pg=PA134#v=onepage&amp;amp;q&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;17&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.com/books?id=tYV91AIRPmQC&amp;amp;lpg=PA344&amp;amp;pg=PA136#v=onepage&amp;amp;q&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;18&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.com/books?id=tYV91AIRPmQC&amp;amp;lpg=PA344&amp;amp;pg=PA139#v=onepage&amp;amp;q&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;19&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.com/books?id=tYV91AIRPmQC&amp;amp;lpg=PA344&amp;amp;pg=PA135#v=onepage&amp;amp;q&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;20&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://extension.usu.edu/weedguides/files/uploads/Ulmaceae.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;21&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.com/books?id=tYV91AIRPmQC&amp;amp;lpg=PA344&amp;amp;pg=PA134#v=onepage&amp;amp;q&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;22&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.com/books?id=tYV91AIRPmQC&amp;amp;lpg=PA344&amp;amp;pg=PA139#v=onepage&amp;amp;q&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;23&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/elm-cultivars&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;24&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-03T10:16:43.700" LastActivityDate="2018-04-03T10:16:43.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36132" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36135" CreationDate="2017-11-11T09:36:15.210" Score="5" ViewCount="851" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had some yucca seeds and I put them on a wet paper towel to germinate. In about a week they started to sprout, producing small white stalks as seen in this photo (not mine) &lt;img src=&quot;https://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/fa92a6a80867bbcb_8-3320/home-design.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;yucca_sprouts&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I then planted the sprouts in small pots, with the stalks pointing &lt;strong&gt;down&lt;/strong&gt; - I assumed they will form the roots.&#xA;However, I then found this guide &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Yucca&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Yucca&lt;/a&gt; that suggests pointing the stalks &lt;strong&gt;up&lt;/strong&gt;. It has been about a week that my sprouts have been potted now. I dug one up and the stalk has grown considerably (it's about 3 times long as before potting), pointing straight down. So it doesn't look like it was placed in the wrong direction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the correct orientation of the yucca stalks? Should I replant the sprouts or not?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: my potted sprouts look like this:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hKsxL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hKsxL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;potted_sprouts&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20156" LastEditorUserId="20156" LastEditDate="2017-11-11T09:43:08.947" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T12:31:00.730" Title="Planting yucca seed sprouts" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36124" CreationDate="2017-11-11T09:50:29.310" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like an orchid to me. Can't be more specific, but I saw similar plants in the Chicago's Lincoln Conservatory a couple of months ago in their Orchid room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20156" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T09:50:29.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36134" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-11T09:51:20.570" Score="6" ViewCount="615" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a number of bird feeders hanging in our garden, and a reasonable number of different, interesting bird species visit them. We regularly see Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Woodpeckers, etc., as well as the usual starlings, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are large flocks of green parrots where we are, and several times a day, one or two of them will hog the bird feeders and chase off the other birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything we can do about this? We'd like to encourage more of the interesting species to visit, and discourage the parrots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Location: West London.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20157" LastActivityDate="2020-08-29T13:15:39.077" Title="Prevent green parrots dominating the bird feeder" Tags="&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36135" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36132" CreationDate="2017-11-11T10:55:26.500" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look fine. Roots will find its way down automatically via gravity, let nature take its course. The cotyledons (first leaves) will open soon. Nice that you have seeds from Yucca, most people use vegetative way of propagation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-11-11T12:31:00.730" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T12:31:00.730" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36136" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36134" CreationDate="2017-11-11T13:06:31.513" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;One option might be to use a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.birdfood.co.uk/large-feeder-guardian-cage.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;feeder cage&lt;/a&gt;. This will prevent larger birds from being able to get at the feeder, so should stop parakeets from being able to feed, but but the side effect that it will also prevent some other birds&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20158" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T13:06:31.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36137" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36126" CreationDate="2017-11-11T14:03:23.100" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like the American Elm with Dutch Elm Disease or Elm Yellows (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_americana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ulmus americana&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20159" LastEditorUserId="20159" LastEditDate="2017-11-11T14:17:17.963" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T14:17:17.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36138" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36134" CreationDate="2017-11-11T14:14:03.040" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;According  to the RSPB  (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/r/ringneckedparakeet/feeding.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/r/ringneckedparakeet/feeding.aspx&lt;/a&gt;), it's likely that parakeets in the London area survive well because they can forage for food, with bird feeders being a primary source. In the UK, they have become omnivorous, so will also take scraps of all sorts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Their beaks are such that it's next to impossible for them to feed from a good nut feeder - I'm in West London too, and they never attempt to feed from my steel and terracotta one - but will come and eat scraps, nuts and seeds strewn on a tray or bird table outdoors. I'd compromise - use nut feeders (not just wire cage ones, the squirrels will be in those in a heartbeat) and put out other nuts and bird seed in the other feeders you're using. Despite the racket they make, they are a colourful addition to the birds we've always seen here, and can be very entertaining; its the starlings that drive me mad with bird food, most of it gets dropped and spread everywhere, very messy, noisy, squabbling birds. But, they need to eat as well when the weather's very cold, so I put up with them!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-11T15:16:17.177" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T15:16:17.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36139" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36122" CreationDate="2017-11-11T15:25:36.373" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adequate photoperiod is not enough for carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus) to start flowering. They need a few months of cold environment like I said in your &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/35420/carnation-true-leaves-are-not-growing&quot;&gt;other question&lt;/a&gt;, about 5°C (41F°) for 10 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in a temperate climate, zone 6b, and my experience with carnations is as follows:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They were started by seed in spring 2016, experienced increasing hours of daylight in spring and summer, then decreased hours of daylight in autumn and winter. I have kept them outdoors for the winter because they needed the low temperatures. During winter they did not grow and they started to grow again in spring 2017. In June 2017 they have flowered. It took them one year to reach maturity and another 2-3 months to flower after reaching maturity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't count the leaves, there may be 30 leaves or so (I can't give a good estimate), but I will post some pictures for you to see how the leaves look when the plants start flowering. Also, I'm not a good photographer, sorry. In my opinion, you need at least 12 weeks of primary growth (autumn) + at least 10 weeks of cold (winter) + at least 12 weeks of gradually increasing light again (spring). This means that it's unlikely to have flowers before the plant is 34 weeks old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/37PkS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/37PkS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IOlg0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IOlg0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T15:25:36.373" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36140" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36149" CreationDate="2017-11-11T16:54:46.080" Score="7" ViewCount="933" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of the leaves of my Spathiphyllum sprout with deformed edges.  They don't turn yellow or brown at the tips over time - they start out like this.  Oddly most leaves are perfectly normal and this only happens to about a third of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3ZEG0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3ZEG0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20160" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-11-11T21:34:58.533" LastActivityDate="2017-11-12T12:56:53.253" Title="What causes deformed Spathiphyllum leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36141" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-11T18:30:25.307" Score="3" ViewCount="65" Body="&lt;p&gt;Another plant from Kew Gardens in the Princess of Wales conservatory that I couldn't find a name tag for. It looks to me like a giant version of the wood spurge I have that grows wild in the garden but It could be something completely unrelated. It was near all the Bromeliads if that helps and it was at least 6ft tall. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i3Vhx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17180" LastEditorUserId="17180" LastEditDate="2017-11-11T22:27:39.267" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T23:00:51.613" Title="Help identifying giant spurge like plant from Kew Gardens, Uk" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36142" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-11T21:12:03.307" Score="5" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oExeH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hULGw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got these awesome plants but I don't know what they are or how to care for them. Can you help me?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20163" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-11-12T21:11:32.547" LastActivityDate="2017-11-12T21:30:28.693" Title="What are these succulents in a decorative pot?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36143" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-11T22:19:50.800" Score="2" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ten days ago I've seen in a fruit shop some tomatoes named &quot;Tomate Marmalin&quot; in Spanish. The &quot;Marmalin&quot; word might be Catalan though. I can't find anything on internet about this variety, not even in Spanish. Does anyone know anything about this variety? I wonder if it has a name in English.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Tomates_Marmalin_2017_A2.jpg/776px-Tomates_Marmalin_2017_A2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Foto1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-11-17T12:52:35.293" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T13:32:26.350" Title="English name of “Marmalin” (Spanish) tomato cultivar" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;cultivar&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36141" CreationDate="2017-11-11T23:00:51.613" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Shoot I have to guess Pittosporum, Japanese Pittosporum. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.my-photo-gallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Hardy-Pittosporum-3.6m-3.6m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pittosporum spp.&lt;/a&gt;  My first guess is usually right but not so much lately.  Yours is lanky because it is in a bit of shade.  Do you remember any flowers?  This plant also loves acidic soil and because it looks like it is right next to your foundation, it isn't as happy as it could be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mortellaros.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/255/index.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Green Pittosporum or Mock Orange&lt;/a&gt;  There is at least one other plant not related at all called Mock Orange.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Couldn't find the pH this plant needs but fairly sure it is acidic. Looks like concrete foundation or walls...lots of lime.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They love great drainage and lots of water.  Too high of a pH and drought will make them look lanky like this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let's see what the others come up with...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-11T23:00:51.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36145" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-11T23:21:13.680" Score="3" ViewCount="133" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been given a cutting of a herb to grow and it has a similar smell to thyme which I'm using for recipies which need thyme.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Australia, New South Wales and haven't been able to identify it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has a similar scent to Thyme or Rosemary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XLiMo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XLiMo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;thyme or rosemary smelling herb&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19780" LastActivityDate="2017-11-12T00:33:00.590" Title="Help identifying a herb scented similar to thyme in Australia" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36146" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36145" CreationDate="2017-11-12T00:33:00.590" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;After looking closely at the leaf, it appears to be a succulent type herb which has always been called Cuban oregano. If you've moved to a new climate/zone, I always find the best nursery in the area, and make them my new best friends!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20164" LastActivityDate="2017-11-12T00:33:00.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36148" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36161" CreationDate="2017-11-12T07:03:12.333" Score="5" ViewCount="1842" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several young, potted citrus trees that range from 1 to 3 years old that are mandarin, grapefruit, key lime, Meyer lemon and eureka lemon varieties. They spent a productive spring, summer and early fall outside growing vigorously, but are now subject to spending the winter indoors since I live in the greater Seattle area. They are living in a Southern-facing window, but I fear that the constant overcast will not provide sufficient light. What type of light would be best for these young guys to keep up healthy leaf production?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20166" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T01:54:28.337" Title="What type of grow light should I buy for young citrus seedlings" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36149" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36140" CreationDate="2017-11-12T12:56:53.253" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw this a lot when I was doing interior plant maintenance. It is a burn due to high dissolved salts.  It does not get better and often results in the plant being replaced due to the damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are a few causes:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if seen on new plants this indicates the grower did a last application of fertilizer that was too strong for the light levels at the home&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;older plants can have this too and there are a few conditions that act together as triggers&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;low light levels mean low growth rate&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;peat based soil mix has a limited ability to buffer salts as it ages&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;high ph alkaline water being used&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For both causes I recommend&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;moving to a higher light level&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;doing a one time drench with distilled water. Pour enough through that water runs freely out of the bottom of the pot.  The distilled water will lower the level of dissolved salts&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repotting with a mix of your choice. Tropical plant soil less potting mix is easy to find&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-11-12T12:56:53.253" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36150" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-12T13:22:19.003" Score="4" ViewCount="530" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a small, round, slightly flattened, light green squash. The average size is a bit bigger than a round plum (cirruela in Spanish). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks quite distinct from Round zucchini but it might be just a variety of the same group (&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Cucurbita_pepo_summer_pumpkin_group&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cucurbita pepo summer pumpkin group&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only similar variety that I could find is this &lt;a href=&quot;https://modernfarmer.com/2015/08/summer-squash-varieties/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ronde de Nice (AKA Gourmet Globe)&lt;/a&gt; but when googling it, I can only find images with Round zucchini.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BKlas.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BKlas.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yFc3W.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yFc3W.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastEditorUserId="17658" LastEditDate="2017-11-12T20:32:37.277" LastActivityDate="2017-11-12T20:32:37.277" Title="What's the name of this small, round, light green squash?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36151" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-12T21:10:42.397" Score="7" ViewCount="233" Body="&lt;p&gt;[First question here on gardening and landscaping SE, please excuse my English and terminology. I would like to ask a 'few' questions (sorry for long post) but I'm mostly looking for some directions/guidance.]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to revive and maintain (or completely re-purpose) an abandoned orchard on my in-laws property. Property is located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, hilly terrain (around 270 meters above sea level), temperate climate, area is around 3.500 m2. It is surrounded by mostly deciduous forest (acacia, hornbeam, oak...). There is a small house and an apple orchard (about 400 trees). There are also a few older trees (plum, cherry, pear, quince and few grape wines) but they seem to be in bad shape... When there is some fruit on those trees, it starts to fall off before they are ripe (I guess because of insufficient watering) or, even worse, wasps and hornets eat and damage most of it..  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All of this may not sound too bad on paper but there are a lot of issues and problems I'd like to solve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Main problem is that (all of property) but mostly the orchard is in a sorry state (I think it was planted some 10 years ago) - trees are laying in different directions/angles (regardless of supporting structure - wire and columns), some of them seem to be sick, there wasn't a single apple in years... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second problem is soil and weed. It is mostly clay and during rainy periods and after winter it keeps water on top. Because of that and the fact there were layers upon layers of fallen leaves (which no one raked in years) the grass is being replaced by all sorts of weed and most of it is moss. There is a lot of moss on some (most) parts, some parts of what used to be a lawn now looks bald, and some parts of the lawn has huge cracks in the soil. Recently there seems to be some sort of ant infestation, a lot of new anthills appeared all over the property. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, along the wire fence there are unwanted blackberry shrubs and small acacia trees. Acacia seems to be the bigger problem because it seems to be spreading all over the place. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last problem (which might be important for any future plans) is there is no running water. There is an underground basin (8 m3) for collecting rain, so it is hard to properly water plants and use it in the household.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My general plan is to completely tidy up this place. I'd like to: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;deal with the orchard (maybe completely remove it and plant few new seedlings so I can properly maintain them)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove all stumps which prevent mowing&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;deal with terrain (maybe hire someone to plow it, get some more dirt and level it)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fix the lawn (remove weed and moss) and reseed grass&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;collect all leaves and use it as a mulch (along fence to fight blackberries shrubs) or partly use it as a compost&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;build one or two smaller raised beds to grow some vegetables&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;build tanks for collecting more rain for watering&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, after this long introduction here is my question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This year I did just grass mowing, collecting leaves, made a compost pile.. and I started to realize I need some plans. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know much about gardening, landscaping or growing plants but I have good will to learn and work (alone unfortunately and with limited time and budget). I also have most important tools (self-propelled lawnmower, grass trimmer, chainsaw, leaf blower, hedge trimmer, tiller and all sorts of hand tools..) (Please note I'd prefer not to use any pesticides unless I get really desperate).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the winter is coming, I guess there isn't much I can do until spring but I'd like to make plans as to how, when and in what order to deal with those tasks and plans? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any help, suggestions and ideas are more than welcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Added few images for illustration purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z98kf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z98kf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Aerial view/layout&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AEB5l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AEB5l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Part of orchard in February&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ABUI8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ABUI8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Wide angle shot in June&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17442" LastEditorUserId="17442" LastEditDate="2017-11-13T10:01:02.613" LastActivityDate="2017-11-20T15:46:09.010" Title="order of actions to revive and maintain (or re-purpose) abandoned orchard" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36142" CreationDate="2017-11-12T21:30:28.693" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;These plants are called succulents because they store water in their leaves. They need to be watered only after keeping the soil dry for a few days or even for a week. They also require rocky or gravelish or a bit of sandy soil. If they grow nicely in that soil in your pot, don't change it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basicaly, these are low maintainence plants that can be easily killed only by overwatering. In winter water them as rarely as possible because otherwise they become etiolated (their stems elongate and the space between leaves increases, thus making them not so pretty and not so healthy).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know what the hanging plant is, but the little ones that make up most of the pot are Sedum. In the back I see something like a Sempervivum. For both Sedum and Semervivum, the exact species can't be determined without knowing further details like maximum heigth, colour of flowers, time of flowering, location, etc. Fortunately, they require similar care: lots of sunlight and small amounts of  water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-11-12T21:30:28.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36154" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36155" CreationDate="2017-11-12T21:41:39.500" Score="7" ViewCount="1263" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the city where I live, I've seen metallic frames like this one in various places, at the base of the trees. The tree is already big, I don't think it will prevent it from growing in one direction or another.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And is there any reason for it to be inclined?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eNAmn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eNAmn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Barcelona_tree_trunk_guard_2017_B.jpg/450px-Barcelona_tree_trunk_guard_2017_B.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;second&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Barcelona_tree_trunk_guard_2017_C.jpg/450px-Barcelona_tree_trunk_guard_2017_C.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;third&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aGhTe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aGhTe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;inclined&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NF9Nk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NF9Nk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;straight&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastEditorUserId="17658" LastEditDate="2017-11-13T20:14:03.057" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T20:14:03.057" Title="What's the name and purpose of this metallic frame at the base of a tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36155" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36154" CreationDate="2017-11-12T22:00:22.993" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most common names for such structures are 'metal tree guard' and 'metal tree trunk guard'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The purpose is to protect the tree from mechanical impact of other heavy moving objects, such as cars, buses, people (especially overweight), and keeping such objects away from the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some metal tree guards have an aesthetic/decorative purpose too. An example:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTD5xQi_Ycx4lAgcRiGk5Od_b5OKh3PFuOUpN8Z8sdRapUi13L-&quot; alt=&quot;Black decorative tree trunk guard&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-11-13T12:46:21.847" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T12:46:21.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36151" CreationDate="2017-11-12T23:23:15.480" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to give detailed advice without actually seeing what you've got there. It sounds like a relatively large area, with around 400 trees. I think you should start by simply thinking about it - what do you want to achieve long term? Are you trying to create a garden, with ornamental plants in it, or do you primarily want to grow food plants like vegetables and fruit. Maybe you want both - an area with lawn and ornamental plants, and other areas with vegetables and fruit. It's hard to be systematic and organised if you're not sure what your ultimate target is, so deciding what you want in the long term, then working out how to do it is best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding the soil, your description strongly suggests the soil is heavy clay and poor draining - cracks often appear in heavy clay soil after periods of low or no rainfall. The presence of moss in quantity also indicates poor drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;if the area is very large,and you really have to do all this alone, then probably the way to start is to think about it in sections. Decide on an area to tackle, where you think you might want to create your raised beds for vegetables for instance, or where you want to create a lawn. Clear the area of anything you don't want - weeds, trees and so on. Then dig to see what the soil's like, how bad it is, what's beneath it - it may have a rock layer underneath a spade's depth or more down, which would certainly cause major drainage issues. You might need to put drainage in for the worst areas, and it certainly sounds like the soil will need amending with plenty of organic material. Work out how you can get a water supply to that area, with a possibility to extend it further or run it through to other areas later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Presumably you've already worked out the aspect, that is, which way various parts face, and how much sun those areas receive during the course of a year. If you haven't then observe that and note it, especially during winter, when the sun is so much lower in the sky and many areas which are in full sun during summer are actually shady for the rest of the year. Decide which bits are most exposed to cold winds, where the frost pockets and coldest areas might be. Get to know the land while you're working out what you want it to be eventually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've got a whole winter to get through - spend that time observing, making notes, deciding what you want to achieve. Then start tackling an area at a time next spring, or when the weather permits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're not really sure what you want to achieve, and  you really don't know much about gardening/growing things, look at images of gardens, either on line or in books, look at the plants in the photos, research how to grow particular vegetables you know you want to grow, do as much research as you can to get ideas over winter. I believe winters in Bosnia involve a lot of snowfall and cold - but Herzogovina not so much snow, but it seems like you'll have plenty of time during winter to do this researching and planning because you won't be able to work the land until winter passes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd just add that building a compost pile was a brilliant early move - if you can, create one or two more, and if you don't know already, find out how to compost efficiently. What those piles produce will be very useful to amend your heavy clay soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: If you want a family friendly and productive garden, think about what the children will want, from a safety point of view and any activities they'll do out there, what you want - where's the best place for some paving, for a lawn, for you to grow vegetables somewhere that gets sunlight and you can easily get water to, do you need paths, does your wife want to hang laundry to dry outdoors, does anyone want to sunbathe, where will you eat outdoors, all the practical and possibly fun things families might do outside in the garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might want to tackle the woody based unwanted plants like blackberry and acacia now - clearing those completely by getting all the roots out will give you more time for all the other work you'll be doing next year. If you can't get all the roots out, use some SBK &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vitax-SBK-1L-Brushwood-Killer/dp/B000TAW2Z2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vitax-SBK-1L-Brushwood-Killer/dp/B000TAW2Z2&lt;/a&gt; if you can get it where you are - you drill into the root to make a pit or well, apply the SBK to the pit you've made, without spilling it  anywhere else, cover and leave to do its work over winter. I know you don't really want to use chemicals, but using a brushwood killer in this way is the least harmful method of employing any chemicals in the garden, and will only destroy the root you've applied it to; given the amount of work you have to do, you may need to treat cut down trees with it later if you can't get the stumps and roots removed - they will  just grow again if you don't, so if you decide to buy some SBK, buy a large size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-13T00:53:46.180" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T00:53:46.180" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36157" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36159" CreationDate="2017-11-12T23:42:59.420" Score="4" ViewCount="733" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry, this question might seem not so bright but I don't know how to search for such thing in order to find more using Google.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The purpose is obvious - to protect the plants at the base of the tree but I have no idea how to call it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe the people working in the urbanization also have some sort of technical name for this, instead of calling it &quot;small cute square tree fence at the base of the tree&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wKxXz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wKxXz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JN8xo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JN8xo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T00:45:42.543" Title="What's the name of this small square tree fence at the base of the tree?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36158" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36157" CreationDate="2017-11-12T23:46:09.780" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think they've got a particular name - they're just wooden frames or framework of various designs, heights and widths to enclose a bed, particularly a small bed. In a garden, they might be used for pure decoration, but in public places, its just to stop people and animals walking over them, deliberately or inadvertently. It's not to protect the tree - the fact there's a tree in the middle is neither here nor there, is quite coincidental, any protection fencing round a tree is usually metalwork, the short fencing as shown is there to protect the flowering plants. And to use some English vernacular, they're also there to tart up the area a bit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm quite curious as to where this town or city is...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-13T00:36:29.603" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T00:36:29.603" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36157" CreationDate="2017-11-13T00:06:34.660" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;'Tree pit fence' or 'tree box fence' or 'tree pit guard' are the right expressions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See, for example, the following web pages:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greenblue.com/na/type/tree-pit-fences/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.greenblue.com/na/type/tree-pit-fences/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://suburbanweldingcompany.com/treeboxfences1.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://suburbanweldingcompany.com/treeboxfences1.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-13T00:45:42.543" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T00:45:42.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36160" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36151" CreationDate="2017-11-13T01:50:31.353" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;In dealing with an overgrown or neglected orchard, assuming that &quot;orchard&quot; fits what you want to do, major pruning is almost always needed. Ripping it all out is likely to be a step backward unless orchard is not what you want to continue with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That may, of itself, help with fruit survival (if due to overtaxing the trees from excessive set) but there are a number of other possible issues, such as dealing with terrible soil and quite possibly a lack of adequate pollinators (bees and relations.) Providing habitat for alternate pollinators (things other than honeybees) is often a good investment (can be as simple as holes in an untreated block of wood, or bundles of reeds.) Establishing an actual honeybee hive or allowing a beekeeper to place one there is also a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In most cases, if the rootstocks are not utterly unsuitable, even a tree that's in terrible shape (&quot;laying different directions and angles&quot;) is better topworked (graft onto the roots that you have, train the graft where you want it, cut off what you don't want) rather than dug up and replaced. If you are just digging it up and not replacing, that's different. So &quot;what you want to do&quot; comes back into the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3500 square meters appears to be 0.35 hectare (logically enough) or about 0.865 acres in old-fashoned units. 400 trees (and a house, etc.) on that amount of land indicates a &quot;high density&quot; planting and those typically require irrigation and fertilization, which appears to be a problem for your specific site. So, you might want remove roughly every other tree or even two out of every three if you can't solve those issues and wish to continue as an orchard, but at a more reasonable density. Alternatively, you might want to prune each tree down to a single stem (rod) with very short branches  - a &quot;single cordon&quot; typically at a 45 degree angle along the support wires. If &lt;strong&gt;THAT&lt;/strong&gt; is what your &quot;laying at angles&quot; trees look like, just prune back to it - it's better than straight up. You still might want to remove half of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can do a fair amount of the pruning now, if you want to. The grapevines should be HEAVILY/DRASTICALLY pruned a bit more into the dead of winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Improving the soil would ideally involve some drainage (pipes or ditches) and a lot of organic material (grown there and turned under, or hauled in if available locally as in animal manures, spoiled hay, etc.) - this may be difficult or require finding someone with equipment you can hire to help with spreading and tillage - or you may find that you would be better off getting some small equipment. However, hiring a neighbor with larger equipment may be easier and faster and does not require storing and maintaining the equipment yourself. That depends on what resources you have, locally.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[&lt;strong&gt;Edit after pictures&lt;/strong&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The 400 apple trees are concentrated on a small portion of the overall land, thus making them fairly high density, indeed. What I can see of them in the pictures looks like you could reasonably prune back to cordons. If you wanted to remove 1/2 to 2/3 of them (as well as pruning the ones you leave to cordons) that might help, and you want to start with any obviously diseased trees, then remove healthy trees to get more space between healthy trees you'd be leaving. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But you might give it a year and just remove any dead/diseased trees (or parts of trees), and prune them all to cordons (that can be tied into the support fence), and see what, if anything, you get. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might be able to trade or sell some of the heathy young trees to others, but if you don't know what the rootstock and fruiting graft are, that might not be very attractive from the recipient's view. I suppose there's also the distinct possibility that what you have is 400 10 year old rootstocks without any fruiting graft top-worked onto them. You'd want to look for evidence of the old graft near the base of the trees (I can't see anything obvious zooming in on the pictures.) I would guess they are at least one of the dwarfing rootstocks, or nobody would have bothered with the fence, I think. If you don't have any documentation of what's planted, the only (practical) way to figure it out is to get them to fruit, if they will. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they &lt;strong&gt;are&lt;/strong&gt; 10-year-old rootstocks, you can topwork them with a fruiting variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T16:57:42.153" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T16:57:42.153" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36161" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36148" CreationDate="2017-11-13T01:54:28.337" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bare minimum and least expensive are T-5 HO fluorescent, 54 watts per bulb and they can have 2 or 4 or 6 bulbs per fixture.  Your little trees should be able to survive for the winter in the window and then be put back out on your covered patio?  Deck?  Not in direct sun for the summer without acclimation. They will need direct sun to produce fruit...or at least the amount of sunlight you get from a high quality greenhouse skin or covering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cloud covering isn't really a problem with light it is the height of the ceiling of cloud cover.  Out in Colorado, high ceiling of clouds, you get more light than on the coast with a lower ceiling where the clouds do reduce the amount of light.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd be more for stability and staying in one environment to make my citrus happy.&#xA;If you use artificial lighting you won't have to work so hard acclimating from in to out back to indoors...pictures please and a timeline we can work with?  Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T01:54:28.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36162" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36164" CreationDate="2017-11-13T04:04:59.353" Score="5" ViewCount="156" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this pomegranate plant a few days back. Plant was healthy but now I see this tiny white things on the plant, these could be aphids I am not sure. I have adde some snaps, can someone confirm this. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have sprayed the plant with soap solution twice in the last week but the plants still have the infestation. Although the white color has turned to black. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am planning for a neem spray in day or two. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can someone guide me in right direction, the plant is losing a lot of leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Images&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e0jtU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e0jtU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VA3wq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VA3wq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14294" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T10:07:12.813" Title="Pomegranate aphids or something else" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;aphids&gt;&lt;pomegranate&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36163" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-13T06:33:02.263" Score="3" ViewCount="681" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a flowerbed area that surrounds my house that is covered with pine straw. I have dug a trench around edge of flowerbed and cover the trench with the pine straw. There is no border between yard grass and pine straw. For the grass that grow runners along top of the pine straw, what would be the best way to keep the area edged? I am trying to use least expensive way possible. I had thought of getting a rotary edger to serve this purpose. I have a weedeater, but I thought this would use a lot of line. Would I need something with a bigger blade to take care of this?&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eaHfo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20174" LastEditorUserId="20174" LastEditDate="2017-11-13T19:00:32.980" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T19:00:32.980" Title="Flower bed pine straw edging question" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36162" CreationDate="2017-11-13T10:07:12.813" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would do a Neem dunk.  Paper plate sliced to the middle to go around the base of the plant and stop the soil from falling out...turn upside down and swish in the Neem mixture.  Turn right side up and allow to dry.  Is this plant indoors?  Did you use garden soil in your pots?  You have also got white fly which will be controlled by the Neem dip.  Your plants look quite, pale.  What have you used for fertilizer?  Weak plants are more susceptible to insect infestations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T10:07:12.813" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36165" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="45515" CreationDate="2017-11-13T12:07:06.473" Score="2" ViewCount="2312" Body="&lt;p&gt;My water lettuce are dying as seen in this picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kr3aW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;image&quot;&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is in my pond and I have had around 2 sq meters of lettuce. It was growing rapidly but recently it has developed these symptoms and is dying.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have added salt to the pond few weeks ago, could that be the cause? Or my filter is making the water move fast?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ps: Lighting conditions are good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20177" LastEditorUserId="16406" LastEditDate="2017-11-13T14:15:21.777" LastActivityDate="2020-05-30T17:40:56.730" Title="Dwarf water lettuce turning white and yellow" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36166" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-13T12:08:03.967" Score="3" ViewCount="854" Body="&lt;p&gt;First time gardener here. This year I decided to grow some tomatillos and mexican chillies in my garden. Although it was some hard work I also had a good harvest (for my first time) and fun overall.&#xA;Now winter is coming and my plants are dying. I already knew that this type of plants can't stand cold weather, so I knew this day would come. Last year we were around 2-5 degrees C during winter everyday (but no frost) and under 10 C until about April, I expect this year will be the same. My question now is, what do I do with my plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They have lost a lot of leaves, but they actually don't look that bad (to my untrained eye). Should I just cut down whatever is remaining of them and take them to composting somewhere? I feel kinda bad because they still look alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next year I want to plant again, but cut down in numbers. This year I had 10 tomatillos plants, and about 20 chilli plants. I didn't think all of them would surive (first time gardening) so I planted a lot. It turns out they did all survive!. I don't have as much time anymore to take care of them and I am frequently out of town. Next year I think I only want to keep 3+6 plants maybe. Also, I'm not really wanting to get into composting. I'm ok with taking them somewhere, or have them collected, for someone else to compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, although I do have an actual garden, I used growbags for all of my plants. What do I do with the soil? If I cut down the plants, is it ok to just spread it around the garden? We are talking about 21 growbags that can fit 3 plants each, so that's a lot of soil, I think. I don't suppose it's healthy to reuse that for next year, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorry about the long post. In summary: what do I do with my plants (and soil) now that winter is coming and they are dying?&#xA;Pics attached in summer and today for reference&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aSr5l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aSr5l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V0mmI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/V0mmI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17459" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T16:00:11.297" Title="What to do with tomatillo and chilli plants in winter?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;winter&gt;&lt;disposal&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36167" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36169" CreationDate="2017-11-13T13:29:50.693" Score="8" ViewCount="5019" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've found a lot of empty and broken hazelnut shells lying under huge hazelnut shrub. (Most of them were eaten by squirrels but some have worm holes). Is it safe to use them for composting (maybe grinding them would speed up the process)? Or they can be used for mulching because they seem to last long?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17442" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T02:14:02.423" LastActivityDate="2019-12-24T17:44:52.250" Title="What can be done with hazelnut shells?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;" AnswerCount="6" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36168" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36167" CreationDate="2017-11-13T13:37:22.557" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes you can use them for composting, with good composting conditions (greens, browns, temperature, and moisture) they should be no problem for the micro-organisms responsible for composting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, some people advice not to put seeds in your compost. This is because of the obvious reason that the seeds can germinate when using the final compost for other plants. For me, I don't mind that, in my compost there are still some seeds left from fruits or other crops. I remove 'bad weeds' anyway in the growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T13:37:22.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36169" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36167" CreationDate="2017-11-13T13:41:45.013" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have enough, try using them for mulch on a pathway.  They last a long time, are a durable mulch, and make a lovely sound.  In the Northwest US you can actually purchase bags of hazelnut shells to use on your pathways.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T13:41:45.013" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36170" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-13T13:47:48.490" Score="5" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;This shrub is growing in sandy soil along the banks of a brackish pond on Long Island. We did not see others in the area. As you can see, it is adjacent to phragmites, which hints that it could have wet feet for at least part of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The photo was taken early in November - an unusually warm autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ISQfd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ISQfd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GAJQk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GAJQk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ragru.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ragru.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T02:25:18.173" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T02:25:18.173" Title="What is this fruiting shrub found on the banks of a brackish pond on Long Island, NY?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36171" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36173" CreationDate="2017-11-13T13:51:31.953" Score="4" ViewCount="151" Body="&lt;p&gt;In brief - I want to use a 2x4 to resist the tension put on trellis posts ~16ft apart, rather than the other two options.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm building a grape trellis with upright 4x4s connected by high tensile wire. As with any wire setup, like a long wire fence, you usually need to brace the ends to avoid leaning. I'm wondering if I can run a 16ft 2x4 between the posts at the top, using brace pins to attach to the posts. This 2x4 wont really hold any load, as that will be held by the high tensile wire. The 2x4 is only there to resist the tension force that the wire puts on the main 4x4 posts, turning it into a compressive force on the 2x4.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can that 2x4x16 even make that span given it's own load? And if so, is that compressive force (it should be straight and level) going to force it to sag?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;FWIW this is really to avoid the other two options - 1) angle the posts at 60deg so the tension forces the posts into the ground, or 2) build large H braces on the ends.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20178" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T14:14:28.033" Title="Can I use a horizontal 2x4 to brace a 3 wire trellis?" Tags="&lt;fence&gt;&lt;trellis&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36172" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36170" CreationDate="2017-11-13T14:09:31.833" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like &lt;em&gt;Callicarpa americana var. lactea&lt;/em&gt; (white American beautyberry) but without leaves it might not be an easy identification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never seen one in person, so I'm not sure how white the berries stay.  We have a number of the purple berry species and all retain their color until the birds pick the bushed clean in early December.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T14:09:31.833" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36173" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36171" CreationDate="2017-11-13T14:14:28.033" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Welcome to the forum.  If I understand what you're asking, I believe a 16' 2x4 could work.  The 2&quot; side should be facing up to minimise warping (but you should probably expect some).  You might consider a 2x6 to give you even more strength.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T14:14:28.033" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36174" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36163" CreationDate="2017-11-13T15:00:54.823" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Welcome to the forum.  I would say the the &quot;least expensive&quot; way would depend on a number of factors including cost of the tool, and cost of your time.  Since you already have a weedeater, I would suggest trying it.  I use mine all the time to form a (fairly) crisp edge on grass.  Turn it so the line runs vertically rather than horizontally. It takes a little practice but one you get the hang it's not hard.  Two things to keep in mind - you are only cutting with the very tip of the line so hold the trimmer as high as possible.  Second, as the line wears down the machine works hards and there's an audible change in the engine.  When you hear this tap your trimmer to get more line.  If you don't you're actually making it harder on yourself and the machine as pretty soon the line will heat up and fuse to itself causing you to stop and rewind the line.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T15:00:54.823" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36176" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36166" CreationDate="2017-11-13T16:00:11.297" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks very professional, especially since you say you are a first-time gardener.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't expect anymore harvest (no flowers, no fruits anymore), you can get rid of the plants. They are indeed suitable for composting, if you know anyone that wants it for their compost, it will be a good source of 'greens'. You can also let the plants die, after the winter the plants won't be green anymore, but turned yellow/brown. Best thing for you to choose is when you want to spend time for this (now or after winter)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't reuse the soil, but buy new soil for next year. I would throw it away, but you can also spread it around in your garden (but it doesn't fertilize it, it will just make your garden higher).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T16:00:11.297" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36167" CreationDate="2017-11-13T19:24:21.600" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Or you can use empty hazelnut shells for &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wikihow.com/Smoke-Cheese&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cheese smoking&lt;/a&gt;. It is well known that hazelnut shells are one of the best smoke sources for that purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many famous cheeses have their &quot;smoked&quot; versions, like: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Gouda&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Provolone&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Scamorza&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cheddar&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;...and they are as a rule even more appreciated than their basic version.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many delicious dishes can be made using smoked cheese. Here is a recipe for &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.yummly.com/#recipe/Smoked-Cheddar-Souffle-1456263&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;smoked cheddar souffle&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-30T22:50:11.547" LastActivityDate="2017-11-30T22:50:11.547" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36178" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36165" CreationDate="2017-11-13T19:46:57.773" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have grown water lettuce. Usually it is exceptionally prolific ( Illegal to deliberately grow it most anywhere in the USA ). I believe it is some kind of bug damage , mine looks very similar but I can't see what is damaging it, so I don't have an answer. Try growing some in an aquarium where you can monitor it closely. I presently have no water movement so that is not the problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T19:46:57.773" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36179" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36186" CreationDate="2017-11-13T20:10:30.043" Score="5" ViewCount="1083" Body="&lt;p&gt;A nursery in my area happens to sell a rare kind of pine: Pinus pinea (also known as umbrella pine, parasol pine, or stone pine). I a kind of fell in love with this plant: it is a gorgeous kind of pine, well known as a symbol of city of Rome, and also known as a tree that produces &quot;pignoli&quot; - an exotic extremely nutritious seed used as human food, and often served in upscale restaurants. No need to mention its uncanny magnificent look.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, naturally, I would like to grow it in my climate zone 8a, but I found very conflicting information on the net and elsewhere about its hardiness. Do you have by any chance additional info/experience on that subject?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just for illustration, a photo with a group of Pinus pineas in the background: (photo credit: Wikiwand)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LgNxQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LgNxQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, here is the natural distribution map of Pinus pinea:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6GzgA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6GzgA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-16T22:13:20.167" LastActivityDate="2020-12-28T12:54:41.610" Title="Growing Pinus pinea in zone 8a - possible?" Tags="&lt;pines&gt;&lt;plant-hardiness&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36167" CreationDate="2017-11-13T20:45:57.883" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hazelnut and many other tree nut shells are packed with BTUs. If you have a wood stove, try tossing them in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See the following web page for examples: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.harvesttimeshells.com/half_shell.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.harvesttimeshells.com/half_shell.html&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It notes that hazelnut shells can be used for mulch, with the following qualities:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Holds moisture, keeping potted plants &amp;amp; flowerbeds moist&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Keeps weeds down​​&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Adds beautiful color&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;100% Renewable​​​​, All  Natural &amp;amp; Sustainable​ [depending on your source/methods]&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Compacts Well​​&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Lasts 5-7 Years​​&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It also mentions hazelnut shells as fuel:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;ul&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Burns at 8,500 BTU's per pound​​&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Burns Clean, Little Ash​​&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;li&gt;Use in Wood Stoves &amp;amp; Fireplaces​​​​&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;  &lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastEditorUserId="13670" LastEditDate="2017-11-13T20:51:07.220" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T20:51:07.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36182" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-13T22:25:09.467" Score="8" ViewCount="507" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a Norwegian Maple tree in front of the house. But it has lots of moss in the branches, stem and in the ground. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MOSpF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MOSpF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Moss in branches&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/68oLs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/68oLs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Moss in the ground&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of my neighbor said the tree is getting the moss from the ground. Last year we got the tree branches pruned so that there can be more air flow. Any tips or ideas on how to reduce the moss growth both on the ground and on the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11971" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-19T22:16:44.580" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T22:16:44.580" Title="How to reduce the growth of moss on the ground and on the tree?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;maple&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36183" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36182" CreationDate="2017-11-13T22:39:03.687" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Moss is an opportunist.  Spores are everywhere.  The moss on the ground is not making the moss on the tree.  Moisture (we must be looking at the north side of your tree, yes)?  Is all moss needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would scrape the moss off the tree...at least in the Y's between branches and trunk.  Otherwise, I would not mess with the moss on the ground.  Perhaps a thin layer (1&quot;) mulch of finely ground bark.  Your neighbor is wrong that moss is 'catching'...if there are bare spots with constant moisture there will be moss. On trees, soil, bare spots in the lawn, north sides of homes...moss is not a problem, moisture is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The base of the trunk looks healthy.  I'd be more worried about moss thickly covering the base at the soil level as that will girdle and kill the entire tree.  Looks just fine.  If and when you cover with mulch make sure it is thin and does not touch that bark of the trunk.  Any bark, rock, soil, moss, weeds up on your trunk can kill your tree...because they keep moisture on the bark, rotting it and next would be damaging the thin vascular system just below the bark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-13T22:39:03.687" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36184" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36191" CreationDate="2017-11-14T03:51:19.927" Score="6" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;My indoor plants are fairly disconnected from the outside: the temperature and humidity are controlled and they are under strong artificial lights 18h/day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should in any way care about seasons? For instance, my fertilizer says to apply twice per month during the growth season. Do I have a perpetual growth season or do plants take a break by themselves anyway? (Alternatively, do they &lt;em&gt;need&lt;/em&gt; one?) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In case it matters, I'm growing right now: basil, chives, mint, sage, mango (1' high), avocado (1' high), a few houseplants, tomatoes (seedling), lavender (seedling), cosmos (seedling).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19762" LastActivityDate="2018-03-06T09:22:17.593" Title="Should I account for seasons when growing inside only?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36184" CreationDate="2017-11-14T06:47:38.263" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;As long as there are no indicators of seasons, your plants are on the seasons you dictate.  Do you have your plants on timers and are your plants protected from any other lights to include daylight through the windows?  !8/6 is great for young plants and vigorous growth. That season is late spring early summer.  The tomatoes and Cosmos need some tweaking.  Lower nitrogen in proportion to the phosphorus and potassium.  Reduced fertilizer application.  And gradually reducing the daylight hours versus dark hours to 12/12.  This replicates going from summer to late summer to fall and promotes flowers/fruits.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other plants are leafy greens, chives, basil, mint, sage (grown for vegetation not flowers and fruit).  They do best with Nitrogen equal to Phosphorus and Potassium.  They will do fine even at 12/12 for the tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cosmos are an annual and will be happy with low nitrogen the entire growth and flowering period.  Too high nitrogen and you'll get lots of Cosmos leaves tiny buds few if any flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are you using for fertilizer?  Twice per month?  How do you water?  Is your grow room completely protected from light outside the grow room?  Just a little light or peekaboos will confuse your plants. What soil are you using? Plants rely on stability.  If their environment is not stable (getting 18 hours of light and 6 hours of dark...changing to 12/12...then all of a sudden getting bright light during the middle of their dark cycle that is one instance of instability, change in temperatures and daily temperature differences...)  As long as your plants get stability in everything, they'll be happy.  What are you using for soil?  What kind of lights are you using?  Are you able to keep temperatures no lower than...55F and no higher than 80F?  Are you using fans?  Do you have a way to pull fresh air in and push old air out of the space?  The more artificial your garden the more input you will have.  Less margin for error. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You just have to send a picture or a bit more information on your plants, garden and maintenance practices.  What fertilizer you are using and what kind of soil?   How do you know when to water?  Your plants are very different in their needs.  How old are your plants?  How long have you been growing your plants? A few of your plants are annuals, a few are perennials, a few are woody perennials...all with different needs.  Are you able to make two rooms out of the one?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T06:47:38.263" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36186" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36179" CreationDate="2017-11-14T10:03:40.683" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is possible. You should just find a good place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Near my home (on the other side of the valley) there is two trees (more than 40 years old). Windy situation and not the best place, but in Zone 8b (European standard, so not very continental climate). It seems just that it is not growing fast, but many conifers are so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems that Kew gardens (London, UK) have various large P. pinea trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pinus genre is usually a very strong: it can lives on most extreme situations (it is one of the most adaptable tree). Just it is slow and so not very competitive, so it growth naturally just were other trees give up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T10:03:40.683" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36187" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-14T11:25:23.827" Score="3" ViewCount="292" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a apple plant which is about 5months old(guessed). As you can see in the image below the new leaves are curling up. I don't know what causes this or how to treat for this. This has happened to other plants than apple plants in my garden. How do I treat this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil: potting soil with cow dung mixed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Country:Sri Lanka &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant gets full sun for the whole day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Watering is done about every 2days. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Max temp 35C&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lowest temp 25C&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I know that it may not be possible to grow apples where I live. But I want to give it a try.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c2n7Y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c2n7Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;apple plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit : more images. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/imbCd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/imbCd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IO9Gd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IO9Gd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K6GCu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K6GCu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EX7kB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EX7kB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user17924" LastEditorUserId="16406" LastEditDate="2017-11-15T14:17:35.043" LastActivityDate="2017-11-15T14:17:35.043" Title="Apple plant abnormal leaves" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;pest-damage&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36188" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-14T12:09:24.617" Score="6" ViewCount="3137" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vPXAb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vPXAb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I have a white residue spreading across my dracaena at home. I tried wiping it with wet sponge when it was on one leaf only but its come back and spreading across now 50% of the plant. Some of the leaves are turning brown as well. The white residue doesn't move to naked eye. When I looked through jewellers loop they look like grains of rice. Soil looks clear - but they are on the stem as well as leaves. Please help! Can I save this plant? Should I cut off any browned leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vPXAb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vPXAb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oOtpU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oOtpU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20184" LastEditorUserId="20184" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T12:23:26.213" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T22:30:10.467" Title="What is the white residue spreading across my dracaena and how do I treat it?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36189" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36188" CreationDate="2017-11-14T12:59:21.347" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the white things are insects (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;scales&lt;/a&gt;), they suck sap from the plant which is of course harmful for the plant. You see that yellow spots exists where they were sucking. You can try to wipe them away with a wet towel, and maybe use some biological pesticide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The brown leaves are not caused by these insects, but is probably a sign of too much water, or too much direct sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T12:59:21.347" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36190" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-14T13:01:16.670" Score="3" ViewCount="213" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's the name of this small purple eggplant cultivar?&#xA;The purple color is close to the purple of the Japanese eggplant and &lt;a href=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Orient_Express_and_Orient_Charm_eggplants_2017_C.jpg/800px-Orient_Express_and_Orient_Charm_eggplants_2017_C.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Orient Charm eggplant&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The ones in the first photo are 7 to 10 cm long, while in the second picture, they are about 10 to 13 cm long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/3_x_Small_Japanese_eggplant_2017_A.jpg/800px-3_x_Small_Japanese_eggplant_2017_A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Small&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nDh1j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nDh1j.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T13:27:22.313" LastActivityDate="2018-08-08T17:45:28.657" Title="What's the name of this small purple eggplant cultivar?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;eggplant&gt;&lt;cultivar&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36184" CreationDate="2017-11-14T13:19:00.703" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Stormy has a nice answer (especially on fertilizer part), but I am going to add some general concepts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Temperate plants usually needs different seasons to grow naturally. But we don't cultivate them for their needs, but for ours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On your list:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;basil, chives, mint, sage:&lt;/em&gt; we try hard not to have them flowering, so by not giving them the cold season and trimming the flowers (basil) we force them to continue with the green phase. So it is ok (for us) to hide them the seasons.  If you want to get seeds (e.g. chives) or to renovate the plants, you should provide them with the cold season, and let nature to complete their cycle finally&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;tomatoes, avocados and mangos&lt;/em&gt; are more tropical (so less sensitive to seasons). Tomatoes are somewhat special: they continue to produce flowers, so without seasons, the plant will continue to produce, but then it will eventually die. You could give some more seasonal climate, to have it behave like perennial, but I think it is better to plant them every year, and keep them as long as possible.  The other two have a cycle, so a cold season will help them to find when to produce flowers and so fruits. In hot places, you can force them also to have two fruit season per year, but deceive them with a fake extra cool &quot;short season&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;cosmos and lavander:&lt;/em&gt; As far I know, they need some cold period to produce again a lot of flowers, but I think it could be also short, so you can give them the cold season when their are losing energy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So cold season is often needed, but for some plants it could mean just few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: some plants use length of day or other internal clock and not only cold days, but AFAIK none of the plant in your list. [an interesting story on internal clock: in a nearby botanical garden, they have few South African plants which flower in the same period as in South Africa, so with a shift of 2 seasons if we look temperature or day length. AFAIK nobody know exactly what process drives this]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-06T09:22:17.593" LastActivityDate="2018-03-06T09:22:17.593" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36192" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36167" CreationDate="2017-11-14T13:30:17.407" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;you can grind them up and use them for sandblasting delicate surfaces&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20185" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T13:30:17.407" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36193" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7469" CreationDate="2017-11-14T14:13:53.517" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is an interesting short guide to pine pruning &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.angelfire.com/misseto/Pines.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Several pruning strategies are described in the guide, but here is the part about candling (I found it very useful and packed of relevant info):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Candle Pinching&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;During the Spring, the buds that you have retained will elongate into&#xA;  candles, their size being in relation to each candle's individual&#xA;  strength and vigour. To ensure that growth extension is regulated and&#xA;  energy is dispersed evenly throughout the whole tree; these candles&#xA;  need to be pinched back. The amount that each candle is reduced&#xA;  depends on its position within the structure of the tree and its&#xA;  future purpose. After the candles have extended into new shoots and&#xA;  branches, it is at their tips that new buds for next year will form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Just as in bud selection, candles growing in more vigorous areas of&#xA;  the tree should be reduced by far more than candles growing in weaker,&#xA;  inner areas. If a new branch or sub-branch is required the candle can&#xA;  be left unpruned to extend; however it should be noted that more of&#xA;  the trees energy will be directed to it at the expense of other areas.&#xA;  Candles left unpruned to encourage vigour in weak areas or to develop&#xA;  new branches can then be cut back to a desirable length once they have&#xA;  fully elongated and hardened, this will soon be followed by the&#xA;  appearance of buds at the tip.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The timing of pinching out candles will affect where the new buds that&#xA;  follow will form. Pinching the candles before the new needles appear&#xA;  will cause new needles to form at the base of the candle. Pinching the&#xA;  candles after the needles begin to appear and start to elongate will&#xA;  cause the buds that follow to form at the end of the new shoot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Don't pinch out all the candles at once. Start pinching out the weaker&#xA;  areas of the tree first and finish with the strongest areas 2-3 weeks&#xA;  later. Generally, as a rule of thumb, candles growing in vigorous&#xA;  areas of a Pine should be reduced by at least 1/2 to 2/3, candles in&#xA;  weak areas should be reduced by no more than a 1/3.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may consider combining candle pinching with other pine pruning strategies too (also described in the guide):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hard Pruning / Removing Branches&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wiring&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bud Selection&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Needle Plucking&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shoot Trimming and Forcing Back-Budding&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Needle Reduction&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, there is an interesting article &lt;a href=&quot;http://abt.ucpress.edu/content/74/9/62&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growth of a Pine Tree&lt;/a&gt; from The American Biology Teacher. Following two pictures illustrate annual and multi-annual growth of a pine: (not really before-after images you are looking for, but still very useful for understanding pine growth)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;April - November&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/88kET.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/88kET.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Jan 2009 - Jan 2012&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NU1ao.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NU1ao.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T14:35:34.063" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T14:35:34.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36194" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36188" CreationDate="2017-11-14T14:19:12.923" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Meet the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mealybug family&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A sap-sucking unarmored scale that is commonly considered a pest because it weakens the plants it feasts upon, its sugary excrete can feed and foster fungal infections and they can transmit diseases by biting into the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you want to get rid of them. From manual removal (wipe often, note that they tend to hide in crevices) over biological methods (beneficial insects, fungi) to insecticides, topical or systemic, there are various options. Removing the browned leaves won’t help, though. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T22:30:10.467" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T22:30:10.467" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36195" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3220" CreationDate="2017-11-14T14:23:39.750" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I was young my father had many apple trees, from different cultivars. He kept some seeds from his own apples and grew them into plants. He reserved a stroke of his land, where he planted the young trees, it must have been like 20-30 small trees (packed close to each other like bushes). It took some years before they would finally produce apples, and then he judged which apples were good in taste, pest resistant, and were different to already known cultivars. Finally the one that was best was used for transplantation and grafting and he removed the less successful trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can take years before you have a new cultivar, but you only need space and time for it (pollination is done by insects or wind).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T14:23:39.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36196" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36199" CreationDate="2017-11-14T17:38:02.750" Score="3" ViewCount="87" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got some cabbages and they had some cabbage worms. &#xA;I picked up the worms and put them outside my fence. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can the worms smell their way back into my cabbages?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20190" LastEditorUserId="20190" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T17:52:12.877" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T20:30:06.823" Title="Can cabbage worms (Pieris brassicae) smell cabbages from a distance?" Tags="&lt;worms&gt;&lt;cabbage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36196" CreationDate="2017-11-14T17:51:57.810" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Male worms can get to your cabbages by looking for visual cues (green color).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And remember:&#xA;The upper side of the male is creamy white.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20191" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T20:30:06.823" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T20:30:06.823" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36198" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36093" CreationDate="2017-11-14T18:54:14.120" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Actually Gloria these are the beginnings of a root.When these touch soil or something they can grab a hold of, it enables it to trail along.If you put these in water to root you'll see what I mean.Good way to propagate these.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14436" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T18:54:14.120" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36199" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36196" CreationDate="2017-11-14T19:41:32.613" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The cabbage worms will definitely find your cabbages.  I don't know whether they do it using smell or sight but they will find it.  That is the reason to put row cover on the brassicas to avoid any further damage.  Before you put the row cover, go through the plants to make sure you have removed all the cabbage worms that are already there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2017-11-14T19:41:32.613" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20353" CreationDate="2017-11-14T19:55:47.303" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I respectfully disagree with other answers that claim that pruning is essentially irrelevant for achieving your goal. (However, their advice to focus on healthy growth is nevertheless good.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am not an expert, so take this answer with grain of salt, and do your own research, but still I want to pass my understanding and knowledge to you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The thing is, Prunus subhirtella 'Pendula' can achieve the look as it is on the label (and you want such look). Let's call it &quot;fireworks&quot; look. However, most, if not 90% people, once they buy the tree, would like the tree to be in much more regular, neater, smaller shape, like an umbrella - and let's call such shape &quot;umbrella&quot; look. The consequence of this is that the vast majority of online advice, you tube instructional pruning video, etc. describe techniques for achieving &quot;umbrella&quot; look - and this is exactly opposite to what you want to achieve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, there are pruning and other methods for achieving &quot;fireworks&quot; look. They are usually, but not always opposite to what is advised for &quot;umbrella&quot; look.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, pruning for umbrella would involve removing branches that don't weep (go upwards from the center), while pruning for fireworks certainly would not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next example, sometimes it is advised that one should connect weeping branches to the trunk using strings (to achieve desired umbrella shape). For fireworks shape, an opposite measure may be taken: some weeping branches may be forced to grow horizontally, or even closer to the vertical direction, by using stalks (and strings too, if possible).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just do the research, you have plenty of time, since this is a slow, decades-long process. (but still incredibly enjoyable) Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-15T00:06:46.063" LastActivityDate="2017-11-15T00:06:46.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36201" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36207" CreationDate="2017-11-14T21:04:10.450" Score="3" ViewCount="423" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought two weeping mulberries this year, and I am really excited about them (see pic).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, something confuses me. The person I bought them from says that each weeping mulberry (at least those that she sells) requires two grafts: one at the bottom, and one at the top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that true?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And, if yes, why is that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I can't visually confirm that, all grafts are done so that they are almost not noticeable. I know though that unwanted shoots from the middle of the trunk have different leaves than those in the weeping crown.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UNqQy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UNqQy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-14T23:26:17.347" LastActivityDate="2017-11-15T15:07:20.977" Title="Two grafts needed for weeping mulberry - is it true, and why?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36203" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14248" CreationDate="2017-11-15T01:15:26.910" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am entering my 6th winter with my habanero plant. I set it out on my deck from end of April until first frost. I haven't had any luck with bell or pablanos. I live in Indiana&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20193" LastActivityDate="2017-11-15T01:15:26.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36204" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36205" CreationDate="2017-11-15T06:44:48.160" Score="4" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been growing Vitex negundo at my home near to the road, and due to its medicinal values, i see that people often tend to break its branches or leaves , leaving the tree devoid of leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am really worried that it would affect the tree's growth. Also, i am not sure, how this unintentional pruning would affect a species like Vitex negundo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16489" LastEditorUserId="16406" LastEditDate="2017-11-15T13:22:23.427" LastActivityDate="2017-11-15T14:22:42.090" Title="Vitex negundo - Unintentional Pruning of tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36205" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36204" CreationDate="2017-11-15T14:22:42.090" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A little bit taken occasionally won't be an issue, but if the plant is regularly being stripped of its leaves, it may eventually kill it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems this plant is very easy to raise from seed, so next time it flowers, collect the seeds and start new plants, with the intention of planting at least one well away from the road. Alternatively, semi ripe cuttings with a heel, grown on in a frame, may give a reasonable success rate. More information in this link; details of propagation are towards the end &lt;a href=&quot;http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Vitex+negundo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Vitex+negundo&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-11-15T14:22:42.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36206" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36179" CreationDate="2017-11-15T14:43:03.157" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Inspired by @Giacomo Catenazzi's answer, I searched for specimens of Pinus pinea outside its natural geographic range. Here is a couple of interesting trees that I found: (they are more than 100 years old)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Santa Barbara, California, United States&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/khQsA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/khQsA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Bodysgallen Hall Hotel in Llandudno Junction, Wales, United Kingdom&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZLDIy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZLDIy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KrAKk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KrAKk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2017-11-15T14:43:03.157" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36201" CreationDate="2017-11-15T15:07:20.977" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible explanation 1&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rootstock is not compatible with the weeping part, so an intermediary variety is used for the plant to benefit both from the rootstock's traits and from the pendant top. It may be that the rootstock is adapted to a certain type of soil (sandy/heavy clay), is resistant to environment stress (drought/bad drainage), has a certain desired growth habit (taproot/shallow) or a desired growth speed (slow in black mulberry/fast in white mulberry).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Possible explanation 2&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trunk that should have grown from the rootstock was not convenient for the nursery - too slow or undesired growth habit (crooked stem/erect stem).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever the reason, the lobed leaves growing from the middle of the trunk are young leaves emerging from epicormic shoots and you should remove them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-11-15T15:07:20.977" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36208" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36210" CreationDate="2017-11-16T11:13:18.823" Score="5" ViewCount="1565" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a Magnolia grandiflora in a 100 Litre container. It needs to sit tightly next to a fence, with intent to block a neighbouring property. Now, here is the problem... The tree is 2m tall, but blocking the neighbour requires closer to 3m. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a slow growing tree, and I want my privacy sooner rather than later. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What problem would I have if I plant the tree just a tad high -- i.e. I put it into a hole in the ground, which is, say, only 1.5m deep? Does anything change if I put a 0.5m frame around it (it's next to a deck, so I don't want lots of additional dirt in the area).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;------ Additional info ------&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Magnolia is a 'Kay Paris'. To add complication, I have clay soil, which I believe isn't ideal for this tree (happy to be corrected). I still want it very close to the fence, a bit less than a foot. I am happy to water it regularly, and I suspect it may even work despite a 'rain shadow', as clay tends to hold moisture. But at such short distance from fence, the rear branches will be squashed a bit tightly, at least for a year until I cut them. So... will this work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20117" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-26T13:47:45.943" LastActivityDate="2018-02-26T13:47:45.943" Title="Planting magnolia tree a little 'high'" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;magnolia&gt;&lt;privacy-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36209" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-16T11:18:13.867" Score="5" ViewCount="257" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can I overwinter a banana tree that is growing in a container in an unheated sun porch in zone 5?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do I cut it back, water it just enough to keep it from drying? Should it be exposed to light? Would it help to mulch the roots in the pot in case it gets below 30 degrees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The porch is unheated and the temperature may drop to the 30's.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20197" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-17T21:10:39.147" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T21:12:54.293" Title="Can I overwinter a banana tree on an unheated sun porch?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36210" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36208" CreationDate="2017-11-16T11:21:18.430" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a couple of problems with your description of how you're going to plant this tree. First,  no plant should be planted less than a foot (as a minimum) away from a fence or wall, so if you mean the rootball when you say 'sit tightly' next to a fence, as the topgrowth continues to expand, it will all lean forwards to get away from the fence behind it rather than spreading out all round and up, and the rootball itself may get too dry; up against a wall or fence is a dry place to be because of something known as 'rain shadow'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, no, you should not plant it a little higher so that some of the rootball is sitting above soil level, and adding any kind of framework around it will  not solve that issue. It should be planted at the same level (in terms of the trunk/top of soil) as it is now in its pot, or you risk root material drying out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Magnolia like deep,rich, neutral to acid, fertile soil which does not frequently dry out - sitting it above soil level, up against a fence, is almost guaranteed to create conditions it does not like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you considered a clumping bamboo such as a Fargesia variety (assuming you live somewhere that has a suitable climate), which would give you the height you need much more quickly, and which would cope much better with being closer to a fence?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wherever you do plant it, ensure you keep it well watered - large, more mature plants often have difficulty settling in and growing on well once transferred to the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-16T12:00:36.437" LastActivityDate="2017-11-16T12:00:36.437" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36211" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-16T11:29:56.327" Score="3" ViewCount="98" Body="&lt;p&gt;This morning I stumbled upon a shrub with incredible autumn shades of leaf colors, including orange, red and yellow. It appears there are several plants of the same kind at the same place. Do you know what plant it is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pVHrg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pVHrg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0YRTM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0YRTM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0x4gO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0x4gO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bJXut.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bJXut.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OZKmI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OZKmI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m4tWO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m4tWO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-19T22:39:24.013" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T22:39:24.013" Title="What plant is this upright shrub with gorgeous fall color?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36212" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36209" CreationDate="2017-11-16T11:39:18.007" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the assumption you mean 30 deg F and not 30 deg C (which would make leaving your banana outdoors impossible), I think a little more insulation round the pot and possibly over the banana plant itself is called for, although it's not entirely clear to me whether your sun porch is fully enclosed, or actually open to the elements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't recommend you cut it back. Leave it as it is because, although the topgrowth may be damaged by cold weather, it will shoot from the roots again next year, provided the pot hasn't frozen during winter, and that topgrowth will help to protect the roots and growing point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest you insulate the pot - if you can, sit it in a box of some sort or a  much larger pot, and pad round the pot inside the box with straw or bubble wrap or even horticultural fleece, anything that insulates. Crumpled newspaper would do, assuming your plant isn't fully exposed to rain or snow, being under the roof of the sun porch (hopefully its got a roof). Alternatively, you'll have to chance just wrapping the pot with fleece and bubble wrap over the top of the fleece, and a layer of mulch actually on top of the soil in the pot. In regard to horticultural fleece, wrap that round the topgrowth &lt;em&gt;when the weather is very cold&lt;/em&gt;, but it must be removed once the cold weather warms up a bit, the fleece should not be left round the topgrowth all winter. If your sun porch is fully enclosed,you only need the fleece over the top at night when it's cold, remove it during the day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regard to water, the soil should be damp when you pack it up for winter; just check occasionally that it hasn't completely dried out to desert like conditions, and water sparingly if necessary. If your sun porch is fully enclosed, it may need watering more often than if its outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-17T21:12:54.293" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T21:12:54.293" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36213" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36214" CreationDate="2017-11-16T12:23:24.100" Score="5" ViewCount="801" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have got a 10 year old acer that leaned slightly towards a wall of a 2-story object, and on windy days it touches the wall, sometimes harshly banging its leaves and branches against it, and I would like to help avoid that to some extent by staking the tree and forcing it to grow more vertical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am thinking of many staking methods, as illustrated on this picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vxWyU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vxWyU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(&lt;a href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;illustration credit&lt;/a&gt;:  International Society of Arboriculture, Bugwood.org)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are pros and cons of these methods?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-16T14:43:31.313" LastActivityDate="2017-11-18T02:01:42.193" Title="Pros and cons of different types of staking" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;staking&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36214" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36213" CreationDate="2017-11-16T13:11:36.000" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm actually not sure how well staking will work as long term solution.  Eventually the tree will likely become dependent on it.  It may be possible to wean the tree off the staking, but I'm not sure. :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of the drawings I've seen for staking trees are for newly planted trees.  The ties are placed about 1/3 of the way up the tree so the crown can move freely (helps to develop the taper at the base) while the tree establishes roots.  From the sound of your description is seems like stone strategic branch shortening may be in order to help strengthen the the branch but also remove a little of load.  I know you say you don't want to prune, but it may end being more helpful to do some minimal pruning in the long run.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of staking, a single stake mostly keeps the tree from moving a single direction.  Two stakes are helpful to keep it from moving in two directions, and three provide the most support.  Of course, every place where a cable/strap/etc touches the bark is a place where rubbing can occur, and also a place where girdling can occur if you don't keep loosening the ties annually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would place a single stake into the wind, two stakes perpendicular to the wind, and three as combination of the previous two.  What's around the base of tree? If you have a decent sized tree ring (or planting bed) the stakes may not be an issue, but if there's turf it's going to become harder to get a mower / trimmer in there.  If you're cabling the tree (as in image 3) it makes it even that much more difficult so keep that in mind when choosing both a type of staking and a layout of staking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option might be a single brace under the main leader, assuming the tree is leaning enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-11-16T13:11:36.000" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36215" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36217" CreationDate="2017-11-16T14:34:05.910" Score="5" ViewCount="144" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a neatly pruned japanese maple in a public area close to my work:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N3hwr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N3hwr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We had warmer than usual weather last several weeks, and new growth appeared:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UFMzQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UFMzQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is hard to believe, but this new branch was not there three weeks ago:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GbhdI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GbhdI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to cut these young branches, and get a similar maple elsewhere one day?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NOTE: Looking more carefully, it occurs to me that this may be some kind of reverse mutation, no? But even the 'reversed' version looks attractive to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-16T15:08:22.160" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T11:51:01.473" Title="How to propagate japanese maple from this street (mutant?) specimen?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36216" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-16T15:29:49.730" Score="6" ViewCount="3348" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9b6Bf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;I have planted my avocados in soil a month ago and since then they started getting brown edges on the leaf. What should I do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20200" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T06:57:39.707" Title="My Avocado’s leaf are turning brown" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36215" CreationDate="2017-11-16T15:37:52.070" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could propagate this Japanese maple, but now is not the right time for cuttings. If this tree produces seeds, use them instead, I think the success rate will be higher. I have tried summer cuttings once, but failed, so in my opinion it is not so easy. There are descriptions &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/start-cutting-japanese-maple-tree-41878.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, where they explain how to do this. However, I failed, probably because I had no time to mist the cuttings daily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Furthermore, your tree in question seems to be grafted, and the shoots that you call mutant are probably from the original plant. This plant has larger leaves and might be less attractive (aesthetically). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-11-17T11:51:01.473" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T11:51:01.473" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36218" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-16T16:57:35.623" Score="3" ViewCount="38" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm starting my fall planting and got to wondering - is the recommended planting depth to the top or bottom of the bulb? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-11-16T16:59:35.130" LastActivityDate="2017-11-16T18:26:48.047" Title="Bulb planting depth" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36219" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36216" CreationDate="2017-11-16T16:58:15.867" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be the water, is it tap water that you use? It could be that there are too many minerals in it, or chlorine. A solution would be to use demineralized water for a while.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can also be caused by too much fertilizer, but not enough info in your question to point out the real reason.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-11-16T16:58:15.867" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36220" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36218" CreationDate="2017-11-16T17:12:22.303" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it says plant 4 inches deep on the packet, plant it  in a hole that deep; the measurement listed applies to the depth of the hole.  There is a general rule for bulb planting, which is, plant as deep as 2-3 times the height of the bulb, which means that daffodils, for instance, are likely to be six inches deep, whereas smaller bulbs will be 3 or 4 inches deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-16T18:26:48.047" LastActivityDate="2017-11-16T18:26:48.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36221" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36179" CreationDate="2017-11-16T21:30:22.177" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Yes&lt;/strong&gt;, Pinus pinea will grow &lt;strong&gt;in zone 8&lt;/strong&gt; (minimum temperature from -6.7°C to -12.1°C or 19.9°F to 10.2°F), as stated in &lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.ro/books?id=V83rCAAAQBAJ&amp;amp;printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&amp;amp;q&amp;amp;f=true&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Conifer Cold Hardiness&lt;/a&gt;, section 1, chapter 'Frost Resistance and the Distribution of Conifers' by Bannister and Neuner, page 16, because it stands a minimum temperature of -16°C or 3.2°F.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, this tree &lt;strong&gt;will not survive&lt;/strong&gt; in Craiova, &lt;strong&gt;zone 6&lt;/strong&gt; (not 8a), where you plan to grow it &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone#European_cities&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(look for Bucharest)&lt;/a&gt;, because temperature in January often goes below -16°C or 3.2°F, or at least it did in the last three winters. Even if this temperature won't be reached for a few years in a row, taking in consideration the life span of Pinus pinea we can expect at least one more winter with this low temperature. For reference I provide a link to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gclimat?months=12&amp;amp;lang=en&amp;amp;mode=0&amp;amp;ind=15450&amp;amp;ord=DIR&amp;amp;year=2017&amp;amp;mes=12#sec4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Climat report&lt;/a&gt; where hovering above an acronym will show details to measurements made.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In case you still want to grow Pinus pinea in that location, I recommend that you plant it from seed so that it acclimatises as much as possible, plant it in a sheltered spot near a fence, wall, etc. and protect it during days with exterem temperatures with Christmas lights and textile cover, horticultural fleece or whatever you find convenient.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-11-16T21:30:22.177" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36224" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36216" CreationDate="2017-11-17T06:57:39.707" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree, high salts most likely.  You've not had enough time to build up the salts from tap water to include the worst; fluoride.  Hydrofluorosalicic acid.  Heavy metals.  Chlorine actually dissipates.  So the culprit seems to be whatever was added to your soil such as compost, fertilizer, sand/rocks/gravel at the bottom of the soil which would cause the soil to stay too wet too long. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your leaves look thin as if they've not been in much light for a good month or something is wrong with the chemistry (fertilizer) or the roots are rotting from too much water not enough air and drainage.  Planting avocado seeds with water roots into soil is a huge shock to a plant.  Water roots are not meant for soil. But seems to work more often than not...did you start your avocado in water and then recently plant in soil?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am worried that you've got too much fertilizer in your soil.  What have you used for soil, amendments, fertilizer and when do you know to water your plant?  Is there gravel or rocks at the bottom of the soil in the bottom of the pot?  Is there a drain hole?  Check out the bag of soil you used to see if fertilizer was added to the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please get back to us with even more details...and soon, okay?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T06:57:39.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36225" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36143" CreationDate="2017-11-17T13:32:26.350" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like one of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beefsteak_tomato&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Beefsteak Tomato&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Probably the &lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tomates_Marmande.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Marmande&lt;/strong&gt; tomato&lt;/a&gt;; and its closely related to the name you give it in Spanish.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/thumbnail.php?image=2015/05/23/stephanietx/43d39c.jpg&amp;amp;widht=700&amp;amp;height=312&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This at &lt;em&gt;Dave's Garden.com&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; seems to confirm with nice picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/thumbnail.php?image=2015/05/23/stephanietx/43d39c.jpg&amp;amp;widht=700&amp;amp;height=312&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope it helps and &lt;em&gt;bon appétit&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T13:32:26.350" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36226" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36230" CreationDate="2017-11-17T15:05:11.513" Score="7" ViewCount="1213" Body="&lt;p&gt;In a T budding technique of grafting fruit trees, how does the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.britannica.com/science/cambium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cambium layer&lt;/a&gt; of the bud come into contact with the cambium layer of the rootstock?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How does this great method have such a high success rate if there is no direct contact between the cambium layers?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The upside down T method is usually more recommended.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/adkhSOOTjMg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is a great video that demonstrates this method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o4wR5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o4wR5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the photo that I made that shows where I think there is contact between the cambium layers, let me know if I am correct or not:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AVCzG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AVCzG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19668" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-23T08:44:25.377" LastActivityDate="2020-02-13T11:08:39.123" Title="How does the T budding grafting method provide contact between the cambium layers?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;technique&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36227" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35909" CreationDate="2017-11-17T15:06:18.393" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought Swiss victorinox grafting knife and it is extremely sharp and great tool.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19668" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T15:06:18.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36228" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29786" CreationDate="2017-11-17T15:23:41.183" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I thought of doing the same on a piece of land I own. I thought a lot about it, and now I finally got the chance of building a new house on that property. So what I'm thinking now is I'll wait after the digging machines are done with their job, wait they put back the earth in place and put the seed afterwards. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tried it on someone else property where I saw the bull machines operating: I offered them the seeds and went there in spring with my little rake. Great results, see below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So  my advice here is instead of killing with chemicals (which I absolutely hate especially if you want wildlife there afterwards), is you &lt;strong&gt;ask a peasant around if she could run her plowing machine. Then you can spread the new seeds&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beautiful result:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SXTHc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SXTHc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-17T16:55:32.640" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T16:55:32.640" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36229" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33699" CreationDate="2017-11-17T16:34:23.043" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you mentioned, just go to the health food stoor and plant the chia seeds you buy.  They are probably organic and fresher than the chia-pet seeds.  I buy chia seeds in the grocery store to sprout them and eat the sprouts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the cat-grass you buy and sprout is typically &lt;em&gt;red wheat berries&lt;/em&gt; (red wheat) you can purchase that in the health food store too, and sprout those too.  That way you are reducing overall cost.  If you are trying to grow cat-grass to the point of harvesting wheat kernels that are going to take some outdoor space.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your bird might benefit from eating sprouts, please check with a vet first, but I know that the wild birds that raid my garden in the spring love sprouts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T16:34:23.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36230" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36226" CreationDate="2017-11-17T18:12:24.323" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is direct contact between the two cambium layers - the removed bud has cambium (meristematic tissue) exposed on the cut side, and the T cut made in the stem it's to be grafted to has the bark or exterior tissue peeled back to reveal the cambium prior to insertion of the bud, as clearly demonstrated in the video you linked with. Whether the T cut in the rootstock stem is upside down or right side up, the principle is still the same.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the UK, T budding is generally used on roses, and that's the only time I ever came across this method - trees are more often chip budded. In the case of roses, its usual to remove woody material from the back of the bud prior to inserting into the T shape on the rootstock.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/Profile?pid=399&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;T-budding (Royal Horticultural Society)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-18T20:54:59.220" LastActivityDate="2017-11-18T20:54:59.220" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36231" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30975" CreationDate="2017-11-17T18:31:38.077" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;What an excellent and exciting idea.  I tend to use this as a plant in areas with poor soil, or naturized garden look. It prefers acidic soil, and if cared for by you might grow to 3 or 4 feet.  Here is a link for propagating it, not that you want to do that, but it talks about its needs and idiosyncrasies, see &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amerinursery.com/growing/propagating-sweet-fern/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Propagating Sweet Fern&lt;/a&gt;.  Plus there is a nice picture at the bottom of the plants placed around a tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sweetfern is an excellent choice for the more barren or acidic areas of a garden – those spots where nothing else seems to do well. It will thrive in acidic soils, forms a nice dense thicket, and stays within reasonable size limits, so no pruning is needed. And best of all, you won’t have to hike to a high, dry hilltop to experience sweetfern’s wonderful fragrance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It can be left alone to colonize. Also a good plant for stabilizing slopes or embankments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think if you tend it a little you could get it to grow fast and large, but check on how much fertilizer it prefers.  If you mulched it with oak leaves or pine needles it might do well too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T18:31:38.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36233" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1670" CreationDate="2017-11-17T22:02:13.370" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Certain dwarfing apple rootstocks (at least) have a well-known side effect of making a brittle trunk; Malling 9, Budagovsky 9 are the prime examples. Trees grafted on those rootstocks should be supported by a stake that will last the life of the tree, or a heavy-gauge wire fence (supporting a row of trees) with a similar life expectancy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The brittleness is a genetic defect resulting from selection for other factors (size and disease resistance, typically) - some dwarfing apple rootstocks   do not have this defect, and some recent programs have sought to remedy it, but most of the super-dwarf apple rootstocks are brittle. Failure to keep them staked will generally result in a broken tree, sooner or later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-11-17T22:02:13.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36213" CreationDate="2017-11-18T02:01:42.193" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, this tree is well past the time when staking could help - usually, a tree is staked for a year or two when a sapling; when well rooted, the stakes are removed. You say that the root ball is perfect and the tree is well established, so the anchor roots aren't likely to move regardless of what you do to the trunk. A 10-year old tree is also quite sturdy, so the trunk is unlikely to be swayed by staking. In fact, if you were to stake it tightly you run a very good risk of strong winds in a storm snapping the trunk off at the top of the guy wires. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'd be better off pruning it to keep the branches away from the building, but only if you prune it properly (no stubs!).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2017-11-18T02:01:42.193" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36235" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36282" CreationDate="2017-11-18T15:11:08.613" Score="3" ViewCount="839" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's the correct name for this raised tree bed? This one was designed only for the tree. And it's not inside a garden, not even in a park, but at the corner of the street. Searching on Google I can find mostly raised garden beds that contain a tree and the flowers planted around them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And what's the name of the raised beds used in the parks or on the street? Most of my search results are gardening raised beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Barcelona_tree_isle_2017_A.jpg/800px-Barcelona_tree_isle_2017_A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0BwzE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0BwzE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(source: &lt;a href=&quot;https://cms.esi.info/Media/productImages/crop/100477_1473774301173_PF.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;esi.info&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fernandoalda.com/es/trabajos/arquitectura/517/plaza-de-santa-barbara-madrid&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;similar structures in Madrid&lt;/a&gt;.One of them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Ku0x.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2021-01-04T12:43:16.633" LastActivityDate="2021-01-04T12:43:16.633" Title="What's the correct name for this raised tree bed?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="36236" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36235" CreationDate="2017-11-18T15:30:17.320" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's just a raised bed with seating surround, meaning the slabs on top are wide enough for people to sit on, and it's built to a height that's reasonably comfortable for seating. They can be made of wood, but for long term situations where there's a tree in the middle, particularly on a street, they're more usually built of brick or stone, like this one. If it has a special name, I've never known an architect use one... but maybe there is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-18T16:04:11.557" LastActivityDate="2017-11-18T16:04:11.557" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36237" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-18T18:18:08.160" Score="2" ViewCount="552" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to identify this potted indoor plant. It has dark green leaves that curl up and over as they get longer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to know how to take care of it, since the plant has not grown since I got it. The plant is probably 5 years old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm located in Quebec, Canada and the plant &lt;em&gt;might&lt;/em&gt; be from the same place as a Dracaena.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1Vouqm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1Vouqm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plant to identify&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20210" LastEditorUserId="20210" LastEditDate="2017-11-22T02:15:55.750" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T02:15:55.750" Title="What is this indoor plant which has dark green leaves that curl up and over as they grow?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36238" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36267" CreationDate="2017-11-18T19:01:11.360" Score="3" ViewCount="888" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking to buy some garden hoses and I want to be sure they will be strong enough to use with a sprinkler, spray nozzle, or drip irrigation system if I buy one in the future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My water pressure at the faucet is 50 PSI. I've read that &lt;a href=&quot;https://unitedflexible.com/articles/faq-items/what-are-the-differences-between-working-pressure-test-pressure-and-burst-pressure/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;your hose burst pressure should be 4 times the expected working pressure&lt;/a&gt;. So that would mean a burst pressure of 200 PSI. I also read that if you're going to use a garden hose with a nozzle or a sprinkler, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardeningproductsreview.com/best-garden-hose/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;you want a burst pressure of at least 350 PSI&lt;/a&gt;. But I can't find anywhere else on the Internet that talks about this, so I'm wondering if this second article is just making a overgeneralization since some places might have a high faucet pressure and so they just picked a high PSI number just to be safe rather than trying to explain to people the aforementioned 4:1 ratio.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So my question is - do you really need such a high hose burst pressure for a sprinkler or nozzle? &lt;em&gt;For example, might a sprinkler actually increase the PSI exerted on the hose - thereby making the working pressure on the hose higher than 50 PSI even if the water pressure coming into the system was only 50 PSI?&lt;/em&gt; Like might there be some designs that exert some sort of backpressure that increases PSI on the system to increase the distance water sprays?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for any insight you can provide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20211" LastActivityDate="2018-07-30T01:38:16.893" Title="Does a sprinkler or spray nozzle increase the PSI exerted on a garden hose?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;&lt;hoses&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36239" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36242" CreationDate="2017-11-18T19:02:40.797" Score="1" ViewCount="37" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am preparing an area appr. 5m by 1m to become perennial garden bed next year. I am going to plant plants gradually throughout next year. I am currently using top soil from elsewhere in the garden and in-house made compost to amend the soul in that area. Nothing is planted in the area at this moment, and there used to be only grass there before (and weeds occasionaly). Regarding next year, grass and weed will inevitably appear in the area, and there seems to be two school of thoughts regarding dealing with that:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;My neighbor says I have to keep anything from growing in that area, except the plants I am going to gradually introduce.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I say I can grow white clover (trifolium repens) in the area, which would be gradually replaced by plants, avoiding that way dealing with grass and weed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Who is right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-18T19:20:39.330" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T02:13:11.213" Title="Getting flower bed ready for planting next year" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36240" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-18T19:15:24.893" Score="5" ViewCount="3790" Body="&lt;p&gt;Which sound barrier will be most effective if costs are equal?  Two-lane residential (with many pick-up trucks) street is 65' from the listening point.  The street is 1' above grade.  The fence/wall will be built 12' from the edge of the street.  The choices are A) a combination of an 8' high  treated wood fence constructed of nominal 6&quot; x 1&quot; boards that overlap the adjacent board by 1/2,&quot; and 'floating' 6&quot; above grade (for an effective height of 8'6&quot;), combined with a low, dry-laid stone/masonry wall that is 12&quot; deep and 24&quot; high built on the outside perimeter of the wood fence; or B) a 6' high masonry wall.&#xA;- There will be lots of plantings on the inside of the sound barrier and there is an 8' high holly hedge on the outside of it.&#xA;Please suggest any other StackExchange forum that may have sound engineers lurking. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XXhfE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XXhfE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20111" LastEditorUserId="20111" LastEditDate="2017-11-18T20:33:40.703" LastActivityDate="2019-07-04T07:58:31.000" Title="8' wood fence vs 6' block wall to reduce noise in yard" Tags="&lt;fence&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36241" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36249" CreationDate="2017-11-19T02:12:48.200" Score="3" ViewCount="125" Body="&lt;p&gt;My snake plant is drooping because of the lack of sunlight. I'm going to revive it by moving the pot, but do I have to cut very folded/drooped leaves? They are bent from the middle of the leaf. Any way to recover those leaves without cutting them? I currently use a wood stand for keeping them upward.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20212" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-01-29T18:32:17.813" LastActivityDate="2021-01-29T18:32:17.813" Title="Is there any way to recover drooped/folded leaves?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;snake-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36242" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36239" CreationDate="2017-11-19T02:13:11.213" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would not plant white clover anywhere near a garden. It's stoloniferous and can become quite a weed. An annual cover crop would be a good idea if you're not planning on growing vegetables in a specific, well-defined area. Lots of people use an annual rye for that. The key for any cover crop is to NOT let it set seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Three years ago I did pretty much what you're planning on doing. When I converted lawn to vegetable garden I first manually removed as much of the lawn as possible, using a flat-bladed spade (a sod cutter would've been a better idea). This eliminated all grass and most weeds. The first year, I had to hand-dig the dandelions (and some inevitable grass) that were left behind. I also pulled/tilled weeds that had sprouted from seed. I've continued the hand-pulling as needed, but have found that the best way to avoid this is to mulch the vegetable garden. I've used cocoa bean hulls, which break down over the winter and help build tilth. You cannot use this kind of mulch with melons or cukes, however (rots the fruits) - hence the continued hand-pulling. It works great with tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, carrots, beans and beets, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To sum up - try to keep the weeds down either by pulling or mulching, or both. On no account let a weed go to seed - you'll just be compounding the issue for future years. And I strongly recommend a nice organic mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T02:13:11.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36244" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-19T03:33:00.837" Score="4" ViewCount="1422" Body="&lt;p&gt;In the picture below, you can hopefully see some lighter spots on my lawn, marked by yellow lines. Does anyone know why I have these? Do I need to fertilize more often? Is this a fungal infection? How can I restore my lawn to its green color?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: This is sod that was laid just this past August - J.B. Sod Oregon Premium. I fertilized 6 weeks after it was laid (Scott's terfbuilder &lt;em&gt;without&lt;/em&gt; weed control) and again last weekend; second time with a fall fertilizer. I watered religiously. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VEzEK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VEzEK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17247" LastEditorUserId="17247" LastEditDate="2017-11-19T16:54:28.907" LastActivityDate="2017-11-20T01:02:24.120" Title="How can I fix these light spots in my lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36245" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36251" CreationDate="2017-11-19T05:03:38.410" Score="3" ViewCount="3370" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have found these plants in my local park. These tastes like lemon. I am not sure if these are edible. Although.I have been using these in my terrarium. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nTtyG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nTtyG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JvtwX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JvtwX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14294" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T20:22:14.773" Title="Plant identification (wild sorrel or clover)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;clover&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36246" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36245" CreationDate="2017-11-19T08:33:50.563" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maybe you found &lt;strong&gt;chichoda bhaji&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This seems to be a yellow woodsorrel. More precisely, its genus is Oxalis, but it could be Oxalis stricta (common yellow woodsorrel, lemon clover, sourgrass), Oxalis corniculata (creeping woodsorrel, sleeping beauty, chichoda bhaji (India)), or other similar yellow-flowered Oxalis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sorrel and clover have admitedly similar leaves, however, sorrel has more distinguished crease (groove) in the middle of 'hearts', just as it is pictured on your photos. Their flowers are though very different, and would be much better indicators.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lemonish taste definitely points to woodsorrel. Also, flowers buds visible on your photos look exactly the same as yellow woodsorrel's buds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yellow woodsorrel is an incredibly interesting plant, and it has multi-faceted use by humans. You may find  &lt;a href=&quot;https://books.google.rs/books?id=PUAUCgAAQBAJ&amp;amp;pg=PT135&amp;amp;lpg=PT135&amp;amp;dq=chichoda%20bhaji.&amp;amp;source=bl&amp;amp;ots=LaYLd_N1xk&amp;amp;sig=r29JrcaswH_HUjWJgknjd6r1ukE&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwi_ma3Zp8rXAhWEbFAKHYTLC6QQ6AEIKjAC#v=onepage&amp;amp;q=chichoda%20bhaji.&amp;amp;f=false&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this excerpt&lt;/a&gt; from a book on foraging (&lt;em&gt;Front Yard Forager: Identifying, Collecting , and Cooking the 30 Most Common Urban Weeds&lt;/em&gt;) interesting. The most interesting fact in the book is the claim that Algonquin Indians used this plant as an &lt;strong&gt;aphrodisiac&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another (but funny) way of identifying it would be to cook a handfull of leaves, and if it produces almost orange dye, that is yellow woodsorrel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-19T20:22:14.773" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T20:22:14.773" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36247" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-19T09:28:36.383" Score="2" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;I will really appreciate any help.&#xA;I grow a durian tree in my livingroom and so far it's been doing great. Since september, it started sheding leaves one by one (only one at a time always goes kind of &quot;rusty&quot; and then falls off long before actually appearing dead, it only changes color a little bit), and also young branches first sheded leaves and now are drying out from the top. I repeatedly searched for any kind of parasite (webs, residues, etc) but couldn't find any. Also, I thought it might not be getting enough light, so I bought some additional. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I include pictures of dried out branches, the whole tree and its stand and also the soil - there are some white spots, maybe it has something to do with it too..&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tmVyD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tmVyD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PKNG5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PKNG5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;the stand&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CVBmR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CVBmR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dried out branches&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RCK40.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RCK40.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dried out branches&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20214" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T09:28:36.383" Title="Indoor durian started do dry out" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36248" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36260" CreationDate="2017-11-19T09:44:13.153" Score="5" ViewCount="10714" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had to cut several trees in my yard for various reasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What happens with remaining roots of these trees? How do they affect soil and new plants planted in the same area?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-19T10:32:31.053" LastActivityDate="2017-11-20T10:02:28.933" Title="Effect of old rotting roots on soil and new plants?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;roots&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36241" CreationDate="2017-11-19T10:36:49.103" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bent/folded leaves can't be recovered on a snake plant. It is best to cut them either where the fold is or to cut the entire leaf. Cutting only the folded part will result in a not so aesthetic look, but the plant will grow new leaves faster because the partially cut leaves can still perform phosynthesis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T10:36:49.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36250" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-19T11:22:47.087" Score="4" ViewCount="135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a maple at the front of my house, getting mostly the morning sun and also relatively close to the house. So I don't think it's getting burnt, however, it does have a black/burnt look at the tips of various branches. I don't know what type of maple it is, but attached photos are hopefully useful. I'm wondering what I can do about this and if I should cut off affected branch tips or even full branches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sToV6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sToV6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Blackending at various parts of the branch&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hA6CL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hA6CL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Black right at end of branch (top of picture)&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eDPzg.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eDPzg.png&quot; alt=&quot;more&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vaOL7.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vaOL7.png&quot; alt=&quot;more&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20117" LastEditorUserId="20117" LastEditDate="2017-11-20T08:25:45.033" LastActivityDate="2017-11-20T13:29:26.240" Title="Burnt appearance on maple" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36245" CreationDate="2017-11-19T11:40:37.597" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just visible is a yellow flower, not fully open yet, and once that opens, you can confirm (or deny) this ID. It is a sorrel rather than a clover, as mentioned in the other answer, specifically, Oxalis corniculata, known where you are as changeri or wood sorrel. It is edible, but best eaten in small amounts because of its oxalic acid content - this is reduced if cooked. Not sure its a great inclusion for your terrarium though, it can be somewhat invasive. Often used as an Ayurvedic medicinal herb for various ailments.  There's a short video here about this plant &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/mu9NbaJniVY&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/mu9NbaJniVY&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further information &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Oxalis+corniculata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Oxalis+corniculata&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-19T12:04:43.520" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T12:04:43.520" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36240" CreationDate="2017-11-19T11:51:25.457" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a sound guy as well as a garden guy. Your answers are hidden in the graphics you posted. Go with the block wall. I had a somewhat similar situation with nearby freeway noise and after building a block wall along one side of my yard the sound was significantly (but not totally) reduced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If possible and your wall has an adequate footings for the extra weight you could also fill the blocks with sand to give yourself a few more dBs. Plants on both sides of the wall will also help. Sound has a harder time propagating through different materials so if you create a barrier that is essentially plant-concrete-sand-concrete-plant you're providing several layers of sound insulation. Different materials also conduct sound differently so the layers add another bonus. Finally, the surface area of the plants (leaves, branches, etc.) increase surface area and create sound traps where sound that bounce off the block wall get absorbed by the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All in all I think you be happiest with a block wall, but note, you will still get noise. The wall won't stop everything and sound can still be transmitted through the ground, reflected off buildings, rooftops, even clouds. Temperature and humidity can even play a part. Like the graphic says, it's difficult to reduce noise by more than 10 dB with a barrier wall, but 10dB is still an order of magnitude so even hitting a good portion of that can make a difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3171" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T11:51:25.457" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36253" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-19T13:20:09.093" Score="4" ViewCount="64" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hope you can help. I have a beautiful Phoenix Canarienses that was very healthy till this summer and then suddenly is going brown and slowly dying but I have no idea what is the reason. I have attached some pics so you can have a look. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I came back after a one month trip and found one leaf (new born leaf) down the floor completely dry and dead. So I water it during the summer and gave a fertiliser as well. But no matter what I do, all the other leaves are turning brown. I am afraid the plant is not going to survive the winter in London, while it did last year greatly. Also, it is weird because as you maybe can see from the pic, new leaves are there but they look damaged and dry as well! Please help !!!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chiara &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bzoAu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bzoAu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18276" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T13:20:09.093" Title="Phoenix Canarienses going brown and dying" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36254" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33576" CreationDate="2017-11-19T18:26:38.690" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is an &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/red-dragon-japanese-maple-mostly-green-98496.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; on the net describing the causes of similar behaving of maple color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It basically says that japanese maples may become more 'green' if:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;there is environmental impact&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;there is not enough light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;there Is some growth directly from rootstock&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the tree is under stress&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seattle Japanese Garden also offers a very good &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.seattlejapanesegarden.org/blog/2017/10/13/gardeners-talk-autumn-colors-and-japanese-maples&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;article '&lt;em&gt;Gardeners' Talk: Autumn Colors and Japanese Maples&lt;/em&gt;'&lt;/a&gt;on maple autumn colors. Key point:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The brilliance of color is thought to be most affected by temperature,&#xA;  light, and soil moisture, not just fall but all through the growing&#xA;  season. It is suggested that an ideal combination would be a wet warm&#xA;  spring, a summer that is not too dry, and an autumn filled with dry&#xA;  days and cool nights.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-19T19:28:58.787" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T19:28:58.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36255" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36302" CreationDate="2017-11-19T19:39:39.513" Score="7" ViewCount="980" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Minnesota (U.S.). It starts to get cold from September (sometimes snows as early as October) until about mid-April (I’ve seen it snow as late as May some years), but I want to do year-round gardening. The daylight hours drop below 10 between December and February. I currently live in the city and don’t have as much space. I will be trying to move to acres when it gets warm, so any tips focused towards portable winter gardening stuff would be great, but isn’t necessary since gardening in the city is my test run. My main question is what are plants that can be eaten and will still grow in cold weather.&#xA;I'm very interested in:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plants that don't need a lot of help to grow indoors.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;plants that will grow on their own outdoors (even potentially through/under snow).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm also very interested in plants that have medicinal properties that persist in cold regions as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20216" LastEditorUserId="20216" LastEditDate="2017-11-20T11:55:37.870" LastActivityDate="2018-01-18T14:44:02.760" Title="What edible plants can be grown in cold climates?" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36248" CreationDate="2017-11-19T20:28:15.700" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is by no means answer to your question but rather an observation on stumps and root removal after felling trees. Personally I'm against leaving tree stumps in the ground because you can't do much in that area and they present danger to lawn mowers or trimmers with metal blades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many stumps on property I'm trying to maintain which prevent me to use lawnmower safely. Besides the fact the trees were cut down many years ago and the stumps were cut down as low as possible I wanted to remove them by any means. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Firstly, I think you would like to make sure those stumps don't re sprout which is sometimes possible. (People in my country have a nasty habit of using old motor oil for that but there are probably more efficient means).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So far I've completely removed two stumps of cherry trees (fell down at least 5 years ago) by digging them up. Bigger/thicker roots were still quite hard and it took some effort to separate them by axe. Smaller/thinner roots could be snapped by hand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because digging up stumps and roots is hard work, I've tried to speed up the process of decaying (although some mushrooms growing on stumps are also helping :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read in several sites on the internet that faster decaying of stumps and roots can be achieved by making vertical holes in stump and filling them with high-nitrogen fertilizer which should speed up the process. In my case remaining stumps I want to remove are from evergreen trees and were still strong enough that using drill to make holes was pretty hard. Tbh, after more than 6 months of filling holes with fertilizer I haven't notice any changes in surrounding area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a mixed opinion about stumps and their roots and how they can affect soil and new plants: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In first case, you can leave them to decay at their own pace (which is&#xA;probably the best option if you don't want to remove them). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In second case, if you try to 'kill' the root system buy using herbicides (or other chemicals) there is probably some risk for new&#xA;plants in that area. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;In third case, if you want to speed up decaying of tree by using fertilizer you'll probably encourage something else to grow faster. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I have a feeling that answer on your question is probably dependent on factors like tree species, soil composition, what would you like to plant and mostly time to notice any changes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17442" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T20:28:15.700" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36257" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-19T21:45:52.530" Score="6" ViewCount="1923" Body="&lt;p&gt;An areca palm I own has an insect infestation that I've had trouble identifying. I've been unable to locate any non-egg mature examples, only the eggs that tend to be in nooks around the plant, typically under leaves. They look like very tiny white cylinders that tend to be in small clusters around veins. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I removed most of the infestation and sprayed with an insecticide but it seems to be coming back. I need help with identification and figuring out a way to deal with it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Prior to clearing it out the first time a few leaves had enough of them on some leaves to be visible from a distance, so it may be that these aren't eggs but are mature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ObZbh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ObZbh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Areca Palm white eggs&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uF6jF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uF6jF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Areca Palm white eggs&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20217" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T01:13:44.883" Title="Areca Palm pest identification" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36250" CreationDate="2017-11-19T23:29:19.337" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have Cercis canadensis.  Red Bud.  Wonderful tree. The yellow branch thing is dead or it is a coral bark maple or a yellow twig dogwood gone deciduous. That should be taken out of the area to allow room for your Red Bud the small tree in the back of the picture. Please send more pictures, primarily of whatever is healthy on the yellow twigged plant.  What is the tree that is shading the area?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Red Bud is an understory tree in nature, dealing well with partial shade.  Maple leaves are like fingers usually with sharp lobes and seeds that are distinctive having 'wings'.  What ever you do do not use pruners without cleaning before and after and in between different plants with alcohol. The yellow twig thing looks very very suspicious for disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T23:29:19.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36259" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36257" CreationDate="2017-11-19T23:41:20.063" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think this is thrip damage, infestation.  What did you spray for control? Sending a site of thrip eggs which is what I think those white spots could be without a loop to see better.  The silvery look of the underside of the leaves are very indicative of thrip.  I'd use NEEM for sure. Could you send a picture with a penny in the picture for scale? Thrips are common for palms...&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=thrip%20eggs&amp;amp;client=firefox-b-1-ab&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;tbo=u&amp;amp;source=univ&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwij9M2Q58vXAhUX5mMKHec7B6YQ7AkIMw&amp;amp;biw=1366&amp;amp;bih=646&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pictures of thrip&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T23:41:20.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36248" CreationDate="2017-11-19T23:51:13.327" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When a tree dies or is cut down there is a similar amount of roots mirrored of the canopy in the soil that die as well.  Great organic matter.  Absolutely nothing to worry about.  Removing the stump and barked humongous roots are fairly easy to do using a truck and chain (shoot, I've used a Ford Escort) to pull those stumps out completely.  A 'come along' would work for certain sized stumps and species of trees.  Stumps are easier to pull out after they've figured out they are dead...a few months?  Roots are wonderful organic matter, thoroughly emeshed and mixed in the topsoil (truly most will be 4 to 6 inches below the surface) easy to decompose and they add super tilth to the soil.  I would never plant the same species of tree ever again near the area.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-19T23:51:13.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36261" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36244" CreationDate="2017-11-20T00:07:11.413" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know JB Sod.  Very well.  They can grow sod but they are hopeless with maintenance practices. You are mowing way too short.  Keep that mower raised up to at least 3&quot; no shorter.  The Pacific Northwest and cool grasses genetically have huge root systems.  To support huge root systems the plant needs at least 3&quot; with which to do photosynthesis to FEED those roots.  If the grass is too short your grass is compromised, struggling.  You will get weeds while your grass crop is weak.  Don't use their fertilizer.  Awful. I get in trouble every time I say this but try Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer.  Takes more, is far more slow but my goodness I forked out the money for this fertilizer to do commercial maintenance on lawns.  I had my mowers custom raised for the correct height.  I had multiple blades already sharped to perfection.  The blades were cleaned with alcohol in between clients.  Part of my service included aeration.  Not an option.  I always bagged clippings forget mulching!!  Those stripes look suspicious...are you using a drop spreader?  I used Scott's handheld cheapie spreader for everything other than ball parks.  Much easier to control where that fertilizer goes.  Never use weed and feed...forget moss control.  Could you have your mower deck too short on one wheel? I know the Pacific Northwest and last I knew JB Sod was in the Kirkland/Woodinville area, yes?  If you live there I can turn you on to the best BEST mulch for your beds; Sawdust Supply and Gro-Co.  Lucky you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This JB Sod is in Oregon or is the seed crop from Oregon? Same organization, similar environments. And watering practices are important; water very deeply and allow to dry out before watering again.  Let us know what you've been doing exactly, what your automatic irrigation is set for, this doesn't look diseased. It looks like too short grass with a wheel too low on your mower or a very bad drop fert spreader.  Let's figure this out before winter or you just very well have disease  problems caused by stressed out wimpy grass.  What exactly did you fertilize with?  Sounds fine for your timing depending on the formulations you used.  Don't need to aerate this year. Definitely next year.  Train your grass roots watering very very deeply then do not water until you are able to see your footprints stay down when you walk on your grass.  Then water again deeply...down at least 4&quot;...this makes for very deep strong rootsystems where you won't ever have to worry about drought and watering this way reduces your water bill...if you are on city water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other possibility, how close do you live to a golf course?  Poa annua our annual blue grass looks very straw colored, has lots of seed heads and thrives being cut short.  Birds poop out these seeds and then your cool season grass mix of JB Sod's if stressed and cut too short will allow this light colored shallow rooted grass to become part of the lawn.  Especially prominent living on golf courses.  Golf courses up there love the ability to mow short short short and with a monocrop of this pale green color no one notices.  The lawns of those that live on the golf course usually having used JB Sod on their lawns right next to huge expanses of Poa annua crops of the golf course are able to see this grass, looks like a dog peed on their lawn burning it to almost yellow.  Most just had the lawn replaced over and over again.  I ripped out lawns and replaced with plant beds, gravel, pavers and flagstone landscapes.  They were very happy.  Got lots of clients on golf courses for maintenance and landscape renovation projects. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-11-20T01:02:24.120" LastActivityDate="2017-11-20T01:02:24.120" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36262" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-20T04:01:45.663" Score="3" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;When is the best time to put seeds in your lawn to fill in the bald patches? Now (November) or in spring (March-April)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3078" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-20T21:07:07.467" LastActivityDate="2017-11-20T21:07:07.467" Title="Patching the lawn by adding seeds and then soil over the bald patches - when?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36263" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36248" CreationDate="2017-11-20T07:01:34.050" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;For once, I don't agree with stormy, but this could also be because of my different interpretation of your &quot;for various reasons&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was told never to plant a tree where there was another tree. But because this is often impossible, most of the roots should be removed, and possibly a hole should be kept for some time (a winter is ideal).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This advice was given mainly for orchards, where tree are removed for healthy reason, and root diseases are one of the worst outcome (difficult to handle).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The hole: this should give oxygen, which it seems to be toxic (it is!) for many soil bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I dont't agree with stormy also about tree stumps (regarding opinion that stumps are easier to pull after several months). I still have a very hard Prunus stump (peach), dead since more than 10 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, to plant a new tree, you need to both dig a hole and remove stump and large roots. It is better also to fertilize soil as deep as possible, so you really need to dig.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-20T10:02:28.933" LastActivityDate="2017-11-20T10:02:28.933" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36264" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29499" CreationDate="2017-11-20T08:42:33.727" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suggest two approaches:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;1 Umbrella look&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gFix3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gFix3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wj4Oq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wj4Oq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Umbrella haircut&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is simple, you just cut everything below set height twice a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;2 Pedestrian tunnel&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JCMJb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JCMJb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sophora tunnels&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree in the image above is a Sophora pendula, but it doesn't matter, it is just for illustrative purposes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could train (by staking and pruning) your mulberry to 'jump' over the sidewalk, and by doing that you would create a tunnel for people strolling down your street.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your tree would become a major conversation topic in your area. :-)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The dowside is that in 7-8 years, the tree would start growing in traffic lanes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-20T08:51:41.370" LastActivityDate="2017-11-20T08:51:41.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36250" CreationDate="2017-11-20T10:41:18.493" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't tell which variety of Acer that might have been originally - I can see it's putting out some new leaves, but the blackened areas on the stems suggest fungal infection - maybe Verticillium wilt or Pseudomonas, though the former is more common on Japanese Acers, and the latter in areas where the soil is frequently damp.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't look as if it's been planted in a great spot - it's covered and crowded out by the plant next to it, and somewhat too close to the structure behind (fence? shed?), which reduces air flow and light.  I think at this stage,  it's not looking hopeful unfortunately; you can either just remove it completely,roots and all, or try cutting it down closer to the base, where there's maybe a healthy branch or two with leaves, but it looks like there's blackening of the central stem very near the base, so it may be the plant simply doesn't recover and dies completely anyway. If you decide to give it a second chance by cutting it back, prune back the growth next to it to give it more light and air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-20T13:29:26.240" LastActivityDate="2017-11-20T13:29:26.240" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36266" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36272" CreationDate="2017-11-20T14:41:30.310" Score="6" ViewCount="223" Body="&lt;p&gt;I plan to build a seating area close to my neighbor's yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The little problem is privacy, and I would like to solve it by making a cherry laurel grove. Since I am a kind of plant-collectory person, I would like to have various cherry laurels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you help me design that area?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R0BKr.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R0BKr.png&quot; alt=&quot;cherry laurel grove plan&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The size of planned cherry laurel area is appr. 6m x 2m (18ft x 6ft). It is a very sunny area. Existing magnolia, cherry and maple are dwarf or stunted specimens, and do not represent significant light or other barrier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My yard landscaping style is naturalistic (so no formal features) ).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is not my yard (though I wish it was), but a visual explanation what I want to achieve:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o4dmJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o4dmJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cherry laurel cultivars available in my area are following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;’&lt;strong&gt;Any&lt;/strong&gt;’ - H 0.8-1m, W 1.5-2m - young leaves dark red;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;’&lt;strong&gt;Caucasica&lt;/strong&gt;’&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;’&lt;strong&gt;Etna&lt;/strong&gt;’ - H 2-3m, W 2-2.5m - young leaves copper-orange;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;’&lt;strong&gt;Kleopatra&lt;/strong&gt;’ - H 1-1.5m, W 1-2m - young leaves light copper-orange;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;'&lt;strong&gt;Mano&lt;/strong&gt;' - smaller than usual (6x3cm) leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;’&lt;strong&gt;Marbled White&lt;/strong&gt;’&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;’&lt;strong&gt;Otto Luyken&lt;/strong&gt;’&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;’&lt;strong&gt;Reynvaanii&lt;/strong&gt;’&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;’&lt;strong&gt;Rotundifolia&lt;/strong&gt;’&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to combine as many as possible cultivars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't mind light pruning in the future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a good idea at all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you suggest some placement of cultivars? (I will be looking at the grove usually from &quot;future seating area&quot;, so that view is more important; &quot;desired view&quot; mentioned in the diagram is a larger view to the rest of my yard that I want to remain unobstructed)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T14:34:20.300" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T21:14:15.370" Title="Designing cherry laurel grove" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;design&gt;&lt;screening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36238" CreationDate="2017-11-20T15:08:03.447" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I contacted Gilmore, one of the leading sprinkler manufacturers about this question. Here's what they had to say:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;For optimal use, our sprinklers should be used with a pressure of 40-60 PSI coming out of the spigot. Your water pressure remains the same regardless of hose or sprinkler style. If you have 50 PSI coming out of your spigot, you will experience optimal performance from any of our sprinkler models.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I think this case is closed. I'm gonna disregard the idea from GardeningProductsReview.com that you need a garden hose with a burst pressure of 350 PSI for sprinklers or water nozzles. It seems this is either bogus or is making a large overgeneralization since some rare cases might have a pressure at the faucet of nearly 100 PSI.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think the National Association of Hose and Accessories Distributors' 4:1 ratio of burst pressure to working pressure is a better rule of thumb to go by since you can just figure out your PSI at the faucet and then determine how strong a garden hose you really need. Most households have an PSI of around 50 at the faucet, so the idea that you need a 350 PSI hose is simply far too high. A hose with a burst pressure of 200 PSI should do great for sprinklers and nozzles for the vast majority of homes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20211" LastEditorUserId="20211" LastEditDate="2017-11-20T16:57:04.753" LastActivityDate="2017-11-20T16:57:04.753" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36151" CreationDate="2017-11-20T15:46:09.010" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Apart from the good advice given by other users, I want to mention a few small things that help a lot in the long run, some of them doable now, before winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;•   On trees affected by disease use copper sulphate after the leaves fall - it is efficient and cheap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;•   Remove fallen leaves, fallen fruits and fruits still attached to branches because they carry pathogens that will start a new lifecycle in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;•   Use a pitchfork to loosen up soil on areas where water usually stagnates - this improves drainage and stores water below the ground, so the plants nearby will need less irrigation next year. This can be done before soil starts to freeze. Be prepared to break a tooth of the pitchfork in the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;•   Ants have found an area where soil can be easily excavated, so add cover plants in barren areas: clover, creeping thyme &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thymus_serpyllum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(Thymus serpyllum)&lt;/a&gt;, dwarf periwinkle &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinca_minor&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;(Vinca minor)&lt;/a&gt; or some other crop. I don't know when it's best to sow them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;•   Work the soil when it doesn't stick to the metal parts of your tools, otherwise it means the soil is too wet and it will be easily compacted when putting pressure or weight on it. It's better to prepare now the soil for raised beds because frost and defrost will make it easier to work with in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-11-20T15:46:09.010" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36269" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-20T17:58:24.050" Score="2" ViewCount="86" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this caterpillar and several of its buddies on my hummingbird tree this morning. It's skinny and mostly black, but it has interesting brown areas on the face and tail. There's also a stripe down its back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A friend suggested it might be a fritillary, but it doesn’t look like any photos of fritillary caterpillars I found.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of caterpillar is this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3obIn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20224" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T23:22:36.120" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T23:22:36.120" Title="What is this skinny black caterpillar with brown on the head and tail and a stripe on the back?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36270" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-20T19:03:20.557" Score="4" ViewCount="448" Body="&lt;p&gt;The leaves on my 1 year old avocado plant are showing some weird almost dusty grey spots near the veins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves stay like this for a while, then they start to curl inwards/down get really crispy and fall/break off from the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant only survives because it's growing new leaves very fast. I'm however afraid it will not keep up during the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this some sort of fungus or mites, or something else?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mupaw.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mupaw.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JsMIs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JsMIs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20225" LastEditorUserId="20225" LastEditDate="2017-11-27T21:46:15.660" LastActivityDate="2017-11-27T21:46:15.660" Title="Avocado leaf problem" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;spider-mites&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36257" CreationDate="2017-11-21T01:13:44.883" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't see any indication of thrip.  The indications are long thin looping trails where the larvae are eating inside the leaf and small black spots of &quot;frass&quot; or poop.  Adult thrip can often be seen under the leaf and they are the size of an exclamation mark. Thrip are very hard to control as the larvae are inside the leaf.  In commercial interior plantings the best solution is to throw the plant out as systemic insecticides are rarely allowed to be used inside buildings or dwellings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It could be spider mites which are much more common than thrip.  I recommend the following control measures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;isolate the plant from any others which might be infected&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut it back hard, the less palm fronds the less you have to do control on&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use 5 ml of dish soap to 1 litre of water and a rag or cloth. Dip in the soap solution and rub down the remaining fronds top and bottom. Wait a few minutes and  wash it with water.  Repeat at five to six day intervals three times.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if possible move to a higher light situation and observe for any further pest damage.  A magnifying glass is very helpful in situations like this.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T01:13:44.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36272" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36266" CreationDate="2017-11-21T03:35:18.170" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A 'grove' is composed of understory trees, most coveted are multistemmed species.  Your are considering dense shrubs?  Would love to help with this as 'groves of trees' are one of my 'things'...a grove of trees makes a space; that space will have a roof and walls and a floor.  My favorite 'grove' tree is Amelanchier alnifolia multi trunked.  One needs a minimum of 3, 4 is better and 5 is better yet...or even 7 made to sweep around the bottom of your viewing area.  3/8 minus gravel makes an incredible floor.  A leveled spot for adirondack chairs, small table...up lighting for your trees using little black spot lights all lights turned away from people's eyes...that grove will be breath taking even at night.  No lights necessary for paths...the ambient light will be more than sufficient.  Better security than bright security lights.  Where is your home?  Any area meant for humans should be accessible from the home...especially at night.  Hot tubs need to be within 20 feet!  Something like that or they won't get used.  What are you imagining?  Cherry trees or a dense, solid hedge for this 'grove'...a grove is one of the most wonderful out door rooms one could add to their landscape...powerful, just need to wait 3 to 5 years for the effect.  There are many other species that would work beautifully but if you want an easy keeper, gorgeous flower show beginning of spring...super duper foliage, berries to bring in the birds, gorgeous soft dove gray trunks,  fall color to die for, a low canopy human height to give you a vase shaped ceiling, the trunks for walls and some thick gravel you have a wonderful room with blossoms falling all around, or fire colored leaves trickling down from the canopy in the fall...branching pattern gorgeous for the winter...Service berry is a rare 4 season beauty tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send me a sketch, by hand, on graph paper, give it a scale such as 1/4&quot; to the foot, put your home in there, neighbors, road, irrigation (roughly) and some idea of the slopes, like draw a cross section, rough with your idea of the slope?  Do you know what a pea shooter is by any chance?  Do you have a level? Just take your level, look down the top and when it is level, mark the spot at the end of the level.  Take the height where you stand with the level to the level at your eye height use that as RISE.  Measure the distance to that spot as a level, straight line.  That is RUN.  RISE/RUN=SLOPE. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-11-22T21:14:15.370" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T21:14:15.370" CommentCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36273" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-21T11:50:12.947" Score="2" ViewCount="278" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QW3DG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tcbdj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; my peace Lily with yellowing leaves . And what I can only assume are the flowers producing bulb's??  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20229" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2017-11-22T02:29:50.650" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T02:29:50.650" Title="Lily leaves are turning yellow, the old flowers have gone to seed. Advice on how to bring it back to health?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36274" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36208" CreationDate="2017-11-21T15:50:39.577" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would advise you not to plant the tree at all for now. Just repot it in a larger container, and place it on a 1m high stand. Next year, use 60cm stand, and even larger container. The following year, use just a couple of bricks as the stand. And the following year, plant the plant. That way, you will always have 3m screen. Also, this will be much smaller shock for the plant, over the years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T23:02:14.797" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T23:02:14.797" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36275" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2017-11-21T17:48:23.593" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T17:48:23.593" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T17:48:23.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36276" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2017-11-21T17:48:23.593" Score="0" Body="A flowering plant that grows in the wild, most commonly not intentionally planted." OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T19:55:08.863" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T19:55:08.863" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36277" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2017-11-21T17:51:39.480" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T17:51:39.480" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T17:51:39.480" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36278" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2017-11-21T17:51:39.480" Score="0" Body="Artificial application of water to land to assist in the production of crops.   &#xD;&#xA;(Source: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/irrigation.)" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-22T21:08:03.500" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T21:08:03.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36279" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36283" CreationDate="2017-11-21T18:37:37.677" Score="5" ViewCount="587" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am actively looking for a number of mid-sized plants (meaning small trees or large shrubs) that would attract wildlife to my garden (but other beautiful features would be welcomed too).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two species quickly caught my eye: Amelanchier canadensis and Aronia melanocarpa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Amelanchier in autumn:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CigF6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CigF6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aronia in autumn:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xOAqa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xOAqa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can any of you compare two of them from your own experience? I am interested in comparing their fall color, screening value, how much they attract birds, flower fragrance, all things important for gardeners....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T22:24:09.117" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T00:41:55.197" Title="Amelanchier canadensis vs Aronia melanocarpa" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;wildlife&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36280" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="20112" CreationDate="2017-11-21T19:40:49.480" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's called stinging nettle here in the US. The cure for the stings grows right by the stinging nettle: jewelweed. I don't say this about many things but jewelweed is great for taking away pain from stinging nettle, and helps ease the irritation of poison ivy. I've used it for both of those things. IME the jewelweed works better for PI than any other medicine, OTC or prescription.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://duckduckgo.com/?q=jewelweed+flower&amp;amp;t=hw&amp;amp;iax=images&amp;amp;ia=images&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Search for jewelweed flower images&lt;/a&gt;. They are very distinct.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastEditorUserId="11061" LastEditDate="2017-11-22T11:11:29.707" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T11:11:29.707" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36281" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36074" CreationDate="2017-11-21T19:42:48.667" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can put soil in if you find a good deal, but don't bother with sod or seed, this is not the growing season for your area. (Michigan here.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11061" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T19:42:48.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36282" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36235" CreationDate="2017-11-21T20:12:45.553" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The most correct term is &lt;em&gt;tree isle&lt;/em&gt;. &quot;Isle&quot; implies it is a raised structure. In &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.rs/search?q=tree%20isle&amp;amp;num=50&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwiKtsSBvdDXAhVQIlAKHXX_BHsQ_AUICigB&amp;amp;biw=1855&amp;amp;bih=981&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this Google search&lt;/a&gt;, you can see more examples, including some unusual, like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N47Et.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/N47Et.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, some structures can be called both tree isles and tree seats,but I think this question pertains more to tree isles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-21T20:29:14.153" LastActivityDate="2017-11-21T20:29:14.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36283" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36279" CreationDate="2017-11-22T00:20:41.153" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;That doesn't look like a picture of an A. canadensis (the leaves should be smaller an much more finely serrated). It could be A. alnifolia, but I'd actually guess Fothergilla (maybe gardenii). The fall color looks more fothergilla-ish, too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most Amelanchiers are small to medium-sized trees, so screening from a ground position is poor. You might find cultivars of A. alnifolia that can maintain a shrub-like size, and A. stolonifera can stay at 4-5' high. Still, Amelanchiers tend to have an open habit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aronias tend to form a nice thick shrub, so they're good for screening. In Wisconsin, some specialty farmers are growing some cultivars for their fruit, which makes a good juice when cooked. The foliage color ranges from spectacular to &quot;meh&quot;, possibly due to the cultivar. Note that I've had problems with rabbits cutting every aronia I've ever owned down to the ground each winter, unless they (the aronias, not the rabbits) were protected by tallish fencing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've also grown Fothergilla, which is my preferred small shrub for screening (if it's hardy in your area). I also like the old standby Hedge Cotoneaster for a large screening shrub, although that almost always needs shearing to keep it at least a little in bounds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To answer your questions: &#xA;Frangrance - I haven't ever noticed that any of these shrubs have particularly fragrant flowers - in my experience, the amelanchiers are best of the bunch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wildlife - Birds love the amelanchier berries, which I've also heard are good for humans (but good luck beating the birds). We have many yards of Aronia as hedging where I work, and not one bird eats the berries (when I grew them I never had berries because of the rabbits). Both are excellent for pollinators. Fothergilla are great for pollinators but any seeds aren't noteworthy; I've seen cardinals eat cotoneaster berries.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fall color -  good for all of these shrubs, including the Cotoneaster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Habit -Both major types of fothergilla and A. stolonifera will spread from the base. Aronia and Fothergilla are probably the best smallish screening shrubs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A couple other small shrubs to consider for wildlife, low screening and color: Clethra alnifolia and its several cultivars (blooms in August here, with fragrant blooms. Can have decent fall color); Itea virginica - blooms in July-August, also fragrant, with excellent color. Stoloniferous. You could also consider any number of Viburnum cultivars, selecting one for your height and spread requirements. Some (like Judd's Viburnum) are very fragrant, and any that produce berries are good for the birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T00:20:41.153" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36284" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36279" CreationDate="2017-11-22T00:41:55.197" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aronia melananocarpa is a deciduous shrub up to 6'.  Amelanchier canadensis is a small tree up to 20 and 30 feet with similar spread.  Both are wonderful.  Amelanchier can actually make a 'room' for humans to enjoy sitting beneath, being shaded by, attracting lots and lots of birds (never have to worry about berries hitting the ground)...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T00:41:55.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36285" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-22T03:29:25.623" Score="6" ViewCount="2787" Body="&lt;p&gt;A lot of plants are supposed to do better with warmer roots. So, it stands to reason that they would do better with soil with poor insulation qualities during the growing season, and that they might have difficulty with soils that insulate well (and stay cooler underneath). Perhaps good insulators might be better during the winter, to help keep the roots warmer during the coldest periods. Perhaps good insulators would be somewhat of an advantage in areas with cool nights (to keep the soil warmer at night), although they might keep the soil cooler in the day. I'm thinking roots might venture deeper in soils with poor insulation (during the warm season, anyway).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, I'm wondering: Which soil types make the best and worst thermal insulators?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My personal guess is that clay would make the best insulator, and a more porous soil (although I'm not sure which) might be a worse one, but I don't know. I know our clay loam soil feels pretty cool if you dig in it, especially if you go very deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure that any sources exist on the topic of soil insulation, but if we knew the answer, I think the knowledge could help gardeners and farmers a lot. Maybe I just didn't find them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This could be particularly important for peppers and watermelon, although I'm sure most sources will&#xA;already tell you that they don't prefer clay. I imagine they don't normally prefer insulators generally. Also, it might be useful for areas where plants die because of the heat; perhaps cooler roots would help those.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-11-22T03:44:21.483" LastActivityDate="2017-11-23T00:20:50.773" Title="Which soil types are the best and worst thermal insulators?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36286" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36287" CreationDate="2017-11-22T03:59:42.323" Score="5" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in finding plants that make good hedges, but that have translucent leaves so as to let light through. I'm interested in plants that can create privacy without blocking all the light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason I want the extra light is to allow for more sun in the garden (and to attract more pollinators—they like light).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do you think would best handle this scenario?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(It's a bonus if they're edible, medicinal, or otherwise multipurpose.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For landscaping purposes, I guess it doesn't really have to be a hedge of plants, if you can think of something else that could work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-11-22T14:28:38.803" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T14:28:38.803" Title="What privacy hedge plants create little shade?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;privacy-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36286" CreationDate="2017-11-22T08:59:56.790" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would choose a climbing plant. Many of them can be pruned, to that you create some holes.  I think it is better to have strong sun on few places (sun moves), then translucent leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe some rose (if you take wild types, you get edible fruits, and they are usually strong and climbing). On plus side: they make also a physical barrier (with spikes), but many climbing species should work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most translucent leaves that I remember now are, by the way, also climbing: wine grape and clematis.  The advantage of such climbing trees, is that you can have a single (or few) layer of leaves. But much light is absorbed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: rose leaves are persistent, so very dark and zero translucence, but you get privacy also on winter. Translucent leaves tend to be short lived, so no privacy in winter (and grape wine is late to grow on early spring), but maybe you will use winter shields on other plants, which give you enough privacy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T08:59:56.790" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36288" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36285" CreationDate="2017-11-22T09:24:38.833" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you are looking the problem from a wrong point of view.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thermal insulator is not a good term and also not good way to have warmer soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First fact: the soil temperature. The surface temperature have huge variation of temperature (much higher that we imagine, usually we measure air temperature at 1 to 2 meters from soil). Going down in the soil, the temperature differences smooth, until around 5 to 10 meters, where the temperature of soil is equal to the average air temperature (over several years). Going down, the pressure (weight of soil above the point) start to make effect, so we will have higher temperatures). So, soil is a good insulator. The good: average temperature is usually (but in very cold regions and mountains) above freezing point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the main problem of root (and the cause of temperature changes) is radiation. During day sun irradiate the soil, warming it up. But during the day the soil irradiate (in infra-red) back, giving temperature back to air. Usually we want (on cold day) to reduce such irradiation, and we use two methods: greenhouse (glass has such properties, which transmit visible light, but block infra red, so it block the radiation of soil).  The other method: mulching (especially the winter one). This block radiation of soil, so it keep warmer [and for summer it block also water evaporation].&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To have warmer soil during night, also an other effect is used: heat storage. Stones and rocks is used to store day heat and release it during the night. This is done on some wine region.  Water can also be good heat storage (region near sees and lakes have less temperature differences between high and low temperature: less continental climate). So wet soil is better. So organic, or a clay with some sand is the ideal soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A thermal insulating soil will not absorb heat during day, so it would not be ideal. Peat is a good insulator (and used in e.g. Ireland and Iceland to insulate roofs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I would try to store heat and stop irradiation of soil. My warmer garden is near a stone wall, with leaves to protect cultures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: the last effect to control: wind protection. A screen/shelter helps to keep lost heat near the plants (and so it helps soil to lose less heat).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T09:24:38.833" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35365" CreationDate="2017-11-22T16:54:54.717" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it is normal to have two plants from one leaf because they grow from lateral meristems. A meristem is an area that contains undifferentiated cells that divide in a continuous manner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the top was undamaged, you would have ended up with three new plants instead of two because we can see from the new leaves that they have three meristematic areas (one apex and two laterals).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As others pointed out in the comments, they need more light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T16:54:54.717" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36292" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7280" CreationDate="2017-11-22T23:50:35.690" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.visualdictionaryonline.com/plants-gardening.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Visual Dictionary Online, section Plants and Gardening&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It contains zillion of botany-related diagrams. For example, there is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.visualdictionaryonline.com/plants-gardening/plants/mushroom/structure-mushroom.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a diagram explaining structure of a mushroom&lt;/a&gt;. It explains following mushroom-related terms:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;spores&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;stem&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;gill &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;mycelium&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hypha&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;volva&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;ring&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All diagrams are arranged in a hierarchical order, and easy to find.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On top of that, for each term, there is a button for the pronunciation!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2017-11-22T23:50:35.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36285" CreationDate="2017-11-23T00:20:50.773" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;To follow on from what Mr. Catenazzi wrote, during the winter in cold areas you WANT to keep the soil frozen so that it doesn't heave during periodic thaws. This can involve waiting until the soil freezes &quot;hard&quot; and then placing mulch over it - often, cut up Christmas trees. This is especially important if you planted perennials late in the season, as frost heaving could push the roots out of the ground and kill the plant. Most gardeners who use winter mulch remove it once the snow (assuming there is some) melts - typically, late March in US Zone 5.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2017-11-23T00:20:50.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36294" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36297" CreationDate="2017-11-23T00:40:21.090" Score="3" ViewCount="417" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to put Mexican (Tithonia) sunflower seeds directly in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they were regular sunflower seeds, I would sow ithem directly in the garden, and I would put twice as many seeds close together, because not all would actually develop into plants. Then I'd transplant some somewhere else, if some areas were too crowded.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, a Mexican sunflower:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;is a much wider plant than a regular sunflower&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;really dislikes transplanting&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have 30 seeds. What I am supposed to do? Any sunflower guru over there?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-19T22:31:47.523" LastActivityDate="2018-03-19T22:31:47.523" Title="How should I grow mexican sunflowers (Tithonia) from seed?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;sunflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36295" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36296" CreationDate="2017-11-23T12:32:38.313" Score="8" ViewCount="1681" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed this on some on my Carolina Reaper plants. A lot of the leaves have this kind of spots surrounding the midrib and the veins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants grow indoors in 5l pots but I kept them in the garden for a period of about half a year when the temperatures were higher.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AK4Yl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AK4Yl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;brown spots next to the midrib and veins of a chili pepper plant&amp;#39;s leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of the spots can be seen on the underside of the leaf as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a picture showing the distribution of the spots on a leaf's upper surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What am I dealing with here? Some kind of pest? A disease? Or maybe the plants are lacking something?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/34mSq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/34mSq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bacterial leaf spot comes to mind but I;ve never actually seen it and the pictures I can find online look somewhat different.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18025" LastEditorUserId="18025" LastEditDate="2017-11-23T12:46:07.460" LastActivityDate="2020-09-13T17:00:48.827" Title="Brown spots around the veins on a hot pepper plant's leaves" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36295" CreationDate="2017-11-23T15:49:02.690" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's a sap sucking pest of some sort, which is why the damage is largely along veins - but it looks like whatever it was has gone, because your first photo  only shows evidence of damage where they've been, rather than the insect itself. I can't see the black specks clearly enough in the second image to determine whether they're insects or not - use a magnifying glass and check. If whatever they are is sitting on top of the leaves, do the marks beneath correspond with their position? If so, and insects are present, then that's likely the result of their sap sucking activities. Hopefully, they have not introduced or caused a fungal or  bacterial infection to set in, which is always possible from such activity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-11-23T15:49:02.690" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36297" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36294" CreationDate="2017-11-23T18:12:19.477" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;So far as I'm aware, Tithonia varieties are no more sensitive to being transplanted than, say, Aquilegia or other plants that produce a tap root over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've got a choice; you either sow them in seed trays, then prick them out and grow them on in small pots, planting out when they're big enough and all risk of frost is past, or, you sow them direct, thinly, and thin them out by removing excess seedlings. You could  try transplanting these excess seedlings, but this will likely be less successful than pricking them out into pots from a seed tray. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.westcoastseeds.com/how-to-grow-guides/grow-tithonia/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.westcoastseeds.com/how-to-grow-guides/grow-tithonia/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-02T22:57:51.867" LastActivityDate="2017-12-02T22:57:51.867" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36298" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36303" CreationDate="2017-11-23T21:24:28.973" Score="5" ViewCount="1428" Body="&lt;p&gt;I actually pruned this last autumn. So close to 6 months. It's still slowly dying back. I'm guessing it stalled over winter. Near the tip, a new bud was actually starting to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why is it still dying back and how do I stop it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aW3zt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aW3zt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastActivityDate="2017-11-24T11:23:19.547" Title="Chilli plant - Why is my pruned stem still dying back?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36299" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36255" CreationDate="2017-11-24T00:17:13.870" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Minnesota can have a 20 degree temperature range in the winter, depending on where you live; here's the &lt;a href=&quot;http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;map&lt;/a&gt;. I'm assuming that you're in or near Minneapolis (Zone 4a), where it might hit -30 F in winter. I've lived in Zone 4b (gardening in nearly 100% clay, too), and I could grow pretty much anything that anyone else north of St. Louis can grow - I just had to be aware of the &quot;days to maturity&quot; of the crop (the shorter the number of days, the better it is for the north). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also had to start some crops, like tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons inside under lights. Do not expect any crops grown in a home environment to flower, much less set fruit. Lettuce and spinach can grow well, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To start plants indoors, you need the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;LIGHTS. If you're going to grow anything inside during the winter you MUST USE lights. I used standard shop lights because they were cheap; LEDs are nicer. Were the shop lights the correct wavelength? No. Did my plants do okay? Yes. Flowers like fuschia, lantana and geranium actually bloomed, so the lights' wavelengths weren't too bad. I put the lights on small chains that were attached to a wooden frame; I kept them just inches from the tops of the plants. YOU MUST USE ARTIFICIAL LIGHT.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;HEAT. Use heat mats, with a thermostat. This will set you back about $100. You won't be able to do anything constructive without bottom heat. A warm room would help, but you can't beat the bottom heat for growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;WATER. Water when dry; the heat from the lights and heat mat will dry out the soil sooner than you'd think. Water when the pots don't weigh much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;STERILE SOIL. Use standard potting mix, but it must be high quality and sterile or you're setting yourself up for fungal and/or insect problems. You can sterilize your own if you want, in your oven (instructions on the internet, I'm sure).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also - do NOT bring in plants from a store for any reason. They most likely will contain pests and diseases that you don't want in your house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A couple fun medicinal outdoor plants for you:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Purple Coneflower (but ONLY Echinacea angustifolia - it's the medicinal species)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lavender (I've had excellent luck in Zone 4 with the Munstead hybrid - made it through a couple of -30F nights. In fall, put a wire cage around it and fill with leaves, then remove the leaves in late March).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2017-11-24T00:17:13.870" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36301" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36298" CreationDate="2017-11-24T08:13:23.393" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whenever a stem is cut leaving a stub with no leaves, excluding all photosynthetic ability, the plant will get rid of that worthless stub or  anything that is not able to warrant being supported.  Only vigorously healthy and photosynthesizing material will be supported by the plant.  In pruning, one never allows 'stubs'.  They are worthless to the plant.  You could easily snip that stub to 1/8&quot; of that live node.  Totally natural occurrence, your plant is in no danger at all.  If you left it alone, that  stub would stop right at the node.  All plants do this.  The browning, yellowing will not go any further than that node.  Unless there is a disease in place and there is no indication of that at all. Your stub is completely normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-24T08:13:23.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36302" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36255" CreationDate="2017-11-24T10:04:06.187" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The first things you should do are these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For long-lived and/or expensive perennials, in cold areas, I &lt;em&gt;personally&lt;/em&gt; recommend looking for plants that can survive hardiness zones that match the record low temperatures for your area. Hardiness zones are based off of &lt;em&gt;average&lt;/em&gt; coldest temperatures in an area, however, which explains why they might call an area zone 7a that can get down to -30° F. once every 15 years. I don't recommend planting such as fruit trees for hardiness zones based on average temperatures, however (but I'm sure people do it, and some of them probably have great success); however, they probably won't last more than 3 to 5 years, in some areas (depending on the area and the plant). Use &lt;a href=&quot;http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this map&lt;/a&gt; to find the temperature ranges for each zone. However, I recommend finding out how cold your area is yourself, via searching for weather data, asking locals, etc. (not by looking at the map); my area is charted for zone 6b or 7a at that link, but we plant fruit trees for zone 4, because it's not uncommon for it to get significantly colder than -5° F., and on uncommon years it gets -20 or lower. When you buy perennials, they often say a hardiness zone range for them (that is useful information). We've lost very few trees to the cold (if any at all) since we started planting for zone 4. And, just because they'll survive in your zone doesn't mean they'll fruit in it (another reason to buy down a zone or three sometimes). Frost in my area can kill at least some kinds of apricot blossoms pretty easily, but the trees survive the winters well; they just bloom early for the area is all.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For short-lived perennials (or ones that are easy or inexpensive to replant), it's probably not going to be a big issue if you take more risks, if you want something that needs somewhat warmer temperatures.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For all crops (especially annuals), find out how long your frost-free growing season is. I know you mentioned when it started to get warm, but I'm not sure if you factored in the frost.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;For indoors, if you're not growing under lights, you're going to have to do considerable research and experimentation (beyond any tips we have to offer). There's not a lot of data on which fruiting plants do the best in those conditions (although some plants definitely do better).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Find out how cold-hardy your annuals are (peas are more cold-hardy than peppers and melons, for instance). So, you can plant peas a lot earlier in the spring, but a lot of crops can't be transplanted until after the last frost (unless they're protected with cloches, row covers, or something).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Look at the days to maturity (dtm; days) for the seeds/plants you buy (for your outdoor garden). You'll probably want early varieties, for the most part (but if you don't mind a smaller and/or much later harvest, you can still plant late tomatoes and stuff like that).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Realize that some plants have fruits that don't taste as good when it's cold, and some taste awesome then (i.e. &lt;a href=&quot;http://timeless-tomatoes.com/tatura.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;these Tatura&lt;/a&gt; tomatoes tasted great at the end of the season for me, in 2017; some tomato varieties have been another story). It will probably take some research and experimentation on your part to determine which ones taste the best in your area.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When you start your seeds, as already noted in another answer, you'll want to start some things early. I like to start mine in an unheated Strong Camel 6'x5'x3' greenhouse (outside), up to a couple months before the last frost (our last frost is usually about May 10th). Yes, that does work, even in colder zones, even though it's unheated, but there are some tricks to know (like your plants probably won't sprout very fast, if at all, if you don't open any vents). I prefer the greenhouse to starting indoors because the plants get a lot more light, and the light is free (plus it only takes up outdoor space—not my bedroom); the plants are stronger and more used to outdoor conditions, too. But, starting indoors can work, too, of course (and you can even have success without grow lights, especially if you have a good south window—but more light is ideal, IMO).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Realize that there's more you'll need to know than what plants can grow in areas that get as cool as yours. You may also want to make sure you plant plants that are well-suited to your soil type. For instance, if you have clay soil, you'll have a harder time finding the right plants for your garden, perhaps, since there's a lot to know (but it's not a lost cause): For clay, you'll probably want to plant wider, shorter carrots (as opposed to long ones). You'll want acidic soil for potatoes and blueberries. Anyway, those are just some examples of some things you'll probably want to look into. Soil pH and soil type are important factors.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I would recommend taking a trip to your local seed stores and see what they sell. If they sell it, there's a good chance you can grow it. Stores that aren't locally owned might occasionally carry seeds for things that don't grow in your zone (but most of the stuff should work well).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fruit trees:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might try plum and pear trees, and apples. Again, check the zones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perennial non-tree plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;chives&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;garlic chives&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bunching onions (I like Crimson Forest, so far; they multiply every year; they grow tall greens, they taste great, and they're easy to grow from seed)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;potato onions&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;shallots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sorrel (this is like perennial spinach, but a lot more sour than spinach)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;strawberries (alpine strawberries can even have fruit long after the frost, apparently; I saw some out there recently; it's almost December! Alexandria is a good variety to try.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rhubarb&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;currants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;elderberries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;black raspberries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;garden sage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;blackberries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;raspberries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;honeyberries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;service berries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;bilberries (give them acidic soil)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;blueberries (give them acidic soil)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;potatoes (they're perennial if you don't dig them up)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;sunroots (AKA sunchokes / Jerusalem artichokes)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sempervivum tectorum (it's edible, but most people grow it as an ornamental)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;hard neck garlic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;dandelions (yes, some people eat them; they're also a herb)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Annuals biennials and such:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you get the right varieties, you should be able to grow most common annual vegetables and herbs. Here are a list of things (not comprehensive) that could probably work (although there are ins and outs to many of them); although you probably can grow all of these, you might need specific breeds or special attention in some cases for it to work out very well (I'll mark things with an asterisk that I think should be easy for beginners):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cabbage&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;radishes*&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;kale&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;beets&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;broccoli&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lettuce&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;carrots&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;peas*&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If you grow regular onions, get long day or intermediate onions. Short day onions are for the south (and may not bulb in the north).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sunflowers*&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Zucchini (you'll need to make sure they get enough sun, and hopefully enough heat in the summer)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cucumbers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tomatoes (e.g. Sub Arctic Plenty, Early Girl F1, Sasha's Altai, Sweet Orange Cherry, SunGold F1, etc.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Peppers (you'll really want to find ones that can handle the cold; King of the North is supposed to do well—although it was late in my area, this year; I've heard that Ace, New Ace, Carmen, and Hungarian Wax worked well for &lt;a href=&quot;http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/4940679/how-to-make-peppers-ripen-faster?n=17&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;a New Hampshire gardener,&lt;/a&gt; who had tried growing different pepper varieties for over thirty years)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tomatillos (I think in colder areas, the plants do better if you let them reseed)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ground cherries (I think in colder areas, the plants do better if you let them reseed.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Melons (You might like Minnesota Midget :); I don't know if your area is hot enough in the summer to be a good fit for most melons, but I know at least some northern areas, like mine, have hot summers)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Watermelons (You might look for early Russian varieties and stuff like that, since they should be used to colder-than-average areas. Blacktail Mountain is one of the earliest watermelons; I think I got my Moon and Stars watermelon seeds from someone who grew it in an area not far from yours, but that is a rather late variety compared to my earliest ones. Verona is earlier than most, too, but later than Blacktail Mountain.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Basil (Spicy Globe Bush did very well for me, this year; it's very prolific all season and tastes great on pizza)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If your summers get hot, I recommend Armenian Cucumbers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Okra (this might sound like the last thing you'd want to plant in Minnesota, but if you start it early and transplant it, it should be able to do better than most peppers will—at least, they did well for me that way; they didn't do well at all direct-seeded; okra seems to be the first thing to sprout in my unheated greenhouse, too; it takes a while to mature to a size fit for transplanting, though; I recommend Edna Slaton's Candelabra; it's early and the pods are still tender when they're very long; I think I like Bowling Red best for taste, though, so far)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wonderberries* (I like these a lot; very easy to grow; they're early and produce all season, too; they have small fruit, however. You might still want to start them early, though.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Etc. (I may add to, amend, and/or clarify this list over time.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants that can do better than average (and fruit) indoors, in a south windowsill, without growlights (I'm not going to get into growing under lights much—but gynoecious, parthenocarpic greenhouse cucumbers might be great for that):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Candlelight peppers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ground cherries&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Grandpa's Home peppers&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think Candlelight peppers have been the most fruitful plants I've seen in a windowsill, so far. Your soil and container size is going to be important for plants that can actually handle low light. Peppers can require a lot of care, though; you might have fewer nutrient and disease issues with ground cherries (but I could be wrong).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've grown Grandpa's Home, but not indoors; it's supposed to be shade-tolerant enough to make a house plant (so, that's why I included it).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ground cherries seem to fruit indoors as a matter of course. I only had them in cups at the time I got fruit on them indoors, but if you had them in a decent container, they might give you a lot more fruit (they fruit a lot more indoors than the tomatillos and tomatoes I've tried do). Pollination doesn't seem to be a big issue for ground cherries. Aunt Molly's was the kind I tried, but I wouldn't be surprised if other varieties were similar indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some tomatoes will fruit better indoors than others, but I haven't found any that fruit a lot indoors. Maybe Red Robin is a good one for that, but I don't know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might try other lesser-known Solanaceae berries indoors to see what happens. Ideal plant varieties and species probably aren't going to get very long or tall, since those will probably require much larger pots, and more window space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, my area probably isn't quite as cold as yours, especially during the summer (it can be &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; hot and desert-like here in the summer, which is great for muskmelons). Our growing season is usually about five months; from the sound of it, yours is similar (maybe somewhat less). I'm in Idaho.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://garden.lofthouse.com/seed-list.phtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Joseph Lofthouse&lt;/a&gt; is a landrace gardener who gardens/farms in a very short season. He sells a lot of innovative, adapted plant breeds for various species that can do well with a shorter season. (Both Joseph Lofthouse's area and my area are dry, probably with higher elevation than yours; his area is cooler than mine, with a shorter season; elevation is supposed to matter for some plants, but I'm not sure what to say about it). Anyway, he grows all kinds of landraces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-11-25T06:47:40.483" LastActivityDate="2017-11-25T06:47:40.483" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36303" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36298" CreationDate="2017-11-24T11:04:44.907" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cut back the stub to at least the next upward green stem now, beyond where its yellowing. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to why it's happened, the usual explanation is that there wasn't a growth node or bud at the point you cut it back to, but that's not what you've said, you say there was a bud at the tip actually breaking into growth. In which case, something's happened, either to the bud or the previously cut end of that stem, and some die back has occurred. This is not particularly uncommon, it occurs on roses quite frequently in early spring, though usually without yellowing of the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What occurred might be a little physical damage of some sort causing the bud to abort, or the cut you made previously was just a fraction too close to the new bud, but it's hard to be certain quite why the bud aborted itself - either way, cut back beyond the yellowed point, using clean and sharp secateurs. That area of stem is dying back anyway,and should be removed just in case there's some kind of bacterial or fungal activity there, but also because it's serving no useful purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rest of that part of the plant looks healthy, with growth breaking - I'd be inclined to cut back to the next part of the stem showing new growth rather than just nipping off the discoloured end, which might mean removing the first upward growing stem, I can't tell from the image. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-24T11:23:19.547" LastActivityDate="2017-11-24T11:23:19.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36304" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-24T13:39:38.190" Score="4" ViewCount="61" Body="&lt;p&gt;This came up in conversation yesterday at dinner, so I don't have specific details.  It seems in our area at least one of the hawthorns dip sap (probably more specifically honeydew) onto cars.  Folks were saying that it very difficult to get off of the cars that are parked under the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-11-24T19:40:59.253" Title="Removing hawthorn sap from cars" Tags="&lt;sap&gt;&lt;honeydew&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36305" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2017-11-24T13:50:46.803" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Honeydew is a sticky, highly sugary substance secreted from sucking insects (often aphid and scales) as they feed on the plant leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastEditorUserId="16406" LastEditDate="2017-11-25T22:38:37.733" LastActivityDate="2017-11-25T22:38:37.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36306" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2017-11-24T13:50:46.803" Score="0" Body="Sugary-rich insect secretion" OwnerUserId="16406" LastEditorUserId="16406" LastEditDate="2017-11-25T22:38:50.603" LastActivityDate="2017-11-25T22:38:50.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36307" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36304" CreationDate="2017-11-24T16:21:29.923" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not really a gardening question, but hey, its vaguely related! Hand sanitiser used neat is the best, doesn't damage your paintwork, probably requires a bit of elbow grease if the sap's been there a while, Youtube video here  (it's not the only one that ends up recommending hand sanitiser though but its one of the more hip ones) &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/Ri-Hi_3QrHE&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/Ri-Hi_3QrHE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-24T19:40:59.253" LastActivityDate="2017-11-24T19:40:59.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36309" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36313" CreationDate="2017-11-25T04:05:08.500" Score="4" ViewCount="168" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an indoor plant (sorry, no ideas what type), and it's starting to look sickly. I'm hoping for advice. It's in a relatively dark room, but gets moved to the window for sun every so often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gnGfB.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gnGfB.png&quot; alt=&quot;sick plant 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NzZ7U.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NzZ7U.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;another&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20117" LastActivityDate="2017-11-25T18:53:09.423" Title="Indoor plant is looking sickly" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;damage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36310" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36327" CreationDate="2017-11-25T09:03:27.907" Score="7" ViewCount="207" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted this lilly pilly in my background and it has grown rather tall. It is about 1.5~2m tall now. It is not obviously in the picture but it is located at a corner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tfbzj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tfbzj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to trim it down and preferably just a bit taller than the fence. However this hedge trimmer I have (Bosch AHS 48 Li) is not really up to the job. It couldn't reach the sides facing the fence and the top, even though I have used a ladder.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HSS0s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HSS0s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) What kind of power tool is best suitable to trim hedge of this size? Hopefully it is battery powered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) The lilly pilly is currently flowering. Is it a good time to trim it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) How regularly I should trim it? I have not been diligent during the winter time and I feel that it have grown rather unkempt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="723" LastActivityDate="2018-03-13T09:02:24.023" Title="What tool is most suitable for this task?" Tags="&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36310" CreationDate="2017-11-25T09:53:00.693" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The least expensive tool to use that will also be effective are loppers and a ladder.  That hedger is not meant for this level of hedging.  Not even close.  A ladder, sharp/bypass loppers with long handles, could do this job within an hour including debris cleanup. Focus on the height just below the top of the fence. Don't try to be perfect, let there be at least 6&quot; to 8&quot; difference in tops.  It will look more natural and grow out more natural.  Yet still accomplish your goals.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the trick; you need to do only 1/4 of that upper portion now, another 1/4 in a few weeks, another 1/4 a few weeks more and finish a few weeks after that.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best hedger for a job like this is a gas powered, 2 stroke engine such as Stihl.  Reciprocating blades like your little electric but far more capable.  I would still use my loppers or pruners (Felco) to take most of that mass down in stages.  The gas powered hedger would be great in the spring and then fall for maintenance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep the top of the shrub narrower than the bottom. Thinning this shrub would be healthy to do, that means taking out separate branches from the main stem.  Have you fertilized this shrub?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-25T09:53:00.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36312" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-25T10:17:52.047" Score="3" ViewCount="265" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a thyme cutting that has rooted, probably about two months and the tips of some of the leaves are turning black and curling up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea what that is? Light, nutrient deficiency or some disease? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional info, may be of help, it's in a bottle of water with some nutrient feed inside a window that receives over 10 hours of sun daily in the southern hemisphere, so it's summer with average temperatures upwards of 26 Celsius.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(will update with a pic later in the day) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20245" LastActivityDate="2017-11-25T10:17:52.047" Title="Thyme (Black up curled tipped leaves)" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2018-01-20T02:51:49.647" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36313" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36309" CreationDate="2017-11-25T12:40:22.240" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant appears to be a Fatsia japonica, and it has acquired a scale infestation. Scale can be impervious to insecticides, but there other ways to treat the condition. Yours looks as if there are quite a lot of scale,so spraying might be the best way forward - for a light infestation, it's easiest to try simply wiping them off, and for those which are firmly adhered to the plant, to dip a cotton bud in alcohol,touch the scale and lift it off, preferably without getting the alcohol on the plant tissue. You can make the spray by mixing insecticidal or gentle/biofriendly unperfumed household liquid soap and vegetable  oil, more information on that, and other options here &lt;a href=&quot;http://pestcontroloptions.com/insect-control/get-rid-of-scale&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://pestcontroloptions.com/insect-control/get-rid-of-scale&lt;/a&gt;. It has general information first, so you'll need to scroll down to the houseplant section.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fatsia japonica is an evergreen shrub hardy outdoors down to -15 deg C, with an ultimate height and spread up to 4m - its fairly rapid growing, and usually only makes a relatively temporary indoor plant. Yours looks like it will need a larger pot perhaps by next spring; as long as you can keep providing a larger pot ongoing, it will be fine indoors, but will inevitably get to the point where it starts  to suffer from having its roots contained over time. It prefers partial shade or shade conditions, so keep it out of direct sun in the middle of the day during summer, even indoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-25T18:53:09.423" LastActivityDate="2017-11-25T18:53:09.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36314" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-25T13:44:08.530" Score="3" ViewCount="1057" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am from India and I see that young guava fruits have dark black/brown spots on them. I grow them at my home. I have attached photos of the fruits. Could someone help in identifying the disease and possible treatment for the the plant and fruits?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YX4D0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YX4D0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Guava pic black/brown &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16489" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-11-25T14:11:02.733" LastActivityDate="2017-11-25T14:11:02.733" Title="What causes dark brown spots on guava fruit?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;guavas&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36315" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36318" CreationDate="2017-11-25T17:36:13.903" Score="4" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;A group of yellow-orange Cornus sanguineas would really fit a spot in my garden. The cultivar I am interested in is appr. 1.2m (4ft.) max height, like in this picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tyC54.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tyC54.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plan to plant them even closer than in the picture. However, mowing will be a tremendous problem, if not impossible, in such setup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I see some people cope with the problem by resorting to using ground covers, like Hedera in this picture:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tM9YF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tM9YF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or some other plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u4LeX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u4LeX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Obviously, ground covering is a big problem while growing dense cornus groups.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have by any chance advice on this matter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(perhaps you can recommend a ground cover that would be suitable for such application both aesthetically and botanically)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-26T01:13:31.697" LastActivityDate="2017-11-28T11:03:00.957" Title="How should I grow Cornus sanguinea with respect to surrounding ground covering?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36317" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-25T22:11:36.370" Score="6" ViewCount="1693" Body="&lt;p&gt;My citrus tree is not healthy. The leaves are falling off, and the twigs are becoming brown and dying:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nuxqd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nuxqd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dying twigs&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the middle trunk, where a large branch was pruned years ago, there seems to be some burrowing insect that's causing saw dust and what looks like tunnels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z0lcc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z0lcc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;burrowing insect citrus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also I've been scraping black scale off the citrus and have sprayed with white oil, pyrethrum spray.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any other ideas about what could be happening? What should I do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20251" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-26T01:25:39.340" LastActivityDate="2019-12-30T17:02:10.230" Title="Why would my citrus tree have dying twigs, burrowing insects and black scale?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36318" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36315" CreationDate="2017-11-25T22:32:44.920" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=s380&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cornus sanguinea&lt;/a&gt; usually provides dense shade when its leaves are out. It also gets woody fast.  As the flowers and fruit are insignificant most people only plant it for the stem colour.  As the stems age they become a gray colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your goal is to enjoy the colour of the stems in winter this plant requires regular maintenance.  Specifically, cut back one quarter to one third of all the stems every year.  I have also seen commercial maintenance in parks where they take a brush hog and cut everything down to the ground every three to five years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Either way I do not recommend a ground cover underneath this plant.  An organic mulch helps retain the moisture this plant likes and keeps the weeds out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not recommend a ground cover under these shrubs due to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;yearly maintenance to cut back the stems will be hard on a ground cover&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;this plant casts a fairly dense shade when cut back regularly which makes it hard for a ground cover to compete&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;this is often planted in areas where it is not moist so a ground cover will compete for moisture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you plant a ground cover you will have to weed it and that will hard due to the dense suckering habit of this shrub&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-11-28T11:03:00.957" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36319" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-26T03:13:26.927" Score="6" ViewCount="248" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never grown elephant garlic before which I believe is closer to a leek than garlic. Anyway, it looks like it wants to flower so should I snip it off? Or should I let it flower, collect the seeds and try growing from seeds?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/COMJu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/COMJu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-11-28T09:23:00.457" Title="Do I remove the garlic flower?" Tags="&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36320" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19580" CreationDate="2017-11-26T03:29:57.963" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Instead of using plastic, you could use biodegradable woolen mats. They're used to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.terralana.co.nz/mulch-mat.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;suppress weeds&lt;/a&gt; to help trees get established, but they provide some protection against moisture loss. I just placed one now around my tomato plant in an attempt also to reduce splash back onto the leaves to reduce the risk of fungal infection from the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vFkC9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vFkC9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;woolen mat&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-11-26T03:29:57.963" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36321" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36319" CreationDate="2017-11-26T05:46:16.783" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;With regular garlic, you would cut it off at a certain point if you wanted bigger bulbs in the ground, or leave it on if you want bulbils/bulblets to form. FYI: You can eat garlic &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scape_(botany)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;scapes&lt;/a&gt; (they're tasty).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unlike most garlic, leeks produce true seed (so for leeks, you would leave the flower and scape on if you wanted seeds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never grown elephant garlic. However—&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Elephant garlic, though more closely related to leeks, according to a Dave's Garden reviewer it doesn't produce true seed, but it does produce bulbils/bulblets. So, you can pretend it's regular garlic with regard to bulbils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read in other gardener reviews on the same site that elephant garlic doesn't produce a head of cloves the first year (but rather just one bulb). The head is supposed to come the second year (although I wouldn't be surprised if it came the first year for some people, since I didn't get the impression everyone had to wait, whether or not they did). So, if you want lots of plants, I would let the bulbils grow, and plant those (save them the first year, anyway; it should get a full head of cloves on the original plant the second year: so, if it's like regular garlic, you could take the scape off to get bigger cloves).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/garlic/grow-elephant-garlic-plants.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This site&lt;/a&gt; says that elephant garlic scapes can be removed when they are tender (prior to blooming), and the plant can put more energy into larger bulbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The site also says that you don't need to separate the bulbs every year. They should just keep growing more until overcrowding occurs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-11-28T09:23:00.457" LastActivityDate="2017-11-28T09:23:00.457" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36322" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36323" CreationDate="2017-11-26T17:36:04.577" Score="4" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had a houseplant (not sure of the species, unfortunately) for a few (~6) months now. Until recently, the plant has been healthy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rhk68.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rhk68.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, there are a few things going on with the plant that are concerning to me. I'm rather new to gardening, so I'm not sure what the problem is (I'm familiar with some deficiencies, but nothing more), and I don't really have anyone to ask. I was wondering if anyone could possibly help me determine the diagnosis and and treatment to my plant's ailment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Symptoms:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Browning and yellowing of leaves at the base (phosphorous/iron deficiency?) &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/36vlx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/36vlx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;I took this horizontally I swear&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Small white circles on the undersides of leaves. Upon closer inspection they don't look like aphids, perhaps aphid eggs? (See topmost leaf)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Weird structures on the stem. Are these part of the plant? Am I just that dull?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YYVwA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YYVwA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Very small, almost invisible black dots on underside of leaf&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kvn5h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kvn5h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Aphids, I think.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this just a simple aphid infestation rearing its ugly head? If so, is it even possible to have plants without aphid infestations (I've had aphid problems many times before)? Or is this multiple problems including an aphid infestation? Thank you for your help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20254" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-11-26T19:42:25.053" LastActivityDate="2017-11-26T19:42:25.053" Title="Need help determining houseplant's problem" Tags="&lt;aphids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36323" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36322" CreationDate="2017-11-26T18:03:29.223" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got a scale insect infestation rather than aphids; this question and its answer is relevant &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/36309/indoor-plant-is-looking-sickly&quot;&gt;Indoor plant is looking sickly&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;although it's in regard to a different plant. It would be good to identify the plant you actually have - can you add a photo of the whole plant, including the pot as well please? It might then be possible to give a more informed answer regarding the cause of the lower  leaves browning and falling, although having such a heavy scale infestation might be the cause of all the problems you're seeing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To answer another part of your question, yes, it is possible to have houseplants that don't have aphids or scale. I've never once had either on any houseplant I've owned, but most commonly, the insect infestation may come in on a new plant or even just foliage from a bouquet brought into the house, or, if you stand houseplants outside during summer, they get them that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-26T18:41:03.390" LastActivityDate="2017-11-26T18:41:03.390" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36324" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-26T21:42:34.880" Score="7" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a sickly apple tree and am not sure what I should do to try and revive it. I've attached a few pictures below. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We live in Arizona, so it gets a lot of direct sunshine and there is a tap right next to it, which makes watering very easy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Experienced gardeners, I need your help:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can you tell what's wrong with it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Can it be rescued? If yes,&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What would you do next?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How frequently would you water it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Would you fertilize it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AcqjT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/AcqjT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ci4hD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ci4hD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NkryD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NkryD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gORk3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gORk3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JWXbg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JWXbg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20255" LastActivityDate="2017-11-28T10:38:48.783" Title="Rescuing an apple tree in Arizona" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36325" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36324" CreationDate="2017-11-26T22:15:30.880" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;To start, cut out all the dead/diseased wood. At a rough guess, then prune out about half of what's left - this looks like a tree that has been &quot;let go&quot; from a pruning point of view, and it's seriously overgrown. &quot;A robin should be able to fly through the tree&quot; is a very elderly rule of thumb in the Northeast apple orchards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking you might also want to paint the sunny side white - research &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=3&amp;amp;cad=rja&amp;amp;uact=8&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjb_bOnod3XAhXI3YMKHVyMCmMQFggzMAI&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fcals.arizona.edu%2Fyavapai%2Fanr%2Fhort%2Fbyg%2Farchive%2Fsunscald2013.html&amp;amp;usg=AOvVaw2MPUUKdBp9B8XYv9HxQesA&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&quot;southwest injury&quot; or sunscald.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2017-11-26T22:15:30.880" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36326" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="56315" CreationDate="2017-11-26T23:11:13.390" Score="10" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;Advice please on what may have caused this large chunk to be taken from my specimen of &lt;em&gt;Zamia fischeri&lt;/em&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FKov5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FKov5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Zamia fischeri - habit&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant was purchased about six months ago and I recently (three or four weeks ago) repotted it into the current, larger pot. It has settled in well and has begun to produce new leaves from its crown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Problem&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Only today did I notice the large chunk from its caudex.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It’s baffling me, as I am usually quite attentive and would expect to notice this when repotting the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It appears to have “healed” over, so there is no raw or new damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dpu7Z.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dpu7Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Zamia fischeri - caudex - close up&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Suggestions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;as a younger plant, it was grown alongside a post or some other round object;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;something has taken a big bite out of the side of the plant (we do have a local bandicoot with a large appetite);&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The plant has some form of disease in the caudex.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l9zqW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l9zqW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Zamia fischeri - caudex - side&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Research to Date&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have read these articles on the internet:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.junglemusic.net/cycadadvice/cycad-my-cycad-is-in-trouble.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;My Cycad or Sago Palm Is In Trouble! - Sago Palm  &amp;amp; Cycad Care&#xA;by Jesse &amp;amp; Phil Bergman&lt;/a&gt;;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/PlantNet/cycad/cycsour.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gardening With Cycads, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts or advice greatly appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16488" LastEditorUserId="30708" LastEditDate="2021-01-28T12:43:30.967" LastActivityDate="2021-01-28T12:43:30.967" Title="Cycad - &quot;Zamia fischeri&quot; - large chunk from caudex" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;damage&gt;&lt;cycad&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="36327" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36310" CreationDate="2017-11-26T23:36:11.287" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;To answer the part of your question...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The lilly pilly is currently flowering. Is it a good time to trim it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No, do not prune while it is flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a general “rule of thumb” for pruning shrubs and trees, prune after flowering and before too much new growth has progressed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are obviously exceptions to this rule. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This does apply to your lillypilly, so wait until it is finished flowering before you prune. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason... plants place a lot of energy into growing their flowers. If that process is interupted or cut short (bad pun), the plant has “wasted” that energy and in my experience, that can be enough to set a plant back for one or two seasons. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;To answer the part of your question...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;How regularly I should trim it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is based upon a number of factors... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How quickly does the plant grow (which in itself is based upon a number of factors, such as how often you water and fertilise, your garden location and climate in comparison to the lillypilly’s natural habitat and range); &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How “neat” you want the plant to look (i.e. a more natural round shrub shape or a more square shape closer to topiary);&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How dense you want the plant to look (closed in habit with small leaves and branches growing very closely together or more open habit with larger leaves and branches more spread out). &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally it is best to schedule one or two trims during the growing season (spring and summer). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A more open habit will require less pruning - once or twice during the growing season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A more dense habit will require more pruning - five to six times during the growing season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a side note, when cutting back an overgrown shrub or tree, I always try to leave some tall growing tips, even if the plant looks a little unsightly, until the trimmed part of the plant begins to grow again. This helps to reduce the stress on the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16488" LastEditorUserId="16488" LastEditDate="2018-03-13T09:02:24.023" LastActivityDate="2018-03-13T09:02:24.023" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36328" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36436" CreationDate="2017-11-27T06:50:04.817" Score="8" ViewCount="1024" Body="&lt;p&gt;They were fine few days ago, now these almost transparent patches exist on the leaves. I inspected the leaves, and there is no bug I can see. But they look like they got chewed by some small insect. What is this and how should I avoid this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UCTWH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UCTWH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/O19qx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://imgur.com/a/O19qx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The CULPRIT?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3kxUZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3kxUZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: For some reason, I am unable to upload more than 1 picture a day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14009" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-15T07:13:17.993" LastActivityDate="2017-12-15T07:13:17.993" Title="What is eating the leaves of my rubber plant?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="17" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36329" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36334" CreationDate="2017-11-27T10:16:57.157" Score="8" ViewCount="227" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking to buy a robot lawn mower for my newly laid lawn.  These mowers are designed to make small cuts but to be used often.  This I understand to be &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/1027/20139&quot;&gt;beneficial&lt;/a&gt;.  They are capable of being operated on a schedule, mowing every day in the growing season or however you may specify.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know Bowling Greens and Cricket Pitches are usually mown in the early morning, often while the dew is still on the grass, but I don't know if that is more to get it done before play starts rather than to benefit the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Robot mowers can be set to run in the middle of the night or at noon under full sun.  As I'm not doing the work I'm happy for it to run at 3am.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there an optimum time of day to mow grass, or is the weather more important?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20139" LastEditorUserId="20139" LastEditDate="2017-11-27T10:22:43.693" LastActivityDate="2017-11-28T11:00:33.220" Title="Is there an optimum time to mow the lawn?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;&lt;mowing&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36330" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-27T10:26:38.857" Score="7" ViewCount="93" Body="&lt;p&gt;Reading up on how to care for a Mammillaria Elongata Cactus I see it mentions such things as&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;suspending watering in winter for best care (and to encourage better&#xA;flowering) &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;the preferred time to re-pot is in the warm season&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fertilizer can be used in the growing season, but suspend feeding in the&#xA;winter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When are such periods in a country where there is no winter, and very little or no change in temperature, such as tropical countries (or indoors where the temperature may be constant)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is one supposed to follow what would be the seasons in the country where the plant is from, construct ones own winter, by choosing a time to just water less each year and sticking to it, or can you safely treat the plant the same throughout the year?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20256" LastActivityDate="2017-11-28T08:03:10.577" Title="When is the winter period for plants kept in a country with no winter (or a constant room temperature)?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36331" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36330" CreationDate="2017-11-27T11:25:13.220" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you live in the tropics, it does not make sense to water your plants less during winter time. The reason to do this in temperate climate, is because of less light (both length and intensity), and for outdoor plants also temperature. The plants will enter a period of dormancy. But also indoor plants, such as cacti use less water in winter because of the light reduction. In the tropics you'll have more or less the same light length, and intensity, so the plant would continue with growing (hence the name tropics).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plants, however, need a cold period, for instance seeds of many trees need to have a cold period before they germinate, or &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.orangepippintrees.com/articles/fruit-tree-advice/fruit-tree-minimum-chill-requirement&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;apples&lt;/a&gt; need a cold period before they will bloom and produce fruits. This is hard to accomplish in the tropics. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-27T11:33:31.217" LastActivityDate="2017-11-27T11:33:31.217" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36330" CreationDate="2017-11-27T11:31:25.903" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a vast difference between growing something as a houseplant, and growing outdoors in tropical regions. The instructions you quote are clearly aimed at houseplants, which, unless they're indoors in the tropics, will respond to changing light levels from outside, and cooler temperatures at night indoors during winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tropical countries don't really have seasons as such, what they have is a dry season (what passes for winter) and a wet season, or, in some areas, there may be rainfall every day to some degree (rainforest). In those areas which have a dry season, this may go on longer than the wet season, and plants may suffer to a degree because of the dryness, but recover again once the rains arrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't say what part of the world you are in, so it's difficult to answer the last part of your question with any certainty; you seem to be implying you're in a tropical region, but it's not clear whether you mean rain tropics or dry/wet tropics. Mammillaria elongata is endemic to Mexico, where usually, January is the coldest month, although even that isn't very cold. Regardless, your own plant will respond to indoor conditions rather than those which prevail where it would naturally be growing outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-11-27T11:31:25.903" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36333" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36329" CreationDate="2017-11-27T15:11:13.470" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't have too much experience (none with robot mowers) but I think same 'rules' apply to any type of mower:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Avoid mowing when grass is wet - this applies to early morning when there is dew (or after rain). Mowed wet grass is sticky and will probably pile up inside you mower.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Also, the hottest time of day is not good time because your grass it trying to keep in moisture.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This leaves late afternoon or early evening as best time to mow your lawn. The grass is likely to be dry and sun not too strong to sap moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tbh, buying robot mower seems like a rather big investment (prices range from few hundred to couple of thousand EUR depending on size, speed, various features and area you are mowing) and they are probably nowhere near reliable, robust or easy to service as ordinary mowers. It is probably best to follow instructions/manual provided by manufacturer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17442" LastActivityDate="2017-11-27T15:11:13.470" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36334" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36329" CreationDate="2017-11-27T17:21:19.050" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're in the UK - that means the grass will be wet or damp overnight throughout the year with the exception of the summer months (June to end of July), and only then if its not raining, so this would rule out letting it run during the night. Whether or not a model can operate in wet or damp conditions should be one of the features you check for prior to buying, but generally, lawns are not cut when they are wet largely because the cut won't be so good as when the blades of grass are dry, and mud slicks may occur (sports turf is a different matter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might be interested in this &lt;a href=&quot;https://news.turfonline.co.uk/want-buy-robot-lawn-mower/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://news.turfonline.co.uk/want-buy-robot-lawn-mower/&lt;/a&gt; because you need to take into account whether you will always be able to keep the lawn cut year round. It's not usual to cut the grass regularly during winter in the UK, but that might mean, if you buy the wrong model, yours won't cope with grass six inches long in early spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because of the weather conditions in the UK, the best time to cut the lawn will actually be in the middle of the day, more or less, although later or earlier than that in summer will be fine. Security could be an issue if you leave the mower outside all the time, so hopefully, your garden is not very easy to access when you are not there; you might want to consider a model that has extra security features. In regard to lawn maintenance ongoing, note that the routine mentioned elsewhere as appropriate in USA is not the recommended routine in the UK; we have a somewhat different recommended regimen. If you need more information on that, try to get hold of a copy of 'The Lawn Expert' by D. G. Hessayon for expert guidance. At least one of the chemical treatments mentioned in it may be out of date or banned, but the basic guidance is still relevant and very useful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-28T11:00:33.220" LastActivityDate="2017-11-28T11:00:33.220" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36335" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36329" CreationDate="2017-11-28T04:02:13.443" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since you've got cool season grass mix for a lawn you will want to make sure that that mower cuts no lower than 3&quot;.  Once a week, twice is better.  Bag clippings. Mow in the early afternoon when the dew has evaporated off the leaves.  Hey, I had to mow no matter what, rain or shine. Mostly down pours 7 out of 10 days. Sharp blades and hydrostatic mowers were important.  Sharp blades...cleaned with alcohol in between customers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Security issues that Bamboo brought up sounds like a very good thing to be aware of...learn the rules of watering, fertilizing, aerating cool season grass mix lawns.  Just cutting the lawn is not the only aspect for a beautiful crop of grass.  Edges, fertilizing 4X per year...with season specific fertilizer formulation, watering deeply and not watering until you are able to see your footprints stay down on the lawn is crucial, water during the day, never in the evenings or during the night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bagging is very important.  I haven't found a real mulching mower with mulching capability ever.  Bagging the clippings is easy and those clippings are gold for killing weeds and composting.  Allowing them to remain on your lawn is asking for expensive thatching and lawn renewal within 5 years.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd hire someone to mow your lawn with a hydrostatic mower, sharp blades, aerate once or twice per year, dump clippings thinly on weeds, fertilize, check pH and readjust when necessary...for the price of a robot mower, you could employ someone that would be able to notice problems before those problems happened.  If you hire someone that has multiple customers, insist that their blades are sanitized before they mow your lawn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never mow your grass shorter than 3&quot;.  Golf courses use different seed mixes than most residential lawn crops. Your lawn mix has huge root systems and too short of grass means wimpy photosynthesis that means too little carbohydrates being made to support the roots as well as the top growth.  Weak grass is susceptible to disease, insects and weeds.  Cool season grasses cut shorter than 3&quot; (3 1/2 inches is best) are very stressed and are unable to compete with weeds...winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is happening with line trimming the edges?  The edge is what the eye sees.  As long as the body of the lawn is a uniform green and texture, it is the edge of the lawn that creates the professional punch.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I just have to add this; I've learned that the hours, the WORK maintaining landscapes...it was the mowing and edging that made all worthwhile.  To be denied the chore of maintenance and connecting somewhat to your garden is denying you health and joy.  Just sayin'.  Having to get out and do chores actually gets us out of the house, away from the technology, daily stresses, the clock, to allow sun on our skin, fresh air, huffing and puffing.... and the benefit is clarity of mind, objectivity with emotions and stress and simply feeling a part of something larger.  Woo HOO!  This is just my perspective, grins.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-11-28T04:02:13.443" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36330" CreationDate="2017-11-28T08:03:10.577" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on which plant you are talking.  You should check on gardening book about characteristic of the plant (maybe also on related plants), and you should see what it the trigger on such plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some needs cold period (various limit temperatures and lengths), some requires less sun, some just some rest (after fruiting), some dry period, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For bulbous plants, just take bulbs and put in fridge for one week, and then plant them again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would research (or ask here) for specific plant, and see what you can do. In general, I would first try putting the plants in a cold place without watering for 2 weeks (with no direct sun). This should trigger some stress and so they will so hopefully a restart. This should be short enough not to kill the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For orchards an vineyards, some hormones could trigger the winter break (again: it depends on species), but this is done only professionally, where there are already resources and machines to do it, and with expensive plants (so with a pay-back).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-11-28T08:03:10.577" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36324" CreationDate="2017-11-28T08:31:33.750" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You need to fertilize your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves have sign of lacking of fertilizers (borders and different colours near the veins/between them).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-11-28T08:31:33.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36338" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36324" CreationDate="2017-11-28T09:46:50.503" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like magnesium or zinc deficiency to me—magnesium deficiency since the leaves are yellow, but the veins are still darker green, and zinc deficiency because it just kind of looks like it. It also kind of looks like &lt;a href=&quot;http://customers.hbci.com/~wenonah/min-def/apple.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;manganese deficiency&lt;/a&gt; does in this link.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Extreme heat can induce magnesium deficiency symptoms—adding more magnesium to the soil might not be the answer, however (but if the soil is really deficient, it may help).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since it's not a particularly hot part of the year, I'm guessing it's really a soil pH issue (or just a deficiency, perhaps).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a look at this PDF for information on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.biotecharticles.com/PDF_Articles/Nutrient_Availability_and_Soil_pH_BA_3964.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;soil pH and nutrient availability&lt;/a&gt;. Zinc is less available in more alkaline soils, they say. Manganese is definitely less available in more alkaline soils (all you would have to do there is make your soil more acidic, and then you should have plenty of manganese for your tree). I can't say how much supplementing zinc or manganese would help (but supplementing zinc probably wouldn't hurt).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, what I would recommend is getting a soil test, making sure your soil isn't too alkaline, adding organic matter, mulching, perhaps keeping the soil cooler (if possible), and making sure your tree gets enough water. Your water might be alkaline, too (so checking that could be helpful).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know there's supposed to be a lot of alkaline soil in Arizona (so, I wouldn't be surprised if you had alkaline soil).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In Arizona, I'm guessing you'll probably want to water your tree a lot, if you want a good harvest, since it's arid and hot in much of Arizona (and the soil probably dries quickly). Apples tend to be more cool-weather trees (but it's possible your winters may be cold enough to satisfy them, depending on where you live).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Making your soil more acidic may take some time. People generally recommend adding sulfur for this. Peat moss is pretty acidic, too, but I don't know if it's acidic enough for a whole tree, with how much you'd need to use. Some people say compost is acidic, too. Some fertilizers are said to acidify soil over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you gave your tree a bunch of wood ash or something like that in the last year or so, that could be the cause of the problem (it would make the soil more alkaline; wood ash is high in calcium and potassium). Other products high in calcium could also raise the pH. Your tree reminds me a bit of an apple tree we had that had been given too much wood ash (except our tree had yellow veins on its foliage, too; the trunk and/or branches got fissures or cracks in them, and looked unusually dry).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your tree is getting too much sun (I'm not sure if it is), pruning should help considerably (since less leaves means the tree will get less sun—although your soil would probably get more sun, if that's an issue). How much sun the trunk and branches get shouldn't matter terribly, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2017-11-28T10:38:48.783" LastActivityDate="2017-11-28T10:38:48.783" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36339" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36340" CreationDate="2017-11-28T11:50:53.230" Score="1" ViewCount="85" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm trying to distinguish between two cultivars of Berberis Thunbergii.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two that are similar are available in my area: 'Golden Ring' and 'Coronita'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the difference? What do you recommend?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-11-30T04:24:09.647" LastActivityDate="2017-11-30T04:24:09.647" Title="What's the difference between Berberis Thunbergii cultivars 'Golden Ring' and 'Coronita'?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;variety-selection&gt;&lt;barberry&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36340" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36339" CreationDate="2017-11-28T12:47:46.527" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Difficult to find out much about Berberis 'Coronita', but this Polish site &lt;a href=&quot;http://kurowski.pl/pl/katalog-roslin/1/1/roslina/1490,berberis-thunbergii-golden-ring&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://kurowski.pl/pl/katalog-roslin/1/1/roslina/1490,berberis-thunbergii-golden-ring&lt;/a&gt; lists both - according to the descriptions, B. 'Coronita' is a 'sprawling' shrub up to 1.5m, whereas B. 'Golden Ring' is described as reaching 2m, but is not similarly described as 'sprawling', from which one could deduce the latter is more upright in its growth habit. Otherwise, in appearance of the leaves, flowers and berries, they are markedly similar. The RHS website lists B. 'Golden Ring' as having a height and spread of 1 to 1.5m, which isn't terribly helpful because it disagrees with the Polish description, but that word 'sprawling' would put me off B. 'Coronita' - though it depends on where it's being planted and what purpose it's intended to serve whether that's a plus or a minus for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-11-28T12:57:10.123" LastActivityDate="2017-11-28T12:57:10.123" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36341" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36342" CreationDate="2017-11-28T15:50:26.660" Score="3" ViewCount="5278" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is in south India. I purchased a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocimum_tenuiflorum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tulsi plant&lt;/a&gt; around 3 months ago from a local seller who told me he also had medicines for plants if I ever needed them. I asked what medicine, and he didn't know. Approximately two weeks after bringing the plant home, there were some dark brown bugs crawling all over it and the leaves appeared to have powdery mildew. I sprayed a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.growveg.com/guides/using-milk-to-prevent-powdery-mildew/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;milk+water solution&lt;/a&gt; under bright sunlight for three days and the plant actually recovered. I also pruned off many leaves that had no chance of recovery. In a few days it sprouted fresh leaves all over.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, a week or two later, I noticed very tiny red bugs (size around a quarter of a millimeter) crawling all over the leaves of the plant. This time, there also seemed to be some kind of tiny webs all over the stalks of the leaves. Leaves began turning brown, had some kind of white powdery substance on it and although the plant was constantly sprouting fresh leaves, the bugs and the 'disease' always caught up and devoured the leaves. The plant has and still is able to sprout fresh leaves though. The bugs seemed more abundant and visibly there during the rainy days. Now that the rain is gone, I don't see bugs, but the tiny brown blobs on the leaves shown in the first picture just might be them. I heard Tulsi needs direct sunlight, so it has been kept on a terrace where it gets morning and afternoon sunlight in plenty.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some pics (click on it to see larger):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mJKzP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mJKzP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f9X3D.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/f9X3D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sr39s.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sr39s.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7ZHsc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7ZHsc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't want to go to the seller because I believe they may be running a scam where they sell plants which are already sick/disease-prone so that they can sell 'medicine' when gullible customers come back.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Questions:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;1. Could anyone help identify what is wrong with the plant and how to fix it?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;2. The plant has dropped seeds all around it. Would it be more advisable to kill the plant and grow saplings from the seeds? Or would they be prone to the same disease?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;3. Does anyone know of any supposed chemical that such suspected scamsters could use to make plants seem healthy only as long as the chemical is used?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19606" LastEditorUserId="19606" LastEditDate="2017-11-28T16:18:55.900" LastActivityDate="2017-11-28T18:49:11.070" Title="Red bugs, tiny webs and white powder on Tulsi plant" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36342" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36341" CreationDate="2017-11-28T18:49:11.070" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;From your description, I would guess spider mites. They are very small and red. They leave a fine webbing on the plant and they turn the plant white-ish. Check with your local garden center to find out what chemicals are used in your area for mites. Generally, insecticidal soap, neem oil or botanical insecticides will work. They are not that hard to kill, they are good at hiding, though as you have discovered. You have to apply the chemical ALL OVER the plant. If you miss a spot they will be back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Treat all the plants around this one too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The white-ish parts will never recover; it is actually where the mite has pierced the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can't really address the last two questions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-11-28T18:49:11.070" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36343" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-28T19:16:36.073" Score="3" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;Question is what should I do here? Should I try and patch this? Looks like it began as sun damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E7tG9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E7tG9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3523" LastActivityDate="2017-11-28T19:16:36.073" Title="Avocado Tree Has Damage on Trunk" Tags="&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36344" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-11-29T18:16:39.210" Score="8" ViewCount="219" Body="&lt;p&gt;I moved some soil from one part of my garden to another recently. This seems to have caused fairly aggresive appearing of this ground cover (weed?): (leaves are smallish, 1cm long)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qZ1rH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In next two pictures you can see it 'in action':&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/emymw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UXXOO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here you can see it growing 'through' another plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6m8Qe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could it be CHICKWEED Stellaria media?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-29T18:37:15.123" LastActivityDate="2017-12-01T01:01:06.670" Title="What is this incredibly efficient ground cover?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36345" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36344" CreationDate="2017-11-30T02:25:01.817" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is another idea; Ludwigia palustris an aquarium plant...&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vOoP8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vOoP8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ludwigia palustris&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-11-30T22:21:18.037" LastActivityDate="2017-11-30T22:21:18.037" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36346" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1315" CreationDate="2017-11-30T09:18:09.977" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I use old steel sheep nets. I find them handy, because they can support a lot of weight (cucumbers and wind). They will growth in a linear form (several meters with several plants), so it is easier to find cucumbers on both sides.  On more compact forms, cucumbers can hide better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-11-30T09:18:09.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36347" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36348" CreationDate="2017-11-30T09:46:16.230" Score="12" ViewCount="1110" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hello botanists and the like, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was hoping for some assistance identifying a quite striking tree. This particular one is in Commonwealth Park, Canberra, Australia - but it doesn't seem like a native. I'd love to plant a few (probably for my great-grandkids to enjoy) and it seems like it has some fairly unique features that should make it easy to ID for anyone in the know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trunk and Branches&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xqkTi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xqkTi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leaves&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4HADT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4HADT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Roots (?)&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SAcSe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SAcSe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20310" LastEditorUserId="20310" LastEditDate="2017-11-30T10:08:30.943" LastActivityDate="2017-11-30T17:40:57.717" Title="Help identify this tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36348" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36347" CreationDate="2017-11-30T10:34:40.817" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;em&gt;bald cypress&lt;/em&gt;, also known as &lt;em&gt;swamp cypress&lt;/em&gt;, and also known as &lt;em&gt;Taxodium distichum&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a magnificent tree, and one of rare deciduous conifers. If you plant this tree, you get some of the feeling of Mississippi river swamps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture that compares Taxodium distichum and Metasequoia glyphostroboides leaves: (you can use it for further confirmation):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/sites/plantid7/files/plantimage/mg-td31.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The well known air roots, &quot;cypress knees&quot;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/sites/plantid7/files/plantimage/tadi59.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(&lt;em&gt;all photo credits: Oregon State University&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;City planners in my city wanted to build a street over the area with several bald cypresses, however they had to change the project, and the street went around the area!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-11-30T17:40:57.717" LastActivityDate="2017-11-30T17:40:57.717" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36349" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36406" CreationDate="2017-11-30T12:03:38.070" Score="7" ViewCount="12046" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently I found out about a way to grow plants in air-tight jars, where the plant is recycling water and air so it is basically a no-maintenance plant. There is a product available from &lt;a href=&quot;https://pikaplant.com/en/shop/jar/pikaplant-jar-coffea-coffee-plant-ecosphere/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pikaplant&lt;/a&gt; (not affiliated with them in any way) called 'Jar Coffea' (Coffea arabica). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;These Coffea plants are sealed airtight inside an upside down Mason jar. This means all of the water inside a Jar stays inside, and the plants continuously recycle the water they have. All you have to do is give your self-sustaining plants a nice place to live, and enjoy the view.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pqbc8.png&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pqbc8.png&quot; alt=&quot;Plant in a jar&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because their product is rather expensive, I would be interested to try something similar, make my own jar but with other plants inside. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Which plants could be good candidates for this project and what kind of preparations should be made considering plants would be in a sealed environment? (According to that company their plants are flourishing for over 40 months.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17442" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-11-30T17:20:00.990" LastActivityDate="2019-12-03T12:27:11.577" Title="What plants can I grow in an air-tight jar?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;terrarium&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36350" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36347" CreationDate="2017-11-30T14:39:10.930" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My guess is either: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Taxodium mucronatum or more commonly Mexican Bald Cypress or Mexican Swamp Cypress or Montezuma Bald Cypress; or&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Taxodium distichum or more commonly Bald Cypress.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a very similar tree in the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Refer to this website for details... specifically the last two images: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plantplaces.com/perl/viewplantdetails.pl?filter=plant&amp;amp;plant_ID=5604&amp;amp;Region=&amp;amp;Region_Search=&amp;amp;fullname=Taxodium%20mucronatum%20%20Mexican%20Bald%20Cypress&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.plantplaces.com/perl/viewplantdetails.pl?filter=plant&amp;amp;plant_ID=5604&amp;amp;Region=&amp;amp;Region_Search=&amp;amp;fullname=Taxodium%20mucronatum%20%20Mexican%20Bald%20Cypress&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pbOHp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pbOHp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Taxodium mucronatum - image from plantplaces website&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16488" LastActivityDate="2017-11-30T14:39:10.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36351" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36353" CreationDate="2017-11-30T17:03:40.917" Score="5" ViewCount="677" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two cupresocyparises (aka leylandiis) that each developed two leaders. They are both around 8m (25ft) high now, the leaders start at appr. 2m above ground, so I guess it is too late just to remove one of the leaders in its entirety. The distance between leaders is small - 10 cm, and each leader 'has' its own half of the tree (above the starting point of leaders of course), but those two halves are knitted closely, impossible to move separately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is not my photo, but in the center right of following photo there is a tree with double leader somewhat similar to mine (but in an early stage of development)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://gardengoodsdirect.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Green_Giant_Arborviatae-300x400.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is one of mine double-leader Leylandiis:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ORL1b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ORL1b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From aesthetics point of view, they look fine to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the significance of double leaders regarding other aspects of health and development?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What if I just leave them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I just shorten one by lets say 40cm, hoping that the remaining will become the only leader over time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T18:24:25.023" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T18:24:25.023" Title="Cupressocyparis with double leader" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;leylandii&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36352" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36351" CreationDate="2017-11-30T17:46:29.797" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leave them as they are - Leylandii often have more than one apically dominant shoot, and attempting to reduce the number of them may encourage even more to form.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally, Leylandii are used as hedging and, as such, will be pruned back yearly or bi yearly anyway, but even as free standing specimen trees, at a height of 8 metres which you say yours have already reached, I wouldn't recommend trying to get a single apically dominant shoot because it'll effectively create an unnecessary wound, particularly as you do not find this an unattractive look. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-01T00:23:25.893" LastActivityDate="2017-12-01T00:23:25.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36353" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36351" CreationDate="2017-11-30T21:19:43.420" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leyland Cypress are able to form multiple leaders but we always chose one and suppressed the other or others easily just by cutting the leaders completely off from the main branch or trunk or where it branched from the leader you want to keep. We did this when we planted them.  When they were easy to prune lying on the ground.  If multiple leaders formed later we left them alone.  Mostly we hedged these trees and 15 feet was as high as we'd allow the hedges to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since you are allowing them to become the form they are genetically predisposed to have cutting off one of the leaders will redirect all that wasted energy from the errant leader to go back to the rest of the tree.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The apical tip of a leader has more energy than any of the other growth tips.  I think it is a waste of energy to have rivaling leaders.  The other problem is there is usually a weaker, narrow angle between the two leaders.  When they get older and that Y gets bigger with heavier branches then you will have a problem where that Y will break and the branch's weight will rip the Y and possibly the entire junction killing both leaders.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where ever those two leaders branch at the trunk or where they divided from each other...that Y will always stay at that level. That height.  It is interesting to note that all branches coming from the trunk that that Y of branch and trunk will always stay at that level.  In fact that spot will lower as the diameter of the branch grows larger. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you cut one leader back, say a foot or more leaving a few feet or more of that leader below, the energy from that tip will be transferred down just that branch giving the lateral buds more energy in just that branch.  It could produce a too heavy branch when all the lateral buds start growing and you get a 'witches broom'.  That will not look good and will then be made susceptible to breaking off earlier and will be obvious.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaders will continue to grow taller and thicker.  Take a picture that shows where the two leaders begin and we can help you decide which leader to keep and where to cut the other.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, if you do not have a ladder that tall, you could simply leave those leaders alone as Bamboo suggests.  It will be years before any problems will arise if at all.  When they get bigger you'll be having branches breaking now and then anyway.  No worry about buildings or fences or people to fall on?  I'd leave them alone myself.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your trees look great.  Plenty of room to just let them grow into their natural form.  Very decently made wind break and sound barrier!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-11-30T21:31:26.633" LastActivityDate="2017-11-30T21:31:26.633" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36358" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36360" CreationDate="2017-12-01T19:21:26.590" Score="4" ViewCount="365" Body="&lt;p&gt;I noticed this plant in a public area:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xMpoG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There were several specimen. Most are red-flowered:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pKG3w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Digital photography and monitors can't reproduce the exact color, but in nature it is red 'carmin rouge':&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bjWeG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some of them are of lighter red:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v4t7y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FuD1n.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Almost pink:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WSehc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/echVh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know it is a known plant, but I don't know its name. What about you?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2017-12-06T13:07:45.970" Title="What is this plant with flowers in subtle shades of red?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36359" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30796" CreationDate="2017-12-01T19:47:38.477" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can recommend &lt;em&gt;Colorado Spruce&lt;/em&gt; - Picea pungens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is grown in our gardens as an ornamental tree in 99% of cases. However, it is less known that it is one of the best windbreak trees ever. It will calm down the strongest winds, almost unbelievable effect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plus, there are numerous cultivars for every taste.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It does grow a bit slower than average, but if you are patient, give her a chance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-01T20:08:44.193" LastActivityDate="2017-12-01T20:08:44.193" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36358" CreationDate="2017-12-01T19:49:31.567" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;They're Salvia splendens, a tender perennial usually grown as an  annual in summer bedding displays in temperate zones. These are past their best; the 'subtle shades of red' are just because they're  fading as they're coming to an end, which is not surprising given the time of year;  info and image showing them at their best here  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/red-salvia-scarlet-sage-salvia-splendens-2132144&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.thespruce.com/red-salvia-scarlet-sage-salvia-splendens-2132144&lt;/a&gt;. You will note from the link there are other colours of Salvia splendens available - quite which these were originally is next to impossible to say, given they're coming to the end of their life and fading. There is a named variety 'Vanguard' which has dark sludgy pink flowers, but I don't know other varietal names - it might be possible, if you google S. splendens varieties, to ascertain particular names of different colour varieties, but not sure how helpful that would be at this stage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The scarlet colour ones were much used in the UK years ago as part of many Borough summer flower displays in parks and public gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-06T13:07:45.970" LastActivityDate="2017-12-06T13:07:45.970" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36363" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-02T08:45:58.107" Score="3" ViewCount="1454" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's my first time doing hydroponics, I am using the GH Flora series. Yesterday I changed my Basil's water to use those nutrients, along with epsom salt and CaMg.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Everything was fine all day yesterday, and today, until a few hours ago I checked and everything was &quot;bad&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a folder of all the pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1cH5gRP2ddOce01VeVU-78B6wqkqOewQh?usp=sharing&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1cH5gRP2ddOce01VeVU-78B6wqkqOewQh?usp=sharing&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant still looks healthy for now, and obviously I shouldn't have a clear container, but I noticed this same stuff in one of my other plant's containers, which was spray painted opaque.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any insight would be helpful, I don't want to mess up really bad :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20146" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-12-03T08:28:13.957" LastActivityDate="2017-12-03T08:28:13.957" Title="First Time Hydroponics, Cloudy Water with White stuff on top? Is this bad? High Res pics" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36364" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36366" CreationDate="2017-12-02T11:52:33.450" Score="7" ViewCount="3875" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've noticed this weird thing on the underside of some of my citrus tree's leaves. It looks like a number of ants stuck in a bunch of white fluff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZwVde.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZwVde.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is only on some of the leaves, and it's mostly at the bottom. The tree itself looks to be perfectly fine otherwise and is growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree itself is around 3 years old (and has been here for less than a year), and the climate is dry Mediterranean (hardiness zone 11?) although it has been wetter than usual these last few days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, what am I looking at exactly? And should I remove the effected leaves or do something else? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using a damp cloth I wiped clean some of the leaves to see what's underneath the fluff. In certain cases I've observed small white winged insects, in others small hemispherical brown things, but the leaves look otherwise unaffected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18001" LastEditorUserId="18001" LastEditDate="2017-12-02T14:09:20.530" LastActivityDate="2017-12-02T14:24:03.257" Title="Ants and white fluff on my citrus tree leaves" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36365" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36368" CreationDate="2017-12-02T12:54:45.423" Score="3" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought Abies koreana molli tree (25 cm high) 3 month ago. Im keeping it in my flat at the balcony door (so it shoudl have enough light). Temperature in my flat is constantly at 18-20 degress of Celsius. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1 month ago, I discovered that lower branches were attacked by Tetranychus mite - I sprayed it with spcialized pesticied that was intended to kill these. It killed mites succesfully, but needles from lower branches started to fall of (because they were damaged too much by the mites).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I though that the tree will regenerate and everything will be fine, but problem is, that currently, almost all the needles are slowly falling of (they either slowly turn brown or fall of even while green after I gently touch them).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I examined the tree again and found out, that some of the needles on few branches have green-brownish areas (first photo) on them and also little brown &quot;protrusions&quot; at the middle axis of the needle (Second photo and third).&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7BJr5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7BJr5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;First image&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R5gTp.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R5gTp.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this some kind of disease? Can it be cured? I searched other forums and tried to compared images with some other diseases, but found nothing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20346" LastEditorUserId="20346" LastEditDate="2017-12-02T13:50:14.020" LastActivityDate="2017-12-02T14:20:54.290" Title="Abies koreana molli - diseased?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36364" CreationDate="2017-12-02T13:36:32.613" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a scale infestation - the ants are there to collect the honeydew they produce. You will need to treat  the scale, but its not that easy to get rid of them, the cottony covering they produce protects them from most insecticides, but its more effective on crawlers. Neem spray, used 4 or 5 times over a period of time should do the trick - more information here &lt;a href=&quot;http://thecitrusguy.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/lets-tip-scale.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://thecitrusguy.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/lets-tip-scale.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that treating the scale means the ants will go away on their own, so you don't need to do anything about those - but keep a check on the plant, the presence of ants on it often indicates aphid or scale infestation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-02T14:24:03.257" LastActivityDate="2017-12-02T14:24:03.257" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36368" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36365" CreationDate="2017-12-02T13:59:20.750" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant needs to be outdoors, not inside, and whilst I understand your worry about sudden exposure to cold, I'm not convinced it will survive a winter indoors. They are hardy down to -29 deg C, but not in a pot - if you want to keep it in a pot, then you may need to insulate the pot to stop it freezing if your temperatures fall to below freezing day and night for longer than 5-7 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As its been inside, you will need to harden it off, which isn't going to be easy at this time of year. If you have a structure outdoors, such as a shed or greenhouse or even a garage, stand it in there for an hour or two in the middle of the day,bringing it back inside after that, and extend the time period you leave it there gradually over a week, then move it outdoors and remove to either an unheated room or a greenhouse or something similar overnight for a few nights, increasing its exposure outdoors very gradually. If you don't have a greenhouse or outdoor structure, then put it out in a sheltered, sunny spot (if there is one) for its hour or two, and continue on as described. If your outdoor structure is a garage or a shed, take care - these can often be colder than actually being in the open, particularly overnight/early morning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;t'll take easily a month to harden it off gradually, but most of the problems it has will disappear once its outside permanently - these plants are not troubled by many pests when grown outside. If you have a cool room in the house, or even better, an unheated room, start by standing it in there, and remove it to there from the garden instead of into a warm room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may, sadly, find that all the needles fall off anyway, because there's too much damage - bear in mind that conifers do not regrow from dead, brown branches, though they may continue to grow elsewhere - the branches with dead  needles  may grow at the tips, but what's bare of needles will always remain so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-02T14:20:54.290" LastActivityDate="2017-12-02T14:20:54.290" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36369" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36363" CreationDate="2017-12-03T05:38:33.183" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look like salts from the nutrients you are using and suggests that you have too many nutrients in the water. The same thing happens on terracotta pots at the bases.  You should flush the nutrient solution you're using and use a fresh mix. It's suggested that you use reverse osmosis water to flush your media.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.maximumyield.com/remember-to-flush/2/1206&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.maximumyield.com/remember-to-flush/2/1206&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-12-03T05:38:33.183" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36370" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-03T07:11:58.930" Score="4" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a black concrete fountain which has white buildup,like salt,on the outside. Does anyone know what I can use to  remove the white and return the fountain to original black colour?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20358" LastActivityDate="2017-12-03T11:58:57.023" Title="Cleaning the outside of a black concrete fountain" Tags="&lt;fountain&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36371" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36370" CreationDate="2017-12-03T11:39:17.163" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This salts build up is relatively normal for stone,concrete and pottery outdoors, particularly on anything that involves water. Where you live might make a difference, because what the salts are comprised of will differ - in the UK, they'll largely be limescale staining/build up. You can try mixing 2 cups of vinegar with 2 tablespoons of washing up liquid (dish soap) in a bucket of warm water, wet the concrete first, then scrub it with the solution using a stiff brush. Because the concrete is black (presumably dyed at the mixing stage) if the staining is within the concrete as well as sitting on the exterior, this might not be 100% successful. Be sure to rinse it off properly in case some of it gets into the interior of the fountain, or you'll finish  up with soapy froth  when you turn the fountain back on. Link here, although it's aimed at cleaning a concrete floor rather than a fountain &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/how-to-remove-salt-stains-and-residue-from-concrete/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/how-to-remove-salt-stains-and-residue-from-concrete/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This may shift some of it, but, as it's a fountain, it's likely to be a problem ongoing, so I'd try that first, see what it looks like when it's done, and then buy black exterior concrete paint and accept it will need painting, probably annually, or maybe every other year or so, after a good scrub each time. Ronseal make doorstep paints in black (if you're in the UK) but probably you can get black concrete paint for exterior surfaces wherever you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-03T11:58:57.023" LastActivityDate="2017-12-03T11:58:57.023" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36372" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36374" CreationDate="2017-12-03T22:56:13.423" Score="3" ViewCount="347" Body="&lt;p&gt;Would it harm my Jade tree if I repot it in December? I don't need to prune its roots, but I want to move it to a smaller pot and turn it into a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai#Size_classifications&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mame bonsai&lt;/a&gt; instead. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I do it now or maybe I should wait till Spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: I went ahead and repotted it. This is the repotted version of the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3tUt3.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3tUt3.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19852" LastEditorUserId="19852" LastEditDate="2017-12-05T17:23:13.760" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T17:23:13.760" Title="Can I Repot a Jade tree in December?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;&lt;jade&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36373" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3056" CreationDate="2017-12-04T00:27:22.003" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/glossy-abelia-growing-profile-3269214&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Abelia x grandiflora&lt;/a&gt; satisfies all your requirements and has a gorgeous fragrance on top of everything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Only light pruning is advised. It attracts butterflies and birds. Depending on your microclimate, it may change leaf color from bright green in summer to a shade of maroon in autumn and winter, but it is evergreen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-08T01:08:10.213" LastActivityDate="2017-12-08T01:08:10.213" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36374" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36372" CreationDate="2017-12-04T08:01:39.927" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know if it would really harm, but the best time to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/bonsai-care/repotting&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;repot bonsai&lt;/a&gt; is early spring. The reason is that in early springtime the plants are still in dormancy, but will start growing soon again. So it will grow new roots easily. Important is that you don't have frost during this regrowth period, because the new growth is very sensitive to this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course it is not clear what your climate is, if you have no frost period that wouldn't really be an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-12-04T08:01:39.927" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36375" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36384" CreationDate="2017-12-04T10:05:28.327" Score="13" ViewCount="1683" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am having a small experimental box with brown champignons in my basement.&#xA;It already had two great waves of mushrooms, but it seems I waited too long because they all were opened up already.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I watched the day before, I harvested a few big ones and left the smaller ones to grow a little more - next day all of them were opened and didn't have the typical champignon shape anymore.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have also noticed, that my mushroom stems seem to be quite long in relation to the mushroom head (e.g. 10cm/4inches) in average.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Champignons are grown on straw substrate covered with clay-based soil (all ready and prepped by the shipper)&#xA;The room is pretty dry but the box is covered with a perforated plastic sheet to contain more moisture. Room temperature is 10-14 degrees, it's pretty dark most of the day (just enough light to walk around when eyes are conditioned)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So here my questions:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How do I know when to harvest a champignon? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When I harvest, should I cut the stem or just rip/screw it out?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do I have to harvest all at once, no matter what size? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Anything I can do to grow them bigger heads smaller stems?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The mushroom box&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WFQsU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WFQsU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The mushroom box&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;First harvest&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ThtB3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ThtB3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;first harvest&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Just 1-2 days later&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C8O39.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/C8O39.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;just 1-2 days later&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18256" LastEditorUserId="18256" LastEditDate="2017-12-04T10:26:58.553" LastActivityDate="2018-02-11T01:38:14.267" Title="Mushroom growing, when to harvest champignons?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36376" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36375" CreationDate="2017-12-04T13:45:02.137" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;Those are fine-looking mushrooms!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The key for mushrooms &quot;like from the store&quot; (in Germany) is to harvest when they are not yet fully mature. This means that the velum, the thin skin at the underside of the cap, is still closed. A mature mushroom will have a flatter cap with exposed gills, ready to release the spores. And mushrooms mature quickly once they have reached the mature size: What was a round &quot;button&quot; one day will have started to open on the next and be probably fully stretched the day after that. If you look at your pictures, the first ones have already started to open. This is the &lt;em&gt;latest&lt;/em&gt; time to harvest as “buttons”, you can expect those to fully expand overnight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the correct time to harvest  for your purposes is &lt;em&gt;when the mushroom is nice and plump, but not yet open&lt;/em&gt;. And yes, this may mean you get to harvest a few mushrooms every day, just let the tiny ones grow a bit more.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Not all caps will reach the same size, you may assume that commercially available mushrooms have been sorted a bit and the “not so perfect ones” used otherwise, like for most produce. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you harvest, gently twist the stem out. Cutting is not recommended, for remaining stem parts can encourage mould and a knife can bring unwanted bacteria unless you are very diligent in cleaning it. For the same reason you should remove “aborts”, i.e. tiny heads that don’t develop before they can harbor mould. If a hole remains, you can use a clean (!) knife or other tools to gently push the substrate over it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if you had a few caps mature too quickly, I suggest you do some research on recipes using the larger heads, they are wonderful fried whole and used similar to meat on sandwiches, for example. Note that you might have to check for recipes from the UK, the US or similar, in Germany the larger heads are rarely available, at least not in supermarkets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your mushrooms in the pictures are too close. At this stage you will need to pick the bigger ones and thin them out a bit. All the growing energy is being drained out of the compost. That will then allow the others to get bigger. Pick your brown mushrooms when they are approximately 2&quot; to 2-1/2&quot; in diameter.&#xA;Remember to maintain 85 to 90% humidity, Temperature of 22 degrees Celsius.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2018-02-11T01:38:14.267" LastActivityDate="2018-02-11T01:38:14.267" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36377" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36408" CreationDate="2017-12-04T18:06:18.477" Score="4" ViewCount="233" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hi I'm developing a plant database for my garden and I'm having trouble identifying this herb. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s6ROz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s6ROz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has a minty taste and I believe I bought it as a mint variety.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a close up of so you can see it better&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JxZot.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JxZot.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doing some research I found it could be Serpentine Savory, also called Jamaican Mint tree, latin name &lt;em&gt;Satureja viminea&lt;/em&gt; but I can't find any information on the RHS website, that is my official go to for plant findings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If anybody has information about this plant I'm looking for:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Type (I would list it as a herb, if I'm wrong correct me)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sunlight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Moisture&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;pH&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Propagation&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Pests&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Diseases&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All this information for all my plants is based on the format the RHS uses, here is an example for Thyme if you would like to help me out:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/18213/Thymus-vulgaris/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/18213/Thymus-vulgaris/Details&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20301" LastEditorUserId="20301" LastEditDate="2017-12-06T16:10:13.247" LastActivityDate="2017-12-07T12:37:36.540" Title="Herb identification (Possible Satureja viminea)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36378" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-04T18:27:20.863" Score="1" ViewCount="112" Body="&lt;p&gt;As you may have noticed from other questions of mine, I am in a process of transforming my yard into a bird garden. (This is a long-term multi-year enterprise).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the most attractive plants for birds ever is Juniperus virginiana (Eastern Red Cedar), I found that from numerous internet sources. For example a web site says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Eastern Red Cedar is great for birds. The berry-like cones provide&#xA;  food from late summer through much of the winter for many bird&#xA;  species.  The social Cedar Waxwings, for whom fruit is a larger part&#xA;  of their diet than it is for most birds, were named for their love of&#xA;  these cones.  Eastern Red Cedar’s dense foliage provides good coverage&#xA;  for small to medium sized birds who are looking for a place to perch&#xA;  safely out of view and reach from larger predators.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The base species is a large tree (30 m), but its cultivars (that are much smaller) are usually sold by nurseries, and then planted in gardens. In my area, cultivars 'Spartan' and 'Heitzii' are available.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My questions regarding Juniperus virginiana are following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Are both female and male plants needed for producing berries?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) If yes, do male and female plants need to be of the same cultivar?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) Do some of you have berry-producing Juniperus virginiana? What is your experience regarding male/female relations?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-04T19:16:12.970" LastActivityDate="2017-12-04T20:02:40.460" Title="Juniperus virginiana and producing berries" Tags="&lt;pollination&gt;&lt;berries&gt;&lt;birds&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36379" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36394" CreationDate="2017-12-04T19:12:47.443" Score="3" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am interested in 'Skyrocket', 'Blue arrow', and 'Blue haven' &lt;em&gt;Juniperus&lt;/em&gt; cultivars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most of the time, internet sites list them as belonging to &lt;em&gt;Juniperus scopulorum&lt;/em&gt; species. However, sometimes they are listed as &lt;em&gt;Juniperus virginiana&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why such confusion? Are &lt;em&gt;J. scopulorum&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;J. virginiana&lt;/em&gt; perhaps synonyms? What is the final verdict on the full latin name of these cultivars?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-12-04T19:48:02.793" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T08:52:41.253" Title="What is the exact latin name of these juniperus cultivars?" Tags="&lt;terminology&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36380" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-04T19:23:50.420" Score="8" ViewCount="237" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently I've seen my Elderberry trees develop some yellow leaves and I don't know what the problem could be or how to fix it, so I'll leave a picture if anybody can help me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MR1z4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MR1z4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20301" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T09:37:27.853" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T13:40:29.613" Title="Sick Elderberry help" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36381" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36379" CreationDate="2017-12-04T19:57:19.030" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you give any credence to the RHS, both Juniper 'Skyrocket' and 'Blue Arrow' are now listed as Juniperus scopulorum, with Juniper virginiana listed as a synonym, see here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/53771/Juniperus-scopulorum-Skyrocket/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/53771/Juniperus-scopulorum-Skyrocket/Details&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Juniper 'Blue Haven' does not seem to be listed with the RHS, but its likely the same story, with virginiana being listed as a synonym.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-12-04T19:57:19.030" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36378" CreationDate="2017-12-04T20:00:58.243" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Juniperus virginiana are largely dioecious, but occasionally monoecious, so it's safest to select male and female plants if you want to be sure of fruits/seedcases &lt;a href=&quot;http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=97&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=97&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you decide on a particular variety or cultivar, it's probably best to look up whichever one it is to check its status from a reproductive point of view.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-04T20:02:40.460" LastActivityDate="2017-12-04T20:02:40.460" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36383" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5360" CreationDate="2017-12-04T20:55:10.707" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaves have a lot of nitrogen in them, as well as carbon.  I think it's a good idea to add leaves to the garden in fall.  You can just leave them on top, or dig them in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20381" LastActivityDate="2017-12-04T20:55:10.707" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36384" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36375" CreationDate="2017-12-04T21:03:09.153" Score="6" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;How do I know when to harvest a champignon?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can harvest it once it has formed a cap.  When small it's called a button mushroom, and at its largest size it's called a portobello mushroom.  If the ends of the mushroom are curling upwards, it's a little late.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;When I harvest, should I cut the stem or just rip/screw it out?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Twist them out.  They suggest not using a knife as it might infect the stem with bacteria.  If a large amount of stem is left you can cover it with the casing material to stop it getting infected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Do I have to harvest all at once, no matter what size?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most people harvest them when they're the size that they want.  Sometimes when you twist them out you get all sizes which is not avoidable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Anything I can do to grow them bigger heads smaller stems?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The growers cut the stems off as they collect them.  If you want a larger mushroom, you'll need a larger mycelial mass.  The growers have huge beds but the kits are too small to produce huge mushrooms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would have waited longer before harvesting myself so that you have a bigger cap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-12-04T21:03:09.153" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36385" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-04T22:19:36.920" Score="5" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;I understand (&lt;a href=&quot;/q/3260&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/q/3402&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;) that whether and how much time a plant needs to be in the dark depend on the type of plant. What's the answer for the olive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason I ask is that my city shines lights up on the branches and leaves of an olive tree on my corner all night and I wonder whether that's unhealthful for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="2360" LastEditorUserId="2360" LastEditDate="2017-12-05T04:46:10.360" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T13:00:19.377" Title="Do olives need darkness? How much?" Tags="&lt;light&gt;&lt;olive&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36386" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36388" CreationDate="2017-12-05T00:22:13.817" Score="5" ViewCount="168" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was looking at rarer plants to grow for natural pesticide purposes and I was wondering how maral root fares. What conditions does this plant need to grow? At what temperature, water amounts, soil conditions, etc. can this plant grow in, is it hardy or highly sensitive? Also, will it interfere with other plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20383" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-06T03:17:54.570" LastActivityDate="2017-12-06T03:17:54.570" Title="Is maral root useful as a companion plant?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;root-vegetables&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;companion-planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36387" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36391" CreationDate="2017-12-05T00:41:25.640" Score="5" ViewCount="18368" Body="&lt;p&gt;I built this raised planter and placed it next to my house. There is around an inch and a half space between the wall and the siding of the box. Pictures are shown below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eraGo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eraGo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any reason why this would not be ok? I've looked up some information and everything I have found talks about putting the back directly up to the house without any separation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20384" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-12-05T11:24:41.993" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T11:24:41.993" Title="Is it ok to have a raised garden bed next to a house?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;urban-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36388" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36386" CreationDate="2017-12-05T00:44:12.297" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Assuming you mean Rhaponticum carthamoides, which is commonly known as maral or maral root, it does not seem a suitable subject to use as a pesticide; extractions from the root of this plant are used in herbalism in various parts of the world, as a way to build muscle and for various other effects. There is also no information regarding any allelopathic effects it has on other plants when grown nearby, which suggests it has none.  Grows easily and well in cool regions (zones 2-4), can be grown up to zone 7 with care, needs fertile soil, doesn't do well in warmer areas, and the root needs complicated processing prior to use as a supplement. Also difficult to get rid of once it establishes itself because it produces thin, wiry roots as well as a taproot; because of the fragility of these roots, if you want to harvest them, best not grown in clay soil.  Further information here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.floralencounters.com/Seeds/seed_detail.jsp?productid=99540&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.floralencounters.com/Seeds/seed_detail.jsp?productid=99540&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-05T00:50:00.637" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T00:50:00.637" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36389" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36393" CreationDate="2017-12-05T00:51:31.357" Score="6" ViewCount="27" Body="&lt;p&gt;Friends of mine have a grove of 5 fairly closely spaced Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir) in their front yards which are about 15 years old.  They are thinking about girdling the smallest to produce a wildlife snag but are worried about root rot affecting the other trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a valid concern? My feeling is no, but it's strictly based on the assumption that health trees can fight off the rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T03:16:08.580" Title="Root rot in Pseudotsuga" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36390" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36372" CreationDate="2017-12-05T01:43:49.027" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm assuming that by &quot;Jade tree&quot; you mean a Crassula - if not, please let me know and I'll delete this answer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd repot it now. I've grown jade plants for decades and haven't given time for repotting much thought - done it winter or summer with no ill effects. Just keep the plant out of direct sunlight for a week or so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T01:43:49.027" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36391" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36387" CreationDate="2017-12-05T02:03:41.010" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Personally, I like the separation. It will keep the back of the bed from rotting due to moisture trapped between the house and the raised bed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looks like your siding could be wood, and putting wood up against other wood is never a good idea (insects, rot, and fungi can run amok in all that dark and damp). Even if your siding is vinyl or fiber-cement you'll have trapped moisture behind the bed, so your bed placement seems to me to be quite good. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing you'll want to watch for is weeds growing between the bed and the house - the narrow space may make it hard to get them out easily if you don't see them early.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T02:03:41.010" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36392" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36387" CreationDate="2017-12-05T03:03:31.963" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree with Jurp.  This is fine as long as moisture dries quickly in that bark mulch.  Is this area covered by a roof? Is there a slope to the undisturbed soil from the house and away?  To have put it any closer to the house would have been wrong in any construction sense.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The rule is to keep all mulch or soil or rock a minimum of 4&quot; from the bottom of the siding, leaving an expanse of concrete foundation and keeping the siding high and dry.  Slope of the soil away from the foundation is crucial.  Is this in front of your patio doors or just windows?  Is there a roof over this area?  It looks as if this area is beneath a roof near a patio? This will dictate what you should grow in your raised bed and ultimately if that space is large enough to be easily kept dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this raised bed sitting on the ground or is it on a patio?  Is it sitting on bark mulch on top of soil?  Are there drain holes if this bed has a wooden floor?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where is it that you live, do you have winters? What kind of soil have you used?  Did you put anything between the soil you put in your bed and the garden soil beneath?  Also, looks as if you've used pine lumber without pressure treating?  Putting black plastic between wood and soil helps to protect your lumber.  Best to not have any wood bottom or anything other than soil to soil contact.  No gravel, no plastic.  Slope away however from the house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps.  It would be nice to get more information from you about the details of your raised bed and this area next to your home.  That 'breeze way' between the bed and home was absolutely necessary.  Whether or not you have problems later will depend on what you want to grow, think about how to clean the glass, how to protect roots of perennials during winters that you'd like to grow in this raised bed, how deep the shade is from the roof or how large that roof is or even if there is a roof, drainage near your foundation...is there at least a 4&quot; space between patio and siding?  Pictures from the side of your patio/door/windows to show slope away from the foundation?  Water standing near your foundation will drastically weaken the foundation of your home as well as cause unhealthy molds in your home. Just a little more information and I think we can help you even more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T03:03:31.963" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36393" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36389" CreationDate="2017-12-05T03:16:08.580" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ben I am thinking you are right. Those roots rotting as part of the decomposition process should not harm healthy roots of plants nearby as long as there are no drainage issues that caused a healthy tree to get root rot.  Stuff is decomposing in the soil all of the time.  That is normal and part of a healthy soil.  Make sure that the grove of trees aren't in some 'bowl' where the water collects and then anaerobic decomposition can get stinky as well as unhealthy for the other trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T03:16:08.580" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36394" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36379" CreationDate="2017-12-05T08:52:41.253" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;About the two scientific names: (this answer the botanical nomenclature part of the question, not the cultivar nomenclature, which has a related code and so rules)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Juniperus scopulorum&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;J. virginiana&lt;/em&gt; are not synonymous (not on the usual two meanings). Just  &lt;em&gt;J. scopulorum&lt;/em&gt; can be seen (by some people) as a&#xA;subspecies/variety of &lt;em&gt;J. virginiana&lt;/em&gt;, so as &lt;em&gt;Juniperus virginiana&lt;/em&gt; var. &lt;em&gt;montana&lt;/em&gt; (Ir other variety/subspecies names)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Source: The Plant List: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2331595&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2331595&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2331680&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2331680&lt;/a&gt;  . The plant list is an consensus list of plant names. Note in this case there is not strong consensus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are various level of synonymy in botanic:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;the first (and usually neglected) is the corrigible errors (usually spelling or incorrect/inconsistent declination/gender on one of the names). (sylvestris/silvtris is one of the common error, also because the correct name depend on the read genre)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;homotypic synonym (nomenclatural synonym). (sometime written as triple bar: ≡): different name of the same plant. Just moved in an other genre or in a different rank (variety to species, etc.). When the author changes the name,  she write also the original one (with some explanation why the new classification is better), so usually there is no confusion, and both names remain valid (just one will be probably be the &quot;accepted name&quot; of the community).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;heterotypic synonym (taxonomic synonym). The type (species, subspecies, veriety) were described as a new one, possibly with a herbarium reference. These are the difficult ones. In the other two cases, there is no challenge possible on synonym, just one can/cannot agree on the new term. In this case, nobody is really sure that the specimen is really about the same species. Maybe in future it will found that it is really a new variety, of just a special form because of environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;For completeness, there are also autonym: e.g. the original &lt;em&gt;Juniperus virginiana&lt;/em&gt; will have automatically a name &lt;em&gt;Juniperus virginiana&lt;/em&gt; subsp. &lt;em&gt;virginiana&lt;/em&gt; when an other subspecies is named.  Older high ranks (families, divisions, etc.) receive automatically a correct suffix.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T08:52:41.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36395" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36385" CreationDate="2017-12-05T09:01:22.670" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Night lights are not lights. These are so low in power (compared to sun) that they should have no effect (but on nocturnal insects). Especially if it is indirect light or street lighting.  Look at full moon (especially if there are moving clouds), and you will notice that also moon will have a larger effect. Spot light for monuments are some more difficult (stronger).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T09:01:22.670" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36385" CreationDate="2017-12-05T12:37:09.800" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the jury's still out for a final verdict on the effect of light pollution on plants. In the UK, many of our street lamps have been replaced with LED lighting - research is ongoing in the matter of how that may affect plant growth when compared to the old sodium lighting. I found this article &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150316093003.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150316093003.htm&lt;/a&gt; which may of be of interest, but it is not an exhaustive study of the effects on all, or even many, plants, it just has a general conclusion that light pollution has some sort of impact on plant growth and flowering, Although intensive study of this subject needs to be carried out, in the UK, whether that happens or not is dependent on whether a particular university department has sufficient funds and interest to pursue it. Any studies so far have been funded by  the European Research Council, so it's unlikely studies will continue here in the UK, given the intended unhelpful act of Brexit. With luck, perhaps other European countries will commit to the research.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-05T13:00:19.377" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T13:00:19.377" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36398" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-05T13:55:38.087" Score="5" ViewCount="436" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've bought half a dozen bare-root silver-birches, each is perhaps just under a metre tall with a scraggle of roots. They came by post and arrived after 3 days looking pretty dry - in the past I've received things with some compost or damp cloth - so I hope they're OK and the fact they're dormant means it matters less.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I put them to soak in water yesterday but I've no idea if they need to be planted &lt;em&gt;right now&lt;/em&gt; or can sit around dormant for some time now winter is here?&#xA;What is the best thing to do? I'm in the North of England.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastEditorUserId="14517" LastEditDate="2017-12-05T14:42:45.580" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T16:22:07.393" Title="How quickly do I need to plant bare-root silver birch trees in winter?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36399" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-05T14:01:39.813" Score="7" ViewCount="907" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is some land we have doing nothing, and the idea of being semi-sustainable long-term in firewood is attractive. I believe in the northern UK, silver birch is a good choice for fast growing firewood, but realistically how many years does it take to have a trunk thick enough to use for firewood? I guess we'd say the trunk needs to be 4-6&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it feasible that if I planted a copse of trees now, I could be harvesting in 10 years? How many such trees would likely be needed to burn over a winter e.g. kgs of wood per tree per year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this realistically something I can do or are we talking multiple decades?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T16:30:01.800" Title="How many years does it take to grow a tree big enough for firewood?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;&lt;sustainability&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36400" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36398" CreationDate="2017-12-05T14:25:02.883" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;As I recall, you're in the UK - the ground is not yet frozen, so get them in asap, having first dug the whole area over thoroughly, not just digging holes and inserting the trees, especially if you have clay soil. If they're going in separate areas, just ensure you dig over where you want to plant 3 times the width and length you need for actual planting. I rather hope you've done this preparation already, but if not, you need to do it quickly. If you  haven't done the prep already, then tread down where you've dug over prior to digging a hole and planting, but not too heavily - there's not sufficient time to let it settle naturally over a week or two. Tread down fairly firmly round the trees once they're in position, and keep a check for wind rock - there's a storm coming in, and there'll likely be more where you are, and high winds might loosen the trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It doesn't sound like you can plant within the next day, so it would be better to dig a trench, lay the roots of the trees in the trench (preferably without allowing the trunks to lay on the ground, more upright or at an angle) then heel soil back into place around them. This must only be a temporary measure - but it will give you a few more days to get organised and plant them out. If you have pots large enough to accommodate the roots without cramping or bending them, and some decent potting soil, pot them up temporarily, but its not ideal - these will have been dug straight out of the ground, and the ground is where they need to be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-05T16:22:07.393" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T16:22:07.393" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36399" CreationDate="2017-12-05T16:30:01.800" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on the species. Some are fast growers, others are slow growers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My grandparents have planted black locusts (Robinia pseudoacacia) to border a small garden they had. The trees were growing fast and then parts of them were cut for firewood because of its high heat content. These trees have an invasive habit and they are kept from invading by tilling the soil in the garden every autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other people have planted dense forests on small areas and they completely cut the trees after 10-15 years. They also use a claw-like machinery that I don't know what it's called, to easily dig up the roots that are also used as firewood. These dense forests rapidly grow in height because early branches are removed and the trees have the tendency to reach for the light. Lately they plant thornless black locusts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-12-05T16:30:01.800" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36404" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-06T04:49:09.487" Score="5" ViewCount="4773" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a peach tree and it stopped growing and the leaves started to wilt, but then the tree grew new leaves and they looked great. However, the old leaves kept getting worse. They are now dropping about one a week and I was wondering if I should trim all the poor leaves off it and try to encourage new leaves to grow. I saw it done with a pepper plant before, but didn't know if it will work for a small peach tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of the tree. It is a couple of weeks old and the problem has gotten a little bit worse. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/btj5f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/btj5f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20397" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-08T00:48:18.467" LastActivityDate="2017-12-08T00:48:18.467" Title="Why are the leaves on my peach tree sapling wilting and dropping off?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36405" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36404" CreationDate="2017-12-06T05:38:48.153" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a very similar situation with my indoor almond, when I forgot to water the plant for some time. In my case, I did not do anything about it afterwards, just provided regular watering, and wilted leaves all gradually dropped by themselves. However, new growth was strong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My advice is: &lt;em&gt;Do nothing&lt;/em&gt;, except regular care, and pay special attention on frequent watering for some period of several weeks. The nature will take care of all the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is not uncommon for peach or similar plants to lose leaves that way. The plant endured some form of stress, and that was its defence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-06T05:51:08.793" LastActivityDate="2017-12-06T05:51:08.793" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36349" CreationDate="2017-12-06T13:00:24.873" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen someone growing small ferns in a closed jar, but the plants were less than one year old. I don't know what happened to the ferns afterwards. You can also try growing coffee plants, just like the one you saw for sale. Hedera might be another option since it's a hard to kill plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before planting, try to sterilise the jar by boiling it in water or by washing with a chlorine solution (hypochlorite, Domestos, Tween, Ace, bleach), then rinse and allow it to dry upside down on a paper towel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Preparation of plants depends on how you intend to establish them. If using seeds, wash or wet them with water, then put them in a 2% sodium hypochlorite solution for 5-10 minutes. Pre-weting the seeds will help the chlorine solution to adhere to their surface. Rinse well a few times with boiled and cooled water ant then sow them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If using already grown plants, remove soil from their roots, submerge the plants in water, then sterilise them with the above mentioned solution, but keep them only for 1-2 minutes, otherwise the leaves will be damaged. Rinse with water a few times and then place the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's easier to keep the jar with the opening up for planting, you don't have to turn it upside down. Water the soil after planting, but don't overdo it. Overwatering leads to fungal development and this is the main reason plants die in a closed container. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-12-06T13:00:24.873" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36407" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-06T16:47:55.477" Score="6" ViewCount="176" Body="&lt;p&gt;i would love to get a help on identifying my lovely succulents that i got from japan.&#xA;Would love to understand how to take care of this little fella more!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like how to make it nice and green, keep it hydrated and healthy.. and when to move it to a bigger pot and such..&#xA;Appreciate any info as a help!! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xu7hd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;help me to identify this succulent from japan&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20405" LastEditorUserId="16406" LastEditDate="2017-12-06T17:56:06.387" LastActivityDate="2018-03-23T00:41:16.607" Title="What is this succulent called? Got it from japan" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36408" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36377" CreationDate="2017-12-06T18:17:56.207" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Satureja viminea&lt;/strong&gt; (serpentine savory)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Summary from &lt;a href=&quot;https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/142311/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dave's Garden&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Type:  shrub or small tree where not prone to frost (6-8 ft x 8-10&#xA;ft)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Light: Full sun to part shade&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water: average pH:    5.6-7.5&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Propagation: Woody stem cuttings&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;USDA zones 10a to 11&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastEditorUserId="16406" LastEditDate="2017-12-07T12:37:36.540" LastActivityDate="2017-12-07T12:37:36.540" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36409" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36411" CreationDate="2017-12-06T20:26:16.167" Score="3" ViewCount="204" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is an acer from Japan, but not Acer palmatum, it is a 10-years old Acer shirasawanum, left alone for all these years: (in the background is a chery, it won't grow larger)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WlLLH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a view rotated by 90°:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FfFdv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even in this state, the tree is fantastic to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;It bothers me that it doesn't have a single leader&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The crown is somewhat sparse&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I can't walk around the tree, in proximity of the trunk.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can this be corrected by pruning?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-07T16:49:27.853" LastActivityDate="2017-12-07T16:49:27.853" Title="How and when should I prune Acer shirasawanum?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36410" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-06T22:04:46.460" Score="4" ViewCount="171" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing vegetables and herbs with LED lights inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where can I find a list of recommended lighting values (uMol per square foot) for a long list of plants that I might want to grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For instance, I've found recommendations for basil (500) and lettuce (50-100).&#xA;I don't know how much light I should have for cilantro, tarragon, mustard greens, strawberries, scallions, mint, and several other things I might want to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20406" LastActivityDate="2017-12-06T22:04:46.460" Title="Indoor LEDs: Recommended Light Levels for Vegetables, Herbs, etc" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;light&gt;&lt;led&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36409" CreationDate="2017-12-06T23:10:47.370" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, it can be corrected by pruning.  I'd take the little leader off now right to the trunk.  The other will straighten.  Leave the lower branches as they feed the trunk and allow the diameter of the trunk to strengthen.  They can be cut off later.  I am so glad you don't have staking involved.  But you have to get that grass and soil away from the trunk at the bottom.  Make a 2 ' diameter circle for now.  Make sure the trunk is completely free of soil, weeds, grass, mulch and the roots are the only part under the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We can get into more pruning detail but getting rid of the little leader and correcting the trunk/soil/grass situation is critical to do now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-06T23:10:47.370" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36412" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36404" CreationDate="2017-12-07T04:16:51.813" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your tree dropping leaves is very normal.  It is dormancy time so do not fertilize and make sure not to water unless that pot, soil and plant when you lift them are light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would think about a new pot, clay.  A few inches in diameter larger.  Use ONLY potting soil out of a bag.  No gravel beneath.  Lift the bottom of the pot off the surface with a few thin chunks of tile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Have you ever fertilized this plant?  How long have you been growing this plant? Do you have a covered patio?  Shaded porch?  And again, where is it that you live? Do you expect to eat peaches?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-07T04:16:51.813" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36413" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36415" CreationDate="2017-12-07T10:59:48.280" Score="8" ViewCount="648" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most of the advice I have seen on when to prune grape vines in the British Isles is &quot;early winter (late November/December)&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had planned to prune a three-year old vine, which is in an unheated greenhouse which is virtually the same air temperature as outdoors, this week. Temperatures have plummeted to unusually cold temperatures for early December (around 1C, 33F). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would it be wise to wait until the air is slightly warmer or should I go ahead and prune in these very cold conditions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20409" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-08T00:39:18.333" LastActivityDate="2017-12-08T06:49:04.953" Title="Can I prune a grape vine in near-freezing weather?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;grape-vine&gt;&lt;winter-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36414" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36413" CreationDate="2017-12-07T11:47:30.633" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pruning during winter is just fine.  Make sure you use alcohol to clean your bypass pruners (avoid anvil types) before, in between different vines and after you have finished.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://modernfarmer.com/2016/02/pruning-grapevines/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;pruning grapevines&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-07T11:47:30.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36413" CreationDate="2017-12-07T12:55:19.170" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can also prune when it freezes, without problems.  I do that regularly under snow and have never had a problem. It is also done regularly in my region.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;don't prune too much early: wait a few weeks until after the last leaves fall, in order to let the starch to reach the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;if your region could have a strong freeze (less than -15° C, 5° F), usually it is preferable to wait until there is no more such risk. Such temperatures are destructive to the plants, but some have a chance to recover. If one has such low temperatures every few years, it's better not to plant grape vines.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't use alcohol, like stormy wrote. I have too many vines in my vineyards for it to be feasible, but now it is recommended to wait until late winter before pruning: this will leave less time with the unprotected cuts on the wood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember: vines are very late to wake up in spring, compared to most of the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On vigorous plants, it is sometimes recommended to prune when plants are starting to wake up, in order to reduce vigor, but this is useful only in vineyards, where plants have restricted places to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2017-12-08T06:49:04.953" LastActivityDate="2017-12-08T06:49:04.953" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36417" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36419" CreationDate="2017-12-07T23:07:46.903" Score="3" ViewCount="1002" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a pepper plant which is probably &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cayennediane.com/peppers/7-pot-brown-chocolate/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Chocolate 7-Pot&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One day, the single pepper it produced this year turned from green to brown. Does this mean it's ripe already, or does it go through several stages of ripeness?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Edit:&lt;/strong&gt; I have finally harvested the pepper. Its color changed from pure brown to brown-red and it burns like the dickens! Maybe the red and brown pigments appear at different times with the brown color appearing a bit sooner than red.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20414" LastEditorUserId="20414" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T22:45:39.063" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T22:45:39.063" Title="When are 'chocolate' peppers ripe?" Tags="&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;&lt;ripening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36418" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36417" CreationDate="2017-12-08T05:07:15.287" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Peppers do have stages of ripening.  First green, then light green, then yellow, then red or brown...depends on the pepper.  Peppers will ripen after being plucked off its mother plant when they are plucked at a certain stage.  I've not yet found a too green stage for peppers to continue ripening in the kitchen.  Once you see any change in color of the pepper it should be able to be harvested and brought indoors to ripen further.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you don't have to worry about a freeze, leave the peppers on your plant to ripen.  If you take the peppers off as soon as possible, that plant will be able to produce MORE peppers, other peppers will ripen sooner.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You said you had but one pepper?  Is this in doors?  Out of doors on the patio?  In the garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main reason this happens is that people fertilize with too much nitrogen in relation to the phosphorus and potassium.  You'll get lots of healthy vegetative growth and few flowers/few fruit.  The difference could be a formulation for example of a 5-4-4 fertilizer.  Or using compost and then using a 4-4-4...too much nitrogen with respect to phosphorus and potassium.  Or using fish emulsion and a balanced 14-14-14 fertilizer.  Too much nitrogen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other reason is lack of light.  One needs an awful lot of light to grow flowers and fruits (vegetables).  If you are growing inside near a window you are lucky to get one pepper.  Daylight length is another important aspect to encourage more fruit...depending on the plant, most vegetables need a noticeable reduction of daylight length; going from 18 hours of daylight to 12.  That reduction is an important signal to the plant to get its job of reproducing done before the first frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-08T05:07:15.287" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36419" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36417" CreationDate="2017-12-08T05:32:47.437" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it's brown, it's probably not going to change color again. It's ripe. You can save the seeds and eat it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many hot peppers, though not ripe when green, are still usable for culinary purposes when green (some may taste better green, or some color that isn't their final color)—but you'll want to wait until they change their final color (or at least start to do so) before you save any seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never heard of a pepper with chocolate brown as something other than the final color it ripens. (Although brown-ripening peppers can ripen red or reddish brown sometimes, and not to full-brown at all; whether they're red or brown, they're still fully ripe.) If you leave the peppers on longer, the ripening process may continue and possibly lose or gain flavor (but the color should stay pretty much the same, and it's still ripe when it first changes the final color). If you leave it on too long, some of the seeds may rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plus, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cayennediane.com/peppers/7-pot-brown-chocolate/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;the link&lt;/a&gt; you provided at Cayenne Diane's does mention that the fruit turns brown when it's ripe: &quot;Ripe pods are brown in color, with the white internal membrane covering much of the inside of the pepper.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most sellers of peppers that go through multiple color phases seem to me that they advertise the fact, since it can be a selling point (although maybe not all of them).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although there probably are several, I haven't heard of many Capsicum chinense peppers (especially among the super hots) that have more than a 2-color ripening cycle. Usually those seem to be other species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, in summary, I suppose it's possible it might change other colors and that it's not ripe (I don't know all things, after all)—but, from my observations and experience, it seems &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; unlikely. It would have to turn brown again after it changed another color for that to be true (since the description says it's ripe when it's brown).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, if it's merely a tan-brown rather than a chocolate brown, then I'd wait, if you want to save seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2017-12-08T05:32:47.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36420" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36421" CreationDate="2017-12-08T09:59:41.253" Score="7" ViewCount="842" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you know the latin name of this plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xpxg8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X3j5i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lAPhD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IbESN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: There appear to be two more questions about the same species on this site:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9305/does-anyone-know-what-this-wildflower-is&quot;&gt;Does anyone know what this wildflower is?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30388/what-are-these-small-brown-curved-seeds&quot;&gt;What are these small brown curved seeds?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A picture from the first question above: (one can notice oval membranes (in the top right potion of the photo) that are green at that stage, and contain seeds in the middle that just started developing - just incredible)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NaFy5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NaFy5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-14T11:14:16.687" LastActivityDate="2018-03-14T11:14:16.687" Title="What is this decorative flower (or membrane) (or seed) (or leaf) (or fruit)?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36421" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36420" CreationDate="2017-12-08T10:32:18.823" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Lunaria annua.  Some call it the money or silver dollar plant. &lt;a href=&quot;https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/01/e0/fe/01e0fe926c0bf1db8136741f0a6234bd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Lunaria annua&lt;/a&gt;  You are looking at the seed of this plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-08T10:32:18.823" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36423" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35935" CreationDate="2017-12-08T19:34:39.523" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like  Winterberry / Ilex verticillata. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-12-08T19:34:39.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36424" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36427" CreationDate="2017-12-08T21:53:25.073" Score="5" ViewCount="685" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CbON8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CbON8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are those spots on my plant at my desk at work anything to worry about?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20417" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-21T17:58:20.610" LastActivityDate="2018-01-21T17:58:20.610" Title="Are these spots on my office plant bad?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36425" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="3056" CreationDate="2017-12-08T23:07:02.073" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would recommend Salal (&lt;em&gt;Gaultheria shallon&lt;/em&gt;), a native evergreen with nice flowers and berries loved by Northwest birds. &lt;a href=&quot;http://content.yardmap.org/learn/great-berries-great-birds/?region=pacific-mixed-forest&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Top Five great Berries for the geat Birds of your Region&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20418" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-12-09T21:20:30.993" LastActivityDate="2017-12-09T21:20:30.993" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36426" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14474" CreationDate="2017-12-08T23:18:33.763" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a great ground cover. It is hardy to seasonal drought, has beautiful leaves, pretty flowers in spring, is evergreen, and controlled very easily with pulling or cutting,  spring or fall. I used it in a 5 x 5 space under a bamboo clump in an Atlanta side flower garden with low-growing flowers with no problem in three years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Invasive&quot; is a term used too often too improperly. Johnson grass and crab grass are invasive,  kudzu is invasive, russian olive is invasive. Vinca major grows slowly and would have to be badly ignored to become truly invasive in my experience. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20419" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-12-09T05:55:51.697" LastActivityDate="2017-12-09T05:55:51.697" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36427" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36424" CreationDate="2017-12-08T23:26:37.323" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant appears to be Zamioculcus zamiifolia (more easily known as ZZ plant). These dark blotches or spots are quite normal and nothing to worry about - they develop on older stems. The stem I'm uncertain about is the more yellowish coloured stem with blotches in the forefront of the picture, that one might have a problem, because of its yellowish colour rather than the blotches, although the  leaves coming off it look perfectly healthy. If the leaves start to turn yellow, then clip that stem out and adjust your watering as described below, if that's not how you're watering currently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Getting the watering right is important - they need to dry out a  little between waterings, so water when the surface of the potting soil feels just dry to the touch, water well, and empty out any excess from an outer pot or tray 30 minutes  later. They tolerate various light conditions, but prefer relatively bright light, though never direct sunlight, and temperatures between 13-26 deg C. Usually, overwatering shows itself by yellowing leaves rather than a yellowing stem; the colour of that stem may not be particularly significant, though the need for repotting might be a possibility, I'm unable to tell because the pot is not visible in the photo. More information here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/zzplant&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/zzplant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-09T01:37:56.453" LastActivityDate="2017-12-09T01:37:56.453" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36428" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36429" CreationDate="2017-12-09T01:44:09.870" Score="7" ViewCount="14020" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a large Japanese Maple tree (about twenty feet tall) in my yard and am wondering if it can be tapped for sap to be made into syrup.  Is this possible or would it just be a waste or taste bad?  If it is possible, can you please provide any pointers that could help me get a good yield and not permanently damage the tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17484" LastActivityDate="2021-04-01T20:16:02.987" Title="Can a Japanese Maple Tree be Tapped for Sap to be Used in Syrup?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;japanese-maple&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36429" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36428" CreationDate="2017-12-09T04:59:50.620" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The simple answer is yes, all maples can be tapped for syrup.  Some, such as Acer palmatum are a waste of time to try if you expect great taste and volume.  This site lists the top 22 trees for the best syrup. Plenty of maples but Japanese Maple is not listed.  You most certainly could try.  If you follow directions you will not hurt your tree at all.  Sterilize with alcohol.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wildfoodism.com/2014/02/04/22-trees-that-can-be-tapped-for-sap-and-syrup/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;22 best syrup trees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-09T04:59:50.620" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36430" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36431" CreationDate="2017-12-09T21:49:55.390" Score="6" ViewCount="243" Body="&lt;p&gt;During winter time there comes smog to my town, consisting of:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Carcinogenic &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzo(a)pyrene&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Benzo[a]pyrene&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;PM2.5 (&lt;a href=&quot;https://diamondenv.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/particulate-pollution-pm10-and-pm2-5/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;fine particulate matter&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;PM10 (&lt;a href=&quot;https://diamondenv.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/particulate-pollution-pm10-and-pm2-5/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;respirable particulate matter&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_dioxide&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;nitrogen dioxide&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;SO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur_dioxide&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;sulfur dioxide&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mechanical air purifiers use a combination of filters (including &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HEPA&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;HEPA13&lt;/a&gt;) to remove particles and other substances but are pretty expensive. I am looking for a cheap alternative: plants that I could grow at home and that would purify the air from the mentioned substances.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Could you recommend any?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11231" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-10T16:58:26.213" LastActivityDate="2017-12-26T00:38:53.270" Title="Plants for fighting with smog?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36431" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36430" CreationDate="2017-12-09T22:53:34.177" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whilst there are plants you can grow indoors to clean the air or absorb pollutants to an extent, the pollutants they've been shown to absorb are not any of the ones mentioned in your list, and are generally aimed at closed environments. They absorb pollutants from furniture and furnishings, MDF, dry cleaning fluids, etc, so things like trichlorethylene, benzene and formaldehyde. There is a list of those plants&#xA;here in case you feel it's worthwhile getting some of them anyway &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://greatist.com/connect/houseplants-that-clean-air&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://greatist.com/connect/houseplants-that-clean-air&lt;/a&gt;. Certainly, they should improve the quality of the air in your home, even if they don't remove that particular list of pollutants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many plants do absorb No2, and there's some research that suggests they may also absorb particulates, but you'd have to have the equivalent of a garden indoors, because it's the quantity of growing greenery that makes a difference - just growing, say, three ivy plants will make little impact, but I would recommend having as many houseplants as possible anyway; if nothing else, they are at least giving out oxygen into the air indoors, and for all anyone knows, may be removing other pollutants we don't know they are because they've not been tested. Information on outdoor plants and pollutants here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/presspacs/2012/acs-presspac-august-29-2012/green-plants-reduce-pollution-on-city-streets-up-to-eight-times-more-than-previously-believed.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/presspacs/2012/acs-presspac-august-29-2012/green-plants-reduce-pollution-on-city-streets-up-to-eight-times-more-than-previously-believed.html&lt;/a&gt;. Which houseplants you choose will be down to conditions in the home in regard to availability of light and how much space you have. Some that tolerate low light conditions are Hedera helix varieties, Aspidistra eliator, Dracaena marginata. More recommendations for plants can be made once you advise on the particular conditions you can provide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your list of air pollutants includes two particulate matter types, with PM2.5 being the most dangerous, though PM10's aren't fantastic either. I'm afraid the only sure way to screen those from the air is by using a filter system, and a very efficient one at that - they are extremely expensive if they are effective. Otherwise, keeping the windows closed will significantly reduce the amount in the air in your home, or using fine mesh over the aperture (though this will only reduce PM10s, not PM2.5s). I know this because I live in London, UK, where we frequently have days at a time where people with chest or other health problems (asthma, COPD, cardiac problems) are advised to stay inside until  the air clears, and people without health problems are advised to do nothing strenuous out of doors. We suffer the same pollutants in the air outside, though ozone is a much bigger issue than sulfur dioxide here, since we stopped burning coal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-10T13:37:36.100" LastActivityDate="2017-12-10T13:37:36.100" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36432" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-10T01:30:44.567" Score="6" ViewCount="1726" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to get advice on how to prune my persimmon tree. As the photo shows, many of the branches are growing upward. They are thin and at a very acute angle against the main trunk. Particularly, the top part of the main trunk (right photo) has many branches going upward. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I planted this tree about 4 years ago when it was 5 years old. Since then, I haven't done any pruning, but several thick lower branches have been accidentally broken. All these upshot branches came out this year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree seems to need a proper pruning after this winter but I have no idea how to shape this tree with all these upward branches. I would appreciate if you can give me some guidance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VNPba.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VNPba.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11360" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-12T04:08:14.327" LastActivityDate="2017-12-12T04:08:14.327" Title="How should I prune my persimmon tree that has a lot of thin branches growing upward?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36433" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19286" CreationDate="2017-12-10T01:52:21.170" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dyes mulch is not made from trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dyed mulches (black, red, green and other colors) are usually (with few exceptions) made up of recycled wood waste. This trash wood can come from old hardwood pallets, old decking, demolished buildings or worse yet pressure treated CCA lumber. CCA stands for Chromium, Copper and Arsenic; chemicals used to preserve wood. This ground up trash wood is then sprayed with a tint to cover up inconsistencies in the wood and give it a uniform color.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This dyed wood mulch does not break down to enrich the soil as good mulch should. Instead it leaches the dye along with the possible contaminants (chromium, copper, arsenic and others) into the soil harming or even killing beneficial soil bacteria, insects, earthworms and sometimes the plants themselves. These wood mulches actually rob the soil of nitrogen by out-competing the plants for the nitrogen they need for their own growth. Dr. Harry Hoitink, Professor Emeritus at Ohio State University, warns that dyed mulches are especially deadly when used around young plants and in newer landscapes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not allow children or pets in areas in which dyes mulch has been or is being used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20423" LastActivityDate="2017-12-10T01:52:21.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36435" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36424" CreationDate="2017-12-10T19:02:41.777" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The whitish spots look like pesticide residue to me. This is most likely on a new plant.  One of the last things the growers do before shipping is an application of pesticide to take of insect pests. It could also be dissolved salts from alkaline water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a cloth and rub the leaves, if it comes off it is a residue. Wash your hands afterwards in case they used something with residual activity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise your plant looks very healthy&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2017-12-11T11:00:25.767" LastActivityDate="2017-12-11T11:00:25.767" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36436" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36328" CreationDate="2017-12-10T22:51:17.473" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;@4-K  Where is this plant?  Indoors?  Patio?  What soil did you use again? Potting soil with organic stuff (not sterilized) mixed in? This is definitely a leaf miner.  If the parent was a fly or wasp or moth, you don't have to worry.  It won't be getting worse.  If it was a beetle that lives in the soil who came up to lay its eggs in your leaves then we have a problem.  Otherwise, mommy flew in spent a few minutes injecting the leaves with a few eggs then flew off.  This is normal for potted plants that live out on a covered patio.  If indoors 100 percent of the time it just takes one fly...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Those larva that hatched will soon turn into a pupa and then an adult and fly away.  If you could hold up a few more leaves so they are back lit you might be able to see if there are more eggs hatching, larva eating. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are beetles that plant their eggs in the epidermis as well.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7YFZ2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7YFZ2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;a beetle type leaf miner&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This beetle actually flies.  Opens the armored shields and underneath are wings. Sorry, I am so entranced with insects...if the qualifications of intelligence were the ability to adapt and survive and work as one organism for the good of the group; well, insects would be the most intelligent Family under the Animal Kingdom.  I think plants are even more 'intelligent' as they have been here even longer.  Always the first to colonize a new niche.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if there are beetle adults in that soil we need to change the soil.  Easiest.  There won't be but one or two in that soil. Wish I knew WHAT leaf miner this was but I'd need to know the environment, zone and what you put in your 'potting soil' that is great stuff.  You might have put a beetle or two in your soil with the 'organic matter', they came out and laid eggs in the leaves or worse those eggs were deposited by a fly or wasp or moth leaf miner and you might have a beetle that lays its eggs at the roots.  Those larva eat the roots and you won't know it until the plant just falls over. Not saying you have just one problem.  When you use unsterilized soil, compost, organics or other amendments, so many little things could be in that soil. Unlike the soil out of doors in the garden that comes with checks and balances, potting soil will never have natural checks and balances.  That is why all of the soil growing plants in pots is sterilized.   You do have to add chemistry, a balanced fertilizer.  Not a lot but no soil comes with the chemistry to do photosynthesis. (Unless you purchased potting soil with added fertilizers and that is important to know). If there are a few elements in that soil, one needs to know what and how much of those elements there are before deciding on the proper formulation and amount of fertilizer to add. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe someone will be able to identify which leaf miner this is.  I wouldn't do anything right now other than keep watching, poke around in your soil, go look at your plant in the middle of the night with a flash light.  Silly me would try to 'raise' that larva on the leaf by putting a piece of leaf and handful of soil in a jar with cheese cloth as a lid.  Keep it on the window sill where it will not be touched directly by the sun. It might form a chrysalis like a cocoon and then the adult fly or moth will step out perfectly formed.    &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.duncanslandscaping.com/insect-and-pests-page.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Leaf miner types&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-10T22:51:17.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36437" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36432" CreationDate="2017-12-11T00:32:02.163" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are two options I'll put out here; one would be cutting the tree back to the junction where there is a lot of vertical growth. If necessary I could draw a cut mark on your pictures. For now it is 1 1/2 inches up from a little to the left of middle of the bottom of your SECOND picture.  On the first picture it would be 2&quot; down from the top of your picture a little to the left of the center of the picture.  I would also consider the next junction down the tree if I knew more about the scale.  These branches worry me as being 'air suckers' that in some circumstances do not produce fruit.  But so far I am finding that shortened, vertical branches on persimmon produce more fruit...akin to blueberries.  I need to know persimmons better than I do.  For now, as you've got some time, just be thinking about getting rid of that errant branch/leader where the weight of that leader and branches on a thin trunk bent it over. The tree will straighten up.  You want your tree to be maintained at a height where you can reach the fruit, not have to use a ladder anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second is just an idea I had that I still don't know if it would be good for a Persimmon tree.  This idea is simple creating a cool arch structure that the top of your easily curves over and continue sort of like a vine?  Like an arbor?  Archway?  It would keep your very vital tree at a height that you can pluck persimmons when they are ripe as well and make it easy to prune for maintenance forever. Not to mention beautiful. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this does not make sense, I'll send better more visual instructions.  Gotta see what is happening with the trunk and soil connection.  If an arch at that spot doesn't work then you should just cut your tree back to either of those junctions.  Leave at least 1/4 inch of tree above the branch you want as the new leader.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've got some great orchardists and those that have actually grown persimmon trees I hope will give you more experienced answers.&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hgtv.com/design/outdoor-design/landscaping-and-hardscaping/how-to-plant-and-grow-persimmons&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Persimmons how to grow and prune&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-11T00:32:02.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36438" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36432" CreationDate="2017-12-11T08:27:47.133" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't fully agree with stormy (second time this month).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Persimmon trees (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diospyros_kaki&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;kaki trees&lt;/a&gt;) are similar to peach trees, but not so extreme. They have strong apical growth, and quick death of non apical buds, so pruning is very important, or the tree will go out-of-control, without recovery options. (This is unlike apples).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What does this mean? The persimmon tree tends to make such &quot;suckers&quot; which grow tall, and to lose lower branches. You should prune many of these suckers, or shorten them, when they still have buds on lower part. Always look and make sure that there are enough buds and branches on the lower part, before you prune.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But contrary to peach trees, such suckers could still be useful. The fruits are heavy, and in general the tree tends to take a form similar to crying willows.  These suckers will tend to bend down, except maybe the most vertical one, which will also have the stronger apical dominance, so prune them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this specific case, you have a lot of branches. I would prune many of the top ones, (keep the ones with better buds on the lower part of branch), and maybe also the lowest one if you have wild animals around you. This lowest branch will also bend down in autumn, and touch the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, the branches are not very strong. They tend to break with snow, with heavy wind and with many fruits, so try to have fewer but stronger branches, and prune after the last chance of heavy snow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-12T04:07:05.013" LastActivityDate="2017-12-12T04:07:05.013" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36439" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36430" CreationDate="2017-12-11T08:43:33.013" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think there are plants that could really help you (indoor, small surface, noticeable effect, for your your city air), but some comments:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants are also source of particles, so too many plants in closed environment could also cause problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More surface will help deposit (or absorb) PM, so I would try with some Christmas tree (but conifers are producer of PMx), or moss as &quot;top substrate&quot; of pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the &quot;gardening&quot; part: spray irrigation is more effective then plants, to reduce PMx particles. So maybe some orchids irrigation could help (but I'm not a fanatic of orchids, so comments are welcome).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-26T00:38:53.270" LastActivityDate="2017-12-26T00:38:53.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36440" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-11T09:32:33.140" Score="5" ViewCount="252" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there any type of all-purpose and durable shredder that can shred leaves and a few small branches, and some wetter materials like vegetable waste? I'm not looking for a brand name, just to find out if one shredder can take care of all my needs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would a lawn mower be the best choice?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16094" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-12T04:18:00.207" LastActivityDate="2017-12-12T04:18:00.207" Title="Is there a type of garden shredder that can handle leaves, branches and wet materials?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;&lt;tools&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36441" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36440" CreationDate="2017-12-11T10:28:50.027" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are multi-purpose shredders available but I'm not sure if specific product recommendations are allowed on this site... even so there are few things to consider.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First of all, you should think about how often you are going to use it and how much material you would like to shred. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second thing would be to choose from electric or petrol shredders. I'd recommend petrol because you'll be able to move shredder more easily and probably it will have more power than electric one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to put things like leaves or bulkier softer materials, consider getting a shredder with larger filling funnel because some have openings that can accept only branches of certain diameter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't think lawn mower would be suitable for shredding anything other than leaves and softer waste. Smaller dried branches can be shredder with lawn mower but thicker ones could be a problem and could cause even damage. Biggest problem when using lawn mower for this purpose could be that material you want to shred is 'escaping' underneath the mower. There is also an issue with smaller volume of the bag for collecting clippings, so you might empty it more often.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding durability, I think that electric shredders could overheat more easily so you might have to make breakes. The only real problem I had on my shredder was with rubber covering the filling funnel (which prevents stuff to be trown back at you) which was warn out pretty quickly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17442" LastActivityDate="2017-12-11T10:28:50.027" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36442" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32628" CreationDate="2017-12-11T15:17:26.810" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have seen blue and purple food dye added to orchids to give the flowers different colour so maybe it's the same with the leaves but I have never seen blue or purple maple trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20429" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-12-11T21:41:19.750" LastActivityDate="2017-12-11T21:41:19.750" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36443" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36445" CreationDate="2017-12-11T18:39:39.350" Score="3" ViewCount="648" Body="&lt;p&gt;At the suggestion of @Jurp I purchased three clethras. The motivation is attracting wildlife, and having nice summer fragrance. Now however I don't know what to do with them, I'll explain the reason in a moment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The nursery says they are 1m high max. They swear it is true. However, they delivered all three plants exciding their max height! :-o All are around 1.2m high. When I brought this to their attention, they just stared blankly at me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I search the internet, max height varies between 1m and 2.5m. I am afraid I will plant them in wrong place. Can you help?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adult unpruned clethra 'Pink spires' should look like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v31Bd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-11T19:05:55.887" LastActivityDate="2017-12-11T21:42:16.347" Title="Habit of Clethra alnifolia 'Pink Spires' (aka summersweet)" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36444" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-11T20:10:58.490" Score="5" ViewCount="559" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently got into gardening and one of my favorite plants is Mexican flamevine (Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides). Recently the leaves have been changing color from green to red/brown/black and I don't know what is causing it and how to fix it.  If anyone could give a new gardener some tips, I would greatly appreciate it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pUxLk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pUxLk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d2d20.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d2d20.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XzjF7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XzjF7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20430" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-11T22:16:11.280" LastActivityDate="2017-12-11T22:36:07.683" Title="Why are the leaves of my Mexican flamevine changing color?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36445" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36443" CreationDate="2017-12-11T21:06:41.913" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perhaps they meant the delivered plants would be 1m in height, or thereabouts, it's common for nurseries supplying via mail order to quote the height of the plants they're actually sending out. The anticipated height for this plant is 1.5, sometimes up to 2m or more, or 6-8 feet, and its usually taller than it is wide. No one can predict precisely how tall and wide yours will get, depends on climate and growing conditions, so I suggest you plant bearing in mind the possible ultimate height and spread of this deciduous shrub.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They do get tip dieback in cold winters, and pruning is probably advisable after a time - you may also be able to keep them in check by reducing their height if necessary, information on pruning here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/clethra-alnifolia-pruning-tips-42582.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/clethra-alnifolia-pruning-tips-42582.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-11T21:42:16.347" LastActivityDate="2017-12-11T21:42:16.347" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36446" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36444" CreationDate="2017-12-11T21:28:25.407" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is most likely cold damage - Senecio confusus, or Mexican Flame Vine, dies completely in Zones 8 or below, and is grown as an annual rather than a perennial there -  optimum low zone would be 9a. It is grown in colder areas, and can be kept over winter if it's brought into a warmer environment during the cold season. If you had a temperature of 36degF, there would have been frost,and that could be the damage you're seeing. If it gets colder than that, your plant will likely die back to the ground, but if you are in Zone 9 or above, it should regrow next spring. &lt;a href=&quot;https://monarchbutterflygarden.net/butterfly-plants/mexican-flame-vine/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://monarchbutterflygarden.net/butterfly-plants/mexican-flame-vine/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-11T22:36:07.683" LastActivityDate="2017-12-11T22:36:07.683" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36447" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36449" CreationDate="2017-12-12T03:31:04.717" Score="4" ViewCount="172" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was wondering if hydrangea had any effects on the growth of other plants. Doing a google search only told me that hydrangeas are immune to juglone. However I'm more interested in the effects of hydrangea on other plants, will growing hydrangea have an effect on plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, or peppers? I know that hydrangea has cyanogenic glycosides, and I was hoping that this would help prevent pests, but I'm worried that it may also negatively impact the main plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20383" LastActivityDate="2017-12-12T10:41:11.980" Title="Hydrangea's allelopathic effects on crops?" Tags="&lt;hydrangea&gt;&lt;companion-planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36448" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36447" CreationDate="2017-12-12T04:20:55.727" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hydrangea somehow evolved to be resistant to Juglone that the walnut produces to discourage competition by its own babies and many other plants. Hydrangea learned to be able to grow under walnuts, in the shade and in thin soil. The trick for planting plants is grouping like needs with like needs. Hydrangea has no 'trick' chemicals to protect other plants from insects. Or even itself, that I know about. Hydrangea has few insect problems but no special chemical for extra protection from insects. Hydrangea found a great niche and took advantage of it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't expect lots of flowers in deep shade. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hydrangea's needs are acidic soils, partial shade, protection within its micro environment, few competitors such as weeds, shallow roots that should not be mulched more than an inch in depth.  Great drainage.  Fertilizer with lower nitrogen than phosphorous and potassium in percentages.  Plants that grow well with hydrangea are shade loving acid soil loving plants that also need great drainage. Plants like Hydrangea should never be planted next to concrete foundations or sidewalks. Also, plants in shade need far less fertilizer than plants in the sun.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This article I am posting, has a fairly good list of plants that grow well with hydrangea.  Companion planting to me means 'birds of a feather flock together...well'?  A landscape design that is great is also inherently low low maintenance. A landscape that is high maintenance is simply a very bad design. Form follows function, not the other way around. Another goal is to make sure that there would be no soil or mulch exposed to the light after 2 years.  Major weed reduction!  No light no germination of weed seeds...or very little.  Healthy plants will have few insect problems or diseases.  Weakened plants or plants losing in some competition with a plant more suited to that environment...will be susceptible to insects and disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never found any basis to companion planting in terms of someone's opinion.  Such as marigolds protecting other plants from whatever.  You can be sure that plants communicate via chemistry and are very happy to be with plants with the same needs.  Healthy garden, healthy soil equals insect and disease resistance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/gardening-by-zone/zone-5/zone-5-shade-plants.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;shade plants for zone 5 with needs similar to Hydrangea&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-12T04:20:55.727" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36449" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36447" CreationDate="2017-12-12T10:14:31.910" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hydrangea varieties are not known to have allelopathic properties, and their presence nearby should therefore not cause any problems to the plants you mention, nor any others, although their need for water and nutrients might deprive anything smaller growing nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, you mention cyanogenic glycosides in relation to Hydrangea; as you rightly say, these plants do contain cyanogenic glycosides, which makes them toxic to horses, cats, dogs, etc., if consumed. In fact, though, insects may actually seek out plants containing various toxic elements (including cyanogenic glycosides) in order to store them for defensive purposes, along with a possible role in reproduction, see here &lt;a href=&quot;https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00049-009-0018-6&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00049-009-0018-6&lt;/a&gt; for further research if you wish. This essentially means that Hydrangea is highly unlikely to act as a deterrent to insect pests which might affect your growing crops.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-12T10:41:11.980" LastActivityDate="2017-12-12T10:41:11.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36451" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-12T15:33:59.280" Score="2" ViewCount="67" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a silhouette of my two plums:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/m9gj0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are very old, around 10m high, for some longish time left alone, and exude a lot of sap. They have nice fruit. Birds like to rest and observe the area in their high crowns.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there anything I can do to revitalize them? Or just leave them as is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-12T18:52:35.137" LastActivityDate="2017-12-12T19:49:29.153" Title="Revitalizing two old plums" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36452" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36451" CreationDate="2017-12-12T18:18:42.820" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the &lt;em&gt;sap&lt;/em&gt; they are exuding is gelatinous in consistency (and my answer is making that assumption), then it means they have a fungus which is highly contagious to other stone fruit trees. I think you best option would be to cut the trees down, and plant non-stone-fruit trees or wait 3 years and then plant plums of your choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10805" LastEditorUserId="10805" LastEditDate="2017-12-12T19:49:29.153" LastActivityDate="2017-12-12T19:49:29.153" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36453" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36455" CreationDate="2017-12-12T20:23:54.717" Score="6" ViewCount="851" Body="&lt;p&gt;A while back a store bought sunflower was absolutely covered in little green larva looking things. I left it outside but they appear to have migrated to my hibiscus. I've been spraying it with a water + soap + rubbing alcohol solution. None of these mites seem to be alive and I see no movement, but they still seem to multiplying around new leaves. They leave a flaky yellow crumb looking sluff behind, have small green larva and adults seem to be the brown guys in this picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7FKCK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7FKCK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hibiscus mites&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any ideas on what they're called or how to kill them completely?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20434" LastActivityDate="2017-12-13T20:23:35.927" Title="Name that bug: Mites on an indoor hibiscus plant" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36454" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-12T23:08:41.463" Score="6" ViewCount="7327" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have water running into my crawl space and part of the reason I believe is from hill run-off above my house. I have 3.5ft high retaining wall all around the uphill side and water comes up underneath and thru it like little fountains and / or over the top of it during rain storms. My soil is very much clay, mixed with odd layers of sand. Various spots have sandstone, which is what my house is built on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture looking down from the uphill side on the problematic area where I've started digging my proposed trench.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/donJY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/donJY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture looking up at the problem area from down the hill. The hill continues to drop another 12ft of elevation behind me in these tiered railroad tie walls. My proposed trench is on the left and the RR Tie Wall is left of that. Concrete retaining wall sticks out 12ft to the right. The ground here is full of sink holes due to run off / rivers coming over the tiers as well as up and underneath the other side of the concrete wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BEpmi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BEpmi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a 5 day break from rain. The question is basically as stated - is it ok to put the french drain there at/near the base of the wall where you see I started digging it or am I risking eroding the underneath / base of the wall? And, how deep should my trench be? I was thinking of just encasing perforated pipe in pea gravel a few inches below the surface and finishing off the top with 1-2 inch stone. I guess I'm going to have to dig underneath the tiered walls going down the hill or rip them out in order to get my drain going further down the hill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16057" LastActivityDate="2017-12-13T04:54:52.587" Title="French Drain Below or Above Retaining Wall?" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36455" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36453" CreationDate="2017-12-12T23:19:12.517" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/8063/499&quot;&gt;whitefly&lt;/a&gt;. You can positively identify them by gently shaking a leaf. If you see white insects fly up, there you go.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Control is possible with 5 ml dish soap to one litre of water.  Mix and then use a rag or cloth to wipe the top and bottom of all the leaves.  If you put too much soap in then you will need to rinse the leaves with water as the fatty acids in the soap can burn the leaf in high concentrations.  Do this three times at five to six day intervals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As the insects fly they can move on to other plants.  Isolate the infected plant in another room until the treatment is over&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-12-12T23:19:12.517" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36456" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36454" CreationDate="2017-12-12T23:38:19.440" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you compare the cost of perforated drain pipe with sleeve and the possibilities of water damage then more drain pipe is better.  I am a big fan of four inch perforated drain pipe with sleeve as a solution for water runoff. Usage is described &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/19442/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/22130/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/34510/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For your issue I recommend two trenches, one parallel to the house foundation and the other parallel to the retaining wall.  Ensure you have a slope in the trench downwards.  If possible dig under the railway ties acting as stair risers and feed the pipe downwards.  A french drain described in my other answers would  be a logical termination for both drain pipes if you can dig down two or three feet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be sure to get the drain pipe with a sleeve and use crushed gravel with no fines underneath the pipe. You mentioned pea stone which will compact more than gravel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I attach an extremely poor diagram, thank you Paint 3D, showing what I propose.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/svrTE.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/svrTE.png&quot; alt=&quot;drain pipe run&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-12-12T23:38:19.440" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36457" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-13T00:47:23.570" Score="2" ViewCount="117" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's the correct translation in English for &quot;Tomate Canario&quot; (Spanish)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got two links in Spanish about the history of this tomato cultivar&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.revistabinter.com/2017/06/19/cultivo-tomate-canario/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.revistabinter.com/2017/06/19/cultivo-tomate-canario/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://tomatecanario.es&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://tomatecanario.es&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Tom%C3%A0quet_Canari_2017_A1.jpg/799px-Tom%C3%A0quet_Canari_2017_A1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastActivityDate="2017-12-13T16:53:14.757" Title="What's the English translation for &quot;Tomate Canario&quot;?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;cultivar&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36458" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-13T02:53:57.297" Score="2" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;This variety is called &quot;Tomate Azul&quot; (Spanish) and &quot;Tomàquet Blau&quot; (Catalan) at the Alcampo hypermarket. There are many varieties of blue tomatoes so I wonder what's the English name for this particular cultivar&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've found &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tuinen.es/seleccion-de-plantas/tomates-azules-los-tomates-terapeuticos&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;an article in Spanish&lt;/a&gt; about the blue tomatoes, the photos in the article match my photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Azul_(tomato)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;These are the photos taken by me&lt;/a&gt;, this particular tomato had 345 grams and it wasn't the biggest in the batch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Tom%C3%A0quet_Blau_2017_A1.jpg/799px-Tom%C3%A0quet_Blau_2017_A1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Tom%C3%A0quet_Blau_2017_A5.jpg/667px-Tom%C3%A0quet_Blau_2017_A5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastEditorUserId="17658" LastEditDate="2017-12-14T20:59:15.463" LastActivityDate="2017-12-14T20:59:15.463" Title="What's the name of this blue tomato cultivar?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;cultivar&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36459" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36454" CreationDate="2017-12-13T04:32:20.807" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you are on the wrong side of that retaining wall.  You want to intercept the water in the soil, before it reaches any structure that water will corrode or erode.  Drain pipes go BEHIND the wall on the side with the surcharge, the soil that that wall or foundation is holding back.  They are also always lower than the footing of a foundation or wall or stair system.  You want to use a perforated 4&quot; plastic pipe below the footing (not on top of the footing) on the up hill side. Water flows through the soil to collect in this pipe to be drained away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig a trench coming at us in the picture from the outside of the edge of your stairway, walkway.  Looks like 4' from the foundation to the left and parallel to the home.  Dig a trench as deep as the foundation's footing.  If there is a basement this depth could be a good 6 to 8 feet deep and 2' wide.  Install landscape fabric, a few inches of drain rock, install the perforated drain pipe wrapped in landscape fabric, the bottom of that pipe being LOWER than the foundation footing. Back fill with drain rock, use landscape fabric on top so that soil is unable to mix with the drain rock, top with soil or better, gravel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Absolutely no water should be able to drain towards the concrete foundation. The perf pipe is always just below the lowest part of the footing of your foundation. That pipe has a definite slope towards your chosen drain outlet.  That pipe should be at the very least 3' below the surface if you live with winters. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second option would be if you find your foundation drain system is non existent or non functioning, I would pull all of that soil completely back from the foundation, re coat the asphalt on your foundation, allow to dry, install proper foundation drain system with drain rock, landscape fabric, more drain rock...either tying into the original system if it works at all or doing the entire foundation with fresh asphalt, foundation drain pipe system, landscape fabric.  The subsurface soil has to slope away from your foundation.  The perf pipe helps to collect any water that gets close to your foundation and diverts it away to either a sewer water system or a daylighted drain.  Depends on your restrictions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is probably one of the most important aspects for the value of your home.  Drainage.  Without drainage the foundation will be short term.  You'll get mold that could be very hazardous to some people's health.  When considering any project that will need some heavy machinery the best advice is to get as much as possible done when the equipment is there the first time.  I would ask for bids but chose the one who is able to see the entire project scope best such as calling for utility location, what to do with soil/debris, etc... not the one who is cheapest.  Also, make dang sure they are licensed and insured have insurance of their own.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I think you are trying to do is on the wrong side of that retaining wall.  To amend your system those stairs get pulled out so you are down to the level of your footing. If you do not have a decent periphery foundation drainage system, I would consider redoing that entire system to do at this time.  Best and cheapest in the long run.  A good fix would be to just do this one side on the outside of that wall not the inside. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Procuring bids which also means professional advice is free and very valuable even if you decided to DIY.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You are thinking about day lighting your foundation drainage that is near a stream to run into that stream?  That is a major no no with the rules in this country. Where exactly is it you live?  All rivers, creeks even intermittent creeks have buffer zones that no one owns in this country. It is a very good thing but those who have riparian systems on their property usually learn that they truly don't OWN that part of their property.  Please send more information.  Giving answers about drainage based on little information is frankly irresponsible.  Of ME.  Please help by adding any information you can think of to help us be more responsible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-12-13T04:54:52.587" LastActivityDate="2017-12-13T04:54:52.587" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36460" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36458" CreationDate="2017-12-13T06:30:54.513" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The name of the cultivar is &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;'Indigo Rose'&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The origin of the cultivar is Peru. It has therapheutic value to people, beside nutrutional.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From an article about Tomate Azul:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.elhuertodelabuelo.es/es/tomates/36-tomate-azul.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.elhuertodelabuelo.es/es/tomates/36-tomate-azul.html&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Este es el tomate original , lanzado en 2012 por el Dr. Jim Myers de la universidad estatal de Oregón. Utilizando métodos convencionales de mejora mediante cruces con tomates silvestres de Perú y de las Islas Galápagos, para obtener su color púrpura profundo rico en Antiocianina. La Antiocianina es un poderoso antioxidante que nos protege de muchas enfermedades y del envejecimiento prematuro. El Tomate Azul, desarrolla el color morado oscuro en aquellas zonas de la piel que reciben directamente la luz solar, pero es necesario que madure completamente para percibir todo su sabor. No está maduro hasta que el fruto se ablanda, el fondo cambia de verde a rojo, y en el interior el color de la carne es rojo oscuro. Producción media de frutos redondos de 60-75 grs. De peso. Planta de porte indeterminado. Recolección a partir de 75 dias.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Translation: (feel free to correct it)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;This is the original tomato, launched in 2012 by Dr. Jim Myers of Oregon State University. Using conventional methods of improvement through crosses with wild tomatoes from Peru and the Galapagos Islands, to obtain its deep purple color rich in anthocyanin. Anthocyanin is a powerful antioxidant that protects us from many diseases and premature aging. Tomate Azul develops the dark purple color in those areas of the skin that directly receive sunlight, but it is necessary that it ripens completely to reach its full flavor. It is not ripe until the fruit softens, the background changes from green to red, and inside the color of the flesh is dark red. Average production of round fruits of 60-75 grams. Of weight. Plant of indeterminate size. Collection from 75 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the biography of Dr. Jim Myers:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I have developed and released 13 dry bean, one green bean, and four tomato cultivars. One tomato cultivar (co-released with Dr. J.R. Baggett) is ‘Legend’, an early, large fruited, parthenocarpic, determinate slicer with late blight resistance. My graduate students and I were the first to create high anthocyanin tomatoes using conventional breeding approaches. The first release of this kind – ‘Indigo Rose’ has been available in the U.S. since 2012 and is now moving into global markets. ‘Indigo Cherry Drops’ and Indigo Pear Drops” are two new Indigo cultivars that have been released and more are in the pipeline.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-13T08:30:08.997" LastActivityDate="2017-12-13T08:30:08.997" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36461" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23116" CreationDate="2017-12-13T08:37:39.037" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, This finally bloomed and I had just started using GardenTags. They helped me identify it as Oxblood Lily/Schoolhouse Lily! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you for your help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13579" LastActivityDate="2017-12-13T08:37:39.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36462" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36453" CreationDate="2017-12-13T12:37:12.300" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure these are whitefly - but then I'm not sure what they actually are either, nor am I convinced there's not more than one pest present. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Presumably, this is a tropical hibiscus that you've moved inside to overwinter, since they're not actually houseplants, so it may have come in with an infestation which has thrived in the warmth of your home. I'd be inclined to use neem spray, making sure you spray the whole plant, including the tops and undersides of leaves. You may need to repeat the treatment a week or two later. If you have other plants indoors, best to check those over thoroughly to make sure they're not infested too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Information on hibiscus and 'growing' them indoors here, including a (somewhat cursory) mention of pests &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/grow-tropical-hibiscus-inside-1902761&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.thespruce.com/grow-tropical-hibiscus-inside-1902761&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-13T20:23:35.927" LastActivityDate="2017-12-13T20:23:35.927" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36463" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-13T13:39:01.480" Score="4" ViewCount="365" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have grown, from what is resembles on the internet, an african marigold. The problem is that its stem grows too tall, 1-1.3 m (3-4 feet) with only 2-3 blooms on top and the bottom is dried up. I have seen the same marigolds with dwarf size 0.3-0.6 m (1-2 feet) with green foliage and lots of bloom. What is wrong here?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20438" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-12-13T16:15:23.767" LastActivityDate="2018-11-16T22:01:30.257" Title="Why do my african marigolds have long stems and few blooms?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36464" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-13T14:17:28.747" Score="1" ViewCount="37" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the cultivar name of this juniperus:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R7ryW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2017-12-13T14:50:05.463" Title="What is the cultivar name of this golden-leaved juniperus?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36465" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36464" CreationDate="2017-12-13T14:50:05.463" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most likely Juniperus 'Old Gold' - it's listed as both Juniperus media 'Old Gold' and, more recently, as Juniperus x pfitzeriana 'Old Gold', but more generally known simply as Juniperus Old Gold, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dobbies.com/products/plants/conifers/juniperus-x-pfitzeriana-old-gold/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.dobbies.com/products/plants/conifers/juniperus-x-pfitzeriana-old-gold/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-12-13T14:50:05.463" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36466" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36457" CreationDate="2017-12-13T16:45:42.193" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Spanish literal translation is Canary Tomato which makes sense based on the articles you cited; tomatoes from the Canary Islands. If you want to go further and translate the name Canaria as in Islas Canaria, it is believed to come from the latin word for dog, canis. So, maybe it's a Dog Tomato. Take your pick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-12-13T16:45:42.193" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36468" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36470" CreationDate="2017-12-13T17:35:39.160" Score="4" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a couple of slightly acidophilic plants, and my soil is neutral, and also I don't like to use any chemicals.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would it be a good idea to plant them at the base of rain downspout? (The plants like lots of water, so wetness won't be a problem)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2017-12-13T21:42:01.430" Title="Planting moderately acidophilic plant under the rain downspout" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;ph&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36469" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36471" CreationDate="2017-12-13T17:48:52.840" Score="3" ViewCount="251" Body="&lt;p&gt;How dangerous is to plant Pinus pinea 3m (10ft) from the house?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The house has only one floor, so I gather the crown will not interfere with walls and roof.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The situation would be similar to the one pictured here:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qSZ21.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2020-12-04T08:33:23.090" Title="Pinus pinea close to the house" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36470" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36468" CreationDate="2017-12-13T21:04:00.917" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is an easy one.  Downspouts are usually next to concrete foundations and having the water flowing over a concrete shield...alkaline.  The lime in concrete affects the soil near the foundation raising the pH. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the worst place for acid plants.  I understand, I think, that you thought lots of hydrogen atoms that would make the soil more acidic.  What kind of roof material do you have?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would make a plant bed elsewhere and add sulfur to that soil to lower the pH a little more.  Do you have a pH meter or two?  There are also fertilizers made for plants that do better with the pH down to 6 or 5.5.  Mulch with peat moss, very acidic (but kind of a no no as peat bogs are being depleted).  Lowering pH is tougher than raising it I am afraid.  Those plants will be fine in neutral or 7.0 and you can continue to add sulfur until you are at the pH you want and then just maintain that level just for that plant bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chemistry is everything.  Chemicals make up all the world and life around us.  Sulfur is sulfur. I'd be aware of fillers, however.  The only chemicals I know that are bad are pesticides, fluoride, chlorine, lead, arsenic those kind of obvious 'bad' chemicals.  Not fertilizers or lime or sulfur.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-12-13T21:42:01.430" LastActivityDate="2017-12-13T21:42:01.430" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36471" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36469" CreationDate="2017-12-14T01:13:08.580" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know that I'd consider it dangerous to plant the tree that close, but from a design perspective I wouldn't do it with any large tree - the tree will eventually dwarf the house and the effect will not be pleasing to the eye. Seeing that the tree is also a pine, I'm assuming that as the tree grows it will become wide enough to probably interfere with access to the outside of the house itself unless you prune the lower limbs (perhaps this species, which I'm not familiar with, is different in that respect?). That's just added maintenance which is easy to avoid by moving the tree farther from the house, if that's possible with your site.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pines also drop needles, of course, annually and you'll either have to clean your rain gutters fairly regularly or clean off the leaf-guards that may be on top of the gutters (needles are notorious for piling up on leaf guards rather than rolling off of them). Again, more maintenance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you might guess, I'm REALLY into having a no-maintenance garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From a &quot;danger&quot; perspective, from what direction are the prevailing winds? Would it be possible at a (much) later date for the wind to blow a branch - or even break the tree off at the trunk - onto the house during a storm? I recently had two large, mostly dead ash trees (victims of Emerald Ash Borer) removed to the immediate west of my house because our storms come from the west and I didn't want a large branch to land on or pierce my roof.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2017-12-14T01:13:08.580" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36472" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-14T08:04:17.307" Score="6" ViewCount="486" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's this mysterious vine growing at my wife's grandfather's home that I can't identify. Its tall enough to have climbed up the fence and made its way over. I've included various images taken of the plant. The fruit is like a reddish purple fig/guava looking thing. When I cut it open there's no real scent on it, at least nothing that's pleasing and desirable for triggering an eating reflex.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What could this strange vine be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pYI12.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pYI12.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fruit and vine with leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WQ1ZZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WQ1ZZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;closeup of fruit on vine&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jGM3x.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jGM3x.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;another closeup of fruit on vine&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L94L4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L94L4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;showing what look like immature buds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yEkgQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yEkgQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;detailing vine/branch structure&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jsHDI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jsHDI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;showing closeup of fruit cut open&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17974" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-14T08:51:55.120" LastActivityDate="2017-12-14T20:24:13.423" Title="Unknown Fruit Vine (reddish purple fruit, hollow inside)" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36473" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36479" CreationDate="2017-12-14T12:09:31.877" Score="4" ViewCount="15232" Body="&lt;p&gt;I’ve had mold growing on the surface of my pots for a long while. I kept removing the soil from the surface but that didn’t help. So I went and bought expensive fancy soil!! I took out the plants from the old soil and tried to clear them ip as much as I could and replanted them in brand new pots with the new soil. But bingo! There’s mold growing again. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are citrus plants that I’ve grown from seeds and I use citrus feed when I water them. I live in a reasonably cold and very damp climate and I don’t water them too often (once a month or so?) they’re indoors behind south facing windows. Is there something I could spray onto the soil to kill the mold?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I searched thoroughly before posting this and did read the relevant posts which mostly suggest preventing mold. However I’m wondering if there’s any anti fungal spray I could use on soil, ideally home made. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh, by the way, could it be due to the plastic planters? I notice the other plants taken out from the same old planters and planted in clay pots don’t have any fungus. Maybe the plastic isn’t breathable? But for now I’d like to kill the mold if it’s an option as I don’t have the time to buy other pots and replant again. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rxiip.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rxiip.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;moldy soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PcuUs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PcuUs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;even more mold&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6990" LastEditorUserId="6990" LastEditDate="2017-12-14T14:38:22.870" LastActivityDate="2020-12-02T13:23:07.003" Title="Is there a way to kill the mold on soil surface in pots?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36474" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2050" CreationDate="2017-12-14T12:23:51.260" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree, the councils are becoming ever so educated on these topics with many queries going directly to specific departments. They are best to talk to if you want to keep out of potential problems with your neighbour but failing that, roots can cause some serious damage to your property, let alone your garden so please consider all actions including professional advice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can find a lot of information on what type of trees and potential statistics about anything in particular on tree sites like &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk&lt;/a&gt; or search Google for the tree name. The problem is identifying the tree firstly, which is where a tree consultation or service might come in helpful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck with that!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20441" LastActivityDate="2017-12-14T12:23:51.260" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36475" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-14T13:35:11.380" Score="3" ViewCount="114" Body="&lt;p&gt;The past couple days, I've noticed the tips of my air plant have &quot;come off&quot; and I've also noticed mouse droppings in the bottom of the jar, so I&quot;m assuming mice are eating it. Will it die simply from the tips being chewed off or can it be saved?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Aruf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Aruf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20442" LastActivityDate="2020-04-24T06:08:30.497" Title="I think mice have been eating my air plant. Can I save it?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;rodents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36476" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2050" CreationDate="2017-12-14T13:52:20.543" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is less known that palm roots can be of great use by humans. For example, a web site says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;the root of the palm trees can be used to treat urinary tract infections and bladder problems. This is because the roots of sugar contains high potassium silicate and so can smooth urination. To process this sugar root you can make herb decoction of the roots of palm that has been known long ago.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will not provide links, since they can be easily found by googling &quot;palm root benefits&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At quick glance, it looks these roots an be used as a cure of veneral diseases, and constitute a part of a herbal viagra as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My advice is to build a &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;farm of palm roots&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; from your side of the fence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The key is to first find out the exact kind of palm that you are dealing with, and to find anything useful wrt their roots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Then, every autumn you dig a little bit of roots. New ones will grow quickly if you water the area well. In spring, you can put seeds of some useful leguminose ground cover, that will provide nitrogen naturally to the new growth of palm roots. And, in autumn, a new 'harvest' of roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You may be surprised that there may be a significant market demand for palm roots. Contact your local organic natural drug or healthy food producers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also advise you not to tell the neighbor anything (you do not have any legal obligation to do so), because he/she may (driven by greed and envy) start digging the roots from the opposite side, which would be IMHO too much for the palms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From time to time (but not too often) tell the neighbor how nice his trees are, like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;'Oh, what nice spruces! What, they are not spruces? Then magnolias? Not magnolias? Palms? Is that right? Are you serious? Anyway, very nice trees!'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-14T16:23:14.613" LastActivityDate="2017-12-14T16:23:14.613" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36478" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-14T14:39:11.753" Score="7" ViewCount="262" Body="&lt;p&gt;My back garden is very boggy ground and it is located in the midlands in Ireland, so this is common. I tried planting trees to take the excess water and that seemed to help for nearly a year, but in Ireland we get lots of rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any easy solutions to my problem without having to do a lot of work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r7BGW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r7BGW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture one &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JYoI5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JYoI5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture Two&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T09:58:17.547" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T17:03:58.093" Title="How can I improve drainage in a rainy area lawn with little manual labour?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36479" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36473" CreationDate="2017-12-14T14:49:01.787" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is usually a saphrophytic fungus - its there to consume dead material in the potting soil, but its continued presence indicates a watering issue, as well as air flow problems. If you are not watering too often so that the soil is constantly moist, assuming there's a drainage hole or three in the pot, if you allow water to collect in any outer tray or pot, that will keep the soil too moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water only when the surface of the soil in the pot feels dryish to the touch - water thoroughly, and empty out any outer pot or tray after 30 minutes - check again 30 minutes later to make sure it's empty. Airflow will help too - a closed environment with no moving air also encourages this type of growth. Hopefully, you washed and sterilised the pot before repotting (if you reused the same pot). More information here &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/dustylooking-mold-soil-houseplants-41109.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/dustylooking-mold-soil-houseplants-41109.html&lt;/a&gt;. If your pot has no drainage holes, you need to repot into something that does have drainage holes. In regard to its being a plastic pot, it doesn't exactly encourage this type of problem, but it does mean you need to take extra care with your watering routine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-15T01:18:14.893" LastActivityDate="2017-12-15T01:18:14.893" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36480" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36472" CreationDate="2017-12-14T20:24:13.423" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Got some feedback, my wife's aunt claims its a &lt;code&gt;fig vine&lt;/code&gt;, which online comes up as &lt;code&gt;creeping fig vine&lt;/code&gt;. Check out this page linked below, I believe the fruit they image matches up pretty closely.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.botanical-journeys-plant-guides.com/ficus-pumila.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ficus pumila Facts: Growing the Creeping Fig Vine&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The image they link looks like a decent match, but when you search more broadly online for &lt;code&gt;creeping fig vine fruit&lt;/code&gt; the bulk of the images seem like a different variety so I'm not 100% on this identification.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17974" LastActivityDate="2017-12-14T20:24:13.423" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36481" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-14T21:26:36.940" Score="8" ViewCount="1993" Body="&lt;p&gt;I dumped my french press on this potted fig tree a few times, perhaps that was a mistake. Today I noticed this this green stuff on top of the soil. What is this? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QmOCp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QmOCp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UYvB4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UYvB4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20444" LastActivityDate="2017-12-16T09:40:57.943" Title="What's this green stuff on my soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;figs&gt;&lt;coffee-grounds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36482" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-14T22:14:26.543" Score="5" ViewCount="101" Body="&lt;p&gt;What's the correct translation in English for &quot;Tomate Cherry Dulcemiel&quot; (Spanish)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I could only find one link with a photo of this variety:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://soysuper.com/p/tomate-cherry-dulcemiel-bandeja-200-g&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://soysuper.com/p/tomate-cherry-dulcemiel-bandeja-200-g&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Cherry_Dulcemiel_tomatoes_2017_A1.jpg/800px-Cherry_Dulcemiel_tomatoes_2017_A1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17658" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T21:57:18.073" Title="What's the English translation for “Tomate Cherry Dulcemiel”?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;cultivar&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36483" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-14T22:48:48.220" Score="4" ViewCount="76" Body="&lt;p&gt;My question is;  what trees can I possibly plant in the area between walls?&#xA;I was unable to load a picture of the (walls)so I hope I can describe this. &#xA;I have 2 walls in my backyard (the issues), a 4ft block retaining wall and a 6ft block privacy wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The retaining wall is 10ft in front of the privacy wall. The privacy wall is on a hill about 12ft from the ground with a (?) grade which the retaining wall is holding. We live in a high desert area, so shade is needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The length of both walls is 60ft. They run parallel to each other East/West. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20445" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-14T23:00:26.483" LastActivityDate="2019-04-03T16:49:38.437" Title="I would like to know if it is possible to plant trees in a difficult spot" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="10" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36484" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36481" CreationDate="2017-12-15T05:55:26.000" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whenever new non decomposed mulch (coffee grounds) is added to the top of the soil, if there is fungus in the soil or air you will see a fungal bloom.  All you have to do is scratch up the surface, the surface soil dries out and the fungus goes dormant.  There are more than one type of fungus that will bloom on the top of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This usually happens in garden soil that comes with all kinds of of dormant and live fungi.  One sees this happen most often in ornamental plant beds where a mulch has been added and hasn't been raked for awhile.  Is this potting soil out of a bag?  Or is there garden soil or barn compost mixed in?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do see a problem that you haven't noticed and that is the bark on the little trunk is buried a bit too low in the soil and is starting to decompose as well.  Pull the soil away from your trunk until you see the tops of the roots.  Roots under the surface, bark always above the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are benign fungi, symbiotic fungi, detrimental fungi...in all soils.  Mycorrhizae fungi is highly symbiotic and we put the spores of this fungi in the soil to boost plant's resilience.  Botrytis spores are in the air.  Something dies and there is enough moisture, botrytis will be one of the first decomposers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fungus is an important part of life.  Very few fungi species are bad guys. Fungus is necessary in natural ecosystems. Fungus will have few natural controls in our artificial human made gardens.  When fungus all of a sudden gets hit with material that is warm and moist and can be used for energy, it will 'bloom'.  Another reason to always use sterilized potting soil for any potted plants; indoors, out of doors and greenhouses.  Even when potting soil is used, there are fungal spores in the air that might find a home in that medium.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a fork and rake the top of your soil until it looks like soil again.  3 days later rake it again.  You might have to do it another time but this 'raking' works well on any soil or mulch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is the Fiddle leaf fig, that plant is not what you want your kitty to munch on.  Very bad.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Excerpt From Beyond The Animal Brain: &lt;em&gt;Plants also communicate with one another and other organisms, such as parasites and microbes, using a variety of channels – including ‘mycorrhizal networks’ of fungus that link up the root systems of multiple plants, like some kind of subterranean internet. Perhaps it’s not really so surprising, then, that plants learn and use memories for prediction and decision-making.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-12-15T06:04:21.713" LastActivityDate="2017-12-15T06:04:21.713" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36485" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36481" CreationDate="2017-12-15T08:10:30.750" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is fungus growing on your coffee grounds, your cat seems to like it. I am not sure if it is wise to put coffee grounds in your (indoor) plant pots. I have &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/coffee-grounds-gardening.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;read&lt;/a&gt; that it is okay for outdoors garden soils, but I would compost it first in a compost heap or container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You probably don't want to have fungus growing in your living room, see other &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/36473/is-there-a-way-to-kill-the-mold-on-soil-surface-in-pots&quot;&gt;post&lt;/a&gt; and discussion there about fungus in plant pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-12-15T09:34:39.237" LastActivityDate="2017-12-15T09:34:39.237" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36486" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36487" CreationDate="2017-12-15T11:44:33.783" Score="3" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;I clicked the picture of this insect near my plants. Can anyone help me in identifying this insect.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mZdr8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mZdr8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16489" LastActivityDate="2017-12-15T15:25:21.307" Title="Insect - Name of the insect" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;&lt;butterflies&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36487" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36486" CreationDate="2017-12-15T13:25:51.700" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Knowing where you are in the world would be useful, but this is likely one of the Hawk Moths; the one it most closely resembles is the Oleander Hawk Moth, which is a rare visitor to the UK - images variously display it as looking more brown or more green, but always with pinkish tinges, which I can't really tell are there in your photograph &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/daphnis-nerii/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/daphnis-nerii/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its larvae, or caterpillars, do feed on Oleander, but whether you would have the larvae in your country of residence isn't possible to say, since you don't say where you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE - I don't know if you've changed the image or tinkered with the original one, but whatever has happened, it makes the ID of Oleander Hawk Moth definite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-15T15:25:21.307" LastActivityDate="2017-12-15T15:25:21.307" CommentCount="13" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36488" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36428" CreationDate="2017-12-15T13:27:43.820" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;be aware that it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. One tree would only produce a couple of gallons, depending on weather and size of the tree.  You would be lucky to get a few ounces of syrup.  Japanese maples not usually used for sap as they are small and sugar content not high.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20449" LastActivityDate="2017-12-15T13:27:43.820" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36490" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-15T17:55:43.087" Score="6" ViewCount="1632" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have this plant for some months, but it didn't turn out healthy... About 2 months ago these dark spots began to appear and the leaves wither shortly after. I remove the leaves as soon as the spots appear, but they keep coming up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/32Xux.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I water it about once a week but the dirt seems too wet. I've also used liquid fertilizer a couple of times. Will it be ok? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the whole plant.&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HcPhr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pot has drainage holes. I used dark soil with compost (this was written in its description) and perlite. You can see it here too:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LhzN6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20451" LastEditorUserId="20451" LastEditDate="2018-01-12T10:01:47.513" LastActivityDate="2019-01-28T19:01:15.217" Title="Dark spots on dieffenbachia leaves" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36491" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36493" CreationDate="2017-12-15T19:53:03.690" Score="4" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;A maintenance company planted several plants just besides the river bank, actually in the area that is under the water for a week or several weeks in the spring (sometimes this repeats several times in a year, extending into summer and autumn).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are photos of the area in question, and unfortunately I can't provide at this moment any better photo:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CEH2h.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CEH2h.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pkV86.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pkV86.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tKHLR.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tKHLR.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GrrK9.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GrrK9.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7wIQW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just based on these pictures, do you think that these trees and shrubs can survive high spring waters? What are these plants anyway?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T20:45:51.380" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T20:45:51.380" Title="Can these plants survive spring floods?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36492" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-15T20:17:02.530" Score="3" ViewCount="741" Body="&lt;p&gt;I used to have these plants growing in my dorm room. I needed to add some more herbs to my collection, so I dug up most of the previous plants, took the soil from the pots, and mixed it with home depot potting soil. I watered them like normal and found this white stuff growing all over the top of the soil and on the pots. I'm guessing mold but I have no experience with plants so I figured I'd ask first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering what this white stuff is, if there's a way to get rid of it, and what's the best way to prevent it from growing again? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/srFKx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/srFKx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;White spots on a pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e8g1o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e8g1o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;White specks on soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xwx1T.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xwx1T.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mesh white stuff over soil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l1LEg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l1LEg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Weird white clump near rim&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18273" LastActivityDate="2020-07-05T13:06:25.767" Title="What is growing on my pots and soil?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36493" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36491" CreationDate="2017-12-15T20:58:48.877" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll just address part of your question regarding floods.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, after witnessing 2014 catastrophic floods in Doboj, BiH (where I live), I would say water level itself isn't going to be major concern for survival of plants and trees. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During three days, we had water level up to 4 meters, which is enough to flood most smaller trees. After water has return to river beds, most of vegetation has fully recovered and maybe even flourished afterwards. But there were few cases where huge, old trees were completely pulled from ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, biggest issue is destructive power of water especially with flash floods. Water front is certainly able to pull out even the biggest trees, move large objects and create landslides.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fWxZA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fWxZA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Doboj flood 2014&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17442" LastActivityDate="2017-12-15T20:58:48.877" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36494" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36428" CreationDate="2017-12-15T21:14:39.273" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I made maple syrup from 2 silver maples long ago . The syrup is made from &#xA;'juice&quot; that flows when the tree is dormant. When the  buds swell and the tree  starts to grow, the juice stops flowing and sap flows. Sap flows all summer and of course you can't make syrup from it or they would make syrup all year long. This switch from juice to sap happens in early march in the Chicago IL area. A friend said he could not make syrup from his large Norway maples; as I think back this friend was always late, I expect he tried to get juice too late in the season and got sap - it did not make syrup . So, I think Stormy's answer is correct , all maples make some level of syrup but be sure you are early enough to get juice, not sap. PS ; 20 ft tall is not much of a tree for syrup.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-12-15T21:14:39.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36495" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36478" CreationDate="2017-12-15T21:34:08.197" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are different reasons why your ground could be so wet, I don't know the situation in Ireland, but here in the Netherlands we can have boggy ground as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Different reasons are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;High percentage of clay, or fine sand&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Hard layer because of not maintaining the soil properly&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Natural hard layer to prevent drainage of water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ground water level&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It depends on the cause to find the right solution.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is clay ground you have that is causing the problem, one easy way to deal with it is to add organic matter to your soil. This will soak up water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your soil is not tended for a while, you can dig or plough the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the third reason, you'll need to make vertical drainage holes that reach the ground water level, and fill these holes with something that will drain well (shells, lava rocks, etc.).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last reason (ground water level), is not something to easily change, unless you want to build dykes, just as we do in the Netherlands...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the easiest solution in my opinion is to add organic matter to the soil, in order to soak up much of the water in the soil. For organic matter, think of compost or peat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-12-15T22:16:32.760" LastActivityDate="2017-12-15T22:16:32.760" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36496" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36528" CreationDate="2017-12-15T21:44:45.593" Score="2" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a V shaped Acer pseudoplatanus (2 leaders, starting right from the ground). Do I need two holes to use all juice producing capacity of the tree? Or one is enough? From what part of the tree the juice comes? How does it flow, in which direction?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(The tree is 14 years old, and I don't plan to get any juice for half a dozen years, but I am asking in advance)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-15T23:39:20.380" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T02:18:09.693" Title="Getting maple syrup from V shaped maple" Tags="&lt;maple&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36497" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36499" CreationDate="2017-12-16T06:18:36.183" Score="2" ViewCount="148" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to have a couple of conifer groups in my garden like these:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nFSSH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xyHBB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ybHUl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/66qOI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How to design them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-16T09:02:00.550" LastActivityDate="2017-12-16T09:02:00.550" Title="Designing small conifer compositions" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36498" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36503" CreationDate="2017-12-16T07:02:44.110" Score="4" ViewCount="120" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this flowering plant growing out of a wall? How is this possible at all?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9qpCJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2017-12-16T17:08:04.943" Title="What is this plant growing out of a building?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36499" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36497" CreationDate="2017-12-16T07:36:23.187" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;One group won't work to make this look.  You would need at least 3 groupings of the same species...5 groupings using the same species but differing amounts of each species, some groups without one or two species.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would chose 4 species; a couple that are tall and columnar, a couple that are globular and medium height and one or two that are low and spreading.  No more.  One group would have one of the tall species combined with 3 of the globular shape/medium height and one (using 3 or 5 specimens) of the low rambling type.  The next group would have the same tall plant plus the other tall plant and 2 of the medium height globular plants and 3 of the low rambling.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In each group the majority of the plants are the same while adding others on the same list.  No more species should be added.  All plants on your 'pallet' should be of like needs.  Same affinity for soil, moisture, sun and fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Human minds are only able to deal with 3 different items at a time.  To do more one needs to group, just like this design is doing.  There are 5 or 6 elements to a composition; texture, color, rhythm, form...and a few more but here you are dealing with texture and rhythm while changing color AND form...ideally in any composition, the artist has to keep these elements the same while tweaking one maybe two (color, form...).  One of these groups of conifers would not work but 4 or 5 groups of these conifers, differing colors and shapes, work because there are only 4 species used over and over just varying the numbers of each species or eliminating a specie or two.  That is why this 'design' works in this instance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-16T07:36:23.187" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36500" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36481" CreationDate="2017-12-16T09:40:57.943" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichoderma&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;trichoderma&lt;/a&gt; fungus. I see this commonly in my jars of grain that I am trying to cultivate mushrooms. Some trichoderma can be used to inoculate roots to protect against fungal infections, and others are the main forms of contamination when growing mushrooms. The spores are in the air and rapidly colonize a rich nitrogen source like coffee grounds. I'd suggest you compost those first.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-12-16T09:40:57.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36501" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36473" CreationDate="2017-12-16T09:58:49.693" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You didn't mention what type of expensive soil you used but citrus needs a citrus potting mix which is very freely draining.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You've got fungal growth because your mix is remaining wet. Only water when it's dry, determined either using a moisture probe or your finger. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to kill the fungus you can spray with hydrogen peroxide, or, even isopropylalcohol. Or, if you don't have that, burn it off with a magnifying lens taking care not to burn the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://garden.org/learn/articles/view/4077/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://garden.org/learn/articles/view/4077/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-12-16T09:58:49.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36503" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36498" CreationDate="2017-12-16T12:16:37.503" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can't see the flowers completely clearly, the pic doesn't magnify well, but most likely it's Cymbalaria muralis; it has plenty of common names, the one used most often in the UK being ivy-leaved toadflax. It directs its seed pods at any crevice or crack where it might be able to grow, and is common on old walls, cracks between paving, growing in small amounts of soil that have blown in and are present in such places, although it will also grow in borders or lawns if it's not weeded out. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/57492/Cymbalaria-muralis/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/57492/Cymbalaria-muralis/Details&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-16T17:08:04.943" LastActivityDate="2017-12-16T17:08:04.943" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36504" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="43711" CreationDate="2017-12-16T13:53:43.033" Score="4" ViewCount="205" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an unknown-age cherry that has a significant damage at 1.40m originating from wind and snow breaking a large branch (or several ones). The wound is large, about half of cambium is missing, and the wound is longish (35cm). It also looks really ugly, and there is, it seems, no chance that it will look nicer in future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rdvaf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, the tree seems fine, and perfectly healthy, the tree is fighting with the wound successfully. The tree is a smallish cherry, less than 4m high, and doesn't grow anymore, it is probably one of ornamental ones. It is an upright tree, not weeping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are chances that the tree will regrow if I cut the trunk at 1.25m? And what about cutting the whole tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If such treatment makes sense, what would be a good time for cutting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option is to plant an evergreen bush just beside the tree just to bring the wound out of sight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-16T19:27:40.580" LastActivityDate="2019-03-02T18:46:52.737" Title="Can cherries be coppiced or cut at 1.20m, and stay alive?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;damage&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36505" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36506" CreationDate="2017-12-16T18:19:34.150" Score="12" ViewCount="778" Body="&lt;p&gt;How does tree sap go up very tall trees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would guess capillarity probably plays an important role; I read online that the production of sap generates CO2 which helps building pressure, but I would like to find a detailed explanation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My girlfriend is reading a book by &lt;em&gt;Peter Wohlleben&lt;/em&gt; called &lt;em&gt;The Hidden Life of Trees&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;This books claims that we do not understand that mechanism, which is something I have a hard time to believe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20456" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-12-16T20:02:24.620" LastActivityDate="2017-12-18T18:27:27.517" Title="How does tree sap go up" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;sap&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36506" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36505" CreationDate="2017-12-16T18:43:19.823" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're right in that an element of capillary action is involved in the process. The usual explanation for how fluids flow through xylem tissue is to do with the interconnected process of transpiration. Fluids are taken in by the root hairs, into the roots, into the xylem, and moved up the plant through the hollow spaces within the xylem known as lumen, rather like a straw or straws. This  link gives more information in regard to this process as well as phloem and translocation, but it's not the most technical link &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_ocr_gateway/green_world/planttransportrev1.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_ocr_gateway/green_world/planttransportrev1.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A more scientific explanation is to do with the nature of water/fluid itself, that is transpiration, cohesion, capillary action and adhesion, and that is explained more clearly here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dummies.com/education/science/biology/how-plants-pull-and-transport-water/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.dummies.com/education/science/biology/how-plants-pull-and-transport-water/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Essentially, transpiration from the leaves acts like you or I sucking on a straw - the higher the rate of transpiration, the more fluid gets drawn up through the lumen in the xylem tissue to the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would just add that not everything is entirely proven or completely known when it comes to living plants, any more than it is with human bodies; when I did my training years ago, we were told it was assumed there were plant hormones that caused certain things to happen, but only some had been proven to exist and named. Over time, of course, many of these suppositions and theories have been proven, but I'm willing to bet not all will have been. But for now, the explanations given in the links above are still taught today, regardless whether anyone has or hasn't actually proven they're 100% accurate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: 'sap' refers to fluids found in both xylem and phloem systems, rather than just that flowing up the plant through the xylem tissue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-16T22:07:37.953" LastActivityDate="2017-12-16T22:07:37.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36507" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36523" CreationDate="2017-12-16T18:56:40.237" Score="6" ViewCount="168" Body="&lt;p&gt;This year I have harvested more seeds than I will use next spring. I plan to vacuum-seal them and I want to know if, except for drying them really well, I should consider anything in particular.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These seeds were harvested from plants that belong to the following genera: Calendula, Celosia, Centaurea, Cosmos, Dianthus, Echinacea, Helianthus, Lavatera, Matricaria, Tropaeolum and Zinnia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-16T20:46:29.633" LastActivityDate="2017-12-18T15:17:24.093" Title="What should I consider before vacuum-sealing seeds for storage?" Tags="&lt;perennials&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;&lt;storage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36508" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-16T20:06:17.920" Score="6" ViewCount="261" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have quite a long lawn with my woodworking workshop at the end. In winter the lawn —like the rest of the UK— becomes quite wet. I still need to get to the workshop. However it's slippery and walking on it, any amount, damages the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In previous years this has resulted in a dead, muddy trodden pathway. As soon as it's visible, our dog also follows this path up and down the garden, adding to the damage. I usually end up reseeding while I'm overseeing in spring and this eventually takes but it's an expensive and boring task.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Short of sticking a physical barrier up and moving it around over Winter —to prevent wearing one particular area— is there anything I can do to improve the prognosis of the lawn? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20458" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T04:36:11.143" Title="How to avoid damaging waterlogged lawn in winter?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;lawn-repair&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36509" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36508" CreationDate="2017-12-16T20:40:01.540" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The answer to not causing damage to the lawn in winter in the UK is not to walk on it, but in your case, that's not an option. There is one other thing you can do though, and that's to lay a hard surface. If you don't want a proper path, then stepping stones will do the job nicely. Find some (preferably non slip) slabs or actual stepping stones you like, then place them on the grass - check they're in the right place, and the right distance apart, by walking over them to get to the end of the garden, and make adjustments to the spacing as necessary. Mark round the edge of each slab with a knife (half moon edger/turf knife will be fine, unless they're round, in which case I recommend a bread knife), lift the slab and cut out the turf to a depth sufficient to accommodate the stepping stone so that it's flush with the lawn (easier for mowing), then settle the slab in place. It's quite handy to have a bit of sand (silver or washed sand) to help with levelling off beneath the slab, if you don't have any spare topsoil anywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the garden and lawn are long but narrow, it looks better to make the stepping stones meander a bit, so they're not in a totally straight line (which will make the garden/lawn look even more narrow). Not so fast to walk along, but aesthetically better. Ongoing, you will need to cut round each slab at least every second year, but preferably once a year and remove any turf growing over the top, which it will do if left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-17T02:24:20.957" LastActivityDate="2017-12-17T02:24:20.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36510" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-16T22:13:59.283" Score="7" ViewCount="38592" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a 5ft areca palm about a month ago. About two weeks after I purchased it, I noticed some leaves had spots and others were turning brown. Initially I thought it was normal but more leaves seem to be showing these symptoms. The palm is indoors, in 70 degree temperature, and sitting about 3 meters from the living room windows (windows face back patio and let in medium sunlight, though doesn't hit palm directly). I water it every other day (about a cup of water) and don't use fertilizer, feed or anything else. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IPWDw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IPWDw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full Palm&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3SebJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3SebJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Brown Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yQQYv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yQQYv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Brown Leaves 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YPZnE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YPZnE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Brown Leaves 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZVYAO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZVYAO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Shrinking Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RNmkU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RNmkU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Brown Spots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KYjPg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KYjPg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Brown/Yellow Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B3Pf4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/B3Pf4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Brown Spots 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20459" LastActivityDate="2020-06-25T08:29:23.913" Title="My Areca Palm is dying" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36511" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36510" CreationDate="2017-12-17T02:20:24.870" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;First thing to do is correct your watering regime - little and often is not a good idea, it's better to let the plant dry out slightly between waterings, and water thoroughly when you do water. If the soil in the pot feels dry to the touch, give it a litre or two of water. If there's any water left in the outer pot after 30 minutes, empty that out so that the palm is not sitting in water. Then repeat this amount of water when the soil on the top of the pot feels dry to the touch, but not so dry it's shrunk from the sides of the pot - probably about once a week might be about right in that sort of temperature, but always check the soil on the top first. If you have a water softener in your home, then don't use tapwater, the sodium left behind in softened water may cause yellowing of the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know where you are in the world -you say you bought your palm a month ago, but if your weather was cold, a bit of transition shock from being purchased, brought home and being moved between cold and hot might have caused some damage to occur. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut out any fronds that are completely brown at the base, and check the whole plant over for anything that shouldn't be there, like a spider mite infestation. More information on how to care for these palms as houseplants can be found in this article: &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/indoor-areca-palm-yellow-leaves-63593.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Indoor Areca Palm: yellow Leaves&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-12-17T10:35:13.170" LastActivityDate="2017-12-17T10:35:13.170" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36512" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36514" CreationDate="2017-12-17T03:40:28.883" Score="5" ViewCount="470" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife is trying to identify this flowering plant and thinks it's an impatiens, but the number of visible petals (4), and the yellow bit in the middle, makes me feel that's not quite right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What do you think?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Click on these pictures to see larger versions. They're also available in my &lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/VAvry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;online album&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yqDBs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yqDBsm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0PRaq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0PRaqm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c84Um.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c84Umm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/alN2p.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/alN2pm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rOb7V.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rOb7Vm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20462" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-17T21:46:53.793" LastActivityDate="2017-12-30T22:12:56.730" Title="Is this houseplant with flowers that have pink petals and a yellow center, and reddish stems, an impatiens?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36513" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36508" CreationDate="2017-12-17T04:36:28.883" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your lawn is that wet then concrete or stones will be slick as well. The best answer is a gravel walkway. I can help with the form, it should not be a straight line but it should also be very functional.  The edges formed with pressure treated 2X4 or 'Treks' a plastic dimensional lumber that works very well.  Dig out your walkway, wider and larger at the beginning and at the end at your work shop. Dig down 4&quot;, edge with 2X4's pressure treated or perhaps 'Treks' a plastic dimensional lumber unit and stakes.  The top level with the soil level of the lawn, lay landscape fabric down and install 3/8 minus crushed gravel or even 5/8 minus gravel (gray please).  4&quot; deep and compact with a rented compactor.  It will be there forever and always be free of water and slipperyness. The edging will gray and that is very good. Do not paint or get fancy.  Just use gray for edging and gravel.  Really need to see a plan view of what you've got going and a few elevations (start with 50 and go up or down as necessary to show difference in elevation).  Stepping stones made with broom finish concrete chunks from broken up concrete walks would work well.  Placed so that you can easily step from one to the other evenly.  Assuming you have a deck or main walkway to begin, I would make an area 5' wide, start at 90 degrees from the main walk, angle to the left or right and continue straight for at least 10 or 20 feet, change the angle again to go to your workspace and before you get there repeat what you did at the beginning backwards...changing the straight path to angle at the same angle as before and continuing on for 10 or 20 feet to widen to 5' again when reaching your work area.  The main width of the path should be 3'wide.  If you want to do curves, then you need to learn to score the 2X4's to curve between the stakes that hold the 2X4's in place. The top of the 2X4's will be slightly above the level of the 4&quot; of gravel surface of your walk. &#xA;.&#xA;Gravel is beautiful and the most inexpensive way to create a safe and sturdy walk.  A board walk is beautiful and fun but very expensive. And wood gets slippery. I can help with clarification on specifications if this sounds like it might fit the bill.  Remember, the surface of the gravel, your walk will be almost level, sloping slightly towards the natural slope.  2X4's might not be wide enough to afford that level surface with 3 feet wide walkway.  Narrower would only work using flagstone or broken concrete slabs.  Even those need a gravel/sand base and leveled.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SW8gl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SW8gl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;gravel walkway 5/8 minus, 3/8 minus is better looking &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-17T04:36:28.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36514" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36512" CreationDate="2017-12-17T06:54:38.893" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;No, this is not an impatiens - they would show five petals or more.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What we are looking at here is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begonia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;begonia&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tell-tale characteristics are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Asymmetrical leaves.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The pattern of four petals with two larger ones and two smaller ones across.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thick waxy stems with somewhat bamboo-ish joints.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plants look a bit worse for wear, so I'm hesitant to give a detailed id.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-12-17T06:54:38.893" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36515" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36517" CreationDate="2017-12-17T06:55:12.873" Score="6" ViewCount="111" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me that this pruning cut left too much of the branch that was cut:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hcZBp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kPPWY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I cut again closer to the trunk?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I perhaps fill the hole in the center with something?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a sign of any serious illness?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: New photos:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UzCdd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7WfTt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IVcC0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3gZwI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-17T16:09:34.433" LastActivityDate="2017-12-17T19:36:53.493" Title="Should I redo this pruning cut?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36516" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36505" CreationDate="2017-12-17T09:16:03.610" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trees used to be able to grow much much taller than they've been able to for the past couple of millennia.  I was finally able to locate a decent article which explains in detail the reasons for growth upwards and sideways:  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.researchgate.net/publication/43253577_Hydraulic_Limits_to_Tree_Height_and_Tree_Growth&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hydraulic Limits to Tree Height and tree growth&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-12-18T18:27:27.517" LastActivityDate="2017-12-18T18:27:27.517" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36517" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36515" CreationDate="2017-12-17T19:36:53.493" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;The cut is fine but the tree has or will have issues.  You can see that there is already interior decay in the heartwood of the tree. As stormy indicates water will enter the wound and decay will continue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not put tar on the wound or do anything else.  Research has shown further action with &lt;a href=&quot;https://cals.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/pruningsealants.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;sealants&lt;/a&gt; is harmful to the tree as this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/5044/499&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt; indicates.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the plus side you have created a new home for wildlife.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-12-17T19:36:53.493" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36518" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-18T09:15:53.887" Score="3" ViewCount="302" Body="&lt;p&gt;All I know is that the tree is small (2m), is grafted at 1m, has (or can be pruned into) 'globosum' habit, and have such leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PXvGu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another picture: (the trees in question are in the group in the middle):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CgB9m.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/CgB9m.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you guess the species name or at least point me towards its genus until I can upload pictures for this tree's other characteristics?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;New photos, sunny April day:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dwk6W.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dwk6W.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/blOBp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/blOBp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uWTBP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uWTBP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/31hBi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/31hBi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ql5k6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ql5k6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some leaves have most unusual 'nipples', never saw such leaves before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-22T06:17:05.967" LastActivityDate="2018-04-22T06:17:05.967" Title="What is this ornamental tree with coarsely serrated leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;ornamental-plant&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="15" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36519" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-18T09:32:15.787" Score="3" ViewCount="39" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found on the Internet that the fungal disease phytophthora dieback can be treated with phosphonates. I am asking how effective this treatment is. If it's not very effective, is there any other effective treatment? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20455" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-12-18T09:57:46.937" LastActivityDate="2017-12-18T09:57:46.937" Title="How effective is a phosphonate treatment for phytophthora dieback?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36520" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36521" CreationDate="2017-12-18T10:35:16.437" Score="25" ViewCount="5866" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in a wet climate and the house I currently reside in gathers a lot of moisture on the windows, this is due to no ventilation on the windows among other factors. We are only renting so I'm looking for an alternative. I know I could just buy a dehumidifier, but what fun would that be?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I'm looking for is a plant or flower, anything, that acts like a natural dehumidifier. What I want to achieve is to reduce the moisture by putting plants on the windows or around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16946" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2017-12-18T10:55:00.303" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T05:01:06.073" Title="What house plants or flowers act like a dehumidifier" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36521" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36520" CreationDate="2017-12-18T10:52:08.853" Score="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;With plants, you would be doing yourself a disservice. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The average potted plant takes up moisture (water, salts and other substances from the soil) from the soil with their roots and a significant part of this water is expelled by the leaves and &lt;em&gt;evaporates&lt;/em&gt;. In short, the plant acts like a &lt;strong&gt;humidifier&lt;/strong&gt;. This is why we water our plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How much water a plant will bring into the air depends on the plant, which has adapted to its natural habitat via evolution - where a cactus will do its best to minimize evaporation, my &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosera&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;sundews&lt;/a&gt; literally &quot;pump&quot; water from their boggy pots into the &quot;dew&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are plants that don't show this mechanism, because they don't have such roots, e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tillandsiae&lt;/a&gt; and some orchids. But even they can not simply draw water from the surrounding air, they rely on regular dew or rainfall for their water needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Conclusion:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Either find a way to vent your rooms or buy a dehumidifier.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-12-18T10:52:08.853" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36522" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36478" CreationDate="2017-12-18T11:41:56.523" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are a few things you could do that would work; one would be a 'dry well' that collects the water to slowly be dispersed into the ground without creating mud out of the surface.  This is pretty easy; dig a big trench in the middle of that lawn 10'X 2', install landscape fabric, fill with rounded cobble or 1 1/2&quot; drain rock.  Cover with landscape fabric and then more cobble. The water has a place to go, collect and still be allowed to filter through to the ground water system.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A little more expensive but not much would be turning this area into a graveled surface, 4&quot; deep, using landscape fabric below the gravel. Rent a sod cutter, take out all of the sod (use that soil, mud and grass for creating plant beds), dig down another 2&quot; use that soil on top of the piles of sod you've made into plant beds, use pt 2X4's secured with stakes where you need a clean edge, lay the landscape fabric down, install the gravel (5/8 or 3/8 minus crushed gravel no larger), use a compactor that you can rent and you'll have a nice new clean and usable outdoor room. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BevcP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BevcP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;gravel and cobble aren&amp;#39;t boring&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vo8eO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vo8eO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;a dry well to drain a front yard that used to be a mucky mess&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VYIFf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VYIFf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;removed entire lawn elk were constantly ruining and put in gravel&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-18T11:41:56.523" CommentCount="15" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36523" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36507" CreationDate="2017-12-18T15:17:24.093" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The enemies of seeds are: heat, light and humidity, by controlling these you can store some seeds for many years.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Keep seeds at a cool to cold temperature of 40 degrees or less.&#xA;Avoid fluctuations in temperature such as a garage or storeroom that is cold in winter but blazing hot in summer.&#xA;Avoid light and never store seeds in direct sunlight or a well lit room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16946" LastActivityDate="2017-12-18T15:17:24.093" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36524" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="21751" CreationDate="2017-12-18T15:44:37.753" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are plenty of organic versions you could use that will not leave a bad taste, you could just flush out the soil before harvesting and make sure all the foliage is washed carefully before eating/consuming. below is some recipes iv used in the past...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Eucalyptus Oil&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A great natural pesticide for flies, bees, and wasps. Simply sprinkle a few drops of eucalyptus oil where the insects are found. They will all be gone before you know it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Salt Spray&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For treating plants infested with spider mites, mix two tablespoons of Himalayan Crystal Salt into one gallon of warm water and spray on infected areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Onion and Garlic Spray&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mince one organic clove of garlic and one medium sized organic onion. Add to a quart of water. Wait one hour and then add one teaspoon of cayenne pepper and one tablespoon of liquid soap to the mix. This organic spray will hold its potency for one week if stored in the refrigerator. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16946" LastActivityDate="2017-12-18T15:44:37.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36525" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36533" CreationDate="2017-12-18T18:54:27.357" Score="3" ViewCount="136" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have five &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_ligularis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;granadilla (Passiflora ligularis)&lt;/a&gt; grown from seed this year. How long does it take for them to bloom and bear fruit, assuming they receive proper light and watering?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T11:49:53.613" Title="How old should a seed-grown Passiflora ligularis be to set fruit?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;fruits&gt;&lt;vines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36526" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-18T19:05:10.417" Score="8" ViewCount="1032" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure of the name of this plant. It doesn't grow too quickly, maybe one or two inches each year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the growth in the bottom picture a root? Can I clone this plant from that? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Click on the pictures to see closer views.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vtolrl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vtolrl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/19qAkl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/19qAkl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;possible root &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16946" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T00:57:36.663" LastActivityDate="2017-12-29T13:10:37.670" Title="Are these growths on my houseplant roots?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36527" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36520" CreationDate="2017-12-18T19:33:36.363" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;While you may not get the de-humidifier action from them most cacti, many tropical leaf plants and some blooming tropical plants can live off nothing more then the water in the air in a humid environment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It won't stop your windows from dewing up, it would allow you to have quite a few low maintenance plants. Just make sure to talk to the nursery about the plant's needs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example a Cactus may not more water then naturally condenses on it's pot, but that may only be true in environments with 80% RH. Your house may have 60% and the windows still dew up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20468" LastActivityDate="2017-12-18T19:33:36.363" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36528" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36496" CreationDate="2017-12-19T02:18:09.693" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tapped 2 silver maples that were roughly a foot in diameter. I put 3 each 1/2&quot; diameter titanium tubes in each ; about 1.5 &quot; deep ( steel ,aluminum or brass tubes will work fine). You need to go deeper than the bark. The juice will be a very fast, almost continuous drip on a GOOD day , a gallon per tube. A good day is when the temp is in the teens at night then the day is sunny and in the 30's. When the temp is in the 40's day and night you won't get much juice. The juice stops automatically when the sap starts and the buds swell. Then pull out the metal tubes. After you boil off about 90% of the water, let it sit overnight, a white layer will settle , pour off the juice and boil until it is syrup . I boiled one gallon to one cup ( 16 : 1). I read the cloudiness/ white layer is protein.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T02:18:09.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36529" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36520" CreationDate="2017-12-19T05:01:06.073" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;A technical version of @Stephanie's answer: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transpiration&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transpiration&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Transpiration is the process of &lt;strong&gt;water movement through a plant&lt;/strong&gt; and its &lt;strong&gt;evaporation from aerial parts&lt;/strong&gt;, such as leaves, stems and flowers. Water is necessary for plants but &lt;strong&gt;only a small amount of water taken up by the roots is used for growth and metabolism&lt;/strong&gt;. The remaining &lt;strong&gt;97–99.5% is lost&lt;/strong&gt; by transpiration and guttation&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Guttation is the &lt;strong&gt;exudation of drops of xylem sap on the tips or edges of leaves&lt;/strong&gt; of some vascular plants, such as grasses. Guttation is not to be confused with dew, which condenses from the atmosphere onto the plant surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's why hothouses are so humid...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20472" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T05:01:06.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36530" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36526" CreationDate="2017-12-19T06:47:46.697" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;To clone this plant using that 'adventitious root' with photosynthesizing leaves  will most certainly work.  Are you wanting to grow another plant or would you like to make sure this one survives?  Your pictures are very fuzzy. Is the mother plant healthy? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am thinking that Bamboo's ID is closer than my original,marginata. Massangeana is closer if not perfect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I am now just seeing that this shoot is at the end of the live trunk.  I would cut the entire piece of the end of this trunk from which this baby plant is sprouting, dip in rooting powder and place in firmed potting soil to grow to maturity.  This is already a CLONE.  It has the differentiated cells of roots and photosynthesizing material...all ready to go.  Easy, you can't go wrong.  Sorry, I didn't notice this start was at the end of a main trunk.  Corn plant does this regularly.  If you chopped off a main branch this would happen right away.  Just cutting the 1 or 2 inches off the end of this branch to remove this start to be grown as an individual will cause more of these starts further down this branch/trunk as well as enervating other nodes on nearby branches. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant in firmed potting soil in a 4&quot; pot with hole at bottom...Keep the top 1/4 inch of potting soil moist not wet, no fertilizer yet. Cover for a week with saran wrap plastic.  When you see roots coming out of the bottom in a few months, I would up pot to a 6&quot; pot.  This plant likes being root bound and it should be happy in this 6&quot; for months if enough light. Keep it out of direct sunlight or it will fry. Open the plastic to exchange the air.  Light 18 hours with 6 hours of darkness.  Best done with real grow lights.  If you don't have enough light this plant will not be able to make enough food for energy for repairs, growth.  This is a great project that you should easy have success with...Bamboo's ID is correct, I humbly think!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=images&amp;amp;cd=&amp;amp;cad=rja&amp;amp;uact=8&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwj0x-bH-5nYAhUOw2MKHQfHCZ8QjRwIBw&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.co.uk%2FIndoor-House-Office-Dracaena-Massangeana%2Fdp%2FB00ESZXGWW&amp;amp;psig=AOvVaw0GYbAQZ_nNtbRy00939L-i&amp;amp;ust=1513904873840472&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dracaena massangeana&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T01:37:13.447" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T01:37:13.447" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36531" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="49336" CreationDate="2017-12-19T09:32:32.707" Score="4" ViewCount="246" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an &lt;em&gt;Euonymus europaeus&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, it appears its growth is stunted - it consists of only one weak looking main branch (I really can't call it a trunk) with several smaller branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no visible damage, or illness. It is just so small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I help this bush achieve its full potential?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a picture from wikimedia of a full grown euonymus:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Argentr%C3%A9-du-Plessis_-_Euonymus_europaeus_-_20111104_%282%29.JPG/1024px-Argentr%C3%A9-du-Plessis_-_Euonymus_europaeus_-_20111104_%282%29.JPG&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Argentr%C3%A9-du-Plessis_-_Euonymus_europaeus_-_20111104_(2).JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Argentr%C3%A9-du-Plessis_-_Euonymus_europaeus_-&lt;em&gt;20111104&lt;/em&gt;(2).JPG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just imagine 1/30th of the bush in the picture - that is my bush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I should say that it is situated in part shade area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: I know there is a similar question: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/110/best-help-for-a-tree-with-stunted-growth&quot;&gt;Best help for a tree with stunted growth?&lt;/a&gt; I hope I can get more advice specific to this bush.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I perhaps cut it to the ground? Or only add some natural fertilizer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-20T05:07:41.207" LastActivityDate="2020-07-03T06:04:50.423" Title="Is there a way to help a stunted Euonymus europaeus grow more?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36532" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36551" CreationDate="2017-12-19T10:02:33.117" Score="5" ViewCount="266" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does planting a tree in a boggy ground make that ground less boggy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a kind of follow up to another question: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/36478/how-can-i-improve-drainage-in-a-rainy-area-lawn-with-little-manual-labour&quot;&gt;How can I improve drainage in a rainy area lawn with little manual labour?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T15:17:55.897" Title="Making boggy ground less boggy and planting trees" Tags="&lt;drainage&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36533" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36525" CreationDate="2017-12-19T11:49:53.613" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on your cultivar and your climate. In this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-passionfruit.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; they say (quote:)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How long does passionfruit take to fruit?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;That depends on several factors. The tropical varieties fruit quicker&#xA;  then the purple passionfruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Any passionfruit will reach maturity sooner if growing in a warmer&#xA;  climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;A passionfruit vine planted in spring fruits sooner than a&#xA;  passionfruit planted in autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In ideal conditions (early spring planting in the tropics) you can get&#xA;  fruit within six months. Autumn planting in a cooler climate means you&#xA;  may have to wait for over 12 months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to the article I refer to, the plant (vine) is a fast grower, so ideally when you plant them next spring you'll have fruit within 6 months. That is theory of course. Probably your plant has to be large enough first, which may take a year (or more). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T11:49:53.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36534" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36526" CreationDate="2017-12-19T13:23:32.143" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is definitively a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/yucca&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Yucca elephantipes&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Not &lt;em&gt;Dracaena&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is indeed an air root coming out of it. However, this plant is one of the easiest to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIsYqmhKo_I&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;propagate&lt;/a&gt;, you can just cut of the top of the stem or your rooted shoot and put it in the ground. No hormones or sterile soil needed. Also without these air roots it will work out fine, just make the soil not too moist (it will cause rot). I have done this many times with my own Yuccas. You can even cut the main stem in pieces (of ~10 cm) and put them in the ground, they will all grow into new plants. From my own experience, best time to propagate is in spring time, not now during the winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is very easy to keep and maintain, the only tricky part is watering it too much. The roots will then rot. Furthermore, try to dust the leaves off once in a while. You can do that with a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-clean-houseplant-leaves-1403206&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;damp cloth&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-12-29T13:10:37.670" LastActivityDate="2017-12-29T13:10:37.670" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36535" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24903" CreationDate="2017-12-19T14:45:28.077" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've used a product called Aluminet here in Phoenix, AZ. It's a shade cloth available in a variety of shade levels. It reflects some light and diffuses the light passing through, so it' different than just regular shade cloth or greenhouse shade paint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've used 50% shade when growing cactus and it works quite well, in my opinion. I don't have a greenhouse though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T14:45:28.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36536" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-19T16:27:22.003" Score="3" ViewCount="45" Body="&lt;p&gt;My room has two small Aloe Vera, one huge Peace Lily and tiny peace lily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there way to calculate how much oxygen they're creating or are there any &lt;strong&gt;consumer&lt;/strong&gt; devices to measure the levels in the air?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20475" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T16:27:22.003" Title="Is it possible to calculate how much Oxygen plants release indoors" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="8" ClosedDate="2017-12-22T13:13:02.957" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36537" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-19T16:46:42.693" Score="3" ViewCount="684" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of the leaves on my flowering Camellia have yellow patches on them. The discoloration is only on new growth on the south-facing side of the shrub. Some of the leaves show physical damage, but others don't. The Camellia was here when I bought the house, so I don't know what variety it is, but it has pink double flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is causing this? If it's something that I need to treat, how do I do that?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click any image for full size&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KBX26.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KBX26m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oA8lY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oA8lYm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZlK6f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZlK6fm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JYA1e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JYA1em.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="26" LastActivityDate="2019-03-09T22:13:34.097" Title="What is causing yellow discoloration on the leaves of my Camellia?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;camellia&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36538" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36537" CreationDate="2017-12-19T16:53:27.507" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like camelia mosaic virus to me, sometimes called camellia yellow mottle.  As far as I know, there isn't anything to do about it, but on the other hand it doesn't seem to be vary harmful to the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T16:53:27.507" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36540" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36478" CreationDate="2017-12-19T17:03:58.093" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Adding Organic matter is not a permanent solution, I would advice adding some fine material like sand might help air out the ground it worked for me....Also try adding more shrubs to try draw up the extra moisture  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20465" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T17:03:58.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36541" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-19T17:18:46.987" Score="3" ViewCount="180" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm giving oyster mushrooms a go, growing in coffee grinds in a plastic bag. Having an air filter in a bag, like the ones in purpose made mushroom bags, is a recommended technique.&#xA;What if I used a vacuum cleaner bag ? These allow air passage and also filter out small particles. Workable idea ?&#xA;I bought some that have a synthetic inner layer that I don't think the mushrooms would consume. What about maintaining a good moisture level by just spraying the absorbent bag ?&#xA;I'm a noob so let me know if these are bad ideas. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20476" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T01:42:16.153" Title="Grow oyster mushrooms in vacuum cleaner bags?" Tags="&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36542" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36541" CreationDate="2017-12-19T19:15:51.813" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could be working, however I recommend caution, since filtering properties may be very different between the two, even though they look the same or very similar to human eye.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, who knows what chemicals are inside vacuum cleaner bags? The problem is that they are supposed to be disposed, nobody predicted mushroom production applications.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All in all, a good idea from the standpoint of creativity, but most likely not so good from practical and safety standpoint.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T19:15:51.813" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36543" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23456" CreationDate="2017-12-19T20:32:07.213" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it is really fungus that you see, and not just root hairs, it could be the symbiosis between the plant and the fungus which is called (arbuscular) &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhiza&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mycorrhiza&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant gets minerals from the fungus, and gives in return sugar back. Wheat and many crops need this symbiosis, so you don't have to remove it, it is part of how wheat grows properly. The association is mutualistic, which means both benefit from the partnership.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the fluffy white stuff is probably root hairs, but is not very good visible on the picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-12-19T21:57:35.047" LastActivityDate="2017-12-19T21:57:35.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36544" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36541" CreationDate="2017-12-19T22:10:41.670" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Normally you want to sterilize the substrate in a pressure cooker so those mushroom bags are designed to withstand pressure cooking for the 90 minutes required.  I suspect a vacuum cleaning bag is both more expensive than the 60c some charge for mushroom bags and not as robust.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Coffee grinds are insufficient on their own to grow oyster mushrooms successfully. You need more carbon added to the mix.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to sterilize coffee grounds as otherwise you'll just grow trichoderma.  You don't need to sterilize straw as trichoderma doesn't grow that well on straw and so pasteurization is sufficient. (The same applies to cardboard which can just be boiled.)  That leaves enough good bugs alive to combat any pathogens that might want to colonize the straw.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-12-20T01:42:16.153" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T01:42:16.153" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36545" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36548" CreationDate="2017-12-20T02:23:04.583" Score="4" ViewCount="109" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently acquired this plant from a friend. I just need help identifying what type of bonsai/ plant this is. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nKMTU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nKMTU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Unknown bonsai&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20481" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-20T06:05:58.337" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T09:26:23.593" Title="Please help me ID this bonsai?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36546" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36508" CreationDate="2017-12-20T04:11:46.333" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you still want lawn, definitely try a plastic mesh that goes &quot;around&quot; the grass, and supports your walking (or even a vehicle's tire) on the grass without crushing &amp;amp; damaging the grass itself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They appear to have several different names, like: turf support cell, grass reinforcement mesh, Permeable Pavers, Drive-On Grass, Grass Surfaced Parking Foundation, Permeable grass... but the main idea is to allow a lot of foot or vehicle traffic without damaging the grass.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The real problem might be your water issues, you might want to change the slope of the area to move water away anyway, or at least dig up that section of lawn and put some gravel or sand drainage underneath  and that would be a good time to put a path of &quot;mesh&quot; down. But some types look like they might work as a drop-on-top-of-the-lawn solution. Some are definitely more visible than others, but the ease of &quot;drop it and walk on it&quot; is the trade-off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u9U5m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u9U5m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.planetplastics.in/reinforcement-mesh.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IGtaC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IGtaC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.planetplastics.in/reinforcement-mesh.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thisoldhouse.com/watch/ask-toh-table-grass-paver&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;This Old House&lt;/a&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99-c1TRffhI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;on youtube too&lt;/a&gt;) used the dig &amp;amp; fill kind of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ndspro.com/permeable-pavers&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;NDS Permeable Paver&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20483" LastEditorUserId="20483" LastEditDate="2017-12-20T04:36:11.143" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T04:36:11.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36547" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36549" CreationDate="2017-12-20T07:09:12.917" Score="2" ViewCount="1714" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a mango seed six weeks ago, the seed itself turned green and it seems to me I can see a root forming down into the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yet after all this time there is no sprout coming up. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm a bit afraid to take it out of the soil and damaging the seed that way, while still thinking it might already be too late for the seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am in a rather colder climate but the pot is on the radiator.&#xA;I have planted it directly in soil, I have kept the soil moist and there is no mold or anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any tips on how to proceed with this or should I just accept the defeat?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20484" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-12-20T07:19:37.303" LastActivityDate="2019-06-12T14:34:52.240" Title="Why is my mango seed turning green but not sprouting?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36548" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36545" CreationDate="2017-12-20T09:12:21.973" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is &lt;a href=&quot;https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/podocarpus-macrophyllus-var-maki/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Podocarpus macrophyllus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or Buhddist pine. This species is very suitable for bonsai. Try to keep your tree small, yours has large leafs now, but you would like to keep them small (by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/styling/pruning&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pruning and shaping&lt;/a&gt; it). ideally you would like to shape it into something like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaiboy.com/catalog/product4740.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does your tree get enough light? It is placed next to the window, right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-12-20T09:26:23.593" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T09:26:23.593" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36549" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36547" CreationDate="2017-12-20T09:59:54.410" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Green just means that the seed has been accumulating the necessary amount of heat and light and air required to further germinate it forward.  you can germinate this sort of seed without putting into soil so you can keep any eye on the process, simply place the seed in some water along with some heat/light&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16946" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T09:59:54.410" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36550" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="27233" CreationDate="2017-12-20T10:27:55.827" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Be careful not to remove the brown skin on the pit – that’s the seed cover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some avocado pits are slightly oblong, whereas others are shaped almost like perfect spheres – but all avocado pits have a bottom (from where the roots will grow), and a top (from which the sprout will grow). The slightly pointier end is the top, and the flat end is the bottom. In order to get your pit to sprout, you will need to place the bottom root end in water, so it’s very important to figure out which end is the ‘top’ and which is the ‘bottom’ before you go piercing it with toothpicks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Place seed half-submerged in a glass of water&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And set on a quiet windowsill with sunlight. It’s helpful to use a clear glass so you can easily see when roots start to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many guides say sprouting can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks, but in my experience, it usually takes at least 8 weeks to get a sprout,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;you can leave the pit out aslong as it doesn't dry out to much, you must keep the conditions right. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16946" LastEditorUserId="16946" LastEditDate="2017-12-20T10:48:42.660" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T10:48:42.660" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36551" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36532" CreationDate="2017-12-20T12:49:26.637" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been researching some stuff for my own garden and came across these two links which might be of use to you (I am certainly going to try some of there methods):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/landscaping-ideas-boggy-ground-26546.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Landscaping Ideas for Boggy Ground&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The above article, describes 3 methods to solving the problem, Water-loving trees, shrubs and ground-covers.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ground-covers:&lt;/strong&gt;  e.g. Carex caryophyllea, Matteuccia pennsylvanica; ornamental grasses also spread quickly and soak up excess water.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;shrubs:&lt;/strong&gt; e.g. Cornus sericea, Ilex glabra, &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;trees:&lt;/strong&gt; e.g. Magnolia virginiana, Betula nigra, Salix babylonica&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please feel free to add any species to the list.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/garden/454435/Grow-bog-plants-and-moisture-lovers-to-stop-your-garden-flooding&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Liquid assets: Grow bog plants and moisture lovers to stop garden floods&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The article above is from a well known British gardener, Alan Titchmarsh, what he is saying is that instead of dealing with the boggy problem introduce moisture loving plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also quoted was about to site and situation, &quot;Most moisture-loving plants need a sunny situation so if your problem patch is in partial shade, your choice will be more limited. &quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;He also talks about soil preparation, direct quote from the article.  &quot;If the area is boggy all year round, work in lots of well-rotted compost or peat-free soil improver any time between now and planting time in spring. This incorporates air spaces and improves the moisture-holding capacity so it won’t dry out in summer. Improve the texture of heavy clay by digging in a bucketful of organic matter per square yard.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to answer your question yes you can plant some moisture loving plants to soak up that excess moisture&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-20T15:17:55.897" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T15:17:55.897" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36552" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36556" CreationDate="2017-12-20T15:42:48.337" Score="6" ViewCount="6138" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did not have time to dig out the purple potatoes I've planted during the spring, now it's early winter, not much frost is expected in this area. Will they survive if I leave them in the soil and will they grow in the spring again? Shall I dig them out now? Shall I harvest them during next summer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1613" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T18:45:23.093" LastActivityDate="2019-06-09T01:54:29.830" Title="Potatoes left in the soil for winter" Tags="&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36553" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36554" CreationDate="2017-12-20T15:45:17.207" Score="3" ViewCount="402" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there any way to attract white stork (Ciconia ciconia) to a garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found this on the internet, but without much further info: A &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ciconia_ciconia_juv_small.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wikimedia&lt;/a&gt; photo of a man-made structure for stork's nest: (is it necessary to construct this to attract storks? is it effective?)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/88Wan.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/88Wan.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2020-06-15T15:05:37.113" Title="How to attract white stork (Ciconia ciconia) to a garden?" Tags="&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36554" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36553" CreationDate="2017-12-20T15:56:21.793" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to build a Stork nest, you have to take a few things into consideration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do Storks live in your area?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Are there enough food and resources in the neighborhood?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is it possible to build a nest where the birds can freely fly into? No obstacles?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The nest is usually build on a pole of 4-6 meters, depending on obstacles in vicinity. I have seen nests which were nothing more than a pole with a old wooden cart wheel on it. Storks normally return to Europe in February, so be sure to put your nest up before that time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-12-20T16:24:27.713" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T16:24:27.713" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36555" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36552" CreationDate="2017-12-20T16:15:31.107" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The stem and leaves die at -2°C (28°F), so it's unlikely they will make it until spring. Also, soil humidity might help the tubers to rot, so in my opinion you won't have much to harvest after the winter passes.&#xA;If the soil isn't frozen and if the stems are alive, you still have a chance to harvest them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T16:15:31.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36556" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36552" CreationDate="2017-12-20T16:55:42.417" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, they will growth again. Potatoes are the winter house of potato plant (&lt;em&gt;Solanum tuberosum&lt;/em&gt;). But you will have too many plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think in spring, you should harvest them and replant some of them (as the original distance).  If you will do this early in spring, you can eventually eat the rest of potatoes, you should check visually that they are still full and no green parts. This was a &quot;traditional&quot; way to store potatoes (and other vegetables) in winter: putting them under dirt/sable.  But usually it is done inside, humid but not wet. So you should check.  In any case, you can use all of them as seed potato, for next harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T16:55:42.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36557" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36566" CreationDate="2017-12-20T18:46:09.153" Score="6" ViewCount="398" Body="&lt;p&gt;I built a two-stage compost bin with pallet wood and cedar. Each stage is one cubic yard. I have been adding food scraps and leaves to the first stage since the spring, and there is currently about half a bin full of material. I was planning to follow &lt;a href=&quot;http://fullcirclecompost.com/3-pile-backyard-compost-system/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this guide on how to transition among stages&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Rhode Island, and in preparation for the winter, I am wondering if I should transition half of stage one to stage two now as the guide suggests (even though there is not as much material as I thought there would be at this point), or if I should let the half-cubic-yard sit and become stage 2 while I add new material to the other stage, or if I should just keep adding raw material to the first stage until I reach a full cubic yard of material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If possible, I was hoping to have some useful compost for planting in the spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: I left almost all the material in stage one (the older stage), just put one shovel's worth of it into the other stage where I'm adding new material. Then I stirred and covered stage one with about 3 layers of insulation batts from a grocery delivery service, pictured below, and I mostly left it alone for the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pf3wo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pf3wo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;insulation batts&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to have progressed a bit, hard to tell though. Here's how the pile looks as of 4/14/18.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WvVc8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WvVc8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;compost in stage one&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15725" LastEditorUserId="15725" LastEditDate="2018-04-14T19:16:49.777" LastActivityDate="2018-04-14T19:16:49.777" Title="How to transition among compost stages in a multi-stage bin" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36558" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-20T19:00:25.413" Score="1" ViewCount="767" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know approximate cost for doing root collar excavation on trees? We have several &quot;mulch volcanoes&quot;. Plenty of info on the internet about using an airspade or air knife and removing the girdling roots, but I'm trying to get a sense of what it would cost and not seeing anything come up in google. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20487" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T21:36:34.467" Title="Root collar excavation cost" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2017-12-25T15:47:33.003" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36560" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-20T23:24:46.140" Score="4" ViewCount="1216" Body="&lt;p&gt;Our condo complex has three very large Mexican Fan Palms that are dripping sap and shedding seeds that are very sticky. Our parking lot is coated in these seeds, they get tracked in and stick to everything. The sap has ruined my car cover (better than my paint, right?) We've lived here for a long time and this has never happened before, at least to anything near this extent.&#xA;Anyway, what is causing this mess and how to we prevent it from continuing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20488" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T23:51:57.113" Title="Palm tree droppings, sap and seeds" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36561" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36560" CreationDate="2017-12-20T23:39:17.310" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Palms most likely have a scale insect infestation, and it's been a particularly heavy infestation this year, which would explain why there's so much of a problem this time round. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The difficulty is treating the scale insect, because you describe the trees as large; horticultural oil or neem oil sprays will help, but repeated treatments will be necessary, Whether it's possible to carry out the treatment, I don't know, it will likely require a determined person, a long ladder and a face mask, but more information here (although its aimed at palms as houseplants, the same problem occurs outdoors in areas warm enough to grow these outside) &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/palms/sticky-palm-tree-leaves-treatment-for-palm-scale.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/palms/sticky-palm-tree-leaves-treatment-for-palm-scale.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other (less  likely) possibility is a problem with the trunks, namely, a bacterial infection, but you should be able to see that quite clearly just by looking - there will be dark areas with obvious oozing from the trunks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-20T23:51:57.113" LastActivityDate="2017-12-20T23:51:57.113" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36562" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36557" CreationDate="2017-12-20T23:40:58.643" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;To the question of &quot;should transition half of stage one to stage two now as the guide suggests?&quot; I'd say: sure, try doing it. You have nothing to lose since the alternative is that the pile won't be ready for spring anyway :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like you'll have 2 bins that are one quarter full, which is pretty small. There's a risk, especially in a cold climate, that there won't be enough heat in the piles to decompose quickly or completely kill pathogens and weed-seeds. I believe the goal of leaving half of the pile in the original bin is that it leaves behind some active microbial life to more quickly break down the new things you add to that bin. If that is the goal of the strategy page you mention, it's not really necessary to leave behind 1/2 of the content. You could move 90% of the content from the first bin to the second to help the second bin have enough mass to really build up heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moving the compost to the new bin will turn it over and ensure that pieces and sections that aren't decomposing quickly now will have a chance to get in a new environment that does decompose them more quickly. For example, it's common to get homogeneous clumps of just leaves or some other single material that will not break down well in the middle. The sections of the pile on the sidewalls and at the corners of the bin are less likely to get to the heat and moisture needed to compost them, so mixing it fully by moving it to the new bin will help accelerate the process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The worst possible outcome is that the pile is too small and doesn't progress far enough by spring time to be usable in the garden. But...if you don't split some out now then that problem is already very likely to happen so you might as well give it a try.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19351" LastEditorUserId="19351" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T22:17:25.007" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T22:17:25.007" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36563" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-21T01:04:54.853" Score="4" ViewCount="97" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a tree in front of my place and it is having hard time due to the weather shifts.  I have been looking all over the internet to try to identify it so that I can get the right fertilizer for it.  I was hoping someone could help. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3LHbq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3LHbq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20489" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T08:35:39.590" Title="Please help me identify this tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36564" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36563" CreationDate="2017-12-21T01:55:59.087" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.public.asu.edu/~camartin/plants/Plant%20html%20files/Schefflera%20leaves.JPG&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Schefflera tree&lt;/a&gt; Based on my assumptions I am going to give this at least the genus name: Schefflera...tree.  This is an indoor plant where I have lived. Small.  Makes great Bonsai. You must be in a nice warm and sunny place, yes?  The species name shall be coming along shortly by someone.  You lucky dog.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That mold on your stucco is a big problem. It means bacteria are decomposing that siding.  Keeping the siding dry, no matter what kind of siding, will mean your siding won't have to be replaced, repaired too soon.  Need a picture of the entire 'tree/large shrub'.  Probably recommend cutting that entire branch shading/touching your stucco siding off the main trunk of this plant.  Planted this close to the foundation in some tropical area is not the problem that it is in higher latitudes.  But you'll want to remove that branch and clean the siding/stucco and then repaint with primer and and then paint with mildewcide.  I'd do the entire wall or house with that kind of paint.  Dying to hear where it is you live!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to fertilizer we need to know how long you have been the owner of this plant, has this plant looked better in the past?  Is this on the North side of your home? Do you know the previous owners?  Need more pictures especially of the soil and trunk interface, other plants nearby, the condition of the soil bed, why you think fertilizer is a problem (if it hasn't had any fertilizer at all it could use a balanced, extended release fertilizer at least once per year).  Is there lawn nearby that gets fertilizer that this plant is also being able to take up?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When we find out more of the details, we will be able to recommend a maintenance program as well as some pruning.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T08:05:15.777" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T08:05:15.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36565" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32520" CreationDate="2017-12-21T02:19:20.637" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Inside lighting is at the level of twilight.  Fruiting plants normally require sunlight, measured in hours per day.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Photons provide the energy necessary to drive photosynthesis, and thus the energy to drive the synthesis of the carbohydrates etc to develop the fruit.  If the plant lacks an energy source, it can't grow normally.  So, unless you improve the lighting, it's just not going to work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T02:38:22.067" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T02:38:22.067" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36566" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36557" CreationDate="2017-12-21T06:36:31.727" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The deeper or larger the organic matter mass decomposing the more heat is released and if too small a mass insulation will allow the process of decomposition to continue during the cold temperatures of winter.  Decomposers (bacteria, fungi, insects) need a bit of extra nitrogen to use for energy to do their job, a bit of moisture, air and an internal temperature of at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer.  The bigger the pile the more insulation, the more heat can be built up in the mass, to allow decomposition by the decomposers.  Too tiny of a mass will just have to wait for spring for heat to continue the decomposing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You could cover your first bin with straw, (after stirring the original pile), sprinkle with water, add a bit of nitrogen and then cover the pile with straw and perhaps a tarp. I would not make your pile smaller by dividing it and putting part of it in the second bin. That would definitely mean the cold temperature of both little piles will be too low and that will stop decomposition.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the pile is not large enough or insulated enough there will not be the heat necessary to give the decomposers the chance to get rolling which will create its own heat engine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By spring, at least the original pile will be usable as compost. Maybe. I don't know enough about your compost habits.  In the spring, if you are able to make out the constituents of your compost such as leaf shapes, sticks, a tomato end...your compost is not ready to be used as 'decomposed organic matter'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is not a deal breaker if you use this compost that is not fully decomposed in the spring.  With heat that compost will continue to decompose, as all things once alive have to be decomposed and just as long as you understand the difference between decomposed organic material and undecomposed organic material for your soil you will be fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the spring, if your compost isn't completely decomposed grab the stuff in the center of your pile that has a crumbly texture and sprinkle it  on top of your beds, in the spring, what isn't decomposed will continue to decompose quickly with the heat, moisture and a bit of Nitrogen. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much nitrogen will be harmful to  your plants so be careful.  If you are using this compost undecomposed the decomposers will be first to use any Nitrogen available at the expense of your plants.  If you add too much nitrogen you could either kill your plants or you could cause plants grown for fruit/flower/gourds/edible reproductive parts to not offer any decent harvest.  You'll get lots of vegetative growth instead of reproductive growth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sounds as if you've got a great composting bin built! I think a third bin should be built.  A yard each bin is a lot and you'll find, too much means anaerobic and stinky.  That third bin will help an awful lot. Compost is meant to build up the tilth of soil not to be used in place of balanced fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The deal with decomposed material versus non decomposed organic matter such as straw, leaves, grass clippings is that your macro and micro soil organisms in the soil necessary for symbiosis with your plants go dormant or die without food in the form of decomposed organic matter. They 'wait' until there is food in the form of decomposed material.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you put decomposed organic matter on top of your beds and soil, the soil  organisms wake up, start reproducing, come to the surface to eat this stuff, go back down into the soil profile (4 to 6&quot;) poop it all out and mix organic matter into your soil (without any other energy on your part). This makes a soil that is alive. Has great tilth.  This is what 'fertile' or 'rich' soil means. Does not mean all the chemistry necessary for photosynthesis is present in that soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost is all about making any soil better whether clay or sand; friable, air filled, better draining, soil with life working with the roots of the plant to uptake certain chemistry.  (not nutrients).  Compost is not meant to be used as fertilizer (as some composts have some of the chemistry a balanced fertilizer would add but will most likely put the Nitrogen level up higher and possibly too high.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding  compost, hopefully decomposed, to the surface of your plant beds (great for weed suppression, too) should be seen as 'feeding your soil' food to enhance the micro and macro soil life that supports the plants you want to grow, the organisms doing the work of mixing organic matter into your soil to increase friability and drainage and air or tilth of your soil. (Not for use on indoor potted plants that should be planted in sterilized potting soil). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T07:13:12.780" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T07:13:12.780" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36567" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19335" CreationDate="2017-12-21T06:58:31.433" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;My soursop has been in a pot for 3.5 years since seed, 40L in size, will be repotting it shortly as its now 7foot tall, it's fruited once and has been pruned once decently.&#xA;These trees have a shallow root base so if you can provide for that and have a stable base, you just need to  make a healthy growing environment and it will do well for a while, long enough for you to explore options at your leisure for the future. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20490" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T06:58:31.433" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36568" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36563" CreationDate="2017-12-21T08:35:39.590" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Like stormy correclty said, it is &lt;em&gt;Schefflera&lt;/em&gt;, and judging from the fruits on your tree I would say &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/schefflera-pueckleri&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Schefflera pueckleri&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; (a.k.a. Umbrella tree or &lt;em&gt;Tupidanthus calyptratus&lt;/em&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is native to Australia and Indonesia, and needs tropical climate and wet soil. I think it will benefit from fertilizer, but please answer stormy's questions about where you live, and condition of the tree and history to get the right advice about fertilizers.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T08:35:39.590" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36569" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36570" CreationDate="2017-12-21T10:11:43.147" Score="1" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let's say a driveway must be dug in the vicinity (but not closer than 1m) of a large tree (in my case it is a Juglans regia, but I would like the question, and possible answers, to be as generic as possible). This means that certain portion of the tree roots must be removed, inevitably.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it wise to do at the same time certain crown pruning too, with reasoning to keep the balance between the roots and the crown?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T10:31:04.697" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T11:09:58.000" Title="If the tree roots must be reduced, is it wise to reduce the crown too?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;root-pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36570" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36569" CreationDate="2017-12-21T11:09:58.000" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say: no. The tree will regulate itself, maybe with a less growth next summer.  If you will remove a lot of roots, on all sides, the things are different. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But check also the stability of the tree. If you remove the roots on one side (1 meter is very near), the tree could be unbalanced on the other side (e.g. strong winds, especially on the dig side).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: it depends also if you remove just the roots in &quot;surface&quot; (1 meter depth) or also in deep.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T11:09:58.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36571" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36574" CreationDate="2017-12-21T13:23:33.923" Score="3" ViewCount="396" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ever since the arrival of our clawed furballs necessitated the banishment of our house plants to the office room my GF misses having some green in the living room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like to rectify this situation but am faced with the problem, that when I go through online lists of cat safe plants they are either boring greens or refer to inaccurate common names that could be any of dozen plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17411" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T23:38:13.180" Title="Cat safe colorful indoor plant?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;domestic-animals&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36572" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2017-12-21T13:30:46.883" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T13:30:46.883" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T13:30:46.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36573" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2017-12-21T13:30:46.883" Score="0" Body="Growing plants in an office environment." OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T03:24:46.960" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T03:24:46.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36574" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36571" CreationDate="2017-12-21T15:33:44.270" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, yes, plain green can be boring, but variegated green is a bit more interesting, so a Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) will be fine. Better still, get one of those and a plain green plant with large leaves (Cast Iron plant maybe) and arrange them next to each other - the contrast will be interesting. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bromeliads (Guzmania lingulata for instance) are worth a look, not because they're not green,but because they produce colourful flowers  - the only drawback being  that getting them  to flower again is tricky, so usually they're temporary visitors. Saintpaulia, or African violet is often in flower most of the year,so although they're essentially green, they do at least produce decent flowers. This link here &lt;a href=&quot;https://savvygardening.com/pet-friendly-house-plants/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://savvygardening.com/pet-friendly-house-plants/&lt;/a&gt;, whilst not showing many of the Latin  or botanical names, does at least provide images of most of the plants mentioned. The 'Swedish Ivy' mentioned near the bottom you likely won't be interested in - its green and small, and is Plectranthus verticillatus, in case you want to check what it looks like. Equally, 'Cast Iron plant' is mentioned - that is Aspidistra elatior, yet another plain green plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing to remember though; suit the conditions you have indoors to the conditions the plant requires before buying. Finally, if your cats do not have free access to the outdoors, then providing them with some cat grass &lt;a href=&quot;https://m.petmd.com/cat/care/evr_ct_how-to-grow-cat-grass&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://m.petmd.com/cat/care/evr_ct_how-to-grow-cat-grass&lt;/a&gt; should deter their plant chewing habits - they really do need to eat grass periodically, and if they can't, they will chew on houseplants instead. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T17:17:06.950" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T17:17:06.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36575" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36571" CreationDate="2017-12-21T18:02:37.340" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you have enough light, ginger (in several varieties) has nice flowers, and when there were kittens around it was a favored kitten jungle in a 16 gallon pot. If you lack sufficient light, you won't get flowers. Three examples are: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Zingiber officinale&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedychium_coronarium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hedychium coronarium&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedychium_gardnerianum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hedychium gardnerianum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can also second Bamboo's mention of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saintpaulia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Saintpaulias&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, which do have varieties with leaves that are reddish on the underside, and which will flower more or less continuously with far more moderate light (and space) requirements than the gingers. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-12-21T18:11:43.613" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T18:11:43.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36576" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-21T21:28:45.640" Score="4" ViewCount="66" Body="&lt;p&gt;At the bottom of a bank, I have a large flat area that we are going to build a small house ( 40 m2 ).  The green peg is the right front corner though we are going to shift that another metre to the left to where the brick has been placed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water seeps out of the bank, and we discovered a number of drains in this area.  The soil is just clay.  And even in this current drought we are having, water is still seeping out.  It's falling into a ditch that is being directed to a storm water drain to the far left.  The sand bags are to stop silt from entering the storm water drain.  The large long black coil is the water from the down pipe of the roof of the house above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would think everything up to the brick from the left will be filled in after drains have been laid.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm wondering if I can create a pond here for goldfish.  If so, what sort of things do I have to do?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0xrks.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0xrks.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Right hand side&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/7InA5PJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/7InA5PJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Left hand side&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-24T00:37:33.367" LastActivityDate="2017-12-24T00:37:33.367" Title="Can I use this run off for a pond" Tags="&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;pond&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36577" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-21T23:38:12.290" Score="3" ViewCount="1457" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew basil in 2 different containers. I had a huge spider mite problem after I purched Miracle Gro soil in one container. Earlier this year, I harvested all the leaves off completely and leaves grew back. The spider mite problem somehow transferred to the other pot and I did the same, harvested all the leaves and that worked fine but it's been really cold lately in TX, I am not sure if it is bc the basil has flowered before but it's turned woody, completely, as stated in the title. I'm not sure if it's diseased and if I should get start a new batch of seeds now or if there's an oz of home for these growing twigs? It sucks because it was my favorite container of basil too. They were extremely bushy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20493" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T00:01:47.947" Title="Basil plants turned completely woody and brown" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36578" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36571" CreationDate="2017-12-21T23:38:13.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've had excellent luck with Rosemary. Although only green (I've never been able to get it to flower), cats hate the smell and dislike touching it. For awhile, we had two rosemaries bookending a row of other, smaller plants. But cats being cats, they realized that they only had to knock over a rosemary to get to the salad greens next to them. You could also try lavendar, which has a similar habit and is easier to get to flower. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had ginger (Zingiber sp) in an open-to-cats area, and our cats ate it in one day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2017-12-21T23:38:13.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36579" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36583" CreationDate="2017-12-21T23:40:46.040" Score="1" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;On this Wikipedia web page:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parque_periurbano_La_Barrosa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parque_periurbano_La_Barrosa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found this photo:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Pinus_pinea_po.JPG/1024px-Pinus_pinea_po.JPG&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you explain the reasons for such shape of this trunk?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T08:35:49.960" Title="Can you explain this shape of a trunk?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36580" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36577" CreationDate="2017-12-21T23:54:14.543" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;On the assumption you were growing outdoors, Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is only perennial in very warm regions; it's a tender annual plant in colder areas. Now that it's cold, it's unlikely to grow again. You've not said precisely which USDA zone you're in, but if you expect even colder weather during winter, then its definitely not going to grow again, so you might as well dispose of the woody brown one. You've not said what condition the other basil plant is in, in the other container, but if your temperatures are either 60 deg F or likely to get lower, then you will lose that one as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can grow it from seed indoors, but as it grows, it will require as much sun as you can give it, see here for more  information on Basil growing generally &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-grow-basil-plants-1402624&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-grow-basil-plants-1402624&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T00:01:47.947" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T00:01:47.947" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36581" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36576" CreationDate="2017-12-22T04:07:47.447" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the first thing to do is test the water , pH is easy. If it is between 6.5 and 7.5 , try phase two. Get a plastic tub ( or anything) with a few gallon capacity and fill it with collected water. Get a cheap goldfish and put it in and see if it lives. If it lives you need to decide how much pond you want; dig it yourself?, rubber liner ?, concrete ?, etc. However; if you have never had an aquarium you may not want to get into this project.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T04:07:47.447" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36582" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-22T06:04:29.920" Score="5" ViewCount="1475" Body="&lt;p&gt;Two nights ago I lost my beloved dog, Heidi. I buried her in my backyard, and plan to get a plaque to mark the location, and plant some flowers. It was suggested to me today that I plant a small plant that might not grow very big, and will be easy to transplant in the future. That way if I ever sell my house, I can take the plant with me, and it will be like I'm taking the plant that she gave life to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it's a really good idea, so I would like to try it. Can anyone give me suggestions on a plant? I don't know the first thing about gardening. I'd like something small that preferably is very pretty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live on Long Island in NY, so whatever is planted would need to be able to survive winters with snow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there such a thing as a red fern? I read the book &quot;Where the Red Fern Grows&quot; as a child and I would love the idea of planting such a plant for her, if one exists. I searched Amazon and didn't find anything though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you in advance for any suggestions&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1862" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T16:35:57.530" Title="Pet Burial Plant Suggestions" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36583" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36579" CreationDate="2017-12-22T08:35:49.960" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If “effect of winds” needs more explanation, consider roughly this process:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;A young tree grows relatively straight up.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As it gets larger, it has more foliage and a greater area for the wind to push against, causing it to lean in the predominant direction of the winds.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;At some point, the former trunk is almost flat against the ground. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The tree decides to turn a now upright side branch into new leader/trunk. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;This process may repeat a few times, leading to the tangled mess of branches/trunks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The relatively thin and sandy soils of some coastal areas can contribute to the process as the trees are less “anchored” than elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Winds need not come from one direction only, many coastal areas have strong shifting winds, both during the day and the seasons.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;And pines have not much of a taproot but a more horizontal root system - a bit like a disk -  which can also contribute to leaning.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T08:35:49.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36585" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36582" CreationDate="2017-12-22T09:51:56.323" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is kind of weird but I just lost a beloved dog 2 nights ago, Reacher.  Part of the richness our animal family members add to our lives we pay for when they leave us.  It is a trade I think is so worth the time and memories and pain.  Ouch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem with a plant to take with you when you move is that that most plants  have less than 50/50 of surviving just transplanting, causing you even more heartache.  How long do you think it will be if and when you might move? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would suggest Day Lily.  Easy to transplant. They multiply giving you more success almost 100% during transplanting.  Necessary to break up the mother plant after a couple of years to promote the health your original Day Lilies: Hemerocallis..(do you have cats?  All Lilies are poisonous to cats, just fyi).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Day Lily is extremely tough...spiky, grassy looking. Easy care and predictable for success. Looks spectacular as a grouping.  Each flower is but one day long, thus the name.  To pluck the flowers each day helps the other flowers grow and have a day.  You'd have far more success with transplanting Day Lilies, and you could always go back to get more from this patch honoring Heidi's resting place, permission from new owners of course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can honestly say I know what you are feeling.  Honoring her like this is the best way I've found to heal.  Sure hurts.  But they were worth every tear.  Huggs.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.theplantingtree.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/1920x/04f3d080fa2c94223fead33caa313382/d/a/daylily_stella_de_oro4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;day lily&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T10:04:36.980" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T10:04:36.980" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36586" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1944" CreationDate="2017-12-22T10:57:36.980" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Banana trees have male and female flowers, on the same plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many vegetables and fruits plants are polyploid: this is a &quot;genetic defect&quot; which produces additional copies of chromosomes. More copies means more proteins which means larger plant/larger fruits. But then the plant is also more dysfunctional (so it needs help [active cultivation] and often sterile), and for some fruits, there is also a selection to sterile varieties: we can eat all the fruit (but unfortunately most of species will give a smaller fruits if the flower is not properly fecundated).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The genetic of bananas is interesting, and it seems to prove that we (human) started to cultivate vegetables a long before the &quot;Fertile Crescent&quot; cultivations. Also the etymology of banana names is also interesting, because it seems to follow the genetic diffusion of bananas, according the original species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Read also the answer of winwaed, which give more details of the current varieties of bananas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As winwaed wrote, on some places there are wild bananas, and other species and varieties are cultivated. Many of them have seeds. Fruits born on female flowers, but not having seeds, doesn't mean that the plant has no male flowers (or part of flower as more common), not that there are no male plants around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T10:57:36.980" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36587" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-22T12:44:38.337" Score="3" ViewCount="585" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since a long time my kiwi plants have white dots on their leaves. Now also, one of them is developing a dry spell on one of it's leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone know what the problem might be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j1v33.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j1v33.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w3wzR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w3wzR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7efNU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7efNU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2u1KT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2u1KT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hdimK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hdimK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20484" LastActivityDate="2017-12-26T10:43:55.403" Title="Kiwi plant dry leaves and white spots" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;dryness&gt;&lt;kiwifruit&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36588" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36582" CreationDate="2017-12-22T16:30:20.170" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sorry to hear about your loss - anyone who's lost a pet knows how that feels, I still  haven't forgotten the grief of burying my cats. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Provided the area isn't in deep shade, then consider Yucca flaccida 'Golden Sword'; it only gets about 1.5 feet tall, produces offsets which might be easier to dig up and move than the whole plant, but they don't have a massive root system anyway if you did want to move  the whole thing later, they're pretty tough and resilient as plants go. Evergreen, hardy in your area, details here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/yucca-flaccida-golden-sword&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/yucca-flaccida-golden-sword&lt;/a&gt;. The ones I've planted throw up long flower stems every year, even in the UK, though they're grown more for their evergreen leaf colour and architectural growth habit than their flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd plant a couple, and group 3 Berberis 'bagatelle' in front if there's sufficient room - these are spiny, deciduous shrubs that have bright to dark red leaves during the growing season, only get about a foot tall and wide over time with a globular habit, again don't have a huge root system and will  be easy to move, hardy in your area, and they will contrast well with the Yucca, making an attractive grouping, see here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greatplantpicks.org/plantlists/view/227&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.greatplantpicks.org/plantlists/view/227&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If, though, the area is very shady, the Berberis won't work, they need a reasonable amount of sunlight to achieve good leaf colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-22T16:35:57.530" LastActivityDate="2017-12-22T16:35:57.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36589" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36597" CreationDate="2017-12-22T17:26:20.637" Score="2" ViewCount="722" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree arrived today to me via mail: (&lt;em&gt;Click on the pictures for larger view&lt;/em&gt;.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u6Wyh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u6Wyhm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9JrKi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9JrKim.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is wrapped in several layers of plastic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I plan to plant it in couple of days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will remove the plastic packaging around the root ball of course, but should I perhaps leave the packaging plastic around tree's trunk, just until spring? Is plastic an appropriate material that will help the tree overwinter?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The species is &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_pine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pinus pinea&lt;/a&gt;, also known as the stone pine, umbrella pine and parasol pine. It's actually a Mediterranean plant, and I am concerned about the possible negative impact of a harsh first winter to this beautiful plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in European zone 8, where the lower range is approximately −12.2 °C (10 °F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The weather forecast for the whole winter this year is mild, but you never know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-24T00:35:07.517" LastActivityDate="2017-12-24T00:35:07.517" Title="Should I remove or leave the plastic around the trunk of my new tree?" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;overwintering&gt;&lt;pines&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36591" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-23T00:41:59.503" Score="5" ViewCount="344" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure how this tree got here. I don't think it was planted so may be it's a result of an Apple core being thrown in the bushes but it's here, and the fruit is edible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trouble is that it's now too tall to harvest the apples, and to spray it to treat the Apple scab. The height is the same as the one storey house it's beside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What sort of pruning is still possible to bring the branches to reachable height?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gRmX6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gRmX6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Will apple&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking of making these cuts while it is still winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/YBnvXpp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tree now in winter&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-07-30T06:10:10.733" LastActivityDate="2018-07-31T21:32:28.367" Title="How to prune this Apple tree" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;apples&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="36592" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-23T02:58:21.387" Score="2" ViewCount="985" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1370/kay-parris-magnolia/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Magnolia grandiflora 'Kay Paris'&lt;/a&gt; in a corten steel container. It was bought as a 100L container. It’s now looking a bit ill or stressed, after about a month. I have clay soil, so tree was planted with potting mix that has gypsum. Looking for advice on how to revive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L39Fm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L39Fm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aNyEs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aNyEs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/covsi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/covsi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GY6ap.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GY6ap.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20117" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-26T13:44:10.530" LastActivityDate="2018-02-26T13:44:10.530" Title="Magnolia grandiflora planted and looking stressed" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;magnolia&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36593" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="8744" CreationDate="2017-12-23T03:54:50.263" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Blueberries - not native to Australia - are unhappy in Australian soil, which is harsh and deficient in almost every nutrient freely and readily available in soils of the northern hemisphere. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Travel to North America and sample the blueberries there to know first hand exactly what I'm talking about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Adding artificial nutrients to your soil don't work either as others have discovered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although every variety of blueberry can hold a slightly different flavour, in Australia, every variety of blueberry has a decidedly foul taste - some more 'rank' than others, but all quite rank nonetheless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20497" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T03:54:50.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36594" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-23T06:05:39.773" Score="5" ViewCount="84" Body="&lt;p&gt;The silver birch has leaves falling, which have some spotting on them. I’m wondering if the tree has some sort of infestation?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vijnn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vijnn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yaBd9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yaBd9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YTxl4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YTxl4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20117" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T23:16:43.703" Title="Silver birch has leaves falling off" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36595" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36591" CreationDate="2017-12-23T07:12:22.700" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it is born from a seed, it should be more resistant from disease. In any case you can check if there are sign of graft on lower trunk.  There are many apples in the tree (and large) so you were lucky (or it is a grafted plant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About pruning: the main problem I see: there is many other plants near the apple. Ideally it should have not taller plant for few meters in every direction. For this reason, I find difficult to prune as you want.  I would start a normal pruning, but on the higher part of the plant.  Remove the central shots, to force the plant to growth laterally.  On apple tree there are two kind of pruning: normal, and one to &quot;rejuvenate&quot;, that mean that you can short the apple tree (maybe within few years). You still have some branches on lower plant. With some trimming on the upper part, the lower branches could growth better (and create new branches).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But for me, there is too many plant nearby. You should consider to have less plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T07:12:22.700" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36596" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36594" CreationDate="2017-12-23T08:28:39.720" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This might be just because of the fall period where there is more fungal matter in the air. To be honest, I wouldn't worry too much about it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might be a disease called &lt;strong&gt;Antracnose&lt;/strong&gt;. To treat this, it might be rather tricky. Rake away infected leaves and prune infected twigs and leaves from the tree. This should get rid of it next season. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There could be other causes (insects, other kinds of mold, ...).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want a reference, you could check out &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/black-dots-leaves-birch-trees-38189.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this page right here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20484" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T08:28:39.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36597" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36589" CreationDate="2017-12-23T08:31:45.663" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It won't do any harm to keep the plastic around it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, plastic does not really insulate well. I would recommend wrapping it into several layers of cloth instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you do think the tree won't survive the cold, go to your local farm shop and buy a bunch of tree bark to spread around its base, this will keep the cold from penetrating to the roots too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20484" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T08:31:45.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36598" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2821" CreationDate="2017-12-23T10:26:04.493" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;That right! A mower that's also capable of pushing snow. But it can push, not blow. You should read this &lt;a href=&quot;https://agreenhand.com/snow-thrower-vs-snowblower/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://agreenhand.com/snow-thrower-vs-snowblower/&lt;/a&gt;. There is a big difference between blowing and pushing. You will be in trouble if there is too much snow.You can not continue pushing if the snow is too much. Consider if there are lots of snow in your area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20452" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T10:26:04.493" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36599" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36601" CreationDate="2017-12-23T13:09:37.323" Score="5" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;I often see warnings about this common Christmas plant being poisonous to people and pets but have never seen any definitive evidence.   Of course toxicity is all in the dosage and concentration so my question is better phrased as:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your child/cat/dog eats some poinsettia leaves or is exposed to the sap from the leaves will they get ill or die?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-24T01:10:26.937" LastActivityDate="2017-12-24T01:10:26.937" Title="Are poinsettia poisonous?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;&lt;toxicity&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36600" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36592" CreationDate="2017-12-23T13:14:35.600" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've clarified that you did not use potting mix, you used soil with added gypsum, and that the pot you've used is open at the bottom. That added information points to more than one possible problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First, if the pot is open at the bottom, and you did not dig over the soil beneath first, either the plant in the bottomless pot cannot take up sufficient water before it disappears straight out the bottom, or the water collects at the base of the rootball because the clay soil is solid and cannot drain away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Second, the soil plus gypsum you used is not intended for use in pots, it's intended to be used in open ground, in particular where there is already a calcium shortage, or too much salt in the soil (usually in coastal regions). Gypsum can burn plant roots, depending on how much has been used, and if the soil mix wasn't sterile, it could contain some pathogens, again not intended to be contained in a pot. Whilst harmless in open ground, some pathogens present may well cause trouble in a pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to improve clay soil, open it up and make it more free draining is to use organic material, such as composted manure, good garden compost, and so on, along with some horticultural or washed grit. Gypsum may have a temporary (up  to 2 months) effect on the clay, making it more 'open', but it is not usually applied round plant roots in sufficient quantity to have this effect because of the risk of root burn. If it is used around growing plants, it's in small quantities and usually to temporarily correct a calcium shortage. There is, though,  some evidence that suggests using gypsum disrupts the established mycorrhizal system around plant roots, which is not good for the health of the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Magnolias dislike root disturbance, but in the circumstances, if you want to save the plant, it's probably best to decant it from its current container, remove as much of the soil you used as possible, and pot into something with drainage holes big enough to accommodate the rootball, using proper  potting soil. If the rootball is soaking wet, it shouldn't really be watered, but in order to more quickly remove and flush through any traces of gypsum, it might be wise to do so anyway; if it's not sodden, then give it a good soaking, allowing excess water to drain away freely from the base of the pot. Ongoing, keep it watered as necessary, in hopes that the plant will not get worse than it is now, and may recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note also that clay soil per se is not necessarily bad for magnolia - so long as the ph is neutral to slightly acid, and the soil is fertile, having a high clay content isn't a major issue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-24T01:38:22.707" LastActivityDate="2017-12-24T01:38:22.707" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36601" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36599" CreationDate="2017-12-23T13:30:44.973" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends how you define 'poisonous'. Animals and humans who consume the plant won't die, but they may drool, experience nausea and/or vomit. Poinsettia has a bad reputation, but there are far more toxic plants that people might use at Christmas, see here &lt;a href=&quot;https://youshouldgrow.com/are-poinsettias-poisonous-to-cats-dogs/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://youshouldgrow.com/are-poinsettias-poisonous-to-cats-dogs/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In regard to children, the taste of the leaves is not pleasant, so they are unlikely to consume a large amount - current estimates suggest that a 50lb child would have to eat 500 leaves to reach a possibly toxic amount. This scenario is obviously highly unlikely, especially with so much chocolate and sweet foods around at Christmas, no child will choose to eat tons of unpleasant tasting poinsettia leaves in preference. There's probably more risk of harm from a child crashing into the plant and getting the sap on their skin than from eating it, because the sap is irritant to some people.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The myth about their extreme toxicity arises from the case of a 2 year old child who consumed one poinsettia leaf, and the child's  death was attributed to that, and so this story created an urban myth. The cause of the child's death was apparently unrelated to consumption of the leaf, more info  on that and toxicity to humans here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.medicinenet.com/are_poinsettia_plants_poisonous_fact_or_fiction/views.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.medicinenet.com/are_poinsettia_plants_poisonous_fact_or_fiction/views.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might find the following of interest &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/atoz/euphorbia_pulcherrima.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/atoz/euphorbia_pulcherrima.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-23T14:00:05.643" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T14:00:05.643" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36602" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36610" CreationDate="2017-12-23T16:39:32.233" Score="5" ViewCount="81" Body="&lt;p&gt;first of all, thanks for taking time looking into my problem, it is greatly appreciated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need help identifying and combating a new pest on my tomato plants. I'm growing in a big city (Buenos Aires, Argentina). I took photos of the suspects and of the affected fruits, with cuts. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/xRzMjuk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;On the plant with the suspect&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/BgrqSMk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Before cutting&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/WG0mF0d.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cuts in both directions&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT (December 24th 2017):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More and new pictures by request:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is how I noticed (this ones are new victims, but same simptoms), first it looked like this,then they looked like getting more red and afterwards it's like the first pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/xsTWt3D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Newly affected&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Answering the other questions, I do grow in pots in my patio. They are all the same seeds and the variety on the packaging said &quot;Tomate Roma&quot;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/3Tt9T07.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pots&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A more detailed picture of the pots I use:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/gIcajj7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pots are with a mix that always worked for me and was recommended by the store. I make them with some small rocks at the bottom to get the best drainage possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plastic things around the plants inside the pots are just cylinders which get no more than 3 cm into the dirt to avoid ants and other insects. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20498" LastEditorUserId="20498" LastEditDate="2017-12-24T18:47:34.400" LastActivityDate="2017-12-24T18:47:34.400" Title="Help with tomato pest problem" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36603" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-23T17:20:23.403" Score="4" ViewCount="17285" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm worried my ponytail palm is dying because its leaves are falling off and there's black stuff on the top. Can you tell me if and how I can save this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oI7mn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt; &#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4jYic.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20499" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-24T01:04:00.583" LastActivityDate="2019-11-14T13:16:48.617" Title="How can you tell if a ponytail palm tree is dying?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36604" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36606" CreationDate="2017-12-23T21:35:33.563" Score="6" ViewCount="532" Body="&lt;p&gt;Found these insects all over my cauliflowers hiding under the covers I'm using to blanch the heads.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect it's an earwig.  Solutions for control?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And yes, I have a bad case of pieris rapae ... bought some bt today.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/8pHtGGl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pest&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-12-23T21:58:34.413" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T22:39:59.047" Title="What's this insect on my cauliflowers?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36605" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36607" CreationDate="2017-12-23T22:28:49.057" Score="4" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it's a noxious plant but I can't recall the name. Growing Wellington, New Zealand. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Di2CwOv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/tbwA8NM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-12-24T02:21:19.980" LastActivityDate="2017-12-24T02:21:19.980" Title="Plant identification please of tree growing on my verge, and looks like an egg plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36606" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36604" CreationDate="2017-12-23T22:39:59.047" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Earwig it is!  The most important way to control ear wigs is to get rid of the 'housing' the cover they like the most.  Rocks, old lumber, compost piles that don't get turned.  I don't think they will bother the heads of your cauliflower, they love the juicy leaves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would clean up the organic debris around your garden.  Earwigs will 'wig' out with no 'home' to run to and might possibly eat the cauliflower heads.  I'd still clean up, get your heads harvested and eat them or preserve them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Next year, plant your brassicas (broccoli, kale, cauliflower...) in a bed that has not had this family grown in it for at least 2 years.  Clean up or move compost piles, rocks, old lumber, old construction debris, piles of leaves get them away from your vegetable garden.  Remove their homes and protection you will get rid of earwigs.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have to ask, what is that fibrous piece on the left side of this picture?  Is that a coco mat?  This is what those earwigs are loving.  Remove that for sure, put in a plastic bag to dispose of.  Probably full of earwig eggs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Earwigs are easy to control.  You do not need to ever use pesticide as they are not a big problem.  Pesticide use would be worse.  Clean up the debris, remove rocks and lumber and plastic they love to live under...next year you should have very few if any.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T22:39:59.047" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36607" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36605" CreationDate="2017-12-23T23:00:12.263" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am so excited!  I think I found it!  The Wild Tobacco Tree; Solanum mauntianum &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would think it was poisonous just by the Genus.  Had to get my answer in...a weed of course.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://weeds.brisbane.qld.gov.au/weeds/wild-tobacco-tree&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wild Tobacco Tree&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T23:00:12.263" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36608" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36594" CreationDate="2017-12-23T23:16:43.703" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is normal for this tree and time of year.  You are looking at 'honeydew' the urine of aphids, no see ems, or whatever insect is sucking on your tree leaves.  Bacteria and fungus become involved also enjoying the carbohydrates this tree made albeit secondary, the excretion is turned black in the process.  That black cuts down on photosynthesis so hosing the leaves is good during the growing season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After the leaves drop clean them up, bag them.  I've never seen  a weeping birch that wasn't full of aphids, no see ems, ants, spiders yet these insects and goo never harmed the tree.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would not, however, make a 'sitting area' under or near that tree for humans.  I remember trying to prune these things and learning all about no see ems.  Ouch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-23T23:16:43.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36609" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36576" CreationDate="2017-12-24T00:18:01.240" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you are flirting with disaster building your home right next to or on top of this 'spring'.  This is a major drainage vein for your neighborhood.  Water and concrete, water and wood, water and enclosed, insulated spaces do not go together.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there nowhere else to move your home farther away from this 'creek'?  Make no mistake, this is most certainly doable but you need to do everything possible to protect your home from water, moisture, moisture loving insects, bacteria, fungus and mold.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Frank Lloyd Wright build a famous home over a larger creek than yours.  Gorgeous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd need to know where you are on the map and the larger hydrology of your land.  Floods?  Other rivers?  Where does this water run to in the bigger picture?  Who lives upstream?  Any industries?  If this water is partly over ground and party  under ground and your water table is this shallow it will be full of all kinds of chemicals you and goldfish would not want. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will not want to damn this stream.  You could divert the water to a pond but do not think about damning it.  That is an awful lot of water and again, there are laws in this country where anyone caught changing anything of a riparian system would be in big big trouble. Even within defined buffer zones...! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We don't need laws to tell us that messing with aquifers, rivers, streams, intermittent creeks is a huge responsibility. I would definitely get water tests.    Find out who lives up stream, what is happening miles above your property that is obviously affecting your property.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To make a pond, find a way to divert the water (I guess it is okay in your country and knowing a little about New Zealand, your country is very careful and concerned about the environment, knows a thing or two as well).  You might entertain a filtration system after the first water tests  to filter the water going into your pond.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yes, pond liner, two layers the best you can find.  You want control of the water input using sensors that when the pond gets to a certain height level will start the fill.  Clean out all rocks and sticks below the pond liner.  No sharp edges. You do not want any holes even though you have lots of water.  Black pond liner the best quality.  There are formed 'ponds' but depending on the type of fish might not be deep enough to survive the winter as well as the predators...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This pond should be completely separate from that stream.  If you want fish of any kind.  You more than likely have raccoons?  Cranes?  They will find and they will decimate any and all fish unless you create a deep enough pond, equip with plant life (water lilies in their own sunken pots/soil) and definitely you need to make stone shelves that stick out over the water by 1 1/2 feet.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can help with this down the road.  I am dying to see a rough plan of your property.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to build a home there, that is you number one priority. I'd find a very savvy engineer and/or Landscape Architect (not designer).  Think about building your home on stilts. You and that engineer need to know the history of this hydrology system.  The pond needs to be included into some form of master plan that includes the home, outbuildings, access, your neighbors and your neighbors upstream.  Do you have home plans?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have professional help?  An Architect? Engineer? Would I love to be able to zip over to help...my goodness.  Do you know an Elizabeth that spends most of the year over here?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why do you have sandbags?  How much water is able to go through there?  Your property looks like an exciting challenge with so many possibilities.  Love the topography, the lushness of old ecosystem, the water...to die for.  Almost too good to be true.  Where is the home you live in now? On the same property?  Or is this a new adventure?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-24T00:18:01.240" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36610" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36602" CreationDate="2017-12-24T00:58:49.473" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;What impressed me most was the fruit seems to look fine from the outside and first inspection.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The closest I could come up with until we know more information, is Buckeye rot.  Even this usually shows some sign, symptoms on the fruit before cutting it open.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am curious to what led you to suspect something was wrong with these tomatoes.  You have pictures of these tomatoes on the vine, off the vine and then you cut them open to show this rot that somehow you knew was there!  Somehow something prompted you to take pictures.  Or your tomatoes are beautifully regular and you've got very stable healthy plants!  And these aren't all the same tomatoes in all of the photos.  Are they?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That...mosquito thing...is not your problem, grins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the bottom of the one you cut open closest to us in the picture is a clear sign of rot that should have been apparent on the bottom before you cut it open.  Do you remember that?  This could be Bottom End Rot as well.  What is happening with the rest of the plant and the tomatoes left on your vine?  Where are you in this world?  Another picture would help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are your tomatoes grown in pots?  Out on the patio?  Are they in the garden? Do you remember the variety of tomato?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1054/ANR-1054.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Buckeye rot&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-24T00:58:49.473" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36611" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36592" CreationDate="2017-12-24T05:57:15.887" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Simon, any plant in a pot should be planted in sterilized potting soil.  My question is why didn't you plant this tree in the ground right where it is?  You will not be dragging this guy in and out for the winter, right?  Being kept in a pot is very different from being planted in the garden.  Your tree is suffering from...sporadic dry events, no fertilizer?  I would plant him right in that spot during its dormant season.  When is that season for you?  Did you know clay, gypsum, lime, gravel, sand, water and rotation makes concrete?  Your tree is still alive.  I would most certainly move him over or decide the best place to plant during the dormant season.  Roots are the most vulnerable part of the plant.  Undergroundin the garden protects roots, in a pot those roots are subject to cold (and heat).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig a hole no deeper than the rootball...the distance from the bottom to the top of the roots.  That bark has to stay out of the soil.  Digging below the the subsoil this root ball will sit upon will cause the root ball to sink, the bark to be compromised by moisture, killing your tree later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Add nothing to the soil.  Later you will have to add fertilizer.  I would add Mycorrhizae fungus when transplanting to aid your tree to develop roots and uptake water/chemicals.  Otherwise, do not amend the soil at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You do not want to keep this tree in a pot.  If this is garden soil with gypsum, turn the tree and pot on its side.  This spot looks a bit close to your home.  When is the dormant season where you live? Most trees like this are grown in clay to keep their root ball compact.  You want to plant this tree in similar soil, in clay.  Chose a better spot, dig the hole and then tilt, slide this pot or metal off and gently put you tree in the hole.  I'd install a few 3 to 4&quot; pvc pipes with drilled holes along the side to help ensure water to the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information, please, this tree is on its last legs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-24T05:57:15.887" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36612" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33545" CreationDate="2017-12-24T07:36:30.883" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Approximate guesses:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thuja occidentalis 'Umbraculifera'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filifera Aurea' or Juniperus horizontalis 'Lime Glow'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thuja occidentalis 'Globosa'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Picea pungens 'Fat Albert'&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, you don't need the exact species like in the photo, but similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that yellow and blueish conifers may significantly change its color in winter. Sometimes it is a nice plum color, or golden tone, but it could be a dull brown too - doublecheck before considering purchase.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't move existing three conifers. Just add some. Beside color contrasting, you can try shape contrasting. A columnar mid-sized conifer may fit nicely:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ybHUl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-24T20:42:08.957" LastActivityDate="2017-12-24T20:42:08.957" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36613" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31093" CreationDate="2017-12-24T09:47:39.773" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;We called them Tree tomatoes, used to enjoy eating them at Lilfordia estates those ones are not ripe yet&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20500" LastActivityDate="2017-12-24T09:47:39.773" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36615" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-24T11:04:33.323" Score="5" ViewCount="213" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are looking at a rare specimen of estimated 50 years old honeysuckle: &lt;em&gt;(the honeysuckle is in the foreground; there is a high dark green conifer in the background, but it is not essential for this question)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R7bWq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It grows from just a small piece of soil, surrounded by a brick wall and a concrete patio:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fEgU4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The trunk has a formidable size (20cm diameter). However, it interacts with a decorative iron fence: &lt;em&gt;(there is 3/4 of the full circle of iron around the center of the decorative area, the central part of the spiral - this is partially visible on photos, try to spot a black metal curved piece right in the center of the ornament, it 'hugs' the curved double trunk)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/arBAn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sZUvl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is the trunk of this honeysuckle in danger of being strangled?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant seems otherwise healthy and vigorous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-25T12:51:29.533" LastActivityDate="2017-12-25T12:51:29.533" Title="Is the trunk of this honeysuckle in danger of being strangled?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;honeysuckle&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36616" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36615" CreationDate="2017-12-24T12:44:09.200" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think it's in danger of being strangled. Like trees do, if there's an obstruction, the woody parts will envelop and surround whatever the obstruction is, if they have to, but, being a vine, this plant has grown branches in other directions, which is not a choice a tree trunk can easily make.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this one is as old as you say, it's more than geriatric anyway - average lifespan for Lonicera is reputed to be around 20 years, depending on variety, so as the gridwork hasn't strangled it when it was simply mature, it's unlikely to now. The wall is at much more risk than the plant... the roots have likely caused the cracks in the wall visible in the photograph.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-24T12:49:45.443" LastActivityDate="2017-12-24T12:49:45.443" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36618" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36603" CreationDate="2017-12-24T19:08:38.763" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;The top part is dead and the most likely cause is overwatering.  This plant is officially known as &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaucarnea_recurvata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Beaucarnea recurvata&lt;/a&gt; and is a plant for high light and dry conditions.  From the picture it looks like there is no drainage in the pot which might contribute to the death of the foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is still hope for this plant.  Take some sharp pruning shears and cut off the dead foliage.  Put the plant in a dry sunny spot and wait.  If there is no new growth in six to eight weeks then the root rot has gone too far for it to recover.  These plants will bud out from old growth.  Do not water this plant until you see new growth and even then water only sparingly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2017-12-24T19:08:38.763" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36619" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36621" CreationDate="2017-12-24T21:09:24.927" Score="2" ViewCount="633" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am creating a group of blue conifers in a small corner of my garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A woman from a nursery I occasionaly order plants from claims that there is no bluer conifer than Picea pungens 'Edith'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is she right?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Photoshop-edited photos and artificially created foliage color do not count, like that blue japanese maple from a recent question)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/73SWD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/73SWD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="6969" LastEditDate="2017-12-24T22:38:52.437" LastActivityDate="2017-12-25T00:11:02.670" Title="The bluest conifer of all time" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36620" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-24T21:29:33.657" Score="4" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've bought some out of season shallot sets ( whatever a set is ) but I'm just wondering how to plant them.  They appear to have cloves but the videos I've seen suggest that you plant them as a bulb and don't divide them into cloves like garlic to plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, it's now early summer and I'm going to plant them anyway, but is there some advantage to planting them as bulbs?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-12-25T10:30:31.210" Title="How do you plant shallots?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;onion-sets&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36621" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36619" CreationDate="2017-12-25T00:11:02.670" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to say - human colour perception varies between individuals,so what you might think is the bluest one, someone else won't.Your best option is to go and look at them in real life, in good daylight, and pick  the one that looks bluest to you. I've used Picea pungens 'hoopsii',or 'Koster', but both 'Edith' and 'Superblue' have a more silvery bluish look in my view.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The most blue one to me is not a Picea at all, it's Chamaecyparis pisifera 'boulevard', but it's a darker blue than the others mentioned. Many turn a darker or lighter tone in winter, but essentially, it's down to personal perception and preference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-12-25T00:11:02.670" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36622" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-25T10:16:48.400" Score="6" ViewCount="1737" Body="&lt;p&gt;The new leaves on my plant appear healthy, but are coming out all jagged-y. Interested to know what’s happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yiiff.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yiiff.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yPNDC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yPNDC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ijsOh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ijsOh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20117" LastActivityDate="2020-11-12T13:38:26.817" Title="Funny looking new leaves" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36623" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36622" CreationDate="2017-12-25T10:22:15.073" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have a very happy Bird's Nest Fern.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/sites/default/files/2016-10/birdsnest_fern.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bird's nest fern&lt;/a&gt;  Let us know what you think?  Lucky you.  Whatever you are doing don't change a thing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I guess I am remiss for not explaining why these leaves are getting 'more jagged' as the plant gets older.  The more mature the plant gets the more the leaves will look like the text book plant.  This is completely normal, pretty much standard for all plants to have young leaves on a young plant look different than mature leaves on a mature plant. This site shows these very same oddly notched leaves on young plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/thumbnail.php?image=2009/01/04/rntx22/4454d3.jpg&amp;amp;widht=700&amp;amp;height=312&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;example of similar weird edges on bird's nest fern&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-ab&amp;amp;biw=1366&amp;amp;bih=646&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;q=birds%20nest%20fern&amp;amp;chips=q:birds%20nest%20fern,g_7:asplenium%20nidus&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjOv_bjz6bYAhVC8mMKHTX1AJkQ4lYINSgA&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Asplenium nidus pictures&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-12-26T02:29:18.590" LastActivityDate="2017-12-26T02:29:18.590" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36624" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36620" CreationDate="2017-12-25T10:30:31.210" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;No...plant them like you would garlic cloves.  Each will make a plant.  The entire bulb of cloves would probably mean all will die but one...Shallots are so dang hardy and easy to grow.  Unlike garlic that you need to start the season before, shallots will be productive anytime you start them.  In your dang heaven, they might even last through your winter with a bit of mulching.  Have you tried garlic?  It is early summer for you, ah man...if our ship comes in you just might have a visitor! Elizabeth Conway? Plant your sets, divided into cloves, twice as deep as those cloves are long. That is what I say anyway.  Others say to plant only as deep as the widest part of the clove.  I've done both and every single clove did just fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-25T10:30:31.210" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36625" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-25T11:15:56.923" Score="2" ViewCount="593" Body="&lt;p&gt;How to prune a weeping mulberry so that it has main branches with lots of curves within its crown, as if they can't decide what direction to take, like this one: (look at wavy branches in the middle of the crown)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ptVs1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6CHMd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or, take a look at this photo from &lt;a href=&quot;http://plantwithme.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://plantwithme.com&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ERYvS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NOTE: The first two pics are from my neighbor's yard. He even wanted to be in the picture, I had the hardest time convincing him not to appear on photos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I said &quot;pruning&quot;, I meant long-term pruning (20 year time span).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2017-12-26T15:28:51.930" LastActivityDate="2021-03-17T17:52:32.627" Title="Pruning weeping mulberry into wild-looking crown" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;mulberry&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36626" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36627" CreationDate="2017-12-25T13:13:03.967" Score="6" ViewCount="146" Body="&lt;p&gt;Living condition:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;tropics with 25 - 35 degrees celsius&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;very high humidity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions? I have tried googling like mad and the nearest I have got is Pentas... Which I don't think it is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EU9Mc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EU9Mc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;flowers 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1iq5e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1iq5e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;bud 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fG7kb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fG7kb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jdN42.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jdN42.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15022" LastActivityDate="2017-12-25T17:29:13.927" Title="Plant identification - starfish shape flowers" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;tropical&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36627" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36626" CreationDate="2017-12-25T17:29:13.927" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Try looking into Hoyas. I'm no expert but it looks to me like one of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastActivityDate="2017-12-25T17:29:13.927" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36628" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36622" CreationDate="2017-12-25T23:19:46.733" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Asplenium nidus, or Bird's Nest fern; though I'm highly intrigued, I don't have a definitive answer for you. There are two possibilities - either there's some insect, mite or larvae inhabiting the crown of the plant, causing damage to new leaves just before and as they start to grow, or some genetic change has taken place, and these strange leaves are the result. The plant otherwise looks healthy, apart from a couple of browned edges on the mutant leaves. If you've not observed any insect activity at soil level round the plant, then I can only draw the conclusion that this is a genetic issue - these can occur randomly, or are sometimes triggered by damage of some sort (bacterial, fungal, physical, environmental, viral, or hormonal malfunction). It would be very interesting to observe future leaves in regard to whether it continues to produce only mutated leaves, or does produce some more normal leaves. There are varieties of Asplenium with jagged leaves, but they're all jagged, not mixed like yours. I'm sorry I can't be of more help,but perhaps someone else might have a different suggestion/answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's certainly extraordinary, I've never seen anything quite like it, and I've grown this plant myself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-26T03:18:34.370" LastActivityDate="2017-12-26T03:18:34.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36629" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36631" CreationDate="2017-12-26T00:12:30.080" Score="5" ViewCount="135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in Massachusetts, in the Northeast section of the United States. My growing zone is USDA 6a, which means that our winter temperatures can get as low as -10°F/-23.3°C.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was recently given a heart-shaped piece of 100% recycled cotton embedded with some very small pieces of fresh flowers and some wildflower seeds. They were a memorial gift from the animal hospital where our cat passed away. I'd like to learn how to store them for the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've never seen seeds presented in this way. The cotton piece, which is called an &quot;adornment,&quot; is not in a container, just attached to a piece of lightweight cardboard. I don't know what material is being used to attach it, but I don't want to touch it and risk it breaking or falling off the card. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The instructions say to remove the adornment from the card, plant in 1/4&quot; - 1/2&quot; soil, keep it moist and watch it bloom. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm familiar with planting wildflower seeds, but always from a packet which has been sealed until time for planting. Since it will likely be up to 5 months until I can put this in the ground, how should I store it for the best chance of successful germination and flower production? These seeds are very important to our family, and I'd really like to do it properly. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for close-up views.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IPYTh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IPYThm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up of seed container&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HepHF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HepHFm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Entire front of card&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JwQF2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JwQF2m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Back of card with instructions&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2017-12-26T10:34:02.233" Title="How should I store wildflower seeds embedded in a piece of cotton, for several months before planting?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;seed-saving&gt;&lt;wildflowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36630" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-26T08:58:01.447" Score="4" ViewCount="166" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently i detect many small black parasite wasps (not talking about &lt;strong&gt;Fungus Gnats&lt;/strong&gt;)&#xA;They are flying smoothly and searching the surface of the soil (around the indoor pots). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know if they are helpful or harmful ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also I want to know name of this insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Edit&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;plants are vary by many types(mimosa plant, Stapelia gigantea, ricrac cactus, red and yellow Millet, Parsley), i know the wasp's comes from a &lt;strong&gt;Stapelia gigantea&lt;/strong&gt; and then proliferated in this 3 months (about 10 wasps). &lt;strong&gt;about the used soild&lt;/strong&gt;: i used a &lt;strong&gt;vermicompost&lt;/strong&gt;, i bought it vacuumed and bagged firmly! &lt;em&gt;the only pet i scouted inside the soil, is Fungus Gnat&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;attached some pictures of them and pots&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/98NJy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/98NJy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ju6jq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ju6jq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jh7On.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jh7On.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i5DIK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i5DIK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Picture 4 - pots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;they are small as &lt;strong&gt;0.5mm&lt;/strong&gt; x &lt;strong&gt;2mm&lt;/strong&gt; and always exploring the surface and inside of the soil holes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20506" LastEditorUserId="20506" LastEditDate="2017-12-27T08:16:55.383" LastActivityDate="2017-12-29T16:47:58.253" Title="Small parasite wasps around the soil" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;parasites&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36631" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36629" CreationDate="2017-12-26T10:34:02.233" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;What a nice gesture of this animal hospital, sorry to hear about your loss.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best way to keep these seeds is in a dry and cool environment. So not in the fridge (too much moist), and not above the radiator/heater (too hot). If you have a cupboard for storage (is that called a pantry? I am non-native English speaker), that would be the ideal place. The same place where you store stuff like rice and flour. Or a garage, if that is not a very wet or (below zero) cold  place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen the principle of embedding seeds into a cotton form before, I guess you'll get a heart-shaped bed of flowers when sown. Hope you find a nice spot for it in spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-12-26T10:34:02.233" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36632" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36633" CreationDate="2017-12-26T18:04:41.773" Score="6" ViewCount="93" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an &quot;island&quot; consisting of recycled plastic bottles and old wooden pallets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;------------- &amp;lt;- Wooden pallets&#xA;ooooooooooooo &amp;lt;- Bags of bottles&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &quot;island&quot; is on a fresh water lake located in a sunny humid climate(Most of the year).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I put the sand, or dirt(I'd rather use sand) on the &quot;island&quot; the pallets will rot and eventually provide no support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to know what you think would be the best plants, trees(Would need to be small and light), and grass to grow on this &quot;island&quot;. The plants would need to have fast, strong and large root systems, that can hold the ground together and maybe reach down into the bags beneath and hold those as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was thinking about mangroves because of their great roots however they seem to take a long time to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts would be great. Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20508" LastActivityDate="2017-12-26T23:12:16.383" Title="Good plants, trees and grass to grow in order to lock the ground together" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;water&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36633" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36632" CreationDate="2017-12-26T22:57:22.620" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is this a science experiment?  I hope you are documenting this so you don't have to do it often.  Plastic islands on fresh water will contaminate that body of water with BPA's.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would get plastic pots with drain holes, use sterile potting soil.  That will give your plants at least a chance.  I would use Golden Hops.  This vine is awesome fast growing...mind boggling fast. It would definitely hold those plastic bottles together well.  Within months!  Pallets would rot eventually (5 years+) and you should make sure that wood is not pressure treated...not usually but pallets are made of scrap wood that most certainly could be pressure treated with chemicals not good for a pond.  Mesh, 1/4 mesh would hold it all together but you have to make it so that it doesn't disintegrate, pieces could get baby ducks and bass and other wildlife tangled.  Not cool.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant hops starts from 1 gallon (usually what is found to purchase hops is 1 gallon) into 3 gallon black pots.  Use mesh to support them on your island.  Allow the bottom of the pot to be in the water about a half inch.  When you up pot your hops from the store into these 3 gallon pots, add Osmocote extended release 14-14-14 to the 3 gallon pot soil per directions (this will last the entire season)  (if you have a season), soak the soil and plant before installing in your island.  The mesh will help protect the roots growing out of the bottom from fish, ducks and if you have wildlife in your...pond, mesh over the top might be necessary as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am making an awful lot of assumptions here; this plant, hops, you can actually watch grow. Mass of leaves and stems, vigorous doesn't do it justice.  I am worried that you are expecting some ecosystem to develop within a few years, within your lifetime.  Not happening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a short term 'science project' this could be fun to do.  Don't know where it is you live, hops, is a perennial that dies all the way to the ground for winter.  The gardener is able to clean up and remove all dead vines and leaves easily, the next spring that hops is back with a vengeance!  I have witnessed this plant covering an arbor 100 sq. ft. at least 1 foot deep by May.  To continue going up and over trees over fences 50 feet away, covering another 100 sq. ft. getting 2 feet deep by June.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your project would not require you to 'clean up' the vines/leaves, they would be caught up in the mesh.  If they were allowed to decompose at the bottom of your pond...this plant would be considered an exotic invader.  I'd need to research the chemistry of hops to make sure it wasn't THAT exotic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like you to begin to see that whatever we humans try to control will always be artificial.  All of our gardens are artificial.  Ecosystems take thousands of years to become established.  I am serious.  There is no way we humans will ever be able to recreate an ecosystem, we just live too short of a time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this provides some good thoughts that will help you.  It would be nice to get more information such as your climate, zone, soil types, fish/wildlife involved, average pH of your soils, the pH of your pond (?), is this a natural pond fed by subterranean water or is this fed by tap water?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have heard about an island in the Pacific, formed in an eddy by natural currents of the ocean where our oh so lovely trash that floats has accumulated and dunno if this is true, but I heard people are able to walk on this floating island!  If I find a link I'll send it to you...this is nature actually doing what you are wanting to do.  Century after century, millenia after millenia, plants will find this 'niche' die, decompose, make sort of a soil, particulates from the atmosphere will be added...the plastic will be invisible, held to the center layer of this island, while plants will have taken over the job of buoyancy, roots with air pockets?  We are talking a million years...no big deal in nature, big deal for humans with a science project to recreate!  Grins! How big is your project?  Is this a manmade lake with an unestablished ecosystem?  Do you have a winter?  What are your visions?  Camping out on your island?  What prompted you to envision and prepare to make this island?  What is your back ground in the sciences?  If we got caught doing this in the States we'd be fined. Big time.  Depending on the hydrology.  Ponds are part of a system.  They are not separated from the underground waters, rivers, creeks or our drinking wells.  If there were salmon spawning streams nearby, there are huge 'buffer' zones that define what can and can't be done within those zones.  Gets very convoluted and expensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I guess the plastic comes from India and China primarily.  Again, dunno how they know that fact?  Sounds, fishy, to me.  We will someday be known as Homo plasticus...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-12-26T23:12:16.383" LastActivityDate="2017-12-26T23:12:16.383" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36634" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-27T01:50:10.260" Score="4" ViewCount="1749" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted a guava sapling in my yard and in a few months, have noticed a few leaves being 'eaten'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tp6k9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tp6k9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Guava Leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this just some insect feeding of a few leaves and should be of no concern ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or is this an indicator that the tree needs assistance ? If so, what can I do to help the sapling ? The sapling gets plenty of sunshine and water. Its in a tropical city in Australia, if that matters. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20509" LastActivityDate="2017-12-27T04:34:46.250" Title="Do eaten leaves on a guava tree mean the tree needs help?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;guavas&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36635" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36634" CreationDate="2017-12-27T04:34:46.250" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You've got something chowing chewing big time..on the leaves of your little tree.  I would clear a circle of 2' diameter around the base of your tree.  Remove all weeds, as many weed roots possible without damaging the roots of this tree.  Look at your other plants nearby to see if there is any of the same damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure that the trunk of your baby tree is completely clear of the soil, mulch and weeds.  There is a definite line between the bark of the trunk and where the roots begin.  Make sure only the roots are under the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you are clearing, be looking for fat grubs, larvae, beetles and possibly a fat caterpillar that curls into a ball, cut worm.  Record what you find and let us know. There is probably only one insect, a few individuals doing this damage.  All other insects are fine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This looks like a skeletonizer, leaf miner damage...possibly a beetle.  You should find lots of insects in the soil and if you go out at night with a flash light you will find lots more that could be your culprit.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf miners, skeletonizers are a huge class of insects, easily controlled but until we know for sure what insect it is no one should ever prescribe pesticides.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most people plant their woody perennials too deep.  This will cause them to be compromised, dying slowly and as such the plant becomes attractive to disease and insects.  I think this is some sort of beetle, the skeletonizing is large, smaller skeletonizers actually leave more of the veination in the leaf.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut worm is one of the biggest easily noticed problems over where I've lived.  And it only takes one or two to do big damage.  You go out at night with a flashlight and you will find thick greenish caterpillars that when disturbed curl into a ball.  Use scissors and cut them in two.  Ugh.  This is the best way to deal with most insects that are identified to be not welcome in the garden.  They need to be identified, however.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you find beetles, grubs, larvae, even cutworms please try to take a picture to send.  Check with your local University Cooperative Extension Association or its equivalent over there.  They will give you clues about your local environment and growing needs/problems that are priceless.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-27T04:34:46.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36636" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36642" CreationDate="2017-12-27T06:58:43.023" Score="11" ViewCount="2326" Body="&lt;p&gt;I watched this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mxp1nnrUG0Q&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;timelapse of litter decomposition&lt;/a&gt;. This makes me wonder if turning the compost actually slow down composting by discouraging detritivores and burrowers to live in the compost. I would imagine turning the compost frequently makes it a less ideal place for most of these organisms (so the frequency is important) which seem to be efficient at reducing the particle size of litter (fallen leaves are usually the bulk ingredient of the compost) as in the video. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does turning over a compost pile slow down its decomposition?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16094" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2017-12-28T18:53:28.363" LastActivityDate="2017-12-28T18:53:28.363" Title="Would turning the compost actually slow down compost decomposition?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36637" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-27T07:36:53.177" Score="5" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;I e got mixed ground covers planted around stepping stones. The area is not walked on that much. The ground covers seem to die every so often. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I’m interested in care for these as I feel sometimes they die due to overwater and sometimes they die rapidly (healthy one day, dead a week later). I’m in Australia and summers can be hot. I have a mix and some uncovered areas simply haven’t had anything planted. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/udWcO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/udWcO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mcu8g.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mcu8g.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YN7bb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YN7bb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X4u2K.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/X4u2K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20117" LastActivityDate="2017-12-29T23:00:33.060" Title="Mixed ground covers - best care" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36638" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36637" CreationDate="2017-12-27T08:04:47.740" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cute feet Simon...grins! I think you hit it on the head, too much water, too little drainage.  The thyme seems to be trying to thrive.  I am thinking your edging might be making a dammed up area and causing poor drainage.  That thin metal stuff or plastic stuff?  If you were to remove that edging give a little fertilizer to your ground covers...they might just take off.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd take a rake and rake it all so there is not separation between chips on your bed and gravel of this walkway.  Wait to see how the thyme reacts.  Depending on the thyme we should be able to figure out the best ground covers for this area and those that share the same needs to plant together for variety/fun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it remains wet we'll probably talk about Speedwell, if it gets drier we can think about Portulaca and Woolly Thyme.  I would remove those edging things no matter what.  Distracting, look dangerous like knives, they aren't doing any function and I think that it is causing poor drainage, yes, even within a couple of inches of the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-27T08:04:47.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36639" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36636" CreationDate="2017-12-27T08:39:14.627" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Little burrowing mammals are drawn to decomposing piles, warmth for the winter, food, easy digging. If you turn your piles often the turning is what discourages tenants.  I think you are thinking the same thing.  You want to turn them very often so that you aren't killing nests of babies. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Decomposition should be aerobic meaning with air.  If air is used up or cut off from a part of the pile or the entire pile, decomposition will continue anaerobically. This process gives of methane.  Aerobic decomposition gives off CO2.  Methane is very stinky.  So turning the pile encourages more aerobic decomposition. I think it is faster and more sane to go aerobic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Turn as often as you want or think about it.  Add a little nitrogen fertilizer.  Keep it all slightly slightly moist.  Add garden soil to the pile, that injects fresh decomposers, bacteria and soil particles. There used to be a litter box material for cats that was simply alfalfa pellets.  This was the best stuff to throw on decomposing piles!  Nitrogen. Let me know if you are able to find it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you have a plastic tarp for the rainy seasons and cold seasons.  Important tool to control your decomposing piles holds the heat in and you can control the amount of moisture allowed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-12-28T00:45:51.210" LastActivityDate="2017-12-28T00:45:51.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36640" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36637" CreationDate="2017-12-27T10:06:56.113" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It was (I assume) a walking area, so I think the ground is compact. I would try to move the first 10 centimeters of the ground (maybe you can do also in a small spot, to test). This will help under-watering and over-watering: more water can be stored in ground, so you will have less extreme wet soil, but also some more reserve in case of forgetting watering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general, dry tolerant plants tend not to like overwatering.  I would recommend creeping/covering plants: (like the thyme, proposed by stormy). The plants roots deeply (the root in one spot should provide nutrients for much surface), and also more tolerant to footsteps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2017-12-27T10:06:56.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36641" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36636" CreationDate="2017-12-27T10:20:23.937" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends. And so you have the worse possible answer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The temperature of compost should be not too hot, not too cold. Turning the composts too often (or in cold periods) could stop the decomposition process. On the other hand, on summer, turning it frequently, could cold it down, so that the compost will not &quot;burn&quot;, killing the decompositers. And this will give also more oxygen for the bacteria and insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, every compost has different ingredients (and different weather), which change the rules.  The most experiences gardeners will feel when they should turn the compost (and on what strength). For most of us, it is just trial and error.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-27T10:53:09.643" LastActivityDate="2017-12-27T10:53:09.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36642" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36636" CreationDate="2017-12-27T11:39:45.273" Score="10" Body="&lt;p&gt;I sort of agree with both the answers you've been given, but essentially, no, turning the compost pile does not slow down decomposition over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is perceived wisdom that turning a compost heap regularly will mean that the resulting compost is ready much quicker, and will be suitable for use in potting soil mixes because the heat generated in a turned heap means weed seeds and pathogens will have been destroyed. Climate where you are makes a difference - in hotter places, turning the heap may be essential to cool it down temporarily, but in temperate regions, its unlikely the average compost heap will get hot enough to destroy pathogens, and will take longer to turn into compost,see here for the standard advice &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/turningcompost.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/turningcompost.html&lt;/a&gt;. Basically, the choice is between a faster hot, aerobic heap (turned regularly) or a slower cold, anaerobic one (not turned).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your very interesting time lapsed video link shows a leaf litter layer rather than an actual compost pile comprised of different materials, and all it demonstrates is that soil without life forms means that anything sitting on top will take forever to decompose, although you can see green mould or fungal activity beginning on the inert side. There are various ways a heap breaks down, and it's not just burrowing insects,but also bacterial and fungal activity that may not be readily visible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This 'fun' article here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2011/sep/02/friday-debate-compost-turning&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2011/sep/02/friday-debate-compost-turning&lt;/a&gt; cites two horticultural opinions that say it's not worth it on the strength that life's too short, largely, but in fact, being really scientific and rigorous about managing (turning, controlling moisture and content,covering, etc) compost heaps does mean achieving useable compost much faster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ultimately, it depends what you're going to do with the resulting compost from your pile and how soon you want it. If you're just going to put it back into the ground and you're not in any major hurry,  or don't have sufficient time to take on the job (and most of us don't) then just leaving it to get on with it is fine. On the other hand, if you have the time and interest, then monitoring,turning, and so on, on a regular basis, will produce compost faster which will be pathogen/weed seed free and suitable for use in potting soil mixes, despite the temporary, short lived cooling and disruptive effect of turning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-27T16:02:39.040" LastActivityDate="2017-12-27T16:02:39.040" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36644" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36636" CreationDate="2017-12-27T17:51:46.550" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Consider, if you will, &quot;commercial composting&quot; - while there are various versions of this, one that lights on your question is a long, slightly inclined tube where material is dumped in one end and slowly transits the constantly rotating tube to drop out as finished compost a few days later. It it turned constantly. This does not happen to scale well for home use, but fundamentally, air is always good (if you don't cool off &amp;amp; dry out the pile too much, which is why it does not scale down well.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The main &quot;composters&quot; are thermophilic (heat-loving) aerobic (need oxygen) bacteria. If detritivores are significantly contributing to the breakdown of your materials, you are arguably &quot;just letting stuff rot (and be eaten)&quot;, not composting. You are certainly not going to get results as fast that way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fallen leaves at a household scale are best processed a different way - turn them into &quot;leaf mould&quot;  by wetting, compacting, and storing as they will break down easily by fungal action over the course of a few years, needing no aeration to do so, and they do not contain seeds that need to be killed. Fallen leaves are a terrible compost ingredient, as they impede aeration (though they would perhaps be fine in the aforementioned commercial system which has a very aggressive aeration mechanism.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastEditorUserId="6806" LastEditDate="2017-12-27T17:58:57.977" LastActivityDate="2017-12-27T17:58:57.977" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36645" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36636" CreationDate="2017-12-27T20:26:21.620" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple of points to consider....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I turn a pile of compost, with various critters that burrowed their way into the middle, aiding the process, and my turning the pile moves them to a more peripheral location, will those critters say &quot;dang, I'm leaving THIS pile,&quot; or will they burrow their way back into the middle, where they clearly prefer to be, affecting more materials that they would not have otherwise interacted with?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the same token, if you have one area of the pile that is decomposing very well, you have this quandary - You have a combination of temperature, microbes, nutrients, moisture, light/dark in that area.  Composting occurs, you then have finished compost in that ideal area, but are now out of the raw un-composted materials in that location.  On the other hand, you have plenty of raw materials elsewhere, but those locations are not as ideal.  Turning the compost distributes some of those needed microbes (which now exist in greater amounts) to other areas, moves the finished composted materials out of the ideal location, where they are no longer needed, and moves/rotates the materials that still need to be composted into an area where they can be more efficiently used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15588" LastActivityDate="2017-12-27T20:26:21.620" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36646" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36650" CreationDate="2017-12-28T10:57:56.010" Score="5" ViewCount="272" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an Allamanda Blanchetii in a 16&quot; container that I'd planned to grow as a vine up one corner of the balcony. Only thing, it's not growing as I'd like it to, which I suspect could be due to planting in container. I'd like to try to grow it as a shrub/bush now, preferably in a 12&quot; container. Am looking for some advice on whether it's risky to transplant/down-pot and hard prune at the same time. It's about a year and half old, has a single vine around 7 feet long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;17th Feb, '18: Just wanted to update, post-pruning the plant started sprouting new growth just below the cut, and later some more further below on the stem, where I'd hoped it would. To let the plant grow for now, I'm just twining the new growth backwards on it's own bare stem. Once these branches are spent, I'll prune the main stem gradually down, by which time the lower growth should be able to support the plant. Eventually hope to reach the height that's optimum here.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BRmqL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QWh1a.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17595" LastEditorUserId="17595" LastEditDate="2018-02-17T12:26:11.293" LastActivityDate="2018-02-17T12:26:11.293" Title="Converting Allamanda Blanchetii from vine to shrub" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36647" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-28T12:46:11.103" Score="4" ViewCount="52" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &lt;strong&gt;5 years old Fukien Tea&lt;/strong&gt;, which just arrived in home. I live in the south of Spain, and my city has strong temperature changes. The temperature goes aprox. like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spring:&lt;/strong&gt; 20 - 25 º Celsius / Fahrenheit 68 - 77 º &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Summer:&lt;/strong&gt; 35 - 40 º C /       F 95 - 104 º &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Autumn:&lt;/strong&gt; 15 - 25 º C /       F 59 - 77 º &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Winter:&lt;/strong&gt; 1 - 12 º C /        F 32 - 54 º&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I keep the bonsai in my desktop, which is in front of a big window with sunlight, but I read Fukien Tea should also go out. Apparently the &lt;strong&gt;perfect temperature for it is 20 º C/ F 68 º&lt;/strong&gt;. I'm worried about &lt;strong&gt;summer and winter&lt;/strong&gt; for this little guy, I thought to get a &lt;em&gt;mini-greenhouse&lt;/em&gt; for keep it humid and temperature-shock free in winter. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do you think is it a good idea or the bonsai could be harm? What could I do in summer?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;RPI/Arduino homemade devices are possible options, do you guys tried anything?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thank you in advance.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11874" LastActivityDate="2017-12-28T14:13:53.327" Title="Should I make a mini-greenhouse for my temperature-sensitive bonsai?" Tags="&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;greenhouse&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36648" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36651" CreationDate="2017-12-28T13:10:46.067" Score="4" ViewCount="3288" Body="&lt;p&gt;I’m not sure what kind of Angel plant this is but it grows mold on the top layer of the dirt after I water it and it dries out. None of my other plants have this issue. Any advice on what I’m doing wrong or what I’m not doing? It’s growing fine; but I don’t know why it’s doing this. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OEuuL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OEuuL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ddCfi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ddCfi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rt4nW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rt4nW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13114" LastActivityDate="2017-12-29T10:32:56.420" Title="Why is there Mold growing on top of my dirt?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36649" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36647" CreationDate="2017-12-28T14:13:53.327" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Fukien Tea is a tropical plant and is one of the few species that can be successfully grown indoor as a bonsai. However, keep in mind indoor bonsai is much more difficult than growing outdoor bonsai.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do bonsai for many years now (mostly outdoor species), and have tried some indoor trees as well. I never tried Fukien Tea, but have tried &lt;em&gt;Podocarpus&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Ficus benjamina&lt;/em&gt;. The &lt;em&gt;Podocarpus&lt;/em&gt; died, and altought the &lt;em&gt;Ficus&lt;/em&gt; is still alive it is not as good in shape as my outdoor bonsai. I don't want to discourage you of course, but please be aware of the difficulty.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you already mentioned, temperature is an important factor. I think in Spain the bonsai will do good outside during summertime. Maybe keep it in the shade when really high temperature occur. For winter it needs to be inside, and will encounter two main problems. First light, it is a tropical plant that gets full light whole year thru in normal habitat. But here in Europe the light intensity and day length will be less. Second problem, and this is more important is moist levels. Since it is a tropical plant it needs moist soil. In wintertime, when the heater is on, the air can be dry, and the plant and soil will evaporate faster. I don't think you'll need a mini-green house to regulate moist levels, but putting the pot on something like a wet tray of gravel might be the best solution. Here is some more info about &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/carmona&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fukien Tea bonsai&lt;/a&gt; maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-12-28T14:13:53.327" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36650" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36646" CreationDate="2017-12-28T20:36:21.953" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A photo might have been useful, but however, it doesn't sound like you did any pruning to persuade the plant to produce more stems as it grew, so now its produced a single, long stem. These can be grown as a shrub, but the usual way  to produce this type of growth is to pinch out tips of stems so that it becomes more bushy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems you've had the plant in the 16 inch container for 18 months - over that time, its possible the roots have filled the pot, which would make it impossible to reduce the pot size down to 12 inches, but the only way you'll know is to turn it out of its current pot and check. Either way, its never a good idea to cramp and squash roots into a smaller container, so it depends on how much root material its made; you may need to keep in in the same size container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're going to prune, the time to do it is spring, as growth begins. Cutting back the single stem you have will mean reduced flowering, and hard pruning of these is not recommended. You should probably restrict pruning  to reducing  the stem by no more than half, fertilize it and hope that triggers new shoots from the base, more info here (scroll down for pruning) &lt;a href=&quot;https://plantcaretoday.com/allamanda-plant-care-bush-beauty.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://plantcaretoday.com/allamanda-plant-care-bush-beauty.html&lt;/a&gt;. Pinch out tips on some of the stems if more appear to create a more bushy plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2017-12-28T20:36:21.953" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36651" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36648" CreationDate="2017-12-28T20:58:16.267" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is Epipremnum aureum (previously known as Scindapsus) and common names include Pothos or Golden Pothos, or Devils' Ivy. It's not really growing very well, the leaf to stem ratio is poor, so you've got long straggly stems that are not entirely clothed with leaves. It's essentially healthy though, evidenced by the new growth in the centre. I don't know where this pot usually hangs, but if it's well away from a window, it may just be it's simply not getting enough light at the top, and that's caused this effect. I'd also suspect its got insufficient air flow around it, which would encourage the fungal fuzz you're seeing. This can be caused if the plant is hung from a hook in a ceiling that's a dark colour -  plants in this type of pot do better if hung from a wall bracket, which means its not so close to a ceiling.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other possible problem with this type of pot is that, inevitably and essentially, it has a saucer at the bottom to catch drips of water, but that means the saucer probably holds water for longer than is good for the plant, so the soil may stay damp for quite a while. However, you say the mould appears as the plant dries out, so I wonder what potting soil you used - if it and the pot weren't sterile and new, or it's not good potting soil, there may be woody bits in it that create conditions for the mould to grow on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest you decant the plant from the pot, take off as much of the existing potting soil as you can without causing root damage, thoroughly wash and scrub the pot, then repot the plant into the same pot using new potting soil. If the white stuff just inside the rim of the pot is hard and crusty, use lime scale remover - I can't tell if it's that or just fungal. I'd also cut back the straggly stems to the rim of the pot, and if you want, root the parts you cut off in a bottle of water. Reduce the length of what you cut off to about 6-8  inches and put the cut ends into the bottle, stand the bottle on a windowsill and keep it topped up with water till roots form, then you can pot those up, or insert them into this pot with the rest of the plant if there's enough root room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've had the plant in a relatively dark, relatively airless place, it will do better hung up somewhere else, but it's hard to comment either way on that, since I don't know where its been all this time.I note also that the soil in the pot is not as far up as it should be - it should come up to just about where the inner 'ledge' is inside the pot, not half in inch below it, so correct that when you repot. Having the soil surface higher means there's more chance of air movement at the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regarding watering ongoing, water thoroughly when the surface of the soil feels dry to the touch, but not so dry its shrunken from the sides of the pot (there's evidence of shrinking from the sides in the images above, though perhaps that was deliberate to demonstrate the fungal fuzz).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-29T10:32:56.420" LastActivityDate="2017-12-29T10:32:56.420" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36652" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36655" CreationDate="2017-12-29T02:43:24.727" Score="2" ViewCount="397" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got this 2/3 year old Cardinal Creeper in a 16&quot; container that's become really bare at the base, making the stem look like coils of rope. The new growth seems to happen at the tips, leaving the base still bare. I did have to cut back this plant down to 1.5'/2' length from root last year due an uncontrollable aphid infestation(it was growing up somewhere I wasn't able to reach with the sprays), but it grew back nicely. Now I'd like to do some hard pruning (so as to remove the lengths of bare stems at the bottom), but am wondering if the plant would grow back up every time after a hard prune? Does the plant's ability for regrowth decrease as it ages? Also, it just shed leaves last month and is showing new growth now... though it's still winter here, and spring is still a month away. Am worried about cutting off the new growth and affecting the plant. Some of the new growth has the same curled/abnormal leaves that I'd seen during the last aphid attack, though I don't see any (yet?). What's the best way ahead?&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U4wjP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pYz5I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BUWoB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;17th Feb, '18: The plant might not have survived another hard prune, so that was some useful advice I got here. Here's the plant after new growth - the ropes are hidden :) Ignore the Bougainvillea, will you? It seems to want in on any pictures of it's neighbour clicked :D&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EOO9U.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/59u3q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17595" LastEditorUserId="17595" LastEditDate="2018-02-17T12:40:28.980" LastActivityDate="2018-02-17T12:40:28.980" Title="Best way of pruning Cardinal Creeper" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36653" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-29T06:10:02.473" Score="3" ViewCount="45" Body="&lt;p&gt;As per the title, what are the essential differences between growing plants in pots vs growing in the soil?  The pots I'm talking about are not connected to the soil at their bases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2017-12-29T06:28:48.817" Title="What are the essential differences in growing plants in soil vs pots?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36654" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36653" CreationDate="2017-12-29T06:28:48.817" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Completely determined by your locality/environment.  Plants in pots are relegated to whatever we give them; soil, water, fertilizer, light, air.  Plants in the garden have safeguards.  Lots more available water, light (depending on the time of year), aeration, drainage, water, as well as beneficials.  Hopefully a live soil.  Any plant planted in a pot must have the best of whatever it is you are able to give that plant; soil, water, fertilizer and light...drainage.  Plants in pots need us humans completely.  The best soil, water at the correct time, fertilizer is even more critical, and given the best light possible.  To use anything other than potting soil really diminishes the chances for a plant in the all time most artificial environment we humans are able to hand our plants.  It amazes me that we humans are able to cough up 'permaculture'.  Every plant we plant is always in an artificial environment.  There is no way we could make a self replicating, self replenishing environment, no matter how hard we tried.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants in pots give us latitude to drag the plants indoors or outdoors depending on the environment.  Plants in the garden have to deal with whatever season is afforded them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-29T06:28:48.817" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36655" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36652" CreationDate="2017-12-29T09:10:12.633" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The older, the more stressed a plant is the less they will be able to 'bounce back' from pruning.  This plant is a vine.  I am not at all sure what it is you expect of the base, usually, vines at the base are bare; lack of sun, better leaves at the ends of the vines that get great light.  That is the cool thing being a vine,the plant can 'travel' to find the best light.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would leave this plant alone.  For one thing, your plant is getting fairly old for this species.  There are ways to invigorate your plant without pruning drastically.  Have you ever fertilized?  With a balanced fertilizer?  Have you re potted this plant in a larger pot with potting soil (sterilized bagged soil)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I do for my indoor plants that are also called medium term perishables, is to take them out of doors on a covered porch for the summer. Makes them a 'long term perishable'...No direct sunlight.  Lots of hosing them down washing insects and dusts off the plants. This extra light helps your plants make more food for themselves to last through the winter.  I would also repot them in fresh sterilized soil, no rocks or gravel beneath the soil.  Giving them a balanced fertilizer once or twice a year.  Do not over water.  Lots of blowing air...from a fan or open windows.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your vine could use a fresh up pot.  2-3&quot; larger pot, sterilized potting soil, south facing window for winter and out of doors on a covered patio so it gets more light, makes more food for itself, thus being able to last the winter months better. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where I live this plant is an annual.  Even indoors, after one year an annual that has been able to produce seed, just gives up.  You've an exceptional environment.  I have a feeling that you've done an exceptional job with this plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Annuals are one season plants...their entire focus and purpose in life is to make seed.  Lots of flowers equals lots of seed.  Once an annual produces seed, its job is done.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am thinking you should get a fresh, young plant to replace.  Gather its seed and try to start a new plant from the seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are easy ways to control aphids other than drastic pruning.  Have you used garden soil in this pot?  Is this plant out of doors?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We need much more information and definitely pictures.  You might have spider mite going on, I am assuming you know what aphids look like by now.  I just imagine this plant being out of doors, is it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You most certainly can cut off dead stems, branches, leaves from your plant.  I just hope you don't cut a bare stem to find it is the main stem for your plant.  Please send pictures and more information.  This answer is just to help you to tell us and show us more about your plant and situation.  Grins! Maybe I've assumed correctly~&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-12-29T09:25:30.643" LastActivityDate="2017-12-29T09:25:30.643" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36656" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36658" CreationDate="2017-12-29T16:40:43.533" Score="3" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to create a plant from a fresh date seed in a mini pot? When I say &quot;mini&quot; I mean a pot with diameter of maybe 6cm, like this one? (see image below) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I already tried this 3 times with 3 seeds that had roots coming out of each, but they all died. So, I'm wondering if the issue is with me, possibly inappropriate soil or a too small pot, or it's just not possible to make it grow as a mini plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The soil I'm using is a mix of:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;1/3 vermiculite &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;zeolite&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;organic soil&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WmpYF.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WmpYF.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19852" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-31T00:37:40.837" LastActivityDate="2017-12-31T00:37:40.837" Title="Can I grow a mini-sized date plant from a fresh seed?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36657" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36630" CreationDate="2017-12-29T16:47:58.253" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not completely sure, but I think a soap water will get rid off them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19852" LastActivityDate="2017-12-29T16:47:58.253" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36658" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36656" CreationDate="2017-12-29T19:51:48.577" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am afraid bonsai for &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monocotyledon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;monocotyledons&lt;/a&gt; are very difficult if not impossible. But I am not sure if that's what you mean with meme plant? Palms, such as the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_palm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Date&lt;/a&gt; palm, are not really trees (as real bonsai are) and therefore the techniques applied to bonsai do not work here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The seed would in theory be able to germinate in a small pot, but would need a bigger pot as soon the plant starts to grow. Date seeds should germinate well in just normal potting soil (kept a bit wet and warm). It could take a few weeks to months though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So making a miniature palm in a 6 cm diameter pot is according to my knowledge and experience not feasible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-12-29T20:19:43.190" LastActivityDate="2017-12-29T20:19:43.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36661" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-30T01:41:17.503" Score="5" ViewCount="515" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in making some biochar for my garden.  I don't really want to pay an metal engineer to make an expensive &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ithaka-institut.org/en/ct/101&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Kon-Tiki Kiln&lt;/a&gt;, or even a much easier &lt;a href=&quot;https://pacharcoal.com/pyramid-kiln/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pyramidal Kiln&lt;/a&gt;, and I don't have the energy to dig a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.biochar-journal.org/itjo/media/doc/1434748327997.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;2 m diameter soil pit&lt;/a&gt; that are used traditionally in my hard clay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kpxAu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kpxAu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Kon-Tiki Biochar Kiln in action&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kon-Tiki Biochar Kiln in action&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/astKV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/astKV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Mechanism of action&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kon-Tiki design showing the flame vortex on the right - the wood well beneath the vortex undergoes pyrolysis as the oxygen is consumed at the top.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RN3zz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RN3zz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Kontiki Biochar&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kon-Tiki Biochar&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Woj9i.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Woj9i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pennsylvannia Pyramidal Kiln&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pennsylvannia Pyramidal Kiln&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S2cdP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S2cdP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Open Pit Biochar&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Open Pit Biochar Kiln&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've seen a new design, the &lt;a href=&quot;http://warmheartworldwide.org/new-type-fc-biochar-production-unit/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Warm Heart Kiln&lt;/a&gt; which is defined as above ground Flame Curtain units with a non-square, rectangular top aspect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ke3cr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ke3cr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Warm Heart Kiln&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Warm heart kiln ( not my bath, not my property )&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But that looks a little like a bigger version of an old cast iron bath.  And I have a spare one that I was going to use as a raised bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, can I use a bath to make biochar?  This way I can dispose of biological waste from the garden and amend the soil for potentially 100s of years while storing carbon in the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2018-07-18T16:46:09.230" LastActivityDate="2018-07-18T16:46:09.230" Title="Can biochar be created effectively in a cast iron bath?" Tags="&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36662" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36661" CreationDate="2017-12-30T02:58:46.593" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've  learned that burning, ash and charcoal do little or nothing for the soil.  That is why they stopped the burning of fields.  Added too much smoke, did nothing at all for the soil.  The attributes of this stuff are about as good as aquarium gravel.  Gravel, rock, gypsum does nothing for the tilth of soil.  The ONLY way to improve any and all soils is to dump decomposed organic matter on top of the soil.  No sand, no gravel, no charcoal.  Just not worth your time.  To add for better tilth is to do cover crops.  Slight tilling.  Tilling at the beginning and maybe every other year slightly.  Mostly the addition of decomposed organic matter to the surface.  That is the only way to improve soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Use this lovely iron POT but know that you are growing and dealing with potted plants.  Not plants in the garden soil.  Make dang sure there are holes and the bottom is raised off the ground.  There is most certainly a threshold for available iron.  I would not use anything other than sterilized potting soil at the beginning.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also be checking on this beautiful pot every day to decipher the needs of the plants.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Interesting stuff but found one that goes with my initial reaction.  If it seems to good to be true then it most certainly doesn't exist.  Something like that?&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/elist/eListRead/biochar_black_gold_or_just_another_snake_oil_scheme/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;biochar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MbxdU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MbxdU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my caliche clay vegey garden first year&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u2mqx.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/u2mqx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;my caliche clay vegey garden a month later or so lets talk about commitment never had to dig again but boy howdy.  You bet I added a bit of fertilizer and decomposed organic matter...mostly to the top of the beds. &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-12-31T06:15:04.760" LastActivityDate="2017-12-31T06:15:04.760" CommentCount="15" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36663" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-30T03:38:55.313" Score="4" ViewCount="64" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never seen many insects on my Jerusalem artichokes before but this year they seem to be plentiful. Are they pests? They do seem to be having a good time and there doesn't seem to be any leaf damage though those black spots look like insect feces.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/5ecMPZK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/20rhHbw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My guess is that they're probably some type of leafhopper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2017-12-30T03:44:48.843" LastActivityDate="2017-12-30T03:44:48.843" Title="Are these sunchoke insects friend or foe?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36664" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36661" CreationDate="2017-12-30T12:36:17.750" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not a subject I know much about, but I've been doing a bit of research, because, as one of the comments points out, that open trough showing burning wood also struck me as absolutely not the way to produce biochar. If part of your purpose is to lock up carbon (I'm assuming from an environmental point of view as much as anything) then that open burning trough will be emitting methane and CO2 into the air as it burns, and there's too much oxygen availability for the stuff that's burning, which means you're likely to get ash rather than biochar. In many parts of the world, people create and use biochar as a fertilizer, but its usually produced in a low tech way by digging a more or less cone shaped hole in the ground, with the materials piled into it, rather than a wide, open trough. Which would mean your bath is not a suitable receptacle for such a purpose either.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I found this &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/svNg5w7WY0k&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/svNg5w7WY0k&lt;/a&gt; to be particularly interesting, because its a way of producing good biochar without emitting gases and smoke into the air - those gases are subsumed as the wood inside the drums 'cooks' rather than burns. Using two drums, one inside the other, with lids and a chimney of sorts is nothing like using an open bath or trough, obviously, and seems to be a much more effective and environmentally friendly way of producing good biochar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In terms of use as a fertilizer, you probably already know there are various videos on Youtube, including some Ted talks - one of them uses scientific testing to determine whether using biochar makes any  difference to nutrient levels in soil,and ultimately, whether it makes any difference to nutrient levels in food plants grown in that soil. Tests show that properly prepared, activated biochar does increase some (but not all) nutrient levels in soil &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/AOgbO1uSaFU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/AOgbO1uSaFU&lt;/a&gt;  and does prevent leaching of those particular elements, but, if the soil in which the crops are grown is already nutrient dense (organic materials already being present) then there is no increase in the nutrient levels in the foods grown, though there may well be if the soil is poor prior to the addition of biochar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I'm inclined to agree with another answer that it's much better to largely use unburnt organic material to keep the soil in good condition, rather than deliberately  burning materials in hopes that will be even better - I can't help noticing the similarity between the rise in popularity of biochar and that of coffee grounds; the latter, in the last ten years, have been recommended as a fertilizer for soil and acquired a fad status, but that's just what it is, a fad, because coffee grounds are not a fantastic  fertilizer for any soil/plant. I well recall a 'gardening expert' in the UK, actually a botanist, singing the praises of coffee grounds - two years later, he confessed that all the houseplants to which he'd liberally applied coffee grounds had died, so withdrew his recommendation. Biochar may well just be another fad which, long term, and used immoderately, is also not a great idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An interesting subject on which I intend to do further research, so I'm glad you raised it, but essentially, no, I do not believe your bath is a suitable way to produce biochar because it will allow methane and Co2 to escape during the process, and would be much better used as a raised bed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-31T23:36:16.977" LastActivityDate="2017-12-31T23:36:16.977" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36665" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36666" CreationDate="2017-12-30T15:38:49.770" Score="4" ViewCount="240" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw this flower growing in my grandma's house when I was a kid.&#xA;I thought it could be some kind of lily, but after googling found that many so called lilies are not actual lilies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G42Nq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/G42Nq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;This is the flower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can anybody tell me what flower is this ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20525" LastEditorUserId="20525" LastEditDate="2017-12-30T16:03:24.833" LastActivityDate="2017-12-30T16:03:24.833" Title="What flower is this?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36666" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36665" CreationDate="2017-12-30T15:50:02.010" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is commonly known as &lt;em&gt;Amaryllis&lt;/em&gt;, however it is actually &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippeastrum&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hippeastrum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It is more related to daffodils, not so much to lilies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants are often grown from bulbs, in the living room, and bloom around Christmas. You can keep the plant and bulb for next year, if treated properly it will bloom again (it needs a small cold period though).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-12-30T15:50:02.010" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36667" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36668" CreationDate="2017-12-30T17:11:23.703" Score="7" ViewCount="1435" Body="&lt;p&gt;My mother has had this houseplant for about a decade and we don't know what it is. The dark, glossy leaves are oval with pointed tips. They're growing off small branches attached to the narrow main trunk. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What care should we give it so it can grow back healthy?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on pictures for closer view.&lt;/em&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/8GAucna.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/8GAucna.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VUDBR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VUDBRl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H7TGa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/H7TGal.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20527" LastEditorUserId="20527" LastEditDate="2018-01-01T15:38:34.260" LastActivityDate="2018-01-01T17:07:27.387" Title="What is this houseplant with glossy oval leaves, and how should I care for it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="8" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36668" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36667" CreationDate="2017-12-30T17:52:19.783" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_benjamina&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ficus benjamina&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, but I am not sure because the pictures only show a close up of the plant (and not the whole plant).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does it bleed white milk when your tear off a leaf?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is easy to maintain indoors. However, close to the heater it may lose leaves. Water it weekly, but don't overwater it. Here some more detailed &lt;a href=&quot;http://tipsplants.com/plants/house-plants/ficus-benjamina&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;instructions&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2017-12-30T17:52:19.783" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36669" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36667" CreationDate="2017-12-30T18:22:58.590" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd agree it does look like Ficus benjamina - but yours is in a bit of a sorry state.  From what I can see of the pot it's in, it may well need potting on  into something larger, with new potting soil. As it appears to have lost  many of its leaves, I suggest you repot and then cut it down by half, though it's hard to be sure how much to cut it by because all the plant is not visible, it may need to be taken down lower than that. Depending where you live, this procedure is best carried out in spring;  stand the plant on newspaper that covers the surrounding floor - these plants drip copious amounts of white sap for quite a while after being cut down. It may take some time to recover from being hard pruned in this way, but you should finish up with a much bushier, more attractive plant.  This link has an image of what it should look like: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.myhouseplants.com/house-plant-list/ficus-benjamina/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Weeping fig, Ficus benjamina&lt;/a&gt; (minus the plaited or twisted stems).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It likes bright daylight but not sun, hates draughts (so don't keep near an open door or in the draught from an open window), prefers an even temperature and should not be placed next to heat sources such as radiators. Water when the surface of the potting soil feels just about dry to the touch, and water thoroughly when you do it, emptying out any outer pot or tray after 30 minutes. Fertilize with houseplant fertilizer (something like Baby Bio if you can get it where you are) as often as the instructions suggest during the growing season (spring and summer), stop for autumn and winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2018-01-01T17:07:27.387" LastActivityDate="2018-01-01T17:07:27.387" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36671" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36512" CreationDate="2017-12-30T22:12:56.730" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, they are Begonia, and are struggling for light, hack them back savagely and put them in warm, filtered light, or morning sun pozzie &amp;amp; water regularly. They will love you long time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20531" LastActivityDate="2017-12-30T22:12:56.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36672" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36675" CreationDate="2017-12-31T03:22:17.690" Score="2" ViewCount="36" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've recently used a tractor to change the slope of my yard in order to cause water to flow away from the house during heavy rains. This has caused basically all vegetation to be scraped off my yard. Does anyone know what type of grass is best for me to plant now in this season that will germinate quickly? I've researched and determined that rye grass may be viable, but it can be invasive and may only be green during cooler seasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20533" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-12-31T11:31:51.257" LastActivityDate="2017-12-31T11:31:51.257" Title="Planting Seeds in the Winter in Georgia (USA)" Tags="&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36673" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36492" CreationDate="2017-12-31T05:45:00.883" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Definitely Mold spores, my suggestion to you would be to ditch the current batch of soil and any remaining from most recent purchase and buy bag of new reputable brand potting mix.&#xA;I venture to say that it is not appearing on the outside of the blue glazed pot?, but is the moisture leeching through the un-glazed terracotta. &#xA;Firstly allow the pots to dry out in sun for a good few days (this is to allow the Terracotta to dry out) then take each of the pots and soak them overnight in a bucket of white vinegar or bleach solution (this is to kill mold spores inherently leeched into the porous terracotta) &#xA;Allow the pots to dry thoroughly before you start the process of replanting.&#xA;Given the porosity of terracotta, you could (if you want) paint the insides of the un-glazed ones with Bondcrete, I am in Australia so not sure of branding, but it is a waterproofing membrane to stop moisture leeching through brickwork, or a co-polymer floor sealer would probably do just as good. In essence both are just liquid plastic (for want of a better word).  I hope this helps &#xA;May I suggest slightly less in the watering department and remove excess water from tray after about an hour as any excess moisture will only help promote molds  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20532" LastActivityDate="2017-12-31T05:45:00.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36674" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35670" CreationDate="2017-12-31T06:07:15.933" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Being a Phalaenopsis, with my limited knowledge of them I imagine it will hate your treatment to constant moisture (oxygenated or not, and that appears to be the reason for your dilema) they dislike frequent watering. &#xA;My only suggestion would be to put the remaining bulb part back (as it looks to have some semblance of root there) to suitably aerated orchid/bark pot mix, give it an ice cube once a week to drink and hope for the best. &#xA;I tend to agree with Stephie, but miracles do happen!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20532" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2017-12-31T08:43:07.607" LastActivityDate="2017-12-31T08:43:07.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36675" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36672" CreationDate="2017-12-31T06:22:04.813" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Get some annual rye grass.  Annual is the key word.  Get it planted, lightly covered, add some high nitrogen fertilizer and do it now.  If it is too cold oh well.  Georgia, this stuff should grow.  It is used as a cover crop in gardens. My favorite cover crop. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an annual it needs to be turned under in the spring before allowing it to go to seed.  Otherwise you have nothing to worry about.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another option would be to contact a grass company that sprays seed and mulch and fertilizer and boy does this work.  Worth the money. Not expensive at all. They will know exactly what it is you need now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might even have to get some rolls of netted hemp. It is like burlap only thicker and looser. Secured with big staples this will protect your soil from erosion.  Like immediately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2017-12-31T06:22:04.813" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36676" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-31T06:39:18.063" Score="4" ViewCount="6175" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a hibiscus exhibiting multiple problems. Around 6 months back, the leaves had turned skeletal, with sooty black growth (fungus?) more pronounced near the base and leaf undersides. After some alcohol rubdown to treat the fungus, I'd just kept it quarantined. Now, it's flowering from past 2 months, though the skeletal/fungal appearance remained. Some of the mature/young leaves curl at the edges and turn yellow, with each leaf stalk/base covered by same sooty stuff. Recently, am observing the flower petals turn transparent before they drop off. The other hibiscus plant leaves/flowers are fine, though there's been no difference in their soil/watering etc. What could be the problem? I'd like to move it back with the other plants, but first need to ensure this isn't going to spread to them too.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pOl89.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kGpGp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P9Yu5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;17th Feb, '18: Here's the plant after repotting. The plant wasn't healthy to start with, and I had to operate on the roots a bit to un-entangle them/fit nicely into the new container. So I was a bit apprehensive on the outcome. I'd forgotten the real green of the leaves..it'd been unwell for so long. But looks like the worst is over now :). This thread should help people struggling with similar problems...it was all in the soil!&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tghoe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up of new leaves/growth everywhere&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tr5xN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17595" LastEditorUserId="17595" LastEditDate="2018-02-17T12:33:21.553" LastActivityDate="2019-09-09T23:46:27.963" Title="Hibiscus problems" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;fungus&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;hibiscus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36677" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36676" CreationDate="2017-12-31T09:14:00.607" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a list of what could be causing the coloring of your hibiscus.  It could be one or a combination of the following:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;manganese deficiency&#xA;a high soil pH&#xA;zinc deficiency&#xA;herbicide damage&#xA;wet soil conditions&#xA;compacted soil&#xA;trunk-girdling roots&#xA;plant competition&#xA;high organic content in soil&#xA;high salts&#xA;high levels of phosphorus, copper, zinc or manganese&#xA;&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some plants are more sensitive to iron deficiency at higher pH than others. Many acid loving plants have trouble getting enough iron from the soil at higher pH and therefore show interveinal chlorosis while their neighbors don’t.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jUzhI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jUzhI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;interveinal chlorosis&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A simple balanced fertilizer is critical to use.  You need to test the pH of your soil. There are simple kits for this...what soil did you use in this pot?  The black is honeydew which is like heavy urine from the insects sucking on your plant and then the urine was found by bacteria and fungus turning it black.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would change this plant's soil.  Scrub the container.  Repot using bagged potting soil. Add proper amount of Osmocote 14-14-14 extended release fertilizer. Wash the plant in the shower by hand, allow to drip dry.  Take out on the patio at night and spray with Neem.  Water only when dry.  This should turn your plant around quickly...a week or two you'll notice it greening up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check out this list to see if anything jumps out at you.  Just to make sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2017-12-31T09:27:45.810" LastActivityDate="2017-12-31T09:27:45.810" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36678" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35670" CreationDate="2017-12-31T09:43:44.593" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, the best way to save this plant is to propagate by cuttings. The stems, if still viable, can be cut in smaller parts (the nodes are very important). You want them then to grow new roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a simple &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3txXuEQLyQw&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;video&lt;/a&gt; of how it's done on youtube. You'll need some charcoal if I understood correctly. I have no hands on experience with &lt;em&gt;Phalaenopsis&lt;/em&gt; propagation, so I don't know how difficult it would be. But I think it is the best option left in your situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2017-12-31T14:49:15.033" LastActivityDate="2017-12-31T14:49:15.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36679" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36676" CreationDate="2017-12-31T13:13:43.547" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;What you describe in regard to the black deposits is sooty mould; sooty mould rarely if ever occurs on its own, it usually arrives because there's an infestation of scale, mealybug or aphids. All these produce honeydew, and it's the sticky honeydew that creates the conditions for sooty mould to thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can see some tiny yellow  deposits (as well as black mould) in the penultimate picture, so I'm sure you have some sort of scale infestation, though I'm not sure which scale. That needs to be treated, or the sooty mould will always return and, as you've discovered, a heavy infestation over time will make the plant sickly, with yellowing leaves which fall, and may even affect the flowers if its severe enough. The fact you've had a problem with sooty  mould from six months ago indicates the insect infestation has been present for much longer than that - sooty mould is a secondary, fungal infection, so I'm not surprised your plant is looking very poorly. Because scale insect has two stages of growth, nymphs and mature scales, just check the woody stems as well so see if there are any adult scales attached there when treating the plant. If there are any, they may look like tiny (or even large), shield shaped bumps, almost part of the branch, and they can be difficult to remove; dabbing them with a cotton bud dipped in alcohol, then lifting them off is quite effective, but you should include the branches when you spray anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might be able to treat effectively with an oil spray such as neem, but it sounds like this pest has been present a long time, in which case, you may have to resort to an insecticide spray. I'm not sure which, depends what's available in your area. Whatever you do use, spray beneath the leaves as well as on top and the stems and branches - but not so much the open flowers, don't worry about those.  More information can be seen in this article: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/hibiscus/hibiscus-sticky-leaves.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bugs On Hibiscus Plants: How to Treat A Tropical Hibiscus With Sticky Leaves&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you've dealt with the infestation properly, the plant should start to recover and grow healthy leaves and flowers. In regard to sooty mould, once the infestation is clear and there's no more sticky honeydew,the sooty mould will not recur.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2017-12-31T16:20:42.230" LastActivityDate="2017-12-31T16:20:42.230" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36680" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36700" CreationDate="2017-12-31T13:44:03.427" Score="4" ViewCount="6827" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/ctenanthe-plant-how-to-grow-care&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ctenanthe&lt;/a&gt; a while back and it has been good ever since. I keep it in a medium bright spot, no direct sunlight, and always a pretty stable temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently I have seen some brown leaves, and leaves looking pale as well. I cut away the completely rotten leaves, but after a week, other leaves are dying as well. On the other hand, it is sprouting a lot of new leaves as well. That's why I'm a bit confused about what's happening.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I attached some pictures to help diagnose the problem. I am wondering what I should do to fix the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the pictures for closer view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d8Vd7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/d8Vd7m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pMj0j.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pMj0jm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oA9jg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oA9jgm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19674" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2017-12-31T20:11:28.980" LastActivityDate="2021-02-27T13:44:05.333" Title="Why are the leaves dying on my Ctenanthe?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36681" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-31T15:15:24.903" Score="5" ViewCount="560" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ATlgy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ATlgy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaves are curling upwards&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recently noticed a few gnats and added some mosquito bits to the water which I use to water it with... not sure if it is related though.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20534" LastActivityDate="2018-01-04T23:20:03.607" Title="What is wrong with my indoor cherry tomato plant?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36682" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36681" CreationDate="2017-12-31T15:39:02.050" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant looks as if its acquired a viral infection, for which I'm afraid there is no treatment. More information can be found here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=250&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tomato viruses&lt;/a&gt;. If you have no other tomato plants then you can risk waiting until it becomes even worse to make sure it is viral, or simply dispose of the plant now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2018-01-04T15:21:50.673" LastActivityDate="2018-01-04T15:21:50.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36683" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2017-12-31T17:51:46.523" Score="2" ViewCount="98" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I read &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/22591/how-can-i-grow-seedlings-from-commercial-apples&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/35691/what-are-the-chances-to-get-an-edible-apple-from-a-tree-grown-from-seed?noredirect=1&amp;amp;lq=1&quot;&gt;there&lt;/a&gt;, I understand that apple seeds do not easily give of fine edible apples.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How is it now for what I could get from kaki seeds. Does anyone know if it is similar to apple trees when it comes to genetic instability?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have these seeds from a kaki &quot;Fuyu&quot;. Will I be able to grow a tree with tasty fruits?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NXF7E.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NXF7E.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;kaki Fuyu seeds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14120" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-31T19:29:52.633" LastActivityDate="2017-12-31T20:29:06.067" Title="Are kaki more stable than apple when planting seeds of market's fruits?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36684" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36683" CreationDate="2017-12-31T18:08:03.787" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Not necessarily, no, because like apples and many other deciduous fruit trees, the seed, if it's produced at all and is actually fertile rather than sterile, does not come true. Seeds of some persimmon trees may be planted and grown by nurseries for use as rootstocks, with the desired variety being grafted onto the rootstock stem. There's  not much information in this link &lt;a href=&quot;https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/149306/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/149306/&lt;/a&gt; but it does at least confirm that the seeds don't come true. The other link I could provide is to a very long and detailed PDF document published by the Agricultural Department of New South Wales, Australia, where it clearly states they do not come true from seed, but the fact its a PDF and so lengthy deterred me from doing so.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2017-12-31T20:29:06.067" LastActivityDate="2017-12-31T20:29:06.067" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36686" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-01T01:38:40.450" Score="6" ViewCount="861" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dtHKa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dtHKa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have had a Drosera for about a month, and in the beginning it was taking care of flies and little insects but for a couple of weeks it has stopped eating them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gz2vf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gz2vf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;This little bug has been here for a little while...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now it's winter where I live. As you can see, I keep it by the window but the temperature doesn't go below 60°F in winter where I live.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I bought it the seller told me to make sure that it always has water in the cup, I've made sure of that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For some reason it's not eating its bugs... Any help would be much appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11938" LastActivityDate="2018-01-31T21:22:37.060" Title="Drosera / Sundew not eating" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36687" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36667" CreationDate="2018-01-01T01:47:16.410" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ficus can be indoor or outdoor, this one looks like it has spent too long in a too dry spot. And it has suckers, those random growths along the trunk are not in fact baby branches, they are sucking the nutrients prior to reaching the top of the tree. They prefer moist climates, not soggy soil with a pot twice the diameter and depth of the root ball.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20539" LastActivityDate="2018-01-01T01:47:16.410" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36688" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-01T04:40:09.130" Score="4" ViewCount="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can anyone tell me which plant is this? We were given a small plastic cup with mud and seeds and asked to spray water on them. I transplanted the cup to a pot and this came out. But I don't know if this is some plant or just grass. Any idea?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/38UnM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/38UnM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20540" LastActivityDate="2018-01-01T19:36:13.823" Title="Which plant is this" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36689" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36686" CreationDate="2018-01-01T04:51:17.693" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;What kind of soil have you used and have you added fertilizer of any kind?  This is the only plant, these carnivorous plants that are able to get the chemistry with which to survive, without a lot of the chemistry most plants that only do photosynthesis need to have to make their own food to survive.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yet even these plants need a tiny bit of chemistry because they ARE doing photosynthesis and need to do that in order to digest and extract chemistry for the entire plant to survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I do not like that they are watered from the bottom up.  They need drainage, yes, constant moisture, but not a 'bog' situation for an indoor plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Interesting question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I were you, I would chalk this up to winter and slow growth. When the light is low and temperatures are low, energy is maintained at low levels.  More fertilizer during this time is a death sentence.  At least an insect attack and or disease problem sentence.  Leave your plant alone.  Allow it this hibernation period.  Keep the temperatures stable and do not over water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-01T04:51:17.693" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36690" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36688" CreationDate="2018-01-01T05:09:25.130" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a grass of some kind.  Who ever it was that gave you this project set you up for failure.  Why would they do that?  Is this a rice plant?  Couldn't tell without closer inspection of the awls at the junctions and then also seeing the seeds or flower heads.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=images&amp;amp;cd=&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjq3s-q_7XYAhUD6GMKHSesAJgQjRwIBw&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencenews.org%2Farticle%2Fenzymes-aid-rice-plants-arsenic-defenses&amp;amp;psig=AOvVaw1_GJPu2JwkbJ9yMcfEF_Xg&amp;amp;ust=1514869645714480&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rice plant information from Science News Magazine.&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This mud in a cup with more moisture sprayed on top would be just fine for rice...what else could it be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-01T19:36:13.823" LastActivityDate="2018-01-01T19:36:13.823" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36691" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-01T05:32:00.823" Score="5" ViewCount="126" Body="&lt;p&gt;I’m wondering if there is an infection on my neighbor’s tree (scale?). I’m concerned that it’s something that could spread to my adjoining tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fNRqb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fNRqb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zhvz3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zhvz3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FQCxP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FQCxP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20117" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-01T19:31:06.430" LastActivityDate="2018-01-01T21:52:54.370" Title="Is my neighbor's tree infected with something that could spread to my tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36692" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36661" CreationDate="2018-01-01T05:37:20.200" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since none of the users here has had any experience in this I decided to create my own.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/VzeCjp_EG-4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://youtu.be/VzeCjp_EG-4&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can decide for yourself if it were effective or not, but I was impressed at the amount created.  I didn't weigh the amount of material used, nor the amount created so can not calculate the yield.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I now need to create some compost tea or similar, and charge the charcoal to make it into biochar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  Since people have been commenting on whether bio-char is a useful product or not, I'm going to add this interesting study from 2016&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Linking the Belowground Microbial Composition, Diversity and Activity to Soilborne Disease Suppression and Growth Promotion of Tomato Amended with Biochar&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;  &#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Biochar, in addition to sequestering carbon, ameliorating soil, and improving plant performance, can impact foliar and soilborne plant diseases. Nevertheless, the mechanisms associated with suppression of soilborne diseases and improved plant performances are not well understood. This study is designed to establish the relationships between biochar-induced changes in rhizosphere microbial community structure, taxonomic and functional diversity, and activity with soilborne disease suppression and enhanced plant performance in a comprehensive fashion. Biochar suppressed Fusarium crown and root-rot of tomato and simultaneously improved tomato plant growth and physiological parameters. Furthermore, biochar reduced Fusarium root colonization and survival in soil, and increased the culturable counts of several biocontrol and plant growth promoting microorganisms. Illumina sequencing analyses of 16S rRNA gene revealed substantial differences in rhizosphere bacterial taxonomical composition between biochar-amended and non-amended treatments. Moreover, biochar amendment caused a significant increase in microbial taxonomic and functional diversity, microbial activities and an overall shift in carbon-source utilization. High microbial taxonomic and functional diversity and activity in the rhizosphere has been previously associated with suppression of diseases caused by soilborne pathogens and with plant growth promotion, and may collectively explain the significant reduction of disease and improvement in plant performance observed in the presence of biochar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nature.com/articles/srep44382&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.nature.com/articles/srep44382&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-01-01T19:24:43.393" LastActivityDate="2018-01-01T19:24:43.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36693" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36691" CreationDate="2018-01-01T12:31:44.697" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, your id is spot on, that's waxy scale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best prevention (besides encouraging your neighbour to do some pest control) would be to make sure your plants are strong, happy and healthy, i.e. mulched, not too much nitrogen-rich fertilizer, pruned if necessary...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should the scale decide to move over to your plot, &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/search?q=scale&quot;&gt;search the site&lt;/a&gt; for questions tagged &quot;scale&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-01T19:29:08.263" LastActivityDate="2018-01-01T19:29:08.263" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36694" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36691" CreationDate="2018-01-01T21:52:54.370" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think you'll find that scale insects are often plant, or plant group specific, so unless there's a suitable host in your garden you shouldn't have a problem.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, talk to your neighbour, and of course you have the right to prune any branches that cross to your side of the fence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-01T21:52:54.370" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36695" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36699" CreationDate="2018-01-02T07:43:16.627" Score="3" ViewCount="2520" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pleurotus ostreatus infested with tiny gnats. I can see them with my loupe but too hard to photograph even though I said cheese!  They have prominent attenae, and segmented bodies - but I guess that describes most insects :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/b8iPolB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Using uv light as the led light made them scamper away&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/y3haADy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maybe 1-2 mm in length. And they leave bite marks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a better picture taking using a macro lens on my mobile phone&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pdHiL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pdHiL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to eradicate them with out harming the mushrooms?  In the first instance I've removed the substrate from the bag, and sprayed with a mist of water to try and wash them off.  This must be the 4 or 5 flush from the culture!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: looks like the infestation, or treatment, was enough to cause all of these mushrooms to abort.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-01-08T19:22:11.600" LastActivityDate="2018-01-08T19:22:11.600" Title="What are these tiny animals on my oyster mushrooms?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36696" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36695" CreationDate="2018-01-02T12:50:34.487" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;They are most likely &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungus_gnat&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;fungus gnats&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is &lt;a href=&quot;http://uwm.edu/field-station/fungus-gnats/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;another place&lt;/a&gt; to start reading about them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They ARE treatable, and need to be treated or you'll have larvae all through the mushrooms. However the best way to deal with them is by avoiding them in the first place - which can be difficult. Many people use fine mesh - like mosquito netting - to protect their crop before pinning even starts. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2018-01-02T12:50:34.487" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36697" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-02T13:23:56.507" Score="6" ViewCount="7144" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm growing oyster mushrooms in a plastic bag on sterilized cardboard and coffee grinds. I was quite stringent with cleanliness at set up, and it's been OK for a couple of weeks, but now there are green patches on the surface of the substrate.&#xA;I scraped them off with a spoon and chucked them, but I might have pushed a bit deeper into the substrate by accident.&#xA;How bad is this stuff, and does salt really work to get rid of it ?&#xA;Will the oyster mycelium fight the green, do they coexist, or will the green harm the oyster mycelium ?&#xA;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y2o09.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y2o09.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mKYYd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mKYYd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20476" LastEditorUserId="20476" LastEditDate="2018-01-04T15:30:48.387" LastActivityDate="2020-08-21T23:27:16.947" Title="I got green mold in my oyster mushroom bag, what to do?" Tags="&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36698" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36697" CreationDate="2018-01-02T18:40:25.280" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you're trying to grow mushrooms vs creating a cardboard culture, then you might try and salvage it by burning the contamination out by using a magnifying lens.  However, you're introducing billions of presumably trichoderma spores into your environment if that fails.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another possibility is to try and salvage some clean looking mycellium and start another culture going.  Although ostreatus is supposed to be quite aggressive, I've seen green mold take it over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-02T18:40:25.280" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36699" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36695" CreationDate="2018-01-02T19:23:36.560" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Judging from the new picture, they &lt;em&gt;are&lt;/em&gt; springtails. Check this &lt;a href=&quot;http://magickcanoe.com/blog/?p=337&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, they look very a like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Springtails are not insects, however they have six legs (&lt;em&gt;Hexapoda&lt;/em&gt;), so they are related. In an evolutionary tree they are placed somewhere between insects and crustaceans. They like moist and humidity, so spraying them with water might not chase them away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did my PhD study in molecular (soil) ecology, with focus on springtails. They are very important for a healthy soil ecosystem, and they eat fungus and other rotting material. (In laboratory we fed them grains of baker's yeast, which is also fungus). Of course in your case, when growing mushrooms for consumption, they are a pest! I have no experience with getting rid of these animals, but in this &lt;a href=&quot;https://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/352Springtail.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pdf&lt;/a&gt; they have some options how to get them off your mushrooms. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2018-01-02T19:39:15.053" LastActivityDate="2018-01-02T19:39:15.053" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36700" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36680" CreationDate="2018-01-02T19:43:08.013" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Christophe, is there a pot within the pot? If so, I'd pull it out and see how the roots look. Granted leaves do get old and die, but, I still would check the roots. Leaves can die whether too much or not enough water. The roots need oxygen as well, Yea, kinda catch 22.You may have to repot it. Please let us know what you find,appreciate it. Love the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14436" LastActivityDate="2018-01-02T19:43:08.013" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36701" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-02T19:50:09.140" Score="1" ViewCount="3051" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a little rosemary tree pot plant from Lowe's and it was doing really great here in Austin. All of a sudden with the sudden dropping temp and actual winter, I brought her inside and tried bringing it in and out. But it slowly over time turned brown. Despite being watered when needed, the leaves dried up and falling off. Will it spring back new growth in the spring time? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20493" LastActivityDate="2018-03-11T20:48:42.833" Title="Rosemary plant turned brown" Tags="&lt;rosemary&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36702" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="58" CreationDate="2018-01-02T20:23:01.270" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I realize that this is an old post but in case someone else is looking for info I will comment.&#xA;It is okay to grow from seed as long as the seed is Poly-embryonic. You can research which varieties are.  Ataulfo would be an example.&#xA;The seedling will need to stay away from direct sunlight here in the valley, and it will need a lot of care for a few years. i.e. summer sun protection, lots of water (but not soggy) and winter protection below 40 degrees. You can slowly acclimate the plant over the course of a few years. Planting it in dappled sunlight is a good way to grow it. Jacaranda trees work great for this, just remember that your mango will get tall so don't plant it to close. Also go onto Youtube and research it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20544" LastActivityDate="2018-01-02T20:23:01.270" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36703" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35969" CreationDate="2018-01-02T20:30:33.733" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This time of year the Passiflora's tend to drop their leaves. &#xA;There are also gulf fritillary caterpillars that will do a lot of damage to the plant. (you will notice medium sized orange butterflies) This is their &quot;host&quot; plant.&#xA;To me, the plant looks good for October, it may just have been going dormant as they sometimes do. Mine stay growing through the winter but look terrible until spring. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20544" LastActivityDate="2018-01-02T20:30:33.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36704" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35483" CreationDate="2018-01-02T20:41:04.967" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;At the top of your plant between the two leaves is your &quot;terminal Bud&quot; If you cut the terminal bud it will cause the axillary (lateral buds) below it to grow into new terminal buds. So you will have two tops instead of one. When those grow you can cut them causing two more from each terminal bud, and so on...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20544" LastActivityDate="2018-01-02T20:41:04.967" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36705" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="32839" CreationDate="2018-01-02T21:04:44.827" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Traditional &quot;vineyard&quot; training/pruning is done to maximize the quality of the grape for wine production.&#xA;So, it really depends on what you are using the vine for.&#xA;So if you are going for quality grapes then a double cordon, or Geneva double curtain style works very well. If it is for a &quot;screen&quot; or any other reason where the fruit is not your main concern, You can basically train it any way you want. the vine will grow massive but the fruit will be of little use, with the  exception of attracting birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20544" LastActivityDate="2018-01-02T21:04:44.827" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36706" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36701" CreationDate="2018-01-02T21:33:43.107" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Rosemary plant are of Mediterranean origin so biologically not able to cope with a winter.  If you managed to get it in before the chill killed it, then the alternative is that you've over watered it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest removing from the pot to inspect the roots to see if they're all mush or not.  If not, it might have a chance of surviving but I doubt it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My rosemary plant was almost dead from an inadvertent lack of watering with only some tips of green, but since they're drought tolerant it's springing back to life in my summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/yrNFUoZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-02T21:33:43.107" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36707" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-02T21:44:32.540" Score="2" ViewCount="378" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to install an irrigation system. It seems that their are 2 options.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00K72WU3Q&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rain Bird ETI&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rainbird.com/landscape/products/controllers/ESP-TM2.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;A legit controller&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rainbird.com/landscape/products/valves/HV.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;valves&lt;/a&gt;, and a valve box.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't understand why anybody would choose to do option number 2. It requires an electrical hookup and seems to require that you have a professional blow out your lines every year. My question is what benefits do you get from choosing this option over a simpler system like the Rain Bird ETI?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20545" LastActivityDate="2018-01-03T08:37:38.400" Title="Rainbird DIY vs Professional irrigation system" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36708" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1269" CreationDate="2018-01-02T21:45:36.200" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've not tried growing from seed, but have managed to clone a cutting in a wet environment i.e. a LECA grow bed in my aquaponics setup. It did take several months to root, and then I was able to transplant into a pot which I gave away - for it to be then killed by over watering by the recipient :(&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-02T21:45:36.200" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36709" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36701" CreationDate="2018-01-02T21:50:43.740" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rosemary is hardy down to between -10 to - 05 deg.C; in a pot, its a bit more vulnerable, so -5 C is probably best. That is around 23 deg F,though shortlived exposure to 14 deg F would be fine.  Every time you lift it into a heated environment, then put it back outside, then bring it in again, it suffers transition shock. These plants do not do well for any length of time in heated homes, so that and the transition shock are likely causes for its going brown/dying. I think your USDA zone is 8b, which means your winter temperatures are somewhere between 15 and 20 deg F, so unless you're having an exceptionally cold period, the Rosemary plant would have been better off left outdoors, in as sheltered and sunny a spot as possible, with some extra insulation round the pot, then moved to somewhere frost free but unheated if the temperatures are exceptionally cold (below 15).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It may already be dead, hard to say,but if you can find somewhere frost free but unheated, or a cool,  bright room, where it might receive bright daylight/sunlight if there's any around,  then it may produce new growth off the roots next spring or over winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2018-01-02T21:56:25.957" LastActivityDate="2018-01-02T21:56:25.957" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36710" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-02T22:38:39.177" Score="4" ViewCount="14332" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have one chilli plant that has wrinkled leaves. The other plants in the pot (I know, I know) appear to be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has been like this for some time now, so I think I can rule out stress. It also doesn't seem to be getting any worse, and there are no signs of infestation, so I don't think it's an insect.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm thinking that maybe it's just the runt of the pot. It's the smallest plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Updates:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I took a small magnifying glass to the plant. Fairly sure there are no insects.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;On the smaller leaves, the edges curl down.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Upon closer inspection of the neighbouring plants, 2 show similar symptoms on 2-3 newer leaves next to the problem plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cjAJ9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cjAJ9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rxoea.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rxoea.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-07T20:56:42.333" LastActivityDate="2018-02-06T21:47:39.670" Title="Why does my chilli plant have wrinkled leaves?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36711" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-02T23:09:10.580" Score="4" ViewCount="1126" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm living in a student house in the UK. It's winter now and my lemon tree seedlings are placed next to a window. I'm worried about it being too cold for them, however, only one tree is showing any symptoms. The leaves are still a very deep green but the leaves are drooping and dry and curling, and feel like they might crack.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've been trying to diagnose what's wrong with it because they're all in a group, they all get watered at the same time, and the same amount.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just moved the sick one away from everyone else just in case it is a disease. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They've always been inside, I grew them from seeds in my uni flat which had free heating. This year they've been a little bit colder because we can't have the heating on all the time as it's too expensive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mHgwC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mHgwC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;with his friends&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pfab8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pfab8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20547" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-04T23:49:10.097" LastActivityDate="2018-01-06T00:55:19.327" Title="Why does one lemon seedling out of a large group have dry withering leaves?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36712" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36681" CreationDate="2018-01-02T23:48:17.070" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like edema-related damage to me, considering the bumps and yellow spots. It can cause leaves to sort of shrivel like that, too, in my experience. There are probably flecks without chlorophyll visible when you hold a leaf up to a light. These can turn into round (sometimes yellow) bumps when the plant gets wet/humid (and remain round bumps).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To remedy the problem,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;don't stress about it too much (edema is primarily a cosmetic problem); a virus, on the other hand (if your plants are infected with one) may be cause for stress.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;reduce humidity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;reduce heat (if the heat is causing humidity)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;make sure plants aren't close together&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;add some air circulation (e.g. a fan; this can dry things out more)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;avoid getting water on the leaves&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Giving the plants some potassium/calcium may help their structural integrity. In my experience, it seems to reduce the edema problem, too.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You don't necessarily have to do all of those things, but each should help with edema.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even if a virus is present, the plants do have edema. I don't personally know that a virus is present, but Bamboo might know something I don't about what is in the picture. Maybe the curling leaves, or the uneven veins are the sign there. The vein issue may be due to a calcium issue; sometimes viruses look like deficiencies and vice versa.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Air circulation should help to reduce fungus, and keep the leaves and the top of the soil dry. I'm thinking it'll reduce the gnats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Humidity and heat can be good for fast growth in plants, but it can also encourage edema.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edema can be a bigger issue if you have mite issues, or some such.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you take the steps I outlined above and the problem, sans the bumps, still exists on new growth, then it's probably a virus or something like that, and you should probably try to figure out where it came from. Viruses don't usually appear out of thin air. Fungal and bacterial infections, and even pests are more likely to &lt;em&gt;seemingly&lt;/em&gt; come out of nowhere. Pests can spread viruses, as can contact with infected material (i.e. infected plants, soil from infected plants, things made out of infected plants, insect hosts, things or people that have touched infected plants and such, containers that had infected soil in them at one time, etc.) However, they won't just appear in poor conditions without a vector.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-01-04T23:20:03.607" LastActivityDate="2018-01-04T23:20:03.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36713" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-03T01:06:16.643" Score="7" ViewCount="9908" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6yiVT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6yiVT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My pink variegated lemon tree is less than a year old and this is its first winter. Until a week ago its leaves were droopy, but still bright green. I took it home with my over christmas and think that the transporting in the cold weather may have been the cause of this. Now all its leaves are really dry and falling off. What can I do to revive him? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20549" LastActivityDate="2021-03-18T11:52:23.570" Title="How to Revive my Lemon Tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36714" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36701" CreationDate="2018-01-03T01:23:09.960" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a case of poor drainage to me, coupled with your moving it into and out of the house, as Bamboo noted. If you bought it at Lowe's, did you repot it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've grown rosemary indoors in a heated room for something like 20 years now, with very little direct sunlight (east windows only). I've lost a few over the years, with only one of my deceased plants dying from overwatering - the rest dried out too much and never came back (usually during  vacations). The one I over-watered had poor potting soil; the leaves turned black at the tips before wilting and going brown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You do NOT have to grow rosemary in an unheated room - they take forced air heat just fine. I leave mine indoors all year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rosemary likes very well drained soil and dislikes sitting in water. I highly doubt that your lack of sunshine is the cause (it's very cloudy here in Wisconsin most winters, and as noted, my plants get very little direct sunlight anyway). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to try again, repot whatever plant you buy into a very free-draining potting soil (lots of perlite helps), keep in an east window during the winter, and move it outside early in your spring, keeping it in the shade at first and then gradually moving it into the sun over a period of a week or so. I water mine when the pot feels light when I pick it up, not when the top of the soil dries out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2018-01-03T01:23:09.960" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36715" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36707" CreationDate="2018-01-03T08:37:38.400" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some people like to have more control, they may have already some part of the set, and they could have different needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The kit is just for &quot;small&quot; lawns. It has just only one exit, so you cannot water differently different part of lawn (e.g. if you want to use part of your lawn for breakfast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally it has also no control to the &quot;planted part&quot; (flowers, vegetables, trees).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the kit works for you, use it.  But in few years some parts will break.  Then you will have the choice: a new kit, or just replacing a part (and possibly with a new model and maker).  Maybe you gardening needs increase and you need more complex stuffs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case doesn't trust manufacturer advertising material. It is just advertising, pointing out often nonexistent disadvantages, and pointing the characteristic (without telling you the disadvantages).  So check different makers and different kind of irrigation, check the advantage (and disadvantage they wrote from other kinds).  Just after that you can see what a specific manufacturer will not tell you.  [and you can google, to find people opinions and main problems, but take care: people prefer to write complains, and not success stories, so you should interpret people opinions (they choose wrong kit for they case [hill garden?], just one defective kit (it could happens, but not frequently), bad shopping experience (which affect then the installation and use), &quot;wrong people&quot; (on DIY, some errors, adjustments and being capable to do stuffs is required)).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, if you have hard water, and to prevent icing, some handling is needed also on kits. Sand or dirt in water could requires also additional handling (e.g. works on main pipes few blocks away, and you forgot to deactivate the system).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if it is your first installation of irrigation system, a kit would help to understand the system and the different components. With time maybe you will revise the needs and maybe you prefer to buy components.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-01-03T08:37:38.400" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36716" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36711" CreationDate="2018-01-03T11:08:12.290" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can see that your plants need some chemistry.  Such as Nitrogen.  I would take these plants away from the windows at night, even cover them with newspaper (excellent insulation and I am not kidding), only allow them on this window sill when YOU are there and the temperatures are at least 60 plus.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your problem or rather your plant's problem other than too cold is fertilizer. It is clear to me your plants don't have enough nitrogen and to challenge them further with too cold?  Ugh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please tell us more information.  Even leaving these potted plants where they are but covering them with newspaper for night time will help.  Stability and constancy is critical for plant's health and immune system.  Once, sure, after too cold temps, plants will be able to regroup.  Without the necessary chemistry plants need for photosynthesis no plant will be able to sustain an environmental accident or two.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plants need a balanced extended release fertilizer right now; Osmocote 14-14-14 extended release.  And newspaper just loosely bunched up between window and plants.  A sheet or two to cover the plants and even tuck in under the tray.  Throw that one dead baby out into your compost pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Up pot the rest of your baby trees in potting soil in 4&quot; pots, now. (Looks like 3&quot; pots now, yes? Great size to start seeds of this little tree). Don't water so much.  Allow the soil to dry and the pot should feel light when you lift it before watering again.  I would also use distilled water or water from a private well.  Up pot again when you see roots going through the bottom of the 4&quot; pots into 6&quot; pots.  Use only potting soil.  I kid you not.  Are you going to be planting outside someday in the garden?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All you will have to do is acclimate these starts or baby trees to the out of doors.  Never just plop your little trees that you are growing inside, out side in the sun.  They will fry, sunburn, truly.  The epidermis is very thin on plants grown in doors.  To acclimate and thicken the epidermis for sunlight you take outside for 5 minutes a day for 3 days.  Increase the time by twice for the next 3 days and so on until they are able to withstand at least 4 hours with no harm.  Always protect with newspaper at night until they are completely acclimated to the out of doors.  A covered porch really helps make this process easier.  Oh, if plants out of doors need to come inside, this process is the same and just as crucial. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have room to add a REAL grow light?  That provides a bit of heat stabilizing the drafts and temperature changes.  You've got a ways to go before these trees can be planted out of doors this spring? Is this a south facing window? Sure make great gifts...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-01-06T00:55:19.327" LastActivityDate="2018-01-06T00:55:19.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36717" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36710" CreationDate="2018-01-03T11:19:08.430" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is amazing how the owner, grower always feels what the real problem is. And we professionals always listen. You are so very right, something is very very wrong.  Could have been insects at the beginning but it is looking like a virus.  Possibly too much nitrogen?  Better yet, are you a smoker?  Got smoker friends?  Tobacco is a major virus vector.  You won't believe how much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These symptoms look like a virus.  Have you looked with a magnifying glass at these leaves?  Especially beneath the leaves?  This could be insect and let us hope so.  Virus?  ummmm, you aren't going to have much luck with these plants.  I think from your pictures and from what you've said that this is viral and not so great for this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am worried about the pot within the pot I am seeing in the pictures.  Usually means very bad drainage which could amplify problems.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Did you use sterile potting soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oh heck, do you smoke?  Do you have friends that smoke?  Just the touch of a smoker's fingers could cause this.  Sorry.  Let us know, okay?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/lessons/viruses/Pages/TobaccoMosaic.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Tobacco mosaic virus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-01-03T21:18:26.710" LastActivityDate="2018-01-03T21:18:26.710" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36718" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-03T14:59:06.200" Score="2" ViewCount="495" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do you keep pests off from Rosemary? I bought a small &lt;em&gt;Rosmarinus officinalis&lt;/em&gt; at a local nursery last summer, and it was healthy and bug-free, but after a few months of sitting on my porch, it acquired aphids, spider mites, and some sort of small winged pest I can't identify. So I sprayed it with an organic insecticidal soap advertised as being able to kill exactly those types of bugs. I've used it on almost all my other outdoor plants, and it's worked very well. However, it seems to only partially work on Rosemary due to its leaves, which curl down and inwards, greatly lessening the effectiveness of spray. Even when I try to spray &quot;up&quot; into the underside of the leaves, I found it very difficult to get the spray into these sheltered areas, allowing the bugs to flourish there while dying everywhere else.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My Rosemary's still alive, but almost all the leaves are now partially dead and pock-marked from the punctures of insects. What can I do to help it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1270" LastActivityDate="2018-01-04T00:41:31.700" Title="How to get pests off of Rosemary?" Tags="&lt;aphids&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;&lt;spider-mites&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36719" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36661" CreationDate="2018-01-03T16:29:06.887" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Were I to try this (I have a sheet steel bath I could use that's currently just sitting) I'd not use any of those approaches, as they all seem terribly inefficient at charcoal production, being open-air, with the heat on the wrong side. Yup, you get some char, but not nearly what you can get with a closed retort. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Add a metal sheet over the top, support the bath on some bricks, connect a pipe to the drain running underneath with holes drilled in it. Fill tub with wood. Build a fire under the tub. As the wood in the tub heats, gases will come out the pipe. After enough of the moisture has boiled out, those gases will burn, and you can stop feeding the fire under the tub as the flames from the pipe will finish the job. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This can be improved/finessed by enclosing the tub to contain the heat from the fires. It also works with a closed metal drum, rather than a tub. The material in the closed vessel is never exposed to oxygen, so you burn off all the non-carbon bits and are left with all the charcoal from the wood you put in there, without burning any of that charcoal. The wood outside is just for the initial heat and provides no significant charcoal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2018-01-03T16:29:06.887" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36720" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-03T17:34:36.230" Score="5" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5j8bN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Found on the island of Kauai in December&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20552" LastActivityDate="2018-01-06T12:09:39.007" Title="Please identify this tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36721" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36726" CreationDate="2018-01-03T20:17:32.973" Score="4" ViewCount="8268" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought a dracaena reflexa a couple of weeks ago, in a rather good state.&#xA;In less than a week it turned from seemingly perfectly healthy to practically dead and I would like some advice. Both in case this plant can be saved and because I plan on buying another since I really like this plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When I purchased the plant, I moved it to a new pot with new soil. I should note two things here, first of all the pot didn't have a draining hole. It does now but at that time I didn't have a drill. Secondly, the soil was the compact dried type that you add water to decompress. I initially used tap water but have switched to bottled water for watering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since I live in Scotland, the weather isn't ideal but the plant is inside, close to a window with some indirect sunlight at least.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant was perfectly fine for 2-3 weeks, and suddenly it started dropping good green leaves without warning. Then the leaves turned yellow at their starting point and started drooping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The latest move I made was to remove the plant for the pot, discard all the soil, wash the roots and plant it again in the pot with fresh soil, using much less water to prevent the possible root rot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice would be greatly appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/czeAo.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/czeAo.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pYa6y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pYa6y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MrpCe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MrpCe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20554" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2018-01-04T00:31:02.680" LastActivityDate="2018-01-04T10:51:48.457" Title="My dracaena reflexa suddenly lost all its leaves and turned yellow" Tags="&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36722" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36720" CreationDate="2018-01-03T21:13:43.857" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like the Java Plum; Syzygium cumini. &lt;a href=&quot;http://the3foragers.blogspot.com/2012/01/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Java Plum&lt;/a&gt;  Did you taste these berries?  Don't think I would have until I knew for sure.  Hope this is close!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-03T21:13:43.857" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36723" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36724" CreationDate="2018-01-03T21:58:49.497" Score="3" ViewCount="184" Body="&lt;p&gt;Need help with identifying this plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sSaCg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sSaCg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LmiB8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LmiB8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E30AE.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/E30AE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11489" LastActivityDate="2018-01-03T22:22:07.320" Title="Plant identification: Small Pink flower on evergreen plant ~2&quot;x2&quot;x2&quot;" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36724" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36723" CreationDate="2018-01-03T22:22:07.320" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to be Argyranthemum frutescens, a pink variety, often commonly known as pink marguerite daisy. There are various pink named varieties - it is not hardy below USDA zone 10, but is actually a small, perennial shrub. Yours looks like it needs cutting back because its quite woody at the base, but this should not be done till spring, and don't cut back too far into the old wood, it may not recover, though usually,these are pretty good at regenerating from older wood. If you want to cut back quite a bit,cut back to where you can see a leaf or growth bud on that old wood. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/argyranthemum-frutescens-argymip-molimba-pink-molimba-series-ppaf/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/argyranthemum-frutescens-argymip-molimba-pink-molimba-series-ppaf/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-01-03T22:22:07.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36725" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-03T22:45:38.930" Score="7" ViewCount="2887" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have a row of 3 different heirloom potato varieties, 50 originally, of which we've lost about 15 to a problem we'd like to identify.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The following photos show the start of the issue, through to a completely wilted and near dead plant over the course of about 3 to 7 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4hgHj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4hgHj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SRSh1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SRSh1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9mlBc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/9mlBc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Neighbouring healthy plants don't appear to have the issue, which seems randomly placed along the row...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some more info, hopefully helpful:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Our region, north of the North Island of New Zealand, is currently experiencing very dry conditions. We've kept the plants well hydrated around every 3rd day, and while we have lost a couple to lack of water the result of that is more obvious (they dry up and die much faster and as a complete plant and the issue above often appears to affect half of the plant initially).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;The potatoes were planted later in the season than normally. The same varieties at another location nearby, but planted earlier, are thriving.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;No obvious caterpillars or insects on the plant or damage to the base.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;They've been fed liquid seaweed twice (as per recommended concentrations and duration between feeds).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We've mounded once so far.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We garden organically.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any identification of the cause, tips for next year and/or remedy for this year greatly appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT: We dug up some of the plants yesterday, the badly affected ones had slimey sacks left of their tubers, and interestingly none presented with a black insides. We also pulled out some that were only just on the turn, but their tubers appeared quite fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14138" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-01-06T22:44:26.237" LastActivityDate="2021-02-18T03:04:30.467" Title="What is happening to our potato plants? (going black, wilting)" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;potatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36726" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36721" CreationDate="2018-01-03T23:48:00.140" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is Dracaena marginata.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_reflexa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;D. reflexa&lt;/a&gt; or pleomele reflexa has shorter thicker leaves.  Root rot is extremely common with these plants as they are used to high light and a dry environment.  To diagnose whether the plant is worth saving:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;grasp the stems.  If they are firm the plant will  bud out of old growth if you place in a high light environment and wait six to eight weeks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if the stems feel hollow then the xylem/phloem is dead and the plant is beyond saving&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suspect this is root rot.  If it was cold damage you would see wilting at the edges and tips of the leaves.  Root rot happens from the bottom up for this plant and the dead material at the stem indicates this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Removing the soil and washing the roots is quite traumatic for most plants so I would avoid that in the future.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2018-01-04T10:51:48.457" LastActivityDate="2018-01-04T10:51:48.457" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36728" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36718" CreationDate="2018-01-04T00:41:31.700" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most insects leave Rosemary well alone, they don't like it, but thrips or leafhoppers can be an issue. This is a link from the UK &lt;a href=&quot;https://rosemaries.co.uk/TRSpests.html#R4&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://rosemaries.co.uk/TRSpests.html#R4&lt;/a&gt; but it has a good image of a leafhopper, though if that's what the problem's been, yours may look a little different in the States; it also has some advice as to how to manage them organically. If its leafhopper, the problem would be worse under cover on a porch. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll note the link mentions Rosemary beetle, but so far as I'm aware, that's one pest you don't yet have over there, and were it those,they're pretty unmistakeable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-01-04T00:41:31.700" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36729" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37262" CreationDate="2018-01-04T09:38:28.120" Score="4" ViewCount="135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently planted a 2m (6.5ft) high relatively young &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_pine&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Pinus pinea&lt;/a&gt; in zone 8a (−12.2 °C, 10 °F). It is going well so far. I tried to find out what plants I should grow in its vicinity that would help the pine be stronger and healthier. I searched the internet, and there is a lot of information on plants that &lt;em&gt;thrive&lt;/em&gt; under pines, but not on plants that &lt;em&gt;help&lt;/em&gt; pines. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there any such plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-21T12:28:20.547" LastActivityDate="2018-03-17T21:22:23.913" Title="What companion plants will help the growth of young pines?" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;pines&gt;&lt;companion-planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36730" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36736" CreationDate="2018-01-04T10:58:32.240" Score="2" ViewCount="583" Body="&lt;p&gt;We all know that there are tons of thuja leaves after pruning thuja hedges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can thuja leaves be used as mulch (perhaps for acid-loving plants, let's say young pines, or vaccinum)? What if they are put in a compost pile?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've read something about thujaplicin, thujone, and acetic acids as being present in thuja leaves? Are they harmful or helpful?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-04T11:21:08.297" LastActivityDate="2018-01-04T16:49:31.583" Title="What to do with surplus thuja leaves after pruning?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;compost&gt;&lt;mulch&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36731" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36732" CreationDate="2018-01-04T11:50:14.480" Score="3" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;I did some pruning of a couple of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;thujas&lt;/a&gt; for the first time in my life, and I noticed that the chopped thuja leaves have a strong scent that is different than the scent of leaves of other conifers. The scent remained to some extent even after washing my hands. Is that fragrant substance harmful to human skin?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-04T22:45:23.360" LastActivityDate="2018-01-04T22:50:29.523" Title="Is the fragrant substance in chopped Thuja leaves harmful to human skin?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36732" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36731" CreationDate="2018-01-04T12:15:23.230" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maybe, maybe not - some people may experience contact allergy symptoms on the skin from any coniferous plant, including Thuja. Thuja contains oil which has volatile constituents, and its resinous nature means it can be quite difficult to wash it off thoroughly. (In my experience, anything resinous on the skin is better washed off using washing up liquid, a soft nail brush and hot water, rather than just ordinary toilet soap on its own.) It is, though, sometimes used in herbal medicines, though great caution is recommended with its use,  since it's essentially toxic. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/thuja-benefits.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thuja herb uses and health benefits&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A laboratory analysis of the volatile components can be found &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12710722&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-04T22:50:29.523" LastActivityDate="2018-01-04T22:50:29.523" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36733" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-04T12:18:05.043" Score="4" ViewCount="184" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this shrub in a local nursery, I liked it, and I purchased three of them. However, the nursery guy says it is &lt;em&gt;Viburnum opulus&lt;/em&gt;. I don't think he is right. Can you help me ID these shrubs, so that I can find the right home in my garden for them?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additional info: I live in zone 8a. I have the impression that the shrubs are evergreen, but they could be semi-evergreen. We had several warmer than usual weeks in December. The plants were kept in the open. The nursery guy also says that flowers are small and white, and grouped in round shapes having the size of an apple (that matches more or less V. opulus flowers description to my understanding).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/zVV10.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oEaey.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1VQaD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SFtlW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-04T17:02:08.643" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T22:23:56.780" Title="What is this evergreen oval-leaved shrub?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36734" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36733" CreationDate="2018-01-04T13:18:40.900" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It reminds me to &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eriobotrya_japonica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Eriobotrya japonica&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;: colour of leaves (especially the bottom type), and the flower buds, and habits (trunk).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand the shape of the leaves is not really how I recall (but your plants are young, and internet had also more variate shapes of leaves), and it is not a shrub, but a large tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-04T18:48:01.050" LastActivityDate="2018-01-04T18:48:01.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36735" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36733" CreationDate="2018-01-04T16:40:53.057" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You're right, that doesn't look like viburnum opulus.  It would be helpful to know what hardiness zone you are in to narrow down the options a little bit.  My hunch is the nursery worker got his specie mixed up, because this does look like a viburnum to me for sure.  The tricky part is that there are loads of viburnums, and without the flower, it's going to be pretty difficult to pin it down exactly.  If it's truly evergreen then I suspect this to be Viburnum xpragense, or Prague Viburnum.  I'm pretty much basing that on the fact that it is evergreen, has narrow leathery leaves and that is a very common cultivar of viburnum.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2018-01-04T16:40:53.057" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36736" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36730" CreationDate="2018-01-04T16:49:31.583" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pretty much any organic material can be used as a mulch or composted, so yes you can do that.  I personally toss stuff like that into my long term compost pile that I let break down for a few years before it is usable.  Either that or I'll just leave the clippings where they land and cover them up with a better looking mulch.  I wouldn't think too hard about specific plant constituents and their affect on compost and/or soil as that involves very complex chemical and biologic processes and I doubt it really makes much of a difference once it breaks down.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15758" LastActivityDate="2018-01-04T16:49:31.583" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36738" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36739" CreationDate="2018-01-05T08:39:13.423" Score="5" ViewCount="128" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing lettuce for the first time in. I have harvested a few lettuce leaves and the plant is now flowering. The flowers have been for around 20 days now. I wanted to save he seeds from this plant. &#xA;Could some one suggest the right time to harvest the seeds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A9y1G.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A9y1G.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pb9Wf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pb9Wf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14294" LastActivityDate="2018-01-05T10:43:39.517" Title="When to harvest lettuce seeds" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36739" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36738" CreationDate="2018-01-05T10:29:18.293" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The fluffy stuff (puffs of white cotton) is ready for harvest, they are attached to the plant very mildly when ready. If you take the fluffy stuff and it lets go/ detaches they are ready. In nature they will be taken by the wind to find a new spot to grow next year, so be sure to be one step ahead of the wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After reading Giacomo's comment (thanks!), I want to add that the best way to harvest is to take the whole head off the plant. After a while the fluffy part will be detach from the seeds, see here for a good &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jandjacres.net/harvesting-lettuce-seed/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;instruction&lt;/a&gt; about the harvest. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2018-01-05T10:43:39.517" LastActivityDate="2018-01-05T10:43:39.517" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36740" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36661" CreationDate="2018-01-05T11:46:32.693" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hello to all on this topic.&#xA;Rather than argue or make claims to and about the above comments, may I suggest to look at the huge amount of work done and in progress by the people involved with the Ithaka Institute, the Biochar Journal, by backyard Biochar, and also may I suggest my own website: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.terrapretadevelopments.com.au&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.terrapretadevelopments.com.au&lt;/a&gt;   . &#xA;You may also like to check out the Facebook site of FRANK's CHAR Tasmania.&#xA;In short, the retort kilns can technically be combined with various flame curtain kiln designs. For example, there are developments of stationary thermal energy utilisation via heat exchange devices above the cone kilns. &#xA;The whole subject is very multifaceted / multi-dimensional rather that narrow focused or mono-cultural. &#xA;The bathtub method will work very well as long as the person in charge of the operation (the charmaster) knows how to optimise the carbonisation process. &#xA;We design, use and sell deep cone / flame curtain kilns and the fact that this deep cone - flame curtain method is now used in well over 70 countries (within about 3 years) tells the story that it works very efficient and well when people understand what they are doing, why, what and how...&#xA;Biochar, Feedchar, Constructionchars, and specialised Designerchars are about proper developments, not simplistic quick fixes. &#xA;May I end this first response with a link to Kathleen Draper's excellent article: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.biochar-journal.org/en/ct/85&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.biochar-journal.org/en/ct/85&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;Good work in progress.&#xA;Have a great weekend people, wherever you are.&#xA;Best regards from under Down Under in Tasmania @ ~ 28°C this weekend&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20559" LastActivityDate="2018-01-05T11:46:32.693" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36742" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36744" CreationDate="2018-01-05T21:14:19.720" Score="3" ViewCount="106" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am considering Lespedeza thunbergii for my shrub border, and I found a document on internet that says:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Lespedeza thunbergii is a legume, so you must obtain the appropriate fresh, viable inoculant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How to obtain the inoculant for Lespedeza thunbergii? Why do I need an inoculant at all? And, by the way, what is an inoculant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2018-01-06T01:55:36.537" Title="How to obtain the inoculant for Lespedeza thunbergii?" Tags="&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36743" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36748" CreationDate="2018-01-05T21:37:47.063" Score="4" ViewCount="735" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a part of a volunteer group in local ancient woodland and we have very many trees there which I completely covered in Ivy, we can also from time to time expect high winds of up to 40 Mph gusts. This is in England so we have a variety of different kinds of trees and a reasonably diverse natural habitat which is left to mostly grow wild apart from really the work that we do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am aware of the fact that other woodland nearby does have any Ivy on its trees because the park keepers are there and paid to remove it since if it grows on the tree too much it becomes quite heavy and if said gusts come the tree can be more likely to be knocked over by it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Generally I understand that it doesn't damage the tree much more than that though because the branches just push further outwards to get to the sunlight and the Ivy is actually quite good nesting material for the birds. So it certainly does serve its purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But as many of the trees are quite tall there and old, they may have the falling over problem. So I going to write a letter to the management of the group to suggest surveying the woodland and then removing any Ivy which is becoming a danger.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I wanted to be well informed first about what actually constitutes as actually 'dangerous' before contacting them so we know what to actually survey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I could find anything on government websites about this or woodland sites. So I was wondering if there are any guidelines and an established definition of how much Ivy is too much? What the specific dangers there are if there is just too much of it covering the entire tree? And judging by the size of the tree and maybe type, how much Ivy is too much?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I searched around a bit but I really couldn't find a comprehensive guide on this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user19997" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-07T04:40:29.403" LastActivityDate="2018-01-07T05:56:13.003" Title="When does Ivy become dangerous or harmful up a tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;english-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36744" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36742" CreationDate="2018-01-05T21:48:12.560" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_PLANTMATERIALS/publications/etpmctn12525.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;all about innoculation of soil for legumes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hey there Vivid! Great question, I had to go look this up because the information in my head about legumes was pretty  dusty.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Legumes are able to take Nitrogen out of the air and fix it in the plant's 'body'.  This is similar to the process of photosynthesis where plants actually 'fix' the Carbon from atmospheric CO2 and give off O2 and H2O.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For Legumes to 'fix' Nitrogen there is a very special 'bacterial innoculant' for the soil that works together with the plant to fix Nitrogen. It is commonly found in most soils but they advise you to coat your seeds before planting or add it to your soil when planting legume starts/plants.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Beautiful plant though a bit wild.  I would plant this where it has lots of room to grow.  Space these shrubs 5 to 10 feet apart; have each shrub be the point of an Scalene Triangle.  No sides equal in length.  Perfect spot would have coniferous shrubs in the back ground, evergreen ground cover in front.  Winter, you'll be pruning these to the ground so think about the hole that will be left in the landscape all winter long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Drainage, doesn't like wet feet, the crappiest soil would be just fine.  This guy grows fast and the more room you give it the bigger and faster it will grow.  But you still want a group of these, at least 3 in a group and one on the other side of the landscape all by itself.  Where you can see all 4 from most views.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, this plant would do well solo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why I have not associated you with a spot on this planet yet is frustrating.  Take a picture where you want to plant these shrubs...I love this vase/arching form.  Also, are you allergic to bees?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a product to innoculate the soil for legumes. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.planetnatural.com/product/legume-inoculant/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;innoculate for soil of legumes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Found this article that explains the chemistry and process and plant fairly well.  I am seeing that adding just a little of the proper bacteria to the soil (under 10 bucks) will ensure the health of a legume.  Specific bacterium for different legume plants.  This I did not know.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What this means is that you have to be careful adding fertilizer.  The plant is making its own nitrogen.  Adding too much nitrogen will actually stop the nitrification process.  Adding too much nitrogen will also inhibit any flowering or pea making for us to eat.  Extremely low nitrogen in proportion to phosphorus and potassium.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I get the feeling that adding the inoculant and holding back the nitrogen fertilizer would be best for the health (and sanity?) of your shrubs.  Inoculants are used to enhance commercial growth of legumes and reduce costs.  I found a site talking about just this plant you want to grow which is an ornamental not an agricultural product and they went out of their way to talk about adding inoculant.  I think your plant will grow just fine without...heck, I never added inoculant except for my veggie gardens and the ornamental legumes grew and  looked...fine.  I am perplexed that inoculants would be recommended for legume ornamentals.  I am intrigued big time.  I would definitely try use of an inoculant.  Let us talk about the place you are thinking to plant this rather breath taking super hardy easy care plant.  Okay?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/agriculture/legume-seed-inoculants-0-305/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;specifics with legumes and inoculants&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C990#Inoculants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;more information about inoculant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-01-06T01:55:36.537" LastActivityDate="2018-01-06T01:55:36.537" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36745" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-05T21:57:38.847" Score="4" ViewCount="795" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w6kNR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w6kNR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ap8xT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ap8xT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Seeking advice if Aloes will grow from &quot;hardwood&quot;?  It's been 3 months since it was removed from the ground.  If I pot it now, would it take root again?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17888" LastEditorUserId="17888" LastEditDate="2018-01-05T22:16:36.110" LastActivityDate="2018-01-05T23:14:17.317" Title="Aloe cutting from hardwood" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36746" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36742" CreationDate="2018-01-05T22:49:41.107" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't need an inoculant to grow it, it will grow perfectly well and flower well without one. The only reason to use an inoculant is to promote and strengthen its nitrogen fixing root nodules, usually with the intention of improving the fertility  of the soil they're planted in when planted as a cover crop or crop. The plant produces these root nodules anyway, though likely their ability to fix nitrogen is exacerbated by using an inoculant. If you just want to grow it as an ornamental shrub, you do not need to get an inoculant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Considered invasive in some areas, hardy down to between -15/-10 deg C, information on growing as an ornamental plant here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/73337/Lespedeza-thunbergii/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/73337/Lespedeza-thunbergii/Details&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2018-01-05T23:06:16.607" LastActivityDate="2018-01-05T23:06:16.607" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36747" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36745" CreationDate="2018-01-05T23:08:47.240" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay, let us try this; cut that stem off an inch from the plant.  You should have an inch of that 'hardwood' left.  Allow it to 'dry' or scab over for a couple of days more. We are going to try to root the whole plant as well as get some baby plants going from a leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd use a rooting hormone, I prefer the dry powder but this stuff albeit controversial in efficacy still seems to add a measure of protection/insurance.  Nestle this bottom of the plant into POTTING soil.  Not garden soil.  I would get a shallow clay pot for this guy.  4&quot; to 6&quot; deep and at least 8 to 12&quot; diameter.  Moisten the top 1/2 of soil.  No rocks below the soil, just soil goes in your pot. Purchase a few little pots; 4&quot; to 6&quot; diameter more shallow than the diameter to use for the leaf chunk clones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since this guy has been out of doors this whole time do we need to try to acclimate it to the indoors? I would wait on taking acclimating it to the indoors.  Keep it out of doors for now.  Sounds as if you live in a subtropical location?  I would plant this aloe in the new pot and keep it out of doors on the patio?  Deck?  Is there a covered area, roofed area of this deck?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ideally you should make a little domed saran wrap greenhouse for this plant after settled in the fresh potting soil.  Use sticks to raise the saranwrap off the plant.  You HAVE to not allow this aloe and it's greenhouse to ever get in the sun.  The sun going through the saranwrap will cook your plant.  The saranwrap greenhouse keeps the leaves from transpiring too far, too quickly.  I mean after 3 months?  He is doing very well considering!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you have no way to keep your plant out of the direct sunlight, forget the saranwrap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you nestle your plant into the fresh potting soil, use chopsticks or thin pieces of wood to secure your aloe in place so it is not able to move until the roots have grown enough to secure themselves in the pot well enough that a breeze doesn't knock the plant over, ripping out the baby roots. Stick the chopsticks into the soil in a few places so that the secured sticks can prohibit movement, especially falling over. If you have high wind and no area on your deck for consistent shade we need to rethink this process a bit.  But for now,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moisten just the top inch of soil, not sopping wet, moist.  Allow it to dry before watering again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No fertilizer until this plant is growing well on its own.  You will need to keep an eye on this guy's vitals.  If there is too much top growth which there is and not enough water storage he will not be able to grow roots fast enough to become a whole plant again.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So hedging bets, I would also take one of those leaves to clone it at the same time.  This will ensure you get a plant growing from this poor abused plant!  I just love you...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am sending a few links but we need more information, you know, back and forth to make sure we understand all of the variables and help you make this guy a part of your family, grins!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.420magazine.com/forums/organic-soil/243495-cloning-aloe-natural-easy-cloning-cheap.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cloning aloe&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/aloe-vera/aloe-vera-plant-care.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;aloe plant care&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-01-05T23:14:17.317" LastActivityDate="2018-01-05T23:14:17.317" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36748" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36743" CreationDate="2018-01-05T23:17:47.000" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Well, that's a 64 dollar question, it depends who you ask. It's generally thought that ivy, left to grow unchecked up a tree, will eventually cause its death, either by its weight pulling the tree down during high winds, or because, as it climbs, it roots firmly into the bark and causes some damage to it, though it's fair to say that might be because the ivy's grown  up a  weak, old, dying tree as a support. Over time then (quite a long time), ivy can conceivably 'kill' a tree, largely because the tree wasn't in great condition originally. It doesn't take sustenance from the tree, merely uses it to cling to; because it adheres to and penetrates a little into whatever it's climbing up, it should not be ripped off a tree, but cut at the base, or you risk ripping off the bark. Once the ivy topgrowth has completely died, it might then be possible to strip most of the growth off the tree without damaging it further, but that will take some time.The only other option is to get up the tree and cut excessive topgrowth back to the trunk/branches of the tree to reduce the risk of toppling in high winds more immediately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This link explains that &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/groundcover/english-ivy/kill-english-ivy.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/groundcover/english-ivy/kill-english-ivy.htm&lt;/a&gt; and gives a method of killing the ivy, but I'm fairly sure you will not want to do that. Once it's been cut at the base (all stems) the topgrowth will die, but it will reshoot from the base and will need to be kept cut ongoing to prevent it from climbing back up the tree all over again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Although I can't find an official resource nor clear 'rules' or guidance, this RHS page might be helpful to a degree &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=192&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=192&lt;/a&gt;. Note the warning about having any old, tall tree swamped by ivy checked by a professional for safety - propping a ladder against it and going up high could be very dangerous indeed for the person doing it and any people standing in the vicinity. However, I note the Woodland Trust categorically states ivy does not kill trees, nor does it only grow up weak or damaged trees, so there's a conflict of opinion between the RHS and them right there - hardly surprising good guidance is hard to find, sorry I can't be more help. I'm not personally convinced that ivy only grows up weak trees; in my experience, it will grow up anything it can, (though I have observed the ivy seems to get bigger faster on poorly or dead trees) but I don't have extensive experience of woodland, only gardens.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It might be worth your trying the Forestry Commission, see if they have any advice to offer &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.forestry.gov.uk&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.forestry.gov.uk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2018-01-06T00:17:10.427" LastActivityDate="2018-01-06T00:17:10.427" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36749" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36725" CreationDate="2018-01-06T02:45:13.847" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ugx0w.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ugx0w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;caliche clay raised beds first season&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6yjik.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6yjik.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pumice soil after 2 seasons new greenhouse built over&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Raised beds.  No matter the soil.  Forget about sides.  This is all done at the beginning with a simple shovel.  Piles of decomposed organic matter nearby to throw into the bed you are double digging.  Clay, loam, sand or pumice...this is the only way to go.  See the trenches?  That really improves drainage and control of where you want extra water to go.  Cleaning the trenches out twice a year throws more soil on your bed that is also twice per year covered with 2&quot; of decomposed organic matter.  The causes a live soil continually being mixed, aerated and fed with decomposed organic matter.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I always add fertilizer. Each bed of plants, each type of plant needs very specific additions of fertilizer. Minuscule additions but critical.  I also know the pH of the soil; the garden beds and pot soils.  Potatoes love very acidic soil.  Those are potatoes in the second picture.  Tomatoes are in pots.  There will be no tomatoes, potatoes or peppers or egg plant planted in those beds for two years.  Pots really enlarge your garden.  The control over soil in pots sure make this rotation stuff easier.  If you want a great potato harvest you will need to check the pH and make sure your soil has 'tilth', friablity, fluffed...or your tubers won't be happy and well formed.  I never dig my raised beds after the first time.  Just cleaning the trenches out helps to recycle the soil, feed the soil (lots of decomposed matter washes off the top where decomposed organic matter should be applied AFTER the plants are up from seed or starts), should never grow in decomposed organic matter alone.  Soil has to be incorporated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackleg_(potatoes)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Black Leg disease&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is as bad as diseases get and are quite normal when gardeners try using non certified seed potatoes.  Frustrating for sure.  Without hands on examination with my little microscope it would be safe to assume you've got bad bacteria or bad fungus in that soil.  I would not even try to plant potatoes or tomatoes or peppers or kale or broccoli or cauliflower...in that soil for at least 2 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps.  These raised beds make a world of difference with success growing any plants.  Healthy plants are able to resist disease and insect problems.  I think this would help you out an awful lot...done just once.  It just takes one bad bacteria or one bad fungal spore to undo all of your work.  We all have to learn this lesson for ourselves.  I've h.r of mistakes to learn this stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other thing you must do is remove all the plant material and tubers!  Whether they are rotting or not they will be harboring this bacteria. Or fungus.  Do not leave a single potato tuber if you can possibly manage.  Easiest to start double digging, pull out tubers and make some good plant beds for next year.  You do not want to use a rototiller for your clay soil.  Just the shovel, turn over each shovel full, chop chop a bit, pile up as you dig down at least a foot if not 18 inches.  Depends on your soil, environment and your plant association...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-01-09T23:06:32.987" LastActivityDate="2018-01-09T23:06:32.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36750" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36754" CreationDate="2018-01-06T06:11:14.803" Score="4" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;My garden has been on the backburner for a couple of years and my rosemary is woody and lacking leaves. I'm theoretically growing it to eat, rather than look at, so how best do I encourage soft growth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20561" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2018-01-06T08:19:28.180" LastActivityDate="2018-01-07T19:19:51.880" Title="The correct way to prune a rosemary" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;edible&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="14" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36751" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36720" CreationDate="2018-01-06T12:09:39.007" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I suspect this is &lt;i&gt;Ardisia elliptica&lt;/i&gt;, a native of southeast Asia and introduced in many tropical regions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://luirig.altervista.org/pics/index3.php?search=shoebutton+ardisia&amp;amp;page=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://luirig.altervista.org/pics/index3.php?search=shoebutton+ardisia&amp;amp;page=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19553" LastActivityDate="2018-01-06T12:09:39.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36752" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36753" CreationDate="2018-01-06T13:08:27.563" Score="2" ViewCount="3303" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a &quot;calathea mix&quot; (that's what the label says) that's supposed to look very much like this:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nlYLh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nlYLh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Calathea mix&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;It is supposed to have wavy leaf-edges and a nice, rich red coloured underside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But it actually looks very sad, with leaves sometimes rolling up, and all brown around the edges. New leaves keep growing, but often they start to go brown before they even come out of their little rolled-up baby stage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RDODU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/RDODU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sad leaves 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YPNvV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YPNvV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sad leaves 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried watering more, watering less, spraying with water, repotting, adding draining... why can't I keep this plant alive??&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20563" LastActivityDate="2018-01-06T15:50:01.137" Title="Calathea mix - brown leaf edges" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36753" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36752" CreationDate="2018-01-06T14:23:29.730" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Your plant is Calathea crocata, which often has the common name Eternal Flame because of the orange flowers it produces. 'Eternal' flame is absolutely a misnomer in my experience - if you buy it in flower, its very hard to get it to flower again, or at all if not in flower when purchased, though when growing well, the leaves are attractive in their own right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is it likes very high humidity, constant warmth, but no sunlight - the humidity it requires is very, very difficult to achieve in heated homes. I did grow one of these some years ago, but as soon as winter arrived and the heating went on, mine did exactly what yours has done, developed brown edges to the leaves. Although it didn't finish up looking like yours does in the last image, I disposed of it after winter was over because all the brown edges were highly unattractive. This is a good plant for large terrariums, or steamy greenhouses. Information can be found here:&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flowers.org.uk/plants/plants-by-name/a-c/calathea-crocata/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Calathea crocata&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you can find some way of providing the high humidity and constant warmth, then perhaps it will put out new leaves. Frequent misting, along with standing in a wide shallow tray filled with pebbles and water, kept topped up, stand the pot on top of the pebbles, though not sitting in the water, are things which will help provide the humidity it requires, along with keeping it in a warm, bright room that does not get too cold at night. Otherwise it's probably not worth keeping, sad to say.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2018-01-06T15:50:01.137" LastActivityDate="2018-01-06T15:50:01.137" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36754" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36750" CreationDate="2018-01-06T16:06:17.787" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would add some fertilizer. Not much, rosemary is a plant of poor and dry soils. On the other hand, if it is a lot woody, probably it has eat most of nutrient in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also check if there are some plants nearby which compete with rosemary. Rosemary is slow to grow (I think also on the roots), and it hates shadow. Really!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pruning: I would never touch the wood (large branches), but when it is dead.  It seems that rosemary doesn't like it.  The green parts will cover the wood again.  You should prune just the green branches (they are also woody, but round and young).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The good news: from my experiences, rosemary are very resilient. They will growth stronger that before, very quickly. [I assume you have no problem with climate, because the rosemary seems already old].&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-01-06T16:06:17.787" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36757" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17985" CreationDate="2018-01-06T20:25:38.977" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;not necessarily talking about the same issues, but worth mentioning: A .5&quot; x .5&quot; galvanized hardware fabric would be a good &quot;bottom&quot; of a raised bed to keep voles from eating all of your plant's root systems. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I've never heard of it being used for this, but I would imagine that a layer of river rock would work well to keep the voles out as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20566" LastActivityDate="2018-01-06T20:25:38.977" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36758" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36733" CreationDate="2018-01-06T21:17:28.487" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sxMiD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sxMiD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Viburnum rhytidophyllum&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;You are right, this isn't Viburnum opulus. The opulus leaves look like...duck feet? I think it is the Leather Leaf Viburnum; Viburnum rhytidophyllum.  The tomentoseness (is that a word)? rather the fuzziness of undersides of leaves, stems as well as flower stalks are pretty definitive for this species.  Grand plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yours however, I hope were on sale.  I'd get these guys transplanted in fresh potting soil like now and check the roots for browning and rot.  Check with the nursery on last date of fertilizer as well as formulation.  These are large evergreen shrubs, great for a park like setting, privacy.  You need to get them healthy before planting in the landscape.  Zone 8a, right?  Yup, evergreen all year round.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant is a coarse texture.  Coarse textures on the periphery make for a smaller seeming space.  Fine textures, enlarge a space.  Depends on what you want to do.  Coarse textures, large patterns that you can see from a distance trick your mind into thinking they are closer than they really are.  Fine textures such as your Lespo shrub, since you are unable to see the detail clearly, recede into the background causing a more expansive feeling to the scene.  Same with fencing if you ever do any on your property in the future.  Grapestake fences, fences with fine texture, dove gray will recede.  Board and Baton fences with obvious texture easily seen from a distance will come forward making a space...more intimate.  For colors, black recedes and white comes forward.  Gray belongs in the landscape where a purple wall will stand out as a focal point.  Sorry, I know this sounds off the beaten track but for you and your landscape, I think you are at the point where having more information will help you choose plants and have better ideas of what you want to create.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.classicviburnums.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/7201/index.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Leather Leaf Viburnum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: There is a good chance you will not be able to ID this plant's genetics by its phenotype.  Lots of hybrids are grown as Leatherleaf Viburnum needs a partner, it is not self pollinating.  This could be Leatherleaf X Opulus, or Leatherleaf X Mariesii.  This article I posted talks about that very thing being a problem with ID.  The proper name for your plant (without a DNA test) would be Viburnum X rhytidophylloides not V. rhytidophyllum.  The latter they want to reserve for the full blooded (grins) Leatherleaf Viburnum. This is the best I am able to do based on a picture.  Still waiting for better ID's myself.  See, I was always able to SEE the actual plant, I actually taught plant ID three semesters taking my class out of doors for lab.  They had to ID for tests via a branch or bud in class and I'd take them to different plants different locations on campus they'd not seen during lab  I rarely did any work with plants by pictures.  Seeing, touching, feeling is very different than a flat 2D picture. I did better IDing by looking through microscopes at previously frozen flowers and using a book 2&quot; thick of a dichotomous key.  Ugh.  I am practicing IDing via pictures.  Always nice to have wrong answers to help support the right answer? But so far, I haven't seen a better one. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is what your plants should look like coming from the nursery.  The baby plant in the picture is not suffering from cold and as it matures the leaves become heavier and do the hanging down thing. It will not look like this as a mature shrub. &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P5l7A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/P5l7A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leather leaf viburnum in 6&amp;quot; pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-01-26T22:23:56.780" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T22:23:56.780" CommentCount="16" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36759" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-07T04:25:19.083" Score="4" ViewCount="200" Body="&lt;p&gt;My family recently added butternut to the selection of fruit and vegetable plants in the garden. The plants are in a reasonably sized pot, growing onto concrete at one side and an earth/stubbly grass plot on the other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our particular experience that may be relevant is with potato and pumpkin, both from pots/bags and from beds/plots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I have not previously bought or prepared butternut and given the varieties that may affect what &quot;looks like&quot; a suitable fruit, how can I determine which fruit is ready to be picked, brought in, stored and possibly eaten?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In particular, what can a gardener of low experience check, for example from the size and colour of the fruit, any physical properties (e.g. tapping sounds), and the behaviour of the vines or plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15931" LastActivityDate="2018-01-07T05:47:54.647" Title="How do I know when to take butternut off the vine?" Tags="&lt;harvesting&gt;&lt;squash&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36761" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36759" CreationDate="2018-01-07T05:47:54.647" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If your butternut is the size you would purchase at the store, it is ready to pluck. The biggest concern is your weather.  If it freezes, all the leaves of the squash die, you should definitely get the gourd off the vine before another freeze. These gourds last for 3 or 4 months!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;if you know that you are getting another month of growing weather, leave the gourd until you want to make a butternut squash soup from a freshly picked butternut squash. You just don't want that gourd to freeze.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is your gourd at least 4 or 6&quot; long?  3 to 4&quot; wide?  Definitely ready to use or store.  Do you have a 'potato cellar'?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If your gourd is large enough to be sold in your produce section...it is ready to be cooked, baked.  Yummm.  It lasts for months like I said to harvest a  perfect gourd just before baking or cooking?  Is heaven.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send a picture with a quarter or something for scale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-07T05:47:54.647" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36764" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-08T04:13:26.247" Score="5" ViewCount="1188" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qSgVV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qSgVV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Standing droplets inside succulent&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Echeveria&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Agave&lt;/em&gt; are succulents that trap rainwater between their hydrophobic leaves. Droplets last a long time in these crevasses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mosquito abatement requires avoiding standing water. They reproduce in water, in only a few days. To this end we are supposed not to leave buckets or tires outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can these succulents thus host breeding mosquitoes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16224" LastEditorUserId="16224" LastEditDate="2018-01-15T23:00:16.280" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T23:00:16.280" Title="Do mosquitoes breed in the water caught by succulents?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;mosquito&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36765" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36764" CreationDate="2018-01-08T04:26:11.333" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is too little water to attract mosquitoes to lay their eggs.  You do need to worry about a kitty bowl full of water in the shade yet able to fill when it rains.  But not the droplets on succulents.  Leaving anything out of doors that can collect water and last for longer than a week is mosquito hatching water.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where is it that you live?  We've got friends in Alaska that can tell you what lots of mosquitoes are like.  Just moist bogs, soils, rivers...and they have to fight clouds of biting mosquitoes. They have to have mosquito netting when out of doors or allow the mosquitoes to bite them a lot...when mosquitoes bite they give off pheromones that tell other mosquitoes to back off.  Weird, huh.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;edit: I will submit that mosquitoes will lay eggs in any water.  A teaspoon of water?  Those eggs will not come to fruition.  No problem.  That water has to be able to stand at least one week to become a mosquito breeding problem.  A few drops of chlorine?  Such as water troughs for horses and cattle?  Droplets on a succulent?  Not happening.  Yes, the eggs last for awhile but to ever become a problem those eggs need to be IN water water or moist bog soils at least a week. Just keeping little pet bowls, old sinks, any kind of water collecting container dumped out is pretty much all that is necessary. Imagine living in Alaska, lots of swamp/bogs/rivers/lakes...tons of mosquitoes that most people in the continental U.S. have no idea of the swarms!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd be worrying far more about what is in that water than mosquitoes.  If it is from a well outside the influence of Aluminum ad Phosphate companies, then great.  If it is tap water, highly infused with fluoride?  That is a huge worry and needs investigation.  Chlorine dissipates.  Not a big deal...but fluoride?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Healthy people, healthy animals are able to deal with these diseases.  The immune system of animals is powerful.  When the animal (human) has a depressed immune system that is when problems arise.  That is when cancer becomes a problem.  Our immune systems are very amazing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-01-09T02:54:59.853" LastActivityDate="2018-01-09T02:54:59.853" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36766" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36764" CreationDate="2018-01-08T05:55:22.033" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although the genus Culex is usually characterized as laying floating egg rafts on still water, a new study suggests most species of Culex oviposit out of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In the genus Culex, oviposition is often generalized as laying floating egg rafts directly on the surface of the water, as reported for arbovirus vectors Culex pipiens L. and Culex tarsalis Coquillett, both members of subgenus Culex. The current work reports on investigations of exceptions to this strategy by species of Melanoconion, a diverse and mostly tropical subgenus of Culex, with many arbovirus vectors. Wild gravid females from Vero Beach, FL, were introduced into outdoor cages with open water, partially covered water, and emergent solid structures for oviposition. Three species, Culex cedecei Stone and Hair, Culex iolambdis Dyar, and Culex pilosus Dyar and Knab laid vast majorities (80–100%) of egg clusters attached to solid surfaces, although at different heights and angles, while Culex atratus Theobald laid floating egg clusters (100%) directly on the water. When offered mud, open water, and woody material, Cx. iolambdis laid 86% of clusters on nearly vertical surfaces of mangrove rootlets. Culex iolambdis eggs laid on solid surfaces hatched within 3–4 d or dried up without hatching. Results suggest that Melanoconion species utilize a variety of oviposition strategies, yet most species studied oviposit out of water. For some species, such as Cx. pilosus, this is a strategy for diapause and desiccation resistance, while for others, such as Cx. iolambdis, ovipositing above water may protect eggs from predators or being flushed from larval habitat. A summary of oviposition strategies in genus Culex shows that above-water oviposition is widespread and that the Culex egg raft paradigm needs reassessment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://academic.oup.com/jme/article-abstract/54/4/812/3105867&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://academic.oup.com/jme/article-abstract/54/4/812/3105867&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, to answer your question, if your leaves are near a body of water, then many species of Culex might well lay their eggs on them but will need to breed in the nearby body of water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-08T05:55:22.033" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36767" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36764" CreationDate="2018-01-08T09:32:00.377" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are various effects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mosquitoes search some stable water, so if there are other sources of water, they prefer other places.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, there is not much water (usually) on succulents to create dangers to predators, so the eggs are less protected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, succulents should be keep dry most of the time, they like dry climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I would say it will mostly be insignificant.  But it mosquitoes pressure is high, try not to water succulents on the week you remove all possible sources of mosquitoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: This summer I had a strange feeling that some mosquitoes uses palms (the flower/fruit attachments, which keep a lot more water) to lay eggs. On the other hand, all animals requires water, so there are much more reservoirs than we see. Try to discover the one preferred by mosquitoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-01-08T09:32:00.377" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36768" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36769" CreationDate="2018-01-08T10:47:30.373" Score="10" ViewCount="1848" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is this plant that I was given, please?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If anyone could provide a particularly good guide to caring for it, that would also be great, but I'm expecting to just Google its name once I know what it is :)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qt9td.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qt9td.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17026" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2018-01-08T20:28:46.650" LastActivityDate="2018-01-12T07:35:52.077" Title="What is this purple-leafed (potted) plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36769" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36768" CreationDate="2018-01-08T11:08:26.160" Score="12" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is &lt;em&gt;Plectranthus scutellarioides&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plectranthus_scutellarioides&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;coleus&lt;/a&gt;. I don't have one, myself, so I cannot give any info about how to keep them. Checking Google, like you suggest seems a very good option!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="17026" LastEditDate="2018-01-08T14:20:36.530" LastActivityDate="2018-01-08T14:20:36.530" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36770" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-08T12:59:50.057" Score="6" ViewCount="890" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I take a tree cutting for propagation, will the plant live as long as if it were a new plant from seed or does it inherit the age tree which it was taken from?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After a few years of growth, will it be indistinguishable from a tree of the same size grown from seed, or will it always be noticeably different?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20576" LastActivityDate="2018-01-13T22:38:17.330" Title="Lifespan of a tree grown from a cutting" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36772" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36768" CreationDate="2018-01-08T16:58:48.363" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have one, although didn't know the name.  Can provide a little of my experience with it.  Apologies that i'm no expert.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It likes a bit of water ever now and again, it can cope with being quite neglected and water will bring it back again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is incredibly easy to take cuttings from - literally cut a piece off and put it in another pot with some water and it will probably take.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Every time i've tried to plant one outside (UK) it has quickly died, I have a feeling its maybe fussy about PH levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20030" LastActivityDate="2018-01-08T16:58:48.363" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36773" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36770" CreationDate="2018-01-08T18:16:21.193" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A cutting that you root won't live as long as the original tree as it won't form a tap root which occurs during the juvenile stage. So it will never have as strong a root structure as the parent of the clone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To get the root structure desired you will need to graft the cutting onto root stock and that host will determine the size of the resulting tree.  However, grafted trees are more subject to diseases than an ungrafted tree and that shortens the potential life.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-01-13T22:38:17.330" LastActivityDate="2018-01-13T22:38:17.330" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36774" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-08T18:44:49.090" Score="4" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;I currently have a very well established Hawthorn hedge(it’s been there about 15 years).&#xA;It has always been trimmed around 7 feet high and maybe 3.5 feet wide.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sBhzB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sBhzB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7EzLJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7EzLJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately new house have been built on the other side of that fence with noisy neighbours. I am working on making that Hawthorn higher to reduce the sound they are making. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to possibly add another plant like a laurel which has very dense foliage and excellent as a sound barrier. Within the Hawthorn, I have Holly and an Ivy sparingly growing as well. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I plant a Laurel in between to make this natural fence denser? Will it grow?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I use other plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it might struggle to grow, can I pit it first, let it grow high and strong before I plant it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any other ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16605" LastEditorUserId="16605" LastEditDate="2018-01-09T13:44:55.020" LastActivityDate="2018-01-10T01:39:17.053" Title="Multiple hedge planting" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36775" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36768" CreationDate="2018-01-08T19:12:38.250" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It grows very well in moist, shaded areas in the outdoors in Indiana during the summer months. My mother left a pot of it on the brick paved patio and it quickly spread by seed over a large area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've tried growing it indoors but didn't provide enough sun. The colors other than green didn't show as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20579" LastActivityDate="2018-01-08T19:12:38.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36776" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36780" CreationDate="2018-01-08T19:13:37.973" Score="3" ViewCount="100" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was in New Orleans, LA, USA this December and most plants had foliage, but this plant was bare.  What is this shrub?  It looked like it's bark was missing too, but they all look like this, see pictures. &#xA;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UQpw4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UQpw4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Whole shrub view - Unknown NOLA shrub&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FBzha.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FBzha.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bark closeup with leaves - Unknown NOLA shrub&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2018-01-10T02:23:40.517" Title="What is this shrub on the Gulf Coast?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36777" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-08T19:27:26.977" Score="3" ViewCount="184" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had to transplant this young dwarf peach as the site I had planted it in 2 years ago is now due to be built over.  So, I've moved it into a pot pending its final location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But I noticed this problem which I wonder has occurred at the graft site though it looks very high up on the stem, so maybe it's not the graft location.  Do I need to do anything about it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kWiZ1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kWiZ1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;stem problem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fVudF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fVudF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dwarf peach tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And a close up of the area above&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/dakYedS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-01-09T02:41:59.373" LastActivityDate="2018-01-09T02:41:59.373" Title="How serious is this stem problem of my dwarf peach tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;peaches&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36778" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-08T21:32:12.130" Score="3" ViewCount="78" Body="&lt;p&gt;I’ve got a wattle that I was told only lives a couple of years. Wondering if it’s possible to tell it’s current age and how much life it has remaining? There’s a two story high house behind, to give an idea of height. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EZZGd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EZZGd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v1Ae6.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v1Ae6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20117" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T16:04:16.950" Title="How old is this tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36779" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36768" CreationDate="2018-01-09T00:47:58.907" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just realised where you are.... this plant is a tender annual, usually grown in the summer outdoors as bedding in the UK. It can be kept as a houseplant, but needs pinching out regularly to keep it bushy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yours needs some attention; first, has the pot it's in got a drainage hole? If not, it needs to be in something with a hole in the bottom to allow water to drain way. Second, I recommend you cut it back by two thirds/three quarters, down to about 6 inches or where there are side shoots. This is best done in a month or two, as spring begins/approaches, but can be done now. Give it something like Baby Bio houseplant food about once every two weeks after you've cut it back. This should encourage new shoots from the roots - if you see little flowers forming, pinch those out between your thumb and finger. The flowers are relatively insignificant and this plant is grown for its highly decorative leaves, so removing the flowers encourages more leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Likes some sunlight, otherwise very bright daylight, and the usual rules re watering apply - water when the surface of the potting soil is just dry to the touch,  water thoroughly and tip away any excess in an outer pot or tray after 30 minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-01-09T00:47:58.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36780" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36776" CreationDate="2018-01-09T02:15:44.460" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Based on the images shown, I'm thinking Crape Myrtle, &lt;em&gt;Lagerstroemia indica&lt;/em&gt;. They are deciduous, with orange-red autumn foliage colour; the persistent, dry fruit capsules in terminal panicles are visible in the first image and the smooth, mottled trunk is typical. There are many named varieties with different size and flower colour characteristics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rnr.lsu.edu/plantid/species/crapemyrtle/crapemyrtle.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) &#xA;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/lagerstroemia-indica-powhatan&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Powhatan Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica &quot;powhatan&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19553" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2018-01-10T02:23:40.517" LastActivityDate="2018-01-10T02:23:40.517" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36782" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36777" CreationDate="2018-01-09T02:34:19.373" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This peach tree looks incredibly healthy for being dug up and potted.  Seriously!  That graft or injury is just fine.  Obviously because the top growth isn't even wilted!  Your tree looks very healthy.  It would not if there were any problems with this injury, from staking or graft?  This looks just fine.  Keep it watered.  How long until it gets its new home?  I'd give it a little balanced fertilizer. Leave it alone except for regular watering, 2 X a week soaked? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When did you dig it up?  I'd love to hear that part of the story and so would others. Did you do this last winter...for you...or during the growth season?  Is this potting soil or the soil it was already in?  (one of the rare exceptions for not using potting soil).  Depends on how long before you'll be able to transplant it into a forever home...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As far as I am concerned this tree removal was a success!  You should definitely aim for your fall/winter to transplant again.  No later.  Mycorrhizae addition when transplanting.  Excellent health for a newly potted tree from the garden...did this tree have staking? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-09T02:34:19.373" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36783" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19613" CreationDate="2018-01-09T11:31:53.197" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, that is an angel wing begonia. I got a start ( one stem with three leaves ) from a friend who was 102 years old.  And seven years later,  I have three pots full! Some of mine are three feet tall, and they get beautiful little clumps of heart shaped flowers. This is a strong plant that will last for years. I hope yours grows as well as mine has!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20582" LastActivityDate="2018-01-09T11:31:53.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36784" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-09T17:31:34.883" Score="3" ViewCount="12252" Body="&lt;p&gt;I’ve had my peace lily for about three years. It was doing fine and I repotted it about a month ago. The leaves were getting smaller before I repotted and now new ones are even smaller, but otherwise it seems to be flourishing.  Why has it such small leaves now? I don’t understand it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JaJBJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;ailing peach lily&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20585" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2018-01-28T19:48:46.527" LastActivityDate="2018-01-28T19:48:46.527" Title="Why are the new leaves of my peace lily smaller than old ones?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36785" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36784" CreationDate="2018-01-09T20:03:50.863" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The new leaves, despite being small, are healthy, whereas the larger, slightly yellowed leaves are not. It may be that your plant was rootbound - that would cause new growth to remain small. so likely repotting it into fresh potting soil was a good thing to do. Water thoroughly when you do water, tipping out any excess in the outer pot after 30 minutes, but water only when the surface of the potting soil feels just about dry to the touch. In my experience, these plants seem to need watering more often than others, even in winter, but overwatering, or leaving the bottom of the pot sitting in water can cause rot to set in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm also wondering about the light levels it receives - whilst these do not like direct sunlight, and tolerate fairly low light levels,they're not a plant for a dark spot, well away from a window, so if yours isn't getting sufficient light,find somewhere else to stand it. Keep away from heat sources too, so not near a radiator or electrical equipment. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't know where you are in the world, but some houseplant food such as Baby Bio, given monthly, or fortnightly during the growing season, would be helpful. It's true that the new potting soil will have had some fertilizer in it, but how much differs between brands. Average room temperatures are fine, they're not too fussy about slight fluctuations in temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're in the northern hemisphere, the light levels indoors will be lower, so its possible the new, small leaves are not growing on very quickly, but that should improve over time. I'd be inclined to cut out at the base the discoloured, larger yellowing leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-01-09T20:03:50.863" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36786" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36791" CreationDate="2018-01-09T20:08:05.600" Score="6" ViewCount="1608" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've just finished raking, shredding and bagging all the leaves (including some moss, pine needles and cones) from last fall (and few years before). All this material inside bags is wet/moist, bags are closed and I've made few holes on the bottom and sides of bags.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But there is small 'problem' - I now have 23 × 240 liter plastic black bags laying around and my compost pile is already full... &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a way to speed up composting inside bags so I can have compost ready before next autumn? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17442" LastActivityDate="2018-01-16T22:08:05.113" Title="How to speed up composting of large amounts of leaves inside plastic bags?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36787" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36786" CreationDate="2018-01-09T22:37:19.843" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Unless you poke tons of holes in those bags, you will not get aerobic decomposition.  I would simply make another area for this stuff, spread it out in layers, add nitrogen, keep layering.  In a few days take a pitch fork and turn it all.  Get air in that mess. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This should easily make some nice compost by spring but you have to dump it out in an area with some elbow room.  Nitrogen will energize the decomposers.  That is what they eat for energy to do their very important job.  Leaving that stuff in the bags will mean you are doing anaerobic decomposition which is very stinky, slimy...ugh.  That debris might just be liquid slime by the spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you have anymore green adds for your compost?  You've got mostly brown.  Dumping kitchen scraps would help but then you might have a few critters.  Best would be grass clippings but I am thinking you are done with that for awhile?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't been able to find this kitty litter made from alfalfa in the stores but I don't go shopping much.  Pure nitrogen and green addition to get your compost cooking.  Makes adding nitrogen to your compost easy peasy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dump it out, mix it, rake it again into a pile, make sure you've added nitrogen and cover it loosely with a tarp so it doesn't blow back into your yard.  Once a week go out and turn it, add moisture if it is dry and cover it back up.  Loosely to allow air yet hold down the leaves from wind.  Leaving it in the bags&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nj.gov/dep/dwq/pdf/rutgers_leaf.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;great article on leaf compost&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://oldworldgardenfarms.com/2012/10/02/composting-leaves-4-simple-tips-to-making-great-compost-with-leaves/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;another article on leaf composting&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dummies.com/home-garden/green-living/aerobic-versus-anaerobic-composting/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;anaerobic versus aerobic decomposition&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-01-11T02:34:32.463" LastActivityDate="2018-01-11T02:34:32.463" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36788" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36786" CreationDate="2018-01-09T22:50:52.380" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;The enemy of composting in winter is the cold temperature. Composting requires the correct temperature to allow the progression of &lt;a href=&quot;https://web.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost/science.cfm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bacteriae&lt;/a&gt; (psychrophilic, mesophilic, and then thermophilic) to appear and decompose the materials.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A minimum size for a compost pile to work correctly is 1 cubic meter to allow sufficient mass to allow the heat to not be lost by dissipation. In winter you'll need to compost inside an insulated container. Since this is presumably going to be a recurring problem for you, perhaps you might want to build an enclosure out of cinder blocks, and also use a tarp to keep the snow off the pile.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wc1Kl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wc1Kl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;cinder block pile&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since your base product is mainly dried leaves which is considered a brown or mainly carbon source, you'll need to add nitrogen. High nitrogen sources include fertilisers for lawns, and urine. Once the composting is finished, you could pull the cinder blocks down in summer to regain the space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://earth911.com/home-garden/guide-to-composting-in-the-winter/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Winter composting guide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="19351" LastEditDate="2018-01-10T18:15:51.107" LastActivityDate="2018-01-10T18:15:51.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36789" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36790" CreationDate="2018-01-09T23:33:19.833" Score="6" ViewCount="146" Body="&lt;p&gt;Newbie herb planter here who is very confused by all of the different information online about how best to start planting herbs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have started with the following basic herbs:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basil&#xA;Oregano&#xA;Coriander&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have three ~15cm planters or so on a windowsill that gets good sun. I started out by just lashing a handful of seeds into the pots. While the herbs started out strong, they now seem to have stalled. Is this because they have been sown too densely? I don't intend on re-planting outside (live in an apartment with no garden), so how many seeds should I be placing in each planter? I've read online that basil seeds should be sown ~10 inches apart, but surely this would mean I'm only looking at planting one seed per pot, or else I'd need huge pots completely unsuitable for a windowsill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fundamental questions I know, but I can't find consistent info. Thanks in advance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20588" LastEditorUserId="20588" LastEditDate="2018-01-09T23:39:18.740" LastActivityDate="2018-01-11T17:51:10.553" Title="How closely should herbs be spaced?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;cilantro&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36790" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36789" CreationDate="2018-01-10T00:15:18.027" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Technically you're right - not more than two, maybe three, plants in each 15 cm pot, or they won't have room to develop properly. Oregano spreads sideways and not up - planted outdoors in a garden bed, it makes a good ground cover, spreading up to 2 feet easily in a sunny spot; it will cover the entire top of your pot over a fairly short time, so only one plant in there, though if you use it frequently, you could leave two to grow on on the strength you'll be cropping it a lot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that the pots have so many plants growing in them, if they're still small, hopefully you can remove excess plants to leave just two or three in each pot without disrupting the roots of the ones you want to keep. It might have been better to just sow half a dozen seeds in each pot, because then it's easier to pull out weaker seedlings as they start to grow. If you can't remove plants without destroying them all, you might need to start again; hopefully you have some seeds left.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATED ANSWER:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In response to your comment, you're right, supermarket potted herbs have more than one plant growing in the pot. This is done for speed, to get them ready for market quicker, and they only last a limited time if left uncut before they start to keel over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you're going to sow straight into your large pots, put half a dozen, spaced out, in each one, and allow 3 basil, 3 Coriander and two maximum Oregano to grow on, removing the rest. Unless, that is,  you want to keep all six, cut them mercilessly as they get to a useable size, then re-sow  from seed again in a couple of months, it's really down to how many leaves you need and how often you'll be using them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The disparity between planting distances when grown outside is because, in that situation, the plants are given sufficient space to develop and grow properly, at both root and branch level, which means perennial ones (oregano for instance) can be used for cropping, but will survive year on year, and the annual ones (you'd sow more of those outdoors too if you use a lot) will carry on right through the growing season, without the need for frequent re-sowing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2018-01-11T17:51:10.553" LastActivityDate="2018-01-11T17:51:10.553" CommentCount="11" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36791" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36786" CreationDate="2018-01-10T00:24:41.297" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Would have been better if you had them bagged up actually in autumn, but you've already done everything you can to speed up the process of making leafmould compost by shredding the contents first; what you describe doing is perfect, with the possible exception of the pine needles and cones, depending on the ratio of those to leaves (though I'm guessing they were mixed in with the leaves when you collected them). Further confirmation/information that what you've done with your leaves is absolutely appropriate here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=478&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=478&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where you live, I think you get hot summers, so that should speed the process up too - but the pine needles and cones won't rot down like the leaves will, you might need to extract any much larger pieces of the cones when the leaves have rotted down to black soil like stuff. You need not worry about the pine needles, unless there is an excessive amount left in the mix at the end, when it's ready for use, but they're not a massive problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I used to stack mine as far as possible once the bulk in the bags had started to shrink down if there were a lot of bags - that seemed to speed the process up too, though maybe we just happened to have good summers those years. If you do have a good, hot summer, with luck, it should be ready for use next autumn - here in the UK, with our variable summers it takes 1-2 years, but that's using unshredded leaves which do take a bit longer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2018-01-10T14:14:35.857" LastActivityDate="2018-01-10T14:14:35.857" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36792" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36774" CreationDate="2018-01-10T01:39:17.053" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's insufficient space between the hawthorn and the fence I'm afraid. When you say 'laurel' I assume you mean Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) which, if left unpruned, will reach 25 feet by about 12 feet in ten years. Since you wouldn't be able to get in there to prune it back there'd be a danger it would knock down or damage the fence as it grew. Which it's unlikely to do - the root mass from the hawthorn hedge will make planting anything there pretty difficult, and the hedge will out compete anything you try to plant behind in such a narrow, light deficient space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To be frank, even a dense row of laurels left to grow together to 25 feet in height, whilst it might make a minor impact on train or traffic noise, will not significantly reduce the sound of children shouting and screaming right next door; that particular sound carries a long way. If you're keen to do something, you could try erecting your own very tall fence posts and attach trellis to them extending above the line of next door's fence, and try to encourage the existing ivy to grow over that, though ivy will cling much better and more quickly to a fence than it will trellis sections. Legally though, in the UK, you are obliged to prevent the ivy from attaching itself to their fence - it needs to grow up your own fence or structure erected on your property. There are also bye laws governing the height of solid fences - these may differ from borough to borough, though trellis on top usually enables a greater height to be achieved without breaking the bye laws. I'm afraid there's no easy, quick solution to the noise problem - if you decided to replace the existing hedge with something like Prunus, by the time it's big enough to make a difference, the children will have grown and stopped being so noisy outside anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-01-10T01:39:17.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36793" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-10T02:17:17.423" Score="4" ViewCount="1626" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've read several conflicting pieces of information on the growing of dill, cilantro, and fennel near one another. I've read that fennel and dill will grow well together and make good companion plants, however I've also read that they will cross pollinate to make a foul-smelling hybrid. I've read that dill and cilantro will cross pollinate to create a rather disgusting culinary useless hybrid, but I've also read that they can be beneficial to one another's growth. I have not, however, read anything on cilantro and fennel growing together. How do these three plants fare when grown with one another, and is there any risk of cross pollination or hybridization?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;To cut costs I am planning on using the seeds again. I (personally) don't particularly care about hybrids or GMOs, I just want to be able to use the plants as herbs. However, should the hybrids not be culinarily useful, I would begin to care.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20383" LastEditorUserId="20383" LastEditDate="2018-01-10T20:21:31.913" LastActivityDate="2018-01-10T20:21:31.913" Title="Dill, cilantro, and fennel cross pollinating" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;companion-planting&gt;&lt;hybrids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36794" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36793" CreationDate="2018-01-10T02:50:17.010" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, cross pollination between Dill and Fennel can occur. Not a plant you want to grow...bitter and wimpy. Not sure about the Cilantro...the point is harvesting your own seed without exacting knowledge about genome, sanitation, sequestration and lots of money to ensure pollination between two plants with known DNA?  Is kind of a waste of time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While we are able, before some dang catastrophe, we should always use certified, non gmo stamped, seed, certified seed potatoes, certified plant starts.  Harvesting our own seed is fine but that habit has major draw backs if you aren't expecting them or have enough room to experiment growing your own harvested seed without the ability to know the genetics.  Save your NON gmo and certified seeds.  Freezer with absolutely no worry about thawing...so no automatic defrosting freezers and vacuum packing.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just the ability to grow crops successfully, knowing how to test pH, knowing how to change pH, knowing how to rotate crops, prepare proper beds, how to use fertilizer, how to control drainage, how to mitigate normal insect infestations, how to water properly?  How to improve soil tilth?  How to do just the basics without being able to go to a store to get proper ingredients is pretty much out of the scope of skills the most seasoned gardeners have.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Harvesting your own seed is interesting.  Pollination control?  That is almost impossible without a sealed, sanitary room with positive pressure.  I am spending my time and money collecting unadulterated seed.  Certified seed.  There is a half life of sorts with seed but having good seed makes good sense.  I collect seed when I've been lazy making sure I label exactly what I THINK I've got.  Growing this seed will make sense when there is no other seed to buy...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-10T02:50:17.010" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36795" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36789" CreationDate="2018-01-10T03:04:06.313" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is an excellent project for you to be doing and learning from.  Can't just throw seed in the ground and expect to EAT anything anytime soon to save your life.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You need to use potting soil whenever you plant anything in pots.  Planting seeds you need TINY pots...inch to 2 inches in diameter and as deep...maximum.  You need to keep moist, not wet.  They need far more light than a south window will allow you to do.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For now, until you want to get serious by purchasing grow lights, just plant ONE seed in a tiny pot of soil...an inch wide by 2 inches deep?  Use JUST potting soil.  No fertilizer as yet.  Consistent warmth.  Move the baby plants away from the windows at night.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;15 cm is about...8&quot;?  Too large.  It is tough to thin seeds like that without destroying the plants you want to keep.  There are seed starter trays with tiny partitioned 1&quot; X 2&quot; sections that work well.  70+ seeds can be started in one 'tray'.  Go to a Pot Growing Store.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They will be able to enlighten you enough to be able to start any seeds and direct you towards proper lighting, ventilation, soils, pots and great fertilizer.  This is how you learn to grow your own food.  Spices, herbs, ornamentals.  Some nurseries might be able to have staff that know what they are talking about.  The Pot stores are a bit more motivated towards success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-10T03:04:06.313" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36796" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-10T04:14:28.020" Score="2" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a question about the name of those plants and I would also like to know how to care for them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gbCLg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gbCLg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Imagen 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tk3nA.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tk3nA.png&quot; alt=&quot;imagen2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20589" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2018-01-10T12:12:19.793" LastActivityDate="2018-01-10T12:12:19.793" Title="What is the name of these palms?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;planting&gt;&lt;palm&gt;&lt;ornamental-plant&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2018-01-11T21:47:04.247" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36797" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36798" CreationDate="2018-01-10T13:29:35.787" Score="4" ViewCount="513" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few things that I'm interested to know about:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What's the required temperature for growing walnut trees (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglans_regia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Juglans regia&lt;/a&gt;)?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Do they grow in hill areas?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How long does it take to produce fruit from the day it was planted as a young tree?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20592" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-12T02:41:17.703" LastActivityDate="2018-01-12T02:41:17.703" Title="Do walnut trees grow in rain forests?" Tags="&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;walnut&gt;&lt;nut-trees&gt;&lt;climate&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36798" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36797" CreationDate="2018-01-10T14:42:57.063" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Minimum temperature changes among walnut (Juglans regia) varieties (where I live, the walnuts withstand -30 to -40°C / or -22 to -40°F). The maximum temperature is generally around 35°C (95°F) and above this the twigs, leaves and fruits start to burn. Walnuts survive even if the temperature goes occasionally in some days to 45°C (113°F), although I don't know for how long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They grow on plain and hill areas and they require a lot of sunlight, so if you plant them on a slope, choose the sunniest side, usually facing south, SE or SW. If the temperature rises above 35°C (95°F) on a regular basis, then plant the walnuts on the NE or NW side of the hill.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If they are planted from seed, they will fruit after 7-10 years. If they are planted from commercial varieties (usually grafted, but not always), they can start bearing fruits 5-7 years after purchasing, assuming they are at least 2 years old. In any case, a consistent harvest will come after 10 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are also a few things that need to be taken in consideration. First, walnuts don't like overwatering, and second they don't like growing in shaded areas. So, if you plant a walnut tree in a rainforest, it might survive, but it won't thrive. To improve their chances, plant them at a safe distance so other trees don't cast shadows on them, and make sure the water is draining really well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2018-01-10T18:41:40.777" LastActivityDate="2018-01-10T18:41:40.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36799" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36786" CreationDate="2018-01-10T16:49:30.613" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Composting inside the bags with the materials you've got will be a lot of work. Below I'll describe some optimal conditions for composting and how your bag compare to them and some solutions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Airflow&lt;/strong&gt;, to avoid anaerobic breakdown of the material.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mixture of carbon and nitrogen&lt;/strong&gt; but you've mostly only got a source of carbon.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Heat, which will have a hard time developing in a typical trash bag. One cubic meter of volume is considered to be the smallest optimal size. This problem is made worse in winter.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Microbial life, nematodes, and arthropods&lt;/strong&gt; which often arrive from the pile being in contact with existing soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Moisture&lt;/strong&gt; to make the pile feel like a wrung-out sponge. It will be hard to monitor and add moisture in the bags.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Points 1 and 2 are required conditions for the composting process. The inability to build up heat will dramatically slow the process. Your bags probably have some microbial life that was on the organic material when you put it in, so point 4 might be OK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;So, what can you do?&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;As others have pointed out, putting holes in the bags or transferring the material to a different style of container or pile.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You'll need to add a high-nitrogen source to the bags and mix them up again. Coffee grounds or chicken manure are good low cost sources of nitrogen. You must add nitrogen and mix it in even if you combine your bags into a new pile&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I'm experimenting with a shredded leaf and coffee ground compost in a 70 liter plastic open topped bag in an unheated area that is a warm microclimate: an ikea bag in my garage. This experiment seems to be working as the pile is getting hot and breaking down. My winter climate seems to be similar to yours, so maybe you can find a place that is warm to stack the bags to offset this problem. Or you can combine your bags into 1 or more piles.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Putting a handful of soil that is rich in microbial life should help. You could empty the bags into a compost pile outdoors on top of the soil.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;You'll just have to monitor the bags and periodically add water which will be tedious to do to each bag. The alternative, again, is to combine them into a single pile that you will still have to monitor and potentially amend with water but it will be easier to do.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to compost in the bags you've got? For sure. The addition of nitrogen seems like a critical step, the rest of the elements for composting exist but it may not happen fast enough for you. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Two other possible uses for this material:&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Shredded leaves can make a good top dressing for garden beds to keep moisture in the soil and reduce weed pressure by crowding out the sun. If you keep the leaves dry until you are planting you could use some of the material for that purpose.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Most people who compost have an abundance of carbon in the fall time (leaves) and a steady stream of nitrogen through the rest of the year (kitchen scraps, lawn clippings). If that matches your scenario then having some carbon material available to mix into the pile as you add nitrogens throughout the year will be helpful. If you want to do this: keep the leaf piles as dry as you can so they will be ready to add to the pile in the spring/summer next year.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-10T16:49:30.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36800" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-10T19:19:43.650" Score="5" ViewCount="339" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to grow a peppermint plant at my office desk (specifically peppermint because I enjoy the smell). However, my desk is well away from the windows, so natural light will be minimal at best. I'm considering buying an adjustable LED lamp to provide light, but I'm concerned that any lamp I buy with sufficient power to make up for the lack of natural light, will be bright enough as to be distracting to myself or others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How viable is my goal? Can I make do with a dimmer light, or will I need a brighter one? Can I leave it on overnight, and turn it off during the day, perhaps?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20594" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T15:38:32.613" Title="How much light do I need to grow peppermint indoors?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;sunlight&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36801" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-11T02:22:10.953" Score="4" ViewCount="164" Body="&lt;p&gt;My basil is infested with pests, and from &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/33538/13890&quot;&gt;this earlier question&lt;/a&gt; I think they might be &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealybug&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;mealybugs&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mkrlO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mkrlO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo of my basil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How should I treat it? I have previously sprayed it with &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bunnings.com.au/yates-200ml-nature-s-way-vegie-and-herb-pest-spray_p2961939&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Natrasoap&lt;/a&gt; (Potassium salts of fatty acids), but it didn't seem to have any much effect. Just keep applying it more regularly?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13890" LastActivityDate="2018-01-12T14:29:58.797" Title="Are these mealybugs and how do I treat them?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;basil&gt;&lt;mealybugs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36802" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-11T04:08:51.657" Score="4" ViewCount="129" Body="&lt;p&gt;My uncle has this plant in northern NSW Australia. Just wondering if anyone knows what it is?&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/L1o8H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pOPRi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/pOPRi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20596" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2018-01-11T09:22:20.403" Title="What is the name of this plant with large and lush leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36803" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36802" CreationDate="2018-01-11T09:22:20.403" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like a &lt;em&gt;Calathea&lt;/em&gt;. A quick image search yielded &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://garden.org/plants/photo/251981/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Calathea orbifolia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; which looks like a good match.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19553" LastActivityDate="2018-01-11T09:22:20.403" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36804" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36768" CreationDate="2018-01-12T07:35:52.077" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bamboo's right -- pinch back a lot to get the leaves to show. consider buying several kinds and putting them together in a window box-shaped place; they can take a bit of shade and I used them as houseplants for years till i discovered that where summers are warm they do well outside as annuals. (They're houseplants in Seattle, which has the same climate as much of Britain, and outdoor plants in Iowa, which has the same climate as hell.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They look especially fine with sweet potato vines and lime green foliage of various kinds. They like water fairly regularly, though they're not swamp plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yours is far too leggy; I didn't recognize it at first. Cut 2/3 off, then cut each of the long pieces into 4&quot; pieces. Take off the bottom-most pairs of leaves (about 1/2&quot; worth) and stick in a glass full of water which covers the denuded parts. Every couple days, check on the water to be sure it's still covering that part; if it starts getting yucky looking, replace with fresh water. After a bit (weeks, not months) roots should be growing on each of those parts. You will end up with a TON of coleus plants to do whatever you wish with -- build a forest of houseplants or a garden of bedding in the sun.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20599" LastActivityDate="2018-01-12T07:35:52.077" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36805" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36810" CreationDate="2018-01-12T10:37:02.640" Score="6" ViewCount="5083" Body="&lt;p&gt;Up to this date we have had a healthy crop of about 500 flowering pumpkin plants, however, over the last 3 days we have lost maybe 20 of them. They will simply wilt over 24hrs and then die:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YUF8u.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YUF8u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Closer inspection shows that the base of the stem is brown/damaged and in many cases hollow - this particular plant actually appeared healthy (no wilting yet), but its stem broke very easily:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hIEWn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hIEWn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Opening up the root and stem we see no pests, larvae, etc. but similar presentation over and over:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eU4YT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eU4YT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I suspected it may have been wind damage from a recent storm, but I would expect to see more obvious damage in other areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutworms are present in the soil, but we have only ever seen them kill much smaller plants (which we now protect):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OcpHA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OcpHA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are these guys hanging about also, but not many of them:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ua3HO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ua3HO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, internet searches lead us to fungal crown rot, but that seems odd in that the field in question has been used for cattle grazing for years before this happened. We thought we'd ask here so as not to rule out anything else, and if it is crown rot or otherwise:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What if anything, can we do to fix this now, this year?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Organic solutions are preferred.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14138" LastEditorUserId="14138" LastEditDate="2018-01-14T09:41:41.480" LastActivityDate="2018-01-14T09:41:41.480" Title="Why are some of my pumpkin plants wilting, and showing what looks like stem rot?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;organic&gt;&lt;pumpkins&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36806" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36098" CreationDate="2018-01-12T13:26:14.777" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Take the plant together with some soil around its roots and place it in a plastic cup or cut the lower part of a plastic bottle and use it as a cup. If neither is available, wrap a wet paper napkin around roots and soil, then place it in a plastic bag.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the roots come out without any soil, place them in water, using any kind of container you have. If you don't have a container for water, follow the wet napkin method, but be careful to wrap it gently, otherwise the roots might be damaged. The plastic bag keeps moisture inside, prevents the napkin to come apart and protects roots from accidentally tearing them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep the leaves outside the plastic bag if the weather is hot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2018-01-12T13:26:14.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36807" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36801" CreationDate="2018-01-12T14:29:58.797" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is mealy bug and quite a well established colony.  As this is a plant that you might intend to eat I recommend throwing it out quickly.  Some adult mealy bugs can fly when things get too crowded and you do not want them spreading to other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you apply soap and water or a more serious pesticide the plant will take a long time to recover and not be of any use as a food plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basil plants cost a few dollars and should be easy to replace.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2018-01-12T14:29:58.797" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36808" PostTypeId="5" CreationDate="2018-01-12T15:55:06.063" Score="0" Body="" OwnerUserId="-1" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2018-01-12T15:55:06.063" LastActivityDate="2018-01-12T15:55:06.063" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36809" PostTypeId="4" CreationDate="2018-01-12T15:55:06.063" Score="0" Body="Plants that complete their life cycle within one year." OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-13T00:55:31.730" LastActivityDate="2018-01-13T00:55:31.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36810" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36805" CreationDate="2018-01-12T20:40:49.250" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;From the images and description, this most likely represents an infection by &lt;em&gt;Fusarium solani f. sp. cucurbitae&lt;/em&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v7qD4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v7qD4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The first symptom usually noticed in the field is wilting of the leaves. Within several days, the entire plant may wilt and die. If the soil is removed from around the base of the plant, a very distinct necrotic rot of the crown and upper portion of the taproot is evident (fig. 5). The rot develops first as a light-colored, water-soaked area which becomes progressively darker. It begins in the cortex of the root, causes cortex tissue to slough off, and eventually destroys all of the tissue except the fibrous vascular strands. Infected plants break off easily about 2-4 cm below the soil line. The fungus generally is limited to the crown area of the plant. The main and lower portions of the taproot are not affected, except under extremely wet conditions. Likewise, the stem is not affected, except for the lower 2-4 cm immediately above the soil line, as seen in experimentally inoculated Howden pumpkin seedlings (fig. 6). Plants showing symptoms develop numerous sporodochia and macroconidia (spores) giving the mycelia a white to pink color on the stem near the ground surface (fig. 5). Fruits are attacked at the fruit-soil interface; the severity of the fruit rot depends on soil moisture and the stage of rind maturity at the time of infection (fig. 7). &lt;a href=&quot;http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Cucurbits_Fusarium.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the spores of this fungus can only persist for 2-3 years, and your soil has not grown curcubits in that time period, then the most likely explanation is that you have purchased contaminated seeds since Fusarium free seeds are not generally available. Infection is less likely if you use fungicide treated seeds, and practice a 4 year rotation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should pull the affected plants and destroy them, and perhaps even remove the soil around the plants though that may not be practical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As to why a seed borne disease affects an adult plant I'd speculate that because it does not affect the fibrous vascular strands it still allows the plant to grow to reach a certain point until it can no longer sustain the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=19115&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Fusarium Crown and Foot Rot of Squash and Pumpkin Fusarium solani f. sp. cucurbitae Race 1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-12T20:40:49.250" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36811" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36805" CreationDate="2018-01-12T22:30:38.897" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/squash-vine-borers/&amp;#39;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Squash Vine Borer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is similar to what happens with cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower...they have their own 'borer'...a beetle.  Others like this are flies, moths.  They lay their eggs at the base, when the eggs hatch, the larvae eat the roots and crown of the plant.  One day it just falls over or wilts unexpectedly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is nothing you can do now.  I would check all my plants.  You'll be able to see if the plant has been compromised by this borer.  If you find healthy plants, leave them alone.  They are not in trouble.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a particular window of time where these insects are laying their eggs at the bottom of susceptible plants.  I use row cover.  Light, transparent cloth that if you close all the edges with soil, will prevent this happening again.  This article should tell you when to expect that window.  The parents are gone.  When the larvae mature...they fly away.  There is nothing you can do now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Harvest your squash now, hopefully you'll have a few viable plants and really that is all you need for a great squash harvest.  Next year make sure you have row cloth.  I would cover my squash, and brassicas with row cloth as soon as they are planted as starts or allowed to get 4&quot; high from seed.  Poof up the cloth so there is plenty of air circulation.  Water well before installing the cloth...soak your soil.  Use a few sticks to help poof up the cloth then tuck every edge into the soil so no insect is able to fly beneath and lay their eggs.  Water will penetrate the row cloth but you still need to check that moisture is getting down at least 2&quot;.  Remove the cloth when the window of time is up...I think this article will tell you that.  Depends on your local, zone, temperatures...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-12T22:30:38.897" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36812" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36817" CreationDate="2018-01-12T23:13:30.963" Score="2" ViewCount="94" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a beginner gardener. I've heard about raised flower beds a lot. I would like to know what would be pros and cons of building a raised bed like this one:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J1EiC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-13T19:14:34.363" LastActivityDate="2018-01-13T19:14:34.363" Title="Building raised flower bed" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36813" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36812" CreationDate="2018-01-12T23:47:01.507" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That's a fun arrangement! It isn't really a raised bed as such (though it is a bed!), it's more container gardening. This is a quirky novelty feature and like most of their ilk, it's filled with summer bedding as a temporary display; it looks like it contains trailing fuchsias, Lysimachia mummularia, and maybe Impatiens and/or Petunias. They're usually built in repurposed objects, like this old bedstead, old water tanks, wheelbarrows, toilet/lavatory stools, even hand basins or sinks, and I saw one once that had been a bedside table (nightstand in the USA) with the drawer in the top partially open and filled with summer bedding and the bottom shelf had another display sitting in pots. Almost anything can be pressed into long term or temporary service as a display medium. Because the wood surround fitted on the bed isn't very deep, then long term planting, unless it's just with rockery alpines, maybe succulents like sempervivums, or other small plants which don't get very tall, isn't possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Raised beds sitting on soil are usually created to improve drainage, sometimes because the soil on site is heavy and often waterlogged, or because there are particular plants that someone wants to grow that require well drained soil which won't grow well in the existing soil conditions. Raised beds tend to drain better, and some plants that do better in damper soil don't thrive so well in such a situation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2018-01-13T01:24:59.157" LastActivityDate="2018-01-13T01:24:59.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36814" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36858" CreationDate="2018-01-13T09:01:57.953" Score="4" ViewCount="1786" Body="&lt;p&gt;The new growth on one of my chilli plants looks to be healthier than the old growth. More regularly shaped leaves vs strange wrinkly leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to cut back a bit of the old growth a bit at a time to encourage newer growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is a bit of a runt. The newer growth does not come back in as quickly as the others.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I accidentally kill it will this affect the other plants? I wouldn't really be able to dig out the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7313" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-01-17T00:17:38.667" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T00:17:38.667" Title="If you have multiple chilli plants in one pot and one dies or you kill it, does this affect the other plants?" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36816" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-13T09:28:52.820" Score="2" ViewCount="272" Body="&lt;p&gt;For a while now my apple tree's fruit has been growing with brown spots all over them. The more they grow, the worse they look. I'm wondering if this is a pest problem. Does this sound familiar to anyone? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20601" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-14T22:46:27.030" LastActivityDate="2018-01-14T22:46:27.030" Title="What are the brown spots on my apples?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;apples&gt;&lt;bugs&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="0" ClosedDate="2018-01-20T02:52:32.583" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36817" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36812" CreationDate="2018-01-13T10:21:58.960" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not considered a raised bed although by definition sure fits the bill.  It is most certainly a container garden.  A garden in pots.  Lots of maintenance.  Lots.  The only soil you should use is potting soil.  Fertilizer that is lower in N than P and K.. Watering will be almost every day.  Deadheading constantly.  This feature is best presented in an established garden.  A great time to find plants that thrive with the same needs!  Bedding partners...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The pros are you will be very involved day to day to maintain.  You will be totally responsible for life and death.  In a garden situation you get a bit of leeway.  This is a pot out of doors that will need major attention. Worth it for sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cons are how much you want to invest of yourself, time, and a bit of money.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-13T10:21:58.960" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36818" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36812" CreationDate="2018-01-13T11:25:42.360" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pros: I can't think of any.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cons: Perfect nursery of fungi and insects because it's difficult to reach the middle of the &quot;bed&quot; to control them. Low ventilation and high humidity through crammed plants brings all kinds of pests sooner rather than later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2018-01-13T11:25:42.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36819" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-13T17:09:33.583" Score="7" ViewCount="7564" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dYGZs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My white anthurium had been sitting in the entrance way with frosted glass (and therefore receiving diffused light) from last June to this January (Northern hemisphere). It was doing perfectly fine until I noticed a few leaves falling off last week. I moved it out of the cold entranceway into the living room on a window by the radiator thinking it was reacting to the cold temperatures. I also lifted the pot out of its container and realised it was full of water - clearly I've overwatered it. The next day I noticed brown spots at the edges of some leaves so I moved it to the other end of he room, about 8 ft from the window. Today I can now see the leaves have yellowed almost immediately. Is it too far from light or is the overwatering responsible? I'm really concerned and wondering what I can do to rescue the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17146" LastEditorUserId="16505" LastEditDate="2018-01-13T23:02:11.787" LastActivityDate="2020-09-28T05:52:30.807" Title="Why are my anthurium leaves rapidly turning yellow?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;watering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36820" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36819" CreationDate="2018-01-13T18:41:04.197" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;These plants like bright but diffuse light ( not direct sunlight ) and moist oxygenated soil but you've already identified that it has been sitting in stagnant deoxygenated water.  This has lead to the chlorotic foliage you now see.  I presume that you have a pot inside a pot so you can't easily see how much water the pot is sitting in so this might well happen again.  I'd suggest using a container that allows you to more easily check that it's not sitting in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the meantime you could try and drain the excess water from the soil with wicks, or, if you can invert the plant safely, do that and gravity will pull the water away from the affected roots and bring in oxygen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See also this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/27429/my-anthuriums-leaves-are-turning-yellow-and-brown&quot;&gt;answer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-13T18:41:04.197" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36821" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-13T20:54:41.363" Score="1" ViewCount="67" Body="&lt;p&gt;Let's say there is a fruit tree (for example, a plum) that has gummosis. What is going to happen (with the respect to fungi, bacteria, surrounding environment, including roots and soil), if such tree is girdled? (The idea is to create a snag useful for wildlife)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suppose there are different outcomes depending on the root cause of the gummosis, but is there a positive scenario among those outcomes, worth trying?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-13T21:00:19.253" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T15:49:33.140" Title="Gummosis and girdling" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36822" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36824" CreationDate="2018-01-13T21:15:13.237" Score="4" ViewCount="150" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recently purchased two plants from the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burseraceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Burseraceae&lt;/a&gt; family.  One of them, &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/TREES/Family/Burseraceae/10992/Bursera_fagaroides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bursera fagaroides&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, can be found in the wild in a range extending from Arizona to Oaxaca, along the west coast of Mexico.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not being very familiar with this region, I am looking for guidance on suitable soil characteristics.  I know that this plant tends to thrive in arid, nutrient poor soils, but I'd love to have more detail such as soil pH and type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20602" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-14T00:46:51.827" LastActivityDate="2018-01-14T03:19:03.357" Title="What's the proper soil composition for growing Bursera fagaroides?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36823" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36713" CreationDate="2018-01-13T21:36:22.903" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;First of all, lighly scratch the bark to see if it's green under the superficial brown layer. If it's green, it is still alive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To promote new growth remove all leaves because once the plant figures out that it has no more leaves, it will send out new shoots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To avoid new branches to form in a random pattern and to avoid the plant dividing its energy between lots of new shoots, cut off all the branches and most part of the stem. Keep only the lower part of the stem where the first 2 branches were, just about a few cm above the second one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be careful when you remove those branches not to damage the area right beneath them. That area containes &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicormic_shoot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;epicormic buds&lt;/a&gt; that will generate new shoots that will later grow to become branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2018-01-13T21:36:22.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36824" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36822" CreationDate="2018-01-14T03:19:03.357" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This succulent is not particular about soil but is &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/TREES/Family/Burseraceae/10992/Bursera_fagaroides&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;said&lt;/a&gt; it should do well in draining &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/scgen/cactus-potting-soil.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;cactus mix&lt;/a&gt; such as clean fine sand, grit and soil for a dessert succulent. Although tolerant of pH ranges it is often found in areas where limestone occurs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;it is best to grow this plant outdoors in the full sun from mid May through the summer months, to benefit from increased sunlight and warm temperatures. Even though this species will regularly experience temperatures above 100 degrees in habitat (it is native to the extreme southwestern corner of Arizona and south, well into central and western Mexico)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The summer climate of Minnesota according to wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Summer high temperatures in Minnesota average in the mid-80s F (30 °C) in the south to the upper-70s F (25 °C) in the north, with temperatures as hot as 114 °F (46 °C) possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;looks compatible with this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.columbuscactusclub.com/bursera-fagaroides,--mexican-frankincense-.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;person's experience&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;summer temperatures, averaging between the mid 70’s to the high 90’s appears to be warm enough for it to produce good growth. It is my impression that without this period of warm temperatures and bright light, this species will not thrive – it is not really suited for a year-round existence as a houseplant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, either put in a glasshouse in winter or bring it inside, and if necessary induce dormancy in a dark cool place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-14T03:19:03.357" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36825" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36830" CreationDate="2018-01-14T16:52:36.697" Score="2" ViewCount="77" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T1Iv4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T1Iv4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PQLbZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/PQLbZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant identification&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant has probably never blossomed. I suppose it was not very expensive to buy. Thank you for any hints.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ziIMS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ziIMS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20605" LastEditorUserId="20605" LastEditDate="2018-01-15T21:09:15.323" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T21:09:15.323" Title="What kind of green flower is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36826" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36829" CreationDate="2018-01-14T17:30:02.493" Score="4" ViewCount="1987" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have an aging 6 foot wooden fence section about 12m long running East-West. Rather than replace it I'm thinking about planting laurel which is attractive and will grow higher with time and care... We have no immediate neighbour but it would block a sightline to a road.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Our local place sells bushes already taker than me but quite narrow. I'm trying to work out how many if need that they would provide coverage in a timely fashion, and how fast they'd grow outwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In an ideal world I'd plant them 1-2m the far (north) side of the existing fence to avoid losing space but then the fence would be providing them a lot of shade and I wonder if this is a deal-breaker?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in North East England.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T00:44:48.793" Title="How close together should I plant laurels and how fast will they grow?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;hedge&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36827" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-14T18:39:07.737" Score="4" ViewCount="1775" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a lemon that I grew from store bough lemon seed so it's not a dwarf variety. It was growing crazy fast but now it started to drop leaves, some seemed healthy other had some browning around tips and edges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Enviroment:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Constant 19-24C&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Low humidity&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mostly overcast daylight&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Water 2-3 times a month (with general purpose nutrients)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Roots seem to grow very slowly and have not yet reached the bottom of the pot. It was only transplanted once. Plant is only a few months old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been adding tea leaves which is the only major change I can think of. It doesn't look like high ph symptoms from other resources though. I haven't added anymore for a while or watered for maybe 3-4 weeks - symptoms do not appear to have spread or gotten worse. Perhaps it was over watered but again symptoms don't seem to match.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the likely cause and the solution?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mx2xN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mx2xN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OG2YZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OG2YZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XB7kR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XB7kR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3244" LastEditorUserId="3244" LastEditDate="2018-01-14T21:17:46.550" LastActivityDate="2018-01-14T21:53:58.590" Title="Lemon plant dropping and browning leaves (indoors)" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36828" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36827" CreationDate="2018-01-14T21:53:58.590" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Diagnosis through photos is hard so I hope you will find it useful if I point out what I do not see:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no sign of white grains of salt on the underside of the leaves which indicate spider mites which are a common problem.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no scale or mealy bug observed, thrip would be unusual outside of a greenhouse and there is no telltale frass or silvery tracks on the leaves  =&gt; no pests&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;no sign of green veins and yellow leaves which are typical of an iron/manganese deficiency due to alkaline soil &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The item that may be causing this is overuse of fertilizer.  Yes, outdoors in a high light situation you would have to work hard to over fertilize. Indoors where light levels are ten to a hundred times lower fertilizing two to three times a month is too much.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest watering once with distilled water in sufficient quantity that water runs out the bottom of the pot.  This will reduce the fertilizer salts that may present in the soil. Then switching to a citrus fertilizer or similar that has chelated iron and manganese. Apply once every two months at half strength in fall and winter.  During spring and summer apply at half strength every month.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2018-01-14T21:53:58.590" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36829" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36826" CreationDate="2018-01-14T22:07:50.833" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cherry laurel is Prunus laurocerasus - have a look at Prunus lusitanica &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/14003/Prunus-lusitanica/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/14003/Prunus-lusitanica/Details&lt;/a&gt; though  - it's hasn't got quite such large, rather coarse looking leaves, has a more delicate appearance, though it isn't delicate at all, and will also make a good hedge,  and is far less ubiquitous than P. laurocerasus. Also less reminiscent of Victorian shrubberies and cemeteries, and won't become invasive, which is a slight possibility with P. laurocerasus. If you intend to use a hedgetrimmer, then any leaves which have been cut in half will be less noticeable with P. lusitanica. Its flowers are similar, but held in a more spraylike arrangement compared to the upright 'candles' of P. laurocerasus. If you really want P. laurocerasus, go for Prunus laurocerasus 'rotundifolia', which has slightly narrower and less coarse leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting distance between plants (for both varieties) is 60-90 cm - planted at 90cm, they will fill in and make a solid hedge, but at 60cm, they'll do that quicker. I'd go for around 75/80cm myself. This link &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.laurelhedging.com/faq.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.laurelhedging.com/faq.html&lt;/a&gt; should be helpful, and answer any other questions you have too. Rate of growth depends on conditions, but probably about a foot to 18 inches a year - keep well watered during dry spells in summer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the narrowness of the ones you've seen, it's necessary to remove some of the height in spring to force the plants to bush out from the base anyway, otherwise your hedge will be bare at the base within 2 or 3 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2018-01-15T00:44:48.793" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T00:44:48.793" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36830" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36825" CreationDate="2018-01-14T23:27:37.823" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant has a few names and is sold under variations of it. You might find it called Dracaena demerensis, Dracaena &quot;Compacta&quot;, D. fragrans 'Compacta.&#xA;Plant relationships have only gotten more complicated with dna analysis and the only sure thing is that is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_(plant)&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dracaena&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I notice yours has the brown tips characteristic of over watering or using water with chlorine or fluoride in it.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This plant grows slowly and not does not require fertilizer on a regular basis. The flowers are insignificant.  Pests are few, weakened plants can get mealy bug.  More light and less water are recommended for indoor cultivation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2018-01-14T23:27:37.823" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36831" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36849" CreationDate="2018-01-15T01:00:03.743" Score="3" ViewCount="383" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is a belief in my area that it is not healthy for humans to sleep under a walnut tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this valid for birds too? Is it harmful for birds to live in a bird house hanging on a walnut tree?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-16T04:57:44.643" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T16:38:31.370" Title="Is it harmful for birds to have a house hanging on a walnut tree?" Tags="&lt;birds&gt;&lt;walnut&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36832" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36831" CreationDate="2018-01-15T03:40:20.213" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's likely to be painful if a walnut falls on you, and if you're asleep, you won't be able to avoid them.  So, a reasonable suggestion to not sleep under a walnut tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for a bird house as long as it's got a roof that will protect any chicks I don't see an issue apart from being struck in flight.  Walnuts are also listed as &lt;a href=&quot;http://sweet-seed.com/birding-101/what-types-of-nuts-are-best-for-wild-birds/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bird healthy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T03:40:20.213" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36834" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36814" CreationDate="2018-01-15T08:39:07.260" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If they are well established plants and their roots overlap, removing the roots of the dead one will disturb the roots of the live ones, so it's a good option to just let them be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once the roots die, the other plants will start to take over the soil between them. These other plants will be affected if you don't reduce the quantity of water you provide them with and they end up overwatered.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep in mind that even if the plant you plan to trim doesn't die, you have to cut back watering a little bit because it will consume less.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T08:39:07.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36835" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36836" CreationDate="2018-01-15T09:31:34.330" Score="7" ViewCount="743" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got this as a gift and have no idea where to start! Scared to water it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iLXBV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iLXBV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Firstly, please could someone identify the species?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd like emergency advice so it lasts a month or two while I read up - watering, trimming, etc. It looks like it's grown wild for too long with some very long new growth as per picture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Questions from the spot of reading I've done:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Will scissors do for the moment?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I cut only brown stems, or green or either? (I did read a bit about node counts and fresh growth)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Watering: moisten or soak?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Special considerations eg time of year?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11529" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T13:21:57.847" Title="Identify bonsai &amp; maintenance advice for total beginner" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36836" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36835" CreationDate="2018-01-15T10:23:30.267" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a &lt;em&gt;Zelkova parvifolia&lt;/em&gt;, I have one myself too. There are many care guides, like &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/zelkova&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Zelkova.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should water it daily (if necessary), and the water should be able to flow thru the soil (no swamp in your pot). Best time to trim is in springtime or summer, I don't know where you live, where I live it is winter now. The long green shoots can be trimmed with scissors, if you want to shape the tree and remove some older branches, you can better use concave cutters (they leave nicer wounds).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like I said, I have one myself, for years now. I kept it indoors first, because it was sold as an indoor species, however, it didn't grow well and always lost its foliage. So I started keeping it outdoors, and it does pretty well (here in the Netherlands). When it freezes very hard (more than -10C), I put it inside, but the rest of the year it is outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2018-01-15T13:21:57.847" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T13:21:57.847" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36837" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36841" CreationDate="2018-01-15T10:33:42.790" Score="3" ViewCount="600" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was reading up a few weeks ago on fertilizing and someone, somewhere said that grinding down egg shells would be a good idea to increase calcium in the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now this made me save some egg shells and peanut casings.&#xA;My question is, without grinding them down, would it be a good idea to mix it into the soil when planting plants like peppers for example?&#xA;Would the same apply for, for example, banana peals?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason I ask this is because my brother said he wouldn't do it since potting soil already has an over abundance of nutrients and it would likely damage the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20484" LastActivityDate="2019-12-24T17:03:50.700" Title="Egg shells and peanut casings in pot soil" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36838" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-15T13:16:21.397" Score="6" ViewCount="3829" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am new to gardening and I have started to grow my own vegetables at home. I have used only compost - and now that I am reading more about gardening, I am not sure if what I did was right. So do I have to add soil to compost to grow my vegetables?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20608" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2018-01-16T09:06:02.357" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T16:28:51.230" Title="Is it possible to plant vegetables just in compost without soil added?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36839" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29663" CreationDate="2018-01-15T14:26:10.963" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sorbus x hybrida&lt;/em&gt;, Swedish service tree or oakleaf mountain ash, is what I thought. That might also explain the confusion with 'serviceberry' (ameliancher) and 'service tree' (sorbus x hybrida).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="721" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T14:26:10.963" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36840" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-15T14:36:51.863" Score="4" ViewCount="582" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a banana tree that recently decided to retire its main central branch. What’s left is a big dried of stem visible in the center of the pot. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I just cut it out without harming the plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8KYAP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8KYAP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eMnqj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eMnqj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Image 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9666" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T23:31:37.380" Title="Cutting banana tree without harming it" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36841" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36837" CreationDate="2018-01-15T18:31:38.003" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I doubt that eggshells well make any difference to your potting mix. I used to see these years later in the compost heap still intact unless it's been quite acidic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for organic matter such as banana peels they will slowly decompose in the mix releasing nutrients. Organic fertilisers like this don't usually harm plants unlike inorganic fertilisers which can cause nutrient burn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T18:31:38.003" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36842" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36838" CreationDate="2018-01-15T19:12:20.870" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends. In the UK people used to buy bags of compost and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.express.co.uk/comment/columnists/alan-titchmarsh/259382/How-to-get-the-best-out-of-your-grow-bags&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;plant tomatoes&lt;/a&gt; in them instead of replacing the diseases soil of their greenhouses. The bags did need careful watering, sometimes twice daily.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.planetnatural.com/commercial-compost/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Commercial compost&lt;/a&gt; might contain all sorts of nasty things which you may not wish to use. So, using your own compost is probably best. And usually there is some soil used as an activator in your own compost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some plants that seem to thrive in growing in a compost heap eg. pumpkin or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/flowers-and-plants/vegetables/how-to-grow-squash-in-compost&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;squash&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Turks Turban squash growing in a compost heap&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w5Dmn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w5Dmn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;squash in a compost heap&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The proponents of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/straw-bale-gardens/8882.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;straw bale gardening&lt;/a&gt; are essentially growing in compost as it's being made.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I have an avocado tree that is over one storey high growing out of one of my now unused compost bins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, it's doable with the right compost, and the right plants. And you'll likely need some potash if you're growing flowering vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-01-16T20:16:48.847" LastActivityDate="2018-01-16T20:16:48.847" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36843" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30351" CreationDate="2018-01-15T19:57:17.407" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends. You don't say what specific species of plant you have, I'm assuming it's not the one pictured. Opuntioids have different growth habits from large, single stemmed, many branched plants to recumbent chains of tiny pads, and everything in between.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can guarantee that the plant pictured will get to 4 feet tall at most. Any taller and they will eventually topple over. That plant (Opuntia microdasys) is very common in the Phoenix, AZ area planted as an ornamental. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One Opuntia that will make tall plants is Opuntia ficus-indica. There are others, they just aren't really common.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All that said, save a pad or two and root them, then prune the original plant to your hearts delight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T19:57:17.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36844" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-15T21:48:40.833" Score="3" ViewCount="365" Body="&lt;p&gt;This self seeded sycamore is blocking the afternoon sun from where I am proposing to build a small house. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;View from the east:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/rSqMzLU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sycamore&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And view from the north east:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Fn2zl0N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's really only the lower half of the branches that's shading and I'm wondering if I can ask the arborist to just remove the lower half branches instead of taking down the whole tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also it seems to split into two main stems if that makes a difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;View from the south:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/LWyQdfR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;two main stems&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-01-16T02:51:32.273" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T16:10:54.543" Title="Can I remove half the branches from this sycamore?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36845" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36838" CreationDate="2018-01-15T22:20:20.647" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am unable to tell if you are growing in pots or out in your yard.  But the answer in both places is no.  Compost should be mixed with soil out in the garden.  Compost should never be added to pots in doors.  On the patio, compost in pots is fine by applying a few inches to the top of the soil (potting soil) but only for established longer term plants that are outside that need their soil 'refreshed'.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil in pots should always be sterilized potting soil.  No additives.  Pots always always with a drain hole, should be cleaned with bleach and dried then filled 1/3 with potting soil, plant a start, fruff up the roots a bit, firm the soil as you fill in layers.  Firm gently.  Fill and firm up to 1&quot; beneath the rim.  The crown of your plant should be beneath the soil and any wood trunks/stems have to be above ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You most certainly should do this with your plants, replant in sterilized potting soil. If you peruse our questions and answers you will find that most problems with growing plants in pots, containers is because sterilized potting soil was not used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are newish to growing plants, just use Osmocote Extended Release Fertilizer 14-14-14.  A balanced fertilizer you only need to use once during the growing season for annual vegetables.  This fertilizer is almost bullet proof if you follow the directions.  I only do half the number of applications whether my garden out of doors or my pots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Later on, you'll want to get into the science of chemistry and botany and try some different 'organic' fertilizers.  Don't mess with adding anything else to your soil.  Organic material has to be decomposed.  Never ever fresh.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost should never be used in place of soil, pots should only have sterilized potting soil, compost should never be considered fertilizer either.  There are minute traces of chemicals plants need but never a balanced formula.  You have to know the chemistry of your soil before adding any extra chemistry (fertilizer).  Too much of one chemical while it may not kill your plant will almost certainly cause deficiencies and excesses that will weaken your plant and cause secondary problems such as insect damage and disease.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just a little too much chemistry (some people say 'nutrients' plants make their own food)! will kill plants, easily, quickly and completely.  NPK, get to know this term.  Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium (potash).  You'll find the formula in 3 numbers; such as 14-14-14 that I mentioned.  This means in the package, there will be 14 percent Nitrogen, 14 percent Phosphorus, 14 percent Potassium.  Nice safe formula.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want vegetables that need to flower to produce seed/fruit such as tomatoes, eggplant you need to make sure that the nitrogen percentage is never higher than the P and the K.  If 14-14-14 were 15-14-14 you would get more vegetative growth (can't eat tomato plant leaves) than reproductive (flowers and fruit).  This could cut the production of your tomato plant by half and more.  Compost?  There might be nitrogen available in your compost.  Add compost and you could easily boost the nitrogen to your tomato high enough to inhibit flowering. This is important.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you used just potash, potassium...compost with a little or unknown Nitrogen content...you still do not know that you have a balanced fertilizer component in that soil.  What about the phosphorus?  I never buy potting soil with added fertilizer (or even water holding gels or sponges).  I like knowing what it is that I have added.  Otherwise you have to wait until the plant shows signs of deficiencies, excess to then deal with problems that imbalanced chemistry will cause your plant, to correct an imbalance.  Nice to know what is in the soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf vegey's such as Kale, Lettuce, chard...a little more Nitrogen will not hurt.  I still love going with 14-14-14 because it works for both kinds of vegetables; leafy and fruits.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tell us more information, please because this is a very general answer.  If you are growing vegeys inside, we need to discuss light.  Daylight length.  Size of pot to size of start or seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T22:20:20.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36846" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36840" CreationDate="2018-01-15T23:31:37.380" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The banana plant forms a stem which is actually a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/grow-bananas-indoors-1902483&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pseudo bulb&lt;/a&gt; made up of old leaves and in nature it matures, flowers, fruits and dies back to the underground rhizome which keeps making new stems. There are two types of pups, a sword pup and a water pup.  The former has a much larger root mass which allows it to be separated from the parent, but the water pup needs support from the mother plant.  You look to have two sword pups.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can't keep a banana plant in a single pot as it continually sends out pups and will outgrow the pot.  You should consider dividing the corm to get two new plants (if they're at least one foot high) which you can transplant. But in the meantime you can cut back the dead stem which is just dead leaves.  If it hadn't died back, a new leaf would form underground and push its way upwards through the middle of the &quot;stem&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T23:31:37.380" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36847" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="19994" CreationDate="2018-01-15T23:48:02.393" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It could well be your tree trying to grow again. Many trees can live that way, starting over and over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a look at practice of coppicing: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppicing&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppicing&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2018-01-15T23:48:02.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36848" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36844" CreationDate="2018-01-15T23:51:53.063" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6pROJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6pROJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;pruning Graham&amp;#39;s sycamore&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Graham I wouldn't remove half at one time.  Definitely needs to be thinned to allow the wind to go through the canopy without being able to pull the tree over.  You will always have light shade with this tree.  Which is preferable to heavy shade.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you could look at these branches coming from the main trunk, the branches to remove will have diameters drastically different to the diameter of the trunk.  Your truck is what?  Say 10&quot;?  The branches that are less than 5&quot; in diameter; 2 or 3&quot; that are redundant meaning there are more than one branch in the same vicinity should be removed from the trunk.  You need to see big holes in the canopy.  Where are your normal winds coming from?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a start.  Learning to use this new application.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S8CF7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S8CF7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;your sycamore&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More pictures I could draw more 'cuts'...the ones I marked might not be all necessary to do...such as all 3 of the cuts on the left.  I need to see a bigger picture.  But do you see the size of the branches in relation to the size of the trunk?  Most all branches will be removed from the trunk.  Otherwise you'll promote more growth, density.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one is tough to see.  I hope that this helps you see what needs to go...a little anyway.  Doesn't matter the view, what matters is that your canopy is not lopsided and not pruned too quickly.  Once you get started you'll see the pattern of what branches need to go and which ones absolutely have to stay.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This last one maybe I need to make the orange 'cuts' thinner.  Ugh.  More pictures, closeups as well as full views of your tree.  Graham, are you planning on doing this work?  Got insurance, great medical?  Grins...you are working with an arborist?  I am better than most at pruning but this is one big tree.  I would love to help save it, more pictures.  More orange 'cuts'...?  Where is your home going to be built in relation to this tree...heck on your site?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-01-16T11:42:27.987" LastActivityDate="2018-01-16T11:42:27.987" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36849" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36831" CreationDate="2018-01-16T04:52:57.667" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Allowing your birds to live hanging from a walnut tree is actually an excellent idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Walnuts are among the many favorite nuts of backyard birds. Some others include peanuts, acorns, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, pine nuts and even macadamias. Several sources agree that nut trees are specifically recommended as plants to attract birds into your yard, including for breeding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1478&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cornell Lab of Ornithology&lt;/a&gt; is one of the most respected bird study and conservation organizations in the world. Their article entitled &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx%3Fpid%3D1190&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Seven Important Plant Groups&lt;/a&gt; lists ways to adjust your landscaping to encourage the largest number and variety of birds throughout the seasons.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nuts are one of those important plant groups, and nut trees are specifically recommended for nesting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nut and Acorn Plants:&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;Oaks, hickories, buckeyes, chestnuts, butternuts, walnuts, beeches, and hazels provide food for titmice, jays, turkeys, Acorn and Red-headed woodpeckers, and other “mast-eaters,” and insects drawn to their spring flowers provide abundant food to fuel spring migration.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These trees also provide nesting habitat for many species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other sources recommend nut trees for food and also for shelter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consider planting nut-bearing trees or bushes in your yard for a natural, renewable food source, as well as doubling as good shelter birds can use even if the nuts aren’t mature. &lt;a href=&quot;http://sweet-seed.com/birding-101/what-types-of-nuts-are-best-for-wild-birds/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would certainly assume that bird houses are safe near any tree where nesting,  shelter and feeding are encouraged. If I were you, I'd go right ahead and put up the bird house!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2018-01-16T04:52:57.667" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36851" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36852" CreationDate="2018-01-16T17:05:58.427" Score="4" ViewCount="135" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a waxy-leafed succulent with purple tube-shaped flowers.  I bought this plant at a yardsale in Virginia eight years ago.  The sellers have since moved away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This propagated well by cuttings.  I did manage to keep them alive until last fall.  But they were never happy enough to flower again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone out there know the name of this curious plant?  Or where I may find another?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xg8Fl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xg8Fl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;purple flowering succulent&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20616" LastActivityDate="2018-01-16T18:35:56.980" Title="What is this purple flowering serrated-leaf succulent?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36852" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36851" CreationDate="2018-01-16T18:35:56.980" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me like Kalanchoe &quot;Wendy&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/66915/Kalanchoe-Wendy/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/66915/Kalanchoe-Wendy/Details&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19953" LastActivityDate="2018-01-16T18:35:56.980" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36853" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36854" CreationDate="2018-01-16T18:50:46.023" Score="6" ViewCount="116" Body="&lt;p&gt;This year I would like to get rid of weed around wire fence and I'm considering using herbicide. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As much as I can see all non-selective (glyphosate) herbicides available at local stores have no information about withholding period (after what period it would be safe to plant or consume fruit/vegetables). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it safe to use such herbicides and how long should I wait before planting?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17442" LastEditorUserId="17442" LastEditDate="2018-01-17T08:32:01.460" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T17:04:59.917" Title="Is it safe to use herbicide without clear withholding period?" Tags="&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36854" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36853" CreationDate="2018-01-16T20:02:11.493" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This Monsanto page &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.roundup.ca/en/faq&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;says&lt;/a&gt; that it depends on the strength of the product used.  For the product used on perennial weeds, wait 72 hours.  Glyphosate is a contact killer that is taken up by the leaves, and then taken down into the roots.  It's supposed to be safe anyway in that there are no mammalian metabolic pathways that can be affected by this chemical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/21/roundup-cancer-who-glyphosate-&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;WHO&lt;/a&gt; claims that glyphosate may be carcinogenic linking it to Non-Hodgkins lymphoma.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are lots of non-chemical ways of dealing with weeds that you might want to also consider.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-16T20:02:11.493" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36855" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36856" CreationDate="2018-01-16T20:46:00.677" Score="6" ViewCount="15253" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Aloe Vera Plant isn't doing to well.&#xA;I bought it approximately a month and a half ago in a very nice state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moved it directly to a new pot(unfortunately at the time without a drainage hole) with this &lt;a href=&quot;https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Organic-Purpose-Potting-Enriched-Nutrients/dp/B008JCW25W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1516135067&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;keywords=soil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;soil&lt;/a&gt; .&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Scotland (UK) so the temperate is around 10-20c degrees inside the house where I have the plant. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It started drooping a week or so ago, as seen in pictures. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1R57y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1R57y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kSer2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kSer2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aMTrp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aMTrp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rjSBf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rjSBf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Updated photos of leaves:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R80K3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R80K3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uNlm8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/uNlm8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20554" LastEditorUserId="20554" LastEditDate="2018-01-21T12:41:17.477" LastActivityDate="2018-05-13T18:38:52.240" Title="Aloe Vera Plant drooping" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36856" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36855" CreationDate="2018-01-16T21:59:35.520" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The aloe vera is a succulent which stores water in its leaves.  It does better with a freely draining potting mix such as a cactus potting mix, or regular mix amended with perlite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's drooping because the roots have now been compromised sitting in both the wrong mix and a pot lacking drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd suggest you remove it from the pot, remove any rotted roots, and repot it in the correct mix.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-16T21:59:35.520" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36857" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36786" CreationDate="2018-01-16T22:08:05.113" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;So, I had a similar issue with too many leaves and not enough compost-bin space for years.  I have since moved and have even less space, but using some helpful strategies in addition to the excellent advice given above you could probably use up more of your backlog of leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Build a special compost pile for all the extra leaves is mentioned above.  I always found the problem was it filled up too quickly and I still have four times as many leave as fit into it.  This was a problem until I took a 4ft piece of  4x4 and put a gate handle on one side and used it as a ram to smash leave into the pile.  This compressed the pile and I could get three to four time the number of leaves into the pile every year.  Plus I used the pile as a carbon source for my primary compost bins, so over a year, I used up more of the material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Actually, sift your compost and use it up by dressing your beds in the spring and the fall.  In the spring once the compost pile is thawed I sift it and age it in 55-gallon trash cans until dressing the beds once the perennials are coming up.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Run an additional compost pit under the vegetable and annual planting beds.  Basically just bury the problem, and it will go away.  I dig out 1 to 2 feet of a plant bed dump six inched or more of leaves into the hold along with sticks and logs, and fill it back in.  It will decompose in 18 months and supply nutrient to deep root for 4 or 5 years.  Trust me this will not cause any problems, fungus, worms and other critters will dispose of this fast.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Use the leaves for mulch on top of the compost you just laid down.  The way my grandmother used up leaf mulch was interesting and counter to the way we are told to do things now.  Under all mulch, bark or leaf, put 1/2&quot; to 1&quot; inch of compost minimum.  This will help the 3 to 4 inches of mulch above to decay over the next two years.  I volunteer in a professional garden and using this mulch and compost method works great.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Plant a green compost cover crop on a bed for the winter or spring and when you dig it in add 6 inches of leaf mold or leaves to help it rot.  You said you already shredded the leaves so digging in this much carbon with a green compost would work out great since the compost is heavy on nitrogen.  You might want to use a test bed until you figure out the method that works with your soil and cover crop.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Use your shredded leaves instead of peat moss, there is a trend in gardening to use local renewable resources as soil amendments, instead of peat moss.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hope this helps, remember to mimic things that happen in nature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2018-01-16T22:08:05.113" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36858" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36814" CreationDate="2018-01-17T00:09:54.487" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;As long as the plant isn't diseased, you don't ruin the soil, you don't uproot the plant (which could damage the other plants' roots), etc. the death of the plant should allow the other plants to grow larger and produce better (due to the increased space and nutrient availability)—unless the rotting dead roots harbor bad fungi or something.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've had multiple plants per pot many times, and the death of one has always allowed the others to get bigger. I've never had issues with it harming other plants, even with the roots of that one rotting (not to say it doesn't happen). I just had them in those containers pre-transplant (but I did let some grow for months that way—mostly tomatoes, but other things, too, including peppers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Peppers have sensitive roots—much more sensitive than tomatoes. You don't want to uproot the old one unless you don't mind waiting potentially a long time for the others to recover (snipping it off with scissors is a better idea, IMO and experience). Tomatoes can recover pretty fast, though (like in a few days). Peppers can take weeks or months to recover sometimes, depending, but they may not always take so long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T00:09:54.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36859" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36853" CreationDate="2018-01-17T03:26:21.100" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I was in pesticide...school, grins, there was an instructor who laughingly said you could drink this stuff.  ha ha.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The chemistry of glyphosate changes the second it is sprayed on another surface.  It does not leach.  It is systemic, not contact.  It is transported through the phloem from the leaves to the roots.  This is where the damage is done, glyphosate ruins the roots.  It takes 3 weeks for complete kill.  It takes 3 weeks to be able to plant seeds in that soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When used correctly, glyphosate worked well.  Too bad now we have to EAT this glyphosate in our food. Corn and other plants have been genetically programmed to be part glyphosate. They can spray glyphosate on crops without hurting the crops.  Just the weeds.  Now in my opinion that is like going after a couple of bad guys running around in New York City...with a nuclear bomb.  Killing everything including the two dumb criminals.  Guess it makes more money for the agricultural company.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But using roundup or glyphosate properly once every 5 years?  Can be labor saving and judicious.  But not be part of our food...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The MSDS sheets, that I had to read every single time I used glyphosate said 3 weeks for planting new plants or seed. If you buy gmo corn, you get to EAT it.  A bit different, huh?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T03:26:21.100" CommentCount="12" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36860" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36855" CreationDate="2018-01-17T04:40:04.590" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;What I see the main problem I believe, is your plant needs a bit of fertilizer.  Without these chemicals no plant is able to make food for itself and thrive much less survive.  Fertilizer does not nor should it come with soil. Just a tiny bit of balanced fertilizer, the one I always recommend even though I do not like the company, this is a great all purpose can't mess it up fertilizer.  Extended release Osmocote 14-14-14. Use only half the prescribed application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants have to have fertilizer added to their soil.  Everything we humans do is inherently artificial.  Crops, ornamentals, vegey gardens, indoor plants, terrariums are all artificial.  The plants rely on us for their needs.  Doesn't fall from the sky, compost is only for tilth in our of doors soil, adding banana peels, garlic or eggshells is nice but completely wrong.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potted plants need drainage, water when the plant needs it not before, good soil medium that enhances drainage and air, great light because plants make their own food using the sun as energy and we have to make sure there is just enough, not too much of the chemicals; CO2, N, P, K, Molybdenum, Manganese, Ca, Silica, Fe, S, and at least another dozen chemicals. Without these chemicals plants will not be able to make their own food.  They become susceptible to damaging insects and disease.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope THIS POT has drainage?  No?  Yes?  I would buy a cheapo clay pot shorter than wide is best. Lift bottom of pot off saucer or surface using pieces of tile, flat rock.  Water well and allow to completely dry out before watering again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For your baby I would use a 6&quot; diameter, 3&quot; high clay pot. Just potting soil.  Nothing else.  The potting soil should not have fertilizer or water holding gimmicks, gels, sponges added.  The cheapest is the best.  No rock at the bottom below the soil for 'drainage'...ugh. Worse thing you could do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Lift your pot and newly potted plant in potting soil after watering deeply.  Remember that weight.  When your plant needs water that pot and plant will feel very light.  Time to water again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As little water as this plant needs, I'd purchase distilled water to water....a gallon a month?  Don't use tap water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: Checked out the potting soil and it should be fine to use.  My only worry is that this is probably a huge percent of coco fiber and absorbs/holds water.  Should be fine for your aloe. Your potting soil said it came with nutrients.  That means chemicals, fertilizer.  I tried to find the ingredients and haven't been able to pull up.  Do not add any fertilizer until we can find what is already in that potting mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your aloe looks anemic.  Like it needs a bit of fertilizer. Otherwise your plant can not make its own food, do its own repairs, build roots to support itself during times of low light and there is no other way to 'feed' a plant. The plant has to be able to make its own food.  Yet, your soil said they added 'nutrients'...chemicals/fertilizer.  Which is not registering for me because you plant looks like it could use fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not add anything, especially fertilizer until we can tell what is in your soil already.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The next issue would be light intensity.  What window orientation does this plant have?  Drafts?  Does it get moved around a lot?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-01-17T05:02:29.823" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T05:02:29.823" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36861" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22733" CreationDate="2018-01-17T14:49:40.463" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think it needs a new pot. The soil could be an issue. I suspect that it probably got cold. They really don't like temps under 50F. If it's cold for a short period (a few hours) the leaves will droop then drop off. It will make new leaves in the spring. If it's cold for longer, the leaves will drop and the stem/caudex will get soft. Then it starts to collapse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does it feel soft when you test the stem/caudex? The body can be a little soft when it hasn't been watered for a while. Normally it's firm like an apple. If the soil is damp and the body is soft you should probably deal with the soil sooner than later. If you suspect sub-soil rot, take it out of the pot. It can stay out of the pot with filtered sun for several weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One other note, the plant does look etiolated which will make the drooping more pronounced. I grow my plants outdoor (except for the winter) and the node spacing is very short. The node spacing on your plant looks to be over an inch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this were my plant, I'd water it sparingly until spring, assuming it's not damp AND soft, monitor it to see if any other problems pop up. Repot it in the spring with more appropriate media and prune it. Give it a few weeks before watering then continue as before. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Other than cold, they are pretty robust. Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T14:49:40.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36862" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36800" CreationDate="2018-01-17T15:38:32.613" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You want to know how to grow herbs, peppermint herb, indoors at your desk.  Great, here is how you can do that.  Get yourself a desk lamp that will take a standard size bulb and buy a LED Daylight (~5400Kelvin) bulb, or a CFL Daylight (&gt;-6000K) bulb.  Get the biggest bulb the lamp wattage will allow.  A Daylight bulb will be the best, but a cool blue light in the 6000K range will work too.  As for disturbing you, put the lamp behind you and out of the direct line of sight of peoples line of sight. Also, avoid bounce light getting directly in your eyes since that causes eye strain too, you can always cover a surface with flat black paper or paint to reduce reflectively light. I assume you have a cubical wall to help block some of the light.  When choosing the light get one that is height adjustable and taller than what you want to grow, mints tend to grow tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for a dimmer switch that is counterproductive to your purpose, however, you could get a timer-switch and have it turn on when no one is in the office.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember to pinch/trim you mint religiously to make it thick and bushy, not tall and spindly.  It will respond to this attention in a good way.  That way it won't get out of control either.  Also if you are illuminating the mint from the side turn it 90 degrees every few days to distribute the growth around the plant evenly; better yet just turn it anyway the plant will be much fuller if you turn it regularly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The essential oil idea is good for home, but people will not appreciate strong synthetic smells in the office.  Although you could use oil on a piece of paper on your desk to accomplish the same thing one drop will go a long way.  There are many studies that say citrus and mint smell help productivity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T15:38:32.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36863" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36821" CreationDate="2018-01-17T15:49:33.140" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Gummosis is a treatable disease and just letting the tree suffer seems wrong.  You can treat the disease with things similar to girding.  Untreated gummosis leads to worse issues, pests, and diseases.  See this article that can help your understanding of gummosis:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/fegen/what-is-gummosis.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;What Is Gummosis: Tips On Gummosis Prevention And Treatment&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can always make the tree habitat later, but that has it's own problems since it could become a breeding ground for pests, fungus, and diseases that will infect other fruit trees in your neighborhood.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T15:49:33.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36864" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36778" CreationDate="2018-01-17T16:04:16.950" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree it could be 7 to 10 years old, I had one in a botanical garden that we cared for and was that size at 8-9 years.  It looks like a very happy shrub.  Here are some facts about the &lt;em&gt;Acacia pycnantha&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Habit:&lt;/strong&gt; evergreen shrub less than 2 m tall or shrub or small tree less than 5 m tall, can be multi-stemmed from or near ground level&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Longevity:  short-lived less than 15 years&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Growth rate:&lt;/strong&gt; fast&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Coppicing ability:&lt;/strong&gt; nil or negligible&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Root system:&lt;/strong&gt; shallow and spreading, fixes nitrogen via root symbiotic&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Erosion control potential:&lt;/strong&gt; excellent for clayey sites or excellent for sandy sites&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T16:04:16.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36865" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36867" CreationDate="2018-01-17T19:35:55.727" Score="0" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;What kind of trees are those two in the photo? (I really don't have any better photo.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J9S56.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J9S56.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-17T20:50:17.463" LastActivityDate="2018-01-31T19:11:07.200" Title="Are these trees by the river maples, or liquidambars, or...?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36866" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-17T19:57:19.417" Score="4" ViewCount="70" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fxk5F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hi, could someone please tell me what these are? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20620" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-17T20:09:48.047" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T20:09:48.047" Title="Berry identification help please" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36867" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36865" CreationDate="2018-01-17T19:59:53.753" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just by looking at branch organization, I would say they are liquidambars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Consider following branch organizations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cjaFB.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cjaFB.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are called &lt;em&gt;alternate&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;opposite&lt;/em&gt; organizations, respectively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of trees, only maples, ashes and dogwoods have opposite organization of branches. I don't see any traces of that in the pictured trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since leaves tell us they must be maples or liquidambars, they are liquidambars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An article from thespruce.com: 'Which Trees Have Opposite Branching?'&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/which-trees-have-opposite-branching-3269791&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.thespruce.com/which-trees-have-opposite-branching-3269791&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-31T19:11:07.200" LastActivityDate="2018-01-31T19:11:07.200" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36868" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36866" CreationDate="2018-01-17T20:09:22.010" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The plant is Aucuba japonica 'Serratifolia', or a very similar cultivar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take a look at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.artsnursery.com/catalog/aucuba/aucuba-serratifolia-6761&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this link&lt;/a&gt;, or elsewhere to double check.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T20:09:22.010" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36869" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35996" CreationDate="2018-01-17T21:06:36.420" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bark and habit are like those of &lt;em&gt;Chamaecyparis pisifera&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20621" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T21:06:36.420" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36870" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36873" CreationDate="2018-01-17T22:31:17.150" Score="4" ViewCount="1936" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am amending my yard with plants attractive for birds, and I noticed Prunus padus as one of such plants. However, on multiple sites I found info that it is poisonous for humans if the fruit is consumed and have sour taste, to such extent that it can cause death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, it is said that birds love its fruit. I am confused. If it can be poisonous for humans, it could very well be toxic for birds too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you enlighten me regarding this plant toxicity?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_padus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_padus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-17T23:21:05.497" LastActivityDate="2018-01-18T02:10:29.773" Title="Is Prunus padus really so toxic?" Tags="&lt;cherries&gt;&lt;poisons&gt;&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36871" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36870" CreationDate="2018-01-17T23:14:07.140" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant (Prunus padus) is definitely toxic to humans, well, the leaves and berries, because they contain hydrogen cyanide, a substance which is toxic to us; birds, however, are unaffected by the toxin simply because their physiology is different. In order for a substance to be toxic to a particular creature, it has to be capable of interacting with a substance in the creature; if that interaction is not there, then the berries are not toxic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More information here &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/faqs.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/faqs.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-01-17T23:14:07.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36872" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36870" CreationDate="2018-01-18T00:12:03.637" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;An interesting question which is perhaps better on biology.se than here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But here's my guess.  Prunus padus has actually been used in herbal medicine for centuries, and although it does contain cyanide, it is in quite small amounts.  The more cyanide it contains the fruit becomes more bitter making it unpalatable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The seed and leaves contain hydrogen cyanide, a poison that gives almonds their characteristic flavour. This toxin is readily detected by its bitter taste. Usually present in too small a quantity to do any harm, any very bitter seed or fruit should not be eaten. In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown to stimulate respiration and improve digestion, it is also claimed to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer. In excess, however, it can cause respiratory failure and even death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Prunus+padus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;PFAFsource&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now the toxin is only harmful to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.equineguelph.ca/pdf/facts/Prunus%20Poisoning%20June%2026_08.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;some mammals&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The toxic principles of the Prunus family are the&#xA;  cyanogenic glycosides prunasin, prulaurasin and amygdalin&#xA;  (2, 3). These cyanogenic glycosides are typically stored in the&#xA;  vacuole of the plant cell where they do not harm the&#xA;  normal metabolic processes of the plant. However, if the&#xA;  vacuole membrane is broken due to damage or stresses&#xA;  (e.g., chewing, crushing, wilting, freezing), certain enzymes&#xA;  in the plant cell and micro-organisms in the ruminal&#xA;  stomach hydrolyze the glycosides into hydrogen cyanide&#xA;  (HCN) (2,4). Horses and pigs are less susceptible to&#xA;  poisoning since they have acidic stomachs, which&#xA;  inactivate these enzymes, preventing hydrolysis of the&#xA;  glycosides (4). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And it may be that birds with a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.backyardnature.net/birdguts.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;stomach pH down to 0.2&lt;/a&gt; also inactivates the β‐glucosidases in the fruit which thus prevents the release of the hydrogen cyanide, and they also are unable to digest the seed which contains the main concentration of cyanide.  However, interestingly the &lt;a href=&quot;https://treesforlife.org.uk/forest/ecology/seed-dispersal/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;seeds need to pass through the digestive tracts of birds&lt;/a&gt; in order to break dormancy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-18T00:12:03.637" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36873" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36870" CreationDate="2018-01-18T02:10:29.773" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Since you're concerned about the potential toxicity of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.luontoportti.com/suomi/en/puut/bird-cherry&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;prunus padus&lt;/a&gt; to birds, I'll address that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fruit from the tree is not only safe for birds, but is actually a healthy part of their diet. It supplies them with needed vitamins and nutrients. Sources generally agree that, even though they're edible, the seeds are undigestible for birds. Therefore, they expel them, where they become a benefit to various types of mammals. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The fruit which is roughly the size of a pea, although edible, has a very bitter taste and contains a poisonous stone but birds such as the Robin, Redwing, Blackbird and Fieldfare, as the trees name suggests, love them, providing them with a valuable source of vitamin C and other minerals.  The seed is not digested by the birds and is therefore distributed far and wide through their droppings.  Apart from being an important food source for birds, many small mammals benefit from any of the fallen fruit. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.graftingardeners.co.uk/bird-cherry-tree-prunus-padus/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Like wild cherry, the spring flowers provide an early source of nectar and pollen for bees, while the cherries are eaten by birds including the blackbird and song thrush, as well as mammals such as the badger, wood mouse, yellow necked mouse and dormouse.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/native-trees/bird-cherry/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Birds are also an important part of helping the tree thrive in your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The insects such as beetles and bees that pollinate bird cherry benefit from the nutrients in the flowers' nectar, while at the same time providing the essential service of pollination to the tree. Despite their bitter taste, the fruits of bird cherry are eaten by birds, especially robins (Erithacus rubecula), starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and members of the thrush family (Turdus spp.), and are relished as some of the earliest fruit to be available in the summer. While the birds benefit from this food, the tree also gains, by having its seeds dispersed in the birds' droppings.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://treesforlife.org.uk/forest/species-profiles/bird-cherry/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You didn't mention whether or not you have livestock, either in your garden or nearby. If so, please don't plant these trees. They're highly toxic to farm animals, especially goats. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The foliage is eaten by caterpillars of many species of moth, including the orchard ermine, brimstone and short cloaked moth, however it is toxic to livestock, particularly goats.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/native-trees/bird-cherry/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastActivityDate="2018-01-18T02:10:29.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36875" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36255" CreationDate="2018-01-18T14:44:02.760" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'd like to add a few ideas while trying not to repeat plants already recommended:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Zone 4:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;•   &lt;strong&gt;herbs&lt;/strong&gt;: mint (various Mentha species), winter savory (Satureja montana), russian tarragon (Artemisia dracunculoides)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;•   &lt;strong&gt;shrubs&lt;/strong&gt;: sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), wild rose (Rosa canina)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Zone 5:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;•   &lt;strong&gt;herbs&lt;/strong&gt;: thyme (Thymus vulgaris), lovage (Levisticum officinale), salvia (Salvia officinalis and Salvia sclarea)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2018-01-18T14:44:02.760" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36876" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-18T16:52:51.637" Score="4" ViewCount="1837" Body="&lt;p&gt;I planted it a couple years ago thought it was an orange tree. Has an orange tree behind it to the right planted at the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QGSjY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QGSjY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Berry clusters[![tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rQmjn.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rQmjn.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20626" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2018-01-19T20:07:13.107" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T15:27:13.157" Title="What type of tree has these purple berries" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;berries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36877" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36880" CreationDate="2018-01-18T20:01:03.323" Score="2" ViewCount="94" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would like to know what is proper way of disposing weed treated with herbicides? Is it safe to use tree killed by herbicide as firewood?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17442" LastEditorUserId="17442" LastEditDate="2018-01-18T20:58:30.957" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T15:24:32.633" Title="What is proper way of disposing weed treated with herbicides?" Tags="&lt;weed-control&gt;&lt;herbicide&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36878" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36876" CreationDate="2018-01-18T22:31:26.320" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say you have a Privet, &lt;em&gt;Ligustrum&lt;/em&gt; sp. Most likely &lt;em&gt;Ligustrum lucidum&lt;/em&gt;, native to southern China but widely introduced where it has become an invasive species in some regions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iewf.org/weedid/Ligustrum_lucidum.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.iewf.org/weedid/Ligustrum_lucidum.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligustrum_lucidum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligustrum_lucidum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19553" LastActivityDate="2018-01-18T22:31:26.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36879" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36877" CreationDate="2018-01-19T00:51:38.337" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on the chemicals used.  Glyphosate killed weeds are more than safe in your compost.  Glyphosate chemistry changes so quickly you don't even have to worry about leaching.  That is what I was taught and there are many refuting articles that haven't convinced me yet.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The compost pile is the best and most responsible way to dispose of weed debris and trace pesticides. Once the process of decomposition takes place that compost has a chemistry entirely different than the original ingredients.  Dumping at dump sites only passes all your chemistry off in 'compost' people buy thinking it is organic and healthy.  If you don't want it in your compost for your plants and vegetables then we need to call in the hazmat teams, grins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If somehow you used chemistry that won't allow decomposition...I would dispose of it in the radioactive and industrial chemical place in our transfer station services.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Need to know what it is you used; Neem, a little glyphosate?  No problem at all.  Caseron?  Now we are talking problems.  Long half life, horribly leach-ate, very bad pre emergence herbicide.  This is why buying compost made from 'clean green' and landscape debris dumped by homeowners and landscape maintenance companies and then decomposed and resold is often so full of pesticide/herbicides that a petunia can't be grown.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I doubt you've used anything toxic to worry about.  Do list what you've used, please, Agent Orange, DDT??  Rotenone?  List everything included soaps.  Do you still have the little info book that comes with the products?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-19T00:51:38.337" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36880" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36877" CreationDate="2018-01-19T01:33:34.903" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Anything you used in your garden you can now purchase is now safe to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/1011&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;burn&lt;/a&gt;.  I wouldn't compost it ... that's the threat that inadequate commercial composting operations bring to your garden, the introduction of &lt;a href=&quot;https://compostingcouncil.org/persistent-herbicide-faq/#2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;herbicide&lt;/a&gt; contamination that then gets applied to your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-19T01:33:34.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36881" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-19T01:44:32.970" Score="4" ViewCount="263" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eyrSb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eyrSb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Alright so, i&quot;m starting a large project and i have two current plans, i&quot;m not very sure which to go with.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm extremely new to gardening&#xA;I'm in coastal north carolina, lots of rain.&#xA;For my eagle scout project, I'm planning on converting a large 15x5x3 feet&#xA;Brick fountain into a flower/vegetable garden in my local retirement home. There's no drainage holes except for a large concrete overflow pipe that sits about a foot off of the bottom.The bottom of the fountain is solid concrete. After a heavy rain, water seems to puddle up to about 6 inches off of the bottom of the fountain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plan one: Fill the first 6 inches of the fountain with Large rocks, then fill the rest with a few truckloads of compost/soil mixture. my idea is that since the water already puddles that high, it'll keep the soil from becoming oversaturated. (I'm talking big jagged 6 inch in diameter rocks) Instead of the water staying saturated in the soil, it'll fall through and make a pseudo-water-table in the bottom. However, someone on reddit commented there would be issues with the &quot;perched water table&quot; being too high, and the rocks not helping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plan two: Just fill the whole thing with the compost/soil mixture. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any thoughts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(edit) I'm planting things in the outer, bottom section. the middle is to be filled with smooth stones and a neat statue that's being provided by the establishment. :P &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A sub irrigated planter sounds awesome! but i'm not sure how i'd go about getting a layer of air down there, i guess maybe putting a layer of mesh over the rocks could possibly work, but i'm not sure how to go about that without ripping the mesh, that's about 2 feet of dirt that'd be piled on top of it. also when it comes to the other plan of just drilling a drainage hole in the bottom, the inside of the fountain sits about 3 inches lower than the outside, so i'd have issues with puddling. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Idea 3? Fill it with dirt and place pots on top. &#xA;any input is appreciated, i've never grown more than a cactus before&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20627" LastEditorUserId="20627" LastEditDate="2018-01-20T04:33:13.000" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T04:33:13.000" Title="Should i use rocks in a (VERY) large container for gardening? (no drainage)" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;water&gt;&lt;rocks&gt;&lt;outdoor&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36882" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36881" CreationDate="2018-01-19T02:31:15.770" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HVGrJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HVGrJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;water feature&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YG7Ws.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YG7Ws.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;water feature with supporting drainage[![][2]&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YbL6f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;3&lt;/a&gt;No.  Large rocks at the bottom, gravels, sand...none of that will help drainage in fact it will make it worse.  Water has to move OUT of the system to keep pulling the water down and out or else it stays and you get anaerobic conditions.  Even planting lily pads won't work with out movement of water, oxygenating the water.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am impressed you knew about perched water tables!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have to get a drill and make drainage holes, possibly attached to drain pipes to take the water away and down.  Ideally these holes would be on the bottom of this major raised bed. Looks like drilling inch or 2 inch diameter holes at the very very bottom of the sides will have to work.  Is the bottom of this planter completely level?  Does it slope at all?  Drill the holes on the side that is lowest at the very bottom without leaving even an inch for water to build up.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Imagine the rain you get, not talking about watering the the plants' roots right now.  That rain will not evaporate.  It will accumulate and make an anaerobic stinky situation.  You have to some how allow any water at all to move down and out and continue down if you are using drain pipe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut the top of the drain down to be the same level as the level of the bottom of that pot, raised bed.  You do not want any water able to stand beneath the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After you address that drainage then the only soil you should put in that container is sterilized potting soil with no waterholding gimmicks like sponges or gells and no fertilizer added!  Do not add compost, sand, rocks, nothing.  Fill all the way up leaving only a few inches from the rim.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am so impressed you were even on top of perched water tables! You are the first to question that about soil physics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Only sterilized potting soil.  How deep is this 'pot'?  I am sure you should be able to drill holes at the very bottom on the sides.  Drainage is absolutely critical or all your work, materials, soil and plants will be wasted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This should definitely make an incredible planter or pot.  It has to be treated like a pot in every criteria.  Holes made at the very bottom the lower part of the circle square sitting even with the level of the bottom.  Draw a cross section and send that?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are your plans for the 'tray' around this pot?  Interesting...or is this tray the part you are wanting to plant...?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The last picture has a pond water feature but if you look at the lower left hand part of that picture are raised planters.  The drainage is how I described it.  The holes for drainage are extended with drain pipe, out of site and into the street drainage system, not the foundation of the home and not into that pond.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-01-19T03:01:35.883" LastActivityDate="2018-01-19T03:01:35.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36884" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36881" CreationDate="2018-01-19T03:27:23.150" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks an ideal setup to make a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub-irrigated_planter&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;sub irrigated planter&lt;/a&gt;.  You can look on youtube for many videos on how to construct these but you've got most of the construction already completed for you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, in brief, your plan looks good.  But to avoid the perched water table sitting above the rocks, make sure that there are gaps to allow some of the soil/potting mix to form a continuous column to reach down to the base.  That way any water from the top will go to the bottom and not perch.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With sub irrigated planters you water from the bottom so you're going to need a pipe that allows you to water the container below, and you need a way to cap it off to prevent mosquitoes breeding there.  Some people have floats in the irrigation pipe so that they know how much water is in the reservoir.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since the overflow is at one foot, and the rain never exceeds 6 inches, I'd just cover the overflow with a wire mesh and some gravel/drainage metal in case it does accidentally get flooded and will then function to drain off excess water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-19T03:27:23.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36885" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-19T10:15:49.587" Score="3" ViewCount="243" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine received this plant 4-5 years ago from someone who didn't know the name of the species. This friend wants to collect gel from Aloe vera, but so far only a few teaspoons were provided by the plant (about one teaspoon from every two leaves). She has searched online for details about species of Aloe and &quot;the best one for treatment&quot; (whatever that means) is an Aloe vera that produces yellow flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, her plant hasn't bloomed until now, so she doesn't know for sure if she should wait for this one or buy a new plant that is labeled Aloe vera. As a side note, I have seen many plants with wrong labels, so buying a new one is not a sure hit in my opinion, hence the question in the title.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nXDwg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nXDwg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2018-01-19T16:43:21.483" LastActivityDate="2019-05-17T19:03:30.190" Title="Is this plant Aloe vera?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;aloe&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36886" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-19T15:17:25.953" Score="2" ViewCount="233" Body="&lt;p&gt;Recently my banana tree is acting strange. Can somebody please help me to tell me what i do wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y4q0l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;![enter image description here&quot;&gt;]&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/y4q0l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x323M.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x323M.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7YkhJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7YkhJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2N0zj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2N0zj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O25IR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O25IR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20630" LastEditorUserId="20630" LastEditDate="2018-01-20T17:33:33.143" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T20:48:18.730" Title="What's wrong with my banana tree?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36887" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-19T15:56:40.697" Score="1" ViewCount="40" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm searching for some 2-4ft long 1-2ft wide heat mats to start plant seeds and cuttings on. In shopping around on Amazon I see that most (or all so far) heat mats have polarized &lt;strong&gt;2-prong&lt;/strong&gt; plugs. Shouldn't an electrical device designed to generate heat and be near water have a third, &lt;strong&gt;grounding&lt;/strong&gt; prong? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Oddly enough most (also all so far) thermostats I've found specifically designed for plant heating mats have 3-prong outlets built onto them for mats to plug into, and the thermostat devices themselves have 3-prong plugs to go into a 3-prong (ideally GFCI) outlet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Does anyone know the reason for this, or have any tips on where to find grounded heat mats for plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastActivityDate="2018-01-19T15:56:40.697" Title="Is it normal that heat mats for plants do *not* have 3-prong, grounded plugs?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;optimal-conditions&gt;&lt;electric&gt;&lt;heat&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="9" ClosedDate="2018-01-20T03:11:59.937" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36888" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-19T15:59:41.540" Score="6" ViewCount="14510" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone tell me what's wrong with my plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nlj2u.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nlj2u.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;div class=&quot;s-table-container&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;table class=&quot;s-table&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;thead&gt;&#xA;&lt;tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;th&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&#xA;&lt;th&gt;---------&lt;/th&gt;&#xA;&lt;/tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;/thead&gt;&#xA;&lt;tbody&gt;&#xA;&lt;tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KuH7q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KuH7q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&#xA;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/neQFC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/neQFC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&#xA;&lt;/tr&gt;&#xA;&lt;/tbody&gt;&#xA;&lt;/table&gt;&#xA;&lt;/div&gt;" OwnerUserId="20630" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-23T10:01:08.947" LastActivityDate="2021-02-23T10:01:08.947" Title="What's wrong with my Monstera deliciosa?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;monstera&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="36889" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36885" CreationDate="2018-01-19T16:05:32.367" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That looks like aloe but there are different varieties. This one is taller and has narrower leafs than ones I've collected gel from before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: a cacti expert friend of mine suggested this is an etiolated Aloe cameroni, and that it would do better with gradual introduction to more sunlight. Looking at that plant and this one, I'm uncertain due to the central stem in the photo you posted, but I generally trust this expert's cactus IDs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How did you try to collect gel that resulted in only a few drops?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you prune a leaf and slice down its side, then peel back its skin, is there a clearish gel in there? That's how I collect the gel: taking an entire limb off the plant, opening it up, then cutting out chunks of the gel in sections to use as food or medicine now or later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Related, a post noting that not all varieties are necessarily edible: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/24547/is-the-gel-of-all-aloe-vera-plants-suitable-for-consumption&quot;&gt;Is the gel of all Aloe Vera plants suitable for consumption?&lt;/a&gt; It cites a NIH science article which, in its &quot;Botany of aloe vera&quot; section, notes &quot;Most aloe vera plants are non toxic but a few are extremely poisonous containing a hemlock like substance (Atherton 1998).&quot; I'm not able to check if aloe cameroni is toxic or not, but it is indeed &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; one of the commonly eaten aloe houseplants. Better safe than sorry!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastEditorUserId="13670" LastEditDate="2018-01-19T18:24:22.543" LastActivityDate="2018-01-19T18:24:22.543" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36890" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36885" CreationDate="2018-01-19T18:13:28.053" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is definitely not Aloe barbadensis which is what is commonly known as Aloe vera. It is much more meaty than the pictured plant and makes lots of juice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2018-01-19T18:13:28.053" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36892" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-20T01:12:09.177" Score="3" ViewCount="87" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a raised bed that I use to plant vegetables. Over the winter, I have planted fava beans as cover crop to get some nitrogen in the soil.  What should I do with the fava plants before I plant the vegetables?  Should I cut the top and leave the roots in the soil so they can provide nitrogen or should I uproot the entire plant?  What should I do with the part I take out (whether that be the top only or complete plant)?  Do I put it in the compost bin or mix the top with the soil in my raised bed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T21:39:53.883" Title="What do I do with cover crops before planting vegetables in a raised bed?" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;&lt;nitrogen&gt;&lt;cover-crop&gt;&lt;fava-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36893" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36892" CreationDate="2018-01-20T01:33:17.297" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just chop the vegetation up with your shovel and turn it all over in the soil.  Allow lots of air, let it be chunky.  Add a bit of nitrogen and let it be for a good month or two. Water every now and then to keep some moisture in the soil. I also clean out my trenches and throw soil on the top of the beds, I don't have lumber or concrete siding my raised beds.  I will also dump decomposed organic matter on top.  Let it go to town all by itself.  Plant your early stuff somewhere else?  Did you plant cover crop on everything?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Way cool.  JStorage.  All of that vegetation that has not been allowed to go to seed has been out competing weeds for the winter and now will add to the tilth of your soil.  This is better than discovering row cloth!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where is it you live again?  Must be nice...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T01:33:17.297" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36894" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36876" CreationDate="2018-01-20T02:21:19.180" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this is Ligustrum sinense, Chinese Privet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=images&amp;amp;cd=&amp;amp;cad=rja&amp;amp;uact=8&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjv39WcveXYAhUB8GMKHWScBlIQjRwIBw&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fgobotany.newenglandwild.org%2Fspecies%2Fligustrum%2Fsinense%2F&amp;amp;psig=AOvVaw2RBqgHxhqDi-muq0d96beA&amp;amp;ust=1516501134092737&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ligustrum sinense&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T02:21:19.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36895" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36888" CreationDate="2018-01-20T02:56:39.673" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My initial reaction is too much water, too little light.  That pot can not possibly have a drainage hole if you feel comfortable enough to set it on this furniture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without drainage, a hole, no rocks at the bottom of the soil making a perched water table, water will not be 'pulled' out of the soil being replaced with air.  Allowed to 'dry' out enough to not be promoting fungus and anaerobic conditions.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This will compromise the roots.  Rotting them, not allowing proper up take of water and chemistry necessary to be distributed to the plant's photosynthesizing factories.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would purchase plain old potting soil and a basic 10&quot; clay pot with drainage hole and saucer (find pieces of tile or buy cute pot feet).  Turn that plant on its side, pull it out of the pot, gently shake off as much wet stinky soil as possible without damaging the few roots still healthy. Cover your plant and roots with newspaper while doing this.   Fill pot 1/3 or what ever is necessary to ensure the top of the root ball is within 1 1/2 &quot; of the rim of the pot.  That first 1/3 of soil is just potting soil installed right over the drain hole (use a thin piece of panty hose over the hole if you are worried about soil falling out as it will at first, later you can drag that panty hose out), FIRM that 1/3 bit of soil, then spreading the roots a bit, place this plant on top.  The crown of the roots that should be covered with soil, should be 1 1/2 inch below the rim of your pot.  An inch is great.  Any less rim will make watering tough to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Firm gently to remove large air pockets, moisten lightly.  Cut off all leaves that are brown, yellow, damaged as close to the main stem as possible.  No stubs.  Keep your indoor plants in one spot as much as possible.  It is stressful for indoor plants to be moved to different spots that differ in light and temperatures, drafts are a big deal.  So are forced air vents.  Only water when your plant and pot when you lift are light.  Get used to the weight of your pot and plant when watered and you'll be able to tell easily when to water again and not sooner.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not add anything else to the sterilized potting soil.  Oh, except a little fertilizer such as Osmocote 14-14-14 extended release. I use the recommended amount but only do half the applications.  I think they say add every 3 months.  I only add more at 6 months.  This is the fertilizer I always recommend because it is hard to make mistakes.  Make sure you have no added fertilizer (by the company) in your potting soil.  No compost.  Nada.  I also use distilled water I buy at the store, unless I have my own well water.  Tap water is horrible stuff.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you pull your plant out of its pot check the roots.  Pull or cut off any brown or slimy parts.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please ask more questions or add more information so this information is correct.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T02:56:39.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36896" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36892" CreationDate="2018-01-20T03:17:27.713" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;To use this as a green mulch which adds nitrogen to the soil, wait until they're about to flower, and then mow them down and let dry.  Then dig into the soil.  That ensures that all the nitrogen that the plant has produced is returned to the soil.  You then wait 2-3 weeks before planting your vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you let them flower, and form beans, then all the nitrogen formed is consumed by the plant.  Even if you cut the plants at the soil level and let the roots decompose in situ, you gain little as compared with digging the whole plant in as above.  In the latter case where you have harvested the beans, remove the black stalks and use as a carbon source for your compost bins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.csun.edu/~hcbio027/biotechnology/lec10/lindemann.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-01-20T21:39:53.883" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T21:39:53.883" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36897" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-20T03:50:39.153" Score="4" ViewCount="75" Body="&lt;p&gt;If thou art be courageous, please help this villager identify these mystery seeds. The peddler(got it online) sayeth they be sakura seeds, but methinks it might not be the case.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ef8kg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ef8kg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;seeds to be identified&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See those black pointy ones? That's the one in question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonus Quest!: Do the other seeds look like Japanese Red Maple and Green Maple?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20633" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-01-20T05:33:48.203" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T14:30:46.323" Title="Please Help Me Identify Mystery Seed" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;maple&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36898" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="14184" CreationDate="2018-01-20T05:08:33.887" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a little bit of experience with this now. So, I thought I'd post my results, so far. I haven't had much to work with besides Hulda Clark zappers, though (and they're not what other people have used; Hulda Clark zappers use specific frequencies with square waves and a positive offset; they usually are powered by 9v batteries; they're what I have; so, they're what I used; I imagine the results would be different with other forms of electricity).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My general, limited experience for live plants (and garlic bulbs) is that zapping them with a Hulda Clark zapper seems to stunt them for a good while, if anything. It doesn't seem to help cuttings root in water (although it does help the water stay looking good longer if you zap the water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, zapping seeds (in water) does not seem to have any ill effects, and in my experience, it seems to help clear the seeds of pathogens (e.g. anthracnose and alternaria). I've even experimented with seeds of infected fruits (I had Porter tomato fruit with anthracnose, and I grew it out after zapping and saw no anthracnose on the resulting fruit; I've done similar things with watermelon, but the plants seem to get foliar anthracnose, combined with spider mites, in my yard whether the seeds are infected or not; however, the zapped watermelon seeds whose parents have had it before have seemed at least a little more resilient than the others, with the exception of Red-seeded Citron, which was resilient from the start). I've been zapping seeds instead of fermenting them for a while now, and it seems to work, so far (that's my experience, anyway; this isn't exactly a full-on scientific study). I haven't noticed much, if any, effect on &lt;em&gt;growth and production&lt;/em&gt; when I zap the seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On a related note, I have found that exposing watermelon seeds to magnets seems to help them sprout a lot faster in colder temperatures (and there is at least &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18512697&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;one official study&lt;/a&gt; that speaks of improvements with exposing chickpea seeds to magnets—and while that's not electricity, it's not too far off). I did not notice faster germination in anything besides watermelon and muskmelons, however (muskmelons benefited slightly less than watermelons). I saw no difference in tomatoes, peppers, etc. I'm thinking the seed size, or iron content, may be important.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think some of the benefit that comes from zapping seeds isn't directly from the electricity, however. I think the copper particles that get in the water from the copper electrodes (and hence probably in the seeds) may have an antimicrobial influence. I typically zap my seeds with a Z4EX for 15 minutes per each of three frequencies: 15hz, 2.5khz, and 30khz (usually in that order).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Zapping seeds also helps to dissolve plant matter that may be stuck to the seeds (but it's best to remove it beforehand).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Zapping seeds has not hurt germination for me. The seeds germinate quite well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for garlic bulbils, which aren't seeds, I think it's best to wait until they start growing some greens &lt;em&gt;before&lt;/em&gt; planting them, if I zap them (like two or three months after zapping). I suspect the same would be true for seed potatoes (wait until they grow eyes). I can't say whether this removes diseases from such as garlic and potatoes, though. (I don't guarantee anything for seeds, either, but I suspect it works, at least for some diseases, with the procedure I mentioned—which honestly might be overkill.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In summary, in my experience, it does seem that electricity (and definitely electromagnetic waves) can have some kind of influence on plants, both for good and ill. There do seem to be some practical uses for it for home gardeners, although my evidence for electricity is personal/anecdotal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-01-20T06:10:05.403" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T06:10:05.403" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36899" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-20T06:42:04.703" Score="3" ViewCount="109" Body="&lt;p&gt;I caught this bug burrowing into the trunk of my rhododendron, and I persuaded it to exit its home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/bw7khxM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter link description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a close up of said worm.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i2y18.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/i2y18.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close up of worm&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't imagine it being other than damaging to my tree. Anyone know what it is?  The location is Wellington, New Zealand.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: the bark had been damaged by my plastic rubbish bin rubbing against it and I believe this is why some beetle laid its egg here. I removed the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frass&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;frass&lt;/a&gt; before taking the picture, and I admit I did use a Philips screwdriver to encourage the woodworm to leave its new home in my tree.  The hole is about 4 mm (.15 in) in diameter so I think it's too big for a rhododendron borer which I'm not even sure we have in NZ.  The holes of the two tooth borer are said to be oval but this one seems quite round.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-29T21:49:05.973" LastActivityDate="2018-01-29T21:49:05.973" Title="What is this small insect with a rounded brown head burrowing into my rhododendron?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;insects&gt;&lt;rhododendrons&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36900" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36933" CreationDate="2018-01-20T09:22:43.313" Score="4" ViewCount="428" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm quite sure this recently acquired beauty is a Dieffenbachia, but I can't seem to figure out what kind. Also, I really can't find any list of all kinds with photos or other good identification details included, online. Is there some web-resource on plant/Dieffenbachia identification that I am missing?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LevAf.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LevAf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20631" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T22:30:12.007" Title="What kind of Dieffenbachia is this?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;botany&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36901" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36886" CreationDate="2018-01-20T13:04:57.637" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;My suggestion for the reason would be nothing more complicated than a pot too small, poor soil and irregular watering. You might like to read up on a feature of the Bahamas called &quot;banana holes&quot; which tend to emphasize that banana plants appreciate room to spread their roots and good rich soil that along with the ability of the hole to catch water then retains water when the open planted species dry out too fast. Then as herbaceous perennials they just look after themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The growing tip looks good, so it is worth re-potting to a suitably larger size, giving it rich soil and keeping it moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is that some kind of a heater behind it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T13:04:57.637" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36902" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36380" CreationDate="2018-01-20T13:40:29.613" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I must say that while this plant has a leaf like Sambucus the bark does not look right. It should be brown and corky with light speckles on old wood, bright green on new wood with longitudinal ridges, not smooth dull green as in picture. A distinctive characteristic of Sambucus is the hollow stems. Cut a piece off and examine inside the stem for a hollow space except at the nodes where it tends to fill in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The yellow resembles magnesium deficiency. Epsom salts applied as a foliar spray in a test area, if it produces a quick response, might be a test for this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T13:40:29.613" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36903" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-20T13:45:44.110" Score="3" ViewCount="327" Body="&lt;p&gt;I saw this plant today in the shop. It wasn’t labeled. What is it?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OpAN3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OpAN3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9666" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-01-20T21:32:52.600" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T21:35:13.463" Title="What is this succulent with cylindrical leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;indoors&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36904" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34220" CreationDate="2018-01-20T13:52:28.007" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like it started out (picture 4 from the top) as a borer attack. Evidently the borer egg was laid inside the stem, the grub burrowed down, developed into an adult and flew off, but the plant continued growing so healthily that it survived the visit. The borer would have been interested in the pith leaving the stem largely intact so the impact was minimal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Borer attacks very often, in weaker plants, result in the plant breaking over at the point of entry, but clearly the care given this specimen prevented that. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T13:52:28.007" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36905" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36897" CreationDate="2018-01-20T14:30:46.323" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like black oil sunflower seeds. It is difficult to judge size given the reference points available, sunflower would be roughly 1 cm. long and good thick solid seeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Maple seeds usually have single wings. Those in the pic do not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T14:30:46.323" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36906" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36903" CreationDate="2018-01-20T15:04:37.157" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a Barberton Groundsel, &lt;a href=&quot;https://worldofsucculents.com/senecio-barbertonicus-succulent-bush-senecio-barberton-groundsel/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Senecio barbertonicus&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14475" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-01-20T21:35:13.463" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T21:35:13.463" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36907" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36900" CreationDate="2018-01-20T15:58:04.747" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is called a Chinese evergreen also known as an Aglaonema&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20636" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T15:58:04.747" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36910" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36899" CreationDate="2018-01-20T17:58:03.633" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A borer, don't know the specific one. Almost any plant can be attacked . They are difficult to kill with poison ( Lindane). It is usually more practical to kill them with something like a wire; normally only one or a few.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2018-01-20T17:58:03.633" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36911" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36900" CreationDate="2018-01-20T18:51:46.150" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is not a Dieffenbachia but an &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglaonema&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aglaonema&lt;/a&gt;.  Likely this is the very common cultivar &quot;Silver Queen&quot; described &lt;a href=&quot;https://academic.oup.com/aob/article/93/2/157/286556&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; as &quot;a hybrid selected from a cross between A. commutatum Schott ‘Treubii’ and A. nitidu&quot;. It could also be a cultivar called &quot;Silver Bay&quot;. It has been grown under low light and not cut back for many years. This why you have the long stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plants are reasonably trouble free and bud easily from old stalks. To make this plant look a little bushier I would cut it back hard.  Cut off all the stems at four to six inches from the soil. Take the cuttings and trim back the stalks while retaining the leaves.  Ensure each cutting has four to six inches of stem and root them in water.  Provide more light for the plant and cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The stems in the pot should bud out within a month and the cuttings in water should root in about the same time.  When the cuttings have a good root system you can start a new plant or put them back in the old one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Likely this plant could do with a repotting.  Remove the root ball from pot and cut two to three inches off the bottom of the plant.  Add fresh soil less plant mix to the bottom of the pot and put the plant and root ball back in the same pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You will have a pretty funny looking plant for a while but it will look much better with more leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2018-01-22T01:31:25.077" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T01:31:25.077" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36912" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36925" CreationDate="2018-01-20T19:05:00.767" Score="2" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got two young liquidambars, both planted in last two months, both 70-90 cm high, but from different nurseries. One of them is basically just one erect branch with leaves, and another has a main branch and 5-6 erect branches branching very low.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any imediate need to prune the second one? Generally, should I leave these liquidambars alone (not prune at all during their lifetime), or they need some pruning?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both nurseries referred them as just &quot;liquidambars&quot;, no cultivar is indicated at all. They are fairly rare in my area, and I was happy to find and buy them, even though there was not much info on what the exact species they are actually&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-20T19:10:13.850" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T11:13:29.217" Title="How to approach liquidambar with respect to pruning?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36913" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23164" CreationDate="2018-01-21T12:08:42.953" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here are some species that I grow in non-drainage containers, and although they don't bloom this time of the year you can see they are healthy:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plectranthus verticillatus&lt;/strong&gt; - I wait until the soil becomes dry at the surface and then wait one more day before watering because soil in the lower part of the pot is constantly moist. Although the pot has drainage holes, I have put in a plastic bag so that it doesn't leak, then placed it in a hanging container.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SIoZR.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SIoZR.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plectranthus verticillatus exterior pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IAG3f.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IAG3f.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Plectranthus verticillatus interior pot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hoya carnosa&lt;/strong&gt; - I took a leaf from a plant and rooted it in a transparent plastic cup with no drainage holes. After the roots started to circle the plastic cup I moved it to a glass container. It grew in this glass jar for the last two years. Having it in a glass container allows me to see if the soil is dry or moist. In theory I keep the soil dry for a few days until watering again. In practice, I always forget about it for a couple of weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TpFBO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TpFBO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Hoya carnosa&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Saintpaulia&lt;/strong&gt; - I have a variety with white flowers and I keep it in no drainage plastic casseroles from propagation to maturity. I water it after the soil has been dry for a few days, but usually a bit sooner then Hoya.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oehVq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oehVq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Saintpaulia&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2018-01-21T12:08:42.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36914" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5977" CreationDate="2018-01-21T18:17:17.623" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have multiple 28w LED &quot;grow&quot; lights.  They work wonderfully well to keep leafy-green and succulent house plants robust in -very- low light situations.  Plants used to die in the same locations.  However, the purplish color is somewhat annoying.  I would much prefer to use a 'normal,' 'cool-white' 60w-equivalent LED.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20641" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2018-01-21T18:58:49.673" LastActivityDate="2018-01-21T18:58:49.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36915" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36916" CreationDate="2018-01-21T18:53:05.450" Score="5" ViewCount="3458" Body="&lt;p&gt;From what I've read, when you grow oyster mushrooms you can either sterilize or pasteurize the substrate, and pasteurization is supposed to be better because it preserves micro organisms that help reduce contaminants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recommendations for pasteurization seem to require heating for a long time, why is this - don't things die quickly in heat ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I didn't have a thermometer to get the proper temperature so I decided to sterilize instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I experimented with microwaving my substrate in a jar to sterilize it, which people I've read on forums say isn't a good way to sterilize.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I microwave substrate until it's sizzling, which I did, what is going to survive ? &#xA;Why isn't this a sure fire way to sterilize anything ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20476" LastActivityDate="2021-05-08T15:57:44.520" Title="Sterilise or pasteurise oyster mushroom substrate, why not microwave?" Tags="&lt;fungus&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36916" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36915" CreationDate="2018-01-21T19:54:35.137" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The reason that pasteurization is used when growing oyster mushrooms is that the media (usually straw) doesn't support contamination as easily as grain media since it's not as rich in nutrients.  This means it's also much forgiving in terms of sterile technique when innoculating the media.  Grain media readily contaminates in the home so needs to be sterilized.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason you have to keep the media heated for such a long time to pasteurize is that the media is usually quite bulky and you need to be sure that the heat is penetetrating the entire bag of media.  You can see that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milkfacts.info/Milk%20Processing/Heat%20Treatments%20and%20Pasteurization.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;pasteurizing milk&lt;/a&gt; takes 30 mins with shorter times depending on technique.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A microwave can't reach temperatures much higher than 100 deg C (because it's agitating water molecules) and therefore can not sterilize. If those water molecules are not contained, they turn into steam and leave the substance.  If contained, such as in an egg, they tend to explode!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The substance to be heated also needs water content and fungal spores have a low water content making them hard to heat with microwaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A pressure cooker is thus pressurized to 15 psi to reach a sterilizing temperature of 121 deg C, and the 90 mins duration for jars is to make sure that that temperature reaches evenly throughout the jars.  Bags of substrate such as wood chips have to be heated for more than 2 hours.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that straw can be pasteurized without heat using &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4323299/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;hydrated lime or other alkali techniques&lt;/a&gt;, and it's possible that a microwave could be used if you did fractional microwaving where you heated, cooled and allowed the spores to germinate once they had become hydrated, and then heated again in a number of cycles.  But this sounds very painful.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-01-21T20:18:28.647" LastActivityDate="2018-01-21T20:18:28.647" CommentCount="17" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36917" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-21T20:04:07.143" Score="3" ViewCount="8278" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just brought home a Dracaena fragrans a couple of weeks ago, and it is in dire straits. Hoping someone here will have some ideas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem(s):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leaves turning brown from the &lt;strong&gt;base&lt;/strong&gt; of the leaf (not the tip).  Brown leaves easily pull off with just a tug. This seems to be happening to leaves near the top of the stalk.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;White fuzzy substance just visible at the tip of the stalk, near the small new leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yellowing leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Small holes in some leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4750/39790020732_aa3bccd19d_z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dracaena fragrans 1&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4669/25949115258_dbffe6e1db_z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dracaena fragrans 2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4666/39790020602_883c578105_z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dracaena fragrans 3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have considered lots of theories but am not sure what to think. Some things I've considered/tried:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Too much sunlight?&lt;/strong&gt; I originally placed the plant right next to a southwest-facing window. We are pretty far north (New Brunswick, Canada), and during the winter I figured a jungle plant would prefer all the sunlight it could get. I've subsequently read that the dracaena fragrans developed in shaded conditions; maybe it was too much light? I have moved it away from the window.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Too cold?&lt;/strong&gt; There is a heater right under that window, so I thought the plant would stay nice and warm. But my husband says the top leaves look almost like frost damage to him. Maybe the chill from the window damaged the top leaves?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Over/underwatering?&lt;/strong&gt; I've read all the warnings about overwatering, and made sure to test before watering by feeling the dirt with my finger at least 1-2&quot; below the top. It often felt wetter than I expected, and as a result I've watered less than I would have otherwise (about 1 liter every 2 weeks). Maybe this is still too much? The pot does have a drainage hole.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fluoride in the water?&lt;/strong&gt; We have well water and I don't know what the fluoride concentration might be. I have ordered a test kit; in the mean time, will leave water out for at least 24 hours to let fluoride/chlorine evaporate before watering, though I've read conflicting reports as to whether this actually works.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Too dry air?&lt;/strong&gt; We have a Venmar air exchanger that controls the humidity in the house, and in the winter it does get pretty dry. Maybe a tropical plant needs more humidity? Though I've read that humid conditions can also contribute to fungal infections, which leads to my next point...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fungus or pests?&lt;/strong&gt; There is a white, fuzzy substance of some kind visible in the crook of the top of the stalk, by the newest leaves. Google has suggested mealybugs, spider mites, and powdery mildew. I haven't been able to find any bugs anywhere on the plant, but the fuzzy substance doesn't look quite like the photos I've seen online of powdery mildew, which seems to be spread in a thin, even layer over the entire surface of leaves. This is concentrated in one spot and is maybe 1/2&quot; deep.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, maybe multiple problems going on at the same time. I'm frankly just kind of amazed and dismayed that this nice-looking plant has gone downhill so fast. I have other houseplants that seem happy enough in the same room (a fuschia and an ivy plant). Any ideas? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20643" LastActivityDate="2018-01-21T22:29:21.633" Title="Why are my Dracaena Fragrans leaves browning from the base?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;dracaena&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36918" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-21T22:06:36.377" Score="3" ViewCount="11109" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have almost 100m of Victorian brick wall bordering my garden&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jODCe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jODCe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to line the inside with flowering cherries so they overhang the drive, how close can I plant them without risking damage? Or are such trees unlikely to cause problems to this wall?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The type I have chosen is &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/44879/Prunus-Pink-Perfection/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Prunus Pink Perfection&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You'll note in this photo you can just see some trees on the left. I have large (diameter 6-8&quot;) holly trees a few feet away and even some yew/leylandii/laurel tree only 1-2 feet away. No signs of damage to the wall but I don't know how the roots vary by tree type.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I should add that I do not know how far down the wall extends but given it is 7-8 feet high, it must have &lt;em&gt;some&lt;/em&gt; sort of foundation? Additionally, the road itself is hard-packed. So I'm wondering if this would act as a natural barrier - the roots would 'bounce' off?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; love the trees right next to the wall so they hang over the drive - what can I do to protect the wall if this is required? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastEditorUserId="14517" LastEditDate="2018-02-12T18:24:31.160" LastActivityDate="2018-02-12T18:24:31.160" Title="How close can I plant flowering cherry trees to a garden wall?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36919" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36917" CreationDate="2018-01-21T22:29:21.633" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;From your description it seems you have no drainage in this pot despite the hole at the bottom which is likely occluded by the plate. This would leave the roots sitting in stagnant water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I suggest removing the plant to confirm that the roots are rotted, and to see if there are any viable roots still left. Repot into an appropriate pot and mix.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-21T22:29:21.633" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36920" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36918" CreationDate="2018-01-22T00:16:48.973" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There's a similar question &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/9609/1894&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; so because cherry tree roots are quite superficial and spreading, they can damage structures such as &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardenlaw.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4773&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;walls&lt;/a&gt;. So, keep the trees 20 feet from the wall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or, you could try growing the tree in an air-pot which would prevent surface root spread.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tbZJA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tbZJA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Prunus serrula &quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is Prunus serrula 3-4 m high from a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.deepdale-trees.co.uk/images/multistem/p2/af-06.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;UK nursery&lt;/a&gt;, and other nurseries might have the Prunus you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-01-22T23:14:54.200" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T23:14:54.200" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36921" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="31153" CreationDate="2018-01-22T03:46:38.913" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Dracaena / corn plant. As Stormy said, it tolerates serious abuse ( and lives). I have one that has descended from a 6&quot; length I started over 50 years ago.  The bloom shows conditions have been good ; usually the flower smells so bad it is cut off.I have seen them 25+ feet tall in greenhouse conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T03:46:38.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36922" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36918" CreationDate="2018-01-22T08:04:31.083" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cherry roots are quite superficial, so I would not recommend to put near a wall. The plant can grow in a rocky place, but there is a risk that the roots will find a little crack, and then it can damage the wall. I expect that the wall has not deep foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want flowers, you can eventually change &lt;em&gt;Prunus&lt;/em&gt; species, or you can choose &lt;em&gt;Prunus cerasus&lt;/em&gt; (sour cherry). very similar to normal cherries, but the tree remain small (cherry tree growth quickly and tall).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T08:04:31.083" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36923" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36924" CreationDate="2018-01-22T08:28:15.930" Score="3" ViewCount="4665" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 1.5 year old, 3.5-foot tall indoor avocado tree that I grew from the seed.  I have been pruning it back occasionally and typically get 2-3 new stems from each cut-back.  It has been getting direct afternoon light for the past 4 months since I moved to my current home.  It's healthy but despite my best efforts, it diverged into two clusters of leaves that have been spreading out and I would prefer to centralize it.  A collage of photos is attached.  I am thinking of doing a drastic pruning back to try to induce new branch points further down on the trunk.  If I were to cut it back all the way to earlier stems, say with the main branch pattern intact but just a couple of inches of each major branch, with no leaves left, would it induce new buds from further down the now-bare branches, or would it just kill the plant?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gdABp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gdABp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20645" LastActivityDate="2018-11-08T20:54:06.893" Title="Can I prune an indoor avocado tree all the way back to stem?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36924" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36923" CreationDate="2018-01-22T09:57:38.137" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;In theory, if you see dormant knots on the stem, you have a chance that they will form new shoots after pruning. However, you risk that the plant will die if you prune the branches with leaves off at the wrong time or at wrong conditions. The best time to try this drastic new haircut is in the beginning of spring (or just before), when light hours increase quickly and intensity of light is also stronger. This light will activate your plant to start growing again. Also, try not to overwater it when pruned, without leaves the uptake of water is far less than now. There is no guaranty that it will work, though, but your plant does look like a healthy plant (which gives it better chance). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T09:57:38.137" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36925" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36912" CreationDate="2018-01-22T10:20:23.317" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This tree is called &lt;em&gt;Liquidambar styriciflua&lt;/em&gt;, American Sweetgum&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=928&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;L. styriciflua&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These babies are 2 to 3 feet?  Leave them alone.  You said they were just transplanted?  Planted?  In pots or in the ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Allow them some time to acclimate to their  soil, environment.  Still need to know whether in pots or Balled/burlapped, bare root or if you planted them on your property?  Wonderful trees, big trees.  Did they have a third tree by any chance?  These trees will be powerful color and presence and would best be planted two closer together, a third on the other side of the property.... a huge Scalene Triangle.  Just an idea.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leave them alone.  No hurry at all to be pruning.  Let them settle in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2018-01-22T11:13:29.217" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T11:13:29.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36926" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-22T16:34:22.667" Score="5" ViewCount="190" Body="&lt;p&gt;One forth of Christmas palm seems dead.  Other parts of cluster seem to be doing fine but I don't know if I should cut the dead part off or hope it will come back.  Any help would be greatly appreciated. &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jx9e0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oEJrE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20650" LastActivityDate="2020-08-02T16:01:05.047" Title="1/4 of my Christmas palm dead, do I cut or leave alone?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36927" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36918" CreationDate="2018-01-22T20:22:44.290" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It depends on the type of cherry, if its a wild variety- then the above information is correct, no closer than 20ft mainly because of their surfacing root pans, plus if your gardening near the base this will send up suckers and this will complicate things.&#xA;However if you go for a miniature type of cherry, possibly a Japanese variety they can be quite small and slow growing, some I've seen are no bigger than a large beach ball, and to quicken up things often enough growers have grafted varieties to give instant height. &#xA;If you still wish to continue with using cherries in this this fashion then perhaps a technique called root pruning can be used- however its a very old technique and is rarely used today- plus its a lot of work- the other technique is one that Victorian gardeners used in containing the roots within an underground brick walled container, often used in fig growing- but should do the same thing- i'm sure one could custom this technique with modern materials and budgets to get close to the effect one wishes.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;The pot in a pot idea is correct however the Victorian plan was to be something more substantial that would be there for years without breaking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="1999" LastEditDate="2018-01-27T13:33:14.443" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T13:33:14.443" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36928" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36899" CreationDate="2018-01-22T20:40:50.530" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like something we have here, a Leopard Moth (Zeuzera pyrina) however the location information I have is quite wrong and I've never seen anything like this before munching into a Rhodo? the best thing is to prune out the affected wood and burn it. keep an eye out for anymore- just try to keep the site clean and remove any dead material around the parent plant. I wouldn't bother spraying for one occurrence. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T20:40:50.530" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36929" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36886" CreationDate="2018-01-22T20:48:18.730" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just needs some TLC, you plant looks ok for now, but being in a small pot, dry, and possibly underfed, it just needs some care.&#xA;remove the old leaves repot in some shop bought compost- nothing too special and water regularly- and place somewhere with LIGHT! should bounce back within a month, and then think about placing it outside during the summer to charge it up for the winter. Most tropical plants look a bit tired at this time of year- its normal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T20:48:18.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36930" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36939" CreationDate="2018-01-22T20:58:43.633" Score="3" ViewCount="225" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am going to build a raised garden along a fence. According to this YouTube  tutorial: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YASRTcbJ4Y&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Building a raised garden bed - Part 1&lt;/a&gt;, the holes are dug up so that the posts can be fixated to the ground. When I watched it, I was wondering if installing posts in the ground was necessary. I will use the posts to attach siding walls to them but is it necessary to install posts in the ground?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks,&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11360" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2018-01-23T14:55:56.137" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T14:55:56.137" Title="Posts for a fence line raised garden" Tags="&lt;raised-beds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36932" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30513" CreationDate="2018-01-22T22:05:10.907" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I’m no ficus expert, though my green thumb is something I’m proud of. As for not rooting in water...I guess it very well depends on the specific type of ficus you are talking about. I have 5 benjamina ficus cuttings that were given to me, all about a foot tall. I didn’t trim them down, didn’t do anything except put them in a water mixture. I kept them in a 50/50 ratio of water and all purpose plant food mix (plant food was mixed with water and then diluted 50% with more water)for a month. Changed out the water every couple days. Not only did the plants all get tons of new growth during their time in the vases of water they were in, as soon as I planted them in pots, their growth has been amazing. Not sure if the roots were water roots or what...it took the roots a good 2 weeks to grow. They were thick and not very long when I planted them in dirt. I guess what I’m getting at is that to me, it just made sense to put them in water with an all purpose plant food (again, diluted to 50% strength), as the plants are in shock when you cut them. Water gets sucked up fast when plants are cut and a quick start or plant food additive can help provide the nutrients it needs. I’ve done about 30 cuttings now in the past year this way...not all ficus. And haven’t lost a one. From foot tall cuttings to small little ones. I don’t know the science behind why you should or shouldn’t do the cuttings in water. All I know is that it’s always worked for me and that I get new growth on my plants during their 3-4 week water phase. I would think that new growth would mean the plant is getting nutrition and thriving. Just my experience though. Not saying anyone is right or wrong, just what has worked for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20653" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T22:05:10.907" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36933" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36900" CreationDate="2018-01-22T22:24:09.927" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Thanks to @kevinsky, I was able to find the species, which was actually an Aglaonema instead of a Dieffenbachia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is an &lt;strong&gt;Aglaonema B.J. Freeman&lt;/strong&gt;, aka &lt;strong&gt;Cecilia&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some resources:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://patents.google.com/patent/USPP6857P/en&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://patents.google.com/patent/USPP6857P/en&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://araceum.abrimaal.pro-e.pl/aglaonema/freeman.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://araceum.abrimaal.pro-e.pl/aglaonema/freeman.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20631" LastEditorUserId="20631" LastEditDate="2018-01-22T22:30:12.007" LastActivityDate="2018-01-22T22:30:12.007" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36934" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36937" CreationDate="2018-01-22T23:05:09.433" Score="1" ViewCount="28" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm constantly like a worried mother towards my worm bin, and I know that isn't right because the worms supposedly thrive off of neglect. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had red wigglers in my bin before I had to get European night-crawlers after a suggestion that they are more hardy. Now, my &lt;a href=&quot;https://naturesfootprint.com/worm-factory-360-worm-bin/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;360 Worm Factory&lt;/a&gt; is seemingly full of both, so the population doesn't seem too bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had some problems with moisture (way too dry for a long period of time), but recently I've fixed that. My worms have balled up recently and I'm trying to figure out why but I think it's a moisture thing again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyways, my question is this: how long do worms take to eat things? I thought the general rule was every pound of worms can eat 0.5 pounds / day? If that's the case I probably have 200+ worms and they can't finish one fourth of a banana peel within multiple weeks! Could it be because of my environment issues?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a chart I can look at that better describes the rates, or perhaps an online search engine where I can view nearby worm-keepers to maybe get help? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20254" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T00:51:25.150" Title="Vermicompost Consumption Rates" Tags="&lt;worms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36935" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-23T00:22:32.810" Score="2" ViewCount="33" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking to grow a fig tree indoors and was very inspired by &lt;a href=&quot;http://riazzoli.se/that-fig-tree/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;these pictures&lt;/a&gt;. Assuming that isn't somehow unhealthy for the tree, how would one get a purchased tree that comes like &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.homedepot.com/p/Brown-Turkey-Fig-Tree-FIGBRO05G/207088489&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this&lt;/a&gt; to obtain the tall and spread out shape from the first picture? How long would it take?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20655" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T09:48:36.447" Title="How does one create a sparse canopy?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;figs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36936" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23252" CreationDate="2018-01-23T00:23:12.603" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is easy in one garden isn't necessarily easy in another (and vice versa). You'll want to know your soil type and soil pH, if possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would recommend looking into plant breeds from Europe. There are quite a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, most plants will require some work (whether it be planting, pruning, fertilizing, transplanting, de-infesting, etc.) Some that you won't have to plant again might be more work than some of the ones you will have to plant again. For instance, if you do fruit trees, pruning them, and figuring out what to do with the branches, can be a lot of work (as can other aspects of care, potentially).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, for plants that grow from seed, and self-sow, you'll either want heirlooms, open pollinated breeds, or those that you can propagate other ways besides through seed. And, if you want the same kind every year, you'll probably only want to grow one kind of reseeding breed per species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a list of some general plants (not necessarily from Europe) that I would recommend investigating:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Jerusalem artichokes (AKA Sunroots/Sunchokes; the tubers have a lot of inulin in them, which is great for fermenting, if you like to lacto-ferment stuff—that's one way to up the nutrition of your foods; these are supposed to produce a lot of roots, once they get going; I haven't grown these yet, but I got some seeds of some wild ones to try this year; people usually grow them from the tubers, though, since they're said to be easy to grow that way, and the commercial ones may be sterile or all clones of the same plant—you need multiple plants that aren't clones of each other to get seeds)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Bunching onions (I recommend Crimson Forest, for its tall greens, and how easy it is to grow from seed; they handle cold temperatures well; they multiply every year, etc.; you might like potato onions, too, if you can find any; again, don't harvest them all; I mostly just use my Crimson Forest bunching onions for the greens, although they do bulb, unlike many bunching onions—so, they've been at least doubling every year; in 2017 they at least tripled, though, if not quadrupled; you'll probably want to divide them when they multiply)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Garlic chives (they taste like garlic and grow seeds very easily; they can be invasive, some say; regular chives are perennials, too, but garlic chives should spread faster, due to how they seem to produce more seeds)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Sorrel (although maybe it's not the easiest to sprout, or save seeds from, it is a perennial that grows a lot of greens, and seems to get bigger every year; I grow Green De Bellville; if you want to save seeds, though, you'll need both male and female plants; mine must be all the same sex, since they don’t produce seeds—although they do produce seed stalks; again, it wasn't the easiest for me to get started, but it's very easy to keep once you get it going; sorrel tastes like extra-sour spinach, but the leaves get a lot bigger, and the plants can get at least a few feet tall; you can harvest the leaves when they're huge, and they still taste good and tender, but the big veins may get more fibrous; they tolerate the cold well, and there's a good harvest window for them, both in the spring and in the fall—I recommend pruning the plants to the ground around the time the summer ceases to be hot, because if the plants are already big, they're probably not going to grow much, unless you prune them; a packet of seeds isn't very expensive)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Ground cherries and tomatillos will self-sow easily, if you like that. Ground cherries are considered a super food (at least the Cape Gooseberry kind, which is a little harder to grow, but the plants have furry leaves and are very nice-looking)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wonderberries (although Wonderberries are pretty small, they do produce a lot of fruits, and they are both pretty early and easy to grow; they're easy to harvest—and you don't have to husk them like you do ground cherries; I'd be surprised if they didn't self-sow, considering the number of seeds per fruit, how easily they drop when disturbed, and how many fruits there are; last year was my first with them, and it's still winter; so, I'm still waiting to find out)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mulberries (These are trees, but should be fairly easy to grow, and white mulberries are definitely a super food; the immature leaves can be used, too; they may have extensive roots that can break up sidewalks and such, though; so, give them space; for smaller mulberries, you might try weeping mulberries, or dwarf mulberries; I haven't grown mulberries, however, but they're sufficiently interesting from what I've read that you might want to try it)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Goji berries (These shouldn't be too hard to grow in France compared to some areas, but they're probably not the easiest thing to grow on the list; they're definitely a super food, though—both the fruits and the leaves; they're perennials; I've never grown them; they're in the Solanaceae family like peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, eggplants, ground cherries, etc. You can grow these from seed, but they'll take longer than plants; I'm not sure how expensive the plants are)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Large-seeded sunflowers (These are easy to grow and have a lot of uses. Note that they may cross-pollinate sunchokes. They should self-sow, if you let them, unless the birds eat all the seeds.)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Amaranth (Definitely a lot of nutrition, particularly protein, in the leaves and the seeds; it grows as a weed in my area, but I've heard the cultivated kinds are easy to grow, too—and they can be pretty showy—but you probably want to focus on those that produce a lot of seeds; some varieties should self-sow easily, but they're not perennials)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Radishes (particularly De 18 Jours, which only days 18 days to mature; radishes germinate really easily, and they're good at producing decently sized seeds, which can self-sow easily if you let them—so be sure to plant some extras for that, the first time, and don't harvest them all every year; radishes are great lacto-fermented, too, by the way; make sure they get enough sun, and some decent soil)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Rhubarb (if your area gets cold enough winters, this is one to try as a perennial; just eat the stalks—not the toxic leaves; if you have a friend with rhubarb, they might share some with you to plant)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Even though you may not want to, I'd recommend trying some things you'll have to replant, like zucchini, early, prolific tomatoes, and melons (there are a number of European melons you might enjoy), etc. Some tomatoes will reseed, though. Seed-saving isn't all bad. You don't have to purchase new ones, even if you have to replant. If you're not sure how to save seeds, it's not as hard as some people make it out to be. Just do it—but here are some hints to make things more successful: dry your seeds on or in brown paper bags (or in empty herbal tea bags or some such), in a room with a box fan going. They should dry fast without molding. A lot of people advocate fermenting for some kinds of seeds before you dry them (tomatoes and watermelon especially), but there are other things you can try that might be easier and less smelly, if you do anything special at all (the purpose of fermenting is to filter out non-viable seeds, disolve the sacks around the seeds that may contain diseases and/or enzymes that are said to inhibit germination, reduce disease risk, etc.) You can still easily grow plants from seeds that aren't fermented, though, as I've learned from experience (but disease may be more likely, and if you don't remove the sacks, they may not be as pretty). Some people plant their watermelons just by spitting the seeds in the area they want them to grow the season before when they eat the fruits (that might not work out every single year, but it can be great some years; I don't recommend doing that with grocery store watermelons, since it may be illegal, due to patented and/or PVP breeds, or laws about such, however).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: This answer is sufficiently different from my old one that I deleted the old one (which didn't really answer the question, whether or not it initially did) instead of editing it (the people who upvoted the old one may or may not agree with this one).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-01-23T01:09:26.513" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T01:09:26.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36937" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36934" CreationDate="2018-01-23T00:51:25.150" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A compost worm can eat its own weight in a day if there's suitable food.  Given that they only have tiny mouths without teeth, and they use grit internally along their whole digestive tract to grind things down, then you need to provide food that is already decomposing so they can suck it in. Their other main food sources include fungi from the decomposing matter and bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if your banana skin is not decomposing in the bin, the worms won't be able to eat it.  And if it's not decomposing, it's just too dry inside your bin.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T00:51:25.150" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36938" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-23T01:54:48.837" Score="4" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just had a strange idea of no actual significance, but I was just staring at a block of tofu and wondered if you could plant things in it. Has anyone tried this? How does/would tofu fair as a growing medium. How would plants grow differently in hard, medium, and soft tofu?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20383" LastActivityDate="2020-09-20T17:05:05.480" Title="Tofu as a growing medium?" Tags="&lt;growth&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;&lt;legumes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36939" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36930" CreationDate="2018-01-23T02:09:56.930" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are correct, posts are not needed at all.  In fact, those wooden sides or any type of structure is not needed for raised beds.  This is just for looks.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not sure what you are trying to do but do not use your fence to hold soil, to hold lumber holding soil.  Fences are not made to hold soil.  Any moisture being held against the wood will rot that wood sooner than later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only benefit to making these lumber raised beds is for looks.  Seriously.  Look very nice.  Keep air between that fence and any soil, mulch, lumber.  Or your fence will rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I always 'raise' my beds. No matter the type of soil.  I've built raised beds like this with gravel walks and installed drainage.  But I would never do this for my own gardens.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/18DFs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/18DFs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;raised beds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Dlui.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Dlui.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;raised beds&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ptX9U.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ptX9U.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;raised beds caliche clay&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T02:09:56.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36940" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-23T03:52:23.637" Score="5" ViewCount="552" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm in Zone 6a, and I'd like to plant some English Walnut trees (&lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; Black Walnut!), but have rather clay-ish soil. Also, the area where they'd need to be planted tends to get about an inch or two of standing water for about four days after heavy rains.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In reading about English Walnuts, I see two things particularly mentioned about English Walnuts is they don't like clay soil and don't like standing water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My intention then, would be to dig a foot deep into the ground, fill it in with better soil, and raise up a small earth mound 2 feet tall of the better soil, and plant the tree on that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I'm thinking of a 3x4' mound a foot deep and 2' high, structured with logs for hugelkulture and planted with grass and shrubs to reduce irrigation)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The walnut's roots will rapidly expand beyond the good soil of my earth mound down and out into the surrounding clay-ish soil; however, the tree itself would be raised up off the ground by 18&quot; or more. Would that greatly increase the walnut's chance of survival, or would this become a losing battle for me?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: Despite the soil in that area being clay-ish, it's not so clayish that other trees (native and planted) haven't thrived. But it sounds like English Walnuts are particularly sensitive?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17000" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-23T08:02:32.177" LastActivityDate="2018-01-28T04:05:23.040" Title="Can I plant English Walnuts on earth berms above poorly draining clay soil?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;walnut&gt;&lt;hugelkultur&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36941" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36940" CreationDate="2018-01-23T06:05:05.853" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my hilly area there's clay or heavy clay soil and English walnuts (Juglans regia) grow well. People who've got large orchards amend their soil, but people with one or two trees in their backyard don't do anything, not even fertilizing, so I wouldn't worry too much about planting yours in clay soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What I'd worry about is drainage because I have seen walnuts planted in plain areas with loam soil and they didn't survive in backyards with standing water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the hole you are preparing drains fast, it's ok, but after the tree puts new roots outside it, you risk losing the tree. Planting it a bit above the soil line won't help on the long run because this tree sends deep roots. On the short term, strong winds might pull the tree out of its planting site.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So I suggest you create an area with good drainage and then plant it there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To answer your comment: Both the roots and the trunk are vulnerable to standing water. The water table should be at least 4 m deep for an optimum growth, but when the tree is young it will tolerate a 3 m deep one. I have heard of nurseries selling walnuts that are supposed to bear fruit after 5 years, but I don't know if this claim is real, so if yours will bear fruit at least after 7 years you have to provide a deep water table until then. I don't think elevating it is a solution. Try to loosen the soil with a fork in your yard if deep tilling is not an option, at least until you manage to solve the drainage issue in your yard.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2018-01-23T08:39:14.857" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T08:39:14.857" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36942" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23412" CreationDate="2018-01-23T06:34:58.043" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could try some Aubrieta - I will try these out myself next season, they have dense flowering, are available in white but mostly purple, you can grow them by seeds so relatively cheap to do a large area.  They are also reasonably sun &amp;amp; drought tolerant.  I was planning on trying some on my vertical wall to give a seasonal patch of colour.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16633" LastEditorUserId="16633" LastEditDate="2018-01-23T20:31:37.463" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T20:31:37.463" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36943" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36948" CreationDate="2018-01-23T06:57:01.033" Score="3" ViewCount="216" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have set up a hydroponic system indoors and planted 6 chilli plants in one bucket. It's a DWC system where I fill the bucket with water and mix the nutrient solution and submerge the plant roots in it. I have also set up an air pump with dual outlets to aerate the solution. On top, I have grow light strips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The problem is, out of the 6 plants, one started to wilt. I planted them two days ago. Here are some photos of the setup: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DTw0v.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DTw0v.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iiiYT.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iiiYT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v47XP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v47XP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MWWTB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MWWTB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jndaU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jndaU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yQdSP.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yQdSP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VCYeW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VCYeW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any idea why this is happening?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20657" LastEditorUserId="20657" LastEditDate="2018-01-23T10:48:01.277" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T23:27:12.857" Title="What is causing only 1/6 of my chilli plants in deep water culture to wilt?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36944" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36940" CreationDate="2018-01-23T07:59:50.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Jamin, I support you in your determination to welcome Juglans regia in your yard, however, I believe you would be better off, in this case, doing much less work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is a large tree, and, eventually, a vast majority of its roots will be in the ground that you did not change. The success of the tree will depend on microclimate, and existing soil, and these you can't change.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you change 3x3x3 feet soil environment around the new tree, you risk that roots would tend to stay in that area! The net result is a much smaller, less developed tree!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, &lt;em&gt;I would advise you to plant it just as a regular tree&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are really in the mood of doing something extra, do some drainage improvement in that area of the yard, so that it is easier for young walnut to establish, and for you to move. But, again, in the long term, it won't make almost any difference - the walnut is a giant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another thing that might be useful is to tile the whole area. I suspect the soil is very compacted. That would help to get rid of extra water after rain.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Few inches of water several days after heavy rain is not a flood - just a normal state for compacted clay area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, the main source of water for an adult walnut is deep under ground - and you can't affect that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-23T11:27:43.923" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T11:27:43.923" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36945" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36935" CreationDate="2018-01-23T09:48:36.447" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a typical form of figs, if you look the small sprout laterally on main trunk.  Figs tent to look for Sun, so to elongate in various directions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growth and direction is much random (but so on the picture, which is the nice part). So indoor it should grow so randomly. From time to time, you need to rotate the pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But it is not healthy for the tree. It is not they normal form, it is still looking for sun, to growth healthy.  Additionally, I think such pot could resists few year maximum, and then you need a new plant. But if you plant outside on spring such tree, you will get few figs to eat.  For survive the winter, it is really matter of location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, I think they are lateral shot, so their destiny was already set (and bad).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T09:48:36.447" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36946" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-23T11:48:44.337" Score="2" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this tangelo tree on the cheap from a nursery because it looks a bit sick... I live in Melbourne Australia so we now only have a couple more months of summer left before autumn.  I'm wondering if it would be best to put it into a bit bigger pot or bag? now or just give it a feed and try to look after it while the fruit ripens? or should I thin out some of the fruit to not stress the tree out so much?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is currently in a 25cm pot and is about a meter tall - going by the size of the trunk it's a few years old at least?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wZTou.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wZTou.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is the root ball also!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6tc7I.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6tc7I.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16633" LastEditorUserId="16633" LastEditDate="2018-01-23T19:51:37.263" LastActivityDate="2018-01-24T03:29:55.357" Title="Does this Tangelo look root bound?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36947" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34462" CreationDate="2018-01-23T12:49:22.107" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think I can offer a little perspective on this. In my own case I am trying to &quot;grow&quot; the size of a vegetable garden incrementally each year. I have tried a number of ways and now know which is preferred in my area, which is characterized by sod with a dense mat of couch/quack grass, dock, thistle, annual crabgrass and various other annual weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The first method was simple digging over, but of course the quack grass thought that was great fun and just grew back even more vigorously. Second method was thorough digging (see &lt;a href=&quot;http://garden.vfindme.com/clearingQuackGrassForAGarden.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this page&lt;/a&gt; for example) which worked but was very hard work. My process now is much easier and uses some of the ideas from your list:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mow grass coarsely, no need to mow close&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mark out and use the half moon to cut out a strict rectangle, V-groove, perimeter only, of the area to be added&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remove the thin strip of sod from the groove and add to the compost heap, leaving a 3&quot; deep channel all around this new area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cover the area with black landscape fabric right to the edges and into the corners ensuring that some fabric goes down into the groove; if the fabric is a bit worn in patches and shows green here and there make it double thickness so that you cannot see any green through the fabric&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Weight down the landscape fabric with rocks, stones, concrete blocks especially at the edges and corners since the wind will try to move it around. As you dig/prepare the main garden or otherwise get more stones throw them onto the fabric to keep it in place; become skilled at tossing stones from a distance onto the fabric&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Leave intact for 12 months. At the end of that time remove the stones (build a path somewhere with them) the quack grass has given up and the annual weeds on the surface are gone. You may see some ghostly white flattened leaves of thistle where roots are still trying to be active. The soil will be easy to dig in these areas since the quack grass has gone.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Now work up the area as required for final use.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;An alternative method is to build a big compost heap directly on the area to be cleared, but of course that is a smaller area and it is much harder to control what happens at the edges.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T12:49:22.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36948" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36943" CreationDate="2018-01-23T23:27:12.857" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The differences in plant sizes shown for only 2 days in your hydroponics setup suggests that the plants were different at the time they were transplanted into the pots.  The sudden tapering of the stem to the roots suggests that there has been damage to the stem of the affected plant.  It doesn't look rotten so it may just be trauma but the roots you show are brown rather than white so I would worry that you've got a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.plant-magic.co.uk/post/2015/03/27/pythium-the-hydroponic-plague/49/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pythium&lt;/a&gt; infection in your setup.  It could be the lighting you use so I'd check them outside in daylight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-23T23:27:12.857" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36949" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36946" CreationDate="2018-01-24T03:29:12.793" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This delightful plant has been planted too deeply in the original pot.  Roots only escape to find water.  They die when there is little air and too much water.  They rot. It needs to be transplanted into sterile potting soil until you've found a place to transplant into the garden soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For now, replant this guy in a pot 2 inches larger.  Looks like it is in a 10&quot; pot?  Transplant into a 12&quot; pot with sterilized potting soil and a bit of Osmocote 14-14-14 Extended release fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can see that that trunk is below the soil line.  This will kill your plant eventually.  Make sure the trunk is completely out of the soil, mulch, rock whatever.  The roots right below the line of trunk that needs to be exposed to the air and the root crown...have to be below the surface of soil.  The trunk if below the soil will rot  and you will lose this little tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This little tree will be able to last in a pot until you decide on a great place on your property to plant it in a forever home. Sterilized potting soil only while in its pot.  Do not amend the soil when planting in your garden.  Dig a hole only as deep as the root ball, no deeper or it will sink and the bark of the trunk will be compromised.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where do you live?  What zone are you in?  I would transplant into a slightly larger pot, use potting soil only until you know where you want to plant it in your yard.  Use a basic basic fertilizer (Osmocote 14-14-14) go by the directions except half the applications per year.  Do not amend the soil in the garden for this tree.  Check the pH level of your soil by getting a soil test. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Removing flowers and fruit allow that energy to be redistributed to the entire plant.  That is a good thing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-24T03:29:12.793" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36950" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36946" CreationDate="2018-01-24T03:29:55.357" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The root ball doesn't show root circling so I would say that it's not root bound.  The sapling also has a lot of fruit so it clearly thinks it can sustain that much otherwise it would be dropping the fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a reason why you're not putting it into the ground?  Anyway, sites recommend a slow release fertilizer in spring for the new growth, and then monthly feeding throughout summer of a liquid fertilizer as they are heavy feeders.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-24T03:29:55.357" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36951" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36940" CreationDate="2018-01-24T04:05:14.347" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Jamin, yes you can grow trees in berms.  94% of all plant roots get their chemistry and water from the top 6&quot;.  Deeper roots are for support, not for sustenance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your berm needs to be compacted get the large pockets of air removed before planting your trees.  Depending on your zone, you should also insert 3 OR 4&quot; PVC pipe drilled with holes near the root ball for best watering.  Fill the pipes with water during the first year of  The berm itself will provide plenty of drainage to not allow roots to rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remove the burlap off your balled and burlapped root balls of trees. Is your tree from the nursery in a pot or balled and burlapped...or heavens, bare root?  Keep the line between trunk and roots above the surface of soil!  Do not amend the soil.  Do not dig any deeper than the depth of the rootball. Keep the subsoil below the root ball undisturbed.  Chose a spot with plenty of room for this tree...walnut.  Big deal about the difference between English and Black walnut?!  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not plan on planting anything near this walnut.  Trust me.  A walnut tree is to die for!  Those that know walnut, Juglans, are very careful just using walnut wood in a shop.  A raised plant bed is perfect.  That means double digging and raising the plant bed using just the soil you are double digging.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please do not do hugelkulture.  Ugh.  Where do these fads come from?  Not at all scientific.  Raising the soil, just by double digging is all you should do if you are worried about drainage.  NO amending the soil.  NO foo foo beneath the soil. Hugelkulture is a perfect example of making a perched water table.   &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've got major drainage problems, it would be nice to see the site where you want to plant.  The best things for trees is to plant them right into the spot with no amendments whatsoever.  Most trees are grown in clay in the nurseries.  They B &amp;amp; B  them with a clay root ball.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Clay is wonderful soil!!  Just need to know management practices!  Trees grown in clay should be planted in clay!  If you plant a clay root ball in a sandy or easily draining soil, your tree might die from lack of water.  Water will run around the clay and down into the sandy soil.  Very bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not amend your soil.  Do not dig deeper than the depth of the root ball.  Water regularly until established.  Add a balanced fertilizer.  There is no other alternative for ensuring proper chemistry for a plant.  Decomposed compost is not fertilizer, is not to be used for soil.  Should not be used in potted plants.  Should never be used to 'amend' soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Compost installed on top of the garden soil is necessary to feed the soil.  It has to be decomposed, dump on top of soil, never allowing the trunk's bark to be covered with soil, or mulch, or rocks...and that compost is taken into the soil profile by a healthy soil macro and micro life.  Decomposed organic matter feeds the soil organisms.  So very important.  You have to know what your compost is made from, how far it is in the decomposition process to be able to discern the proper balanced fertilizer you need to add. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not at the very beginning, later, in the new growth season following the planting of your plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  95% of all roots...are within 4 to 6 inches from the surface of the soil. The reason is water and chemistry necessary to absorb via roots for photosynthesis.  Organic matter after it is decomposed can offer some minuscule chemistry (I will not  say 'nutrients', replace chemistry with 'nutrients' might help make more sense...not nutrients, not food but chemistry).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A soil within a stable ecosystem has just enough life that is fed by just enough decomposed organic matter falling from this established ecosystem to be recycled to allow one new plant into the ecosystem or allow another plant citizen in the system to fight off an insect problem.  Very finely tuned.  We humans will never be able to mimic an ecosystem.  We do have to understand our artificial gardens, especially the edible gardens.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We need to understand plant's needs; draining soil (all soil is wonderful just each type needs its own management techniques), proper watering, an alive soil which is where decomposed organic matter is critical, light, the correct amount not just any light will work, and dog gone it, soil doesn't come with fertilizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Walnuts, have a poison that poisonous to walnut trees... is primarily to stop their own progeny from competing with mommy/daddy.  There are other plants are sensitive to it other than Juglans the genus. Usually those same plants are also needing lots of light and shouldn't have been planted beneath a Walnut tree. It truly is no big deal.  Walnuts shade their root systems, keep other baby walnuts from competing for chemistry (nutrients) and keep other plants from competing because of their deep shade. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had a Juglans full grown, once.  What a wonderful wonderful tree to raise and know.  Worth planting at least 3 of them, far apart from one another so that you will get at least one mature walnut tree.  Better harvest in terms of calories and 'nutrients' than an apple. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am assuming you will be purchasing nursery stock?  Potted trees to 5' or Balled and Burlapped up 15'?  A berm would be your best bet. When you make a raised by by 'fluffing' up the soil (it becomes huge when you start double digging), provide trenches to gather excess water and tell the water where to go, even if standing water were all around the base and the young tree had its roots in that berm out of the standing water, that tree, that plant will do just fine.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tree roots, all plant roots, all of the 'feeder' roots are found within 4 to 6 inches of the surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most trees from nurseries are grown in clay soil.  That keeps their roots more confined so when they get dug up they keep most of the root system allowing for better survivability.  Do not 'amend' the soil when planting trees.  That berm will keep their roots from drowning.  Hopefully we can help you improve your drainage.  Make sure to not plant your baby trees too deeply.  Only the root ball gets buried.  No part of the trunk should have any soil, mulch, paper, nada touching the bark.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Send pictures, please. Tap roots are for support, not water or chemistry.  There are a few trees that have tap roots that take up water and chemistry and that grow a mile beyond the canopy or down into the earth.  That is a specialty.  Not happening with walnuts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Another misconception is root depth. Roots will grow wherever the&#xA;  environment is favorable. They require water, oxygen, minerals,&#xA;  support, and warmth. These requirements are usually found in the upper&#xA;  few feet of soil. Roots rarely grow below four feet although there are&#xA;  numerous cases stating the opposite. The major portion of a tree's&#xA;  root system is in the top few inches of soil. This makes it easier to&#xA;  understand why trees can be easily uplifted during wind storms or&#xA;  other soil disturbances.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/1992/4-1-1992/treeroot.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;differences between types of roots&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-01-28T04:05:23.040" LastActivityDate="2018-01-28T04:05:23.040" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36952" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-24T05:16:20.270" Score="2" ViewCount="113" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZG5rX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KYPfm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I got this plant last year and it started dying. I recently brought it inside and it looks like it’s getting new leafs. Any recommendations?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20660" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2018-01-24T17:00:06.973" LastActivityDate="2018-01-24T17:00:06.973" Title="Anybody know what kind of chili plant this is? Is it dead or can I revive it?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36953" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36952" CreationDate="2018-01-24T08:14:55.093" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;What chili plant: it is difficult in such state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In any case, it is not dead. You see new leaves. You should prune the dry branches, and remove the old (dry) leaves. It will quickly recover.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Contrary on the question's comments, I think it is worth trying: you will for sure learn something about pepper plants. I find also nice plants to have on dining room in the winter, to get some green (which is not throwaway). My plants usually have many peppers (and many were edible but ornamental varieties, so many small pepper: green and red: nice to see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your error (if it was not just suddenly bad weather): plants need to be  acclimated, on both ways. Before to put such plants indoor, try to put in a warm outside place for a week (e.g. near a wall). The same should be done when you put plants outside. For a week put them in an intermediate place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-01-24T08:14:55.093" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36954" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36957" CreationDate="2018-01-24T14:31:39.830" Score="3" ViewCount="948" Body="&lt;p&gt;I inherited this house plant a long while ago, and I am not sure what it is. After some research online, I think it does look quite a bit like poison ivy. I am not really sure, but it's the closest match I found.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you please help me identify this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yJ8hN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/yJ8hN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/umZHz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/umZHz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OHyRg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OHyRg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20661" LastEditorUserId="20661" LastEditDate="2018-01-24T15:23:20.453" LastActivityDate="2018-01-24T16:11:43.727" Title="Poison Ivy-like house plant identification?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;poison-ivy&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36955" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36954" CreationDate="2018-01-24T14:57:01.663" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe (almost sure) this is an Acer griseum. If this turns out to be true, you have one of the most appreciated ornamental trees of all times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/raJ8y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.rs/search?q=Acer+griseum+leaves&amp;amp;client=ms-android-doogee&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;prmd=ivmn&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjo85iR6_DYAhXE3iwKHaxcCi4Q_AUICSgB&amp;amp;biw=360&amp;amp;bih=560&amp;amp;dpr=2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.google.rs/search?q=Acer+griseum+leaves&amp;amp;client=ms-android-doogee&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;prmd=ivmn&amp;amp;source=lnms&amp;amp;sa=X&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjo85iR6_DYAhXE3iwKHaxcCi4Q_AUICSgB&amp;amp;biw=360&amp;amp;bih=560&amp;amp;dpr=2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Photo credit: Virginia Tech)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2018-01-24T14:57:01.663" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36956" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36958" CreationDate="2018-01-24T15:56:36.747" Score="5" ViewCount="94" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is there a technical term for when a plant isn't a seedling, but isn't producing flowers, reproducing, or going dormant? If there are synonyms for that term, I'd love to know them as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As an example, say we have a plant that flowers late summer. But I'm interested in its appearance and habit from spring until it flowers, what do I search for? A common problem I find, is that most photos of plants are taken when they're fully in bloom. Look at an &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?biw=1419&amp;amp;bih=946&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=1&amp;amp;ei=RKxoWtepF8W7sQGLzafYAg&amp;amp;q=Prunus%20tenella&amp;amp;oq=Prunus%20tenella&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;image search for Prunus tenella&lt;/a&gt;, as an example.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1634" LastActivityDate="2018-01-30T07:35:13.627" Title="When a flowering plant isn't currently flowering, what is that state or phase called?" Tags="&lt;flowering&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36957" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36954" CreationDate="2018-01-24T16:11:43.727" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this is a grape ivy or &lt;em&gt;Cissus rhombifolia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/grape-ivy/grape-ivy-houseplant.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/grape-ivy/grape-ivy-houseplant.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19953" LastActivityDate="2018-01-24T16:11:43.727" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36958" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36956" CreationDate="2018-01-24T16:34:37.253" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is the vegetative state.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know two identification flora about vegetative state:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Flora Vegetativa&lt;/em&gt;: in French or German, of Swiss wild plants&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;The vegetative key to the British flora&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-01-24T16:34:37.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36960" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-24T21:13:10.517" Score="3" ViewCount="835" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T08zb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/T08zb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Is it dying?&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it dying? There are these weird red marks, is this a fungal infection or sunburn?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20665" LastActivityDate="2018-01-24T21:13:10.517" Title="What is wrong with my cactus? (Red spots)" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36961" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-24T21:29:43.310" Score="5" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;Does anyone recognise this plant? It was given to me by my flatmate to divide in 3, and it would be nice to know its name. Couldn't find it hessayons plant spotter&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qPi0W.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qPi0W.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13971" LastActivityDate="2018-01-25T10:10:33.567" Title="Houseplant ident" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36962" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36961" CreationDate="2018-01-24T21:45:03.740" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;em&gt;Aechmea fasciata&lt;/em&gt;, a bromeliad, commonly known as Urn Plant.It produces a central pink flower spike, but once that dies down, the leaves surrounding it sometimes die back. But secondary growths, or pups, are produced,and that seems to be what's happened with this one, although the central part of the plant also looks healthy. They can be divided from the main plant, but its probably easier to decant it from its pot to do so - when you cut or separate the pup away from the parent plant, make sure it has some good roots attached and pot up separately. Afterwards, replace the mother plant and fill in the gaps in the soil with fresh potting soil. Bit more info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.houseplantsexpert.com/urn-plant.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.houseplantsexpert.com/urn-plant.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2018-01-25T10:10:33.567" LastActivityDate="2018-01-25T10:10:33.567" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36963" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36968" CreationDate="2018-01-25T00:13:28.387" Score="5" ViewCount="72" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a box where kitchen waste, old pasta, lettuce etc, goes for composting. If I could grow mushrooms on it I'd try that so are there any that would ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20476" LastActivityDate="2018-01-25T19:50:00.800" Title="What mushrooms can I grow on kitchen waste?" Tags="&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36964" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36966" CreationDate="2018-01-25T03:09:42.403" Score="3" ViewCount="2031" Body="&lt;p&gt;So my lavender plant isn’t looking so good. It is dried out on 3/4 of the plant. Has been this was since Aug.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think it may have gotten some exposure to roundup through the roots since some weeds were sprayed in the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can it be saved?  Or should it be pulled and replanted?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MOPRa.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MOPRa.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;unhealthy lavander&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18108" LastActivityDate="2018-01-25T08:38:18.823" Title="Can my lavender be saved?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36965" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36482" CreationDate="2018-01-25T06:47:12.780" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The name literally translates to honey sweet cherry tomato. From what I can tell by reading through Spanish news and other documents they are a tomato that has a surprising sweet flavor and are developed and marketed by a company called Syngenta. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.syngenta.dk/file/1801/download?token=g-kt4aPN&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here is a link to a Pdf&lt;/a&gt; describing their flavor (in english). It is on about page 18 or 19. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTMPJrLaaPI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here is a youtube video&lt;/a&gt; about the dulcemiel tomato. That is in spanish though. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.syngenta.es/cultivos/tomate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;I went to their site&lt;/a&gt; to learn more, but didn't find anything about dulcemiel other than that they are marketing as a new snack of sorts. Sadly I could not find anything concerning a scientific name or anything like that. I hope that this info has helped a little more. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20663" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-01-26T21:57:18.073" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T21:57:18.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36966" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36964" CreationDate="2018-01-25T08:38:18.823" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am sitting here freezing and you've been out playing in your garden?  Life ain't fair!  Grins.  What zone and hemisphere of this planet do you live? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is a bit of life evident for your lavender.  I would pull this plant up, rip off the dead roots and plant material, plant the live remainder in a one gallon pot of sterilized potting soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Glyphosate works primarily by being sprayed or applied to vigorously photosynthesizing leafy plant material. It is then transported to the roots, killing the roots and then the entire plant in 3 weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you hadn't said glyphosate, your plant is displaying very normal lavender die out. Is this the only lavender?  What other plants are in this bed?  You will need to replace this lavender but it would be nice to know the new lavender will not have the same problem.  Next year, if the bit of lavender you transplanted into a 1 gallon pot in just potting soil thrives, you will be able to add to a lavender 'mass' ??&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So if there had been the tiniest bit of wind that day you sprayed, I'll bet your lavender got sprayed.  This is called 'Drift'.  It takes minuscule glyphosate sprayed on leaves to kill a plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Glyphosate is only advantageous when needing to kill a large area of weeds.  Should never be used in ornamental plant beds or vegetable gardens.  I only used this for gravel walks and driveways, gravel patios.  Only in the spring after weeds have had a chance to get vigorous but before they go to seed. And on a dead quiet, very warm, still air day.  Sprayer held down very close to the gravel.  It only takes ONE drop of glyphosate (a big drop) to kill a plant whether weed or ornamental or edible.  You do not have to spray till runoff.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your assessment about your lavender is probably right on.  Glyphosate drift.  If you were thinking there was enough glyphosate sprayed that the roots would take it up I am thinking there was more than enough drift to kill this lavender.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Has it been 3 weeks since you sprayed? How much was sprayed?  Did you soak the soil? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-25T08:38:18.823" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36967" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-25T12:05:53.937" Score="2" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please find attached below the images of cabbages that I have with me. Is the cabbages different or it has grown differently based on the place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The one with three cabbage plants is what i am growing(at Coimbatore, India) and the one with a single plant is grown by my one of the relatives(at Bangalore, India).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kindly help in identifying it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fPNKz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fPNKz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Three cabbages- Mine&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VcfzB.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/VcfzB.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Relative&amp;#39;s cabbage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16489" LastActivityDate="2018-01-25T12:05:53.937" Title="Cabbage : Are these cabbages different" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cabbage&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36968" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36963" CreationDate="2018-01-25T19:50:00.800" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;that kitchen waste would need to be sterilized before you would have any luck beating out mold. better to compost it, and then inoculate your compost pile with some appropriate mushrooms from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fieldforest.net/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;field and forest&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fungi.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;fungi perfecti&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2018-01-25T19:50:00.800" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36969" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-25T20:24:27.490" Score="4" ViewCount="135" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have recently moved apartments to be closer to school, and sadly where I have moved is a basement apartment without a patio or windows that get a lot of sun. I have a fair collection of plants and I want to continue adding to my collection. My two biggest challenges right now seem to be a lack of space and a lack of light. I have purchased two LED grow lights and that has seemed to help the plants I have come back to good health (except for my bougainvillea). My bougainvillea seems to be rather sad and has lost all of it's main leaves. They stay green and just fall off. Could this be because the grow lights do not provide sufficient light? (pictures will be posted after classes today) Could over crowding due to little space also be a cause of leaf loss?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mDpws.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mDpws.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EqIjF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EqIjF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xml3e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xml3e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/54AjF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/54AjF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xhqWc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xhqWc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/06U4e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/06U4e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20663" LastEditorUserId="20663" LastEditDate="2018-01-25T23:07:25.510" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T07:53:40.447" Title="Help with apartment gardening and lighting mainly concerning bougainvillea" Tags="&lt;light&gt;&lt;bougainvillea&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36970" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-25T21:53:02.640" Score="4" ViewCount="93" Body="&lt;p&gt;My nectarine tree has grown rapidly, it has been a great fruiter, however the fruit is always brown &amp;amp; rotten inside around the seed. Please help! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20670" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2018-01-26T05:23:32.077" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T05:23:32.077" Title="Why does my nectarine tree have rotting fruit around seed?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36971" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36969" CreationDate="2018-01-25T22:03:16.243" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;That is a bummer, I've been in the same place having to move all my plants (in a U Haul once, 7 hours in 20 degrees below zero, I wrapped each plant in newspaper and every single one made it...love newspaper for insulating) but I am glad you have already done the best thing possible by purchasing grow lights. What are the specs of these lights such as wattage? How big are these lights?  How far away are these lights from your plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your bougainvillea probably was shocked because of the move and during the move.  Some plants are far more touchy about their environment and will drop their leaves just because of a new draft in the room. Dropping leaves is a normal response by a plant to protect itself especially when introduced to winter temperatures outside during the move.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crowding plants is the best thing for your plants.  They shouldn't be so crowded that the light gets blocked from the smaller plants or that air isn't allowed to circulate around each plant.  I would also turn them once a week.  Warmth and humidity and perhaps communication (via chemistry) is afforded when plants are all grouped together.  Do not mist your plants.  I take all my indoor plants and put them in the shower once or twice a year and let them be washed of dust and possible insects.  Let them sit and drain and dry off right in the shower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I am imagining your group of plants correctly, I would put white plastic down on the floor, lift the bottoms of all pots off the surface they need to drain into with pieces of tile 1/4&quot; thick. The biggest mistake you could make would be to water all of your plants at the same time unless they are truly on the same schedule. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get used to the heft of a pot and its plant.  Only water when that pot is obviously light.  Some plants need constant moisture but most do best if you allow the soil to dry out before watering again.  You probably know the needs of your plants very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please send pictures of the entire group of plants, your Bougainvillea.  The lights. Tell us what you used for soil in your pots, what you are doing for fertilizer and what your water source used to be and what you have now.  Tap water is usable for awhile but chlorine and hydrofluorosilicic acid (fluoride) are poisonous.  If you have a friend that has well water I would go 'borrow' some water in a few 5 gallon buckets to use for watering. Chlorine at least, dissipates when left out in an open jug for a few hours.  I would plan on changing out the soil once per year if you have to use tap or city treatment water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your Bougainvillea, should be fine if you do not water too much, because it isn't photosynthesizing much, fertilizer only if you've never fertilized and only a small amount.  Did you use rocks or gravel at the bottom of your pots?  If you did we need to discuss getting your plants transplanted into new potting soil with no rocks at the bottom, no moisture holding gimmicks such as sponges or gels and certainly no fertilizer added to the potting soil. Keep fertilizer separate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We'll look for your pictures!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  Your bougainvillea looks like it is coming back just fine.  Those lights need to be lowered about 4 or more feet.  They are too high.  Lower them to a foot from the top of your tallest plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was hoping you weren't going to tell me you used gravel in your pots.  I guess you misunderstood that that is a big no no.  Causes a perched water table which in essence means you've got worse drainage than having no drain holes at all.  This doesn't have to happen right away but it does need to happen.  All those pots should be dumped and only potting soil goes into those pots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Long time myth that is still to this day very believed.  Nothing but potting soil and plant goes in pots.  A perched water table means there is a difference between pore spaces in the soil layers.  The top layer with small pore spaces has to become completely saturated before the water even begins to enter the gravel with large pore spaces.  Too much water for far too long.  Cut back on watering for sure until you repot your plants getting rid of that gravel/rocks at the bottom.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this makes sense, please let me know if you understand this perched water table thing!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get those lights hanging just a foot from the top of your largest plant.  Then lets talk about the specs on your lights.  They look good but nice to know for sure.  Certainly those lights need to be lowered to make use of the light they offer.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is the white on your largest black pot?  Is that pot peeling or is that stuff granular?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good news on the fertilizer.  Less is best but not enough will kill as well as a little too much.  Those lights look great, just lower them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-01-26T07:53:40.447" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T07:53:40.447" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36972" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36970" CreationDate="2018-01-25T22:32:11.467" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/plant-disease/brown-rot/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Brown Rot of stone fruits&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Without seeing or knowing more, Brown Rot most certainly could be the culprit. The first and best remedy is cleaning up the ground every fall.  I would also try to remove any 'mummies' left hanging on your tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This article discusses spraying and timing of spraying with fungicide.  I have to disagree with this article about the use of a fungicide/pesticide.  Insects are not your problem yet and pesticide is never used as a preventative.  Fungicide is always used for a preventative.  It is like a little raincoat.  Spore + water drop = infection of the entire plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never use 'Tangle Foot' or any sealant on pruning cuts.  Otherwise the information is basic.  Maybe I'll just go find a better article?  I also do not like, &quot;...naturally rather than using toxic chemicals...&quot;.  Everything is chemistry. Chemicals can be considered toxic to some plants, yet safe for others.  Bad for humans, bad for insects, safe for plants. Chemistry is chemistry.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another article on Brown Rot...&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/article/all-about-brown-rot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Brown Rot prevention&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-01-25T22:38:16.910" LastActivityDate="2018-01-25T22:38:16.910" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36973" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-26T09:07:44.197" Score="2" ViewCount="37" Body="&lt;p&gt;Im looking for a recommendation of the DLI for lettuce in a hydro setup for the first 14 days using a full spectrum led&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;i would figure it at 8 -12 mol/m2/day what do you think? &#xA;greets&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20672" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T09:07:44.197" Title="Lettuce - DLI recommendation day 1-14 with full spectrum led" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;lettuce&gt;&lt;led&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36974" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-26T13:45:16.127" Score="3" ViewCount="214" Body="&lt;p&gt;I keep reading that &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/oyster-mushroom.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;oyster mycelium&lt;/a&gt;, once it has grown some, will out-compete other organisms. To what degree is this true? Will it eventually push out green mold?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20476" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-27T01:25:48.973" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T01:25:48.973" Title="How competitive is the oyster mycelium mushroom?" Tags="&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36975" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36974" CreationDate="2018-01-26T14:51:53.503" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Oyster mushroom mycelium will definitely NOT out-compete green mold in anything but the most nitrogen poor substrates. Even then, it is usually just a race to get the mycelium to the point of fruiting before the mold starts to take hold. And although some molds are harmless, there is concern about consuming mushrooms from substrates that have begun to mold.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And once you start fortifying straw or sawdust with nitrogen (whether through molassas, alfalfa, or some other source), the chances of losing to the mold increases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T14:51:53.503" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36976" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-26T19:48:40.240" Score="3" ViewCount="407" Body="&lt;p&gt;Usually I plant garlic in the fall and let it go through winter and into spring. But what about growing it in spring? What care is needed for growing it over the spring/summer, if it can be done? I live in zone 4 (−30°F/-34°C).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-27T01:19:09.210" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T01:19:09.210" Title="Can I plant garlic in the spring?" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;garlic&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36977" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36976" CreationDate="2018-01-26T20:48:32.393" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know about zone 4, but in my area (zone 6) garlic is planted usually in spring, specifically in March right after the soil dethaws and is ready for harvest in July. When planted in spring, garlic competes for resources with weeds, so constant weeding is required, at least until the garlic grows well established roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the cloves to start forming, plants need to be watered on a regular basis because drought prevents their formation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T20:48:32.393" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36978" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36980" CreationDate="2018-01-26T22:37:03.740" Score="3" ViewCount="42" Body="&lt;p&gt;we had this little tree in a Pot and after a while there grew a green Stark. Over 3 Months the tree died and only the stark grew further.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And now a Year and a half later there grew this  thingy and no one knows what it is. You great people are my Last Hope.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aFWqs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aFWqs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Full Picture&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cAaPL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cAaPL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UfEap.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/UfEap.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup of broken Leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Further Details:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is standing on the Sunny Side.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Temperatur 22-25C&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Watered once a Week&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20674" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T00:08:42.977" Title="Identify a Plant, that killed the original small tree" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36979" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36976" CreationDate="2018-01-26T22:40:49.943" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Because garlic is a root product, by planting it in the fall there is more time for the bulb to grow, you simply get a tastier, bigger bulb.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You most certainly can plant in the spring. If you plant in raised beds and add a bit of balanced fertilizer, you should have decent sized bulbs by fall.  I never remember to plant garlic in the fall.  My bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Shallots, I have to add, I plant in the spring and they get huge by fall.  They are some cross between leek and garlic, I think. Look like a cross between and onion and garlic and they are wonderful as a substitute for onions and garlic. Mild yet distinctive flavor.  I don't think they store as well as garlic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T22:40:49.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36980" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36978" CreationDate="2018-01-26T22:50:17.890" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant is a succulent type. It thrives on little water. It stores its own water. The tree just couldn't compete. If you had watered more, the tree would have lived and this plant would have died. By watering infrequently, this guy thrived and the tree died. This plant did not kill your tree, grins. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1BSY9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1BSY9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Kalanchoe baharensis&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MLBQg.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MLBQg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Kalanchoe baharensis out of doors&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;http://Elephant&amp;#39;s%20ear%20Kalanchoe%20specs&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Elephant's ear Kalanchoe&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-01-26T23:00:35.723" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T23:00:35.723" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36981" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36976" CreationDate="2018-01-26T23:17:37.930" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've done it both ways (also zone 4) and always get better production if it's in the ground over winter (even if gotten in very late in the fall, or even early in the winter). Part of the problem is that it's going to be ready just about the same time, (late July or early August) as it's (IIRC) more based on day-length than age, so it will have less time to grow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2018-01-26T23:17:37.930" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36983" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-27T02:24:35.427" Score="5" ViewCount="163" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have had this plant for over 17 years sitting near my kitchen sink near 2 windows.  Some say it looks like a peace lily however never had a white bloom on it.  This had always been a hearty plant and these spikes would appear sometimes.  I have looked for similar plants but haven't had any luck.  These growing spikes are what are throwing the search off.  If you can identify this plant I would greatly appreciate to know the name and where I can get another one.  I live in Michigan and it died from a problem with the window being slightly open when it was below zero. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vmnNj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vmnNj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Wilted after being frozen but spikes are still looking green and lush&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This picture clearly shows the spike growth that no one has been able to identify&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5rceG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5rceG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Spikes growing from the plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The wilted leaf 2 days after the freeze&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5LYeX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5LYeX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Wilted leaf&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20675" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2018-01-28T21:12:14.750" LastActivityDate="2018-02-05T01:30:18.843" Title="Know what this plant is?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36985" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36956" CreationDate="2018-01-27T14:10:22.927" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Perennation? the survival of an individual over successive years, or of a dormant organ during unfavourable seasons. There's also dormancy, hibernation and senescence/senescent too however they over lap with descriptions. And I wouldn't use them describing a plant in this way. Although they are valid.&#xA;As VivdD has said, there are examples of specific plants that do just that, and just stop growing- however I did say I wouldn't use them describing a plant in that way! I seem to remember several types of desert plant that do just that and seem to die, and then spring back to life when conditions allow- their not dead nor alive- the problem is the explanations in main text are not exacting enough because there are many exemptions in the plant world. Its a very complicated subject and your always going to be caught out one minute and not the next.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="1999" LastEditDate="2018-01-27T16:58:58.103" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T16:58:58.103" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36986" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34428" CreationDate="2018-01-27T15:02:12.567" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I successfully propagate bougainvilleas in water, but there are some tips:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Choose cuttings that are almost hard (to avoid rotting in water).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put them in a small size paper cup half filled with water; remember that wide opening of cups help evaporating water, so keep the appropriate humidity.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;After 2 days when the water level decreases, add some dilute iron powder solution in the cup so the color changes to almost red but you can see the bottom&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Remember that the small white dots appear on the body of cuttings after 10 to 20 days, these are not roots but good signs of doing well.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Wait until real roots emerge from the bottom of cuttings, about 2 months or more after preparing the cuttings. Wait another month or more until the roots become between 2 to 3 inches long. You will see that roots go around the bottom of the cup. New growth and fresh leaves are another signs of this final stage.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Put the rooted cuttings in a well draining clay pot and water thoroughly.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;More important tips:&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;a) best time for taking the cuttings is during or after flowering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;b) best temperature for this method is about 22°C (72°F).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;c) keep checking the water level inside cups and add water and iron solution when needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;d) to avoid fungus remove any leaves that fall inside the cup from cuttings as soon as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;e) keep the cuttings away from direct sunlight, very little filtered sunlight is enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;f) keep the pots in the same place that you keep cuttings for several days and move them gradually to the full sun, otherwise your cuttings will wilt after potting due to changes in humidity and temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This was my 3-year experience of propagating bougainvilleas. Believe or not, it is 10 times more successful than other methods like putting the cuttings inside potting mixture or even using rooting hormone and I sure hope this will help you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20680" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2018-01-27T16:09:36.640" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T16:09:36.640" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36987" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36877" CreationDate="2018-01-27T15:24:32.633" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If in any doubt take all material to the local dump and let them sort if out, but if your only using shop bought chemicals then there shouldn't be a problem if left to rot down, or if burnt. As for wood again the only part contaminated would be the outer most layer not the main material in the core, and I wouldn't use it again indoors for safety or for cooking with either. if you do burn it then stay well away from the smoke for safety or dispose at the local tip- they will know what to do with it if you don't. If your thinking tonnes of material then an independent contractor should be used who is licenced to take that type of contaminated material away legally. If your using glyphosate, it should break down on contact with soil and also wash out a little with rain too- depends on how much did you use? neat or dissolved?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T15:24:32.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36988" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36876" CreationDate="2018-01-27T15:27:13.157" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say its a privet of some type- just remember to wash your hands after handling any plant material , the plant is quite toxic. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T15:27:13.157" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36989" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36865" CreationDate="2018-01-27T15:35:32.983" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Easy one to remember, maples have something called a samara, or winged seed they fall off in the wind and twist in the air, we used  to call them helicopter seeds as children. Liquidamber has tight dark brown like balls with seeds hidden inside- although from a distance they look similar, the leaves are quite different, maples are smooth and Liquids are not, the bark is also different depending on variety of maple, some are smooth, or peeling- the list goes on, liquids always have that mid grey rough looking bark only.  so to end- the picture is of a Liquidamber. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T15:35:32.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36990" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36853" CreationDate="2018-01-27T15:50:58.410" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depends on what concentration you used? I often buy premade products that are used straight from purchase- in theory one shouldn't have to touch or make a batch without touching the chemicals used. However I find many containers or sprayers used in the their design leak everywhere or seep out on hot days!&#xA;This is what it says on my stuff I buy: safe to replant or cultivate within 7 to 10 days after use anytime between May and September. However! if one reads more, it then says the effectiveness of the product can take from 1 to 4 weeks for the stuff to do its job? so your guess is as good as mine? &#xA;No conclusion is offered because industry doesn't like to rubber stamp themselves into an impossible legal situation- is it safe or not, one minute it is and then the next like stormy hints there are health issues- I should say no one I've come across in the industry has a definitive answer too, and I was quoting a direct piece of literature from the actual bottle of weedkiller I use at work. needless I was surprised by the bottle offered as advice? no wonder everyone is confused...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="1999" LastEditDate="2018-01-27T17:04:59.917" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T17:04:59.917" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36991" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36844" CreationDate="2018-01-27T16:05:15.530" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it has to be done, then thin the crown to allow more light in, then shorten most of the outer crown to two thirds of their original length all over, effectively giving it a massive trim or hair cut- should take half a day and look fairly clean- the tree should respond with quite a lot of lateral shoot growth in the first year that might need thinning again in the following late summer. The whole pruning project should be attempted in late summer to avoid infectious elements getting into the open cuts during the winter (no later than August for a tree of this size), thus ripening the ends before the bad weather sets in. I wouldn't do in spring as this would lead to open wounds that will bleed and go quite nasty. Usual rules apply for all pruning-use the three D's at all times(dead, diseased and damaged) anything rubbing, crossing inwards, weak or overly cluttered. I would use a very sharp chainsaw for anything over an inch and a half thick, the rest can be lopped out or sawn off by hand. Also as an extra note I would shorten the tree too I would remove possibly a quarter of the height to balance the finished appearance of the final look, making it look almost lollipop shaped- and if necessary raise the lower crown- although it might be a bit too much for the first years trim.&lt;br&gt;&#xA;Or you hire someone how knows what their doing? (make sure they have insurance!) &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastEditorUserId="1999" LastEditDate="2018-01-27T16:10:54.543" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T16:10:54.543" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36992" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36838" CreationDate="2018-01-27T16:28:51.230" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The short answer is Yes, use shop bought compost- and depending on what your growing, use a shop bought vegetable use liquid fertiliser to feed your plants from mid summer onwards- follow the instructions and everything should go ok.&#xA;In winter get rid of all the compost you used by spreading on your garden- it will be spent and pretty much useless for the next year.&#xA;Just make sure you use fairly large pots- think no smaller than a beach ball- this will allow room to grow and they wont dry out so fast during the summer.&#xA;Plants or seed can be bought from a garden center- should come with instructions- don't plant too close and water every night during a dry spell.&#xA;You might need protection from birds or slugs again ask at the garden center for help- birds you will need netting and canes- not all vegetables will need this, but slugs might be a problem- use the eco friendly version- safe to use round vegies! And buy yourself some good books! build your knowledge up every year- some things will work and others won't- not every garden is the same.&#xA;Oh and buy some of the strange varieties of vege- don't be boring! and don't grow stuff you can buy for peanuts in the supermarkets- expand your palate! lots of vege come in allsorts of colours and shapes- tomatoes are not just red! nor are carrots just orange either! enjoy yourself, experiment each year with something different. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T16:28:51.230" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36993" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36831" CreationDate="2018-01-27T16:38:31.370" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Walnut leaves when they fall off the tree in autumn can when beginning to rot down- give out a poison- its not toxic to us or birds as far as I know, however it can suppress weed growth and even kill off areas of grass under a tree. many trees and shrubs do the same thing- anything like oaks to rhododendrons all do the same- with varying results- the latter can take years to wash out of the soil. I suppose it must be a survival thing for the species to stop competition and allow itself to grow- its quite normal. However I wouldn't put too many leaves in one go on your compost heap as the resulting compost could possibly have the same effect- and damage other plants when spread around. But that's the only case of a walnut being dangerous to anything.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1999" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T16:38:31.370" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36994" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-27T22:02:32.730" Score="2" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is the following hedge shrub?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JC6j9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JC6j9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20684" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2018-01-27T22:20:50.540" LastActivityDate="2018-01-27T22:20:50.540" Title="What is the pictured hedge shrub?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36995" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="36998" CreationDate="2018-01-28T01:02:34.233" Score="9" ViewCount="2969" Body="&lt;p&gt;I made the mistake of not setting up chicken wire and the rabbits ate these 24&quot; bushes I just planted. All that remains are 1-2 little twigs, stripped of all the branches and leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Will these plants grow back in spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20686" LastActivityDate="2018-01-31T03:24:52.653" Title="Rabbits ate the blueberry shrubs I planted right down to the ground. Will the shrubs grow back?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36996" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="17456" CreationDate="2018-01-28T02:04:39.663" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;the PH of your water must be slightly acid otherwise nutrients cannot be absorbed by the roots coupled by lack of water id say use a liquid fertilizer (not miracle grow) something with a nutrient content of 5-5-5. thats 5 nitrogen 5 phosphorus and 5 potassium all essential for proper ginger growth&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20687" LastActivityDate="2018-01-28T02:04:39.663" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36997" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-28T03:43:43.257" Score="4" ViewCount="2877" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K3Vr2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K3Vr2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sWOz2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sWOz2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I have two potted Meyer lemon trees, both about 20 years old, in 14&quot; pots. I live in Rhode Island, so the trees are outside from May to October, then in a west facing, roughly 70 degree kitchen, with large windows and skylights, for the winter. I have had various issues over the years, mostly from scale insect or over-fertilization, but have always been able to bring them back. Re potted (and root pruned) both trees last fall, using a mixture of orchid medium (lots of bark), perlite and potting soil. They are on pot feet in plastic saucers. I water once or twice a week until water runs out of the bottom. One tree is doing fairly well, but the second which has always had a weaker root system—looks terrible. Leaves drooping and yellowing, some flower buds but I know that's not necessarily a good sign.It's still green under the bark when I scrape the bottom of the trunk, however. Was fertilizing weekly all summer, but have not fertilized either tree since they came in for the winter. There's no evidence of scale.  What am I doing wrong? Can anyone help? These trees are part of the family! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20688" LastEditorUserId="20688" LastEditDate="2018-02-09T23:50:06.333" LastActivityDate="2018-06-15T17:12:49.173" Title="Another dying Meyer lemon tree" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36998" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36995" CreationDate="2018-01-28T05:16:36.460" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Luke, I've done the same dang thing, this is the second year I've not protected my blue berries and I can pretty much assure you and myself, those blueberry shrubs will grow back if there is enough plant material left.  Unfortunately those dang bunnies ate the buds meant for berries.  You will not have any flowers or berries but the plants should survive so you (and mesef) can protect them for next year's harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Be nice to see a picture of your shrubs. But, no matter what, you have to get them protected now. If those bunnies eat all of the cambium (beneath the bark) and all of the buds, even  vegetative buds for leaves, you could lose the entire plant.  Please send  a picture.  Hey, I love bunnies.  It is fairly easy to protect your garden or green house from bunnies.  I've also got lots of cats from around the neighborhood so sad, but I won't be having a population problem from bunnies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chicken wire, cheap and it works if you get the edges at the soil level pinned down.  Row cloth works as well.  Just make sure the bunnies can't dig under.  Bunnies don't dig under something overnight usually.  I am using both, chicken wire to keep bunnies away from the shrubs and row cloth in case one gets in...the row cloth also protects the few buds that might no have been eaten.  Water them well when you have a few warm days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-01-28T05:16:36.460" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="36999" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37000" CreationDate="2018-01-28T11:04:52.763" Score="2" ViewCount="1933" Body="&lt;p&gt;I grew a wild arugula last year, and was very pleased with the plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to grow more of it this year, and maybe to add some (non-wild) arugula as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any notable difference between the two, except flower color, and annual/perenial classification? I mean any significant difference in taste, afrodisiac properties, optimal growing conditions, etc.?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wild arugula: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplotaxis_tenuifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplotaxis_tenuifolia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Arugula: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eruca_sativa&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eruca_sativa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Jacob Sturm's illustration of wild arugula:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DDbzk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just for illustration, a dish with arugula from wikimedia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/br05o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-28T11:10:59.037" LastActivityDate="2020-01-31T18:03:08.290" Title="Differences between arugula and wild arugula" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37000" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36999" CreationDate="2018-01-28T15:04:50.720" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Arugula and wild arugula is the same species. Just that the &quot;this-is-not-arugula&quot; is quicker to grow, so we have this &quot;false&quot; arugula sold as arugula, and started to call the true arugula as wild arugula (which is not wild, it is cultivated and selected since long time).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Both are very similar (culinary use). Different varieties have larger differences. Both were also used in Europe in the past, arugula as cultivated species, and Diplotaxis as wild species, where available. (so the contrary of what we think).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So speed of growth is the determinant, for commercial use.  Additionally, both (like many other vegetables) are a lot less healthy that we think (still healthy anyway): to be able to commercialize, selections removed the more strong/bitter varieties (which were healthier). If you look the old recipe, you see that the use is much different (few people still cook arugula, or put it in broths.  So if you are looking properties that were listed more than 50 years ago, you should really go wild and take such plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-01-28T15:04:50.720" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37001" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-28T17:17:07.577" Score="3" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live at about 45° in the North hemisphere, and during winter I use to put my plants indoor. After some time, I start to notice a proliferation of midges, apparently from the soil. Is there a way to prevent this proliferation (possibly without the use of chemicals)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7262" LastActivityDate="2018-01-28T17:38:53.937" Title="How to prevent midges proliferation on indoor plants?" Tags="&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37002" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37001" CreationDate="2018-01-28T17:38:53.937" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungus_gnat&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;fungus gnats&lt;/a&gt; which live on organic matter in soils that are moist for long periods.  They do not bite but are an annoyance as they seem to want to fly into your face.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These controls should all be tried at once:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;yellow sticky traps attract the adults and are disposed of when full&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;keep the soil dry by watering so that the the top of the soil dries out thoroughly between watering makes conditions less attractive&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;a mixture of 5 ml dish soap to one liter water.  Pour into the plant and let it drain.  Wait a minute for the solution to coat the insect larvae in the soil and then rinse with water to wash the soap out.  Weak plants will not like this.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are other more exotic and expensive solutions such as nematodes, Bacillus thuringiensis and exotic oils but I recommend starting with simple things like sticky traps.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2018-01-28T17:38:53.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37003" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36983" CreationDate="2018-01-28T17:54:57.443" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is two plants in one pot.  A &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/5856/499&quot;&gt;spathiphyllum&lt;/a&gt; or peace lily and another succulent plant which I have seen but cannot identify.  Possibly a member of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbiaceae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Euphoribiacia&lt;/a&gt; family.  Many members of the family are quite hardier and would be able to resist the cold temperatures that the spathiphyllum could not&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2018-01-28T18:47:32.000" LastActivityDate="2018-01-28T18:47:32.000" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37004" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36983" CreationDate="2018-01-28T18:31:22.290" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;What color were the spikes that did come up?  Can you describe the blossoms?   The leaves don't look right for an anthurium, but I know there are a ton, so maybe there are some with that type of leaf?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other segmented plant could be a rhipsalis.  I'm also not very familiar with them but have one. Very trouble free, tough, and low maintenance.  I think they are prehistoric, but not entirely sure about that.  They are segmented, and break fairly easily at the joints.  The one I have gets little white flowers on the ends.  The conditions in your window look like it should get enough light to bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16406" LastActivityDate="2018-01-28T18:31:22.290" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37005" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37010" CreationDate="2018-01-28T21:30:42.200" Score="11" ViewCount="1494" Body="&lt;p&gt;My wife is a kindergarten teacher and this year, as an end of year gift for the children, she wanted to give them each a small tomato plant to bring home on the last day of school. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;She asked me to grow these as I already grow seedlings for our vegetable garden and annual flowers for our beds. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't discounted the idea but I'm wondering if there might be some better options (my wife is open to this).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My reservations are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;We are in zone 4/5 with a last frost date of May 10. I usually plant my tomatoes around this date to maximize the growing season but the last day of school is around the 23rd of June which seems late to plant tomato seedlings in the garden (particularly in Canada with a short growing season).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Tomatoes seedlings seem like fragile plants. They will need to take a car ride, spend all day in a classroom and then some of these will be taking a ride on a school bus and may end up with a few bruises along the way.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;I always plant my tomato seedlings in small pots rather than plugs (because I haven't had success with plugs for tomatoes) and growing 19 tomatoes plus backups in case some die will take a lot of space in my small growing setup.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to know if the tomatoes are a good idea and if not I'm looking for suggestions. The plants would need to be tough to survive being badly handled during transport, easy to grow for non-gardeners, easy to start from seeds in plugs and ideally could be grown in a pot and be a fun plant for kids.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We're open to colorful annual flowers or culinary herbs. Two plants that came to mind are Mint and Marigolds (though I have no experience with the latter).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11555" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-03-01T22:58:26.493" LastActivityDate="2018-03-01T22:58:26.493" Title="Plant recommendation for gift for kindergarten students" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;annuals&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37006" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37031" CreationDate="2018-01-28T21:36:41.830" Score="5" ViewCount="91" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few weeks ago I sprayed my broccoli and bok choy plants with &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;bacillus thuringiensis&lt;/a&gt; in an attempt to control caterpillar numbers. I'm pleased to see no new caterpillars (pieris rapae larvae) since then even though I have seen eggs laid on leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, bacillus thuringiensis is said only to persist on the leaves for a few days so why is the effect lasting so long? I think the recommendation is to respray after three weeks so it's not just me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do the bacteria numbers increase in the soil after application, or is there some other mechanism that suppresses the larvae?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ps: diy expansion of the bacteria using a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/milk-natural-pesticide-zmaz82mazglo&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;milk culture&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-31T05:14:00.747" LastActivityDate="2018-01-31T19:23:29.733" Title="How long is bacillus thuringiensis active?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;insects&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37008" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37005" CreationDate="2018-01-28T23:15:29.697" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eaLql.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eaLql.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Carex testacea Orange Sedge&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My two suggestions; Scarlet Runner Beans and the second is Carex testacea or Orange Sedge. Easy to grow, very pretty no matter its age, wonderful to tuck into any plant bed or pot,  nice just left in the pot and moved around to dress up a corner or a group of pots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My second suggestion would be Scarlet Runner Beans.  Tough, hardy, vigorous, fast...very pretty...this one might survive if planted out of doors right away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fun part is this plant makes a safe (edible) pretty TEE PEE for kids.  I would make 3 plants per kid.  Give parents a head's up to procure at least 3, 6 to 8 foot long branches or 2X2's.  Make the structure of a Tee Pee.  Bury the ends of the poles in the ground a foot.  Tie the tops together.  Parents help plant three starts of these scarlet runner beans.  Drag kids out every single time it needs to be watered.  Lots at first, less as the vines mature.  No overwatering.  I'd make raised 'boobs' to plant the starts in. Firm the 'boobs' first, then plant one of the starts.  A chunk of row cloth to protect from errant frost.  One tablespoon of Osmocote 14-14-14 (send kids home with a ziplock with a tablespoon of Osmocote to add when planting)... sprinkled over the soil around the 3 starts would help ensure success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Same for the grass.  A tsp. per 2 to 4 inch potted baby grass when they are ready to go home with student.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anything started indoors, in a greenhouse, will need acclimation from indoors to be planted out of doors.  From a greenhouse to the indoors or the out of doors.  No plant can safely go from greenhouse to indoors or from greenhouse to out of doors instantly without major problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qepyp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qepyp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;scarlet bean runner teepee&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-02-02T01:58:54.317" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T01:58:54.317" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37009" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37012" CreationDate="2018-01-29T01:18:43.373" Score="3" ViewCount="4644" Body="&lt;p&gt;In my hydroponic system, I need to control the ph level with natural household items without harming the plants. Currently, the ph level is very low (3). Any one know how to do this both ways?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20657" LastActivityDate="2019-04-23T08:55:32.637" Title="How to increase or decrease the ph level of a hydroponic solution with natural household items?" Tags="&lt;hydroponic&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="14" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37010" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37005" CreationDate="2018-01-29T01:19:20.833" Score="11" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recall doing something like this each spring (for several years) growing up, and the plant of choice was Marigolds (planted in a paper cup, as far as I recall) which were grown in class and then taken home at the end.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tough enough, and if grown in the classroom they can also be an educational experience while not taking up any of your growing space at home. They travel and transplant well, or can be a potted plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mint is tough, but it's also essentially a perennial weed if not carefully contained, and the flowers are small and boring for most children.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2018-01-29T01:19:20.833" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37011" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37009" CreationDate="2018-01-29T01:48:44.290" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Whether or not your household has any right now, probably the least likely to kill your plants common substance to raise pH would be ground limestone. In some systems limestone or marble chips are used, which last longer but act more slowly than the ground dust-like material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2018-01-29T01:48:44.290" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37012" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37009" CreationDate="2018-01-29T08:20:52.920" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I very much doubt that your tap water and deep water culture have a pH of 3. Nutrient lockout occurs below 5.5 yet your plants mostly seem okay based on your previous question. City water tends not to be acidic as that would corrode pipes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Furthermore as plants take up nutrients the pH tends to rise and as you add nutrients the pH falls. So one would expect your water to be alkaline.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In flood and drain systems the pH might be too high if you had grow media with too much calcium carbonate, or concrete tubs. So to raise the pH you could add dolmitic lime. Baking soda contains too much sodium which your plants won't like.  Some people use sea shells, and egg shells to help buffer the pH.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-29T08:20:52.920" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37013" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-29T09:06:16.363" Score="0" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;The US Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program&lt;/a&gt; has a set of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/7/part-205/subpart-C&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;regulations&lt;/a&gt; which determines if an agricultural production can be considered as &quot;organic&quot; or not:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;205.200 General.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;205.201 Organic production and handling system plan.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;205.202 Land requirements.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;205.203 Soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice standard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;205.204 Seeds and planting stock practice standard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;205.205 Crop rotation practice standard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;205.206 Crop pest, weed, and disease management practice standard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;205.207 Wild-crop harvesting practice standard.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;205.236 Origin of livestock.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;205.237 Livestock feed.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;205.238 Livestock health care practice standard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;205.239 Livestock living conditions.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;205.240 Pasture practice standard.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;205.270 Organic handling requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;205.271 Facility pest management practice standard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;205.272 Commingling and contact with prohibited substance prevention practice standard.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are there similar regulations in other countries?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-01-29T09:34:04.123" LastActivityDate="2018-01-29T12:28:42.723" Title="Definitions (criteria/requirements) of &quot;organic&quot; growing throughout the world" Tags="&lt;organic&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ClosedDate="2018-02-02T15:48:10.643" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37014" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37005" CreationDate="2018-01-29T09:43:58.093" Score="8" Body="&lt;p&gt;Have you considered something as simple as Garden Cress (Lepidium sativum)?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IqDdW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IqDdW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Garden Cress&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can simply hand out a pack of seeds and a piece of cotton wool. The kids can then &quot;plant&quot; it themselves (really just sprinkle the seeds on damp cotton wool) and watch it grow. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Given how fast it grows - couple of inches a week - and that it is edible, its a pretty good learning exercise to see how the plants develop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing cress is quite a common thing in UK schools/nursery. I realise you're US based, but the plant itself is common in the US as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20691" LastActivityDate="2018-01-29T09:43:58.093" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37015" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37013" CreationDate="2018-01-29T12:28:42.723" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Do you mean is there an EU equivalent? Yes, I think this &lt;a href=&quot;https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/index_en&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;site&lt;/a&gt; will give you the info for organic farming in the EU.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2018-01-29T12:28:42.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37016" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-29T14:50:40.197" Score="1" ViewCount="630" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can someone give (or point me to) a rough guide of the correlation between generalized sunlight requirements (i.e. partial sun, indirect sunlight, full sun, etc...) and their approximate corresponding PPFD (Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density) values?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I ask because it is difficult for me to parse these generalized values given that I am in a semi-tropical environment, US Hardiness Zone 9b. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Specifically, Peace Lily care requirements state that they do well in low light, but 'low' is a highly relative term, and a more precise suggested (even approximate) PPFD value would be much more helpful. I am trying to determine whether I should get a brighter L.E.D. for the Peace Lily I am growing inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20638" LastEditorUserId="20638" LastEditDate="2018-01-29T15:23:17.567" LastActivityDate="2019-02-15T20:19:18.700" Title="PPFD vs general sunlight requirements" Tags="&lt;sunlight&gt;&lt;light&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37017" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-29T16:29:52.567" Score="7" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;January 29, Zone 5&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I optimistically purchased 500 daffodil bulbs late last fall and did not get them in the ground before winter. I stored them outside in the container they came in, like a milk crate but lower and they were stacked about 2-3 high. I put the container on a wire chair and covered the top only with a tarp. I did this with the tulip bulbs also. They did not get wet at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tulip bulbs were very firm and I think they will bloom later but will be fine. They were very hard and healthy. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The daffodil bulbs seem a little soft, but not totally squishy. I am wondering what the odds of these blooming and being healthy next year might be, and was looking for opinions. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't planted daffodils much so don't know if this is normal or not.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, any advice on extra things I can do to make the best of this situation and baby the bulbs/plants would be appreciated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you so much for your help!!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20694" LastActivityDate="2018-01-30T09:14:26.953" Title="Daffodil Bulbs Planting in Winter" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;bulbs&gt;&lt;daffodils&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37018" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-29T17:46:18.023" Score="3" ViewCount="1314" Body="&lt;p&gt;I often find some of my potted plants have root rot problem. They start dying from below. I was been advised in the past to avoid over watering but even if I maintain that and the soil remains between dry to moist, still root rot occurs. Rather I feel perhaps it happens more if watered less. Usually I have noticed this problem with Pothos, ZZ plant and other indoor plants that are grown in low light. What might be going wrong ? My soil is porous and has a lot of coconut fiber added to it. But still there is problem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20695" LastActivityDate="2018-02-10T02:32:08.137" Title="Root rot in indoor plants" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;rot&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37019" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37018" CreationDate="2018-01-30T01:02:13.183" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Overwatering is the cause of the majority of indoor plant deaths.  This usually goes hand in hand with not enough light.  We tend to think if we can see indoors then that is enough to grow a plant.  Outdoor light levels are commonly measured at 100,000 lux.  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/light-level-rooms-d_708.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Indoor light levels&lt;/a&gt; range from 20 to 1000 lux.  A reduction in light reduces the amount of plant activity and also reduces the need for water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is not easy to visually estimate and gets worse the farther a plant is from the light source.  Your plant at the windowsill might get 500 lux on a sunny day.  If you decide to move it two meters away the plant now gets one quarter of the original light or about 125 lux thanks to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://photography.tutsplus.com/articles/rules-for-perfect-lighting-understanding-the-inverse-square-law--photo-3483&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;inverse square law&lt;/a&gt;. This is just enough to sustain it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another common problem with determining when to water is the tendency to look at the surface of the soil.  You will often find that the surface of the soil is dry while an inch down it is still quite moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For houseplants in low light levels I recommend:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;re potting in the spring by removing the bottom of the root ball of the plant and adding more soil at the bottom &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rotating your plants to higher light levels for a few months at a time. Move them outdoors in the summer if you can give them time to adjust to the increased light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fertilise at extremely diluted concentrations only during the summer months. A low light plant cannot use the fertiliser as it is not getting enough light levels to use it&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use a wicking system as described &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/4002/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/4280/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2018-01-30T01:02:13.183" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37020" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37005" CreationDate="2018-01-30T07:34:41.250" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I agree that the 23rd of June is going to be kind of late for most tomatoes. There are some varieties that might perform better than average when planted later, but I don't recommend planting tomatoes late unless you're experimenting, doing succession planting for a variety that works with, or otherwise know what you're doing. Plants can grow a lot differently when planted later on when it's hotter and drier (if your climate is like mine there). I think I've heard of people having great success doing succession planting with corn, anyhow. I've had a good experience transplanting corn before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might try early beans (I prefer pole beans for increased plant size and vigor, but bush beans might work) and at least some kinds of sunflowers. Sunflowers and beans can be fun for children. I know sunflowers are used in classes for children sometimes, as they sprout fast, look cool, and are easy to grow. I had at least one good experience with a sunflower I received from a class as a child. One of my relatives, as a child, recieved a pole bean in a class and had a very good experience with it (in a container).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7111" LastEditorUserId="7111" LastEditDate="2018-01-30T07:41:40.937" LastActivityDate="2018-01-30T07:41:40.937" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37022" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37024" CreationDate="2018-01-30T08:31:01.087" Score="2" ViewCount="250" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing cauliflower(single plant) at my home in India. I have attached the image of the same. The head formed two weeks ago and i have started to see some pinkish- brown spots on the head.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can somebody help me in identifying what is happening to the head part? Is it healthy or needs to be picked up?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2eWAD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2eWAD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cauliflower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16489" LastActivityDate="2018-01-30T10:40:38.190" Title="Cauliflower : What is happening to these curds?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;cauliflower&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37023" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37017" CreationDate="2018-01-30T09:14:26.953" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know exactly what you mean by a little soft? Do they rot or are they drying out? Do you have pictures?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like you probably know, it's too late to plant them now. My tulips and daffodils are 5-10 cm above ground already (Netherlands, zone 8b, 30 January).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The way I store these bulbs is in cardboard box. Between every layer of bulbs I put some old newspapers to separate the layers. The box is best kept in a cellar or garage (cool, dry place). I think outside the temperatures can become too extreme (freezing cold or too hot in summer).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2018-01-30T09:14:26.953" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37024" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37022" CreationDate="2018-01-30T10:40:38.190" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Cauliflowers take on many different colors so I don't think it's an issue. They often look purple due to the production of anthocyanins. If you want white, you need to cover the flower to protect against sunlight to blanch them. Many people tie the leaves together, or, if you plant closely the leaves are forced close by crowding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-30T10:40:38.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37025" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37005" CreationDate="2018-01-30T19:02:42.107" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sensitive plants!&lt;/strong&gt; - &lt;em&gt;Mimosa pudica&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_pudica&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_pudica&lt;/a&gt; Cheap, easy to grow, react when you touch them, pretty fuzzball flowers, will survive in a fairly small pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2018-01-30T19:02:42.107" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37027" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-31T00:05:43.027" Score="5" ViewCount="891" Body="&lt;p&gt;My house I recently moved back into has a tree in the side yard that has over-grown the small retaining wall after 10+ years.  I didn't know this was going on as I was an absentee owner for a while, but now am faced with roots that have squeezed on top of the wall bricks.  I'm trying to widen the retaining wall to give the tree more room, but should I try and remove the bricks?  I'm a little worried that if I remove the bricks the tree will become unstable.  I see one root has managed to grow out of the bricks.  I will try and make the wall taller too so the roots have dirt up to the bottom of the tree. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is a beautiful tree and I don't want to have to cut it down, but it was certainly an error to plant it in this small of an area. Bad landscaping company for not planning ahead. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyone have any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/18H4o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/18H4o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Partial tree including base&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/REszW.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/REszW.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Up-close roots&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c1CPM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/c1CPM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Roots breaking through&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wXPi0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wXPi0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Need to widen retaining wall&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20702" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-01-31T00:53:02.797" LastActivityDate="2018-08-28T08:00:36.363" Title="What should I do about a tree that is growing over my retaining wall?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;roots&gt;&lt;wall&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37028" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36995" CreationDate="2018-01-31T03:24:52.653" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rabbits will eat any part of the blue berry bush that they can reach. As noted by Stormy,  ; chicken wire better fencing is needed. I did find that human hair ( barber or beauty shop) sprinkled around does give additional discouragement. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2018-01-31T03:24:52.653" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37029" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-01-31T07:04:01.050" Score="5" ViewCount="486" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking at the middle of a 3&quot; tree root, that's intruded under a slab and along plumbing.  How can I determine &quot;which direction to the tree&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've cut a section out of this root.  One end is damp, the other is literally dripping water (and has dripped for days).  Given the position of the root, either way could be the tree trunk.  Digging to find out which is not practical.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any such thing as a tracer die that can be injected, then found on the tree trunk?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v4ciC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v4ciC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20701" LastActivityDate="2018-01-31T07:59:16.440" Title="If I cut a 3&quot; tree root, and one side drips, which way is the tree?" Tags="&lt;roots&gt;&lt;tree-removal&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37030" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37029" CreationDate="2018-01-31T07:59:16.440" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The force that drives water from the soil to the tree top is hydrostatic pressure caused by evaporation of water from the leaves.  So, when you sever a root, you remove that hydrostatic pressure from one side.  There is no longer a significant force to draw water from the fine roots back to the leaves so the side that leaks the lesser amount of fluid is the remote side of the cut.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is still able to send carbohydrates etc to the roots and so the side that is gushing fluid is the tree side of the cut.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-31T07:59:16.440" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37031" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37006" CreationDate="2018-01-31T19:23:29.733" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most commercial preparations of BT contain both the spores of bacillus thuringiensis and the crystal toxin produced by the bacterium. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The commercial product contains about 2.5 x 10 to the 11th viable spores per gram. Typical agricultural formulations that contain spores and protein crystals include wettable powders, spray concentrates, liquid concentrates, dusts, baits, and time release rings &lt;a href=&quot;http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/24d-captan/bt-ext.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's the actual insecticidal crystal protein that is required to kill the insect, and this dissolves in the highly acidic pH of the insect gut activating the poison.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bXG2k.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bXG2k.png&quot; alt=&quot;BT mechanism&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now the bacterium and toxin only persists for about 4 days with a bacterium half life of about 3.8 hours on leaf tissue due to the sterilizing effect of UV, and presumed breakdown of the crystals in the environment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the infected insects constitute another source of the bacterium since as they die their bodies become infected with the bacillus and spill their contents.  So, I suspect that is why the effect appears to persist for a few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-01-31T19:23:29.733" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37032" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36686" CreationDate="2018-01-31T21:22:37.060" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maybe the plant is not 'hungry', can I ask if that insect in the photo was captured by the plant itself or did you put a dead insect there? The trap will only work for living insects, they'll have to move and keep moving to keep triggering the trap. A dead bug won't trigger the trap to completion.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Like stormy already said, the plant is dormant in wintertime, so it doesn't need much of nitrogen now. I would not fertilize the soil of carnivorous plants, you may burn them (because of high concentration salts). They live in bogs, with a lot of rain and water with scarce amount of nutrition in the soil (that's why they evolved to capture insects for nitrogen intake). So in nature they don't get nutrition from the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can test if your plant is still alive, by touching one of the traps and see if it responses. However, don't do it too often, because a trap can only be used a few times.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2018-01-31T21:22:37.060" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37033" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37036" CreationDate="2018-02-01T06:57:14.363" Score="2" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;I happened to photograph one of the shrubs that was wild around my home. Surprised to see it resemble somewhat closer to a cactus, however couldn't find help from the locals. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am currently living in India, and if somebody could identify the plant i would be really thankful.&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p799A.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/p799A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16489" LastActivityDate="2018-02-01T16:05:41.723" Title="What is this shrub" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37034" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37039" CreationDate="2018-02-01T11:29:17.970" Score="3" ViewCount="111" Body="&lt;p&gt;Actually, there are two of the same species:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XsTLa.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They are 5m high at this time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mmfcl.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Needles/scales are really small:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/TEwrY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Yek9.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is in zone 8a.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-01T15:15:03.640" LastActivityDate="2018-03-13T20:04:02.480" Title="What is this dense erect sculpture-like bluish conifer?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;conifers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37035" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-01T12:56:02.763" Score="3" ViewCount="1179" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an orange tree that has some issue but I can´t pin down what it could be, I don´t have that much experience with pinning down deficiencies or exceses on trees than in plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I will post some photos, the decoloration could be manganese or zinc (thats what I´ve found while researching on the internet) but what about the curled/clawed leaves? In plants clawed leaves normally is soil toxicity but for citrus trees people on the internet point at pests to be the issue, like thrips/miners, I don´t seem to see any pests on the leaves or under them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HfTqI.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/HfTqI.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Clawed leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v6dmi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v6dmi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QDrZy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QDrZy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZCvjj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZCvjj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20219" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T20:57:49.387" Title="Citrus tree deficiency or toxicity" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37036" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37033" CreationDate="2018-02-01T16:05:41.723" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://duckduckgo.com/?q=varigated%20thistle%20&amp;amp;t=ffsb&amp;amp;iax=images&amp;amp;ia=images&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Silybum marianum&lt;/a&gt; The &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silybum_marianum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Variegated thistle&lt;/a&gt;, or Milk thistle as b.nota states.&#xA;It grows in Australia. I've seen it in California. Wikipedia says&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Originally a native of Southern Europe through to Asia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That includes India.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2018-02-01T16:05:41.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37037" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-01T16:59:15.857" Score="2" ViewCount="28" Body="&lt;p&gt;why do i not get any blooms on my hybrid fruit trees? live in south fl. has ample sun, gets plenty of H2O! has ground cover under the tree. tree is 4-5 yrs old. did have some fruit 2yrs ago??????&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20713" LastActivityDate="2018-02-01T16:59:15.857" Title="NO fruit on my Hybrid orange/lemon tree" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2018-02-14T20:02:26.340" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37038" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-01T18:47:04.907" Score="5" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;Background: We live on a large mountain. And the soil we have here is full of small, medium and large rocks everywhere. Throughout the time we've lived here, growing trees is really hit and miss. Due to our ignorance of planting trees and types of soil to use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know now that specific trees require specific elements (nitrogen) and a specific pH level in the soil in order to thrive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I remove S/M/L rocks from the existing soil before planting new fruit trees?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should you ever use top soil when planting new trees when replacing existing soil?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If not (2), then what type of soil is recommended for planting fruit trees?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;How often should someone water fruit trees?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there a general understanding of the elements needed for planting fruit trees, and the pH level in the soil?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20712" LastActivityDate="2018-02-03T00:23:20.773" Title="What type of soil should I use with fruit trees?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37039" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37034" CreationDate="2018-02-01T21:00:47.647" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks similar to &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaecyparis_lawsoniana&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaecyparis_lawsoniana&lt;/a&gt;.  Mine is ‘Blue Surprise’, quite blue indeed, and a favorite.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[Edit]&#xA;My guess is foliage differs between cultivars.  See my specimen at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.flickr.com/gp/157309556@N05/qH50MU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.flickr.com/gp/157309556@N05/qH50MU&lt;/a&gt;.  Note the original tag says &quot;foliage is juvenile&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QHCgK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QHCgK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S8bBN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S8bBN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mxkP7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mxkP7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20715" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-13T20:04:02.480" LastActivityDate="2018-03-13T20:04:02.480" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37040" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37051" CreationDate="2018-02-01T22:00:25.957" Score="4" ViewCount="992" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have started preparing a small piece of land for growing vegetables. To my disappointment, I quickly realised that it has been used in the past years as a dump site. Among other bigger pieces of rubbish there are several tiny pieces of plastic and nylon. It’s hard to estimate their quantity but I’d say there is one every 10 cubic cm. I am removing all the garbage and the smaller nylon pieces I can see, but I am wondering if it would be safe to grow vegetables there, or if the plastic has already polluted the soil and I should move to another place.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20717" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T10:50:40.843" Title="Is it safe growing vegetables in a soil that has plastic fragments?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;pollution&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37041" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-01T23:36:24.757" Score="3" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;A couple years ago I had someone repair and replace front yard yard watering rubber piping with pvc, and replace drip system lines.  He did not put heads on the drip lines.  I have noticed that the lines do not seem to have the pressure that they used to have with the old system. I should have notified the contractor sooner, but I was disgusted with his services and did not want to deal with him. &#xA;He also laid sod in the back yard that only partially took.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I get more pressure in the drip lines?  is there something I can do or do I have to hire someone to fix the problem?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20720" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2018-02-02T07:41:53.870" LastActivityDate="2018-09-01T04:01:22.367" Title="Newer watering system lacks pressure" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;drip-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37042" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37040" CreationDate="2018-02-01T23:36:59.790" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pieces of plastic, nylons, if it wasn't a public dump site I doubt there will be &lt;em&gt;major&lt;/em&gt; problems. no big deal.  I would make raised beds to encourage drainage for your plant's roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In your case, I would most certainly get a soil test done by your Cooperative Extension Service.  Tell them what you are worried about and if they don't do  tests for major pollutants I would go spend the money to have a private outfit test your soil.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It would be well worth the money. Plastic has been studied and seems to be  detrimental only as a bottle or cup or baby bottle, holding liquids and/or being heated which allows the BPA into the food, water within bottles and canned goods.  Otherwise, THE FDA says it is minuscule amount. ha ha ha. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don't trust anything any government or official body says.  Fluoride in your drinking water is far far far worse. The fact they allowed fluoride to be dumped in our drinking water when there were absolutely no tests saying it was beneficial for teeth or health in anyway...for 80 years, now?  Industries get fined big time dumping it in the ocean, near aquifers  and fresh water, why would they get paid to dump it in our drinking water?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get soil tests done. Will you be watering with tap water or hopefully well water?  Fluoride is taken up by plants readily as are heavy metals.  When we eat our vegetables we eat any heavy metals or fluoride that has been stored in our plants.  When we water with city water our plants get lots of heavy metals, lead, arsenic and definitely fluoride from the water we are supposed to be able to drink safely. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Chemtrails have been finally taken out from under the 'conspiracy' label.  They spray chemicals to act as a nucleus for water droplets and those chemicals are primarily heavy metals.  Look up the patents on Geo Engineering...they go back to the 20's  1920's...and are still very much in force today and covering our skies.  Fluoride would be another important matter to research. There are excellent videos.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This chemical spraying IS raising the heavy metal content and raising the pH of all our soils and fresh water sources. If you are using tap water with chlorine and fluoride (hydrofluorosilicic acid), lead and arsenic usually come with 'fluoride', there are no studies (I could find about) leachate BPA affects soils other than the FDA saying it is BELOW the amount THEY worry about for our health, I sure hope you get a proper soil test. What a mess of chemistry and who knows what the reactions of all these chemicals become when mixed?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Please get some soil tests and please let us know what you find!  Send us the report.  Tell the testers what it is you are concerned about finding in your soil.  How long ago did you purchase this home? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are able to chose another spot, I would do so.  You have no idea what they dumped in that area; paints, paint thinner, asbestos, lead debris, old pressure treated lumber, pesticides they needed to dump...all kinds of poisonous chemistry were probably dumped...but perhaps just plastic and nylons?  I'd find another spot AND get soil tests done.  What water are you using?  Well water?  From an aquifer below this little dump?  There are ramifications of non disclosure with real estate purchases. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Hate to be a downer but you sound knowledgeable and wondering about safety and chemistry of stuff you grow and the water you drink. Rightfully so!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-02-01T23:42:40.257" LastActivityDate="2018-02-01T23:42:40.257" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37043" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37035" CreationDate="2018-02-02T00:14:59.030" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a classic case of magnesium deficiency. Likely the soil ph has also made it difficult for the plant to use manganese as well. This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.yara.in/crop-nutrition/crops/citrus/crop-nutrition/deficiencies/mg/5998-magnesium-deficiency-on-orange---citrus/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;fertilizer website&lt;/a&gt; has this picture below and it is also discussed in some detail &lt;a href=&quot;http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss582&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and a good description is from &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/138765/mg-mn-deficiencies-cit.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Manganese deficiency is indicated when leaves become&#xA;  mottled with lighter green or yellowish green areas&#xA;  between the major veins. The veins themselves and&#xA;  bands of tissue on each side remain green. Both&#xA;  young and mature leaves may show symptoms. Where&#xA;  the deficiency is mild the pattern gradually disappears&#xA;  as the leaves age, but if the deficiency is severe the&#xA;  pattern persists in mature leaves&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7qKvD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7qKvD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;manganese deficiency&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is most likely to be caused by an acid soil ph preventing the uptake of all the required minerals.  Extremely acid or alkaline soils inhibit the uptake of minor nutrients.  Your plant may also have or will in the future also show symptoms of iron and magnesium deficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fixing the problem:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repot the plant yearly with fresh soil less mix that has a balanced ph&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;use a fertilizer for citrus with chelated micro nutrients so they are more readily available&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;determine what the soil ph is and re-mediate.  The most likely result is too acid which would be because of the ph of the tap water.  Soft water is usually acidic. If too acid use lime, organic matter or mulches.  Although much maligned clay top soil has excellent buffering properties for potted plants.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2018-02-02T17:13:37.867" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T17:13:37.867" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37044" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37041" CreationDate="2018-02-02T00:23:36.080" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you answer how many heads are included per zone?  When you turn it on, and one zone goes off, how many heads are included?  How many zones do you have on your controller?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Are the drip lines in a separate zone?  I totally understand why you would be very very unhappy but these yayhoos deserve to be called out to fix what they do.  If they DON'T fix it THEN you can hire someone else and charge it to the original yayhoo.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your first step will be to call that yayhoo and get him to fix this problem he made.  I would also call an expert from Rainbird to have them listen to your discussion with said yayhoo.  Have someone right there that understands automatic irrigation, let them know of course you will be getting this fixed and you want a PROFESSIONAL.  They'll be out there and should be professional.  Saying nothing just listening.  No trucks or uniforms with decals.  You want to get information from this yayhoo and then get your irrigation fixed professionally.  The laws are fairly clear; this yayhoo irrigation contractor needs to have a license, references, bonded...or he is in big time trouble.  That you shall be able to use for power.  With guidance from Rainbird or other referenced irrigation/landscape contractor you should be able to get your irrigation working without spending another dime.  You could even have a professional dude right there while this yayhoo is supervised by a professional.  I would also be talking with an attorney. Free for the first half hour?  Scare the pants off this guy he has to make good or pay for someone who can, that is the law.  If he isn't licensed don't let anyone shame you for not looking before hiring.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not your problem until now but you deserve to have your irrigation working for the money you already paid.  And yayhoo contractors, subcontractors, landscape contractors...need feedback when they take advantage of homeowners!  There are laws for taking advantage of home owners by contractors whether licensed and especially unlicensed. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Angie's list is one way to get information.  Preferably before you hire but if you've been hurt by a builder, contractor, subcontractor, someone hired by a contractor or subcontractor and every state has their own warranty clauses that unless you signed a contract that was amended in the favor of the contractor you have major major rights. Angie's List, lawyers, have ways to help you recover your money and get your job done correctly and getting it done using the money of your yayhoo.  Regardless of whether you had a contract with them or asked for their license and bonding information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have rights and the statute of limitations can be HUGE.  In Washington State, it is 12 years!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T00:23:36.080" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37045" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37047" CreationDate="2018-02-02T00:48:52.170" Score="5" ViewCount="1033" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a 1.5-acre section that has not been properly maintained for many years. It is covered with high grass with some shrubs of willow, gorse and broom:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ClnN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ClnN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;(the grass is actually much higher now as the photo is 1 year old)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plan is to either make it a nice and clean green lawn that would be regularly maintained, or food forest, or both as I am actually planning to build on the land. Either way, the section needs to be easy to traverse, so the vegetation needs to be kept under control — especially gorse; the soil would have lots of gorse seeds now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What would be the steps and what machinery would need to be involved? Does it need to be bulldozered/plowed/harrowed first? Or can the vegetation be simply cut somehow so that mowing and/or tree planting could proceed right afterwards?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20721" LastEditorUserId="20721" LastEditDate="2018-02-02T05:01:06.183" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T08:56:52.040" Title="How to turn a field of high grass/shrub into lawn or food forest?" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37046" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-02T03:28:43.553" Score="1" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;This plant looks like a sedum of some kind to me and I would like to know if it is a sedum. It has hairy type tentacles rising about 10cm and has a tendancy to flop.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20723" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T03:28:43.553" Title="Can someone identity this succulent pictured" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2018-02-02T15:46:37.590" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37047" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37045" CreationDate="2018-02-02T06:26:35.093" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Luckily you live near one of the largest and oldest food forests in NZ. This &lt;a href=&quot;https://permaculturenews.org/2013/04/21/letters-from-new-zealand-a-permaculture-food-forest-in-the-far-south/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;couple&lt;/a&gt; started also with broom, gorse, and coxfoot grass which they gradually replaced with locally source fruit trees and other plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;&quot;We live on the exposed south coast of the South Island of New Zealand and feel the bite of the chilly winds that blow in from the sub-antarctic ocean. Our forest-garden is shaped by the need for shelter from those conditions. Our canopy needs to be open, in order that our food crops can receive enough sunlight to be productive. The windward edges of our forest have to be tight and pliant in order to survive long-term and consist of coastal native species that are salt-resistant. We’ve planted our shelter belts in ‘waves’ across the property, rather than in a single tall edge. Our nearness to the ocean means we are mostly frost-free, in contrast to the rest of our region, so we enjoy an advantage there. The freshness of the winds also mean we have few pest insects. Our rainfall is sufficient such that we don’t need to create swales. ‘Maritime’ plants such as seabeet, asparagus and sea-rocket do especially well here. Our northerly aspect and complete protection from the winds from our leathery-leafed shelter plantings mean we are warmer than anywhere else along the south coast. This means we can grow fruits such as figs and feijoa which are generally found further north.&quot; — Robert Guyton&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your conditions may differ if you're not on the coast, and you'll need to modify your planting to suit your microclimate.  The basic plan is like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YCks9.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YCks9.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should find that canopy trees will stop the gorse and grasses growing, and your ground cover will also prevent them growing where there is no shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The basic idea is to populate the area with perennials (permanent culture or permaculture) and keep your vegetable and herb garden close to your house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And here's another SI food forest in &lt;a href=&quot;https://permacultureprinciples.com/post/permaculture-food-forest-in-three-years/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Nelson&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T06:26:35.093" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37048" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37038" CreationDate="2018-02-02T07:28:12.807" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are usually two solution of the problem: one is your solution: change the soil, the second (which I usually prefer) is to change the species.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your question is very generic (on the other hand, I like to see generic answers, because it helps to see how other &quot;gardeners&quot; think and work.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mountains are difficult places, because soil/rock origin varies a lot: a range of mountain usually share a common rock type, but locally (and within few feet) the rock could have different origin.  Also soil depth varies a lot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Many fruit tree doesn't care about rocks, and in any case you cannot remove rocks in such deep. Just a rocky soil has less nutrient and less water, so you should water more often and distribute fertilizer more often (still same amounts). Cherry trees have shallow roots, so they doesn't care so much. Grape vine and apples are often cultivated in rocky soils.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Changing pH and soil is often a problem, especially for trees: it is difficult and it take a lot of maintenance: pH will tend to reset (because of water flowing in and out, so it will tend again to the original pH), and also nutrients will flow away.  I would have a not-rocky good soil near the trees, which helps reducing watering and fertilizing takes, but I would try not to change the pH of the soil (but maybe for few plants): too much work on long term, for a never sure outcome).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your question 4 and 5 are too generic. Every species and varieties/cultivars have different needs. Trees could eventually find water below the surface, so you should also observe your trees to find when and how much to water.  Observing wild trees also helps: get a local flora, and try to identify the trees, and which one likes dry or wet soil, which one want a acid soil and which one a higher pH. With such easy observation, you get much more information about your soil type (and maybe you will see that you have different soil types), than chemical soil analysis (which are biased on shallow depth and previous works/fertilizers on the collecting points).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[A pro tip: check our our neighbor gardens: it help you to find which trees growth well with your climate and soil] &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T07:28:12.807" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37049" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37045" CreationDate="2018-02-02T08:28:27.067" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;If I were you I would focus on the immediate property next to your home.  I would definitely leave the 'natural' biome alone for now.  There are animals and plants and insects that have been living in and on your property for centuries?  It would be a shame to go and bull dose all those slopes and cause major erosion, decimation of habitat.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Get to know your property before making big decisions about change.  A lawn would be very ostentatious and will cost lots of money for upkeep.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A better solution would be to seed with pasture grasses, or rather to promote one of your grasses to be a primary denizen.  I'd promote one of the clump grasses, the tallest or find a species similar to what is already loving your land.  Blowing grasses are beautiful, only need to be cut down once per year.  Talk to a grass seeding company.  They would know and spray grasses that thrive in your area.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A lawn would be high high maintenance and would replace all the habitat now enjoyed by little guys and gals who would have to find another home.  Would you install automatic irrigation?  Has to be done for lawns until lawn is established.  Fertilizer 3 or 4 times per year, aeration...a lawn is a creature that needs to be taken care of.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you've  decided to change your land you will be the one in charge and responsible for all failure and paying the bill.  Right now, your land is protected from erosion and all the animals, insects, plants are in harmony.  It is easier and more successful to 'go with the flow'.  I always tell people to live with their land at least one year if not more before they try to change the land, soil, plants, animal life drastically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A successful home and landscape is one that nestles into the land and is hard to tell where humans have changed the environment and where the natural landscape begins. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sciblogs.co.nz/waiology/2013/01/28/from-swamps-to-wetlands-the-transformation-of-wetlands-as-both-conceptual-and-physical-landscapes/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;New Zealand biomes&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Gorse has become an important habitat in New Zealand.  Missionaries brought it there and life developed around and within Gorse.  Easy to 'mow' to keep in check, once per year.  Grass meadows are breathtaking.  All it takes is tweaking the seeding and fertilizing a bit to promote the longer grasses.  Beautiful and you wouldn't have to be 'terraforming' your land.  I would caution you from trying to make your bit of land different from all other parcels in the same area.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Food forest?  There is a problem with those two words.  Food for humans doesn't not grow in any forest.  Permaculture means humans creating some sort of a permanent botanical/soil ecosystem that frankly is completely out of our realm...unless you want to expend lots of bucks on something totally unnatural.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best thing you could do is live with your property for a year or two before landscaping.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-02-02T08:56:52.040" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T08:56:52.040" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37050" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37052" CreationDate="2018-02-02T10:48:55.563" Score="3" ViewCount="1017" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am building a bird-friendly garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is going to contain serviceberries, mountain ashes, hawthorns and dogwoods, as these plants are known to attract birds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I love magnolias, however, I've read some opinions that they do not have enough value for birds, so, from my point of view, if that is the case, they will be a waste of space in my bird-friendly garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, some sites claim that certain birds love magnolia fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is actually the degree of bird attraction in case of magnolias?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-02T11:29:47.947" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T13:27:16.747" Title="What is the value of magnolias for birds?" Tags="&lt;birds&gt;&lt;magnolia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37051" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37040" CreationDate="2018-02-02T10:50:40.843" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plastics is not a real problem, but construction trash is not a good base for vegetable gardens: they could contain a lot of heavy metals (e.g. from paints and coating). Additionally the soil is usually not stable: chemically (different pH and ions in different parts), and structurally (you will be surprised on how much empty space there are, roots doesn't like air).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The safest way: do a raised bed, putting a plastic sheet below. In this manner you split the bad soil with controlled soil.  If the construction trash is not too large and/or too depth, you can move them away from the zone you will do the garden, and there you put new soil. This should &quot;filter out&quot; most of dangers, and very small quantities of heavy metals are not so bad (and often found in rocky soils).  This should be done with construction machines, not manually.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T10:50:40.843" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37052" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37050" CreationDate="2018-02-02T13:27:16.747" Score="9" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm not an ornithologist, but I think you are over-engineering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you like magnolia, plant one. Various birds will use it to rest and as observation point to catch insects.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Keep the garden most diverse as possible, so you will have more birds.  If you go only for the plants you cited, you will get just berry eaters.  You should instead attract also insects and eventually small mammals, and more birds will pass to your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general: taller the plant, more birds you will have. Also denser plants help (also if they are small). So you will find some magnolia varieties which could help bird to have a good nest and to look around.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you add ivy to the trunk, birds will love it, and you will have berries. (there are different opinion about magnolia thinking about thins).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Add some waters or a fountain, and the bird will get to your garden.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T13:27:16.747" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37053" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37035" CreationDate="2018-02-02T20:51:44.160" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Trees planted in pots are much more constrained by the care that you provide them than trees planted in the earth as the latter have much greater access to symbiotic assistance from a larger variety of micro-organisms such as bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi. So, you need to make sure that the potting mix pH is close to optimal for your plant to thrive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As @kevinsky correctly points out, the interveinal chlorosis seen in your pictures is diagnostic for manganese deficiency.  This is likely to be functional rather than actual.  Manganese is likely to be deficient in acidic soils, but your plant is presumably in a potting mix in a container of suitable size.  But your pictures don't clearly show the pot size, and you have not provided a picture as requested.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Citrus trees prefer a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/horticulture/citrus/content/crop-management/orchard-management-factsheets/soil&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;pH of 6-7&lt;/a&gt; but manganese is best absorbed at a pH range of 5-6.5&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YQ6lG.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YQ6lG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;ph and nutrient availability&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've only been watering with tap water with a pH of 8, you'll gradually alkalise the potting mix so that the plant develops a functional manganese deficiency.  The long term solution is to repot into a citrus potting mix, but a short term fix is to apply a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.yates.com.au/products/fertilising/specialised/yates-soil-acidifer-liquid-sulfur-1/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;manganese foliar spray&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I tend to avoid watering my potted citrus trees with tap water because of this issue, and use water from my aquarium, or rain water which is usually slightly acidic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just for contrast, this shows the inverted V seen in functional Magnesium deficiency which does not occur at a pH of 8&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1IN8D.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1IN8D.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;magnesium inverted V&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-02-02T20:57:49.387" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T20:57:49.387" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37054" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-02T21:55:05.683" Score="2" ViewCount="33" Body="&lt;p&gt;What are some great pollinator flowers that I can seed once to regrow between having a herd on a couple times per year in zone 4?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13136" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T21:55:05.683" Title="What are good pollinator flowers that you need to only seed once" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;hardiness-zone&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37055" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-02T22:51:43.537" Score="1" ViewCount="30" Body="&lt;p&gt;We've been here since April 2017 and after a brief respite, swarms of midges are already starting to form at the start of February.&#xA;We're in North East England near a river, nestled amongst woodland, and last summer both midges and mosquitos were a real issue... They seem particularly potent as even those not normally bothered got nasty bites, I had seeping wounds!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my part of the world, what plants would be a good option to help? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastActivityDate="2018-02-02T22:51:43.537" Title="What plants will help with our midge and mosquito problem?" Tags="&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;mosquito&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37056" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-03T00:12:58.030" Score="1" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Meyer lemon previously had a problem with some spotty yellowing of its leaves shortly after purchase as per this &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/30327/why-do-the-leaves-on-my-meyer-lemon-have-blotchy-yellow-areas&quot;&gt;question&lt;/a&gt; but seems to have largely recovered. However, the stem is on a serious lean on account of the heavy fruit on its branches.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IfwrD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IfwrD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaning Meyer&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And the main stem has a split in it as well which can't be helping&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5NcN1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5NcN1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;split in the stem&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And there appears to be some mild early magnesium deficiency with tip chlorosis&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ktCtX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ktCtX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tip chlorosis&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, should I just cut the stem below the split to alleviate both problems and let it bush out below the prune?  Or just remove the fruit?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-02-03T00:27:31.760" LastActivityDate="2018-02-03T00:27:31.760" Title="Do I need to prune my leaning Meyer" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37057" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37038" CreationDate="2018-02-03T00:23:20.773" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When in doubt, plant what's growing wild - or plant a well-researched cultivar of the wild plants. You'll want to make sure that any cultivar has the same cultural requirements - especially water - that the species does.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a site to get you started &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.laspilitas.com/groups/native-trees.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.laspilitas.com/groups/native-trees.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I never replace soil when planting a shrub or tree (and almost never when planting perennials). If the soil is &quot;native&quot; to the site (hasn't been stripped and sold when a house was built), then that is what a native plant will grow in. Digging a hole and replacing &quot;lousy&quot; soil with &quot;good black dirt&quot; really just creates a large flower pot - the tree's roots won't easily leave the tasty soil you provided for them, stunting growth and often leading to an early death.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2018-02-03T00:23:20.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37058" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37060" CreationDate="2018-02-03T00:28:24.720" Score="4" ViewCount="88" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to work out how to effectively keep vegetation under control on a 1.5 acre section, a large part of which is on the photo below. It is covered with high grass (now much higher than on the photo) with some shrubs of willow, gorse and broom:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ClnN.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2ClnN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The goals are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;To keep the gorse/broom down as local authorities &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_control_of_gorse_in_New_Zealand&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;require so&lt;/a&gt;;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;To make the section look nicer and easy to walk/traverse as I am planning to put a residential dwelling on it, so certain spots need to be clear for vehicle access, foundation and drainlaying works etc.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Several options have been on the table:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Spraying. This used to be done by the previous owners but I am not keen on it as I want to keep the land ecologically clean with the views to start gardening on it at some point and/or keeping goats;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mechanically clear it up once (e.g. with a digger) and let sheep graze on it. Too much hassle with the sheep for now, but maybe in future;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/37045/how-to-turn-a-field-of-high-grass-shrub-into-lawn-or-food-forest&quot;&gt;Turn it into a lawn or food forest&lt;/a&gt;, or otherwise manage what vegetation grows there. This appears to be a whole science to dive into. A very good but not quick solution;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Mechanically and selectively clear/trim it now and again. This is what this question is about.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, what machinery and/or instruments would be the most suitable here? Mowers? Diggers? Bulldozers? Hand-held trimmers and chainsaws? Note that there is a slope on the section (roughly about 15-20% of it) which would be quite unsafe to drive a small machine on, but the rest should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20721" LastEditorUserId="17229" LastEditDate="2021-02-09T20:55:30.340" LastActivityDate="2021-02-09T20:55:30.340" Title="Machinery/instruments to clear/trim vegetation on a sloping medium-sized section" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;&lt;lawn-mower&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="37060" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37058" CreationDate="2018-02-03T08:25:52.503" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would use a string trimmer. A good one.  I think you should go to a shop and ask them. Such trimmers have a lot of different head (string, blades, saw blades, etc.), for most of usage.  There are many possibilities, and it depends also on local conditions: do you have stones or rocks? In such case, you need a more powerful engine but just strong string (for safety reasons). If there is no stones, you can go with blades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally I have two good one trimmers: one usually with strings, and the old one with a saw blade (similar to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.stihl.com/STIHL-power-tools-A-great-range/Brushcutters-and-Clearing-saws/Cutting-tools-and-accessories/Cutting-tools/2294-63713/Circular-saw-blade-chisel-tooth.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;this one&lt;/a&gt;). In such manner I can cut most of the shrubs, and for annual maintenance, the string trimmer is enough.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good manual tools are also necessary (but this for all gardening stuffs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Why trimmers and manual tools? To improve landscape, one should really look at every place, and do selection. With large machines, one will remove good and bad stuffs together, so resetting nature. The outcome is unknown, and it requires regularly maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can ask to shops, also how to transform your land in a pasture. Possibly you will have some tricks that work in your place, and some good seeds.  Pasture is a low maintenance lawn, which can be transformed easily to other typologies because it fights the weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-03T08:25:52.503" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37061" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37064" CreationDate="2018-02-03T09:28:54.890" Score="3" ViewCount="212" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could we grow bonsai with normal seeds and techniques to grow it? Which bonsai is best for indoor and acts as an air purifier? Instead of buying it, I want to grow my own bonsai. Please suggest some tips.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20728" LastEditorUserId="11299" LastEditDate="2018-02-03T20:53:08.403" LastActivityDate="2018-02-03T20:53:08.403" Title="Basics of Bonsai?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37062" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37058" CreationDate="2018-02-03T09:45:23.983" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I can't see how big is the area you want to clear and whether you are asking about machinery/equipment for one time job or for regular maintenance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you are looking for something to clear the area initially and do it fast, I would recommend hiring tractor with crane/boom mower. (After seeing that excavator in your picture, I guess you might have access to other machinery.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tractors won't have trouble moving on sloped terrain and their crane/boom mower can be adjusted to mow in different angles and height and reach. Also, this kind of mower has sufficient power to deal even with smaller trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EZM8k.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EZM8k.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tractor boom mower&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this is an overkill there are also riding mowers specialized for mowing on sloped terrains (up to 30 degrees). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The safest and probably most profitable approach (regarding later maintenance) would be getting petrol brush cutter/trimmer as Giacomo recommended.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17442" LastActivityDate="2018-02-03T09:45:23.983" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37064" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37061" CreationDate="2018-02-03T11:29:08.527" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Bonsai are normal plants or trees, that we find in large in nature. The art of bonsai is to recreate the real tree in a miniature form in a pot. So any (real) tree can be used for bonsai. However, trees with large leaves are more difficult to downsize in good proportion, so starting with a tree species that has small leaves is a smart choice.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing bonsai indoors, is tricky. You can use tropical species for this, like &lt;em&gt;Ficus&lt;/em&gt;. I like the Bonsai &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/indoor-bonsai&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Empire&lt;/a&gt; website where they guide you for proper maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2018-02-03T13:00:16.097" LastActivityDate="2018-02-03T13:00:16.097" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37066" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-03T16:12:46.323" Score="3" ViewCount="59" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got a 10 year old &lt;em&gt;Magnolia grandiflora&lt;/em&gt; that flowered last year for the first time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If I manage to propagate it by layering, would the new plant have flowers the first year after separating from the mother plant? Or would I have to wait certain number of years again? In such case, would I have to wait another 10 years, or perhaps 2-3 years?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is ability to flower affected by the age of the plant's &quot;branch material&quot; only, or perhaps also by size of roots, age of roots, etc.?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-03T16:24:12.397" LastActivityDate="2018-02-10T13:48:56.130" Title="Magnolia grandiflora: How is flowering affected in case of propagation by layering?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;flowering&gt;&lt;magnolia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37067" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37072" CreationDate="2018-02-03T17:14:53.797" Score="6" ViewCount="6464" Body="&lt;p&gt;We have this prayer plant in a large pot and it was doing well for a couple months. Then leaves started to go brown. Bit by bit, most of them are dying. We water 1-2 times a week, although we also paused watering for a while thinking that could be the problem. Any ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lQG0Y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lQG0Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaves go brown&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3abRy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3abRy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;close-up&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MV8C3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MV8C3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;dead leaves&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerDisplayName="user20735" LastActivityDate="2021-03-12T21:31:39.527" Title="Maranta leuconeura (prayer plant) leaves going brown and dying" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37068" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7927" CreationDate="2018-02-03T20:07:03.360" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks bad, but here in east Texas the damndeer  (that is one word here) like to rub the velvet from the new antlers on smooth bark trees like magnolias. They have removed as much bark as shown on your tree from a couple trees. I just looked and after about 5 years it is not easy to see where the damage was. I put loose wire fences around the trees to stop the damage. I did nothing to treat the damage. So I think it is likely your tree will survive and heal.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-03T21:19:48.207" LastActivityDate="2018-02-03T21:19:48.207" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37069" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37066" CreationDate="2018-02-03T20:24:29.980" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have several &lt;em&gt;Magnolia grandifloras&lt;/em&gt;, planted about 21 years ago. It took 12 years or so to bloom. Most blooms are pretty high in the trees (we are sort of in a jungle), so  I planted some dwarf hybrid (don't know the variety) and it bloomed the second year, at about 8 feet tall. The blooms are not quite the giants of the Southern Magnolia but are much easier to pick. So, if you want blooms in less than 10 years, I think you should think hybrid. I never grew any from cuttings. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-10T13:48:56.130" LastActivityDate="2018-02-10T13:48:56.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37070" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-04T03:06:48.623" Score="1" ViewCount="29" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where can I buy a small dwarf Cavendish banana tree online?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I know I can Google it, but I prefer suggestions from people who have bought online before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I could also buy in amazon, but the reviews were disappointing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14590" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T03:06:48.623" Title="Buying dwarf Cavendish banana tree online?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ClosedDate="2018-02-05T01:56:43.543" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37071" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1790" CreationDate="2018-02-04T03:57:27.283" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Soak your seeds in Miracle grow bloom booster solution for 48 hours with a little kelp and weak tea solution added. The bloom booster ratio is 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. Don't forget to soak seeds in peroxide for 1 minute, then rinse, then soak them in the solution as I recommended.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also every time you water them, water them with the Bloom booster solution always until they germinate and make sure your germenating temperature is about 80 to 85 degree F. Also, the water you use to water the seeds with the bloombooster - make sure it is combined with a weak chamomile tea mix as this keeps damp off away, plus once in a while sprinkle a little cinnamon on top of soil - this also keeps damping off away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When they germinate stop using the bloom booster but still use the weak chamomile tea to water when needed. Periodically sprinkle cinnamon on soil surface.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20737" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2018-02-04T09:24:20.103" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T09:24:20.103" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37072" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37067" CreationDate="2018-02-04T06:33:52.413" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is something seriously wrong...I don't think it is watering necessarily.  Did you transplant this plant?  Did you use sterilized potting soil?  Is there a hole at the bottom of that pot?  Did you put rock or gravel below the soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Need to know what you've been using for fertilizer as well as soil. There are indications of high salts usually from tap water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you've used soil from the garden that all by itself would contribute to irregular water access by the roots of your plant.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would most certainly use those shears and cut off clean out all of the dead material.  If you've used garden soil, I would transplant into bagged potting soil, NO gravel below the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure that pot has a drainage hole.  Lift bottom of pot off surface using 1/4 inch pieces of tile.  Only water when your plant and pot feel light to lift.  Never go onto some 'schedule'...once per week might be perfect, once per month might work as well.  Only water when that plant and pot feel light to lift.  It is a very obvious difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also try to find distilled water or a friend's well water to water your plant (s).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After you get rid of the dead material please take another picture to send.  Tell us everything you've added you've done for this plant.  Nothing is too small.  My gut feeling is that you watered too much and by reducing the water you've save a chunk of your plant.  You need to pull it out of the pot, look at the root condition.  Brown?  Slimy?  Starting to curl around the inside of the pot? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tell us the soil you've used, how long ago did you transplant or up pot this plant, what fertilizer you've used, how much, what type of water you use, does this pot have a drain hole, did you put rock below the soil and most importantly did you use sterilized potting soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T06:33:52.413" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37073" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-04T08:15:50.090" Score="2" ViewCount="369" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uh7R2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people have told me it's frangipani but in my opinion, the petals are too fragile for it to be frangipani? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I need to know for my school project.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20739" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-04T10:26:04.633" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T13:35:39.073" Title="What's the common and scientific name of this plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37074" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37073" CreationDate="2018-02-04T09:28:51.757" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks to me that this is an oleander, Nerium oleander.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(they have various flower colors from white to read)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Nerium_oleander_flowers_leaves.jpg/800px-Nerium_oleander_flowers_leaves.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerium&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T09:28:51.757" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37075" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29993" CreationDate="2018-02-04T12:45:04.313" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;They will break apart, but very slowly - it may take two years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, instead of disposing them, you can do some useful things with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you or your friend keep frog tanks, you can use magnolia seed pods there:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/general-discussion/84047-who-uses-magnolia-seed-pods.html#/topics/84047?page=1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/general-discussion/84047-who-uses-magnolia-seed-pods.html#/topics/84047?page=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I now have them in many tanks and they seem to work out well. I also put them in my water features with my groups of Anthonyi and the tadpoles seem to like to hang out around them. Several have been directly in the water for several months now and are still holding up very well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;hr /&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, if you collect and keep them in one place, you get free microfauna hotel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or, you can use them as very useful components of insect hotels like this one:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y7Bxw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y7Bxw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&#xA;&lt;sub&gt;(source: &lt;a href=&quot;http://estaticos.elmundo.es/assets/multimedia/imagenes/2017/01/01/14832712248325.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;elmundo.es&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2019-03-15T20:35:39.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="37076" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37073" CreationDate="2018-02-04T13:35:39.073" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's Catharanthus roseus, commonly known as madagascan periwinkle, though in America, most commonly known as Vinca - it's not related to true Vinca, but was once named Vinca roseus. It comes in a range of flower colours -the veinal marking down the centre of the leaf is more noticeable in some varieties than others. Image and info here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardensonline.com.au/GardenShed/PlantFinder/Show_2762.aspx&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardensonline.com.au/GardenShed/PlantFinder/Show_2762.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T13:35:39.073" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37077" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37080" CreationDate="2018-02-04T16:00:21.543" Score="6" ViewCount="874" Body="&lt;p&gt;We got this plant from someone else a year ago. It was doing fine until 3-4 months ago, when some branches just died (turned black).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FLGCt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FLGCt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It's winter now, but we keep about 19-20°C (66-68°F) inside. Sunlight is limited though at 58 degrees North latitude.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We've tried to give it more water, less water and fertilizer. It just seems to get worse.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What's the best way to treat this plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16798" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2018-02-04T16:59:39.537" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T22:00:45.730" Title="What plant is this, and why is it dying?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37078" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="42430" CreationDate="2018-02-04T18:05:22.237" Score="2" ViewCount="151" Body="&lt;p&gt;I read that rosemary requires good drainage, so I tried sprouting it from seed in sand. It didn't work at all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just looking at this sand, it doesn't look like it has good drainage to me. It gets totally waterlogged even with a small amount of added water and takes forever to dry. Is it the wrong kind of sand? I just dug it up from the local playground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20740" LastActivityDate="2018-10-23T23:42:34.133" Title="rosemary indoors: wrong kind of sand?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;rosemary&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37079" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-04T18:15:51.677" Score="1" ViewCount="95" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know if this is the right forum to ask this but this seemed most related.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So is there a breathable (allows moisture escape but doesn't allow water, CO2 or air to pass through) fabric-film available to use as greenhouse cover?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Humidity is huge problem for greenhouses, especially in Hot climates, which are cooled by evaporative cooling. If a breathable material with high transparency is available, it will solve the humidity problem due to high partial pressure of vapor inside than outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tyvac is breathable, but has just 6-8% light transmittance and won't withstand direct sunlight for very long. Also, moisture permeability should be very high (about 500 ml/ hour x square meter) and I don't think even Tyvac can handle that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20741" LastActivityDate="2018-10-23T23:06:47.800" Title="Is there any Tyvac like moisture permeable greenhouse film available?" Tags="&lt;greenhouse&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37080" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37077" CreationDate="2018-02-04T18:46:31.407" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This a &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schefflera_arboricola&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;schefflera arboricola&lt;/a&gt; sometimes known as a Hawaiian Schefflera although it is native to Taiwan. Flowers are insignificant and rare when grown indoors. It is tropical and I suspect it has root rot due to cool temperatures, too much water and low light levels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cut the stem back hard to six to eight inches above the ground, reduce water to a minimum and increase light levels.  This plant buds out readily from old wood if there are enough roots to provide nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T18:46:31.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37081" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="7596" CreationDate="2018-02-04T20:28:00.690" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have grown these pines in home conditions for years. (Dry air, 72 temp. at a window with W/NW exposure.) Having said that and after reading the comments above, there is one thing I would like to mention after noticing the comments about repotting. I have a beautiful NIP in a tiny 4 inch pot that has thrived for many years.  I have purposely left it in that pot because I didn't want it to get really large. It is 19&quot; tall with a span of 36&quot;! It sits almost directly under a ceiling vent winter and summer. In spite of all this it has thrived except for the height. So my point is that maybe it isn't so much the repotting that is the issue but TOO BIG OF A POT! I am certain that this pine would be double its size if it were in a six&quot; pot but would be much harder to know exactly how much water it would need! I have other varieties of plants that are huge in TWO INCH pots. One of them even had a new plant appear recently that is now eight inches tall!! These plants blow my mind! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20743" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T20:28:00.690" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37083" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-04T21:30:18.317" Score="3" ViewCount="1576" Body="&lt;p&gt;I brought in my bay laurel (aka sweet bay, laurus nobilis) to clean it, and noticed an infestation of tiny &quot;bug sacks&quot; underneath the leaves, along the veins. &lt;strong&gt;What are they?&lt;/strong&gt; I don't see any actual insects crawling around, (with my bare eyes).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can get them off the leaf easily by exerting a tiny amount of pressure with a wiping rag. &lt;strong&gt;Is there a household product I can use, such as acetic acid, or some concoction of tea tree oil, that would remove them?&lt;/strong&gt; I wish for them to magically fall off and disappear.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Climate: This plant lives in Vancouver, BC  (&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Vancouver&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;wikipedia: Climate of Vancouver&lt;/a&gt;). It is not hot during the day, and it could not be any rainier. The pot sits on the north side of the building. Sits rarely in direct sunlight, since it is cloudy all the time and a nearby large conifer casts shadows. It stands on a covered patio most of the time&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OBXdYm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OBXdYm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;topside&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o1afJm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o1afJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;underside&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4XcW5m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4XcW5m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;underside closeup&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rk2Tv.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rk2Tv.png&quot; alt=&quot;vancouver climate&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Topside (&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OBXdY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;full res&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Underside &lt;strong&gt;warning: rated 18+ horror&lt;/strong&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/o1afJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;full res&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Underside closeup (&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4XcW5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;full res&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20744" LastEditorUserId="20744" LastEditDate="2018-02-04T23:23:02.827" LastActivityDate="2018-02-06T03:37:29.140" Title="What is afflicting this sick Bay Laurel (Laurus Nobilis) -- and how do I fix it?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37084" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37077" CreationDate="2018-02-04T22:00:45.730" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Scheflara is a tropical plant so it expects to get a fair amount of light and moist air. I like to spritz my tropical plants rather than pour water in the pot. Position in a southern or eastern window (you don't want it baked in the afternoons though). If you haven't already, transplant with slightly sandier soil, possibly a bigger pot so the roots can move around. The fertilizer you're using might have too much nitrogen for your jungle native and could be burning the roots so nutrients aren't getting to the leaves. And make sure the pot has good drainage. Good luck. My mom has had her scheflara for 30+ years and it takes up half the dining room now!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20746" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T22:00:45.730" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37085" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37083" CreationDate="2018-02-04T22:20:59.263" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have a scale infestation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;I know I’ll get responses to this blog, that sympathetic gardeners will be recommending me a wide range of products and treatments to control scale insects: rubbing alcohol, insecticidal soap, neem oil, horticultural oil, dancing around a cow’s horn at full moon, etc. But scale insects are sneaky. If even one escapes treatment, the infestation will resume… in six months, nine months, a year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://laidbackgardener.blog/tag/scale-insects-on-bay-laurel/&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://laidbackgardener.blog/tag/scale-insects-on-bay-laurel/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T22:20:59.263" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37086" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37083" CreationDate="2018-02-04T22:37:33.660" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Graham is correct, this is an advanced scale infestation and they are tricky to control.  Here are my recommendations:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;remove all leaves cleanly with knife or sequiturs. Clean with rubbing alcohol after you are done&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;prepare a mixture of 5ml dish soap and one litre of water.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;get a rag or cloth and soak in the soap and water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;apply the soap solution on the rag or cloth and crush the scale&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;wait a few minutes and repeat&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;rinse the soap off the plant&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;reduce water and isolate in a higher light area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;repeat every six days for another three times&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This works by reducing the area to be treated and getting the new scale as they hatch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another solution which can be done in the spring is put the plant outside where natural predators will eat the scale.  You must accustom the plant to the higher outdoor light levels gradually by moving from shade to higher light areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As bay laurel is particularly delicious to scale consider putting the plant outside from spring to fall and giving a quick soap and water treatment before bringing it inside in the fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2018-02-04T22:37:33.660" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37087" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-04T22:58:55.010" Score="3" ViewCount="1551" Body="&lt;p&gt;One month ago I brought home a store-bought pineapple (fairly beat up one) and decided to plant it. Planting process went like this up to the moment of asking this question:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I cut off almost all fruit flesh from the head of the fruit so it won't rot and placed it in a glass of water. I also stripped away several bottom layers of the leaves to expose new/old roots.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;It produced some roots around 3 weeks ago, so I planted it in a pot of citrus soil mix with a layer of keramzit on the bottom for better drainage. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I initially used some rooting fertilizer to aid the development of the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The pot was then placed next to a window and radiator, so it would have some natural sunlight and constant, warm air temperature of around 20 - 25 C. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Additionaly I provided the plant with a 400 lumen plant LED placed 30 cm over it as it is currently winter where I live and there is not that much sunlight coming through that window. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was watering it with normal drinking water in around one-week intervals (soil was drying up after around 7 days). Any excess water was emptied from the bottom of the pot. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;I've also cut off dry ends of the leaves. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It looked like the pineapple was feeling comfortable in this spot, because in spite of it not growing at all in the top part, it has developed some more roots - I can feel a resistance when trying to really gently pull the plant out of the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Despite this progress I've noticed yesterday that the central leaf of the plant became yellow and dry, so I've watered it well as the soil looked dry too. It didn't help and today it looks worse (dead):&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Dcof.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Dcof.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Now&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But the &quot;center&quot; of the plant does not look that dead to me:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rsotz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rsotz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;4 days ago this central leaf looked healthy and green - &lt;strong&gt;NOTE&lt;/strong&gt; This leaf is not a new growth. It was on the plant already when I brought it home. It is hard to tell, if it grew at all during that month. If it did, then only by a few milimeters.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPDATE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I removed the pineapple from the soil and tried to examine the roots as &lt;strong&gt;Graham Chiu&lt;/strong&gt;'s answer suggests. The roots were tightly covered in soil. I didn't want to scrape it off, because i didn't want to risk damaging them. Some parts of the roots were vibile and they looked hairy and white (like on the unclear photo below). The roots also overally seem firm and strong - I wouldn't call them mushy for sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gcIHM.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gcIHM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before replanting I've removed some of the dead leaves from the bottom layers to enable more roots to grow out and I've discovered 3 things:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There were a lot of little white spots hidden under these leaves - Possible new roots?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Two of these white spots placed on the top of the plant are particularly big - Possible new leaves or center bud?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;There is some kind of weird leaf damage. It looks like something has pierced several layers of leaves - Maybe some kind of worm? - but it does not go all the way to the center of the plant and it stops with a little spot on the next leaf after the one visible on the photo below.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Damage:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U8158.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/U8158.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of these big white bulbs:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2zEi3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2zEi3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've replanted the pineapple in a bigger pot, so I won't have to stress it one additional time later on, if it starts growing. I've used the same citrus soil as before, but this time I've mixed it with some regular homeplants soil. I've also applied this rooting fertilizer once more as the packaging says that it can reduce replanting stress. I've also watered the new soil. Bottom of the pot was layered with keramzit just like before and the plant sits now away from the radiator, 50 cm under this LED lightbuld that I've mentioned before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A similar question was already pretty much answered on this site &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/35851/is-this-pineapple-plant-dead&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, but I think it does not exactly apply to my situation (Is the center leaf also the &quot;central bud&quot; of the plant?) and I would like to know:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is this plant dead?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;If it is not already dead but dying, then what can be done to save it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are the possible reasons for this leaf to suddenly dry up? Could it be that the plant is trying to shed old leaves to make room for the new ones?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Did I do anything wrong in the whole planting process?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;BONUS QUESTION AFTER UPDATE&lt;/strong&gt; - Could it be, that this big white bulb visible on the last photo is a new center of the plant and the old one will just simply die off? &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17349" LastEditorUserId="17349" LastEditDate="2018-02-05T13:21:56.540" LastActivityDate="2018-02-06T00:13:54.093" Title="Is this pineapple dying?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37088" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36983" CreationDate="2018-02-05T01:30:18.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The slender leafless plant shown is a &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/plants400/Profiles/OP/Psilotum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Psilotum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, commonly known as Whisk Fern.&#xA;There are two species in the genus, &lt;em&gt;Psilotum nudum&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Psilotum complanatum&lt;/em&gt;.&#xA;Following the key &lt;a href=&quot;http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&amp;amp;lvl=gn&amp;amp;name=Psilotum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, yours looks like &lt;em&gt;P. nudum&lt;/em&gt; based on the fact that the aerial stems appear to be not flattened and circular to triangular in section.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19553" LastActivityDate="2018-02-05T01:30:18.843" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37089" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37087" CreationDate="2018-02-05T01:33:46.990" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;To plant a store bought pineapple the method is to twist the leaves off the pineable as one piece so that there's no fruit, and then to strip back an inch of leaves at the base so that you expose the roots.  And then you plant it in potting mix, and water it in cycles so that it dries between watering to encourage root formation.  As it grows it will take nutrients from the leaves which will brown.  After a month the new central leaves should be maybe a few inches or more in length.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From what you're saying there was initially some new leaf formation in the centre which is now browning.  This suggests the roots are failing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you take it out of the pot to examine the roots?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if the roots are rotted, cut them off and replant into a freely draining cactus type mix.  You might be able to keep it going by spraying the leaves as it can absorb some nutrients from foliar application.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1klxRnjZOI&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Ray's youtube pineapple tutorial&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-02-05T03:23:26.243" LastActivityDate="2018-02-05T03:23:26.243" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37090" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34735" CreationDate="2018-02-05T09:07:18.103" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;People use tyres, potato bags, containers etc instead of mounded earth on the ground because they're lazy (or have bad soil) and don't want to dig up the spuds at the end.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The big mistake I think is that they wait too long to heap soil on the growing stem in time.  Once the stem reaches more than about 5 cm above the surrounding soil it can't switch back to producing stolons which grow the spuds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, with bags, tyres etc, they get too hot and too dry.  Once the soil temperature reaches 25 deg C a signal is sent to stop growing the spuds.  And if they're too dry the potatoes are too small.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potato bags also lack enough soil for the roots to get enough nutrition so you really have to grow in soil all the way down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One way that may work is to use potato towers which are stacked boxes of wood that sit on soil.  You add more boxes as you add more soil and make sure that you keep the growing shoot under 5 cm all the time.  The boxes have holes in them so that any stolons that grow out of them can turn into stems that contribute to photosynthesis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a thought, as yet untested, is that you can use these wooden towers but put the seed potatoes at the bottom, and fill right to the top right away. There should be enough energy for the potato to rise up through 2 feet of soil which ensures that the stems produce stolons without the risk that they become stems only.  I'm going to try that next season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://henleypotatotower.wordpress.com/hall-of-fame/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;25 kg of potatoes from 4 seeds in a tower&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-02-05T19:13:17.917" LastActivityDate="2018-02-05T19:13:17.917" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37091" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37092" CreationDate="2018-02-05T17:06:57.020" Score="1" ViewCount="206" Body="&lt;p&gt;I’m new to growing bell pepper plant. Surfed through the web and found the paper towel and ziplock method and I thought of adopting that. It has been at least 3-4 days now and I want to know if the seeds or rotting or showing a sign that it is going to germinate soon.&#xA;By the way, the temperature here is 25-26 degree Celsius.&#xA;Also give me some tips on growing the plant further.&#xA;Thanks&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/icEUb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;seed1&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/gRQim.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Seed2](https://i.stack.imgur.com/v02uI.jpg![Seed3&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20748" LastActivityDate="2018-02-14T07:41:10.947" Title="Are my Bell Pepper seeds showing signs of germination?" Tags="&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37092" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37091" CreationDate="2018-02-05T19:26:37.950" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Pepper seeds are covered by a thick seed shell and oil as they are supposed to pass through the gut of a bird for dispersal. Seed viability is low at about 50% even for seeds under two years of age.   Germination inside a Ziploc bag can take three weeks but as low as eight days at a temperature of 30°C.  Your seeds have not germinated yet nor are they showing signs of rot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-02-05T22:01:07.203" LastActivityDate="2018-02-05T22:01:07.203" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37093" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-05T20:57:59.827" Score="7" ViewCount="7525" Body="&lt;p&gt;I first adopted my K. Blossfeldiana about a year ago from a friend of mine. When I got it, the flowers had all wilted and were falling off. Since then, it only blossomed around 2 or 3 flowers (single flowers, not bunches). Moreover, the bigger leaves fell off and new leaves never grew to the same size. Still, it never stopped growing more stems and leaves and is much larger now than it was when I first got it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What worries me about it is that some of the leaves are yellowing and that some of the leaves curl inward towards the stem. The yellowing leaves aren't crispy, but soft. I expect this is due to overwatering, so I'm not overly worried about it. I've reduced my waterings since then. At times, the leaves will bend downwards from their base at the stem. The leaves themselves will look fine, but they won't be perpendicular to the stem. Is that normal? If not, any comment on what the cause could be is greatly appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, the tallest stem is somewhat flimsy and is leaning to the side. Is it normal for it not to hold its form?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There probably isn't much wrong but I am somewhat of a doting plant owner and want to make sure my plant is doing fine. There are pictures of the plant linked below. Thanks in advance!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OYhai.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OYhai.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MAU3q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MAU3q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cvVxv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/cvVxv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jUQ7x.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jUQ7x.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20750" LastEditorUserId="20750" LastEditDate="2018-02-05T22:55:50.490" LastActivityDate="2020-12-05T20:36:11.407" Title="Is my Kalanchoe healthy?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37094" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="1239" CreationDate="2018-02-05T21:54:04.340" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tz5tl.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tz5tl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Philodendron Cordatum: Champion of Houseplants&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philodendron_cordatum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Philodendron Cordatum&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philodendron_hederaceum&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Philodendron Hederaceum&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Massively leafy.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Small footprint (pot size relative to amount of leaves).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Great for cleaning air in city apartments.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Thrive in diffused (indirect but near) sunlight.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Resist the urge to untangle its cords. Those &quot;tangles&quot; provide support while the plant winds its way to the best light it can find. Left undisturbed, they'll link into woven waves.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Start with a small one and transplant it into a pot with plenty of room to grow. Keep the soil moist, but never flooded. Use standard 4-4-4 houseplant fertilizer. After a year of consistently good care, it'll be huge.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;These are perfect in hanging pots near the top corner of a window. Don't hang it too high-- it'll be difficult/dangerous/messy to water, and it won't be happy if its base foliage is in the dark (above the diffused window light).&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Every &quot;node&quot; of the plant has the ability to shoot down roots if it hits soil. Thus, a piece can easily be snipped and re-planted to start a new plant.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Give trimmings to all your buddies (before the apartment is overrun by your massive plant)!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Clippings will even grow in jars of water- but they want some root support to thrive. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;This same species grows wild in Caribbean (Hederaceum) and tropical (Cordatum) climates, booming on the forest floor with stalks as thick as a baseball bat and leaves the size of a table!&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3475" LastEditorUserId="3475" LastEditDate="2018-02-06T20:11:23.450" LastActivityDate="2018-02-06T20:11:23.450" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37096" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37099" CreationDate="2018-02-05T23:00:32.400" Score="3" ViewCount="314" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in Oakland, CA. I have a Meyer Lemon that I purchased from a nursery that is about 3' tall. I want to plant it in the corner of my yard between two eight foot fences. The plant will get some morning sunlight and a bit of light filtering through the fences in the afternoon, but mostly afternoon shade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My hope is that the tree grows taller than the fences, where it will get lots of sun and full afternoon sun, but I'm not sure if the tree will survive to get tall enough for this to work. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I go ahead and plant the tree in the ground now, or should I leave it in a container in a sunny spot for a year or so to let it grow taller?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20752" LastActivityDate="2018-02-06T00:51:03.723" Title="Planting Meyer Lemon in shade from fence until the tree grows taller" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;lemons&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37097" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37087" CreationDate="2018-02-06T00:13:54.093" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would say it is not worth saving considering how easy it is to start a new one. Buy a whole pineapple.  I just cut off about the top 1/2 inch , with leaves attached and set it on the soil. Trim off any imperfect leaves if you want . Put a little fertilizer in the soil as suggested and plain water in the center, occasionally. I have only done this outside so I don't know how well it works inside. If you live close to Houston TX I will give you a 2 yr old plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2018-02-06T00:13:54.093" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37098" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37083" CreationDate="2018-02-06T00:23:59.320" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, scale. I have about a 10 ft one and it looked worse and worse for 2 years until I realized it had bad scale problem.I scraped a lot off with my nail, I think that would be the way to handle your small one. I will hit mine with oil spray ( if I can remember this year ) . Baby oil = mineral oil = dormant spray oil  ; it all comes out of the same refinery hydrotreater.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2018-02-06T00:23:59.320" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37099" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37096" CreationDate="2018-02-06T00:51:03.723" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A lemon tree may well reach 20 foot tall in ideal conditions which means 6-8 hours of full sunshine. So if you plant it in the ground in shade it's never going to reach its potential.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might think that you could leave it in its pot in sun until it grows taller than your shaded area and then plant it, but in a pot it's unlikely to grow that tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You also don't want a tall tree if you're interested in the fruit as a tree 20 foot tall is hard to harvest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-06T00:51:03.723" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37100" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-06T00:51:57.663" Score="3" ViewCount="32" Body="&lt;p&gt;The damndeer ate 90 % of the leaves and 75 % of the leaf buds ( 1/4 to 1/2 inch long at this time) from a 4 ft tall &lt;em&gt;Camellia japonica&lt;/em&gt;. It has been in that location about 4 years. Normally there is a fence around it but I forgot to replace it recently and the damndeer got the plant. I expect it will live but wonder how badly it has been hurt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2018-02-06T20:48:21.657" LastActivityDate="2018-02-06T20:48:21.657" Title="What is the prognosis for Camellia japonica with 90% of leaves removed?" Tags="&lt;pest-damage&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37101" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37104" CreationDate="2018-02-06T01:44:32.050" Score="2" ViewCount="2939" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is growing in our garden in Melbourne, Australia and was here when we moved in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J0Nzp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J0Nzp.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;purple flowering tree&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It has these lovely purple flowers in summer and is around 2.5m tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems to be thriving but it would be nice to know how to care for it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20753" LastActivityDate="2018-02-06T04:34:56.603" Title="What is this tree with purple flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37102" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37083" CreationDate="2018-02-06T03:37:29.140" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have used olive oil (extra virgin). It clogs up the scale insects' lungs and they can be nudged off when dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20754" LastActivityDate="2018-02-06T03:37:29.140" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37103" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="4028" CreationDate="2018-02-06T03:45:18.603" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;These caterpillars don't move during the day - they're still and sleeping and come out at night to do their feeding. Come sun up they align themselves with the midrib of the leaf and they don't move until it's dark again. Hard to spot - but they're there. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20754" LastActivityDate="2018-02-06T03:45:18.603" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37104" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37101" CreationDate="2018-02-06T04:34:56.603" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a &lt;em&gt;Tibouchina&lt;/em&gt;, a member of the family Melastomataceae. An attractive, hardy shrub native to South America, but commonly grown in Australia where they do well in most regions.&#xA;There are numerous species and countless cultivars, so I cannot tell exactly which one you have, but here is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2040246.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;fact sheet&lt;/a&gt; on their general care and cultivation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19553" LastActivityDate="2018-02-06T04:34:56.603" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37105" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-06T13:22:04.930" Score="9" ViewCount="1489" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a situation where a row of rhododendrons in front of the house is overgrown and getting large. I was told by someone else that they need to be removed and replaced with smaller rhododendrons. Is that true, or can they be cut back?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15009" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-07T00:18:42.113" LastActivityDate="2018-02-09T03:11:24.007" Title="Can rhododendrons be cut back?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;rhododendrons&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37106" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37105" CreationDate="2018-02-06T16:46:17.463" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can prune a rhododendron with a chainsaw and it will come back. I lived in Washington state for a number of years and did/saw this multiple times. Was the person who said to replace your big plants with small ones selling rhododendrons by any chance?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In all seriousness, leave a foot or so of the main stem and stand back. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2018-02-06T16:46:17.463" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37108" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37105" CreationDate="2018-02-07T02:35:58.573" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Please please do not take a chain saw to those rhododendrons, please!  Yeah, they will be shorter but ugly ugly ugly for years and years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've renovated rhododendrons for a living and kinda blew the owners away with the amount of thinning I did...in 6 months they were my biggest fans.  Rhododendrons are small shrubs, medium shrubs, large shrubs like yours that are also classified a small tree.  Gorgeous.  They should look like beautiful, humongous Bonsai.  To die for, worth their weight in gold (literally).  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You have to send a picture of your rhododendrons and the environment, need to know why they are too tall, too thick, too wide for your needs.  Do you remember which rhododendron they were?  A tag left over somewhere?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Doesn't matter.  A mature healthy plant is so very valuable. If I could see what you are dealing with and your landscape I would love to help you fall in love with those shrubs/small trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=images&amp;amp;cd=&amp;amp;cad=rja&amp;amp;uact=8&amp;amp;ved=2ahUKEwips8ql0ZfZAhVJ0WMKHeipBVgQjRx6BAgAEAY&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F453245149975795425%2F&amp;amp;psig=AOvVaw1K_H7OP0lNCCSOforlGbmR&amp;amp;ust=1518224505365170&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;picture borrowed for visual aid taken by Van Den Berk Nurseries&lt;/a&gt; is at Pinterest. It comes from the website of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.vdberk.co.uk/about-us/rhododendrons-and-azaleas/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Van Den Berk Nursery&lt;/a&gt;. It can be found in their &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vdberk-rhododendron.com/public/gidsen/rhodogids_en.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Rhododendron Guide&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tp86a.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/tp86a.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;mature rhododendron&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r0zrY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r0zrY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;newly rejuvenated rhododendrons in new install&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-09T03:11:24.007" LastActivityDate="2018-02-09T03:11:24.007" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37109" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37105" CreationDate="2018-02-07T04:26:42.693" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Rhododendrons can absolutely be cut back, no matter what the size. We've been pruning ours for years, and some of our bushes are 10ft tall. As long as they're not diseased, or too close to a structure, like the house, disturbing the roots is not necessary. They even thrive extremely well grouped closely together with other shrubs and trees.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/article/3-ways-to-prune-rhododendrons&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt; is a good article explaining the three most common ways to prune the rhododendron. Drastic pruning can also be called rejuvenation pruning. The best time to do it is in the winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rejuvenation pruning is best used to restore shrubs that have become leggy, overgrown, or otherwise unattractive. Many rhododendron species and hybrids can be severely pruned and come back as good as new.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rejuvenation pruning removes most of the branches of the plant, initiating the rise of vigorous flushes of new growth from previously leafless old stems. The new growth matures into a new framework of branches that can then be shaped over the years to produce a stunning shrub.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to do it gradually, start by cutting back the largest branches to the trunk, but leave them in a staggered or random positions, so you'll still have something to look at. However, if you really need to cut the whole thing down, you can do so, as you've already been told by @Tim Nevins. The same article explains that you can cut the entire plant to within 6 inches of the ground.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The reason it works is because rhododendrons actually have buds all the way down to the base, even if what you see only looks like wood. Look closely for small pink areas, which are risen and look like buds. Cut above them, and they'll start the growing process for the new branches. It can take over a year to produce flowers though, but at least you'll have a sturdy plant, and not have had to dig anything up!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;From the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegardening.com/article/3-ways-to-prune-rhododendrons&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;same source&lt;/a&gt; I linked to above:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't worry about making mistakes: Rhododendrons are very forgiving—even if you drop a tree on them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some pictures of our bushes. They're different varieties and colors. They've been pruned many times to different sizes through the years, and had numerous things growing under and around them, and they just keep growing! We have them checked regularly by an arborist, and unless he saw something sick, we wouldn't even consider digging them up!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Click on the pictures for closer view.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3KAf8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3KAf8m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BXkYy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/BXkYym.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SkHwA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SkHwAm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kd2GJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kd2GJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0nsXd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0nsXdm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xI42G.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xI42Gm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7305" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2018-02-07T04:26:42.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37110" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23962" CreationDate="2018-02-07T09:48:04.770" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Great pot! Deep pots can be used for cascade (Kengai) or semi-cascade (Han-kengai) &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bonsaiempire.com/origin/bonsai-styles&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;style&lt;/a&gt; bonsai. &lt;em&gt;Ficus&lt;/em&gt; can be styled as cascade or semi-cascade bonsai, see &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.nl/search?biw=1805&amp;amp;bih=918&amp;amp;tbm=isch&amp;amp;sa=1&amp;amp;ei=L8p6WuDBDtKjkwXu35KYDg&amp;amp;q=cascade%20bonsai%20ficus&amp;amp;oq=cascade%20bonsai%20ficus&amp;amp;gs_l=psy-ab.3..0.2752.3699.0.3852.6.3.0.3.3.0.146.224.2j1.3.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.6.258...0i30k1j0i5i30k1j0i8i30k1j0i24k1.0.jelJSnbsIBQ#imgrc=_&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; for examples on google.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2018-02-07T09:48:04.770" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37111" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-07T14:35:48.433" Score="5" ViewCount="31" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm working with a computer and got the window in my back. During late afternoon and sunset, the reflection of the sun rays in my screens is really annoying. I've also got a little cabinet between me and the window. &#xA;As I love plants I just had the idea that I simply could put a small ( ~40cm height, ~30 depth, ~1m width) hedge like plant on it. This would cover my screens from the sun rays and it would make the office greener.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The thing is that I have no idea about plants. What would be a plant which could provide the density of a hedge and can be grown inside? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've already checked &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buxus_sempervirens&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)&lt;/a&gt;, which is obviously not suitable for inside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20759" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2018-02-07T15:02:54.757" LastActivityDate="2018-10-19T21:14:09.333" Title="A hedge for my working place? (indoor)" Tags="&lt;hedge&gt;&lt;office-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37112" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="30490" CreationDate="2018-02-07T14:41:25.907" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've used black locust ash for many years in my garden which thrives!  In fact, I had a problem with my broccoli and brussels forming leaves but few heads, and after trying many different soil amendments found that wood ash (incinerated at high heat) solved the problem.  I have gorgeous heads now and the largely black locust wood ash was the only variable which changed. It's a great wood for flooring, siding and beams, just saying.  It's had a bad rap.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20760" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-08T04:38:30.017" LastActivityDate="2018-02-08T04:38:30.017" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37113" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37111" CreationDate="2018-02-07T15:01:38.047" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;A hedge might be difficult, but in a space that size, you could have 5 or 6 different potted plants, smaller ones stood in front of larger ones, to achieve the sunblocking effect you want and to create an attractive display. With regard to watering, its probably easier if you can find a tray that covers the entire area so you can stand all the pots on that to catch excess water, otherwise each one will need its own outer pot or tray. Alternatively, just choose one variety and buy enough to fill up the space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It sounds like the area only gets afternoon sun, but there are many houseplants that don't really like any sunlight at all, so ones to look for that will be happy with some sun would be Sansevieria trifasciatia laurentii; Rhipsalis; Dizygothica elegantissima; Dracaena 'Lemon and Lime'; Dracaena studnerii; Dieffenbachia; Codiaeum iceton and for something a little more exotic, Aechmea Blue Rain or A. fasciata. There's a more complete list of suitable varieties here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.houseofplants.co.uk/houseplants-for-bright-and-sun.php&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.houseofplants.co.uk/houseplants-for-bright-and-sun.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-02-07T15:01:38.047" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37114" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-07T17:16:12.407" Score="5" ViewCount="119" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a friend who wants to plant a garden were she has moved, but she has a huge rat problem and is afraid that if she plants a garden they will be a nuisance. She is afraid of using poison or conventional traps because she also has a few families of squirrels that live in her yard and around her. She wants to get rid of the rats (or at least deter them) without hurting or harming the squirrels. We are trying to come up with a solution before spring so we can get a garden well established by May. If anyone has any experience or suggestions we'd greatly appreciate it! &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20663" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-08T05:06:22.813" LastActivityDate="2018-04-18T20:02:02.737" Title="What's the best way to eliminate/deter rats from a garden without harming squirrels?" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37115" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37119" CreationDate="2018-02-07T18:56:18.023" Score="2" ViewCount="104" Body="&lt;p&gt;This small plant with tiny yellow flowers is collected in South-Central Europe. Found in a field.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4GspX.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4GspX.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2018-02-08T08:19:11.620" Title="What is this small plant with tiny yellow flowers?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37116" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37115" CreationDate="2018-02-07T21:23:55.050" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It appears to be Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) the seed pods are a favorite nibble of my chickens. A minor potherb and in small amounts, it is edible for humans as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20571" LastActivityDate="2018-02-07T21:23:55.050" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37117" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-08T03:32:08.957" Score="2" ViewCount="44" Body="&lt;h2&gt;How I got clippers covered in copper&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Dusting off&quot; some pruning clippers I noticed much more rust than I expected. I usually maintain tools well but lost track of this pair for a bit, and I guess they suffered from wherever they spent that time. I let it sit in vinegar then scrubbed it with &quot;steel wool&quot; - worked great. The clippers have a bronze hue to them now though, which brought to my attention that the steel wool I used was copper coated and the copper had rubbed off on the clippers. I didn't think much of it and finished the job with that scrubber since that's what I had in stock at the time. Admiring the rust-proof, bronze-hued clippers, I'm happy to be rid of rust but am left wondering if the copper coating will have any significant affect on plants I use these clippers on for propagation activities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;h2&gt;Is this good, bad, or negligible?&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At first I shrugged at the clippers now being coated in copper, but then I recalled how copper has great antimicrobical properties which makes it wonderful for doorknobs. Since I use these clippers for propagation purposes, them being coated in antimicrobial didn't necessarily seem like a good thing. Preventing infection - great; preventing growth of new plant tissue - very counter-productive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, copper is a micronutrient many plants use. Could minor doses help newly clipped plant stems? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ultimately, it's probably negligible, and in the future I'll continue to use whatever &quot;steel wool&quot; variant I have on hand. Still, I want to ask and see if anyone has insight about this here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastEditorUserId="13670" LastEditDate="2018-02-08T13:52:46.150" LastActivityDate="2018-02-08T13:52:46.150" Title="Pruning clippers covered in copper - curse, blessing, or neglibable for plant propagation?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;tools&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37118" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24020" CreationDate="2018-02-08T07:56:02.557" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;The ones I can think of are:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrangea&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Hydrangea&lt;/a&gt; - some of them start flowering in early spring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peony&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Paeonia&lt;/a&gt; (peony) - but they flower in late spring, at the same time or&#xA;after lilac.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisteria&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Wisteria&lt;/a&gt; - a vine, not a shrub, just in case you have an area that&#xA;wuold fit well with it (a fence or a wall that needs to be hidden).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2018-02-08T07:56:02.557" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37119" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37115" CreationDate="2018-02-08T08:19:11.620" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;For me it is &lt;em&gt;Oxalis dillenii&lt;/em&gt;, a North-American species which is invading Europe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some info in French (or German): &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.infoflora.ch/fr/flore/oxalis-dillenii.html#info&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.infoflora.ch/fr/flore/oxalis-dillenii.html#info&lt;/a&gt; . So it doesn't have stolons, but still long stems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These yellow flowering &lt;em&gt;Oxalis&lt;/em&gt; likes dry and sunny places (&lt;em&gt;O. corniculata&lt;/em&gt; is a European species, but it is smaller, and less flowers). Most of them are weeds that likes &quot;forgotten&quot; pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-08T08:19:11.620" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37121" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-08T08:23:33.947" Score="3" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;A few days ago, a friend gave me a mint plant submerged in water. It was my first time so I researched carefully, and took cuttings and planted them in pots. A few days later, they shriveled up and died. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Desperate, I snipped off a medium sized root from the main plant and put it in a pot. The root about 4cm, was yellowish white, and had a small 2cm stem that was woody. Considering that the stem was white and woody, will it grow back to create a lush mint plant?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20766" LastActivityDate="2018-02-08T08:37:35.217" Title="Can a cut mint root grow into a plant?" Tags="&lt;mint&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37122" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37121" CreationDate="2018-02-08T08:37:35.217" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Maybe. Various mint species have stolons, so in general they should be able to growth from roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now you should try to identify which mint you got. There are many species, some likes dry places, and some likes the very wet places. Because you received it submerged, I would tend on later one, but the most common mints like dry places (people likes them because they forgive you if you forget to water them regularly).  Without good identification, I would keep soil mostly dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-08T08:37:35.217" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37124" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-08T19:01:14.757" Score="3" ViewCount="1319" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/NoYY3.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;sick cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My cactus has had this brown spot on its side for a couple weeks now and I don’t know how to fix it. I think it happened when I was away for a month and forgot to have someone care for it. The house was colder than normal (55 degrees F) and outside was very cold. How should I fix this? I water the plant once a week and it sits by my window to get as much sunlight as possible. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20767" LastActivityDate="2018-02-08T19:47:32.247" Title="Cactus with brown and white spots. What is the problem?" Tags="&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37125" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37124" CreationDate="2018-02-08T19:47:32.247" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It either had rot or is still actively rotting from the inside out. My guess is too rich of soil and too much water. It happens....&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cactus exposed to cold would more likely be marked on the top over a fairly wide field, not dots on the lower side.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The good news is the rest of it looks pretty good, not awesome, but nice and green. Look at the very top/apex and see if there are any new spines (this where I look for new growth, it's easiest to spot here). New spines = good news. No new spines still not cause for concern at this point.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If this were my plant, I'd leave it until the soil has dried out completely. By that time it will have either rotted in two or started growing. (Assuming the days are getting longer where you are.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Long term, I would pot it in mineral-based soil and water when it needs it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2018-02-08T19:47:32.247" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37126" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="201" CreationDate="2018-02-09T03:22:57.460" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You could plant garlic chives. Market gardeners have fields of them. They are a perennial flat leaved grass like plant that grow about a foot tall. They don't usually have pest problems and attract butterflies. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Instead of mowing them, just cut enough to eat or make jiaozi. You could also cut and sell.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;They contain a healthy dose of folate. Like all the alliums (garlic, scallions, onions, etc.), chives contain heart-healthy allicin. Allicin has been shown to help with cholesterol issues and lower blood pressure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They thrive in colder climates and struggle in intense heat.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-09T03:22:57.460" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37127" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="201" CreationDate="2018-02-09T14:02:35.643" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;White Clover is a good choice and depending on water conditions may not require mowing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vinca minor&lt;/strong&gt; or Lesser Periwinkle is a maintenance free choice which tolerates partial shade and is available with several flower colors and variegated varieties.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20571" LastActivityDate="2018-02-09T14:02:35.643" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37128" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-09T17:02:28.380" Score="3" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;I need advice on preparing my garden for planting grass seeds, I have a new build property and the current grass is always waterlogged. I plan on hiring a man with digger and removing the top 6-8 inch firstly is this enough? Secondly what base would you recommend to stop this again? I have conflicting advice, just soil or some sharp sand first then soil? I'm baffled. What quantity (depth) of each? Many thanks in advance&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20769" LastActivityDate="2018-02-09T17:02:28.380" Title="Grass preparation (base)" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;grass&gt;&lt;landscaping&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37129" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-09T18:46:40.420" Score="2" ViewCount="25" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've saved seeds from my irises from last spring with the intention of planting them. However, most of the guides I've read have suggested planting them in the autumn.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is it possible to plant the seeds in the spring? If so, how should I go about this?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Notes: I live in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1011" LastActivityDate="2018-02-09T18:46:40.420" Title="Is it possible to plant iris seeds in early spring?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;planting-times&gt;&lt;irises&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37131" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37018" CreationDate="2018-02-10T02:32:08.137" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e6mai.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/e6mai.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Overall a healthy plant starts dying from bottom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Root Rots and plant slowly starts dying from bottom&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eSoqk.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eSoqk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Root rot&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil is moist not wet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I un-potted one such dying plant and inside the soil was a little moist. No stagnant water, no bad smell etc. Friends, I feel my plants are dying because of some problem in the soil. Fungal / bacterial growth may be. But certainly not excess water problem. My snake plants, Sansevieria, are rotting one by one with same kind of problem. For once try to step aside this excess water advise and tell me what can I do with the soil to make sure there is no problem in it. I have been told since months about excess water but I feel when I follow that, my plants shed more yellow leaves because of lack of water than problem due to excess water,. Of course I can not replace all the soil, but is any other way to make sure soil does not has any harmful growth in it ? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20695" LastActivityDate="2018-02-10T02:32:08.137" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37133" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="29757" CreationDate="2018-02-10T11:59:50.343" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chinese Elms do best when grown outdoor. It is not considered a tropical tree. You may want to look into a Fukien tea, ficus, or some other species that has good track record of doing well indoors. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20773" LastActivityDate="2018-02-10T11:59:50.343" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37134" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37137" CreationDate="2018-02-10T15:05:27.133" Score="2" ViewCount="220" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a 16 year old Magnolia grandiflora in zone 8a. Should it be pruned, or left alone?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nZPgr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vBBPt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-10T15:28:22.007" LastActivityDate="2018-02-11T01:38:46.673" Title="Should this Magnolia grandiflora be pruned?" Tags="&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;magnolia&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37135" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-10T21:37:30.713" Score="3" ViewCount="89" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been given the instructions &quot;plant young plants only after the ground temperature reaches 70°F (21°C), about 2 to 3 weeks before the last frost.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I looked up ground temperatures in my area and it never goes above 60°F (15.5°C), measured 1m (3ft) down. So how are you supposed to measure the 70°F (21°C)? On top of the soil, 10cm (4in) below, or above or how? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The way I understand this instruction, I can never plant these. Or at least, it makes no sense to expect these temperatures 2-3 weeks before the last frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20774" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-11T01:09:25.767" LastActivityDate="2018-02-11T01:09:25.767" Title="How do you measure soil temperature?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37136" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37135" CreationDate="2018-02-11T00:17:14.097" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The soil temperature is measured at the depth you're going to plant your seed. I guess seed potatoes could be planted 1 metre below ground but at that depth the soil temperature likely doesn't vary much all year round. And soil thermometers are only 30 cm long at best.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You plant some plants before the last frost so that they get as long in the ground before the ground gets too hot and they bolt. Some plants also need some cold to improve flavor, and tolerate a mild frost. The last frost of the year should be the mildest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-11T00:17:14.097" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37137" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37134" CreationDate="2018-02-11T01:38:46.673" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;When you see branches growing towards the center they need to be pruned or told to grow outwards.  When you have a vigorous branch with more vegetation than the branch is able to hold that branch needs to be un weighted by pruning back to an outward growing bud and when cut, the branch should rise with the loss of weight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would lighten a few of those lower very heavy branches, thin the tree next to it to allow more light, clean out the dead branches, dying, damaged branches and those growing toward the center. Very common with nursery grown stock.  When in doubt don't cut.  Stand back from all angles...you'll begin to see errant branches, branches that are too heavy and branches that are redundant.  You just have to hold back and not do too much.  Use alcohol on your by pass pruners to clean.  Sharpen your pruners...Felco #2 is my favorite pruner.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-02-11T01:38:46.673" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37138" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-11T06:56:49.787" Score="5" ViewCount="1161" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been filling planter boxes (PB5s to PB12s) with organic soil mixes, with a tiny amount of synthetic fertlizer. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this bad for my lungs? The environment wasn't windy, and the soil was moist enough so that any airborne dust was unnoticable, however I've found very fine particles turning my mucus black after work. I was unable to wear a mask for other reasons. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not sincerely concerned with this due to the brevity of the job, however i'm wondering from a theoretical perspective if this would ever be an issue if I held the job long enough? Could it be carcinogenic or reduce lung capacity as it blocks alveolae? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20776" LastEditorUserId="17442" LastEditDate="2018-02-12T07:56:55.523" LastActivityDate="2018-02-18T02:18:18.753" Title="Concerns with breathing in fine particles from soil" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;fertilizer&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;&lt;safety&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37139" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37142" CreationDate="2018-02-11T08:02:00.107" Score="3" ViewCount="146" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have planted three cherry tomato seeds. One has sprouted among them, but for the past two days its leaves are not emerging from the seeds. It’s the same as shown in the picture below. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm also wondering if that seed shell is too hard or something. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EOM1N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Cherry Tomato&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20748" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-11T18:36:53.423" LastActivityDate="2018-02-11T18:36:53.423" Title="Will this Cherry tomato sprout ever grow its first leaves?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37140" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37138" CreationDate="2018-02-11T08:53:59.420" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is not harmful to get some 'dust' in your lungs, sporadically. Your lungs will remove it via mucus, like you have noticed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It becomes dangerous, when it becomes chronic instead of sporadic. So every day, or during a day job (think of mine workers, or smokers).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also when the compound is carcinogenic then it becomes dangerous, but as far as I know fertilizer is not. Fertilizer is usually a salt (or mineral), containing NP and K. Carcinogenic compounds are for example benzene, and asbestos. These molecules fit exactly in the alveoli (the lung sacs).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So don't worry about it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2018-02-11T08:53:59.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37141" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37138" CreationDate="2018-02-11T10:16:24.477" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If working with organic soil mixes that include compost you need to work outside preferably with any wind blowing the contents away from you. If working inside you need to wear an approved antibacterial mask. A high percentage of compost available in various markets contains legionella and I know of several people who have contracted legionella pneumonia in such circumstances. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-24348811&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-24348811&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When working with dry vermiculite and perlite you should use a dust respirator when working inside.  Vermiculite may contain trace amounts of crystalline silica, and chronic exposure can lead to silicosis. Levels above 0.1% should be marked as carcinogenic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This paper describes reactive airways disease appearing after accidental inhalation of perlite. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.researchgate.net/publication/41452213_Acute_Expanded_Perlite_Exposure_with_Persistent_Reactive_Airway_Dysfunction_Syndrome&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.researchgate.net/publication/41452213_Acute_Expanded_Perlite_Exposure_with_Persistent_Reactive_Airway_Dysfunction_Syndrome&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: seems the most common cause of summertime pneumonia in the Bay of Plenty, NZ is legionella from potting mixes &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/community/101482988/how-a-love-of-gardening-led-to-a-potentially-lethal-bout-of-legionnaires-disease&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/community/101482988/how-a-love-of-gardening-led-to-a-potentially-lethal-bout-of-legionnaires-disease&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-02-18T02:18:18.753" LastActivityDate="2018-02-18T02:18:18.753" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37142" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37139" CreationDate="2018-02-11T10:27:37.540" Score="2" Body="&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Stuck Leaves Sometimes the cotyledons (the first leaves formed from the seed) have trouble getting loose from the seed coating. Be patient, as the leaves will usually escape. You could wet the seed coating, or you could try to carefully pinch off the seed coat, but if you pinch off the cotyledons, the seedling will likely die. A simple way to wet the seedlings is with a spray bottle of water set to mist. A small drop of saliva is also very effective at loosening seedcoats.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://faq.gardenweb.com/discussions/2766771/how-do-i-start-tomatoes-from-seed&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://faq.gardenweb.com/discussions/2766771/how-do-i-start-tomatoes-from-seed&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-11T10:27:37.540" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37143" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-11T18:15:52.633" Score="3" ViewCount="88" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to buy more of these but don't know what it is.  It's one of only two plants that grow year round with flowers here in our flower bed in northern CA.  It's pretty hardy and doesn't need much water.  Hope someone can id it.&#xA;Thanks, Jim&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XNPt4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XNPt4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19865" LastActivityDate="2018-02-12T18:08:08.207" Title="What is this bush/plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37144" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37143" CreationDate="2018-02-11T18:57:05.090" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Euryops - there are three common varieties, E. acraeus, E. chrysanthemoides and E. pectinatus. It's impossible to get a clear image of the flowers and leaves in close up from the photo you've posted, even under magnification, so I'm unable to decide which one it is - you can either post another picture in close up, or check out the three different varieties for yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here's a link to E. pectinatus for comparison purposes &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=624&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=624&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-02-11T18:57:05.090" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37145" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37146" CreationDate="2018-02-11T23:11:15.540" Score="2" ViewCount="3976" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a first time grower in need of some advice: About three weeks ago (2018-01-20), a repotted my chili seedlings into the pots seen in the pictures. Is it already time to repot them again? The reason I ask is because they are starting to look a bit tired: the leaves are becoming more pale green (some a bit yellowish), and some are curling upwards. I can also see roots poking out from underneath the pots. Also the growth seems to be slowing down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It seems reasonable that the above symptoms are due to lack of nutrition (the pots are quite small, so theres not too much soil in there.) It should be noted that I have yet to water with any nutrition. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If anyone knowledgeable could give some input/confirmation, I would very much appreciate it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/08Us3m.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/08Us3m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K7fiFm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K7fiFm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(Here are the links for larger images:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/08Us3.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://i.stack.imgur.com/08Us3.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K7fiF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://i.stack.imgur.com/K7fiF.jpg&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13697" LastEditorUserId="13697" LastEditDate="2018-03-15T19:48:49.267" LastActivityDate="2018-03-15T19:48:49.267" Title="Is it time to repot my chili plants?" Tags="&lt;chili&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37146" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37145" CreationDate="2018-02-12T10:27:56.860" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the roots are emerging from the pot there's not enough space in your pot so you need to size up for your plant. If growing from seed you will likely have to upsize 3-4 times before you reach your final pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.wahaca.co.uk/2010/09/tips-from-the-chilli-expert-2-repotting-your-plants/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.wahaca.co.uk/2010/09/tips-from-the-chilli-expert-2-repotting-your-plants/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-12T10:27:56.860" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37147" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-12T16:03:27.993" Score="3" ViewCount="90" Body="&lt;p&gt;I searched for a long time on internet but can't find a perfect tutorial on the whole process. I found one for making seed bombs: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.gardenista.com/posts/diy-wildflower-seed-bombs/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.gardenista.com/posts/diy-wildflower-seed-bombs/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wanted to know about the complications involving planting seed bombs with drones, is it just flying the drone to an appropriate spot on the land with proper altitude and just dropping the seed bombs or there are problems to this approach?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20781" LastActivityDate="2018-02-12T16:36:01.047" Title="How to properly seed bomb a particular area with drones?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;planting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37148" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37147" CreationDate="2018-02-12T16:36:01.047" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The issues as I see them would be as follows:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Weight - these are going to weigh at least 1 oz - likely more. I think you'd quickly reach most drone's carrying capacity with relatively few &quot;bombs.&quot; This would necessitate many trips to cover even relatively small areas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Structural integrity of the &quot;bomb&quot; - depending on soil structure and moisture content, these could &quot;bombs&quot; could break on impact even from relatively low altitudes. The point of the &quot;bomb&quot; is that in it's initial configuration it can hold a fair amount of water - enough to facilitate germination. If the &quot;bomb&quot; ruptures on impact with the ground after being dropped from a drone, then you would be left with seed and soil sitting on open ground and would lose the benefit of the &quot;bomb&quot; in the first place.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Distribution - spacing isn't all that imperative if you are putting out enough of these things, but even limiting delivery to a defined space will be difficult. The GPS in most drone are not precise enough to permit landing your &quot;bombs&quot; within a 1' area, so you'd probably want to seed at a higher density than required.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;Does the drone have an apparatus that would release single or several &quot;bombs&quot; at a time - rather than the entire batch at once?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am interested to know why you would want to plant with a drone rather than just walk to the area in question to plant - unless you don't have access to said area for some reason or don't want to be associated with any kind of planting occurring at said location.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastActivityDate="2018-02-12T16:36:01.047" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37150" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-12T19:09:45.940" Score="3" ViewCount="68" Body="&lt;p&gt;The Obama's &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/12/politics/obama-portrait-unveiling/index.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;presidential portraits&lt;/a&gt; were unveiled today.&#xA;Did the artist plant Barack in a garden of &lt;a href=&quot;https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bishops%20weed&amp;amp;t=ffsb&amp;amp;iax=images&amp;amp;ia=images&amp;amp;iai=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm4.static.flickr.com%2F3436%2F4557067674_9d970c7e62_o.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Bishop's weed&lt;/a&gt;?&#xA;Ignoring the flowers, which make little botanical sense, it sure looks like ground elder to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="724" LastActivityDate="2018-02-12T19:09:45.940" Title="Is that Bishop's weed the president is sitting in?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37152" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="22159" CreationDate="2018-02-13T03:03:59.493" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, this is also known as morning glory as it fades without sun light. Grows wildly in India near ponds and very invasive. In the blooming season hundreds of flowers together look wonderful. It has a beautiful dwarf variety too which you have called mexican petunia. They really resemble petunias.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20785" LastEditorUserId="16253" LastEditDate="2018-02-14T08:42:24.573" LastActivityDate="2018-02-14T08:42:24.573" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37154" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-13T04:39:05.013" Score="2" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have half a dozen large pots (24&quot;+) on my balcony which I've used for a couple of years to grow tomatoes, peppers and herbs. Last year I rotated several pots from tomato to peppers and vice versa, and top-dressed all with LARGE bag of fresh potting soil -- herbs did well, so did green onions, but peppers and tomatoes suffered.&#xA;What do I need to add to the soil to make it healthy? Does to be more than all-purpose fertilizer -- like calcium or something? Iron?&#xA;It's not feasible for me to replace it, I'm on the third-floor and I'm o&#xA;lder (i.e., weaker!). &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20784" LastActivityDate="2018-02-13T11:50:17.533" Title="How do I properly amend soil in pots I used last year to grow tomatoes/peppers in Ohio?" Tags="&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;&lt;soil-amendment&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37155" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-13T07:26:57.787" Score="2" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am looking for soil sensors to be used for agriculture crops. Can you please guide me on what all available soil sensors commercially available and how their properties can be used in suggesting what to be grown.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Regards&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Vinay&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20786" LastActivityDate="2018-02-27T13:15:57.350" Title="different types of soil sensors?" Tags="&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2018-02-28T23:41:32.617" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37156" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37155" CreationDate="2018-02-13T08:35:54.847" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Sensors are not so useful, without a &quot;model&quot; (so software), which BTW it is the most expensive part.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unfortunately your question if off-topic (professional agriculture, which probably will never have a stack exchange site: the proposals lack of support [people who commit to ask and answer]).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think you should start by checking some professional supplier (e.g. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.davisnet.com/solution/enviromonitor-affordable-field-monitoring-system/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.davisnet.com/solution/enviromonitor-affordable-field-monitoring-system/&lt;/a&gt;). Because they need to sell stuffs, usually they have good documentation.  Then it is up to you to check the &quot;models&quot; and the sensors for your specific use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-13T08:35:54.847" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37157" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37154" CreationDate="2018-02-13T11:18:49.877" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You rotated tomato and peppers, which are two species of the same family, so it is not a real rotation, both plants used the same nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, rotating on pots it is not so convenient, so yes, you need a all-purpose fertilizer. Usually it is enough, without requiring specialized fertilizers. You wrote that you put also new soil, which is also good for extra nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But from time to time, it is good to change the soil (repot or just changing the soil). You need it every few years, so you should ask some help. Maybe some deliver service will bring directly to your door (at 3rd floor).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If after fertilizing the problem persists, you should ask again, with photo of the leaves, so that we can help finding if you need more specialized fertilizer).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-13T11:18:49.877" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37158" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37163" CreationDate="2018-02-13T11:40:58.403" Score="4" ViewCount="134" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this insect on my &lt;em&gt;Echinopsis sp.&lt;/em&gt; It sort of looks like a tick, but what would a tick be doing on a cactus? What is it, and is it harmful?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JMMMJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JMMMJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="9631" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2018-02-13T11:51:11.500" LastActivityDate="2018-02-13T15:15:04.987" Title="Help identify an insect on a cactus" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37159" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37154" CreationDate="2018-02-13T11:50:17.533" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The point of crop rotation is to reduce the risk of persistent pests and soil diseases which is much less since you're on the third floor presumably growing on a balcony.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;About 90% off the plant's bulk comes from the air with the rest from the soil. When you added the potting mix to the surface you only added the small amount of fertilizers that come with the potting mix which meant that most of your soil was deficient of both macro and micro nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So you need to add a general purpose fertiliser to restore what was lost, and add some micronutrients which may not be in the general purpose fertiliser. Sea weed based fertilizers usually have these micronutrients. You can also try the latter as a foliar spray for quick remediation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-13T11:50:17.533" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37161" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37158" CreationDate="2018-02-13T13:56:54.413" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it's 1-2 mm in size them it's probably a whirligig mite &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/q/24112/1894&quot;&gt;How helpful are whirligig mites?&lt;/a&gt; . Spider mites are .5 mm long and generally need magnification to see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://bugguide.net/node/view/94328&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://bugguide.net/node/view/94328&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2018-02-13T15:15:04.987" LastActivityDate="2018-02-13T15:15:04.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37162" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="24369" CreationDate="2018-02-13T14:35:37.210" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can also use a product called TurfaceMVP. It's a calcined clay product that is used on baseball infields among other things. I use it as a soil amendment for cactus. I was talking to the guy and he mentioned someone using Turface for exactly your purpose, to absorb excess surface water to keep a lawn area from turning into a mud pit from foot traffic. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Honestly, I think it's going to take a combination of the suggestions you've received. Turface will be useful for spot treatment for higher traffic areas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2018-02-13T14:35:37.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37163" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37158" CreationDate="2018-02-13T14:48:16.397" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a Red Velvet Mite to me, although the pic's not entirely clear. If it is, they're arachnids and predators on other arachnids when mature, when young they may be parasitic, also on arachnids. Generally found in the soil, but they won't cause any harm to your plant &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trombidiidae&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trombidiidae&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-02-13T14:48:16.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37164" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37155" CreationDate="2018-02-13T14:49:40.953" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of the more basic is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://hydropedologie.agrobiologie.cz/en-tenzometr.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;tensiometer&lt;/a&gt;, i.e. an accurate soil moisture meter (non-electrical in function, thus not confused by salts.) That will either tell you when to irrigate if irrigation is possible, or how much moisture you have available if irrigation is not possible.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2018-02-13T14:49:40.953" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37165" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-13T17:26:01.647" Score="8" ViewCount="140" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a bunch of nesting boxes for small birds I am putting up. I am just wondering what is the best way to attach the boxes to various trees. I have seen screws used but I am not sure about that. I think it may damage the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20788" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-15T02:26:56.520" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T02:26:56.520" Title="Is it ok to screw nesting boxes to trees?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;birds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37166" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37165" CreationDate="2018-02-13T17:53:16.943" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;One screw wont hurt the tree. Just be sure to use a stainless steel screw so it doesn't rust out and break off in the tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13786" LastActivityDate="2018-02-13T17:53:16.943" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37167" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-13T20:00:14.407" Score="2" ViewCount="115" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a batch of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haworthiopsis_limifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Haworthiopsis limifolia&lt;/a&gt; seeds that I collected from my own plants and would like to sow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I won't ask when to sow them, because your climate may differ. I will rather ask what temperature range is best, and what difference between day and night temperatures triggers germination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20388" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2018-02-14T20:06:52.363" LastActivityDate="2018-03-16T20:11:40.090" Title="What is the best temperature to germinate Haworthiopsis limifolia seeds?" Tags="&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;germination&gt;&lt;propagation&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37168" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-13T21:39:29.160" Score="1" ViewCount="41" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in the Caribbean and my house has a rooftop that receives sun approx 12hrs during the day. It's usually 80-95 degrees. There's no soil so any plant would grow in a pot. There's very little shade, mainly from the building next to me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would like to have several banana trees in this rooftop. I would prefer baby/dwarf bananas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've called several local places, and nobody sells seeds or plants that grow dwarf/baby bananas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Where online can I buy high-quality seeds or plants that will grow dwarf/baby bananas in pots? I've seen many online stores that sell them, but I don't know if they have good reputation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14590" LastEditorUserId="14590" LastEditDate="2018-02-14T19:33:30.907" LastActivityDate="2018-02-14T19:33:30.907" Title="Grow baby/dward bananas from pots?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;banana&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2018-02-14T19:57:50.410" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37170" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-14T01:59:00.707" Score="5" ViewCount="642" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are some seeds that someone gave me. I think they're some sort of flower, but I'm not sure.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/z5BmD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20790" LastActivityDate="2020-07-26T23:35:41.417" Title="What kind of flowers are these seeds from?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37171" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37091" CreationDate="2018-02-14T07:41:10.947" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;At least 1 of the seeds in the picture has germinated, I suspect maybe a couple of more.  (There is 1 seed where there is a &quot;tail&quot; clearly visible in the coating)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14153" LastActivityDate="2018-02-14T07:41:10.947" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37173" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-14T15:00:58.133" Score="3" ViewCount="124" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of the leafs on this plant (not sure the name!) are injured. I'm not sure if I should leave them be, cut off the damaged portion, or remove the stem from the base?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QSusY.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QSusY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks in advance for the help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20797" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T01:03:30.153" Title="What should I do with broken leafs?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37174" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-14T15:06:25.850" Score="6" ViewCount="17253" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have two plants, one can brown spots I can scrape off and the other has white spots which are stuck to the leaves. I've just had an infestation of spider mites and they were absolutely horrendous to get rid off (knock on wood), now I feel slightly paranoid about another infestation of pests and diseases.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If anyone could tell me the names of the plants I would also really appreciate it!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ljiey.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ljiey.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rAvSc.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rAvSc.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xX8po.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xX8po.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0FN8e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0FN8e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rOY7e.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rOY7e.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YH8JC.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/YH8JC.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20774" LastEditorUserId="20774" LastEditDate="2018-02-14T18:05:03.007" LastActivityDate="2020-07-04T17:10:50.163" Title="Need help identifying brown and white spots" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37175" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37170" CreationDate="2018-02-14T18:11:54.033" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Hollyhocks! (&lt;em&gt;Alcea rosea&lt;/em&gt;) A very tall flower much found in traditional gardens and loved by children for constructing dolls with dresses.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2018-02-14T20:58:33.547" LastActivityDate="2018-02-14T20:58:33.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37176" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37167" CreationDate="2018-02-14T18:43:54.607" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I couldn't find relevant information on this, but I think I figured out a way to answer this question.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We know that &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haworthiopsis_limifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Haworthiopsis limifolia&lt;/a&gt;, formerly known as Haworthia limifolia is native to a few countries in southern Africa, thus we can check native climate since its germination process occurs outdoors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To narrow our search we choose a country that's small and has a uniform climate on its territory, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swaziland&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Swaziland&lt;/a&gt; for example. Usually Wikipedia shows monthly averages (highs and lows) for capital cities, so we check the climate in &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbabane#Geography_and_climate&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Mbabane&lt;/a&gt;. Haworthia starts its germination process in spring, and spring in southern hemisphere occurs roughly at opposite time than in northern hemisphere. That's why we can look at spring temperatures in Mbabane to determine the range needed for seeds to germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Furthermore, we can easily see that at this specific location average rainfall starts to rise in October, so we can assume that's when cactus and succulent seeds start to germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In conclusion, I say there's a great chance that your seeds will need a daily temperature above 22°C (72°F) and at least 11°C (52°F) during night time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I also want to add that I've seen on some sites that a temperature of &lt;a href=&quot;http://b-and-t-world-seeds.com/cartall.asp?species=Haworthia%20limifolia%20densely%20white%20striated&amp;amp;sref=432815&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;17°C (63°F)&lt;/a&gt; or a range from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.haworthia.info/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;15 to 20°C (59-68°F)&lt;/a&gt; is required but I think this is just an average between day and night. Indeed, (22 + 11) / 2 = 16.5°C, so I guess my assumption is right.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2018-02-14T18:43:54.607" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37177" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37173" CreationDate="2018-02-14T20:55:33.180" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is philodendron selloum which probably has a different botanical name now.  It is actually an oversized climber which grows aerial roots which attach to supports.  Just trim whatever part of the leaf goes brown.  No need to take off the whole leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2018-02-14T20:55:33.180" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37178" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37165" CreationDate="2018-02-14T21:42:15.180" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The biggest risk is to the lumber yard that cuts the tree for lumber; The steel nails and screws are bad for the cutting tools. My lot was formerly fenced with barb wire , trying to get the wire out where the tree has grown over it is a large problem . I have lost a number of hooks , etc, that I put in after the trees have overgrown them. It happens relatively fast ( at least for an old person ). This reminds me , I have some hammock hooks I need to check. I have read that a few copper nails / screws can kill a tree, but I never tried it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2018-02-14T21:42:15.180" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37179" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37173" CreationDate="2018-02-15T01:03:30.153" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Actually, the plant is a cut-leaf philodendron (Monstera deliciosa) and the leaves are supposed to look like that. Here's a link with care instructions and photo: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.healthyhouseplants.com/index.php/plant-of-the-month/split-leaf-philodendron.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.healthyhouseplants.com/index.php/plant-of-the-month/split-leaf-philodendron.html&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T01:03:30.153" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37181" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37174" CreationDate="2018-02-15T02:57:08.247" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://docsdrive.com/images/knowledgia/ijpp/2011/fig1-2k11-126-135.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Graphiola of palms&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=ijpp.2011.126.135&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;date palm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looks like a fungus very common to palms that is attracting other insects and those white dots are eggs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What kind of soil did you use?  Do those pots have drainage holes?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:  This is another good article about palm diseases. This might be scale, but I doubt it at the moment.  This article discusses fungal spots that grow through the leaf and can be scratched off...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/plant_pests/trees/hgic2007.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;common diseases of  indoor palms &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The white dots on your rubber tree plant are eggs.  Don't know which insect laid them but I'll be you can find it in the rocks on top of your soil.  I'd clean that off the surface for sure.  Did you use potting soil or did you use garden soil? Is there a hole at the bottom of these pots? Have you fertilized?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not allow your cat to munch on the rubber tree plant.  Your cat needs some kitty greens you grow on your window sill.  Is your cat indoors only? Take scissors and cut a new point on your leaves.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just need a bit more information to solve this...thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-02-15T21:04:13.650" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T21:04:13.650" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37182" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-15T03:27:01.627" Score="1" ViewCount="80" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have hardwood cutting from a couple of black currant bushes collected this winter. Many have been planted in small pots as I'm getting them started indoors on a warming mat. The warming mat is hooked up to a thermostat so I can control how warm the mat gets based on a soil thermometer inserted 1&quot; into one of the seedling pot's soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wonder, what temperature is optimal for these cuttings? As a general rule of thumb I'm thinking 70 degrees F? What I've read on blank currant propagation so far has not mentioned temperature for starting them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastEditorUserId="13670" LastEditDate="2018-02-15T20:29:05.047" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T20:29:05.047" Title="How warm should soil be for propagation of hardwood black currant cuttings?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;&lt;heat&gt;&lt;currant&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37183" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-15T04:02:30.153" Score="5" ViewCount="43" Body="&lt;p&gt;Someone suggested to consume this plant to help in my breathing problems. But I don't want to consume it without knowing what it is ? It looks like a medicinal plant, but what is it ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IwkXx.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5pKrV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OlYFz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20800" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T04:47:32.143" Title="What is this medicinal plant?" Tags="&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37184" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37183" CreationDate="2018-02-15T04:47:32.143" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Where was it growing? When was it harvested? It looks most like Wild Mint (Mentha arvensis), but also like Slender Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium). Mints are frequently used for respiratory support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20571" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T04:47:32.143" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37185" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37182" CreationDate="2018-02-15T07:57:26.013" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Probably the main reason you found no temperature recommendation is because currant cuttings are often propagated outdoors:&lt;br&gt;&#xA;In late fall, cuttings (from the current year) are placed deep into garden soil. They stay outside all winter, protected by a layer of leaf mulch or similar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Propagating in pots is of course possible, but I would not put them in a warm environement and certainly not on a warming mat. Hardwood cuttings need time to develop roots and you should expect a few weeks until the cutting has formed enough roots. I’m not sure is you can really speed up the process. Successful cuttings will show new growth in spring. This is another reason I wouldn’t “rush” the development: If the cuttings start pushing out the new growth too early indoors, you risk etiolation and hardening off becomes more complicated. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my opinion, a cool spot would be the better choice, just don’t forget to check the pots regularly and water as needed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T07:57:26.013" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37186" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33541" CreationDate="2018-02-15T11:13:37.227" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Check the PH. Growing next to brick or concrete can cause lime to leach into the soil raising the PH too high. After that, a number of problems could start to manifest that could make it look like something else is going on. My guess is PH is too high along with possibly being too wet for the roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20801" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T11:13:37.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37187" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-15T12:40:32.323" Score="4" ViewCount="2599" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was wondering if it is possible to grow bell pepper plants from the store brought bell peppers. Of course, I googled it it says that we have to dry the seeds first and then plant them in potting mix/ use paper towels, but my first attempt of the green bell peppers did not work. I am planning on trying with the red and yellow ones, which are ripe. Please give me some advice on ensuring better germination rate. Average temperature here is 26°C. Also, is it really necessary to dry them if we are planting them right away?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here was my previous question on my first attempt, which was a failure.&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/37091/are-my-bell-pepper-seeds-showing-signs-of-germination&quot;&gt;Are my Bell Pepper seeds showing signs of germination?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20748" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T13:04:25.953" Title="Is it possible to grow bell pepper from store-brought bell peppers?" Tags="&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37188" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37187" CreationDate="2018-02-15T12:55:10.643" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You can't use green peppers for seeds, because those are not ripe yet. So take seeds from red or yellow ones. Dry the seeds for a few days on a paper towel, before planting them in soil. Important is that you'll need a temperature  of 22-25 C for germination, so 26 C sounds okay. It should take about 3 weeks for the seeds to germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T12:55:10.643" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37189" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37187" CreationDate="2018-02-15T13:04:25.953" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It should be possible. With vegetables on market, often it is difficult because fruits are taken from plant, when they were not yet ripe. The outside will ripe (sometime with methyl ester, as in the &quot;hay&quot; method), but not the seeds.  So I recommend you to use good ripen green pepper or better red peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Putting in refrigerator for a week could also help (in a cold plastic bag, so that they remain dry).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Personally, I doesn't dry them (but if fruit is rotten), but I doesn't water them either. Just on dirt, and nature will make some seedlings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T13:04:25.953" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37191" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36997" CreationDate="2018-02-15T14:39:26.973" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;You have repotted an ailing plant that appears to have a nutrient deficiency so presumably it's either a root issue or other disease problem. It's severely lacking in leaves and I guess it's flowering in an attempt to survive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'd suggest reporting it again in a larger pot in a commercial citrus potting mix, examining the roots again, and feeding it with a  myocrhyzzal fungal fertiliser with some additional nitrogen in an attempt to rejuvenate it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T14:39:26.973" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37192" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35978" CreationDate="2018-02-15T14:57:00.377" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wonder if this is stink bug damage but they aren't supposed to attack grapefruit due to the thick rind. The insects are very large, and I note that you have seen some flying insects in the holes. The solution is to get the fruit off the tree before it all gets damaged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.orkin.com/other/stink-bugs/stink-bugs-and-citrus/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.orkin.com/other/stink-bugs/stink-bugs-and-citrus/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T14:57:00.377" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37193" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-15T15:32:01.077" Score="2" ViewCount="39" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am in south Louisiana, and we recently have had a much colder than average winter.  I have an orange tree in my backyard and I was planning on pruning it in the spring, and I am wondering about the overall health of the tree as well as where/how to prune it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qq6EF.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qq6EF.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S1Kuq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/S1Kuq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j1rGt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/j1rGt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2o0bt.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2o0bt.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6918" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T15:32:01.077" Title="Question about pruning and health of Orange tree" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37194" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37200" CreationDate="2018-02-15T16:14:06.723" Score="3" ViewCount="792" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been experimenting with various cuttings taken during the winter (so hardwood cuttings). I've had some failures: taking from plants that (I now know) don't propagate well from hardwood cuttings, or simply having &amp;lt;100% success rate with cuttings that 'should' work. I also had some encouraging successes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One thing I'm uncertain about is how to store cuttings, if that's possible at all. So far I gather the cuttings I take in a bundle wrapped in a damp cloth, then bring that in a dark cool place to overwinter until I'm ready to stick them in pots or in the ground. Since they seem inert, I don't water them at all, but I notice that by the time I revisit the stems and cut them to appropriate sizes to be stuck in soil, the cloth and stems are both pretty dry. As noted, some have worked, some have not, so I'm unsure of how good or bad this method is.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So, how can I store hardwood cuttings, if at all?&lt;/strong&gt; Should I be watering these inert cuttings over winter, and if so at what pace or moisture level do I want to keep them? Should I put them in the freezer wrapped in a damp cloth or dry cloth? I've heard of sticking them in buckets of slightly wet sand and keeping that sand slightly wet and in a cool dark place over winter but haven't tried that yet. &lt;strong&gt;Does storage depend a lot on the species or are there general rules of thumb for all hardwood cuttings?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13670" LastActivityDate="2018-02-16T04:19:36.027" Title="In general can hardwood cuttings be stored, and how?" Tags="&lt;propagation&gt;&lt;cuttings&gt;&lt;storage&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37195" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35978" CreationDate="2018-02-15T17:17:09.437" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Leaving sacrificial fruit on the ground did nothing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What solved the problem for me was buying some bird/rodent netting and covering the entire tree with it.  I used some rocks at the bottom to hold the netting to the ground to not allow anything to go under the netting.  As soon as the netting was up, no more holes appeared in the fruit!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16780" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T17:17:09.437" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37197" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37194" CreationDate="2018-02-15T21:22:23.597" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The RHS &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=387&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=387&lt;/a&gt; says that cuttings should be watched as they can desiccate in containers and that sounds like what you've allowed to happen. If you keep the entire cutting in a plastic bag it's likely at some stage to wake up but then can't respire.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So one should follow the traditional methods of planting into soil or sand as you've described.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-15T21:22:23.597" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37198" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37204" CreationDate="2018-02-15T21:27:23.037" Score="4" ViewCount="3016" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am trying to make a self watering planter, with a reservoir at the bottom.  It has 4 polypropylene ropes (0.25 inch) which are supposed to wick water up toward the dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The water is about 1 foot below the dirt, because I'm testing it to see if it'll carry water when the reservoir is low.  It's definitely carrying the water up through the air that far.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My problem is that it seems to wick up to the dirt, but once it hits the dirt, the water doesn't go much further up.  The area where it touches the dirt is vaguely wet, but that's about it.  The rope actually goes to the top of the dirt, but the water stops following it once it hits the dirt.  My hope was that the water would follow the rope and moisten the dirt as it goes up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can be causing this?  Is the dirt sucking up the water faster than the rope can bring it up?  Do people normally need to water from the top to jump start the capillary action?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20802" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-25T00:34:34.160" LastActivityDate="2018-02-25T00:34:34.160" Title="Why isn't my self-watering planter wick carrying water all the way up beyond the dirt line?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37200" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37194" CreationDate="2018-02-16T04:19:36.027" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am confused what you mean by storage. If you intend to hold these cuttings briefly for sale or shipping within the dormancy period simply wrapping in damp paper towels, then wrapping the bundle loosely - and not air tight - in plastic and placing in a refrigerator should yield good results. If the refrigerator has a &quot;produce&quot; bin which controls the humidity, place them there and so much the better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you intend to propagate using these cuttings, then, although there will always be differences between various species, good practice is based on understanding the natural life cycle of the plant but standards apply. Prune the tips after the leaves have fallen and the next seasons buds have set. Prepare an outdoor bed of coarse sand and compost. A greater level of success is achieved by scarifying the bark near the cut end and dusting the cut end with growth hormone. At a 45° angle insert the hardwood cutting 1/3 to 1/2 deep into the loosely packed bed. Cover the bed and cuttings with composted mulch such as leaf mould or rotted straw - deeper in colder climates. In the following spring, after the parent plant leafs out, uncover your cuttings. The majority will have developed roots by this point and you merely have to pot them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20571" LastActivityDate="2018-02-16T04:19:36.027" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37201" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="2668" CreationDate="2018-02-16T05:34:40.253" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been composting bones, meat, fat for years. It breaks down great and I don't attract pests. I built a bin 3' high and 3' in diameter. I fill the bottom with newspaper, cardboard, then leaves- about 1/4 of the way up. THen I start putting in my food scraps, which include meat, dairy, eggs, bones, etc. I only put the food (that I have premixed with dry material like leaves and straw) in the center. And build up then the top quarter I top off with lots of leaves and compost from a previous batch. The whole thing looks like a pile of leaves and doesn't smell. The trick is the there is a super thick insulative later on the bottom and all sides. Additionally, I monitor the temperature and it reaches between 140 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 2+ weeks. After a couple months, I may turn it. After some more time passes, I sift it and there are a few bones and I just stick those in the next compost in the center.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20806" LastActivityDate="2018-02-16T05:34:40.253" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37202" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35345" CreationDate="2018-02-16T07:09:21.737" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm new to self watering pots, so I'm not an expert on the subject.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Try making a self watering plant container using tupperware from the dollar store, and some shoelaces (also cheap at the dollar store).  I get 4 pots for $1, and 4 laces for $1, so this would make a fun/cheap experiment.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I just tried it about 10 days ago, and my basil is sprouting up in both pots.  So far, so good.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To avoid root rot, make sure you use potting soil, since it's more airy.  One of mine, I used backyard dirt, and I can tell it might be a little too wet near the bottom when the roots grow deeper.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20802" LastActivityDate="2018-02-16T07:09:21.737" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37203" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-16T11:40:24.943" Score="2" ViewCount="64" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I am having difficulty sprouting my chili seeds using the ENO method (wet cloth) because I believe the temperature at my place fluctuates too much between 16°C during the day when I'm working and 21°C when I'm home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now I was wondering what temperature the radiator gets when it is on and if it would - for example - be better idea to plant the seeds in soil, cover the container with foil and put those directly on the radiator to get the ground to warm up? Since I believe the ground will stay warm longer during the day and night when the radiator is off. And it won't get the direct heat from the radiator itself so it won't &quot;cook&quot; the seeds being on there directly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What are your thoughts?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20484" LastActivityDate="2020-06-03T00:29:50.123" Title="Temperature on the radiator" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37204" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37198" CreationDate="2018-02-16T13:10:04.963" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I tried using polyprolene rope some years ago and found that it was too tightly bound with no capillary action.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was at the shops today and looked at what they use. It was a braided cotton string.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The other commercial wicking pot I have uses a tube of sponge but the roots grow into them as they must be open cellular sponge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The larger pots don't use wicks but use columns of the potting mix which pulls the water up by capillary action.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-16T13:10:04.963" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37205" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37207" CreationDate="2018-02-16T18:35:39.490" Score="3" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;Aloe, Haworthia and Gasteria are three genera which are related closely enough to allow crossing among them.&#xA;However, I have never encountered a cross between a large genotype (e.g. Aloe Ferox) and a small one (e.g. Haworthia cooperi).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By small or large I mean the size a plant can attain, at or close to its size limit. In the case of members of the Aloe family, it's about the size a single rosette/offset may attain: That's when the rosettes/offsets multiply without increasing their size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is pollination possible between two specimes differing greatly in size?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20388" LastActivityDate="2018-02-16T20:15:24.533" Title="Limit of size difference between parents of hybrid plants: Aloaceae" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;hybrids&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37206" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37251" CreationDate="2018-02-16T18:55:38.893" Score="3" ViewCount="452" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a tom thumb/dwarf strawflower growing in a gallon plastic pot. It's not supposed to get higher than 15 inches and the plant next to it came from the same packet.&#xA;It only has a few flowers on it, is long and lanky compared to the healthy, shorter, bushier plant next to it with more flowers overall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Strawflower's leaves are curling and droopy, and it's a bit  bowed over. I'm keeping them inside until it warms up since i started them a bit earlier than i should have.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some known problems are: Not enough sunlight, and ethylene from the furnace. However, these dont seem to be affecting my other otherwise healthy plant that is right next to it, watered about the same, if not a bit more since it takes in water quicker.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is wrong with it, and how can i fix it?&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/JX4xY.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5nQ3Z.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20808" LastActivityDate="2018-02-20T22:11:44.593" Title="What is wrong with this Strawflower?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37207" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37205" CreationDate="2018-02-16T20:15:24.533" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The deciding factor is if the two plants are closely related enough to successfully hybridize.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Assuming you have a close enough match between two dis-similarly sized plants there needs to be a transfer of genetic material. If you do it yourself with a paint brush, problem solved! If you are expecting &quot;nature&quot; to do it, here is where you may run into challenges. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First you need a common pollinator that will visit both plants. Then the flowers must both be capable of giving/receiving pollen from the pollinator. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Flower structure, time of day the flowers are open/closed, time of year for blooms from your two plants, all impact the likelihood of success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Specifically with Aloe, in 2013 there was a fairly significant shake up of the Aloe taxonomy based on genetic study, so that plants formerly named aloe may not be as closely related as it seemed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2018-02-16T20:15:24.533" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37208" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-16T21:45:06.177" Score="3" ViewCount="261" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wr8bh.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/wr8bh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;About six weeks ago, I threw a bunch of petals from my mom's bougainvillea plant, into this bucket of dirt and these started growing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20811" LastActivityDate="2019-05-08T12:19:36.667" Title="Are these weeds or bougainvillea seedlings?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37209" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-16T23:42:07.587" Score="2" ViewCount="60" Body="&lt;p&gt;I sowed some fava beans in my raised bed and something is eating the leaves. I have a compost bin next to it that attracts mice so it may be mice eating them but I am not sure if mice eat leaves.  If not, what could it be?  Any thoughts?&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vuZkQ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vuZkQ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sis5l.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/sis5l.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13889" LastEditorUserId="13889" LastEditDate="2018-02-17T00:10:23.373" LastActivityDate="2018-02-17T00:10:23.373" Title="Do mice eat fava plants?" Tags="&lt;cover-crop&gt;&lt;fava-beans&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37210" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37208" CreationDate="2018-02-16T23:57:59.043" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Propagating bouganvillea from seed is very challenging, and it certainly won't happen with chucking a few petals into dirt. As it says in the comments you're growing weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The usual methods are by taking cuttings or by air layering.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1103412.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1103412.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-16T23:57:59.043" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37211" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-17T00:08:40.820" Score="5" ViewCount="482" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/neQDU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/71iEs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;Plant had recently started losing leaves.  I’ve had for about 2 months.  Thought it might not be getting enough sun - but is still losing leaves.  What do I do? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20812" LastActivityDate="2020-02-04T04:31:41.673" Title="Crassula tetragona losing leaves" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37212" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-17T03:57:43.553" Score="4" ViewCount="58" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have been thinking about planting a tree that produces some kind of nuts. I've seen for example almond and walnut trees for sale but have always assumed they would be just decorative in northern England. Another candidate could be sweet chestnut, but I’m open for other ideas. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What nuts can I expect crops (for personal use, not for sale) from in this location and how many years do I need to wait?&lt;br&gt;&#xA;I don’t want to plant something that will likely grow, but not bear fruit in my locale.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastEditorUserId="7456" LastEditDate="2018-02-18T10:05:17.000" LastActivityDate="2018-02-18T10:05:17.000" Title="Can I get a productive nut tree in the north of England?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;nut-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37213" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37212" CreationDate="2018-02-17T07:07:31.797" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglans_regia&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;walnut (&lt;em&gt;Juglans regia&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; is the better choice if you want fruit. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree itself is quite frost-resistant and robust. For fruiting, frost is an issue, though, as the flowers are sensitive. But it naturally blooms in mid-to-late spring and there are cultivars that bloom especially late to be one the safer side. Your nursery should be able to help you. Except first fruit when the tree is ten to twelve years old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before planting, remember that walnuts grow into large trees quickly and they can be tricky to prune: Cut at the wrong time and the tree will bleed profusely and for a long time. Ideally you plant it in a free space where it can grow largely untouched. Also note that a walnut emits chemicals into the soil that suppress other plants, so that the area under the tree will be rather inhospitable. In my experience, grass will grow, but don’t expect a flowerbed to thrive. A walnut tree is not the tree of choice for a small front garden, but given enough space, they grow into majestic trees, and faster than many others. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almond&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Almonds (&lt;em&gt;Prunus dulcis&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; are true lovers of warmth and sun. They are typical plants that need Mediterranean climate or at least the conditions found in vineyards. As they leaf out rather early and blossom even before, they are rather sensitive to late frosts (cold winters aren’t that much of an issue), which will of course affect fruit formation.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note that most almonds available in garden centres and nurseries are breed for their impressive flowers and may not bear fruit at all. Talk to your nursery, if you want to give a fruiting tree a try. You should get the first fruit as early as the third to fifth year, if you are lucky and get no frost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And of course with only a third of the size of a walnut and the somewhat dainty growth, plus the profusion of flowers in spring, it’s much more suitable for the smaller decorative garden - but not for a larger-scale almond production in Northern England.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7456" LastActivityDate="2018-02-17T07:07:31.797" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37214" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37203" CreationDate="2018-02-17T17:00:35.227" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't know how techie you are, or whether you have techie friends that can help, but one solution which will serve you over a large number of years would be to use an inexpensive data logger. This would give you all the data you need and would eliminate any concerns. Here in Canada I am concerned about my back room waterworks freezing in winter and the woodstove overheating, so I have a small microcomputer board with temperature sensors attached using twisted pair telephone wire. The advantage of this approach is that I can monitor 3 separate locations simultaneously with one little USB board, can move the sensors around as required to monitor different things depending on the season, and all the data is saved to a database so I have a good history of readings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once you have your sensor recording you can fix it to the radiator, or put it somewhere that you believe would register the right readings and sit back and wait for results to be recorded while you are out. You can also record light levels, humidity and so on.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To do some more reading on this possibility, use search terms like &quot;arduino, raspberry pi, temperature sensor, data logging, LM 35&quot; which will get you started. There are lots of little articles about how to set things up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2018-02-17T17:00:35.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37215" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37218" CreationDate="2018-02-17T18:15:48.020" Score="4" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to grow vegetables in my garden in beds because the soil is clay and I feel that’s the best option.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wooden beds seems the best way to go as recycled plastic seems awfully expensive. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There seem to be a lot of debate online regarding tanalised beds with the chemicals eventually sipping through the soil and getting in your veg. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If That’s the case, what wood is best to use? What alternatives do I have?&#xA;I live in the UK&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16605" LastEditorUserId="16605" LastEditDate="2018-02-17T18:39:32.957" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T04:09:18.593" Title="Tanalised beds dilemma" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;soil&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37216" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37215" CreationDate="2018-02-17T18:41:45.787" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I do the vegetable garden in clay soil, without problems.  Fertilizers and manure will acidify the soil, enough for garden. Some vegetables prefer clay, most are neutral (if there are enough nutrients). If you can, add some sand and good soil on top. One problem of clay soil is that it tend to dry quickly (but less than sand soil), and it could be hard (so forget carrots).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tannin are taken from trees, so it is natural. I doesn't think we (as human) we get problems, but it is also a good herbicide, so not so nice for vegetables. The choice of soil is much more important (heavy metals).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In general I recommend raw wood. You need to replace from time to time, but this is good: it gives you the possibility to improve the bed (construction), and rot wood will give back some nutrients.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EDIT:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I confused tannin with tanalised procedure. Tannin were used (and still used) to preserve wood and leather. Tanalised wood has much more chemicals.  I doesn't think enough to get health problems (still oligo-elements, so essential for us, and it should not give so much to vegetables, and then we eat just a part (fruits or some leaves).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-17T18:41:45.787" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37217" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37212" CreationDate="2018-02-17T20:40:04.453" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;That far north , I would think Hazel nuts are one of the few options. The trees bear when small and they require very little care. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2018-02-17T20:40:04.453" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37218" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37215" CreationDate="2018-02-17T23:26:43.590" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Tanalised wood will leach inorganic arsenic into the soil but the crucial question is whether it's a significant amount. The short answer is that plants closest to the wood, just a couple of inches, and especially root vegetables are most likely to be affected. And they'll get sick before you do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;More concerning is you, and your children, touching the exposed wood and transferring it to your mouth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some people recommend painting the wood or covering it with black plastic to reduce the hazards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Best wood otherwise to use? Any hardwood should do. Or use any other material, or just use a sloped edge to the beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.tuin.co.uk/blog/tanalised-pressure-treated-garden-timber/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.tuin.co.uk/blog/tanalised-pressure-treated-garden-timber/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-02-17T23:35:26.883" LastActivityDate="2018-02-17T23:35:26.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37219" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36073" CreationDate="2018-02-18T02:22:58.133" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;My neighbour was asked to make his pond safe by the Council so he used that metal mesh that is used for reinforcing concrete so he still had a view of his fish, and didn't have to build a pool fence.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-18T02:22:58.133" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37220" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37221" CreationDate="2018-02-18T03:07:50.120" Score="2" ViewCount="41" Body="&lt;p&gt;im in zone 6a and I just recently moved into a home with a fenced in backyard. It has a large-ish raised bed...but i'd actually like to do an in-ground garden this year since i've never had the chance to.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thing is...spring will be starting in a couple of months, and the lawn is grassy like any other lawn. is there a no-till approach that will at least get me to a &quot;planting time&quot; by spring?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I've heard of lasagna gardening, but I know that takes time. Could I perhaps place some cardboard over my area (planned to be 8x4) to at least kill the grass and then just dump some soil/compost over it till April/Spring planting time?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Or would the cardboard not be decomposed enough by then?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15095" LastActivityDate="2018-02-19T01:41:51.667" Title="Starting on a Grassy lawn in time for Spring?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;germination&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37221" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37220" CreationDate="2018-02-18T04:02:41.330" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't need to kill the grass. Just lay newspaper on the area and build up your lasagne bed. One you've built it up, you plant straight away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Wet layered newspapers form a better weed barrier than cardboard. You can use the cardboard as a top mulch instead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These are the instructions I used for the no dig garden I did a few months ago. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/no-dig-gardening/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/no-dig-gardening/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-02-18T08:27:32.067" LastActivityDate="2018-02-18T08:27:32.067" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37222" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-18T05:33:51.993" Score="3" ViewCount="341" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/R8E6H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;I planted it from a Bonsai kit. The seed packet is labeled as Black Pine seeds but, in comparison to photos online, these sprouts seem suspicious.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fbjeH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;Another sprout came up, it looks more like a pine seed!&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ehJNZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;The initial sprout got tall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20819" LastEditorUserId="20819" LastEditDate="2018-03-13T23:45:28.627" LastActivityDate="2018-03-14T01:44:32.477" Title="Can someone help me identify this bonsai sprout?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;pines&gt;&lt;sprouting&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37223" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37220" CreationDate="2018-02-18T13:59:06.777" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If you want to get up and running this season in zone 6a using permaculture principles, place your soil amendments (compost, manure, mulch, etc...) directly on top of the grass. Stake down a layer or two of weedblock fabric over the area. You can do this all without even waiting for the soil to defrost.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By the time you're ready to plant, the lawn will be dead if not already composted. Cut X's through the fabric and trowel or drill in your plants. Leave the fabric in place for the first season, roll it up in the Fall and amend your bed by top dressing and mulching.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Weed blocks are as durable as shovels and can be used over and over again. The cardboard method is better suiting to reclaim difficult to weed areas filled with difficult weeds. You have a small plot and want to plant this season.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WmLVd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WmLVd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;5 oz. professional grade weed block&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As with most materials, if used inappropriately, weed block can be worthless. The technique I describe wherein weed block is used &lt;strong&gt;on the surface like a durable reusable tarpaulin&lt;/strong&gt;, to shade the lawn grass, kill it and raise the temperature of the soil and finally to increase the rate of decay is entirely appropriate. This method also avoids tilling. All too frequently it is used as a lazy method to &lt;strong&gt;underlie shallow landscaping&lt;/strong&gt; projects. That is not what I suggested here.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20571" LastEditorUserId="20571" LastEditDate="2018-02-19T01:41:51.667" LastActivityDate="2018-02-19T01:41:51.667" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37224" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37234" CreationDate="2018-02-18T14:24:34.090" Score="4" ViewCount="125" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been having a venus flytrap plant (actually, 3 plants in the same pot) for about 8 months.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It was greeh and healthy, but about 4/5 months ago (summer here in Spain) it started to become black and dying. So I moved from the balcony to our living room, where it has no direct sunlight but more &quot;regular&quot; temperatures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was pretty sure it was almost dead, but to my surprise, a couple of months ago the plant started developing new leaves again (although the traps seem not to fully develop). I don't directly water it, I put water in a plastic recipient from where it can absorb the water  (distilled water)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I've recently discovered that the tall stem you can see in the picture is actually a flower bud.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I wonder if now that it is going (hopefully!) to blossom, it has different needs on water/light/whatever.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any advice? Thanks!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vGoeL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vGoeL.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18002" LastActivityDate="2018-02-19T16:38:24.797" Title="Flourishing Venus Flytrap: Special needs?" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;&lt;carnivorous-plants&gt;&lt;venus-fly-trap&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37225" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-18T16:47:52.850" Score="5" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've got 7 plants from clementine seeds and want to know what possible results I can expect in terms of fruiting if any, depending on which different citrus trees could have pollinated the parent.&#xA;The seeds come from fruits probably grown in spain&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is likeliest to have pollinated my seeds and will it produce fruits? That's what I'm most interested in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20820" LastEditorUserId="20820" LastEditDate="2018-02-18T21:25:01.690" LastActivityDate="2018-02-19T10:32:41.603" Title="Clementine seed results" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;seeds&gt;&lt;citrus&gt;&lt;pollination&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37226" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-18T18:52:49.267" Score="6" ViewCount="945" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have 5 mature Bramley apple trees - I think at least 10-15 years old, I do not know the rootstock but they are easily 6m high so I assume something large; they are also in great soil and get a decent amount of sun and little wind.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However these are the only fruit trees which came with the garden and seriously, who needs 5 Bramleys and nothing else!? I've started planting other eating varieties and crab apples but was also interested to try grafting as a way to avoid removing one or two nice trees to make space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any practical limit to how many branches I can replace with grafts either per season or as a fraction of the total tree? I've been offered multiple types and am kind of curious to make a &quot;Franken-tree&quot; where I just replace as many branches as possible with a range of varieties - an orchard on a single tree so to speak!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastActivityDate="2018-02-19T07:59:32.500" Title="Is there a limit how many branches I can graft onto a mature apple tree?" Tags="&lt;apples&gt;&lt;grafting&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37227" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37229" CreationDate="2018-02-18T20:09:04.873" Score="4" ViewCount="66" Body="&lt;p&gt;A month ago, I sowed some tomatoes, paprika and kohlrabies into nutrient poor sowing earth. They are growing nicely, but I am wondering, when it is time to repot them into normal (nutrient rich, pre-fertilized) earth.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Right now, the paprika are about 4 cm/1.6 in tall, carrying massively green leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tomatoes are about 6 cm/2.5 in tall and their leaves got a bit darker in the last days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The kohlrabi is up to 8 cm/3 in tall and looks great with fresh looking green leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there a rule of thumb for when it is time to repot into fertilized earth, that can be applied to all vegetables?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And do I have to add an intermediate step and plant them into a normal/sowing earth mix, before putting them into 100% normal earth?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17685" LastActivityDate="2018-02-20T01:40:42.240" Title="When to repot vegetables into normal earth?" Tags="&lt;vegetables&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;&lt;repotting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37229" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37227" CreationDate="2018-02-19T07:59:27.000" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;TL;DR if the roots look good/robust transplant them (to an appropriately sized container)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;without more specific information its hard to say anything with certainty, but in a greenhouse setting repotting is done when the plant's roots have colonized the available soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;i suppose you can transplant at any point. but you want to wait for the plants to show vigor and do it before they start setting any fruit/product so that the stress doesn't abort your tomatoes before they even have a chance. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;plants dont mind nutritional soil, you can burn plants with added fertilizer/planting right in manure, but in soil, as long as they have a well developed root system, generally the only intermediate steps in transplanting are in terms of container size&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20824" LastActivityDate="2018-02-19T07:59:27.000" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37230" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37226" CreationDate="2018-02-19T07:59:32.500" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are no limits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just that usually fruits tree are pruned with maximal 3 (some time 2 to 4) main branches, so if you do graft more cultivars, you should have trouble on giving the right form. [With &quot;espalier&quot; form you could have more, but this system for commercial apples requires many trees]&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The optimal is often zero grafting: this is the best way for plant longevity and fruiting. But it is nearly impossible to have the right variety from seed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second best is to have a single grafting: this allow to clone a cultivar, and possibly to choose the root stock so that it is ideal for your soil (acidity, dryness, wake up period in spring).  But in this case, all leaves (and sprout) of root stock should be removed, or they will dominate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As you see, in the last point, more than one grafts is usually bad. Usually are just lure of gardening shops. All branches are competing (this is in general, also on non grafted trees), and so we have pruning, not to have just good branches very high (and vertically).  With multiple grafting, this would be a nightmare.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But there are some case that multiple branches are useful. Kiwi and apples are good examples:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kiwi needs male and female trees, and grow very wide, so just one tree with one male branch is good (and usually simpler to prune, because pruning is done horizontally: easier to control apical dominance).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But also apple are often (for garden) grafted twice, because of non-autofertility (fertilization, so apples, is successful only across different varieties). But often this is done like kiwi: one for good fruits, and one just to provide pollen.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Because you can have small apple trees, I would recommend to plant few different apple trees. Look for root stock which keep apple trees small. Pruning and pest control will not become a nightmare. (and you can get your apple by hand, with more grafting you should also go vertically).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-19T07:59:32.500" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37231" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37227" CreationDate="2018-02-19T09:09:02.130" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;You don't say what size pots your plants are in currently, but if they are small (9cm or thereabouts) then pot them up now into larger pots using ordinary (not starter) fresh potting soil. If you are intending to keep them in pots ongoing, you will need to pot on again into their final, larger pots as the plants get larger, but you should not use earth from the garden for this purpose, you will need to use more potting soil. Ordinary garden soil in pots is not  a good idea, for it may contain pathogens which, whilst fine in open ground, may not be fine for your plants contained in a pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, if you eventually want to grow these plants outdoors, it's fine to transplant into the ground when the weather where you  are is suitable.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-02-19T09:09:02.130" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37232" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37225" CreationDate="2018-02-19T10:24:40.580" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;There is no sensible answer to your question I'm afraid because clementines do not come true from seed, as I'm sure you're aware; there is no way of knowing what has pollinated them, so it's a lottery. You may get very large trees that don't produce any fruit, or trees that do produce fruit after ten years or so but not anything you might consider eating, or, you might just get something edible. If you have the room to plant in the ground, it will be an interesting experiment, though you will have to wait probably around ten years to find out what they will produce. Most commercially sold citrus fruits are from trees that have been grown from vegetative cuttings.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2018-02-19T10:32:41.603" LastActivityDate="2018-02-19T10:32:41.603" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37234" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37224" CreationDate="2018-02-19T16:38:24.797" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A general answer because nobody is answering yet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it is flowering, it means that you cared the plant correctly. I would keep the condition you did until now. Often flowering phase is not a high requirement phase: the plant flowers when it know that it can afford to flower (so it is sometime difficult to have flowering plants).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The difficult phase is the next one: having fruits/seeds. If you care about these, you should probably manually pollinate the flower, and possibly get fertilizers, water and sun, in order to build fruits. In this case, the fruit is small (and ovary already developed), so I would keep it as you are doing., and correct if I see that plants is &quot;complaining&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-19T16:38:24.797" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37235" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-19T17:31:12.050" Score="3" ViewCount="188" Body="&lt;p&gt;How do I treat &quot;scale&quot; on an office plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can take it into the bathroom or outside to spray it if necessary, but I cannot use anything that smells strongly or would off-gas. I'd like to avoid anything that &quot;looks&quot; obvious as I don't really want people to know my plants have bugs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is some sort of fern. It was labeled as &quot;Fern&quot; or maybe &quot;tropical plant&quot; when I bought it. I believe it may be a Kangaroo Fern but I'm not 100% sure.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have been wiping the leaves to manually remove the bugs but it seems this is not enough and each Monday I come back to see more &quot;babies&quot; on the plant. The little guys are really hard to wipe off without damaging the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/lP7nh.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20826" LastEditorUserId="20826" LastEditDate="2018-02-19T18:33:35.863" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T16:39:47.790" Title="Scale on plant in office: how to treat?" Tags="&lt;office-gardening&gt;&lt;ferns&gt;&lt;scale&gt;" AnswerCount="5" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37236" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37235" CreationDate="2018-02-19T23:30:52.290" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Here is a quick answer&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Take it home&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut every leaf off&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Reduce water and wait for new growth to appear&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;When scale appears use 5 ml dish soap to one litre water&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;apply with rag or cloth three times at six day intervals&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2018-02-19T23:30:52.290" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37237" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37239" CreationDate="2018-02-19T23:50:01.193" Score="2" ViewCount="565" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just realized I did this today. I usually wear gloves but today I was starting a lasagna garden (at least the base of it) and i got some bagged compost to spread over cardboard and I just spread it around with my hands.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I did promptly wash them off with soap and water when I was done....but afterwards I was like &quot;oh crap&quot; (It was some of that miracle gro natures care stuff).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyways Im just a bit worried...I didn't have any cuts on my hands that I know of...but still.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;is this something to worry about?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15095" LastActivityDate="2018-02-22T00:58:11.530" Title="Handling Compost with Bare Hands?" Tags="&lt;compost&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37238" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37227" CreationDate="2018-02-20T00:30:08.843" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is time to transplant your starts into your prepared garden beds. If you've grown them in pots out of doors from the beginning then go transplant.  If you've grown your starts indoors or in a greenhouse there is one more step, make sure you acclimate your starts to the amount of sunlight before planting them out of doors, whether it is outside of a greenhouse or outside your home.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Unless you've been growing your starts out of doors already used to the bare sunshine, IR, they need to go through a hardening process.  Take them outside (this is where those plant trays come in handy) for 5 minutes day for three days.  10 minutes a day for 3 days.  20 minutes a day for 3 days.  40 minutes per day for 3 days.  When your plants can stay outside for 2 hours without burning they are ready to transplant into the garden. I always go for 4 hours because it just takes one sunburn to kill a plant or set it back.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also purchase some row cloth. This protects the plants by raising the temperature beneath the fabric 10 degrees or more from the ambient temperatures, protects tender leaves from wind storms, hail, strong rain. I've also shortened the acclimation times using row cloth but it is best to be safe than sorry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Kohlrabi is a brassica, a member of the cabbage family. The brassicas have a few problems with insects especially a moth, a butterfly and a fly who lay their eggs under the leaves, in the leaves or in the soil around the base of a brassica.  When the egg hatches the larvae eat the leaves or the root crown until they pupate and when an adult they fly away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The row cloth will protect your Kohlrabi from flying adults.  Just pin the edges down with soil so that the adults are unable to crawl beneath the row cloth. Keep the cloth over the plants fluffed up, loose.  Water the soil well before installing the cloth. Irrigation water, rain water will penetrate the fabric as well as sunlight but also sheds lots of water and some of the IR of the sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Soil is never 'fertile'.  Even the soil of ancient forests ESPECIALLY the soil of ecosystems that are untouched by humans, have little chemistry plants need to grow and thrive.  There is a reason for that. Ecosystems don't want overpopulation problems.  All the important chemistry plants need to make their own food is held in their biomass until a leaf falls or a tree dies that chemistry is not available in the soil. Any garden we humans try to grow is completely artificial.  The plants rely on us humans to monitor and add just the right amounts of fertilizer for the plants we want to succeed to succeed. Each species of plant has its own particular chemistry needs with which to make its own food. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only addition you should make to your garden soil is organic matter that is DECOMPOSED.  I throw shovelfuls of decomposed organic matter into the soil as I double dig my plant beds the first and only time. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, I coat the top of my beds with decomposed organic matter, once or twice per year. Forget worrying about weeds.  The soil organisms come up and eat this decomposed organic matter, go back into the soil and poop it out feeding even more soil organisms and improving the TILTH.  I clean out the 'trenches' at the base of the raised beds with a shovel twice a year throwing the soil on top of the raised bed (see picture).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you use straw, bark, raw manures...you are using &lt;em&gt;non&lt;/em&gt; decomposed organic matter that has to first be decomposed before the soil organisms have food to eat for energy.  Using non decomposed organic matter causes the soil organisms both macro and micro to go to sleep.  Go dormant or die until the decomposing organisms have done their job.  These decomposing organisms use nitrogen for energy. Any nitrogen that was part of the straw, bark, woods, newspapers, raw poop, banana peels, egg shells, cardboard, grass clippings...will be used in the work of decomposing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plants need Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, in proper percentages for the vegetable you want to grow.  These are the macro 'nutrients' that I call macro chemicals.  Nutrients makes people think of food and the more the better which is a poor mindset for growing plants. The micro chemistry would include; Boron, Manganese, Magnesium, Iron, Sulfur, Silicon, Calcium, Copper, Zinc...and more.  Just needed in trace trace amounts so you need to know what is already in your soil or you'll have problems with excess amounts of chemistry.  Less is best. But none is dumb? Never understood that little rhyme that doesn't rhyme, grins. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not depend on compost for fertilizer.  Decomposed compost feeds the soil macro and micro organisms. The soil organisms mix the organic matter into the soil profile FOR you better than you could or should do.  You want to be in charge of the chemistry of your soil.  When you get more involved with chemistry plants need, you'll be able to incorporate 'signs', 'symptoms' of plants  that tell you what chemistry is in excess and chemistry that is deficient.  Too little chemistry is better than crossing the line with too much because plants will die quicker with too much than too little. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would get at least one professional soil test and purchase a couple of pH meters so that you can know which beds you will make acidic (potatoes, blueberries) and those that are neutral and more alkaline for most vegetables needs. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eI1bs.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/eI1bs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;prepared soil raised beds with trenches at the base for water collection and diversion&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make sure you understand the crucial aspect of rotation in your vegetable garden. For instance, brassicas should never be planted where brassicas have been grown within the last 2 seasons.  If you grew broccoli last year do not grow any of the cabbage family in that soil for 2 years and that includes Kohlrabi.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Tomatoes are the same.  Solanaceae.  Do not plant tomatoes in soil that has been used for growing tomatoes, peppers, eggplant during the past 2 years.  I grow a lot of my Solanaceae in pots with potting soil to extend my garden.  It is tough to have the room to rotate species in any garden.  Pots with ONLY potting soil help to expand the growing area in your garden. Never use garden soil in pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In this picture of my most recent garden (volcanic pumice with minuscule organic matter lodgepole/bitterbrush forest) as we build the greenhouse around the garden...you see lots of potatoes, tomatoes were planted in 5 gallon to 10 gallon pots.  Had to acclimate the tomatoes to real sunlight as we went through the up potting process to get to that size of pot.  Very different from planting a 4&quot; potted vegetable start into the garden proper.  You do not need to get the starts used to the soil of the garden.  You do have to acclimate them to the sunlight.  When plants are grown indoors or with attenuated sunlight or artificial lights their epidermis is very thin.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you take a plant out of doors that only knew light from the kitchen window sill and put it out in the sun, that plant will get a 'sunburn' within minutes.  Some plants are more fragile than others when being taken out of doors or having their environment changed. Acclimation also has to be done going from out of doors to the indoor environment if you want a plant (live xmas tree) to survive, a very similar process in reverse has to be done or one should have just purchased a cut tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I hope this helps...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-02-20T01:40:42.240" LastActivityDate="2018-02-20T01:40:42.240" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37239" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37237" CreationDate="2018-02-20T01:08:46.230" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Legionella is really the main worry and if just wash your hands you should be fine. Legionella is mainly breathed in as you work with compost, and potting mixes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/37141/1894&quot;&gt;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/37141/1894&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-02-22T00:58:11.530" LastActivityDate="2018-02-22T00:58:11.530" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37240" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37235" CreationDate="2018-02-20T02:00:41.950" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;If it's a decorative plant just use a systemic insecticide that is absorbed by the roots into the plant tissue.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amazon.com/systemic-insecticide-scale/s?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;page=1&amp;amp;rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Asystemic%20insecticide%20for%20scale&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.amazon.com/systemic-insecticide-scale/s?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;page=1&amp;amp;rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Asystemic%20insecticide%20for%20scale&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-20T02:00:41.950" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37241" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37235" CreationDate="2018-02-20T08:22:17.250" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This solution is a little labor intensive but soapy water in a spray bottle (just a drop or few of soap mind you) applied regularly will suffocate most pests. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;it can take a few weeks at once or twice a day, depending on how thoroughly you spray all the nooks and crannies&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20824" LastActivityDate="2018-02-20T08:22:17.250" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37242" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37243" CreationDate="2018-02-20T15:47:21.017" Score="1" ViewCount="99" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started tomato, pepper and melon plants indoors a couple of weeks ago (start February). The plants will eventually go out in a greenhouse, but probably not until May. Will 2 x &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-E27-Bulb-UFO-Globe-Light-Spotlight-12W-15W-20W-30W-40W-60W-White-Lamp-220V/192374413470&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;30W (2100-2400 lumens) LED (6500K)&lt;/a&gt; be enough light for my plants until then? There will be a little real daylight as well, but rather limited at this time of year. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note! I know this will not be enough for getting fruits. I'm only concerned about growth, and wether the lights can sustain plant growth. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l55D7.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/l55D7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16798" LastEditorUserId="16798" LastEditDate="2018-02-20T16:03:13.243" LastActivityDate="2018-02-20T16:55:05.863" Title="Is 60w LED enough light for 0.25m2?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;grow-lamp&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37243" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37242" CreationDate="2018-02-20T16:55:05.863" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;They look quite etiolated now, so I'd say the current configuration is not going to give compact, robust growth. If nothing else,  lower the lights to within a couple of inches of the seedlings. You can also improve things but surrounding the box with white cardboard or foil or something to reflect the light back to the plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If these were mine, I'd put them in the most compact arrangement possible, then lower the lights down low and then put some reflective material around to keep the light in.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="18283" LastActivityDate="2018-02-20T16:55:05.863" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37244" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37237" CreationDate="2018-02-20T16:56:30.287" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Many of us do this all the time.  With the increasing use of composted garden waste in commercial composts, the biggest hazards appear to become like those of home-made compost: splinters and other sharp things that have made it through the process unaffected.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2018-02-20T16:56:30.287" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37245" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-20T18:32:39.150" Score="3" ViewCount="224" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a cherry tomato plant that is staked and caged. It is in an outdoor covered patio in South Florida.  It is about 5ft. tall and is producing several fruit. I currently use miracle-gro 24-8-16 biweekly. (I am about to switch to the 18-18-21 since most of my plants have begun to flower.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The fruit and the leaves on the top look great. However some of the bottom leaves have the pattern pictured below. I've been looking everywhere to see what this could be but to no success. I am not overly concerned since the plant is growing fine and is producing fruit.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anybody happen to know what the cause of this is as well as treatment, if necessary? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/naKsZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/naKsZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IBHP2.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/IBHP2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20829" LastActivityDate="2018-02-22T08:25:56.610" Title="Why are lower tomato leaves like these?" Tags="&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;tomatoes&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37246" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-20T19:27:25.357" Score="1" ViewCount="164" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am growing a green bell pepper plant:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bQw0N.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bQw0N.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It grew many flowers and one started to grow a pepper&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vLdCU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vLdCU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But when it started to grow that one, all the rest stopped to grow, started to dry becoming yellow and fall down:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mnd1Q.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mnd1Q.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there an explanation for this? May be the pot is too small or is there too little soil?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20203" LastActivityDate="2018-02-20T19:41:25.883" Title="Why can it be that a green bell pepper plant just grows a single pepper with all the rest falling?" Tags="&lt;indoors&gt;&lt;bell-peppers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37247" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37246" CreationDate="2018-02-20T19:41:25.883" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Insufficient light looks to have been an issue for the plant because it is etiolated, but quite possibly the main problem was lack of pollination. Peppers are self pollinating, but they need moving air, like a breeze or wind around them for that to work, so hand pollination is safest in these circumstances.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't tell what size the pot is, though it does look as though the soil level is a bit low - it's usual to grow peppers in 9 inch pots, with the potting soil about a quarter inch below the rim. Because the fruit you've got is relatively small, the plant might also have gone a bit short of water, especially after the flower buds had formed, and that would cause any flower buds to abort prematurely too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-02-20T19:41:25.883" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37248" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37249" CreationDate="2018-02-20T19:58:30.483" Score="3" ViewCount="174" Body="&lt;p&gt;A large patch of my pachysandra covering was ripped up by trucks last May. See the white oval in the picture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was expecting it to come back during the summer but I didn't. What can I do the bring it, or help it come back, this summer?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I live in Philadelphia, PA.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OjLIA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/OjLIA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update: Went over there and took a few pictures. Looks like it's coming back on its own, doesn't it?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x1TfA.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/x1TfA.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Close-up of the &amp;quot;dead&amp;quot; area&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15764" LastEditorUserId="15764" LastEditDate="2018-02-24T19:10:27.523" LastActivityDate="2018-02-24T19:10:27.523" Title="Bring pachysandra back to life" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;soil&gt;&lt;ground-cover&gt;&lt;nutrients&gt;&lt;evergreens&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37249" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37248" CreationDate="2018-02-20T20:11:48.800" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It may be the roots were destroyed, in which case, it won't grow back. You can check by digging around a bit to see if the roots are still there and are viable. If not, then selecting odd plants here and there from the other patches and transplanting them into the bare area should work, but will take some time to spread out and fill the area. If you want to do that, wait till spring is just beginning, and ensure you water well and keep watered as necessary.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Otherwise, for quicker results, it means replanting with newly purchased plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-02-20T20:11:48.800" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37250" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="220" CreationDate="2018-02-20T21:55:48.693" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never had a problem with our 'resident' chipmunk getting into the flower garden. Iv'e been feeding him and his descendants' peanuts for years! The only rodent problem I've had is with the moles.I bought some repellant and got them to head down in the back yard. I would try some moth balls though. I can't kill anything.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14436" LastActivityDate="2018-02-20T21:55:48.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37251" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37206" CreationDate="2018-02-20T22:11:44.593" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;During the winter plants have a tendency to 'stretch' towards the light. especially when there's not enough,that could explain why their so long. It's really tough to 'winter' certain plants but,try to keep it going until the spring and you can cut it back and start it over. The curling leaves could mean a change in temp. Do you have a drip tray underneath? Just watch your watering, not too much and not too little. Think Spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14436" LastActivityDate="2018-02-20T22:11:44.593" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37252" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36407" CreationDate="2018-02-20T23:59:59.957" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think what you have is a member of the only genus of cactus that exists in the old world... Rhipsalis some of the species... it is possibly &lt;code&gt;Rhipsalis baccifera&lt;/code&gt;, there are a lot of species, most are epiphytic, and have small red or white fruit... I am not a cactus expert, but the one that I had was probably either &lt;code&gt;Rhipsalis baccifera&lt;/code&gt; or &lt;code&gt;Rhipsalis pilocarpa&lt;/code&gt;, and it required a lot of water for a cactus, I guess it was from a fairly wet forest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As with pretty much any cactus if you watch carefully you can see it shrink as it dries out... so it is actually pretty apparent when needs water if you look at it regularly... but I would still let it dry out between waterings and pot it in a cactus mix, never let it sit in water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2018-02-20T23:59:59.957" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37253" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37235" CreationDate="2018-02-21T00:04:46.397" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;what I do for scale bugs, is to dip a qtip in rubbing alcohol and rub them off... then apply neem oil when I cant see any living scale bug... it usually works pretty well for control, but they are hard to really eliminate...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T00:04:46.397" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37254" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5089" CreationDate="2018-02-21T00:07:24.307" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Actually, from what I understand, some plants can dry out wet areas. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are basically 2 types of plants that can live in bog-like conditions: &#xA;(1) plants that can grow in wet conditions but do NOT dry out the area &#xA;(e.g.  Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum))&#xA;and &#xA;(2) plants that can grow in wet conditions and actually do DRY OUT the area  (e.g. Red-osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera), willows (Salix), Silver Maple)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T00:07:24.307" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37255" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-21T02:56:05.723" Score="2" ViewCount="527" Body="&lt;p&gt;I posted photos here last year but the plant was too young to produce fruit. Here are new photos of the same plant with chilli's growing on it. What type of chilli plant is this? My uncle was told the seeds were a Thai fire chilli, but there are so many varieties of them. Is this an ornamental plant? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J5kjV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/J5kjV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19988" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-22T00:53:44.163" LastActivityDate="2020-05-18T16:29:10.603" Title="Does anyone know what type of chilli plant this is?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37256" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37248" CreationDate="2018-02-21T03:45:29.813" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's dead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Go into the area of live pachysandra. Dig some up, plant it where the dead pachysandra was growing, water as needed, await results. Dig small sections in separated spots so as not to impact the overall look of the live section much. Eventually it will fill in. You'll be working to make a grid of new plants that will minimize how far it has to grow to fill in, without making the area you are digging from hard to fill in for what you are leaving there.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T03:45:29.813" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37257" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37215" CreationDate="2018-02-21T04:09:18.593" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Alternatives? Dirt. Make your raised beds by simply defining where the paths are and tossing that soil up onto the remaining bed area, and work with a rake. Pile on any amendments to the bed areas only. The same as &quot;hilling&quot; only on a bed-sized area (in farming, often a &quot;wide row&quot;) - in all cases, the big deal is not walking on the beds, so don't make them too big, or at least too wide (I've shrunk mine 3 times over the years.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Rocks, bricks, or other masonry, but usually that's only economically viable if you have a free or very low-cost source of recycled material.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="6806" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T04:09:18.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37258" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23173" CreationDate="2018-02-21T05:13:44.940" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes as far as I know we can use snake plant in car, It requires less water and provide oxygen at night..&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20832" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T05:13:44.940" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37259" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-21T08:29:20.510" Score="4" ViewCount="82" Body="&lt;p&gt;Good evening Landscapers. I hope you are all well. I've looked around the web and am excited to be here; I wish it was under better conditions. I'm a renter who has, to be frank, neglected his lawn, and now I want to fix it. Last year before the summer, the valve on our sprinkler system went out, and I took too much time to get it fixed. Half assed hose attempts to nurture a large yard were in vain, and it caused a gorgeous, green lawn to turn into this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://imgur.com/a/bY8F1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://imgur.com/a/bY8F1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;At first i thought it was a weeded mess; I called a few people out, had plenty cancel, and just got fed up of it all and have tried to save the lawn myself. First, I thought, just to spread fescue seeds after reading that raking/dethaching a lawn and sowing Scotts easy seed (with the fertilizer/compost mixed all in one thingy) would work. That spawned some of the top lawn you see in a few of my pictures.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have tried to ID the grass, but those stalks in some pics, I can't tell what type of seed they are, nor which type of grass the dark green, flourishing patches are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I was told to ID the grass, rethatch, and aerate the lawn, before spreading seeds and watching the magic happen. Get it tall, and then mow it. Thing is, I have anxiety, and am terrified of seeding the wrong stuff and creating a mutant lawn. To make it worse, code enforcement wants to see some work done, but I'm leaving out of the country for two weeks in March when they want to see progress, so it's really got me and my anxiety (and the wife) on edge.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in Riverside County, CA. The weather is high 50-60s and lows of 27-35 degrees F. I am a total noob, and have no idea what the soil condition is. It's well drained (I'm on a slope) and the lawn is on the East side of the house. Budget is about $200ish. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the pictures I labeled them 1-8 in [brackets] to make responding to an individual one easier. The grass I'm trying to ID is in 4,7,and 8. Trying to see what the seed things on those stalks are, and if my plan of action would be one to start with. Thank you&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20833" LastActivityDate="2018-02-22T08:58:52.910" Title="Reviving a lawn, needing some specifics on grass and ID" Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;grass&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37260" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="23173" CreationDate="2018-02-21T09:32:37.163" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;With proper heat shielding and a little venting I'm sure you could convert your center console into a recessed grass patch. its not ideal for air filtration but imagine being able to run your hand through soothing live grass while stuck in traffic? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;just remember to water daily &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20824" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T09:32:37.163" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37261" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37255" CreationDate="2018-02-21T09:44:33.733" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The shape of the fruit, combined with them growing upwards, will narrow it down, but not much.  For example &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/online-shop/chilli-seeds/tabasco-chilli-seeds/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;tabasco&lt;/a&gt; grows like this (and also shows ripe and unripe fruit together with that range of colours).  The shape of the bush depends so much on how it's treated, light levels, fertiliser, etc. that I wouldn't read too much into that.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I can't find &lt;em&gt;Thai fire&lt;/em&gt; online, but &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/chilli-pepper-hot-thai-plants-x3-pid11208.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsrPS4Nq22QIVCLnACh2Pig1dEAQYASABEgLt4_D_BwE&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;hot Thai&lt;/a&gt; aka &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/online-shop/chilli-seeds/thai-hot-chilli-seeds/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Thai hot&lt;/a&gt; seems to pass through a dark green, almost brown, before ripening, instead of the yellow/orange in your picture.  It does however have the up-growing fruit (unlike, say, habanero or jalapeño).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I doubt you'll be able to track it down definitively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T09:44:33.733" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37262" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="36729" CreationDate="2018-02-21T10:25:33.303" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;This article from &lt;a href=&quot;https://treesforlife.org.uk/forest/symbiosis/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Trees for Life&lt;/a&gt; talks about Scotts pine and chanterelle mushrooms being symbiotic, perhaps you can get something tasty from your pines as well!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mycroryzal nets can mesh with an entire forest work of plants, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.newscientist.com/article/2084488-trees-share-vital-goodies-through-a-secret-underground-network/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;even sharing carbon between different tree species&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20824" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-03-17T21:22:23.913" LastActivityDate="2018-03-17T21:22:23.913" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37263" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37278" CreationDate="2018-02-21T11:50:49.203" Score="5" ViewCount="963" Body="&lt;p&gt;I had a tiny forest of 4 trees, but 2 were quite bad and they just died. Now, these 2 that left, i dont know if I should be worried or it's normal, but their leaves are starting to get all dry and fall out. I don't know if that's normal really. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yesterday I repotted them and pruned the roots to promote radial root system, I added moss on top too. I haven't touched the trees since I bought them. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are couple of photos for reference:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/35Mb0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/35Mb0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fxl0p.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/fxl0p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19852" LastActivityDate="2018-04-05T11:00:52.707" Title="Redwood Bonsai Trees leaves issue?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;bonsai&gt;&lt;redwood&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="10" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37265" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="5089" CreationDate="2018-02-21T16:27:44.847" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Install a dry well. That's what I did and I never had an issue with standing water/boggy ground again. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thisoldhouse.com/how-to/how-to-install-dry-well&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.thisoldhouse.com/how-to/how-to-install-dry-well&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20834" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T16:27:44.847" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37266" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37235" CreationDate="2018-02-21T16:39:47.790" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;DO NOT cut off the growth of this plant. Mix Chrysal &quot;Leafshine Concentrate&quot; with water in a spray bottle. Spray the plant (safe to do in the office - I have used this product in countless offices on plants ranging from 6&quot; planters at people's desk to 14&quot; planters with 20 foot trees in them) and wipe clean with a clean cloth. This will not only take care of the scale problem, but it will make the plant shiny and clean, reducing the build of of dust, mites and scale. When you are done I would suggest tying that cloth up in a plastic bag and discarding it away from any plants. Be mindful to not spray any treated surfaces that could be used to walk on. It will turn a floor into &quot;slick shoes&quot;. When you see the sheen of your plant fading away apply another application. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.chrysal.com/en-us/products/chrysal-leafshine-concentrate-0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.chrysal.com/en-us/products/chrysal-leafshine-concentrate-0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20834" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T16:39:47.790" CommentCount="7" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37267" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35908" CreationDate="2018-02-21T16:59:13.773" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;it looks like an underwing moth: &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catocala&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catocala&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;but basically all moths and butterflies eat plant material as a larvae, it just matters if that is plant material for a plant that you care about or not...&#xA;many moths don't feed as adults... I cant tell if it has a mouth or a proboscis or anything... some do, some dont... wikipedia doesn't mention specifically for that genus... if it is in that genus it probably lives on tree leaves, which are usually plentiful and wouldn't detriment the plant much, unless there was a heavy infestation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1158" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T16:59:13.773" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37268" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="35908" CreationDate="2018-02-21T17:44:39.600" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think the comment by Bamboo in October, 2017 had the correct answer: a &quot;skipper&quot; type butterfly. Many of those skippers look a lot alike. It could be Bamboo's &quot;large skipper&quot;, or the fiery skipper (Hylephila phyleus) shown in this photo from Wikipedia&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XQ0Qy.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/XQ0Qy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;fiery skipper butterfly&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;or some other skipper. As Bamboo said, it depends where in the world you are.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As Mr. Catenazzi noted, it would be the &lt;em&gt;caterpillars&lt;/em&gt; preceding your butterfly that might eat your plants, but a from a quick internet search, it seems that most of the skipper caterpillars whose adults look like your picture prefer to eat grasses (especially the notorious Bermuda and St. Augustine). I'm glad to find out they don't eat vegetables, because these charming little butterflies are some of my favorite visitors to the garden.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T17:44:39.600" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37269" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37270" CreationDate="2018-02-21T18:15:21.017" Score="5" ViewCount="1392" Body="&lt;p&gt;It also produces some type of fruit late summer / early fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Oey7F.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;]&quot;&gt;&#xA;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/68g6o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;]&quot;&gt;&#xA;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pxyl6.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;]&quot;&gt;&#xA;[&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/O3vG0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;]&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20835" LastActivityDate="2018-02-22T07:15:38.210" Title="What is this bush/shrub that has thorns?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;trees&gt;&lt;shrubs&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37270" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37269" CreationDate="2018-02-21T18:48:04.247" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;It looks like it's just beginning to bloom, but later on, if it's covered with showy dark pink or coral-colored flowers, it's a Flowering quince, or Chaenomeles.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T18:48:04.247" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37271" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37198" CreationDate="2018-02-21T20:00:40.160" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Doesn't water follow the path of least resistance?    Once it hits the edge of the dirt layer, why would it go any higher until that layer of dirt had the same amount of water as the rope? From there, it seems water would climb  the rope at the same rate as the water would through the soil. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My understanding is that the pot should be watered thoroughly from the top after the rope/wick is positioned in the soil. That  watering  will evenly saturate both.  Capillary action will take care of the rest as the soil/rope dry evenly dry out.   Info from YouTube search.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20836" LastEditorUserId="20836" LastEditDate="2018-02-24T22:59:21.190" LastActivityDate="2018-02-24T22:59:21.190" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37272" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37281" CreationDate="2018-02-21T21:26:31.663" Score="11" ViewCount="30638" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm a real hot chili lover, and yearly grow about 50 plants from about 10 varieties. I'm used to grow 3 plants (of the same variety) in a single 40 liter pot. While I do get good results, I'm still not sure if it's a good idea to put multiple plants in one pot, or just grow one plant per pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let's assume I can only place 10 pots of each 40 liters for space and maintenance reasons. Cost of seeds and germinating them is negliable as 10 seeds cost just max 3 EUR. Cost of potting soil is quite more expensive however, let' say 8 EUR per 40 liter. Would it be a better idea to only put 10 plants in 10 pots, or place 30 plants in 10 pots? Or would another setup be better? What would give the most return to investment, and why?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;... &lt;strong&gt;EDIT&lt;/strong&gt; ...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For illustration purposes, these were my plants last year:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;21 may 2017: just placed outside (germinated in februari, first grown indoors as we can get frost until may here)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6p0g1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6p0g1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;6 july 2017&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jigur.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jigur.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A single picking of peppers (unfortunately I don't have any later pictures of the plants)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w3Zij.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/w3Zij.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Close up of 2 satan's kiss and a 'peter' pepper. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/utei8.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/utei8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20837" LastEditorUserId="20837" LastEditDate="2018-03-03T16:30:19.170" LastActivityDate="2018-03-03T16:30:19.170" Title="Growing multiple pepper plants in one pot vs just one plant per pot" Tags="&lt;containers&gt;&lt;peppers&gt;&lt;chili&gt;" AnswerCount="4" CommentCount="13" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37273" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37255" CreationDate="2018-02-21T21:43:42.253" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;As Chris H says, I'm afraid it's quite impossible to identify a species from a picture. Many chili varieties have fruits that grow upright. Thai fire seems to be a good possibility. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.peperzaden.be/catalogsearch/result/?q=thai+fire&amp;amp;x=0&amp;amp;y=0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.peperzaden.be/catalogsearch/result/?q=thai+fire&amp;amp;x=0&amp;amp;y=0&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note however, that all chillies are edible, also the ornamental ones. The difference only lies in the form of the plant, and the taste of the fruit.&#xA;Yours however doesn't seem to be ornamental.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20837" LastActivityDate="2018-02-21T21:43:42.253" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37274" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37272" CreationDate="2018-02-22T01:13:55.020" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's recommended that plants be separated in the ground by 20 inches. If you try that in a 40 litre pot you'll only get one plant per pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you plant more plants per pot, then what's going to happen is that each plant will compete with the others so they'll be smaller plants with smaller chili's.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;They say you can plant into 2 litre containers but they are then more fragile, easily blow over, and need more attention to watering and fertilizing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thompson-morgan.com/how-to-grow-chilli-peppers&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.thompson-morgan.com/how-to-grow-chilli-peppers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-22T01:13:55.020" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37275" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37272" CreationDate="2018-02-22T01:29:15.447" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would plant starts of peppers in tiny pots upgrading them as soon as the roots show through the drain hole.  In a 5 gallon pot you could easily grow 3 pepper plants of a smaller stature.  My Thai peppers were maxed out in 1 gallon pots.  One per pot.  I upgraded them from tiny starts in tiny pots to a slightly larger pot and again to a slightly larger pot and usually it's final pot.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make dang sure your nitrogen is way lower than the phosphorus and potassium.  Do not use compost or anything else other than potting soil for your peppers.  If you start your starts in tiny containers with potting soil and upgrade them as their roots maximize the pots...when they are in 6&quot; pots up to 2 gallon pots per plant you will have the best crop as long as you've given them just enough fertilizer that is lower in Nitrogen than Phosphorus and Potassium, lots of sunlight out of doors, water when dry only...you'll get tons of peppers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-02-22T01:29:15.447" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37276" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37245" CreationDate="2018-02-22T03:57:23.287" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MTVDb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MTVDb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;leaf hopper damage&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are some serpiginous lesions on the leaves which argues against it being solar damage, and more likely to be insect damage such as a leafhopper as per the image above.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-02-22T08:25:56.610" LastActivityDate="2018-02-22T08:25:56.610" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37277" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37269" CreationDate="2018-02-22T07:15:38.210" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Chaenomeles speciosa 'Apple Blossom' A quince with pinkish white blossoms.  This is just an example as there is no easy way to tell exactly which quince you've got.  Lorel is correct and was firstus!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-02-22T07:15:38.210" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37278" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37263" CreationDate="2018-02-22T07:35:48.173" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bonsaiboy.com/catalog/indoorbonsaicare.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.bonsaiboy.com/catalog/indoorbonsaicare.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I disagree about the over watering.  The experience I have had with Bonsai is that they need water pretty much every day.  Little soil to hold water.  I always dunked my Bonsai the pot and soil into a bucket of water.  I waited until the air bubbles would stop then remove it.  I have never ever seen a Bonsai that had too much water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Yours looks like it has been struggling with water as well as light.  You do need to give it fertilizer.  Those chemicals don't come with soil nor should they.  Justs get good old basic Osmocote 14-14-14 extended release and use 1/4 of the amount they put in the directions.  Do this now and again in 6 months.  Water your Bonsai every other day by dunking the whole pot in a bucket to soak it...wait until the air bubbles stop floating to the surface.  Go ahead and wash the entire plant once in a while while in the bucket of water. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When your plant is out of doors under a porch roof, it will probably need water every single day.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Put the Osmocote beneath the moss so it doesn't float off when dunking.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never put this Bonsai out of doors unless you are positive it won't get any direct sun.  To do that you have to take a month to harden it off so it doesn't sun burn.  A covered porch is fine.  In doors it should be in a very bright window, again not in direct sunlight unless it is already used to direct sunlight even through a window.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To water a Bonsai with a mound of moss is pretty tough unless you dunk.  Can I ask what happened to the previous moss?  If moss dies on a Bonsai that Bonsai is not getting enough water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Bonsai are completely different than other potted plants.  Completely artificial needing our help with every thing. There is a normal dormancy period with these little trees but not if they've been indoors with temperature control.  They have had no signals they need to go dormant.  They can be out of doors during the summer when there is no chance of frost but because they are potted  their roots are subject to the cold temperatures and cold will kill plant roots in pots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A covered porch for the summer will give lots of ambient sunlight.  A heck of a lot more than the light in the kitchen window.  If you are careful, you could harden your plant to be able to be in full sun for the summer.  Then when you take it back inside for the fall and winter you have to do a reverse acclimation.  This is time consuming but it is the difference between a healthy plant and a dead one.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your plant looks under watered and definitely in need of a bit of fertilizer.  Chemicals it needs to do the job of photosynthesis where the plant makes its own food.  Just a bit of balanced fertilizer and more water and hopefully it is getting as much light as possible by being put as close as possible to a big south window...without being in direct sunlight unless it is used to direct sunlight through windows.  If you want to put this guy out of doors for the summer there is a process of acclimation you MUST do before putting an indoor plant, even one used to lots of direct sun through a window, out in the real sun light.  Takes at least 2 weeks up to a month for acclimation.  To take it back indoors takes just as much time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The link I sent doesn't get into the acclimation but trust me, it is critical if you want to keep your Bonsai alive.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-02-22T07:59:49.360" LastActivityDate="2018-02-22T07:59:49.360" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37279" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37259" CreationDate="2018-02-22T08:40:12.457" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I sure hope we can help you.  So, I am understanding that although YOU are the renter the landlord has no say in this matter?  Perhaps some negotiation would work; you do the labor and he pays for the equipment and sod?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Looks like you had a cool season grass mix and all that is left are the bunch grasses possibly some fescue. Your lawn is very dead, not dormant.  To bring it back via thatching?  Forget it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The best as well as easiest way to fix your lawn is by renting a sod cutter.  Cut out all that dead grass/thatch and use it to make a new plant bed somewhere. Grade and rake and do not forget to roll with a water filled roller before laying the sod. Raking and rolling the soil some more.  Lay the sod tight. Roll it one last time. Give it a heavy watering and allow to dry until you are able to see your footprints.  Only then do you water again.  I'll explain more in the following...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Cutting out that dead grass, roots, thatch, removing it and then laying fresh sod back down, is really the best way to go...sod is just not that expensive and you will have instant lawn that you will:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water only when you step on your lawn and you see your footprints stay down and then you SOAK your lawn (at least long enough to get water down 4&quot;).  You do not water again until you see your footprints staying down in your grass. This trains the roots of your lawn to grow deep deep deep and makes your water bill happy and you'll be the only one on your block with green grass in the middle of summer.  Do not hand water or give shallow watering every day. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I recommend Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer.  You will only need to do 3 applications versus 4 of the Scott and Ortho stuff.  This fertilizer amazes me.  The inherent slow release and proper formulations for the time of the season make a huge difference.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Never ever mow below 3 inches.  Not 2 1/2 inches.  Three full inches.  Best is&lt;br&gt;&#xA;3 and 1/2 inches if you can get your mower's height adjusted that high.  I took my mowers in and had them custom raised to allow that height.  Saves water, weed seeds are unable to germinate and your cool season grasses come with genetically large root systems.  These large root systems need at least 3&quot; of top growth to feed. If the grass gets cut too short, then not enough food for the maintenance of that grass and your grass is whimpy, dying and weeds take over.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Aerate once per year. Period.  Great to share with neighbors.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sharp sharp sharp blades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Always bag those clippings.  Use them in your compost or thinly on the weeds creeping into the back of your plant beds.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Water ONLY when you see your footprints on your grass stay down.  The blade isn't turgid enough to spring back up.  And water like crazy.  I use a cheap oscillating sprinkler...the cheapest one you can find; $10?  Otherwise, using the tuna fish cans, make sure you put one inch of water on your lawn per week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Set your time on a zone for 15 minutes. This is just an example. Use a shovel to see how far down the water got into your soil.  If your tuna fish can got 1/4&quot; of water then you need to set the timer for one hour once per week.  You'll train your grass at the beginning for a month or two but your goal is one inch of water per week, applied once per week.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How large is your lawn by the way?  What agreement do you have with your landlord about the property maintenance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-02-22T08:58:52.910" LastActivityDate="2018-02-22T08:58:52.910" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37280" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-22T11:44:03.847" Score="3" ViewCount="110" Body="&lt;p&gt;In one of the empty plantations from my garden something weird grew up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can you help identify it?&#xA;I know I need to remove it soon, but it grew up so big and wide, so I got intrigued. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Album is here:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dropbox.com/sh/w41w6yi7vfxr9tm/AACY8MGqbvxnwARdF_6_5Lx7a?dl=0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.dropbox.com/sh/w41w6yi7vfxr9tm/AACY8MGqbvxnwARdF_6_5Lx7a?dl=0&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;(huge pictures, couldn't upload it anywhere else)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;edit:&#xA;Here's some:&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/dsWWzwE.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&#xA;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/cSpvfQH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20841" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2018-02-22T12:49:47.203" LastActivityDate="2018-02-22T12:49:47.203" Title="Something unidentifiable grew up in my garden" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;algae&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="11" FavoriteCount="1" ClosedDate="2018-02-27T07:17:32.187" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37281" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37272" CreationDate="2018-02-22T15:53:16.080" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;As is often pointed out in books on small-space gardening, spacing recommendations aren't set to maximise yield per unit area, but yield per plant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If 3 plants per pot works, carry on.  You'll get more chillies this way than growing only 1/3 of the plants. You may be able to get bigger fruit by thinning them.  You may need to water and fertilise more often than single plants in the same size pots.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But why not try an experiment: Plant a pot with 3, then a pot with 1 (all of the same variety A), then 3 of variety B in one pot, 1 of variety B, 3 of variety C etc.  When you harvest, log how much you get from each pot (or even each plant) by picking into a different container for each pot, and weighing the fruit when you get them back to the kitchen.  As chillies ripen over a long period you'll need to do this every time you pick. Growth/ripening rates may differ between the full and sparse pots.  You can then also keep notes about the quality of the chillies -- you may want total weight (e.g. if making chilli flakes), but you may want the individual chillies to be big.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="7288" LastActivityDate="2018-02-22T15:53:16.080" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37282" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-22T18:20:47.150" Score="7" ViewCount="9577" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've been away for the last two and a half weeks, and upon return I noticed a few of my cacti had developed white fuzzy spots, which were not there before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the worst instance, one cactus appears damaged and oozes brown liquid in one spot, as well as something that looks like sweat on the rest of its body.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I watered all of the plants profusely 10 days before leaving (which was roughly 1 month ago), and was sure to remove excess water from the pots. Before this watering, the last time I watered the succulents was 2 months prior.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Almost all of the affected plants are placed in a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70186603/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;miniature greenhouse from IKEA&lt;/a&gt;. Due to an oversight, I left both top panels closed before leaving, so I assume air circulation was limited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plants are in front of a south-facing window, and on sunny days it they can get large amounts of light and warmth, so the lack of air circulation may have affected them negatively.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I read &lt;a href=&quot;http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cactus-white-fuzz-spots-95693.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;an article&lt;/a&gt; saying that the white spots may be caused by mealybugs. It seems treatable but I'd like to understand whether this is actually the cause of my issue and what the best way to treat this instance would be.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My questions are:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are these white and brown spots on the succulents?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Is there something that can be done to eliminate them and heal the plants?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What is the cause of this issue, how did it spread to so many plants at the same time, and how can I prevent it reoccurring?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EDIT:&lt;/strong&gt; It seems like this is a very widespread mealybug infestation. I spent today removing as many as possible, but I'm sure there's more. They're on at least 10 of the plants, maybe more. I'm not sure how they've spread so fast and so widely (I hadn't seen any prior to leaving my house 3 weeks ago, though admittedly maybe I hadn't looked carefully enough). Do you have any tips for clearing these entirely?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This is the cactus with white spots and a large brown spot of fluid oozing from one point on its body:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/SG6lqV0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/SG6lqV0.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/l4DTmxL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/l4DTmxL.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/JZ5NyLq.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/JZ5NyLq.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one has multiple fuzzy spots and some less fuzzy and more defined small white spots:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/iQOYPhj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/iQOYPhj.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one has just one fuzzy spot on one of the tips:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Lh3OqN5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/Lh3OqN5.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This one has spots all over its body:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/obUV78d.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/obUV78d.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/pyC4JqS.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/pyC4JqS.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In one instance there are spots on the soil:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/XGpwBFp.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/XGpwBFp.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/CFJRwN9.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/CFJRwN9.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Two of the cacti outside the greenhouse also have fuzzy white spots. The white spots are new on the one in the first picture, but the one in the second picture has had fuzz at the top for a long time and I'm not sure if it's due to the same causes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/N8tljJu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/N8tljJu.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/PsLkmFL.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.imgur.com/PsLkmFL.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastEditorUserId="16516" LastEditDate="2018-02-25T16:50:33.743" LastActivityDate="2020-09-13T04:03:23.380" Title="White and brown spots on cacti" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="7" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37283" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-22T18:33:41.383" Score="3" ViewCount="296" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I leave for multiple weeks I leave an automatic water pump to water some of my more needy plants. When I returned, I noticed there were white patches on the water pump, as well as on the surface of the water in the tank I used.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This had happened the previous time I set up the automatic water pump, which stayed in the water for about a month, even though it took much less time for the issue to develop this time and the patches are much more prominent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Last time I encountered this, I tried washing the pump with hot water, but it doesn't seem to have prevented the issue occurring again.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Once removed from the water, the patches on the water pump became dry and broke apart.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am unsure whether the presence of this substance in the water has affected my plants negatively. The two plants being watered from the tank are a Spider Plant and a Dracaena Massangeana. While the leaves of both plants look droopy and there is some tip burn (which may or may not have been there before), I haven't noticed other symptoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;What are these white spots in the water and on the pump?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Should I throw away the pump, as the substance may have spread all throughout it?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Pictures:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZLWpu.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZLWpu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white spots on pump&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bR1M0.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bR1M0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;white spots on water surface&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16516" LastActivityDate="2018-02-25T18:08:30.593" Title="White spots and patches that look like mold in water tank used to water plants automatically" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;mold&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37284" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37286" CreationDate="2018-02-22T19:18:48.953" Score="4" ViewCount="636" Body="&lt;p&gt;A friend of mine is growing several plants in containers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A couple of months ago he noticed some worms in some of his containers. He can't recall any obvious reason why that happened. But he really dislikes the worms. He says the worst situation is for his container lemon tree, but others are affected as well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(I personally wouldn't be bothered by worms, but he really does not like them.)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is there any way for him to get rid of worms, and not harm his plants?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-23T06:09:36.973" LastActivityDate="2018-02-23T06:09:36.973" Title="How to get rid of worms in containers?" Tags="&lt;pests&gt;&lt;container-gardening&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37285" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37284" CreationDate="2018-02-22T22:33:58.227" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the plants are outdoors some of the year or all of the year, then earthworms are inevitable, and are not undesirable. If these are plants he wants to keep indoors, then I suggest he decants them, washes off all the soil, and repots into fresh potting soil - and keeps them indoors all the time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There used to be products to clear worms from lawns, though these were withdrawn in Europe some years ago. I know of none that can be used to kill worms in pots - and anyway, it goes very much against the grain to kill earthworms, whether they're in pots or in the ground. Sports turf keepers (golf courses particularly) topdress frequently with a sharp and gritty mix to discourage earthworms on the greens, but even that is not intended to kill them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-02-22T22:33:58.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37286" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37284" CreationDate="2018-02-23T01:24:41.117" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;l have to assume these plants are on the out of doors deck or patio.  With constant water and shelter from enemies pots are beloved by earthworms.  Earthworms are in all ways beneficial to soil and not once have I ever seen a problem caused by earthworms.  Not once and I have lived in the cultivated world for 5 decades.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would up pot with fresh potting soil in the fall before winter sets in to bring the plants indoors (do you acclimate them before bringing them in or taking them out of doors)? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you take them back out of doors for the summer, elevate the bottoms of the pots off of the deck or patio using rock or tile pieces.  Turn containers upside down and use for a prop or table to elevate the pot off of the surface.  Make groups of pots with different elevations.  Earthworms will not be a problem.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Nor will rotting deck material from the constant moisture.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Earthworms are very cool but not indoors, please!  If the pots are elevated when out of doors with enough ventilation to dry the water beneath the pot after watering, earthworms will not be crawling up to find condo property that doesn't fit their needs for constant moisture.  When they have babies there are a lot of worms, a lot. All we need to do is discourage earthworms from buying property in your pots.  It is also a good practice to discourage over watering and fungus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-02-23T01:24:41.117" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37287" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37282" CreationDate="2018-02-23T02:04:45.887" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is the white stuff soft or hard or brittle hard and does it resemble this&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vwKgj.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vwKgj.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;latex oozing&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;in which case it would be a Mammillaria oozing sap from damage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/mauseth/ResearchOnCacti/Poisons.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/mauseth/ResearchOnCacti/Poisons.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-23T02:04:45.887" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37288" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-23T09:52:44.007" Score="11" ViewCount="4898" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought potting soil (good stuff) a year ago. Since then the bag dried out. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to get it moist again? Should I just water it? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20846" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2018-02-23T17:42:38.100" LastActivityDate="2018-02-23T17:42:38.100" Title="What should I do before using dried up bagged potting soil?" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;potting-soil&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37289" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37288" CreationDate="2018-02-23T10:16:33.310" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some people sell desiccated compost to make it easier to ship around the country. Wet and use. If used dry there could be spores that can be inhaled.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-23T10:16:33.310" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37290" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37222" CreationDate="2018-02-23T10:25:53.120" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;These look like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurea_cyanus&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Centaurea cyanus&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; seedlings. I have grown them a few times and your seedlings remind me of them. Of course, many seedlings look similar when in this stage, so I'm not 100% sure. Below there's a picture of my seedlings:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dzw1P.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/dzw1P.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-06-17T08:36:35.847" LastActivityDate="2018-02-23T12:00:14.243" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37291" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37288" CreationDate="2018-02-23T11:19:06.930" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Just add water.  Leave it in the bag and poke a hose right into the plastic and fill.  Poke into another spot and fill.  Leave it to absorb the moisture. Soil and other rooting media if allowed to get too dry becomes hydrophobic; the soil will shed water as if the soil were covered in oil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Potting soil is sterilized.  That is the beauty of potting soil.  Safe for plants and animals.  Definitions are all over the board.  You need to read that label, let us know what it says.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sterilized potting soil that has had a rupture of the plastic bag would easily have been found by opportunistic life forms but that would have had to happen before the bag of 'soil' dehydrated.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Just add water, allow the media to absorb the water overnight.  Poke the business end of the hose into the bag puncturing the plastic and let it fill. Pull the hose out and punch into another area and continue to fill. Leave it alone for a day.  Slice open garbage bags and then dump the bag of soil on the plastic (or newspaper) spread it out to drain and dry out a bit.  Then use in your pots. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don't use anything else in your pots other than that soil. And a bit of balanced fertilizer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should be fine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-02-23T11:19:06.930" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37292" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37293" CreationDate="2018-02-23T13:27:18.593" Score="3" ViewCount="71" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have the hardest time figuring out if &lt;em&gt;Majorana hortensis&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Origanum majorana&lt;/em&gt; are the same plant, or not. Both of these latin names are frequently seen in seed shops and nurseries in my area. Are they the same or not? I can't find a consensus opinion on the net.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What is a good reference database for resolving such issues?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2018-02-23T17:31:32.003" Title="Are Majorana hortensis and Origanum majorana the same plant?" Tags="&lt;herbs&gt;&lt;terminology&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37293" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37292" CreationDate="2018-02-23T13:55:32.953" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, they are the same species. Moench put it as different genus (&lt;em&gt;Majorana&lt;/em&gt;), but still keeping references to Linnaeus' &lt;em&gt;Origanum majorana&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So they are the same species, and both are acceptable (and valid) names, but the currently accepted name is &lt;em&gt;Origanum majorana&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I use the Plant List: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-143853&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-143853&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;This database is created by major taxonomic/botanical institutions. It is automatically generated from the most important taxonomic literature.  IPNI (just google it) has much more names, it doesn't try to find the actual &quot;accepted name&quot;, and there is a lot of double entries.  Also this is done by Kew (and includes major database). BTW Plant List uses also IPNI as source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Often different authors use different names (but list the original all synonyms), because they think that the such plant need to be in a different genus.  So often such synonyms are easy to find and to agree.  But in particular on subspecies and variety level, many people describe the &quot;same&quot; plant [with different herbaria sample]. To find synonym in this case it much more difficult, and people cannot really agree, if the variation are enough for a new variety, or just normal variation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the link of &lt;em&gt;Origanum majorana&lt;/em&gt; that I copied above, you can see that most of the names are valid. One Invalid and two illegitimate. Invalid: it is not permitted (on botanical names) to have specific epithet similar to the genus. Illegitimate: probably they are published later (when a valid name were already available, using the same classification (in this case, the same Genus)).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-23T13:55:32.953" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37294" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-23T15:46:26.223" Score="4" ViewCount="1524" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have great soil which is very easy to dig, sadly many trees have taken advantage of this - in some places I want to plant bushes or trees in gaps but everywhere It ry to dig appears to be solid root/stone (hard to tell when you can't see).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I already have a Root Slayer shovel:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WGc1Y.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/WGc1Y.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is wonderful for ground matted with tendrils, or for roots up to finger thickness, but not so great for stones, hard ground or bigger roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What tools do gardeners use, either manual or powered, when they &lt;em&gt;have&lt;/em&gt; to dig a hole (say up to 2 feet across and the same depth) which isn't making life easy? As a novice gardener I'm aware there might be whole types of tools I never even heard of! I suppose similar issues occur when trying to dig holes for fence posts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastActivityDate="2018-02-24T14:47:07.547" Title="What are the right tools and techniques to dig a hole in stony or heavily rooted ground?" Tags="&lt;tools&gt;&lt;digging&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37296" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37292" CreationDate="2018-02-23T17:31:32.003" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Yes, they are the same plant. Several hundreds years ago, when botanists worldwide were trying to classify plants, they didn't have the resources to compare their samples to a standard one and they relied on the visual similarity of plants to group them into families and genera. They sometimes gave scientific names to plants that were already having one, either because they though they were different species or because they didn't know what other botanists did.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A scientific name of the plant also includes its authority, in this case &lt;a href=&quot;https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=25912&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Origanum majorana&lt;/em&gt; L.&lt;/a&gt; (meaning it was named as such by Linnaeus) and &lt;a href=&quot;https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=404695&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Majorana hortensis&lt;/em&gt; Moench&lt;/a&gt; (named by Moench, ofcourse). The authority of a species is rarely used on seed packaging because it is usually irelevant to the end user.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are germplasm collections that try to mach synonyms in their online databases, one of their purposes being a more efficient conservation of plant resources. The site of &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Plant_Germplasm_System&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;U.S. National Plant Germplasm System&lt;/a&gt; has historical data about their taxons, useful if you want to know when a certain name was first used and in what other documents it was cited.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16253" LastActivityDate="2018-02-23T17:31:32.003" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37297" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-23T18:36:38.933" Score="5" ViewCount="2468" Body="&lt;p&gt;I want to have success with Lion's Mane. I tried Oak logs some years ago and got nothing.  I need info on using wood pellets and plastic bags (I have a large basement). This sounds like a faster way to get results than logs. Put me on to a link if you can or share your ideas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20851" LastEditorUserId="17442" LastEditDate="2018-02-23T19:54:57.550" LastActivityDate="2019-01-18T14:03:28.090" Title="Best way to grow Lion's Mane mushrooms?" Tags="&lt;mushrooms&gt;&lt;growing-medium&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37298" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37294" CreationDate="2018-02-23T21:57:34.337" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have sandy soil in a rainforest ( East TX ), so digging a hole is always a challenge. I always take a shears and often a &quot;loper&quot; ( 2 ft handles , lever action) with the spade.  When encountering 2 in. + roots I have cut them with a saw but that is work so I try to shift the hole. You also want a fiberglass handle on your spade. I have also ground an edge on the spade but it dulls quickly. I dig soil out of the hole with a troll to see what I am hitting as cutting a sprinkler pipe makes more work. Do not pull out poison ivy or poison oak roots with your hands.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2018-02-23T21:57:34.337" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37301" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37302" CreationDate="2018-02-24T10:47:21.733" Score="4" ViewCount="186" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/kbS0A.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Can I please get any reference about what plant this is?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for any help!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20853" LastEditorUserId="17442" LastEditDate="2018-02-24T12:40:19.107" LastActivityDate="2018-02-24T13:08:46.520" Title="What kind of a plant is this and is it parasitic?" Tags="&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37302" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37301" CreationDate="2018-02-24T13:08:46.520" Score="6" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is my first attempt to ID a plant and I would say it is one of Haworthia species. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is no need for worry because as this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.drought-smart-plants.com/haworthia.html&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;site mentions&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Occasionally, tall wiry stalks will emerge from most Haworthia&#xA;  species, and charm with their sprays of pale pink or white and green&#xA;  striped bloom.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3CVen.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/3CVen.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Haworthia bloom&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17442" LastActivityDate="2018-02-24T13:08:46.520" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37303" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37294" CreationDate="2018-02-24T14:13:16.113" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've never found anything better than a digging bar for stony soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digging_bar&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digging_bar&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you need to hack through big roots you may want something sharper or loppers, but it can pulverize roots that are less than 2 inches pretty well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have a tough pair of ratcheting loppers that I use for big underground roots.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13998" LastActivityDate="2018-02-24T14:13:16.113" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37304" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37294" CreationDate="2018-02-24T14:47:07.547" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;There are also manual and powered drills used for digging holes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Manual drills are suitable for digging few holes in soft dirt without obstacles. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FZ5od.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FZ5od.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;manual drills&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Petrol drills has the advantage of drilling holes much faster compared to manual drills. I'd suggest you find someone to help you because it is quite heavy to lift it from ground together with drilled dirt.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7MLrK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/7MLrK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;petrol drill&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Third option is tractor powered drill. Fastest and easiest way to dig holes. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ql0bO.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ql0bO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tractor drill&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Anyway, if you have some really big obstacles like roots and bigger stones, you'll also need to use other tools (loppers, saws, digging bars, crowbars...)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17442" LastActivityDate="2018-02-24T14:47:07.547" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37305" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37263" CreationDate="2018-02-24T16:36:10.417" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;A redwood requires more than high humidity, they &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151102083509.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;need to be bathed in fog&lt;/a&gt; to remain healthy. Research shows that coastal redwoods get most of their water from fog, &lt;strong&gt;through their leaves&lt;/strong&gt; and not from their roots - as most other vascular plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;In 2012, Professor Ishii's research group climbed the world's tallest redwoods, and collected leaf samples from various heights. They discovered that, with increasing height in the tree, the proportion of &quot;xylem tissue&quot; which transports water from the roots decreased, whereas &quot;transfusion tissue,&quot; which stores water, increased. They inferred that in redwood, the stored water came from moisture absorbed through the leaf surface, such as fog and dew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The floor of a redwood forest hosts a variety of highly specialized plants which rely on precipitation caused by the redwood canopy condensing and dripping fog-water. Your bonsai may respond by regularly misting the tops like the morning fog in along the northern California coast.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20571" LastActivityDate="2018-02-24T16:36:10.417" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37306" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37311" CreationDate="2018-02-25T12:24:04.027" Score="3" ViewCount="214" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm incubating oyster mycelium in a cupboard. When the fruiting bodies come, and they sporulate, will that endanger the cupboard itself ?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20476" LastActivityDate="2020-12-06T12:33:59.733" Title="Will oyster mushrooms eat my cupboard?" Tags="&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ClosedDate="2018-03-04T18:35:02.977" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37307" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37283" CreationDate="2018-02-25T14:29:41.473" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is this a recirculating system? If so you may have salts from fertilizer in addition to those in tap water.&#xA;Try immersing the pump in vinegar (unless the instructions tell you not to) - if the patches on the pump disappear then you have both an answer and a temporary solution to the problem.&#xA;Does it rain where you live? If so, fill the tank with rain water, which usually contains far fewer salts.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15063" LastActivityDate="2018-02-25T14:29:41.473" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37308" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37283" CreationDate="2018-02-25T18:08:30.593" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Very likely to be hard water deposits , certainly not mold. That is; Ca, Mg, etc carbonates. Apparently that is a galvanized steel pipe , if it were corroding the deposits would have some degree of red color . Salts would corrode the zinc ( white) then the steel ( red) , because that is not happening we can say it is Ca , Mg  CO3 , and not &quot;salts&quot;. I doubt very much that is anything the city is putting in , although about the first element they might put in would be Al ( to clarify ). Your only potential problem is soil may become alkaline , check the pH. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2018-02-25T18:08:30.593" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37309" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37306" CreationDate="2018-02-25T19:05:56.777" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Although oyster mushrooms like birch , which your cabinets may be , I am highly doubtful that you will get mushrooms , and I promise they won't eat you cabinets. When I have found them it has been , or following cold,&#xA; wet weather ,eg 50 F ; seems unlikely for a cabinet.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2018-02-25T19:05:56.777" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37310" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-26T01:17:44.190" Score="6" ViewCount="107" Body="&lt;p&gt;I've seen several sources talking about how much space to leave between fruit trees which boil down to 10-25feet depending mainly on rootstock, partly on soil etc.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This makes me think the distance is based on how large the trees will grow, but I plan to keep my trees pruned to allow easy fruit picking without ladders.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With that in mind, can we talk about how far apart the 'edges' of trees should be apart rather than the trunks? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14517" LastActivityDate="2018-02-26T08:25:35.740" Title="How much space is needed between fruit tree canopies?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37311" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37306" CreationDate="2018-02-26T02:15:15.767" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The only way fungus will harm your cabinets or any wood is if that wood is already in a condition that is conducive for being decomposed; it has to be constantly moist, little air, no sunlight.  Then fungus will be able to use your cabinets for energy.  Mushrooms are the reproductive part of some fungus organisms. Not all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So not to worry.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your question is most certainly is within this site's parameters. My opinion of course.  We need to know how to live with fungus just as we need to be able to grow green plants. Where else would you find information on fungus?  Great question but this site is careful about the types of questions.  Shoot, Gardening and Landscaping cover just about everything!  Grins.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="-1" LastEditDate="2020-12-06T12:33:59.733" LastActivityDate="2020-12-06T12:33:59.733" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 4.0" />
  <row Id="37312" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37310" CreationDate="2018-02-26T02:34:31.047" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a small organic, permaculture garden. I use the drip line as a general planting guide. So if I trim a semi-dwarf into a dwarf I do plant into that “unrecommended” space. I don’t plant another of the same variety but a beneficial companion will get wedged in. Pollinator varieties need to be somewhat nearby.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Planting guides for fruit and nut trees are generally written for managing commercial orchards where harvest technique, chemical regimens and disease control - all mono-crop concerns rather than biological or ecological limits.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20571" LastActivityDate="2018-02-26T02:34:31.047" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37313" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-26T05:11:39.440" Score="6" ViewCount="704" Body="&lt;p&gt;Can you help me with the &lt;a href=&quot;http://siruthuli.com/miyawaki-method-of-creating-forest/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;miyawaki&lt;/a&gt; method of fruit tree forest?&#xA;In the internet, I couldn't get complete details about the method.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20565" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-26T13:53:36.820" LastActivityDate="2018-02-27T08:34:40.453" Title="Is it possible to create miyawaki fruit tree forest?" Tags="&lt;fruit-trees&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="5" ClosedDate="2018-03-04T23:36:12.650" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37314" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37310" CreationDate="2018-02-26T08:25:35.740" Score="7" Body="&lt;p&gt;The distance depends on varieties, environment, and mechanization.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Usually we need enough space for canopy and root, but for some species/uses (nature has always exceptions), where one look for depth roots or higher canopies, in such case they should be less space. If your fruits tree has fruits on side, usually you need enough space for canopy (if you are not looking for wood [some fruit wood is very valuable for building stuffs] or preparing rootstocks).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There are many rules and calculations: larger canopies: more leaves, but also less shadows, so more fruits/better fruits. On the other hand, if it is too much expanded, you will have less fruits per square meter. So there are many theories about what it is the optimum (which depends on species, but also on next factors). [Note: height is also a factor, so by pruning on height, one could still have a denser orchards but still not so much shadow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But climate is also important: in part this could enlarge roots space, e.g. in dry places (so see previous point): on many fruits, one doesn't look for a dense orchards, but healthy fruits. So less shadows and less denser branches, so that diseases (mainly fungi) could not effect the quality of fruits, or health of trees. Rain and wetness (fogs) requires larger distance.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For dry places, one need more space (so more roots) or the inverse if there is an irrigation: because cost of irrigation, one would use denser orchards. Fungi diseases should be a minor problem on dry places, and less production is balanced out of less costs (irrigation infrastructure and water).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Mechanization (or in general handling of tree, in case of small fruit tree garden) is also a factor.  You doesn't want to use ladders, so a compact orchards is ok. look if you want also to use the space in between trees (e.g. to walk easily).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So at the end, I think you should ask the people who sell you the rootstock: the rootstock is climate specific, and it &quot;decides&quot; how large the tree will growth: there are good rootstocks for small trees of apple, peaches, plums, etc. (but I didn't find good one for small cherry trees). And as vegetable garden, if one plants tree not on square, but on triangle (so on next row, trees between tree on previous rows), you can gain some space.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-26T08:25:35.740" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37316" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37306" CreationDate="2018-02-26T17:52:59.263" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I don't think you can use your kitchen cupboards as a fruiting chamber. Once the bags are fully colonized, and they start to fruit you'll need to provide oxygen and light otherwise they won't grow well. Since the bulk of the mushroom is water you'll need to keep misting them which could damage the wood, but without the increased oxygen and light they won't do well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the wood is kept moist from misting you might get surface molds developing which you can wipe off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-26T17:52:59.263" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37318" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37319" CreationDate="2018-02-26T22:22:47.203" Score="2" ViewCount="66" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6bldw.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6bldw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;impatiens&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These just sprouted at the base of my oak tree. I don’t know how they got there, but I am letting them get established. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Based on the blossoms I would say they’re impatiens, but the shape of the leaves are throwing me off.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Would anyone know what variety this would be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15881" LastActivityDate="2018-02-26T22:38:46.553" Title="Mystery Impatiens ID" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;flowers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37319" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37318" CreationDate="2018-02-26T22:38:46.553" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's not an &lt;em&gt;Impatiens&lt;/em&gt;; this is &lt;em&gt;Catharanthus roseus&lt;/em&gt;, Madagascar Periwinkle. Native to Madagascar and widely cultivated throughout the tropics &amp;amp; sub-tropics. Also naturalised in many regions. Flower colour varies from white through various shades of pink.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://keys.trin.org.au/key-server/data/0e0f0504-0103-430d-8004-060d07080d04/media/Html/taxon/Catharanthus_roseus.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://keys.trin.org.au/key-server/data/0e0f0504-0103-430d-8004-060d07080d04/media/Html/taxon/Catharanthus_roseus.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77880-1&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77880-1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/eafrinet/weeds/key/weeds/Media/Html/Catharanthus_roseus_%28Madagascar_Periwinkle%29.htm&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/eafrinet/weeds/key/weeds/Media/Html/Catharanthus_roseus_%28Madagascar_Periwinkle%29.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19553" LastActivityDate="2018-02-26T22:38:46.553" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37320" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37313" CreationDate="2018-02-27T08:21:33.417" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;My opinion the miyawagani...thing is it is just another 'trend'.  Plants love being planted together but planting 11 different trees in a PIT?  To make an au naturale forest?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you expect to enjoy this forest?  Forests make themselves over thousands of years. What we humans need to do is stop using up forest ecosystems because those ecosystems take thousands of years to create, test themselves, adapt, change and stabilize.  Once we cut them down, they are gone forever unless we allow a few thousand years of non intervention by us humans.  Then they come back. Unless there is a major catastrophic change to the elements in the environment those same trees and shrubs and grasses will come back...in a succession.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you know what your tree/shrub association is for your area?  For instance, mine is Lodgepole succession to Ponderosa Pine and Bitterbrush.  This area has had volcanoes, then fire, now in a succession forest that is Jack and Lodgepole Pine and Bitterbrush and someday to once again be a Ponderosa Pine forest with Manzanita. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You most certainly could create a 'forest' with privacy, shade, fragrance, edibles, that once you managed to get your trees and plants (indigenous) matured could be fairly maintenance free and usable by you.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you could explain what it is you are trying to achieve it would be very helpful.  Forests are nice but nature does a better job than we could imagine or should even attempt to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What type of forest do you have in mind?  I would most certainly not worry about that pit planting stuff.  Honest.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-02-27T08:34:40.453" LastActivityDate="2018-02-27T08:34:40.453" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37321" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37329" CreationDate="2018-02-27T11:08:05.823" Score="1" ViewCount="64" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you please ID succulent A (and G) in the following picture? Succulents A and G look the same species to me - aren't they? What is its hardiness zone? Would it survive the coldness of zone 5, if left outdoor in the winter, while keeping it in its current container and arrangement? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnFnz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnFnz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Succulent arrangement&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This question is based on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/35386/please-id-succulents-and-their-hardiness-zone-to-survive-winter&quot;&gt;another (closed) question&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-28T11:18:01.383" LastActivityDate="2018-02-28T11:18:01.383" Title="What is the yellow-green succulent with red tips in this succulent group?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37322" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37334" CreationDate="2018-02-27T11:12:08.687" Score="2" ViewCount="70" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you please ID succulent B in the following picture? I know it is a little smallish, but I don't have better picture. What is its hardiness zone? Would it survive the coldness of zone 5, if left outdoor in the winter, while keeping it in its current container and arrangement? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnFnz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnFnz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Succulent arrangement&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This question is based on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/35386/please-id-succulents-and-their-hardiness-zone-to-survive-winter&quot;&gt;another (closed) question&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2018-02-27T20:54:11.667" LastActivityDate="2018-02-27T20:54:11.667" Title="What is the rope-like succulent in this succulent group?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37323" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37333" CreationDate="2018-02-27T11:14:07.930" Score="1" ViewCount="50" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you please ID succulent C in the following picture? I like its reddish color. What is its hardiness zone? Would it survive the coldness of zone 5, if left outdoor in the winter, while keeping it in its current container and arrangement? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnFnz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnFnz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Succulent arrangement&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This question is based on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/35386/please-id-succulents-and-their-hardiness-zone-to-survive-winter&quot;&gt;another (closed) question&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2018-02-27T20:55:00.543" LastActivityDate="2018-02-27T20:55:00.543" Title="What is the spiky red-tinged succulent in this succulent group?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37324" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-27T11:15:56.233" Score="1" ViewCount="37" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you please ID succulent D in the following picture? D and F are somewhat different than the rest. What is its hardiness zone? Would it survive the coldness of zone 5, if left outdoor in the winter, while keeping it in its current container and arrangement? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnFnz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnFnz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Succulent arrangement&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This question is based on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/35386/please-id-succulents-and-their-hardiness-zone-to-survive-winter&quot;&gt;another (closed) question&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2018-02-27T20:52:16.070" LastActivityDate="2018-02-27T20:52:16.070" Title="What is the succulent with all the leaves coming from the same centre in this succulent group?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37325" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37342" CreationDate="2018-02-27T11:17:53.967" Score="1" ViewCount="54" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you please ID succulent E in the following picture? I am impressed by its blue color and gentle habit. What is its hardiness zone? Would it survive the coldness of zone 5, if left outdoor in the winter, while keeping it in its current container and arrangement? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnFnz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnFnz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Succulent arrangement&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This question is based on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/35386/please-id-succulents-and-their-hardiness-zone-to-survive-winter&quot;&gt;another (closed) question&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-28T11:16:32.723" LastActivityDate="2018-02-28T11:16:32.723" Title="What is the turquoise-green succulent in this succulent group?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37326" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37336" CreationDate="2018-02-27T11:20:29.290" Score="1" ViewCount="63" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you please ID succulent F in the following picture? It looks like a flower, and is similar to D. What is its hardiness zone? Would it survive the coldness of zone 5, if left outdoor in the winter, while keeping it in its current container and arrangement? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnFnz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnFnz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Succulent arrangement&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This question is based on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/35386/please-id-succulents-and-their-hardiness-zone-to-survive-winter&quot;&gt;another (closed) question&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2018-02-27T20:53:12.660" LastActivityDate="2018-02-27T20:53:12.660" Title="What is the flower-like succulent in this succulent group?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37327" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37338" CreationDate="2018-02-27T11:23:22.337" Score="1" ViewCount="88" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you please identify succulent H in the following picture? It has really nice red tones, and I like its shape. What is its hardiness zone? Would it survive the coldness of zone 5, if left outdoors in the winter, while keeping it in its current container and arrangement? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnFnz.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/vnFnz.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Succulent arrangement&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This question is based on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/35386/please-id-succulents-and-their-hardiness-zone-to-survive-winter&quot;&gt;another (closed) question&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="754" LastEditDate="2018-02-27T20:51:07.140" LastActivityDate="2018-02-28T13:44:24.283" Title="What is the succulent with small opposite red-tipped leaves in this succulent group?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37328" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37327" CreationDate="2018-02-27T11:32:24.817" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like Red &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeonium&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Aeonium&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;citing from wikipedia:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;Aeonium (tree houseleek) is a genus of about 35 species of succulent,&#xA;  subtropical plants of the family Crassulaceae. Many species are&#xA;  popular in horticulture. The genus name comes from the ancient Greek&#xA;  &quot;aionos&quot; (ageless). While most of them are native to the Canary&#xA;  Islands, some are found in Madeira, Morocco, and in East Africa (for&#xA;  example in the Semien Mountains of Ethiopia).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It´s definately a Aeonium, also &lt;strong&gt;F&lt;/strong&gt; is one too. I believe H is &lt;em&gt;Aeonium Cyclops&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its hardiness zone is 10 - 15 it can survive indoors in colder locations. My grandmother have them outside in a 8b zone and they do fine on winter, but on a 5 zone I don´t think they will&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20219" LastEditorUserId="20219" LastEditDate="2018-02-27T12:00:22.847" LastActivityDate="2018-02-27T12:00:22.847" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37329" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37321" CreationDate="2018-02-27T11:33:14.927" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;A and G seem to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c655&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Not all the time throughout a year it has such nice color, but it is evergreen in temperate zones, and it is an excellent ground cover, once established.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;According to the internet, it will survive in zone 5!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nibtJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nibtJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(photo via &lt;a href=&quot;http://budgetplants.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;budgetplants.com&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastActivityDate="2018-02-27T11:33:14.927" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37331" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37339" CreationDate="2018-02-27T15:37:45.763" Score="4" ViewCount="64" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have a Poinsettia that I've been caring for since xmas. I've taken a look at online guides and they all seem to be focused on making the leaves turn red near xmas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this a process that's crucial to the life of a Poinsettia? What happens if I treat it as a regular house plant (i.e. just regular care, without the whole complete darkness process)? Does it just die off by itself after a while?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm interested in keeping it alive for as long as I can and turn it into a large bush, rather than have its leaves turn red each xmas.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Its current state:&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nPQ8c.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nPQ8c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;poinsettia pic&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I haven't done much more than watering it so far, while keeping it in indirect sunlight in a ~22 C room.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It had about three or four leaves that covered the surface of the soil entirely, all of them having large edges that were sort of rusty and completely dry (the edges stopped advancing in the past couple of months), sort of like this:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ww30i.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ww30i.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I cut those leaves off and revealed that the plant also started branching out from near the start of the stem.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20856" LastActivityDate="2018-02-28T01:54:01.160" Title="Lifetime of a Poinsettia" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37332" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37324" CreationDate="2018-02-27T16:26:09.963" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;To me D seems a &lt;em&gt;Sempervivum tectorum&lt;/em&gt;. You are right, that it is similar to F, which I think it is an other &lt;em&gt;Sempervivum&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some varieties of &lt;em&gt;Sempervivum tectorum&lt;/em&gt; are found also on alpine level, so it is resistant to very cold temperatures.  In general all the plant I see in this pot should be resistant to cold temperatures: &lt;em&gt;Crassulaceae&lt;/em&gt; (the family of Sempervivum and Sedum) are succulent plants, but often seen in cold zones: no spikes, so not in a very dry environment (like deserts like environment), but they grow in dry places, so on stone and rocks: animals have other larger plants nearby (outside rocks). So we have such strange succulent on cold climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The form of leaves: flats ending with a large triangle and a small spike (for me) it is typical of some Sempervivum. Often such plants are nicer in vegetative state. Flowers are not so special.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: the name: &quot;tectorum&quot; means &quot;of roofs&quot;. It was common in the past in the stony roofs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A related family and genus are the Saxifragaceae (some time also succulent).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Note: to me, it seems a series of Sempervivum and Sedum that was sold by Aldi around 2013 - 2015.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastEditorUserId="13830" LastEditDate="2018-02-27T20:08:32.140" LastActivityDate="2018-02-27T20:08:32.140" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37333" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37323" CreationDate="2018-02-27T16:28:05.560" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would bet for &lt;em&gt;Sedum album&lt;/em&gt;. It is a Sedum, but there are many species with similar look.  Yes, it should survive outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-27T16:28:05.560" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37334" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37322" CreationDate="2018-02-27T16:31:48.260" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;For me, it is &lt;em&gt;Sedum dasyphyllum&lt;/em&gt;, because of leaves. Also this should survive outside.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-02-27T16:31:48.260" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37335" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-27T18:07:19.840" Score="4" ViewCount="4343" Body="&lt;p&gt;I’m quite new to this, honestly should have done this earlier. I got plants to keep me company in this lonely place as I’m in uni, I’ve had my plants since September and to be honest it’s been a long winter I’m glad they were doing well until maybe early December late November. The roots stopped absorbing water. I didn’t water them too frequently, I thought it might have been because there wasn’t enough sun or that it was cold. (I’m currently making plans to find an alternate source of light.) I had realised that they weren’t taking in water until it was too late. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The leaves started dying, turning brown at the tips. Then there was almost like a fungus growing on the base of the soil. So I looked it up and it said it’s cause I overwatered and I hadn’t to act quickly or else they’d die. So I went out, bought new bags of fresh soil. Repotted then and started monitoring them. 80% of the leaves are still green. They’re absorbing water now but still they seem to be dying. I went out and bought anti fungus stuff and things that promote growth. And they started to look a bit better. I pulled out the dead leaves and kept the healthy ones and there were signs of new life!! But still, the white dots persisted. Now they’re dying again and I honestly don’t know what to do anymore I’m so stressed.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Currently: &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1.The leaves have brown spots on them, almost black.&#xA;2. The bottom of the stems have this white dot/ almost powdery substance on them.&#xA;3. I opened up one of the stems and it was almost like there’s were being eaten from the inside, the roots of the stems are hollow.&#xA;4. Fungus still reappears sometimes on the soil.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I don’t want to give up since they’re fighting so hard. I can’t take them outside cause I live in an apartment complex. It currently still freezing cold/winter if that helps. I’d really appreciate any help whatsoever, I’m desperate. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thank you in advanced &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QJ8o2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pg2sN.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/v56mP.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20866" LastActivityDate="2018-02-28T00:11:12.693" Title="Does anyone know what’s wrong with my Areca Palm?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;diseases&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37336" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37326" CreationDate="2018-02-27T20:30:58.120" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Plant F appears to be one of the Echeverias (E. Holy Gate pictured here as an example &lt;a href=&quot;https://mountaincrestgardens.com/echeveria-holy-gate/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://mountaincrestgardens.com/echeveria-holy-gate/&lt;/a&gt;). There are hundreds of different ones, and I'm not entirely sure which variety it is, but they are hardy only down to 20deg F, or Zone 9.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Plant D is more likely a Sempervivum or houseleek variety such as Purple Beauty, hardy in your zone &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.calgaryplants.com/products/sempervivum-purple-hens-and-chicks&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.calgaryplants.com/products/sempervivum-purple-hens-and-chicks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-02-27T20:30:58.120" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37337" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37324" CreationDate="2018-02-27T20:39:05.037" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;Most likely a Sempervivum variety such as Purple Beauty &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.calgaryplants.com/products/sempervivum-purple-hens-and-chicks&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.calgaryplants.com/products/sempervivum-purple-hens-and-chicks&lt;/a&gt; - it is hardy down to Zone 3. The main thing, in winter, is not to allow it to get too much winter wet - it will tolerate cold, but wet cold they do not like.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-02-27T20:39:05.037" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37338" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37327" CreationDate="2018-02-27T20:47:19.767" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is not Aeonium, it's a Sedum, common name stonecrop. There are hundreds of varieties; most are hardy down to Zone 3, so long as they're not too wet in winter. This one might be Sedum spurium Red Carpet &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.midwestgroundcovers.com/plant/Sedum-spurium-Red-Carpet&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.midwestgroundcovers.com/plant/Sedum-spurium-Red-Carpet&lt;/a&gt; but there are many very similar varieties. The redness of the leaves varies according to the time of year, most often being a deeper red in winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2018-02-28T13:44:24.283" LastActivityDate="2018-02-28T13:44:24.283" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37339" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37331" CreationDate="2018-02-27T23:59:08.350" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The poinsettia is often grown in tropical countries as a shrubby hedge. There is no reason you cannot keep yours going.  It will be unlikely to turn red by itself without some prompting.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.greenhousemag.com/article/greenhousemanagement-perfectly-pinched-poinsettias/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Growers&lt;/a&gt; have a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bhg.com/gardening/houseplants/care/how-do-i-care-for-poinsettias/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;number of techniques&lt;/a&gt; to turn the leaves red that most people find too much work. Specifically the requirement that &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;the plants need 14-15 hours of uninterrupted darkness daily, and&#xA;  nighttime temperatures around 65 degrees&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;for a period of time in the fall.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only problem I see is that when they do not have red leaves under typical interior light conditions these plants look straggly and are not very attractive.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To turn it into a large bush you should put it outside all summer and bring indoors for the winter.  Only high light levels will yield the kind of growth you want.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mvK1Y.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/mvK1Y.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;hedge along Camarillo California&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2018-02-28T01:54:01.160" LastActivityDate="2018-02-28T01:54:01.160" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37340" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37335" CreationDate="2018-02-28T00:11:12.693" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is a combination of factors that involve:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;root rot from over watering and not enough light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;toxicity from the &quot;anti fungus stuff and things that promote growth&quot; you applied&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;soil level is too high causing stems to be damp promoting fungus&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You might be able to save this plant by:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;lower the soil level so you can see where the roots join the stem&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;more light&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;less water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not fertilize, the plant does not need it at this time, wait till next year&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;cut all dead growth away. Sterilize the cutting tool after use with alcohol&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;try a warmer location, palms are quite happy from 68 deg F to 80 deg F.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;be patient, it could be some time before the plant grows enough roots to initiate new growth.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2018-02-28T00:11:12.693" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37341" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="33873" CreationDate="2018-02-28T01:55:48.853" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Honeydew is the sweet secretion of sap sucking insects such as some scale and aphids.  Scale does attack persimmon leaves and causes the leaf to yellow and fall prematurely.  The honeydew is often farmed by ants, and its presence is indicative of infection.  Bees and birds can also collect honeydew.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Leaf guttation is different in that it produces water droplets on the edge of the leaf.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-02-28T01:55:48.853" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37342" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37325" CreationDate="2018-02-28T02:12:45.420" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like a Corsican Stonecrop (Sedum dasyphyllum) or one of its hybrids - could be Blue Tears. Hardy to at least Zone 3 in the US; definitely fine where you are, Vivid. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sedumphotos.net/v/sedum-def/Sedum+dasyphyllum+pubescent+form.jpg.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.sedumphotos.net/v/sedum-def/Sedum+dasyphyllum+pubescent+form.jpg.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastActivityDate="2018-02-28T02:12:45.420" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37343" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37272" CreationDate="2018-02-28T06:01:31.423" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I wouldn't advise planting different types of pepper plants in the same pot. Not that it can be harmful to anyone or any of the plants! However, the outcome would be better if they were planted separately. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20867" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-02-28T13:00:08.050" LastActivityDate="2018-02-28T13:00:08.050" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37344" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-28T12:17:47.567" Score="7" ViewCount="24390" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aQ6FG.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have an avocado plant I started from a pit, it’s around 1.5 years old. Around a month ago we put it in a bigger pot, because it stopped growing and we thought it needed more space. In these last days though it doesn’t look good. Its leaves look weak and lifeless. Any idea what the problem could be?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20869" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-02-28T23:43:54.677" LastActivityDate="2020-06-15T12:57:37.273" Title="Why is my avocado plant drooping and looking weak?" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="4" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37345" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-02-28T19:09:06.007" Score="2" ViewCount="57" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got the following type of moss and I would like to find out its exact name and as bonus a recommendation if this is appropriate for the Venus flytrap (&lt;em&gt;Dionaea muscipula&lt;/em&gt;): &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xDuPK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/xDuPK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Related question on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/37352/help-identifying-this-light-color-moss&quot;&gt;Help identifying this light color moss&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20870" LastEditorUserId="20870" LastEditDate="2018-03-01T20:29:57.963" LastActivityDate="2018-03-01T20:29:57.963" Title="Help identifying this dark color moss" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;moss&gt;&lt;venus-fly-trap&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37346" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="34466" CreationDate="2018-02-28T22:17:52.890" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's hard to tell what this is with this picture, a close-up would help.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My first thought was &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thespruce.com/control-whiteflies-on-houseplants-1902895&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Whitefly&lt;/a&gt;, which is bad news. The suck the sap out of plants, you'll have to verify that your bugs have wings though. Best way to get rid of the bugs is to wipe the plant off with a wet towel.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On second thought they also look very much like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.houseplantsguru.com/springtails-and-how-they-damage-plants&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Springtails&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;em&gt;Folsomia candida&lt;/em&gt; is a species that is often found in the soil of plant pots. Springtails don't have wings but do have 6 legs (they are related to insects, but more primitive in evolutionary sense). Springtails do usually not eat from living plants (they prefer fungus), so if they are on the plant it is a sign they don't like it in the soil anymore. You can recognize Springtails by the way they jump. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2018-02-28T22:17:52.890" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37348" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="28983" CreationDate="2018-03-01T00:17:46.823" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just stumbled upon this page and too was curious what is eating your plants. Same thing happened to me two years ago, all of my broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower was being eaten right through the base, and sometimes the crown was left on the ground nearby. I never did figure out exactly what it was but after having a few run ins with several porcupines chewing the branches off many of the locust trees in our yard, I did some research and found out that they are quite intelligent, good climbers, and are able to fit under very small holes or gaps in the fence. Also, did I mention that they love the braccias family? They are able to stand on their hind legs and reach up a little higher to chomp at the stalks from ground level as well.  After googling images, there came up quite a few of porcupines ravaging these plants in the garden. Just wanted to share this information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20872" LastActivityDate="2018-03-01T00:17:46.823" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37349" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37344" CreationDate="2018-03-01T08:56:15.283" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Drooping is a sign of 'wet feet', hence overwatering (see comment of @Evil Elf). If you water the plant too often, the soil can get too wet (even if the top layer seems fine). Try to feel finger deep before you water it again. Also use a pot with good drainage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Too much watering causes the roots to rot, and causes deprivation of oxygen (roots use oxygen). Therefore it can not uptake enough water for enough pressure to hold up the leaves.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If the soil is not too wet it might also be a temperature problem, but first suspect is overwatering. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2018-03-01T08:56:15.283" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37350" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37351" CreationDate="2018-03-01T12:26:10.167" Score="1" ViewCount="46" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am a university student who rents an apartment to live in. Because I study abroad, there are times that I return back at my parent's home. The time I spend there varies from a week up to two months in the summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So the question I want to ask is this: given the above time I spend away from my apartment, what would be a good plant to buy? I obviously need one that has the ability to remain alive for up to two months without me taking care of it, if possible. The reason is that I have no auto-watering system since I live in an apartment.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If there are any ways I should take care of my plant before going away, please make sure to note them as they would help out a lot. I have a balcony where I will keep the plant most of the time, but for the two summer months, I don't know what to do.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19963" LastEditorUserId="19963" LastEditDate="2018-03-01T12:37:49.863" LastActivityDate="2018-03-01T12:44:30.647" Title="Plant recommendation for travelling student" Tags="&lt;plant-recommendations&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37351" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37350" CreationDate="2018-03-01T12:44:30.647" Score="5" Body="&lt;p&gt;Okay so you need plants that can take a few weeks without watering. There are some plants very tough, and can survive weeks without watering (don't put them in the full sun during the long periods of leave).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here are some suitable plants:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/yucca&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Yucca elephantipes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/sansevieria&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Sansevieria&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/dracaena-marginata&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;Dracaena marginata&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These plant can be left without watering for weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And of course &lt;em&gt;Cacti&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19430" LastActivityDate="2018-03-01T12:44:30.647" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37352" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="42158" CreationDate="2018-03-01T20:28:36.633" Score="1" ViewCount="69" Body="&lt;p&gt;I got the following type of moss and I would like to find out its exact name and as bonus a recommendation if this is appropriate for the Venus flytrap (&lt;em&gt;Dionaea muscipula&lt;/em&gt;): &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hkaaH.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/hkaaH.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Related question on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/37345/help-identifying-this-dark-color-moss&quot;&gt;Help identifying this dark color moss&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20870" LastEditorUserId="26403" LastEditDate="2019-07-19T16:24:48.537" LastActivityDate="2019-07-19T16:24:48.537" Title="Help identifying this light color moss" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;moss&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37353" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-03-01T23:12:05.113" Score="2" ViewCount="26" Body="&lt;p&gt;I’ve recently planted some redwoods (coastal redwoods).  I’ve noticed that some redwoods in my area (Sacramento) are gorgeous, dense (thick with branches), and are dark green.  Others in this area are skinny, straggley, and lighter green.  I very much want my redwoods to be the former.  But how do I make that happen??&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20879" LastActivityDate="2018-03-01T23:12:05.113" Title="Growing healthy, bushy, dark green redwoods" Tags="&lt;tree-care&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37354" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37355" CreationDate="2018-03-02T02:42:26.570" Score="1" ViewCount="108" Body="&lt;p&gt;I was in Mexico and saw this plant which looks like a coleus due to the mottled scalloped leaves but it is almost four feet tall.  The coleus I am used to are about six inches tall.  What is this plant?&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FI3sJ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/FI3sJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;oversized coleus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2018-03-02T06:47:17.057" Title="Is this a coleus plant?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37355" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37354" CreationDate="2018-03-02T06:47:17.057" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is &lt;em&gt;Acalypha wilkesiana&lt;/em&gt;, a member of the family Euphorbiaceae. Sometimes called Copperleaf, it is a hardy, attractive and commonly grown plant in tropical gardens. There are numerous and quite variable forms and cultivars.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://florafaunaweb.nparks.gov.sg/Special-Pages/plant-detail.aspx?id=1593&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://florafaunaweb.nparks.gov.sg/Special-Pages/plant-detail.aspx?id=1593&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19553" LastActivityDate="2018-03-02T06:47:17.057" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37356" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-03-02T08:32:22.827" Score="3" ViewCount="378" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have large cyclamen in pots on my south facing balcony. This morning, thanks to 'The Beast From The East' (extremely cold weather), they are frozen in their pots and drooping, what is my best line of action? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20880" LastEditorUserId="17442" LastEditDate="2018-03-02T19:29:09.980" LastActivityDate="2018-03-02T19:29:09.980" Title="Saving cyclamen frozen in pots outside?" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;containers&gt;&lt;temperature&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37357" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37362" CreationDate="2018-03-02T09:01:06.893" Score="2" ViewCount="644" Body="&lt;p&gt;I started black-eyed Susan seeds ten days ago: (I just sprinkled tiny seeds over grid-type container filled with &quot;soil for flowers&quot; from the supermarket)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ARqi8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/KUaaq.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You can see multiple new plants in almost all cells. The cells are 5cm x 5 cm (2 inches x 2 inches).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Should I:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;choose the strongest in a cell, and remove the rest? but when?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;try to transplant surplus seedlings in a separate container?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;leave everything as is?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am inexperienced in doing this.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The desired end result should look like this, if possible:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ra3Dd.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ra3Dd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;(photo credit: &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardeningwithcharlie.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Gardening with Charlie Nardozzi&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update - day 15&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Almost all cells have seedlings. The growth is somewhat slow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/2K4O4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QiJY8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps I didn't press the soil enough, and the seedling don't like that? I am a little worried about relatively slow growth in the last 5 days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update - day 25&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First true leaves appeared: (the hairy ones)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/ecO1H.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-19T09:15:14.403" LastActivityDate="2018-03-19T09:15:14.403" Title="What to do with these black-eyed Susan seedlings?" Tags="&lt;seedlings&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37358" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37360" CreationDate="2018-03-02T09:22:53.390" Score="3" ViewCount="172" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know this is a very common one, but for the life of me I can't remember that name. What is it called?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bdEIr.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bdEIr.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20633" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-02T11:55:58.483" LastActivityDate="2018-03-05T06:10:25.313" Title="What is this dark green succulent?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37359" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37356" CreationDate="2018-03-02T11:31:32.273" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;I would do nothing. Cyclamens should resist to freeze. Maybe you could keep near the wall, but I would not bring them inside: too much shock. The cold storm should end soon, so the plant will &quot;defrozen&quot; slowly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now you cannot do much. Next year, try to cover them with some tissues. Wait 2 3 weeks, and let see if you plant is still alive. I think so, leaves are hard, possibly it will not flower this year (or just late).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-03-02T11:31:32.273" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37360" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37358" CreationDate="2018-03-02T12:16:14.513" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Looks like &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haworthiopsis_limifolia&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Haworthiopsis limifolia&lt;/a&gt;, formerly Haworthia limifolia (most of the hard leaves Haworthia were moved to the Haworthiopsis taxa. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2018-03-02T12:16:14.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37361" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37356" CreationDate="2018-03-02T12:22:12.407" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Depending on the species/cultivar of cyclamen, it may or may not be resistant to freezing temperatures. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What you can do:  Place it in a sheltered spot where it won’t freeze/thaw too quickly, and wit for new growth (once it thaws, you can check the bulb.. if it’s mushy, you can discard it)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Don’t bring a frozen plant indoors and thaw to room temperature quickly, as this can further damage the cell walls. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="419" LastActivityDate="2018-03-02T12:22:12.407" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37362" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37357" CreationDate="2018-03-02T12:28:30.330" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;With your use, I'm pro-life.  I would keep all plants.  Some will growth better, other slower, but on a such flowerbed I find also a good way to do things: some more natural looking, and you will have some later flowers.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In such flowerbed, you also doesn't need flowers all of the same looking, size, height.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you like more perfection, I would wait few leaves, and then keep just two or tree seedlings per block. I would try to move them apart, and the smaller (or in case two good but too close), I would try to put them in the empty blocks.  And because I'm a pro-life of plants (but weeds, but this exception is not always valid), I would put the rest in a new pot (not much care, also just outside soil), and I let natural selection to select the better or keep all.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-03-02T12:28:30.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37363" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37357" CreationDate="2018-03-02T13:44:49.757" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Now you've started them indoors, you should either remove all but one seedling from each cell, or wait till they've got 2 sets of true leaves, then prick them out into individual, small pots. If you choose to remove some seedlings but want to keep them, take them out when they've got two sets of leaves and try potting them up, or transferring to other cells. Do not plant outside until risk of frost is past - that means keeping them in a greenhouse or indoors until then, so they will need good light to grow on well.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If all else fails, you can direct sow into the ground any seeds you have left once risk of frost is past.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-03-02T13:44:49.757" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37364" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-03-02T14:06:47.023" Score="2" ViewCount="66" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qePCg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/DjdGT.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dmkou.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EepMM.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&#xA;I’m no gardener nor do I have a “green thumb”. I found this pit inside an avocado that I cut the same day that my 8yr old son brought home, what looked to be, a successfully germinated pinto bean from science class so I got inspired. I named the pit Seymour and went online. The Internet said peel the skin off the pit but there were so many white strings on it I didn’t take all the skin off. One end had a stick coming out of it so I put that end up thinking it was a tree and the other end had thick white tentacles with tiny white things on them so I put that end in the water. The white strings outside the pit were drying so I covered them with wet paper towels every day. The little white things, that were on the big white thick tentacles, were turning brown and the stick wasn’t doing anything - but the thick tentacles in the water were drinking almost half the jar of water every day and at was exciting! But nothing else was happening -&#xA;Thinking I confused the ends of the pit, I flipped it. The end of the stick was dark black and dry so I trimmed it to where I could see a little lighter color dot in the middle of the stick, I took off the rest of the skin and cut off the strings that were completely black and dried up. I put the stick and the strings in the water, and the tentacles up in the air. &#xA;Still not much is happening with Seymour - He’s drinking but not as much as when his tentacles were in the water. The excitement of adding so much water to the jar every day is gone; some days the tentacles have a slight light greenish appearance as if they will start turning into a “branch” then they go back to being white. The little white dots that were all over the tentacles are dark brown. &#xA;Is Seymour slowly dying or dead? Am I confusing which end to put in the water? Or is Seymour, the seed itself, confused? I’ve uploaded some photos but I’m not sure if they added or not. &#xA;The only thing I haven’t tried is to drop the entire seed in the water - HELP!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20881" LastActivityDate="2018-03-02T15:55:29.787" Title="Growing Avocado from Pit" Tags="&lt;avocado&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37365" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37364" CreationDate="2018-03-02T15:03:25.220" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;The pit is shaped like a pear. The flat part is where the tap root emerges, and you can see short branching root hairs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The white fleshy bits are the shoots which is confusing since they usually emerge much later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-03-02T15:55:29.787" LastActivityDate="2018-03-02T15:55:29.787" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37366" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37352" CreationDate="2018-03-02T20:12:57.703" Score="0" Body="&lt;p&gt;So I have two guesses and a couple of questions.  This looks like moss in the family of Palustriella or Sphagnum.  Probably you were able to guess those too.  Where did you get it?  If you sourced it outside where do you live?  What kind of environment did you find it in?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for venus fly trap appropriate question, I don't know what you mean?  Are you mulching it with moss, or using it as growing medium?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to gro this on the surface of the planter with the Venus flytrap, I wouldn't because both these species can grow tall and as a thick carpet.  Used low growing mosses to scape the pots if that is what you're using it for.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2018-03-02T20:12:57.703" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37367" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37398" CreationDate="2018-03-02T20:15:20.383" Score="2" ViewCount="53" Body="&lt;p&gt;I found this plant outdoors by a trash can, and decided to take it home. I didn't notice any infestation on it, and cleared off the yellow/brownish leaves (somewhat soggy) that I found on it. My questions - one - what is it? and two - can it be saved?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bbwlK.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bbwlK.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;an orphaned plant&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1239" LastActivityDate="2018-03-05T15:35:04.100" Title="Triage and identification for an orphanned plant" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37368" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37369" CreationDate="2018-03-02T22:56:01.153" Score="3" ViewCount="762" Body="&lt;p&gt;I live in central Texas and have a serious infestation of this weed... I'd like to know what it is so I can buy the right kind of herbicide... I tried searching google images with this, but nothing similar came up...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/znzGV.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/znzGV.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Central texas weed&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="359" LastActivityDate="2020-04-15T16:25:13.433" Title="Texas weed identification" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;weeds&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37369" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37368" CreationDate="2018-03-02T23:20:03.513" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;It's just Lamium amplexicaule, common name Henbit &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium_amplexicaule&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium_amplexicaule&lt;/a&gt;, an annual plant - you should be able to pull or dig them out quite easily, but if there are loads of them, you can use something like glyphosate to kill them off, though it's a bit sledgehammer and nut to be honest. Apply when the plants are growing strongly and the ground is damp - glyphosate is not discriminating though, so will kill anything else that's green and growing (excluding woody based plants) if you get it on the foliage.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-03-02T23:20:03.513" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37372" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="39144" CreationDate="2018-03-03T16:40:17.600" Score="2" ViewCount="207" Body="&lt;p&gt;The moss stick of my Scindapsus Aureum of about 180 cm has gone crooked. I tried to fix it by placing another stick beside it, but that doesn't seem to help (for long).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;How can I fix this so the moss stick will keep straight and not lean over?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A45d4.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/A45d4.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oWqG1.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/oWqG1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20837" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2018-03-04T02:42:01.063" LastActivityDate="2018-06-08T21:24:23.203" Title="How to straighten my Scindapsus Aureum (moss stick)" Tags="&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;containers&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37373" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-03-03T18:29:36.840" Score="2" ViewCount="290" Body="&lt;p&gt;First time home buyer here looking for some insight on proper drainage around the base of my house.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm looking at digging a french drain on the side of my house because water pools there when it rains. We recently had a ton of rain where I'm located and that pooling water caused my basement walls to start leaking rain water.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On top of that I'm going to grade the side of my yard away from the house to help keep the water away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;My question is: What's the best practice when it comes to grading projects? I've got fake stucco siding and I've heard I need to leave some space between the stucco and dirt, so critters/bugs don't get into it. Is that correct?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Also, would it be a good idea to throw some quarter round gravel down along the base of my house and then build the dirt on top of that? My neighbor did that and he says it's been working well for him. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think I've got the basic idea for a french drain down, I'm just more-so looking for the best materials to use for the job. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20887" LastActivityDate="2018-03-08T09:29:39.650" Title="First time home owner, leaky basement, and a poorly graded yard." Tags="&lt;lawn&gt;&lt;drainage&gt;&lt;grading&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37374" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37373" CreationDate="2018-03-04T02:39:21.337" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;Ecerwal is right, grading first.  You can consider other solutions if you have a good drop towards the street or the back of the lot.  As always, when you change the grade where is the water going to go?  If it is into your neighbour's house then you have just moved the problem and you will hear about it.  Gutters direct water flow but provide other problems:  Where will lots of water go?  Drainage is worth thinking and planning for long term.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;where on your lot do you have an incline away from the house where water can go?&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;get a cubic yard of soil dropped on the property and wheel barrow it next to the house to ensure the grade drops away from the house&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;when in doubt 4&quot; diameter drain pipe with sleeve is your friend.  Cheap, durable and works for you all year round.  Where I live winters are now snow, melt, snow, melt.  Frozen ground does not drain well so drain pipe helps.  Bury parallel to the house in a 6&quot; deep trench and slope towards a french drain at least 12&quot; deep, preferably 24&quot;.  &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Those plastic buckets for drywall goop are great for making a cylinder for the walls of the drain.  &#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Cut the bottom out&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;insert in your hole&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;fill with large rocks&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;top with landscape fabric, then turf&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;if you have gutters direct them directly into your drain pipe so they have a good ten or twenty feet to run before hitting your french drain&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;With the right build up your drainage works can be a festive occasion for all members of the family....&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EmtCD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/EmtCD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;four inch drain pipe with sleeve&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2018-03-04T02:39:21.337" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37375" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37409" CreationDate="2018-03-04T06:16:03.650" Score="4" ViewCount="781" Body="&lt;p&gt;What is eating my green buttonwood? I have included pictures below to show what I mean.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QYC7c.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/QYC7c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r2H95.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/r2H95.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have seen what appears to be tiny black dots on the tree, but I haven't been able to get a great photo of them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;What can I do to get my tree back to good health?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tree is planted in my yard, which is in South Florida. Thanks to the great users here for suggesting that I take a picture at night. I was able to get a good shot of the bug that is eating my tree.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z9OVi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z9OVi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I ended up using sevin spray on the leaves and I put Diatomaceous earth on the ground below the tree. I haven't seen any weevils in a few days.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11949" LastEditorUserId="11949" LastEditDate="2018-03-10T01:55:29.667" LastActivityDate="2018-03-10T01:55:29.667" Title="Nursing my green buttonwood back to health" Tags="&lt;pest-control&gt;&lt;tree-care&gt;&lt;pests&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37376" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-03-04T12:16:33.537" Score="3" ViewCount="4954" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/nBAzs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have black spots on my peace lily and I don’t know what to do.. I did spray a homemade mixture of canola oil, Pine Sol and water because I was afraid there were some sort of lice or fungus on it. It is standing on the corner of a window and gets a lot of indirect sunlight. I water it 1 time per week and spray water on the leaves a few times per week. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20891" LastActivityDate="2018-08-02T05:00:32.633" Title="Black spots peace lily" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;leaves&gt;&lt;peace-lily&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37377" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-03-04T12:45:05.127" Score="1" ViewCount="21" Body="&lt;p&gt;According to the Rajasthan's climate suggest me about the big tree for vast Boundary wall. Shade and birds are priority. Please give scientific and popular name too.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20893" LastActivityDate="2018-03-04T12:45:05.127" Title="What will be the best tree who gives shade and attract birds for boundary wall in Rajasthan's climate" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37378" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-03-04T13:11:20.480" Score="4" ViewCount="33870" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have black spots all over the stems of my Areca palm. I did have fungus in the soil, but I changed the soil and now everything seems good there. Can this come from the fungus that I had? &lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mipcd.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20891" LastEditorUserId="499" LastEditDate="2018-03-05T01:17:39.743" LastActivityDate="2020-06-16T18:25:54.610" Title="Black spots on areca palm stem" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;houseplants&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37379" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37375" CreationDate="2018-03-04T14:58:51.880" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;When I saw your photos I immediately said &quot;slugs&quot;. Or snails, depending on where you live. The roundedness (if that's a word) of the bite marks is the clue; that, and indications that the culprit nibbles mainly from the outside of the leaves, eats in irregularly shaped patches, stops nibbling after a short time, and doesn't skeletonize the leaves. Since you're asking here, I'm also assuming that you never see what's doing the eating, which also fits slugs and many snails, since they tend to feed at night or on cloudy/rainy days. Have you noticed shiny trails on the mulch, leaves, ground or any surrounding concrete in the morning?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The only thing that causes me to question my ID is that we're talking about a potentially large shrub here, one with presumably one or just a few trunks, but with a large amount of damage. Unless the slugs or snails are hiding out in the leaves, or the damage has been going on for a fairly long time, the damage seems greater than your average slug/snail infestation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One way to confirm it's slugs is to set the lip of a shallow container even with the top of the soil/mulch near the trunk of the buttonwood, and then fill it with beer. Slugs like to party, so if they're around, you'll find them in the beer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20056" LastEditorUserId="20056" LastEditDate="2018-03-04T15:04:58.140" LastActivityDate="2018-03-04T15:04:58.140" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37380" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-03-04T17:17:22.413" Score="1" ViewCount="346" Body="&lt;p&gt;Initially we were going to cover the shed in climbers but we would like to find a way to create some privacy. &#xA;I was thinking about bamboo either side of shed door instead but looking for better suggestions. &#xA;I will add trellis on the exposed back fence panels and get some climbers going there (just removed a big tree from the back left corner as it took our afternoon /evening sun)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I am based in London , UK and my garden is a clean slate 12m x7m, west facing.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for your help!&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/iiS7K.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="11576" LastActivityDate="2018-03-04T22:04:31.327" Title="How to create some privacy planting to hide neighbours balcony" Tags="&lt;planting&gt;&lt;privacy-plants&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37382" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37375" CreationDate="2018-03-04T19:05:19.717" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks exactly like vine weevil damage to me - in the States, I think it will be black vine weevil, and they leave these notched holes in the leaves, particularly at the edges. The trouble is, I'm not sure you're in an area where these are a problem (though it seems they are becoming an increasingly widespread issue) - plants in pots are more prone to vine weevil, but they can affect plants in the ground too. Their larvae eat through plant roots in the soil - further information here &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/lawn-pests/black-vine-weevil-control/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/lawn-pests/black-vine-weevil-control/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;UPDATE; Great photo - so it is a vine weevil, but it's white vine weevil, a new invader to the States. Probably similar treatments to those recommended in the link I already provided to try to deal with it, but the best thing to do is contact your local Extension Service to find out if and what the latest and best treatments might be, they'll have up to date information, in particular regard to whether and which nematode treatments might be effective. Hopefully there is one that's effective, since  they are the least environmentally damaging treatment - note that usually, nematode solutions are temperature sensitive and should only be applied when the temperature is appropriate for whichever one it is, so if you try one, follow the instructions that come with it. It's usual to order straight from the web, because there is only a short shelf life for these products, but see what the recommendation is from your Extension Service, as this is a fairly new problem. There may be no final solution to it though, it likely will require monitoring and treatment ongoing, unfortunately. I'll be interested to know what the Extension Service recommends.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'll add the information link even though someone else posted it after I got you to check with a torch to try and find the weevil culprit... just in case you accept my answer and for future reference to others posing a similar question &lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/sri_lankan_weevil.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/sri_lankan_weevil.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="1380" LastEditDate="2018-03-06T14:51:45.017" LastActivityDate="2018-03-06T14:51:45.017" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37383" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37384" CreationDate="2018-03-04T19:31:40.260" Score="2" ViewCount="79" Body="&lt;p&gt;I bought this plant but it had no name tag. I'd like to know tips about its upkeep. Thanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aPW6b.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/aPW6b.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20900" LastActivityDate="2018-03-04T21:10:45.903" Title="What is this plant and and how to care for it?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37384" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37383" CreationDate="2018-03-04T20:54:36.543" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;The name of your plant is croton. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Crotons are native to Southeast Asia, The Pacific Islands &amp;amp; Madagascar and are members of an extensive flowering plant genus in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The Croton is an under storey tropical plant that thrives in an environment of high humidity and a lot of daylight hours of sunshine. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While Crotons can do very well as indoor plants, the following tips may ensure your plant thrives...&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;place the pot in a deep tray (at least 2.5 cm or 1 inch deep) filled with water to increase local humidity, allow the tray to dry out between waterings but for no more than a day; &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;(because its will be sitting in water) you may need to improve the drainage of material in the bottom of the pot so the soil and roots of a young plant do not rot (an older plant will be more tolerant); &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;to ensure the plant's leaves maintain their vibrant colour, place the pot plant in a very sunny spot that receives sunlight for at least half the day - be careful with sunlight - croton leaves can burn in too hot a position. &lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the garden, Crotons do well in an environment that is high in humidity and receives regular watering to maintain consistent soil moisture. Crotons will not tolerate any frost. While some crotons can tolerate full sun, others prefer dappled sun or part shade, so it may be best to experiment with the plant before choosing a permanent location in the garden. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As with all plants, healthy soil, regular food and water will encourage plant health. Indoor plants will benefit from a regular application of a liquid tonic. &#xA;Personally we use a combination of seaweed extract (&quot;Seasol&quot; brand) and soil bacteria (&quot;GoGo Juice&quot; brand). This is because we do not have ready access to worm castings, which when used with water, are the superior natural plant tonic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="16488" LastEditorUserId="16488" LastEditDate="2018-03-04T21:10:45.903" LastActivityDate="2018-03-04T21:10:45.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37385" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37380" CreationDate="2018-03-04T22:04:31.327" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;The trouble is, because of the position of the shed, any bamboo you plant either side of the shed door isn't going to screen that balcony efficiently; if you could relocate the shed to the left hand side, a small tree such as Malus 'Gorgeous' judiciously placed 1 or 2 metres from the right hand fence so that the crown will exclude the view from that balcony would work well. Yes, it will reduce sunlight towards the end of the day, but so will anything of any height placed there if it's high enough to block the view, and at least it's only to the right hand side and will allow dappled sunlight through.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it's that balcony you particularly wanted to block out, other methods of screening aren't really viable; trellis sections added to the back fence would block out the view from the other windows which are lower down, but obviously, not the balcony. If it's not possible to relocate the shed, then planting a small tree three feet in front of the shed, to the left of the door, would block the balcony view - but would also block out more sunlight, unfortunately.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to try with bamboo, Fargesia nitida  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/63525/Fargesia-nitida/Details&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/63525/Fargesia-nitida/Details&lt;/a&gt; is the one to go for - plant at least two feet in front of the shed, to the left of the door; when it gets tall enough (ultimate height 2.5 metres), this bamboo 'cascades' or droops outwards at the top, meaning it might just block some of the view. It is also one of the few bamboos available which will simply form a large clump, and not spread by runners everywhere, so it needs no root rhizome barrier. Once it's tall enough to do a good screening job, it will block out some of your sunlight in the late afternoon, unfortunately. There's no real advantage to planting it the other side of the door too -it would block the shed window and wouldn't increase your privacy, but planting two either side would look more balanced.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-03-04T22:04:31.327" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37386" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37378" CreationDate="2018-03-05T01:17:22.987" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;These are a fungus/virus/bacteria living inside the plant and are very common with areca palms.  They are not a problem and no action is required.  More details can be found in my answer &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/16135/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2018-03-05T01:17:22.987" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37387" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37376" CreationDate="2018-03-05T01:31:09.227" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The black spots are typical of a fungus/virus/bacteria infection brought on by stress from overwatering or poor sanitation at the growers.  This looks like the very common &lt;a href=&quot;https://negreenhouseupdate.info/photos/spathiphyllum-cylindrocladium-root-and-crown-rot&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Cylindrocladium spathiphylli&lt;/a&gt; for which the symptoms &lt;a href=&quot;http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/Foliage/Resrpts/rh_96_5.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;are described&lt;/a&gt; as &quot;dime size circular brown necrotic lesions form surrounded by yellow halos&quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remediation for growers is destroying the infected stock and treatment of the growing area with a fungicide not normally available to homeowners.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Good news is that you can treat this condition yourself:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;move to a higher light area&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;do not allow the plant to sit in water&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;change the plant to a pot in a pot system and add a wicking system as described &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/a/4002/499&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most healthy plants can outgrow infections if they given better conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="499" LastActivityDate="2018-03-05T01:31:09.227" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37389" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37403" CreationDate="2018-03-05T03:15:20.763" Score="2" ViewCount="720" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'm looking for sources for vermiculite to try out a bit of square foot gardening this season.  I found one at &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/insulation/loose-fill-insulation/micaflake-vermiculite-insulation/p-1444444167358.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;menards&lt;/a&gt; but it says it's for attic insulation.  It also says there's no formaldehyde (which I guess is a little bit of a low bar for organic gardening) but is there any reason to think that I can't use this for making the &quot;Mel's Mix&quot;?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Seems like I need a lot of vermiculite to do it and this is one of my only local options. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10" LastActivityDate="2018-03-05T18:33:13.633" Title="Can &quot;Attic Insulation&quot; vermiculite be used in the garden?" Tags="&lt;square-foot-gardening&gt;&lt;vermiculite&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37390" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-03-05T04:22:53.590" Score="4" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;For Christmas I got one of those small kits that test the soil using a chemical enclosed in capsules. The one I got does Ph, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash. And today I gave it a spin, and this is my results.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ph - 7.25&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;N - 0&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;P - 0&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;K* - low&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These results were horrible. I did plenty of video watching and review reading to find that this may not be to inaccurate? I want to know if I did something wrong here. And to help people understand what I did I listed the steps below.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;1) Gather 15 samples from around my garden (it is large) and mixed it in a ice cream pale&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;2) Put some directly in the test tube (Ph), added capsule and filled with water to line specified in the directions. Let sit&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;3) mixed rest of dirt 1:5 (dirt:water) and let settle. Took the clean-ish water at top and added to test tube half way, added capsule and filled rest of the way. Let sit for 10 min&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Basically all I did. I did make sure everything got shaken well so I wasn't &quot;testing the surface&quot; of the dirt. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I want to include that my dad added a few years worth of ash from the wood stove to the garden, he stopped 6 yrs ago and am wondering if that is part of the problem. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So to conclude what went wrong? What did I do or are these tests simply to cheap? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;*I think this is the letter for potash&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="14214" LastActivityDate="2018-03-05T04:22:53.590" Title="Testing Soil with rapid-test by luster leaf" Tags="&lt;soil-test&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="9" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37391" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-03-05T04:25:32.647" Score="1" ViewCount="497" Body="&lt;p&gt;I am needing to bend a branch of 100mm diameter (4 inches) permanently upwards on a avocado tree. Needs to be raised by about a meter at a distance of 1.5 meters away from the trunk. I've used ratchet straps to bend it about half of the way upwards but I'm not sure if I should proceed further and risk breaking it off or perhaps wait a few weeks before continuing. Any other ideas? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit:&#xA;I need to bend it because I am planning to put a shed right below the branch (which is in the way, and I can't move the shed over cause of the fence). I don't really want to cut it off cause of the additional fruit and shade it provides. It is fruiting at the moment, and I live in Perth Western Australia which is a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. The tree is about 15 years old.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I would also like to make another bend up higher in the branch so that it isn't growing into itself. Here is an image of it: (the colours of the leaves look desaturated because I had HDR on)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://preview.ibb.co/nztAF7/tree_mods.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;an image of it&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It isn't a problem for me to continue to support the branch for some time afterwards with the straps, even a few years is fine. But I would like to have it bent within a month or two to put the shed up.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20905" LastEditorUserId="20905" LastEditDate="2018-03-07T10:08:12.350" LastActivityDate="2018-03-07T10:08:12.350" Title="How to bend a large avocado tree branch" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;pruning&gt;&lt;avocado&gt;&lt;branches&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="5" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37393" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37396" CreationDate="2018-03-05T09:57:03.273" Score="1" ViewCount="48" Body="&lt;p&gt;Is it suitable to string drip while summer? I am away for 1 month in April. I have 10 pots in my garden. so I decided to create string dripping. But is this suitable? If not, then what is the best option for self watering ?? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is Mid Summer In Maharashtra.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I had chilly, tomato, rose, lemongrass, and like plants and had enough water source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Any suggestions accepted.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15798" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-05T14:19:18.763" LastActivityDate="2018-03-05T14:19:18.763" Title="String drip system while summer away for 1 month" Tags="&lt;watering&gt;&lt;plant-care&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="3" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37394" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37397" CreationDate="2018-03-05T11:55:12.637" Score="4" ViewCount="5911" Body="&lt;p&gt;One of my most important gardening goals for this year is establishing echinacea in several parts of my garden. So I ordered several bags of echinacea seeds from a seed shop. (I actually didn't pay attention on the exact latin name) However, I just noticed that seeds are not of &lt;em&gt;Echinacea purpurea&lt;/em&gt; (which is the most common in gardens, and I expected this species), but of &lt;em&gt;Echinacea angustifolia&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jc5WZ.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jc5WZ.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do you know what are differences between &lt;em&gt;Echinacea purpurea&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Echinacea angustifolia&lt;/em&gt;, from gardening point of view?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-05T12:02:50.300" LastActivityDate="2018-03-06T01:41:35.010" Title="What are differences between Echinacea purpurea and Echinacea angustifolia?" Tags="&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37395" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-03-05T12:25:44.727" Score="2" ViewCount="37" Body="&lt;p&gt;My Robellini palm (&lt;em&gt;Phoenix roebelenii&lt;/em&gt;) has while dots on leaves and brown oil all over leaves and the ground surrounding tree. I’ve tried to upload a picture but it’s not working &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20899" LastEditorUserId="19430" LastEditDate="2018-03-05T15:08:50.857" LastActivityDate="2018-03-05T15:08:50.857" Title="Robellini Palm oozing Brown oil" Tags="&lt;plant-health&gt;&lt;palm&gt;" AnswerCount="0" CommentCount="4" ClosedDate="2018-03-23T12:55:51.197" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37396" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37393" CreationDate="2018-03-05T12:37:03.133" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I recommend to ask a friend or neighbor. You could pay them with some tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want healthy plants after you are returning, the plants need water, but also people that harvest the tomatoes and other fruits. Otherwise, you will get some rot tomatoes together with insects and possibly diseases. Additionally tomato plants will reduce or temporarily stop to produce new tomatoes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-03-05T12:37:03.133" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37397" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37394" CreationDate="2018-03-05T13:20:57.360" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Echinacea purpurea is the more commonly grown one - it tends to grow better in more easterly regions than E. augustifolia (which is native to the North American prairies). In appearance, E.augustifolia is known as the narrow leaved Echinacea because, yes, it has narrower leaves; it forms a large taproot, and these are often harvested in the wild to produce echinacea oil supplements. It's also somewhat longer lived than E. purpurea, lasting 10-20 years in situations that suit it, whereas E. purpurea only up to 10 years. In reality, either of these may well disappear suddenly, particularly E. purpurea - some growers suggest using them as an annual rather than reckoning on their remaining as a perennial.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;There is some argument about whether E. augustifolia is actually a separate species, or just a variant of E. pallida (E. pallida 'augustifolia) and you may find it classified as a separate species, or simply a variant. More information can be found here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:87143-2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Echinacea angustifolia DC.&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastEditorUserId="15093" LastEditDate="2018-03-05T19:06:33.070" LastActivityDate="2018-03-05T19:06:33.070" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37398" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37367" CreationDate="2018-03-05T15:35:04.100" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;I think it is a type of Aglaonema the exact variety alludes me. Yes, it can be easily saved, if the leaves were yellow and soggy, it was probably just overwatered. If it is to wet dry it out completely, and then water it according to the species care instructions. Late you might try to take cuttings and rooting them either in water or soil according to care instructions to have it be less lanky. Leave the stumps, because they might sprout. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17642" LastActivityDate="2018-03-05T15:35:04.100" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37399" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37389" CreationDate="2018-03-05T16:01:41.607" Score="-1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Vermiculite , as I know it, is expanded mica, no asbestos . An inert mineral, Wikipedia must have some more information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17672" LastActivityDate="2018-03-05T16:01:41.607" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37400" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37401" CreationDate="2018-03-05T17:36:45.400" Score="1" ViewCount="573" Body="&lt;p&gt;Some of the internet sites claim that echinacea seed should be placed at a small depth of 1/4 inch into soil, but not covered at that time, the reason being that they need light to germinate. And just after they germinate, they should be covered with 1/4 inch layer of soil. (This suggestion seems to be valid for both growing from small containers and directly outdoors)&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Is this true? Is that crucial? Does someone have some related experience?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The content of a bag I bought from a local seed shop: 0.5 gr, it should be around 90 seeds&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/bff6p.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;All seeds are 2mm-3mm long.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The exact species is Echinacea angustifolia. The seed shop says the germination rate is 60%, but I doubt it, it is unusually high, but we'll see.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update - Match 8 - day 0&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Three seeds are placed in each cell, on the surface of the soil, and lightly patted. So there were around 130 seeds in the bag. I found that seeds just 'glued' to my wet finger, so I used just my finger to spread seeds, cell by cell, three at the time. The soil was wet, but I also sprinkled water over each cell afterwards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/5i1ke.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have more seed bags for starting them in the garden directly, but I am going to do it in mid-spring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update - March 9 - day 1&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I covered the tray with a transparent nylon cover:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/LPjZJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The tray is not 100% sealed, but I gather this is enough to keep the soil moist.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The cover is actually a cover for shirts and other clothes that dry cleaning shops regularly use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I intend to keep the cover for a week. I am going to open it every few days for 10 min, to refresh the air.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update - March 4th - day 4&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I wanted just to refresh air around seeds today (by removing the cover for 10 min), however, unexpectedly, I discovered that some seed already sprouted! I removed the cover permanently.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;hr&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Update - April 6th - day 29&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4obAI.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-04-06T21:11:09.973" LastActivityDate="2018-04-06T21:11:09.973" Title="What is the correct way of placing echinacea seed in soil?" Tags="&lt;germination&gt;&lt;perennials&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37401" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37400" CreationDate="2018-03-05T17:58:45.330" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I just scatter seed on the soil surface and lightly pat them down. Echinacea grows easily from seed sown this way but faster with a root cutting. Usually surface sown seed, besides needing sunshine to sprout, benefit from rain, snow and abrasion. This naturally scarifies the hard seed coat which has evolved to endure these effects and remain viable years later.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20571" LastActivityDate="2018-03-05T17:58:45.330" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37403" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37389" CreationDate="2018-03-05T18:15:58.553" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;The mines that were responsible for supplying the asbestos contaminated vermiculite for home insulation were closed long ago so it's a problem for old home owners.  I would suggest not recycling that vermiculite for SFG use.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Some USA big box stores do carry vermiculite but it's likely to be medium rather than coarse grade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rj1c5.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rj1c5.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Home Depot vermiculite&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;and what you're after is the coarse grade as it holds more water.  If they don't specify the grade, you can check by sizing.  Look for 4-8 mm size or higher.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1alU3.png&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/1alU3.png&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vermiculite.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://www.vermiculite.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-03-05T18:33:13.633" LastActivityDate="2018-03-05T18:33:13.633" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37404" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-03-05T18:27:56.857" Score="7" ViewCount="728" Body="&lt;p&gt;Upon receiving an estimate for moving a 12&quot; caliper maple with a crane, a client's landscape architect proposed looking into whether or not it would be possible to save money by bare-rooting the tree rather than balling/burlapping and then lifting it. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Edit: in response to Graham Chiu's question, I would expect the root ball to be in the 8' diameter or larger range.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We don't think it is a feasible idea, but that could just be because we've never done this before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, it it possible to do a bare-root transplant of a tree that size? How big does a tree have to be before it is no longer possible to do it that way?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Finally, if it IS possible, what are some tips to improve the chances of success?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1796" LastEditorUserId="1796" LastEditDate="2018-03-05T18:57:30.020" LastActivityDate="2018-09-13T22:42:21.330" Title="How large a tree can be &quot;bare-rooted&quot; for planting?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="4" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37405" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37400" CreationDate="2018-03-05T19:02:12.720" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;Self seeding flowers have seeds that either need light to germinate, or are indifferent to light.  Whereas some other plant seeds are inhibited by light.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Since Echinacea readily self seeds, and germinates after cold stratification, at at time of low light levels, I suspect it does not need light to germinate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-03-05T19:02:12.720" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37406" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37394" CreationDate="2018-03-06T01:36:02.010" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;Both E. purpurea and E. angustifolia are used interchangeably in herbal medicine. E. angustifolia has a fleshy taproot whereas E. purpurea has a fibrous root. Most herbal medicines use the root and some use the seed as well. They are generally considered equal by herbalists.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20571" LastEditorUserId="20571" LastEditDate="2018-03-06T01:41:35.010" LastActivityDate="2018-03-06T01:41:35.010" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37407" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37404" CreationDate="2018-03-06T02:38:11.980" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;You are correct being worried about moving a 12&quot; caliper tree...bare root?  Nope.  Only way to do that with a 50% chance of success is to begin at least one year before transplanting by digging a 1 foot trench around the major portion of the root ball with a 4' radius.  In no way could a homeowner move an 8' diameter root ball.  Smaller younger trees perhaps with a 2' root ball that could be moved with nothing than a tarp or a 'ball' cart and a dude or dudette or two for help is a big production.  In the meantime, while you figure out the logistics and if you are super sure you want to try moving this tree you need to do the following:  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Dig a trench around the base of your tree at least 4' radius.  1' deep.  Cut roots as you go.  Pack fresh straw into the trench.  Allow your tree to get used to using the root ball you've left.  Even during the winter, those roots will be growing new roots within the root ball.  Obviously it is a good thing to start in the fall...allow your tree to acclimate to fewer roots during the season where less water is necessary.  Ideally you would wait for transplanting until the second spring where you'd dig up the tree and move it to its new home  You might be able to try to move it the first spring but your chances of success are greatly diminished. Greatly.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The second fall you would make the root ball even smaller by digging a trench at a 2' radius.  You would still need a professional tree mover to pluck up the entire root ball and then put it in its new home right away.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;8' wide root ball is a bit much for a homeowner to handle! A 4' is possible with a professional tree moving company.  Fill the new trench before the second winter with fresh new straw.  Use the old straw in your compost pile. Soak these straw filled trenches before the ground starts to freeze.  No fertilizer unless you are doing the fall to second spring time.  Then your formula should be equal N and P and K.  10-10-10?  Tree stake?  Apply in the late spring.  The next spring you will be moving your tree.  I doubt you'll be able to move a 4' wide root ball by your self or even with help.  Need a big machine or at least a back hoe with 4 or 5 stout dudes to transplant a 4' root ball 12&quot; caliper tree (this is 12&quot; on a ruler that you hold up to your tree that shows the diameter of your tree, correct)?  4' root ball might be a big stretch.  Professionals will take care to tell you what you can or can not expect.  They don't have a service without success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By trenching and preparing this way you should have at least a 75% chance of survival.  Otherwise by ripping your tree out and transplanting it bare root I can guarantee you will lose your tree and all the money you spent to move it with this company.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;You should also get some Mycorrhizae Fungal spores at your favorite nursery.  Make sure you apply to the first trench you dig, lightly. I would also look into a tree moving service. They have a big machine  made to pluck out trees and shrubs by their root ball.  The larger the root ball the more chance of success.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you prepare the spot that will be you tree's new home (hopefully not too far away) do NOT dig any deeper than the root ball you will be moving to install in that spot.  Do not disturb the soil that root ball will be sitting upon.  No amendments whatsoever.  If you are on a slope you'll be making a tree well on one side and inserting a 3 or 4 inch PVC pipe at least 3' long that has been drilled full of holes for about 2' of its length.  The undrilled portion will be above the ground.  I would do at least 3 pipes around the edge of the root ball after transplanting.  You put your hose end in the pipe to water your tree.  Keep filling until the water doesn't flow out of the pipe very quickly.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For the first spring and summer that tree needs water!  The pipe will allow the subsoil to hold moisture where the roots are able to get at the water.  Check the moisture level by pulling up the pipe or drilling a larger hole about 6&quot; below the surface in the pipe where you can feel the soil through the hole.  (you can get a hand into a 4&quot; pipe)?  Once transplanted that tree will need a good 2 months where you need to keep that soil moist not wet but moist 24/7.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Sprinkle the mycorrhizae into the new hole when transplanting.  Minimal fertilizer...if you used a stake the last summer that should be enough to keep it going until established.  Then use a tree stake fertilizer once every other year.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Make dang sure that the bark of the tree is out of the soil and not ever to be compromised with mulch or bark or rock...or weeds or compost.  There is a line between the root system and the bark.  That is where the soil needs to cover and not a quarter inch above the roots should the soil, mulch, compost, rock...whatever...touch.  This is why you do not disturb the subsoil.  If you did disturb the sub soil then your tree will sink lower and any soil, or mulch that covers the bark will cause moisture and bacteria the ability to start decomposing  your live tree and fragile cambium...the vascular system just beneath the bark. That will eventually girdle your tree and cause it to die.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Transplanting a 12&quot; caliper tree is not an easy thing to do, at all.  If you want success you will have to prepare ASAP and give that tree at least a year if not 1 1/2 years to acclimate to a new root ball size.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This also be a good time to prune your tree reducing its 'overhead' so to speak.  You will only be doing thinning not heading.  This reduces vegetative growth that needs carbohydrates (made via photosynthesis), reducing the need for water and reducing the stress of this transplanting process. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;When you decide what you can afford to do or want to do it would be fun to lead you through a proper pruning to be done ASAP possibly in a few sessions not just one before your tree needs to deal with the big move.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;No way are trees of this caliper EVER bare root transplanted.  Kiss that tree good bye.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I have to say to replace mature trees is costly and time consuming.  A simple Japanese Maple 12'X12' removed from a residence as I have recounted, potted and made for sale will cost you 10,000 bucks.  Easy for people who are richer than necessary...where is it that you live, where are you moving this tree to (same site, same soil, same slope as before)?  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do contact some of these 'Big Tree' services.  This is the process they demand or they will come and rip out your tree, shrub...rhododendron...and chip it.  If this process is not done, that tree is toast.  I worked with 'Big Trees' in Snohomish or Arlington north of Seattle, Washington.  Call them and talk to them about their services, don't let them know you don't live in the area...tell us in more detail what you are dealing with and we shall be able to help more closely.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Do not do bare root transplanting of any kind for your tree...disaster.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm not bragging but I am a Landscape Architect.  Licensed and 4 decades of experience of hands on gardening, maintenance after the installation of the design.  Turning clients into Gardeners.  At least educating them enough so they can check their service's credentials and/or educate their gardener's service into doing the proper techniques for landscape health.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastEditorUserId="3351" LastEditDate="2018-03-06T03:12:22.360" LastActivityDate="2018-03-06T03:12:22.360" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37409" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37375" CreationDate="2018-03-06T06:43:33.337" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;This is the Sri Lankan weevil or  &lt;em&gt;Myllocerus undecimpustulatus undatus&lt;/em&gt; Marshall &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SStTe.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/SStTe.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Sri Lankan Weevil&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;The Sri Lankan weevil, is a plant pest with a wide range of hosts. This weevil spread from Sri Lanka into India and then Pakistan where many subspecies of Myllocerus undecimpustulatus Faust are considered pests of more than 20 crops. In the United States, the Sri Lankan weevil was first identified on Citrus sp. in Pompano Beach a city in Broward County Florida. Three specimens were identified by Dr. Charles W. O’Brien, first as Myllocerus undecimpustulatus, a species native to southern India, and then again as Myllocerus undatus Marshall native to Sri Lanka, finally as Myllocerus undecimpustulatus undatus Marshall to show its status as a subspecies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rc88L.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rc88L.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Florida distribution&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Figure 2.&lt;/strong&gt; Distribution of Sri Lankan weevils, Myllocerus undecimpustulatus undatus Marshall, in Florida based on initial collection from 2000 to 2006, and additional data through 2012. Map created by Anita Neal, University of Florida.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/sri_lankan_weevil.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/sri_lankan_weevil.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;blockquote&gt;&#xA;  &lt;p&gt;As insecticide recommendations and regulations are updated yearly, it is advisable to consult a local Extension Service office or a pesticide reference guide for current information on control methods for this pest.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-03-06T06:56:26.243" LastActivityDate="2018-03-06T06:56:26.243" CommentCount="2" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37410" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37411" CreationDate="2018-03-06T11:27:26.790" Score="5" ViewCount="370" Body="&lt;p&gt;I'll be moving home in June and I would like to take my cherry tree with me.&#xA;What's the best way to do it?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I'm in the UK.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Here is a picture of my tree last summer.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pa49S.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pa49S.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="10804" LastEditorUserId="7305" LastEditDate="2018-03-06T22:29:24.400" LastActivityDate="2018-03-07T06:36:35.563" Title="How can I relocate my cherry tree?" Tags="&lt;trees&gt;&lt;fruit-trees&gt;&lt;transplanting&gt;&lt;cherries&gt;" AnswerCount="3" CommentCount="3" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37411" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37410" CreationDate="2018-03-06T14:58:25.950" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;I like Ecnerwal's suggestion to leave the cherry in place. A gift to the soil and the new tenant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If it must be moved, follow standard nursery practice and &quot;ball it up&quot; while still dormant.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;During the late winter months but before the buds swell, trim the top tips 1/3 of their length. Trench down along the former dripline about the radius of that circular trench. You will need burlap, canvas, straps and ropes, some levers too and you may need physical help and you'll certainly need a spade.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;After some minor carnage of root tissue, and once the root ball is wrapped snug and hoisted up out of it's bed, find a cool spot to store it for transport in the spring. Water and mulch the root ball until then and it always helps to heel-in the ball by scraping a shallow bowl to help keep the roots moist and out of the drying wind and deadly sunlight.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20571" LastActivityDate="2018-03-06T14:58:25.950" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37413" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37586" CreationDate="2018-03-06T16:55:04.810" Score="2" ViewCount="1410" Body="&lt;p&gt;I have an irrigation system that's about 7 years old. I started to notice that some of my sprinkers' (MP Rotators) are either not rotating or doing so at an extremely slow rate.  I've done several steps in attempting to resolve the problem but with no success.  Hoping someone has further guidance for me.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Steps I've taken:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;First I cleaned each filter within the spray heads to ensure there was no clog. No luck. Then I bought a pressure gauge and discovered that my spray heads are anywhere from 60 to 80 psi. The spray bodies are basic Orbitz brand, so I started replacing them with pressure regulating spray bodies from Hunter. I've verified the pressure is now around 38 psi.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Despite all this, the rotation problem persists. I've run out of ideas. I still haven't replaced all the spray bodies yet, so wasn't sure if I need to get an entire zone on pressure regulated spray bodies before I see a change?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update:&lt;/strong&gt;&#xA;Adding photos.  Also realized the old spray body isn't Orbitz but...I think Rainbird?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Old and new spray bodies&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0vk5bm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/0vk5bm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Old Spray Body&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jy8MHm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/jy8MHm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;New Spray Body&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Filter and in the ground&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qBUSfm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/qBUSfm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;MP Rotator&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&#xA;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MzrCJm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/MzrCJm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Spray nozzle and body&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In action. Streams look good, they just aren't rotating.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rmB1Xm.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/rmB1Xm.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Nozzel doing nozzel things&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="15468" LastEditorUserId="15468" LastEditDate="2018-03-06T20:51:12.807" LastActivityDate="2018-03-18T14:12:03.227" Title="Why are my Sprinkler's no longer rotating?" Tags="&lt;irrigation&gt;&lt;sprinkler-system&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="6" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37414" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37410" CreationDate="2018-03-07T04:25:03.487" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/37404/how-large-a-tree-can-be-bare-rooted-for-planting/37407?noredirect=1#comment51812_37407&quot;&gt;How large a tree can be &amp;quot;bare-rooted&amp;quot; for planting?&lt;/a&gt;  Read this voluminous essay I just did for a 12&quot; caliper tree.  Yours is most definitely a great specimen to transplant but you need to get it acclimated to a concise root ball asap.  Dig a trench 1' radius from the trunk.  1' wide. 1' deep.  Fill with straw.  Do this now and in the early spring before the sap starts running, the buds break, transplant to new spot.  Do not leave this tree's root ball out of a hole for more than a few hours. &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="3351" LastActivityDate="2018-03-07T04:25:03.487" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37415" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37410" CreationDate="2018-03-07T06:36:35.563" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;I also think you should leave where it is. Look @stormy answer, if you want to move it.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant is very small. I assume that you can get a similar plant cheap. Look for a nursery nearby you. For trees I doesn't recommend garden shops (often you see that such plants are not so good, they have been in pot for for much and possibly they come from away (so not acclimated for UK)).&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I think for less then 50 pounds your should find a similar tree (maybe slight smaller).  But hurry. Autumn is the ideal period to plant bare root trees, but you still have some time before full spring come out.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, @stormy solution is correct, but if you are not in gardening, it will be not so cheap (lack of tools). OTOH the cherry tree on the picture seems too close to the house (if it is a sweet cherry tree), so possibly it should be moved anyway.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="13830" LastActivityDate="2018-03-07T06:36:35.563" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37417" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-03-07T15:26:32.783" Score="6" ViewCount="325" Body="&lt;p&gt;I know oysters will eat engine oil, but cooking oil is a different type of chemical so is there any use in adding it to the substrate for growing mycelium?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20476" LastEditorUserId="26" LastEditDate="2018-03-07T15:42:52.997" LastActivityDate="2018-03-19T11:13:35.377" Title="Will oyster mushrooms eat cooking oil?" Tags="&lt;soil-amendment&gt;&lt;mushrooms&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="2" FavoriteCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37418" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-03-07T17:10:59.807" Score="2" ViewCount="259" Body="&lt;p&gt;Could you please identify succulent in the following picture? I like its strange symmetry. What is its hardiness zone? Would it survive the coldness of zone 5, if left outdoors in the winter, while keeping it in its current container and arrangement? &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s0EJU.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/s0EJU.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Succulent arrangement&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;This question is based on &lt;a href=&quot;https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/35386/please-id-succulents-and-their-hardiness-zone-to-survive-winter&quot;&gt;another (closed) question&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The plant in the question linked to in a comment (that claims that the two questions are duplicates) doesn't look like the plant from this question. They may be the same genus or species, but the point is to discover the exact, or approximate, variant or cultivar.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="19946" LastEditorUserId="19946" LastEditDate="2018-03-07T20:52:49.497" LastActivityDate="2018-03-07T21:45:13.383" Title="What is this flower-like succulent with hair on the tips?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;succulents&gt;" AnswerCount="1" CommentCount="8" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37419" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37417" CreationDate="2018-03-07T18:00:34.507" Score="4" Body="&lt;p&gt;Vegetable oils are basically &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triglyceride&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;triglycerides&lt;/a&gt; which are chains of organic compounds with hydroxyl groups.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The use of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284157191_Alternative_substrates_for_higher_mushrooms_mycelia_cultivation&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;vegetable oil cakes&lt;/a&gt; has been examined in the cultivation of oyster mushrooms.  Hydrocarbons are architecturally similar to lignin which is the natural substrate for Oyster mushrooms, and it does not take them long to adapt to this as a food source.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;If you want to do this, soak some of your solid substrate in cooking oil to be used as a supplement. And as always, nutrient enrichment increases the risk for contamination.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-03-07T18:24:00.110" LastActivityDate="2018-03-07T18:24:00.110" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37420" PostTypeId="1" CreationDate="2018-03-07T20:23:07.980" Score="3" ViewCount="939" Body="&lt;p&gt;I believe this cactus is a cereus jamacaru but I am not 100% sure. I had it in relatively low light room but across from a south facing window in the sunniest spot of the room. I watered it once before I noticed something was wrong. It started out by turning yellow and a little brown at the top and now it is starting to turn white. I repotted it and used a soil that has better drainage and the pot it is in has a hole in the bottom too. I even transferred it to different levels of light (maybe too quickly from what I've read) I also believe it has scale insects. After researching how to remove them, I started the process this morning and I have also ordered a cacti insecticide just for future prevention. Are there any other diagnoses? I don't know if I'm correct and I am wondering if there is a way I can cut the bad parts off or if it will even recover. Any Ideas? The attached picture was last week- it looks worse now and has since been moved to a less sunny place- it was out in the sun for a day or two. &lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6rWwv.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/6rWwv.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="20916" LastActivityDate="2018-03-08T17:06:49.860" Title="Cactus turning white/brown/yellow" Tags="&lt;diagnosis&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37421" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37418" CreationDate="2018-03-07T21:45:13.383" Score="3" Body="&lt;p&gt;It is a Sempervivum variety - they can look similar to Echeveria, but the latter never has the fine fringe of hairs around the edge of each leaf. As it's a Sempervivum, it is hardy in the zone you mention with one caveat - because it's in a small, individual pot it's more vulnerable to the soil freezing solid in very cold conditions, so it would be wise move the pot into a less exposed spot during winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As for the variety, well, there are thousands - there are online guides similar to the one in the link below for Sempervivum ID so you might find this one amongst those &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.drought-smart-plants.com/sempervivum-picture-gallery.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https://www.drought-smart-plants.com/sempervivum-picture-gallery.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1380" LastActivityDate="2018-03-07T21:45:13.383" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37424" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37420" CreationDate="2018-03-08T01:06:22.903" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;if the underlying issue was scale infestation you need to treat that. But you also need to remove all the dead and rotting tissue with a sterile knife.  Let the cut area dry off before you let any moisture get on to the cactus.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastActivityDate="2018-03-08T01:06:22.903" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37425" PostTypeId="1" AcceptedAnswerId="37426" CreationDate="2018-03-08T04:35:49.853" Score="1" ViewCount="135" Body="&lt;p&gt;Saw this cactus while I was walking along the road in &lt;a href=&quot;http://whangareinz.com/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;Whangarei&lt;/a&gt; which has a subtropical climate.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GLoJb.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/GLoJb.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;street cactus&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It is growing over the fence into public air space so it would be legal for to take a cutting.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/06FvZ.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/06FvZ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;enter image description here&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And I walked onto the property to speak with the owner but they weren't there but my phone was.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4ZKRD.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.stack.imgur.com/4ZKRD.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;full length prickly pear&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="1894" LastEditorUserId="1894" LastEditDate="2018-03-09T02:52:18.920" LastActivityDate="2018-03-09T02:52:18.920" Title="What's this cactus with tongue like leaves?" Tags="&lt;identification&gt;&lt;cactus&gt;" AnswerCount="2" CommentCount="0" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37426" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37425" CreationDate="2018-03-08T07:00:21.703" Score="2" Body="&lt;p&gt;This looks like a prickly pear cactus, or Opuntia. Looking it up, it seems there are quite a few different types, and I have no idea of the exact species in your picture. Also it's hard to tell from the photo whether those yellow prickly pears are on their way to turning red like most ripe prickly pears (or &quot;tunas&quot; as they are also called), or if they are going to stay yellow when ripe.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Most prickly pear fruits are (supposedly) edible, as are the leaves (the pads, or Spanish &quot;nopales&quot;), but the spines and the irritating little hairs that accompany them are extremely treacherous if you don't know what you are doing. So be super-careful if you choose to go near one of these plants.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;" OwnerUserId="17501" LastActivityDate="2018-03-08T07:00:21.703" CommentCount="1" ContentLicense="CC BY-SA 3.0" />
  <row Id="37427" PostTypeId="2" ParentId="37373" CreationDate="2018-03-08T09:21:52.197" Score="1" Body="&lt;p&gt;If the surface of the soil is sloped towards your foundation even installing a french drain will not help enough.  You have to grade that surface soil to slope away from your foundation.  If not possible then the next solution is to cover that area out to where the soil slopes away from the foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Firstus and most important before trying to mess with drainage on your own is to contact; your city or county buildings and code.  You need to learn what the rules are because if you do not know the rules you could get fined big time.  &lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Check your mortgage paperwork.  You should have an 'as-built' included that shows your property lines, N/S, septic, fences, outbuildings, your home dimensions as well as exactly where it sits within your property lines.  Hopefully there might be elevations.  With at least 3 elevations maybe even two you could have a grading base map made that shows you where the water is going now.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Drainage is critical for a home or any structure.  Have you purchased this home already?  Not to worry.  Disclosure laws are a big deal.  Selling a home with a wet basement is a huge no-no.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;River rock at the base of your foundation walls on the surface helps stop splashing of mud, not so much water.  The siding whether wood or stucco or brick has to be a minimum of 4&quot; above the soil.  The concrete of your foundation on the outside of that wall between any soil, mulch, or rock needs to have an asphalt coating painted onto the concrete of the foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;On the outside of the footings of your foundation there has to be drain tile (drainage pipe, 4&quot; diameter covered with landscape fabric or better).  Tough to find.  Gotta dig down.  Find a friend with a backhoe.  Dig out a corner to see what the